Born To Die {Private}

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    The Sports Festival. A huge event that almost everyone knew about. Most people looked forward to it or didn't care, but Ezra was finding herself trying to forget that it was happening. It was a lot of stress tacked up on the expectations that a certain someone had for her. Plus it'd be broadcasted. Everyone will be able to recognize her. So, Ezra definitely wasn't looking forward to it. And what about back home, where she usually hung out? Would people begin to not trust her since they didn't know her true job being there? God, it was frustrating. Still, Kaiya seemed determined, as well as most of the class. There were whispers about it in the halls, dares and bets made across lunch tables. It seemed like Ezra was one of the few in her opinions about it.


    Then the actual day came. They had changed into the typical UA gym uniform before being told to wait to be called. From there, someone would give some pledge or speech of some sort and then they would start. So that's what Ezra did. Her adrenaline was running high from being surrounded by so many nervous and excited students at once, but she figured it wouldn't last long. She was wrong.


    It seemed like an hour passed before someone finally came to the mic that was supposed to call them. When she heard the voice, the girl got up from where she was sitting on the ground and moved forward, relieved that this was finally getting a move on.


    "I am very sorry about the delay! The announcer was a no show today so I-" He suddenly stopped. Ezra noted that he was obviously nervous by the way he spoke, but was just trying to power through it. "I will have to take over today. Please excuse the rough start and let's get this show on the road!"


    The line was meant to get everyone excited and it worked for the most part, but there was still so much happening. There were seats right over the tunnel they were waiting in, meaning that Ezra could feel the frustration and relief coming from the crowd. There was no way she could pick people apart from emotions alone in a place like this. That was one of the more frustrating parts. Already it was so much. How bad would it be when the crowds were ramped up?


    "Ready?" Ezra looked to Kaiya as whoever the announcer was called their class' name. The class started moving forward, out into the light, under the stares of thousands. Being ready wouldn't do anything now.

    Out of everything that had happened, Kaiya couldn't decide if this was the best or worst thing to happen - the Sports Festival. She'd watched it on the television plenty of times before, but this was different. Actually participating and being in the festival meant so much more. At the same time, her nerves were on edge. Rika had called her to give her a full lecture on being careful. She'd told her that if she insisted on participating, then she wasn't allowed to get to the one on one fights. Claiming it would be dangerous if she were to be match up with someone who exhibited abilities like Ally had. And this time there'd be no Nagisa to cover for her and all eyes would be on only her and her opponent. So basically I have to flunk out as soon as possible. I don't like the idea, but I can have fun up until then, right?


    "Huh?" Kaiya had been lost in thought, as she often tended to be. "Oh. Uh. Right." She chuckled nervously and rubbed her arm. The longer the wait had been, the more time she had to get caught up in her own little world. By now she wasn't sure if reality or the things her imagination conjured up was worse. Letting out the air in her lungs, she refocused her attention. This was it. She needed to focus on her task before her. Right now she was simply suppose to join her class in entering the arena. That was simple enough. Even a klutz like her couldn't mess up something as easy as that, right?


    The sound of the crowd was buzzing with both excitement and confused murmurs about the delay. She briefly wondered at that. "I wonder why the announcer wouldn't be here.." She learned over to mumble to Ezra. Whispering wouldn't be heard over the noise, but she didn't want to yell either. "It's the biggest event of the year. Even the Top Ten Pro Heroes watch this despite being busy. Honestly I think the villains do too, if only to scope out their potential enemies and see their weaknesses." Maybe she thought too much into that, but it made sense to her for someone who wanted to destroy heroes to watch the upcoming ones in order to exploit their weaknesses.

    "Honestly I think the villains so too, if only to scope out their potential enemies and see their weaknesses." That, for some reason, caught her a little off guard. A little bit of an amused look was sent her way. It was hard to talk over everything so Ezra didn't try after asking a quick, "You think so?" The Top Ten though? Now that was some pressure. No wonder these kids were nervous.


    "Ok! Now onto what we're going to do?!" He sounded confused, probably since he didn't actually know. Ezra had to credit him for trying though. Nothing happened. Ezra waited for something, but after each passing second she could see the announcer get a little bit more nervous. Then he tilted his head ever so slightly, as if he were listening to something. "Oh! W=well! We are supposed to have our student speech first. Uhm..." There was a bit of whispering as he looked over a paper in his hands. It had been wrinkled from him scrunching it up in his worry, so it took another moment for him to smooth it out enough to read. This was... off to a rocky start. "Naoko? Please come to the stage."


    Ezra almost deadpanned right there when there were several girls starting to move forward. Oh god, he hadn't said a last name and- One girl, long purple hair flowing behind her, moved past all of the unsure girls, and up onto the stage. There was a cocky smile on her face that reminded her too much of Ally. It infuriated Ezra instantly. Why was she doing the speech?


    "I'm Naoko, here representing one of the best classes to ever exist." There were claps from around the stage, as well as in the crowd. Ezra's eyes narrowed. "So just know, that we will leave you guys in the dust." There was something in her tone that said, "I" but she had specifically used "we". Ezra didn't like it. With a bow that was a little too small, Naoko stepped off of the stage.


    "Well, well, well! You guys have quite the confidence!" The announcer commented before turning back toward something. "And now for the activity!" A screen dropped behind him, a spinning wheel popping up on screen. What was it going to be?


    "Fighting against fake villains?!" The picture of the robots that she had only heard about came up on screen. Her Quirk didn't do a single thing against that and she had nothing else to help her.


    Well... fuck.

