New chapter in coming. We've got even more fights. That's all I've really got to say, let's get on with the chapter.
Sports Festival Arc
Chapter 38: Stand up!
Kumoko walked up onto the arena. Across from her stood Setsuna, her opponent. Red eyes meet dark green ones. Setsuna smirked, her posture radiating confidence.
"Round three Set one, BEGIN!" Mic shouted.
As Setsuna separated her body, Kumoko created thread and spun it around her feet to firmly plant her on the ground. Various parts of Setsuna swarmed around him while her head hovered overhead. Kumoko sent out threads from both hands in a vain attempt to capture Setsuna's split body. The various pieces danced around Kumoko's threads as they tried to get a hold of them. Kumoko did her best to guard against and dodge whatever attacks came her way. However some managed to slip through. However Kumoko remained focused on her task.
From above Setsuna watched everything play out. She was focused on making sure her parts weren't going to get caught in one of her threads while also attacking. She has to be up to something but what. I thought this was just a distraction but I don't see her sending any thread towards me. I don't know how her thread control works, maybe it gets harder to control the more she has to focus on. The stalemate continued for a few minutes, when suddenly Setsuna felt something wrap around her head and yank her down.
"How did she sneak something up behind me?!" She shrieked.
She focused on keeping herself from being pulled down. Kumoko took advantage of her change in focus to quickly try and pin down all the body parts that had surrounded her. By the time Setsuna was able to stabilize her head, Kumoko had succeeded in her task.
"Tokage, are you able to get out of this." The faculty member questioned.
Setsuna tried with all her might, but Kumoko's threads held firm. She eventually stopped struggling and sighed.
"No…" She expressed.
Kumoko smirked.
"Setsuna has been immobilized, the winner is Kumoko." The faculty member announced.
"Yes…" Kumoko expressed with a fist pump.
She then proceeded to free Setsuna from her silk prison. She spun the silk into another ball in her hands like before.
"Thanks," The green-haired girl expressed. "Clever thinking in the fight by the way. Out of curiosity how did you get that thread to me without me noticing?
"Thanks and it's a lot harder than you think." Kumoko replied. "First off, controlling any more than one strand from my hands can be difficult. Thankfully I didn't have to do too many complex movements to do. Sneaking up on you was easy though. I had changed the color of my threads to match the concrete so I could sneak it along the ground until it was outside of your field of view before sending it up behind you to capture your head."
"Damn girl, don't know who you didn't get in the hero course, but I sure hope you do with your skills." Setsuna expressed as her body began to reform.
"Thank you." Kumoko expressed with a smile as she finished cleaning up the last of the threads.
Once they were all cleaned up, she guided some into her mouth and began munching on it.
Round Three, Bracket Two, Set Two…
Ren stood ready to face his appointment, Manga Fukidashi. He was a boy with a speech bubble for a head. How does that work… with anything? Ren mentally questioned.
"Round three Set one, BEGIN!" Mic shouted.
"Time for a BOOM!" Manga shouted.
The 'BOOM' violently manifested in the world as extremely large Japanese Kanji. It, along with a shockwave, came flying towards Ren. He dodged the word to his right, but the shockwave nearly sent him flying out of the arena. He took in a breath, and vanished from the world. The undetectable thing. He's probably looking to relocate while I have no idea where he is. Well I'll just sweep him off his feet.
"BA-BOOM!" He shouted. "KA-BOOM uh… BA-DA-BOOM! SLA-BANG!"
The words race forward along with the effect they represented. Two to the left of the first word and two to the right. However there was no sign of Ren.
"He didn't get knocked off, so where is he?" He questioned.
Unbeknownst to him, Ren had used the 'BOOM' word that had manifested to hide while Manga threw out more attacks. While he was currently visible, Manga was unable to see him in his hiding spot. I got lucky these word constructions are as strong as they are. Now to finish this. He took in a breath and vanished again. He quickly snuck up behind Manga.
"Right behind you." Ren calm stated.
Before Manga could react, he was already knocked out by Ren.
"Manga Fukidashi is down, Lie Ren is the winner!" The faculty member announced after ten seconds.
