A/N: I… again went to the ER. Omg. Because of my grandfather, again. He's fine.
It's like a 6-8 hour journey of everything stressful (heart monitors beeping, patients screaming, and hours of conversing with the nurses and doctors) but I hope that he can get his surgery soon. If he does, no more infections! Thank goodness.
Sigh.
(I'm the *unofficial* English-Korean translator in my family, so yeah. My life sucks, but it's fine. XD)
It's only a week until school starts, and I already got heat exhaustion from waiting in line in the hot sun for my books and stuff. Add that with sleep deprivation and ER stress, I couldn't really put my entire focus into this chapter this week. Probs the reason why I didn't write a lot. Lots of unmotivation, but because of you guys, I pulled through, yay! XD
Anyway, I thought that I would never be able to write this part when I first got started. At first I thought of the Sports Festival as something to get over with, but when I was planning, I realized that it had the potential to be one of the most impactful and meaningful developments that Aera goes through, haha.
I've been thinking and planning for this with my whole heart, so I hope you guys understand and relate with Aera to an extent…! I myself can't exactly relate to the determination that an athlete has, but I did feel it somewhat a long time ago in my studies, so I tried my best.
(I also hope that I wrote it really, really well; That's how much I obsessed over the planning for this chapter, XD).
Disclaimer: Kohei Horikoshi owns My Hero Academia, not me! My sister and I only own the plot and our OCs!
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The Day of the UA Sports Festival
The wait in my class's prep room was nerve-racking.
As I stood inside there, I gazed at the walls, which were painted white and blue. Comfortable foldable chairs were already there when my class had arrived at the room, along with a water dispensing machine. As expected, there were no windows. We were in the catacombs of the UA stadium, after all.
Almost everyone was seated down and talking to each other to calm their raging nerves, but I couldn't sit down with them. I was too jittery until I had a lollipop to eat, to ease my stress. Like how I steeled my psyche before winning competitions, and finally, the California Regionals.
Swirling my passionfruit lollipop around in my mouth rhythmically, I paced around in my P.E. uniform, which was freshly washed and ironed by Natsumi. She, Tsuiniko, and Keitomo were the only ones who knew that I attended UA. Luckily, my other family members didn't notice even after a few very close calls.
But all of them were going to find out the truth. Today.
("Miss, you can do it!" Natsumi smiled at me encouragingly, her fiery, ember-like hair shining in the sunlight as she released a puff of steam from her iron. "You've come this far…! Why stop now?")
Remembering how Natsumi had encouraged me this morning, I clenched my teeth as I summoned my strong will mentally while pushing the lollipop to the side in my mouth.
This is my chance to finally win over my family's crippling control over my life.
No, Ainiru's life. I shook my head slightly, trying to shake away the sense of being Ainiru.
Every moment where they looked down on her condescendly, pushed her aside as if she was worthless, treated her as if she couldn't do anything by herself, flashed through my mind.
For them, her only goal in life was to sit still, stay silent, and look pretty while being academically achieving.
That was it.
If she didn't fit all of that, she was considered nothing. Because that was the highest goal in their eyes that she could ever achieve, just because she was born a girl.
And today was my chance, no, her chance for ultimate revenge.
Payback for a lifetime of hurt, fury, helplessness, tears, and for a thousand hours of silence and suffering as an ornamental doormat that almost all of her male family members had stomped all over, crushing Ainiru's pride to bits.
Cue the evil laughter.
I'm… going to do my best. The ultimate best. As if I'm going to die if I don't do my best.
Offering everything that I have, as a form of revenge. For myself, no, poor Ainiru, for everything that she had endured.
For you, Ainiru, the original you, I'm going to prove them wrong.
Even after that promise, I still swallowed nervously as my feet lightly padded on the tiles while pacing.
"Is everyone good and ready?! The event's about to begin!" Iida declared to us with an unusual note of nervousness in his voice. I called out to him while moving back to my seated classmates, "Yeah, Iida, we're ready! Gosh, everything's going to be fine, calm down..!"
Iida gave a nervous chuckle, which was quite unlike himself. "I do hope so..! I- My goodness, I forgot to ask the teachers when we're about to go on…! "And he was off, nervously muttering to himself as he exited our waiting room. Left blinking at the open space that he left behind, I went forward to face my friends.
The words that I had spoken somewhat convinced myself as Tsuyu kindly handed me and Ochako water, as we were among the only people standing. I brightened at the thoughtful gesture. "Oh, thanks!"
After accepting and sipping from her cup of water, Ochako scratched her head nervously as she breathed out shakily, "I'm so nervous..! How are you two so calm..?!"
I shrugged happily after downing my whole cup and throwing it casually inside a trash can. "Candy makes me calm. For other people, it usually makes them throw up, but for me, it helps me before comp-" I immediately swallowed what I was going to say and helpfully handed her a piece of fizzy mint, hoping that she wasn't going to ask about my adruptive sentence-cutting. "Anyway, want one?"
Thankfully not pestering me about what I was about to say, the brunette took it gratefully and popped it inside her mouth, the candy clinking against her teeth. "Thanks..!"
"Wish I coulda worn my costume.." Mina said disappointedly in the background as Ojiro answered her, "They're not allowed, in the interest of fairness."
"Midoriya." I looked up to see Shōto calling out to Deku, walking forward. The green-haired main character blinked at my childhood friend, cut off from his own worry-filled mutterings and convincements. "Todoroki.. What is it?"
"Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than you. More capable."
Midoriya gave a surprised jolt at Shōto's unexpected words. "Huh?! S-sure.."
"All Might's got his eye on you, doesn't he?" Shōto pressed more fervently, which was very unlike himself. A lot. "Now, I'm not going to pry about that, but…"
Shōto's mis-matched eyes burned with determination and cold superiority at Deku as everyone stared at him in surprise. "...I will beat you."
"Dang, a declaration of war from the strongest in the class?!" Kaminari exclaimed excitedly in the silence that Shōto's exclamation had brought upon us. I quietly watched the scene with amusement, finally remembering this scene from the anime.
"Hey, man, why pick a fight now?! We're about to go on…!" Kirishima reached out a hand on Shōto's shoulder, but Shōto shook him off harshly with an arm. "I really don't care. I'm not pretending to be anyone's friend here."
