AN: Sorry this took so long.
Also, HOLY CRAP! Chapters 290 and 291 were insane! I mean, everyone saw it coming but STILL!
Anyway, let's enjoy the chapter, shall we?
"I can't believe you guys were the ones who stole our headband!" Setsuna wailed, walking alongside Itsuka.
"Sorry, but you kinda gave us a big opening," Itsuka replied.
"I am not looking forward to Kaichou's lecture," Tsubasa muttered.
"The support item you wore malfunctioned during the calvary battle, right?" Liana asked Milia. "Any idea why?"
"Hatsume-san said she didn't wire it properly," Milia replied. "She also said that meant she was getting better making her 'babies' because when that happens they usually explode."
"…I honestly have no idea how to respond to that," Liana sweat-dropped.
"IIDA! I had absolutely no idea that you had that super secret special move! It's not fair!" Ochako whined, jogging in place as she and the others went to get something to eat.
"It has nothing to do with fairness! I just wasn't using it as intended. I wanted to do something that could compete with Midoriya-kun… but in the end, it did not matter." The Engine Quirk user stated.
"YEAH! He was amazing! Speaking of, where is Midori?" Mina asked, noticing that Izuku was nowhere in sight.
"Well, Todoroki-san just came up to him and asked if they could speak in private a while ago," Ibara answered.
"Really? What… what would Todoroki want with Izu-kun?" Ochako asked, hoping nothing bad had happened between them.
"I don't know."
Nearby at a side entrance labeled for Staff Only, Izuku and Todoroki were standing across from one another, Izuku looking with curiosity at the dual Quirk user. Unbeknownst to them, Bakugo was around the corner eavesdropping.
[Well, this is awkward.] Ddraig quipped.
Izuku ignored it. "So… the dining hall's going to be packed soon so we might want…" Izuku began.
"I was overpowered." Todoroki finally spoke up. Izuku was a little confused by what he said. "And that made me break the promise I made to myself a long time ago."
Izuku looked to Todoroki's left arm as it was in his pocket. 'It would have given him an advantage if he used his left side. And yet he didn't,' he thought to himself.
"Iida, Yaoyorozu, Jiro, Takamaki, Shiozaki, Hatsume… none of them felt it. At that instant, I was the only one who was overpowered. I almost used my flames, the one thing I swore I would never use. Time was running out, I was angry at how you tricked us, and I was about to rush towards your team. But then, I felt that power… radiating off of you. The same kind of power All Might radiates," Todoroki continued to speak, staring at his left hand.
Izuku narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to say, Todoroki?"
"What I am trying to say is that I felt something similar coming from you… too similar."
'Oh, crap,' Izuku thought, his heart starting to beat faster as a bead of sweat ran down his face, trying to will himself not to react too strongly. 'He's starting to connect the dots! Has he figured out about One for All? Or about the Boosted Gear? Or even that I'm a devil?'
"Midoriya, are you…"
Izuku swallowed hard, mentally preparing himself for trying to come up with an answer that would distract Todoroki from the truth.
"All Might and Ryukyu's secret love child?"
"…Eh?"
Izuku was… unsure how to respond. Or even if he heard that right.
"Well, answer the question. Are you?"
Izuku could only stare slack jaw at Todoroki as Ddraig started laughing loudly. "What!? No! That's not it at all! Why would you even think that?!"
"Your Quirk has a lot of similarities to Ryukyu. And the fact you can also increase your strength makes it similar to All Might, so-"
"Okay, I get it," Izuku sighed, having walked into that one. 'This is what he meant by All Might having an interest in me?' Izuku mentally wondered.
"I see," Todoroki said, closing his eyes for a moment. "Still, since you said 'That's not it,' that means there is still a possible connection between you and All Might. One you can't talk about, right?"
Izuku's eyes widened. Todoroki was a lot more perceptive than he thought. 'First Kozuki, now Todoroki… I REALLY need to be more careful with what I say from now on.'
Ddraig continued to laugh.
Todoroki decided to leave that subject alone for now. He needed to get to the real reason why he called Izuku out here.
"My father is the hero Endeavor. You must've heard of him. Which means you're aware that he's the number-two hero," he eyed All Might's successor. "So, if you're connected to the Number One Hero, All Might, in some way… That would mean… That I have even more reason to beat you."
Izuku's face then adopted a serious expression and Ddraig stopped laughing. They were both now paying close attention to what Todoroki was saying.
"Endeavor made a name for himself by giving his all into his career as a Pro Hero. He shot up the ranks like a rocket but he could never compare to All Might. No matter what he did, All Might was an immovable pillar to him. So, once he accepted that he couldn't surpass him on his own, he decided to take a different route."
"A different route?" Izuku repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Have you heard of Quirk Marriages? I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't, since they're not as much of a problem as they used to be."
Izuku's eyes widened. "Kind of. They didn't really go over them when I was in middle school," he stated.
"The concept of choosing a mate based on the idea of creating enhanced versions of one's own Quirk…" Todoroki explained. "It sounds simple enough on paper, but the reality was more like forced arranged marriages. As a man with both power and prestige, Endeavor found it easy to get on good terms with my mother's family and get ahold of her Quirk via marriage. His idea was that if he couldn't surpass All Might, then he'd just have a batch of super-babies that would do it for him. Eventually, this resulted in me."
Izuku was downright horrified by what he heard.
