CHAPTER 9: THE CAVALRY BATTLE!
"Talking"
"SHOUTING"
'Thinking'
"Deep Voice / Demonic Voice"
[ Place / Time ]
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A.N.: WARNING: Izuku will be a year older than the Izuku of the manga/anime.
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[ U.A. – Sports Festival Stadium / During team-building ]
"Joining your team?" Tenya looked at Shoto with surprised eyes, not expecting such a request. From what little he understood about Endeavor's son, Shoto was one who wanted to do things on his own, especially in combat simulations, so a situation where others were looking for his help was more likely. However, he was also smart, so he must have already had a team in mind for the event.
"Yes. Your Quirk and your speed are perfect for this type of event." Shoto walked away with Tenya behind him "However, this won't be my team."
"What do you mean?"
"Simply, you saw what Midoriya did during the first event." Shoto pointed at Izuku who was talking with a pink haired girl "And he will probably do something similar even now. In order to stop him, this team must be versatile but strong at the same time, and that's where you come into play with your speed. Using my ice as a support you can go even faster."
Tenya looked around for a moment before asking "Since you said this won't be your team, I guess you won't be the rider."
"Correct. As I said, this team must also be powerful and there is someone with a Quirk suitable for the purpose, but suggesting that he is part of the horse would lead him to immediately reject the proposal. For this he will be the rider." explained Shoto walking toward a group of their classmates.
"Who are you talking abo-oh..." Tenya stopped mid-sentence, paling a bit.
"Team up with me!"
"Hey Bakugo, pick me!"
"He's picking me, of course!"
"Come on Bakugo, let's form a team!"
Tenya looked at the son of Endeavor "Him?"
"Him." nodded Shoto stopping behind their classmates "Bakugo." everyone turned to look at him and Tenya "Would you like to be the rider of our team?"
Everyone looked at him with shocked eyes except for Katsuki who narrowed his own "Why should I join you, Half 'n' Half?"
"You want to defeat Midoriya, isn't it?" asked back Shoto without missing a beat "It is likely that he will do something similar to the first event, using a vehicle transformed with his Quirk. In order to stop him you will need speed, power and a suitable terrain. While you have a powerful Quirk, you do not have the speed and you need a team that can get you close to him." he pointed a Tenya "Iida is with me, and he's the fastest in our class when Midoriya isn't using a vehicle, while I can do something to stop or slow him down with my ice. If we combine our three Quirks, we get a team that can go fast, slow down or stop others and destroy any defenses."
Those who were listening paled in hearing Shoto's explanation and all of them hoped that Katsuki would say no to the offer.
"And you want me as the rider? Would you really give up that position?" asked Katsuki still with narrowed eyes.
"Your Quirk, as a part of the horse, isn't useful, but as the rider, you've free control of your hands."
A sinister grin appeared on Katsuki's face "Fine, I'll join you, but as soon as the event is over, I will show you why you declared war on the wrong person in the locker room!"
"Fine by me." replied Shoto without blinking.
"Now, who is the fucking fourth member?" snarled Katsuki while the others tried again to join him.
"Excuse me." a calm but strong female voice was heard above everything and the students of class 1-A saw a girl with vines instead of hair standing a few feet away "Forgive me and the sin I committed, but I couldn't help listening to your speech. You want to defeat Izuku Midoriya, correct?"
'She is the girl who has arrived in fifth position.' thought Shoto before nodding "Yes, that's our goal."
As soon as he had said those words, all the students nearby felt a strange pressure on their shoulders. Even Shoto and Katsuki couldn't help but slightly straighten their backs, yet the girl in front of them hadn't moved. She had just imperceptibly narrowed her eyes.
"In that case, allow me to join you in this sacred task." she put her hands together in a symbol of prayer while closing her eyes and, strangely enough, a strange light appeared above the girl, giving her a more sacred and important air "The sins that he has committed, which stain his soul, I can feel them and for this I have to stop him..." she opened her eyes, looking at the students in front of her and the pressure returned stronger than before "During this event, Izuku Midoriya shall fall!"
[ U.A. – Sports Festival Stadium / Now ]
"DEEKUUUUUUUU!" Katsuki screamed, trying to hit Izuku's bike with one of his explosions, but Izuku managed to avoid the shot, steering the handlebars to the right. Behind him, several vines grabbed Katsuki before putting him back on top of his horse, which continued to chase the burning vehicle.
Immediately after the start of the event, Team Bakugo (Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, Tenya Iida and Ibara Shiozaki) had continued to pursue Team Midoriya (Izuku Midoriya, Momo Yaoyorozu and Mei Hatsume), even managing to take the headbands of Team Kodai (Yui Kodai and Kojiro Bondo) and Team Kukidashi (Manga Fukidashi, Togaru Kamakiri and Nirengeki Shoda).
"WE ARE JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF THE EVENT AND TWO OF THE TWELVE TEAMS IN PLAY HAVE ALREADY LOST THEIR HEADBANDS!" shouted Present Mic looking at monitor to his side "THIS CAVALRY BATTLE HAS STARTED WITH A BANG!" and again, everyone ignored the pun about Katsuki's Quirk.
"They are persistent." said Izuku driving his chopper away from them "Hatsume, do you have something to slow them down?"
