Raven was one to never be intimidated by anyone, most especially men. She had a long history of fighting boys, having her days of loss and wins. She grew up as an orphan, with an abusive uncle who always beat her every day until he felt like he couldn't anymore.
When she was still six, she thought her red hair was caused by her blood from her uncle's many beatings. She didn't really like it at first, boys made many jokes about it, saying she was ugly and that's why her parents left her. She would cry about it before, but later she felt her fists would do the work for her.
One night, a fifteen year old Raven was sleeping when she suddenly felt something press on her roughly. She opened her eyes and to her horror, it was her ugly uncle trying to force himself on her. She fought back, tears streaming down her face, and the next thing she knew, she was staring at a dead body.
Since that day, she had always rebelled against everything she knows, being a wild being that can't easily be tamed. Even though, she was under Shigaraki, she didn't fear him but she gave him that respect.
A sensation crept down her spine as she watched the UA festival with Kurogiri and Shigaraki. It was one that had happened in a long time but she still remembered. Fear. Her body shivered as she saw a figure on the screen, it was only for a moment but she recognised the yellow eyes and dual coloured hair.
She had come dangerously close to death in a brutal way. It was some weeks ago but now, it was still on her mind like it was barely five minutes ago. She had underestimated him–no, he made her underestimate him and she saw the price. She had surrendered her entirely being and pride to him in exchange for life. She couldn't really care less about the other guys, they were more of colleague not friends to her.
Her eyes flickered to Shigaraki, who was scratching his neck while muttering about his time being wasted on the event. She couldn't help but wonder if he truly knew about the poison he was nursing. She wanted to warn him about the wolf he was feeding — the one that would devour him. But every time she tried, she still felt the ghost of the blade on her neck. She couldn't help but wonder who would win if they fought.
Far away, in the dark heart of a hidden lair, another pair of eyes watched the same broadcast.
The man sat in silence, masked by layers of machines and tubes, his presence heavy and commanding despite the frailty of his body. Unlike the restless anger of Shigaraki or the wary tension of Raven, he watched with a cold patience, as though he already knew the ending to a story no one else had read.
All For One did not care for the flashy displays of power the Sports Festival promised. He wasn't interested in the winner or the spectacle. His focus was precise, clinical.
He was looking for potential and threats. And he had already found a few seeds among the children parading themselves across the screen.
He wasn't interested in the boy who came first place, he was smart with the idea but lacked in what he needed. He kept his eyes on the two boys that followed after him, especially the one with the spiky hair. He could feel it that the boy had unlimited potential, well he would wait till the end of the day to assess and determine whether he would be good or not.
He took it all in as he looked at the screen, or would there be a hidden gem that not even UA knows about? A small smirk appeared on his face when the camera landed briefly on a boy. "Hmm, how you have changed so fast. What could I say, you look sharper I guess" He chuckled to himself "Get stronger Azaria. You're my solider, complete the mission I gave you and by the time you're done, I'll collect the quirk back and kill you." His chuckle slowly filled the lair.
***
Azaria walked through the crowd of students with no particular destination in mind. He had barely passed the first obstacle but he wasn't really looking a bit exhausted or worn out like most students. His mind had been far away from the event.
'All For One would be watching and even telling Shigaraki to watch, what should I do?' He asked inwardly as he was conflicted. He wanted to enjoy the event for himself and his parents but the clarity part of his mind kept reminding him of AFO. 'Majority of the class haven't seen my quirk yet and while it is nothing, if I lose without using it, would it look suspicious?'
He rested against the wall as he absentmindedly stared at the stage 'But if I drop out, Mum is going to be so disappointed in me. I mean they did all that for me to be here and this is one of the moments that I should repay them back.' He couldn't help but rub his forehead as he worked his brain.
