Coco: Hey, guys, welcome to another chapter! This one was running a little short, but before posting I added a little something special. A guest appearance from Giichi! I didn't want you guys forgetting about him, and it's a set up for later chapters where we'll more about Ayano's biological family. I wonder when we'll have out family reunion, huh? ;)
Anyway, I have decided that when I do move Konan out of Class 1-A that her spot will be replaced. I figured Class 1-B shouldn't have the only foreign exchange students, so I'll be adding one of my own. However, he or she won't be appearing until after the training camp arc. In fact, they'll probably be introduced after the students are moved back into dorms.
And I thought it'd be a little fun to let you guys help me decide where they come from. What beautiful country did they leave to come to Japan? You can of course, give your own home country up for suggestion or maybe a country you like. Like maybe one you've visited or always thought of visiting. Or just one that's really caught your eye. So make sure to leave your suggestions in the reviews or hit me up in the private messenger!
You can take it even a step further by helping me design the character. I have a few ideas for what kind of character I'm looking for, but I'll also take any suggestions concerning what kind of student you think would be good for Class 1-A. I also have a few quirk ideas, but I am totally cool with listening to any ideas you might have. I look forward to hearing from you guys.
"The 8th and final battle of the first round of final matches," Present Mic announced. "He was kind of a hot shot in middle school and just look at that determined face. From the hero course, Bakugo Katsuki vs—the one I'm personally cheering for—Uraraka Ochaco!"
The crowd cheered for the contestants as Ochaco took a breath to calm her nerves.
"Let the 8th match begin!" Present Mic declared.
Without hesitation, Ochaco shot forward while keeping low to the ground. Her eyes shined with determination as she charged forward. She might have been nervous to face Katsuki before, but it seemed as if she put away those nerves to focus on her battle. As Ochaco got closer, Katsuki readied his right hand.
"Here comes his famous opening move," Ayano said.
He drew his arm completely back and Ochaco seemed as if she expected as much. Of course, she was Izuku's partner in their first fundamental hero class, so it'd make sense if she caught on to some of Katsuki's fighting style from Izuku. Ochaco readied herself as well as she looked as if she was going to dodge. However, she wasn't fast enough as Katsuki shot his arm forward with an explosion for her.
Ochaco and pieces of the ring were sent flying backwards and Ayano frowned. She knew Katsuki wouldn't hold back. Ochaco was in for a rough match, but if she could just get close enough to touch Katsuki, she'd be fine. She could win.
"He blasted her." Minoru said as most of their classmates seemed disturbed by the action.
"Looks like Bakugo isn't planning on showing her any mercy." Tsuyu said.
"He plans to win," Hachiro pointed out. "He did very plainly state that fact in the opening pledge. Meaning he'll do whatever it takes to stay on top of these matches."
Hachiro was completely right. Katsuki wouldn't show any mercy to any of his opponents. Even if they're girls or even if they're childhood friends, he'll show them the same ferocity as anyone else.
"You should have dropped out of the match," Katsuki stated to Ochaco then noticed movement coming through the smoke towards him. "There's no way you can beat me!"
He caused another explosion while pinning down what had come towards him. He frowned when feeling the familiar material of their gym uniforms under his fingertips and nothing more. As the smoke finally cleared, he saw it was just that. It was one of their school jackets. Ochaco took his moment of confusion to her advantage as she tried to come at him from behind.
"Whoa!" Present Mic exclaimed. "She threw her jacket over as a decoy. What incredibly quick thinking."
However, she still wasn't moving fast enough to get the jump on someone like Katsuki. He whirled around while sending a strong explosion at Ochaco to send her flying backwards again.
"Look at that reaction time!" Hanta said.
"Seriously, the dude's insane," Denki agreed. "You can't get the drop on him. And since Uraraka can't use her quirk unless she touches him, his lightning fast reflexes put her at a clear disadvantage."
But despite the clear disadvantage, it didn't seem as if Ochaco was planning on giving up anytime soon. Katsuki wiped the smoke out of his vision—most likely so not to be fooled again—as Ochaco determinedly remained on her feet. She charged again while still remaining low and as Katsuki used his explosions to keep her at bay, more of the ring was destroyed.
Ayano tilted her head at that. Staying low obviously wasn't keeping Ochaco safe. Meaning Ochaco had to be purposely remaining crouched for a reason. Ochaco came at him from behind again, but Katsuki just exploded her in return. More of the ring was destroyed during this attack, and Ayano's brow rose as a thought occurred to her. She looked up seeing some of the debris was now up in the air above the ring.
