Eiko began her stretches. Or more accurately, 'Eillia' began to do so. Besides Gyari calling Izu ugly and demanding death, today had been a good day. She saw Izu in a dress, got to spend all day with him, and Ameri would be by their bench too. This was the best day ever! "I hope I stand out enough! I need that special spotlight stealing talent Izu has in him!"

"Well you're not going to stand out like that." One girl spoke to her. Oh, was this competition? "You aren't even stretching right." So there was something she wanted to say about her form?

"What do you mean? Am I bending my knees or something?"

"You're not bending your knees, that's the problem." Another girl spoke. What scientific explanation was there to this? "How are they supposed to see how cute your face is if you leave it near the ground?" … What?

"Don't you know, nobody takes the running race seriously." The first girl giggled. "None of us here are big athletes for the most part. So we take advantage by purposely walking slowly, pretending to trip, all that stuff."

"Isn't … isn't this entire competition about winning the most events?" Eiko asked, feeling what Izu commonly referred to as, 'drained and dreading'.

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean we can't milk the attention for all it's worth. Also, how are we supposed to look cute by straining how we run?" A third girl explained. "I might make a face, so I need to play it dainty and innocently."

"So...everyone here holds back on purpose….just for the pity eyes…" Something in her was starting to snap at that.

"Well besides a few groups. Like the Beebers." She gestured at the boy posing for the girls. "Or the Gyari Gang." A girl in a crow mask glared daggers.

"So none of you are going to put one hundred percent into this race…" Purposely losing, purposely putting themselves in crutches, not showing off everything they've learned and putting effort in...

"Of course we do, we put one hundred percent into looking cute!" A girl defended. … Alright, so this is what Izu and Azz felt like when they wanted to murder someone out of principal instead of legitimate annoyance.

"HeheheheheheeheheehHEEHEHEHEEHEHEHEEHEH!" The girls started backing away from her laughter, not that there was a point as the starter pistol was about to be fired. "Sure. Go ahead. Drag yourself down. But, if there's one thing I've learned about competition of any kind…"

"GOO!"

"It's to give it a hundred and fifty percent, bitches!" She began running faster and faster, the smile still on her face. "Looking cute while running? Clara does that all the time, and I vowed to surpass her everywhere I go!" She kept up the dash, only two others close, the crow and the boy.

"What the...she's sprinting ahead...and that smile is adorable!" The boy quickly faded into the background, leaving her and just the crow.

"What the...how is something so short and shrimpy like you so fast!?"

"I've been running for my life constantly trying to keep up with the one I love…...!"

"Eillia is in the lead, powered by love and muscles. This girl is on a roll with nothing in her path, already seconds to the finish line!" The announcer shouted, the distance made her pick up even more speed.

"...And there's nothing more cuter in this world than smiling when the odds are stacked against you!" Determination was Izu's best look after all. "So go ahead and earn your pity, I'm aiming for something beyond that!" The finish line snapped, with her beating the crow by a good three feet.

"And she's taken the win, what an upset folks!" The crowd went wild as she waved to it. Truly, one of her best days. Plus Ultra, bitches.


Lied sat back with the others as Izuku went to the cliff, waiting for his mark. "So they really barely try?" Eiko asked them. "I thought you said they purposely got athletic people for this event?"

"They do, but even then, a Demdol's top priority is to stand out with their cuteness." Kuromu explained with an eye roll. "Not many see how hard it takes to look cute all the time. Fortunately I've found friends who take everything to an unhealthy extreme and look cute while doing so."

"Then why am I here?" Lied asked. "I'm not cute at all."

"False, the moment you put on that dress at the Harvest Festival, I knew you had the cuteness needed for being a demdol. I wouldn't have relieved so much of my stress back then without it." Huh, that was actually pretty flattering, embarrassment aside.

"On your marks … get set … GOOO!" Izuku started off strong, generating pink spikes from his sleeves and using them to climb.

"Oh, it seems Izumi is going strong, but isn't it against the rules to use objects?" The first commenter asked.

"As long as it's generated by magic during the specific event they're used in, it's fair use." The second answered. "It's a matter of quick thinking and how cute they can make it."

"Wow, looks like Izumi is more than just a cute face then! She has brains as well!" They weren't disqualifying him, so they could abuse that ability all they want.

"So Izuku can just make whatever he wants with the class's bloodlines?" Kurumo asked Eiko.

"Yeah, right now he's using Clara's and Sabro's combined. Sabro's alone probably would've been a better choice but any metal he got his hands on wouldn't be as adorable looking as the pink he just made."

"Why is there a problem with using both?"

"It's hard to do without the suit." Lied added. "And right now he doesn't have access to it considering …"

"Right, not cute at all." There was also SECRET IDENTITY but whatever floats your boat. "He's in the lead. Tied with the goat from Gyari's team."

"SLOW DOWN YOU UGLY TWERP!"

