Chapter 13: Retake Test
Hey everyone! I am so sorry for taking a break from writing. I have been working full-time for a while, and let me tell you- it's kicking my butt. On top of that, my boyfriend and I just got a place, so things have been busy.
It will be a little bit until I can get back into writing. But for now, here is the next chapter of Clockwork || My hero Academia!
~*~
I did not expect Zuku and Uraraka to win the battle exercise. It must have been pure luck with how everything was going. It was not like I was complaining, but how things turned out was weird. Even though they had won the training battle, one was almost unconscious, and the other puked up their guts.
Not something you see every day, but we will have to get used to it.
It took a little bit to get almost everyone out of the building. Still, Zuku and Uraraka weren't in ideal condition. My heart hurt seeing him bruised, especially his arms- they were already black and blue. I wanted to help so bad, but my quirk wasn't to the state where I could reverse living organisms.
Not like I should- it may do more harm than anything, which would be worse. Besides, many people would be able to help Zuku more than I did in this situation. So he will be okay in the end, which is all that matters.
"Young (L/N)!" Turning my head towards the voice, I saw All Might running up towards me, "I brought the medical droid to bring Young Midoryia to the nurse's office." My eyes drifted away from him, looking at the robot still approaching us.
"Okay," I mumbled, "I'm going to check on the rest of my classmates to ensure they are okay." That may be a lie, I didn't care about Lida or Uraraka, but I was worried about Katsu. He didn't say anything when the four of us walked outside. Instead, he just stared before him; his focus stuck in his mind.
My previous anger washed away from my body as sadness and concern rushed in when I noticed his face. I've never seen him like that, his face in disbelief and defeat- that too broke my heart a little more- losing against your childhood friend that you thought was powerless to beat you at your own game. Because of the lack of quirk, someone you thought was weaker than you becomes the person you slam on the ground to show them something they have been holding back.
But Katsu didn't know that Zuku was granted his quirk by the person they admired a lot- but that may hurt a little more if he did.
"Katsu?" I called out, hoping he had come to his senses by now, but he didn't respond. As I got closer, still calling his name, I noticed his body shaking.
Is he having a panic attack?
Everything turned black and white as I ran up to him, my quirk reacting on its own in my state of panic. My mind ran a hundred miles per minute when I approached him quickly, going around him, so I was facing him. Tapping him three times, his color returned to normal, but his focus was not.
Katsu's breath was rapid, almost panting as sweat ran down his forehead. He was staring at his hands, shaking uncontrollably, mumbling things under his breath that I couldn't understand due to how incoherent it was. So even though he was physically alright, his brain was not.
"KATSU?!" I shouted, grabbing one of his hands as the other cupped his cheek. Then, feeling him jolt, I knew that he had somewhat come back to reality.
"(Y-Y/N)?" His voice rasped out, still breathing heavily, "I-"
"Sh, it's okay. I'm right here," moving my hand towards the back of his head. I push down gently, putting our foreheads together, "Close your eyes and follow my breathing, okay?"
A few minutes passed- me taking deep breaths as Katsu followed along. Then, finally, I started to feel him relax in my touch, his breathing getting more even by the second. It made me smile, knowing that this was helping him so much. But it made me wonder- does he always get panic attacks?
I opened my eyes when I felt a hand pull down my hood, revealing most of my hair in a ponytail while others framed the front of my face. My gaze met Katsu's; his eyes were soft yet looked strained, probably because his eyes looked like they would pop out of his head earlier.
"Better?" He didn't respond, just gave a slight nod, "That's good... You did a good job; I'm proud of you." Then, as I was about to pull away, I was drawn back in- into a hug.
Katsu snaked his arms around me, one around my waist while the other went to my head, his hand holding my head against his chest. Before thinking, I wrapped my arms around him, snuggling into him.
We stayed like this for what felt like hours, just holding onto each other.
When we finally pulled apart, I suddenly felt cold. Katsu's warmth during the hug left me, and I couldn't help but pout. It looked like he saw because he let out a low chuckle before putting his hand on my head, ruffling it up a bit. Again, I couldn't help but smile, looking into his eyes as warmth looked back at me.
