Chapter 20:
"Tomura, why did you disintegrate my son?" All-For-One had an annoyed tone in his voice as Tomura was cleaning himself from dust. "He startled me and it looked like he was gonna kill either me or Kurogiri. Can't really have that, Sensei."
Suddenly, from the pile of dust that was once the clown, and arm shot up and grabbed on to the floor, startling Tomura and Kurogiri. "What the he-"
The arm lifted itself as it began to have colour. Blood started pouring from the ground as a fully-clothed Carlitos emerged from the dust. He kept his smile at Tomura. He's been keeping it while he was being disintegrated by the villain.
Carlitos
Quirk #2: Undying Memory
A multiple combination of quirks that eventually emerged into one powerful regeneration quirk. It makes him capable of recovering from even the most fatal situations. Absolutely nothing will keep him dead as long as people remembers him or what he's done. Only way to counter this is to make everyone forget about him. Easier said than done.
"Well, now ain't that a little bit rude?" He cheerfully said while dusting himself. He delivered a sucker punch to Tomura's gut. Too fast for Kurogiri to react and redirect it. "SENSEI! MAKE HIM GO AWAY!" The teenager whined like a child. Carlitos only shook his head in amusement.
"So this is your so-called heir, eh? Safe to say that he's a work-in-progress?" He faced the T.V. screen.
"Truthfully speaking. Now," The voice came with power behind it. "Why have you come here again? I ordered you to stay in the United States."
"I got bored. Besides, what are you gonna do about it, Pops?" His killing intent was enough for Tomura to back off and for Kurogiri to become wary of him.
"Sensei had a son? Since when?" They thought to themselves.
"Remember who gave you those quirks. Remember who could also take it all away from you." The voice was low but the threat was real. Kurogiri is getting too old for this bullshit.
Instead of feeling fear, Carlitos felt amused. He even gave a boisterous laugh to prove it. "Never change, Pops. Never change. You wouldn't mind transferring me over there, right? I got something important to tell you first." Just as the clown said that, he vomited out black sludge as he was transported away from the bar and appeared right in front of the faceless man known to many as All-For-One.
"What information?" The man asked in a half-demanding and half-curious way. "I think you already know who All Might's successor is, right, Pops?"
"Izuku Midoriya. Son of Inko Midoriya, or should I say, Inko Shimura. Also Nana's grandson."
"How did you find out?" Carlitos asked. All-For-One simply smiled as he looked at the phone. "I have my ways but enough of how I know. What more can you tell me about him?"
The clown laughed first in his father's face but he sensed the man's growing impatience. "Let's just say that, at your current state, it's best that you kill him off now before he kills YOU."
"That strong?"
"Only so I could kill you myself and see the criminal underworld go into a chaotic war in a power vacuum. That is entertaining to watch." Carlitos thought to himself with a smile before thinking of what he should say next. "Yeah, I guess you could say that, Pops."
"WHAT'S THIS? SHIOZAKI WALKED OUT OF THE BOUNDS?" Present Mic screamed as the girl with the plant hair walked out of bound.
"SHIOZAKI IBARA IS OUT OF BOUNDS! THE WINNER IS SHINSO!" A confused cheer came from the crowd as Shinso smirked at his confused opponent. The girl took one look of him before sighing and walking away. Shinso expected more of an angry reaction, but he'll take this. "Hopefully she hasn't figured it out."
Ibara was confused when she got back to the preparation room. "Having my mind controlled like that was every bit of uncomfortable but how has he managed it? What activates it?"
Just then, her train of thought was interrupted by Mineta entering the room. "Ah, thank whoever deity exists. Iida forfeited for some family emergency or something like that. Jeez, I would hated being kicked in the- oh hey, Shiozaki. I must have gone in the wrong room. Sorry about that."
"No, no, it's fine. I'm simply recuperating from my loss." She waved his worries off before looking back down, not feeling too well after that embarrassing loss.
"Oh, right. Well, no offense, but it's not really a surprise." Ibara stared at Mineta curiously. The midget sighed before continuing his explanation. "We know that he's got a mind control type of quirk, right? We just don't know how he activates it so even if you think you have the advantage, you really don't because he's hiding his abilities. It's a good thing that Iida forfeited so that I could find out about it myself."
"You're choosing to throw the match in order to find out?!" Ibara was bewildered with her small friend's decision. The midget nodded before giving his own logical explanation. "Do you really think I stand a chance against Bakugou in the finals? He's my friend but I doubt that he'd be holding back against me. You know how much I like playing it safe."
