❝ 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒐 𝒊 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆, 𝒐𝒉, 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒕 ❞

❝ 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 . ❞

—someone new , hozier

THE EARLY MORNING SUN BLASTS THROUGH HER CURTAINS, SHINING DIRECTLY ONTO HER FACE. It's not the only force that wakes her up—the loud yelling of her sister helps that factor, along with the sound of something cooking. All of the factors are annoying, but seemingly fade away once she realizes what day it is. Days where the sun blinding her isn't a problem, one that can actually elicit a smile from her face. For the first time in a while, she wakes up with a smile on her face.

"You took some time," Ersa points out, food sitting on the table as she sits down. Her older sister, who's watching as something cooks on the stove, while opening the refrigerator, before pulling out a bottle of something. At her sister's annoyed look, Ersa smiles, placing the bottle down a putting a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm joking around with you. It's not everyday someone gets recommended into the U.A. hero course."

Sereia rolls her eyes at her words—it wasn't false, considering she remembered her teacher telling her about how skilled she was. How he'd wanted her to go to U.A., so that her quirk could improve and grow. "Well, it doesn't seem so special. Considering you did it too, and years before me."

Ersa just shrugs, turning the stove off. "Don't put yourself down because you're younger. You know that youth can be an assest," Her sister says, before placing the food on a plate, walking over to the table once more. "I hope you get a good homeroom teacher. You know that if you get a bad one, things could turn out negatively."

"That doesn't help the nerves, you know," Sereia replies, though she smiles as she speaks. Her sister notices that, laughing at her words—they'd always been too close for their own good, even though they had ten years between them. Ersa was technically her legal guardian, with their mother missing (and Sereia with no memories of her), and their father as presumed dead. So, that made the eldest daughter the caregiver.

Her sister, the Pro—Hero Moonwake. (Ersa had explained what the name meant—the moon's reflection on the water—though Sereia had thought it was weird, in a way. Her sister could manipulate all of the elements, though she named herself after what she could do with the earth? It was an interesting idea, though—she could give Ersa that.) Her sister, who had not yet abandoned her (even though she should probably, considering there's work to do), even when everyone else did.

"You're being dramatic," Ersa says in response, pulling her hair into a ponytail. Her sister stretches her arms, and Sereia can hear them crack, though she doesn't cringe at the sound—it's more grounding than anything, really. Though, something on her face must make Ersa sigh, before she chooses her next words in a more cautious tone. "You've got this. I know you do. You're pretty much a prodigy."

Sereia just nods, finishing up the food on her plate, before getting up to help her sister. It seemed like such a normal thing—something they did almost every day, just in a different form. They only had each other, so helping one another out wasn't difficult. Of course, arguments were annoying, but they were mainly about small things. Stuff that Sereia couldn't figure out, and why her sister was choosing to keep things from her.

Why her sister had memories of their mother, but did not say anything about them. Every memory where her mother should have been, was Ersa instead—maybe that's what the memories truly were, but Sereia didn't believe it. Even if Ersa had done those things, why didn't their mother show up at all? She wasn't a dead beat, or anything—at least, that was as far as Sereia knew.

"Mom is just missing," Her sister says, an arm around the girl's shoulders. Pulling the younger in close, so that she could hold her. Maybe it would help her take the news easier. Maybe it would help hide Ersa's own tears, even as they hit her sister's hair. In a few moments, every shred of their mother was ripped from them, because she was no longer their mother—just a woman. Just a woman to Sereia, yet a mother to Ersa. "We're gonna be alright, okay? I promise, Sera."

"I should get going," Sereia replies, tugging on the tie of her school uniform—it obviously wasn't the most stylish thing ever, but it was comfortable enough. Ersa dips her head in acknowledgement, watching her sister get up. "Don't want to be late on my first day. They'll probably rip up my recommendation and kick me out."

"Thats only if you have Mr. Aizawa," Ersa says, shrugging her shoulders. "If you can prove that you're skilled, I don't think he'll expel you. He's done that before, from what I know."

Sereia crosses her arms over her chest, though it's not serious—more than anything, it's playful. Happy. "You never had him?" She asks, to which Ersa shakes her head. "I forget you're not that young anymore."

Ersa doesn't laugh, but she does smile softly at the words. "You age me every day," Her sister starts, before walking towards the bottle she had taken out, and putting it back in the refrigerator. "Don't forget, I'm the number 4 hero. Run along, school girl."

Sereia just rolls her eyes, walking out the door. As the days went on, there felt like there was something wrong with her sister. Ersa never explained the reasoning, which was annoying, but she couldn't do anything about it. Her sister learned to keep things bottled up, not wanting Sereia to see her cry, though that didn't do either of them favors—more so, it seemed to carry on in both of the children.

Though, it was worse for Ersa. Sereia could admit that—sure, being a child and not wanting to open up was hard, but her sister had to take on a caring role at a young age. Had to make up lies just so that they would stay together. ("Oh, we live with our aunt." One echoed through her mind. "She's asleep right now, that's why it's only us.") Ersa, who never had any to admit how burdening it was to have to take care of another child. Ersa, who was a child when she was taking care of Sereia.

Her hands find her backpack, walking up the stairs towards the class she needed to go to—class 1—A. She looks behind her for a moment, then walks forward, opening the brown door with the bright red letter and number on it. She opens the door, walking in to see a boy with blue hair and glasses yell at another kid—a blonde with spiky hair, who probably didn't care that he was being a nuisance.

"Take your feet off of that desk now!" The boy with blue hair yells, and Sereia moves past him to sit in an empty seat—one in front of a boy with two—toned hair. One side red, one side white. She's seen him before—the entrance exam for those who were recommended. He beat her, getting second place (she would take third, though, so she wasn't overly upset by that), though he didn't seem to notice her.

A boy with green hair walks in, just as the blonde replied, "Huh?" A smile on his face, with one of his feet on the desk, whereas the boy with the blue hair seems to be having a breakdown of some sort. Maybe the wires in his brain were crashing, with the blonde not doing what he was supposed to.

"It's the first day and you're already disrespecting this academy by scuffing school property, you cretin!" The boy with the blue hair replies, waving his arms up and down slightly, and Sereia smiles at the realization that she was right—someone seemingly had a stick up their ass. Though, she understood his anger, considering U.A. was a top school, and a student disrespecting it wasn't a good thing.

"You're kidding me, right?" The boy in the blonde sneakily answers, leaning back slightly, and the boy with glasses looks shocked at his words. "Your old school put a stick up your ass? Or were you born with it?"

Whoa.

