"So, did you have a good lesson young master?" [Color=transparent] Well now. [/color]
I nodded rapidly, one of my hands going up to clutch at the wooden practice sword that I had slung over my back. "Yep! I can't wait to show father how much I've improved!" [Color=transparent] Look who's here? [/color]
The older man seemed to hesitate at that, seeming to struggle to what to say. "I'm…afraid to say that regrettably…" [Color=transparent] Of course, now you begin down the path once more. [/color]
I felt my expression fall off my face. "He's not coming, is he?" I said sadly, resigned to the fact. [Color=transparent] Duh. [/color]
The old man sighed. "His other responsibilities demanded his attention. Your father is a very busy man young master." The man explained quietly, kneeling down so he could put a hand on my shoulder to comfort me. [Color=transparent] A comforting truth.[/color]
It was all he could do really. [Color=transparent] But a truth nonetheless. [/color]
Father didn't want me to give any impression of being weak to anyone who might be watching, so I learnt quickly not to go for hugs anymore. [Color=transparent] But the question remains the same as before. [/color]
One beating was more than enough. [Color=transparent] Is it finally time? [/color]
He'd gotten worse since Mom couldn't come home any more. [Color=transparent] Have you begun to listen? [/color]
"But!" The man said in a brighter tone, "I have a surprise for you!" [Color=transparent] Apparently not. [/color]
I felt myself perk up at that. "A surprise?" [Color=transparent] You don't make this easy for me, you know. [/color]
He nodded sagely at that. "Do you remember the promise I made with you? About when I thought you'd be ready?" [Color=transparent] But this… [/color]
I nodded excitedly in response. "Does that mean!?" [Color=transparent] This should never be forgotten. [/color]
He nodded with a quiet laugh, "Next lesson, you and I are going to work together to make something very special." [Color=transparent] This was the day. [/color]
I leapt up off the ground and threw my arms into the air as I shouted my victory, wanting to do nothing more than run around in circles with joy. [Color=transparent] This was when he decided you were ready. [/color]
I turned back to my latest mentor, feeling happier than I had in a very long time. [Color=transparent] For me.[/color]
"Thanks Rama-Ji!" [Color=transparent] Father… [/color]
Rama-Ji rolled his eyes at that. "That's not my name." He said in a deadpan, the same way he always did when I called him that. [Color=transparent] I haven't given up on him. On you. [/color]
I wish I still could. [Color=transparent] I still have hope… [/color]
I'm sorry. [Color=transparent] You need to remember… [/color]
I did my best to disguise the fact that I had nearly stumbled coming down the stairs by faking a yawn, stretching out my arms with a series of loud cracks before all but throwing myself into the only empty chair left in the staff seating box.
"You took your time. Did you get lost in there?" Snipe said sarcastically, but beneath the seemingly harsh words I could hear the concern in his voice.
I waved off his concern tiredly, pushing my hair out of my eyes, taking care not to wince as my fingers briefly brushed some particularly tender areas.
"Just making sure I'm looking my best for my adoring fans!" I said with a grin I barely felt. "That and crying myself to sleep after losing to Endeavour. Again. On national television."
Damn now I do feel like crying.
He's going to hold that over me for months.
"Explains why you look so well rested!" Thirteen teased, voice echoing through her helmet as one of her gloved hands waved at me.
The others all chuckled at that and I took it with a shrug.
"So…" I drawled, peering down at the stage. "Looks like I missed a few matches. Who made it through?"
"Midoriya, Todoroki, Shiozaki, Ida, Ashido and Tokoyami all made it past the first round." Ectoplasm informed me, even as the rest of us drew out attention down to the upcoming fight between my own pick, Kirishima who was coming up against…
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu.
I bit back a laugh.
Wow.
Really?
That is…
That is something right there.
"So I'm guessing his quirk has something to do with Steel." I said dryly, causing Kan to let out an annoyed grump that set the rest of the group chuckling.
Ryo piped up with his own response, but was apparently to excited as the series of snarls that came out wasn't really intelligible to me.
"It's okay Hound Dog, we know you said it first." Toshinori said with an upraised hand, trying to calm down the animalistic hero.
"The seventh match is a match-up between redundant quirks!" Mic's voice blasted out of the speakers around the arena, sending the murmuring crowd into a roar of excitement once more.
