|Chapter 8: It's Our Power
Arena, Match One
"Alright, people! Who's ready for this first round?" Present Mic asked the audience; they roared in response. "In our first corner we have the absolute dominator of the festival so far, the lean, not-so-mean, green-machine, Izuku Midoriya of Class 1A!" The audience went rabid while the 1A students caused a mini riot. "And in the second corner, the dark horse of this festival, his quirk is unknown but he's made it this far, the purple patriot, Hitoshi Shinso from class 1C!" Now the general studies department was going wild.
Izuku steadied himself as he walked up to the arena. He didn't know Shinso's quirk, and that made him dangerous.
Shinso, on the other hand, was trying to think of any way to get his opponent to talk. 'He seems nice, a simple greeting should work right?' He really hoped it would, his whole strategy would depend on this assumption.
Midnight, seeing both contestants were in the arena, began to speak. "Are both contestants ready?" She asked, getting a confirming nod from the two teens. "Then, BEGIN!" Her whip cracked and the match begun.
Before Izuku could power up, he heard Shinso speak. "Hey, Midoriya." The purple-haired teen called.
Though confused, Izuku answered him. "Yeah?".
'Hook line and sinker.' Shinso thought as a sigh of relief exited his mouth. "Turn around and walk out of the arena." He commanded.
With those words, Izuku suddenly felt himself lose control of his body. He felt as though he was trapped in his mind, able to see and process everything but unable to move. 'I'm sorry… what?' To add to his confusion, his body suddenly began to walk towards the edge of the arena. 'What?'
"Woah! Midoriya is walking out of the arena!" Present Mic shouted. "Is this Shinso's quirk?"
Up in the stands, Izuku's classmates were yelling at him to stop.
"Damnit, Izuku, stop walking out!" Mina shouted, hanging over the railing.
While he was under control, Izuku resorted to a calm and collected matter. 'Damnit, body, stop moving! Why do you never want to listen to brain!' Okay, maybe not. 'Honestly, it's like you-'
A blur of movement in front of him caught his attention and a man was standing in front of him. He was a short man with short, dark hair parted twice away from his narrow eyes. He wore a large jacket with numerous straps and buttons, and a high collar that obscured his mouth and nose. He also wore dark, fairly-baggy pants and large white hiking boots.
"Don't worry, ninth." The man suddenly spoke, getting wide eyes from Izuku. He didn't say anything else as his hand was placed on the greenette's head, stopping his walk. Izuku suddenly moved and began checking himself before looking in front of him, only to find that the man was gone now.
"Midoriya has stopped walking out!" Present Mic announced.
Shinso had a frustrated, but mostly fearful look on his face. "Why aren't you listening to me?" He shouted. "I said walk out of bounds!"
The purple-haired teen's voice reminded Izuku of where he was and he turned around before looking Shinso dead in the eye. 'Mind control… guessing it requires a vocal response to a question for it to be activated.' He started to stalk towards Shinso's part of the arena slowly and the general studies student felt a wave of panic wash over him.
"Damnit, answer me!" Shinso yelled, but Izuku kept walking forward, silent as the wind. "Someone who's as blessed as you can't understand what it's like to be discriminated against!" He suddenly exclaimed, backing up as Izuku got closer. "Because of my quirk everyone's been telling me all I could be is a villain!" The edge of the stage eventually became a step away. "You don't know what that's like!" His tone was becoming more crazed as the greenette grew closer. "Getting picked on every day! You know Nothing!" As a final ditch effort, he threw a right hook towards Izuku.
However, the greenette dodged left before throwing his right knee into Shinso's stomach, causing him to step backwards. Izuku continued by kicking him directly in the stomach, making the other teen double over, before he was right up against Shinso's side.
"I've only had my quirk for a year." The greenette whispered into the other teen's ear. After giving him that piece of information, he put out one foot behind Shinso's before pushing him off the stage and onto the grass.
Midnight cracked her whip. "Shinso is out of bounds, Midoriya advances to the next round!" While anticlimactic at the end, the crowd still roared in applause for a good first match.
Shinso was just staring at the sky. 'I'm gonna be feeling this tomorrow.' He suddenly saw Izuku above him and stood up. "Hey, is what you said true?" The teen asked, really hoping he wasn't gonna get hit for a possibly insensitive question.
