Cursed Blood

by Magnus9284

Izuku was born with a quirk, just not the kind of quirk he wanted, or the kind that was liked by those around him; now he has to find his place among the heroes, with a curse that seems fit for the darkest villain. Rathed M for graphic descriptions, dark humor, and possible romantic stuff.

30. Sinister Retaliation

Magnus: Time to finish the first round of matches! I'll attempt to get the next stage into just one chapter, but I make no promises. Also, thank you for your continued support! It is true invaluable to us.

Disclaimer: For those that think that the tone of the story has shifted, just remember that these few chapters haven't been seen from Izuku's perspective. Just because he sees the world as bleak and unforgiving, it doesn't mean that his classmates see the same.

The 0bservanc3: Also, a special thank you to our supporters! Thank you to those currently named Lyruil, Alexander Fortin, Kyle Rice, jonathon royal, AllAboutNothin, Hades, Henry Baumeister, Nathan Hurley, J Robinson, LeafBladeFox, Carrotglace, Holo1916, Kyuubi, Lord Sunshine, Mysticexarch, Naes003, and TheGreatBubbaJ.

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Cursed Blood

Chapter 29

A sinister retaliation.

Inside an oddly clean bar of seedy disposition, more so due to its dingy outward façade than the fact it was hidden away from public and heroic eye alike, mad scribbling and giggles could be heard if one were to listen closely.

"Yes… YES!" Shigaraki's nearly sang, his rasping voice dangerously close to cracking. The blanchette was hunched over his spot at the bar, working over an old notebook, "A healer that's not a fucking glass cannon! What a rare NPC…"

Scribble… ScribBLE… SCRIBBLE…

"Comes with his own minions too…" The handsy villain's grin, covered by the one hand he almost never removed, would've chilled the blood of any normal person who witnessed it. It had crossed the line beyond creepy long ago. "That means I don't have to waste high-level fodder on escorting him around!"

SCRIBBLE… SCRIBBLE SCRIBBLE…

"Leadership's a bit high though…" Shigaraki mused, pausing in his writing as he flicked his wild gaze to the misty bartender patiently cleaning a pristine glass across from him. "Oi, Kurogiri. Should I nerf the healer's charisma before putting him in the party?"

The dapperly dressed villain gave a low sigh at the question. Between his charge's antics and those of the thoughtless children being paraded about on the television, the misty bartender had long ago crossed from simply irritated and had landed in flat out annoyed. Thankfully he was distracted from the latest cause of his ire before he could give a knee-jerk reaction.

Another of his annoyances, the Sports Festival's too-loud announcer Present Mic, rather obnoxiously remarked about one of his own students losing their clothes. What an idiot.

"Before considering lowering another's charisma…" Kurogiri trailed off, considering how to word his opinion without inciting another childish tantrum from his charge, "Wouldn't it behoove you to attempt to… raise your own first?"

There was a pregnant pause, and Kurogiri wondered if he'll be wiping up piles of dust again after closing for his words. The child sitting at his bar frowned, as if actually considering his words.

Or more likely, whether or not to make his death a messy one or a brutal one…

"Why would I need more charisma?" Shigaraki eventually replied, tilting his head in honest confusion. "Last I checked, that stat looked high enough to me."

"Compared to whom?" Kurogiri asked, completely out of reflex without a stitch of thought beforehand.

At that moment, the monitor stuck in the wall of the bar flickered to life, the words 'Audio Only' glowing on the screen.

"I see you've taken my suggestion to heart young Tomura. Good."

Instantly, both Shigaraki and Kurogiri stood at attention, neither making a sound. It went without saying that it was not their turn to speak.

"Your study of this boy will be imperative for the future, make no mistake. When the time comes, his Quirk, and all its power, will ultimately serve you better as a willing ally rather than a forced servant. So take your time young Tomura, and do all you can to understand him."

The handsy villain grinned, wide and sick. This side quest had just been revealed to be way more important to the main story than he'd previously thought, and his proactive approach had caught his teacher's attention. Not only had he gotten the green light to continue, but also what sounded like permission to put a lot more focus into it than he'd been willing to before. This was going to be so much fun!

He'd have to put together his own walkthrough though first… for once a potential ally was squarely on the enemy's side from the start, and he'd never dealt with that particular mechanic before.

"There's something else you could learn from this boy as well young Tomura."

The remark caused Shigaraki to stiffen slightly, wondering what he'd missed. The blanchette hoped he hadn't disappointed his teacher somehow. That was never… pleasant.

"Sensei?" The handsy villain asked lowly, noting how his mentor's tone had changed ever so slightly.

There was a pause.

"This… Midoriya… whether he knows it or not, is able to deeply influence those around him. Watch him, and observe this. Discern the patterns of speech and interaction that give him this… skill… and endeavor to make it your own. If you do, it will be you who influences him in the end."

Shigaraki nodded silently, taking his teacher's words to heart. To the side, Kurogiri scoffed in his head; hadn't he just told his charge basically the same thing?

"Yes Sensei," Shigaraki said, the response heartfelt and full of purpose. The blanchette had made up his mind, it was time to raise his charisma! He wished he'd have thought of that sooner.

Without another word, the wall monitor cut out.

[REDACTED], [REDACTED] [REDACTED]…

Cutting his communication to the bar, a sinister figure growled into the dark as he returned a specialized breathing apparatus to its place over his mouth and nose.

He'd finally received all the information he'd been able to acquire about the boy, and he'd been left with more questions than answers. It turned out he hadn't been kept in the dark about the nascent necromancer by some new player after all, he'd just been… misinformed from the start. The doctor who'd scouted a four-year-old Midoriya had chalked his Quirk's potential up to minor at best and useless at worst, both because it was a mutant-type, and because, at the time, its observable characteristics had seemed laughable.

That doctor would no longer be giving such inaccurate reports…

Then, the QRA, in all its standard incompetence, had decided to neglect all aspects of its job in keeping a vigilant eye on the boy over the years. Even when red flag after red flag had popped up, they'd done nothing but sweep the paperwork under the rug. By the time the boy had created his first enthralled zombie, it'd been too late; too many eyes had been the boy to attempt a kidnapping.

And at the time, even he himself, in all his knowledge and wisdom, hadn't seen the boy as anything more than a fascination, a distraction. Never a real priority.

Then his… successor… had played his little game at the USJ. INTERPOL had come onto the scene, and he'd been forced to keep his involvement even further removed for the time being.

Not that he feared the spooks, oh no. Dealing with such monsters wasn't a problem when even nastier ones lurked in your own shadows. However, without the advantage of being able to strike without notice, any action he'd have been able to take in his current state would've led to unacceptable delays to his master plan.

And now… this.

Just when he'd found a Mutant that was actually useful and wielded powerful abilities, ones that would change the game entirely… it turned out its Quirk was sentient. Or at least, quasi-sentient?

Regardless, Quirks of any level of sentience were the worst. They always refused to cooperate with him, even if he managed to rip them from their original hosts. So, he'd adapted his strategy. A few words, and his successor was twisted just enough in the right direction to serve his purposes.

'Cursed Blood' may have been out of his reach, or maybe not, but either way the boy himself was a different matter entirely. Corrupting him was the key to achieving the optimal outcome…

HIS return.

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Contestant Arena…

The festival was still amped up and running on all cylinders. After two fights that had ended on low notes, the following three had been wildly successful with the public. People were happy and excited, and looked forward to the finals, many making bets and predictions on who would make it there.

But for the UA staff watching over the tournament, things appeared far bleaker. In particular, Midnight herself felt bad about what could happen in the next fight.

"ALRIGHT FOLKS ARE YOU READY?! FROM THE SOUTHWEST GATE, HAILING FROM THE SUPPORT COURSE, IT'S THE GIRL WHO'S MANAGED THE IMPOSSIBLE AND FOUGHT THROUGH THE NATURALLY GIFTED TO EARN HER CHANCE TO PROVE JUST HOW DANGEROUS HER INTELLECT CAN BE! IT'S MEI HATSUME!"

Entering the ring at a light trot, waving at the cameras the entire time, came the pink-haired inventor. Mei couldn't help her manic grin as she stepped onto the arena's raised flooring. SHE'D MADE IT!

Now those big shots from the support companies would HAVE to look at her and her babies. The pinkette was certain that after this match, everyone would be falling all over themselves to get their hands on her tech. All she needed to do was ensure that all her babies got a turn to really shine.

It was too bad that the bird-headed kid she was about to face off against hadn't wanted to be her test dum—spokesman… Oh well.

"AND FROM THE NORTHEAST GATE, RISING UP FROM THE SHADOWS OF HIS CLASSMATES, IT'S THE BOY SO INTIMIDATING HE ALREADY HAUNTS THE NIGHTMARES OF SOME REAL LIFE VILLAINS! GIVE IT UP FOR FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI!"

Fumikage stepped out of the tunnel and calmly walked to the ring to little cheer from the general public. While it was true his Quirk was technically emitter-type, his more visible hereditary mutation all but eclipsed that fact to many. Not to mention Dark Shadow as usually automatically classified as 'dark' purely based on appearances alone.

