Izuku rinsed his leg one more time with ice cold water before taping up his ankle for support and drowning painkillers with an energy drink. It was time to avenge his jet pack. He did warm ups on the way to the stadium to open some of the knots in his back. When he finally got to his team, none of them said anything and just nodded solemnly. Momo used her Quirk to craft two staffs and handed one of them to Izuku. Then they gave Mineta their headbands and lifted him on their shoulders. Even with the extra weight, Izuku's ankle held.
Shouto Todoroki balanced himself on top of his teammates. Iida, Kaminari and Uraraka were all solid picks but if he was being honest, he would have preferred Yaoyorozu instead of Uraraka.
"What's the plan, Todoroki?" Iida said.
"Gang up on Bakugou?" Kaminari said.
"Everyone's doing that." Uraraka said.
Shouto turned his gaze to Midoriya. It was stupid but… Shouto felt bad for him. Even after everything that had been said. He knew what it was like struggling against your fate and… how bitter accepting it was.
You don't use it. Why? To piss off old man Endeavor? I can respect that but… people might die because you're half-assing it. Not very heroic.
Shouto slapped himself. He had to stay focused. There was no time to be distracted by Hatsume's venom or Midoriya's pitiful situation. He had enough problems of his own without worrying about others.
"We're going after Midoriya. I made a promise." Shouto said.
"Won't look very good if the biggest badasses in 1-A go all out on a Quirkless kid." Kaminari said.
"Don't underestimate him. He made it this far." Iida said.
"Iida. Kaminari. Trust me." Shouto said.
"I trust you and I wouldn't mind taking a swing at Momo." Uraraka said.
"You're okay fighting your friend?" Iida said.
Uraraka looked at Mineta and grinned.
"He understands."
The loudspeakers came to life.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let's get ready to rumble!" Present Mic roared.
The match began and like Uraraka had predicted, everyone went after Bakugou and his ten-million-point headband. The grinning lunatic seemed to welcome all the challengers and blasted them away with abandon. Bakugou brought out a certain ferocity in his teammates and they fought as fearlessly as their leader.
A few people got cold feet after seeing Bakugou in action and tried to come after them. Uraraka just slapped a few of the enemy teammates and levitated them in the air with her Quirk. After flying a few feet, Uraraka let them drop on their teammates and brought the whole competing team down.
"Go!" Shouto said.
While everyone else concentrated on Bakugou, Shouto led his team against Midoriya. Midoriya's team was more interested in protecting their points than getting more of them and had gone on the defensive. Mineta bombed anyone who got too close with his glue balls and if anyone made it past them, they'd have Yaoyorozu's and Midoriya's staffs to content with. Not to mention Asui's tongue. That thing lashed out like a whip or a serpent.
It was a good strategy. If they'd been facing anyone else, it would have been enough.
"Now, Kaminari." Shouto said.
Kaminari blasted Midoriya's team with electricity and when they were incapacitated, Shouto froze them in place. The path to Midoriya's team's headbands was open. All they had to do was…
"Son of a fucking bitch!" Bakugou screamed.
The explosions that followed Bakugou's scream were enough to deafen all the contestants. For a moment Shouto forgot about Midoriya and turned to see what all the ruckus was about. The impossible had happened. Bakugou had lost his headbands and a team consisting of 1-B students were retreating with them. He recognized the team's leader. Neito Monoma. A power copier.
"After them! That fucker is dead!" Bakugou roared.
In all the confusion Midoriya's team had managed to break free from the ice. Midoriya and Mineta had a short but heated argument that ended with them going after the ten-million-point headband with the rest of the competitors.
"After them!" Shouto said.
Going after Midoriya led them getting in Bakugou's way. When Bakugou noticed Shouto, an ugly glint appeared in his eyes.
"You!" Bakugou yelled.
The crazy bastard actually jumped off his own team and landed on Shouto's team's backs. The sudden extra weight almost brought them to their knees. When Uraraka tried to grab Bakugou, he blasted her with explosions and knocked her off from her feet. While she tried to get back up, Kaminari and Iida had their hands full trying to stop Shouto from falling.