Izuku sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing the teen to stiffen. "Look at me." He said, getting Shinso to make eye contact with him. "When I was diagnosed as quirkless, my life went absolutely downhill. People bullied me, harassed me, pushed me to suicide." Shinso's eyes widened, that made his bullying look like kindergarteners bickering. "I continued to work to be a hero though, I didn't use people picking on me as an excuse to not work for my dream." His hand left Shinso's shoulder and he began to walk off. "Just… don't let your dream end mid-way."
Shinso watched as Izuku disappeared into the stadium hallways before looking at his fists with a determined look. 'I'll push through then.' He thought before walking off himself.
Class 1A Stands
Back at the stands Jirou had a horrified look on her face. Akira couldn't hear Izuku, but he knew exactly what he said. Izuku couldn't hide anything from him to save his life.
"Jirou, what's wrong?" Yaoyorozu asked, seeing the look on her face. "Was it something Midoriya said?"
Before Jirou could answer Akira intervened. "Do not utter a single word you heard." His tone of voice made it very clear he wasn't asking, he was demanding. "Izuku's past is something that he'll tell you if he trusts you, until then, pretend to forget everything you heard."
Jirou gulped and nodded. 'The powerful carry equally powerful demons.'
Izuku suddenly walked into the class 1A stands and all conversation ceased. The green-haired boy looked behind him thinking Aizawa was there but saw nothing. "What is it?" He asked, confused.
Everyone shook their heads. "Nothing." They all said in the most suspicious way possible.
However, they got lucky as Izuku was completely and utterly clueless when it came to social interactions. "Alright then." He missed their sigh of relief when he went to sit next to Mina
"What happened down there?" The pink-skinned girl asked, moving slightly closer to him.
The green haired teen blushed slightly from how close Mina was but still answered. "It was just Brainwashing, I got out of it though." He explained with an embarrassed chuckle.
Iida shot him an incredulous look. "You got out of it?" He asked.
"Brainwashing quirks aren't something you can just 'get out of'." Yaoyorozu said. "It takes either extreme mental fortitude or chaos for someone to break out of something like that."
"Ummm, I'm special?" Izuku said as he rubbed the back of his neck; it sounded more like a question than an explanation. "…Yeah."
Mina moved closer to him. "Yeah you are." She said in a sweet tone.
Izuku's face would've exploded into a tomato if he hadn't noticed something slightly off. "Umm, don't you and Uraraka have a match right now?" He asked.
Both girls quickly grew looks of realisation and they shot up. "Crap!" The two shouted before sprinting away; Uraraka leaving Akira a kiss on the cheek before she left.
Arena, Match Two
"Let's welcome our next competitors!" Present Mic announced. "We have the girl who defies gravity, Ochako Uraraka!" Akira whistled as loud as he could. "Versus the acidic, pink-skinned Madonna, Mina Ashido!"
Midnight looked at the two teens. "Ready?" Both girls nodded. "Begin!"
One Fight Later
Uraraka grunted as she landed outside of the arena. She had tenacity and speed, but Mina's reflexes plus her flexibility made it hard to lay a finger on her.
"Uraraka is out of bounds, Ashido proceeds to the second round!"
Mina walked over to the gravity girl and held out her hand with a smile. "That was so good, girl!"
Uraraka took her hand with a smile. "Thanks, Mina!"
Arena, Match Three
"Time for the third match!" Present Mic called. "We have one of our recommendation students, Shoto Todoroki!" The crowd roared in excitement. "Versus the versatile, capture student, Hanta Sero!" The crowd wasn't as boisterous but he still got applause.
"Let's get right into this." Midnight said. "Begin!"
Literally Ten Seconds Later
"S-Sero i-is unable t-to m-move, Todoroki a-advances." Midnight said, shivering. Actually, everyone in front of Todoroki was freezing.
Sero was currently trapped in ice. A lot of ice, some might say too much. This was not a fight; this was just Todoroki venting. I'm pretty sure the stadium-sized iceberg means he got most of it out, hopefully.
Up in the stands, Izuku looked at Tokoyami and Akira with worried looks. Whoever won their match would be going up against… that.
Arena, Match Four
"Well it took us about ten minutes to get that ice cleaned up but we're back!" Present Mic said, still shocked from the power display earlier. "In the ring we have the shadow king, Fumikage Tokoyami! Versus the golden warrior, Akira Hikaru!" The audience cheered.
