*Wham* *Bam*
'I need... something new!' Midoriya thought bitterly, as he punched a tree with a barrage of rapid strikes.
*Crack* *Craaash*
And in turn knocked it down, with a final right hook. "Ghh! Okay, punching trees only works in the movies..." He groaned, clutching his fist before sitting beside the tree. "Hurting myself isn't helping me come up with something new. If I want to beat Kodai, and everyone else, then I'll have to come up with something new-"
"Sounds like you're having trouble."
With a jolt, Midoriya turned around to see the skeletal man he knew all too well. "Oh, hey Toshinori."
With a nod, Tosinori sat beside him, "I heard what your problem was. You want to come up with something new, a secret weapon if you will."
"Yup, the problem is that I want something... unexpected. Sure I can use Fire Punch and Blaze Kick, and Flamethrower is still a thing, but those are basic attacks."
"Well what about that rolling thing you did at the beach 10 months ago?"
"Flame Wheel? It's fine I guess, but it's hard to steer. And Flare Blitz is basically that but way stronger, so I just scrapped it. And the move I used during the Entrance Exam 'Overheat' is too dangerous to use in a city, so I shelved it, only using it when I'm in the middle of desolate nowhere, or specific circumstances where I can use it without melting anyone."
"Understandable, but I have to ask... how did you come up with that move and use it as well as you did?"
...
...
"Your silence isn't comforting."
"W-Well... I... just used it in the heat of the moment?"
"Young Midoriya..."
"Okay fine... I may or may not have used a vacation to the Tottori Sand Dunes to train my Quirk. Me being a brilliant 5 year old thought using all of it at once would help me, so I did... and promptly passed out. It only took me 15 tries before I was able to withstand it and for some organization to ban me from ever going back there due to too many complaints of a giant fireball. So I have been training in my backyard ever since."
"What organization?"
"I don't know, all I remember was the logo that looked... like an umbrella?"
"Hmm... I don't remember an organization with an umbrella for a logo, asides companies that sell umbrellas. But they don't have the power to ban someone from a desert."
"Weird... Oh well that was years ago, but it's weird I felt that the time I used it during the Entrance Exam felt way stronger. Was it because of the training?"
"I mean naturally, the more you use your Quirk the more powerful it becomes. Like muscles on your body."
"Well yeah, they're physical abilities, that's Quirk Bio 101." Midoriya replied, "But then it felt way more powerful, suddenly stronger I mean."
"That's also natural. One for All doesn't just grant you the strength of the past users, but it also bolsters Quirks."
"... So my Quirk is stronger now?" Midoriya asked as Toshinori nodded in affirmation, "Well any other stipulations One for All has that would have been convenient to know at the beginning but you've neglected to tell me now?"
"That's about all I'm aware of, but there's probably a lot we don't know about One for All yet."
Midoriya nodded before continuing to think... but then he got an idea. "So One for All bolster's Quirks right?"
"... Yes?"
"Meaning anything that was impossible is now technically possible?"
"Theoretically yes."
"Then I have a stupid idea that just might work."
...
*Meanwhile, in a remote location*
"See a candidate you like, Mistress?"
"... The green haired one." The 'Mistress' said, "His fire and strength sounds useful... but he appears to be raw, if not a little ways into the refining process."
"A wise analysis." A man in all white with beige diamond patterns on his legs stated, "If I recall, our resident drug manufacturer witnessed the boy partaking in training his Quirk when he was young. Before he promptly banned him from the desert. Regardless he appears to have potential... if you will give me the honor I'll be willing to test the limits of his potential."
...
...
"Very well, you may proceed when you deem fit."
"Excellent, I shall make preparations at once." The man said before walking away, an eerie smile forming.
"Time to see the extent of your potential... successor."
...
"Excellent, they're still here." Yanagi muttered, before returning to the stadium, "If I wish to win, those will be a major fac-"
"You." Yanagi turned to see a mildly upset and... attempting to be intimidating but failing miserably Mt. Lady.
"... Yes?"
"I need you to lo-"
*FWIP*
"MMPH!"