"Are you crazy?!" Shouto yelled and tried to push Bakugou off.
Bakugou was unyielding and yanked off Shouto's headbands.
"This is for calling Kirishima a dumbass!" Bakugou answered before vaulting back to his own team.
Cold sweat started running down Shouto's back. He'd gotten careless and now… he could feel Endeavor's glare at the back his neck. He had to get the headbands back! If he didn't, father would…
Uraraka got finally back to the team but she looked still pretty out of it after taking a blow from Bakugou.
"Go! Go! Go!" Shouto said.
Midoriya's team had made it to Monoma who was doing his best to defend his points. He made good use of his copied Quirks, but his biggest advantage was the fact how everyone else got in each other's way when they came after him. Mineta had noticed this too and was trapping the other team with his glue balls, clearing a path for his team. Even Bakugou had been trapped and was screaming at his teammates to free themselves so he could murder Deku.
Finally, Midoriya's team was free to move against Monoma.
"Hurry! Before…" Shouto said.
"Wait. I have a plan." Iida said.
"We don't have time for…" Shouto said.
"Todoroki. Trust me." Iida said.
"You should. He's super smart." Uraraka said.
Kaminari just drooled thanks to over using his Quirk.
Shouto glanced at the stands were his father was watching. Then he saw Iida's reassuring smile.
"… okay." Shouto said.
Monoma was having trouble with Midoriya's team's Quirks. They were powerful but required skill and experience to make the most out of them. Yaoyorozu and Midoriya were keeping Monoma's team busy with their staffs while Mineta bombed Monoma with his glue balls. Asui was… waiting.
Then, when Monoma was distracted by Mineta, Asui's tongue lashed out and grabbed the head bands from Monoma. Monoma could just look with impotent fury as his victory ran off and his glued in place team was powerless to follow. The time was almost up with only seconds remaining.
"Hold on everyone!" Iida said.
The engines in Iida's legs that gave him his super speed roared and suddenly Iida was moving faster than anything Shouto had ever seen. Even when he was dragging his own team behind him. They flashed past Midoriya's team and Shouto barely had time to see the shock on Midoriya's face.
Sorry, Shouto thought.
Iida held up the ten-million-point headband and a dozen others victoriously.
"Time's up!" Present Mic said.
"What the hell was that?!" Shouto said.
Iida smiled.
"Something my brother helped me come up with. I can get a speed boost by over-exerting my engines, but it leaves me unable to move for a while. I was saving it as a trump card."
Panic was building up at the pit of Izuku's stomach.
"They got the headbands! They have them! We have to…!"
"Time's up!" Present Mic said.
"… no." Izuku said.
"Goddamn Iida. He almost tore my head off. Could you hold these for a moment, Midoriya?" Mineta said.
Mineta handed him their headbands. Izuku, Momo and Tsu stared at them shocked.
"… I… what… how?" Izuku said.
Then he noticed the small glue balls in the headbands.
"… you… that's cheating." Izuku said.
"No. That's me playing it smart." Mineta said.
Mineta jumped down and took back the headbands. He quickly scrubbed off the glue balls and swallowed the evidence.
"… I… we… why didn't you tell us?" Izuku said.
"I didn't want to have this conversation before the match." Mineta said.
"That was unfair." Tsu said.
"We need to tell Midnight-sensei." Momo said.
"Hey, if you can't take the heat, feel free." Mineta said.
Izuku, Tsu and Momo looked at each other. All of them waited for the other two to raise their hands and call out to Midnight-sensei. None of them did and they bowed down their heads in shame.
"Cheer up. The only reason people hate cheating is because a good cheater wins every time. A real fight is a terrible place for fair play. You should get used to it." Mineta said.
The loudspeakers sparked up and Present Mic's voice filled the stadium.
"The teams that will be advancing to the final round are team Todoroki, team Bakugou, team Mineta and team Tetsu…? Wait. I mean… team Shinsou!"
Shinsou was climbing down from Ojiro's, Hagakure's and Aoyama's backs while Tetsutetsu was looking mighty confused. When Shinsou spotted Midoriya, he grinned.
