Lemons
Cyadical
Damycles
Supermaxx
Izurich
pkken
Noctis
Yankee
Asura
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𝔇𝔦𝔞𝔩𝔬𝔤𝔲𝔢 𝓒𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔯 || #F50A83 ||| 𝔗𝔥𝔬𝔲𝔤𝔥𝔱 𝓒𝔬𝔩𝔬𝔯 || #0A8BF5
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As Ezra knelt and explained himself, Fumika nodded, giving a quiet "Oh." Indeed, his explanation made sense, and now that she thought about it, the structural blueprints she had of most people she'd recorded had similar space between their knuckles, so his explanation of the sound made sense, even if she was too exhausted to verify it by recording him herself. Of course, her questions were now answered, so it didn't really bother her when Jett approached and addressed the not-tree himself, striking up a conversation of their own. It sounded like they'd gotten into a fight during the exercise, but she stopped paying attention shortly after that point because the mean Yoshida walked into the room, accompanied by two people she didn't recognize.
As the map popped up, Fumika froze, then blinked, then stared very intently, as if this would reveal everything. Then she realized that she had no idea what any of the colors on it were supposed to indicate, so she had no idea what it meant - at least, until the teacher explained. As she'd feared, the attack force she'd advised hadn't been able to take Point C, but even more surprising was that, somehow, they'd lost Point B despite having half of their entire team aiming to take it. But if they'd lost it, why hadn't Delta Squad taken control of it? That didn't really make any sense.
She would have probably gotten distracted by that train of thought, but she heard her own name and immediately snapped back to focus, her antenna sticking straight up as if standing at attention. And, what she was met with was... A video of her own battle against Kenichi? She stared intently at the screen, watching play by play as her own struggle was televised. With each blow she saw delivered, she remembered all too keenly the feeling of the world seeming to spin and shake, the pain digging into her very bones, and the creeping fatigue that made it hard to even stand. And yet, despite that...
As the mean Yoshida summarized her performance, she couldn't bring herself to disagree with his assessment. Throughout that battle, she had been entirely dependent on her Quirk's abilities. The only reason she'd managed to settle the fight in the first place was because she'd stolen the strength of others. She'd held her own because of one simple trick, and she hadn't fully been able to live up to her vow to beat the nice Yoshida with her own strength alone. Her antenna drooped in disappointment as she reached up instinctively to tug at the ends of her hair, but her hands dropped slowly back down to her sides.
She hadn't quite managed to do what she'd wanted. She could have done better. She had so far to go before she herself could stand on her own two feet as a hero, without hiding behind anyone or relying on their strength to carry her through. But still... Seeing that battle again...
So then... I should be able to win here, right? Even if it means relying on my Quirk... I want... I want to win!
Your choice... WASN'T WRONG!
Even if she'd depended on others, he'd said her choice wasn't wrong. He'd told her that the strength she'd used was her own. And in the end, the one who'd settled the fight really had been her. The attack that had beaten him wasn't a fake, or some impersonal trick, but had been delivered entirely with her own power.
Then you have a goal. No matter what happens, don't give up on it, okay?
It's not about your Quirk, it's not about comparin' yourself to other people all the time. All that matters is the work you put in! Just like All Might says, we've got to go even further beyond--Plus Ultra!
He'd told her that even if she wasn't as strong as him or Haruka, she could get stronger. That what mattered wasn't the weakness she was born with, but rather the effort she put in. He'd said that if she just did her best, then she could really become the kind of person she wanted to be - that she could be more than just an imitation!
I did it, Haruka... See? You were right... I really can be... strong...
She'd told her that there wasn't anything to be afraid of... that she could stand on her own two feet alongside real heroes, and hold her head proud. She'd given her everything - her life, her hopes, her dreams, her everything. So, even if she still had a way to go, that was fine, right? Because...
By the time I next see you face-to-face, I want to know exactly how it is you became such a great Hero, Fumi.
