A/N: I was really unmotivated this week and didn't have a lot of time to write. My writing was kind of all over the place and I really didn't like that...
So I'm not sure if this chapter would be that fun… but oh well!
But I still cannot believe that you guys are still here reading this though!I never got recognized for my writing, so this is my first time… Thank you so much!
My talented little sister and beta-reader, deadpeaches, drew and designed Aera's hero costume, as well as Seinare's, Heiakira's, and Minho's. (By the way, she was the one that thought up of Seinare, Minho, and Heiakira's personalities also..!)
I am undoubtedly grateful that she did because I couldn't think of a costume for Aera and the others! She's planning on posting them on Instagram, so when I say that the finished drawings are posted, please go and check them out!
Disclaimer: Kohei Horikoshi owns My Hero Academia.. I only own my OCs and the plot, along with my sister, haha..!
By the way, please REVIEW! I love reviews so much! The longer, the better! The longer reviews give me more comments to memorize whenever I look at the reviews to get motivation for writing!
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The Next Day
"I can't wait for the afternoon classes! I wanna see what we're gonna do!" Mina exclaimed erratically with excitement as we walked out of the cafeteria. Having eaten my fill of the delicious food that the cook hero: Lunch Rush had made, I pranced in the hallway hyperactively, my energy levels prepped to the highest. The other first years stared weirdly at me but I didn't care. I was way too excited.
Throwing back her two thick, braided hair strands with the rest of her hair, Heiakira skipped alongside Mina, who was strolling at my right side. She said excitedly to us, "Oh, I want to know what we're going to do! It's the second day and I'm sure that we're going to do something!"
"Hmm… let me guess… we're going to get our hero costumes today!" Thinking aloud while smiling, I playfully put a finger to my lips in mock thought, even though I knew for sure that we were going to get ours today. In a few minutes. Ah, the future! Always so near!
"If we are, that's going to be so exciting! I wish that could happen!"
Heiakira and Mina shrieked with excitement at the thought of receiving their hero costumes, then fell into a pile of giggles after Heiakira had accidentally bumped into another first year and issued a series of frantic apologies to the disgruntled boy.
Seeing the two's catastrophic tendencies, Momo pursed her lips into a strained smile while walking calmly by my side. She must be holding back her immense disapproval since these two are among my new friends..!
Momo had been giving me the silent treatment throughout yesterday at school, even to the point of not sitting with me at lunch. It was a cold shocker to me, considering that we had always sat together at lunch for years. After seeing her avoid me, I had been morosely eating my lunch alone until Kaminari, Kirishima, and Sero had sat at my table.
But after school, Momo appeared on my doorstep right after I had seen the chapters. Seeing my hugely-swollen eyes and blood-shot pupils, she had assumed that I had been crying about her and accepted my blubbering apologies as I held back my tears while hugging her.
Then Misen appeared silently all of a sudden, and we were forced to take refuge in my room. There, I told her about everything. Everything that I had done secretly during the last few years, excluding Lady Imagination and my business with her. I was finally free of the guilt.
I was so down yesterday...But today, I'm experiencing a high! I beamed at Momo while walking down the hallway. Feeling my joy-filled gaze, Momo smiled brightly at me and linked her arm around mine despite our height difference. I merrily obliged, feeling so happy that I had been forgiven. Oh, I'm so glad that we are both at UA!
...Our childhood dreams are fulfilled! Unlike how we had originally ended up in the plot..!
Making it to our classroom, I stepped through the classroom's door in high cheers, eagerly sitting in my seat as everyone else settled around me. As the bell rang out throughout the school, all of my classmates quieted down.
The door opened a few minutes later with a gentle crash, as All Might appeared at the doorway and declared gallantly, "I have...! Come through the door like normal!"
His long cape swirling around him, All Might paraded jauntily toward the front of our classroom. Almost all my classmates leaped to their feet, clamoring out exclamations of excitement from meeting the number one hero for the first time.
"It's All Might! Incredible! He's really going to teach us..!" I heard Kaminari pronounce excitedly as an excited-Midoriya said out loud from far away, fanboying, "That's his Silver Age costume..! The one with the stripes!"
I stared in awe at All Might while staying in my seat. Wow!
..It's All Might! The actual character, no, PERSON!
I knew for sure that my reaction looked the same to others, but while others were marveling that they were seeing the number-one hero for the first time, I was awestruck instead that I was seeing one of the most inspiring characters in My Hero Academia.
And I was the only one from my world, to see him in flesh. For real.
He looked exactly the same, the same as when I had first seen him on that billboard the day when I first arrived here.
But up close, little details about him were noticeable to me. Most of them signaled that he was tired, like the concealed weariness when he beamed at us with jovial greetings. I wonder if someone other than Deku or me can see them.
All Might began to speak to us, who quieted down to listen to his introduction. "Hero Basic Training! The class that'll put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes!" As an afterword, he said in a lower tone while striking a heroic pose, "It also gives lots of credits..!"
The number one hero brandished a card at us to see and declared augustly, "No time to dally. Today's activity is this! Battle Training!" He then spread his arms widely while saying his next words. "And for that, you will need these..!"
All Might pressed a button on the device in his hand, and a loud click was heard from the long panels on the side of the classroom. Everyone's widening eyes got drawn to them like magnets.
As the high metal towers rumbled out while showing the costume suit-cases that they were displaying, a sense of deja-vu strongly washed over me as my classmates pumped their fists in the air and yelled out excitedly, "Hero Costumes! Yeah!"
"After all of you change, come out in ranking order to Ground Beta!" All Might told us as he gave us a go-ahead signal. Yes! FINALLY!
