After the stage was thawed off, the next match could commence. Bakugo and Kaminari walked on to face each other.
"Well, Bakugo guess this is it. Try not to kill me, please?" Kaminari tried putting on a confident face but his voice wavered near the end.
Bakugo grinned maliciously and he pulled his hands out of his pockets. "You kidding? Fuck no, Dunce-Face! I'm hitting you with everything I got!" His opponent whimpered at his imminent doom.
"'Dunce-Face'? Does he ever call people by their actual names?" Bruce rhetorically asked. He didn't need to read Bakugo's lips to know what he was saying. He yelled loud enough for the whole stadium to hear.
"So who do you think is going to win?" Clark asked. "I think it'll be Bakugo," Diana said, "Those explosions are no joke." "I think Kaminari will win. His electricity covers a large area," Wally said. "I don't know," Hal interjected, "Both of them have pretty strong Quirks." "You serious? Bakugo will just blow the other guy off the stage," stated Shayera. "..." J'onn did not partake in the discussion.
Bruce boredly rested his head in his hand. "Bakugo." He held up his other hand with all five fingers spread out. "Five seconds." His friends glanced at him then back at the stage.
"Start!"
Electricity crackled to life around Denki. If he wanted a chance at getting a hit on his classmate, he would have to attack from the very beginning.
"Indiscriminate Shock: 1.3 Million Volts!"
As the volts rushed towards Bakugo, the blonde snarled and blasted off into the air. He was high enough that the electricity couldn't even reach him.
"Whee? Whee?" Denki murmured as he short-circuited his brain. Katsuki rocketed at him.
"Trying to pull a fast one on me, huh? Well, that isn't going to work on me, idiot!"
He skidded to a halt while drawing an open hand back. His hand slammed into Kaminari's face. Bakugo unleashed an explosion that sent his classmate flying back off the stage and into a wall. The blonde slid down, scorch marks on his face and smoke emitting from it.
"... Whee?"
"Bakugo advances to the second round!" Midnight announced.
As the crowds cheered, Bakugo shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away. "Tch! Wasn't even a fucking fight."
Bruce casually counted his fingers. "Four seconds. I underestimated Bakugo." The teen glanced out of the corner of his eye. He could see that his friends were wondering how he predicted the outcome so easily. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.
"Kaminari's electric Quirk is indeed powerful however he displays little to no sense of actually directing it. All he is capable of doing is unleashing it in a large area but it is lacking much vertical reach. Bakugo, in contrast, shows far more capability when Quirk. He not only uses it for combat but also movement. He could use it to dodge Kaminari's attack and then go in for his own assault." Bruce placed his hand on his chin. "Though I didn't think that Kaminari's Quirk would have such a side-effect."
Clark quirked an eyebrow. "You sure like observing other people's Quirks, Wayne." His friend glanced at him then rubbed the back of his head. "Well, I guess you could call it a hobby of mine. I just can't help but observe the strengths and weaknesses of others." Bruce tilted his head to one side. "I can help them improve…" He tilted it the other way. "... or I can use it to my advantage." He looked at his friends again. "I've already compiled my findings on all of you, along with the rest of Class 0-JL." His friends just stared at him in bewilderment. "Wow. You are both amazing and scary," Shayera said.
Bruce's skills couldn't help predict how the next round would end.
"I didn't expect her to turn the match into a live advertisement," he said as he sweatdropped with his friends. Though when you think about it, this entire sports festival is basically an advertisement for upcoming heroes.
Diana stood up, drawing their attention. She smiled. "Well, I'm up next!" Bruce blinked. "Oh, that's right. You're going up against 1-A's Yuga Aoyama." He nodded at her. "Good luck!" She beamed at him. "Thanks! I'll win this!"
"Let's get on to the fifth match!" Present Mic announced.
"Even though he wears a belt, he doesn't transform! From the hero course: Yuga Aoyama!"
"Boujour," the blonde greeted with a wink.
"Versus- Don't let her princessy looks fool you because she's far from fragile! From the hero course: Diana Prince!"
"I won't promise to go easy on you, so do the same for me."
From the stands, Bruce said, "Prince has got this. No way is Aoyama going to land even a scratch on her."
"Get her, Aoyama!" a voice shouted from over the wall separating 1-A and 0-JL. "Beat her up like in the fighting games where their clothes rip off!"
Bruce felt something inside snap and before he knew it, he was up and walking towards the wall while snagging the straw out of Wally's drink. When he got to the wall, Bruce immediately jumped and hoisted himself up with one arm. He quickly pinpointed the source of the atrocious words and threw the straw straight at him.
