(Rumi POV — Forest, dusk)
"Damn…" I lie flat on the cool dirt, chest rising and falling as I stare up at the evening sky. Sweat trickles down my temples, and my limbs feel heavy in a satisfying, post-fight kind of way.
"I lost again." The words come out in a sigh, but there's still a grin tugging at my lips.
"Did you expect to win?" Kata's voice floats over, as calm and detached as ever.
I tilt my head toward him. He's standing there, arms crossed while leaning against a tree, like he didn't just mop the floor with me, not a hair out of place, which causes my eye to twitch.
"Tch. That doesn't mean I shouldn't try." I snort, rolling my eyes back to the sky.
"You've gotten much stronger." He says matter-of-factly, and it somehow irritates me more than any taunt could.
Since our last fight, I've gotten used to my new power boost. My body's much faster. I hit harder. And move with better coordination than before. Every fighting instinct in my body has been honed to perfection.
And yet…
'It felt like I lost even easier this time.'
I let out a low chuckle. 'What a monster.'
He's still getting stronger.
That thought makes my grin widen, the fight in me rekindling as my heart thrums with excitement.
'That's what makes him so damn fun.'
Even regular villains can't scratch that itch anymore. The last two weeks have been painfully dull. Even the big bads now feel like petty crooks. I've climbed two ranks, but it feels hollow…
'Not that I ever cared about the hero ranking.' I scoff.
'Still, it's fine. I tricked him into a fight every second week. I'll just keep going till I someday wi—'
My thoughts are interrupted as something blocks my view.
I blink up at the small shadow hovering over me.
"What do you want, pipsqueak?" I ask.
Eri stands above my head, her tiny face scrunched up in concentration as she studies me.
She's holding a little white bag with a red cross on it.
"I came to help." She says seriously, kneeling down and pulling out a handful of bandages. "You're hurt."
I blink at her, then glance toward Kata. He just shrugs, maintaining his infuriatingly neutral expression.
"Kid, I don't need your help." I say, waving her off and trying to sit up, but my muscles protest immediately, so… I just lay there.
"Kata said you'd say that." She puffs her cheeks slightly, mimicking a scolding tone that sounds way too cute to intimidate anyone. "He told me to help anyway because you're too shy to ask for it."
I freeze, my eye twitching again as I slowly turn my glare toward Kata.
He's smiling now. A smug, yet amused smile, that shows he's enjoying this.
'Annoying bastard. I'll get him back for this!' I yell internally, unable to vent infront of a kid.
Eri hums softly while placing a bandage over one of my scrapes. Then another. Then another. Her hands are small but careful and gentle as she works.
When she catches my gaze, she gives me a warm, reassuring smile. "It's okay, Mirko. You're one of the strongest heroes, right? It can be hard for strong people to ask for help since you're always helping others. But… even heroes need a little help sometimes."
I blink, caught off guard. There's something disarming about how sincere she sounds.
"What about your brother?" I mutter, my voice dropping into a lazy drawl. "He's strong. Does he ever ask for help?"
Her eyes light up immediately.
"Yeah!" She beams, nodding so hard her hair bounces. "Kata's really strong, but he asks for help with lots of things."
I arch a brow. "Like what?"
"Well…" She begins counting on her fingers, her tone bright and matter-of-fact. "He asks me to help braid his hair, and sometimes when he's deciding something really big, he talks to me about it first. Oh! And he likes cooking with me, so I help with that too."
I stare for a second, then burst out laughing.
"Pff—HAHAHAHA! That guy asks for help with braids and cooking?!" I can barely breathe between laughs.
Eri blinks up at me, confused but still earnest. "Yeah. He says I'm really good at it."
That just makes me laugh harder. I throw an arm over my face. "Unbelievable…"
She frowns slightly, tilting her head. "It's true. He says people are stronger when they help each other."
She says it so simply, so honestly, that it shuts me up.
