Chapter 14: The Tournament Finale

Name: Luna

Quirk: Bast – She can assume the abilities of any cat, from regular housecats and lions to hybrids such as ligers and tigons. Her quirk is named after Bast, the Egyptian goddess of cats.

Appearance: Though usually taking on appearances of the cats' abilities, her usual look has been compared as eerily similar to a character of the anime RWBY known as Blake, however she has a tail, and they are complete opposites in terms of personality and choice of dress. She's 14.

Warning: Language and Adult Themes

Luna helped Todoroki make his way to Recovery Girl's office. She didn't walk too fast, so he didn't have too much trouble keeping up, though he did occasionally wince. Finally, Luna decided enough was enough, and just asked him about his discomfort.

"Shoto, do you want me to slow down? You've been wincing this entire time."

"No, its fine. Walking is just taking a bit out of me."

"Oh. Okay, let me try something then."

"What are you -"

Todoroki didn't get to finish, however, as Luna decided the best thing to do was pick him up bridal style, which caught the boy off guard. However, he noticed that her hair was now a golden color, and her eyes were also molten gold. Todoroki absently thought Luna looked better with black hair and amber eyes.

"Is this comfortable for you, Shoto?"

"Uh, yeah, but …"

"What's wrong?" Luna tilted her head, genuinely not understanding the boy's discomfort. Sure, she knew that this was generally romantic, but it was also usually done by the male in the relationship. Surely, he didn't feel inadequate? Right? Wait, was she reading too much into the situation?

"Never mind."

"All right then."

And Luna made her way to Recovery Girl's Temporary Office, but when she got there, Uraraka, Iida, Tsu, and Mineta were all standing outside the door, hesitant.

"Are you all going to enter? Because Shoto kind of needs to." Luna said, approaching them.

"Ah, Luna-chan, I-" Iida paused, now noticing the fact that Todoroki was in her arms. Uraraka blushed and turned her head away, while Tsu just tilted her head, perplexed at the scene. Only Mineta spoke.

"Todoroki-san, you son of a gun! How come you get the pretty girls carrying you, huh?! How do you already have a harem?"

"Harem?" Luna asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, Yaoyorozu – OW!" The grape was elbowed by Tsu, shutting him up.

"Don't worry about it, Luna-chan. Mineta-kun's just spouting his pervert thoughts for the world to hear." Tsu reassured Luna, who stood there awkwardly. She didn't know what a harem was, but based on the way Mineta said it, it could only be something sexual.

"Ah, okay then. Are you guys entering, or …?"

They all jumped, realizing they were originally here to see Midoriya. They burst through the door.

"Midoriya-kun!" The three shouted, while Uraraka shouted "Deku!"

She entered and saw Toshinori Yagi standing there in a suit which now fit him. She nodded a hello, before speaking to Recovery Girl.

"Recovery Girl-sama, where can I put Shoto?"

"My, my, Luna. Already on a first name basis? And I thought you were close to Midoriya." Recovery Girl said suggestively. Uraraka slightly darkened at what she said, but Luna only shook her head with an exasperated smile on her face.

"Iida-kun and Yaomomo are also allowed to call Todoroki-kun Shoto, and besides, Midoriya's just a friend."

"Just sit him down on the bed to the left of Midoriya." Luna did as instructed, and a quick kiss healed Todoroki.

"Anyways, the rest of you are too loud!" The four apologized profusely, before Uraraka turned shyly to Toshinori.

"Oh, nice to meet you …"

"Yeah …" said Toshinori, just as shyly.

"Everyone, what about the next match?" asked Midoriya, his voice quiet and croaky.

"Since there was a lot of damage to the stage, they're taking a break to repair it." Iida explained.

"That match earlier was scary, Midoriya. What pro's gonna want that?" Mineta said, pointing to him. He was silenced when Tsu struck the boy with her tongue.

"I don't like your style of rubbing salt into his wound." Tsu said as she retracted her tongue.

"But it's true!"

"Be quiet, now! I know you're worried, but I've got surgery to do now."

"Surgery?!" the four exclaimed, and Luna winced, though she too was worried.

"It's that bad?" asked Luna worriedly, but Midoriya just smiled.

"It's all right, Luna-chan. It's nothing serious, just some bone fragments." Luna nodded, though she was still worried.

"Go on now, get out of here! You too, Luna. Todoroki, you can stay if you want."

He shook his head and left with everyone else, leaving Toshinori behind. Luna waved a goodbye, and he waved back.

"But-"

"Surgery's a big deal, isn't it?"

"Will his injuries be completely healed?"

"Don't worry about that."

And with that, Recovery Girl shut the door with a resolute thud, much to the protest of Luna's friends. Luna smiled and left, but she was pleasantly surprised to find Todoroki following her.

"So, you got a plan to beat Iida-kun?" Todoroki asked, and truthfully, Luna felt a bit underprepared.

"Kind of. I know that he begins to perform worse when flustered, so if I can say something that will throw him off balance, I think I could beat him. Other than that, not really. I couldn't get a sense of his fighting style except for that he's direct with his approach, since Hatsume-san just played him like a fiddle the entire match." Luna explained.

