Chapter 18 is out! Now the one-on-one matches of the sports festival are going to commence! So enjoy!
The three powerful students were standing silently in the hallway, with Izuku and Shigeo unsure of how to proceed with things with Shoto staring both of them down with cold intimidation, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Both students felt small sweat beads trickle down their faces, and the green-haired teenager nervously gulped.
"We should probably get something to eat pretty quickly, since the cafeteria's gonna get busy pretty quickly." Todoroki's face didn't falter in the slightest, which only made Midoriya even more nervous. Kageyama, on the other hand, attempted to approach this from a more peaceful and patient viewpoint to lessen the intensity that was surrounding their classmate.
"Todoroki, if you've got something to say, you can say it." The dual quirk-wielding teenager was taken aback by the sincerity in the esper's voice and momentarily dropped his collected composure, though he quickly put it back up and decided to get down to business.
"During the cavalry battle, I became overwhelmed by the strength of your barrier, Kageyama, and in that moment of frustration, I broke the promise I'd made to myself a long time ago." Shoto took out his left hand and stared at it emptily, recalling that moment of weakness.
"I've come to see that both of you have incredible strength, an overwhelming power that can easily destroy walls and buildings, power that could easily kill if used on another person. That overwhelming power... it reminds me of All Might. Seeing him obliterate the Nomu showed me the unimaginable strength he wields, and I can't help but see a few similarities between you two and All Might."
The two friends drew their eyebrows together and felt their throats constrict in panic. Todoroki was starting to put some pieces together, so how long before he figured out the truth? Or had he already figured out the truth, and had called both of them here to confront them over this?
"So tell me... are you two All Might's secret love children? Are you two half-brothers?" Todoroki made this assumption of being half-brothers since Kageyama possessed a variety of different powers in addition to his super strength while also possessing greater control over that physical strength in comparison to Midoriya.
The two friends immediately gaped their eyes open in shock. This wasn't the sort of question either of them was expecting Todoroki to ask them. Furthermore, he thought that the two of them were brothers? The two friends exchanged their looks of shock with each other before glancing back at Todoroki, who was waiting for an answer. "Well?"
"Us, brothers? No way, it's not like that at all!" Midoriya said while making nervous, jerk-like movements, "Though even if it were true, I guess I'd also say that I wasn't, so making you believe me might be pretty hard."
"Trust us, the two of us aren't All Might's kids or anything," Mob continued with the same nervous voice, "You've got the wrong idea."
Despite their attempts to dispel Todoroki's assumptions, the red-and-white haired student remained suspicious about their claims, taking particular interest in the words they had used just now.
"The words you used just now, Midoriya, "It's not like that at all," was a curious selection. That would imply that there is something going on with the three of you that you're not supposed to talk about." Todoroki's accurate assumptions caused both teenagers to shift uneasily in their places.
"My father is the hero, Endeavor. You must have heard of him, which means you're also aware he's the number two hero." Midoriya was well aware of this, but Kageyama, being poorly versed in heroes, had no idea who Endeavor was, so Todoroki was giving him a quick lesson. "Which means that if both of you are somehow connected to the number one hero, All Might, in some way, that would mean I have even more incentive to defeat both of you.
"My old man's ambitious and aims to be at the top. He used his incredible quirk as a means to make a name for himself, but despite all his work, he could never find a way to beat All Might, so the Symbol of Peace is the constant reminder of his failure. Yet even now, he hasn't given up on his ambition of trying to take the number one spot, and is trying to do that through any means necessary."
"Any means necessary?" said Kageyama, already not liking the tone and wording Todoroki was choosing, "What do you mean by that? What're you trying to tell us?"
"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?" Both teenagers shook their heads. "They started after the first few generations of quirks had passed, right around when quirks were beginning to become widespread. Many people sought out mates solely with the intention of creating powerful children, and because of that, many people were forced into relationships, and they were simply viewed as old-fashioned arranged marriages, but it was obviously unethical. For my father, he already possessed several accomplishments and a great deal of wealth to throw at his problems. He bought my mother's relatives to get his hands on her quirk, and now, he's raising me to usurp All Might. During my childhood, all I did was train to improve my quirk. I had three other siblings who lived with me, but I could never properly interact with them because of my training and because my father took no interest in them, since none of them had the same kind of quirk combination that I do."
Once the image had been clearly painted for the two teenagers, Shigeo and Izuku felt their bodies tense up, their eyes widened in shock and terror.
"It's so annoying. I refuse to be a tool for that scumbag," Todoroki said, his eyes narrowed with indignation. "In every memory I have of my mother, I only see her crying. I remember her calling my left side unbearable..." The dual quirk-wielding hero's body hunched forward, and he placed his hand over his scar as the memory of her mother's proceeding act came back to him, "before pouring boiling water over my face."
Kageyama and Midoriya instantly felt the breath being sucked out of them, their lips trembling. The idea that Todoroki's mother could have done something to her son was horrifying, not to mention utterly tragic.
