Chapter 14 - A Perfect or Imperfect Strategy?

When the UA Sports Festival began, everyone with the right mind knew it was the last one standing, that was the harsh reality of a Pro Hero too. Despite those wanting to save lives for the sake of saving them, popularity played a role in it all, like celebrities, Yuki hated that. While she understood the reason, its a job, you need to make a living, sacrificing your morales simply for fame and fortune wasn't a hero though, atleast the ones that are only around for that purpose. This Calvery Battle was just like that, those of the bottom wanting to rise to the top by whatever means, it was a savage game, but again, that's the harsh reality of heroes of the present day.

But now she had to play the role because for her promise and Izuku's, they needed to fight for their own futures, even if that meant going against the other. Both turned to look at each other, and it was there, a wide gap that now separated them, Izuku felt ashamed, and Yuki... was afraid.

"These are the rules you must abide by!" Midnight proclaimed. "The game last fifteen minutes. Individual point values will be added together to reach your team's total, everyone will know how much you're worth based on the headbands your leader wears."

Yuki tuned out, realizing that with her point value she knew people will gun for her, making her conflicted feelings worse. She couldn't partner with Izuku but had to tell him that, she had to find a team she could trust but most look to have already started partnering up, she might end up in a two-person team at the rate the number of people dropped. This was bad, very bad.

Springing from a tap on the shoulder, Yuki spun to see the last person to look back at her. "Azuru, will you join my team?" Todoroki pulled her from her thoughts, and so with a small pause she held out a note

'I'm sorry, what?' Her question was met with an even stare, Yaoyorozu stepping forward

Todoroki nodded. "Right now there's the three of us, we'll need another but with our strengths, we can clear this round without much competition." He had planned this out so far. Yuki looked to Momo, then to Todoroki before complying. "Good, we'll need Iida too." Todoroki put a hand on his chin, but before they could strategize, Yuki gave him a note

'I'll be back, one moment' Spinning on a heel Yuki made a B-line for Izuku and Ocha, both their faces lighting up at her approach

"Yes, this is perfect! You'll side with us, right Yuki!?" Ocha basically begged her, but with a sad gaze, she shook her head, looking toward Izuku. "What!? Really!?"

"Yuki?" Both Izuku and Yuki stared at one another for a while, discord brewed in her mind, while Izuku struggled to find the words himself, they had made promises and said so many things, but in the end, there came a time they wouldn't always be there for each other, that was something they had to come to terms with

Neither spoke, and instead met at the edge of that gap, fists held close with a warmhearted smile on one end, and an unsure but calm gaze on the other. They bumped their fists together and both went their separate ways. "I swear Yuki." "I swear Izuku."

"I'll come at you with everything I got!"

With a team consisting of Todoroki, Momo, Iida, and Yuki herself, they had to plan out their next move. "I chose the three of you because we can form the most stable formation possible," Todoroki instructed, pointing to Momo. "Yaoyorozu, you'll provide us with camouflage and defense," Then to Iida. "Iida, we'll rely on you for speed and physical defense," Yuki was next, all while she conjured a new note to hand him. "Yuki, your goal is to keep enemies at bay, and will be our spotter in our blind spots."

She held out her note, and suddenly, all of their eyes lit up with shock. Todoroki gave her a critical look, then to his team. They had a strong group but the intel Yuki had just provided made her out to be more than some flashy Quirk user, she had strategized according to her note, and even during the race, he watched as each of his plans to slow the others down were easily outplayed by Yuki. He was glad she accepted his request, something told him fighting against her would have ended sourly.

"Thank you, this will be a big help," She gave a comedic salute. "Now then, let's do this."

"Right!"

'Aye Sir!'