"Manly and passionate steel! From the Hero course, it's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!" The crowd gave off a cheer at that, and I could see the boy's classmates from 1-B giving it their all in supporting their colleague.
The aforementioned Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu called upon his quirk and suddenly his whole body seemed to be made of gleaming steel, the lights pointed towards the arena causing his metallic form to gleam.
"Manly and passionate hardening! From the Hero course, It's Kirishima Eijiro!" The crowd burst into cheers again but I had to fight from rolling my eyes at the identical introductions that Hizashi had given them.
Kirishima called upon his own quirk, and the kid's skin suddenly hardened, his whole body suddenly seeming to have sharper more angular lines throughout as his quirk took hold.
Guess who's trying to rise tempers so that we get a great spectacle?
Hizashi you punk.
Now as teachers we should always remain fair and impartial in events like this.
But considering my pick has made it all the way to the finals to hell with that nonsense!
Kick his ass Kirishima!
"Let's start this passionate seventh match!" Hizashi's voice boomed around the arena. "START!"
At that both fighters let out a roar to psych themselves up, charging forward to meet themselves in the centre of the arena and…
Punched each other without any attempt to dodge, both fists clashing against the other and bouncing off without any visible victor.
They then drew back their fists and…
Punched each other in the face.
As the crowd roared in response to the slug fest taking place in front of them like a heavyweight boxing match, I found myself turning slowly towards Kan, a smirk growing ever wider on my face as the fight drew on.
As someone who actually does box, I was well aware of what a travesty was taking place before me, complete with declarations of how little they felt the other's attacks, regardless of how excited it was making the crowd.
Kan already had his head in one of his hands and was trying to do his level best to ignore the look that I was giving him.
"So I'm guessing that you haven't had much time to addresses his fighting style." I said airily, the shit-eating grin spreading over my face making Kan grimace in response.
"Your pick isn't doing any better." He said sullenly, wincing as both students' heads rocked backwards as they both hit each other with a right hook at the same time.
"Very true." I conceded, nodding as I did so. "That being said, I didn't have a hand in training him or fixing any problems in his fighting style. Unlike some people."
I knew that Aizawa tended to use the Sports Festival for the first years as a bit of a wake-up call for some of them, by forcing them to slam into the wall that was their current level and quite often come up short.
Having come face to face with their current limits, the students were then usually very receptive to the idea that maybe that they aren't already perfect hero fighting machines, and that just maybe that there is a reason that we have them train for another three years before we let them out in the wide blue yonder.
Which was why he didn't start with personalised training until after the Festival.
Kan on the other hand?
No such excuse.
And speak of the devil looks like the match is concluding!
And with one more mighty roar they both clashed, their blows slamming into each other and sending them both to slam backwards into the floor of the arena.
"The two guys with the same Quirks Tetsutetsu versus Kirishima!" Hizashi narrated through the speakers as Nemuri made her way forward to determine just who had won the match. "A head-to-head fistfight! The winner is…"
Nemuri looked from one fallen form to the other before she raised her left hand skyward. "Both contestants down! It's a draw!" She declared drawing a barrage of cheers from the crowd.
I let out a whistle at that.
A draw, huh?
Haven't seen one of those in the tournament since I first started working here.
Always a surprise when it happens.
"In the case of a draw, after they recover, the winner will be determined by a simple contest, like arm wrestling." Nemuri continued on, explaining what would happen next to the crowd which exploded into cheers at the chance to see yet another display from the straight punching students from the hero course.
"While we wait for Kirishima and Tetstutetsu to recover, we'll start the next match."
I looked up at the screen to see who was next up to fight and let out a wince as I saw the glaring visage of Bakugo Katsuki opposing the determined looking form of Uraraka Ochaco.
Oh that right there is an exceptionally poor match up for the poor girl.
One of the few people in her year that can use their Quirk to manoeuvre while in the air, has no hesitation when it comes to acting and has reflexes that are phenomenal for a kid his age against someone's who's primary means of attack in an arena with no tools to utilise, is trying to physically touch him.
If she pulls this off it'll be the upset of the day.
I don't see it happening.
But stranger things have happened.
"The eight and last match of the round!"