Ibara sighed in an amused manner. "You boys and your shenanigans."
"Hey, OUR shenanigans make you girls laugh the same way you make us laugh with your own shenanigans. It's a symbiotic relationship. We entertain each other in the most weird ways possible. No innuendos intended," He waved off the last sentence he said. "But seriously, don't feel too bad. It's my job to unintentionally make others feel worse. Not yours." He told her one last time before leaving her to herself again.
The fight between Shoji and Shinshin was almost evenly matched. Almost. Shoji's strength was superior even with Shinshin's quirk but the boy was way craftier than he looks. Instead of overwhelming the giant student, he opted to aim for Shoji's legs. It's a continuous strategy. Shoji eventually caught on and began guarding his legs, but that left his head vulnerable to attacks, which Shinshin quickly took advantage off. The match ended with Shoji being forcefully backed out of bounds, with Shinshin being the winner.
"HOW COULD THIS BE? THESE CURRENT HAPPENSTANCES HAVE CREATED HISTORY HERE IN UA! TWO STUDENTS FROM THE GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE HAVE MADE IT TO THE SEMIFINALS! THIS HAS ONLY HAPPENED BEFORE A FEW YEARS AGO!"
"Yes, a General Education student did become the champion years ago but refused transfer to the hero course. I've heard that she's now a successful boxer."
"THIS CAN'T BE POSSIBLE! LOGICALLY SPEAKING, THEY HAVE NO TRAINING LIKE THE HERO COURSE STUDENTS!"
"They have no training IN school. Mic, you're smarter than this. Dojos still exists today. Jikanomuda Shinshin has a great form when it came to his Kung Fu while Shinso Hitoshi is extremely adept in hiding details about his quirk. If his quirk's abilities are not leaked, he has more than a chance to become a champion this year. The second one from the General Education Course."
"ALL RIGHTY! WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, COMING OUT TO THE STAGE RIGHT NOW! THE GIRL CAPABLE OF REACHING INFINITY! THE UNDERDOG OF THE COMPETITION AND A FAVORITE TO WIN IT ALL! URARAKAAAAAAAAA OCHACOOOOOO!"
Ochaco walked out in a uncharacteristically calm demeanor. The truth, however, demands that she is nervous about facing against Bakugou. She's very well aware of what he is capable of.
"Why is it always the bad people who gets to be so strong?" She shook her frustrating thoughts away and focused on the opponent also entering the arena.
"ON THIS CORNER! WE HAVE, IN MY OPINION, THE WO-"
"Did I just sense bias from you, Mic? I'll take over. Yes, you already know him, Bakugou Katsuki. Another fan favorite to win it all."
Bakugou stepped quietly into the arena and stared at his opponent. "One of Deku's cronies. I have to give it to her, she made it this far. But this is far enough."
"Ready?" Midnight asked them. Both of them nodded and faced each other. Bakugou took a battle stance while Ochaco just did some amateur stance. She's not really that knowledgeable in combat, but she'll have to do with what she watched at wrestling.
"START!" Midnight shouted and Ochaco ran towards Bakugo with an intention to make a grab for it. "Just one touch could end this!" They both thought at the same time. Bakugou dodged and blasted her away with an explosion. The shockwave was enough to send Ochaco back a few meters.
Bakugou went on the offensive and sent another one at her. Ochaco dodged it by making herself weightless with her quirk and taking herself up the air. She released herself from her quirk and hit a dive kick at Bakugou, who staggered back a bit while sending a blind explosion. She dodged it and was about to touch him with all five of her fingers but he recovered quickly and sent her away with another explosion. The smoke from his quirk is beginning to form around the arena as people could barely see what's going on.
Bakugou sensed something behind him as he turned around to see Ochaco's hand near his face. He ducked down and sent another explosion towards her. What he sees after the explosion was just her jacket.
"Did I just? That can't be possible." He did not just blow her up? A light shift in the smoke caused him to duck and a hand shot out right above him. He blasted Ochaco again away from him to keep some distance. The arena looked like it's been through a civil war. The floor is destroyed but the rubble is missing. Ochaco was lying down but was slowly standing back up.
"Thank you, Bakugou, for not holding back." She said while doing her release hand sign. He ignored what Present Mic said about him in favor of looking up. A massive pile of rubble has been making their way to hit his face. He raised his hands up and unleashed his biggest explosion, destroying the rubble. He looked back to Ochaco, who was sent back by the shockwaves of that large explosion. He gave her an acknowledging nod but he wasn't sure if she saw him do it.
"Give up." He told her. She gritted her teeth and stood back up. "No."
