AN: So hello all, here I am back again with another chapter. This one was a bit of a pain to write. But it was important all the same. Got a lot of stuff happening. After this one, there should be only two/ three more chapters of the tournament left.
So yeah hope you enjoy it, and please leave a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me.
Another thing while I am at it, is this. I am a part of a discord group, there are tons of others there, plenty of writers, admittedly mainly PJO, but other stuff too, including a growing number of MHA writers. Feel free to pop along and say hi, I'm always happy to chat about the stuff I am writing. So if you fancy it please do join by sticking this: discord .gg / elibrary into discord, with no spaces, or using the link on my bio.
Thanks for reading and please do leave a review, or feel free to PM, I am usually much better at answering those!
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia or Attack on Titan.
( - )
(Last Time)
It was all part of the plan.
Nodding to himself at that thought, Monoma glanced over at the stage.
Present Mic had just announced his opponent, which meant it would be his turn next.
"Right, it's time to go." He said, giving each of them a high five as he turned and started striding through the tunnel and towards the stage.
He was already looking forward to the fight ahead.
Not that he thought it would be much of a fight.
No, ritual humiliation sounded far more apt…
( - )
Chapter 21
( - )
(With Toru Hagakure)
A loud clap sounded out in the otherwise silent entrance tunnel.
Cheeks now stinging from where she had just smacked them, Toru took a deep, bracing breath.
She was ready for this.
Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she exhaled softly.
She could do this.
Licking her invisible lips, she tried to regulate her breathing and slow her racing heart.
Her skin felt hot and feverish, and her face felt tight like she was wearing a mask.
Breathing in and then out, she raised her clenched fists and started pumping them back and forth, her knees bending, and shoulders shifting as she moved side to side.
Midnight would be calling her name soon.
After having watched all the other fights it was now her turn.
Delivering a few quick punches, she continued to shadowbox against an invisible opponent.
She wasn't as strong as some of her classmates like Izuku, Kirishima and Sato.
Nor was she a genius either tactically or academically like Momo.
She was just average.
Sure, before taking the U.A. entrance exam she'd done some training in Taekwondo and Muay Thai. But she wasn't an expert or master by any means – even after five years of training. She just didn't have that natural affinity or flare for fighting like some people had.
That said, she was adept enough at CQC to get by in a fight and she had a decent grasp of technique and her own strengths and weaknesses.
She wasn't a physical powerhouse, she knew that. An average guy off the street could probably physically overpower her if he were minded too.
But she was quick on her feet, and above all she was stealthy.
She wasn't like Todoroki or Shiozaki, her Quirk wasn't strong or flashy.
If anything, it was the opposite of flashy.
A bitter smile graced her lips at that thought.
When she had been a kid, she'd hated that fact.
She'd hated her Quirk.
After all, it had literally made her invisible to those around her.
But that was then, and this was now. And right now, she wasn't that same insecure little girl who was constantly crying and screaming for attention as those around her constantly overlooked her and just looked through her.
No, she was a student of U.A. and a member of Class 1A.
She was one of the elite few who had managed to pass U.A. Academy's stringent Entrance Exam and make it into the Hero Course.
She exhaled and stopped moving, her eyes closed as she listened to the roar of the crowd.
She was ready.
Just like her classmates who had already fought, she too would come out swinging.
She would prove to all the watching Pro Heroes and all the students in the other courses who were circling her class like vultures, that she deserved to be in the Hero Course, that she had the makings of a hero.
She'd make sure to go Plus Ultra!
"…TORU HAGAKURE!"
She almost jumped when her name was called.
Clenching her hands into fists, she opened her eyes and started walking down the tunnel.
Peripherally she could hear Present Mic talking about her bigging her up to the roaring, cheering crowd.
Forcing a smile onto her face, one that no one would ever see, she stepped into the arena her hands raised as a wall of sound hit her.
Narrowing her eyes against the glare from the sun, she looked around.
It was bright and noisy as the sea of watching spectators shouted, screamed and cheered.
As she walked, she could feel tens of thousands of eyes locked on her form.
They were watching her every move, even as she started walking up the steps to the main stage.
Looking up, she could see Midnight was already standing on a raised dais beside the platform, a smirk on her lips as she called out her opponent, Monoma Neito's name next.
Coming to a stop at the edge of the stage she started loosening her top slightly.
She was ready for this.
Peering across the arena, she watched as a smug, blonde-haired, blue-eyed teen stepped up to face her.
