Round 1:
Midoriya Izuku vs. Kirishima Eijirou
Shinso Hitoshi vs. Kuroiro Shihai
Ashido Mina vs. Aoyama Yuuga
Todoroki Shouto vs. Sero Hanta
Tokage Setsuna vs. Kaibara Sen
Yaoyorozu Momo vs. Kaminari Denki
Iida Tenya vs. Tsuburaba Kosei
Bakugou Katsuki vs. Monoma Neito
"Hey guys- are you ready!?" Present Mic shouted, receiving roaring applause from the crowd. "A lot's happened, but it's now come to this; a serious battle! You can only depend on yourself! Even if you're not a Hero, you'll face lots of situations like this! Heart, skill, body, wisdom, and knowledge! Use all of that to climb your way to the top! The finals you in the audience have all been waiting for! Match one! The bastion of endurance, the impenetrable fortress! From the Hero Course, it's Kirishima Eijirou!"
Eijirou walked out into the stadium, both unnerved and appreciative of the wild cheers from the stands. It was nice to know that people liked him, despite how plain his Quirk was. Well, he'd just have to make up for that by being even more manly!
"VERSUS! The undisputed king of the Sports Fest, he who has stood at the top from the get-go! Also from the Hero Course, it's a showdown between classmates! Midoriya Izuku!"
Midoriya's head appeared at the top of the stairs, staring blankly at Eijirou as he ambled up to the arena, hands in his pockets.
"Let's have a manly fight, Midoriya!" Eijirou called encouragingly. He was a bit thrown by the complete lack of even acknowledgement, but Midoriya was a pretty quiet dude, so he didn't think too much about it.
"The rules are simple!" Present Mic continued. "Force your opponents out of bounds, or immobilize them! You can also win by making your opponent surrender! Bring on the injuries, because we've got our very own Recovery Girl on standby! Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment!"
Isn't that too extreme, Yamada-sensei?
"But, of course, anything life-threatening is off limits! Heroes should only use their fists, not lethal force, to capture Villains!"
Eijirou agreed with that sentiment 100%.
"START!"
"Let's do this!" Eijirou shouted, rushing forward. His skin Hardened, and he felt the rush of strength that accompanied his Quirk. The difference in height made it awkward to aim for Midoriya's jaw, so Eijirou slammed his fist into the green-haired teen's gut. He pulled his arm back for another blow, only to find that he couldn't move. "Eh?" Looking down, he saw that Midoriya had caught his punch before it could make contact.
Fast! I didn't even see him move!
Eijirou was getting pumped! He knew Midoriya was strong, but this was on another level! He attempted to get free once more, but his classmate's grip was just too strong. The air shifted.
"Pointy Hair."
Eijirou was getting a bit nervous now, and his tugging became a touch more frantic. "Y-Yeah?"
"I'm gonna punch you as hard as I can. Don't die."
Midoriya drew his fist back, and Eijirou watched, as if the world was in slow motion. The edge of his vision darkened, blocking out everything other than the man in front of him, whose overwhelming presence demanded his full attention. After a thunderous heartbeat, even Midoriya was blocked out, and the only thing Eijirou could see was the nebulous shadow behind him, looming over the green-haired teen's shoulder like a Stand from JoJo.
Then, Midoriya swung, and the only thing Eijirou could see was
DEATH
"You're in my way."
Silence filled the halls for a long, drawn-out moment.
"You're acting disgracefully, Shouto." Shouto began walking once more, intent on passing the man who called himself his father. "If you used the power in your left side, you would've had an overwhelming victory in the Obstacle Course and Cavalry Battle. Stop this childish rebellion already."
Anger building.
"You have a duty to surpass All Might."
Fury overflowing.
"Do you understand? You're different from your siblings. You are my greatest masterpiece!"
Shouto finally passed Endeavor.
"I suppose it doesn't matter. After all, you'll soon reach the limits of that power."
Rage burning.
"Next up is these guys! He's good! He's good, but what's with this plainness he can't get rid of!? From the Hero Course, it's Sero Hanta! Versus! Taking second place in the Obstacle Course, then third in the Cavalry Battle! He's pretty darned strong! Also from the Hero Course, Todoroki Shouto! And now, time for the second match of the third event! Ready… START!"
Tape wrapped around Shouto's arms and knees, and before he knew it, he was being dragged across the arena. He realized that the match had started while he was lost in thought, and he'd lost the initiative. How ridiculous he must look, tied up like a hog for all of Japan and beyond to witness. Shouto still remembered his manners, though- they'd literally been beaten into him, after all, and it was only proper that one apologize for not paying attention to the person standing in front of them, right?
"Sorry."
His mother's power froze the world.
It was finally Momo's turn. Her turn to stand in front of national television, and fight one of her classmates. She forced herself to stop thinking about it, before the yawning pit in her stomach could swallow her whole. Projecting confidence she almost certainly didn't feel, Momo walked up to the arena as Present Mic introduced her.
"She's smart! She's Creative! She's the Vice Rep of Class 1-A! It's the human 3D printer, Yaoyorozu Momo!"