"WHAT? I CAN'T HEAR YOU! I'M TOO FAR AHEAD TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING!"

"YOU ARROGANT BITCH!"

"NO LITERALLY, I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I THINK THERE'S SOME ROCKS HEADING YOUR WAY!"

"CUUUUNT!" The goat screamed, trying to hang on despite the avalanche.

"Language ladies, you may be angry but kids are watching." The first announcer spoke.

"WHAT?! SORRY, IS SHE GOING TO BE OKAY? DO I NEED TO GET A DOCTOR FOR HER?!"

"Aw, look at that everyone, Izumi's a bleeding heart too! Isn't that adorable!" The second announcer had the whole crowd cooing.

"... I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP GOING, IF NO ONE IS CONCERNED SHE'S PROBABLY FINE ENOUGH!" Izuku kept climbing.

"... Is she going to be okay?" Ameri asked, pointing at the rockslide.

"Gyari wouldn't pick anyone that couldn't survive something as trivial as lava, that's nothing." Kuromu shrugged. "At the very least, this event is in the bag."


Kuromu watched the Demdols toss, or in more pathetically cute turns roll, the giant ball across the field. "What practical application needs a ball that big to be tossed?" Izuku asked, confused.

"Inflatable balls and treats are tossed off the stage occasionally, helping keep the crowd entertained and engaged while Demdoll catches their breath. Holding an entire concert is about thinking of little details like that."

"Alright, I guess I can buy that … the competition doesn't seem to be very stiff." True, the farthest shot was still a ways off from even twenty meters. Next to the plate was one of the Beebers, who blew kisses into the crowd.

"Here comes the Beeber team, you can just hear the crowd go wild!" … About one fraction of the stadium went wild. Literally no one else did it.

"And now I realize you made the right call putting us in these clothes." Izuku sighed. "We wouldn't have any of the crowd's attention at all."

"Yep, hard to compete with true Demdoll cuteness." She spoke." But they broke the twenty meter mark, now we need to beat forty meters."

"Well probably more, Gyari's group is a bunch of legitimate monsters." Lied watched a lion mask make her way to the plate.

"I don't get it, what makes them 'cute' compared to everyone else?" Izuku asked with confusion.

"They're a unique brand that combines Cool and Edgy into their own improvised cuteness with sheer charisma and talent." Lied spoke with stars in his eyes. Probably would need to leash the boy if this kept up.

"Is the punk style really that unique around here?" Izuku asked. "Seems like something everyone would get into."

"Not so much for music … but for Demdols it is. They're the only people that managed to be cute while being punk." Kuromu stated. "After all, could you imagine anyone else making a motorcycle covered with spikes, skulls, and flames cute?"

"Rule 34 would beg to differ." Kerori had no clue why she shivered just now.

"It seems that the new score to beat is a solid sixty!" Shouted the first announcer.

"Only the Gyari gang can manage to make raw power look adorable, take note of that peace sign combined with the ballet-like strain on her toes." The second was observed with a shutter camera.

"That's going to be tough for Eiko." Lied sighed, and she couldn't disagree. "I love her like a sister, but I'm not that confident about her chances.

"If she had her gear she might be able to make a power arm, but she's not one to break the rules." They turned to Izuku. "I mean in this type of situation of course. Well, we're a team, and we support her to the end. You can do it, Eillia!" Izuku shouted to the girl, who blushed and waved back.

"Eillia Ellia, she's our gal, gonna knock it out the park!" Clarine cheered with her pom poms, trying to drag Ameri into it.

"Go Oni...you can do it or whatever.." Curb your enthusiasm, madame president. Your jealousy is showing.

"She's winding the pitch, right now it seems she's focusing most of her power within the core of her gut." The first spoke.

"Clearly aiming for cuteness with the pose, but likely not to go far this ti-" The second was cut off as the stand next to them was obliterated, the two announcers slowly turning to the ball embedded in steel.

Kerori and the gang looked at the ball, then back at Eiko. "Umm … Woopsie, my aim was off. I'm so very sorry." She apologized with a cute pout and a bitten lip.

"... Hey Izuku … how heavy is the gear she carries daly?" Lied asked.

"Around….six hundred sixty six pounds...and so on…" Izuku stated, as he stared at Eiko. "Completely forgot how much that would develop the body."

"I'M NOT LETTING YOU CATCH UP WITH ME ONI!" Ameri shouted. Huh, jealousy could make someone cute look cuter, who knew?

"I must say, I'm impressed, she caused so much collateral damage but saved it with a pout like pose." The group turned at that. What? Cuteness came first.


Finally a challenge Izuku could be fully prepared for! … Alright, he only prepared for it for a week or two a couple of months ago, but it counted. He couldn't use his transformation, but Azz's fire, along with Picero's area control, should provide a nice combination to grab multiple weak enemies. It seems his time at Bablys has allowed him to take on the netherworld!

