Mei burst back into the infirmary a couple of minutes after she left, breathing heavily, startling all of the visitors and Recovery Girl.
"I'm *huff* back!" she called out as she caught her breath, "And I brought one of my babies!" She bounced over to Izuku's bed where he was still resting, eyes closed, breath steady and slow. She held up a white cylinder with recessed silver handles on each end of it.
Ochako gave it a slightly dubious look,
"What is it? And will it explode?"
Mei cackled, and shook her head rapidly,
"No no! This baby is perfect! It won't explode!" She held it up into the light, the white metal gleaming. "This is an upgraded version of Izuku's reactor. It'll have him up and walking in no time!"
She placed the reactor on Izuku's lap, placing his left hand on one of the handles. The device gave a soft beep, and a small whir was heard as it kicked into operation.
Momo leaned in and studied the device with fascination.
"Mei, the work on this amazing. No rivets, no weld seams. Even the handles blend in perfectly with the rest of the casing." She looked up at Mei who was smiling broadly at the appraisal of her work. "How did you make this?"
Mei winked.
"That's a secret for now, but I promise I will show you! I can't wait to see what you can make with it!"
Momo smiled and nodded, before Mei walked around the bed and reached for Izuku's other hand, currently wrapped in Ochako's. Mei stopped and looked at their hands, and her smile fell slightly. Ochako looked up at Mei, scanning her face, her emotions playing out on it.
"I… I was scared… earlier. When he fell down. I knew that he did what he said he could do. But then Avalonn said he was really weak, and I..." Mei's voice faltered, and she looked down at Ochako, her smile brightening slightly. "But Izuku is really strong. He wouldn't leave us. Not if he had anything to say about it."
Ochako looked surprised and then smiled, nodding in agreement, "He's too stubborn for that." she said, fighting back tears, a small laugh bubbling up. Ochako took Izuku's hand and placed in on the other handle. The device beeped again and the whirring sound grew a little. A faint green aurora started emitting from Izuku's skin around his hands.
"Now, we wait." Mei said, her hands clasped in front of her, "The reactor should give him a huge boost."
"How long is it going to take?" Momo asked quietly.
Mei shrugged.
"I'm not really sure. Avalonn is watching his power levels, but that's best guess. He's never used so much power so fast before."
Momo nodded, then glanced up at the clock.
"Uh, Mei, don't you have your first round coming up in a couple of minutes?"
Mei looked up at the clock too, and tilted her head in thought.
"Yeah, but that Icy guy should be easy. My babies can handle the cold."
Ochako and Momo glanced at each other in worry before Ochako rested a hand on Mei's shoulder.
"Mei, go get ready. Todoroki's gonna be a tough fight, and Izuku would want you to do your best."
Mei looked up from Izuku's face, staring at Ochako for a second before sighing and nodding."I was hoping to still be here when he wakes up. But Avalonn will let me know." She turned, walking toward the door.
"Good luck, Mei! We'll watch from here!" Ochako said, pointing to the TV on the wall.
Mei looked back and nodded, giving Izuku one last look, before closing the door behind her.
Momo turned back from the door and looked at Ochako, concern covering her face.
"Do you think she can beat him? Todoroki is really powerful."
Ochako thought for a second and then grinned.
"I don't think it's Mei we have to worry about. She's got the armor, after all." She looked at Izuku, her grin turning into a smile. "And we all know what it can do."
Izuku felt wet. Wet and cold. It felt gross.
He groaned as he rolled over, splashing the liquid around him as his arm fell to his side. He opened his eyes and stared at the green and gold star above him. It was much smaller than the first time he had seen it... but he watched the swirling currents of plasma and heat roll around the ball of light in admiration.
"Hey kid."
The voice made him jump. He sat up quickly, looking around for the source, only seeing the black liquid stretching out in all directions.
"Hello? Who's there?" he called out hesitantly.
"A friend," the voice responded. The liquid started to rise in front of him, slowing forming a slightly humanoid shape, more details spinning into view as the liquid drained off of the person.
He stared into the eyes of the person in front of him, jet black hair and white cape gently moving in a non-existent breeze.
She looked familiar for some reason, but Izuku couldn't place from where. He definitely felt at ease around her, so she must be a friend.
"So. You are the ninth bearer?" the lady asked, a slight head tilt and knowing smile on her face.
Izuku nodded, not taking his eyes off the stunning woman in front of him. Her hair was styled like his mother's, but pure black. Her muscular forearms and legs rippled as she walked closer to him. Her smile never faltered, only drawing his eyes in more.
She stopped in front of him, and held out her hand for him to take. He grasped it firmly, but before he could pull himself up, he was pulled up by the lady's incredible strength.
"Sorry but... who are you?" Izuku said, his stare continuing.
She laughed, her smile stretching a little further.
"I am the seventh bearer of One for All, Nana Shimura."
Izuku's jaw dropped. All Might had told him that there were others, and he briefly heard their voices during the USJ. But to meet one of the previous holders like this? He wasn't sure it was real.
"And I'm real." Nana looked right at him, a slight nod following. "Well, I'm as real as it gets in here." She waved her hand out in an arc, gesturing to the black liquid around them.
"It's very interesting seeing One for All acting in this manner," she said, squatting down, poking the fluid, sending ripples through it for a couple of feet, before standing up and looking up to the star. "I never would have guessed that One for All could contain so much power… But then again, I never expected Toshi would pick someone already so powerful."
She looked back down at Izuku.
"You still have much to learn, Izuku. One for All has given you an amazing gift, but it still has much to show you."
Izuku nodded, but before he could say anything, Nana held up a finger.
"The first is this. You are not a god. Stop thinking for a second."
Izuku's mind stopped processing as if commanded. He listened intently.
"You have a powerful ability. This does not make you perfect. Nor does it give you an excuse to play God," she said, her voice taking on a motherly and stern tone. "You need to understand this: you are not immortal, nor fully invulnerable. We helped you earlier because you desired it, but the path you are on will only lead to pain and death. And not just for you."
Izuku's eyes went wide, fear crawling up his spine as images of Ochako lying dead in his arms flashed in his mind. Another of Mei, bruised and beaten, blood leaking out of her armor. Momo's still eyes looking to the sky as rain began to fall. Setsuna's face contorted in pain and fear as she fell to the ground.