"Are we to assume you'll be diverting everyone's attention with ice and fire?" Iida inquired, and something about that made Todoroki's stare harden toward the stands. Yuki didn't even know he could use fire, but if he was Endeavor's son then why not use his fire? Yuki scratched her head but Todoroki answered

"Not quite... when I'm in battle," His hand balled up. "I never use my left side." That confirmed all Yuki had suspected, her own eyes finding the Number Two Hero himself, watching from afar

"He's limiting himself over him? What happened, Todoroki?" Yuki no longer felt annoyed but more curious and worried for her teammate... her classmate. She shook it off, they had the battle to win and such dramatics could wait until later

~OKAY, ALL YOU FIRST YEARS I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY WITH YOUR CHOSEN TEAMS! WITH ALL OF YOU NOW READY, LET'S GET THIS BATTLE FOR THE TOP STARTED!~

~3!~

~2!~

~...1...~

"BEGIN!" Midnight declared and the teams took off

Yuki took a breath, she didn't like this, none of it she liked, but she had faith in Izuku, he would meet her at the end of this, he wouldn't lose and neither would she. Opening her eyes, she took a step forward, and all her allies looked to her, seeing her arms and legs begin to warp, while her eyes glowed a deep red.

SIVA | Enhance | Twelve Percent

"Let's move!" Todoroki declared and the three of them sped off toward their targets, unlike the rest, they didn't charge head-long into the battle for the ten million. Todoroki at first had planned to snag Izuku's headband, he was even wary of adding Yuki to his ranks but her note had made him realize a little more about her

'We can't go for headbands yet, we need to play it safe and wait until the tipping point occurs-' Her message, it kept their focus along the outside, watching as their opponents battled it out, however, there was one Yuki knew would become a problem, something her eyes caught onto quickly, feeling a rumble in the earth

She hooked her arms tightly to Momo and Iida, bending down to launch the four of them ten feet into the air. Behind them, a tower of the earth rose sharply, skimming her heel but they ultimately dodged the earth that slowly sank back down.

"Amazing, you actually dodged that!" All their eyes drew themselves to the four-man team before them. There was Ojiro and Yuga, their leader, Shinso, who looked back at them with a dead expression, at the front was the man himself, Jura. "I didn't believe it at first but you really do have a Quirk now! It's got me pumped!"

"It's-" Yuki slammed her hand over Iida's mouth, pointing to Ojiro. She had noticed it the moment they arrived, SIVA scanned them and came back with something unnerving. Ojiro was in some sleep-like trance. Which only meant one thing, Shinso had a Quirk that was controlling him

'Don't speak to Shinso, I have a bad feeling about him' Her note went unnoticed by their enemy as Shinso smiled down creepily to Yuki

"I see you found yourself a team without that plain-looking kid in it, guess he wasn't as important to you after all," Yuki bit her tongue, but he frowned, seeing her make no response. "Well then, I'll be taking that headband now."

"Sorry 'bout this, but if you make it to the third round I hope we can fight!" He grinned sharply, the earth began to rumble. "After all, I wonder which of our Quirks would come out on top! Metal or Earth!"

Yuki tapped Todoroki's leg, in seconds he sent off a sharp glacier of ice, blocking two large blocks of rock from striking them, one a mere millimeter from Yuki's legs, quickly they ran around the wall, now under the cover of a white mist. "Good call, while I don't get the deal with that guy, your old friend seems to control earth."

'True, he's a blockhead but really gifted in manipulating the earth. He can essentially propel rock forward like pillars, but they slot back into place afterward' Jura, even back when Yuki knew him long ago, he was really good with his Quirk, makes her wonder how he didn't end up beating someone else for a spot in 1-A, not that she wanted that of course

"Then we best avoid their team for the rest of this match," Iida added. Just then, something new appeared in Yuki's vision, someone was directly behind them somehow. Kicking her foot against the ice sheet she kicked back a large chunk of the ice, bringing part of the wall down while Momo conjured together a large number of bouncy balls, whoever was behind us yelled and were buried in snow and ice

"Keep moving, fifteen minutes won't go by quickly." They all nodded and continued their defensive tactic

They had reached the halfway mark, and in no time at all, Yuki's intel was proven fact. "It seems we chose the wiser option." Todoroki tapped Yuki's shoulder, earning a thumbs up with a wink. "Her information was right." In a blinding speed, the three of them jumped together, Iida and Yuki spinning them into a small whirlwind to knock a skinny hand away from Todoroki's back

