Chapter 18
The Festival's Fighting Finale
The next day, Felicia and Arisa woke up, had breakfast, and got changed into their UA High uniforms. The reason is that they would be in the audience to watch the rest of the Sports Festival with their classmates and their Class 1-A friends.
'While I hope Kai is alright, I'll focus on cheering for Shoto, Eli, and Junko in the Sports Festival,' Arisa thought as she got ready to go.
Just as Felicia was almost done getting ready, she got a phone call from Yuki Drago.
"Hello?" Felicia said.
"Good morning, Felicia. I am calling to let you know that I will not be continuing in the tournament," Drago started the conversation.
"Why?" She asked.
"I accomplished what I wanted to do in the festival, so there is no need to continue in it," he explained.
"Okay?" Felicia said, confused by his reason.
"I will be at UA High after the festival is over. See you later," Drago said.
"Alright, see you later," she responded as they both ended the call.
Arisa and Felicia left the Emerald Shade together and met up with most of their classmates outside of the stadium.
"Yo, yo, yo! Welcome back to the UA Sports Festival, y'all!" Present Mic announced excitedly as the crowd gathered at the UA stadium.
The viewers at home, like the family and friends of Arisa and Felicia, were excited to see the Sports Festival continue and who will win it.
There were only some competitors left in the tournament. There were only students from Class 1-A and Class 1-L left, and they were the following: Tenya Iida, Ellix "Eli" Francisco Barbaros, Eijiro Kirishima, Junko Neru (surprisingly), Fumikage Tokoyami, Shoto Todoroki, and Katsuki Bakugo.
"What? Drago isn't gonna be continuing in the tournament?" Usagi gasped.
"But why? Is he sick or something?" Arisa asked, wondering and looking a bit worried.
"No," Felicia said. "He said that he didn't want to continue in the tournament because he thinks there was no need for it."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Maruto was perplexed.
"His reasoning was vague, but that's what he told me this morning when he called me," Felicia explained.
"I see, I see," Tatsumi nodded.
"Hmm... Oh well. I guess he'll miss the fun," Usagi noted. "Anyway, let's get going guys. The next match is going to be up soon!"
The members of Class 1-L hurried steadily to the stadium. They joined with the rest of their classmates, and their Class 1-A friends to watch the remaining matches together.
-My Hero Academia-
The first match was between Bakugo and Tokoyami. However, this was a quick fight due to a terrible matchup. Tokoyami's Quirk, Dark Shadow was strong, but it was found out that it was weak to light and Bakugo's Quirk Explosion created a bright and explosive spark that was too much for Dark Shadow to handle.
"That match was great, but kind of one-sided to me. It reminds me of the fight with the ant hero guy and the wasp hero girl against the ghost girl," Stan Lee commented.
"Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is strong, but it cannot go into the offense because it's weak to light," Uraraka commented.
"Right," Midoriya agreed.
"I thought Tokoyami would win in this," Sero wondered.
"Me too, but I guess even he couldn't beat Bakugo," Kirishima noted.
"Bakugo is strong, but isn't he, maybe too strong?" Arisa conversed.
"A Quirk of his prowess makes him a formidable opponent. Then again, this was a pretty bad matchup, so he had a complete advantage over it. Quite unfair, but that's a fact," Ai stated.
"Indeed," Felicia nodded.
Arisa looked around, and everyone thought the same thing. She loved this kind of conversation with others. Ever since she joined this school, she became more and more interested in how others fight and how they use their Quirks. At first, she didn't like fighting for violence and she still does, but seeing and listening to what others fought for intrigued her and inspired her.
Though, there was one thing that was still on her mind; she still wondered if Kai Uno was okay.
'If Kai were here, I wonder if he would enjoy watching the fights with everyone... I hope he gets back soon,' She thought.
-My Hero Academia-
"Next up is Tenya Iida versus Ellix Francisco Barbaros, or as everyone calls him, Eli!" Present Mic announced as the crowd cheered.
The two competitors stood and looked at each other.
"Ready... And fight!" Midnight, the referee, declared.
Tenya made the first move. He ran quickly to catch Eli off-guard, and sled past him to grab him by the neck. Eli transformed the lower half of his body into a stink bug, and then released a yellow fart gas, which made Tenya cover his nose.
"Pee-ew! Eli has done it again!" Present Mic pinched his nose.
"It may be stinky, but what Eli did was a smart play! By using the, uh, unique ability of a stinkbug, he covered the entire arena with gases, so that opponent won't see him!" Speed Girl explained.
"Gross, but effective strategy," Aizawa commented.
Fortunately, Midnight and Cementoss were wearing gas masks, just in case, this happened again in Eli's match.
"Eww! Not again!" Usagi complained.
"What a smell!" Mina covered her nose and mouth.
"Just how many French fries did this guy eat yesterday?" Mineta whined.
Suddenly, the smelly yellow fart gas started swirling around. Everyone, including Eli, noticed the strange gas movement and found out what was going on.
"What's this? It's Tenya Iida! He's moving fast around the gas to blow it all away!" Present Mic exclaimed.
Iida moved faster and faster around the gas until it all dissipated. Eli moved towards Iida with his arms transformed into praying mantis scythes. The two competitors crashed against one another. Iida kicked, but Eli dodged and jumped like a grasshopper.
