Kyandi: And I have returned.
Halyn: Her attention is split.
Kyandi: Only a little. My dear Queen of Distractions has gotten me addicted to a Bungou Stray Dogs game.
Halyn: She spends quite a bit of time on it.
Kyandi: I'm cutting back, I swear. I do have stories to work on and I need to prepare for AnimeFest next month. Speaking of which, for those of you who can make it to AnimeFest in Dallas on the 19th of August, I'll have a little present for all of you who can locate me in the crowd.
Halyn: She'll be wearing a black shirt with Kyandi-sama on the back of it.
Kyandi: Right, so don't be shy. Drop by and say hi!
Halyn: That rhymed.
Kyandi: Yes, I know. Anyway, everyone enjoy and review.
Halyn: Kyandi-sama does not own My Hero Academia.
Chapter 7 First Round Fight
"We'll proceed to the afternoon portion after a one hour lunch break! See you then!"
When lunch was called, Todoroki called out Midoriya, leading the other away before their classmates knew what had happened. They found an out-of-the-way corridor where they could talk uninterrupted. For a long moment, though, they just stood across from each other, Todoroki staring at an uncomfortable Midoriya.
"You wanted to talk? About what...?" Midoriya asked, trying to get Todoroki to talk. "The dining hall will be packed if we don't hurry. Um..."
Still Todoroki continued to stare at him, making him shift in discomfort. Finally, blessedly, Todoroki spoke.
"You overwhelmed me. So much so that I broke my own pledge. Ida, Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Uraraka, Leander...none of them felt it. In that last instant, I was the only one feeling the pressure. I experienced All Might's true power up close, remember?" Todoroki said.
"So, what're you saying?" Midoriya asked.
"I felt the same pressure coming from you. So...are you All Might's illegitimate child or something?" Todoroki asked bluntly.
To say that Midoriya was stunned, was an understatement. All he could do for a long pause, was stare at Todoroki in a dumbfounded way. He had no doubt that if certain members of their class, like Halyn, had heard that, they would be rolling on the floor in laughter. Finally, Midoriya started shaking his head rapidly.
"Nah, I, well...I mean, I'm denying that, but obviously, if I really were his kid, I'd try to deny it, so I realize I don't sound very convincing here...but, no, that's not it..." Midoriya tried to explain. "So...let me ask you then, why would you think that I..."
"'No, that's not it.'. Interesting way to phrase it. There's definitely something you're hiding. I'm sure of it. You know, my father is Endeavor. The second greatest hero of all time. So if you're somehow connected to the number one guy, then all the more reason for me to crush you. My dad...he's a powerful bastard who only thinks of becoming stronger. Yeah, he's gone all out to make a name for himself as a hero, but he's always seen that living legend, All Might, as a roadblock and an eyesore. My father could never beat All Might on his own. So he came up with another plan." Todoroki said.
"What's this about, Todoroki? Why are you telling me this?" Midoriya asked.
"Quirk marriages. You've heard of them, yeah? They started becoming a problem during the second or third generation after quirks appeared. Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of passing on a strengthened version of their own quirk. Those earlier generations were lacking in ethics. With his wealth and fame, my father made my mother's family agree to the marriage. All to get his hands on her quirk. Raising me as a hero who could exceed All Might, just to fulfill his own ambitions. I hate it! being no more than a tool for that human garbage. As I remember it, mom was always crying. "I can't stand to see that left side of yours" she said, before throwing scalding water in my face."
Midoriya felt a shudder run down his spine as he stared, wide eyed, at Todoroki. Absently, Todoroki's hand came up to touch the scarred left side of his face. Midoriya couldn't imagine what it must take for a mother to do such a thing to her own child.
Unknown to them, just outside the hallway, Halyn was leaning against the building, listening into the conversation. She had merely been looking for Midoriya when she had come across the two. Hearing what Todoroki had just told Midoriya, Halyn pressed a hand against her stomach, as if she was about to be sick. A few things about Todoroki suddenly made a lot of sense to her.
"In short, not using my left side against you was my revenge on him. Never using my rotten father's quirk...no...by rising to the top without using it...I'll have denied him everything." Todoroki finished.
Outside, Halyn shook her head. She could understand a bad relationship with a father, she could understand the feelings that came with wondering if that same father even loved her or if it had all been a lie with some kind of ulterior motive behind it. She really could understand it, but...Todoroki was only going to end up hurting himself in the end with the way he was approaching it.
