"The next match will be Noikari versus Momo Yaoyorozu!"
Present Mic's declaration acted like a trigger, prompting everyone to look at where Noikari had fled to and where Bakugo had followed him. They could hardly see down the hall due to their eyes being adjusted to the bright sunlight from above them, but when they heard two sets of footsteps approaching, Class 1-A couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
There was Noikari and Bakugo, walking together side by side as they rejoined their classmates. Stepping away from Bakugo to leave for the opposite side of the ring, Noikari turned to Momo, asking the girl "Are you ready?", receiving a nod in response as she held her arm in front of her, clasping one of Noikari's hands in her own as she smiled.
"Let's both do our best, Noi!" Momo exclaimed happily, giving his hand a firm squeeze.
Noikari returned her smile, nodding his head and placing his free hand on top of hers, giving a soft squeeze of thanks for his support.
"Hey lovebirds," Mirko called as she approached the pair from behind, causing both of their eyes to widen slightly. She noticed their startled expressions, which caused a sly smile to spread across her lips. "Hurry up, we can't wait all day."
Smiling at the Rabbit Hero, Noikari turned back to Momo and gave her a final nod before entering the ring, running to the other side as Momo also entered.
As Eraser Head watched his students enter the arena, he glanced towards Bakugo, who was currently leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
"Judging by your return, I take it everything went well?" Eraserhead asked.
Bakugo looked up at Eraser Head, and nodded his head slowly, a faint grimace playing around his lips as he did so.
"Meh. It went fine," he grumbled. "He said something about me needing to earn his trust back."
"And you plan on working to do just that, correct?"
Bakugo rolled his eyes as he averted his gaze from his teacher, glaring into nothingness.
"So what if I do, that a problem?"
Aizawa said nothing as Bakugo averted his gaze to the ring, waiting impatiently for the start of the battle.
After a few more moments of waiting, Present Mic took center stage once more as a signal for the fight to begin, Midnight joining him seconds after.
"Let the battle commence!" Midnight shouted enthusiastically, causing the stadium to erupt into deafening cheers.
Momo took a deep breath as she placed both of her hands on her hips, readying herself to attack the opponent that lay in front of her, as well as prepare herself for the onslaught of attacks she was about to receive.
To her shock, Noikari's expression suddenly brightened as a thought crossed his mind.
"Ooh, I have an idea! Let's make this fight more interesting!"
Confused by the boy's statement, Momo shook her head slightly before responding.
"What do you mean by 'make it more interesting'?"
Noikari grinned widely, excitement evident in his eyes as he activated his Quirk to create a red, lengthy, staff which he briefly twirled around his shoulders excitedly before holding it to his side as one side touched the ground.
"What if we both fought with these only?" Noikari pitched. "Whichever one of us can disarm the other wins."
Momo blinked several times in confusion, still wondering why that idea came to Noikari suddenly, before smiling lightly.
"Hehe, alright then, let's do it!"
Focusing on Noikari as she spoke, Momo's smile grew wider as she summoned her weapon of choice. Using her Quirk of Creation, the girl created a bo staff of her own, which she held outwards as she prepared for a move.
"You got it." Noikari responded, looking excited as he lifted his staff into the air. "Let's get going then."
The familiar voice of Present Mic cut through the noise as he announced the start of the match between the two.
"And let the match. . . begin!"
Almost immediately, the ring was filled with the sound of clacking metal against metal as the two began to strike at each other, sparks flying. Neither student yielded as they continued to block, counter, and parry each other's strikes, smiling all the while. Unlike Noikari's fight with Bakugo, the fight between Noikari and Momo was much friendlier. As the duo continued to exchange blows, their laughs echoed across the stands as they continued to clash with their weapons.
Finally, a loud crash sounded throughout the arena as Momo's spear broke in half upon impact with Noikari's staff. With a gasp, she backed away from Noikari, who could only grin.
"It looks like I win." He commented, glancing at the broken spear in amusement as he held onto his staff firmly in his hands. Momo frowned slightly, dissapointed in herself for losing.
"I. . guess I forfeit, then." She stated. defeated. The girl was surprised when Noikari gently extended his hand, offering it to her with a smile.
