Chapter 6
As everyone exited the stadium to go have lunch at the cafeteria, Oliver and Shiozake walked together back to campus, Shiozake supporting him all the way after his faint on live television. "I do understand wishing to not be on television. I cannot imagine the fear you felt when that happened."
"Thanks," Oliver muttered. "I can't believe she called me out like that..."
"I know. So disgraceful of a hero," Shiozake grumbled, though she seemed to be muttering more about Midnight's choice of apparel and her lecherous behavior. "So, what do you like to eat?" Oliver asked, changing the subject.
"Well, I like to eat fruits, vegetables, dairy, fish, anything that helps me maintain my quirk," Shiozake said, looking up to her vines. "They're extremely sensitive and they grow like actual hair, so I always prioritize their health."
"Wow, that must be rough," Oliver said.
"It's pretty routine, actually," Shiozake said "In fact-"
"Hey, Oliver!" a voice called. Oliver turned to see Hagakure and Ashido walking over to him and Shiozake. "You were doing so well, congratulations!" the invisible girl said.
"But we lost," Oliver said.
"But you took the spotlight for over half of the match! You were literally outnumbered ten to one, and you were jumping, kicking, and doing awesome moves!" Hagakure said excitedly.
"And who's this? I love the hair," Ashido said.
"I'm Ibara Shiozake from Class 1-B. I'm very happy to meet you," Shiozake said, bowing graciously.
"Wow, you got a real beauty like her to ride you, huh?" Ashido teased, Oliver blushing badly. "How'd ya do it?"
"Excuse me, I don't appreciate such dirty comments. Please show some restraint," Shiozake said, Ashido having been taken aback. "I chose to help him because no one deserved to be isolated like that. He's a kind and gentle soul, and I am very glad I got to fight alongside him."
"You mean on top of him," a male voice said. Shiozake turned and grumbled. "Monoma, you...OK, turn the other cheek, turn the other cheek..." she said.
"Come on, Shiozake. Why're you hanging around Class 1-A anyway? You know how entitled they are," the blond boy who'd walked by them, Monoma, said. "It's below you to talk with people who think they're hot stuff just because they were lucky against some villains."
"Hey, what do you think you're-" Ashido said, but Monoma continued talking.
"After all, you saw how his quirk was used in the first event. A race and the ability to practically teleport? Now that's just cheating," Monoma said, Oliver's fists shaking.
"You know that's not true. Class 1-A is just as human as the rest of us," Shiozake said. "And Oliver is very sweet and kind, so don't you dare-"
"You don't have to say anything," Oliver sighed. "Thanks to Bakugo, everyone hates Class 1-A, not just Class 1-B, so I kinda expected this to be honest. Thanks a lot though."
"Yeah, we aren't all that bad, but it's been pretty rough," Ashido said. "Hey, wanna get lunch with us, Ollie?"
"Huh? Oh, OK," Oliver said. "See you around, Shiozake?"
"O-of course," Shiozake said as Monoma scoffed. The students split up after that, heading to separate lunch lines.
"Ugh, we fought that guy in the cavalry battle," Ashido said. "He was such a jerk to us, we were lucky Bakugo had a plan."
"Huh? What could he do?" Oliver asked.
"He can copy other people's quirks. He copied Bakugo's explosion and Kirishima's hardening. It was so creepy, but that made him super hard to beat," Ashido said.
"That has to be rough. A person who could use your own quirk against you?" Hagakure said.
"Yeah. Imagine if they had your quirk," Ashido said to Oliver. "They'd be impossible to beat."
"Huh? W-what do you mean?" Oliver asked.
"Seriously? Your quirk is overpowered! You can switch between people and objects, and you can switch other people and other objects, and all you have to do is snap your fingers!" Ashido said.
"Yeah, it's super awesome! Think of all the villains you'd take down with that ability too!" Hagakure said. Oliver blushed nervously as he looked around, not spotting Mineta's glare from over one of the faraway tables.
"Well...it isn't all that great. I get blinded when I transport me or others close to me too, so I was at a disadvantage without my costume. Plus when I overuse my quirk, my body acts up."
"Eh? What do you mean?" Ashido asked.