Midnight looked at the two boys. "Ready?" They both nodded, quirks activated. Midnight cracked her whip. "Begin!"
One Fight Later
Dark Shadow helped Tokoyami off the grass and Akira placed a glowing hand on his shoulder. Their fight was pretty intense; had it been any darker, Tokoyami would've won.
"Your light is quite powerful." Tokoyami commented.
Akira took his hand off his shoulder and held it out to the bird boy. "You're pretty strong yourself." He said.
Tokoyami smiled and shook his hand before they both walked off to Recovery Girl.
Arena, Match Six
"Alright folks, we got a teched out battle for you!" Present Mic called. "We have the engine-user, Tenya Iida; Versus the steampunk princess, Mei Hatsume!" The crowd started cheering.
Up in the stands, Akira, Uraraka, and Mina started to chuckle lightly at seeing what Iida was wearing. Though, it wasn't for the reason most thought.
"What's so funny?" Izuku asked.
His answer came from Mina. "Just watch." She said, leaning on him slightly.
Though confused, Izuku shrugged. "Okay."
One Advertisement Later
"Hatsume has walked out of bounds, Iida moves to the next round."
All of Class A was laughing hysterically. Iida had been used as an advertisement by the steampunk girl for ten minutes before Mei walked out of the arena. He may have won the next spot, but the pink-haired support student had won the show.
Izuku was so into his laughter that he didn't notice he and Mina had ended up leaning on each other for support. Though, the slightly darker pink on Mina's cheeks may have indicated otherwise.
Arena, Match Six
"Wow, what a match right?" The audience was still laughing from the last match. "Well in this match we have the lightning user, Denki Kaminari; versus the vine use, Ibara Shiozaki!" Present Mic announced. "Let's see what force of nature comes out on top!"
Midnight cracked her whip, not wasting any time. "Begin!"
One Fight Later
"Kaminari is out of bounds, Shiozaki Advances!" Midnight called.
It was a really bad match up for Kaminari. The vines weren't exactly conductors and he couldn't cut through the vines either. Not to mention the fact that it wrapped around him like a womb, leaving him as vulnerable as a baby in the vine-girl's grasp.
Arena, Match Seven
"We've got another exciting match for you folks!" Present Mic called; he was excited about this one. "We have the two hardening quirk users of the Hero Course going head to head! We have Eijiro Kirishima!" Class 1A went crazy. "Versus Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!" Class 1B went buck wild.
"Are you two ready?" Both boys activated their quirks in response. "Begin!"
One Manly Bout Later
Tetsutetsu flew out of the ring and landed on the ground with a hard thud.
"Tetsutetsu is out of bounds, Kirishima advances to the next round!" Midnight said with a crack of her whip, getting a roar of applause from 1A.
The fight had been pretty even for the most part until Tetsutetsu became fatigued. His quirk worked on the amount of iron in his blood and the drawn out battle didn't work in his favour. Kirishima also kept strengthening his quirk; so as Tetsutetsu got weaker, he got stronger.
The rock teen stood in front of the steel teen and held out his hand. "You were really manly in that fight bro!" Kirishima exclaimed.
Tetsutetsu took his hand and lifted himself up. "You were too!" He shouted back with a smile.
They were both beaming as they walked off to Recovery Girl.
"Look at that sportsmanship!"
Arena, Match Eight
"Time for the final match of the first round, and we're going out with a bang!" Present Mic announced. "We've got another recommendation student, Momo Yaoyorozu; versus the explosion user, Katsuki Bakugou!" The crowd was extremely excited.
Yaoyorozu made a shield and a staff while Bakugou lit his palms. "Begin!"
One Fight Later
"Yaoyorozu is out of bounds, Bakugou advances to the next round!" Midnight called.
True to his personality, Bakugou didn't hold anything back. Yaoyorozu didn't either, she brought out rocket launchers, flashbangs, even gas grenades. The flashbangs actually did a number on Bakugou.
Bakugou walked over to Yaoyorozu and held his hand out with a grunt. "You did alright, I'm still better though." He said.
Yaoyorozu took his hand and he lifted her up; he then turned around and walked off without another word. Up in the stands, Kirishima beamed at his attitude. (A.N: Kirishima is a precious boy.)
