"All right, ladies and gentlemen! its time for round two of the student showdown! Can I get a YYYEEEEEAAAAHHHH!" Present Mic cupped an ear, waiting for the expected uproar. Getting what he wanted, he smirked. "Awesome! Now, it's time to pair the students up!"
Midnight looked as if she turned a dial, and a list if names shuffled. Eventually, the names stopped shuffling, and everyone looked on with excitement at seeing the matches.
Student showdown: Round Two:
Asui, T. vs. Kodai. Y
Ojiro, M. vs. Todoroki, S.
Tokoyami, F. vs. Shinso, H.
Jirou, K. vs. Yaoyorozu, M.
Kirishima, E. vs. Midorya, I.
In the student box, everyone turned to look at the counselor, he smirked.
Izuku glanced at the students. "We didn't tell you?" Seeing their heads shake left and right, he laughed. "What was planned was that the last remaining competitor fight against the most qualified faculty member, and that happened to be me, since I'm not a registered hero, as well as your age. The only condition was that I hold back, and by holding back, making it more realistic for the festival. Seeing as I don't have a quirk either, made it fair to those who are running the show."
He locked eyes with Kirishima. "I'm looking forward to seeing how you fare against me." Kirishima nodded, a shark like grin spreading across his features.
Eri was confused. She looked at the red guy and back at her caretaker. She pulled at his sleeve. "Is Mister mad at red guy?" The girls gushed at her behaviour, wanting nothing more than to dote on her.
Izuku smiled at Eri, ruffling her hair. "No, Eri. The mouse man wanted us to fight, to make it even for the students.
{1 hour ago}
Izuku brought her around to the staff (sans Midnight) and introduced his newly adopted daughter to them. They all liked her, and Eri especially loved Nezu, who she affectionately called him "Mr. Mouse man." He was just as caring, calling her "Izuku's little unicorn". He gave her an apple and sent the two on their way.
Present Mic scared her, at first, with his loud voice. When told he was too loud, he was quick to adjust his volume, and gave her a yellow hair pin he'd use for tying up his hair.
Aizawa liked her, enough. He was passive and uninterested at first, but he warmed up to her when she sat in his lap, playing with his hair. Mic quickly took pictures and sent them to the rest of his coworkers, including Aizawa.
Snipe and Powerloader instantly took to being uncles of sorts, and decided they would buy her presents whenever they could. Izuku was hesitant to agree, but conceded when he remembered Eri didn't have much due to her upbringing.
Eri immediately had a dislike for All Might, which no one understood other than Izuku. Yagi was big and bulky, which reminded Eri of the man in the alley. When All Might was in his skeletal form, she liked him. All Might was the most baffled, considering children liked him most in his power form.
The rest of the staff liked playing with her, and were quick to allow Izuku to bring her to work, to "Learn about hero work". Izuku thought it more as an excuse to play with Eri, not that she minded. Izuku didn't protest to it. If Eri was going to be happy, who was he to deny her?
Midnight was the only one he refused to show Eri to. There was no need for the scantily clad woman to be a negative impact on Eri. In the future, Eri could possibly interact with the woman, but for now, Izuku thought it'd be best that she have positive female role models, like recovery girl, or The Wild Wild Pussycats, or even Ms. Joke, who taught at another hero school.
Looking at his students, he noticed class 1-B sulking, despite two of their students making it to the second round. He walked in front of them, grabbing a chair as he did so.
"Hey, 1-B, I know you're all feeling down about this." The students all looked towards him, nodding. "But that's not a reason to feel too badly about this! You all were amazing!"
Each student arched a brow, some feeling worse than the others.
Taking this as his cue to go on, he smiled. "All of 1-B made it past the obstacle race, and some of you progressed through the calvary battle! And only a couple of you even surpassed your 1-A counterparts and are now in the second round! I am thoroughly impressed by how each of you did today. Remember, you have a couple more tries of reaching the top, so don't let this get you down."