Todoroki nodded, taking in her information "I could give you some info, if you want."

"Oh. Sure, if you want."

"Iida-kun's very formal and direct, but polite. He'll probably try to just push you out, since he wouldn't want to hurt a girl."

"Thanks for the information, Shoto. I'll take it into consideration." However, Luna paused, noticing that he was still hesitant. "What's wrong?"

"Have you spoke to Bast recently?"

Todoroki's question caught Luna off guard. "Uh, not really. I feel her here, though she's not really saying anything. Why?"

"Oh, it's just that, uh, she spoke to me."

Luna paused in the entryway to the stadium, observing the platform being rebuilt. Thankfully, Endeavor had vanished.

"She spoke to you? What about?"

"She said something about being sorry if I remember correctly. She said she was trying to … what did she say? 'Play matchmaker' or something like that?"

"Oh." Luna now felt slightly uncomfortable at the prospect of Bast trying to pair the two of them together romantically. Sure, Luna could admit she had a crush on him, but that was going a bit far, in Luna's opinion.

"Shoto?" He hummed in response "When Midoriya was speaking to you, he spoke of the fact that you didn't want to use your fire, and then, back with your dad … Was that the thing that was bothering you?"

She heard him sigh. "Partly. It's … complicated."

"I think I can understand … not wanting to use a parent's Quirk because of something they said or did."

Todoroki looked at her in surprise, but she didn't turn to face him, instead continuing to stare as Cementoss worked. He then leaned against the wall opposite to her, and waited for her to continue, intrigued.

"I'll tell you all the details later, but … my mom left me and my father when I was ten. She left without saying goodbye, or apologizing, or anything. She just … slammed the front door and disappeared. For the next three years, I really didn't want to use my Quirk, because it was so similar to hers … Or that's what I gathered anyways. Father doesn't like talking about her. I know that what I went through very likely pales in comparison to what you went through but … every time I looked at my tail, or my ears twitched, or an urge to use my Quirk appeared, I remembered my mother leaving me behind without a backward glance."

"What made you change that desire to not use your Quirk?"

"Funnily enough, it was Bakugo-kun. I knew him for about two years at that point, and he sat me down and just wanted me to talk. About anything I wanted. He said that I listened to him for so long, helped him for so long, that he wanted to do the same. Of course, he tried to play it off like he was paying off a debt, but I could tell he cared. I told him about part of what was bothering me … not everything, obviously, but when I finished, you want to know what he said?"

"What?"

"'That's the dumbest shit I have ever heard.' And I quoted that, too. What he told me was that I was stupid and that I was just a stuck-up brat who was sad that her mom left. Though his words were harsh, I have to admit, it helped." Luna allowed a little smile to adorn her face, remembering the scene. Todoroki gazed at the smile, not able to pry his eyes away from it. It suited her a lot, and maybe, just maybe, he was able to admit that she was pretty with it. "I'm by no means telling you that, Shoto. Maybe it was the fact that I didn't tell Bakugo-kun everything, but I still sometimes resent myself for using my mother's Quirk. But all I need to do is remind myself that my Quirk is my Quirk only; it belongs to nobody else, no matter how similar it may be to anyone else's."

"That … That helps a bit. Thank you." Todoroki said, allowing a smile to appear on his face. Luna's eyes were drawn to it like a magnet, and she practically let her jaw drop at the momentous occasion. Todoroki? Smiling? Just as she was about to reply, Present Mic announced that the battle was about to commence.

"We're back, people! Are you ready?!" The crowd began to cheer, excited for the next match.

"First off, we have the speedster who fought and won against Gadget Girl! From the hero course, it's Tenya Iida!" Luna saw the boy walk up to the stage with his robotic movements, and Luna smiled. She found herself smiling a lot now, and it felt … pleasant, to say the least. "Versus … the playful kitty who's one of the powerhouses this year! Also from the hero course, it's Luna Aizawa!" A roar met Luna as she went up to the stage.

"Luna-chan, let's make this a great battle!" Iida said, waving his hands robotically.

"Never change, Iida-kun. And yes, let the better speedster win."

"Ready? Start!"

And with that, the fastest students from Class 1-A charged each other, Iida with his engines, and Luna now with transformed legs and arms. Though she wanted to use the cheetah's form, they were fragile creatures. Cheetah bones were thin and easily capable of breaking, and considering Iida was probably going to attack with his legs, the power behind them would surely break them like they were plastic forks. Instead, Luna decided to use Bast's cat.

I wonder if they have a name.

I call them nightstalkers.

Luna didn't even question Bast's sudden reappearance as Iida and Luna came within each other's striking distance, and both raised their right legs, intending to catch each other in the stomach. Instead, their legs cancelled the other's, leading to the screeching halt of their momentum and movement. The two lurched awkwardly for a moment before attacking each other once more.

While most regular fights were focused on punching one's opponent to submission, this battle between Luna and Iida was the opposite; it was kicking their opponent to submission. The sound of their legs colliding filled the stadium, everyone waiting with bated breath to see who would come out on top.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

"Incredible! The two students are cancelling each other's movements! Who will come out on top?"