Commentators Box
"Did you enjoy the first round folks?" Present Mic asked the crowd, they roared as a response. "Well it's gonna get better. Midnight, how about you show us the brackets for the next round?"
"Gladly." Midnight brought up a remote and pressed one of the buttons; the screens around the stadium lit up.
Tournament Fights – Round Two
Match One: Izuku Midoriya vs Mina Ashido
Match Two: Shoto Todoroki vs Akira Hikaru
Match Three: Tenya Iida vs Ibara Shiozaki
Match Four: Eijiro Kirishima vs Katsuki Bakugou
Izuku spared a worried glance at Akira, the latter being held tightly by a frazzled Uraraka. He then shot a worried look at Mina, if he used his quirk, then she could get seriously hurt. 'I'll just have to go quirkless again.' It's not like he couldn't fight without his quirk, he had been doing that for a decade.
"We'll have a ten minute break for the students to prepare." Midnight said.
Ten Minutes Later, Arena, Round Two, Match One
"It's time for the first match of the second round, are you all ready?" Present Mic asked his crowd, they all cheered. "We've got an interesting match here, folks. It's the green-haired power-man, Izuku Midoriya; against the acid-queen, Mina Ashido!"
Midnight looked at the two. "You two ready?" They both nodded. "Begin!"
Mina shot forward instantly, using her acid to increase her speed. Izuku didn't make a move and took a stance, waiting for her. The pink-skinned girl stopped a few feet away from her opponent and swiped her hands outwards, sending forward a small acid wall.
Izuku quickly did a back handspring, dodging the attack, before moving back to his stance. 'Just gotta draw her to the edge.' He thought.
And that's exactly what he did. Mina would keep up her assault with the acid and Izuku would only dodge. It was when he was on the edge of the arena that Mina decided to try and use a flying kick to knock him out. That was a mistake as Izuku grabbed her leg and swung her around. He let go of her leg and she landed on the ground with a hard thud.
Midnight cracked her whip. "Ashido is out of bounds, Midoriya advances to the semi-finals!" Midnight called.
Izuku quickly ran over to the pink-girl. "Are you okay? I didn't throw you to hard, did I? I'm sorry if I did-" The greenette continued to ramble off questions and apologies.
Mina giggled lightly. "I'm fine, you didn't even touch me until you threw me out." She reassured in a sweet tone. "Dork."
Izuku stopped rambling. "So you're okay?" He asked again, holding out his hand.
Mina smiled and took his hand. "I'm fine." She said.
Izuku smiled at her and they both made their way back to the stands. While this was happening, Akira was having a conversation with Endeavour that pissed him off to no end.
Arena, Round Two, Match Two
"Time for the next match, this is sure to be an interesting one." Present Mic said. "We've got the frost king, Shoto Todoroki!" A lot of whistling and squealing could be heard. "Versus the combat healer, Akira Hikaru!" A large 'HOORAH!' sounded around the stadium.
Akira had a frustrated look on his face, Todoroki kept his usual demeanour. "Are you boys ready?" Midnight asked, they nodded. "Begin!" She called with a crack of her whip.
One Intense Fight Later
"…Do we need to call Recovery Girl?" Midnight asked a still frustrated Akira pinned against the stadium wall with ice.
"No!" The black-haired teen yelled before his body glowed. The ice instantly shattered and Akira landed with only a single burn mark on his cheek. "I can't help you on this one, but the next person you fight will!" He said to Todoroki before walking off.
The match had been insane. Todoroki threw waves and waves of ice while Akira either shattered them or dug through them. However, the usual battle banter had blown into a full argument causing a strange phenomenon with Todoroki. His left side had caught fire and burnt Akira as the black-haired teen was getting ready to finish him. After that, Akira let himself be taken out, unwilling to beat someone who wasn't giving him their all.
Back at the 1A stands, Jirou had her hands together in front of her face. She had heard everything they said just like in the first round with Izuku. 'Nah, nope, no, I think not.' Trauma dumping am I right?
Arena, Round Two, Match Three
"Well that was an interesting match, let's get onto the next one though." Present Mic said. "It's the revving, roaring, Tenya Iida!" Class 1A cheered for their speedster. "Against the nature goddess, Ibara Shiozaki." Class 1B stomped and shouted for the nature girl.
