First things first, I want to apologize for not doing a spell check for the previous chapter, I can't believe I got their names wrong. By the time this chapter comes out, I'll have already uploaded the corrected version to replace it. Though one error wasn't one. When Present Mic comments on Yaoyorozu and Shinso's fight, he was comparing how neat and quick it was to Sero and Tokage's. When he says: 'And with that overwhelming victory, Shinso beats out Tokage in the clean victory category, man if all of general is like him, the other courses better watch out!' He meant in terms of how overwhelming, unexpected, and clean the win was in comparison, Shinso's win over Yaoyorozu beats out Tokage's over Sero as Tokage is a recommendations student of the hero course while Shinso failed the hero course general exam and due to that, has received next to no combat training other than anything he could have gotten in junior high and his downtime.
Also, I'm still waiting on suggestions for people to take part in the I-island arc as not as many people as I thought would have responded. I can't wait forever and the deadline will be at the of the sports festival arc which should be in about 5 to 8 chapters at the current pace. My pace of updating has been rather slow as of late because I'm started watching Gate and Dr. Stone and they are so good, I had myself using the time I normally use for writing to watch it instead.
D3lph0xL0v3r – Bringing Mt. Lady makes some sense as they are dating. It could be like a vacation for both of them. But Mellissa and Izuku are more brother and sister, close friends so it's not like the blonde American would think of him in that light, nor does he. So far, these are the candidates from what you've all suggested and my own choices.
(1)Mirio-Mostly was chosen because our boy Anime Tin tin over here was the original choice in cannon and a lot of you seem to want him to have it.
(2)Kirishima-As pointed out by Lix231, His quirk might make it easier for him to use OFA while drastically increasing his physical speed and strength. Plus, it'll help people to see he and Tetsutetsu aren't just copies of the other.
(3)Tetsutetsu-Same reason as Kirishima(Which I know, is redundant but it's a valid point)
(4)Ojiro-Like Midoriya, he is rather plain but also wants to become a hero for what I assume, is to help people as from what we have seen of his room and choice of costume design, he doesn't seem to be a person who likes having a lot of things. Adding OFA to his abilities would make him quite the dangerous force as could you imagine if he had access to Full Cowling? He would wreck your shit and probably feel bad about it.
(5)Kendo-Due to the potential of it I read about in another story by the name of Entropy, if she works on it she could become the Captain Marvel of the BNHA universe.
TheLethalSperg500 – I can't tell you if that might happen but I do feel for yer, that loss can't be good for Yaoyorozu's self-confidence.
Master Warrior – I don't even know what you're talking about, I'm not a manga reader so I don't even know what happens with the Cultural Festival yet.
tacktician – To your first observation, yes that'll help his efforts to get into the hero course but remember, he had people like Aizawa watching so it'll take more than one trick to impress him. The part with Mei, I laughed so hard as I can see Power Loader doing that to troll 1-A's teacher but as far as I know, she has no interest in the hero course, sure she could be like Midoriya and take part in the hero course and still work in support but….all she cares about is her babies, I can't say if she won' save someone or put someone else's needs ahead of her own since we simply don't have enough to make that call. So for now I'll just classify her as a good person(most of the time) but not hero course material.
Blaze1992 – Don't worry, I got a lot more plans for the tech Midoriya and another genius of this world will bring about. Sure Marvel and DC are the major influences but they aren't the only ones since as a tech nerd in Japan, mecha and Gundam anime will have an impact on what we see. Fully armored suits are something he'll bring in down the line as for now, what he has other projects. I didn't see the need for him to announce that but it will come up soon.
Chapter 22: Rolling with the Punches
(Previously)
"Damn, she didn't even have a chance." One of the lesser pros remarked sadly.
"That Shinso kid. His quirk won the match without a single attack." One who looked like a common costumed hero pointed out.
"It would be a great asset against villains, wish I had something like that." A pro who looked like a humanoid reptile(lizard) with a lizard skull like masked said, slightly jealous as such power would make his job so much easier.
"UA's not very smart if someone like that is on general studies." Another pro with sea form green hair and a gas mask with smiley faces drawn on it.
"They must get like thousands of kids applying for the hero course every year so it can't be helped if some of the golden eggs fall into the cracks." Another dressed as a water-based hero replied to her question.
"Still, it's a waste if. Hopefully, they transfer him after the festival." Another pointed as Shinso walked back to his class where all of them gave him graduations of some same kind whether they were words of amazement, pats on the back, handshakes, etc.
(And now)
"I go check up on Yaoyorozu, make sure she's handling this okay." Jiro announced as she got up from her seat and moved to walk away.
"Yeah, that seems like a good idea." Hagakure agreed with her as it had been some time since they saw Yaoyorozu walk off the field. They were starting to get worried as it had been more than enough time for the girl to get back.
"I'll go too(kero)." Tsuyu said as she too got up and went to follow the other girl.
"Give our best guys!" Kaminari said to them as most of the class waved them off.
"We will." Jiro said as she and Tsuyu walked off to try and find their missing classmate.
"Alright! See yer guys, I gotta go get ready for my match." Kirishima said as he got up as well so he could get ready.
"Give him hell." Midoriya said with a smirk.
"You know it!" Kirishima replied with his smile and a thumbs up before he jogged off.
"…You think Awase has a chance?" Shoji asked the group as a whole.
"He has as much as chance as Bakugo getting a date with Uraraka." Was Midoriya's rather blunt response as he went back to drawing up plans to counter Mei's inventions.
"The fuck you say, Deku!?" Bakugo of course, not being one to let such a jab against him go unanswered, yelled at him.