"That was great, Momo!" Noikari reassured, his blue orbs shining brightly as he continued to hold onto the broken part of Momo's spear, "You're really incredible!"
Momo smiled at the complement but still felt disheartened. "But I still lost to you."
"So?" Noikari said, waving off her comment as he walked closer to her. "Everyone loses at some point. What matters is that you use your loss to learn how to improve, right?"
Momo's mouth opened in surprise at Noikari's words, before finally letting a small laugh escape from her lips.
"Thanks." She responded softly as she shook Noikari's hand, accepting his compliment with a smile. "You really do seem to know how to cheer people up."
The praise elicited a small blush from Noikari, a light shade of pink appearing on his cheeks as he looked down.
"I wouldn't say I know how to cheer people up, or anything." Noikari said sheepishly, scratching his cheek with his free hand, causing Momo to raise an eyebrow at his words.
"What do you mean?" Momo asked, tilting her head slightly.
Noikari looked away from the girl in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, not wanting to meet her stare, yet failing as she stared directly at him.
"Err..." He stammered. "Well... N-never mind."
Momo raised an eyebrow, confused by Noikari's answer, but decided not to press any further, instead turning away to leave the ring and return to her friends. Noikari hurried behind her, his thoughts immediately on his next battle. Hopefully he would be allowed a moment to rest before going onto the finals.
As if hearing his thoughts, Present Mic announced, "And now we will be having a brief 10-minute break to allow for recovery from previous matches."
Noikari sighed in relief before taking a seat beside his friends, gratefully taking a water bottle from Aoyama and drinking straight out of it, ignoring the disgusted look that his friend gave him for doing so. Once he had finished, he closed the lid before placing the bottle on the ground beside him, instead mentally preparing himself for his battle with Midoriya. He was determined not to give up, nor did he want to. Although deep down Noikari believed that he would lose, he didn't intend to make it easy for Izuku. He wouldn't hold anything back as he wanted to show his friend what a strong hero he truly was. No matter what happened, Noikari knew that this would be his toughest battle yet.
The 10 minutes that he had been given to rest felt both like eternity and no time at all. A slow sense of anxiety began to grow inside him, along with a hint of nervousness as he waited anxiously for the fight to come to its start.
Finally, after 10 long minutes, the voice of Present Mic rang throughout the stadium once again.
"Thank you all for coming out today ladies and gentlemen, to witness the best that the students of U.A have to offer! After many spectacular battles, we have now reached the final match of the Fighting Festival, where our two finalists, Noikari and Izuku Midoriya, shall face off in combat!"
Getting up from his seat, Noikari took in a deep breathe before exhaling deeply.
"Okay, let's go." he mumbled.
Not wasting anymore time, Noikari entered the ring once more, although not before getting some words of encouragement from Uraraka and Momo.
"Don't worry, Noikari, you can do this!" Uraraka cheered encouragingly, giving a thumbs up.
"You've got this, dude!" Ojiro agreed with a smile, a hint of pride present within him as his friend faced off against someone far stronger than him, something he could never achieve.
The child gave the two a quick thumbs up before turning to face Izuku, who had just entered the ring as well. His dark green hair and green eyes shined brighter than ever before as he smiled reassuringly at his friend.
Noikari smirked slightly in triumph as he raised an arm upward, signaling that it was game on.
Once more, silence fell over the stadium. This time however, it wasn't quiet and peaceful. It was full of anticipation and excitement as the crowd awaited the start of the battle between the two boys. For a few moments, everything went silent.
Then...
"Let the fight begin!"
"Are you ready, Noikari?" Izuku asked, his tone almost serious as his arms rose into the air as though mimicking a stance for some sort of offensive.
Without a second's hesitation, Noikari nodded resolutely in response as he lowered his arms down to cross them on his chest, all the while his cape still flowed with the same aura of magnificence.
"Bring it on!" he shouted with a slight chuckle.
Hoping to gain an early advantage, Noikari created a large rectangular block of stone before hurling it towards Izuku, who stood motionless, save for raising a single hand. Extending his arm outward, Izuku flicked a single finger, which created a shockwave of wind which collided with the projectile. The Delaware Smash completely destroyed the stone, sending a cloud of dust and rubble flying upwards and covering the entire arena.