And if that wasn't enough, the Quirk entity was officially labeled as a summoned creature, bound to his body and forced to serve his will. That meant on paper he had a type of Enslavement Quirk, and nobody but the sick and twisted showed any love for those.

But in reality, even as theatrical as he sometimes was, Fumikage was actually close friends with his Quirk. The two shared opposing personalities, which meshed surprisingly well, and both enjoyed scaring other people. For years, outside of his parents, they'd been the only one the other could count on.

And then Fumikage had befriended one Izuku Midoriya.

Such a simple event had at first seemed fairly straightforward; the verdanette was the only one he felt he could relate to in a class full of strangers, and it would make his life more pleasant to have at least one friend that didn't live in his stomach.

But it just hadn't stopped there. Fumikage had found himself with more friends than he'd ever thought he'd have, and above that, a girlfriend! And he'd gotten drunk and had sex—well, kind of. Since his first day at UA, his life had irrevocably changed, and the raven-headed boy knew he'd never regret offering his support to his green friend.

All the same, Fumikage felt like a part of him was now out of reach; the smiling pinkette across from him more than proof enough at that. Where he'd have once wallowed in his edginess and seen only a self-centered airhead, someone to just write off… now he saw a friend, even if only by proxy for now.

When Hatsume had approached him before their match, Fumikage knew the old him would've been immediately suspicious of the cheerful support student. His experience with strangers had never been good, and he'd have immediately gone on the defensive. Now, instead, he'd politely asked what she'd wanted, honestly curious.

He'd listened to Hatsume's babbled request to use her tech during the match to promote her genius to the world and truthfully thought it over before refusing. Her counter refusal, and bargain to forfeit the match after showcasing her 'babies' had admittedly annoyed him though.

"Begin!"

Midnight's shout broke the dark teen from his thoughts, and not a moment too soon.

Mei quickly activated her utility belt and combat harness with two flicks of her wrist and a few taps of her deft fingers. Whirring sounds could barely be heard coming from the support student as unseen motion sensors and finely tuned gyros slid, clicked, and locked into place. The hidden machines were ready to respond and adapt the moment their mother made her move.

This was it; Mei was ready to begin her first real-life sales pitch! It was time to put on a show!

Then, Dark Shadow leapt from its home in Tokoyami's stomach, and was on her.

BAM!

Instinctively Mei lifted her arms up in self-defense, the motion activating the sensors in her combat harness. The multiple devices' shared programming correctly assumed their user was under attack, and reacted accordingly. Plasteel bars, reinforced with carbon fibers, sprung from the pouch on her back, unfolding into bars far larger than their previously compact existence would've implied.

The bars mirrored Mei's raised arms, blocking Dark Shadow's talons at the last second. Neither competitor budged.

"Hey!" The pinkette snapped, more upset than anything at the sudden attack, "Let me advertise my babies first!"

Pushing with all her not-inconsiderable might, and assisted by the strength of her baby, Mei managed to slowly press Dark Shadow back and off of her.

Then Fumikage charged forward and joined the fray.

BAM!

This time, Mei and her mechanical limbs had less trouble blocking the avian teen's attack, a kick to her knee. However, the glare she received from her opponent made the mad inventor flinch all the same.

"Then do so…" Fumikage grit out, struggling to overcome the hydraulics of the plasteel limbs. Leaning in, the raven-headed teen spoke in at a level only the two combatants could hear. "Show, don't tell."

Message given, Dark Shadow disengaged and covered the duo's retreat, leaving a slightly confused inventor behind.

"Show…?" Mei murmured, mind unable to help itself but ponder over the cryptic words.

In the split second it took for the pinkette to realize what she'd been told, Fumikage wordlessly set about recreating the imposing form he'd last used during the USJ, knowing that combining with his Quirk here would give the two of them a better chance of overcoming whatever the Support student would be able to cook up. Unfortunately, he was only partially successful.

At his current skill, it appeared to Fumikage that he could only manage to partially cover himself with Dark Shadow when the sun's rays beat down directly on the duo. The bright light made it difficult for the Quirk entity to function at full capacity, but even so, the avian teen did eventually succeed in coating his upper back, forearms, hands, and lower legs in writhing darkness.

Meanwhile, Mei looked on and examined the challenge before her with rarely felt trepidation. The pinkette finally understood that there would be no room for her to give a sales pitch in this match. Not if she wanted a chance to advertise her babies before she was thrown out of the ring.

"Demonstration it is then…" Mei said, more to herself than anyone in particular. Raising her hands to her combat harness, the mad inventor gave a sharp tug and activated the battle-ready babies that had been hiding away.

The plasteel bars that had bracketed the pinkette's arms shifted; plates rotated, unfolded, reformed, and ultimately relocked into the unmistakable shape of thick, gauntlet-like bracers. This newest form of Mei's baby covered her hands as well, sonic projectors layering over her knuckles just in time to take the brunt of another attack courtesy of her opponent.

BAM!

A massive claw of living shadow collided against one of Mei's now-reinforced arms, the other pulled back in anticipation. Putting her muscles into it, the pinkette countered, striking out with a metal-encased fist.

BOOM!

Sheer force sent Fumikage skidding back, his own reinforced arms now crossed to absorb as much damage as possible. It was a good thing he didn't feel anything through Dark Shadow's eldritch form. That would've hurt otherwise.

Blinking wide-eyed at the power her baby had given her simple punch, Mei felt a shock of concern shoot through her stomach even as it fought with the thrill of witnessing a successful test run. Had she just damaged one of the few friends she had… even if he was one more by proxy at the moment? What would Midoriya say?

Before she could overthink, the pinkette saw through her opponent's crossed arms for a second. Was that what a smiling beak looked like?

The odd sight vanished abruptly, however, as Fumikage gathered himself and charged forward once again.

BAM!

The raven-headed teen's next assault struck like a meteor, raised nubs on his shadow fists completely tearing into and trashing one of Mei's bracers.

BO-BOOM!

Fumikage's follow up hit only concrete, shattering the arena's flooring with ease. Mei had been no fool, easily understanding that her gear, cobbled together with the only materials First Years were given access to for personal projects, wouldn't last long if she just stood there and took damage. Luckily, her sensor babies had come through.

From the pouch on her back, the pinkette's machines had erupted into view, grappling hooks shooting out and gouging themselves into the ground a distance away from the aggressive variable attacking. The launching of the hooks had triggered Mei's hover boots, and the clunky metal footwear had roared to life to enable their creator to effortlessly slide to safety.

With a hiss, the damaged bracer fell to the ground and another plasteel limb took its place, this one mecha-shifting into what was clearly a launcher of some sort. Fumikage pulled back to prepare just as Mei pointed the new armament in his direction.

FOOMPH!

A weighted net shot at the raven-headed teen, unfurled in midair, and was promptly torn asunder by Fumikage's dark and shadowy claws.

"HOLY MOLY FOLKS! THAT SUPPORT GIRL IS SOME KIND OF CRAZY RIGHT?! BUT TOKOYAMI PROVES HE'S THE REAL PREDATOR BY TAKING HIS OPPONENT'S INVENTIONS IN STRIDE! SERIOUSLY ERASER, WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU TEACHING YOUR KIDS?!"

Present Mic's energetic commentary wiped the stadium crowd into a frenzy. Some seemed to agree with the Voice Hero, feeling that the dark kid with a bird's head was clearly going to come out on top. Others, mostly those who were glaring at said teen, still argued that a proper competitor like the support student would eventually take the day. Of course, both sides argued vigorously; citing their preferred combatant's potential and the incredible skill they'd already shown.

As this was happening, representatives from various support companies looked on with scrutiny. If the girl's toys managed to function after taking the abuse her foe was clearly able to dish out, then maybe she would be worth something.

Maybe.

"Hn… What Tokoyami is doing, is showing his opponent respect. Hatsume is a part of the Support Course, a noncombatant, but he's treating her as a real threat regardless. Never judge a book by its cover."

The underground hero's dull words rippled through the audience, looks of understanding and approval quickly outnumbering those of disgust and derision.

BOOM!

The launcher was reduced to scrap by a well-executed fake-out. Instantly, another limb of plasteel unfolded and replaced it with a large tower shield.

BOOM!

A jab with her remaining sonic projector gave Mei a temporary respite and she gained just enough ground to take a moment to breathe.

"This fight is proof-positive that the potential to be a hero can be found even in those without combat-oriented Quirks."

Eraserhead's follow-up left a sour taste in the mouths of many pro heroes watching the match, those being individuals who were a little too proud of the natural advantages their specific Quirks gave them in combat. The representatives from the support companies, however, began in earnest to examine the little pinkette striving as the living shadow stood against her.

Perhaps there was profit to be found in after all?

As this was happening up in the stands, Fumikage and Mei hadn't stopped one bit.

"GHAAA!" The pinkette screamed, tumbling back after a particularly powerful side-swipe struck home.

