"It's alright, I got you! Just hold onto me and everything will be fine!"
Without giving the elderly "Help Us Company" (H.U.C) agent a chance to respond, Ochako gently hoisted her on her back and leapt from the roof of the apartment building, removing gravity from herself and gently floating down to the safety of the urban streets below.
"COME BACK HERE YOU DAMNED HERO!" the faux villain — a towering man in a red outfit with a spike-generation quirk — roared in anger as he floated helplessly in her wake. Ochako kept her cool, releasing the man behind her from her quirk so as to not waste her energy. She took some small satisfaction in the distant thump behind her as she continued her descent.
When her feet softly touched the ground, she sprinted over to the medical tent in the urban sprawl that hosted the first challenge in the U.A. Summer Sports Festival. It was a similar test to their provisional licence exams; search and rescue in a 'disaster zone' with the ever-judgemental H.U.C agents as the rescuees.
However, there were a few more twists this time. Firstly, the victims of the challenge were far more spread out in a massive city for the heroes to find. The H.U.C. agents were also not being rescued from a disaster area. They were being rescued from villain kidnapping. Each and every one of them. All stolen by a different villain, who were being played by pro heroes.
Ochako was not sure how many of the students had been able to take on an actual pro to rescue someone and score points. Fortunately, she had already managed to catch a pair of pros off-guard with her quirk and dash away with civilians before they could react.
She burst through the tent with her second charge just as the alarm sounded for the first challenge to end. The massive tent was filled with beds and H.U.C. agents of all ages scribbling onto notepads with fervour. She disengaged the elderly-looking woman from her back, standing her right next to a bed.
"Thank you, deary. You were very gentle. Well done," the H.U.C agent complimented, surprising Ochako with her kindness.
"Don't mention it. The medical staff here will help you. I've got to head back out, but everything will be fine now!" Ochako exclaimed with her voice pitched a little lower, trying to sound as heroic as possible. The bell may have rung, but she did not trust the agent to not dock her points if she showed any weakness.
She gave the lady what she hoped was a comforting smile before dashing out of the tent and promptly puked onto the asphalt.
"Ugh…" Ochako groaned when she finally recovered, wiping the bile from her mouth. "That was a little overboard." She had kept her quirk activated on her clothes for speed during the majority of the hour-long challenge. Coupling that with having to dodge past two pro heroes had pushed her past her limit.
"You okay there?" the familiar voice of Deku sounded from behind her. She turned and saw Iida there with him, both with worry etched across their faces.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Ochako answered sincerely, bouncing back upright to show her vigour. "Just a little worn out. How'd you guys do?"
"Well, I managed to rescue two civilians. Those pros really held nothing back," Iida answered with his usual seriousness, rubbing his bicep a little gingerly. "Midoriya here led the pack with three."
"Wow, really? Awesome!" Ochako almost jumped up as she flashed Deku with a wide, beaming smile. She noticed Deku blush, but he kept himself composed otherwise.
"Well, I was lucky to find some good matchups out there. I mostly just tried to speed past them before they could react," Deku muttered, adding a few more mumbles about heroes Ochako didn't recognize. "How about you?"
"Just got the two," Ochako replied, sighing a little ruefully. She had worked so hard, yet Deku still outpaced her without much trouble. "I hope that's enough."
"I expect it will be for this round," Iida replied, voice light and cheery by his standards. "I think most of the students only got one. Regretfully, some in our class did not manage any."
"Oh no…" Ochako muttered. With the pool of students limited to the hero course in the third year, she had hoped Class 3-A could at least all make it past the first round together.
As if on cue, Present Mic's voice blared over the speakers, causing the trio to flinch at his screechy voice.
"Alright young heroes! Please turn your attention to the big screen near the exit to see where you rated! Remember, only the top 32 will advance! Best of luck!"
