I had been staring dazed at the large arch of UA High. The sight of the entrance was enough for me to question what my life had come to. It reminded me of my journey and my dream. A single tear fell down my cheek but was quickly wiped away. Then, I took my first real step towards my hero life. I kept reminding myself one foot after the other, hoping I wouldn't embarrass myself on day 1. After carefully watching my steps, I stopped in front of the massive doors of class 1-A. These people are going to be with me for 3 years, I really hope their nice. With a swipe, I swung the door to the side and entered with a bright smile. Sadly, the first thing I noticed was a blue haired kid in glasses chastising the kid I wanted to see the least. Katsuki Bakugo. I told myself I'd see him again but it doesn't hurt any less. For a second, all the painful memories came rushing back. Before I could fall into self doubt and depressed thoughts, I pinched my side and felt a warmth spread throughout my body. Hanging off my arm was Pony, smiling up at me with all her might. I turned to embrace her fully and said "I'm so glad you got in." She pulled back and pointed to the back of the room and I spotted Mina and Kirishima waving. I made my way over and sat down in a nearby seat. Kirishima reached a hand out for me to shake. I grabbed it and pulled him into a hug "I am so glad you guys got in. I don't what I would done without you." He patted me on the back and sat back down. Before I could speak to them, I heard a screech from the front of the classroom. I sped forward to the front and frantically asked "What happened?" What surprised me was that my former trainer was laying on the ground wrapped in a sleeping bag. He noticed me and gave a curt nod "Yo, Midoriya help me up." I immediately reached a hand out for him. He slipped out of the bag and grabbed my hand. Now standing upright, Mr. Aizawa addressed the class "Hello everyone, I'm your home room teacher Mr. Aizawa. Put these on and meet me outside." Everyone grabbed their PE uniforms and left for the changing room. However, I went to my locker and changed into my workout clothes.
Everyone gathered around a tired Aizawa as he explained the test he prepared. Aizawa spoke "Alright class, I want to get an idea of what I'm dealing with. So we're doing a combat tournament and the winner gets a week of free lunch in the staff room." That sparked my interest. Free lunch, awesome. Staff room, absolutely glorious. Aizawa pulled up a list randomly generated matches.
Ochako Uraraka vs Toru Hagakure
Fumikage Tokoyami vs Mashirao Oijiro
Katsuki Bakugo vs Mina Ashido
Mezo Shoji vs Shoto Todoroki
Kyoka Jirou vs Eijiro Kirishima
Denki Kaminari vs Tsuyu Asui
Momo Yaoyorozu vs Izuku Midoriya
Tenya Iida vs Rikido Sato
Pony Tsunotori vs Koji Koda
As instructed by Mr. Aizawa, the non-participating stood in a circle creating the arena for the fighters. The first match was weird because all you saw was Uraraka looking around unsurely. Toru won by restraining Uraraka's hands and pushing her out. It was interesting but not really entertaining as most had hoped. The second match was more fun to watch. Oijiro and Tokoyami's Dark shadow exchanged blows. Their repeated attacks left them at a stalemate. The fight became stagnant until Tokoyami joined his shadow and overpowered Oijiro until they restrained him. The third match scared me. Thinking of Bakugo fighting anyone no holds barred, scared me to no end. Especially, since it's against one of my friends. Mina held her own for most of the fight, and kept Bakugo at a respectable distance by lobbing acid at him. His arms were irritated and red while his palms still released explosions. Bakugo put his wrists together to release an especially powerful blast to shoot Ashido out of the arena and into my arms. I caught her with a spin and set her down slowly. She leaned into me clutching her aching head. I guided her to sit and watch the next match. Todoroki easily froze Shoji in place. He didn't seem to try to fight. Aizawa nodded in agreement and continued onto Kirishima's match with Jirou. Jirou took the initiative and started jabbing at Kirishima with her fists and jacks interchangeably. Her punches didn't do any damage but her jacks looked to irritate Kirishima. Kirishima then hardened his body and charged at Jirou. Without hesitation, Kirishima tackled her out of the circle. Kaminari and Asui stepped into the ring after. Asui leapt towards Kaminari and managed to kick him back. When Asui landed, Kaminari yelled out 'Indescriminant Shock'. At the sudden declaration, Asui leapt into the air and away from Kaminari. Kaminari released his electricity into the ground and shocked everyone around the circle. Everyone but his intended target. Everybody dropped to a knee from the sudden attack and saw him looking completely stupid. Aizawa ended the match in Asui's favor after seeing Kaminari waving his thumbs around like a doof. Finally it was my turn.
I stepped out and readied my stance while observing Yaoyoruzu. She did one of the most unthinkable things I've ever heard of. She started undressing. She was getting naked to fight me. Well, not fully naked, but naked none the less. I froze, wide eyed, for a second. That one second cost me greatly. It the time that I had gawked at Yaoyoruzu's sports bra, she had created a canon and loaded it with a rubber canon ball. In the blink of an eye, the canon shot and smoke plumed from the barrel. As the ball came flying at me, my body began to move on instinct. I transformed into my partial suit and caught the ball.
