Ch 10
Izuku was feeling pretty pleased about his victory, so he grinned as he passed Sero. "Good luck, man!" he said brightly.
Sero smiled back sheepishly. "Heh. I don't think I stand much of a chance against Todoroki, but I'll give it my best!"
"Definitely!"
Izuku ran back up to the competitors' viewing area, maybe using a touch of One for All's power to make it in time. Strictly speaking he wasn't supposed to use his quirk like that, outside of sanctioned school events, but he really wanted to catch this fight. Izuku's good mood lasted just until the match was called. He stared at the massive wall of ice, which climbed even higher than the stadium walls. Kirishima whistled. "Damn, that was overkill, but it definitely looks manly."
Hm. Well, he'd done something similar in his own battle, showing off his Tokyo Smash, so Izuku couldn't really be mad at Todoroki, even though it was annoying to be showed up like this. He didn't feel too bad though, considering how… sad Todoroki looked at his victory. Even though Izuku was still annoyed at the boy, he did have some sympathy. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to have a father like Endeavor, even if it came with an unstoppable quirk. Izuku grimaced. That power… it was truly incredible, even only at half strength. Still, it must have a weakness. Even Izuku would have a hard time withstanding a massive attack like that. His best Smash might be able to break through it, but Todoroki's attack came out of nowhere. Izuku wouldn't have time to gather his energy. Izuku bent his head over his notebook, muttering to himself and sketching out notes about his theories on Todoroki's strengths and weaknesses.
"Wow, Deku! You're so intense! I can't believe you're taking notes on everyone; that's so serious," Ochaco said brightly.
Izuku ducked his head, embarrassed. "Ah, no. Um. Actually I just do this all the time. It's… kind of my thing."
"Deku's a total freaking nerd about heroes and quirks and shit like that," confirmed Kacchan. "He's got, like, fifteen of those notebooks at home, filled from cover to cover."
"It's only fourteen," mumbled Izuku. "I started a new series."
Grinning, Kacchan snatched the notebook from Izuku's hands. "H-hey! Kacchan!" he cried, indignant.
"What's this new series then? 'Hero Notes for the Present: Vol 1'?" Kacchan smiled at him before handing it back. "You're ridiculous, you know that right?"
Izuku scowled (it definitely wasn't a pout). "They're important observations!"
Ochaco giggled. She put a hand in front of her mouth when Deku turned his betrayed gaze to her. "Oh, um. It's just that… er, that's a really cute habit," Ochaco said apologetically.
"It's- it's not cute. It's manly and cool, right Kirishima?" asked Izuku desperately.
Kirishima tapped his lips thoughtfully. "Well bro, my first instinct was to go with 'cute'." Izuku deflated. "But according to the Crimson Riot, a manly attitude is all about being dedicated and living without regret! Filling up fifteen notebooks is pretty dedicated, so I guess it's manly too!"
Izuku grinned brightly. "Thanks Kirishima!" All the sudden he realized- "Wait a minute, Ochaco. Aren't you supposed to be fighting next?"
She pointed to the stadium. "They're going to have to get rid of all that ice, first."
"O-oh. Right." Izuku hummed. "Well, you're facing Kendo from class 1B, right? From what I saw of the knockout rounds, she's got a basic gigantification quirk. She's probably a hand-to-hand fighter then, which has its pros and cons for you. She'll have to get in close range which will give you an opportunity to use your quirk. One touch and she's out for the count. Except, your strength isn't really in hand-to-hand so I guess that you'll have to be careful not to be knocked out before you can-"
"Deku!" Ochaco interrupted his mumbling. "I appreciate your help, really. But…" Her lips twisted wryly. "I feel like you've already carried me far enough today. It's time for me to stand on my own."
Izuku wanted to protest that she'd been a vital part of their cavalry team, but hadn't he just said something similar to All Might? Instead, he nodded solemnly. "Okay. That's fair. Good luck, then. I'll be cheering for you!"