"Heh heh heh! Of course I have!" Mei picked up four little metallic spheres before throwing them on Tenya and the others "These babies will slow them down!" and in mid-air, the spheres exploded releasing a strange viscous liquid, but before it could take effect, a spike of ice was created from the ground, blocking the liquid and allowing Tenya to run alongside the block of ice, continuing with the pursuit.
"They're still behind us!" shouted Momo and, looking back, she had to admit that she was impressed by the control that Shoto had on his Quirk, succeeding in creating two trails of ice on the ground on which he and Ibara could slide holding their feet still while Tenya could run at full speed, without being slowed down by the ice.
"And they are not alone!" shouted a male voice from their right and, looking on that side, they saw Mezo running toward them all alone, with his arms forming a strange shelter on his back. From a small gap in his arms, above his head, several purple spheres were thrown but Izuku, having recognized them, quickly moved his right arm to create a wall of flames that melted the balls in midair.
"Those were Mineta's-!" Izuku was interrupted when a long tongue darted towards him, aiming at his headband, but this time an iron pipe smacked the tongue away.
"I got it!" said Momo while trying to catch her breath with the iron pipe in her hands.
"Nice hit, Yaoyorozu." said Tsuyu with her and Minoru now visible through the gap in the arms of Mezo.
'Yaoyorozu is tired after having created all those components and certainly everyone will be aiming for us. I must be able to avoid fighting, after all we just need to keep our band to be sure to pass.' thought Izuku looking around and, surely enough, most of the teams were coming toward them 'I only hope Hatsume and her gadgets can protect us from surprise attacks. This chopper is very big and is an easy target, I will have to focus on speed.'
"Watch out!" shouted Momo and, looking ahead, Izuku saw a blur darting toward them but he managed to dodge the new opponent driving the chopper to the left.
"That won't save you!" said a female voice with a strange accent.
Momo looked back and was surprised to see a bespectacled beast-boy used as a horse with a black haired boy and a pony-girl on his back, but the strangest thing was that under the feet and hands of the beast boy there were what looked like horns and they were giving him the opportunity to move without even touching the ground.
"OH LOOKS LIKE TEAM RIN IS TAKING A SHOT AT THE BIG PRIZE!"
Much to Izuku's surprise, Team Rin (Hiryu Rin, Pony Tsunotori and Jurota Shishida) managed to reach him in a few moments and when Momo tried to hit Hiryu with her iron pipe, he raised his left arm, now covered with scales, and parried the blow without any difficulty, before pointing both arms at the chopper's wheels, shooting several scales from his hands and even if they couldn't pierce the tires, they shook the vehicle slightly, forcing Momo to stop any attacks while Mei was trying to decide which gadget to use.
"Miss Tsunotori! Behind us!" shouted Jurota without looking back. Said girl glanced back in his place and saw Team Kaminari (Denki Kaminari, Mashirao Ojiro, Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama) try to get their headband.
"Gotcha, dragon-boy!" said Denki reaching for Hiryu headband but, at the last moment, Team Rin managed to accomplish a back-flip and, when they were upside-down above Team Kaminari, Hiryu grabbed the headband of the blond boy, shocking him and his team.
"Got you, electric boy." replied Hiryu with a little smirk on his face.
"How the hell did they do that?!" shouted Denki while his team turned around to chase Team Rin.
To his left, Mashirao widened his eyes "Ah! Look! Those horns are the same as those on Tsunotori's head!"
"That must be her Quirk!" added Mina on the left.
"We need to slow them down! Aoyama, shoot at the ground!" said Denki pointing just below Team Rin.
"I'll show them my beautiful sparkle!" nodded Yuga before using his Quirk, even if the laser completely miss the target because Team Rin had already moved to another target.
"They are going for Jiro and the others!" noted Denki "Watch out!"
Not far from them, Team Hagakure (Toru Hagakure, Kyoka Jiro, Koji Koda and Rikido Sato) turned after hearing his scream, just in time to see Team Rin fly over them but when Hiryu tried to get Toru's headband, Kyoka used her earlobes to hit his hand, preventing him from getting the prize.
"Good job Jiro!" said Toru "Now we can-!"
"Your Quirk is being invisible, right?" asked a male voice near them.
"Yeah, can't you see-?!" Toru shut up instantly, confusing her team and Team Kaminari but before they could ask her anything, the same male voice ordered her "Give me that headband." and, much to everyone's shock, Toru grabbed her own headband and threw it to the right, where it was taken by Hitoshi, who stared at them with a small smirk on his face.
"Thanks." and with that, his team ran away leaving behind two shocked teams.
"Hagakure! What the Hell?!" shouted Kyoka looking at her teammate who, even if they could not see it, was looking around with confused eyes.
"U-Uh?! W-What happened?!" asked Toru "Where's our headband?!"
"You just handed our headband to that guy!" said Kyoka with a pissed off look "After them!"
Not far from them, Team Mineta (Minoru Mineta, Mezo Shoji and Tsuyu Asui) was busy gathering information about the current situation, using Mezo's tentacles to look all around.
"It seems that for the moment most of the teams are focused on Midoriya." said the masked student before feeling something on his back. Why did he feel heavier?
