"Robinn, why do you want to be a hero so much?"

  Her mother’s voice was thin, barely above a whisper... but it still filled the sterile hospital room. The monitor beside her pulsed in quiet rhythm, a soft beep every second, steady and patient. Mechanical. The breathing machine let out a low exhale, almost like a sigh.

  Robinn didn’t answer right away. She couldn't. Her gaze was fixed on her shoes, where the linoleum floor was starting to blur beneath a scatter of teardrops. It didn’t even register when the tears started. Her throat felt too tight for words.

  "I've told you that before, Mom," she said, finally, voice cracking on the last word. She didn't look up. She couldn’t.

  Kiyomi smiled. "I know that. I just want to hear your cute little voice say it again."

  Robinn shook her head. "No… I'll tell you when you get out of here. When you go back home." Her voice trembled like she didn’t quite believe it herself.

  There was a pause before her mother responded, warm and breezy as ever. "It's all gonna be okay, Ro. I'm just gonna have to stay here at the hospital for a bit. You’re gonna be staying with your uncle for a little while."

  That made her look up. Just a little.

  "My uncle? I don’t have an uncle."

  Kiyomi gave a soft laugh, light and unbothered. "He’s not your real uncle, just a family friend."

  Robinn blinked, confused, her tears momentarily forgotten. "But… why can’t I stay here with you?"

  Her mom made a little exaggerated pout. "You need to go to school, Ro. You can’t let your grades fall, okay? And hospitals aren’t safe places for kids."

  The fluorescent light above them flickered faintly. Robinn stared at the wrinkled blanket pulled up to her mother's chest. It looked too big on her now.

  She took a few shaky breaths, then wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Then… then I want to be a doctor. That way I can stay here with you. I can help save you!" Her little fists clenched in front of her chest as she made the declaration, full of ten-year-old certainty.

  Kiyomi laughed again, breathy but warm. "Didn’t you want to be a hero?"

  Robinn hesitated. She frowned, confused, the lines on her face too serious for her age.

  "I do… but I can’t save you if I’m a hero, Mom."

  There it was again... Silence. A thick, awful one, broken only by the soft hiss of the oxygen line.

  Kiyomi’s smile dimmed but didn’t vanish. Her eyes were distant now, glazed with some quiet sorrow Robinn wouldn’t understand for years. "Robinn, sweetie. You can save a lot more people if you’re a hero."

  "But Mom..."

  She cut her off gently. "And it’s the doctors’ job to save me, not yours. They’re heroes too, you know? But you... you’ve got a different dream. Follow that. Become a hero, and save everyone."

  She barely got the last words out before a fit of coughs overtook her, rattling and dry.

  Robinn gulped. Her lips trembled, but she forced her head up and looked her mother in the eyes.

  "I will, Mom! I’ll become the bestest hero of all time and save everyone... watch me!"

  Bakugo was breathing hard, shoulders heaving. His stance had devolved, no longer the disciplined form of a trained fighter, but something more feral. Animalistic. Desperate. His eyes flicked between her and the edges of the arena, scanning for any escape route, any opening, any miracle.

  Robinn stayed still, watching him from above. Her breathing was shallow, not from panic, but from pure fatigue. Water didn’t drain her the way more extreme forms did, but it still wore on her. And she hadn’t recovered fully since the last match. This fight was dragging. She needed to end it... soon.

  "So are you gonna give up?" she asked, calm and razor-edged.

  Bakugo wiped a smear of blood from his lip and spat to the side. "Like hell I am. You’ve got limits too, right? Everyone breaks eventually."

  She exhaled. He was thinking clearly again. That was a problem.

  She began walking toward him, slow and deliberate.

  Bakugo immediately shifted, stepping backward with measured caution. Defensive. Robinn’s eyes narrowed. She didn’t like this. She’d spent the entire match controlling the tempo, keeping him on the offensive so he'd exhaust himself before she ran out of stamina. But she’d underestimated him. Hotheaded or not, Bakugo had good instincts... good enough to realize the tide was shifting.

  "So what, staying quiet now?" he snapped. "You were just trying to piss me off earlier, weren’t you? Moron move if you thought I’d fall for it."

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  He looked pissed. But then, he always looked pissed.

  Now the fight was tight. Dangerous. Not one-sided like she’d planned. If he kept stalling... dodging, baiting her forward... she’d collapse before he did. She was the one on a timer. But if she rushed him, he’d have the chance to counter. He would hurt her.

