CHAPTER 23: EMBRACE THE MADNESS

My POV

I took a deep breath as the next set of combatants took center stage. An interesting match to be sure.

"FROM CLASS 1A OF THE HERO COURSE, FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI!" The bird boy had a stoic look on his face. Was he hiding his confidence, or did he have a plan?

"VERSUS, ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE, EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!" The redhead pounded his fist into his open palm, a massive grin on his face. An open book, that one.

Deku spoke up as he studied a page of his notebook. "Reaction time and speed are going to be major factors in who wins. Tokoyami's attack and Kirishima's defense are about equal, so they have to play it smart."

I nodded. "Yeah. Kirishima has trained with me from time to time, so he's learned a thing or two about speedsters, which might give him the edge. But also, Dark Shadow might be even faster than me at this level."

Iida smiled. "I'm glad to see you're being supportive of your classmates this time, Bakugo. Very becoming!"

I gave him a side-eyed look. "Because I have no idea who's going to win."

"BEGIN!"

Kirishima POV

"Alright, bring it on!" Time to put my training to use and show everyone what I can do!

"Dark Shadow!" The bird monster darted towards me at breakneck speed, zipping back and forth to make hitting back tricky. I hardened up with anticipation. Wait for it… now!

When Dark Shadow was just in front of me, claws extended to attack, I threw a punch, uppercutting the shadow beast and sending it reeling backward. Both the beast and his wielder were stunned for a moment before the stoic expression resumed.

"How did you manage to hit Dark Shadow?" That thing was fast enough to steal a bunch of headbands before anyone could react.

"Heh, it might be fast, but I've sparred a lot with Bakugo, and you know how he is!" I then charged forward, only to be halted by the reappearance of Dark Shadow, who I began to pummel as hard as I could. With every punch I threw, Tokoyami swiped back just as hard. I hit the shadow with a right cross, the shadow shot back with an uppercut. I headbutted it and led into a haymaker, and the beast retaliated with two swift strikes at my gut.

Blow after blow, strike for strike, it didn't seem like the shadow was taking any damage.

"WOAH, BOTH COMBATANTS ARE LOCKED IN A STALEMATE! WHO WILL BREAK FIRST?!"

I took a deep breath. I'd been hoping to save this for later, but the way Dark Shadow is been matching me blow, I've got no choice. If I'm gonna win this, I gotta do it now!

I reeled back and began a flurry of hardened punches, picking up speed as I got the rhythm and put my back into it. "Red Gun Overdrive!"

I caught the pair off guard with my rapid attack barrage, forcing Dark Shadow on the defensive and pushing the duo back. I kept up the onslaught, pushing toward Tokoyami's side of the arena. I had to keep pushing, it was only a little further to the edge. I got an idea, and grinned.

Tokoyami narrowed his eyes, probably thinking I was up to something. He was right. Not to mention, he was cornered as of right now, which made him put more into his attempts at defense.

I stopped the barrage, grabbed Dark shadow by the head and hurled it behind me, catching both of them off guard. I charged at Tokoyami himself, tensing my Hardening even more. Noises from behind tell me that the shadow was coming back towards me as the beast tamer stared at me with growing apprehension, trying to take a defensive stance.

That's fine, all I need is one shot. I reeled back and slammed Tokoyami across the face, sending him reeling off his feet. He rolled in midair and landed a couple meters away, tumbling just out of bounds, dragging his shadow behind him.

"Tokoyami is out of bounds! Kirishima is the winner!"

I walked over and offered him a hand up. "That was a good fight."

Tokoyami paused a moment before a smile broke across his face. "Indeed. It seems I have a lot to learn."

He grasped my hand and I pulled him to his feet. "Sorry about hitting you in the face. I could have been more gentle."

The birdman chuckled. "You were in the heat of the moment. I'm not going to blame you for doing what you were supposed to. I simply need to improve."

Tokoyami, you're so manly!

Deku POV

Kacchan stared down at the arena as the combatants exited, his eyes nardowing in thought. "Kirishima reacted fast enough to make an opening. I'm impressed."

I scratched some notes in the notebook. He studied the section he had on Kirishima closely. "He might not have been able to flex his Quirk, but he's more clever than he lets on. Not to mention he has the toughness to stand up to Kacchan's blasts. UnboostedperhapsbutwithenoughpracticeKirishimacouldbenearlyindestructibleandwithasuperfastreactiontimehewouldbepracticallyinvincibledependingontheamountofstaminahehas-"

"Yo!" I snapped out of it as Kacchan got my attention. Was I really that deep into it? Oops.

Uraraka shot him a look before turning her attention to me. "You seemed pretty deep in thought there, Deku. Do you analyze the Pros like that too?"

