"Well… you're certainly a lot tougher to take down than I expected…" Ingenium managed between gasps, one arm holding his side while the other was still extended defensively between where the crowd had been and Stain himself.
"I don't wish to kill you," the Hero Killer grimaced, fingering his blade thoughtfully, "You aren't a fake, and so are needed in this world. You're merely… in my way."
"Getting in the way of harm so others are spared is the essence of being a Hero. Isn't that right?" Ingenium asked, noticing Stain seemed to like the self-sacrificing rhetoric of All Might and some of the other less-combat oriented heroes.
"Even so. But luckily for me, I believe I don't think we need to keep up this charade any longer."
"Wha-AH!"
Ingenium hit the ground, feeling his body freeze up and stiffen. He hadn't felt any attacks, and his side hadn't flared up to drop him, so how had he been disabled?
"Do not fret, Hero. You will not die this day. Nor will any citizen who you sought to guard from me. You have already given my quarry time to escape or come running. I will take my leave. Should they pursue me, their death will be on their own hands."
"I won't… let… you…" Ingenium gritted out, trying to claw his way back to his feet.
Stain didn't answer, simply turning away and leaping into the shadows again. Ingenium tried again to follow him, clenching his fist on the ground for a moment before letting out an anguished roar of defeat. He'd failed his sidekicks, his charges, his name… and his brother.
"I swear, Hero Killer…" he whispered, clenching his fist, "So long as I draw breath, I will hunt you in return. Fake or Not, I won't let you murder or humiliate anyone else! I swear to be there on the day your evil is removed."
"No doubt that day will be long in coming," Stain whispered, watching Ingenium from a nearby rooftop.
He didn't often listen to defeated foes after he'd judged them fakes or Heroes, but this one had been a special case. He seemed to be one who teetered on the edge. Perhaps ordered to hunt him, and regretful? Had Ingenium met him in attack mode, Stain likely would have treated him like a lesser fake: one who sought glory in defeating villains, rather than saving people as a Hero.
But fate had decided he see the truth of the matter this time. Ingenium had been focused on defending his sidekicks and the people, intent to capture him for their sake, not his own. True, he was not All Might, nor equivalent to him in Heroic worth, and so he would not allow himself to be killed by such a one, but he was not beyond hope.
"Hero Killer, Stain?" a melodious voice came from behind him, "May I have a moment of your time?"
"Deku, you really didn't have to do this…"
"Of course I did!" Izuku beamed, pushing more mochi onto Ochako's plate, "You're out of energy, and you promised to meet me in the finals! So I'm gonna help you get there!"
She smiled, her eyes seeming a little damp as she took another bite. Uraraka's face seemed to light up with each mouthful, which made it worth the expense.
"It's so good!" she managed, "I haven't been able to eat this well in so long…"
Izuku leaned down and took a sip of his drink, so glad straws had been invented. He couldn't exactly use his hands right then, which made food very hard to do. He could nudge it around with his elbows or the tips of his fingers, but fine control was still out. It probably would be for a while, actually. He'd need to work on that.
"Open wide!"
He glanced up, seeing Uraraka holding a ball of strawberry mochi with a little nub of chocolate ice cream in the middle. She pushed it towards him, her chopsticks gripping it tight enough he wondered if it was going to explode. Maybe the act of giving away food when she barely had enough for herself was so strange she was panicking?
Opening his mouth, he felt her deposit the cold morsel on his tongue and closed his lips around it. For a moment, he felt the wood of her chopsticks brush past. His face turned red so fast he was pretty sure if he opened his mouth the mochi would be melted into a puddle. Uraraka seemed to blush too, but much less pronounced. Then she stole one of his rice buns on her way back, and seemed to relax.
"H-hey!" he protested, trying to hold back his grin at how cute it was, "That's mine!"
"Trade."
Izuku did his best to pout, leaning down to sip from his drink again. She had no right being adorable when he was this tired. If he wasn't careful, he'd say something stupid and lose her friendship. No matter what else, he couldn't do that. She was his first real friend, and even if she was the most beautiful Heroine he'd ever met: he couldn't jeopardize that by admitting the fact aloud, and probably making her think he was some kind of pervert like Mineta. He would just have to compliment her in other ways. He could write about her in his Hero notebooks, and make it seem objective. Yes, she would think it was him nerding out about her powers, not her in particular. And then he could comment on how strong her conviction was, or how clever she was getting. Maybe something about how her bright and wonderful personality would make everyone around her smile, even in dark times. Of course, he couldn't phrase it like that… maybe something along the lines of "Your smile's even more contagious than All Might's!" or something? Would that sound weird though? He couldn't exactly just go with "you're really pretty and make me smile" after all, that would sound way too much like a confession that would absolutely destroy any chance she wouldn't be weirded out by him for the rest of all time, and oh no he'd been muttering and just said all of that out loud didn't he?
