Quirk: Chakra
Author's Notes: Hey, guys! Moizz here. I decided to upload this last completed chapter right after the seventh. The reason for that is my upcoming exams. By the end of August I have to take this exam for my Bachelor's and need to be prepared completely. This is my only chance to not fail any subject and take supplementary exams in my second year. I have become way to lenient and paid the price for it in college. I don't wanna fail.
So that is the reason I am uploading two chapters in quick succession so that I am set for at least a few weeks of no activity. I apologize in advance for the delay this story will suffer in the coming weeks. And that is not even mentioning my other story, A Little Help, that is neglected due to me hitting a wall. I have every intention to complete both of these stories before I start writing an original novel of my own. Otherwise these will fall to the way side.
With that said, I want to thank every one for 37 followers and 26 favorites. This is beyond my expectation since I have no knowledge of publication or promotions. I'm not a marketing oriented person and without even putting mucch effort I gainned so many. Thank you, everyone who follows my story. Feel free to drop a review if you have any issues, complaints or suggestions. Any and all criticism is appreciated here.
So, without further ado, let's get on with the final chapter of U.A Sports Festival.
Chapter 8: Tournament.
U.A, Stadium Alpha, Prep Room.
"It was an awful idea!", I cried when Tooru-chan and I stepped into the prep room. The reason for my plight was, of course, my idea of our class doing a cheer-leading routine. Even boys. In girl short skirts and crop tops. No one, and I mean none of the boys, was happy with this.
"Come one. It wasn't that bad.", Tooru-chan tried to console me.
"We were wearing short skirts while sporting boners. Tell me how it is not as bad as we think?", I retorted.
"It's a… a natural reaction…?", she gave her best guess.
"The worst part about is that now people would think that us boys are gay!", I complained more, "Why did you let me go through with this? You had the power to vote against it!"
"W-well… I just… wanted to see you cross-dressing, I guess.", another good guess. For her I would do something like this, all day any day, but not for the national television.
"Not sure what my family is going to think about it. And I shudder to think what others' families would think about them.:", I explained the folly of my actions. "Mine would just embarrass me. I don't know what will happen to… to Tokoyami, for example. Or Shoto, for that matter. I can't believe he had a last minute heart change."
"Don't worry. It's totes alright. Maybe there is a hidden someone who is actually gay among you.", She speculated.
"At least it's a little consolation that we might have helped that guy come out to his family.", I speculated.
"Totes Right! Way to look at the bright side, honey!", she exclaimed. Then immediately went pink.
I was confused as to what might have flustered her, then I realized her exact words. And instead of embarrassment, I felt giddy. "Wait! What did you say just now?", I asked her to repeat herself.
"Nothing! I didn't say anything! Furgeddaboudid!", she tried to deny.
"No, no. I want to hear that exact word you called me.", I insisted.
"No! I didn't say anything!", she didn't budge. Alright, I'll make you budge.
"Please. For me?", I gave her the puppy dog eyes. She melted, but turned her eyes away in embarrassment.
"H-H-Honey…", she reluctantly spoke.
That little word hit me like a bullet train, in the best way possible. I felt my heart soar. Butterflies danced in my stomach. I was on cloud nine. In an overly dramatic way, I put both of m hands on my heart and clenched, then proceeded to fall backwards. She almost managed to save me, but I had to complete my act, So I arched my back, out of her reach, and touched the floor. I didn't even feel the pain.
"Reito-kun!", my girlfriend shouted.
"~Haaaah~… Didn't know simple words could pack such a huge punch.", I said contentedly.
"Geez… You totes scared me, Reito-kun.", she complained.
"Please. Call me that again.", I gestured with my eyes to remind her of the word I meant.
"Oh, come on. It was only once…"
"Please. I want to hear it from you again."
"Geez… Honey, please get up.", she said it. Like a human being hanging on to live wires, I was up on my feet in record time. That sudden move caught her off guard, enough for me to wrap her in a hug.
"Oh, I love you to, darling.", I cooed in her ear.
She practically melted in my arms at that. We had a thing going here. Until we were interrupted by the opening door.
"Hate to intrude on your romance, but the tournament is about to start.", Mina popped her head in to remind us. We both nodded and she went away. I turned back to Tooru-chan.
"I'm sorry for… making you uncomfortable. I just… couldn't contain my giddiness when you called me honey.", I explained to her.
"D-don't worry. It's okay. I-I liked it as well.", she hesitantly said.
"If that's the case,", I got close to her face, inches away from her lips and my hand cupping her chin. "why don't we continue this in a more… private setting?", I asked her in a soft voice. Of course I would back off if she refused, but I had to try. I would be our first actual romantic adventure, though. You know, as teenagers.
"I-I'd like that. What do you have in mind, though?", she asked.
"Nothing you're uncomfortable with, my love.", I answered her in a low octave voice. Seemed to have worked it's magic.
"Okay. Then it's a date!", she suddenly beamed. I was taken aback, but welcomed this surprise.
"Then, let's go to the stands. Others are waiting for us.", I suggested.
She nodded and we both made our way to the waiting area, hand in hand.
X-X
"Where were you two?", asked Ochako. "The first match is about to start."
"We were just sampling the food of the stalls.", I answered her as Tooru-chan and I took our seats.
"I see. Well, you are just in time.", she said turning towards the field.
There, on a stage, that was seemingly moving on it's own since the festival started, was standing Ms. Midnight. In front of her, in the middle of the Stadium was a concrete platform about a meter and a half high. It had plenty of space for two combatants to make full use of and on either side of it were the stairs that each combatant used, directly in front of the two entrances into the field.
