Knock-Out!

Chapter 9: The Opening Event!

A/N: In case nobody got the end note, that was supposed to be a hint to Izuku's opponent. It- It's Gearless Joe from Megalo Box. Y'know, "Gearless", "Quirkless", same kinda significance, right? Since people asked me about it, I thought more than one of you would figure it out.

...

[Play The Main theme of Megalo Box]

The match started with Izuku immediately swerving to the left to avoid a right cross from Joe, and throwing a left hook that was immediately blocked. The boy ducked under another punch, and landed a left cross on Joe's face. The man stumbled a step, and dodged the following jab to land his own on Izuku's cheek. The boy backed away, and blocked two punches aimed towards his head, and landed a hook onto the opponent's jaw. Izuku then switched to slugger style, Joe rushing in to try to land a right cross. He was met with a slugger punch to the face, as Izuku followed up with a slug to the gut, and an uppercut that caused Quirkless Joe to stumble back, and he rushed in to knock him down with a left hook.

"HE'S DOWN!" Present Mic yelled. Joe immediately stood up, grinning. He and Izuku took a deep breath. Joe rushed towards the boy, locking him in a clinch, but Izuku responded by wailing on Joe's body with liver and regular body blows until he let go. Izuku threw a punch towards Joe that caused him to snap his head to the right, turning back just to dodge a left, and throw two jabs to Izuku's face, both connecting. They quickly recovered, firing off a pair of jabs that only met glove, not face. Izuku Rushed forward, only being met with Joe's glove as he took two steps back, dodging three jabs and a left hook. Izuku hopped in place, before slipping under a right hook and maneuvering behind the opponent, Joe turning around with a hooked that was ducked, and responded to with a blow to the liver as Izuku moved in circles around Joe in an out-boxer style, delivering blows every now and then to wear him down. Izuku was about to go in for another knockdown, until the sharp ring of the bell resounded throughout the arena. The two stopped, and backed to their corners, to prepare for the next round.

"You're doing pretty well, kid." Kaito said.

"Maybe, but the rounds feel a lot shorter." Izuku said.

"Yeah. To keep the focus on the festival itself, the match is three rounds, two minutes per round." Kaito responded.

That was two minutes?! It felt like twenty seconds!" Izuku exclaimed.

"True, but that's because you're fighting. We have a clock for the rounds. You don't. Now, focus on your opponent, and remember what I taught you." The mentor said.

"I got it." Izuku responded, as the bell rung again. The boy stood up, and made his way to the center of the ring to bump gloves with Joe, a grin of his own on his face as they got back into their respective stances.

"Ready?! ROUND TWO! FIGHT!" Present Mic yelled as the bell rang, the two duking it out once more. Joe dodged two jabs and then ducked down as Izuku jumped for a jolt haymaker, sailing above him to land behind the Quirkless boxer. Joe slammed his glove into the jaw of Izuku, making him spin in a circle before barely dodging a right straight from the tan opponent. The younger fighter retaliated by stepping back, and waiting. He started to scan Joe's form, trying to see what his next move would be. At the same time, he noticed Joe was doing the same, and rushed him. Joe, knowing he would try to get close, swung in an uppercut, knowing that the boy would rush into it.

What he didn't know, was that instead of taking the blow, the boy swerved left last second, and landed a left hook on him that caused him to take a few steps back. Izuku rushed in again, intent on knocking him down, but was met with a fist to the gut, then to the face as his moves were read by the Quirkless Joe. An uppercut sent Izuku sprawling to the mat, the boy hopping up before Present Mic could even announce he was down, and rushed Joe once more. He dodged a left, side-stepped passed a right, and ducked under a left hook, uppercutting the man like the last round. Joe slipped away from the hit, and used Izuku's position to slug at his face, the boy taking two before backing away. Joe charged with a left hook, as Izuku did with a right hook, the two hits landing on each other's faces in a cross-counter, the force of the punches pushing each other onto the mat. Both were able to stand, and Izuku started to weave left and right, through Joe's punches as one could hear the faint sound of a jet engine as he spun.

Joe's eyes followed the boy as he moved to an all too familiar shape. Left, right, left, right, the boy moved, Joe aiming to deliver a counter-punch as soon as the boy threw the first punch of the famous move. Izuku then flashed out of existence for a quick second with a flash of lightning, startling Joe, until he appeared to the man's left, already throwing the punch. The boxer was moving his arms to put his hands up before feeling the fist connect with his face, as the boy after landing the blow continued to weave in front of the man as he delivered one hook, then another, and another, the continuous punches making contact again and again as Joe fell victim to the attack. Izuku ended the combo of hooks by weaving low, aiming to deliver an uppercut boosted with his momentum, but that move was dodged by Joe. The older boxer responded by landing a right cross that made Izuku stagger, then a punch to the gut to double him over, before launching an uppercut of his own, that was aimed to knock him down, until the bell rang last second, the glove an inch from Izuku's face.