All this anger, it wasn't good for him and it hurt her knowing that he was this twisted up inside because of his father's actions. It made her heart ache for him. How a man could only see his son as a means to an end, was beyond her. Then again, there could be more to it for Todoroki's father than she knew. She didn't know the whole story yet and there was always two sides to a story.
Not wanting to be caught listening in, Halyn hurried away, but what she had just heard would stick with her through the rest of the festival.
Just as it would with Midoriya.
-0-0-0-0-
After lunch, it was right back to the festivities.
"Before we get to the final event, I've got good news for all those out of the running! This is still a sports festival, so we've prepared a recreational activity for all participants! We even shipped in cheerleaders from America to get you pumped up." Present Mic announced.
Halyn was suddenly glad that she hadn't been around the other girls in her class for lunch. Somehow, for some reason, all of the other girls in her class had been talked into wearing cheerleader outfits. Something about Mineta and Kaminari tricking them. Halyn kind of felt bad for the girls.
"How'd I let myself get fooled by Mineta's stupid prank..." Yaoyorozu asked herself.
"You really should take anything Mineta tells you with a spoonful of suspicion." Halyn told her as she and Uraraka patted her back.
"Those idiots." Jiro muttered, throwing down one of her pompoms.
"Still time before the main event. No sense in sitting around." Toru reasoned. "Why not just go with it?! Could be fun!"
"You're enjoying this, Toru." Asui remarked.
"Well, it is a good way to pass the time." Halyn admitted.
"Join us, Ha-chan!" Toru suggested.
Hayln shook her head, a smile curling her lips.
"Sorry, but I'm going to use this time to mentally prepare myself for what comes next in the festival." Halyn told them.
She was going to take the time to save up her energy and prepare herself for whatever the festival threw at her. But first, the announcement of the final event.
The final event...one-on-one battles among the sixteen passing students.
"A tournament, huh? So we'll be up in that ring I see on TV every year!" Kirishima cheered.
"Was it a tournament last year too?" Mina asked.
"The format's always different, but most years involve some kind of head-to-head competition. Last year it was foam sword fighting." Sero answered.
"It was amusing to watch." Halyn said, grin on her face.
It was obvious, by the grin on her face and the amused way her tail curled, that she had enjoyed watching the tournament a little too much.
"The match-ups will be decided by drawing lots." Midnight announced, holding up a box. "Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself! It's up to each of you sixteen finalists whether or not you participate in the fun. I expect some of you would rather take a breather and save your strength. Now, let's start with the first-place team-"
Midnight was cut off when Ojiro suddenly raised his hand, calling attention to himself.
"Um...excuse me. I'd...like to drop out." Ojiro announced.
"Ojiro! Why?! This is your chance to get noticed by the pros!" Ida told him.
"The cavalry battle...I have no memories of anything that happened up until the tail end. It's probably his quirk that did it. I know this is a great opportunity. And I know how stupid it must seem to throw it away, but this final tournament...everyone else made it here by their own strength. Yet I'm standing here, and I don't even know how or why. I just can't take it." Ojiro explained.
"You're thinking about it too hard! Just show what you're made of in the tournament!" Toru told him.
"By that logic, I shouldn't be here either." Mina added.
"No...I'm talking about my pride, here." Ojiro said, pressing a hand to his face. "I don't think it's right. And why the heck are you girls dressed like that anyway?"
Halyn laid a hand on Ojiro's shoulder, making him raise his head to look at her. She gave him a smile.
"I know how you feel. Everyone has their own morals and ethics. Don't let anyone sway you from yours." Halyn told him.
Ojiro gave her a grateful smile. As it was, he wasn't the only one that felt like he didn't deserve to go on to the next event. A boy from Class B felt the same way. In the end, it was up to Midnight.
"How naive and green. I...like it! Shoda and Ojiro have officially withdrawn! Replacing those two will be members of Team Kendo, which took fifth."
"If it's gonna be like that, shouldn't it be them instead? I mean, we were immobilized practically the whole time. But they were giving it their all to keep what they had until the very end. Team Tetsutetsu, I mean. Don't worry. We're not colluding or anything. This just feels right." Kendo said, giving her classmate a smile.
"So be it. Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki bring us back up to sixteen competitors! And here are the match-ups!" Midnight announced.