The mad inventor knew she was in trouble. Most of her babies had fallen by now, broken beyond serviceability, or were simply unfit for the situation at hand. It looked like her only option now was bringing out the latest addition to her loadout…

CLINK! CLINK! CLINK! CLINK!

The four mechanical spider-like limbs from the cavalry battle came back online, breaking Mei's fall and making her stand upright with ease. Straightening, the pinkette gave a fierce grin as she challenged her sort-of-friend once more.

This. This was her last stand.

"My babies are all broken or useless…" Mei mumbled to herself, watching Fumikage for the slightest twitch even as the avian teen likewise sized her and her new limbs up with sharp eyes. "If I can't make this work…"

The mad inventor didn't dare finish that line of thinking. As much as she'd like to believe otherwise, Mei knew that passion and talent weren't enough in the cutthroat world of hero support, not by a long shot. If you couldn't prove to the major players that your creations weren't just frail toys, then at best they'd just brush you aside, blacklist you at worst for wasting their time.

In the pinkette's mind, every baby she'd shown so far hadn't been good enough. They'd gone up against a powerful opponent, and while normally she'd see failure as just another opportunity to grow, that wasn't an option here. Not to say she saw herself as a failure, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel a little disappointment at her inventions' lackluster performance. So much for her great sales pitch.

"Come on!" Mei screamed suddenly, fed up with her spiraling thoughts. The mad inventor rushed Fumikage and took a swipe with one of her mechanized spider legs.

BOOM!

"I know you were born on the fly!" Mei continued, her attack blocked by Fumikage's Dark Shadow-enhanced leg. In return, the avian teen swiped at her head with talons of hardened darkness.

BAM!

"But you're still my baby!" Mei was nearly in tears as she used two spider limbs to block and push Fumikage back. A step at a time, the pinkette forced the raven-headed teen closer and closer to the edge of the arena.

CRASH!

"And that means you're better than anyone else's!" Mei pushed harder, straining with everything she had. Concrete shattered under the battling students, each step more powerful than the last.

She couldn't hear it, but at that moment the stadium was shaking with the cheers the public was giving for her. She couldn't see them, but the support company representatives were beginning to loudly bicker amongst themselves over who would have the first chance to negotiate with her. She couldn't feel it, but her muscles were screaming louder than she was, her natural arms and legs quivering with fatigue and battle damage.

None of that registered. Mei only had eyes for her opponent, she only had ears for the pained whirring of her last baby as it fought for her.

"HYAAAA!"

BOOM!

A final overhead strike, using two spider limbs together, swung down—and shattered only concrete. Utilizing Dark Shadow's power in his legs, Fumikage had expertly evaded the attack by launching himself up and over Mei, positioning himself behind the pinkette. Before she had a chance to turn and face him, the raven-headed teen countered, a single swipe ripping the mechanical spider limbs from her combat harness.

Mei was on her own.

BAM!

The mad inventor just barely reacted fast enough to block one final punch, but it wasn't enough…

"And Hatsume is out of bounds!"

Midnight's sudden declaration caused both Fumikage and Mei to pause, the two looking at each other in confusion. Then they looked down to see, yes, the pinkette's large and clunky hover boots were touching grass.

"Tokoyami wins the match!"

The applause and cheering that was already shaking the stadium exploded. Coming back to reality, Mei realized that the positive reception wasn't just for her victorious maybe-friend, but also for her. They were praising her effort!

"That was amazing!"

"Don't give up! You'll get him next time!"

"Please make my gear!"

"W-what… what is happening?" Mei asked, feeling funny all of a sudden. And why was her voice all watery and quivering like that?

"They celebrate," Fumikage said, squaring up as the mad inventor turned her full attention to him. "They rejoice that you, one who is not a fighter, could withstand my darkness for so long, and so bravely. There could be no greater advertisement for your craft than that."

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Class 1-A Seating Box…

"I knew it," Izuku whispered, nonetheless drawing the attention of those closest to him, "He was giving her the chance to show off…"

The emerald necromancer's chuckling was soon seconded by his girlfriend's, soon joined by the Saki and Lily. Tae merely cocked her head to the side in blank question.

"Oh so the lug can be soft when he wants to be…" Kyouka quipped, uncaring who heard her while she was too focused on watching her newly minted boyfriend and lover help Hatsume leave the arena. The pinkette looked about ready to collapse. "Well, he's got no excuse for next time then."

Fortunately for the raven-headed teen, no one sitting in the 1-A seats understood what their musically inclined classmate was implying by her odd choice of words.

"I'm leaving now, kero," Tsuyu announced, standing up. The frog-girl would've made her way down to the field, but was pulled back… by her caring boyfriend, who was too reticent to let go of her hand. She gave him a flat look. "I'll be fine Izu-kun."

"Of course you will be," Izuku said, shyly letting go of the hand he'd instinctively grabbed when he'd felt Tsuyu moving away from him.

"Geez. Calm down boss!" Saki grinned, quick to latch onto her master. The thrum of the bond sang through the blonde as she wrapped her arms around the verdanette. "She's tougher than she looks!"

It was only by the grace of having helped raise two younger siblings that Tsuyu was able to just barely contain the burning desire to pry the undead delinquent off of HER boyfriend. Luckily for the former gang leader, the festival demanded she leave right at that moment.

That didn't stop Tsuyu from sending Tae a meaningful look. The ravenette wordlessly reached out and grabbed Saki by the back of the head, singlehanded. The amphibian teen didn't stick around to see what her boyfriend's first partner was going to do to his third, but she trusted the blank zombie-girl to get the job done.

"Let's go Tsu-chan!"

The bubbly cheer came from a smiling Ochaco, who'd stood up with Tsuyu and now began to walk beside the frog-girl.

"Let's treat this just like a battle trial," the anti-gravity girl offered, "No hard feelings and may the best girl win, right?"

Tsuyu croaked in agreement, but as the two walked through the stadium's halls heading to the point where they'd have to separate, she frowned. Something told the frog-girl that regardless of what she said, the cherubic brunette wasn't going to see their match in such a carefree way.

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Contestant Arena, Later…

Midnight had, with a few obvious exceptions, been enjoying this year's Sports Festival so far. Honestly, the First Years' portion being rigged far beyond what was acceptable had been one of the only dark spots. And of course, there was the fact that a few of the competitors had gotten a little too… rough… earlier.

But for the most part, it had been a blast. There'd been sexual tension, manliness and bravado, heroic levels of determination, and top-tier sportsmanship. What more could you ask for in an event like this?

Apparently, the answer to that turned out to be two teenage girls radiating unhealthy levels of hostility at each other…

"FROM THE SOUTHWEST GATE, IT'S THE CHERUBIC CUTIE WHO'LL LITERALLY SEND YOU TO HEAVEN WITH A SINGLE TOUCH!"

"Mic!"

"OH CALM DOWN KILLJOY, IT'S OCHACO URARAKA!"

Ochaco stepped up to the arena with a face set stiffly in complete concentration, the brunette's determination to win bleeding off of her.

Losing the chance to be with Izuku before she'd even HAD it had been a painful experience, and while Ochaco would say that she'd let the verdanette go by now, that didn't mean she didn't still have a score to settle with the frog-girl waiting for her introduction on the opposite side of the field. Really, it was her pride as a woman at this point which demanded she seek retribution from her classmate. Being beaten out by mere minutes, as she'd later found out, was the kind of thing that required a special reconciliation before it could truly be called even.

Winning at the Sports Festival would also prove her worth to the Iida Family. Or at least, Ochaco hoped it would to the point where she'd feel less guilty about getting stuck with the label of being an Iida's girlfriend. She wasn't dumb enough, nor was she deaf, to miss what was being said about them when others thought they weren't listening.

"AND FROM THE NORTHEAST GATE COMES HER OPPONENT! DON'T LET HER LOOKS FOOL YOU FOLKS, THIS GIRL CAN KICK SOME SERIOUS BUTT, AND IS BRAVE ENOUGH TO DATE UA'S RESIDENT NECROMANCER TO BOOT! IT'S TSUYU ASUI!"

With that, Tsuyu ran-hopped her way to the arena. Even through the cacophony of a packed stadium, the frog-girl thought she could hear stray giggling directed at her.

The firstborn daughter of Beru Asui was in no way naïve. What Izuku had revealed to her and her friends was completely true, they'd been set up to fail from the start. This matchup was just another example of someone cherry-picking the matches to fit their worldview of Emitter supremacy.

Or at least, that's what she bet the bigoted Quirkists were thinking.

Defeating Todoroki was a no-go, full stop. If she went up against her two-toned classmate, Tsuyu knew she'd be putting herself in serious danger. His ice could, and would, put her into a hibernation so deep she was afraid she'd never wake up. A shiver shot through the amphibian teen at the thought. It was a daunting future to consider.

But Ochaco?

Really?

Were the idiots even thinking? Or were they really that blind?

