BEN 10 DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY HERO ACADEMIA DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. GUYS, EITHER THAT WEIRD BLOT ON MY LEG MEANS I'M GETTING A QUIRK, OR I SHOULD SEE A DOCTOR. PROBABLY THE SECOND OPTION, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT.
I never liked getting the top score in anything in school, because I saw how jealous people got towards the top student. I can only imagine how Midoriya feels after getting the top score in an event watched by people around the world.
My Alien Academia
Chapter 10
Here Comes the Cavalry
"So, I guess you'll all be going to other teams, right?"
Uraraka frowned. "What are you talking about, Deku-kun?"
Midoriya shrugged. "I mean, with my ten million points, anyone on my team is going to have a huge target on their backs. You guys are going to have an easier time if you—"
"Stop that, Izuku!" Uraraka looked furious as she poked him in the chest; it did not go unnoticed that she used his real name when she was angry. "I'm not going to abandon you! What kind of friend would I be if I left when things got hard?"
Midoriya tried to hide the tears in his eyes, and failed miserably. His friends smiled at him fondly, but Sero had to break up the moment.
"Sorry, but Midoriya does have a point, kind of." Sero shrugged. "The teams can only have four people at most, which means we'll have to split up."
"He is right," Iida said. "As much I want us all to meet up in the final round, I also want to show my own strength. As such, I will be joining a different team; I hope you can understand, Midoriya."
"I get it," Midoriya said. "Good luck, Iida."
"I'm sorry, but I also want to compete against you, Midoriya," Yaoyorozu said, voice full of remorse. "As much as I care about all of you, this Sports Festival is a chance for me to show what I can do on my own." She worked up a smile. "I still expect all of us to make it to the final round."
"Yeah, I kinda feel the same way," Ashido and Sero said at the same time; the two of them shared a grin.
"Wanna find another team?" Sero asked.
"Sure!" Ashido waved at the others as she and Sero dashed off. "See you guys in the final event!"
As more of his friends split off, Midoriya got increasingly nervous. Asui tapped him on the arm and smiled.
"Don't worry, ribbit; I'll stay with you and Ochako."
Midoriya smiled back. "Thanks, Tsuyu."
Uraraka nodded. "Great! What do you think, Deku-kun? Should we get another person, or will three be enough?"
Midoriya thought about it, but was interrupted by a loud voice in his ear. "Hey, you! Mister Ten Million!"
Midoriya whirled and found the pink-haired girl well within his personal space, her face nearly touching his own.
"Gah!" Midoriya held a hand over his racing heart. "Wh-who are you?"
"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself!" The girl grinned and lifted her goggles onto her forehead. Midoriya noticed that her pupils had odd markings that looked like crosshairs, perhaps something to do with her Quirk. "Hatsume Mei, Support Course student and inventor extraordinaire, at your service! I want to join your team! And I need to know who made that watch for you, because I've never seen a Support Item like that before!"
Uraraka put herself between Hatsume and Midoriya protectively. "Why do you want to join the team with the biggest target?"
Undaunted by the other girl's attitude, Hatsume grinned. "Ooh, a discerning customer! Well, I figure that more eyes will be on your team than the others, and that gives me more opportunities to show off my babies! Also, I'm a girl who really appreciates fine craftsmanship, and that watch has got to be one of the best I've ever seen."
"W-well, my watch was made by my cousin in America, but I don't know much about how it works." Midoriya blinked as something Hatsume said registered. "Um, what are you talking about when you say 'babies'?"
"Like this!" Hatsume pointed to a belt around her stomach. "This baby, for example, can fire a high tensile strength wire with grappling pitons to secure your footing, trip up a Villain, or save a civilian! Interested now?"
Midoriya looked at the bewildering array of Support Items Hatsume sported, and then at Uraraka and Asui. A moment later, he smiled; it wasn't his typical unsure smile, but a smile that came with having a really good idea.
"All right," he said slowly, "I think I have a plan."
…
"Okay, now I'm starting to feel bad," Ashido whined. "How are all the teams filled up so fast?"
"Probably because everyone's teaming up with people they know," Sero said. "That means a lot of them were coming up with teams as soon as the event was announced."
"Well, crap; maybe we should have stayed with Midori."
"Hey, guys!" Ashido and Sero turned around and saw Kirishima running towards them. "Have you two joined a team yet?"
"Uh, no," Sero said. "Are you inviting us?"