"Pouty, are we?" A smirk came across his face, obviously teasing me.
"S-Shut up," I swatted his hand away due to the mortification of his teasing, "I'm still pretending to be mad at you." Heat raised to my face, but I tried to ignore it. Now isn't the time to be blushing from embarrassment.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Pretending to be mad at me?"
"Fuck off," I turned away from him, my back now facing Katsu, "You're teasing me."
"Okay," He chuckled, putting a hand on my shoulder, "I'll stop." Facing my body to him again, I looked down at one of his grenades. It was surprisingly still gray, still frozen in time. This shocked me since it should have turned back to normal, but then I remembered why I froze it in the first place.
"We should deal with that before anything else." Katsu raised an eyebrow before looking down at where I was staring.
"Oh shit, you're right."
~*~ Time Skip ~*~
As we crossed the street from the next battle's building, Katsu and I walked side by side. Team B and Team I's turn to go- Shoto Todoroki and Mezo Shoji as the heroes against Mashirao Ohiro and Toru Kagakure as the villains. From the start, I knew who was already going to win.
But honestly, I didn't care about that. Instead, it was Katsu that I was worried about- his gaze looking down at his feet as we walked. Even though he was better than earlier, the discussion about the battle training that happened earlier put him down again.
"Well, despite the results..." All Might started, clearing his voice, "The MVP of this exercise is Young Lida!" I could hear everyone gasp in shock, probably thinking the winners would be Zuku and Uraraka.
I would also be shocked if I didn't know what was happening.
"Huh?! Shouldn't it be one of the heroes since they're the winners?" One of the students shouted out, but honestly, since I didn't know everyone in the class, I couldn't figure out who it was. Besides, connecting faces to names would take longer since I habitually forget.
"Mm! Valid question. Why didn't I choose one of those two? Who has a guess?"
"Sir!" One student raised her hand immediately, making us all look at her, "I can tell you why!"
It was one of the girls sitting right in front of me in class, her black spikey tied-up hair making her stand out from memory. From what I recall, she was one of the four students admitted into the hero course through recommendations- meaning that the girl has some unique quirk or brilliant study habits. Either way, just knowing that she got here through connections implies that her family must have some power or money for her to get in so quickly.
All Might nodded, letting her know that she could continue.
"Lida embraced this challenge. He was the only one who truly adapted to his assigned role." Several eyebrows rose, some trying to understand what point she was trying to reach, "I'll explain. A personal grudge against Midoriya clouded Bakugo's judgment. As you pointed out earlier, launching a large‐scale attack indoors was foolish. It could have been disastrous. Similarly, Midoriya's plan was also poorly thought out, considering the amount of damage he received. He rendered himself helpless. Not smart. As for Uraraka..."
I couldn't help but give out a quiet giggle, knowing what they would say next. The girl paused, looking like she heard me, before continuing.
"She let her guard down mid‐battle, and her final attack was far too reckless given the hypothetical stakes. If she'd treated the fake weapon as real, she never would've risked using such an imprecise move. Lida was fully prepared for his opponent's arrival. He had a strategy and never lost sight of his mission to protect the dummy weapon, even if he was ultimately foiled. Technically, the hero team won, but they took advantage of the fact that this was training. They didn't respect the spirit of the trial."
Everyone was silent, even myself, with all the information thrown at us. Finally, I looked over at our teacher to see if he had some reaction to this. All Might looked stunned, nervous sweat dripping down his face as he stared at the girl in shock.
"Yes..." He started as if he was trying to find an answer to a question he didn't know how to solve, "Well, Young (L/N) have anything to add?" All eyes turned to me, making me a little self-conscious.
Thanks for putting me on the spot, asshole.
