Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. One day I will actually buy the physical manga release.
Present Mic stretched, cracking his joints as they waited. "You ever feel like this festival thing is taking longer than it should?"
Next to him, Eraserhead gave him a blank stare. "...It's the Sports Festival. Don't forget, we have the second and third years doing their thing."
Present Mic nodded, pouring himself a cup of tea. "Oh yeah…"
The door to the presenter's booth opened, and Power Loader came in. "You wanted me here?"
Present Mic grinned. "Heck Yeah! See, I was thinking, since your students have made it to the semifinals and we've got one in each… maybe you could help commentate on your star pupils?"
Power Loader looked at the pair of them and sighed. "Well, the pair of them will probably level the stadium, so sure. I can help you make sense of the madness."
—
As he waited in the wings of the stadium, Minoru took a deep breath. Alright, just gotta ignore that Hatsume's really hot. That's easy, right? Just focus on the giant grabber arms and the feeling she's going to strap you to an operating table and fool around with your insides.
He stepped onto the stage with a confidence that he didn't really feel. Minoru gripped a ball from his head, trying to psych himself up. He just had to get through this fight, and then he would have a chance to get into the Hero course!
Well, assuming that the frankly scary Bakugo didn't make it through. Then again, Midoriya had proven himself to be surprisingly terrifying, so maybe Midoriya would take him out?
If only he had had more time to try and train moving his balls. It was like his Quirk had come in all over again -
Present Mic cut his introspection short.
"OUR FIRST MATCH OF THE SEMIFINALS COMES FROM TWO STUDENTS WHO HAVE SURPRISED US ALL! COMING FROM THE GENERAL COURSE, HE'S SMALL, HE'S PURPLE AND HE'S PLUCKY! GIVE IT UP FOR THE BALLSY MINETA MINORU!"
…Wow.
Minoru watched the other side of the stage anxiously. Having to fight a crazy gadget lady like her was pretty nerve wracking. Who knew what she had prepared?
It was probably a bit like going against Mastermind. Minoru had seen the crazed Supervillain on TV, and the guy was covered in Support gear! Not to mention his incredibly hot minion Inkblot, who looked like she was running around with a coat and nothing else on-
Minoru quickly dropped to do a pushup, fighting the lewd thought down.
Damn you, imagination!
—
Mei grinned as she strode onto the stage, mechanical arms flexing as they lifted her up. "ON THE STAGE NOW, YOU CAN'T MISS HER OR HER SALES PITCHES! WITH AN ARRAY OF GADGETS TO CRUSH THE COMPETITION, GIVE IT UP FOR THE BOMBASTIC HATSUME MEI! AND WITH US IN THE BOOTH TO COMMENTATE ON HIS BRILLIANT STUDENTS IS NONE OTHER THAN THE SURPRISINGLY SHORT POWER LOADER-"
Present Mic was cut off, choking. "For the record, I am not short! I just have a problem with my posture! That being said, Hatsume is, despite my misgivings, one of the best students I've ever had. Even if she should stop blowing my labs up! Not to mention that I need to pry her out of the labs with a crowbar-"
"Great… please… stop choking me…" Present Mic spluttered.
"Keep choking him. Please."
Mineta stared at her nervously, hand reaching up to grab a ball from his head. "Sorry about this, Hatsume… but I-I have to beat you to make it into the Hero course!"
She just shrugged. "I'm just here to show off what my babies can do - and I figured that winning the Sports Festival with my precious babies would be the best way to do that! So sorry about this, Tiny Client!"
Midnight's whip cracked, and the fight was on. Mei's Grabber Arm lashed out to try and pin Mineta quickly but he was already on the move, purple balls shooting through the air in her general direction.
Mei carefully weaved around landed balls, wary of Mineta's trick where he could make them move even after they were placed. She tried to pin Mineta in place with the Netmaster, but he bounced away off a cluster he had placed earlier. More and more spheres flew around, the smaller boy wincing in pain as he reached up to his head.
Mineta grinned, putting his hands to his temples. "TAKE THIS! GRAPEZONE GRENADE!"
"WHOA! MINETA'S PUT A NAME TO THAT MOVE! IT LOOKS LIKE HATSUME'S ABOUT TO BE COVERED IN STICKY BALLS!"
And the balls he'd thrown all around started to fly at her, trying to pin her in place. Mei laughed as her other baby deployed - a pair of long, thin nozzles folded out from the harness she wore. Pink blasts of light rapidly popped each ball as it came close, Mei managing to dodge the remainder.
Mineta gawked, hands falling from his temples. Mei posed the turrets folding back with the rest of her gear. "I… what?"