"Does that mean that I wasn't your friend all this time?" I asked Shōto as I approached the two. "Sad. I thought I was."
I should try to de-escalate stuff…! I mean, they are going to resolve things but-
"Ainiru. Mind your business."
"What, Shōto-kun? It's not like-"
"Misaka-chan." Midoriya spoke quietly, and I realized that he was pleading with me to let him say his thing. Mindful of what he had to say, I let out a puff of air through my nose, a bit miffed as Midoriya answered Shōto's statement. "Todoroki… I don't know why you're saying this to me.. But you're clearly stronger.. I can't measure up to most of the others here in skill.."
"Don't be so negative, Midoriya. No need to be like that." Kirishima said with a sweat drop, waving his arms as I inputted my opinion, "All of us still need to train more, Midoriya-" Getting braver by the second, Midoriya cut me off again, looking at us with an overpowering intensity that only main characters had.
"But.. Everyone… Even the kids from the other courses are aiming for the top…! And I'm.. Well, lemme say this. I'm not going to fall behind. I'm going for it too, with everything I've got!" Silence rang throughout the room as everyone heard Deku's words.
After a few moments of silence, Shōto spoke as he narrowed his heterochromic eyes, "...Right."
As Iida burst into our waiting room, ordering us nervously to get ready to go, I grinned at my green-haired friend while walking to the door with the others. "What you said really pumped me up! That's the spirit that everyone should have!"
That's exactly what I've been telling myself all this time.
A bit embarrassedly, Deku answered me with a sheepish tilt of his head, "I did mean what I said, Misaka-chan! I really don't know why Todoroki said that to me though…."
"Don't let it bother you! His attitude is not all that, I promise..!" Tugging on his arm, I pulled him forward gently to bring him to the front of our walking classmates, grinning as I too joined him at the front. "If you wanna go for it with everything you've got, you should position yourself to be like that from the beginning, Midoriya-kun! That's the key!"
"Ah, right, Misaka-chan..!"
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The thunderous roaring of the crowd was extremely deafening, even though we were in the tunnels that went through UA's stadium. Present Mic's blasting voice pierced my ears. "First up… you know who I'm talkin' about!"
It feels the same.
Every competition that I've faced and won… felt the same. Nervous but calm. Reassured by my memories of practice and experience. They all kind of.. were the same.
But why.. Does this competition feel so different?
Is it because I haven't been in a competition for almost 5 years? Or is it because I have to prove my family wrong?
Or is it because.. It's a fictional competition that I've seen in drawings only and isn't supposed to be happening before my eyes….?!
...Because I'm actually competing in something that shouldn't exist?!
"The miraculous rising stars who brushed off a villain attack with their steely willpower!" My thundering heart pumping furiously with adrenaline, I strode forward, next to Iida and Deku and in front of everyone. I wanted my family to recognize me without a doubt.
The glaring, strong sunshine beamed in front of us, the gaping hole that led to outside becoming closer and closer as my feet moved on. "The first years… of the hero course!"
I emerged outside of the catacombs, my eyes widening to the size of saucers as I saw the roaring crowds surrounding me from every angle. "It's Class A!"
WHOAAA..! My mouth slightly agape, I craned my head to look at the crowd at all angles, the stadium crammed with people who were yelling and cheering enthusiastically. Just like how Aizawa-Sensei said!
It feels just like the Olympics! The crowds, the atmosphere, the-
While walking, my foot almost caught on a loose clod of dirt, and Sato pulled me back from almost falling on my face in front of the crowd. As I muttered a 'thanks' very gratefully, my eyes caught something gleaming on the stage, where Midnight-Sensei was there, standing proudly with her hero costume gleaming.
?!
The medals.
Blinking rapidly, I breathed a sharp intake of air, my vision tunneling on the pieces of metal that were placed for everyone to see.
...I completely forgot about them!
Entranced by the three medals that were shining in the distance, my eyes zeroed on them as I gazed at them while numbly approaching the stage with my classmates. The overwhelming roar of the crowds
"Followed by Class B, it's Classes C, D, and E, the general classes! And here comes the Support Course, Classes F, G, and H! And the Business Course-"
"Whoaa…! What a crowd..!" Deku murmured to himself very nervously next to me, almost having a heart attack. Even though I did face big crowds and a mind-numbing sense of adrenaline at my competitions, the feeling was surreal.
It was as if... I was in the Olympics myself.
As I stopped in front of the stage that Midnight-Sensei was leisurely cracking her whip, my eyes were glued onto the medals.
Especially the gold one.
It shone so brightly in the emphreal sunlight, its golden halo reflected on itself, along with its twin sisters, silver and bronze. I had seen them so many times in my competitions, received and hung the gold ones in my room...
But I had completely forgotten how it was like to feel its heavy weight around my neck before holding it up beamingly, high enough for the whole world to see.
After yelling at us to pipe down while snapping her whip energetically, the R-rated heroine exclaimed, "Now for the Athlete's Oath, your student representative is.. From Class 1-A, Bakugou Katsuki!"
As Bakugou walked forward with arrogance in every step, I paid no attention to what my fellow students muttered about as the blonde arrived on stage and approached the mic.
I can't believe I… forgot.
Just like that.
How much… I wanted gold at the once-in-a-lifetime event that all athletes wish to win at…
At the Olympics.
As the thought rang through my mind, a powerful shudder was awakened, spreading throughout my body and my limbs even though I physically did not contain my own memories in my brain.
I had completely forgotten… that I had wanted Olympic gold so badly in my first lifetime. So much that I would have eaten the metal itself at breakfast if it made a difference. Sprinkle it excessively like sesame seeds over my food every day, pour it over molten over my beloved Korean shaved ice dessert, bingsoo, like sweet red bean syrup and condensed milk.
I would have happily coated everything in my room in gold paint, no, my own house, including myself from head to toe, if it meant getting an Olympic judge to drape that gold medal around my neck while being recorded on national television and written about on the news.
I dreamed of the day that I would bite my own Olympic gold medal while taking a picture, making a dent in it with my teeth, with my whole life's dream finally complete.
It was the main thing… that had fueled my determination for years.
