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 24
The next match was Jiro against Kaminari. The crowd went wild as they came onto the stage, Jiro's nervousness clear while Kaminari was confident. It was a bad match-up and despite Jiro probably being more capable in battle, against Kaminari's Quirk, she was in trouble.
She put up a great fight, managing to get in a shot with her earphone jacks before he completely immobilized her with his 1.3 million volts. If the battle conditions were different, Jiro might've had a better advantage.
"Looks like you're going to fight against Kaminari in the second round, Mizuki," Sero pointed out while the ash blonde female stared lazily at the stage. She was indifferent and unfazed, her concentration elsewhere.
Eijiro left right after the match started and merely received a confident nod from the female. He didn't need anything more though. After all, as long as Mizuki was keeping her eyes on his fight, he was going to give more than his best.
"It's going to be a pain in the ass but I won't kill him," Mizuki replied to the dark-haired male, a few of the students paling at her statement. She was as blunt and direct as always. Her kindness seemed like a fossil of the dark past.
Mizuki sat on her own, Katsuki leaving a few after Eijiro left for his match. He mumbled something resembling, 'Don't care if Shitty Hair wins or loses' and walked off. Mizuki chuckled at him and brushed him off.
His mind was at his next match and by the seriousness of his expression, Mizuki would tell that he was going all out. Even if he was fighting against a girl. No, because he was fighting against a girl with a potentially strong Quirk, he needed to prepare himself mentally.
Ochaco also left not long ago, her icy drink on the chair she once sat in melted and Izuku worriedly stared at the empty space. He was worried for the brown-haired girl and Mizuki understood why.
She saw him take out a familiar orange coloured designing book that she gave him the day his other notebook was destroyed, a faint smile forming on her lips. He kept it and used it. She honestly thought that he wasn't going to use it.
Izuku then stood up and walked off, Mizuki not stopping him. He had a plan for Ochaco to go against her brother. It was Izuku, after all. It wouldn't surprise her if he had a plan to fight against her either. It was his nerdy side.
She only hoped that he would realize that he wouldn't always be there to give a helping hand to his friends. Though, she didn't have any room to speak. She only hoped he didn't make the same mistakes she did.
"Thanks for waiting! Next up is…these guys! The second match is a match-up between redundant Quirks! Manly and passionate steel! From the hero course, it's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! Verses! Manly and passionate hardening! From the hero course, it's Eijiro Kirishima!" Present Mic stated.
Mizuki chuckled in amusement, knowing that Eijiro was definitely unhappy about the introduction. He had insecurities about his Quirk not being flashy enough and with the male from Class B there with a Quirk resembling his, only made it worse.
I have faith in you, Red.
On the stage…
"Even our intros are the same! Damn it!" Eijiro made a fist, tears of frustration forming in the corner of his eyes. As if he didn't have enough problems to stand out with his Quirk. He sighed and looked at his opponent. This was his time to show off, he had to use it wisely.
"You…" Tetsutetsu spoke up and gained Eijiro's attention. He glared at him, his fists clenched by his sides. "What is Mizuki-chan to you?" He asked and made Eijiro give him a blank look. Tetsutetsu frowned deeply, his eyes narrowing on the male in front of him.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Eijiro asked, baffled at the fact that Tetsutetsu added the -chan at the end of her name. if Mizuki heard someone was calling her that without her approval, she was going to beat them up.
"You heard me! I saw you two holding hands during lunchtime! Are you two going out?" Tetsutetsu asked, pointing accusingly towards the redhead. Eijiro, who easily blew passed the aggressiveness, laughed lightly and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Well, not actually, but that doesn't have anything to do with our fight. Why are you asking?" Eijiro asked with a raised eyebrow. He could feel an uneasy feeling reside within his heart as he took in Tetsutetsu's expression.
"Then, if you're not going out, I can ask her out, right?" Eijiro's eyes widened in disbelief. "It would've been unmanly to go for a girl that's already taken but since she isn't taken yet, I can go for her!" Tetsutetsu stated and Eijiro frowned.
"What?"
"Let's start this passionate second match!" Present Mic declared, Tetsutetsu activating his steel Quirk. His entire body became clad with steel while Eijiro stood still, not using his Quirk and not showing his eyes.
