"So Midoriya is up first, huh," Black observed. "And against this 'Hitoshi Shinzo?'"
"Don't let Shinzo's inexperience fool you," Aizawa said, glancing slightly towards the Saiyan. "He may not be in the hero course but it definitely takes skill to reach this far in the Festival."
Goku Black nodded, comprehending Aizawa's explanation. As Black only received quirk information about the hero course students, he was unable to access the information of the other courses' students, leaving his assessments for them practically empty. This seemed to work well for the other two rounds but for some reason, he was feeling more motivated to assess every competitor here.
Down on the stage, both Midoriya and Shinzo made their ways to their respective sides while Present Mic unashamedly announced both of their presences to the world. Although Black was able to guess most quirks of the general UA population, Hitoshi Shinzo's was one that he wasn't able to completely deduce.
"START!"
"What kind of a dumbass throws away his chance at something like this?" Shinzo taunted Midoriya.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Midoriya shrieked, enraged that his opponent would insult even a bystander.
As Midoriya walked towards Shinzo, seemingly in rage, his body suddenly halted. All the color from his eyes suddenly grayed out. He suddenly turned around and walked towards the exit of the stage.
"W-what?" Black asked, confused at this development. "Shouldn't Midoriya's powers suffice in defeating someone from general studies?"
"You're not wrong in that evaluation," Aizawa replied, preparing an explanation. "However, do remember that many quirks, such as my own, offer useful utility rather than pure power. You do well remember that quirks can be anything, especially with your powers, right?"
The Saiyan's eyes widened quickly after being reminded of the possibility of quirks.
"Brainwashing!" Black exclaimed. "Midoriya's body feels independent so there's no chance that there's telekinesis involved. Some sort of mind control would be at play here."
"Bingo," Aizawa verified. "There are certainly other quirks that can do the same but you're right on the money here. The way Shinzo's quirk works is that if you answer a question he asks, if he has brainwashing intent, he'll brainwash you."
"Hmm," Black mumbled. Despite having experience slaughtering entire populations in a multiverse, somehow, he overlooked miscellaneous utility such as this. Seeing Shinzo be able to overpower someone with significantly more raw power made Black make a mental note of caution to himself regarding such powers. Although he was sure his divine anatomy would make him impervious to such powers, he supposed that he and Zamasu were lucky all it took was brute strength to accomplish what they did. "Well, with a power like that, it's honestly no surprise he was able to make it this far."
Aizawa nodded, agreeing with Black's assessment.
"Shinzo may be quite skilled with his quirk considering the circumstances," the Eraser Hero continued to explain. "But, he was unable to make the physical cutoffs for the hero course, putting him in general studies. Essentially, in a direct fight against any other contestant, he'd be doomed."
"Come on guys, your analyses are making this depressing," Mic interjected. "Gotta say, Midoriya seems to be walking real slow."
Just as Midoriya was about to make his final step to the edge of the stage, his fingers suddenly flicked, creating a massive gust of wind. To most spectators, this was an incredible display of super strength. Black, however, felt much different about this. Although he's seen much more impressive blows come from much stronger beings, he couldn't help but feel that this type of super strength felt oddly familiar to a presence he felt before.
"USJ…" Black muttered, trying to make a connection between what he just felt and what happened in the rescue dome.
"Did you say something?" Mic asked, turning his head towards Goku Black.
"Uh, no, just making some comments about my assessments," the Saiyan responded. "This seems to be quite an interesting development though."
"Yeah, that's definitely right," the DJ Hero replied. "Seems like Midoriya just regained control of himself!"
"His fingers though…" Aizawa remarked, noticing his pupil's major flaw.
So that's why he's been trying to avoid using his powers, Black thought. For such power, it certainly does come at a toll. I remembered when his mother initially described this power to me and I was somewhat correct. This power is similar to the Kaioken: offers a considerable boost in strength at the cost of physical ability after use.
Stunned at this development, Shinzo tried berating Midoriya to no avail, even engaging in a minor dogfight with him. Eventually, the hero trainee got the upper hand and threw Shinzo out of bounds.
"Shinso is out of bounds," Midnight's voice boomed through the air. "Midoriya moves on to the second round!"
A gargantuan applause could be heard from the crowd, with Midoriya looking dumbfounded at his progress.
"Impressive," Black said. "Most impressive…"
The Saiyan looked at the battle roster and saw the next match: Shoto Todoroki vs Hanta Sero.
Well, I guess we all know who's taking that one, Black thought. It wasn't much of a competition between a master of elements and walking tape dispenser.
He turned out to be correct. Although he didn't quite anticipate the actual glacier that was produced during the fight, it ended up being a quick victory for Shoto Todoroki. Despite this, Black was still able to produce some helpful notes for Sero.
This approach is effective only in some circumstances, Black wrote. While it can be a quick way to overpower an already weakened foe, due to Todoroki's quirk usage both in short and long range, attacking him with tape immediately would not be the best option.
