Hello my wonderful readers! Here is Chapter 10! It's UA test day! This chapter will introduce one of my favorite Class 1-A characters! Also wanted to mention that this may be my last update until possibly January 2019 or late December 2018, depending on how crazy things get on my end with the upcoming holidays. Thank you so much for the amazing reviews and continued support, and I hope you all enjoy this lovely chapter!
Minami inhaled the crisp early morning air, and then exhaled slowly, watching her breath puff out into little clouds as she stood outside the apartment complex, waiting for Toshinori to join her. The date was February 26, the day she had been working towards since Yagi found her; UA test day. Today would be the day to see if all of her training and tutoring sessions were a success. She felt a shiver go through her body, and wasn't sure if it was due to the chilled air, or the fact that she was more nervous than she could remember feeling in recent memory.
Minami tucked her grey scarf tighter around her neck and face, burying her hands into the pockets of her pink coat after readjusting her backpack. She closed her eyes and sighed,
Get a hold of yourself, you need to refocus…there is no room for messing up….not today…
She felt a large hand grip her padded shoulder. Opening her eyes and turning around, she saw her father standing there with a smile on his face. "You all set my girl? Let's get to the truck, I'll drop you off at UA." Minami felt her brow crinkle up in confusion.
"We're going straight to the school? I thought we were meeting with Izuku first?" She questioned as she climbed into the passenger seat of the truck. Yagi got into the driver's side and started up the truck.
"I will be dropping you off at the school first so you can settle in. I'll have to meet young Midoriya at the beach by myself to make sure he finished clearing the area I sectioned out for him, and transfer OFA to him." He explained as he pulled out of the parking lot of the apartment complex.
Minami pouted a bit, "I wanted to see you transfer OFA to him, Papa! It sounds really cool!" Minami could see a flash of emotion cross Yagi's face for a moment before it returned to neutrality, but was confused by what she saw there for a split second, was it worry maybe? contemplation?
Toshinori glanced at the girl for a moment, then looked back to the road.
No…Keep her safe, the less she knows about OFA, the less of a chance my enemies will pursue her in the future… Yagi concluded to himself after weighing out his options, stopping at a red light.
"My dear…just like we have our own secrets we keep between each other because of our bond, it also means that young Midoriya and I will also have a few secrets that no one else can know about, due to the nature of our relationship. This instance is one of those times, I'm afraid…" he trailed off as he regarded Minami with a look genuine regret for not allowing her to come.
Minami felt her face fall a bit at her father's rejection.
I get it…I know what he means but…Why can't he trust me with his deepest darkest secrets too about one for all? I would never say anything to anyone… Maybe I'm just not trustworthy enough to him? Minami thought to herself sadly as she nodded at her father's statement, accepting it as she turned to look out the windshield of the truck.
Guilt shot through Yagi at the sadness that crossed Minami's face. Shaking it off, he decided to change topics to try to pick up her spirits.
"Besides, you have much more important things to focus on this morning, like acing that entrance exam!" He winked at her as he laughed heartily, reaching over to pat her head.
Minami smiled at how much love she felt pour out to her from the action, deciding to set aside their disagreement and instead do what her father said; focus on the test that lay ahead.
He's right, it's definitely way more important anyways, and I need to be completely focused on this test today. I need to do well, I have to get into UA… She felt her fist clench in her lap as she became determined, but at that moment recognized they were crossing through the daunting gates of UA, and sensed all confidence she felt just seconds before fade away in an instant as intimidation set in.
"We're here already?!" she thought to herself as she looked out her window at the large building in the distance while Yagi parked the truck, and turned to look at her. A proud look crossed his face.
"You've come a long way kiddo. You're not a little kid anymore. No, you're a young lady now, and a hero in training." Yagi said as he softly gazed at her.
Minami felt her bottom lip tremble a bit at her father's compliment, feeling emotion rise up. Her throat tightened as she tried to reign herself in.
No crying Minami, you're going to be a hero, and heroes don't cry… she reminded herself sternly.
"I can already tell, today's going to be a great day my girl. I'm so proud of you, of everything you've accomplished, and will accomplish in the future. You're going to be a great hero."
