Eria

"Is that the best you can do?! You've only used your quirk for 30 minutes but you're already exhausted? How are you going to pass the test day after tomorrow?" Plasma-sensei roared; his white eyes glared viciously at me.

I wanted to request a five-minute break but I knew that wouldn't be helpful. Instead, I kept pushing myself to the brink of exhaustion, way beyond my own limits.

After another hour of continuous quirk activation, Plasma-sensei finally decided to let me rest. I deactivated my quirk and the energy left in me dissipated into nothing. I thought I was going to fall onto the ground, yet I was still standing.

I tried to walk. Upon the first step, biting, paralysing pain coursed through my veins. I froze completely, my face scrunched painfully. I tried to take in a deep breath to ease the pain, but even the cold air was piercingly painful in my lungs.

A realisation hit me. Why did my classmates excelled in perfecting their special moves while I couldn't even endure the after effects of my hidden demon quirk? There were no consequences using my normal demon quirk, but when I used the hidden demon one, my body rejected the transition by showing me the worst pain of my life.

I looked at my classmates, who were chatting away with the special moves they perfected. A bitter cold feeling rested in the pit of my stomach.

Why did they excel in being soon-to-be heroes while I sucked at this?

The bitter resentment within me soon burst into flames of anger. I converted the anger into energy, and moved my rebellious body despite the pain.

"I'm not going to give up. This pain is nothing!" I hypnotised myself.

"Are you okay?" Todoroki asked with a gentle tone. His arm was half stretched to help me. "You should rest if you can't take it anymore. I can carry you back."

My mind wavered a little hearing that. "I have to do this, Todoroki. If I can't even endure this pain, then I shouldn't be taking the exam."

Todoroki's eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at me with concern. His jaw opened a little as if to retort but he remained silent.

I continued to take baby steps back to the dormitory, while Todoroki followed beside me. Whenever I stopped to take a breath from the pain, he followed suit.

"You can go back without waiting for me," I said.

He shook his head. "I can't leave my friend alone while she's in pain."

A warm feeling thickened in my heart, easing the pain in my entire body. "Thank you."

It took 30 minutes or more to finish the five-minute journey back to the dormitory. When I finally reached my room, I fell onto the comfy, soft bed that beckoned me so dearly.

"Are you sure you're really okay?" Todoroki's voice was laced with concern as he stood next to my bed.

I hugged my soft shark plushy. "I'm fine. By the way, do you want to practice fire and ice resistance after dinner? Plasma-sensei told me to practice with you since tomorrow is the last day before the exam."

Sternly, Todoroki replied, "No."

Bewildered, I lifted my head. "Why?!"

"Because you're pushing yourself beyond your limits again like last time and I don't like it. I don't want to be part of your suicidal training."

"Todoroki! If I don't do this, I will fail the exam!" I snarled. "You know how important it is for me to master this stupid quirk so that my mom won't transfer me away!"

"But that doesn't mean you have to work till you almost die," he retorted.

"I did not!"

"You winced at every step you took just now like an old lady. I could feel the pain just by looking at you." Todoroki shot me an icy glare as he loomed over me. His tall figure was slightly intimidating.

I glared back, not caving in.

Todoroki bent over and with his arm supporting his torso over my bed, he caged me in. "No," he firmly replied.

My lower lip trembled to retort but I was too mesmerised by his beautiful eyes. It didn't take long for me to realise the close proximity between us, which was making my face pink.

I quickly got up from my bed, to which Todoroki backed up to give me some space. I thought I saw a faintest pink tinged his cheeks, but it had faded away before I could blink my eyes.

"You can train, but I'm not helping you. I don't want to be the cause of your over-exhaustion," snarled Todoroki. I glared at his back as he left and sank into my bed. I drifted into sleep and a few hours later I woke up just in time for dinner, with my energy renewed.

Todoroki didn't try to persuade me again because he knew how stubborn I could be. Since the strongest student in class refused to help me, I turned to the second strongest person.

"You want me to blow you up?" Bakugou shot an icy glare as he looked up from the sofa. He was lounging by the sofa all by himself, not joining his friends' chatter.

