A/N: Edit finished 23 August 2018. Beta provided by Kylekatarn77.

Chapter 15

Izuku watched Cementoss finish assembling the tournament floor. The cement hero had funneled in many trucks worth of concrete and would likely have to move even more in before the end. Kacchan will destroy it at least once, unless Shinsou is able to defeat him. Nobody remaining has a clue what his quirk is. While he couldn't place a name on it, the boy from general studies exuded a presence that made him wary, as if he was the greatest threat. His teammates stories didn't help, either, although they've managed to keep Kacchan from learning anything about him. Ojiro is doing it to be petty and I can't blame him. Hatsume, well, she's just odd, frankly. Although, I am surprised that Ochako didn't say anything. Maybe she's just that serious about winning.

"Sorry I'm late," a familiar raspy voice said. Izuku turned and smiled as Toshinori joined him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "I ran into Endeavor on my way down. You'll likely fight his son in the next round."

"I know," Izuku said. He grabbed his mentor's free hand with both of his. "It's almost time for me to head out. I…I'm uncertain about how to go about and declare that people should look to me as the future Symbol of Peace. Even so, I'll make you proud, All Might."

His mentor grinned, tears in his eyes, and expanded. "That you will do, Young Midoriya. Show the world who you are and who you will be."

Izuku nodded, yet before he could speak, a crackle from outside distracted him. "Now for the event you've been waiting for, the tournament!" Present Mic shouted, his voice amplified to fill the stadium without reliance on his quirk. "The number one first year! From the Hero Course, Class A's President: Midoriya Izuku!"

With a deep breath, Izuku emerged onto the stadium floor as the crowd cheered and clapped. Present Mic cut in again and said, "Versus! The light-footed beauty! Also from the Hero Course's Class A: Uraraka Ochako!" Far across, Ochako stepped out of the tunnel across from him. While she smiled, it was grimmer than anything she had displayed in class. We both know how high the stakes are at this point. Careers as pro heroes have been made or broken by the Sports Festival.

They both stepped onto the concrete fighting platform, where Midnight and Cementoss waited just off to the side. "If you're both ready, we'll begin!" They nodded and Midnight flicked up her whip. "Start!"

Izuku charged, keeping just slow enough he could stop at the edge of the platform if she somehow dodged his attack. Fist pulled back, he focused on closing the distance between them before she could react. While Ochako might not seem that strong compared to others in our class, her quirk is one of the most fluid and multi-faceted quirks. If she touches me, she may just become the favorite to win this match. His opponent stood her ground, waiting as he neared. Waiting for me to come to you. Smart, Ochako. Unfortunately for you…

In the moment before they would collide, Izuku stopped and stomped hard. The platform exploded in concrete chips, forcing Ochako to backpedal. He launched through the distraction, firing a quick combo of One for All bolstered punches. Although the first two didn't connect, the attack forced her further back. The third hit landed and knocked her back several feet. Yet even as she moved, Izuku felt an odd lightness pass over his body.

"It's my victory now, Midoriya!" Ochako said, rising to her feet. "It was a struggle, but I can use any part of my skin making contact with something so I can use my quirk." Her arms, held out to push, shook, bruised and bloodied.

She's right, Izuku realized as his feet slipped away from the ground. She must've touched me during my attack, which then means that my last punch – the one that connected – is the driving force behind my floating. I'll keep going back and up until either I do something or I float outside of the boundaries. Abs tight, he spun to face the watching crowd, but his momentum carried him around and begun to spin. Other forces aren't working on me, just like gravity. Looks like I'll have to wait for the right moment then. He tightened his right hand to flick both the middle and ring fingers. As he spun around once more, he thought, Five… Four… Three… Two… One… Now! The air cracked with thunder as Izuku used One for All to propel himself down. He slammed into the ground and looked up across the concrete at a startled Ochako. Before she could recover, he grabbed her ankles and pulled with his quirk, lifting her off her feet and bringing her about so she was being held above him. Once in place, his feet found the small of her back, and with his back still against the ground, prepared his attack.

"Sorry, Ochako, but this is my victory!" Legs pumped up with One for All, Izuku kicked out, announcing, "TOYOHIRO LAUNCH!" Ochako flew through the air and landed with a crash outside the platform's border.

