Hi, everyone! I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I did while writing it. Please feel free to review, I would love to hear your thoughts.

Disclaimer: I don't own My Hero Academia or any of its characters. Mizuki, however, is my own creation.

Let's start with the story, shall we?*


Chapter 23

"Aw man! Mizuki-chan wasn't in the recreational games… Boo! I wanted to see her win!" Rinako pouted childishly as she sat back in her chair, her mood sour. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

"She's probably concentrating on her fight. She is the first match, isn't she? We wouldn't want to see her not being able to give it her all, now, would we?" Akira stated as she opened up the package of her chocolate bar.

"I know! But still…! She was amazing during the second round! Did you see how she flew? She didn't let anyone even steal a single headband!" Rinako said as she gestured wildly with her arms and Akira grunted.

"Yeah, she's crazy agile and can use her Quirk to any advantage. The only thing bothering me is, why didn't she go after the Ten Million? Surely if she tried hard enough, she would've made it," Akira said and Rinako briefly halted her gestures.

"Mm? Maybe it's because her team didn't have much offense power. Mizuki-chan was the only one who could give blows, right? The earlobe girl could only catch headbands, the guy that turns into steel took on her explosions and the other zombie guy didn't do anything," Rinako explained.

"I don't even know why Mizuki put him on her team. He gave me the creeps. I was surprised when she didn't hit him when he came all up and close but when I saw the blank look on her face, I knew something was up," Akira mused, her brows furrowed.

"Mizuki-chan was quick to give him a piece of her mind though. You think that he used his Quirk on her and it didn't go his way? Maybe he has a time limit?" Rinako tapped her chin as she thought aloud and Akira sighed.

"Who knows? Though, coming back to our initial topic, I don't think Mizuki didn't go for the Ten Million points because she was at a disadvantage. I think she didn't go for it because she didn't want to," Akira concluded and Rinako's big eyes blinked.

"That big softy!" She laughed and briefly closed her eyes. "She didn't go for the ten million points since it was Izuku who had it. Looks like she's still protecting him, huh?" Rinako said and Akira scoffed.

"It's irritating. What's that girl thinking? I thought she wanted to come out on top?" Akira scowled at the ash blonde and Rinako giggled at her friend's agitation. Akira was quick to get irritated when Mizuki's soft side showed.

"Well, it is like her and she did get second place. It's not like she isn't trying to get there. There are just morals that she refuses to go against. Mizuki-chan won't ever change," Rinako stated as her facial expression softened.

"I know. It's annoying."

"Akira-chan won't ever change either." She received a threatening look that she brushed passed. "It's a good thing! By the way I know you, you already analysed every single match that was put out and that you'll be able to tell me the chances of the first match," Rinako pointed out and Akira blushed.

"Shut up, Rinako." Akira tried to hide her shyness and Rinako giggled. Akira eyed the blonde from the corner of her eyes and an involuntary smile came onto her lips. Rinako would also never change. The ball of idiocy and happiness was too much to want to change.

"I'm guessing that Mizuki's going to take this match in a flash. The zombie guy didn't show anything promising during the games but since he's from general studies, it's bloody impressive that he made it this far," Akira started, Rinako humming softly.

"In terms of power and combat ability, Mizuki easily overcasts him. In terms of Quirk…if he gets to use his Quirk to manipulate her, then she doesn't stand a chance. If she finds a loophole then it's her win," Akira concluded and rubbed her chin in thought.

"I'm sure that Mizuki-chan will be okay. Besides, I don't think this is the match we should worry about," Rinako pointed out and Akira felt the colour drain from her face as she took in the matches on the screen.

"Please spare us…"


Meanwhile…


"Wah, Mi-chan's up first…" Izuku said as he sat in the front row and looked out onto the field where Cementoss made the stage. He could feel his nerves acting up and the match didn't even start yet.

"She's going against one of her teammates so she should already know wat he's capable of, right?" Ochaco pointed out as she looked at the name of the person Mizuki was facing. Strange. It was the same person who came to declare war against them.

"She'll be just fine. Mizuki's strong and she won't even give him the chance to react," Eijiro stated with a confident smile as he sat next to Katsuki who was quiet. He had his crimson eyes in front of him, his thoughts kept to himself.

"Mmm, I wonder. We don't know what Hitoshi-kun's Quirk is. It may be that he has an advantage over Mizuki-kun," Iida spoke up, rubbing his chin in thought. He couldn't say that he had seen the male's quirk.

"I also don't have a clue what this guy's Quirk is. We were on the same team but he never used it. Not that I know of anyway," Jiro stated and smiled. "But, I'm sure that Mizuki probably has a sure plan against him."

"Mizuki said that he had some kind of manipulation Quirk," Eijiro intercepted and gained everyone's attention. "She said that he used it on her but it turned out that it didn't work," he explained and had everyone stare at him with wide eyes.