Ochako inhaled as she watched the names pop on screen, ranked in order. She started from the top and worked her way down. Izuku Midoriya...Shoto Todoroki...Ochako Uraraka…
"YES!" Ochako did not contain her excitement, leaping into the air with joy. She was shocked she actually placed in third but delighted all the same. Her hard work training was paying off.
Deku raised a hand next to her, which she gladly hit with a loud smack.
"That's amazing Uraraka!" His genuine enthusiasm and shining eyes made her heart flutter. She stamped down hard on the familiar feeling, but did not let it sully her good mood.
"Look who's talking!" Ochako teased, raising her right index finger to indicate his placement.
"Well done you two. I knew you would both make it," Iida chipped in. His good spirits indicated to Ochako that he had also likely qualified. She swung her head back up to the screen to look at the rest of the names who qualify. Iida's stood out in sixth place.
The majority of the Class 3-A also made it through, with Mineta, Koda and Aoyoma the only ones to miss out. The majority of the cull fell on Class 3-B's side.
Ochako noted that Bakugo was surprisingly low on the list, only placing 23rd. She supposed he got deducted a lot of points for the brazen way he tended to deal with rescue situations, his usual downfall on rescue tests.
"Those of you moving on, please make your way to the main arena for the next challenge!"
"Well, we best get going quickly. Wouldn't want to be late," Iida stated, starting off at a brisk pace out of Ground Beta. Ochako giggled in unison with Deku at his businesslike tone as the two walked forward to join him.
She chatted excitedly with her two best friends, sending a few thumbs-up to her fellow classmates as the winners walked in a pack toward the main arena.
Much like previous years, the scale of the first stage of competition had required them to keep outside of the main festival arena, this time using the familiar Ground Beta. The logistics meant the students had not even started at the arena, making Ochako all the more excited for what the next stage would bring.
"You guys nervous?" Mina popped in next to them with a relaxed stride, wearing an enthusiastic grin.
Surprisingly, Ochako did not think she was. Her pulse was regular, her breathing steady and her head clear. The prospect of competing was daunting, but now that the competition had started, she felt right at home. Ultimately, the challenge of the festival did not hold a candle to the life-or-death nature of their villain encounters.
"A little bit," Deku admitted to his nerves, surprising Ochako. She looked over to see him pulling on his chin in thought. "It's just tough not knowing what they would throw at us next. With 32 people, at least half of us will probably get cut in this next challenge."
Deku's works evoked something akin to a gravitational surge suddenly pressing down onto her. It was just like him, always thinking and analyzing his next steps. She realized she should not be too relaxed, especially with a hard cut in the competition to come.
"Geez, Deku, way to kill the buzz," Mina teased, sending a friendly wink at Ochako. "As if someone like you has anything to worry about."
"I just want to be prepared!" Deku uttered quickly, dropping his hands and looking flustered. "I'm not taking anything for granted in this."
"Midoriya's right," Iida chimed in, expression deadpan and arms crossed. "We should all be thinking hard about what's next and maintain our focus."
"You guys are no fun," Mina groaned out, pouting. "You're not going to get anywhere if you're so wound up all the time. Right...Uravity?"
The utterance of her hero name threw Ochako for a loop. She found herself suddenly struggling to form a coherent response to the barbed jab. She got a sinking feeling the comment did not have much to do with the Summer Sports Festival.
"I'm just teasing, relax," Mina shook her head and rolled her eyes as she spoke. "You guys do you. Best of luck in the next round!" With that, Mina rushed off to chatter with Toru, leaving the trio to their own devices.
"What was that about?" Deku asked, stroking his chin again. Iida just shook his head and gave a half-hearted shrug.
"I...uh...I dunno either," Ochako stuttered, her stomach suddenly churning in a mixture of frustration and embarrassment. That Mina would try to bring up a veiled jab at her own attitude towards Deku was a little dirty.
She looked towards the boy in question, who regarded her with a concerned stare. Ochako realized she was letting too much on, before taking a deep breath to compose herself.
Focus, Ochako. Priorities, priorities.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it," Ochako answered Deku's silent question, flashing him and Iida an easygoing grin. "We should be focusing on what comes next, right?"