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"The reason I've been picking fights with both of you was to show my old man what I was capable of, without having to rely on his damn fire quirk. I'm gonna show him that I reject his power, and Kageyama, I'm going to beat you using only my mother's power to prove that I don't need his fire to win this tournament."
When Todoroki made this proclamation, he didn't realize that there was someone else who was listening in. Bakugo, having seen Todoroki storm off by himself, couldn't help but follow him while making sure to keep his distance and avoid arousing suspicion. Then, when he overheard where they'd be talking, he went around and hid in the corner to see what Todoroki had wanted to discuss with Kageyama and Midoriya.
Both friends stood in silence, each processing what they had just heard and still reeling from the shock of how tragic Todoroki's backstory was. For Todoroki, having said all he wanted to say, put his hands back into his pockets and walked away from his classmates. "You two are obviously connected to All Might in some way, even if you won't tell me. But I swear to both of you, if we fight during the tournament, I'll stand victorious using only my right side." The apathetic student continued walking alone while both Midoriya and Kageyama finished processing everything they'd been told. For Kageyama, he was so startled and saddened by Todoroki's backstory that his mind was at a complete blank, unsure of what to say to the dual quirk-wielding teenager. Midoriya, on the other hand, did know what he wanted to say, and before Shoto could leave their sight, the green-haired fanboy sprinted up to him, with Kageyama following behind him.
"Wait!" Shoto did as asked and decided to listen to whatever else Midoriya had to say. "I'm only here because others have supported me. I've been extremely lucky." The fanboy exchanged glances and a smile with the esper, who'd stuck by him all those grueling months. "In fact, I've had even more help since I've come to U.A." The green-haired teenager glanced at his fist, his thoughts focused primarily on All Might and the moments he'd shared with the Symbol of Peace.
"All Might's always saving people with a fearless smile. He's the greatest hero in the world, and I want to be a hero just like him. Even though that motivation might seem stupid compared to yours, it's still my goal, and I can't lose this either! I owe it to everyone who's supported me to do my best in this tournament. You declared war on me earlier? Well, right back at you." With his fist clenched and his eyes sparkling with the determination Kageyama had become so familiar with, Midoriya confidently stated, "I am going beat you!"
The three of them stood silent for a few seconds, the wind blowing their hair and creating a soft rustling noise. Then, the dual quirk-wielding student decided to end the conversation at that, and resumed his silent march. Bakugo, seeing that the conversation was over, also decided to leave and walk back through the long, darkened corridors.
Standing beside him, the esper was being reminded of the very high goals that Midoriya had and the way he was still reaching out for his dream of being the number one hero like All Might. It was that passion that kept him going through those ten months of physical training and one of the reasons why Kageyama couldn't help but admire him. Mob placed his hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him another small smile. "Come on, Midoriya. Let's get going."
"Sure thing. And by the way, Kageyama, if we do happen to fight during the third event, I'm not gonna hold anything back. Even against you, I'm still gonna try my best to take the number one spot."
"I understand." Shigeo was basically expecting his friend to make some statement like this after hearing the way he declared war against Todoroki just now. It still pained the esper to know that there could only be one winner, that Midoriya couldn't be the number one alongside him, and to know that if there was some sort of battle or confrontation they'd have to face against each other, the esper would have to try and beat him, since he still had to fulfill the expectations set by All Might.
Lunch was rather uneventful for both Kageyama and Midoriya, who decided to sit with Uraraka and Yaoyorozu and chat about how the cavalry battle had gone, as well as pondering what the third event would be. The two friends finished their meals somewhat quickly, for they wanted the chance to speak to All Might before things proceeded with the third event. Wandering through the arena and through the corridors, the two students had spent around ten to twenty minutes trying to find All Might, but had sadly come short on finding him. There weren't too many people they came across because most of them were out eating lunch, but for the few people they did find, they'd complimented Kageyama for his outstanding performance.
"Midoriya, we've only got about ten minutes before we have to reconvene. Maybe we should just head back now."
"Yea, I guess that's the best-"
"Yo, you guys!" Just when they were prepared to give up their search, the number one hero came running through the halls in his true form, wearing a very baggy suit.
"I was just looking for you two!" The hero's voice was loud and energetic, and he began to let out throaty laugher as he approached the two students, his attention first directed towards Kageyama.
"Kageyama, you were absolutely incredible! Your performance during this festival has been at a level far higher than I was expecting!"
"You really think so?" said Kageyama, his dull eyes lighting up with hope and relief.
"Without a doubt! Man, you should've seen the faces of the teachers when you lifted every single robot into the air!"
"Huh?" Midoriya's jaw dropped to the floor. Did he hear All Might correctly? "You lifted all of them? Even the zero point robots?"
"Yep, and thanks to his speed, he breezed through the obstacle course in less than twenty seconds, though if he hadn't slowed down when he lifted the robots, he would've probably finished in a fraction of that time." The green-haired teenager's head jerked back, his voice having been completely lost. Twenty seconds? A four kilometer obstacle course that Midoriya was only able to get through with gambles and guesses was finished in only twenty seconds by Kageyama? Just how fast was he flying?
