Todoroki has some words he wants to have with Izuku. The tournament begins! Our competitors are on a tear, battling it out to prove themselves to the world!
As the students dispersed to take a break, Izuku found himself approached by Todoroki, the split-haired boy asking for a moment to speak to him privately. Izuku's prior annoyance had mostly faded, and the (for once) polite way he asked was enough to have Izuku agree. He let Himiko, Ochako, and Katsuki know he'd catch up in a bit, and followed the other boy to one of the dark corridors where no one else was around.
"What did you want to talk about?" Izuku asked as he leaned against the wall behind him, the other boy staring at him with a blank expression.
"...I commented on All Might being in your corner earlier. I said I wasn't going to pry."
"...so are you prying now?" Izuku asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Not exactly. I came to give you a warning."
Izuku didn't like where this conversation was going and subtly shifted against the wall, his eyes narrowed. "A warning?"
Todoroki nodded gravely. "If you have All Might's eyes on you, my father will take note of you as well. So I must ask…are you All Might's secret love child?"
"...what?" Izuku goggled at the other boy, completely flabbergasted by how absolutely serious he sounded.
"Are you-"
"I heard you the first time!" Izuku hurriedly cut the boy off, starting to realize that for all his bad social graces Todoroki just might be worse. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, pinching his nose as he continued. "No, I am no such thing. If you must know, he helped me and Kacchan last year when a villain attacked us, and he ended up giving us some tips and training regimens while we prepared for UA. He's our mentor, that's all."
"...that will still matter in the eyes of my father. So I just need you to know to be careful if you see him. I…I have to beat you, to prove to him I don't need him. That is why I challenged you." Todoroki's tone remained level and flat, but Izuku was really good at seeing a mask when one appeared before him, considering how many he wore on a daily basis.
His eyes narrowed as stood up straight and stopped leaning against the wall. "...Todoroki, what's going on? There's something you're not telling me. What is it?"
Todoroki looked away from Izuku for a moment, refusing to meet his gaze. Izuku could practically see the emotions radiating off the boy as he struggled internally, but after a moment the other one chanced a glance back to see Izuku looking at him, not in anger or fear, but concern and worry…and he spoke.
"...my father always wanted to be number one, to beat All Might. It's all he ever wanted in his life. He's stubborn and proud and has this extreme desire to just…be the best. But somewhere along the line, he realized he couldn't win. So he tried something else. Have you ever heard of…Quirk marriages?"
Izuku had been getting steadily more and more concerned as Todoroki spoke, his mind still replaying the words Toya had said to him only a few weeks back. But the moment those last two works left Todoroki's mouth, it hit him. He stared at the split-haired boy in unabashed horror, enough that even Todoroki could see that yes, Izuku knew exactly what he meant.
"My mother has a really strong ice Quirk. And so…they married, and had kids. My eldest brother, he had such strong flames my father was over the moon. He thought that Toya, that's his name, would be the one to surpass him and All Might. But while he got my dad's flames, only better…he didn't get my mom's ice. He got her weakness to heat instead. He's a hero, you might know him as-"
"Pyre…yeah. I know who he is," Izuku wanted to explain how he knew Toya, but he didn't want to interrupt Todoroki's explanation or throw the boy more off kilter than he clearly seemed to be.
Todoroki nodded. "Then yeah. He has to wear a lot of special support gear to avoid hurting himself with his flames, and even then he's only able to work for a little bit at a time. Dad…never took that well. He trained Toya, but I think he gave up on him a long time ago. So he kept trying. My sister and other brother both ended up with Quirk's closer to mom's, but not really very strong. Then…I came along."
Todoroki looked down at the ground, clenching his fists as he continued to speak. "My father was happy. I was everything he wanted. Soon as my Quirk came in, he wanted me training. Mom wasn't happy with that, but Toya…he felt abandoned. After all the work he'd put in, how often he got hurt from his own Quirk yet my father would push him further…he got mad. And he tried to attack my father, not knowing I was behind him. Father dodged. I didn't."
Izuku's eyes went wide as he looked at the scar on Todoroki's face, more puzzle pieces falling into place as the other boy continued, not noticing Izuku's sudden intake of breath. "Mom…mom tried to stop the burn, using her Quirk. But putting ice on a burn that quickly doesn't…work well. And you see what happened," Todoroki said, gesturing to his burn scar that covered half his face.
"My father wanted to throw Toya in jail for that. He threatened my mother if she didn't let him. But she fought back, shouting, screaming, the two of them were yelling for what felt like hours. I…didn't see what happened with Toya after that, he was pulled away by my other siblings. Eventually…my parents made a deal. They got divorced quietly, to avoid the scandal, and my mother agreed to keep her mouth shut if my father left the other three alone. My father accepted…as long as he kept me."
"...Todoroki," Izuku whispered, wanting to reach out somehow, someway, but stopping the moment he moved when the other boy flinched away from him.
"I've never been mad at mom for that. My father's the Number Two Hero. He's rich and connected and the HPSC loves him. He'd never get in trouble, and my other siblings would have suffered if she hadn't done what she did. But I wish I could talk to her..." Todoroki shook his head as if clearing it, the sad tone in his voice disappearing as his stance hardened and he looked up at Izuku with determination.