Through the haze of the dust storm, one would have heard the flapping of wings as Noikari attempted to use the cover of the dust cloud to attack. Moving quickly behind his opponent, Noikari attempted to strike from above with a punch. Using 3% of One For All, Izuku quickly turned around, his hand becoming adorned with glowing red veins as his fist collided with Noikari's own. The collision of the two blows sent another powerful shockwave which dissipated the encompassing dust cloud, allowing both combatants to clearly see the other.
Both students grinned as Noikari leapt back, brushing the dirt off of his cape's shoulder padding.
"Alright," the boy remarked. "Let's kick it up a notch."
Bringing his fists to his side, Noikari's body became surrounded with a flaming purple aura, the stage shaking as Noikari showed a hint of his true power. Knowing that now it was time to put in even more effort, Midoriya closed his eyes briefly as his whole body was decorated with red glowing veins, the boy's muscles slightly bulking up as sparks of sapphire bio-electricity danced around his body.
Noikari's burning aura and Iuzku's transparent aura continued to grow as the two slowly began marching toward the other. Once they got close enough, their aura's themselves collided with each other, stopping both fighters in their tracks as they focused all the power they had into overpowering the other. Each step became heavier than the last, causing the earth beneath their feet to vibrate violently as the energy coursed through their bodies, sending tremors down the stands.
Noikari's breathing was heavy due to the strain as he glared at Midoriya, his eyes sharp and intimidating, making it evident that there was no backing down now.
With a final shout, Noikari's aura overpowered Izuku's, pushing the emerald haired male backwards as his feet dug trenches across the rocky floor. Grunting, Izuku flexed his hand before shooting another Delaware Smash towards Noikari, the blast of compressed air nearly knocking the younger man off of his feet. As Noikari regained his equilibrium, his hands were back in his signature pose, and a grin spread over his face.
Alongside Mirko, Aizawa watched the battle between his students intently, his tactical mind noticing that something about Noikari's movements seemed. . strange. There was still great speed behind his attacks, and yet there was still a lack of flow and finesse to his movement. His strikes were too erratic, almost frantic, like a robot that was running on its third battery. While it didn't appear to be intentional, Aizawa couldn't help but notice the fact that Noikari's cape was weighing him down.
Or was it intentional?
Noikari backed away as he received a glancing blow from Izuku. He grimaced before taking off his cape. Instead of merely placing it down or throwing it out of the arena, Noikari instead rushed forward towards Midoriya. Shocked but unafraid, Izuku quickly jumped back, dodging his charge. However, the action instead made Noikari throw the garment at the emerald-haired teen. Confused, Izuku had no time to react as the cape collided with him and pinned him to the ground. Not expecting the maneuver, Izuku attempted to lift the garment off of his body, but no matter how much strength he used, he couldn't pull it off.
Aizawa's eyes flashed in recognition. So that was it! Noikari wasn't moving slow because he couldn't go any faster, he was moving slow because of his cape. He was limiting himself.
The cape itself was weighted!
Midoriya came to the same conclusion a second later as he increased All For One's level to 10%, allowing him to break free of the material, with it clattering to the ground. As the young emerald haired teen looked around, stretching his limbs, he decided to ask Noikari about his most recent ploy.
"Is that cape weighted?" Midoriya asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Yep!" replied Noikari, smiling confidently. "I figured that I should start training my body without my Quirk, so that I can handle my power at higher intensities."
"Wow, that's a really smart idea." Izuku commented in admiration.
"Thanks." Noikari said, grinning.
"So, how much does it weigh?" Izuku questioned curiously.
Noikari shrugged before responding. "Roughly 50 pounds."
This answer caught Midoriya by surprise. That meant that every ounce of pressure that was placed onto the boy's body was actually enormous. In other words, that was the equivalent amount of pressure he felt when he used 1% of One For All for the first time.
It must have been very stressful for a normal human being to be under such an immense amount of force.
Fortunately, Noikari was not a normal human being.
Izuku looked back at the cape on the ground before beginning to look back up at Noikari.
