Izuku stared distantly as he attempted to recall what a quirk marriage entailed. Thinking back, he could loosely remember people asking his mother if she was involved in a similar situation given his own ridiculous quirk. Grounding himself, he returned to the conversation at hand as Todoroki began to explain his situation.
"I am the last of four siblings, all of whom were the result of a quirk marriage. My father, the number two hero Endeavor, bought my mother from her family in order to create a quirk that would be able to surpass All Might in his stead. Because of that I won't use his power on my left at all." Todoroki explained. Izuku couldn't even begin to understand the information that had been dumped on him. It was shocking to think of any hero doing something like that, but a hero so high in the public's eye getting away with this was ridiculous.
"I won't pretend to understand your circumstances, Todoroki. Use your quirk or don't, it doesn't matter to me. I just need you to understand that it's your quirk and at some point, you're going to use it or you're going to lose. Hopefully it won't be while something bigger than yourself is at stake." With that, Izuku took off towards the cafeteria to start refueling before the preliminaries got started. As he came around the corner, Izuku saw spiky blond hair turning the corner in front of him. 'Nosy bastard,' Izuku thought as he followed the same path towards the cafeteria.
Arriving, he was quickly flagged down by Uraraka and Iida who happened to be sitting at a table near the entrance. Izuku grabbed a plate full of food to gain the fuel his quirk needs to burn to reach its full potential. "So, Midoriya, how does it feel to begin the final event as the first matchup?"
"Yeah, if it was me, I know I would be super nervous to go first. It kind of sets the tone for the rest of us." Uraraka added.
"To be completely honest, I haven't really thought about my match for the most part. I didn't even know I was supposed to be going first," Izuku responded casually between bites. He didn't really care who he'd end up fighting in the next part of the festival as his only goal was to come out on top. "Do either of you know who I'm fighting, anyways?"
Uraraka and Iida both shook their heads partaking of their own snacks as they waited for the next event to start. Iida was drinking orange juice in order to fuel his engines and Uraraka was having a light snack in order to not upset her stomach as much when she started using her quirk. The only other person Izuku saw having a large lunch, besides himself, was Yaoyorozu due to the consumption of body fat that her quirk required.
As Izuku continued to eat his lunch, he pondered strategies to use against his first-round opponent. There were several quirks that he was unaware of; and given how freely he used his quirk in the early rounds, he was at a dangerous disadvantage. As Izuku mulled over the strategies, he was approached by Ojiro who asked to talk to him for a little bit outside the cafeteria. Izuku agreed to meet him there in a bit and stuffed his face before excusing himself.
"What did you want to talk about?" Izuku questioned, getting an uncomfortable feeling of déjà vu. Ojiro seemed to feel conflicted before he settled a bit and began to speak.
"The guy you're going up against, Shinso, has a quirk that activates when you respond to him. I don't remember anything from before the event until the end of the event, but apparently, he used it on several of us and used us to carry himself to the final round. It was so humiliating. I couldn't accept a spot in the finals without doing something." Ojiro spoke. Izuku often took him as a very plain guy, but he was honorable and wanted to show his skill and stick out in his own way, something which Izuku could respect.
"I appreciate the advice, but I think you should loosen up some. I understand wanting to prove yourself in your own way, but you make it harder on yourself reducing your opportunities." Izuku spoke carefully not to offend him in some way. "I respect what you did and thank you for the advice. Make sure you shine the brightest next time, ok?"
Ojiro beamed at the praise and his tail seemed to reflect that. And now, Izuku had very important information that he wouldn't have had a chance without. Thinking rationally, Izuku determined that his quirk was only triggered by the response and not necessarily the question. Which means the kid has a very powerful quirk. It wouldn't be effective against robots, but against people it could be manipulated into an unrivaled strength. He could probably defeat All Might with that ability, but the danger is only in the response.
Izuku felt confident that he could beat the kid with his new knowledge. The rage Izuku had previously felt at Shinso insulting his classmates had raged into an inferno and suddenly it made sense why Shinso wanted to stick out so much. 'He intentionally tries to get under your skin so that you'll definitely respond to what he says later. It's not as strait laced of an approach as Iida or Ojiro; and I could even see All Might having problems with that strategy, but it's effective. In this industry he could take fights apart without lifting as finger, an invaluable skill.'
As Izuku headed back towards the arena seating area, he heard Shinso's and his names be called to prep in their respective waiting areas. This signaled that the break would be coming to an end very soon and that meant that it was time for the final round to begin. Suddenly the signal to head to the arena sounded, and Izuku found himself walking towards the entrance to where they would be having their match.