The silence that hung in the air for a moment was frightened her. But Deku didn't take long to read the cue before responding with a curt nod. "Right. We've got a tough test ahead."
The chatter between them slowed as they got closer and closer to the festival arena. The nervous energy within the student heroes rose as their battleground became visible over the horizon. Ochako's ears picked up a low murmur of the crowd, the echoes and excitement carrying out some distance.
The murmur grew louder and louder as they walked along a paved side path to back entrance of the arena, away from the eager eyes of the people out front. The crowd effectively silenced conversation between most of the group as everyone started getting back into the headspace of competition. The challenge would not start immediately after they entered the arena, but there was more than that to consider. The heroes scouting in the audience would be watching their every move. Nobody wanted to mess up walking in, potentially costing them valuable points in the eyes of the public.
A lone figure appeared in the distance, heading out from the arena. As the emaciated man became visible, Ochako watched everyone visible straighten their posture. All Might may look like a twig compared to his glory days, but he still commanded respect from just about every hero in the world.
"Good morning heroes!" All Might shouted as he approached them, deep voice no longer carrying the resounding boom it once did. "Well done in your first challenge! You all did splendidly!"
Murmurs of "thank you" and "yes sir'" echoed throughout the pack of students. Ochako kept her mouth silent. She noticed a pile of white headbands All Might had draped over his right arm. She side-eyed Deku, noticing him staring just as intently at them.
"The reason I'm here," All Might explained as he held up his right arm and made the headbands more visible. "Is to give you these. Well, half of you to be more precise. Those of you that finished in the top-16, please take one of these and wear them on either your head or neck. You'll learn why once the next challenge starts."
There was a lot of whispers and more than a few annoyed grumbles as the top-16 filed in to pick up their headbands. Ochako quickly clamoured into the line behind Deku. She watched as the students moved quickly before Deku stepped forward to take the headband from his idol. No words were exchanged between the two, just curt nods before Deku grabbed his keep and stepped off to the side.
Ochako went forward next, staring up into the sunken eyes of All Might. They were hard to read and more than a little intimidating, but Ochako kept her anxiety down and kept her hand steady as she grabbed onto the headband.
"Good luck," the ex-pro said to her in a low voice. Ochako nodded in reply, mimicking Deku as she walked away from All Might. She did not dwell on the encounter, quickly wrapping the band around her head and pulling the knot at the back forcefully.
"Well, this is certainly a little familiar," Iida said as he stepped in from behind her, headband already affixed to his head. "I wonder what exactly they have planned for this."
"It might be some kind of large team battle, "Deku murmured in reply while tugging at his chin. "Or perhaps the two groups will be completely separate, I've heard about them doing a couple of tests like that before. They clearly want to narrow us down to 16, so it must have something to do with that."
"Well whatever it is, I am sure we can handle it," Iida stated succinctly, cutting off Deku's analytical musings. "We may not have another chance to really talk before the next test begins, so I just wanted to wish both of you good luck and no hard feelings, no matter what happens.
Iida extended his hand out with a firm smile, standing tall and proud. Ochako gave him a gentle smile in return, her heart warming at his gesture. As overly serious as he was, she counted herself lucky to have a friend like him.
"Right back at you," Deku replied, placing his hand on top of Iida's. The two friendly rivals stared each other down, but the camaraderie overpowered the sparks of competition between them. "I hope we can all make it to the bracket stage."
Ochako did not wait before slamming her own hand onto the pile, baring her teeth in a cocksure grin. As fast as her two friends could move, she did not want to be left completely behind by them. The friendly rivalry was amping her up and she eagerly drunk in the fire surging through her veins. She much preferred it to the cold uncertainty of anxiety.
"We'll definitely make it!" Ochako exclaimed, pumping her fist with her free hand. She ignored the tingling sensation on her fingertips as they made contact with Deku's scarred hand. She looked up to see Deku's eyes twinkle and his mouth curl up gently. His cheeks were mysteriously red, but Ochako could not fathom why.