"You heard me, dumb-ass," Midoriya replied to him as he turned his head to look at him over his shoulder with a taunting smirk. "Admit it, you ain't gonna make Aunt Mitsuki a grandma any time in the next three decades." He roasted him, and as he expected, he got a near-immediate response.
"I can get laid any fucking time I want!" Bakugo yelled at him, startling both his class and 1-B who were listening in.
"Yeah right, with a face like that," Midoriya said as he pointed to his anger-stricken expression which many believed was his default setting. "Even a wolverine would swipe left." He finished as he swiped his finger left as if he was using some dating app.
"Ooo, that's a burn buddy. You lost that one." Kaminari laughed at him as some of the other students tried and failed to hold back their chuckles and smiles, Tokage laughing out loud at that jab.
"Who the hell decided that, Pikachu?!" Bakugo roared at the blonde as he barely held himself back from jumping the two idiots making fun of him.
"Bakugo, language! The people above us can hear you and Midoriya!" Obviously, Iida stood up and called the two boys on their antics. He first scolded Bakugo who just flipped him off before he turned to their class rep who looked quite pleased with himself. "It was uncalled for to bring about a conversation about Bakugo romantic affairs!"
"You mean his non-existent love life?" And like a rapid-fire weapon, Midoriya laid down another sick burn.
"And another one!" Kaminari said through his laughter as he barely stayed in his seat. Even those above them listening in chuckles a bit at that one.
"That's it Deku when our match comes, I'm blasting you to hell!" Bakugo stated as he shot up to his feet and started to walk away from the extras so he could go get ready for his match.
"I'll like to see you try," Something in his smile told Iida that Midoriya had one last thing to say, something he would not approve him. "…Bratsuki" And he was right. Bakugo with his back turned to them stood still, as if frozen but he was in actuality frozen in rage. Just when they thought he'll jump their class rep, he just let out a rather creative string of curses and walked off.
"Is your class always like this?" Kendo asked as she poked her head over the wall.
"Not always…just sometimes." Shoji answered with a sigh as they both turned to look at Midoriya as he chuckles to himself, appearing quite pleased with the chaos he nearly unleashed on them.
"Unbelievable, well I suppose I should head to my waiting room as well." Iida sighed as he turned to leave as well, knowing he would now have to deal with a pissed-off Bakugo which was never a good thing.
"Good luck, you're gonna need it." Midoriya said without looking back as his nose was buried in his notes.
"Midoriya, did you have to piss off Bakugo just before his match with Iida?" Uraraka asked him, concerned for the trouble he just caused for their rather strict but well-meaning friend.
"Why yes I did, he hasn't been himself for a while." Midoriya answered her as he kept on writing complex-looking math equations down in his notebook.
"Who? Bakugo?" Uraraka asked him, she didn't notice him acting odd.
"Yep, for some reason, he's been a hell of a lot quieter than I known him to be ever since the lunch break. I meant it when I said I want everyone to give it their all therefore," Midoriya explained to her as he turned the page to look at a drawing he had made before making adjustments to it. "I've known him for years and I know for a fact the best way to get him back to his A-game is to piss him off, so I pissed him off to get his head back in the game. Plus it's funny as hell to press his buttons." He finished his explanation on his reasoning as he slammed the book shut.
"…I'm not sure if that was brilliant or incredibly idiotic." Sato said as he took in that reasoning, his response was a smirk from the resident genius when he turned to face him.
"We shall let history be my judge but for now, let's enjoy the show." Midoriya said as he turned to attention back down to the arena.
(With the Bakugo and Midoriya's)
"Ohhh, Izuku sure gave a great performance of an opening match-up!" Inko cheered, so happy that she was hugging(crushing) Hisashi with her unexpected strength brought on by motherly pride.
"He sure did, though I wasn't expecting his…tool of choice." Masaru said faintly as he felt sympathy for his fellow husband as the man tried and failed to get out of what looked to be painful embrace.
"Don't be so around the bush about it, we weren't expecting a frickin rocket-propelled war-hammer." Mitsuki said with a flippant wave of the hand.
"Yeah, that's certainly one way to put it." Masaru said as Hisashi was finally able to get out of the hold and take in big breathes of air, he would never take living for granted ever again.
"And Katsuki's match is the next one after this one." Inko noted as she recalled the match-making sheet.
"Knowing that brat, he's pissed he wasn't first and will try to blast his way to victory." Mitsuki replied with a frown.
"Isn't that a bit harsh honey?" Hisashi asked her.
"It is and it's true. That brat won't lose till he beat Izuku and wins this whole thing." She answered him with a smile that said she was confident in her boy.
"Oh?" Clearly, the other mother didn't take such a statement well as she turned her attention to her long-time friend. "And what's makes you think Izuku won't beat him?"
"Just my brat ain't gonna hold back, your boy's gonna lose and lose hard." Never being one to back down from a challenge, Mitsuki answered knowing that would just throw fuel onto the fire.
"Please stop." Both husbands asked at the same time knowing that they'll have to deal with ay fallout this caused.
"You're confident, seeing how he lost the first round." Inko reminded her with a smug smirk.
"But your boy come in 2nd in the second round." Mitsuki countered with a smirk of her own. Both mothers glared at the other so intensely, that both men swore they saw lighting bounce in-between their eyes like those old anime they used to watch. They didn't know how things were going to play out but they did know it wasn't going to be pretty.
"God have mercy on those two." Hisashi said as he gave a silent prayer for the two boys as he could see this not ending well.
(With the combatants)
"Okay people, let's move on! Next up-!" Present Mic announced as the two boys made their on onto the field. "The sixth match is a battle of the tools! The Hammer vs the Welder!" He finished as the crowd cheered for the next coming match.