He was objectively handsome; she could appreciate that much.
But any attraction she might've felt to him was pretty much neutered by the smug, arrogant smirk he had plastered across his face.
Confidence was hot.
Arrogance was most assuredly not.
Shifting his eyes up and down her form, Monoma's smirk twisted into something sharper, and crueller.
The look in his eye made her skin crawl.
Shaking that thought out of her head and ignoring her long mane of hair as it flicked back and forth around her face and shoulders, she took another deep breath.
She couldn't let herself get distracted.
Tearing her gaze away from her opponent, she hazarded another glance at the stands.
Her class were all there watching her.
She could see Mina waving at her, Momo clapping, and Izuku, his expression intense, leaning forwards in his seat, his eyes fixed on her.
Warmth flooded her chest, and her fixed smile become just a little more natural, even as she shifted her attention back to Midnight as she announced their names and started counting down.
Grabbing the edge of her top with one hand, and the hem of her trousers with the other she exhaled softly.
"3… 2.. 1. Begin!"
The moment the last syllable left Midnight's mouth; Toru was in motion.
Pushing aside all other thoughts, she pulled her top off with one hand and ripped her tear-away pants off with the other leaving her almost completely naked.
Shivering from the cold breeze that ghosted around her nude form, and from the thousands of eyes boring down on her, she tamped down her natural desire to curl in on herself and hide and instead kicked off her already unlaced shoes.
She knew what she had to do.
Across from her, Monoma hadn't stayed idle, as like her the moment Midnight had started the match he had started moving.
From where she was standing she could see the boy's arms had turned a dark green colour, even as small, green scales forced their way out of the flesh on his hands and forearms.
It was revolting to look at.
Shoving her revulsion to one side, Toru gritted her teeth and dashed forward.
If there was one thing that she had learned from watching the other fights, it would be that it was a massive tactical error to allow her opponent to finish his preparations.
Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she started running, her arms pumping as she quickly built-up speed.
To win this match she needed to close the distance between the two of them as quickly as she could. The sooner she got in close, the sooner she would be able to use her CQC training to take him down before he had a chance to seize the advantage.
But at the same time, she needed to stay stealthy too.
Her victory in this fight was dependent on speed and the element of surprise.
Changing direction as she ran to confuse him in case, he was trying to work out her most likely path, she grimaced as she felt the cool air whipping around her body, and her hair whipping around behind her.
In normal circumstances, the feeling of sprinting around in the nude on live television would be excruciating.
But right now, she didn't care.
No, all that mattered was taking down her opponent, and proving her worth, if not to the world, then at least to herself.
Focusing on her opponent, she could see him sneer as he raised both arms.
Reacting in an instant, she once again shifted direction even as Monoma started spraying bullet-like scales from his extended arms.
The scales were shooting out scattershot in all directions.
Grimacing, Toru continued to duck and weave.
His tactic, it appeared, was to use area-of-effect attacks to get a lucky hit.
It was predictable, and with the benefit of invisibility, easy enough to avoid.
Unfortunately, although he missed her, his projectiles had a secondary effect, as although they missed her, they were still hitting the ground. Some of them scattered harmlessly across the concrete. Others, however, dug into the concrete, creating caltrop-like obstacles across the stage. None of which, were barefoot friendly.
Grimacing she continued trying to dodge and weave past his attacks, her gaze fixed on Monoma as he shifted his arms back and forth. His blue eyes were narrowed in concentration as he continued to unleash scales in all directions.
Monoma was a power copier.
She'd managed to work that out during the Second Stage.
Just how his Quirk worked though, she wasn't sure.
But from what she had learned in school. All Quirks had pros and cons. There was no perfect Quirk out there, as every single one came with limitations. Which meant that Monoma's Quirk must also have a limit of some sort; either a time limit on how long he could keep the copied Quirk or a limit on just how many Quirks he could copy. She wasn't sure, but it had to have some limits. After all, it would be beyond bullshit if an ability existed that allowed the user to permanently copy or take limitless Quirks.
Shifting direction again, she ran along the outside of the stage her attention now partly on the ground as she made sure to avoid standing on sharp scales.
The cement was hard under her feet, but thankfully years of walking around barefoot had given her a layer of hard skin on her feet.
Licking her lips as she finally made it around behind the blonde, she unconsciously clenched her hands into fists.
His back was open and just waiting for an attack.
Darting forwards, she made sure to remain light on her feet as she closed in on him.