"I do want to add a couple of things to..." I paused for a second, trying to remember her name, knowing that I learned it yesterday, but I couldn't place "the statement of observation. If anyone was paying little attention, you could tell there wasn't much communication with their partners most of the time. It seemed like there wasn't much of a plan, like what she stated, besides protecting or going toward the bomb. When working with a team, you need steps with backups in case something goes wrong. Not everything is as easy as walking on a straight path, but you can create turns on the street to still get to your destination. Something to fall back on that would work for both of you. I would say none of them would have won, but the one that handled the most in their situation with little to no help would be Lida."
"One should always start with the basics and devote themselves wholeheartedly to learning." The girl who spoke earlier stated, looking at me with a smile, "That's the only real way to become a top hero. Communication will be the key to start that off to make sure everyone is on the same page."
"I think Young Lida could have relaxed a bit in the exercise, but otherwise, you guys nailed it!" All Might chipped in, smiling like always, "Now then. Time to blow this joint- let's move on to the next match! Think about everything we saw and discussed as you tackle this training yourself."
"Yes, sir!" All of my classmates cheered, getting hyped up for their turn to go.
"Match two! Team B will be our heroes, and Team I will be the Villains!" He turned to me, "Young (L/N), come with me for a second to discuss the next training." I nodded, quickly grabbing Katsu's hand to squeeze before following All Might to the corner of the room.
"Oi Glitchy?" I snapped out of my daze, seeing Katsu's hand waving in front of me, "I asked you a question, dumbass!"
"S-Sorry!" I chuckled slightly due to nervousness, "Can you repeat it?"
"Tsk, I asked you why you dragged me with you."
"Cause I wanted to," puffing out my cheeks, I turned away from him, "Is that a crime?"
"Is that your answer?"
"WHA?! Of course, it is!" I could feel his gaze burn into me, letting me let out a defeated sigh, "Fine- I was worried about you."
"See, that wasn't so hard for ya," Feeling sharp gab on my waist, I hiss in pain as a tingling sensation spread through my body. I looked at Katsu, glaring at him as he looked back at me with a lop-sided smile and smirk.
My quirk is almost at its limit, and we aren't even halfway done with the battle exercise. I am unsure if I can handle using my quirk during my retake test if this tingling feeling worsens. But I must deal with it to prove to everyone that I didn't cheat on the test.
"Wipe that weird-looking smile or smirk off your face. I'm trying to concentrate." That didn't do anything but make his grin bigger, "What is up with you today?"
"What can I not smile?"
"Your smile looks forced, relax a little," I said as I pushed open the doors into the building, we would be staying in.
Of course, it looked very similar to the one before Katsu and Zuku's battle. However, this was more of a cafe than a little clothing shop. Tables and booths lined most of the area in the front, as the ordering counter was in the back of the shop. It looked dull with no color in the area- almost creepy as we walked in further.
We walked toward the back before I jumped up and sat on the counter. My legs dangled off the edge as I swung my legs back and forth. Katsu did the same, sitting beside me as I grabbed the tablet.
"What's that for?"
"It accesses the cameras in the buildings, the same ones in the monitoring room." My eyes study the screen, knowing nothing will appear until I unfreeze time. It fascinates me that I know everyone is there, but it doesn't show.
I heard Katsu shift himself, scooting next to me- our bodies now touching each other's side- to try to look over my shoulder. My body stiffens a little on impulse, having another person's presence so close to me without me instigating it. I mentally cursed myself, pushing the oncoming fuzziness that started creeping into my brain.
Come on, focus (Y/N)!
"Alrighty then, time- EEK!" Before I could finish my sentence, I felt my body picked up and placed in front of Katsu. My back was pressed onto Katsu's chest as his legs lay still on either side of me.
"Sorry, I couldn't see the screen," He stated calmly as he rested his head on my shoulder and his arms snaked around my waist, "I didn't mean to startle you."
"Next time, tell me before you do that again," I sighed, pushing the fuzziness away from my brain and forcing my body to relax again, "Clockwork Resume."
Now, the cameras were operating as they should be. They were showing off Ohiro and Kagakure in the bomb room in the building while Todoroki and Shoji were outside. Both parties were gazing around, seeing that the color around them converted back to normal.
"I am guessing everything is ready to go, Young (L/N)?" All Might asked, talking to me through the earpiece.