Katsuki's frown deepened. It wasn't that it didn't work. It was that it didn't last long. It was either because it had a time limit or that there was some other requirement that had to be met. Mizuki had a clear advantage over him because she was aware of that weakness.

Katsuki smirked. She was going to win.


Cementoss stood by the stage as he operated the cement to make the perfect stage for the competitors to fight. He made sure that everything was perfect before he let Present mic know that they were ready.

"Hey guys, are you ready?!" The crowds of people went crazy as they heard the voice. "A lot's happened, but it's now come to this! A serious battle! You can only depend on yourself! Even if you're not a hero, you'll face lots of situations like that! You get it right?" Present Mic continued.

"Heart, skill, body, wisdom, and knowledge! Use all of that to rush up!" Present Mic stated and heard the people yell out in response. Aizawa sat next to him, his face impassive as he stared at the stage below.

Mizuki inhaled deeply as she stood in the tunnel, the darkness calming her nerves. She could see the stage in the middle of the arena and felt her blood pump large amounts of adrenaline through her. It was exhilarating.

There was a lot at stake in this match, her thoughts informing her of a lot of factors. She could feel the indifference from her brother and dryly chuckled. He was waiting for her to win so that they could fight against each other.

Eijiro had given her a brief good luck before she left, no one else on time to give her words of inspiration. She preferred it that way. She preferred to show them that she had everything under control.

Deep breaths, Mizuki. You know what you have to do. Everyone's here to make a future for themselves. It's time to shape the future. Mizuki told herself, red eyes blazing as she saw fire burst from the corners of the stage.

"Audience! The finals that you've all been waiting for are finally starting! Match number one! She's shown that no female should be underestimated and beauty is in how you use your Quirk. From the hero course, It's Mizuki Bakugou!" Present Mic announced as Mizuki stepped out.

"Versus… Sorry, he hasn't done anything to stand out yet! From general studies, it's Hitoshi Shinso!" Present Mic added and Mizuki caught sight of the indigo haired male on the other side of the stage, his eyes narrowing on her.

"The rules are simple. Force your opponent out of bounds, or immobilize them! You can also win by making your opponent say, 'I give up!' Bring on the injuries! Because we've got our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby!" Present Mic explained.

Mizuki and Shinso came to a stop on stage, several feet apart from one another as they stared. The cheers from the spectators only came as a dull sound on their ears, their concentration on each other.

"Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment! But of course, anything life-threatening is crap! It's not allowed! Heroes should only use their fists to catch villains!" Present Mic warned and Mizuki could've sworn she heard Katsuki click his tongue.

"I'll stop things if they go too far," Cementoss spoke up from the side of the stage. He sat on the cement chair he made for himself and eyed the match.

"'I give up,' huh? This is a fight to test the strength of your spirit. If you know what you want for your future, then you can't worry about appearances," Shinso said, his eyes narrowing and a sneer on his lips. Mizuki inhaled deeply and took a stance, her brows furrowing.

"Ready? Start!"

Mizuki burst forth with an explosion from her feet and hands. She charged straight towards Shinso, the male's eyes briefly widening at her speed. She came in for a kick but he jumped to the side, avoiding the blow and the explosion that followed.

He dodged? Mizuki thought, crimson eyes narrowing onto his indigo coloured orbs. She landed, pressing her feet into the ground. He expected her to go in with a big first move and moved to the side he predicted was the safest.

"Whoa! Mizuki doesn't waste any time! She goes in with a big swing that Shinso easily dodged by jumping to the side! Could it be possible that he predicted her moves?!" Present mic exclaimed loudly.

"I've seen your moves before. You always like doing something flashy to get you to your opponent as fast as possible. Too bad it won't work on me. It was foolish of you to put me on your team. I didn't just play a good support. I was observing you the entire time," Shinso said and Mizuki's brows twitched.

"He used the knowledge of her fighting style and used it against her. I said that the entrance exam wasn't rational. I pulled some basic data on the two of them. Since it's individual matches from here on out, I had someone compile it for me," Aizawa explained.

She isn't responding, but she also didn't get to touch me. The last time my Quirk stopped working was after I made physical contact with her. I have to make her talk to me before that. Shinso thought and blinked, Mizuki already in front of his face.

"Shinso failed the practical exam for the hero course. He also applied for general studies, knowing it would happen. His Quirk is very powerful, but the practical exam consisted of fighting faux villains. That gave an advantage to those with physical attack Quirks like Mizuki's. Shinso wouldn't have been able to rack up any points with his Quirk," Aizawa stated.

He barely had time to dodge the exploding palm, the heat churning some of his P.E. clothing over his left shoulder. Mizuki knew he would move to the side and twirled in the air, bringing down her leg with a large explosion.