After Ochaco went downstairs to enter the arena, Kacchan leaned a shoulder against him. "So that was a pretty strong attack," he said neutrally. "I'm glad you showed that steel asshole who's boss."
"There's no need to be mean, Kacchan," said Izuku sheepishly. "Tetsutetsu's nice when you get to know him."
"And of course you managed to 'get to know him' in your two minute fight," scoffed Kacchan, but it kind of sounded fond.
Ochaco's match began before Izuku could respond. She immediately ran forward, trying to close in on Kendo. However, Kendo was prepared, gigantifying her fists and slamming them down towards Ochaco. Their classmate was able to dodge the majority of the blow, but still got clipped on the arm. Izuku winced. That had to have been painful. Kendo's blows were strong enough to leave shattered indents on the concrete.
Oh! Izuku could see it now. What a smart strategy! Ochaco kept running towards her opponent, but kept her body low to the ground each time. For Kendo it probably felt natural to aim her attacks downwards rather than try to sweep her hands along the ground; however, in doing so, she was fracturing off pieces of rubble. Ochaco was crafty, tapping a few chunks and then immediately running off in another direction to keep Kendo distracted.
"This is pointless," Kendo said. "You're not going to beat me in a game of endurance. I can already see you wearing down. Just give up."
Ochaco was panting, but she shook her head. "You've missed the point entirely. Look up." Ochaco made the hand motion that would reverse her quirk, and various pieces of rubble began falling down on Kendo. The girl cursed and covered her body with her hands, but Ochaco used that opportunity to run in close and tap her, causing her to slowly float into the air.
"Forfeit please, before you get so high that the fall will really hurt you."
"I-I forfeit," stuttered Kendo, sounding a bit panicked at how fast she was ascending. Ochaco let her down before she floated too high, though.
"And the winner of this battle is Uraraka Ochaco, from class 1A! Wow Eraserhead! Four straight victories from class 1A. What are you teaching these kids?"
"It's not my teaching," mumbled Mr. Aizawa. "They're just exceptional."
Izuku felt himself glow at the compliment.
"Well, let's see if Kaminari can keep up the streak in his match against the only General Education student, Shinsou Hitoshi!"
"Hey, does Kaminari know about Shinsou's quirk?" frowned Izuku.
"Yeah," replied Kirishima. "He was telling me about it earlier. Apparently Ojiro warned him, since he was on that Shinsou guy's cavalry team. Something about how he brainwashes you if you answer his questions."
"Oh of course," mumbled Izuku, turning back to his notebook. "Well, I was right that it was related to auditory stimulation, but why a response specifically? Hm. His quirk must override some sort of consciousness mechanism in its targets' brains. Maybe responding to him activates that part, and allows his quirk to take hold? Or maybe it implies some sort of consent?"
He was so busy with his notes that he almost missed the match entirely. Shinsou entered the ring confidently, chattering to Kaminari the whole time. Izuku couldn't hear what was said, but judging by the look on his classmate's face, it was nothing complimentary. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his cool, running towards Shinsou as soon as Present Mic began the match. For a while, Kaminari kept Shinsou on his heels, forcing the Gen Ed student to weave and dodge, even scoring a few painful looking shocks.
"Hm, Shinsou's quirk is really powerful, but it's not very effective against people who know to expect it," observed Izuku.
Just then, it appeared that Shinsou managed to finally goad Kaminari into talking back, because he opened his mouth and almost immediately froze. Shinsou visibly breathed a sigh of relief, before smirking and saying something quietly. Kaminari turned and walked out of the arena. As soon as he stepped out of bounds, he shook himself and seemed to come back to his senses.
"Damn it!" Kaminari cried. Scowling, he stalked out of the arena as Present Mic announced Shinsou the winner. Izuku winced; that must be a terrible way to lose.