Like glass shattering against stone, Minami felt her resolve break and she roughly inhaled, tears flowing from her eyes as she covered her face with her hands, willing herself to stop crying unsuccessfully.
She could sense the confusion rolling off her father in waves, not even needing to look at him to know how baffled he probably looked at her reaction. She exhaled loudly, ending with a whimper as she realized now she couldn't stem the flow of tears as her anxiety overwhelmed her. She could feel Toshinori gently grip her wrists to pull her hands away from her face.
"Minami my girl, what's wrong?" She heard his baritone voice ask. Allowing her hands to be pulled away, she could see Yagi's sympathetic face through her watery vision.
Minami opened her mouth to say something, but felt her fears and concerns that she had been holding in for the past several months come tumbling out. She pinched her eyes shut as she as she felt herself implode.
"I'm not good at tests, I never have been. I was always told I was stupid and I wasn't cut out for school. And now I have to do this all by myself; what if I'm not good enough to become a hero? What if I'm a complete failure, and I bomb the test, and I embarrass myself and you and-" she sobbed out in broken sentences until she was cut off by Toshinori placing his hands on her shoulders and squeezing them, shushing her gently.
Opening her eyes from her meltdown, she could see understanding lit up in Yagi's own eyes as he realized what was the matter.
"Minami," Toshi started off slowly, thinking about how he was going to word his thoughts, "first off, you're definitely not stupid, you're smart. Secondly, you're not alone my girl, you'll never be alone-"
"Because you'll always be here for me?" Minami croaked out her question as tears still flowed down her face, trying to finish his sentence. Yagi appeared to hesitate before answering, seeming conflicted,
"Yes, but it's important to remember that even when I'm not physically present, I will always be here," he reached downward and tapped her thick coat just below the left side of her collar bone, indicating her heart. "Because I love you above all else,"
Minami hiccupped, rubbing her eyes as she began to calm down. Hearing a hissing sound, Minami looked up to see Yagi had transformed into All Might to reassure her, a huge grin spreading on his jolly face. Worried that someone would see them, Minami glanced around the parking lot from their truck, but didn't see a single soul out at that time.
All Might pulled the girl into a tight hug before she could say anything, finishing his pep talk. "Lastly, you're not going to fail little Minami,"
Not totally convinced, she interrupted him, "But what if I fail and-"
"But my dear, what if you fly? And go on to soar and succeed?" this response stunned Minami, causing her to pause and listen to his explanation. All Might grinned as he continued to embrace her, softly stroking her hair, "You cannot be afraid to fail my dear, because then you will never succeed either; you would be at a standstill, never moving forward. And that is no way to live, now is it?" Minami murmured her agreement into his shoulder.
"Which is why it's how we handle our failures that truly make us who we are, so we can learn and become better. But you've been practicing a lot these past 9 months, and my girl, you've learned so much!" He laughed jovially and tightened his hold on Minami, causing her to smile softly at his upbeat attitude as she rested her cheek on his shoulder. "I know as long as you try your best, everything is going to be just fine, little Minami, I promise, no matter what happens."
Pulling back from Minami a bit, All Might looked her in the eyes, patting her shoulders. "Deep breath little Minami," The girl inhaled deeply before releasing a large gust of breath. Feeling the butterflies in her stomach fade away, she smiled up at All Might as the remainder of her tears dried up.
All Might raised his two index fingers to the corners of his smile, pointing upward. "Just remember little Minami, whenever you feel afraid or nervous, just to smile to trick the fear inside you!"
Minami giggled and smiled back.
"Thanks Papa," All Might lowered his hands and chuckled, leaning forward to place a kiss on her cheek. Letting his muscle form drop, steam filled the truck as Toshinori took his place.
"Now go show them what it means to be a hero!" Yagi gave her a thumbs up with a big grin.
Minami walked into the towering building that had produced some of the best heroes in the world. Once inside, she registered for the exam and took in her surroundings. The halls were wide and extremely clean. They almost glimmered in the winter morning light, reflecting all the majesty and pageantry the building itself did from the outside. She had never seen anything like it, having never been in the main part of the school before.