"It's so annoying," Todoroki spat in righteous anger and frustration. "I refuse to be a tool for that scumbag. The hell of it is, there were more than a few Quirk Marriages that still ended up happy in the end. My mother wasn't one of those, though. I'm the youngest, so this was several years in the making before I came along, but in most of my memories of her, my mom is crying. She couldn't take looking at my left side, you see. She couldn't handle how her daughter's face reminded her so much of him. So, she poured boiling water on me one night when I walked in on her making tea."
Izuku's eyes became wide with horror, finding it hard to believe that Todoroki's own mother would do such a thing to him. "…That's… horrible." That was the only way Izuku could describe it.
"Because he focused all of his time and energy on furthering his Hero career, my mother was neglected and abused until she just couldn't take it anymore. Honestly, I can't blame her for what she did. That's why I'm going to take you down, Midoriya. I'll take the number one Hero's golden boy, and prove to my shitty old man that I can be the best. Without relying on his god-damned power."
The anger was back, but it was different. It was worse. Before he had flared up like an autumn fire, but this… this was a slow, deep burning. Like glowing coals that persisted throughout a winter blizzard.
Unbeknownst to either of them, they were not alone. Someone else remained hidden behind the corner, out of sight, remaining silent and holding a soft gaze.
Izuku began shaking a little as he saw and sensed the hatred within Todoroki.
[I've met plenty of people throughout my many long years, many of who had horrible backstories. Hell, even some of my hosts had similar horrible upbringings. But his story… it's near the top.]
'Yeah. Todoroki grew up in a completely different world than I did. While I was suffering due to a lack of a Quirk, he suffered because of his Quirk and the meaning behind it. It honestly makes me scared. How somebody could go through so much… just because they were born.'
But then, something Todoroki had said caught his attention. "Wait… daughter?"
His eyes hidden, Todoroki began to unzip his track shirt.
'What is he…' Izuku's thoughts were caught off by what he saw. Once Todoroki finished unzipping his track shirt there was, unmistakably, a sports bra, with two distinct bumps on the chest. Izuku was unable to say or think of anything for a few seconds, his mind trying to process what he was seeing. "Y-Yo-You-You're… a GIRL!?" He finally stuttered out.
[Heh. Saw that coming.]
'HUH!?'
Nodding, Todoroki zipped up her jacket again before she began to walk away. "Whether I'm a boy or girl ultimately doesn't matter. I also don't care if you can't tell me how you're connected to All Might. No matter what you are to All Might, I will rise above you with just my right side. I'm sorry for wasting your time, but I just had to get that point across… I'll see you in the finals. You better prepare yourself."
Gritting his teeth a little, Izuku walked out of the hallway into the outside. He went to catch up with him, before stopping a few feet behind Todoroki. "Hey wait!"
Todoroki stopped walking but didn't turn around to look at him.
"I can't imagine the pain you've gone through, and I can't imagine what you're feeling right now. But…" Izuku paused, looking at his left hand where the Booster Gear laid. "I'm here because I have people supporting me, who believed in me. All those that have helped me, I owe so much for them. I want to do that by becoming a hero like All Might."
He then took a deep breath and looked up at Todoroki, who turned his head to look at him. "You declared war on me early, and if you think a sad story is going to make me go easier on you, well sorry to disappoint you. I'm not backing down, and I'll never give up. So I'm declaring war right back at you! I will beat you, and I will win the Sports Festival!"
The half fire-half cold Quirk user stood there and stared at Izuku for a moment. S/he didn't say anything as they turned and walked away. Leaving Izuku were he stood alone.
[You don't just plan on beating her. You're planning to help her too, right?]
'Of course,' Izuku reaffirmed. 'Todoroki's past is horrible, but she can't let it consume her like that.'
[Well, whatever you're planning to do, I'll support you, partner.]
'Thanks,' Izuku smiled. 'Now, Ddraig, what do you mean you saw Todoroki being a girl coming?'
As Izuku headed for lunch, Bakugo peered around the corner and out of the shadows. His gaze is soft yet wary. He knows he heard a lot that he shouldn't have, yet it did give a bit of perspective on things. Things he will keep in mind as the tournament commences.
"Where's Midoriya?" Itsuka asked, walking alongside Momo and Kyoka, each holding a tray of food.
"According to Ibara and Takamaki, he's talking with Todoroki," Momo replied.
"How come?"
"I'm not sure."
"Yaoyorozu. Jiro. Kendo."
The three girls turn to face Kaminari, Mineta, and Tsuburaba. "Do you need something?" Itsuka asked.
"Well, I'm sure you already know this, since you're our Class Rep, Kendo," said Tsuburaba as he pointed over to the American cheerleaders as they gleefully ran across the cafeteria, "but they said all the girls had to wear those uniforms for the big cheer battle this afternoon."
"Huh!?" Kyoka exclaimed with a shudder.
"That's odd. This is the first I'm hearing about it," Momo said.
"Same here," Itsuka added. "Are you sure there's going to be a cheer battle?"
"You don't have to believe us," Kaminari said casually while Mineta turned his back to the girls to hide the grin on his face.
"We just heard this from Aizawa-sensei and Vlad King. We thought maybe you'd forgotten, so we figured we remind you, just in case," the little pervert said.
Outside, the hero course students who already ate were enjoying the stalls set up outside the stadium.
"Look at all this! This is so cool!" Pony happily looked around.
"Is this the first time you've ever seen a Japanese festival, Pony?" Milia asked.