They stopped spinning in the air, with Yuki holding out both her hands, with two burst shots of energy the smug-looking Neito looked a little star-struck as his team were thrown back, and with a middle finger raised by Yuki, Todoroki divided them with an ice wall, cutting off their attack completely. With a slight lift, Momo conjured a pair of rollerblades on hers and Yuki's feet

"It's down to a fraction of us with numbers left, Class 1-B had been taking them from people's blind spots, but now they'll think twice when it comes to ours." Todoroki murmured, their team jogging along as they finally came face-to-face with the group he had been after for a while, the person that he found so perplexing while Yuki dreaded to fight

Izuku stared back at them, looking slightly nervous when in comparison to the glare Todoroki sent his way. "I'll be taking that now." His words were simple and cold. Izuku talked with his team and from how they moved they were ready to evade, Todoroki wouldn't let his chance slip away. "Iida, forward! Yuki, stop the flanking team!"

"Got it!" Iida complied and Yuki shifted her attention on using three bursts from her palms to keep Tsu and Shoji at bay, the two of them unable to bring Kaminari any closer

"Yaoyorozu be ready to protect us!" Again, she started to conjure more equipment while Yuki flinched at her name. "Yuki-" She hesitated but looked back at her best friend's team with a glare. "Voltage cable!"

She nodded without hesitating, a cape of insulated fabric covering their team while Yuki raised a hand to the sky, her fingers releasing a number of small metal balls high into the air around the several other competitors. In the instant she ceased her tossing she clicked her fingers, sending a red current of lightning through one of the small orbs, in seconds, a cage of red lightning sprouted around those not covered by insulating material, even with Kaminari's immunity his allies were immobilized.

Yuki had been working as they played defense, attaching a nanite to each of the ping-pong sized balls, storing them in pouches across her body, and with a flick of her wrist they flew, now active the sharp, strong current of energy joined its brethren and as such, shocked everyone to their very core.

"Less than six minutes left, its time to make a move!" Todoroki grabbed the metal pole from Momo and sent the flow of ice down the bar, creating the same floor of ice as before, only now no one could move an inch

"It worked!" Momo praised, while Yuki rubbed her nose smugly, then noted that Izuku hadn't been caught thanks to the tech he had on, something Yuki knew he knew she shouldn't get her hands on

~WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT!? HE STOPPED ALL THOSE TEAMS COLD IN THEIR TRACKS!~

~But only after Azuru had sent a powerful shockwave using metal balls to immobilize them~

~IF YOU'RE LOST, HERE'S THE RUNDOWN. TODOROKI REALIZED HE NEVER CAUGHT MANY PEOPLE WITH THE SAME TRICK BACK AT THE RACE, SO THIS TIME AROUND HE ADAPTED TO HIS MISTAKE~

~GREAT COMMENTARY FROM YOU BOTH!~

While they had the chance they snagged the other headbands too, leaving a wall of ice behind as Yuki saw that their gear was starting to fail, something that wouldn't have been a problem if Yuki was there, she shook her head, she needed to focus on winning but if they took Izuku's headband would he be able to get more points? Doubt started to sink in, even while Momo fought on to stop Dark Shadow's lunge, Todoroki noticed her conflicted gaze and kicked her back.

"Focus on the fight!" He yelled, her eyes narrowed up at his, he knew fine rightly she hated this but still decided to help him. "If you can't even fight then why bother being here."

'If being a hero means fighting your friends then no wonder you're enjoying this' Her note was tossed aside as they continued their advance on Izuku's team. Two walls of the ice made previously had boxed them in, and they weren't far from catching them completely. Even so, Todoroki hadn't the time to argue with Yuki, not if she was going to be difficult, but she didn't back down, but her eyes kept wavering

"Why does it matter if he wins or loses? You should be worried about your own goals not for the people that don't matter?" Every moment he watched her interact with everyone, he kept asking himself why she wanted to play nice with everyone. Perhaps it was just him thinking of how he never actually had a life like hers, but as a hero, good times and happy thoughts didn't make you the best, progress did!

"Midoriya's staying at a distance and keeping to my left side, from this position I'll hit Iida, not a bad move," Todoroki looked to the wavering mask of Yuki. "Azuru doesn't want to do this but is still willing to keep others off our backs, atleast that's a good defense but most of my tactics rely on her power at long range. There's not much time left."