Mineta stopped talking when the straw struck his temple, throwing his head to the side. There was stunned silence for a beat. Then Mineta fainted in his seat, blood flowing out of the straw.
"Gah! What the hell?!" Eijiro exclaimed. Everyone turned to see who knocked out their classmate and flinched when they saw Bruce.
His eyes were narrowed, his icy blue irises practically glowing with shadows surrounding them, and his scowl dark like black ink.
"I will not stand for such lewd comments directed at Prince. Warn him of that," the teen commanded.
"Ah, r-right," Tenya replied with a nervous half-chop.
Bruce lowered himself and was soon out of sight.
"That seemed a bit overkill, Wayne," a voice said.
"He deserved it, Adams. Filthy sex-crazed pig-rat, swish."
"Now that's just harsh, Curry."
Class 1-A glanced at each other.
"Let's try to never piss off Wayne. Agreed?" Kirishima asked. His classmates nodded or voiced their agreement.
"I feel bad for the person who has to fight him," Kyoka said.
Mina moaned and dropped her face into her hands. "It's me," she whined.
Mostly everyone gave her sympathetic glances.
The match started, and Aoyama immediately fired off a laser shot at Diana. She easily dodged.
"Hmm. So that fancy belt isn't just for show," Diana commented.
"Indeed. It helps me control my Naval Laser so I wear it everyday."
The blonde fired off more lasers, one after another, but the girl continued to dodge swiftly.
I can't just keep avoiding his attacks. Time will run out. She jumped over another beam. Think. What would Wayne do?
Her mind perked up.
Observe!
Diana focused in on her opponent while keeping enough concentration on dodging.
His Quirk is obviously best for long-ranged attacks. Judging from his physique, he isn't much of a fighter. If I can get in close, I can end it with hand-to-hand.
She dodged underneath a laser blast.
But there isn't any cover on this stage. Unless…
She glanced down at her hand pressed to the ground.
I make some of my own!
Diana drew her fist back and smashed it into the concrete. Yuga paused in confusion but quickly got into battle posture when she stood up with two sizable chunks of stage in hand.
"You can either aim at me or at these!" she exclaimed as she chucked them at her opponent.
Aoyama panicked a bit at the large projectiles and quickly blew them to bits. By then, Diana had covered a good amount of the distance between them. She grabbed a bit of debris that fell when the thrown concrete was destroyed.
"You said something interesting earlier…"
It helps me control my Naval Laser so I wear it everyday.
"If you have to wear that belt everyday, you probably can't really use your Quirk if it's damaged!"
Diana threw the rock right at the center of Aoyama's belt, completely shattering the lens.
The blonde gasped dramatically. "My-My belt!"
"Now to end this!"
Diana delivered a punishing knuckle sandwich that knocked her opponent flat on his back.
"Aoyama has fainted! Prince advances to the second round!"
"Yeah! You did it, Prince!" cheered Clark. The rest of Class 0-JL was cheering as well. This was the first fight one of their own was in, and she had won.
The next fight also featured a classmate of theirs, but they would have to wait and see if he was victorious, too.
Izuku scribbled away in his notebook. He had made pages for his entire class and now had pages for other U.A. students.
"The match ended like I expected, but Prince demonstrated more strategic thinking than I thought. I saw her demonstrate excellent physical abilities against the robots but never saw any sort of plan. She just went in punching and kicking." The green-haired teen tapped the paper with his pencil. "Probably because this time she was up against another person." Izuku watched as Diana walked off the stage. "She is friends with Wayne…"
"You did great out there, Prince!" Shayera exclaimed. She raised her hand up for a high-five which Diana happily gave. "Thanks! I was a bit nervous because those lasers looked like they would hurt, but I won!"
"I didn't doubt you would win, but I was worried about how you would handle the lack of cover on the stage. That plan you came up with was clever. I'm impressed." Bruce sent her a gentle smirk. Diana's cheeks turned light pink.
"Oh! Well, I was just thinking about what you said earlier about observing others and just… applied it! Heh."
Bruce's smirk disappeared as his expression morphed into surprise. A blush lit up on his pale cheeks.
He and Diana shared awkward eye contact then she quickly plopped down in her seat that conveniently placed Clark between them. The other black-haired teen glanced confusingly between his friends who weren't looking at each other. Wally also looked confused while Hal and Shayera snickered. J'onn rolled his eyes at the laughing duo
"On to the sixth match, everyone!"