    Kaiya hadn't been prepared for the sight on the board. Fake.. robotic villains? Wasn't that what they'd used for the entrance exam? She hadn't needed to take it, getting in on... well less than a recommendation it more like Rika demanding it because she needed somewhere to develop her quirk while also learning to be cautious about it. But now she would have to fight the robotic villains? She wondered if fighting them would be as difficult as it seemed. Did they have to destroy them? But that doesn't make sense, considering they have so many rules on our quirks when it comes to attacking villains. Only to capture them, and hand them over to the police who are the only ones allowed to make arrests. This doesn't make any sense. She let out a sigh.


    Her thoughts were dragging her into a whole other world, leaving her barely registering, once more, what those around her were getting excited about. She gave her cheeks a slap to wake herself up. She needed to focus on what was happening around her. Staring at the robots, she wondered if she would be able to go around them. Unless it was by points. Then that still didn't make any sense. Heroes are divided into categories. This is literally only for the entertainment of the world. Like you wouldn't send a fire quirk user to put out a fire. You'd send water. Just like you wouldn't send an empath or someone who didn't have a fighting-based quirk into a direct battle with things they cannot attack. Unless this is to see how creative we can get. Thankfully she had plenty of ideas already swirling.


    One of them revolved around getting the robots to attack each other in their attempts to get her. If they caused a smokescreen, she wouldn't have to worry about them being able to see her quirk. And in the recent classes with straining their quirks, she'd gotten better at taking more damage before she got exhausted and keeling over for a nap. Something like this she could possibly do. Or she could just avoid them entirely. Though... was it point based? That wasn't something they'd explained. She let out a sigh and glanced over to Ezra, remembering her friend didn't have a fighting type quirk either. "They really have something against us, don't they?" She giggled a bit, trying to lessen her concentration on over-thinking.

    There was confusion before the reactions to what was going on set in. Some people were excited, others didn't care much. It seemed like there were a few people who shared the same already defeated feeling though. They must not have Quirks to suit the fights either. It seemed like the fight was against anyone who didn't have a Quirk specifically for fighting. It really sucked. Still, this was going to be televised and that was even more anxiety inducing. After all, she would have to go home and hear the comments and critiques about the fights That was something she wasn't looking forward. Aside from that fact that this was all televised. Everyone could see and it would probably be stuck on the internet somewhere. That wasn't added pressure at all.


    "They really do," Ezra responded with a slight huff, listening to how the fight would go. Half of the perimeter of the Sports Festival would be used, the giant robots dropped along at random intervals. They had the same point system as they did in the Entrance Exam, which is an exam that Ezra didn't take. Did Kaiya take it? She didn't know. How did she get past thee robots then? They would have to attack, but would they attack each other? Or....


    "As for those unfortunate few who cannot attack them with fighting Quirks, there is an self destruct button on each robot. The higher the point, the harder it is to get to them." Well, she could also do that. Maybe. This really wasn't... it was fair, but she was at a huge disadvantage, It sucked is what it did. "Now! Let's start this!"

    Kaiya lit up at the thought of a self-destruct button. She'd been planning on finding a pipe or pole to use to pop off the heads of the robots, but a self destruct button sounded like much less effort. "It's so much easier to not have to worry so much about the robots, right? They're not actual people. If they were, I think it'd be a bit more difficult." She told Ezra. It would be something she wasn't sure about doing, that was for sure. How could she fight other people and hurt them? Because even if they hurt her all day long, she'd still eventually be able to win. Especially if she continued to work on her endurance for how long before her exhaustion kicks in and claims her. How funny, that my biggest weakness is my own self it seems.Her biggest liability was her own body and mind.


    With the start of the game - or contest, whatever they called it - Kaiya set out. She wasn't sure if she should go for multiple larger villains or the smaller ones. The bigger ones were more points, but unless she could create a screen from the watchful eyes of the world, she'd have to be careful to avoid injuries that were... well... extreme. That wasn't her strongest suit, being careful. Kaiya had wanted to take the entrance exam, so Rika had her do a test secretly to see what would happen. She'd ended up nearly skinned alive, large chunks of flesh missing or damaged from either the robot or her persistence. Ultimately it'd been decided it wasn't a good idea, and then she'd slept for a solid three days. One of her better naps, she would have to admit.


    Her eyes landed on a smaller robot. That one. She was barely able to dodge the attacks, and used them to hit the ground, causing debris to fly. It wasn't enough, though. Her mind was focused on where the self destruct button could be on this robot, and she noticed it was on one of it's arms. Great. She'd have to avoid being swatted like a fly. It was fine. If she was going to be a Pro Hero without fighting type quirks, she needed to be tactical and smart about some situations, like opponents who offered nothing but strength. She found a low-hanging power cable. It'd electrocute her, but that wasn't something that would be as noticeable of a wound as her arm or something. She grabbed it and yanked, feeling the tingling buzz of the electricity. It tickled more than anything, though she knew the longer she held it, the more damage it would cause. She spotted a collection of wires behind the robot's knee and stabbed the sparking cable inside, watching the robot twist and spasm. Not pausing to think about it, she left the robot on the ground, and lured others to follow her. As soon as they were close enough, she slammed her hand against the self destruct button, but stayed in a close enough range that the other robots wouldn't move.


    Risky, but they're higher points and all of them exploding will cause a big enough blast that it'll hide my wounds. If I can just get out of sight and hide for a bit in a building or in alleyways just enough to hide from the cameras before finding other targets, I think I can make it. The explosion sent her flying into one of the other robots, and she scrambled for it's self destruct button at the nape of it's neck, pushing it and using the robot to push herself away from the next explosion. Her lungs were burning with the inhalation of smoke, though she could already feel them expelling the smoke and healing the damage. Her skin tingled with all of the little cuts from flying shrapnel pieces, one giving her a nasty wound on her arm. Ah.. I forgot that my training suit is going to be completely damaged if I do that.. I might have to find another way...