Tsuyu wasn't one to underestimate her opponents; she wasn't an idiot and personal experience had proven to her that anyone, no matter how innocent-looking, could hurt you if you weren't careful. But there was still a remarkable difference between them that couldn't be ignored. It had been clear from the very first day that the brunette had never really trained before coming to UA. Not like she had.

But that didn't mean she was going to go easy on her. Ochaco still had to pay for attempting to seduce her boyfriend, regardless of whether or not she knew the cinnamon roll was taken at the time. And Saki… that blonde troublemaker needed to learn what would happen if she kept pushing buttons better left alone. There was only so much of the rebellious zombie-girl's leering at Izuku that she would take before she did something about it.

Lowering her guard and taking things for granted was inviting disaster, and Tsuyu wasn't about to let anything destroy her happiness.

Just because she was usually a nice person didn't mean she didn't feel the need to mark her territory every now and then!

"Alright ladies," Midnight said, raising a hand into the air, "Remember the rules… and don't forget that you're both heroines-in-training. BEGIN!"

"Here I go!"

Ochaco's sudden shout nearly left her stumbling as she took off toward Asui, a jolting stomp with her right leg the only thing keeping her from face planting.

NO! This was her moment! She was going to prove her worth! To herself, to Tenya, to the world!

Tsuyu was already on her.

"Gha—Ooph!"

Ochaco hit the ground with a grunt of pain and surprise. She hadn't even seen Asui move. What had just happened?

What had happened was that Tsuyu had crouched and launched herself at the brunette with all the strength her mutated legs could muster. The frog-girl had reached her opponent nearly instantly and, with a quick leg sweep, sent the other girl to the ground without hesitation.

Not even attempting to stand back up, Ochaco reacted as quickly as she could, reaching out a hand to grab at Tsuyu's legs. If she could just use her Quirk, the match would be over… but the brunette only managed to swipe some loose gravel. The frog-girl had already leapt out of reach in the time it took her to hit the ground and attempt a counter.

At least the ring was still a mess from the last match. Between Mei's machines breaking and both competitors smashing the concrete flooring to pieces, there were definitely enough chunks of debris for… hmm… that could work.

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that if you want to catch me, Uraraka-chan," Tsuyu stated, the comment not even coming across as a taunt due to the frog-girl's flat tone. "Unfortunately I'm not going to give you the time to get better, kero."

Ochaco hauled herself to her feet in response, surreptitiously trailing her fingers across more broken concrete as she did. She glared back at her stoic opponent.

"I'm not giving up!" The brunette shouted, taking a rather sloppy stance that might've been combat worthy if Tsuyu were drunk… and blindfolded.

In the time it took the anti-gravity girl to blink, Tsuyu was on her again.

There was another attempt to grab the frog-girl, and another, and another, but Ochaco's target seemed to disappear each time she came close. To make matters worse, each time Tsuyu evaded, she would lash out with her own counter, landing bruising strikes on the anti-gravity girl's abdomen, back, arms, and legs.

Ochaco was certain she'd be feeling this fight for days after this. She just had to make sure the pain was worth it then!

"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FOLKS?! ANOTHER UNDERDOG COMES OUT AND TRASHES THE COMPETITION! IT'S ANOTHER SHOCK IN A DAY FULL OF INCREDIBLE SIGHTS!"

The Voice Hero's rather opinionated words resonated with a sizable amount of the public, both in the stadium in person and watching from televisions at home, work, and beyond. While the cute brunette might've been a nobody, her opponent was just a girl with a simple mutation that gave her frog features. Frog! Surely an emitter, of any strength, should've been able to handle mutant of such low caliber. Right?

Right?!

"This shouldn't come as such a surprise people. While Ochaco Uraraka has an admittedly powerful Quirk, she's only a First Year, and like many of them lacks experience using it in actual combat. On the other hand, Tsuyu Asui actually has some of that experience her opponent is missing."

Eraserhead's cold, calculated explanation came as the gruff man reminisced over his amphibious student's file. The girl's grades had been high, but her record had been spotted. There'd been several reports of 'physical altercations' throughout her earlier education, always against other students. It was an unfortunate commonality that most mutant-type students shared.

And also unfortunately common, was having the blame completely laid on said students. The staff at the Asui girl's schools had, by and large, attempted to frame the events as nothing more than a girl with an inferiority complex lashing out against her peers.

But Shouta wasn't an idiot, and he knew the truth was much different than what was reported.

Tsuyu Asui being a victim of bullying wasn't a theory, it was a fact. Her Quirk and the physical mutations it gave her were more than enough reason for some people to direct their ire at her. Naturally, she'd developed instincts and behaviors to avoid or minimize harm, and when those hadn't worked, she'd fallen back on the last viable option; defend herself.

Luckily for the poor girl, being Beru Asui's daughter gave her the unique ability to never face too much backlash from putting a stop to these aggressions. Of course, Shouta was sure that hadn't stopped them from being a common occurrence in her life.

In stark contrast, Shouta's other student in the arena had reportedly lived a much more peaceful life. Her parents, while poorer than many, had led calm lives and had emphatically refused to allow their daughter to use her Quirk to their own benefit. It was a nice thought, but that refusal had cost Uraraka the opportunity to train her abilities at all before attending UA.

"Everyone knows that Quirks are like muscles. If you don't use them, you lose them, potential be damned. And in this match it boils down to a complete greenhorn facing off against a girl who's basically lived with her Quirk constantly on. Every. Single. Day."

As the words of the underground hero sunk in for the everyday civilian, many of the pros listening found themselves nodding. Many of them had had to learn that lesson the hard way, and many others still knew of coworkers who'd never get a chance to learn it.

Of course, there were still diehard Quirkists who disagreed with Eraserhead's impromptu lesson. Experience was all well and good, but in the end it was the power that came from pedigree that would ultimately win the day. Surely.

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Class 1-A Seating Box…

"So…" Kyouka pondered in an exaggerated fashion, not caring if her classmates were listening, "According to Aizawa-sensei, that would make you two bodybuilders… right?"

The not-so-innocent question had been directed at the two boys sitting beside the punk rocker girl, her boyfriend Fumikage, and her now former crush and current best friend, Izuku.

Behind the verdant necromancer, a playful scoff cut through the background noise of the cheering crowd.

"More like pro-wrestlers," Saki countered, her crimson eyes taking on a playful glint. "The boss has got real muscle with real power, none of that empty mass caused by shooting up hormones."

Beside the smirking delinquent, Lily frowned at her sister and the way she was eyeing her big brother.

"Lily thinks Blondie really needs to stop before Tsu-nee finds out she was having weird thoughts again," the littlest zombie-girl interjected. She really didn't want to deal with the blonde's antics right now. "We don't need more weird thoughts."

The former gang leader spun and glared heatedly at the twerp next to her.

"Shut it Shrimpy!" Saki groused, quick to retaliate, "Go be childish elsewhere and let the adults do… adult things in peace!"

Leaning over from her own seat behind the group, Momo looked back and forth between the two undead now locked in a staring match.

"Weird thoughts?" The heiress asked, a mix of confusion and concern, "What do you mean weird? What are you trying to teach my Lily-chan?!"

Another scoff ripped through the air from the blonde zombie-girl.

"Probably nothing as bad as that smut you read princess," Saki threw out, still holding Lily's narrowed gaze.

"Smut?!" Kyouka choked out in surprise. The musically inclined heroine-in-training whipped around to stare at her mature classmate in shock.

She wasn't the only one.

"Saki-chan."

But Izuku didn't react more than a long blink and a sigh. The verdant necromancer didn't want this kind of argument to explode right now, not while he was trying to focus on Tsu-chan's match. At least he'd managed to cover Lily's ears in time.

"Oh come on Boss!" The delinquent moaned, foreseeing the end of her fun. "It's not hard to tell those books the princess sneaks are more fuck-focused than educational."

That might've been… true… but the members of Izuku's friend group had tacitly agreed to avoid the subject for their own good.

"Let us… return our attention to the battle?" Fumikage quickly offered, hoping to interrupt with one of the only distractions that was sure to put a pin in the discussion no one wanted to have. It was easier said than done, however, as watching the brunette below be overwhelmed by their froggy friend wasn't a pretty sight. Not in the least.

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Contestant Arena…

Ochaco rolled across the arena floor after a particularly nasty kick to her side, feeling no less than three ribs shift from the attack. Her Quirk, 'Zero Gravity', looked on paper as if it would've been more than enough to win a close-quarters combat scenario like this match. Too bad for her that Asui turned out to be way too agile of an opponent. If she took her eyes off the frog-girl for even a second, even to blink, then she'd end up being circled and inevitably suffer another kick or strike soon after.

She'd blinked eight times so far.

Blink.

Kick.

Tumble.

Touch.

Stand.

Repeat.

The brunette hated to admit it, but she was out of her league here. She'd started her training to be a heroine, sure, but her body just wasn't ready for this level of confrontation. Her stamina was crap, and this fight was like trying to catch a frog with her bare hands. It was too early for her last resort too…

Keeping her guard up, Ochaco took a moment to take stock of the situation. She was battered and on her last legs. Asui didn't even look winded. There was still a ton of rubble and debris cluttering the field, even though she'd been implementing her backup plan the entire time.