( "Aera! Aera! You're in the fuckin' newspaper!" Yeonha exclaimed excitedly as she came flying out of nowhere, gripping a gray newspaper in her hands. She almost collided into the lockers before thrusting the newspaper at our friends and I.
"Ack, you freakin' scared me!" Grinning, I laughed wildly as she clung onto me and shook me frenziedly. "You lucky bitch, why didn't you tell us?!"
"What?! Let me see!" Eunbyul snatched the newspaper from Yeonha, and gave an ear-piercing shriek of excitement as I glimpsed my picture under the headlines. "I can't believe you made it to the 'Los Angeles Times'! No way!"
Seeing my unsurprised reaction, Dana asked me with her arms waving in the air, "What?! You knew that you were going to be in the newspaper?! You should've told us!"
"It was going to be a surprise! Wait, I'm on the second page?! I thought I would be on the later pages!" My mouth dropped in wonder as I took the newspaper from Eunbyul and read the headlines excitedly. 'Fifteen-Year-Old Girl Wins California Taekwondo Regionals."
'After ascending through our state's rankings with lightning speed, Aera Kim, 15, lands a superb kick that defines her gold medal victory in the last few seconds of her last sparring, propelling her to first place in the California Taekwondo Regionals. Rumored to be one of the strongest and toughest contenders for the Nationals' gold, and later hopefully in the Olympics, the nation's taekwondo fans hope that as she grows older, she would win the country gold in its long-neglected Olympic sport.'
{As I exited out of the huge gym, grinning and walking bouncily with my mom and brother, my gold medal swung around my neck as a brown-haired lady approached me eagerly with a recorder. She smiled at me winningly, her hair pinned back primly. "Hello there, you must be so elated that you won! Your name is Aera Kim, correct?"
"Yes, it is..!" I grinned at the lady, who answered me.
"I'm a journalist for the Los Angeles Times..! I know that this is on very short notice… But can I get an interview with you? Inside?"
I gave a surprised laugh, pushing my stray bangs behind my ear with a hand. "...Oh, of course..! I would be glad to!"
With a pleading look at Mom and Oppa that was answered with an approving nod, I joyfully walked back inside again, entering a small, very quiet room inside the huge buildings and gymnasium where the Regionals were held.
"Is it okay to call your first name, Aera?"
"Yeah, that's fine..!"
"I know that it's very sudden… Aera," said the journalist nervously, as she led me inside. "I hadn't proven myself with a stellar article in months, so I was like, "What am I doing, I should get my shit together…!"
She laughed even more nervously as she handed me a water bottle sheepishly. "I apologize for cursing, I'm just that nervous…!"
I smiled at her comfortably. "It's fine…!"
After accepting the journalist's prepared bottle of water and sitting on a couch as my family waited outside, I answered her questions as best as I could, knowing that I was being recorded with my permission.
"-t seemed like you were having such fun while sparring with your opponents..! Your skill, your lightning-fast reflexes, your stamina…! I can't even imagine how nerve-wracking it was, but you managed to keep your calm! Can you tell how you began to learn Taekwondo?"
Wiping away the sweat on my face, I spoke with confidence. ".. I began Taekwondo at six because my mom wanted me to. I remember that it was something like.. needing to defend myself once I get older!" I laughed happily. "So I owe her everything!"
"When you first started, what was it like?"
I hesitated, but decided to admit my true start. "Everyone thinks that I immediately loved it, including my friends, because I am literally obsessed over every little move that my master teaches me. I'm a fanatic of practicing Taekwondo..! I even watch other sparring battles plainly for fun! ...But actually, I hated it. With all my heart."
Seeing the journalist's surprised smile, I laughed again. "I know, right? I myself can't believe it because now, I love it with all my heart! It's my life! But I.. really did hate it. I remember that it was because I got sweaty for no reason, the masters were mean and smelly with B.O., and it was so tiring that I wanted to run away at every chance I'd got! I think that I did that once and my mom and my masters got so furious..!"
"Oh my..! I can't believe that! Can you tell me how you came to love this sport?"
I shrugged happily, the sweet aroma of my flowers wafting through the air and to my nose. "It.. sort of.. just grew on me. It's my country's martial art after all! Even though I was the worst at it, I began to like it! It was really surprising to myself, also."
"From the way you were winning your sparrings with ease, I thought that you were like a prodigy from the start! Can you tell me why you thought that you were the worst at it?"
I looked down at the floor, wincing inwardly at the memories that flooded my mind. My feelings must have been reflected on my face, because the journalist tried to reassure me. "Oh no, you don't need to tell me if it's uncomfortable, Aera..!"
I smiled at her uneasily, my voice dropping an octave lower with emotion. "It's okay.. I do want to answer." I hesitated before continuing.
"I.. was the worst because no matter how much I tried, I couldn't do anything well. My reflexes were a mess, my flexibility was terrible, and if it didn't make things worse, my stamina was so small that I was ready to pass out after 30 minutes of exercise…!"
I swallowed before continuing, the words making my voice scratchy and raw with the weight they had held. "I.. was also born premature. Because of that, I wasn't very healthy when I was a kid. You should have seen me gasping and wheezing! Even breathing hurted a lot..! I was forced to stop a lot and everyone would look at me weirdly when I did. It made me feel so embarrassed that I kept on trying."
Hesitating, I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment at the amount of personal information that was flowing out of me. "Uh, am I saying too much...? ...Too much personal information that you don't need…?"
The lady smiled at me reassuringly. "It's fine! Say what you want to say, I'm not going anywhere…!"
….I want to continue.
My flower bouquets' plastic rustled as I gripped them more strongly, a lump of emotion coming up in my throat. Finally unpaused, my words trailed on and on, bursting out of me as if I had rehearsed it earlier.
"I practiced for 3-4 hours a day, sometimes even 5 hours, even forgetting to finish my school homework, but I still wasn't good at it..! I was so tired…! And after 5 long years of hard work, I... was ready to give up." I looked down at the floor with a sad grimace, holding back the tears in my eyes.
"...How.. How did you get the strength to keep going?"
Inwardly, I wished that I was able to drink water for a second, but I kept on continuing. No one knew my past after all, and after this lady, no one was going to ask. The will to tell someone, other than my family, was burning up my soul, enough to spill it to this lady.