She'd only get one chance to hit him while retaining the element of surprise.
Steadying her nerves, she lunged out and made her move. Gritting her teeth, she lashed out with her right foot and kicked him in the back of his leg as hard as she could, forcing his leg to bend, even as she grabbed her closed fist with one hand, and delivered an elbow strike to the back of his head to poleaxe him.
Pain flared in her elbow as she made contact, and with a grunt, Monoma stumbled forwards and fell on one knee.
But he didn't go down fully though.
She felt her heart sink as she immediately saw just why her precision strike hadn't worked.
Now she was close to him she could see the green scales poking just over the collar of his shirt
He'd coated the back of his neck and head – beneath his collar-length blonde hair – and probably most of his clothes covered his torso too, with a hidden layer of scales.
Catching himself before he fell and twisting to face her, Monoma smirked.
"Nice try…." He sneered.
Reacting at once, she tried to jump back and away from him.
She needed to make space, and once again disappear into the background.
Unfortunately, before she could fade away, Monoma blew out a deep breath. The air in front of him visibly rippled as he did so.
With an 'eep' of surprise Toru felt her back hit a solid barrier.
"…But predictable," Monoma continued, letting out another breath, only this one he unleashed in the other direction.
The air in front of him once again rippled.
Looking around she suddenly felt claustrophobic.
She couldn't see them but she could almost feel the barriers Monoma was making around her. There was no longer a cold breeze whipping around her. Instead, the air was now still.
"I wouldn't bother playing dumb," Monoma continued, rising to his feet. "I felt you hit my barriers; I know you're in here. And I wouldn't bother trying to get away either. You're not strong enough to break them. Hell, you can't even see them. I know where they are, though. And as a favour, I'll tell you now. You're not getting out of here…, or at least not conscious…."
Suppressing her panic, Toru reached behind her with her hands and felt the invisible barrier of air.
It didn't flex at all.
It might as well be made of brick.
Licking her suddenly dry lips she started edging around Monoma as he monologued, her fingers ghosting over the barrier as she tried to find a gap.
There wasn't one.
The best she could find was an inch-wide seam between the two curved barriers he had created. She could get part of her hand through, but nothing more than that.
Her heart started beating faster.
In two breaths he had trapped her in a domed area that wasn't even three metres wide.
"Are you an idiot?" Monoma laughed, "I said I can feel the domes, which means that I clearly feel you testing them. All you're doing is alerting me of where you are!"
Toru held back a curse as she refocused.
All was not yet lost.
She might be trapped but so was he.
Holding back a growl she went on the attack.
"You know what else," Monoma said quietly, his voice pitched so only she could hear. "Because you're invisible no one will be able to tell how hurt you get…."
His hands visibly started to spark.
Clenching her teeth, Toru put a hand on the ground for balance and tried to sweep his legs.
Only before she could fire exploded from his palms and tore up the concrete all around him and blasted her back into one of the barriers.
A gasp left her lips as her back struck the solid wall of air.
Coughing from the smoke, Monoma grinned viciously his hands still sparking even as smoke began to drift across the cratered ground and funnel out of the seam between the two barriers of air. "This is going to be fun."
Pushing herself to her feet, her chest heaving, Toru was just in time to see Monoma raise his hands.
She could see the sweat beading on his palms.
They were pointed directly at her.
Gritting her teeth, she hurled herself right at him.
( - )
(With Izuku)
Grimacing, Izuku could help but flinch as another explosion rang out across the arena.
The stage below glittered with green scales. But that wasn't what had captured his attention.
No, what drew his attention instead was the dome of smoke at the edge of the arena, and the occasional flash of light and explosion of sound that erupted from within it.
It was horrible.
He remembered that Quirk. It was the same Quirk that Bakugo had constantly used to bully him when they were kids.
Only back then it was a lot weaker than it was now.
Another explosion sounded out and he saw cracks appear on the dome of air.
His heart clenched painfully at the thought of Hagakure being stuck in such close proximity to all those explosions.
Clenching his hands into fists, he looked over at Midnight and scowled.
From where he was sitting, he could see the concerned expression on her face, and yet she still did nothing but listen into her earpiece.
It was beginning to piss him off.
Tearing his eyes away from Midnight, he shifted his attention back to the stage.
He had recognised all three of the Quirks that Monoma had used from the Second Stage.
The first one, the one which had given him green scales was from Hiryu Rin.
