Iida and Uraraka had saved a seat for me, and I took it just as the next match began.
"THE WAIT IS OVER! MOVING ON… THERE THEY ARE! THE CREAM OF THE CROP! YET THIS GUY'S SOMEHOW STILL AS PLAIN AS THEY COME!"
Todoroki's intense focus was a stark contrast to Sero's relaxed stretching.
"HANTA SERO OF THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… THE BEST OF THE BEST! THE STRONGEST OF THE STRONG! SHOTO TODOROKI, ALSO OF THE HERO COURSE!"
Sero continued to stretch, raising his arms above his head.
"START!"
Suddenly, Sero's stretch became an attack - as tape shot out of his elbows, trapping Todoroki.
"HE'S TRYING TO PUSH HIM OUT WITH A SURPRISE ATTACK! IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST STRATEGY FOR HIM! SERO'S GIVING IT HIS ALL!"
But even more suddenly, even while being flung close to the edge of the arena-
-half of the stadium was covered in ice!
There was a tense, shocked silence for a few moments, before cries of "Good try!" started coming from the stands.
"SERO IS IMMOBILIZED!"
'That's an understatement,' I thought. Then noticed something.
Watching Todoroki thaw Sero out of the ice with his left hand, I couldn't help it.
'Todoroki… seems sad. I wonder why?'
.~*~.
It took the staff a few minutes, but eventually…
"WITH THE ARENA ALL THAWED OUT, IT'S TIME FOR THE NEXT MATCH! THE SPARKLING, KILLING BOY FROM THE HERO COURSE! DENKI KAMINARI!"
I jerked in sudden realization. 'Aw, no! I'M MISSING IT!' Scrambling, I pulled out my U.A. hero notebook.
Number Fourteen.
"VERSUS… A PASSIONATE, MANLY FIGHTER AS HARD AS ROCK. ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE, IT'S EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!"
Notebook and pencil now in hand where they belonged, I watched the match intently - while also trying to catch up with what I'd noticed from the previous match!
"START!"
Kirishima managed to dodge Kaminari's first attack by jumping. But the second one…
"Kirishima is down! But…" Midnight announced from the arena, "Kaminari is out of bounds! The winner is Kirishima!"
Murmuring, my writing became frantic.
"I thought Kaminari's quirk would be stronger, but Kirishima managed to endure long enough to push him out of the ring. I wonder, was it his hardening? Or was Kaminari holding back so he didn't lose his ability to think?"
Uraraka leaned over, glancing at my notebook. "Your match just ended, but you're already thinking ahead, huh."
"ACK!" I jumped, snapping out of my murmured analysis.
"Huh?! Nah, I'm just…! Well, you could call this a hobby of mine…" I tried to hide my blush with my hand. It wasn't working. "We finally have the chance to see everyone's quirks in action…"
Then I remembered.
"Oh! Right." I started flipping through the notebook. "I've got everything you'd need to know about Class A in here. Even your 'Zero Gravity,' Uraraka. And, well…"
Settling on a page, I held it out for her to look at. "You need a counter-strategy for Kacchan. One that works against his quirk. So I thought I'd offer-"
"-Deku…"
Uraraka had on a polite smile. '…Why does that make my heart hurt?'
"… I thought you were amazing since the day we met, but… this Sports Festival… has brought you to a whole other level."
'...? What's she…?'
"But…" There it was.
Her smile was more genuine now, though, as she looked down at the arena. Filled with purpose - and that fire from when they first announced the Festival.
"Everyone here is fighting for their futures! Doesn't that make us all rivals?
"So… That's why I have to say… Thanks, Deku… But…"
She turned back to me with a close-eyed smile.
"That's okay. I'll see you in the finals!" "MOVING ON… WHO'S NEXT IN THE BATTLE FOR THE TOP?"
Sitting next to each other - after a conversation like that - was… a little awkward. But… also somehow kinda nice, I thought.
"THE FIRST ROUND'S JUST UNDER HALF OVER! NEXT UP IS TENYA IIDA OF THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… COVERED HEAD-TO-TOE IN SUPPORT ITEMS… MEI HATSUME OF THE SUPPORT COURSE!"