I rose up immediately from my seat along with my classmates and walked a toward the shelves with bated breaths. My number, '14', glowed in the second-to-last compartment on the third metal shelf as I approached it with an air of excitement. A few feet away from me, I heard Iida conveying to us sternly, "In an calm and orderly way, everyone! We cannot get hurt by our own erratic behavior..!" No one heard him though, focusing instead on getting their own suitcases and seeing their hero costumes.
Crouching down beside the third shelf before someone could block my way, I pressed the tiny button near my slot and watched in excitement as the glass case scrolled up to reveal my costume suitcase. I took it out of its cubicle gently, my fingers curling over its metal and polymer edges as I tried to stand up and extricate myself out of the multi-bodied crowd of my classmates.
Successful in my attempts, I walked a few feet away from everyone else. I turned it around with my hands, eyeballing every inch of it in jaw-dropped awe. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Jirou, Tsuyu, and Ochaco had managed to get their suitcases and were now exiting our classroom to go change. Thinking quickly, I gave a hand signal to Momo, who nodded, and began to follow them, walking speedily down the hallway toward the lockers downstairs.
" 'Misaka, you were right! How did ya guess it correctly?!" Mina suddenly appeared behind me and tugged on my arm frenziedly as we walked through the locker room doors. I laughed as I hugged my case tightly to my chest. "You know, I might have psychic powers or something!"
Seeing everyone unfastening their cases, I laid my suitcase down carefully on a tall wooden bench and unlatched it open. Inside were huge metal-lined compartments, the pieces and parts placed apart from each other neatly. Fabrics and clothes folded carefully in their sections, armor-like pieces shining in their niches as I gasped at the sight of them.
I recognized the arranged pieces from the design sketch that I had sent in; a design sketch that Ainiru's Mom, Daseul had designed and drawn for Ainiru when she had been a kid. I had found it while rummaging in Ainiru's old papers, and thought that it was meaningful to use a sketch long-forgotten originally.
Seeing a pamphlet that peeked out behind a flap, I took it and opened it in excitement.
To Yukimisaka Ainiru:
Our support company wishes to express its gratitude to you in providing us with a ready-made design plan! It has definitely made your team's burden less heavier. We have altered your costume with the protective gear that you have instructed us with, and hope that you are satisfied with the results.
All our best wishes,
The YMS Support Company.
Shellshocked, I gawked at the company's name as the letter's edges curled under my shaking fingers. T-This.. This is Otousan's support company!
..WHAT THE HECK?! How come my hero-costume is made by my family's company?!
By chance or bad luck?!
Fudgemallow sticks, what if they told Otousan about me?! Feeling my energy drain away, my hand fell as I put the letter down on the bench. The paper slowly unfurled its edges after being crushed to a ball. The other girls gave me curious glances but continued to concern themselves with their costumes. I stared down at my suitcase, calm and panic warring in my head.
….Calm down. Calm down, Aera!
If they told Otousan, then I was supposed to not be here! I sent in the design sketch a few weeks ago! Surely, they would have alerted Otousan about a girl with the owner's freaking last name!
But Otousan never called me into his study during these past few weeks! Never! I didn't get in trouble!
Which means that... I'm still not caught! Maybe.. They just thought it was a coincidence... or Otousan heard about it but brushed it away unknowingly..!
Okay! I'm still attending UA!
Feeling my energy and excitement return, I picked up the pamphlet and scanned it, reading the instructions as fastidiously as possible. I wasn't going to mess up wearing my costume just because I had only skimmed the instructions.
1st. Put on A, then B. Put on C next.
'A' was a blueish-opaque/pomegranate tank-top with a heart-shaped bodice and with 2 thin straps for each shoulder. Made from… polyester, cotton, and.. What?! Titanium fibers! The technology here is incredible!
The top glimmered iridescently in the electric lights as I took it out from its cubicle. Pressing in my password, I hurriedly opened my locker and hung my uniform inside. Once wearing the stretchy and durable tank top, I slipped on 'B', a tight, form-fitting pair of pants that reached my thighs midway and had a silicone grip on my high waistband. It was made out of the same materials as the tank-top, but was dyed navy-blue instead.
I had requested for my costume to be waterproof, fireproof.. to have all the 'proofs' possible, but breathable at the same time..! The material shouldn't be insulative and heat-containing at all, that was why I asked to make it heat-reflective and cold-retaining as much as possible.
As I stood up, I felt my body temperature slowly sinking as my skin cooled under my new attire. Ah, it's working..!
I moved on to 'C', which was a pair of knee sleeves that were made with a protective, thick gel-like material and were dyed with the deep hues of emerald green. I was now done wearing my underclothes; all that was left to wear were some of the outer-clothes, protective gear and support items that were made for me.
2nd. Put on E. Then put on F, G, and H. See the diagram below for further details.
Derived from my taekwondo/hapkido protective gear, 'E' was an armor-like piece that covered most of my back and the lower half of my rib cage, and was made out of secondary-adamantine, tungsten, and chromium.
Isn't adamantine only created and used in superhero comics?! What the heck?! There isn't such metal in my world! ….Since this world is so technologically advanced, they must have created a metal with the properties of its name!
I carried the piece carefully while going toward the tall mirror that was in our locker room and looked down at the paper that was attached to it. While seeing the diagram that was drawn on the instructions, I carefully put the armor-piece onto my back while looking into the mirror carefully. The metal immediately molding itself to my back as I contorted its metal folds around my rib cage.