On said platform, were standing Shinso and Aoyama. The former was looking bored but his chakra suggested he was nervous. Aoyama was looking confident and absolutely fabulous and even his chakra was burning brightly. Almost like he was looking forward to the competition.
"Who do you think is going to win, Reito-kun?", Tooru-chan asked from my right.
I took a moment to think things through and decided on an answer. "Hitoshi Shinso has this in the bag."
My answer was met with confusion. Somewhere from behind, Kirishima called out, "Hey, Reito-bro! It's not manly to diss our own guys."
I bent my head backwards and was looking at Kirishima upside down. "I'm not dissing, I'm stating facts. Do you even know what Shinso's quirk is? Have you seen how he passed the cavalry battle? Does Aoyama has the mental presence to adapt on the fly?"
My response calmed the red haired teen. I put my head back on straight.
"Well, then, how is this match gonna go?", Ochako asked.
I thought for a bit but Izuku answered for me. "Shinso looks like he uses a long range quirk, probably support type. If it's like an RPG and he puts a debuff on Aoyama, the match is over."
"Precisely.", I gave my two cents as well.
As I finished, Ms. Midnight's speech was over and she gave the signal to start. Surprisingly, Aoyama did not start blasting like he was prone to do. Instead he started walking off the platform. I sensed his chakra, and sure enough, he was under mind control. I looked at Izuku. We both shared a meaningful glance and nodded. He got my message.
"And it looks like Yuga Aoyama has decided to forfeit. The match goes to Hitoshi Shinso!" Ms Midnight announced and a sort of subdued clapping ensued from the audience. Some must have realized what actually happened and erupted into claps and cheers for the purple haired kid.
"Wow, you were right, Reito-kun.", Tooru-chan said.
"Yeah. It was over in less than a minute.", Ochako said to Izuku in a surprised voice, "And you will fight him in the second round, right?"
"Y-yes. I'm feeling kind of nervous now. How did he even activate his quirk? It seemed like they were talking and… and suddenly Aoyama was walking away.", Izuku speculated.
"I have a few theories, but let's save them until your match is at hand.", I suggested to him.
"Yeah, that would be alright.", he agreed.
The next match of this round was between Shoto and Sero. Not long after the first match, the participants of the second match were facing off. Even though, Sero knew he wasn't going to win, he had vowed to give it all he's got. Shoto on the other hand was looking pissed, and his chakra even more so. It's a no-brainer on who's going to win. But I should talk to Shoto about what ticked him off.
Ms midnight gave the signal to start and Sero went into action. He used the tape from his elbows and wrapped it around Shoto from a distance. He tried tugging on the wrapped teen, who budged only a little before sending a searing glare towards Sero and readied his left arm.
In a second, half of the platform was covered in ice, the spires of which were reaching the audience. One even came close to poking me in the nose. At the epicenter of the glacier was Sero, his entire torso and legs were covered in ice. Only his head was left open for him to breath.
A wave of "good effort", rang in the stands. People weren't even cheering for Shoto, they were just pitying Sero.
"I know what I'm doing against Shoto-kun. I will throw the match!", came Mina's voice from the front row.
"Don't put yourself down, Mina-chan. I'm sure you can at least put up a fight.", Tooru-chan tried to console her.
"I do not want to be a Popsicle! Thank you very much!", came the acid girl's reply.
I don't blame her. Even I would be hard pressed to find an opening through that attack. And he was only using half of his power. Imagine if he added his fire into the mix, like he was doing right now to free Sero from his ice. I pity the fool who goes up against him. It's probably going to be Izuku, isn't it?
The next match was announced. Funny thing was about it was that both Eijirou and Tetsutetsu were striking the same pose on the big screen and even their quirk were essentially similar in nature. Someone in the staff must have had a great sense of humor to pit these unrelated twins against each other.
Even before the announcement I knew that this match was going to be the longest. I had decided to help Kirishima out by giving him a boost. Without him knowing, of course. Before he left I caught up to him and gave him an energy drink, which he had chugged down with a thanks. I tapped his shoulder in an act of good faith, and secretly boosted his chakra. This will allow him to endure more hits and even boost his hardening quirk. I was just doing my part to make the next match a bit more exciting.
Right after the "go" signal from Ms. Midnight, the two behemoths launched at each other. An exchange of fists ensued. They were just brawling and not even trying to use any techniques. Even though their quirks were activated, they must be suffering some damage. And it became apparent when after a particularly non-unique punch, Tetsutetsu was on the ground. Kirishima was looking positively ecstatic. Probably because he realized that my energy drink did work. He looked in my general direction and gave me a thumbs up. I returned the gesture.
"What did you do, Reito-kun?", Tooru-chan asked in a suspicious manner.
I decided to tell her in whispers. I pulled my lips closer to her ear. "I just gave him a little bit of chakra."
In a similarly low, barely audible voice, she shouted. "You What!? That's against the rules, Reito-kun."
"In his eyes, I just gave him an energy drink, nothing more.", I replied. She bought my explanation.
Manliness was overflowing from my boy as he extended a hand of friendship and support to his fallen opponent. The opponent in question took the hand in the most manly way possible and stood up. They gave each other a one handed bro hug. It was looking kind of cheesy, but who am I to judge someone's lifestyle of choice. I'm pretty sure he's not gay, though.
The fiasco over with in a measly fifteen minutes as compared to the hour long brawl I had imagined previously. Next match was between Kyoka and Ochako, who stood up from her seat and bent towards Izuku to steal a quick good luck kiss from him. The two then went towards the platform.