"With the mouth of a sailor and the master of headbands. From the hero course, Yosetsu Awase!" He loud and overly upbeat pro announced as Awase walked onto the arena, fixing his bandana with an angered look on his face.
"For fucks sake, couldn't he came up with something better to say?" The lad from 1-B asked himself as he looked over at his opponent for today.
"Vesus-!" The camera's turned to focus on the other one. "Manly and passionate hardening. From the hero course, Eijiro Kirishima!" Here, Kirishima looked towards his opponent with a battle-ready smile.
"I'm ready to roll!" He yelled as he got onto a fighting stance.
(With the students)
"Go Awase, bring home a win like Tokage." Kendo cheered for her classmate alongside others from 1-B. though Monoma was the most outspoken about it, their class did feel like they needed to prove themselves, and what better way to do that than to have another one of their beat a member of 1-A in single combat?
Those in 1-A however, were more reserved in their support. Well at least most of them as Mineta, judging this to be boring due to the lack of girls(who may get their clothes ripped) opted to take a nap. "Pay attention, you degenerate." Tokoyami said without looking back as Dark Shadow popped out and gave the short-balled-haired boy a scare to wake him up.
"Let's start this matchup, shall we? Go nuts you two!" Present Mic announced as the bell rang to signal the start of the match. Almost immediately afterward, Kirishima used to quirk to harden his arms before charging like a raging bull.
"Here I came!" He called out to his thoroughly surprised opponent who didn't think he'll just go after him so quickly.
(With the girls)
"Yaoyorozu!...Yaoyorozu!" Jiro called out as she and Tsuyu went about looking for the taller girl in the many tunnels and pathways that made up the interior of the stadium. They were deep enough to have only heard the faint call of the next match but not much else.
"Where can she be?" Jiro asked herself as she looked around a corner and saw as the last dozen or so, it was clear of anybody.
"I don't know but I'm worried, she could have made it back to our seats by now." Tsuyu said in response as even though her facial expressions had yet to change, Jiro could tell she was just as concerned as she was. They continued looking for her for another few minutes, checking both restrooms and the odd broom closet but with no results. After some time, they were about to start searching the fair-grounds when Jiro's sensitive hearing picked up something.
"Wait, listen." Jiro said as she stopped mid-step. "You hear that?" She asked as she moved her earphone jack into the wall to better locate the source of this new sound.
"Hear what(kero)?" Sometimes Jiro forgot she had better hearing than almost the entire class. Though she didn't let that stop her.
"Crying." Jiro said as she followed the sound along the wall up some stairs to a rather deserted part of the tunnels. After some time, even Tsuyu could hear the quiet sounding sobs to which they quicken their pace. They didn't know who it was but as hero students and more importantly, good people they couldn't just ignore someone crying all alone. From there it didn't take long till they turned the corner and found the person they had been searching for, crying to herself as she sat on a bench.
"There you are! We've been worried sick!" Jiro said as she quickened her pace alongside Tsuyu to reach the now surprised girl.
"J-jiro! Tsu! I-I didn't know you were-!" Yaoyorozu started as she tried to wipe away her tears and come up with a distraction but Tsuyu held up a hand to stop her.
"Stop, don't apologize. We're not mad(kero)" Tsuyu said as she took a seat to Yaoyorozu's left side while Jiro took the right.
"We were just worried about you, you didn't make it back after your match." Jiro said as she placed a hand on the taller girl's shoulder in a show of support.
"Ha…if you could call such a humiliating affair a 'match'" Yaoyorozu said as she fell more into herself from the depression. "I never had a chance." She said quietly as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"That's not true, we just didn't know enough about his quirk." Jiro being quick to jump in, told her as she pulled the girl into a one-armed hug.
"(kero) He just had the element of surprise is all," Tsuyu added in as well. "And anybody can fall prey to a surprise attack, even the pros."
(With the combatants)
"Take this!" Kirishima yelled as he tied to land a punch to Awase's gut but Awase managed to avoid it.
"Fuck!" The headband-wearing boy cursed as he had been on the defensive for nearly the entire match but he then saw some loose rocks on the floor and dived for them. Once he had them in hand he turned to face his redhead foe. "Alright big guy, why don't you hug some dirt!" He said as he dived under another punch and fused the rocks to Kirishima's hardened arms near the inner elbow joints.
"The heck!" Kirishima asked as he found that due to the rocks, he couldn't bend his arms as well as before, reducing his combat ability.
'Now's my chance!' When he saw his plan worked, he picked up some more loose rocks and got ready. "I'll just keep on stacking till you can't move!" Awase said as she charged Kirishima, much to the enjoyment of the spectating crowd.
(Back with the girls)
"I wanted to show my skills…I worked so hard to get here and I didn't even get the chance." Yaoyorozu said as she started to tear up again at the thought of her massive loss.
"And you did, remember the stunts you were pulling with Tokoyami's team in the cavalry battle?" Jiro said to cheer her up, making the girl pause as she recalled how much she and her team were able to push back Tokoyami's team.
"That must have impressed the pros, no doubt(kero)" Tsuyu said as she also recalled seeing that, it was quite the feat.
"Yes, but I was terrified the entire time. I've never even don't hang-gliding so it was a whole new world for me." Yaoyorozu said with a bashful look as she also recalled how terrified she was. She had no idea how people like Hawks and Midoriya could be so carefree and quick to flight.
"And yet you didn't let it stop you from doing your best, so what if that Shinso dude ripped you off, it just shows he couldn't take you on face to face." At that point, Jiro found a weak spot and pushed on through.