"At the time, I was 11. But I realized that this… This was the only thing I had." My voice became hoarse, wavery in the air as the journalist stared at me in both concern and fascination.
"Truthfully, my family has no money, no connections for me to attend college. I have no studying under my belt either. My older brother got all the smarts in the family! Not me." Staring down at my taekwondo uniform, I fingered my black belt, one end with '김애라', my name, and on the other end, seven master stripes inscribed on it with gold thread.
This is all I have.
"So this..! This sport that I love but was bad at.. Was the only thing that I had. It's also the source of my childhood dream. I.." I let go of my belt, looking up at the journalist beamingly, "..Could not let myself give up."
I laughed loudly, feeling so relieved and grateful that my younger self vowed to herself that she would keep on going. Until she made it. "And so I kept at it. For hours, days, and years! Working my body to the bare bone, getting painful injuries so many times, giving my all as if I was going to die! And... It finally worked! I began to get better. Better than before!"
The journalist laughed at my words with delight. "'Better than before' is an understatement! With that hard work, you became a sensation! A phenomenon at fighting! Totally on a pro-level!"
I gave a giggle at the compliments, humbly shaking my head 'no'. "Thank you..! But I still feel like I've a lot to learn! Many things, actually! Anyway, I began to win my competitions when I always used to lose so easily..! It... still feels like a dream to me when I win each time!"
With my eyes welling up, I stopped to grin again in true happiness, not still believing that I had made it this far, even though a medal, plated in real gold, dangled from my neck.
Smiling beamingly at the journalist, I uttered the words that finally made me realize that what had happened to me was not a dream. "And so… Here I am. Finally making it to the first landmark, with few others left to go."
A bit awestruck, the journalist spoke to me, starting with a whisper and ending with an exclamation. "I was not expecting this very inspirational story..! Can I ask.. What are you now aiming for..?! What was your childhood dream? Anything else that you would like to add?"
I grinned at her. "You could say it with me; it's so obvious! It's almost every athlete's dream! 1.. 2.. 3.."
Even though the lady was smilingly hesitant, she and I said in unison while grinning at each other.
"The Olympic Gold!" }
But all of my dreams, my gold medal hopes, my whole life of determination and hard work, were all dashed to the ground in seconds.
In the seconds that it took for that car to fly into me, my bones cracking and splintering under the force of the metal bumper, my jaw thrown back by the blow as I was slammed onto the asphalt, struggling to even breathe, gasping shudderingly as my blood splattered everywhere.
Poof. Just like that.
That's all I could remember.
That was it.
So ridiculously fast that I couldn't talk about the incident later without both bursting into heaving tears and later, laughing silently and dryly with absolutely no joy.
With only broken dreams, crippling anguish and regret as my body tried to mend itself together, with only medicine, hospitalization, and time on my side.
"The Athlete's Oath.." Bakugou's voice was startledly not crabby or snarling at all, but was so loud that it jarred me out of my memories. I stood there, blinking lethargically in the bright sunlight, thankfully broken out of my memories before I could try to remember the car crash, fruitlessly.
…I always said my Athlete's Oath whenever I did competitions…!
Even though years passed… I can't believe I still remember the words.
Instead the blonde declared a proud statement that was very different from what I had muttered to myself in a trance.
"Make no mistake about it. I'm going to take first place!" As my fellow students booed him, my classmates grimaced at Bakugou's words. Through the cacophony, Iida called out indignantly with his stuck-together hands in robotic moves, "Why must you show contempt for the dignity of this event?!"
I winced, tugging on the sleeves of my P.E. uniform. Very unsportsmanlike, but put in a very Bakugou-like way.
Turning my eyes, I again gazed at the medals, as if the gold medal was a magnet and my eyes were two spheres of iron. The metal shone again, reminding me of how I had marveled at my Regionals gold medal while being outside of my house, tilting the real gold disc around and around in my hands as it gleamed in the strong sunlight of my world.
A sudden dagger of sorrow made a gouge in my chest, making my breaths stagger out with a barely-audible rasp as I felt my memories crash into me.
Over the course of years, I had forgotten almost everything.
I looked down at the ground, my eyes watering as I bore the whole brunt of my memories.
Don't cry, Aera. Don't you dare cry.
Your family's watching. Plus, it'll be weird if people see you crying!
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Deku was looking at me concernedly, giving me an once-over. I immediately eased out the creases in my face, forced down the water in my eyes, and tried to plaster excitement on my face. Look, you almost got caught by Deku! He must have heard my contained sniffling!
At last, Midoriya's bright green eyes left me. I continued staring almost hungrily at the gold.
My chance was gone. Disappeared without a trace. I couldn't go for it anymore.
My dreams were finished. Not because I had given up. Not because I had lost in the Regionals, Nationals, or the Olympics itself…
It was because my own legs couldn't help me anymore.
My own body had betrayed me.
But…
As I stood there, I watched numbly as Bakugou went down the stairs with an uncharacteristic frown, not a confident smirk. A lively hum went through me, buoyed by the energized crowds.
Now… I have a second chance!
A chance that I thought I could never have… something that was infinitely impossible!
Spellbound by my own rising, stirring hope, I stared at the gold medal on the stage, not caring that Midnight-Sensei was beginning to tell us the rules. My chest, drowned with sorrow, began to breathe as hope again made its appearance like a lifeguard.
An inflatable lifejacket.
Even though… it's not exactly the Olympics!
"Now without any delay, let's get the first event started!"
It still feels like it!
Even my age, my real age of 21, fits with the timeline that I would have been competing in the Olympics myself!
"And the fateful first event this year is…!" Midnight-Sensei pointed at the huge screen with dramatic flair, her chains clinking with her movement. "The Obstacle Course Race!"
Who would have known in another world…
In a fictional dimension, nonetheless….?
That I would have another chance for the gold… at the UA Sports Festival, of all places!
I stared at the gold medal again, bewitched by my own daydreams and want. It sparkled even more in the sunlight, as if knowing my thoughts. An overpowering sense of something unnameable welled up inside me, flooding my body as I finally realized what it was.
Happiness. Joy.
A long-failed dream, dawning again.