"He was kind of famous in middle school! This isn't the face of a regular person! From the Hero course it's Bakugo Katsuki!
"Versus! She's the one I'm rooting for!"he faux whispered into the mic, leaving a few of us in the staff box to either laugh or pull a face at the Voice hero's choice of introduction. "From the hero course it's Uraraka Ochaco!"
The two students from class 1-A were staring at each other, from across their starting place in the arena, both looking equally determined to win this match.
I could see them talking but from this distance I couldn't make out what they were saying, but given the way Bakugou was standing with his hands tucked in his pockets he was wasn't doing the trash talk that I'd seen in earlier tournaments.
"Eight match, start!"
And like that they were off.
Uraraka charged forward, low to the ground, her hands open and ready to use her quirk, trying to end this match as soon as possible.
Against some of the other possible match ups it might have worked.
Bakugo started by winding his right arm back for a big obvious swing, a haymaker that could have knocked a full-grown adult into the next week.
Uraraka chose to dive forward even faster, the look on her face telling me that she expected this.
I vaguely recalled seeing the replay of Little Green's fight with the explosive teen in his first week, and his explanation that the blond usually started fights with that attack.
Which was why Uraraka was probably so surprised when Bakugo reversed the movement of his arm, and she dodged directly into the path of the explosion he launched at her, sending her stumbling backwards in a cloud of smoke.
Like I said.
The kid's got ridiculous instincts and fighting prowess.
Came first place in the general entrance exam without taking a single Hero point.
Not one.
Someone with that much combat acumen isn't going to make the same error twice.
I lost sight of the girl in the smoke cloud, the one visible student standing with hands at the ready to launch another attack.
Suddenly he lashed out with a roar, slamming an explosion down on something emerging from the smoke cloud.
When the derbis from this latest explosion cleared, I found myself grinning as I looked down and saw that instead of Uraraka on the ground, the only thing there was one UA sports jacket.
And there she comes bursting out of the smoke behind him.
It may be the magician part of me, but I always do love a nice bit of misdirection.
Hizashi's voice boomed over the speakers, explaining how she had made use of her Quirk to sell the illusion.
She dived forward but Bakugo's reflexes proved to be too great this time, sending her bouncing backwards with a line of explosions from his instinctive counter, before she flipped and landed on her feet, still facing her opponent with determination.
A good trick.
But I can attest, that if you can move fast enough to counter your opponent's moves before they finish making them, then surprise doesn't really matter.
Bakugo batted the smoke cloud away, not giving his opponent an opportunity to make use of it as cover again before launching another explosive attack that probably shook the seats closer to the arena from the force of it.
Still Uraraka moved forward, trying to protect herself as best as she could, letting loose her own war cry as she tried to charge forward once more.
To seemingly no effect.
Each time she tried to close the distance, her opponent would make use of his own Quirk to counter, blasting her backwards time and time again.
The arena was getting torn to shreds by the constant barrage unleashed by Bakugo, and it was staring to look like Uraraka was as well.
"Uraraka keeps attacking without rest, but…" Hizashi trailed off, the radio jock for once at a loss at how to put a positive spin on the one sided slaughter that was taking place before the crowd. "This is…" he tried again, only to fail in the face of yet another bright detonation that sent her stumbling backwards.
Some of the crowd was turning against Bakugo now, boos beginning to ring out at the way he was seemingly playing with his opponent.
Idiots, the lot of them.
When I said that Bakugo reminded me of a young Enji, I was more correct then I realised.
Just like the more experienced Flame Hero, Bakugo was fighting his foe with everything he had.
It didn't matter if it was a famous villain or a purse snatcher.
Enji was going to put them on their ass with the exact same mindset.
"Was that a pro saying he's playing around?" Aizawa's voice demanded from the speakers, the change in commentator silencing the detractors from the cloud. "How many years have you been a pro?"
The crowd stood in silence now, only the sound of the intermitten eruptions of Bakugo's quirk filling the air. "If you're saying that with a straight face, there's no point in you watching anymore, so go home! Go home, and look into changing careers!"
Ooft.
Not pulling any punches today are you Aizawa?
Granted you're not wrong.
And that's not even taking into account the real issue here.