"But take heart."
He blinked and wiped the tears out of his eyes and refocused on Nana, a resolute look in his eyes. She smirked as she felt the fire in his spirit.
"We are always here for you. Even when all else fails."
Nana began to rise off the surface of the liquid a couple of inches, and floated towards Izuku, reaching out with her hands to grasp his shoulders, pulling him for a hug.
Izuku sighed as he felt tension leave him, the doubt fade. Nana squeezed him tightly and then pulled back to stare into Izuku's bright green eyes.
"We rely on our friends. You are strong, but we are stronger together. Keep your friends close and lean on them." She lifted her right hand and placed it on top of Izuku's head.
"Now, the second thing One for All has to show you."
She smiled broadly as Izuku felt a surge of power flood through him, static electricity arcing between him and the liquid.
His eyes rolled into his head as he felt the power spread, the surge unlike anything he had felt before. And then, it was gone.
He opened his eyes, shaking his head to clear it, but didn't see Nana anywhere around. He glanced up at the star, streaks of green and gold racing across it, and then back down at liquid below him.
"Not sure what that was," Izuku mumbled, rubbing the back of his head, yawning widely. "Still, I've got work to do." A wave of exhaustion hit him suddenly, his body falling towards the liquid as he fell asleep.
But before he hit the liquid, his body stopped, floating a couple of inches off the surface before settling down into the liquid. Black lines began crossing his arms and chest before vanishing.
"ALRIGHT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! WE ARE BACK IN BUSINESS! THAT SHORT INTERMISSION LET OUR NEXT CONTESTANTS GET FIRED UP! HERE'S THE NEXT ROUND OF THE ONE ON ONE TOURNAMENT! THE COOL-HEADED SON OF ENDEAVOR, SHOTO TODOROKI!"
As Shoto walked onto the arena, he couldn't help but scowl at the association that Present Mic had made. But the voice in the back of his head was still replaying what Izuku had told him.
"It's your power. Not his."
He took a deep breath, letting the steam leave his body.
"AND BLASTING IN FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CHARTS TO REACH FOR THE HEAVENS, MEI HATSUME OF THE SUPPORT COURSE!"
Mei wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"HEY, WHAT GIVES? HATSUME NEEDS TO BE HERE TO COMPETE!"
But then a small roar was heard over the crowd, the noise growing louder. The audience looked around for the sound, and several people pointed to a white missile, rocketing toward the stadium. Several people started to get up, fearing the incoming ballistic, before it slowed down, stopping just over the arena. The dust cleared to show Mei wearing her armor, gently landing on her side of the arena, before waving up to the announcers box and the support company boxes.
Mei zoomed in with her quirk and was pleased to see several of them already taking notes, watching her through binoculars, or watching the replay of her entry in slow motion.
'Avalonn, commence intrusion.'
'Established local connection. Piggybacking remote signals. Broadcast controls enabled. You're all set.'
"Looks like Hatsume's finally arrived." Aizawa's bored voice sounded out, her tiredness seeping into her speech.
"ALRIGHT! NOW WE'RE TALKING! LET'S GET IT ON!" Present Mic shouted out, excited to see this battle get underway.
Midnight looked between Shoto and Mei and raised her flogger once both of them had nodded.
"Begin!" she shouted, the bell ringing.
Shoto immediately slammed his foot into the ground, sending a colossal wave of ice towards Mei.
She watched the glacier approach with glee, and she keyed the mic attached to her visor.
Ochako and Momo stared at the monitor in the infirmary, Ochako shaking her head incredulously, while Momo had a hand over her mouth as they saw Todoroki's initial attack.
"That's unbelievable!" Ochako half-whispered as the ice covered half of the stadium, Mei disappearing in the attack.
"AND TODOROKI LAUNCHES AN AMAZING FIRST ATTACK! THE ARENA IS COVERED IN ICE AND HATSUME IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN!"
Ochako kept her eye on the screen as she watched for any sign of Mei, hoping that she wasn't immediately knocked out. That would be devastating for the inventor.
"That was an excellent opening move by my opponent... but I'm afraid that won't be enough to stop me!"
Mei's voice rang out over the TV, as if she was broadcasting right to the cameras, but there wasn't any sign of her.
Then the ice began to crack.
Mei shivered in the cold, but stood steady, aiming her gloved palm and laser beam at the steadily melting ice, before activating the hydraulic system. She began using the suits massive strength to her advantage, throwing a huge punch through the weakened ice, smashing the glacier wall open.
She smiled as she took a step out to tremendous cheers from the crowd, waving proudly.
"My Exo-Suit is my most advanced baby, able to combat any scenario. Ice is no problem when you have heat on your side!"
To make her point, she directed the containment units on her back to vent some heat. The massive wave of heat rolled back and made the ice steam heavily.
"Hold on, is she giving a sales pitch?" Present Mic said to Aizawa, in the background. He seemed almost hurt that he was getting upstaged.
Mei turned to face Shoto, who let out a steamy breath, glaring at her. She smirked, recognizing the look he was giving her.
He was taking her seriously now. She was a challenger.
"But that doesn't mean that I can't fight with ice either!"
She looked back and raised her right arm, aiming for the ice. A long cable exploded out of her gauntlet, streaking for the ice before expanding into a large net with clamps on the end. The net dug into the ice, and ripped off a massive chunk.
Mei started giggling as she spun, using the suit's direction thrusters to build up speed, the ice getting picked up like a flail. She waited for the right moment before releasing the net, launching the ice spike ball at Shoto. The Half and Half quirk user watched with wide eyes as his own ice was used against him. He dodged quickly to get out of the way, the ice ball sailing past him and impacting the ground behind him heavily.
He turned to look back at the huge chunk, his thoughts spiralling.
'What if my ice isn't enough? What if I can't fight back with...No!'
He whipped his head back as he heard the familiar sound of a rocket.
Mei was careening towards him, the rocket on her back shooting her forward, a mad smile on her face. He formed an Ice Spear in his hand, ready to throw.
