I do not own My Hero Academia or any of its characters.

Sports Festival: Tournament 2

"I bet Denki fries his brain in one go," Lee said.

"Seconded," Kyoka said.

"I don't know," Momo said. "All he has to do is electrify himself and make contact."

"Not necessarily," Lee said. "If she punches him while he's electrified, her punch will continue, she'll just lose body function from the electricity, and if she's fast enough, it won't last long."

Denki crouched, preparing to generate his electricity, only for Kendo to lunge forward, her suddenly massively expanded fist exploding into his entire body and launching him out of the ring. All of class One A groaned, resting their faces in their hands. The blond guy from One B began to gloat over the small wall separating their classes, but stopped suddenly and collapsed. A moment later, Kendo stuck her head over the wall.

"Sorry about him," she smiled sweetly and everyone assured her it was fine, though it most definitely wasn't.

"Time for the forth match!" the DJ shouted suddenly. "Get ready to watch two new players duke it out!"

Iida and Hatsume stepped into the ring.

"He's the kid with engines in his legs, Tenya Iida from the Hero Course!" the DJ introduced. "Versus a fully equipped gadget dynamo! The Support Course's Mei Hatsume!"

Iida, apparently not having his leg motors working yet, strapped on some kind of pack, only for Midnight to call him out on it. Iida bowed to her, giving a short, yet entirely too long, speech about Hatsume's sportsmanship and integrity, and how she wanted it to be a fair fight, and requested permission to use the gear. Midnight had a momentary freak out, during which she screamed "Such youthful vigor!" before allowing the gear.

"Hatsume wasn't being a good sport," Lee said.

"She just wanted to show off more of her gear," Uraraka agreed.

"At least Iida won't be at as much of a disadvantage," Midoriya said.

Iida charged, but as soon as he did, Hatsume began to speak into a microphone, explaining her equipment, both what she was wearing, and what Iida was wearing, obviously trying to sell herself for the support companies watching. Lee rolled his eyes. Iida had a pair of leg braces with hydraulics, most likely, to allow him to run faster than a normal person could, though not his own full speed, but as he charged at her, she used a pair of hydraulic cables to lift herself out of the way. He tripped over it, then spun around and tried again. An alert beeped from the back of the pack she wore, so she used the cables to dodge out of the way again and he again tripped over them as she bragged about having sensors in every direction.

"This is kind of disappointing for Iida," Lee said.

Iida crashed to the ground, only for two metal wing-like objects on his back to use bursts of air to flip him to his feet again and spin him back toward her, Hatsume bragging about the auto-balancer as he charged again. When he tripped again, the auto-balancer over corrected and spun him like a top for a moment before blowing him forward and back for a moment, Hatsume claiming it wouldn't let the use fall unless they wanted to. Then, as he charged again, Hatsume jumped and began to fly, explaining that her "electro-shoes" use electromagnetic conduction on both feet to allow her to float a bit. Finally, Iida's engines came back on, and he shot forward to catch her as she landed, only for her to turn and launch a net out of a gun, catching him with it. She began to brag about the net launcher and its five-cartridge capacity, before stating that she created all of the gear she'd just turned the fight into a commercial for. Then, she said she had a few more. So, for the next ten minutes, she made an absolute fool out of Iida before finally stepping out of bounds herself, since she'd done what she wanted. Lee groaned, holding a hand to his face.

"Poor Iida," Lee sighed. "He got used."

"Badly," Ojiro agreed.

"There's no coming back from that," Kyoka agreed.

Midoriya began to mutter to himself and write in his journal, not noticing when Uraraka, who was clearly pissed, stood and walked away, leaving her drink in her seat. Mina and Toru both left with her, though they were headed for the ring for their fight. After a couple of minutes, they both walked in.

"First up, from Class One A, it's Toru Hagakure," the DJ said. "Versus...are there any point to those things sticking out of her head? Also from the Hero Course Class One A, Mina Ashido!"

"Assuming Toru keeps her clothes on, this is probably going to end up being a close-range battle," Midoriya muttered.

"Don't waste your brain on this one, Midoriya," Lee said. "Mina's going to take it."

"How do you know?" Momo asked.

"Mina's a better fighter," Lee said. "I've said it before, but Toru's Quirk is better for a stealth, while Mina is a bit stronger and faster, has a bit of hand-to-hand combat training, and has her slime and acid to use if she needs it. Although, there is one thing I've been wondering."

"What's that?" Momo asked.

"How the hell did Toru get into the Hero Course?" Lee asked.

