"I'm not sticking with the group," I say. Midoriya and Iida stare at me shocked.
"Nakashima-kun..." Iida says gritting his teeth. The final 10 second countdown begins. "We really don't see eye to eye, do we?"
5 seconds left to the start.
"Sorry, Iida-kun, Midoriya-kun. I can't fight to my full potential with you all here," I say. I activate my presence erasure and run off during the final moments of the countdown.
I watch Bakugo leave in the opposite direction with Kirishima and Kaminari not far behind him. Todoroki also heads out alone. The starting siren begins. I dodge other students as UA is ascended upon. Our class was being targeted. Of course we would be. Of all the schools here, we are the most high profile.
I sprint away from my class. I did feel kind of guilty about this but I want to pass. Not to mention that if I have my class with me it will be a struggle to use my quirk offensively working in a group that large. The last thing I want to be is dead weight.
The stakes are high. I will pass without compromise. My ambition has always been to show just how far I can go on my own. I'll prove to the world that I'm not just some left behind little girl. I never want to feel like I did during the Kamino Incident and All Mights retirement ever again.I won't be someone who needs to be saved, carried or who will be a liability anymore. I'll beat the odds on my own with my own strength.
I hear an announcement to say the first student had passed... and that 120 people had been eliminated at once. I scowl. There are some real monsters out here today but I won't succumb to the pressure.
After getting some distance away from my class I start looking for people to target. More announcements ring through the stadium. 12 people have now passed. I arrive at an urban disaster setting. I carefully make my way around the corners of crumbling buildings.
I hear voices up ahead. I stay close to the edge of the building as I approach. With my quirk activated I approach as quietly as possible. They shouldn't notice me immediately unless they have a sensory enhancement quirk.
There's a group of 7 students. Two are standing on guard. I duck behind a crumbling wall. I take a deep breath and analyse them. I can't quite determine all of their quirks but if I'm quick enough it shouldn't matter either way. They haven't seemed to notice me which indicates I'll be fighting at an advantage. Besides, compared to Dabi, Twice and the other villains that had abducted me and Bakugo this should be easy, right? I can use this as my chance to test my new special move.
I deactivate my presence erasure and step out from my cover. The group look up.
"Fuck.. where did she come from?" One of the students asked abruptly. I waste no time. I activate my total Might presence. It hits them immediately. I see them freeze at it's impact. Although not scared as such, right now they should be feeling overwhelmed and intimidated at my presence.
"Who is she? What is this quirk?" Another student in the group asks. They change to a defensive stance. I start jogging towards them. Then I erase my presence and sprint forward. Their eyes wander.
"What the fuck? Where is she?!" The first one cries. I grab a ball as I duck in close and slam it against his targets, located on his thigh, shoulder and chest before he has a chance to react. I grin. That's the first one.
One of the other students swings at me, scraping my right arm. I drop the ball I'm holding, my arm falling limp and completely numb. Is this a paralysis quirk? I grab a ball with my left hand. He swings again but I jump backwards.
By now the other students are catching up to the fight. Damn it. I'd intended to get two out immediately. This going to be tough without my right arm. The remaining six attack me. I realise I've backed myself into a corner. I guess I have no choice...
I activate total fear. They pale and shudder under its effect. I think a silent apology and leap forward. I hit several of their targets but don't get anyone out completely. I weave in and out of their frantic and sloppy attacks. Soon I see an opening. I push the ball forward into the boy with the paralysis quirk, hitting the final target on his chest. As I do this he grabs my left arm, paralysing it, but it's too late. He's out and I've passed the test.
The boy falls to the ground, his expression remorseful. The other 5 members group together, panting to catch their breath.
"25 have passed," the announcer calls. My targets light up.
"You... you're a UA student, right? The one from the Kamino incident?" the Paralysis quirk boy asks. I grit my teeth and I nod.
I don't linger and decide it's best to leave quickly. I hear them them muttering as I leave, "how can we measure up against such an overpowered quirk?"
I scowl. My quirk is hardly overpowered. Overpowered quirks are ones like Bakugo's, Todoroki's and Midoriya's. Hell, even that guys paralysis quirk trumps mine. For me it's been a struggle every step of the way.
"Those who have passed please make your way to the waiting room," instructions are relayed from the targets on my body. I look at the stadium walls around me and spot where I'm supposed to go. My arms swing limply at my sides.