"Y-you think I'm pretty?"
"Eh?"
"You said… I make you smile?" Uraraka asked, her expression unreadable.
Izuku couldn't say anything. If he lied and pretended he didn't say it, she would be angry with him for thinking her ignorant or just for lying in general. He had to come clean.
"Uraraka… yes, you make me smile," he admitted, looking down at his plate, "You're… you're the first person I've ever had who I could call my friend. Kacchan… I don't know if he counts. Maybe once, but… But anyways, you're really special to me. You're always so happy and upbeat, and… you're so much stronger than you let yourself be. I look at you and wonder: "will I ever be a Hero as cool as her?" I'm so lame, and sometimes I wonder why you're friends with me. And… and as much as I try to pretend otherwise, I have lots of trouble talking to you. You are really pretty, and I get flustered around almost every girl, but with you… I keep swinging between worse than ever and just… comfortable. And I don't want to say or do something really dumb that'll make you realize you could have way cooler friends than me and… and then just leave. And I know that's really selfish of me, but-"
Izuku swallowed, unable to justify his actions.
Uraraka remained silent for a moment, then sighed. He realized she was going to leave now, and probably never come back. Then she slapped him.
"Deku you idiot!" she yelled, her face scrunched up and suddenly wet with tears.
"U-uraraka?" he asked, confused and worried.
"Do you really think so little of me?" she asked, her voice cracking a little in anguish.
Had they been anywhere public, Izuku was sure he would have been swarmed by people berating him for bothering her, or else be on the receiving end of ten thousand judgemental stares. He'd never experienced someone shouting "baka" at him before, and the experience was quite terrifying.
"Uraraka, I think the world of you," he protested, not sure where she was coming from.
"Then why do you think I'm so shallow that I'd ruin one of my only friendships over you finding me pretty? Don't you think I like being told I'm beautiful by my friends?!"
"I- I didn't think-"
"Of course you did!" she cut him off, reaching over and grabbing his collar, "You're always overthinking everything!"
Izuku nodded, knowing she was right. He'd probably ruined everything by his muttering, his overthinking, and his usual brand of getting in the way.
"If you'd just come out and said it, I could have said something nice back, but now I have to be mad at you for putting yourself down again!"
Recoiling a little, Izuku wondered if she was going to hit him again. He probably deserved it, but that didn't mean he was looking forward to it. It felt different when she did it. All Might had bopped his head to shut him up a few times, and Kacchan had whapped the back of his head with an explosion or two, but they felt like mild rebukes or disdain, respectively. Uraraka's slap felt… disappointed.
"I'm sorry…" was all he could think to say.
"You better be!" she huffed, sitting back down and looking away from him, seeming more miffed than he'd ever seen before.
Not sure what to do, Izuku curled up a little, taking a sip just for something to do. His whole motivation for winning and declaring he was there for the world suddenly felt very far away. His bubbliest friend wasn't happy, and it was his fault. Heroes were supposed to save and inspire people. He'd hurt and ruined the day of someone close to him. He wasn't sure he even deserved to win.
"Deku… why are you so scared of telling me how you feel?"
It took him a moment to realize Uraraka had asked him a question. He perked up a little and looked over at her.
"...because you'd think I wasn't worth hanging around anymore, and then… then I'd be alone again."
"Even if that wasn't absolutely wrong, and assuming for the sake of argument that I did decide to stop being your friend, which I absolutely wouldn't, you'd still have Ida and the other people in our class."
Izuku choked out a bitter laugh.
"Maybe for a day. But then they'd hate me too."
"Wh- why would you think that?!" Uraraka sounded oddly affronted at the idea.
"It only takes one screw up. After that, word spreads that you aren't worth being around, and people keep you at arm's length," Izuku muttered, thinking back to his prior schooling.
"Deku, we're all still at least cordial with Mineta. Mineta. He's like, the worst kind of person without being a criminal, and he hasn't been abandoned by everyone. Heck, Kaminari still hangs around with him, I'm sure that if you bothered me: you'd still have friends!"
Shaking his head, Izuku leaned down to pick up a rice ball with his mouth, not wanting to answer. She didn't know how Quirkless people were treated. How Dekus were supposed to be treated. Uraraka was too pure for the rotten world they were training to make just a little better.
"Izuku Midoriya, don't you shake your head at me," she glared at him, seeming ready to slap him again, "You absolutely would!"
"I- Uraraka, I really don't think I would. Ida might be nice to me, but he'd be one of the first to stop bothering with me when he didn't have to. Everyone knows- well, hanging around with me has never gone well for anyone," he mumbled.