Suddenly, Iida kneeled at his calves, charged up with energy, and then released it. Due to it, he jumped so high that it was enough to reach Eli, which surprised him and everyone else. As they were falling, Iida made Eli crash to the ground on his back. Then Eli gave up.
"The winner is Tenya Iida!" Midnight announced as the crowd cheered.
"The match between those two boys was fantastic. Just like the fight between the spider hero guy and the tech goblin villain," Stan Lee commented.
"Alright, Iida! He won!" Midoriya cheered.
"Congratulations to Iida," Arisa applauded.
"That was a good match!" Kaminari gave a thumbs-up.
"Indeed it was," Felicia nodded.
"Hmph!" Bakugo huffed to himself as he had no comment.
"What a good battle! However, now this led to having only one student from Class 1-L left in the tournament! What do you think, Speed Girl, as you're their homeroom teacher?" Present Mic asked.
"Well, yes. It is a bit unfortunate that most of my beloved students are out, but all hope is not lost," Speed Girl answered. "We still have Junko Neru in the league, and she is our last hope! You can do it, Junko!"
"Ah yes, the sleeping beauty. Well, we wish her luck!" Present Mic said excitedly. "Speaking of the devil, it's her match next against Mr. Mummy Man's student, Eijiro Kirishima!"
"Why are you still calling me that?" Aizawa asked in an annoyed tone.
Kirishima walked up to the stadium as he put his fist together and yelled out. The crowd cheered in response.
"Yeah! You got this, Kirishima!" Class 1-L and Class 1-A heard Tetsutetsu yell from the spectator's seat. He is a member of Class 1-B, the rival class to Class 1-A and sort of a rival to Class 1-L. He and Kirishima shared the same kind of Quirk.
Junko slowly walked up to the stadium as she was still sleeping.
Class 1-L and Class 1-A heard some of the spectators talk among themselves, having little to no doubt for Junko if she could even win this match. So far in the Sports Festival, Junko Neru had inexplicably made it through all the games. First, she somehow made it in last place for the Obstacle Race slowly, but she surely surprised everyone when she created a large snot bubble to fly over the giant pit obstacle. Second, she won her first battle against Larry Cray from General Course by making him trip on herself. Lastly, she was supposed to go against Yuki Drago, but he forfeited, so she won by default.
"So it's Kirishima and Junko," Usagi said.
"Though, I don't want to say anything bad about Junko, but how would she win this match, ribbit?" Tsuyu wondered.
"That's a good point. Quite honestly, she's been winning by pure luck so far," Makoto admitted.
"Although, has anyone ever wonder what's Junko's Quirk?" Tatsumi asked. "Of everyone I saw, I don't think we've ever seen her using her Quirk."
"That's right!" Usagi realized. "We've never seen her use her Quirk ever!"
"Deku, you haven't written any notes about Junko's Quirk did you?" Uraraka questioned him.
"No, not at all," Midoriya said. "I have written everyone else's Quirk for ones I have seen so far, but I haven't got even the slightest information about Neru's Quirk.
"Well, the only thing we know is she sleeps all the time," Kaminari pointed out.
"Yeah, thanks for that, Mr. Obvious," Jiro said, rolling her eyes.
At the arena, the audience and Kirishima watched his opponent slowly but surely trying her best to stand straight every time she slumps.
"Let the fight begin!" Midnight declared.
"What will Kirishima, the hard-boiled man of Class 1-A do in this situation? Will he go easy on her just because she's a girl or something else?!" Present Mic announced excitedly.
Everyone saw that Kirishima walked up to Junko, and then carried her up on his lap.
"Check it out, folks! Kirishima has just picked her up and is now carrying her outside of the arena," Present Mic said.
"Well, that's that. There is no point in fighting her since she is pretty much out of commission," Momo stated as everyone agreed on that.
Kirishima walked closer to the outside of the arena boundary, but then...
Something struck through him on his backside, and then suddenly, he was slowing down.
"Hmm? Hey, what's up with Kirishima? Why did he stop?" Jiro pointed out.
Kirishima then fainted, shocking the audience as they wondered what had just happened.
Midnight checked over Kirishima, noticing a snore coming from him. "Kirishima is down. The winner is Junko Neru. I guess."
"What?" Everyone, both in the stadium and at home, gasped.
"What just happened? Is Kirishima alright?" Arisa asked worriedly.
"It seems like he fell asleep," Felicia said, looking surprised as everyone else.
"Fell asleep?! At a time like this?" Mineta gasped.
"When he picked up Junko to put her out of the arena's boundary, Kirishima just fell asleep," Tsuyu stated.
Everyone was surprised, especially the members of Class 1-A, Kirishima's classmates, and their friends from Class 1-L.
'Wow! I can't believe Neru won again! She must be the luckiest person in the world! Maybe sleeping a lot is her good luck charm...' Arisa thought while Junko was sleeping peacefully and the snoring Kirishima was taken away by robots.
'I wonder if Junko did something to Kirishima that made him sleep,' Felicia thought.
"The outcome of that match was unexpected. It's just like that fight between the marvelous spacewoman against her former alien commander guy," Stan Lee commented.
"Well, that was... something, but I guess your last hope of the class goes on to the semi-final, Speed Girl," Present Mic said.
"Hurray! Class 1-L rules!" Speed Girl cheered.