"The exact words would be 'training my fire resistance against your explosions," I corrected.

He silently stared for a while. "Fine. Don't cry if I kick your ass."

But he didn't. Instead of training my fire resistance, we ended up brawling with our fists. I held back whenever my fists were about to clash into his fragile skin. However, his explosions were relentless, as though he really wanted to blow me up.

When it was already half past eleven and the others had gone to bed, we finally stopped. It was nonetheless an exhausting but refreshing way to sweat.

Bakugou glared as usual, resenting that he failed to punch me into submission as intended, but the wide toothy grin said otherwise. Sweat glinted over his toned muscles. "That was a good fight."

I laid on the soft grass and stared into the inky black sky dotted with glittering stars.

"Did you ever feel remorse that All Might's retired?" Bakugou asked suddenly.

I jerked my head towards him. "Remorse? Well, it's sad that he's retiring and all, but I guess he deserved to take a rest after all the hard work he has done."

Bakugou scowled. "That was not what I meant—never mind."

Before I could pursue further, he had walked back to the dormitory, leaving me confused and puzzled.

***

The morning was unusually cold and misty, considering it was still summer, as students donned in different school uniforms gathered at the location for the exam. Despite the nervous nerves that racked my body, I was still peering around gleefully at the other students, trying to find someone interesting.

One of them did proved interesting. He was a boy, proven to be gigantic for his own age as he loomed over most of my classmates when he appeared out of nowhere. He wore a hat, which was the emblem of Shiketsu, the school that I almost went to.

When Aizawa-sensei said the boy was one of the participants of the recommendations' special admission test into U.A., not only my whole class was shocked, but even Todoroki too, considering he was one of them himself. He even got the highest score. It meant the boy was stronger than the strongest in Class 1-A, and it triggered my interests to test my abilities with him.

If only he didn't reject U.A's acceptance. But why though?

Todoroki didn't say a word since. I assumed it's either bugging him too much to say anything, or he simply didn't remember he has met the boy.

All the candidates hurriedly changed into their hero costumes. Ever since I grew extra wings during my hidden demon quirk, I decided to change my hero costume to a more adoptable style.

Instead of the original full-body jumpsuit, my new costume consisted a pair of maroon high-waist cargo pants, a tight long-sleeved open-back black crop top (which allowed my wings to spread without hindrance) and a pair of solid but light combat boots. The entire costume was made of the lightest and most durable material, consisting of tiny steel fibres that could withstand impacts and extreme temperatures. Courtesy of Power Loader and Hatsume Mei.

Almost everyone in my class had their attention drawn on me. I had to cower in embarrassment while Ochako poked my exposed torso and giggled, "Eria! You have abs!"

I shooed her nosy fingers away. "Yes, I have some abs but that's just because of the training I did for my quirk."

After a briefing, the first stage of the test began. The tiny hall that over hundreds of participants assembled in opened up to a wide area, filled with different types of terrains.

I decided it would be wise to stick with the majority of my class. Our quirks had been public knowledge after the Sports Festival, and it was obvious that we would be easy targets.

Bakugou hated to be sticking around with the group (especially when Midoriya's around) and ran off. Kaminari and Kirishima tailed him, despite his angry snaps at them.

Todoroki was also eager to leave. He glanced at me when he told the group his quirk wouldn't work efficiently unless he went solo.

I pondered on the options for a second, and decided to stay. Slightly disappointed, Todoroki sprinted off alone. It left a bitter resentment in me. Maybe I should have joined him. It could increase our probabilities to pass.

But it was too late. Dozens of bright red balls flew across the air and shot at our group, trying to get at least one hit. Thankfully all the balls were batted away and none of us were hit. Out of nowhere, an 'earthquake' shattered the ground and split up everyone from the group.

I jumped from one teetering boulder to another, narrowly avoiding balls that shot from every direction. I was forced to use my hidden demon quirk because it was fast enough to avoid balls that curved at corners and droned in on me.