"ROUND TWO IS OVER! WHAT AN INTENSE BATTLE!" Present Mic yelled, as the two returned to their corners again. Izuku spit a small bit of blood into a bucket Kaito provided for him, as the mentor sprayed water into his mouth and cleaned a few cuts on his face.

"Still got this, kid. You can do this. If he's reading you, just out-read him. Think of it as hard reads." Kaito said.

"S-Sure. I can do that, however confusing as that is." Izuku said, panting. He walked back up to the center, where Joe was waiting, the pair smiling at each other.

"I'll get you this time, kid." Joe said teasingly.

"Not if I knock you down first." Izuku responded, the smile on his face spreading further. He held out a glove, and Joe tapped it with his own, ready to begin the final round.

"FINAL ROUND EVERYBODY! FIIIIIGHT!" Izuku slugged him across the face, before being hit with one by Joe. The tan boxer punched Izuku twice in the gut, and once in the face, pushing him into the ropes, where he delivered another punch to the body that made the ropes stretch. From his position, the boy wound up a fist, using the ropes as a slingshot as he was launched forward, delivering a punch to Joe that caused the man to rocket backwards from the impact into a corner. Izuku sped towards him, as Joe held his hands up to block punch after punch, waiting for an opportunity to the way Joe moved, both through watching his

'Joe will try to counter the next punch with a dodge to the left and retaliate with a right hook in three, two, one, now!' Izuku predicted, ducking down as the previously predicted hook was thrown, the boy cheering slightly in his head as he pressed on. Joe's eyes widened as he was barely able to dodge another uppercut, Izuku backing away after throwing the punch to recover. The younger boxer then shot towards him, slugging him across the face with a right hook, and then a left, before Joe dodged his uppercut. The opponent then delivered two jabs to the face as Izuku stepped back, spat some more blood onto the floor, and put his gloves up with a grin. From there he dodged a right hook, a left straight, and a short burst of jabs, landing two hooks of his own and yet another uppercut.

"That seems to be a favorite punch of his." Midnight said to Kaito, standing at the younger fighter's corner to watch.

"True. His being shorter than most of his opponents makes delivering uppercuts extremely easy, despite it being easily seen through. When it lands though? Be glad he's wearing gloves, because I don't wanna get charged by someone's manager for broken jaws." Kaito responded, returning to the battle. Izuku was seen weaving under a punch and throwing a right to Joe's body, breaking his guard as a left was thrown immediately after. Izuku's punch met face, and Joe stumbled back, both fighters now panting. Joe smiled, knowing the round was going to end soon, and prepared to end it with a final punch to the boy's temple. Izuku thought similarly, winding up to deliver a counter to the round finisher, as the two started to charge. Joe ran in with a left, as Izuku did with a right, the stadium quiet as the punches made their way to each other, intent of either a spectacular knock out, or an even better cross-counter finish... then rang the bell.

"Time. The match is over." Aizawa said, as Izuku and Joe quickly stopped their punches.

"Wait... really?" Joe asked.

"Not even gonna let us finish?" Izuku said, looking at the announcer box, expressing clear disappointment in his face as he moved away from Joe.

"Nope." Aizawa's form said from the big screen.

"C'mon Eraserhead, let the two have their dramatic-yet-expected cross-counter finish, that'll end in a tie but be extremely amazing anyways!" Present Mic said.

"Again, no. It's a draw. Now get the stage ready for the next event. This is the UA Sports Festival, not a boxing match. If you came here for that then just get tickets to a regular one." Aizawa finished, as Izuku, Kaito, Joe, and the other two with him got off the ring as it was disassembled. The fighters would get to rest while the first event started, before the second event, where Izuku would return.

...Infirmary...

Izuku and Joe were sitting on two separate beds in the infirmary, as Recovery Girl was able to heal their wounds and give them time to rest.

"That was a good match, Izuku Midoriya." Joe said.

"I feel the same way, even though it ended a lot faster than I would have liked." Izuku responded. "Also, can I get your autograph?!" He asked, holding out a notebook.

"Sure, kid." Joe said, signing the paper with a slight chuckle. "Anyways, I see a bright future ahead of you. I'm sure that you'll be able to beat the champion at this rate if you keep on improving. Keep moving on, Midoriya-kun. Keep moving on." He said, and the boy's smile threatened to out shine the sun itself.

"I will! Don't worry about me!" Izuku said.