The raucous crowd both boosted her ego, and increased the pressure on her shoulders, until she felt like Atlas, holding up the sky. If she wasn't so completely focused on keeping her legs steady, her knees would no doubt have buckled, unable to bear the weight of so many expectations, her own the heaviest of them all.
What if I mess up? What if I forget the chemical formula for what I need? What if-?
She slapped her palms to her cheeks, the sharp sting bringing her back to the real world. There was no use in imagining what-if scenarios. That was like asking for Murphy's Law to completely destroy her.
"Versus! Sparking Killing Boy! We're in for a super flashy battle, people! From the Hero Course, it's Kaminari Denki!"
"When this is over, wanna grab a bite?" Kaminari-kun asked, smirking smugly. "I'll comfort you, if you'll have me."
Is he… Flirting with me?
"'Cause this match'll be over in a second!"
Yep. Definitely flirting.
Strangely enough, Kaminari-kun's confidence actually bolstered Momo because, as mean as it was, she knew she would be able to handle him. The fact that he underestimated her abilities also made her even more eager to prove herself, if only to shut him up.
"START!"
Just as Kaminari-kun began generating Electricity, Momo Created a rubber tarp, quickly draping it over herself in time for her opponent to unleash his devastating attack.
"Indiscriminate Shock; 1.3 Million Volts!" Thunder poured over the concrete arena, but because of Momo's quick thinking, it didn't do more than make a pretty light show. It took a moment for the Electricity to disperse, and Momo still felt the bite of static when she removed her insulated covering, but she ignored it in favor of gently corralling Kaminari-kun over the boundary line. Luckily, in his fried-brain state, he listened to orders without much complaint, seemingly understanding despite his reduced mental functionality that he didn't have a chance now.
"Kaminari is out of bounds! Yaoyorozu is the winner!" Midnight announced, signalling for the cheers to begin.
"An instant! It was decided in an instant!" Present Mic crowed. "It was definitely a super-flashy match, but what an anti-climactic ending!"
Unsure what to do now, Momo gave the audience a little wave, then hurried out of the stadium, taking refuge in the hallways. She took a deep breath, allowing the anxiety that had built up to wash over her, then fade as her body realized the match had gone off without a hitch. She didn't make a fool of herself. She remembered what she needed, and acted without hesitation. And, more importantly, she won her first match (even if it was a bit disappointing, though that was probably for the better).
She walked back to 1-A's booth, a spring in her step.
Maybe Midoriya-kun will say something nice!
Momo sighed for perhaps the fifth time in as many minutes. Her green-haired classmate hadn't even noticed when she arrived, too busy glaring intently at the stadium, arms crossed. His entire posture radiated irritation.
"Um, Midoriya-kun?"
"What."
"What… What did you think of my match?" Momo asked, desperately hoping her insecurity wasn't obvious in her tone (It was).
"Waste of time."
She wasn't expecting something like that. "Eh?"
"Pikachu knocked himself out. It wasn't even a fight."
"Oi, Midoriya, isn't that too harsh?" Kaminari-kun whined from behind them. He shut up with a squeak when the taller teen turned around to glare at him, silently demanding him to stay quiet.
"Despite the obvious drawbacks, Kaminari-kun's Quirk is rather powerful. If I had been even a moment slower, I likely would have been incapacitated," Momo said, attempting to defend her classmate. She was more than a little surprised by the vitriol in her friend's tone.
"If you lost to somethin' like that, I woulda thrown you over this railing," Midoriya-kun growled, a nearly-inhuman sound escaping from his throat. Somehow, it was a rather comforting sentiment.
He knew I wouldn't lose!
She took a moment to bask in Midoriya-kun's absolute confidence in her abilities, before noticing that he was still attempting to set the world on fire with his scowl. "Is there any specific reason you're so angry, Midoriya-kun?" she asked.
"Katsuki's match is next. Setsuna said the fucker he's up against has a Copying Quirk."
Momo blinked. "Are you worried for Bakugou-kun? He's strong- even if Monoma-san Copies his Quirk, Bakugou-kun knows his own abilities better. He will win," she said with conviction.
Midoriya-kun snorted. "That ain't the problem. A lotta Katsuki's pride is linked to his Quirk. He's worked hard to get it to where it is, and if some random clown just comes by and Copies it, he's gonna be pissed."
"So, you're worried that Bakugou-kun's pride is going to be hurt?"
"No. I know Katsuki; when he wins, he's gonna go on a massive ego trip. It's friggin' annoying. I'm just tryin' to figure out how hard I have to hit him to get him to come down."
"It's the final match of the first round!" Present Mic announced. "And it's come down to this! The epic rivalry between classes! First, it's Class B's resident jack-of-all-trades! He can turn almost anyone's own Quirk against them like a mirror! Monoma Neito!"
The fucker across from Katsuki had the audacity to wave. His smirk pissed Katsuki off more than anything he'd ever encountered on this unholy planet. Katsuki couldn't wait to crush it again, like he had during the Cavalry Battle.
"In the other corner, we have Class A's short-fused nuclear warhead! The man determined to ruthlessly crush the competition! It's Bakugou Katsuki!"