"Everyone, we have less than sixty seconds," Iida spoke up. "I'm going to do something that will make me useless to you, but it's worth it."

"What are you going to do?" Todoroki didn't like the sound of that, but if it got them the win it might be their best chance. Iida steadied himself

"Just be sure to get that headband..." Something started to charge in his calves, Yuki saw power beginning to build in the exhausts, and the higher the pressure got the more she felt she should hold on tightly. "Brace yourselves, hold on tight! Torch Over!"

In a small sonic blast, their bodies were thrown faster than Yuki had ever gone without augments, Izuku barely got a word out before she saw his headband vanish, Todoroki having already grabbed it the second they boosted. "Recipro Burst!"

By the time they came to a halt, they had stopped on the other half of the arena, with Iida's legs producing black smoke as a result. Even President Mic had no idea how Iida had produced such a move. Yuki was shellshocked but managed to keep her wits about her as they allowed Iida time to rest.

"Iida, what was that?" Todoroki asked, never expecting to move so fast either

"I put my Quirk and RPM into overdrive, which gave me explosive power, unfortunately, the recoil stalls my engines for a while, it was a secret move I kept secret from the class," He turned his eyes to Izuku, and he smiled challengingly. "I told you Midoriya, I'd do my best to beat you." Yuki flinched at that, slowly relaxing at her own thoughts being spoken by Iida too

"Am I... really that stupid?" Iida was Izuku's friend too, and he sided with Todoroki, he had to push himself too without his friends, but he was more certain of his goal. Yuki... let some moral code and other thoughts cloud her own conscience. She lowered her head a little. "Sorry Izuku, guess I nearly did go back on my word," Taking a breath, she stood tall with the rest of her team

'This fight isn't over, keep on guard!' Yuki handed Todoroki, her hands channeling more red energy for any would-be attackers. To her hidden grin, Izuku hadn't given up yet, charging toward them at full speed, but what had her on edge was that his arm started to glow with cracks of red as his skin heated up

"Crap, he's going all out!" Yuki braced herself. Above, something heated up above her hair, and as their teams clashed a final time, she saw flames dance along Todoroki's arm, his eye blazing with anger. "Oh craaaap they're going all out!" Yuki shrugged and charged the energy into her left arm, preparing to blast them away

*FWOOSH*

Izuku knew Yuki would try and attack from below, and he didn't actually want to hurt anyone, he just needed to use the wind pressure to knock away their attack and defense. He lunged with his right arm, reaching for any of the hidden bands. Without warning, he snagged one of the headbands while Todoroki was still in shock. He didn't know if it was the ten million, but it was still points and that put him back on the board.

~THE GAME IS ALMOST OVER!~

"Tokoyami!" The shadow lunged again, but Yuki was ready this time without Todoroki's instruction, letting forth the condensed energy she had as it struck Dark Shadow, locking the umbral spirit in place. From behind, explosions broke through the ice followed by the death glare from Kacchan

"Deku!" "Bakugo!" "Uraraka!" "Let's go!"

"Yaoyorozu!" In seconds she created a new staff for Todoroki to completely encase in ice, while Yuki tapped into fifteen percent again, her hands overflowing with plasma while her heart raced in her throat, Iida couldn't move and they were flanked on both sides, they had to stand their ground until the end now!

"Dammit Icy-Hot!" Kacchan screamed from above, Yuki's hand leveled with his chest. Each were gunning for the ten million while they were forced to let their enemies come at them. It was going to be an explosive, arctic bloodbath any second now

~TIME'S UP!~

Everyone stopped their attacks, Kacchan just felt flat on his face

~AND WITH THAT THE SECOND ROUND IS OFFICIALLY OVER!~

"Dammit..." Todoroki looked to his left arm as though the sight of it disgusted him, while Yuki sat down with her legs crossed, poking his thigh. He leered down at her, seeing another note. "What?"