"Uh...let's start over." The boy with the glasses tries, placing a hand over his chest, dipping his head slightly. "I'm Tenya Iida from the Somei Private Academy." He finishes, moving his hand down as he speaks. Though, the boy with blonde hair doesn't seem interested at all, not taking his feet off of the table.

"Somei, huh?" The boy asks, though it doesn't seem like a question—more so just a statement, as he tilts his head slightly. "So you must think you're better than me. I'm gonna have fun tearin' you a new one."

Iida gasps at the words, taken aback slightly as he looks down at the other boy. "You would threaten me? Your own classmate? Are you sure you're in the right place?"

The blonde scoffs at the words, and Sereia just covers her mouth—it was funny, in a way. They were in the Hero course, and the boy was surprised that he was getting told off. Threatened. Would he even last the day?

That's when the two of them turn to look at the green haired boy in the doorway. "It's him," Iida says, paying no attention to the other students murmuring. That's when they all look at him, and the boy in the doorway gasps.

"Uh, hi." He says, obviously not excited to be there, looking anywhere but at the two boys in front of him.

"Good morning!" Iida replies, walking forward, moving his arms in a way that was...weird. "My name is Tenya Iida—"

The other boy puts his hands out, nodding at his words. "Yeah, I...I know." The words make Iida stop, and the other boy pushes his hands out, stopping him, before chuckling nervously. "I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's super nice to meet you."

"Midoriya, you realized that there was something more to the practical exam, didn't you?" Iida asks, staring intensely at Midoriya, who just looks confused. "You must be very perceptive. And I completely misjudged you, I admit. As a student, you're far superior to me."

Sereia just watches as Iida looks down, before the voice of girl. Seemingly behind Midoriya as well. "Hey! I recognize that messed—up hair!" She starts, which makes the boy turn around and look at her, before gasping. "Falling boy!"

She can hear them talk about the entrance exams, which was obviously how the two had met. "That punch was amazing!" The girl says, and Sereia just pushes herself back into her seat. "One hit!"

Midoriya says something else, covering his face as he speaks. "So, uh, I should probably be thanking you for going in and talking to him."

"Huh? How'd you know about that?" The girl asks, which makes Midoriya confused. The rest of the class just watches the moment take place, not knowing what to say or do. The boy who had his feet on the desk glares at Midoriya, who just shields his blushing face from the girl. "What do you think we're doing today besides orientation? I wonder what our teachers are like. I can't wait to meet everybody!"

Midoriya chuckles at the words, though it doesn't last long. "If you're just here to make friends then you can pack up your stuff now." Another voice states, which makes Midoriya gasp. "Welcome to U.A.'s hero course. It took eight seconds before you all shut up. That's not gonna work. Time is precious. Rational students would understand that."

Sereia can't see the man, but she feels as though she's heard his voice somewhere. Maybe it's a lingering thought, or just deja vu, but it doesn't concern her too much. The man walks through the doorway, looking amongst the students, and Sereia is sure that his eyes widen once seeing her.

Okay. So maybe she's not crazy.

"Hello, I'm Shota Aizawa. Your teacher." Aizawa says, and Sereia ignores the feeling to groan—Ersa had warned her of having the man as her teacher. He's holding a yellow sleeping bag, pulling something out of it as he speaks. "Right, let's get to it. Put these on and head outside."

It's dark blue jumpsuits, with white and red on them. Sereia feels as though she's seen them before—or maybe something similar, at least. Her mind never worked perfectly. Maybe it was something similar to deja vu, because she almost knows the teacher. His voice is too familiar, and while she can't interrogate him about it, maybe someone in the class knows who the man is.

Most likely, he was a Pro—Hero, but he looked...homeless, if she was being truly honest. Aizawa. Her mind supplies, pushing forward the fact that she knew his name. Sure, everyone else did, but it felt more like memories coming back together—almost like she was remembering it.

She didn't even know who he was, yet she was thinking that they had met. It's almost silly, almost enough to where she wants to laugh, but she can't. Sereia couldn't understand it—why did her mind work differently? Why were some memories hard to find, hidden behind a locked door, meanwhile others were at the forefront of her mind?

Her mind can't provide her with an answer. It never has, and it never will.

"You're one of the students who got in based on recommendation, right?" A voice asks her, to which Sereia sees a tall girl, with her dark hair in a ponytail. "I also got in based on recommendation. I'm Momo Yaoyorozu."

They're standing towards the back of the line, considering that's where they were sitting in class—Sereia had seen her, though made no comment on it. "Sereia Vaida," The girl answers, and Yaoyorozu dips her head in acknowledgement. "What do you think we're doing?"

Before Sereia knows it, the class is outside, and she's standing next to Yaoyorozu, who's slightly taller than her. Shes about to say something, before the voices of the students are heard, yelling, "What? A Quirk assessment test?"

"But orientation! We're gonna miss it!" The brunette girl from earlier says, standing at the front. Next to her is Midoriya, and then Iida.

Aizawa doesn't turn around, looking at the grounds in front of him. "If you really want to the big leagues, you can't waste time on pointless ceremonies." The students gasp at his words, taken aback, and Sereia just shrugs her shoulders. "Here at U.A., we're not tethered to traditions." Aizawa turns his head around, looking back at his students. "That means that I get to tun my class however I see fit."

His eyes are slightly red, and Sereia wonders if because he's tired, or dry eye. Maybe a combination of both. Muttering from her classmates is head, with everyone looking over at one another; Sereia looks over at Yaoyorozu, who shrugs her shoulders. The taller girl seems to have no care for the words, as they most likely don't affect her.

"You've been taking standardized tests most of your lives. But you never got to use your Quirks in physical exams before," The man starts to explain, holding up his phone, with a list of tests on it—a 50 meter dash, a Standing Long Jump, and other ones she didn't bother to squint to look at. The country's still trying to pretend we're all created equal by not letting those with the most power excel. It's not rational. One day, the Ministry of Education will learn." Aizawa puts his phone away, and then leans back slightly, looking towards the blonde boy from earlier. "Bakugo, you managed to get the most points on the entrance exam. What was your farthest distance throw with a softball when you were in Junior High?"

Bakugo looks up at the man's words, and then back down slightly as he speaks. "Sixty—seven meters, I think." It's quick, as he almost glares down Aizawa, who pays no attention to the look on his student's face.

"Right. Try doing it with your Quirk." Aizawa states, to which Bakugo nods, walking to the middle of the circle. "Anything goes, just stay in the circle." When Bakugo just stands for a moment, doing nothing, Aizawa urges, "Go on. You're wasting our time."

The blonde makes no remark immediately, which almost surprised Sereia, considering his attitude towards Iida earlier. Instead, he stretches his arms, holding the softball in his right hand. "All right, man, you asked for it." He says, stepping forward, getting himself ready to throw the ball. As he throws the ball, he screams out, "Die!"

