"The First Year Students had completed all the events of this year's U.A. Sports Festival! And now, it's time to relax and enjoy the Award Ceremony!" Midnight proudly announced, glad that the games was finally over... At least, for the games for the First Year Students. Luckily, the other teachers will substitute in and deal with the Second and Third Year Students in their participation of the Sports Festival.
Everyone cheered of the announcement, as fireworks went off into the sky and confettis scattered the air. Behind the R-rated Hero, a veil of smoke puffed out from the ground... The ground pulled apart and a podium for first, second and third slowly lifted up.
...Nobody would ever guess they would be seeing this: Two first place winners, a first time that ever happens in the history of the U.A. Sports Festival... With the winners being Katsuki Bakugō, and Sierra Arashi... Or, now, it would be Sierra Aizawa.
...
...
...As soon as Midnight announced the results of the winner being both Bakugō and Sierra, somebody couldn't hold it in and revealed to the whole world whose child she is...
"FINALLY! AN AIZAWA WON THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! MY PRECIOUS NIECE WON THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! YOU MUST BE SO PROUD OF HER, ERASER!"
...Hizashi knew he was a dead man, the moment Shōta gets his hands on him, but he can worry about that, later.
Right now, the thirty-one year-old father has to deal with an immediate phone call that demands his attention than the thirty year-old does... A call Shōta dreaded on receiving, but was very much prepare to face the Battle-Axe of the family he knows to being his mother.
...He just hope she doesn't try to swoop down, and snatch his daughter from him, while leaving him to be picked off by his father and brothers.
Meanwhile, standing on the top platform, two steps behind the older-teen, Sierra kept her gaze to her feet, slightly shuffling on the balls of her feet.
She knew that Present Mic blurted out who her father was to the entire world; her hearing was able to catch a few snippets before she lost conscious, and slowly jumble the words together when she regained consciousness and recalled what had happened.
...
...She fears on what her classmates would think of her, now that they've learned the truth about her father... What the students of U.A. would see her as...
...
...
...What the villains would do, now they've heard the name that she should be baring and try to locate her father and his side of the family.
"...Ra Ra..."
Her eyes widened when she heard his voice... The calm, semi-tired, monotone in Katsuki Bakugō's voice.
...
...
...In her most honest opinion, she really thought he would be acting like a pissed off, feral-animal from having his match end with a tie with somebody he considers to being weaker than him... She didn't expect him to be so quiet, so calm... So serious, when he didn't, single handedly, win the U.A. Sports Festival.
...
...
...When she raised her head to his voice... His red-eyes showed no emotion, when he turned his head to stare at her.
He pointed a finger to the empty spot beside him.
"...Stand over here."
...
...
...
...She stared down at the space...
...
...
...Then back to him, when he nodded his head...
...
...
...
...
...In just two steps, she stood beside the whitish-blonde teenager on the First Place podium...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...She can see all First Year Students before her...
...
...
...
...All were smiling... Beaming proudly up... At her!
She didn't think she would be seeing smiling faces, not after hearing Present Mic announce to the entire world the last name she should be carrying... But clearly, as her classmates and the rest of the students called out to her, congratulating her and sending out positive vibes, her dark thoughts were wrong.
"Sis."
Below her and to her left, Sierra looked down and saw Tokoyami in the Third Place podium... Next to him, Mina stood to his left, beaming up proudly and smiling up at the younger-girl.
She cocked her head to side, wondering what he wanted to say.
"Midoriya told us everything, Sis... Even if he hadn't told us to why you never told us about discovering our teacher being the father you were told to had died in battle, none of us think differently of you. -He turned his head back to their classmates, having both his arms crossed over his chest.- You're part of our flock, our fellow classmate, and that, alone, will never change the bond we cherish with you."
She was a bit surprised to his words. Then, she looked at Ashido, who kept her big smile on her face.
"You're still our friend, Sis, even if you happen to be our dark-and-gloomy teacher's daughter!" She replied. "You're still our friend, Sweetie! Always remember that!"
Sierra blushed at her words... She wished she could reply back, to let them know she appreciate the support they all gave her, if her throat hadn't been damaged from overusing and long exposure to fire, leaving her to not be able to talk for a few days.