"Yes, please!" Kirishima put his hands together and bowed his head. "Bakugo and I need some help, and I told him I'd ask around, and—"
"Whoa, hold on a second!" Ashido narrowed her eyes at him. "Bakugo? You teamed up with Bakugo? Kirishima, you're one of the most upstanding guys I've ever met, why would you team up with him!?"
Ashido wasn't stupid; she'd suspected that Bakugo had bullied Midoriya even before she found out why the latter had been nicknamed 'Deku'. It infuriated her that nothing had been done about it beforehand, and that someone like him had been accepted into UA. Even now, he barely toed the line; at least he was smart enough not to cross it, but there was every chance he could get pushed over the edge. Either way, she didn't like him.
Kirishima grimaced. "I know, Bakugo is… well, he's Bakugo. I'm not excusing him, but I did tell him that he'd have to watch his mouth around our teammates, or I'd ditch him, and he'd have nobody for this event. He promised that he would, and he doesn't seem the type to go back on his word. Come on, please?"
Ashido glanced at Sero; the boy had a frighteningly good poker face, his expression neutral and unreadable. He only offered her a brief nod; he was in if she was.
"All right, fine," Ashido huffed. "Let's go."
Kirishima pumped a fist. "Sweet! Thank you so much, you guys won't regret it!" He grabbed them both by the wrist and half-dragged them off. "Bakubro, I told you I'd get a couple extra teammates!"
Bakugo scowled at the nickname, but didn't snap back. Instead, he looked at the two newcomers. "Huh. Two of Deku's friends. What're your Quirks again?"
Sero was still doing his best not to react, but Ashido frowned when Bakugo used Midoriya's nickname. When used by Uraraka, it was cute, but Bakugo made the name sound like a curse.
Still, as much as she hated to admit it—and she really hated to admit it—Bakugo was skilled. Teaming up with him would be the best way to ensure that she and Sero could keep their promise and see their friends in the final event.
"I can make acid, either for mobility or attack," she said through gritted teeth.
When Sero spoke, it was with a far calmer tone than what Ashido knew he was really feeling. "I can make strands of tape; it's pretty strong, strong enough to hold most people."
Bakugo nodded; he brought one hand to his chin and started to pace. "Okay, I think I've got a plan. Kirishima will be the front of the horse, and he'll be carrying me; we can use him like a ram if things get up-close. We're gonna try to keep that from happening; I'll be the air strike, Sticky, you'll pull me back so that I don't hit the ground and get disqualified. Raccoon-Eyes, your job will be to watch our flanks; trip 'em up or make 'em burn, I don't care, just keep the other teams off our asses."
"My name is Ashido Mina; use it, or we're going to have a problem."
Bakugo just raised an eyebrow. "Whatever."
Kirishima intervened before things got heated. "Hey, Bakugo, what's our plan? Are we going after Midoriya's team, or what?"
"Don't be stupid," Bakugo said dismissively. "Of course we're hitting Deku's team. We'll take his ten million points, and then I'll blow away any moron dumb enough to try and steal it from us. Raccoon-Eyes will keep up the defense, and Sticky can trip up people when he's not busy helping me."
Ashido narrowed her eyes in anger, but before she could take more than a step in Bakugo's direction, Sero put a hand on her shoulder.
"Let it go for now," he whispered. "Remember, we're using him as much as he's using us. All we have to do is make it to the next round."
Ashido nodded. I only have to put up with him for a little while. Just remember that Midori had to deal with him for a lot longer. If he can do that, I can do this.
…
"Yaoyorozu-san, Iida-san." The students in question turned and saw Todoroki walking up to them. "Do you two have a team yet?"
Yaoyorozu answered for both of them. "No, we were looking to see if—"
"I want you both on mine." Todoroki jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Tokoyami, who was leaning against a nearby wall. "I've already got Tokoyami-san; my ice and his Dark Shadow should work well with your speed, Iida-san, and your versatility, Yaoyorozu-san."
"You're trying to make as balanced a team as possible," Yaoyorozu observed.
Iida was more accusatory. "You want to be able to react to anything Midoriya may turn into!"
To their surprise, Todoroki shook his head. "No. Everyone else is going to go after his team, and we don't want to get bogged down in that free-for-all. Instead, we're going to go after the teams on the periphery, building up as many points as we can that way." He shrugged. "Of course, if Midoriya messes up, I'll be more than happy to take the ten million points from him."
Iida and Yaoyorozu frowned—not because Todoroki's plan was a bad one, but because they didn't want Midoriya to lose the ten million points. If he did, there was a good chance he and his team wouldn't move on to the next round, and all of them would feel terrible if they broke their promise.
"Very well, Todoroki-san," Yaoyorozu said, "we'll join your team."