Sereia can hear Midoriya say, "Oh, whoa," as Bakugo throws, which makes sense—the latter's throw created flames, pushing the ball up into the air, pushing it as high as it would go. The group watches as the ball flies down, and Aizawa pulls out his phone once more.

"All of you need to know your maximum capabilities." Aizawa starts, and the ball finally hits the ground. "It's the most rational way of figuring out your potential as a pro hero." As he speaks, he holds up the phone, showing how far the ball went—705.2 meters. Impressive.

The students gasp, and the blonde in-front of Sereia and Yaoyorozu says, "Whoa, 705 meters, are you kidding me?"

"I wanna go! That looks like fun!" A girl says, and Sereia knows that it feels wrong—she doesn't freak out, doesn't start screaming that being excited over texts was stupid, because that's weird. Maybe they'll all figure out that there was another reason for the test—maybe it would also equivocate to how much work they would have to out forward to be a good pro hero.

A boy with spiky black hair smiles, his fists clenched as he moves his arms up and down slightly. "This is what I'm talkin' about, usin' our Quirks as much as we want!"

"They must know there's something else to this, right?" Yaoyorozu mentions, and while the words are formatted as a question, though it feels more like a statement. "Why would a teacher just have us complete physical tests without a purpose? It wouldn't be for fun."

Sereia nods at her words—the girl was pretty similar to her, which made her feel like she wasn't as crazy as she thought she was. For some reason, the two of them were looking further into the task—maybe it was because they had something to prove. That they would've gotten in without the recommendations.

"So this looks fun, huh?" Aizawa asks, and Midoriya gasps softly at his words. "You have three years here to become a hero. You think it's all gonna be games and play time?" The teacher dips his head slightly, his face growing into a smile. "Idiots. Today you'll compete in eight physical tests to gauge your potential. Whoever comes in last has none, and will be expelled immediately."

The words are simple, and Sereia looks over at Yaoyorozu, biting back words of acknowledgement. That the girl was right—there was something else to the tests, other than for fun. Though, she doesn't get the chance to, as the other students around them gasp, saying, "Huh?"

"Like I said, I get to decide how this class runs." Aizawa says, pushing the hair over his face back. The words are stern, considering most of the class wasn't listening to him truly earlier. This was how he was going to run his class—and he didn't care if the students liked it or not. "Understand? If that's a problem, you can head home right now."

The first person to speak out is the brunette girl from earlier. She's obviously upset by his words, with a slight frown on her face, her hands clenched into fists as she speaks. "You can't send one of us home! I mean, we just got here! Even if it wasn't the first day, that isn't fair!"

"Oh, and you think natural disasters are?" Aizawa retorts back quickly, which makes some students gasp, and Sereia can see someone's face drop at the words. "Or power—hungry villains? Hm? Or catastrophic accidents that wipe out whole cities? No, the world is full of unfairness. It's a hero's job to try to combat that unfairness. If you wanna be a pro, you're gonna have to push yourself to the brink. For the next three years, U.A. will throw one terrible hardship after another at you. So, go beyond. Plus Ultra—style." Aizawa moves his finger, as if he was motioning for the students to join him. "Show me it's no mistake that you're here."

Some students gasp at the words, and Sereia sees Iida pull a water bottle out, and start sipping on it. While Aizawa's words were cold, they were also encouraging—they'd have to prove themselves. Show that they should be at U.A., and that their being there wasn't a mistake. That they had potential to be a pro hero—and a good one.

"Now, then. We're just wasting time by talking. Let the games begin."

❝ 𝒊 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆, 𝒐𝒉, 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒕 ❞

FOR SOMEONE WITH CONTROL OVER THE ELEMENTS, IT WAS NEVER EQUAL FOR HER. For Sereia Vaida, water was the element that had always spoken to her—she advanced quicker than her sister had in it, and to that day, she knew she was the one with better control, and better potential. Both of them knew it. Water was the element of change, and that was something Sereia knew too well.

Though, every other element came to her as though they were the last embers of a dying fire.

Sure, she could feel the other elements swivel around her—air came easier to her than fire or earth, though that didn't mean much. She could push the air back at some points, only for it to come back at her stronger. (That was only if she was angry—Ersa had explained that the elements all represented different things in life, and that the reason she hadn't been able to use those elements was simple. She hadn't gotten to the point in her life to feel that way—freedom, power, or substance.)

The first test is a 50—meter dash.

"Runners, on your marks. Ready..." The camera speaks, and it almost annoys Sereia, as she watches a green haired girl and Iida get ready. A gunshot is heard, and the two take off—Iida is fast. He does the dash in 3.04 seconds, whereas the girl is only a bit behind him, coming in at 5.58 seconds.

"I'll lighten up my clothes." The brunette girl from earlier says, pressing a hand to her shoulder, before her hand goes to her shoes. "Oh, and my shoes, too!"

Next to her stands a blonde boy, with a large tail, which Sereia guesses to be his quirk. He's faster than her, as she comes in at 7.15 seconds. Meanwhile, he finishes the dash in 5.49 seconds. Even though she's slower than he is, she has a smile on her face as she presses her hands together.

Sereia sighs, stretching her legs as she realized she was next up. The other person with her was a short kid with unnatural hair—it's the color purple, but there isn't hair on his head. In all honesty, Sereia doesn't want to know what it is, so she just gets ready, staring at the end before her.

She's trained almost her whole life—running wasn't her favorite thing ever, but she had gotten good for it. More so, it had become a hobby, whenever she would get stressed, and couldn't press her hands into ice cold water. Though, this wasn't a mile she had to complete—something much more different, and much more serious.

Her control over the elements wasn't the best—air was the easiest, behind water, though it never worked the way she wanted it to. Ersa never had that trouble with her abilities—she was a good at everything, great at nothing. Sure, Sereia was more skilled in water, but the rest never came to her like they did to Ersa. The embers of the dying fire got stronger each day, yet were never enough to keep her warm.

Air is the element of freedom. Her mind supplies, as she closes her eyes. Feel it surround you. Surround your peers. Detach yourself from your burdens. Let it guide you, as it once guided others.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll try to slow myself down for you," The boy says, and Sereia cringes at his words. He's shorter than her—in what world would he beat her in this? If his hair was his Quirk, was it even useful?

Sereia just ignores him (and the way Aizawa glares at the boy, and if she thinks hard enough, she can see his eyes fill with almost anger, though she doesn't comment on it), listening to the measuring device tell the runners to get on their marks.

Let the air guide you.

