It was chaos.
Examinees were desperately trying to continue rescue operations. In the near distance, Gang Orca's henchmen approached.
The three most destructive examinees– Todoroki, Inasa, and Bakugou– were facing off against Gang Orca.
Judging from the nasty looks on Todoroki and Inasa's faces, they were arguing.
Bakugou did not give a flying fuck. He lunged at Gang Orca as soon as he saw an opening.
Meanwhile, the other two bozos kept arguing.
You tilted your head.
Why are they ignoring the enemy?
No matter. You had your own job to worry about.
Your current location was the roof of a half-destroyed building. You had looked around for a fairly safe and secluded perch.
You laid flat on your stomach.
Your instincts were telling you to go help with evacuation, but Kirishima wanted you to fight.
You would trust Midoriya, Ojiro, Ashido, and your other classmates to ward off the henchmen.
From here, you thought, pointing at Gang Orca with your finger.
Fighting alongside Bakugou meant recoiling from his explosions. Even with your armor, the sheer force of Bakugou's explosions were no joke.
And so you would fight from here.
The tip of your pointer finger opened up. Your right pupil dilated to zoom in on your target.
Gang Orca was in your sights.
Right now, your pose– belly down and breathing minimal– mimicked the sniper girl to a T. The one you'd shot in the thigh.
You were capable of terrifyingly accurate mimicry. Except when it came to facial expressions. Poor thing.
Gang Orca moved incredibly fast.
He was dodging and deflecting Bakugou's attacks. Bakugou's attacks.
At the same time, Gang Orca kept a watchful eye on Todoroki and Inasa. Those two were fussing over their conflicting Quirks.
In turn, you never took your attention off Gang Orca for even a moment.
He wasn't one to be messed with.
You were waiting for the right time. Your finger pulsed with heat waiting to shoot out.
Your opportunity came.
Bakugou threw a right hook. Gang Orca dodged backwards with an ironically delicate tap of his foot.
There it was: the split second that Gang Orca had his attention entirely on Bakugou.
You fired.
Gang Orca made eye contact with you.
You'd missed.
It wasn't a matter of aim. Your artificial eyesight, the steadiness of your hand, the lack of blood coursing through your arm all contributed to your perfect sniping.
Gang Orca was just a little faster.
Beady eyes narrowed with interest. "Oh?"
You froze.
Down below, the other boys followed Gang Orca's gaze.
Bakugou's sinister grin grew wider.
Todoroki breathed out your surname.
Inasa blinked.
And then all three boys attacked.
Bakugou launched himself, Todoroki unleashed his flames, and Inasa sent a gust of wind hurtling towards Gang Orca.
Bakugou was thrown off by the wind. "Oi! You fuckheads!"
The wind threw off the flames.
"Again!?" snapped Inasa. He glared at Todoroki. "You're really something, you know that!?"
Todoroki opened his mouth to bite back.
Then he saw what was happening.
The flames were headed straight for an incapicitated Shindo.
You jumped to your feet with a harsh inhale. You were so far away. You wouldn't, couldn't make it in time–
Green lightning danced across the battlefield.
Midoriya had grabbed Shindo just in time.
His eyes glowed a brilliant shade of green as his skin pulsed with electricity.
With enough ferocity to make the likes of Todoroki and Inasa freeze, Midoriya bellowed, "What the hell are you doing!?"
Your breath left your lips in a whisper. "Midoriya is here."
Bakugou drew his own lips back in disgust. "Fucking Deku! The fish is mine, got it!?"
Midoriya nodded. He ran off to take Shindo to a safer place. "I'm leaving this to you, Kacchan!"
"Don't act like you're giving me an opportunity! Bastard!"
You climbed over the jagged edge of the roof.
Sniping wasn't your specialty. Maybe you'd initially chosen to play sniper because of your reluctance to fight.
But you couldn't do that. You had to take responsibility for Kirishima's hope.
In the blink of an eye, you appeared high above Gang Orca.
You stretched out your arms and splayed your fingers. "Guardian Lily."
Red-hot beams descended from your fingertips.
This was a move you normally reserved for protecting allies, but not right now.
You'd caged Gang Orca.
If he was too fast for you to hit, then you would limit his movements.
He looked up at you. "Hmph. Is that all you can do?"
In the time it took you to think of a response, he turned his head to fire a long-range supersonic wave at Inasa.
You stiffened.
He can use long-range attacks?
Inasa flew to the left.
He was interrupted by a ball of wet cement.
In the immediate next second, Gang Orca's wave hit him head-on.
Inasa fluttered to the ground like a piece of paper.
"Direct hit!" cheered one of Gang Orca's henchmen. He was carrying a cement gun. "It's our one-two combo with the Orcapo!"
Another one said, "Let's make statues outta the rest of these kids!"
You aimed at the henchmen. "No."
Laser beams cut through their guns.
"Crap!"
"How're we gonna cement them now!?"
An explosion shut them up.
Bakugou had casually fired an explosion at them. They were twitching on the ground.