  She needed to disappear.

  Robinn shifted, her body dissolving piece by piece into air, limbs first, then torso, her head last. One final look at the arena. Then... nothing.

  No sound. No sight. No touch. No weight.

  Just absence.

  It was strangely peaceful, like drifting underwater in total darkness. She took four steps back, three to the right. Movements pre-planned. Untraceable. She’d practiced this in solitude dozens of times, maybe hundreds, calibrating steps, turns, angles, so she could navigate blind.

  Now she thought.

  His arms were injured... both of them. The gut punch should’ve rattled him, and the uppercut to the jaw had landed clean. He had to be slower now.

  He knew she couldn’t see while in air form. Last time, he’d repositioned, probably five steps back. So… from where she vanished…

  Three steps left. Four forward. Twelve more.

  She'd land behind him.

  She counted them out in silence. Each one deliberate. She pivoted sharply on the final step, reforming in an instant, still water. Sensation returned all at once, rushing in like a tidal wave. Sight, sound, balance. Her head throbbed.

  But there he was.

  Right in front of her. Back turned.

  Robinn grinned.

  In one smooth motion, she shifted her upper body into solid rock and lunged, wrapping both arms around his neck. Her momentum dragged them down, slamming him hard against her stony chest as they hit the ground. The impact alone had to rattle his ribs.

  He thrashed immediately, squirming in her grip, hands grabbing at her arms. Tiny explosions burst against her stone form, hot and sharp. She gritted her teeth and held on.

  He shouted something, garbled and raw, but she couldn’t make out the words. Didn’t matter.

  He could’ve blown off her arms if he really wanted to. But his head was right there. He had to be holding back. He wasn’t blastproof, not completely.

  The struggle dragged on, tensed seconds stretching thin. Then, finally, his hands went slack. Limbs dropped to the ground like weights.

  Robinn loosened her grip, shifting back to normal as she gently lowered his head to the floor.

  She didn’t look at him.

  Didn’t need to.

  A beat passed before Midnight’s voice echoed across the arena.

  "Bakugo is unable to battle. Which means… Reibach wins!"

  The roar of the stadium crashed over her like a wave. Present Mic’s voice followed, booming and ecstatic, grating against her raw nerves.

  She always hated that, coming back from full sensory deprivation, only to be hit by deafening cheers. Her body overcorrected. Everything felt too loud. Too bright.

  "And now all of the events have been completed! The winner of this year’s first-year U.A. Sports Festival is… from Class A, Robinn Reibach!"

  Another roar from the crowd. Fireworks exploded in the sky above, colorful and distant. Not that loud.

  Still hurt.

  Robinn forced a smile. Big and bright. Like always.

  She stood over Bakugo’s fallen body for a moment longer, collecting herself. Then she turned and walked toward her tunnel.

  The moment she passed into the shaded corridor, her smile dropped. Her stride faltered. She pressed one arm against the cool concrete wall, leaning her weight into it.

  That had been too close.

  Way too close.

  By the time she reached the prep room, her legs felt like jelly. She collapsed into one of the cold metal chairs without ceremony.

  Her eyes shut before she could stop them.

  She didn’t mean to fall asleep.

  She just couldn’t stay awake.

  Minutes passed.

  Then... click.

  The door swung open with a metallic creak. Robinn jolted awake, blinking against the light as Midoriya stepped into the room. He looked more excited than she expected.. almost giddy, until he actually looked at her.

  "Hey Robinn, they’re looking for yo-" He froze mid-sentence. His eyes narrowed slightly, taking in her slumped posture, the half-closed eyes, the subtle tremor in her arms.

  "…Wait, are you okay? Should I tell Miss Midnight you need more time?"

  She blinked once, then sat up straighter, forcing a warm smile. "No thanks, Midoriya. Just a quick power nap. Guess I got carried away."

  Embarrassing. She hated this. Letting her guard down like that... especially in front of him.

  She stood, stretched like she wasn’t sore, like she hadn’t nearly collapsed, and strolled toward him with practiced calm.

  "The awards ceremony, right? Is Bakugo even awake?"

  Midoriya stepped back, holding the door open for her. "Yeah. He woke up a few minutes ago. But he hasn’t said a word."

