This has been a long time coming hasn't it more than a year long
I'm sorry about the unofficial hiatus this story went on it wasn't planned and I'm sorry for keeping you guys waiting for as long as I have but now I'm back and this story will be one of the few my hero syoc stories to be complete that's my promise to you
Now some of you might have noticed that this isn't the original thirteenth chapter well what happened is after doing some editing through the entire story I mashed Ember and Monets battle with Ophelia down into one chapter
Okay so without further ado here we go
Enjoy everyone you have a happy new year to those who celebrate to my readers who don't hope I gave you a reason to celebrate because the Sara Gaiden is back
My Hero Academia USA Sara Gaiden
Cole D'Meilo
After the dodgeball game
Cole sat silently in the guidance counselors office his eyes curiously passing over the few decorations kept on the wall several diplomas one from Hamilton high the others from Harvard for psychology and Yale for quirk therapy on the blinds were shut shrouding the office in darkness which made Cole feel at ease after having to be outside for the dodgeball game Mr. Sharp had used as a quirk assessment
Cole heard footsteps as Mr. Thompson the guidance counselor came in with a paper plate and a can of coke he didn't have any distinguishing features that could tell Cole what his quirk might be he had caucasian features with brown eyes in purple hair dressed in a blue button up shirt with tan slacks and a black belt
"Here you go Cole your guardians told me that you liked cheese" he said placing down the plate and the soda on the were two slices of cheese pizza Cole didn't say anything as he sat down across from Cole reaching into a desk drawer he pulled out a can of diet coke popping the tab he took a sip
"Please feel free to eat"
Cole picked up a piece and took a bite savoring the crunch of the crust the slight spice of the sauce and the hot cheese on his tastebuds before he took another bite and than another downing the first piece
Mr. Thompson didn't say anything he just sat there taking a sip of his soda
For a second Cole felt ashamed himself for showing such weakness showing just how hungry he was before he suppressed those feelings
No he didn't have to feel like that anymore he wasn't in that place he was free
So why did he feel like he was there in that room again
"It's all right to show weakness Cole" Mr. Thompson told him gently Cole must have given the guidance counselor a disbelieving look "it may not feel like it now it may not feel like it for a while but one day it will"
Cole didn't answer he didn't say anything but Cole not disagreeing seemed to be enough for Mr. Thompson
At least it was for now
Sara Yarkud
They didn't hold back any punches in the hero course Sara had thought when Mr. Sharp for their first training assignment they were doing a combat exercise against seniors who'd had four years of training under their belts
Sure the upperclassmen weren't going all out intentionally leaving an opening for her classmates to exploit to win
If they could figure out what it was
The only one who had been able to win so far was Ken and Gaels team
Sara looked to her partner Cole was looked well Sara had no idea what he actually looked like since any and all visible skin was wrapped in a thick white bandages even his eyes which made Sara wonder how he was able to see anything
Dressed over his bandages Cole was now wearing a pitch black suit and tie probably made out of something bullet proof
"Sara Cole you can enter the building" Mr. Sharp's voice sounded through their earpieces
Sara nodded "got it Mr. Sharp are you ready Cole" Sara asked looking to where her partner was or at least where he was Cole was dropping into his shadow she saw the top part of his head sink into the ground like someone diving underwater
As awesome as that was Sara was a little ticked that he hadn't stayed around so they could come up with a plan to beat Juniper
Shaking her head now wasn't the time to complain she had a 'hostage' to rescue "bismillah" she whispered before sprinting into the building Sara saw were the vines
Green vines were everywhere covering the floor the walls the stairs Sara skidded to a halt at the staircase Ken and Gael had climbed during their turn now blocked off by a tree bigger than any Sara had seen in real life taking up the space where the stairs were
Sara turned about to change directions when vines wrapped around her ankle lifting her off of the ground Sara pulled her upper half close to the vine using a knifehand chop to cut through the vine dropping Sara towards the ground where she landed on her back her padded jumpsuit doing more than just hiding her modesty
