"And with that, we move to the last round of the tournament. I trust the lot of you are prepared?"
"Please, hold, and let us review our strategy one last time."
"Very well, Brother of the 10 Winds."
With the approval of their GM, Class 1-A's primary Dungeons and Dragons party could ascertain whether or not they were sufficiently prepared for the final challenge of the evening.
Kaminari had noted at one point that Tokoyami seemed just the type to be an avid player of the game, which the bird-headed boy ultimately admitted. With that, a GM had been found, and Kaminari began to gather allies to join him in the game.
Midoriya was an easy enough get, as he was happy to live out his dreams of being a hero in any capacity he could. Iida followed suit thereafter, with the promise of improving his social skills, and a chance to perform outside his comfort zone a bit more.
How he convinced Jirou, of all people, was anyone's guess, though the more romantically-minded members of the class had a certain pet theory that may have been more accurate than the music lover would care to admit.
Uraraka had been their most recent addition, having only officially joined that evening, though Tokoyami had been given enough notice to craft a done-in-one event around her character to better introduce her to the group.
"Sir Greenfield will approach the final round honorably and will face off with this ruffian in noble combat," Iida said, continuing his earlier desire to review.
"But secretly, Pikachu will use his magic and I'll use my songs to increase his skills," Jirou replied.
The speedster nodded. "Not that I, as a pure-hearted Monk, nor Sir Greenfield, as a chivalrous Paladin, are aware of that."
"And we'll win the tournament, and the beautiful princess's hand in marriage," Kaminari joked.
"Sir Greenfield will do that," Jirou reminded him, "Zapnanimous the Stormbringer was too much of a chicken to stick his neck out, and will get nothing."
"This whole concept seems ridiculous," Midoriya complained, "she's a full-fledged Ranger-"
"Not that we know that," Iida interrupted.
"Right, but she shouldn't be married off like this."
Uraraka smiled, "It's fine. Whoever wins, I'm gonna sneak away and join your party anyway."
"You'll try," Tokoyami noted, "but more on that later. Sir Greenfield must begin his battle with Duke Ebonnhart."
"We gotta stop letting you name the villains," Kaminari muttered.
As went the many dueling rounds prior to this, Sir Greenfield was able to dispatch his foe quite handily, and was quickly crowned champion of the tournament.
Tokoyami began to narrate, "The King steps forward and declares, 'Congratulations, Sir Greenfield! As the most skilled with the blade in all the land, you have won the hand of my daughter, Princess Atmosa. Please, step forward and claim your prize.'"
Midoriya developed an awkward look on his face and briefly paused. "I... I say, 'Your Highness, I'm afraid I cannot accept this.'"
Tokoyami seemed taken aback, as did the other players, but he remained in-character. "Do you find my daughter unappealing?"
"Not at all, your grace," Midoriya explained, "but Princess Atmosa is a lovely, intelligent woman. I dare not claim her as my own, as she is her own person, not a prize to be won. So... as the one who has won her hand, I deliver it back unto her. So that she may give her hand to she whom she sees fit."
"Dude, what's with you?" Kaminari asked. "I mean, it's the nice thing to do, but you don't have to do it publicly."
"I think that he should. It's what his character would do," Iida claimed, supporting his friend's decision.
Jirou smirked. "Guess chivalry's not dead after all."
Uraraka couldn't help but smile. Midoriya couldn't stop being who he was, even in the context of a silly game. And she truly appreciated that. And as she thought about it, she realized how her own character would behave in such a situation.
"If I may interject, brave Sir Greenfield," Uraraka chimed in, catching the attention of the other players.
Tokoyami, having already learned the most important rule of GMing to be 'go with the flow', reprised his role as the king and said, "My daughter, what is the meaning of this?"
Uraraka, unsure of the origin of her sudden boldness, but hardly protesting it, continued on with her announcement, "Sir Greenfield has chosen to give me my hand back, so I may deliver it to whomever I choose. My question then, is 'what if I choose you anyway'?"
Midoriya's face suddenly became overtaken by a grandiose blush, "I-I-I?! But... but... fair Princess-"
"From my perspective, you have the combat skills to protect me, the wisdom to view me for who I am, the courage to voice your opinion regardless of what others may say, and the kindness to set me free should I not wish to go with you. I find you quite worthy of my hand, and I feel safe in assuming that if I ever changed my mind, you would be willing to allow me to go," the brunette rationalized.
Midoriya, left speechless at the argument, was in no condition to debate with her on this matter, leaving it to his party.
"Sound reasoning," Iida affirmed, "she'll make quite the addition to the group."
"This calls for a celebration!" Kaminari agreed, "And maybe a new song?"
Jirou sighed wistfully, "I guess I could write something."
"If that's all settled, I suggest we break for the evening," Tokoyami decreed. "Same time next week?"
"Cool with me," Kaminari said, speaking for the group. "I'll see if I can't get Kirishima in on this, too, seems up his alley."
"Yeah, maybe Yaomomo could get in on it, too," Jirou guessed.
"You just want her to make better miniatures for us," the electric boy joked.
"And you don't?"
As the two headed back to their dorms, Iida aided Tokoyami in packing up the materials to take them back to his room, leaving the remaining players alone.
"That was fun," Uraraka said, "I mean, I didn't get to do much gameplay, but I can see why you guys are into this."
Midoriya was still stunned.
"Deku?" Uraraka asked. "You still there?"
"Uh, yeah," he replied, snapping back to reality. "I just... you caught me off-guard back there."
"What can I say? Sir Greenfield's my kind of guy," Uraraka confessed.
"O-oh," Midoriya gulped. "W-w-well, I look forward to getting to know Princess Atmosa."
"No problem," Uraraka replied. And as she began to walk back to her room for the evening, she turned back briefly to add one last thing. "My prince!"
Critical success. Midoriya knocked prone once more.