HUSHED BREATHS CUT through the tense silence inside the obscure chamber. Lights flickered, barely illuminating the room from the distance.

Y/n hid behind a stack of wooden boxes. She could hear her heart beating inside of her chest and the pattern of her breaths over the mufflers on her ears. Y/n peered over her hideout to inspect the hallway and readied her gun.

Five men emerged from the corridor, four of which were equipped with firearms that were not yet primed for use, while the other one had prominent physical features that showed a mutation type of quirk.

The young genius fixed her position silently and directed her aim to the mutant man's head while remaining hidden as they walked through the hallway, oblivious to the danger they were in.

The next happened in a flash of light. Breathing out her anxiety, she pulled the trigger, caught them by surprise, and went for their weapons. Y/n instinctively positioned her aim at the next person and shot; aim then shot, aim then shoot, until she knew for certain that she'd shot all of them.

All the lights turned on, causing her to shut her eyes tight before blinking to adjust her vision. Y/n took off the mufflers that she was wearing and looked in front.

"That was the quickest one yet." said her instructress, Dottie, looking at the thin white piece of wood that stood from the distance; the frozen hologram of the makeshift villains provided by a projector.

"Analysis?"

"Five men, all armed: one had a mutation quirk, the other four were equipped with firearms, handguns, which could be located on their breast pockets based on the bulges. It is unclear, however, if the other four had quirks." Y/n answered eloquently. "When they heard the shot, they all went for their guns but were ultimately shot before they could even fire."

"Very good. Although..." she strode across the room to inspect the bullet holes on the holograms that her apprentice had made. "If these villains were in real life, two of them would've been able to escape or call for backup."

Dottie pointed her red manicured finger at the holograms of the villains, parts of which the bullet went through were pixilated for indication. One of them was shot on the collarbone, the other on the shoulder, while the rest were shot on their vital parts, which would catalyze their demise.

Y/n tucked her lip between her teeth. An underwater silence mushroomed the place, creating an uncomfortable coil inside her stomach.

"But," Y/n spoke with hesitance before eventually gaining the courage to speak. "Realistically, a hero's goal is to stop and arrest villains? Not entirely killing them on the spot?"

Dottie gave her an intimidating dull stare that made the Y/n shift in her position uncomfortably, ears ringing with the weight of the silence.

Although it wasn't out of Y/n's skepticism of Dottie that curled her insides, it was caused by the young genius's fear of disappointing the instructress.

Y/n wholeheartedly admired Dottie.

She was everything that Y/n aspired to be.

From the exterior, Dottie was an extremely attractive lady with midnight black hair that flowed over her shoulders, perfectly shaping her chiseled jawline and making her cherry lips prominent. She could enchant someone with a bat of her languid eyelashes of velvet-black and a heavenly smile on her sweet-candy lips. Her jaw-dropping, burnished complexion and dainty figure made her seem like an innocent and harmless woman.

However, beneath that attractive face was a ruthless fighter and a dubious snake that Y/n commended.

Truly, a nightmare dressed like a daydream.

"But of course." Dottie smiled. "So, what will be the next step?"

"Apprehension."

"Very good." she praised, "Now, you can start your rest break at the lounge."

Y/n muttered her thanks and grabbed her towels to wipe off the sticky sweat uncomfortably coating her skin, though it was more likely from nervousness than the heat and activity.

The lounge room was an airy rectangular room occupied with nothing but living room couches and old portraits of former administrators of the commission. Y/n laid herself on the soft couches and opened her phone to see three message notifications. One from Midoriya, Todoroki, and the other from Hitoshi.

Y/n clicked Midoriya's message first:

We had training with the other hero class today and competed against each other in groups of four. Hitoshi was there, just so you know. Aizawa sensei is training him privately so he can join the hero course. I noticed that they weirdly kinda look a lot like each other. Nearly with the same personality too... Sorry, don't tell them I said that!

The young genius chuckled, shifting in her position to a more comfortable position, and continued to read the message.