There were a few examinees walking around the halls, softly speaking to each other. Others were sitting around in corners of the hallway, going through flashcards of questions or reading through their note pads. Some even just seemed to be relaxing, scrolling through their smart phones. Minami wandered the halls aimlessly to stretch her legs, and of course to satisfy her curiosity.
Throughout the building she found various bulletins of upcoming events for the school, clubs, tutoring sessions, and even a few framed dedications to the most famous heroes that were schooled there. All in all, she concluded it was a good institution, and could definitely see why it had such a good reputation.
Circling back around, she decided to find a seat in the lecture hall they were assigned to gather at for the entrance exam.
Maybe I'll review some of my notes now… She thought to herself as she walked down the first few steps of the auditorium that could easily seat 1000 people. She looked at the rows and rows of empty seats, though quite a few were already filled with examinees.
"Cute coat! Pink's my favorite!" a voice sounded from behind her in one of the last rows. She turned and saw a girl with pink hair and skin, with little horns coming out of her head. Her yellow eyes pierced hers, and there was a magnetic air of confidence around her. Minami liked her instantly; she reminded her of her friend from Oklahoma, Tracie, who she had fallen out of touch with recently to her dismay.
"Thanks! I'm Minami Yagi," Minami introduced herself. The pink girl was chewing some bubble gum. Blowing a big bubble, she popped it and grinned up at her from where she sat.
"My name's Mina Ashido!" She moved her backpack out of the aisle seat, inviting Minami to sit next to her. Minami wasted no time, feeling starved for female friendship since arriving to Japan months ago.
"Hey, are you really Japanese? Your name is Japanese, but you don't sound like it." The pink haired girl hummed in thought, "You kinda sound like a gaijin!" Mina snickered.
Minami felt a large sweat drop form as she slipped off her coat and scarf, revealing her black under armor work out pants and blush colored long sleeve running shirt underneath.
Great, even after all those countless hours of Japanese lessons, I'll still stand out like a sore thumb, she thought,
Seeing her distressed face, Mina quickly realized how her comment came out. Waiving her hands, she clarified, "It's not necessarily a bad thing, it just makes you different, you stand out, but not in a bad way" she grinned again, blowing another bubble gum bubble. "To be honest, your Japanese is pretty good, old fashioned sounding, but good!" she encouraged the blonde.
Minami smiled back amicably, realizing the girl meant no harm by the comment.
"It's true, I wasn't born here. In fact, I grew up in Oklahoma, in the United States. My mom was American, but my dad is Japanese. I only recently moved to Japan to go to school here about 9 months ago." Minami explained.
Whoa! You're from the wild west?! Like cowboys and Indians? Her yellow eyes grew large as she scooted closer to the blonde girl in her seat, eager for more details.
"Are there cute cowboys there?" She laced her fingers together in her lap, practically swooning at the thought of a rugged man sweeping her off her feet. Minami giggled at her dramatics,
"Yep! We have some cowboys there," she grinned. Mina squealed like a fan girl at her response,
"Do you have any cute cowboy brothers?! Maybe they'll come to visit you!"
Minami quickly shut that idea down, "nope, I'm an only child, but I still have friends back in Oklahoma, maybe I can get them to visit and drag a cute cowboy with them," Minami winked at Mina, enjoying the excited grin that spread across the pink girl's face.
I'm not going to tell her I only had one friend really, who I haven't talked to in months..she'd think I'm a total loser.. Minami considered to herself.
"And you're mixed! That's really cool!" Mina laughed, her gaze raking her face as she leaned in to pinpoint which of her features were Japanese. The friendly girl reached out and took a strand of her sunflower colored hair.
"Blonde hair with blue eyes! I just knew you were different when I saw you! I haven't had a chance to hang out with many gaijin before! This will be fun!" Mina released her piece of hair and clapped her hands together with glee. Minami laughed at her excited tone.
"I'm glad you're excited to meet me!" the Minami smiled as she pulled out her booklet full of exam notes, skimming them while she eyed the pink girl from the corner of her vision who slouched and pulled her hands behind her head, looking extremely relaxed.
"Aren't you nervous for the test? We have so much riding on this exam…" Minami couldn't help herself from asking the girl, wondering what her secret was for being so confident.
