Immortālitās

Chapter Eleven

Just as I thought, most of the teams charged right at us.

"Let's go, Ochaco!"

"I won't let you!" Another one of the students from Class B hollered.

What is up with their class?

His next step caused the ground in front of him to liquify, and it quickly started to make its way toward my feet. I jumped to the side, and thanks to Ochaco's quirk, I completely avoided the trap.

"Nice job, Ochaco!" I patted her shin in approval.

"I was just doing as I was told, Mr. Class Rep," she ruffled my hair.

I tried not to drool on the spot.

I jumped out of the way again to avoid Kyoka's earlobe jacks and hit the ground running.

"Two minutes have barely gone by and the students have already turned this into a free-for-all! Fighting for any headband available!"

I guess that means not everyone is going after us anymore?

"Fighting?!" I heard Mineta's laughter and turned around. "This is a one-sided pillage!"

Shoji was running at us with his back covered, and I watched as Mineta and Tsuyu looked out from within the darkness.

You think this is going to be a one-sided pillage, huh, Mineta?

I moved out of the way as he threw a ball at me.

"Come on, Mineta!" I shouted at the team. "I would have had to have been a fool to believe Shoji was on a team by himself! I know you're hiding behind his arms! You too, Tsuyu!"

I quickly shifted us to the side as Tsu's tongue shot out to grab our team's headband, and nearly grabbed the headband of the team chasing us from behind.

"We need to keep moving," Ochaco noted. "It's not good for us to remain standing still."

"Yes, ma'am!"

And we were on the run again.

Well, until Bakugo attacked.

"Don't get so cocky!" He leaped away from his team.

I quickly turned and repositioned my hold on Ochaco so I could grab Katsuki's hand with my own. Ochaco screamed as the explosion took place right in front of us, and thankfully Bakugo had the sense to make it an outward explosion rather than an inward one.

"Ne, Bakugo?" I glared at him as Hanta dragged him back to their team with his tape quirk. "You're lucky you didn't hurt Ochaco, otherwise I would have hurt you."

"Tch," the boy grunted. "I wasn't going to hurt anyone you cocky regenerator! And if she can't take care of herself, then she's weak!"

"Get back here you—!"

"Ivan," Ochaco squeezed my shoulder. "It's okay. Let's use this as an opportunity to escape!"

"You got it!" I glared one more time at Bakugo before turning away. Only to sigh as Shoto's team now stood before us.

"I'll be taking that headband now," the multi-colored hair boy stated.

"Coming for us so soon?" I poked for a reaction, noticing that we were being charged by multiple teams again. "I expected you to come much later on. There's nearly seven minutes left."

"We need to do something, Ivan," Ochaco muttered to me quietly.

"I'm formulating a plan right now," I spoke softly to her. "My best guess is that Shoto is going to have Denki blast the entire area with electricity to slow down the other teams, but there's also a high probability that he'll freeze them in their tracks right afterward. We'll need to be high enough off the ground to avoid the electricity, and then watch our landing to avoid getting trapped in the ice. Though I might be capable of breaking out of it, I've never tried. The only thing we're going to need is perfect timing. Up to the task?"

"You'll always get my best!"

I channeled energy into my legs as Shoto finally decided to have Tenya rush at us, and when Denki started to charge up his quirk, I ran straight at them.

"Now, Ochaco!" I shouted and put all of my strength into leaping off the ground.

We shot high into the air at the exact moment Denki released his pent-up electricity, soaring above the other teams as they were first electrocuted and then frozen to the ground.

"I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that!" Present Mic blurted over the speaker. "Todoroki handled the other teams in an instant, but Ivan and Uraraka stayed five-steps ahead of his plan and are now sailing towards safety! There's less than six minutes left now!"

"You're perfect, Ochaco!" I hollered at the girl.

"W-what was that?" She stumbled over her words.

"I said that was perfect!" I looked up at the girl and noticed that she looked a little green at the gills. "Do you think you could hold us here?"

"I don't know how long I-I can."

"It will only take a moment, I promise."

Our movement stopped and I reached up past my head and placed my hands on Ochaco's sides. I tried not to laugh at the squeak she made and focused as I pooled the energy into my hands. Once the warmth reached all of my fingers, it quickly condensed before extending towards the nausea-inflicted stomach.

"What in the world," she breathed.

"Are you feeling better?" She nodded her head. "I'm glad to hear that, and I can tell you have questions, but I can answer those later because right now we have company!"

We both looked to see Izuku, Fumikage, and Mei from the support class coming our way with the help of a jet pack.

Where...Where in the world did they get a jet pack?

"I hope you didn't forget about us!" Izuku had a determined look on his face. "We're coming for that headband!"

"We've already avoided Katsuki and Shoto, Izuku!" I cackled at him. "I guess we have enough time to add you to that list as well!"

"They know our maneuverability is limited in the air," I could tell Ochaco was getting worried again. "How do you want to go about this?"