"No no, what is it that everyone knows?" Uraraka pressed, taking away his food as hostage.
Swallowing, Izuku looked away.
"It doesn't really work anymore. The words don't fit…"
"So it has something to do with how Bakugo called you Deku," she deduced, her frown increasing, "Let me guess: he used to say that "Dekus bring everyone around them down"?"
"Yeah… guess he was right."
"...I'm gonna kill him."
"Please don't…"
"Why?!"
Izuku looked up at her, confused.
"Why shouldn't I?!" she asked, now even more enraged than before when she'd yelled at him, "That exploding idiot made my bestie think he wasn't as perfectly amazing as he is!"
Rubbing her temples and turning a very pretty shade of pink, she sighed and chopped her hand down in a passible imitation of Ida.
"Do you know how many girls would be absolutely thrilled to hear you call them Pretty?"
"...more than zero?" he wagered, not sure how but certain his actual answer would annoy her.
"Let me put it this way, I can't think of a single one in our class who wouldn't be overjoyed to hear that you, Mr. 10,000,000, "I can fly and also punch hard enough to blast glaciers to dust" guy, find them nice to look at."
She giggled and started counting off fingers of the others in their class.
"Mina or Toru would probably have a field day with it, running around and telling anyone they could get to listen, that Izuku Midoriya thought they looked good. Jiro would probably act all aloof, but you know she'd be blushing as soon as she turned away. Momo… well, she'd probably call you beautiful back and not really get it, but I bet if Tsu were told she'd be so blunt about how handsome you are that you'd pass out."
Considering, she grinned and picked up another mochi ball.
"Heck, I bet Shoto would like to be told he's pretty too, especially after your… intense match," she teased.
Izuku muttered a question, not really sure he really wanted to know the answer.
"You'll have to speak up, I'm not in the mood to interpret your mumbles right now," Uraraka said, still not quite recovered from her earlier anger.
"I just… you didn't mention yourself in the list…" he managed, adamantly not looking at her.
"You want to know what I think of you calling me pretty?" she clarified, her voice a little higher than usual.
Izuku nodded, feeling very embarrassed she was being so direct about it.
"Then you should ask. Properly, this time, ya know?"
She sounded much more jittery, all of the sudden. He realized how shallow it must sound, asking someone to tell you you're attractive. Izuku wanted to reassure her, as well as fix his friendship.
Steeling himself, Izuku sat up straight and managed to look at her, seeing how red her residual anger had left her.
"Uraraka," he said, trying not to panic, "I hope this doesn't affect our friendship, but: I think you're very pretty, and being your friend is one of the best things that ever happened to me. You light up my day just by being in it, and your smile makes everyone feel better. You're going to be a wonderful Hero, and I'm privileged to know you."
He figured he should do the thing properly, and stood to bow over the table.
Uraraka was silent for another few seconds, and he worried she'd just asked him to see if he'd do it, or if she was stunned he had the guts to attempt it. Then she laughed so hard her saliva came out in a short, high pressure spray.
"Pfffff! Deku, you look so formal and sincere!" she giggled, grinning at him now.
Izuku couldn't help but frown at her nonchalance at his… well, it wasn't exactly a confession, but it was in the same vein. She quickly waved her hand for him to sit down, smiling in a way that told him she wasn't making fun of his words, just his delivery.
"But… do you really feel that way, Deku?" she asked, a red color coming to her usual spots that he was pretty sure was a blush.
"I- I do," he promised, swallowing down his fear before it rose up and strangled him, "You're… you're really special to me."
They stayed silent for a few moments, before Uraraka spoke up again.
"Deku… Do you know why I hate it when you put yourself down?" she asked, her voice soft and hesitant.
"You're always standing up for people, Uraraka. I guessed it was just my turn."
"Maybe at first… but- Deku, you're not the only one who hasn't really had a lot of friends before U.A.," she muttered, tapping her fingers a little nervously, "When holding your hand can make someone start floating away, and you tend to throw up after you get them down…"
Izuku wished he could hug her. Could wrap her up and tell her it was alright now. But even if she still wanted to be friends, his arms… his arms wouldn't be usable for days.
"But you Deku… you were just happy to be my friend, and you didn't care that the first day we met I used my Quirk on you and threw up like never before. Deku… I really want to be like you. You're always so dedicated and want to help everyone. You give everything for everyone, and… it's so special. You're gonna be the best Hero, one day. I know my Hero goals seem shallow compared to yours, but… I think my life would be so cool, if you were always in it."
Izuku made his ugly face for a moment, feeling his heart squeeze, but then it shifted to a giddy and relieved grin, while tears began to flow.