"Ah! What the Hell are these?!" shouted Minoru and Mezo opened his arms to look at his teammates, just to see both of them covered in various types of mushrooms.
"What the-?!" Mezo's surprise didn't last long because suddenly a huge hand grabbed Minoru, taking him away and, turning in that direction he and Tsuyu saw Team Kendo (Itsuka Kendo, Reiko Yanagi, Setsuna Tokage and Kinoko Komori), with Itsuka intent on removing the headband of Minoru using her other hand.
"Sorry, but we need points!" said Itsuka before tossing Minoru toward his team with Tsuyu who quickly caught him with her tongue.
"My beautiful mushrooms will last for a few hours if you don't remove them!" said Kinoko on Itsuka's right but before Minoru or the others could reply at that, Team Kendo was already moving away from them.
"Damn it! We lost our headband!" said Minoru while trying to tear away all the mushrooms, also receiving a tongue stroke for trying to remove those from Tsuyu's butt.
"We need to gain some points. Seven minutes have already passed, ribbit." said Tsuyu looking at one of the huge screens in the stadium.
"And we are not the only ones in trouble." added Mezo looking around just in time to see one team from their class clashing against one from class 1-B not too far from them "Uraraka is in trouble too."
As mentioned by him, Team Uraraka (Ochaco Uraraka, Hanta Sero, Eijiro Kirishima and Fumikage Tokoyami) was in clear difficulty against Team Awase (Yosetsu Awase, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Juzo Honenuki and Shihai Kuroiru), with the rider who was just aiming at their headband.
"They don't want to give up!" said Hanta from Ochaco's right.
"We need to fight back!" yelled Ochaco before looking at the front of her horse "Kirishima, can you take on Tetsutetsu?!"
"I'll face him like a real man!" nodded Eijiro with a large grin on his face but it disappeared when he, as well as his teammates found themselves plunging into the ground suddenly become softer, almost like quicksand.
"We got them! Nice job Honezuki!" shouted Tetsutetsu not far from them.
"We can't get out!" said Hanta trying to run away but Ochaco stopped him "No, turn around! Quickly!" though he didn't know what she had in mind, Fumikage used his Quirk and Dark Shadow helped them turn to their opposing team "Sero! Aim for your tape at Tetsutetsu!" the black-haired boy did as requested and managed to attach his tape to Tetsutetsu's left shoulder, and he looked at them with a confused look.
"Wait...Uraraka don't tell me...!" Hanta looked at their opponents with worried eyes before being touched on the head by his rider who was using her Quirk on him and Fumikage "Rewind your tape! Kirishima, use your Quirk!"
"Got it!" nodded Eijiro hardening his whole body with the head tilted forward like a sort of ram. A few moments later, their team darted at full speed against Team Awase, taking advantage of the soft terrain as if they were doing water skiing.
'They want to come against us like a cannonball and thanks to Uraraka's Quirk they can go much faster!' thought Yosetsu with shocked eyes before screaming "Tetsutetsu!"
"I'm ready!" shouted the front of the horse already using his Quirk "I'll stop him like a real man!"
Moments later, the heads of Eijiro and Tetsutetsu impacted against each other, generating a small shock wave that made the two teams stagger, surprising all those who had witnessed the clash. Small cracks opened on the foreheads of the two boys but as Tetsutetsu and his team stumbled backwards, Team Uraraka managed to move forward.
'How is it possible? They are lighter and should be more affected by the impact.' thought Juzo staring at them before noticing two detail: Ochaco's hands, that were positioned in the way for when she wanted to cancel the effects of her Quirk, and Dark Shadow who was behind them, holding the team together 'Ah...they also thought about this but it will not be enough.'
"We got this!" said Ochaco with a huge smile before grabbing the headband around Yosetsu's neck but when she pulled, the headband slipped away from her hand, remaining around his neck "UH?!"
"Sorry but..." Yosetsu grabbed her headband, managing to take it away "I merged my headband with my clothes! You can't take it!"
Before she could react, the ground beneath their feet became soft again and, as soon as their feet were submerged, it returned solid, locking them in place. Team Awase moved away soon after, aiming at other teams as Present Mic's voice was heard in the air.
"IT SEEMS THAT CLASS 1-B IS SHOWING ITS FANGS AND ITS FIGHTING SPIRIT! YOU JUST NEED TO LOOK AT THE SCOREBOARD TO UNDERSTAND IT!"
- - - SCOREBOARD - - -
1. (A) TEAM MIDORIYA – 10000140 P
2. (B) TEAM AWASE – 1230 P
3. (A) TEAM BAKUGO – 1045 P
4. (B) TEAM SHINSO – 710 P
5. (B) TEAM KENDO – 645 P
6. (B) TEAM RIN – 535 P
7. (A) TEAM URARAKA – 0 P
8. (A) TEAM HAGAKURE – 0 P
9. (B) TEAM KODAI – 0 P
10. (A) TEAM KAMINARI – 0 P
11. (B) TEAM FUKIDASHI – 0 P
12. (A) TEAM MINETA – 0 P
'Half of the teams have dropped to zero points. Bakugo and his team are still aiming at us and I'm sure that soon they won't be alone.' thought Izuku looking at the scoreboard and, as expected, all 1-B teams were advancing towards him in an attempt to intercept his chopper 'I just need to avoid them and we'll pass to the next phase.'
