I am back with another chapter, the second to last one before the usual wait. Not much to say this time around so let's get on with the chapter.
Sports Festival Arc
Chapter 46: The World Keeps Spinning
"I CALLED IT!" Nora cheered.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!" Mezo cheered, ignoring the stares directed at him.
They along with many were standing up with thunderous applause and cheers at Kumoko's victory. Momo meanwhile, along with some of those who doubted Kumoko, could only watch with wide eyes as Kumoko along with Amai were being carried off on stretchers by robots.
"I can't believe she actually won." Momo muttered.
"Just goes to show you should never underestimate someone." Ren noted with a faint smile. "Power means very little, it's how you use it that matters. All having more power does is give you more options to work with."
"Hm… good point ribbit." Tsuyu noted. "Though are you sure you're our age Ren, you seem more like an old sage sometimes."
"A sage?" Ren questioned.
"The wise sage Ren has handed down his wise words upon us. Rejoice. Rejoice." Mina declared in a mocking manner.
Ren sighed.
"I'm gonna be called Ren the Sage or something of the sort now aren't I." He muttered.
"Yeah…" Nora expressed, patting his back in a comforting manner.
Meanwhile…
Sir Nighteye, a hero and former sidekick of All Might, sat in his office as he watched Kumoko be declared the winner of her match. He was a tall deceptively lanky man with short dark green hair with yellow streaks in it. He was dressed in a plain white suit with a white dress shirt and red tie that had white polka-dots. His eyes were on her with intrigue. The door to his office opened and in stepped a young woman with light blue skin and short ruffled dark blue hair. Her hero name was Bubble Girl. In her hands were a set of files.
"Still watching the sports festival Sir?" She asked.
"Indeed, one student from the first years has caught mine and probably many other's interests." He answered.
"Kumoko I'm guessing, given her name and the hash-tag spider-girl is trending on social media." She replied.
"I'd already planned to reach out to Ruby given the case we're working on, but I might add Kumoko as well. Though I doubt she'll choose me given many others will probably send her work study requests." He stated.
"She's really climbing up in the world huh." Bubble Girl noted.
"You do realize what awaits you for such a tasteless pun?" Nighteye declared coldly.
"Huh? Pun? I wasn't… but… I… I didn't… sir please don't…" Bubble Girl began to plead.
"Enough! Your punishment can wait." He stated.
Bubble Girl breathed out a sigh of relief.
"Now then, did you check over the info that was leaked to us?" He asked.
"Yes sir." She replied with a nod. "We weren't able to trace it back to it's source, but we were able to discern its authenticity. Whoever sent us this, did their research."
"I see, while it's source concerns me, there's no denying its usefulness. This will push the timetable on our plans forward a bit." He noted. "Still I'm curious who our mysterious benefactor is."
"What do you think?" Bubble Girl inquired.
"Probably a rival of The Shie Hassaikai in all likelihood." Nighteye noted. "Regardless, we should focus on the tasks at hand. The first one being…"
Bubble Girl swallowed a lump in her throat and paled at the dark tone Nighteye's voice took. Not the tickling again.
In the Nurse's office…
As Kumoko laid on one of the beds, she began to stir. With a groan, her eyes slowly opened, blinking several times as they adjusted to the light.
"Ugghhh… I feel like one big bruise." She muttered.
"That's probably not too far off." A familiar voice quipped.
She turned her head to see Amai sitting up on a bed and getting checked over by Recovery Girl. Kumoko smiled lightly.
"Well if this isn't funny. The winner is bed ridden while the loser is already up and about for the most part." She noted in a soft voice.
"I suppose it is humorous." Amai noted with a soft chuckle.
Recovery Girl sighed as she finished checking over Amai.
"Your good now deary." She noted before turning to Kumoko. "As for you young lady, there is nothing humorous about your state."
She marched over to Kumoko who winced slightly from the tone of voice.
"You being a big bruise isn't too far off. Multiple broken ribs, EVERY SINGLE arm has at LEAST three fractures on it, and some minor blood loss." Recovery Girl scolded. "Honestly so reckless kids these days. You shouldn't have pushed yourself so far and gotten injured like this, don't let it happen again."
"I don't make promises I can't keep." Kumoko replied.
Recovery Girl sighed.
"At least you're honest." She grumbled.
"To be fair, I was the one who beat her up. It's not really her fault other than being stubborn. Sorry about that by the way." Amai expressed in slight confusion.
"Hey, I poisoned you. I think we're even." Kumoko returned.
"Regardless I'll have you rest a bit before I get to healing. I read the files on your quirk, so for you I especially recommend eating something so you're ready for your next match." Recovery Girl stated.
"No arguments from me. I'm just happy to make it this far." Kumoko expressed with a light smile. "Though I don't plan on stopping now."
"Glad to hear it. I'd hate to see that loud mouth Bakugo move on because you slacked off." Amai stated. "Give him a good thrashing since I can't."
Kumoko weakly gave a thumbs up.