I nodded, smiling. "Yeah. I take notes on everyone's Quirks and fighting styles to try and learn from them. My Quirk came pretty late, and maybe because of that I'm so fascinated with Quirks in general. I take notes on every Quirk I see."

"Really? Even me?"

"Yeah, I have a few notes on each member of the class, including you." I flipped to her page, where I had drawn a simple sketch of her Hero Costume as well as detailed information and speculation on her Quirk based on my observations.

Uraraka looked at the page, stunned and a little weirded out. "You've certainly been keeping a close eye on me, huh?"

I nodded. "Sort of. Quirks and their possibilities fascinate me, so I take note of everything I see in class."

Iida chimed in. "I see. By noting the techniques of others, you may be able to improve your own. Also, with a fundamental understanding of how Quirks function, you'll be able to discern weaknesses. Nicely done."

Kacchan cleared his throat. "Well, let's test that ability then, shall we? Who's gonna win the next match?

I blinked and looked at the arena before glancing at my notebook, pages rustling frantically as I looked through. "Well, aside from the tensile strength of Sero's tape, there's also gonna be the strength of Sero's arms to consider. Tetsutetsu appears similar to Kirishima, so if we scale appropriately, Sero has a range advantage, but Tetsutetsu can withstand whatever Sero throws at him strengthwise."

The others nodded as my eyes turned to the fight. What's going to happen? No one knows.

My POV

I think I speak for both souls in this body when I say we never could have expected this much of a shift. But in hindsight, I should have. What kind of butterfly effect is occurring under my nose? I dunno.

"BEGIN!" Snap back to reality, whoop! There goes gravity!

Sero blasted tape at Tetsutetsu as he barreled ahead, the white substance coiling around the metalhead like a discount Spiderman web, restraining his arms.

Tetsutetsu struggled against the strands. He was shocked that his efforts weren't producing results. "What the- how the heck is this stuff so tough?!"

Sero grinned his trademark grin. "Hard work! Sorry to have to do this!"

He began to spin, yanking the tape and Tetsutetsu into the air, spinning him like a hammer throw. The same move as-

The black-haired boy hurled the metalhead towards the boundary. He bounced and rolled, wrapping himself up in the tape more and more until a nearly mummified metalhead rolled to a stop on the other side.

"Tetsutetsu is out of bounds! Sero wins!"

I stretched and arched my back. Sero learned that move from the entrance exam, and it seems he's powered up. Good for him.

While Deku busied himself with his notebook, Kirishima skidded into the seating section. "Aw man, don't tell me I missed it!"

I chuckled. "Sorry Red, you missed Sero's win against your clone from 1B."

"Hahahahahahaha!" A grating laugh sounded from the section next to us. Oh my Gamikai…

Monoma's borderline crazy face peered over the divider between 1A and 1B. "Clone?! Please. Only someone from Class A would be so entitled to think that Class B is copying them-"

*KLONK!*

A pipe struck the copycat's skull, stopping his tirade as he fell unconscious. A headbanded boy looked over the wall at us. "Sorry about him. Kendo usually keeps him on a leash, but she's not here right now."

I zipped over to the wall, with large eyes and probably sparkles if this were animated. "Awase, I can't thank you enough! My hero!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Bakugo, right? How do you know my name?"

The sparkles vanished as I cleared my throat and resumed a more dignified posture. "Kendo's a pal of mine. She has a few stories about her class to share."

"Gotcha." Awase nodded and proceeded to drag Monoma back to his seat. I hopped over to mine, vaulting over the back of the chair with glee.

"Bakugo, as a class representative, you really shouldn't take so much delight in Monoma's suffering, even if he is insufferable!" Iida seemed like he was seeing my point of view, in his own strict way. Still… he had a point.

"Yeah, maybe. I know I shouldn't let him get to me, but he's so irritating. He's just the Grand Central Station of irritation." Iida and Yaoyorozu both looked at me as if they couldn't quite believe me. Heh, I wondered when I'd make a DBZA reference.

"Calm down, guys. The next match is about to begin." Deku had a fresh page open, probably for Yanagi's Quirk.

Yanagi vs Kendo… hmmm…

Kendo POV

I stretched as I stood across from my opponent. Yanagi was clearly powerful, so a lot of eyes would be on her. How do I beat her though?

"Kendo. Don't hold back." A tired voice roused me from my thoughts. Yanagi's eyes met my own as she spoke.

That gave me pause. Yanagi wasn't weak per se, but compared to me or Midoriya or even Bakugo, she doesn't do nearly as well with physical combat.

"BEGIN!"