Todoroki just nodded and moved back to Tokoyami.
"Well, he was… curt," Yaoyorozu commented.
"But he is one of the most powerful students in our class," Iida said. "And his strategy is sound. Tokoyami is also very strong, and with us added to the team, we have a very good chance of advancing to the next round."
Yaoyorozu glanced back, and saw Midoriya speaking enthusiastically with Uraraka, Asui, and a pink-haired girl that she didn't recognize. At least he looked less apprehensive than before. That was good; she had worried that he would fall apart if he didn't have all of his friends supporting him.
She shook the thoughts away for now. It's time to stop worrying about Izuku for now; this is about my future.
…
"Come on, guys, I think we should find another person," Kendo Itsuka argued.
"Nah, we've got plenty of manliness as it is," Tetsutetsu said back. "Er, no offense."
"I am not offended," Shiozaki Ibara said calmly. "If it is the will of the heavens that our team grows, then so shall it be."
"I'm glad you feel that way," an unfamiliar voice said. "Do you three mind if I join your team?"
Kendo turned and saw who had spoken. "Who are you?"
The boy smirked. "The name is Shinso Hitoshi, and I think I can be of service."
…
"Okay, anyone have any questions?" Midoriya asked; he wasn't just confident in his plan, he was actually excited to see it happen. Still, he wanted to know if anyone found a flaw he'd overlooked
"Do you think this will actually work?" Uraraka asked. She was nervous, but the idea of Midoriya's insane plan working was hilarious.
"I do," Midoriya said with a grin. "As long as Hatsume-san's, uh, 'babies' work with your Quirk."
Hatsume looked up from the pair of high-tech boots she was adjusting. "Oh, I guarantee they will! Well, maybe I can't give a one-hundred-percent guarantee, but that's just because I don't want to get charged with false advertising."
Asui just shrugged. "We won't know for sure until we try, ribbit, so let's do it."
"All right, competitors!" Present Mic shouted. "It's time for the riders to mount their trusty steeds! Just remember, each rider will receive a number of headbands, each representing the points of one person on their team. You can wear them on your heads, or around your necks, but nowhere else!"
A small robot trundled over to Midoriya's team and handed out the appropriate headbands. Midoriya gulped when he saw the big prize, the ten million points, before he wrapped it around his head. That was covered by Asui's one hundred and thirty points, Uraraka's hundred and fifteen, and then Hatsume's ten. He figured that if someone actually did manage to get through their defenses and steal a headband, they were more likely to only get the outer three first.
Once the headbands were secure on his head, he was lifted up onto the shoulders of Asui and Uraraka; he noticed that the former winced, and he looked down in concern. He almost fell backwards, but Hatsume propped him up with one hand against his back.
"Tsu, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, ribbit," Asui croaked. "I have to match Ochako's height, and my body isn't meant to stand up straight for too long."
"Hopefully, you won't have to," Midoriya said. He looked at the teams scattered around the stadium; many of them were staring right back at him. "We're going to have to do this quickly. Everyone ready?"
Uraraka smiled up at him. "Definitely!"
"I can't wait for my babies to shine!"
"Ribbit."
Despite the tension, or maybe because of it, Midoriya laughed as he cycled through the Ultimatrix until he found the alien he needed. "I'll take that as a yes, Tsu."
"And… START!"
Without a second to lose, Midoriya slammed his hand down on the dial. When the green light faded, he had become a tall, yellow-skinned creature. He was muscular, and had bat-like ears, but his most striking feature was his eyes. He had many over his bare torso and arms, but none on his face; some were as small as a human eye, while others were much larger. Each eye was green, with a black, slit pupil, and they all moved around independently. He wore black pants, but no shoes, and the Ultimatrix dial served as a belt buckle.
"EYE GUY!"
"Surprise, folks! Midoriya has more than just one transformation up his now-nonexistent sleeve! If you wanted a wildcard for today, here it is! Not even I know what he'll turn into next, and I'm one of his teachers!"
"Let's get going!" Eye Guy shouted in his deep, guttural voice. One of the eyes on his shoulder noticed a student from 1-B narrow his own eyes at him and start to lower a hand towards the ground. With barely a thought, the eye that noticed the boy glowed green and fired a bolt of energy that sent him tumbling into the rest of his team. "Yeah, I don't want to know what he was trying. Uraraka, Hatsume, now!"
"Everyone, give me a hand!" Uraraka and Asui were struggling to lift Eye Guy's increased weight, but that changed when everyone gave Uraraka a high-five, and they all became weightless.