Everyone turned to the screen as the match-ups were displayed. Halyn's eyes followed the names sprawled across the bottom of the screen until she located her own name. The name connected to hers was...Ida. Halyn turned to her classmate, meeting his eyes. For a moment it looked like she might be fighting with some morals about fighting a friend, but then her tail curled and grin curled her lips.
Ida didn't like the look one bit.
"Good luck to you, Ida. May the best hero win." she told him.
Her tone, though, suggested that she had some evil plan up her sleeve, just for him.
Before he could say anything or even begin to approach the question of what her look meant, she turned and walked away, her tail swaying happily behind her. She even hummed a happy little tune to herself as she walked away.
What the hell was she planning?
Not that he got his answer before they were being cleared off the field to make way for the side events. While some of the others took that time to psych themselves up for the upcoming tournament and others tried to relax, Halyn preferred to find a seat away from other to watch the little events until the tournament started.
She had a lot to think about. Looking at the layout for the tournament, she was pretty sure that Midoriya and Todoroki would pass their first rounds. If she won her first two rounds, then that meant she would face one off with one of them. She wasn't exactly sure which she would prefer to face.
After the extra events were over, Cementoss got to work on building the ring they would use for the tournament. Halyn joined the rest of her class in a seating box set aside for their class only.
"Hey, guys. Are you ready? You've been through hell to get here! But now it's time for the one-on-one tournament! You've only got yourself to rely on! Even if you're not a hero, this saying holds true! You know it! Spirit, technique, strength, wisdom, and knowledge! Use 'em all and show us your best! The first match! Making a weird face despite his excellent performance, it's Midoriya Izuku, from the Hero Course! Versus...Sorry, but this guy hasn't really done anything to stand out yet! It's Shinso Hitoshi, from General Studies!" Present Mic announced.
Down below, Midoriya and Shinso entered the ring to a round of cheers from those watching. Halyn was interested to see what kind of quirk this Shinso had and how Midoriya would handle himself in a one-on-one battle.
"The rules are simple! Win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, immobilizing them or getting them to say "I give up"! Bring the pain! We've got our good old Recovery Girl on standby! And fight dirty if you must! "Ethics" have no meaning here! Well, of course, going for the kill is a no-no! You'll be disqualified! Because a true hero's fists fly only when in pursuit of villains! Now let's get this thing started!"
Halyn knew, almost instantly, that something was wrong when Midoriya yelled at Shinso for something he said and suddenly froze in place. From the look on Shinso's face, Halyn was pretty sure it was his quirk at work.
"Dammit, Midoriya. I warned you!" Ojiro yelled from where he sat behind Halyn.
"So this is Shinso's quirk?" Halyn asked, twisting to look at him.
"Yeah." Ojiro replied.
Halyn turned her eyes back to the ring below. From the looks of it, it had to be some kind of mind control quirk. A rare type of quirk and one that could be very valuable. She was sure that was the case when, after a word from Shinso, Midoriya turned and started headed towards the out-of-bounds line of the ring. It looked like it was all over for Midoriya.
That being said, Halyn was pleasantly surprised when Midoriya, somehow, managed to move just two fingers, setting of a blast from his own quirk which, in turn, snapped him out of Shinso's control. It broke two of his fingers, but it did the trick.
"Wow...to go that far..." Ojiro whispered.
"Sometimes you have to go that far." Halyn remarked, silently impressed with Midoriya.
Shinso tried to jab Midoriya into answering him again, so he could gain control once more. Midoriya wasn't falling for it. Despite Shinso being bigger and taller, Midoriya rushed him, trying to push him out of the ring. Shinso punched him, trying to get him off of him, but Midoriya was too persistent, too stubborn to let this be the last of him. It took a little grappling, but with a well place throw, Midoriya was able to get part of Shinso out of the ring.
Even if it was only by a foot.
Literally.
"Shinso is out of the ring! Midoriya moves on to the second round!" Midnight called.
Halyn, along with most of the crowd, clapped for Midoriya, a smile on her face. It was done with two broken fingers and a bleeding nose, but Midoriya had made his way past the first round. She had noticed it, watching him during battle training, but Midoriya really was like her in the fact that he learned, adapted from his experiences. Just thinking of the challenge he would present if she ever got to go up against him, made the fur on her tail stand on end.
The next match was another quick one; Todoroki verses Sero.
Midoriya joined the rest of the class just as the match was starting.