"You did not mess with them, did you?", Tooru-chan skeptically asked me in a low whisper.
"B-both of them are our classmates. Their fight is going to be interesting on it's own. Why would I sabotage it?", I answered in a similarly low whisper. Again, she bought my explanation.
"Who do you think is going to win, then?", she asked in a normal voice, meaning secrecy was over.
"This is a tough one. Izuku, forgive me is I say something bad about Ochako here.", I spoke to my bro.
"It's alright. I know you don't mean anything bad.", he assured me with a smile.
"Thanks. So, Ochako can control gravity. Kyoka controls sound waves. Ochako is a melee fighter by nature. Kyoka is a long range fighter, by nature. So far, the odds are in Kyoka's favor. That reminds me.", I said and stood up, turning around to face the class. "How about we place bets? Kyoka was a 70% chance of wining."
"Reito, this is extremely in appropriate behavior for class representative.", Iida spoke up.
"It's just harmless fun, Iida. I can keep it under control.", I replied.
He would have said more, but the bet placement was in full swing and his voice got drowned out. 10 out of 18 bets were against Ochako, mine as well. Somehow, everyone summoned money from somewhere. I wasn't going to question that.
The match finally started. Ochako immediately tried to close the distance, but Kyoka stuck her jacks into the concrete and sent a heavy shockwave towards her. The tremors made Ochako lose her feet but she remained in the air due to her gravity quirk she was using on herself. She canceled her quirk and touched the rocks that were formed by the cracks produced by the shockwave. The rocks began to float and she used her jacket to collect them in one fell swoop.
Right about now, Izuku was blushing heavily looking at his girlfriend in only her tank-top. The rock filled jacket was slung over her shoulder as she stood in an empowering pose. Her chest was puffed out. On closer inspection one could see two points from her chest. That was probably why Izuku was blushing.
Back to the fight. Ochako began another mad dash and Kyoka repeated her previous move. The gravity girl anticipated this and jumped up, using her quirk on herself, doing a corkscrew. Using the momentum of her spin, she swung her jacket holding only one sleeve, which made the rocks inside eject towards the earphone jack girl. It was an AOE type of attack and most of the damage was spread over the area, so it merely stunned her opponent.
Ochako saw her chance and finally closed the distance between them. Just as she was about to touch her, Kyoka sent her jacks straight into Ochako's ears. Realizing what was about to happen, Ochako tried to free herself, but the jacks sent a controlled shockwave directly to her brain, knocking her out.
Ms. Midnight called the match and declared Kyoka the winner.
X-X
"Holy hell, you're prediction was spot on, dude.", Kaminari said to me.
I gave him a shrug. Instead of answering him I looked at Izuku. I placed a hand on his shoulder, grabbing his attention. "Your match will begin after a ten minutes break, go check up on her.", I told him.
Izuku gave me a nod and went to see his girlfriend. I proceeded to hand out the winners their share.
X-X
After a few the break was up, Izuku was making his way straight to the platform. I intercepted him on his way out. "Hey, Izuku!"
He stopped and looked at me. "What's up?"
"Nothing, just wanted to tell you about the theories I came up with. I have reasons to believe Shinso's quirk has to do with conversation. No matter what happens, do not talk to him."
"Thanks, Reito."
"You need a boost?"
"No. I can handle myself."
"Well, then, good luck."
With that over and done with, I went back to my seat.
X-X
"Where were you?", Tooru-chan asked me.
"Wishing Izuku luck in his fight against the anomaly.", I answered.
"How do you think this math will go?"
"Izuku will win, one way or another."
"What does that mean?"
"I've given him precautions. It's up to him to resist the temptation to answer him."
"I see."
"Hey, guys. Am I late?", Ochako's voice cut in. Her eyes were puffy, like she was crying a few minutes ago. Probably has to do with her dream for her parents.
"Just in time, sweetheart!", Mina answered her from the front row.
"Great, I didn't miss it.", she sighed in relief and sat next to me.
"Even if you lost, your tactics were great. With only so much at your disposal, you did admirably, Ochako.", I told her to soothe her worry.
"Yeah, Ochako. You were totes awesome down there.", my girlfriend agreed with me.
"Thanks, guys. It means a lot.", Ochako replied.
"The match is about to start, you three.", Kirishima reminded us.
We became silent and focused. This match would be a bit more exciting. Not because there is going to be a serious fight, mind you. But because I can't wait to see Izuku out-maneuver a mind control.
Just as the match started, so did the taunts and disses from Shinso. Izuku was barely holding on. I found it stupid that he didn't just ignore his rant and deliver an uppercut to the guy. Instead he stood there until a particularly vicious taunt made it's way into his ear. And inevitably, Izuku answered.
I felt his chakra and, sure enough, he was under mind control. My brother began making his way off the platform. I was now worried. But my worries were baseless. Just as he was about to take the last step over the line, Izuku's fingers snapped. A gust of wind blew his clothes and dust around him. He placed his foot back inside the line.
Not waiting for Izuku to recover fully, Shinso darted towards him. My bro's reflexes were spot on as he turned around and grappled the Shinso. They trading words. And lastly, Izuku slammed Shinso back first outside the line. My boy wasn't even using OFA.
The match was called and Izuku was declared the winner. Shinso on the other hand decided to split the scene. I handed out the money to the winning betters.
X-X
"That was touch and go for a moment, Izuku.", I said to him as he took his seat. Iida and Denki were already in position on the platform, waiting for the signal to start.