He nodded at the two students that are in the second round.
"Remember, two of your classmates are in the second round, so why let your defeat get in the way of backing your classmates up? Support is one of the most valuable tools in the hero field, trust me. So are you all going to sulk in defeat, or are you going to pump your classmates up and show that 1-B cannot be defeated?!"
The 1-B students perked up and smiled. Each rose a fist in the air and screamed "PLUS ULTRA!"
Izuku grinned. "Thats what I like to hear!"
If things were different, would I be in their shoes?
"Starting The second round is a pair of hardworking students! On the left field is a girl who uses agility to her advantage! She's definitely a tough opponent to catch! She's tough! She's adorable! She's Tsuyu Asui!!!"
The crowd roared ag the introduction, clearly rooting for the frog like girl.
"On the right field, she's a silent foe who knows how to take you down! She's resilient with a side of tough! It's Yui Kodai!"
The introduced girl lightly blushed at the introduction. She focused, glancing at the student box, where Izuku stayed. She nodded, more determined than ever to win this. If not for her, then for him.
She accepted, rather hesitantly, to a wager, after all.
Setsuna dragged Yui out of the stands and pulled her into a resting area outside the student box. Setsuna had a Cheshire grin as Yui struggled to escape the vernadette.
"Yui. Let's make a deal."Yui stopped her struggle and looked to her handler for the moment, her eyes speaking for her."
Yui, I know you're not good at words, but if you lose this match, you have to talk to Mr. Midorya out. To lunch, dinner, whatever."Yui didn't show a response, but internally she was panicking. Setsuna continued. "However, if you win this match, you can continue to hide your little feelings until some other girl takes her chance to whisk him away." Yui's eyes slightly widened at that."
Do we have a deal?"Yui took a moment to think.
"Ok."
As of now, Yui began to regret accepting the deal.
"Start!"
Yui stared her opponent down with apathetic eyes before the frog like girl whipped her toungue at her. Yui instinctively dodged the tongue and grabbed it. She should have been surprised, but she kept her cool no matter what.
Tsuyu struggled to yank her toungue back as Yui strengthened her hold on it. She widened her eyes as she was pulled straight towards the calm girl and clotheslined. Rubbing her neck as she recovered, she was batted away by a huge chunk of rock, courtesy of Yui.
Yui grabbed the opponent and stomped on her hip, sending her back to the ground in pain.
She had to win.
She had to win.
Would it even be that bad to lose?
Tsuyu stood up shakily and watched as the silent girl paused, appearing to be caught in her own musings. Frowning, Tsuyu rushed at Kodai and attempted to kick her, but was ultimately surprised when Kodai suddenly grabbed her foot and tossed her away, similar to a rag doll.
Yui didn't know what happened. One second she had knocked the frog girl down, and the next thing she knew, the frog girl was sailing in the opposite direction.
In the stands, Midorya smiled.
Yui watched with empty eyes as Tsuyu leapt back at her, and with an apologetic gaze grabbed onto the frog girls dominant leg and promptly smashed it with an elbow, hearing a sickening crunch.
Tsuyu refused to give her opponent the satisfaction of a scream.
She had to win.
For her siblings.
To prove to all those who looked down at her and her family that she could be the hero she needed to be.
The only one that knew of this aspiration was watching her lose.
Her leg hurt so much. It was hard to think, hard to move. A new mantra formed in her head.
It hurts.
It hurts.
It hurts.
Tsuyu tried to get up. She struggled so hard, and promptly collapsed once more, tears leaking like a broken faucet.
She could do this, she just needed to get up!
The mantra played like a scratched record.
Get Up.
Get Up.
Get Up.
Eventually, she did, with the help of her arms. She looked straight ahead. Kodai was just standing there, watching her struggle.
Why was she not beating the everlasting life out of her?
Tsuyu slowly limped to her opponent, tears still running. She ignored the cries of the audience. She ignored the commentary of Present Mic. She only focused on Kodai.