I was far from the massive wreckage caused by the earthquake and entered a dead silent industrial-like zone. Everything here looked like the real thing, with the looming pipes and large steel tanks creating labyrinthine passages throughout the whole area. It was at here that I finally found a short moment to take a breather.

I looked at the watch on my wrist. It was five minutes or so since I activated my hidden demon quirk. I was feeling pretty grateful that Plasma-sensei forced me through the endurance training to keep my quirk running as long as possible.

I could last at least 15 minutes or so, I thought as anxiety gnawed within me whenever the exhausted voice of the announcer blared, announcing the numbers of the people passing the test. The numbers and the short amount of time pressed on me like a heavy boulder.

Abruptly, my Sixth Sense detected someone moving near me. I laid flat against the cold metallic walls of a container and sank into the shadows, hoping that I could launch an ambush at whoever it was.

Judging from the outline of the person, it seemed to be someone I knew.

I peeked at the person and spot the brilliant colours of a candy cane.

I almost gasped in excitement until I sensed more figures appearing before Todoroki, like stealth ninjas. They did dress like ninjas, only their outfits differ like colours of a rainbow.

There seemed to be plenty of them for me and Todoroki to share, so I jumped out and blocked an enlarged hex nut that he failed to block with his icy wall.

"Takasaki," Todoroki gasped a little, holding back the excitement in his tone.

I smiled back at him as I caught a large nail that shot at me and threw it back the ninjas, who quickly scarpered away from the projectile. "I got separated from the group, so you don't mind if we share the ninjas?"

He nodded as a faint smile curved his lips.

The ninjas weren't pleased to see me. They started throwing more enlarged projectiles at us and we cowered under Todoroki's ice wall for a while, until it shattered under the pressure.

"We need cover," said Todoroki. He released a volley of raging flames at the ninjas, who counterattacked with water and mud. The three elements clashed and a thick sheet of steam enveloped the area, blinding everyone except me. I pulled Todoroki along with me as we hid behind one of the large tanks.

The ninjas ran around blindly looking for us but I had already pinpointed their locations with my quirk. I nodded at Todoroki when all of the ninjas were within distance of Todoroki's ice attack. A thick sheath of ice blanketed the entire ground, freezing up till their calves and gluing them to their spots. Then, I emerged right beside them, kicking and flailing my fists at their torsos.

Piercing screams tore through the silent industrial area as a horrifying demon bore upon them, appearing suddenly to launch an attack and disappearing just before they could act. I was glad that my hidden demon quirk had increased my speed and strength tremendously. Ninjas couldn't even keep up against a demon.

By the time the steam cleared off, ten ninjas with their bruised bodies and scared faces were frozen to the ground. It was unbelievably easier than I expected, but I guessed it was just plain dumb luck. I lifted my hand at Todoroki, hoping to get a high-five, but he just stared quizzically.

I sighed a little. "High-five, Todoroki."

His mouth parted a little and he nodded understandingly. Gently he tapped my open hand with his.

We took our fair share of ninjas to pass the current stage of the exam. Our targets lit up in radiant blue light and a voice emitted from them told us to proceed to the waiting room. I deactivated my quirk, feeling jolly and a little light-headed. I couldn't help but grin like an idiot and Todoroki smiled a little looking at me.

A lot of people had gathered at the waiting room, but Todoroki and I were the first ones from our class to arrive. My stomach dropped a little and I hoped my classmates would show up sooner or little.

We sat by the chairs that lined the wall, and immediately Todoroki fixed his stare at someone across the room. It was the tall beefy boy from Shiketsu, who was chattering excitedly with another guy. He shot a baleful glare at Todoroki for a brief second, then resumed talking to his companion.

"You know him?" I asked.

Todoroki shook his head. "No."

"But he applied through recommendations, like you."

"I don't remember seeing him."

I shrugged. Todoroki was cold and distant before he met me, so it wasn't a surprise if he didn't remember anyone before that. I felt glad that I did make friends with him.

As the clock ticked by, more participants have entered the waiting room, but none of them were familiar faces. While I anxiously waited for my friends, I accidentally fell asleep. My body was telling me to reserve my energy for the next stage. When I opened my eyes again, I was staring at Yaomomo, Tsuyu, Jirou and Shouji. Yaomomo had a faint pink on her cheeks while Jirou was giggling behind her hands.