In a daze, I wondered if Lady Imagination was aiming a beam of sunlight on the gold medal on purpose while snickering, or if the halo of the glistening light was actually registered in my eyes.
"-A race between every member of the all eleven classes! The course is a four-kilometer lap around-" Midnight-Sensei's voice got cut off by the familiar, dread-inducing ding of another of Lady Imagination's messages.
Woah there, Aera Kim. Don't let your own desire get in the way of the plot!
I actually don't care what you do. The most important thing is Todoroki's realization happens because of Midoriya, and that Bakugou gets the attention of the villains with his… crazy fit. Have these two things completed… and you can do whatever the heck you want.
...This is the first time that I am allowing one of my chosen souls to have full reign during the plot but...
That's it..! Have fun!
But beware… Someone would be watching..!
Certain people that you know~ ^^
For the first time after I read Lady Imagination's messages, I didn't collapse into a numbing state of ultimate dread and horror.
Instead, I smiled.
Brightly, energetically, with a lifelong hope and dream shining in my tearing-up eyes.
The gold gleamed, its polished luster radiated light, dazzling my eyes with its airy, proud promises. Go for it, it seemed to speak enchantingly to me. Who cares about the plot! You want me?
Go for it! You deserve it..! You worked for this your whole life..! If Bakugou doesn't get 1st place, won't he still be mad? Mad enough to throw his crazy fit? He's good enough to take 2nd place, obviously!
If it doesn't belong to him, who else in this crowd.. worked as much as you?! Who has as much devotion, much determination as you?! Uraraka? Iida? Your classmates?
Maybe Shōto-kun? Maybe… but you have two lifetimes of motivation, twice as much as he has, to fight for!
He never worked for first place as an athlete, something long-forgotten in the Age of Quirks!
Same for Deku, whose only goal is to make himself known through the Sports Festival, even though he pushed through oppositions and his quirkless-ness to become a hero!
Something passionate resonated within me, both of my two selves breathing out a statement with determination and mind-blowing conviction.
I stared at the gold medal with a fierce possessive gleam in my eyes.
That's mine.
"Racers, to your positions!" After walking with the others wordlessly to the shifting pieces of the opening gates, I positioned myself to run. To sprint with all I had.
The traffic light above us lit up with red, and the stadium was surprisingly silent as its inhabitants could be . All I could hear was my own heartbeat, my own breathing along with my fellow competitors.
After all… I worked for it my whole life!
Orange.
And... My family's watching.
The light flashed green, and with a blazing, hot-blooded demand, I kick-started my quirk with a hair-rising, soul-stirring tidal wave.
Hell as if I'm going to lose.
Cranking up my glitches to my finest nanoseconds, I lunged forward. Remembering what had happened in the first event, I emerged from the gate along with some of the others, having managed to shove and elbow through the crowd of my fellow students. Glaring sunlight hit my eyes as I squinted at the winding course track with triumph. Yes!
And now for the ice!
Seeing Shoto before me, a few yards away, I leaped through the air instinctively as hard, unforgiving ice flashed beneath me in seconds, freezing the ankles and feet of our fellow competitors. The red and white-haired boy looked back at his shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he saw that most of us made it through. I smiled as I halfheartedly slid on the ice, my figure-skating skills put to use.
Let's go for the gold.
My mind coldly set on one goal, I raced through the course tracks with dust kicking up behind me, my pace controlled but wild enough to hide the fact that I knew what was going to happen next.
As the course track curved in front of us, a towering villain bot suddenly skidded toward me. Gah! Taken aback, I glitched back hurriedly as it almost whammed into me, smoke and dust particles arising from its path. The villain bots!
Shoto had screeched to a halt in front of us, with the recalled robot 'villains' surrounding us from all angles. The villain bot hummed robotically, its metal pincers snapping at the air. "Multiple targets acquired..!"
Present Mic's voice blared thunderously from hidden speakers, which I suspected were with the cameras that were filming us live. "Every obstacle course needs obstacles! Starting with.. The First Barrier! Robo Inferno!"
Ah right! It's the one-pointers from the exams!
Outcries were heard from the others as I stared at the robots. Dang, I forgot how big they are! "Seriously? The hero course kids fought those?!"
"Too many. There's no way past them!"
Pausing in my tracks while panting heavily, I too acted as if I was struggling to come to terms with the startling situation. Plastering on a worried but sharp face, I stared at Shoto with fake puzzlement as he confidently swept his arm upward, ice trailing along with motion as it streaked through the ground and toward the robot that lurched toward him, its powerful arm surging through the air.
In my mind, however, I was stretching out my arms and cracking my knuckles calmly as a smile grew on my face. Mentally, of course.
Knowing the future.. Comes quite handy. I gripped my fists in concentration, my hands bound up in waterproof fighting tape.
But it's up to me to get myself into the final battles!
For here, I obviously should never be first place, even though I'm probably sure that I can't be first place anyway. That's saved for Deku!
But my eyes widened still as ice snaked throughout the gargantuan robot's legs, skulking around the metal torso as the robot was frozen with ice, head to toe. Shoto immediately raced forward through the robots, as the others and I hung back, everyone else stupefied at his powerful move. But I need to get enough points!
So that I can be one of the teams that make it through the second tournament!
As the frozen robot began to crumple toward the ground, Present Mic hollered very loudly, ""1-A's Todoroki! Busting through and sabotaging the others in one move! This guy's ruthless!"
I can't portray myself as weak, can't I?
Otousan is watching. As well as my family.
My eyes hardening immensely, a multitude of glitches was activated through my nerves, electrifying me with a computer-like whizz as I stood, before I sprinted forward in milli-seconds after Shoto.
….The kick that I've seen my grand master do. The one with the footholds, and the leapin'! One of the ones that I had practiced!
I'll just have to use the momentum to slide through!
As Krishima and Tetsutetsu erupted through the fallen robot's metal surface with their quirks activated, having been squashed under the robots, I sprinted across the frozen surface agilely, spying the needed footholds on the collapsed metal hulk. Metal echoes rang underneath me as I sought to find the correct amount of force and momentum, as bevies of glitches zipped through my body with a dark, computer-blue static.
Make it through! And destroy the robots as fast as I can!
