I thought I'd give this fic a bit of overdue love before even thinking about writing another story. The laser boy that took our resident death god down last time has been waiting for their just desserts for far too long.
By the way, I'll have a poll up after this chapter goes live over what type of fic I should make. I have a list of ideas a mile long but I'll narrow them down to the most interesting ones for you all to decide. Actually, make that three polls, the first will decide which franchise I'll do and the second will decide whether it's a crossover fic or a stand-alone, and the last will decide the specifics. I'll give each one a week before I make the results public.
Well, let's get on with the chapter!
This team event will be shot in stunning 3rd person POV!
"Izuku-kun, I think you should calm down, third place is still an amazing position!" Ochako tried to calm down her practically malding boss/best friend.
"I'm the dictionary definition of calm! I'm so calm that when I find that laser guy I'll only slightly traumatize them on live television. Aren't I nice?!" It was one thing to be beaten by one of his classmates in a straight-up contest, or even by taking on multiple people at once. It was another thing entirely to get beaten by a cheap shot by some rando.
And Izuku knew it was a rando because nobody in his class would dare attack him from behind just to spite him. They knew enough about what he was capable of to know that it wasn't worth it. Which left class B and the two non-hero students that made it through the obstacle course.
"Hmm, Iron guy, the girl with big hands, vine girl, don't know that bandana guy's quirk so he's a possibility, saw that guy make platforms out of solid air so he's out, he makes blades, no idea what the black one does-" Ochako looked concerned and tried to step into Izuku's muttering spree but couldn't get a word off before-
"Gentleman beast guy is out, the small pudgy one didn't use his quirk either, the horned girl seems obvious but I'll withhold judgment, the one covering her eyes and the quiet one are also possibilities, no idea what that other guy does, that one has a word bubble for a head...quirks are fucking weird-" Ochako tried to shout over the muttering to no avail, Izuku was off in his own world.
"The guy with the skull head softens things and the big guy makes glue, the Chinese guy makes scales, the green-haired girl is Buggy, the silver-haired one is unknown, and the blonde guy's face just pisses me off…*Slap!" Ochako had enough and used palm strike, it was super effective! Izuku stopped muttering.
"...Thanks for that, It's been a long time since I've gone that deep into the tank." The response frightened Ochako to no end, was this going to be a regular occurrence? "Don't worry, I've gotten better with the muttering thing lately, I guess it just happens more often when I'm irritated." Ochako let out a sigh of relief, there were still small mercies.
"But yeah, I narrowed down the people who could have shot me down to around five or six students. Since teams are made up of three or four players that means that we'll only need to attack three teams at most to figure out who it was." Wait, we?
"Why do you look so surprised? Did you think I'd want anyone else on my team? Hop on, we'll be better off in a smaller team of two, maneuverability will be key. I've already figured out the three best zanpakuto to use for this round as well, here." He said before handing Ochako a freshly made sword.
"Its name is Benihime, it can shoot out energy blasts, create shields, and form nets out of energy which themselves can explode at will. It should make blocking, and counterattacking child's play. As for mine-" Izuku formed another blade, this time with a green hilt.
"This baby has never been seen in public before. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when I use it." Ochako shivered when she saw his smile and heard his creepy laughter. She almost felt bad for the other teams...Then again hero students that did well in the sports festival also tended to have great internship opportunities and lucrative sidekick gigs post-U.A. so her pity died rather quickly.
"If you're going to use this round as an advertising slot then can I get in on it?" Came the voice of a pink-haired student, a support class if Izuku's memory served him right. "I bet my babies will do a great job out there and help us all get to the next round, and tons of sponsors!" On one hand, her tech did look quite useful and could act as a backup plan to Izuku's. On the other hand...This girl radiated a type of bubbly insanity that made Izuku nervous.
Izuku knew where this road led to, the question was whether he could afford to deal with the consequences of associating with a mad scientist type. "I don't see why not, we could use these along with my anti-gravity to make us untouchable in the air!" Ochako already decided what she wanted to do. Eh, what was the worst that could happen?
Exactly one minute later
'Why Murphy why?! I treated you well for so long, why do you forsake me now?!' Izuku thought as Hatsume suited them up while simultaneously turning herself and her teammates into living ad space. The worst part was that the tech was so convoluted that he didn't know where the practicality ended and the unnecessary flashy elements began.
"Let's get this over with. The second Midnight says start I'll use this, don't be surprised if you feel a leathery appendage close to your face."
"Wait wha-" The implications of what Izuku said were considered for about half a second before the word START rang throughout the stadium and with it, came Izuku's release phrase.
"Enclose, Murcielago." A feeling of immense, all-encompassing dread filled the immediate vicinity around Izuku. No, dread was the wrong word for this, it was raw depression given substance, the air itself felt heavier, especially the closer it got to the greenette's location.
Speaking of the young shinigami, he had changed, dramatically in the case of his new, frankly majestic, jet-black bat wings and horned bone helm. But also subtly with slightly longer hair, dark green tear marks, and now slitted green eyes. Finally, with the power of his zanpakuto and the reduced weight thanks to Ochako, Izuku began to ascend along with his teammates.
