After the sports festival's awards ceremony, U.A. High School granted the students the rest of the week off. It was a well-deserved reward for their intense efforts over the past fifteen days of grueling training. The break also allowed those who were injured during the festival to recover fully.
By Friday of that week, Class 1-A decided to celebrate. The students gathered for a small party at Mirio's house. His home was conveniently located in the middle of their group, making it easy for everyone to attend—except for Raiden, who lived quite far and had to make a longer trip.
The gathering was less of a party and more of a casual get-together, featuring plenty of food and drinks. The menu was simple but perfect for the occasion: pizza, fries, soda, and juice. Laughter and conversations filled the room as most of the students chatted and mingled, though a few of them, owing to their quieter personalities, preferred to remain on the sidelines. Even so, they seemed to enjoy the food and company in their own way, finding comfort in the warm atmosphere.
Raiden found himself seated between Taro and Rei, and the three struck up a conversation about their old schools. Raiden shared stories about his former friends, describing their personalities and the good times they had shared. He admitted, somewhat wistfully, that being at U.A. had left him with less time to connect with them. Taro and Rei empathized, nodding in agreement as they recounted similar experiences.
As the night went on and the plates were mostly empty, Mirio brought out a board game to liven things up. The game revolved around mimicking famous heroes from around the world while the others tried to guess who was being imitated. The antics that followed filled the room with hearty laughter, creating memorable moments of bonding and camaraderie among the group.
After about an hour, as the lively energy began to mellow around 2 A.M., Mirio suggested ending the night with a movie. The idea was met with unanimous approval, and the group settled in to watch a horror film. Cushions were tossed onto the floor, and everyone found a cozy spot to relax. Raiden claimed a cushion by the couch, leaning his head against its armrest as he focused on the screen.
The movie had just begun to draw the group into its eerie world, with occasional shrieks and jumps breaking the quiet tension, when Raiden felt a light touch behind him. He startled slightly and turned to see Nejire crouched nearby. She leaned closer and whispered, "Can we talk? I wanted to ask you about what you said to me during the sports festival, when we were fighting."
Raiden had a good idea of what she meant. Although he had been enjoying the movie, he nodded without hesitation. With a final glance at the screen, he stood and followed Nejire to Mirio's backyard. The cool night air greeted them as they stepped outside. The two settled into plastic beach chairs under the soft glow of the patio light.
"This feels nice," muttered Raiden, letting the cool night breeze caress his face. He leaned back slightly, his gaze fixed on the stars above. "This is about when I told you that you were holding back, right?" he asked, his voice calm, curious and cheerful.
"Yes… but how did you know? Even I wasn't aware of that" Nejire replied, her tone a mix of surprise and confusion. Her vibrant eyes sparkled more brightly than when she had first arrived at U.A., yet Raiden could still sense a subtle hesitation behind her words.
"Well," he began, "it was mostly because of how you were fighting. Just trowing energy beams ahead, just like I was. And from what I've seen over the past month and a half, you always seem so curious about everything. But whenever you have a question, you hold back, for some reason. I could understand that hesitation if you were someone like Tamaki, Hana, or Rei—they're naturally reserved. But you? You're straightforward. I've never seen you struggle to speak your mind, yet when it comes to asking something that really matters, you hesitate."
Raiden reached down, picking up a small pebble from the ground and rolling it between his fingers as he continued.
"In my last fight with Tamaki, I realized something about myself. I was restricting part of my power. I mean, I was using it, yeah, but it always felt… forced. It's hard to explain." He paused, his eyes lifting back to the stars, the pebble now idly turning in his hand.
"I was treating my powers like a tool, like an external source I could tap into," he explained. "But that was the wrong approach. That's why it felt forced and don't think isn't like that anymore, is just less."
Raiden's voice softened as he reflected and smiled. "My transformation—it's not something separate from me. It amplifies my abilities, sure, but it's still me. The power doesn't come out of nowhere; it's always there, waiting. In my untransformed state, it's like it's resting, lying dormant until I choose to call on it."
As he spoke, Raiden's irises began to glow faintly, and the pebble in his hand lifted, trembling slightly as it floated above his palm.
"I understand that better now," he continued, his voice steady but thoughtful. "Most people seem to use their powers, like it's second nature instinctively. For me, it's different. The truth is, I only awakened my Quirk two years ago. That's why my adaptation process has been slower. Using my Quirk still feels a bit like using a prosthetic arm instead of the real thing. But I'm getting there. It already feels more natural than it did before. And after my fight with Tamaki, I took a big leap in understanding. That's why I got stronger."
The small pebbles in his hand started to orbit his fingers, floating gently in front of him, illuminated faintly by his glowing eyes.
"I understand, but what does this have to do with you thinking I was holding back?" asked Nejire, lifting an eyebrow in curiosity.
Raiden met her gaze and explained, his tone calm and relexed "We and our Quirks are intertwined—they're part of us, not just tools we use. Just like someone's hair or skin can become dull and fragile when they're struggling emotionally, our Quirks can reflect what we're going through. If you're emotionally affected by something, it can change how your Quirk works—its strength, its versatility, or even both, and when we were fighting I notices that you were struggling with something, I didn't read your mind or something like that, is just that when we made the mental link you share some flashes with me, it was your whole life, but enough to notice something was amiss"
Nejire listened attentively, her eyes fixed on Raiden as if trying to absorb every word. After a moment, she looked upward at the sky, her expression contemplative. Then, her gaze fell to her palm, where a small spiral of energy began to form and spin. "The truth is," she began, her voice softer now, "I've always been curious. I've always had this spark—a drive to know more, to ask questions about everything. But some people, both kids and adults, didn't like that. They'd tell me over and over to be quiet, to stop asking so many questions. And after hearing it enough times, I started to believe it. Eventually, I just… stopped. Every time I had a question, I'd suppress it."
