I don't own My Hero Academia or Kill la Kill, please don't sue.
Ryuko Matoi was walking through hallways and climbing up staircases, trying to find her class's assigned seating section. She was also gently massaging herself at the various places she was hit by Gamagoori's whips. Even though the fight had ended a few minutes ago, her body still ached with pain. But the pain was rapidly fading and she couldn't spot even a single bruise. Maybe she was just really good at giving massages.
"Ryuko, are you alright?" Senketsu asked.
"Yeah, just a little bit sore is all," she replied. "I'd be a lot worse if it wasn't for you!"
"Only because you pointed our that we could attack Gamagoori when he couldn't attack or defend, I just did what I could in order to win. Besides, it's too early to celebrate, Gamagoori was only your first opponent. You still have three more to get through if you want to win and find out who killed your father."
"Come on, don't ruin the mood here! We won! And at least we're getting some downtime before the next fight, we can plan while watching the other matches. Maybe some of the Elite Four will lose their matches if we're lucky!"
"You and I both know you don't actually believe that."
He was right. Ryuko was incredibly doubtful that even one of them would lose. Sure her classmates were tough and all, but the only actual fight they'd been in was against some weak-ass thugs. Putting them against the Elite Four was essentially dropping a mouse into a pit of snakes. She could still hope though.
"Hey Matoi!" a familiar voice called out. "Congratulations on the win!"
Ryuko broke into a smile as she looked down the hall. Kirishima was walking towards her, holding the briefcase containing his costume.
"Thanks, but Senketsu is the one you should be congratulating. And good luck with your match!"
Her wish wasn't just a formality. In her opinion, Kirishima actually had the best chance of winning his fight against an Elite. Inumuta was a pretty scrawny guy and it didn't seem like he did much in the first two events, so it was entirely possible that he could lay him out with a single punch. But on the other hand, he would get to use his Goku Uniform. Who knew what he'd be able to do with that thing?
"Yeah, I'll definitely need it," he chuckled nervously. "But I just gotta go in there and do my best! Even though my quirk is pretty boring, I'll show the world that it doesn't matte what my quirk is, it's how I use it! You know, watching your fight kind of inspired me a bit. I'll be an impenetrable shield, nothing will be able to get past my Hardening!"
"Well, Gamagoori wasn't just a shield you know. He could attack too," Ryuko pointed out.
"I can attack with my quirk too! I just harden my fists and I start swinging, that's all I need. I've even been able to punch straight through concrete while training for this! Don't worry about me, I got this!"
"Just... try to be careful, these guys are dangerous. I don't want you getting hurt."
Kirishima put on his best confident smile. "If there's anything you need to worry about, it's the next round. Because then you'll be facing me!"
Izuku Midoriya tuned out the roars of the crowd so he could focus on his own thoughts. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, Ryuko had really defeated one of the Elite Four. Even when All Might beat one of them, they were always able to run away. Actually defeating and capturing one of them wasn't even considered as a possibility. And Ryuko didn't just defeat him, but she completely destroyed his uniform as well!
Seeing a Goku Uniform destroyed was nothing too new, but it was only ever done by heroes with quirks specifically suited to the task, such as Best Jeanist or Endeavor. They might have been able to destroy one and two-star uniforms, but a three-star? If Izuku hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have said it was impossible. He wasn't the only one who thought that, given by the silence of his classmates. Even Sanageyama and Jakuzure were uncharacteristically silent.
But how was it possible? Everyone knew it, Ryuko should have lost that fight when Gamagoori trapped her inside his uniform. The only reason she won was because of that new blade form. Izuku had never seen it before and it was just too convenient, so she must have made it in the heat of battle. He'd have to ask her more about it when she came back-
"Hey guys, what's up?" Ryuko asked as she walked in, drawing everyone's attention onto her.
Mankanshoku was the first to react and she reacted quickly. She jumped out from her seat and pretty much tackled her friend. It would have knocked nearly anyone else over, but Ryuko just grabbed her out of the air like she'd done it a million times before.
"Ryuko! You were so amazing! Now we gotta prepare you for the next fight, so I'm promoting myself to your personal assistant!" she announced. "I brought you lots of Gatorade, don't ask where it's from, since water will make you have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the fight and we can't have that! And start doing jumping jacks so your muscles don't shrivel up while you sit here!"
Ryuko took out the bottle of Gatorade Mankanshoku had forced into her mouth. "Mako, that's enough! I'm just here to watch the festival with my classmates is all. Speaking of that, why are you here? And why are those Elite assholes here too?"
"It's a long story," Izuku said.
"Lady Satsuki is the one sponsoring this carnival show and she told us to sit here," Jakuzure explained. "Then The Monkey said Slacker could sit with us too."
"I guess it's actually a pretty short story."
Ryuko sighed. "Alright, I'm just gonna sit down now."
She was about to take the seat next to Mankanshoku, but someone was already there. A very large someone. Somehow Ira Gamagoori had sat down next to Mankanshoku while no one was looking. Unlike his fellow Elites, he wasn't wearing a Goku Uniform. In fact, he wasn't wearing anything at all except for his underwear.
"Hey, that was my seat!" Ryuko protested. "If you really have to sit here, why don't you go sit with the other Student Council assholes? And what the hell happened to your clothes?"
"Since I lost to you, I've been demoted to a no-star. As such, I cannot be seen sitting with the Elite Four, which I am no longer a part of. My lack of clothes is proof of this disgrace," he explained. "But mark my words, I'll work my way up from this shame! I'll prove to Lady Satsuki that her kindness to me was not in vain"
"Ugh, would you stop that croaking?" Jakuzure asked. "I don't know why Lady Satsuki's being so merciful to losers now, but don't infect me with your loser vibes!"