"And with my advanced propulsion system, any speed can be reached! Coupled with..." Mei swung her left arm forward and the deployable shield popped into place, shielding her from view, "the deployable shield, cover from fire is quick and easy!"
Shoto growled in frustration as she countered every move he had. She was proving it to him.
'Worthless! I WON'T USE IT!'
The first thing Izuku felt when he felt consciousness again, was a warm, soft… something, pressing into his arm. It felt really nice. Kinda squishy.
He reached over with his other hand and squeezed it. There was a loud *eep!*, and a slap on his hand, which woke him up in short order.
He blinked rapidly as he adjusted to the light, and looked around.
All Might and Recovery Girl were smiling at him, though there was a hint of embarrassment on their faces. Momo was blushing neon red, and not really looking at him, quickly switching between the TV and his face. And Ochako was covering her chest with her arms, her blush flaring heavily as she looked at him with a hurt expression.
"Huh, uh, what just happened?" Izuku asked slowly, the last dredges of sleep fading away.
"Deku, if you wanted to feel, you just have to ask." Ochako said, the expression on her face turning from hurt to a subtle smirk.
Izuku sputtered, waving his hands in denial.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" His face was starting to feel hot.
"Wait, what?!" Izuku's head snapped to look at Ochako so fast, he felt his neck pop.
All Might coughed softly, turning away, watching the TV, Recovery Girl going back to her paperwork.
Ochako's smirk grew to a mischievous smile and she leaned in to whisper in Izuku's ear.
"I said, if you wanted to feel, you only need to ask."
She grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast. Izuku's blush skyrocketed as he realized what she had done. He glanced at Momo, who caught his eye, her eyes wide, before she whipped her head back to the TV, her blush actually radiating heat.
Izuku swallowed hard, really not sure what to say. He looked back up at Ochako, and she seized her chance. She let go of his arm and grabbed his head, pulling him in for a long, sensual kiss.
Poor Momo just kept her eyes on the TV, wishing to high heaven that she could feel Izuku's lips for herself.
Shoto was starting to slow down. He could barely feel his fingers and feet. Mei had been keeping her distance as well as blocking his ice spears. He needed to come up with something and soon. She hadn't give him any room while showing off her tech, slicing ice spears out of the air with her chain sword and blasting a feeble attempt to lock her in another glacier with her chest laser.
Everything she did reminded him of Izuku. She made the armor, sure, but it was like she was copying his attack style. Fast, confident, and calculated.
But then she did something that he never expected.
She stopped.
He looked at her carefully.
"And that's all I have to show you today! Thank you so much for your support!" She said, waving to the crowd, before bowing to Shoto, turning around and walking off the arena.
"Uh…," Midnight stared after Mei as she walked away, "I guess, Mei Hatsume is out-of-bounds? Todoroki wins!?"
There was a split second for the crowd erupted into cheers.
Shoto stared after her, his confusion being replaced by anger. She played him. Like a goddamn fiddle. She was toying with him the entire time.
Then the realization hit him like a bucket of cold water.
She was playing with him. She didn't even use a quirk, just advanced armor. She was able to take everything he had in stride and walk away smiling and waving.
He looked down at his shaking hands and clenched his fist as he walked out of the arena.
Was his mother's ice really that weak?
After Ochako and Izuku had broken off their kiss, and the others gained their composure, Recovery Girl did a quick check on Izuku and confirmed that he was okay. After telling All Might that he needed to talk to him later, Izuku, Ochako, and Momo checked on Denki, waking him up.
Izuku asked Recovery Girl about the others, and let him know they would probably be up soon. He lingered at Neito, a spark of doubt rising up as he watched him rest.
"Don't worry yourself, deary. He'll be fine. You'll see." Recovery Girl assured him. But Izuku caught the undertone in her voice. She didn't fully believe it herself.
He sighed and nodded. He grabbed the reactor, carrying it with him as he met the others at the door, and bid Recovery Girl and All Might goodbye.
Recovery Girl sighed after the door closed, "That boy worked a miracle, but I don't know if it was enough. You need to tell him."
All Might looked down and the elderly hero, his smile fading.
"He can't know that he failed. Not yet, anyway. He needs to focus on the tasks ahead."
She looked up at All Might, noticing the wear and tear and stress. "Don't forget, then. Hiding it from him will be worse."
All Might just nodded, before walking to the door, pausing as he opened it.
"Thank you, Shuzenji." he said before ducking out and closing the door behind him, walking back to the stands.
She nodded to no one, and turned back to look at her computer monitor, the display of Neito Monoma's brain scans on screen. The whites, grays, and blacks showed her everything she needed to know. She pulled out her phone, and selected a number from her contact list. The phone rang once, before a male voice sounded from the other end of the line.
"Chiyo, I hope this is a pleasant call." he said. Her silence was the only answer he needed.
"I really don't want to hear what happened, do I?"
"In this case, I think you do." she answered carefully, "At any rate, I have a patient for you."
He sighed heavily into the phone, "Alright, I'll get a transfer ready. What are we talking?" There was the sound of shuffling papers and clacking of keys on a keyboard.
"A perfectly healthy brain with no brain activity." she said, shortly.
There was no sound from the other end for a couple of seconds.
"Well...shit…"
Izuku held Ochako's hand tightly as the group walked back to the stands, the other hand wrapped tightly around one of the handles of the reactor, drawing power slowly. Denki took the lead, talking rapidly to no one in particular, recharged from his nap.
"That was super awesome, Midoriya! I mean, I didn't get to see it, but I bet it looked really cool!" Denki said excitedly.
Izuku nodded, smiling, and opened his mouth to respond, but Present Mic's announcement cut him off.
"OKAY, WELL...THAT WAS AN ODD MATCH! WE'RE GONNA TAKE A TEN MINUTE BREAK TO GET RID OF THE ICE AND THEN WE'LL GET RIGHT BACK TO IT!"
"Oh no, I missed Mei and Todoroki's fight!" Izuku bemoaned. Ochako and Momo giggled at the quirk nerd as Ochako squeezed his hand to comfort him.
"Don't worry! Mei did great. That armor she made for you and herself held its own against Todoroki's ice really well!" Ochako said, an excited and proud smile on her face.
