Trace began exiting the arena until he got wrapped in a bear hug from behind,
"Where did all that come from Trace", Mina said joyfully.
Trace however didn't respond.
"Trace", Mina said worriedly.
Almost on cue, Trace had fallen to the ground, unconscious.
"TRACE", Mina screamed, shaking him. He wasn't moving.
"HELP, ANYONE", Mina needed to get someone's attention.
Before she knew it, Iida and Todoroki had arrived on the scene.
"My god, what happened to Trace", Todoroki said.
"I DON'T KNOW, HE JUST COLLAPSED", Mina said, scared for her friend.
Iida immediately picked him up and placed him on his back. "Where is Recovery Girl's Office?", Iida asked quickly.
"3-c", Todoroki said quickly.
"Take this", Iida said, handing them each an earpiece, "So we can communicate amongst ourselves.
Iida ran as fast as he could to get him there as quickly as possible. 3-a, 3-b, 3-c.
Iida swung the door open to see it empty.
"Shit", Iida said, out of breath. He immediately put a hand to the earpiece in his ear. "Recovery Girl isn't here, I'm taking him to the hospital", he heard Mina and Todoroki agree almost instantly.
He ran faster than he's ever ran in his life, worried for his friends' life. He made it to the hospital in just under 3 minutes. He ran into the emergency section of the building.
"SOMEONE GET A MEDIC", Iida screamed at the top of his lungs.
Doctors began rushing out, Taking trace from Iida's back, and putting him onto a gurney.
Iida put his hand to his ear and spoke, "I got him to the hospital, get here as soon as possible".
"Roger that", Todoroki said.
"On my way", Mina said.
After about a half hour, Mina and todoroki made it to the hospital.
"Hello", Todoroki began, "We are here to see a patient named, Trace Wilqs".
After checking her computer, the receptionist spoke. "Room 203".
Todoroki and Mina headed for an elevator to reach the third floor. After a minute, they found the room. Todoroki was about to push the door open when he saw Mina's state. She was trembling, fear in her eyes. "Are you alright Mina?" Todoroki said, concern filling in his voice.
"I'm… i'm not sure if I can see him hurting", Mina said, tears in her eyes.
Todoroki froze (figuratively) before putting a hand on her shoulder. "If your roles were reversed, he would want to see you", Todoroki said warmly, "He would want to make sure you're okay".
This seemed to calm Mina enough to allow her to smile. "Thanks Todoroki", was all Mina said.
Todoroki, took a breath to prepare for the sight, before pushing the door open.
Iida was sitting at one of three chairs in the room. Upon seeing them, He flashed a smile before returning his gaze to Trace. "He has already undergone surgery", Iida began, voice shaky, "His heart had literally been ripped in three locations", Iida looked to the ground at the last part. "He also broke every bone in his body somehow". Mina was horrified, covering her mouth with both hands. Todoroki just stood there, Eyes wide as could be.
"How was he able to stand after all of that", Todoroki asked.
"His resolve is truly amazing, but also worrying", Iida said, looking at the unconscious Trace.
"Why didn't he tell us", Mina said, practically crying into her hands.
"I don't know, but he must have had a reason", Iida said.
Trace could hear everything and wanted to say something, but he wasn't allowed. The doctor told him not to do anything that would strain him. So no blinking, no speaking, no nothing, excluding breathing. He wanted to assure them he was alright, but he couldn't. The quirk doctor couldn't see him for another half-hour.
"You both were admirable in the sports festival", Iida said, trying to lighten the mood.
"Yeah, though Fumikage easily had me beat though", Mina said, still glum but brightening.
"I doubt I could have beaten you with your speed Iida", Todoroki said with a smirk.
"I'm sure you would have found a way with your resourcefulness", Iida said to Todoroki smirking himself.
After about a half-hour, a knock at the door was heard. Mina opened the door to find a Doctor with a headband on.
"Hello, i'm the quirk doctor, where is Trace Wilqs", the man said.
The three students immediately turned the doctor to Trace who got to work immediately. He touched a finger to his temple and began humming a tune. Trace began glowing white. The spectators dumbfounded at the sight. After a few minutes of humming, The doctor began removing the bandages, wrapping Trace until he was free of them.
Trace, finally able to move opened his eyes and looked around without sitting up. He could see Iida and Todoroki who were relieved Trace was okay, But most important was Mina who was practically bouncing off the walls,
"I have done the best I could Trace", The doctor began, "and while I was able to mend your bones and tissue, I couldn't remove the scars on your body", The doctor said, shame in his voice.
"Just another battle scar right?", Trace said seriously.
"That it is sir that it is", The doctor said solemnly. "We just need to test one more thing".
"Okay then", Trace said calmly.
"We need you to close your eyes, then follow my instructions.
Trace immediately shut his eyes. Following everything he was told. Stand up, arms out, touch your nose, etc… After a few minutes the doctor cleared him.
"I don't see any issues so you are good to go".
Trace grabbed his hoodie from a nearby chair and gestured for his friends to go first.
As they walked The three students kept questioning Trace about his injuries.