His vehicle suddenly began to skid and, looking down, Izuku saw that the ground had suddenly become soft but that did not stop him from accelerating and regaining control of the chopper, also creating a wall of flame to his right to keep Team Awase away. However, a sudden gust of wind caught his attention and, looking in that direction, he was surprised to see Team Kendo pass through a gap in his wall of flames with Itsuka already intent on reaching him with a giant hand. With a quick movement of the arm, Izuku managed to create a short chain to lash Itsuka's hand but flying pieces struck it, protecting the girl who managed to grab him, yet Itsuka was forced to release him immediately when the flames escaped from his body, ripping a scream of pain from her.
"If I were you I wouldn't try again, next I won't limit myself to flames." said Izuku looking at her while the flying pieces went back to be the left arm of Setsuna.
"Midoriya! On your left!" shouted Momo catching his attention just in time for him to avoid the hand of Hiryu who almost got the headband. However, his attention shifted to a large amount of wax-like liquid that appeared in front of them, courtesy of Team Kodai, forcing him to turn left, where he found himself in front of Team Hagakure and Team Fukidashi, and from Manga's face, a huge writing with the kanjis for "steel" came out, blocking the path of Izuku.
'What the Hell is that?!' thought Izuku before throwing a sphere of fire at the "wall" in front of him but, much to his shock, the flames were melting the steel very slowly 'Whatever it is, is quite resistant and now we are surrounded. We will have to break through by force!'
"DEKUUU!"
Looking around, Izuku saw that at least seven teams were trying to reach for his headband and just when Team Bakugo and Team Kendo were close to collide with them, someone stole Izuku's headband, shocking everyone. Without hesitating, they looked up and were surprised to see Ochaco floating in midair with the headband of Izuku squeezed in one hand and a big smile on her lips.
"Sorry Midoriya!" said Ochaco before being taken away thanks to the tape of Hanta who was waiting for her with the rest of the team.
"INCREDIBLE! TEAM URARAKA STOLE THE GRAND PRIZE RIGHT FROM UNDER THEIR NOSES!" shouted Present Mic with the spectators going crazy with the cheers "MOST TEAMS ARE USING THIS STRATEGY BUT IS LEAVING YOUR UNIT REALLY ALLOWED?!"
"It is here, on a technicality!" nodded Midnight "As long as your feet don't touch the ground!"
"After her!" shouted Minoru with Mezo running toward Team Uraraka with the others but then, Ochaco and her team jumped, and they jumped very high.
"See you later!" said Hanta with a grin as he and the rest of the team floated upward, avoiding the assault of the other teams.
"WHAT AN INCREDIBLE MOVE! THANKS TO URARAKA'S QUIRK THEY'RE FLOATING IN THE AIR, AWAY FROM THE COMPETITION!"
"There are no rules against this." said Fumikage with a calm voice while Hanta fired his tape on one edge of the stadium roof, so they didn't get too far "Now we have just to wait for..."
"FIVE MINUTES LEFT IN THE GAME!"
"That fucking Round Face!" hissed Katsuki glaring at Team Uraraka with a clear idea to go up there and destroy them.
"Don't do it." said Shoto looking up as well "If you go up there we can not help you and Tokoyami's Quirk is quite versatile in defense."
"We're still in third position and currently, Midoriya will not be able to enter the next phase." noted Ibara while glaring at the flaming skeleton. Since he no longer had a headband she couldn't attack him without being expelled from the competition along with the rest of the team.
"You let your guard down!" shouted Minoru throwing his sticky balls at them while Mezo tried to close the distance between the teams with Tsuyu aiming at the headbands around Bakugo's neck with her tongue. However, their plan failed when the ground was frozen and a wall of ice formed in front of them, blocking the attacks of Minoru and Tsuyu while also immobilizing Mezo on the spot.
"Fucking small flies." growled Katsuki looking around "Let's just take all the headbands!"
Ibara looked away from Izuku, who was asking something to Mei, before noticing something: there were only ten teams on the ground. Team Uraraka was still floating above the stadium, but there was another team that wasn't forced to the ground. Widening her eyes, she looked behind but it was too late and Hiryu managed to grab the headbands of Katsuki surprising him and the others from class 1-A.
"I'm sorry Shiozaki, but we need to pass!" said Hiryu with a little smile on his smile before darting away with his team.
"They took our points! We need to take them back!" said Tenya already running after them but while Shoto was helping him with his ice and Ibara was looking around in search of a possible team with enough points, Katsuki was glaring at Team Rin with a murderous look.
"Those fuckers...I'm gonna kill them!"
"That would be a sin without forgiveness."
"Shut up Plant! We need to get those points! We need to take all the points!" said Katsuki with a growl "We can't just let them win like this!"
"For once, I agree with you." said Shoto following Team Rin with his cold eyes.
Katsuki slammed his right fist into his left palm, generating a little explosion "Half 'n' Half, use your ice and create a ramp to reach those fuckers! Four Eyes, use the move you used before and go as fast as you can! Plant, take down those shitty horns!"