"Though, why she threw the fight is beyond me. She could have easily won against Todoroki." Momo said thoughtfully.
Ochako gave Momo a sideways glance, "You didn't catch what she was doing?" Momo looked at her perplexed before a look of understanding spread on her face.
"She was marketing, wasn't she?" Izuku asked, a laugh rising up. He chuckled as he shook his head, "That's so Mei. She was always looking to get in good with the support companies."
Ochako nodded, an exasperated smile on her face, "She really sold your armor, that's for sure. Poor Todoroki didn't stand a chance. She blocked everything he threw at her."
Izuku quirked an eyebrow up, "Really? He only used his ice, didn't he?"
Ochako nodded, making Izuku sigh heavily.
"I was hoping that he would have opened up after I talked to him. Guess I'm going to have to do it the hard way." Izuku put a resolute smile back on, "Can't have him falling behind."
The group arrived to their booth in short order, the rest of their class greeting them enthusiastically.
Katsuki gave Izuku a nod and a smile as Izuku sat down next to his friend, Ochako taking the seat next to Izuku. Izuku set the reactor in his lap carefully, ensuring that he kept contact with it. Eiko leaned over to look at Izuku, a massive sunshine smile on her face.
"Aniki, feeling better? I heard you helped Class 1-B! That's super manly!" She looked at Katsuki, "You know, he was worried."
Katsuki's eyes snapped to her red eyes, the sparkle of the tease glinting brightly as she gave him a shit-eating grin. He made a *tsk* noise and folded his arms as he glanced at Izuku, the same grin mirrored on his friend's face.
"ALRIGHT, SHUT UP! GET THOSE STUPID SMILES OFF YOUR FACES!" The explosive teen burst out.
"I always knew you cared, Kacchan. Deep down, somewhere in that pit of darkness, I knew there was some spark," Izuku said, a serious look on his face, the grin threatening to break out at any minute.
The whole class laughed as Katsuki launched himself to his feet and started yelling.
"YOU WANNA GO, NERD!?"
"Boys, settle down. The next match is about to start," Ochako pointed out, try as she might to contain her smile, pulling on Izuku's shirt to get him to sit down.
Izuku laughed as he sat down, grabbing Ochako's hand and holding tight. She smiled up at him, eyes shining with all of the love she felt for him. Izuku basked in the glow as he settled in.
"You gonna take notes?" Ochako asked.
Izuku looked at her curiously, "Yeah, of course. Why?" he asked.
"Well, you don't have your notebook. I don't know where you put that thing, but you always have it." Ochako said, looking at him all over hoping he might give away the secret.
"Chako," Izuku said, a grin on his face. "I have something better."
'Screen.' The green holographic interface popped up.
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot!" Ochako said, giggling at the look Izuku was giving her.
He shook his head incredulously, and turned back to look over the Interface, the power meter showing his power level slowly rising, just passing 50% after 30 minutes with the new reactor.
'The new reactor is really helping with your power input. Mei specifically tuned the output to match with your natural bioelectrical frequency, thinking that your quirk will accept it faster. Turns out she was right.' Avalonn's cool voice entered his thoughts, relief instantly spreading through him as he felt her presence.
'Remind me to thank Mei later. She's a life-saver!' Izuku thought happily.
"Oh don't worry, Zuku. I know." Mei's voice flowed into Izuku's mind, startling him slightly.
'Uh...Avalonn?' Izuku said cautiously.
There was a faint giggle, which did nothing to soothe Izuku's concern.
'Mei's latest interface allows direct communication over the QEC link. I just needed to update the software on your own interface to do it, which I took care of while you were napping.' Avalonn said, a sense of smugness behind her words.
"Yup! Don't worry! Just think normally, and Avalonn will handle the communication for us." Mei sounded way too happy about this, but he mentally shrugged, and accepted fate.
'If you say so. Good job on your fight! I'm sorry I couldn't see it.'
Izuku felt a pulse of joy and appreciation over the connection, followed by Mei's voice again.
"That Ice Guy wasn't all that tough. The Mk. III armor handled him easily. But I did come up with some improvements for Mk. IV, so he was helpful! Plus he really helped sell my babies! The look on the support companies' people's faces was priceless!"
Izuku laughed softly, before accessing his hero notes on the Interface.
'Ready to record, boss. This next fight should be pretty quick.'
Izuky nodded.
'Agreed. Sero has the advantage in long range. Weld isn't going to help Awase much.'
"What's up, Deku?" Ochako asked, leaning into him to get his attention.
He looked over at her, smiling broadly.
"Going over notes with Avalonn. The next fight should be decidedly one sided."
"What makes you so sure?" Kyouka asked from behind him. Izuku turned to look back at her, noticing everyone else watching and listening intently.
"Sero's basically Spider-man, from the old comics. Awase can weld stuff together," he said simply before turning back to look at the arena as Midnight climbed onto her stand.
"It's just a question how fast Sero can wrap Awase up," he said finally.
"HERE WE GO, INTO THE FIFTH FIGHT OF THE TOURNAMENT! FROM CLASS 1-A, THE DUDE WITH A WEIRD SMILE AND ARMS FULL OF STICKY TAPE, HANTA SERO!"
The look on Hanta's face told Izuku everything he needed to know about what he thought of Present Mic right now. The Interface display zoomed in on Hanta's face with a single thought, making notes on his body language, his stretching of his arms and torso.
"AND FROM CLASS 1-B, WE HAVE YOSETSU AWASE, THE GUY WHO CAN STRING ANYTHING TOGETHER. HUH. TWO STICKY PERSONALITIES ABOUT TO CLASH IN A FIGHT! THAT SURE IS A TACKY SITUATION!"
The collective groan from the stadium echoed, covering up the sound of a scuffle from the announcer's box.
"Mic's puns have earned him a time out. So, I'm taking over." Aizawa's tired voice droned from the speakers. "Midnight, let's get this over with."
Midnight nodded, a smirk on her face, as she turned back to the two boys on the field.
"Ready?" she asked, looking between them. After two nods of assent, she raised her flogger and shouted, "Begin!"