Recovery Girl's Quirk healed most of the damage, but some of the wounds still linger and her body needs to focus all it's effort to heal the remaining injuries her Quirk didn't fully heal. And so, for the rest of the week, she's been given strict instructions to not make a sound.
Those sounds, which includes: Barking, yelping, yowling, howling, whinnying, snarling, hissing, etc. Just about every kind of animalistic she can make. She can't even purr, which was a bit upsetting to her, but isn't going to go against doctor's orders and risk worsening whatever injuries that could mess with her vocal cords. So, she'll suck it up.
"Despite forfeiting his match with Sierra Arashi-... Or, I guess, now it would be Sierra Aizawa. -She sent a glare up to the Rock-n-Roll Pro Hero, who quivered at her angry stare.- Tenya Iida, actually, shares the Second Place Winner with Todoroki. But, of course, he has to go deal with a Family Emergency. We thank you for understanding. -She sent them what assumes to be a cute expressional headshot, which some of the students believed she wanted to pose in front of the camera.- And now, let's bring out the hardware!" Midnight proudly cried out, a hand held out in the air. "And, of course, there's one person who's worthy on distributing the rewards!"
Just as she finished that last part of her sentence, a very familiar laugh can be heard from above the stadium.
While many gotten excited when they heard his joyful laugh... Sierra let out a silent sigh of annoyance.
'Does he really have to use that laugh of his?' She thought, a blank look can be seen when she looked up and saw a large figure standing above them. 'When you hear it too many times, you're bound to be just so annoyed by it... Honestly, I'm just surprised nobody thought about the many times they would hear that laugh of his and count the many of times they would hear it, to then wonder if they'd get tired of it or not... Which, I'm guessing from everybody's exciting reaction, they don't.'
All might leapt off the roof, performing a perfect somersault.
"Citizens! I. AM... HERE!" All Might exclaimed very loudly.
...At the same time he spoke, Midnight spoke over his sentence.
"Our very own hero, All Might!"
...
...
...It left them both feeling a bit embarrassed on talking over the other, which showed they neither of them didn't think to try and wait for the other to finish their speech.
Sierra shook her head, but a small-smile was on her face.
'So long as nobody in the crowd seems to care that much about their poor timing, there's no damage to fix between them.'
Cementoss kindly handed Midnight the medals, which she then gently offered the Number One Hero the tray that contained six medals for their winners.
Seeing the two second silver-medals, reminded the fourteen year-old about one of her absent friend... And her worry for Ingenium, Iida's older-brother.
'I wish I could do more to help Ten out in his time of need. It's a good thing that Moo has to work today and was able to alert him about Ingenium heading for his hospital, while being able to instruct Ten's Mother to request for him to be their doctor to help treat Tensei's injuries... I just hope it'll be enough.'
"Now that you're here, All Might, we don't you start the presentation?"
Nodding his head, All Might took the two Bronze Medals* and went for the Third Place Podium, where Tokoyami and Ashido stood still and slightly leaned their heads forwards.
As they did so, the Pro Hero gently pulled each of the medal over their heads and left them hanging around their necks. The crowd cheered for them.
"Young Tokoyami, Young Ashido, congratulations." He stated proudly. "You both showed amazing strength out there."
Mina beamed happily at his compliment, while Fumikage nodded his head.
"Your words humble me, Sir." He politely thanked.
"Yeah, thank you, All Might!" Mina happily replied.
...Neither of them would ever expect for the Number One Hero to, without warning, lean forward and give each of them a hug.
Mina gasped lightly to his action, before lightly giggling and returning the hug. While Tokoyami, a little uncertain on how to react, remained still and allowed the hero to embrace him.
"However, both of you have more training to do if you're going to be fighting against different kinds of villains." He gently informed them, pulling away from the two third place winners. "You're not going to be able to rely on your Quirks at every battles you two will face."
Mina stared thoughtfully down at her medal, taking in what All Might just said to them, before looking up at Sierra, who gave her a slow nod, confirming that the Number One Pro Hero was right. She smiled big at the younger-girl, giving her a thumbs up.
"Right!"
Fumikage lifted his medal off his chest, staring down at it... After his fight with Iida, he knew that this will be an important lesson he'll never forget.
"Hai."
Giving them a final nod, All Might picked up one of the two second place medals and went over to the Second Place Podium, placing the medal around Todoroki's neck.