It's kind of weird. I thought I'd be happier than this after passing the first stage. I think about Midoriya and Iida and my other classmates. I'd like to see them pass.
I get to the waiting area. An examiner removes my targets and directs me inside. I look for any of my classmates but see no one. The only person I recognise is the eccentric Shiketsu student from earlier. There's a table in the center with water. I try to move my arms but they're still hanging loosely at my side. They tingle a bit but I don't have much feeling. I stare longingly at the water. With my arms like this I won't be able to even lift a cup to my face.
Never mind I guess. I'll just have to wait for the quirks effect to wear off. There's seating around the exterior of the room. I slide into a chair and watch the remaining examinees on one of the many mounted televisions. I focus on trying to move my fingers. A sense of pins and needles is running up my arms. Just how long does this last for?
After some time Todoroki also passes. I see him enter waiting area. He scans the room, his eyes landing on me. He walks over.
"Nakashima-chan... you're already here?" He asks as be takes a seat next to me.
"Yeah. It's just you and me so far," I say. Todoroki isn't really the chatty type so we sit in silence for several moments. It's kind of awkward to be honest. For all his amazing talent he's an incredibly socially inept guy. I begin to get some movement back in my fingers but I can't lift my arms.
I swear I see the Shiketsu boy glaring in our direction. He was acting all excited to see us earlier but now it's like we're his enemy. He's a really strange guy. Todoroki seems curious.
More students trickle in. Soon I see the familiar spikey blond hair of Bakugo slouch through the door followed by Kirishima and Kaminari. Kirishima and Kaminari grin when they see us.
"Ehh we thought we might have been first but it looks like you guys beat us," Kirishima says as they make their way over. Bakugo glared at Todoroki. Todoroki stared blankly back. I rolled my eyes, Bakugo is too damn competitive.
"Congratulations on passing. Now we just have to wait for everyone else," I say grinning. I flex my fingers as I talk. I suddenly wince as I feel a stabbing pain up my right arm. I'm starting to regain feeling in my arms but I still can't lift them.
"Are you injured Haruki-chan?" Kaminari asks. The four boys look at me curiously.
"Ah not really. A guy I fought hit my arms with a paralysis quirk. It's still wearing off. It's a little uncomfortable," I explain. Bakugo watches me stoically. He slides off his gauntlets, placing them on the chair next to me. He grabs my left wrist, lifting up my arm. I can't pull it away. The other boys watch.
"Oi, leave me alone," I say. My fingers twitch. Another stabbing sensation strikes up my arm and I wince again. He lifts it just above shoulder height and then drops it. It thuds down next to me. I glare at him. He grins maliciously.
"You're an idiot. You're fucking defenceless. You'll get destroyed in the next stage," He taunts. I frown, averting my gaze anxiously.
"It's not for a little while yet. I'm sure you'll be back to normal by then," Kirishima says to comfort me.
"She better fucking hope so or she'll be screwed," Bakugo says. He lifts my arm again, tossing it into my lap. He picks up his gauntlets off the chair so he can sit down, placing them at his feet.
"Be gentle," I hiss. I notice the Shiketsu student watching us again. He really doesn't look happy with us. Todoroki stares back. I look between the two of them. Do they know each other?
"You gonna talk to him?" I ask Todoroki. The bicoloured boy nods.
"Yeah," he replies. He stands up.
"Uh... Good luck I guess," I say. I watch curiously as he walks over to the strange guy.
Shortly after Todoroki leaves I see Momo, Kyoka, Shoji and Tsu enter through the doorway at the other side of the room. I smile at them. That's more of us who passed. Kaminari and Kirishima head over to greet them, leaving Bakugo and I alone together. He slouches lowly in his seat.
I look back to the table in the center. My mouth feels dry. I try stretching out my hands wondering if I've got enough strength yet to lift a paper cup of water. I work at trying to raise my left arm. Bakugo watches me as I try. I intake a large breath. I manage to raise my arm about 10cms. It shakes like crazy. It feels like I'm trying to lift a weight that's too heavy. I let it drop back into my lap, exhaling as I do.
"This is so damn frustrating," I murmur. I feel Bakugo lift off the seat next to me. He walks over to the center table, leaving his gauntlets under his seat. I watch him pour a cup of water and walk back over to me.
