Tribulations: Part Two
The Wrestling Hero: Rollstone walked through the streets of Hosu, his cape flowing in the spring breeze. Besides the cape he was shirtless and wearing brown pants and a red mask. He looked like a portly luchador and that was by design. When he was young, he saw clips of the Mexican wrestlers in action and fell in love. The bravado. The machismo. The athleticism. He felt drawn to it like a moth to a flame. He followed all the most recent fights and looked up highlights from olden times, including ones that came before Quirks emerged.
When he was training to become a hero, he made sure to design his costume based on the wrestlers. Sure people made fun of him in school for it, but that didn't matter to him. He was already made fun of for his physique so what would more insults do?
When he was a sidekick under Death Arms, he was told that cold hard efficiency was better than flash but he figured that he could have both right? Of course the Pro Hero didn't agree with him. They butt heads about that ideology with such frequency and ferocity that it was a major factor in his decision to go independent early.
'Sucks that I can't catch the Sports Festival,' he thought to himself, 'But it ain't like I need a sidekick just yet. And hey, I can catch the highlights after work is done.'
As he patrolled the city, some of the citizens called out his name and waved. He smiled and flexed his muscles, doing some poses to excite them.
"Hoo! Ha!" he yelled as he posed.
"Mommy, look! It's the man from the ladder commercial!" One young boy said.
Rollstone smiled sheepishly. 'Was it that popular?'
"Can you sign my hat mister?" the boy asked.
"Why certainly, young man! Anything for a fan!" he said, grabbing the baseball hat he was wearing. The kid beamed as he signed the hat.
"What do you say to the polite hero?" his mother asked.
"Thanks mister."
Rollstone nodded and walked away. 'I should probably patrol some alleyways. You never know what's happening there…'
He entered one of the back alleys to begin his patrol. As he walked deeper into the path, he could feel that he was being watched. He shrugged it off, assuming some fan was looking at him from the balcony. He turned the corner. As he took a couple of steps, he glanced around the alleyway. He then heard a very faint sound from behind him and turned to look.
A wild-haired man gazed back at him, red eyes piercing him with a stare. He had yellow bandages around his arms and a long red cloth tied around his forehead like a headband. The end of the cloth flapped faintly in the spring breeze. His eyes were covered by a domino mask with a white brim around it. He had a variety of blades on his person, one of them being in his hand. The man swiped at him with the sword but Rollstone leaped back to evade the attack.
'A villain?!'
The assailant continued his attack, dashing towards the hero. He swung the sword, the serrated blade whizzing through the air. Rollstone moved his head backwards to dodge the assault. The very tip of the sword dug into his cheek, cutting into his skin and drawing blood. Other than that, he was fine. He dashed forward, sending a hard punch towards the villain's abdomen, launching him a couple feet away. He then activated his Quirk, causing his body to morph into a spherical ball of mass which began rolling towards his opponent post haste.
"You asked for it!" he yelled as he attacked. The villain leaped onto the wall to evade the rolling hero. As he hung on a nearby pipe, the foe pointed his blade towards his face and opened his mouth. A long tongue emerged from his maw and licked the tip of the sword.
Rollstone suddenly collapsed onto his hands and feet, his muscles and bones refusing to adhere to his commands. His Quirk also deactivated as a result of this.
'What the-?! C'mon! Move!'
The assailant then stomped the hero on the head, causing the man to fall onto his chest. He stepped onto his back, making sure that he couldn't escape. Rollstone's heart was sporadically beating in his chest, his brain reeling from the circumstances.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
"Katashi Chikara, a.k.a. Rollstone. You have been judged and found lacking as a hero." The man raised his serrated sword, the blade facing the hero, "For your transgressions, I hereby sacrifice you for a better world."
His heart rate continuously sped up.
THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP
The villain's arm swung downwards, attacking with the coup de grace.
And Rollstone was no more.
#######
"Let's get this next match under way."
The two students entered the ring, both of them decked out in various gadgets. Iida's expression was tense yet unreadable while Hatsume was chuckling in her typical manic fashion. Midnight glanced at the two before focusing on the bespectacled hero student.
"Hmm? What are you doing, Iida?" the teacher asked, "You aren't authorized to use those."
Iida looked quizzically at her.
"I apologize, ma'am, but I assumed it was fine since other students had access to Support items." he replied.
"You have to fill out a form for proper access."
"I wasn't aware of that, Miss Midnight; however, my compatriot and foe pulled me aside and insisted that I use some of her inventions, for the sake of fairness of course. I was so moved by her plea for equality that I agreed."
"Is that so?" Midnight said, looking at Hatsume. The salmon-haired girl nodded, still chuckling fervently. The heroine raised an eyebrow at the girl's demeanor before shrugging.
"Alright then." She raised her whip to the air before flicking her arm back down.
"It seems that the problem has been resolved."
"Great! On the right, the speed demon and President of 1-A, the man with a plan, Tenya Iida! And on the left, the tinkering inventor from 1-H; who knows what she has up her sleeves? Give it up for Mei Hatsume!"
Midnight repeated the action to begin the match.
"And begin!"