Because at that moment, her eyes had been burning with determination. Because at that moment, even if she was in pain, even if she couldn't stand on her own, she still hadn't given up. Because at that moment, she'd looked just like the person she admired most.
Because at that moment, Motome Fumika had looked cool, just like a real hero!
So, nervous though she might have been, she didn't fret. She didn't fuss. But she did something she felt like she hadn't done in a very long time, perhaps not since the accident that had set her down this path and brought her to this point. For the first time since her arrival at Komei, Fumika didn't just blankly stare, or give a faint grin, or one of her usual understated displays of emotion. Rather, the girl beamed with joy, her face flushed with pride, and her eyes glimmering with hope. Yes... She'd have a lot of things to tell Haruka about today. And maybe... just maybe... This wouldn't be as hard as she'd thought.
As the debriefing continued, Fumika was still feeling a bit hazy. It was as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest, and she could finally breathe freely. Her heart just felt so warm at that moment that it might have burst. She wasn't used to feeling this way, didn't really understand why she was feeling so many things in that one moment in the first place. And yet, she didn't dislike it. She'd earned this.
Still, she was curious about how the rest of the exercise had gone, and so did her best to pay attention to the results at the other two points. What she saw certainly surprised her. She'd thought that she'd taken things too far in her fight against the nice Yoshida at first, but... She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as she watched what had unfolded in the initial charge at Point C. She'd told them to attack directly, but... She'd guided them headlong into a terrifying trap. The fact that Sen had gotten hurt so badly was her fault for sending him into danger, right? And it was no wonder that both sides had lost Point B - the entire building had been destroyed! She stared in disbelief. She wasn't sure if even Haruka could bring down such a large building in one attack. But who had done it in the first place? She'd seen almost all of the enemy team's members in the recordings, so that did narrow it down, but...
Jett's second fight was next. Although the teachers criticized him for fighting recklessly, Fumika couldn't help but be impressed. She hadn't had any real training in martial arts herself, but she'd seen martial artists before, and had done her best to copy as many of their tricks as she could. As such, she could clearly tell. Even though the not-tree boy, Ezra, was clearly the stronger of the two, Jett's control over his balance and center of mass was definitely better. Managing to throw somebody who probably weighed almost twice as much as he did, and who was definitely stronger... That was even better than the trick she'd used to throw Yoshida in her fight! She'd have to figure out how to apply the leverage right, in case she needed to break out of a hold like that...
But before she could get distracted, another fight popped up on the screen. The six-winged boy was up against the nice girl who'd shown her where the door was - Reina. From the moment the fight began, Fumika found herself grimacing in sympathy. That bird-boy... He would be a terrible opponent for most people, herself included. If there was no way to reach him or get him out of the air, then he could just attack with impunity. Although she somehow managed to throw a few projectiles his way with surprising speed, she couldn't seem to inflict enough damage to bring him down. The fight was less of a battle and more of a one-sided assault, as her airborne enemy strafed her over and over again, while she simply seemed to be running for cover. Fumika frowned. It was such an uneven fight... She was trying as hard as she could, and yet... There obviously wasn't anything she could do. It was hard to see the look on Reina's face through all the dust and chaos, but Fumika didn't need to in order to know that it must have looked exactly like her own crestfallen expression when she'd realized how outmatched she really was, be it against Yoshida or against Haruka. Even so... she wasn't giving up either. Even though she couldn't do anything to stop him, she was still... Wait, what even was she doing? Why was she standing on that door? Now she was climbing on top of a truck? She must have been trying to attack him somehow, but how? Her Quirk... what did it do again? She seemed to recall her hand sticking to her when she had reached out to get Reina's attention...
Fumika gasped out loud as she realized just a moment early what was about to happen. The door slammed into Reina and carried her upward into the air, and the blonde grimaced, remembering all too clearly the pain of the similar impact she'd taken from Yoshida's punches. She'd known that would happen, and yet she was willing to go through with it, just for a chance to win...? That was so... so cool!