"I AGREE! HATSUME HAS SOME KIND OF LASER GUN?! WHAT IS THIS, STAR TREK?!"
"No, it isn't. Hatsume and Midoriya have been working on that project for a while."
Mei grinned, quickly checking that her baby hadn't overheated. "And nothing I've taken here has exploded, apart from the stuff that is meant to! Behold, Baby Number 86, the Self Defense Turrets! I made these with my best minion Izuku, which we completed just the day before the Sports Festival! Using the research of past Support students, we have realised their dreams in this baby!"
Mineta stared at it. "...honestly, I want one of those." He grinned, then charged forwards at surprising speed. "But I still gotta win!"
Mei lashed out with the Grabber Arms but Mineta ducked and rolled under them, bouncing off a ball to try and strike her. He tore another off his head, blood dripping as he threw it. Mei tried to hit him with the net gun but he was already bouncing up-!
And slammed into her chest, face first, sheer shock disrupting her stance and knocking her to the ground. Mei grunted in pain from the double impact, then raised her gauntleted arm, a pink light building in the palm. "Behold, benefactors! Another brilliant invention-"
Mineta pushed off her, then froze when his hand hit her breast. He stared at her chest, then his hand with a shocked expression. "Abbuh…"
Eyes rolling up in his head, he keeled over backwards, stiff as a board. She blinked, stunned. "Huh."
Mineta had been a surprise but she really hadn't expected to be accidentally groped today
Midnight came over, looking at Mineta. "Can you stand, Mineta?"
Mineta didn't respond. A large smile split his face as he lay there, twitching slightly. Midnight gave him a once over, then cracked her whip. "Mineta is unresponsive! Hatsume advances to the next round!"
"OH MY GOD! DOES YOUR STUDENT HAVE A TASER ON HER BOOB OR SOMETHING?"
"Don't give her any ideas!" Power Loader coughed. "Well, whatever happened to Mineta seems to be his own problem. Quirk overuse, perhaps?"
Mei looked up with a disappointed expression. "I don't think this was a good victory! I mean, he just collapsed! I didn't even get to show off the super cute babies on my arms yet!"
That just wasn't fair! Now she knew how Izuku had felt when he kept knocking people out accidentally. What was the point of a sales pitch if you couldn't sell everything?
—
As he was leaving the preparation room for the match, Izuku fidgetted. "Okay, Izuku, don't panic. It's okay, it's okay! Kacchan's really, really strong!"
Despite his misgivings, he pulled on his cape. It wasn't his proper cowl - that was with Double in Hosu. But it was enough to make him feel more like himself. He sucked in a deep breath.
Watching Mei's fight was exhilarating! He remembered how happy he had been when Mei had used the laser blasters they'd created together to defend against Mineta's Quirk!
And Mineta had proven to have the drive to be a Hero, at least. Even if Mineta had been a bit… unintentionally handsy. Just the thought of that made Izuku a bit… on edge. Mei was a friend, right? And going by Kacchan's typical reactions, it was normal, when a friend got hurt, to want to find the other guy and strap him to a train track?
He didn't really have another frame of reference. That was about what he felt about anybody that hurt his other friends. But somehow it felt… different. Maybe that was because Mei was a girl?
Izuku groaned. Thinking about Mineta with his hand on Mei's chest was… distracting. And sure, it was an accident! He understood that! Because if it hadn't been an accident…
He strode through the corridors, unaware of the dark aura he was projecting. Mastermind - Izuku slapped himself in the face. "Gotta focus on the match with Kacchan… don't think about Mineta, don't think about Mineta-"
He stopped when he realised that he was still wearing his cape. "Oh-oh dear," he muttered, pulling it off. Hopefully nobody had seen his mistake.
—
As Izuku pulled his cloak off and went to the stage, Shouto watched him go with wide eyes. He'd gone to the bathroom and was heading back to the bleachers, when Izuku had stomped past on his way to the arena.
Shouto was sure that his father would have Words if he had seen him hide around a corner as Izuku had walked past, cape fluttering in a fake wind. Izuku had looked almost distracted, a scowl splitting the normally upbeat and cheerful Support Student.
He frowned, unsure of what to think about him. That was the second time he'd felt that ominous presence from Izuku. It almost seemed… familiar. He racked his brains, trying to think where he'd felt that before-
"Try that again, Shigaraki, and I will hurt you."
Shouto's eyes widened. Izuku fit the bill surprisingly well - Support item prodigy, surprisingly dangerous fighter… he even had the cape. And that aura… you couldn't fake that, not easily. Midoriya could turn his presence on and off like a lightswitch apparently.
Apparently that cape is inspired by Mastermind's own… or he just made it again.