'I think I get it now. Your fire... you hate it, don't you? You hate him?' Now his reaction was far less covered, his eyes released all the bottled anger, ironically as an inferno swelling in his pupils, while he did his best to keep his mouth shut, turning away from her. He didn't say a word, but from how he reacted it was clear he and his dad had bad blood between them, and while just a nosy theory of hers... she had an idea as to what... she just prayed for once her intuition was wrong

While the teams moving forward were announced, Yuki stood up and overheard Todoroki muttering about 'him winning', so that only confirmed it further but right now she didn't feel excited at all, just... tired. Taking off without thanking Iida or Momo she wandered back to the tunnel, hoping to be alone for a moment as Izuku balled his eyes out about something, the sight of his tears creating a fountain did lighten her mood, but as she entered the tunnel she slammed her fist into the wall, splitting her skin.

"I hesitated the entire time. I was happy, then doubtful, I couldn't look him in the eyes at all..." Yuki held her eyes shut, pulling away to walk down the tunnel in solitude. "I failed you Izuku, you got to move on, but I nearly cost you your chance for my own, hell I nearly cost my team the right to move on, I didn't want to... but I had no choice..."

"Should I just... stop trying? He knows where to go in learning to harness One For All, why need me, huh?" She kicked the ground, sitting down with her arms wrapped around her legs as she kept her eyes to her knees. "I should just let him be until this all over, win or lose I can't stand out without him, but with me, he can't hope to either. And I care too much to take away all his glory, I can't... lose my best friend."

The finals would begin after lunch, but Yuki didn't feel hungry at all.

Yuki continued to walk around the stadium, keeping to herself while she tried to figure things out in her head. But nothing was clear, between seeing the hatred Todoroki had for his father, it explained his ambition for beating her and Izuku, he knew of their connection to All Might, so it made sense to prove he could win by beating them without his fire, atleast, that's her theory. The hardest part was what Yuki wanted, to show the world she was a hero, that her power, SIVA, could be strong enough to save others, Izuku, he wanted to stand with her, to show the world a glimmer of what could be the next Symbol of Peace. Both had a dream, but could they really stand under the same spotlight? Would she outshine his power? Was she a hindrance?

Despite having wandered away from any place with alot of people, Yuki found herself faced with another student. "I talked with Midoriya," Todoroki spoke, but from the monotone glare he received from her he came across the last person he expected to find at the wrong time. "You don't seem happy, even though you both got what you wanted."

'Don't... I'm still grasping the reality of my own stupidity thank you' She tossed between them, he looked from the note then to her, noting how tired her mask's eyes looked. 'I get it, you know? I can't stick by him forever, but that to me doesn't feel right, can't anyone get that? I'm not sticking by Izuku only because we're friends, I'm sticking by him because he's the only one I ever had after-' She disintegrated the page before Todoroki could see any more

A pregnant pause broke between them, both unsure how to begin, so Todoroki exhaled slowly, looking back at her while she put her back to the wall. "I won't go into detail, but I told him of a promise I broke to win that match, and from how you replied I can assume you figured out why I'm here, why I don't have the time or patience for friends or you and his little 'promise' he told me of."

Yuki nodded slowly. 'Your dad's forced you down the road to defeat All Might, hasn't he?' Her question was met with silence, again, she seemed to be right. Though it would help if he did actually reply. 'I'm not looking to pry into your life, that's not my place, I'm only saying this, remember what I gave you before the start of this Festival?' His eyes gleamed at that, picking out the same page from his pocket

"You said 'if you're trying to prevent yourself from becoming someone else, you might just end up as a variant of that same spite'. You're right, but unlike my father I won't end up like him, I'll beat All Might by beating both of you, without his cursed fire." He spat, finally showing her the side she wanted. Taking a page from her friends, she persisted

'You and I are alike, even if only a little' She held her head toward the sun outside, arms crossed while seeing Todoroki's eyes twitch with surprise at her words, flicking it around he continued to read. 'We both have trained under a Pro, mine is All Might's... he saved me long ago... you had your dad... though by force, in the end, we're who we are because of those people, they don't dictate our lives, all they did was give us the starting point of who we're going to be'

She sighed, stepping closer to Todoroki with her fist tapping against his shoulder with curved eyes. 'I know you're a good person, and I have nothing against you or how you've been toward me and Izuku. So if we meet out there on the battlefield, I'll not hold myself back, no more doubts or fears, okay? That I promise you personally' She took her fist away, seeing him stare back with a pool of questions and emotions she can't pinpoint

Walking back into the sunlight, Yuki paused, feeling a fist against her shoulder blade. "Then if we do meet, I won't hold back either, whether it's you or Midoriya, I'll do what I can to forget my promise... my fear, in honor to your own." If Yuki could laugh she would because he had quite a sense of pride around him. With a wave, she winked back at him while tossing another note. "You really do litter alot."