"I know you know I have fire, I heard about what you said at the battle trials. I know about your ability to see other Quirks. And you're right, I have a fire Quirk too. But what happened…what my father did…that's why I swore to never use my flames ever again. I'll be a hero, using my mom's Quirk only, not his. Which means I have to win. I have to prove to him I don't need him and his power. That's why I challenged you. If I'm his legacy, then you're the closest thing All Might has to one. It's…it's nothing personal, Midoriya. But I have to win."
Izuku kept his gaze locked on Todoroki's, returning the determined glare he was faced with with his own steadfast gaze. "I think it's only right I tell you that I spoke to your eldest brother a couple weeks back."
"...what?" Todoroki gasped, all his determination vanishing and replaced with shock.
Izuku took a deep breath…Todoroki had shared a lot today, and he felt like he would share a little back, in the hopes maybe he could connect with the other boy somehow. "When I was still trying to decide if I deserved to be a hero, All Might had me talk to someone he knew. Someone who had accidently hurt people with their Quirk too. You might know him as the hero Chronos…but anyways, we kinda became friends. I was talking to him after the USJ, and…he was classmates with your brother, and is one of his friends. So I ended up speaking to him too."
Todoroki stared at him, so many emotions flitting over the normal inexpressive face that Izuku couldn't keep track of which was which, before it settled back into an almost blank one…one where Izuku could still see a small hint of desperation in it. "D-did he, was he, is-"
"-he asked me about you," Izuku admitted. "He didn't tell me about…all that, only that he hated your father, which I can see why now," Izuku muttered the last part to himself before continuing. "But he asked how you were…and asked me to keep an eye on you, but didn't tell me why."
Todoroki slumped back against the wall, his gaze faraway at the words Izuku had spoken. Izuku kept quiet, not wanting to interrupt as Todoroki thought about what he'd heard, his own thoughts enough of a whirl he could only imagine how Todoroki felt after spilling all this and then finding out his brother still thought about him. The split-haired boy stood in silence for another minute or two, before shaking his head.
"...I don't know what to do with that information," he admitted quietly.
Izuku shrugged. "You don't have to do anything with it. I just thought you should know."
"You didn't say anything before."
"I didn't know how to talk to you. You avoid everyone," Izuku pointed out, trying to make sure it didn't sound judgmental.
"...I can't think about that right now. We have a tournament to finish. I'm going to win, Midoriya…but I appreciate you listening to me and telling me the truth.
"Todoroki," Izuku began, holding one hand out as the other boy began to walk away. When the split-haired boy refused to stop, Izuku sighed, letting his hand drop as he watched him leave. He shook his head and turned around, heading towards the tunnels that would lead him to the stands to meet his class.
He found Himiko leaning against the wall around the corner, her eyes red and her face twisted, like she'd been sucking on something sour. He took one look at her and knew. He sighed once more. "How much did you hear?"
"...he dragged you off after being all angry and threatening earlier, like I wasn't going to follow and make sure you were okay!" Himiko replied hotly, as if preemptively trying to halt a scolding.
Izuku just reached out and gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close for a hug. "I'm not mad, Himi," he assured her. He buried his face in her shoulder, the scent of her shampoo surrounding him as a few stray strands of her hair fell upon his face.
The blonde returned the hug, squeezing him tightly. She whispered "What are we going to do?"
"Nothing for now. We can't," he stopped her attempt to protest with a single finger held up, as they broke the hug and stared at the other. "He wasn't wrong about Endeavor's position and power."
"But we have to do something! We can't just let someone suffer with a bad family! It hurts, Izu, when they just hurt you and don't care and, and-" Himiko's voice trailed off as she began to cry, rubbing her palms into her eyes. Izuku reached out and pulled her close once more, letting her rest her forehead against his chest as he gently stroked her back.
"I know, Himi. But we can't do anything about him right now. Todoroki told me that in confidence, and if we tell someone, he might refuse to trust anyone and won't corroborate it. We have to get him to talk."
"...How?"
"I don't know," Izuku admitted. "But, if I see him in the tournament, then…well, then I'll just have to do something. I think he might get it better if it's in a fight, you know?"
Himiko looked up at her boyfriend and rolled her eyes. "Boys," she groaned.
The sound of the five minute warning had them both share a look and start walking towards the stands, Himiko reaching out and grabbing Izuku's hand in her own as they went. As they climbed into the stands, Katsuki gave them both an appraising look as Ochako noticed the red in Himiko's eyes. Himiko mouthed 'later' to the two of them, both accepting the response as the two sat down next to Ochako, ready to watch the first match.
As the first match was announced and the competitors, Kaminari and Sero, made their way to the arena floor with Present Mic shouting in the background, Mina shouted "Midoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiii." She hopped over her seat and leaned up against the back of Izuku's, making the greenette blink up at her. "You're our commentator! Who's gonna win?"
"Sero," Izuku replied bluntly, without hesitation.
Most of the gathered members of Class 1-A turned to stare at him, confused.
"But…what if Kaminari lets off a big burst?"