All she does is sigh, and then close her eyes, allowing her hands to move behind her back, and push her forwards. She moves fast—that's all she can tell, as she crosses the finish line quickly. "4.19 seconds!" The measuring device calls out, and Sereia smiles at it, clapping her hands behind her back.

She could have been faster. It's a striking thought in her mind, but one she doesn't push away immediately—she should have done better. Maybe manipulating the air around her to push her forwards was smart, but couldn't she have used more power? The element was harder to control than water, harder to feel surrounding her. Why didn't it come to her as easy?

The short boy comes in after her, and Sereia doesn't care enough to hear him speak to her. Next up was a blonde boy, who has a belt around his waist, and a girl with pink hair, and small yellow horns.

"Nice attempts, mon amis," The boy says, and Sereia doesn't believe that he's French. He stands backwards, whereas the girl is on her knees, getting ready to sprint. The measuring device starts speaking, but he interrupts it. "But you need just not showing enough panache." The gunshot is heard, and he jumps midair, allowing his Quiek to take effect—it's a laser from his stomach. It pushes him forward a good amount, and he cries out, "Let your powers shine!"

Though, it stops after a moment, and the girl runs past his form on the ground. She comes in right before him, and he just looks behind him. "Shooting my beautiful bean for more than a second hurts my tummy." He says, looking at the girl, and a few boys. There's almost sparkles around him, and Sereia resists the urge to roll her eyes.

After them is Bakugo and Midoriya, with the latter looking nervous, his teeth clenched and his eyes wide open. Meanwhile, Bakugo looked normal, just looking ahead of him. (If normal was his default emotion, that is.) He starts off by running at first, before yelling out, "Burst speed!", and using his Quirk to push him forwards. He passes the finish line in 4.13 seconds, and Sereia looks away, almost embarrassed.

He's skilled—she won't deny that. Yet, she did worse than him. Worse than someone whose ego was bigger than the school, whose aggression was shown repeatedly. Maybe not aggression, and instead a need to succeed—just like her. If that was the case, Sereia could empathize. She needed to succeed.

Midoriya finishes a few seconds later, and Bakugo holds his hands out, dark smoke emitting from them. "My power has more uses than anyone else's in this school." He states, looking amongst his hands, and then back at Midoriya, who's panting from the run. "Pathetic."

She feels weak in that moment, as she does nothing to help. She wants to, but her body feels numb, almost paralyzed in a memory she doesn't want to remember. Her own hands holding flames, then putting them out with water. The earth beneath her moving with every touch, the air surrounding her freeing her. It's not the same. But it's enough that she wants to throw up. "I'll be the most powerful hero! The one who saves everyone!" Sereia cries out in the memory, looking at Ersa, who (sadly) smiles down at her. "My power has more uses than anyone else's!"

Sereia brushes a hand against her eye, smiling when it doesn't come back teary. "Vaida!" A voice cries out, and she sees Yaoyorozu, a smile on her face as she comes up to her. "You did so well on the dash! I didn't know you could do that!"

The girl sounds almost overly excited, but Sereia just blushes at her words, pushing a strand of hair back. "Thank you," She tries, and then looks back at the students who were going to run—a boy with spiky red hair, against someone who was invisible. Huh. "When do you think you're going—?"

She's cut off by the gunshot, and the two girls watch the participants sprint towards the finish line. "I'm up next," The taller girl answers, nodding her head slightly, before softly smiling. "Let's hope I can do as well as you."

"You're gonna do even better," Sereia replies, and the conversation is easy—in all honesty, she didn't know id she was going to make friends at the school. Sure, maybe she was, but not like this. It didn't feel competition based, or like petty rivals that had to be friends—no, it felt more like a normal friendship. Like Yaoyorozu wouldn't care if she didn't have her Quirk, wouldn't care if she was weak, (Sereia is weak, but she wouldn't let anybody know that—there was no point in disappointing people) and maybe she wouldn't care if Sereia was someone different. Yaoyorozu seems to scoff at her words, and Sereia takes her hands. "You've got this. Believe me."

The taller girl nods, leaving Sereia alone with her thoughts—they still had a lot of students left for the dash, though by doing it in pairs, more students could go. It doesn't take long for everyone else to go, sprinting forward to have a good time.

The next test was grip strength, which was holding a device that would read the force of someone's grip. She's squeezing down on it, once she hears a voice perk up, "Wow!" A boy with black hair says, a smile on his face as he speaks. "You hit 540 kilograms? You're such a beast!"

The short boy from earlier is smiling, and Sereia resists the urge to cringe away once more. "Yeah, like a muscle—y octopus!" He says, and Sereia just walks up to the teacher, showing him the number so he could mark it down. He just nods, and she walks away, sighing softly.

The next test is a blur—Standing Long Jump, and Sereia just thinks about the air guiding her once more. She clears the box, watching as the blonde from earlier, and Bakugo does so as well, both using their Quirks to help them. Though, Midoriya is not as lucky, landing inside the sandbox, and Sereia wonders why he's not using his Quirk—would it not help him succeed?

She doesn't get to think about the question, as the next test is Repeated Side Steps, and it's easy enough. Tiring, but not to the point where she thinks she's going to pass out. The short boy from earlier uses the weird blobs on his head to push himself, and it helps him do well.

The fifth test, though, is more interesting—the Ball Throw from earlier. The brunette from earlier (Ochaco Uraraka was what Yaoyorozu had said her name was) has the softball in her hands, as she seems to wonder how to throw it. Then, she gets in position, and it's a light throw that Sereia doesn't think is gonna go far.

Until the class waits for a few minutes, and the ball disappears. Aizawa looks down at his phone, a small smile on his lips, before holding it up for her (and the class) to see, which shows the infinity symbol. "Infinity?" The students ask, all looking surprised at the phone.

"That's insane! How's that possible?" A blonde boy asks, and Sereia nods, before realizing that it was her turn to throw the ball. She walks forward, standing in tn circle, the ball in her hands, and she closes her eyes. (Let the air guide you. Feel it surround you.)

She grips the ball tightly, before launching it into the air, allowing the element to do its part along side her. It takes a few moments for the ball to come back, but she noticed that it goes high. (Could have gone higher if she had more control, more understanding of the element.)

Aizawa looks down at his phone, (and she notices the smile that almost falls on his face) before he holds it up towards her—703.7 meters. Yaoyorozu smiles at the number, and the smile grows as she walks to stand next to her. There's a space between her and Uraraka, who stands next to the boy with the stomach laser from earlier.

"If Midoriya doesn't shape up soon, he's the one going home." Iida says, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched the green haired boy. He's standing in the circle, holding onto the ball, almost debating the throw—maybe calculating it, seeing how far it would go with the usage of his Quirk.