"It's my turn!" Hatsume grinned maniacally as she pressed a button on her backpack. "Jet-boosters, activate!"
Before the match had started, Hatsume had handed out a pair of boots to each of the other girls. They were supposed to let the wearer hover an inch or two off the ground, but Hatsume had done a last-second modification, removing the safety limits and turning them into air-powered thrusters. Since the team was now weightless, all four of them rocketed into the air.
"Oh my goodness!" Present Mic shouted, barely heard over the excited screams of the audience. "I can't say I was expecting that! What about you, Eraserhead?"
"Team Midoriya has just turned into a living zeppelin. I don't think anyone was expecting that."
Eye Guy couldn't help but laugh as his team flew over the stunned competitors. "This is incredible! Uraraka, how are you doing?"
An eye on his elbow caught Uraraka looking a little pale. "I'm going to have to cancel and reapply my Quirk every few minutes, or I'm gonna get sick. Still, we should start Phase Two before someone figures out how to get to us."
"Got it!" One of Eye Guy's eyes winked at Asui. "Time for Operation Air Raid!"
"Here we go, ribbit!" Asui wrapped her tongue around his waist and pointed him at the ground. "Bombs away!"
Still grinning, Eye Guy rained down energy bolts onto the arena. He wasn't necessarily trying to hit anyone, just make them decide that going after his team was more trouble than it was worth. From what he could see through the dust kicked up by his makeshift airstrike—and he could see a lot—even Bakugo's team had peeled off in search of easier prey.
One of his eyes glanced at the timer on the big screen. Only twenty-eight minutes to go.
…
Back in the waiting room, the Big Three were in hysterics; even Amajiki wiped away tears from laughing so hard.
"I can't believe it," Togata said as he tried to get his breath back. "That is the funniest thing I've ever seen!"
"It's insane," Amajiki added.
"It's awesome!" Hado pointed at Team Midoriya on the screen. "Okay, we have to try something like that during our turn."
Togata grinned. "Yeah! We can fly around, and Tamaki can use his tentacles to hit any other team that gets close!"
"Then it's decided," Hado said as she pointed to the ceiling. "We shall call it 'Operation Flying Spaghetti Monster'!"
Amajiki rested his head on a desk. "Dammit, Midoriya. Why did you have to inspire them?"
…
"Not cool, Todoroki!" Kaminari shouted as the team in question left him and Jiro frozen up to their waists, and Shoji, who had been carrying them, up to his neck.
"Stop making ice-puns!" Jiro yelled.
Todoroki didn't reply as he snatched the headbands from Kaminari, but Yaoyorozu felt bad that Jiro had been knocked out of the competition.
"Sorry, Jiro-chan!" she called out over her shoulder.
"We need to get to another team," Todoroki decided. "Iida, we need to speed up."
"Understood! My sincerest apologies, Yaomomo!" Iida placed his hands firmly on Yaoyorozu's waist. "Tokoyami-san, make sure we are all secure!"
Tokoyami merely nodded, and Dark Shadow grabbed both his partner and Todoroki.
"Ready!" the Quirk said.
Iida's boosters began to glow. "Here we go! Recipro Burst!"
Team Todoroki suffered collective whiplash as they rocketed towards another team—Ojiro, Hagakure, Sato and Mineta, with Hagakure wearing the headbands. Dark Shadow tilted Todoroki over so that his hand was almost touching the ground; ice rushed out, encasing Sato and Ojiro's feet, and stopping them in their tracks.
"Secret weapon!" Ojiro shouted. "Now!"
With a primal roar, Sato lifted Mineta up and threw him—straight at Yaoyorozu, who went wide-eyed as the small boy flew at her.
"Come to daddy!" Mineta shouted.
Acting on reflex, Yaoyorozu created an oversized flyswatter and slapped Mineta out of the air. The boy bounced off the ground once, and then lay still, knocked unconscious. As Team Todoroki blew past Team Hagakure, Dark Shadow neatly stole the headbands from Hagakure.
"Here you go," Dark Shadow said as he placed the headbands around Todoroki's neck.
"Good work," he said. "Let's pull back until Iida recharges, and we'll do it again."
…
"Goddammit! Fuck, fuck, fuck!"
"Dude, calm down!" Sero shouted over the explosions and cursing. "We've already got over six hundred points!"
"I don't care!" Bakugo shouted back as Sero reeled him in from another bombing run that netted the team two more headbands. "It doesn't matter unless we take first place!"
"Get over it!" Ashido snapped back. "What matters is how you finish, not how you start!"
