Are you ready for the first round?" Toshinori asked.
They stood a ways down the corridor from the waiting room Izuku had been assigned, backs against the wall. Izuku could still feel a burn behind his eyes, a tightness in his throat from the tears that had finally stopped, but the worst of it seemed to be behind him for the moment. Not much time remained until the start of the next event, and Izuku had to be ready to fight first.
"I think so," he answered, scuffing his shoe across the floor, the red bright against the dark concrete. "I'm lucky I got paired with someone from Class-A. I know a lot about Hanta-kun's quirk just from being in his class." Izuku wasn't as close to Hanta Sero as he was with some of their other classmates, but the practicals they had been doing since the start of the year gave him plenty of time to analyze the way the other boy's quirk worked.
"He might be able to say the same about you though, young Izuku." Toshinori paused, coughing roughly into his hand for a moment. "He'll know the downfalls of your quirk better than those who aren't in 1-A. That display with the dodgeball might have intimidated the others, but Hanta-kun will know that you can't use your quirk without it injuring you."
"Well, there's an easy fix to that!"
Toshinori looked over at his student quickly at the bright tone of his voice. It wasn't that he didn't have faith that Izuku could move on to the next round, but the fact that he still couldn't find a way to access One for All's strength in a less self-destructive way meant that his options were limited. If he had been paired with either of the Class-B students or the student from the Gen Ed course, Izuku could have taken advantage of the fact that all they knew about his quirk was what they had seen in the last event. He hadn't used his quirk during the obstacle course at all. The destruction his throw had caused would have been all they had to go on.
"An easy fix?"
"Of course!" Izuku turned to him, his smile flashing. "I just won't use my quirk!"
"What!" Toshinori choked, and the hand that he wiped across his face came away red. "Not use your quirk?"
Izuku stepped away from the wall, moving until he stood in front of Toshinori, hands clasped behind his back. The smile on his face stayed in place, but something about the expression made Toshinori unsettled. The last time he had seen that look in his young charge's eyes Izuku had returned home with a bruise blossoming across his face and more tucked out of sight by the sleeves of his t-shirt.
"Izuku-"
"I know that what I did wasn't the right decision," Izuku interrupted, his voice hard. "I should have talked to you or Aizawa-sensei, should have asked for training. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to use what I learned. That person-" He broke off, looking away from the narrowed intensity of Toshinori's gaze. "They aren't a good person. I knew that going into it. It's why I chose them. It was reckless and stupid. There were a million other things I could have done instead. But I can't just ignore what I learned because I went about it the wrong way. Everything I went through there would be for nothing if I did."
Toshinori took a long, shaking breath. Tsukauchi had told him a little about the man that had-Toshinori didn't want to refer to it as 'training'- the man that Izuku had gone to. Gambling, illegal quirk fights. He had gotten enough details to know that what Takahashi had put Izuku through had probably been worse than it looked, and he would be having words with the man once the sports festival was said and done with and Izuku was back in the safety of the dorms.
He wished that Izuku hadn't gone through that, wished that he hadn't felt the need to punish himself by turning to someone like Takahashi for help, but there was nothing Toshinori could do to change what had been done. "I'm not going to tell you not to use what you learned." He said finally. "When you become a pro hero, any skill that gives you an edge in the fight is a valuable one. I want you to promise me though, that you won't let yourself be hurt on purpose. Do your best, but this is only a sports festival. Don't do something too risky now and ruin your chances for the future."
"I won't," Izuku promised. "I've learned my limits for now. I'll make sure I win before Hanta-kun can push me that far."
Tension still charged the air around them, but the pressure building in Toshinori's chest loosened its hold as Izuku's words rang sincere.
"Then I do believe it's time to tell the world that Midoriya Izuku has arrived."
Izuku walked the rest of the distance to the waiting room alone, leaving Toshinori to start the long trek back to the stands as the beginning of the third and final event ticked closer. The room was still empty when he arrived, and Izuku quickly moved to sit at the table as he waited for someone to come and get him.
He had been honest when he said that going to Takahashi had been a mistake. Looking back on things now, he wouldn't have made the same decision if he had known how things were going to turn out, but he couldn't help but be glad for the advantage the experience would give him in the next rounds.
Yuuei, for all that it was hailed as the best hero school in the country, didn't put a lot of focus on martial arts or self defense outside of the use of quirks. Izuku hadn't given it much thought before, too caught up in trying to figure out how to use his quirk without it destroying his body to focus on much else, but his trying with Takahashi had highlighted just how much of a difference that lack of training could make.