"His electricity has a falloff the further away he is. He has to get closer to Sero to make sure he catches him in a game ending burst. And if he uses it too soon and Sero remains standing, he's lost because he'll be in this discharged state. Also…Sero asked me for tips and we went over how he could create different types of tape and well…some tape isn't very conductive." Izuku smirked as he said that, making everyone look back at the arena.
Kaminari shouted something to Sero with a smirk, the other boy just standing there looking relaxed with a lazy grin on his face. Kaminari's body began to crackle with electricity, his eyes glowing, but Sero rocketed his elbows forward, a deluge of tape flying out, this tape no longer white but black. A massive net formed, overshadowing Kaminari as the blonde released his discharge, most of it being caught by the tape net Sero had created. A few stray bolts hit Sero, the electricity shocking him and making the black-haired boy wince in pain as he flinched, but a moment later the tape net fell onto the now gibbering Kaminari. Izuku just grinned as he stood up, the ones who doubted his prediction all silent as they stared at him.
"Well, my turn. Wish me luck!"
His girlfriends both leapt up and kissed him on the cheek at the same time, ignoring the wolf whistles from Toru and Mina as he flushed. He gave them both a quick peck in return, bolting off to get to his preparation room.
As he left his room, he found himself walking in lockstep with his opponent, the teeth bared visage of Juzo Honenuki also approaching the gate. Izuku smiled at him. "Good luck out there!"
"You as well. Let's have a good match," the other boy replied calmly. Izuku couldn't quite tell if he was smiling, but the tone in his voice implied it so he took it as a genuine offer.
The two split off to their respective gates on the opposing sides, Izuku rolling his shoulders. His arms were still bared to the sun, and while he hadn't gotten back up to full since he did expend a lot in generating the bubble, he'd mostly negated that cost with the extra absorption since and was hovering around the eighty-five percent mark.
"From Class 1-A, the winner of the first and second events, we have the energetic Izuku Midoriya!" Present Mic shouted, the crowd cheering along.
"And from Class 1-B, don't let him fool you, he's a slippery one, we have the steadfast Juzo Honenuki!" The crowd's cheers were still strong, most of them wanting to show their excitement for both competitors.
Midnight held her whip up as she looked at the two young men before her. "Are you two ready?"
"Yes," Honenuki replied, his hands open and posture partially leaned over.
Izuku nodded. "Yes." He really wasn't sure what Honenuki's Quirk was, but he'd noticed some of its usage during the second event. It seemed to be some type of Quirk that had affected the ground, but he wasn't entirely sure how yet, so he had a plan. He tensed his legs, waiting for the signal…there!
As Midnight dropped her whip, both boys sprang into action. Honenuki slammed his hands into the ground, the concrete beneath him beginning to melt and quake, his body slipping into it. Izuku leapt into the air, landing on a field he created. He dropped to one knee, staring down at the concrete with eyes narrowed.
The tableau was silent for a few moments, before Honenuki's head popped out of the ground and looked up at Izuku.
"Well. This is awkward," the blonde boy remarked.
"Kinda, yeah," Izuku replied, scratching at the back of his head.
Midnight looked between both boys, blinking rapidly. "Err…I see an issue here…"
"I imagine you can keep that up for as long as you like, huh?" Izuku asked the other boy.
"Yep…and you can stay up there long as you want?"
"Pretty much."
"...this is a problem."
Izuku pondered for a moment. "Eh. I have a plan to get you out of there. We'll see if it works."
"I have a plan to get you off that. So, let's see whose plan is better?"
"Deal!" Izuku grinned, leaping to his feet and holding both hands out before him, taking in a deep breath and focusing. Green energy swirled in his hands, the rush of air around him indicating to those who knew him he was doing another trick with his Attraction fields.
As he did that, Honenuki was molding the concrete into what looked almost like snowballs. As he finished one, he quickly launched it up at Izuku, making sure to touch it with all five fingers at the same time.
Danger Sense pinged, making Izuku lean back, the now hardened ball of concrete barely skimming past his face and flying off to slam into the arena wall with a loud, echoing crack. Izuku kept focusing, the two fields in his hands turning into small, green orbs. As he dodged another two concrete shots from Honenuki, he threw his own hands out, one of the orbs landing next to his opponent, the other further away. Honenuki dove under the surface to avoid them, but the green orbs sank with him,
Unseen by everyone else in the arena, Honenuki's eyes went wide under the concrete as he realized what happened. "Depth charge," the greenette whispered with a feral smile. Two loud eruptions of softened concrete exploded up, raining the concrete down upon the arena, Izuku generating a field to protect himself from the softened substance. Another two orbs formed in his hands, him tossing them to different areas once more. His Quirk vision was on, him scanning as he went, looking for that single flash of…there!
This time, he threw one of his discs towards the light, impacting with one of Honenuki's legs…and now Izuku had him. Gear Shift had been applied to the disc, and with effort he changed its shape, forming it into a wrap around the blonde's leg, gripping it tightly. With a grunt of effort and feeling a headache coming on, he yanked Honenuki out of the concrete and into the air. Feeling Full Cowling wash over him, he leapt off his disc, bringing up one knee to hit Honenuki in the solar plexus, stunning the blonde boy.