It was a well-balanced offensive and defensive Quirk that gave the user enhanced durability and a mid-ranged attack. The scales were small but fast projectiles which could be shot off in rapid-fire bursts from any scale-covered part of the body. The durability they provided was also quite impressive, it probably wouldn't stop a bullet, but it would probably mute the impact of most physical attacks.
The defensive aspect of the Quirk alone was already a decent counter to Toru who relied on stealth and speed to ambush and take down her opponent.
The second Quirk, which formed invisible barriers was Kosei Tsuburaba's. They were formed from air, and from what he had seen were very durable and lasted quite a while.
The Quirk was useful for controlling territory. After all, it created long-lasting, invisible barriers that required high-powered attacks to pierce…, all things considered, it was a versatile defensive Quirk. Only Monoma hadn't used it as such. Instead, he'd used it to trap Toru after he had lured her in with an opening and tanked her initial hits with Rin's Quirk.
It was an effective strategy, but pretty nasty all the same.
Especially with his last copied ability, which was Bakugo's Quirk.
He grimaced again.
Bakugo's Quick was brutal and excelled in pure offensive and explosive power.
Another explosion rang out.
This one caused yet more cracks to form on the shields.
In close quarters Bakugo's Quirk could be lethal.
"And that is the match!" Midnight's voice rang out loudly, her crop swishing and cracking through the air as she nodded her head. "Class 1B's Monoma Neito wins!"
Nodding at her words, Cementoss put his hands on the concrete stage and created two pillars of concrete that quickly shattered the crumbling dome and released a massive gust of smoke from within.
As the smoke dispersed, Monoma was revealed, his back hunched slightly as he coughed into his hands.
Scowling at the sight of the coughing blonde, Izuku quickly looked away and tried to search for any sign of Hagakure.
The ground was broken up, crumbling and covered in craters.
But more noticeable than the damage, however, was the few bloody stains he could see as well as the shaking and badly burned invisible body that the still dispersing smoke revealed.
"Medics!" Midnight shouted.
Her shout was wholly unnecessary as several medic bots were already en route, along with Recovery Girl and Hound Dog, and half a dozen other support staff.
"No, Toru…" Mina moaned at his side.
The pink-haired girl was almost in tears.
"Come on," Momo said with forced calm, her eyes hard and her mouth set in a thin line. "Let's head to the infirmary."
Jiro nodded as she put her arm around Mina's shoulders and guided her to the exit.
"They won't let you in," Sero grimaced, his eyes still fixed on the scene below as the robots put Hagakure on the stretcher, and Recovery Girl leaned down to kiss her hand. "Not until they know she's out of danger."
"But we can at least see how she is and then wait until she's allowed visitors." Momo shot back, already heading for the exit. Jiro, Mina, Iida, Sato, Shiozaki and half a dozen others followed her lead. "It beats just waiting around wondering."
Pushing himself to his feet, Izuku made to follow their lead.
Before he could though Shiozaki reached out and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You need to stay and focus on the next match," Shiozaki said softly, meeting his gaze with her own. The look in her eyes was firm and uncompromising. "We'll be there for Hagakure when she awakes, but you need to get ready."
"Yeah," Kaminari scowled. "You need to beat the shit out of Monoma and get vengeance for Hagakure."
Several of the others nodded and muttered their agreement.
Looking around, Izuku's stomach twisted painfully.
He knew they were right.
This was a tournament, and he should be focusing on his next match.
But at the same time, Hagakure was his friend.
She was one of the first people he had met at U.A. and one of the first that had openly accepted him for who he was.
Where others would have shied away, she had welcomed him and befriended him. There had been no judgement, no fear, only acceptance and kindness.
Compared to Hagakure's well-being, the tournament was pointless.
"She'll be okay," Yui said from beside him. "Recovery Girl is the best."
"Yeah, she'll be fine," Sato agreed. "And you know her, she'd definitely want you to keep your head in the game. Win the tournament first and then visit. We'll let you know how she is when we can, and if we are allowed in to see her, we'll tell her you're thinking of her."
Grimacing, Izuku sat back in his seat and watched as pretty much half the class left the box, leaving him alone with Todoroki, Kirishima, Yui and a couple of others.
Reaching out, Kirishima grabbed his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "She'll be fine man, just you wait and see."
Gritting his teeth, Izuku nodded.
He really hoped so.
( - )
(A short while later)
"Midoriya," Todoroki spoke up breaking Izuku's concentration and shattering the silence in the box.