"The cream of the crop! Yet this guy's somehow still as plain as they come! Sero Hanta of the Hero Course! Versus, the best of the best! Strongest of the strong! Todoroki Shoto, also of the Hero Course! Start!"
Sero started out strong in Halyn's opinion. He quickly wrapped Todoroki up in his tape, and, with a solid yank, sent him flying toward the out-of-bounds line. But Todoroki wasn't having it. Halyn's hair was blown back from her face in a burst as, with a single upswing of his hand, Todoroki created a massive wall of ice that easily stood taller than the arena. The ice actually came to a stop just mere inches from her face, making her blink at it in mild surprise before she leaned around it to peer down at the ring below.
Sero was frozen in place and since he couldn't move to continue the match, it was called in Todoroki's favor. As it was called that Todoroki would move on to the next round, Halyn caught sight of him as he defrosted himself and Sero. She didn't know if it was just her or not, but, in that moment, to her...Todoroki looked incredibly sad. To be honest, to see such a confident guy look so sad and even angry at the same time...it broke Halyn's heart.
She couldn't bare to see anyone, especially not a classmate, hurt like that.
She would have to do something, anything...she couldn't leave it like this.
She simply didn't have it in her.
After all the ice that Todoroki has covered the ring in, they had to take a break to thaw out the ice. Once that was done, the next match, featuring Kaminari and Shiozaki, started. Since Halyn's match against Ida was right after that, she excused herself from her seat to head for the preparation room. The girls of her class called out good luck to her as she left. Later, she would find out that Shiozaki beat Kaminari quickly and soundly because he had underestimated her.
Halyn, waiting in the prep room to be called, hopped from one foot to the other, shaking her hands out as she rolled her shoulders. She was nervous, jittery even. Back in Italy, they didn't have huge events like this. They did, however have a smaller event where students from all schools could come together and compete, but that had always been optional and Halyn, favoring secrecy over fame, had never competed.
She wasn't a big fan of the lime light.
Here, though, she didn't have much of a choice. In order to make something of herself and reach a position where she could make her dream come true, she had to deal with the spot light. So she would face Ida, she would fight to win, and would move on to the next round. For now, though, she would not be show-casing her quirk.
Not quite yet.
Finally, she was called to report to the ring. Halyn took a deep breath, steadied her nerves, plastered a smile on her face, and stalked into the ring with all the lethal grace of a feline with it's eyes on its prey. Seeing the serious look on Ida's face, her grin grew. He was nervous, she could tell, could practically smell it on him, and she was sure it was all over the fact that he didn't know what her quirk was and, therefore, didn't know what all she was capable of.
"The first round's just about half over! Next up is Ida Tenya of the Hero Course! Versus, our lady of mystery who's quirk is unknown even to us of the staff...Leander Halyn, also of the Hero Course!"
Halyn could hear the surprised mutterings of the crowd when it was announced that even the teachers didn't know what her quirk was. None of them could believe that even her teachers didn't know what it was.
What could she say?
She was good at hiding things.
"May the best person win, right, Ida?" Halyn called.
"Yes. Best of luck to you, Leander." Ida replied.
"Sorry, dear friend, but I don't need luck."
Ida's eyebrow rose as Halyn crouched on her spot, her tail lashing back and forth. She placed her hands on the ring floor, her back side rising into the air until her tail curled over her head. She braced herself in that position, waiting, her whole body freezing. Ida didn't think she was even breathing.
"START!"
The word barely left Present Mic's mouth before Halyn was moving, her whole body springing forward like a cat pouncing on it's prey. Ida swore he even saw her fang-like teeth flash before he moved to get out of her way. Not that it did him any good. Halyn had reflexes like that of a cat hunting for it's next meal. Her hands connected with the ring floor, her lower body swinging around while her tail helped her to keep balance and then she was pouncing again.
Now expecting it, Ida moved out of her way, aiming a kick for her when she landed. Halyn responded by bunching up the muscles in her legs and springing straight up in the air, the kick flying past right under her body. Her toes no sooner touched the ground before she jumped again, swing her own kick for his face.
He had to admit, Halyn had excellent reflexes, able to react to him just in the nick of time. But she was also taking advantage of the fact that when he used his speed, it was extremely difficult to change directions at the drop of a hat where she could twist and turn with ease. Which he found out the hard way and in a rather irksome manner.