"I think it'd be really cool to keep you in my life too," he admitted, beaming at her, "Can we- can we still be friends?"
Uraraka looked at him, before she got her evil grin again. Standing up, she tapped her chin and stepped around to him.
"I don't think so… after an emotional snack like this, I think… we should be Best Friends!"
Nodding, Izuku looked up at her in grateful admiration. Before he could say anything else, she lifted him from the chair and pulled him into a hug. Unable to use his arms, he laid his head on her shoulder. It was… nice, having a best friend.
"Aw…" Uraraka sighed, drawing his attention as they pulled apart, "Does this mean I can't call you Deku anymore? I liked calling you by such a cool nickname."
Chuckling, Izuku grinned at her unwavering bubbly nature. She was so constant, like the North Star, where he could always find his way by just a glance.
"You can keep calling me Deku. I think I'd have a heart attack if I had to call you by your first name so soon," he admitted.
Uraraka tapped her mouth, contemplating his answer.
"Well, you need to give me a nickname now," she decided, "Something cute, but easy to say. Hm…"
Izuku thought about his own name. Deku. Izuku read slightly wrong. Ochako could have a similar shift, perhaps. If ko was kept the same, then…
"Senchan."
Uraraka looked up at him, surprised.
"Huh?"
"I just… a nickname," he muttered, "Ocha is tea, but if you mean inexpensive but sweet tea, it's Sencha. Plus Sen means to look ahead, or just money..."
Uraraka seemed to light up.
"I love it!"
Leveling her finger at him, she gave off her rare aura of intense decisiveness.
"From now on, Deku, you can call me Senchan!"
"Ida, it's such a great day, isn't it?!"
"Uraraka, I have terrible news!"
The two stared at one another for a moment before realizing they were probably not going to like their conversation.
"Um… I guess my news can wait a bit," Ochako said, her protective instincts coming on in full.
"I can't believe it, but my brother just called from the Hospital!" he bemoaned, clenching his fists and placing them on the divider between the 1-A seats and the hallway out, "He was beset by the Hero Killer."
Ochako gasped, horrified and worried for her friend.
"Is he-?"
"He lives, and should make a full recovery by next week," Ida sighed, contained fury in his stance, "But he was humiliated as a Hero. Tensei said he was protecting civilians, but it felt like the villain was simply toying with him, and when he wished to escape: he merely froze him with a neurotoxin or Quirk and ran off, leaving him to bleed on the street. While I am glad he's alive… the shame of being deemed unworthy to kill is too deep to ignore out of hand."
Realizing her friend was coming apart at the seams, his entire worldview shaken by his brother's treatment, Ochako pulled him into a hug.
"I don't know much about honor and worthiness," she admitted, "But if I was a villain, I'd be sure to kill you after a good fight."
"..."
"I'msorrythatcameoutwrong!" she insisted, burying her face in her hands and starting to float off a little.
From the seats below them, a handful of heads turned to watch the display.
"You wanna get her down?"
"I wouldn't want to be disqualified for interfering with an opponent before our match."
Ochako peeked through her fingers to see someone not of 1-A looking back at her, on Yaoyorozu's left. Her hair was a lot more patchy than usual, which wasn't really fitting her usual look, but it was unmistakable.
"Shiozaki?" she asked, disengaging her Quirk and landing by Ida.
"Hello, Uraraka," Shiozaki greeted her, smiling back up at her, "I hope to have an excellent match with you. You don't mind that I'm over on this side, do you? I wouldn't want to seem like I was trying to intimidate you, but YaoMomo and Jiro asked me to enjoy the break with them."
"Oh… no, you're good," she said, still a little surprised.
Kaminari turned around from the seat he was in a row ahead of them. He pointed to the three girls behind him and the boy beside him.
"These kids can fit so much angst in them."
"Shut up and sit back down, dunce face!" roared said boy, who turned out to be Bakugo.
Ochako frowned at him.
"Oh, hey Kacchan," she said, frowning at him, "I didn't see you there."
Ida balked at her, evidently surprised at the venom in her voice. Then again, he didn't seem to have truly grasped what exactly "Deku" meant before Ochako changed it, nor who had bestowed her best friend with the title.
Bakugo growled, but Kirishima's hand slid over to hold him down by his shoulder.
"Easy, big guy. Not worth it."
"Yeah, you would say that after she beat you up, you brainless rockhead! Haven't you watched me fly before?! You can't just hit stuff with no leverage and hope you'll stay in place!"
While the two got into a half-fight about their tactics (half-fight because Kirishima was adamantly not rising to his challenge), Ida tapped her shoulder politely.
"You said you had good news of a sort, Uraraka?" he reminded her.
"Oh, it's… it's not very important, now that I really think about it. Ya know, in the grand scheme of things…" she muttered.