"(kero) You did your best Yaoyorozu, and that's all people can expect from you. Even then, you can always do even better next year." Tsuyu stated as she joined in on the hug, getting a small laugh from the heiress.
"[Sob] Y-your right. It was an unexpected form of attack, is all. Anyone would have fallen for it." Yaoyorozu said as she wiped away the last of her tears before giving the both of a grateful hug. "Thank you, I mean that."
"Hey, what are friends for if not to help yer when you're down?" Jiro said to her as it was quite…nice to have a class made up of such caring people, even if some had odd ways of showing it.
"Everyone in class feels the same way too, we care about each other." Tsuyu added.
"Well, you're kinda forced to make strong bonds when some piss-poor quality villains attack yer in droves." Jiro told the frog girl who in turned just looked at her while Yaoyorozu blinked before a rosy color found its way to her cheeks(her face you prevs).
"Jiro! Language!" Yaoyorozu scolded the shorter girl.
"What? It's true, ain't it?" Jiro defended herself with a shrug of the shoulders.
"You lack of tact reminds me of Bakugo sometimes." Tsuyu said out of the blue. Her statement proving to be so shocking that Jiro jumped to her feet in shock and disgust.
"Gross, don't compare the two of us like that!" Jiro yelled as she had no interest in being like their resident explosives expect. While the two of them argued back and forth, Yaoyorozu watched them do so with an ever-growing smile on her face. Even as she recalled what Shinso said during their encounter, she didn't stop smiling as she found herself agreeing with him.
'I am blessed Shinso….I was blessed to have such kind friends, I hope that one day, you can say the same.' She thought to herself as she looked at the two bickers fondly before she got up and break them up so they could get back to the rest of the class, no doubt they were worried about them all by now.
(With the combatants)
"The hell are you still moving!?" Awase yelled/asked Kirishima as the boy was still moving around despite having one arm immobile and a leg jammed due to the rocks Awase fused to knees. Sure he had been careful to only use his quick on the hardened surfaces but still, this was ridiculous!
"Sorry man but I ain't gonna lose here, I gotta make it as far as I can!" Kirishima yelled as he powered through and against what Awase thought was possible, was able to break almost all the rocks he had fused to his hardened joints but before Awase could think of a plan, Kirishima chose to close the distance and finish this.
"Don't take this," Kirishima started as he geared up a wicked right hook "Personally!" And with that, he landed a jaw-breaking blow to Awase's face, knocking out a tooth or two as well as sending to the floor. Midnight approached when she didn't notice movement and once she made it, she could see Awase wasn't getting up anytime soon.
"Awase is down!" Midnight called it before she gestured over to Kirishima who undid his hardening. "Kirishima advances to the quarter-finals!" For his part, Kirishima smiled and roared to the sky in victory, the crowd following suit to his win as medical bots came by to take Awase to see Recovery Girl.
"Looks like the hammer beat out the welder this time round." Vlad noted, having been impressed by his students' rather remarkable battle plan.
"Aw man, and it was such a good match, but let's move on!" Present Mic said as the screen changed to show the names and faces of the next two scheduled to fight. "Let's keep the flow going and move into the seventh match of the day!"
Tenya Iida vs Katsuki Bakugo
(With the students)
"So basically it's a match between boring Sonic and guy Megumin?" Kaminari asked with a smile as Hagakure and Ashido laughed a bit at his joke.
"That's a colorful way to look at it." Ashido commented as she calmed herself down.
"Iida…you up against a tough opponent, I can say with absolute certainty your only chance at winning is a KO or RKO?" Midoriya said to himself as she turned to look at the screen out of the corner of his eye.
"RKO, you mean like-?" Kaminari started but the green-haired boy stopped him before he said something stupid.
"No, not that one. RKO means 'Ring Knock Out', I meant that Iida will have to somehow force Bakugo out of bounds or knock him out since there's no way in hell Bakugo will surrender." Midoriya explained as he knew that if there was one thing Bakugo had yet to learn, it was when to give up and try again later. Contrary to popular belief, even pro heroes needed the sense to know when a battle was lost or they needed a new approach to a problem, not everyone could just punch their way to victory like All Might.
"If he did, that'll be quite the occasion. Submission to another may not exist as a term in Bakugo's vocabulary." Tokoyami agreed with Midoriya was as they both looked down to the arena, wanting to pay extra attention to this one.
"And now we begin the second final match of the first round!" Present Mic started once both boys had made their entry onto the arena floor. "He has a shorter temper than the list of people All Might can't beat with a face that is not like a normal person. From the hero course, Katsuki Bakugo!" He introduced Bakugo for…whatever reason was pulling a stupid-looking face which to be a combination of bored, angered, and a little 21st-century American thug face.
"Versus-!"
"He's strict, he's fast and he has the arm movement of a sci-fi robot. From the hero course, Tenya Iida!" Present Mic introduced as Iida did some stationary leg movements to keep himself loose and ready for action.
"Seventh Match, Start!" Midnight called out when she saw both were ready. With her call, Bakugo stood still while Iida charged him head-on.
"I will end this as soon as I can!" Iida stated as he dashed towards the blonde bomber, his quick active.
(With the students)
"As I thought, Iida's going for a quick win using his superior speed to outpace Bakugo." Midoriya observed as they saw Iida start to try and run circles around his opponent, making it difficult for the blonde to know when and from where he was going to attack him.
"Yes, but at the same time, I cannot see Bakugo having not accounted for Iida taking such an approach." Tokoyami added his own two cents into the talk as his red eyes kept a focus on Bakugo, looking for the expectant reaction to all this.