"Bakugo is being careful because he's acknowledged the strength of his opponent who has made it this far. It's because he's doing everything he can to win that he can't go easy on her or let his guard down." Aizawa's word echoed out like the voice of a god, hurling down unsaid condemnation to those that had disparaged one of his students.
I flicked my eyes upwards and felt the grin tugging at my lips once more.
She couldn't bring any weapons into the arena, and beyond her use of her jacket, there was nothing for her to use her quirk on at the start if the match/.
Key word there.
Start.
But now?
The debris that she had been sending skyward throught this whole match, during the brief intervals where she was out if sight from the smoke left after one of Bakugo's attacks suddenly felt the grip of gravity upon them once more and plummeted to the ground with terrifying speed, blocks and chunks of cement in every shape and size, the irregular shapes only making them more intimidating.
A literal hail of concrete.
"A meteor shower!?" Hizashi cried out in shock, clearly surprised by this latest development.
Ha.
Going to hold that one over him.
Tricked by a first year student.
That one is going in the vault.
You know.
She could have made a great stage magician.
She's got a great mindset for it.
Then she charged forward, a reckless tactic to be sure, the impromptu concrete storm just as much a risk to her as it was to her opponent, but it was also the best opportunity that she'd had all match to lay a hand on her opponent.
Then Bakugo raised his left hand skyward, bracing it with his right, seemingly uncaring of his opponent's approach.
He hasn't braced himself once this whole match.
That's ominous.
I saw something at that moment.
His stance, his surety in what was about to happen.
Well, well.
Looks like Uraraka's not the only one with a Super move up their sleeve.
She'd lost.
A rapid-fire trail of small sparks ran up Bakugo's arm before a detonation that put all the earlier ones to shame erupted from his hand, the shockwave from the attack I could feel it all the way up here.
The descending debris had been rendered into nothing more than a fine dust, and it looked like and artillery round had blown it out of the sky.
I could even here pieces of it bouncing off the roof of the arena!
Damn.
The arena itself was in even worse shape than it had been before, and it hadn't even been the target.
Uraraka had been sent skidding backwards from the shockwave of the attack going off in front of her, and she was struggling to get to her feet.
"B-Bakugo delivers a satisfying explosion! He blasts boldly through Uraraka's secret plan!" Hizashi managed to stammer out, clearly still in shock at just how big that counter had been.
Not that I could blame him,
But given the way he had to brace that arm before the attack and the familiar way with how stiffly he was holding it, told me that using his Quirk like that probably had quite a lot of recoil he had to suffer through as well.
Even then she managed to push herself to her feet, slumped over for certain but standing.
Bakugo charged forward at that, hands at the ready to let fly with his Quirk again as his opponent clenched her fist, turned to face him and…
Stumbled.
"Uraraka's down!" Hizashi's voice boomed out, filling the silence that was
The explosion slinging student slid to a stop, still not risking any chances of a comeback by her playing possum.
Nemuri advanced towards the fallen competitor, holding up a hand to tell her opponent to stay put as she examined her condition. "Uraraka's out of commission." She declared, her voice magnified by the hidden speakers throughout the arena to everyone in the stands. "Bakugo advances to the second round!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, and even in the Staff box we all clapped loudly for the excellent display that had taken place before us, both students truly having given their opponent their all.
Plus Ultra.
An excellent match.
Even though she lost, the determination and intelligence she displayed throughout will surely ensure she gets an offer for an internship.
Uraraka was swiftly wheeled off in a stretcher by the assistant robots that Power Loader was usually fiddling with when he wasn't chewing out one of the Support students for somehow damaging or destroying one of the workshops.
Again.
"Oh yeah, Bakugo advances to the second round." Hizashi said despondently, the loss of his pick for a winner of the tournament clearly evident in his dejected tone.
"If you're gonna do it, do it properly." Aizawa voice chided, his words still audible as they were picked up by the microphone in the commentor's booth.
I turned to the others, most of whom were either having their own discussions about the match that had taken place, as well as the ones before it, or were going to make use of the bathroom during the short interval between the first and second set of matches for the finals.
But I'm not leaving yet.
After all, I still have to watch my pick make his way to the next stage!
Ishiyama and Nemuri were making their way down to the center of the arena, with Kirishima and Tetsutetsu emerging from the tunnels as well, the crowd letting out a loud cheer at the sight of some of their favourites coming back to the stage.
