Deku made his way to the waiting room Uraraka was in. Even if this meant missing the next fight, he had to check up on his friend. However, when he turned the corner he saw the last person he would have expected.
Nathaniel froze as their eyes locked, his knuckles mere centimeters from knocking on the door.
"Oh! Ah, Midoriya, right? You're friends with Uraraka."
Deku nodded dumbly. "A-Adams. What are you doing here?" The other teen looked away, almost shamefully. He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just… want to check up on her… I want to make sure she's okay."
The silence was awkward. Deku walked up to the door. "Alright, let's see her together." The other teen looked a bit surprised but he nodded. Both of them braced themselves for the sight of a devastated girl.
Deku opened the door.
Uraraka looked up from the table and smiled. "Well, I lost…"
Izuku and Nathaniel gawked at her. This was far from what they expected to see.
"Huh…?"
"Uraraka…? Are you alright? How are your injuries?" the green-haired teen asked as he walked in. She nodded. "Recovery Girl healed me. It wasn't too bad, so it didn't drain my stamina." Nathaniel glanced away. "Well, that's a relief," he murmured.
Uraraka finally noticed him. "Adams? Why are you here?" The other teen looked up at her. "I just wanted to see if you were all right. I was worried I had badly hurt you."
The brunette smiled. "Well, you can see I'm completely fine. It was just some scrapes and bruises." Her expression then changed to comedically frustrated. "Man, but you were really strong, Adams! You absolutely overpowered me! I'll have to work extra hard!" She shook her fist. After a beat, Uraraka realized the two were still looking at her with concern.
"Are you sure you're okay?" asked her classmate.
"I'm fine, really!" she reassured him. Her phone began vibrating, but she held it close to muffle it. "After all, you immediately looked ahead. Just because I lose now doesn't mean I've completely lost."
Nathaniel stood awkwardly, shuffling from foot to foot. He just couldn't leave here without saying something, anything.
"Uraraka… I'm-!"
"I thought I'd find you here."
The new voice startled everyone and they all looked over to see Bruce standing at the door. "Glad I caught you before you did anything stupid."
Nathaniel stuttered, "W-Wayne? What are you-"
"My fight is next. I went to the other waiting room and didn't see you there. We need to talk Adams."
"But I-"
"Now."
The finality in Bruce's tone silenced his classmate. Before he followed him out, Nathaniel said, "I… hope you get better, Uraraka." As Bruce began to close the door, he paused and said, "I never expected such a plan from you, Uraraka. You impressed me." With that, he closed the door, leaving Deku and Ochaco in silence.
Bruce and Nathaniel walked quietly before the latter asked, "What did you want to talk to me about?"
"You were going to apologize to her." It wasn't a question. It was a definite statement.
Bruce's classmate glanced at him. "Yeah…?"
"You shouldn't." Nathaniel stared in shock, so Bruce continued. "What's there to apologize about? You won, she lost. That's it."
The silver-haired teen felt a spark of anger at Bruce's words. "I was apologizing for hurting her, Wayne. What's wrong with that?"
"What's wrong is that there no reason for you to say sorry."
"Oh, so crushing someone else's dream is totally fine to you then?"
The two stopped walking. Ice blue glared into pure white.
"... Tell me, Adams, what even is happening right now?"
Nathaniel was confused by the question and it showed. "The… sports festival?"
"Yes. And what is the goal of all the current participants?"
"... To be No. 1?"
"Yes. But here's the thing, Adams: only one person can be No. 1. That means that one person is going to crush everyone else's hope of winning this whole thing."
The other teen was silent.
"It's the same out there in the hero world. Everyone wants to be No. 1 but that position can only be held by one. So a lot of people's dreams are going to be crushed."
Nathaniel remained silent, intimidated by the shorter teen he looked down to.
"Did you want to hurt Uraraka?"
He was startled. "Wha-"
"Did you want to hurt Uraraka?" Bruce repeated.
"W-What!? No! Of course not!" exclaimed Nathaniel.
Bruce's expression returned to his usual stoic. "Then you did nothing wrong. I'm not going to let you beat yourself up by placing yourself in the villain's role."
The other teen was stunned by his declaration and watched as Bruce started walking away to get ready for his fight. "Besides, the fact that you can empathize with her shows you're a good person."
And then he was out of sight.
"... Thanks."