"Sorry about this!" Hanta yelled, throwing his arms forward, launching twin ropes of steel tape at the welding boy, wrapping him in a tight cocoon. He spun quickly, whipping the welding quirk user off of his feet, slinging him towards the edge of the area rapidly.
Awase couldn't even move before his entire body was covered. He accepted fate, not even attempting to weld anything as his hands were bound to his body.
He sailed out of the ring with barely 15 seconds on the clock.
"Awase is out of bounds! Sero wins!" Midnight announced.
"As I expected," Izuku muttered to himself. His eyes were flicking across the Interface, words adding themselves to notes and annotations on pictures, as well as video of the match, his hero notes getting the full treatment and upgrade from the notebooks from a couple of months ago.
"What's that, Izuku?" Momo asked. Sitting next to Kyouka behind Izuku, she leaned forward, hoping to glance at whatever he was looking at.
Izuku shook himself from his thoughts and looked over at Momo, smiling as his thoughts coalesced into the digital print.
"Just remarking that the fight went as I thought it would. Sero's too fast and accurate with his tape. He's got a really good quirk."
Momo smiled and nodded.
"Be sure to get good notes on my fight. Tokoyami is going to be tough." She glanced over at the dark avian teen, seemingly deep in thought or meditation.
Izuku turned and looked at him curiously, and then a smile and a thought came to him. He turned back to Momo, giving her a wide smile.
"You can do it. Just be quick and light on your feet." Izuku said with a wink.
She blinked, a confused look on her face, before understanding appeared behind her eyes. She smiled brightly.
"Thank you for your confidence in me, Izuku." She leaned forward and kissed his head quickly. Izuku started at the act but gave her a blinding smile. She blushed heavily before standing and leaving the box in a hurry, Fumikage opening his eyes and following her shortly after. Izuku turned back to look at Ochako, a smug look on her face.
"What?" Izuku asked nonchalantly, a grin on his face.
"Took her long enough," Ochako said as she gave him a smirk.
Izuku blushed a little and turned back to his notes, electing to ignore the conversation.
'Soon, Deku.' Ochako thought to herself, watching Izuku think and take notes, the intensity of his focus making her core very warm. 'Soon enough, you'll know exactly how we all feel.'
"Momo Yaoyorozu against Fumikage Tokoyami. Get started."
Despite Aizawa's lack of enthusiasm, the crowd roared with approval as Momo and Fumikage took to the stage. They bowed to each other and Midnight signaled the start.
"So who do you think is going to win, Izuku?" Tooru said, leaning in over Ochako and Mina, the others glancing to the nerd as he watched the contestants start to move.
"Momo," he replied simply.
"I dunno, Tokoyami is pretty powerful." Eiko spoke up, "Don't count him out, Aniki."
Izuku shook his head slightly.
"I'm not. But he has a major weakness, one that is easily exploited. Watch," he said as he pointed to Momo.
The class looked to the girl in the arena as she jumped back from Dark Shadow's opening attack. There was a brief sparkle from her thigh and arm followed by her throwing something around Fumikage.
Then the arena disappeared in a giant billowing cloud of white gas.
Izuku smiled broadly.
"Kyouka, you might want to cover your ears. Everyone, look away!" he called out quickly.
She looked at him and then back to the gas as it swirled around, before slapping her hands over her ears. Everyone else quickly hid their eyes.
There was a small spark of light from Momo's side of the arena, and then there was chaos.
The arena erupted in a huge series of firecracker like explosions, each one sending flashes of light out, blinding anyone who didn't look away, a massive cascade of light and sound blanketing the entire area. The concussive force of the explosions sent a tremendous wave of air pressure up and out of the stadium, clearing the air around the arena.
The smoke cleared, showing Fumikage laying on the ground, stunned from the massive sensory overload, and on Momo's side, a large thick blanket shifting away from her prone form. She stood up, throwing the blanket off and watching Fumikage carefully, before turning to look at Midnight, who was rubbing her eyes from behind her stand.
"Um, Sensei, are you okay?" she called out.
Midnight waved her hand as she shook her head.
"I'm fine." She looked up and blinked a couple of times, before looking at Fumikage and announcing Momo as the winner.
"Not what I thought she was going to do," Izuku muttered as his eyes roamed the screen, "But still very effective."
"What did she do? She can't make explosions like Bakugo." Mina said, rubbing her eyes to wipe out the flashbangs before looking at Katsuki, who had a series of emotions on his face, anger and pride swimming to the surface. "He even looks mad and happy at the same time."
"I can make explosions like that," Katuski spat out, "All she did was copy me."
Izuku glanced over at Katsuki and scoffed.
"Don't be jealous, Kacchan."
Katsuki just glared at Izuku, and huffed.
Mina reached over and poked Izuku, "Hey! So what did she do?"
Izuku smiled.
"She created a wide area flashbang. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is weak against light, so she overwhelmed him entirely By covering him in intense light. Dark Shadow is probably out of commission until tonight."
Mina looked surprised.
"Wow, that was really smart! But, what about the noise? She didn't need to deafen him."
Izuku laughed softly.
"That was for Tokoyami. His head is like a bird's, which means that, more than likely, his ears are like one's as well. Birds are highly sensitive to pressure changes, so the massive pressure wave and sound probably knocked him out cold."
He looked at the arena as medical bots loaded Fumikage onto a stretcher.
"Recovery Girl has her work cut out for her today," he muttered in an undertone.
"And I'm pretty sure most of it is your fault," Ochako jabbed quietly, giving him a ribbing.
He started to laugh, but then the realization hit him and it died in his throat. It was true. Maybe not directly, but lots of people got hurt because of him today. His face fell as the guilt hit him.
"Hey, that's not what I meant," Ochako hurriedly said, her smile turned to a frown as she reached out for his arm. "You also helped them."
He smiled weakly and nodded, but didn't say anything else, turning back to his notes. Ochako noted the smile didn't stay. She sighed, and moved her hands to hold his, running her fingers over his knuckles, feeling his warm skin. She loved the way she could feel the power and strength he had inside. She just needed to find a way for him to forgive himself.
"Setsuna is up next," he said suddenly, "I don't know if she's up yet." He looked to Ochako, "Want to come with?"
She looked up into his eyes, searching for any particular emotions. But he only had concern showing, as far as she could tell.