Hanta would be planning to force Izuku into a situation where he would have to use his quirk. Limit his options, and then get Izuku to limit them some more by injuring himself in the process. No one outside of Uraraka and Iida knew that he had been training with someone outside of Yuuei, and maybe he would have been in serious trouble if he had had to fight Hanta before, but now?
Izuku had been training with someone who knew his next move before he did. No matter what Hanta ended up doing, if Izuku paid attention and stayed careful he could win without having to rely on his quirk. Better to save the lecture from Recovery Girl for when he had no other choice.
There was a knock at the door, and Izuku stood quickly. It was time for the third event to begin.
The crowd roared as Izuku and Hanta entered the arena from opposite ends.
"I hope everyone enjoyed that break," Present Mic's voice boomed. "Because it's time for our final event!"
The paint outlining the bounds from the dodgeball game had been removed during the break leaving a wide open space in the center of the arena with only a simply white line marking the new territory. Hanta smiled at Izuku from across the field, waving at him when he caught his eye. Izuku waved back.
"For those of you unfamiliar with how our one on one tournament works, the rules are very simple. Opponents for the first round have been chosen by random. Winners move on the the next round. If you lose, you're out. The match will end when someone is either pushed out of bounds, unable to continue, or gives up. We'll be taking another break after the first four matches."
"First up we have Midoriya Izuku and Hanta Sero," Midnight said, stepping up to the sidelines. "I will be serving as referee as needed."
"Now we haven't seen much from Class A's Hanta Sero during this festival," Present Mic continued, "but Midoriya-kun has made quite the impression from the events so far. First place in the obstacle course without the use of his quirk, and that impressive show of strength during the dodgeball game. They're both in you class, Eraserhead, what do you think of this match-up?"
"Both have been put into the hero course for a reason." Aizawa's answer was muffled by the bandages he still wore.
"Well that was..succinct," Present Mic said after a pause. "Midnight, if you would?"
Izuku took a deep breath, shifting his foot as he waited for Midnight to give the call. Without One for All, Izuku would need to act fast. Hanta's quirk released quickly, and if Izuku wasn't ready he could close the distance between them before Izuku had time to react. Hanta, like most of the rest of 1-A, had no training outside of his quirk. If Izuku could avoid his tape and get in close without getting caught-
"Start!"
Tape shot across the field before the word had finished echoing through the stadium, and Izuku ducked. Concrete scraped painfully at his hands as he rolled out of the way of a second strand, launching himself back to his feet as he ran.
"And the first match starts with Midoriya on the defensive! Hanta's quirk-Tape- could end up being a real problem for Midoriya if he gets himself caught up in it."
Hanta stepped away from the boundary, shooting tape after tape at Izuku as he inched closer. He had to close the distance between them, had to get close enough that Hanta's quirk wouldn't be as maneuverable. Izuku moved out of the way of stand, only to have another one coming right towards his face. Eyes wide, Izuku tripped, sliding into the roll that followed much harder than he had intended.
He needed to get closer. Now. But Hanta wasn't letting up on the onslaught of tape he was shooting Izuku's way, trying to get him trapped, unable to move. Tape littered the ground around them. How much longer could Hanta keep this up? Quirks were physical abilities, after all. There had to be a limit to how much tape he could use in a short amount of time. Had Hanta just decided that the risk of reaching that limit was worth it if it meant that Izuku didn't use his quirk?
"Will this force Midoriya to use his quirk?" Present Mic's voice rang out. "How will Hanta deal with that explosive power?"
Get in close. Get in close. Izuku stumbled as a strand hit the ground near his shoes, his heart hammering in his chest. Hanta was still grinning, but as Izuku watched he reached up to wipe at the sweat running down the side of his face. He had to be reaching his limit soon. If Izuku could just keep out of the way of his shots for a little while longer, inch his way that much more across the field.
"What's this? Hanta seems to be slowing down!"
It was true, Izuku noticed. The shots had slowed down. It was easier now for him to move, to roll out of the way without having to worry about another shot coming before he could get back to his feet. Izuku grinned. He had waited long enough.
"And Midoriya is on the move!"
Putting on one last burst of speed, Izuku ran straight for Hanta, who backed up stumbling as Izuku reached him. Hanta went to shoot off another strand of tape, but the strand came out shorter than the others. When Hanta tried again, his eyes widened as nothing happened.
Izuku grabbed his arm, twisting one behind his back as he raised the other out of the way. Hanta struggled in his grip, and Izuku bit his lip as an elbow jammed into his stomach.
"And Midoriya has Hanta trapped!"
"Do you give up?" Izuku asked.
Hanta answered by jerked his arm out of Izuku's grasp, his raised hand coming down to smash Izuku in the face. Warmth spread over his nose as Hanta whirled away, the taste of blood filling his mouth.