Ryuko rolled her eyes as she watched a passionate tear stream down Gamagoori's face. Uraraka and Iida slid over so that she could sit next to Izuku, reminding him of what he wanted to say. He had been so distracted by the seating arrangements that he forgot he had a million questions for her!
"So uh, how was the fight?" Izuku asked her. "It looked like you got pretty roughed up back there. You sure you don't need to see Recovery Girl at all?"
"You saw me down there. 'Roughed up' is putting it lightly," she scoffed. "But no, I'm fine now. Nothing really hurts anymore."
"That's interesting, it sounded like you'd at least have some bruises," he contemplated. "Also, what was that move you used to burst out from Gamagoori's uniform? I haven't seen your transformations that much, but I thought that there was only a single form you could change into."
"That's what I thought too. But Senketsu said that if a Goku Uniform could have multiple forms, there was no reason he couldn't too."
"But Gamagoori's forms are specifically meant to complement each other, one form absorbs energy and the other releases it. Now that I think about it, it's a lot like the hero Fat Gum's quirk," Izuku pointed out. "Growing blades is a completely unrelated ability- Wait, did you say that Senketsu came up with that idea?"
Ryuko shrugged. "Uh, yeah?"
Now Izuku's thoughts were racing. He pulled out a notebook and started writing. Kacchan had burnt it pretty badly and threw it into a koi pond, but he could still write in it.
"That blade form was perfectly suited to the situation you were in. So that means that Senketsu isn't just sentient, but also capable of reconfiguring himself depending on the conditions. If he's able to come up with a single new form, then theoretically he should be able to adapt to any possible battle scenario! I wonder if he's still limited by what's physically possible though, sure he could reshape his Life Fibers into blades, but could he also create water to counter an opponent who uses fire? I suppose it's possible, since Shackle Regalia uses an armor that isn't made out of Life Fibers. But it still doesn't make sense how he's able to think like this when no other uniform can. Is it purely based on the concentration of Life Fibers? Or is there something more that makes a Kamui different from a Goku Uniform?"
"Midoriya, please stop. It's kinda creepy," Ryuko interrupted him. "I didn't even understand a word you said."
"Basically, he wants to know why you and Senketsu are so amazing!" Mankanshoku jumped in.
"I mean, that's oversimplifying it a bit, but yeah. And sorry about the muttering, it's just that sometimes I don't realize I'm talking out loud when I'm taking notes. I got so much information from your fight, I could probably fill up an entire notebook!"
"He's not the only one who got useful information from that fight!" Izuku heard Mineta whispering a bit too loudly.
Izuku and Ryuko both turned their heads to see what their more lustful classmate was doing. Mineta was showing his phone to Kaminari, which was filled with pictures of Ryuko in rather... compromising positions. Izuku tried telling her to calm down, but she was already up from her seat before he could even form the words.
"All right idiots, delete those photos or I'll delete you!" she growled, cracking her knuckles.
Mineta and Kaminari trembled with fear as Ryuko walked over to them with a hardened glare on her face. But to everyone's surprise, she suddenly stopped. Or more accurately, someone stopped her. Gamagoori had blocked her path with a giant hand.
"Don't worry about them Matoi, I'll take care of this. VERTICALLY CHALLENGED PERVERT AND YELLOW-HAIRED IDIOT!" he shouted. "IS THIS HOW YOU WOULD TREAT NOT JUST A LADY, BUT A FELLOW CLASSMATE? THAT KIND OF BEHAVIOR IS DISGUSTING AND DISRESPECTFUL, NOT JUST FOR A HERO, BUT FOR A DECENT HUMAN BEING!"
"Uh, I'm very sorry sir!" Kaminari squeaked out. "And sorry to you too Matoi, I promise this won't happen again!"
Unfortunately, Mineta wasn't so smart. "Call it disgusting all you like, we've all seen what kind of stuff you're into. All those chains and whips and you call me a pervert? You have a move called 'Ultimate Whip of Love'! You're about the biggest deviant I've ever seen!"
Gamagoori gritted his teeth and Izuku could have sworn he saw steam coming from his ears. "DO NOT SLANDER THE SHACKLE REGALIA WITH YOUR PERVERTED LIES! IT IS THE PERFECT INSTRUMENT OF DISCIPLINE, SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF! WHO IS YOUR STUDENT COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE? I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO THEM AT ONCE!"
"I am Class 1-A's Representative and while I condemn Mineta's actions, I will not allow you to speak to one of my classmates that way!" Iida declared, chopping his arms at Gamagoori. "He doesn't fully understand how his actions harm others or make them uncomfortable, which is something that he will need to learn if he wants to be a hero. But for now, they are only the actions of a child and should be treated as such!"
"WHICH IS ALL THE MORE REASON THAT HE SHOULD BE DISCIPLINED NOW! YOU'RE THE CLASS REPRESENTATIVE, YOU NEED TO COMMAND RESPECT AND AUTHORITY FROM YOUR SUBORDINATES!"
"They are not my subordinates, they are my classmates! I am not my class's superior, but their representative! My job as a leader is to inspire through example, not through fear of punishment! Honnouji's brutal methods of discipline only inspire disdain for authority amongst its students!"
Izuku tried ignoring Iida and Gamagoori's passionate argument to take notes on the fight, but it was pretty hard to do that when Iida was standing on his shoulders in an attempt to match Gamagoori's height. Ryuko went for a different approach, trying to separate the two by force, but she might as well have not even been there.
"They just had to start talking to each other, didn't they? If I wanted to see losers fight, I'd just watch the match!" Jakuzure snarked.
"What's up sports fans! It's finally time for the second match of the first round! Please welcome your next competitors! He's a passionate, manly fighter with a literally hard head! It's the Hero Course's Eijiro Kirishima!"