Ishiyama gestured with his hand and a solid cube of cement formed between the two at waist height.
Oho?
So they decided on arm-wrestling then?
Exciting!
Both boys activated their quirks, their forms altering as it took hold of them, extended their right hands out to meet in the centre, while they braced themselves with their left for extra leverage.
Even their form was identical.
It was almost comical in a way.
Maybe they both went to the same school before UA?
Nemuri raised her whip high and then flung it down to signify the start of the match,
From the moment it started both of the final possibilities for the next round flexed their arms with all their might, the crowd cheering from the spectacle as the cement block beneath their arms started to fracture in places from the pressure their elbows were placing on it.
Their left hands weren't any better given the way they were literally digging into the cube with the force of their grip.
Their clenched grip struggled minutely this way and that, both boys letting out battle cries and roars to either focus themselves or throw off their opponent, I couldn't quite be sure.
"The draw from the seventh match of the first round, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu! The winner of their arm wrestling match to decide who advances to the second round is…"
Suddenly Tetsutetsu faltered, his form flagging for a moment and Kirishima slammed the metal skinned student's hand into the impromptu table.
Nemuri raised her hand, indicating towards the triumphant 1-A student. "Winner, Kirishima! He advances to the second round!" She announced, the crowd letting out fresh cheers at her words.
Kirishima let out a victorious bellow, thrusting his fist into the air as he claimed his victory.
Woo!
Not last!
Oh, it feels so good.
The victorious red head made his way over to his fallen opponent and extended a hand to help him up, which Tetsutetsu accepted, the crowd sounding their appreciation at this display of sportsmanship.
While Nemuri did her best impression of a middle-schooler, hands on cheeks and standing on one leg.
I glanced at out the corner of my eye and caught sight of Thirteen looking at me the same way.
I let out a sigh at the same time as she did.
Damn it Midnight.
Not while you're on TV.
Now we've got everyone who's advancing to the second round!" Hizashi's voice interjected over the crowd, causing some to lose excitement at this latest interruption. "So, let's get started!"
Well that's only reasonable.
The time we would have had for a brief intermission was taken up entirely by the arm-wrestling match.
But now it's time for one of the bigger matches of the day.
Little Green vs Enji's Kid.
Both powerhouses in their own very different ways.
Given his lack of experience, the odds are against Midoriya.
But I wouldn't count him out just yet.
The corners of the arena flickered and suddenly their was roaring pillars of flames being projected from them, drawing everyone's attention back to centre stage.
Thanks for waiting, everybody! The first match of the second round is a big match!" Hizashi started up, his hype-man routine now fully in effect as the two next fighters made their way forward to the stage.
"The man who won a huge victory in the first round and literally left the audience frozen- From the hero course, it's Todoroki Shoto!" The crowd let out a cheer at that, and now I suddenly had an idea why the arena had felt like it had been struck with an earthquake while I was cleaning myself up after the exhibition match.
"On the other hand, the dark horse winner of the first event! Will he be able to cause an upset once again? From the hero course, it's Midoriya Izuku!" The crowd gave out a cheer to equal Shoto's
Okay let's analyse.
Shoto obviously has the edge when it comes to territory manipulation, and the speed in which he can use his quirk is a frightful thing to come up against.
That being said the latest in the long line of Buckets has his own frightful abilities, among them the ability to out punch robots the size of buildings.
But before I left him in the tender care of Bucket the Elder, he was still struggling to keep a hold of his power.
I suppose this match will truly be a crucible to see just how far he's progressed with it then.
"Any takers on who you think will win?" I asked, turning towards Thirteen to ask for her opinion for the matter.
The space hero let out a contemplative sound, her helmet raising skyward before tilting back down towards the stage. "I want to say that it's going to be the Todoroki boy, but that tone of your voice tells me that your hiding something from me." She accused, pointing a finger at me as she did so.
"Me? Hide something from you?" I replied in mock affront, throwing a hand up to rest against my brow as I mocked a faint. "How could one of my dear friends make such a bas…"
I cut myself off as an instantly familiar tone met my ears and my attention was immediately directed to my phone as I pulled it from my pocket, the bright red symbols flashing across the screen a sign that my time at the Sports Festival was about to be cut short.
