Some Teacherly Advice! [Junko]

Eli looked up to see a familiar blue faced teacher. He had accidentally bumped into Junko! "Uh...sorry Ms. Junko! I should have looked where I was walking!" Eli panicked. He hadn't really seen his teacher outside of class so he really didn't know what to expect. The calm voice of his teacher really surprised him. It was definitely different from the usual irritated tone he heard from her because of class 1-C's chaotic nature. Granted, the majority of the class usually deserved it too. Eli however, was too quiet to deserve the screams that Junko always gave the class.

As she greeted him Eli answered his teachers questions while munching on his chips and drinking his drink in between his words, "Uh no thank you! Nothing that I need help with at the moment! I'm doing pretty well though, I've been training nonstop, so I wanted to take a bit of a rest for now and get my energy back. As far as the event, I'm personally in the obstacle course one! So I've been training up my speed and mobility for it. I don't feel quite ready, but I think I'll be confident by the time it gets here. I hope I represent our class well!" Talking to his teacher really made Eli nervous, but not near as much as when he played his guitar at the opening to the sports festival, "Oh! Did you see me playing in OD Hazard? Did I do good?" Eli still thought his performance could have been better, and if his teacher had any advice he would take it!

As Eli thought, a scolding was coming. Though it wasn't at all what he would've thought it had been for, she scolded him for chewing, eating, and drinking while speaking...Eli simply apologized as to avoid more yelling from his blue faced teacher, which was also why he was acting much less delinquent like. "Sorry Ms. Junko! I meant no disrespect!" Still he somehow managed to get a compliment out of her! If Junko considered there performance adequate...most people likely thought it was amazing! "Thank you for putting my insecurity on our performance at ease! Miku and I were really nervous cause it was our first performance, but Darren and Chimera gave us the confidence we needed! I really liked playing though!" Eli respected Junkos opinions, despite how hard she could be to please. Eli also didn't need her approval though, he just wanted to avoid more scolding.

"I appreciate the gesture, but I'm hoping that with all the training I have done, I won't need any luck! Still it may turn the tables in my favor when I need it, so thank you!" Eli sounded much more sincere then usually, if it was a student other than a select few, Eli would just tell them to 'Fuck off' but this was his teacher. Eli wasn't a respecting person a lot of the time, but he understood she had earned her place as not only a teacher but also a hero. So therefore, he gave her the respect that her titles came with. 

Eli wondered how his teacher was enjoying her break from his fellow students. Not having to deal with Darren, Yumi, or Kirks loud mouth must have been a breath of fresh air for her. Despite Eli also being a delinquent, he was rarely one in class because he knew Junko already had so much on her plate. He didn't care that much, but he also didn't want to be the last straw that made her explode. With these thoughts in mind he asked, "So how has your break from class been? I hope you've enjoyed your break from us! When we get back to are there any specific training lessons you have in mind? Have you missed anything in particular as far as the class goes?" Eli made sure to pause in between his questions briefly, he didn't want to be scolded for talking too fast after all! Once he was done asking questions, he ate another chip and sipped on his drink again. Hopefully there wouldn't be any scolding for multitasking this time.

Eli pondered Junko's suggestions, and thought about the signature moves lesson that she brought up. His combat potential could definitely improve from the tournament, but then he would also have to focus on both the obstacle course and the tournament. Splitting the training between the two events would definitely be much harder then for just one. Then again, Darren would likely commend him for trying two of them! So he decided to do it!

"The signature move stuff sounds really fun and cool! I hope I can come up with one that's good enough for the name! I am surprised they didn't let the staff at UA know ahead of time though, but maybe they didn't want information leaking out or something? Not that anyone among the staff would do that! As for the tournament I think that's a good idea, I doubt I'll be the winner, but it's definitely worth a try. If all else fails there's always the obstacle one! Plus even if I lose, failure is the best teacher! I can improve my skills and gain experience during my fights regardless of how many there are. Ill learn something either way and that's all that matters!" Eli's words were true! Failure was definitely the best teacher for him. He had been through fight after fight with Darren, Maxi, and a few others. Not a single win, but each time he got stronger without a doubt. Even if Darren didn't acknowledge his skills as they increased, Eli knew they had. He still had doubts though, hopefully he would win at least one fight and not be up against someone like Darren or Yumi in the first round. Regardless he would try his best. "I'll give it my all to prove 1-C are the champions sensei!" He shouted, keeping in mind how often Kirk got yelled at for being loud, he kept it at a reasonable shout. His enthusiasm was matched by the happy smile on his face. Now that he had finally finished voicing his opinion, Eli started eating more of his chips and finished them off. He walked to the trash can and threw them away like any normal person would. If Junko wasn't watching him like a hawk as usual, Eli would've simply threw it. However she was, so he acted like a civil human being that wasn't a delinquent. As he walked back over to finish his conversation with his teacher, Eli took another sip of his drink. He wondered what Junko would say in response to his answer.

Eli smiled as Junko encouraged him. He would be the diamond in the rough, and he would give this tournament thing his full attention when the time came. He would show them exactly why class 1-C were the champions, "Thanks for believing in me Ms. Junko! I'll show them exactly why our class is the best there is!" His voice showed exactly how excited he was for the tournament. Hopefully he wouldn't have to face someone extremely strong in the first round, or someone who countered his quirk. He wanted to at least be able to show how powerful he was! "Oh and thanks for signing me up!" 

As the conversation shifted to signature moves, he listened to what Junko had to say. She wasn't wrong, those that didn't put effort in didn't really deserve to be taught signature moves. However, Eli himself used to not put effort in. If not for Darren, Eli would probably still be in that group. "I understand your frustration with them but...I myself used to not put effort in. Not that I'm trying to defend them but everyone consciously chose to come here, and I think eventually they'll put effort in if you continue trying. If it wasn't for Darren I would probably still be in the group you're frustrated with. He made me train, he made sure I was getting stronger. Regardless of anyone else's opinion of him, I'll always have Darren's back because he had mine. As for help I'm making sure to get plenty of it. I've already asked Naoru to spar with me and Miku to make me an obstacle course to run through! I didn't get to the strength I'm at now on my own, so it's reasonable that it will be easier to get stronger with help from my friends!" Eli's words rang true in his heart. His friends truly were his source of strength.

Eli gave his teacher time to process what he had said, it seemed like she took the words as hope based on how she reacted. Eli hoped she would give the class another chance. After listening to her statement, he responded, "I'll look for you in the crowd! I hope it's entertaining! I'm also sure it will help you realize that while most of us goof off, there are times when we're serious. If any of us want something bad enough, we'll get it. And I bet it will improve your lessons as you said!" Before today, Eli saw Junko as a monster of a teacher. The teacher that taught strict teachers. Today he learned that even she had feelings, despite how strict she was. All the nonsense of class 1-C even got to her! He made a note to be easier on her in the future.

At the change of subject, Eli answered, "Oh! I'm going to the Martial Arts club! Training is more important now than it ever was before! I'm not gonna win this tournament by just sitting around after all!" A grin was plastered on Eli's face, He couldn't wait to show Junko, Darren, and everyone else what he had! There was no way he would be giving up easy!