Not wanting to argue, Shoto concentrated for a moment before creating a long ice ramp and, moments later, Tenya screamed "Recipro Burst!" before dashing forward at full speed. The team climbed the ramp before taking flight toward Team Rin, but Hiryu and Pony heard them coming and at last moment she controlled her horns to do a back flip again, finding themselves over Team Bakugo but upside down.
And it was at that moment that Team Rin's members noticed something strange.
Ibara? Present. Shoto? Present. Tenya? Present. Katsuki? Missing...
"Where did he-?" Hiryu's words died in his throat when he saw Katsuki in front of them with a homicidal look and smoking hands "Oh shi-!"
BOOM!
The violent explosion in mid-air captured the attention of many who saw Katsuki fly over Team Rin with five headbands in his right hand before being retrieved by some green vines that brought him back to his team. On the other hand, Team Rin found themselves plummeting downwards as Ibara had stolen Pony's horns from under Jurota immediately after the somersault.
"Miss Tsunotori! Do something!" shouted the beast-boy while trying to adjust himself in midair before feeling the familiar sensation of Pony's horns under his hands and feet.
"They have anticipated our move! We must recover those points before time runs out!" said Hiryu pointing at Team Bakugo with Pony already moving her horns to chase them. Apparently they were slowing down after that explosion of speed and it was the perfect time to attack them, however, when they were just a few yards away from them, Ibara sent her vines toward Team Rin creating a net to stop them and, because of their speed, Pony couldn't stop her horns in time and so they were trapped in that net of vines.
"Damn it! Hurry up, we need to get out of here!" shouted Hiryu before suddenly feeling cold and looking at the vines, he saw that they were being covered by a layer of hoarfrost. Looking up a little, he saw that Ibara had removed the vines from her head and had passed them to Shoto, who was holding them with his right hand. The three members of Team Rin understood what was going to happen too late and in a few moments they were almost completely frozen, remaining only with the heads out of ice trap.
"IT SEEMS THAT TEAM RIN IS IN TROUBLE! IF THEY CAN'T FREE THEMSELVES, THERE WILL BE NO WAY FOR THEM TO RECOVER THE LOST POINTS!"
While Katsuki was placing the headbands around his neck giving orders to his team, not far away another team was struggling with Izuku and his vehicle and the situation wasn't the best.
"We can't slow him down!" said Juzo trying to stop Izuku's chopper with his Quirk but that vehicle was unstoppable!
"If I heard correctly, that pink haired girl's Quirk allows her to zoom in on what she sees. She must have seen our headbands and decided to aim for us." said Shihai with narrowed eyes since his Quirk was useless right now.
"We must face them like real men! He can't just hit us with that chopper!" shouted Tetsutetsu looking back with a fire in his eyes.
"He's right, we just need to be careful with Yaoyorozu!" nodded Yosetsu before telling his team to turn back, facing the incoming vehicle.
"So they are no longer trying to escape." noted Izuku before stopping the chopper "Hatsume, I'm leaving the rest to you."
"Heh heh heh you can count on me and my babies!" grinned Mei holding a strange rifle in her hands.
"Yaoyorozu?"
"I'm ready." nodded Momo keeping her hands under her shirt, hiding something.
"Good, then let's ride!" shouted Izuku before driving his chopper toward Team Awase who were waiting for them since Juzo used his Quirk to slow them down while also running toward them with Tetsutetsu ready to strike them but at the last second, Mei aimed with her rifle and pulled the trigger, shooting a strange claw with three hooks, attached to a metal rope, that was able to hook the headbands that Yosetsu had around his neck.
The black haired boy grinned at her "I'm sorry but those headbands are fused to my shirt! You can't take th-!"
RIIIP!
Much to everyone's surprise, Yosetsu shirt was ripped away with the headbands and now Mei was holding them with one hand a grin on her face "Never underestimate my babies! This special 'hook and pull' could tear a door from its hinges!"
Izuku took advantage of their opponents' stunned faces to get away and create a wall of flame around them, just as several teams were heading towards them for their points. Itsuka used her giant hands again to wipe out the fire and Yui grew larger on Kojiro's shoulders to use the same technique, while Mina sprayed her acid at the base of the flames to try to turn them off and Shoto used the same technique but with his ice, however when they managed to create gaps in the flames, they were shocked to see that now, around the forehead and neck of Izuku, there were over forty headbands, all the same between them.
"What the-?!" Kyoka looked at him before shifting her gaze toward Momo "You used your Quirk to create duplicates!"
Momo showed a little smile "It's not against the rules after all!"
"I'll simply take all of them!" shouted Katsuki launching himself against Izuku whit the other teams following his example.
'We still have to fight them off for a few seconds!' thought Izuku looking for a moment at one of the giant screens in the stadium before using his arm to block one of Katsuki's explosions and push him away, watching as he was caught by Ibara's vines which then tried to aim for his head and take several headbands but Izuku managed to grab some of them with one hand. He couldn't set them on fire because he didn't want to hurt Ibara but the girl tried to attack him with other vines and this time some headbands were taken, fortunately all duplicates, and she also managed to destroy the gadgets left to Mei, who screamed desperately for the loss of her babies.
Noting that Momo couldn't fight the other teams alone, Izuku tried to turn around to help her but realized that the vines had blocked his arm and, despite not using all his strength, he couldn't break them to free himself.