"..." Aizawa, aka Eraser Head, didn't say or comment on anything but stared at Junko Neru.
-My Hero Academia-
The next match was Tenya Iida versus Shoto Todoroki. Tenya started well by grabbing Shoto by the back of his uniform's neck collar, but Shoto took a chance to freeze Tenya's calves to stop him from moving. The victory went to Shoto automatically, ending the match quickly.
"That match was a bit quick, but I'm glad Shoto won it," Arisa said.
"Indeed," Felicia agreed.
"The match started well but ended quickly. Just like the fight between the incredibly big green hero and the giant purple titan villain," Stan Lee commented.
There were now three players left: Katsuki Bakugo, Shoto Todoroki, and the only member of Class 1-L who made it this far, Junko Neru.
'Only one of them will be number 1. If Kai were here, I wonder who he would think would win,' Arisa thought.
'I wonder if Junko will win the fight,' Felicia thought.
The semi-final round soon began, starting with Bakugo versus Todoroki. Once Present Mic started the match, Todoroki made the first move by creating a huge glacier that covered the entire half of the arena with Bakugo in the way.
"Wow! It's Shoto's glacier summon attack!" Arisa exclaimed.
"He's using something similar to what he did to Sero, though not too strongly," Felicia said.
"Holy Carrot!" Usagi awed.
"Todoroki gets a blow in the right away!" Present Mic called. "Is he trying to avoid close combat with Bakugo?"
"What Present Mic said is right," Miru admitted. "Todoroki is strong in long-range, and Bakugo has his strength in close-quarter combat. By keeping him from reaching him, Todoroki can use his strongest attack even from a distance."
"Indeed. I thought the same thing," Felicia agreed.
"Todoroki isn't playing. He aimed his attack while being careful of what'll come next," Midoriya noted.
"That's one cool attack," Eli commented as he smirked. "No pun intended."
Suddenly, the noise of the explosion was coming from the ice, and it was getting louder and louder.
"What's that sound?" Mineta asked, looking a bit scared.
"It's Bakugo's doing," Tsuyu said.
Suddenly, a part of the ice broke, creating a hole with Bakugo revealed coming out as Todoroki jumped a foot away to get ready for his next attack.
Everyone gasped and was surprised to see Bakugo breaking out of the thick ice.
"Did he dig his way out through the ice hole like a mole by using his explosions?" Sero questioned.
"That's so crazy!" Kaminari looked shocked.
Bakugo leaped out of the hole and used his explosions to fly towards Todoroki as his opponent countered with his right arm. However, Bakugo avoided it by his explosions to dodge. Then Bakugo grabbed Todoroki's head and left shoulder.
"He avoided Todoroki's right side and grabbed him?!" Midoriya said in surprise.
"Wow!" Uraraka gasped.
Bakugo threw his opponent away. Todoroki was about to hit the ground, but he quickly summoned more ice from his left arm and created a wall of ice to slide on to avoid damage. He then slid on the wall of ice to counterattack and avoid Bakugo.
"Woah! He avoided going out of bounds with a wall of ice!" Speed Girl exclaimed.
"Looks like fun!" Present Mic added.
Bakugo jumped over his opponent with his right arm out to shoot his explosion at him, but Todoroki dodged and grabbed the boy's right arm.
Endeavor shouted for Shoto to use his left side, meaning his fire. However, he threw Bakugo away instead of using his left arm.
Bakugo stopped himself and looked up to his opponent, looking both angrily and excitedly. He shouted for Todoroki to use his left side.
"Why is Todoroki not using his left arm?" Arisa asked.
'Is it because it's too much of a reminder of what happened in the past?' She thought.
"With the way he grabbed Todoroki's left side on purpose and timed his explosion..." Aizawa spoke. "He's been doing his research. That kid's abilities shine every time he fights."
"I see." Both Present Mic and Speed Girl nodded.
"Todoroki's moving well, too, but his attacks are too simple. Ever since the match with Midoriya, he's lost his touch." Aizawa explained.
"Bastard..." Bakugo yelled as he looked angrier with the explosions coming out from both his hands crackling. "I'll show you what'll happen if you make a fool of me! I'll kill you!"
Todoroki looked stunned at Bakugo. "I want an indisputable first place! I can't get that even if I beat scum that underestimates me! There's no point if I can't get higher than Deku. If you have no intention of winning, then don't stand in front of me!"
Bakugo began running toward his opponent, who looked stunned and wasn't moving an inch for some reason. Todoroki left himself unguarded until a voice called his name.
"Don't give up, Todoroki!" He snapped out of his thought and looked over to the spectators' seat, where he and the others saw Midoriya standing up. "Don't lose! Do your best!"
Arisa was surprised but understood what Midoriya was doing in some way. "He's right! You can do it, Shoto!"
Todoroki was surprised by the cheering, and Bakugo was annoyed. Then Bakugo used his explosion on the ground, making him jump high over Todoroki. The frostbite on Todoroki's left arm melted by his internal heat and then his left side was combusted with fire.
"That's it! That's it! If you're gonna stand in front of me, then you should just concentrate on winning!" Bakugo shouted as he prepared his next attack.
Bakugo used his explosions to create a whirlwind around him as he rushed towards his opponent. Todoroki was ready to counterattack, but he hesitated.