"Well...I start overheating, and it gets suepr hot and stuffy...my legs start shaking and I get itchy, and it just gets super uncomfortable," Oliver said, squirming. "I couldn't use it in the cavalry battle because of the rules...but my last attempt was pretty much the only thing I could do."
"I see...so you get hot and bothered when you use your quirk too much, huh? Is that the case for the race?" Ashido asked.
"Yeah, why?" Oliver asked nervously. Ashido pulled out her phone and opened it, before showing him a picture inside.
"Because you looked ready to beg Todoroki to ravage you when you and him flew across the finish line," Ashido said. Oliver's face exploded into a bright red blush when he saw the picture.
It was a crystal clear screenshot of the camera panned on the approaching winners of the race, before Todoroki got off of Oliver when they rolled across the finish line. Indeed, his face was red and sweaty, and his expression seemed...provocative.
"Oh no...please tell me there isn't-" Hagakure said.
"There is," Ashido said. And Oliver saw the horrors of fanart. Some were pretty tame with hearts, others looked a bit suggestive, and others didn't censor a thing.
"B-but it's only been a few hours!" Hagakure squeaked, obviously blushing upon seeing what the phone had. "And we're only 15, people are drawing that?!"
"Think of what Shiozake must be feeling once fanart of Ollie and her comes out. She'd faint!" Ashido said, though she was more amused than anything. Oliver couldn't speak, he was too embarrassed, and he walked to the nearest wall and banged his head against it, whining in a manner like a dog. "Oh come on, at least the public likes you. A little too much, but they still like you," Ashido comforted.
"That's the one thing I've been trying to avoid..." Oliver groaned. "This is a nightmare...wake me up..."
"Sorry hun, you haven't eaten lunch yet," Ashido said, taking Oliver's arm and dragging him to the lunch line, followed by a blushing Hagakure scrolling through more naughty art of the shy boy and the hot and cold boy on the pink haired girl's screen.
Much later, everyone was back at the stadium. Oliver knew he'd be out of the competition now, but he was OK with that. As Midnight announced the next match, Oliver looked down
"Excuse me? Sorry, but I'm withdrawing," Ojiro said. Everyone gasped. Iida and Midoriya attempted to talk Ojiro out of it, but it was clear he'd thought this through. Apparently he hadn't even remembered the entire cavalry battle.
""
"I think I should withdraw for the exact same reason, no matter how strong I am. It just wouldn't be right to participate in the festival when I didn't even earn my spot here," someone else, Nirengeki Shoda from Class 1-B, said.
"Same here," a tall green haired insectoid student by the name of Togaru Kamakiri said, though he sounded reluctant. Everyone in the stadium began to mutter with each other, confused by what the three students meant. Meanwhile, Oliver noticed that purple haired student from earlier, Hitoshi Shinso, watching with mild interest.
"This kind of talk is incredibly naive! It turns me on! Ojiro, Shoda, and Kamakiri, you're withdrawn! We need to find people who will replace them in the next match," Midnight said as everyone's brains stopped when the term 'turns me on' was heard.
"So lecherous, it's shameful," Shiozake grumbled.
"If I may," Ojiro said. "I nominate Oliver Rowe in my place. I've been told he's been fighting most of everyone this entire time."
"And I nominate Shiozake for the same reason," Shoda said.
"I see. And what about the third person?" Midnight asked.
"Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu," Oliver said, the silver haired student looking at him in confusion. "He's also been fighting relentlessly the whole match. Even when up against Todoroki's team, he wasn't willing to stop. If our drive to fight is reason for us to stay qualified, Tetsutetsu more than fits that."
Everyone stared at Oliver, who immediately lowered his head to avoid the stares. "Please stop looking at me like that..." he said.
"It's settled! Tetsutetsu, Oliver, and Shiozake move on to the next round!" Midnight announced. As the crowd cheered, Tetsutetsu walked over to Shiozake and Oliver.
"You really mean that?" Tetsutetsu asked.
"Of course he did," Shiozake defended. "He's been a kind and considerate soul to me during the fight, and he indeed shows respect for his opponents."
Tetsutetsu was silent, as Oliver went over to Ojiro. "You sure you won't reconsider?" he asked the tailed student.
"I thought about this. Sorry, but my mind is made up," Ojiro said before huffing. "Not like I could take it back anyway..."
Oliver smiled."I'll thank you in some way, count on it," he said. Ojiro smiled and bumped elbows with Oliver as the R-rated hero announced the new standings.
