Chapter 14: The Winner Takes All!
Inside the waiting room, Uraraka was sitting as she had a nervous look on her face until she heard the door knocking. She quickly gasped before wiping the sweat from her face as she started to grin nervously.
Uraraka: C-Come in…!
The door opened revealing the boys alongside Gentaro entering inside.
Midoriya: Hey Uraraka, are you okay?
Yusuke: We wanted to check up on you before your match.
Uraraka: O-Oh, thanks guys! I'm fine, really!
Sweat began to appear from her face again as her body began to shiver while trying to keep up with the smile as it turned more into a nervous smirk. Yusuke and Midoriya dropped a sweat from Uraraka's act until Ryotaro spoke up.
Ryotaro: O-Ochako, it's okay if you're nervous. No matter what, we know that you'll win this match!
Gentaro: Right! Your quirk is so cool and reliable! This Kirishima guy seems similar to Tetsutetsu, so if you manage to use your quirk on him first then that'll be a guarantee win!
Midoriya: We believe in you Uraraka! You managed to beat two strong opponents, we know that you'll be able to beat both Kirishima and Kacchan!
Yusuke: Just like I told Ryotaro, just take a deep breath and believe in yourself. We know that you can do it!
As Yusuke gave her a thumbs up, the rest nodded for approval as tears began to swell from Uraraka's eyes. As she chuckled, she wiped the tears away before standing up to give them a thumbs up.
Uraraka: Thank you guys! I'll make sure to win this, just watch me!
Later as the crowd was cheering, Uraraka walked towards the arena with determination on her face as Kirishima made it while stretching his arms before cracking his knuckles. After Midnight yelled "start", Kirishima began to run towards Uraraka as he prepared his fist to throw a punch.
Kirishima: Here I come Ochako!
As he was about to throw a right hook, Uraraka managed to dodge to her left before grabbing hold of his shoulder with both of her hands.
Kirishima: C-Crap! I forgot about her quirk!
After letting go, she placed her fingertips together as Kirishima began to float. As he continued to float higher, she yelled "release" causing him to fall back down. Before he crashed, he hardened his skin to take less damage from impact. After standing back up, he softened his skin as he was rotating his left shoulder before he stopped when the two heard Midnight speak up.
Midnight: Ochako is the winner of the Conclusive Round! She may proceed into the Semi-Finals!
Kirishima's eyes widened before looking down to see that he landed outside of the ring. From the realization, he smacked himself in the forehead as he groaned.
Kirishima: Damn it~! That mess up caused my victory~!
After realizing her victory, she turned to see her friends cheer for her alongside the crowd as she grew a large smile on her face before hopping from excitement.
"I can't believe that I actually managed to survive this round! Deku, Yusuke! I'm excited to see you guys in the next round!"
Later, during the Semi-Finals after the match with Midoriya and Todoroki, Yusuke made it to the arena before turning to see Uraraka and Ryotaro cheering for him alongside the crowd. Yusuke smiled before giving them a thumbs up until he noticed Hibiki entering the arena as well with a confidence stance before doing his special salute.
Hibiki: Yo, Yusuke! And I thought that we would never face each other! But I'm so glad that we are, your quirk is so strong that I've been itching to see your strength in person! Especially the one with the sword, show me that quirk during the fight! I want to see how strong it is myself if it took out Iida and that other engine guy!
As he continued to smirk, Yusuke said nothing as he began to think to himself.
"Is he referring to my Titan form? I could use that since Hibiki's strength is nothing to take lightly, but that could be a risk. It's a possibility that he could overpower it since the form increases my strength but lowers my speed and senses."
After Midnight yelled "start", Hibiki quickly grabbed his Ongekibou to run towards Yusuke to leap and attack him but missed when he dove to his right side. After recovering, Yusuke quickly stood back up to stand in his fighting stance as his eyes and hands began to glow red.
Hibiki: Come on man, really? Show me that sword that you have, we can have a one-on-one weapon battle!
From his comment, Yusuke raised an eyebrow before thinking to himself once again.