Forming one more field behind him for him to rebound off of, he spun about midair and drop kicked Honenuki, sending him out of the arena and skidding across the grass. Barely, he managed to stop himself from falling into the softened concrete, forming a field just above it as he collapsed to one knee, holding his now pounding head. He glanced down at his meter…his little stunts had cost him a whole twenty percent, putting him back down to sixty-five. He cursed internally.
As Midnight called the match for him, he leapt off the field and down to the grass, walking over to the blonde boy and holding his hand out to the dazed student. "Good game," he said, smiling.
Honenuki looked up at him for a moment, before his perpetual grin seemed to grow a little wider as he took the offered hand. "You too. And here I thought the orbs were your plan to get me."
Izuku chuckled nervously. "Nah, I knew you'd be too fast for them to catch. But it let me see you, so I knew where to aim."
Honenuki nodded, rubbing at his chest. "Makes sense. Good luck in the rest of the tournament, Midoriya."
"Thanks!"
"Dude, that was so cool!" Kaminari gushed, the discharged state having vanished by the time Izuku made it back to the stands. He grinned sheepishly. He looked about for Ida and Mina to wish them luck, but it seemed they were off already.
"So Midori, who you think is gonna win the next one hmm?" Toru asked, having taken Mina's place of leaning against the back of his chair when he sat.
"Are you just gonna ask me for every match?" he arched his eyebrow at her.
"Might as well!" Toru replied brightly.
Izuku rolled his eyes. "Fine. For this one, I think Ida has the edge but it's slight, so I can see it going either way. That supermove is crazy fast, but whether he can control it enough to catch someone as agile as Mina is a different matter. For the next, I don't know what Tokage's Quirk does well enough to comment, but I'd still put the edge on Todoroki. Ochako wins versus Hatsume. For the rest…I'm not commenting cause they are here and I don't want to reveal anyone's strategies beforehand."
"You seem really confident about Ochako," Toru teased.
Ochako looked at him with expectant eyes, wondering what he'd say. Izuku just snorted. "Not only do I personally know how good Ochako is in a fight, but Hatsume doesn't even care about winning or losing, she's out to make a show. She told us that outright. She's selling herself and her inventions. So she's just going to make sure everyone sees it, but in the end, Ochako will win."
Any further discussion was cut off by Present Mic shouting. "From Class 1-A, the speedster with an encyclopedic knowledge of the rules, Tenya Ida! And his opponent, also from Class 1-A, the ever cheerful dancing queen of the class, Mina Ashido!"
Midnight looked at the two of them, Ida getting in a runners pose as Mina braced herself, hands out wide as she smiled at her classmate. "Are you ready?"
"Yep!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Don't call me ma'am!" Midnight hissed at Ida, the bluenette flushing slightly as he apologized. She coughed. "Anyways…begin!"
"Recipro…Burst!" Ida shouted, the engines on his legs exploding with blue flame as he rocketed towards Mina. She held herself in place, hands still steady as she watched him near her at an insane speed. At the last second, she flung herself to her left, one hand throwing acid to the ground that she slid upon, the other throwing some up at Ida.
The bluenette anticipated the dodge and with a screeching, skidding half, managed to corner, his teeth gritted at the pressure on his legs. Still with the flames burning, he rocketed towards her, carefully avoiding the trail of acid she'd left behind as she skated along. She did a spin as he approached, acid flaring out from her hands, him ducking beneath it as best as he could. Some hit his skin and he winced as he expected the pain, but instead, it just stuck to him, confusing him slightly.
Still, he refused to quit. The flames sputtered out, Mina taking a breath having barely managed to outcorner him twice, but even without his Recipro, he had her beat in speed. Tensing his legs, he launched his Quirk once more, going for a high kick as she slid underneath him, throwing more of her acid up as she went. He had a trick up his sleeve though, landing on one foot and triggering his Quirk once more, spinning about to deliver another kick just as she got back to her feet.
It slammed into her back with a painful impact, the pinkette shouting in pain as she was launched a good five meters away, skidding across the arena floor. He knew he had to end this quickly, so rushed at her, but was too slow, the pinkette already kipping up and throwing acid towards him with one hand.
He quickly blocked it with his arm, making sure none of it hit his face. So far she'd just used non-lethal acid, so he figured he could take it…until his foot froze and he nearly fell over. "What?" Ida said, shocked, glancing down at the ground. There he saw a pile of Mina's acid, partly wrapped around his foot. It hit him…he'd blocked his own line of sight when he lifted his arm, and she'd only used one hand to throw it at him. She'd figured out how to create sticky acid before, and he knew she'd worked with Midoriya on more types. He'd fallen right into her trap…but he wasn't out yet!
With a roar of exertion, he felt the sweat bead on his face as he forced Recipro to activate once more, the blue flames blazing for just a single second, just enough to break him out of the acid and give him another shot at the pink skinned girl. To her credit, her surprise did not last long enough for him to get another free kick, she managed to dive out of the way once more. As the flames burnt out, he paused on the one side of the arena, gasping for air as he turned back to look at the panting Mina.
"You good over there, Ida?" Mina asked, smiling through her gasps for air.