Ida raised a hand, but instead of chopping through the air like normal, he whacked the top of her head.
"Uraraka!" he scolded, "My brother fought for the safety of others, but he also fought for their happiness! If we spend our lives always being dejected for those who were hurt for our benefit, their sacrifices will have been little more than in vain! Do not let this news ruin your day. Instead: let it brighten ours!"
She realized others were looking over at her now, and she blushed in embarrassment. Well, she had to say something now…
"I um… Deku gave me victory mochi and a nickname, and I'm kind of excited because I've never had a nickname before," she admitted softly, hoping only a few of the nearest ones would hear.
Jiro seemed to catch it, and smiled for her, leaning over to whisper it into Shiozaki and Yaoyorozu's ears so it would remain confidential for the most part. Shoji seemed to hear too, but didn't say anything. Ida though, he seemed to be about to blurt it out to the world.
"Ida, if you do that overhead clap thing again and shout bravo, I'll leave you on the ceiling until my match starts," she warned him, not entirely playfully.
"Speaking of," Shiozaki quickly interjected, "I think it's about time we head down. The matches have been rather quick these last few rounds, and we don't want to be late for ours."
Ochako gave her a pair of finger guns and grinned.
"Right-O! I'll see ya down there!"
"Go get em!" Mina shouted, standing up and raising a fist.
"Get… 'em?" Shiozaki asked, "You want us to… "get" each other? I don't think we should indulge Uraraka's monetary schemes by allowing her to sell herself, Ashido."
Even Yaoyorozu sighed at that, patting her shoulder.
"Never change, Shiozaki."
"Okay everybody! I hope you're back from the break, ready for our final three matchups!" Mic roared, much to the crowd's approval.
"Due to the insistence of Recovery Girl, who's become very concerned about the welfare of our wonderful fighters," Midnight called out, her voice amplified by the speakers to ensure everyone heard, "In the event both persons are ringed out, whoever touched the ground second will be declared the victor. So, if you've got a way to win by just tackling them and taking the fall, it's up to you not to get flipped in midair. Just try to keep the wrestling to a minimum. We are live, after all."
Tsuyu flexed her tongue experimentally, feeling the wrappings in her throat and not particularly liking the sensation.
Well, at the very least, Midoriya said he wouldn't kick me, so I won't have to worry about my stomach flipping inside out or anything, she reasoned, trying to stay on the bright side.
Speaking of Midoriya, he seemed… oddly happy. Maybe Recovery Girl had pumped him full of happy drugs so he'd be able to keep standing? That or a girl had called him cute. Probably the latter, honestly. He was pretty oblivious.
"You know her, you love her, she's the Lady of the Lake and Queen of the Pond: Tsuyu Asui!
Versus
The Broken Berserker, his wings are clipped, but he's still kicking: Izuku Midoriya!"
Midnight raised her whip, grinning at the two of them.
"Ready?"
Tsu nodded, getting into a crouch. Midoriya nodded and looked ready to jump.
"Start!"
Without waiting, Tsu shot her tongue out to wrap around Midoriya's waist, pulling him towards the edge. To her surprise, he didn't budge. She glanced back to see him floating a centimeter off the ground, straining against her tongue.
Making sure she was sticking to the ground for the best traction, she pulled harder, and the strain on his face grew. It would be a battle of wills then. She didn't know if she could beat Midoriya in such a contest. Tsu had to ring him out now, or he'd outlast her.
Recalling her tongue, she decided she'd have to pummel him like she had Ojiro. It wouldn't be pretty, but he wasn't leaving her many other options. But instead of coming back, she felt her tongue catch.
As he'd been pulling, Midoriya had begun to twist in place, wrapping her tongue further around himself. The friction between them was too great to just release. She'd have to take a few seconds and untangle herself from him. The surprise from the action was all he needed though.
Midoriya was spinning in place bringing his foot out to catch her tongue and pull her along. She resisted for a brief moment, before the ground was torn from under her and she started flying. He was keeping her at a distance with the force of his spin, but in doing so she didn't think he could attack either. Hopefully his stomach would give out before hers did, given how much faster he had to be going at the center.
Tsu started forming a plan. If she could get free without losing her grip, she could drop below the spin a little and try to return to ground and get him while he was recovering from the spin. She started untying her tongue, feeling the slight shift as she loosened from the grip.
The next thing she knew, Tsuyu was flying away from where she'd been. She caught a slight glimpse of Midoriya floating stock-still, looking very wobbly.
He'd stopped dead, the moment he felt her hold weaken, and cast her towards the wall with terrifying force. She turned to try and brace herself, when a soft boom of air came from behind her. Then Midoriya was in front of her, and she hit him instead, the two of them slowing as he fought to cancel her momentum before they hit the wall.