"We talked about this, learn some tact." A voice scolded as Mt. Lady was pulled away, "I apologize for her, she has a one track mind when it comes for her own personal gain."
"Fmmk ymm!"
"She made a bet with another pro hero about the match ups. And she bet against you."
"... Care to tell me who bet against her?"
"That's confide-"
"It was me!" The jolly voice belonging to no one other than Fatgum, appeared out of nowhere, "I have voiced my confidence in you!"
"... I should have known." Yanagi muttered with slight disappointment, "So you've decided to make money off of me without my permission?"
"Yup."
"... Why?"
"Because Tamaki did the same thing with the business course students, as did his friends."
"I cannot believe you would stoop so low as to bet on high school students even though you all have high grossing salaries." The 3 pros winced, but Fatgum laughed.
"I intend on giving the winnings to you when you win, no need to try for intimidation tactics."
"Then everything is in order." Yanagi replied as she continued to walk back towards the stadium, with one thought in her mind.
'What is it with everyone and gambling?'
...
"Dude not to be that guy, but did you really have to bet against Midoriya?" Kirishima asked in the 1-A viewing booth. Everyone from Class 1-A, barring Iida, Todoroki, Bakugou, Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Ashido, and Hagakure, was watching Sero go through a bit of buyer's remorse... but there isn't going back now.
"Yes, he pissed me off and now I'm going to show him why he shouldn't run his mouth-"
"First off it was YOU who ran your mouth." Uraraka chimed in, the obvious start to an argument that most of the 1-A students don't want to participate in. "And second off, he's not stupid. He wouldn't make a bet and risk money unless he knows he can win."
"Oh yeah?" Satou asked, "And how do you know that-"
"Because he told us when he was tutoring us for Mathematics, mainly probability." Asui added as Uraraka nodded.
"Yup, hence why I scammed 2 business course boys out of their money. I can just taste the money now..."
"Wait, you bet AGAINST Yaoyorozu?"
"Of course." She replied, taking a sip of her iced tea.
"Why the heck did you do that?!" Kaminari yelled, "She's in your class, don't you have loyalty-"
"You can't give me a loyalty lecture, when the same girl I bet against tried to boot me out of the tournament, and as a byproduct of that almost booted my cousin out too." Uraraka bit back.
"But that was all Midoriya's fault-"
"Sure he destroyed most of the points, but he left me with points. And besides, if we're going on about class loyalty and all that, then why didn't she try her hand at one of the 1-B headbands?"
"W-Well-"
"Because she figured I'd be a weaker target, and easy prey to pick off and secure her advancement... which was correct all things considered." She muttered, "And in case you haven't noticed my cousin gave me her points, and Midoriya risked not only his Perfect Clause but his advancement to give Kodai points so she could advance."
"You sound bitter." Asui commented in her usual bluntness... as Uraraka sighed.
"All's fair in love and war, but I'm upset that so many people from 1-B were so quick to throw themselves into the fire for each other, and yet here WE are, only doing that because we were provoked into doing so." She explained, "So yes, I did bet on Yanagi over Yaoyorozu, but not because I hate Yaoyorozu and want her to lose far from it. But when both players are all in, and they went 1 on 1 with everything they've got. Who would win? A person with the 'Better Quirk' or the person who was surrounded with support? I know who I'd pick."
"ALRIGHT! Time for the main event! The first round of the tournament is about to begin!"
"And that's a reason why this match won't be as clear of a stomp as you may think."
"What are you talking about, Midoriya is going to beat her-"
*WHACK*
"Dude..." Kirishima muttered, as Kaminari realized the circumstances.
"Oh- sorry."
"Don't worry about it, but my point is... is that Midoriya has charisma." She stated as she thought back to the beating her team received during the first joint training, "He has ways to spark people around him, whether it'd be compliments and words of motivation, to insulting them enough to get them to want to prove him wrong... and judging by your determination to see him fail, he's impacted you too." She stated, which caused Sero to look away.
"And Kodai feels the same way."
...
*Earlier*
"Why did you do that?" Uraraka asked, as Kodai just shrugged, "Had Tokage not given you your points, then you would have been eliminated. So why did you do it?"