"Uh-huh!" Pony nodded. "Back in America, the closest thing I could think of would be carnivals. They had rides, though. And games."
"I think an obstacle course and a calvary battle are good enough," Milia chuckled. "I know you're excited to see all this, but I think we should be heading back soon.
"We still have about 40 minutes left. I really want to see some…" Pony stopped, her eyes widening.
"Pony?" Milia looked over to where Pony was staring at.
An American man, in his mid to early fifties, was talking with Snipe and Ectoplasm. He wore a suit, had short brown hair, and green eyes.
Smiling widely, Pony ran up to him. "W-Wait, Pony!" Milia cried out as she ran after her.
"I have to admit, you have some promising students this year," the man said to the two hero teachers. "It's little wonder they took down those villains."
"Yeah, well, it's still a little early to say that they're ready," Snipe pointed out.
"Is there anything else we can help you with, Agent Coulson?" Ectoplasm asked.
"Not really. But I am planning to visit my niece," Coulson replied. "Do you know where she-"
"Uncle Phil!" Pony suddenly called out happily as she hung on her uncle's outstretched arm. "Hi. It's so good to see you! Did you miss me? Did you miss me!?"
"Nope," Coulson replied as they shared a grin before he patted her head.
"Tsunotori is your niece?" Snipe asked.
"This is your uncle, Pony?" Milia asked as she and the others went up to them.
"Yep!" Pony replied as she let go. "This is my Uncle Phil. Uncle Phil, this is my friend Milia."
"Hi," he greeted. "Phil Coulson, agent of UNIT."
Izuku had arrived in the dining hall not long after his talk with Todoroki.
"There you are! What took you so long?" Ochako called from a table, sitting alongside their classmates as well as the ORC.
"Sorry, I… got caught up with something," Izuku replied as he went to get some food.
"By, Uncle Phill! See you later!" Pony waved to her uncle as she and Milia sat near the table.
"Pony, who was that?" Setsuna asked.
"My uncle, Phil Coulson."
"Why's your uncle here?" Tetsutetsu asked.
"He said he was looking for future recruits for UNIT," Milia answered.
"UNIT? As in the Unified Intelligence Taskforce? That UNIT?" Liana asked.
Pony nodded.
"Isn't UNIT in charge of Tartarus prison?" Izuku asked.
"Along with a few other similar prisons across the globe," Liana confirmed. "Mother and father sometimes work with them."
"My brother has as well," Iida added, moving his arms in typical Iida fashion. "Your uncle is a UNIT agent, Tsunotori-kun?"
"Yep!" Pony nodded. "He's the coolest uncle ever!"
"Liana! There you are!" Suddenly, a girl older than them jumped Liana and hugged her. She had short, orange hair done in a bob cut, pale skin, violet eyes, and a modest bust. "Good job so far, sis! I'm sure dad's rooting for you!"
"Cynthia, please! Not in front of my classmates," Liana begged, her face flushed due to embarrassment.
"Who is this?" Rias asked.
Before Liana could reply, the girl answered. "Hi! I'm Liana's older sister, Cynthia Fenette from the Hero Course, Class 2-B."
"Hold on, you two are sisters?" Mina asked.
"Half-sisters, actually," Liana explained.
"Yep! Same dad, different moms," Cynthia replied. "I would've visited you guys earlier, but I've been a bit busy. Though, I am a little disappointed my baby sister didn't mention me."
"C-Cynthia!" Liana stammered. "T-There was never any need to mention you before!"
"Oh, I'm sure."
Before anything else was said. "Oh good, you're all here," Momo, Kyoka, and Itsuka had rushed over to their table, the three looking a bit worried.
"Momo? Is something wrong?" Rias asked her Queen.
"Oh, it's nothing, just something involving the hero course girls is all," Momo said.
"If you finished eating, come with us," Itsuka instructed.
"Huh?" Ochako swallowed down what she had in her mouth before continuing. "What…?"
"Just come on!" Kyoka stammered. Somewhat reluctantly, the girls of 1-A and 1-B all got up and began to follow.
"What was that about?" Kirishima asked.
"Don't know," Tetsutetsu shrugged.
"Guess I better get going then. Good luck, Lia!" Cynthia gave her sister one last hug before leaving, to Liana's embarrassment as she followed them over to a small corner of the cafeteria.
"So why the sudden meeting?" Setsuna asked.
"Yeah. What's going on?" Asked Ochako. "Is everything okay?" There was a moment as nerves began to wash over Momo and Itsuka.
"Did you guys know about the cheer competition this afternoon?" Itsuka asked, not really meeting any of her classmates' gazes. The rest of the girls exchanged looks with each other.
"The what?" Liana deadpanned.
"Cheer competition?" Ibara repeated.
Momo groaned, more upset over their confusion if anything. "Kaminari, Tsuburaba, and Mineta came up to us and reminded us about it," Kyoka explained, putting a hand on Yaoyorozu's shoulder. "Apparently it's some competition before the finals that all the girls have to take part in."
"I've never heard of it before," said Tsubasa.
"Me either," said Komori.
"Are we really going to trust that little perv?" Mina asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"He doesn't have a good track record," Tsuyu added, with most of 1-A's girls nodding in agreement.
"Normally no, but they also said that this came straight from Aizawa-sensei and Vlad-sensei," Kyoka continued.
"What exactly are we supposed to be doing for this cheer battle?" Reiko asked.