"The moment Izuku grabs for your headband, I want you to stop using your quirk on yourself," I started to explain. "Once you do that, I'll need you to hold onto your headband and fall backward. We'll be upside down for a moment, which I hope you'll be okay with, but we should be able to avoid him that way. The only one we'll need to worry about after that is Dark Shadow."

She nodded in understanding and our plan went into motion. Izuku reached for her headband, and just before he could touch her forehead, she fell backward and we swung upside down. We didn't get to stay like that for long as Dark Shadow took an opportunity to reach for it from behind. Ochaco used the momentum from the swing to reverse the zero-gravity effect on us, and we flipped in a full-circle.

"I-Ivan," she leaned onto my head. "I'm s-sorry."

"Sorry? For what?"

We plummeted towards the ground.

Oh.

"Ochaco! I want you to put everything you can into using your quirk on me or yourself the moment before we hit the ground, okay?!"

"I don't know if I can!"

We were getting closer to the ground and I could hear the fear in her voice. I also watched as Izuku's team noticed what was happening and turned to try and catch up to us.

They weren't going to make it in time though.

"I want you to try as hard as you can!" I encouraged her. "If not, I want you to fall on top of me and I'll protect you."

"B-but Ivan—!"

"I promise."

She heard the determination in my voice and grew quiet.

We were seconds away from hitting the earth and Ochaco gripped my shoulder hard enough to draw blood, attempting to get her quirk to activate.

I felt as my feet shattered upon impact with the ground, and a sharp pain shot up my spine before I sensed a second's worth of weightlessness.

"Time's up!" I heard Present Mic announce over the speakers and I collapsed onto the ground. "The second round is over!"

So, this is what it feels like to be paralyzed.

"Ivan!" Ochaco hovered over me. "I couldn't get my quirk to activate in time! I'm so sorry!"

I couldn't respond due to the paralyzation and that only seemed to worry her more. I tried my best to communicate through my eyes as we held eye contact.

"Ivan! Uraraka!" Izuku's team landed beside us. "Are you okay?!"

"My babies weren't fast enough," Mei mumbled.

"I'm fine," Ochaco called over to him but kept her gaze locked onto mine. "I believe Ivan is too."

Atta girl.

It only took seconds for my feet to be fixed, and another minute before the paralyzation ebbed from my body.

"Good work," I smiled at the doe-eyed girl and her eyes teared up. "But I recommend a parachute for next time."

She stared at me before bursting out in laughter, tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she hugged me after helping me to my feet.

"I'm glad you're okay," I hugged her back. "I'm the one that can regenerate after all. First time being paralyzed though, so that was new."

Other teams started descending upon us to see if we were okay, but I waved them off.

"We're standing, aren't we?" I kept an arm around Ochaco's shoulders and smiled at the gathered students. "As fit as a fiddle, I'd say!"

"Let's take a look at the top four teams!" There was a sigh of relief as Present Mic continued with the show. "In a powerful display of teamwork, first place goes to Team Uraraka! Team Midoriya is seated in second place with Team Todoroki holding third place and...Wait. Is this correct? Both Team Bakugo and Team Tets—Team Shinso?! What in the world is happening here! Both teams have tied for fourth place! This is incredible, folks! The five teams will advance to the final round! We're going to take an hour break for lunch, and then we'll see you all back here for the afternoon festivities!"

"Do you two want to join the rest of us for lunch?" Tenya ran up to Ochaco and me as everyone took their leave from the arena.

"Perhaps in a bit, Tenya," I responded to the boy. "I need to talk to Ochaco in private first."

"Of course," he nodded his head. "We'll be sitting in the cafeteria if you choose to eat with us!"

"Thank you, Iida!" Ochaco waved at the boy as he left with the rest of our class.

"Let's get you something light to eat, shall we?" I smiled at the girl as we made our exit from the arena.

We grabbed something small from the cafeteria before going off and finding a more secluded location to talk.

"You know, Ochaco," I took a bite out of my takoyaki as she looked at me. "I'm really glad that I sat next to you at our orientation. You've made my experience here at U.A. one of a kind."

"O-oh, have I?" She blushed. "Well, I'm glad that you sat down next to me! I don't know if I would have gotten this far if it weren't for you, after all."

"I'm sure you would have," I smiled at her. "You're strong, competent, and intelligent enough to handle yourself."

"Th-thank you," she nibbled on her mochi. "Can I ask you a question, Ivan?"

Ah. Here it comes.

"Of course!"

"I don't mean to intrude," she offered. "You don't even have to answer if you don't want to. I just, earlier, with your hands glowing. It felt like you were inside of me? I—I mean your presence! It's hard for me to describe. It was just warm, I guess? Was it your quirk? I thought it had to do with regeneration?"

She turned a deep shade of red as I stared at her.

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have—!"

"It's a good question," I held my hand up. "I'll answer it for you as well. My quirk was re-classified."