"The dark samurai with offense and defense in one body! From the hero course: Fumikage Tokoyami!"
"Jason," the bird-headed teen greeted.
"Versus- The knight in black armor who holds offense and defense in the same sword! From the hero course: Jason Blood!"
"Fumikage," the red-and-white-haired teen replied.
"It is unfortunate that we meet on opposing sides of this battlefield, Jason," Fumikage lamented.
"It cannot be helped, I'm afraid, Fumikage," Jason replied. "I hope our friendship isn't severed by my victory though."
"That is quite arrogant of you to proclaim you've won before we've even begun. Still you should know our bond cannot be broken by something so trivial."
"You never know how competition will alter a person, Fumikage. And if you want to prove me as conceited, then have Dark Shadow hit me with everything."
"As you wish. I shall ask the same from Etrigan."
"You know he'd be eager to concur."
"What do you think of this match, Midoriya?" Ojiro asked his classmate.
"I think it will come down to who has more skill," Izuku replied.
"Skill?"
Deku nodded. "From the announcement, both Tokoyami and Blood's Quirks are suitable for offense and defense." He thought back to the times he had seen Blood's Quirk in action. "They are very similar as well. Whoever has the better chance to get a hit in will likely win."
"Start!"
"Go, Dark Shadow!" The sentient darkness emerged from Tokoyami. "Got it!"
"Now, Etrigan!" Familiar red claws surfaced through Jason's chest but this time they parted way as if ripping through him and something more emerged from him. "Very well!"
The two Quirks clashed in the center, their hands interlocking and the heads pressed together. While Dark Shadow reflected Tokoyami's bird-like appearance, Jason's Quirk did not.
Though the head was more humanoid, there were elven ear-like protrusions on the sides and horn-like nubs on the forehead. The eyes and mouth were glowing red and the mouth was in a wide open smile. There were four "fangs": two on the top and two on the bottom.
"Nice to see you again. I'll be sure to kick your ass this time!" Dark Shadow declared.
"My victory is guaranteed, birdbrain. Prepare yourself for absolute pain!" came the reply.
The Quirks remained in a stalemate for a few seconds before falling back.
"Whaaat!?" Izuku exclaimed. He wasn't the only one surprised. Class 1-A had thought Tokoyami was one of a kind. Sentient Quirks like Dark Shadow were extremely rare. What were the chances of another student in U.A. possessing one?
Jason Blood
Quirk: Etrigan
His body is the host of a demonic entity.
He can call it out and back whenever he wants.
"Still rhyming, huh? So lame!" Dark Shadow exclaimed as it launched itself at Etrigan and Jason.
"You have no appreciation for literature art. Perhaps it proves you lack my smarts?" Etrigan said as he aimed a swipe at Dark Shadow which it blocked.
"Shut up, bastard!"
The bird-shaped Quirk slammed into the demon-shaped one, pushing its opponent back a bit. However, Etrigan soon slowly pushed forward, once again locking them in a stalemate.
Though they appeared to be even, Fumikage sweated nervously.
Like I thought, he still is stronger than me. He glanced at Jason, who stood tall with his arms crossed and his face set in his usual frown. Etrigan does not have the same weakness as Dark Shadow. As long as Jason's energy remains steady, it will eventually overpower Dark Shadow.
"Oi, Fumikage."
The bird-headed teen's attention was drawn away from the Quirks clashing back to his opponent.
"You didn't think I would just allow Etrigan to fight, did you?"
Tokoyami flinched as Jason's scowl switched to a sneer that revealed his sharp teeth. He began a slow walk that evolved into a sprint. The shorter teen brought up an arm to block to punch. He quickly dodged the uppercut that barely grazed his chin. Tokoyami was unable to avoid the kick Jason sent to his side. The wind was knocked out of him and he was thrown back.
"Alright! Blood is getting up close and personal!" Present Mic exclaimed. Meanwhile, the two other heroes with him side-eyed each other.
"Their Quirks are remarkably similar. But there is clearly a difference in terms of their physical abilities," Aizawa said.
Dr. Mid-Nite nodded. "Tokoyami's Dark Shadow is an excellent Quirk of high offensive and defensive stats. But Blood not only outclasses him there but also in his own strengths."
Aizawa watched as his student dodged a heel kick from Jason only to be hit by the following punch from the side of his opponent's fist. Their Quirks continued their own clash, twisting and slashing. Whenever Dark Shadow made a move to assist Tokoyami, Etrigan interfered.