"What did I miss!" Ochaco said brightly as she got back to their spot in the stands.
"Freaky Gen Ed kid just beat Drooly," grunted Kacchan.
"What? Really? And our class was doing so well, too!"
"Kaminari was too hotheaded," scolded Yaoyorozu. "Shinsou's quirk isn't very useful on a forewarned opponent, unless said opponent is an impulsive teenage boy."
Izuku glanced at Kacchan. He knew better than to say it, but he was worried. Kacchan might go up against Shinsou, and- well, staying calm and collected wasn't really his strength. Izuku supposed that was a worry for another time.
"Don't be so mean, Yaoyorozu," scolded Ochaco. "I'm sure that Kaminari tried his best! We should be encouraging when he gets back up here."
"Ah, you're right," admitted Yaoyorozu sheepishly. "It wouldn't be very sportsmanlike of me to kick him when he's down." She paused, before smirking slyly. "I'm just trying to strategize for when I have to fight him."
Kacchan scoffed. "As if you'd get past me."
"Hey!" protested Kirishima. "Neither of you are beating me, so hush!"
"Yeah right," Kacchan said derisively.
"Guys, don't fight," said Izuku shyly, but it was too quiet to be heard over their arguing. Rolling his eyes, Izuku turned his attention back to the stadium. Tokoyami was up next, and Izuku was curious to see how he did. Dark Shadow was an amazing ability, and Tokoyami had been Izuku's second choice for his cavalry battle team if Kacchan had refused. He was curious to see more of the bird-headed boy's capabilities.
When Present Mic announced that the match was starting, Dark Shadow immediately appeared from Tokoyami's body, shooting out towards Tsuburaba. However, Tsuburaba blew air out of his mouth that solidified in front of him to form a shield. Dark Shadow impacted with the solid air and flinched back. Izuku stared down at the being, fascinated. Tokoyami's quirk acted like an entirely individual entity; it had facial expressions and apparently could feel at least a facsimile of pain. He'd heard of companion quirks, of course, but he'd never seen one in real life. It also shared some characteristics with a real shadow too, like flinching away from light and always being attached to Tokoyami. What an interesting ability.
While Tsuburaba was able to keep Dark Shadow at bay for a little while, ultimately he wasn't fast enough. Izuku could tell that his ability was a multi-step process: blow out air, shape it, then solidify it. Meanwhile Dark Shadow was extremely fast and versatile. Eventually Tokoyami had it slip past one of Tsuburaba's constructions and hit the boy from Class 1B. Tsuburaba wasn't immediately knocked out of bounds, but he was off balance. Once Dark Shadow was in his face, he never recovered. Tokoyami slowly but surely corralled Tsuburaba out of bounds, and the match was called in his favor.
"Wow I didn't realize that Tokoyami was so cool," said Kirishima. "Heh. I'll just have to be manly like him and defeat my opponent too."
"Tsch," Kacchan scoffed, but didn't reply as they got up.
"Um, Kacchan. Good luck," Izuku said brightly.
Kacchan glanced at him, and then smirked. "You know what, Deku? After you and Todoroki pulled those stunts in your matches, I think I have to do something cool to remind the crowd just who's the best, here." Without another word, Kacchan ran forward and leapt over the railing in front of them, using his explosions to glide down to the arena.
"Damn it!" cursed Kirishima. "That was unbelievably manly! Argh, just who does he think he is?" Kirishima ran after Kacchan, apparently hardening himself enough to absorb the shock of his landing before stalking over towards his spot in the arena.
"Wow!" cried Present Mic. "Kirishima Eijiro and Bakugou Katsuki from Class 1A are starting things out with a bang—no pun intended! These kids are really something special! Well, tell you what. These two look like they're raring to go, so with no further ado, let the match between the rock solid Kirishima and the explosive Bakugou… BEGIN!"