Katsuki popped off a few firecrackers, getting his palms slick with nitro-sweat.
"START!"
An Explosion sent Katsuki roaring across the arena, ready to turn his opponent into paste. The distance between them was closed in an instant, and Katsuki whipped around mid-air, blasting the Copycat in the face while using the force to send him backwards, out of reach. This bastard needed to touch someone to Copy their Quirk, so as long as Katsuki didn't get near him, he'd be fine.
At least, that's what he thought, until the fucker came barreling out of the smokescreen, skin glinting like steel, completely unaffected.
What the fuck!?
"What? Did you think I'd come into this fight with a handicap?" Copycat asks smugly. He attempted to close the distance, but Katsuki launched himself into the air, over his opponent, peppering him with concussive blasts as he went. Katsuki landed facing the Copycat, arms raised and ready. He wasn't expecting the asshole to start launching tiny projectiles at him. A few Explosions easily stopped them in their track, but then Copycat once more dove through the smog, swinging at him with a powerful haymaker. Katsuki narrowly dodged it, releasing a few point-blank Explosions, only for them to do nothing. He weaved past a few more iron punches, then rocketed away.
One Quirk is basically like Pointy Hair's Hardening, and the other lets him shoot tiny scale things. They're fast and look sharp, so they'll probably pierce skin, but they're small, so unless they sever tendons or arteries, they aren't too dangerous, and they're easy to block. Are there any more Quirks? What's his time limit? He can't use them as effectively as the original, but it's unpredictable. I don't think he can use them together, either, since he kept switching during the Cavalry Battle.
"It must be fate, for us to be up against each other again! It's like the world is giving me another chance to make up for losing to such a pitiful opponent!"
"Who the fuck are you calling pitiful!?" Katsuki roared. Angry as he was, though, he didn't advance, too wary of whatever the fucktard was hiding up his sleeve.
"You, of course! Who else is there for me to be talking to?" Copycat asked, spreading his arms wide and gesturing to the arena, empty of anyone except the two of them. "What can you be, other than pitiful? Unable to hold a civil conversation, lashing out at everyone near you- you're like a wild animal! A savage! It almost makes me sorry that I have to fight against a dumb beast, but, well, what can you do?
…
Fuck caution.
"I'll show you a dumb animal, you piece of shit!" Katsuki Exploded, in both senses of the word. His Quirk sent him flying across the arena at speeds that surprised the cocky motherfucker, and he only barely Hardened in time to receive a boot to the face. Katsuki's foot twinged in pain, but he ignored it, flipping over and delivering a massive blast right on top Copycat's head. The noise rattled his eardrums, and the smoke seemed to have gotten in his eyes. Katsuki took advantage and began laying into the bastard, rattling off small blasts like an artillery gun.
Quirks are physical abilities- even those that you fucking Copy. There's always a limit.
Copycat got his bearings back, and immediately swiped at Katsuki. However, even though he'd borrowed a pretty sturdy Quirk, his speed was nowhere near his opponent's, and Katsuki easily bobbed past the iron fist. They went on like that for around half a minute, Copycat throwing useless punches, and Katsuki counter-attacking at least three times for every one of Blondie's attempts. Finally, he saw it, through the bastard's ripped tracksuit jacket; the metal was cracking.
Grinning ferally, Katsuki ramped up the force of his Explosions, to just barely below his limit without the shock-absorbing gloves of his Hero Costume. He was rewarded with Copycat's steel skin finally fading away, and took great pleasure in blasting the fucker in the face.
He was not expecting Copycat's hand to suddenly grow exponentially and slap him right back. Luckily, it was just the tips of his fingers that slammed Katsuki, but he still stumbled back a meter. There was an incredible amount of force behind those fat hands. It wasn't enough, though, because Katsuki wasn't out of bounds, and like hell was that fucker gonna get away with some dumb shit like that. He closed the distance; there was no point in playing keep-away anymore, since there was no doubt in his mind that Copycat had Copied his Quirk in that split-second of contact.
Like he predicted, the smug bastard held out an open palm, and a blast was unleashed. Unfortunately for him, Katsuki's body was expressly developed for the usage of his Quirk. His skin was thicker. Heat meant nothing, smoke didn't do more than tickle his eyes and the back of his throat, and the concussive force did little more than bounce off his skin. Aside from that, the Copycat simply wasn't as powerful as Katsuki. HIs body was weak, his resolve weaker. He couldn't force his body to withstand the Explosions, couldn't focus much farther past the pain than to use his stolen Quirk. He must've ran out of time for the others, since he wasn't using them either. That, or breaking the Pointy Hair-ripoff's Quirk had messed with the rest.
Whatever the case, it wasn't much of a surprise when Katsuki finally blasted the Copycat bastard over the white line, signalling his victory.
"Monoma Neito is out of bounds!" Midnight called, "Bakugou Katsuki advances to the next round!"
Boom. Round 1 of the Tournament, done. I've finally learned how to branch out and develop characters other than the MC, I think, so hopefully this rewrite won't look like it's made by Kishimoto. It's still probably just a pale imitation of Horikoshi's work, but what're ya gonna do?