Bakugo snarled, and then glanced up at the real target of his rage. "I can't believe that moron Deku used the same plan as me! Can't that idiot come up with his own ideas?"
Ashido bit her lip so hard she drew blood; from the scowl on Sero's face, he was in the same boat as her. When Midoriya's team flew out of reach, Bakugo had taken his frustrations out on any other team they could reach. His rampage had netted them plenty of headbands, but the blitz attack was so fast that none of them were sure how many points they actually had.
What also bothered most of Team Bakugo was the behavior of their leader. As skilled as Bakugo was, he was still an absolute asshole, and was even more ruthless than they'd seen before; more than one team they'd blitzed would have to see Recovery Girl when this round was over.
At least Midoriya was doing well, she told herself. His plan was brilliant, and hilarious, with Asui pointing him at clusters of brawling teams and scattering them with his laser-eyes. If his team wore the appropriate costume, they could have starred in an old kaiju movie, with Midoriya as the head of the flying monster. She couldn't help but giggle at the thought.
Bakugo glared back at her. "What's so funny, Raccoon-Eyes?"
And just like that, the humor was gone. "Nothing. Let's go get some more points."
"Smartest thing you've said all day; everyone, go right!"
…
"Guys, I think I'm reaching my limit," Uraraka panted. "I need a few minutes before we can do this again."
Eye Guy spotted the clock. "We only have a few minutes left, anyway! Can you hold us up until the last sixty seconds?"
Uraraka was pale and sweating after using her Quirk so many times, but she nodded. "I… think I can do that."
"Good timing!" Hatsume chirped. "The batteries in my babies are running low. As soon as we land, we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way."
Eye Guy nodded. "Okay, let's start heading back to the ground; Uraraka, release your Quirk when I give the signal. Tsuyu, can your tongue hold me steady without her Quirk?"
"I'm pretty sure, ribbit." Asui glanced at the clock. "At least for most of that last minute."
"If she can't, I'll just reapply my Quirk on you for a few seconds," Uraraka said tiredly.
"Thanks." Eye Guy took stock of the chaos below. More than one team had noticed that they were coming in for a landing. "I'll keep everyone else at a distance as much as I can, but a few might slip past me. Hatsume-san, do you have anything to slow those teams down?"
"I have a net launcher," Hatsume offered. "Ooh, and I can try out my new stun-disks! I just hope I calibrated the voltage correctly."
Eye Guy didn't like how that sounded. "Just… use those on someone really tough, like Kirishima."
"You got it, boss!"
"We're close enough to the ground!" Uraraka waited until Hatsume got a firm grip on her. "Release!"
With gravity suddenly applying to them again, only Hatsume's thrusters kept them from crashing hard into the ground. As Eye Guy suspected, several teams immediately changed course and headed straight at them.
"What's this? Team Midoriya is back on solid ground, and it looks like almost half the other teams are after them!"
"Uraraka must have reached the limits of her Quirk. She's definitely improved, having to hold up her entire team for almost the whole event."
"Hey, Eraserhead, you know you just referenced the weight of three ladies, right?"
"Shut up."
"Eraserhead's faux pas aside, we've got just under a minute left! Can Team Midoriya maintain their lead, or is another team destined for a dramatic upset? Don't look away, this is when things get crazy!"
…
"It all comes down to this," All Might said, unable to stop his leg from bouncing nervously.
"How do you think the other teams will react?" Gran Torino asked Nighteye.
"It depends on the disposition of the team in question." Nighteye brought a hand to his chin. "If the team has a decent number of points, they may try to stay out of the fighting entirely, or go after more teams with small amounts of points. The ones that go after Team Midoriya will either be desperate, or supremely confident in their abilities—like that one."
All Might followed Nighteye's gaze and sighed. "Oh, it's definitely the second option with that boy."
…
"DEKU!"
Eye Guy spotted Bakugo's team hurtling towards him long before his former bully shouted, but it didn't stop him from tensing up. He felt bad that Ashido and Sero were on Bakugo's team—he could imagine the headache their leader was giving them. He also felt bad for what he was about to do.
"Sorry, guys! Team, swing left so that we're facing Bakugo!" As soon as that was done, the eyes on his chest merged together into one very large eye that glowed green. A massive blast of energy fired out, hitting Kirishima directly in the chest. The force of the hit was so great that it sent the whole team skidding back, and if Sero hadn't caught Bakugo with his tape at the last second, he would have hit the ground and been disqualified.