Eijiro Kirishima adjusted his headgear and walked out to the field as the braziers lit up. He looked around at the crowds cheering him on, but there were so many people that he couldn't make out their faces. Being all alone made him realize just how big the stadium was. Well, he wasn't completely alone on the field. His opponent was walking towards him from the opposite side of the stadium, his collar covering his mouth.
"And here comes his opponent! He may prefer to fight with his mind, but he can still really pack a punch! It's Honnouji Academy's Information and Strategy Committee Chair, Houka Inumuta!"
Eijiro was now at the center of the battlefield, face to face with Inumuta. The Elite might not have looked like much compared to his colleagues, but Eijiro's guard was still up. He hadn't forgotten what Matoi had told him, he knew that this guy was dangerous. But that wouldn't stop him from winning, if he wanted to be a hero, dangerous would have to become normal!
This was it, his moment to shine was finally here! He'd show the world that you didn't need a flashy emitter quirk to be a top hero, a sturdy shield was just as good! All he needed to do was keep his body hard, no matter what. This would be a piece of cake! He'd be fighting Matoi in the second round in no time!
"Hey, may the best man win!" he said, holding out his hand.
Inumuta's collar opened up, revealing a confident smirk. "I will."
"Let the second match begin!"
Eijiro immediately hardened his entire body. Sure it was more tiring than only hardening individual body parts, but hopefully he'd end this match quickly. He let out a battlecry and swung his fist for Inumuta's face.
Surprisingly, his opponent didn't activate his own transformation like Gamagoori did or even move his body. He just tilted his head a little to the side and the punch missed completely. Eijiro was a little frustrated that his opening attack failed like that, but it didn't matter! He had two fists after all!
He launched a series of punches at Inumuta, one after the other, but each time he just tilted his body out of the way. Inumuta didn't even look like he had to exert himself to dodge, it was like his body just automatically moved out of the way! It must have had something to do with his quirk.
As Eijiro missed yet another punch, he realized something: Inumuta hadn't tried counter-attacking once, he was just dodging. But why? Inumuta reached into the case hanging off his hip, making Eijiro tense up. Was he pulling out a weapon? No wait, it was a laptop! And now he was typing on it, not even bothering to look at him anymore!
"Hey, we're having a fight here!" he called out to his opponent. "The least you could do is actually, you know... fight!"
Inumuta didn't even acknowledge him, his eyes still glued to the computer screen. Now he was mad. This guy didn't think he was even worthy trying against! That's why he didn't transform or even attack! Eijiro summoned all the strength he could and channeled it into one giant punch. His fist wasn't just hard, but its edges made it sharp too. During the week of training before the festival, he'd even managed to punch through of foot of concrete with that punch. If he could just land it...
For the first time, Eijiro's attack made contact with Inumuta. More specifically, his fist was caught in his palm. The force of the punch was completely absorbed, not even moving Inumuta back an inch. Eijiro didn't even have time to process his shock as Inumuta tightened his grip around his fist and flung him across the battlefield.
Eijiro's hardened body scraped up the concrete floor as he skidded across it. Damn, that guy was a lot stronger than he looked! His uniform must have powered him up even when he wasn't transformed. As he stood up and dusted himself off, he saw that Inumuta was slowly walking towards him, still typing away on his keyboard.
"I'm not an idiot you know," he said to Eijiro's confusion. "Did you really think you could get me to let my guard down?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I know the trick, you try to make yourself look weak and stupid so I stop trying as hard. Then you stop holding back when I think I've already won and knock me out. Well it won't work. So if you're ready to stop fooling around and start providing useful combat data, I'm ready."
Eijiro was silent. He was going all out and Inumuta really thought that he was just trying to make himself look weak? Was that why he wasn't even trying up until now? While he didn't say a word, his silence told Inumuta everything he needed to know.
"Wait, don't tell me you were being serious!" he laughed. "That simple charge was really your entire strategy for the fight? Well, then I suppose there's no need to keep you around any longer!"
Inumuta closed his laptop and returned it to his hip. Then without warning, he vanished and reappeared right in front of Eijiro, almost like he teleported. He struck him with a punch of his own right in the solar plexus. Fortunately his hardening absorbed most of the blow, but doing so drained a lot of his stamina. He wouldn't be able to keep his entire body hard for much longer. So he'd have to end this now!
Eijiro growled in frustration and swung for Inumuta's face again. But instead of dodging, he swiftly chopped at his elbow, sending a shock down his arm. While he was still recoiling, Inumuta dropped down and kicked his legs from under him. Eijiro fell down face first, but he didn't even hit the ground when Inumuta punched the back of his head, making a crater in the floor with his face.
"Your moves are so predictable! I don't have to use my Probe Regalia or even my quirk to know exactly what you're going to do!" Inumuta boasted. "Now the only information I'm interested in is how you got into UA with such a simple, one-note quirk!"
Eijiro clawed at the ground as he tried to stand up, his hardened fingers digging into the concrete. "It doesn't matter what my quirk is! What matters is how I use it!"
"You're exactly right, that's why you're losing! You have no precision, no combat ability beyond that of a mentally challenged chimpanzee! Don't preach about using your quirk right when you have no idea how to use it!"
Anger fueled Eijiro, giving him the strength to stand up. He hardened his entire body again and charged at Inumuta. If he wanted something different, he'd get something different! Inumuta just rolled his eyes as he saw him take his arm back, but Eijiro wasn't going for a punch. As Inumuta moved to intercept his arm, he slammed his head forward.
He anticipated his spiky hair shattering Inumuta's blue-tinted glasses, but something suddenly stopped his head. Inumuta had grabbed him by the back of the neck and raised his knee right into his jaw. Eijiro stumbled back a bit, giving Inumuta an opening to kick him in the stomach. He groaned as he felt his hardened abs crack. Keeping his entire body hard was starting to really eat away at his stamina.