"Uraraka Ochako has been forced out of bounds!" Midnight announced over the cheers. "Midoriya Izuku wins!"

A sore Izuku joined his fellow classmates before the second match began. He twitched and flinched as his back was slapped, stinging the bumps and bruises from his fight. "Man, that was crazy," Mineta said from his perch. Izuku wasn't sure if the short boy was sitting on a booster seat or if there just happened to be one higher than the rest. "I didn't think Uraraka would win, but she put a good, if short fight. Shame you kept her so far away, though."

Izuku nodded, ignoring the vaguely perverted comment as Present Mic announced the second match. "The iciest apple of Endeavor's eye! From the Heroic Course's Class A, Todoroki Shouto! Versus! Class A's sugar man! The Heroic Course's Satou Rikidou!" Todoroki and Satou marched out from their tunnels, crossing the stadium floor, and stepped up onto the platform. They stopped, waiting, and stared each other down.

"I will make this quick for you, Satou," Todoroki said, his voice cold and bored. A shiver raced up Izuku's spine. What are you planning, Todoroki? We both know your father is here. This is for him, isn't it?

"The same to you, Todoroki," Satou said with a smile, more hesitant than confident. Several crumbs were displaced as he raised his fists, adopting a stony and serious façade.

"Start!" Midnight shouted.

Satou charged, roaring. Todoroki watched him for one second, two, then three, and he raised his right arm, already coated in a fine sheet of ice. Thick fractals and shiny pillars exploded from where Todoroki stood, catching his opponent's charge and pushing past so icicles thicker than hundred-year-old trees loomed over the stadium roof.

"Holy shit," Jirou mumbled, staring at the ice covering the hero course students. Izuku mindlessly nodded as he stared. Todoroki's just sent a message. Not only to his father, but to me, also. He wants me to know how strong he is.

"Do you forfeit?" Midnight asked Satou, pinned by several slim columns of ice. He hadn't been moved from where the ice had reached him near center stage.

"Y…y…ye…yes," he stuttered out as Present Mic announced Todoroki's victory.

Once Todoroki had walked away, ignoring the crowd once more, and Satou had been removed from his icy prison, a group of pro heroes arrived to break the ice and take it away. Among the pro heroes was Mount Lady and Kamui Woods. Izuku noticed that Endeavor watched them from the stands, frowning. He must've expected Todoroki to draw upon the fire portion of his quirk.

Soon enough, the platform was ready for the third match. Present Mic announced, "With a heart – and skin! – of steel, from the Heroic Course's Class B: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!" A stocky boy with thick, white eyelashes emerged. He flexed and shouted, sharpened teeth glinting from inside his mouth. "Versus! The tough pillar of manliness of Class A, also from the Heroic Course: Kirishima Eijirou!" Izuku cheered, along with his classmates, for the redhead. He grinned and waved, soaking up the attention. Once the two reached the platform and nodded that they were ready, Midnight started the fight.

Both boys hardened their body and charged, Kirishima covered in his more natural hardness while Tetsutetsu's skin had become steel. They clashed, trying to go for a judo fight before pushing apart and throwing punch after punch.

"This is going to be a boring fight," Ojiro said, near the back of the Class A group. "This fight will continue as it's presently going until one of them collapses. Worse, since it's blow for blow, the winner will be in terrible shape for their next fight."

"It can't be that bad," Izuku said. "While Tetsutetsu is able to turn into steel, we don't really know what Kirishima's hardening quirk is actually made of. There's a chance Kirishima will be able to hold out until Tetsutetsu reaches the point steel begins to weaken."

"Oh, is someone willing to admit which class is the better one?" a familiar, pompous voice asked. They turned and watched as Monoma from Class B began to climb over the barrier between the two Hero Course classes. The smile on his face was rude, taunting, and likely begging to be punched.

"No," Ojiro said, annoyed, as Izuku looked past the boy and said, "Kendou, please keep control of your class's loose cannon."

Monoma yelped as he was pulled away and Kendou poked her head over the barrier. "I don't know if I should even continue to apologize for him. He's been like this since the USJ attack and the cavalry battle made it worse."

Class A nodded and returned their attention to the match. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were still busy punching each other, stuck in a cycle of delivering and taking a punch as if they were locked in a high school student's first turn-based RPG. After five minutes, they began stumbling, and after five more, they both collapsed from a simultaneous blow.

