Chapter 18
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Each of Their Goals]
Everyone except Izuku and Shoto were in the cafeteria. Sora was sitting with Tenya, mainly because he didn't want any bad blood between them, since he basically undid Iida's special move at the end.
"I should have accounted for you having some sort of new trick up your sleeve." The class rep scolded himself. "I couldn't have been the only one who was keeping their ultimate move a secret."
"You mean my thunder attack?" Sora questioned. "I'm surprised that Denki didn't tell you about it. Especially since he gave me the instructions on how to do it."
"Excuse me!?" Tenya replied. "He's the reason you were able to learn it, and he didn't mention anything about it to us. I'm such an idiot!"
"How's that your fault?" Sora asked.
"Because I should have known that you made friends with the other classmates, and that they would have their own knowledge about you." Iida explained. "I could have asked them, and then formulated a plan to counter you."
"Well you still have a chance to do that, because of the last event." Sora remarked. "I won't hold it against you when you do."
Tenya remembered that the next event is a combat tournament, so he did have the chance to start formulating a plan to fight Sora, since he figured that the former rep would easily clear the brackets. "I suppose you're right about that. But why are you suggesting that?"
"Well, if we fight, then I want to see what you come up with to beat me." Sora replied. "Plus, it can show the world that you have what it takes to make it to the big leagues." That was if Iida could even do anything to Sora, but he'd pull his punches, just like back at the combat trial.
"You're making it sound like I could even contend with your combat prowess." Tenya remarked. "With the experience you've had fighting for your life, as well as the utility of your quirk, my chances of winning are dismal."
"Hey." Sora informed his friend. "You know more about me than most of the class, and your speed and power are almost impossible for the class to keep up with. So you have the best chance of beating me."
Iida ended up thinking about it for a second, and decided that what Sora said was absolutely right. He thanked his friend and the two finished their lunch, before going their separate ways.
[Silence]
Sora finished his lunch a bit before anyone else, so he decided to wait by the 1-A entrance to the amphitheater. His reasoning for being there in the first place was to see if Midoriya was there, and he was, but the kid was deep in thought, so he didn't notice Sora until his friend was right in front of him.
"Hey Izuku." He said, startling Midoriya out of his thoughts. "I didn't see you at the cafeteria, so I was wondering where you were."
"O-Oh." Izuku replied. "W-Well I just got caught up on something, and I couldn't make it."
Sora noticed that his friend wasn't too upbeat. "You okay?" He asked. "You look a bit down."
"Huh?" Midoriya answered. "Yeah. Yeah. Of course I'm fine. It's just..."
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Hero's Shadow]
Izuku paused, thinking about something, then he asked. "Hey Sora. You've helped out people who've been hurt before. Right?"
Sora was slightly worried about his friend. "Yeah, I've helped out a few people." He replied. "Why?"
"How'd you do it?" Midoriya questioned.
The Keyblade wielder turned his head away from his friend, looking towards the sky outside the entrance, thinking about the question. He then informed his friend, "I don't really have a clear answer to that." Izuku stayed silent as he continued. "I usually just stay close to the person who's hurt and try to figure out what's making them hurt. After that, I see what I can do, but it's not always the same solution."
"What do you mean?" Midoriya asked.
"Well..." Sora started. "My friend Riku, I just kept chasing, until he let me help him. A guy I know named Hiro, I helped take care of a personal issue that he couldn't do alone. A girl named Rapunzel, I showed her all the positives in life. Another one named Elsa, I helped her see that she didn't have cursed existence." Izuku was listening intently to his friend's experience as he went on. "I guess it just depends on how much you know the person, and what you're willing to do to help them. If you know enough about them and figure out what kind of problem they're having, then it'll be a lot easier to know what to do for them."
Midoriya took a second to think about the advice his friend gave him. He seemed dissatisfied with the answer he had received, but he couldn't talk about it anymore, because all the boys in class 1-A were coming this way, getting ready to go back to the Festival. Sora patted him on the shoulder and agreed to talk about this later.
[Silence]
While all the boys were heading out to the amphitheater, Sora decided to stay behind for a moment. He went back down the hall and turned the corner to see...The girls...in cheerleader outfits.
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Professor Aizawa Theme]
"Uh...what are you doing?" Sora asked, very confused.