"So, have you gotten fas-"
But before he could even finish his question, he came to the realization that Noikari was no longer where he was before. The prodigy of All Might had only a second to react as he heard a sound behind him which caused him to turn his head to the side instinctively, his eyes widening in shock and fear.
When he turned his head to the left once again, he saw what seemed to be Noikari charging at him like a bullet headed straight for his direction. The sight made the ravenette's heart stop for a moment as he panicked, his mind immediately racing with thoughts as to what could possibly happen next.
He wasn't going to be able to evade that incoming attack, nor did he think that he could jump to dodge it, since it would take him more than three seconds. His only option was to block.
Keeping One For All at 10%, Izuku raised his arms in front of him just as Noikari drew within a couple of meters. Quick as lightning, Noikari's arm shot out towards Izuku's torso. His arm made contact with Izuku's guard, creating a loud crack that echoed throughout the arena as the collision shook the ground and made it difficult for Izuku to maintain his balance as his hands throbbed from the force of Noikari's attack. It was clear to everyone present that Noikari was using his full strength. But so was Midoriya.
At least, that's what they believed.
With a shout, Izuku forced his hands apart before pulling one arm back, the veins running across the surface glowing brighter as he smashed Noikari with an uppercut.
Noikari was flung upwards as the boy felt his lower jaw crack as though it was about to break in half. As Noikari approached the ground, two familiar shapes burst from his backside, his wings once more forming and allowing the boy to recover. With a single flap, Noikari launched himself back into the air just before he hit the ground, stopping his ascent as he hovered above Izuku, staring into those emerald eyes as he held his breath.
Slowly, the boy began lowering himself toward the ground until he was only an inch from touching the dusty stage. He kept his gaze locked with Izuku's until he was about six inches in front of him, still suspended in midair as he stared into Izuku's eyes.
Likewise, Midoriya's eyes narrowed at Noikari, the tension thick between them. He didn't know whether Noikari wanted to attack or wait for him to attack. The emeraldette realized that if he wanted to win this, he needed to use 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵. It was risky, as he had only unlocked this ability recently and had little control over it. Nonetheless, he had to try, or else victory would be lost.
In a split second, Noikari wings folded outward as he shot towards Izuku, preparing to deliver another powerful punch. As the child approached his enemy, he noticed Midoriya bring a hand forward. Expecting him to attempt another Delaware Smash, Noikari instinctively leapt back to dodge.
He was completely caught off guard when from Izuku's arm, black tendrils of energy formed and extended towards him, wrapping around him. Noikari tried to shake the black tendrils off, but he found it hard to do anything as the energy tightly wrapped itself around him, trapping his hands and feet.
Feeling his body already tiring from the usage of Blackwhip, Izuku didn't waste any more time as he slammed Noikari into the ring hard. The impact created a large crater with a small cloud of dust rising upward. Midoriya panted as the dark tendrils receded back into his body, the boy clenching his arm in pain as he brought it closer to his body.
From the stands, those of Class 1-A and Mirko continued watching the battle with bated breath as they watched Izuku and Noikari clash. It wasn't long before they began to debate on who would win.
"I'm telling you, Midoriya will definitely win!" shouted Mina Ashido.
"Perhaps, but Noikari has shown us how resilient he is." Aizawa spoke calmly.
"The kid's tough, I'll give him that," Bakugo said gruffly.
Eraser Head glanced at his student. "A rare showing of respect from you."
The hot-headed blonde turned away with a scowl. "Tch, it's not a compliment, just a fact."
Aizawa nodded at his student's response before returning his attention to the match.
As Izuku recovered from the usage of Blackwhip while the dust settled, he noticed that Noikari once more had disappeared. This concerned Midoriya. Had he gone too far? Walking over to the crater created from Noikari's impact, Izuku noticed. . a hole.
Before he could question it, the teen felt the ground behind him tremble ever so slightly. He turned around just in time to see Noikari erupt from the ground like a cannonball, launching himself at the green haired teenager. Spinning his body, Noikari hit Izuku with a kick, sending him flying backwards and crashing to the ground. Landing painfully with a thud, Izuku groaned in discomfort.
Noikari wiped away the dirt and soot which covered his form the best he could as Izuku slowly got back to his feet.