Nathaniel walked to his class's stands slowly.
"Yo, Adams. Good job out there, swish," greeted Arthur. "Um, thank you, Curry," he replied as he took his seat next to him. "I was actually surprised. You seemed to be having some difficulty with her," the blonde said. Nathaniel glanced at his classmate who just sat with his arms crossed. "Well, I'd never expected she would pull such a crazy plan."
"Still I can't believe he would use such strong blasts on a frail girl. I would've at least held back."
These words from over the wall cut through the rest of the chatter. Nathaniel's hands tightened on his knees and his head dropped.
"Hmph! Like you'd ever have the chance to hold back against anyone. Didn't you get your ass totally beaten by Bakugo?" scoffed Arthur. Clearly he recognized the voice of the electric blonde.
A startled noise sounded over the wall, confirming that the Class 1-A student didn't think anyone over it would have heard him.
"He's got you there, Kaminari," a girl said.
"Come on, Asui, cut me some slack…"
Arthur turned away from the wall. "Don't let that idiot's words get to you, Adams. You used that power because you saw her as a worthy opponent. I respect that."
"Yeah, thanks…"
The blonde noticed the change in his class rep's tone and looked over to him. He was taken aback by the glare in his eyes.
"'Frail' is the last word I'd use to describe her. She led me by the nose the whole time."
"Alright! Who's ready for the next match?"
The crowd roared.
"Let's get straight to it then! What's with those horns? Does something come out of them? From the hero course: Mina Ashido!"
"You're not still pissed from what Mineta said, right?"
"Versus- He's impressed the masses over and over again. From the hero course: Bruce Wayne!"
Bruce didn't answer and simply stared ahead at her, making Mina shiver.
"Start!"
Bruce immediately took off towards his opponent. She was startled by his sudden burst in speed and quickly readied her acid. She threw two globs at him, but Bruce easily dodged by zigzagging. He pulled out two bats from his belt which had once again seemingly just appeared around his waist. He threw them at Ashido and she quickly melted them. However, those few seconds she wasn't focused on him was all he needed.
Ashido's arms were pinned to her side as sturdy material wrapped around her. Her hands were still free so she couldn't melt through the grapple but she was unable to move them in a way to spread her acid. She let out a surprised yell as her opponent spun her towards the boundary. The grapple unraveled and the pink girl was left spinning on her own feet for a few seconds before she fell down her behind.
"Ashida is out of bounds! Wayne advances to the second round!" announced Midnight.
The crowd roared into cheers. Bruce's friends cheered from the stands.
"Amazing… he won so quickly," Deku said as he scribbled away in his notebook.
Meanwhile, Ashido sighed in disappointment. "I lost…" She heard footsteps approaching her and glanced up to see Bruce holding out a hand to her.
"Your Quirk is very versatile. That forced me to have to think fast and end this quickly." Mina smiled and accepted her opponent's hand.
"Check it out! Wayne shows himself to be a courteous gentleman!" exclaimed Present Mic.
As the crowd cheered, Bruce side-glared at the press box. "Why's he making such a big deal? It's just the considerate thing to do," he murmured. Mina just laughed.
Afterward, the next fight commenced. This time Bruce was unsure who would win since both opponents were evenly matched. He predicted it would come down to who got in the right hit. In the end, he was sort of correct.
"A tie, huh? That's a first," Clark commented as Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were wheeled away to the nurse's, both knocked out.
"Kent, isn't your fight next?" Bruce asked.
His friend jerked up out of his seat.
"Shoot! I totally forgot!"
Clark's friends watched as he walked onto the stage to face his opponent, a girl from Class 1-A.
That girl, Momo Yaoyorozu, has a Quirk that allows her to create things from her body. An impressive Quirk indeed but unless she produces something that can even scratch Kent, the victory is already his.
"Let's get straight to the next and final match of this round!"
"Eco-friendly Solar Energy! You've seen what he can do from the beginning of the festival! From the hero course: Clark Kent!"
The usually cheerful teen was no longer smiling, but he did nod in acknowledgment of his opponent.
"Versus- All-purpose Creation! She was admitted through recommendations, so her abilities are certified! From the hero course: Momo Yaoyorozu!"
The girl was apprehensive if her body language was anything to go off on.
Bruce eyed her. She got in through recommendations? That's impressive. He glanced over his shoulder at the rest of his classmates. I don't think any one of us got in with recommendations. Perhaps she can win if she manages to somehow get Kent out of bounds. That'd really be her only chance.