Bakugou's sharp canines poked out from under his lip in a mean sneer. "Shut up. Your voices are annoying as hell."
For once, Bakugou had actually paid attention to someone who wasn't the main enemy.
Was it for your sake? Like Inasa, you were airborne. You easily could've ended up the same way.
You all turned your attention back to Gang Orca.
You hovered in the air, tense but ready to move at a moment's notice. You'd seen how Inasa got turned into a crinkled tissue and you weren't too eager to join him.
Bakugou was poised low to the ground. His blood red eyes, partially concealed by his glare, were alert for any movements.
Todoroki's sides glowed with fire and ice.
From where Inasa was on the ground, he fixed Gang Orca with a vengeful stare. "It's not over!"
Gang Orca chuckled. "We'll see about that."
He looked up at you and you spread your palm.
All at once, you opened fire, Bakugou flew at Gang Orca, Inasa hurled a gust of wind, and Todoroki sent a wall of ice to shield you.
Gang Orca never fired back.
Instead, he turned around to cut the distance between him and Todoroki.
Todoroki couldn't react in time.
Gang Orca hit Todoroki with a big wave straight to the forehead. "You reap what you sow!"
Todoroki gasped silently. He fell to his knees, his eyes void of any color.
You could only watch. "Todo...roki..."
With Bakugou's target out of place, he skidded to a stop. He turned his head to observe Gang Orca more cautiously than ever.
By simply looking in your direction, Gang Orca had tricked all of you.
"Seems I've clipped the rotten branches," he mused. He turned to face you and Bakugou. He had such a heavy presence that you, who could never read the atmosphere, could feel it.
Gang Orca scratched his chin. "Will you two impress me? I wonder."
Bakugou grinned. "Watch me."
He had balls of steel. This whole time, he'd been taking on Gang Orca at close range. The sight of Inasa and Todoroki falling victim to the wave didn't scare him one bit.
Bakugou unleashed explosion after explosion. Threw punch after punch.
Overwhelm him!
Whenever Gang Orca dodged, you used one hand to aim at the space he was heading towards. The other hand, which was locked onto his head at all times, prevented him from catching Bakugou off guard with another one of his waves.
Overwhelm him.
It was like the stars had aligned for this singular fight.
You and Bakugou were in total sync.
A particularly strong explosion made Gang Orca stumble.
When you and Bakugou lifted one hand each, it appeared as if you were reaching for each other.
Fire.
The dark surface of your eyes lit up with the color orange.
Fire, indeed.
With great effort, you raised your voice to shout at Bakugou, "From behind!"
Bakugou's reaction time was truly a thing of beauty.
His outstretched arm swung to the right in a strong arc and he propelled himself out of the way.
A heartbeat later, a hellish phantom of wind and fire flew past.
Todoroki and Inasa had finally gotten their shit together. They'd combined their Quirks to trap Gang Orca in a fiery tornado.
Your chest lightened. "Todoroki is okay?"
Todoroki was still paralyzed, so he couldn't quite talk, but for you, he managed a small smile.
Bakugou wasn't so happy. "Oi! Are you fucking blind!?"
Todoroki intentionally dropped his smile and Bakugou let out a yell.
Gang Orca stood there. He calmly gauged the current situation.
Todoroki and Inasa had managed to push past both their paralysis and personal spat to unite against Gang Orca.
And now, he was more or less trapped.
"Hehe."
You landed onto the ground. The rapidly expanding tornado would only drag you in if you stayed in the air.
Bakugou winded his shoulders back. Melee attacks were now out of the question.
"A red-hot prison of fiery wind..." said Gang Orca.
He laughed. "It's not a bad idea. If I was an ordinary villain, I might surrender. Beg for mercy, even."
Water trickled down his forehead. He'd uncapped a water bottle and dunked it over himself. "However, that's just not the case here. From the second you hit me with this, I was already planning my next move."
He pocketed the empty bottle. Gang Orca didn't litter. He wasn't a monster.
Then, throwing his head back and clenching his fists, he released a shockwave. It dispelled the tornado in an instant.
Todoroki and Inasa grit their teeth.
"Well?" Gang Orca grinned. "What now, boys?"
"Oi," Bakugou said suddenly. He wasn't looking at you, but you knew he was talking to you all the same.
You didn't look at him either. "Yes, Bakugou?"
"Stay out of my way."
"Okay."
In an instant, Bakugou appeared before Gang Orca. His right hand was reaching straight for Gang Orca's face.
At that exact moment, Midoriya showed up. He geared his leg back. "Please...!"
The duo shouted simultaneously,
"Die!"
"...get away from them!"
Bakugou's swipe and Midoriya's kick were intercepted by Gang Orca. He'd blocked them with his iron-clad forearms.
The horrid, ear-grating sound of a buzzer going off raked through the arena.
You flinched.
Midoriya and Bakugou paused their movements in confusion.
Todoroki and Inasa looked around.