It was like time slowed to an everlasting speed. Tsuyu felt her movements. They were sluggish. She felt weak, vulnerable.
Tsuyu raised a fist, and delivered a weakened punch to Yui's Torso.
She knew it wouldn't be strong.
Her arms never were.
She always focused on her legs.
God, it was like she was underwater, but this time, the water worked against her.
Was this how everyone else felt when they drowned?
Tsuyu watched with slumped shoulders when Kodai didn't move, didn't flinch, didn't blink.
Kodai only stared with that apathetic look in her eyes.
Kodai, on the other hand, was filled with curiosity. What made this frog girl move, even after losing an essential limb? What kept her going?
What did Asui have that she lacked?
Eventually, after many weakened hits to her chest, she decided enough was enough.
Kodai caught the hand that attempted to hit her, and pulled Asui into a hug.
Asui stiffened, and cried.
Tsuyu didn't stop crying. She didn't know why. She knew that this route was a possibility, but she didn't imagine that it would be a reality. She just didn't know exactly why she cried.
Tsuyu knew she lost.
But, she gained a friend.
Kodai whispered. Tsuyu never heard anything out of her before.
"Let's get you to the infirmary."
Tsuyu nodded, accepting her fate. She looked over to Midnight, who was in tears from the interaction.
With a shaky voice, she confirmed her loss.
"I give up. I can't continue."
Midnight silently nodded, and announced the victor.
Neither Kodai or Tsuyu heard her. They were just focused on moving.
Kodai looked to the student box, and didn't express her smile when Setsuna gave her a thumbs up.
She only blushed lightly when Izuku looked towards them, concern written all over.
{Student box}
Everyone was speechless.
Most had tears in their eyes.
Two were bawling.
"So MANLY!" Tetsutetsu and Kirishima held on to each other, crying their eyes out at the display. It was unlike anything they've seen before.
Izuku picked Eri up, placed her on his shoulders, and walked out. No one questioned him. He headed to the infirmary.
Everyone just sat there, except for Momo, who was creating tissues for everyone to use. Even she was crying.
No one knew what happened, all they knew was Tsuyu was crying before attempting to hit Kodai, and Kodai was being a friend. Not many in 1-A knew the girl well, but they always saw the girl as the most calm out of the class.
Watching her break down in battle broke all of them.
They watched as she collapsed, repeatedly, with many futile attempts to get up.
They watched as Tsuyu threw close to nonexistent punches, noticing when tears were streaming down her face as she did so.
It was eye opening to everyone, but none as much as the two students who knew her best.
Ochako and Iida were shell shocked at the display. They were ashamed that they didn't try to get to know the real Tsuyu, instead of taking in the comfort of her level headedness. They didn't even try to know her.
The only one that knew was Izuku.
He had to know, it was his job; He knew what made her strive to be a hero. He knew she'd go the extra mile to make her siblings and parents proud.
He knew that she didn't have many friends, which is another reason for her diligence. If she wasn't going to work hard for friends, it was going to be for family.
He respected that.
Seeing her break was something he didn't expect, which was why he had to see her.
He had to make sure she was ok.
He knew the next match would be fine, but Tsuyu probably wouldn't be.
Present Mic finished wiping the tears out of his eyes, and once again spoke into the mic. "Okay, after that moving show, lets move onto the next round!"
The audience, slowly but surely, moved on from the spectacle that was the first match. Their cheers increased in volume, and finally rose up to how it was. They watched as the two students walked to their respective places in the field.
"On the left field, he managed to escape the island of acid from his first match, and his tail is one of the fastest limbs I've seen! Give it up for Masahiro Ojiro!"
Ojiro bowed to the audience as they cheered for him.
"And on the right field, he's a master of ice and flames! He's the ultimate dream team in one body! He's cool and collected, and can get fired up in no time, it's Shouto Todoroki!"