The eighth match between Minouu Mineta and Pony Tsunotori was already underway.
Not that it could be called much of a match. After all, Pony was easily dominating the match with the speed and manoeuvrability her Quirks gave her. The short General Course student couldn't do much in response as she zoomed around the arena using one pair of her flying horns like airborne skis, even as she used her other pair to bombard him.
"What?" Izuku asked after a moment, his expression cold as he turned to look at the ice wielder. "Do you still want it talk?"
"Yes," Todoroki replied just as coldly.
Izuku fought back the urge to roll his eyes.
When he'd first started at U.A. he'd quickly clocked onto the fact that he was very socially awkward, an unfortunate side-effect of his less than stellar childhood at Asphodel.
He often got tongue-tied, or just didn't know how to continue a conversation, or what to say next.
Back then he had felt uncomfortable in crowds and didn't like drawing attention to himself.
He still didn't really.
It hadn't taken him much self-reflection and introspection to recognise his flaws. Nor had it taken much motivation for him to want to work on his issue, which is exactly what he had been doing with the help of his friends.
Todoroki though, for all that he was the son of the Number Two Hero and practically a celebrity in his own right at U.A., made Izuku seem like a social guru in comparison.
The guy was somehow even more socially stunted and unaware than himself, nor could he take a hint.
Todoroki was either so conceited that he did not realise the world didn't revolve around him and his whims. Or so sheltered, and so oblivious to social cues, that he didn't realise when he should just back off and stop prodding and poking.
It was beginning to get annoying.
Taking a deep breath and centring himself, he cast a look back at the ongoing fight.
It was practically over now and would soon be followed by a brief intermission while Cementoss rebuilt the stage, and the random generator decided the quarterfinal matchups.
He had time to burn, and considering his concern over Hagakure, he needed a distraction too.
"Fine," Izuku said after a moment, pushing himself to his feet and gesturing for Todoroki to lead the way.
At his side, Yui gave him an odd look and made to stand up.
"I'll be back in a bit," He smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Todoroki just was a chat in private about something."
Yui nodded. "Have fun."
"Yeah," Izuku muttered dryly to himself. "I'm sure I will."
( - )
Without another word, Todoroki led Izuku through a maze of hallways until they reached the changing room they had used before the first event.
Frowning as he looked around the cold, empty room Izuku slumped onto one of the benches, and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for Todoroki to finally get on with it.
They probably had twenty minutes or so before the next round was called and honestly, he couldn't be bothered with Todoroki's brooding right now.
He had far more important things on his mind at the moment.
"So, what do you want?" Izuku said bluntly.
Todoroki scowled for a moment, before with a sigh he shook his head. "We're a lot alike you and I…."
"No, we're not," Izuku cut him off at once.
He didn't have a clue what the other teen was talking about.
They were not alike at all.
If anything, social awkwardness aside, they were almost complete polar opposites in terms of their upbringing and experiences.
"We are very similar," Todoroki continued, his expression hardening at his immediate denial. "We're both powerful, we were born wielding immensely strong Quirks."
"The same could be said for a lot of Pro Heroes, and most of our classmates," Izuku replied dismissively. "Besides 'power' is a stupid measure. It doesn't matter how strong a Quirk is. What matters is how they're used."
Todoroki scowled.
"You're wrong," Todoroki said coldly. "Nobody in this world is born equal. Some people have the power to manipulate reality with the click of their fingers while others only have the power to grow their fingernails…, or have no power at all…. Considering that, how can you claim that the power of Quirks don't matter?"
"Because they don't," Izuku shot back. "People matter, not Quirks. A person could have a 'strong' Quirk but then never use it properly and never reach their true potential. Another could have a 'weak' Quirk and use it in clever and inventive ways and excel far beyond everyone else around them. Judging people by the relative power of their Quirk is dumb."
"And yet we both have strong Quirks and have learnt how to use them to become powerful…" Todoroki said, his expression flat as he completely ignored everything Izuku had just said. "Out of everyone in our year you're the only one that I don't think I can beat with my left side alone."
"And you're point is… that sounds more like it is your problem than mine," Izuku frowned, he'd had suspicions about Todoroki's Quirk, but didn't really know much about it. The other teen was pretty secretive and shut down any and all questions about his Quirk. "Unless you're about to ask me to let you win if we end up fighting?"