Midnight cracked her whip, not wasting any time. "Begin!"
Four Seconds Later
"Shiozaki is out of bounds, Iida advances to the semi-finals!" Midnight called.
Yeah… Someone was just a tad bit mad about being used as an advertisement tool. Present Mic didn't even think that he could count that as a match, Iida had just pushed her out.
Arena, Round Two, Match Four
"Time for the final match of the second round, let's see if we can get another explosive finish, yeah?." Present Mic asked his audience. "He's blowing his way through this tournament with tenacity! Nothing is safe from his rampage! Katsuki Bakugou!" The explosive blonde lit his palms. "Versus… The ultimate shield and spear! The red-haired spartan-berserker! Ejiro Kirishima!" The red-haired teen smashed his hardened fist together.
Both teens didn't hesitate once Midnight called the start of the match.
1 Fight Later
"Kirishima is out of bounds, Bakugou advances to the semi-finals!" Midnight called.
That was definitely a much more entertaining match. Kirishima had been able to get some hits in but Bakugou was relentless. The two teens went back and forth before Bakugou was able to break through Kirishima's hardened skin. At that point it was a done battle.
The blonde pomeranian walked up to the red-haired golden retriever and smiled. "That was pretty manly." He said, getting a bright smile form Kirishima.
The red-haired teen didn't even bother with grabbing Bakugou's hand and instantly leapt up to hug him. The blonde protested but didn't really try and remove the other teen.
Midnight cooed at the two. "Oh my heart." She said away from the mic.
Commentators Box
"Well that was certainly entertaining, but it's time for the semi-finals." Present Mic announced. "Our contestants are all from 1A, so maybe I can get my co-commentator to actually say something." He said, looking at Aizawa. "Let's get the brackets, shall we?"
Tournament Fights – Semi Finals
Match One: Izuku Midoriya vs Shoto Todoroki
Match Two: Tenya Iida vs Katsuki Bakugou
Midnight cracked her whip. "The first match of the semi-finals will begin in 15 minutes." She said.
U.A Stadium Hallways, 15 Minutes Later
Izuku was walking towards his entrance for the match, mentally trying to hype himself up. But his thoughts were all over the place. 'Why was he hiding his fire? Has he been holding back?' He was brought out of his brain as he crashed into a large man. "A-ah, sorry sir." The greenette said quickly, backing off and bowing. When he looked up, he saw a red-haired man surrounded by flames.
It was the Flame Hero: Endeavour.
"Ah, it's you." Endeavour said in a gruff voice. "I was actually looking for you." He admitted.
Izuku had a confused look on his face. "W-what for, sir?" He asked.
"I'm just here to offer my congratulations on your work in the festival so far." Endeavour praised. "Your proficiency with your quirk, whatever it is, is incredible."
The greenette smiled at the compliments. "Oh, thank you-"
"I'm hoping that your power will be able to draw out more of my son's fire." The red-haired man cut off Izuku. "You see, my Shoto is supposed to surpass All Might, but he can't do that without his fire." He began to explain. "The last one had been able to get Shoto's fire out for a second, but I'm hoping you can do better."
Izuku's confusion mixed with slight frustration. "I'm sorry?" He asked.
Endeavour only smirked and continued to speak. "He is my perfect creation, the only of my children to inherit my fire and his mother's ice." He suddenly lost his smirk. "However, he seems adamant on only using his ice due to… issues." The atmosphere became thick before Present Mic called out. "Ah, I've taken up your time, I apologize." His voice was only half-genuine and he began to walk off. "Have a good match."
As Izuku watched the flame hero walk away, his mood instantly soured. 'Creation? What the hell kind of parent uses their child as experiments?' He looked at his fist. 'I'll make him use his fire though, he can't hold back because of something like that.'
Arena, Semi-Finals, Match One
"Alright folks, time for the first match of the semi-finals!" Present Mic announced.
"We have Izuku Midoriya vs Shoto Todoroki." Aizawa drawled.
Present Mic looked at his co-worker with a blank look. "Really?" He asked, leaning away from the mic.
Aizawa stared back at him. "That's the best you're getting out of me." His tone was that of finality.
Down at the arena, the two teens were revving to go. "Ready?" Both boys nodded, Midnight cracked her whip. "Begin!"