It turned out to be Iida. He feinted a kick at Luna, who, having grown accustomed to fighting with their legs, stumbled when she lashed out and met no resistance. Iida shoved the girl, sending her staggering backwards before aiming a well-timed kick to the girl's stomach, sending her skidding backwards.

Luna growled, annoyed that she was caught off guard and recentered her focus of Iida, who once again charged her. Luna obliged him, meeting him with a leap and a heavy kick to the face. Iida had to rase his arms to block it and was pushed backwards from the blow. Taking advantage of Iida's position, Luna aimed her left leg at his legs, knocking Iida off his feet.

While Iida was on the ground, Luna tried to gain momentum by flipping forward and bringing her heel crashing down on Iida, but the boy rolled away from the blow. Luna pursued him, trying not to give him any breathing room, but Iida just continued to back away from her. He suddenly switched tactics, running at the girl with arms held out in front of her. Luna yelped at the sudden change and was caught by Iida. He tried to shove her out of bounds, but Luna pulled her hands to her chest as if praying, then jammed her hands between Iida's arms, forcing them open. Luna took advantage and quickly leaped over him, changing her legs to that of a caracal's before back to the nightstalker's. She whipped around to face Iida, who was now precariously close to passing the boundary line.

"What a close call! Iida tried to push Luna out, but she managed to wiggle her way out, and now the tables are turned!"

Indeed, now Luna was facing Iida, who realized he was now in a very dangerous position. He didn't know if he could outspeed her. Well, he could, but he didn't want to use it just yet …

Luna crouched, eyes thinning into slits as she observed Iida, trying to predict what he would do. Iida, meanwhile, was also trying to come up with something. He knew that his earlier moves would likely be predicted and used against him, so he had to come up with something different.

So, Iida decided the best thing to do was zigzag towards Luna. Which he did. Luna backed away from him, eyes narrowing in concentration.

Is he going to attack me? Flee to the right? To the left? What if he's just trying to get past me? Luna's mind was working at lightspeed, trying to understand the boy. Suddenly, he shot past Luna, who whipped around and gave chase. However, Iida suddenly stopped and turned around, but Luna didn't have enough time to stop. So she didn't. She transformed into a common black housecat and went under his legs, before transforming back to her human body with nightstalker legs and kicking him squarely in the back, making him stumble. She began to hammer blows on him, now hitting the boy with her fists and elbows as well as her legs, and Iida could not keep up. Every two to three hits, Luna managed to hit him, and it was wearing Iida out fast.

"Aizawa's hitting Iida with everything she's got! Is this the end for him?"

Iida grit his teeth, realizing that he would have exactly one shot of getting out of this situation and winning, but only one shot. He remembered Tensei's warning to him:

Remember, Iida. You'll have about ten seconds before your engines overheat. You won't be able to do much after that, so make it count.

Finally, after about a minute, he got his opening. Luna faltered for a split second, but that's all that he needed. He backflipped, slamming the front of his foot into Luna's chin, causing her to cry out and stagger backwards as her head snapped upwards from the blow, waving her arms in circles to avoid falling down. He prepared himself, and then charged her.

"Reciproburst!" Iida called and shot towards Luna like a rocket. The dazed girl wasn't able to dodge Iida's onslaught, and when three seconds remained, he gathered everything into one final kick, which he aimed at her midsection. Luna crumpled at the blow and was thrown backwards, tumbling towards the boundary line.

Iida collapsed to his knees, taking deep breaths as the dust around him settled. He didn't even realize, but the force of his kicks and sprint using Reciproburst had cracked the stage, sending dust into the air. His legs felt as if on fire, which was a good comparison, considering he basically overheated them with his stunt.

"What was that?! What a surprise, the tables were turned in an instant! The battle seems to be over, but who won?!" Present Mic shrieked excitedly.

The dust finally cleared, and Iida looked up at Luna. To his surprise and horror, he noticed that Luna actually didn't go out of bounds, but noticed thin, bloody trails leading up to her claws. The stage had thin cracks from where Luna tried to stop herself and grip the cement. She was panting heavily, and Iida even thought he saw a claw or two that had broken off and were now laying in the bloody path. Luna stood up, swaying slightly, and made her way to Iida, who tried to back away. Luna, however, didn't let him, and pinned him to the ground, flipping him over to face the floor with a knee at his back and his arms held at a 90-degree angle, preventing Iida from doing anything.

"Iida, can you move?" Midnight called out, and as much as Iida didn't want to say it, he replied.

"No."

"Iida is immobilized by Aizawa, meaning that Aizawa moves onto the third round!" Midnight decreed, and the crowd cheered. Luna tried to help the boy up, but he shook his head.

"My legs are overheated. I can't walk well." He gazed away from Luna, embarrassed and ashamed of the fact he lost.

"Alright then. How about this?" Luna replied.

Before Iida could protest, Luna picked him up bridal style, but staggered and grunted at Iida's weight.

"How much to you eat in the morning?" Luna complained. Iida was shocked for a moment before giving a quick bark of laughter. Luna set him into a cot as a pair of robots carted Iida away to Recovery Girl's Temporary Office. Luna then made her way to the tunnel she entered from. Once she was hidden from view, she sagged against the wall and closed her eyes.