"Great show, whiz kid! Great show! I knew you had it in you!" Shinsou said.
"… thanks." Izuku said.
"The rest of you were great too. Ladies." Shinsou said and looked at Mineta: "And small… creature."
"My name is Mineta."
Shinsou gave a dark smile.
"Indeed, it is." Shinsou said and took a small bow: "Hitoshi Shinsou."
"Tsuyu Asui." Tsu said.
"Momo Yaoyorozu. I don't think we've met."
"I'm just a humble student from General Education. But who knows. We might be classmates soon."
Shinsou went off to congratulate the other teams and introduce himself. Izuku couldn't quite put his finger in it but he felt like he'd stepped into a trap.
Midnight-sensei called all the advancing teams to herself. She stood on a stand with a wide screen behind her.
"Congratulations to everyone! It feels good to see such hot-blooded youngsters. Hopefully, you still have some fuel left in your engines." Midnight-sensei said.
The fight order appeared on the screen behind her.
Izuku Midoriya VS Momo Yaoyorozu
Minoru Mineta VS Hitoshi Shinsou
Yuga Aoyama VS Tenya Iida
Denki Kaminari VS Ochaco Uraraka
Mina Ashido VS Toru Hagakure
Eijirou Kirishima VS Mashirao Ojiro
Hanta Sero VS Shouto Todoroki
Katsuki Bakugou VS Tsuyu Asui
Izuku felt a twinge of pride. He'd predicted the final roster right save for Tokoyami. Which meant he'd have to face the most powerful and dangerous students in U.A. And if he pulled off a miracle, he'd be facing Bakugou in the final match up. That was… convenient. A little too convenient. He looked at Midnight-sensei suspiciously.
"Use the half-time to prepare yourselves and…" Midnight-sensei said.
Ojiro raised his hand.
"Excuse me, Midnight-sensei. I… I'd like to withdraw." Ojiro said.
Everyone turned to stare at Ojiro.
"I… I don't remember how I got here." Ojiro said and glared at Shinsou who just smiled: "It wouldn't be fair to the others who earned their spot."
A knife made of guilt twisted in Izuku's stomach. For a moment it looked like Momo was going to spill the beans and a part of Izuku hoped she would, but the moment passed. Momo stared at her feet, looking disgusted with herself.
"I see." Midnight-sensei said and gave Ojiro a big thumbs-up: "You have the honor of a hero! Apply for my agency when you graduate!"
Ojiro's name was replaced with Tetsutetsu's in the roster.
"With that I wish you all good luck. Use the half-time to get ready." Midnight-sensei said.
When they dispersed, Izuku and Mineta followed Ojiro.
"What the hell, Ojiro?!" Mineta said.
"It… just didn't feel right." Ojiro said.
Izuku wondered if his guilt was visible on his face.
"Fine. Be a goody two-shoes. See where that gets you. I'll kick Shinsou's ass for you. What can you tell me about his Quirk?" Mineta said.
"The last thing I remember was that he spoke to me and when I answered… nothing." Ojiro said.
Izuku and Mineta looked at each other.
"Mind control." They said together.
"… responding to him has to be the trigger." Izuku said.
"So. I'll just have to keep my mouth shut. Won't be easy but I'll try." Mineta said and grinned at Izuku: "Then I'm coming for you."
Izuku smiled.
"Give me your best shot." Izuku said.
"Midoriya." Ojiro said.
"… yeah?"
"What I said at the nurse's office…" Ojiro said.
Izuku shook his head.
"… don't worry. I get it."
Ojiro smiled and offered his hand. They shook hands.
"Good luck. Both of you. Kick Shinsou in the teeth for me." Ojiro said.
After that Izuku left for the workshop. His ankle had started acting up again. When he got there, Mei was hard at work.
"I need more time." Mei said without looking up.
"… did you bribe Midnight-sensei, so I'd face Bakugou in the finals?" Izuku said.
Mei glanced at him.
"Come on, Izuku. Come on. Me? Come on. Would I do that? Never. Come on. You know me. Come on. By the way, on a completely unrelated note, I need you to pose for some pictures dressed as a maid. Midnight promised they'd be very tasteful." Mei said.
