Chapter 61: Festering Festival Feeling
"You should be good to go," said Recovery Girl, shuffling her papers. "Take it easy for the rest of the day, though."
"May I still perform in my class's play?" Ibara asked. Next to her bed, Itsuka and Setsuna stood supportively, ready to help her up. Both of them looked at the old heroine with appealing eyes.
"Please, sensei." Itsuka clasped her hands together. "Ibara's role is very important. We don't have anyone that can replace her."
"It's not physically demanding, either," Setsuna chimed in. "Just a whole lot of talking."
Recovery Girl sighed. "Fine. But keep a close eye on her. If she seems like she's about to faint, then-"
"I won't," Ibara promised. She was feeling better. Much better. At least, physically. Mentally, though…
She glanced over toward the empty bed next to her as her two friends helped her up. Sero is okay. He must have been released earlier than me, though…weren't his injuries much worse?
She opened her mouth to ask Recovery Girl in a panic, but the door had already closed on the infirmary behind them, and her two friends were escorting her down the hall. "Come on, Ibara. The festival's already started!"
She lowered her eyebrows dryly at Setsuna. "Well, I am sorry for holding you up."
The lizard girl grinned apologetically. "I like the attitude from you. That villain must have really got your blood pumping."
"What happened to Sero? Where is he?" she looked to Itsuka for answers.
The 1-B president frowned. "I believe he's sleeping in the Class A dorm. Recovery Girl healed all his wounds instantly with her Quirk, and then he went and made a big speech at the front gate to the protestors. Made them all go away."
Ibara went pale. "Really?"
"No, she's lying to you," said Setsuna, rolling her eyes. "Yes, really. Why were you fighting with him anyway?"
"We accompanied each other to the hardware store. Apparently Class A needed some extra supplies for their activity today, just like us. We ran into the villain just outside."
"Katayama from Class A brought us the stuff that you bought," said Itsuka with a nod. "I'd get onto you about not remembering to pick it up, but I guess you were a little occupied…goodness, Ibara. What was going through your head?"
"I…I'm not sure," she mumbled. "Ha…Sero was the one who knew the man was a villain. I just sort of followed his lead at first, and then…my anger might have carried me away a bit…"
Setsuna smirked. "Did you nearly just call him by his first name? His first name is Hanta, right?"
Ibara blushed. We said we loved each other. In the heat of the moment, she'd forgotten herself…
Is it even right for me to hold these feelings? But she'd had such a strong desire to keep him safe, to make sure he survived…because she wanted more times like that. Like them just walking to that store, before they'd been so rudely interrupted.
If he is sleeping right now, then…she felt a sense of dread. What if he hadn't really meant it? Oh, now she had butterflies in her stomach. Not the least helped by the fact that she was about to participate in a play in front of a lot of people…
Itsuka put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ibara. It's gonna be fine."
Setsuna nodded. "And if things don't work out between the two of you, you can always date me instead. Or let me beat him up for you." She winked.
Ibara groaned, but it was a good-natured groan. These are people I can rely on. And enjoy a festival with. So, let's go do that.
But her thoughts continued to stray toward a bed in the Class A dorm, where…
…
...Hanta Sero lay, fast asleep.
"He looks so peaceful," said Toru. "I would expect Sero to sleep like…you know, super sprawled out over the bed, covers disheveled, hair everywhere…mouth probably open and drooling and snoring…"
"I get the picture, thank you," Shoji said, holding two of his arms up to get her to stop. "But this is the kind of deep sleep where that doesn't happen. I wonder if he'll wake before the end of the day. He had quite an…eventful morning."
"Yeah…" Toru muttered. She looked at her friend's unconscious face. What was it like, Sero? To fight a bad guy like that in earnest, in front of so many people? With the girl you liked by your side? Was it amazing? Did it get your heart to soar? She flicked her eyes up to Shoji, who was standing with his arms crossed on the other side of the bed.
"We should get going!" she exclaimed suddenly, forcing her mood to lift. "You know, Tsu and Mina and Katayama-kun are all out and about already, so they'll be wanting us to join them…" Even if that's not necessarily what I want. I mean, I want to be with my friends, but what if I wanted to just hang out with you, Shoji? Just the two of us? Would you even get the message? Would you understand?