He stopped just shy of the concrete, his feet millimeters from the edge. She'd managed to catch hold of him as he'd helped her avoid impact with a lot worse pain, and in theory she could try and out him. But as she looked at his back, realizing he'd risked losing for her sake, she didn't have the urge to win right then.
She hopped off, landing on the grass.
"Asui Out! Midoriya Wins!"
"Good match, Midoriya," she beamed up at him, "And hey, you didn't kick me."
"I promised I wouldn't," he said, floating down to be more level with her.
"I can see why Uraraka likes you. Guys who keep their word are pretty good."
He blushed and itched the back of his head.
"Y-yeah, I can see how they would be…"
Hopping towards the exit, she pointed towards the way out.
"I'm gonna go get fully healed now. Maybe take a nap. Be sure not to lose to something stupid. It'd make me feel bad."
"R-right."
"And hey!" Jiro shouted after her, leaning on the doorframe, "Don't psych yourself out."
Yaomomo nodded beside her, her bouncy and bright aura overflowing as she grinned after her. Ibara gave them a thumbs up, took a deep breath, and started walking out towards the ring.
"Everybody say: HEY!
It's the champion of 1-B; recovered from her last victory and ready to reload like an atom bomb; it's Ibara Shiozaki makin' waves!
Versus
1-A's trickiest cinnamon roll; She's a shooting star, leaping through the sky like a Tiger; it's Ochako Uraraka!"
"Don't hurt yourself with the Queen references, Mic…"
Stepping up the stairs to the ring, Ibara shook her head. He should have called her a supersonic woman, because she wasn't going to waste a second before claiming victory this time.
"Fighters ready?" Midnight asked, to which Ibara raised her vines.
Uraraka didn't drop into her low crouch like she had for the other matches. Instead, she seemed to just be stretching in a streamline position. Still, she gave the thumbs up.
"Start!"
Her hair rocketed forward, all six of her remaining healthy vines wrapping Uraraka's torso and preparing to toss her to the side. She started to pull, but blinked in surprise as she was the one who started sliding across the ground.
Narrowing her eyes, Ibara blinked in surprise as she realized what Uraraka had done. She'd held her hands up to avoid them being wrapped up, and brought them down to zero-G her vines. But her vines were still connected to her body, so she too was floating, and even if she detached them: she wouldn't counteract the effects.
Ibara had no traction now, but she could make some. Withdrawing two of her vines, she prepared to anchor herself into the ground and throw Uraraka out anyway. As they disengaged from her chest though, she felt herself continue to move.
Uraraka hadn't let go, still pulling on her vines as she tried to spin in place.
"Grip-breaking special move: Zero-Traction Hammer!"
Pulling herself up onto her vines, Ibara managed to catch air as they started spinning faster, but wasn't able to get a grip on the ground in time. Uraraka was spinning her for all she was worth, exactly like her move said: as an olympic hammertoss might go. But she couldn't swing forever, and if she released her grip, they'd both go flying, which would give Ibara the advantage again. She just had to outlast Uraraka's stomach.
She decided to add some extra incentive, and sent her remaining vines to grab her again, when everything shifted. She felt the pull of the spin gain the return of gravity and the loss of traction. Ibara felt herself start flying out and towards the wall.
Unlike Kirishima, she did have a vague understanding of physical laws, and retracted her vines to try and bring Uraraka's mass closer, so she would be easier to flip onto the other side and land second. In that moment, she knew she'd messed up. Uraraka came toward her unnaturally quickly, and before she could slow her vines: a pair of shoes hit her in the hip. The distraction took only a moment, but in free-fall that was all it took for her back to impact the ground.
"Shiozaki Out! Uraraka Wins!"
Sighing, Ibara laid her head against the grass. Uraraka had switched to remove her own gravity so quickly, when they were moving on the outward motion, she hadn't recognized a difference in her weight. But when they'd begun to fall, and she'd pulled her down, the change was obvious. It had probably taken every single trick Uraraka could think up to buy herself those crucial seconds.
"Shiozaki... please let go, so I don't throw up all over your hair… and you..."
Glancing up and over, she saw Uraraka was still being held aloft, holding her mouth and clearly distressed.
"Right!"
Easing her down, she let Uraraka go, and erected a quick cocoon for her so she wouldn't have to vomit another time on camera. After a few moments, she crawled back out and breathed heavily.
"Th-thank you…"
"Think nothing of it," she assured her opponent.
"You gonna watch my next fight with Deku from the 1-A box?"
"I think so. After I get my hair regrown. I don't really think the half-bald look works for me, do you?"