I was shaken out of my thoughts as the thrill of battle thundered through my veins. Yanagi could lift about the weight of a small person. As long as my hands are expanded, I doubt she'll be able to throw me.

I threw a punch downward, smashing the concrete. A few more quick punches, and I had two large pieces of debris. Scooping them up, I charged.

I hurled the cement chunks as I rapidly approached. Yanagi's eyes widened before she refocused. Concentrating, she managed to redirect the projectiles and cause them to miss. As her eyes turned back to me, she was met with a large fist sending her tumbling backward.

I raised my hand for an attck, waiting for her to rise again. It's only fair that I let her get up. That, and I don't want to seriously hurt her, but-

A pink glow enveloped my hand before it was yanked to the side to entirely miss the intended target. Yanagi gave a small smile before a neutral expression returned. "Sorry Kendo, but I'm going to try my best. I'll be even spookier than you."

My mind kicked in. Reeling back, I used the brace of the telekinesis as leverage to throw a dishwasher sized punch at my opponent. She startled for only a moment before hurling me to the side, my attack just barely missing.

I scrambled to find a foothold or grab onto something, but it was ultimately pointless as I was hauled out of the arena by my fist.

"Kendo is out of bounds. YANAGI WINS!"

I felt a little sting of defeat, but I felt myself smiling. Yanagi had grown so much since we first started class together. To see that growth as a class rep and as a friend, I'm proud of her.

Deku POV

"Nuts. I hoped she would pull through." I absently nodded at Kacchan as I stared down at the arena. Yanagi was walking toward the exit, chatting with Kendo. I glanced around the stands for a moment before my eyes landed on Toga. She seemed to be curious, but not very attached to the matches. Once I get onto the field, I suspect she'll be a lot louder. Kacchan told me she would be around, but told me to avoid her if possible. I wonder why that is?

"Iida, shouldn't you be headed to the prep room? Your match is coming up soon, and it would be a bad idea to not strategize." Iida paused at Kacchan's words. His match against Yaoyorozu would probably be tricky.

"Thank you, Bakugo." The motor legged boy headed to the door and toward the prep room.

"I should take my leave as well. I don't intend to lose in the first round." With a nod of farewell, Yaoyorozu followed suit, headed for the other prep room.

"Wait, who's fighting next again?" Ashido raised a brow from a row behind us. I thought for a moment. Wasn't it-

"AND NOW FOR OUR NEXT MATCH! FROM THE HERO COURSE, YUGA AOYAMA! AND ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE, NEITO MONOMA!"

Oh, that's right. I flipped to Aoyama's page and took a look."Aoyama's Quirk is Navel Laser. It's pretty powerful, but using it for more than three seconds at a time gives him a stomach ache. I don't know what Monoma's power is, but Aoyama will have to strike first if he doesn't want to wear himself out."

Kacchan nodded. "The first move is always important, but what if the fight goes on for a while?"

Kirishima spoke up from behind us. "Most of these first round fights have been pretty quick. I doubt either one of them is gonna last long."

He makes a good point. That being said… "Still, Aoyama will put himself out pretty quick if he doesn't take Monoma out fast."

"BEGIN!"

Monoma began with a flat out rush. "Come on, Class A boy! Show me what you're made of!"

"As you wish!" Attempted provocation? Is his Quirk like Shinso's? Aoyama fired his laser in bursts, the blasts twinkling past the target. He dodged them? Monoma closed the distance in a rapid zigzag and gripped Aoyama's arm. Wow, he's fast!

"You're all talk! Take this!" Monoma fired a laser of his own from his belly button at close range. He can copy Quirks?! No way! Aoyama was surprised enough that the blast shook him out of his stupor and sent him reeling for a moment. Once regaining his composure, he fired back right away, the two lasers colliding for a moment.

The copycat then stopped firing and doubled over in pain. He looked like Aoyama did at the start of the year. The laser blasts were weak enough to not permanently injure, but they did push Monoma backward.

"You may have copied my exquisite power, but you lack the panache!" Aoyama's composure was weakening with each blast, but he kept going, pushing his opponent to the edge of the arena, following him with each step until he too doubled over. Both parties stood in the arena, staring at each other while hunched over, not surrendering.

Aoyama slowly stood up. Monoma fired another belly button laser, which was dodged by its original wielder. "Thank you for the battle. Tres magnifique!"

With that, a final blast knocked the bent over Monoma out of bounds. Aoyama breathed heavily as he held his stomach for dear life.

"MONOMA IS OUT OF BOUNDS! AOYAMA WINS!"