Izuku activated 15% of One For All and took to the skies, narrowly avoiding a large wave of ice that Todoroki sent at him. A spiked pillar of ice began to form from the first wave and Izuku was just able to dodge away from it. The greenette flew upwards before moving his power into his right arm and flying downwards. His punch blew away all the ice around him and cracked the ground as he landed.
'I need to wait for an opening.' Izuku thought as another wave of ice came at him. 'He'll freeze up soon enough, drawn out battles don't work for him.'
So, Izuku waited. Todoroki sent wave after wave of ice and Izuku either dodged or smashed through it. It was getting hard as the ice made his hands incredibly numb. He could use more of One For All but that could hurt Todoroki.
Izuku suddenly noticed Todoroki's waves were smaller and slower. He was actually able to completely destroy the wave with a normal 15% punch. Looking towards the heterochromatic-teen, he saw his right-side completely covered in ice.
"Why don't you use your fire?" Izuku asked, getting a frustrated look from Todoroki. "Wouldn't it melt your ice and make it easier for you?"
"Shut up." Todoroki snarled. "I don't need another lecture about how my quirk can help me." Oh, so that was what Akira was yelling about before. "I'm not going to use his fire." He seethed.
Izuku got a little frustrated. "What do yo think you're doing not using all your power?" He asked, getting slightly angrier as he continued. "Everyone at this festival is giving it their all and yet you think you can try and win by half-assing it?"
Todoroki scowled at him. "Look who's talking." He shot back.
Izuku had a confused look on his face. "What do you mean?" He asked.
"Don't play dumb with me." The heterochromatic teen snarled. "We've all seen what you're capable of. You caved in the earth just by pushing it. So don't tell me to not half-ass it if you're not going to practice what you preach." Todoroki finished his sentence with another small ice-wave.
Izuku smashed the ice and looked at his fist. "My quirk is dangerous though; it could hurt people." He tried to argue.
Todoroki scoffed. "ALL of our quirks can hurt people." He said. "My father's flames can do a lot more bad than good."
Izuku's head shook in frustration before he burst. "It's not his, it's yours!" He shouted. "Stop holding back out of fear and spite, you'll just…" Izuku trailed off as he (A.N: Finally.) realised how hypocritical he was being.
Todoroki had also stopped moving as Izuku's words rung in his head. His memory flashed back to when he was watching All Might on the T.V. with his mother; a memory he thought he locked away, 'Don't be a prisoner of your own blood. Be the hero you want to be.'
The crowd became confused as both boys stood there, unmoving. After a complete minute of silence, it was Aizawa who decided to check on them. "Midoriya, Todoroki, are you two oka-"
Aizawa was cut off from one of his only announcements as both teens let out a primal war cry. Izuku powered up 40% of One For All through his chest, ripping his P.E. shirt to shreds and making a small crater around him. Todoroki's left side ignited and all his ice melted away, his shirt also becoming nothing but ashes.
"Woah! Looks like the aces are being played now!" Present Mic announced. The audience roared wildly at the power the two were displaying and began to chant the two's names. Mina's cheeks became purple at seeing Izuku's exposed chest but her expression slightly turned sour as she heard a large amount of squeals and cat-calls.
"You're crazy." Todoroki said with a small smile, his fire blazing.
Izuku rolled his shoulders. "Yeah, Akira says that a lot." He replied.
They didn't waste any time as Todoroki shot forward another wave of ice. This one was much larger than any other ice-wave he threw. However, Izuku was no longer holding back. He shattered the wave with a single punch, creating large amounts of wind that almost blew back the audience behind Todoroki.
The heterochromatic teen caught himself with his ice and prepared his flames. "Let's just finish this." He said.
Izuku's power moved to his right arm, small amounts of smoke wisping off him. "Agreed." Behind him, the same, strange man from before had his arm on the greenette's shoulder.
Midnight turned to Cementoss. "We've gotta stop them!" She shouted, tearing off a bit of her costume to make some gas.
Cementoss nodded and knelt down on the ground.
However, both teacher's efforts were in vain as the two students' power absolutely trumped theirs. Izuku shot forward, his fist crackling with power; Todoroki also let all his fire out and his ice carried him forward.
Their clash created a shockwave that could be felt from over a mile away.
Stands
"Where are they?" Iida asked, trying to peer through the smoke.
