Ten Chapters in, and we're still going strong! I hope you all like the direction this story is going!
It was a hard sell to try and say that the three people they were after had escaped.
"Even after an attack like that, there would still be parts of them scattered around at the bare minimum…" Stiyl stated, shifting through some of the rubble. "Not a single piece of them. Not even as much as a charred body… they must have had an escape plan right from the start…"
"You got to be fucking kidding me." Katsuki grunted. "How the hell did they manage that?"
"That teleporter, Prometheus, is a possibility. Or if for some reason he couldn't, that girl named Pandora could have used some kind of spell. I can tell by the residual mana in the area a spell was cast prior to Tsuchimikado's Shikigami Pistol struck the building…" Stiyl blew out some smoke and rubbed his head. "This is a giant mess. First that esper casts magic without consequence, now they have a secondary escape option… pain in my ass."
"…Hey, what happened to Tsuchimikado…?" Izuku questioned. Tsuchimikado was currently bandaged up nearby, resting. "Why did that happen to him…? Why can't an esper use magic?"
"…Magic by itself roots from the simple fact that 'those without talent' wanted to be able to do the same things as 'those with talent.' To put it simply, an Esper has talent, and a Magician does not." Stiyl replied. "An esper has the talent to create power, and magic was borne out of desire to emulate such, so they gave birth to a ceremony and practice they called magic; that's the basics. An important thing to remember is that magic requires preparation otherwise it can easily backfire. Espers were previously only born, and only really rose up in numbers when Academy City started its Power-Development curriculum."
"But that doesn't explain what happened…" Izuku replied.
"…Magic and esper abilities have completely different and incompatible formats for their abilities." Stiyl spoke once more. "They conflict and rage against each other, regardless of proficiency and power for either one. It causes the blood vessels in the body to rupture in the chaos. What you saw happen to Tsuchimikado is what happens when an esper attempts to preform magic. If it wasn't for his regeneration ability, he would have died a very long time go." Stiyl finished.
"So… he can use it himself, because he can heal from it. Makes sense." Aizawa replied. "Doesn't explain why this Prometheus could suddenly avoid the rules… although…" Aizawa trailed off.
"What is it?" Stiyl turned to face him.
"…Kamijou's right arm nullifies all supernatural phenomena." Aizawa mused out loud. "It appeared that when he struck the girl named Pandora with his right hand, Prometheus' magic ended and it at least seemed like he started to suffer the negative effects you described when an esper attempts magic."
"That's more than a little unusual…" Stiyl commented. "I will have to look into what could have caused it. It would appear that our friends have found a loop-hole of sorts, and it's tied around that girl Pandora…"
"That was a good nap, nya…" Tsuchimikado leaned up stretching. "Whew, I'm all bandaged up. Not a bad job either… hey Stiyl! Did it work?"
"No, they escaped." Stiyl replied. Tsuchimikado shrugged.
"So I nearly killed myself for fun then, oh well." Tsuchimikado stood up, appearing to be fully healed. "Looks like we're going to have to report this."
"As much as I hate to admit it… no one is going to like this. They very well may have gotten what they were after in addition to their escape." Stiyl added.
"This is going to make some folks across the pond very unhappy, nya…" Tsuchimikado sighed. "Oh well, not much we can do now."
"…So does that mean I can go home then? I have to try to get some sleep… considering someone conned me into a tournament I don't want to go to…"
"…Think of it as a good way to score points with the girls you keep raising flags with via being famous, nya!" Tsuchimikado replied.
"I don't want to hear stuff like that from you!" Touma shouted.
"So I guess we're done then… it's up to the proper authorities from here on in." Aizawa commented.
"I would strongly recommend staying out of this. Let us handle it." Stiyl replied.
"Very well, consider our acceptance of your advice as an olive branch from the society of heroes to the society of magic. Hopefully the next time we meet it will be under much more pleasant terms." Aizawa replied. "Guess that just leaves one order of business left…"
"Huh? There is something else?" Izuku asked.
"You and Katsuki's punishment for disobeying me of course." Aizawa replied.
"Oh crap! I forgot about that…!" Izuku started to panic as Katsuki clicked his teeth in frustration.
"Hey, you can give them a break, right?" Touma asked. "They didn't do anything wrong."
"There are set rules and regulations that dictate what a person with a Quirk can and cannot do. These two have been rather defiant of those rules as of late. You expect me to just give them a pass because their hearts were in the right place and broke the rules anyway? Give me a break." Aizawa replied.