Thankfully, there were still enough eyes elsewhere on his body for Eye Guy to see Todoroki's attack coming. He fired smaller bolts at the ice that crept towards them, but it wasn't enough; Todoroki just sent even more ice, and managed to catch Hatsume's feet.
"We're stuck!" she cried out. "And they're about to hit us!"
Dark Shadow loomed overhead, Yaoyorozu had created a large billhook, and Todoroki's arm was outstretched; all three were inches away from Eye Guy, when the bell sounded.
"IT'S OVER!" Present Mic shouted. "All teams, cut your Quirks and cool your jets, the second round is done!"
Iida had been in the middle of another Recipro Burst, and hadn't been able to cut it in time; startled as they were by the bell, the two teams collided and fell to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
"Ow," Midoriya groaned as he turned back to normal. "Whoever that is, can they get their elbow out of my face?"
"Sorry, Deku-kun," Uraraka said as she wiggled free. "Wait, did we win? Did we keep the ten million points!?"
With trembling hands, Midoriya took the headbands off to double-check; sure enough, all four headbands were secure.
"In first place, with ten million, two hundred and fifty-five points, we have TEAM MIDORIYA! They had an absolutely brilliant defense that nobody saw coming. Way to go, kids!"
"We did it, Deku-kun!" Uraraka dove on top of Midoriya and hugged him. "We won the second event!"
Overwhelmed by emotion, Midoriya hugged her back, and then pulled Asui and Hatsume into the embrace.
"Congratulations, all of you," Yaoyorozu said as everyone got back to their feet.
Uraraka beamed. "Thanks, Yaomomo."
"Y-yeah, th-thanks," Midoriya said, trying and failing to stop the tears from running down his face. "I can't believe it worked."
"Are you all right, Tsuyu?" Iida asked. "You keep rubbing your tongue."
Asui grimaced. "When we all fell, I got dirt all over it, ribbit."
"Do I owe you mouthwash now?"
Asui blinked; Iida had just told a joke. "Just some water is fine, ribbit."
"In second place, with one thousand, two hundred and ten points, it's TEAM TODOROKI! They played smart and went after the teams that were unbalanced by Midoriya's bombing run. Nice job!"
Todoroki nodded, but didn't show any other emotions; as far as he was concerned, nothing mattered until he fought Midoriya in the final event.
Tokoyami was also stoic, but Dark Shadow looked as smug as a sentient mass of shadows could, even accepting a fist-bump from Uraraka.
Iida and Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, were very happy, and accepted hugs and high-fives from their friends.
"And in third place, with one thousand points even, we have TEAM BAKUGO! They were utterly ruthless back there, and totally destroyed anyone who got in their way!"
Midoriya waved excitedly as Ashido, Sero and Kirishima jogged up to the others. "Way to go, guys! We made it into the final event!"
"Heck yeah, we did!" Ashido grinned. "Just watch out for me, or you're gonna get it!"
"And in fourth place, with nine hundred and forty-five points, we have TEAM SHIOZAKI! They managed to snag any points not being targeted by the other three leaders, and it paid off for them! These are our sixteen finalists, folks! Let's give them, and all of our competitors, a big hand!"
The audience had already been cheering as the event came to a close, but it became deafening at Present Mic's urging.
"With our top sixteen chosen, let's take an hour for lunch, and give our brave competitors time to rest! Come on, Eraserhead, let's get something to eat."
"You do that; I'm taking a nap."
As the students began filing out of the arena, Midoriya felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Todoroki staring at him with unnerving intensity.
"We need to talk."
…
"Hey, freshmen!" The Rising Stars all jumped when Togata appeared behind them, along with Hado and Amajiki. "How're you doing?"
"Oh, Mirio!" Iida bowed. "We are all quite pleased with ourselves; eleven of Class 1-A will be advancing to the final round."
"Yeah, we saw it online!" Togata waved his phone for emphasis. "You all did amazing! We might be the Big Three, but we still haven't made it to the last round of a Sports Festival yet."
"Hey, uh, not to be rude, but aren't you three in the third-year event?" Ashido didn't mind seeing the Big Three, but she was still confused. "Why are you here so early?"
Amajiki shrugged; to everyone's amusement, he still couldn't look her in the eye after she flirted with him. "It's quiet in the waiting room, and we wanted to watch the footage of you guys. We're not allowed to actually be in the stands until our event, so this was the best we could do."
Hado hopped from one foot to the other. "Hey, where'd Midoriya-kun go? I figured he'd be with his best friends."
UA's Rising Stars looked around; sure enough, Midoriya had somehow vanished without their notice.
"Maybe he went to the bathroom or something?" Sero wondered. "If we don't run into him after getting some food, we should look for him."
