Chapter 56: On to the semi-finals

Watanabe tried to leap forward again to restrain Izuku, but he winced as he felt a pull in his calf. He was forced to stop in his tracks and catch his breath, "The fight with Tsuyu really took a toll on my stamina. I know I have to keep pressing Izuku, but I need to catch my breath," he thought to himself in between ragged breaths.

On the other hand, a bloodied Izuku locked gazes with his cousin. His broken nose had stopped bleeding and the adrenaline coursing through him kept the pain at bay. He could slowly feel the blood flow in his arms resuming. That didn't mean he could use One for All in his arms yet though, "Watanabe's martial arts is already superior to my 5% full cowling, so there's definitely no chance I'm keeping up with him while only using my legs. I can't even use 100% in my legs because if I miss, my mobility is reduced. What do I do!?" He questioned himself impatiently on the verge of panicking.

Suddenly Izuku realized something. Watanabe was giving him space to breathe even though that meant he could come up with a plan, "I thought Watanabe's catching his breath too but he's still panting! His fight with Tsuyu took a lot out of him!" Izuku grinned realizing that he was still very much in the fight.

He straightened himself up and settled into a stance. Watanabe was well aware that Izuku was going to try an attack and prepared himself as well, "I can't manage 100%, but I can manage at least 8%," Izuku thought to himself and strengthened his legs. He winced as he felt his bones creaking, but there was no crack.

He leaped forward and attempted a flying kick. Watanabe was caught by surprise, thinking that the attack would come at a slower speed but regardless, he blocked it.

Izuku trapped the front end of his foot in between Watanabe's arms and used it as a pivot to rotate upwards and bring his leg down on his cousin. Watanabe could do nothing and was smashed into the ground, this time blood pouring out of his nose.

"Midoriya has suddenly retaliated and done so successfully! Watanabe looked prepared but there was nothing he could do!" Mic commentated.

Izuku retreated, realizing he didn't have enough limbs to launch another onslaught. It proved to be the right decision as Watanabe punched where he stood a moment back, slightly cracking the concrete.

"What strength! And he doesn't even have a strength quirk!" Iida looked amazed.

"He trained hard," Kaminari grinned, "But he's pretty tired from what I can see. If Izuku's arms work again, Watanabe's done for,"

"What did he even do to Izuku?" Jiro asked, "He did the same thing with the Kirishima look-alike in the cavalry battle,"

"Hey!" Kirishima yelled.

Kaminari just smirked, "That's his secret,"

On the other side of the stadium, Yagi was in a conundrum of his own. Surrounded by the audience, he had heard supporters of both the boys, but as a teacher, he couldn't choose the winner. Sure, Izuku was his successor, but he had also trained Kaminari and Watanabe. He refused to choose one over the other.

Watanabe didn't give himself a break and tore at Izuku who dodged the oncoming punch with ease. Izuku quickly moved to the side to avoid a kick and took aim at Watanabe's head. Watanabe was lucky that Izuku took some time to move his leg upwards and reacted quickly to dodge.

Taking advantage of Izuku's close position, Watanabe switched to his X-ray vision and ruthlessly chopped his cousin's chest. Izuku gasped as all the air left his lungs, he was sure he felt a rib crack too. In his state of pain, he could do nothing as Watanabe struck his arms again to make sure the blood flow remained paused and then moved on to his legs.

Izuku reacted quickly to deliver a kick straight into Watanabe's face, launching him upwards and away. The two were thrown away from each other because of the resultant force and landed painfully on opposite sides of the ground.

The crowd roared, "An end-to-end fight, just like we had hoped for! There's no telling who can be the winner!" Mic praised.

"I seriously thought Izuku would overpower Watanabe. But even though they are on the same level, Watanabe looks too tired," Jiro observed.

"He did have the hardest fight in the round of 16 against Tsuyu. Meanwhile, Izuku had more of a mental battle than a physical battle," Momo shrugged, expecting Watanabe's stamina to fade.

"But he's still matching up to Izuku! Ahh, so manly!"

"Watanabe's hitting strength will decrease in some time then, right?" Hagakure asked.

Momo nodded but Tsuyu refuted her statement, "Watanabe packs much more of a punch than it seems, kero,"

"I'd say so. He literally broke the concrete!" Sero grinned.

"Idiots, it's going to remain a stalemate unless Izuku gets over his fear and uses his true power," Bakugou yelled.

"It's not as simple as that," Shouji interrupted, "Midoriya's quirk breaks his bones when he uses too much power on it. On his hands, he can sacrifice his bones but you can't really move your toes like that. If Izuku uses his leg, he'll break it and the competition will end for him anyway,"

Ojiro nodded in agreement as he watched the two cousins have at it again, "Even if Izuku wins, he'll have half his mobility in the semi-finals, and if he misses, it will be like killing a sick deer for Watanabe,"

Suddenly Mic's commentary interrupted them, "What on earth! Izuku just walked straight into that punch!"

