Notes: Uploaded, then deleted and reuploaded because I forgot to answer Reviews. Oops!

Gamelover 41592: ;D

LEGOBRICK13: Your nicknames and the comparisons to ATLA characters fully made me laugh. You're write that the Todoroki family has a strange similarity to Zuko's family. I hope one or two of the fights in this chapter gives you a laugh in return. For Ibara, I will neither confirm or deny any of your theories, because to give even a hint would ruin the fun. Where do her beliefs lie? Who knows? (Well, I do, but too bad! *Blows razzberry in a mature fashion.*) For Tenya, which actions will he take when he and Tensei talk? Will they? You'll have to wait a while longer to find out since he needs time to get to the hospital.

Monkey D, Conan: Alright, a lot to break down here. I intend for the timeline of this story to take place over a much longer period than Canon, so motivations like Ibara's will have to wait as she's not a main character... currently. I can't promise what the future holds since I'm writing this chapter by chapter with weird dream-visions driving me forward in long-term payoff. Endeavor and Shoto are also not a central plot here as that plot hook that got Canon Izuku involved never happened. I'm sure that won't blow up at any point.

On a more lighthearted note, Mama Inko is pretty teasing, but how will she feel at the end of this chapter? And, you're the second person to comment about the possibilities with the Yaoyorozu family. As I mention there, families in AC stories don't tend to have happy-ever-afters, and we're already seeing that in the background. I'm glad you picked up on Kyoryoku's Quirk. I asked a friend for help and one of his suggestions was just so close I couldn't not.

Pirohiko-Baltazar: Thank you for all the information. I was aware of most of it as I've played everything up to ACIII: Liberation and am about to start ACIV: Black Flag. Canonically (Spoilers), Desmond Miles' body dies in 2016 at the end of ACIII, or that's his listed date of death according to the Wiki. Yes, he saved the world from starting over, but I don't quite know the timeline after that choice he made. As for Ibara being a Templar or not, you'll just have to wait and see what I have in store for her. It's a doozy in my head.

Ranger McAleer: And plow I will, so water with your thoughts! They really get the creative juices flowing!

SPeCTeR-ll7: Honestly, all the first round match-ups were random. You would not believe the silent rollercoaster of emotions I had when I saw that list and instantly knew how the first match would go. You know, the problem with subtext: sometimes you're right on the money, sometimes you're off by a thousand miles. Only I know which it is for certain.

Souloman: Two to respond to, so let's do this. I'm glad you enjoyed the Paintball War and all the silliness that came with it. What we saw with Kido and Tensei was a showing that there really are Templars in the ranks of pros and that they are not idle. Not only that, but every act of the Assassins having a successful mission there will have consequences and characters we know are not safe. The philosophical debates are fun to do but so hard to write because I have to keep shifting my mentality to accurately portray thoughts and ideals, so while we'll see them throughout the tale (like in ACIII when Connor runs into his father), they won't happen too often.

I'm glad you picked up on Kyoryoku's Quirk! I figured I would sprinkle little hints and references in there every now and then because everything is a rehashing of something else. I mean, every story is just a remix of the alphabet. I'm also glad you picked up on what he was trying to do. Kyo really looks up to his father. It would be a shame if something happened, wouldn't it? This chapter gives you Izuku's first match. I hope you like his strategy. Honestly, all the first matches here were randomized, even Shinso vs. Shoto and Momo vs. Ibara. Funny how that works. Speaking of Ibara, her motivations and stance will remain a mystery for the foreseeable future because she is not a main character... currently.

Wizardwolf 1020: Technically, Izuku took a Leap of Faith during the attack on the USJ, but it wasn't from very high. No, there's a true Leap of Faith I have planned for when he reaches the rank of full Assassin some time from now. The timeline here is going to span over a great while and he won't take that Leap until after such time as the Canon story would end, save any epilogue it may have. You'll see what I mean eventually, though I can't promise such plans will be come to fruition quickly.

As for any romance in this story, I'm taking it slow and letting it develop naturally. I'm usually an IzuOcha shipper myself, but Ochako's bubbly personally doesn't exactly fit with the serious nature of the Creed. While I'm not adverse to reading IzuHarem fics, this story does not have the mood or tone for such a thing. The romance will happen when it happens, and I feel like that will be a moment when, as I writer, I seem to blackout and the characters just take over the story for several thousand words. Moments like that happen, and I can't explain them even after having that sort of experience. When it comes to Momo's family, however, I can promise you it won't have a happy-ever-after. What family does in an AC story? The fallout of such, however, I have no idea.

Anyway, that's all for now! On to the chapter!

Chapter 15:

Means and Ends

"Those two are seriously going at it," Kaminari commented as, in the ring below them, Momo Yaoyorozu and Ibara Shiozaki fought. The latter was using her prehensile vine-hair to dig into the earth and act as a defensive wall, but the former had armed herself with a reinforced weedwhacker and a small bottle of plant-killer. Whatever Momo had said before the match started had gotten under the 1-B student's skin and she only seemed to be getting more agitated as the match went on despite her own attempts to calm down.