Mina just smiled at her, flashing her straight white teeth while she chewed her gum, shrugging her shoulders, "Meh, I'm just going to wing it, it's what I've always done for school so far, and it's always worked out great for me!"
Minami felt her eyes widen at the girl's response, not being able to fathom being so nonchalant about such an important event.
The two girls continued to speak back and forth, all the while Minami skimmed her notes. Minami regarded the students steadily filing into the full examination hall now, looking for a familiar head of curly green hair amongst the hoards of hopeful examinees. Still not seeing Izuku with only 10 minutes to go, Minami sent another text to the boy.
"who ya texting? Your boyfriend?!" Mina leaned over to shove her nose into the screen of Minami's phone, looking for evidence of romance. Minami balked at the thought of Izuku being her boyfriend, sputtering a laugh.
"No, to be honest he's more like a brother to me, his family is friends with mine, so I've known him since I came here and we trained together a lot for this exam." Minami explained,
Hope the family lie doesn't ever come back to bite me in the ass, Minami worried a bit to herself.
"Ooohhh, so he's taking the exam too? Yeah he better get his butt here! They're going to start soon!" Mina giggled.
Soon enough, the intro music started playing and the lights dimmed. A hush fell over the attendees as Present Mic came dancing out onto the stage enthusiastically. Minami couldn't help but snicker at the scene, thinking his entrance suited him perfectly.
Worriedly, she glanced down at her phone and still didn't see a response from Izuku. She began texting him again when she felt someone roughly tapping her shoulder. Glancing up from her seat, she saw a lizard man sneering down at her, who had clearly been assigned to the site as an exam proctor.
"No phones! Turn off your phone! Else it will be confiscated!" he hissed out, his forked tongue poking out between his serrated teeth. Minami scowled up at the unfriendly glare she received, before shutting down her smart phone and shoving it in her backpack.
Crap Izuku… you better be here! She thought to herself, frustrated she wasn't able to make contact with him.
Let me hear ya! Present Mic shouted as he was met with complete silence. Minami winced at the slightly flustered look on Present Mic's face before he shrugged it off laughing.
Minami began listening to Present Mic's exam directions when she saw a really uptight boy stand up and start complaining about how the handout was written. Minami couldn't help but roll her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest.
Geez, he really needs to take it down a notch, she thought to herself irritated. Then, said boy turned and started yelling at another boy just behind him who had been muttering the whole time. Looking at who he was pointing at and recognizing his features, Minami sat up taller in her seat, seeing it was Izuku.
Izuku! There you are! She grinned, and began whispering loudly, trying to get his attention.
"Izuku! Izuku!" she cupped her hands around her mouth as she whisper-shouted across the quiet auditorium.
Suddenly, all the examinees in her vicinity violently hushed her, halting her attempts to try to contact Izuku. Minami blushed and slid down into her seat, not liking the negative attention. She could see Present Mic looking up into her section of the auditorium from the podium, trying to figure out what the commotion was, before deciding it wasn't worth his time and finished up the practical exam's directions.
Minami sighed from where she sat,
Well, this is it. I'll just have to talk to Izuku after the written portion of the exam today.
Minami found herself outside of Battle Center C with a large crowd of other examinees. To her delight, Mina's examinee ID had also been assigned to Battle Center C.
Heavy footsteps to her side attracted Minami's attention while she was sitting on the ground, stretching her legs in preparation for the practical exam.
"You're that dumbass that caused a ruckus in the auditorium!"
Minami rolled her eyes and ignored the voice for a few moments, finishing up her stretches.
Minami could hear the grating accent in her voice as she spoke English to her; it sounded as if she were from Brooklyn, New York. Discreetly looking around, Minami could see the other children looking on with curiosity, likely not realizing there were foreigners in their group.
It's not like there's many internationals here that try to get into UA. Minami thought, I'm sure this bitch does a standup job at representing foreigners, she thought sarcastically as she stood back up to her full height, glaring down at the other American who was a few inches shorter than her.
"Yeah, so what." Minami responded with a sneer as she got a good look at the girl. Instead of hair, she had large spikes coming out of her head. Her teeth were serrated as she mockingly smiled at Minami.