"It's like he's trying to taunt me. He doesn't even know what my stats are, he just genuinely wants to fight me in my strongest form so that he can fight a potentially stronger opponent! But I shouldn't give in just yet. What I've noticed during his previous battles is that he studies his opponent's quirk and uses it against them. If he finds out that I'm slower in my Titan form, then he'll take full advantage with his speed to exhaust me. But what about my Dragon form? I could easily outrun him with that! No, that won't work either; it's incredibly weak compared to my other forms. He could take me out in one punch if he catches me. It's safe to say that I should stick with my Mighty form, it's a complete balance between my strength, speed and senses."
Yusuke quickly closed his eyes to clench them shut before opening them to stare tensely at Hibiki.
Yusuke: If you want me to use that form, then you'll have to push me to my limit first!
Suddenly, Yusuke sprinted towards Hibiki to throw a punch, but the attack was quickly blocked when Hibiki used his Ongekibou to protect himself. As they stared at each other's eyes, Hibiki began to smirk before chuckling as he noticed the determination in Yusuke's eyes.
Hibiki: Alright then, have it your way. I guess I won't hold back!
Hibiki suddenly pulled him closer to use his knee to kick him in the stomach. From the attack, Yusuke lost his breath until Hibiki punched him across the face causing him to fall on his back. After managing to catch his breath, he began to cough uncontrollably until he felt Hibiki's hand grab hold of his uniform to pick him back up. As he prepared his fist to punch him, Yusuke quickly elbowed Hibiki in the face causing him to let go before Yusuke backed away to face him again. As he was breathing heavily, Hibiki was rubbing his nose as he was chuckling.
Hibiki: Cheap shot, Yusuke!
Yusuke: I should say the same thing to you, a sudden knee kick was a complete dirty move!
Hibiki continued to chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck.
Hibiki: Fair, I guess I was just a little too excited. Let me make it up to you.
Hibiki then grabbed both of his Ongekibous as they continued to stare at each other. As they began to walk on opposite sides from each other, Gentaro's face lit up as he was watching the match.
Gentaro: Wow! This is getting intense!
Ryotaro: It really is, I'm surprised that Yusuke hasn't used his weapons yet to counter Hibiki's attacks.
Uraraka: It doesn't matter, I know that Yusuke has some tricks under his sleeve! Come on Yusuke! Kick his butt!
After they stopped, both boys began to run towards each other as Hibiki prepared his weapons to attack. Yusuke quickly blocked Hibiki's attack before preparing his fists as they began to glow red. He quickly knocked his weapons away before punching Hibiki in the face causing the crowd to cheer alongside his friends. After a few more punches in the face, Yusuke was about to aim for the stomach, but Hibiki used his weapon to strike first landing on Yusuke's lower jaw. From the attack, Yusuke suddenly felt dizzy until Hibiki continued to use his weapons to smack his body multiple times before kicking him in the chest causing him to fall once again. After trying to stand back up, his body suddenly began to wobble causing Yusuke to lose his balance. As he continued to struggle to keep his balance, his friends had a worried look on their faces.
Uraraka: What's wrong with Yusuke? I've never seen him like this before.
Ryotaro: Me neither, he's usually so focused when it comes to his opponents.
Gentaro said nothing as he watched Yusuke's body wobble trying to keep himself steady until his eyes widened before speaking up.
Gentaro: I knew it! He has a concussion!
From hearing what Gentaro said, both Ryotaro and Uraraka quickly turned to look at him in shock as they simultaneously repeated what he said.
Gentaro: I remember a friend of mine told me about it since he's a huge fan of boxing. He told me that the easiest way to knock someone out is to aim for the chin which is the best way to render their opponent to fall unconscious. And since that guy hit Yusuke in the chin with those sticks, it must've rattled his brain bad!
Uraraka: What? No way! Come on Yusuke! You got this!
After managing to successfully stand straight, Yusuke was frozen in place as his eyes widened trying to steady his breathing.
"What's happening to me? I feel so light and dizzy, it feels like I need to puke but I can't manage to do so. What did he do to me...?"
As he continued to focus on his balancing, he heard Hibiki speak up trying to catch his attention.