"Apparently dress up as cheerleaders," Momo answered.
"WHAT!?" Liana exclaimed. "If you think you'll get me into a cheerleading outfit, then-"
"Oh come on, Liana! It might be fun!" Mina smiled.
"Yeah!" Hagakure (probably) nodded.
"I mean, if this did come from the teachers, then I guess I'll go along with it," Milia muttered.
Momo perked back up easily, eyes blazing like the deputy representative she was. "I can take care of the uniforms," she said. "I just need your measurements and we'll be fine."
"W-Wait, guys!" A blushing Liana stuttered. "Shouldn't we talk to the teachers about this fir- No wait!" Liana's protests fell on deaf ears as Mina and Setsuna dragged her along.
And with that, the hero course girls scurried out of the cafeteria, moving quickly to put together what they needed before the festival started back up.
The one-hour intermission is over and the Sports Festival resumes. ["Get those hands in the air! It's almost time for the final round! But before that, good news for everyone that didn't make the finals. Since this is the Sports Festival, we prepare for some super fun side games everyone can participate in!"] Present Mic announced. ["And… we have also brought real cheerleaders from America to liven things up!"]
Before Present Mic could continue, though, silence started to spread across the stadium as they all noticed…
["Huh?"] Present Mic mumbled, unable to believe his eyes.
["What are those girls doing?"] Aizawa asked, having just come out of his sleeping bag.
Izuku, wondering what had thrown Aizawa in a loop, looked to where the girls were. The boy was caught off guard by what he saw, blushing in reflex. 'WHAT ARE THEY WEARING?!' He mentally screamed, turning away, his face a deep crimson.
The Class 1-A girls wore a two-piece cheerleading outfit consisting of orange, green, and white colors. They also have yellow pompoms and the words U.A. on their chest. The girl's reactions were a mix of being dumbfounded and embarrassed.
["Looks like Class 1-A are going full-on fanservice!"] Present Mic yelled.
"That must be so embarrassing for Aizawa," Vlad King chuckled.
"Uh, Vlad… Look," Snipe pointed towards the field.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Vlad yelled in comical shock.
The Class 1-B girls were also the same cheerleading outfits and the same look that the Class 1-A girls have.
["Even Class 1-B is getting in the on the fanservice!"] Present Mic yelled. ["What's up with that?"]
"Them too?" Izuku asked in shock.
Nearby Kaminari, Mineta, and Tsuburaba gave each other thumbs up, perverted grins on their faces. Hyde and Monoma wisely decided to step far away from those three.
It didn't take long for the girls to figure out what happened. "KAMINARI! MINETA! YOU TRICKED US, DIDN'T YOU?!" Momo yelled furiously, as the veins on her forehead turned purple.
"YOU TOO, TSUBURABA!?" Itsuka yelled, just as angry as Momo. "JUST WAIT UNTIL THIS FESTIVAL'S OVER!"
Momo dropped down to her knees. "I can't believe I ended up falling for that little pervert's stupid scheme," she bemoaned as Ochako tried to confront her. "I even used my Quirk to make these outfits…"
"I am going to kill them!" Liana growled as she tore her pompoms apart.
"Agh! I hate those idiots!" Kyoka yelled, throwing her pompoms on the ground. "I should've known better than to listen to them!"
"I'm so embarrassed right now!" Komori squeaked, hiding behind Reiko.
"Oh c'mon, it's not that bad," Pony said, clearly the least embarrassed of the girls.
"I mean… I guess it could've been worse," Tsubasa muttered.
"Yeah. And there is still a little time left before the last event begins, and it would be a pain if things got tense. So, let's do it anyway!" Hagakure exclaimed in excitement, clearly getting into the moment and the uniform.
"What?!" Liana, Kyoka, and Komori asked, stupefied.
"She's not serious, is she?" A mortified Milia asked.
"I believe she is," Ibara muttered.
"You really like this, huh Toru?" Tsuyu asked, knowing the answer.
"Hey, it's not like most of us have anything else to do," Setsuna intervened with a grin. "Plus, we can still show off with this!"
"Yeah!" Mina excitedly raised one of her pompoms in the air. "C'mon girls, lemme hear those cheers!"
"Yay," Yui said, minimally shaking her pompoms, her expression unchanging. She then notices Izuku walking away, trying to hide his face. "There's Midoriya."
"Midoriya! Over here!" Setsuna yelled trying to get the boy's attention.
Izuku tried to ignore her when a tongue wrapped around his body. "What the- Wah!"
Tsuyu pulled him over, using her tongue, to the girls' surprise.
Setsuna, upon seeing this, pouted in jealousy. "Seriously? That frog girl from his class is dragging him towards them! I won't let it stand! Let's go!" She said, dragging Itsuka and Ibara towards the group. Yui decided to follow.
"C'mon, Milly! You can't let them overshadow your lead on your Izzy!" Pony began to drag Milia over.
"W-Wait, Pony!"
Tsuyu released the devil boy once she dragged him over. Turning around, Izuku saw the frog girl smiling at him. "A-A-A-Tsu, what a surprise," he said nervously, trying and failing to not to ogle them.
"I know you're trying to focus on the finals coming up, but I wanted to ask: What do you think of the outfits we're wearing? Kero." She said.
"W-W-Well…" Izuku tried his best to say something when Setsuna, Itsuka, Ibara, Yui, Pony, and Milia arrived.