"Tokoyami relies too heavily on his Quirk. If Dark Shadow were to be incapacitated, he'll be left vulnerable," said Aizawa. He was silent for a beat and then asked, "Even if this helps the others improve, is it really best for your students to be participating with them?" He turned to his fellow hero.
"We can't separate them from the other students. Not only would that alert them that something is amiss, but we have to observe them to see if they possess the other half of necessary qualifications," Mid-Nite answered. "And if you're worried about any negative side-effects on your students…" He turned to Aizawa.
"Then we will tackle those issues if they show up."
Present Mic sat there, off-put by their conversation as he continued to watch the fight.
The bird-headed teen grunted as Jason drove his fist into his stomach.
"Dammit…!"
He tried to aim a clumsy roundhouse kick at the other teen but Jason simply hopped back and it missed.
"A valiant attempt but futile."
Jason sent his own powerful roundhouse kick at Fumikage. It hit him right below the chest, knocking him back and onto the ground.
Dark Shadow!
"Dammit!" The Quirk rushed at his user only for Etrigan to wrap around it and grab its arms.
"Your fight is against me. They shall finish when Jason wins as it be."
"Hands off!" Dark Shadow struggled to escape Etrigan's grip.
Damn. Dark Shadow is completely occupied by Etrigan. Tokoyami got back to his feet. I'm on my own against Jason. He dodged a punch directed right at his beak. He sent one at Jason's face however it was caught. Tokoyami was pulled in and the other teen rammed his knee into his chest. The bird-headed teen coughed.
"Apologies, Fumikage."
"Wha-?"
A punch met his cheek and hit him with such force that Tokoyami actually spun once before falling into his side.
"Tokoyami is out of bounds! Blood advances to the second round!" Midnight announced.
The downed teen looked and saw that his upper body had fallen over the boundary lines. He sighed and sat up, his arm resting on his knee while he wiped his mouth. "I lost. You won without even an abrasion."
Jason was silent then said, "I did not come out unscathed." Tokoyami then heard it. The sound of something dripping into a puddle. He quickly looked up.
Blood ran down Jason's forearm, staining the cut bandages. Already a small pool had formed below his fingertips. "Dark Shadow got a decent hit on Etrigan." The red-and-white-haired teen raised his arm, allowing Tokoyami to see the claw marks in his skin. "You may have lost this match but showed you're stronger now. This is a victory in the long run."
As he lowered his arm, Etrigan retracted back to his user. Dark Shadow did the same. Jason held out his other hand towards Fumikage. He sent a friendly smirk at him.
"Need a hand?"
Tokoyami blinked then softly laughed.
"Reminiscing, now?"
Tokoyami walked down the empty hallway. He had transferred to this middle school this year as several unpleasant classmates from elementary had ruined his first year at his previous one. If he kept his Quirk a secret, then hopefully no one would target him.
'Those jerks… calling us villains from the very start…!' Dark Shadow seethed inside his head.
Tokoyami jerked out of his mind when he heard something strange from around the corner. It sounded like a struggle. His footsteps quickened but remained quiet. He slowly peeked around the corner. What he saw caused his eyes to widen.
There were three students surrounding another one, a guy smaller than them. The leader of the group was holding the guy against the wall by the collar of his uniform.
"You've got something to say, Blood? What was that look you gave me?"
The larger boy slammed his victim against the wall.
The guy grunted then said, "It meant nothing. I have no reason to talk with you because I know it would end up like this."
"Shut up!"
The bully let the guy go only to sock him in the cheek. The student was knocked to the ground and as he struggled to get up, the bully drove his shoe into his side.
"Don't think you can talk to me like that, you future villain!"
Tokoyami's grip on the wall tightened at those last words. He had heard them too many times since his Quirk manifested when he was four. Though he had hesitated before now he walked out, making his presence known.
"Hey."
The three bullies turned to him, their expressions like angry children who had been told playtime was over.
"Let's go," the leader said.
Tokoyami watched as they disappeared down the hall. Once they were gone, he quickly walked up to the guy still lying on the ground. He looked up at him through his bangs. The bird-headed teen noticed that there was a thin streak of white in all that crimson. There was a trail of blood running down his chin and his cheek was swollen. He could now see that this guy's eye had some bruising around it and was squinted almost shut.
They stared at each other awkwardly and Tokoyami outstretched a hand towards him.
"Need a hand?"
That's how it had all started. Jason had first tried to convince Fumikage to avoid being seen with him since that would cause the bullies to target him too. However, Fumikage refused and managed to convince him to reveal his Quirk. That's how Dark Shadow met Etrigan. Once they started hanging out the bullying gradually stopped though the whispering behind their backs didn't. That did not bother them anymore.