"If I win this match, then I'm going to take her on a date!" Tetsutetsu charged straight towards Eijiro, his fist pulled back. He went to strike, Eijiro moving slightly to the side to dodge. Tetsutetsu's eyes widened when he saw Eijiro glare at him and grunted when he received an uppercut.
He staggered backwards and gritted his teeth as he looked at Eijiro who was gradually activating his Quirk. His body hardened, his hands balled in fists and his eyes looking intensely at the male in front of him.
"Then, if you lose, you'll back off?" Eijiro asked and Tetsutetsu's brows furrowed, a frown deepening on his lips. Eijiro was serious, his determination set. Tetsutetsu was aiming for Mizuki and he could feel a part of him disliking it greatly.
"Intense! Kirishima managed to get in the first hit making Tetsutetsu stagger back! With two of the same Quirks, who will come out on top?!" Present Mic called out, his hands gestures all over the place while Aizawa stared at the stage with indifference.
He was frustrated with himself. Since when did he feel and act in such an unsightly way? He wanted to be a chivalrous hero and he wanted to be a hero that Mizuki could admire. Yet, he couldn't help but be upset.
"Get it in your thick head, Red. I like you. Not anyone else. I pick you."
Eijiro cried out and charged straight towards his opponent. Tetsutetsu let out his own cry and ran towards the redhead.
"Bring it on, Kirishima!" He yelled and they both hit each other with a hardened fist in the face. The impact made quite a few people in the crowd flinch and despite the obvious pain that the two students experienced, they were far from done.
"I didn't feel anything at all!"
"Yeah, me neither!" Tetsutetsu countered and they went on the hit against each other once again. It was a fist fight that showed endurance and strength. They would see who had the best Quirk and who was going to be victor.
"W-Wow, they're not pulling their punches at all! Go, Kirishima! Show him who's stronger!" Kaminari cheered as he arrived at the stands. Jiro was behind him, a dissatisfied expression plastered on her face.
"Well done in your match, Kaminari. You too, Jiro," Sero gave her a thumbs up and she rolled her eyes as she sat down. Kaminari huffed and brushed his hair backwards to show his arrogance, a smirk on his lips.
"I told you, didn't I? I'm strong!"
"Let's hope strong enough against Mizuki," Jiro came to rain on his parade and the blonde male froze at her words. He cautiously glanced back at Mizuki, expecting her to give him a threatening and deadly glare.
He was surprised to find her completely immersed in the battle at hand. She didn't even glance his way. It was a bit…anticlimactic. He could feel his agitation grow and a vein popped out of his forehead.
"Hey, MizukI! Don't underestimate me! I'm going to beat you in the next round, you hear?!" He shouted, pointing at her impassive expression. Everyone expected the female to give him a piece of her mind but she stayed quiet.
Jiro gave him a smug look. "Looks like she doesn't even give you any time of day. Too bad," she said and he scoffed. He sat down with his arms crossed over his chest in frustration. Sero put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry about it."
"I'm not!" Kaminari snapped at the male and then glared at the stadium where the two students were beating each other up. It was either their fists that collided or they received a facial hit. It was quite the brutal battle.
"I wonder what has Kirishima-chan so fired up. It seems that the guy from class B said something to make him angry, ribbit," Tsuyu said and cocked her head to the side, her index finger resting on the side of her cheek.
Jiro sighed and let her cheek fall into her hand palm. "He probably said something about Mizuki," Jiro said, causing an awkward silence to linger between everyone. Her statement, however, made Mizuki snap out of her trance.
"About me? What are you talking about?" Mizuki asked, her eyebrow raised and confusion gleaming in her crimson orbs. She assumed that Eijiro got fired up all on his own, but it seemed like there was something that she missed.
"You… You don't know?" Jiro sweat dropped as Mizuki gave her a blank look. Miuzki was always the type to quickly catch on to anything. Yet, it seemed that when it came to boys liking her, she was at a lost.
"Tetsutetsu likes you." Mizuki raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? He abandoned the whole Class B to team up with us, the class they hate and he even asked if you wanted to join him for lunch. It's painfully obvious," Jiro said and Mizuki made a sound to show that she was catching on.
