My Hero Academia: Next Gen

Chapter 63: Resolve

Eri watched in horror as Chisaki's body ripped apart, along with Akira's, and melted together into one giant mass of flesh, ice crystals running up and down the arms of a new abomination. The pain in her body seemed to drain away as it was filled with fear and panic. Though her body screamed at her to stop, but she forced herself up to her knees. She felt the hot rivulets of blood dripping from her wounds, and she knew that if she looked at herself now, she wouldn't be able to find the courage to keep going. 

Then she saw Kota and Eko standing together in the distance, and in that moment, she knew. She knew that she couldn't just stand by idly while they fought for not only their own, but everyone's lives. 

While they fought for hers.

She pushed herself to a standing position, ignoring the sensation of fiery tearing that was ripping through her entire body. Her breath came hot and hard, puffs of air brushing through her lips as she began to take small, unsteady steps towards the carnage.

Her horn sparked gold, and she gritted her teeth. She refused to let this happen again. She refused to watch, helpless, as those who tried to help her got hurt. Before, when she had first been rescued, all she was able to do was watch. She lost control. She wasn't able to protect anyone back then.

She remembered that feeling well, almost like it had been yesterday. That feeling of powerlessness and worthlessness. That understanding that she was nothing more than a tool to be used. She was not a person. She was an object.

That was what she thought before. But now...

Eri was filled with an indescribable feeling. It felt hot, yet cold. Solid, but liquid. It felt like she was feeling everything all at once, and at the same time, nothing at all.

Power surged to her horn, and the bright glow was barely visible out of the corner of her eye. Somehow, the flow of power in her horn lessened the pain coursing through her body. With every step she took, Eri felt more and more whole, as though the pieces were falling into place. She was not powerless. She was not worthless. She was not a tool, or an object, or something to be used.

She was a hero. And it was time she acted like it.

Though she felt better by the second, her voice still wavered as she called out, "Chisaki! If you touch a hair on their bodies, I swear I will end you faster than you could ever imagine."

His body froze, then slowly turned to face her. His face was a horrifying amalgamation of his own and Akira's ice crystals. Flesh mangled around crystalizations, skin stretched thin and sheer. He looked like a disaster. What remained of his lips curled into a nasty grin. "I would love to see you try," he hissed, shooting out a hand in an arc and sending razor sharp ice crystals flying in all directions. 

Eri could hear Kota hiss in pain as one of the crystals sliced across his cheek. Eko grunted as one hit his thigh. Her blood boiled with rage. 

Chisaki cackled, his laugh turning deranged. "I didn't touch them, now did I? You should think before you speak!" His hand shot out again, though this time towards Eri, and he sprayed a shower of crystals at her.

She quickly dove out of the way, landing in a crouch. She needed to get closer to him, and fast. He was too far away for her to do anything to him. Pursing her lips and gritting her teeth, she started sprinting. She ran harder than she had ever run before, her muscles groaning and screaming as they were pushed to the very limit. She scrambled around on the rubble as Chisaki sent shards of broken ice towards her in calculated movements, watching her like a hawk before the kill.

"Eri, what are you doing?" Kota yelled, waving an arm at her to stay back. "You're hurt!"

"I'm fine!" she yelled back, eyes ablaze. And somehow, she was. All the pain that had been wreaking havoc on her body before was gone. The was nothing now but an odd cooling sensation. It felt familiar, but foreign at the same time. Like she had felt it before, many times and her body knew it, but she could not place how she knew. She shook her head. That was something to think about later. Right now, she had a battle to win.