Hibiki: Hey~! Yusuke~! What are you doing? Are you giving up already? Do you not want to show me your sword that much? Come on already! You are strong, but not strong enough compared to when you have that sword! If you don't then you'll leave me no other choice but to end this match.
"He's not bluffing, his patience is getting shorter. Even if I want to, I'm not in the greatest position to switch forms. I need to think of something, I need to clear my mind and focus."
After Yusuke closed his eyes, he struggled to move but managed to crouch down as he spread both of his arms away from each other. As his hands began to glow red once again, they began to go dim before revealing both of his feet faintly glowing the same color. As Hibiki watched Yusuke stand in position, he sighed as he had a disappointed look on his face before scratching his head.
Hibiki: What a shame, I was hoping to see it. Oh well, at least I'll be able to fight another strong opponent in the next round.
After shrugging his shoulders, he prepared both of his Ongekibous before walking towards Yusuke as both of his weapons lit on fire. The colors in Yusuke's hands became dimmer as his feet were glowing brighter surprising everyone including Hibiki as he stopped with a confused expression on his face.
Ryotaro: He managed to transfer his quirk to his feet?
Uraraka: Whatever he's planning, let's hope that it'll save him from this situation...
After opening his red eyes, Yusuke began to sprint towards Hibiki leaving burnt footprints behind from each step. Hibiki grunted before charging both of his weapons to shoot flames at Yusuke but missed when he managed to jump in time to do a front flip. After quickly repositioning himself, he formed a flying kick position before kicking Hibiki on the chest causing him to fly backwards from impact. After Yusuke landed, everyone heard a loud crash as smoke suddenly appeared near the walls. After the smoke cleared away, Hibiki was shown near the dented wall with his head low as he was unconscious.
Midnight: Godai has won this round! He may move on to the Penultimate round!
As the medics came to pick up Hibiki, Yusuke began to faintly smile as he heard the crowd cheer for him before passing out.
Present Mic: Okay everyone! Are you ready for the next fight?!
The crowd cheered louder before Present Mic continued.
Present Mic: That's what I like to hear! Here comes both winners from the last round! Kurenai Wataru and Fumikage Tokoyami!
As both boys made it to the stage, Kivat popped his head out of Wataru's pocket to speak up.
Kivat: You got this Wataru, remember that if you win this then you'll be one step closer to winning this tournament!
Wataru said nothing as he took a deep breath before forming his usual fighting stance as Tokoyami prepared himself as well. Both boys continued to stare at each other until Midnight yelled "start". Tokoyami quickly summoned Dark Shadow before charging towards Wataru to attack. As it swiped its claws at him, Wataru used his flexibility to dodge the attacks before performing a backflip to escape Dark Shadow's range. After landing, Wataru quickly noticed Dark Shadow zooming closer to him to attack once again but missed when he dove under its attack before swiftly roundhouse kicking it across the face. From the attack, Dark Shadow quickly recovered before reaching its hand towards Wataru's body to grab hold of him. Dark Shadow lifted him up before slamming him onto the ground repeatedly until Tokoyami spoke up in the background.
Tokoyami: That's enough Dark Shadow, finish the job.
Dark Shadow: Aye aye, sir!
Dark Shadow then punched Wataru across the ring before Kivat poked his head out once more with a fuestle in his mouth.
Kivat: Crap! This should work!
Kivat then blew the fuestle causing Wataru to transform into his canine like appearance before landing on his feet to stand in all fours as he began to growl.
Garulu! Show your true form!
Tokoyami and Dark Shadow took notice of this as he stood closer to Dark Shadow to speak up.
Tokoyami: I knew that he would change, this is your opportunity Dark Shadow.
Dark Shadow: Right, sir!
Kivat: Okay Wataru, don't aim for his Dark Shadow! Go for Tokoyami! This battle will never end if you keep attacking his quirk!