As they grew older, Jason and Fumikage learned they both shared the dream of becoming a hero. They wanted to prove that people with "villain" Quirks could be heroes. So they made a promise to each other that they would get to U.A. and become pros together. The two were disappointed when they discovered they were in different classes but were nevertheless happy they had succeeded in getting to their dream school.
Tokoyami pulled himself out of memories to grab onto his friend's hand. Jason pulled up easily. "You always were stronger than me." Jason gestured to the wounds on his arm. "It appears I've been neglecting Etrigan. You've surpassed me in terms of Quirk strength." As soon as he said that, Dark Shadow sprouted out of Tokoyami's back.
"Hah! Take that you rhyming loser! Jason admits you're weaker than me!"
Etrigan quickly sprouted out of Jason's back.
"Shut up, he admitted he was at fault! You only managed to get one measly scratch in through your whole assault!"
The sentient Quirks smashed their foreheads together.
"What you say, bullhead?!"
"Your attempts to surpass me are in vain! You are the loser here, birdbrain!"
"That's enough, you two!" their users said in unison. The Quirks clash had ended up pulling them closer. Dark Shadow huffed but pulled back. Etrigan also retreated, resting his hands on Jason's shoulders. He turned his attention back to his friend.
"You still have room to improve but so do I. Let's train together after this is over," Jason said. Fumikage nodded and replied, "I would appreciate that. Thank you."
Jason and Tokoyami bumped the sides of their fists, then their forearms, and finally fist-bumped. The bird-headed teen smile and his friend gave him a friendly sneer that showed off his sharp teeth.
"What a glorious display of sportsmanship! Let's give a hand for both participants!" Present Mic exclaimed.
The whole stadium cheered as the two boys left together.
Meanwhile in the stands, Deku was stunned by what happened.
"Tokoyami is amazing but Blood managed to force him out of bounds by attacking him directly with hand-to-hand."
Ojiro nodded. "The difference between them was that great."
Izuku glanced at Jason. "Still Blood did get injured. But… Dark Shadow never came near. And Tokoyami couldn't have caused that.
Bruce watched as his classmate disappeared into the exit.
The wound on his arm. It's like when that girl's acid hit his Quirk's arm. The burns showed up on Blood.
Bruce glanced at the screen. The next fight after this one will be mine.
As Uraraka stepped out of the waiting room, Iida called out to her.
"Uraraka, I-" He startled when he saw her intense expression. "What happened?! Your brow's all wrinkled!"
"My brow? Ah, I guess I'm just nervous. It's time for my fight."
Iida nodded. "Right. And you're up against Class 0-JL's Nathaniel Adams."
Ochaco nodded as she thought back to when she saw Adams use his Quirk. How he could create energy that could propel him and destroy robots in a single blast. How he managed to temporarily knock out Bakugo in a single punch.
"Yeah, even though he seems to be nice, I'm still scared. Though, I think after watching your fight…"
"My fight?"
Footsteps rushed over. "Uraraka!" The two students turned towards the voice.
"Deku! What are you doing here?" the brunette asked.
"I came here to wish you luck. You're going up against Adams. He has a strong energy-projection Quirk."
Uraraka nodded. "... Yeah."
The air was a bit tense to Tenya tried lessening it. "Well, Adams does not seem like the type to go all out on a girl."
"He will." Deku's friends flinched at his blunt answer. "You're right. Adams doesn't seem like the violent type. But he can't afford to hold back. Right now everyone wants to be No. 1, so no one will avoid giving it their all."
He turned back to Uraraka. "You've helped me a lot through all this, so now I want to help you." Izuku lifted up his notebook. "I have a rough plan of how you can use your Quirk against Adams. I used Kacchan in his place, since how they use their Quirks is very similar."
"Amazing! Isn't that great, Uraraka?" Tenya sent her a double thumbs-up.
The girl smiled then said, "Thank you Deku. But it's fine." Her friends looked at her in surprise. "I've seen you do amazing things over and over Deku. And in the cavalry battle… I think I relied on you too much. So I was a bit embarrassed when Iida challenged you." She pushed off from the door and walked down the hall.
"That's why it's fine. Everyone is trying their hardest. That makes us all rivals, right? So…"
Uraraka stopped walking and turned to her friends, forcing a smile. She gave a shaky thumbs-up while her eyes shined with a fire.
"Let's meet in the finals."
"... Uraraka."