"I can't stand rich loud mouth bitches," Minami could see her orange eyes stare intently at her clothes, clearly jealous of how she appeared to be well off and in her mind, possibly have an advantage today if that was the case.
Minami smirked back. She had known this scenario well in the ice skating world. Girls who thought they were better than her because they dressed nicer or had more expensive coaches, or just had more money in general. Though now it seemed the roles were a bit reversed, this girl seemed to think she was some rich snob.
Maybe I am a rich snob now, I know dad has a lot of money, but that doesn't mean she can be shitty to me, and basically paint a big target on my back. Minami thought as she looked around and saw some of the other children gathering around them, staring at her, looking for weakness; others grinning eagerly at what appeared to them a fight getting ready to break out.
Minami sighed in annoyance, Like I would throw away my chance at going to UA for a damn fist fight.
Her eyes shifted back to the nasty girl in front of her. Minami grimaced at her,
"I don't care what you think, but you're going to fuck off and go your own way during this exam. Fuck with me, and that will pretty much guarantee your failure bitch." Minami snarled at her, only inches away from the other girl's face, her skin flashing blue for a moment in her anger.
The fanged girl gritted her teeth and stepped back at the flash of heat that emitted from the blonde girl, feeling more nervous than she cared to admit.
Mina roared with laughter and put her arm around Minami's shoulders, speaking to the other girl in slow, accented English "Yeah, don't mess with my friend! She'll fuck you up!" she giggled again.
The fanged girl grimaced and slunk away, like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs. Looking around, Minami could see the other children backing off, satisfied with her display that she indeed was no easy target.
Minami exhaled loudly, feeling the tension in her body fade a bit as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail.
"AND BEGIN!" Minami jumped at Present Mic's large voice booming across campus. Looking up, she could see him standing on a watch tower high in the sky,
"WHAT'S WRONG? THE TEST'S STARTED! RUN! RUN!" Present Mic shouted.
"Eeep!" Minami could feel the stampede of students begin running around her as the gates to battle center C opened. Taking off at a sprint, Minami found herself in the middle of the pack of people, racing into the city. Next to her, she saw Mina, who winked at her and gave her the peace sign.
"Let's do this Minami-Chan!"
"Haaaahhh!" Minami cried as she destroyed her 12th villain bot, shooting a small energy beam from her palm. Looking behind, Minami could see Mina melting her own bot with her acid.
Taking off at a run, Minami could see another 1 point bot with an examinee who seemed to be having trouble immobilizing it. She took this opportunity to rack up the points for herself.
"Mine!" Minami shouted as she leapt and struck the bot with another energy blast, piercing it's core and causing it to explode. She waived her apology to the other examinee with a shy smile as she dashed away.
Thank God Papa had me practice my energy beams on small appliances, she thought to herself as she moved. After the refrigerator fiasco, All Might didn't take any chances and focused on her quirk strength almost exclusively. She wasn't perfect, but a lot better at destroying heavier duty items now.
"Gah!" Minami halted and grabbed her right hand, grimacing, feeling pain surge through the tendons and muscle as she was beginning to hit her current limit with her quirk.
She heard a small scream in the distance, and looking up saw 4 straggler 2 pointers chasing the spikey haired girl that had given her trouble just 5 minutes earlier before the practical had begun. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she enjoyed replaying the scene over and over again as she dashed after the bots who ducked into an alley in their pursuit of the girl.
Well, she deserves it… she thought harshly to herself as she turned the corner and saw them closing in on said examinee, who huddled and cowered behind a few mock trashcans.
Fwoooom!
Minami put out both hands and grimaced, feeling pain as she pushed out 2 more blasts simultaneously. She could hear the girl scream and cover her head as bits of metal rained down around them from the destroyed bots.
The 2 remaining villain bots turned and locked onto the blue eyed girl.
"Terminate! Terminate!" their robotic voices rang out as they locked onto Minami, closing in.
Minami groaned as she gathered more energy into her forearms, feeling her muscles ache and sting at their overuse.
Just one more time Minami, come on… she panted to herself as she sent out another blast from each hand at the remaining bots, successfully destroying one, but only grazing the other.