'I hope Shoto will be alright from the attack,' Arisa thought in concern.
"Howitzer Impact!" Bakugo roared as his explosion collided against the ice, causing a bigger explosion in the process.
"Aaah! He added momentum and rotation to the huge blast he showed us in his fight against Uraraka!" Present Mic exclaimed.
"Which caused the entire ice to explode!" Speed Girl exclaimed too.
"He was like a human projectile!" Present Mic declared.
"It seems like Todoroki didn't fire off the huge blast he used in his match with Midoriya, but the winner is..." Speed Girl said as the smoke began to clear away.
Everyone watched with anticipation. As the smoke cleared away, they were looking to see what happened. Todoroki was out of bounds and defeated.
'Shoto,' Arisa thought in worry for her friend.
Suddenly, Bakugo slowly and angrily got up and walked over to the fainted Todoroki.
'What is Bakugo going to do to Shoto?' Arisa thought.
"Hey! Hey! Stop screwing around!" He grabbed Todoroki by his uniform. "This isn't the way I wanted it to end! Didn't I tell you that there was no point, damn it?! To win like this! Like ... this..."
Arisa was a bit worried that Todoroki was going to get hurt even more, but luckily a pink aroma put Bakugo to sleep, thanks to Midnight's intervention. She pulled off part of her sleeve to release her aroma that put anyone to sleep because it was her Quirk.
Everyone watched and couldn't believe it. Todoroki forfeited himself, allowing Bakugo to advance to the final. It was a sad, disappointing end.
Midnight walked over to the boys and checked before she raised her arm. "Todoroki is out of bounds! The winner who advances to the finals is Katsuki Bakugo!"
The crowd cheered loudly. "And now, the finale has been decided! The final match will be between Class 1-A's Katsuki Bakugo and Class 1-L's Junko Neru."
"We'll be taking a short ten-minute break, so relax for a moment, but come back for the grand finale!" Speed Girl announced.
"That match was really incredible. Reminds me of the fight between the thunder god hero and his villainous trickster brother," Stan Lee commented.
-My Hero Academia-
Some people stayed in the stadium, but a lot of the others went for a bathroom break, or grab some food.
However, few went to check on their fallen comrades.
"Todoroki" Midoriya and some from Class 1-A and Class 1-L went to see him in the infirmary.
"Hey, hey! What did I tell you, kids, to never barge in like that? Didn't I tell you all before?" Recovery Girl scolded.
"Sorry to barge in like this, Ms. Recovery Girl, but is Shoto Todoroki here? We're here to see him," Felicia asked.
"Hm, well he is here. He's resting over there," she pointed to the boy who was sitting on the side of the bed with her assistant, Ms. Heal standing by and checking on his injury.
"Midoriya... Arisa... Everyone..." Todoroki whispered.
"Todoroki, are you... are you alright?" Midoriya asked.
"Is everything okay for you?" Arisa wondered.
"I'm... I'm fine, simply fine," he answered calmly, yet not looking too positive.
"Dude, that was some crazy fight bro," Eli commented.
"That was a mega crazy holy carrot!" Usagi added. "Hey, I know you lost and all, but let's take a selfie for doing your best."
"Now, now! You all had a chance to see him! I want you to get out of my office!" Recovery nudged them.
"But..."
"No, it is fine," Todoroki told Recovery Girl, who stopped. "I will go back now. Thank you for everything, Miss Recovery Girl and Miss Heal."
"Alrighty then," Miss Heal said.
Todoroki left with everyone out of the room, and they returned to the spectators' seat and looked forward to the final match.
"Todoroki," He looked to Midoriya. "I know that you had put your flames out. May I ask, well, why did you do that?"
"... Hmm, I guess I hesitated, that's all," Todoroki said, though that was a lie.
"Hesitated?!" Most of Class 1-A and 1-L gasped.
"Well, I guess it happens to everyone, even to a perfect guy like you, huh?" Eli said.
"I guess so," Usagi agreed. "I hesitate a lot myself, especially on exams!"
"Yeah, so do I!" Ashido admitted.
Everyone talked during the break. Todoroki couldn't help but grin a little before he went back to his moody expression. He looked at his left hand gripped it. Both Midoriya and Arisa noticed it.
'Shoto must be frustrated with not fighting fully with his heart. I wonder if this must be the whole thing about the pride that Kai talked about during the first round yesterday. It must be painful for Shoto right now,' Arisa thought.
-My Hero Academia-
The ten-minute break was up, and everyone was back in the stadium. The spectators looked the most excited as this was the last match of the tournament for the UA Sports Festival.
"Welcome back, folks. To the final of the UA Sports Festival Tournament!" Present Mic began. "We have seen so many different fighters over these past two days, but it all comes down to this! On one side, we have the ferocious, yet fearless and driven man from Class 1-A! The explosive, Katsuki Bakugo!"
"And the other side," Speed Girl continued. "Nobody expected her to come this far, and yet either by miracle or pure luck, which the latter may be more plausible, but here she is! The one and only, Junko Neru from Class 1-L has made it through the trials without any sweat or effort!"
"The only question that now remains is who will take the throne and become number 1 for this year's First-Year UA Sports Festival!" The two MCs announced as the crowd cheered loudly.
"This is so exciting!" Usagi cheered.