Todoroki blushed lightly and stared his opponent down, and smiled when he heard his siblings cheer louder for him.
"Begin!"
"Tsuyu, Yui, are you two in here?"
Izuku knocked on the entrance of Recovery Girl's domain, and smiled softly when he saw Yui sitting on a chair next to Tsuyu's bed.
Yui noticed him and lightly smiled, and Tsuyu was more preoccupied with her own musings.
He walked to Tsuyu and knelt next to her bed. He grasped her hand, drawing her attention.
"Hey, you ok? I saw what happened on the field." His tone was warm, and comforting. Tsuyu blushed lightly at the contact, and looked at her lap.
"I'm-I'm not sure, ribbit."
Izuku looked at Yui. "I think we'll be ok, I'll talk to you after I talk to Tsuyu. Can you wait outside, please?"
Yui blushed and nodded, walking out the door. She looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it.
Hearing the door close, Izuku focused his attention on the bed bound girl. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
Silence answered him.
"It's ok if you don't what to talk, I'll just be right here until you feel like it, if you want to." Her relaxed in the chair, placing Eri on his lap. Eri responded by grabbing his ponytail, and started to play with it.
Ojiro vaulted over a glacier of ice, again. He was getting tired, his tail even had ice building up on it! He didn't know it, but Todoroki was tiring out as well.
Todoroki was getting frostbite. Once again he refused to use his flames. Old habits die hard, he guessed. He wasn't going to change his mindset for a while.
They both ignored Present Mic's comments about the match, solely focusing on themselves. After the fifteenth sheet of ice, Todoroki cursed.
How was he going to beat this acrobat?
Tsuyu croaked every so often, not knowing exactly what to say to Izuku. She wanted to tell him anything, but nothing came out.
"Tsuyu."
She shuddered. His voice was so cold? She watched his gaze lower to her legs.
Oh.
Oh no.
"Tsuyu, what are those?" She shivered, she knew he'd find out eventually. Everyone always did.
He moved closer, looking in her eyes.
"Tsuyu, I need you to be honest with me." She nodded, tears threatening to spill.
"How often were you bullied growing up, and how intense were your beatings?"
"Damn it!"
Ojiro cursed. After fifteen minutes of dodging the blasted ice, his foot finally froze, the cold proving to over come him.
Todoroki didn't look so good either. He had ice building up on his torso and arms, his fingers looked the colour of denim.
Ojiro's eyes widened. Is Todoroki shivering? Using all the strength left, he smashed his tail into the ice hold, and groggily rushed to the dual user, who looked to be on his last legs.
In a held silence, Ojiro collapsed even before he could reach the fire and ice user.
Izuku didn't release his hold on the girl in front of him.
Somehow, he was pulled into a hug, which he accepted. She didn't stop crying, and he didn't want her to, for his sake. In his years of training, he knew it was best they let all their emotions out, and it was the safest way as well.
After a few minutes, she stopped crying, and wiped her eyes. She looked to him as he and Eri resumed their previous post on the chair.
Her voice was quiet. "Thank you."
He smiled warmly. He motioned a quiet Eri to hop on Tsuyu's lap to snuggle. Eri moved without hesitation. His plan worked, because Tsuyu giggled when Eri snuggled into her.
Tsuyu sighed, then looked back to Izuku. "I was bullied ever since elementary school. I was different, I hunch, I have weird hands, and I croaked a lot."
Izuku nodded, making mental notes. In a way, he understood her, since he was bullied for being quirkless.
"I wanted to tell my parents, but I didn't want them to worry, especially since the beatings from the other kids intensified each day, ribbit."
Izuku clenched a fist in anger. Flashbacks of the beatings distributed by Katsuki and his friends struck him like a rod.
Tsuyu looked to him, subconsciously stroking Eri's hair. "I-" She sniffled. "I didn't know any other way to cope with the bullying. I grew depressed. I stopped playing with the other kids. I-" A sniffle. "I purposely set my shower to cold temperatures, ribbit."