"You were staring at the water. You're complaining because you're thirsty right?" He asks gruffly.
"Yeah," I say quietly. He looms over me and pushes the cup to my face.
"Fucking drink then," he instructs. I feel my face flush. Is he for real? He doesn't give me an opportunity to decline.
I open my mouth, allowing Bakugo to tip the water into it. He pours too much in ajd I choke. He pulls away the cup.
"Dude I can't drink that much at once!" I complain between coughs. He frowns at me.
"I'm doing you a favour so I don't want to hear your damn whining," he replies. He forces the cup back into my face. For fucks sake, as usual even when he's trying to be nice he still somehow ends up being a dick.
I open my mouth again and let him continue feeding it to me. He's more careful with it this time. I feel the eyes of other students watching us. I flush further. This is so embarrassing. Bakugo's expression changes to show he's amused.
"You know you've turned red, right?" he taunts, smiling maliciously. I avert my gaze. He's fucking enjoying this.
"Count yourself lucky. As if you'd make a girl blush any other way," I mutter back sharply. What an asshole.
"I reckon I could think of a few ways," he replies lowly.
I raise my eyebrows. That was bold. He pushes the cup back to my face. I think about refusing it out of spite but I am thirsty.
Next in the door is Midoriya, Uraraka and Sero. Those three along with the others who passed earlier walk over to Bakugo and I. He takes the cup away from my mouth.
"W-what are you guys doing?" Uraraka asks looking at my flushed face and Bakugo's evil smile. She and Midoriya look between me and Bakugo. I grit my teeth.
"My arms got paralysed and Bakugo-kun's kindly helping drink some water," I say dryly. Midoriya looks at Bakugo wide eyed. Bakugo settles back into the seat next to me. Kaminari takes the cup from Bakugo who reluctantly lets go.
"It's my turn," he says in a tone that was way too serious. His gaze is intense as he tips the water into my mouth before I have a chance to refuse. I can feel the heat radiating from my face. Momo reaches out, taking the cup from Kaminari.
"Okay... I'm putting a stop to this. You're taking advantage of her, Kaminari-kun," she says. She sits on my other side where Todoroki had sat earlier. She creates a straw for me from her arm.
"Come on Yao-Momo, it was just some harmless fun," Kaminari whines. Momo places the straw in the cup. She holds it up to my mouth. This is better.
"Thank you Momo-chan," I say, feeling thoroughly humiliated. I drink the water through the straw she made.
The number of remaining spots get smaller and smaller. I anxiously watch the screens for those who remained in our class. There's only about 20 spots left.
I work on lifting my arms. It starts to get easier but I'm still weak. Momo eventually lets me hold the cup myself, getting up to chat with some of the other girls. Todoroki also returns with a sour expression. It seems his confrontation with the Shiketsu boy went badly. Bakugo sits lowly in the seat next to me listening to Kaminari, Sero and Kirishima chat.
Periodically I feel stabbing pains up my arm. I wince each time. Geez, what an annoying quirk that guy had. Midoriya notices my discomfort.
"Are you going to be okay for the next stage, Nakashima-chan?" Midoriya asks. Bakugo's attention shifts to Midoriya, glaring at him. We both ignore Bakugo's angered expression.
"Yeah I'll be okay. My strength is coming back gradually," I say, placing a hand on my bicep. Truthfully, I was a little bit worried. Midoriya looks at me concerned. A sense of guilt strikes me. I'd left the group behind and despite that he's still treating me so kindly.
"Hey... I'm sorry for abandoning you guys earlier," I say, remorsefully. Bakugo 'tch's and stands up. He walks away from us and the group. I watch him incredulously. It's like he can't bear to witness the conversation. Then again, perhaps he's still trying to be kind in his own way. It's no secret that he can hardly tolerate Midoriya's kindhearted nature. Perhaps he's removing himself from the situation before he blows up. Midoriya starts to speak again and so I quickly redirect my attention back to him.
"Please don't worry about it. I understand that your quirk is limited when fighting in a group like that. I... I just hope everyone passes," Midoriya explains. He sits down next to me where Bakugo had been.