Maybe if close-range wasn't an option, long-range would work better?

Directing one final glare at Asui, who still held her flat gaze and quasi-pleasant smile intact, Ochaco decided to work with what she had on hand.

Literally.

"Do you want to continue this Uraraka-chan?" Tsuyu asked, tilting her head to the side. The frog-girl watched as her opponent eyed the arena before glaring at her. "Kero? Was it something I said?"

"I'M FAR FROM DONE!"

And then Uraraka threw a head-sized piece of concrete at her.

For its size, the now flying piece of rubble shot through the air with much more force and speed than one would've expected. Tsuyu managed to dodge the projectile, but it was a near thing. Looking over her shoulder, the frog-girl risked a moment to see where the debris landed.

But it didn't.

"OI! NO ONE TOLD ME URARAKA-SAN HAD SUCH STRENGTH!"

Present Mic's shrill exclamation echoed how many in the stadium's audience felt in that moment.

"She doesn't. Uraraka-san's Quirk has a wide range of possible applications. Due to low usage until now, even she doesn't know its limits."

TwiNK!

An unexpectedly weak sound of something hitting glass came from… the window of the announcer's booth! Looking away from each other and back down to the field, the two pro heroes in the room saw that the piece of rubble had hit the transparent divider, but had done no damage. Such speed and mass should've had no problems breaking through solid concrete, let alone glass… but there the debris was, floating innocently in front of them.

It looked like while something was under the effects of Uraraka's Quirk, there was no relative mass to accompany its impact if she threw it at something else, nor any inertial energy to transfer. Ultimately, she could throw a building and it'd bounce like a balloon if she was able to keep her Quirk activated.

Aizawa realized all of this nearly instantly and decided not to voice his thoughts over the intercom. Uraraka had to know her ranged capabilities came with such a caveat, and if she didn't, she needed to learn. Additionally, Asui needed to figure out the bluff on her own.

Analysis during combat was a valuable skill after all.

Back down in the arena, Tsuyu didn't appreciate her opponent's change in tactics.

Oh sure, she could understand Uraraka's reasoning for it. She'd proven herself the better melee fighter, so all that was left to the brunette was ranged combat. It was her bad luck that such a move brought back ugly memories…

It turned out children could be exceedingly cruel and nasty beasts, especially when they believed their cruelty was right. Quirkism had been a reality for Tsuyu since elementary school, where every day was an exercise in facing harsh insults and snide comments about her amphibious features and animalistic mannerisms. And as bad as it'd been for developing her younger's self-esteem, middle school had been a much worse hell.

The blatant insults.

The laughter.

The brutal pranks.

It had been bad enough in public, but if she'd allowed herself to be caught by the other students away from watching eyes?

FWOOSH!

Tsuyu evaded another flying piece of concrete with practiced ease. Compared to back when she'd been younger, Uraraka's assault was nothing.

"What are you aiming for Uraraka-chan?" Tsuyu asked, not breaking stride in evading the flying debris. A trace of concern flickered across her face as she realized her opponent looked… different than when they'd started the match. "Are you okay? You're not looking so good, kero."

The frog-girl wasn't wrong. Anyone with eyes could tell that the 'Zero Gravity'-user was getting progressively sicklier the longer she extended her Quirk usage. As it was, the brunette was obviously beginning to struggle to breathe, and her movements, and aiming, were getting worse.

"I'm… alright…" Ochaco replied, grunting through pants and gasps for air. "I only… need to… last a bit… longer…"

Tsuyu shook her head, there was really no more need to fight—neither of them had anything else to prove. Uraraka was on her last legs, and kicking her any more would definitely be seen as overkill. But she couldn't just drag her out of bounds, that'd look even worse for the brunette. Nodding to herself after a bit of thought, the frog-girl decided she'd put her opponent in a submission hold, giving her classmate one last chance to show her resistance before the inevitable end.

"Wait!" Ochaco shouted suddenly, just as Tsuyu took a step forward. The sudden demand took the frog-girl by surprise, so much so she actually stopped. "Don't come any closer!"

Shaking off her surprise at the brunette's determination to keep fighting, Tsuyu took another step forward. She did, however, allow herself to become a bit more wary though. If her opponent seemed to have one last bit of fighting spirit left in her, then she could do anything. It honestly wouldn't surprise the frog-girl if her opponent pulled out some sort of 'final stand' move right now.

But that still wouldn't prevent her victory.

Another step.

Ochaco gave a wicked grin, a look Tsuyu had never seen on the brunette's face before. It was oddly disconcerting.

"Don't say I didn't warn you…" The brunette said, bringing her hands together. "RELEASE!"

Years of facing bullies both as their victim and detractor had honed Tsuyu's fighting instincts to a fine edge. She felt the attack coming the moment her opponent had put her fingertips together. Looking up, the frog-girl barely had a moment to react as a veritable landslide began to fall on her head.

Having gambled her very health and safety on that this tactic, Ochaco hoped it worked—nothing else had seemed to. She'd been gathering the debris since the beginning, after that first time she'd been struck down, all because she'd had the passing thought it might be useful later.

Maintaining the cluster of concrete rubble had been extremely taxing, but the trap had been a last resort anyway. There hadn't been enough left over from the previous matches to make a proper weapon, it would've taken a much more destructive battle for that to have happened, but it had been enough.

Throwing the debris earlier had been both a distraction and a test. She'd needed to buy time, and see if her Quirk affected the objects under it when they collided with other things. It was lucky she had, or she wouldn't have known that she had to turn her Quirk off for flying objects to be effective projectile weapons.

Even as she basked in her impending victory, Ochaco knew there wouldn't be any more battles for her that day. She could feel a twinge in her stomach that told her another attempt at using her Quirk any time soon would result in her stomach saying hello to the world.

"You're going to need to try harder than that…" Ochaco paled, watching as her opponent almost nonchalantly dodged the falling rubble. "…if you want to hit me with all this."

Tsuyu, her instincts honed over the years on top of being affected by her mutation, had almost inhuman reflexes at this point. She could tell where each piece of rubble was going to fall, and in what order. She could judge which she needed to prioritize avoiding, and which ones she could take a hit from and take minimal damage. Having forced herself to develop the ability to suppress the knee-jerk reaction to shield her eyes from incoming attacks, she was also able to never lose track of what was happening around her.

However, this talent also worked against her.

While she was busy avoiding Uraraka's final attack, the brunette herself had thrown her last shred of self-preservation out the window, charging into the fray herself. She knew she wasn't capable of standing against Todoroki, even at full strength. This had always been her last fight, her last chance to prove that she deserved to be in UA's Heroics Course.

She just needed to use her Quirk one more time, and she'd have proven her worth.

"You're done!" Ochaco screamed, pushing into Tsuyu right as the frog-girl avoided a large piece of rubble. A pink glow flashed into existence as she activated her Quirk. "Bye-bye!"

Tsuyu yelped in surprise as she began to float into the air, the sound ringing like victory bells to the 'Zero Gravity'-user's ears. Now that her opponent was helpless and drifting in the direction of the nearest edge of the arena…

"LOOK AT THAT! WHAT A REVERSAL! URARAKA COMES FROM BEHIND AND NOW ASUI IS HELPLESS IN THE AIR!"

Feeling emboldened by Present Mic's words, Ochaco almost cheered. She felt ready to claim her place as the better girl, and win this match.

"WHO'S THE BETTER GIRL NOW TSU-CHAN?!"

Okay, so the brunette couldn't help herself. But it felt good to release all that built-up bitterness and disappointment from earlier in the year. She'd settled her defeat in the love department by taking the field of combat, and now she could go back to being the happy girl she'd been before. Of course, she didn't expect Midoriya to suddenly drop the frog-girl and pursue her, that ship had sailed, but at least she could now say that Iida-kun hadn't settled for second best and taken in a worthless girl.

"Clever usage of terrain is an important skill for a Hero to have. From finding cover to weaponizing even the most random of objects, anything should be considered while in the middle of a battle. I would say Uraraka did a good job, but unfortunately, she forgot another vital piece of combat protocol…"

Ochaco stilled, feeling herself shiver at the words of her homeroom teacher. Why did she have a feeling something bad was about to happen?

"Never turn your back on an enemy when you don't know their full capabilities."

Suddenly, something long, sticky, and pink shot into view and wrapped around the brunette's hand.

"Eh?!"

Ochaco didn't even have a chance to react.

Tsuyu had not only captured one of her opponent's hands, but she'd also managed to anchor herself from floating farther away. And thanks to the muscles in her tongue being extraordinarily strong, far stronger than any 'normal' humans, she could use it as a whip… or a grappling hook.

WHAM!

"UGH!" Ochaco grunted loudly in pain as a double-footed kick slammed into her with the force of a truck, throwing her backward. The brunette rolled a few times before losing enough momentum to finally stop.

