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E P I S O D E
37

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    Yurika heaved a sigh of relief when Recovery Girl finally finished wrapping her fingers with bandages. The fight earlier was so intense that she hadn't felt the throbbing pain on her fingers, but now that the adrenaline wore off, it hurts like a bitch.

"Is that all the places that hurts, dear?" Recovery Girl asked the expressionless girl.

"Yes. Thank you." Yurika gracefully tucked a stray of hair behind her ears.

Recovery Girl whose also involved of the issue about this other worldly princesses, is rather curious about them. "How is it being a princess, young lady?" She asked carefully as she walk to her seat.

  Yurika shrugged, "Nothing much happens. It's normally peaceful. All we ever did was to maintain the safety of the core and handle politics."

Listening to Yurika, Koharu sat up and brought up the fun activities that they actually do. "We also participate in festivals, arrange balls and we sing for the people sometimes!" Koharu said in delight, stars sparkled in her eyes.

  Seing Koharu fangirl about the activities again, muttered, "There she goes again."

"Is that so? So your world is peaceful and fun?"

  Yurika shook her head in disapproval, "Not really that peaceful. We're desperately maintaining a good relationship with the Hetalica Kingdom for years, since they're equal in strength with us."

Recovery Girl tilted her head, "But I heard that it was the Hetalica Kingdom that attacked your Kingdom first, right?"

"That is true. It just means that the good relationship that we barely held onto is now severed. We don't know their purpose of targetting us, but we hope we could win the war." Yurika leaned her head on the wall.

"To be honest, every second we spent on here would be crucial for the Kingdom; as every single princesses contributes as the protection. But now they are missing three - the shield which is Ako, the connection from me, and Koharu's control." She continued as Recovery Girl kept listening.

  Knowing of their worries that is probably weighing down on them even to this fun event, Recovery girl can't help but sympathise - since they are also doing their very best to keep their people safe from the villains.

"Just wait a little longer, the machine for the transportation to the other world is currently testing subjects - as to make it a possible thing to get you girls back home as soon as possible."

  Both of the princess felt relieved of the help that they're receiving from them just to form a diplomatic relationship between them. If they want they can swore allegiance to each other if the parties agree - after all, the princesses were generous and kind.

   A sincere smile bloomed on Koharu face, "Thank you very much for the help."

  She also returned the smile kindly, "It's no problem, young lady."

After the short conversation, Yurika stood up while doing exercises on her wrist. "I'll better go now, I don't want to miss a match to watch."

"Okay, see you later Yurika-sama." 

Yurika hummed and turns to grab the doorknob, but failed to do so when she freezes. A sudden uncomfortable feeling emerged, as if that weird feeling could sense Yurika's emotions; it finally bursted.

There was a very sharp pain that seemed to pierce on her neck, and a sticky feeling of what felt like a goo were bubbling - as if begging to come out off her mouth.

She became white as sheet and unable to move. The unbearable pain on her neck suffocated her that she had no choice but to open her mouth to scream, but what came out were not her voice.

It was the black substance.

Everything went black for her at that point.

*Thud*

  When Recovery girm heard a loud thud, she looked at the door to find an unconscious Yurika — struggling on the ground. "Young lady!?"

She quickly came to her aid. As soon as she neared towards Yurika's body, she noticed a lot of cracks on her skin, and a black goo was coming out of her mouth. Seeing that kind of state she was in, Recovery girl felt horrified.

"What's happening? She was still fine awhile ago.." She muttered — she pushed the worries behind and began taking action.

Bringing Yurika to one of the beds, she didn't notice that Koharu passed out from the same cause - although, it is more hidden because the mark showed on her back; while Yurika's mark showed on the left side of her neck.

  "What is going on..?" Recovery girl could not comprehend what kind of disease is affecting them, or is it really a disease? It was so unfamiliar and foreign. Surely, it has something to do with their world. One thing came to mind of the old lady, they really are at stake now that they are away from their original place.

  Just as she was analysing Yurika's condition, Bakugo slammed the door open with a passed out Ako in his arms.

"SAOTOME COLLAPSED! I NEED A F*CKING HELP HERE!" His expression was of a mixture of worry and agitation. The scene of Ako's agonising scream that matched her expression and the mysterious tattoos that started creeping up from her feet to her face, without knowing what to do and how to comfort her — was engraved in his heart and mind; he became useless in that situation. And that led him to becoming frustrated.

Recovery girl turned to look at Bakugo and her eyes went to Ako, whose condition is similar to Yurika in some ways.