Izuku sighed.
"… anything I can use here?"
"The old shock glove and the baton." Mei said.
Izuku picked up the shock glove and the baton. The glove didn't come with super punches, but it did have electricity running through it. He could also use it as a shield. Not that it would be enough against Momo. He hadn't beaten her even once during their sparring matches. The best he'd managed was getting a few hits in and even then Momo had practically given them to him.
"Think you got what it takes to beat Momo?" Mei said.
"… I'll think of something. Look… if I make it that far… I'll almost certainly face Iida and… I can't beat him without the armor."
"Don't worry. I've got this." Mei said.
Izuku wished he could believe her. He helped Mei with the armor before it came time to return to the stadium. He rubbed some cold gel in his ankle and took more painkillers before he got going.
On the way back, he could hear… moaning. Was someone hurt? Izuku followed the voices to a distant hallway and saw… Kaminari and Jiro. His face flushed red.
"You! You better win! Fucking win!" Jiro panted.
"I will! I will! I love you!" Kaminari said.
Izuku backed away as quietly as he could. His heart was beating way too fast and his cheeks were burning. He'd managed to calm down a bit when he got back to the stadium. Almost all the participants had their eyes glued to their phones. Bakugou and Kirishima were arguing away from the others.
"… something wrong?" Izuku asked Tsu.
Tsu looked up from her phone.
"Hagakure… she showed us this." Tsu said.
On the screen was playing the end of his unedited fight with Bakugou.
"You… you think this will change anything? You'll never have a Quirk. Your dad is never coming back."
Tsu looked at him nervously.
"Izuku… are you alright?"
Kirishima was waving his phone in front of Bakugou's face and looking more pissed off then Izuku thought possible. Finally, he stomped off. Bakugou stared after Kirishima and he looked… so small. Bakugou didn't rage or scream. He just… sat down and looked lonely. It was not as satisfying as Izuku had hoped.
"… I'll manage." Izuku said.
Tsu nodded.
"Izuku?"
"… yeah?"
"If we have to fight… there's not going to be a problem? Afterwards, I mean?" Tsu said.
Izuku smiled.
"… of course not."
"Okay. Good. Uh… Good luck."
"… you too."
Midnight-sensei walked up to them.
"Have you seen Kaminari? We're about to start." Midnight-sensei said.
Izuku's face warmed up again.
"… I'm sure he'll come soon."
Present Mic's voice roared out of the loudspeakers.
"First up! Izuku Midoriya facing Momo Yaoyoroza!"
Izuku gripped the baton harder and slipped the shock glove on. He stepped inside the ring and the applause from the audience rocked every inch of his body. When Momo joined him, she looked… smaller. Slumped. Nervous. Her usual composure was gone, and her eyes darted wildly from Izuku to the audience. Her breathing was heavy and labored. Sweat was running down her face.
"Begin!" Present Mic said.
Whenever they had sparred Momo had come at him like panther. Now, she looked like a deer caught in headlights. What was going on? Then he realized. Momo was not used to this. Having the whole world bear down on her. Judging her every action and mistake. She tried so hard to be everything others expected her to be and now… when the eyes of the world were on her, it was too much. Izuku on the other hand… his whole life he'd been on trial for being Quirkless. This was nothing new to him. Just… more of the same.
This is wrong, Izuku thought.
Despite knowing it might come back to bite her, Momo had helped him. Treated him like a friend and now… he'd have to fight her when she looked ready to break down. Izuku approached her slowly and hoped it was enough for Momo to pull herself together but all it did was push Momo closer to the edge.
Not knowing what else to do, Izuku attacked.
Going for the offensive pulled Momo out of her funk for long enough that she was able to create herself a weapon. A baton and a buckler shield. Even her imagination had abandoned her.
They fought.
The Momo he knew from sparring had been nimble and fluid like water before turning into a tidal wave. All her attacks had had her whole body behind them but the Momo he was facing now… her shoes might have as well been made of concrete and you could've sworn she'd never held a weapon. All she was able to do was block his strikes and try to create distance. The few times she did swing her baton, Izuku blocked her with the shock glove. She never stopped glancing at the audience like it was her true enemy.