To the surprise of all watching, the Asui girl had managed to put force behind her attack by retracting her tongue at full throttle. Even effectively massless she'd moved at a speed that had delivered a punishing amount of force.

Managing to raise her head up, Ochaco saw that Asui was no longer floating away. In fact, the frog-girl was crouched down, firmly latched onto the ground by her hands and feet.

And her Quirk was still active.

"Asui's Quirk, 'Frog,' gives her more than enough tools to counteract the effects of Uraraka's 'Zero Gravity.' To note a few, her tongue can extend quite a distance, her hands and feet can excrete a sticky substance to keep her stuck to most surfaces, and then there's her superior leg strength of course. Uraraka's plan was admittedly a good one, but ultimately it matched up poorly against an opponent armed with effective countermeasures."

Struggling to keep her head up, Ochaco quietly seethed as Aizawa-sensei went over her oversight. How had she forgotten what her classmate's Quirk could do?!

"I-I'm not…" Ochaco stuttered, forcing the word out. Her body quivered as she fruitlessly pushed against the ground, but her legs wouldn't move, and the aches and pains nearly overwhelmed her. It felt like moving through lead. "I'm not—"

WHAM!

A solid piece of concrete about the size of a silver American dollar struck the side of the brunette's head, knocking her out cold. Tsuyu slowly raised herself up to her full height, feeling her gravity return. She'd been done with playing around and risking her victory any further.

"And the victory goes to Tsuyu Asui!" Midnight declared, amazed at the tenacity of these two young girls. The provocative heroine then growled as instead of raucous cheers the victorious frog-girl only received a mixed response from the stadiums crowd. Huffing, the ravenette decided to just keep the ball rolling. "Now let's get ready for the next fight! Ah Cementoss? I think we can't put off cleaning duty any longer…"

Tsuyu didn't bother glaring at the lukewarm public; their mixed disappointment and shock at her win wasn't her concern. Still, being a good sport, the frog-girl waved. And if she directed most of her waving to the area in the stands she knew her boyfriend and friends to be sitting? Well, that was her business.

Just thinking of Izuku impatiently awaiting her return to his side made Tsuyu feel warm inside.

Meanwhile, UA's [REDACTED], [REDACTED]…

"And you're certain of this?"

Nezu's normally measured voice trembled in suppressed outrage and fear as he spoke to the shadowed figure across from him.

A single nod was the only response for a number of minutes.

Eventually, the silence became too much, even for the denizen of the shadows.

"I am," replied the darkened figure, voice still as sweet as ever, even though now it held a serious edge sharp enough to kill a lesser man. "As much as I wish I wasn't."

Agent Smith, at least the only one that Nezu had ever dealt with personally, had always been a rather fond friend of UA and it's Principal. She hadn't attended herself of course, but it had been the Alma Mater of a long list of heroes worthy of the name that had aided INTERPOL over the years. Case and point, her own Darling had been a graduate himself.

He was the first pro hero with an empathy Quirk to successfully graduate from UA in fact. And Smith was so proud of him for that, especially since he also became the youngest pro to retire with no debilitating wounds as the cause. She knew the others felt the same way too.

And now, the spook knew that her soft spot for the institution had been irreparably tarnished. All thanks to the greed of the pathetic piece of gutter trash cowering before her.

"Y-You can't… can't do this…" Whimpered the pink-haired security advisor weakly. The middle-aged woman was bloodied, and most definitely in need of immediate medical attention. "I-I-I have r-rights…"

Nezu turned to what was left of Haruno, his beady eyes showing exactly zero warmth or concern.

"I apologize, Haruno-san," the Quirked animal said, clearly not sorry at all about what had happened to the rosette, "But I'm afraid human rights no longer apply to those in your… situation."

Agent Smith tossed a bank sheet onto the table between herself and the disgraced security adviser, the document recently printed. To those who could follow the mass of numbers clearly, the figures were quite damning. Money had been transferred in large amounts to the rosette's account, sure, but that didn't matter so much when stacked against the account that had actually been doing the paying.

"You accepted money from an account linked to a known terrorist," the spook explained, sweetness almost completely draining from her voice. Dread could viscerally be felt filling the room. "One that's considered an enemy to the entire world, who's to be stopped at all costs."

The disgraced woman visibly paled at the revelation.

"I-I… I didn't know!" Haruno cried, tears leaking down her quivering cheeks. "Everything appeared legal. It just seemed like a new sponsor! Please, my lawyer can explain…"

The rosette's voice trailed off as the room's temperature took an abruptly steep dive. Haruno could feel her heart struggling to beat, her instincts screaming at her to run away from the dreadful monster standing over her. Even Nezu found himself inching away from his associate.

"Lawyer?" Agent Smith asked, chuckling darkly. The spook reached up and placed her slim fingers on her sunglasses, worn even in the darkened room. "Oh my dear, by mere association, the only thing you deserve is—"

"Smith-san," Nezu cut in, interrupting the predator who'd been about to devour its prey. Deep down, Haruno knew that her death had somehow just been delayed. "Could you perhaps wait until a thorough, and above board, interrogation is performed? It'd be a shame if we lost a potential link to the… terrorist… out of turn."

The spook looked as if she went through a vicious internal struggle, but in the end, she smiled.

It wasn't a nice smile by any means.

"Alright," Agent Smith said, acquiescing to the simple request. The ravenette left her sunglasses where they were. "But only if I get to watch the kid at work this time!"

Instantly, Haruno understood that she was beyond well and truly fucked.

It wasn't fair! The sponsor had been ultra-rich, and willing to give the school so much! Of course she'd accepted immediately! Sure he'd been a tad eccentric, but the rich usually were. And really, signing checks in English? Why would that have set off any kind of alarm with her?

Just what the hell did A. F. O even mean anyway?!

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Contestant Arena…

Shoto Todoroki walked into the arena's raised platform, but he didn't hear much of anything as he did.

Present Mic had thrown him an extremely flamboyant and outrageously extravagant introduction, and the public had dutifully cheered wildly, but he'd already tuned everything out by then. Really, he didn't even want to hear the words, the titles people placed upon him. All they did was hurt him anyway.

The Son of Endeavor.

As he brooded, the heterochromatic ignored his opponent's shout, the girl yelling at their teacher over some joke regarding her androgynous appearance. Scratch that, hearing her voice definitely brought back his rage…

"Are you an idiot?"

"Get over yourself already!"

"You're not the only one whose life has been hard."

"Your stigma now is completely self-manufactured."

"You want to hear what a really horrible childhood sounds like?"

They didn't understand. None of them did. Even so, for some reason the words pierced him, flying like arrows straight into his heart. He'd only meant to confront the obstacle that had arisen, the only one who'd managed to get in his way, but instead he'd been attacked. They'd treated him like a pretender, as if his sick joke of a life, years of torture and abuse, meant nothing.

Todoroki didn't notice when Midnight called the match to start.

He only knew that he hated.

Kyouka knew she was screwed. Hard. Even if she'd had her gear, even if she'd had the tools Izuku had literally invented just for her, like the sonic gun he'd shown her a diagram of, or the sonic hover boots he'd added last minute to the sketches of her hero suit, there was no realistic way for her to win this fight.

Well fuck it.

She might as well go out with a bang.

"HAAAAAAAAAA!"

The punk rocker screamed as loudly as she could, sticking her ear-jacks into the newly remade concrete flooring. She went for maximum power, pushing everything she had into this one shot, because it would be her only chance.

BBRROOOOOMMMM!

The ground didn't shatter before Kyouka… it detonated. The powerful shockwave she'd created surged forth with all the power of desperation, heading straight for Todoroki. When Izuku had helped the group with Quirk training, he'd come to her and devised a handful of tactics and skills that used her powers in ways she'd never considered. This plan called for using a weak pulse to first produce a tunnel, and then follow it up by producing a larger pulse. The second was guided via the tunnel and thus focused at the target for a better overall attack.

The first vestiges of the sonic attack surged against Todoroki, gravel and small bits of concrete peppering him. It was enough to rouse him from his spiraling introspection.

The heterochromatic found himself surrounded by a thin cloud of dust. What had happened? As far as he knew, his opponent wasn't capable of anything more than directing her heartbeat and hearing well. That was all she could do without gear.

Right?

Ultimately, it didn't matter, because once again…

He was being challenged.

Him.

The—

"All I see right now is the spiteful second coming of Endeavor…"

The memory struck Todoroki at the exact same moment Kyouka burst from the dust cloud right in front of him. The punk rocker was ready to throw a punch, amazed she'd gotten this far and prepared to go down swinging.

And then Todoroki's body finally reacted, his mind still tripping itself up.

It was just a wave of his hand, nothing more. But for such a small action, the effect was instantaneous. The air around the two combatants chilled, the massive drop in temperature so quick and so great there was no chance to react. That didn't stop the dual-colored teen's anger though.

For a split second, he forgot to keep himself in moderation.