"No," Todoroki snapped harshly. "No, I will beat you fair and square using only my ice."
"Uh huh, what do you want then?" Izuku asked irritably.
He really didn't get what Todoroki was after here.
What was this weird conversation supposed to accomplish?
Or was he just trying to psyche him out?
In which case, he was failing miserably.
"My Quirk as you might've heard," Todoroki said slowly. Choosing his words carefully, "Is more complicated than it appears on the surface. Like yours, it is a combination of multiple Quirks. Only mine involves the control of ice from my mother, and fire… from my father…. My right side produces ice, while my left side produces fire."
"Okay," Izuku said, his brow furrowing.
He had never seen Todoroki produce fire before.
"I don't use my fire though. I long ago swore not to." Todoroki continued. "Because like you, I am shaped by the trauma of my past."
Izuku's expression darkened.
"My father, Endeavour, is the Number Two Hero and yet he is not the man the public thinks he is," Todoroki continued quietly, "All his life my father has wanted to surpass All Might and become the Number One Hero, but no matter what he did he never could beat him. Eventually, my father decided to try and do things… differently."
Izuku felt his hands curl into fists at his side.
"Tell me, Midoriya, have you ever heard of… Quirk marriages," Todoroki asked. When he didn't answer, Todoroki continued. "Quirk marriages are arranged marriages between two users of powerful Quirks. The practice became popular after the first couple of generations of Quirks came into the public. When it became clear that Quirks only grew more powerful with each new generation. My father is a strong believer in eugenics and Quirk marriages, which is why he forced an arranged marriage with my mother and used her as little more than breeding stock for me and my siblings. That's why we were born you see. We were born in an attempt to create the perfect child capable of surpassing All Might and becoming the Number One Hero."
"Sounds shit," Izuku said. "But I don't see what that's got to do with me, or how it makes us… similar."
Todoroki's lip curled up as he held back a snarl.
"Because we are both the products of horrific upbringings. We suffered and were made stronger by the pain we endured during our youth. My mother you see… my father drove her to madness. All my memories of her, involve her crying." Todoroki raised his left hand and looked at it contemptuously, "'I can't stand the sight of your left side…', that is the last thing she said to me before she dumped boiling water on my face."
Izuku's gaze shifted dispassionately to the mottled, angry red scarring on the left side of Todoroki's face.
"Again, it sounds shit," Izuku said with forced calm. "But I think we had very different childhoods. Yeah your father sounds horrible, and I'm sorry that your moth-"
"I don't want your pity," Todoroki snapped angrily. "That's not why I called you here. I'm just giving you context and explaining just why I am going to beat you."
"Because your dad was a dick, and your mum lost her mind and dumped boiling water on your face?" Izuku asked his anger shifting to confusion.
The air around Todoroki became excruciatingly cold as his cold heterochromatic eyes bored furiously into Izuku.
"When you went on a rampage all those years ago, Midoriya. All Might was the only one that could stop you. I'm going to replicate that feat here today. I'm going to force you to use your Quirk to its fullest and then defeat you. But I'll do so not using my father's accursed fire but instead using my ice! So no, I don't want you to go easy on me, because I will not be going easy on you." Todoroki growled. "That's what I wanted to say. I'm calling you out and saying right here and now that I will beat you. And that by defeating you without using my left side, I will show my father that everything he tried to accomplish was worthless. I'll show him that I am strong enough without his cursed power."
"Right…," Izuku said with forced calm. "So basically you've been holding back all this time, and are telling me that you're going to defeat me while still holding back?"
"No, I-" Todoroki began to speak up, his brow furrowing with irritation.
Only for Izuku to cut him off.
"That's exactly what you're saying, and honestly I think you're full of shit. Everyone else has been going all out. Hagakure fought so hard that she ended up in the infirmary! And you're standing here telling me you've been half-assing it and holding back? Out of what? Some misguided sense of pride? OR to get back at father for being shitty to you and your mother?" Izuku spat as anger once again roiled inside of him. "You make excuses about how you had a shitty childhood. Well, guess what, other people have had it much worse. So no, you can take your declaration and fuck off. I don't care about your pride, and I don't pity you…, I think you're pathetic."
Not bothering to look back at the other teen, Izuku turned and stormed away.
After the conversation he'd just had he really wanted to punch something right now.
( - )
(Back at the box)
Returning to the box a few minutes later, Izuku was just in time to see the next set of fights.