"Alright then," the boy said with a nod. "Let's leave him in peace."
He turned toward the door out of Sero's room. Toru followed, slightly slowly. I should just say it. I should. I'll regret not saying it. I might regret saying it, too, but I also might not. So I should just say it, then, if those are my two choices.
"Shoji-kun," she said once they were out in the hallway. She said it forcefully, making him stop in his tracks.
He turned. "What is it…" his eyebrows suddenly shot up. It was hard to tell, with his bangs and his mask hiding much of his face, but he seemed shocked, surprised. "Hagakure," he said, walking up to her and leaning down, forward. "Are you alright?" he gripped her by the shoulders gently.
Toru's mouth fell open. How can he tell? How does he know how anxious I'm feeling? He can't see my face…
Does he know me that well?
"I…" she breathed. "I, maybe, umm…" He was looking directly at where her eyes were, and that gave her goosebumps. People so rarely did that.
"I might…not want to do what I just said…as in, catching up to the others…"
"Why? Are you feeling sick?" He pressed a hand to exactly where her forehead was, a finger gently brushing one of her eyebrows. Her lip trembled. "I wouldn't want to leave you behind, Hagakure. I know you were looking forward to this."
"No, it's not that. I…wanttogooutwithyou?" She blurted it, and immediately gasped in panic, jumping back.
Shoji froze. "Huh?"
"I, umm…wanted to…maybe just see the festival, the two of us…yeah. Just me, and you." Her voice no longer sounded like her own. Would he be able to tell how much she was shaking? How she couldn't take her eyes off the floor?
"Like…a date?" Shoji asked.
She dared to look up. His face was hard to read. She wanted to simply nod in response, but she knew he wouldn't see that, so she had to squeak out a "Yes."
A pause. And then: "No one's ever asked me out before."
"Well, uhh…" she laughed nervously. "I've never asked anyone out before, so!"
Shoji didn't say anything. The awkward silence became unbearable. Toru began to tap her feet obsessively against the ground. "Well?" she blurted again, not meaning to sound so forceful.
Shoji jumped in surprise. "Ah! Sorry, I was just…sorry. I retreated into my thoughts. I apologize."
Toru tilted her head. Could he be…embarrassed? Or flustered? When it happened to her, or to Katayama, for example…they started talking really fast, or blurted things, as she'd just demonstrated. But…was Shoji the type to just shut down?
"...If your answer is no, then…"
"NO!" he nearly shouted, causing her to jump. "I mean, no. My answer…is yes. I would…I would love to, Hagakure. Go out with you. At the festival. And…" he took a deep breath. "Anytime after this. I would like to…keep going out with you."
She felt heat spread over her face, grateful that he could not see. A smile tugged at her lips without her permission. "Alright then," she breathed. "I'm…I'm really happy."
"I am, as well," he said shortly. Then, he coughed. She couldn't help but giggle. He's so cute trying to express feelings like that.
"Shall we…be off?" he extended one of his arms out like a gentleman, meaning for her to take it.
She giggled again. "We shall." She linked her arm in his, and they walked out of the hallway together.
Unknown to either of them, someone had been watching from around the corner.
…
"Do you want to try the games, Eri?" Doko asked.
They were inside the dorm common room of Class 2G, where the students had set up a variety of carnival-style games. 2G was a support class, and all the games had an oddly nostalgic, yet advanced feel to them. They were mechanical, but in a steampunk sort of way. Carnival-style lights were strung across them, and they blinked in sequences of different colors.
The changing light bathed Eri's face in color. She tilted her head, her grip on Doko's hand slightly loosening as she looked at the array of options. "Maybe," she mumbled. "I don't want to go first, though."
"Shall I win you something, Eri?" Mirio asked, stepping forward with his hands on his hips. "I bet I can ace most of these games!"
"Slow down, tough guy," Nejire told him. "Maybe Eri isn't the type to let the men win something for her. Maybe she can do it herself."
Doko deadpanned at her. "Seems like you might be projecting."
"Nope!" She threw her arms around Midoriya's neck. "I want Izuku to win me something! I'm shameless like that!"