"Young Todoroki, congratulations."
The Fire/Ice Quirk User silently accept the silver medal around his neck, staring down at the ground... It wasn't because he was embarrassment for being in second place... He was ashamed, for not seeing what the path he chose was leading him.
"I'm assuming you had a reason for not using your left-side, though it did cost you the finals."
Shōto slightly nodded his head to his question.
"Midoriya and Arashi opened my eyes, during our match... But then, I started to doubt myself, and couldn't bring myself to use my fire in my match against Bakugō."
Bakugō glared down at the red and white-haired boy, but didn't say anything snarky at his words.
Todoroki slightly lifted his head, looking up at All Might.
"...I'm beginning to understand why you're so interested in Midoriya... I want to become the kind of hero, like you. -He lowered his gaze back down to the ground, a clear sign of shame written on his face.- But my path, it isn't as clear as I thought it was... I have a lot to think about, -He looked up for a second time, his eyes showing he has clarity of his thoughts.- and I still need to settle things with someone."
He doesn't know what the boy's thoughts are, but Toshinori can see how important his newfound goal is. And so, as his teacher, he gave him a nod of understanding... Then, like Ashido and Tokoyami, leaned in and enveloped him into a hug.
"That look on your face... It tells me just enough on how important this is to you," he said. "I won't ask for anymore details, but do trust yourself. You'll surely work things out."
It made him feel a bit out of place on being hugged by the Number One Pro Hero... And yet, to be embraced by somebody who truly cares about him... It could never replace the warmth and comfort his own mother would give him, nor will it be enough to erase away all the pain his own father would force him to go through... But still, it was more than enough to bring in some form of safety and reassurance that he so desperately needed.
"...Right..."
Above them, Sierra smiled gently down at the older-boy.
'It's a start, but he's finally on the right path to healing.' She thought, as All Might pulled away from Shōto and went to gather the two gold medals from Midnight. 'The road will be a long one, especially for one who shunned himself for so long, and the path just beyond will be a very difficult road... But, in the end, he'll be reborn from the ashes of his pain and become something much stronger... Someone, who'll see the world for all its worth, and his life being so much more than just a tool for another's selfish desire.'
When the Pro Hero stood before them, Sierra slightly took a step back, gesturing to have him give Bakugō his medal first... She didn't expect for the whitish-blonde teen to grab for her right-arm, keeping her anchored in her spot.
Her muscles tensed up from within his grasp. Apparently, her body is on edge, subconsciously preparing itself to move if he tries to pull another stunt on her like he did in their fight.
"...Calm down, Ra Ra." Katsuki grumbled, keeping his eyes at All Might. "...You gave me a fight I was hoping to get. A fight that I wanted to display my strength for all to see... And, though I'm still pissed off that I didn't win this stupid Sports Festival, you've earned just enough of my respect to be up here. So, don't you dare move away from your spot."
She narrowed her eyes at the older-boy, but remained in her spot, prompting him to release her arm.
"Young Bakugō." All Might started, leaning forward and putting the medal around his neck. "You did what you said what you would do in the pledge. Though, you'd never said you would be the only one to win the Sports Festival. But, still, you're true to your words!"
Bakugō simply grunted, folding his arms over his chest, then turned to stare at Sierra.
"...Next time, I'll make sure this won't end in a tie. That, you can be certain I'll keep."
If she could talk or if he could understand Sign Language, Sierra would've made a response to his promise. Still, she can at least think up the word, while sending him a small-smirk of a smile.
'...I don't doubt that one bit, Kacchan.'
As he did with the others, All Might leaned in and pulled Bakugō into a hug. He didn't return the embrace... And yet, he didn't push him away, or made any comment of disgust.
...Her ears picked up a final message the Pro Hero gave to the whitish-blonde.
"Nezu will be making a visit to your home, Young Bakugō... He has questions that concerns him and the other fellow teachers, so you best prepare yourself to answer them."
The sixteen year-old didn't so much as flinch to the hero's words, not showing any sign of concern or fear... To him, it's going to be just a teacher, coming to visit and then, thinking he was just overreacting over nothing but some angry words from a Animal Quirk User, he'll leave and have no other concern that needs to addressed to a future Pro Hero.