As I looked at it in awe, I noticed that the edges and folds of the piece was seamlessly gilded, as if it was melted and hardened to the exact shape of my figure. In front of the mirror, I stretched and twisted my body jerkily, and did a few small kicks while trying to test its worthiness, but the armor was surprisingly light-weight and did not shift at all. I went back to my locker to get the next part of my costume, feeling very satisfied by my chest-piece. Picking up 'F', a pair of shoulder guards, I carefully attached it in place while minding the halves of the glowing azure 'butterfly wings' that flared out behind and after my shoulders.
'G' was next, and it was a belt-like armor that was to be strapped around my hips. While having metal lapels that cross-crossed across my pelvis, the armor piece also had the most eye-catching part of my costume: cloth-like folds, which was dyed with the color of ripe pomegranates, and also hanged from where they were sewn in on the belt's hem. From what I felt between my fingers, the gossamery, gauze-like fabric was a mix between both fiber and metal, and the fabric pieces only covered the front of my left leg and only the backside of my right. Fluttering around my legs as I walked again to the mirror, the crimped folds almost gave the illusion of a pleated-ruffle skirt as I experimentally spun around once before my reflection.
"Wow, that's so pretty! Is it a skirt?" Ochaco Uraraka suddenly asked me from a few feet away as she slipped her feet inside her pink puffy boots. Pleasantly surprised, I answered her, "Oh, it looks like a skirt but it isn't actually! My mom designed it to be like this and I just sent it in completely..!"
"That's so cool! Your mom is so talented..!" The curious brunette went next to me to see her reflection in the wide mirror, and sighed lightly, fiddling with her bangle-like pressure wristlets. "This suit is so puffy and curvy.. I wish that I'd been more specific on my request form like how you did!"
Smoothening down my skirt-like folds with a hand, I offered my opinion happily to the future heroine. "You look hella pretty, what do you mean? You're very recognizable like a pro-hero already! Your name is Uraraka, right? The infinity-girl?"
"Yeah, my name is Uraraka! Yours..?"
"Call me 'Misaka.. It's a shortened form of my last name Yukimisaka, since it's a handful to say it completely!"
"Okay! ...Are you done wearing your costume? Almost everyone's gone so I think that we're the only ones left in here..!" At her words, I looked around the locker room in surprise only to see the fact that only Ochako, Momo and I were here.
"Shoot. I didn't notice that..! I still have a few pieces to wear though.." As Ochako hesitated as if wondering to wait for me or not, I gave her a go-ahead smile, seeing that Momo was already done in wearing her costume and was waiting for me patiently.
"It's okay! You can just go.. I have Momo to keep me company..!" As Ochako waved at me and exited the locker room, I immediately walked over to my case and speedily continued to put on H, I, J, K, L, and M.
'H' was a pair of kneepads that had thick coverings made from the same metals as my chest-plate, and they also were light-weight and comfortable. After putting on 'I', a pair of sturdy emerald fingerless gloves that reached to my elbows, also made with the same materials as my knee-sleeves, I then put on 'J', a pair of gauntlet-like armor pieces that covered the back of hands and my forearms and had designs that faintly glowed azure-blue. I wasn't going to risk any injuries like what had happened to me in my world this time.
Momo helpfully handed over to me 'K', a sturdy, medium-sized black satchel that had luminous, neon-azure designs. I felt the small crystal butterfly that stuck out at the other hip as I strapped it robustly around my hips like a belt bag, switching it to my right hip. I then put on 'L', a pair of black, patent-leather combat boots. I had specifically asked on my request form for them to have thick iron-platforms like Deku, because I realized that our fighting styles were similar while writing down my instructions.
Hearing the muffled clang of metal and slight heaviness as I put them on, I concluded happily that they had followed my bids accordingly. As for the soles, I didn't know if my costume-designing team had followed my wishes to use the most ice-resistant, the best non-slippery, synthetic rubber, but I hoped that they did since they had followed through everything else.
Realizing that I was going to be one of the most tardiest ones, I hurriedly put my suit-case inside my locker and finally hooked unto my head 'M', a head piece that had a small 'butterfly wing' flaring out right above each ear.
After gently easing the tangles out of my shoulder-length hair with my fingers, I said to Momo excitedly, "I'm done! Finally! Let's go now before we're late!"
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Feeling absolutely chimerical, I felt like I was walking on clouds as I stepped out to the training grounds. The bright, empyreal sunlight shone down on me as Ground Beta met my eyes. My butterflies were unleashed with a burst of ebullience and swirled around me in jubilation.
Momo strolled out confidently beside me, even though she was showing a lot of skin in her hero costume. Arriving with a buzz of excitement, I noticed everyone's costumes, which were exactly like how they were drawn.
Except that their hero-costumes look freaking real! Genuine! They're not wearing second-rate cosplay costumes! They're actually crafted by actual experts!
They're not made out of plastic! Actual metal and high-quality materials, like how they made mine!
Aoyama's gleaming knight-like armor, with his reflective mirror-pads. Tsuyu's glimmering green wetsuit, with her golden goggles. Iida's white-plated metal armor, with its shining engine pipes at his calves.
I couldn't even guess the high-tech materials and metals that their support companies had used but I could see the fine quality from miles away.
"Momo, are you ready for the activity?" I asked her as we waited for some of the others to make their appearances. While asking her, my mind whirred with frantic thoughts.
I don't know who I am going to get as a partner..! I'm not sure if I'm going to be a 'villain' or a 'hero'…!
...Gosh, my thoughts will be considered so cringy to a mind-reading person that is from my world!
...I don't like how they use the terms 'villains' and 'heroes' here. It's too much of a label..! The meanings have changed. Doesn't even address the gray area either….!
Hearing my question, Momo nodded assuredly and said, "Of course. How do you think All Might is going to commence the explanation of the battle? I deduced that 'villains' will be used because of the activity's name."