"Ouch..." the freckled teenager mumbled, holding a hand over his left eye which had begun to sting. "That hurt. How did you do that?"
Noikari smiled sheepishly before saying, "I have no idea."
Midoriya nearly fell over. What kind of answer was that? Before he could even question it, Noikari began to speak again.
"Although," he started. "I can tell that you're still holding back."
"What makes you say that?!" Midoriya responded defensively.
"Remember my original purpose, Izuku." Noikari stated, raising his finger in emphasis. "I remember Hetodah showing me your battles against past villains, and I know you have higher levels of One For All."
"How did you know that?!" exclaimed Midoriya.
"I can feel it, the force behind your blows isn't as intense as it should be." Noikari explained. "You're trying to keep the power of One For All stable at the cost of being forced to use it at lower levels. That way, when using all your power, you won't expend so much."
Izuku stared wide eyed at Noikari as his friend continued to explain himself further.
"Do you remember what you told me a few days ago?" Noikari questioned, his eyebrows furrowing together. "When we were together at lunch?"
Izuku paused for a bit, trying to recall what he had said. Slowly, the boy's mind replayed the event in his mind as he remembered the conversation.
"𝘚𝘰 𝘕𝘰𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘪, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭?"
𝘕𝘰𝘪𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘪 𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘥. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦'𝘥 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘧𝘧. 𝘛𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥.
"𝘏𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺? 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰. . . 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶."
E𝘹𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘺, 𝘐𝘻𝘶𝘬𝘶 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥:
"𝘐𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘭𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭!"
IIzuku's mind returned to the present as Noikari finished his declaration.
"You told me that we would both give it our all if we fought, so stop holding back, Izuku! You can fight with more strength than anyone else!" shouted Noikari. "Now use it!"
Izuku stared at his friend for a moment, noticing the determined glint in his eyes as he looked over to him. He let out a small sigh before smiling.
"Alright," Midoriya answered.
He closed his eyes, trying to summon up all his energy as Noikari raised an eyebrow slightly. The red veins crossing the green haired boy's body flared while his eyes glowed with an emerald hue. His body once more slightly bulked up, but not enough to cause any noticeable changes. Pushing One For All to 15% was risky, but it was the highest level that he could retain without injuring himself. When he opened his eyes, he saw Noikari staring at him with anticipation.
The child's face was filled with excitement as he saw Izuku release more of his power.
"That's incredible!" Noikari exclaimed before bringing his fists down to his sides. "Now get ready!"
Noikari's fists became adorned with the familiar violaceous glow of Conversion Furnace as he unleashed his own reserves of power, the absorbed molecules in the air running like clockwork as his body channeled the power his creator bestowed upon him.
Watching the battle from the stands, Class 1-A watched with awe as both combatants powered up.
"They're both going at full power." Aizawa observed as his eyes narrowed in concentration.
Her eyes equally concentrated on the spectacle, Mirko watched the two with interest. The Pro Hero had assisted Noikari in battle a few days prior. She knew how strong and intelligent he was, but her admiration for his character only grew stronger every day that she spent with him. As much as he was a pain to be around, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him. It was a feeling that confounded her. The Rabbit Hero had always considered herself a lone wolf in the hero business, only working with others when it was absolutely necessary. And yet, Noikari managed to make her consider the idea that she wanted to have a partnership with him one day...
Mirko shook her head and forced her thoughts back to the fight. She would deal with these feelings later. Right now, she wanted to make sure she didn't miss a moment of this match.
When Noikari finished gathering his power, the boy curved his feet, getting into a stance as he held up his fists.
"Are you ready?" Noikari asked calmly.
"Yes," nodded Izuku, still keeping calm despite the increasing surge of energy building within him. He knew what to expect next.
Simultaneously, the two boys charged towards each other, their faces grimacing with determination, their fists clenched tightly.
As they reached each other, both fighters pulled a fist back before launching them forward, colliding with tremendous force. Unlike before, the entire arena shook from the clash. Despite the high-speed impact, neither boy was affected as they prepared to trade blows.
Although there was no clear winner yet, both students knew that the fight was nearing its conclusion. And so, they would give it their all.