All Might attempted not to focus all of his excitement and attention on Kageyama, and shifted the focus toward Midoriya.
"Midoriya, you also did a great job during the obstacle course, using your wits and tactics to get ahead of the others without even using One For All."
When All Might mentioned One For All, Izuku's eyes instantly went to the ground. Even though he'd been trying his best to practice control of One For All, imagining the egg in the microwave, he still hadn't actually tested his power yet. There were too many things he was unsure about, and Midoriya didn't know how things would turn out. But before he could properly voice those worries and concerns to All Might, an announcement rang out through the speaker system.
"The third event will begin shortly. Please return to your seats."
"We better hurry to the arena soon, Midoriya. We don't wanna be late." The esper began a light jog, and after a brief glance of hesitation at All Might, the fanboy followed his friend's lead and ran to the stairs.
"We'll talk later!" The symbol of peace waved his two students off, beaming with pride with what they had accomplished and knowing that they would both make it very far in the coming event.
The two friends took rather long to make it to the bottom of the arena due to the very many staircases they had to run down, only barely making it in time to walk out into the arena with the rest of their classmates. Once the students all began filing out, the crowd began their cheering, more than ready to see how the final event would go, while Present Mic continued his job and announced what would follow. For the students who didn't make it to the finals, there were recreational games set up for them to partake in, and cheerleaders had even been brought in to boost the energy. However, the students quickly noticed that there were a few extra cheerleaders with faces they all recognized...
It was the girls of Class 1-A all dressed as cheerleaders, having been tricked into wearing these outfits by Kaminari and Mineta, who wanted to see the girls of their class dressed in skimpy outfits. Upon seeing Yaoyorozu dressed in such an outfit, Mob's face began to ripen like a tomato, and he covered up his face to hide the growing heat. After managing to calm himself down, he walked with the rest of the students to the podium, where Midnight was waiting to give the details of the final event. As he was walking, he couldn't help but notice that many of the students were giving him looks of awe and amazement, whispering to each other as they saw him walk by. It appeared as though his performance in the obstacle course and cavalry battle had managed to make quite the impression on them, and it was something Mob had not anticipated.
On a large jumbo screen in the arena, a tournament bracket was shown with sixteen different spots, waiting to be filled by the sixteen winners of the cavalry battle. Midnight began to explain the way the brackets would be chosen by lot, the names of the sixteen winners all placed in a big yellow lot box. But before the brackets could be chosen, Ojiro and Shoda, the two members of Shinso's team, had decided to give up their spots in the final tournament. Though the classmates of Ojiro had tried to convince him otherwise, Ojiro felt as though he had not earned his place in the finals, and to keep his pride, he surrendered his spot in the tournament, with Shoda following his lead. Midnight accepted their proposition, and in their place, had decided to pick two students from Class 1-B, Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki, two members of Team Tetsutetsu.
After the two new members had their names put into the lots, the sixteen winners drew their names from the lots, and the brackets were as followed: Midoriya vs. Shinso, Todoroki vs. Sero, Kaminari vs. Shiozaki, Uraraka vs. Iida, Aoyama vs. Ashido, Yaoyorozu vs. Tokoyami, Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu, and finally, Kageyama vs. Bakugo.
For Uraraka, upon discovering that her opponent was Iida, she felt her entire body shiver with fear. Iida was an extremely fast, capable adversary who also happened to be a member of the Ingenium family. How would she be able to defeat such a strong enemy?
The esper was quite surprised to find that Bakugo would be his first opponent. He assumed he would be fighting him during the quarter finals or semi-finals, but facing him right off the bat was quite the unexpected pairing. Mob looked around to see where his opponent was among the crowd, and when he spotted him, it turned out Bakugo had already been looking at him, staring him down with a bold look in his eyes. This bold intimidation caused the esper to nervously gulp, and he averted his gaze. Mob looked at the board, and noticed that Midoriya had been pitted against Shinso, the one from general studies. He turned around and saw the purple-haired teenager greet Midoriya, but for some reason, the moment Midoriya tried to open his mouth, Ojiro covered it with his tail.
Mob walked over to the two of them, wanting to know the reason Ojiro made that sudden move, and more importantly, what kind of opponent his friend was up against.
"Why did you cover Midoriya's mouth?" asked Kageyama.
"Midoriya can't say a word to him." Both friends lifted their eyebrows up in confusion. What did he mean by that? Ojiro had been one of Shinso's teammates, meaning that he had an understanding of how his quirk worked. There was no time for him to spend on any fun activities like the rest of his classmates. He had to think of a strategy for his match.
"Ojiro, could you tell me everything you've figured out about Shinso's quirk?"
"No way I want that guy to win. Let's go to the waiting room: I'll help you however I can."
"I'll go with you two."
"Really? You sure you don't want to enjoy the recreational games with everyone else?" said Midoriya.
"It's no big deal."