"Though to be quite honest, don't you think this is like so an unfair game?" Mineta thought aloud as everyone looked. "I mean, come on, I know that Junko girl has made it this far and all, insanely by pure luck, but she's fighting Bakugo."
"Your bluntness irritates me, Mineta," Tsuyu hit him with her tongue.
"I kind of agree with Mineta." Everyone turned to Makoto. "Junko's luck may have run."
"Even so, the only way to tell is through this match, the finals," Ai stated.
"Right," Tsukuyomi nodded.
"I hope Junko will be alright against Bakugo," Arisa said.
"Indeed," Felicia agreed.
Everyone watched as the two competitors entered the arena. Bakugo, who looked very pissed with both his hands in his pockets.
"Wow! Look at that... battle face!" Present Mic commented. Bakugo glared at him, who clutched himself in response.
"Well, um, Bakugo is here and so is his opponent, Junko," Speed Girl said as Junko came on the arena slowly, but surely and still sleeping.
"Hey, guys!" The students of Class 1-A and 1-L turned around to see Kirishima sweating.
"Kirishima!" Everyone gasped.
"Kirishima, you're awake!" Midoriya noticed.
"Where is Bakugo, guys? Is he already in the arena?" Kirishima looked over to see him. "Ah, I'm too late!"
"What's wrong, Kirishima? You're like sweating bullets!" Tsuyu pointed out.
"I wanted to tell him something important before this match started!" Kirishima said.
"Something important? What is it?" Midoriya asked.
Bakugo stared at Junko with a glaring eye and showing his gritting teeth while she saw sleep-standing peacefully.
"Let the final battle begin!" Present Mic declared.
"Oh, man! It started!" Kirishima cursed.
Bakugo roared as he headed towards Junko to grab her or do whatever to finish the match quickly.
"Bakugo makes the first move! He's flying towards Junko, but she's just standing there like a tree!" Present Mic announced.
However, just as he was about to grab her, Junko swayed to the right, dodging out of the way. Bakugo quickly steeled himself to stop from getting out of bounds.
"Uh! That was close!" Speed Girl commented. "If Bakugo isn't careful, he may get himself out of bounds."
"So what is that you wanted to say to Bakugo?" Momo asked Kirishima.
"Yeah, man. Spill it out, bro." Eli demanded.
"I think I figured out Junko's Quirk," Kirishima revealed.
"What? Junko's Quirk?" Tsuyu asked.
"Yeah! When I was in the match with her..."
Flashback
"Well, this should be an easy win and all. I don't have to fight her. I can just carry her out of bounds." Kirishima picked up the sleeping Junko with his arms and walked over to the outside of the bounds.
"... You already lost..."
"Huh?" Kirishima heard a voice nearby as if someone whispered in his ear.
Suddenly, he felt something touch him on the back of his neck, like a sting, and he felt drowsy.
"What... the..." Kirishima fell into a deep slumber.
End Flashback
"Wait, man. Are you saying that chick over there, Junko Neru, did something to you that made you go to sleep?" Kaminari questioned.
"Yeah! There was no one else, but her! I thought I heard wrong, but I am sure it was her doing. She's the one who put me to sleep," Kirishima claimed.
"Could it be her Quirk?" Momo questioned.
"Yeah, and that is why I wanted to say it to Bakugo! Not that I have doubt, but he is in trouble if he doesn't find out," Kirishima explained.
Everyone turned back to the arena as the final watch was unfolding. Bakugo tried to grab Junko, but she kept dodging out of the way.
"Grrr! This is freaking annoying!" He shouted. "Stay still or I'll kill you!"
Bakugo charged up his explosion and released a much stronger explosion blast at where Junko was standing.
"Woah! Bakugo released a powerful blast! Junko Neru must have taken a hit!" Present Mic announced.
"Is she alright?" Speed Girl worried.
What Bakugo didn't know was that Junko was behind him. He felt a presence behind him and quickly jumped away, surprised to see Junko standing behind him.
"Wait, huh? Did anyone see when did Junko move?" Arisa asked.
"That's what I want to know," Felicia admitted as she looked confused.
"Maybe what you both said is right, Mineta and Kirishima," Sero said. "There is something about that girl!"
"Incredible! Junko Neru dodged out of Bakugo's attack and somehow appeared behind him, surprising not just him, but everyone including myself!" Present Mic exaggerated.
"I was watching her all the time and she did indeed move," Aizawa spoke up.
"She did?" Speed Girl asked. "Even a quick star like me didn't notice. What did she do?"
"Just like everyone else, I am surprised, but just a second before Bakugo released his attack, she moved, and not like a sway, but on her own will," Aizawa explained.
"I see, but if she moved on her own will, then that means..." Present Mic wondered.
"It means that you are not sleeping at all, are you?! You're awake! You don't fool me or anyone here, you sleepy bitch! So why don't you show who you are!" Bakugo jeered.
Everyone in the entire stadium and at home, including the MCs didn't say a word, but just stayed still and watched.
At first, there was a slight movement on Junko's finger and a small noise.
"...Hmph...ffff...Mwaaaaahhh!" Junko's mouth opened so widely, like a hippo as she gave out a big yawn. "What a rude thing to say to wake up someone, you know?"
Bakugo raised his hands, showing his palms already sparking due to his Quirk.