He smiled excitedly at her. They both ran at each other, with an explosion coming to life from his palms. Up until Ochaco fell down. He stopped and looked at Midnight again, and she's not doing anything this time. It seems like the girl is far too tired and hurt to continue fighting. She tried to crawl at him for a bit but finally passed out.
Midnight raised her whip and announced him as the winner.
"TRULY THE YEAR OF THE-"
"Shut up, Mic."
Bakugou sighed as he went back to the tunnel. There, he encountered Todoroki, who he didn't even bother looking at. The IcyHot teen looked like he wants to say something but Bakugou walked past him. "I am not Endeavor." He thought to himself.
"I bet you would sacrifice your own mother if it means that you get to be the number one hero." Todoroki said and something inside Bakugou snapped. He ran back at the stoic student and pinned him against the wall. His hand readied an explosion but he remembered what Ibara said.
You're not a bad person.
"Lying girl… but…" He looked at Todoroki again, who was raising his eyebrows in anticipation. The explosion never came as Bakugou looked away and lowered his hands. His other arm that held Todoroki at the wall only tightened however. "Shut up before I give you a matching scar the next time you say that."
He lowered Todoroki to the ground before walking away. This was the first time he held back without anyone's help. "To think that you would hurt a fragile girl like Uraraka."
"She's anything but weak, asshole."
The semifinals just started with the final four being Shinso, Mineta, Jikanomuda, and Bakugou.
Mineta and Shinso went inside the ring, ignoring Present Mic and Eraserhead's argument over who gets to introduce them.
"Are you two ready?" Midnight looked at them. They nodded at the same time. Mineta stared at Shinso with anticipation. She started the match. Mineta waited for Shinso to control his mind but it never came. Instead, the boy with a lighter purple hair opted to speak to him.
"How come a midget like you get in the hero course? You're just pathetic." The insult didn't affect Mineta all too much but he was about to make a witty remark. He halted himself from saying anything when he saw that subtle smirk on Shinso's lip.
"He's trying to get a rise out of me and get me to talk. I think I know how his quirk works now but just to test it…" Mineta plucked two of his quirk balls out of his hair and began trying to stick them together. The repelling force between them is strong but Mineta managed to hold on.
"I'm not a-" He immediately lost control of his body as his arms went limp. This confirmed his theory of how Shinso's quirk works. The balls he tried to stick together earlier finally repelled from each other and one hit him in the face. The impact was enough to break him out of the mind controller's quirk. He looked at Shinso, who looked shocked at him. "I guess he realized that I figured out his quirk."
Mineta responded at Shinso's shocked look by smirking. He turned back and walked out of bounds.
"Mineta has… walked out of bounds? Shinso is the winner!" The crowd gave a confused applause as Mineta was quick to find Bakugou just out the hallway.
"Bakugou!" He shouted and the blonde heard him. "What do you want, scumbag?"
"Shinso's quirk is voice activated. Don't talk to him, no matter what. Even if you did, you gotta find a way to get that control out of you by a light shock or pain." The explosive teen stared at his small friend for a whole ten seconds before nodding and getting to his fight with Shinshin.
The fight with Shinshin was easy enough. The guy had Kung-Fu on his side, but Bakugou was not taking that risk. The moment Midnight starts the match, Bakugou sent him out of bounds in a big explosion. It hurt his arms, but he won't need it in his next match.
"JIKANOMUDA WAS ELIMINATED IN THREE SECONDS?!"
"Bakugou saw what he could do so he chose to end the match quickly. This was the smart thing to do. The Sports Festival isn't for your entertainment, Mic. It's about the students proving themselves."
"IGNORING WHAT HE SAID!"
"This type of attitude will bite you back, Mic."
"WHATEVER! THE FINALS SEEMS TO BE INSTANTLY UNDERWAY SEEING AS HOW BOTH THE FINALISTS LOOKS UNDAMAGED!"
Shinso walked out of the arena, confident enough that he could get a rise out of the jerk in front of him. He looked at the explosive blonde, who was still massaging his wrists. "Shinshin must have given him a hard time."
"Are you two ready?" Shinso nodded when Midnight asked them while Bakugou held his hand up. Midnight raised her eyebrows before nodding back. Bakugou looked at Shinso in the eye first before biting down on his arms hard enough to make it bleed. Shinso cringed at what he saw and Midnight starts the fight.
"WHY DID BAKUGOU BITE HIMSELF?!"
"For strategical reasons."
"So, you're the actual villain who made it to the hero course. Have their standards really have gotten that low? Seriously, I should be the one there, not you."