  That made her pause... just briefly. Then she walked past him with a raised brow. "Thanks," she said, nodding slightly as she passed.

  He followed, quick to match her pace. "Hey, um… congrats on winning. I can’t say I was expecting it. Kacchan’s amazing, after all."

  "Thanks," she said again... toneless and distant.

  Just as the light from the tunnel exit spilled across their feet, Midoriya threw out his arm to stop her.

  "Huh?" She halted immediately.

  He looked sheepish. "Oh... right. Midnight said the top four have to get on the podium from below. It raises up when she announces them. The entrance is close. I almost forgot. Sorry."

  He gave a small bow, then turned sharply down a side hall. She followed him.

  He stopped in front of a door labeled, in dramatic block letters: SECRET PODIUM ENTRANCE TUNNEL.

  Robinn stared flatly. "Classy," she muttered with a shrug, pushing the door open.

  Stairs descended beyond it, surprisingly well-lit. The same clean white as the rest of U.A.’s facility.

  "Thanks for the pointer, Midoriya. See you later." She didn’t wait for a reply. She walked in without looking back.

  "…See you," he said softly, already turning away.

  Robinn walked the tunnel with her hands in her pockets. Alone again. She let the smile fall away, just for a moment. Just until the next door.

  When she opened it, a few technicians turned to greet her. Bright lights and a low mechanical hum filled the space. At the center stood the raised platform, the podium spots locked in place.

  Bakugo was already there... second place, scowling at the floor. His arms were stiff at his sides, jaw clenched. Todoroki and Tokoyami stood awkwardly close on the cramped third-place step, neither speaking.

  And in the middle: the first-place platform. Empty. Waiting.

  One of the techs waved her over. She climbed the steps, feet steady, and positioned herself front and center.

  She stood tall, legs slightly apart, hands on hips. Back straight. Shoulders wide. Smile radiant and unwavering.

  A perfect hero pose.

  The platform began to rise. Machinery hummed beneath her. Smoke curled from vents in the stadium floor above, and then the light hit her.

  The ceiling split open, and she emerged.

  The crowd exploded.

  Fireworks. Cheering so loud it rang in her skull. She stood there, glowing beneath the sun, right in the center of U.A.’s stadium.

  She’d done it.

  "Now we will award the medals!" Midnight’s voice rang out.

  "The presentation of the medals will, of course, be by…"

  A booming laugh echoed through the stadium.

  Robinn didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

  But she did.

  All Might launched himself from the highest level of the stadium, landing with a resonant boom in front of the podium.

  "I am here… to present the medals!" he declared, arms spread wide.

  Internally, Robinn frowned. She knew he’d be the one. She still didn’t like it.

  After a few words with Midnight, he took the microphone and approached the podium.

  He handed bronze medals to Todoroki and Tokoyami first, leaning in to offer a few encouraging words. Robinn didn’t bother listening. It wasn’t disrespect, it was disinterest. She didn’t come here for a medal.

  Next came Bakugo. He barely glanced up as All Might handed him silver. No words from him. None from the crowd either. Just silence.

  Then, finally, All Might stepped in front of her.

  Gold medal in one hand. Microphone in the other.

  His smile looked real.

  That was rare.

  He leaned forward, draping the gold medal around her neck. Then, unexpectedly he pulled her into a hug. A full, tight hug. In his muscle form.

  It felt… solid. Different. Warm.

  He whispered, low enough only she could hear:

  "I'm proud of you. But we still need to talk."

  Then he stepped back. Smile back to fake.

  She didn’t wait.

  She stepped forward and took the microphone from his hand.

  Static screeched across the stadium.

  Then her voice cut through the noise.

  "Hey everyone! I’m so happy to be here right now!"

  All Might’s eyes widened.

  She took a slow step forward, then another, walking carefully in the narrow podium space, every movement exaggerated for the camera. Her voice projected clearly, confidence radiating from her every syllable.

  "Y’know, I’ve always dreamt of being up here. But only so I could make this announcement."

  Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami all turned to stare at her.

  "I’m sorry my fights weren’t that flashy. My fault. I just really needed to win."

  She stopped walking. Turned her head.

  Then she stared directly into the nearest camera lens.

  The same camera lens that was broadcasting to the whole country.

  Unblinking. Unflinching.

  "I will be the next symbol of peace."

  Then she handed the mic back to All Might, smiling wide.