"She talked!" Some students of Class 1-L and Class 1-A gasped. Though, everyone was surprised since this was the first time that they've ever heard Junko speak.
"I see a lesson must be taught, and here I thought I can just sleep through the entire festival without using so much of my energy, but since I rested well enough, I guess I will show you a demonstration!" Junko's eyes opened up and she posed with her left hand over half of her face while revealing her right eye only.
"See guys! I told you that there was something about her!" Kirishima claimed.
"No way," Miru gasped.
"This is incredible!" Tatsumi was shocked.
Both her eyes were revealed to be beautiful, yet menacing violet reddish color. She changed her pose: now with her left arm down with two fingers showing, her right arm up with the palm out, and her left leg raised at a perfect right angle. She posed like a martial artist would do.
"Woah! This is it, folks! Junko Neru, who has been sleeping for most of the time in the Sports Festival, has finally awakened and it seems like she is ready to fight off against Katsuki Bakugo! And is it just me or something about her is now different?!" Present Mic said shockingly.
"I agree with you on that, Present Mic," Speed Girl admitted. "I've never seen Junko Neru look this serious, and we're finally gonna find out how she fights!"
Bakugo smirked as his moody look turned into ferocious excitement. "Let's see what you can do, and don't you dare disappoint me!" He projected himself towards Junko.
"Hmph, you won't," she replied as she ran towards Bakugo.
"What is she doing? They're going to crash!" Uraraka yelled.
Suddenly, Junko jumped above Bakugo, catching him a bit off guard as she did a backflip in mid-air before she landed gracefully on her feet. Bakugo changed direction and headed straight to Junko, but she dodged out of the way and gave a little tap on his right arm.
"Hey, hold still, damn it!" Bakugo complained.
"Then, try to catch me if you can," she replied, making Bakugo angrier.
"Woah! Did she talk back to Bakugo?!" Ashido asked.
"Holy Carrot! She did!" Usagi looked in shock.
"Rrraaaaaaaawwww!" Bakugo screamed as he flew towards her at a faster speed, but then suddenly, Junko didn't move and stayed still this time.
She lifted her right leg, and then...
BAMM!
"Gah!" Bakugo gasped for air as his face slammed directly on the arena, creating a crack in the process.
The classmates, other students, and spectators in the stadium and at home gasped, feeling cringed to see that happened.
"Holy crackle holy! She kicked Bakugo right on his noggin, and he crashed his face to the floor! That would be enough to break a nose!" Speed Girl commented.
"It would be more than a nose. It would be his entire face," Aizawa corrected her.
Bakugo laid still as his face was grounded on the cracked spot on the arena. Junko said something to Bakugo that got him angry as he slowly raised his head with the support of his hand, pushing him back up. He looked up with a bloody nose.
"Hell no! I just got started!" Bakugo stated.
"Holy crap! His nose is bleeding!" Mineta pointed out.
"That move broke his nose," Kaminari noted.
Bakugo raised his left palm at Junko's face, expecting his Explosion Quirk to go off.
"Watch out, Junko!" The Class 1-L girls yelled out.
The crowd and viewers stared in silence, but after like five seconds, nothing happened. Bakugo had his smirk on, but it quickly changed to a bit of a confused look. He did it, again, and again.
"What the hell?! Why the hell is my Quirk not working?!" Bakugo screamed.
"Huh?! What is going on? I am so confused," Kaminari admitted.
"His Quirk... He cannot cause his palm to release the explosion or rather make an explosion," Momo explained.
"You are right, Yaoyorozu. Bakugo cannot use his Quirk!" Felicia declared.
"What?! But how?" Uraraka questioned.
"What the hell did you do to me?" Bakugo demanded.
With a cold and expressionless face, Junko revealed that when she dodged him, she tapped his right arm. The tap was actually her striking a certain nerve point in his arm, or chi point as she calls it. That stopped the flow of his Quirk so he can't create an explosion in his right arm for a while.
"Chi?" Present Mic repeated.
"For all of you who still don't get it," Aizawa spoke up again. "Chi is a vital force or energy flow inside all living things, including us humans. It is part of the central understanding in ancient Chinese medicine, but it is also taught and utilized in certain martial arts. As you may or may not notice, but Junko Neru is a martial artist who knows how to manipulate the flow of Chi in her opponent's body by striking their Chi point of in scientific terms, the nerve points, like how she did with Bakugo's right arm."
"I see, but where did she learn a technique like that, Mr. Mummy Man? I don't think we teach martial arts at our school," Present Mic stated.
"No, we don't. Most likely, she learned it outside of school," Aizawa stated. "However, this is the first time I've ever seen someone who uses martial arts to fight and block the flow of Quirk and apply the concept of Chi to Quirk before."
"Heh. If I can't use my right hand, then I'll use my left!" Bakugo raised his left hand, but then Junko's arm moved quicker than his that she slapped his left hand, which released the explosion in the wrong direction away from her.
"She swayed the explosion in a different direction!" Speed Girl yelled.
"Also, whenever I touch someone by direct, naked skin, I cause that part of the body to become numb," Junko added. "If I do something like this..."
Junko poked different parts on Bakugo's face, ending with a single point on his forehead and pushed him away.
Slowly, Bakugo flipped back over himself before he laid completely down on his backside, and began snoring.
"You go to sleep," Junko added.