"I appreciate it. I might need all the support I can get." So while Present Mic began to announce the start of the recreational games, some of the students who weren't interested in having fun and wanted to conserve their stamina each exited the arena. While the three classmates were walking together toward one of the waiting area, Izuku felt the weight of his oncoming match start to settle on him. He'd have to be fighting powerful students with amazing quirks, while he barely had a handle on his own quirk. And to make things worse, his opponent was someone with a quirk he had no understanding of, which was why he had to learn everything he could.
The three students all entered the empty waiting room and took their seats at a table.
"I remember you were saying in the arena that you didn't remember most of the cavalry battle." The esper was the first to start the conversation, and the martial artist somberly nodded.
"Yep. During the cavalry battle, he approached me and asked me a question. As soon as I answered it, my mind began to fog up. I couldn't think clearly. I think... his quirk gives him the ability to control people."
The two friends were baffled at this revelation. For Midoriya, his face began to lose its color, and he cupped his hands over his face. "Controlling other people... is there even a way for me to beat a quirk like that."
"Actually, there is. I'm pretty sure his quirk only works if you respond to him. And even if he somehow manages to get you, there's still a way for you to get out of his grip. Like I said, I don't remember most of the cavalry battle except for the very end. I think we were running away after grabbing Tetsutetsu's headband, when I bumped into another person. As soon as that happened, it was as if the fog in my mind cleared, and I was me again."
"So that bump broke his hold?" said Mob.
"It's just a guess, but I still think it has some merit. Either way, I don't know what kind of shock you'd need to break his hold, and you can't rely on any assistance in a one-on-one fight." Ojiro got up from his seat, prompting Midoriya and Kageyama to do the same.
"Anyway, I hope my advice was helpful, since it's all I know."
"It definitely was. Thanks so much for your help, Ojiro! You're a good guy!"
"I know it's selfish to say it, but beat this guy for both of us, alright?" The martial artist reached his hand out into a fist bump, which the green-haired eagerly accepted.
"I'll do my best." Ojiro gave a final nod before exiting the room to enjoy the recreational activities. Despite having been told the weaknesses of his opponent's quirk and having an easy way to avoid getting trapped under his control, Izuku still couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness. Shigeo could sense this, and attempted to give some words of reassurance to his friend.
"Midoriya, I'm sure you'll be able to do this. Shinso's quirk relies on you talking, so as long as you don't talk, it'll just be a fight with no quirks, and when it comes to that, you'll be able to take a victory no doubt. Your muscles, knowledge on heroes and fighting will be more than enough to take Shinso on."
"I hope you're right..." When thinking of all the potential opponents he would face, Izuku thought of the match-up with Kageyama and Bakugo.
"So your first match is gonna be against Kacchan. I was expecting that fight to happen, sure, though not in the first round.
"I'm positive Kacchan's been waiting for this moment, preparing for the chance to fight you again during this tournament and avenge his loss after the battle trial. Who knows what he'll try. But no matter what he does, I'm definitely sure you'll still win."
The two of them remained together in the waiting room, with Midoriya doing some basic stretches and exercises to loosen his muscles and his nerves, while Kageyama stayed there to continue lending his emotional support to his friend, who needed it very much. While this was happening, the finalist students went on with the recreational games, while others who were more solemn spent their time alone, hyping themselves up for the tournament and the matches that would come. It felt as though the time had barely passed when the recreational games had come to an end, and the first match would commence. When Midoriya heard Present Mic's voice through the speaker system, he knew that the time had finally come.
"Well, guess I better get going. You should probably also get going to the student spectator stands." The green-haired teenager walked to the door, but just before he exited the room, the psychic gave him his last words of support.
"Hey. I'm gonna see you in the finals."
The fanboy's eyes shined with the green luminance Mob had come to get used to, and he gave his bowl-haired friend a thumbs-up. "Yep. See you there."
The two friends went their separate ways for the moment, the fanboy still feeling his nerves festering inside him, with the psychic also feeling slightly concerned: this concern, however, wasn't so much for Midoriya's first battle, but his potential and likely following battle with Todoroki. The fact that Kageyama was already thinking of this fight demonstrated the confidence he had in his friend and his first battle, but sadly, he did not have the same level of confidence for his fight against the dual quirk-wielding teenager. He had great power and control with his quirk that would make it very difficult for Izuku to land any proper blows on him, thanks to all of the training he underwent...
Mob grimaced when he thought of Todoroki's backstory, how tragic his childhood was. His father sounded like a very harsh and inconsiderate person whose quest to be the number one hero had completely consumed him, causing him to view his son as less than a person and more as a tool to enact his vision of being the number one. And then there was the situation with his mother. Although it was difficult to fully understand what her story was, it was quite obvious that she was very unhappy with her life at home, likely because of how ruthlessly Endeavor had trained Shoto and how he'd forced her into marriage. Perhaps all that time in misery, living in a house where her child was constantly abused by a man who she never wanted to be with, had driven her over the edge and caused her mind to break. He remembered what Todoroki said, how she viewed his left side as "unbearable". Yes, it seemed likely that her resentment for her husband's actions had resulted in her breaking down and pouring the boiling water over Todoroki's face.