"I was informed about a Cheer Battle that would take place before the finals." Momo informed Sora.
"Yeah, so Yaoyorozu made us these costumes so we could participate." Toru excitedly added.
"Wait, Cheer Battle?" Sora repeated. "Who said this?"
"Apparently Mr. Aizawa." Kyoka replied, visibly embarrassed to be seen in this.
"But...Mr. Aizawa decided to take a nap during the lunch break." Sora remarked. "So when would he have the time to tell you girls that?"
That made Momo and Jiro have deadpanned expressions, while the other four girls all remembered that Aizawa did say that, before they all went to lunch.
"Also," Sora continued. "Why would Aizawa care about something like a cheering competition? He doesn't strike as a guy who likes entertainment value in a hero."
That made Kyoka and Yaoyorozu look disappointed in themselves for not figuring this out on their own. But the final nail in the coffin was put on when the boy asked one final question.
"Who told you that Aizawa said this?" Sora questioned.
The two girls both had annoyed expressions on their faces as Momo cursed, "That little pervert!"
"Ah." Sora replied. "Minoru tried to pull a fast one on you?"
"Ugh!" Jiro threw the pom poms she was holding to the ground. "I'm gonna make those two go deaf, when I see them again!"
"Wait two?" Sora asked. "Who else put you up to this?"
"Kaminari." Yaoyorozu answered. "He and Mineta both said this."
"Wait Denki?" Sora replied. "I didn't think he was the kind of guy who did stuff like this."
"Maybe that's why it seemed a bit more convincing." Kyoka remarked. "That, plus the cheer squad that passed by during lunch."
"Well, that would make a bit more sense." Sora agreed. "Either way, you should probably get back in the gym uniform before heading back out there. There's still about seven minutes, so if you run, then you could make it back in time."
"Yeah, we'll do that." All of the girls said in unison, as they turned heel and ran back to change.
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST I'll Become a Hero]
Sora walked out and notable was looking for a specific member of his class that he needs to talk to. It wasn't hard to find him and Sora walked up to the boy in question.
"Kaminari." He spoke up, catching the guy's attention. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Oh, sure man." Denki answered, unaware of the trouble he was in. "What's up?"
The two the them walked out of the crowd before Sora asked, "Are you still recovering from my Thunder attack?"
"Huh?" Kaminari replied. "Why would you ask that?"
"Because what you tried to do with the girls at lunch was just dumb." The Keyblade wielder explained.
"What?!" The electric boy realized where this was going. "How'd you figure that out? You weren't anywhere near us when we told Yaoyorozu that."
"Why do you think the girls aren't here right now Denki?" Sora remarked.
"Oh..." Kaminari figured it out. "Well, did they look cute?"
"You're asking me that?!" Sora ridiculed. "What made you think that was a good idea?"
"Hey! I didn't mean it in any perverted way!" Denki tried to defend his position. "I meant it as just some harmless prank is all. Come on!"
"Really now." The Key slinger didn't buy it. "And you just decided to have Mineta join you on this 'prank'?"
"Be real with me here man." Kaminari explained. "It's more convincing when a few people tell you that something is going on, rather than just one guy. And I don't think anybody else in the class would do something like this with me, so who else was I gonna have as a wing man?"
Sora sighed and shook his head in disapproval. "You better hope that the girls can accept that answer, because I know that Kyoka and Momo are mad at you two." He started to walk back to the group, but said one last thing. "I'll try my best to help you out of this situation. Then we'll be even for the paper you gave me."
Denki then ran back to Sora and asked. "Wait, why didn't you ask Mineta to join us, since he's a part of it?"
"I'll let him have both the dissatisfaction of not seeing them wear the costumes, as well as the punishment of Jiro making his ears bleed." Sora answered, making Kaminari realize how lucky he is to have Sora help him out.
"Back to that thing I asked though, did they look good?" Denki wondered.
"Keep asking me that and I'm not gonna stop Kyoka." Sora replied, making Kaminari get the point.
[Play KH1.5 Remix OST Olympus Coliseum]
"GET THOSE FOAM FINGERS IN THE AIR!" Present Mic announced, signaling that the hour lunch break was now over. "It's almost time for the last round! But before that, good news for everyone who didn't make the finals! Since this is a sports festival, we've prepared some super fun side games everyone can participate in! We even brought cheerleaders from America to get your blood pumping!"
