Akano arrived at the Hosu General Hospital, having changed back into her school uniform.
She walked through the long corridor with small steps, and halted once she came to the room her classmates were recovering in.
Forming a fist, she raised her hand and knocked softly on the door, and a quiet "come in," quickly resonated in response.
The door screeched open, and Yumi's forehead wrinkled in concern to see Todoroki alone, lying on one of the hospital beds.
"Akano?" Body shooting up to a sitting position, Shouto breathed out. "What are you doing here?"
"Ouch?" Lips half-parted in amusement, Yumi jested. She walked closer to the injured boy, dragging a chair along to sit beside his bed.
"I came to check on you," She declared. A pleasant flutter erupted in Shouto's chest, one that soon faded once she completed her sentence. "and Midoriya and Iida. Where are they by the way?"
After a short pause, Shouto answered. "... Iida is with the doctor, and Midoriya stepped outside to take a call."
"Ah..." Yumi gave a nod, pursing her lips. "So, how are you holding up?"
"I'm fine, considering the situation." He said. "What about you? What happened with the Nomu you managed to capture?"
"I spent the afternoon at the police station because of it actually." Her reply eliciting a puzzled look on Shouto's face. "I'm hoping they would be able to get further with their investigation because of it."
After finding out what she'd accomplished the night before, Todoroki was nothing short of impressed. "That's a relief." He muttered. A part of him was slightly ashamed, though, since she'd taken down a Nomu all by her self, whilst the three of them struggled as they fought the Hero Killer -obtaining significant injuries in the process.
Midoriya and Iida wouldn't be allowed to return to their internships because of the severity of their injuries. The exception was Todoroki, who was free to go due to recieving relatively light injuries.
"How's the training?" He asked with impatience, mismatched eyes traveling to his own injured forearm and Yumi's gaze followed.
"You didn't miss much." Akano quickly replied. "We spent all morning filling out reports, giving statements, and then went down to the police station."
On his face, Yumi could see a swirl of emotions, in which restlessness shone above all. Losing the amused expression, her green eyes softened in understanding. She dedicated a comforting tone as she said, "Just focus on getting better."
His eyes widened for a second before returning to normal, the corner of his lipsalmostraising as he nodded.
"Endeavor sends his regards, by the way." Yumi said after a hesitant gulp, knowing full well that she would be treading on unmarked territory.
'To hell with that old man.' Instantly, Shouto's lighthearted expression contorted into a displeased one.
Even though he chose to put the past behind him, it was evident that he still held slight spitefulness towards his father. 'And no one can blame him.'She thought to herself.
An uncomfortable silence draped over the two, though they could hear the sound of doctors and nurses chatting away in the hallways.
Yumi's slender fingers tugged at the hem her skirt, while Shouto's eyes flitted to the undisclosed plastic bag she'd walked in with, now placed by his bedside counter.
"What's that?" He asked, eyes glinting with curiosity.
She flinched in remembrance, moving to rummage through the bag, pulling out a plastic container and a pair of chopsticks. "Ah... It's just something I picked up on the way here. I'm sure hospital food is too bland for your taste." She said, handing it to Todoroki who looked as surprised as ever once he inspected it.
'Soba?' Two-toned orbs shone with merriment when he realized it was the cold kind he liked, his still mouth agape.
"I also got some for Midoriya and Iida, I'm not sure if they'll like it, though." Yumi added, shrugging at the end.
"... How?" Was all the dual-haired boy could say, bewildered how she could tell it was his favorite meal.
Akano blinked a few times, as if to hide a wince. "I kinda overheard you the other day, that you were craving them...Mentally." She muttered, afraid of how it made it seem like she was invading his privacy by unintentionally hearing his thoughts at the end of their patrol. Especially since this wasn't unprecedented. "Before you say anything, I was tired and caught that by accident-" She attempted to explain herself, but Shouto simply shook his head in response.
"No, it's fine... Thank you." Shouto said, fingers tightly gripping the container.
Before she could say that it was the least she could do, Yumi heard someone letting out a small sigh.
"-Akano-san?" Midoriya blurted as he hopped back to the room he shared with Todoroki and Iida.
"Midoriya?" The two Endeavor interns shifted their gazes onto said boy, sending him confused looks as to why he looked so gloomy.
"Iida-kun just finished getting examined." The green haired boy declared, revealing Iida who was standing right behind him.
The seriousness of the situation dawned on them. And Iida paused, walking over closer to his bed, he was staring at the ground with a solemn look in his eyes.
"Akano-kun, I wasn't aware that you were here." Iida said with a firm tone.