"Aizawa-sensei did say they were cousins, ribbit," Tsuyu said. "Maybe they're working together to make sure whoever loses still has a great showing."

"I don't think that's it," Izuku countered, his eyes on the fight even as his pen danced across a page of his notebook. "Kaminari is right; they are both fighting as hard as they can without lethal force. Their knowledge of each other has turned this fight into a battle of attrition, a battle it appears Momo is more suited to win."

Down below, a mass of vines exploded out of the ground below Momo, sending the 1-A class rep flying, her grip on her 'weapons' lost. She flipped, forming an inflatable raft from her hands. Previously, such a feat would have been impossible for her, but with Izuku's analysis, the doors of possibility had been opened.

Ibara froze, shocked, as the boat landed on her mass of vines. Now with a platform, Momo ran along its length and flipped back into the ring, another weedwhacker forming from her hand.

"Bro…" Tetsutetsu muttered. "Yaoyorozu is messing with Shiozaki's head. She doesn't like when people bear gardening tools at her. Yaoyorozu has to know that as her cousin."

"Bro, that's messed up," Kirishima blinked. "Like, I knew Yaomomo was crazy smart, but I didn't think she was devious or underhanded like that."

"Never doubt how petty a girl can get with family, Kiri," Mina said with a sagely nod. "I ate my cousin's pudding once 'cause I got mad at her, and she didn't get me back for three weeks."

"What'd she do?" Toru asked.

"She dumped a bucket of superglue on me then covered me in feathers," Mina answered. "I tried to get it off with my Quirk, but the glue was so powerful that the only acid that could get rid of all of it also burned me and dissolved my clothes. Bottom line, girls are mean when they want to be."

"I mean, can't everyone be pretty mean?" Sero questioned. "Just look at Bakugo as an example."

"Well, yeah," Mina conceded, "but that's not what I meant. Bakugo doesn't have any subtly. See, Momo could do the same thing she is now with, like, a sword or something, but she's choosing to use a weedwhacker. That sort of thing doesn't have any meaning unless you know them."

"Women are scary," Izuku shivered, the boy imagining what any of his female teachers in the Brotherhood might do if he made them mad.

"You're right we are, ribbit," Tsuyu nodded behind him, similar ideas in her mind but connected to very different emotions.

Down below, apparently tired of their back-and-forth status quo, Ibara pulled her hair back, the vines wrapping around her hands in mimicry of 1-B's class representative's Quirk. The vines took the forms of two fists, the megafauna thick enough to counter the spinning wire of Momo's reinforced tools. No longer rooted, she launched forward.

In response, Momo threw away her weedwhacker and formed a buckler shield in her left hand. Her shield backhanded the first fist away, the black-haired girl forming a cutlass with her other hand. She swung it downward only for the other pseudo-fist to come up, catching the blade in its vegetation. Momo abandoned it, leaping back.

"Do not be anxious about anything," Ibara whispered to herself, "but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

"Don't quote scripture at me," Momo told her, two grenades forming from her palms. Her hands rose, the recommendation student pulling the pins with her teeth before throwing them toward her cousin. Ibara responded by trying to backhand them, but the tools exploded into a heavy mist of blue powder. Ibara stumbled, a wave of dizziness washing over her.

"Wh-What?" the 1-B student muttered. Her vines fell away from one hand, her flesh coming up to press against her temple.

"Nitrous oxide," Momo explained. "It's one of the most common anesthetic agents. You might know it as sleeping gas. Our match is over, Sister."

"Crap," Ibara muttered, swinging her remaining vine-covered arm wildly even as the world started to distort. She stumbled, first falling to her knees before her eyes closed and the darkness of sleep took her.

"Ibara Shiozaki is unable to continue!" Midnight announced, raising her whip. "Momo Yaoyorozu wins by knockout!"

"WHAT A MATCH!" Present Mic yelled, medbots floating into the ring to pick up the vine-haired girl and take her to the recovery room. Momo followed them into the tunnels, intent on making sure her winning strategy didn't have any adverse effects on her cousin. "THIS NEAR-SIBLING RIVALRY COMES TO A TIRING END AS YAOYOROZU PUTS HER OPPONENT TO SLEEP WITH A COUPLE WELL-PLACED SLEEP GRENADES!"

"Shiozaki had some effective strategies," Aizawa offered, "but it appears Yaoyorozu's versatility was simply too much to overcome at this point. Such a loss should drive Shiozaki to better herself and not fall for such a ploy again. It appeared she was relying on her knowledge of Yaoyorozu's Quirk, but information had changed since they last spoke, catching her off guard."

"IF YOU'RE GONNA MAKE MISTAKES, IT'S BEST TO MAKE THEM HERE AND NOW RATHER THAN IN THE FIELD WHERE IT COULD COST YOU YOUR LIFE!"