Wataru then snarled before using his fast movements to run towards the two to attack. Dark Shadow began to charge towards him to attack but missed when Wataru flipped past Dark Shadow as he prepared himself to attack Tokoyami. After landing, he missed when Tokoyami dove to the side before grunting. Wataru turned to attack him again, but Dark Shadow intervened with a punch but missed when Wataru used his swift movements to grab hold of its fist before kicking Dark Shadow in the eye. From damage, Dark Shadow began to flail its body from pain boosting Wataru in the air before positioning himself to land on Tokoyami. Suddenly, Tokoyami moved his body to dodge Wataru's attack before throwing a punch, but Wataru weaved his head to the left before grabbing his arm to throw him onto the ground. After crashing, Wataru grabbed hold of Tokoyami's collar to drag his body across the stage before throwing him out of the ring to land on the grass causing the crowd to cheer for Wataru's victory as he began to howl to the sky.
Midnight: Kurenai is the winner of this round! He may proceed to the Penultimate round!
Later during the beginning of the Penultimate round after the match with Uraraka and Bakugou, both Yusuke and Todoroki made it inside the ring as Yusuke thought to himself.
"This tournament is getting serious now. Out of all five of us, I'm the only one that's still in. It's ironic because I shouldn't have entered in the first place."
Yusuke's face began to soften as he remembered his friends faces after losing their respective matches.
"This feels wrong...it feels like I robbed them from this competition. I didn't even participate in the Human Calvery, I was never meant to stay in this tournament!"
As he clenched his fists, they quickly softened after suddenly hearing his friends cheering for him. Yusuke looked up to see the three of them rooting for his victory causing his eyes to light up.
"T-They're still cheering for me. Guys, you still believe in me even if you're not participating anymore. Ryotaro, Midoriya, Uraraka, Iida, and even you Gentaro. All of you are the greatest friend that someone could've asked! Thank you!"
After smiling, he gave them a thumbs up until he heard Todoroki speak up.
Todoroki: Hey, Yusuke, right? You're friends with Midoriya, right?
From the question, Yusuke was confused but answered anyways.
Yusuke: I am, why do you ask?
Todoroki said nothing for a moment before answering his question.
Todoroki: I only asked because I was curious to know how helpful he is to you. During our last match, he said something to me that made me question if the old strategy I was doing was even the right choice or not. Please, tell me how helpful he is to you.
Before Yusuke could answer, he was quickly cut off when Midnight yelled "start". From the command, Todoroki sighed as he had a disappointed look on his face.
Todoroki: I guess you can tell me afterwards, but for now don't hold back.
Suddenly, Todoroki quickly created a wave of ice towards Yusuke, but missed when he dove to the side to avoid the attack. After recovering, he stood back up as his hands began to glow red as his eyes were the same color. After creating another ice wave, Yusuke pulled back his fist before punching the attack as it shattered from impact. Todoroki's eyes widened from surprise until he saw Yusuke leap through the shattered ice as he prepared his fist once more. Todoroki quickly moved to the side to avoid Yusuke's punch, but after landing, Yusuke punched the ground creating a shockwave to knock him from his feet. After grunting, Todoroki placed his palm on the ground causing ice to spread. Yusuke noticed ice before trying to avoid touching it by walking backwards.
"Damn it, he's trying freeze the arena! This isn't good, if I keep backing away then I would step outside the ring. If I step on the ice then it's a possibility to freeze my feet in one place. Even if it doesn't, I won't be able to keep my balance making me an easy target! I need to stop him before he could go any further, but how?"
As he continued to back away from the ice, Yusuke thought of an idea but had an uneasy look on his face as closed his eyes.
"Crap, it's a huge risk for me since we're in a stadium with thousands of people. But I don't have any other choice in this situation."
After opening his eyes again, he quickly grabbed the metal piece from his pocket to extend one side before tilting it down causing Yusuke's eyes to turn green as the object transformed into a green, black and gold bowgun. Yusuke quickly covered his ears from hearing loud voices all at once until he shook his head before taking a deep breath. After regaining his focus, he pulled the lever from the weapon as he aimed it at Todoroki until he let go shooting an air bullet at him. But to his surprise, Yusuke's eyes widened when Todoroki avoided the attack by creating an ice wall to protect him. As he pulled the lever once again, he stopped when he heard Midnight speak up.