The pain and regret she must have felt and was likely still feeling was doubtlessly unbearable, and even when knowing next to nothing about her, he felt strong sadness and empathy for her. That empathy was also strong for Todoroki, whom he now had a better understanding of thanks to learning of his backstory.
"Hey!" Shigeo was snapped out of his thoughts by Bakugo's loud and angry voice. His fierce red eyes were particularly heated, and his teeth were bared with unbridled ferocity, and the esper immediately took a step back. This did little to help, though, as Bakugo quickly paced toward him until they were only inches apart.
"Oh, Bakugo..." The esper tried to have a normal, positive conversation with his classmate. "Surprising that the two of us got paired up for the first round. I hope that it'll go well for both of us."
In a noble yet predictably unsuccessful act, Mob extended his hand, which Bakugo vehemently slapped away. In fact, that act actually seemed to make him more infuriated. "God, enough with your bullshit! You better not enter our fight with any of your sentimental garbage, got it? Our match is the final one in the first round, which means that the best is for last, so you damn well better show your best too, cuz there's no way I'm gonna take it easy on you! I'll straight up murder you in front of the entire world!"
The explosive teenager swooped in even closer and grabbed Mob by the shirt, causing him to let out a small yelp. "So show me that anger you showed me before! Come at me with those same red eyes! I'll beat you at your strongest, and there's no way I'll settle for anything less! You've got it?" Bakugo didn't even wait for Mob to give an answer, and let go of his shirt while pacing to the spectator stand in an angry huff.
Shigeo followed Katsuki, making sure to keep his distance from him while they both made their way to the student spectator stands After a few more minutes of walking up flights of stairs and reading the signs to help him navigate through the arena, they finally made it to the student spectator stand, where they were the first ones there. With a clear view of the center arena, he saw many of the students filing out, and one of the teachers, Cementoss, manipulating the cement that was coming out of a large pipe and shaping it into a large square. So Cementoss was using his quirk to make a stadium for the combatants to fight, pretty useful. He also noticed there was another spectator stand adjacent to him, likely where Class 1-B would be seated.
The other students made it to the spectator stand after a few minutes while Shigeo and Katsuki sat in silence and awkwardness for the esper, though all of the students who had joined were males. Shigeo managed to piece together that the girls were changing out of their cheerleader outfits, and by the time they joined the rest of their class, Cementoss had already finished making the ring for the fighters, and Present Mic was beginning his grand announcements. As the hero made his announcements, the students of Class 1-A were all mumbling to themselves, wondering how this first round would go.
"I wonder how Midoriya is going to fare in this first round," said Tokoyami.
"I'm pretty sure Midoriya's got this first match in the bag," replied Ojiro, "Wouldn't you say, Kageyama."
"No question."
"Though he might have to break a few fingers in the process," Kaminari remarked.
If Midoriya played his cards right, then Kaminari would be incorrect. The announcer officially started the match, and Shisho began it with conversation. Mob was expecting that friend remain strong and silent, but he was proven wrong when the purple haired teenager made some scathing commentary, causing the fanboy to yell out in frustration. It was at that moment that Midoriya fell under the opponent's control.
Ojiro got out of his seat and clamped his hands onto his head. "No! I warned him not to say anything!"
"Midoriya! No!" The psychic watched with dread as his friend began to march the opposite way, preparing to go out of the ring.
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"He's going out of the ring!"
"What's he doing? If he walks out of the ring, he'll lose the match!"
"It's not him! He's being controlled!" The other classmates were not expecting Shinso to have a power like that, and now that they realized what it was and what had just happened to Midoriya, they began to feel as though this match had already been decided. "Ojiro, do you think he'll be able to break free?"
"I don't..." The martial artist slumped back in his chair, a defeated look on his face that Mob slowly began to mimic when he began to figure out that his friend had no one there to shock him out of his trance, no way to snap himself out of the trance, leaving him with no defense against the forced order to walk out of the ring. Or so he thought...
Just before Izuku put his foot over the white edge of the ring, a very strong gust of wind came forth from the teenager's body. The defeated look on the esper's face quickly morphed into one of relief: he did it! Somehow, Midoriya managed to use One For All in his fingers, creating a blast of air powerful enough to shake his body and snap him out of his trance. He didn't know how it was possible, but somehow his friend did it! And now, having learned from his brief mistake, his friend would undoubtedly keep his mouth shut and win this fight!
Shigeo's assumption was correct, and despite Shinso's yelling and further attempts to provoke Midoriya into speaking, his friend pushed Shinso with all his force out of the ring.
"Come on, Midoriya!" In a rare moment of visible emotion, the esper slightly raised his voice and shouted in support for Midoriya. Shinso punched his opponent to stop his assault, but the teenager did not budge. The two of them were quickly approaching the edge of the ring. Then, to loosen his grip, Shinso punched Midoriya in his injured fingers, causing him to loosen his grip. For a fleeting moment, the esper's heart constricted when he saw Shinso grab Midoriya's face and nearly push him out of bounds, but then, he used the same move he used against Bakugo, throwing Shinso's body out of the ring and making Midoriya the victor of the first round.