Bewildered by the weird looks on their faces, I thought I had saliva drooling out of my mouth until Tsuyu pointed it out.

"It seems you and Todoroki have gotten pretty close, considering how you slept on his shoulder," pointed Tsuyu with an ambiguous smile.

With my face burning a brilliant shade of red, I rose up from Todoroki's shoulder and straightened myself.

"She's tired from using her quirk as usual. I don't really mind," said Todoroki gently, which barely explained anything.

Soon, another group of familiar faces entered the room. Bakugou trio joined us, followed by Midoriya and his group, which made up about twelve of us. The remaining nine were nowhere to be seen, yet their chances to pass the test was slimming.

I waited with trepidation, praying that all of us could pass. It seemed luck has sided with us, as within the final moments, everyone from Class 1-A had passed.

While waiting for the next stage of the exam to start, the participants ate their fill and rested, while some interacted with students from other schools. Shiketsu's students approached Bakugou trio, with a large hairy person as their lead.

"We want to maintain a good relationship with U.A," the boy declared as he apologised for one of his companions' rash behavior that offended Bakugou.

Todoroki had fixed his stare on the tall, brawny boy that he should have known during the entrance exams for recommendations. It seemed he was still troubled by the boy.

"Hey, you with the shaved head," Todoroki called the boy. He turned back with a contemptuous glare. "Did I do something to you?"

The boy was so tall that Todoroki looked like a shrub in front of a large tree. He scowled as he shot him a nasty glare. "Well, I'm sorry, Endeavour's son, but I hate you guys. You've changed a bit since then, but your eyes are same like Endeavour's."

That fact pricked Todoroki a little. He didn't say anything in retort, instead it was me who refuted the boy, no matter how his looming height scared me.

"Hey! Todoroki is not his father! Stop comparing him with his father! Todoroki is a separate entity himself. Don't say like you know him better than I do!" I rebuked. "His blue eye is the most beautiful blue anyone has ever seen and it is not like Endeavour's!"

The boy and I glared at each other angrily. When I thought he was going to shout back in fury, the scowl on his face abruptly transformed into a brilliant grin, like sun after a short shower of rain. "I like you!" He said, his black beady eyes gleamed with enthusiasm.

I froze, feeling the pit of my stomach dropped into an endless hole. Did he just confess?

"I like you!" He repeated. "Your passion for him!"

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?

The boy, called by his seniors as Yoarashi, left before I could say anything.

I wasn't quite sure what just happened. I turned to Todoroki for some clarification, but he seemed just as shocked as I was. There was also a slight hint of anger in his aloof expression. Was it because of Yoarashi comparing him and his father, or was it because of the awkward 'confession'? I couldn't tell.

Midoriya was coincidentally standing nearby and heard everything. His face was tinted pink. I stopped him before he leaves and hissed, "You won't tell anyone, right?"

"Errr......"

"Right?" I hissed balefully.

He gulped. "O-of c-course not!"

Then, loud alarms went off, blaring in the room. 'Villains' have begun a large-scale terrorist attack, according to the announcer. It was now up to the candidates to lead the rescue efforts. Class 1-A moved in a group once more, with the exception of Bakugou trio leaving in the other direction.

It was obvious that our lack of experience in rescue efforts were incomparable with the other participants. They were clearing paths and searching for victims systematically while we were rebuked by a hideous victim who criticised our rescue efforts.

As first years, I knew we were one year apart from the rest of the participants, but this could be our downfall. If we didn't handle this test properly, we would fail miserably.

I recollected myself and stayed calm, trying to remember what my teachers taught me during rescue efforts classes. My classmates seemed to be thinking the same and we split up into multiple groups.

"Eria, follow us. We need your quirk to search for victims," said Tsuyu.

I nodded in agreement and our group, consisting of Tsuyu, Todoroki and Hagakure, head to the river nearby. Immediately we spotted a person holding on to a rock in the middle of the river. Tsuyu jumped into the water while Todoroki and Hagakure gathered wood to start a fire.

