MHA: SHADOWS IN UA

My body ached in agony as I stood on my feet. The smell of blood and cold sweat clung to the air around me, invading my lungs. It was a reminder that I was back in reality.

I was back into the training facility, the florescent bulb reflecting on us and the figures around me told me that at the very least.

I looked up to the mezzanine, locking 'eyes' with AFO. He didn't move, didn't speak. His gaze was unreadable. 

I couldn't tell if he was shocked or surprised by his fucked-up face.

I saw Yumi and Ruki, their eyes wide with a mix of disbelief and concern They were still processing what had happened—just like me. My head swam, memories fragmenting as I tried to piece it all together.

The fight.

The dream.

The quirk.

"How many minutes passed?" I muttered to myself.

While I was unconscious and in the dream land, it felt like an entire day there at least. But here? I could say it looked like a couple of minutes. I looked at my opponent in front of me.

Hizaki regained his composure, letting out a smirk. "I see you have come back from the dead. It doesn't mean the story would change."

The tension in the room was suffocating, each breath thick with the weight of what had just happened.

My body screamed in pain, muscles straining as if begging me to lie down and surrender. But there was no time for that, my life was at stake.

Besides, I could say I was different from the first fight. I flexed my fingers, feeling the faint pull of shadows still coiled around me, They clung to my skin like a second, darker layer.

I spat out the bitter taste in my mouth, my body still reeling from the damage. "You wouldn't believe how many times I've been close to death." I let out a weak laugh, feeling my sides hurt.

Hizaki didn't respond. Instead, he lunged forward without hesitation, his metal limbs moving with precision, a blinding flash of steel aimed directly at my face.

I barely had time to react, stumbling backward as the blow whistled past my face. The sheer force of it sent a shockwave through the air, the metallic clang echoing in my ears.

He didn't hesitate, spinning into a follow-up attack. I ducked low, feeling the rush of air as his metal leg whipped past my head. My instincts kicked in, and gritting my teeth, I lashed out with a jab to his side.

Darkness swirled around my fists, creeping up to my elbows, coating them like a second layer of skin. The punch connected with his side, sending him flying back with a bone-crunching impact.

He crashed against the wall with a loud thud, forming a small crate in the wall. I glanced at my arms, my eyes widened with shock. I felt my heart pounding with excitement as i stared at the dark coated arms.

"LET'S FUCKING GO!!!" I shouted, clenching my fists. "Let's get this party started."

Darkness coated my legs up to my knees as I lunged forward, not giving Hizaki any rest.

I suddenly appeared in front of him, shocked yet exhilarated by the speed it took to close the distance.

Twisting my body, I spun and landed a heavy kick to his face, sending him crashing sideways.

Before I could revel in the momentum, Hizaki recovered with terrifying speed. His metallic frame clanged as he braced himself mid-fall, slamming his palm to the ground and vaulting back to his feet.

"Impressive," he sneered, wiping a smear of blood from the corner of his mouth. "But you're still weak."

I launched another punch but this time he was ready. His metal hand shot out, intercepting my attack with a deafening clash.

Sparks flew as his grip tightened around my wrist, the cold, unyielding steel crushing down like a vice. My eyes widened in pain but I twisted my body, throwing my weight into a high kick aimed at his face.

Hizaki released my arm, ducking under the strike and retaliating with a brutal elbow to my ribs. The impact sent a sharp jolt of pain through my chest, forcing a grunt out of me as I staggered backward.

He didn't stop there as he pressed forward, his metal fists a blur of motion as he unleashed a barrage of punches.

I deflected one, two, three strikes, but the fourth caught my shoulder, the sheer force sending me skidding across the floor. My feet scrambled for traction as I coughed, the taste of copper flooding my mouth.

"You're quick, I'll give you that," Hizaki said, his voice cold and mocking. "But raw power means nothing if your body can't keep up."

I wiped the blood from my lips, glaring at him. My vision swam for a moment, but I pushed the dizziness aside. I had to focus. 

The darkness responded again, but I could feel myself straining to maintain it. He was right. I wasn't strong enough yet.

But I wasn't finished either.

He came at me again, his arms a blur of metal as he swiped down toward me. The force of the blow sent me reeling but I blocked with my forearms.