...
...
"Because I want you to succeed?" Kodai replied.
"But why?! Why can't you be selfish for once?!"
"... I kinda am being selfish?"
"You don't sound so sure..."
"I could, and feel that I should, give Tokage her points and her place. But... I feel that it would be rude to Midoriya and Tokage."
"Huh?"
"Or rather... I want to fight Midoriya." She figured, "I still owe him for giving you points during the Entrance Exam, in fact I owe him even more since he wanted to give his points to me and throw away his Perfect Clause and his placing. So I feel that giving my spot to Tokage would be a slap in the face to him. Same to her since she sacrificed her spot for me."
"Okay...? I get your logic, but how is that being selfish?"
...
...
"I don't know."
*FWAP*
After the sound of a hand colliding with a forehead, Uraraka sighed, "I sometimes don't understand you."
"I pride myself in being an enigma." Kodai replied, "But I feel... that he would be upset if he won had I not given it my all. So my goal is to at least get him to sweat."
"... Teh." She chuckled, "Weeeell if there's anyone I know who can do that is you, well save some of him for me."
"Glad to know that you don't think I can win." Kodai replied, a small smile on her face, "Because I don't think I can win either."
"That's okay, I don't think I can win either. But it's the moral victories that count."
"Truer words have never been spoken."
...
"So it's starting... about fucking time." The brash statement, cut Uraraka out of her flashback, as Bakugou dropped himself into his seat.
"Bakugou? You're excited for Midoriya's match?"
"I'm here to make sure the fucking nerd doesn't lose until he gets to me." He snapped, before turning back towards the stadium, 'He beat me, even without that second Quirk of his. I can't contest that outcome... but mark my fucking words Deku. I will make you use that second Quirk, and beat you so I can prove I'm the best one here.'
"Just you fucking wait."
...
"And now with the first match of the Sports Festival. It's the man versus the entire world! His fiery attacks lighting up the charts! Izuku Midoriya!" Present Mic announced, cheers and applause heard throughout the stadium, "And his opponent. A silent girl with a heart of gold! Willing to do anything and everything for their family! Yui Kodai!"
The two met in the middle, as Midnight raised her whip. "Allow me to give a brief refresher of the rules! Knockouts or ring outs will result in victory. Should a tie occur then a tie breaker will be utilized. Should things be taken too far Cementoss and myself will step in. Any questions?" The two of them shook their heads.
"Give me your best shot Kodai."
"Hmm."
"Alright, begin!"
Midoriya wasted no time, charging up 10% he rushed towards Kodai.
*Fwip* *FWONG*
Only for a gigantic boulder to grow in his face. 'So that's her game plan!' Midoriya thought before smashing the boulder into pieces.
*Fwip* *FWONG*
'Shoot!' Midoriya decided to jump back, avoiding the boulder all together, and during this Kodai scooped up as many pebbles as she could, effectively restocking her supply. 'She's using me to get more ammo, I approve.'
*Fwip* *Fwip* *FWONG* *FWONG*
'And now she's upping the firing rate!' Midoriya yelled, smashing the boulders into pieces, exposing Kodai who was gesturing to him to advance. 'As much as I would like to... if I get close enough then she could just drop a boulder on my head and beat me right then and there.' He thought before sighing, 'Her Quirk is a massive enigma, her Quirk 'Size' isn't just your run of the mill make things grow big or small, it also impacts the mass and the weight of the object. So when she throws a pebble up into the air and expands it, the boulder drops at the same rate as any normal boulder would. That's what makes her dangerous, she can effectively throw boulders without breaking a sweat!' He explained before clutching his hand, 'And I thought punching trees was bad...'
Seeing this moment of weakness, Kodai threw three pebbles this time, and in a moment of panic Midoriya dodged out of the way.
"What's this?! Midoriya's looking antsy! Could this dark horse pick really dethrone the 1 seed?!"
'But this doesn't make her invincible. She can make these boulders way bigger, but she's smart enough to not use her Quirk full blast out the gate. She's planning something.' More boulders, more dodging, 'But what? What is she pla- wait a minute!' He looked around, noticing the amount of legroom he has on the stage is dropping rapidly due to the remains of the boulders.