The class stopped their bickering and paid attention. Kaminari smirked, "That was intentional,"

"Why would he intentionally get hurt?" Ashido asked. The question was answered immediately as a gust of wind nearly knocked Watanabe back, courtesy of Izuku's hands.

"He got back control!?" Sato exclaimed.

On the field, Watanabe was smirking, "So, you intended to move so that my punch would hit your arm?"

"Yup," Izuku admitted, "If the point that shuts off my blood supply is somewhere there, so is the point that can resume it,"

"A bit lucky, but it won't matter," Watanabe said and sped up to right in front of his cousin's face, "You're still too scared to use 100% on someone,"

"Am I?" Izuku asked rhetorically.

Watanabe's eyes widened as he saw Izuku actually power up his finger. Just before impact struck, Watanabe did some quick thinking and grabbed onto Izuku's shirt.

The second gust threw Watanabe away, but since he was grabbing Izuku, he had been sent flying too. Watanabe used every bit of his strength to make sure Izuku could not escape his grasp and tried to twist his arm painfully, and throttle Izuku into the ground. However, his shoulder had sustained a tremendous injury and all he could do was just keep Izuku in position.

The two crashed outside of bounds with a heavy thud, the blow knocking both of them out. Midnight rushed to administer aid.

"Oh my! Some quick thinking by Watanabe to drag Midoriya out with him too! What a stunning display! We're waiting for confirmation to see who fell out of bounds first! Eraserhead, what are the results?"

"They both fell at the same time, it's a draw,"

The crowd cheered as Mic gaped, "Well there you have it, listeners! It will have to be settled at the end of this round. The two will need to get medical aid,"

Some of the crowd looked dejected that the fight had ended so abruptly, just when it looked good, but most of the audience applauded the two fighters as they were carried off on stretchers.

"The next fight will be Uraraka vs Hatsume!" Mic announced.

1A on the other hand was absolutely stunned, "How did Watanabe survive that?" Ojiro yelled. Even Kaminari was bewildered at what just happened, "I didn't think Izuku would have the guts to do it, especially at such close range!" he admitted.

"He must have been really irritated," Shouto offered.

"Good for him. He can't be so merciful to villains," Bakugou looked for the positive point.

"I think Watanabe is seriously injured. His arm was dislocated during our fight, and now this. He might have to leave the tournament, kero,"

"Nah, Watanabe isn't like that. Even if all his bones break, he'll be back!" Kirishima promised.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean it's good for him," Jiro reminded.

"Are they alright?" Yagi asked, entering recovery girl's office.

Chiyo gave Yagi an angry look, "Of course not! Izuku just broke his finger but he also has a nasty concussion. It's Watanabe I'm worried about. You should have warned Izuku not to go 100% in close combat!"

"I did!" Yagi defended.

"Even so, you probably told him he needed to win no matter what,"

"Erm…"

"See," Chiyo said frustrated, "The poor boy has two cracked ribs and a shattered arm. There's no way he'll be competing in the tournament,"

"He won't like that," Yagi said.

"It doesn't matter. I already put him on a sedative to let him rest. By the time he wakes up, the festival will be long over," Chiyo said and then started grumbling, "That idiotic hero commission; forcing us to hold the festival. Not only is it dangerous by showing your skills to villains, but it also puts the students at risk!"

"Well, they do need their publicity stunts," Yagi sighed, "Nezu doesn't want to anger them too much just yet. He wants to completely batter them,"

"So, he's still on that case?"

Yagi nodded, "Tsukauchi is trying to help but the commissioner forbade them from direct intervention. Apparently, there's someone underground. They won't give us any further information."

"And that's good. If Nezu makes a wrong step, UA and everyone in it will be in danger." Chiyo informed Yagi, "And anyway, can't you do something? You're the number 1!"

Yagi laughed, "I wish I could but with my time limit gone, there really isn't much to do. And the number 2 is Endeavour who… well let's just say he might as well be on the commission's side."

"His son doesn't look so bad,"

"He isn't. I think he understands what is wrong since he despises his father," Yagi replied. Chiyo nodded.

The two sat in silence for a while, "You should go and watch Uraraka's match. These two might be your favorites, but she's your student too,"

Yagi looked startled but nodded, "Yeah, you're right," he said and left.

A few minutes after Yagi left, Izuku began to stir. He sat up with a groan, "Awake I see?" Chiyo asked.

Izuku blinked a few times to check where he was, "Did I lose?" he asked.

"No, it was a draw, but I have to talk with you, young man! What were you thinking using 100% on your cousin at such a close distance?"

"I-I did?" Izuku asked hesitantly, "I only wanted to use 50%,"

"50% wouldn't have cracked Watanabe's ribs and shattered his arm. I'm quite sure one of his legs is broken too from the impact," Chiyo said unkindly.