"Yeah. I-I'll tell you about it later.", he dismissed me offhandedly.
I let it slide and went back to observing the next match. "Alright. Time to place your bets. In my opinion, the one trick pony is going to be defeated by our steam engine."
I looked over the class and everyone was rooting for Iida, including me. So there is not going to be a bet. I informed everyone of that and we all decided to skip the bet for this match.
Sure enough, Iida won by avoiding the indiscriminate electric shocks until Denki was a vegetable. No one was even cheering for Iida for such an easy win. I pitied Denki. No one had any confidence for him. Poor guy.
Shortly after, the next competitors were facing off. Shoji and Yaomomo. I gave them a fifty-fifty chance. The bets on them were equal. But, if Shoji has the same idea I have, then this match will be over before it even started.
"Begin!", Ms. Midnight blared. The crowd cheered. The combatants charged.
Shoji did have the same idea as me and went full-on offensive. Never giving Yaomomo a second to think. Keeping her on defensive and slowly pushing her back. His massive eight hands were viciously striking a shield she had created for herself. Even though she wasn't taking any damage, she was being pushed back little by little and by the end of it she was outside the boundary.
'Well, so much for a fifty-fifty chance.', I thought wryly as I handed out the winner's sum.
So far, the matches are going fast. Barely five minutes. The fastest was Shinso vs Aoyama, which was 13 seconds. But nothing is going to be faster than the next match. The competitors were already facing off.
"I give up!", called Mina from the platform. Shoto did not give any reaction to her sudden yield. This one only lasted one second after the signal was given. Top that.
Next match, Tokoyami vs Kirishima. This is going to be fun. I gave them 70-30 chances in Tokoyami's favor. Bets were placed. Match was started.
Tokoyami immediately took out his sentient quirk, Dark Shadow. They were a vicious tag team. The only problem was, Dark Shadow is weak in the daylight and uncontrollable in the darkness. Right now, the sun was in just the right place to cast a shadow over the bird boy, eliminating his weakness to some extent.
The quirk and behemoth clashed. Tokoyami sent a leg sweep towards Kirishima from behind the Shadow. The hard boy (that came out wrong) was swept of his feet. Tokoyami capitalized on this and ordered Dark shadow to pick the boy up and fly him outside the boundary.
Kirishima dodged out of the way in the nick of time. The chakra I had given him still hadn't burned out. He took three more hit from the shadow but stood his ground, not moving an inch. Changing his tactics, Tokoyami had his opponent surrounded by his quirk and began running. The shadow acted as a tether and swept Kirishima along for the ride. The bird boy then made an emergency stop and Dark Shadow accelerated. The result was Kirishima outside the boundary, on the grass surrounding the platform.
Tokoyami was declared the winner and I handed out the sum to the winners of the bet.
Right about now I was feeling the need to receive the nature's call. I excused myself and ran to the toilet. Done with my business, I began making my way back to the stands.
In a particularly long hallway, which led to the reserved stands for the participating classes, I ran into Mei. She was holding a rather heavy bag and more stuff was hanging around her belt. Those were support items she must have created. I felt bad for treating her like I did before the Cavalry Battle. She was just doing her best in her own way. She had to if she wanted to be recognized by the support industries. I decided to apologize to her.
"Hello, Mei.", I called out to her.
She turned around and looked at me. Recognition and fear reflected in her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm just here to apologize for how I treated you. I'm sorry for being too hard on you."
Her fear subsided and she gave me a big smile. "It's okay. *phew* I was thinking maybe you wanted to sabotage me before our fight."
"Yeah… I give off that kind of vibe, don't I? I'm sorry.", I apologized again.
"I said it's okay. So, looking forward to our fight?", she asked as we began walking again.
"I assume it isn't going to be much of a fight. You just want to advertise your babies, don't you?"
"Haha. You got me. So, how about it? If you're so sorry about mistreating me, then how about making up for it by becoming my poster boy?"
"There's that opportunistic gal, I know. You know what? Alright. I'm down."
"Great! Now we just need permission for you to use my babies."
"That might be a little difficult. But let's just see what happens."
"Great! See you soon~"
With that she quickly made her way to her own class's waiting area. 'Did I imagine it or was she really happy for my help. Unusually so.', I thought and sighed. I am pretty sure she just showed interest in me, but it could be my vivid imagination at work. I just went back and took my seat.
"What took you so long? The match is already over. Kendo won.", Tooru-chan told me.
"I just ran into Mei and I had to apologize to her. Sorry I'm late."
"At least it's a good reason. Go on, your match is next."
"Yeah, right. Wish me luck?"
"Of course. Good luck.", Tooru-chan reached up and gave me a searing kiss. Then realized what she had done and became embarrassed, even though no one actually saw her due to her quirk. I just gave her a smile and made my way to the platform, where Mei was already waiting for me.
"Alright folks! You are about to witness the battle between the comrades of the winning team from the Cavalry Battle. On one hand, we have Sakazuki Reito of Class 1-A. On the other hand, we have Hatsume Mei of class 1-E. So, without further ado-", Ms. Midnight was cut off when I spoke up loudly.
"I request permission to use Mei's support items!"
"What did you say, young man?", Ms. Midnight asked. Even though I has spoken loudly, only she had heard me, along with Mei, who spoke up next.
"Please, Ms. Dark Night. I want my babies to shine!
"I want to give her a fighting chance in the spirit of sportsmanship. I want to use her support items so that even she has a time to strut her inventions.", I explained further.
"Well, well, well. It seems the Hero Course student is willing to use the support items created by Hatsume Mei. What manliness! Let's see what the judges think." The big screen flashed green with "OKAY" written in white Impact font.
