My New Hero

Entrance Exam pt.3

"C'mon, if you want to defeat that hulking thing, then I guess you'll need some help, huh?" The boy's smile seemed eerily similar to the smiley man from the auditorium; both had an electrifying air to them. I saved that observation for another time, right now he could be my ticket out of this situation.

Hauling the limp body, I was, for reasons beyond me, saving onto my back. I ran off the edge of the cement ledge and onto the fire escape ladder that wound its way up the building the boy was on. In response, the boy slid down the fire escape to meet me down on the platform I had dropped the nuisance onto.

He looked down to the barely conscious boy on the floor in slight surprise and concern. "Is he a friend of yours?" He asked curiously.

I scowled at the thought. "Not even close."

The rumble from behind me cut off my thought, reminding me of how close the robot was getting. "What's your quirk?" I asked briskly, we didn't have much time for idle chit chat after all. The boy smiled even wider, which I didn't think was possible, "I can basically control the plasma in people's bodies if I touch them."

Nodding, I searched my brain for a plan that would make us both come out of this without going to the hospital. Looking him up and down, I could tell he was fit, possibly fit enough to carry the unwanted weight that was dragging me down and still move fast enough to outrun the metal boulder making a beeline for us. It was also more likely for the robot to lock onto two people running away instead of just one, making them a good distraction.

This could work, I reassured myself.

"Can you distract that thing while carrying him so he doesn't get crushed?" I asked, kicking the boy laying barely conscious on the ground, awake. He groaned in pain, shielding himself with his arms in a half-hearted attempt to block my kick. At least he's still responding, that's a good sign. "Don't pass out on me yet, we've got to get you out of here first."

I looked up expectantly at the yellow haired boy before me."So, can you do it?" The look on his face was already enough of an answer for me to know he wasn't backing down from this. He flung the limp boy over his shoulder without much effort, turning his back to me as he backed up. "Even if we don't pass, we'll have saved others from danger, and that's reason enough for me. I'm glad I've met someone who also understands that." After saying that he lept off without a second thought onto the flat roof of a building. "Ey! Come and get me you red faced- uh- thing!"

I blinked for a moment, processing what he said to me before looking up at the foreboding thing that I'd have to fight. The robot's head turned, following the boy's movements as he started running farther and farther from me. It walked in an artificial fashion towards him, almost making me lose my footing with its rumbling footsteps.

My eyes narrowed, analyzing the metal exoskeleton of my opponent. I saw my opening in a gap that the metal sheeting had on its arm that my tail could easily hook onto. I didn't know if I could even pierce the metal of the robot -- let alone, falter it -- but it didn't matter if I could; I had to.

Gripping the railings, I swung into the air with all the strength I had and hooked onto the metal arm with precision. The robot didn't seem to notice, thankfully, as I clawed my way up its arm. I pulled myself over onto its shoulder and let out a sigh in relief that I was able to climb the smooth sheeting of the robot.

I noticed that on the joints of the robot, there were gap's in the sheeting to allow movement, which was a perfect opportunity for me. There was another prominent crack on the back of its head that caught my eye. It was a few inches wide that showed some thick wires.

I wasn't entirely sure how it would affect the robot by cutting through the inside of its neck, but these wires did look important enough to give it a shot. So, I lengthened my tail as far as my tail could go into the small opening, and sliced all the shit I could in there.

This caused the robot's head to go completely limp and come to a jarring halt. At first, I felt relieved, thinking that I had immobilized it, but I was wrong. I saw the shadow of a robotic hand get closer making me roll out of the way just in time before it grabbed me. The head seemed to be out of commission, making me guess that it's vision was also in the same state, but the rest of its body was still very much in control.

I took a sideways glance, trying to find a safe route off of this hulking monster, but instead I was met with the face of the yellow haired boy. He stood frozen on the top of a building with the boy we were trying to save still on his back. There was a look in his eyes that I couldn't read, that I hadn't seen on someone's face. Was it terror? Worry? Hope? I wasn't sure.

The world seemed to slow in that moment as I looked above me to see two large hands reaching down to crush me. My eyes widened, turning into pinpricks as I realized that if I didn't do something quick, I was going to be nothing but a blood spatter on the back of this thing.

Clenching my teeth together, I split my tail multiple times over and wrapped my body in a tight ball of hardened ribbon. I braced myself for the few seconds before I was crushed, focusing all I had into making my ribbons as strong as possible.

The immeasurable strength I felt pushing down onto me could tear down mountains. It made me double over in the strain of keeping my ribbons together over this force. There was no way I could keep this up for long, but if I tried to let down this shield to run, I'd get smashed before I made it a few feet.

There was a brief moment where I felt a heavy tiredness wash over me, not in a physical sense, but mentally. This situation made me recognize something that I had never recognized in my life, despite my constant work to say otherwise; I was just a kid.

No matter what I did, or how I perfected my skills, I was still a measly little kid with the weight of a building on my shoulders. I couldn't make up for that fact, no matter how much I tried, no matter how much I didn't feel like a kid.

I felt powerless in that small, ribbon prison I had made to protect myself, my breathing shallow from the depleting oxygen in the air. My eyes slowly started to close in defeat and hopelessness.

Then, I remembered something. The promise I made to myself all those years ago under the piercing eyes of my parents. That I was never gonna let myself feel hopeless like that again; to let anyone feel the way I have. I was damned by this world and I was going to drag the ugly parts of the world with me.

And I wasn't going to let all I've done amount to this.

My eyes snapped open in a new found dedication, making my body rush with adrenaline. I wasn't even aware of what my body was instinctively doing before my tails unwrapped itself around me and sliced through everything around in seconds, as if it was a storm of blades.

I waited, expecting to be met with a robotic hand, but instead, I was met with nothing but my own rapid heartbeat, thundering in my ears. I looked up to see my ribbons sliced through the robots hands and sticking out in all odd directions. Dark spikes piercing through metal as if it were nothing, it was an odd sight.

I cracked a small smile as the adrenaline started to dissipate. My smile fell as the large hands started to creak and crack as if it were about to fall off, meaning that I'd still be smushed if I didn't get out of the way. You've got to be fucking kidding me.

I tried to get onto my feet, but my knees buckled underneath me out of pure exhaustion. When is this nightmare going to end? I thought. I kept stumbling to my feet, only to fall back. I gripped my head and was met with a sticky wet substance, pulling my hand from my face and realizing it was blood on my hand. I must have hit my head while in my ribbon cocoon.

Fuck.

The metal arms were only cracking up more and more, making my heart sink down to my gut. That's when I felt someone quickly grab me and run the hell out of here with a firm grip on me. I squinted, seeing familiar yellow and purple hair.

After a moment of regaining some awareness of what the fuck was going on, I spoke up, "Put me down, I can walk." He rolled his eyes, as if he didn't believe me, but he put me down. With all the will I could muster, I stood on my own, though my heavy breathing was still evident.

"You know, after all of this, I think we both are on a name to name basis; after all, I don't want to keep calling you 'yellow haired guy'," I said hoarsely, half joking.

He laughed, scratching his hair awkwardly, "Yeahh, we were too busy for formalities, weren't we? Well, my name's Yuudai Kaminari, what 'bout you?"

"My name is Eden, Eden Maltova."