The girls just managed to make it back in time, and the first people to notice them were Sora, Minrou and Denki. Mineta was looking very annoyed and ended up jogging over to the girls to ask why they weren't in the cheerleader outfits, only for Jiro to use her jack on him and yell at the perv for trying that.
Kaminari was about to turn around, but Sora stopped him and kept him there, letting Kyoka and Momo walk up to the two. Before Denki could get his serving from Kyoka, Sora covered for him and told the two what he was told. Even though they were still annoyed with him, they let it slide only because Sora asked them to.
"I think this is the second time I've saved her from Mineta's pervy stuff today." Sora commented.
"When was the first time?" Kaminari asked.
"On the minefield." Sora answered. "He stuck onto her gym top, so I ripped him off her and gave her my gym top."
"Remind me to never try anything like this with you around." Denki said.
"Don't do it ever." Sora remarked.
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Damn Cowardly School]
"Have fun competing in those little side games everyone!" Present Mic announced. "After they're over, the 16 students from the top four teams will be duking it out one on one in a tournament style fighting competition! I promise you're not gonna wanna miss these epic match ups!"
[Silence]
"Aww Yeah." Eijiro commented. "Finally getting the chance to show what we're made of. I watched these finals every year, and now I'm actually in them."
"So wait. Is it always a tournament?" Mina asked.
"The final's always a one on one competition, but they switch it up every time." Hanta informed her. "Last year, it was a foam sword fighting match."
Midnight was on the platform and had a box in her hand as she then explained. "Come closer and draw lots to see who you're up against. Then enjoy the pleasure of recreational games before we start. The sixteen finalists have the option of participating in those activities, or sitting out to prepare for battle. I'm sure you all want to conserve your stamina. I'll start with the first place team."
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST People Always Reaching for the Top]
"Um...excuse me." Mashirao raised his hand. "Sorry, but I'm withdrawing."
That shocked everyone, and Izuku was the first to speak up. "Ojiro, no way."
"But this is a rare chance for you to get scouted." Tenya stated.
"It just wouldn't be right." Mashirao explained. "I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until the very end of it. I think it was that guy's quirk." Sora remembered that he was with Shinzo, the purple haired guy from General Studies. Ojiro continued. "I know this is a great opportunity. I wish I could take advantage of it, but my conscience won't let me." Sora also remembered that Mashirao was bound by his honor, and that was something he could respect.
"Just think about this." Midoriya urged him.
"I have, okay?" Ojiro retorted. "Everyone gave their all in round two, but I was just someone's puppet. No way. I don't even want to advance if I don't even know how I got here. It wouldn't be fair."
"You're making way too much of this." Hagakure stated. Mina was about to say something but was cut off.
"Let him go." Sora spoke up, drawing 1-A's attention to him. "His heart and mind are made up. Let's respect his wish."
"Wait, seriously?" Mina questioned.
"Thank you Sora." Mashirao said. "I'm sorry that it had to be this way."
"It's fine." Sora reassured him. "You're holding on to your pride, something that you treasure deeply. I can understand holding on to something you treasure."
Someone else spoke up. "Nirengeki Shoda from class 1-B." He stated. "I think I should withdraw for the exact same reason. Regardless of how strong I am, this isn't how I wanted to get here. It would go against the values of the festival without earning my spot." While Kirishima was praising the manliness of these two, Midnight was thinking about it.
[Silence]
"This sort of talk is incredibly naive, my boys." She remarked. "That turns me on! Shota, Ojiro, you're withdrawn!" Sora, as well as every student except Minoru, mumbled, "Did she say it turns her on?"
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST U.A. Session]
Yuga placed a hand on Mashirao's shoulder and then said, "Don't worry. I'll win it for you."
"Now let's see." Midnight pondered for a moment. "We'll have to move two students from the 5th place cavalry team, so we have enough contestants."
The leader of the team, Kendo spoke up. "We were frozen most of the time. Honestly, we barely did anything in the cavalry battle. Isn't that right, girls?" Her team shamefully agreed. "You should choose from the team that kept fighting the whole time, Team Tetsutetsu."