I figured you'd wanna know since you guys know each other, but then again he might've told you already because you guys are friends or maybe you just know each other... I'm blabbing, sorry! Also, Eri has made a lot of friends, she's living happily thanks to you. The rest and I hope you're doing well!

We miss you! <3

Y/n smiled and gave a curt response of gratitude, then clicked on Hitoshi's message, which said:

I joined the hero course classes in training today. Turns out it was a test to analyze my potential to enter the hero course. And I did! Next year, in my second year, I'll be able to join the hero course. Hopefully class 1-B (no offense) but I kinda also want Aizawa to be my homeroom teacher. You know, I wouldn't have the courage if it wasn't for you... So thank you. I owe you big time. And I gotta be honest with you. I'm kind of convinced now that you were right when you implied I look like him. Mfs from class 1-A were constantly giving me glances that shifted to me and Aizawa.

Y/n chuckled again and heard someone entering the room, but didn't bother to look. She continued to read:

Anyway, things unexpectedly got odder than it already were. Your friends with that boy Midoriya, right? I don't know if he said anything to you, but his quirk went crazy today and he said that I saved him or something. IDRC. I know I've said this before, but thank you and I hope that you're okay.

After responding, she proceeded to click on Todoroki's message, which she could already deduce was regarding her health. 

Hey, Y/n. You didn't ask, but I'm doing just fine and so is Eri, if you're worried. Oh, and so are the others. Listen, I know you would say that I should not concern myself with the problem of your health, but I hope you're looking after yourself. We've talked about this before, about the poisoning. It's because of your arc reactor. There's no easy way to say this without being harshly blunt, but it is best if you just go to the doctors to remove the shrapnel and your arc reactor. 

Nevertheless, the decision lies in you. Please, make the right decision. 

I have to get going, a certain someone keeps calling me. 

IHML.    /hj 

I wish you well. 

The young genius typed her response with a smile. "Chatting with your friends?" Dottie, who sat down beside her, asked with a smile.

"Not really. Just catching up." Y/n replied, eyes still stuck on the cellphone screen. "We don't talk much these days."

"That's great."

Y/n's smile faded and looked at her instructress in confusion, head ticking back over her words. "Huh?"

Dottie gave her a smile that showed her pearly teeth and handed her an ice cream cup of her favorite flavor, which prompted her out of the couch and gladly accepted it, feeling a mix of confusion and delight.

"What's this for?" asked Y/n, purely in confusion.

"I figured you needed something to lift your spirits, and I bought that." Dottie said, "You've done well. I hope to see you progress and develop more."

"Thank you, Miss Dottie. I hope to become better too." Y/n smiled as she looked at the dessert in her hand. Dottie's calculating eyes noticed the solemnity in the teen's expression and sat beside her and comfortingly placed her hand on Y/n's back.

"If there's something wrong. Don't be afraid to tell me, alright." She lulled her student. "If you're troubled by something, I can help you. I am your instructress after all and for me, that doesn't stop just in the commission's order. I want what is best for you."

Instead of venting her emotions, Y/n asked; "Miss Dottie, if you don't mind me asking, what were you like before being a pro at battling and espionage and stuff?"

The older lady blinked thoughtfully and sighed. "I see my past self in you."

Y/n tilted her head curiously and Dottie elaborated, "I've been in the orphanage ever since I could remember. I didn't have a parental figure and grew oblivious of what the world had in store. So, as soon as I grew to know the outside world, I wasn't prepared for it." she professed, "Being a woman born quirkless in a world filled with wondrous powers, I felt vulnerable. I detested myself for being such."

No words were needed to be uttered to say that Y/n felt the same. There was a deep raw emotion that overtook her face when the last sentence was said. It had now become apparent to Y/n that her own biggest fear was being vulnerable, which deemed her to be useless.

"What did you do to overcome that feeling?"

"I grabbed opportunities and worked hard to become stronger." Dottie turned her eye to eye. "I also had a trainer, an older woman. She trained me to become the woman that I am today."

"What did you do when you felt precarious about... like anything that you do? Even if you had your teacher's guidance, you also have your judgment."