    She limped towards the nearest alley, unable to see very well through the smoke as each robot continued to explode from the other one either falling into it or from the one self-destructing. She could kind of hear the voice of the announcer over the speaker, but her ears were ringing from being in such close proximity. Kaiya was panting by the time she reached the alley, already feeling more exhausted than she'd expected. It would be so easy to just... stay there and sleep...No! Get up. If this were a real fight, the villains would still be out there. I have to keep going. She pushed herself up and walked the length of the alley, trying to figure out where the next best place would be. Her next strategy. Her wounds were mostly healed by the time she left the alley, though her exhaustion still clung to her like her hero suit.

    "I don't know about that," Ezra disagreed, shaking her head slightly. She didn't want to make it too obvious she was talking during announcements. The cameras would pick it up though, that she knew. "Humans are easier to control and beat down, tire out. Robots don't tire, they're hard to damage, and my Quirk does absolutely nothing." The last bit had a little bit of an irritated tone to it. Robots were irritating. Plus she didn't have any experience against them, which was a bit worrying. They were sort of intimidating in the picture, though they might not as be as intimidating as Ezra thought if they were smaller than she thought they were. UA seemed to love to go all out with things though, so Ezra doubted that they would be smaller.


    As soon as the event started, Ezra was off as well as all of the other students. They were looked more determined though. Each step of one of the large, metal beasts shook the ground a little. Nope, UA definitely went all out for this one. Of course. they would. With a sigh, Ezra locked on to her first target.


    The timer went off and Ezra stood up straighter as the dust settled. She managed to take down another one at the last moment. More points for her. Still, she hadn't been as efficient as she wanted, especially when all of these robots kept kicking up all of the dust that got in her eyes. She raised her arms, resting her forearms on the top of her head, allowing her breath better. The nearby robot seemed to power down as well, which was a relief.


    "Everyone come to the front"

    Kaiya was one of the last to make it to the front, despite being closer to it than some. She had needed to take it slow to allow herself more time to recover from the larger-scale wounds, and she knew she was already feeling a bit of fatigue. Each type of wound took different amounts of time to heal. Ones that were made clean like blades and physical weapons healed quite quickly, no matter the size. Less damaged tissue than something like being blown up, where millions of cells were damaged in the skin. Did I get enough of them? I took out quite a few of the larger ones. Rika is going to yell at me so much if she was watching me. Standing in the front, she still hid her forearm by crossing it over her chest, to hide the still-healing wound. It burned against the cloth of her school suit, but it couldn't be helped.


    The announced those who were continuing, showing their scores. She was a bit excited and relieved to see that she'd gotten through. Nagisa had barely made it, which surprised her that she'd done better than he had. Though she did remember illusions were more his strong suit than fighting was. But he still had made it, which was good! And his quirk was extremely beneficial for him. Especially when fighting against people. She was a bit surprised his Hero name hadn't been something like 'Nightmare' due to his ability to create realistic illusions. Though he had to study a lot and see a bunch of movies and read books to imagine clearly horrifying monsters that he could create from that memory.


    We are going into the one on one rounds soon. This is going to get intense. She thought, after making it past the next couple of games. She was grateful they were given a break. She needed a nap. The match-ups for the fights were being selected and they were able to take a break and prepare for their fights. Kaiya had opted for visiting recovery girl so that she could take a nap at her booth, but the woman was already scolding her about how reckless she had been against the robots in the first round. She cringed at her tone. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. I just wanted to do a good job. If I don't... I'll ruin Rika's reputation as a good hero for not raising me right. I have to show that she did good with me. And you know I'll be fine. So long as I rest and make sure I use what I can to hide if I'm hit." She kept her voice low, so that passerby's couldn't hear her. Letting out a sigh, she slumped into a chair next to her. "I just need to take a nap for now. Whose fight is first?"

    Ezra made her way up to the front, looking over the scores. So she had made it, but barely. If she was a second later to take down that last robot... That was pure luck, not skill. There was a sigh of something akin to relief, though relief was not the right thing. She was relieved in a way, but she didn't actually want to continue. There were disappointed sighs, and defeated groans. Everyone had tried their best, but not everyone could possibly get through Ezra was simply lucky that there weren't more people who were more suited to the test. It was as if her fate was decided by a simple coin toss.


    The next event was announced shortly after the points were shown. One on one fights. Amazing. Ezra was not looking forward to it. Perhaps this is the time when she could just... not go on with the festival. Fighting with the others in such a small space with everyone watching? Everyone's emotions were interfering with her trying to detect it. It would be near impossible to use it around the pure amount of people around. She couldn't spot Kaiya anywhere, but they were directed toward the bleachers. They were seated by class too. Some of the people, like Saori, were directed back toward Recovery Girl to recover before the fights went on. Ezra had made a quick stop, before most of the students got there, and then headed back to the bleachers. Exhaustion pulled at her due to the healing, but Ezra was used to feeling tired. It wasn't that hard to deal with. Now that was out of the rest of the festival, she had plenty of time to rest. It was just unfortunate that they were being watched to make sure no one slipped away. Otherwise, she would take a nap.


    "I will be watching the fights. Here, we can turn on the TV if you'd like to watch." The TV clicked on, the Sports Festival already on TV. "Looks you have some time before your fight so get some rest now. You need it after being that reckless." There was no real heat behind the words. The door opened and another student talked in, looking a bit sheepish. Saori was rubbing her neck awkwardly, closing the door behind her. She only seemed to shrink in a little at the sight of Kaiya.


    "Oh, hey there, Kaiya. You're here too? Did you get hurt as well? Those robots were pretty tough." She tugged a little bit at the bandages wrapped around her arms, stained with red. Luckily, it just took a single kiss from Recovery Girl to heal the wounds, but now she was even more tired. Perhaps healing wasn't a good idea, especially with the fights coming up. "Oh! Did you see the roster? I have a paper with it all listed down since I wanted to keep track. We actually might fight each other- I'm going up against someone else first, and so are you, but if we both progress then..."