Startled at how accurately she had guessed an important part of the activity, I floundered around in my head before speaking. "...Um.. Yeah, I think too that villains would be used. As for the explanation, I.. have no idea either."
..I can't just flounce around, announcing the future as if I'm some mystical sibyl! I'll be crazy if I do that!
"Whoa, you look fantastic, 'Misaka! Your support company did really well on your design!" Kaminari appeared suddenly out of the training grounds' catacombs, the antennae of his small electric transmitter waving as he ambled toward us proudly.
Momo stayed quiet as I replied enthusiastically while blushing slightly at the compliment. "Thanks! Yours really looks iconic, Kaminari..! And you too, Kirishima! Your costume looks awesome!"
Kirishima's hero-costume is hella cool..! Just like how it should look on him! But like Momo, Kirishima is showing too much skin.
It kind of makes me feel embarrassed whenever I look at him. But it makes sense because of their quirks…! Ugh, this was never a problem when I watched the anime and manga!
"Thanks, Misaka..!" The spiky, red-haired boy grinned proudly in return as Seinare and Heiakira approached us. Since I had never seen their costumes before, I scanned their costumes in huge interest, looking at them up and down in awe-struck approval. "Shūzenji! Umihaku! You guys look mind-blowing!"
With a new 'emergency cross' pinned to her hair, Seinare looked like an army medic, with leather bands criss-crossing across her well-tailored, creamy white uniform. While having thin lapels at her collarbones, the upper-half of her uniform was double-breasted, with a thick ruby sash that accented her high waist. A red armband with a white cross was wrapped around her arm as she lifted a gloved hand in greeting, her thinly folded, slightly puffed-out sleeves rearing back with the motion.
As her arm came back to her side relaxedly, I saw that she had something that I never expected for her to have. "You have guns, Shūzenji?!"
Swallowing a cold hard lump in my throat, I stared at her pistols, half-impressed and half-aghast as the impressed exclamations of my new friends were heard around me.
...It just reminds me of...
..how I came here.
...in the first place.
..No, stop, Aera! Don't think about it! ..Seinare would never shoot you with an actual bullet! ..It will be ironic since she has a healing quirk!
Plus, it's not designed like a real gun! It's so detailed unlike real ones! Just think that it's like a game item! A fake gun!
Coming to a stop before us, Seinare contentedly patted the two pistols that were in two holsters, one strapped around her left hip and the other strapped around her right thigh, exposed by her mid-thigh length pants. "These are my support items..!"
Faintly wary, I held back as Kirishima and Kaminari came closer to marvel over her guns, but later walked toward them to peer somewhat curiously at the pistols, with Momo in tow to keep myself grounded in reality.
His eyes shining, Kirishima asked her loudly in fascination, "How come you need these pistols, Shūzenji? Can't your pills be only activated by swallowing?"
Seinare smirked in glee as she adjusted her big, sling cross-body pack on her back and quipped back, "Well, that's for me to know and you to find out in this activity...!"
"Aw, man! I wish that I can have one! Guns are so cool! You can just shoot off a volley of your pills, right?" Kaminari asked Seinare excitedly while taking one of her guns carefully and looking at them with awe after Seinare gave him a nod in permission. Stepping forward from being quiet at my side, Momo suddenly asked both of them coolly, "May I see one?"
In reply, Seinare gave her other gun to Momo and surprisingly, the two began to exchange views about the similarities of their own quirks, with Kirishima and Kaminari curiously listening in to their discussion. Surveying out my new bundle of friends from a bit afar, I noticed that Heiakira was standing near Kirishima and Kaminari, piping out her opinions spiritedly while peering down at Seinare's gun that Kirishima had handed to her.
With gold ribbon strands tied to her wrists, Heiakira was wearing a v-cut top with straps and short pants that were both blue-gray, with a gold-plated helix band and a deep rose-quartz pink sash around her waist. The most spectacular part of her costume was an airy, pink-tinted, transparent plastic material that covered her costume, its hem cupping out around her shoulders while billowing out to each leg, cinched tightly above her knees with gold helix-bands and ribbon strands. It looked like a romper, and gave off the illusion of a pretty mini-dress when it actually wasn't.
Noticing that no one was exactly 'fawning' over Heiakira's costume like how they were doing to Seinare, I tapped on Heiakira's shoulder and as she turned around to look up at me, I stated to her brightly, "Your costume is so pretty! Is this material hot? Is it breathable like mine?"
Heiakira's cognac eyes shone happily as she gently grabbed fistfuls of the material and shook it lightly, the sheen of the see-through fabric gleaming lustrously in the afternoon sunlight. "It's not hot at all! My older brother suggested that I should go with this, because you know, plastic. Bubble-wrap. You see the connection?"
"Yeah, I do!" As I opened my mouth to say more, Seinare suddenly asked Heiakira a question, "Umihaku, Yaororuzu and I were wondering where your bubble wrap came from. Does it come from the components in your body or-" I closed my mouth and turned to look at the others as Heiakira was pulled into their scientific conversation.
Noticing that Shōto was standing alone while staring intensely at the ground, I called out to him while walking closer. "Shōto-kun, you look really great! Emphasizes your ice a lot, huh?"
Since I know that he's not going to be that cold later, I'm going to try to place the foundation first..!
The part of me that is fully Ainiru… truly wishes to be friends with him again.
Coming to a stop before him, I saw that he was wearing his old costume; the one that had covered the 'Endeavor' side of him. The ice-like material had covered the red-colored half of his hair, a glaring red laser orb replacing his turquoise eye. I like his updated-version of his costume much better though!