"That was quite the match." A familiar voice said.

Luna cracked an eye open to see Todoroki standing there, looking at her bloody claws. She lifted them up and winced at the damage she did to them. Two were completely missing, and most were fractured, if not broken entirely. Bloody trails were still dripping from them, and any movement caused a surprising amount of pain to them.

"Thanks." Luna replied, standing up "But it certainly wasn't the best I could do."

"Probably not, but then again, I wouldn't have expected that last attack from him either. Those were quite the blows he landed on you."

Luna winced, feeling the many bruises on her body.

"So, we're facing each other in the semi-final, huh?" Todoroki mused, and Luna nodded. Her heart began to beat slightly faster at the prospect of fighting Todoroki, and Luna grew slightly annoyed at the fact.

"Yeah, but I'm going to win this time." Luna promised him.

"Sure you are." The boy snorted in disbelief, and they made their way to Recovery Girl, who was now finished with Midoriya's surgery. Iida was actually exiting the office as Luna approached. He gave a quick bow and began to wave his hands robotically again. Luna smiled, happy to see the loss didn't affect the boy too badly.

"Congratulations, Luna-chan! That was a very well fought battle on your end, and as much as it pains me to say this, you're better than me!"

"Iida-kun, don't discredit yourself too much. You fought valiantly, and the move at the end caught me completely unaware. What was that move if I may inquire?"

"It's called Reciproburst. I can supercharge the engines in my legs, giving me increased speed and the strength of my legs increase as well, but I can only hold it for about ten seconds before my engines overheat and I can't move after that."

"That's incredible."

"Thank you."

"Um, could I perhaps enter? Those kicks you landed on me hurt quite a bit."

"Oh, my apologies! Of course!" And being the gentleman Iida was, he opened the door for her, which Luna entered. She saw Midoriya out like a light, breathing in and out steadily. Toshinori was nowhere to be seen, and Recovery Girl was merely standing by Midoriya, checking his vitals through the monitor next to him.

"Ah, Luna, where's that boyfriend of yours?" Recovery Girl joked, then saw her paws and the bruise on Luna's chin "You kids are too extreme these days! I thought you were smarter than that!"

"I'm here." Todoroki said, poking his head through the doorway, and Luna blushed, her cheeks now a very noticeable red. Recovery Girl chuckled at Luna's red cheeks, finally seeing the girl truly flustered. Maybe he was the one after all.

Why did you have to answer to that?! Stupid, stupid …

"Well, it was either this or lose. And besides, I wouldn't have been able to see you again."

"Oh, stop it you. Dang suck up." Luna laughed, and Recovery Girl kissed Luna on her forehead, which left the spot a little tingly before Luna felt her bruises be repaired and her claws be healed.

"Thank you."

"I swear, I told you not to make this a habit, and now you're just as bad as Midoriya!"

Luna paused, looking at the still boy "How is he?"

"Oh, he'll be fine. The surgery went well, but some of his fingers will be slightly crooked from now on. You should go enjoy the rest of the matches before it's your turn. Seriously, he'll be fine!"

Luna waved a goodbye and left, now not looking at Todoroki as her cheeks refused to turn back to normal.

"Did I say something wrong?" asked Todoroki uncertainly.

"Did you … Why did you respond to that?" Luna said.

"Well, she asked for where I was, so I answered."

"I get that, but why did you react to 'boyfriend'?"

"Oh. Well, I don't know … I just did."

Luna huffed "And I thought I was clueless when it comes to these things. Whatever, let's go watch the other two matches before we fight, boyfriend."

The two of them made it to the bleachers just as the third battle began. It was Tokoyami vs Ashido, but it didn't last too long; Mina couldn't hit Dark Shadow, and Tokoyami just stood from a distance as Dark Shadow just knocked Mina out of bounds, causing her to fall on her backside.

"Ashido is out of bounds! Tokoyami wins!" Midnight brandished her whip at Tokoyami, at which point the crowd cheered.

"He won in an instant too?" Mineta said worriedly.

"Tokoyami-kun's Dark Shadow is amazing. Ribbit." Then, Tsu noticed Uraraka was slightly down "Are you worried about Midoriya-kun?"

"She said she had to do surgery …" Uraraka trailed off, staring at the ground in worry.

"Recovery Girl's taking care of it, so you've got nothing to worry about!" Mineta said, and Uraraka gave him a thankful smile.

"He's fine, Uraraka-chan. She was actually done when I went in, but he was still asleep. Recovery Girl-sama's not letting him have visitors, but she assured me he would be fine when I went in for treatment."

"Thanks, Luna-chan!" Uraraka visibly brightened at that, and the next match was almost instantly announced: Bakugo against Kirishima.

The battle actually lasted a lot longer than Luna thought it would. Because of Kirishima's Quirk, he wasn't taking much damage from Bakugo's blasts, but Bakugo was just fast enough to evade most of Kirishima's attacks. He got a few scrapes and scratches from Kirishima, but that was it. One even managed to draw a bit of blood.