"Never been better Ashido! That was a clever trick, but I am still standing!" he replied, standing up to his full height and chopping one of his arms in emphasis.
"Yeah…good thing for me too. Else I mighta missed," she replied with a cheeky grin.
"Missed what?" Ida glared at her, glancing about carefully as if expecting a trap. Mina started walking towards him, acid dripping from her arms and down her hands, her sleeves having shredded under the force already.
"Your engines, silly!" she replied, still smiling.
Ida risked the glance down at his leg, eyes wide as he beheld the gray substance stuck to his exhaust pipes. A second time she'd misled him to get him in a trap! Experimentally, he tried to rev his engines once more, but between the two uses of Recipro and the acid that was apparently stuck inside them, they didn't even gasp.
He turned back to face her, working his jaw as he stood up and got in a fighting stance. "Twice now you've tricked me. I'm impressed."
Mina shrugged. "Ochako told me sometimes you gotta do one thing while pretending to do something else. Figured it was my best chance. But we can talk after…let's finish this!" with that, she ran towards the other boy, her acid being flung ahead of her as she went.
Ida dodged to his right, unsure if she was using the same sticky variant now or something else, but he was off balance. He wasn't used to fighting without access to his Quirk, and his movements were sloppier than he would have liked. It was one slight misstep, one brief moment, and he slipped. He recovered, but not in time to block the blow she launched into his midsection, making him bend over for a brief moment, just in time for Mina's fist to hit him on the side of his face, sending him sprawling to the concrete.
She launched herself at his prone form, her acid ahead of her, gluing his left hand and leg to the concrete. She couldn't manage the other limbs as he managed to get one leg up and kick her in the stomach, sending her flying back into a curled position as she squeezed her eyes shut in pain at the force. She landed hard, smacking her head off the concrete and rolling over into the fetal position at the pain, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.
He pulled fruitlessly at the stuck limbs, frustrated as Midnight approached by downed combatants. "Ida, can you get up?"
He sighed. "I do not believe so, no."
Midnight turned to Mina. "Ashido, can you?"
Mina winced, her body quavering as she managed to get up to one knee, biting her lip. "Y-yes?" she managed to sputter out, very awkwardly climbing to her feet. She swayed for a moment before regaining her balance, still gasping for air.
"Mina Ashido is the victor!" Midnight announced. As soon as she said that, she quickly bolted to Mina's side and steadied her as she wavered on her feet. Quietly, making sure to flick her microphone off, she spoke to Mina. "You hit your head very hard there. Are you alright?"
"I, I think so?"
Midnight sighed. "Not encouraging. Let's get you to Recovery Girl. How long will that glue hold?" she gestured to the prone Ida.
"I, I can remove it, j-just gimme a sec," Mina stuttered, trying to walk over to Ida.
"Ashido, please, your health is more important. I am certain one of the teachers can get me out of this," Ida replied as he saw her struggling to reach him.
The movement of cement around Ida seemed to prove his statement, Cementoss stepping towards them and placing one hand down. Gently, the arena wavered and vanished from the glue, just leaving some spattered upon his sleeve as it lifted him up to a standing position. Mina let out a sigh of relief, allowing Midnight to escort her away as Ida followed behind, Midnight demanding he follow to get checked out as well.
"What an exciting third round! We'll begin the fourth round soon!"
"He's the son of the number two hero, and his icy personality shows his opponents no mercy, give it up for Shoto Todoroki!" Mic shouted, the crowd cheering as Todoroki walked into the arena. Izuku watched him, worried at the expression on the split-haired boy's face. Himiko shared the same look, making Ochako glance over at them both, worried.
"Facing him is the bombastic Setsuna Tokage! Don't let her out of your sight for a moment folks, else your plans might fall apart!" Tokage entered the arena, arms raised and smiling wide.
"Are you ready?" Midnight asked, glancing between the competitors.
"Yes," Todoroki said.
"Yep!" Tokage grinned.
"Begin!" As Midnight dropped the whip, the entire arena froze, a massive glacier erupting from the foot of Todoroki, making Tokage vanish from sight. Most of the arena began shivering as the temperature dropped significantly, Tsuyu slowly leaning sideways till she almost fell out of her chair, only barely caught by Ochako. The green-haired girl was quaking in cold, eyes half-lidded, curled up and unable to speak. Ochako glanced over at Izuku, the greenette already having pulsed his Quirk to increase the heat he radiated for his girlfriends. At his nod, Ochako carefully passed Tsu's form over to Izuku, them both marveling at how small she was when she curled up like that.
Mina and Toru were practically hanging off the back of Izuku's seat now in an attempt to warm up. Momo and Kyoka also inched closer, Kaminari not even trying to hide it as he slid and plopped down in front of Izuku. Katsuki rolled his eyes, holding his hands up in front of him and forcing his Quirk to ignite, causing small pops but heating the air around him enough that Sero and Eijiro huddled next to him. He noticed a few of the other boys looking at him worriedly, and rolled his eyes, gesturing them closer.
Most of the class ended up huddling around the two boys trying to make up for the sudden drop in temperature, as Todoroki reached out and began to melt the ice, freeing Tokage, showing that she had managed to split apart, but not before being frozen and was still unable to move until he released her.