"Ooh? It's a battle between two love rivals!" Mina chimed in and Mizuki gave her a disturbed expression. "What? We all saw how lovey-dovey you and Kirishima-kun were when you stepped into the cafeteria. You even held hands!" Mizuki felt her face heat up.
Everyone's eyes were suddenly glued to her and she could feel herself drowning embarrassment. She had been in such a daze that she never considered the consequences of him holding her hand in public. Especially in front of the class.
"S-shut up!"
"Aww, Mizuki-chan's blushing! It's so cute!" Mina laughed and received a deadly glare from Mizuki that was somehow completely blown passed. "I completely ship you two! See me as your number one supporter!" She winked and Mizuki wanted to bury herself ten feet underneath the ground.
"Are you two dating?"
"Can we please not talk about this?! It has nothing to do with you anyway!" Mizuki snapped weakly, breathing heavy as her heart beat sped up. She hated this. She didn't know how to deal with the current situation at all.
"She isn't denying it, so, yes?"
Mizuki groaned and buried her face in her hands. It was no use. They found her weak spot and there was nothing she was going to be able to do about it. Luckily, Katsuki wasn't here. He would've killed at least three people already.
Mizuki returned her attention towards the fight and bit her bottom lip. Eijiro was fired up because of something Tetsutetsu said? It was hard to imagine the always cheerful and blooming male to become upset over something that small.
She found her heart flutter and mentally cursed. It was wrong of her to find it attractive. It was wrong of her to find his jealous side flattering. It was wrong. Completely and utterly unacceptable. That's why she vowed to keep it her little secret for the rest of her life.
The impact of each other's fists made the two males stagger back. Neither of them was daring to not give their full power with each blow. Both breathed heavy, exhaustion causing them to near their limit.
He's tough. He's been going right for my hits the entire time… I can't lose! Not until I take Mizuki-chan on a date! Tetsutetsu thought, straightening up and glaring at Eijiro. He wasn't prepared to lose.
Mizuki… I won't lose. Eijiro thought as he recalled the grinning female. He wasn't going to give up until he came out victorious in the battle. Tetsutetsu was a tough opponent and he respected his decision and beliefs. He just didn't agree with him wanting to take Mizuki on a date.
"Kirishima… Last one… Whoever stands now… Wins…" Tetsutetsu spoke up between breaths as sweat trailed down the side of his face, his steel still activated. He was going to give the redhead everything he had left.
"You better…grit your teeth…Tetsutetsu…." EIjiro said and the two men growled as they ran towards each other. Each of them had their own morals, their own determination and strength that would be the decisive turning point.
"Tetsutetsu!"
"Kirishima!"
They cried as they hit each other in the face, the force making everyone gasp. The hit was hard enough to make them both fall towards the ground. They hit the cement simultaneously, chests heaving and unconsciousness evident.
Everyone was quiet as they stared at the two. Mizuki's brows were furrowed and her arms were crossed. She had a peculiar calmness that wash over her as she looked at the stage where the two unconscious males lay.
"The two guys with the same Quirks! Tetsutetsu verses Kirishima! A head-to-head fistfight! The winner is—" Present Mic trailed off as Midnight walked over to the two bruised and bloodied males on the ground,
"Both contestants-!""W-Wait!"
Everyone's eyes widened when they saw Kirishima push himself up on shaky arms. He gritted his teeth and used all the strength he could muster to get himself up on a pair of unstable legs that buckled beneath him.
"I'm…still standing!"
"Whoa! Kirishima from Class A manages to stand up while Tetsutetsu lays on the ground, unconscious! The winner of the third match is Kirishima!" Present Mic announced as everyone cheered at the redhead, his hand clenching a fist as it reached for the sky.
Mizuki smirked as she looked at the male while the others cheered for his victory. He did it. He won the first round and was the last one to stand up. She didn't have any doubts that he would win, knowing that he was stronger than he thought he was.
"Damn it…" Tetsutetsu cursed and clenched his fists in frustration. He couldn't move a muscle and woke up by the time Kirishima was standing. He won him fair and square. It was even more frustrating that he was able to stand up.
"Hey, that was a good match," Eijiro said as he looked at the male on the ground. He gave him a smirk with a thumb up, Tetsutetsu clicking his tongue. He averted his eyes away but couldn't resist the smile that came onto his face.