"Midoriya! Good thing we found you," the Reptilian Girl said, doing a pose with her hands on her hips. "I like to know what you think of our outfits?"
Izuku looked towards Itsuka, and then Momo, both having identical comically sad and embarrassed looks. "Uh, are they okay?" He asked.
"They're just embarrassed because they were tricked into wearing these. I kind of like it. Makes me super hot," Setsuna said as Mina joined in.
"Yeah, Midori. She's right. We do look pretty hot in these outfits, huh?" Mina smiled.
Izuku looked around, trying to find a way out before he decided to just say something. "W-W-Well, y-y-yo-you all d-do look… r-real pr-pretty."
All of the girls near him blushed before smiling. Yui still had a blank expression but she did blush a little while Tsuyu ribbited happily. Hagakure's expression was unknown, but she did fidget slightly.
Kyoka blinked in surprise before blushing madly. "…Even me?" She squeaked.
"Y-Yeah, of c-course," Izuku reaffirmed, causing the rocking girl to blush even harder. But she did release a small smile.
Nearby Kaminari, Mineta, and Tsuburaba looked to be on the verge of tears, jealously overwhelming them. "That rat bastard!" The three cursed.
[Remember when I said you'll likely have a harem by the years end?] Ddraig chuckled. [I take it back. You already have a harem.]
That caused Izuku's already blushing face to practically start glowing red.
Up in the stands, Yuuto made an audible gulp, glancing nervously at Rias and Ravel, hoping he won't see anyone turn to ash soon. While Ravel did look ready to burn the girls, and maybe Izuku, to a crisp, Rias was… taking notes?
"Huh?" Yuuto glanced over Rias' shoulder to see what she was writing.
"I need to buy a cheerleading outfit," Rias muttered as she wrote, writing that down below 'pole dancing' and 'belly dancing'. "It'll be a good outfit for the pole dancing classes Inko suggested. Due to how many girls Izuku is attracting now this will help me a lot. Still, I need to find more appropriate outfits. Maybe Inko will have a suggestion on where to get some."
Yuuto blinked at what Rias was doing. It reminded him of Izuku whenever he started writing something in his notebooks. "Buchou, are you… writing notes like Izuku?" He asked.
Snapping out of it with a yelp, Rias blinked before she looked over the notebook she had in hand. A pink Campos brand notebook titled. "Evidently… I am…" she muttered, blushing in embarrassment. This earned a chuckle from everyone around her.
"Cheerleading outfits, huh?" Kudelia smiled mischievously. "I'll have to keep that in mind."
Present Mic coughed for a second before he began his announcement, ["Alright, let's see what the third and final event will be listeners!"]
Up above the giant screens around the arena began to spin.
"Aw, yeah!" Kirishima grinned, his eyes shaking in excitement. "Finally gettin' the chance to show what we're made of. I watch these finals every year, and now I'm actually in them!"
"The last event is always some kind of tournament, right?" Hyde asked.
"Yeah, man," Sero nodded. "The final's always a one-on-one competition, but they switch it up every time."
Slowly the spinning list of events slowed down, before snapping to a stop and landing on the third and final event.
Combat Tournament
"Now that the event has been decided, let's prepare to draw lots to determine the bracket!" Midnight said, bringing in a yellow box labeled 'Tournament Lots'. "Once the bracket is determined, we'll have the recreational games and then start! The sixteen finalists can choose whether or not they want to participate in the recreation, because I am sure some of you will want to rest or save your strength. Now, Team Takamaki, please come up first. It will be followed by Team Kozuki, then Team Todoroki, and finally Team Bakugo."
"Uh, l-ladies first," Izuku offered, as he gestured them to pick their numbers before him.
"How sweet of you," Milia said with a smile.
"Thank you, Izuku-san," Ibara said.
"I hope I get to test more of my babies on you," Hatsume chuckled.
The girls walked up to the yellow box and picked a ball.
"I got number 2," Milia said.
"I drew number 5," Ibara showed.
"My babies and me got number 11!" Mei exclaimed.
Izuku then walked up to the yellow box and stuck his hand in it. Shuffling the balls for a couple of seconds, he grabbed one of them randomly and pulled it out of the box. Looking at it, he raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I got number 4!? I guess that means I won't have to wait too long to fight," Izuku said, smiling as he gave the ball back to Midnight, who recorded the draw.
"The rest of you, come up and draw your numbers!" Midnight said, and the remaining competitors came up to pick their position.
"I drew number 1. So I'll be fighting first," Liana said, making Milia gulp.
"Damnit! I wanted number 1!" Bakugo yelled in anger because he wanted to be in the first match.
"I got 8?" Ochaco asked in surprise.
"I have number 3," Shinso said, looking at Izuku.
"16 for me," said Itsuka. "Looks like I'll be in the last match."
"10," Todoroki said in a monotone.
"I drew 14," said Momo.
"I got 6," Kyoka said, looking at Ibara.
"Number 13. So I'll be in the seventh match," Iida said, glancing at Momo.
"Dammit, I got fucking number 12! You are damn lucky this time, Deku!" Bakugo yelled.
"Number 15 for me!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"I'm number 9!" Mina said, smirking at Todoroki.
"Kero. That leaves me with 7," Tsuyu said.
["Alright the numbers have been drawn! Let's see who will be facing off against who! First up, will be-"]
["It's a waste of time if you announce them all and completely illogical. Just look at the jumbotron to see the matchups,"] Aizawa interrupted, not wanting to deal with this.