It was just a hunch, though. After the Sports Festival was over and he had talked to his mother, he would start his investigation.
—
Present Mic grinned into the microphone. "AFTER THAT EXCITING FIRST MATCH, WE KIND OF WANT TO SEE WHAT ELSE COULD POSSIBLY COME OUT! COMING ON THE STAGE NOW, HE'S POLITE AND KIND TO EVERYBODY! GIVE IT UP FOR MIDORIYA IZUKU, THE CHIVALROUS HERO FANBOY!"
Power Loader hummed appreciatively as Midoriya came on stage. "Midoriya is the second of my best students. He's apparently been a fan of Heroes since he could walk. He's diligent, hardworking, analytical…" he slumped down. "And he blows up the labs nearly as frequently as Hatsume does."
Present Mic hoped that Power Loader was joking. "AND COMING UP NOW IS A FEROCIOUS POWERHOUSE! HE'S GOT A QUIRK AS EXPLOSIVE AS HIS TEMPER, IT'S 1-A'S NOTORIOUS BAKUGO KATSUKI! BOTH MUSUTAFU BORN AND RAISED, TWO ENTER THE RING AND ONLY ONE OF THEM CAN PROCEED!"
He quietly looked at one of his favourite students as he limbered up in the ring. Good luck, Little Listener. You're gonna need it.
—
Katsuki glared at Izuku with less than usual intensity. Actually having a chance to go against his… friend was interesting. "You ready to go, Deku?"
Izuku nodded with a determined look. Katsuki grinned, a similar expression crossing Izuku's face. Midnight cracked her whip and Katsuki was charging forwards, ready to hit Izuku in the face-
The nerd grabbed his arm and twisted, throwing Katsuki to the ground. He rolled out of the way as Izuku stomped where his chest was, the impact cracking the arena. The nerd had the audacity to smirk at him. "Nine times out of ten, Kacchan, you lead with a right hook!"
"WOW! MIDORIYA READ BAKUGO LIKE A TEXTBOOK! THAT MOVE WAS SICK AS HELL!"
"You remember that they grew up together, right? It certainly explains why Midoriya is such a dangerous fighter."
Katsuki couldn't help but laugh at that. Trust the nerd to watch him that closely. "So you're a fucking expert on me now?"
Deku laughed right back, tapping his backpack. "Honestly, yeah! I'm not gonna give up now! Not when I still have something to show off!"
Katsuki twisted out of the way as the nerd fired that air cannon gadget, explosions propelling him closer. Deku blocked his first punch and smacked Katsuki in the face, but Katsuki just rolled with the punch while his hand flew up to explode in the nerd's face.
Deku fell back, singed but relatively unharmed, and Katsuki started to circle him, watching for anything weird. He knew that if Izuku got even a second of breathing room, he could form some bullshit plan or strategy. So he had to treat this like he had with Uraraka - take him out as quickly as possible while minimising his own danger.
The fanboy pulled his goggles on, grinning. "Well, I have to admit that Kacchan's put me in a tight spot. But I might have an edge yet!"
Katsuki backed off when Deku suddenly cracked that damn electric whip at him. Snarling, Katsuki launched another explosion, trying to destroy the damn thing before it could wrap around him. Unfortunately, Deku had built it to actually take a hit or two, and Katsuki circled around Deku, watching for an opening.
"AND MIDORIYA'S PULLED OUT THE WHIP AND IS TRYING TO HIT KATSUKI WITH IT! WHAT A PERFORMANCE!"
"With the whip and those air cannons, Midoriya currently has the range advantage. But Katsuki probably has a plan for getting around said items."
Katsuki grinned, palms building up sweat. Hobo teacher knew him so well. He blasted into the air, dodging another blast of pressurised air. So Deku was trying to predict him based on his old moves? Well, time for something new.
He quickly shot around in the air, carefully timing the release of sweat and pooling it into a ball. Katsuki landed and Deku raised his whip, intent on striking-
His hands slammed together on the tiny sphere. "STUN GRENADE!"
As a massive flash of light overwhelmed Deku, Katsuki quickly ducked under the whip, going for a kick. Crosshairs had goggles that protected her from flash bangs, so he would have to assume that Deku's goggles were the same. But even so, a bright flash of light and sound would be enough to disorientate him, if only for a moment.
That was all Katsuki needed to smack the whip out of Deku's hand. The nerd fired another blast of air, but Katsuki knocked his arm off course. Without hesitation, Deku smacked him in the stomach with the other gauntlet.
Katsuki grinned before grabbing the nerd, Explosions popping, he flung the nerd down onto the hard ground. No room for hesitation. Sure enough, Deku twisted around, and Katsuki howled as Deku bit his hand, forcing him to let go.
