I joined up with Jirou in the cafeteria to sit down for lunch. Then Kaminari and Mineta appeared, looking kinda serious.
"They said all the girls need to go do the cheering battle!" said Mineta urgently.
"I haven't heard anything about that," I said, feeling confused.
"You're free not to believe us if you don't want to," said Kaminari, looking worried. "But this comes directly from Mr. Aizawa."
The other girls were gathered at a table alongside Iida; we rushed to inform them.
"Accrding to Kaminari, Mr. Aizawa says the girls have to participate in a special event," I told them.
All dressed up in cheerleader gear and ready to go, us girls of Class A gathered outside, prepared to deal with this new, bizarre twist.
"HUH? WHAT'S THIS?" Cried Mic's voice. "WHAT HAPPENED, CLASS A?"
At that it dawned on us all what was happening.
"Mineta, Kaminari!"I screamed at them. "You tricked us, didn't you?!" My knees gave out and Uraraka patted my shoulder gently.
"They really are idiots!"said Jirou, blushing in humiliation.
"Well, we might as well do it until the true battle begins," said Hagakure. "It's fine, isn't it?" she continued as she practiced a cheer.
"Tooru, you actually like this, don't you?" said Tsu.
"ALL RIGHT EVERYONE, COMPETE YOUR HEARTS OUT. RECREATION!" said Mic. "AND AFTER THAT THE FINAL EVENT! FROM THE 4 TEAMS, 16 INDIVIDUALS HAVE MADE IT THROUGH! IT'S A TOURNAMENT! WE'RE PITTING THEM AGAINST EACH OTHER IN ONE ON ONE COMBAT!"
"So it's a tournament, huh?" said Kirishima. "We'll be standing on the same stage we see on TV every year!"
"Oh, was it a tournament last year, too?" said Mina.
"The system changes a bit each year," said Sero. "But typically there'll be similar one on one competitions. Last year it ws more of a sports chanbara style event."
"All right," said Midnight. "Now I'll determine who fights whom through this lottery. Once the matchups are decided, we'll do a fun bit of recreation, and then we'll commence. Whether or not the 16 who will be competing want to join in on the recreation activities is up to you. Since I'm sure many of you will be wanting to take a breather or preserve your strength. So starting from the team that placed 1st, let's determine the order - "
"Um, excuse me, sorry!" said Ojiro, raising his hand. "I'm sitting this one out."
"Ojiro, why?" cried everyone. "This is the place to show yourself off to the pros."
"Truth is, I don't remember anything that happened during the human cavalry battle up until the very last seconds," he admitted. "Probably due to that guy's quirk."
The guy who'd been leading his team.
"I know it's my big chance, and I know it's stupid to throw it away," he continued. "But this is the place everyone earned by clashing at their full power. I wouldn't feel right standing among you without even understanding how I got here. I just can't do it."
"Don't worry about it!" said Hagakure. "As long as you get results at this stage, it's fine!"
"Yeah, it's not as though I put in the most stellar performance either," said Mina.
"You don't understand!" said Ojiro. "This is my pride we're talking about here. I can't stand the thought of it! Also, why are you girls dressed like cheerleaders?"
"I don't remember what happened either," said a boy from Class B. "I want to abstain too. No matter how strong he may actually be, for a person who didn't so anything to rise up would defeat the point of the festival!"
"Man, you guys are super manly!" said Kirishima.
"How callow" said Midnight. "I'll have you know that greenhorns like you…get all my love! I hereby recognize Shoda and Ojiro pulling out!"
2 kids from Class B transferred in, and with 16, the matches were released.
My match for the first round would be against Tokoyami. I'd had a good preview of that dark shadow quirk during the preliminaries - and couldn't help but be a little nervous. My opposing round was between Ashido and Aoyama, and I had a good inkling that she would be the winner in that bout. If I won - when I won, I told myself - I would face her, then one out of Kirishima, a Class 1B student, Uraraka or Bakugou…most likely Bakugou, I thought, realistically speaking. Winning against him would probably be a matter of shielding from his explosions and creating something to block him. On the other side then, the strongest out of those entering in that group were Midoriya, Todoroki and Iida. My best guess was that Todoroki would win there, so if I was able to beat Bakugou and Tokoyami, then perhaps I could face off against him in the finals…
My mind went on concocting all possible permeations of my future fights and trying to think up counter strategies.
"OK, LET'S PUT THE TOURNAMENT ON HOLD FOR A MOMENT AND ENJOY SOME RECREATION!"
Even though he said that, it was hard not to feel really stressed. Even cheering with the other girls wasn't really enough to calm me down.
"HEY GUYS ARE YOU READY? WE'VE GOT A BUNCH IN STORE FOR YOU! IT'S HERE THAT YOU WILL BRAWL!" came Mic's commentary. We all gathered in the bleachers. The first match was between the guy with the mind wiping quirk and MIdoriya.