"The next event is beginning in five minutes. Will Izuku Midoriya return to the stage." Aizawa's voice rang throughout the infirmary's intercom with the message, as the boy put back on his UA tracksuit.

"I guess I'm up. I'll see you soon, Joe-kun!" Izuku said, rushing to the field. Joe sighed, and laid down, seeing two figures walk in.

"Hey Sachio, hey Gramps." Joe said, addressing the child and the man who entered.

"You know, the kid wasn't using his Quirk during that fight. You think he was going easy on you?" Nanbu asked.

"I don't think so." Joe said. "I would know if he was holding back. I think it's the only way the kid knows how to fight. Even if he was able to fight with his Quirk, I doubt he would. Not because of arrogance, but because he wants to show the world that he's able to climb without the use of it. Makes the journey more fulfilling." Joe said.

"Kinda like you!" Sachio said. "But... without the whole Quirk part."

"Sure thing, kid. I'm sure you and him will grow up to do great things."

...Earlier...

Momo found herself releasing a breath after the match ended. The area was cleared up, and Midnight directed them to a giant room, where students were starting to funnel in. As this was happening, Momo was lost in her thoughts, recalling what had happened two weeks ago.

'Momo, what have you done?!' She thought to herself. 'Izuku's spending every day training to get better, while you're designating yourself to just be there for the ride. On top of that, I gave him my purity. Why?' Momo stepped into the crowd, thinking of ways to justify her actions to herself. 'I... I just didn't want him to leave. Was that so much to ask for? But... that's a lie. I told him I didn't want him to vanish from my life, but that wasn't the full truth. I wanted him, not just to stay, but because... deep in my mind I knew that I... loved him.' Momo's face lit with a blush, as she shook her head. 'Now's not the time to be thinking of this! I need to focus, and maybe then I can address these feelings later.' She then stood at attention, as the siren signifying the race had rung. She noticed a tiny crack in the wall where students had to filter out through, and saw Todoroki preparing to launch a wave of ice inwards.

Momo responded with by pointing her right arm to the floor, a metal pole blasting out from it as she flew past the ice, and alongside Bakugou and Todoroki. She landed, immediately breaking into a sprint as she saw Mineta scurry on ahead, before just moving out of the way of a giant metal hand.

"A blast from the past! It's the robots from the Entrance Exam!" Present Mic yelled. Momo quickly opened her shirt to create a cannon, launching a cannonball at one to carve a path through the metal behemoths, Todoroki doing the same but for himself, another wave of ice blocking the competition. Momo hopped over it with another pole, running until she saw a large hole in the ground.

"Challenge Two! Welcome to The Fall!" Present Mic yelled. Across the gap were stone pillars connected to rope, a girl with pink hair zooming ahead as she thought of how to pass this obstacle. She remembered the movement style of one of the first generation's legends, creating the devices he used for his particular ability. Momo dived into the gap, as the audience gasped in surprise, until one pillar was seen with a white strand of thread on it. A moment, the black-haired girl was seen flying through the air with a set of devices on her wrists as she swung through The Fall.

"Look at her go people! This is turning out to be a race to remember!" Present Mic yelled, as the audience was pumped with excitement.

"Hey! Swinging's my thing!" Sero said as he just got to The Fall, seeing Momo land on the other side with a roll as she immediately broke back into a run to the two boys ahead.

"Smooth as Silk." She joked to herself quickly. 'And thank you father for your connection to the Parker family archive.' She thought as she pressed on, seeing a few students ahead, until one stepped on a wrong spot and was blown back with a pink explosion.

"IT'S THE FINAL STRETCH, A DANGEROUS MINEFIELD TO THE FINISH!" Present Mic announced. Momo saw Todoroki and Bakugou ahead, and tried to devise a way to catch up. The then looked to her wrists, remembering that she still has the devices on her arms. She shot a white thread onto Bakugou and Todoroki, pulling them to the ground as the devices ran out of fluid. She sprinted along Todoroki's path as she removed the devices from her wrists, the two recovering a moment later to resume their race with Momo now in close pursuit of them. She was about to make it to them before feeling something attach to her back, stopping her from moving forward.

"I've caught up with you now, Yaoyorozu-Chan!" Mineta yelled, sticking to the back of her open shirt with a grin.

"Get off me!" She yelled, as the purple pervert latched to her back tried to furiously grope at her chest. This led the girl to be distracted from the pair ahead, who were stuck in a deadlock for first. The two inched closer and closer to their goal, before a wave of Ice to the hands caused Bakugou to crash and tumble past the finish line, right after Todoroki had crossed it.