Ren breathed out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile…
Nora and Karen stood across from one another. Both girls were ready to go at a moment's notice.
"Round three Set one, BEGIN!" Mic shouted.
The two girls charged at one another. Karen nearly tripped and fell mid run, but caught herself in time to stop her fall. The two girls met. Karen was the first one to attack. She threw a sloppy punch. Nora dodged it easily and countered with two low powered jabs to her stomach. Karen shrugged it off and tried to punch at Nora again. Dodging it easily, Nora sent her fist forward.
"A tough one eh, well let's see how you handle THIS!" She declared.
She finished her sentence as the full powered punch nailed the girl in the stomach. Karen gasped in pain. She stumbled back a bit and fell on her butt. She quickly got up right as Nora nailed a punch on her face. Her head whipped back as blood ran from her nose. Karen fought through the pain. She grabbed hold of Nora's still extended arm. She slammed her fist into Nora's head
"Try dodging now!" She cried as she swung her fist at Nora again.
Said girl ducked under it and landed several more body shots on Karen. Karen let go of Nora's arm. Nora immediately unleashed punch after punch upon the helpless girl. She eventually grabbed Karen by her head and kneed her hard. Said girl fell onto her back. Pain racked her whole body. She wiped away some blood as she fought through the pain to get back on her feet. Before she could do anything, Nora nailed a punch right in her face. Karen was knocked to the floor again. Get up… She got up only to be punched back down. Get up... She tried to stand up but was punched down again. Get up… Her body won't move. DAMMIT KAREN GET UP!
Nine years ago…
A six year old Karen ran forward to try and catch up with some kids. It was a normal school day for her with nothing out of the ordinary. Because this was the case, she ended up tripping and falling again.
"Ha ha… clumsy Karen fell down again." Some boy mocked.
"How can anyone be so clumsy, it's not even like it's a part of her quirk." A girl noted.
These types of comments had become normal for Karen. But the pain they caused never seemed to go away. It's not my fault I'm clumsy. Why can't they see that? The rest of the day continued as normal for Karen. Eventually her father came and picked her up from school. As the father daughter pair walked together, Karen tripped and nearly fell. However, her father caught her in time.
"Close one there Karen you almost had another fall." Her father gently spoke.
These words struck hard on Karen today. It was the result of about two years of being mocked for her clumsiness. She began to cry. They stopped walking
"Huh… Karen, sweetie, what's wrong?" Her father questioned in concern.
"Why?" She questioned.
"Why what?" Her father asked.
"Why am I so clumsy?!" She cried. "Everybody makes fun of my just cause I trip and fall a lot. Why can't I walk straight? Why why whywhywhywhyWHY?!"
She continued to cry as her father did the best to calm her down. He brought her into a hug and rubbed her back in a comforting manner.
"There there… just cry it out." Her father expressed.
After several minutes, her crying finally subsided.
"Better?" Her father asked.
"Mhm…" She replied.
Her father pulled away but keeped his hands on her shoulders. He wiped away some of her tears.
"You know… there's nothing wrong with tripping and falling." Her father stated.
"Huh?" She questioned in confusion.
"It sounds weird I know, but everyone falls, you know. Some more than others, but it's not about how many times you fall. It's about how many times you get up." Her father explained.
Karen could only stare at her father.
"Remember Karen, as long as you keep getting up, it doesn't matter how many times you fall. And even if you keep falling, as long as you take at least one more step than before, you'll eventually run without ever falling." Her father declared. "So no matter what anyone says or does to you, get up and don't give up."
Present…
Karen pushed herself off the ground and on to her feet.
"I'm not done yet!" She shouted.
"Alright then… bring it girl!" Nora declared.
Nora threw a punch which nailed Karen right in her gut. Whenever I get up… She battled through the pain and grabbed hold over her arm. Take one more step forward! She then quickly retaliated and punched Nora in the gut. Nora gasped in pain.
"You may be a lot stronger than me, I'm tougher than you!" She shouted.