So much for avoiding that lecture from Recovery Girl. His nose had to be broken from the way it hurt to breath.
"And Hanta has gotten free!"
They had moved closer to the boundary in the scuffle, and Hanta seemed to realize this, moving sideways away from Izuku as he tried to get to the center of the field. Izuku rushed to stop him, grabbing Hanta's arm as he ran and swinging him back towards the lines.
Hanta, not expecting Izuku to be able to drag him back, tripped over his own feet as he was spun around. With a hard shove, Izuku sent him falling towards the lines. As if in slow motion Hanta tried to shoot another piece of tape, anything to pull him back, to keep him from crossing the line, put the dispenser sputtered, empty. He crashed, momentum sending him skidding across the line and out of bounds.
"Winner: Midoriya!"
Izuku stood, breathing heavy, as the crowd exploded into sound again. Blood still trickled down over his mouth, and he was sure that his face had to be smeared with red. Hanta got to his feet shakily.
"Wow, Midoriya! How did you-" His words cut off as he turned, catching his first look at Izuku. His jaw dropped. "I hit you that hard? Are you okay?"
Waving him off, Izuku smiled. "It looks worse than it feels, I promise!"
"Uh…" If anything Hanta looked even more guilty. "Midoriya? You kind of have blood in your...um… in your teeth? It's really not helping me think you're okay."
"Oh." Yeah, Izuku could see how that wouldn't be helpful.
"Hanta," Midnight said, coming up to them. "If you're okay, you can go ahead and return to the stands. Midoriya?"
"Yes, Midnight-san?" He asked, already knowing what was coming.
"Go see Recovery Girl."
"But the next round!" Izuku protested. "I'll be fighting whoever wins in the next round and-"
"And so you will be coming with me so that I can make sure you're in good enough shape, Midoriya-kun." A voice interrupted.
Recovery Girl stood behind them, hands on her hip as a med robot hovered beside her. "I usually wait for injured students to come see me in these situations, but knowing you I wasn't sure if you would come if you were left on your own. Don't worry, Midnight. I'll make sure he doesn't come back until he's ready."
"But-"
"I can always ban him from the rest of the competition if needed."
"Coming." Izuku deflated. He would have to get Uraraka to tell him about the next match if he didn't get back before it was over. It wasn't as good as watching it himself, but he trusted her to tell him what he would need to know.
Recovery Girl smiled. "That's what I thought," she said, starting towards the exit.
He took one last look at the arena, the cheering crowds as Midnight began to prepare for the next match, and followed.
"Um...Recovery Girl?" Izuku asked once they had passed through the tunnel into the main corridor.
"I'm not healing you until we've reached my office and you're sitting down. You may have only broken your nose this time, but my quirk still needs your energy to make it work. I'm not risking you passing out in the hallway when you just finished a fight."
"At least I didn't injure myself this time?" Izuku tried to joke, but Recovery Girl's eyes cut towards him.
"Considering the injuries you've just recently healed from, I wouldn't be laughing right now if I were you. Was it too much to ask for no injuries this round?"
"Probably," Izuku responded, the adrenaline from the match making him feel brave.
Recovery Girl huffed in response. "You two are so alike."
"What?"
"Nevermind." They stopped outside her office. "Well go on in, you want to get back to see the next match don't you?"
Izuku hurried to do as she asked. Compared to all of the other injuries Recovery Girl had treated for him the broken nose was nothing. He was in and out faster than the walk to her office had taken, and the moment she said he could leave he was already on his way to the door.
"I don't want to see you here after your next match, Midoriya!" She called after him. "I mean it!"
"I make no promises!" Izuku yelled over his shoulder as ran, earning him a few laughs from the pro heros milling about in the corridor.
He had to get back to the stands before the match ended. A page in his notebook had been dedicated to outlining all of the strengths and weaknesses of Aoyama's quirk, just like he had done with the rest of 1-A, but Shinsou Hitoshi?
Izuku knew nothing about the Gen Ed student or his quirk, and he didn't like not knowing. Especially since he might be facing him in the next round. Running up the flight of stairs leading to the student section, he could hear the echo of Present Mic's voice, his words becoming clearer and clearer as he reached to top.
"I don't believe this!" Izuku heard as he reached the landing.
He was almost there. Just a little farther.
Skidding to a stop as the field came into view, Izuku froze as Present Mic spoke again.
"Aoyama is out of bounds! Winner: Shinsou!"
The second match had ended, and Izuku had missed the entire thing.
AN: Sorry it's so late today. We had someone working on our modem this morning, and by time the left I had to go to work.
Up Next Week: Iida vs Hatsume, Todoroki vs. Ashido, and Izuku has a chat with Shinsou
Thanks to everyone who commented!