"WHAT'S WITH THAT FACE? YOU DID WELL UP TO NOW DIDN'T YOU? HERO COURSE IZUKU MIDORWYA! YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING NOTABLE YET! GENERAL EDUCATION, HITOSHI SHINSOU! THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! THE SCUFFLE IS WON BY RINGING YOUR OPPONENT OUT, RENDERING THEM UNABLE TO MOVE, OR GETTING THEM TO SAY I GIVE! FEEL FREE TO WOUND! WE HAVE RECOVERY GIRL WAITING IN TEH WINGS! I HOPE YOU'VE LEFT YOUR SENSE OF MORALS AT THE DOOR! THOUGH YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO ENDANGER EACH OTHER'S LIVES! NOW LET'S START!"
AS soon as he started, Midoriya said something to the brain wipe guy and then just stopped moving.
"AS SOON AS HTE MATCH OPENED MIDORWYA CAME TO A STOP!? ? HE ISN'T MOVING AN INCH! HE'S JUST STANDING THERE GAPING LIKE A MORON! COULD IT BE SHINSOU'S QUIRK AT PLAY? EVEN THOUGH HE HASN'T MADE ANY IMPRESSION AT ALL UP UNTIL NOW, COULD IT BE THAT HE'S SCARY?"
"That's why I've been saying that the Entrance Exam is illogical," commented Mr. Aizawa. "Looking at their data - I pulled their files - Shins failed the Practical skills exam, but since he applied for the General Department, he probably expected as much. So, despite the fact that his quirk is a force to be reckoned with, he couldn't earn any points due to its particular rules."
Whatever Shinso said to Midoriya next, Midoriya turned around to walk out of the ring.
"AH, MIDORIYA! HOW MEEK!"
As we watched in shock, Midoriya walked inexorably towards the edge of the ring. About to just walk out. But then, out of nowhere, a giant blast of wind came gushing out of his hand, leaving his fingers broken - and Midoriya stopping just short of watching out.
"WHAT THE - MIDORIYA, HE CAME TO A HALT!?"
"Holy crap," said Ojiro, who was sitting next to me.
Shinso looked freaked out, but Midoriya had clapped his hand to his mouth to avoid answering him again. From the looks of things, he had to reply to something Shinso said in order to be taken under control.
Midoriya ran forward towards Shinso then, and started shoving him straight out of the ring. Shinso started punching him and struggling to push him back, but then Midoriya turned around, grabbed him and judo-tossed him over his head, like he'd done against Bakugou in the battle trial arc.
"SHINSOU'S OUT OF BOUNDS!" Announced Midnight. "MIDORWYA, YOU ADVANCE TO ROUND 2!"
"BIT OF A NO FRILLS BATTLE TO START THE TOURNAMENT OFF! BUT CLAP YOUR HANDS AND GIVE THESE TWO A ROUND OF APPLAUSE! YOU FOUGHT WELL, BOYS!"
Midoriya seemed to be asking Shinso something, but of course none of us could hear him. Still, it looked like Shinsou had been able to impress the scouts anyway.
The next match would be Todoroki vs Sero. This seemed like a rather uneven matchup to me…though one could never say never.
"SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING, FOLKS! NEXT UP ITS TEHSE TWO! HE'S TURNED IN AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE TO MAKE IT THIS FAR, AND YET WHAT'S WITH THAT PLAIN FACE? DOES IT COME OFF? HANTA SERO FO THE HERO COURSE! VS! THE ONE WHO STANDS AT HTE TOP OF THE TOP! ALMOST TOO STRONG FOR HIS OWN GOOD! FROM THE SAME HERO COURSE, SHOTO TODOROKI!"
As soon as the start bell rang Sero threw tape at Todoroki, prepared to fling him out of bounds.
"A LIGHTNING QUICK SURPRISE ASSAULT AIMING FOR A RING-OUT! ALMOST WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST CHOICE HE COULD HAVE MADE! GIVE IT YOUR ALL, SERO!"
In a second, an iceberg towering over the top of the stadium wall consumed the entire ring.
"SERO, CAN YOU MOVE?" asked Midnight. He must've answered no, because how could he say anything else?
"Don't mind, nice try!" cheered those in the stands. Todoroki thawed Sero out of the iceberg as the stands did their best to console the latter. Is that how powerful he truly is? I thought to myself. Impressive. But we're both recommended students, I reminded myself quickly. Even if he's been outdoing me so far, my match will be the time to show him up.
Kaminari was up next, against a girl from Class 1B.
"NOW COMES THE 3RD MATCHUP! IT'S THE ASSASSIN FROM CLASS 1B, IBARA SHIOZAKI! VS THE SPARKING KILLING BOY, DENKI KAMINARI!"