"Hm, a little better. You're durable, I'll give you that. But your durability comes from your quirk, which means that you can't keep it up forever! I wonder what'll be the first to go, your head or your torso?"
Inumuta punched him twice, once in the side of the head and once in the same place he kicked him. Eijiro screamed in pain as he put all of his willpower into keeping his entire body hard no matter what. But Inumuta was right, it was getting weaker. He made one last attempt to punch Inumuta in the face, but his arm had barely started to move when he was grabbed by the forearm. Eijiro struggled to get his arm free, but Inumuta was too strong and he was already weakened from the numerous hits he took.
"I'm done with you. It's a shame really, I hoped I would get some useful combat data," he said. "But the data I gathered from you would just be a waste of hard drive space."
Inumuta swung Eijiro around and threw him. He flew across the battlefield and over the boundary line, finally landing head first in the stadium wall. While his hardened head protected him, absorbing the impact made his quirk finally give out.
"Kirishima is out of bounds!" Midnight announced. "The winner is Houka Inumuta!"
Eijiro was lying down in the grass, surrounded by the pile of rubble he made from hitting the wall. He lost. That wasn't so bad on its own, he had to admit that defeating one of the Elite Four was a tall order. What really bothered him was what Inumuta said. He worked so hard on mastering his quirk, training it into a power worthy of a hero, but it still wasn't enough. Hardening was the only thing he could do and once it broke down, he was helpless.
He thought he would get to show the world that he was a hero. All he did was show that he wasn't even a man. Nothing had changed since middle school. Ashido tried to comfort him as he walked back to the stands, but all it did was remind him of that day.
"Inumuta moves on the the next round! Luckily the arena wasn't too damaged this time, so we'll be back shortly with the next match!"
"YES! THAT'S IT INUMUTA!" Gamagoori yelled. "SHOW THEM THE POWER OF THE ELITE FOUR! THE POWER OF HONNOUJI ACADEMY!"
"It really wasn't that impressive," Jakuzure muttered under her breath.
Ryuko Matoi winced in sympathy as the match ended. Her hopes for Kirishima couldn't have been more wrong, he never stood a chance. He only touched the guy a single time and even that was just to catch his punch! And to make things worse, Inumuta hadn't even used his Goku Uniform, so she wasn't able to prepare for her fight with him. But a certain someone was still trying to prepare as best he could.
"So Inumuta was trying to make Kirishima use up all of his hardening at the start so he could hit him harder as the fight went on," Izuku mumbled as he scribbled in his notebook. "I guess that makes sense, since quirks are just physical abilities after all and can tire out with too much use. But even when Kirishima was still going strong, he caught that punch like it was nothing! It must be his Goku Uniform, I guess it doesn't have to transform to power up its wearer. And he didn't even have to use his quirk to predict Kirishima's moves, that was pure skill!"
Ryuko stopped listening to him. The fighters would be returning any second now and she needed to say something to Kirishima. But what would that be? She couldn't exactly say "sorry you got your ass kicked"!
Inumuta walked into the stands and took his seat next to the other Elites. There wasn't even a hint of satisfaction or even smugness on his face. Shortly afterwards, Kirishima walked in too, changed into his tracksuit and holding an icepack to his head. Ryuko walked over to his seat, but he couldn't even bring himself to look at her. So it was that bad huh?
"Hey, sorry you got your ass kicked!" she said without thinking.
Kirishima forced himself to chuckle. "Yeah, I guess I kind of did."
"What I meant to say was don't take it so hard," she added. "You did the best you could considering the only thing you can do is harden yourself. He's just a lot stronger than you, that's all."
"I know."
Ryuko shifted around uncomfortably in her seat. This conversation went a lot better in her head. "If it'll make you feel better, I'll make sure to kick his ass extra hard next round for you!"
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
"It's time for the third match! Two new contestants will take to the stage! Our first fighter has some really weird looking skin and what's with those horns? Seriously, what do those things do? From the Hero Course, it's Mina Ashido!"
Mina Ashido forced herself to smile and wave at the crowds as Present Mic basically just insulted her. Her horns were beautiful!
"Versus a fully-equipped gadgeteer genius and the only student from the Support Course in the finals, Mei Hatsume!"
True to Present Mic's description, Mina's opponent was covered from head to toe in gadgets. She had goggles, boots, a backpack, and some weird harness thingy all covering her UA tracksuit. Even though Mina was allowed to wear her costume too, it didn't have any fancy support items like that. She still thought it was unfair that Hatsume got to have so many gadgets.
"Let the third match begin!"
But she did have one advantage that no gadget could replicate; her quirk! Mina started secreting acid from the soles of her feet, melting the battlefield floor. She skated towards Hatsume, but the girl wasn't moving a muscle. And was she... laughing? Right as Mina was about to touch her, a loud beep came from her backpack and a metal pole shot out from it, pushing against the ground and moving Hatsume out of the way.
"What? What the heck was that?"
Hatsume's laugh was now a full-on evil cackle as she turned on something that looked a lot like a microphone. "Do you like my baby? I call it my Hydraulic Bracers, they can sense an enemy approaching and automatically dodge for me using a telescoping pole made of titanium!"
That was way louder than a normal person should have been able to talk, she must have been using speakers. Wait, was she using this fight as a gigantic advertisement? Mina grunted and prepared a glob of acid to throw at Hatsume's backpack. While her first attack missed, it got her in position right behind her. But once again, the metal pole pushed her out of the way.
"That's not gonna work! I have sensors in every direction, it's impossible to sneak up on me!"
She had to dodge by using those metal poles to push her off the ground right? So that meant that she couldn't dodge if they were already extended! Mina grabbed one of the poles and secreted acid from her palms, eating through the metal in under a second and breaking the pole in two.
"My baby!" Hatsume screamed as she lost her balance and fell on her butt.