Luna was heavily surprised at the fact that Bakugo was on the defensive. Until he wasn't. A massive explosion caught Kirishima's side, and Kirishima was forced away by the attack. He looked … wounded.

"Bakugo counters again! What's this? Unlike before, it's working?!" Present Mic cried out, just as surprised.

And then, Bakugo let all hell break lose. He repeatedly let large explosion after large explosion fly against Kirishima, and Luna realized that he was waiting for this. He realized that all he had to do was wait until Kirishima showed signs of tiring, and then he could go loco. And go loco he did, not giving the boy an inch. Finally, after what felt like forever, Kirishima's defense broke, and he was sent flying back, at which point he didn't get up.

"Kirishima is immobilized! Bakugo wins!" Midnight decreed.

"With that carpet bombing, Bakugo advances to the third round! And that completes the final four!" announced Present Mic, and Luna and Todoroki left, waving a goodbye to everyone. They wished the two luck in their upcoming battle, and they left.

They actually both happened upon Midoriya, who was now up and about. He wished the two luck before heading down to the bleachers.

Todoroki and Luna broke off when they approached their respective waiting room, and when they entered, Luna sat back in her chair and closed her eyes, her heart beating excitedly at the prospect of fighting Todoroki.

You ready for this?

I don't even know if I can beat him unless I rely on you, truthfully.

I think you can. You just need some confidence in yourself.

He beat me the last time we fought, and he was able to prepare more for the festival, not to mention the fact that he wasn't even using his fire at that point.

Even if he does, his attacks are massive and relatively unfocused. All you need to do it dodge them and get up close and personal.

There was something in Bast's words that Luna detected as … off.

Are you seriously implying that?

Come on! You like him, don't you?

Yes, I do, but I can't just get in close and place a big ol' smooch on his lips!

Well. That way you can fluster him and knock him out?

No. I'm not trying to get that kind of reputation.

I'm just saying, it's a thought.

Sure, maybe as a last resort.

Eventually, Luna was called up, and she entered her respective hallway, now strangely empty without anyone to keep her company.

"The first match of the semi-finals! With both of them coming in within the top three for qualifiers, it's a battle of powerhouses! From the hero course, it's Luna Aizawa! Versus, also from the hero course, it's Shoto Todoroki!" Present Mic introduced the two, and they both made their way to the stage, now staring each other down.

Luna's heart began to beat out of her chest, and her tail began to twitch in excitement. Her eyes began to search for any movement from the boy in front of her, gazing at Luna with a fierce expression on his face.

That's kinda hot, not going to lie.

Bast, not now!

"Start!"

Luna took off towards the boy, surely making Iida proud with her tactic. Todoroki shot an ice attack at Luna, but she merely skipped to the right, her cheetah legs giving Luna time to dodge without breaking a sweat. The boy narrowed his eyes before sending a massive attack to Luna's right, and she realized that she was surrounded. Todoroki shot a massive attack towards Luna, but she just smiled. With a quick transformation, Luna transformed into a snow leopard before scaling one of the attacks and charging at him. Luna didn't give the boy any time to react, leaping at him with teeth bared and claws pointing at him.

Todoroki dodged the first attack, but Luna quickly transformed her legs into that of a clouded leopard, which let her rotate her ankles without any trouble and her left kick connected with the boy's back, sending him sprawling.

"A solid hit!" exclaimed Present Mic excitedly.

Luna knew the key to victory here was her speed, so she transformed into a cheetah and grabbed the boy in her jaws and sprinted to the boundary line. She wanted to throw him out, and she was so close …

Unfortunately for Luna, Todoroki had other plans. Luna felt herself stumbling and a cold sensation was felt in her legs. Reacting quickly, Luna tossed the boy aside before she felt herself become enveloped in ice.

"Did you forget I could do little tricks like that? I would think you would remember that, considering you lost to that last time we fought." Luna heard Todoroki say but smirked slightly at it.

Luna began to shrink, and Todoroki tried to shrink the icy prison with her, but it suddenly ruptured, and standing in place of it was Luna, in nightstalker form. She transformed back to human form, rolling her muscles as they pulsed with pain, especially her back.

"Ow." Was all she said.

So this is how you feel all the time, huh Bast? Your back constantly giving you trouble, eh?

I am not a mortal to feel back pain like your old geezers do, thank you very much!

"I see. So your cage wasn't large enough, eh?" Todoroki didn't look fazed whatsoever as he pondered his situation. "Well then, you'll have to forgive me for this, then."

"Forgive you for …?" Luna frowned, and then her eyes widened in recognition "Holy sh-"

Luna wasn't able to finish, as Todoroki produced a massive glacier, just like he did for Sero two rounds previously. Luna was nowhere to be seen.

"Woah! Todoroki created a massive glacier like before! But where's Aizawa?"

Todoroki smiled, then relaxed. However, he stiffened as he felt something, or more like someone, leaning on his shoulder with an elbow. When he turned, he saw Bast clearly for the first time.

"Quite the hunk of ice you got there, kitten. Luna wouldn't have been able to dodge that if it wasn't for me." Bast purred appreciatively.

"Who … Who the heck is that?!" shrieked Present Mic.