The three mutually disentangled their gathered hands, eyes flashing quickly between each other as the contact between them broke. The friendliness faded quickly as the trio nodded and walked forward with the rest of their class.
The rumbling of the crowd got louder and louder as the students approached the stadium. A loud burst of distant cheering sounded out, and Ochako thought she could hear the trademark screech of Present Mic amping the crowd up. The massive back doorway was in sight now, iron doors wide open, the green turf of the arena visible through the passage.
Ochako wore her best war face and put a little more thought into every step. She was a little thankful she was in the middle of the pack and would not have to be the first one through the doors.
Idly, she looked around and see most everyone else wore expressions similar to her, but a standout few did otherwise. Some were trying to go for a more carefree look, like Mina and Kaminari. Others went for a more eager and intimidating, like Bakugo and Kirishima. And some were…mysterious, for lack of a better word, like Toru.
But those were not the looks Ochako wanted to go for. She wanted to be taken seriously. She wanted to be counted amongst the steely, determined faces at the top of Class 3-A.
The roar of the crowd as the class stepped into the sunshine was deafening. Ochako blinked her eyes a bit as the sunlight bore down on them. The massive arena and the stands filled with thousands of people materialized under the light before her. She had competed here a couple of times now but nevertheless was awed by the scope of it all. Still, she did her best not to let her nerves show, maintaining her determined expression with practised ease.
"LET'S HEAR IT FOR YOUR THIRD YEAR COMPETITORS!" Present Mic blared his voice over the speakers and the crowd erupted in a fresh bout of cheers.
Ochako roamed her eyes over the crowd, wondering if she could spot her parents. Unfortunately, everyone was a little too small from this distance to make out. Still, she tried to take some comfort in the fact they would be together soon.
With that pleasant thought, Ochako focused her attention back on the arena in front of her. The lush green of the turf popped against the clay track located in the centre of the stage. This time, however, Ochako noticed 32 circular stone slabs interspersed equally around the clay portion of the arena, about three feet tall and five feet wide. She focused on them, puzzled by their purpose.
"Competitors, please make your way to your those rocks you see in front of you! Only one per student now!" Mic explained on cue. The students dutifully followed the instruction, dispersing across the arena like a small wave crashing against rock. Ochako did her best to maintain her upright gait. She got turned away from a couple of stones as other students moved quicker, but eventually found her way to one and stood atop it.
Ochako took a moment to breathe in the atmosphere and the murmurings of the crowd once more. The rock was solid beneath her feet, and she planted herself in a firm stance. She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, ready for whatever was to come.
She looked around and analyzed her surroundings. The track was massive and it was hard to make out everyone with how spread apart they were. Deku was nowhere to be seen, evidently somewhere farther away, but she could see the people immediately around her.
Bakugo's red eyes stood out from across the field, and Ochako could not help but gulp as he sent an angry glare her way. She tried her best to look intimidating in return, but she was pretty sure it did not work. Nobody could hold a candle to Bakugo when it came to menacing glances.
Deciding to turn away for the moment – better to avoid all the bad memories associated with Bakugo at the sports festival – she looked to the slabs closest to her sides. She gasped and was a little relieved to see Iida on her right, although he kept his eyes forward and focused. Nodding in understanding, she turned to her left to see Tsuyu, who was a little more casual. The frog girl, who had also managed to claim a top-16 headband in the last round, waved at her, which Ochako returned in kind.
"Before we begin the next round, a few words from our principal, Nezu!" Present Mic's disembodied voice sounded, to a few smatterings of applause from the audience. Ochako did not have the sightline to see the announcer's booth where Nezu was presumably standing, but she contented herself with listening intently.
"Thank you all for joining us today, and thank you, competitors, for putting on a fine performance in the first round! Win or lose, you all represent the best and brightest U.A. has to offer. You students are top notch, and I have no doubt you can all be fine heroes someday. Truly, the next generation of heroes, represented here today, could be the greatest yet!"