"Can do." She replied.
"Good… now I'd best get back to my class. Some of them stopped by earlier and I don't want to keep them waiting." Amai noted. "Though, I find it weird that none of your classmates ever showed up."
"Really… I wonder…" Kumoko began.
"KUMOKO!" A chorus of voices screamed as her classmates burst into the room led by Karen.
"Oh not this shit again." Recovery Girl grumbled.
They quickly rushed to Kumoko's bedside as Amai stepped out of the way and left the room.
"Sorry we took so long." Karen hurriedly spoke. "We all chipped in to buy some food. Not too much as we wanted to save money to buy more later, just in case."
"T-t-t-thanks guys." Kumoko muttered with a slight blush. "I-I-I'll be sure to pay you guys back for…"
"Nope." One girl spoke.
"Nope?" Kumoko questioned.
"You're not paying us back. This is our gift to you. You deserve it after getting this far." A guy pointed out.
"B-b-but…" Kumoko began.
"No buts, how can we ask the gen-ed shining star to pay for a meal after getting the shit kicked out of her to win her match." Another guy pointed out.
"Besides, you said yourself, you don't need a flashy or strong quirk to make a difference. Sometimes it's the little things that matter the most." Another girl added. "So this is our little thing to help you."
"Yeah… what they said." Karen stated.
Kumoko smiled.
"You guys are the best. I'm gonna miss not seeing everyone when I move up to the hero course." She expressed.
"Don't worry about it. Besides some of us might not be too far behind you. Now come on. You need to eat and get healed up." A third guy spoke.
"Right." Kumoko stated.
She raised her arm but hiss out in pain.
"You want us to feed you?" Karen asked.
"Yes please." Kumoko replied.
Meanwhile…
"AAAAAAAAALLLLLLRIGHT! With the stadium repaired, it's time to move onto the final match of the quarter finals!" Mic shouted.
The crowd cheered.
"For this match, we've got the thorn-haired saint of 1-B, Ibara Shiozaki!" Mic shouted.
"At least I'm not being called an assassin." Ibara noted.
"And her opponent. Class 1-A's explosive expert, Katsuki Bakugo!" Mic shouted.
"I's feels like yous running outs of titles for introductions." Splinter noted.
"That's because I am." Mic admitted.
Katsuki and Ibara stepped into the arena and faced one another. Katsuki angry glare meet Ibara's impassive stare.
"It's the fierce storm versus the calm forest. Will Katsuki blast down the trees, or will Ibara hold fast and tie him down?!" Mic exclaimed.
"What is with these intros?" Aizawa questioned.
"Da author is tryings to keep da intros somewhat original… it hasn'ts always worked outs." Splinter explained.
"I feel like mistakes were made." Qrow muttered.
"Now is not the time to worry about that! Now is the time TO FIGHT! STAAAART!" Mic shouted.
Katsuki immediately blasted into the air and towards Ibara. Ibara brought her hands together as though she was praying and the vines that make up her hair came to life. They grew at a rapid rate and pierced the ground. Katsuki raced towards Ibara, only for a set of vines to come up to capture him. He blasted up to avoid capture. He used another blast to spin out of the way of another set of vines before rocketing forwards. He deftly avoided Ibara's attempts to capture him.
"Not bad girly… but compared to Blue Hands, your little vine storms nothing!" Katsuki taunted as he sailed through the vines trying to capture him.
Katsuki went to send a blast at Ibara, but a wall of vines blocked the blast. He used another explosion to propel himself out of the way of an attempt to restrain him.
"Mockery will get you nowhere with me." Ibara replied.
More vines lashed out at Katsuki who deftly maneuvered out of the way. This is annoying. Her defense is too strong for my normal attacks. He spun out of the way of another set of vines before blasting up and away from another attempt to grab him. I either need some way to catch her off guard or use something on the level of a Howitzer Impact, but I doubt she'll give me time to charge it. Wait… I've got it. He maneuvered through the flurry of vines trying to capture him. Once he felt he was close enough he quickly brought his hands close together and formed a sphere of light between them. Then it exploded into a large flash. Ibara cried out as she was blinded by the light. She quickly brought her vines in around her, forming a protective cocoon.
"Not what I intended but I can work with it." Katsuki expressed with a smirk.
He used his explosions to spin himself around like a tornado.
"Your little cocoon won't save you from this, HOWITZER IMPACT!" Katsuki shouted as he let loose a powerful explosion directly against the vines.
Ibara's vine cocoon was ripped apart and she was sent flying. She tumbled on the ground, coming to a little ways away from being out of bounds. She was unmoving, laying there for ten seconds.
"Ibara Shiozaki is down! The winner is Katsuki Bakugo!" Midnight shouted.