"Good idea," Togata said, clapping Sero on the shoulder. "Hey, why don't we show you a secret? It's more of an upperclassmen thing, but there's actually a small vendor that exclusively serves students, so you won't have to wait in line! Best of all, it's free for competitors!"
Uraraka immediately latched onto the word 'free'. "Okay, let's go! We should get some extra food for Deku-kun, just in case."
Asui frowned. "Still, I hope everything is okay, ribbit."
…
Midoriya was nervous—more than usual, anyway, to the point that Ben stood next to him to offer silent support. On the opposite side of the hallway, Todoroki locked his intense gaze with Midoriya's own.
"What did you want to talk about?" Midoriya asked.
Todoroki finally closed his eyes; he looked like he was trying to find the right words. "I'm only telling you this because, out of everyone in our class, I respect you the most. As such, I feel like you deserve to know why I want to challenge you so badly. I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone what I'm about to tell you."
"Okay, this is weird," Ben said, mirroring Todoroki's crossed arms and posture. "He doesn't need to tell you anything. If I had money, I'd bet it all that he's using this as an excuse to get something off his chest."
"I won't say a word," Midoriya promised, while silently agreeing with Ben.
Todoroki held up his right hand and let wisps of cold air flow around it. "You've noticed that I only use the power of my right side—my ice. I never use my left side in battle."
Midoriya nodded.
"It's because of my father." Todoroki's hand tightened into a fist. "He's Endeavor. The number two Hero."
Midoriya's eyes went wide. "Wait, really? I mean, I knew his last name was Todoroki as well, but there's nothing about him having childr—" He stopped when Todoroki's own eyes narrowed. "Sorry, go on."
"Have you ever heard of Quirk marriages?"
Just the use of the term made Midoriya flinch. "I h-have, yes. It was never given much approval, and people who have powerful Quirks who get married have to be evaluated to see if they aren't basically conducting a eugenics experiment—oh my god."
Todoroki nodded. "Yes. My father used his influence to get people to look the other way. He basically bought my mother for her Quirk; he was never able to surpass All Might himself, so he decided to have a child who could do it for him. It took him four tries to get it 'right'.
"My mother… couldn't handle it. After a while, she snapped, and poured boiling water on the left side of my face, because it reminded her of him. She was locked up after that. Everything I suffered—more importantly, everything she suffered—is all because of Endeavor. So I decided that I would surpass him, All Might, and every other Hero out there with just my mother's power. Endeavor can watch as I become the greatest Hero without using his Quirk." By this point, Todoroki had begun to pace, and his voice was starting to crack, but he reigned it in. "I just want you to know where I'm coming from. You may have won the first two events, but those don't matter. When you and I fight in the next event, I'm going to crush you. So go ahead, turn into anything you've got, even the one that beat Nomu—I'm going to prove that I don't need Endeavor."
His piece said, Todoroki walked off. Midoriya stood there in silence as he tried to digest everything he had learned.
"That boy needs therapy," Ben commented. "And I'm pretty sure Endeavor is breaking laws, but nobody can prove it."
"So… what do I do?" Midoriya asked.
"You told me you didn't want advice," Ben reminded him.
"This is different," Midoriya argued. "This goes way beyond a competition."
"You're right." Ben shrugged. "What do you want to do?"
"I want to help him," Midoriya said immediately.
"Good answer." Ben smiled. "I don't know for sure, but the first step to helping him might be to force him to use his fire. Of course, if you do that, you might be making things harder for yourself."
"That doesn't matter," Midoriya said firmly. "I want to be a Hero. Heroes help people, that's all there is to it."
Ben's smile turned to a full-blown grin. "All right, buddy; put some thought into that. For now, though, you should get some food and find out who you're going up against first."
Midoriya nodded. He could worry about classmates with deep-seated issues after getting something to eat.
…
"Deku-kun, there you are!" Uraraka waved him over and handed him a plate of food. "You missed the Big Three earlier, they showed us where to get all this!"
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
Midoriya's friends all frowned at the subdued tone in his voice. He ate almost reluctantly, like eating was the last thing on his mind.
"You all right, Midori?" Ashido asked.
"Not really," Midoriya said. "I was talking to Todoroki-san. It was personal for him, and he asked me to keep it to myself."
His friends all nodded, but none of them liked it. Finally, after finishing his food, Midoriya took a deep breath, and his eyes hardened with resolve.
"Well, I can't worry about it now," he said. "And I can't do anything about it until later. Have they posted the matchups yet?"