Even though it didn't appear that way at first, Izuku knew that the match was fairly one-sided. Kirishima had Kacchan on his heels to start with, but Izuku could tell that Kacchan was holding back, getting a good gauge of the redhead's strength. People tended to underestimate Kacchan's intelligence and analytical skills due to his boisterous personality. However, they didn't realize just how much thought Kacchan put into using his quirk. It had always amazed Izuku that no one ever wondered why a child with the ability to create explosions from his body never caused anyone serious injury. Kacchan's blasts weren't just showy, they could be extremely dangerous if he wasn't careful, and so he always forced himself to know exactly where that line was from person to person.
Izuku could see that dynamic was playing out in this match as well. His first hit didn't injure Kirishima at all, even though it burned through his clothes, but the second counterattack made Kirishima cringe. After that, the fight was over fairly quickly. Kacchan unleashed a barrage of attacks, each one likely calibrated precisely to cause enough damage for Kirishima to feel it, but not enough to actually hurt him. Izuku knew he was right once Midnight called the match for Kacchan. The blonde went over to Kirishima and kicked him in the ribs. Kirishima groaned and rolled over onto his knees, eventually getting to his feet under his own power, waving off the medics that had raced out to get him.
When Kacchan returned to his seat next to Izuku, he looked somewhat suspicious at the smile that Izuku was directing at him. "What?" he asked.
Izuku looked away. "Nothing… I was just admiring your self-control."
"Don't be so weird, Deku," muttered Kacchan, but he was blushing.
Izuku thought that Yaoyorozu's fight against Shiozaki would be a good match. His classmate's Creation quirk was incredible, and extremely versatile, while Shiozaki's vines were pretty useful as well. However, the match ended up being kind of anticlimactic, although certainly interesting from an analytical point of view. Shiozaki immediately wrapped Yaoyorozu up in her vines, only to scream and flinch backwards. The ends of her hair that had come into contact with Yaoyorozu were shriveled and cracked. Yaoyorozu said something to Shiozaki quietly, and Shiozaki stared at her for a moment before forfeiting.
"Wow! Well, I'm not sure exactly what happened, but whatever Yaoyorozu did was incredible. That's to be expected from someone who was admitted to Yuuei on recommendation. That wraps up the first round of the tournament. How do you feel knowing that seven of the remaining competitors are your students, Aizawa?" asked Eraserhead.
"Hm."
The crowd waited for the rest of Mr. Aizawa's response, but before long it became clear that nothing else was forthcoming.
Izuku chuckled as he made his way down to the arena. He ran into Yaoyorozu who was on her way back up. "Hey! Congratulations! Um, what exactly did you do?" asked Izuku.
"Oh that? I'd memorized the chemical compositions of a few different herbicides, so once she had me wrapped up in her vines I just started pumping them out. I told her that unless she wanted me to make a water gun full of the stuff, she should forfeit." Yaoyorozu shrugged.
Izuku was wide eyed in admiration. "Wow! That's awesome Yaoyorozu! Your quirk is so cool."
"Thanks, Midoriya," smiled Yaoyorozu. "Honestly, I was a bit inspired by you actually."
"Me?"
"Yeah, you and Bakugou. Seeing how competitive you guys are… it made me remember why I decided to become a hero."
"Do you… do you mind telling me?" Izuku asked tentatively. It kind of seemed like she wanted to tell him, but it was a bit of a personal question and they didn't have that sort of relationship.
Luckily, Yaoyorozu smiled. "It's nothing terribly impressive. Actually, in some ways it kind of makes me sound like spoiled." Her lips twisted wryly. "I'm sure you've guessed by now, but… my family is extremely wealthy. With our Creation quirk, we can make all sorts of precious metals and gems with ease. Of course, that's illegal now, but before the laws about quirks had caught up to the reality of them, my grandfather made the kind of money that set us up for generations."