Mina melted the ground beneath her and rushed at Hatsume before she could recover, but she had already pulled something out from her holster. Holy crap, was that a gun? Was she really gonna shoot her? Since the acid made her unable to stop her momentum, all she could do was brace herself. Hatsume did shoot her, but not with a bullet.
The capsule expanded into a giant net mid-air, wrapping around Mina and ensnaring her. She struggled against her bindings, but nothing happened. She had to get out quickly, or else she'd be declared immobilized. Wait, she had her acid! Mina sprayed the net with acid, easily melting through it. She threw the remains of the net off her and prepared to charge Hatsume, but she got hit by another net. And then another.
"Now this gorgeous baby is my Capture Gun, used to capture villains!" Hatsume explained like she was doing an infomercial. "It can fire up to five cartridges before having to reload! You might be able to melt through one, but just try to get through five of my ultra-durable nets!"
Much to Mina's frustration, Hatsume was kind of right. It was hard for her to even move underneath all those layers of nets. But even if there were five of them, they were still really thin, so her acid was still able to melt through them quickly. Hatsume was still standing in the same place, a giant grin plastered on her face.
Mina was starting to get sick of this. If she could just land one good hit, she knew she could take Hatsume out right then and there! And with her Hydra Whatever broken, she wouldn't be able to dodge! She skated right in front of Hatsume and prepared to uppercut her in the jaw, but she was suddenly gone. Mina looked around for her opponent, only to find that she had jumped over her head!
"I like how you glide across the ground, but I think these are better!" Hatsume said. "My Electromagnetic Soles use electromagnetic induction on both feet! The speed enhancement they provide is perfect for evasive maneuvers..."
Mina tried to grab Hatsume out of the air, but she kicked her in the head with her giant boot. Sure the thing was made out of metal, but that seriously hurt way more than it should have!
"Or just offense!" she finished.
Mina stumbled from Hatsume's kick, but years of dancing trained her to regain her balance quickly. All those gadgets were starting to get really annoying, but her acid would still be able to melt through anything she had! She pointed both hands at Hatsume and prepared to squirt her acid out, but her opponent hurled a two metal objects at her. One clasped tightly around her wrists and the other around her ankles. Then they both connected to each other, completely restraining Mina.
"I bet you think that your acid can melt through my gadgets right?" Hatsume asked, obviously not expecting a response. "That might be true, but you'll have a hard time using it when you're caught by my Binding Cuffs! These babies lock onto the wrists and ankles and then use powerful electromagnets to lock to each other! It's impossible to escape, and I know because I've trapped myself in them five times!"
Mina twisted and squirmed, but Mina was right, they really were impossible to break out of. She even tried using her acid to melt the cuffs, but with her hands and feet restrained, she couldn't get her aim right.
"Ashido is immobilized!" Midnight declared. "The winner is Mei Hatsume!"
"Oh come on!" Mina protested, still struggling against her cuffs. "If all you wanted was to show off your gadgets, couldn't you have just done it all here and then forfeited?"
Hatsume pulled out a small remote and pressed a button on it, releasing her cuffs. She retrieved her gadgets and started to exit the field, but she stopped and spoke.
"Sorry, but I still need to show people what my babies are really capable of."
"What on Earth did I just watch?" Ryuko Matoi asked out loud.
That was easily the weirdest fight she'd seen so far. She wasn't even sure if she could call it a fight, it was more like one gigantic advertisement. But to some people, that wasn't actually a bad thing.
"Those gadgets were so cool!" Mako exclaimed. "Did you see that net gun? You could catch so many fish with that thing! Or maybe just one giant fish. I want one I want one I want one!"
"It's just a prototype Mako, it'll be a long time before it's actually for sale," Ryuko explained. "And I'm pretty sure you'd have to be a hero to buy support items anyway."
Ryuko had to give Hatsume some credit, her gadgets were pretty advanced. Not to mention that she managed to beat Mina despite her acid being able to melt all of her tools. It did suck that neither of her first friends at UA would be moving on though.
"Actually, I don't know if they'll ever be for sale, even for heroes," Midoriya said, still scribbling in his notebook.
"What do you mean?"
"Ever since Honnouji Academy started invading, funds for developing traditional support items have pretty much dried up," he explained. "The Hero Public Safety Commission provides huge grants to any company that researches Goku Uniforms. And on the other hand, demand for support items has gone down. Support companies will still make costumes and gadgets at the request of heroes, but most of their time and money is spent trying to research and recreate Goku Uniforms. I think that's why Hatsume tried to sell herself so hard, you kind of have to if you want to catch the eye of support companies these days."
"Oh my god do you only speak in exposition?" Jakuzure groaned. "I'm going to my waiting room, I might turn into a nerd if I stay here any longer. Watch closely Transfer Student, you'll wanna know how screwed you are in our fight!"
"Let's get into the fourth match! Our first fighter has already shown that his quirk has some serious power! His personality's not the only thing of his that's electric! From the Hero Course, it's Denki Kaminari!"
Denki Kaminari walked onto the field, waving to the crowds. This would be a cinch! Normally he had to hold back on his quirk so he wouldn't completely burn himself out and become useless. But in a one-on-one fight, he could let loose from the start! He wouldn't have to worry about consequences if his opponent was already knocked out!
"And his opponent is living proof that size matters not! It's Honnouji Academy's Non-Athletic Committee Chair, Nonon Jakuzure!"
Speaking of his opponent, seeing her up close made Denki realize just how cute she was. The media made it sound like the Elite Four were all terrifying monsters, but this girl was adorable. Sure she left a lot to be desired in terms of her assets, but Denki wasn't one to discriminate. It was almost a shame he'd have to beat her.
"Let the fourth match begin!"
"Hey, what do you say we hang out after this? I can take you out for dinner!" Denki offered. "And comfort you after your loss! Because this is gonna be over in two seconds honey!"