"Shut up." Bakugou's arms went limp for a second before he regains control. The constant pain from his bite wound keeps him from being mind controlled from Shinso.
"Oh, me? Shut up? You do it. You talk shit and you hurt people for fun. You don't deserve to be a hero, and you don't deserve to even be in the Hero Course."
"That makes two of us." Bakugou began walking slowly towards Shinso.
"Oh, two of us? Let me remind you who attacked an innocent person. Oh wait, that's YOU! Everyone outside just PRAISES you for your power but they don't know what you did," Shinso gestured to himself, anger slowly taking over. "But me? I had it hard all because people thought my quirk makes me a villain. All they ever thought about was my quirk! I'm not the bad guy here, you are."
Bakugou cringed internally of being reminded of what he did. Did he regret it or did he enjoy it? He'll stay quiet every time they ask him that. "Oh please, your 'O woe is me' bullshit won't work here. You really think you could be a hero? You won't even survive five seconds in the Hero Course, Zombieface."
They were now face-to-face. Shinso was taller than Bakugou but only for a few centimeters. There was a tense aura coming from both of them as they stared each other down. Shinso refused to back down from the blonde's gaze and Bakugou did the same.
"Punch me." Shinso was taken aback at what Bakugou told him. "Well? Do you even have the guts, Zombieface?" The Hero-in-Training taunted him. It infuriated Shinso enough for him to scream and land a punch on Bakugou's cheek. It didn't do so much as flinch him.
"Seriously? That weak-ass punch and you expect to be a hero? Fuck off. If I don't deserve to be here for a reason, then you also don't deserve to be in the Hero Course for an entirely different reason." Bakugou told him before rearing his head back and landing a headbutt on Shinso's face, causing him to stumble back. Bakugou finished it with a Spartan kick that sent Shinso out of bounds.
"SHINSO HITOSHI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! BAKUGOU WINS!"
"AND WE HAVE THE WINNER OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! TRULY THE YEAR OF THE-"
"For the love of- will you stop saying year of the scum? You sound like actual scum."
"FINE! THE REWARDINGS WILL HAPPEN LATER AFTER EVERYONE RECUPERATES!"
Ochaco woke up in cold sweat. She sat up and looked around her. She's in a clinic, which means she lost. She buried her face in her palms as she is disappointed in herself for losing.
"You're awake." A voice called out to her. She turned around to see a boy that she has never seen before. She assumed that he's an intern from Shiketsu judging from the hat he's wearing. He gave her a polite bow. "Seiji Shishikura, at your service, interning for Recovery Girl. I watched your match."
"Not much to watch then, huh."
"False. You stood your ground and did well. It is only unfortunate that your opponent is simply too strong." Seiji responded while he keeps glaring at her. She shifted uncomfortably which he noticed. He already knew why.
"I apologize if it appeared that I am glaring at you with contempt. That is false. I simply find it rude to not maintain eye contact while having a conversation." He shook his hand at her before putting it at his back again, causing her to giggle. "Right, you remind me of a friend of mine. Both of you tend to act like a robot."
"I must disagree. I am made of flesh and blood, unlike robots. Perhaps your friend is an actual robot but refuses to tell you."
"Is that a joke?"
"If it will cheer you up." He scratched his chin with his index finger while finally taking his eyes off her.
"The closing ceremony is happening but I suggest that you stay here and rest. I'm sure that you will enjoy a conversation with your friends." He pulled off the curtain beside her and it revealed Shoji, who had multiple bruises all over his body from his fight with Shinshin. Beside him was Jiro, who had a bandage wrapped around her head. "Jegus."
"Jegus? A similar expression mentioned by my friend."
"Is his name Midoriya Izuku?"
"Yes."
"That explains a lot." She sighed and lied back down. Both of them bonded silently by reminiscing how intense Izuku can be sometimes.
"NOW LET'S GO ON TO THE AWARDING CEREMONY!" Midnight announced as everyone cheered for the entire Sports Festival in UA. The stands revealed the winners of the Sports Festival.
On third place, they have both Mineta and Shinshin. Second place had Shinso. First place had Bakugou.
Mineta had a smug expression on his face while waving at the audiences while Shinshin is just smiling at his sister, who was giving him a thumbs up. Shinso is still rubbing the part where Bakugou headbutted him but was satisfied with his second place. Bakugou kept to himself, not bothering with it.
"NOW FOR THE MEDALS! THE ONE GIVING THEM THIS YEAR IS OBVIOUS ENOUGH!" Midnight yelled as a familiar laugh was heard, causing the crowd to cheer louder. THe large figure known as All Might was at the roof of the stadium before jumping down with style.
