"And here we are, folks! The semifinals of the First Years' Sports Festival! We're coming down to the best of the best of this year's students, and the excitement isn't stopping! We've got the most unassuming of the four, but he's certainly showed that he's got what it takes! It's the Mean Green Fighting Machine, Izuku Midoriyaaaaaa!" Present Mic announced, as the crowd's cheers had become more genuine over time since the quarterfinals. Izuku walked onto the field, only this time with more confidence than his previous outings. This was it. If he won this round against Tenya, than he's going to face either Hiroshi or Katsuki. Both of them were challenges, but as he thought about it, either one... would be an exhilarating fight. His fists clenched. He had to win, even if Tenya is his friend.
"And facing against him is a guy with the fastest pair of legs around! It's the Human Engine, Tenya Iidaaaaaa!" Tenya walked onto the field as the crowd cheered. He made it this far. His family must've seen how well he's been doing. Sure, there've been a few... bumps in the road, but he's here, and he's going to show the world what he has.
"If you think you can run circles around me, Iida, think again," Izuku said, smiling as he let One for All course throughout his body, green electricity sparking. "I'm going to keep up with you, and then some!"
"Those are big words, Midoriya," Tenya replied, smiling. "Let's see how true they are!"
"Are you both ready? 3! 2! 1! START!" Midnight cried, cracking her whip. The two sprang forward, going at each other as fast as they could. They traded punches and kicks while dodging each other. Izuku lowered himself to avoid a kick from Tenya, while Tenya jumped back from Izuku's attempt to leg swipe him.
"Right out of the gate these two come out in a blitz! I almost can't see how fast they're going!" Present Mic shouted.
"Midoriya's managed to improve quite a bit within the few weeks before the Sports Festival," Aizawa thought, thinking back to how Izuku had been doing throughout the Sports Festival. "Looks like he's finally figured out how to get that Quirk of his under control. I wonder if it had anything to do with Furinji and their friends..."
"Mr. Midoriya and Mr. Iida are certainly some of the fastest I've seen! Even faster than some of the 3rd Years during their Sports Festival," Principal Nezu said, laughing a bit. "Seems like they won't have a hard time chasing after their seniors!"
"Excellent job of keeping up with me, Midoriya!" Tenya said, as Izuku blocked one of his kicks. "You've really improved from all that time training!"
"Back at you, Iida!" he replied, swinging a fist into Tenya's side, successfully landing a hit for the first time during their fight. "But I'm not about to give up!"
"Me neither!"
"Man, look at those two go!" Setsuna said, watching the high speed fight between Izuku and Tenya. "I'm surprised that the cameras can keep up with them!"
"I don't know who to root for!" Ochako whined, frowning.
"Go Midoriya! Go Iida!" Pony yelled.
"I'm glad that the training we squeezed in for Midoriya with his Quirk has been playing off for him," Hiroshi said, crossing his arms.
"Yea, especially since he's no longer breaking his limbs and fingers," Fuka said, sighing. "Real glad about that."
"And this is only just like, what, 7% of his power right now?" Kyoka said, trying to remember how much Izuku managed to use during the last couple days before the Sports Festival.
"Just about, I think," Hiroshi replied. "And I don't doubt for a second that throughout this whole event that he's been pushing more and more out as much as he can handle. He certainly did while fighting Todoroki."
"Those two look like they're enjoying themselves," Momo observed, seeing the wide grins the two boys had on their faces. "I don't think I've ever seen them make smiles that big before."
"I didn't think Midoriya would be able to match Iida in terms of speed!" Eijiro said, as the Hero Course students watched them go at it.
"I mean, I guess there's a reason why Midoriya placed higher in the obstacle race," Denki said, as Tenya landed a kick on Izuku. "Well, besides just being able to avoid all those mines."
"Come on, Midoriya! Come on, Iida! Do your best!" Toru said, not knowing who to root for.
"So this is where the Hero Course kids are, huh?"
They turned around to face the new voices, and saw a girl with long blue hair, a tense looking black haired boy, and a blond boy with beady eyes standing behind them, all of whom were wearing UA uniforms. "Hi!" the girl said, smiling as she went over to everyone. "So you're the first years, huh? Are you part frog? Ooooh, you got horns! And hey, you're all hairy!"
"Um, can we help you?" Mezo asked, looking at the three. The girl poked at Ibara's vine hair. "Ow, pointy!"
"Our bad!" the blond one said, laughing. "I'm Mirio Togata, this tense fellow's Tamaki Amajiki, and she's Nejire Hado! We're third years!"
"Oh, so you're our seniors?" Mina asked, when Nejire poked her horns. "Ack! Please don't do that, they're sensitive!"
"The Big Three!" Itsuka said, recognizing the three older teens.
"Who?" everyone asked.
Mirio laughed at their reaction. "That's just what people call us, since we're the best of our year!"
"What!?"
"Yep, that's us!" Nejire said. Tamaki frowned intensely, before walking to a wall and putting his head against it. "I can't do this... Even when I imagine them as potatoes, it doesn't work..."
"So why did you come here?" Sen asked.
"Well, we wanted to check up on Furinji," Mirio said, sighing a bit. "We saw what happened online after our own Sports Festival finished."
"It explained why Principal Nezu left in the middle and let Spin Helix take over as MC for a while," Tamaki muttered.
"Yea... we just wanted to see him. Where is Furinji, anyway?" Nejire asked.
"He's... he's probably with his sister with their friends in the room where Recovery Girl healed her," Itsuka said, looking away.
"I see... Well, since we're here, you don't mind us sitting with you to watch, would you?" Mirio said, a grin spreading over his face. "I'm sure you all have some extra seats!"
"Sure, go ahead!" Toru said, as the Big Three took some seats among them.
"Incredible! They're still going at it!" Present Mic said, as the crowd roared with excitement at the two teens battling it out. "Nothing's stopping these two from duking it out in super speed!"
"It's time to end this!" Tenya shouted, as his engines began to rev harder and harder. "RECIPRO-BURST!"
Tenya managed grabbed Izuku by the back of his shirt's collar, and began to drag his friend towards the edge. He tossed him, only to find that it was just his gym uniform he threw, Izuku having slipped out of it to escape him. "Damn-!"
"Got you!" Izuku yelled, charging Tenya as his leg's Engines stalled. He grabbed him by the torso, and shoved him out of the ring, making his friend land in the grass.
"Tenya Iida is out of the ring! Izuku Midoriya moves on to the finals!" Midnight decreed. The crowd cheered, as Tenya took a deep breath and sighed.