"It is decided then, that Sakazuki Reito is allowed to use the support items created by Hatsume Mei for this match. Good luck to both of you. Get ready, then. The match begins now!", the R-rated heroin blared.
Mei tossed me a couple of items. One was a vest connected to two rods jutting out over my shoulders and can-like things hanging from them. Second were a pair of shoes, which I quickly swapped out for my own. They were even more comfortable and cool. Third and last item were a pair of gauntlets.
She herself summoned a portable speaker which enlarged itself upto her height and a wireless mic. She was also holding an assortment of projectile weapons looking things. This was going to be a long match with barely any combat. But I chose this myself to atone for my mistreatment of Mei, so It's all good. I readied myself to become the best poster boy this country has ever seen.
One thing was for sure, this year's sports festival is out of this world thanks to my weird shenanigans.
X-X
After an ungodly amount of time, Mei finally decided to step out of the ring. Before that she gave me a bow. It was weird seeing her bowing to me. I get that I helped her and all that, but this gesture seems out of place on her.
"Whooo~ That was certainly a match which will be recorded in U.A's history. I don't even think either of the participants have lost, but the technical victory goes to Sakazuki Reito. I'm sure he will be able to show off his abilities in his next bout. But job well done for helping out a fellow U.A student.", Ms Midnight blared on the speakers.
I got off the platform and made my way to the entrance to the field. There, waiting for me was Tooru-chan.
"What the hell was that!?", she exclaimed.
"That was my way of apology.", I simply answered.
"Who the hell apologizes that way?", I wasn't sure what she meant by that.
"I did her a favor. Being a support student and all, she only needs to catch the eyes of support company. And what better way to do so than making it to the tournament and showing off her babies?", I playfully explained.
"Still, I wanted to see you fight!", Tooru-chan childishly yelled, waving her arms beside her. I just hugged her. She melted in my arms.
"If I did seriously fight her, she wouldn't have stood a chance.", I whispered in her ear.
"I know that. Ah, whatever! I'll just have to wait for your next match.", she said as she separated and began walking with me to the stands.
"I have a suspicion that it's going to be Katsuki in the third round.", I suggested.
"Don't count Kyoka-chan out already. She will give her all in her fight. You'll see-", she was cut off in her speech by the speaker that blared behind us.
"Ladies and gentlemen. This is the second forfeit of this tournament. And this one was even before the competitors even stood face to face. Winner by forfeit, Bakugo Katsuki!"
Cheers rang out after that and my girlfriend slumped her shoulders. I couldn't help but chuckle. "Aw, don't be sad. Katsuki is just that frightful. I'm sure I will take vengeance for her by mopping the floor with him."
"Please do…", she answered in a defeated voice.
Tooru-chan was not fighting in the tournament because she had withdrawn before the cheer-leading stunt we did. I don't know why she decided to do that. I'll ask her later. We reached our seats and placed ourselves to watch the next round. The first match of which was going to start in ten minutes. Izuku vs Iida.
Shortly after, the competitors were facing off in the ring. Both of them were looking ready and focused. I had given Izuku advice to keep moving and never stop using his OFA at 7%. Midnight announced the start of the match and both combatants dashed towards each other.
Iida seemed distracted by something and his mind was not really in the fight. Something must be off about him. Regardless, Izuku kept hitting and running until the engine quirk teen yielded. Our class didn't even cheer. We all realized that something was hurting Iida. And so did Izuku as he approached his our friend with his hand extended.
Four eyes took the offered hand and stood upright. They exchanged words and got off the platform. My brother didn't even take a bow after he was announced the winner.
Next match began. Shoji vs Shoto. The octopus-hand teen put up a great fight, but sadly he was defeated. I had to forgo the bet placement for the third round.
Third match was between Kendo and Tokoyami. Tokoyami won.
Fourth Match was between me and Katsuki. After repeatedly disappointing matches, I was looking forward to a fight of my own. I stood facing Izuku's childhood bully. His eyes were bloodshot. Probably won't listen to reason if he decided to go berserk. I squared off against him. He got into ready position as well.
The signal was given and immediately it was drowned out by a sound of a large explosion. I barely managed to whip up a wind jutsu to protect myself, dissipating the explosion flames and shockwaves around me. Not wanting to give him a chance to send another big explosion my way, I channeled hefty amount of chakra to my legs and dashed towards him. I was feeling nervous at this point. How will I manage to win against him without serious injury to both of us? The answer, just one tap.
But I am aware that he won't let me get close enough to touch him. After all, he knew that from experience what I can do to quirks. Instead, I created a cyclone around me and fed it chakra enough to lift me up. The dust and debris clouded it and masked me from his sight. I was in the air when he sent another explosion towards my previous position. It was powerful enough to disperse my cyclone.
He was baffled for second, then looked right at me. I was descending on his ass at terminal velocity. He cocked his arms to send a blast upwards. I tapped into my newly acquired Fire Element and began accumulating chakra for my defensive move. The distance between us was about five meters when he thrust upward and with a bang flames and shockwaves came flying towards me. I spun my hands in front of me and a disc of flames materialized in front of me.
This defensive spell of mine is just a spinning disc of fire that takes any and all projectiles and sends then outwards using centrifugal force. It worked like a charm. Unlike my Wind Shield Jutsu (patent pending), Fire Shield Jutsu goes further and opens up a path for me to strike. That is exactly what happened when I got a direct visual to my grenade of an opponent. Due to my shield, my momentum was conserved and I went uninterrupted towards him.