She punched Nora in the face. Nora punched her in the stomach. Karen slammed her fist into Nora's side. Nora delivered a powerful uppercut. Karen released her grip on Nora and fell down again. She caught herself and quickly popped back up. She swung her fist and slammed it into Nora's face. Karen quickly grabbed Nora's head and slammed her own into it. Blood poured down Nora's face from the new wound on her head. Nora grabbed Karen by her shoulders and kneed her in the stomach. Both released each other and backed away. Nora held her head while Karen clutched her stomach. Both smiled at one another. All the other matches had finished, they were the only ones still fighting.
"Alright… here… I… COME!" Nora shouted.
She charged Karen. Nora threw a faint from her right, tricking Karen, before nailing her with a left hook to her side. She landed three more punches before Karen could retaliate with a punch to Nora's stomach. Nora swung her fist into Karen's face. She retaliated by slamming her fist into Nora's side. Nora nailed her in the face with a punch. Karen fell down, but quickly got up again. Nora nailed her with two more harsh punches. Karen held firm and retaliated with another punch to the gut. Nora swung her fist into Karen's face while she delivered an uppercut to Nora's jaw. Nora nearly fell back, but slammed her foot down, and swung her fist towards Karen. Karen planted her foot down and swung her fist towards Nora. They connected at the same time, rocking one another's jaws. They both fell to the floor. No move for a few moments that seemed to last forever. Suddenly Karen began to stir. She fought through the pain and slowly rose to her feet. She breathed heavy. Several seconds of silence passed.
"The winner is Karen Mitsudo!" The faculty member announced.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
"YEEESSSSSSSS!" Karen cried out before falling on her back from exhaustion.
"What an incredible way to bring the third round to a close!" Mic shouted. "Karen Mitsudo pulls off an upset win over Nora Valkyrie through sheer grit and determination."
"Now she's definitely on the list to be put in the Hero Transfer Course." Qrow noted.
"I bet she'll be happy about that." Mic noted. "But like I said before that brings round three to a close. Before we go to a quick break, let's look at how things will be set up for the next round."
Kumoko vs. Fumikage Tokoyami
Mina Ashido vs. Hanta Sero
Karen Mitsudo vs. Lie Ren
Eijiro Kirishima vs. Katsuki Bakugo
"And thus, the mighty team RNJR is down to only two." Ruby lamented.
"Meanwhile, team MOKI is still going strong." Ochako cheered.
"To be fair we've yet to actually fight in the tournament." Itsuka pointed out.
"Oh details, details." Ochako replied.
"This is but a set back a step back before we leap forward to greatness." Jaune exclaimed.
"Hell yeah!" Ruby cheared.
"What are you guys even doing?" Kyoka questioned.
"Who cares, it seems fun." Toru replied.
"I believe we should be focusing on more important matters." Tenya stated. "I hate to denigrate our classmates, but speaking honestly, if Tokoyami fails to defeat Kumoko then it is extremely likely she'll be the one moving on to the finals."
"Yeah… what about it?" Ochako question.
"It means she's someone we now need to look out for." Tenya explained.
"I mean, yeah… what's your point." Ochako replied.
"I think what Iida means is that she's a variable we hadn't had to account for until now. Another unknown for us." Izuku pointed out. "One we'd have to seriously worry about if we were to face her."
"True, you almost always have to come prepared with a game plan in order to take on a good opponent. Good prep work can make or break any fight." Itsuka added. "Though to be fair we can't really do much without having a good idea how the bracket will be set up."
"True… buuuuut… that doesn't mean we can't do something of a class exercise between each other for those who want to." Momo brought up. "I personally create a list from least to most troublesome opponents so I can better prepare for upcoming fights."
"So a tier list." Ruby stated.
"Tier list?" Momo questioned.
"Yeah, you haven't heard of them?" Ruby asked.
Momo shook her head no.
"There for ranking… well… anything really." Ruby explained. "Top heroes of all time, best place to eat, best character in a TV show. It's basically what you described just applied to quite literally anything."
"Oh I see… then yes, I suggest we make these tier lists." Momo stated. "If you all are willing that is?"
"Sounds fun buuuut… it'd be kind of weird to start ranking one another." Denki pointed out.