'…! It's that goggles girl!'
There was some conflict over whether Iida using Mei's support items was against the rules or not, which allowed me to catch up with my notes. Eventually, Midnight decided that, since both parties were fine with it, it was okay.
But I had to wonder, 'Would that goggles girl - Mei? - really share her equipment… to be fair?
'…No. I think she's… '
"START!"
And I was right. The match ended up being a ten minute game of tag that doubled as a play-by-play sales pitch of each of Mei's support items.
It ended when the jetpack Iida was wearing activated and, combined with the momentum of his running, launched him out-of-bounds. "Iida is out of the ring! And, since there's an uneven number of matchups… Hatsume moves immediately to the third round!"
I had to admit, Mei's equipment was impressive.
'I should get in touch with her later. See what else she has… I almost wish I'd taken her offer!'
"Iida is just way too serious." Uraraka was on the verge of laughing. "It wasn't hard for her to get him to play her game…"
"No kidding. She has a real mind for strategy, huh?"
Uraraka got up, suddenly sober. "Right… I'd better get to the prep room."
I looked up from my notes, then, to wish her good luck.
I watched her go, wondering what her strategy was against Kacchan.
'Well… there are two more matches before hers.' I turned back to my notes. 'And she's had plenty of time to think, before now. …Yeah. Uraraka can handle herself.'
Mina won her match by damaging Aoyama's belt with her acid (and punching him), and Tokoyami simply overpowered Momo, pushing her out of the ring.
I felt only a little sorry for Momo. Tokoyami was an extremely strong opponent in a one-on-one match, admittedly. And he hadn't given Momo much time to use the objects she'd created.
But seeing as those objects had, apparently, been a shield and staff…? I didn't like her chances, even if she had been given an opportunity to use them.
Finally…
"FOR THE LAST MATCHUP OF THE FIRST ROUND… A CELEBRITY SINCE HIS MIDDLE SCHOOL DAYS, WITH A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE… IT'S KATSUKI BAKUGO OF THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… MY PERSONAL PICK! OCHAKO URARAKA, ALSO OF THE HERO COURSE! START!"
Uraraka charged Kacchan.
'...! She might just-'
And he exploded a palm directly in her face, too fast for Uraraka to dodge.
'... pull this off…'
As the match went on, I caught on to what Uraraka was doing. Using the rubble as a sort of bomb attack was super clever, but…!
"... Uraraka," Midnight announced, " …is unable to continue."
… Uraraka collapsed after only one attempt at the technique.
"Bakugo moves on to the second round!"
Midnight crouched over the exhausted girl.
"OH, POOR URARAKA… TAKEN DOWN BY BAKUGO IN THE FIRST ROUND."
"If you're going to be an announcer, then do it right…" Aizawa criticized.
Present Mic ignored him, "GET IT TOGETHER, EVERYONE."
"You're making this way too personal…"
"THE FIRST ROUND IS NOW OVER! WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE SECOND AFTER A QUICK BREAK!"
'Such an extreme self-sacrificing strategy… Uraraka!' I thought, making my way to the prep room for my second match, 'If only her weight capacity were higher… or… Yeah. She might've been able to corner him if…'
Kacchan came up one of the stairways as I was passing by. I elected to ignore him, but-
"You helped her come up with it, didn't you. That freaking self-sacrificing scheme of hers."
Kacchan stopped at the top of the stairs.
… I stopped walking and faced him.
"You caused me a lot of trouble out there…"
"-No. I didn't. That was all Uraraka." I interrupted. "… If that was 'a lot of trouble' for you… then that was all Uraraka messing with you."
Kacchan just stared at me.
"... Congrats on your win," I turned my back to Kacchan, "See you-"
"-What's up with you?"
"Hm?" I turned back.
Kacchan growled, stomping up to me, "Ever since you got in to this place, you've been freaking weird. Weirder than usual…" He grabbed me by the collar. "So I'm askin' yah - What's going on with you?"
We stood like that for a moment. The sound of the crowd cheering, my face unreadable.