"It seems you've finally noticed." Kodai stated, throwing her last boulder at Midoriya before he stayed at the only spot untouched, on the far left side of the platform.
"You were leading me to this spot..."
"Naturally." She replied before pointing upwards, Midoriya looked to see a rock floating far above him.
"Uraraka..." He figured out, a smile on his face, "Underhanded... I like it."
"I figured you would, because it's time." Suddenly, all of the boulders on the stage expanded to a large degree, and the rock floating in the air expanded to encompass most of the stadium! "Don't bother to dodge it, there isn't much room for you to stand on anyway." And with that the boulder... no the meteor started to hurtle down towards Midoriya, and like she said the only obvious safe spot is on the opposite end of the stage... where Kodai was standing.
'She's got me in a bind.' Midoriya thought, as the meteor started to accelerate towards him. '... I have no choice, I didn't think I'd have to use this so freaking early. But I did think this up with this match in mind!' He slammed his wrists together and cupped his hands, as a bright orange ball started to form inside it. 'Concentrate... think like how you use Overheat, but in your hands!'
'He's trying something...' Kodai realized, clutching a few pebbles in her hand... before smiling, "Well? Show me what you've got."
"With pleasure!" Midoriya yelled, the ball in his hand surging with near uncontrollable energy. "Time for something stupid! Ultimate Move: HYPER BEAM!" A sporadic laser shot out of his hands and collided with the meteor. The energy and power of the laser and the acceleration of the meteor were near equal... until the meteor was getting pushed back and started to crack, "HaaaAAAAAHHH!" With one last primal yell the meteor shattered into pieces and the laser pierced through the atmosphere... until it dissipated.
*Tssss*
And leaving Midoriya with steam oozing out of his arms, "I-I did it... that... was... much... big."
*Thud*
"Midoriya is down!" Present Mic yelled.
'... Impressive.' Kodai thought with a smile, 'But I don't want to advance.'
"Mid- Wait, Kodai?" Midnight asked as Kodai raised her hands up into the air.
"I'm done... I'm going home." She stated before turning around, "I just wanted to show what I can do, facing 12 other people isn't for me."
"Uh- Yui Kodai has surrendered. Izuku Midoriya is our winner!" The crowd had no idea how to respond to that... but Kodai knew what she had to do. Pressing her fingertips together reverted all of the boulders back into their tiny pebble state, and in her pocket expanded a bottle of cold water. Taking it out and twisting the cap off, she set it down onto the ground.
Midoriya realized where she was going with this, "W-Wait a minu-"
But it was too late...
With perfect timing she kicked over the water bottle and expanded it's size, including the water inside, sweeping Midoriya away in a tsunami of cold water.
"O-OH GOD!" Forgetting the basic rules of swimming, Midoriya started panicking during his drowning state. "Mayday! MAYDAY! THIS LOOKS LIKE THE END! I NEVER LEARNED HOW TO REHEHEAD!"
"Midoriya... stand up."
"Huh?" Midoriya asked, before standing up, "Oh yeah, hehe." Turning bright red he scratched the back of the head, "I-I knew that, just some comedic timing you know?"
Midnight sighed, "Get to Recovery Girl, we have to get the stage cleaned up for the next match."
"Rodger!" And with that he sprinted away, leaving an exasperated Midnight and a confused Kodai.
...
...
'Guess I should go back to my class.'
...
*BONK* *BONK* *BONK*
"Will you stop bashing me in the head?!" Midoriya yelled as Recovery Girl kept bashing him in the head with her syringe cane, "You said I was fine, so why are you trying to give me a concussion?!"
"With that boneheaded attack, this won't make a difference!" She yelled before relenting, "Honestly you almost eliminated yourself had that girl not surrendered, what made you think that was a good idea?!"
...
...
"Well she deserved my best, so I did."
Hearing his reason, Recovery Girl resisted the urge to bash him unconscious, "Do you know your internal temperature right now?! It's going to take a lot more than getting drowned by a cold water bottle to fix that! Honestly you're becoming more and more like him by the second."