"Yes." Shōto answered emotionlessly a few seconds later, tight-lipped as always. Frowning more deeply than usual, it seemed like he was in a very foul mood. I had a strong feeling that it was because of someone, whose name was spelled out: E-N-D-E-A-V-O-R.
Faltering slightly by the mood difference, I asked him a question again while stepping back, "What do you think All Might is going to sa—?"
I then felt myself collide with someone behind me and spun around to apologize to the person behind me. "Oh, sorry! I-"
"Get the fuck out of my way, insect bitch!" Bakugou shoved past me irritatedly while muttering inaudible barbs that I was sure were aimed toward me. I sent a look of disdain at his intimidating backside and called out, "It doesn't hurt to accept an apology, you know!"
Shaking my head, I tched at Bakugou's high-running temper and dryly asked Shōto, "Isn't he charming?" Shōto offered no response or opinion.
As usual.
After colliding with Bakugou, I decided to leave Shōto alone after that, figuring out that his anger would cool down after the battles. I mean, the other battles are probably going to be with the same pairings…! I'm probably going to be paired up with a new person, going against the other two new people! I don't wish to be like poor Ojiro and Hagakure!
Our classmates need to know about his abilities after all, considering the Sports Festival.
Mina had joined our little group during the time that it had taken me to try to talk to Shōto, and as soon as I rejoined them, she grabbed my arm and whispered to me, "Ooh, you managed to talk to that guy…! How did ya do it…?! He seems to be so cold..!
I chuckled as I reached down and rotated my knee armor-piece to the front with a hand. "He's my childhood friend, that's why."
Overhearing my words, Momo gave me a glance that I read as That guy? Is he 'the guy'?
I nervously laughed in my head, then responded to her with a look. Yes.. He's.. 'the guy'.
Really?
...Yeah.
Even before I had come here, Ainiru had told Momo about Shōto, even telling her that she had liked him for years. She wasn't the person to tell anyone secrets about herself, even family members, which said volumes about how close Momo and Ainiru were.
As I watched Momo appraise Shōto with an inspecting glance, skillful enough not to get caught, I furiously thought in my brain how to tell Momo that I didn't like Shōto anymore and just considered him a long-known friend.
..Does he still think of me as a friend, even though he had cut me off after his burn incident? I admit that I handled our meeting after the incident badly, asking and pestering him concernedly about his burn….!
But Ainiru was a kid back then..! Kids usually are freaked out by that kind of stuff!
After checking the time, All Might marched cheerily before us to give his explanation. Deku arrived in a hurry as All Might began to start. Midoriya looked exactly like how he did in the anime, his light green tracksuit costume in its original version. Catching his eye, I gave him a cheeky wave and an encouraging thumbs-up before listening to All Might's speech intently.
As my classmates called out their questions as All Might finished his explanation, I gazed at the stone ground, deep in thought.
After this, All Might picks lots, right? I think so. Thank goodness that I wrote down everything that I could ever remember on the plot in Korean when I first arrived here!
Three years can do a lot to erase bits and pieces of a person's memory!
Finished with answering our questions, All Might held out to us the boxes, filled with the balls that were inscribed with our names.
"For A, Midoriya. With.. Uraraka..! For B, Mineta.. With... Tokoyami..! For C, Bakugou. With.. Iida..!" And so it went.
Weirdly after the pairs with Deku and Bakugou, I noticed that the pairings were messed up. I knew for certain that Mina and Aoyama had been partners and that was how they had become friends, but instead, Mina and Sero were paired up and Aoyama had ended up as Kirishima's partner.
Heiakira was paired up with Shōto, while Seinare's partner became Shoji. While cursing my patchy memories, I wasn't sure if everyone else's pairings were the same, but I knew that some of the pairings had definitely changed.
Hearing every syllable articulated by All Might, I scratched my head in disorientation while hearing the names. Everyone else seemed to accept the pairings as they were picked, showing no sign of wide-eyed confusion like I had.
"Ainiru, what's wrong..?" Momo asked, having noticed my hastily-concealed bafflement while listening for her name.
"Oh, nothing. It's just that.. my name hasn't come out yet..." I trailed off while tugging at my fingerless gloves, feeling extremely antsy.
How is this possible?! Is it because of the extra people that the pairings are going awry?! These pairings never happened in the plot!
….I think it is because of us four! The new people!
"For H, Yaoyorozu… with Asui..! And lastly for J, Yukimisaka… With… Lee…! "
?!
Minho Lee?!
Fudgemallow Sticks, why does it have to be him?! WHY?!
"All Might-sensei, please just call me Minho instead of Lee." Minho said stiffly, withdrawing into the crowd of our classmates almost immediately after. All Might paused and asked, "Are you sure, Minho? It's your first name.."
"…Yes, Sensei."
.
.
As if addressing my extremely bad luck, our turn was right next after Bakugou and Deku. Adrenaline swinging through me like a ADHD monkey, I nervously spread apart my legs on the floor, standing while peering at my given map.
I freaking jinxed it! I should have kept on talking to Shōto to try to lighten his mood up!
We're going against freaking Shōto and Heiakira..!
...We can't fight against ice! Especially when Shōto can freeze the WHOLE FREAKIN' BUILDING!
And we're the 'heroes' this time! Shōto and Heiakira are the 'villains'! I know for sure that Shōto and Shoji had been the 'heroes' originally! I can't believe that the roles were switched also for almost all of the pairings, except for Deku and Bakugou!
Why is the future changing like this!? Oh gosh…..!
I closed my eyes, feeling my blood pressure rise because of the unexpected turn of events.
….Breathe, Aera! You can do this! But before that, you have to set up a plan with Minho! If you want to win!