'But would All For One actually care? In the story, Aoyama still performed in the event, although he was average. Now did he perform averagely because he was average or because of AFO?' he sighed as he got his answer 'What the fuck am I saying? He got a terrible quirk, obviously he couldn't perform well. I should really stop comparing myself to Aoyama, he was given the quirk and I was trained to use it–'
His eyes widened for a second as he caught himself mid-thought. 'If I were to put myself in his shoes, I'm guessing he would want to see how far I have come with the quirk. Since he trained me, he would want to know how strong I am. He's proud as fuck as he is the strongest being in this universe so I doubt he would think of me being a potential threat. I know that for a fact, there's a chance that if I'm able to complete his mission, he would either take the quirk back or kill me or do both.' He let out a shaky exhale, as to ease all the worries away 'So I'll show him.'
"Azaria!" The voice jolted him out of his thoughts and he saw Denki approaching him, he looked exhausted. "Why you look like that?" Azaria asked, raising an eyebrow. "Like what?" Denki replied as he rested his back, panting slightly. "Bro, you look like you were at the front lines of a war." Azaria responded, smiling a bit.
"Fuck you, you weren't in the same area where I was." He replied "You almost came in last so it was easy for you to pass through." Azaria shrugged, having no words to reply. "You have any idea what the next event is going to be?" Denki asked as his eyes were following the outfits of the females. "Probably a team fight," Azaria replied, "I heard some seniors mutter about it." He lied as he pointed up to the crowd.
"Hmm?" Denki squinted his eyes as he looked at Azaria. "What?" Azaria couldn't help but ask as he was feeling awkward "Is there something on my face?". Denki shook his head "Nope, not on your face but your wrist. You got another tattoo again, didn't you?"
Azaria eyes flickered to his left arm where another mark had appeared on his wrists. "No, this isn't really–" he tried to explain but just kept quiet as it wouldn't make any sense to anyone. How was he supposed to explain to anyone that his power gave him those 'tattoos'? He just woke up a day after getting a bit of control of the blade and saw the mark. Luckily, his parents didn't think much of it although his father didn't really like the idea of a tattoo.
"So you faked being injured to get another tattoo?" Denki teased as he nudged him with his elbow, Azaria responded with his middle finger. "It looks cool, I would love to have one but my dad would kill me if I ever do one. Not even Bakugo who acts like a delinquent has piercing or tattoos" Denki continued. Azaria raised an eyebrow "You're saying I'm worse than Bakugo?" Denki responded with a smile and the feedback of a mic interrupted them.
"Alright, since the first stage has ended" Midnight spoke into the mic "Let's check the results". The results appeared on the big screen with Midoriya in first place, Azaria moved forward, his eyes scanning the screen as he was in 40th position, barely above the mark. Denki let out a frown "twenty four, bad but better than someone." Azaria ignored him as Midnight continued.
"Only the first forty two students would qualify for the next round and For those who didn't place high enough, don't worry!" she announced, her voice booming across the arena. "We've got another way for you to show your stuff and now... the real battle begins!" Midnight declared.
"The press corps is here," she reminded us, a mischievous glint in her eye. "They'll be jumping out of their seats, so give it everything you've got!"
A sharp buzz echoed through the stadium as the next stage prepared to unfold.
Midnight laughed lightly, clearly savoring the suspense. "Now, onto the second event! I already know what it is, of course... but you'll find out soon enough!" A text animation began on the hologram as the text began to rewrite themselves, the letters being arranged one after the other and as the last letter was set, Midnight spoke with a smile "cavalry battle is the next event for you students!"
Azaria tuned himself out as Midnight began to explain the rules, he knew that he was at a disadvantage with his low score as he needed someone with a high score to work with or convince people to work with him but either could be impossible as points mattered.
As far as the rules went, Midoriya was the most important person and the one in danger the most as he had ten million points which kept decreasing to the last place. Since he was third to the last place, his points would be measly. 'I should have invested my energy in taking the obstacle race seriously instead of over thinking. What should I do now?'
He glanced at his side and discovered that Denki wasn't at his side, apparently Midnight had finished her explanation and everyone's had started looking for members. Everyone. Except him.
'Who should I team up with? Momo? Nah, I don't think she had her own team. I can't remember. Bakugo? I'd have to convince him on what I can do and being 40th in the standings wouldn't do me justice. Todoroki? Maybe, fuck I don't know.'
"Hello" A voice broke him out of his thoughts as he turned to meet the voice "Want to be in the same team as me?"
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