Momo was nervous. Very nervous. She stared at her opponent. From his Quirk's name, he must benefit from the Sun in some way. I saw what he's been able to do. He's strong. And fast. He will likely go for a head-on attack. If I can create a shield that won't take much time to make… I can give myself enough to-!
"Final match, start!"
The announcement broke her from her thoughts. Her opponent immediately pushed off the ground straight at her. It looked like he even was floating a few inches off the concrete. His fist was drawn back and he was closing in quickly.
Momo began forming the shield from her forearm and had just finished making it when his fist slammed into it. Her arm was forced against her body, and she struggled to keep her balance as she skidded backward.
Once she came to a stop, she let out a breath and opened her eyes. To her surprise, Clark just stood there not moving.
He's… not attacking? Now's my chance! She instantly created a staff in her free hand.
"Yaoyorozu! Out of bounds!" announced Midnight.
"What?" The girl looked down to see she was just behind the boundary line, her toes almost touching the white border.
"Kent advances to the second round!"
The crowd cheered and the victorious teen nodded towards his opponent. "Your Quirk is pretty cool. Thanks for the fight." He then turned and walked away. Momo could only watch his retreating form.
"No way… I wasn't able to do anything…"
She had been outclassed again. First by Jordan and now by Kent. Their Quirks were just better hers.
Midoriya along with the rest of his friends was stunned by Clark's overwhelming victory. "Kent's too amazing," he said. "He forced Yaoyorozu out of bounds with one punch. He even aimed his hit at her shield."
Bruce watched the disappointed girl walk off the stage. Kent definitely held back. He used just enough power to win. He glanced at his friend. Usually, I disapprove of such an act… but it would have been unnecessary to knock her back into the wall.
The final match had ended but the round wasn't over yet. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had to settle their draw with a good old fashion arm wrestling competition. Even though Bruce felt it was very silly, he was intrigued at the performance of Aizawa-sensei's student. His views of Class 1-A had been mixed. A few such as Midoriya, Tokoyami, and Uraraka had managed to actually impress him. Even Bakugo did as much as he hated to admit it. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu had him on the fence. However, he felt indifferent towards Sero, Kaminari, Iida, Aoyama, and Ashido. That was the biggest disappointment for him. He had thought he would have found more 1-A students admirable even if they didn't win.
Eijiro slammed Tetsutetsu's hand down, shattering the concrete podium and securing his position in the second round. Bruce quirked an eyebrow. Hmm… winning a seemingly evenly-matched duel. Impressive.
The second round was quickly underway. The opponents of the first match stared across that stage.
"Alright! Let's have a fair fight between men!" Kirishima exclaimed as he punched his fist into his palm. Bruce didn't reply.
"Start!"
Eijiro hardened his body and charged at his opponent. He swung at the other's teen face, but Bruce dodged to the side. Eijiro went for another punch and Bruce just dodged that one, too. This continued for a bit. No matter how many swings Eijiro threw, his opponent always evaded them.
"What is Wayne doing? He isn't fighting back," Clark wondered.
"He's letting Kirishima get in awfully close," Izuku observed, "But he isn't making any offensive moves of his own."
"Tch!" Bakugo scoffed. "Damn Rich Boy is just running away."
Eijiro was also confused. Why is he just avoiding me? What is he planning? He would soon get his answer.
When Bruce dodged his swing this time, he ducked backward. He flipped so he was heading down to the ground. His arms caught him before he hit the concrete, and he pulled his legs in. Eijiro's eyes widened and he hardened his chin just in time for when Bruce's kick connected with his lower jaw. The attack caused him to stagger back while Bruce backflipped away. Before the redhead could regain his focus, his opponent landed and immediately threw two bats at him. Eijiro managed to bring up his forearms and the metal projectiles bounced off with harmless "tink!"s.
Kirishima grinned. "Sorry, but those little things aren't going to be able to even nick me!"
Bruce's eyes narrowed a fraction. In a swift motion, he threw four more bats at Eijiro. His opponent braced, confident that his Quirk would protect him. He failed to notice that these bats were different.
The stadium was stunned when the bats blew up.
"Explosions?!" exclaimed Deku.