"Nevermind that, how was your exam? Is everything alright?" She asked, knowing just from his and Midoriya's forlorn expressions that he had received some bad news.
"My left hand might have long-term damage..." The bespectacled male revealed in somber tone.
"Long-term... damage..." Shouto repeated, eyes peeling back open while Yumi clenched her fist as she listened intently.
"Both of my arms were pretty beat up, but it looks like the damage to my left arm was especially severe." Said Iida, his navy blue eyes falling on his injured arm. "There was damage to my brachial plexus." He exclaimed.
"Just how severe is it? Shouldn't that heal with a nerve transplant surgery?" The redhead pinched up her brows, tilting her head in thought. If it weren't for the situation, the boys would've been taken aback by her knowledge.
Tenya rubbed the area on top of his cast before replying. "I've been told that's one of my options. After all, I'll only have trouble moving my hand and fingers and experience some numbness."
"When I found the hero killer, I stopped being able to think. The first thing I should've done was tell Manual-san. But I forgot myself in my anger."
"Being taken in by the hatred before you and trying to fulfill your own desires... That is the furthest from what a hero should be."
Iida began distinctly remembering the unforgettable words Stain had said to him when he brazenly declared that he was going to kill him for the sake of vengeance for his brother. "I hate him, but he spoke the truth. That's why, until I become a true hero, I think I want to leave my left hand as it is."
"Iida-kun..."
"Somehow... I'm sorry." With a downcast look, Yumi said, drawing the trio's attention on her form.
"For what?" Iida curiously questioned.
She shook her head, feeling guilt tugging at her chest. "I guess for not being there with you guys."
Iida immediately denied her statement, raising a dismissive hand. "Not at all. I'm the one who should apologize, Akano-kun. I've shown you such a deplorable side of me." He said, while Shouto and Deku's eyes shifted between the two of them.
"It's okay, you're only human." Yumi reassured, a shallow crease forming between her brows. 'I just wish I could've told you earlier that vengeance rarely brings the catharsis we hope for.'
"Yeah..."
Realizing that his bespectacled friend had accepted his wound, there was nothing more for Midoriya to say. Instead, he gave Iida an encouraging look as he lifted his own right hand -scarred by the wounds he had gained from the sports festival. "Iida, I feel the same way. I will let this hand guide me. Let's become stronger... together."
They nodded at each other determinedly. Strangely though, Todoroki looked away during that moment. "I feel... kind of bad..." He said, guilt fluttering in his tongue.
"About what?"
"I feel like if I get involved... other people mess up their hands..." Beads of sweat exuding from his scrunched up, comically-distressed face as he stared at his own hands. "Is it a curse?"
Shocked from the male's revelation, Iida and Midoriya instantly burst out in laughter, whilst Akano simply sat still.
"Todoroki-kun, I didn't know you could make jokes!"
"No, I'm not joking. You should be wary of my proximity, Akano." Shouto warned the quiet girl, clenching his fists. "I'm like 'The Hand Crusher' or something."
"Hahaha! The H-Hand Crusher!"
The halls of Hosu General Hospital filled with the two boys' loud chatters. Todoroki blinked at their reactions, wondering why they found his dilemma so hysterical. And from the corner of his eyes, he saw the redheaded girl swiftly move her hand to cover her mouth, an action that had him puzzled. "Akano?"
The corners of Yumi's lips curled, involuntarily- and she fought back hard as her cheeks swelled momentarily with the pressure, practically trembling trying to withhold it- but it was no use. Her laughter erupted, echoing down the corridor as she bent over.
"A-are you being s-serious right no- hahahaha!" Eyes crinkling uncharacteristically, Yumi struggled to finish her sentence, stuttering as she did. While the boys were spellbound by the previously unheard sound, blushing in response.
Shouto, especially, was shell-shocked by the sound that delighted his ears. It wasn't like the brief smiles she dedicated at times.Thiswas a genuine laugh that notched her unblemished cheeks upwards and left traces of tears in her eyes.
And instantaneously, that arrhythmia he'd recently felt returned, it throbbedthe moment Todoroki heard Yumi's soft laughter, growing in intensity once he caught sight of her expression. His heart was practically slamming against his ribs at the bright smile that split her lips.
Shouto didn't understand, was he getting sick? Why was he having so many chest pains lately?
"Should I request an echocardiogram?" He mindlessly uttered, hand clenching at his chest as his brows furrowed in worry.
"Eeh?! What for, Todoroki-kun?!" Midoriya squeaked.
*
*
Dressed in workout clothes instead of her hero costume the next day, Yumi was led into the underground level of Endeavor's Hero Agency.