"Yeah…"
"Kyah! Such youthfulness!" Midnight squealed next to them, her face flushed as she freaked out. The two boys sweat dropped at her behaviour and then chuckled. Eijiro glanced towards the area in the arena where his class sat and made eye contact with Mizuki.
His eyes widened when he saw her smile softly at him and he felt his heart warm up. He won this match and he wasn't going to go back on his words. He would show Mizuki that he was worthy of her.
Meanwhile…
"That was insane! They beat each other up like it was nothing! Are these guys crazy?" Rinako asked as she held her face in amazement. She was excited to see what type of match it would be but didn't expect a full-blown fistfight.
"Leave it to Mizuki to pick the hardcore type," Akira stated with a chuckle as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Look at those eyes. He has the innocence of a child. Hah, I can see why Mizuki went for him."
Rinako gave her a disapproving look. "He's already taken," she pressed her finger into Akira's cheek as she spoke up. The dark-haired female nearly bit off the finger if the blonde hadn't quickly pulled back.
"I know that! I have my own morals too, you know?" Rinako gave her the same look, making her growl. "Whatever! The next match is going to start now anyway!" Akira grumbled out and stared at the stage angrily.
"You're too fun to tease, Akira-chan," Rinako giggled, her eyes sparkling. "I'm excited to see where this tournament is going. The next one of Katsuki against that brown-haired girl, right?" Rinako asked and had both of them paling.
"Poor girl."
"I would want to disagree with you and tell you that he was going to hold back, but this is Katsuki we're talking about. Mr. Explodo-kill isn't going to hold back at all," Rinako said sighed a sigh, her shoulder slumping.
"We can't expect it either. Katsuki's been aiming to be number one ever since we knew him. He's going to give his all in everything he does," Akira stated as her brows furrowed and Rinako nodded in agreement.
"It's going to be a tough one to watch…" She trailed off and Akira frowned deeply. She agreed. If the girl didn't have any amazing skills on her, then she was going to be a punching bag for Katsuki. They could only hope for the best.
Mizuki sat back in her chair, arms crossed and crimson orbs blazing. Eijiro and Tetsutetsu were taken to Recovery Girl for their injuries. She figured that it would be a while before he was going to return meaning that he was going to miss the next match. That was, if it went by fast.
"Did it start, yet?" Izuku asked as he came running down the stairs. Mizuki shook her head in reply and he let out a breath. Iida was hot on his heels, the two males going to sit down in the front seats to watch everything.
"Who won the previous match?"
"Kirishima-kun did! He was the victor in the love rival battle!" Mina answered cheerfully, Mizuki turning blue. There was no controlling this girl from saying anything unnecessary. Izuku blushed and Iida was left in utter confusion.
"Love rival battle? What do you mean by that, Mina-kun?" Iida asked and had Izuku panicking at the male's question. He could see that Mizuki was also in full fright. He was going to give the pink skinned girl a chance to go all out again.
"Mm? You don't know? Kirishima-kun and-""-That's okay! It doesn't matter now! All that matters is that Kirishima won, right?" Jiro was quick to catch onto the atmosphere and covered Mina's mouth before she could say anything else.
"I see. Yes, that is what is of most importance in the end. I should discipline myself to keep my focus correct!" Iida exclaimed and had both Mizuki and Izuku sigh in relief. Thank goodness that he was an airhead in situations like this.
"Next might be the most disturbing match-up. I almost don't want to watch, ribbit," Tsuyu said and Mizuki's face became impassive. No one wanted to watch it and she understood why. After all, he was her twin brother.
"Let's start with the next match!" Present Mic announced loudly as Ochaco and Katsuki started to step out of the tunnels. Mizuki eyed Izuku closely, watching as his shoulders tense when he saw Ochaco step onto the stage. It was going to be the hardest for him to watch.
"The fourth match of the first round! He was kind of famous in middle school! This isn't the face of a regular person! From the hero course, it's Katsuki Bakugou! Verses! She's the one I'm rooting for! From the hero course, it's Ochaco Uraraka!" Present Mic introduced.
Mizuki could feel the lingering tension around her. Everyone was waiting in great suspense and feared what this match would hold. Mizuki already knew how it was going to end. The course of it, however, she couldn't predict.
"Fourth match, start!"
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