"I'll take that as a complement."
"Well you're fit to fight again, but the match won't start for 15 minutes since they have to clear out all of the boulders. So if you want any hope of being at least semi combat ready, get in the ice bath now."
"Right!"
...
"Man talk about anti-climatic." Monoma muttered as Kaminari nodded.
"Yeah man... I was hoping he would have lost-"
"How are you this stupid and currently in High School?" Bakugou muttered.
"What was that?!"
"You're ignoring that Hyper Beam or whatever the fuck he called it." He replied, "He hasn't used a move like that during the times we've seen him use his Quirk, so unless he's been saving that move he must have came up with that on the fly."
"... What's this? Bakugou likes Midoriya?" Mineta asked, before Bakugou threw his empty cup at his head, landing it on one of his sticky hair balls. He flinched and popped the ball off. "Rude!"
"I despise the nerd with every fiber of my being... but I respect his strength, makes me want to kill him more." He replied before standing up.
"Where are you going?" Uraraka asked.
"Somewhere far away until my match comes up." Bakugou replied before walking out of the 1-A viewing booth.
"What's up with him?"
"No idea but no one called dibs!" A familiar voice yelled as someone jumped right into Bakugou's front row seat.
"Huh? Midoriya?!"
"Sup?"
"W-What are you doing here? And why are you wet?"
"Ice Bath, and this booth is closer and more convenient."
"And now it's time for the second match of the first round!"
"Post Game interview over, time for bloodshed."
"I'll say." A snide voice muttered, as Jirou, Ashido, and Hagakure returned. "I hope your little girlfriend can pay for her loss."
...
...
"Hold up, she made a bet? Reiko Yanagi, made a bet?"
"... Yeah?"
"How much?" Midoriya asked, the excited smile on his face is making her nervous.
"5-50,000."
"... I'm so proud."
"What was that?"
"Honestly I have no idea why you're so pissed." Midoriya shrugged.
"Maybe it's because you keep insulting us and looking down on us?!" Sero exclaimed.
"I mean sure because it's warranted." Midoriya replied with a smirk, "And besides clearly you're not doing anything about it, all you're doing is complaining."
"Wha-"
"And meanwhile a lot of us are working on ourselves to get better. Not just me." Midoriya added, "Take Kodai for example. Her Quirk on paper doesn't sound all that impressive, can make things bigger or smaller on will. It has a lot of applications sure but in combat it doesn't have much. And yet she almost beat me in the first round. Think about it, Kodai's Quirk doesn't have any surface level combat potential, and yet she almost beat me, someone with a Fire Quirk and a Strength Enhancer Quirk. All it took a little bit of creativity and forward planning. So yes I am insulting you... what the fuck are you gonna do about it?"
Sero stayed silent, but others joined the fray, "Well you can't talk, you have 2 Quirks! No wonder this is easy-"
"Easy? Easy? So just because I have 2 Quirks that undermines everything I've worked for?" Midoriya snapped, as Kaminari flinched, "You can say whatever the heck you want about me as a person, but I worked to get to where I am and a lot of people helped me get to where I am. So you have no right to say that my path is easy... but I didn't expect much out of someone whose battle plan is to blow their load immediately and hope someone saves them-"
"That's enough Midoriya." Surprisingly, Shoji spoke up, "Though I certainly agree with all of what you say-"
"You're taking his side Shoji-"
"What he says is true. How can you expect to be a top hero if you cannot use your Quirk in any way other than all in?" He asked, as Kaminari deflated, "We all have a long way to go, myself included. And it stands to reason that you are one of the top students of our year... as a result I wish to test my skills against you whenever possible."
...
...
"Heh, I'm glad I picked you for those points... and upset that I didn't leave you with a headband." Midoriya commented, "But I'm up for a spar... or 7. Before that we should watch these two."
"Right."
...
"And now! This match will determine who will make it to the finals!" Mic yelled before leaning towards Aizawa, "Is this weird to you too?"
"Yes, but I've learned to not question Nezu. The last thing I want to do is mop the entire school."