"Of course. Let's go," she replied. He stood, pulling the reactor off his lap, and held out a hand for her.
"Short cut," he stated with a small smile, before winking a warp gate into existence next to them, and stepping through. Ochako giggled and followed. The warp gate closed after she disappeared into it.
"Okay, can we all agree on two things?" Mina said out loud, "One, Midoriya is too damn powerful, and two, those two are so cute together it hurts."
All of the guys nodded at the first one, while all of the girls nodded at the second before bursting into giggles.
Inko looked up from her drink as All Might sat down next to her, taking note of the man's forced smile and demeanor.
"Everything alright, Toshinori?" She asked quietly, leaning over to get a better look at him.
The years of stress were starting to show, but he quickly recovered, his signature smile back onto his face.
"Of course! Young Midoriya did a fantastic job, helping his classmates. I couldn't be prouder!"
Inko knew he was putting on a front, but decided not to push it. She smiled, "Good, I'm proud of him too. I just hope that the rest of the tournament goes by smoothly. I'll be a lot happier once I know that this is all over."
All Might nodded in agreement, "Just a few more fights, and this will be over soon."
He glanced at the briefcase against the wall, verifying that it was still there, before mentally shaking himself from the worry. He needed to remain strong.
Izuku stepped out of the warp gate, closely followed by Ochako, right outside of the infirmary. He took a deep relaxing breath and slowly opened the door, taking a look around.
Recovery Girl was standing next to Setsuna's bed, where the greenette was talking to her softly. Setsuna looked up as they entered, her brilliant smile making an appearance as she saw Izuku. Ochako waved and bounced over to her bed as Recovery Girl stepped back.
"Good to see you up and awake, Tokage," Ochako said enthusiastically, "We were all worried about you."
"That's nice of you, thanks," Setsuna replied, a blush forming on her pale skin. She turned from Ochako to look up to Izuku, before continuing softly. "Thank you for helping me. And my classmates!" She followed up, hoping to deflect the way she was talking to Izuku.
Izuku smiled and nodded.
"I couldn't just sit by. I knew I could help and you are worth the trouble."
She blushed a little harder, which didn't go unnoticed by Ochako, the brunette stepping closer to the bed and softly touching the girl's arm.
"How are you feeling? You have your battle coming up soon." Ochako said softly.
Setsuna's eyes went wide.
"Oh no! I was asleep that long?" She swung her legs out of the bed, and started looking for her clothes. Recovery Girl pointed to a set of folded up gym clothes on the table next to her.
"Fresh from the cleaners," the elderly hero stated, "Get dressed quickly. I can only postpone the fights for so long."
Izuku and Ochako stepped back as Setsuna drew the curtain around her bed, giving each other knowing glances as they waited. A minute or two later, Setsuna stepped out, and practically sprinted for the door, much to the ire of Recovery Girl, who scolded her for running.
Izuku laughed as Setsuna waved, before turning back to Ochako.
"So, I'm guessing that she's in too," he asked in a low voice.
Ochako nodded as she watched Setsuna disappear around the door. She looked up at Izuku,
"Are you kidding? With her personality, and her quirk? We are going to have so much fun with her."
"Of course, you aren't forgetting her drive to succeed and enthusiastic optimism, things that we love to see?" Izuku asked, a teasing undertone laced into his words.
She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"But of course! Now, come on, let's get back so we can watch."
Izuku laughed, and snapped open the warp gate, stepping through to the Class 1-A box, Ochako hot on his heels.
"Okay, next up. Setsuna Tokage and Kojiro Bondo."
Izuku and Ochako barely got to their seats before Aizawa started the announcement, scooting past Momo, Shoto, and Hanta as they walked into the box. Avalonn flipped on the display as Izuku took his seat.
"This ought to be good, huh Deku?" Ochako asked excitedly.
Izuku nodded, "Yeah, I haven't been able to really see Setsuna's quirk yet." He focused on his fellow greenette as she made her way onto the arena, across from the hulking figure of Kojiro.
"That familiar with her already?" Ochako said, a small smile on her face.
Izuku glanced at her, and matched her smile, but said nothing.
Midnight stood up on her stand and signalled the start of the match.
Izuku kept his focus on Setsuna as she detached her forearms below the elbow, his smile getting wider as he watched with fascination.
She began throwing her arms towards Kojiro, dodging the glue that he was shooting out at her in large arcs.
A couple splashes managed to get her shoes, sticking her to the concrete. But she continued her push, detaching her foot.
She began throwing hammer blows with her arms, putting Kojiro on the defensive, throwing up his large arms to defend himself. Setsuna didn't let up at all, continuing the assault as she moved closer. Izuku could see her confident smile wide on her face as she moved in for her final strike, jumping high, and using her Quirk to slam Kojiro across his entire body, forcing him out of the ring.
At the sound of the bell, she pieced herself together, and smiling broadly, walked off the arena, grabbing her foot from Kojiro's glue. She waved to Class 1-B and flashed a wide smile to Izuku and Ochako, both of them waving back.
"That was really impressive," Izuku muttered. "I had no idea she had that degree of control over her body parts while they were detached from her. I wonder how small she can go. She would make for an excellent search and rescue hero."
Ochako listened closely, but soon got lost in his muttering, smiling to herself.
"Uh, Deku. You're doing it again," she said softly.
Izuku started, and looked over at her sheepishly.
"Sorry," he laughed softly, "old habits and all that."
"Well, guess it's my turn! Wish me luck?" Eiko said as she turned to Katsuki, an expectant look on her face.
Katsuki raised an eyebrow, questioning what she meant.
"Like you need it. That steel guy has nothing on you."
She pouted, "That's not what I meant." Eiko stood quickly, but before walking away, leaned down and pulled Katsuki's head to hers, giving him a long kiss that made Mina groan with jealousy. Ochako had a huge smile on her face, giving Eiko a high five as she walked away, a sway in her step.
Katsuki looked like he shorted out, a mix of anger, confusion, and something else crossing his face.
Izuku looked at his friend with bemusement, before leaning over, jogging the pomeranian from his stupor.
"Don't worry, it gets easier." He chuckled as Katsuki's face returned to an angry scowl.