But how?! He freaking ignored me! Ugh!
This is… so awkward. I bet anyone would just see the awkwardness oozing between us.
Shoving my thoughts away, I studied the building plan meticulously, noting in my head where the exit places and staircases were. Having tried everything to engrave the map in my memory fastidiously, I peeked over my paper to observe Minho.
He too was studying his papers, but I noticed that he was shifting his feet every few seconds or so. I had a feeling that he knew that I was looking at him but he refused to meet my gaze stubbornly. I looked at his costume in concealed interest.
With his hoodie, he gave me 'Miles Morales' and 'Gwen Stacy' vibes. Metal-wrought pieces were attached at the places where his joints were, and a dark jersey was worn over his long-sleeved shirt and baggy knee-length pants. It was all in dark colors, and it made his pale celadon-green hair stick out more.
While studying him, all the times that I tried to keep my promise began to flash before my eyes. After waiting for hours for his call, it had never come. The next morning after the 'incident' I had panickedly went to school and lo and behold, after hours of craning my neck and looking through the crowds desperately for any sight of him, he was there.
I tried to approach him, and just as I opened my mouth to talk to him, he ignored me completely while pushing past.
To say plainly, I was stunned.
For the next few days, he avoided me everywhere once he caught sight of me, despite my huge efforts in trying to meet up and talk to him without no one noticing. Miserably failing in my attempts, I had to suffice by searching frantically for him at lunch or in the hallways every day, just to make sure that he didn't carry through his past intentions. My worry bore away in my head, along with my growing annoyance, until I couldn't take it anymore. After managing to pull off some sneaky business, I got a hold of his phone number.
I still remembered how our first texting conversation went.
Hi. This is 'Misaka, in case you've forgotten..!
I told you that I would personally find out your phone number if you didn't call me, so I did..!
Now, can you at least tell me that you're okay?! I've been worried this whole freakin' week!
He still didn't answer, even though the notification said that he had read it. Fuming lightly, I began to do the most annoying thing I could think ever of: spamming him with the most cringiest, positive sayings and quotes that I had a feeling he would gag at.
"Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you!"
"The positivity in our life is a function of our thinking. So think positive, stay positive!"
"You may find the worst enemy or the best friend in yourself!"
And on it went, like a merry-go-round of positivity. Eventually, I grew very tired of searching up so many quotes but I didn't dare stop. I kept going at it for hours.
Finally he answered. Finally.
"You're making me throw up rainbows. Stop."
I remembered that when I saw it, I shrieked so happily even though he technically snubbed me. And had also dropped my phone at the same time.
Okay, fine, fine, fine..! I'm going to stop.
But on the condition that you would send me at least something whenever I text you. At least something that shows me that you understand me!
Anything. A word, a symbol! Just anything!
Please?
…
Send it now!
A few minutes passed until his response came.
.
He sent me a period. A freaking period.
I called it a victory.
And now, after months of texting him zealously everyday and getting only a '.' in response every time, even sometimes hours later in the middle of the night, I was now forced to make a plan with Minho in a span of minutes.
"So…" Hearing my voice, Minho looked down at me. You know what, let's just say something at least! "Um… You never told me that you were… trying out for UA. ...How many points did you get in the practical exam?
"...70."
My jaw dropped as I tried to calculate the ranking that he might have gotten. "What?! Wait, you got… 4th place?!"
HOW?! How come?!
He was freaking 4TH PLACE?!
WHAT?!
...He's supposed to come out in the original plot, then!
Why in the fudgemallow sticks did he not come out?!
How?! Why?!
Minho looked at me peevishly, as if judging me for being skeptical of his abilities. But I was not. At all. Instead, I was surprised and extremely confused why he didn't come out in the plot if he was that good. Rolling his eyes while slightly shaking his head, he turned away from me. With my sharp eyes, I noticed a thin scar on his neck.
My surprise died away, replaced with shock.
Oh.
That.. must be it.
...He must have committed suicide.
In the original plot.
That must have been the reason... why he didn't try out for the entrance exam… and later… couldn't come out in My Hero Academia!
The revelation dawned on me as a cold shiver pierced through my spine. Minho calmly looked down at his map, as if pretending that I wasn't there.
I know that.. I stopped him from committing suicide.
... I must have changed his fate!
Ainiru… As rule-abiding as she is, she would have never gone up to the roof! So no one must have been there when Minho was alone and…
He jumped.
And he must have died.
Realizing with a start that everyone was watching the two of us through the cameras, I immediately shook away my shock mentally and burnished my focus to its finest point.
"Minho.. I know it's awkward and all, but you really want to win, let's make a plan." I said strongly, and held out my hand for a handshake. Minho stared down at it uncomfortably but I kept holding it out.
After a few seconds, Minho stretched out his bony hand awkwardly and shook my hand gently. I smiled. "Now tell me what you can do with your quirk. Hurry, we have only a few minutes."
"...These.. 'tendons' are from my main joints. I can retract or extend my 'tendons' up to 200 cm, and the metal magnets at the ends can stick onto anything solid. They can also hold up things, as long as they're not heavy." Minho finally said, holding up his thin arm while showing me the 'magnets' on his finger and wrist joints.
...Those magnets are only on his joints! No wonder he kind of looks like a cyborg, with all those metal pieces at his main joints!
I immediately began to rattle my list that I had mentally prepared in my brain, folding my fingers as I ticked off my abilities one by one. "With my viruses, I can hear and see. They can also communicate with me, and me with them. I can destroy any system inside something. Oh, and I can glitch to make myself faster…! So, what's your thoughts on how to find the missile and not get captured?"
"...Any thoughts on our opponents' quirks?"