Shinso coughed and then hissed at the heat that came from his arms where she let loose an explosion. He looked at Mizuki as she exhaled, smoke coming from her combat boots from the dispersing of her Quirk.

She knew that she wouldn't be able to reach me and let loose a bigger explosion to make damage? What's with this girl? She analysed that I was avoiding contact and adjusted her fighting style? That's absurd! He thought and gritted his teeth, soon smirking.

"Mmm, let me see too! Hitoshi Shinso. Quirk: Brainwashing! Answering his question turns on a brainwashing switch in his opponent's brain, forcing them to do what he says. If he doesn't want the brainwashing switch to turn on, it won't!" Present Mic read.

"Mizuki, who came first in the hero practical exam has a clear advantage when it comes to combat abilities and her Quirk. She's clearly weary of his Quirk and used the knowledge to her advantage to keep quiet," Aizawa added.


"Brainwashing?!" The class of 1A exclaimed in shock at what they learned, some of the students merely sitting in silence as they observed the fight. It was quite the sudden turn of events, yet Mizuki managed to keep herself in the game.

"W-Well, I guess that a type of manipulation Quirk…" Eijiro trailed off, worry briefly flashing in his eyes. He had confidence in Mizuki's skills and she was aware of the male's weaknesses. She was using it to her advantage to come out on top but he was bothered by something.

"As long as Mizuki keeps quiet she won't be affected by it," Sero said and made half of the class suddenly feel a wave of depression hanging over them. "Though, I can't actually see Mizuki keeping quiet…"

"Hah?! You want to say that to my face, Tape Face?!" Katsuki snapped at the dark-haired male, only worsening the atmosphere since he was also a short fuse. Katsuki scoffed and snapped his attention back towards the fight.

"Kirishima-kun, you said that his Quirk didn't work against her," Izuku spoke up and cut through the large cloud that came over them. Eijiro nodded in reply. "Then why is Mi-chan staying quiet? If it doesn't work on her, she doesn't have to go through all that effort."

Ochaco and Iida punched into the palm of their hands in a gesture that they understood his statement. Confusion soon followed, flushing over the entire group as they tried to figure out why she was acting so strangely.

"She's being soft, idiots," Katsuki snapped at them, his tone not as threatening as before. He only added to the confusion but didn't say anything else. He didn't feel like explaining the most obvious thing.

"Hitoshi-san is from general studies and Aizawa Sensei said it himself. He wouldn't be able to pass the practical entrance exam for the hero course with his Quirk. When he came with the declaration of war, he informed us that there would be exchanging in the hero course depending on the results," Momo spoke up and had some of their eyes widening in realization.

"In other words, Mizuki-chan is taking his words into consideration. If they saw that his Quirk didn't work effectively, they would never consider him as a possible candidate, ribbit," Tsuyu finished explaining.

They were stunned. Mizuki was thinking about what he said and very far ahead. She was still giving her all in the fighting while giving the other male a fair chance. The amount of information they had to process was too much.

"Mizuki wants to help her opponent?" Kaminari thought aloud and looked over at Katsuki who was scowling. "Are you sure she's your sister?" He asked and had Katsuki snarl at him, the male's question even more valid.

"Shut up, scum."

Eijiro stared at the ash blonde female as she stood in a stance, her crimson orbs locked onto her opponent. He felt a wide smile start to form on his lips and a warmth spread throughout his body. She was amazing.

Izuku, on the other hand, had flushed cheeks and tears that threatened to form in the corner of his eyes. She had always been like that. For some odd reason, she was always out to help others unconsciously. She was compassionate and an inspiration.

He was proud that she was his best friend.


"You're lucky that you're been blessed, Mizuki Bakugou. You won't probably ever understand, but even with a Quirk like this, I have my own dream. I'm jealous, you can do anything with that Quirk of yours," Shinso said and Mizuki frowned deeply.

"Thanks to my Quirk, I've been behind from the start. Someone who's been blessed like you can't understand, can you? Someone like you who was born with the ideal Quirk! Someone who can reach your goal!" He shouted at her and Mizuki huffed with a smirk.

Mizuki let loose an explosion from her feet, flying up in the sky. I understand, Shinso. You see, I have this friend that's the same as you. He didn't have a Quirk though, but the look in your eyes... It's a bit nostalgic.

"Ha! You keep looking down on others, don't you?! You love being at the top, huh?! Say something!" Shinso shouted towards Mizuki who gritted her teeth. She propelled herself straight towards him, her hand pulled back.

He moved to the side to dodge, his eyes widening when he saw her feet shoot out towards him. She let loose a large explosion from her boots, the male crying out as he was burnt, his clothing experiencing the same fate.

Mizuki took the opportunity that he was unable to move. She kicked his feet right out from underneath him and then slammed him into the ground, a cough coming from him. She had her hand on his chest, her breathing heavy as she glared at him and another explosion erupting from her arm, a smoke screen formed.