"How did you break every bone in your body during the sports festival", Todoroki asked worriedly.
"Well", Trace began, "My left leg was broken after my battle with Todoroki, and my left arm was broken from Bakugo, Endeavor caused the rest".
Todoroki was about to curse his father when Trace piped up.
"But I showed him that caring about others made me better than him, I showed him how flawed his ideologies were and set him straight". Trace smiled while holding his fist in front of him.
"But why fight Endeavor", Iida said confused.
Trace hung his head low before responding, "I saw how he treated Todoroki", Todoroki flinched at the memory. "And I saw that he only saw him as a means to make himself look better… when I saw that, I lost it… I wanted to show him how much better a caring, loving, kind hero was than a cold and ruthless hero".
Everyone froze, making Trace hit the elevator button.
"Did you intend to hurt him", Iida asked.
"I never had any intention to attack, but that plan went out the window when he tried to kill me, but at least I took his wounds from him", Trace said smiling.
"Take his wounds", Todoroki asked confusedly.
Trace regretting his wording sighed. "I'll explain later", was all he could say.
"No", Mina said angrily, "You're explaining this to us now, you have nearly died twice in the last 2 days, I know how bad life was but you shouldn't have to think you have to hurt yourself", Mina couldn't control herself anymore, "what they did to you 3 years ago doesn't matter since they can't hurt you anymore, you have friends who care about you, don't throw that away", Mina slapped a hand over her mouth, remembering who all was in the elevator. Iida, Trace, herself, and Todoroki.
Everyone stared at her wide-eyed, but trace looked hurt.
The elevator door opened but no one moved.
"Come with me", was all Trace said. He no longer looked at any of them.
The others, though nervous, followed.
Eventually, they reached the alley He had slaughtered the ten thugs in.
Mina, remembering what occured in this alleyway began to shake uncontrollably.
"Now", Trace said, voice expressionless. "Since Mina basically told you, I may as well talk about my past, BUT", Trace looked over the three people. "I'm only gonna say it once, so hold all questions to the end and listen up".
The others, though hesitant, obliged. After a deep breath, Trace talked about his childhood, his living conditions, his loneliness, his school, his bullying, everything.
Trace, surprisingly, stayed calm through all of it. "And to top it all off", Trace said, "I actually have 4 quirks.
The others stood wide-eyed at this.
"I know I know", Trace said annoyed, "But none of them really helped me be a hero, my first quirk is Barrier, as long as I focus, I can hold a barrier for a week straight, granted no strain is put on me… second, I can displace any injury on a person, I either have to move it to a new location or take the injury myself, I can also change the injury, such as a gunshot to multiple scratches, but no matter what the new wound must have an equal amount of damage done as the old wound… third, Negative buff, as long as I'm experiencing a negative emotion such as anger or sorrow, I can draw from a pool of power that allows me to increase my physical prowess, but at the cost of self control… last but not least, shadowstep, I have a friend named Djinn who is part of me, He use to just feed off of sorrow but can now feed from any emotion, I can call on him to control any part of me as long as I want him to, but if i'm in extreme anger, sadness, or pain, then he can take control without my saying, but when i'm in such states, he had no self control", with that, trace breathed in. "and that's everything".
Todoroki and Iida stayed silent for what felt like hours.
Iida was the first to speak. "To know what you have gone through, to know that despite everything that happened, you still kept pushing, and made it to UA, you proved to the world you can be a hero… Trace, I'm so sorry for speaking out of turn", Iida looked to the ground, ashamed for not considering what Trace could have gone through.
Todoroki was next, "Trace… you have proven that even the worst of people can change, you have proven that love and kindness beat coldness any day, you have proven just how powerful and determined you are, and I thank you for that".
"Wait", Mina said aloud, confused. "Normally, you would be super angry having to talk about her, so how were you able to get through the story without losing your composure".
Trace smiled before lifting his hands, revealing bracelets around his wrists. "Doctor gave these to me", Trace looked to everyone before continuing, "He told me to take these to the support class and hand them to Mei Hatsume, but for now, all these do is release a chemical into my body that is nontoxic for it and neutralizes my negative emotions when I press the green button on them, but using them to much can lead to a dependence and I don't want that".
Everyone froze at that. Trace is basically on an antidepressant.
"I'm sorry for worrying you guys, but I had my reasons for hiding my pain", Trace said solemnly, "I didn't want others to worry about me, I didn't want sympathy for what I went through".
"Trace", Iida said, pain in his voice.
Trace hearing this immediately looked up to the engine hero who looked at him with slight anger.
Once he was sure he had Trace's attention, he continued. "It is a hero's job to protect and help others, And friends are suppose to look out for one another, So if I knew, then of course I'm going to worry, because that is what a friend is suppose to do", Trace was amazed at the conviction in his voice, "and like it or not, Class 1-a is a group of friends, so we look out for one another, If we had known what you had gone through, we would have helped you to be the best hero you could be", tears were streaming down Iida's face.