Deku panted, then managed to push himself up. "You're… amazing, Kacchan," he gasped.
Katsuki rubbed the bite mark on his hand, wincing. "You're not bad yourself, Izuku." Before the nerd could respond, Katsuki was on him, sweat having built up. Izuku managed to throw his backpack in the way as Katsuki let an explosion loose, then twisted around to try and kick Katsuki.
Unfortunately for the green haired boy, Katsuki was ready for him. He blocked the kick, wincing when he felt his arm crack from the force. Then he charged in, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry 'bout this," he muttered.
Izuku's eyes widened when he saw Katsuki's palm shine with sweat and heat. Then he closed them, a smile on his face. Katsuki unleashed the explosion, and Izuku flew out of bounds, managing to roll to minimise damage.
—
Melissa winced when she saw Izuku fall out of bounds. While Izuku had fought hard, in the end Kacchan had beaten him. Izuku staggered up, a grin on his face.
Midnight cracked her whip. "Midoriya has been knocked out of bounds! Bakugou Katsuki advances to the finals!"
On the stage, Bakugo hopped off, seemingly uncaring about his fractured arm. He ran over to Izuku, a concerned look on his face. For his part, Izuku looked surprised, then shook his other hand with a cheerful grin.
"Well, that was unexpected. Maybe that instance with Todoroki was a fluke?"
"Could be, Hero. Well - don't be so sad, Banjo. It's just a Sports Festival."
"I can't help it! I mean, that Izuku kid made it so far, only to get overwhelmed by Bakugo! Sure, Bakugo's annoying good, but I really hoped-"
Melissa shook her head. That headache from before seemed to have returned. She glanced over to Uraraka. "That was intense, wasn't it?"
Uraraka nodded. "Yeah… though I can't help but get the feeling that that fight wasn't as intense as it could have been."
Shrugging, Melissa turned to look at Iida. "You alright?"
Iida nodded. "Of course I am! I just wish I could have made it-"
His phone buzzed at that moment, making him frown. "Excuse me, it's my mother!"
As Iida went off, Melissa looked back at the stage, seeing Bakugo and Izuku walk off to the nurses' office together. Next to her, Todoroki watched the pair of them walk off, a thoughtful look on his face.
The next match was going to be interesting, that was for sure. Then Iida suddenly shouted into his phone. "What?"
—
Earlier…
Mastermind glared at Stain, taking up a fighting stance. They had split to try and draw attention from the various Heroes. Mastermind had intended to go down the other alleyway and flank the other Heroes, but then he had seen a flash of steel in the corner of his eye and had run over to investigate.
And now he was having to fight Stain. The other Villain's presence practically filled the alleyway. It wasn't anything he wasn't used to, but rescuing Ingenium took priority. He switched to silent communication, to try and keep Stain from becoming aware of his intentions. "Mr. Warp, I need you to get to my location. Ingenium's down and I'm fighting the killer-"
Stain pointed his katana at Mastermind, Mastermind tensing up. "I have no quarrel with you, Mastermind. You may profit from it, but you are tearing down those who love only money and spit on the concept of true Heroism."
Mr. Compress panted, an explosion sounding in the background. "Hold on, Mastermind! We're going to try and get to you, but there's a lot of Heroes here! Keep Stain occupied until we get there!"
Ingenium looked up at Mastermind. "Why… are you doing this?"
Mastermind wanted to say something different. Something properly Villainous. What came out was, "You looked like you needed help, Ingenium!"
Stain's eyes widened slightly. Mastermind coughed. "Uh, I mean… how humiliating for you, Ingenium! Needing to be saved by a devious Supervillain like me!"
Mastermind glared at Stain. As Japan's future Greatest Supervillain, he wasn't going to go down to some mere butcher.
Stain threw a series of knives at Mastermind, the Supervillain tapping his cloak. The fabric billowed and furled out in front of him, catching the blades. Unfazed, Stain was already running closer, katana in hand to try and hit Ingenium-!
FWOOSH!
-And hastily backflipped when Mastermind unleashed his flamethrower, the flames rolling around the alleyway. Mastermind glared at Stain, the other Villain readying new knives. Mastermind glanced at Ingenium, wincing when he saw the blood pooling. "Hold on, Ingenium!"
"How interesting… Why defend him? He's got nothing to do with you!"
Mastermind glared at Stain, readying his Freeze Ray. "Why are you killing Heroes? What possible purpose does that serve?"
Stain chuckled. "Heroes? I don't kill Heroes. Only Fakes fall to my sword."