I extended my knees and planted them in his shoulders. He was on his back the next instant. I then began pummeling his face with my normal strength. He caught a moment and countered. I had to jump away from him due to that.
"I will not insult you by shutting down your quirk, Katsuki! I want to fight you at your best! So come at me with all you've got!", I shouted at him. His eyes reflected pride for a split second. We were finally on the same page. He launched himself using his explosion. I decided to conserve my chakra and launched at him with just my legs.
He sent a jab my way with an explosion tucked inside. I side stepped it and covered my right fist in Wind Jutsu and jabbed him in his left side. He was thrown backwards but maneuvered in the air and came back at me. I didn't have a counter and his foot slammed in my shoulder. I was on one knee when he spun around and delivered a roundhouse kick to my face, boosted by his explosion.
I landed at a little distance. He was hot on my tail. I whipped up another cyclone and threw him off for a few seconds to get my bearings. Then I filled up my lungs with air and began accumulating Fire Jutsu. When he got back up, I aimed my face at him and fired. He did not have the presence of mind needed to dodge out of the way. He was engulfed in flames. Not wanting for him to die, I gave him a vicious, chakra stuffed push-kick in the gut. He went flying out of the ring and on to the grass of the stadium's field.
Immediately, staff members with water related quirk poured forth from the nearest entrance and quickly doused the flames he was burning in. His charred hair and swelling skin was enough for me to feel nauseated.
"The winner by knockout, Sakazuki Reito! Folks, this was by far the best battle of this tournament. The hot blooded fight was enough to turn me on!", Ms. Midnight blared on the mic.
The cheers took a momentary pause but began anew. Probably because she had said something so… inappropriate out loud, but then everyone realized who she is and let it slide.
I walked over my defeated opponent. He had gained consciousness when he was being put on the stretcher. He looked at me with a searing glare, which gave way to a respectful stare. Don't know what that was about. He was taken away from the stadium towards Recovery Girl's office. I took a bow to the audience and walked back inside.
All the way I was thinking over that stare he gave me. 'Is it possible that Katsuki might turn over a new leaf if I only just keep defeating him?', I thought to myself. 'It might be possible that all he wants is a rivalry with an equal. If that's the case, maybe I can manipulate him into apologizing to Izuku for years of torment.'
As I was thinking that over, I arrived in the waiting area. Tooru-chan suddenly hugged me and I was woken from my musings. I looked at her beaming smile and couldn't resist the temptation. I kissed her. Hard. Even though nobody could see her, everybody could see me. And boy did they see me.
My our kiss was so hard that others took a step back. They were on their way to congratulate me but decided against it after witnessing that. I broke it off and looked into my girlfriend's dazed eyes. Her brain had shut down. I hugged her again and guided her to our respective seats.
"Damn, that's one lucky girl.", I heard Mina whisper to someone.
"C-congratulations, Reito.", Izuku managed to speak his mind.
"Thanks, bro. This win is for you.", I replied.
"I-it was a good fight, Reito-kun.", Ochako managed to speak while suppressing her blush.
"Thanks, Ochako. By the way, do you know where her on button is located?", I asked pointing towards Tooru-chan, who was still dazed and wrapped in my left arm snugly.
"I-I don't know. I've never encountered a situation like th-this.", she answered.
Meanwhile, Tooru-chan began focusing her eyes. They darted around before settling on me. She was now sporting a huge blush. She gave a shriek and placed both of her hands on her face, further curling up in my arm.
"Sorry, Tooru-chan. I… got carried away.", I said to her. She didn't answer. I just tightened my hug to let her know I am with her.
Eventually, the first match of the semifinal started. Izuku vs Shoto. I had advised Izuku to keep his distance and figure out a plan to use OFA at a range. He told me he had a move for that. Right now the opponents were facing off, waiting for the "go" signal. The signal was given. Izuku immediately went into action and used 7% of his OFA to run around, dodging the mountains of ice that kept coming at him.
The platform was beginning to get covered up by ice and his maneuverability was being limited. The All Might's successor leaped upwards and extended one arm in front of him, towards the ground. His middle finger was cocked in a flick-ready position. He aimed at the middle of the ring and let it rip.
In my estimation, he must have used 100% of his OFA in that instant, at that exact body part, because when he flicked, a massive gust of air was launched. That gust was strong enough to clear away all the ice in the ring. In just one move, Izuku countered Shoto's ice, which was supposed to be unbeatable attack. My brother landed and faced a stunned Shoto. The finger he used looked not broken, which was a good news. Shoto on the other hand was looking frosted over.
They were exchanging words. Then Izuku extended his right arm again straight towards Shoto. His opponent however decided to change tactics and instead cocked his left arm back. Both of them launched their respective attacks. Fire and air mingled and an explosion of extremely hot and extremely cold air rocked the entire stadium. Concrete man must have erected a wall between them sensing danger, because just when the flash blinded us I saw a very thick, very high wall get demolished right in the middle of the ring.
I could feel their respective chakras. Both of them were plastered on the walls of the stands on opposite ends. The crowd was dead silent. Even when the smoke and dust dispersed, no one cheered. An explosion this massive put Katsuki's to shame. In that silence, Ms. Midnight blared again.
"A Double Knockout! Oh my god! This fight made me we- *ahem* almost made me faint. Unfortunately, we will not be holding a tie breaker for this round seeing that both combatants are out cold. We will be taking a five minutes break before the, now decided, final match of our tournament."
Everyone in present and even those who were watching this live caught on to her slip of the tongue, but didn't voice their opinions. They were still reeling from the spectacular battle that unfolded before their very eyes.