"AAAAAND THE WINNER OR THE FIRST EVENT IS TODOROKI SHOUTO!" Present Mic yelled. The dual-Quirked boy smirked, looking at Momo, who hade made fifth place due to the distraction of Mineta, before the classes returned to the stage, where Midnight made her appearance.

As this happened Izuku had reappeared, moving towards Momo, who was currently putting on a new UA training shirt, as the other was still attached to the hairballs of Mineta.

"That was amazing, Momo!" Izuku said.

"Oh, well, t-thank you, Izuku." Momo responded, fixing her front bang. "I would have done better had Mineta not jumped on my back at the last minute."

"I don't doubt that, Momo. I'm going to have a... talk... with him later about that. Also, I'm sorry I wasn't able to talk to you for the past few weeks. I was just trying to wrap my head around when we... y'know..." The boxer said.

"N-No! That's alright. I actually was doing the same. Would you like to... talk about it after the festival?" Momo asked.

"Sure." Izuku responded, a hint of red on both their faces. Todoroki then was seen walking up to them, focusing entirely on Momo.

"Hello, Yaoyorozu-Chan." Todoroki said.

"Um, Hello." She responded.

"That was a wonderful performance. I hope to see you around much more this tournament." He said as he kissed the back of her hand, confusing the girl with his words and actions before moving away.

"What was that about?" Izuku asked, both fists clenched behind his back as he spoke.

"I'm not to sure myself." She said, wiping her hand on her pants leg.

"That was an amazing match, and an equally amazing race!" Midnight said. "Now, everyone, look up here. We'll be choosing the next event!" She pointed to a screen with her whip, with a picture of an event, as the crows watched the image start to spin faster and faster, before slowing to show the words CAVALRY BATTLE. "The rules are simple! Three people will be the cavalry horse, as the top rider will try to take as many headbands from the other riders as possible! You cannot purposefully remove riders from their horses, and headbands must be worn on places where it can be easily grabbed! Anyone who falls or is caught purposefully removing riders will be automatically disqualified! You have one minute to select teams. By the way, first place from the previous event is worth ten million points! Go!" The students began to huddle up, every single one glaring at Todoroki, who shrugged them off with a frown until seeing Momo. He frowned again seeing Izuku with her, knowing she would team up with him and give him the chance to win her over if he were there.

"Would you like to join me, Momo?" Izuku asked.

"I would most definitely like to, Izuku. Who else should we have in our team?" She asked. While the two should have been stuttering and blushing about their past, they did not due to their previous conversation about their act. Since the pair decided to hold off on those thoughts until after the festival, they were now able to focus the current objective.

"You two have a team yet?!" Kirishima and Mina asked, walking up to them.

"No, actually. Come join us!" Izuku said, as the two came over.

"So what's the plan?" Mina asked.

"I have an idea. Kirishima-kun can stay at the front as the lead defense and attack due to his Hardening. I will take the left side and prevent an attack from that side, and you can use your acid to ward off anyone from the side, or give us a way to escape if we become cornered by Todoroki-kun's ice." Momo said. The trio nodded to that, getting into position, Izuku hopping on top as he put on the headbands.

"Then I assume I'll be the rider?" Izuku asked.

'Oh you will be later.' Momo thought, quickly shaking her head with a blush as she coughed slightly into her hand.

"That is correct. Your strength Quirk will be able to prevent any attacks that may come our way, and the speed that comes with it will make you an excellent dodger if the need arrives. Also, you are the most trained out of all of us, so it would only be fair for you to take the lead, no?" The black haired girl said.

"I guess that makes sense. I'll take the lead then. Let's do out best!" Izuku said, as they finished preparations for the cavalry battle. She made shoes for herself and Kirishima that would help them slide across Mina's acid better when she spread it. Izuku was seated atop them, headbands worn on his forehead and neck, tape around his right hand as the other went without it. The group of four walked onto the field, where others were seated atop their groups.

"Alright, you all have a total of fifteen minutes to take as many headbands from the other students as possible! Ready?! GO!" Midnight yelled. Izuku immediately turned left to see Bakugou charge at them, atop a horse comprised of Tokoyami, Uraraka, and Sero, the boy leaping from them to rocket towards their green rider with his explosions, his cry being the first thing to ring through the arena.

"DEEEEEKU!"

...

A/N: Hey guys! Nice to see you all again! I saw Two Heroes a few days ago, and... I'm definitely adding Melissa to the pairing. I'm sorry of anyone wanted just Izuku and Momo as the pairing, but I think I can make it work without destroying the story, so please allow me to try before dropping the story. Constructive criticism is welcomed, and please leave a review, and hopefully a favorite while you're at it. I love seeing your responses! I'll see you guys next chapter. Later!