'What the Hell are these things?!' not only he couldn't tore them apart, but their grip was getting stronger and stronger and they didn't seem at all affected by the flames around his bones that, much to his surprise, were starting to crack due to the pressure. The boy turned to Ibara, who was glaring at him with her cold green eyes while her hair was ready to attack again.
"Time to pay for your sins." hissed Ibara before sending her vines toward Izuku just when Katsuki jumped toward him with Itsuka and Yosetsu but just when they were about to grab some headbands, Present Mic's voice was heard in the air "TIME'S UP!" and the attackers fell to the ground as the vines of Ibara stopped a few inches from Izuku's face.
"LET'S SEE WHO THE TOP FOUR TEAMS ARE RIGHT NOW!" shouted Present Mic before adding "IN FIRST PLACE, TEAM URARAKA!"
After returning to the ground, the team members cheered but Ochaco immediately emptied her stomach on the ground, with Eijiro patting her back while saying "You have exceeded your limits like a real man!"
"T-thanks..." said Ochaco while Hanta and Fumikage could only sweatdrop at his words.
"IN SECOND PLACE, TEAM BAKUGO!"
"Shit, we couldn't take their points!" growled Bakugo punching the ground.
"We're still in the top four and that's what matters." said Shoto looking for a moment at a certain man among the stadium's stands with a cold glare.
"You did a good job with your Quirk, Shiozaki." nodded Tenya looking at the green-haired girl who merely gave them an emotionless look.
"Thank you, but don't expect me to join forces with sinners like you again."
"IN THIRD PLACE, TEAM MIDORIYA!"
"That went well..." said Izuku returning to his human form with the vehicle crumbling on itself.
"MY BABIES!"
Momo looked at him and then at Mei "Uh...should we help her?"
"I...guess so...?" replied Izuku with a sweatdrop before trying to calm their teammate.
"IN FOURTH PLACE, TEAM SHINSO!"
"Your tactic was useful." said Hitoshi with a grin.
"You're welcome." smiled Neito looking around "At least five students from class 1-B managed to pass."
"Five?" Kosei looked around with confused eyes "But only the three of us plus Shiozaki managed to pass..."
"Given that currently only fifteen participants have passed, we need a sixteenth participant who will be chosen among the members of Team Kendo!" shouted Midnight looking at said team "So, who's gonna be our last finalist?"
"You should go, Itsuka!" cheered Setsuna with a toothy smile, surprising her friend.
"Are you sure? You were admitted through recommendation. You would have more chances to be noticed by the pros." said Itsuka but Setsuna waved her off.
"Don't worry about that and besides, you're the stronger among us!" at her side, Reiko and Kinoko nodded at her.
Itsuka smiled back at them "Thank you, all of you!"
"Then it's decided! Itsuka Kendo joins the finalists!" said Midnight lashing the air with her whip. Soon after, Present Mic announced a lunch break for an hour and all the participants started to head towards the canteen chatting with each other.
"That was a real smart move, Uraraka." said Tenya at her friend.
"Thank you! But you were also cool during the battle!" smiled Ochaco before looking around "Did you see Midoriya by any chance?"
"Now that you mention it, I don't see him anywhere...and Todoroki, Bakugo and Shiozaki have also disappeared." noted Tenya searching his classmates and former teammate. Unbeknownst to them, Shoto had asked Izuku to follow him, and the two boys were now facing each other in an isolated corridor of the stadium.
"You wanted to talk, right?" asked Izuku looking at the younger boy who stared at him in silence for a few moments before speaking.
"As you probably know...Endeavor, the second greatest hero of Japan, is my father." Izuku arched an eyebrow at that "Every time I see you using your Quirk, I can not help but think about him and how much I hate that bastard."
Izuku narrowed his eyes 'So he hates his own father...I can see now why he tried to avoid me at school and why he's not using his left side.'
"Yeah, he's gone all out to make a name for himself as a hero, but he's always seen All Might as a roadblock and an eyesore. He could never beat All Might on his own, so he came up with another plan." Shoto looked at Izuku right in the eyes "Quirk marriages, you've heard of them, right? 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."
Izuku didn't say anything, even though he already had a half-hearted idea of what Shoto was going to say.
"With his wealth and fame, my father made my mother's family agree to a 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 and I hate it! Being no more than a tool for that human garbage!" the air in the corridor began to get colder and a layer of frost began to form on the wall behind Shoto "As I remember it, my mom was always crying...one day she said 'I can't stand to see that left side of yours', just before throwing scalding water in my face." this time even Izuku couldn't suppress a wince "In short, not using my left side is my revenge on him. Your Quirk is similar to his and All Might seems to have been interested in you, therefore defeating you without using my left side...by rising to the top without using his Quirk I'll have denied him everything."
A tense silence fell on the corridor but after a few seconds, Shoto began to walk away "I don't know why All Might has an eye for you...either way, I'll rise above you with just my right side. Sorry for wasting your time."
"You're really stupid, you know?"
Shoto stopped immediately, turning just to look at Izuku, who was glaring at him with a pissed off look.