CODE 8 – UTH
Shit.
I leapt up out of my chair, ignoring the questions of my colleagues, Haste taking hold as I sped down the shortest route to my destination, white light illuminating my path even as my mind ran through the new problem I was facing.
The patient was in Tokyo, apparently so heavily injured that being transported any further wasn't an option.
I was in Shizuoka, a journey that was closer to two hundred kilometres away then one hundred and would normally take about two and a half to three hours.
The alert on my phone made it quite clear that the patient wasn't going to survive another three hours.
Which was why I was going to have to drive there, really, really fast.
There's a very good reason that my car is constantly being either fixed or replaced.
With the help of a certain mad scientist on I-Island, the same one who had helped make the very first batch of Mana, we'd found a way to suffuse it throughout an engine to make it more resilient to the rigours of my quirk.
I shoulder charged my way through the door leading to the underground car park, moving with the excess momentum to ensure I didn't lose my footing and blurred forwards towards my car parking spot, the only one with a straight path to the exit for precisely this reason.
That being said more resilient didn't mean indestructible, it just meant, less likely to develop a catastrophic failure as a result of my Quirk being involved.
I didn't bother wasting time slowing down to open the door and enter the car, instead leaping in through the driver side window, which I left wound down in case of emergency.
One hand thumbed down on the ignition button while the other pulled the lever which caused the tachyon laced fuel to be released, sending the glowing blue liquid rocketing around the car.
I'd been informed that the liquid didn't actually glow according to everyone else. That it simply looked like a mostly clear, partly viscous liquid.
But to me, it shone like blue starlight, with such strength that I could actually see it as it surged through my car.
I pushed my quirk further, the Haste extending beyond my body to resonate with the car around me even as the car's HUD informed me that the Tachyon infusion was successful.
My hand blurred as I put the car into gear and it roared forward, shooting up the ramp to land with a bounce that I had long since grown used to at this point.
I through the car into a lateral drift around the corner leading onto the road the school, sending the car sliding around cars moving at a glacial pace on the road with a squeal of tires before pouring on as much speed as I dared before I got onto the E1A highway.
Here's hoping that the Hero Association managed to get the highway clear this time.
It's hard enough getting my quirk working on this car even with all the added help.
Having to force the car to cut through traffic the whole time makes the thing far more stressful than it otherwise would be.
As my car cleared the ramp to the E1A I felt myself loosen up slightly as I saw the emergency lane was already up and active, giving me a straight shot there.
I took a deep breath, one hand taking a tight hold of the steering wheel, my head pressing up against the head rest as much as I could, and grabbed the gear stick with my other.
With a flick of my thumb the hidden cover on the gear stick popped open, revealing the bright blue button with a symbol with a circle containing two triangles that met at the points.
This is going to suck. [Color=transparent] Time is an illusion. [/color]
Supreme Haste. [Color=transparent] You have yet to discover its true shape. [/color]
I was thrown back even deeper into the seat, the sound of the car now more akin to a jet engine than a regular car as I soared down the road, the wheels fighting to grip to the road as I moved faster.
My surroundings blurred as the car sped ever faster, the speedometer quickly reaching it's maximum but the HUD in the dashboard informing me that I was still making good speed.
The bullet trains that Japan was once and still to this day are famous typically max out at around three hundred and twenty kilometres an hour.
The typical speed of an incoming brain impulse is four hundred kilometres an hour.
If not for the fact that I can accelerate my own body, including my own speed of thought, it wouldn't be possible for me to drive in any fashion as fast as I am right now.
Because I'm going to be in Tokyo in about fifteen minutes according to the car's ETA.
Hold on.
I'm on my way.
I swore as I had to force the car to straighten up around the latest turn, having to rip the wheel the other way after I clipped the back end of the car trying to avoid some moron who was driving in the emergency only lane, a high pitch shrieking sound signifying what was hopefully only some paint being left being.
Oh if I had time to spare I was going to find that asshole then give them a piece of my mind and my boot up their arse.
I grit my teeth as I felt my body protest from this latest abuse and the car let out a series of ominous groans.
I checked the HUD and bit back a snarl as I saw the flashing red lights steadily spreading over the holographic representation of the car in the corner of the glass.