Then, she carefully sticks one last bandage on my cheek, a tiny one with a rabbit design on it, of all things.
"There!" She declares with a proud little nod. "All better!"
I blink, then snort. "You sure you didn't miss a spot, nurse?"
She giggles softly, then pats my head like I'm some sort of oversized pet. "You should rest before getting up." She says, reaching into her little medkit and placing a lollipop in my hand. "I'm gonna check if Kata's okay too."
As she trots off, I lift my head just in time to see her run up to Kata. He smiles at her, and shows her a shallow cut on his hand.
A cut I know damn well wasn't there before.
'Sneaky bastard.' I think with a scoff. 'He did that just so she could fuss over him too, huh?'
Still… I get it.
Having Eri fuss over you feels… nice… somehow.
I let my head drop back onto the dirt, a grin tugging at my lips again.
'Maybe she should come watch us fight more often. Hell, I'll even teach her a few moves.'
The idea plants itself in my mind, and I can't help but grin wider.
'She's got spunk, that one.'
This time, my grin isn't from the thrill of a fight, but rather all the plans I've got for little Eri.
Then, I pause.
'Can't be too rough with her, or that sis-con will interfere.' I shiver, already feeling him glaring at me, like he could read my thoughts. 'Creepy.'
(Kata POV – Forest)
I was equal parts appalled and impressed watching Eri speak like a wisened philosopher.
Granted, she was repeating my words, things I'd told her before about I feel more powerful and strong when I'm with her, and somehow she'd taken all that and spun it into something deeper and broadly applicable to everyone.
'She remembered it… and even improved it.' I think, nodding proudly. 'That's my Eri.'
By the time she finished tending to Rumi, she came running back toward me, cheeks glowing with pride. I discreetly made a small cut on the back of my hand with my quirk, just so I could also get treated by her.
Eri gasped the moment she saw it. "You're hurt!" She exclaimed, her tiny brows furrowing with serious concern as she fumbled in her bag for a bandage.
I crouched down to her level, smiling faintly as she carefully placed it over the shallow wound, pressing it down with gentle precision.
"There!" She said with satisfaction.
I chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Thanks, Eri. You're my hero."
Her whole face lit up like a lantern. "I'm your hero?"
"Yup." I nodded solemnly. "Saved me right in the nick of time."
She hummed happily, clearly delighted at the idea.
It was in that warm, peaceful moment that a strange, primal sensation tingled in the back of my mind. The kind that only shows up when something's about to go horribly wrong.
I slowly turned my head toward Rumi.
She was lying there with her arms behind her head, grinning up at the sky with that predatory smile that usually comes right before a challenge.
Yeah. That explained the feeling.
I sighed. 'Whatever happens next, I can handle it.'
The rest of the day passed quietly. I healed Rumi's injuries completely, though she refused to remove Eri's bandages, which I could understand, given that they were bestowed by Eri herself.
Before leaving, she pointed at me with that same wolfish grin. "Next time, I'm winning. Got that?"
"Sure." I replied half-heartedly, knowing she wouldn't aim for anything less.
I wasn't exactly reassured when she added, "Oh, and expect me around more often!"
I didn't ask what that meant. Some things are better left unanswered.
Later that night, after putting Eri to bed, I turned in beside Himiko, the quiet of sleep settling around us like a blanket.
Tomorrow was the day of the practical exam.
(Kata POV – Training City)
The following morning, we arrived by bus at the massive training grounds, a sprawling cityscape built for large-scale simulations and, apparently, for leveling half of it in the name of "education."
Everyone filed out, already suited up in their hero costumes. Nervous energy buzzed through the air, as tension mixed with adrenaline.
On the opposite side stood nearly every teacher from U.A…. Aizawa, Cementoss, Thirteen, Lady Nagant, and others. It was an intimidating lineup, even for the confident ones.
Aizawa stepped forward, hands in pockets, face as tired as ever.