She paused, watching the gentle swirl of energy in her hand, before continuing. "Now that I think about it, I also started holding back with my Quirk. I stopped wondering how I could use it in new ways, stopped experimenting and even started to suppress it. That, and… other things, of course," she added, her tone laced with a bittersweet edge.
"Other things?" Raiden prompted, shifting his gaze to Nejire, his interest piqued.
"Yes, well…" Nejire hesitated, then sighed, as if gathering her thoughts. "My Quirk has always been strong—stronger than most kids my age. And because of that, they started keeping their distance from me. I'd hear things like, 'You're too much for this game,' or 'It's not fair if you join.' At first, I didn't understand, but over time, I realized they were avoiding me—because of my Quirk, and maybe even my personality. Slowly, I became isolated, and it… made me sad."
Her voice grew firmer as she continued, "One of the reasons I wanted to join U.A. was to make good use of my abilities, to prove to myself that I could be more. But somewhere along the way, I got complacent—and maybe a little arrogant. I thought my Quirk was enough to handle anything. That is, until I fought all of you." She smiled faintly, her tone carrying a mix of humility and reflection.
"So, we had similar experiences in some way, but for very different reasons," exclaimed Raiden as he let the pebbles tumble from his hand, watching them scatter across the ground.
"When I was in school, my classmates kind of bullied me because of my Quirk," Raiden continued, raising his arm to reveal the glowing number etched into his skin. "This," he said, gesturing to the faintly glowing number eight on his forearm, "used to be a zero. Back then, I couldn't even transform. It just glowed like this."
To emphasize his point, Raiden flexed his arm slightly, making the glow intensify for a brief moment. "It wasn't until two years ago, during a robbery, that the zero turned into a one, and I could finally use my powers for the first time," he explained his tone a mixture of nostalgia and regret.
Nejire's eyes widened, almost comically large, as she instinctively reached out and touched his arm. "Nee, what do you mean by a robbery?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and concern. Her reaction made Raiden chuckle; it was clear she was beginning to let her personality shine through.
With a soft sigh, Raiden began recounting the events of that fateful day. He described how he'd faced the first villain, managing to land a hit despite his inexperience, only to find himself in a disastrous fight against the second. He spared no details, sharing the poor decisions he'd made and how those choices had ultimately landed him in a coma.
Nejire listened with rapt attention, her mouth slightly agape as Raiden described not only his struggles during the robbery but also his second encounter with the same villain. He spoke of his burning desire for both justice and revenge, emotions that had fueled his resolve.
After a moment of silence, Nejire finally spoke, her tone thoughtful. "Hearing your story makes my past feel like nothing in comparison. But I do have a question—why do you look so happy and relaex all the time now? I mean, everything that happened to you sounds awful," she exclaimed, her concern evident.
Raiden laughed—a hearty, genuine sound.
"Hahaha, I guess I had a good therapist?" he joked, before his expression turned more serious. "Actually, I do have a session with her tomorrow. But in all honesty, yeah, she's helped me a lot. Thanks to her, I didn't turn into some edgy loner. But don't get me wrong—I'm still angry. Almost all the time. I lost more than a year of my life—one year in a coma and another recovering. Sure, I awakened my Quirk, but no one can give me that time back, and the wounds? they hurt like hell"
He paused, taking a breath before continuing, "The reason I try to stay happy, though, is because I don't want that event to dictate my life—or at least how I behave. I've already lost so much. I'm not letting it take anything more, not if I can act different."
Nejire reached out and patted his shoulder, then his back, a small gesture of comfort. She leaned back slowly, her gaze shifting upward to the sky. "Thank you for telling me," she said, her voice soft but warm. "And don't worry—you'll catch up. You're already one of the strongest students here. Hehe. And if you need help when you face him, I'm here. Also…" she hesitated, then smiled. "Thank you for what you said to me at the sports festival."
"You're welcome hahahaha" Raiden replied, his expression softening into a big smile. "I've noticed you've been freeing yourself bit by bit since our fight. And thank you—I'll be counting on you when the time comes hahaha let beat him."
After that, the two of them kept chatting about various topics, Nejire's natural curiosity shining through as she asked question after question. Raiden was more than happy to answer, enjoying the lively exchange, after the sports festival, he could finally be more relaxed and carefree.
Finally, after about an hour, the pair returned to their classmates. The others glanced in their direction, curious but choosing not to comment.
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Hello guys, here it ends the first arc, I make a mistake and I put it in the second one hahaha, well, I can't say it was perfect but I satisfied with this first arc, I saw a various plot holes thanks to you, so thank you for the comments.
Also, the next arc, will be divided into parts, so there will be at least tree volumes that belong to the second part.
I will take three of four days to adjust some thing in the nexts arcs, but sunday or monday I will upload the next arc, I will also upload an extra "non chapter" with some questions.
Again, than you for reading and the support.
POWER STONES 53/60