"All set to go,"
"Alright then, Match two!" He continued, getting more excited as he spoke, "Team B will be our heroes! And Team I will be the villains!"
"Hey, what is All Might saying?"
"I'll tell you in a bit," My eyes gazed at the different camera screens, trying to see how the other teams would react.
To my surprise, the invisible girl took off her gloves and shoes. I am guessing she is trying to go entirely invisible, but it got me curious if she even had a hero costume or is going full commando. I'll ask her later if I can remember.
"Look alive, kids! Show us you're the embodiment of good or evil! Let's go!" The buzzer blares in the distance, telling everyone that the test has started.
It didn't take long for the test to end as Todoroki froze the whole building, making me shiver from the cold. Even from across the street, the freezing air from his ice felt like a cold winter in America- maybe even colder than that. I wondered if everyone from the monitor room could feel it, but probably not since they were far away.
My thoughts got interrupted by Katsu's shaking and his shocked little noises. Of course, I wouldn't have heard him if I weren't pressed against him. But he isn't handling this very well as his arms tighten around me more.
Oh, Katsu...
The cold didn't last long as a heat wave flooded the room, making the place feel like a sauna. Being extremely cold to sweating like crazy was a shock to my body. Feeling cold yet warm was a weird sensation that I couldn't describe. However, the pain of using my quirk was getting worse by the second pausing and unpausing time over and over again was starting to strain my body- especially having to concentrate on specific people.
"Moving on! Time to gather around for a review of the second match. After that, we'll jet on over to our next battle!"
Well, only three more rounds of this to go before this hell of a battle exercise is ended. If only my bed were here right now to get some sleep.
~*~ Time Skip ~*~
The rest of the battle exercises went how I thought they would. Just the same thing over and over again, watching each match to make sure they weren't going against the rules. It got boring after a while, but with Katsu next to me the whole time, my mind was elsewhere.
It seemed like he got worse and worse seeing our classmate's battles against each other. I think his pride was shattered when he couldn't defeat Zuku. Hopefully, this doesn't discourage him more than it already has. But knowing Katsu, he will return to his hot-headed self in no time.
A sharp whistle cuts through the air, snapping me out of my little daze.
"That's a wrap! Super work. You stepped up to the plate," All Might's voice boomed around the area, catching the attention of everyone around us, "And we didn't have any significant injuries except for Midoriya. You should be proud. Excellent first day of training, all around!
"It's nice to hear some encouraging words after our homeroom class. Mr. Aizawa was a buzzkill." The frog-like girl commented, making several of my classmates nod in agreement. I guess today's class with our teacher was horrible, but I didn't have to do that today.
Looking above All Might's head, I noticed the timer clicking down, leaving him only a minute before he returned into a sickly man. I mentally cursed myself for not paying attention any sooner.
"I'm happy to bring such staggering positivity to my alma mater!" His eyes looked at me as if he was looking for an answer.
"Are you going to check up on Zuku?" I asked, looking down at my watch, "I hope he is okay..."
"You're right! I should go and check on Young Midoriya's progress! Well, that's all for now, folks." Thank god he got the clue I was trying to give him; if he didn't, I might hit him in the head for being so dense, "Now, change and return to the classroom!" And just like that, All Might dashed down the hallway- a strong wind blowing through the area from how fast he was going. Well, that is one way to leave an awkward situation.
Now that this is over, I must prepare for my retake test.
"I will talk to you later, Katsu," I turned my head to look at him, giving off a warm smile, "Wish me luck on that retake test, will you?" He nodded, looking like he was slowly returning to what he was acting like earlier. I sighed before giving him a quick hug and running to the girl's locker room.
As much as I would like to visit Zuku at the nurse's office, I know he is well cared for. He probably sleeps off everything, so I'll see him after the test. Hopefully, he will be completely healed by the time I am there, but since he was there yesterday, I'm not too sure.
I removed my hero costume and carefully put it back into the suitcase. Though, I didn't have the heart to close it as I stared down at the pendant- memories of my father rushing back in. I missed him, but being here made me smile a bit. With everything that is going on, I don't regret it.