I nudged Tooru-chan to follow me when I saw Ochako running out of the stands. We both followed her to Recovery Girl's office, where we found both Shoto and Izuku resting on beds. Ochako launched herself at Izuku and began crying. That must have affected her more than anyone. It was a heart wrenching fight, not gonna lie.
Tooru-chan and I stayed there for her.
X-X
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! The final match of the festival is about to begin. On the left we have the darkness personified, Fumikage Tokoyami. And on the right side, we have the vicious assassin, Sakazuki Reito!", Ms Midnight blared on the mic. "Are you both ready?". Tokoyami and I both nodded to her. "Then, begin!"
I turned towards my opponent, who was waiting for me to make a move. "Will you be going all out, Tokoyami?", I asked him, just to be sure.
"Of course. Otherwise I don't have a prayer beating you.", he answered.
I channeled chakra to my legs to launch myself forward. Dark Shadow launched itself at me before I could take off. I countered the claw that came for my head and swerved around to begin my dash. It took a couple of seconds for Dark Shadow to regain it's bearings and come at me. That was all the time I needed to blast myself suing my Fire Jutsu as a jet propulsion and into the stomach of my dark opponent. All the wind was knocked out of him and he slumped to the floor, unconscious.
Just one move needed to defeat him. I wasn't even happy. The victory was anticlimactic. I only got to fight one strong opponent. And Tokoyami was just… disappointing. I was hoping maybe Izuku or Shoto would wake up and I would get to fight one of them, but no such luck. They were sleeping in the nurse's office.
"That was quick. A bit anticlimactic for the final match. But the entire sports festival this year has been one roller-coaster ride. Thanks to our winner by knock out, of this match and of this tournament, Sakazuki Reito!"
In a way I was happy for a quick victory. The reason? I only had that measly amount of chakra left. I felt my consciousness fading and the world in my eyes tilted side ways.
X-X
"Hey.", I heard a familiar voice as I came out of darkness. It was my girlfriend, looking at me with relief in her eyes. "Exhausted your chakra again?", she asked me in a voice sweeter than honey.
"Good morning. Yeah. I was running on fumes after fighting Katsuki and had no time to recover through meditation.", I answered her inquiry.
"That's alright, Reito. Just quickly get ready. Medals will be given in about ten minutes.", came Mina's voice.
"Oh, you're here as well. Didn't see you there.", I replied in a genuine surprise.
"First of all, ouch. Secondly, of course I would be here. Tooru is worried about you and I didn't want to leave her alone.", she answered indignantly.
"I see. I'm sorry for not noticing you earlier. My chakra sense is shot to hell right now.", I apologized and explained.
"Now worries, Reito. I'll give you two love birds a minute.", she said and went outside.
I turned to my girlfriend. "How long was I out?", I asked her.
"A little over half an hour.", she answered while giving me a hug.
"Mmm. This is nice.", I said, "Can I get a kiss for my victory?"
"Don't even have to ask.", she replied and kissed me deeply. I got up from my prone position and cupped her cheeks in my hands. Her awkwardly bent back straightened out somewhat. We fell into a moment of bliss.
X-X
"I am here…", came the boisterous voice of All Might from the roof of the stadium. He jumped from there and landed right in front of us. "To hand out medals!"
"Please welcome, All Might!", Ms. Midnight blared as well. Both their voices mixed and no one caught anything either of them said.
Midnight immediately bowed in apology, "I'm sorry I butchered your entry!"
All Might just gave his signature laugh, "Hahaha. Not to worry. That was perfect timing for a meme, young folks can create."
The audience cheered at All Might's little normie joke. It wasn't particularly funny but I could see the amusement in his eyes at Ms. Midnight's slip up. It was all good. He then turned his attention towards us. I was standing on the highest step of the podium. Below me was Tokoyami. And below him were two steps at the same height, occupied by Shoto and Izuku.
"It is my pleasure to present to the both of you your bronze medals, Young Midorya and Young Todoroki." the man then proceeded to hang the two medals on each of their necks. "I am proud of both of you. You two have shown us what real power truly looks like. I doubt even I could have stopped the fight you two were fighting."
"Thanks you, All Might!/Thank you.", Izuku and Shoto said simultaneously.
Moving on, "Young Fumikage, you did admirably in the tournament. Even though your weakness hindered you in your fights, you pushed through and proved to everyone that you are just as powerful as anyone standing on this podium.", he placed the silver medal around Tokoyami's neck.
"Thank you for your kind words, sir. I will work as hard as possible to overcome this weakness.", Tokoyami grabbed his medal and showed a determined stance to All Might.
"And last, but certainly not the least, Sakazuki Reito. You have been one weird influence on this entire sports festival. Due to your antics, this years festival had been a lot more entertaining and highly amusing. Especially that incident with cross-dressing cheer-leading stunt you pulled." he chuckled while I got embarrassed. "Regardless of the mishaps, you stood tall and remained strong until the end. You have more than earned this." he hung the Gold Medal around my neck.
It felt heavy. Like I didn't deserve it. Then dad's words rang in my head, 'You are worth it.'. That made everything a lot more bearable. The medal suddenly felt like it weighed nothing at all. A smile crept on to my face. I gave him a borderline feral grin. "Thank you for your kind words. But I have only one thing to say, 'Watch me take the world by storm!'."
A hearty laugh and heavy shoulder pats, he spoke, "I have no doubt that you will, young Sakazuki. I have no doubt."