In the spectator stand of Class 1-A, Uraraka's eyes were closed while she sighed with relief. "Man, that was so nerve-wracking!"
"He managed to turn the tables at the last moment! Classic Midoriya!" said Iida.
"That shoulder throw! Remember when he pulled that move on you, Bakugo?" Kaminari said.
"Shut the hell up, Sparky!"
Similar to his two friends, the esper was relieved and proud to find that Midoriya was going to advance onto the second round. Still, now that the fight was over, it allowed Mob to appreciate the gravity of the fact that Shinso had lost. Even though Midoriya was his friend and he'd wanted him to win, he also knew how much being a hero meant to Shinso, how he'd tried and failed to get into the hero course through the practical exam. During his speech, he's exchanged a brief glance with the purple-haired teenager, for his speech truly did reach out to people like him, people who had their own dreams they wanted to have made into reality. For those reasons, his heart went out to him, and it was why he was one of the only people of Class 1-A frowning as he watched Shinso exit the ring.
Seeing that the first round had come to an end, and his match would be up next, Sero got out of his seat and decided to head to the exit point for the ring. A few of the classmates like Kirishima and Kamainari patted him on the back and wished him luck, which the tall teenager gratefully accepted. Once Sero left the spectator stand, the dual quirk-wielding teenager, who was hanging out at the edge of the spectator stand far from any of the other students, followed his opponent's lead and began to head out for the next round. None of the classmates said anything to him, for they knew of his cold demeanor and stoic attitude. Well, everyone except one bowl-haired esper.
"I hope you do good out there, Todoroki." The red and white-haired student heard this comment of praise coming from the esper, and turned his head to find the esper's lips slightly upturned. Todoroki's head flinched back in confusion, and his eyes squished together, before he simply dismissed Shigeo and exited the spectator stand. As he watched that unfold, Bakugo felt the vein in his forehead throb, and he gripped his shirt tightly. There he went again, acting all nice and friendly, even to the guy that had literally declared war on him twice and said he would defeat him. Where the hell did he get the idea to act so friendly like this?
As he was walking down the hallway, Todoroki was thinking the same thing as Bakugo. How the hell could he still act so calm and peaceful with him? He'd already rejected his offer of support and friendship before in the battle trial by fiercely swatting his hand away, and had declared war on him two times in a single day! He made it clear that he was here to win, and that the two of them were rivals. So why was he acting as though none of that had ever happened? Why did he have to insist on acting like this with him, behaving amicable and friendly? It was just so confusing, trying to understand Kageyama.
Back in the spectator stand of Class 1-A, the students continued making conversation. "So you're maintaining a positive attitude toward Todoroki, despite his proclamation of war," Yaoyorozu remarked, "An admirable move, though Todoroki's not very keen on reciprocating that kindness."
"I get that you're his rival and all, but I mean, Todoroki could at least try and show a little respect for you," said Kirishima.
"He's made his intention of winning very clear, and that leaves little room for anything else," added Iida.
The esper merely shrugged his shoulders and let out a soft sigh. It was unfortunate that the ice and fire-wielding teenager did not warm up to him, but Shigeo could not blame Todoroki for his behavior after hearing all the horrid things he'd experienced as a child. He had so much pain inside him, pain that the esper did not know how to alleviate. After a few minutes of waiting for the following match to proceed, Midoriya finally came back and reunited with the rest of his class, wearing some bandages around his fingers.
"Hey Deku! Great job!"
"Come on! We saved you a seat over here!"
Iida and Uraraka motioned for their friend to join them, while Kageyama beamed at his friend. Ojiro gave a short glance at Mob before looking at Midoriya and clamping his fist in approval. Both gestures caused Midoriya's lips to curve up highly. The green-haired teenager sat down with his friends, and had happened to make it just in time for the second round to begin. Present Mic made his lengthy and dramatic introductions of the two opponents in the ring before he officially announced the start of their fight.
Sero made the first move, shooting two volleys of tape around Todoroki's arms and legs to immobilize him, then fired another volley to wrap around his body and throw him out of the ring. It seemed like the fight would be over very quickly, and Sero would be the obvious victor, but then, the dual quirk-wielding teenager used his ice quirk. The students of Class 1-A knew that Todoroki's ice quirk was powerful, but even they could never imagine what it could do at its fullest capacity. The entire arena shook when Todoroki unleashed his ice attack. This ice was a monstrous size, managing to reach the spectator stand of Class 1-A and even managed to reach the outskirts of the stadium that allowed the people outside to see Todoroki's attack.
All the teachers and the students in the stands were left dumbstruck by this phenomenal display of power. Well, everyone except Mob, who only displayed mild shock at the most for two reasons: one, he wasn't that interested in how powerful other quirks were or by displays of power, and two, even this was nothing in comparison to the scale and potency of Suzuki's ice attack. After getting over the shock of Todoroki's large-scale attack, their next big shock was at the lack of Kageyama's similar surprise.