At the crack of dawn, she was following the Flaming Hero's authoritive footsteps as they entered the training area. This time, Endeavor seemingly deeming her worthy of his time and effort after how well she handled the Nomu incident.
"Listen up. Heroes must practice and train every day. Simply because there will always be villains tougher than the ones you've encountered. In addition, you must always be mindful of your surroundings, and consider the safety of others and yourself as a top priority." An almost sinister smirk was rising on Endeavor's lips as his turquoise eyes bore into Akano's form.
"As you train, I will be assessing your abilities through various practices spanning throughout the rest of the week. Are you ready for it, Phoenix?"
It was already a lot to take in, but Yumi wasn't planning on backing down yet. She had a feeling that the hero wasn't really asking, anyway.
Seeing the resolved look on her face, Enji stopped in front of the weights section. "But before that, tell me about your Quirk." He began, earning a inquisitive look from Yumi.
"What is your current challenge? What do you wish to be able to do?" He explained.
Akano stared at the older man towering over her then blinked. Supposedly, internships only focused on teaching the values of a hero, enforcing them by practicing non-risk activities such as patrol or civil duty, and basic training sessions to enhance strength and endurance. Little emphasis was put on special training targeting individual Quirks because of the short time period and it was generally UA's job during hero training. However, it wasn't to say that some heroes weren't free to pick out students for the potential of their Quirks and help them hone their skills as they chose.
It was something the telepathic redhead appreciated.
"Like you said before, I have a problem with control. I want to be able to control my powers, and be able to use it at maximum performance." She admittedly said and a pleased Endeavor nodded.
"Less than four days are left of this internship, but it should be plenty of time." Endeavor grinned, but there was just no way the solemn man could smile without it shifting to a devilish smirk. "Are you ready?"
Yumi realized now that the previous days were simple prep compared to the real hell she was about to face. The redhead couldn't opt out of it now that she had the Pro Hero's recognition -not that she would've done so, either way. "Yes, sir."
"Very well. For the basic part, how much weight can you manipulate with your psychokinesis?" He questioned, demanding an accurate estimate.
Yumi's nose scrunched as she tried to mull an answer over, failing to do so. Her powers always seemed to be more...erraticthan anything, never knowing what her conscious limitations were. Even in her past life, she never grasped the concept of true control, practicing and training under the guise of knowing her limitations- only to find out later that not only her memories, but a great deal of her powers were locked away from by the Professor. And eventually she only knew how to operate in complete caution over her every action or simply just unleashing everything in a daze.
"I'm notexactlysure."
"Ridiculous." The man scoffed. "To surpass your limits, one must learn what they are first. You should remember to work on that, but for now try lifting those." Endeavor instructed, nodding towards a pair of 102 kg weights.
Yumi was curious at the request, but she complied nonetheless. She twisted her hands to utilize her powers, invisible wisps of energy emitting under her control, and she tilted her head. The man didn't appear to be surprised by her showcase of abilities, even a bit delightful.
It seemed easy enough. But as soon as she did, one of his sidekicks came in, sneaking by the door.
"Begin!" Endeavor's abrupt shout had bewilderment blinking onto Yumi's features, dodging just in the nick of time as a ball of copper-green flame passed right by her head and blasted against the wall. Simultaneously, the weights that were floating in the air under her influence dropped off to the floor. The loud noise echoed throughout the room and left a small ringing in her ears.
Huffing indignantly, Yumi directed her attention to the sparring mattress behind them only to find Burnin' smiling enthusiastically, showcasing her pointy teeth.
Her most distinguishable feature was her long, flaming green hair with two bangs on each side and a wider bang going from the center of her forehead to the right.
"What the hell? I could've hurt someone!" The Esper exclaimed, throwing her hands by her side as she accusingly glared at the pair.
"Precisely." Endeavor responded with an abrasive tone. "You were so focused on those objects that you weren't aware of your surroundings. The biggest mistake a hero can make is to let their guard down."
Akano nearly gasped, but before she could argue with his logic, he signaled for her to lift them again.
"Carry on." He commanded.
Once again, Yumi used her telekinesis to levitate the heavy weights, but this time she wasn't bothering to look back at them while she did so, directly facing Burnin'.
As if on cue, the sidekick began shooting those flaming balls of hers, but with a simple exhale, Yumi blocked those off with a barrier of her making.
Burnin' didn't stop at that, though, running in full speed as she directed a barrage of attacks at her, suddenly twisting her body before kicking her leg up to strike Yumi's head.
'Wha-!' The redhead clenched her teeth, dodging the attack in time, but the weights she had managed to lift all this time fell abruptly with another loud clang.