Asui shook her head. "They should be up soon, ribbit."
As if on cue, the big screen brought up the list of who was fighting who, followed by brackets that showed the first round.
Todoroki Shoto VS Kendo Itsuka
Asui Tsuyu VS Shinso Hitoshi
Kirishima Eijiro VS Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Bakugo Katsuki VS Sero Hanta
Midoriya Izuku VS Shiozaki Ibara
Iida Tenya VS Hatsume Mei
Uraraka Ochako VS Tokoyami Fumikage
Ashido Mina VS Yaoyorozu Momo
As the names were arranged into the brackets, Midoriya swallowed nervously. If he won against Shiozaki—who hadn't shown off her Quirk much during the last event, save for using her vine-like hair to steal some headbands—he was up against either Asui or Shinso, whom he knew nothing about. After that, he would be up against Tokoyami or Uraraka, or Kendo or… Todoroki.
"Well, that kinda sucks," Ashido said morosely. "I really didn't want to go up against one of you guys in my first fight." She then flopped dramatically over Yaoyorozu's lap. "Don't hate me if I win, Yaomomo!"
Yaoyorozu pretended to think about it. "Well, just this once."
"And I'm up against Tokoyami-san," Uraraka said nervously. "Oh, this is gonna be hard."
"You think that's hard?" Sero kept up his smile, but everyone could see the sweat on his brow. "I'm up against Bakugo. Any ideas, Midoriya?"
"A few," Midoriya muttered. "Keep him from pointing his hands directly at you. Also, he usually leads with his right."
"Good to know." Sero gently elbowed him. "Thanks."
"Okay, folks!" Present Mic's voice brought them all to the present. "I hope you got enough to eat, and I hope you went to the bathroom—with all the excitement coming up, you might not be able to hold it in!"
"That's disgusting," Aizawa said. "The first match is starting in two minutes. Shinso Hitoshi and Asui Tsuyu, get down here. Everyone else who isn't about to start a match, go to your assigned sections with your classes."
"Moving on, we should probably remind everyone of the rules. The fight ends when one competitor is unable to fight, surrenders, or is forced out of bounds. Also, the lovely Midnight and our good friend Cementoss will be acting as referee, in case things get out of hand. Just don't do too much damage to each other, or Recovery Girl will let you have it!"
"I guess this is it, ribbit." Asui got up and smiled at her friends. "See you guys later."
"Do your best, Tsu-chan!" Uraraka called after her.
The six of them joined the rest of 1-A, just as Asui entered the arena. On the other side was her opponent—the purple-haired boy who had called out their class.
"From the Hero Course's Class 1-A! She may look cute, but her entire body is a frog-shaped weapon, it's Asui Tsuyu!
"And from General Studies, it's the dark horse who managed to make it to the final event, it's Shinso Hitoshi!"
In the arena, Shinso nodded at Asui, who bowed slightly. Midnight raised her whip high.
"Are both fighters ready?"
"Yes."
"Ribbit. Yes."
Midnight brought the whip down. "Begin!"
That's right, I'm ending it here. I'm evil.
I should let you all know that the flying Team Midoriya thing was something I had planned from the very beginning. It was hilarious to me, and I had to include it.
I actually had to create the bracket thing to figure out who was fighting who. This time, Midoriya isn't fighting Todoroki in the second round, but either Shinso or our favorite frog-girl! Don't worry, that epic showdown will still happen, just later.
Also, unlike the Battle Trials, I plan on writing out each and every fight. Sorry if that's annoying, but I actually like tournament arcs, as long as they don't go on for fifty episodes/chapters. The Sports Festival arc was actually pretty short, so I'm excited.
Oh, I should mention that about half of the fights were randomized, but a couple I kept to canon because I liked them. If you know MHA, you know what I'm talking about.
As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction by Josh Gottlieb. It's available as an eBook and in physical format on Amazon, or as a PDF on my website (link in my profile). Book sales make me happy and make me want to write more! Also, if any of you have bought my book, I would really appreciate ratings and reviews on Amazon, because that brings more attention.
Also, if you want to make me even happier, please consider donating on P-atreon (link in my profile). I would love nothing more than to write fan fiction all day, but I can't do that if I can't afford to do things like eat.
And here's a list of my lovely Patrons:
Serious Muffins: jafr86, SpaceEmperorSpar, Nimrod009, Anders Lyngbye, Matthias Matanovic, ChaosSpartan575, John Collins, Calleo, Casey Pak, Red Bard, Ultimatrix10
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Next Chapter: Round 1… FIGHT!
Plus Muffin!