"Don't worry about it. That's just part of Aizawa's Quirk." Replied Aizawa, and everyone seemed to calm down as they realized that Bast wasn't a villain.

Todoroki skid away from her, his body tense as he squared up to the new threat. She was able to match the Nomu from USJ without a problem, and Luna only lost because she wasn't able to hold her in for long enough. Now, however, Todoroki had no clue what her time limit was, but it definitely wasn't as short, considering Bast just began to stretch.

"Oh, that felt so good!" Bast groaned as a muscle popped satisfyingly. Todoroki didn't say anything as he began to shoot ice at her like before.

Bast, however, didn't seem to be worried in the slightest. She seemed more interested in making fancy moves to avoid them, such as leaping over the attack and landing on the ice itself, with her hands raised at her side like an acrobat or gymnast would.

She began to giggle excitedly as she avoided the attacks that kept coming at her. She kept at it for about six minutes before she paused, frowning.

"Aw man, even with that training, I only have two minutes left! That's so sad! Aw well, time for some fun!" Bast meowed before abruptly facing Todoroki and pouncing.

Todoroki tried to stay as far away from the deity as possible, but she was just faster. Just as Bast was about to grab his right side, Todoroki lit it on fire, and the deity recoiled, frowning as her easy victory was kept from her.

She eventually began swinging, and despite Bast's relatively small hands, Todoroki wasn't fooled in the slightest. Considering these same hands were able to completely halt a Nomu's attack, that made them on par with All Might, and though Todoroki didn't think she'd go all out like before, they would still pack quite the punch.

Eventually, Bast managed to land a hit, sending the boy flying at the impact. Todoroki gasped, and felt pain erupt where his ribs were. He gently felt them, wincing when he realized at least a few were broken.

"Oops, sorry about that. I didn't mean to hit you that hard. Though, I can see why Luna likes you, kitten. You're pretty resilient. And strong. And good looking. And smart." Todoroki's brows furrowed, and the entire stadium froze.

"WHAT?!" Present Mic and Aizawa yelled, one surprised and one angry. The entire stadium began to whisper at what was just said.

Todoroki spluttered, unsure if what he just heard was real or not. Bast pounced once again, and Todoroki barely managed to skate away, now concentrating heavily as he built up his power. He had one shot, so he couldn't waste it. After about a minute, he baited Bast close to him, pretending to falter. She jumped at the chance, eyes gleaming as he just smirked, and let his massive attack loose.

A massive fireball was launched at Bast, followed by a plethora of massive ice spike attacks, and Bast's eyes widened as she realized she had been fooled. The stadium grew silent once again at the attack. They searched for Luna, and this time, Todoroki looked for her, not relaxing for a second. He wasn't exactly sure if he could even continue the fight feeling so drained; it was a miracle the boy hadn't fallen to his knees, though he was taking deep, gasping breaths of air as if his life depended on it.

Finally, he saw Luna stagger out from behind one of the massive ice spikes that now covered the floor, her clothes burned in some places. Her hair was disheveled, eyes wild and roaming. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw her.

Todoroki shifted his stance, about to attack when Midnight held up her hand, frowning at Luna. The girl widened her stance, swayed once, twice, and fell over, completely out of it.

"Aizawa is immobilized! Todoroki wins!" Midnight snapped her whip, and the crowd cheered.

"Todoroki advances to the finals!

Todoroki made his way to Luna and picked her up like she did to him earlier, completely oblivious to the crowd as he made his way down, studying Luna. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed, that Todoroki was amazed she was the same person. He didn't realize that Luna was always tense, but now, she practically looked angelic. Her head lolled against his arms, and he gently placed her in the stretcher that was held by the two robots, and they carted her away.

Todoroki felt slightly guilty at the fact that he unleashed such a powerful attack at her but sighed. She probably would have killed him had she realized he didn't go full out. He then went to Recovery Girl's Temporary Office himself. The adrenaline was fading away, and his ribs REALLY began to hurt.

When he entered, he saw Luna lying peacefully in one of the beds.

"Hey, hey, what kind of boyfriend beats up his girlfriend like that?" joked Recovery Girl, and Todoroki cringed slightly at that. "I'm just kidding, I know Luna would have skinned you alive if you didn't go all out like you did. What's with this generation? Always so extreme."

Recovery Girl kissed his forehead, and he felt his injuries be repaired, but he looked at Luna again, who was still unconscious.

"Is she … okay?" He finally asked.

"Yeah, yeah, she'll be fine. I suggest you go prepare for your final match, considering it's against Bakugo." Todoroki nodded and left.

Unbeknownst to Todoroki, Luna wasn't asleep, but awake.

"Well, you happy with what you heard?" Recovery Girl asked, and Luna opened her eyes. "That boy really cares about you, you know. I was joking earlier, but he might actually be the one!"

"Please don't. Ichika's enough already; I don't need you to tease me too!" Luna said, hiding her face in her hands again.

"Well, considering you announced that you liked him to the world, I'm sure that I won't be your biggest concern."

Luna looked horrified at Recovery Girl "I did?!"

"Well, yeah. You said it, and the whole stadium heard it. I wouldn't be surprised if Aizawa storms in here like an angry father."