"Huh? M-me?" Midoriya stammered, his face growing red at Nejire making contact with him. "Erm…alright…I guess it depends on what type of game it is…"
"I've no experience with this sort of thing." Doko gave all the options a cursory glance. Some had short lines or groups of students standing in front of them, trying their luck and laughing and failing. The people running the booths, Class 2G themselves, actually seemed happy. I guess because they built all this themselves. That's a nice change of pace from a real carnival, where they all look like they want to die.
He saw Eri's eyes widen, and followed her gaze. It was one of those games where you threw a ball at a pyramid of bottles, only the bottles were moving up and down on little steampunk-like platforms. Hanging from the top of the booth was a massive stuffed white bear. A polar bear? Aren't those extinct?
"Do you like the look of the snow bear, Eri?" he asked her.
She nodded. "It looks so big and soft."
"And it matches your hair, too!" he gave her a pat on the head, and then turned, walking up to the booth. "How much?" he asked the boy manning it.
The support student looked him up and down. "You won the first year sports festival…oh, it's two hundred yen for three throws."
"That much, huh?" Doko fished the money out of his pocket, and then took a ball off the countertop. The pyramids continued to move up and down in front of him, the platforms making a little hydraulic whooshing sound every time they shifted.
"Careful, Katayama," said Midoriya. "If they are balanced enough to stay on moving platforms, how do you expect to knock them over?"
"No Quirk usage, by the way," the support student added.
"I'll try my best." Doko gave Eri one last smile, and then threw his first.
He misjudged the movement of the platform, and the ball sailed over the top of the pyramid as it dodged downward.
"Swing and a miss!" Nejire hissed through her teeth. Doko threw her a dark look. "Come on, Katayama," said Mirio. "Try again!"
"For the big bear, you gotta knock 'em all down in one go," the support student said.
Doko threw his second, and the ball clipped off the edge of the pyramid, barely budging the bottles at all. He let out a tsk, and lowered his arm in frustration.
"It's okay," said Eri. "I don't want the bear that much."
"Let me try," said Sir Nighteye, stepping forward.
The support student seemed to wilt beneath the man's piercing gaze. "Are you a hero? I've never seen you around before."
"I am this child's guardian. The last ball, if you please." Nighteye held out his hand, eyes glinting.
The student slowly handed it to him. Their fingers brushed.
Nighteye wound up his lanky right arm, and threw.
The ball struck the bottle in the bottom left of the pyramid, square in its center. The whole thing came crashing down.
"Wow!" said Mirio. "That's Sir for you!"
The bear was taken down off the string and put into Eri's arms. She gasped and hugged it tight. "I knew it would be soft," she mumbled.
Nejire was laughing. "I guess even the Sports Festival victor doesn't hold a candle to a pro hero!"
"Quiet, you," said Midoriya.
As they walked away from the booth, Doko gave Nighteye a coy look. "So," he said. "How'd you do it?"
Nighteye adjusted his glasses. "When the boy handed me the ball, I saw what he will be doing in a few hours' time as he disassembles the booth. When he takes down that pyramid, he will remove the bottom left bottle last. It is a cornerstone, if you will. The only bottle you could hit that would possibly take down the whole structure at once."
"But…the guy said no Quirk usage!" Midoriya gasped. "You cheated, sir?"
"I cheated a cheater. The bottles were weighted that way to deter people from winning. I see nothing wrong with it." A smile danced on the pro's lips.
Doko leaned down to Eri. "Make sure you never do anything like that."
"Okay." She nodded seriously. Nejire laughed again.
Next, they went up to a strongman's mallet game. One of those where you had to slam down on the bottom, and a counterweight would go zooming up the tower. If you hit the bell at the top, you won the big prize.
"All right!" Mirio cracked his knuckles, and stepped up. A bunch of the nearby second years parted to make a surrounding crowd.
"It's Togata…"
"Togata-senpai will make it to the top for sure…"
The support student handed him the mallet after the exchange of money. "Calm down, guys!" he called back behind him with a laugh. "If you put all this pressure on me, it won't happen!"
"Always the humblest, isn't he," Nejire muttered. But she was smiling.
Mirio lifted the mallet over his head, muscles flexing, and then slammed it down, as hard as he could. The counterweight shot upward…and made it to the last tick, just a hair shy of the top bell, before falling back down.