Match 1: Izuku Midoriya vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Match 2: Juuzo Honenuki vs. Eijiro Kirishima
Match 3: Shoto Todoroki vs. Monoma Neito
Match 4: Pony Tsunotori vs. Tokage Setsuna
Great, he thought to himself even as he heard Midnight calling down the next fighters. The fifteen-minute interval was over, the stage had been rebuilt, and it was time for the next fight.
"Midoriya, you're up!" Kirishima shouted as he saw him.
"Where is Todoroki?" Yui asked curiously, peering over his shoulder and looking for the teen in question.
"Sulking," Izuku replied tiredly, running his hand through his short hair and mussing it up. A part of him regretted speaking so harshly to Todoroki, a greater part of him however was still pissed off at what he had said. "Okay, I'm gonna head down."
"Good luck," Yui said softly.
"Yeah kick some ass man!" Kirishima grinned, clapping him on the shoulder.
Nodding, Izuku smiled at the encouragement.
The box was practically empty, there were only half a dozen people in it now. The rest were either at the infirmary waiting on Hagakure's condition or were off sulking somewhere.
"Make sure to have a flashy fight!" Aoyama called as Izuku turned and started walking away. "This fight is not just a fight after all, it is a performance too. Remember that!"
"Thanks, Aoyama," Izuku nodded, his smile tight as he headed down to the stage.
( - )
The stage was noisy.
The crowds in the surrounding stands were shouting and roaring. Much of the cheering sounded pretty positive and excited. But at the same time, he could hear an undercurrent of discontent and caution too.
The vibe was tenser than it had been when his classmates fought.
Firming his resolve, Izuku looked out across the stage as his opponent stepped up onto the stage too.
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu.
With his mane of spiky grey hair, loud personality, muscly build and hardening Quirk he was just the Class 1B version of Kirishima. Only, instead of making his flesh rock hard like Kirishima could, Tetsutetsu could transform his skin into metal.
Taking a deep breath, Izuku exhaled, his eyes sharpening as he caught Tetsutetsu's fierce grin.
He looked excited.
A part of him was jealous, after all right now he didn't feel all that excited.
Instead, he just felt tired, worried and pissed off.
"Fight well Midoriya and give it your all!" Tetsutetsu's voice rang out across the arena.
"Oh such comradery," Midnight purred as she swished her riding crop through the air.
Izuku sent her a look of irritation before he forced a smile and met Tetsutetsu's gaze. "You too."
Tetsutetsu grinned back at him and smacked his right fist into his left palm.
"And here's the first match of the quarterfinals! On one side we have Izuku Midoriya, a bold and brave member of Class 1A, and an unstoppable powerhouse! And going against him we have Class 1B's Tetsutestu Tetsutetsu, an immovable tank that lets his fists do the talking! When an immovable object clashes with an unstoppable force, who will win? Well, I guess there is only one way to find out in 5….. 4…. 3… 2.. 1. Begin!"
The moment Midnight started the match, Tetsutetsu started running right at him. His flesh was already shifting to become metallic as he closed in on him.
Exhaling and controlling his anger, Izuku raised his fists and used his Quirk to harden the flesh around his hands and forearms. Glancing down he could see that they had turned a shimmering blue colour.
Gritting his teeth, he took a deep breath and moved to meet Tetsutetsu's charge head-on.
"Let's do this!" Tetsutetsu shouted as the two clashed. His fists were silver blurs as he swiftly started lashing out with rapid-fire jabs and brutal straight punches.
His form was good as he rolled his shoulders with the blows giving them more power, as was his footwork, as he shifted and moved with every strike.
He'd clearly had a lot of training and had poured hours and hours of practice into refining his fighting style.
Slipping a wild right hook, Izuku slammed his clenched fist into Tetsutetsu's gut.
But he was better.
Air exploded out of his opponent's lungs as the force of Izuku's punch lifted him a few centimetres off the ground.
Tetsutetsu's ironclad flesh protected him for the most part, but it still flexed beneath the force of Izuku's punches.
Dodging a counterattack, Izuku slammed his fist into the side of Tetsutetsu's head and followed it up with a swift barrage of punches to his ribs and kidneys.
His fists were starting to feel hot, and the shimmering blue around them was becoming brighter with every blow. Glancing down he could see spiked, segmented, white bone-like material appearing around his clenched fists.
Exhaling, Izuku grunted as he felt a few of Tetsutetsu's punches land. His steely knuckles bruised his flesh and ripped his shirt. For every five strikes he landed, Tetsutetsu landed two or three.