"Smart move, Midoriya, waiting for me to use my Recipro-Burst to try and take you out, since it'd stall my Engines afterwards," he said, as Izuku offered his hand to help him up, which Tenya accepted.
"This was a good fight," Izuku replied, smiling. "You really had me on the ropes until then, Iida."
"Indeed. Good luck in the finals, Midoriya. Though right now, I think we both know who needs some luck for his fight..."
"Yea..."
Hiroshi smiled a bit as Izuku and Tenya walked off the field, before becoming more serious as he stood up and headed for the door.
"Hiroshi, you're sure that you'll be-" Fuka began to say.
"I'll be fine, Fuka," he sighed, giving her a small smile. "I'm not going to lose to Bakugo."
"That's not what we're worried about, Hiroshi," Setsuna said, frowning.
"... I know. I promise I'm going to do what I said, and show Bakugo what it means to give it your all, while understanding restraint," he answered.
"Just be careful, alright?" Ochako said, as everyone stared at him. Just then, Izuku and Tenya came into the room.
"Hey everyone," Izuku said, as Recovery Girl hobbled over to check on the two. "You... you ready to fight against Kacc- Bakugo, Hiroshi?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," Hiroshi replied, as he began to walk out to head to his waiting room, when Izuku held out his right fist for a fist bump.
"Promise me that... that you'll give this your best!" Izuku said.
"... Hmph, of course. Just like I always say," Hiroshi said, returning the fist bump to Izuku. "I'm going to put my all into this."
"So it's time for the fight between that Ultraman Hero kid and that Bakugo kid, huh?" Death Arms said, taking a smoke. "Gotta say, that one's gonna be intense..."
"Yea... that poor girl," Mt. Lady said, forgetting about any sort of animosity towards Hiroshi and Hero. "I wouldn't blame him if he ends up going a bit overboard."
"I don't think anyone would," Kamui Woods replied. "But it still won't look good if he does..."
"I can't believe we thought that Bakugo kid was really hero material," Death Arms muttered, remembering back to the Sludge Villain Incident. "Guess that's on us for thinking powerful Quirk meant powerful hero, right?"
"Hopefully he'll get some help with that attitude," Mt. Lady said. "No one would trust a guy like him."
"So it's finally happening, huh?" Mashirao said, crossing his arms as the Hero Course students and the Big Three leaned towards the edge to look at the ring.
"Yea... I feel sorta bad. I know Bakugo's a complete ass, but he's probably gonna get absolutely destroyed by Furinji and Hero, huh?" Sen sighed. "The tantrum he's going to have is gonna be really bad, isn't it?"
"Hopefully Hero will keep a handle on Furinji's anger, no matter how justified it is," Mezo said.
"This will certainly... be a battle to witness," Yuga muttered, struggling to figure out a way to make it sound more fabulous than it is.
"... You can do it, Furinji..." Yui muttered.
"Man, I know we hate that Bakugo guy and all, but I'm really not sure if I'm looking forward to what's definitely a death sentence," one of the General Studies students said. "That Furinji guy's definitely gonna rip him apart limb from limb."
"Hopefully that'll open up a vacancy for one of us..." Daichi muttered.
"That's a bit too far, Ishimoto," Kirika said, unnerved. "Like, that Furinji guy seems kinda alright, to be honest. The more I think about it, the more I-"
"Don't tell me that you're crushing on the guy," Kosuke growled.
"N-no! Don't accuse me of something like that! It's just empathy, you fucking dumbass dog!"
"HEY DON'T CALL ME A DUMBASS!"
Hitoshi sighed as he looked from his seat, ignoring his three classmates' bickering. Honestly, he never expected to feel bad for Hiroshi. But the guy really... was alright, and if it he had a sibling that had gotten injured like that in front of millions, he'd probably go ballistic too.
Hopefully he doesn't do anything he'd regret.
For once, Mei was paying attention to the remaining rounds of the tournament. She had been working on some of her babies, but thankfully they weren't too badly damaged from the Cavalry Battle and her round with... whoever that was. What caught her attention though was when Fuka got her backpack exploded by that explodey guy, burning her back, and pissing off Hiroshi. Even that was horrifying to watch for the pink-haired mechanic.
She stared down at the ring, using her Quirk to get a better view of the ring from her seat. Mei was thankful for it, because otherwise she wouldn't have as easily watched from where she was sitting. Hopefully, Hiroshi will win, but... the way he acted down there was scary, even for her.
"Oh, it's finally time!" Virus said, watching the TV, eagerly awaiting for the combatants to get onto the stage. "Truly this will be a spectacle to behold, wouldn't it, you three?"
"This will be valuable intel," Kurogiri said. Illne sat there, absolutely silent as usual. Tomura grumbled, turning away from the TV, only to spot Stain's flattened body, making him turn away from that again. "Fucking gross..."
"Young Tomura, I hope you pay attention," the Teacher said through the monitor. "Aside from All Might, Ultraman Hero is the biggest threat to our plans. We might learn more about his abilities. We've already learned about his... 'Muscle Hercules' and 'Flash Hermes' forms aside from his regular one."
"What the fuck's with those names..." Tomura grumbled.
"I... I want to experiment on aliens! Mr. Virus, when will you provide me some alien samples!?" the Doctor said. "All this time we've spent together, and you've yet to provide aliens for me to work with-!"
"Now now, patience, Doctor," Virus said, waving his finger. "No sense in dragging in too many aliens yet when Earth has so many colorful characters already!"
"But I assure you-" his helmet flashed its red V, "- they'll be coming soon."
This was it.
It was time to show that Quirkless bastard and his alien where they belong.
It was all his and his sister's fault for getting all those pros against him. It was all his and sister's fault for getting the UA faculty to be upset with him, even when he was only doing his best to live up to expectations. How could he let people down if he wasn't the best at fighting?
Those two deserved whatever punishment he's going to dish out to him. He'll show the world who he is.
He's Katsuki Bakugo, the guy who's going to become the greatest hero on Earth, even greater than All Might.
"Are you ready, Hiroshi?" Hero asked, as Hiroshi walked towards the entrance to the field, hands in his pockets.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
He stepped onto the field, the crowd cheering, though many noticed his hardened expression, even from afar, causing some concern.
"And coming in from this side is... is..." Present Mic said, trailing off a bit.
"What's the matter, Present Mic?" Principal Nezu asked.
"I... don't know if it's appropriate to do an intro for a match like this."
"It's alright, Present Mic, you can!" Hiroshi said, giving him the okay.
"Oh, alright! And coming in from this side is the ultra big ultra strong hero! He's here for payback, it's the World's First Alien Hero, Hiroshi Furinji and Ultraman Herooooo!" Present Mic said, getting some energy back.