Meanwhile in parallel, Nathaniel stepped out of the other waiting room. He looked down as he flexed his hand and then began walking down the hall.
I will win. I'm sorry, Uraraka.
It was the next match of the round. Bruce watched as his classmate walked out to face his opponent.
"This match-up seems… kinda unbalanced, don't you think?" Clark asked.
"I don't think so. That gravity-manipulation Quirk of her's could end this fight in one touch," Diana pointed out.
"She would need to touch Adams first," J'onn deadpanned.
Bruce stared down at the stage. I don't want to sell her short, but unless she comes up with something, Adams will win this for sure.
Deku and Tenya watched their friend approached the stage. The former tensed up as she walked up the stairs. Tenya glanced at him.
"Midoriya, don't worry. I'm sure Uraraka will be… fine."
"You hesitated. I don't blame you. We've already seen two 0-JL students win. Prince demonstrated high physical capabilities and Blood managed to beat one of our strongest classmates." He glanced at the wall separating his class from 0-JL. "I can't help but feel there's something different about them."
"Let's get the eighth match of the first round ready!" said Present Mic.
"He showed great promise in the beginning of the festival! From the hero course: Nathaniel Adams! Versus- She's the one I'm personally rooting for. From the hero course: Ochaco Uraraka!"
As soon as the Voice Hero finished his announcement, Dr. Mid-Nite slipped his arm out of the sling and smacked the blonde in the back of his head with his casted arm. He did so without moving the rest of his body.
"OWW! What was that for!?" Mic exclaimed, massaging his head.
"Favoritism is not appreciated," the other hero coldly said as he placed his arm back in its sling. Mic flinched and awkwardly turned back to the stage.
"Uraraka, you can make objects float with just a touch, right?" Nathaniel asked.
His opponent flinched at his question. "Uh, yeah?"
The other teen nodded. "It will only be fair if I told you some details about my Quirk." He formed a small ball of energy in the palm of his hand. "I can emit radiation and use it for attacks." He tossed the sphere to his other hand and with a flick of his wrist, reabsorbed it. "Don't worry, it's non-radioactive so it won't cause you any horrific mutations."
Uraraka nodded. "Alright, thanks." In her head though she thought, That didn't really tell me much from what I already know. She replayed him creating the radiation sphere. He seems to be able to manipulate the shape of the energy. He might not be limited to explosions like Bakugo.
"So, who's going to win this?" Clark asked.
Bruce leaned forward a bit while keeping his head resting on his hand. "Adams has the highest chance of winning. His Quirk grants him great maneuverability in a large, open field. The radiation he produces is near unlimited and his high stamina will allow him to produce it for a long period of time without wearing out. Adams also isn't just strong in terms of his Quirk." Bruce thought back to when his classmate punched Bakugo. "He is physically strong as well though I've never seen his capability in hand-to-hand." He turned his gaze to Uraraka. "But if she manages to touch him and make him float, she will have the upper hand. So if Uraraka wants to win, then she has to attack quickly without getting hit first."
"Start!"
Uraraka immediately came running at the other teen. Nathaniel's eyes widened a bit before narrowing. He shifted his stance and drew one of his hands back.
He's going for a wide swing!
Nathaniel's fingers spread and small amount of red-speckled blue energy erupted in his palm.
Right here! I just have to dodge here!
The brunette ducked close to the ground.
... As I thought.
The energy went out and Nathaniel shifted, allowing a surprised Uraraka to run past him. He drew his other arm forward and delivered a backward hit. The side of his fist struck her right between the shoulder blades. She was knocked down and skidded a bit. When she propped herself on her elbows, Ochaco was met by a large blast heading straight at her. It hit and she was thrown back even further along with dust and pieces of the stage. Once she finished rolling and got back on her feet, Nathaniel said, "I knew you would try to pull a fast one on me, so I'm going to make sure you don't get the chance."
"He feinted a swing so he could get a hit in. That also allowed him to get a solid hit with his Quirk," Bruce casually observed.
Like I thought, he isn't going to hold back. Uraraka… thought Izuku.
The dust continued to billow around the stage. I want to end this quickly, but I don't want to hurt her badly. Energy flickered to life in both of his hands. It cannot be helped.
Uraraka disappeared, using the dust as a smokescreen. Nathaniel cursed. Then he saw something begin to emerge near his side.
"It's over!"
The silver-haired teen cupped his hands together, combining the energy and releasing a wide range blast. Once it subsided, Nathaniel was surprised to see it was just his opponent's uniform top that fluttered over the boundary line. She made her jacket float that fast?