'So, she decided that if she can't get her hands on Katsuki, that she'd find a way to make herself some weapons,' Ayano understood. 'If she collects much more and then sends them hurtling down towards Katsuki, it'll be tough for him to deal with the debris and keep her at bay. An interesting strategy, but a reckless one as well. She's putting her own body through a lot just for this.'
Ayano looked back at the ring as Ochaco picked herself up off the ground once more.
"Is she okay?" Tsuyu asked in concern.
"I can't watch this," Kyoka said as she covered her eyes.
Ayumi put a comforting hand on the shorter girl's head as she narrowed her eyes down at the ring.
"Like I always suspected," Minoru said. "Bakugo is a total sadist."
"While I agree he has anger issues, I wouldn't call Katsuki a sadist," Ayano said as Katsuki used another explosion to keep Ochaco back. "At least, he isn't getting any pleasure from attacking Uraraka-chan as he is."
The others looked to Ayano in surprise since they thought she'd be annoyed with Katsuki going overboard like she usually is.
"It's true over the years that Katsuki has turned into quite an ill-tempered force," Ayano said. "He'd pick on Izuku often and start fights with me on a daily basis. But we were the only ones he ever targeted in such a way. He might yell at others and talk down to them, but he's never used his quirk to harm anyone else outside of a fight. And he only uses as much force and aggression as he thinks is necessary. Right now, he is merely focused and determined to push forward. He doesn't care who his opponent is. All he knows is that he has to do what he must to win to move on."
As she said that, the fight down below continued with another loud, flashy explosion.
"Besides, he's really calmed down since we came to U.A." Ayano added.
The others sweat-dropped. They really couldn't imagine Katsuki being any worse than how he acts on a daily basis in front of them. Izuku, who had been listening to Ayano, blinked as his brows furrowed in thought. He supposed he hadn't noticed, but Katsuki has kind of changed from when they were in middle school. It wasn't a huge difference, but it was there.
"Also, I wouldn't count Uraraka-chan out just yet," Ayano said. "She keeps getting up and attacking on her own accord. She's just as determined as him to keep going. Looking at her and feeling sympathy every time, she falls, is a bit rude, isn't it? When she's trying her hardest as did all of us have done through the trials?"
This had the others thinking and going silent. They hadn't thought about things like that. Though while the students of Class 1-A were starting to understand—some of them at least—the adults around them didn't seem to see things in such a way.
"Looks like she isn't resting between attacks despite being exploded." Present Mic stated. "The poor girl."
"Hey, shouldn't one of the teachers step in?!" One of the spectators called out.
"Yeah, it's getting a little rough!" Another added.
Ayano sighed as many more agreed. Some even begged for the match to be over. They had no right to ask for the match to be called when both contestants were giving it their all. Besides, they couldn't be so blind to completely miss the floating debris above them, could they?
"This is shameful!" An audience member, who looked to be a pro-hero, called out. "Listen, kid, you really wanna be a hero?! Then stop acting like a bully. If you're so good just send her out of bounds!"
Katsuki ignored the man as he once more used an explosion to send Ochaco backwards.
"Stop toying with the girl and end this match!" The pro-hero continued.
Ayano rolled her eyes in his direction as other members of the audience took up heckling Katsuki as well.
"The crowd is now booing Bakugo!" Present Mic said. "And honestly, I kind of agree with what they're say—argh!"
Ayano wasn't sure what happened to their English teacher, but she wasn't too upset that he was silenced.
"Where is the man who started this uproar?" Aizawa's voice cut in, and he didn't sound happy. "Are you a Pro?"
His two simple questions had the entire stadium going silent. As usual, their homeroom teacher had a way of shutting people up.
"Because if you're being serious, you can go home and hang up your cape," Aizawa continued. "I'd suggest looking into another career."
Izuku and a few others looked towards the commentator box in confusion. However, Ayano smiled.
"Bakugo's fierceness is an acknowledgement of his opponent's strength," Aizawa went on. "He knows she deserves to have made it this far, so he's making sure to do whatever it takes to keep her at bay and come out on top."
And it wasn't like Ochaco was doing this all for nothing. The girl knew what she was doing and it wasn't out of desperation as many believed.