"It appears that they have both fallen! Midnight! What's your ruling?" Present Mic announced.

"Both competitors have been knocked out. It's a draw!"

"We will take a break so that they can be moved," Present Mic said. "Once they both have woken up, we will have a tie breaker." The screen displayed a number of potential tiebreakers. A red arrow bounced around the screen until it rested on 'ARM WRESTLING'. "Look's like they'll arm wrestle to determine who'll move on! Until then, we'll continue with match four!" They watched as the two unconscious boys were taken away so that Recovery Girl could monitor them before their tiebreaking arm wrestle match.

The tournament continued, with the next two fighters walking out to the platform. "Her horns are natural but not her quirk! From the Heroic Course's Class A: Ashido Mina!" Ashido waved to the crowd, her pink face stretched to breaking thanks to her smile. "Versus! He might not be Pikachu, but he's considered to be shockingly cute! Also from Class A: Kaminari Denki!" While Kaminari was grinning, his cheeks had a faint hint of pink to them.

"Is he really blushing?" Hagakure asked, setting an invisible hand on Izuku's shoulder so she could lean forward. He was thankful they all had to wear their gym uniforms instead of their hero costumes. I would be a blushing mess if I didn't know where all of her body was.

"Obviously," Jirou said, grinning devilishly. There was a camera in her hands, zoomed in to record Denki's reaction. "I have a, friend that will appreciate having blackmail material." The class rolled their eyes, certain who her friend really was.

Shaking his head, Izuku turned back to the match just as Midnight swung her whip to start. Mina immediately charged in, wiping her body with a slick acid as she got closer, step-by-step. She's repeating our tactic against Todoroki's team during the cavalry battle. Smart. Let's see how Kaminari reacts to the repetition.

"That won't work this time, Ashido!" Kaminari shouted. The air around him crackled, ready to spark. "It may've dispelled my widespread attacks, but don't think it'll shrug off my real strength!"

"Shame you're so weak, Kaminari!" Ashido taunted, finished coating herself. She slung a haphazard handful of acid, spreading out like a powdery snowball. It splashed into the concrete near Denki's feet and immediately sizzled, eating into the stone. The electric quirk user bounced back away from the acid, throwing a curving arc of lightning. It struck Ashido's left shoulder, spinning her around and nearly knocking her onto her rear. She spun around like a drunken ballerina and stood proud, fists on hips.

"It'll take more than that to beat me!" she shouted as a second bolt hit. It shattered against a large glob of acid that had formed in her hands, dispelling the attack's force. "I'll be the one going on!" Ashido sprung forward, twisting around a third bolt with a noblewoman's grace. Coming out of her spin, she lunged forward, within two armspans of Kaminari. He released a massive pulse of electricity, frying the air around him and short-circuiting his brain.

Mid-lunge, she was caught by the electrical wave. The acid on her skin repealed most of the attack, but it didn't prevent her from being affected by the attack. She twitched and seized, as her arms somehow remained in control enough so that she could grab Kaminari's collar and knock him over. He giggled and when he didn't resist Ashido's struggling attempts to try and pin him, Midnight shouted, "Due to be immobilization, the winner is Ashido Mina!"

The two were taken away on stretchers carried by robots, the pink girl erratically waving at the cheering crowd as the electrical attack slowly worked its way out of her body. Once off the field, Present Mic's booming voice filled the stadium once more. "Onto match five! She got in on a recommendation! From the Heroic Course's Class A: Yaoyorozu Momo!" Momo walked out with a slight smile on her face and a hesitant wave recognizing the cheers. She's definitely nervous, Izuku thought. Maybe she really is sheltered. "Versus! The martial maiden of Class B! From the Heroic Course: Kendou Itsuka!" Kendou stepped out, face flushed a color close to her strawberry blonde hair. Snickers came from where Class B sat and a few in Class A joined in.

They nodded to each other; a wave of serious confidence flowing over them upon reaching the platform and Midnight started the battle.

Momo stepped back, a Bo staff emerging from her right palm, as Kendou raced forward, hands expanding to the size of a compact car.