"Nah… Jiro probably thinks it's hot though…"
"She might," Ibara admitted, "But I'm not really up for punk looks. Far too scandalous."
"If you say so. See ya, Shiozaki."
"Bye…"
As the robots came over to help her up and clean up the mess, Ibara shook her head. The winners this year would both look like the worst of the losers, while the most thoroughly beaten of the losers seemed in pristine conditions. How would that seem to Pros looking for interns and sidekicks?
"No. I absolutely forbid it."
"I'm taking him, love. If he doesn't learn this now, he'll become set in his ways by the time he becomes a Pro, and as much as I hate to say it: he's well on his way," Yu said adamantly.
Nishiya sighed, rubbing his temples with a soft scraping of wood.
"You've seen what kind of Hero he's trying to become. It'll be torture for the both of you, and more you than him if he doesn't crack under your torture," he insisted.
Patting his shoulder affectionately, Yu grinned at him.
"Hey, you should be worried about your own intern. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was your secret love child or something. Gotta teach her all the ways to use your powers, yeah?"
Frowning at her, Nishiya sighed.
"We're not that alike," he protested, "And at least I know I won't be assaulted in my own agency while I'm with her."
"I dunno," Yu teased, tapping her lips thoughtfully, "She had some fire in her eyes there in the match before this. You might get-"
"Don't you dare-"
"-burned."
Her pun seemed to physically wound him, with how much he sagged and slumped against the table at that. Yu giggled at him. He was always so dramatic.
Usually she would have given him a quick kiss to make it up to him, but Deatharms was on his way back over, and they were still keeping their relationship on the down-low.
Izuku swallowed, not sure if he was ready for this. Fighting Ura- Senchan? He wouldn't even know how. He wouldn't kick her, and unlike with Tsu-chan, he couldn't exactly use her power against her. Then again, her power didn't really affect him all that much either. Would they just be stuck in a match of them rushing around one another?
"It's that time, ladies, gents, and the technicolor rainbow in-between!
Leader of the last two events; he's untouchable but he appreciates the attempt; Izuku Midoriya!
Versus!
She's tricky, she's quick, and she's all smiles today; Ochako Uraraka!"
Present Mic was fairly screaming now, trying to get the crowd invested. He had to admit, they weren't exactly drawing out the fights like the first years traditionally did. They weren't even really showing off like they could have. They were doing the thing rationally, like Aizawa might have: winning and moving on. Well, mostly.
"Ready to lose, Deku?!" she called at him, beaming with excitement.
"Either way, you're not getting that Buffet Dinner, Senchan," he teased back, hopping on his feet a little.
Midnight's grin wasn't one he particularly liked right then. He realized she might have made all sorts of implications about their having nicknames, had they not been live. Instead she just raised her whip and called out the ready.
Senchan gave a few quick punches and nodded. Izuku got on the balls of his feet and gave the OK.
"START!"
Izuku charged, turning on his Float and rocketing towards Senchan feet-first. She dropped into a crouch just like his, and seemed like she was preparing to catch him. At the last second, he stopped dead, slamming his shoes into the ground with all he was worth, not drawing on the odd lightning that seemed to come from someone else (probably Nana, but he didn't want to call her out just yet).
The impact of his sudden stop released a gust of air, blowing Senchan backwards with immense force. But instead of simply moving back, she rocketed upwards, her hands pressed together in her reverse-grip to let herself fly. His attack had thrown her clear of the ring, but she wasn't coming down any time soon.
Leaping after her, he tried to nudge her back down, but found her Zero-G body was hard to push around without her just spinning away and laughing. If he had his hands or a sure place to put his feet he could do it, but he didn't really want to step on her and hurt her back.
Izuku continued to circle and push at her, the two gliding higher and higher as the crowd watched them. They could probably see he was getting frustrated, and Senchan was getting a little nauseous. Hopefully she could hold out until he found a way to put her down, otherwise she'd end up falling-
"Goodbye organs," she groaned, tapping her fingers together and falling limp.
Then she started to plummet. Her Quirk, her body, or both had just given out.
Izuku didn't think, but simply moved. He raced down below her, shifting himself into an angled wedge so she would be caught between his chest and legs, since he couldn't grab her otherwise. He managed to slow her fall, before feeling his own power slowing and starting to fail. He let them land, sighing that she was safe.
"Midoriya Out! Uraraka wins! Ochako Uraraka is the winner of the First Year Sports Festival!"
"What-?!" Izuku tried to sit up, surprised and confused.
Senchan was already sitting up, managing to get off him and run towards the ring to get back where people could see her. As she got to the edge, she turned to look at him. She grinned and made the same unconscious face she'd had above, but left an eye open; the one on the side he hadn't been able to see.
She'd played him.