"I can't see them." Sato said.
Mina looked down at the arena with a worried look. 'Izuku…'
A loud clap from the arena suddenly dispersed all the smoke and everyone could see again. Standing on the edge of the arena with his hands out, was Izuku. His feet had dug trenches into the arena which kept him in. Opposite him was Todoroki, his ice couldn't stop him and he was stuck in the wall.
"Todoroki is out of bounds, Midoriya advances to the finals!" Midnight announced with a crack of her whip. The audience roared and cheered.
"WHAT A MATCH! THAT'S ONE THAT'LL GO DOWN IN YUUEI HISTORY!" Present Mic shouted.
Izuku walked up to Todoroki and took his hand. He pulled as hard as he could and tore the half-and-half teen out of the ice. "You alright?" The greenette asked, slightly worried.
"I'm definitely gonna be feeling this tomorrow." Todoroki said, rolling his shoulders.
Izuku rolled his own shoulders as they walked off. "Thanks." He said. "I didn't realise how hypocritical I was being."
Todoroki shook his head. "I should be thanking you, you reminded me of something my mother told me when I was younger." He reminisced. "It's gonna take some getting used to… but I'll be using my fire more often."
"And I'll stop holding back." Izuku replied. "It's our power, we shouldn't be holding back in fear of others."
Todoroki nodded. "Our power."
Izuku looked to the stands and saw a grinning Endeavour. "No offense." He began. "But your dad is a dick."
Todoroki smiled. "I wholeheartedly agree."
The two boys chuckled lightly as they finally exited the arena, the crowd still cheering their names behind them.
Class 1A Stands
The two boys arrived back at the stands with new P.E. shirts and a few bruises around their legs. Recovery Girl hadn't been happy with their fight and decided to give them an alternative to medicine she called "tough love."
"Ha, I was right." Akira said as he saw the two. 'Call me Sir Nighteye because that, ladies and gentlemen, was foresight.'
Izuku chuckled as he walked back to his seat next to Mina. "Yeah, we did get a bit intense down there."
Todoroki nodded and sat next to the greenette. "No holding back." He said, shocking the majority of the class.
'He speaks!' The majority of them thought.
Izuku looked down at the arena. "Looks like the next match is starting." He said.
The rest of the class quickly looked over the edge, not wanting to miss the fight.
Arena, Semi-Finals, Match Two
"I'm all pumped up from that last match, what about you guys?" The audience cheered. "Well let's get to our second match for the semi-finals! His engines roar as loud as lions! The youngest son of the Iida Hero Family! Tenya Iida1" His engines were indeed roaring. "Versus… The doomsday teen! The blonde firework! Katsuki Bakugou." Said teen had a feral expression on his face in reaction to his nicknames.
Midnight looked at the two. "Ready?" Their quirks intensified as an answer. "Begin!" She shouted.
One Fight Later
Iida kicked Bakugou in the face and the blonde sent a large explosion to the blue-haired teens chest. They both flew back at fast speeds. Bakugou, however, was able to use an explosion to keep himself in the ring as Iida landed on the grass.
"Iida is out of bounds, Bakugou advances to the finals!" Midnight said.
The crowd cheered. The match wasn't as intense as Izuku and Todoroki's but it was still a good fight. Iida's tactic was running around Bakugou, trying to confuse him as he went for hit-and-runs. Bakugou stayed in the middle and tried to catch him, it wasn't until the end that he got a solid hit.
The pomeranian walked up to Iida and stuck out a hand. "Good match." He huffed.
Iida took his hand and stood up. "Good match to you as well." He said.
Bakugou grumbled before walking back to the stands, sparing a glance and a smile at a cheering Kirishima.
Hosu City, Alleyway
"Fame…Money…" A voice echoed off the tight space of the alleyway. The cold tone of the voice mixed with the blood that splattered everywhere enhanced the dark atmosphere. "You all call yourselves heroes… But none of you are… the only one who is worthy, worthy of the title, and killing me… is All Might."
The dark figure held a sword that was dripping with blood, the drops of red liquid echoed across the alleyway. On the floor laid a hero with white armour, it was stained with blood and had a large cut on the lower back.
"I leave you to live… only to spread my message…" The man sheathed his katana. "All fake heroes… shall be purged." He jumped to the rooftops, leaving the downed hero in his own blood.