Iida activated his Quirk, dashing towards Hatsume at break-neck speed. The girl stood in place, a large smile on her face as she began speaking.
"How is the acceleration?! Pretty great, right Iida?!"
Her voice resonated throughout the arena, causing many to look up confused.
"What the-" Mic said, "How is she doing that?"
"She's speaking through the comms. When did she get this set up? And how'd she gain access?" Aizawa replied, a bit concerned.
"How are your legs feeling?! I bet they're lighter than regular!"
"Now that you mention it…" Iida said, as he lunged at her. However, all he hit was air as a beam protruded from the gadget on Hatsume's back, propelling the girl to the side.
"Of course, with preparation, even high speeds can be evaded with this invention: the Hydraulic Attachment Bar!" She announced.
Iida sped past her before making a very quick 180, a movement that surprised the bespectacled lad as much as her deft dodge.
"Already facing me once more as well! Being equipped with my Auto Balancer would do that! Tell me: is the angling correct?! Any feeling of discomfort?!"
"I'm fine!" Iida growled out, a bit miffed that he was being so expertly outmaneuvered. He sprinted towards her again and again as she dodged him continuously. Whenever he felt that he backed her into a corner, she would use her jetpack to launch herself upward and away from him.
After ten minutes of this routine, along with her incessant prattling about her various gizmos, she stepped out of the ring of her own accord. Iida, at that point, was more than a little angry at the whole ordeal.
"And that's all I had to show!" She proclaimed, shutting off her microphone. Her broadcast ended.
"Hatsume is out of the ring! Iida moves on!" Midnight announced.
"You deceived me!" Iida roared. Hatsume flashed a sheepish grin and muttered an apology.
Izuku and Ochaco watched the scene play out, a look of confused sympathy on their faces.
"Iida's just too honest for his own good, huh?" Izuku remarked.
"He got played like a dang fiddle…" Ochaco rose to her feet, "Well, I should probably head over to the waiting rooms."
Izuku nodded, "Good luck." she said as Ochaco walked away, just barely noticing the nervous expression the brunette had.
Minutes passed with complete silence from the commentators. On the stage, Midnight listened to her headset as they explained their problem.
"Are you serious?!" Midnight exclaimed before sighing, "Just get it back online! We'll wait until then!"
While she waited for the next match to start, Izuku pondered the next round.
'I have to face Todoroki immediately after this round ends. Alright don't panic! He may seem super intimidating but he's not invincible. Nobody's invincible; not even…' Her thoughts faltered but she forced herself to complete it. 'Not even All Might.' She swallowed the dread that statement made her feel. 'All I need to do is find Todoroki's weakness.'
'Well the most logical thing would be fire but given what I know now that could not be further from the truth. If anything, fire would only help him. So fire's out, not that I could even use that without cheating.'
Izuku rapped her knuckles on her forehead irritatedly. 'And just like that I've already run out of ideas! Dammit Izuku, think!'
She then noticed Iida approaching her. She put her brainstorming session on pause.
"Hey, Iida! Great match!" she jeered with a smile.
"Shut it." he replied with a sour expression.
"I really loved the part where you ran at her and she dodged! It was a really great move! Really had me at the edge of my seat there!
"I said shut it!"
"I kid, I kid!" she said while chuckling, "Let's hope your next match is better, huh?"
Iida nodded. "I ran into Uraraka on my way back. She was awfully nervous from what I can tell."
Izuku's face became serious instantly. "Of course she'd be. Bakugo's really tough and she has to face him in the first round."
"Do you think she could win?" Iida asked.
Izuku looked away, her expression darkening, "I mean, anything's possible…"
After twelve minutes of radio silence, the presenters were finally back online.
"That was troublesome." Aizawa said, his voice transmitting once more, "Well, Match Number Five is starting now. It's another free-for-all."
"It's a battle between three people! The king of flash; will he show some substance as well?! Give it up for the dazzling Yuga Aoyama!"
Aoyama's smile was cocksure, pushing some stray locks out of his eyes.
"There's also the pink devil herself, the bright and energetic Mina Ashido!"
Ashido's grin was the same, though a small twinge at the side proved it to be a projection. She pointed her fingers at her two opponents and giggled to hide her anxiety saying:
"I got this in the bag!"
"And last but not least the contestant from 1-B, the mischievous Setsuna Tokage!"
Tokage's smile, however, looked a bit demented. Her teeth were bared out like fangs and her eyes were narrowed as if she was witnessing a disaster and found it hilarious. On top of that, her uniform was worn in a strange way. Her pant legs were rolled up to her knees and her sleeves were rolled up to her shoulders. She also exposed a portion of her stomach by rolling up her shirt a bit.
Midnight looked at the three students. "You ready?"
"Oui professeure." Aoyama said.
"Mmhm." Ashido answered.
Tokage gave two thumbs up in response.
"Now begin!"
At once, two of the three students moved. Aoyama's belt glowed a brilliant blue and a moment later a beam of light erupted from the device situated in the middle. The blast zoomed towards Ashido who was skating over pink goo that was seeping from her soles. The pink-skinned girl swerved to the right, evading the blast. Aoyama ceased his attack almost immediately, a slight look of discomfort on his face.