The crowd sighed in disappointment, and Mirio laughed again. "I TOLD you guys!" he said, and accepted his medium prize with a gracious smile. "Oh boy, a fake sword!" He swished it back and forth through the air, causing Doko to slide back. "You want it, Katayama?"
Nejire fluttered her eyelashes. "Are you trying to woo our kouhai, Mirio? Offering him your services as a knight?"
"I'm flattered," Doko choked out, "but I don't want a sword."
"But ooooh!" Nejire suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh, I bet if Mirio almost made it with his natural strength, then Izuku could make it all the way! Don't you guys think?" She looked expectantly back and forth between Nighteye, Doko, and Eri.
Nighteye coughed.
"Well…" Doko said.
Eri opened her mouth. "I-"
"What about you, Izuku? Don't you want to try? I bet you can hit the bell and win me something! Oh, what do I want? Maybe a bear like Eri's? Or oooh, what about a big stuffed crocodile! I could use that as a pillow! Or maybe not an animal at all, maybe I want something like…"
"Nejire," Izuku coughed. "If Togata-senpai didn't make it, then I doubt I would be able to."
"Not true!" She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him up to the game. "One, please!"
The crowd that had gathered for Mirio still lingered, and they began to whisper about Izuku.
"Is that the kid who breaks his bones?"
"Didn't he defeat that yakuza guy on TV a few weeks ago?"
"What's he doing with Hado-senpai? Are they…"
"No, there's no way. Not a chance."
Midoriya took the mallet, and breathed in deeply. Anxiety danced across his green eyes. "Plus Ultra," he mumbled.
He struck the platform with a full swing, and the counterweight hurtled upward. Doko followed it with his eyes, just fast enough to trace…and it struck the bell at the top with a glaring ding before falling back.
The crowd burst into applause and whoops, and Nejire launched herself at Izuku, laughing. She kissed him on the cheek.
Well, that answers that question. Doko couldn't help but laugh, too, along with Mirio. Meanwhile, the crowd was reacting to what they'd just seen Nejire do.
"I knew it! I knew they were dating!"
"That's crazy! No way!"
A few minutes later, the group of them emerged from the 2G dorm with both Nejire and Eri carrying massive stuffed creatures, and Mirio twirling a sword around his wrist. Doko was watching Midoriya. The boy had basically shut down since Nejire had kissed him, and his face was still frozen in shock, although his legs were moving forward. Nejire was poking and prodding him, trying to get him to react.
Doko's eyes narrowed. When had he seen Midoriya's green eyes look so shocked before?
In…in my dream. I saw him, at the end of a line of people!
And he recognized me!
Alright, calm down. It wasn't like that was actually Midoriya. It was just a construct of my brain. You can't talk to other real people through dreams. When you dream, you dream alone.
But there was something else about that dream…something else that seemed to be on the tip of his mind…
He looked back at Nighteye. What sort of future might he see if he touched me? He didn't want to outright ask. Besides…this was Eri's day. A happy day. Just forget all these things for now. They will still be there tomorrow.
…
It was now early afternoon. The festival was in full swing, or at least as full of a swing as it was like to get. The paths outside the dorms were busier than they would usually be on a day like today, but just looking at the outdoor area, you wouldn't be able to tell anything was different. All the action was taking place inside the buildings.
Ochaco Uraraka walked alone toward the 2A dorm. It wasn't like that was specifically her destination in mind, but she was drifting.
The final nail in the coffin. The villains took everything from us, and now Nejire has taken my best friend. And what can I even say about it? She did nothing wrong. Neither did he. They're just…being happy.
Is this my punishment? My punishment for only taking this path to make money? Is that what this is?
She wanted to rejoin her friends, to just enjoy herself. That's what Mina had meant for the day, anyway. And Ochaco knew that she herself had probably been a high priority on Mina's cheer-up list. But an internal problem couldn't be solved by external means, could it? I just have to pull myself together.
She entered the 2A common room, and was immediately assaulted by a loud announcer's voice. "GATHER 'ROUND, GATHER 'ROUND! THE TOURNAMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"
All the furniture in the space had been cleared out, to make way for a western-style raised platform boxed in by ropes. A ring. Oh, that's right, she thought dimly. These guys are doing the Quirkless sparring tournament. She looked on with as much interest as she could muster. A large crowd was gathering around the ring.