After the hug, All Might turned to Sierra, who kept her gaze lowered.
"Young Arash-... Forgive me, Young Aizawa. -She slightly flinched at the change of the name... It still felt very foreign to her.- We apologize, for giving out classified information you never gave your consent to use or reveal. However, Aizawa or Arashi, you showed everyone what kind of person you are... And because of that, and through your Speech of Inspiration, you've proved one of the outmost important merits on what a true hero is! -He slowly leaned in, placing the gold medal around her neck.- You, Young Aizawa, truly made a symbol of what U.A. Academy is about: Grooming future heroes and proving that anybody, no matter their Quirks, can become a hero."
...Sierra simply nodded her head in thanks... Then, though she should've expected this to happen, was pulled into a hug.
He made certain to not make any contact to her back, but his bulky muscles did made her feel slightly constricted. Toshinori laid a hand on the back of her head, gently running his fingers through her hair... Avoiding the red-bandana she put back around her forehead.
"...Arigatō..." He whispered, surprising the girl. "If it's not for you, I wouldn't had met Young Midoriya... I may never know the pain the both of you carry, and you may never forgive me for hurting Young Midoriya when we first met... But, know this: I do care for your brother and, as such, I give you my word, that I'll make sure to help him reach his dream and make more of an effort to be there for him."
Again, she couldn't say anything to his words... So, she slowly raised her arms and wrapped them over his chest and right-arm, resting her head against his right-collarbone.
Toshinori felt his heart swell when she returned the embrace... It was just like when he would beam with pride for Izuku... The same way, he would feel pride and comfort, when Gran Torino would find ways to put a smile on his face through the struggle and endurance of training.
...
...
...The same way, when his old mentor, Nana Shimura, would embrace him and tell him on how proud she was of him...
...
...
...
...He missed the woman, who gave him her Quirk to become the hero he became, to this very... The very woman, who believed in him and saw great potential in him, when others looked down at him for being Quirkless...
...
...
...
...The same woman, who was like his own mother.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...Thinking about her...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...It doesn't hurt, anymore...
...
...
...Slowly, he pulled away from the girl... Then, he rested his forehead against her own, not minding of her bandana being in the way, while placing his hand on top of her head...
"We know how scared you are, about competing when-... They are watching this... I swear to you, that we won't let them get to you... That, I promise, from the bottom of my heart... Watashi no mei (My niece)."
Her eyes widened to his words, a blush spreading on her face, when he pulled away from the girl and gave her a nod of approval, confirming that he meant it when he called her his niece... As family.
When all have their medals, All Might walked down the Podium and, with that smile on his face, turned to the other students and many of the crowd.
"Here they are, the winners of this years Sports Festival!" He proudly announced, which the crowd all cheered hysterically. "And to all of our students who competed, listen closely. Any of you First Years could be standing on this here Podium. I want you all to think about, on what you've done, today: You've challenged each other, learned, and come into closer goals at becoming pros... I know, that in the bottom of my heart, that this generation of heroes is proving to be our most promising ones, yet!"
He lifted a finger into the air, straight up towards the sky.
"And so, I have one more thing to say and for this, I want to everybody to yell with me to say it with me!"
To this, most of the crowd stood out of their seats and, raising a finger into the sky, called out the one thing many would say at a time like this.
"PLUS ULTRA!"
...
...
...What nobody expected, was for All Might to be saying something differently.
"U.A. thanks everyone for their hard work*!"
...
...
...
...The whole stadium went quiet...
...
...
...
...
...Then, all at once, everyone, in the whole stadium, shouted the same thing to the hero, with a couple of booing traveling through the air.
"WHAT?! THAT WAS THE PERFECT TIME TO SAY 'PLUS ULTRA', ALL MIGHT!"
"Oh! Well, yeah, I guess, but everybody did such a good job!"
...
...
...Sierra facepalmed herself, shaking her head.
'Should've realized what he caused to trigger, when he told everybody to say it with him. Not everyone can read minds, let alone guess he would say something like that, instead of "Plus Ultra"... Speaking of which, does anybody realize that when we say "Plus Ultra", we're using a Latin Phrase for "Further beyond", while we're Japanese...? Kinda makes me feel like we're copying a heritage from the other origin that isn't our own, despite not knowing who actually got us started on using the phrase "Plus Ultra".'