Ochako quirked her eyebrows at the praise as she heard the crowd murmur and grumble at the speech. The principal was laying it on a little thick, but she guessed he was trying to use this opportunity for a bit of a sales pitch for U.A. students. She supposed the school had a reputation to maintain. Still, she could not say she minded getting a little extra publicity.
"Now, with that being said, I will explain the next challenge!" Nezu said, to a mixture of cheers and grumbles from the crowd. Clearly, the masses were getting a little impatient.
"Sixteen of you have been given headbands, representing the top sixteen finishers in the previous challenge. This next test is very simple and will last for 20 minutes. The sixteen students in possession of the headbands when time runs out will be the ones who get to move on!"
There was a quiet rumble in the arena as everyone tried to process that information. At first, it sounded a little weird, like the top finishers had an automatic pass. But Ochako realized what it meant right away as she looked across at Bakugo, who sent a fiendish smirk her way, baring his teeth a little. Ochako gulped but kept her eyes steady.
"That's right, it's a free-for-all!" Nezu confirmed, voice ringing with a tinge of sadistic glee. "If you have a headband, you must wear it on your head or neck. You can only have up to two headbands – no exceptions – until the last five minutes, when that goes down to one. If you go above the limit, you have ten seconds to get back under or you will be automatically disqualified. Feel free to use your quirks however you wish, but keep it within reason. Our teachers have discretion and will step in to remove you if you push things too far."
Ochako let the words move quickly through her ears as she wrecked her mind for a strategy. Since she had a headband, she could focus on playing defensive. She could use her quirk to float away from the rest of the competitors, keep in the air and stay out of harm's way.
But 20 minutes was a long time for prolonged self-levitation, longer than she had ever managed before. It was an all-or-nothing plan. If she could not hold it, she'd fall and be easy prey for whoever decided to attack her. But she figured it was probably her best chance, rather than risking it in the chaos of a 32 person free-for-all.
"COMPETITORS, ON YOUR MARKS!" Present Mic's booming voice snapped across the arena, sending a few tingles down Ochako's spine. She bent her knees and got ready to lift off, flexing her fingers to prepare to quickly tap herself. If they were not going to give them much preparation time, she'd just have to deal with it.
You've got this, she tried to encourage herself, taking a deep breath. Keep your cool and you'll be fine.
"GO!"
Ochako felt the air rush around her ears as she pushed with all the power her legs could muster, making it a good 40 feet off the ground in her first jump. She scanned her eyes around her as she slowed, trying to make sure she broke away successfully from her competitors.
"WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING, URARAKA?!"
The sound of ear-ringing shouts and explosions quickly warned her she was not going to get away scot-free. Ochako looked down to see Bakugo careening toward her, blasting himself off the ground like a rocket with a series of large explosions. He was closing the distance fast, focused on her as his first target. She cursed her luck, unsure of why he decided to target her.
Ochako took a shaky breath and got ready to counter. She could not get into much of a fighting stance hanging in the air, but she stared him down while raising her fists up defensively in front of her.
"I'm not…" she whispered to herself, voice lost in the wind. "This isn't going to be like last time."
Bakugo was only a few metres away from her now, ready to make his attack. With eyes blazing, he got nearly level with her, before rearing up his right arm to blast.
"WHY DON'T YOU SIT-" Bakugo shouted, as his hand sparked intensely. He did not hold back, setting off a massive explosion straight at her. "DOWN!"
"Release," she tapped her fingers together just as his blast left his hand, allowing her to plummet like a rock to dodge the blow.
Ochako grit her teeth and angled her fall towards Bakugo, allowing the explosion to knock her in his direction. With the pair of them propelled backwards by the blast, Ochako managed to direct her descent to wind up below Backugo, grabbing onto his heel as the two started to plummet.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Baku shouted as he suddenly felt something weighing him down, looking to see Ochako staring up at him. For her part, Ochako directed a smirk back up at him, her on-the-fly plan coming to fruition as she wriggled her fingers under his pant leg to tap his skin.