Bruce ran at his opponent, who was coughing and stunned from the close proximity. I had to dial back the explosive power to get them approved for the festival. So I have to use more than usual.
Eijiro stopped coughing enough to see Bruce aiming a high kick at his head. He brought up his forearm to block. Bruce's shin connected and the force sent his opponent skidding to the side. He grunted when he came to a halt. He felt a throbbing in his arm and upon examination was stunned to see that there was actually a dent in his Hardening.
"How-?"
He was barely able to bring his arm up to block a bat that also exploded. He winced.
"Your Quirk's a Transformation type, correct?"
Eijiro glanced up at his opponent.
"That means keeping it activated puts a strain on your body."
Bruce threw two bats. This time Eijiro dodged to the side. So he was surprised when the bats just stuck into the ground.
Normal ones!?
The air was knocked out of his lungs from Bruce's kick slamming into his side. Eijiro rolled a bit before managing to get back on his feet. He panted and winced as he gripped his side. ' Damn… even though I was hardened… '
"It must drain you to keep it activated. So the lower your stamina, the weaker your Quirk. And everything has a limit to how much damage it can take before it breaks down."
Eijiro's eyes widened. From the very beginning… dodging my attacks to wear me out… and using those explosions… all to break me down!
A "whir"-ing sounded out and the grapple wrapped around his arm. Bruce sharply pulled and his stunned opponent wasn't able to properly resist. As Bruce drew him in, he readied himself for one final kick. Eijiro hardened his cheek but knew it wouldn't be enough.
Bruce's kick connected and threw Eijiro's head to the side. His head twisted and his body followed as he hit the ground. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and he didn't move.
"Kirishima is out of commission! Wayne advances!"
The stadium roared into cheers. Bruce's friends also cheered happily.
"Amazing! He actually knocked him out!" Diana said.
"He made those gadgets all on his own. So cool," said Hal.
"Wayne came up with such an efficient plan in such short notice," observed J'onn.
On the other side, Class 1-A was stunned.
"Amazing… he used common knowledge on Transformation Quirks to form a strategy against Kirishima. He then tricked him with those tools to weaken his Quirk and get him in position," Deku said.
As the conveyor bots came with a stretcher for Eijiro, Bruce lifted up his fallen opponent, draping his arm over his shoulder. Once the stretcher was in place, he gently laid the other teen down.
"Wayne once again shows himself to be a humble winner! Truly he is a gentleman to all!" Present Mic announced, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.
Bruce sighed and rolled his eyes. "It's just the considerate thing to do." He then winced when a dull ache made itself known. He pulled up his pant leg to reveal a deep purple bruise blossoming on his shin. The teen frowned. "Hmm. Seems like his Quirk was still strong enough to harm me even if it couldn't fully protect him." He started his way to Recovery Girl's office, limping slightly.
"Wayne is limping. You think he's hurt?" Wally worriedly asked.
"He'll be okay if he can still walk on his own. I'm sure he'll be fine," Shayera reassured her fellow redhead.
Bruce continued to hobble to the nurse's office. "This should heal easily. It won't get in the way of my next fight." He was so focused on remaining upright and his potential new opponent that he didn't notice someone walking out from the corner in front of him until he bumped into them.
"Oh, pardon…" Bruce's urgency to apologize died when he looked up at who he had walked into. "... me."
"Ah, Young Wayne! So sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," All Might said with a smile. His smile was met with a cold glare, causing it to flatter. Bruce looked away, still glaring.
"There was no harm. Now excuse me." He tried to hurry away but his injury made his move futile and he cursed when he stumbled.
"Are you injured? Here, allow me to help you." All Might reached out to assist the teen. He was stunned when his hands were backhanded away.
"It's fine. I don't want your help," Bruce growled without turning to the hero. The blonde stared, shocked, as the black-haired boy continued to walk slowly down the hall. All Might hesitated, the words catching on his tongue. He remembered Aizawa warning him to not pry with Wayne, but he just had to know.
"Young Wayne, wait!" Much to his surprise, the teen actually did stop though he still didn't turn to face him. There was an awkward silence. All Might finally broke it.
"Young Wayne, I can't help but feel… hostility from you. Have I done something that offended you? If I did, I deeply apologize."
Bruce felt his hands clench into fists and his teeth gritted together.
"You're sorry…?" he whispered. He slowly turned to the hero. "You're… sorry?!"
