A Dragon's Heart // Shoto Todoroki x Reader

Chapter 7: March Forward

Amara's POV

I made myself comfortable in the Class 1-A waiting room. Today was the day of the festival, and we waited together as a class. We were stuck wearing our gym uniforms, even though my costume wasn't ready yet. I still wished they could have been made out of a material that was at least fireproof. A sigh escaped my lips as I noticed the other students getting themselves ready.

"Get ready, everyone, it is about to start!" Iida's voice was loud. Nerves began to swell inside me as I started to pick at my nails.

"You'll be fine," Todoroki reassured me, placing his hand over mine and giving a slight smile.

"Don't be too upset when I beat you," I teased, standing up as we, as a class, began walking into the arena. The stadium was colossal, the seats in the crowd packed as everyone screamed excitedly from the stands. Fireworks exploded high above the stadium, almost making me jump out of my skin. I turned to glance at the nervous faces of my classmates. Bakugo remained as expressionless as ever. We, as a class, walked to the center of the field, my shoes softly crunching against the grass.

The other classes were introduced as they entered the arena until we all stood together as a group. The pro hero Midnight began explaining the first event. It ended up being the 4km obstacle course. She explained the rules, which were simple enough, and I mentally prepared myself. I hadn't trained my stamina, but I still felt good about the race. I always had my electricity to make me go faster, after all.

We all lined up in front of the narrow doorway that led outside the stadium. Adrenaline began to kick in as I waited patiently for the signal to start running.

"BEGIN!" Midnight's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, and my body reacted before my brain could. I started running towards the door and immediately got trapped within the mass of bodies, just like during the security breach. We all pushed against each other, trying to get through. Before I could think of a solution, a surge of frozen ice pushed everyone forward and froze them in place. Everyone except for me. I saw the anguish and annoyance written all over everyone's faces as they became trapped in Todoroki's ice. I continued my run forward behind Todoroki. I heard Bakugo curse Todoroki from behind me, which made me scoff.

I began to channel electricity into my legs, forcing myself to run faster. My legs became a blur as I zipped past Todoroki, immediately colliding with something solid. Pain lingered in my head as I rubbed it, glancing up at what I hit. I immediately stepped back. It was one of those giant robots from the entrance exams that I had heard everyone talk about. I took a deep breath and called on my fire. A small flame lit on my palm at first before erupting uncontrollably. Red flames danced along my skin as I bent my knees and pushed myself up, my fire acting as a booster and a weapon as I blew a hole straight through one of the robots. I landed clumsily and tripped over my own feet. I scolded myself before picking myself up and continuing to run, my legs already burning and we weren't even halfway.

I want to die.

I heard Todoroki freeze the robots behind me, so I knew he wasn't far away. A loud explosion sounded from behind me as the ground shook slightly. I guessed one of the robots had fallen over somehow. I continued running even though my legs screamed at me to rest.

The next obstacle showed itself before me, when the ground dropped, revealing a massive fall. There were pillars erected that held platforms for us to use, connected by thin lines of rope. I wiped the sweat off my forehead as I nervously looked at the rope. Todoroki flew above me, riding on his ice. He flew over the obstacle and snatched first place from me.

I furrowed my brows at the flying ice-man. If he could do it, so could I. I concentrated on bringing my ice out until a soft cloud of pure white snow vibrated around me. With a deep breath, I focused on freezing the air around me.