"Dude, Kageyama, how the hell are you acting like this is nothing?" said Kaminari.
"Oh, I don't..." The esper could not give a satisfactory answer, or any answer at all, and shrugged his shoulders in meek surrender. The electricity-wielding teenager crossed his arms and pursed his lips into a straight line, befuddled by the psychic's neutral expression.
"Kaminari, lay off Kageyama. It's probably cuz he's such a man, he's able to keep such a strong composure." An incorrect but very respectful assumption on Kirishima's part. Sero, having been completely immobilized by Todoroki's attack, knew when to call it quits and surrendered the fight. For the spectators, they took pity on Sero and all began to chant "Nice try" in their attempt to show their sympathy. With the battle finished, Todoroki used his left side, placing his hand on Sero's body and melting the large construct of ice.
In the spectator stand of Class 1-A, the two friends noticed something with Todoroki as he used his heat to melt the ice.
"Can you see it, Midoriya," said Kageyama, whispering into his ear.
"Yea. Right now, Todoroki looks so... sad."
The esper could not stand to see Todoroki in such a state of pain, knowing how much internal conflict he was experiencing. "I think the two of us should go talk to him."
The fanboy closed his eyes and slightly shook his head. "I don't think that's the best idea. During the sports festival isn't the best time to have a conversation like that. I know you want to help, but we should just leave him be for now."
Shigeo also closed his eyes and sighed. He wanted to do whatever he could to help his classmate, but perhaps Izuku was right. After all, Todoroki was viewing him as just a large a rival as Bakugo was, and the explosive teenager had repeatedly rejected his words of wisdom and attempts at friendship. If he tried to talk to Shoto now, the dual quirk-wielding teenager would likely rebuff his words or advice in a similar fashion.
Melting such a large ice construct took a few minutes, and the excessive amount of ice being melted caused a huge cloud of steam to rise up from the stadium, a cloud which could be seen from a few miles. Once the pillar of ice was completely gone, the red and white-haired teenager quickly paced out of the ring with his fists in his pockets, while Sero, whose body was still affected by the cold, was shivering head-to-toe, and he rapidly rubbed his arms over his body in his attempt to warm himself up.
With the third round coming soon, the electricity-wielding teenager was next in the line up. "Well, guess I'm next." Kaminari got up from his seat, his classmates wishing him good luck before going on to fight his opponent from Class 1-B. A few minutes passed, and Sero returned to the spectator stand, still shivering from the drop in body temperature. Some of the classmates gave their condolences and patted him on the back.
In the ring, the hero announcer introduced the next competitors, calling Shiozaki an assassin, a term which the girl from Class 1-B did not like being called. She made her distaste for that term known to Present Mic, and began to preach her reasons for being at U.A. High, to spread goodness to the world through her actions as a hero. Upon seeing her, Kaminari was instantly smitten. She had mesmerizing dark green eyes with long lower eyelashes, and the golden-haired teenager couldn't help but view her as cute. So even though he still wanted to win this, he attempted to play it cool and asked her out to eat later on, saying that he could console her when she lost, then arrogantly claiming the fight would only last two seconds. With electricity cackling all around him, he released the same attack he used against Kageyama to try and knock out Shiozaki, but the girl's quirk proved to be able to create an effective countermeasure.
The quirk, Vines, made it so that vines grew from her head, allowing the girl to manipulate those vines to her will. In this case, she erected a large wall of vines, and since the material did not conduct electricity, Kaminari's attack could not get through the vines. Having used his maximum output, the teenager's intellectual capacity was greatly diminished, and he was left in his mindless, ape-like state, allowing Shiozaki the chance to use her vines and immobilize her opponent.
In the spectator stands of Classes 1-A and 1-B, many of them were shocked by how quickly the battle had ended. For one student in Class 1-B, he took this overwhelmingly easy victory for Shiozaki as the perfect chance to mock Class 1-A.
"Guess he was right: that fight really was over in only two seconds!" Monoma peered over the small wall separating both classes with a derisive smile on his face. "I'm thinking that his actual quirk is the ability to tell the future! I thought Class 1-A was supposed to be so much better than us!" The blonde-haired teenager laughed in the faces of Class 1-A, but before he could mock the class any further, Kendo came in and chopped him on the neck, knocking him out.
"Sorry 'bout him," said Kendo, though that was not the only thing that she had to say to Class 1-A. Well, more specifically, to the bowl-haired student of their class. "Since I've got your attention now, Kageyama, I've gotta give you credit for your performance in the cavalry battle. Your shield really was something else: even my strongest attack wasn't able to scratch it."
"Oh..."
"But I also really liked the speech you gave at the beginning. It really sounded like you were trying to speak to everyone there." This compliment proved to be significantly more impactful for the esper than his performance in the cavalry battle. A few of the other classmates of Class 1-B chimed in, being in agreement with Kendo's statement. Even Tetsutetsu, who was one of the students less fond of Class 1-A, silently nodded his head in agreement.