"I know for sure that Umihaku's quirk is producing bubble wrap. Shōto-kun… is ice. He can freeze stuff." I hesitated, wondering if I should say more.
"Just freezing stuff is an understatement." Minho shook his head, his hood dipping forward to hide his face more. "We all saw him zipping with his ice during the quirk tests."
I raised my eyebrows at him, retaliating back with a statement of cold truth. "No, I was meaning that he could freeze this whole building."
Minho stopped scratching his head and whirled around to face me in complete skepticism, his light gray eyes widening comically. "Are you serious?! He's our age...! How the fuck can someone just freeze this whole building? How do you even know..?"
"The two of us are… no, were childhood friends. That's how... I know." I grimaced in my brain as I lied through my teeth. I know that I'm supposed to act like I don't know anything…!
But I just.. Really, really, really want to win! Using everything I have in my arsenal! Information, for example.
I continued on while twiddling with my capture tape nervously. "So if the rumbling starts and I tell you to jump, just jump. Unless you want to get caught in his ice and lose."
Minho scoffed at me, shaking his head in disbelief. "No way he would be able to do that. Anyway, let's just go. Find a window to get in. Go through the floors. Use our quirks if we encounter them. Find the missile. No big injuries. Improvise on the way."
"You mean, just wing it?!"
"..Yeah. We don't know how this would go since we don't know all of their quirks."
I harrumphed lightly in disbelief while crossing my arms. "..Well, I was thinking that we would have to be careful on the staircases, since they are the choke points in the building. As for the missile, once we go in, I'm going to send out my viruses to search for the missile. Once I find it, two of my viruses are going to tail Umihaku and Shōto-kun."
"...Okay. Let's go with that."
A robotic voice blared from hidden speakers. "Start!"
Readily near the building, we began to look for a window to try to infiltrate the building. Glitching slightly every step, I opted for a window that led inside the first floor, but Minho shook his head and pointed at a window that led to the second floor.
Pausing in my tracks, I hissed out, "Are you crazy..? How can we make it inside there..?!"
"..I'm going to lift you up later." Minho whispered to me quietly as he readied himself for the journey. Reaching out his 'tendons', Minho stuck his magnets on the sides of the window within seconds and swung himself up with a burst of air. Crawling like a spider on the wall with his tendons, he reached out and unlatched the window. He beckoned to me with a tendon as he swung himself inside effortlessly.
I gulped nervously but stepped toward the building. A few seconds later, a tendon hurriedly wound itself around me and pulled me up through the air. I soon came to a stop in front of the window, dangling in front of it while only having Minho's tendon supporting me. Thank goodness, I'm not afraid of heights!
I agilely climbed through the window and landed lightly in front of Minho. "Now, surveillance..!"
With a quick wave of my hand, I whispered out, "B1- B6, search every room and report back to me if you find a missile…! After you do, two of you should tail both Umihaku and Shōto-kun. Rest of you, come back to me. Be careful of the ice. You guys know what I mean."
My butterflies bobbed in the air and zoomed off, melting into the walls effortlessly. Remembering that the staircases were always around at the right half of the building, Minho and I began to run quickly as silently as possible through the hallway, our footsteps echoing despite our efforts.
The building was the same as the building that Midoriya, Bakugou, Uraraka, and Iida had used. The walls were tiled with iron metal plates, the floor stone tiles.
Suddenly, the floor rumbled under my iron-platform shoes, the building shaking violently as we screeched to a stop. Jarred violently out of my calm, I knew immediately what was happening.
As I leaped with all my strength while trying to yank up Minho as well, I yelled out, "Jump! Jump, Minho!"
.
.
A/N: I was quite sad and upset that I couldn't post this on Monday. I know that this is short compared to my last chapter, but this week was really hectic! I don't think that this chapter is that fun, (probably because this chapter is full of stuff that the "OCs who don't know about the plot" go through) but I'm hoping that I would do much better in the next chapters if possible.
Someone unfollowed and it gave me a lot of… um, un-motivation. But it's fine, even though it gives me so many doubts, haha!
Yesterday was just a "beautiful day". Note the sarcasm. I literally had to stay waiting in the freaking ER for literally 6 hours! (I was not the patient; my grandfather, again, but it wasn't his fault.) America needs to fix its health system. It was really maddening, and it was the main reason why I couldn't post yesterday even though I had really, really wanted to.
The reasoning why Aera's costume has a lot of detailed features:
1. Her mom designed it
2. The support company's team suspected that the girl's hero costume that they were supposed to be making was related to the owner, so just in case, they made and designed it the best as they could. They used the best technology, best materials and metals, because they were thinking if this girl was the owner's daughter or relative, they themselves might get a promotion. If the girl wasn't a relative of the owner, they just thought that "Aera" would be just lucky.
When I first had thought of "Ainiru Yukimisaka", I had just given her the quirk "Time Manipulation" even though that is sooo OP. When I had first told and discussed this fanfiction idea with my sister, she told me to tone down the power level a lot. So I did, and when I was planning for this work halfway in, I thought that her quirk seemed too much like a superpower and was too used. It was way too common; I had seen a lot of people use Time Manipulation for their OCs and I thought Ainiru wasn't going to stick out to people's interest. But I couldn't think of ANYTHING else. Nada. Nothing. Zilch. (just excuse my cringy description, haha)
So I just.. I don't know, I searched up on Google a very small description of Ainiru's original quirk (Time manipulation). I think I remember the exact wording, which was "freezes and slows down". Very short. Very concise. Vague enough for literally anything to pop up and spark my imagination.