Belatedly, Midnight, shivering, held up her whip. "T-t-todoroki i-is the w-winner!"
"Hey, Urar-"
"No, Hatsume. I won't touch your gear," Ochako deadpanned, staring at the pink-haired girl. The other girl pouted for a brief moment, opening her mouth but being shut up by Ochako lifting one hand up to interrupt her. "You get five minutes to show them off and make your pitch. After five minutes, I'm kicking your ass and moving on."
"Deal!" Mei replied with a manic grin.
The two girls split off as they approached their respective gates, Ochako internally sighing. It had taken a good ten minutes for Todoroki to melt the glacier he'd created, delaying her match a bit, but still she'd gone to the preparatory lounge when she was called. She just hoped Tsu was okay. She knew Tsu could normally manage cold temperatures if she was prepared, but that glacier had dropped the entire arena tens of degrees in an instant.
Still, she knew why Hatsume was in the competition, and figured it wouldn't hurt her to be nice…besides, she understood the desire to be successful. So she would allow it. Though she'd make her work for her little demonstration, she thought with a bit of a feral grin crossing her face.
Back in the stands, Izuku still had Tsu half on his lap, as even with the ice gone the temperature had not returned fully. Momo had offered to make a blanket, but he'd reminded her she still had matches to fight and it would not do for her to use her Quirk now. While she'd pointed out the hypocrisy of that, he pointed up to the sun and at his meter, showing that this was a very minor drain on his energy and he was getting it all back just as quickly as he spent it when it came to this.
The green-haired girl was only partially conscious, just snuggling into his side as she focused on the heat he was creating. Himiko had moved over to sit on her other side, to help add a little bit more heat from her own body heat.
"Thanks, Midori," Mina said quietly, still sticking close to Izuku.
"Really, it's fine," he insisted, again. "I just run hotter than normal is all."
"Hot is right," Toru muttered under her breath, low enough he couldn't hear her, but Kyoka let out a snort at that comment. She waved off Momo's questioning about her sudden laughter, meeting eyes with Shoji, the other sensory hero refusing to look in their direction.
"From Class 1-A, she's outta this world, Ochako Uraraka!" Ochako entered the arena, almost looking bored as she rolled her shoulders.
"And from Class 1-H, the sole Support student to make her way here, she's known for her explosive results, it's Mei Hatsume!" Mei entered the arena, covered from head to toe in various gadgets, half the crowd blinking at her in confusion at how much she had on.
"Are you ladies ready?" Midnight asked.
"Yes," Ochako sighed.
"Yes!" Mei replied, smiling. She fiddled with something on her wrist as Midnight raised her whip in the air. "Begin!"
A second later, a loud screeching came over the audio as Mic's squawk of surprise was cut off. Mei's voice filled the arena. "Hello investors! Today I, Mei Hatsume of Hatsume Industries, will be demonstrating how impressive my babies are! Uraraka has so kindly agreed to-"
She was cut off by Ochako beckoning her over with an annoyed look on her face. Mei zipped over, wheels popping out of her boots and rocketing her over to Ochako's side. Ochako whispered something to her, the pinkette pulling a small earpiece out of her ear and handing it to Ochako.
"Let me be clear…she has five minutes to show off. Then I'm kicking her ass," Ochako's voice came across the arena, half the crowd gasping as her blunt cursing and the other half laughing. Mic was witness to his hardass husband choking on his coffee as he tried to hide the smirk that crossed his face when she said that.
"That's my girl," Himiko said with a dreamy smile. Izuku grinned and nodded at her. Their attention was drawn back to the arena as Mei took the earpiece back and began to demonstrate her various inventions, Ochako dodging them as Mei went, refusing to make it easy on the pinkette.
True to her word, when Mei's five minutes were up, Ochako sprung into action. It seemed like Mei hadn't been keeping time, because all it took was one lunge from Ochako and she had ripped the hover boots off the pinkette, removing her gravity and launching her out of the arena before she could react.
The speakers let out a staticky noise once more, and Midnight's voice came across it. "That little…err…ah. Uraraka is the winner!" Ochako walked off the arena stage to where Mei was currently entangled in a cluster of machines. She tapped the other girl with her hand, activating her Quirk, and pulled her along behind her to find Power Loader to help get her out of the mess she was in.
Class 1-A found itself giggling along, most of them no longer shivering. As Izuku and Himiko let out loud cheers for Ochako, they glanced between them at the movement from Tsu. The green-haired girl was hunched into herself, no longer shivering but with pink cheeks that were very obvious on her pale skin.
"Um…thank you, Midoriya, ribbit," Tsuyu said quietly.
"No problem, Tsu!" He smiled at her with a bright, sunshine grin, Himiko rolling her eyes at her dense boyfriend.
"And that's the fifth match! On to the sixth!"
"Okay, so…who's the winner here, Midori?" Mina asked once more, as Ochako had returned and taken the seat Himiko had previously abandoned. Tsuyu had tried to get up, but Himiko had insisted she remain there until they were sure the temperature had reset. Izuku had not noticed the teasing glint in his girlfriend's eye as she said that.