(With the combatants)
'I just need to get close.' Iida thought to himself as he closed the distance a little more, just as he had been doing this whole time as he used his circling trick to hopefully through off Bakugo. 'Find an opening…' There, an opening!
"And take it!" Iida yelled as he dashed in from Bakugo's side, though his attack was practically telegraphed to his foe who responded in kind.
"Get real!" Bakugo yelled at him as he fired off a large blast right towards Iida, the force of which digging up the cement of the arena floor as it went. Iida wasn't able to react in time and was caught in the blast.
(With the students)
"Iida!" Uraraka yelled out afraid for her friend as Midoriya watched with a pinched look on his face.
"Did he just blast him to bits?!" Jiro asked as she covered her eyes, this was too brutal for her tastes.
"As always, he fights with no mercy." Tsuyu noted with a finger to her lip like usual.
(With the combatants)
"No good, even with my superior speed-he's reaction time and reflexes are something to watch out for." Iida summarized as he jumped out of the smoke cloud that blast had caused, aside from some black soot marks here and there, he was good.
"I said to get real four-eyes, otherwise," Bakugo told him as she got into a combat stance as well, his right hand held back in preparation to fire off another one of his blasts. "This victory will mean nothing."
"Bold of you to assume you'll win." Iida answered him as he ran towards him before he geared up to try and land a kick if not for the fact Bakugo was able to dodge him.
"Because I will." Bakugo yelled back at him before he fired off an explosion as a counterattack but this time Iida was prepared and as a result, he was able to evade it.
"We'll see about that!" Iida said as he started to press the attack but he could barely get near him without a blast intercepting him or forcing him back.
"Too slow!" Bakugo yelled at him as he fired off another explosion, one that seemed to be the 30th in this match so far.
"Not quite!" Iida said as he dived under the blast and was able to quickly close the distance between them, surprising the red-eyed blonde.
"Wha-ARG!" That was what Bakugo was trying to say if he wasn't interrupted by the kick the face. Iida first hit of the match landing with enough force to bust Bakugo's nose and send drops of blood flying.
"And Iida manages to land his first hit of the match!" Present Mic called out as the crowd cheered for the two of them, so if you looked and listened carefully, you would have heard and seen the elder Bakugo yelling at her son to hurry up and win this.
"Iida's skills focus more a speedy close quarter's combat, just like Bakugo. The key difference being here that Bakugo is more than capable of keeping him back to a point where he can't do much but at the same time he cannot launch any meaningful attack of his own, this is a match where both have to find ways to use their quirks in unconventional ways." Vlad noted as the match went on with Bakugo starting to use his quick less and try to use CQC tactics instead.
"So it's all about who can outsmart who?" Present Mic asked his fellow commentator.
"That's what it boils down to." Vlad answered as the two boys continued to battle it out.
(With the students)
"Iida…you got the resolve, I can from being on the receiving end of those explosions that they hurt like hell." Midoriya said in admiration as he could feel the phantom pains from all the blasts he got over the years, courtesy of Katsuki.
"And he's still pushing forward…Iida is great." Uraraka agreed with him as she watched in awe as Iida fought through the dust and pain, trying in the fight as he forced Bakugo to rethink his attack plan.
"Yes," Tokoyami said as he too was impressed with the showing from the two. "He's also forcing Bakugo back with those attacks that do land."
"Still, Bakugo is relentless man, like for real." Kaminari said as he tried to find better words to describe it but gave up on that.
"Well, Midoriya always did say he was like a Dobermann when it came to his opponents." Kirishima replied as he couldn't tell who would win this time around.
(With the combatants)
"Dammit, why won't you just die like an extra?" Bakugo yelled at him as his bloodied nose was getting on his nerves, the kicks he got to his arms and chest weren't doing him any favors for him either.
"You're still referring to others as such?" Iida asked him, like his opponent he was covered in marks from this battle, bruises from the few physical attacks Bakugo landed on him were forming on his arms and shoulders while the singed and burnt sports uniform acting as markers for where the blast got too close to comfort and hit home. "That's why you'll lose!" He stated as he did another charge, this time running zig-zag to the best of his ability to through off the other boy's aim.
"Like hell!" Bakugo quickly replied as he fired off a duel blast of explosions at the ground around him, throwing up a smokescreen to cover himself and give him time to think of a new attack plan.
"Iida keeps up the attack but he isn't landing that many blows, damn just how much of those blasts can he take?" Present Mic said as he wheezed when they saw through the smoke as Iida was knocked back by one of those blasts.
"It shows resolve, if not a little foolishness, sometimes one needs to know when to quit." Vlad added in.
"Not yet," Bakugo said as he wiped away some sweat and blood from his brow as the smoke cleared, giving him a view of his opponent. "He's still not dead." He finished as he spotted Iida standing tall as he showed off his injuries and signs of fatigue, clearly fighting like this was tiring the both of them out.
"Ha…Midoriya was right…ha…about you. You're are someone to look out for but this," Iida said as he got into a runner stance. "Is my win." He breathed out as he threw off his damaged glasses and hoped his poor eyesight won't cost him.
"So he planned to drive him towards the edge?" Yaoyorozu asked she had noticed a while ago that Iida was slowly moving Bakugo towards the edge by repeatedly attacking him and forcing him to move how he wanted him to.
"Yeah, it'll make RKO so much easier. But there's no way Bakugo didn't notice." Honenuki replied as even for someone who didn't know the boy all that well, he knew that he wasn't stupid-hot headed and short-tempered yes-but not stupid.