After the boy was saved, it was decided that I would carry the boy to the safety area not far from the here. I stretched my wings and carried the boy in my arms, then lifted off. By the time I reached the safety area, it was crowded with lots of injured victims, crying and yelping in pain as they waited for people to tend to their wounds.

I set the boy gently to the ground and let one of the participants to check him. I was about to leave when an explosion erupted nearby and the ground shook like an earthquake.

From the large hole in the wall, Gang Orca, the hero-turned-villain for the exam, emerged with his minions. He was a large and burly man with the facial features of an orca. My mother used to praise him a lot whenever she worked with him in the past.

Great!

The boy I rescued started wailing in fear.

"It's okay, I'll protect you," I coaxed, though I was unsure what should I do. Should I continue to rescue the victims, or help defeat the villains?

"Get everyone to safety! I'll buy you some time!" shouted a boy who I recognised as Shindo, one of the students my class met before the exam. He touched the ground and instantaneously it shattered like glass, dispersing the large group of villains.

Out of nowhere, Gang Orca honed in at Shindo and released an ultrasonic wave that paralysed the boy. Our only rear guard was down.

It was now up to me.

"I'll hold them back!" I shouted.

"Takasaki!" Midoriya called while carrying a boy in his back. I showed him a thumbs-up and reassured him.

There were too many villains but the strongest one was Gang Orca. If I held him back just in time—

Gang Orca's blubbery and leathery head appeared within my peripheral before I noticed him coming.

I braced myself for the ultrasonic wave. My ears were ringing and my head was spinning wildly. I thought I was going to faint but thankfully my demon quirk had helped me endure most of the pain.

"Still standing I see? You're the first," Gang Orca said, with something like a smirk appearing on his face.

I didn't have to turn around to see the villains honing in me. I sensed the injured were being carried away further but their movements were too slow.

I need to buy more time.

I lurched at Gang Orca, hoping to land a blow but before I could reach him, he had released another ultrasonic wave. I could feel the blood in my veins curdling and my limbs numb from the pain. I landed on the ground, one arm holding my torso from falling. A strong, heavy foot stepped onto my back, pushing me the ground.

I resisted against the strong force on my back. Despite the pain in my paralysed limbs, I told myself, this is nothing! I had been through more pain than this, as I remembered the kidnapping and the arduous training.

My free arm reached out for Gang Orca's standing foot. I pulled it with all my strength and he keeled over, falling to the back. With the pressure on my back relieved, I flapped my wings and flew in the air, stretching my limbs in the process. I head straight to the villains heading to the survivors and knocked them down, punching and kicking until they resign in defeat.

Something grey and gooey shot in my direction and my wings were glued together. I pummeled into the solid hard ground. I was barely able to stand with my slightly paralysed legs when a powerful blow connected my torso, knocking the wind out of me.

Gang Orca lifted me in the air by my neck and released another ultrasonic wave at my brain. It felt like my head was going to explode in my skull.

As a hero pretending to be a villain, don't you think you're going too far?!

"A third ultrasonic attack and yet you're still conscious. You're not bad, for a rookie," said Gang Orca, but I was barely registering his words. I was losing consciousness as the numbness in my body worsened.

Abruptly, Gang Orca jerked his head in the opposite direction. A large ice wall closed in on him but he managed to shatter it with his ultrasonic wave.

My limp body was still hanging from his outstretched arm. A little paralysis won't stop me. Then, I sunk my teeth into his leathery hand and he yelped, releasing me to the ground.

I endured the paralysis and stood up with my remaining strength, then slapped my face to stay unconscious. I quickly backed away from Gang Orca and joined Todoroki by his side.

"Takasaki, back up. You're in no shape to fight," said Todoroki.

A strong gale whipped around the area. It was Yoarashi, who descended from mid-air with his wind-manipulation quirk.

Looking at the strong duo, I decided to back away and recover. I deactivated my quirk, getting rid of my glued wings then reactivated it. A new profound energy washed through me and I felt renewed with strength. The numbness and pain were a lot better than before.