Mitsuki POV

I sighed, frustrated at the TV. Waiting for the one match you want to see out of a whole round is annoying. Sure, Izuku's fight against that depressing looking kid was neat, but waiting for Katsuki's match to come on was a pain and a half.

I stood up and stretched. Thinking back to the Cavalry Battle, Katsuki was really relying on his teammates to help him out for tag team combos. I didn't raise a lone wolf, that's for sure. As I walked to the sink, I began to think. That brat was up and about and fighting so soon after the USJ when he was destroyed by a Villain. Who in their right mind would want to be a Hero after that?

I sighed. Katsuki was acting kind of lifeless the whole way home after that. If that weakling broke so early, doesn't that mean being a Hero is more than he can handle? No, that's weak talk. Katsuki's a kid, but he'll grow up to be really damn strong one day.

I grabbed a glass and got some water from the tap. I stared at it for a moment. If Villains targeted UA like that, that means Katsuki is going to get stronger from the experience. Question is, is that shit gonna happen again? I dunno.

I threw my head back, downing the water in one gulp and slamming the glass down on the counter.

*Caw*

I looked at the kitchen window. A crow? It was sitting in the tree outside the window, looking in curiously. Huh, guess when you take the rowdiness out of the house, they come around more often.

I looked at it closer. It noticed me… wait, what the hell? The bird flew off, its flapping creating a small ruckus as it left. As I watched it leave, I questioned what I saw…

Did I just imagine that that thing had a third eye? What the hell was in that water? You know what, fuck it, it was probably nothing. I was imagining things after staring at the TV for too long.

I plopped back down on the couch to watch the next match. Katsuki's match was the one right after this one, if I remember right.

Deku POV

"Hey Midoriya, who do you think is gonna win out of these two? Both of them seem like they have an advantage over the other." Ojiro and Kirishima leaned forward, the former having spoken. Kacchan and Uraraka had already left for the prep rooms, so I turned and talked to them.

"Both of them have Quirks that require high intelligence to use effectively, so they're probably already strategizing for potential outcomes. Iida has a speed and strength advantage, but Yaoyorozu can make anything as long as she has the knowledge. If she can withstand Iida's initial strike, and if she can slow him down, Yaoyorozu might just stand a chance."

I turned to the arena and watched as the combatants entered the arena. Iida vs Yaoyorozu… how was this going to go?

Iida snapped into a combat stance, while his opponent braced herself. I couldn't see their eyes from here, but it was clear that those two were plotting and scheming.

"BEGIN!"

Iida bolted forwards. Yaoyorozu formed a simple shield and blocked a jet-propelled kick with considerable effort. She seemed unfazed, as if expecting the amount of force. The speedster's hands shot for her shoulders, trying to grab and push her out, but the creator swatted his hands away with the shield.

She seemed to be concentrating on forming something else in her hand while she kept the other at bay. Unfortunately, Iida noticed this and landed another engine kick on the shield, pushing her further back. With a small grimace, Yaoyorozu held onto the object before the pink glow of creation ceased, revealing a small capsule.

She was backed into a corner against the line. Whatever this gal had in mind, it was obvious that she had to do it fast. Iida rushed towards her again, going in wide to not blast himself out of bounds with his opponent. When he was in range, Yaoyorozu hurled her capsule at the ground in front of him. The object exploded on the ground with a pale yellow liquid. As Iida stepped on it and carried his momentum, his shoes stuck to it. A glue trap! Nice! But at that speed, he would either hit the pavement or-

Iida's velocity and continuous engine boost tore the soles right off of his shoes as he gave one last-second bound, his engine bursting with blue flames. "RECIPRO BURST!"

Yaoyorozu's eyes widened as the leg flew towards her midsection, barely getting the shield in front before she was hammered out of bounds, tumbling across the concrete and onto the grass below.

"YAOYOROZU IS OUT OF BOUNDS! IIDA WINS!"

The blue haired boy leapt off the arena and ran over to check on the girl he had just beaten. Yaoyorozu pulled herself up, dejected at her loss. She gave Iida a weak smile as he congratulated her efforts, which quickly left her face as she held her arm. From my vantage point, I could see that Iida was chopping his arms and insisting on escorting her to Recovery Girl's office. He might act strict, but he really cares, that one.

My POV

I paced in circles around the room, wracking my brain. The tournament has changed so much due to the dimensional crack, does that mean that this match would be altered as well?

Uraraka was going to come up with a plan, and I knew what that plan was. I can't control my flight at all while under the influence of Zero Gravity, meaning her best bet was to touch me. Due to Sword Skill, even if I didn't use it on her directly, she would want to avoid close combat as well. And that's to say nothing of the power of Explosion. Yeah, she was going to use Explosion to her advantage, but what if she was gonna come up with a different plan this time?