"Bast!" Luna howled, enraged that the deity actually said it. And in front of the entire stadium, too! Luna thought she'd confess it in some secluded area, where it was just the two of them, but Bast decided to take initiative, and Luna couldn't be more humiliated, even if she tried. "Oh, kill me already."

"Who's going to be his boyfriend then, eh? You'd just leave him all alone? You're so mean, Luna." Luna didn't answer. She lay there, and Recovery Girl just sighed sympathetically. "Just get some rest. You need it."

Luna nodded and drifted off to sleep.

She awoke someplace warm, and when she cracked her eyes open, she saw she was back in Egypt. Or, Bast's memory of Egypt. She got up and walked toward the gates. The guards opened it once again, and Luna made her way to the center of the temple, where Bast lay, getting a massage from a servant. Bast wasn't actually wearing anything except a towel draped to cover the lower half of her body, with her back fully exposed. Thankfully, she was lying on her stomach, so she didn't flash Luna.

The deity was groaning and moaning in pleasure as the masseuse worked out the kinks in her back and looked up when she heard Luna approach.

"Ah, Luna dear, you should really get a massage. Gods, it's been so long since I had that much action!" Bast said, her eyes slightly glazed over from pleasure.

"No thanks. I'd rather not." Luna said, narrowing her eyes at the goddess.

"Look, if it's about the fact that I announced your crush, it's fine, really! Everyone will just think that it was a diversion tactic, and you'll be fine."

"That's the point, Bast! What if he thinks so, too?! What if he just … throws everything away, and I'm left here like an idiot, fantasizing about a boy who doesn't like me anymore!"

"Kitten, kitten, calm down! Let me explain first, and then you can jump to – Ah! – conclusions."

Luna huffed "Fine."

"When you had your … ah … episode, I was kicked out of your mind. I had lost all connection to it, and so, naturally, I panicked. Eventually, I was able to connect through to a mortal. I believe he told you."

"Yeah, he said you suddenly appeared in his mind."

"Anyways, during the short – Oh my gods, that feels so good! Don't stop! – tenure I had in his mind; you know what I saw?"

"What?"

"I saw the mind of a boy who thought he ruined everything between you two."

"You … what?"

"He felt terrible about it, you know. I managed to convince him that he wasn't at fault, and you know, I genuinely felt relief pour through him." Bast paused, beginning to arch her back. Luna quickly averted her gaze, uncomfortable at what she almost just saw. "My point, kitten, is that the two of you are incredibly insecure about your relationship with each other; the both of you might have never said anything! You're both so … closed off and quiet that I sensed you both needed a little push in the right direction."

"So, what, you want me to thank you?"

"Well, I'd say that would be nice, but I'm not that vain; I understand that you aren't comfortable with your emotions being broadcasted like that."

"Okay, well … I'll reserve judgement until later."

"Wow, you are so merciful! I'll have to tell Osiris his job is threatened by you."

"Um … Can I look now? I feel weird talking to you turned away from you."

"What, never seen another woman's breasts?"

"No, and I really would prefer not to. Being in the locker room with the others is already uncomfortable enough."

"Really? Bras and panties make you that uncomfortable?"

"When someone's wearing them and it's the only thing protecting their modesty, then yes, they do."

"Huh. Okay then. Chisisi! Give me those clothes, will you?"

No response was given, but Luna heard something going on behind her.

"Okay, you can look now, oh modest one." Bast taunted, and Luna carefully turned. She wouldn't put it past the deity to pretend to put something on, only for Luna to not realize. Thankfully, Bast actually did, though she was still wearing a towel.

She was now sitting down, drinking another glass of milk.

"Anyways, I was serious when I said the two of you were too reserved for your own good. Think about it, will you?"

Luna paused, looking conflicted.

Bast … genuinely cares?

"Yes, I genuinely do care, Luna. Despite what you think and how childish I act I … I do care." Bast's voice softened at the end, and Luna gulped staring at the deity. She wasn't used to seeing the woman so sincere, so genuinely caring.

Before Luna could reply, a deep rumbling was heard, and the temple began to shake.

"Bast!" Luna yelled, and the deity looked at her "T-Thanks. For … caring."

The deity gave a smile, and Luna awoke in Recovery Girl's Temporary Office. Luna sat up in her bed, but jumped slightly when she saw Todoroki sitting there, in the bed next to hers. He looked … conflicted, to say the least.

"Shoto?" Luna asked, and he turned to look at her. He looked so lost; Luna's chest began to hurt seeing him that way. She stood up and sat down on his bed, and he accommodated her, sitting next to her, saying nothing.

"I lost." Said Todoroki "I couldn't … I couldn't use my right side, and I lost. I know you and Midoriya-kun told me that it's my power, that it's my Quirk but -"

"Stop." Luna commanded, and he stopped, though he didn't look at her "Shoto. Look at me." He did, and his eyes widened slightly when he didn't see disappointment or anger, but concern "You don't have to explain yourself to me. You don't have to explain your actions either. I get it; it's hard to do something you desperately tried to avoid. When we get to talk, you can say whatever you want. But for right now, don't worry about it."