And from that second to the next, suddenly massive peaks of ice towered over the stands, thankfully jutting out of the stadium's circular opening in the roof. The public at large was left speechless, even pros gobsmacked at the outrageous display of power. Aizawa and Yamada couldn't even comment, what was there to even say? At the side of the combatant's arena, Midnight shivered violently as half her body suffered under a layer of frost. Cementoss could barely move his head.

Then there was a scream.

"KYOUKA!"

Jarred out of his stupor, Todoroki looked around and found himself standing in the front row of a horror show. His opponent had been encased in ice, swallowed up by the newborn glacier. Completely. Before he'd always trapped enemies in walls of ice, leaving their heads exposed to the open air so they could at least breathe, if not move. But this…?

This was a situation right out of one of the Bastard's 'excessive force' lawsuits.

"I…"

Todoroki didn't know what to say. What could he say? The heterochromatic stepped forward, raising his right hand as he did so.

He could fix this.

He hated using that Bastard's Quirk, but he didn't have a choice now.

"Get the fuck away from her you monster!"

Suddenly, another of Todoroki's classmates landed in front of him, the one with a raven's head he'd seen with Midoriya earlier throughout the festival. While the interloper stood and glared at him, a beast of writhing shadow phased into existence from the avian teen's stomach and wasted no time before diving at the glacier behind them.

To Todoroki's surprise, the dark entity was able to slither through the cracks in the ice he hadn't even known were there, reaching his entombed opponent with ease. In no time at all, his raven-headed classmate's Quirk, because that's what it had to be, had created a cocoon of darkness around their trapped classmate.

"Tae!"

Todoroki snapped to attention, the sound of Midoriya's voice setting his nerves on fire. The dual-haired teen nearly forgot about the situation he'd just caused as he whipped his head around to see his verdant target braced against a railing, pointing intently at…

Him.

"Break the obstacle! NOW!"

Todoroki felt his heart stop.

BOOM!

Leaping from its place in the stands, Midoriya's black-haired tool flew through the air, arm pulled back in preparation for a haymaker.

The Son of Endeavor flinched back at the blank-faced fury that was the undead thing coming at him faster than he could react. Trying to gather his wits, the heterochromatic prepared to use his ice again, the prior use slowing him as frost had already shot up his left leg and over his chest.

Closer.

Closer.

Right as Todoroki was about to unleash a lance of ice to intercept the threat to his life…

The black-haired tool flew over him.

CRA-KABOOM!

The earth itself shook with the force of the undead's fist colliding with the glacier. The resulting explosion nearly pushed Todoroki off his feet, but instinct took over and a boot of ice kept him locked in place. Twisting around, the dual-haired teen could only watch in place as the now freed shadow beast rose from the remains of the mountain of ice.

Together, the undead and Quirk entity marched over to Todoroki's raven-headed classmate. The avian teen gently took his opponent, who he now saw was beginning to turn blue, into his arms. With one last baleful glare from the only human of the trio, the three left the arena.

As he stood there, on the field of battle with only the ruins of his mistake for company, Todoroki failed to understand what had just happened. How had everything gone so wrong?

He'd been attacked.

He'd reacted.

He'd… overreacted.

Why the hell hadn't Midnight-sensei or Cementoss-sensei stopped him?

And then…

And then…

UA's Sports Festival Stadium, Seating Area A…

As one Todoroki stood silently in the middle of the stadium's arena, looking lost and alone, another Todoroki merely scoffed at what he'd just witnessed.

"Hn," Endeavor groused, the Number Two Hero unable to hide his utter loathing at the scene. "Typical weaklings. What did they expect to happen when they dared to stand against to the strong?"

The flaming man hated it. There was always someone like that goddamn little chit. Fools who threw themselves against power they never had a chance of matching, and then complained when they got hurt. Sparring? Arrests? If it wasn't some upstart 'pro' unable to recognize when they were outclassed it was a pissant villain who refused to accept their place as the scum of society.

But it wasn't like he really cared about what had just happened, none of it really mattered in the end after all. The girl should've just forfeited the moment she'd discovered her opponent had been his current masterpiece.

The strength of his target's tool had surprised him though. Endeavor knew he'd faced 'pros' and villains alike who'd boasted Quirks of super-strength or ones able to shut off their wielder's natural limiters for the same result.

Somehow, the tool, that undead creature… somehow it seemed closer to the former than the latter.

And if his suspicions were correct, that meant his target would be capable of similar feats.

Perfect.

---

Magnus: A big shout out to the people curating the Tv Tropes page for Cursed Blood! It's really fun to read through it. Just be ready to update more as things get clarified and/or revealed throughout the story!

---

Omake – Gear Wars: Thus Mei Fought There – For Hades

In all the ways that mattered to Mei Hatsume, the Sports Festival was over.

The cheers from before still echoed in her ears and heart though. All that praise, the recognition, it had been intoxicating. It had filled a hole inside her that normally only making more of her babies had before. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that the rosette had been nearly drowning in fear the entire time she'd been facing Birdie, she might've even considered applying for a transfer to the Hero Course.

They got that kind of attention all the freaking time!

"Owww…" Mei groaned, allowing herself to slump against the cool wall of the exit tunnel. "This was supposed to start aching tomorrow!"

The aches and pains were another reason Mei kept away from the front lines. It wasn't so much she feared getting hurt as it was she was terrified of the possibility of getting hurt to the point of no longer being able to make her precious babies.

RING! RING! RING!

The classic, piercing tone of Mei's ancient, pre-Quirk telephone ringtone cut through the air. The rosette pulled herself out of her musings to see who'd bothered to call her. She could count on one hand how many people actually had her number.

"Heelloowww!"

As was her habit, Mei greeted the mystery person in—poor—English.

"MEI! MMEEEEEEIIIII!"

Even shrieking in absolute distress as it was, the voice on the other end of the phone call was undeniably cute and feminine.

That meant it could only be one person.

"Geez! What's the problem Kaede-chan?" Mei asked, holding her phone away from her ear and rubbing the abused sensor organ with her other hand. "I know the stand didn't catch fire. I would've been able to see it from the field before I left."

"But it IS on fire!" Kaede shouted back, causing the mad inventor's face to deadpan at the news. "No no no! Not that kind of fire!"

"What?!" Mei was at a loss. What could that mean? If there was a fire at a UA Sports Festival, then there'd be smoke in the air, alarms blaring, panicking people… "Kaede. Explain!"

"They're fighting over your guns!"

That information caused the rosette to sit back and blink.

She…

She hadn't brought her blasting babies to her festival exposition…

"Look, there's a funny-looking guy here surrounded by a bunch of weird girls, and he's asking a lot of questions! I didn't even know you MADE a bulletproof raincoat! I need you here! NOW!"

To say Mei was stunned was an understatement. That was another baby she'd left in the lab.

What the hell was going on? The only guns she'd made recently, that worked, were those Izuchi had given her the schematics for. Since she'd only built them and given them some minor tweaks, she hadn't felt like she could claim them as hers. The coat sounded… familiar as well. Oh! She remembered now. She'd kitbashed a bunch of failed babies together that had matched Izuchi's needs for the test he'd been helping with. The baby she'd been left with had performed so well it'd served as the base for the new hero costume she'd been making for him.

But that still didn't explain how either of those two got to her stand. Both should've been secured in a marked box in her corner of Power Loader-sensei's workshop. She'd even put it in the opposite corner from the boxes marked 'EXPOSITION' so that none of her babies that weren't ready for their debut would accidentally get mixed in.

She'd even written on the box in big, red marker, 'DO NOT MOVE' in… English…

Did Kaede pay attention in English class?

"Kaede!" Mei shouted, popping up abruptly. The mad inventor was suddenly filled with a frantic energy, not even able to feel her aches anymore. "Don't move! And don't let anyone walk away with any of my babies!"

The rosette wasn't sure what was pumping her with more adrenaline; Nezu demanding her head on a stick for the slip-up, or Izuchi looking at her with disappointment as he ended their friendship over her marketing his babies as her own.

Soon After, UA's Sports Festival Stadium Exterior, Pop-Up Support Fair…

When she reached her stand, Mei found the little booth crowded with people. It was chaos.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY SOON-TO-BE TECH!" Shouted a grossly obese man decked out in a clearly expensive business suit.

"BACK AWAY SIR! THESE ARE TOO USEFUL TO BE ALLOWED INTO THE HANDS OF A GREEDY BASTARD!" Shouted back a tall and muscular man, his receding hairline doing nothing to diminish his intimidating figure. If the badge on his chest was any indication, he was a member of the Police Force.

"BOTH OF YOU BACK OFF! THESE EXQUISITE PIECES BELONG TO THOSE THE HEROES THAT CAN PAY FOR THEM!" Countered a man dressed smartly in a fashionable vest, undershirt, and dress pants. His appearance screamed suave representative of a major support company.

"THESE BELONG TO THE OFFICERS THAT CAN ACTUALLY MAKE THE ARREST!" The badged man shouted back. Maybe he was a higher rank then?