Izuku could hear the crowd long before he exited the tunnel, but all he could focus on was the ridiculous opponent in front of him. Izuku walked out as his name was called and the crowd let loose a ridiculous roar. And when they called Shinso's name, the crowd jeered and made fun of him for being a general education student. Izuku focused intently on Shinso who didn't even flinch at the insults.
Midnight was waiting for them while Present Mic was giving them a run down of the rules as they walked forward. Present Mic went through all the ways that one could win; and once he was done, Shinso spoke, "You know that idiot monkey threw his opportunity away for his pride, how foolish." Shinso taunted.
Izuku could only glare, remembering the warning he had received from Ojiro. Shinso continued to try to get under Izuku's skin as he continued his taunts about the entirety of Class 1-A. He sighed as he noticed the lack of reaction from Izuku. "So, they told you about my quirk, didn't they? As if you who was born with a quirk perfect for heroic needs another advantage. You and your entire class are just lucky, entitled bastards." Shinso said. That statement hit Izuku differently than all the previous ones because it discredited not only his own hard work, but also the work his classmates had done in order to make it to this point.
Izuku's eyes, which had remained their normal hue of green, suddenly exploded into a brilliant bright emerald, and the arena's ring flames burst up suddenly. His fury, which he had managed to keep in check for so long, finally exploded forward. And Izuku exhaled as the flames around him dissipated and he spelled something with the flames on his hand.
"COME ON!" The flames spelled. Shinso was taken aback by this since the flames blew away almost as quickly as they arrived. Izuku assumed a fighting stance and motioned again for Shinso to attack.
"This match has gone literally nowhere." Present Mic droned.
"It's because of the problem child. He neutralized Shinso's brainwashing quirk by not responding, but he's giving him the opportunity to prove himself against the heroics classes by fighting him without his quirk. It's his way of evening the field." Mr. Aizawa explained.
Shinso also understood the implications of Izuku's provocation. It was a challenge against what he had just said about quirks making the hero. And Shinso let out a rough yell before rushing forward. As Shinso closed in, Izuku made his move and handily dispatched him by flipping him over and flinging him out of the arena. Shinso landed with a thud and rolled over glaring at Izuku who was walking towards him.
"Your quirk is quite strong; but if you think all it takes to be a hero is a strong quirk, you're mistaken. You insulted us to make it easier for your quirk, but you didn't train yourself to make up for what you lacked. You probably assumed the same on the entrance exam, too didn't you?" Izuku questioned.
Shinso seemed taken aback that there was no hatred in his voice just genuine curiosity. "All my life, I've been told my quirk was a villain's quirk. I thought that if I used it right since it was so strong, I could be a hero and prove them all wrong." Shinso responded begrudgingly.
Izuku made a sound of acknowledgment before he responded. "You definitely have one of the strongest quirks I've ever encountered. I hope someone notices and gets you into the hero class where you belong." Izuku said before walking off. Izuku eventually found the class 1-A seating area just in time for Todoroki and Sero's match.
Most of the class was trying not to say that Todoroki would win the match definitely, but Sero would be hard pressed to get around his ice. Izuku looked to the entrance that Todoroki was walking through and saw a familiar hatred in his eyes. As the match was called, Sero tried to wrap Todoroki up and send him flying outside of the ring. It was a good effort, all things considered; but Todoroki looked up and Izuku could see a distant look in his eyes like he wasn't fighting Sero anymore. Todoroki stomped his foot down and a large wave of ice engulfed the arena. Izuku leaned back pushing the class back with his quirk to move them out of the way of the incoming iceberg.
The commentators box and most of the spectators were completely speechless at the overwhelming display of power. The match was called in Todoroki's favor who approached the incapacitated Sero and began trying to unfreeze him with his left hand. Izuku also joined in on the unfreezing efforts and before long they were almost ready for the next match. Izuku walked back out through one of the entrances where Mineta was walking in for his match.
"You and Maki are childhood friends, right?" Mineta asked as he passed by. Izuku stopped and looked over his shoulder to respond to Mineta.
"Something like that, but we're not as close these days." Mineta looked at him like he'd just received the best news.
"So, do you think she'd let me-" Mineta rushed.
"Listen, you should honestly focus on your match with her more than anything. Her quirk is ridiculously strong; and you need to make sure that you don't underestimate her simply because she's in the business course." Izuku warned. Mineta seemed to acknowledge the advice before he blushed, and his mind wandered somewhere else as he walked off. Izuku sighed and thought to himself how ugly this match could get.