"Excellent movement, mon collègue!" Aoyama commended as he prepared to attack again, "How about this?!"
Again his Navel Laser attack emerged and again Ashido weaved away from the blast. Her progress was unimpeded; she still slid forward.
"Ashido's zigging and zagging is giving Aoyama the works! The poor kid can't even land a hit!"
'Hmm. For the legs then.' Aoyama aimed his belt lower and fired once more, attempting to trip Ashido up. To his dismay, she leaped over the attack but he didn't relent. He moved his waist, his Quirk still active as he tried to shoot her while in midair.
"I've got you now madam!" Aoyama cheered,his face twisted with nausea and pain. But alas, he celebrated too early as his classmate managed to evade that deviation by moving her legs upward.
'It seems I underestimated her agility.'
"You won't hit me! I already know your moves!" Ashido taunted.
She landed with ease, continuing her skating towards the blond-haired boy. Pink acid seeped into the ring, melting the concrete that she was moving on. At the same time, Aoyama quivered as he stood, the drawbacks of his Quirk starting to take their toll on his stomach.
"And you're out!" she shouted, pulling her hand back. Acid collected in her palm and she chucked it at Aoyama's waist. Pink covered the gem on his belt, steam rising from the reaction.
"My belt!" Aoyama exclaimed. Ashido wasn't finished however. She blitzed towards him before winding up and hitting him with an absolutely massive uppercut. The blond boy's body was sent flying upward before he landed on his back a moment later. Steam rose from his belt, which was an after effect of the acid that Ashido used. He was completely still save for the gentle rise and fall of his chest.
"Aoyama's all tuckered out."
"Looks like that's one down, but what's the deal with our third combatant?! She's just standing there!"
Ashido turned to look at her other opponent only to find the 1-B student staring back, the same smile on her face.
"That was a pretty good show that you put on," Tokage remarked, "So you can make acid? Not gonna lie, that's a pretty dope Quirk."
Ashido activated her Quirk and immediately began skating towards the girl. Tokage stood still as the pink-skinned girl approached.
'Here we go!' She pulled an arm back, winding up for another strong punch. When she reached her opponent, she sent her fist towards her head. As she felt knuckles hit face, Ashido inwardly celebrated…
…And was instantly horrified as Tokage's head went flying off her body!
"Ohmygod!" Ashido shrieked. She watched with sickening dread as the girl's headless body hit the floor. Tokage's head rolled on the concrete floor before coming to a stop; her eyes were wide open and her mouth agape. Members of the crowd gasped with horror at the scene but there was something that neither they nor Ashido noticed: no blood gushed out of Tokage's head or body.
Ashido turned to the referee. "Miss Midnight, call an ambulance! We gotta save her!"
The heroine had the strangest look on her face but didn't respond. Her eyes were wide and her lips were crooked, as if trapped between a grin and a grimace.
"Why are you just staring at me?! She's dying!" She gestured wildly at her opponent's body and turned to look at it. Her eyes widened when she realized it wasn't there.
"What the hell?" She turned to look at the head but found that it was also gone. "What's going on-"
Suddenly she felt a pair of hands clasp under her shoulders. She felt herself being forced upward at a very fast rate; her feet flew off the ground and were dangling midair. Ashido thrashed and struggled, trying to free herself from her assailant. However, just as quickly as she flew in the air she was brought back to the ground; her eyes were squeezed shut and she could only feel the sensation of falling. She screamed.
She then felt the falling sensation stop abruptly. She opened her eyes and saw the ground very close again. The hands on her armpits loosened and she was promptly let go, landing safely on the ground outside of the ring. Ashido turned to look at her assailant and gasped.
"Ashido has been sent out of bounds! Tokage wins the match!"
Tokage looked at Ashido with a large grin. Her torso slowly reconnected to her legs as she said. "Sorry for the spectacle but I really didn't want to have to fight for that long!"
Ashido didn't respond, her surprised expression switching to an enraged one. The 1-B student noticed it and frowned in contemplation.
"Hey you okay? It's not that-"
"Fuck you." And with that Ashido stormed off.
Tokage stood there for a couple of seconds. 'Aw dammit.' she thought. Tokage then left the ring and walked towards a separate tunnel while Midnight called some medical robots to carry Aoyama to Recover Girl.
Izuku mulled over her thoughts after watching that whole exchange. 'Man, Ashido does not look happy. I'd be mad too if I was tricked like that. Seriously uncool; faking death is going a bit overboard. Still, if I had that Quirk I'd probably do something similar. There's so many different applications for a Quirk like that…"
Izuku was suddenly shaken out of her thoughts by raucous laughter coming from the section right next to hers. She turned to look who was causing the commotion and found the blond-haired boy from 1-B having a grand old laugh.
"Goes to show how stupid 1-A is! Did she honestly believe that she knocked a person's head clean off their body? With a single punch no less?! Overconfident much?!" He continued laughing.