"I'm not," Ochako tapped herself with her other hand, leaving them both weightless and moving slowly in the air as the momentum from the expression petered out. "-losing-" Ochako said as she suddenly yanked the boy down with both her hands, immediately putting all her strength into swinging him in front of her. She tried her best to disorient him as she swung his weightless body like a flail around her, spinning them both into dizziness. "-to you this time!"
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME!" Bakugo screamed at the top of his lungs, managing to swing one of his flailing arms in front of him, directing it upward towards her with the intent to blast them apart.
"RELEASE!" Ochako shouted as she let her quick fall off of Bakugo just as his blast let loose. The heat and force of this blow hit Ochako's face like a truck, sending her flying upwards. At the same time, she let Bakugo fall out of her hands, pushing all of her spinning momentum outward in an effort to sending him crashing back to earth.
Ochako instinctively clutched at her face, coughing through the smoke and trying to wave it out of her eyes. The burns from the blast stung, her entire face pulsing with pain. She was pretty sure her hair was scorched in a couple of places, too. Bakugo hit a lot harder with those blasts than he used to.
But it was nothing outright debilitating for the moment. As the smoke cleared, Ochako caught a glimpse of her own handiwork, peering through just in time to see the speck that was Bakugo set off a few big explosions to barely keep himself from crashing into the ground. When his feet touched down and he did not start rocketing back up, she breathed a sigh of relief, daring to hope she successfully dissuaded him from pursuing her.
Still under the effects of her own quirk, Ochako gathered her thoughts as she floated weightlessly in the air. She could barely make out the figures of her classmates moving below — she guessed she must have been about 70 feet up by now. Flashes of light, explosions and dust filled the air as the distant crowd continuously roared and hummed in excitement.
But the important thing to Ochako was nobody was trying to get back up to her. She could track Bakugo by the bursts of light moving across the arena. Evidently, he had decided she was not worth the effort to chase, which made her breath a little easier.
She eyed the massive screen hanging within the arena. Thirteen minutes to go. With that goal in mind, Ochako took a few deep breaths and tried not to exert any more energy.
The wind blew roughly around her, stinging as it brushed against the burns on her face. The pain from them grew more and more pronounced as the adrenaline from the early encounter wore off and Ochako focused on keeping calm. She curled herself into a ball, not wanting her limbs left outstretched awkwardly. She tried to maintain a steady pattern of breathing as she focused on keeping her quirk active.
As the seconds stretched longer and longer, the familiar tugs of pain in her stomach started. It did not take long for a full-blown stomachache to start, her quirk a little worn from the rapid acrobatics with Bakugo earlier. Ochako did her best to ignore it, scanning her eyes to confirm again that nobody was coming for her in the air. She tried to watch the fighting below, but it was hard to focus on in the distance with how chaotic it was. There was so much movement to keep track of and periodic dust clouds robbed her sight of the action.
Despite all of that, she managed to make out Deku a couple of times, dashing in and out of the fray, trying to keep himself away from any pursuers with his incredible speed.
She smiled despite her churning stomach and the queasiness starting to overtake her head. She recalled all the times he had endured through so much pain to keep fighting, whether at the Summer Sports Festival or with their lives on the line against villains. He was an unstoppable comet; he might break apart in flight, but he would always keep surging forward nonetheless.
Ochako swallowed the bile in her throat and took another deep breath. This pain was nothing. She could overcome it. She could do this.
The minutes ticked on. Ochako did not glance at the clock or try to count the seconds, fearful that either would throw her off her game. The bile crawled higher and higher up her throat, and she periodically tried to gulp it all down to keep her stomach from hurling out all of its contents. She knew she would fall like a brick if she did.
After what felt like eons, the voice of Present Mic finally blared over the speakers.
"TIME'S UP!"