"Shit!" Minami backed away from the robot as it approached her. She began trying to gather more energy once more, but felt herself tiring and unable to do so fully in such a short time span. Suddenly, a large spike pierced through the center of the bot, destroying it as it fell to the ground. Looking, Minami could see the spikey haired girl on her knees, panting with the effort of having pierced through the metal of the bot, regarding Minami cautiously.
Minami looked back at her, holding her stare, and after a few moments held out her hand to the girl, who took it timidly as Minami pulled her up.
"Thanks…" she said bashfully as she looked to her side, not wanting to make eye contact any longer.
Wiping away the sweat from her brow with her forearm, Minami regarded her warily, still feeling a bit guarded. "Don't mention it…"
Unexpectedly, the ground began shaking around them, and both girls struggled to maintain their balance under the pseudo earth-quake.
"What's going on?!" the volatile girl shouted over the large rumbling noise as she covered her ears. Looking up, Minami saw to her horror the giant 0 pointer bot rise out from the ground behind the alley where they stood like some undead metal behemoth, the smoke and ash from its release making it that much more intimidating.
"It's the 0 pointer! Run!" Minami grabbed the other girl's hand and turned tail, running as fast as she could away from the area as the bot began rampaging. The two girls screamed as chunks of building fell down around them.
Almost there! Minami thought hopeful as she could see the end of the alley way up ahead, opening up to the main part of the city.
Hearing a large cracking sound from above, Minami looked up and gasped. She jumped back and narrowly missed being crushed by a large piece of falling concrete, head butting the face of the girl behind her as they fell back.
Shaking her head to ward off the dizziness she felt, Minami saw their only escape was blocked by the fallen concrete. She looked back and saw the spikey haired girl had been knocked out. Minami's eyes widened as the stomping steel machine behind them slowly closed in.
The ground shook again, and Minami crawled to the other girl, hovering over her to try and protect her as best as she could from the falling debris. She could feel her knees shaking from the fear that gripped her heart.
This is bad…really, really, REALLY bad! She whimpered to herself, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to figure out what to do.
Think Minami! THINK! She screamed to herself mentally. Nearby, a familiar voice cut through the chaos.
"Need any help?!" Shocked, Minami snapped open her eyes and saw Mina grinning at her as she sliced through the concrete blocking their way with her acid, like a hot knife through butter. She extended her free hand to Minami.
"Come on! We gotta get out of here!" Mina screamed over the sound of explosions and falling debris. Minami took the pink girl's hand without hesitation, and grabbed the spikey haired girl's arm, dragging her unconscious body out with them as she and Mina escaped to safety.
Seeing who she was dragging, Mina's eyes widened and she took the other girl's arm, helping to drag her as they ran, until they were some distance away.
Pausing to catch their breath, Mina and Minami stopped to look back at the huge villain bot in the distance. Panting, Mina laughed,
"Man, this girl is lucky you're not evil and decided to leave her behind!" She jerked her thumb at said girl who was still unconscious on the ground next to them. Minami snorted,
"No…no matter how nasty she was to me, I can't just leave someone behind to be crushed," she smiled tiredly at Mina.
Another explosion sounded in the distance, larger than when their own 0 pointer bot was released. The harsh tremors caused Mina and Minami to fall to the ground. They glanced at each other confused, realizing this wasn't coming from the 0 pointer bot in the near distance to them.
"What was that?" Mina asked Minami, her yellow eyes large. Minami shrugged her shoulders, when they heard a few examinees come running around the corner shouting,
"Someone attacked the 0 point bot in one of the other battle centers!" Minami sighed in relief, realizing it wasn't anything they needed to worry about. Feeling her energy drain, Minami flopped on her back onto the ground as she realized they were safe when she heard Present Mic call the end of the practical portion of the exam.
Who the hell would even consider attacking one of those 0 point monsters? They must be either completely stupid or super brave! Minami laughed to herself as Mina helped her up.
And there's the end of the practical exam! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I promise I'll be back to do another update, probably after Christmas. But who knows, maybe I will be able to do it sooner! ;) Thanks again for your reviews, and please keep them coming! I love seeing how much you guys enjoy the story! PLUS ULTRA!