["Fine, but I get to do commentaries and intros,"] Present Mic pouted as the jumbotron displayed the brackets.
Round 1: Liana Kozuki vs. Milia Takamaki
Round 2: Shinso Hitoshi vs. Midoriya Izuku
Round 3: Shiozaki Ibara vs. Jiro Kyoka
Round 4: Asui Tsuyu vs. Uraraka Ochako
Round 5: Ashido Mina vs. Todoroki Shoto
Round 6: Hatsume Mei vs. Bakugo Katsuki
Round 7: Iida Tenya vs. Yaoyorozu Momo
Round 8: Kirishima Eijiro vs. Kendo Itsuka
"Hatsume? Who the hell is that?" Bakugo asked, unaware that the support course girl was behind him, plotting something devious.
While the rest of the students began to size up their opponents, Izuku let his eyes wander from his name on the bracket, to where Bakugo's name was. Assuming they both win all their fights, they would be facing each other in the finals. Bakugo seemed to notice this as well since he was smiling dangerously at the green-haired devil before he glared at Todoroki. He'd need to take her down before taking down Deku.
"Now that we have our bracket determined, it's time for the recreational games," Midnight said with a smile that wasn't predatory. "This is still a school sports festival. You all should have the chance to have some fun, too. So have some fun. The tournament will begin afterwards!"
And so the recreational games began, starting with a scavenger hunt. Most of the finalists cleared out of the stadium so their fellow hero course students could have some fun, but a couple did end up joining in. Many of the students ran about the playing field until they find a card on the ground, grab it, and turn it over reading what item they have to seek out.
Hyde, though, wasn't interested in playing and was instead heading for the nearest exit. "Hey, Kido?" Turning, he saw that Celica, in her cheerleading outfit, was running up to him, the sight of which caused him to reflexively blush.
"Uh, y-yeah?" He stuttered.
"Can I borrow your sword real quick?" She asked, showing him her card which read 'katana'.
"Sorry, but no," Hyde replied. "Have you tried asking Yaoyorozu?"
"I'll try that. By the way, what are you looking for?"
"Nothing. I'm not playing."
Celica blinked. "You're not going to compete in the recreational games, Kido?" She asked him.
"Not really. I'm planning on checking out the stands outside the stadium. Besides, I don't want to risk ending up like Monoma," he pointed to said long, who was currently in the enlarged hands of Itsuka, who's apparently using him for whatever it was she needed to collect.
Celica giggled a little. "Well, okay. See you later!" She waved before running off.
Hyde was about to leave when he saw the impromptu cheering performance some of the girls were doing. Blushing madly at the sight, Hyde quickly ran into the stadium's corridors.
Up on the roof, Black Knight chuckled in amusement. "You may be the future defenders of the world, but you're still children. It's best to play the part now," underneath his helmet Black Knight smiled before his voice took on a more somber tone. "You kids should enjoy it while you can."
A light ping reads out, Black Knight's suit picking up a faint energy signature. One he recognized right away. "It can't be…" his voice was filled with dread. Wherever this energy was, it was in the stadium.
"Record the tournament matches as soon as they start," he instructed the droid. "I must investigate this anomaly right away."
Hyde happily snacked on the takoyaki he bought. Lunch Rush's food was incredible, but something about festival food was just so appealing. He just wished his friends back home in Kanzakai could be here to enjoy it with him. As he reminisced, Hyde failed to see where he was going.
"Wha-!?" Hyde yelped as he tripped on something and began to fall. He closed his eyes, waiting for a painful experience with gravity. But it ever came. "Huh?" Hyde felt that something was wrapping itself around his chest.
"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" A feminine voice asked as Hyde felt his body lift up. Opening his eyes, he saw that a white scaly tail tinged light-red. Following the tail to its source, Hyde was gobsmacked by what he saw. It was a girl around his age, maybe a little bit older, with pale skin, pink-red eyes, and long silver hair reaching her hips.
She wore a mostly white dress shirt with blue horizontal stripes and a dark red skit. She also had dark mesh covering her face and arms. But what really struck out was the long, serpentine body descending from her waist. Once she straightened him out and made she he was standing straight, the snake girl retracted her tail.
"I'm fine," Hyde replied, having now realized he must've tripped over the snake girl's tail. "And I should be the one apologizing. I wasn't looking where I was going," he brushed himself off before looking over the snake girl. "You a hero student?"
"Kinda," she replied. "Yes, I am in the heroics program at my school, but I'm also studying medicine. Which reminds me, can you point me to where Recovery Girl is? I start my internship with her today."
"Sure, I can lead you to her temp office," Hyde replied. "Oh, I'm Kido Hyde, by the way. Just call me Hyde."
The albino snake-girl smiled. "I'm Rosalba Kouris."
"Kouris. Yeah, I think I can remember that."
"Okay. It's pretty much done." The Pro Hero Cementoss said as he was using his Quirk to construct a tournament fighting stage.
["Thank you, Cementoss! Are you ready, listeners?!"] Present Mic asked the crowd. They then proceeded to cheer loudly, showing their anticipation for the tournament to finally begin. The recreational games were finally over, and it was finally time to get to the real fun.
["A lot has happened, but now it has come to this! A serious battle! You can only depend on yourself! You have no teammates or comrades here. It is a classic one-on-one style tournament! Even if you are not a Hero, you will face lots of situations like that! You get that, right? Heart, skill, body, wisdom, and knowledge! Use all of that to rush up!"] Present Mic exclaimed as he was hyping up the crowd even more.