Trace was taken aback at this. He never really considered how others worried. He had nearly died twice in the span of 48 hours. Others would surely worry. Trace looked to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I'm no hero", was all he could say.
Everyone was taken aback. "You are a hero", Todoroki said.
"After everything I have caused you guys, I don't think I can call myself a hero", Trace said sorrowfully.
Mina had walked over to Trace before wrapping her arms around him. "After everything you've done, you have proven you're more of a hero than any of us", Mina said, surprising Trace. "I mean, you fought Endeavor to a stand still and even won, to prove that kindness is infinitely stronger than coldness, that no matter what we can stand for those who can't, if anyone at UA deserves to be a hero, it's you Trace", Mina took Trace's head and turned it to meet her gaze and smile.
Tears began swelling in Trace's eyes as he returned Mina's embrace. "Thank you so much Mina", Trace said joyfully.
"Trace, you have shown us time and time again that you would sooner jump in front of a train than leave someone behind, you have the most to show for your time at UA and your experiences before then", Todoroki said.
Trace couldn't hold back anymore, tears falling like a flood gate. "Thank you all so much, and sorry for causing so much worry". He began sobbing.
Mina had reached for his wrists to hit the green buttons but was stopped by Trace.
"I'd rather not use these twice in the span of a half-hour", Trace said, giving a weak smile.
"It hurts seeing you suffer Trace", Mina said, being on the verge of tears herself.
Seeing this, Trace wrapped his arms around her and began singing. (baby mine again, it's very calming)
After a few minutes, the alley fell silent, the sound of cars passing them.
"I will try to be better about how far I push myself, and besides", Trace said with a smile, "I don't think it'll be fun to keep dragging my ass to the hospital or Recovery Girl".
This caused laughter to erupt from everyone, Todoroki laughing the hardest of them all on the ground, Mina was clutching her sides, and Iida was simply holding his knees.
After a few minutes, everyone settled again. "It's been awhile", Trace began, "we should head to UA and get any work we missed". Everyone froze at that. They had essentially skipped part of school. They rushed as fast as they could, catching the last 10 minutes of the first class.
"Nice of you four to join us", Aizawa said annoyed, "so, who wants to explain what happened".
Trace raised his hand to speak only to be stopped by Aizawa. "Someone who isn't Trace".
Mina immediately raised her hand. "Well, I found Trace after the sports festival and went to hug him, but he had fallen unconscious, I screamed for help, Iida and Todoroki arrived, and we took him to the hospital", Mina was on autopilot at this point. Aizawa listened intently. "Trace had broken every bone in his body as well as received many burns from Endeavor".
"Really stupid move by the way", Aizawa said, glaring at Trace. Trace simply hung his head to avoid Aizawa's gaze.
"We had gotten out but by then we had a half-hour left to reach class". Mina hung her head when she finished.
Aizawa began berating Trace, much to Mina, Iida, and Todoroki's dismay.
After Aizawa finished his scolding, Trace was visibly shaking, eyes aimed at the ground, hiding behind his mask.
"Remove the mask", Aizawa ordered.
Trace didn't budge.
"Well", Aizawa said, getting annoyed.
Trace fell to a knee and clutched his heart.
Everyone in the class immediately began jumping up to help before Aizawa ordered them to sit, no one wanted to incur his wrath, so they sat.
"Get up Trace", Aizawa said annoyed.
"I… Can't… prick", Trace said between breaths.
This caught Aizawa's attention. "What did you say?", Aizawa said angered.
"You… you… heard… me… sir". Trace said pain and anger in his voice, but he wasn't leaking energy from his body. Aizawa had erased his negative buff quirk.
"Get up and look at me", Aizawa said steaming.
Trace reached to a button on his wrist, and clicked it before taking a few deep breaths, letting the thing do its job. Not long after, Trace was able to stand. He removed his mask, revealing dark yellow eyes. "IF YOU HAD LET ME FUCKING EXPLAIN", Trace said, pulling a paper from his pocket, no longer able to hold back his rage. "THEN YOU WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A RARE DISEASE THAT RADICALLY INCREASES MY ANXIETY TOO A DANGEROUS LEVEL, WHICH WAS WHY I WAS HAVING THAT PANIC ATTACK YOU CAUSED, THAT'S WHY I WASN'T STANDING, BECAUSE I PHYSICALLY COULDN'T AIZAWA, I WAS IN PAIN AND YOU DID NOTHING, IIDA TODOROKI AND MINA SAW I WAS IN PAIN AND DID SOMETHING, THEY POSSIBLY SAVED ME, WHILE YOU SCOLDED THEM FOR SAVING A LIFE".
The room fell silent, everyone expected Trace to start apologizing profusely and begging for only him to be punished, but he didn't back down. His eyes were glowing a brighter yellow with each passing second.
Aizawa was stunned. He couldn't say anything. But he couldn't let this outburst stand. Steeling himself, he pointed to the door, "go to the principal's office Trace".
Without another word, he left the room, slamming the door.
The room fell silent. Some people were impressed, some thought he was an idiot, some just didn't know what to think, but one thing was certain between them all. Trace had just berated Aizawa.