Todoroki looked at Luna, and she looked back at him. Before anything else could happen, All Might burst into the room "I am here!"

Todoroki and Luna jumped apart, startled by the man's sudden intrusion. "I, ah, didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"No, it's fine! We were about to leave anyways!" Luna said a little too quickly, getting up and brushing her now ruined uniform off. Todoroki stood up as well "Was there anything you wanted, All Might-sama?"

"Well, you were supposed to fight Tokoyami to see who got third place."

"No, it's okay, he can take it."

All Might glanced at her, surprised "You sure? I mean, it's kind of a big deal …"

"Yes, I'm sure. I'm not exactly pleased how I lost control, and, well … There's always next year."

"Oh. Okay then. Come along, Young Todoroki, your second place awaits." All Might paused, glancing at the two "And despite these rankings, you two did great."

Both of them smiled slightly, and Todoroki left with a backward glance at Luna. Soon, she too left the room, walking outside to where her class was. When she got there, she saw Tokoyami, Todoroki, and Bakugo each on a pedestal, taking 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place respectively. Though, Bakugo looked positively enraged, and was somewhat appropriately chained to the floor, with a muzzle as well. Okay, maybe the muzzle was overkill.

"All of the first-year events for this year's U.A. sports festival have been completed. And now, we will begin the award ceremony!" Midnight explained, and a bunch of fireworks were set off.

Tokoyami looked unnerved by Bakugo, who was currently struggling against his restraints. Todoroki, meanwhile, still looked a little downcast, but brightened when he saw Luna in the crowd.

"Usually, there would be one last battle between the two students to determine third place, but Aizawa declined due to personal reasons. Thank you for understanding!"

"Luna-chan? Why did you decline?" asked Tsu, but Luna just shrugged.

"I wasn't feeling 100%, and besides, I don't think my performance in the semi-final really warranted one."

"Are you okay, then? I mean, that was a pretty big hit you took." Midoriya asked worriedly, but Luna waved him off.

"Thank you for the concern; a good night's sleep will fix it no problem." And then Luna noticed that Iida was nowhere to be seen "Also, where's Iida-kun? I don't see him …"

"Oh, uh, Iida-kun went home early is all! He got excused, so it's no problem!" Uraraka hurriedly said. A bit too hurriedly for Luna, but she just shrugged good-naturedly.

"Now, we will award the medals! The presentation of the medals will, of course, be by this man!" Midnight pointed her hand, and suddenly, a boisterous laughter filled the arena. Luna looked up and saw All Might on the roof of the enclosed stands, and he leaped in a dramatic flourish, before landing in front of the three podiums. "Now then, All Might, please present the medals, starting from third place."

"Young Tokoyami, congratulations. You sure are strong!" All Might praised, putting the bronze medal on Tokoyami's neck.

"You are too kind." Was all that Tokoyami said. All Might embraced the boy, who stiffened, not expecting the gesture.

"However, in order to fight well against different types, you must not rely only on your Quirk. If you train your strength more, then you'll have more options when you fight."

"Yes, sir."

"Young Todoroki, congratulations. I assume there is a reason you did not use your left side in the final?"

"I had an opportunity during my match with Midoriya-kun and Luna-chan, but then I became unsure of myself. I think I understand a little of why you are interested in them. I want to become a hero like you. But I didn't think it would be right for me to be the only one to break away. There is still something I must settle." Todoroki explained.

All Might nodded approvingly "The look on your face is completely different from before." All Might hugged Todoroki as well, "I won't ask for details. I'm sure you'll be able to do what you need to do."

"Yes."

"Now then, Young Bakugo! This is too much." All Might said, almost laughing at the ridiculous situation and unbuckling the boy's muzzle "Good job doing what you said you would do at the player pledge!"

Instantly, the boy began to rage at the fact that Todoroki didn't go all out, making everyone uncomfortable.

"Right, in this world where people are being compared publicly, there are not many who can keep aiming for the top of an unchanging scale. Take this medal, okay? Think of it more as a 'wound' so that you never forget."

Bakugo began to struggle against All Might, not letting him put it on. Finally, All Might had enough, and stuffed it into Bakugo's mouth, which didn't stop the boy from raging.

"Well, they were the winners this time! But listen here! Anyone here could have ended up on the podiums! It's just as you saw! Competing! Improving each other! And climbing even further! The next generation of heroes is definitely sprouting! So, I just have one more thing to say! Everyone, please say it with me!" Luna audibly groaned and covered her ears as much as she could, quickly inserting her noise-cancelling earbuds. "Thanks for your hard work!"

Meanwhile, the crowd shouted, "Plus Ultra!", which led to the man getting an earful for it. Luna just smiled at Todoroki before being the first to walk away, towards the announcer booth where Aizawa currently was.

I swear, these chapters are getting longer the farther we get into the story! Anyways, welcome back! To address the third-place thing, I thought it was kind of weird how they technically had two people in third place, so I just added the fact that there normally would be a fight between the two people who lost in the semi-finals to determine third place. I also just skipped past the finals battle; sorry if you were looking forward to that! Anyways, that's all for this note! Stay safe out there! – Bananaman out!