Ochako released her quirk on instinct, letting herself fall as her hands flew to her mouth to keep herself from puking mid-air (that would be way too much of a mess). Her legs kicked out, flailing a little haphazardly as she felt the air rush around her.
She recovered to curl her fingers inward and activate her quirk again, stopping suddenly and shaking her queasy stomach even more. Groaning, Ochako settled on a series of rapid descents, falling and then stopping herself with her quirk. It was far from elegant, and sweat formed on her brow at the thought of being watched by so many eyes for this. But it was the best she could do when falling from a massive height.
When she finally touched down on the mercifully hard ground, she did not take long before losing the rest of her breakfast out onto the grass. The burns on her face continuously throbbed, demanding attention. Despite the pain, Ochako tried to get up and settle her stomach. Her head started to pound, dulling the roar of the cheering crowd and the blaring voice of Present Mic.
She suddenly felt a firm hand on her shoulder and another one grabbing her right hand to help her stand upright. She was too exhausted to react, but she did not have to turn to know who it was.
"Come on, we should get you over to Recovery Girl." Deku's tone left little room for argument, not that she was inclined to. "I'll see about getting you some tea for your stomach, too."
"Hmm…sounds good…" Ochako murmured, lacking energy for much else.
She saw a few of her friends start to gather around her – Iida, Tsuyu, Mina, and Momo. Her friends, including Deku, were all pretty nicked and bruised themselves, but they looked better than she probably did. They started fretting about her far too much for her liking.
"Are you alright, Ochako?"
"You must make sure not to strain yourself too hard!"
"You look really out of it."
"I hope you'll be okay…"
Ochako regarded them all with the best smile she could muster — which admittedly was not much of one — and gave them a shaky thumbs up.
"I'll be…I'll be alright. I just need a little bit to settle my stomach."
With that, she let Deku support her with an arm around her shoulders. As they walked forward, she groaned as she leaned a little into his embrace. Just for this moment, she closed her eyes and let herself relish in his presence. He was steady as a rock as he guided them. Her insides suddenly felt a lot warmer, but in a good way.
But she did not let the embrace last for long. After a few moments walking together, she sighed and disentangled herself from him, wanting to walk on her own strength. "I'm alright to walk," Ochako stated, before taking a few shaky steps forward.
She noticed then the headband displayed prominently on his forehead. He had advanced like she knew he would. It was not surprising, but she thought she might jump for joy if she had the energy.
Deku relented as she moved away from him, but stayed by her side, clearly intent on making sure she got to the infirmary safely. She felt her cheeks warm at his thoughtfulness but had no energy to react otherwise.
"That was some really impressive endurance, Uraraka," Deku complimented her as they continued their walk towards the arena exit. "I saw you floating there the whole time. You must have set a personal best with how long you were up there. And that throw you did on Kacchan was incredible!"
"Thanks," Ochako responded weakly, trying and failing to summon some happiness in her voice. "You…you were really good too, Deku. I could hardly keep track of you."
"Yeah…I guess I did alright…" Deku murmured, averting his eyes to the ground. He still could not take a compliment from her very well, even after all this time. "It was chaotic, but I managed by just playing defensive."
Ochako shook her head a little as he sold himself short again, but decided not to comment further. Her head was starting to get a little woozy from the conversation and she was content with some comfortable silence.
She briefly turned her head to see the rest of the competitors, all intensely focused on arena display screen that would soon present the matchups for the first round of the bracket stage of the festival.
Not caring for much more than lying in a bed at the moment, Ochako turned her focus back to putting one foot in front of the other. She could find out who her opponent was later. But just as Deku and her were about to reach the exit, Present Mic's voice halted them in their tracks.
"IZUKU MIDORIYA VS. OCHAKO URARAKA!"
AN: Thank you to Kingdom Lightz for editing this chapter.
This ended up a little longer than I expected but I hope it was enjoyable. Thank you all for the support for this story so far; you keep me going. Please leave a favourite and a review if you enjoyed it. ^_^
