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Chapter Twentysix - SPARK: Shiro vs Shiozaki

A few minutes earlier….

Shoto Todoroki was slowly making his way to the entrance tunnel for his match, keeping his pace and his mind steady to try and clear up any thoughts of the previous events of the festival.

Unfortunately, that all came crashing down when he was there waiting for Todoroki.

"Shoto, you've gotten soft huh?"

Endeavor, the #2 Hero who could never quite surpass All Might, stood there with a cocky smile, his signature flames rising from his body and forming a fiery beard of sorts as he leaned back against the wall with his arms crossed.

Todoroki didn't plan on speaking to his father so long as he could help it. He looked down and tried to continue on past him.

"You let a kid who doesn't even have a Quirk slip past you," Endeavor spoke sternly. "Yet he wouldn't have even stood a chance if you had used your left side."

Todoroki gritted his teeth as he passed, clutching his fists tightly.

"Stop this childish rebellion— You have a duty to surpass All Might. Don't forget that you aren't the same as your siblings; you are my ultimate masterpiece."

"Is that all you can say, bastard," Todoroki scowled. "I'll never use your power when I fight. I'll get through the last rounds with only Mom's power."

Endeavor shook his head. "Even if that works for now, soon you'll reach the limits of that power."

Todoroki was absolutely pissed by this. As he made his way out onto the field, he could barely register the cheering fans and announcing made by Present Mic.

Up on the stage, Yuki could see it, the fact that Todoroki was acting like he was in a trance.

I have to get in close, Yuki had thought.

"...Start!"

Yuki quickly fired off some smoke bombs in a line between them and dashed into it. He moved in an arced angle, so that Todoroki wouldn't know where he was approaching from.

I can overpower him quick, even if he uses his ice! Yuki thought as he could see Todoroki's form in the smoke.

Yuki held his arm out, attempting to perform a lariat to Todoroki, his arm outstretched to catch him by the neck. Based on Yuki's strength and the different in size, this could've proven to be quite effective—

However, Yuki was surprised when his arm slammed into something hard. He looked again and saw that Todoroki had sent ice up to block the hit, the force barely sending him sliding back.

Crap— Yuki continued in again, but Todoroki brought his right arm up, sending a wave of ice at him. Thanks to his Quirk, Yuki was able to expertly dodge to his left, before running in again. I can dodge his ice! I can—

Todoroki's dead expression made Yuki falter for a moment as he saw it.

"I'm sorry," Todoroki spoke softly.

In that instant, Todoroki focused on his right leg and arm, firing off an incredibly powerful blast of frost towards Yuki.

I can dodge it! I can… Yuki's Quirk-enhanced eyes darted around as he searched for a solution. Then he closed his eyes, bracing himself as he thought:

I can't!

It was too overwhelming for anyone to dodge. The ice covered half the stadium, going up above the stadium walls, and Yuki was left there with only his head not encased in it.

Everyone in the stadium was in shock for a few moments, before Midnight, who was half frozen at this point, spoke up.

"Yuki… Can you still fight?" Her voice was shaky from the cold.

The boy didn't even try, knowing there was nothing he could do in the ice. He shook his head and spoke through chattering teeth, "No."

"T-Then the winner via incredible overpowerment is… Shoto Todoroki!"

Through the shocked silence, some of the audience began to cheer and give support to Yuki, who looked down towards the ground shamefully.

Todoroki approached the frozen Yuki and placed his left hand on the ice, looking away, his expression having returned to normal now.

"Sorry… I was angry," Todoroki muttered.

Steam arose from Todoroki's hand as he used his left side's Quirk to start to melt away the ice from Yuki.

It took a little while for the ice to be cleared up. After freeing Yuki, Todoroki had left, not wanting to see how his old man Endeavor was looking at that moment.

Yuki returned to the stands, wrapped in a thick blanket, still shivering a bit.

"Yuki…!" Izuku approached him as he sat down. "That was… We only left for a minute and it was over—"

The blonde boy turned his head away, so Izuku stopped, knowing that he must've been feeling bitter. This however didn't stop Mei from jumping in.

"You must've really made him mad! What did you do?!"

"Mei…" Izuku put a hand on her shoulder and shook his head at her. She shrugged.

"Just wondering," the girl muttered to herself.

Yuki looked down at his hands, which were still shaking a bit.

"Midoriya, I don't know what anyone can do against that," Yuki spoke, clutching his fists tightly, trying to stop them from shaking. "If he's upset at all, he can just… End you. Instantly."

Izuku looked at Yuki, surprised to see such a defeated expression and tone from him. Usually, their class rep was very stern and confident in himself, but now he had been brought down to a new low.

"W-W beat him before, didn't we? That means there's a chance," Izuku spoke.

Yuki looked up at him with a serious expression.

"I'm sorry," he said simply. "We can't compete with them on our own."