With a thud, the ball fell to the ground but it had knocked the wind out of me. In the moment it took for me to regain my breath, Yaoyorozu took the initiative. She created a metal wire and ran at me. She wrapped the wire around my throat and pulled my back to her back. In a show of strength, she yanked at the wire pulling me off the ground. My body slowly started to lose feeling and a fog began to cloud my head. Quickly, I kicked the ground and forced my body over Yaoyorozu. My body landed with a thud, but no one could hear it over my wheezing. I backed away and felt a strength well up. I transformed again and my suit became red. Then, I dug my foot into the ground and moved forward to land a punch. The ground where my foot once was became a small crater and shot debris towards the bystanders. I wound up my punch and shot my fist at her stomach. She tried to counter by creating a shield from her stomach but my punch dented the metal and launched her back.
She tried to get back up but couldn't. Finally, she resigned herself to catch her breath. The rhythmic sound of thudding caught my attention. Meeting my gaze was Miruko in her hero outfit. Her foot repeatedly slamming into the ground and her ears at constant attention. A smug expression stared back at me. She spoke "Looks like you're motivated. If I had to guess, you look like you have a special goal in mind." Her smirk irked me a little. You're looking a little to smug, rabbit girl. Everyone's attention was drawn to Miruko and me. I stood tall and kept eye contact. In a moment of confidence, I spoke "Ya. I am pretty motivated. I'm really looking forward to eating lunch in the teachers lounge. Midnights been meaning to hang out with me." The mention of Midnight immediately brought a look of irritation to Miruko's face. She huffed and walked past me to stand next to Aizawa. Surprisingly. Aizawa looked pleased with our interaction. The other students gawked at my nonchalance and at the appearance of the number 7 hero. The next two matches concluded in ease. After, the new bracket displayed on the screen.
Toru Hagakure vs Fumikage Tokoyami
Katsuki Bakugo vs Shoto Todoroki
Eijiro Kirishima vs Tsuyu Asui
Izuku Midoriya vs Tenya Iida vs Pony Tsunotori
The excitement of the losing students exploded at the new bracket. Each began to murmur about the matchups. Most talked about Bakugo vs Todoroki. The thought of fighting Bakugo left me with a mixture of anxiety and unbridled rage, but with Todoroki I felt excited. Alongside the students excitement, the teachers looked ready to watch teens beat the crap out of each other. Aizawa had his usual serious face on, Miruko excitedly thumped the ground with her foot, and, the newly arrived, Midnight blushed and fanned at her face.
The first match between Hagakure and Tokoyami looked exciting until Hagakure went on the offensive. She tried to grapple with Tokoyami but was pushed off by Dark shadow. Dark shadow looked around and waited for another chance. Each time Hagakure went to pin them, Dark shadow would retaliate. Eventually, Tokoyami swept out Hagakure's feet and Dark Shadow threw her out. Students cheered and whistled at the fighters. All the anticipation came to peak when Bakugo yelled "Get ready time be my stepping stone, extra." Todoroki scoffed and readied himself. Everybody watched as A wave of ice flew towards Bakugo. An explosion shattered the freezing wave and sent shards flying through the air. The ice melted and water fell to the ground. Bakugo launched himself at Todoroki and threw a right hook. Todoroki watched in surprise as Bakugo landed the punch in his face. Quickly, Bakugo added an explosion from his left. The battle was in Bakugo's favor as the blonde let loose his rage. The teachers watched with unreadable expressions as the blonde boy launched explosions at Todoroki. Each blast reminded me of all the years of pain. It unsettled me and I honed in on Bakugo's attacks. Suddenly, the air changed from the smell of gunpowder to a wet smell. The telltale smell of rain had alerted me to the impending attack. Todoroki screamed out and threw a line of hardened ice. The line landed in Bakugo's chest and pushed him out. My anger dissipated at the spiteful look on Bakugo's face. Finally, Bakugo had lost to someone. Hopefully he learns a lesson.