While the crowd continues to boo at All Might for not saying 'Plus Ultra', Sierra looked over to the booth where the other teachers sat in... There, she saw Recovery Girl, who silently motioned with her hand to meet her back at her temporary Healing Room.
...She knew why she wanted to see her there.
Five Hours Later...
"Nice work." Aizawa bluntly told his class, though not showing much emotion that told them if he's actually proud of them or not. "You have the rest of the week off to recuperate."
Some almost got out of their seats to cheer, but after the Sports Festival, they were all too tired to even make any response on being off for four days straight.
"I'm sure that the pros who watched the festival will want to recruit some of you. We'll look over the draft forms and update you when you return. -Looking out the window, he can clearly see how late it was getting, since the Second and Third Year Students in the Sports Festival took a lot longer to finish than the First Years.- Get some rest. You still have a lot of training to do."
"Yes, sir!"
As they all slowly started to get out of their desk, Izuku looked over at Iida's empty desk... His heart banged heavily in his chest, as he grew worried for his friend... Sierra text him on what the family emergency was.
'...Iida... I hope your brother will pull through this.'
Then, as he slowly and cautiously got out of his seat, he looked over to his sister's desk... It was left empty, since the Sports Festival ended.
'...Sis... Where are you?'
Like him, Aizawa looked over at his daughter's empty desk... Sitting on his desk, is her first place medal, which she left behind for Recovery Girl to deliver to her father.
...
...
...Chiyo informed him, when he went to check up on them when the Third Year Students finished their performance in the Sports Festival, that she received a text message from her brother some time ago and was heading for the Hosu General Hospital.
...
...
...
...According to the Healer Pro Hero, she left at around 3:41, right after reading the text message...
...
...
...He didn't received any word from her, since then.
The thirty-one year-old went over to Izuku, who was able to grab for the top strap of his backpack with his left-fingers.
"Midoriya. -The fifteen year-old looked up at his teacher.- ...Any word?"
Knowing what he was asking about, Izuku slowly shook his head.
"She most likely has her phone off, to reserve its power." He suggested. "She sent me a text earlier, telling me that Moo is helping with the operation over Ingenium's operation... She's worried that he's going to overuse his Quirk on him, if the situation is very serious."
Shōta didn't like the sound of that. When he and Cindy were dating, Jeremy didn't had his Quirk, being two and a half at that time and turning three in October, before Sierra's birth.
Now that he regained contact with them, he learned that his Quirk finally revealed itself a few days after his fourth birthday, which ended up being a Healing Quirk... Just like Cindy's mother's Quirk, but didn't see any problem with him gaining a Quirk from their mother's side of the family, since he isn't anything like her... Like Ayano Kemuri*.
Since he doesn't know much about her own Healing Quirk, he doesn't know what the drawbacks of Jeremy's own Healing Quirk are.
"What happens if he overuses his Quirk?"
Izuku let out a tiring sigh.
"As you know, Moo's Quirk activates when he makes contact with somebody." He explains, wanting his teacher to understand how the seventeen year-old's Quirk works. "He can use his Quirk to sense out the person's injuries, which will then give him details of the person's condition, even to look up on past injuries that they'd sustained that could be linked to the current injury. Then, when he uses it to heal, a veil, looking like the Northern Lights, covers his patient's body and starts the healing... And then, that's when the drawbacks kick in."
She knew that she would end up worrying Shōta and Izuku, even some of her classmates, but she didn't care. She needed to get to the hospital.
Her arms kept on protesting from being overused all day, but she wouldn't allow them to let her falter when she pushed them to carry her in the wind and fly through the quickest distance to her brother's work... In her talons, she carries the second place medal, given permission by Nezu to deliver it to her friend, along with her cellphone to act as her messenger.
When she landed, she needed a moment to catch her breath when she morphed back to her human-self, but pushed herself into the hospital and, using her phone, asked them where her brother and the Iida Family are.
Luckily for her, the staff members knew her as their co-worker's sister and pointed her to the direction on where to find her brother.
She immediately took the stares; she would end up feeling she has Vertigo and a bit claustrophobic, when riding the elevator. That, and for the fact it would carry too many scents, it was too slow and doesn't want to risk being trapped in there, should the power suddenly go out.