She ducked her head. "No one in my family has ever been a hero. My parents have lived in luxury since birth, and I was expected to follow in that path. Why should a Yaoyorozu ever put her life in danger on the front lines? We pay people to do that for us." Yaoyorozu grimaced. "I was supposed to be quiet and marry a suitable man, have a couple babies and raise them to do the exact same thing. It just seemed so… wasteful. I wanted to do something to earn my keep, not just have it handed to me. My family's quirk is so incredible, and they only ever used it for profit. I wanted to do something that mattered."
Yaoyorozu looked at him. "I thought that when I was admitted to Yuuei on a recommendation, that I'd finally proved my worth. It wasn't until I met you and Bakugou that I realized how wrong I was. I'm not better than you two, not substantially enough to merit getting into Yuuei on that alone." She chuckled mirthlessly. "The only thing that separates us is how much money is in our bank accounts. In hindsight, it's obvious that my recommendation to Yuuei was bought and paid for by my father."
Izuku bit his lip. "That's not fair, Yaoyorozu. You're incredible. You beat us in the cavalry battle!"
"I got lucky in the cavalry battle," corrected Yaoyorozu. "If I hadn't been in the right place at the right time, then who knows? But that's not the point." She shook her head. "I'm not trying to be down on myself. What I'm trying to say is… This competition is my chance to show everyone that I belong here at Yuuei. I can show my father that I don't need his money to be great, that I'll become a fantastic hero regardless of my family name. So thanks, Midoriya, for showing me how far I still have to go."
Izuku stared at Yaoyorozu. He… he had inspired her? Izuku tried to come to terms with the fact that one of the coolest people in their class looked up to him.
Yaoyorozu misinterpreted his silence. "Sorry, I must sound so ridiculous. Poor rich girl, complaining about how hard it is to have so much money, right?"
Izuku shook his head firmly. "I don't think that at all. Everyone has their reasons for wanting to become a hero. I've heard quite a few of them, and even though yours isn't the most tragic or anything like that… I still think it's kind of noble. You're choosing to use your quirk to help people, even when you don't have to. Isn't that the definition of a hero?"
Yaoyorozu gawked at him for a moment, uncharacteristically unpoised. "That's…" She swallowed and composed herself. "Thanks, Midoriya. And good luck in your match." Yaoyorozu smiled at him one more time before continuing back up into the stands.
Right, Izuku had a fight to win. When he made his way out of the tunnel and onto the combat platform, he was met by an equally-seriously looking Iida.
"Midoriya," Iida said. "I didn't get a chance to say this before, so before we start I'd like to tell you something."
"What is it?" asked Izuku cautiously.
"You've been a wonderful friend to me, and I appreciate it. However, I cannot continue to stand in your shadow. I'm going to fight you with everything I have in order to make my brother proud. I suppose what I'm trying to say is… it's not just Todoroki who views you as a rival."
Izuku inhaled sharply. "Okay," he said after a moment. "I respect that Iida. Please know that I won't be holding back either."
Iida nodded.
"Now then!" cried Present Mic. "We're about to kick off the quarter finals. We're going to begin with a battle between Iida Tenya, from the prestigious Ingenium family line, and Midoriya Izuku, whom I sure you all recognize by now. This is sure to be an exciting match! Now then, if our competitors are ready? Okay… START!"
Iida immediately closed the distance between them. Izuku braced his arms in front of himself and absorbed the impact. It wasn't until he skidded backwards a meter that he understood Iida's plan. "That's not going to work," gritted Izuku. He kicked the ground behind him, using a small shockwave to drive his foot into the concrete, stopping Iida from pushing him out of bounds.
Izuku fell forwards though as Iida instantly disengaged. He tried to collect energy into the palm of his hand to prepare a smash, but Iida grabbed his arm and yanked him forward, pulling him towards a different boundary line.
"I watched your fight with Tetsutetsu," Iida said. "You need time to prepare your most powerful attacks. I won't let you!"