"Facing off against him is the grudge match of a lifetime! He's loud, he's way too proud, he's Explosion Man Katsuki Bakugo!"
Katsuki walked onto the field, boos and jeers coming out of the crowd instead of the cheering they did for Hiroshi. He gritted his teeth. He's gonna show them. He's way better than some Quirkless guy who lucked out and became an alien's host. He'll win them over.
"Are you both ready?" Midnight said.
"Not yet. You, change into your alien right now," Katsuki said, glaring at Hiroshi. "This won't be a satisfying fight if you're gonna come at me weak and Quirkless."
"... What?" Hiroshi said, narrowing his eyes at Katsuki.
"You heard me. Change into your alien right now. He's the only worthwhile challenge I'm gonna get here," Katsuki sneered.
"... What."
"... Is he seriously trying to piss Furinji off now?" Present Mic deadpanned.
"Bakugo..." Aizawa said, exasperatedly.
"This attitude problem goes a lot deeper than we thought," Vlad King grumbled.
"Oh my, this is certainly going to be added to the long list he needs to apologize for," Principal Nezu sighed.
"This entire Sports Festival, the only one who's consistently given me a good challenge is your alien!" Katsuki said. "No one else has come even close! Your sister, Lizardface, Icy Hot, even Deku don't compare to your alien!"
"... What."
"Is- Is Bakugo fucking mad?" Fuka said, as Katsuki went off on a tirade.
"That, or he's trying to provoke Hiroshi," Setsuna grumbled, crossing her arms. "Or both. Most likely both."
Izuku bit his lips. So this is what Katsuki thinks, huh? That was... definitely disappointing. Everyone's been giving it their all, and the only one he felt was worthy was Hero? Not even Hiroshi, just Hero? "Kacchan..."
"This is certainly going against any and all sorts of Sports Festival spirit, no matter what course anyone's in," Momo said, shaking her head.
"Bakugo's making it harder and harder to think he can change..." Kyoka sighed.
"I really hope Hiroshi won't snap and just break Bakugo in half," Pony said worryingly, though moreso that it'll get Hiroshi expelled from UA, even if for understandable reasons.
"This is getting worse and worse, isn't it?" Ochako muttered, biting her lip. "Bakugo's trying really hard to piss off Hiroshi..."
"This is just... this is... simply UNHEROIC!" Tenya said, biting his thumbnail. Just then, his phone started ringing. He checked the number. "Oh, that's my mother... I should go answer. Be right back."
Tenya walked out of the room, and picked his phone up. "Hello mother, how are you doing? I'm sorry that I hadn't made it to the finals-"
"Tenya! Thank god I got to you! Your brother, Tensei, he-"
"Mmmmmmmmm, Bakugo you bastard," Kosei said, gritting his teeth. "Are you seriously trying to find ways to piss Furinji off even more!?"
"Argh, I really don't like that we had to put our foot down on Bakugo like that," Mina said, tensing up. "But he's making it so easy to justify it more and more..."
"I can't believe UA really let in a maniac like that..." Sen said, shaking his head. "I mean, I like a good fight and all, but this is just... overboard."
"This is certainly... very concerning," Mirio said, his usual unflappable smile much smaller than earlier. "Hopefully a few sessions with Hound Dog could fix that... If he manages to stay in UA, at least."
"Come on, Furinji, don't lose your head..." Itsuka said, as Manga, Kinoko, Toru, and Yui stared down at the ring with her.
"Oh man, that's... going real far," Daichi said, him and his friends having quit their bickering once they heard what Katsuki had just said.
"Yea, that guy's... that guy's just nuts," Kosuke mumbled.
"It's unbelievable to think that he got into the Hero Course over literally anyone else," Kirika stated. "Like, anyone, not just us, would've been a better choice than him."
Hitoshi stared down at the ring, seeing how tense Hiroshi had gotten. This was... not looking good.
Mei grimaced as she watched Hiroshi tense up and glare at the explodey boy. He was... he was becoming scarier with each second. That guy should really lay off the trash talking, because it was really, really unnecessary. She used her Quirk to look for Hiroshi's parents; when she found them, they had some rather stony but obviously furious expressions on their faces.
"Geez, that Bakugo's really making it for any pro to want him as an intern," Death Arms said, sighing. "I'd be surprised if he got one offer for field training or internships..."
"Yea, this is crossing a line for sure," Mt. Lady said, getting more disgusted with Katsuki's attitude.
"Hopefully that Ultraman Hero kid won't lose it," Kamui Woods muttered.
"DAMMIT KATSUKI!" Mitsuki said, her hands almost tearing out her hair. "WHEN YOU'RE DONE HERE, YOU'RE GROUNDED FOR HALF A YEAR!"
"This is... certainly going to make his apology letter and Hound Dog sessions much longer," Masaru said, sighing. The two had been allowed to watch the rest of the First Years' Sports Festival from a room with a TV monitor, since it'd take a while to get back home, and they'd have missed the rest of the Sports Festival in that time. So far, Katsuki had continued to disappointed them. Seems like they're going to have to be much stricter now.
"You heard me! Your alien's the only worthwhile challenge here! So do it! Change into your alien right now!" Katsuki yelled. "Or are you gonna just go on a monologue about how you'll kick my ass!? Come on, where's the trash talk? Say something that's meaningless and useless to everyone, so I can prove that I'm better than you and that alien!"
"Bakugo, that is enough! If you keep talking like that-" Midnight said, before Hiroshi interrupted.
"I'm going to break you in half," he said, almost emotionlessly.
"Oh? You really think you can do-" Katsuki began to say.
"I'm going to turn you inside out."
"You think I'm scared-"
"I'm going to rip your limbs off one by one."
"Well-"
"I'm going to cave your skull in and shatter your teeth onto the ground."
"Um-"
"I'm going to snap your bones into two. I'm going to shred you into pieces. I'm going to toss you off a building. I'm going to set you on fire. I'm going to tear your heart out."
"Uh-"
"I'm going to take your ribs and use them as a xylophone. I'm going to put you into the ground where you belong. I'm going to strangle you and dunk your head into water-"
The audience, Midnight, Cementoss, and everyone watching from their TVs stared as he listed off many, many various and colorful threats as if they were nothing. Even Katsuki was speechless, not expecting all the things that Hiroshi said, especially with nearly no emotion.
"This match is can-" Midnight began to say, unnerved by all the things Hiroshi had just said, but he held his hand up, stopping her.