"Yea, that was a cool speech, especially for something that you made up on the spot."
"Oh, come on, you guys!" The blonde teenager regained his consciousness and was in fierce disagreement with Kendo's statement. "He probably just said all that to make his class look better! You don't honestly think he meant all the crap he said, do you?"
Mob frowned: he would never do anything like Monoma said just now. He didn't really care about increasing the reputation of their class, and he especially wouldn't lie with what he said simply to make himself look better. The ginger-haired girl also believed this, and she smiled warmly at the esper. "Yes, I do." Mob's eyes sparkled with appreciation, and he reciprocated her warm smile with his own. Some of the members of Class 1-A were relieved to see that Mob's actions had managed to build up a good rapport with the other classes, mending whatever damage Bakugo might have done with his actions.
While this conversation had been going on, the bob-haired girl had gotten out of her seat, her eyes darkened and her shoulders hunched. Izuku saw this, and he could instantly tell that that was the posture of someone who was scared. The fanboy rushed after her before she could go to her match, and the bowl-haired esper decided to follow suit.
"Hold on, Uraraka!" The bob-haired teenager stopped when she heard the sound of her friend calling to her. When she turned around, they could see the hint of fear lingering in her eyes. "Are you feeling afraid for your match against Iida?"
Uraraka awkwardly rubbed her arm and moved her eyes to the floor. "To be honest, a little. I mean, Iida's a really good friend of mine, but I know he's really skilled and quick, and I don't think he's gonna hold back against me. It's not as scary as it would be if I was against someone like Bakugo, but still, my nerves are pretty shot right now."
"I can see what you mean, Uraraka..." The green-haired teenager knew this would not be an easy match for Uraraka. She needed to have some sort of strategy in mind if she wanted to get an edge over Iida, especially since he was so skilled. Luckily for her, he happened to have a guide with intricate details and information about the quirks of their classmates and other heroes, which he pulled out from his back pocket. "You've done so much for me, Uraraka, so I'd like to try and pay you back. I managed to put together a brief plan on how you could use your quirk against Iida."
"That's great!" said Kageyama. The girl smiled with appreciation, but alas, she could not accept this help.
"That's really awesome of you to do, Deku, but I can't." Both friends drew short breaths of surprise. "You're both wonderful guys, as you keep showing me over and over. But during the cavalry battle, I started to wonder if I've been relying on you to get by. It's why... I have to win this for myself, using only my own power and my own plan." The bubbly girl continued to walk, but for a brief moment, she turned her head back to face her friends with a shaky smile on her face. "I'll see you in the finals."
With a thumbs-up, the bob-haired girl went off to her match, leaving the two friends to absorb her words and her resolve to do her best. "That was a really bold move from her," the psychic said.
"It was," replied Midoriya, "She's determined to win this, just like the rest of us. Whoever wins the next battle, I just hope that both of them give it their all and show everyone that they deserve to be at this school." The two friends returned to their class and took their seats, and while they were waiting for Iida and Uraraka to go through their exits, Midoriya decided to take some quick notes on Shiozaki, doing his signature mumbling about everything he'd witnessed in the fight. While this annoyed some people like Bakugo, it only brought a smile to Kageyama, for this was a clear example of how driven his friend was to learning everything he could about being a hero, taking in new information from all these different students and heroes.
In no time at all, the fourth round of the sports festival was being announced by Present Mic, and the crowd cheered as Uraraka and Iida made their way to the ring. The students of Class 1-A were all wondering how things would turn out, whether this would be a short or drawn-out match, and what kind of fighting would be shown by the two competitors.
In the center of the the ring, the bob-haired teenager still couldn't shake off her nerves. Iida could see this, and immediately did his best to try and lessen her fear. After all, they were very close friends. "Uraraka, I want you to know that you are still a very close friend. Even though we may be opponents for this match, I will still fight you with honor and respect." The spectacled teenager bowed his head in respect, which caused Uraraka to let out a short chuckle. Even now, Iida still maintained his very respectful and honorable demeanor. But still, they were both going to be fighting with everything they had, and no amount of friendship would change that.
"Let's begin the fourth match!" With his thunderous voice, Present Mic declared the match that the match between Uraraka and Iida commence.
There we go! The matches for the sports festival have been decided, and now the fourth match between Iida and Uraraka has begun! To be perfectly honest, I don't really care about this fight that much, and I'm only doing it since I have to. A part of me was really bummed out that I had to take out this important character arc for Uraraka, but I've got plans for Bakugo and Kageyama, so this was how it had to go, and Iida was the only other person I could think of who could make a decent fight against Uraraka.
Also, I've decided to significantly shorten parts of the canon revolving around Izuku after seeing some reviews complaining about that. I'll still try to have at least some of those moments for Midoriya, but I'll try to either retell the story of only focus on it through Kageyama's perspective to make things less predictable and give people a reason to read it instead of just skim through it.
Anyway, wait to see how things go with this fourth match and how the final round between Kageyama and Bakugo is going to unfold!