Denki charged himself with electricity, the most he possibly could. Sparks arced off his body and he could already feel his brain starting to fry up, but it wouldn't matter. This match was about to be over. He raised both arms and prepared to unleash his ultimate attack!
"Indiscriminate Shock: 1.3 Million Vol-"
Right before he could touch the ground, Denki heard a loud shriek. No, that wasn't an accurate description. It was more like a deafening blast constantly hammering into his skull. He could literally feel his head ringing and the ground beneath him shaking. Denki was no stranger to feeling weird in the head, but this was on a completely different level. He couldn't even see anymore, everything was just bright pink. He wanted to puke and pee his pants at the same time. So he did.
The awful vibrating finally stopped and Denki could (mostly) see clearly again. What was happening? Where was he?
He gracefully stumbled around for a bit to take in his surroundings. According to his expert analysis, he was standing in some kind of big hexagon. But why were there so many people staring at him? And who was that little girl standing in front of him? Was she a girl?
"Whey!" he eloquently articulated the inner workings of his mind.
It didn't matter where he was or why he was there, what mattered was what he was gonna do! And there was only one thing that seemed right. He stuck both of his thumbs out and started walking around in circles while cheering.
"What is he doing? Is he saying... 'yay'? It looks like Kaminari has been turned into a giant idiot!" a loud sky man shouted. "Just look at that stupid expression!"
Denki laughed out loud. Whoever that Kaminari guy was, he had to be super embarrassed!
"Um, I guess Kaminari is unable to battle!" a lady in a bodysuit said. "Jakuzure is the winner!"
Denki kept smiling. Jazukure must have been happy to win whatever she won. He decided to celebrate her victory by doing what he did best. He must have done a really good job, since he had to be picked up and carried away from the hexagon on a trampoline.
Damnit, so Jakuzure wasn't going to show off her Goku Uniform either. Ryuko Matoi was hoping that she wouldn't have to go into her fights with the Elites blind, but it was looking more and more likely as the matches went on. At least she got to see what her quirk could do. And seeing Kaminari turn into an idiot was pretty funny.
Midoriya was taking notes just like he did after the other fights, all while rapidly mumbling under his breath. While it creeped her out earlier, she'd gotten used to it by now. It was almost calming in a weird sort of way. She kind of wondered what was in that notebook of his.
Ryuko nudged him, making him stop writing for just a moment. "So what did you think of the fight?"
"Well Jakuzure won like I expected, but that's because I thought she'd transform and overwhelm him with her uniform. But she didn't use it, just like Inumuta. I guess she didn't need it though, she was able to beat him just by using her quirk. What I don't understand is how she did it. Kaminari's prone to short-circuiting his brain when he overuses his quirk, but that sound wave completely disabled him before he discharged his electricity. How could you even counter an attack like that? It's sound-based so only a handful of pros would be able to dodge it. Maybe you could predict where she's aiming in advance and dodge before she screams..."
"If anyone lost their idiot, I have him here."
A familiar high-pitched voice interrupted Midoriya's rambling. Jakuzure had returned to the stands, dragging Kaminari by the collar. He had a dopey look on his face and he was still holding his thumbs up and saying "yay". Jirou got up from her seat and guided Kaminari to his.
"I disabled him using a directed ultrasonic wave," Jakuzure explained. "My quirk allows me to change the direction and frequency of sound waves, so I just directed my scream to his head and changed the frequency to perfectly resonate with his cranial fluids. It should only give him a mild concussion, he shouldn't have any permanent brain damage. I don't know why he's doing... that."
"Don't worry, I don't think there's much brain to damage anyway," Jirou snarked, pushing away a drooling Kaminari.
Everyone else in the stands went quiet as they realized what Jakuzure just said. It took her a few moments to realize it herself, but when she did, a horrified expression quickly formed on her face.
"Goddamnit! I am turning into a nerd!" she screamed.
Inumuta mockingly patted her shoulder. "Now now, being a nerd isn't so bad. Maybe one day you won't even need me to explain things anymore."
Jakuzure huffed and sat down, allowing Ryuko to finally concentrate on the next match. She'd already seen Sanageyama's uniform in action, but maybe she'd be able to find a weakness. Yaoyorozu could create anything after all, there had to be something she could do.
"I guess that match really was over in two seconds! I wonder if his real quirk was the ability to tell the future! Hey, wasn't your class supposed to be so much better than ours? HAHAHA!"
Just hearing that voice automatically made Ryuko's temper flare. Monoma was peaking his stupid head over the divider between the stands. He looked a lot better than the last time she saw him, not even the several bandages on his head were able to stop his shit-eating grin. He kept laughing like an idiot until a swift chop to the neck stopped him.
"Sorry about that!" the neck-chopper said, a girl with blue eyes and an orange ponytail. "I promise we're not all like him, Monoma just kind of got everyone stirred up for the Sports Festival. I let it slide since I thought it'd motivate everyone, but he took it way too far. I'm Itsuka Kendo, Representative for Class 1-B!"
"Oh, it's no problem!" Midoriya replied. "You just wanted to get noticed in the festival, that's all! It's a shame that no one from your class made it to the finals."
Ryuko did not share his sentiment. It was very much still a problem.
"Keep him on a tighter leash and we won't have a problem!" she spat. "Now leave me and my class alone and get the hell out of here!"
"Matoi, what are you doing?" Iida asked. "She's trying to extend an olive branch!"
"I don't see any olives, but she's trying to be nice!" Mako agreed. "Come on Ryuko, don't you want to make friends? Then they can give you olives!"
Kendo looked a bit agitated, but quickly took a deep breath and calmed down. "Look, I'm sorry about what Monoma said about your father, I think that was totally uncalled for. Most of us do. But I think you've more than paid him back for that. And you got what you wanted, no one from our class is in the finals."