The Bo staff twirled above its wielder's head, the ends hissing as threads of electricity raced around. The massive hands came up, the right high above and the left palm down, aiming to sweep Momo's feet out from beneath her. Gritting her teeth, Momo drove her Bo staff up into Kendou's right hand, even as the left swatted her like a buzzing fly. The large handed girl hissed, her right hand shrinking as the shock quickly faded.

Flying through the air, Momo flipped head over foot until she hit the concrete platform hard. Groaning, she rolled onto her hands and knees.

"Due to being knocked out of bounds, the winner is Kendou Itsuka!" Midnight shouted, startling Momo. She looked back and flushed at the sight of her feet poking beyond the line around the fighting area.

After that, they left the platform. Present Mic returned to his announcements. "Now onto match six! She's a workaholic with a hero worthy eccentricity! From the Support Course's Class H: Hatsume Mei!" Hatsume strutted out of the tunnel, fully geared up with her creations. She was the fourth member of Team Shinsou, Izuku realized. I wonder what she has in store… "Versus! He has a face of a high school punk! From the Heroic Course's Class A: Sero Hanta!" Sero stepped out, frowning at Present Mic's introduction. Several in the stands joked about how on point Present Mic's comment had been.

"I never realized it, but Present Mic is correct," Shouji said, his six arms folded. "Sero looks like a punk you'd find at other schools." He turned to Mineta. "You think we could get him to grow his hair into a pompadour?"

Jirou and Mineta laughed at the comment, the latter nodding, as Midnight started the battle.

Sero moved first, firing two bands of tape across the platform. They bound Mei tight, wrapping around her body from shoulders to knees. She grinned at him and her voice suddenly boomed through the stadium. Microphone? Izuku thought. But where are the speakers?

"He's quick on the draw, isn't he? Against anyone else, his tape would succeed in binding his opponent until he could finish them off. But I have a way to get out!" Blades three inches long snapped through the tape from Hatsume's sides, primarily along her arms and legs. She twisted, squatting and rolling her shoulders, and tore through the tape bind. With a roar, she burst free. "My limb blades are perfect for escaping sticky scenarios like that one. They fit closely onto my exoskeleton, which is light enough that even when deactivated, it won't impede my movements!"

"You won't get away so easily!" Sero shouted as he launched a speeding band of tape at the ground before Hatsume. She leapt over his tape when he started to create a line in front of her feet. With a grin, he pulled up on his tape and while it had appeared to be loose, if not already stuck to the ground, it instead popped up like a jump rope and caught Hatsume's left foot.

"Let's see how you fight in the air!" Hatsume called out, voice still amplified. She exploded away from the platform, steaming jets from her boots lifting her into the sky. The backpack on her back then changed and two more streaming fires emerged to lift her higher. Sero, caught off guard, kept a tight grip on his tape as the sudden launch pulled him along. He blinked twice and found himself twenty feet off the ground and still climbing.

Looking up, he shouted, "Are you mad?"

Approaching fifty feet, Hatsume looked down and grinned. "Only mad about selling my babies!" A confused mood settled on the stadium, which drew a laugh that would make Ms. Joke proud. "Any true creator considers their creations – their inventions – to be like their children! Now, for the final act!" A tube on her forearm elongated and she stopped midair so Sero and his tape would swing out in front of her. "This portable laser may not be as strong as some hero's quirks, but that won't stop it from slicing through a meter of solid steel – or a quirk based tape." As Sero hit the apex of his swing, Hatsume snipped the tape with her laser.

He screamed, falling from the sky. He glanced at the platform and, Izuku would bet, realized he would land outside the platform. He shot out a band of tape from the elbow closer to the platform in a desperate attempt, but Hatsume cut that too. Once beyond the platform's boundaries, soft concrete caught him and brought him back to the ground.

"Having knocked her opponent out of bounds, Hatsume Mei wins!"

The excess produced by Cementoss was pulled back as they prepared for the seventh match. There were grumblings from some of Class A, annoyed someone from the Support Course embarrassed one of their own. "Time for match seven! He may look like a bird, but he's no Darkwing Duck! From the Heroic Course's Class A: Tokoyami Fumikage! Versus! Representing a fast and quick legacy of heroes! Also from Class A: Iida Tenya!"