'I got one chance at this' Iida thought to himself as he felt the engines in his calves heating up as he prepared his trump card. "Recriproburst!" And with that burst of speed, he was able to race behind Bakugo and grab onto his shoulder before he pivoted his one foot, nearly breaking his ankle as he turned and threw Bakugo as far as he could, intending to throw him out of bounds onto the grass.
'There, almost!...Almost!' Iida thought to himself as he saw the surprised look on Bakugo's face morph into an angry one with a touch of desperation when he recognized his situation.
"Fat chance!" Bakugo yelled at him as he aimed his palms towards the ever-approaching ground and fired off a duel blast, blowing himself into the air before he started to blast/fly back towards the arena like a man on a mission.
"What!" Iida asked himself as he couldn't believe that Bakugo was able to use his quick to stop himself from losing without prompt or preparation. The force needed for each blast to do that would need to be quite notable.
(With the Students)
"Did he..?" Kendo asked as she didn't believe what she was seeing.
"Yeah…yeah he did." Ashido answered her, though she wasn't any close to believing what she was seeing either.
"Holy…I didn't see that coming." Midoriya said as he didn't think Bakugo would recover in time to save himself.
'How did he?' Iida asked himself as he tried to come up with another plan to win but sadly, he never got the chance.
'Let's end this shit.' Bakugo thought to himself as he landed in the arena again and held out one hand being supported by the other. "Die!" He yelled as he fired off what was surely the largest blast of the match, this one was easily four times more powerful than the prior ones. The force and speed behind the attack caught Iida off guard who just held both arms in front of himself to try and defend against it.
"Arg!" Iida yelled in pain as the blast knocked on back such a distance as when he landed and rolled to a stop, he noticed to his dismay that he had rolled out of bounds with only his left leg still in.
"Iida is out of bounds" Midnight called it as she pointed towards the tired and beaten but also victorious Bakugo. "Bakugo advances to the quarter-finals!" And with that, the crowd lost it as they cheered for the both of them, though Bakugo would forever swear that they were cheering for him alone. He would have stayed to bask in his win but he chose to get a check-up from the old nurse.
"And the resident domestic bomber pulls through to claim victory, claiming his spot in the next round!" Present Mic announced as Iida slowly got up and slightly limped towards the exit as well, no doubt to go and see Recovery Girl.
"And depending on who wins the next round, we'll know who his opponent will be." Vlad said as the screen changed from the winning shot for Bakugo to the names and faces of the last match-up of the first bracket.
Next match: Yui Kodai vs Shoto Todoroki
(With the students)
"[Sigh] Man, I was so hoping Iida would win, it'll shut Bakugo up for a while." Midoriya sighed to himself as he would have loved to rub a loss in that blonde idiot's face.
"It was a fair and clean match, my friend. Iida did his best, that's all he was required to do." Tokoyami said, not revealing his feelings on the matter but offering logical observations.
"But he'll be super bummed out about now." Uraraka said as she could sympathize with that part, having not done as well as she had hoped herself.
"Why don't you go make sure he handles this alright? You sure have positive energy to spare." Midoriya suggested with a smile.
"Good idea, I'll go do just that!" Uraraka responded with her beaming smile as she thanked him before she put down her drink and raced off to find their class rule enforcer.
"She sure has some energy…" Kaminari noted with a smile as he thought about a dirty joke, though he wasn't the only one who caught what he implied.
"Don't even think it." Jiro warned him as both her jack rose like snakes and pointed in his direction.
"What? I wasn't thinking anything like that!" Kaminari defended himself as he rose both hands in surrender to ward off any physical punishment from her.
"Like what?" Shiozaki asked over the wall, not having understood the rather…mature undertone of the conversation.
"Nothing!" Both Kaminari and Jiro yelled in sync, not wanting to make themselves look perverted in front of the other class.
"Ignore them, those to argue like an old married couple." Ashido said to screw with them even more which going from the mad blush both got, worked.
"We're not a couple/We're not old!" They both said at the same time, though Jiro paused and looked at Kaminari and wondered why the hell their age was relevant.
"Yo Midoriya!" Tetsutetsu stuck his head over the wall. "You think Kodai has a chance?" At his question, Midoriya paused for a couple of moments as he cupped his chin in thought. Mentally debating those notions.
"Well….Todoroki does have that annoying habit of only using ice, if she can manage to mess with the size of those glaciers he'll send her way, maybe." He eventually answered after concluding.
"Maybe?" Tetsutetsu asked him, he would have thought he would have more faith in her.
"Hey, Todoroki is one of our heavy hitters, whatya expect from me?" Midoriya rebutted, Todoroki was no joke.
"Just take the answer and sit down Tetsutetsu." Kendo told her friend and classmate since she could see the logic there, Kodai winning would be a longshot.
"By the way, why hasn't Monoma said anything?" Midoriya asked as it had been some time since they all last heard him spouting shit about 1-A. in his curiosity, Midoriya got up so he could look over the wall himself.
"Well…." Kendo started but stopped when the boy reached the wall and looked over to see something he wasn't expecting.
"You tied him up?!" Midoriya yelled/asked them as he locked eyes with the blonde shit talker who was tied to his seat using Shiozaki's vines. He was still wiggling around so clearly, he wasn't a fan of it.
"Psssft, hahahahHAHAHAHAHA!" Though the site of it proved to be much, much more well-received by others, case in point-Ashido and Kaminari who had gotten up to see it for themselves and were now laughing at the blonde's expense. "I never thought I'll see the day! Still though" Ashido said through the tears and laughter. "Don't you think that was a bit harsh?"
"Maybe but it was a class decision." Tokage said as she pointed to the rest of the class to which the majority nodded their heads.