Everyone stopped, staring for a moment before all looking as confused as Lee was the first time he tried to figure it out. They eventually all shook their heads and returned their attention to the fight. Mina and Toru both charged and from the way Toru's clothes moved, it looked like the through a punch, which Mina wasn't able to see to block. She took it well, however, and countered by splashing non-corrosive goo over Toru's face. Then, she slammed an uppercut into Toru's jaw and dropped her. After a moment, Toru began to stand, only for the slime on her face to run down onto her clothes, instantly hiding and eating through them, all of her clothes falling off after a moment. Toru shrieked in embarrassment, probably covering herself, if Lee knew Toru, and Mina winced.

"Sorry Toru, that was an accident," Mina apologized.

Just then, Mina's arm snapped out to the side before she was swung around and sent staggering toward the edge of the ring. She stopped herself at the edge and ran forward two steps, only for a punch to connect with her cheek, then another. She dove to the side, standing as slime began to drip from her hand. Lee instantly sat forward and covered Mineta's eyes.

"Hey, what the heck!?" Mineta demanded.

A moment later, Mina's slime splattered over half the ring, coating Toru and giving a very detailed outline of her body. Toru shrieked in embarrassment again and sprinted out of the stadium in seconds. Lee was actually impressed with her speed. He released Mineta, who glared up at him, then stood, stepping out of the seats.

"I'll be back in a bit," Lee said. "Let me know what I miss, alright?"

"Sure," Momo nodded.

He walked down to the waiting room, hearing Toru crying from outside the door. He knocked and heard her sniff and fall silent. "Toru, it's Lee. Can I come in?"

"S-Sure," Toru said.

He pushed the door open and walked in, but when he did, he looked around and frowned. He had expected her to be wearing clothes. Apparently he was wrong.

"Uh, where are you, exactly?" He asked.

"Over here," Toru said from the far right corner, opening a locker and closing it again.

Lee grabbed a spare shirt and shorts from his own locker and walked over, kneeling and holding them out. Instead, Toru threw herself into his chest, sobbing about how embarrassed she was, and about Mina humiliating her. He sighed, wrapping his arms around her and stroking her back comfortingly, struggling to ignore the knowledge that she was, in fact, naked at the moment. He shifted to it back against the lockers, setting his spare clothes down and gently pulling Toru into his lap, continuing to comfort her.

"You know, she didn't mean to humiliate you," Lee said. "She just needed to see where you were. She most likely didn't mean to hit you with so much."

"I know," Toru said miserably. "But that doesn't change the fact that the whole world just saw me naked!"

"Well, yes, I suppose that's true," Lee said. "But at least you got a chance to stand out to the scouts."

She pounded her fists into his chest for a moment before he pulled her tight against him.

"Sorry," Lee said. "I suppose now's not the best time for me to tease you. I'm sorry. I really don't think I can imagine how embarrassed you must be right now." Toru buried her face deeper into his chest. "But, you know, all it did was prove something to the world that I already knew."

"What?" Toru asked, looking up at him.

"That you're beautiful," Lee said.

"You don't know that," Toru said, sniffing. "You can't see me. I could be ugly."

"It doesn't matter that I can't see you, because I know you're beautiful even without seeing you," Lee said.

Toru sniffed, one hand pulling back from around him, probably to wipe her eyes. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Lee smiled. "Whether I know exactly what you look like or not, you're beautiful. And...even though I can't promise you that I'll choose you, because I don't know how I feel about any of you, and yes, that includes Momo, but even still...I want you to know that you'll always be important to me."

Toru's hand returned, resting on the side of his face. "Can...Can I kiss you?"

"Toru...I don't...think that's a good idea," Lee said.

"Please?" Toru asked. "I know you can't choose one of us yet, and I won't try to force you. I promise I won't tell anyone about this, or hold it over you. I won't think it means we're dating or anything. I just...please?"

Lee sighed. "Alright. Just once."

"Thank you!" Toru said.

He felt her start to lean forward, but he caught her by the shoulders, stopping her. Her slid his hand up to her cheeks and gently trailed his thumbs over the contours of her face. Her soft lips, her small, slightly-upturned nose, her high cheeks, thin eyebrows, and what he thought were slightly almond-shaped eyes. He smiled, focusing the mental image he'd formed into place in front of him, his neural implant allowing him to see the mental image as her a bit more literally, at least from the neck up.

"Your eyes are glowing," Toru murmured.

"I can see you," Lee smiled. "You really are beautiful."

Toru made a small note at the back of her throat and leaned in, kissing him. Lee smiled, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her back. After a few seconds, she pulled away, sniffing and wiping her eyes.