Mastermind paused. "Pretty sure you have harmed Heroes-"
"This society's forgotten the meaning of that word!" Mastermind yelped as Stain swung his katana at him, barely blocking the strike. Another combat knife flashed in his hand, Stain did his best to gut him. Mastermind tried to hold Stain in place but the other Villain swung with mad conviction, knocking Mastermind to the ground.
Stain's katana flashed. "We aren't so different, you and I. You see it too, don't you? The degradation of the term 'Hero' in the hands of fakes and whores who care for nothing but money!"
—
Stain stood over Mastermind, blade at the ready. Mastermind may not have been a Hero, but Stain had felt the same drive and conviction that burned in his chest. "Fakes like him don't deserve the title. True Heroes… there's precious few who deserve the title."
All Might. Mirko. Crust. All of them fought the good fight, not for fame or fortune, but because it was right and just. Only they were pure.
Mastermind pushed himself back up, tapping his gauntlet. "...Honestly, I agree."
Ingenium spluttered. Stain grinned. "So you agree, then? That the fakes must be purged-"
"I agree that there are too many who only care for fame, but your methods are wrong!" Mastermind shot forwards, Stain barely dodging a punch that smashed the solid brick wall behind him.
"All a purge does is make martyrs of them!"
Mastermind lashed out with a kick, Stain barely jumping back. He continued talking, driving Stain further backwards. "I am the Supervillain Japan's Heroes need! I challenge them to grow better, to live up to the standards of Heroism!"
Stain threw a knife at Mastermind's head, the Villain swatting it out of the air. His freeze ray fired, Stain slicing it into chunks and surging forwards. "Such naivete! People can't change, not truly!"
Mastermind blocked his strike. "They can! All the Heroes that came after me… they've grown, they've changed!" He slammed a fist into Stain's head, knocking him down.
Stain panted, trying to recover. Mastermind lunged forwards with a stomp, leaving cracks in the pavement. "And these fake Heroes… sure, maybe they only care about money and their fame! But they're still saving people! They're still fighting Villains like you!"
He lunged at Mastermind, trying to get past him to Ingenium, feeling that the paralysis would wear off soon-!
Mastermind blocked his blade. "To me, a Hero is somebody who helps others even when they're not asked to! But you're just a butcher! When was the last time you helped anybody in need?!"
Stain froze, for an instant. An instant was enough.
Heroes burst into one end of the alleyway, but purple smoke billowed around Mastermind and Ingenium, the Super Villain giving him a wave. Howling with rage, Stain lunged into the smoke, stabbing at where he felt Ingenium would be-!
His katana made contact with flesh, then suddenly there was nothing left.
Stain glared at the Heroes who stood in his way. "Move," he snarled, bloodlust coming off his body like a dark smoke and freezing them in place. One of them tried to attack, but Stain was already dashing, heading for his bolthole.
There had been a fake amongst them, and he had been tempted to go and lop his head off. But Mastermind's words bounced around in his skull and the other Heroes would likely have overwhelmed him.
So he retreated, for now.
—
Tenya held his phone tightly. "What?!"
On the other end, his mother sniffed. "The-the League of Supervillains kidnapped your brother! He-he was being attacked by the Hero Killer, and… Mastermind must have seen an opportunity to take a Hero-"
Tenya clutched his phone tightly. "I - did they capture the Hero Killer?"
His mother sniffed loudly. "No… the Hero Killer got away. But… nobody knows where Stain or Mastermind is-"
Tenya took a deep breath, trying to quell the emotions inside him. "I-I'll come home right away!"
He hung up, bowing politely to his friends. "I-I'm terribly sorry, but I have to go home. My brother… he got attacked by a Villain."
Tenya dashed off to a teacher to explain his situation. He wanted to stay and watch the rest of the matches but he needed to be back with his parents before he collapsed into a sobbing mess. He couldn't imagine why Mastermind had taken his brother. Was it just a flight of fancy, or did Mastermind have something more sinister in mind?
What inhuman thoughts lie behind that mask?
—
…I want katsudon.
AN: Holy heck! I had like 6 pages of material, hated it and scrapped it for twelve! So now the semifinals are over! Now, it's the final showdown! Hatsume Mei versus Bakugo Katsuki!
Mineta, unfortunately, touched a boob for the first time. Hopefully he will recover. And Izuku… you thought he was gonna win, didn't you?
Truth is, Izuku against Bakugo without typical gear will lose. Mastermind, though? That could be a different story. The basic problem Izuku has is that he can't use the gear he's accustomed to, otherwise he'd give the game away. Plus, Izuku was a bit distracted in this match.
Next time… The final match, winner takes all! And we learn who got stabbed!