"That's the sort of thing I'd hear from people like you, Bakugo," Hiroshi said, seething as he spat out Katsuki's last name. Katsuki was taken aback by the sudden burst of vitriol in his voice. "You think you're the first one to not think highly of me? Just because I'm Quirkless? I've dealt with people like you before. People who were constantly praised for having strong Quirks, for being 'hero material', that it all got to your heads that you could get away with doing and saying whatever you want to others. Because who would stop you from doing it?"
"I've had classmates and teachers ignore what's happened to me because they didn't want to get on the wrong end of these 'strong potential heroes'. Because why would they, who cares about a Quirkless nobody like me? They're not going to go anywhere in a world where nearly everyone has a Quirk. Honestly, that's the biggest issue that this hero system has; it awards people like you for being born with powerful Quirks, even when you're a terrible, terrible person. It's not entirely flawed, there are a lot of people who genuinely are in it to help people, but every now and then we get people like you. The biggest difference between you and others like you is that you actually do work hard to get where you are, so that's admirable, if only barely."
"Honestly, I've been just tolerating you because of that, that somewhere deep in you, that you actually understood restraint and respect for others. But right now, what you said about Fuka, Setsuna, Todoroki, and Midoriya, and how you burned my sister's back in an overly reckless stunt that could've not only hurt you and her, but others around you as well... that just proves that you only care about others if they only provide a 'challenge' for you, just so you can rub it in that you're stronger, and that restraint is something completely foreign to you. You only feel satisfied if you've 'earned' it by beating them with your 'full power'."
"Yea, so what-!?"
"That's pretty big talk from someone who literally wouldn't have even been in this tournament in the first place. You got eighth place in the obstacle race, losing to me, Fuka, Setsuna, Todoroki, and Midoriya, who all placed higher than you. You had 0 points in the Cavalry Battle, and the only reason why you're here now, is because Ojiro, Shoda, and Rin decided that they didn't rightfully earn their places here and dropped out, and your team was the only other team to have had over 5,000,000 points at one point. 5,000,000 points that my team willingly let you take."
Veins were popping off on Katsuki's forehead. "You-!"
"You think we didn't plan on you doing that? We did it so that we wouldn't waste time guarding it when so many teams were after it. Face it. For all your talk about how Hero is the only worthy 'challenge' for you, you've done nothing but lose here. And instead of being humbled by it, you keep shutting your eyes and pretending that you've earned your place here, and that the only person who has beaten you is Hero. Everyone else's efforts, swept underneath the rug because you're fixated on beating Hero. Well, if you want to fight Hero so badly, then I'll oblige."
"Hold your hand and call out-!"
"HEROOOOO!"
A flash of light coated Hiroshi and Hero stood in his place instead, in his Original form. "Mr. Bakugo, I certainly hope that after this, you'll do some growing up. Miss Midnight, Hiroshi and I are ready. And I can assure you, we will be using the proper scale limit that we and the UA faculty agreed on for the Sports Festival."
"O-okay," Midnight said, biting her lips. She saw Hiroshi's point about how people with strong Quirks were rewarded, in spite of their personality, while people with weaker ones, not necessarily Quirkless, ended up suffering a lot. It was a flaw in the current hero system that needed to be worked on, especially since it was a common criticism that was always brought up. Midnight took a look at Katsuki, and saw the intense scowl and veins on his forehead. This boy...
"Are you both ready? 3! 2! 1! START!"
Upon the crack of her whip, Katsuki flew towards Hero in a massive Explosion, and before Hero moved, he landed giant Explosions onto him, covering Hero's half of the ring in smoke and dust.
In Hero's mental dimension, Hiroshi held out his arm out as he turned the Hero Hand's dial. "ORIGINAL! FLASH! MUSCLE! BURST!"
"Fire that blazes brighter than a sunburst!" Hiroshi cried out, slamming his left hand onto the stylized H. He reared his arm back, threw his hand into the air, and yelled, "Burn UP! HEROOOOO!"
"BURST HELIOS!"
"HA! TAKE THAT YOU FUCKING-" Katsuki yelled, when Hero's hand popped out of the smoke and right in front of his face, palm open. A small ball of heated air began to form in front of his palm. Katsuki's eyes opened wide, and he barely had time to move back when an explosion overcame his side of the ring.
"What's this!? Hero can throw out explosions too!?" Present Mic said, as the crowd's jaws dropped at the sight. "Since when-"
"I see. It's Hero's last form, Burst Helios," Aizawa said, realizing what was happening. "Only that form would be able to match Bakugo's explosions."
"Wait, he has another form!?"
"Don't you remember from the meetings?"
"No..."
"Hahaha, that form would certainly be tough for Mr. Bakugo to fight against!" Principal Nezu laughed, though a tinge of guilt was in his voice. Hiroshi certainly had a point, especially considering what had transpired earlier that day.
Katsuki coughed as he landed hard onto the ground, managing to avoid the attack. He checked his clothes and skin. No burns. He looked back at Hero, and in the parting dust and smoke, he saw him.
Hero's red and blue had switched places, leaving his body predominantly blue with red patches. He wore form fitting silver leg and arm bracers with large red gems on them, and hand guards that made it look like he was wearing red MMA gloves over his silver fingers. His shoulder pad armor was rounded with vent-like holes, while red silver-trimmed triangular torso armor covered his chest and shoulders, making it appear he was wearing a sleeveless martial arts dogi in a way. Unlike the other forms, this one had a more genuine belt with a sunburst buckle that connected to the triangular armor. His mask was now blue, though unlike the other forms, a v-shaped gem was above his brow, and the fins on the side of his head have changed shape and color, becoming blue, triangular, and pointed backwards.
"The FUCK!? What's up with this one!?" Katsuki growled, getting up. "Why can you use Explosions like me!?"
"This is Burst Helios!" Hero stated. "This form's weaker than Original in terms of strength and speed, but what it excels at, is fighting technique! With this form comes the ability to use fire and explosions much like yours, Mr. Bakugo! And I can resist all sorts of temperature changes with this form as well!"
"WHAT!?"
"Aw man, we should've figured he'd use Burst Helios against Bakugo!" Setsuna said, slapping her forehead. "That form's the perfect counter to someone like him and Todoroki!"
"So that's his last form!?" Izuku said, pulling out his Ultraman Hero and Aliens Journal #1 and scribbling furiously into it. "Burst Helios, and it grants him abilities similar to Kacchan and Todoroki by granting him fire and explosions, at the expense of strength and speed!?"
"If this one's fire, why is he blue?" Pony asked, noting the odd coloration for a fire-based form. "Shouldn't he have more red or something?"
"Actually, depending on how high the fire's temperature is, it can be blue instead of red or orange," Fuka answered. "But since I doubt Hiroshi and Hero want a repeat of what Bakugo did to me, they're just going to stick with heating up air and causing explosions that way."