Sara got up quickly as more vines rose up from the ground slithering high above Sara before striking down
Sara rolled out of the way landing on one knee from the wall vines shot off flying towards her tapping into her speed Sara sprang up cutting through the vines with a crescent kick "I wonder if Coles have any better luck" she asked running as more vines began to rise up
Rex Sharp
'Juniper's really improved her control over her snakeweed' Rex thought briefly remembering the shy stuttering freshman who had trouble with controlling just one vine at long range it made him proud as a teacher to see how far his students had come
Juniper was waiting with Charlie her eyes glowing an iridescent green as she used her quirk while on the third floor Sara was sprinting around trying to find the one staircase Juniper had left open
The rookie speedster having to stop constantly to fight off vines from catching her with her taekwondo moves she wasn't bad though it was painfully obvious she'd only recently started to learn the martial art Rex would work with her so she'd be able to use it in conjunction with her quirk
On Cole was using the shadows from Junipers plants to his advantage searching for Charlie any attempt the vines made to capture him were brutally obliterated before Cole moved on searching other rooms
Rex would have to work on that help him open up
It would take time the kind of life Cole had lead before becoming an American citizen wasn't something Cole would wish on anyone it was the kind of life that would have driven anyone past the point of no return
Rex watched both his students were converging on the third floor Sara being able to more freely use her speed thanks to Coles unintentional assist destroying so many of Junipers traps
"Five minute warning everyone" he informed the students
Juniper Harper
"Five minutes warning everyone" Juniper heard Mr. Sharp say in her ear though she was more focused on using her quirk the freshmen had done a number on her vines someone Juniper didn't know who cleared out all of her Snakeweed on the second floor
This years batch of freshmen was pretty tough back when Juniper had been a freshman her entire class had lost the exercise
Even Kyle had lost back than something that Ajay and Ollie had a hard time believing when Dawn explained the exercise to them
"I might have to step up my game for these freshmen" Juniper said briefly deactivating her quirk she stood up leaving the room she headed towards the stairs
After all she didn't want to make it too easy for Sara and Cole
Sara Yarkud
After hearing the five minute warning from Mr. Sharp Sara had sped through the second floor finding no sign of Charlie the hostage all she saw was vines ripped apart reminding her of footage of a hurricane
Was this the full extent of Coles quirk
Was this why Cole had went in on his own she wondered maybe he didn't have great control of his quirk he could be keeping his distance so she didn't get caught in the crossfire of his quirk
Or maybe she was overthinking it and he just wasn't a people person
Speaking of the antisocial mummy and he apparently shall appear rising up out of a shadow on the first step of the staircase he turned his head to look at her at least she thought he was looking at her she couldn't really tell what he was looking at with his eyes covered with the bandages
Cole turned away from Sara heading up the stairs Sara quickly caught up to Cole "hey partner I think we should come up with a plan" she said to him the boy didn't say anything as he kept walking up the stairs
"Come on we're going up against someone whose got a lot more experience and a pretty powerful quirk we need to come up with a plan" Sara tried again to talk with her partner Coles only answer was to vanish again into the shadows
"Okayyyy definitely not a people person good to know" Sara said as she used her quirk to start searching the floor for the hostage
It's not like she could expect much help from her partner
Cole D'Meilo
The sooner he found that stupidly overdressed mannequin the better in his opinion sure this exercise was indoors unlike the quirk assessment yesterday which was nice but his partner apparently couldn't take a hint that he wasn't interested in working with her
Why was she even bothering to work with him with her speed quirk she should have found the 'hostage' by now 'must have been slowed down by the vines' Cole realized
Whatever it didn't matter the second Cole was finished with this exercise he was heading back to the dark solitude of his dorm room where he didn't have to deal with anyone or anything
Now where was that stupid thing
The floor began to rumble beneath Coles shoes began to shake before tree branches burst through the concrete trying to trap him shadows seeped through his bandages lashing out breaking through the branches before receding back beneath his wrappings