The sheer absurdity of his losing to such a simple trick made him shake his head and laugh. Well, he'd told her not to hold back, after all. He supposed it was his own fault.
"Izuku…" Inko bawled, the waterfall of her happy tears flowing out the door and down to the street.
She'd passed out multiple times throughout the festival, several of them being from dehydration. Mitsuki was holding her gently, patting her shoulder and offering her another water bottle.
"He did good, didn't he?"
"He's so cool!"
"Now, let's move on to the awards Ceremony!" Midnight called, waving to the three-tiered podium.
On one were young Shiozaki and young Asui. The two viridettes stood with small smiles, waving a little. Across was young Midoriya, his successor and right now: his pride and joy. He seemed a little shell-shocked, and Toshinori realized he was probably still surprised he'd made it to the second round, let alone the finalists. And on top, crying her eyes out in joy, was young Uraraka. She seemed to be giving young Midoriya a run for his money in the tear department, but at the same time she was smiling as brightly as he ever had.
Increasing his size and activating his power, Toshinori became All Might and prepared to leap into the stadium as Midnight read off the victors' names.
"Now for the medals!" she called, while All Might picked up the box and placed it in his belt, "Presenting them this year is… you know who!"
He leapt up and over, laughing as he felt the air around him.
"I AM…"
"He's everyone's favorite hero… All Might!" Midnight said at the same time.
"HERE with the medals!" he finished, landing in spectacular fashion.
All Might glanced over at her, confused. She placed her hands together and bowed apologetically.
"Cut you off. Sorry." she whispered.
Giving her a small nod, All Might stepped over to the third-place stand. The two girls stood at attention, the latter seeming a little wary of him. Well, he was rather large when seen up close for the first time.
"Asui, Shiozaki," he greeted, holding out their bronze medals.
Placing one on Asui, he gave her a small hug.
"Asui. You were imaginative and quick in your matches, and I foresee you will be a strong Hero one day. But keep your wits as sharp as your tongue, else a clever villain out-think you."
"Kero," she agreed.
Next he awarded Shiozaki, who took the hug much more stiffly.
"Shiozaki, you fought with a passion and original thinking I was greatly impressed by," he admitted, "But while normally I tell young heroes to find grace in defeat, for you I have a different task: learn to accept that in this job you will fail. You will struggle, and sometimes you will make mistakes. Others can't wait for you to find peace with yourself, so you must learn not to hold back your strengths and to act without self-incrimination until the day is over."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
He stepped past to the #2 spot, where his pupil stood, ready to challenge Uraraka's attempt to dethrone him as Prince of Crying. He laughed softly, and offered up the silver medal.
"Midoriya," he said, feeling some emotion in his own voice, "I told you before this started to show the world you were here and ready to protect them. You've utterly succeeded, my boy. But in the future, I'd recommend you show them you can continue protecting them after a match."
"R-right," he managed, holding back tears as he received his hug and medal.
"Uraraka," All Might said, stepping up to reward her with the gold, "I've heard of your wonderful Hero motivations. The best defenders of peace start with their homes. For this reason, I praise your resolve and ask… that you not sell this medal."
She managed to get a laugh past her tears, and nodded as he placed it over her head.
"You were devious, clever, decisive, and showed great dedication. Though you pushed yourself further than your limits each time, and showed the world the cost of your attempts, you held strong. I foresee you becoming a Hero greater than you can yet imagine. All I can recommend is that you be certain to train your body to handle the strain of time. Each match had you worn out, and in the field one cannot be so easily defeated. But you're well on your way."
"Yes sir!" she vowed, gripping her medal with the brightest smile he'd seen her wear yet.
"Oh, and don't let Midoriya get you too worked up," he added, as an afterthought, "If you start breaking bones like him, you'll be the one popping up expenses."
Stepping away, he gestured to the four.
"Well! These are your winners! But hold on, everyone! Each and every person who gave it their all had the potential to be standing up here! You all witnessed it!
Competition!
Encouragement!
The Refusal to Accept anything but your Best!
Pushing one another to climb higher and higher!
The seeds of potential you saw here today will sprout into the Heroes of the Future! In that spirit, let's have one final cheer! Everyone say it with me! One, Two, and…"
"Plus Ultra!" dozens of voices shouted.
"THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HARD WORK!" All Might called at the same time.
There was an awkward silence, into which Midnight whispered to him: "I think they wanted you to say Plus Ultra…"
"I- I know," he protested back, just as quiet, "But they all did so good…"
So, I got exactly 1 vote for Ibara joining in the eventual MomoJiro. Just gonna say that if you don't get in on it now: it'll be too late later.
(I'm already writing final exams here!)
Anyway, love you all!
Be Safe!
Comment Much so I don't go insane pls!