With that, I leaped through the air after finding the right crevice to jump off of.. And was met with a flying, robust metal arm as it slashed toward my way. A giant one-pointer.
Thrusting out my arms, I barely managed to latch onto a metal bar on the robot's arm with glitches, heaving myself over the arm into a mid-air somersault as my viruses swooshed through the air and infected it in seconds. As I fell toward the ground upright, I relaxed my body as I had practiced before to perform kicks at towering heights, and slightly bent my knees to meet the impact lightly before rolling forward successfully.
With a crackle of electricity and smoke, the robot's limbs crumpled in on themselves behind me, the body later slamming on the ground with thunderous crashes and sparking wires.
YES! Let's go!
Thank goodness there were no mistakes this time! Gosh, I practiced that move so much, almost cracking my own head open while failing every time!
"Tackling them headon is Yukimisaka's trademark! Nimble on the ground, isn't she!" I heard Present Mic holler again, with the faint yet very loud cheering of the crowds as I managed to spring upward and start sprinting again, my eyes watering from the dust and smoke. Ack, I forgot that Shigaraki is watching this! Fudgemallow sticks!
Present Mic, stop saying stuff! Shoot, I should watch what I'm doing!
.
.
"Racers cross the finish line one after the other! We'll go over the standings later, so catch your breath for now!" Present Mic exclaimed very loudly through the microphone, hyping up the frenzied crowds with his energy. I dashed through the stadium's gates again, my heart pounding in my chest thunderously as I almost was about to cross the finish line.
After almost losing my grip while trying to make it through the tightropes and almost getting blown up with pink smoke and sparkles if I didn't dance through the mines with my very-handy glitches, I huffed and puffed for air as I managed to stumble inside the stadium. I made it! At least I made it through, as one of the fastest!
I had already expected Deku, Bakugou, and Shoto to be there, along with a few others, but to my surprise, Minho was already there, putting a hand on his pelvis in exhaustion. His light, celadon-green hair dipped forward as he breathed heavily, scanning the crowds fixedly when he had looked up.
?!
I almost screeched to a stop, almost forgetting that because of my new classmates from my class and also Class B, things were bound to change. Obviously.
You're so dumb, Aera! How come you forgot about that and just assumed that everything would be the same!
While bending myself forward to put my hands on my knees, I squinted up at the crowds while gasping for air, searching the stadium for my family. The crowd was a blur of people and faces, all of them cheering and energetically pumping their fists in the air, so I gave up.
As she tilted up her angular red spectacles, Midnight-Sensei flashed a smile at the crowd as she sensually lifted her hand while making a pose. "So finally it's over. Let's check the results!"
Icky with sweat and grime, I looked up as Deku's picture flashed on the screen with a golden #1. YES! I knew it!
After Shoto's picture, the next picture flashed on screen and I was about to shift my eyes to the ground, expecting Bakugou's picture to come out, but instead, Minho's side profile flashed on the screen.
?!
My jaw dropped open in shock. I whirled around to see Minho, who suddenly appeared next to me, standing with his full height as he looked at the screen. "What the heck?! You got third place!"
"Still doubting my abilities? I thought that you passed that stage already." With a slight happy upturn of his lips, Minho quipped to me satirically as I shook my head frantically. "No, it's just that.. Just that.. I thought that.. How?! I didn't hear Present Mic saying anything!"
As I glimpsed Bakugou's snarling face on the screen, with the #4 underneath, Minho reached his hands into his sweatpants' pockets self-consciously, his neck and shoulders folding into that 'turtle neck' that I told him not to do multiple times. "I just practiced the moves that you told me about.. And they actually worked. A lot actually. How did you even think about them in the first place?"
Ah, THOSE?!
I just… told him about how the ODM gear in Attack on Titan worked..! I just told him that he could use his tendons like that! Swinging and shooting across the air and stuff, using his tendons as 'grappling hooks'!
Shoot, who knew that what I said would have such big repercussions!
I just thought it would look cool!
Turning away from him, I stared down at the ground in total unexpectations, my eyes almost bugging out. "I.. I just took inspiration from a manga.. That's it. I didn't know that you were going to use what I told you so soon." I grinned up at him, skillfully hiding my surprise after so many experiences of fumbling with my expressions, trying to hide my true feelings.
"What place do you think you got?"
"Eh, I don't know. Somewhere from 5-10th, I think." My eyes widened as my picture flashed on the screen. "Ha, I told you!"
Minho gave me a bizarre glance. "You're weird today."
"What do you mean, weird?!" Almost laughingly, I pulled a face at him while punching his arm lightly as the rankings went by.
Minho gave a half-laugh, half-snort at my response. I fake-glared at him. "What? 9th place is still good for me."
"If you were like usual, you will be both pissed and moping around right now. Like a hell lot."
I bit my lip. "Well, this is the Sports Festival, Minho! And I could act however I want to anyway." I harrumphed at him, later breaking into stifled laughter. Minho stared down at me weirdly as I caught my breath after busting my gut as silently as possible.
"You really progressed from answering me with only a '.', haven't you, Minho?" I mischievously grinned at him, ignoring his half-hearted scowl at me. "I mean, you've been-"
"The top 50 from this qualifying round will move on! For those who place lower, don't worry! We've got another way for you to show your stuff!" Midnight clapped her hands in delight as the rankings were wrapped up.
"And now the main selection really begins!" The second course's hologram appeared again with a 'bzzz' above the R-rated heroine, with the crowds' yells and cheers of approval.
"Now onto the second event! ...Dying in suspense?! Next up is… The Cavalry Battle!"
As Midnight mentioned the 10,000,000 points that Deku was to have, I almost snickered at how everyone's eyes turned blazingly competitive toward the green-haired boy, but managed to stop myself in time.
"Seems to be fun, eh?" Sero suddenly appeared behind us as I turned to him. "Seems like we need to make teams." I commented innocently, scanning the hologram to see All Might being held up by Thirteen, Present Mic, and Snipe.
Who should I team up with?!
Not with Midoriya, of course not!
Not on Shoto's team; he's not going to ask me anyway….!
Bakugou? Hell nah. Plus, Mina and the others- I glimpsed Sero, Mina, Kirishima in the group of people that crowded the blonde and sighed with relief. -Need to make friends with him also! I can't ruin that!