"Your quirk was re-classified?" She tilted her head to the side. "That's rare, isn't it?"

"It is," I agreed. "But it was classified prematurely. When my quirk manifested, it was obvious that it had some kind of regenerative trait, and so that's what they classified it as. It wasn't until I started getting older that we started noticing that I was oddly stronger and faster than the other kids my age. No one could explain why until recently."

"So that's why it was re-classified," she pondered for a moment. "What was it classified as, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm sure you'll all find out eventually," I shrugged. "I wanted to tell you before anyone else anyways. I visited my quirk specialist a week ago, and he said my quirk was going to now be classified as vitality."

"Vitality?"

She looked so confused and I laughed.

"I'm not laughing at you," I grinned. "You just looked the same way I felt when he told me what they were classifying my quirk as. But I'll explain it to you like he explained it to me. In its simplest form, vitality means life, life force, health, youth or the ability to live or exist. He told me that my quirk makes me the embodiment of life itself. It's why I'm stronger and faster than other people without enhancement quirks. It's also why I regenerate. My quirk keeps my body in a form that displays life at its most ideal state."

"That's amazing," her eyes widened. "But how is it that you can do the other thing with your hands?"

"I can explain that as well." I positioned myself to sit cross-legged on the ground. "Some of the Quirked, while meditating, can locate their quirks within themselves. I was able to do so, and it unlocked some sort of energy I can control throughout my body. The energy can be used in the same way that an enhancement quirk can, just, in this case, I have to control where and what instead of it occurring naturally. Are you following me so far?"

"I believe so," she sat down across from me.

"I'll explain the next part with a little demonstration," I closed my eyes. "Not only can I move the energy throughout my body, but I can extend it past it as well. It's what I did earlier to ease your nausea. The energy, if we were to get into the nitty-gritty of it, is my quirk. Vitality. My life force. I shared it with you. It can be a little intimate, and I apologize for not letting you know beforehand, but that's why you felt the way you did."

Ochaco gasped as I extended the energy from my body.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

"Thanks," I laughed and opened my eyes. "The glowing you saw is the physical manifestation of that energy."

"That's amazing, Ivan!" She burst. "Your quirk is so unique! Are there other applications it can be used for? Or have you not tried anything else yet?"

"Well," I scratched my chin. "I can't hold it for very long, nor can I move when I'm doing it, but when I extend the energy evenly throughout my body, I feel invincible. Like I could lift an entire building with one hand, or run around the world in the blink of an eye. It's extremely exaggerated, I know, but that's how it makes me feel. I've been trying to extend the timeframe by meditating daily, and there's been a small improvement since its discovery."

"That, that's," she appeared too flabbergasted to speak. "I don't know if I can explain how amazing that sounds."

"That's what I'm saying!" I'm glad she understood. "I can't even begin to imagine what it will be like if I can master it!"

"But you know," she placed her finger on her chin. "The white energy that surrounds you kind of looks like a cloak."

"Like a cloak of vitality?" I laughed before my eyes widened. "That's such a cool name! Ochaco! Why didn't I think of that before?! That's totally what I'm going to call it now!"

"You can't see what it looks like on yourself," she laughed at my bubbling excitement. "But I'm glad I could help!"

"The cloak of vitality isn't the only thing I've been working on," I smiled. That's such a perfect name for it. "The healing energy, as we've taken to calling it, is a different variation of my regeneration. I don't have the most precise control with it yet, but I can use it to heal small cuts, bruises, and other ailments like nausea or headaches. I'd like to believe that in time, I could use it to regenerate limbs or even organs for people who require the assistance."

"That's unbelievable!" She crawled closer in her excitement. "The very thought of that is mind-blowing! Do you have any idea how many people you'd be able to help! How many lives you could change?! You'd be a miracle worker!"

I continued to watch as she babbled on in her excitement; content smile on my face.

I don't think she noticed just how close we were.

"Ochaco," I gently whispered her name and she stopped to look at me.

She inhaled sharply, finally noticing that she was almost in my lap, but remained rooted in place.

This was my chance.

We were secluded. No one has bothered us this entire time.

All Might was nowhere to be seen!

I leaned forward.

"Aha!" Ochaco screamed in surprise as a voice boomed from behind us. "Young Ivan and Uraraka! Just the two I've been looking for!"

Are you kidding me?!

All Might posed before us in all of his glory.

Ochaco's face turned so red she almost fainted.

And if looks could kill...

All Might would definitely be dead right now.

Hello, friends! Poor Ivan. His plans are always being ruined by All Might. We got to read a little more about his quirk, and what he plans to do with it in the future. I hope you enjoyed reading the chapter, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts!

P.S. I would like to recommend creating an account on FanFiction if you are currently reading this story or any other story you enjoy without one. By doing this, you can follow or favorite a story to receive notifications via email when new chapters are released! I hope some of you found this postscript helpful!

TTFN.