"If you're using half your concentration to control yourself, then you're only paying half-attention to whatever else you do!" Endeavor bellowed. "Again!"
The next couple of hours proceeded with Yumi withstanding to lift a bunch of heavy weights, while dodging Burnin's attacks constantly. Having to endure a punishment of running four laps, and increase in weights every time she failed to simultaneously pour her focus on her telekinetic and physical challenges.
Yumi harshly gripped her knees and wiped the sweat trickling down her forehead, trying to catch her breath. Burnin' sniggered, jokingly asking if she was tired, but the redhead simply shook her head.
"No, I'm good." She muttered as her eyes traveled to Endeavor who has been quietly watching -scrutinizing every action she made.
Once she stood up straight, the multiple weights raised in the air behind her in sync. Burnin' smiled widely, propelling firey blasts as she lunged at her.
Green eyes drew tightly together in concentration, and the telepath simply sidestepped, thrusting an arm forward to redirect the same copper-green balls of fire back at Burnin. The latter gasped, crossing her arms in front of her for cover.
Once she noticed that they'd drove right past her, the sidekick smirked, dropping to sweep Yumi's legs with a kick only to frown when she found that she was already levitating herself.
And before Burnin' could think up of any other strategy, the multitude of weights that were hovering aimlessly in the air suddenly lunged at her at enormous speed from every direction.
Burnin's eyes peeled open unable to react in time, 'They're too fast-!'
Yumi's brow twitched, and she twisted her hands to use her powers once more to force Burnin's body down so she could dodge the weights in the nick of time.
"Ack-!"
It was like being hit by a hammer. The invisible force tossing her in the mat a few feet away.
A loud whoosh passed by the sidekick. Upon impact, the metal of the weights planted itself so far inside the wall that it formed cracks all over it.
And the crackling sound of the wall was enough to please Endeavor.
Yumi sighed in relief, bringing herself down to rest her feet on the floor. Before she could ask the older female if she was alright, she suddenly jumped onto her feet.
"That was riveting!" Burnin' exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air.
"Do we go again-?"
"No, that's enough."
Akano's performance for the day seemed to have been satisfactory for the Flaming Hero considering that he dismissed her at the end of the day with a smirk on his face.
*
The next morning, Yumi returned to the training grounds, only to be met by Burnin' who was clad in a workout outfit, as well.
"What are we doing this time?"The redhead inquired, green irises scanning the large room for any sight of Endeavor.
"The boss said you'd benefit from some hand-to-hand combat. That's if you're up for it!" Burnin' exclaimed, and Yumi flinched, still getting accustomed to the sidekick's passionate persona so early in the morning.
"Sure." She said.
As if picking up on the student's curiosity on Endeavor's whereabouts, the copper-green haired woman spoke again. "He's not here today to dote on ya, though!"
Akano nodded, from what she saw, the agency was obviously a large operation to manage. So no one could blame the Flaming Hero for his current absence.
During her internship with Endeavor and going through his rigorous training regime, Akano could sense her progress as the days went by. Sometimes, though, it only made her sigh and rub her bruised body with frustration.
"I want to get stronger, so I'm grateful to be trained by Endeavor." Candidly, Yumi replied.
Pleased, Burnin' nodded at her conviction, giving her a heated word of advice. "He's really tough, but if ya can push through his challenges, ya you won't regret it!"
'I hope so...' Yumi thought to herself before they stepped up onto the mattress.
She stood in front of the sidekick, her feet naturally falling into a stance that made the latter narrow her eyes in focus.
After running forwards, with no further introductions, Burnin' drove her elbow in Yumi's chest, and in the blink of an eye, her fist collided with her face.
When she was about to swing her fist at her again, Yumi's hand quickly yanked the sidekick's arm, then she pushed her down to the ground with her knee on her face.
"Ow," The red haired telepathic muttered disdainfully, tracing her bruised nose before getting off of a disgruntled Burnin'.
"Ah! Where did ya learn martial arts from?!"
Yumi blinked a few times at the question, unable to answer for a moment. 'I guess it was muscle memory -well, mind memory...' She frowned, recalling the grueling training and martial arts practice Raven had put her through. But she didn't figure that it would kick in at a time like this.
'Wait...' What really took Yumi by surprise though was the fact that she'd rarely thought of her past, her guilt or her fear of her own powers throughout the entirety of this week. Strange.
"I... taught myself." Jean mindlessly said once she realized that she kept Burnin' waiting.