"Alright ladies, let's regulate teams." He blinked, turning to a group of girls. "We need to decide between savior and victim to create many cute hero scenarios." … He clearly underestimated it when Eiko and Kuromu informed him of how these gals acted.

"So everyone just plays the sympathy card...I'd laugh but this just makes it easier for me." He felt a smile form on his face. No better time to show off Plus Ultra than now.

"Not everyone." He turned, the Lion girl from the pitching match made her way over. "You're not the only one who wants to win this competition, we've promised to carry out Gyari's ambition, and that means making Kuromu lose."

"Oh really, because I have ambitions too." He marched up to the girl. "Not letting overconfident jerks like you walk over me, and protecting the ambitions of those I care about, so I'm not going to roll over for anyone."

"Alright." … Wait, really?

"You don't seem very aggressive." He stated.

"Look, Gyari got me out of a dark place and I'm returning the favor. You have your ambition, and I have mine, just want you to know that you'll actually have to try if you want to beat me …" There was an animalistic growl that made him slightly nervous about what's under there. "So much prey to hunt after all."

He had actual competition in this event after all...just how he liked it. "Wanna see who collects more between the two of us?"

"Shall we up the ante to three?" Spoke one of the Beebers, making his way over, somehow managing to lean on the air. "Loser buys dinner for the winner … chat over it?" … He turned and, even though he couldn't see it behind the mask, he knew he matched the absolute 'done' look with the lion girl.

"How about the winner punts the guy out of the stadium when this is all over?" Izuku offered.

"Done deal." Lion nodded as the gunshot was heard, then she vanished, already running to a rabbit and-ripping it apart with her bare hands. Alright, he could respect the horror of that, now it was his turn.

He got on the ground, and made it rumble, feeling the heat rise, feeling every step the creatures made, particularly the giant bear heading his way. "You think I'm the prey here? Fat chance. This bunny knows how to bite." The single horn on his head lit on fire as the predator tried to step back. "I'm not trapped here with you…..you're all trapped here with me!"

"It's become a massacre folks! Izumi has turned the entire hunting ground into a barbeque!" Shouted the first announcer, absolutely terrified.

"Yet she kept her absolute grace and beauty, resting down with a pose for the camera! Such an innovative and talented Demdoll!" The second shouted, let them. Izumi wasn't going to give anyone a spare moment.


Ameri turned out of the next event, some kind of game involving pet training as Kuromu took stage. Kerori was good enough in the Harvest Festival for this to be a piece of cake. She turned and looked at the little Valac next to her. Might as well use the free time. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure thing, Lady Red Hair, we're all friends here!" Valac cheerfully answered. Yes...even though they spend most of their time arguing. Then again she did the same with Asmodeus. Were friendships really this complicated?

"Why did you kiss Izzy?" She asked, hoping for an easy answer.

"I wanted to make him happy, at least that's what the reason became." Clara explained. "At first it was to have something special between us no one else could have. Deku-kins kissed you and Eistring kissed Izuku-kins on the cheek, so I needed to play too!" This is really all a game to her wasn't it?

"So it was just making him happy?" She asked. "Because you're … friends?"

"We're Nakama, not friends!" Clara shouted. "He got so stressed trying to make everyone Dalet(4), so I figured when everyone was, he'd relax enough for me to create a special memory without having him go to Deku-kins. I-I don't want to see Deku-kins, ever."

Well not that she wouldn't mind seeing the … strong commanding boy-but Ameri understood where she was coming from. "I see, so you just really don't like him …" She stopped. "You know, Asmodeus and Sabro managed to control their Evil Cycles entirely. I heard they even did it in the classroom."

"Yeah, Azz-Azz went crazy because our friends kept interrupting him, but I don't want to see Deku at all, even if Izuku-kins can control it." Clara lightly laughed. "When he's Deku, Izuku-kins, he gives up, he stops trying to put a happy smile on and starts smiling like he's going to eat everyone. I-he so spiteful, and mean, and, and just like...like Amy."

"... Was he ever mean to you?" Ameri asked the girl, keeping a serious look on her face.

"Not really, he petted me a lot and called me a little lamb." Store that for later.

"Then even if Izzy is at his worst, and if he feels absolutely evil … he won't be Amy." She patted the girl on the back. "Because he cares for you."

"Right...because even evil Izuku-kins still loves us." Love is a strong word, hopefully reserved for Ameri. "Alrighty then, let's win the games!"

"Kuromu has dominated the competition! Perfect six in all categories!" Well that went fast. This was supposed to be ten minutes, they talked for two tops.

"Hey...Clara...you wouldn't mind if...other people make Izzy happy...right?" The girl looked curiously, before smiling.

"The more the merrier!" She smiled brightly … before making a blade. "But if you try to take Izuku-kins from me forever, I will destroy you."

Fair enough, she'd react the same way.