Izuku's eyebrows twitched at the boy's comments; she noticed Jiro covering her ears to muffle his laughter. "God his voice is grating." she mumbled with complaint. Izuku strongly considered telling the boy off, but before she could do so, someone else began speaking.
"Pardon me, my fellow student." Iida said, his voice weirdly calm, "Would you kindly quiet down? You're disturbing the other patrons."
Monoma looked like he wanted to say something in response but he was interrupted by the red-haired girl sitting next to him.
"You heard him, Monoma. Quit being a nuisance," she commanded. The blond's eyes widened but his expression returned to normal.
"Hmph! Fine." Monoma grumbled.
"Sorry about that guys." she said to the 1-A students. "We'll be more quiet."
"Much appreciated." Iida replied. Izuku quietly said her thanks to her friend.
"Without further ado, let's continue!" Mic said, "Firstly, we have the Human Swiss Army Knife, Momo Yaoyorozu! Secondly, we have the extremely sharp Togaru Kamakiri! Finally, we have the dark lord himself, Fumikage Tokoyami!"
The three students stood in a triangular formation in the large circle, all facing each other. Yaoyorozu's hands twitched and with her stomach exposed, ready to conjure up any creations. Kamakiri stood with a large smile present on his mandibular face, his narrow eyes staring at her. Tokoyami had his arms crossed and his eyes closed.
"Are you kids ready?" Midnight asked.
"Yes Miss Midnight." Yaoyorozu replied.
"You bet." Kamakiri said as he punched his palm, his smile and gaze unwavering.
Tokoyami just nodded, his red eyes opening.
Midnight cracked her whip. "Begin!"
Instantly, sharp blades emerged from the lime-haired teen's arms. At the same time he dashed forwards as they grew to an obscene length and width. Yaoyorozu responded by creating a sword and shield, planting her feet to defend herself.
CLANG
"And Kamakiri immediately goes after Yaoyorozu! Look at the raw fervor of this young man, ladies and gentleman!"
"As they say, fortune favors the bold."
Metal clashed against metal, neither teen willing to back down. Yaoyorozu had a determined snarl on her face while Kamakiri's ever present smile faltered slightly though it was still there. His eyes were as large as dinner plates, giving him a maddened look.
"Nice , nice, nice!" he exclaimed, jumping back, "Good to know you aren't just a 3-D printer! You have the strength to back up your Quirk, huh? That's great!" his smile turned a bit more sinister. "Lord knows how many people try to get by on their Quirks alone."
Yaoyorozu didn't respond nor did she attack; she just stood there with a fixed expression on her face.
'Pyrodex, sugar, sawdust…' her thoughts were cut short as the sword-wielding teen continued his assault, lunging at her again with just as much ferocity as before.
"Ah, ah, ah," he said, reprimanding-like, "I'm not just gonna let you make more stuff! You wanna do that, you'll have to do it while we're fighting! Or is that something you can't do?!"
"Kamakiri's not giving her a second to breathe it seems. How will Yaoyorozu respond?"
'Dammit; he knows about my weakness!' She put up her shield to block, going all in on her defensive plan, 'Focus! Pyrodex, sugar…'
Just then, she saw an opening in his attack. As he swung his right hand, the heavy blade attached to it, she parried with her own sword. She pushed to her left, simultaneously halting the boy's right arm while evading his other arm. She tucked her right shoulder inwards, bringing her shield closer to her center of mass before kicking her right forearm out. The shield bashed Kamakiri in the stomach.
"UGH!" the tall boy shouted as he doubled over in pain. Yaoyorozu immediately followed that up by a kick to the chest which sent Kamakiri careening to the ground.
"Nice shot from Yaoyorozu! Kamakiri's hurting now!"
'Now's my chance! Pyrodex, sugar, sawdust, sulfur…'
Before she could get a moment's reprieve, a shadowy figure came barreling toward her. She failed to evade in time but managed to put up her guard. It struck her shield with such force that she skidded backward.
"Tokoyami finally decided to join the fray! Yaoyorozu just can't catch a break!"
'I have to put him down quickly! Let's see: steel, magnesium, potassium ni-'
Once again, her thoughts were interrupted as the sentient Quirk continued colliding against her shield. She tried to slash it with her sword but it was far too quick. It struck her wrist, sending the blade clattering to the floor.
'Come on!' she thought, her left hand glowing pink. A small cylindrical device emerged from her palm. 'Got it!'
At the same time, Dark Shadow struck her shield again. Again her feet skidded back but now she was ready. Yaoyorozu winded her left arm back, ready to throw the flash grenade at the beaked teen.
"Yaoyorozu is out of bounds!"
"What?!" the raven exclaimed. She looked down at her feet and her eyes widened. A part of her right foot was over the circular line, "Nooo!"
"Ohh! After managing to knock down Kamakiri, Yaoyorozu was bombarded by Tokoyami and narrowly sent out of the ring! Now there's only two contenders left!"
Yaoyorozu dropped her shield, the metal falling with a clatter. She clutched the grenade in her hand as she fell onto her knees, her head looking at the ground.
Meanwhile, Kamakiri slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his bruising stomach. "You no-good bastard! You stole my win!"