Midnight: Todoroki is the winner of this round! He may proceed to the finale!
As the crowd was cheering, Yusuke's eyes widened before looking down to see that he passed the line. After sighing, he dropped his weapon as he changed back to its original form as he noticed that the ice began to melt. Yusuke chuckled before seeing Todoroki walk towards him.
Yusuke: Man, it sucks to lose, but I'm grateful to battle against you. Thank you for this great match! And honestly, I'm surprised that you didn't defeat me by freezing me like you did to the others.
Todoroki: If I did that then you wouldn't have been able to answer my question. I just want to know how helpful he is to you.
Yusuke softly smiled as he chuckled before answering.
Yusuke: Midoriya, he's extremely helpful. He knows the exact words to help motivate me to keep pushing forward, he reminds me a lot of a childhood friend of mine. But it's not just him that's helpful, it's the rest of our friends. No matter what, we try and help support each other since we all have our own goals that we need to achieve. I might not know the exact context about why he said that to you, but I'm assuming that your fire quirk reminds you of a certain someone. If that is the case, then Midoriya is right. Your quirk is yours to control, no matter who says otherwise.
Todoroki said nothing as he stared at the ground before walking past Yusuke to exit the arena.
Todoroki: Thank you, Yusuke. For answering my question.
As he continued to walk away, Yusuke bowed before looking back up to the crowd to give a thumbs up to Midoriya as he gave one back to him with a smile on his face.
Present Mic: Okay folks! I hope that you're ready for the last match of this round before the finals!
As the crowd was cheering, Present Mic continued with his announcement.
Present Mic: That's what I like to hear! Now here comes our two monsters! Kurenai Wataru and Katsuki Bakugou!
As the two boys made it in the arena, Bakugou had an intimidating look on his face as Wataru was shivering from fear as he was breathing heavily. As he tried to calm himself down, he suddenly heard Kivat speak up in his pocket.
Kivat: Wataru! It's fine, you got this! You've managed to beat everyone else! Go ahead and take this jerk down so that we can make it to the final round!
Suddenly, Bakugou began to yell startling Wataru as his body stiffened.
Bakugou: Hey, Wallflower! You better not hold back or else I'll kill you! All those fancy moves of yours are just a bunch of bullshit! You better show me what you really got so that I can prove to everyone that I'm stronger than you clowns!
Wataru began to breath heavier as he tried to respond to Bakugou but failed to when Midnight yelled "start". Wataru's eyes widened as sweat began to drench his face and uniform before Bakugou ignited his palms to boost himself towards Wataru to attack. Wataru gasped before diving to the side to dodge before standing in his usual fighting stance. After landing, Bakugou turned to stare at Wataru with anger until he ignited his palms to boost himself towards Wataru once again. After getting in range, Bakugou tried to use his explosions to connect with Wataru but kept missing when he used his swift movements to dodge the constant punches until he stood in a handstand to kick him. But from his shaken body, he failed to connect the kick causing him to fall to his back. After recovering, he quickly moved to the side when Bakugou tried to use his explosions on him. As he continued to dodge the attacks, Wataru tried to punch Bakugou in the face but missed from his sloppy timing causing Bakugou to catch his arm as he stared into his eyes.
Bakugou: Are you serious? This is what you have to offer? This is your second time missing!
From his frustrations, he ignited his free hand towards Wataru's chest causing him to fall towards his back from damage. Before he could recover, Bakugou began to ignite his palms as he was walking towards him.
Bakugou: What the hell are you doing Wallflower?! Where's all those fancy moves at, huh?! All you've been showing is a pathetic excuse for an attack! Come on! Don't hold back damn it!
From his yelling, Wataru tried to back away as he continued to breath heavily trying to hold back his tears. After Bakugou noticed Wataru's behavior, he quickly became more annoyed before grabbing hold of his collar.
Bakugou: You've got to be kidding me, are you afraid?! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY AFRAID OF ME?! Where's your backbone, huh?!
Tears began to form in Wataru's eyes before Bakugou ignited his free hand to use it to hit him in the face. But to both of their surprise, Kivat quickly intervened between the two to take the hit causing him to fall onto the ground.