I prepared myself to fight Iida and Pony while Kirishima fought Asui. Sadly, Kirishima didn't stand a chance against Asui. Her frog biology gave her an advantage against his hardened skin. Since his hardening doesn't make him heavier, Asui threw him out with her tongue. Before entering the circle, I looked at Aizawa and rolled my eyes at his maniacal grin. He set me up. He wanted me in a free for all. Pony giddily laughed and cracked her knuckles. Iida adjusted his glasses and readied his engines. Patiently, I waited for them to attack me. My sense spiked at the quiet sound of shifting dirt. In response, I changed my style to shoot style, my more agile style. The red was replaced with a blueish purple. Along with the color change, I felt my weight lighten and my legs loosen. Iida launched forward and readied a kick. To avoid his kick, I fell backwards and onto my hands and shoulders. Next I kicked up and launched myself towards Iida. My legs flew out and crashed into his face in a kick that Miruko would be proud of. He flew across the makeshift arena and struggled to his feet. My eyes caught the flirty gaze of Midnight, who looked like she wanted me naked. Quickly avoiding her gaze, I saw Miruko with a pleased expression. Pony took the chance to launch her horns at my face and simultaneously run to my back. Her wrapped her arms around me and prodded me with her horns. Iida got to his feet and fired up his engines. With a shout of "Recripro Boost" Iida flew towards Pony and I. The kick blasted us back and into the air. Pony's grip fell away and I landed in a quick handstand. My hands hit the ground then pushed myself into a backflip. Dirt clouded my vision. The whole area was covered in a thick layer of floating dust. The ground is a tree isle spot to be in. I need to take to the sky. I kicked off the ground into the air. The hunched figure of Iida stood out in the settling dust. As well, the lack of Pony surprised me. She must have also gone airborne. I think I can easily get rid of Iida before fighting her. Dust dispersed at the incoming attack. The kick landed in Iida's face and launched him out.
Fortunately, the kick allowed me to relaunch into the air. Behind me, Pony launched a pair of horns into my side. The attack broke through the suit and drew blood. Blood trailed down the horn and fell to the ground below. Pain hadn't been far from my mind throughout the fight, but at the drop of my blood I didn't feel any different. Bakugo's blast had done significantly worse, why would a prick hurt anymore than a burnt scar. Anger began to take hold. The memories of blood trailing behind me, staining my steps, reverberated through my mind. Words I had pushed down surfaced. Threats, insults, and wretched encouragement. Bakugo did this. He made me into this weakling. This puny boy who was so scared of shattering, he rationalized the actions of his bully. The same boy who clung to the idea of my tormentor still being his friend. No More. I'm not weak. People believe in me. I have friends. I have family. I won't lose ever again. A heat seeped out of my clenched fist. Heat spread throughout my body and enveloped me in a bright glow. Students and teachers watched in amazement. The suit started to shift and visions flew through my mind. Suit unlocked. Weaponry combat suit. Switch in progress. Pony held her free horns in hand and watched the glow subside. Before everyone, I stood completely changed. My suit had cascaded in a new color pattern and the chest piece extended over my shoulders and down my arms. On my head were two horn blades.
Hesitantly, I reached up the grasp the horns. The dislodged form my head and fit into my hand perfectly. I readied my stance at Pony. We charged at each other with horns in hand. I swung my right blade at her arm and was blocked. Pony fell back when a punch from my left hand connected with her face. A horn fell from the sky and dropped into my left hand. Pony laughed "I concede. That was so awesome. You are totally best." Stares watched me place the horns back on my head. Horns suddenly felt natural to me, like they've been there all my life. The teachers were jaw dropped surprised, except Aizawa who was muttering about problem children.
Fumikage Tokoyami vs Shoto Todoroki
Izuku Midoriya vs Tsuyu Asui
Tokoyami and Asui both decided to forfeit the battle at the increased risk of extensive injury. Which left just me and Todoroki. I am so gonna get in that teachers lounge. With a respectful bow, the battle commenced. Todoroki launched a pillar of ice at me. I dove back and through my horns. They swerved and sliced the pillar into smaller chunks that I swatted away. Combat began with a flurry of punches from Todoroki. He landed a hand on my shoulder and it froze over. Ice melted away from the chrome plating pauldron. Cold wind settled amongst the ring. In pants, Todoroki egged me on "Come on Midoriya, do you think a hero sits back and waist for villains to kill him." I grasped my horns in hand "The sad truth is that some heroes do wait. They wait and that results in innocent people's deaths. However, sometimes heroes need a minute to asses their opponent... or maybe even...distract them." Todoroki suddenly crashed to the ground holding his calf. Blood spilled out of a cut in his leg. The horn I had thrown returned to my open hand. "Game over, Todoroki. I won." He sighed in defeat. Midnight squealed and raised her hands in victory. Aizawa face palmed and Miruko was, as always, smug. Classmates rushed to me and barraged me with endless questions. 'What's your suit made out of?' 'Who made your suit?' 'How do you change into that?' Pony gladly hung on my armored arm. She prodded the blue and red sleeve and rubbed the silver plated pauldron. While I was distracted with Pony's attention, Mina grabbed my butt. "Ahhhh" I yelped and jumped away. Sadly, I landed right in front of Midnight. She wrapped her arms around my torso and pressed her breasts into my back. Why is my life like this? Why can't I just catch a break?" After I pried Midnight off of me, Aizawa handed me a temporary staff badge. He patted my shoulder and whispered "You were looking pretty sloppy in hand-to-hand. I might need to make our training tougher." I gulped and wiped at my cascading sweat. Oh God. Please don't kill me in training. Why am I getting punished like this? Didn't I win. Right?