"We should get back to the others," Toru said. "And I should probably get dressed."

"Probably," Lee agreed. "Do you want me to wait outside?"

"No, it's okay," Toru said. "It's...not like I have to worry about you really seeing anything anyway. But...how did you see me before?"

"I got a mental image of your face and used my neural implant to project it in my mind into what I'm seeing," Lee smiled. "Don't know how accurate it was, but you look beautiful."

Toru laughed. "You probably imagined me more beautiful than I am."

"I doubt that," Lee said as Toru stood, pulling on the spare clothes he'd offered her before. "Toru."

She turned to him and he pulled her into another kiss, Toru gasping before melting into his embrace. "What was that for?"

"Just because," Lee smiled.

"Then thank you," Toru smiled. "Feel free to do that whenever you feel like it. And I remember what I promised. I won't start thinking we're dating or anything."

"Thank you," Lee said. "And I'm sorry I can't just make myself choose you."

"It's alright," Toru said. "I understand. You can't choose who you love, and you don't want to choose one, then love someone else, because that wouldn't be fair to anyone."

Lee nodded. "Now, let's go before they start spreading rumors."

Toru agreed and they headed back up to the stands, arriving just as the DJ was announcing Eijiro and Tetsutetsu's fight. Lee frowned.

"Where's Momo?" Lee asked.

"Momo?" Midoriya asked.

"Yaoyorozu," Mina said. "She just lost to Fumikage. In a couple of seconds. She didn't even get the chance to fight back. He just kept hitting her shield until she was out of bounds."

"Ouch," Lee said.

"She looked super upset about it," Ojiro said.

"Yeah," Lee nodded. "I can imagine."

"Go," Toru said, resting her hand on the small of his back. "She needs a friend."

He nodded. "We'll be back soon." He walked to the exit, then paused, looking back as Mina bowed to Toru, eyes watering from guilt.

"I'm so sorry Toru!" Mina said. "I swear I didn't mean for any of that to happen! I was only trying to see where you were! I didn't mean to humiliate you."

"It's alright," Toru said, Mina straightening back up before Toru hugged her. "I know you didn't mean it. I'm not mad."

Mina hugged her back, and Lee smiled, turning and walking out of the stands. He headed down toward the arena entrance and found Momo in a quiet hallway a ways away from where the spectators or contestants would pass anytime soon, somewhere she could have privacy. He had her elbows propped up on her knees and her forehead resting against the palms of her hands, staring at the floor. Lee sat beside her in silence, watching her for a moment before reaching out and pulling her into him, Momo's head settling on his shoulder as she began to tremble slightly.

"I couldn't even do anything," Momo said, voice quiet but wavering. "I couldn't make a weapon at all. He kept hitting my shield, but I couldn't focus for a weapon. And it only lasted four hits."

"It doesn't matter," Lee said.

"How!?" Momo demanded, sitting up and glaring at him, shifting onto her knees to get in front of him more. "How does it not matter!? I lost in seconds!"

"It doesn't matter because you're still just as amazing as you ever were," Lee said, taking her by the forearms and once again pulling her to him, this time into a proper hug. "I know you're upset, and you're hurting over being beaten so quickly, but you're still amazing. You're still one of the best students in the class, and your Quirk is still one of the most awesome Quirks I've ever seen. And no matter how disappointed you are from this, you'll get over it. Because you'll realize the thing that makes all the difference."

"What?" Momo asked, voice trembling again.

"You have me to mooch off you," Lee grinned.

Momo snorted, then began to laugh, curling tighter into him as she did, except, after a few seconds, it turned to crying. Lee smiled sadly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly, tucking his face into her hair. He caught the DJ saying something about a tie, and assumed that meant Eijiro and Tetsutetsu's fight. He had kind of wanted to watch that one, but this was infinitely more important. He gently trailed his hand up and down her back comfortingly, Momo's hands balling in his shirt as her crying grew. After a few minutes, she slowly began to calm back down, sniffing and wiping her eyes before her hands settled against his chest again.

"I thought I was better than most of the people in the class just because I got in on recommendations," Momo said. "I thought it meant that I would have the advantage of natural skill over them. And I thought that I could solve every problem, and beat everyone, just by studying and learning the basic knowledge needed to be a hero. I always ace every written exam, but...what good is knowing everything if you're worthless in real life?"

"You are not worthless," Lee said. "You have never in your life been worthless. Momo, you're a genius. Literally. You memorized the atomic data of how many different random items that you create on a regular basis?"

"A few hundred," Momo mumbled.