Momo. Please. Fight, Izuku pleaded.
He didn't want to win like this. He could have disarmed her, but this was their moment. Their big moment to show the world what they were made of. Momo had given him a chance. What would he be if he didn't return the favor? He drew out the fight and tried to rouse the old Momo out of her shell.
Momo never managed to regain her nerves and was so blinded by sweat and panic she didn't notice the edge of the ring.
"The winner is! Izuku Midoriya!" Present Mic said.
Izuku jumped down and helped Momo on her feet.
"… you alright?" Izuku said.
"… I…" Momo said and wiped her eyes: "Yes… I just… I have to go…"
Momo ran off. When Izuku thought if he should follow, Mei's voice came out of the earpiece.
"Give her space, Izuku." Mei said.
"… but…"
"Nothing humbles you like an ass kicking. She needs to be alone." Mei said.
Izuku dragged his feet when he walked back to the seats and felt like crap. Not even the announcement of Mineta's match could cheer him up.
Mineta walked into the ring full of bluster and confidence but Izuku knew him well enough to see how nervous he was underneath all the bravado. And Shinsou… something was wrong. Shinsou was too relaxed. Too assured. There should have been a little tension to him, but he looked like he had already won. Was he really that arrogant or was there something they didn't know?
"Begin!" Present Mic said.
The words had barely stopped echoing when Mineta turned around and walked off the ring. Everyone in the audience turned to look at each other. Was that it? Even Present Mic sounded confused.
"The winner is! Hitoshi Shinsou!"
Izuku turned on his earpiece.
"Mei! Can you find Hitoshi Shinsou's…"?
"Way ahead of you." Mei said and muttered to herself for a moment: "According to the Quirk database his mind control is activated by responding to something he says and there should be only a few second window for it to be effective."
"… okay."
So, Mineta couldn't resist quipping. Or was there something he didn't know?
"… how's the armor?"
"I need time, Izuku." Mei said.
"Next up! Yuga Aoyama facing Tenya Iida!" Present Mic said.
Aoyama's and Iida's match went as Izuku had predicted. Iida moved far too fast for Aoyama and threw him out of the ring almost immediately. Aoyama had barely enough time to blast out one navel laser.
"The winner is! Tenya Iida! Next up! Denki Kaminari facing Ochaco Uraraka!"
Izuku had labeled Kaminari the biggest threat in 1-A after Bakugou and Todoroki. When Uraraka levitated all the rocks in the stadium and then brought them down on Kaminari like a meteor shower, Izuku realized he'd been hasty with his judgement. Hopefully, Jiro wouldn't chew him out too badly.
"The winner is! Ochaco Uraraka!"
Ashido's and Hagakure's match was a mystery to him. When he'd been making strategies he'd never expected either of them to make it this far. It was laughable. What right did he have to underestimate anyone? Ashido was in outstanding shape and her ability to shoot acid was dangerous. If only she could see her opponent. The speed and thoroughness Hagakure had in beating Ashido was shocking. Then again, she had to be good to make it through the entrance exam without an offensive Quirk.
"The winner is! Toru Hagakure! Next up! Eijirou Kirishima facing Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"
Tetsutetsu had cruel parents for naming their son like that.
"Got room for me?"
Mineta was standing next to him and looking miserable.
"… always." Izuku said.
Mineta sat down next to him.
"… what happened?" Izuku said while Kirishima walked into the ring.
"No idea. The bastard started talking and the next thing I know I was lying flat on my ass outside the ring." Mineta said.
Mineta grimaced when he saw Kirishima's face on the big screen.
"Kirishima is gonna get his ass kicked." Mineta said.
Izuku had to agree. The argument with Bakugou still haunted him and his movement were… sluggish. Like he was half dead. Izuku stood up.
"Kirishima! Fight! You can do it!" Izuku yelled.
Suddenly Mineta was roaring next to him.
"Kick his ass! His cheap knock off ass! You're Eijirou Kirishima! Not some basic bitch!"