Halyn, with all the ease of a seasoned acrobat, flipped and twisted this way and that, avoiding Ida and effectively driving him up the wall when she would just crouch there, grin on her face and her tail giving a little mocking flick. It was as if the girl was just playing with him, but the truth was...she was baiting him. Something that those watching the match, could see. When she finally pulled the switch on him, he didn't see it coming until it hit him across the face...literally.
He has just attacked again, only for Halyn to flip out of his way, landing on her hands. Balancing there, she twisted...and slammed a booted heel across his face. Flipping back away from him, she landed in a crouch once more. Ida rubbed his abused cheek while the crowd hissed in sympathy. And Ida agreed. He hadn't realized just how much strength Halyn had in her legs.
Ida turned to Halyn, who patiently waited for him, her tail curling one way and then the other. The moment his eyes were on her once again, she sprang.
He avoided her, but she twisted once more and hit him again. As his world spun from the force of the hit, Ida realized that if he took too many of those hits to the face or head, then she was going to end up knocking him out.
The process repeated itself, Halyn wearing him down, while her energy seemed only to increase as she got into the swing of the match, bouncing from one spot to the next. Just when he thought he had her movements down, she mixed it up on him. Instead of dodging and then twisting to attack, she dodged...and then jumped onto him.
One of her hands hit him smack in the face, her knees pressing into his shoulders until her weight knocked him back off his feet. She rolled away from him when they hit the ground and popped back to her feet. Ida had to roll to the side to avoid her next pounce and was scrambling to his feet before she could hit again, but now, instead of being on the offensive, Halyn had forced him into defense as she rapidly attacked him, forcing him further and further back. It was just a few feet short of the out-of-bounds line that he realized what Halyn was doing and planted his feet, fending off her attacks with his arms.
Halyn noticed quickly and aimed a hard kick for his arms. When Ida blocked it, gritting his teeth when he was sure he felt some, at least, crack, she grabbed his wrist, using his firm stance in order to snake her way over his shoulder, taking a nose dive for the ring floor. Ida twisted, concerned she would smack her face on the ground, putting himself off balance but Halyn, as easily as she had with all of her other moves, caught herself on her hands. What she did next both shocked and dumbfounded Ida as well as those watching.
If anyone was ever foolish enough to claim that Halyn's lithe body didn't contain strength, they were in for a rude awakening.
Halyn, in a feat that displayed her flexibility, hooked her legs under his arms and, heaving with a strength Ida didn't know she possessed, she twisted her body, balancing on one arm so she could swing the other out, making his knees buckle when she hit the back of them, hard. Between her own strength and the momentum of his falling, Halyn was able to wretch him up off his feet and, with a snap of her body, send him fly up and over her.
Ida, having lost his balance, landed in a heap. When he sat up, Halyn, still balanced on one hand and looking at him from upside down, gave him a victory sign, her grin growing. It took him a moment to realize why.
"Ida is out of bounds! Leander moves on to round two!" Midnight called.
Ida looked down to find that he had landed just out of bounds. Happy with her victory, Halyn flipped back onto her feet and threw her hands into the air in a cheer as she gave a joyful leap into the air. She spun on the spot once before bounding over to Ida, offering him a hand up and a smile.
"That was great, Ida! You really are fast." Halyn complimented as she helped him up.
"Not fast enough for you, apparently." he remarked in a rather bitter-sweet way.
"Nonsense! I just took advantage of an obvious weakness to your speed. If it had been a race, you would have won, hands down." Halyn told him, giving his hand a shake in a show of sportsmanship.
"And yet, during the obstacle course, you still beat me." Ida pointed out.
"Yes, well...I had an unfair advantage in that, too." she admitted.
Before Ida could question her on what she meant, she spun away from him and headed out of the ring, making way for the next match. Ida really didn't have any idea on how to handle Halyn sometimes, she just bounced from one thing to the other, but he would admit that she was a very clever fighter. She had taken advantage of the weakness to his speed as well as his concern for a classmate.
She was a very clever person, indeed.
END
Kyandi: I imagined a hyper active cat bouncing about a room when I wrote this chapter.
Halyn: You just have to make me as cat-like as possible, don't you?
Kyandi: It's an acquired trait considering your father and brothers are all cat-like.
Halyn: You have a point.
Kyandi: Anyway, I have another chapter I have to edit, so...
Halyn: We're wrapping up early?
Kyandi: Yep. Everyone enjoy and review.
Halyn: We'll be back as soon as possible.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!