Meanwhile, the students of the Hero Course have their own seating balcony so that they can watch the upcoming fights and cheer their classmates on. But unfortunately for some of them, both classes of the Hero Course have to share the same seating area.
"Agh! This is so not fair! Why couldn't I be in the finals?" Tetsutetsu screamed into the air.
"Don't let it get to you, man. Just sit back and enjoy," Kirishima tried to consult his twin in all but blood.
"Easy for you to say!" Shouted Monoma, a dark smug grin plastered on his face. "But just watch as our dear Kendo, Takamaki, and Shiozaki destroy you and your pathetic classmates! Hahahaha!"
'He's such a prick,' the entirety of Class 1-A mentally deadpanned.
"Shut it, loser!" Except for Bakugo, who just roared at Monoma from his seat alone in the corner. "Or I'll kill you!"
"Oh, that's not heroic now is it?" Monoma turns to Bakugo with an insane look in his eye. "Maybe I should defeat you here and take your place in the tournament! Hahaha!"
While laughing his head off, Itsuka snuck up behind him, preceding to chop him in the neck. Monoma collapsed to the ground within a second. Even when knocked out cold, Monoma's still grinning like a madman.
"This is becoming a habit," Itsuka frowned as Bakugo began leaching his ass off.
"Nice to see you guys can keep your obnoxious nuisance in check," said Tsubasa.
Shishida nodded as he adjusted his glasses. "Yes, we can rely on our Class Representative to keep him in check."
"And laugh at the same time," Honenuki chuckled.
"Where's Kido-kun?" Celica asked.
"Haven't seen him since the scavenger hunt," Kaminari answered. "Maybe he's in the bathroom?"
Flames ignited in all four corners of the ring, singling the start of the first match.
["Alright listeners! The tournament that you all have been waiting for is finally starting! Match number one: The brilliant young girl who literally has a bone to pick with the competition! From Class 1-A, Hero Course, it's Liana Kozuki!"] Present Mic announced as Liana made her entrance
["Versus a pretty young girl who can pierce anything and one of my favorites to win! From Class 1-B, Hero Course, it's Milia Takamaki!"] Milia nervously walked into the ring.
"Catfight! Rip each other's clothes off!" Mineta roared.
Kyoka immediately incapacitated the mini-pervert with an Earphone Jack to the eye.
"Again, how did that guy get into the hero course?" Rin sweat-dropped.
"Honestly, we're not sure ourselves," Momo muttered.
["Okay, the rules are simple! They are classic tournament style! In order to win the match, you have to force your opponent out of bounds, immobilize them, or force them into submission! Bring on the injuries! I want this to be entertaining! Don't worry, we have our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby to patch any students up! Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment! But of course, anything life-threatening is strictly prohibited. Heroes should only use their fists to catch Villains,"] Present Mic explained.
"I will stop the fight if things go too far!" Cementoss said as he made a chair for him to sit on.
"Come on, Takamaki! Win for Class 1-B!" Tetsutetsu cheered.
"Go for it, Liana!" Ochako cheered.
Milia inhales deeply before exhaling, calming her nerves. "I'm not sure I can win, but I'll give it my best anyway!" She shouts.
["Ready!?"] Present Mic called out.
"I hoped you wouldn't," Liana responded.
["Begin!"]
Milia ran forward, her claws extending as she aimed her right hand at Liana. Bone covered the red head's left arm, quickly taking the form of a shield. It did little to block Milia's attack as her claws went right through the bone shield before cutting it in half, a couple of claws cutting Liana's cheek.
But Liana's right arm had formed into a clawed gauntlet, similar to what she used during the obstacle course. With a yell Liana delivered a swift punch to Milia's side, causing the blue-haired girl to gag in pain as she skids across the ring. Jamming her claws into the ground slowed her down enough to stop her from reaching the ring's edge.
["Oh! Whoever said women were fragile clearly never met these two! Takamaki manages to keep standing even after taking what looked like a really bad hit! Pleasemakeitthrough."] Present Mic said the last part quietly and quickly.
["Isn't the commentator supposed to be impartial?"] Aizawa asked.
Milia winced as she pressed a palm into her side where Liana had punched her. 'Okay, rushing in won't work.'
Liana placed her hand on the cheek that was cut, feeling blood trickle down. "Alright then…"
With little warning, Liana went on the attack. Covering the distance in a moment, reforming what's left of the shield into a blade.
Milia blocked the blade with her claws, but that left her wide-opened as Liana's bone gauntlet grabbed Milia's leg before tossing out of the ring.
"Takamaki has been thrown out of bounds! Kozuki moves on to the second round!" Midnight declared. The crowd cheered at seeing the match as Liana ran toward Milia's side.
Liana offered Milia a hand up. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Milia groaned. "I think… you only cracked two ribs."
"Sorry."
As Liana helped Milia up, Present Mic voices his thoughts. ["And there you have it, listeners. Kinda disappointed Takamaki lost, but at least Kozuki is helping her."]
As they walked, Milia's eyes wandered to Liana's arms, which were both shaking slightly. And, now that she got a good look, she noticed what looked to be scarring, faint and only visible up close. "Does… using your Quirk hurt, Kozuki?" Takamaki asked.
"…Every time."
"Way to go Kozuki!" Ochako greeted Liana as she and Milia arrived to the shared balcony. "That was great!"