"Fair enough..." Mic muttered, before getting back into character, "Anyway! We have a high flying battle between two ladies! In the red corner, the psychokinetic who is determined to advance, Reiko Yanagi!" Applause, "Versus, the all purpose creation user, admitted through recommendations, she wishes to serve up some whopping in the finals! It's Momo Yaoyorozu!"
"Ready?" Midnight asked both combatants, who both nodded in response, "BEGIN!"
Wasting no time Yaoyorozu created a staff and rushed, 'She has no combat capabilities, I will eliminate her and face Mi-'
"I understand why you wish to battle Midoriya."
*SKIIID*
"... What?"
"You're angry at him, or rather you're angry at yourself but wish to shelf the blame onto him instead of onto yourself. Or rather... at your parents."
"Shut up! You don't know a damn thing!"
"You are correct, I do know nothing. But considering you've broken your calm and composed nature to snap at me, it shows that I'm correct."
Yaoyorozu wanted to rebut, but she was silenced by a raised hand, "I'm going to set aside numerous issues and just state this..." Yanagi muttered before stepping a foot closer, "Even if you manage to defeat me, you won't stand a chance against Midoriya. Because unlike you he doesn't shift unwarranted blame onto others, when he makes mistakes he owns up to them and fine tunes himself to be better. Not to mention he's incredibly stubborn and brimming with confidence, sometimes to a fault but most of the time to a strength. And that mindset has infected all of us. Even though he's not the class representative he's our emotional support beacon."
Yaoyorozu was stunned by her exposition, but it was clear she wasn't done, "And yet your class doesn't appear to have that same mindset, and the select few that do have that mindset are those that Midoriya has interacted with. Whenever something goes wrong they shift blame onto someone else, 90% of the time it's to Midoriya. Whenever he does well they say it's his two Quirks that are the sole reason not acknowledging the hard work he put into himself, and counting out those who don't have 'Combat Quirks'. Sounds rather like how you're currently feeling."
"W-What?!"
"You're the Class Rep. Your classmates, while not being vocal about it, are looking to you for guidance and assistance. Meaning the way you act and the way you express yourself can affect them."
Yaoyorozu's hands started to tremble, as Yanagi sighed, "I've said my piece... time to finish this."
She snapped out of her trance as Yanagi jumped back and raised a hand up towards the sky, and then suddenly... numerous shadows started to coat the stadium. "W-What?" Shocked she looked up to see numerous orbs floating in the sky.
"A-ARE THOSE THE BOMBS FROM THE MINEFIELD?!" Mic, finally making himself known, screamed into the microphone.
"Wasn't it your job to get those out?" Aizawa asked with a sigh.
"I cannot believe I'm about to do this..." Yanagi muttered to herself before crossing her hands in front of her, before stretching them forward, pressing her index fingers into her temples, before moving her left hand forward in a grabbing motion. "Z Move... GENESIS SUPERNOVA!"
The bombs divided themselves into two separate lines, as they dove down towards the stage aimed directly at Yaoyorozu.
'I-I need a shield!' She yelled internally.
...
...
But her body didn't move. She couldn't create a shield to have any hope of withstanding the onslaught, and in an instant the bombs collided with the stage, and enveloping the half of the stage Yaoyorozu was standing on in bright pink smoke.
Eventually the smoke faded, revealing an unconscious Yaoyorozu in the middle of a small crater. The battle was over with Yanagi as the untouched victor.
"Momo Yaoyorozu is unable to continue, Reiko Yanagi advances to the finals!"
"HOLY SMOKE!"
"Was a pun really necessary?"
"Utilizing the bombs as a weapon! We haven't seen that one before!"
"And we won't anymore, unless you forget to remove them again."
"Anyways we need to repair the stage, take 5 everyone!" Mic yelled, trying to save any kind of face he had left while Aizawa sighed.
"Idiot..."
Ignoring their interaction, Yanagi watched as the medical robots carried the unconscious Yaoyorozu to Recovery Girl's office. Realizing her job was done she turned around and walked away, with one thought on her mind.
'If you stay on this path... then you will never be 1% of the person Midoriya is.'
*End of Chapter*