Suddenly Shiozaki was interrupting Mic to tell him that she was not, in fact, an assassin. The match started and Kaminari went all out with a full charge - but Shiozaki blocked it with her vine hair and tied him up.
"IT'S OVER IN A FLASH! I'LL SAY IT AGAIN FOLKS! IT'S DONE, NOT EVEN A CONTEST! SO SHIOZAKI ADVANCES TO THE SECOND ROUND!"
That Kaminari really is dumb, I thought as he was led off. At least Sero tried.
MATCH 4
"HE'S COMING ACROSS LIKE A CENTER FIELDER! IT'S TENYA IIDA OF THE HERO COURSE! VS! FULLY EQUIPPED GADGET DYNAMO! FROM THE SUPPORT COURSE, MEI HATSUME! WHA? IS THAT A FULL ARRAY OF SUPPORT ITEMS ON YOU TOO, IIDA?!"
Yeah, he was wearing some kinda jet pack.
"As a general rule, Hero Course students aren't allowed support items. You need to apply for permission beforehand," said Midnight.
"AH! I FORGOT! SINCE AOYAMA HAS HIS BELT EQUIPPED, I THOUGHT IT WAS OK!?' we could just barely hear Iida.
"Yes, since he applied for an exception," said Midnight.
"I apologize profusely!" said Iida. However, my heart was moved by my opponent's sportsmanship! Even though she's from the support course, she said we should be on equal footing! so she gave me all these items! Her spirit, I would never look down on it!"
"You're so green!" said Midnight.
"Well, if they're both of the same mind, then I suppose it is permissible," said Aizawa. Though this seemed doubtful.
Iida started running and Hatsume made an announcement.
"THAT ACCELERATION, IT'S FANTASTIC, ISN'T IT IIDA? I TRUST YOUR LEGS FEEL LIGHTER THAN USUAL! WELL I'LL TELL YOU WHY! IT'S BECAUSE THOSE LEG PORTS ARE DESIGNED TO FOLLOW IN LINE WITH THE MOTIONS OF THEIR WIELDER! BUT OF COURSE, EVADING IS STILL EASY, AS LONG AS YOU'VE GOT THIS HYDRAULIC ATTACHMENT BAR!" She dodged him effortlessly. "NOW FEEL HOW BEAUTIFULLY YOU CAN SHIFT DIRECTIONS IIDA! IT'S ONLY POSSIBLE THROUGH THAT LOVELY AUTO BALANCER!"
This went on for 10 whole minutes. Then Hatsume stepped out of the ring.
"Hatsume is out of bounds! Iida advances!" said Midnight.
I got up and left for the preparation room after that, as my match would come next after Ashido's with Aoyama. My opponent would be Tokoyami. I thought back to the Cavalry Battle and what I'd seen of his quirk during the Battle Trial, and at school. The trouble was that Dark Shadow didn't seem to have any weaknesses…
The whistle blew and I headed out into the ring. This is your moment, Momo. Time to show them all what you can do.
"OFFENSE AND DEFENSE IN ONE BODY!" announced Mic. "THE DARK SAMURAI ACCOMPANIED BY DARK SHADOW! FROM THE HERO COURSE, IT'S FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI! VS! ALL PURPOSE CREATION! SHE WAS ADMITTED THROUGH RECOMMENDATIONS, SO HER ABILITIES ARE CERTIFIED! FROM THE HERO COURSE, MOMO YAOYOROZU!"
What's more, he can call upon the creature instantly…if I can make a simple shield I can block him. Of course, that-s
"! 6TH MATCH START!"
Before I could even begin, Dark Shadow was coming straight at me. A simple shield was enough to block the incoming attack, though it caused me to stumble back a step. And again he was attacking! I can't focus on my quirk! I thought as he managed to knock the shield from my hand. I created a sec one one to block him out this time.
He kept coming - and then halted for a moment. He's stopped - this is my chance! I thought. A staff was easy to produce quickly - and I could start with my own form of offense. No way was he -
"YAOYOROZU"! called Midnight. "You're out!"
My breath disappeared. I looked down in dawning horror. The last attack had pushed me…out of bounds.
"A COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING VICTORY! IS IT POSSIBLE THAT DARK SHADOW IS THE GREATEST QUIRK EVER?"
I lost…I didn't even do anything…it was over in an instant. Don't do it, I told my eyes, while all the cameras were watching as I walked back towards the recovery room. Once I was out of sight, the tears came. I couldn't believe it. After all that hard work, everything expected of me. The first opportunity to show the world what I was made of, and I'd failed in a mere moment. It was so humiliating…that's all, it's over…i'm out now, and nobody saw me achieve one noteworthy result.
Even the cavalry battle, where I was in first place, was only due to Iida and Todoroki's hard work. I'd done nothing special, nothing to stand out. Nobody watching was going to look at me and think "That's the hero I want to work with".
I'd failed in every possible way.