"I think it's about time," Ochaco said after wiping some sweat from her cheek.
Her words had Katsuki stiffening as he wondered what she could possibly mean by that.
"Thank-you, Bakugo," Ochaco said to him as she started bringing her fingers together. "For keeping yours eyes focused on me."
So, she was ready to let loose all the debris she has collected. If Katsuki wasn't careful, he might really lose. Ochaco gave a shout as she released the debris from her hold. It came shooting down like a meteor shower—shocking many as it fell.
"A meteor shower?!" Present Mic exclaimed.
"Now, you notice," Aizawa deadpanned.
Ayano watched on intently as she wondered what Katsuki would do. If he tried to blast away the debris, it left him wide open for Ochaco who was moving in. If he tried to fight Ochaco, he'd be damage by the debris, which would ultimately give Ochaco the advantage. As he looked up at the debris, Ayano could see he made his decision.
Katsuki braced his arm as the explosion started building up in his palm. And just as Ochaco was about to reach him, Katsuki let loose an explosion that almost rivaled the one he had fired at Izuku during their first fundamental hero lesson. And with that one shot, the debris and Ochaco were sent flying away. Many gasped as their hair and clothes were sent whipping around them from the back lash of Katsuki's explosion. As the smoke was starting to clear, Ochaco, who had been sent to the ground, started pushing herself up.
"I figured you'd have some sort of stupid plan to beat me." Katsuki said. "You are friends with that damn nerd after all."
Ochaco just looked horrified at what happened as she tried desperately to think of what to do next.
"Bakugo banks on a huge demonstration of power!" Present Mic said. "He blasted apart Uraraka's finishing move and remains untouched."
Katsuki started lowering his arm. And while he didn't show it, he was reaching his limit. That explosion was too much and his arm was paying for it. However, he tried to control the shaking as he glared at Ochaco. Ochaco lowered her head as she clenched her fists. However, despite that, Ochaco forced herself to her feet. She was in pain. Her body was shaking, but she could still stand. Katsuki smirked when seeing the girl get to her feet. Looks, like she was a worthy opponent after all.
"Alright then," Katsuki said. "Time for us to get serious, Uraraka!"
For the first time in this fight, Katsuki actually took the charge. Ochaco whirled around to face Katsuki with a look of determination on her face. However, as she went to meet him to continue their fight, her legs gave out on her. She fell to the ground and Katsuki came to a halt. Ayano frowned a bit while feeling Ochaco was teetering between consciousness and unconsciousness. Her fight was over, but she did a wonderful job. And no one could say differently.
"Uraraka is down!" Present Mic called while sounding truly upset.
Ochaco tried crawling. If that's what it took to keep going she was ready to do it. She wanted to win. She had to win.
"I can do this." She said. "I can still fight."
Katsuki got into a stance but made no move forward. He had a feeling this girl wasn't going to get up, but he'd wait and see. She forced herself forward again as she dragged herself across the ring.
"It's over," Ayano said under her breath as Uraraka's consciousness was starting to wain even more.
Midnight came out onto the ring while holding out her hand to tell Katsuki to wait. The ash-blonde lowered his hands as he waited for the verdict.
"Uraraka is K.O." Midnight said. "Bakugo advances to the second round."
Cheers erupted from the crowd as the robots came to collect Ochaco. They would take her to recovery girl and hopefully she wouldn't beat herself up too much about this loss. However, Ayano knew that she would. If Ayano was in her shoes, she'd be just as upset if not more.
"And that's it for the first round!" Present Mic announced as Katsuki made his way out of the ring. "Hmm, I was really pulling for her. Oh yeah, I guess Bakugo is moving on."
"You're supposed to be unbiased, ya know." Aizawa pointed out.
"Let's try to forget that depressing outcome!" Present Mic continued as if Aizawa didn't speak. "With that the first round is complete! We're going to take a quick break then we're going to be back with more matches!"
Katsuki walked back into the stands to join his classmates as the teachers were preparing for the arm-wrestling between Eijiro and Tetsutetsu. He had a particularly sour look on his face, and it was all that damn nerd's fault.
"Hey, Bakugo," Hanta greeted. "Playing the villain, huh? Must have been tough."
Katsuki's brows twitched at Hanta's jab at how he fought in his match as he continued down the steps. Ayano shook her head knowing what was about to come if her classmates kept it up.
