Our first obstacle in the ropes course was to climb up a nearly sheer wall with no clear footholds. With no quirks. Normally I would just create an iceberg and propel myself to the top, but with the no-quirks rule I was honestly a bit stumped as to what to do next.
A few students took half-hearted stabs at it as I tried to spot a place to get a hold. Of course, Bakugou charged straight at it and kept trying to propel himself up, again and again, with no sign of giving up. It was both stubborn and admirable. After the fifth try, he made it and started climbing.
Well, if Bakugou can do it, you can too. I examined and found what seemed to be the tiniest indents, almost invisible to the eye. My foothold in them was precarious and I could feel myself wobbling with each one. The temptation to use ice or fire to steady myself was overwhelming. How do quirkless kids deal with this? But honestly the rule was to keep focused. Stay calm and make it to the top.
Dammit. I nearly slipped. And it was taking forever. I wanted to hit the wall with flames in pure anger. But doing that would only disqualify me.
Dammit, stay calm...
"Not so cool without your quirk, are ya?" Bakugou called back at me from several feet above. AS usual his angry barking shook me back to focus.
I smiled up at him. "Guess I have to catch up."
Right. Prove that you are more than just your quirk. The hero killer himself said it. 'You rely on your quirk too much'. My quirk is my own, yes. But it shouldn't be all that defines me. I fought Mr. Aizawa alongside Yaoyorozu without my quirk. KEep going, stay focused, don't lose your cool, don't give in. One foot on top of the other.
I was far later than Bakugou. Awaiting us on the other side was the next obstacle. Ropes, strung from the climbing wall across an abyss the length of the gym. A ropes course similar to the fall from the Sports Festival
Standing there looking down from that height made me dizzy. I wasn't very used to being up high. Being elevated this much was making me think way too much about how I could fall.
Calm down, calm down, stay focused. This is just another task, just another bit of work...that's so high -
But I'd slid across this sort of thing with no trouble at the Sports Festival. Maybe I can walk across it again. I tried. The view made me nearly swoon. I grabbed the rope and held on with my hands and knees like a sloth. Ahead of me Bakugou was scooting along the rope at a ridiculous rate.
"How do you avoid the vertigo?" I called to him. "Being this high up?"
"You serious right now?" he yelled back at me.
"Really. I don't generally go this high. Your quirk lets you."
"Why the hell should I tell you?"
"I'm a little dizzy..."
He turned to look back at me. HE was silent for a moment, then called, "Being high up makes you cooler than other losers who can't get off the damn ground. It's cool, not some freakout zone."
"I keep thinking I'm gonna fall."
"Then you'll fall, dumbass. Think you'll make it to the end instead."
He looked away to focus again. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, and visualized the end of the rope. The solid ground again, getting there, instead of hitting the ground.
Suddenly I was moving along the rope, shimmying forward, almost level with Bakugou. I called out to him.
"Bakugou?"
"What?"
Thanks."
"Don't think you'll beat me."
"Race you, then."
We moved along now, and I could focus on beating him, on staying level with him, instead of worry. Come on. Beat him . Focus. End of the line
End of the rope. He beat me, but not by much. "Last time I help you out, Icyhot."
"Sorry. But thanks anyway."
"You bottom feeders getting full of yourselves?" called Gang Orca. "You're not even halfway through yet."
The entire obstacle course took hours and by the end we were all aching and even a little bruised.
"Make sure to craft your partner's assignment list. We will continue to do quirkless exercises until I'm satisfied. Be here tomorrow and no excuses!"
All Might drove us back to school and asked casually how it went. Bakugou huffed and I said, "OK."
"Well, I'm sure you're learning valuable things about what it takes to be a true hero. And I'm very impressed with you boys for trying. Even showing up to try again means something great."
Right. Every experience teaches you something.
I couldn't stand to stay in the common area, listening to everyone gossiping about work studies. Instead I joined Bakugou at the elevator.
"What're you doing?"
"They're all talking about work studies," I muttered. "Doing interviews this weekend."
"Deku too?"
"Yeah. With Sir Nighteye."
He glowered. Of course...
"All Might's former sidekick...Bakugou, do you know anything about that?"
"Everyone knows Nighteye's All Might's sidekick."
"I meant Midoriya and All Might. It seems like they know each other or have some sort of connection. You've known him your whole life - any idea what that's about?"
A tiny, tiny eye flicker, or was it my imagination? "Nope. Deku's just a major All Might fanboy. That's all. And it's none of your damn business anyway."
"Bakugou..." Have you really forgotten why I'm interested in Midoriya's connection to All Might? "I told you today why I'm interested. You do remember, right?"
"Yeah."
"But if you can't say anything either, I'm not going to ask you to. It's fine."
"ER..." The elevator doors opened and he got out on the fourth floor. I couldn't help but smile as I tried to picture what he was going to tell me to do tomorrow. "Give me something challenging tomorrow. I'd like to get better."