Any reply Izuku was going to give was cut off by Mic's introductions. "From Class 1-A, we have the manliest lad in the class, Eijiro Kirishima!" Eijiro's grin at that introduction was dazzling, the boy hopping from one foot to the other in a display of nervous energy.
"And on the other side, she's the Vice Representative of her class and it's top student in academics, we have Momo Yaoyorozu!" Momo smiled nervously as she took her place, giving a small bow at the introduction."
"Are you two prepared?" Midnight asked.
"Hell yeah!" Eijiro shouted, slamming his fists together.
"I am, Miss Midnight," Momo replied.
"Begin!" Eijiro wasted no time, hurtling across the arena towards Momo, his arms and face already reshaping into the familiar geometric patterns of his Quirk as he ran at her. Momo held out her hands, two devices beginning to push out of them. With her left, she launched one of them at Eijiro and closed her eyes, the other boy getting slammed in the face with a brilliant flashbang, dazing him for a brief moment as Momo finished the other device.
Izuku sighed. "I put my money on Momo. Eijiro is durable and hard to stop, but she doesn't need to hurt him to win, just disable him. Which she can do with that," he said, pointing to the canister in her hand. The class watched, wondering what she'd created, when she threw it at the stumbling Eijiro. It exploded into…foam? A bluish white foam creeped out, surrounding Eijiro's body and slowing him down, hardening around him to entrap him.
"That ain't gonna hold him long," Katsuki remarked, arms crossed over his chest.
Izuku nodded. "Oh absolutely not. She's using it to get space and think of a plan."
"She needs to learn to think faster. Ain't always gonna have the fucking time to pull this shit off," Katsuki returned, his eyes narrowed as he watched the fight.
As Momo began forming a new object, Eijiro, still struggling with the foam, let out a primal roar as he ripped himself from the foam, parts of the concrete coming with him, stuck to his feet. The foam remained partially stuck to him, slowing him down, but he began marching towards Momo like some sort of juggernaut. Every step cracked more concrete, bits and pieces falling off him as the foam slowly sloughed off his form.
Momo quickly backpedaled, tossing another flashbang in his face, but this time Eijiro batted it out of the air and closed his eyes to avoid the worst of it. He moved faster and faster, almost back up to his full speed as Momo formed a metal shield to block his first strike, her entire body rattling as he punched it once, twice, thrice, the shield beginning to bend.
Momo dropped it and leapt backwards, another canister being tossed towards him. As he batted it away, she clicked a button in her other hand he hadn't seen, the device exploding into a pink goo that stuck to him, covering his arm and side, sticking the two together. Eijiro dove to the ground and rolled on that side, the concrete adhering to the substance as well. Grunting, he lifted himself off the ground, concrete practically covering his left, acting as a shield as he rushed at Momo once more.
"And there it is," Izuku nodded towards Momo's back, where a strangle bulge was visible beneath her uniform. With a twist, she managed to reach down and pull, ripping the back part of her shirt open to reveal a device that almost looked like a gun, except the front was a pair of dangling wires. She aimed it at Eijiro, firing it at him. Eijiro went to dodge to the side, but the wires followed, sticking to the sticky pink substance on his side. With wide eyes, he jolted as she pressed down on the revealed taser, jolting and rocking before falling to the ground, smoking slightly.
"...the hell did she do?" Himiko asked.
"I'm not entirely sure what the substance was, but she managed to make the taser leads magnetic or seeking somehow, and placed the marker on the pink substance. That way, Eijiro was distracted by it being sticky, assuming that was the trap, but it was a trick instead."
"Still took her a long time to land on a plan. She kept trying new shit. She needs to focus up and commit," Katuski replied. Izuku just shrugged, not really disagreeing.
"Match six has concluded with an epic confrontation! Onto the seventh!"
"Lowdown on this one, predictor Midoriya?" Toru asked.
"...it's a bad matchup for Tokoyami. Kacchan noticed it too. Which means it's over for Tokoyami, out of bad luck," Izuku replied.
"What do you mean?" Mina asked.
"Dark Shadow, Mina. Think about it."
The class collectively picked up on it, wincing as they watched the two competitors reach the arena.
"From Class 1-A, we have the bomb boy supreme, Katsuki Bakugo!" Katsuki entered the arena, hands in his pockets, looking casual as ever.
"And his opponent, the mysterious, dark clad Fumikage Tokoyami!" Tokoyami entered the arena, giving Katsuki a bow as he stepped up.
"Are you ready?" Midnight asked.
"Yes, I am prepared," Tokoyami replied.
"Yeah. Let's fucking do this," came Katsuki's response.
"Begin!"
Unfortunately for Tokoyami, Izuku's comments were proven correct within seconds. Katsuki opened with his Stun Grenade just as Dark Shadow reached him, the shadow creature recoiling instantly. He kept it up, flaring his explosions for more light than anything else, the creature constantly being forced back, until it finally fled back into Tokoyami. Katsuki dashed forward as soon as it had, bringing both hands forward and hitting the feathered boy hard, sending him flying out of the ring.
"Match seven concluded! One more to go, don't you change that dial!"