Katsuki shook out his arms as he walked out of the arena, ignoring the cheers of the crowd. He walked back through where he came and made his way through the halls. As he did he spotted Kumoko leaving the nurses office. There's eyes met. Katsuki's glare was fiery. It was filled with pride and determination. It was a silent promise that he'd come at her with everything he had. Kumoko matched his glare, her eyes narrowing. A promise to reply with everything she had. Katsuki marched past her. Her fire hasn't gone out. Good I'll be getting the kind of match I deserve to show I'm the best. Katsuki thought to himself. Kumoko turned to look at his retreating figure.
"He'll be another tough opponent." Kumoko noted. "Amai is probably stronger, but it's not his strength that makes him dangerous. It's his drive."
She turned and walked away.
"It'll be a battle of mettle, minds, and might." Kumoko stated.
She tightened her one hand into a fist.
"One I will win." She declared.
Meanwhile…
Class 1-A could only wait as they repaired the arena after Bakugo's powerful explosion tore it apart. Shoto and Itsuka had already left to get ready for their upcoming match.
"Uggghhh… waiting is so boring." Nora groaned.
"It can't be helped with the way Bakugo messed up the field." Jaune noted.
"Poor Shiozaki though. I can't believe Bakugo would blast a girl like that." Denki expressed.
"Really, it wasn't that surprising to me." Izuku noted.
"Me neither." Ruby added.
"Saw it coming from a mile away." Jaune added.
"Bakugo would not insult an opponent by giving it any less than his best." Ren stated.
"Yeah why would he hold back against Shiozaki. She was clearly a strong opponent." Itsuka added.
"Yep, yep." Nora quipped.
"Huh?" Denki expressed in confusion.
"I get what you're saying jammy, but in this case Bakugo kind of had to go all out like he did." Kyoka added.
Momo nodded in agreement.
"Only a fool would hold back against such an opponent." Mezo added.
"Explains why Kaminari lost." Tsuyu stated.
Denki could only gap as everyone laughed at his expense, except for Tenya.
"I believe what Kaminari said has some merit. True it was a match, but as a gentleman…" Tenya began.
Suddenly his phone began to ring. He took it out and saw it was from his mother.
"Excuse me, my mother is calling me." He replied.
He got up and went to a more private area before answering.
"Hello?"
"Tenya!" He heard his mother's panicked voice.
He immediately tensed up.
"M-mother… what's wrong?" He questioned.
"I-i-it's your brother… Tensei… a… a… a villain got him." She expressed.
Tenya's eyes went wide as dread and despair filled him.
Elsewhere…
A lone man squatted down atop a city building, a manic grin upon his face. His wide practically glowing red eyes looked out over the city. He licked some fresh blood off of his chipped blade. He wore a grey sleeveless vest and dark grey pants. He had plates of metal armor across his body. His arms were wrapped in bandages, all the way from just below his shoulders to his wrists. He also wears long black wristbands and a watch on his left arm. His knees are protected with metal pads. He wore a pair of black boots with steel armor and small spikes. He had a blood-red scarf and matching headband, as well as a tattered cloth he wears around his face as a mask. He had various blades and holsters for them.
"You fools haven't noticed." He spoke. "How this society is warped and twisted by the hypocrisy and vanity of the so called heroes… I will make you notice. I will make you see."
He remained there for a bit. Suddenly, he swung his blade behind him, yet it seemed to strike nothing. He turned to see a black and purple mist with glowing yellow eyes facing him. His blade was in the mist.
"Be at ease." Kurogiri spoke. "We are of the same mind."
The man eyed him carefully.
"I've been looking for you Hero Killer Stain." Kurogiri continued. "I know of your notoriety and sought to meet you."
Stains eyes narrowed.
"Might I have a moment of your time?" Kurogiri inquired.
Unbeknownst to them someone was watching. A young woman who was dressed like a rogue ninja. She placed two fingers on her forehead. Goutongzhe, this is Daninja. I've found the Hero Killer. It would appear the League has beaten us to it. Should I intervene? She communicated mentally. 'Hold for now *mentally sighs* … Daninja… let me get in contact with the boss.' Got it. Also why do people always do that with my name? No answer came as she waited a bit. 'The boss said to pull out. With All for One still around we need to be careful not to reveal ourselves too much. Messing with the League's plan will likely draw his attention to us.'I understand. 'Besides, with the league having Stain, more attention will be drawn to them. Giving us a bit more freedom while the heroes have their eyes on them. At least that's what the boss predicts.' Hmm… yes, I can see how that would work in our favor. I'll pull out now then. Over and out. She removed two fingers from her forehead before carefully leaving the scene. The two villains were none the wiser that she was there.
Izuku: Uh oh... looks like troubles a brewing.
Ruby: Really Izuku, really?
Izuku: Oh hush we've got a next chapter preview to do.
Ruby: I know, I know. *Clears throat* next time we hop over to see how Blake's doing in Italy.
Izuku: Looks like she starting to make progress on getting her heroes license.
Ruby: Yep but it looks like some troubles heading her way.
Izuku: Next time, Blake's Story Chapter 4: The Next Step.
Ruby: Catch you guys then, Plus Ultra.
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