Turning and walking, Izuku made his way to the 1-A seating area before the match started. He was met with smiles as he returned to his seat and prepared for the match to begin. Mineta stood ready to face Maki. When the match was called, Mineta reached straight into his hair. Izuku watched intently and suddenly, Mineta was standing outside the ring facing the way he came in with Maki turned around walking towards the out of bounds line.
It took a moment for the ref and the commentator to call the match and even longer for the spectators to understand what happened. Izuku, himself, could only grin at the overwhelming power that Maki had just displayed.
Yet again the next match was being hurried along. This time it was an orange haired girl from 1-B and Yaoyorozu. They both looked determined to advance the match and show their talents.
The girl, who Izuku heard from the announcements was named Kendo, fell into what appeared to be a very traditional martial arts stance. Yaoyorozu kept her own stance very loose. Suddenly, the match was called, and Kendo surged forward as her hands enlarged. Yaoyorozu responded by making a shield to intercept the girl.
Izuku watched as Kendo hit the shield repeatedly trying to overwhelm Yaoyorozu as she attempted to break her concentration and stop her from creating something else. Yaoyorozu seemed to be getting flustered by the amount of blows she was receiving. Finally, a large blow knocked the shield out of her hands and sent Yaoyorozu rolling back. Kendo then ran forward to land the finishing blow before Yaoyorozu made a metal object and threw it forward. The object turned out to be a smoke bomb and using the lack of sightlines Yaoyorozu made her move.
Kendo tried to use her large hands to blow away the smoke, but by extending her hands so much she created an opening for Yaoyorozu to exploit. She made handcuffs, clamping them down on Kendo's wrists. This greatly inhibited Kendo's fighting and gave Yaoyorozu a clear advantage to overwhelm Kendo and send her out of the ring with a staff. Izuku grinned as he watched Yaoyorozu take the initiative and lead the pace in battle.
The next match was of a similar intensity as Kirishima's hardening came into contact with Tetsutetsu's steel. Their quirks and personalities were very similar. And their match ultimately ended in a draw that would be decided later.
"Midoriya, what do you think of the upcoming match with Bakugo and Uraraka?" Iida asked. Midoriya looked down at the arena and pondered for a moment before he responded.
"It isn't impossible, but it will definitely be an uphill battle for Uraraka," Izuku replied casually.
"You don't think Bakugo would seriously use his full force against a girl, do you?" Iida asked at a yell.
"I mean she's in the hero course just like the rest of us. For me, personally, not using my power against her would be like looking down at her. And for Bakugo especially it wouldn't suffice because he wants to be number one." Before Iida could ask another question, Present Mic announced the names for the next match.
And suddenly it began. There was a furious barrage of explosions as Uraraka used tactic after tactic to get as close as possible to use her quirk on Bakugo. Several times it seemed as if she would touch him, but ultimately, she could not remove him from his original spot. The crowd, though, had enough of Bakugo.
"Stop bullying her! She's just a girl!" One spectator called out.
"Yeah, if there's such a huge difference just send her out of the ring already!" Another yelled.
Even some of 1-A were beginning to think it was getting a bit excessive. Some of them couldn't bare to watch, but Izuku was glued to what was happening.
"How can you even watch this anymore, Midoriya?" Jiro asked suddenly.
"The match isn't over yet. Uraraka still has a lot of fight left in her." The class looked back to the ring and suddenly Uraraka's furious determination made sense. There was a large cloud of debris above the arena and slowly everyone seemed to be noticing it.
Uraraka released the attack and then came in low. This was her all out gambit to win the match. Bakugo adjusted himself before blowing the debris and Uraraka away all at once. Izuku took note. 'That seems to be about the max amount those gauntlets of his can give off.'
Izuku looked at the arena to see Uraraka crawling forward. "It looks like it's over. It was a great match." Izuku commented as Uraraka was escorted out of the arena. Bakugo also seemed to be holding his arm that launched the explosion tightly and was making his own way out of the arena. Cementoss was called in to fix the arena and they took a short intermission while Shiozaki and Kaminari got ready for their match. Izuku remained in his seat and waited patiently for the next match.
When it finally arrived though, it did not live up to expectations. Izuku watched as Kaminari seemingly flirted with his opponent before incapacitating himself and being removed from the arena via his opponents quirk. It was underwhelming at best and the next match between Iida and Hatsume did little to rectify the mood. Hatsume had given him support gear which she showed off by using Iida as a ragdoll before simply stepping out of the ring. Honestly some of the gear was quite impressive.
"And that marks the end of our first round of matches. We'll take another short break and resume quickly to the next round." Izuku made his way down towards his waiting room when he was suddenly met in the hallway by someone. It was the number two hero, Endeavor.