Tokoyami gazed stoically at him from afar and shrugged, "I took advantage of your distractions. Nothing more, nothing less."
"I'm so gonna kick your ass!" With that, the lime-haired teen charged, his signature blades emerging from his arms again. Tokoyami deployed Dark Shadow to defend him; the sentient Quirk grabbed both of Kamakiri's swords but the 1-B student was undeterred. They were now locked in a struggle.
"So that's what your Quirk is, huh? You summon some monster to do your work for you?!"
"Who're you calling a monster you bug-faced punk?!" Dark Shadow roared, his grip strengthening which Kamakiri would've noticed if he wasn't confused about the talking blob of shadow. As such, he was unprepared when he was thrown to the side. He hit the ground with a roll and was quickly back to his feet, blocking a slash from the now slightly bigger Dark Shadow.
'This thing can talk?!' he thought. He thrusted his other bladed arm at the Quirk's abdomen. The sword pierced the creature's shadowy hide.
"After a bit of a struggle, Kamakiri managed to get a hit in!"
"You think that'll work on me?!" Dark Shadow exclaimed, winding up an attack with its free hand. Kamakiri slashed with his other blade but not before getting struck hard in the abdomen.
"It was not very effective."
"But Tokoyami's counterattack is affecting Kamakiri just fine!"
He jumped back to gain some distance, painfully massaging his stomach. 'Agh,,,that smarts!' he thought.
"Tough guy," he said sarcastically, "Hiding behind a body guard like that. Why don't you face me mano y mano, hmm?"
If Tokoyami was bothered by Kamakiri's comments, his face didn't show it. "I'll pass."
Kamakiri sneered, "Figured." He reactivated his Quirk, this time making disproportionately sized blades on each arm. On his left arm was a long thin sword protruding from his forearm and on his right was a wide curved blade emerging from his elbow. The second blade looked more akin to a shield, though the sharp edge made it clear that it was still a product of his Quirk.
"I'll be damned if I lose to a gutless bastard like you." he said. Tokoyami still held an even expression. Dark Shadow, on the other hand, looked positively fuming. It floated in the air, its claws large and sharp, its mouth opened wide. It's yellow eyes shifted to orange, which puzzled the green-haired student.
"I'll show you gutless, motherfucker!" Dark Shadow yelled again. It lunged at Kamakiri again but this time he was prepared. He dodged to his left, evading the angered Quirk. He then bashed it on the head with his improvised shield before using that same shield as a barricade between the Quirk and himself.
'Now!' He began sprinting forward, his "shield" still positioned the same way. Tokoyami's eyes widened as he saw what the 1-B student was trying to do.
'Dark Shadow, to me!'
'I got that bastard!'
Dark Shadow looped around, trying to cut Kamakiri off from his destination. But before the Quirk could attack him, Kamakiri was already in front of the defenseless Tokoyami.
"Kamakiri has him on the ropes!"
"Gotcha ya bastard!" Kamakiri shouted, his left blade retracting into his body. He swung at the red-eyed teen, who evaded the strike by moving his head back. Kamakiri grinned before he dropped onto the ground, performing a swift low kick. Tokoyami, not expecting the quick attack, tumbled backward. He looked up and found a blade to his face.
"Tokoyami's in dire straits."
"Told you that I wouldn't lose to you." Kamakiri said, a cocky smirk on his face, "Give up."
Tokoyami stared back before smirking as well. "And why should I do that when I'm about to win."
At that very moment, Dark Shadow grabbed Kamakiri from behind, pulling him away from Tokoyami by the shoulders. The Quirk then spun the teen around before pinning him on the ground; he was struggling throughout, his blades clanging against the concrete floor.
"Look at you! Fallen and you can't get up! How sad!" Dark Shadow boasted, "How does it feel to lose to a 'gutless bastard' and his 'monster'?"
"Lemme go!" Kamakiri shouted, thrashing all the while.
"Nope! Now give up or I'll show you," the Quirk's voice seemed to grow more vicious, "Just how monstrous I can be!"
Kamakiri, to his credit, was not remotely scared by the threat; he was not ready to back down. Unfortunately for him, Midnight decided that it was enough.
"Kamakiri is pinned and can no longer move! The winner is Tokoyami!"
The crowd cheered loudly, clapping and throwing compliments as they did. At Tokoyami's behest, Dark Shadow released Kamakiri. The tall teen sheathed his weapons and rose to his feet, brushing himself off. Tokoyami also stood up and Yaoyorozu re-entered the ring.
"Alright now! Handshake time!"
The trio locked hands, each of them shaking their two opponents. Tokoyami was silently glaring at Kamakiri who did the same. Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu's eyes were still on the floor.
"I'm gonna get you next time." Kamakiri declared to the shorter teenager.
"You'll try." Tokoyami replied.
"And I'll beat your little friend too." Kamakiri continued.
"Again, you will try."
Kamakiri hmphed before turning to Yaoyorozu. "You too. Once we get a rematch, I want no…distractions." he said that last part while glancing at Tokoyami.
Yaoyorozu didn't respond. She let go of the two boys' hands and began walking back to the tunnels early.