While Izuku was shaken up by the defeated Yuki's words, Shiro slowly stood up from nearby and walked away. They noticed her going, but she didn't say a word as she left.

"Her match is next, I wonder what she's thinking," Mei thought aloud.

"Shiro…" Izuku looked down at the field that had been cleared of ice. "Will we all lose on our own..?"

"The assassin from Class B! From the hero class, It's Ibara Shiozaki!

"VERSUS—"

"The feisty Support star from Class H— Minami Shiro!"

As the two walked up onto the stage, the crowd's excitement grew as they were eager to see what would happen with yet another of the Support students facing off with a Hero Class student.

"This should be quite the interesting ma—"

"Excuse me!" Ibara Shiozaki spoke up, interrupting him as he looked up towards the commentator's booth. "What do you mean by 'Assassin?' I have only come to find victory, not take my opponents life."

"I-I'm sorry!"

As Shiozaki went off on a tangent to explain how she was pure, Shiro was focused on her thoughts.

I have to win… I gotta show Yuki and Midoriya that we can do this! She thought, gazing at her opponent.

Shiro was used to being doubted her whole life due to her short stature and Quirk that wasn't well suited for combat. Early on, the girl had dreams of becoming a Hero like her idol, the Disc Hero Shortstack, a Hero who was proud of their lack of a physical build and did their work loud and proud. Her Father told many stories about the Heroes he'd met and how they overcame hardships.

Of course over time, Shiro uncovered the fact that her idol utilized combat enhancements to really excel. This got her into designing and creating devices that would help her reach her goal—

Then her Father, who had been a heavy inspiration to her from his tales of working for Heroes as their manager, passed away.

Shiro had to face the harsh reality of herself and what she could logically accomplish, but she just didn't want to.

Taking on a loud and proud personality like her idol and her late Father, Shiro decided to go against the odds, relentlessly pursuing boys out of her league to make herself known, while creating stronger devices that would put her on top one day— And Support Class was her ticket to rising up and grasping that goal.

When I got to the U.A Entrance Exams, I thought I had to cheat to get ahead, she thought, remembering how she had duped Izuku during the first phase. But seeing Midoriya fight with his all despite being Quirkless… I...

"Let's get this show on the road! Give us a lengthy match this time!"

Shiro pressed a switch, and the metal legs at her waist hoisted her up, matching the height of her opponent. She had fixed up the device during their downtime, after it had been broken in the Cavalry Battle. With the restrictions being placed on the Support Class now, it was the only thing she could count on for the fight.

"Start!"

There was a loud bang as Shiro kicked off and instantly ran towards her opponent, the metal legs leaving small craters in their wake, steam rising from them with every step.

I have to give it my all too!

Shiozaki was calm as she turned away, her vine-like hair growing and forming into a strong barrier between them.

Up in the stands, Yuki gripped the blanket around himself tightly as he watched.

Going in head-on was what I decided as well, Yuki thought. But they'll find a way to overpower you...

Shiro held one leg out to slide to a stop, steam rising from her robotic leg device, before dashing to the right, trying to go around the vine wall. However, some of the vines went under the stage and shot up, trying to grasp Shiro.

"The action ramps up real quick! Will it last though?"

Shiro was forced to move and jump back as vines shot up where she was standing over and over, driving her further away. Eventually, she realized she was getting too close to the boundaries of the stage.

I already lost focus! Gotta get back!

The girl started to make her way around the edge of the stage, curving around to try and make it back to Shiozaki. She noticed that the plant-haired girl was eyeing her intensely as she approached.

Suddenly, a vine came up horizontally from the ground, tripping Shiro up. As she stumbled forward, all the other vines came flying in towards her from all around.

Not good—! Shiro thought about what Izuku or Yuki might do in that moment, imagining what they could manage when the odds seemed against them. I don't know if I can escape!

Then another person came to mind, the girl Shiro had considered a rival from the fact that she created many inventions that always impressed everyone, even the boys that Shiro chased after.

Hatsume… What would you do?

She remembered how Mei had broken her own precious 'baby' to help bring them to victory in the Cavalry Battle. Something unfathomable and unexpected was what was needed for Shiro to win, and she finally had a clear vision of what that was.

Shiro used her forward momentum to dive under the oncoming vines, scrambling up and continuing forward, rushing straight towards Shiozaki, the girl seeming calm the entire time.

If I can get close enough, then I'll do it!

A vine snagged Shiro's robotic leg for a moment and she managed to pull it free, but that split second of stopping was enough for the rest of the vines to come in on her all at once.

Shiro tried to jump back to avoid them, but the vines wrapped around her lower half and the robotic legs, ensnaring her there. She grunted and struggled to pull away, but they were too tight.

"Shiro is ensnared in Shiozaki's deadly trap! Is this gonna be the end?"