All Might flinched. Bruce's icy blue eyes were narrowed into a hateful glare, his mouth pulled back into a snarl and shadows blackened his face.
"You want to know what you've done that's offended me? Fine! I'll tell you!"
Calm down, a voice in the back of his mind whispered. It was lost to the storm roaring in his head. He had never been this angry in such a long time. The only time he could recall feeling like this was when he watched the news report of his parents' death.
"You go around shouting 'I am here!' like that is enough to make things better. You are creating the illusion that everything is okay as long as you're around. Well, have you ever thought about the people you never save? The people who are always waiting for the No. 1 hero, for the all mighty All Might, to come help them in their time of need?"
Bruce briefly paused though it was more to catch his breath than to give the pro hero a chance to speak.
"No, because if you did, you wouldn't be promoting this detrimental idea of heroism: that a great hero can save everyone. Not only that, but you're also causing false hope in those who actually need it. And that is the cruelest thing a person can do to anyone."
The teen then whipped around and stormed away, leaving All Might standing frozen and slack-jawed.
"Alright, let's get the second match of the second round! It's a clash of classes! He hails from an elite hero family! From the hero course: Tenya Iida! Versus- He traveled from his humble countryside home! From the hero course: Clark Kent!"
The two boys stood still, observing each other from afar.
Kent was able to win against Yaoyorozu with ease. He clearly held back. In that case…
"Start!"
Clark immediately charged at Iida. The bespectacled teen tried to dodge, but his opponent managed to grab his arm and was already moving to throw him out.
No! I'm not going to just lose!
Tenya grabbed into Clark's arm and held on. Instead of being thrown, Tenya was able to hang on and planted his feet on the ground. He tightened his grip on his opponent's arm and prepared his move.
"Recipro Burst!"
With that, he took off running towards the boundary, his opponent in tow.
Just ten seconds! Ten seconds before I stall. I can throw him out of bounds like this!
With a strong twist, Tenya sent Clark soaring towards the boundary.
This is it!
When Clark was a few feet away from going over the line, he threw his limbs out to the sides and came to a complete stop. He remained suspended in the air for a few seconds then gently landed back on his feet. Tenya stared in shock.
How… how did he do that? Isn't his Quirk super strength?
"You know, I only did that to test how fast you are. I can see that you aren't nearly as fast as West."
Then Clark was right in front of him, his body lowered and his fist pulled back.
"And he's the only one here who completely outranks my speed."
Tenya flinched and was only able to back away a few steps.
"5 Ton Shot!"
Clark's fist drove into Tenya's lower abdomen. Iida felt the air rush out of his lungs and even heard a small crack. He was thrown back over the boundary line and into the stadium wall. His head fell against his chest, and he slid to the ground.
"Iida is out of bounds! Kent advances!"
As the crowd cheered, Uraraka and Izuku stared worriedly at their friend.
"Iida... " Deku said.
They then watched as Clark walked over to Tenya's unconscious body. The other teen lifted him up into his arms and gently laid him in the stretcher of the conveyor bots.
"Another great display of sportsmanship!" exclaimed Present Mic causing the crowd to cheer even louder. What couldn't be seen was Clark's guilty expression.
"Sorry. I tried to hold back but I think I broke some of your ribs."
Some time later, Clark made his way back to sitting with his friends.
"Where have you been?" Diana asked.
"Just went to check on Iida. I cracked two of his ribs but Recovery Girl said they'll easily heal," Clark said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Don't feel too bad. You didn't want to hurt him," Bruce said.
It was the first time he had spoken in a while. He had been a bit sour after his fight with Eijiro. He was probably upset that his plan wasn't completely foolproof.
"Now, time for the third match! This is a battle of blasting power! From the hero course: Nathaniel Adams! Also from the hero course: Katsuki Bakugo!"
The two boys glared at each other across the stage. Bakugo growled while smoke rose from his palms. Nathaniel took a deep breath and exhaled as radiation flickered to life in his hands.
"Start!"
Now for the Preview!
Two big fights are coming up.
Both will leave big impacts on the participants.
Next time: Everything You Got!
The final round is coming.
So this was a bit shorter than usual since this chapter was more of a bridge to the next one.
Also, please try to avoid leaving reviews just to ask me when the next chapter is. I love writing this story, but I can't write 24/7. I really don't need my emails filling up with reviews and PMs just asking about the next chapter.