Footsteps came and Ochaco burst out of the dust behind him. Her hand reached out towards Nathaniel.
This is it! Just got to make him float!
"Tch!"
Nathaniel pivoted, releasing a roundhouse kick. Only this kick wasn't meant to hit her. Instead, energy spilled out of the slots of his hero costume boots, sending an arc of radiation at his opponent. It struck her and cut through the stage as well.
Ochaco quickly stood up again. He's fast. This smokescreen won't be of much help to me. But she couldn't give up. She rushed at him again.
The other teen gritted his teeth and charged up another blast. With a swing, he sent a wave that tore the concrete and threw her back again.
"Take this!"
Nathaniel propelled himself upward, back-flipping over Uraraka as she lunged at him. Radiation covered the sole of his foot, and he slammed it against her back. The blast knocked her to the ground while the recoil sent him higher into the air. The teen flipped and landed in a crouch a good distance away. As the opponents stood up and faced each other, it was obvious who had the upper hand. Nathaniel was barely breathing hard while Ochaco was panting and covered in scrapes and bruises.
The boy frowned at her determined expression. Dammit. She's not done yet.
The stadium watched as Uraraka kept running at her opponent only for him to blow her back with attack after attack and each time the blasts got bigger and bigger. Dust and debris continued to fly.
Class 1-A watched tensely as Uraraka continued to try to close in on Nathaniel only to receive more wounds.
"That guy really shows no mercy," said Denki.
"With his reflexes and strength, Uraraka doesn't have much of a chance since her Quirk's touch-activated," Sero commented.
Kyoka buried her face into her hands. "I can't watch!"
Izuku and Tenya looked on anxiously as their friend endured another hit.
Uraraka…
Meanwhile, Class 0-JL was also tense. They knew their class rep was a good guy, but it was uncomfortable to see him have to use so much power on a girl.
"His attacks don't really look like attacks. It's more like he's trying to push her away," said Clark.
"She's getting desperate. She's just rushing in recklessly," Hal said.
Bruce watched quietly as Uraraka ran at Nathaniel again. Strange. She's awfully low to the ground. That makes evading Adams' attacks difficult. Unless… His blue eyes glanced up to the sky. ... Clever.
Nathaniel unleashed another blast. He cursed when he saw that the scrapes Ochaco got, as a result, bled a bit.
I don't want to hurt her too much… but if winning requires causing her pain so be it.
She rushed at him and he counterattacked again.
"Hey, you want to be a hero like that!? Just hurry up and send her out of bounds instead of messing with her!" someone shouted from the stands.
Nathaniel gritted his teeth. Just what the hell do you think I'm actually doing? If I don't use some power, I'll just let her get me! He sent another arc of radiation at her. I want to be nice, but she isn't some damsel in distress!
"Quit bullying that poor girl!" the same voice shouted.
"Yeah!" another agreed.
Soon booing erupted from the stands.
Nathaniel winced. "Dammit…"
"Tch!"
The harsh tone caused Bruce's friends to jolt and glanced at him. They were taken aback by how utterly pissed he looked. His icy blue eyes narrowed and teeth gritted into a snarl.
"Was the idiot who started this a pro hero? Such nonsense!" he scoffed.
"Wayne…" Diana trailed off.
"So what, Adams should go easy on her because she's a girl? How insulting is that?"
His friends did not respond.
"There appears to be booing from the crowd. To be honest, I feel the sa-"
Present Mic was cut off by a harsh elbow to the face.
"What are you doing?!" he exclaimed as Dr. Mid-Nite picked up the microphone.
"Who said he was just messing with her? Are you a pro?" Dr. Mid-Nite angrily asked. The stadium quieted and he continued. "If that's what you really think, then there's no reason for you to be here! Just go home and find a new angle in careers!"
Bruce glanced up to his teacher out of the corner of his eye. "At least there are pros with more than half a brain."
"Adams acknowledges the strength of his opponent so he's being careful and doing what is necessary to win!"
Mid-Nite lowered the microphone and sat back down.
"Yamada."
The blonde flinched and looked over to his colleague. The glare of his goggles shifted, revealing his angry eyes. "I'll say this one more time: nothing that is solely destructive to my students' growth will be tolerated." Present Mic swallowed and nodded before turning away.
"Don't you think that was a bit much?" the muffled voice of Aizawa asked.
"Please, you would have done the same if it was one of yours, Aizawa," came the reply.
"... Right."