"I AM HERE WITH THE ME-"
"EVERYONE'S HERO! ALL MIGHT!" All Might stared at the heroine who interrupted him as she quickly apologized. All Might laughed it off before stepping up to third place.
"Jikanomuda Shinshin," He called out to the boy. "What you've done here today was outstanding, managing to beat two students of the Hero Course, no, even better, you and your friend over there made it further than anyone else in the General Course. I am truly impressed! I'm sure that whatever you want to do in the future, you would be able to go beyond people's expectations and become one of the best!"
"Thank you, All Might." The Gen-Ed student bowed to the number one hero.
"Mineta Minoru, not many have believed that you would have gone this far, but you did."
"Nah, I was riding on the coattails of someone." Mineta said while looking at Bakugou. "JUST TAKE THE COMPLIMENT ALREADY, SCUMBAG!"
"All right, geez. Thanks, All Might."
"WAHAHAHAHA! NOT ONLY INTELLIGENT BUT ALSO HUMBLE, EH?! DO NOT FRET! YOU EARNED THE THIRD PLACE BECAUSE OF YOUR ABILITIES AND CREATIVITY! This may sound cliche, but believe in yourself to be worthy of being a hero, young Mineta, for you shall shine away as one who inspires many someday." He hugged Mineta, with the small boy promptly returning it.
"Shinso Hitoshi. Not many General Education student has made it this far. You've shown all of us today that just about anyone can stand beside the Hero Course if they work hard on it. In fact, this reminds me of that time *I* earned second place! The first placer was my best friend, who was also part of General Education along with me on my first year!"
Shinso looked at him in awe and All Might chuckled amusingly. "That's right, kid. I was a General Education student like you. Don't let others bring you down just because of your power. Remember, THE SOUL MAKES THE HERO, NOT THEIR POWER!"
"I will."
Finally, All Might stepped up to the first placer. He gave an awkward smile as Bakugou looked away. "Bakugou Katsuki. From what I've heard, you swore to win it all, and by golly, you did! A hero lives by his promises AND his *morals*. Congratulations on winning the first-year's Sports Festival."
"...This feels more like a hollow victory, but, whatever." Bakugou said under his breath. He accepted the medal anyway and opted to melt it down and sell it later. All Might pretended he didn't hear that. He faced the crowd.
"EVERYONE HERE HAD THE POTENTIAL TO ALSO BE STANDING THERE! ANYONE! AS PROVEN BY OUR GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS! REMEMBER! YOUR QUIRK, NO MATTER HOW STRONG IT IS, DOES NOT GUARANTEE YOUR VICTORY! EVERYONE HERE HAS SHOWN THEIR CREATIVITY AND VAST KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR OWN QUIRKS TO WIN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! WITH THAT, ONE LAST THING WE NEED TO SAY," The crowd cheered All Might's speech as they anticipated the obvious thing that he asks them to say next. "SAY IT WITH ME NOW IN 3…2…1…"
"PLUS ULTRA!"
"THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!" Everyone was confused by what All Might said. It was kind of lame and definitely one of the funnier moments of the Sports Festival. All Might let out a light cough and quickly hurried outside. He saw the breaking news today and he was not happy to see his successor being hospitalized.
Toshinori Yagi entered the hospital room where his successor was placed in. Beside Izuku was his sister. She looked up and was startled at the sight of him.
"Are you Mr. Yagi?" She asked with a scowl forming on her face. "Yes." He gulped away his nervousness.
"Don't lie to me, All Might." He coughed out a large amount of blood, startling her. She took away her scowl in a hardened glance of concern before continuing what she said. "Tell me everything."
{- To Be Continued...
Yeah, she knew.
Bakugou: ...How?
Izuku isn't the only one with stalker vibes in the family. Inko crushed on Hisashi hard back then to the point where she's watching him from behind the tree like a shy anime girl. Funny enough, Tatsumaki was suspicious on why her brother was- okay, you know what? I'll save that for the next chapter.
Bakugou: Did you just almost spoil me?
Yep.
Bakugou: You little shit, you can't even keep your mouth shut.
Sorry, but anyway, yeah, Carlitos is All-For-One's son. Not genetic clone, but actual son. All this from a Hispanic Salary Woman unfortunately finding a job open in the wrong place at the wrong time. Enough about the clown though, we got something else to focus next chapter. So, yeah, anyway, leave a like, subscribe, and comment. PEACE!