"I can understand perfectly why you hate your father, anyone in your place would hate him, but the fact that you are only using half your power during such an important event..." his right arm was already being devoured by his flames which were slowly moving to his face "...it really makes me angry. This is an incredible opportunity for all students of this school. All of them are striving to be noticed by the pros and to become heroes, while you are using only half your power so that you can deny your father any victory. From what I know of Endeavor, he is not well seen by the others, and for him all people are simple pebbles in the middle of the road, obstacles to be overcome or milestones to be added on his road to greatness...and you behave exactly like him." Shoto widened his eyes in shock while also clenching his fists "You want to be a hero and reach the top only to be able to get revenge on him, using others to achieve your goal while using only half your power, when there are people out there who want to become heroes but don't have a suitable Quirk or abilities to be a hero. I for one do not deserve to be in this school after all I've done, but you're not worthy to wear that uniform when all you're thinking about is how to take revenge on your father! You want to fight me using only half my power? Very well, son of Endeavor..." he spat those words as if they were poison "In that case, if we were to end up against each other, then I will not use all my power since I don't want to waste it on a simple tool like you." and after a brief blaze that evaporated the frost, Izuku returned to his human form before leaving, ignoring Katsuki who was currently hidden behind a corner, intent on listening to their conversation, but unbeknown to him, Izuku already knew that he was there since the beginning.
He continued to walk until he was in the innermost area of the stadium and the corridor was deserted, except for a person standing a few feet away from him. Izuku recognized her immediately thanks to her vines-like-hair.
"I was looking for you, Izuku Midoriya." said Ibara with an emotionless voice.
"I wonder why..." replied Izuku staring at her while feeling something like phantom pain in his left arm, where she had blocked him during the cavalry battle.
"I don't understand why you are here, but I know your soul is stained with sins." continued Ibara ignoring his words "And it is my sacred mission to eradicate all sins and sinful people."
Izuku slightly narrowed his eyes. Was she referring to the people he had killed? They were all guilty of something but in the end they were dead, however, it was strange that she was aiming at him. Apparently his appearance didn't inspire much trust in people like her, yet before he could reply, Ibara turned and left without saying a word.
Izuku stared at her for a few seconds before heading for the cafeteria to get something to eat. After the lunch break, all the various participants returned to the center of the stadium and Izuku, like everyone else, was surprised to see the girls in his class wearing cheerleader uniforms, and he had to admit that Momo wasn't bad at all dressed like that, even though he was unnerved by the fact that they had been deceived by Minoru and Denki.
After a few comments to the audience, Present Mic shouted "BETWEEN THE SIXTEEN FINALISTS FROM THE CAVALRY BATTLE, WE'LL HAVE A FORMAL TOURNAMENT! A SERIES OF ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES!"
The students started talking to each other, wondering about some things and the tournament itself until Midnight came back to the stage "The match-ups will be decided by drawing lots. 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!" nobody said anything and, one by one, the sixteen finalists went to extract a number "And here are the match-ups!"
Izuku and everyone else looked at the giant screens in the stadium.
- - - TOURNAMENT - - -
GROUP A
Midoriya vs. Shinso
Todoroki vs. Monoma
Shiozaki vs. Sero
Iida vs. Hatsume
GROUP B
Kendo vs. Kirishima
Yaoyorozu vs. Tokoyami
Kaibara vs. Uraraka
Bakugo vs. Tsuburaba
'Shinso...that guy from the general studies...' thought Izuku looking at Hitoshi who was staring at the screen with a bored expression 'I need to be careful. His Quirk is unknown to me...'
At that moment, Present Mic announced the start of recreational activities before the tournament and Izuku took the opportunity to go to rest in an isolated place, being imitated by many others. Within an hour, the events ended and the sixteen finalists returned to the stadium where Cementoss was using his Quirk to create a huge concrete ring.
"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 HOLD TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT!" shouted Present Mic while the ring was completed "SPIRIT, TECHNIQUE, STRENGTH, WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE! USE 'EM ALL AND SHOW US YOUR BEST!"
Near one of the two entrances to reach the ring, Izuku took a deep breath waiting to be called for his fight, when All Might arrived behind him.
"Good luck with your fight, young Midoriya."
"Thanks, I'll do my best." nodded Izuku with a little smile.
"There are many pros in the audience interested in you. I'm sure you will not disappoint them." grinned All Might before patting on the back "It's your time to shine."
Izuku nodded again before walking toward the light just when Present Mic was announcing him "THE FIRST MATCH! IT'S THE MOST FEARED SKELETON IN THE WORLD! THE NIGHTMARE OF ALL VILLAINS! IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA FROM THE HERO COURSE!" Izuku walked on the ring, staring ahead of him "VERSUS!" Hitoshi walked out as well, looking at Izuku with his bored eyes "SORRY, BUT THIS GUY HASN'T REALLY DONE ANYTHING TO STAND OUT YET! IT'S HITOSHI SHINSO FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES!"
After a couple of seconds, Present Mic started with the rules "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! OF COURSE, GOING FOR THE KILL IS A NO-NO! YOU'LL BE DISQUALIFIED!"
"In that case, I'll stop you." said Cementoss waving at them with a smile.
"I give up huh..." said Hitoshi looking at Izuku "Get it, Midoriya? This battle going's to test your strength of will."
"Yeah? So what?" asked Izuku staring at him.