Though, Bakugo seems almost offended by Iida's words, turning to the taller boy with an hand on his hip. "Huh? Of course he is. He's a Quirkless loser." Bakugo replies, and as he speaks, he points his arm towards Midoriya, who just stands in the center of the circle, thinking.

Iida's lips part at the words, and he uncrosses his arms. "Uh, he has a Quirk. Did you not hear about what he did in the entrance exam?" The taller boy asks, to which Bakugo just looks at him, confused, before shrugging his shoulders.

Midoriya stares at the ball for a few more moments, before throwing it forwards, yelling as he does so. Sereia guesses he uses his Quirk, but it stops right before he throws the ball, hitting a meager 46 meters.

He gasps at the words, looking at the ball on the ground, before straightening up, staring down at his hands. "Uh...what gives? I was trying to use it just now." Midoriya mutters, though that isn't what Sereia focuses on—no, Aizawa standing there, the scarf around his neck flowing around him, is what catches her attention.

"I erased your Quirk," The teacher states, holding onto part of the scarf, and Sereia guesses he's glaring at Midoriya. "The judges for this exam were not rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enroll at this school."

(Sereia ignores how her hands shake at the words—ever so slightly, but enough to irritate her. What did he mean by his words? Was it because of his Quirk that made Midoriya different? Sure, the boy hadn't been doing too good so far into the tests, but that didn't mean he shouldn't be in the school—hadn't some students done worse than him?)

"Wait, you did what to my—" Midoriya starts, before cutting himself off with a gasp as he looks up at Aizawa, shock flooding his feautures. "Those goggles. I know you! You can look at someone and cancel out their powers. The Erasure Hero. Eraser Head!"

The students stand around in the circle, and one of the kids ask, "Eraser? Who's that?" None of them understand what's going on, considering the teacher looked creepy. Holding onto his flowing scarf, insulting a new student—it's not the best sight to see.

Though, his Quirk sounded that way as well—to erase someone's abilities just by looking at them was scary in its own way. It seems like an ability that would be used for more underground hero work, as if he were to get into a fight, he would essentially be fighting Quirkless.

"Oh, I've heard of him," A green haired girl starts, and Sereia knows she needs to ask her fellow students their names. Some of the students look over at her, confusion on their features. "I think he works on the down—low."

Aizawa continues to look down at Midoriya, a glare most likely on his face. "You're not ready. You don't have control over your power." The man states, and Midoriya gasps at his words, taking a small step backwards. "Were you planning on breaking your bones again? Counting on someone else's to save your useless body?"

"No! That's not what I was trying to do!" Midoriya cries, taking a small step forward, his fists clenched as he speaks. Sereia wonders if its anger flowing through his veins, or fear—maybe a bit of both, and she wouldn't blame him. Of course, his words backfire on him, as Aizawa moves his arm forward, and his scarf grabs the boy.

It makes Midoriya scream, his hands open as he gets pulled forward, and Sereia's eyes widen as she looks at the scene. "Isn't this a little far?" She murmurs, hoping only Uraraka and Yaoyorozu will be able to hear her. The former nods her head, almost scared at the scene in front of them.

"No matter what your intentions are, you would be nothing more than a liability in battle." Aizawa deadpans, and Sereia doesn't know what to think—if Midoriya was breaking his bones while using his Quirk, that meant he didn't have control over it. Then why did no one help him gain control? Did they just watch as he broke his body parts, waiting for him to understand his Quirk without help? "You have the same reckless passion as another overzealous hero I know. One who saved 1,000 people by himself and became a legend. But even with that drive, you're worthless if you can only throw a single punch before breaking down. Sorry, Midoriya. With your powers there's no way you can become a hero."

Sereia watches the scene take place, and Uraraka whispers to her, "That was intense!" It's quiet enough so that only she can hear it, and Sereia just nods. It was intense, as Aizawa's hair falls down over his face, the scarf falling down around his neck, where it had sat earlier.

"I've returned your impractical Quirk." Aizawa states, his voice full of an emotion she couldn't place—almost anger, as he seems to have no care for the boy's feelings. "Take your final throw. Hurry and get it over with."

As he speaks, Aizawa walks away, standing where he had earlier. Uraraka holds her hands to her chest, though Iida places a hand to his face, wondering what had just happened. "I wonder if our teacher gave him some advice."

"Probably told him to start packing." Bakugo shoots back quickly, his attention focused on Midoriya, hands on his hips as he speaks.

The blonde boy from earlier places a hand on Uraraka's shoulder, a smile on his lips as he speaks. "I'm here, cheri."

"Wait, who are you, again?" Uraraka asks, turning her face towards him, and then at Sereia and Yaoyorozu for help, wondering if they knew him. The two girls shrug their shoulders, but Sereia can't focus on that factor. Nobody else had heard what their teacher had said to him. Maybe she was just imagining the conversation—was her mind getting that bad? Or maybe she was the only one who truly cared to listen—maybe the rest of the class didn't feel a need to hear, and drowned it out with the sound of their own voices.

She'd prefer to do that, as she looks over at Uraraka as Midoriya speaks. "Don't worry, cheri. I'm here." She whispers softly, and the brunette girl laughs. It's a soft giggle, but enough to make her smile—they all need that in the moment.

Though, once the ball is thrown into the air, she can feel the air shift, and she turns back towards Midoriya. The shocked expression on Sereia's face doesn't fall, not even when she sees his broken finger, or his shaking arm.

Aizawa looks shocked at the number that appears on his phone, before a voice makes him look up. "Mr. Aizawa," Midoriya starts, turning towards him as he clenches his fist, an almost smile on his face. "You see? I'm still standing."

The teacher looks shocked, saying, "This kid...", though he cuts himself off. The shock on his face is not wiped off, along with the rest of the students—Midoriya, who has done badly at every other test, just launched the ball into the air. She wouldn't be surprised if he had a better throw than her. Hopefully it was better than Bakugo's.

"He threw it over 700 meters!" One of the boys cries out, and Sereia really needs to start asking people their names. She knew a few people, but that was it, and it didn't help her too much.

Uraraka throws her arms out, a smile on her face. "Nice, he's finally showing us his true power!" She cries out, jumping up with excitement.

Sereia finds it in herself to smile, even if she doesn't know the boy. "I didn't know he had that much power in his finger!" She starts, and then she waves a hand at Midoriya. "Interesting Quirk. I wonder how it works."

Though, Iida doesn't seem to be as excited as the rest of the students, a hand over his eyes as he watches the boy. "But his finger appears to be broken now. Just like in the exam. This Quirk is very odd."