"Oi!" someone hissed at her. She looked to her left. It was a member of Class 2A, a clipboard in his hand. "Hey, you're a first year, right?"
Ochaco nodded.
"It's probably too much to ask, but…could you participate? We have a spare first year in one of the beginning brackets, and we don't really want to pair him up with a second or third year, that would be kind of unfair."
"Oh. I understand." Ochaco paused for a moment. One match. One fight, and I'll beat all these feelings out of myself. After this, I won't be sad anymore. A hard reset. Right here, right now. "Sure, I'll do it," she said. "Who is it?"
"It's some guy from Class 1C. Hitoshi Shinso."
Ochaco froze. Him? For a moment, she was terrified…and then remembered that this was no Quirks allowed. He can't brainwash me. But…Midoriya pushed him out really easily at the sports festival once he broke the spell. I can see why a guy like that might want to practice fighting. She wondered if he'd gotten any better. Without realizing, she was making herself excited.
"Oh, and you guys are going second. What's your name?"
"I'm Ochaco Uraraka…wait, second? Like, right after this first match?"
"Yep. That's not too soon, is it?"
Ochaco wilted. "No, I guess not. I already agreed and said I'd do it, so I'm gonna do it."
"Cool. Any special details, Uraraka? Anything worth mentioning to the announcer about you?"
She couldn't think of anything. "Sorry."
"It's fine. Oh look, the first match is about to start. If you win yours, you'll fight one of these guys."
Ochaco lifted her head. Stepping into the ring was a boy she sort of recognized…from Class B. He was lanky, and had the face of a praying mantis. Can't remember his name. On the other side of the ring was Ojiro.
Oh. It's Ojiro. Ochaco blinked. Obviously she would root for her own classmate, even if that meant she would be fighting him next.
The mantis boy pointed and snarled. "How can this guy participate in a Quirkless tournament!" he demanded, in a voice that reminded her of Bakugo's. "Just look at him!"
Ojiro folded into a calm ready stance. "I won't use my tail at all," he answered. "Don't worry."
The Class B student got into his own position. "I'm not worried!" he spat back. "You could cheat and I'd still wipe the floor with you!"
Ojiro almost smirked. Ochaco could see the amusement in his eyes. I guess this sort of thing would be right up his alley, huh? She didn't know much about Ojiro, but his costume was a martial arts outfit.
The announcer shouted some stuff. A bell rang, and the first match began.
Ochaco watched the two of them struggle. The 1-B guy, whose name she now remembered as Kamakiri, had long reach with his arms and legs, but lacked finesse. He sort of seemed like a brawler or a scrapper. He probably got into a lot of street fights as a kid.
Ojiro was taking a more defensive approach. He bobbed and weaved and dodged most of Kamakiri's blows, blocking with his knees or elbows or forearms when he had to. He's using more contact points, like Aizawa told me and Katayama to do. Come to think of it, Aizawa had mentioned Ojiro in that conversation as well.
Ochaco winced as she thought back to Katayama beating her like that. In a Quirkless match, no less. This time will be different.
Watching Ojiro, she could see that he was not using his tail at all. It swung around behind him, almost like dead weight. Still, to NOT use a part of yourself that is likely second nature to him after all these years…must require a lot of control. She found herself watching his every move, starstruck. He danced around Kamakiri, making the mantis boy angrier and angrier. Another missed punch, another whiffed kick. Kamakiri snarled. "Stand and fight!" he roared over the increasingly loud crowd, and lurched his whole lanky body toward Ojiro.
Ojiro sidestepped him easily and continued the outward turn, flipping upward and locking his legs around the other boy's shoulders. The two of them plummeted to the ground, and Ojiro tightened his clutch, cutting off Kamakiri's air.
The crowd went nuts. "Tap out!" Ojiro shouted. "Concede!"
The mantis boy seemed like he would struggle for a few more seconds…and then obeyed. The bell dinged again.
"MASHIRAO OJIRO IS THE WINNER!"
The tail boy stood up, a furious expression on his face for a moment, before fading into a more proud expression of victory. Ochaco's eye twitched. Why did he look so angry for a second? Was it just the adrenaline of winning?
What would Ojiro possibly have to be upset about?