"For what's it worth, we didn't vote to tie him up." Shoda said as he along with Shiozaki, Yanagi, Bondo, Shishida and Komori nodded their heads, though Shiozaki did admit that they convinced her to use her vines for rope instead of something more unpleasant.
"But serious man, I hope Kodai wins this." Midoriya told Tetsutetsu with a smile, something that caught both sides off guard.
"Wait a minute, why the hell are you cheering for the other class?" Kirishima asked him. Midoriya for his part turned to face his classmate with a straight face and said nothing for a few awkward moments, pulling a near-perfect copy of Tsuyu's emotionless stare.
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"Kodai and I both like trains." He finally revealed his reasoning as during the combat practice their classes did, they bonded over their shared appreciation for 19th to 21st-century trains.
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"That's it!?" They all yelled at him, of all the dumb reasons they could think of, he picks trains?!
"Yup." Midoriya confirmed with a straight face before he went back to his seat but then turned to give them a shit-eating grin seeing how he could work with this, so he decided to mess with them even more. "What did you think I would say? Some convoluted backstory filled with sorrow, adventure, vengeance, romance, heartbreak, betrayal, redemption, and POW camps back in Vietnam?" Okay at that part, both Tsunotori and Kaminari started to laugh a bit at the Vietnam reference, even in today's day and age, you can still find Vietnam memes. "Oh and the fire-benders, don't forget the fire-benders" He added like it was an afterthought, totally loving the blank looks of disbelief both classes had at his made-up story nonsense.
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"You know….at this point we should just expect you to say shit like that." Jiro said as she just rubbed her brow, dealing with Midoriya was like dealing with a smarter Kaminari at times.
"Hey, that was some good shit, could be the plot points for a fanfiction." Midoriya defended as he paused, looked like he considered that before pulling out another notebook and started writing that stuff down.
"What fanfiction?! G.I Joe meets Legend of Aang?" Hagakure asked him, sounding both confused and skeptical but alas, she only threw more fuel into the fire that was Midoriya's overactive imagination.
"….It wasn't now but that has a nice ring to it. Think about it, 'G.I Joe: The Last American Gunslinger'" Midoriya joked as he said the title in English, letting his natural Japanese leak into the pronunciation of the words –making him pronounce the 'L's as 'R', making it sound even funnier. That proved to be the last it as most of them now were openly chuckling at the joke here while others laughed out loud. One of which was the American exchange student.
"Hahahahaha, okay, okay, that one was pretty funny." Tsunotori answered but slipped up and replied in English, leaving almost the entire group besides Honenuki, Tokage, Midoriya, and Yaoyorozu in the dark to what she said.
"Thank you Tsunotori, at least someone gets it." Midoriya thanked her in English as well.
"Speak Japanese please, not all of us are bi-lingual." The mostly silent Kaibara asked.
"Sorry." Both students replied, this time speaking in Japanese again.
"You know, just about every time you do something, you pull stunts like this." Tsuyu noted.
"What can I say? Gotta make up for the lack of a quirk but being as quirky as possible." Midoriya laughed as he responded before he went back to writing down ideas.
(With Todoroki)
'So Bakugo won as well, meaning that I'll have to fight them myself soon.' Todoroki thought to himself as he walked down the seemingly empty corridor, I say seemingly because he ran onto someone when he turned the corner. "You're in my way, move."
"Your actions are disgraceful, Shoto." The number two hero, father of Shoto and all-around asshole: Enji Todoroki told his son from his place leaning on the wall.
"Like you have any room to talk about others being disgraceful." Shoto ticked his tongue as he walked right on past his father without so much as a hello, not that the elder Todoroki was expecting that.
"If you used your left side, this entire farce of a festival wouldn't be a challenge to you. You wouldn't have placed in anything but first in the obstacle course and the cavalry battle if you had done so." Enji said to his son, ignoring his lack of respect for him to get his point across. Though he might as well have been speaking to a brick wall with the way Shoto wasn't even responding but his ire was rising.
"You have a responsibility to surpass All Might. Cease this childish rebellion of yours already. Do you understand?" Enji continued to speak, either not knowing or not caring for the ever-growing scowl on his son's face as he walked further and further away from him. "You are different from your siblings, my greatest masterpiece! Prove your worth and cease this nonsense."
"Is that all you have to say, you bastard?" Shot finally responded, asking a question they both knew the answer to before he paused and glared at his father out of the corner of his eye with the intensity of a cold winter's night.
"I will never use your damned power in combat, I will advance and I will win this whole thing with just mother's power." He said his piece before he started to move again, anger billowing off him in droves.
"Is that so..?" Unaffected by his youngest child's fury, Enji mused to himself even though he knew the boy could still hear him. "Either way, even if that approach works for you now, sooner rather than later, you'll reach the limits of that power."
(General POV)
"Thanks for the wait folks!" Present Mic announced to the cheering masses as the two competitors made their way to the arena. "Next up we have these fine students!"
Yui Kodai vs Shoto Todoroki
"The silent beauty of her class, she may be one of few words but she can those hands aren't to be trifled with! From the hero course, Yui Kodai!" For her part, Kodai was silent as she mentally prepared herself for her match but she did appreciate the support and cheers her classmates and parents were sending her way.
"This kid worked up in the world, taking 6th in the prelims and then 3rd in the cavalry battle! He wasn't recommended for nothing, people! From the hero course, Shoto Todoroki." Like Kodai, Todoroki was also silent but there was something off about his, it wasn't the usual silence he presented but it felt…angrier to Midoriya. He wasn't too sure but he had a feeling he wasn't going to pull any punches.