"Bad matchup for you. No hard feelings?" Katsuki asked as he looked over at Tokoyami.
"It is as you said, a bad matchup. I am disappointed, but I shall overcome. It is a weakness I must address. You were the victor in our contest fair and square." Tokoyami replied with a nod towards Katsuki. Katsuki just nodded back, as the final two entered the arena.
"From Class 1-A, we have the cool cat Himiko Toga! Don't take your eye off her or she'll be behind you in a moment!" Himiko skipped into the arena, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed (unbeknownst to the audience, Izuku and Ochako had both kissed her once she entered the privacy of the preparatory room, and promised her a much, much longer session once the festival was over).
"And from Class 1-B, their Class Representative and all around most responsible classmate, Itsuka Kendo!" Kendo walked out with her hands clasped, bowing to the audience and to Himiko.
"Are you ready?"
"Yep!" Himiko replied gleefully.
"Yes!" Kendo said, smiling.
"Begin!"
Neither girl wasted any time, bolting towards the other. As they got within melee range, Kendo took a quick, questioning jab at Himiko, trying to gauge how the other girl fought. Himiko ducked beneath it, swiping rapidly with her left then her right, Kendo quickly backstepping to dodge before coming back in for a wide swing that left her open on purpose, in the hopes of baiting Himiko in. Himiko didn't take it, instead trying to circle to her opposite side to throw the other off. Kendo didn't fall for it, following the motion with ease.
It was quickly obvious to both combatants and the audience the two girls were both trained to fight without relying on their Quirks, both of them seemingly holding them back till the right moment. They settled into a rapid back and forth of swift, unerring strikes from Himiko and defensive, carefully planned strikes from Kendo. Himiko was more aggressive, taking advantage of a greater speed and flexibility, but Kendo was better at waiting for the most opportune moment to engage.
It was just as Himiko went for a daring flip over Kendo that the taller girl finally used her Quirk. Himiko had thought she knew Kendo's range for now, so it was a huge surprise to her when Kendo's hand enlarged to an extreme size, almost grappling her. Himiko, slightly panicked, triggered her own Quirk just at that moment, the much smaller and lithe form of Tsuyu Asui appearing just in time to slip through Kendo's grip before she grabbed her.
Tsu's eyes went wide in the audience along with most of the class, the majority of them having not seen her actually transform before. As she landed, Himiko leapt backwards and her transform faded, not being familiar enough with Tsuyu to really take advantage of her abilities. The two girls circled each other carefully, sizing the other one up.
"That's a neat trick. That was one of your classmates, wasn't it?" Kendo asked Himiko, panting slightly.
"Tsu, she's very cute!" Himiko replied with a grin, keeping low to the ground. "You almost had me there, wasn't expecting the big hands. Them the only things you can do that with?"
"You'll have to find out!" Kendo's reply was accompanied by a wide smile in return.
"Oh I'd love to find out how those hands feel," Himiko winked at Kendo.
Kendo flushed slightly, but didn't lose her defensive posture. "Sorry, but that won't distract me. Setsuna flirts with half the class at least three times a day."
"Shoot. Was worth a try." Himiko tilted her head to the side, still smiling. "How about we finish this?"
"Whenever you're ready," Kendo replied, taking a more defensive stance in preparation. Himiko just grinned, before closing her eyes and letting out a deep breath, seeming to vanish from Kendo's sight. The orange-haired girl stood stock still, listening to any indicator of an attack, knowing that whatever Himiko had done to vanish had to have some way of noticing her…
She felt the air move just slightly on her left and swiped out, her enlarged hand grabbing onto something. As she gripped tighter, she saw Himiko in her hand and grinned. "Gotcha!"
Himiko smiled back. "You sure did…" Himiko's body was covered in gray sludge, growing and expanding, forcing Kendo's hand slightly open until she was face to face to a held Katsuki, the face of the blonde bomber smirking at her. "Hey." Sudden, searing heat and light in her hand made Kendo drop the blonde, wincing at the explosion right in her palm.
A second later, a fist impacted her stomach, her seeing the green-haired form of Izuku with that same smirk on his face, Himiko taking advantage of Izuku's greater muscle mass for a more powerful hit. As Kendo bent over, she felt a tap on her shoulder and the loss of her gravity, Ochako's smirking visage in her face as she was lifted into the air. Before she could stop it, the transformed Himiko had launched her out of the arena, releasing Ochako's Quirk just in time for her to stop from hitting the wall.
"And with that, Kendo is out! Toga is the victor!" Midnight announced.
Present Mic came over the speakers, shouting as Aizawa sighed next to him. "The first round of matches comes to a close, with a dominating performance by Class 1-A! Coming up next, the Quarterfinal matches! We'll be breaking for a half hour, before starting up with the next matches! But first, let's have a round of applause for all our competitors who gave it their all today!" The crowd erupted into cheers, even louder still when they saw Himiko helping Kendo up and shaking hands with her, the two leaving the arena together while talking.
"The brackets as they stand!"
Match 1
Sero vs Midoriya
Match 2
Ashido vs Todoroki
Match 3
Uraraka vs Yaoyorozu
Match 4
Bakugo vs Toga