Ryuko paused for a second. Maybe she was being a bit unreasonable. Kendo wasn't Monoma after all and neither was her class. But right now she didn't care about being reasonable.
"Monoma was lucky," she growled. "The next time he or anyone from your class tries something like that, you can bet your ass that they won't be! He made it clear that your class wanted war with mine. Now he's getting one!"
Kendo sighed. "I hoped that your class would be better than this, giving in to this petty rivalry thing like mine did. I guess I was wrong."
She turned away and left, dragging Monoma behind her.
The initial heat from her anger was starting to fade, leaving Ryuko to contemplate what she just said. And Iida's yelling too, but she wasn't paying attention to that. She wouldn't regret what she said one bit. Monoma had wronged her and she got her revenge. Hopefully he'd be smart enough to leave her alone now.
"That girl was nothing but nice," Senketsu pointed out. "Threatening her was cold even for you."
"I didn't want to threaten her, It's just that Monoma pisses me off so much! I had to hurt him, make him pay for what he said. Kendo was just in my way."
Ryuko tried to feel good about herself for successfully getting rid of Monoma, but she... didn't. Even the memory of beating the crap out of him in the Cavalry Battle, which felt so good in the moment, didn't bring her satisfaction anymore. All she could think about was why she hated him so much, his words burning into her brain like a branding iron. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? She got her revenge, wasn't that supposed to make her feel better?
No, that wasn't the problem. Revenge had always worked out for her in the past when someone pissed her off. The quick, cathartic rush followed by complete emptiness was something she was used to. She probably just felt guilty for snapping at Kendo like that. It wasn't like she did anything wrong after all, she actually wanted to bridge the divide between their classes. Did she really want to be someone who hurt other people to get what she wanted?
Ryuko swept away those doubts as quickly as they came. Feeling guilty would only get in the way of her revenge. It wasn't like she wanted to be a jerk to Kendo, it was just necessary. She couldn't let anyone get in the way of her quest for vengeance, even if they didn't mean to. And if that meant hurting them, then Ryuko just wouldn't care.
"Ryuko, are you sure you're feeling alright?"
"I'm fine. Let's just watch the fight. I'm not losing to Sanageyama again."
"Please welcome your next fighters! Our first fighter has the ability to make literally anything from her body! She got into UA through recommendation and it's not hard to see why! It's the Hero Course's Momo Yaoyorozu!"
Momo Yaoyorozu took a deep breath before walking out onto the field. This was it! Todoroki had more than proven that he was worthy of his recommendation, now it was her moment to shine! All she had to do was make a good impression and move on to the next round. But would she be able to? She had just started her first year of hero training after all, her opponent would be much stronger and much more experienced.
"But it's no exaggeration to say that her opponent is one of the greatest swordsmen to ever live! He's a mean, green, fighting machine! It's Honnouji Academy's Athletic Committee Chair, The Monkey King: Uzu Sanageyama!"
No, this was no time to waste worrying, she needed to come up with a plan quickly! Momo started to size up her opponent, who was walking toward her with his hands in his pockets. While no one had ever confirmed exactly what quirks the Elite Four had, she was pretty confident that Sanageyama's had something to do with predicting the future, likely by enhancing his senses. That was how it always seemed like he knew what would happen.
But how could she deal with a quirk like that? He was incredibly fast, so fast that most pro heroes weren't even able to perceive him moving. The only chance she'd have to create something would be when he transformed. And that was assuming he transformed at all, since Jakuzure and Inumuta didn't.
"You're scared, aren't you?" Sanageyama suddenly spoke. "Good. That means you're smart."
Scared? Momo hadn't even realized it until he pointed it out, but her legs were shaking and her heart was pumping faster than it ever had before. How did he know that? Were his senses that good? All the more reason she needed to finish making her battle plan. His uniform was too tough to be damaged by anything she could create, so she'd have to immobilize him or knock him out of bounds. Maybe by overwhelming his senses she could distract him long enough to-
"Let the fifth match begin!"
"Three Star Goku Uniform: Blade Regalia Mk. II!"
The instant Present Mic said the word, Sanageyama stretched his arms out and was engulfed in a flash of green light. He was already tall before, but now he absolutely towered over Momo in a massive suit of green samurai armor. In his right hand was a shinai that was closer in size to a telephone pole than a sword. Was he really going straight for his transformation?
Crap, she didn't have any time to think! Momo made the first thing that came to mind, the biggest shield she could carry. It was admittedly simple, but hopefully it would protect her and buy enough time for her to come up with a better plan. There was no point in trying to react to Sanageyama's moves, so she hid her entire body behind the shield as it was being made.
"MEN!"
Before Sanageyama's shout could even reach her ears, his shinai tore through Momo's shield and the impact sent her flying back. How was that even possible? Her shield was made out of pure tungsten, but he split it in half like it was made of paper! His sword didn't even have a cutting edge, so that had to be pure physical strength.
While she was still being knocked back, Momo quickly created a sharp metal pole and drove it into the ground, making her grind to a halt. Her opponent backflipped in the air and landed in the center of the battlefield. His armor was now completely gone, returned to its original form.
Sanageyama sheathed his now normal-sized sword. Why was he stopping? And why did he deactivate his transformation? It didn't really matter to Momo, now it was her turn to counter-attack! She made a new shield and picked her metal pole out of the ground, wielding it like a staff. She started to charge at Sanageyama and-
"Yaoyorozu!" Midnight shouted, making her stop in her tracks. "You're out! The victory goes to Sanageyama!"
Out? Momo looked down at her feet and sure enough, she was over the boundary line. It was already over. She didn't just lose, she didn't even get to do anything. No one saw what she was really capable of!