"Let's begin your practical exam." He said flatly, as though announcing something as mundane as morning attendance.
That alone made half the class straighten up.
"It is, of course, possible to fail this exam." He continued. "If you want to attend the training camp, then don't mess this up."
The words had an immediate effect. Spines stiffened, chatter died out. Everyone was painfully aware of the sheer number of pro heroes watching them.
I sighed inwardly. 'If failing could get me out of that camp, I might've done it and made use of the vacation. Sadly, that's not what would happen.'
"Knowing you," Aizawa went on, "you've probably been asking around and think you know how this works…"
"Wait— it's gotta be a robot rumble like the entrance exam!" Kaminari interrupted, eyes lighting up as he pumped his fist.
"Yeah! Bring on the bots!" Mina chimed in, already hyped.
Their enthusiasm lasted all of two seconds.
"Not quite!" A familiar high-pitched voice chirped from Aizawa's scarf.
Everyone's heads snapped toward the sound as Principal Nezu climbed out from the folds of fabric, before climbing down Aizawa to stand neatly on the ground.
"Due to various… circumstances," Nezu began, clasping his tiny paws together with an almost theatrical gravitas, "we've decided to revise the exam format!"
"A revision?" Momo asked, her brows knitting.
The tension in the air thickened. Every ounce of confidence the class had built up over the last week began to evaporate.
'I did know it wouldn't be robots.' I muse silently, resisting the urge to sigh aloud. 'But if I told them, they wouldn't learn anything. Definitely not because I didn't want to explain how I knew.'
Nezu continued, his tone cheerful yet heavy with meaning. "Given recent villain attacks, we've decided your training should more closely simulate real combat experience. Therefore…"
He paused dramatically, as if savoring the collective dread.
"You students will be… pairing up…"
He turned, gesturing to the lineup of teachers behind him.
"…and fighting one of the pro heroes you see here today!"
A wave of whispers spread through the students like wildfire.
I felt a flicker of unease as I scanned the teachers. Something wasn't adding up.
'Wait a second… where's All Might?'
I reached out with my awareness as my radar swept through the surrounding twenty kilometers, and found… nothing.
'He's not here?' My brow furrow. That didn't make sense. All Might would never sit out something like this.
Nezu's gaze flicked toward me at that exact moment, a small, knowing smile tugging at his lips, and my instincts immediately screamed trap.
"And Kata Okada…" Nezu says, his voice lilting with amusement.
My eyes narrow. "...Yes?"
"Your opponent…" His grin widens.
"...will be me!"
The ground shook slightly as an all-too-familiar voice boomed from directly behind us.
"I AM HERE!"
Every head turned, mine included. And there he stood, All Might, towering, radiant, and grinning like this was the best day of his life.
In that instant, everything clicked. The reason I couldn't sense him, why Nezu looked so smug.
I exhaled slowly, my expression flattening.
'Damn you, Nezu.'
For the first time in a long while, I felt genuine concern about an upcoming fight.
***************
A/N: Hello Everyone. How are you? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So yeah, the practical exam is finally starting. I'm mostly gonna do a few fight, summarise the rest, and then dive into Kata vs All Might. Initially I wanted to pair him with Todoroki, who'd run twice for bonus marks, but given the scale of the fight, I'm scared Todoroki will die in the background somewhere as collateral damage.
Eri's as adorable as always, conquering hearts wherever she goes, so Mirko's gonna pop up more frequently, which is cool. I'm a bit tired, so A/N might be quite short.
I guess, the last segment (cliffhanger-kun), is what you're most interested in. You guys can make guesses in the comments. What is happening, or how Nezu and All Might did it. It'd be interesting to see what you guys think. Either way, it's deeper than you believe (mysterious). So look forward to it.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead, and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
Anyway, that's all from me. I guess, I'm also feeling better after yesterday, so thanks to everyone for wishing me well, and good day or good night 😁