As this happened, the two commentators were having a field day...Well one of them was anyway. "Whoa! What do we have here, a new weapon from our resident blacksmith? Looks pretty edgy but I'm not gonna lie it's damn cool!" Present Mic said, only to be scolded for the language.
Aizawa answered his friend's, and everyone else's questions. "It would seem that the problem child left us a few notes about his new blade. As you all heard, its name is Murcielago, keep that in mind since the rest of its description is full of Spanish words and references." Japanese, German, and now Spanish? Aizawa supposed that it made the kid popular overseas at least.
"It's quite sparse actually, he calls them the Hollow set, whatever that means. They share a few common features, increased strength, speed, durability, occasionally enhanced regeneration, an animal motif of some kind, and some kind of energy manipulation…" What wasn't said was just how big the increases were. It would seem that Izuku wanted to keep that a surprise.
Upon reaching a suitable altitude, Izuku raised a single finger to the teams below them. A clear and universal signal for 'come at me bro' had been sent. One team decided to take the offer with some rather explosive enthusiasm. No prizes for guessing which one.
"Die stupid edgy Deku!" *Boom! Bakugo yelled his signature catchphrase only to find himself hanging in mid-air by some floating, and apparently rather sturdy, energy shield courtesy of Ochako. "Ah shit." Was all he could get out before Izuku bitch slapped him back to Earth using his wing.
"Keep trying Kacchan, maybe someday you'll get on my level." It was too easy sometimes, but playing Bakugo like an instrument never got old. "While you're down there do you mind finding out what the competition's quirks are?... Use your words Kacchan, I can't speak impotent rage."
Was Izuku venting his anger out on Bakugo? Yes. Was that particularly heroic? Not at all. Was it still fun? Yes. Was it effective in getting the explosive teen to lash out once again? Very much so. "You're up Hatsume." Time for her to test out that new 'baby' she kept talking his ear off about.
"You got it, boss!" She gave an affirmative while she aimed a suspiciously bulky-looking pistol at the dazed Bakugo. Its bulk was explained as it fired a wide net out, completely covering Bakugo as he fell. Sadly his team seemed to be quite capable and caught him with Sero's tape before he hit the ground. "Aw, that was supposed to shock anyone who touched the net from the outside on contact. I guess that tape's an insulator."
"It's fine Hatsume, your baby did its job. Now please focus, can you see any interesting quirks from up here?" He'd do it himself but sadly his slit pupils were only for show. He couldn't see much from up in the sky. "Hmm, that's weird. Hey Hatsume, can you tell me what that purple-haired kid is doing? His team seems a little off."
They were shuffling about but otherwise remained still for some reason. "Now that you mention it, most of that team has a blank look on their faces. They're kinda just standing there up until the purple-haired boy, orders them to do something." So some kind of mind domination quirk? That was honestly a lot more interesting than he'd thought.
"Well, he just climbed his way to the top of the list along with that annoying copy quirk user." Another annoyingly arrogant blonde and this one didn't even have the skill to back it up like Bakugo did. As evidenced by him getting his points stolen after losing the element of surprise.
Say what you want about the explosive teenager, at least he can actually back up his bravado with real power. Trash talk aside, Izuku was getting worried over his sudden boost in power. Just a little bit anyway. Bakugo might catch up with him sometime soon.
"Keep an eye on Todoroki, we'll go for first place if he slips up but until then we'll just hang out up here." Mei gives me the thumbs up and Izuku lets his attention wander to the rest of the teams. It would be pretty boring to just float there with nothing to do, maybe a bit of chaos will keep things fun?
'It looks like class B is the underdog in this festival. I'll leave them alone then, the mind controller's team has two of my prime suspects so I'll let them stealth their way to victory if that's what they want to do… I guess I can mess with Todoroki.' The guy just electrocuted and froze a bunch of schmucks before taking their headbands.
Izuku smirked, he knew just what would annoy the dual-haired boy the most. It might take up the last slot he had for this round, but it would be so worth it to see their reactions. Izuku summoned a fresh blade, a tachi to be specific, one with a red handle and a hexagonal guard. "Burn, Engetsu!" Izuku released its Shikai before throwing it down near the frozen B class students.
"Hey boss, are you sure it was a good idea to give the enemy something that useful? Why did you do it anyway, and what does that sword do?" Mei asked, confusion on her face but otherwise accepting his decision. Ochako mirrored this question but kept her guard up the whole time.
"It's just a power-type with a flame motif. Useful for the current ordeal our friends in class B are going through, as for why I did it...Well, where's the fun in letting Todoroki go unopposed? If class B can soften them up for us then why not let them? Besides, I can always dismiss Engetsu if they decide to bite the hand that fed them."
"...Remind me to never make you angry, if this is how you respond to someone who mildly annoys you then I don't even want to know what you do to people who actually piss you off." Ochako shivered, her best friend and boss could be scary at times.