Now, it was her turn. She pushed her way to the front and climbed up the steps onto the platform. "ON ONE SIDE, WE'VE GOT OCHACO URARAKA FROM CLASS 1A!" the announcer roared. She heard cheers and whistles and catcalls. Briefly, she wondered how many girls had signed up for this thing.
"AND ON THIS SIDE, HITOSHI SHINSO FROM CLASS 1C!" Shinso was climbing up on the other side, his eyebrows up. "I was wondering who they'd found for me to fight," he said. "Let's have a good match." He got into a ready position.
For a moment, Ochaco was afraid to respond, fearing that he might cheat and brainwash her. But…no. No, he wasn't like that. Not this guy. He wants to be a hero.
She echoed his position. "A good match it is, then," she replied.
The bell dinged, and they circled each other slowly, watching carefully. The crowd hushed, everyone leaning in, waiting for the combatants to make a move.
Ochaco held her fists close to her face. I didn't really expect him to be the attacking type. I guess it'll have to be me.
She took two steps forward, causing the crowd to gasp…but she paused.
As she expected, Shinso prepared to defend or dodge…but when she stopped moving, he hesitated, confused. And she drove a fist into his stomach.
The crowd went nuts, as Shinso folded back against the ropes, breath escaping his mouth forcibly. He quickly rolled aside before she could make the follow-up attack that would have ended it right there, and his foot shot out to trip her. Ochaco slid back, aware of it, and the two of them faced each other again.
Shinso was shaking. "I knew hero students would be tricky," he said. "That's what I was told."
Told by who? Who has been training you up? There would be time to wonder later. For now, she had to take him out.
She went low, and he blocked, counter-attacked. Their arms grappled, strikes bouncing off each other. He swung a punch sideways, and she ducked beneath it, her brown hair tossing. One advantage of being shorter. Another punch came in, and she blocked it with her elbow. Their feet danced around each other in a circle. The crowd was going insane.
"THESE TWO HAVE TRAINED UP, CLEARLY! COME ON, LET'S CHEER FOR 'EM!"
Ochaco had never felt so alive. She sent out a kick, and Shinso blocked it with both arms from the right. Then, he slid his fist up her leg toward her torso, and she whirled back, going low and trying to sweep him. He hopped away.
Ochaco reared up, and swung out with her right fist. Shinso did the same. They both reached up with their left hands, and caught the other person's attack.
The crowd went silent for a split second, as the two combatants struggled, both arms trembling, pushing and pulling. Shinso smiled, and then heaved her sideways, flipping her with all his arm strength.
Ochaco's mind went off in alarm. Oh no he's heavier he's gonna slam me into the ground I can't…
She kicked out with both legs, and found purchase in the crick of his neck, pulling him down with her. They both crashed to the floor, and struggled, rolling. Ochaco pinned him with her knees, swung a fist across his face, and sat on top of him. "Tap out!" she commanded.
Shinso blinked up at her, his face bruised and bleeding, dazed. Then, he laughed. "Alright," he husked. "Yeah, you got me."
The crowd cheered for her as she stood up, and then helped the boy to his feet. Shinso wiped the blood off his face with his arm, and shook her hand. "Good job," he told her. "I guess I've still got a long way to go."
"You did well," she told him honestly. "Better than some people in my class might have done."
"That makes me feel just peachy." He turned and walked out of the ring, still holding his head up with pride.
"URARAKA WINS AND MOVES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND, WHERE SHE'LL FIGHT OJIRO! NEXT UP, WE HAVE-"
Ochaco wasn't listening. She hopped down out of the ring, tolerated some of the upperclassmen giving her congratulations, and then moved to the edge of the common room, where Ojiro was sitting on some of the pushed-back furniture, taking a break.
He lifted his face and looked at her. "I watched the whole thing. You did really good."
"Thanks." He handed her a bottle of water, and she took it graciously, taking a deep drink as she sat down next to him. "You did well, too. And without even using your tail."
"I knew it would piss that guy off. I'm glad my strategy worked."
She hadn't talked to Ojiro much. She wracked her brain, trying to think of anything she remembered about him. "You sure you're not upset about me winning?" she asked him, putting a bit of teasing in her voice.
He raised a blonde eyebrow. "Huh? Why would I be?"
"If Shinso had won, you would have been able to get back at him for the sports festival."