"Kick his ass! Plus Ultra! Izuku yelled.
"Plus Ultra!" Mineta agreed.
"Plus Ultra! Plus Ultra! Plus Ultra! Plus Ultra!" They chanted together while praying it would lift Kirishima's spirit.
"Begin!" Present Mic said.
Their chant didn't help. Kirishima was a shadow of his former self and took hits he could have normally dodged. Worse was that he just took it all without dishing anything back. All his punches were slow and amateurish. The fight was a war of attrition between two hardening Quirks and it eventually turned in Tetsutetsu's favor.
"The winner is! Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"
"… damnit." Izuku said and fell back down on his seat.
Was this his fault? If he hadn't told Mei to upload the video, maybe Kirishima wouldn't have… Damn it! He hadn't meant to hurt Kirishima too!
"1-A is getting its ass kicked." Mineta said.
Todoroki's and Sero's fight could be barely called that. It looked like Todoroki let Sero get in a few pity hits before icing him.
"The winner is! Shouto Todoroki! Next up! Katsuki Bakugou facing Tsuyu Asui!"
Katsuki did warm ups in the locker room reserved for combatants. He threw shadow punches and imagined Deku's face. Why hadn't that bastard given up?! He'd been recording him just to spite him too and now… and now Eijirou…
"You're a cunt, Katsuki!" Eijirou had yelled before running off.
Katsuki hit a wall. Then he hit it again until the skin on his knuckles split. Good. He wanted it to hurt. What was he supposed to do?! Deku had almost won by cheating and… he'd been angry. It's not like he would have said it if he knew it was being recorded. Fucking Deku! Always ruining everything! Why couldn't that bastard just leave him alone?!
And fucking Eijirou!
How could Eijirou lose to some cheap copy of himself? He'd fix this. He'd fix everything. Once he won the tournament he'd clean this mess up. If you made it to the top, nothing else mattered.
When he stepped outside, he was greeted by a wave of boos. That fucking video had spread through the audience like a disease. Deku always found new ways to piss him off. In response to his welcome, Katsuki flipped everyone in the audience off. His middle finger filled the big screen.
Frog girl was already waiting for him and eying him like she'd caught him fingering her dog. She started croaking when he stepped into the arena. Like a frog. Katsuki didn't care for that shit at all.
"Stop that." Katsuki said.
In response frog girl croaked even louder and her glare grew sharper.
"Begin!" Present Mic said.
Frog girl spat in his face.
It burned! His face was on fire! Katsuki screamed and only managed to get the spit in his mouth. He was blind! He couldn't breathe! No! Not like this! He wouldn't lose! Not like this! Not when everyone was watching!
Just because he couldn't see, didn't mean he was done or helpless. He started blasting explosions everywhere. One of them had to get the frog bitch! Then he'd…
A kick in the stomach almost cut him in half.
All the explosions his body produced had made him inhumanly tough as a side effect. And he still felt his ribs crack. His breakfast flew all over the arena. He kept throwing explosions where he calculated the frog bitch was. She wouldn't…
Another kick dropped him on his knees. Then something warm and wet wrapped around him and he was sent flying. Katsuki tried to slow his fall with explosions. If he could fly back into the ring, he could continue fighting! But he didn't know which way was up or down! He couldn't see! No! He wasn't done yet! He'd win! He'd beat the frog bitch! He'd beat everyone! Then he'd fix everything! He…
Katsuki hit the ground.
"The winner is! Tsuyu Asui!"
What?! No! This was a mistake! This was his moment! He was supposed to win! Him! He had to win! He had to win so he could fix everything!
Someone landed next to him. Katsuki could open his eyes enough to see the frog bitch looking down on him.
"Talk all the shit you want now, Bakugou." The frog bitch said before walking away.
"It is official!" Present Mic roared: "Tsuyu Asui has broken Rei Kurosawa's knock out record from twenty-six years ago!"
The crowd went wild. They were laughing and jeering. At him.
The earpiece almost blew Izuku's eardrum.
"Fuck! Goddamn it, Tsu! She ruined everything! She wasn't supposed to do that! Bakugou was the fucking bad guy! Now we look like idiots!" Mei screamed.