The impact hit with a violent crack, sending me skidding back across the floor. Hizaki charged, his metal leg whirling in a spinning kick aimed at my head. I ducked low, countering with an uppercut.

He blocked it with his forearm, the clash sending shockwaves through the air.

The fight became a blur of motion—kicks, punches, dodges, and counters. Hizaki's attacks were relentless, each one precise and brutal.

I lashed out with a wild roundhouse kick, the darkness amplifying its power, but Hizaki sidestepped it effortlessly, slamming his shoulder into my chest and driving me into the ground.

The air was forced from my lungs as I hit the floor hard, pain radiating through my back. Hizaki loomed over me, raising a metallic fist for a finishing blow.

"Not yet!" I growled, forcing my body to move despite the agony. Shadows surged from the ground, wrapping around his ankle, yanking him off balance.

I rolled to my feet, using the momentum to drive a punch into his stomach. Hizaki staggered, coughing, but retaliated with a hard kick that caught me in the side.

The world spun as I was thrown across the room, crashing into a pile of debris. Every part of my body screamed in protest, but I pushed myself up, refusing to stay down.

Hizaki was breathing heavily now, his movements slower but no less dangerous.

Blood dripped from a gash on his forehead, staining the silver sheen of his metal skin.

"You've gotten strong Azaria," he said, chuckling. "You went from being weak to making me exicted in a fight."

I spat out a glob of blood, a weak grin spreading across my face. "You give me too much praise. I'm just fighting for my life here."

Summoning the last reserves of my strength, I lunged at him, darkness pooling around my fists like tidal waves. Hizaki met me head-on, his metal frame crashing into mine as we exchanged blows in a chaotic flurry.

Pain blurred my senses as I felt my muscles slow down but I could also feel his movements slowing, his strikes losing their edge.

Clenching my teeth as I pushed past the pain, I drove my fist into his chest, the force of the blow cracking the metal plating. The darkness around my arm rippled, dissipating as the impact sent a shockwave through his body.

Hizaki staggered backward, gasping as he fell to his knees. I stood over him, barely able to stay upright, my entire body trembling from exhaustion.

"You... win," he muttered, coughing as he tried to catch his breath.

The world seemed to tilt as I struggled to stay conscious. The facility was silent, save for the ragged pants escaping my mouth.

Above us, AFO's slow, deliberate applause echoed through the training facility. "Congratulations Azaria, your family lives because of you. You have shown your worth." He walked out of the hall, his words fading into the air but was still heavy. 

The silence in the room was suffocating, every breath I took feeling heavier than the last. My body shook, still pulsating with the adrenaline of the battle, but it was all starting to fade.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. I clenched my fists, feeling the sharp ache of tension in my arms, but it wasn't just my body screaming for relief—it was my soul.

The weight of everything I'd been through, the fights, the loss, the pain—it all surged up, and I couldn't stop it.

And then, I screamed.

It tore through me, raw and unfiltered. It echoed in the silence. I dropped to my knees, hands pressing into the floor as I fought to stay upright, my chest heaving with every breath.

I wasn't sure if it was victory, exhaustion, or something darker, but it all spilled out in that scream.

I was alive.

I had made it.

The cost had been everything.

The room felt like it was spinning, my vision blurred by the rush of emotions flooding my mind. My breath came in ragged gasps, and my body trembled, the strain of what I'd just done crashing over me like a wave. 

"AZARIA!!!" 

The voice yanked me out of the haze of exhilaration.

The voice. That voice. 

It was the same voice that tried to pull me out of the dream, guided me, that gave me the strength to move forward.

It was Yumi's voice. My Mum.

She and Ruki rushed over to me, pulling me into their embrace. Tears and snot dampened my clothes as they held me tight.

Yumi's soft voice cut through the cries. "Azaria, you did it."

Her words sank in like a balm to a wound I hadn't known was there. I let my head fall to her shoulder. My heart felt heavy, but at this moment, in their arms, I found something I hadn't had in a long time—peace.

"Good job, son," my father said, his voice thick with something I couldn't place. There was pride there, but also an unspoken understanding. "You saved us all."

I had to bite my lip so hard that I could taste the blood, forcing myself to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to spill over.

"Thank you," My voice barely a whisper. "Thank you for saving me."

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