"All it takes is a little courage, dear, to take another step, even in times of uncertainty. Also taking opportunities on the way." Dottie tucked a strand of h/c haired behind the young teen's ear. "Sometimes, the adult's decision for you isn't right. But in here, with me, I know what you might be feeling. I've been there. I was just like you and I want to become the person who could've saved me when no one else did."

Y/n noticed the way her words were stumbling, as if they carried such weight that her breath couldn't support them. The sentiment sunk in the air and through the young genius's heart.

"Y/n, you're too young to carry these hefty burdens of decisions on your shoulders." Her eyes shone with tears, her hand wrapped around Y/n. "Just because you're smart doesn't mean you have to deal with everything. Your intellect doesn't equal your responsibilities."

Y/n hardened her expression to suppress the tears welling up in her eyes. Dottie gave her an affectionate smile, followed by an embrace. "You're just a kid, so be a kid." Y/n reluctantly reciprocated the hug and shut her eyes closed.

Y/n never knew that she needed and wanted this: reassurance and guidance. Despite how her actions and decisions are all driven by maturity, she longed to be a kid. To be oblivious to the execrable world. To be free from worries and stress. To be at peace in someone's arm.

Dottie took a heavenward glance at the security camera before withdrawing away with a sweet smile. "Thank you, Miss Dottie." said Y/n, "That helped me."

"Anytime dear." she glanced at the clock on the wall. "Look, it's time for savate lessons. You must warm up or Mr. Ivan will make us clean the training room as punishment."

Y/n nodded and composed herself for the challenge that was yet to come.

No matter how many times, no matter how much she tried. She couldn't do it.

Y/n felt her pulses beat fast, and the course of adrenaline and blood heated her body in agitation. Bullets of sweat cascaded down her face, almost stinging her eyes that were glaring up ahead ferociously at her martial arts trainer, the infamous retired colonel from the Soviet Armed Forces named Ivan.

The young genius prepared and trained for months and yet she couldn't even take down this senior man in a spar. Y/n couldn't conclude what she was supposed to do. She had tried every tactic that she created, but each of them failed.

He was a massive thick wall that blocked her way, a wall that she couldn't conquer. And she hated it. Y/n hated being confused. She hated how helpless she was compared to this elderly man.

He was simply stronger than her.

A wave of dread that she familiarised came crashing back down to her. If she couldn't even beat him, she couldn't beat the villains in the outside world.

"Stand up." he snapped.

With legs quivering in both anger and exhaustion, she stood back up again. She lunged towards the man who sent a few punches but Y/n ducked on time. Not wasting any moment longer, she delivered aggressive punches towards his chest that forced him to move backward and as he does, Y/n stepped closer and hooked her foot against the back of his ankle, causing him to fall to the floor. Ivan quickly rose on the floor and caught her arm, which Y/n used to send a punch. He yanked her body towards him and executed a sidekick to her rib cage.

Y/n held the throbbing pain with a groan. As she did, he caught her hair and twisted her arm to pin it behind her back so that her body would face forward, precluding her from performing her attack. Y/n acted quickly. She used each of her legs and attempted to kick him behind her, but it was futile. She hammered her back towards his chest and stomped at his feet, which caught him off guard and earned her an opportunity to release her trapped arm.

Y/n instantly turned around to punch him in the face, but it did little to nothing. Her trainer plummeted her to the ground and shot her an irritated glare.

As Y/n sighed and groaned on the ground, Ivan mentally recalculated the fight until he voiced his thoughts.

"If I were a real villain, you would've been dead by now." He said, harshly.

Y/n didn't know what to reply or anything to reason her incompetence that would satisfy him. She knew that the real reason would not only anger the trainer, but would also damage her pride.

'I don't know what to do.' an inner voice in her head said, as she pathetically looked down in shame.

"Mr. Ivan, may I have a word with you for a moment?" said Dottie, spectating from the seats.

Ivan glanced at Y/n for a second and sighed. "Alright. Go patch yourself, L/n. We're still not done."

The young teen watched as the adults went to a corner and exchanged hushed dialogues she couldn't hear. Not really thinking much of it, Y/n went to the restroom to freshen up.