But "computer freezes" started coming up, and I got really annoyed because it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. I kept on searching, and the question "Why does my computer keep on freezing?" And "Why does my computer lag?" came up and I got curious and pressed on it. There it was like, oh your computer might be just old, the programming might be messed up and finally..
The golden sentence: "It might be because of a computer virus." (a gift in disguise, haha)
Then the gears in my head started working and I decided to research more about computer viruses. While forming the quirk in my head, I realized the new idea was like what a quirk should be, like how Horikoshi had stated. And after some web searches and articles, I had finally asked my sister if I should change Aera's quirk to computer viruses. After a few minutes of contemplating, she was like (Hell yeah. If you want to change it, go for it. It's good. But if you don't want to, it's fine.)
You guys obviously know what happened, and now I cannot think about Aera' quirk without her iconic "viruses" (LOL, I'm also getting worried that the "whole butterfly thing" is too used for other OCs, haha).
If you read all of my rambling, I appreciate you. A lot. XD.
Thanks to 12345I'mdying, Gomdeulgi94, MangoKuma for following and favoriting! You guys gave me much-needed happiness during this um, (wreck of a week)!
To magnificent eyes of wonder:
I'm so grateful for your enthusiasm for this story! I love your reviews because they are long and give me the motivation that I need. If it wasn't for your review, I'm pretty sure that I would have been just staring at my laptop this week, wondering if people actually like reading this... But even if everyone doesn't, I just need at least one person to like this story and would love to see its end XD. I'm not sure if I will be able to juggle writing time during school and I'm pretty sure that I am going to lose motivation, probably at the end of summer..
It would be a great daydream where there is a future when I finish this work till the end someday. I'm probably going to leave this as abandoned one day, but hopefully during that time, on hiatus. Anyway..
Just please, please write a lot in a review! I love it as long as you want! I know that this chapter doesn't exactly give you that much fodder to write about but I need at least something to make me pull through this dry period of motivation..!
Also, I was panicking about the USJ attack because I thought that people wouldn't be exactly interested in reading it again so I was planning to skim over it. But it seemed like you expected a lot from the attack so I was hurriedly asking and discussing with my sister, deadpeaches, (again, unnie appreciates you T-T) about how to make it fun and... I'm glad to say that I have at least something to write!
I'm not sure if you and my other followers will find it fun but.. still, I think it will be very entertaining. XD (*foreshadowing*) If.. I can write it well and if my motivation is upped to the brim..!
Also, I am a manga-reader but I am not disclosing any spoilers through this fan fiction! Maybe later, but I hope that when that time comes, the anime has already gone over it. I think it would be a year or so? If I'm religiously writing this fanfiction until then, there might be hope for me to finish this.
Aera is an anime-watcher and manga-reader, but she stopped reading right before one of the most important scenes. After that, she only heard many spoilers from her older brother, who was also a hard-core MHA fan.
And about Seinare, gosh her quirk is so AWESOME! I thought that it can even overshadow Ainiru's quirk which makes me kind of disappointed in my MC but still! I still made both of the OCs with my sister so it's fine, I guess..! When my sister and I were thinking of new quirks that my new OCs were going to have, I noticed a packet of vitamins on my desk, and they were like those, vitamin C pills. Like, actual pills.
That's when I got the *ding, ding* idea. But when I was thinking about where her pills were supposed to come from (I was thinking of body components like Momo's lipids), when my sister suggested 'tears'. That was like a stroke of brilliance because I never exactly saw a quirk that had to do with tears; all were about blood or plasma, or some other body thing.
But if someone actually takes the quirk, draws their OC having it, and posts it on Instagram or some other social media platform, I think my sister and I are going to cry, like for real. My sister worked so hard on her character design and the others.. sigh. She and I really care about the things that we invest our precious time on.
Also, (I guess if you see this and decide to write a review), can you tell me your thoughts in answering these questions? Please. For real, like truthfully. I really need an honest opinion so that I can do better XD
- What do you think about Aera's quirk? And what do you perceive of Aera and her personality?
- What's her magnetic MC character trait? Can you tell me about what you think of the kind of person she is just from reading this fanfiction? What do you think of her background? I don't exactly think she's that good to be called MC-worthy but..
And I think that's the end of everything I would have to say to you… Thanks for reading this long reply!
To the readers: Please Review! Please, please do so! It really motivates me and it helps me formulate this fan fiction as best as it could be!
Thoughts on:
- Main Question for This Chapter: What do you think Minho and Aera would do to try to win? What would you think they would do? Do you think that they would lose or win against Shōto and Heiakira?
I did make an action plan for this chapter a long time ago but it would be nice to see speculations..!
When I was scrolling on this site, reading other people's BNHA OC fanfictions, I noticed that they would always make their OCs fight Shōto in the battle arc. It seemed like a rite of passage, lol, so I was thinking of changing her opponent to someone else, but.. I realized that if I had thought of it in Lady Imagination's POV, (since she's the main plot driver), Lady Imagination would have done it anyway.
The reason is that it would show Aera and her crumbled friendship with Shōto, and it would prove what she would do in the face of an opponent that is literally made to be and destined to be one of the most powerful characters in the world of My Hero Academia. Plus, the battle would prove as evidence of what I'm planning to do in a few chapters, hehe. And this reasoning calmed my endless loop of worries down, and I was convinced to continue with the plan.
- Also if there was a pairing, who do you think is okay for Aera? Since I didn't decide on a pairing when I had thought of this in the first place, I want to know what you guys think of, haha..!
- I also want to know about what you expect from this fanfiction's plot! What do you think would happen?
- any criticism?
- or just anything! Just please spew your thoughts of what you felt and thought of while reading this fan fiction!
Please Review! Please and thank you! Reviews are like my writing life-line, XD!