"Can't seem to take a loss can she?" Kamakiri groused. Tokoyami shrugged before leaving the stage.
Izuku watched that fight, mentally jotting down notes on each contestant. 'Tokoyami really caught a break there. From the looks of it, Yaoyorozu was about to use a flash grenade before she was sent out of bounds. That Kamakiri almost had him too; given how utilitarian his Quirk is, it's a real surprise.'
"Time for the penultimate round! In the right corner we have the steely Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! In the left corner we have the hardened Eijiro Kirishima!"
"Really getting creative aren't we?"
"Let's get it on!"
"Begin the match!" Midnight ordered.
"Looks like you got some really rotten luck, 1-A!" Tetsutetsu taunted, "It's honestly kinda sad."
Kirishima cocked his head in confusion.
"It's a damn shame for you to face me this early. Well, I guess there's always next year, huh?"
"Alright timeout." Kirishima said, crossing his hands into a T shape.
"Can he-can he do that?" Tetsutetsu asked, thoroughly bewildered by the faux redhead's response.
"I'll allow it." Midnight responded, a bit interested herself.
"Okay what's your deal my dude?"
"What do you mean?" Tetsutetsu asked right back, "I just wanna kick some 1-A ass! That's my deal!"
"That right there! Why specifically 1-A huh? What did we do to you?"
"You guys rub me the wrong way is all! With your cocky attitude and your flashiness and your cocky attitude and your rudeness and your…cocky attitude!"
Kirishima was befuddled. "You said cocky attitude three times!"
"Well it's true!"
"How would you even know that?"
"Because of that blond bastard of course!"
"I mean Bakugo's cool and all but he doesn't speak for us. He just says what's on his mind. What, do you think just because one person says something that means an entire group believes it?"
"Shut up!" Tetsutetsu shouted. He activated his Quirk, causing his skin to shift to a silver hue. He then ran towards Kirishima, ready to swing. Kirishima rightfully decided to activate his own Quirk, giving his body a sharp sort of rigidity.
"After some deliberation, the fight's now under way."
The two teens clashed in the middle of the ring. The iron-covered teen struck Kirishima with his fist, causing sparks to fly from the point of friction. Kirishima shrugged off that attack and responded with his own. It was equally ineffective.
"So you got the same Quirk that I have huh?!" Tetsutetsu barked out.
"I mean not exactly…" Kirishima responded before attacking once more. He struck his opponent in the jaw but like before nothing happened.
"Silly 1-A! Attacking me is useless, useless, useless!" He followed each word with a punch to Kirishima's stomach.
The red-haired teen was sent skidding backwards but bounced back immediately sending a flurry of blows as he shouted:
"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!"
Tetsutetsu responded with his own attacks, still yelling out, "Useless, useless, useless!"
Izuku already felt herself losing interest in this match. 'Might as well see how Ochaco is doing,' she thought, rising to her feet.
"Are you going to visit Uraraka before her match?" she heard Iida ask.
Izuku nodded. "Which waiting room is she in?"
"Waiting room B."
"Thanks." Iida nodded before turning back to the match. Izuku took the stairs towards the concourse of the stadium.
After taking a quick detour, Izuku found herself in front of the door to the room. She rapped her knuckles on the door and waited for a response. She didn't have to wait long as she heard Ochaco's voice call out, "Come in!"
Izuku entered the room. "Hey Ochaco. How are you doing-Agh! What's with your eyebrows!"
Ochaco's furrowed eyebrows quickly returned to normal. "My eyebrows again? I swear this always happens when I'm nervous. Even Iida said the same thing when he came in earlier!"
"You must be really nervous for your match huh?"
Ochaco's expression quickly dampened as she looked at the ground. "You're right! My stomach's just a bundle of nerves right now. Like a frenzy of butterflies down there." She then put up a sheepish smile, "But if what Iida said is right, then Bakugo won't be taking me seriously. Being a girl and all that."
"I wouldn't count on that," Izuku refuted, "Bakugo has never cared about gender. All he cares about is showing that he's the best there is, no matter what it takes. He'll probably go as hard as ever."
"Oh." Ochaco replied, her voice shrinking, "Well that's comforting isn't it?"
"Sorry to be so blunt but I need you to be prepared. Speaking of which," Izuku showed Ochaco what she had in her hands: a small composition notebook, "I've come up with a plan."
"What's that?"
"It's one of my Quirk notebooks. In it I write the descriptions and observations of any Quirk that I see."
"I've never seen you doing that."
"It's because I do it when I'm alone. That doesn't matter though!" Izuku plopped the notebook on the desk and began shifting through the pages, "I came up with this plan on the way here but if you're real careful-like, I'll bet it'll-"
"Sorry Izuku, but I'm fine."
Izuku immediately stopped and looked at her friend. "Huh?"
"I really appreciate that you would do this for me. You're a really dependable gal aren't ya?"
Izuku didn't respond and Ochaco continued.
"And I don't just mean now either. At every turn you've had my back. At the Entrance Exam, at the Battle Training. I bet if we were together during the USJ Incident that it would be exactly the same."