The boy that was standing next to Uraraka earlier has the same smile on his face, his hands on his hips as he says, "It wasn't a very pretty throw." Though, he seems to be somewhat happy for him, as he doesn't outwardly say that he did awful.

Unfortunately, Bakugo doesn't have the same reaction. Explosions form in his hands, and Sereia is quick to put them out, hitting them directly with her powers. He turns around at her, seething as he states, "I'll come after you next, water girl!" Before he runs forwards, screaming, "Hey! Deku, you bastard! Tell me how you did that, or you're dead!"

Midoriya screams at his words, taking a step back, though Bakugo can't go any more forward—no, the scarf that wraps around his body forces him into one spot. It wraps around his upper chest and head, and Bakugo gasps as he struggles. He tries to turn around, though the scarf is too strong for him to resist—it keeps him in that very spot, as much as he tries to move.

"What?" He asks, trying to move his head around to look at the teacher, though he can't. "Why the hell is your damn scarf so strong?"

He's halfway to turning around when Aizawa speaks. "Because it's a capture weapon made out of carbon fiber and a special metal alloy. Stand down. It'd be wise to avoid making me use my Quirk so much. It gives me serious dry eye," Aizawa states, and then he glares down at Bakugo. "It'd also be wise to not attack a fellow student, unless you would be interested in a meeting with the principal." The teacher pulls the scarf back, and it falls back around his neck, his hair falling down alongside his face. "You're wasting my time now. Whoever's next can stand up."

Midoriya slowly backs away from Bakugo, trying to get out of his view, before running over to where she was standing. "Ouch, is your finger okay?" Uraraka asks, and Sereia looks over, even if she doesn't want to see the broken finger. Yaoyorozu does as well, nodding at the brunette's words.

"Sure. Fine!" Midoriya says, trying to assure the surrounding people that he was okay quickly. Sereia just watches his finger, almost cringing at the color of it.

She can't get too caught up on that now, though—there was three more tests left to take, and Midoriya's broken finger wasn't something she caused. The tests blow past quickly—Sit Ups, Seated Toe—touch, and a Distance Run. For most of them, her mind is somewhere else, but a voice in her mind urges her to push her limits. To be the best.

She's far past Midoriya once he falls to the ground, though he gets up once Aizawa starts speaking. Sereia doesn't blame him for being tired—after all, he had to do all the same tests she did, except with a broken finger. For Distance Run, she'd seen him hold his hand, cushioning the pain, and it hurt her heart in a way.

She couldn't dwell on it. This was only her first day at U.A., and she couldn't act childish. She had to do as well as she could, to show she belonged at this school, especially since she got in through recommendations. The fear that she did awful, that maybe she was in last place clung to her, and it's hard to shake off.

"All right, time to give you your results. I've ranked you from best to worst. You should probably have a good idea of your standing already. I'll just pull up the whole list. It's not worth going over each individual's score." Aizawa explains, pulling out a small hand—held device (Sereia doesn't know whether it's his phone or not), before he clicks something, and a buzzing sound is heard. The list of students and their rankings shows up, and Sereia wishes she didn't have to look.

Her breathing is unsteady as she searches for her name—a small thought in her mind is that she made it into the top five, but it seems impossible with how she hadn't done as well as others. Though, she still chooses to check, and—

"Third place? That's so good, Vaida!" Yaoyorozu compliments, and Sereia tries not to blush from embarrassment. Here she was, thinking she did awful, yet she got third place. She did better than most of the students, doing better than Bakugo. To which, the boy was glaring at her, upset with being in fourth place instead of third.

"You did so well too! First place? That's amazing!" Sereia replies, and the other girl shakes her head, as if it were no big deal. "I wish I was in first place. You did so well." At these words, Yaoyorozu seems to take the compliment, dipping her head slightly, and Sereia looks over at Uraraka and Midoriya. "How did you two do?"

It's not the right thing to say, as Sereia then looks over at the hologram displays Midoriya's name in last place—a guarantee that he would be sent home. In that moment, Sereia remembers Ersa, and her words earlier that morning—that Aizawa had expelled students in the past. There was a chance Midoriya was going home—maybe Aizawa wouldn't send him home, maybe he would. It was a gamble, and one that had high risks.

After a moment, Aizawa clicks a button on the device he's holding, and the hologram disappears. "And I was lying, no one's going home." The teacher states, and Sereia feels relief flood her body. No one was going to be sent home. No one was leaving their class, drowning in their failure. "That was just a rational deception to make sure you gave it your all in the tests."

Everyone is surprised by the words, though Yaoyorozu doesn't look that way at all—she's calm, her hands on her hips. "I'm surprised the rest of you didn't figure that out. I'm sorry, I guess I probably should have said something."

Sereia just sighs, though a small smile finds it way onto her lips. "That was pretty nerve—racking, huh?" A boy with black hair asks someone else, and Sereia doesn't feel too interested in listening to their conversation. It's not her business, anyway.

"That's it. We're done for the day." Aizawa states, walking away as he does so, and his calm demeanor feels like another flood of relief. He was being serious—no one was going home. "Pick up a syllabus in the classroom. Read it over before tomorrow morning."

Midoriya lets out a breath of relief, and Sereia allows her shoulders to drop. Even though he was in last place, even though he was supposed to be going home, he was going to stay. Which was a good thing—he seemed skilled, even if it made him break his body when using his Quirk. Like Iida has said—his Quirk was odd, yet fascinating.

"Midoriya." Aizawa starts, walking towards Midoriya, who just gasps at the words. He pulls out a slip of paper, and hands it to the younger boy. "Take this and go have the old lady fix you up. Things are gonna be tougher tomorrow when your actual training begins. Make sure you're prepared."

The man spares one last glance at the group. One last glance at Sereia, and then a nod. Maybe she's looking into things too much, but he knows something. He'd looked ready to kill the short boy when he'd made a comment at her, but maybe that was just normal behavior. But everything else was different. The way his eyes had widened once he had seen her, his nod.

The man knew something, and Sereia Vaida was going to get to the bottom of it.

❝ 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒘 . ❞

TO SEREIA VAIDA, BEING A HERO HAD ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM TO HER. While it seemed too far away, she knew that it was possible—her Quirk was proof of that. Her sister was proof of that. Yet, being a hero meant more than just saving others. She had to represent something, like All Might as the Symbol of Peace. Her presence had to command something, as just her Quirk was not enough.

Though, she'd never tell Ersa that—the girl did have a commanding presence, from what she knew. Her ability to manipulate the elements so skillfully was enough to show that.

Sereia's second day at U.A. was similar to the first—though, there was a change. Hero Basic Training was the afternoon class that she was looking forward to, with the teacher being All Might. The second day was easier than the first, considering the fear of getting expelled was not as heavy on her heart.