Some time passed, and Burnin' once again attacked with a series of punches and kicks, twisting her body in a perfect stance to deliver each blow with strength and precision; and yet, none of them got even close to hit the telepath. Yumi seemed to dance between her fists and feet, dodging with such grace that she seemed to be dancing instead of fighting.
It wasn't making the sidekick's ego any good.
Before she could try to adjust her strategy, to think of something, Yumi kicked her leg and dropped her on the cushioned surface of the matted floor of the training grounds.
"Ah!" Burnin' suddenly gushed, confusing Yumi for a second as she tried to figure out why.
"Huh?"
And in that moment of distraction, the sidekick pushed her off and proceeded to place her in a hammerlock.
Before Yumi could protest, she heard footsteps and once she followed it, she saw someone shuffling by the entrance.
"Shouto,"
She jumped up to her feet once Burnin' released her, tilting her head in curiosity. "You were released?"
Todoroki hummed, "I just couldn't sit still at the hospital."
Overall, Shouto had tremendous power, but because of past decisions and circumstances, such as his intentional neglect of one half of his Quirk, he had yet to reach his full potential. And he was here to correct that.
"Shouto, don't think you'll be getting any special treatment just because you're Endeavor's son!" Burnin' asserted, though in a lighthearted manner as she pointed at the U.A. uniform-clad boy.
"...I understand." Todoroki nodded in affirmation.
"Welcome back." Yumi said, giving him a small smile that he soon reciprocated.
*
*
"Hey, Shouto." Yumi began, recieving a hum from said boy, implying that he's listening.
"Do you want to train?" She said during their break; one of the rare occasions where they hung out in the same place for the day.
For the remainder of the internship, Endeavor seemed to only be interested in training Shouto in controlling his left side, so Yumi was training with the other sidekicks instead.
Initially, their training was joint. But Endeavor later on separated his son from Akano, and went off practicing on another floor. His reason -he stated while glaring at Yumi for some reason- was that Shouto needed to focus and he couldn't afford any distractions. 'Whatever that meant.'
Pointing up directly at the teen's face, and once she saw his confusion at her suggestion, she elaborated. "Hand-to-hand. You need to start familiarizing yourself on that." The redhead explained, seeing that, like herself, the young Todoroki heavily relied more on his Quirk over close range combat.
Blinking wildly, Shouto was stunned to hear her blunt honesty regarding his gap in knowledge.
So he complied with her request, now starting off with a stance of preparation.
"Huh?" Was Yumi's befuddled response, a droplet of a sweat on her forehead at seeing Shouto's tensed stance. Though Todoroki rushed forward before she could comment on it.
He raised his leg in a high kick, but Yumi sidestepped his stroke. As if by reflex, the bicolor-haired boy tried to throw his fist at her, but Yumi deflected his arm to the side with her forearm and jabbed him on the chin.
Even though she didn't apply much pressure, the strike was enough to throw him off balance, giving her enough of an opening to maneuver around his body to grab him in a triangular chokehold.
Shouto's eyes snapped open, tapping on her elbow a few time when he realized he couldn't get out on his own.
As he stood back up, he gazed at her with bewilderment blinking onto his eyes. There was almost a methodical smoothness to her movements, as if she had done this more than a million times before.
"You're too stiff. You have to loosen up." Yumi advised, watching his tense muscles even as he stood idly by.
"A-Ah, like this?" Todoroki said with an uncharacteristic stutter, only loosening his muscle a fraction. The telepath resisted the urge to giggle while Shouto took in her advice.
He was still astounded at how she evaded his attack and how she had managed to hold him down. Shouto inhaled, skin coated in a fresh sheen of sweat.
Once they've clashed he may have underestimated her at first, but when he saw how she fought...it reminded him of the fire that she had. It was the kind that leaves a person in a trance, which only added more to his curiosity of the Esper.
Ever since the sports festival, Shouto had sensed a deep kind of purpose within Yumi. Somehow, her actions bore meaning the same way his always have too. He just didn't know what it was just yet.
"I didn't know you had experience in hand-to-hand combat." Shouto muttered, still taken aback.
Yumi shrugged, smirking in a surprisingly playful manner. "Now you do."
Trivia:-
In the comics, Jean has shown proficiency in hand-to-hand and armed, non-psionic combat; the extent of this is unknown as she prefers to utilize her telekinesis and telepathy during battle. She was able to defeat a group of ninjas with the only use of telekinetic weapons. She also excels at astral combat.
A/N:-
Hey guys I just wanted to let you know that that final exams arc that's coming up is gonna be a lot longer than the Canon one I just wanna really focus on the romantic aspect of this story before we get to the training camp arc.