I accomplished much today, helping complete his last project with his old coworker. Assisting with the battle exercise, even if my body is beginning to feel the backlash of it- I couldn't be happier. I have never felt closer to my parents than I have ever before. I felt like there was a purpose for me being here.
Tears swelled in my eyes, a few drops landing on the pendant. It is a dream come true, and if this were a dream, I wouldn't want to wake up from it. After such a long time, I felt like I was truly home where I belonged—walking in the footsteps of where my parents once walked- even if it would be for a short time.
"Hey, (L/N), you okay?" With that, I quickly shut my suitcase- still having my back facing the rest of the girls that just walked in.
"Never better," I stated dryly before grabbing my uniform from my locker. They must have been standing there longer than I had thought. They probably have questions about my behavior towards them- not like I blame them. I have been acting cold and distant to everyone besides Katsu and Zuku.
"Mind if I ask you a question?" Yaoyorozu asked, now remembering her name.
"Ask away,"
"How did you get that scar on your back?" This question surprised me as I had forgotten about it.
"It was during the sludge monster attack," I continued putting on my uniform as I spoke, "Both Zuku and Katsu got captured by it, and I got them out of its grasp. The scar results from landing on my back and skidding across the concrete."
"Did it hurt?" The pink girl asked- I think her name was Ashido.
"Like a son of a bitch," I smiled, pulling up my thigh-high socks, "Hey, I would like to apologize for my weird behavior today... Unfortunately, today has not been a good day for me."
"Is it because of that retake test you must take, Kero?" The frog girl asked, "Everyone in the school has been discussing it. So we figured that it was because of that."
"Mostly yes..." Putting on my school shoes, I turn around to face the other girls, "Talking about that, I have to get going."
"Well, good luck!"
"Thanks," Turning around, I leave the room with all my belongings.
No one was in the hall as I walked, my shoes clicking against the floor. Before I head to the staff member's room, I have to drop my suitcase back in my homeroom. I hoped that Mr. Aizawa wouldn't be there when I did that. He already disliked me, and just being around him was intimidating. It reminded me of what my school life in America was like.
I never got along with classmates that were my grade; most just tolerated my existence of being there. They always thought I was daddy's perfect little girl who always got what she wanted. Yes, my family is reasonably well off, but that was due to how hard-working my father and stepmother were. But that doesn't mean I sat on my ass and got everything handed to me. Of course, I had to work hard for what I got, but no one cared to understand me.
Knowing I wouldn't live as long as my peers made me believe I had to work twice as hard as them to get where they were. Only my father knew about how hard it was for me, being the one to be able to see the numbers themself. He was the one who pushed me to achieve things so young and always celebrated each achievement with me. Always as the first to know when I used my quirk and scolded me for it- trying to tell me to take my time.
How ironic.
"Miss (L/N)," Stopping in my tracks, I turned around towards the voice. But, unfortunately, I was outside the classroom, my arm outstretched towards the sliding door. I might have missed him if I had just stopped the chitchat with my classmates earlier.
"Mr. Aizawa, um" The hallway filled with tension as I tried to find my words, "I-I was just about to drop off my stuff."
"How was class with All Might?"
"Uh, interesting?" My voice squeaked, making Mr. Aizawa raise his eyebrow, "Zuku is at the nurse's office, and Katsu looks traumatized." He sighs, shaking his head slightly before opening up the door to the classroom.
"Hurry up. We don't want to be late for your exam." Without another word, I did what I was told and left with Mr. Aizawa.
I was falling shortly behind, not wanting to walk beside the man. He was intimidating and, in that frog girl's words, "kinda a buzzkill." However, it didn't seem like he minded me walking behind him as he kept his pace, looking behind him every few moments to see if I was still there.
Not like I wanted to be there.
After walking almost halfway across the school, we finally arrived at our destination. As we walked in, I saw nearly all of the school staff was there. In addition, there were teachers I didn't recognize, probably from different classes, who were here to watch the show. The more, the merrier, I guess.