"Even if it was because who you were up against, you did make a pretty convincing bad guy." Tsuyu added.
"Shut up, you idiots!" Katsuki snapped. "Or else!"
He then plopped down in the empty seat beside Ayano while crossing his arms over his chest.
"For real, dude," Denki went on as if Katsuki didn't just threaten them. "I don't know how you were able to aim a powerful blast at a frail girl like that."
"If I remember correctly, Denki, it was a frail girl who immobilized you and Mineta earlier and without so much as breaking a sweat." Ayumi pointed out.
"Yeah, Ayano completely overpowered you both, Kaminari." Tsuyu said.
Denki blushed in embarrassment at their words as Ayano, who was sitting in front of him, chuckled.
"Hmph, I definitely wouldn't call that girl frail." Katsuki said.
"Aw, did you make a new friend?" Ayano teased.
Katsuki shot her an annoyed look while not forgetting what she said to him earlier. He then looked back into the ring as Eijiro and Tetsutetsu were told they could begin. The two, of course, activated their quirks and dug their hands into the cement table as they tried to out power each other.
"Wooohooo!" Present Mic cheered. "We're about to learn who the true winner is of the seventh match! Kirishima or Tetsutetsu! Whoever prevails in this arm-wrestling match will advance to the second round! Let's rooolll!"
As the match continued, Tetsutetsu let out a shout of pain and in that moment, Eijiro took his advantage and slammed Tetsutetsu's hand down.
"Kirishima is the winner!" Midnight declared. "Add him to the bracket."
Eijiro let out a cheer of victory as he threw his arm up into the air. The crowd cheered for him as did his classmates. It looks like it was going to be a battle between Class 1-A students to see who took home the gold.
"Kirishima earns a spot in the second round!" Present Mic shouted as Eijiro went to help Tetsutetsu up. "Now we've got a full roster for the next round of the tournament. Let's get the party started now, ya dig?!"
Now that the second round was about to start there was only one match until Ayano would be fighting again. And that match would be against Tenya. He was faster than Ibara and he had a better understanding of her quirk. She'd have to think of a few strategies to get the better of him and make sure he doesn't push her out of bounds before she can react. Though she also wanted to watch this first match as well to see what she should expect if she wins her match against Tenya. However, she couldn't have both and she needed to make sure to be prepared. With that in mind, she stood up.
"Make sure to pay close attention to this next match for me." Ayano said to Katsuki as she stood. "I want to know how Izuku does."
Katsuki just snorted in reply as Ayano made her way pass him to head up the stairs. She'd go into one of the waiting rooms and work up a few plans. She might have to think a bit out of the box. As she walked through the hall, she turned the corner while seeing Izuku and Endeavor of all people were having what looked like a stare off. Ayano felt her shoulders tense as she frowned. She knew her role as Izuku's shield was technically over, but she felt herself moving forward anyway.
"Izuku, is everything okay?" She asked as she made it to his side.
Izuku jumped since he hadn't realized that Ayano had arrived. He looked to his friend while seeing her glaring at Endeavor. Despite being the number two hero and despite his intimidating stature, Ayano showed no fear as she met the man's gaze.
"Everything's fine, Ayano." Izuku assured her. "Endeavor just wanted to speak with me a moment."
Ayano hummed in reply before gently turning Izuku around to send him walking towards the exit that would take him to his match.
"Well, I hate to push things along, but Izuku can't afford to be late." Ayano said with a polite yet emotionless tone. "I hope you understand."
"Of course, I apologize for the trouble," Endeavor said in a tone similar to Ayano's.
Ayano didn't reply as she pushed Izuku along to get him away from the flame hero.
"I'm sorry, Izuku, but I won't be watching your match." Ayano said as she glanced at him over her shoulder. "Mine is next and I'd like to prepare. Meet you in the third round?"
Izuku blinked before a grin pulled across his face. He nodded his head. He then left for his match. Ayano turned back to Endeavor.
"I hope you continue to enjoy the sports festival, sir," Ayano said. "Now if you'd please excuse me, I need to prepare for my own match."
Ayano went to pass the man to head to one of the waiting rooms for some peace and quiet.
"I actually wanted to speak with you as well," Endeavor said stopping her.
Ayano paused while turning to look at Endeavor as she wondered what he wanted with her.
"That quirk of yours…" Endeavor began. "It's similar to a pro-hero I once knew. A pro-hero close to All Might."