After that, due to his secretly deteriorating health, he made a quick speech about heroism and such, and made a hasty retreat. Though, to the public, it looked like he had made time in his busy schedule to give us medals and went back to kicking asses and taking names. I was alright with that.
When the ceremony ended, I went straight to my girlfriend, holding up the medal proudly. She was squealing happily.
"Oh my GOD! This is totes awesome! It's so shiny!", she gave me a tight hug while I spun her around. Coming back to the ground she held my medal. I took it off so she can admire it fully. "Totes awesome!", she exclaimed once more.
"I'm glad I was able to impress you, my love.", I gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"Oh, you!", she smacked me on the chest lightly. It didn't even bother her that I had used an embarrassing nickname for her.
In the meantime, the runner ups caught up to us. "Congratulations, Reito. It's a bit disappointing I didn't get to fight you.", Izuku put his hands on my shoulder.
"Indeed. I was hoping that either of us could have fought you in the actual finale.", Shoto said as he stood in front of me.
"I feel ashamed that I lost so easily against you. However, I swear on the darkness that surrounds my life that I will defeat you one day.", Tokoyami strode forward and extended his fist towards me.
"Cool, bro. I look forward to our next fight, whenever that happens.", I answered him with a fist bump. "And Shoto, congratulations to you especially."
The boy in question looked confused. "Why?", he asked in puzzlement.
"I don't know what happened after our talk.", I motioned towards Izuku and myself then to him. "But whatever it was, it helped you get out of your father's shadow."
I felt his chakra flare up when I mentioned our conversation, but calmed down later. He seemed almost happy. "I see. Thank you for your advice.", he simply said and walked away towards the exit.
"What were you talking about?", Tooru-chan asked in curiosity.
"It's a long story, and not my place to tell. Let's just say his father is a jerk.", I explained to her while wrapping one arm around her.
"I'll take my leave. I will see you next week.", Tokoyami then bowed and left as well.
I watched the bird boy leave and turned to Izuku. "Ochako is waiting for you at the exit.", I gestured towards where I felt her chakra.
"Right. See you at home.", he said and left as well.
"In a hurry to ditch everyone, honey?", my girlfriend asked.
"Of course. I wanted to share my glory with you, darling.", we began walking to the exit ourselves. I wanted to at least try the last bit of stalls that were still open. "About that date.", I mentioned. She became stiff at that. I thought I must have messed up so I tried to handle it, "On a second thought, let's talk about it later."
"No, no. We can talk about it right now."
"Come on. I can see you are uncomfortable about the topic.", I held her hand with my free hand to reassure her.
"Well, I have been giving it more thought. I think I am ready for the next step.", she gave my hand a squeeze.
"You don't have to push yourself, you know."
"I know. And I'm not. I'm totes ready."
I smiled down at her. "Are you sure?"
She smiled back. "Totally!"
That assured me that she really wanted to do it. I began making plans. "My place or yours?", I asked her.
"I… don't know. I don't feel like either would be a good idea."
"Hmm. Want me to make it a surprise?"
"… Yeah. I'd like that.", we then made our way through various stalls. Talking about random topics, sampling foods, looking at souvenirs. She showed interest in one, but for her it was expensive. I made no move to buy it for her. Another stalls caught her attention and she went towards it, giving me time to secretly buy it and have it wrapped up.
Though my cheesy cliched plan went down the gutter when she grabbed the package I wasn't able to hide carefully enough. It was a hair clip, nothing that looked special to me, just some form of chibi female anime figure in a cute dress giving us a peace sign. It looked like it was a legal merchandise of the actual show, rather than a bootleg rip off for easy money. Must be a girly show, since I didn't recognize the character. I'll watch it for myself. See what the show is about if it is her favorite.
Tooru-chan was giggling at my cheesy failed attempt. But she was happy. The rest of the time we had left before all the stalls closed was spent talking about the show the character was from. Turns out, it's definitely not girly. And the character was actually a trap. Now I was highly intrigued and stopped her before she spoiled the entire series for me.
We had a grand old time until we had to go back to our respective homes. I walked Tooru-chan to the station. Once she left I took my train and went back home.
X-X
The sun was set below the horizon. There was silence when I got home. I could feel everyone huddled together in the living room. Izuku and mom were there too, sitting close to dad. Aunt and Uncle were standing around with Haruka and Emma. My dad, however, was crying. I felt his chakra become wistful and sad at times, but the most dominant feeling I got from him was pride. I can guess what might be the cause.
'To think I could make dad proud. It's a fucking dream come true!', My heart swelled as I stepped through the door. I had taken out the medal I got from my bag. Tears were building in my eyes. I held up my medal in front of me as I came into the living room. Everyone looked at me. I was adorning a bright smile on my face as I showed it to everyone.
The first to get out of his surprise was dad. He got up and dashed towards me. I did the same as I opened my arms. The medal slipped out of my grasp as him and I were locked in a death grip of our hug.
All my life I had wasted in keeping this borrowed body secure. I never amounted to anything by being a coward. It was dad who pushed me to where I am tonight. I am not one to get so emotional over something as meager as this, but after our talk that night, I felt I truly deserved my victory. And it was all thanks to him for never doubting me. He had told me that this life I'm living is mine and not my mother's.
I was truly happy today. How many kids can say that their father were proud of them for accomplishing something? How many can say that their father could hug them like this. Even this was our first hug ever. I knew he believed in me, but I also knew he wasn't proud of me for wasting my life. Now that I have become better, I can feel the pride erupting out of him like an active volcano.
Toady, finally, I was really grateful for being alive.
X-X