"You already saw what I do to people that truly anger me. Remember what happened to Nomu." Izuku responded without noticing Ochako's quickly paling face, all while giving the person who picked up Engetsu, Kendo he believed her name was, a thumbs up. The orange-haired hero to be paused in confusion then shrugged, she didn't have much time and decided to unfreeze her classmates instead of questioning her benefactor.
"Boss, we got an explosive blonde on our six, coming in fas-"
"Cero." A pointed finger and a giant blast of teal energy followed Izuku's word, slamming into the flying blonde and knocking him back down to Earth once again. "Such a fun ability, and it's extra flashy in that form even if its attack power gets quartered for every doubling of its size." At that size and range, it was no more damaging than getting hit with a warm sandbag, it'll knock the wind out of you but not much more.
"...I didn't know you could do that. Any more surprises boss man?" Hatsume asked, still recovering from the shock from Izuku's stunt. "Todoroki is getting surrounded by class B by the way, his team seems to be getting pushed back. They're saying something about another massive AOE attack."
"These types of blades are rather strong, though they aren't as versatile as my usual stock. If Ochako is willing to hold the two of you up for a few seconds I can give you a better demonstration." Ochako nodded her agreement, she could handle floating herself and Hatsume for a little while. All that training with her quirk while taking care of Happy was paying dividends.
"First and foremost, hollow-type zanpakuto all give a rather extreme boost to strength and speed." The moment he finished his sentence, Izuku rushed towards Todoroki's team so quickly that it would have looked like a blur even to the audience who watched from afar.
The icy hot teenager saw it coming as he'd been keeping an eye on Izuku, doubly so after he handed a powerful tool to another team, and tried to build up a defensive ice wall against the rushing demon...Only to have the ice crumble into nothing once it was struck by what seemed to be a condensed form of whatever was shot at Bakugo moments before.
"Luz de la Luna, a powerful lance made of the same condensed energy as Izuku's Cero. Though its range is limited, it makes up for it in its durability and overwhelming explosive power!" Present Mic explained to the audience in his usual jubilant way. Aizawa raised an eyebrow at his seemingly perfect pronunciation of the foreign words.
"What? I'm an English teacher! Spanish isn't all that different!" Fair enough.
"Nice try Todoroki, that attempt will cost you ten million points." Izuku taunted, momentarily hesitating as he saw a few sparks of flame escape Todoroki only to keep going when they die out. A disappointed look on his face as he steals the only worthwhile headband before ascending into the air once again.
Flying was such a broken ability against those who couldn't do it.
"I'm back girls, told you it would only take a few seconds." Five to be exact, Murcielago's speed was something to behold, it was his taunting more than anything that cost him even that measly amount of time. "First place is ours, and this event is coming to a close soon enough. Let's see how they react, I bet Kacchan's going to make a last-ditch attempt at us but I have no idea about the rest."
"That busty girl from Todoroki's team is making something. Some kind of long metal po- Oh it's a gun. Are those allowed? Should I have made a gun?" Hatsume questioned her choices. Izuku merely raised an eyebrow and not much more. A gun wasn't going to do much, even if Yaoyorozu aimed perfectly. For multiple reasons but chief among them was that most weapons didn't have a range of several hundred meters.
"Why is it getting colder?" Ochako commented, catching Izuku's attention. She was right, it did get much colder out of nowhere, that could only mean one thing. The shriek of rapidly growing ice could be heard as Todoroki created a giant pillar for his team to climb in an attempt to reach them. Iida's leg exhausts were spewing out blue flames which propelled them upward at great speeds. And to make matters worse, they could hear explosions coming from the opposite direction.
"Rather determined aren't they?" Izuku commented before shooting a quick Cero at the ice pillar, it collapsed soon after leaving Team Todoroki in mid-air, it was then that Yaoyozoru decided to take her shot, aiming at the bat boy's wings. "Hm, you'd think they'd be fragile I suppose." Izuku said while making a show of casually deflecting the rubber bullets. Thoroughly shocking team Todoroki at the intimidating display of speed and durability.
"Don't you dare ignore me Deku! Your little girlfriend is wide op-!" Izuku didn't even bother to look back at Bakugo for this one, a Cero would have taken too long so instead he used the much quicker Bala technique to knock Bakugo out of the air. With how little effort Izuku put into It, the Bala was barely at the level of a hard slap to the face.
'Good thing Hatsume still has that net gun.' Izuku thinks with a chuckle as his childhood friend twitches how way down to be caught once again by his most likely annoyed teammates. 'That boy's as stubborn as ever, it's pretty entertaining at least.' Time's Up! And that was Izuku's cue to land. As impressive as Murcielago was, it was a pretty serious stamina hog and he'd need to save up energy for the finals.
Still, it was worth it. He got first place this round and did so in a dominant fashion. Almost certainly redeeming him in the eyes of the public. And more importantly, he made sure to get all of the suspects that might have shot him in the back into the final round.
"Izuku, please stop smiling like that, you're scaring everyone." Ochako's words fell on deaf ears.
There would be a reckoning.
And that's it for this chapter, the polls should be up either before or immediately after this gets posted so make sure to check those out. I'll open them one at a time and give them each a few days so that infrequent readers can notice and vote.
Until next time, I hope you enjoyed reading.