"Maybe do something like ranking those not in our class." Kyoka suggested.
"But it's not like we know that much about them." Itsuka pointed out. "We know the top scorer on the entrance exam is in 1-B."
"And don't you forget it!" Neito shouted as he popped over the wall between the two classes. "We got the great, the powerful, the OH GOD!"
He was dragged down by three different sets of arms.
"Hey I was…" He began to say.
There was the sound of someone getting hit. A few seconds later Amai appeared over the wall.
"Sorry about him." She stated before ducking back down.
They all remained silent for a bit.
"As I was saying… There's Hatsume who has her inventions and Flash with his smart portal use. We don't really know much about the other three." Itsuka pointed out.
"Can't make much of a tier list when we don't know what we're dealing with." Ruby noted.
"If that's the case why don't we place bets on who'll move on to the final event." Kyoka suggested.
"Jiro as hero students we should not be participating in gambling!" Tenya chastised.
"5,000 yen on Kumoko and Shun." Ruby stated.
"RUBY!" Tenya shouted.
"Iida's right we really shouldn't…" Tsuyu began.
"6,000 on Kumoko and Karen. I think the Gen-ed sisters are gonna go far." Itsuka stated.
"KENDO!" Tenya and Tsuyu shouted.
"I'm hopping on board with this as well. Two grand on Tokoyami and Bakugo." Denki chimed in.
"Objectively speaking Kumoko's threads could very pose a problem for even something like darkshadowsoTokoyamiwillhavetocomeupwithsomething…" Izuku went off into incomprehensible mumbles.
Ochako smacked the back of his head.
"3,000 on Kumoko and Kacchan." Izuku blurted out.
"That's also my bet but with only 500, I don't have much money to spare." Ochako added.
"I believe Tokoyami will win as well as Bakugo." Momo stated. "I'll stick to a small 200,000 yen for my wager."
Ochako passed out from shock.
"Not you guys too!" Tenya exclaimed. "And 200,000 isn't small."
"Oh… uhm… it is for me?" Momo innocently stated.
Everyone could only stare at the rich girl.
"3k on Ren and Tokoyami!" Nora declared.
"When did you get here?!" Tenya exclaimed.
"I give up… 1,000 on Bakugo and Tokoyami." Tsuyu relented.
"Oh come on!" Tenya exclaimed.
"I'm not participating in this." Jaune stated.
"Thank goodness." Tenya breathed out in relief.
"Oh don't get the wrong idea but I just don't have money to spare for a bet." Jaune replied.
"Drat." Tenya exclaimed.
"I'll place 1,000 down on Kumoko and Ms. Usagiyama." Shoji stated.
"I'll show some love to Mina and Kirishima and bet 2,000 yen on them." Toru stated.
"That's… not the brightest move." Kyoka pointed out. "Anyways my bet is 2k on Bakugo and Kumoko. Anyone else"
"I'm betting 2,000 on Ashido and Usagiyama, the beauties are going to win it." Minoru stated.
"Are you implying that Kumoko is ugly?" Mezo questioned with a hint of cold intimidating aggression.
"HUH?! N-n-no, it's just… just… wait a minute… do… do you have a crush on Kumoko?" Minoru questioned.
There was a brief moment of silence.
"Alright everybody!" Mic shouted.
"And the time for betting has closed, meaning no take backs and no hopping in." Kyoka declared.
"Here we go again!" He shouted.
The students made their way into their respective arenas.
"Round Four Set One, BEGIN!" Mic shouted.
Ruby: Can't wait for that sweet pay out.
Izuku: Of course.
Ruby: *Looks at Izuku with suspicion* You know something.
Izuku: No idea what you're talking about.
Ruby: Izuku... the author told who was going to win didn't he?
Izuku: *Smiled wryly*
Ruby: Izuku...
Izuku: Anyways next chapter we jump to see how Blake's doing in her story.
Ruby: Izuku answer me.
Izuku: Nothing to major happens but it should still be fun to read.
Ruby: IZUKU!
Izuku: Next time, Blake's Story Chapter 3: Resolve.
Ruby: IZUKU! ANSWER MY QUESTION!
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