    She flinched at Recovery Girl's words, despite a lacking heat behind them. The only thing that made her feel better about being around Recovery Girl was that her exhaustion seemed to make sense to those around her - Recovery Girl healed her and so she was tired. They didn't even really think that her own abilities caused her exhaustion. Kaiya noticed the marks on Saori's arms, though she didn't linger her gaze on them for more than a split second. Despite this, she was surprised by her words. We may fight each other? She prevented herself from looking at Saori's arms, but she already knew that she wouldn't let her newest friend hurt herself for a meaningless fight. As a superhero she could accept it was different. Saori would be saving people by hurting herself. Saving people was the goal. However, this? For a festival for the entertainment of those around her? It reminds me too much of my parents.. My quirk being toyed with for their own curiosity and amusement as well as their horror. I have to compete in this competition and do my best, but I don't have to play by the rules entirely. And she wasn't intending on allowing them to guilt her into doing something light fighting Saori. "Well, I guess I'll just have to look forward to it. I'm sure I can win my fight." My endurance is probably longer than theirs in terms of wounds and energy. I've built up a lot more endurance before I exhaust myself to the point of passing out with my homeroom teacher and my own training.


    For now, she was going to take a short nap. She let out a small yawn and laid down on the bed, curling up on her side. It didn't take her long before her eyes drooped close, allowing herself to rest. The voice and shaking startled her, and she immediately lashed out, grabbing the offending arm and twisting it. Blinking, she noticed it was only Nagisa, who was staring at her in mild surprise and pain at her reaction. Coughing, Kaiya let go of his arm and mumbled out an apology. Where the reflex had come from, she'd rather not mention it. The last time she had been shaken awake... it always use to be for more torture. Despite her own lack of fear for death, her body still remembered the pain it went through. Sometimes she reacted without knowing why she did it. Like the time she ran away from Juno, not wanting to fight her adopted brother just so he could see her quirk in action. He was probably glued to the TV and watching every moment she was out there. "Sorry Nagisa, I didn't mean to do that."


    "Not a problem, but I was told to come get you. Your first fight is about to be up." She perked up. It wasn't going to be the easiest thing to defeat her opponent without fighting aggressively, and having to remember that because of her ability to recover her hits wouldn't lose power like another person, whose arms or legs would begin to grow tired. When she got out into the large arena, she felt as though she were a toy on display, or even a video game character. People really got a kick out of watching students fight each other to prove who was the best? She glanced to her opponent, who looked excited. How could students so carelessly show off their skills when the whole world could see it? Didn't they realize the risk they were putting themselves at? But then again... My biggest goal is to hide my quirk, so maybe that's why I think about it so much. It was different for them, who were always told to do their best and show off their skills, prove their potential.


    She let out a sigh, almost not hearing the match. Kaiya wasn't prepared for the student's fists to grow in size. Oh. Lovely. She'd have to avoid those. The student swung an arm, and Kaiya ducked out of the way, only to receive a hit from the other arm. She was sent flying, though still within the bounds of the arena. Coughing, she could tell that anyone else who had received such a blow might have actually been knocked out in that one hit, if not extremely weakened by it. Not only were his fists larger, but his speed didn't dramatically decrease either. She'd bet that he spent a lot of time working on speeding up his movements while activating his quirk. Kaiya was wary of both fists now, dodging each hit and taking a couple, without landing any of her own - though she wasn't truly trying. They wanted a show, but she didn't desire to give them one. Each hit took small amounts of time to recover - they didn't break the skin nor were they in places where bruising would be prominent. Letting out a sigh, she knew she should end it before the guy started to question when she was going to use her quirk. Kaiya ducked and jumped through the swing of the arms, having drawn the guy so close to the edge of the arena that he didn't even realize where they were. Or if he did, he thought he would surely push her out of it. Using a bit more energy to increase her speed, Kaiya managed to avoid his arms and get behind him, putting all of her strength into her legs to shove him out of the arena with a kick.


    His fists shrunk as he stumbled out of the area and fell down, Kaiya feeling the sweat from her pores dripping down her face, wiping it away with an arm. She was already feeling a bit sleepy, each hit having delivered quite the damage for her to heal. Even with each hit's power decreasing as he went, she'd managed to wear him out until his movements had slowed, it was the only way she had a chance of getting him out of the ring. But it took a toll on her, as one hit had definitely dislocated her shoulder, to which she'd tried to subtly pop back into place by going in close and taking another hit just so they were focused on his hit and not her quick movement. That hadn't been something she'd really enjoyed, and her body was nearly trembling at the pain it was feeling. Letting out a few breaths, Kaiya felt her knees collapse, plopping down in the middle of the arena. The other student was already being taken back to rest, but Kaiya couldn't move her body more than to give a thumbs up, a yawn leaving her lips before she passed out in the arena. She was carried out by some of the staff, and taken to Recovery Girl once more for a nap.

    Saori gave her a thumbs up and a grin when Kaiya had stated that Kaiya could probably win her own fight. Saori had no doubt about it. She had to get going because her fight was the first one up. Kaiya looked tired anyway, so Saori slipped out of the clinic with a thank you and a goodbye. It was time to see what kind of opponent she was going to go up against now.



    The first fight had been Saori's. Ezra had recognized her from the first night in the dorms, and then from whenever she came up to Kaiya throughout the day. Ezra, personally, had not made friends with the short haired girl, but it seemed like her and Kaiya were friends. Ezra never got to the bottom of why Saori had felt that fear during that one night. Ezra wasn't going to pry either and Kaiya hadn't brought it up if she knew. The cheering crowd as the two people walked out into the ring was insane. It was so loud everywhere. Still, she had no idea what Saori's Quirk was. Ally was gone and Kaiya had been kidnapped. If Ezra just focused on their class, it would be suspicious. Still, helpful Quirks were helpful. Kai was picky too so...