Nathaniel let out a sigh. "Thank you, Sensei," he whispered. He returned his entire attention to Uraraka. She was breathing heavily and looked completely worn out, but she glared back at him with fire in her eyes. She's not done yet. She can still fight!
"It's about time… now…" Uraraka straightened her posture causing Nathaniel to tense. "Thank you, Adams… for not taking your eyes off me…"
"What?"
Bruce leaned back in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. "There is no excuse for a pro hero to not notice what's been going on." His friends turned to him. "She's been purposefully keeping herself low whenever she advances, forcing Adams to concentrate his attacks on the ground. She did so to store up ammunition," Bruce looked up to the sky, "and she distracted him with relentless attacks so he wouldn't notice."
His friends followed his gaze and their jaws dropped when they saw the amount of concrete debris floating above the stage.
"I'm going to win!"
Uraraka deactivated her Quirk's effect, causing all the rubble to start falling down.
"A meteor shower?!" exclaimed Present Mic.
"You should've noticed," his co-commenters said in unison.
As the rubble continued to fall, Ochaco took off towards her opponent, who stood seemingly stunned.
Now even if he evades or counterattacks, there will be an opening! At that moment, I'll make my move!
She drew closer and Nathaniel just stood there.
This is it! I'll win and be just like Deku!
She reached out towards her opponent.
"... Damn."
For a split second, Nathaniel's entire body lit up and then a massive explosion expanded from his body. The spherical blast threw Uraraka back and was able to reach over the sides of the stage nearest to Nathaniel. Grass and dirt were torn up and the resulting winds blew everyone back. Exclaims of surprise rang through the air. Class 0-JL was shocked by this sudden display of power. Even Bruce though he retained a poker face like a couple few.
Every single bit of debris was blown back with some even hitting the outer frame of the stadium and beyond. The radiation dissipated leaving behind a few red sparks that eventually died.
Ochaco, sore and completely worn out, winced as she pushed herself off the ground, the remains of her plan raining down around her.
"I didn't think you would actually push me to go all out… but you finally did."
The dust cleared, showing Nathanial standing there without a single scratch. Flickers of radiation danced along his forearms and shoulders. They also appeared on his face near his eyes as well as in his hair with many tips seemingly transitioning into energy flames.
Ochaco's face fell. "Just one shot…"
Nathaniel also looked a bit sad. "I'm sorry, Uraraka. This whole time, I thought I could win without seriously hurting you. But… I just gave you false hope. I should have used my full power from the very start."
As he finished his words, the wisps of radiation intensified a bit, growing in size before shrinking back down.
Uraraka stared in disbelief. I put everything I had into that plan… but he wasn't even fazed. And… only now did he just use his full power… Her head fell in distress. The difference between us is just… too great! The girl slowly struggled to her feet. Even so…
Nathaniel's expression tightened and he raised a hand.
Uraraka quickly turned towards him. If it were him, Deku wouldn't-!
Her knees gave out and Nathaniel gasped as she collapsed to the ground. When she landed with a "Thud!", he immediately took a step forward but caught himself and backtracked.
"Uraraka's down!"
The girl twitched and struggled onto her front. "My body… it's hard… to move…"
Bruce watched with his usual nonchalant expression. "That plan of hers was way beyond her limit. It's over."
Uraraka pulled herself across the ground, barely crawling towards her opponent, who took another step back while raising his hand.
"I… can still…!"
When I grow up, I'll help you and Mommy!
Her vision began to blur.
"I'll… become… a hero…"
Midnight came over and knelt by the girl. Nathaniel relaxed his posture.
"... Daddy…"
The other teen sucked in his lower lip when he heard her whisper.
"Uraraka is out of commission. Adams advances to the second round!"
As the crowds cheered, Nathaniel allowed his radiation to die down. He inhaled then let out a long breath. Despite the applause and his victory, he looked downhearted.
"Adams looks really sad," Wally said.
"He did essentially have to beat up a girl. Plus… I think he feels bad because he understands her goal," said Diana.
Clark nodded. "Yeah…"
Bruce was quiet. As I thought, Adams won… but I underestimated Uraraka. There's more to her than I thought. He watched his classmate walk off the stage. ... Adams. He glanced at the screen.
Oh, that's right. My fight is next.
Now for the Preview!
We continue on to see who fights who.
How will the clashes between 1-A and 0-JL go?
Next Time: Press Continue
There's a lashing of words also in store.
So the original idea was to have DC characters replace 1-A so that's why some parallel each other. It's pretty obvious that Jason was meant to be Tokoyami's replacement.