"Shut it, Deku," he fired back, crossing his arms and sitting back into his seat, turning his focus down to the arena.
There was a small beep from the reactor that Izuku had been carrying around, prompting everyone to look at it and him. He checked the Interface, and was relieved to see that the power meter was finally full. He smiled, and set the reactor to his side, making sure that it was turned off.
"All good now," he said in response to Ochako's questioning look, making her smile and nod.
Aizawa's magnified voice came back on the speakers, "Next figh~". There was the sound of a scuffle and a grunt, before the speakers cut out.
Everyone looked up at the announcer's box in concern, but then the sound of the speakers kicking back on echoed through the stadium.
Present Mic's voice blasted out suddenly, startling everyone.
"SORRY ABOUT THAT LISTENERS! I'M FREE! THIS NEXT FIGHT IS GOING TO BE EPIC! WITH A ROCK HARD BODY AND SPIRIT, FROM CLASS 1-A, EIKO KIRISHIMA! AND THE MAN OF STEEL HIMSELF, ALSO FROM CLASS 1-A, TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU! Boy, that's a name…"
"Did you really have to hit me on the head? You know I'm injured right? You just hit an injured woman." Aizawa's tired complaint seemed to fall on deaf ears as the stadium erupted into cheers as Eiko and Tetsutetsu took to the field.
"At least they got different intros," Izuku said. "That'd be pretty stupid if they had the same intro."
"Yeah, their Quirks are similar, but they are two separate people. Lumping them together is just lazy writing." Ochako nodded as she watched the two fighters get into their stances, each one focused and determined.
"I'll tell you what though. This fight is going to be pretty long," Izuku said, glancing at Ochako. "Eiko's probably tougher, but their quirks are similar enough that they might cancel each other out."
Ochako thought about what he said as she watched the two melee fighters circle and then launch towards each other.
"Here they go!" She said exactly.
Both of them pulled back right hooks for their opening shot. Both fits collided with hardened faces. Two loud hits echoed through the stadium and they bounced back each rubbing their cheeks, but only Izuku noticed that Tetsutetsu's steel skin was scratched, while Eiko's hardened skin didn't even have a dent in it.
"Ochako, I think I was wrong. You might want to go get ready. Eiko's got this in the bag." Izuku said, a bemused expression on his face. He turned to Katsuki.
"Your girlfriend's tough, Kacchan. Finally someone else that can take your bullshit," Izuku shot, giving him a sideways glance.
Katsuki either didn't hear him or ignored him, because the next second Katsuki was leaning over the end of the railing, shouting louder than anyone.
"KICK HIS ASS, KIRI! RIP THE METAL RIGHT OFF OF HIM!"
Izuku looked a little surprised, but smiled as he leaned over to Ochako.
"Well, at least he's excited~" he whispered into her ear, making her giggle. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek before standing up.
"Wish me luck?" she said, a silly grin on her face as she copied Eiko.
Izuku smiled.
"Like you need it," but gave the back of her hand a kiss as she winked and turned away.
He settled back into his seat as she walked out of the booth, turning his focus back to the fight as Eiko and Tetsutetsu clashed again, the steel boy definitely showing wear and tear.
Avalonn's voice drift in suddenly, 'Boss, I'm reading some odd changes to your nervous system. I'm going to monitor it and let you know if I find something.'
Izuku nodded, 'Thanks, Avalonn.'
He continued to take notes are Eiko and Tetsutetsu beat the crap out of each, until finally, Eiko wore through the steel armor, and one last solid uppercut sent Tetsutetsu to the floor, knocked out cold. Eiko was covered in cuts, and several areas looked like they would start bruising, but she held up her fist in victory as Midnight announced her win, panting heavily.
"Better get going," Izuku said to Katsuki as the blonde finally returned to his seat. "You need to get your girl, and you have a tough fight coming up." Izuku said with a smirk.
Katsuki gave another *tsk* but walked off, hands in pockets all the same.
"So, Midoriya, kero, are you rooting for Ochako for the next fight?" Tsuyu asked as she leaned in from behind Mina.
Izuku looked up at her with a dazzling smile.
"Of course I am. Kacchan's good, but Ochako? She's gotten scary." He chuckled, "Out of everyone else, she's the one I'm most scared of."
Tsuyu placed her finger on her chin, a curious look on her face.
"Are you sure that's not just because you are dating?"
Izuku shook his head.
"Just watch and see. She's gotten so powerful, it's going to be amazing." He turned back to look at the arena, settling in for a good fight.
"WE ARE FINALLY HERE! THE LAST FIGHT OF THE FIRST ROUND OF THE ONE ON ONE TOURNAMENT! FEATURING THE GODDESS OF GRAVITY HERSELF, OCHAKO URARAKA FROM CLASS 1-A. VERSUS THE KING OF BOOM, THE EXPLOSION MASTER HIMSELF, KATSUKI BAKUGO! THESE TWO POWERHOUSES ARE GOING TO GO TOE TO TOE FOR A SPOT IN THE NEXT BRACKET! LET'S GO!"
Ochako stared at Katsuki with a confident expression as they walked onto the arena, Katsuki returning her gaze with his confident and crazed smile, hands and palms open and out, ready to lunge into the fight.
Midnight readied her flogger, and looked to each fighter looking for their nod of confirmation, before raising the whip.
"BEGIN!" she shouted.
"DIE!" Katsuki immediately shouted as he shoved his palm forward, sending a colossal blast screaming for Ochako, the fireball and smoke racing across the arena.
Ochako stood her ground, waiting until the last minute, before throwing her arms out to her sides and pulling on the gravity in the ground around her.
Back in the stands, Izuku watched with rapt attention, but when Ochako made her move, he couldn't help but gasp as he watched her manipulate the strings of dark matter and subatomics around her. A massive sphere of pink energy two meters in diameter burst into existence around her, the curved lines of gravity warping around the sphere, looking exactly like his bubble shields.
He watched, almost in slow motion, as the sphere of gravitational influence forced the explosion to stop at the boundary, the fire and smoke spewing around her bubble, leaving her totally unaffected.