The sound of sirens was the only thing that kept him awake. He needed to live, if not for him, if not for the people, then for… 'Tenya…' That was the last thought of the Turbo Hero: Ingenium before he passed out.
Arena, Final Match
"It's time for the final match of the Sports Festival! Are you ready, folks!" The audience shouted and cheered. "We've got two powerful students for this final match! You know and love them, but let's introduce them one last time!" The crowd roared again. "He's stopped holding back and is showing us strength, speed, and everything in between! Izuku Midoriya!" Izuku's side of the stadium had all somehow managed to get green signs and flipped them up. "Against the super sparkler! The blonde at the top who will fight until he drops! Katsuki Bakugou!"
The two boys eyed each other as they stood across from each-other. "Are you two ready." They both nodded. "Then let the final match, BEGIN!" She yelled.
Izuku got in a stance, powering up 45% of One For All; he had a bit of retribution to dish out. Bakugou had mellowed out greatly and wasn't as bad anymore, but the greenette still needed to get this out of his system and felt that he deserved it.
Bakugou, unaware of the danger he was in, had a small grin on his face. "I'll admit, I was really hoping we'd get to the finals together." He said, surprising Izuku slightly. "I actually used to be scared of your potential, but here and now I'm gonna prove to myself there was no point in all that. I'll admit it, I lost last time, but now we're out in the field. No hiding in debris or around corners. Show me what you go-"
Anything else Bakugou wanted to say was cut off as Izuku let out a battle cry and struck the ground. The entire arena in front of him was turned to nothing but rubble and dust and the wind pressure he created almost knocked everyone out of their seats. Bakugou was completely blown back, pieces of rubble hitting him and pinning him against the wall.
Midnight was getting picked up off the ground so Present Mic announced the victor. "AMAZING! The green-haired monstrosity blew away Bakugou and half the stage with a single punch! Izuku Midoriya wins the Sports Festival!" The crowd thundered and roared in cheers.
Izuku rolled his shoulders and smiled. 'That felt so good.' He walked over to the blonde stuck in the wall and held out his hand. "Good match." His smile was just the tiniest bit smug.
Bakugou was struggling to stay awake. "Just get me out of the fucking wall." He said.
Izuku shrugged. 'Better than yelling.' He grabbed Bakugou and yanked him out of the wall. "Do you need help getting to Recovery Girl or…" His question went unanswered as Bakugou began to limp off. 'Well I guess he still needs some time.'
Arena, 15 Minutes Later
"And now, it's time for the award ceremony!" Midnight declared.
The ground split and three pillars rose from the split. On the lowest pillar stood Todoroki, a content smile on his face. Bakugou took the second place pillar and had his arms crossed, a disappointed look on his face. Izuku took the highest pillar and was trying to keep it together.
Midnight cracked her whip. "We have a very special hero to award our champions, our very own Symbol of Peace, All Might!"
"HAHAHAHA!" A loud, unmistakable laugh reverberated across the stadium. Looking to the roof of the stadiums, the audience saw their number one hero standing triumphantly before he jumped down. "I am here, with the medals!" All Might said, his smile as big as ever. The audience cheered.
The large man walked over to the third place podium. "You did well, Young Todoroki, third place is quite the feat. It's good to see you using your fire now, you'll make a fine hero." He said, placing the bronze medal around his neck.
Todoroki nodded and accepted the medal. "Midoriya and Hikaru have a way with words." He said with a small smile. All Might smiled back before walking over to Bakugou.
"Second place is nothing to be ashamed of, Young Bakugou." All Might spoke in a soft voice as he placed the silver medal around Bakugo's neck. "This just shows what you need to improve on. You'll go far as a hero; but there will always be losses. Remember that and let it motivate you to try harder." Bakugou stood there silently as he digested All Might's words.
All Might finally walked to Izuku, a large smile on his face. "Congratulations, Young Midoriya. You didn't just win today, you did it with a smile on your face. Continue to smile, and you'll go down in the history books." He said, placing the golden medal upon his protégé.
"Thank you, All Might." Izuku stated, a large smile on his face. "I'll continue to smile."
All Might's grin widened and he turned to the crowd. "I have just one more thing to say!" He bellowed. "Say it with me everyone! Go Beyond…"
"PLUS ULTRA!" The crowd roared and cheered.