"Oh. That." He waved a hand. "Whatever. Honor dictates that I've already gotten over that."
"Really?" She grinned. "And what does your pride dictate?"
He opened a fist, and then closed it. "...Shut up, Uraraka."
They both laughed. Ochaco took another sip of water, and realized that she was feeling better. Genuinely, truly better. Right, I won the match. I told myself I would reset. I'm good now. Not thinking about bad things.
"So," she asked conversationally, "why'd you decide to join up for this tournament? Is it just your sort of thing?"
Ojiro frowned. "Well, that," he said, "and I'm trying to take my mind off of something I saw earlier. What about you?"
"Oh." She went pale. What did he see? "I…I just sort of…stumbled in here…while wondering around…"
He gave her a strange look.
"...And I'm trying to take my mind off of something I saw earlier, too."
Ojiro cracked a smile. "Damn. Wanna talk about it?"
"Only if you talk first."
"Nah. I don't think I want to."
"Well, there you have it."
They both laughed again.
…
"The Class B play is starting soon," said Nejire. "Should we head that way?"
Eri nodded. "That sounds interesting."
Doko and Mirio followed behind. Currently, Eri was between Midoriya and Nejire, and they were both holding her hands. She had her stuffed bear strapped to her back like a backpack.
Mirio leaned in to whisper in Doko's ear. "Don't they look like a happy little family?" he said.
Doko wrinkled his nose. "Please don't say that." Mirio just chuckled.
They rounded a corner of the building, and Midoriya stopped short. "Oh!" he exclaimed.
Doko and Mirio came around next, a split second later. Then, Sir Nighteye.
The whole group stopped. Standing in front of them was All Might, a frightened expression on his sunken face.
"Oh…" he whispered. "...Hello, everyone."
Midoriya laughed nervously. "All Might, this is, uhm!" His eyes flickered back to Nighteye. "This is Eri."
All Might forced a smile and leaned down toward the girl. "Sorry for my appearance," he said. "I've heard a lot about you."
Eri tilted her head. "Sorry for your appearance? What for?"
Oh, what a little angel. Doko still felt tense, though. Even Mirio had stopped smiling, and was looking back and forth between Might and Nighteye.
"Anyway, you can call me Yagi, if you see me around." He gave her a pat on the head.
Eri nodded. "Okay, Yagi-san."
Strange. She never even knew him as All Might. For her, this will always be the version of him that she remembers. Doko felt oddly sad, for a moment. But he wasn't sure why.
And then…his dream flashed through his head again.
Nighteye coughed. "All Might," he said. "I believe we need to talk."
Toshinori Yagi stood up, and sighed. "Yes," he answered. "I believe we do. Kids, you should get going."
"Let's hurry to the play!" Nejire said.
"Here!" Mirio stepped forward. "Eri, you want me to carry you?"
"Huh?" She widened her eyes in surprise. "Umm, okay…ah!"
She let out a soft noise as Mirio lifted her up in his arms, and wrapped her own arms around his neck. "It's a piggy-back ride!" he declared. "Hold on tight, cause Class B dorm, here we come!"
Making whooshing noises, he began to swoop down the path, causing Eri to giggle in wonder. Nejire laughed, and followed behind, dragging a smiling Midoriya by the hand.
In a split second, Doko had been forgotten.
He turned around. Nighteye and All Might were already walking the other way, toward the school building.
Following them would be wrong. It'd be wrong and sneaky and might get me in big trouble.
Doko did it anyway.
What's this history between them? he wondered, as he watched All Might unlock a door of the school building for them to step through. Nighteye held it open and let the older man go in first. I know Sir was All Might's sidekick at one point, but why were they estranged? And what's the connection to Midoriya? And…why do I continue to be reminded of my dream?
In a panic, he realized that the door was closing, and it would lock behind them. Doko softly teleported forward and held it, letting a sliver of light cast into the hallway beyond.
Nighteye and All Might didn't notice. They were walking forward through the hall, talking in low voices to each other.
Doko closed the door very softly behind him and crept after them, his heart racing. All Might knew things about All For One, and All For One is connected to me. Could it be that they are hiding more from me that I don't know about?
The two adults had stopped around a corner, just past a water fountain. Doko halted, backing up against the wall, and listened.