'These degrade, duh. But yes, I'll see you out there, hopefully, if not, then I'll cheer for you ;)' While an unorthodox meeting, both enemies walked away with a new sense of focus. Yuki was overthinking like Izuku, maybe this came with all the nonsense that played up when she was with him, but while she needed to confide in Izuku later, she was glad Todoroki was atleast hearing her out

Todoroki just watched her walk away with a skip. "In only a day she had shown many sides of herself, and she's managed to get me to let down my own walls in that regard. She can be a little childish and nosy," For once that day, he exhaled humorously, a ghostly smirk playing at his lips. "For what it's worth, I can see now why you stick by him now atleast."

"PFFT!" One of the very few sounds anyone could hear come from Yuki's mouth was her trying to hold back a laugh, even though she now toppled over in silent humor, her stomach hurting from not eating and having to see all the girls of her class in cheerleader outfits. "Oh My God, it worked, you beautiful bastards did it!"

Kaminari and Kirishima were busy talking before the Festival were to begin, but both turned, dumbfounded to see Yuki sliding over suspiciously on her feet, eyes half rectangular ovals again while handing them a note, without a word she gave a thumbs-up and slid away into the darkness.

'Hey, so when lunch rolls around I got a super-serious mission for the two of you, it may seem dishonorable but I'm a girl so it's fair game. So anyway, I wonder how the girls would feel being cheerleaders for a while, eh? Could be fun~'

"Hey, nice plan," Kirishima chuckled, obviously going along with Yuki's evil plan. I mean, sure, it was embarrassing but it was funny at the same time, definitely bringing the mood back. Both bumped fists as Jiro noticed them

"It was you!?" She screamed, a blush staining her face, both patted each other's backs and made a full retreat. "Dammit, Yuki!"

"Oooo, so worth it!" Yuki agreed, turning to see someone passing Todoroki who watched from afar, and Yuki felt her chest swell with anxiety. 'Thanks for yours and Kaminari's aid, my guy' With a wave she left his side and jogged up to Izuku. He couldn't even begin to register Yuki's tackle until he was wrapped in her arms tightly, both spinning once while he gasped

"Y-Yuki!" He blurted out a little loud but after freeing him she held out a note. "'I'm Sorry', Yuki, what are you sorry for?" He was befuddled at first, but then remembered during the Cavalry Match when he came face-to-face with Todoroki, she couldn't look him in the eye, and a number of his defensive attacks had to be blocked by Yaoyorozu instead

'For how I've acted, I've just been... conflicted lately, from promises and stupid fits of pointless drama to myself-' She looked frazzled just standing here. '-Guess it was just alot to bear in one day and I kinda started to feel like I was going to be left behind or outshine you, as I said, it's stupid, honestly' She shook her head shamefully but without saying anything Izuku held her hands gently, looking just as ashamed as Yuki felt

"I get it, I'm sorry too, I did my best to avoid running into you because I was afraid of putting more pressure on you, after everything you've done for me I wanted to prove myself, to show you I can stand on my own without always needing you to risk your life for mine," Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat. "I want to be worth standing next to you, but I didn't realize how stressful it must have been for you. You felt obligated to help me, but were too scared encase you became a hindrance, but you're not!"

He lifted her chin, her eyes still downcast with shame, with a smile he flicked her metal nose, causing her to blink widely. "I want to win," He spoke softly, holding her right hand and his left tightly between them. "I want to be the hero you and All Might believe in, but even if that means I'm alone some days, I swear... I swear I won't leave you behind!"