Midoriya and everyone, in the stadium and at home, gasped to see Bakugo easily defeated and put to sleep.
"Is that her nerve-strike technique?" Present Mic questioned out loud.
"That is her real Quirk," Aizawa admitted.
Junko Neru- Quirk: Sleep Touch. When she touches other people's direct, naked skin, it put them to sleep. Combining her knowledge and technique of nerve strike or striking the foes' "Chi Point" and her martial arts skills, this makes her a strong, versatile, and unexpected opponent to fight with. Possibly making her almost invincible. It is best to not let her poke you or have any physical contact with her to be on the safe side.
"...Ah, right!" Midnight snapped out of it, realizing it was still a game. "The winner of the UA Sports Festival tournament is Junko Neru!"
The crowd was surprised, but they let out the loudest cheer they can muster. The viewers at home also cheered for the outcome.
"Now that match was spectacular. Just like the fight between the metal suit hero and the purple titan villain. Excelsior!" Stan Lee cheered.
"I can't believe it, folks! I just can't, but the fact is we have a winner! The winner of this year's first-year UA Sports Festival is from Class 1-L, Junko Neru!" Present Mic announced. "This is the most unexpected turn of events, but we saw it right here, folks! The most unexpected person has seized victory, through trials by pure luck, but she proved us wrong that anything is a possibility!"
"Wow... That was amazing. Junko won," Arisa stood up and gave a round of applause. Everyone else did the same, followed by spectators in the stadium.
A little bit later, all the contestants of the UA Sports Festival gathered at the center of the stadium to see the award ceremony.
"All of the first-year events for this year's UA Sports Festival have been completed. And now, we will begin the award ceremony!" Midnight announced.
-My Hero Academia-
Fireworks started around the stadium while the crowd cheered when suddenly, a big puff of smoke appeared, causing a platform to rise from the ground. The platform had three levels. At the lowest level was Shoto Todoroki. On the second level, which was a bit higher, was Katsuki Bakugo, who was chained to a thick wooden plank and his mouth was covered as he was trying to get out of it. On the highest level, there was Junko Neru who was sleeping peacefully while standing still.
Everyone, especially Class 1-A, looked displeased or concerned, but not too surprised to see how Bakugo was acting out.
"Wow," Mineta said, looking a bit scared while he was on Mezo Shoji's back.
"What the heck?" Jiro said.
"That's a lot of chains," Arisa noticed as she sweat-dropped.
"He's been struggling ever since waking up," Kirishima explained. "But man, I still can't believe that your classmate, Junko Neru won, and she is like sleeping now when she was all strong and cool in the final."
"He is like a man eating a field," Tokoyami commented.
"Agreed," Ai nodded.
Bakugo struggled as he was muffled.
"In addition to Todoroki, Tenya Iida is also in third place, but he left early for family reasons. Thank you for understanding!" Midnight posed cutely at the media.
"Teach Midnight sure knows how to show off in front of the media," Eli stated as he shrugged and grinned at that.
"That's too bad for Iida. He was really into it," Tsuyu said, looking a bit disappointed.
"Yeah," Midoriya nodded, not saying too much about it. Though, he looked very worried.
Arisa wondered about that too. She hoped that whatever the reason he left, it wasn't something too serious. She hoped for his health and his family, and just paid attention to the ceremony and enjoyed it.
"Now we will award the victors, and the person who will do the honor this year is none other than..."
"HAA HAHA!" A familiar silhouette appeared at the top of the stadium. The spectators quickly realized who it was, cheering louder than before.
"It's All Might!" One spectator shouted excitedly.
"Shoo!" All Might jumped off from the top of the stadium.
"Our very own hero, All Might!"
"I have brought the medals here!"
Midnight soon realized that she talked over All Might, who was just speaking out for his epic entry, but it was ruined accidentally.
"Sorry, but I talked over you!" She apologized to All Might, who kept a straight face about it.
"Now then, All Might, please present the medals, starting with third place." Midnight gave All Might the three medals.
"Thank you, Miss Midnight," All Might accepted them as he walked over to each person one by one, starting with Shoto Todoroki.
"Young Todoroki, congratulations," He put the medal around Todorokis for him as the boy silently accepted it. "I assume that you didn't use your left arm for a reason, right?"
"I...I had an opportunity during my match with Midoriya, but then I became unsure of myself," he said. "I think I understand a little of why you are interested in him. I wanted to become a hero like you. But I didn't it would be right for me to break one away like that."
He raised his head and looked straight at All Might. "There is something I must settle."
All Might nodded. "The look on your face is completely different than when you started in the Sports Festival," He hugged the boy. "I won't ask for the details. I'm sure that you will be able to do what you need to do."
"Yes," Todoroki replied.
"Then, I wish you good health, Young Todoroki," All Might said.
He turned to Bakugo next, who was acting wildly as he tried to get out.
"Young Bakugo, how are you doing?" He asked.
Bakugo gave him the scariest face he could muster. "I know you are doing well, and you did your best. I think you did splendidly well, even in second place and that is no easy task. Why don't I remove that muffler from you?"
He let loose the muffler. "Damn it! Curse you all! Why the hell am I in second place?! Why is that sleeping bitch at first?!"