"Sometimes people have to do something they shouldn't, even if their own mind is screaming not to, and even if society itself says no. That's how we live and evolve; by challenging limitations placed on us." Touma replied.
"Oh? And is that how you found yourself here tonight?" Aizawa asked. "I could arrest all three of you for acting as a vigilante, you know; you should keep that in mind before you start questioning my methods."
"Look, I'm no hero; I'm not trying to be. I'm not going to be the first person to lead an assault on the alien spaceship that arrives to destroy the world." Touma started. "…But are you honestly going to stand there and tell me that these two have to hang back and let their friends get attacked, hurt, or worse, without some kind of magical piece of paper saying that they can help? If you are, heroism as an art might as well be dead."
Aizawa narrowed his eyes, focusing on Touma.
'My threat didn't influence him at all… those must be his true honest feelings then…' Aizawa thought, contemplating his next move. After a short time, Aizawa turned around and started to walk away. "Come on, let's go. Especially you Midoriya; you have a competition to get ready for."
"B-but what… about our punishment…?" Izuku asked slowly, somewhat regretting bringing up. Aizawa waved him off.
"I'd recommend taking a moment to thank Kamijou." Is all Aizawa said in response as the groups parted ways, each one heading off into the night.
-Unknown Location-
"It worked… it worked!" Gregory shouted in joy.
"So, you got all the souls you need to revive the dead man, yeah?" Prometheus sat across from Gregory as Pandora prepared some kind of magic circle around him where he sat. "Sounds peachy, so why don't you revive him already?"
"When the time is right I will!" Gregory replied. "The ritual dictates that in the twilight between night and morning, in the darkest room of the tallest tower in the land, a proper sacrifice shall light the torch and the Fire-Borne Ritual can commence."
"I see… tallest tower… one of those big corporate buildings can probably do." Prometheus commented. "Getting in won't be easy, but I'm sure we can figure something out for you, Greg ol' boy!"
"I am so absolutely enthralled; not even your intentional shortening and insult of my name can offend me!" Gregory replied. Prometheus laughed.
"That so?" Prometheus asked. "Well then, guess that means I'll have to work harder next time. Too bad I'm down and out for the rest of the night."
"Be still, brother." Pandora instructed. "Clear your mind so that yours and mine can join." She took a step back outside the circle.
"I see… so this is related to how you can bypass the limitation then… how does it work…?" Gregory asked.
"Sorry, company secret." Prometheus replied. "Can't go giving it out now, otherwise we will have a lot more competition. Call us old fashioned, but a monopoly is a really good way to make money! Heh!"
"Please, leave us be Gregory. We both need absolute focus." Pandora stated.
"…I suppose I should not intrude on the rituals of brothers and sisters." Gregory replied. "When you are finished, seek me out; I will not be far. We must use the daylight hours to locating the staging area." When Gregory was gone, Pandora started to speak.
"How much longer must we suffer under this tool, brother?" Pandora asked.
"Not much longer… we will use him until this city burns or until he dies; whichever happens first." Prometheus replied. "One way or another, this city is going to burn to the ground for what it did to me to make me like this…!"
"And then what?" Pandora asked. Prometheus stood up and approached his older sister, and gently brought his forehead against her own, affectionately.
"Then we will handle the ones who split us up in the first place. Then there will be no one left that can tear us apart. How does that sound?"
"…Brother…!" Pandora suddenly hugged her younger sibling. Prometheus returned the courtesy.
"Shh… it's ok… neither of us is going anywhere…"
-Next Day, Arena Field, Waiting Room-
"Ugh… Index kept me up all night…" Touma lamented, appearing very tired.
"I'm guessing that's your roommate… Are you sure you're ok to compete then, Kamijou?" Izuku asked.
"Y-yeah… I just need to get woken up first." Touma replied.
"Kamijou!" Tenya suddenly arrived, shouting.
"N-not so loud! I'm right here, you know!" Touma replied. "What is it?"
"I just wanted to tell you that I am honored to face you in combat today. Midoriya told us all about your exploits last night. Thank you for keeping my friends and colleagues safe!" Tenya then bowed out of respect.
"…You told them about what happened!?" Touma whispered to Izuku.
"I left out the stuff involving magic… and it was mostly Aizawa-sensei who did most of the talking, I just mentioned the extra stuff about you and Tsuchimikado." Izuku whispered back.