"So do I..." I say softly. Midoriya gives me a warm smile. We listen to he announcements of more students passing. Midoriya and I stand up to get closer to the screens. There's a huge showdown between the remaining UA students and a number of rivals. We witness those remaining in our class pass one by one. I grab Midoriya's sleeve.
"Midoriya-kun... that's all of them right?!" I ask. His gaze is focused on the screens above.
"Yeah..." he murmurs. His face grows into a grin. It's announced that the last spot has been taken. The class cheers.
The rest of the class enters the waiting area. We all gather together chatting excitedly. I throw my arms around Mina and Toru who were among the last to pass the first stage. My strength is nearly restored.
"You guys were making me nervous!" I cry. They hug me back.
"We wouldn't let you down, Haruki-chan!" Toru says. Mina pats my back. We let go of each other. I notice them looking over my shoulder.
"Uhh... we'll see you later," Mina says quietly, winking at me. She pulls Toru away. I look behind myself and groan as I see Shindou. I guess this means he passed as well.
"I'm glad to see you passed... not that I'm surprised," he says. He reaches out patting me on the shoulder. I sigh.
"Yeah I'm not surprised you did either," I murmur. While I don't particularly like him I can at least admit he's strong. Shindou grins.
"Is that a compliment from the ever so harsh Haru?" he says, teasing me. I frown.
"Count yourself lucky," I reply coldly, crossing my arms. "You've stopped the nice guy act now have you?"
"Yeah. You know me, I'm schemer. I was hoping there was a chance I'd throw you off before the exam. It clearly failed though," he says grinning. I glared at him.
"It almost worked, dude. I was so close to breaking your nose again," I growl. He laughs at me.
"I know. You've always been so hot headed, Haru," he says. I roll my eyes at the nickname. He's relentless.
"I'm only like this because I haven't forgiven you for how you spoke to Hinata-kun," I hiss.
"I can't believe you're still hanging into that. I said I was sorry. Even I know I'd gone to far that time," he replied. I averted my gaze.
"You said he'd become a villain like his father. How did you ever think that was okay?" I ask quietly. He frowns.
"I was an asshole alright. That's why I reached out to him and apologised. You're the only one who hasn't forgiven me. Can't you at least try? You know we were friends once," he replied flatly.
"I'm not as nice as him, Senpai." I say. I unfold my arms and fiddle with the ends of my braids. I would be lying if I said that I hadn't missed the friendship. I was a really horrible person back in middle school. I was aggressive and brash but despite that Shindou was one of the few who had taken the time to get to know the person underneath all that.
"You say that but I know despite your hot headed nature you do try to be nice. Isn't that why you want to become a hero? You want to be a good person, right?" he reasons. I grit my teeth. He's so damn manipulative. I hate that about him. What I hate even more than that is the fact that it's working. I rub my temples.
"You really know how to twist peoples emotions don't you, Senpai?" I relent. I suppose if we consider the fact that he essentially let me bash the shit out of him we should be even, right? Especially if what he's saying about Hinata forgiving him is true.
"I'm glad. Let's exchange numbers after the exam," he says grinning. I glare at him again.
"Whatever. But if I learn that you're lying about Hinata-kun forgiving you I swear, hero or not, I'll destroy you," I reply dryly. Shindou laughs. He goes to leave but as passes me he leans in close to my ear.
"I'd hang out longer but your boyfriend looks like he wants to kill me," he whispers. I looks at him confused and glance in the direction he's looking. Standing near Kirishima, Kaminari and Sero is Bakugo. His expression looks furious. I feel myself flush.
"He's not my boyfriend," I hiss back.
"Good to know," he says, winking at me as he passes. I scowl at him. He sure knows how to rile me up. That's what I get for once being so close to the guy. He knows me too well. I turn around to see my class still chatting excitedly. A few people are looking in my direction.
Mina skipped over swinging her arm over my shoulders. Toru wasn't far behind her.
"Are you sure you hate that guy? You're kind of blushing, Haruki-chan." Mina teases. I scowl at her.
"I'm sure," I reply harshly.
I'm about to further defend myself when suddenly we hear explosions from outside. Everyone's eyes become glued the screens as we hear a series of buildings collapse. The arena we were just in was being destroyed.
"Stage two is a rescue mission. Villains have committed an act of terrorism. Save as many citizens as possible," an announcer calls out. Amazing.
We ready ourselves for the next test.