"Don't be like that, Young Bakugo, It may be frustrating for you, but now you can use that feeling of frustration to strive to be better. Nonetheless, congratulations, young boy." All Might tried to give him the medal, but he resisted.
"No the hell way I will accept second! I only seek absolute first!" Bakugo yelled.
All Might tried to put the medal over him and decided to just put it over his mouth.
"Good, good," All Might said as he walked a little bit faster over to first place.
He looked down at Junko Neru, who was sleeping peacefully.
"Young Junko, I am sure that you know a lot of people here doubted you to even make it this far," he began.
Everyone listened quietly as this one was a bit different from All Might's speech to the two other winners.
"You started last in the first game, the race, and made it last in the race. You, fortunately, made it through the first couple of rounds in the tournament. Everyone here thought that you were just a lucky sleepy head who will never win this tournament, and I admit that I had a bit of doubt and worry that you wouldn't!"
All Might patted her head. "However, you proved us wrong. You proved to everyone here that even an underdog can achieve victory. Your performance in the final match was the greatest thing I've ever seen, and I want to say thank you."
Junko Neru gave out a sudden snore as her breathing was stuck for a moment. "Though I wish you were awake to listen to what I am saying to you now, I bet you are listening to me right now even in your sleep. I just want to say congratulations, Young Junko, and thank you for showing us a grand performance."
All Might put the medal over Junko as everyone clapped for the victor, and All Might for his wonderful, honest speech.
"Thank you all for watching, but even though these three are here on this podium, I believe that all of you here can also be here, too! Every one of you is a winner in my eyes, and I wish you all to do your best and become a winner in your way."
"Become a winner in my way..." Arisa wondered.
"Now then, to end this grand event, I want all of your attention!" All Might declared.
Everyone knew what was coming.
"Say it with me!" All Might announced.
"PLUS ULTRA!" The audience cheered.
"Thank you for your hard work!" All Might cheered.
Everyone stopped for a moment and then started booing at All Might.
"All Might, that is when you say Plus Ultra!" Everyone cursed at him.
"I, well, I thought everyone worked so hard, so I thought that was a good way to end it, no?" He asked sheepishly.
The UA Sports Festival ended well. At the ending ceremony, the SMH Club did their performance as the students, spectators, and viewers enjoyed it. Class 1-A was surprised that their classmate, Jiro was part of it, playing the bass. Unfortunately, Kai Uno wasn't in the performance.
-My Hero Academia-
Later, the Class 1-L students, except Kai, were in their school uniforms as they gathered in their classroom.
Yuki Drago was also there as he told Felicia he would. Everyone else was surprised to see him there, and they asked him why he was here now. He simply said he wanted to be here.
After that, Speed Girl happily told her students that since the Sports Festival ran longer than expected, everyone would be given a three-day break instead of two days. Mostly everyone was ecstatic about that.
Then Arisa asked Speed Girl if Kai is alright, which quieted down the mood. The homeroom teacher assured the class that Kai is okay now, but he is still recovering. Though he would be back when the break is over, which relieved everyone.
On the way back to the Emerald Shade, Felicia noticed Arisa was still concerned about something.
"Arisa, are you still worried about Kai?" Felicia questioned her.
The sudden question surprised Arisa as she sighed before speaking.
"Yes, I am," Arisa admitted.
"Why? Speed Girl told us that he is doing better," Felicia explained.
"It's not Kai's well-being I'm concerned about now," Arisa started. "I'm worried about his Quirk."
"You mean that it's dangerous for him and everyone?" Felicia asked.
"Exactly. It must be hard for him to use it, knowing it can put himself and everyone around him in danger," Arisa explained.
"Well, try not to worry about it. As Speed Girl said, Kai will return when the break is over," Felicia tried to reassure her friend.
"Um, right. I will try to do that," Arisa responded, but she still had a sad look on her face.
Felicia noticed it and tried to think of something to cheer her friend up.
In her room, Arisa was getting ready for bed when she got a phone call from Shoto.
"Hello Shoto," Arisa greeted.
"Hello, Arisa. I'm sorry for calling late at night, but I would like your opinion on something," Todoroki said.
"Okay. What is it?" She asked.
"I'm thinking of going to see my mother tomorrow," he stated. "Do you think I should do it?"
His answer surprised Arisa.
"Really? How come?" She questioned him.
"I feel that to be the hero I want to be, I have to use my body's full potential. However, I don't think I can do that unless I go see her at the hospital. I want to rescue her as my first step to being a hero, and to be with her again," Todoroki reasoned.
"Well, if you're that determined to be a hero and you want to be with your mom again, then I think you should go see her," Arisa told him.
"Thank you, Arisa. If everything goes well, perhaps I can ask the doctors to allow you to come with me to see her too," he suggested.
"Oh, I think it would be nice to see your mom again," Arisa responded.
"Yes, I think she would like that. Thank you again and good night Arisa," Todoroki said.
"Good night Shoto," Arisa ended the call.
In her room, Felicia was ready for sleep and got in her bed. She texted the Class 1-L girls, except for Arisa, about having a girls' day out tomorrow to cheer up Arisa. They agreed to it and had to keep it a secret from Arisa. Then Felicia texted Arisa about her joining the girls' day out with their female classmates tomorrow, and she also agreed to it.
Then the two girls went to sleep, for they and the other girls will need their energy for the girls' day out tomorrow.