"Bakugo's ego is definitely taking a blow from that," Kyoka said, as she watched Katsuki and Hero trade explosions on the TV. Just then, the door opened, and Tenya walked in, staring off into space. "Hey, Iida, you missed the beginning of the fight, Hiroshi and Hero just went off on-"
"I need to leave early," Tenya said, his fists tight. "My... my brother Tensei was... was attacked by a villain... I need to go see him."
"Oh no!" Ochako said, her hands over her mouth.
"How bad is it!?" Momo asked.
"My mother c-couldn't say, but I need to see him..."
"We understand," Fuka said, smiling. She pointed to her back. "Trust me, right now, we all understand you completely."
"That's right, Iida," Setsuna said, smiling at him and giving him a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "Go and see your brother."
"T-thank you," Tenya said, struggling to hold back his tears. He walked outside, and Fuka sighed sadly.
"So I guess we're not the only ones with an injured family member today," she said, as Hero dodged Katsuki's Explosion by pushing his arm away and delivering one of his own at him on the TV.
"Hero's got an explosion-based form, too!?" Denki said, watching the two combatants launch explosions after explosions. "Man, my ears are going to be ringing for a while thanks to this!"
"Not just that, he said he could use fire, too, right? That means he could potentially put Todoroki in a corner," Kosei pointed out.
Shoto closed his eyes. If Hiroshi and Hero were the ones he had fought instead of Izuku, would he be forced to use his fire earlier on? And from the looks of the fight, Hero actually had the edge on Katsuki. Maybe it was a good thing that they weren't fighting, then...
"Ultraman Hero certainly has a lot of tricks up his sleeve, doesn't he?" Mirio said, laughing.
"He's so cool!" Nejire said, sparkles in her eyes. "I need to ask him so many things!"
"It's scary to think that he's got all those powers, though," Tamaki muttered. "Just what can't he do..."
"Another form!?" Mt. Lady said, her eyes threatening to pop out of her head. "How many powers does this guy need!?"
"Man, being an alien just means that you're basically a one man army, huh?" Death Arms said, as he tossed his cigarette butt away after putting it out. "I don't want to imagine what would have happen if all the bad ones came and we were caught off guard."
"It would certainly be a bloodbath if that happened..." Kamui Woods grumbled.
"This- this is insane, viewers! Bakugo and Ultraman Hero are literally trading blows after blows, and there no stopping this fireworks show!" Present Mic said, as the PA system struggled to be heard over the explosions filling the air. "And it seems like Hero's putting Bakugo on the ropes!"
"DAMMIT, QUIT COPYING ME!" Katsuki roared, as he launched another Explosion at Hero. He took it head on, only to walk out of the smoke cloud unscathed and fired off an explosion of his own, sending Katsuki flying backwards. Katsuki growled as he used another Explosion to counterbalance himself, keeping himself from flying out of the ring. "HIT WITH ME THAT MUSCLE FORM OR THAT SPEED FORM!"
"No!" Hero said bluntly, as Katsuki flew towards him. He moved to the right, and slammed his hands onto Katsuki's back, knocking him to the ground before picking him up and tossing him away. Katsuki propelled himself away from the ring's edge and towards Hero again. "You wanted to prove you're the best? Try being me at your own game!"
"Shut up!" Katsuki yelled, throwing more and more Explosions at Hero, which barely budged him. "No one can beat me at using Explosions!"
"Let's see about that!" Hero shouted, crouching to the ground and slamming his hands onto it. "Sunspot Rupture!"
A series of pillar-shaped explosions came out of the ground, forcing Katsuki to take to the air. "Nice try! You-"
"Sun Flare!" Hero held his hands above his head and pointed at Katsuki, and a large explosion of light and dust flew out of his palms, almost blinding the aireborne teen if he hadn't closed his hands and maneuvered himself away from looking at it in time. Unfortunately, Hero had flown up, and took this opportunity to smack Katsuki back to the ground.
"Dammit! I can't believe it! The alien's actually skilled at this!" Katsuki thought, getting up as he kept throwing Explosions after Explosions at the undaunted alien. "He might- he might- NO! HE'S NOT BETTER THAN ME!"
"Had enough, Mr. Bakugo!?" Hero said, as he moved through the fire and smoke. "Your Explosions are getting weaker and weaker, and your arms look like they're locking up!"
"SHUT UP! STOP LOOKING DOWN ON ME!" Katsuki cried, fighting back the throbbing pain in his arms. He hated that Hero was right. Hero backhanded Katsuki who clawed at the ground to stop himself from rolling. "USE YOUR OTHER FORMS!"
"Are you that frustrated by someone who's able to use the same power as you, but better?" Hero said, sighing. "Not to mention that I've been holding back a lot, even when using the scale limiter."
"What!?"
"Have you not noticed that I hadn't even used actual fire in any of my attacks?" Hero pointed out, as Katsuki's eyes widened. "Hiroshi and I have been purposefully making sure we don't have a repeat of what you did to his sister. To teach you about restraint."
"You- YOU-! QUIT LOOKING DOWN ON ME! USE ALL OF YOUR POWER ON ME!" Katsuki screamed, using an Explosion to push himself away from Hero to get some distance between them. He held his palms close together, a sphere of light forming between them. "Let's see how much you'll hold back if you can't see!"
Unbeknownst to Katsuki, Hero was doing something similar, as a small ball of light and fire formed between his palms, though he held his hands near his chest.
"STUN-"
"SUN-"
"GRENADE!"
Katsuki released his hold on his sphere of light, whereas Hero clapped his hands together. An explosion of light and smoke filled the arena.
"HOLY SMOKES MY EYES THAT IS BRIGHT!" Present Mic cried, as people closed their eyes and ears. "OW!"
"Honestly, given the history of Bakugo's usage of his Quirk and how Hero's Burst Helios works similarly, we should've expected something like that," Aizawa said, thankful that he wasn't able to see much through his bandages in the first place. "Hopefully people were fast enough to keep their eyes closed and ears covered."
"What part of that is holding back!? Argh, my eyes!" Vlad King said.
"Don't look directly at the light, Vlad King."
"DAMMIT! Now you're copying my moves!?" Katsuki said, rubbing his eyes with his forearm as the smoke cleared. To his shock, Hero was now directly in front of him, and he was backhanded once again.
This was bad. He was getting tired. It was always the Quirkless bastard and his alien that did this to him. This never happened before. He was... He was...
