Finding Me (Todoroki x Reader)

Chapter 56

"Ngah!"

Another beam of energy blasted from my hands, streaking the sky as I dropped it. Letting my hands drop to my knees, I heaved in gulps of much needed air to cool my overheated body. 'Jeez, Mr. Aizawa wasn't lying when he told us this camp would be hard.'

It was already the third day of the training camp, and boy were our asses being busted.

We'd been up again at five, Mr. Aizawa starting us even earlier than we had yesterday. It was around midday, and I'd been doing nothing but expelling large amounts of energy and then restoring it, switching between big blasts and creation work. Heck, I even went as far as to make myself an obstacle course to complete, pushing me to my limits both physically and quirk-wise.

Looking around, I didn't see Mr. Aizawa anywhere. 'Perfect, now I can take a breather.' I let my eyes wonder over the rest of my classmates and Class 1-B, watching as each and everyone of them did their exercises. 'Wow,' I thought. 'Everyone seems to be taking this seriously, even Bakugou! '

Iida was running around, and I could hear Koda screaming from where I was at the base of the mountain he stood upon. Midoriya's punching movements were starting to lag behind - probably from fatigue - whilst Shoto's right side was starting to be encased in ice while his left side seemed to be almost dripping in sweat from the heat. It was an interesting view, so to say.

My eyes, however landed on a particular group of five that stood dazed on the mountain-side, wincing as Mr. Aizawa dragged Kirishima with his scarf. I did feel sorry for my other friends - the ones that had failed the exams - but I certainly was glad I wasn't in their position. 'Poor things didn't get to bed until two this morning,' I thought, remembering Mina stumbling into our girls room, and collapsing onto her futon without changing out of her clothes.

If I thought I had it bad right now, I didn't want to think of the hell that Mr. Aizawa was putting them through.

'Come on, get back into it,' I urged myself, snapping out of my thoughts. 'I've got to keep working hard or I'll be doing double time like them. I can't afford to be left behind; not if I want to become a great hero one day.'

Releasing a sigh, I focussed on forming one last obstacle for me to overcome. Multiple platforms, swings and targets appeared around the clearing, surrounding me in a circular motion as they set up. I had to keep working no matter how much my muscles begged for me to rest; no matter how much sweat rolled down into my eyes and clouded my vision, I had to keep going.

"Don't lose focus!" Mr. Aizawa shouted from the cliffside. "Each of you can move faster. And no matter what you're doing, just remember where you started from. Don't forget who you were before UA. Always keep in mind why you're sweating, why your limits keep getting tested. That's what it means to improve."

'He's right,' I realised. 'There's always room to improve. I've just got to keep in mind where I started, who I am now, how I got here... and who I want to be.' As much as I wanted to collapse and fall asleep right now, I couldn't. I wouldn't.

Midoriya walked over our homeroom teacher, but I didn't pay him any mind. I felt an intense gaze piercing my back, my curiosity winning as I turned to see who it was. My E/C eyes were met with blue and grey ones staring back at me, and I felt an irritable heat claw its way up my neck.

Shoto was still in the metal tub of water, half hanging out of it as his chest heaved for air and his body covered head to toe in sweat and ice. Despite the odd sight, I thought he actually looked really cool like that, admiring how the muscles in his arms flexed and relaxed with each intake of breath. Muscles that became taught as he made the tremendous effort to lift his arm and simply wave at me and flash a small smile.