Maybe Shinso? I can, using the excuse that I knew him… But the people on his team, Ojiro and someone else.. They gave up their spots later! And what if I-
As Midnight-Sensei commenced the making of the teams, I jolted out of my thoughts as multitudes of my classmates pushed past me to get to Minho. "Minho, pick me!"
"Ooh, pick me instead!"
"C'mon, man, can't you at least pick me? We've been desk buddies for months now!"
In a daze, I watched Deku stare helplessly at the backsides of everyone deserting him, until we both made eye-contact with each other. Failing to turn my head at the right second, I immediately cursed in my head as he called out to me with growing panic. "M-Misaka-chan, will you please be on my team..?!"
Studying him calmly, I smiled at him reassuringly. "Midoriya-kun, don't worry! You'll make it into the third round, but I'm sorry that I can't be on your team."
Hearing the poor green-haired boy's crestfallen groan, I apologetically gave him a shake of my head. "Look, there's a possibility that everything's going to be ruined if I join you!" At my words, puzzlement joined the discouragement and woefulness on Deku's face. Fudgemallow Sticks!
Panicking, I lifted my arm to point to the loyal brunette that was walking toward us with a friendly smile. "Oh, look, there's Uraraka-chan! I think she wants to be on your team..!"
As Deku turned to see Ochaco, I scooted to the side hurriedly, taking my leave silently to walk forward to the person that I decided in seconds to team up with. He would probably team up with me, right?
The answer was right there in front of me! I'm so stupid! I should have just asked him right there and then!
Seeing my classmates crowding around him, I hung back on the outskirts and called out to him with an airy wave of my hand. "야 민호! 나와 팀을 맞추자!"
(Hey Minho! Team up with me!)
Hearing my voice, my classmates turned to look at me quizzically, wondering at what language I was speaking. Minho looked up at me after staring at the ground in quiet contemplation. I could literally see the question written on his face: How the fuck do you know Korean?
"옥상 사건 때문에... 빚이 있잖아, 그렇지? 나한테.. 갚아야 될 것 같은데." Ignoring his facial expression, I grinned at him as I shoved my hands inside my jacket pockets.
(The rooftop incident.. You owe me, don't you? I think you need to pay me back.")
.
.
The crowd's hum grew louder and louder as the seconds ticked down. We only had minutes until our time ran out.
To our right, Deku, along with Ochaco and Mei Hatsume, was talking with Tokoyami like how he had in canon. To our left, was Shoto and his team. And in front of us, a few yards ahead, was Kirishima excitedly exclaiming something to Mina and Sero as they were planning with Bakugou. Back of us was where Shinso and his brainwashed team was.
After scanning the teams around us, I took a breath as I faced my new teammates. "Okay, we're going to make it. We just need to be careful, stealing other people's headbands instead of aiming for Deku like everyone else is. Simple. But if we mess this up, we're screwed."
"Yes, Misaka, that's the reality." As she pinned her aquamarine hair up again neatly with her needle-like barrettes, Seinare gave me an innocent smile as I gave her a look. "Like what you said, we can do it."
I elbowed her with a grin. "C'mon, seriously? Are we going to dive into this with no planning?" Seeing that Minho was about to interject, I cut him off, "No, Minho, we're not going to do this like we handled our missile battle. We barely won by the skin of our teeth! And-"
Minho flicked me on the forehead with one of his tendons. Rubbing my forehead in fake pain, I hissed out a light complaint as he began to speak. "What I was trying to say, Yukimisaka," He emphasized with a note of light frustration in his voice, "was that Shujenzi should be the one with the headband on. Not me."
I stared at him as if he was crazy. "What?! I thought it would be you who would be wearing it! Why would she wear it?!"
"Because if Minho is the rider, we'll be lopsided..!" said Heiakira, who stopped popping the bubbles on her piece of bubble wrap to tap on my shoulder to address me. I blinked at her in confusion. "What do you mean, lopsided?!"
"Sorry to say this, Shujenzi-chan," Heiakira said apologetically to Seinare, who only shifted to cross her arms. "What, Umihaku? It's the truth. I can't flick off my pills while holding someone."
Heiakira continued on, nervously twirling around one of her thin teal braids as she explained more further to me. "Shujenzi-chan is gonna be the weak spot if she's one of the peeps that's holding the rider! She doesn't have any defenses, unlike Minho and I, or you, Misaka! Some sneaky peep is gonna snatch the headband in her direction, and the rest of us would be stuck trying to keep up the defenses on her side, instead of snatching the headbands of the other peeps."
I hesitated, realizing with a cold shiver that she was right. Dang, how fast their brains work stun me! What the heck?!
"You're right..! If Shujenzi's the rider, it will be more balanced." I muttered curses to myself quietly. Struck by a sudden thought, I raised my head to look at them. "Wait, then who's going to be the main horse?!"
"You."
"Me, why?!" I pointed to myself in surprise. As Minho tried to explain with a not-so subtle sigh of exasperation, I cut him off with a frantic wave of my hand. "Wait, I got it. Never mind."
If I'm the main horse, my glitching would be extremely helpful! Plus, I could provide the 360 degree defense with my butterflies, also watching surveillance at all 360 degrees!
I hope that everyone saw what happened to the robot once my butterflies went inside it! Then they'll be too scared to come near us!
"But Shujenzi, you think you could snatch them fast enough? How are you going to hit them with your pills without your guns?" I asked focusedly as Seinare began to close her eyes, which was the signal that she was trying to cry.
When Seinare opened her eyes again to look at me after a few seconds, her rose pink eyes winked with tears, along with her pill-shaped marks. Her lips quirked up confidently at me as she smiled. "You think that I always had my guns on hand? Trust me. I'll be flicking my pills with no problem."
As she held up her hand, four golden energy pills twinkled in the sunlight as they were edged snugly in between her fingers. She grinned at us as the huge timer hologram began to count down its last seconds.
"Moving targets are going to be fun."
.
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A/N: I'm going to school tomorrow. Sigh. Totally not saying that I'm stressed out but still. Just leave me steamin' over here.
And off we go, discussing my thoughts while writing this chapter!