Or... maybe they did. Who was she kidding, she could never beat one of the Elite Four. She couldn't even beat most of her classmates. She was a joke. All she did was make a shield that might as well have not even been there. And the only reason she got this far in the first place was because she just followed Todoroki's orders.
"Incredible! I wouldn't even believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes! Or more accurately, didn't see it with my own eyes! In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Sanageyama moves onto the next round! Yaoyorozu never stood a chance!"
Present Mic was right, she really did never have a chance. Even if she didn't face Sanageyama in the first round, even if he wasn't in the tournament at all, she could have never won. Both she and Todoroki got into UA through recommendation, but only one of them actually deserved it. She'd done nothing but prove that she only got a recommendation because her parents were rich. Maybe... she didn't deserve to be at UA at all.
Momo's eyes watered up and she used whatever was left of her willpower to not cry on national television. She hid her face behind her arm as she walked away from the field, but it was pointless. Even if no one else saw her tears, she knew that someone did.
On the opposite end of the field, Sanageyama took one last look at her before walking away as well. What Momo didn't notice was that he exhaled softly before leaving.
"Sanageyama is way too powerful!" Izuku Midoriya exclaimed.
It really shouldn't have been a surprise, he'd seen the Elite Four defeat the most powerful heroes in Japan time and time again, but seeing their power in person and used against one of his classmates was something else. The knowledge that he'd likely have to fight them certainly didn't help either.
"Eh, that was nothing," Ryuko said. "If he really hit her as hard as he could, there wouldn't be a stadium anymore. He was definitely trying not to hurt her that much. Even then, Yaoyorozu's lucky she didn't break anything. "
"I guess that's why he struck her shield, so he could knock her out of bounds without actually hitting her," Izuku realized. "But what I don't get is why he transformed. Inumuta and Jakuzure both refused to use their transformations and Gamagoori only transformed to match you. You seem to be the only person the Elite Four are interested in fighting, it's weird that one of them tried so hard to beat her."
"Yeah I don't really get it either. They're about the most arrogant bastards on the planet. Going all out against a first year just isn't what they do. Even when fighting me they love to gloat."
"You're right, Gamagoori could have just knocked you out of bounds at several points, but he didn't because he wanted to boast. It even cost him his match. Is Sanageyama always pragmatic like this?"
Ryuko scoffed. "Definitely not. He loves to show off more than of any of them. You've seen how many titles the guy has. He likes to play with his opponents and make them feel helpless. Even during our second fight, he only started trying after showing off his powers."
Ryuko was right, even when fighting pros he liked to show off as much as possible before actually beating his opponents. So why would Sanageyama act so differently? And against Yaoyorozu at that? He usually tried to make his opponents feel like they didn't have a chance because he knew they didn't. The only reason he wouldn't try to do that was if... he thought that she could win?
Sanageyama walked in to the stands and Yaoyorozu followed him shortly after. She looked absolutely miserable. Sanageyama must have made her feel helpless after all, even if he didn't intend to. Izuku felt bad for her and was about to say something, but he noticed something else first.
Uraraka hadn't said anything the entire time. Izuku looked over at her seat, but the only thing that was there was her drink. The ice had all melted, so she must have been gone for a long time. Where did she go?
A/N: This chapter is nowhere near as good as I thought it would be or wanted it to be. It's so frustrating to feel like you have a good idea but it just sucks when you actually write it down. But I didn't want to waste more time on a chapter that's ultimately insignificant, so I just had to get it done. Anyway, there's a lot of fights to break down so let's get into it.
Houka Inumuta vs. Eijiro Kirishima
Yeah there was no way Kirishima would win this. There was just absolutely nothing going for him. Inumuta was obviously smarter and faster, but he was also stronger and more durable by quite a large margin. Even without transforming he could effortlessly beat back hordes of one-stars, who could survive getting shot by a tank. It was pretty much like Hulk vs. Thanos. Inumuta wins 10/10.
Mina Ashido vs. Hei Hatsume
Hatsume has a lot of gadgets, but Mina can melt them all with her acid. However, Hatsume can avoid Mina's attacks pretty easily and we only saw a small amount of what Hatsume actually brought with her to the Sports Festival. For all intents and purposes, she beat Iida. Since she's also lot more motivated to win than in canon, I'd say she takes a small majority of their fights. Hatsume wins 6/10.
Nonon Jakuzure vs Denki Kaminari
Gonna be honest, Kaminari could have won this one if Nonon let him fire off his first attack. I didn't want to have her use her uniform until she fights Ryuko so it can still be a surprise for her. Kaminari would lead with Indiscriminate Shock, which Nonon can't evade or absorb. However, I did give her a quirk and a pretty powerful one at that, so she could also disable him right off the bat. Her Goku Uniform gives her a much better reaction time than Kaminari, so it all came down to if she'd use it. On one hand, she might not consider him worth her time and ignore him like a bug. On the other hand, she might not consider him worth her time and squish him like a bug. I personally think the latter is more likely, especially since he tried to hit on her and boasted before the match. Also there was no way I was going to eliminate an Elite so Kaminari could move on. Nonon wins 7/10.
Uzu Sanageyama vs Momo Yaoyorozu
A few of you mentioned this one in the comments and they were absolutely right: Sanageyama completely wrecks Momo. Like he didn't even get to men dou kote her, it was just men. He's way too fast, way too strong, and way too durable. I mean he beat the crap out of Ryuko, what did you expect? But like I alluded to in the chapter, Momo theoretically could win given how versatile her quirk is.
However, that would never happen in-character. Unless Momo could make a goddamn nuke, she wasn't chipping the paint on his armor. She'd have to resort to something like chemical warfare and even that might not work given how long it took to work on a certain character in the manga. I'm sure there were other ways she could use her quirk to win, but I just can't think of any right now and she definitely couldn't. Sanageyama wins 10/10.