Wataru: K-KIVAT!
As Kivat tried to stand back up, he was chuckling to reveal a blue fuestle in his mouth before blowing it
Garulu! Show your true form!
Suddenly, Wataru kicked Bakugou's chest freeing himself as he began to backflip before standing on fours as he was growling with Kivat flying towards him.
Kivat: Okay Wataru, watch out for his explosive quirk! Try and take him out the best way possible!
Wataru continued to growl as Bakugou formed a sinister grin before igniting his palms.
Bakugou: This is what I'm talking about! You better not disappoint with this, Wallflower!
After using his quirk to boost himself once again, Wataru began to run in fours towards Bakugou before leaping to attack. But before he could land a hit, Bakugou moved his body before grabbing hold of Wataru's ankle to slam him onto the ground. As Wataru tried to stand back up, Bakugou quickly landed on his body before charging up his quirk to release it on Wataru as he yelled "die". After the smoke began to clear away, Wataru struggled to move until his body gave up as he passed out causing Kivat to drop the fuestle from his jaw dropping as he witnessed Wataru's defeat.
Midnight: Katsuki is the winner of this round! He may proceed to the finals!
As the crowd was cheering, Bakugou began to walk away before muttering "amateur" to himself before Kivat flew towards Wataru's pocket to grab another fuestle to blow it.
Wake up!
From the fuestle, Wataru's appearance began to revert to his normal self until the medics began to pick him up the ground to lead him to the nurse's office.
Later after the final round, students were standing around as they had a horrified expression when they saw Bakugou wearing a spit mask as he was chained up in the stage yelling from anger as he tried to free himself.
Midnight: Congratulations to the top three winners! And to the participants who have lost, please do not be saddened or upset because there is always next year! Now, the medals for our winner, please!
After retrieving the medals for the winners, All Might landed before laughing out loud as he stood straight in his signature pose before speaking up.
All Might: I am here! To give out the medals this year!
After grabbing hold of the third-place medal, All Might walked on stage towards a bandaged up Wataru as he nervously looked down before bowing his head allowing him to place the medal around his neck.
All Might: Congratulations young Kurenai! You've made it so far with the help of your magnificent fighting skills and your quirk! You might not be talkative, but I always knew that you weren't the one to be underestimated! Is there anything that you want to say young man?
As Wataru began to stutter his words, Kivat with a bandage wrapped around his head quickly flew in between the two to speak up for him.
Kivat: All he has to say is thank you for never doubting him, sir! We're very happy to make it to this position!
As All Might began to laugh, he patted Kivat on the head before speaking up.
All Might: Thank you young Kivat for clarifying!
As Wataru sighed with relief, he was quickly surprised when All Might suddenly leaned down to hug him causing him to nervously sweat until he heard All Might mutter something causing his eyes to widen.
All Might: You did great young Kurenai; your father would've been so proud of you.
After letting go, he walked towards Todoroki to hand him the second-place medal as tears began to swell Wataru's eyes until he wiped the tears away before Kivat spoke up.
Kivat: Did I hear that right? Did All Might mention our father?
Wataru: H-He did. I-I wouldn't have thought that he would've known him...
"After the festival, we were informed that because of our hard work; we were able to take two days off. We were filled with joy, especially me! seeing Imouto and Oyassan's faces right now brings me joy after they've watched me on national television! But after school, I overheard Aizawa-Sensei talking to Inui and Kenzaki."
Aizawa: Inui, Kenzaki. Before you two leave, head to Professor Shin's office.
The two boys looked at each other for a moment before looking back at Aizawa showing their confusion.
Takumi: For what reason to be exact?
Aizawa: He wants to talk to you two about your quirks. It's no secret that you two tried to prevent showing your quirks during the festival, so he wants to talk to you about it. And before you even think about rejecting, it's not a request. So, if you don't visit then don't think about having your vacation because you'll spend those two days in detention. Now go.
From his demand, Takumi and Kenzaki had an annoyed look on their faces as they both sighed.
End of chapter 14