Someone was laughing behind him Cole turned to see Juniper saying clapping
"I was wondering which one of my underclassmen was the one breaking through so many of my traps" Juniper she said sounding impressed Cole didn't say anything Juniper stared at him as if she were studying him her eyes began to glow an iridescent green
"Let's see what you can really do hero" Juniper said
Gladly he thought darkness seeping through his bandages again
"Darkness hold" Cole whispered using the capture move he had developed tendrils of shadows flew through the air towards Juniper the senior bobbed to the side Coles attack went past her Cole changed the trajectory turning his super move back towards the upperclassman
"Snakeweed" Juniper said vines shot out of the ground wrapping around his tendrils pinning them to the walls and floor
Juniper held a hand towards him more vines shot out from the floor trying to wrap around him Cole threw a hand to the ground "black hole" he whispered darkness enveloped the floor pulling everything that came into contact with it to the ground
When it approached Juniper she backflipped through the air a tree root grew out of the ceiling curling into a perch for Juniper to land on out of range of his black hold
Juniper Harper
Quirk Root and Stem
Juniper converts the water in her body into plants that can grow anywhere she plants them that she can remotely control
Overuse of her quirk can lead to dehydration
Juniper grinned
"Wow you're going to be a great hero one day" Juniper complimented holding her hand out again the green glow in her eye glowed brighter than before "but that day isn't today"
The walls and floors rumbled and shook Cole fell to one knee from the walls trees burst out shooting towards him moving towards him as fast as a truck
"Bristlecone binding" Juniper shouted the trees were an inch away from Cole when something fast moving and red tackled him knocking him out of the way Cole looked shocked seeing Sara wrapped securely in the middle of the hallway the two trees combined into one
'Sara' he thought
She helped him
Why
It would have been smarter to take advantage of Junipers attention being focused on Cole to find the hostage instead she helped him
Cole couldn't understand why someone go out of their way to help him
"Sara has been captured"
"Well that's one down" Juniper quipped vaulting over the trees rushing Cole
No
Cole refused to lose
He wasn't going to let himself be weak
Never again
Cole concentrated his shadows around his clenched fist throwing it forward just when Juniper got close
"Void punch" Cole said with a soft fury throwing his punch Juniper dropped down sliding across the ground tapping the ground next to Coles foot tree branches shot up from the ground wrapping around Coles arms binding them tightly to his chest before he was pulled down to his knees
"Both heroes have been captured the villain team wins" Mr. Sharp announced
Cole growled darkness leaking out of his bandages cutting himself free he was about to leave for his dorm but he stopped looking at Sara still trapped in reaching out he cut through the bark freeing the speedster she stood up stretching briefly "thanks Cole" she told him
"We're even" Cole said before he disappeared heading straight leaving the building before heading towards to his dorm
Rex Sharp
'Well that was a small step in the right direction' Rex thought pleasantly surprised having just seen Cole help Sara free herself though he probably justified it in his own head as making things even
Still it was good to see
"Right than in ten minutes once the construction drones have finished repairs we'll begin the fifth match Jack Ripper and Hisato Kemuri Vs. Ajay White"
"I can't wait Mr. Sharp" Hisato said sounding excited punching his palm while Jack just nodded
Fun fact the Bristlecone pine is one of Nevadas state tree
So a couple of things before the chapter is finished
First off some of you might be seeing some comparisons between Cole's inner thoughts and Matt from the original story My Hero Academia USA the not wanting to be seen as weak is the only coincidence
Cole and Matt have completely different origins have had different lives and have different motives as to WHY they don't want to show weakness
Second there wasn't really a place to bring up Sara's costume it's not something Cole would care about so I'll describe it here in the authors note
Sara's hero costume is a red bodysuit like a Nascar jumpsuit with a fencers jacket over the shoulders and chest a red cowl covers her hair and the top half of her face black gloves and boots
Next time Hisato and Jack VS. Ajay White
Who will win and who will lose
Until next time
Stay Safe
And as always
Plus Ultra