"I'm so sick of you! Ever since you came to UA, all you've done is cheat, cheat, cheat! You cheated your way into UA by being Quirkless and getting an alien to possess you! You cheated in our Heroes vs. Villains exercise with using that gear you didn't even make! You cheated by showing off new forms that no one knows about, like right now! I... I HATE YOU!" Katsuki shrieked.
"Are you fucking serious!?"
Katsuki eyes widened, as did Midnight's and Cementoss's. Everyone in the audience likewise did the same. No one expected Hiroshi's voice to be coming out of Hero.
"That's the big reason you still hate me!? That you think I cheated!? Are you kidding me!? What... what childish nonsense! I knew and fully expected people to be unhappy with how I got in, but for you to be that hung up on my entry for this long!?" Hiroshi said. He began putting up fingers as he listed, "First, you nearly kill me and my teammates in the Heroes vs. Villains exercise with a device that's built to hold as much of your sweat as possible for a giant fiery explosion! Second, Midoriya's told me about your past together, so I know you've been an asshole for longer over similar things with him! And third, you burned my sister's back! And you justify hating me by still hanging onto the idea that I cheated!?"
"You're by far the most infuriating person I've ever dealt with! If you hate me for that simple reason, then I HATE YOU THREE TIMES AS MUCH RIGHT NOW! But you know what? I'm going to let this go. You're not worth the time to keep a grudge with. When this is over, I'm never going to bother with you ever again."
"D-did you know that Hiroshi could talk through Hero like that?" Ochako said to Fuka and Setsuna, whose jaws were dropped.
"N-no! This is the first time Hiroshi's talked through Hero like how they do when Hero's possessing him!" Setsuna said, as everyone's eyes went wide.
"H-how is this possible then!?" Izuku asked.
"I-I don't know!" Fuka answered. "This- I- Did Bakugo piss Hiroshi off so much that he gained a new ability!?"
"That's insane!" Pony said, as she kept looking between everyone and the TV.
"Wow, I didn't know that Furinji could talk through Hero also, must've missed that at the meetings," Present Mic said on the PA system. "Wait, why do you three look like you've seen a ghost?"
"This... this was not a part of the established abilities that Furinji and Hero have shown us," Aizawa said, at a loss for words.
"Indeed, this is a new development," Principal Nezu said.
"Wait, what!? Are you serious!?"
"How did you do that, Hiroshi?" Hero asked, just as surprised. "This is... not something I thought we could do."
"I don't know, but I don't care," Hiroshi muttered, pitching his nonhuman nonexistence eyebrows. "I'm handing back control to you anyways, I'm done here..."
Hiroshi took a deep breath, and when he exhaled, Hero's voice had taken its place.
Katsuki screamed as he stood up. "How- How- HOW DARE YOU LOOK DOWN ON ME LIKE YOU KNOW ANYTHING!?"
He launched himself into the air with Explosion after Explosion, going higher and higher, as if he were trying to look down on Hero. "I've worked my entire life to get here! I deserve my place! All you've done is get a free ride! If you really belong here, then try stopping this attack!"
Hero looked up, and watched as Katsuki began to spin himself in a tornado of smoke and flying towards him. "This is the accumulation of all my training and studying of my Quirk! This is the HOWITZER IMPACT!"
A sphere of fire and light formed in Katsuki's palm, and he threw it into Hero, creating another giant cloud of light, fire, and smoke that filled the ring, covering both of them.
"Dang, another big explosion! I can't see anything!" Present Mic said.
"Dammit!" Midnight muttered, as the force of the explosion threatened to knock her off her feet. "I should've stopped this fight long a- go?"
As the smoke cleared, everyone saw Katsuki's fists in Hero's hands, the teen being held above the ground by them. He struggled, but his arms and hands had locked up from overusing his Quirk during the entire fight.
"Im-Impossible! How could you stop that!? This- This is my strongest move!" Katsuki cried, tears streaming down his face. He couldn't believe it.
He couldn't beat the alien.
"This is your loss," Hero said plainly. With a mighty grunt, he began swinging the distraught teen around in a circle, before letting go, making Katsuki fly towards the edge of the ring.
"No- NO! Work, DAMMIT!" Katsuki screamed, trying to use his Explosions to push himself away. But it was no use. His arms and hands were stiff from Quirk overuse, and he landed on the edge of the ring, rolling out onto the grass.
"Katsuki Bakugo is out of the ring! Hiroshi Furinji moves on to the finals!" Midnight decreed, as the crowd erupted into a loud riotous cheer over Hero's and Hiroshi's victory as light covered Hero and Hiroshi stood in his place, his back to Katsuki.
"NO! NO NO NO!" Katsuki cried, slamming his hands onto the ground. "This- This isn't how this was supposed to go! I'm supposed to be the best! I- I earned my place by working hard! You- You're not supposed to be here at all!"
"Are you still going on about that?" Hiroshi said, his hands in his pockets as he walked off, not even glancing back at his distraught opponent. "I'm sorry that I got here on terms unlike yours, but I've been working my ass off to prove myself as well. And so far, everyone but you and others like you have had issues with it. I've done and said my piece, and I've paid you back for what you did to Fuka. Later, Bakugo. Hope you do some self reflection."
"G-GET BACK! I- THIS IS-!"
Katsuki watched Hiroshi's back get smaller and smaller as he walked away into the hallway, helpless to stop the Quirkless teen from leaving. He didn't even turn his head around to look at him. He struggled to push himself up with his pained arms. "THIS ISN'T OVER! THIS WASN'T A FIGHT! YOU SAID THAT YOU GIVE IT YOUR ALL, BUT YOU DIDN'T-"
A strange pink gas started to surround Katsuki. He felt woozy, before falling asleep altogether. Midnight sighed as she and Cementoss walked over with a pair of robots that put the unconscious teen on a stretcher.
"I suppose... their grudge isn't over," Cementoss sighed, watching the teen being rolled away. "At least, not on Bakugo's part..."
"Indeed, this is... very concerning," Midnight muttered. She was glad that Katsuki was going to get the necessary help after the Sports Festival, but still... she was worried about the teen.
"Wow, Hiroshi did it! He beat Bakugo!" Pony cheered, though her mood instantly dampened. "So... why does this not feel like a victory?"
"Probably 'cuz it felt... really, really tense?" Kyoka suggested. "I mean, I'm glad that Hiroshi beat Bakugo for you for sure, but at the same time..."
"No, I get it," Fuka replied. She touched her back and flinched. Still sensitive, but at least doing better (Recovery Girl gave her a stink eye for that though). "For all of his faults, Bakugo's still, you know, a person..."
"It was also... unsettling when Hiroshi listed off all those things that people like Bakugo have said to him. Is that really true, you two?" Momo asked, as Fuka and Setsuna nodded.