Despite not realizing they weren't alone, neither of them cared as Yuki held Izuku tightly, both finally able to let go of their doubts and frustrations. As heroes, standing out together is twice as hard then if you did it alone, both of them knew this, Yuki knew it was the harsh way of life, but she didn't care, if it were hard then so be it, if they fell behind then they'll grow stronger in their own time. Whatever the case may be, she wouldn't be a hindrance, because Izuku has always been her strength.

Izuku held her around the waist, head buried in her shoulder while taking a large breath. "I know we swore to All Might to make a statement to the world, but if I can..." His arms gripped Yuki tighter. "I hope I can also make the same claim to Yuki."

"I can become a hero, not only for my dream but for Izuku... for Nana and my parents."

~NOW THEN, THE TOP FOUR TEAMS WILL NOW BE DUKING IT OUT IN ONE ON ONE TOURNAMENT STYLE FIGHTING COMPETITION!~

Yuki was starting to get revved up for the fights ahead, SIVA having been put through the wringer in such a short amount of time, but with her confidence ignited and her focus on taking the top from her friends she hadn't room for doubt. Her and Izuku would show the world who they were, and if they fought, they'd finally keep their word to All Might.

"Aw yeah, finally a chance to show what we're made of," Kirishima looked pumped up. "I watched these finals every year and now I'm finally in them!" Yuki bumped her hip to his, both creating a spark between them. "Hey, no hard feelings if we're up against each other, right?"

'I will make you fear my laser face' That had him fired up even more, while the others wondered if Yuki was being genuine. Pfft, she wished it were possible but SIVA would need to be at around eighty percent

"Now then, come and draw lots to see who you'll be up against." Midnight held out the box, and yet while they drew their numbers one-by-one Midnight was interrupted before she could declare the pairs by Ojiro raising his hand, and that look in his eyes, he was hesitant and angry

"Um, excuse me, sorry, but I'm withdrawing," Now that had everyone gasp

While everyone didn't outright force him to stay, they did, however, remind him it was a great opportunity for his career, and that he'd be putting himself in an unfavorable position. But Yuki knew why since her eyes locked to Shinso, but he looked away dismissively, his Quirk allowed him to control others, but how it worked was still unclear, was it his voice or through contact? Yuki didn't want Iida talking before encase it were the former.

He gazed down at his palm. "I don't remember anything until the very end of the Calvery Battle, I... think it was that guy's Quirk but I'm not sure. Despite that, I know this is a great opportunity, but my mind won't let me advance after being used as someone's puppet, it wouldn't be fair."

Putting a fist to his shoulder, Yuki shrugged. 'Don't feel ashamed for this, your choice is your own, I know I've had doubts about sticking to this Festival so I understand where you're coming from.'

He relaxed with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Yuki," He then sweated. "I... honestly don't think I could beat you anyway."

'Eh, never know my Quirk can be... temperamental' She shrugged, the tension now lifted as Midnight cracked her whip after a moment of pondering, agreeing to let him exit the match-ups

Take | That | Back

"Oh you know it's true..." Yuki huffed, then, after a while to randomize the pairs their names and order flashed on all the screens. As it turns out another from Class 1B decided to drop out for the same reason, something to do with Shinso's Quirk, but with one less team, it only took a few words from their representative, Kendo to send two of her class into the bracket. "She seems nice, atleast alot more than that weird blonde with the bowl haircut."

Round 1A - Izuku Midoriya vs. Hitoshi Shinso
Round 1B - Azuru Yuki vs. Jura Nakami
Round 1C - Mei Hatsume vs. Tenya Iida
Round 1D - Hanta Sero vs. Shoto Todoroki

Round 1E - Yuga Aoyama vs. Mina Ashido
Round 1F - Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Momo Yaoyorozu
Round 1G - Eijiro Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Round 1H - Ochaco Uraraka vs. Katsuki Bakugo

Upon seeing her own name light up on the bracket, Yuki gulped at the sight of the name she least wanted to see from the getgo. At the second mark, she'd be facing Jura himself. Both shared a look, both with anticipated excitement. "Here we go, I wonder just how strong you've gotten, Jura."