Okay.
Maybe more than a little paint.
"Come on baby," I grunted out, switching gears with a rapid clutch press as I neared the final few blocks before the University of Tokyo Hospital. "Hold it together."
Words cannot express how glad I am that they updated the facility a few years back.
If I didn't have a supply of Mana awaiting me when I got there, I was going to be no help to anyone, even if I did get there in time.
I pulled back on my quirk, the car dropping out of Haste as I rounded the last bend, soaring up the ramp at quite frankly dangerous speeds before slamming the brakes and pulling the e-brake to drift the car to a stop in a cloud of steam before the door that had been left open for me.
I opened the door to my car, taking care not to step into the bubbling puddle of rubber that used to be one of the wheels.
By the time I had stepped out of the car I already had a bottle of glowing blue Mana being thrust into my face by Negi, the Trauma Surgeon all but dragging me forward into the hospital. "Diagnosis?" I asked as started downing the disgusting concoction down my throat, fighting back the urge to stumble as the aftershocks of my Quirk fought to take hold of me.
"Severe blood loss, heavy lacerations to the spine and lower legs, concussion, we don't know how long he was unconscious before he was found, still hasn't regained consciousness." The career trauma specialist stated clinically, other members of the hospital all but leaping out of the way of the short but intensely focused woman. "He needs surgery as fast as we can or he's not going to make it through the night."
I'd once seen an intern burst into tears at the sight of her.
But the red headed woman striding before me has arguably saved as many if not more lives than any of the top rated heroes in Tokyo.
I drained the last of the bottle and dropped it without a care, not having any time to worry about disposing it in a trash can.
The way my limbs were still shaking told me that I was going to need another before I got started.
"But he can't get his body to accept the blood back into his body fast enough before we can risk doing any form of surgery without risking killing the patient." Negi continued, leading me into the operating theatre where a team was waiting with tools at the ready to begin their life saving work.
The patient on the table had been cut clear of their hero outfit, the savaged pieces laying crumpled in a pile out of the way of everyone else, the material permanently stained from the amount of blood that had splashed over it.
His wounds were bound as tightly as they could, his body a mess of bandages and his head shaved in places to help properly prepare it for reaching the still bleeding wounds that covered his body.
But even with all that, I still recognised the man beneath the life-threatening wounds
I still recognised the Turbo Hero Ingenium.
I still recognised Ida Tensei.
I felt many things in that moment of realisation.
Fear.
Despair.
And rage.
A whole truck load of rage that wanted to lash out at whoever had done this to my friend.
But the coldly rational part of my ruthlessly crushed them so I could focus on the matter at hand.
I held out a hand and snatched the bottle of Mana that had been waiting for me, forcing the wretched fluid down my throat, and I felt the burning pain that had been suffusing my being subside until it was merely painful instead of the agonising it had been for the past few moments.
I reached out with both hands, one resting above Tensei's heart and another over his head.
Altering someone's cardiovascular system was always a delicate thing, I couldn't just brute force this or I risked causing even more damage then when I started.
Sometime it takes me a bit longer to adjust to an individual's own…I don't really know if there is a term for it.
Their personal flow of time? [Color=transparent] That is not the Truth. [/color]
That doesn't sound quite right. [Color=transparent] Deaf as you are you still realise this. [/color]
Regardless, it doesn't matter in this instance.
I've worked on Tensei before.
This shouldn't be an issue.
I invoked my quirk and felt it surge forth, the white glow now spreading from my hands in a visible aura as it converged upon the injured hero.
I watched as Negi took a hold of the team around me like a seasoned conductor at an orchestra, bags of blood hanging above rapidly being introduced into Tensei's system at speeds that without my intervention would have proven to be fatal.
I don't know how long I stood there, arms shaking from the strain as I tried to hold my friend together long enough for his body to survive the surgery he was going to need if he had any hope of coming out the other side of this.
While I promoted the propagation of new blood cells in Tensei's body, making use of the newly introduced plasma and blood to help fuel the process, I also did what I could to help alleviate the swelling as best as I could, knowing that the more I could reduce it, the easier it would be for any x-rays to properly determine what would be required beyond the immediately obvious.