"Ahem!" It was the proctor. "Every last member of the H.U.C. has been rescued. Therefore, I declare that this test is over!"
Midoriya fell into a crouch. "It's over?"
Bakugou was frothing at the mouth. "It's over!?"
You repeated, "It's over."
"The results will be announced once all scores are tallied. Those with injuries, please proceed to the medical area. All other students, change back into your uniforms and standby for further instructions."
Bakugou stomped off. "Lame ass exam! Lame ass old people!"
He raised his middle finger. "Fuck this!"
"K-Kacchan, you can't just insult the elderly like that!"
"Don't fucking tell me what to do, shit-ass!"
"Kacchan, please..."
You bowed to Gang Orca. "Thank you for the experience."
Gang Orca nonchalantly waved. "No, it was my pleasure. It was quite interesting to see how the next generation of Heroes were doing... Hehe."
"I see." You hadn't expected him to say that much. "...Are we doing well?"
Gang Orca's cheeky grin told you nothing. "That's for you to find out."
"Okay." You bowed one last time. "Goodbye, Mister."
"Gang Orca." He was a little shocked that you'd never heard of him before. He was the Top 10 Hero.
"I see. Goodbye, Mr. Gang Orca."
"Alright."
As you left, Gang Orca called, "You were holding back, weren't you?"
You stopped in your tracks.
Stepping on one foot and swiveling to face Gang Orca, you asked, "How have you come to that conclusion?"
It seemed Gang Orca had a habit of never directly answering questions. As he walked away, he told you, "You're squandering your talent, boy. And so are your little friends. Letting your insecurities get in the way, pulling your punches..."
In a rare surge of emotional intelligence, you realized that last thing definitely applied to you.
A pinprick struck your heart.
Gang Orca glanced at you over his shoulder. "You were lucky. In a real fight, you won't always have people you know by your side."
His voice faded into the distance. "How long will you last, I wonder...?"
You stared at nothing.
Gang Orca was right.
The entire time, you'd been in the backdrop.
Sniping from a distance, attempting to cordon the area, supporting Bakugou as he engaged in a violent dance with Gang Orca...
You had contained yourself to the background.
You gazed down at your open palm.
How long... how long will I need to surpass my aversion to violence?
...No.
How much time do I have?
A gentle hand touched your shoulder and you flinched.
Midoriya went to stand in front of you. When he said your surname, it was with unique concern afforded only to you.
You replied just as softly, "Hello, Midoriya."
Red colored Midoriya from head to toe. "H-hello!"
You'd mirrored his tone.
Knowing your little habit, he should've seen it coming. His next move was to deflect from his own frazzled state. "Are you– are you alright?"
A short way from Midoriya, Todoroki staggered to his feet. "Something's wrong with him...?"
"Yes." It was you who answered.
Midoriya and Todoroki's brows scrunched.
They moved to console you, but before they could say or do anything, you continued, "I... am unable to raise my hand when it is necessary. Todoroki, Bakugou, and Inasa needed help. Yet, I–"
"You did help!"
You nearly jumped.
Inasa had recovered. He grinned at you, teeth shining in the afternoon sun. "You helped plenty! You're no less passionate for taking a more, uh, backseat kind of role! You had Gang Orca on the ropes, you know? I bet that's why he talked to you personally."
"...Yeah." Todoroki was reluctant to agree with this guy. Though he would, for your sake. "You and Bakugou kept him constantly on his toes. Inasa and I had a chance to collect ourselves because of your efforts."
Midoriya agreed much more enthusiastically, "They're right! I'm not sure whether or not you want to become a Support Hero, but there's nothing wrong with that. Different kinds of Heroes exist for a reason. Your power has nothing to do with the path you take!"
There was a very minuscule movement from you.
Your head perked up, your shoulders lifted, and your feet began to shuffle.
Your irises alight with the brightest gold, you said, "You are serious?"
Todoroki's smile kissed the edge of his eyes.
Midoriya's eyes began to water.
"Yes," they replied fondly.
Your happiness was worth its weight in gold.
Then Midoriya actually started crying.
At once, you dug a rustled pack of tissues out of your pocket. "Why are you crying?"
Midoriya wordlessly snatched a tissue and blew his nose.
"Huh." Todoroki said to you, "You have a penchant for making Midoriya cry. Is this another curse of some sort...?"
Midoriya crushed the tissue and seethed, "I'm crying because I'm emotional, Todoroki! Where do you get your weird ideas from!?"
"My brain. And they're not weird."
On the way to the boy's locker rooms, Inasa asked you, "What was that about? The thing you did with your eyes."
"When I experience strong emotions, my eyes reflect them."
"How cool! Your passion shows in your eyes!"
"Thank you." Your gaze flicked down to Inasa's near-constant grin.
Were you capable of smiling like that?
A genuine smile, one that didn't require force.
You breathed in.
You couldn't be having these kinds of thoughts.
Not when your friends had so many good wishes for you.
One day.
You chose to put faith in yourself too.
One day, I will smile just like them.