"Yep. It's pretty much why we became his 'guardians' when we were growing up," Setsuna said, sighing. "Granted, most of them came from Takagi and his goons, but nothing ever came from them 'cuz, well, he's Hiroshi, and us and our friend Tsubasa were around, too. But there were others like them, it's just that those guys were the worst and most persistent ones."
"I mean, Bakugo's a giant jerk for sure, but it was kinda... scary seeing Hero just take him on like it was nothing," Ochako said. "Like, that just kinda hammered in how powerful he and Hiroshi can be, even when they're showing restraint."
"I mean, was it too much restraint? Like, Kacchan did have a point about him just using one form the entire time, he-" Izuku started to say.
"Midoriya, I'm pretty sure that Bakugo would've been absolutely destroyed if he used Muscle Hercules, Flash Hermes, and Original in addition to Burst Helios. They all have their different strengths and weaknesses, and that's a part of holding restraint. That sometimes, you have to choose a more appropriate set of abilities for the situation. I mean, if you can do something like change forms or stances at least, like Hero and Hiroshi," Fuka said, stopping him. "Seriously, you really need to learn the difference between 'giving it your all' and 'knowing restraint'. Todoroki needs to learn about giving it his all while reasonably restraining himself. Bakugo needs to learn even more restraint and control, as well as figure out more about what his Quirk can do to outside objects."
"I... I understand," Izuku sighed. He knew that he was still hung up on his admiration for Katsuki, and that it wasn't healthy, like what his friends have been pointing out. But he spent so long chasing after him, seeing him as the strongest person there is, so who else could he-
"Hey guys," Hiroshi said, opening the door and walking in. He looked around, and noticed that they were one down. "Where's Iida?"
"He... he left early, his brother... got attacked by a villain," Fuka said, biting her lip.
"No way, really!? Damn, this is just... this is just not anyone's day for siblings," Hiroshi said, sighing. "Well, at least one of us got to pay back their sibling's assailant and then some..."
"Yea... Hiroshi, are you alright?" she asked, concerned. "Like, you showed off an ability that none of us knew about. When were you going to show that you could talk through Hero like he can through you?"
"That's... the thing. We didn't know I could do that, either."
"What!?" everyone shouted.
"Yea, the stuff that Bakugo was saying really, really poked all my buttons, but it wasn't really until that he gave me his reason for hating me that I really felt the need to say something back at him," Hiroshi said, scratching his head. "It's just... I'm sure it's nothing, just a one time thing, right? Probably was just... overly emotional."
"Still, it is something to keep in mind for the future. This wasn't something I was even aware could happen. All I knew was that you could influence my actions," Hero said to him.
"So you're saying that you might actually get more abilities based on your emotions?" Setsuna asked, her eyes popping off her head.
"Maybe? I don't know. Well, on another note," Hiroshi turned to face Izuku, "- looks like it's us in the finals, huh, Midoriya?"
"That's... that's right!" Izuku said, nodding. "So please, fight me with what you got, even if you're restraining yourself!"
"Of course, Midoriya. Good luck to you," Hiroshi said, holding his fist out for a fist bump.
"Same to you," Izuku responded, returning it, before they headed out to their waiting rooms.
"Man, that was... brutal, wasn't it?" Mina said, as they tried to process the fight between Hiroshi and Hero against Katsuki.
"Do you think that was enough to change Bakugo?" Eijiro asked, still worried about the overly tempermental teen.
"Dude, it's gonna take a lot more than just getting the shit beaten out of him to change his personality," Denki answered. "This is just like, the first step I guess?"
"Still, wasn't it kinda... scary to see?" Toru fretted. "Like I know those two were holding back a lot, but the way they just shrugged off all of Bakugo's attacks was intimidating..."
"It's just a reminder that even when they're holding back, that Hiroshi and Hero are just on a whole 'nother level, right?" Mashirao said.
"I hope that Hiroshi and Bakugo will have resolved their differences soon," Ibara said, clasping her hands together. "Because it seems that... they're both still hung up on them in different ways..."
"That certainly was a great fight on both their parts, though!" Mirio said, trying to lighten the mood. "They really gave it their all, even if Hiroshi and Hero were holding back. I wonder what it would be like if they fought an alien that could take their full power at this size, though. That would be a sight, wouldn't it?"
"Yea, yea, this was a great fight! I have sooooo many questions for them!" Nejire said, hopping up and down in her seat.
"That guy... is super scary," Tamaki grumbled, getting up and putting his head against a wall. "Real scary..."
"At the very least, I think this will be an experience he can talk to Hound Dog about," Itsuka said, shrugging.
"Damn, and to think, I could've gone up against that guy in the Heroes vs. Villains exercise..." Tetsutetsu said, shivering at the thought.
"I wish my Quirk could copy Hero's powers!" Neito said, gritting his teeth. "Wait... I should try-"
"Don't think about it, Monoma," Itsuka said, shaking her head. "You'll probably explode if you try copying an alien..."
"... he's still not smiling..." Yui whispered, noting how when Hiroshi left the field, he looked... sad for some reason.
"... I can't believe we thought we could take that guy on," Daichi said, their jaws dropped after the fight was finished.
"Yea, that was nuts," Kosuke gulped, remembering all the times he held Hiroshi by the shirt collar. "And to think, that that was him holding back..."
"That... that was hot," Kirika muttered, slightly blushing.
"I KNEW IT! You do have a dumb crush on him!"
"So what if I do!? It doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes, unlike you!"
Hitoshi sighed as Kosuke and Kirika bickered. So that was the guy who supported his dream of becoming a hero, huh? To think that he had the approval of someone so... strong, it really was invigorating.
And frightening as well.
Mei bit her lip as the crowd cheered. While it wasn't unwarranted, since Hiroshi did deserve it, and that explodey guy probably learned a lesson, something was just... off about the whole thing. Maybe it was Hiroshi's almost lack of emotion leaving the field compared to the explodey guy's tantrum, or how Hiroshi didn't help him up like his other opponents, or just... the absolute slaughter fest that was the fight, especially towards the end with that explodey guy's attack that he and Hero stopped like nothing.
Honestly it might've been the last one. It all just reiterated to Mei that Hero, as heroic and helpful as he is, was a nigh-invincible alien who could take any human's strongest attack and shrug it off without a care. To think that someone like that could exist was... frightening.
"Damn, that was a brutal landslide win for that Ultraman Hero kid," Death Arms whistled, both impressed and intimidated. "Definitely taught that Bakugo kid a lesson."
"Yea, glad he did, but the kid and his alien are too strong!" Mt. Lady grumbled, grinding her teeth. "How will any of us be able to overshadow that!?"