"Ok then…" Touma whispered, and then shifted attention back to Tenya. "It's honestly no problem at all! I'm just trying to help where I can!"
"But still, you helped Midoriya and Bakugou, you have my thanks!" Tenya remained in his bowing position.
"Hey Iida, I think you're being way too formal… Kamijou is kind of the laid-back type, you know?" Kirishima joined the conversation.
"Y-you think so?" Tenya leaned back rubbing the back of his head. "S-sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable…" He rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed.
"It's fine man, I get it. You're welcome." Touma replied.
"…So you didn't chicken out after all." Mikoto then joined the conversation herself. "Figured after those threats yesterday you would have ran away or something."
"…You do realize those threats yesterday were for if I did drop out right?" Touma commented.
"Oh, I do, but you should be concerned anyway; you could end up facing me in the semi-finals, you know, and I can do oh so much worse…" Mikoto added.
"For some reason I'm not worried, you'll have to forgive me, Biribiri-sama." Touma replied. This earned him an electric shock that he then blocked. "You really need to stop doing that!"
"Like it would even hurt you anyway! You always block my attacks anyway!" Mikoto shot back.
"Oh yeah? Then why should I be worried to fight you? Are you trying to show off for some boy or something?" Touma asked. Mikoto's face almost instantly lit up with a blush.
"N-no! It's just…" Mikoto trailed off.
"You should really just be yourself if you want to impress someone. Most guys are more interested in who a person is rather than who they act like. Just be yourself and honest with your feelings and I'm sure whoever you're thinking of will accept them." Touma added. This caused Mikoto to blush more.
"S-s-stop talking about e-embarrassing stuff!" Mikoto unleashed another shock. Touma blocked it, but Mikoto then started to walk away, her face still flushed.
"Geeze… what's her problem…?" Touma lamented. Izuku laughed a little bit. It was starting to become amusing to see how little Touma realizes his words and actions affect Mikoto emotionally.
The speakers above finally sounded. It was time for the first match of round two.
-Arena Field-
"Are you sure you are ready, Kamijou?" Tenya stood across from Touma, holding his helmet in his hands. "I have no desire to harm you, but I will fight with the best of my ability."
"Well, I'm currently stuck in a situation where no matter what I do I'm going to get hurt, and I think your attacks will feel better than someone snapping my legs and then being exploded." Touma replied. Tenya smiled.
"I see. Very well." Tenya put on his helmet to complete his hero costume. "If things don't work out here, you should look into the U.A. I'm sure that after your exploits in this competition, they would make a special exception for you."
"Thanks, but I just help people out because I want to and happen to be around. I'm no hero." Touma replied.
"…That's where you're wrong, you idiot…" Mikoto said under her breath inside the waiting room. Izuku was just barely able to hear it. Her words left Izuku to wonder what happened between Mikoto and Kamijou prior to meeting them both.
"Is everyone ready!?" The announcer shouted. "Then let's begin round two!"
Tenya engaged his Engine almost immediately, bursting forward rapidly towards Touma. Tenya launched into the air and came back down with a drop-kick, but Touma moved out of the way almost immediately. Tenya quickly recovered and resumed running.
'I figured as much… a direct assault won't work against him… his reflexes are too good even for my speed.' Tenya thought. 'I'll have to think on my feet quickly then, and try to match his own reaction speed with everything I got!' He turned to face Touma and charged towards him again. Touma moved into Tenya's path instead of dodging and uppercut him, forcefully removing Tenya's metallic helmet and forcing Tenya back.
Suddenly, Tenya caught himself and delivered a punch into Touma's face.
"Huh…? Iida punched him…? But he specializes with kicks…" Kirishima commented.
"It's tactical. Kamijou has already figured out that Iida's specialty would be with his legs and movement, trying to dance around his target with his speed. So instead; he's switched up to brawling rather than hit and run tactics to throw Kamijou off guard." Ochako explained. "It's important in hand to hand combat to be not only efficient but unpredictable! You can't hit your target if they are always expecting your assault and can counter attack!"
"Y-you don't say…" Kirishima replied, somewhat amazed by Ochako's in-depth explanation.
"I see… in that case…" Izuku replied. "Thanks Uraraka, I think I can use that!"
"N-no problem Deku!" Ochako stuttered out. As they spoke, the fight raged in the arena.
The two went back and forth, blow for blow with their fists, until Tenya saw an opening and kicked Touma in the side, launching him across the arena.