"It's not that big of a deal-"
"Even in this school event, that stayed the same. At first, I teamed up with you because I honestly felt that it would be easiest to work with friends. In fact, I was angry that Iida didn't feel the same. But now that I really think about it, I really was trusting that you get us through it. And you know what the funny thing is? It was an instinct, something that I didn't have second thoughts about. I can't remember when I began feeling that way but that's how I felt, how I still feel."
Izuku nodded as she listened, a slight blush on her freckled cheeks.
"But when Iida declared that he saw you as a rival, well I felt even more angry. And again I thought about it some more and do you know what I feel now? A bit ashamed. This is a fight for our future. Each of us has to give it our all because in events like these, friendships turn to rivalries and here I am just depending on you. It makes me feel like a leech."
Izuku opened her mouth then closed it, unable to find the words to say to her friend. Ochaco looked at her and grinned.
"It has nothing against you, but if I want to make my parents proud then I'll have to stand on my own." Her grin turned into a confident smirk, "So thanks but no thanks, Izu. I'll be fine by myself!"
"And it's a double knockout! The match is over!"
"Looks like that's my cue!" Ochaco said, rising out of her seat. She looked at the green eye and gave her a thumbs up, "Don't worry about me, Izu! I'll see you in the finals!"
Izuku smiled as she returned the thumbs up and watched as the brunette walked out of the door. Almost immediately, her smile turned into a worried frown.
"Let's hope you know what you're doing, Ochaco."
"So far it's been a wild ride and hopefully this will only grow as the tourney goes on! Time for the final match of the first round!" Mic's voice blared through the speakers. Izuku stood up and walked out the door to catch the match.
Ochaco walked into the ring, fire billowing from the corners of the rectangle. Across from her her opponent entered as well. The blond glared as he always did, an air of malice emanating from him even before they began the match. Midnight glanced at the tw students as they came to a stop across from each other.
"I know what you're about, Round Face. You get rid of gravity, huh?" Bakugo said with a snarl, "If you're a fucking yellowbelly then you'd better quit now, 'cuz I won't have you crying uncle later."
Ochaco's eyes widened but other than a pretty audible gulp she said nothing. A brief smirk appeared on Bakugo's face, a response to the girl's determination.
"I expect you guys have an understanding of the rules but just in case: you lose if you get pinned, fall unconscious, or sent out of the rings. Try anything heinous and you're the one DQ'd instead. Got it?" the heroine said, her gaze lingering on Bakugo far more than Ochaco.
The brunette nodded while Bakugo growled out a "Whatever."
"On one side we have the demolition expert with a face only a mother could love, Katsuki Bakugo! On the other we have the interstellar marvel and my personal pick to win this match, Ochaco Uraraka!"
"Pretty sure you're supposed to be unbiased for this commentating job."
"Begin!" Midnight called.
Ochaco immediately sprinted towards Bakugo, her hands trailing behind her. The blond stood in place.
'He's playing defensive? Alright then!'
However before she could even reach him, he swung an arm forward and let loose a powerful explosion in her direction. Ochaco was sent careening backward and a bunch of dust kicked up.
"What a brutal attack! He's not letting her get close at all!"
"That's a disadvantage that Uraraka has. She needs to touch her opponent to affect them while Bakugo can just sit back and fire away. Let's see how she tries to overcome his defenses."
"You think I'll just let you grab me?!" Bakugo shouted as he dived into the smoke. "Get real, shithead!" He managed to grab Ochaco's shirt and prepared to release another attack. Just then he realized that her shirt was loose, without anyone wearing it. At the same time, Ochaco pounced at him from behind.
'I got you now!' Her fingers hovered over his backside.
BOOM
Ochaco was sent flying back again, her attack being anticipated at the very last second. As she got back to her feet, she released another object from her hand. She immediately sprinted towards him again, this time running in a zig-zag pattern to confuse him. His eyes followed her movements but thanks to her Quirk enhancing her speed, she wasn't making it easy for him. He pointed his arms at her again but she dodged to the side and jumped towards him.
"That ain't it!" Bakugo shouted, sending his other armat her. Another explosion ripped through, kicking up yet more dust and erasing any progress she made.
"C'mon Ochaco." Izuku said as she grasped the guard rails.
"So stupid." she heard Monoma say from the 1-B section. She looked over with venom in her eyes but the blond didn't speak more.
"Man, Bakugo isn't giving her any slack. He's creating smokescreens but they're not even helping her." Sero remarked.
"It's his reaction time. If he was a bit slower on the take then she probably would've had him. But she's getting no favors." Kaminari retorted.
"I can't watch." Jiro said, her hands over her eyes.
Ochaco kept charging again, each time getting right into Bakugo's face and each time getting sent right back with nothing to show for it. At this point many audience members were silently wondering why the match hadn't been called off.
"C'mon ref! Can't you just end the match?! She's getting pummeled out there!" said one outspoken member of the crowd. Cementoss, the nearest referee, didn't respond.
"Ochaco's really getting beaten out there. Ribbit." Asui commented, "Even then, he's still going."
"She keeps going at it, but this is getting hard to watch!"