'Shouldn't I be scared? That plant's effects are gone. But…' I glared at Kacchan. 'No. I'm not scared. Because…'
I grabbed Kacchan's arm- "Let go of me… Bakugo." -and twisted it.
"Guh-" With a small grimace, Bakugo released me.
Without another word, without looking back, I continued walking to the prep room.
But not my prep room.
.~*~.
Uraraka, having changed out of her uniform, sat at a table. When she spotted me come in the doorway, she beamed at me like usual.
"Guess I lost. I just got carried away at the end when I thought I could actually win…"
I walked up to her, looking her over skeptically.
" Uraraka… Are you hurt?"
"I'm good! Well, I'm healing bit by bit, so my stamina doesn't get drained. Just these little scrapes left." Her expression did a 180. Her face scrunched up and she growled. "But darn it! I couldn't put a scratch on him. Guess I just gotta try harder next time!"
"... I-" I hesitated, not wanting to impose on her - or waste my own prep time. "I need to go prep, but…"
"Hm?"
"I just… wanted to say - I think you should focus on combat."
Uraraka blinked at me. "What makes you say that…?"
"Well - it's just-"
"-Oh!" She smiled brightly, "Does this have to do with that strategy you came up with for me?"
"Uh… Kinda." I looked away from her. I could stand up to Kac- to Bakugo, but being close to Uraraka still made me blush. "If you had more hand-to-hand combat training, you might've been able to get close enough to Bakugo to touch him and make him float…"
Uraraka stared at me, her eyes slowly lighting up and becoming even brighter.
"I-I-I ummm…" I was looking anywhere but at her. "I'll let you borrow my notebook later, but Ireallyneedtogettothepreproom,bye!"
I all but ran to my prep room.
…
Before I knew it, it was time for what I knew would be my biggest challenge yet.
"BOTH OF THESE COMPETITORS HAVE WON TOP MARKS IN THIS FESTIVAL SO FAR!"
During the Cavalry Battle, I'd been able to just run away. Same with the race, in a way. But now…
"BUT THERE'S ONLY ROOM FOR ONE OF THESE GREATS IN THE RING!"
Now I'd have to fight him head-on.
"IT'S… MIDORIYA VERSUS TODOROKI!"
'As soon as he says it - I can't afford to hesitate…!'
"START!"
Immediately, I leaped as far to my right - Todoroki's left - as possible, aimed-
-and used the new tool Master gave me for the first time in this competition.
The place where I was just standing was, predictably, now covered in a wall of ice.
And I hadn't dodged completely.
Despite my best efforts, and being completely prepared for it, my feet were frozen. I couldn't move…!
"WHOAAA! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?! I DIDN'T SEE A THING. HAS THE MATCH BEEN DECIDED?"
It took a few seconds for the mist to clear. When it did, Midnight looked at both contestants - and walked up to Todoroki.
"Todoroki and Midoriya are both immobilized… But-"
I was grinning. I knew. I could practically see a recording of the fight in my mind. Me jumping, Todoroki firing his ice, me firing a knockout-bullet in Todoroki's face - and Todoroki collapsing before my feet froze.
"-Todoroki was immobilized first… Midoriya… moves on to the third round!"
"-Yes! … ehem."
"WHAT HAPPENED TO 'DON'T MAKE IT PERSONAL'?" Present Mic jeered at Aizawa.
.~*~.
Waiting for my feet to be thawed, I listened to the audience. After their reaction to me winning against Shinso…
"That Midoriya…" "He should've gotten straight up blown away!" "Did Todoroki not have a plan, or…?"
'So…'
My heart sank.
'It's the same.'
All For One grinned.
"Did Todoroki even want to win? Or was he trying to lose?"
"Either way, Todoroki sure has some impressive power…"
"Midoriya's got moxie, for sure, but…"
"Todoroki put up such a good show through the cavalry battle, c'mon!"
The "audience" seemed to be having the effect he'd hoped. That is, if the boy's expression was anything to go by.
He turned away from the screen, "He actually made it past that prodigy… Well, then. Time to begin the next phase, Kurogiri."
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