Son of a burden, what is she gonna do this time? Even if Uraraka brings the rain like last time, was she going to change it up? Should I take initiative?

"Stop worrying, dumbass. You're a lot stronger than her, and you know what Round Face is going to do, so shut up with your second guessing. You can afford to let her strut her stuff before kicking her ass."

I sighed. "Look Grump, I know you're confident in what you think, but everything else has changed so much already-"

The original soul shouted for the first time since he'd awoken, giving me a minor headache. "SHUT UP! This match stayed the same, so the outcome is gonna be the same, so quit overthinking things, you idiot! Gonna psych yourself out."

I rubbed my head. He was right. He was out of line, but he was right. I sighed and began to walk toward the arena. I'll give her this, she has guts going through with the fight. "You sure you're not gonna take over? I don't want to decapitate Uraraka in a fit of rage."

"I've already tried. You're always in control because there's not enough of my soul there. Besides, it's Round Face. I doubt she's gonna push you that hard."

"...scathing assessment."

"But not inaccurate."

Oh for- "Whatever, let's just do this already."

Shigaraki POV

I sighed, growling to myself. That green haired kid… his power reminded me of some kind of third-rate All Might. I hate him already.

And that exploding sword kid was about to start. I hate him a lot. That little bastard killed the Nomu, and he's cheating by having two Quirks! I don't care what the Master says, I hate him!

The television beside me buzzed to life, the words "AUDIO ONLY" displayed on the screen. Master.

"Watch closely, Tomura Shigaraki. This boy will be one of your greatest assets going forward. Observe his strengths and weaknesses, like you did with that green haired boy from earlier."

"Of course, Master." I nodded, glaring at the screen as I waited for the match to start. Whatever he does, however important Master deems him, I still hate him for what he did. The TV flicked off, leaving me to stew in my hatred before the match started.

"Some water, Tomura Shigaraki?" I turned to see Kurogiri with two glasses of the stuff in his hands. I took one as he sat down at the bar. I considered him my only friend.

"Thank you."

We sat in silence for a moment before I spoke again. "Why do you think that Master is being so calm about this? That boy didn't kill Nomu, but he came close. A mere child nearly killed my Nomu!"

Two weeks later, and I still hadn't gotten over that. It just bugs me so much that I can't kill that brat. Kurogiri seemed to think for a moment before he turned to me. "All For One has always had a plan. He has plans on top of plans for all types of scenarios, so it's no wonder he's so calm."

I furrowed my brow, then slowly perked up as an idea hit me. "We had the heroes outnumbered there, but that wasn't enough. A bunch of fodder isn't going to hold against a champion. No… we need a different approach next time."

The fog man looked at me curiously. "What do you have in mind, Tomura Shigaraki?"

I scratched my neck absently as I thought. Maybe… I grabbed a deck of cards and pulled out a few. "Think of it like an RPG."

I placed two sevens, a 9, and three eights to the left of a king to illustrate. "We had good equips, but we still went against the big boss while at Level 1. That's why we lost."

I flipped the number cards over and placed a jack, a queen, and an ace face up on top of them. "What we need is a smaller group of better trained fighters. Fighters with good spells and base stats, and Giran can provide the gear."

"Only a single defeat and you've learned so much. You truly are impressive, Tomura Shigaraki."

I grinned behind Father's hand. "The brat is hiding something. Master doesn't trust anyone long term unless he has them in his hand. This kid might be an imposter. If he's fooling them so well, then I should follow suit."

Kurogiri raised a brow. "What do you have in mind, Tomura Shigaraki?"

"Wait and see, my friend. Wait and see."

My POV

"THE FINAL MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! FROM THE HERO COURSE, KATSUKI BAKUGO!"

I looked to the stands and saw Toga jumping and cheering for me. I gave her a big smile before turning to face my opponent.

Uraraka took a deep breath before staring me down determinedly.

I returned her look in full, getting into a combat position. "You know, you're not as weak as everyone thinks you are."

"What?" She looked confused, and perhaps a little concerned.

"I'm not gonna hold back, and I expect you to do the same!"

"BEGIN!"

With that, Uraraka was off like a shot, running low to the ground. I grinned and fired a blast to fly towards her. This was gonna be so fun!

That's a wrap! Hopefully my battle writing has gotten better since Chapter 9. How is everything going to move forward? What sort of changes will occur in Shigaraki? Moreover, what was the deal with that crow? Who knows!

Either way, I greatly appreciate you guys reading this, and I'm taking all of your critiques and praises into account. If you like, leave a review or PM, I always enjoy hearing from you.

See you next time!