"Ready…Start!" Present Mic announced as she sat back to enjoy what he thought would be an interesting match-up, sadly for him and everyone watching. Todoroki's vile mood had yet to cool down and for Kodai-that meant she had no chance. Within the period of a second, Todoroki slammed his right hand onto the ground and unleashed a flurry of ice and frost, easily the size of a small hill-all heading towards Kodai who could do nothing but blink in surprise.
"Sorry." Was the first and only thing Todoroki said just as the ice reached her.
BOOM!
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"Holy…" Present Mic squeaked out as he just…gazed on the massive bulk of ice, so large and imposing that the shadow it cast even encompassed the commentator's booth.
"Mother of…" Vlad agreed, he knew Eraser had some powerful students but this….he had never seen so much ice…and all of it was made by a single person?
(With the students)
"What the literal fuck man…" Kamikiri asked softly as he along with those on the forward seats leaned back from the imposing pillar of ice that Todoroki had made.
"Did he need to make a Goddamn iceberg?!" Ashido yelled in fear.
"What was his plan? Make something to sink the Titanic?!" Midoriya asked as for all his insight, he didn't see Todoroki doing this! Like for real, if this was a knife fight, then Todoroki just brought a tactical nuke for goodness sack!
(With the pros)
'Holy….When Izu-kun said his class has some powerhouses, I didn't think he meant this!' Mt. Lady thought to herself with a nervous sweat moving down her neck, she could feel the chill going down her spine at the notion of her cinnamon roll going up against whoever made that!
"How could…one kid make…..that?" Death Arms weakly asked.
(With the combatants)
"C-c-cold….Th-this…w-was…overkill…" Kodai managed to stutter out as she could feel her core temperature go down. The only part of her sticking out was her upper chest and head which she subconsciously recognized he purposely didn't freeze so she wouldn't die.
"Kodai, can you move?" Midnight, who was also half-frozen, though in her case straight down the middle asked, not at all pleased with her cold state.
"N-no, I can't." Kodai breathed out.
"Kodai is immobilized." Midnight announced "Todoroki moves to the quarter-finals!" Though, unlike all the other matches, none cheered as those like All Might looked down in concern for the two whole others like Endeavour narrowed their eyes in disdain.
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"D-don't worry about it..."One of the pros watching said aloud, the idea quickly caught on as the women in pink next to him repeated what he said but even louder.
"Don't worry about it!" She said as soon the rest of the stadium started the chant.
-Don't worry about it!
-Don't worry about it!
"My apologies. I went overboard." Todoroki apologized as he laid his right hand on her chest and started to defrost the ice. "I was angry." He finished as he looked away, embarrassed and ashamed he let his anger cloud his judgment.
"D-don't take you're a-anger out on m-me next time…" Kodai told him as she felt the warmth of his fire enter her, it was for that reason she wasn't going to get back at him for touching her boobs but that didn't mean he was in the clear. Oh no, she didn't take being frozen all that well.
"Yeah…" Todoroki, being none the wiser nodded his head.
(With the students)
"Guy…your class has issues…" Honenuki spoke as he got his wits back.
"I'm not gonna argue there, that was too much." Hagakure agreed with him as she got back into her seat.
"What the hell was he planning to do? Bring about the next ice age?" Kamikiri yelled, pissed off that Kodai wasn't even given a fair fight.
"I don't know but I'll kick his ass if we meet in the tournament." Midoriya said as he got up and started to head towards his waiting room.
"Dude, he'll bury you in what looked to be tons of ice, no offense but I doubt a hammer will help all that much." Kaminari said as he pointed towards his gear, to which Midoriya just showed him how a grin that said he knew more than you did was on his face.
"Hmmm…well then," Midoriya started. "That shows how little you know if he thinks he can get away with a stunt like that, he has another thing coming."
"Good luck in your match man, Tokage is the real deal, you know?" Sero said with a wave to him.
"Oh I'm well aware, I'm not gonna take any chances with her. I can tell you that." Midoriya said as he jogged off to go get ready.
And that marks the end of the first bracket. I was hoping to have the start of his match-up with Tokage but then saw that this was as good a time as any to stop for now. When it came to the jokes in this chapter-I came up with them partly from watching Epic Rap Battles of History, memes on Reddit, watching Lost Pause videos on YouTube, and bouncing the ideas off my brother.
The part with Yaoyorozu was a pleasure to write as it allowed me to show that she has good friends and she even someone as privileged as her can sympathize with those who weren't as lucky as she was. Yes, we know that from cannon but it's always better to show rather than tell. And before you all ask, Shinso will have a large role in this story but that will come in due time so don't expect him to pop out of nowhere.
When it came to matching between Awase and Kirishima, I know that Awase could have easily welded the rocks to any part of Red Riot but for the sack of not welding shit to the body of a fellow schoolmate, he aimed for the harden areas since he would only need to weld them to the surface, meaning that once the quick was turned off, Kirishima shouldn't have any problem removing them as they are only attached to the first couple layers of skin.
Bakugo and Iida's fight was a little tricky since as far as the anime has gone, these two have never come close to an actual fight both in and out of school so I had to come up with a unique way for the battle to flow to which, I hope you all enjoyed reading. For Kodai and Todoroki I was a bit upset as a had a solid plan for their match where Kodai pushing him before ultimately losing but then I recalled how pissed Todoroki was due to his bastard of a father so sadly, that entire fight scene had to be scrapped as it would impossible for Kodai to give him a challenge when he's in that kind of mood.
Anyway, the next chapter will cover the first fights of the quarter-finals and dive into more character development so please, favorite, follow if you're not already, and if you could be kindly, leave a review to show your appreciation and opinions, I love reading them and hearing their thoughts on this.