"So again, these results are to be sent and reviewed by these kids, yes?" Black asked.
"Yes, that's the plan," Aizawa replied. "Your work seems to be sufficient so far though."
Black frowned at the dossier in front of him, full of assessments he previously produced.
"Well to me, when I fight, I don't think I often make such analyses," the Saiyan said. "Although these notes may be helpful in providing them a better sense of combat judgment, the best way to really enhance their abilities is through consistent combat. Honestly, when I fight, I just do. Sometimes, I feel as though my body acts independently from my mind."
"Hmm, but wouldn't that be a natural consequence of becoming a better fighter?" Aizawa asked Black.
"Well, not entirely," Black replied. "I've known extremely capable martial artists who spend their lives trying to replicate this technique. Frankly, even I don't do that good of a job at having my body fight independently from my mind. I worry that these analyses may not be as helpful as they're supposed to be."
Aizawa absorbed these points for a moment. The Saiyan did provide valid criticism to this instructional approach, peaking the Eraser hero's interest.
"Hmm, perhaps we can have a discussion about combat instruction after the Festival," Aizawa offered.
"Sounds fine by me," Black replied. "Also, is it me or has Shoto Todoroki not shown any hint of his flames yet? He's only shown ice so far but this comes to me as a bit of a surprise, especially with his father's reputation."
"Yes, that is a major weak point in Todoroki," Aizawa replied. "Although he does possess both fire and ice quirks, he has yet to use his fires. I think I may have a good, yet depressing, reason for why though."
"Well, you're just depressing in general, Shota," Mic snarked, triggering Aizawa to use his capture scarf on the DJ Hero.
"Ok, can I get back to commentary?" Mic wheezed, feeling his throat constricting even tighter. "The next fight's about to start."
The next few fights that followed weren't very entertaining to watch for the Saiyan, although there were some weird predicaments that made the fights…unique. First, Kaminari got tangled up by some girl with vine hair and an odd sense of divinity that bothered Goku Black's actual divine mind. Next, IIda got off extremely easy even though he was absolutely toyed with by the pink-haired girl who was on Midoriya's team in the cavalry battle, being the most shameless self-promotion Black had ever seen. Ashido did impressively well against the belly button laser of Aoyama, providing an actual fight that Black watched. During Tetsutetsu vs Kirishima, Black wasn't exactly sure what the end goal was supposed to be for those two.
Then came a polarizing match: Ochaco Uraraka vs Katsuki Bakugo.
The Saiyan could tell that this was one of those matchups where Bakugo would be made an 'antagonistic force' while Uraraka would be a 'sweet damsel' who means no harm. Having tangled with Bakugo before, he knew that the explosion boy could be defeated. If anything, he was more scared about Uraraka's gravity-defying powers, which could actually upset the universe if horrifically misused.
The air around the stage was extremely tense. Although Uraraka tried her best to put up a brave face, she knew that her opponent's fearsome fighting style would not make this an easy match up.
On the other hand, Bakugo kept his usual furious face, causing immediate intimidation against his opponent. Black noticed that there was something about Bakugo that seemed to make him feel more cautious than his normal reckless self.
Once the two adversaries were settled in the match, a loud "START" could be heard once again.
Uraraka charged, face burning with determination, and attempted to touch Bakugo. Despite her advances, the explosive inferno that erupted around the stage deterred her from making much progress in that task. The gravity girl stumbled backwards, looking weary-eyed in front of the boy in front of her.
"Now die," Bakugo proclaimed.
Black watched the fight, noticing Bakugo's unparalleled anger, which seemed to make the crowd condemn his actions. Of all the people he fought in this universe, this teenager seemed to be the angriest of them all…and for what? The Saiyan recalled his time with Bakugo, remembering how furious he was when Midoriya got into UA. His moves were amateurish then and showed little improvement during his time at the USJ. Originally brushing it off as mere teenage angst, Black was starting to see that this anger was something deeper…something familiar even.
"Anger is what fuels this body," the Saiyan mumbled, remembering some of the last words he spoke before being transported to this reality. Back in his reality, he became so consumed by his power that he viciously attacked everything around him…putting him in his current predicament. While Bakugo's anger resonated familiarly with him, somehow, the explosion boy's movements felt much more restricted than normal. A type of control that Black found surprising.
As Bakugo knocked Uraraka around the arena, the Saiyan quickly realized his plan. Considering that antigravity would be a one touch win, the explosions being produced were to stall these advances, something Black found to be fairly straightforward logic.
However, the gravity girl had skill and caution of her own too. Using her coat as a feint, Uraraka was able to create a dummy target, even if it only lasted for a short while. Despite the unique tactics from both parties, this fight did not seem to be very popular with the crowd, as Black saw rather unhappy faces on them.