1. Shoto Todoroki
2. Denki Kaminari
3. Momo Yaoyorozu
4. Tenya Iida
5. Izuku Midoriya
6. Mei Hatsume
7. Ochako Uraraka
8. Fumikage Tokoyami
9. Katsuki Bakugo
10. Mina Ashido
11. Ejiro Kirishima
12. Hanta Sero
13. Hitoshi Shinso
14. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
15. Oliver Rowe
16. Ibara Shiozaki
"Guess I'm up against Shinso first," Midoriya said, unaware that Shinso was approaching him from the side. Ojiro frowned and excused himself to talk to Midoriya, and Oliver groaned.
"What's the matter?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"I'm going up against Asssshhiiiiddooooo-'' Oliver said before blushing a bright red. Yaoyozoru was no longer wearing her P.E. uniform, instead a very skimpy orange and white cheerleader uniform that exposed her arms, stomach, and thighs.
"Ugh, Mineta and Kaminari tricked us and now we're embarrassing ourselves," Yaoyorozu grumbled, blushing brightly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "But...I suppose the time spent making these wasn't so wasteful. Hagakure doesn't seem to mind anyways."
She waited for a response but never got one, as Oliver was passed out on the ground in front of her, face red and nose bleeding.
- an hour later -
As the festival took an intermission to prepare the grounds for the second match, Oliver had woken up and was heading to the locker room to pick up some water. He was embarrassed to miss the fight between Shinso and Midoriya, but he was hoping to be able to apologize.
When he reached the stands for Class 1-A, he spotted Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida sitting and chatting together. When Midoriya spotted Oliver, he turned and waved. "Hey, Oliver. I need to talk to you," Midoriya said.
"Hmm?" Oliver asked, turning to see Midoriya. "What's up?"
"First, how are you feeling?" Iida asked sternly. "It's the second time you've fainted today and we're very concerned."
"Oh, it's alright. I only do that when I get too embarrassed...like a shutdown and reboot mechanism. I'm fine afterwards, promise," Oliver reassured, chuckling in embarrassment.
"Well...I was curious. Why didn't you use your quirk in the cavalry battle?" the green haired classmate asked. "You had the best opportunity to switch out headbands left and right, as well as indirectly get teams eliminated by blinding their riders. But you didn't. In fact, you only used it once. Why?"
Oliver looked down. "I guess I just don't wanna be in the spotlight," he said. "I always hold back with my quirk. It's always been flashy and caught people's attention, so I only use it when necessary."
"Well, I think shyness is a given when it comes to you. But there's something else, isn't there?" Midoriya said.
"What other reason could there be?" Iida asked.
"I was watching the fighting during the cavalry fights. You looked like you were actively trying to not use it, rather than just relying on your other skills," Midoriya said. "Like how I was trying not to use my quirk too early in the race."
"Huh. actually I didn't notice that," Uraraka said.
"Neither did I," Iida said. "Always the observant one, eh Midoriya?" Midoriya blushed nervously as Uraraka chuckled.
"Well...sorta true," Oliver said, scratching the back of his head before sighing reluctantly. "Well, I guess I can tell you, you deserve to know since you're my classmates and friends."
"If it's personal, you don't have to-" Midoriya said.
"No, it's OK," Oliver said. His face grew serious, and he looked down at his crossed hands. "When I grew up in America, my quirk was seen as...too much. I got bullied over it because I could steal or screw with people, and they saw me as a nuisance. Now whenever I get the spotlight on me, all I can see are the glares...all I can hear is the insults. It gets too much and I lose it."
"I-it couldn't have been that bad, could it?" Midoriya asked. "That sounds intense."
"No one wanted me around, not even my parents," Oliver said.
"Your parents?" Uraraka asked, horrified.
"They were poor, like really poor. They couldn't handle that so they took it out on me. They called me a cheat, a criminal child, a mistake, the reason why they couldn't make as much money as they were supposed to. Always blamed me when things went missing, or if someone complained about something. They were drunks, always arguing about small things and breaking stuff..." Oliver said. "I got hit the most. No scars, but the bruises did last."
"That's...that's awful! Surely your country had something for that, correct? Some sort of government plan or system in place to prevent such abuse?" Iida asked, frantic.