"Oh dear, oh dear.." She hastily guided Bakugo to place Ako on the bed beside Yurika. Biting her lips, she studied their condition.

"It doesn't seem to be a disease that is affecting them. It's out of my knowledge.." She muttered to herself.

  As Bakugo's ears is sharp to that point, he aggressively asked what she meant.

"What do you mean you don't know anything about this!? How are you going to help her, ha!?" Bakugo held on to Ako's hands tight. He could feel her shivering in either of pain or cold.

"Calm down, young man. I'll heal her to the best of my abilities, but I would need you to call for your teacher here."

He bit his lips. He doesn't want to leave Ako, but if his teacher could somehow help...

He stood up and hurriedly went out.

....

  "What is the situation?"

Aizawa entered the infirmary with All Might, the principal and Midnight. As Bakugo called for Aizawa, he became confused why Bakugo was displaying such an agitated expression on his face - but when he learned of what happened to the three princesses, he became alerted and called for the principal and Midnight.

"It's horrible. They're all not showing signs that they are conscious, but they all seemed to be in an endless pain. I don't know how to heal them at this point." Recovery girl curtly explained to them. gently holding onto Yurika's delicate hands that is becoming cold as ice.

All of them observed the three princesses. Koharu seemed to be in less pain, but is still struggling to breathe as if something is blocking her throat to breathe. While Yurika was gasping for air, as if she's under a deep water. Ako on the other hand, seemed to be the worse case. She's gritting her teeth, and her body is as still as a rock, her closed eyes were leaking some kind of a blood, but is turning dark everytime it reached her cheeks.

Recovery girl wiped the tears of blood off of Ako's cheeks.

  "Is it perhaps, related to the core that they are protecting?" The principal, Nezu - concluded.

"That would be possible, since they said that they are connected to the core." Aizawa sighed, crossing his arms as he began falling into deep thoughts.

"But how are we gonna treat them if they are affected by the condition of the core?" Midnight asked this time, her eyebrows knitting together.

  "There might be someone we can call right now." Aizawa let out his thoughts.

"And who might it be?"

"Todou introduced me to one of her vessels one time when we were in a meeting about the dimension portal device."

  They searched for the three princesses' bags for their cellphone so they could somehow contact Yurika's vessels. It took them quite a while but they finally found Koharu's cellphone - Ako and Yurika's phone were probably at home.

Dialing Yurika's phone in hopes of the vessels would answer it. Soon it was answered by a deep, honey voice.

  "Hello? Nanakura-sama?" Kiroshi was stunned that Koharu was actually calling Yurika's phone when they were together at the Sport Festival.

But what answered on the other line was not the voice of the princess.

"This is their teacher, Aizawa Shota. It's an emergency regardless Todou Yurika and the other two princesses."

He abruptly stood up from his seat with a panic-stricken expression, he didn't waste any minute to run to the door, "I'll head there immediately."

He hung up the call and connected his mind with the other vessels, informing them of the said emergency.

  What could had happened?

He can't help but feel worried for his master, it was so unusual to get an emergency call from their teacher - he knew very well that Yurika is a very strong person. She could handle herself.

He used his wings to fly over to the arena, and met Elluka and Zero along the way — both were in the same condition as Kiroshi.

  Aizawa was waiting on them when they arrived. He looked composed and calm, but they can certainly feel his anxiousness.

  "What happened to the princesses?"
Zero was the first one to speak as soon as he landed on the ground.

"I think it would be better if you see for yourself."

Aizawa led them to the informary, the walk was so silent that it became even more unsettling.

Arriving infront of the infirmary, Aizawa let the vessels enter first.

   When they saw their master in a horrible state, the first thing that they felt wad fear, and then worry.

"We called you here because you all might know how to help them." Midnight snapped them back from their minds as they are about to break down from seeing their master like that.

  "We couldn't help them at the moment. What was happening to them is because of a curse that was slowly eating them up. There's no way to heal them back and remove the curse." Elluka's hard voice became a wake up call from the heroes around them that they are currently useless at the moment.

  Zero sighed, "But we could ease their pain for a while, however - it would be only temporary."  He walked to Yurika's bed and sat down on the chair, holding her hands lovingly.

  "Are they going to wake up soon?" Asked Nezu who was sitting on a farther seat away from the vessels, his hands interlocking together in a sophisticated manner - observing the situation carefully with a smile on his face.

"As long as the curse is eating them up, they would continue to sleep like that."

ᴜɴᴇᴅɪᴛᴇᴅ

[ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ]
1875

𝑝𝑠. currently having a mental block.