"NOW LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED!"
"This is an important place for all those who want to become heroes. I still do not understand what someone like you is doing here." added Hitoshi with a glare, with Izuku glaring back at him.
"REAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADY!"
"You are simply a killer, not a hero. Tell me, do you remember the faces of the people you killed?"
"STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAART!"
Izuku clenched his fists while walking toward him "Of course I do and-!" but he suddenly stopped in place, staring into space in front of him.
"It's my win." said Hitoshi with a cold voice while the audience stared in confusion at Izuku.
"HEY HEY WHAT'S WRONG?! SHOW US SOME SPIRIT!" shouted Present Mic "MERE SECONDS INTO THE MATCH, MIDORIYA'S...FROZEN IN PLACE?! LOOKING CONFUSED, HE'S NOT EVEN TWITCHING! COULD THIS BE SHINSO'S QUIRK?!"
All the audience continued to watch the ring in confusion as Present Mic argued with Shota next to him but after a few seconds, Hitoshi spoke again "You're probably in this school to redeem yourself...but it doesn't matter now. Turn around and walk out of the ring."
After a second of waiting, Izuku turned and started walking towards the exit without saying anything.
"WHOA! MIDORIYA'S FOLLOWING ORDERS LIKE A GOOD LITTLE BOY!"
As Present Mic kept talking, Izuku was constantly screaming in his mind while the edge of the ring was getting closer and closer.
'My body! It won't listen! I can't stop it! My head...is so fuzzy...no I can't!'
'...no...'
'Huh...?'
'No!'
'W-what is this voice?! Where does it come from?'
'NO! I WON'T BE TRICKED AGAIN! I WON'T BE CONTROLLED AGAIN! I WON'T ALLOW IT!'
Much to everyone's surprise, a huge column of fire bursted out from Izuku's body, burning the ring beneath his feet for a few seconds as a violent wave of hot air hit the spectators and Hitoshi, forcing them to cover their faces to protect themselves. from the heat. After a few seconds, the heat diminished and everyone could look back, and the first thing they saw was Izuku in its skeletal form, standing a few centimeters from the edge of the ring.
'Why did he stop? How is it possible that he can transform even when he is under my control?' thought Hitoshi with narrowed eyes "What are you waiting for? Get out of the ring!"
For a few seconds, Izuku stood still but then raised his flaming skull and slowly turned to Hitoshi who, despite his calm, couldn't hold back the shivers that ran down his back. He had already seen Izuku in that form but he had never experienced anything like that.
Something inside Hitoshi was screaming at him to get out of there. His instincts were telling him clearly that the one in front of him was not Izuku Midoriya.
Not anymore.
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 10: FLAMES VS. FLAMES!
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's it! End of the ninth chapter! What do you think? Beautiful? Horrible? Let me know!
I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, even if it was shorter than the previous one but I did not know how to stretch the cavalry battle. The next chapter will follow the tournament and I hope to finish it all in one chapter, otherwise I will divide it into two chapters! I hope you will continue to follow this story!
Meanwhile, here is a list of teams that could serve you as well!
CAVALRY BATTLE TEAMS
Izuku Midoriya: 1000000 - Momo Yaoyorozu: 130 - Mei Hatsume: 10 = 10000140
Katsuki Bakugo: 195 - Tenya Iida: 205 - Shoto Todoroki: 200 - Ibara Shiozaki: 190 = 790
Yosetsu Awase: 155 - Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu: 165 - Juzo Honenuki: 185 - Shihai Kuroiru: 65 = 570
Hitoshi Shinso: 80 - Neito Monoma: 35 - Sen Kaibara: 105 - Kosei Tsuburaba: 100 = 320
Toru Hagakure: 25 - Kyoka Jiro: 110 - Koji Koda: 115 - Rikido Sato: 140 = 390
Ochaco Uraraka: 135 - Hanta Sero: 175 - Eijiro Kirishima: 170 - Fumikage Tokoyami: 180 = 660
Minoru Mineta: 125 - Mezo Shoji: 145 - Tsuyu Asui: 150 = 420
Itsuka Kendo: 75 - Reiko Yanagi: 85 - Setsuna Tokage: 20 - Kinoko Komori: 45 = 225
Denki Kaminari: 95 - Mashirao Ojiro: 160 - Mina Ashido: 120 - Yuga Aoyama: 5 = 380
Yui Kodai: 60 - Kojiro Bondo: 90 = 150
Hiryu Rin: 55 - Pony Tsunotori: 30 - Jurota Shishida: 70 = 155
Manga Fukidashi: 15 - Togaru Kamakiri: 40 - Nirengeki Shoda: 50 = 105
REPLIES TO REVIEWS
Waffenmia: No, this is a Izuku x Momo, not a Izuku x Harem. Sorry about that
mastergamer14: I don't know, we'll see in the future
ahsoei: Not if he doesn't want, it's like with his clothes
LucklessBlock86: That's one of Ghost Rider powers, while for the second part it's a no, I won't move the timeline like that
: After the tournament I'll change his name
CanadianBlitz: Yes, Izuku is "limited" when he's in control so he can be defeated
Dreams of NoBody: He's after the trauma, since he's killed for years and he had friends to help him with said trauma
That's all for now! See you around!