"Did I make it on time?" Turning around, my eyes lit up, recognizing the voice.
"Mr. Power Loader!" Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around the teacher and hugged him, "You came!"
"Well, you asked," He chuckled, hugging me back in return, "How was class?" We let go; a smile still plastered onto my face as I looked at him.
"It was boring since I didn't participate, but seeing all of my classmate's quirks in action was cool!" Mr. Power Loader smiled at my response, "Though my best friends aren't doing the greatest. One is with the nurse because he overused his quirk, and the other looks like he returned from the war."
"I'm sorry about your friends, but they are in good hands. You don't need to worry about them right now. Just focus on this test."
"I know-"
"Well, looks like everyone is here," The voice interrupted, making the whole room fall silent, "Shall we get started then, Hmm?"
Principal Nezu's voice silenced everyone, making me look around the room again. I swear I didn't see him when I scanned the room earlier, but he was there. It wouldn't be hard for a petite guy to go from one side of the room to another without getting spotted.
Not like that mattered anyways since everyone in the room was now staring at me. Looking at me with several mixed gazes made me feel uncomfortable. However, at this point, I had to swallow my pride and do what I was asked.
To retake the entrance exam.
"Just give me a moment to prepare myself." I walked over to the middle of the room, setting my bag down at the desk, "Alright, to prove to everyone that I will not cheat during the exam, I will be using my quirk. Will that be fine?"
"How will that prove anything?"
"Simple, my quirk allows me to stop time- meaning that I cannot use electronic devices during that time. So if you feel like I am, Mr. Aizawa can cancel my quirk."
"Well, if you insist, Miss (L/N)," Principal Nezu replied, looking at me curiously, "It would be neat to see your quirk in action."
Without further discussion, I stated the words to enable my quirk- seeing the color fade from all around me. Then, for the next couple minutes, unfroze everyone in the room. Each one of them looked around the room in awe and confusion. I guess this is the first time they have seen something like this.
"This is weird..." One of the teachers spoke out, still looking around, "It feels like I'm in one of those old movies that have no color in it."
"That is one way to describe it," I chuckled, sitting at one of the desks, "It does get a little boring after a while- too plain for me."
The tingling sensation didn't take long to start again, but it was worse this time. The numbness first started at my feet before traveling upwards. As long as I didn't move, it was easy to handle. However, the numbness grew as time passed, so my fingertips shot pain through me. I had to bite my tongue, tasting metal in my mouth as I wrote down my answers.
I just had to keep my cool and my pain to the minimum.
The questions were easy, with the same problems and different scenarios for each problem. And before I knew it, I was all done. I placed my pencil down and looked up at the teachers around us. But, unfortunately, most teachers weren't paying attention- reading a book, doing paperwork, or talking amongst themselves to pass the time.
"I'm done," Everyone stops what they were doing, now paying attention to me, "I would get up and hand you the paper, but I don't think it would be a good idea."
"That's fine. I'll come to you," The principal gets off their chair before approaching me, "How do you think you did?"
"It was pretty easy," I shrugged, "Same problems but different numbers and solutions, so it wasn't that difficult. Of course, the pain distracted me, but I don't think it affected me too much."
"Are you hurt?" He took the papers in his hand, looking them over.
"No- it's the side effect of my quirk. I can't feel my fingers or the lower part of my body past my waist. It's like when your leg falls asleep on you due to sitting the wrong way and trying to walk." I yawned, feeling my body exhausted from the lack of sleep. At this moment, I have been awake for at least 16 hours, and now it is finally getting to me.
"Oh, yes, that must be quite annoying," Principal Nezu nodded, keeping his eyes on the paper, "You can continue time now." With that, colors faded back into the area with a switch flip.
From that, I knew I had hit my limit today for my quirk to react that way without doing anything.
"Did they pass?" Someone from the room asked, making me nervous as the principal flipped through the test pages.
"With flying colors." They smiled, finally looking at me, "You are now officially a student of class 1-A; You can join the class starting tomorrow. Congratulations (L/N)!"
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top