The two competitors emerged, silent and serious. They marched onto the platform and bowed, formal and respectful. With a disappointed sigh, Midnight waved her whip. "Start!"

Tenya raced forward, the exhausts in his calves releasing smoke. Fumikage waved his arm forward and Dark Shadow leapt forward, spreading out to cover as much of the platform as possible. Tenya dove and slipped under one of the shadowy quirk's wings, aiming to finish the match in the fastest time.

"You fell for my trap," Fumikage said as dark tendrils snapped out and wrapped around Tenya. It lifted him off his feet and tossed him backwards toward the nearest boundary. "I expected you to charge in, relying on your speed. Only light can outrace shadows."

"I planned to wait and use this against Bakugou, but I'll have to do it now!" Tenya shouted, rotating so his exhaust pipes pointed outward. Furiously hot flames burned from them and he braced himself, preparing for the force about to be focused into his legs. He moved forward and once his foot touched back down, he vanished in a blaze of speed. Dark Shadow cawed, frightened, as Tenya pushed past and delivered a super speed punch to Fumikage's beak. Three more high-speed blows were delivered as the bird-esque boy was pushed towards the edge. As a fifth attack approached, he ducked left, and Dark Shadow pulled back.

There was a shout as Tenya tripped over the edge of the platform, his attempt to draw back his speed and react to the dodge failing. He hit the grass and rolled over and over until his speed finally ran out.

"Due to his opponent falling outside of the boundaries, the winner of the seventh match is Tokoyami Fumikage!"

Izuku stood up from his seat in the audience, nodding at the support from his classmates. My match will be after the tiebreaker and Kacchan's. Let's see just how strong you really are, Todoroki.

Bakugou Katsuki clicked his tongue as Tetsutetsu defeated Kirishima in a quirkless arm wrestling match. White-brows must be physically stronger than Shitty Hair. I'd guess that Shitty Hair's quirk is technically stronger, or doesn't have the same faults. He snorted at the thought and listened for his introduction.

"And for the final match of the first round! His mouth is as explosive as his quirk! From the Heroic Course's Class A: Bakugou Katsuki!" Katsuki stepped out onto the field, ignoring the jeers from the crowd. He had expected a strong reaction from them, but it wasn't the positive one he imagined waking up that morning. Deku said not to pull any stunts when he found out I would be doing the Athlete's Oath. He better beat Half-n-Half, or else I'll have to hospitalize him.

"Versus!" Present Mic continued over the crowd. "Definitely the oddest fighter for he stands out the least! From the General Study Course's Class C: Shinsou Hitoshi!" Katsuki scowled at Shinsou, who had a smug smirk on his face as if he had already won. I'm going to blast that smirk off his face, and after I deal with him, I'll toss Tail-boy like Bowser. Damn him for not telling me. I even threatened him to see if his tail had reptilian traits, but all he did was smile and wish me luck!

Smoke rose from his palms as he stepped onto the platform. He stared down the other boy until Midnight started the fight. Katsuki immediately charged forward, explosions firing from his palms. He could already smell burning ozone from the blasts.

"You really are stupid. I guess it just makes it easier for me to beat you," Shinsou said, his smirk stronger than ever.

"Shut up and die!" Katsuki screamed. And then a sensation came over him, as if his brain had been dropped into warming water and his body was left aside to watch it boil.

"That was way too easy," Shinsou said, running a hand through his hair. "But, I guess it must be nice to be you, Bakugou Katsuki. I bet everything was handed to you after your quirk manifested itself. Especially given how flashy and powerful it is. For me, my quirk made my life worse. It would've been better if I had been born quirkless, but I've come to accept my quirk and that it won't prevent me from becoming the hero I want to be. I'd like to keep talking, but you look…frustrated. Turn around and walk off."

Katsuki turned. A funky daze crossed him as his body followed Shinsou's command. When I break this, I'm going to kill him until he's more than dead. I'll make him become twice dead! Yet with each angrier and angrier thought, Katsuki couldn't find a way to break the hold Shinsou's quirk had upon him. Step by step, he approached the edge until, against every instinct roaring at his body to turn and fight, his left foot took that final step and he stepped outside the platform's border.

Present Mic's announcement was almost as shocked as Katsuki. "With his opponent having stepped out, the winner of match eight is Shinsou Hitoshi!"