"You lost," Mizuki told him and he growled. He activated his Quirk, Mizuki's eyes still blazing at him. His Quirk wasn't working. He tried his best to keep her from touching him and failed in the end. He was at her complete mercy.

"Why… Why isn't my Quirk working on you? You're supposed to be under my complete control!" he shouted angrily at her, Mizuki not saying anything as she stared at him. He could feel the heat of her hand palm surge on his bare skin and swallowed thickly.

Shinso reluctantly lifted his hand above his head as the smoke cleared, everyone's eyes settling on the duo. "I…give up," he said, his words making Mizuki's hand moving away while Midnight hit to the front with her whip.

"Shinso-kun gave up. Mizuki-san advances to round two!"

The crowd went wild at the win, Mizuki letting out a breath as she climbed off the male and stood up. It was incredibly hard not to give him a piece of her mind during the match. Luckily, she was able to implement self-control.

"Need a hand?" Mizuki asked as she held her hand out towards the male on the ground. He looked up at her, the warm smile welcoming. He took her hand and let her help him up, his frustration still at large.

"In the finals, the first person to advance to the second round is Mizuki Bakugou from Class A! Yahoo! That was quite the exciting first match! We should praise them both for their bravery. Clap your hands!" Present Mic yelled out over the microphone.

"I have a friend." Shinso's eyes looked up at Mizuki as they finished bowing. "He didn't have a Quirk and still wanted to become a hero. He had the most aspiration and compassion than those who had amazing Quirks. You remind me of him," Mizuki said and Shinso stared at her.

"I won't ever understand why people like you always yearn for the impossible, nonetheless I've learnt that you are the ones who make it possible. This may not be much coming from me…but, you have my support in reaching your dream," Mizuki said and his eyes widened.

She was supporting him? Why? He watched her sceptically, not believing what he was hearing. He barely even knew her and she overthrew him within an instinct in any situation. Why on earth was she spouting nonsense?

"I don't think it will work this time. My Quirk doesn't work on you and if it doesn't work, then it doesn't mean anything. I could've been Quirkless," he said and Mizuki turned towards him, a brow raising.

"It doesn't work on me, but the others, right?" He watched as Mizuki smirked and put a finger over her mouth. "They don't know that, now do they?" Mizuki said and he felt his wind briefly knocked out by her words.

Mizuki walked off without another word, a smirk still plastered on her face. She felt good. It was a productive match even though she didn't get into a tough fist fight. Even so, she was satisfied about how it went.

"You were really cool, Shinso!" The indigo haired male glanced up at his classmates as they waved towards him. "Good job! You're the star of general studies!" They complimented him, Shinso's eyes widening in shock.

"You put up a great fight against the number one girl in the tournament!" Another one of his classmates stated and grinned widely while pointing behind him. "You even made a good impression this side."

"That Quirk would work quite well against Villains. I wish I had it."
"U.A.'s not very smart if he's in general studies."
"It was the difference in combat experience, huh?"

The heroes behind his classmates continued to discuss the male with each other. He felt a bunch of emotions bubble up from within him. They were talking highly of him. Him. The one who had a Quirk that couldn't even get him through the practical entrance exam of the hero course.

"They don't know that, now do they?"

He snapped around to see the ash blonde walking towards the other tunnel, opposite of his. He bit his bottom lip and brought his hand up to his chest, clenching his fist. He couldn't believe it. It felt completely surreal.

She knew that his Quirk didn't work against her, yet, fought like it was a danger. She made sure to cover them in a smokescreen when she told him it was over. She took his future in recognition and made sure that he didn't have a bad image.

This girl. Who is she?


"Mizuki-chan!" Mizuki barely arrived at the seating area of her class before she was tackled by a crying Mina, Ochaco trying to wipe away her own tears. She paled and panicked, not sure what exactly was happening.

"You did such a nice thing!"

"Hey, what are you going on about now? Did someone say something stupid again?" Mizuki glared at the group of students who paled at her show of demeanour. So much for thinking that Mizuki was being nice.

"Don't be bashful, Mizuki-chan! You didn't say anything during the match on purpose, right? You wanted to give that guy a chance that he wasn't given!" Mina exclaimed and sniffed, Mizuki giving her a blank look.

Mizuki then took the female's hands off her and pocketed her hands. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Mizuki said and walked down the stairs, leaving the two girls in a whirl of confusion.

Mizuki went to sit between her brother and Eijiro after the redhead moved to the side. Katsuki only gave her one look and she rolled her eyes. He wasn't impressed and she was fully aware why. Fortunately, she didn't care about his opinion.

"Mizuki," Eijiro called and she glanced to her side, his blinding grin catching her off guard. "Don't ever change." His words had her look at him with big eyes, wide in surprise. She felt her cheeks tint slightly and huffed, looking away.

"As if."


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