"Exactly," Lee said. "Yes, you got in on recommendations, and yes, you lost a fight. But so what? In the end, you're still a rich genius with an over-powered quirk. Fumikage just has a faster Quirk and more combat experience from the entrance exam, and from fighting the villains at the USJ with only one other person as backup, where as you and I also had Kyoka, Mina, and Denki helping us fight."

Momo tucked her face into his chest, and he sighed, stroking her back again, tucking his face into her hair. "Will you keep training with me?"

"Of course," Lee smiled. "I thought that was already the plan."

Momo smiled, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you. Thank you for being my friend. And for coming to cheer me up."

"Of course, Momo," Lee smiled. "I'll always be there when you need me."

"Always?" Momo asked, looking up at him. "Even...Even if you start dating Ashido or Toru?"

Lee's eyes widened slightly before softening. He raised a hand to her cheek as his face grew serious. "I swear to you that even if I start dating Mina or Toru, I will still be there for you if you need me. Always."

Momo smiled and nodded, hugging him again. He wrapped his arms around her, curling himself around her protectively, and she curled herself into him in response. After a few more minutes, she finally pulled away, wiping her eyes and stood, holding out her hand.

"We should get back before the next fight starts," Momo said. "And to make sure Bakugo doesn't hurt Uraraka."

"I think if he did, Midoriya would kill him," Lee said, accepting her help up, the two heading back toward the stands, hand-in-hand. He glanced at her, and she smiled, giving his hand a squeeze before releasing it. "You okay?"

"Yes, I think so," Momo nodded. "Thanks to you."

He nodded and they walked back up the stairs to their seats, finding a seat on the end open with Mina and Toru in the two just inside. Lee sat down and Momo sat in his lap, Lee wrapping an arm around her, Mina once again taking his hand. Lee glanced at the rest of the class and saw a few of them cast curious glances his way, though no one said anything. And Mineta was very careful not to look over at Lee as well, knowing how little Lee liked him. Lee returned his attention to the arena. His jaw dropped instantly. Uraraka, covered in burns, scrapes, and bruises, and with her jacket gone, leaving her in a black muscle shirt and her pants, released her Quirk. Above the arena, the thousands of chunks of stone Bakugo's Quirk had obviously broken free from the floor, fell from where it was hovering. As Uraraka was closing in to use his distraction to send him out of the ring with her Quirk, however, she made the mistake of making herself weightless. So, when Bakugo unleased a massive explosion into the air to blast the falling debris, the concussion also hurled Uraraka. She didn't fly out of the ring, fortunately, but she was slow getting up. The blast had obviously hit her hard. Bakugo charged, but when Uraraka turned to go after him again, her legs buckled and she collapsed.

"Uraraka is down!" the DJ shouted.

She began to crawl forward, but it was obvious she had nothing left. Finally, Midnight moved in and knelt beside Uraraka, declaring a K.O. The crowd began to cheer and Lee sighed. The DJ announced a quick break before the rest of the matches and the crowd cheered again.

"Midoriya, you should check on her and see if she's alright," Lee said.

Midoriya nodded and left instantly. After a couple minutes, Bakugo returned.

"Hey Bakugo, playing the villain, huh?" Sero asked as he walked in. "Must've been tough."

"Even if it was just because of who you were up against, you did make a pretty convincing bad guy," Su agreed.

"Shut up you idiots!" Bakugo shouted. "Or else!"

"For real dude," Denki said. "I don't know how you were able to aim a powerful blast at a frail girl like that. I couldn't help but hold back against Kendo."

"Not only did Kendo completely obliterate you before you could even move, Denki, but you also can't talk about aim since you couldn't aim well enough to hit the broad side of a city limit," Lee said.

The others laughed.

"Denki?" Denki asked.

"What?" Lee asked.

"Why do you call people by their first name?" Denki asked.

"I noticed that too," Sero said. "Like Tokoyami, or Yaoyorozu."

"I gave him permission after he helped me fight those villains in the USJ, and ended up breaking his arm taking one of them down," Momo said.

"I guess I just kinda call people whatever name sticks in my head the easiest," Lee shrugged. "For him, Denki fits best, because it sounds stupid."

Kyoka snorted. "He's got you there, Kaminari."

"That's just mean!" Denki whined.

Just then, Eijiro and Tetsutetsu were led back into the ring for an arm wrestling match to decide who won their fight. After several minute of both fighting so hard that their elbows cratered the top of the cement and their other hands crushed the sides from gripping it, Eijiro finally managed to win, then offered Tetsutetsu a hand up. And then, it was time. Midoriya had to fight Todoroki.

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