His jaw dropped as she began to manipulate the sphere, shrinking the ball until it covered her body. An invisible gravitational shield.
"Amazing," he muttered as the page on the screen filled rapidly.
She took a deep breath, and relaxed a bit. The shield idea worked exactly like she hoped it had, after getting the idea from Izuku's bubble shields. She focused on the energy around her, and concentrated on the gravity directly underneath her, locking herself in place.
She looked up as the smoke cleared to see Katsuki looking at her cautiously, the teen in his ready stance, but not making a move.
She smirked as she recognized that he was waiting for her to move.
'Time to play.'
She smiled as she reached out, and grabbed onto Katsuki's own gravity with her superheavy iron grip.
"Get over here!" she called, giving him a huge tug, the smile on her face turning wicked and calculating. She ripped her arm back towards herself as if pulling him on a long rope.
All at once, and to Katsuki's great confusion, he was launched across the concrete of the arena towards Ochako. Hurtling toward her, he started firing explosions forward to fight against the pull, but they weren't having any effect on slowing him down or breaking her grip on him.
Then just as suddenly he jerked to a stop right in front of her, just out of reach. He pulled his arm up to fire an explosion, but found that his arm felt immensely heavy.
"What~ are you doing to me?" He grunted out as he felt gravity increase across his whole body.
Ochako observed her floating opponent, holding him before her with her right hand controlling the weightless bubble, before giggling.
"It's not that hard, really," she began to explain. "Your local space is massless, but your internal gravity is increasing steadily. Soon, you'll pass out as your body can't handle the extra weight. But before that, let's go for a ride."
He growled and attempted to speak but found it hard to get his diaphragm to move from the strain. He was well and truly stuck, unable to move.
She released her fist and began slowly wiggling her fingers, pulling on the strings of gravity that held Katsuki in place, slowly dragging him into an orbit around her, before he began picking up speed, rotating around her rapidly.
"Now, be good, and get me that home run!" she shouted, waving goodbye, and miming a baseball bat swing. She released him from her orbit and launched him across the arena. She dropped his gravity boost, judging that he had too much momentum to recover. He bounced once on the concrete near the edge of the arena, but flipped after the bounce, throwing his hands back and releasing massive explosions to stop himself.
"THAT WAS A CHEAP TRICK, URARAKA! IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN!" he screamed at her, angry that she had him totally screwed.
She cocked her head.
"Hm...not far enough. That's fine though."
He launched himself at her, trying to close the distance to get a hit in before she tried something else, but only got halfway across the arena before he felt himself slow down, his explosions having less of an effect. He looked behind him and a chill went down his spine. His explosions were getting sucked back, the heat and smoke getting pulled into a point. Looking forward he saw why.
Ochako held both hands out in front of her, her brow furrowed as she controlled the singularity she had created outside of the arena, small enough to not be a concern, but powerful enough to fight against Katsuki's propulsion.
A drop of sweat fell off of Katsuki's head, but before it could fall to the ground, it flew back to the hole behind him. That's when he felt the pull as well, almost like he was walking up the wall, instead of standing on the ground. He took a couple of steps forward, toward Ochako, but the gravity well only increased, making his shoes slip as it pulled on him. He roared at Ochako, but turned his arms back and began blasting as hard as he could to get some force against the pull.
"Come on, Katsuki. Are you really trying to fight gravity?"
He looked 'up' at Ochako as she smirked, slowly twisting her wrists, like twisting a dial. The gravity spiked again. She winced and dropped one of her arms, the strain from the singularity pushing her power to the limit.
He looked back 'down' at the hole below him, small pebbles and rocks getting sucked in rapidly. He knew that she was reaching her limit. And she wasn't going to kill him, she just wanted to get him out of bounds. The singularity was beyond the border. As he fought against the pull, a stray bit of concrete that was launched caught his eye as it shot past the hole, and then slingshot around it, before getting sucked in.
The proverbial light bulb clicked on in his head. He needed to act quickly. He was really counting on her not being able to do much else.
Katsuki fired one more blast 'down', but right as that one ended, he fired one 'up', towards Ochako, momentarily obscuring him from her sight. But that was all he needed.
Now he was racing towards the singularity in front of him. Timing needed to be perfect. He waited until his gut told him to go, and fired one more massive blast at the ground, back and down, giving him an enormous boost forward and up, plenty of velocity to sling around the hole in spacetime.
He could feel the pull get intense as he came around the hole, time seeming to slow down as he came around the bend, prepping for the last shot. He focused and pulled everything he had into his arms, firing a mammoth blast that shredded the concrete, launching him even faster towards Ochako.
She finally could see through all of the smoke, only to see Katsuki racing towards, his mad smile behind an outstretched hand that was popping, prepping for a finishing move. But he never expected to suddenly change directions again. He was sure she was out of juice.
But there she was throwing her hand up into the air, as if launching him up. He felt gravity leave him again, and a sudden g-force from rapid acceleration as he got launched upwards, then back down. He tried to spin to stop himself, but Ochako was holding on for everything she had, and gravity always wins.
He struggled against the hold she had on him up to the very last second when he hit the ground outside of the arena, hitting the softer dirt and grass with a *thwap*, bouncing once, and then coming to a stop.
Ochako released the hold on him and collapsed to her knees as she felt the nausea rising up, her body exhausted.
Midnight called the match, and Present Mic started yelling.
"BAKUGO IS OUT OF BOUNDS! URARAKA WINS!"
She smiled weakly and stumbled off the arena towards the entrance gate. She made it to round two. She should call her parents. They would be proud.
She felt so tired, and let her exhaustion claim her. But before she hit the ground, warm strong hands caught her and effortlessly picked her up, carrying her bridal style as he walked.
"I've got you," Izuku half-whispered as he carried his girlfriend. She smiled up at him sleepily, and nodded off.
The last she heard before darkness took her was Present Mics announcement.
"AND THAT CONCLUDES THE LAST MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND OF FIGHTS! WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A SHORT 15 MINUTE BREAK! EVERYONE GET SOME FOOD AND HIT THE BATHROOM, BECAUSE THE NEXT FIGHT IS GOING TO BE INTENSE! IZUKU MIDORIYA VERSUS HITOSHI SHINSO!"