The vines began to move up to try and grasp her body completely. Shiozaki held her hands up to her chest, looking solemn as she watched a few yards ahead of her.

"Please give up soon, I do not wish to hurt you," the plant-haired girl spoke.

"You should just shut up," Shiro grumbled as she began to fiddle with the robotic legs and detaching them from herself. "You just act all high and mighty but don't get your hands dirty!"

Thanks to her small frame, Shiro was able to slip her legs out from the vines grasp, but kept clinging to the vines, hoping her opponent wouldn't notice, only able to see Shiro's head beyond the vines from where she was standing.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way," Shiozaki responded calmly, raising her hands as the vines began to come out from the ground more and more, wrapping themselves around and tightly constricting her target—

But this was what Shiro had wanted. The hydraulics of the robotic leggings used a mixture of water and a special oil that allowed for powerful and quick maneuverability and kept them usable for hours. However, this built up a lot of pressure, so the leggings exhumed steam from vents located on either leg to relieve this pressure and allow the legs to follow the user's movements.

If the vents were tampered with, though, there was nowhere for the pressure to go, which would result in the legs exploding, unless someone were to purposefully sabotage it to suit their needs so it burst in a specific spot and...

This has to work! Shiro was nearly unable to hold on anymore as the vines constricted the leggings tighter. Finally, she finished her work and hopped backwards, holding her hands over her ears and ducking for cover.

There was a loud explosion sound, many of the vines shooting away as they were blown off. The metal leggings shot out of the vines' hold, straight towards Shiozaki. The girl ducked down quickly, the metal flying over her head.

"Oh no, what have I done?!" Shiozaki looked back, seeing the robotic legs stopping before they reached the wall of the stands, falling to the ground in a smoking heap. She turned forwards again, and was both relieved and surprised to find Shiro running at her. A distraction?!

It was too late to react as Shiro tackled the girl to the ground.

"I-I did it!" Shiro laughed maniacally at her success.

There was a stunned silence in the stadium, with not even Present Mic willing to say anything about what was happening. In the stands, Izuku and Yuki watched, their expressions dull. T-This is… Kind of… Izuku wasn't even sure what to think.

Down on the stadium, Shiro was furiously groping Shiozaki's breasts while looking up to the sky and laughing. For a few moments, nobody knew what they were supposed to think about the current predicament.

Eventually, Shiozaki, who was showing a rare face of embarrassment, pushed Shiro off and covered her face with her hands.

"H-How could you do something so shameless?!"

"O-One of the students who got in through recommendations is reduced to this?!"

Yuki facepalmed, but couldn't help but chuckle. Izuku looked at him, surprised to find him smiling a bit now.

"That's so stupid," Yuki said. "I don't know why I'm surprised."

"W-Well, I guess this is how us Support students fight best, right," Izuku responded, chuckling as well. The air of dread over them was starting to lift as they watched on.

Shiro stood confidently and cracked her knuckles, approaching Shiozaki, the girl peering through her fingers at Shiro.

"Next I'm going all the way," Shiro said with a dark undertone, the Sun above her making her look dark and ominous.

"I-I'd never allow that!" Shiozaki quickly got up and ran, her vine hair receding back up to her head, as Shiro chased after her quickly.

"Go Shiro!"

"Get her ass!"

Class 1-H cheered as Shiozaki neared the edge of the arena and came to a stop as she briefly came to her senses, but a nice gentle slap on the rear from Shiro made her jump right out of bounds.

"Ahh! It's over! What the heck kind of festival is this?! Does the judge have any comments?"

Everyone looked to Midnight, who seemed to have a serious expression on her face. After a moment, she flicked her whip hard and suddenly had a big smile.

"Ibara Shiozaki is out of contention!"

The cheers from 1-H erupted out and caused everyone else to cheer as well, though they were a little reluctant at first.

"I don't know what's going on, but Shiro from Class H moves on to the next round!"

Shiro smiled cheekily up to the crowd, waving her hands excitedly.

You see that boys? Was that the spark you needed?

It was what Izuku and Yuki needed, just perhaps not how they had expected to receive the motivation.

"Well, glad that's all settled! Time to prepare," Mei exclaimed, standing and stretching.

"Oh, you're up next, right Mei? That means it's you and…" Izuku thought for a moment, then gasped. "I-I forgot! It's Kacchan!"

Mei chuckled and gave a confident thumbs up. "Yup! I'm totally gonna lose!"

"I guess that's a realistic thought process," Yuki commented.

"Y-Yuki!" Izuku shot him a glare. Mei smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing! I've always got a plan, remember?" The girl held out a fist to him.

Izuku looked to the girl, a bit conflicted, though he knew better at this point to doubt Mei's planning ability. He returned the smile and bumped fists with her, much like they had done many times before.

"Then give it your all, Mei!"

To Be Continued

Next Chapter: PLAYED: Mei vs. Bakugo