    The fight was over quickly. Saori had made quick work of the other contender. The other person had seemingly controlled plants, which nearly threw Saori out of the ring a couple times and trapped her another time until the blood blades on her arms had cut through them like they were nothing. Ezra could tell that it hurt. Kai's body wouldn't be able to handle that. Ezra was mildly impressed. Saori wasn't the best, but she would grow and learn a lot to become dangerous. Her biggest weakness was how she used her Quirk right then. The class was seated pretty close to the ring, much closer than most of the other audience. Ezra could see the look on Saori's face. Despite looking like she couldn't hurt a fly usually, she was actually pretty intimidating when she was angry. Though, it looked like she was losing control over her quirk, blood dropping onto the ground as she moved around the arena. They still in its liquid state instead of crystallizing. So she couldn't hold it up for very long. There was no way she was going to win then.


    At that moment, the plant based quirk holder stepped into the middle of the ring, blood drops on all sides of them. They threw out their hand to attack Saori again, but giant red spikes shot up from the ground from the blood splatters. It caught the contenders arm, a small trickle of blood running down it, earning a cry from them. They had nowhere to go now, trapped in a crystal prison. Of course, the plants could save them, but Saori was walking closer now, holding the blade up to them and talking. Ezra couldn't hear what they were saying, but the trapped student gave the signal that they gave in.


    Ezra was surprised that they would just give in like that when they could do something about being trapped. It was clear that they were both tired, but... Ezra had to remind herself that these weren't really dangerous. The students were just students and this was just a festival. They weren't fights that would actually put their lives in danger or anything. The crystals broke as they returned to the liquid state, but the ones of her arms stayed. Perhaps her own quirk was a little more dangerous to herself than she thought. Saori made sure the other contender was okay, talked a little, then bowed as she left the stadium. Probably to Recovery Girl.



    More fights passed by. The crowd seemed to be hyped for each and every one of them. Ezra had found herself a bit more interested in them. Some of these students were coming up with really interesting ways to completely destroy whatever problems they were having with their opponent. Some of these fights were over in a matter of seconds while others took way longer than Ezra would've liked. Still, it was interesting to see what they did since Ezra didn't come up with a lot of the solutions on her own. She also didn't know the quirks of people outside of her own class and then some so it made sense.


    However, soon enough, Kaiya's own name came up on screen. Ezra saw what could she was heal and the protective streak that Kaiya normally showed. However, there was no one to protect this time around. What would Kaiya do? What type of game plan would she go for? Kaiya seemed to be impulsive in a way, which reminded Ezra of Kai. She didn't think that they were quite impulsive in the same way but...


    The fight dragged on a little bit, but it was ended with a kick that sent the other contestant flying out of the ring. Ezra was impressed on how long she was able to hold up, though now Kaiya was dropping. Ezra knew that she wasn't injured, hurt yes, but not injured. Staff had to come get her. The other fights would go on for a while longer and then... Ezra looked toward the board of who was fighting who. Saori and Kaiya would be going up against each other. Saori rarely used her Quirk against people, instead going for something like she did before where it trapped people or got rid of obstacles. However, Kaiya had none of those and could heal. Saori would be forced to use it against her then.


    Ezra got up, absolutely tired of just sitting around. Watching the fights and analyzing had been fun for awhile, but she needed to do something else right now. Plus everyone around her was cheering so loudly that she could feel the beginnings of a headache. Somewhere quieter would be nice. Maybe she would go check up on Kaiya now. They would just bring her to Recovery Girl, right?


    The door to the clinic opened and revealed the blue haired girl completely uninjured, like Ezra had known.


    "Kaiya, good job on that match. Resting before the next one?" Ezra asked, coming in to sit in one of the chairs, just telling the doctor that she was there to talk real quick and would leave since this seemed to displease Recovery Girl. Kaiya would be really tired after healing like that, Ezra had learned, so she would really have to leave soon so that Kaiya could sleep.

    Kaiya blinked and shrugged her shoulders a bit. "I guess." She wasn't planning on fighting Saori. Recovery Girl's quirk would make the other girl tired as well, and with how much she'd used it in her fight, even if it had been a while ago... She wouldn't do it. "I just figured it'd be kinda suspicious to hang out with everyone. Those hits were hard enough that I think I almost cracked a rib taking one of them." She was a bit stiff in moving her arm, though it was almost entirely healed up. "I don't really bruise, either. Which I should have some if I were normal. But even most people who have quirks similar to mine.. well.. they can only heal so many wounds or take so much damage. I.. ah.. didn't wanna scare anyone. I'm completely fine other than being ready for a nap. I already rested enough for my wounds to be good, but Recovery Girl's quirk would have me stay in here for..." She glanced at the clock. "About another ten minutes before I should be fine, normally."


    In all the years she had known Recovery Girl - which were a lot of years and she was suppose to pretend she didn't know her - she had learned how much faster her quirk healed her than Recovery Girl's quirk. She stretched a little. "I already got into trouble with Rika for getting this far into the festival. I was suppose to drop out in the first game against the robots, but I just... I couldn't sit there and let people think that just because you may not have a strong fighting quirk that you're useless against things like giant robots. I.. I guess my main goal for that was just to show the kids out there who have something like our quirks... more mental or not attack-type quirks.. that they could do it too. Just think outside of the box and they can succeed." She realized how stupid that likely sounded and shook her head a moment, rubbing the back of her neck. "Ah, just ignore me."


    Rika is going to be even more upset with me for throwing this next match. But I won't fight Saori. Not for entertainment. I didn't even really fight my previous match.. What was his name again? I can't remember. But I won't... watch someone hurt themselves... just so that others can be in awe of something.