Izuku turned to look at his cousin who was wrapped in bandages and sleeping, "I lost control…" he said sadly, "I wanted to use 50% only but since I didn't spread the power, I used too much," he tried to explain himself.

Chiyo patted Izuku, "Look, I know you didn't mean it, and Watanabe probably won't hold it against you either. But you have to get your power in check! If 5% isn't enough, are you going to risk killing someone by using 100%?"

"No…" Izuku said slowly.

"Then train and find a way to limit your output. It will reduce damage to yourself too," Chiyo said warmly. Izuku simply nodded, his eyes still on Watanabe, clearly angry at himself for what he had done, "Now sleep," Chiyo ordered, "I can get you some time till the next round,"

"I thought you said it's a draw?"

"Do you really think I'll allow Watanabe to fight?"

"No, but you're allowing me?"

"If I don't Watanabe will eat my head, even more, when he wakes up," Chiyo grunted.

Izuku chuckled at that, "That is if he isn't mad at me,"

"Don't worry, he won't be," Chiyo assured.

"Hmm, I see. Listeners!" Mic announced, "Due to Watanabe's aggravated injuries, he has been pulled out of the tournament. Izuku progresses by default!"

"WHAT!?" The crowd yelled angrily.

"Come on! Give the kid a chance!" They yelled, clearly hoping to see much more of the fight.

Midnight cracked her whip and let it fly just in front of the person who said that, making him squeal, "You bastards! Is a fight more important than his life! If one more person argues, I'll kick them out!"

The crowd gulped and found it best to shut up, "Now, without further ado, we'll move to the next match," Midnight announced, "Are you two ready?"

Uraraka nodded but Hatsume raised her hand, "How come I can't give Uraraka my equipment like Monoma?"

"You used it to humiliate him. I won't let you do the same thing again," Midnight said. Hatsume frowned.

In the stands, Monoma clenched his fists tightly, "Just because she has a heroic quirk, Midinight saved her. But when it was me, she allowed it!"

1B looked around uncomfortably. Tetsutetsu tried to argue, "Monoma, I'm sure it's nothing like that! UA teachers are always good!"

"Shut up!" Monoma scowled, "You have no idea how it is to have a villainous quirk,"

"Heh, are you being serious?" Kuroiro said a little too loudly, "It's just your superiority complex that makes you like this,"

"Why you-"

"Enough!" Kendo ordered, and silence fell on the class, "Just enjoy the fight,"

The said fight did not even last 10 seconds as Hatsume fired a gun that ejected a net and trapped Uraraka. Uraraka tried to use her quirk to levitate and escape but the net was stuck to the ground. After much struggling, Uraraka sighed, "I give up,"

"Hatsume advances to the semi-finals!"

Mei grinned walked towards Uraraka with the adhesive that would take out the glue.

The crowd was displeased, "What the hell? That wasn't even a proper match,"

"Well, she was lucky to get to the quarter-finals. That Shouji boy lost because of a stupid mistake,"

Uraraka turned red with embarrassment at all the negative comments but Hatsume once again yelled, "Oi you idiots! If you think you could do a better job, why don't you come down and fight with me?"

That shut up all the civilians but one egoistic pro-hero stood up, "You think you can handle me?"

"You think you can handle her and a pissed-off UA staff?" Aizawa asked through the speakers rhetorically.

That made the hero pale and go back to his seat. But Power Loader had already caught him, "Oi oi, you really think you can stay around after insulting my apprentice?" he asked.

The hero had fear in his eyes. He knew he was going to get ejected. Very few heroes had been ejected from the festival but all of them agreed that Nezu loved to throw them out in the most terrifying places.

"Please, I'm sorry!" The hero tried to reason as Majima dragged him.

"Idiot," Emi commented, "Nezu will have a field day,"

"What does he do anyway?" Fat Gum asked.

"No one knows. Endeavour was ejected once and tried to tell what happened but Nezu got to him before that. He went quiet after that," Mirai informed.

"Whoa, he scared Endeavour?" A fairly new pro-hero asked, "The principal must be terrifying!"

Emi laughed, "You have no idea,"

"Listeners, the semi-final fights will be Tokoyami vs Shiozaki and Midoriya vs Hatsume! For the first time, we have someone from the support department in the semi-finals! Can she go all the way and win it all?" Mic asked the crowd who cheered in varying responses.

Mic chuckled and then turned to Aizawa, "Seriously though, it will look bad for the hero course if she wins,"

Aizawa shrugged, "It might just be what's needed to clarify to the public that heroes aren't everything,"

"That's really dark. Are you already thinking of what will happen once All Might's time runs out?"

"It's bound to happen. All that matters is when and how,"

A/N: The fight probably did not live up to its hype, in my opinion at least, but I really couldn't find a way to make it more exciting.

Anyway, besides that, there is a major clue(s) in the chapter if you look for it.

Let me know your thoughts on how I could have made the fight better. Would help me in the future. Or I may even re-write some aspects based on your input. Stay safe and have a good day!