Apparently, Iida had also observed Tetsutetsu's futile attempts to injure Izuku as well, because he never once bothered to kick at Izuku, instead pulling or pushing him towards the perimeter of the platform, changing directions occasionally. It was a good strategy to make the most of an unideal situation. Izuku was a poor matchup for Iida. Although Iida was faster than him, it wasn't by a very large margin—at least without accounting for Iida's Recipro burst. That nullified Iida's greatest skill, and unlike Izuku he didn't have enhanced strength to account for it. Iida couldn't allow him to get his bearings or else he'd surely lose.
Izuku clenched his jaw. The problem with Iida's plan, though, was that it put the two of them in close range. He waited until Iida got behind him, pushing him by the shoulders, before he grabbed Iida's hands and swung the boy over his head. Izuku immediately backpedaled, holding his arms out to either side of himself in preparation for a smash.
Iida leapt to his feet and the flames from his engines turned blue. Immediately, Izuku crouched low and jumped into the air as high as he could, propelled by shockwaves from his feet. Iida gaped up at him, but his engine exhaust remained blue. As Izuku had suspected, once Iida activated his Recipro burst, he couldn't turn it off until it ran out of time. Izuku figured that Iida would resort to his special technique to keep him from preparing a smash, which was why he'd actually focused his energy to his feet this whole time.
As Izuku fell back towards the ground, he channeled his power to his hands. His stunt had bought himself just enough time. "Smash!" he called, waving his hand across his body. Like in the cavalry battle, it created a whirlwind that crashed into his opponent. Iida's Recipro burst was powerful enough that he was able to stay standing, bracing himself against the gale, but he couldn't move forward. Izuku landed on the ground in a crouch. Just as the first wind was dying down, he used the same attack with his second hand. Alright. He wouldn't have enough time to prepare another smash in his palms before the winds died down. Izuku had to hope that he'd been counting correctly.
Iida sprinted towards him the moment that Izuku's winds died down. He must be running on fumes now. Izuku just had to wait… At the last possible moment, Izuku activated the shockwave that he'd been storing in the soles of his feet, springing to the side just in time. Iida skidded, trying to stop himself, but his engines were shot. He couldn't keep himself from sliding out of bounds.
"Iida is out of bounds! The winner is Midoriya!" called Midnight.
Iida bowed his head. "You… you were counting how long I'd had my Recipro burst activated. Your smashes kept me still for just long enough that you knew I'd be forced to come at you with an attack of desperation. I didn't notice, but you must've intentionally landed near the boundary line, knowing that my time would run out as you dodged."
"It… it was a hunch," Izuku said. "If I'd been wrong, you might've won."
Iida shook his head. "No. It was a flawless plan, and I played into it every step of the way. You outclassed me not only in skill, but also in judgement."
Izuku swallowed, but he couldn't deny it. Before he could be too worried about their friendship, Iida turned around and gave him a strained smile. "I must admit that I'm disappointed by my loss, but I feel no shame that it was to you. I guess… I'll just have to keep working harder and harder until I can stand level with you."
"I…" Izuku wasn't entirely sure how to respond, but then he remembered saying something similar to Kacchan after their battle trial. He recalled the blonde's reply. "I'll look forward to it, Iida." Izuku smiled at his friend.
Iida's answering smile was a lot more genuine than it had been initially. "Don't get complacent, Midoriya. If you stop moving for even an instant, those of us behind you will be ready to take your place."
Izuku swallowed. Was this what it felt like to be at the top? His eyes found the leader board, where his name sat, waiting for Todoroki's to catch up. No. He still had a long way to go before he could say he was the best, but… Izuku felt a grin growing on his face. Even though there were three more matches left in between, he was couldn't wait for his next battle.
A/N: Hm? Did Izuku immediately dismiss the possibility of Uraraka beating Todoroki, in the last paragraph there? Yeah, it felt a little out of character for him, but that line was too good to pass up.