"HOW COULD HE CALL HIMSELF A HERO?" someone in the audience shouted. "I WILL NOT WATCH ANYMORE OF THIS CRUELTY."
The crowd seemed to agree on this, with even louder booing coming from the audience.
As hauntingly aggressive as Bakugo was, Uraraka was still on the stage. To the Saiyan, if she was as weak as everyone watching thought she was, she'd be long gone.
She's got to be plotting something, Black thought. Under such firepower, you do not survive for this long without some sort of trick up your sleeve.
Sure enough, his thoughts were soon confirmed. There was a noticeable effect that was no doubt caused by Uraraka's quirk; something that Black was sure Bakugo didn't notice. How could he, after all? The boy was so cautious about what was in front of him, he forgot to consider other directions. This could totally have been a trick the actual Goku could've pulled on him, which would've proved to be quite an annoyance.
"WOW! SEEMS LIKE THE CROWD IS REALLY NOT FEELIN' IT!" Present Mic shouted, being empathetic with the crowd. "And honestly, I kinda agree…"
Aizawa facepalmed and reached for the mic until-
"Anyone who thinks that Ochaco Uraraka is being subject to torture should just stop watching the Festival," Black said into the mic, much to the surprise of the two heroes next to him. "One does not simply survive nitroglycerin explosions by dumb luck. She's clearly got a good level of skill that some of you dogs can only dream of."
That announcement seemed to make the crowd go much more quiet. Peoples' faces looked noticeably more uncomfortable.
"Have you all failed physics?" Black continued. "Losing all control of your body's gravity in an instant is a sensation hard for anyone to adjust to. Would it not make sense for Bakugo to be extremely cautious?"
Yeah, that seems to be in line with the usual capabilities of these humans, Black reassured himself, remembering how to scale his own feats in comparison to everyone else.
"And if you stopped looking at the ground, I think you guys can see something quite special," he concluded.
"RELEASE!" the gravity girl shouted just as Black made his last comment. Unleashing a fury of particles onto the arena, she ran forward just as she did before. Only this time, it would be different: this time, Bakugo's defenses were left open. Running like she never had before, she stretched her fingers outward. With just one or two seconds, she would touch him and get closer to victory.
BOOOM
The most massive explosion shot during the tournament rang through the air. As brilliant as Uraraka's strategy was, it still fell short of pure, brute force. In an instant, Uraraka got knocked far back and all of the debris was immediately incinerated.
Antigravity sure is a terrifying power, Black noted. At least human biology severely limits their potential. If a mortal back in my reality had something like this, even a Potara fusion of me and Zamasu could have been crushed by something like gravity cubes.
The gravity girl staggered, still coming forward to her adversary. Beaten, battered, and scarred, she only managed a few steps before finally collapsing to the ground.
Bakugo stared at his fallen opponent, in shock that this was all over. His forearms felt as if he was being stabbed by white hot knives. He was definitely going to need some rest before the next fight.
Midnight went onto the stage, checking in on the contestants.
"Uraraka is immobilized," Midnight proclaimed. "Bakugo moves to the second round!"
Black wrote voraciously down on his paper, recounting everything that happened. He soon gave the information over to Aizawa, who skimmed the findings.
"Wow, this is certainly a lot even for you," he said. "Hmm, do you seem to have a history with Bakugo by any chance? Not only is your feedback on him 10 pages long, but I do recall that back in the USJ, he seemed particularly hostile with you. It was basically as if you were an old adversary."
"Long story with that," the Saiyan replied. That probably wasn't the best answer but he had to roll with what he came up with. "Anyway, this arm wrestling match coming up next seems to be…hmm…"
"Well, we have to figure out who wins between Kirishima and Tetsutetsu," the Eraser hero replied. "Also, try not to call the rest of the heroes 'dogs' in the future. I think your main point about Uraraka was correct but it's not good PR for a UA representative to be so publicly disrespectful to heroes."
"Nah, I think that really added to some spicy drama!" Mic interjected. "The ratings are gonna be so good!"
While those two heroes bickered over the weight of school reputation and high TV ratings, Goku Black found himself surprisingly enjoying a redundant quirk arm wrestling match. The pedestal was in absolute ruins, but in the end, Kirishima got the upper hand. Extending his arm out to his metallic counterpart, the two pseudo-clones embraced each other in manliness and chivalry.
"Hmm," the Saiyan remarked. "I'm feeling far too many nostalgic events for a single day."
Author's Note: Alright, that took a while! School started so kinda been adjusting to that but at least it's not a 3 month period of no chapters! Also noticing even more traction than before and seeing some ideas that I haven't really considered! So of course, if anyone would like, you're more than welcome to write your own version of this story based on what I have. Nutty how this is apparently one of the top stories of #dragonballsuper on Wattpad as of this writing though!
Anyway, we still got the quarter semi, and normal finals to go here. Hopefully I don't have another massive break till then? But anyway, thanks for reading and supporting this endeavor!