    The fight came up sooner than expected. She let out a breath of air as she made her way into the arena, looking at Saori. No one would suspect what she was planning to do with the look of determination written across her face, but it was for a different reason. Kaiya was gearing herself up for the backlash of her actions. For what she was about to do. Getting so far and then simply walking out. Especially because her quirk would be something effective against Saori so long as she fought her off. But she wouldn't do that. Wouldn't watch her friend cut her arms and hurt herself in front of her, draining out her blood. The pain of going through exsanguination was not something she would wish upon her worst enemy. It was slow and while she didn't think Saori would have to do that, she had lost a lot of blood already today in the Sports Festival. How much more did her body have at the moment to lose before it became dangerous?


    Kaiya glanced around to everyone, and then looked to Saori. As soon as the cue was given for them to fight, she looked at the short haired girl before her. "I'm sorry, Saori-san. But I won't fight someone who has to hurt themselves to activate their quirk. Not for the entertainment of others. Not when... you've already lost so much blood today." She stepped backwards, out of the ring.

    Saori felt terrible for Kaiya. This would be going against how she typically used her Quirk, but she also knew that matchups like this were going to happen and it wouldn't be for some event. It would be a real life or death situation. There would be no going easy there. She was prepared, though the guilt was refusing to be smothered. This was just a chance for them both to prove that their Quirks were not something to put down. That they were good people. Saori would make sure not to go overboard and she would still use her typical traps to try and get Kaiya to submit.


    So the girl walked out onto the ring with a determined look, already planning her next moves. She could hold out. She had slept and healed a little bit, just to make sure she had enough blood. Apparently she made it faster than most people, but she found herself needing a little bit more, just in case.


    "I'm sorry, Saori-san." She's... sorry? Saori was about to tell her that it was fine and to just do her best, that she wouldn't be angry if Kaiya was the victor, but then Saori caught on. Her face changed to one of surprise and the girl put out her arm to try and stop her, but it was too late. The fastest fight yet. While some part of her was actually relieved that she wouldn't have to fight against someone as tough as Kaiya, there was a little bit of anger. This was to show that Saori could handle it, that she wouldn't have to be taken care of when she became a hero and yet here was Kaiya, stepping down because of Saori's Quirk before the fight even started.


    The match was called and they were sent back, the next people already coming out. Saori drew in a breath, actually laughing a little. Ah, she should've known. Kaiya was too sweet to fight someone with a Quirk like hers. Well.. at least she should rest before whoever she was going up against. The nap had helped of course, but she was still tired. The extra sleep might give her the advantage in the next round.

    The stunned silence of the stadium rang in her ears, but she refused to regret her decision, no matter what anyone had told her. She let out a breath, walking towards the exit. Once she left, she was surrounded by a couple of news stations, asking if she backed out from fear, or what she had to say to the hero companies who may have been looking at her who she just disappointed. Her blue eyes filled with anger, and she stared into the camera, eyes narrowed. "What do I have to say? You mean you'd rather watch me fight someone who could possibly use too much blood and cause serious injury just to entertain you? I would not ruin her chance to prove herself a worthy hero if I thought it would do any good, but this is ridiculous." The questions continued, asking if she had a comment to Rika, her mother, and about the kidnappings. She swallowed, looking at the cameras and sighing.


    "Look, students learning to become Pro Heroes are out here flashing off their quirks strengths and weaknesses. The Pro Heroes aren't the only ones watching us out there. The villains pay attention to us as well. The ones who took me wanted to take quirks. Mine wasn't useful to them, so I guess I got lucky. But you're flaunting out your best quirks to the world. UA is under attack and yet you're more focused on why I just forfeited possibly glory for entertainment? I want to be a hero. I want to help people. That's my goal. Not fighting to prove who is the best. It's not a competition. Anyone can help others." She stated, but was quickly ushered away by one of the faculty members, immediately being scolded about the things she said. Kaiya blinked, looking at the lady. "You wanted me to stay quiet about the truth all of you are overlooking? This is so dangerous to hold this festival knowing what has been happening! All of you are fools!" She never felt so frustrated in her life.

    //So I didn't know my neighbors got a dog and they just came outside to call her in. You know what they named her? They named her Kaiya. So now I've been listening to them call her for a couple minutes and every time I hear it, Im like ?!


    Ezra was a bit stunned, as was the rest of the crowd it seemed. Kaiya had just backed out so easily. The match didn't even really start and it was over. Saori looked upset but then she seemed to get over it. Grab a free when whenever you can, Ezra concluded. If Kaiya didn't want to participate then she didn't need too. However, the reporters were on her like vultures right after. It would only prepare Kaiya for the media once she became a hero. It was a weird thought, since Ezra's entire mission was to... well, stop all of that. Kaiya seemed to be rather true to what a hero should be though, so it didn't bother Ezra didn't too much. There was still an inkling of uneasiness with the idea. One day, they may have to go up against each other again. his time it wouldn't be a friendly spar, but something far more serious. Kaiya was an opponent, and a dangerous one at that.


    Everyone was leaning close to friends, chatting about what just happened with the match. Ezra had no one to talk to. She knew Kaiya, Saori seemed o be a bit nervous around her, and... that was it really. She knew the other students. Knew most of their quirks and personalities, but they knew nothing about Ezra. There were other observant people in the class, but Ezra had made sure not to reveal too much. Everything was fabricated when she had talked about stuff. Or vague truths paired with half truths. No one was a friend. There was at least a hundred students around her right now and yet, she was alone.. She couldn't comment what she wanted, nor could she act like she typically did. It was tiring and lonely. Seeing the other kids be so close to each other made a slight frown come upon her face. It wasn't long before she could go home and cause havoc with the people know knew her.