Still, Ochaco charged, her back hunched and posture low, seemingly always going for the boy's hindquarters. Just like always she was sent flying back and finally one of the Pro Heroes had enough.
"Hey, quit toying with the poor girl!" he said, giving a double thumbs down, "If you have her beat so bad, then send her out of the ring already!"
Once the complaints were spoken, many other audience members, some of which were Pro Heroes, joined in the heckling.
"Looks like our esteemed audience have had enough of this match! They've begun booing!" Mic announced, "Honestly, I kinda agree...Ack!"
Eraserhead, who just elbowed his co-host, began speaking. His eyes glowed red as he remarked, "Did a Pro say that? How many of you agree with that judgement? Because if that's what you guys think, then you're free to leave."
The crowd immediately quieted once those words were uttered.
"Go on. Head home. Don't stop there either. If that's what you've assessed from watching this fight, then clearly being a Pro is not for you. I'd suggest finding a different career as soon as possible."
The Pro Hero who incited the heckling yelled out, "As if I'll listen to some random commentator!"
"Doubling down are you? How foolish. Not only is your behavior unfair to the student that you deemed guilty of such heinous actions, but it's also insulting to Uraraka. She's come all this way to fight the best her class has to offer and you're treating her as if she doesn't deserve to be here at all, as if she's nothing more than a 'poor little girl'. Do you think she deserves that?"
The crowd murmured out a response then fell silent. Aizawa shut off his microphone and turned to his friend. "We have to be impartial here, Yamada. Cut that shit out. It's not fair to either of them."
Yamada turned back, looking apologetic and nodded, "Right. Sorry."
Ochaco stood once more, wiping some soot from her cheek as she glared at Bakugo. The blond glared back with a slight smirk as he beckoned her to come forward again. The brunette shook her head and Bakugo frowned.
"Thanks Bakugo." she said. Bakugo looked at her, stunned. She brought her fingers together.
"Yeah, that Bakugo's a real neanderthal. He fell for her trick hook, line, and sinker." Monoma said. Izuku looked up, finally noticing the rocks that were now falling from the sky.
"She's been collecting ammo this entire time?" she said, "Ochaco, you're nuts!"
"It's a hailstorm of death! She was just setting this up?!"
"Meteor Shower!" Ochaco yelled once the rocks were finally in range. At the same time, she dashed towards him, ready to finally nab him in the confusion. Bakugo looked up and with a panicked look on his face raised his arms at the sky while diving to the floor.
BOOOM
With an absolutely massive explosion, the debris turned to ash, all of which fell to the ground like rain. Ocacho was sent back from the monstrous force though she managed to stay in the ring. The entire place was covered including the two contestants. Ochaco's triumph disappeared along with her attack and was replaced with a sickening feeling of dread.
"All that preparation and it only took one explosion to turn her work into dust!"
"I knew you had a plan, but this was something else." Bakugo said, rising to his feet. His arms shook weakly and he rubbed his wrists with his hands. He looked at Ochaco with a wild expression. "'Bout time to get serious, Uraraka."
He started running forward, expecting Ochaco to continue and at first she did. However after taking only one step towards her opponent her body decided that enough was enough. The brunette collapsed to the ground and Bakugo stopped running.
"My body….? Dang it; my stomach's killing me." Ochaco said, but she dragged her arms across the floor, literally clawing herself to her opponent. Midnight stepped off the stage and into the ring.
"It's over. Sorry, but you're done." the teacher said.
"But..." Ochaco began to protest but she was immediately struck by a strong yet sweet aroma. After only a couple of seconds, the brunette was fast asleep.
"Ochaco can no longer move. Bakugo's the winner." Midnight declared just as she called for some medical robots.
"Bakugo's moving onto the second round! Speaking of which, let's bring in those mad lads!"
Izuku was already out of her seat before Kirishima and Tetsutetsu entered the ring.
Name: Ken Ishiyama (Alias: Cementoss)
Height/Weight: 6'1", 220 lbs
Quirk: Cement (Emitter)
He can mold any concrete that he touches with his hands, molding them into concrete structures. This only works for concrete; he cannot make concrete appear, only mold what is already existing. There doesn't seem to be any other limit to his ability.
Stats:
Power: C+
Speed: D+
Technique: A+
Intelligence: A
Cooperativeness: B
Name: Hanta Sero
Height/Weight: 5'10", 155 lbs
Quirk: Tape (Mutant)
His elbows are organic tape dispensers, spitting out extremely strong tape. He uses these to trap others and also to swing them around. He can also use his tape to fling himself around as long as they are connected to large structures. He can make a lot of tape but the amount is still limited.
Stats:
Power: E
Speed: B
Technique: B
Intelligence: C
Cooperativeness: A
Name: Fumikage Tokoyami
Height/Weight: 5'2", 115 lbs
Quirk: Dark Shadow (Emitter)
He can call forth a sentient and powerful construct known as Dark Shadow. This being will follow his every whim (though it is more unruly in the dark) and is also super dependable. It's like a powerful guardian angel.
Stats:
Power: C+
Speed: C
Technique: B
Intelligence: C
Cooperativeness: A