"Depending on the injury, itself, whenever Moo heals an injury, he can heal from a little to completely, should the injury be minor and not life-threatening, to a little to only halfway, if the wound is very serious."
Her footsteps echoed throughout the hallway... Her nose picked up Tenya's scent, along with a female's scent. She even smelled her brother's scent... And then, there's the scent of blood.
She pushed herself to run faster.
'Please, Moo... Please, don't do what I fear you would do.'
"If he can heal to a certain degree, what exactly are the drawbacks?"
...
...
...When Izuku answered his question, he immediately regretted on asking.
She grabbed for the white-door, sliding it open...
...
...
...Her eyes widened at the sight before her.
"If he's healing a serious injuries, especially one that could be life-threatening, and heals to the maximum of his Quirk... His body sustains half of the exact injury he absorbed from his patients and go through the healing process, himself, by half... And, should he overuse his Quirk... Moo could die."
There, lying on the hospital bed, is the Turbo Hero: Ingenium... Tensei Iida.
He has a mask over his face, indicating his need for more oxygen and possibly sustaining a collapsed lung. His head had been bandaged up, which told her he has a serious head trauma. A few bandages covered his arms and part of his right-shoulder, while a few IV fluids are connected to his arms.
...Then, there was his stomach... Even with disinfection and clean bandages, she can still smell blood coming off from that spot, the most.
...
...
...And yet, her nose also picked up that the metallic scent isn't as strong as she thought, considering it coming off his bandage.
"Sierra-chan?!"
To the right-side of his brother, Tenya got out of his seat and immediately went over to the girl. "What are you doing here?!"
She swallowed, slightly trembling from the negative emotions coming off of her friend, along with her body struggling to keep standing and not collapse from exhaustion.
Immediately, she pulled out her phone and started texting.
"Tenya? Who is she?" A woman, remaining next to Tensei, asked.
Sierra held up the screen to Iida.
Can't speak. Bakugō injured voice. Won't b able 2 talk 4 days. Where's my brother?
Tenya's eyes widened at the message, before turning back to the slightly gasping girl... His eyes flashing in concern.
"...He-... -He swallowed past the lump in his throat.- ...He healed Tensei... Then, the doctors wheeled him away, on a stretcher... He was bleeding..."
Sierra's eyes widened from the news, then turned to leave the room... Only to stop, when the door opened and a doctor came in to the room.
Staring down, he recognized the fourteen year-old girl.
"Ra Ra?" He said, surprised.
She quickly deleted her message and flashed a new one to the doctor.
Where's Moo, Kota? Is he ok?
The doctor, being Kota, gave her a serious look... Then, a sad-smile appeared on his face... That told her he has good news and bad news... Serious bad news.
"He's doing fine, he's resting in the ICU... But, because of the extent of Ingenium's injuries, it took a serious toll on his body and is going to be out of commission for a while... And, I'm afraid, he's going to need physical therapy, while he's recovering... He'll, also, be in a wheelchair, during his recovery... He took half of the injury of Ingenium's broken spine, in order to prevent Tensei from being paralyzed... At this moment, he's paralyzed, from the waist down."
...Both her phone and the silver medal slipped out of her grasps... They hit the ground.
TBC
And that, is the end of the U.A. Sports Festival! Sorry that it's short, but I feel like it's best that we finally wrap this up, and get on to the next part of the show:...Code Names. Internship...! AND MOST OF ALL: FAMILY REUNION! ^^
Trust me, it'll be worth it!
*:...Can anybody explain to how and/or why, in the show, Iida shared third place with Tokoyami? I have an idea on how he shares third place... Still, I'd rather hear your guys' own opinion to how he won third place with Tokoyami.
Because of my own reasoning, I've decided that, because Bakugō and Sierra shared first place, I would have Nezu decide to, also, have two second place winners and two third place winners, too.
*: Not sure if I got it right to what he said in the English version; it was really hard to hear over the sound of the audience, and that he spoke fast.
*:...YEP! This is the name of Cindy's mother!
...Can't believe it took me days, just to finish this... Hopefully, if I could, I'll try to get the next chapter, not only longer, but quicker... I just hope work doesn't try to kill me. Well, hope the new year, so far, is doing good for you guys!
R&R