I flew straight to the evacuation and remained as their rear guard while they ran. The villains were now focused on Todoroki and Yoarashi, and lost interest in us. I looked at the battle ahead. Raging fires and strong winds were whirling in the area, but it seemed to have done no harm to the villains.

I could hardly understand what was going on when Midoriya lurched out to rescue the paralysed Shindo from a volley of flames that went out of its path.

The two soared across the sky and nearly crashed into the ground if I had not caught them just in time.

"Are you alright?" I asked, gently laying them to the ground.

"Thanks, Takasaki. We—" said Midoriya.

"Those two..." hissed Shindo through his gritted teeth. "Those stupid first years! I was going to do a surprise attack!" The words that spouted from his mouth didn't match his previous smiling façade.

"What happened?" I asked, looking at the battle scene.

"Those two are fighting! In the middle of a battle!" Shindo yelled furiously.

I looked back at Todoroki and Yoarashi. What the hell are you doing, Todoroki?!

Not far ahead, the villains were heading straight at us; their targets were the evacuation. Shindo was still able to shatter the ground to immobilise them, so Midoriya and I split up to knock them down.

I charged at the villains at my fastest speed, ignoring the numbness in my body and did all my best to defeat them. I narrowly avoided the weird gooey stuff they shot from every direction, then swooped in to land my blow. Soon, more heroes joined in our cause and cleared out the villains.

I briefly glanced at the battle against Gang Orca. A huge pillar of flames enveloped Gang Orca, courtesy of Todoroki and Yoarashi, who both laid paralysed on the ground.

But that didn't hinder Gang Orca. The flames disappeared abruptly and he stood unharmed.

"What's next?!" shouted Gang Orca. He approached Todoroki with his leathery hand—

Midoriya lurched at Gang Orca with his powerful kick, which was blocked by the latter. They remained on a standstill for one second, then I appeared right before Gang Orca, and finally, landed a strong blow at his vulnerable torso.

That knocked the wind out of Gang Orca. He stumbled backwards, nearly keeling over.

That was nearly 100 percent of my strength but he's still standing! I'm not strong enough! I need to be stronger!

I need to put out 150 percent of my power or we can't win!

As Gang Orca collected himself, a smug spread across his whale-like features. "That was not bad. But not enough. Is that the best a demon could do?"

Midoriya and I prepared for a vicious onslaught until the siren rang, signaling the end of the exam.

"As of now, all the survivors have been rescued from the danger zone. With this, the exam has completed."

Relief washed over me. I sat to the ground, deactivated my quirk and sighed in relief.

Gang Orca's intimidating figure loomed over me. His big eyes stared. "You... I think you broke one of my ribs."

I froze. "I'm s-sorry."

"But it was still not good enough. Train to be stronger, Dark Rose's daughter, so that you can break all my ribs next time."

Midoriya and I exchanged nervous glances. Was that a praise?

Midoriya chased Gang Orca to get an autograph and some opinions on his efforts, while I dragged the immobile Todoroki and Yoarashi along with me. It turned out that the gooey stuff was cement but I was unwilling to break it off them. It should serve as their punishment for a short while.

The two had been awfully quiet. They knew they were in serious trouble. Yoarashi was given back to his seniors at Shiketsu, while Todoroki went to change without saying a word to me.

No matter how stupid he acted just now, I wanted to give my best friend a big hug. But it seemed to be a formidable task with him gloomily moping over his actions.

After that, everyone gathered for the results to be announced. The large screen blinked into life and the names of the people passing the exam appeared on it.

I looked at the screen with trepidation, hoping to find my name on it. 

***

This is the longest chapter ever :) i hope you guys enjoy it XD

Here's some pictures on Eria's abs and new uniform.

I've graduated from university since August, but I'm still jobless. It's so hard finding a job now. Hope you all enjoy your school/college/university life, 'cos you will definitely miss it when it ends. 

By the way, I have watched Weathering With You! Have you guys watched it yet? It is SUPER BEAUTIFUL! AND THE SONGS ARE JUST SO LOVELY~~

Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!! And be patient kay? Patience is virtue :)