"Kendo." Tetsutetsu was shocked, as well as his team.
"I'm not doing this as a favor." She explained. "It's just fair."
Tetsutetsu was starting to overflow with happiness when he said, "Seriously you guys. THANK YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOU!"
The two team members that were chosen were Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, and Ibara Shoizaki.
"Take a look at the bracket my dears." Midnight instructed. "These are your opponents."
The screen showed the brackets and the first rounds were as such.
Izuku Midoriya vs Hitoshi Shinzo
Shoto Todoroki vs Hanta Sero
Denki Kaminari vs Ibara Shiozaki
Tenya Iida vs Sora {N/A}
Yuga Aoyama vs Mina Ashido
Fumikage Tokoyami vs Momo Yaoyorozu
Eijiro Kirishima vs Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Katsuki Bakugo vs Ochako Uraraka
While the crowd cheered, certain students were seeing who was fighting who.
"SERIOUSLY!?" Both Kirishima and Tetsutetsu yelled in unison. "HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!?"
"I'll give it my all." Tokoyami stated.
"Good." Yaoyorozu remarked. "That's all that I ask of you."
"Mon cheri, I'm afraid it's the end of the road for you." Aoyama stated.
"I can't wait to melt your butt." Ashido taunted.
"Well it looks like we're fighting a lot sooner than expected." Sora pointed out.
"Then I should start strategizing immediately, so I can beat you." Iida said.
"Uraraka?" Katsuki asked. "Who the hell's that?" Ochako was terrified of who she was going against.
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Combat Training]
"Okay!" Present Mic announced. "Let's press pause for a momentary interlude! Before the battles begin, it's time for some pulse pounding side games!"
Sora decided to play along with the side games, mainly to kill time. The first one was a scavenger hunt, which was easy for him, since he got a card that asked for him to find an attractive girl, but he decided to try something out. Instead of going to his classmates, he went over to the 1-B girls and asked if any of them were willing to walk with him as he showed his card to them. The one who decided to play along was a girl named Setsuna Tokage, and she qualified as one.
After that was done with, he thanked her and then went onto the next game. That one was a race to get a giant ball around a track, faster than anyone else. Sora was alone, and got on top of his ball, then rolled it around, like he did the giant ball in San Fransokyo, until he got to the end. He scored second place in the race.
He continued this pattern of doing a side game, performing great in it but still letting everyone else shine, having fun, wash, rinse, repeat. During this time, he noted a few things. Fumikage wasn't here, nor was Shoto, Izuku, or Katsuki. He saw Tenya drinking a large amount of orange juice, while also talking with people who Sora frequently spoke with in the class. Ochako was trying to hype herself up, so she wouldn't be a nervous wreck when he had to fight Bakugo. Momo was watching her fellow students have fun and enjoying it. And the rest were just enjoying the Festival.
After all was said and done, the students went to the bleachers they were assigned to while Cementoss was finishing up the ring. He said, "That's it. I'm pretty much done here."
[Silence]
"Thank you Cementoss!" Mic announced. "HEY SPORTS FANS, ARE YOU READY?!" The crowd was going nuts. "After all the action you've already witnessed, it's time for the real battles to begin! Can you feel the excitement!? Our competitors are on their own now. Sometimes Heroes have only themselves to rely on. Heart, Skill, Strength, Wisdom, Courage! They'll have to use all of these things to rise to the top!"
Sora was sitting in the bleachers with his class in the front. He already knew who he was rooting for in the first match, and he knew that his friend was gonna win. The two of them made it this far, so why not meet up in the semifinals and have a match to remember? With that as his goal, he leaned forward and watched as the arena was completed. This next event was gonna be the biggest one yet.
Prepping for the Corona Virus, sucks. Takes a lot of energy out of you, but not enough to stop me from making this chapter. The next set of chapters will be the the pattern of tournament fights (2 minimum, 4 maximum), Sora's reactions to them, his own battles, and the occasional banter in between matches. Sora's first opponent will be Tenya Iida, the speedster of 1-A, and before anyone says anything about Sora vs anybody and how he can easily beat them, He's gonna pull his punches and give all his opponents (except one) chances to shine, because that's the kind of person Sora is, and he doesn't need any more attention than what he has to get. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and until I decide to upload again ;)