"OH YOU SIMPLY MUST HAVE ONE OF THESE! IT COULD EVEN STOP ONE OF MY ARROWS!" That particular scream of delight came from a rather tall, blonde with pointy ears. The young woman was pulling excitedly on the sleeve of… oh there was the funny-looking guy Kaede was talking about.

"BUT IT NEEDS TO BE IN BLACK! EVERYTHING'S BETTER IN BLACK!" The odd support came loudly from a petite girl dressed in Gothic Lolita who was pulling on the funny looking guy's other sleeve.

"How does this work?! Or this? And that?! Do you have a manual for this?!" A younger girl, about Mei's age, with blue hair, was poking around at… well, pretty much everything.

Collapsed against the stand, eyes nearly swirling from all the action, was a petite girl with short, black hair. The poor thing had been unable to keep up with all the people who'd gathered. This had certainly not been what she'd been expecting when she'd offered to help Mei with her stand.

She said offered, but really, she would've been saddled with it anyway. No one else in their class wanted to work with the pink-haired demon after all.

Slowing to a walk, Mei had already had enough.

"ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT! BACK OFF!" The mad inventor roared, the sudden appearance of the woman of the hour stopping the mob cold. "THESE BABIES AREN'T FOR SALE! THEY'RE TOO IMPORTANT TO ME… AND MY FRIEND!"

Sliding to the ground, Kaede shed tears of happiness. Mei had called her a 'friend.'

In reality, the rosette hadn't been speaking about the short-haired ravenette at all. Her thoughts had been on someone a bit more… green.

"Nonsense! If it's here, it's for sale!" The obese man chortled, moving far quicker than one of his girth should've been able to. Suddenly he was right in front of Mei, looming over her like a fat cat drooling at a cup of cream. "I'll take the lot, and their patents, for fifty thousand!"

Kaede's eyes bulged at the amount. That was a lot of money for what amounted to mere school projects!

Mei, however, took the offer as an insult. She'd never sell a single one of her babies for so low, much less ones birthed from a union with Izuchi!

"No. Deal."

The flat declaration caused a collective gasp from all around, even those not directly involved who'd been eavesdropping.

"W-WHAT?!" The fat man was bewildered by this turn of events. He'd expected the usual game, not flat out denial. Where was the haggling over price? Where was the opportunity to downplay the girl's tech so that she felt like his offers were the only good ones she'd ever get? Sensing his competition getting close to making their own moves, the man acted fast. "FINE! One hundred thousand!"

Kaede nearly swooned. The short-haired ravenette was sure anyone else would've sold the rights then and there. But Mei…

"The answer's no."

…Just turned around and began putting everything that had been strewn about the stand back into the marked box.

Mei's orders had been clear, both from Nezu and Izuchi himself. The principal had said her friend's ideas needed to be studied inside UA's walls where they were safe, and they could be archived under the school's legal protocols. The verdanette had been even clearer; he didn't want his babies to fall into the hands of anyone not dedicated to peacekeeping. The risk of them being reverse-engineered for lethality was too great.

"Excuse me, young lady?"

The funny-looking man approached the now fuming inventor calmly, as if her reactions were an everyday occurrence. He pulled out some sort of identification card. "I would like to make you an offer… in the name of our country."

That managed to stop Mei in her tracks. The way the man had worded that… that had been strange to say the least.

Locking onto the card the funny-looking man held out with 'Zoom,' the rosette froze. She wasn't dealing with any old fish in the pond anymore…

"L-Lieutenant… Youji Itami…" Mei mumbled the words as she read over the card. Her Quirk zeroed in on every letter, every condecoration… the seal… "You're… you're JSDF…"

Down on the ground, Kaede's jaw didn't have far to drop as it fell open in shock. This was way too much for her, she was a First Year dammit! How the hell had Mei caught the attention of the JSDF?! Oh she was going to need a whole day in her game to get over this, she just knew it.

"That's right," Lieutenant Itami replied with a slight smile and nod. "Honestly, I came here today because I was on leave. But after seeing all this? I would like to take a sample of the raincoat if you don't mind… and of a nutrition bar if you had one to spare?"

Mei blinked. Indecision flooded the mad inventor as she was presented a choice she'd never expected to have to make. She stood by what she'd said before, these babies weren't just hers to make decisions on, but at the same time, the JSDF wasn't just any buyer.

Would Izuchi mind if she agreed? The JSDF was more into relief operations and self-defense right? But then, weren't these babies a bit extreme for the work they did?

"I… um… I guess that's… okay? Sir," Mei stuttered out, unsure if she was supposed to be overly respectful here or not. "B-But why would you need—"

"Of course, I wouldn't dream of taking these for free," the lieutenant interrupted, "I'll talk to my superiors immediately, and propose you receive a lifetime contract. If they see this tech as suitable to our uses, which I know they will, you should be good to go."

Mei could only nod in response. She wasn't following. Had she just made a sale? That quickly? Was that how it worked?

"Perfect!" the lieutenant cheered, clapping his hands once in approval. "Keep those sealed away for me would you? I'll have some of my men come along for them shortly. They'll bring the contract with them for you to sign as well."

"O-Okay?" Mei was lost. Had she just signed herself and Izuchi to the JSDF?

The lieutenant turned around, business done.

"Let's go girls!" At the command, the three weird girls he'd come with flocked to the man's side. "We've got a lot more to see today! Let's enjoy ourselves before we have to return to base yeah?"

As the quartet left to the cheers of the three girls, the ensuing silence sat heavily on those who remained.

"Well if that's the case…" The large man wearing the badge said, courageously breaking the silence. He took out his phone and began to dial, "I'll just have to get the Prime Minister on the line and have him sign for those guns of yours. Rubber bullets are shit against villains today."

"I'll buy everything else!" The obese man cried suddenly, "EVERYTHING!"

At that point, Mei shut down all non-essential functions. She was pretty sure she was going to get quite an earful for this, if not from Nezu, then from Izuchi.

And honestly, the rosette wasn't sure which she dreaded facing more.

---

Omake – Undying Love

'What I feel… is no crush.'

Inside a dark room, a young teen was sleeping the night away. A slight smile on his freckled face denoted just how much the young man had healed from his previously broken state.

After all the twists and turns, the low points he'd survived, things were finally starting to look up for him. He'd gotten himself a girlfriend. His mother was healthier than ever. Most of his classmates were decent and treated him like a human being. His principal was emphatically on his side!

'What I feel… is love.'

Izuku Midoriya had not been the only one whose life had recently taken a turn for the better, however. Those he'd touched, with his heart, and his 'Cursed Blood,' were also experiencing change. And it was all for the better.

Saki had recovered her gang, the girls who were a large part of the delinquent's life finding new hope in the return of their boss. The blonde had driven the girls to properly take care of their new home and respect their new job, and all seemed well there. She'd even gotten justice for her father, the moment cathartic for all involved.

Lily, by all accounts, had finally gotten a family that loved her without reservation. She'd finally had her choices about her life recognized and respected, and anyone with eyes could see the littlest zombie was beyond happy with her current situation.

And Tae…?

'What you gave me… was a purpose.'

In the darkness of the room, a single figure was standing, pressed up against the edge of Izuku's bed.

While Lily cuddled her fluffy unicorn plushy in adorable silence by the window, and Saki lazed in the corner blissfully listening to obscene music through a pair of headphones, Tae simply stood there, lovingly watching her savior. Her master.

'And after all the love you've given me… this is the least I can do.'

Normally dead, dull eyes watched on, full of life. Determination and purpose shone brightly as the twin orbs of red shone with a fierce love.

Tae wanted, above all else, to see Izuku, her master, happy. She didn't want to take Tsuyu's place—Izuku loved her—but neither did she wish to pose as merely a loving sister. She never wanted to impose on the one who'd given her what everyone else in her old life had refused her.

CLick…

The sound, as infinitesimal as it was, caused the ravenette to glide over to the window, steps sure and smooth. That noise would've been so quiet most people would've never had a hope to hear it. But she had.

And there, lodged into the windowsill, was a grappling hook.

Opening the window as stealthily as possible, Tae looked down. Clinging to the rope, already halfway to their destination, two figures garbed in black looked up in surprise.

Dead eyes stared down, and two widened pairs stared back.

The undead ravenette gripped the grappling hook with one hand, and dislodged the multipronged piece of metal from its resting place. Lifting the hook, the rope, and the hangers-on away from the window, the zombie-girl carried the load as if it weren't any heavier than a trash bag.

Dead eyes stared down, and two covered heads rapidly shook in a desperate plea.

Without a hint of remorse, with no hesitation, Tae let go of the hook. There were yelps, a shrill scream, and then the sound of a car being crunched under the weight of an object, or objects, hitting it from above.

None of the sounds were loud enough to awaken Tae's master.

Gracefully, Tae closed the window and returned to her rightful place; keeping vigil over her master.

'I will protect you, care for you as you did for me. Because I love you, my Izuku.'