Even though it's not something considered sad enough to be included in many OCs' *tragic backstories*, I think that unsuccessful dreams are one of the saddest, especially when you had the chance to make it come true, but it didn't. Especially when it wasn't your fault, and you were forced to kick it aside, like Aera.
Unmet dreams are the most things that you regret when you get older, especially when you know that you would make them come true if you were to, Idk, go through time travel or something. (Gosh, I sound so old, don't I? Kekekeke XD)
Personally, I've heard from the people I know… that if they were to have the chance to make their failed dreams come true, they would take it. And work for it the best as they can, remembering how much they regretted not taking it. I think that's what Aera's feeling right now, and it's powering her urge to change the plot.
I know that everyone's base desire during the Sports Festival is to win. Aera's like every OC out there, but in my opinion, her determination is stronger, considering the two lifetimes that she has lived. Think of her will to win as Bakugou's fierce competitiveness and Shoto's determination both combined.
Bakugou's competitiveness is what she felt in her first life, and Shoto's determination is what she's trying to prove in her second one. That's how much she has at stake here, and I hope that I show it well in the third round, when she's fighting for what she truly wanted: the gold medal.
Anyway, I hope you guys understand her!
Thanks to BrontoThor, Storm Scream, Wolfy365, and ReallyBadOC for favoriting and following! Thanks to everyone, I finally made it to 40 followers and 25 favorites! THANK YOU! When I first started, I promised myself that I would be extremely happy if 30 people followed my fanfiction, and you guys went past my expectations!
OMG, I can't just contain my excitement! This fanfiction's like my baby!
To magnificent eyes of wonder:
Thank you so MUCH! I wondered so much if people actually liked, um, Aera's hand snatching, and I hoped that at least you, of all people, would like it! Thank goodness, phew…!
Anyway, I seriously forgot about how Shigaraki was holding the picture of Deku as he was watching the sports festival. You can bet my ass that he would do that, LOL. After writing the scene, I did feel bad for himmm! But he's a bad person. (sidenote: not entirely his fault, but still)
Addressing how Aera was struggling with what was real and not real, I thought about it by the fact that Horikoshi did base off our history for the history of the world in My Hero Academia.
So in this fanfiction, I'm putting it that the history that Aera knows is the real history in the world of My Hero Academia, but the historians and researchers there assumed some of the old history wrong, such as assuming that there was a WW3.
(They saw some of the wreckage left behind in the Pacific islands, where the USA fought against Imperial Japan, but they assumed it to be WW3, despite the fact that they tried to test the age of the wreckage with technology. So, technically, Aera was correct, but it's just the fact that everyone thinks her as totally wrong. XD I'm a bit of a nerd so yeah, hehe.)
Plus, I'm glad that you thought of the fact that Aera would feel excruciatingly lonely! I'll be addressing that more further down the line (I REALLY hope! Please, my motivation, please don't fail me!), and it will be part of her *inner conflict* that I'm trying to craft right now. There might be *some angst* ahead, later. Maybe, idk. XD
Anyway, on a last note, I held back tears when you called this story an art! You are what you said, haha! (#1 fan, XD) Thank you for your kind words! I love you, you sweet, lovable human being! XD
To ReallyBad OC:
Thank you so much for reviewing! Thank you! *helds back grateful sniffles*
When I posted this for the first time, I hoped with all my heart that I would be able to make it and its characters as realistic as possible! I'm really, really GLAD that you think that I managed to achieve that! You really boosted my self esteem and my confidence in writing! THANK YOU! You flattered me so much, along with the rest!
To Wolfy 365:
I know, right? I never thought that I would be able to make it to 100,000 words, so it was an extremely BIG milestone for me! XD
I was surprised to see that you thought of the comedy as top tier (I swear, my eyes went big when I read it, haha). I thought I would NEVER be able to make this work somewhat funny, because I knew that my humor didn't come out in writing and I would always envy the writers that made me laugh so hard. I too hope that I wouldn't make this story too generic, because I would see other fanfictions be like that and would get really disappointed.
I am still going to follow the main plotline of MHA, but I'm going to put in my own original arcs inside it. I'm still thinking about them right now, and I hope that I will manage to keep writing until then! I know that this fanfiction needs to be the right amount of AU and canon, because if I stray too much from the plot, people are going to lose interest, and it is the same if I stay too close with the plot. (Writing is tricky mind-business, *nervous laughter*)
It's my ultimate goal to try to finish this fanfiction, but since it's a really hard commitment, I often wonder if I actually would make it. Idk, but if I do, I would hella CELEBRATE on the day when I finally post the epilogue XD. (I hope I do… really. T-T)
And another thing. Yes, I do acknowledge the fact that my writing pace right seems fast and slow at the same time. Reasons why: 1. I wanted to write (at least to an extent) enough so that when I finally start writing more smaller chapters at a slower pace, people would already get hooked. (I HOPE XD).
2. I was trying to juggle with the things that I thought that you guys would like and wouldn't get bored reading, because I worried that you guys would be bored reading the canonical stuff where nothing new was happening (Partly the reason for that is when I tried to write, I realized that my ideas weren't going to work and was forced to drop them. I know, sad.)
3. Over the course of 6 months, I think I've been obsessed over everything that I have planned, so much that I started to get bored of them myself. I think I'm the type of writer that should NOT plan. AT ALL. Because when I'm not excited, my writing doesn't reflect that, and my readers would feel it drifting off the screen. Whoops.
Anyway, there are more things ahead that I am WAY more excited for, that I wish that I can get to as fast as possible but I'm restraining myself as much as I can. XD. But again, I think that once I get to them, (I hope), I would again get bored and start chasing after the next excitable thing that pops up in my brain, which is REALLY annoying. (Dang, I wrote a lot to you, I should stop now XD)
So in conclusion, since school is starting, I would try to go at a more temperate pace with small, sizable chapters as soon as possible.. (I HOPE). A lot.
Thanks for seeing the end of this very, very long author reply! Thank you SO MUCH for Reviewing!
To the readers: Any Thoughts? Please write them all below in reviews please! Please Review!
I love to hear every little thought that you have, and it really motivates me to keep on writing! I need them all, please, it's almost the best thing in the universe when I read your reviews!