"Now, with the line-ups ready we have a few minigames between now and the first match between Izuku Midoriya and Shinso Hitoshi, what you chose to do at that time, be it participating or readying yourselves for your match is up to you!" Midnight declared and that got the crowd going as the group broke away to conduct their own business

"Oh come on, why does that keep happening!?" Yuki had Kirishima held back from butting heads with Tetsutetsu, both of them pitted against the other. "Come on, how come you get to fight the guy controlling rock, that's so my kind of fight!"

'You don't want to, believe me' He stopped fighting and blinked at Yuki's stern gaze. 'Jura is like you in a way that he never gives up, but his power over the earth... even in the Caverly Battle... he was holding back'

"Is he really that strong?" Izuku inquired, never seeing Yuki so tense about a fight, say for when it was a battle she had to push herself in. Already she had to go all out, Izuku didn't know if he was more afraid of Jura or the red aura surrounding Yuki. He carefully put a hand on her shoulder, sweating alot at her increasing focus. "Yuki, um, you okay?"

Her head moved like a rusty joint. Then they both turned to see Shinso greeting them without sunshine or rainbows, but it was enough to put them both on edge. "So I finally have a name, Izuku Midoriya." He didn't look as serious as before though. "You excited?" Yuki nodded with a pump of her fist, while Izuku went to speak

"Yea-" Both her hand and Ojiro's tail covered his mouth, and Shinso wore a cunning smirk. Izuku blinked, then remembered what they had talked about, he was an idiot he could have easily been tricked

"Well then, I look forward to our fight, both of ours." His confidence brimmed with malice, even the three of them could see that much. Just then, Ochaco came and broke the ice, looking ready to explode on the spot

'Um... yeah you look... stressed?' Yuki carefully worded, her hand, slash pom-pom waved in Kacchan's direction, seeing him scoff then walk-off without a word

"Oh no! Does he want to kill me! Maybe not! Yeah, that's it, right?" She practically vibrated, but he steeled her resolve and glared back at Kacchan. "I won't lose to you, Kacchan!"

"Huh? I have an Icy-Hot Bastard, a Mute, and a worthless runt to kill, sorry." Both girls froze while he turned and walked away, leaving them starstruck

'Holy crap he apologized... woah!' Yuki couldn't believe it, he does have a heart... in a minefield. Resting her hand atop Ocha's hair she sighed with a note. 'Hate to say it, Ocha but his fists don't discriminate, my experience has taught me that' Ocha gulped

"You know, who cares!" She agreed with Yuki, pumping her pom-poms into the air. "I can beat him, I'll prove to Kacchan I'm not weak!"

"Well, give Kacchan's future girlfriend credit, she had spunk." Yuki clapped for her while the activities for the afternoon got on there way

In only an hour, the minigames had come to a close, all the competitors now sat in the stands or in solitude for the fight for the top of the board. Yuki had a vow to keep. Izuku had to prove himself. Todoroki focused on his pride to fight Yuki or Midoriya for the top spot. And Kacchan was ready to blow them all away.

~AFTER ALL THE BATTLES YOU'VE PROBABLY WITNESSED ITS TIME FOR THE REAL BATTLES TO BEGIN!~

~IT'S NOW EVERY MAN FOR THEMSELVES AS ONLY ONE CAN REMAIN IN THIS BACK-TO-BACK LINEUP!~

~Why am I here...? Get ready to go beyond...~

~Plus Ultra...~ ~PLUS ULTRA~ ~PLUS ULTRA~

~SEE? TOLD YOU HE'D LIKE IT, AIN'T THAT RIGHT, MUMMY MAN?~

~...Leave me alone...~

To Be Continued...

And done! Man, this one was a little hard to write, I might have messed up a little so apologies but I did try and recreate some of the aspects of this section of the Arc. As for the 'crazy' mentality that's been plaguing Yuki she, again, had no real friends until UA so between Todoroki's past, the promises to All Might and Izuku, coupled with her own desires it all sorta stressed her completely. Just thought I clear that up.

I hope you enjoyed, appreciate the support, seeya in the next chapter, Plus Ultra!

Next Chapter: The Perfect Match of Metal and Earth

The heat of battle ensues as Yuki must grit her teeth as Izuku is forced into a match he wasn't ready for. Yuki, on the other hand, will need to push herself to even hope to clear the first round and keep her promise, but a dreadnaught of earth stands in her way