    A reporter clambered forward, the microphone being pushed forward. She had been stunned by what the student was saying, not used to people speaking controversial opinions so openly. It would certainly be something that would drag in the views. Question after question came from them and yet this young girl didn't look fazed in the slightest. She would probably be the media's favorite when she grew older, especially she was actually answering the questions. A staff member come forward and stole her away, and after they realized that no one was going to get to her any longer, they all scattered like roaches trying to find the next victim.


    The response that the staff received only increased her anger. Kaiya had always seemed different the school was aware of her story from the start, but this was a little much. Opinions were fine, but what she was doing reflected on the school as a whole, on the teachers. If they got a bad rep because of the nonsense that she was spitting out, everyone was going to be in trouble. Not only were her opinions wrong, but she had said them all over the news! The scolding did nothing, only making Kaiya insult them all.


    "We will decide what to do when you arrive back at school," The well dressed woman had said, having enough of her attitude. "There will be consequences for being so disrespectful. Now go sit back with the rest of your class."

    Kaiya stared at the faculty member, clenching her teeth. The only thing these people cared about were their reputation. They didn't even seem to care much about the fact that one of their students were missing! She stared at the lady, opening her mouth to snap back more of what she felt, but knew it would be useless. Hands trembling in fists at her side, she shut her mouth and swallowed back the venomous words that left her lips. "Do whatever you please with me. I won't be afraid to speak the truth you're all too afraid and ashamed to face. Students getting kidnapped, despite it not being on campus, villains getting into the school and attacking, one of your students disappearing. These are things people notice. And all you're going is trying to hide them." She spoke with a calm that contrasted the anger in her eyes. At her sides, her hands relaxed and she began walking back towards where her class was seated, but paused and half turned towards the woman.


    "I'm not your puppet to demand anything of. I'll go sit with my class because I have a friend over there waiting for me. Your consequences do not scare me. What you view as disrespect... You don't realize how fast your entire world could have come to crumbling had the villain decided to keep my quirk as his own. Nothing could stop him. No one. If he held quirks that could also attack and my own? And, what? You're going to let the world thing it's safe? You aren't being a hero. You're afraid. Scared of what the people will think. I'm not trying to be a puppet or a superstar for you to control and dress up as you see fit. I've done it before. I never want to go back to that. But, if you want to stop me, perhaps sew my mouth shut?" She walked off, ignoring the lady as she returned to her seat. There were stares, but she felt upset still. The emotions weren't so easy to shake off, despite offering small smiles.


    "Kaiya, I cannot believe you just said that!" A boy from her class spoke, staring at her. What was his name again? She thought a moment, and recalled him to be named Rei. She offered a half smile to the boy, shrugging her shoulders because it wasn't the biggest deal on the planet. Her outburst was going to get her into some serious trouble with Rika, and she knew what she had done was careless, but she wasn't wrong. Everyone else just didn't understand the danger. Her quirk alone was something that any villain who got their hands on it could do some serious damage with. And now... she almost wondered if the heroes were right? With how they treated quirk users... they were almost like objects in themselves. She recalled the first run-in she'd had with Stain. He was a vigilante, though he had been talking about how heroes were no longer true heroes. It almost seemed like he was right, at this point.


    Blinking out of her thoughts, she realized the student was still staring at her, as well as a few others. Had she not replied to his comment? She thought about it and realized she had once again gotten lost in thought. "My goal is to become a hero to help people. Helping people is what the point of being a hero is, right? So then... why are they treating it like a competition? As though we are simply game pieces for their own amusement? Am I helping anyone right now, by fighting my friends to the point of needing Recovery Girl to heal me? Am I helping anyone by hurting them, and showing off their potential weaknesses on live television? Do you really think villains don't watch the Sports Festival and take note of future heroes who might pose as a problem? They're not stupid." She let out a sigh. "I'm probably not the only one who feels that way either. Many parents don't support their child becoming a Pro Hero because of the risks and power of villains. We have a disadvantage because villains are secret and don't post live footage of things like their training or their upcoming trainees. We didn't know a thing about who we were going up against when we were attacked, right? But now they know about us. Who we are. Our quirks. Weaknesses. Strengths. Intelligence levels."

    Kaiya wearing the irritation like a second skin. The small smiles looked real enough, but even in them it was obvious that she was upset by something. The office lady walked out of the tunnels next as the two next students came forward and Ezra didn't need her Quirk to tell what she was feeling. Did Kaiya do that? Dang. Ezra was a little impressed. Students were leaning over the seats to talk to Kaiya who looked like she was in the middle of some sort of speech. Some of the students look impressed, but she caught one of the guys rolling his eyes as if he thought of it as annoying. Kaiya didn't have the most well received opinions, Ezra knew, but acting as if they were over the top was a little annoying. The blue haired girl was seated only a couple seats away, so technically Ezra could go over and join the conversation, but there seemed to be enough people there already. She still listened and she couldn't find herself really disagreeing. Kai had used previous Sports Festivals to scout out people, Pro Heroes and students alike. Not only that, but he watched all of them and they held a lot of information. It was a good scout, like Kaiya had said. It seemed to unnerve a couple of the students though.


    "I guess.... I'm kinda glad I'm not participating anymore." One of them commented, looking toward the fight that was beginning. "I never thought about it like that..."


    "But how else are Pro Heroes supposed to scout us out? And, if we can't even handle friendly spars, then how are we supposed to take on real villains who are trying to kill us?" Ezra couldn't disagree with that point either. "It may be entertainment for some, but there are reasons behind it."

    "I'm not trying to invalidate any of those points." She responded, letting out a sigh. Her exhaustion was already starting to kick him. She just wanted a nap. And she partially wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. Am I always wrong about everything? Am I so much of a freak that even my views are wrong? I'm just... not suppose to be here. But it's not like I can just die. She supposed she hadn't quite considered the Pros scouting them, as they all wished to show off their quirks for that very reason. "I just don't feel it's smart to ignore the facts that it's dangerous. Our quirks are public information. Just... hear me out without rolling your eyes, yeah?" She'd noticed the eye roll. She was quite perceptive. "Imagine a villain who can hold multiple quirks. Seems unreasonable or impossible of course, but we don't really know much about them other than they're doing bad things." She wasn't about to bring up her opinion on villains to begin with. "Someone who had Ally's intense firepower and my healing. Kinda scary to think about, no?"