"...was able to change the future that I saw. If that's true, I cannot rely on my Quirk anymore."
"Don't think of it like that, Nighteye. Your Quirk still works on normal things most of the time, I imagine. We must make exceptions where One For All is concerned."
"...Which is what I should have said all those years ago. And yet, here you stand."
"Here I stand. If there was going to be a battle for me to die in, it would have been Kamino."
"I see that now. And…I see that I may have been wrong about your choice of successor, whether he's still a bit…timid, or not. Though better choices may be out there, and I indeed think that all three of those boys together is what changed the future that I saw. Not one of them could have done it alone. Still, I'm glad that One For All is with one of the three."
"Young Midoriya has grown so much already. You've only seen a sliver of it, but I hope I can ask you to continue to watch him. He surprises me at every turn."
"In good ways and bad ways, eh?"
All Might chuckled. "Well, sometimes he shows up where I don't want him to. But…"
"No, I understand."
"...Have you tried to use your Quirk on any of the three of them?"
"Only Mirio. All I could see was that he would have a successful hero career going forward. I could not tell how far ahead that meant. As for the two younger boys, I…I am a bit afraid. Especially…"
"...Especially Katayama," All Might finished for him. "I know. I have only managed to get All For One to talk about him once, and still didn't get a concrete idea of what his plans for the boy were. It makes me nervous. Nervous that I can't tell what's on the horizon."
"Do you want me to make things clear? If the boy consents, I will do it…"
"No. Because then he will want to know what you saw, and if you cannot tell him, then he'll know that he faces doom. As for doing it WITHOUT his consent, well, that's unethical."
"An awfully convenient conundrum. Still, it makes me uneasy. I can't explain it, but…"
"I can," said All Might. "One For All and All For One. Two lines of Quirks going down through history, deciding the fate of society. From the first successor to the second and the third and so on…to Nana Shimura, to me, and now to Young Midoriya. All For One is now seeing the beginning of his own dynasty, with Shimura's grandson…"
"An awful thing, that," said Nighteye, when All Might's breath caught in his throat. "Simply detestable."
"I can't help but feel like Midoriya and Shigaraki have been set up against each other, like some kind of destiny. That sort of binary conflict is easy to understand. Not easy to solve, but easy to understand, at least. And yet…"
"And yet, what does Katayama have to do with any of it? Something, that's clear enough. Something."
Doko bit down on his knuckles, to stop any sound from escaping his mouth. Before he could hear any more, he fled.
For the first time, things seemed to be clearing out before him.
He finally understood why Midoriya always seemed to be at the center of everything. Why he seemed so connected to All Might. Why it always seemed like he carried a stronger burden than the others in the class.
All Might's Quirk was called One For All. He had passed it to Midoriya. And before them, there had been more people with the Quirk…all opposing All For One, over the centuries.
That's the line of people that I saw. All Might was the bright golden flash toward the end, and then Midoriya at the end of the line. That was my dream.
And the man that All For One was forcing his hand onto? The man that had been on his knees? Who was he?
He was sick to his stomach. All For One recruited Shigaraki to oppose All Might's successor. That's Midoriya. Which means…
Had he been meant to be Midoriya's nemesis? Just a failed, aborted version? A failed plan? Or…was he meant for something else?
What doom was it that Nighteye feared to see in his future?
The doom of all, said his Quirk, and Doko nearly fell out of the outside door, clutching his stomach in pain and fear. His Quirk was snarling up at him from the inside, giggling.
One For All? All For One? Naught for naught. Whether you can move mountains or blast fire or take to the sky, all you humans will burn the same when we come.
And oh, we come soon. We're coming, tee-hee-hee!
...
a
BrownYoshi: whoops. that's a continuity error. I think I got confused by canon because Midoriya lets Iida replace him even though Iida got less votes than Yaoyorozu. I guess I remembered it differently because in canon it makes no sense at all. The logical thing for Midoriya to do would be to give the presidential position to Yaoyorozu and THEN let Iida replace him as VP, but yeah. Anyway, my fault for getting it all mixed up. For now, just accept whatever it says in any given chapter as what's correct for that chapter. Probably a copout, but this story is really big at this point and I can't keep track of everything all the time.
have a nice day everyone bye