"I am here!" All Might calls out, knocking Sereia out of her thoughts, and she waits for him to notice her. See her face, just like the rest of her teachers, and wait for their eyes to widen. Though, All Might stands in the doorway, wearing an older costume. "Coming through the door like a hero!"

She taps her fingers on her desk, watching as Kaminari exclaims, "I can't believe it's really All Might!"

"So he is a teacher!" Kirishima states, holding his fist up on his desk, a smile on his face as he speaks. "This year is gonna be totally awesome!"

The girl with green hair—Tsu, her mind supplies—has a finger on her face as she looks at All Might, most likely with interest. "Hey, look, is he wearing his Silver Age costume?" The girl points out, as All Might walks up to the podium.

"I'm getting goose—bumps. It's so retro!" Ojiro, the boy with the tail, says, and the students around him—Mina and Aoyama—smile as well, watching All Might intently.

"Welcome to the most important class at U.A. High." All Might declares, his hands on his hips as he speaks. "Think of it as "Hero—ing 101." Here, you will learn the basics of being a pro. And what it means to fight in the name of good! Let's get into it. Today's lesson will pull no punches!"

At the end of All Might's words, he holds a piece of paper that says, "Battle" on it, which makes Bakugo smile. It's weird, as his eyes are full of an intense happiness. "Fight training."

"Real combat?" Midoriya asks, almost timidly, yet loud enough for Sereia to hear. She looks over at him, and it's almost like he knows, as he stares back at her for a split second.

Though, All Might doesn't respond to their words, instead choosing to continue on with his speech. "But one of the keys of being a hero is...looking good!" At the end of his words, he points to the wall, where briefcases are neatly organized, being pushed out of the wall. "These were designed for you based on your Quirk registration forms and the requests you sent in before school started."

She can hear Midoriya mutter under his breath, "Costumes." Though she knows that he's happy about it, as there's a small smile on his lips. It's then when Sereia really notices the boy—taking in his green hair that matches his eyes, the freckles that dotted his skin, and the smile that was almost always on his face.

"Get yourselves suited up, and then meet me at Training Ground Beta!" All Might demands, before shooing the students off to grab their costumes—which was in number order, based on their seats. Once they had all grabbed their briefcases, they're shooed out of the classroom, and to the locker rooms to change.

Her hands shake as she opens the case, to reveal blue clothes. A color she had wanted badly, as it represented the water that she was able to manipulate so easily. The outfit has a high color, with a thin white stripe running down her chest, and a white belt. It falls into a skirt, with high slits that don't show anything but the dark material of her leggings (could they even be called that?) which is all that is shown.

It's not too tight—fitting, which is something she's grateful for. The arm bands and gloves she slips on make her feel more comfortable with the look, as she approaches her teacher. Surrounding her is the rest of the students—all dressed in their own costumes, some of which are more casual looking, and others that are more...over the top.

"They say that clothes make the pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and behold, you are the proof!" All Might exclaims, his hands on his hips as he speaks. "Take this to heart. From now on, you are all...heroes in training! This is getting me all revved up! You look so cool! Now, shall we get started, you bunch of newbies?"

Sereia stands next to Uraraka, whose hero costume is a black bodysuit, with accents of pink. Slightly on front of her, stands Iida, whose costume looks similar to another hero's, though Sereia can't place which one. Bakugo stands in front of her, though a little to the left, so she can still see All Might—Sereia can't even understand what his costume is supposed to be.

Most of the class is there's, besides a green haired boy—Midoriya should have been with the class, yet maybe he was still getting his costume on. Though, when she hears the sound of footsteps (someone was running—and she knew it was him) on the ground behind her, she turns around. Midoriya, who's never stood out, is similar with his costume.

Unlike others, his costume wasn't too flashy—he wasn't wearing armor, or red glasses, as the clothes were simple. The costume is a light green bodysuit, with white accents, and a mask. If she didn't know any better, she'd guess he was a rabbit, with the protrusions on the mask looking like ears.

"Hey, Deku!" Uraraka exclaims with a chuckle, a smile on her face as she notices the boy. The boy is startled by her words, calling out her name, before she replies, "Love your costume! Not too flashy, ya know? I should have been more specific about what I wanted. This bodysuit is skintight. Not really my style."

Sereia watches Midoriya blush at the girl's words, though she wishes she notices the creep that stands next to her. "I love this school." Mineta says, a thumb up as he speaks, and she's glad they're not at the front—though, she doesn't think All Might would get upset at her if she smacked Mineta upside the head with water.

All Might seems to have a grimace on his face as he notices Midoriya, though he stays in the same position, his hands on his hips as he speaks. "Now that you're ready, it's time for combat training."

"Sir!" Iida calls out, a hand in the air as he tries to get All Might's attention. "This is the fake city from our entrance exam. Does that mean that we'll be conducting urban battles again?"

The hero throws up two fingers—a peace sign—before he starts talking. "Not quite. I'm going to move you two steps ahead. Most of the villain fights you see on the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking, run—ins with the most dastardly evildoers take place indoors. Think about it. Backroom deals, home invasions, secret underground lairs. Truly intelligent criminals stay hidden in the shadows. For this train in g exercise, you'll b split into teams of good guys and bad guys, and fight two—on—two indoor battles."

"Isn't this a little advanced?" Tsu asks, a hand on her face as she speaks, most likely pondering the question, and whatever answer it could have.

All Might clenches his fist, answering the girl's question immediately. "The best training is what you get on the battlefield! But remember, you can't just punch a robot this time. You're dealing with actual people now."

"Sir, will you be the one deciding who wins?" Yaoyorozu asks, and Sereia nods, trying to get a better understanding of the exercise. Teams of heroes against villains was easy enough, yet there had to be more to the exercise—there was also a level of unfairness. Some of the students were better skilled, and placing them with another skilled person would lead to a clear difference in skill level.

"How much can we hurt the other team?" Bakugo questions, though it feels more like a demand, and Sereia groans at his words. Whatever his obsession was with hurting people, she was getting tired of it—just because his quirk was whatever it was, didn't mean he had a right to be awful towards people. Or, to threaten people.

Yeah, she wouldn't be forgetting about that anytime soon. His nickname for her—water girl—was so stupid. Had he seen anything else she'd done, or was he too focused on himself the entirety of the Quirk tests the day before?

"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like earlier?" Uraraka asks, holding her hands nervously, and Sereia wants to shake her head, but she just stands there. All Might could technically expel them—maybe he was similar to Aizawa, even if their attitudes were completely opposite.

Iida keeps his hand raised from earlier, and Sereia wonders what the expression on his face is, considering it's covered by his mask. "Will you be splitting us up based on chance, or comparative skill?" Iida raises.