    She shook her head. "Those villains who attacked us, we don't know their weaknesses. We got lucky in that fight because they decided to leave on their own. Had they not left, we'd honestly probably be dead." Or, you guys would have anyways. I could only dream of it. She then shrugged her shoulders, trying to let her irritation roll off of her by breathing deeply. "How you feel is up to you. I'm not trying to change your mind. All I did was answer how I felt. Why I stepped out of the arena. And you have a right to how you feel." Why should what they think or say bother me? It's not like they'll be alive in a hundred years. Probably less for most of them. Heroes get killed. They die in the line of duty. Villains are smart and they're secretive. "Just ignore me. What do I know, right?"


    Except I see the wounds Rika comes home with sometimes. The close calls, the brushes with near-death. How shaken up she seems after it, despite her being well-known for her unwavering courage. It's a fake show she puts on. She cries too. She comes home sometimes, and wraps Juno in a hug and whispers how much she loves him and appreciates him and how much she worries. It's not easy work but they're all blind to the glory and how fun it seems. She swallowed, feeling a shudder go down her spine. So much no one ever thought about. So much seemed wrong to her but everyone thought she was the crazy one for her views. But then, hadn't it been the same when quirks first appeared?


    Even watching the rest of the matches, she wasn't really focused. She was glad that the last match seemed to take the heat off of her, not that she really minded it. She's been called much worse. She called herself much worse than her classmates. Kaiya knew she would have consequences for her actions, though it'd mostly come from Rika. And boy would she have some things to say to her. Her opinion had gotten her scolded plenty of times before. If I hadn't wanted to become a hero, and had become a villain instead, none of you would have been able to stop me. I'd know everything. All of your weaknesses, your limits, your flaws and your strengths. I could study it all in these fights because you go all out to impress the heroes. I just don't want to watch any of you show up on the news as a kidnapped victim or dead... they're after us... and everyone is turning a blind eye to it. Staring at the fight happening below, it was getting intense. She wasn't sure she recognized either of the students, but she realized it was partially because her vision was blurring. Her hands were clenched tightly in her lap, hot tears silently dripping down her cheeks, unnoticed by her peers. One day it won't matter. You'll all be dead anyways and it'll just be me. I'll be the only one left. I will have to watch all of you die one way or another...

    Eventually the conversations stopped and Kaiya was left alone, as everyone's sights were set on cheering on their classmates or reassuring the ones who came to sit with them after their place got finalized. Ezra didn't pay much attention, though some part of her was always listening, always watching what was going on around her. She began to get nervous though, finding it harder to sit still. Something felt wrong. After a moment she realized it was someone else's feeling that was interfering with her own. The girl took a deep breath and then looked around. Her eyes instantly landed on Kaiya. Now, this was something she had done countless times before. Without saying a word, the light haired girl got up and walked over to Kaiya, grabbing the nearly crying girl's wrist and tugging on it a little, silently telling Kaiya to follow her.


    Ezra wasn't exactly sure what she was doing. Sienna had times like this. She had been with Sienna long enough to know what helped and what made it worse. However, she didn't know Kaiya. She didn't know Kaiya well enough to reassure her, nor did she know if that would help anyway. So instead, Ezra found a quiet spot in the tunnels, a bit away from the holding rooms. It was quiet here, so it should be a bit calmer. Ezra let go of her wrist, before leaning against the wall. It took a minute for the girl to find what she wanted to say.


    "You looked like you needed to get away from everything for a moment. ...You okay?"

    Kaiya had been stunned to feel herself moving, having zoned out on her surroundings. She glanced around, noticing they were no longer around the crowd. Quickly she moved to wipe her tears with the palms of her hands. A smile quickly replacing her sorrowful expression. "Hm? Yeah. Yeah I'm good." She forced a bit of a wider expression on her face. "I just... watching people get hurt..." She swallowed. "Fighting and hurting others for entertainment. I guess it... ah... hits a bit too close to home." Her forced smile faded slowly, one hand moving up to grab her other arm, feeling exposed all of a sudden. What was she suppose to say? She was crying during a time everyone else was pumped up and excited.


    For a moment she didn't say anything, though it was brief. "Remember when we were with the guy who took us? I wasn't lying when I said I knew what burning flesh felt like. Let's just say I'm adopted for a reason. Not the best parents, from what I've read." She scratched at her neck briefly, wanting to curl up in a hole. Ezra could feel her emotions, right? That would be difficult, considering hers were always all over the place. "I must have unsettled you, I figure... emotions, right?" She bit her lip, glancing towards the ground. "I'm sorry. I'm not the best with dealing with things. I'll try get better with them. I don't want to mess with your quirk or anything and how it works." She didn't understand her quirk well, but it had to of been that which caught her attention.


    She shifted her weight from foot to foot, remaining silent. Great, now you've gone and bothered yet another classmate because of your stupid emotions. Why am I even here? How can I be a hero if everything I believe in is wrong? What's the point of trying? Her chest felt tight, but she refused to cry more. She felt the build up, clenching her teeth to hold them back. Swallowing, she took a few deep breaths. You won't ever become a hero this way. Think happy thoughts. Think about what All Might said a long time ago. He didn't think I was a monster. And he's the number one hero. Think about that home you wanna create for people who suffered. About why you want to become a hero in the first place. It's not about anyone around you. It's about helping people who need help. About doing it the right way and not becoming a vigilante, though I will if I have to.