Izuku's eyes shot open immediately.
Then that means
"I hoped, I prayed that I would freeze and finish the job. I kept hearing them, those words."
Izuku's mind played the same words she spoke.
Freak. "Freak."
Scum. "Scum, ribbit."
Deku. "Worthless."
He broke from his musings when he heard Eri whimper. Tsuyu hugged her tighter.
She continued. "I remember several boys pretend they like me, only to humiliate me in the hardest ways possible, ribbit." She started crying.
Izuku immediately grabbed her hand, calming her down. This needs an extra few sessions. I need to talk to all students with a mutation quirk. Bullying might be a norm for them. He brought Tsuyu, and Eri, into a hug, allowing Tusyu to cry.
After she broke away, she went on. "I didn't mean to break down at my battle." Her voice was delicate, and Tsuyu was afraid of breaking it. "I just wanted to win, to show those who bullied me that I can be a hero, ribbit." She smiled, sadness in that curve.
"Masahiro Ojiro has collapsed and cannot continue! Shouto Todoroki is the winner!
Todoroki didn't feel like a winner. He felt far from it. He wished he could use his other side, but something just refused to let him. He looked forlornly at his collapsed opponent.
What made Ojiro move, what made him struggle so much, even against an opponent as difficult as himself? Unbeknownst to him, he mirrored similar thoughts as Yui.
He had some soul searching to do.
"Izuku, ribbit? Can I ask you a question?"
Izuku looked at Tsuyu, who was staring at her lap.
"Y-Yeah, Tsuyu, talk to me."
"Do you have parents you work for?"
Izuku tilted his head at the question, as unusual as it might have been. It made sense, though, she worked this hard for her own. It only made the void in his heart emptier.
"No, Tsuyu, I don't."
Said girl only continued to stare at her lap. croaks leaking out of her throat. "Oh. ribbit."
"I know how you feel, Tsuyu."
She looked up at him, confusion and interest in her eyes. "Ribbit?"
He nodded. "You know, everyone knows, I'm quirkless. I have no amazing abilities, I would have killed to have anything, even just an extra leg or something." He chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood. "But, as fate would have it, I'm just a quirkless kid."
She looked to him, intrigue peaked.
He looked at the ceiling. "To add insult to injury, my mom was raped and murdered when I was seven. I was bullied as a kid because of my quirklessness and having no mom. I didn't even have a dad growing up. He just didn't pick me." Tsuyu noticed silent streams start to fall down his jaw.
It was her turn to hold Izuku's hand. "Ribbit."
He looked at her and Eri. "And I swore to myself I would help end the bullying to quirkless kids, and to help stop as much harm that falls onto parents, adults, and kids, as much as I can. It's all I can do."
He smiled warmly. "Tsuyu, I know what it's like to be in your situation. However, you're stronger than I was. You are amazing, and skillful. I know I'd be lucky to have your abilities. On top of that, you take care of your siblings so they don't go through what you did." He grinned. "You''re so strong. Your siblings are so lucky."
Tsuyu was filled with awe. She couldn't even muster a croak as she listened to the speech. Tears once again filled her eyes, but she forced them away. She smiled.
"Thank you, ribbit."
Izuku smiled back, relieved she was able to release some of the tension filling her.
He clapped her shoulder. "Alright then, I'm going to check up on Yui and see how the match went. Will you be ok?"
She nodded.
"Alright, your wound should be healed up in a few hours. I'll see you later." He held Eri by the hand and the smallest one waved to Tsuyu before skipping in place as Izuku and her moved.
She croaked, watching as he left, a question building up and bothering her.
"Izuku?"
He turned. "Yes?"
"Do you have a family?"
She could have sworn he looked sad, for a moment.
"Yes, I have Eri."
The door closed.
Tsuyu sat, her lap once again a focal point.
He looked... Lost, and lonely. Why?