"Thank's Uraraka," Liana replied. "I had to admit, Takamaki had me worried for a bit."
"You okay, Milia?" Itsuka asked.
"Yeah," Milia nodded. "Recovery Girl and her new intern patched me up right away, though I'll have to visit again when the festival's over."
"Recovery Girl has an intern?" Sero asked.
"Yeah. A hero student from Greece," as Liana tries to get to a seat, Iida intercepted her.
"Well done on your victory, Kozuki-kun!" Iida waved his arms robotically as usual.
"Yeah, you did pretty well out there," said Tsubasa.
Bakugo just scowls after hearing this. "Whatever, you just wait. I'll show you all what a real winner looks like!"
"Sore-loser's more like it," Sero deadpanned.
"What'd you say, Tape Arms?!"
"Does he even bother to remember your names?" Honenuki asked 1-A.
"Not at all."
"Nope."
"Not really."
"You think that's bad?" Milia scoffed. "Bakugo has never called Midoriya-kun by his real name even though they've known each other since preschool."
Bakugo turns his attention to the succubus. "Shut up! Of course I know shitty Deku's name!"
"Oh really?" Milia's voice is laced with sarcasm. "What is it?"
An irk mark forms on Bakugo's head as he turns away in annoyance. "It doesn't fucking matter! Shitty Deku is shitty Deku!"
'Unbelievable…' was the prevailing thought among both classes.
"Speaking of, where is Izu-kun?" Ochako asked.
"I believe he went to the waiting room once Kozuki-kun and Takamaki-kun's match ended," Iida answered. "His match against Shinso is next."
Present Mic's voice echoes through the arena. ["Okay all you cheering Sports Fans who's ready to get the match going?!"]
The audience explodes in response.
["After such a stellar first match, our handy Cementoss has already repaired the arena. So, let's keep the ball rolling!"]
"Correction. He'll be on the field soon."
"Oh…" Ochako nervously looked toward the ring. She hoped that Liana or Itsuka warned him about Shinso's Quirk.
"Aw man, did I miss the first match?" Hyde complained, having just arrived at the shared balcony.
"Where were you, Kido-kun!" Iida demanded.
"Relax, man. I was just helping Recovery Girl's new intern get to her temp office," Hyde answered.
"Oh, right. She did mention you," Liana noted.
"'She'?!" Mineta and Kaminari exclaimed.
"Is Recovery Girl's new intern cute?" Awase asked.
"More than cute, hot," Hyde nodded.
Mineta and Kaminari proceeded to harass Hyde.
Izuku gazes out into the sunlit arena from within the dark passageway, waiting for Present Mic to introduce him into the stadium. He was currently doing warmup stretches to help calm his nerves.
"Hey."
Izuku jolted in alarm but relaxed upon seeing that it's only All Might, in his skinny form, walking towards him with a grin on his face.
"Sorry for being late, but I want to check up on you and your progress with One for All."
Izuku sighed with a small smile. "I've been getting better. I can now use One for All without breaking my bones, but that's about it. And I've only used it once, during the obstacle course."
"That's still a lot better than how you started," All Might said, transforming into his buff form and giving him a thumbs up. "You've made it this far, young Midoriya. Now, go out there and stand proud! Don't forget that I've got high hopes for you!"
Izuku smiled confidently and bowed. "I promise I won't let you, Rias, or everyone else down! I am going to win this whole thing! Just you wait!"
"That's the spirit, kid! Now, go show them what you are made of!"
Izuku nodded and headed outside.
["On one side, we have the dragon who has finished in first place in the first two events! From Class 1-A, Hero Course, Midoriya Izuku!"] Present Mic announced, and as Izuku made his entrance the crowd started to cheer even louder: he had easily become a favorite for the entire stadium, and everyone was expecting even bigger things from him. Also, nearly all of his classmates were cheering on him from their box. ["He's up against the rather phlegmatic member of General Studies who managed to sneak his way into the finals, Shinso Hitoshi!"]
Shinso remains impassive to the cheers of the crowd, keeping his lackluster eyes forward.
Izuku took a deep breath once again to calm his nerves and got into his fighting stance.
"Hey. You're in that club with Kiba, right?" Shinso suddenly asked, gaining Izuku's attention. "He didn't want to take part in all this, saying he prefers if one of us was in the spotlight. While I appreciate the gesture, I can't help but feel he wasted an opportunity."
["Ready!?"] Present Mic called out.
"I feel like your club president had something to do with it. Gremory, right?"
["Begin!"]
"If she didn't let him join the tournament, then I guess she's just a stereotypical rich girl who doesn't care about anyone or anything but herself."
Izuku's eyes narrowed dangerously as he ran towards Shinso. "Don't you dare TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!"
Shinso grew a victorious smirk.
Izuku suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes white and blank.
"Checkmate. I win."
AN:
Yep, Todoroki's a girl here. Well, sorta. How many of you saw that coming? At least half I bet.
In all seriousness though, the Todoroki family situation is a bit of a sensitive topic, so I'll trend lightly involving it, especially given what's been revealed recently in the manga. It's part of the reason I cut out the chat between All Might and Endeavor.
And before you ask, the snake girl Hyde made friends with, Rosalba Kouris, is an OC based on Saphentite Neikes from Monster Girl Doctor. And she'll like Hyde, not Izuku.
Anyway we'll continue with the rest of the tournament next time. Until then stay safe and stay healthy. Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!