"Yeah, but..." Oliver said. "America has lots of domestic abuse cases. Nowadays, over 70% of domestic abuse cases get dismissed or ignored. And I was part of the majority."
"So is that why you moved here?" Uraraka asked.
"Yeah...schools were always trouble, home was trouble, and no one was willing to be friends with me. My uncle managed to get me a ticket to Japan, and he said I had to work to be noticed by them. And her I am," Oliver said, smiling softly. "I was surprised that people here were so welcoming. Everyone back home always said I had a cheater's or a criminal's quirk."
Midoriya blinked. "You know, Shinso mentioned something along those lines to me during our fight," she said. "He hated how he was seen as a villain just because of his quirk, and yet he still strove to be a hero."
"Wait, what is his quirk?" Oliver asked in confusion and shame as he remembered what happened to make him faint so suddenly. He hoped no one had any trouble with him while he was out,
"Oh, right. You were still out during my fight. He can brainwash people if someone talks to him," Midoriya said sheepishly. "I got lucky and managed to snap out of it before I was forced to step out of the arena."
Oliver looked down to see Midoriya's bandaged fingers. "That's...that's a terrifying quirk. Then again, that could be useful," he said.
"I know, right? Like your quirk, it would be so easy to prevent any villains escaping!" Midoriya said. "He was always feared for his quirk...but despite that, he fought tooth and nail to be a hero."
"Yes. We all have to work hard to achieve our goals. You are no exception, you are just as skilled and talented as the rest of us!" Iida encouraged, Uraraka nodding in agreement.
"I see..." Oliver said, hand on his chin in deep thought over those words. "What're you trying to say?"
"I guess I'm just saying...don't let your quirk define you. You enrolled to be a hero and got transferred here! That shows more than whatever power you have, that showcases your skills!" Midoriya praised. "You fought harder than most to get to where you are."
"S-sure, but not as hard as you have," Oliver said. "The others told me you had it rough for your quirk developing so late. I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I'm just glad it manifested at all," Midoriya reassured, smiling. "Besides, I've made progress by leaps and bounds, we all have."
"It's our job if we wanna become heroes!" Iida said. "Improvements and learning are the key to success."
"Plus, we all have our own motives for being here. Iida came here to live up to his family name, Midoriya came here to be a perfect hero, and me..." Uraraka said, trailing off.
"Uraraka wants to make money so her family can live a good life," Midoriya said. "What about you? What are your goals for becoming a hero?"
Oliver looked down at his hands, which were rested on his knees. "I just wanna help people," he said finally. "I don't want anyone to go through what I went through. I'll spread messages, make sure no one gets bullied for their quirks, or lack of quirks. I'll make sure every child will grow up with loving parents and a happy environment."
Iida sniffled, and Oliver yelped as he began to clap. "So heartwarming, working through your own hardships to help others! You are indeed a true hero!" he sobbed. The rest of Class 1-A looked on in confusion as Midoriya tried to calm down the class rep. Oliver only smiled and looked down, the second match being Sero going against Todoroki, which was now beginning.
Behind them, Jiro's earplugs retracted from between Uraraka's and Oliver's seats back to her ears as she looked to Yaoyorozu, sharing nervous and concerned expressions with each other.
Many things happened at once. Sero taped up Todoroki and attempted to drag him out of bounds as fast as he could. Suddenly the view was blocked, blue, and very cold. It took a moment for Oliver to realize that an absolutely enormous amount of ice had formed, freezing half of the stadium.
"What...what just happened?!" Mineta cried.
"Todoroki went way too overboard!" Kaminari choked.
"Ribbit..." Asui croaked.
"Man, poor Sero..." Sato groaned.
"Showoff!" Bakugo growled, as Kirishima sighed but didn't say anything.
"I don't think I've seen Todoroki make this much ice before," Yaoyorozu said. "I hope everything's OK."
"Yeah. Maybe something ticked him off?" Hagakure said.
Oliver blinked before looking to Midoriya, who was looking a lot more nervous than before now. "Oh yeah...Midoriya has to fight him next, right?" he said. "Oh dear..."
Well, at least there would be plenty of time to get his nerves under control, especially since they now had to clear out the stadium so they could melt the ice. But now, all that there was to do was wait as the audience cheered "Nice try!" over and over.