Ayano's brow quirked as she wondered if Endeavor was referring to that woman that sometimes appeared in All Might's mind when he was looking at her. Ayano had been curious about her. After all the woman did look just like an older version of herself. Ayano had her theories about who the woman was, but hasn't pried.
"At the risk of sounding rude, what's your point?" Ayano questioned.
"The woman was known as Sebone Etsudo," Endeavor continued as if Ayano hadn't spoken.
Ayano's expression didn't change at the sound of the woman's name, but it definitely told her that her theory seemed more like a fact. She didn't know the given name of either of her birth parents. Just the surname since her birth certificate had her adopted parents' names on it instead.
"She was also known as The Rising Hero: Phoenix." Endeavor added.
He was obviously looking for confirmation that Ayano knew this woman. Or maybe he had his own theories he wanted to test.
"Sorry, but I have never heard of this woman." Ayano said.
Endeavor stared at Ayano for a long moment to see if she wasn't being honest. He seemed to decide to drop it as he looked away.
"I see," Endeavor said. "I apologize for wasting your time."
Ayano just nodded before she continued on her way. She wasted enough time on this man. She didn't know Endeavor personally, but his mere presence had her on edge. She disappeared off into one of the waiting rooms with Endeavor watching her go. Once she was out of sight, Endeavor made his way outside to watch the match.
'If I recall correctly, Etsudo had three children,' Endeavor thought to himself. 'Those two white haired brats and then the last one who was born around the same time as Shoto.'
And not long after her birth, Etsudo had sent her away. Even when Endeavor questioned the woman about the baby, she had just said the child was somewhere safe. A place where she can find a better life. If that child really is her youngest child…
'Does All Might know about her?' Endeavor wondered. 'And if so…will he be personally looking after the girl and her future?'
He frowned at the thought. Maybe Endeavor should have talked to her longer. But there were no changing things now. But he would make sure to pay close attention to her upcoming match. As he was leaving through the main exit into the stands, a figure watched him from around the corner. This figure stepped out to reveal Giichi. He had a frown on his face as he watched Endeavor leave.
"I always knew that kid wasn't stupid," Giichi said. "But I didn't think he'd come out and question Ayano like that."
Though he knew that with Ayano entering the pro-hero line of work, she'd get more and more attention from pros who had known her mother. They'd wonder about her and her quirk. They'd want to see if they could find out more and learn about the mystery surrounding Etsudo's death. Something that Giichi and All Might have kept under wraps since it happened. Only very few besides them knew about what really happened.
It wasn't time for the truth to come out, however. Nighteye predicted that would come on a later date. And he hasn't been wrong yet. Giichi's phone then beeped, which had the former pro-hero pulling it out to see who had messaged him. He saw it was from All Might. He opened the message with his frown deepening.
I thought you were going to be here to support Ayano-Toshinori
Giichi snorted. The blonde reaches out to him after so long and now he can't stop hounding the white-haired man. Especially when concerning his children. His phone beeped again as All Might quickly added onto to his text.
She is doing great-Toshinori.
Giichi sighed though sent a quick reply back.
I am aware-Giichi
Once that was sent, the fair-haired man pocketed his phone. After putting it on silence, of course. He didn't feel like having a conversation at the moment. Especially not with All Might. The man was as pushy as ever and Giichi didn't want to deal with him.
'I don't even know why I'm here,' Giichi thought as he looked towards the door that Ayano had went inside.
He's been telling himself that he's just checking up on the girl. Like, he always does every so often, but it seems that he's doing it more frequently. He's even reached out to Kazane. They met a few days back and Giichi finally met the guy she's so crazy about. He seemed like a nice kid. Kind of stiff though. He tried to locate Rina, but had no so luck.
'I'm not very good at this whole dad thing,' Giichi thought snidely towards himself.
But while he's failed at being in their lives these last five years, he won't fail in keeping them safe. Giichi took one final look at the door separating him from his youngest daughter before he decided to leave. He stuck around here too long. Time to move on before someone actually recognizes him. He walked pass the door to the waiting room though paused long enough to give it a gentle pat so not to alert Ayano of his presence.
'You'll do great things,' He thought though knew he could not hear her. 'Papa is going to keep his promise, and make sure you have a long and happy life, little bird.'
Coco: Another end to another chapter. And before we bring things to an end, don't forget to send in your suggestions. I'd love to hear from you guys!