"At the very least he'll be sticking to alien threats as part of his and UA's agreement for now, right?" Kamui Woods said, shrugging. "So we'll at least have three years before he's officially allowed to take on human villains and criminals."
"Considering the fact that we had those two giant alien attacks recently, that'll probably be more often than we think," Death Arms chuckled. "Honestly, I'm glad that the kid's at least going through this the legal way, no matter how unusual it is. Better this than vigilantism."
"If more aliens come, I'll handle them with him," Mt. Lady said, puffing out her chest, before whispering to herself, "I won't let him take the spotlight away from me without a fight..."
Mitsuki took a deep breath, and sighed. "Well... I suppose that was one step in Katsuki's punishment..."
"Yea..." Masaru said, crossing his arms. "Though that was... rather difficult to watch happen."
The two sighed. Maybe if they had been better at balancing out the constant praise their son would get, he wouldn't have been humiliated like this. They wanted to comfort Katsuki, but at the same time, they knew he had crossed a line by burning Fuka's back, and in a way, Hiroshi's fight was a part of the punishment.
They just didn't expect it to be as brutal to watch as it was.
Kenji gritted his teeth. Throughout the entire televised UA Sports Festival, seeing Hiroshi doing so well pissed him off. He didn't earn that at all. He lucked out. He should've been the one that Hero chose as his host, he was there too! And he wasn't some Quirkless loser, he had one! Just imagine what Hero could've done with someone actually useful.
"Damn, that was crazy," a girl who had a "hair bun" that resembled a tulip said. "Furinji and his alien really dominated that entire fight."
"Tch, I can take him on..." Kenji muttered.
"Yea right, Takagi," a boy with eight eyes with four glasses said. "Just be glad that Furinji isn't coming back here and whooping your ass."
"Yea, I'm pretty sure all those threats he listed were mostly from you and your squad," the fin-eared girl muttered. "He definitely remembers all that shit you said."
"Like he's got the balls," Kumataro grumbled. "He'll always just be Worthless Quirkless."
"Yea, just No-Good No-Quirk Hiro to me," Kin'ichi added, as everyone shook their heads at the three.
"Eugh, I think I need to go to the bathroom," Ryunosuke said, getting up and rushing out of the room.
"The fuck's his problem?" Kenji said, raising an eyebrow.
"Wow, your friend just fucking DESTROYED that Bakugo guy," a muscular boy with a black horse head named Umataro Yasuda said, after they finished watching Hiroshi's fight with Katsuki. "Dude just straight up WRECKED him."
"You gotta introduce us to him at some point," Kaira Narumi, a girl with long seafoam green hair and cerulean eyes, said, completely in awe of Tsubasa's friend.
"This Furinji guy ROCKS!" Fuon Ongaku said, headbanging. "He's got my blood pumping!"
"Tensou, is something wrong?" Saaya Hamasaki, a girl with a sand-colored pixie cut, green eyes, and freckles asked, noticing that Tsubasa was still worried looking.
"It's nothing, I just... I'm a little worried that this isn't actually the end of their grudge," Tsubasa admitted.
"I don't blame you for thinking like that," Sun'ichi Kamio, a boy with short white hair with long bangs over his right eye, muttered. "Grudges like that don't instantly disappear 'cuz of one fight."
"You can talk to him, his sister, and your other friend about it later," Makino Tamayama, a girl with round orange hair that made her head look like a ball, assured her. "I'm sure they'll keep you up to date on all the things that happened since they're your friends!"
"Yea..." Tsubasa said, watching Hiroshi disappear into the hallway where he entered from. "Hopefully it'll be alright..."
"Bravo! Bravo! What a superb ending to that grudge match!" Virus said, clapping as he watched Hiroshi walking away from Katsuki. The red V flashed on his helmet. "Simply... enlightening."
"Dammit, just how overpowered is that fucking alien!?" Tomura growled, scratching at his neck. This was beyond frustrating. Not only did he have that super strength form and that super speed form, he had a fire-based form as well? What can't these fucking aliens do?
"Is there any way to beat someone like him?" Kurogiri asked, concerned.
"Yes."
"... Are you going to share them with us?" Tomura asked, eyes narrowed.
"No."
"Why the fuck not!? What's the point of you being here if you don't tell us shit or give us aliens!?"
"Patience, Shigaraki," Virus said, shaking his head. "The things that can beat Ultramen are many, but they've always overcome them in the end, so it's not like what I can will definitely keep them down for good. It's better to see what you can do-"
The pressure from the USJ came back as the red V flashed on his helmet again. Tomura and Kurogiri attempted to withstand it, but it was still as heavy as it was back then. "- so you can crush them thoroughly."
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- Here it is, the Hiroshi vs Katsuki fight! And boy, was it fun to write! Especially the beginning dialogue of their fight, I was looking forward to that.
- Now we finally have the last form, Burst Helios! If you need an easier image to imagine how his head looks, it's sorta like the Gundam Astraea's head.
- With the reveal of this last form, it's time for me to go into some depth about them: They're all based on the elements and styles in addition to being themed after Greco-Roman mythological figures, excluding Original (since that's his base form). Original is Water and Balanced (while not obvious since this one's mostly red, he uses energy "waves", and he does have some water-based attacks that's he's yet to use); Muscle Hercules is Earth and Strength; Flash Hermes is Wind and Speed; and Burst Helios is Fire and Technique.
- He can use the elements in their respective forms, but for the most part, he's only ever really needed to use the "style" aspects until Burst Helios, which makes extensive use of it in comparison to the other three. As for it being an inverted color scheme of Original, I always wanted a blue form, but I had decided from the beginning that Original was going to be Water, in spite of the prevalence of red. And hey, fire can be blue, too, so it's justifiable.
- Man, I cannot reiterate how serendipitous that decision to use the compressed air backpack explosion was for the Fuka vs. Katsuki fight. In the original version I had in mind, it was just Hiroshi being angry that Katsuki simply didn't consider his fights with Fuka and Setsuna as being a challenge. But now that Katsuki had actually injured Fuka severely, Hiroshi got a more legitimate reason as to be mad at him. Really was luck on my end.
- I actually had a lot of this done, it just took a while to really "finish" because I ended up typing up short notes for the Isamu Class 1A kids. And I got to say, the more I wrote for them, the more I ended up really liking them. So we'll probably see more of the Isamu Class 1A kids in the story than intended. Especially since Tsubasa's a friend of Hiroshi, Fuka, and Setsuna. At the point I introduced Machiko, she was the only one who I had definitely came up with. But now the rest of my "Isamu Class 1A" OCs are here.