His punches were stronger and sent his opponent reeling, but Tetsutetsu's seemed to cause more damage as they left red welts on his flesh.
Not that Izuku cared much. His healing factor was muted in his base form, but it was still there. Already he could feel his injuries heating up, and see steam trailing off of them as they slowly healed.
Clenching his teeth, Izuku leant back and allowed one of Tetsutetsu's wild swings to miss his nose by about an inch, before he then darted forward and delivered a straight punch to his sternum.
The bone-like spikes on his knuckles dug deep as he envisioned punching through his opponent.
With a horrific sound of screeching metal, several cracks formed in the centre of Tetsutetsu's bare, metal-clad chest.
Forcing his hardening to his knees, Izuku's arms stopped shimmering blue as he dashed forward and slammed his knee into Tetsutetsu's gut, almost folding the spluttering teen in half.
As the shimmering blue colour faded the bony white profusions which had formed spiked, bone-like gauntlets around his fists and forearms remained behind.
Clenching his hands together he raised them over his head and brought them down like a hammer on the back of Tetsutetsu's head. The blow knocked him off his feet and sent him crashing to the ground.
Taking a step back, Izuku fell back into a fighting stance.
This was a performance, as much as he wanted to run in and finish his opponent off while he was on the ground. He doubted such an action would go over well with the baying, howling crowd.
Wetting his lips, he looked down at his hands.
He couldn't really flex or move his hands much, as the bone-like armour was a bit too restrictive.
It felt like wearing armour.
Focusing his hardening on the bone-like protrusions again, Izuku shifted the material from gauntlets into a set of twin knives, with spiked knuckledusters forming the handles.
The material was immensely strong in most circumstances, except when he focused his hardening into it with the desire to change it. At that point, the material became far more malleable.
Grabbing the knives tightly, Izuku waited for Tetsutetsu to struggle to his feet before pouncing the moment he did so. With a shout his foot lashed out as he landed a kick, breaking his opponent's guard before he could properly reform it.
Pressing the attack, Izuku slammed punches into Tetsutetsu's head and then slashed at the back of his arms and hamstrings with his knives. His every movement delivered yet more punishment as he ran roughshod over Tetsutetsu's attempts to regain his momentum.
He could see his opponent's resolve waning, and could almost sense his stamina being chipped away with every blow.
Literal cracks had started forming in his steely armour.
Tetsutetsu was on the ropes, and he knew it. Which perhaps explained why he suddenly threw caution to the wind and hurled himself forward at Izuku after one particularly nasty strike. Tetsutetsu's arms were clenched around Izuku's waist and one of his arms, and his head slammed into his head, dazing him.
"Good fight!" Tetsutetsu growled, his breath hot against the side of his face as he tried to grapple with Izuku.
It was a good effort, but ultimately futile.
"You too," Izuku grunted, his arms straining as he used his superior strength to break Tetsutetsu's hold, only to then deliver a swift barrage of punches and strikes that finally put him down for the count. "You fought well."
With a crash Tetsutetsu hit the ground once more, his metal skin shifting back to normal.
"And that's the match!" Midnight's voice rang out, sounding out over the roar of the crowd. "Izuku Midoriya wins the first match of the quarter-finals, and now moves to the semis."
Let out a deep breath, Izuku raised his head and looked around the arena.
In Class 1B's box, he could see Monoma smirking down at him, even as Bakugo scowled and shook his head in disgust.
( - )
AN: So the quarter-finals begin! The next chapter will cover the rest of the quarters and half of the semis have some other POVs, the one after should finish the semis and have the finals. Then there will be an aftermath. So there is a lot still to come, but this arc is nearing its end.
Which I'm kind of looking forward to, as although fun to write about, I prefer writing other stuff to fights and tournaments. So I'm hoping to move through the rest of this arc swiftly, but not in a rushed way, and then get onto the next parts, as after this and like in canon the timeline and pacing start escalating.
So yeah, please let me know what you think.
Also still not sure about pairings, as there was no real consensus after the last chapter.
Let me know, either by review or PM!
Also, I am on Discord with a load of other writers, so if you fancy popping over to ask questions or offer suggestions about this story, or any of my other ones, or to find new authors you might not have come across yet, please feel free to use the link in my bio.
Thanks for reading and if you have any suggestions or questions feel free to PM me or find me on Discord.
Catch you later.
Greed720.