She found herself literally on the edge of her seat, watching and hoping desperately that Reina would be able to do it. With each blow exchanged between the two, she could see the pain in their faces, could feel the intensity of the fight. But neither one of them gave up. Even though she was injured, even though she was at a huge disadvantage, even though she could hardly stand... Reina kept on fighting. She'd had it even worse than Fumika herself had, and she was still...
Fumika frowned. Reina fell to the ground, defeated. That wasn't right. That wasn't right at all. She'd been just like a Hero, had done everything in her power to succeed, had kept fighting no matter the cost. She'd even thrown herself in the way of falling debris to protect her team, had managed to take the fight to Acion in the air despite all his speed and power. She'd managed to drag him down, had been so creative and determined and strong... Why was it, then, that she'd lost? That wasn't how it was supposed to be! That wasn't right! She was so cool, so why... Why did she look so sad?
Jett and Toni's fight cheered her up a bit. As she watched, she couldn't help but stare in awe as his figure blurred and flickered across the camera feed, while his opponent flew high in the air, raining showers of debris. Her eyes had the same sort of awe and wonder as a small child watching pro heroes for the first time, and really, why wouldn't she look that way? That was so cool! To be able to move instantaneously, or to control objects like that... And the way they fought was so fast! Repelling herself off of objects she'd placed in advance? That was really clever, and so useful! And Jett... He just tackled her out of the air like it was nothing, knowing she'd have to break their fall! Throwing his life into danger, confident of what the outcome would be... That was the way a real pro had to act, right? That was so cool, so cool, so cool! And yet, she couldn't fully shake her mind off of what she'd seen, or the way Reina hung her head as she sat alone closer to the front of class. It wasn't right that she was so sad. It wasn't right at all. Fumika knew how she felt, but... Hadn't she realized? Didn't she see how cool she'd looked?
The rest of the debriefing was a blur. Apparently, the empty man was the one who had brought down Point B, which confirmed her suspicions that he was dangerous. Mina was praised for taking Point A, but for reasons Fumika herself couldn't understand, that actually made her a little upset. If Yoshida had still been there, Mina definitely would have lost. ...Huh? What was she thinking again?
...When the debriefing finally ended, Fumika wasted no time. A serious look on her face, she stood up, then marched straight down towards the front of the room. Other people were gathering closeby, but she paid them no mind, shoving or slipping her way right between them. Thus, seemingly out of nowhere, she suddenly barged right in and stood directly over Reina, staring at her with an unreadable, yet somehow sad look on her face. She needed to know... She needed to understand how cool she was. Even if she hadn't won, she'd done so much... It wasn't right to let it end this way. For once, she finally knew how somehow felt... She knew that she was sad, but how could she make her feel better? How would she have made herself feel better? She wracked her brains, but in the end, there was only one thing she could think of.
In her own self-assessment, Fumika wasn't a smart person. If anything, she was always the weird one, the one who watched and watched but could never understand anything, or anyone. To be honest, it made her kind of sad, too. No matter how many times she tried to talk to people, she never knew what to say, or what to do. No matter how much she thought and thought about what to do, whatever she chose would always be wrong. That was why she only ever did what other people told her to do - because then, at least, she was sure to make somebody happy by doing what she knew they wanted. This was different, though. Suddenly, she understood someone else's feelings completely, but she had no idea what it was she needed to do, what it was that Reina needed to hear... She didn't like deciding things for herself, but this wasn't right. It wasn't right to let Reina be sad.
So, completely out of the blue, she reached out, wrapped her arms around Reina, and gave her the biggest hug she could.
"Good fight, Reina. You were cool," She said. Her voice was as calm, quiet, gentle, and tired-sounding as always, but... The way she said those words was filled with nothing but pride and admiration for her teammate. To be honest, she felt terrible. She wanted to do more, wished she knew how to do more... But this was all she could think of. All she could do was hope that it would be enough.