Aoyama holds his purple cape, which has sparkles on it, and he smiles as he speaks. "Isn't this cape trés chic?" He asks, though he doesn't get an answer.

That's when it happens. What she's been waiting for the entire class—for his gaze to linger on her for a moment too long, for him to recognize something.

Sereia can see the way his mind works, the way he seems to recount every mistake in his life, as he focuses on her face. A face that doesn't technically belong to her—though, she can't do anything about that. Out of frustration, All Might grits his teeth together, and she wonders whether it's based off of her, or the questions he was being asked.

"I wasn't finished talking!" All Might states, before pulling out a small handbook, staring at it as he speaks. "Listen up. The situation is this—the villains have hidden a nuclear missile somewhere in their hideout. The heroes must try to foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the evildoers, or recover the weapon. Likewise, the bad guys succeed if they protect their payload, or capture the heroes. Times limited, and we'll choose teams by drawing lots!"

At the end of his words, All Might pulls out a yellow box labeled, "Lots", holding it up for everyone to see. Though, Iida seems to have negative thoughts about it. "Isn't there a better way?" He asks, though is quickly shut down by Midoriya.

"Think about it!" The shorter boy starts, a finger in the air as he explains. "Pros often have to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot, so maybe that's the reason we're seeing that here."

Iida seems to back up and consider the words for a moment, putting his hand down. "Yes, I see. Life is a random series of events." Iida starts, before bowing, in respect of All Might. "Excuse my rudeness."

All Might turns around quickly. "No sweat. Let's draw!" The teacher answers, before he then seems to realize something—there was an uneven amount of students. Maybe that was same way for class 1—B, with 21 students instead of 20. Though, he makes no comment on it, choosing to place her with Mina Ashido, and Yuga Aoyama.

"Wow, what are the chances? We're a team!" Uraraka says, excitement evident in her tone as she looks over at Midoriya. Sereia looks over at the pair, before walking over towards Ashido, who smiles at her.

In front of All Might stands two boxes—a black one labeled "Villain", and a white one labeled "Hero". "I declare that the first teams to fight will be...these guys!" He calls out, holding two balls in his hand—Team D as the villains, and Team A as the heroes. "Team A will be the heroes, Team D will be the villains. Everyone else can head to the monitoring room to watch!"

"Yes, sir!" The rest of the students reply, walking out, though Sereia stops for a moment, watching Midoriya and Uraraka. Stepping besides them, she gives them a smile.

It doesn't take long for them to notice her, as Sereia says, "Good luck." Uraraka nods at her words, though Midoriya seems more nervous than her, only sparing her a shaky wave.

"Bad guys, you can go on in and get set up. In five minutes, the good guys will be let loose, and the battle will start!" All Might states, and the students reply the same way they have for the entirety of class—with a, "Yes, sir!".

The walk to the monitoring room isn't a long one, but it's almost awkward. Yaoyorozu walks alongside her, most likely trying to get away from Mineta, who was watching her creepily. The taller girl had sighed once she realized that she was with the boy, probably wishing she could be with someone else—someone who wouldn't look up her skirt.

There was something about the school that had Sereia intrigued—some of the classes were boring, whereas others were interesting. Though, that was normal for a school. Junior High was similar to that, but mainly those were boring days. Days when she was seen as better, because of her power—because of her control. Whereas, here, she was just another student.

Her ideas with perfection had changed—when she was younger, there was a need for it. Her memories were hard to attain from when she was a child, but she could remember some things. Training hard, trying to summon the other elements, ones besides water. Though, they never came as easily. Her connection to them was almost severed, so far away that she had to think about them to feel them.

Sereia sighs as Ashido walks in front of her, watching as All Might starts speaking into a microphone. "All right! Let's begin the indoor combat training! Team A and Team D, your time starts now!" In front of her, stands All Might, along with a large screen, showing different angles of the building. "Pay attention, kids. Think about what you would do."

For a few moments, there's nothing on the screens—there's just empty hallways, before the hero team walks out from a corridor. Midoriya stands in front, Uraraka behind him, and Sereia can almost hear the sound of her heels against the ground. A memorized sound, though she doesn't know where she recognizes it from.

It's quiet, until Bakugo jumps out from behind a corner, an explosion aimed towards Midoriya's head. It would've hurt him, if he hadn't pushed himself and Uraraka out of the way. "He almost got the jump on them!" Mineta exclaims, watching as Midoriya's mask is halfway destroyed, though he still stands in front of Uraraka. Bakugo stands further away from the two, almost looking for a fight.

"Sneak attack, Bakugo?" Kirishima asks, hitting his fist into his palm. There's a thought in her mind that he's surprised Bakugo would pull something like that, but Sereia isn't—hadn't he seen Bakugo on the first day? How he'd almost attacked Midoriya, just because he threw the ball well? "What kind of man pulls cheap crap like that?"

Though, All Might seems to have no problems with it, saying, "It's a viable strategy. He's playing the part. Acting like a true villain would."

"It didn't work. Midoriya dodged him!" Mina calls out, excited about the scene that was in front of them.

Sereia nods her head. "Even if his costume got destroyed, he's fine—and he protected Uraraka while dodging Bakugo." The girl states, to which Yaoyorozu dips her head.

"Look, there he goes!" Kaminari calls out, pointing at Bakugo, who was running forwards, going to attack Midoriya once more. There's a moment where Sereia is scared for the him, that Bakugo would try to explode his face, but—

But Midoriya grabs his arm, pivots his legs slightly, and throws Bakugo over his shoulder. All Might elicits a, "Huh?", as the class watches Bakugo take a moment to get up.

Sereia looks over at Ashido, and then Yaoyorozu, before saying, "Without his Quirk as well—Good move," it's not surprising, yet it somewhat is—how he'd not even used his Quirk, and he's still thrown Bakugo against the ground. Yaoyorozu leans in slightly, seemingly trying to get the point of view Sereia was getting. "He's got some skills."

It's a good thing that when Yaoyorozu catches the small smile on her face, she doesn't say anything.

☆; first chapter is finally out...one of the five that's pre—written. im up to the calvary battle of the sports fest so yk...but im adding to the race (cause it ended up being only like 2k words instead of 3-4k)

☆; gonna try to update around once a week? cause writing the chapters isn't too hard

☆; hope this was actually good—im trying to make her development as a character actually make sense. like she's younger than her sister, so she's always viewed her as better, and that makes her feel inferior in a way.

☆; sereia & yaoyorozu r actually bffs 🙁🙁🙁 love them sm

☆; pls lmk if there's any grammatical errors or mistakes !! <33

☆; word count—11.3k