Small droplets of water dripped from the tips of her disheveled h/c hair to the sink. The sound of circulating air coming from the ventilator buzzed around the enclosed tiled room. Y/n faced her slovenly reflection with gritted teeth. For a moment, she wondered what her state would've been if she stayed at UA. Her progress would be slow, that's for sure. Looking at the surrounding circumstances, her best option for efficient progression is the HPSC. 

 She'd tell herself, 'No pain, no gain.'

The axiom repeatedly chanted in her head. 

But when was the pain going to end?

She gazed at the mirror, paralyzed. She felt imprisoned by the fear of becoming a memory to herself. Y/n wasn't oblivious to the fact that she was gradually losing control of her fortitude. She took a breath and the cold air filled her lungs. Three quick knocks interrupted her momentary meditation. 

"Y/n." called Dottie, leaning against the bathroom door.

"Be out in a second!" cried the young teen, running her fingers through her hair and wiping her damped face before rushing out of the comfort room. 

Her instructors simultaneously turned their heads toward her. Y/n instantly took notice of the sudden palpable shift in the atmosphere. She stood still until Ivan cleared his throat that grated against her ear. 

"Let's end this session short." he said. "However, the president has a proposition to discuss with you, which I believe is great news for you."

Y/n tilted her head curiously and followed her mentor's figure marching to the door. "Well, let us not make her wait now." 

"Oh, like right now?" 

"Yes, right now." Dottie exclaimed, like a mother gushing at her child to open the Christmas presents. "The meeting was to be held tonight, but I think it is more sufficient if it is held earlier because I'm sure you will need some time." 

"Time for what?" asked Y/n, already being pushed into the building's elevator. 

"You'll see." Dottie winked and the futuristic lift fell into silence. 

Y/n stared at the glass frame of the elevator. It was a cold, grey day. The granite sky brought in a late afternoon mizzle that cloaked the city. She nipped her lower lip as solicitude grew in her with each passing second. She felt herself go cold and sweat started to build in her palms. The portentous silence only added to the inauspicious thoughts that squirmed in her mind, filled with what-ifs. 

After what felt like eons, the elevator let out a notable ding as the stainless metal door opened and all three of them waltzed into a narrow hallway where, at the end, lies tall handsome doors. Ivan walked over first and pushed through it. A small corridor opened up into a larger room, with two glass walls and old burnished wooden cabinets on the other side. The president was typing away at the computer on her desk. Her droopy, empty blue eyes tore from the screen to stare at them for a few lingering moments. 

"Here for the discussion, I presume?" the elderly woman acknowledged, eyes glued back to the screen. "It's quite early, don't you think?"

"We're wasting time," Dottie replied, clasping her hands together. "The earlier, the better." 

Ivan nodded in support. The president's mouth sank into a thoughtful frown before rising from her seat and going through the cabinets and riffling through the files for a few moments of silence until she pulled a thin khaki folder and made her way back to her desk.

Y/n felt a pair of hands on her shoulder that gently pushed her towards the president's desk. Dottie gestured and urged the young teen to sit on one of the two vacant plastic office chairs facing each other, to which she obliged.

Y/n patiently waited and stared at her twiddling fingers. Stomach, churning in anticipation.

The president shifted in her seat and faced Y/n, prompting her to do the same. Her rather cold, insipid face crumpled when her thin lips tugged upwards in a wrinkly smile. Y/n's mouth went agape. It was a rarity for the austere woman to express any perceptible signs of delight.

"Miss L/n, I am thrilled to inform you we found a solution to the complications regarding your situation." she announced. Dottie was beaming, and Ivan remained still. 

Y/n cocked a brow in confusion.

"The surgery in removing the shrapnel in you has a low probability of success. Am I correct?"

Y/n nodded, "Yes, that's why I haven't been able to remove this arc reactor too, to prevent the poison from spreading and worsening. Keep it. Take it." the young teen chuckled lightly. "Either way, both ends lead to death."

The president gave her a pitying smile and said, "Well, now that you are a part of the commission, we took it upon ourselves to resolve your problem. Miss L/n, we have indeed found something that could make the surgery