Izuku took off the earpiece and checked his ear for bleeding. Everything was ringing.
"You okay?" Mineta said.
"… no." Izuku said.
Bakugou had… lost? No! That… there had to be a mistake. Bakugou couldn't just… lose. He was Bakugou! He… if Tsu could beat Bakugou… then why had no one stopped him sooner?! Why had no one stopped Bakugou from tormenting him?! Why?! All of it… everything he'd gone through… Anyone could've ended it… and… And no one had bothered!
Reality had hit Bakugou too and he was pushing medics away before dragging himself away from the stadium.
"… I have to go." Izuku said.
Izuku ran after Bakugou without caring about the pain in his ankle and caught up to him in an empty hallway.
"Bakugou!"
Bakugou turned to look at him. He wasn't handsome anymore. His face was swollen and covered in rashes. His eyes were bloodshot… and he was crying. He looked so… pitiful. Even the rage couldn't hide it.
"What do you want, Deku?!"
Bakugou tried to growl but his voice broke at the worst possible moment and it came out as a squeal. Izuku tried to think of something to say but realized… there was nothing left to say.
"Are you happy now, huh?! Are you, Deku?!" Bakugou said.
Bakugou was beaten. Humiliated. Alone. Everything Izuku thought he'd always wanted. So why…?
"… no. I'm not." Izuku said.
He tried to leave but Bakugou grabbed his hand.
"Don't you turn your back on me!"
Izuku shook him off and kept walking.
"Don't… don't walk away from me! Deku!"
Izuku kept walking. Even when Bakugou broke down crying, he didn't look back. There was nothing left to see.
"Next up! Izuku Midoriya facing Hitoshi Shinsou!"
Izuku picked up his baton and shock glove. He was grateful that he didn't run into Tsu. He didn't know how to face her or what to say. All he could think about was Bakugou. Why? Why did he feel bad for Bakugou? After everything?! Why?!
Mei had calmed down and Izuku plucked the earpiece back in place.
"… how's the armor?" Izuku said when he stepped into the arena.
"I need more time." Mei said.
Shinsou walked inside the ring and his confidence was more terrifying than Todoroki's ice powers. What did Shinsou know that he didn't?!
"Whiz kid! You made it. Crazy isn't it that two failures would claw their way here?" Shinsou said.
Izuku swung the baton to full length. He just had to stay quiet and finish this quickly. Maybe any kind of response was the trigger. A snort or even a grunt.
"What's wrong? Nothing to say to your pal Shinsou? That's cold, whiz kid. How about this?" Shinsou said and opened his jacket.
Under Shinsou's jacket was a t-shirt with the picture of… Indestructible throwing down with a T-Rex. Why… why was the armor pink? Wait! Since when had Project: Indestructible been selling t-shirts?! Where the hell was his share of the profits?!
"Told you I was a fan. Can you sign this?" Shinsou said.
Izuku started approaching Shinsou. The shock glove buzzed to life. Shinsou just smiled.
"Did tail boy tell you about my Quirk? Must be nice to be so blessed you can just throw away a chance like this. But we? We have to fight for everything. Don't we?" Shinsou said.
Izuku kept his silence.
"Or did you figure it out yourself? You seem like a smart guy. Or maybe you checked it out on the Quirk database. That there's a few second window for me to take over your mind after you speak to me?"
Izuku reached at Shinsou with the shock glove.
"Stop." Shinsou said.
An overwhelming desire to obey filled him and Izuku stopped.
Shinsou leaned closer to whisper in his ear.
"That diagnosis was done when I was five. I'm far more powerful now. That window is now a few hours. And we had a chat less than an hour ago, didn't we, whiz kid? Me and every other finalist."
Izuku muscles twitched when he tried to force himself to move. Move! Move goddamn it! Not like this! He wouldn't lose like this! He couldn't!
"Sorry, whiz kid. I want that seat in Heroics but don't worry. I'll name drop Project: Indestructible in my victory speech. You can walk off now and then forget this conversation ever happened." Shinsou said.