I felt a tab at my shoulder and blinked blearily as my quirk spluttered and died from my lack of concentration.
I went to rip the moron who had interrupted me a new asshole when I felt the world darken and turn sideways as the room decided to start doing spirals while somebody dragged me back out of the OR to sit on one of the couches they had in the staff room.
No.
Not yet.
I can still do more.
Tensei still needs…
I went to stand up again only for a familiar hand to push me back down on to the couch, even as a finger that glowed green when I blearily saw it poked me directly in the forehead.
Suddenly the energy that I had been struggling to hold onto became water that flowed out of my grip as the serotonin levels in my body spiked, and I found myself letting out a yawn unconsciously as the form of my assistant Yomi briefly registered to my eyes even as I found myself slumping over.
"That's…cheating…" I slurred, the words mostly unintelligible as my eyes continued to close regardless of my demands to stay open.
Kayama Yomi smiled softly at my complaint, and before I knew it, I found a blanket being drawn up over my form.
"Get some rest Kaito." I heard her voice. "I'll be here waiting for you when you wake up."
Darkness.
I know this room. [Color=transparent] But do you really? [/color]
No. [Color=transparent] Yes. [/color]
No, no, no. [Color=transparent] You're almost there. [/color]
Stop moving forward! [Color=transparent] Think. [/color]
Stop moving forward damn you! [Color=transparent] Stop hiding from it. [/color]
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH OF A STUPID IDEA THAT WAS BOY!" [Color=transparent] You know this. [/color]
"FIVE OF MY BEST MEN, DEAD! BECAUSE OF YOUR WEAKNESS!" [Color=transparent] I was there too. [/color]
"WELL!? ANYTHING TO SAY IN YOUR DEFENCE BOY? ANYTHING TO EXPLAIN THIS LATEST FAILURE!?" He was angrier than I'd ever heard him. [Color=transparent] We both play starring roles in what comes next, after all. [/color]
"It was my fault lord." [Color=transparent] You could not have saved Father. [/color]
No. [Color=transparent] You could not have saved them. [/color]
That's a lie. [Color=transparent] Or her. [/color]
Say it's a lie. [Color=transparent] You know this. [/color]
Speak up damn you! [Color=transparent] But still you deny it. [/color]
"You!?" [Color=transparent] The first foe. [/color]
"Yes lord. I felt it would be a useful outing to further hone him. It was my idea entirely lord." [Color=transparent] Typical. [/color]
"I ordered you to stay away from there ****ne. Not a suggestion, an order!" [Color=transparent] Both greatest and least. [/color]
"I know lord. But I deemed it necessary regardless." [Color=transparent] Took the blame without hesitation. [/color]
"Kneel." [Color=transparent] Even knowing what would have followed. [/color]
"Where do you think you're going boy! Look at him. [Color=transparent] The First of your two great shames. [/color]
"It's time for you to learn that actions have consequences." [Color=transparent] But do you truly remember it? [/color]
"It's alright young master." [Color=transparent] You remember parts. [/color]
"Be good, master ******." [Color=transparent] But what of the whole? [/color]
"Clean that mess up." [Color=transparent] I may have done my job too well. [/color]
"Why couldn't you have died instead of her?" [Color=transparent] For it to have remained buried all this time. [/color]
Then there was a familiar image, of a room that only I and Hawks knew of. [Color=transparent] I'm here. [/color]
A room that bore the remnants of nearly twenty conflicts. [Color=transparent] Remember your oath. [/color]
One space lay empty. [Color=transparent] Before it's too late. [/color]
Then it blurred and was a gravestone. [Color=transparent] She wouldn't want this. [/color]
Then I was there again. [Color=transparent] Enough of this [/color]
Kneeling before a burnt-out shell of a home. [Color=transparent] You're clearly not ready yet. [/color]
And a large white sheet draped over a smaller form. [Color=transparent] WAKE UP. [/color]
AN: Another step closer.
But closer to what?
Had a wonderful streak of writing several thousand words worth of fight scene only to pause pull back and look at the timeline and realise that there was at least another arc or two before I could even use that scene.
ARGH!
Damn you brain!
Anywho, enjoy the early Christmas present from me to all of my wonderful readers.
As always your responses are appreciated.
Merry Christmas!