'So I was right… his right hand ability only works on certain quirks, and moreover, only while making direct contact… my Engine won't be suddenly shut off by it.' Tenya thought. He rushed Touma quickly for a follow up, but Touma managed to recover far quicker then Tenya anticipated, and when Tenya punched forward, Touma grabbed his arm and flipped him over his shoulder, smashing him into the ground below.
Touma wasn't done however, as he gripped Tenya's arm tight, he began to spin around and eventually threw him across the ring. Tenya grinded to a halt just in time to avoid a ring out.
'Even when he's reeling he's thinking of his next move. It's more than quick reflexes… how to counter the attack he is about to receive… if he should counter attack or wait it out for an opening…' Tenya thought, getting onto his feet. 'Kamijou… how many fights did you have to go through to get this good at hand to hand combat… I can only imagine what you have been through yourself…!'
"Hey, are you ok? You're kind of just standing there." Touma asked.
'…He hasn't even lost sight of who he's going up against, still treating me like a friend even though we're fighting… it's almost like it doesn't matter who is opponent is…! I have to…!' Tenya's thoughts trailed off as he decided to speak.
"Kamijou. I hope you're ready." Tenya answered. "I'm going to figure out what makes you tick!" Tenya burst forward full speed. He leapt into the air for a spin-kick into Touma's side. He locked the attack, and was forced back because of it. The moment Tenya touched the ground he burst again, charging Touma down, fiercely assaulting him with a variety of kicks, forcing Touma onto the defensive.
'Alright, he must be planning now. Think… where will he try and break my assault…!' Tenya thought as he stayed on offence. Eventually Tenya kicked Touma a fair distance away again and charged. This time Touma didn't put up his guard. 'There! I'll make sure that he will move to the left!' Tenya made it appear he was going to go for a forward tackle. Like he predicted Touma moved to the left in an attempt to dodge it.
Just as Touma moved, Tenya leaped, and went for a spin-kick, aimed in the direction Touma was moving so he'd hit him in his right side. However, Touma abruptly slammed the side of his right arm into Tenya's leg, forcing him off balance. During the confusion, Touma slipped into Tenya's guard and delivered a powerful punch straight down into his exposed face, using Tenya's own momentum against him for massive damage. Tenya flew backwards, landing on his back.
'He… he saw through me…!' Tenya looked shocked as he stood up. He had lost his glasses in the impact but the landed close to him. When he could see again, he could see Touma rubbing the part of his arm that he had used to hit his leg.
"Ouch…! Damn man! Whose bright idea was it to let contestants use metal armor… ow!" Touma complained.
"Where… in the world did you learn to fight like this?" Tenya asked, slowly getting to his feet. He wobbled a bit; that punch did more to him than he expected.
"Huh…? Well… I apparently have a tendency to bump into gang member's business when helping people… so I kind of had to learn on my feet to deal with that…" Touma answered. "I also went through some Judo too… plus I've been involved in a lot of incident for the past year…"
"Like last night?" Tenya asked.
"Yeah… though a few higher stakes ones than that." Touma replied.
"I see…" Tenya replied then started to think. 'So… he's been through a lot of combat… against a lot of people… with so many different people with possibly different backgrounds in fighting, it's no wonder how he's managed to develop a fighting style that can adapt to easily to his opponent…'
"So… are we going to keep going?" Touma asked. Tenya shook his head.
"No; I've seen all I've needed to." Tenya replied. "Announcer, I surrender. Call the match"
"The first match of round two ends in a surrender just like the first in round one! The winner is Kamijou Touma!" The crowd started to cheer as Tenya went to pick up his helmet, and Touma approached him.
"Hey, you don't need to surrender…" Touma said.
"It's fine, I think in the long run you would have found a way past my Engine quirk and use it against me, just like you did just now." Tenya replied. "But, if you want, you can consider me withdrawing a thank you for helping Midoriya and Bakugou. You won't hear a peep out of Bakugou though, so I figured it would be best for the class representative to do it on his behalf."
"Well… thanks I guess… though I think it helps us both so we don't get too badly hurt, your kicks pack a real punch!" Touma replied. Tenya smiled back, holding his helmet in his arms.
"I think you should reconsider my suggestion. Quirk or not, with your combat skills plus your Imagine Breaker, you could do some really great things with the right training." Tenya said. Touma sighed, but smiled back at him.
"Thanks, but no thanks. Kamijou Touma is no hero. Kamijou Touma is just guy who tries to help people out, and happens to have a really bad case of bad luck."