"Exactly."

"MOVING ON, OUR NEXT MATCH CONTAINS ANOTHER PAIR OF LADIES WHO MIGHT KNOW EACH OTHER PRETTY WELL, IT'S CLASS 1-A'S OCHAKO URARAKA AND TSUYU ASUI!"

"Good luck!" Izuku called as both took their leave from the stands.

"Who do you think will win?" Kaminari questioned as soon as they stepped out of earshot. "My money's on Asui."

"Don't count Uraraka out," Kirishima warned him. "She can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

"Remember how fired up she got after the Sports Festival was announced?" Mina chuckled. "Her eyes were shadowed and everything! It was hilarious."

"She wasn't looking at you at the time," Ojiro muttered with a small shudder.

"That's why it was funny!"

"I wonder how Shiozaki's doing after a loss like that," Tetsu commented. "Yaoyorozu really riled her up. I've never seen her so emotional before."

"Family brings out the best and worst in us," Izuku offered, remembering his mother's phone call.

"Yeah, I can see that," Toru commented, her sleeve by her collar in a way that made Izuku suspect she was putting a finger on her chin despite both aforementioned body parts being invisible. "My dad was a bit of a prankster when he was my age and when I turned out invisible, well, you can see how that reignited his old habits."

"That explains a lot," Kaminari said, remembering all the times Toru had snuck up on him just to spook him.

"AND HERE THEY COME!" Present Mic called. "COMING TO US FROM THE EAST GATE, SHE'S GOT HOPS SO MAD SHE'S DISQUALIFIED FROM BASKETBALL, IT'S OUR RESIDENT FROG-GIRL TSUYU ASUI! AND FROM THE WEST GATE, HER POWERS ARE OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD, AND WITH ONE TOUCH, SHE CAN MAKE YOU TOO! IT'S OCHAKO URARAKA!"

"This should be an interesting match," Aizawa said. "They know each other and their combat abilities, so I'm not giving away anything to either party here. Both girls are primarily close-quarters fighters, but Asui has long-range capabilities. That said, one touch is all Uraraka needs to turn the tables."

"I want to see a good, clean match," Midnight told the girls. "Are you both ready?"

"I am," Ochako smiled.

"Ribbit," Tsuyu nodded.

"Then begin!"

Tsuyu dashed forward even as Midnight jumped back, the frog-girl already swinging a punch toward Ochako's stomach. The girl with the pink cheeks felt her eyes widen as she stumbled backward, one hand coming up to push Tsuyu's hand to the side. In response, the secret Assassin Initiate launched her tongue forward, swinging it around. Ochako ducked, the fleshy appendage cutting through the air as Ochako backpedaled.

"AND WE HAVE AN FAST-PACED START WITH ASUI ON THE OFFENSIVE!"

"Her Quirk: Frog makes her naturally flexible," Aizawa nodded. "By attacking quickly and not letting up, Asui is utilizing her abilities while refusing to give an inch. Uraraka will need to think quickly if she wants to get off the backfoot."

Tsuyu knew their teacher was right, but in that same vein she also knew that Ochako could be very crafty when she needed to, so she could not let up for even a moment or Ochako could turn things around on her.

Tsuyu jumped, lashing her tongue down in a way that forced Ochako to roll out of the way. Her tongue could move faster than Ochako, Tsuyu redirecting the organ into a low sweep aiming for the gravity girl's ankle.

In response, Ochako narrowed her eyes and reached her hand out to intercept, Tsuyu retracting just before they touched.

"What's wrong, Tsu?" Ochako asked as her foe landed on the other side of the rectangular ring. "Afraid to get up close and personal?"

"Not afraid, ribbit," Tsuyu replied. "Just wary. I was hoping to end this fast since I know how tough you are, ribbit."

"I guess I'll take that as a complement."

"You should." Tsuyu rolled her wrists, reminding herself that she could not fight the same way she had been trained to since her birth. Not only that, but she also knew she'd already have a few internship offers no matter how well she performed here. With that in mind, she prepared, putting her tongue under pressure.

Ochako charged forward, closing the distance between them. Tsuyu responded in kind, her tongue shooting forward. Ochako sidestepped that attack but left herself open to the frog-girl's follow up left hook that socked her in the jaw. Tsuyu didn't let up, her right uppercutting into her friend's solar plexus. Ochako wheezed as Tsuyu's tongue wrapped around her waist and threw her across the arena.

"THAT ONE-TWO HAD TO HURT!" Present Mic commented from the box as Ochako's fingers clawed the ground, barely staying keeping her inside the ring. "I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE, IT'S NOT IN THE TOP TEN OF PREFERENCES WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING HIT!"

"What inspirational commentary."

"WE'RE HERE TO SCRUTINIZE OUR STUDENTS IN THE RING, ERASER, NOT EACH OTHER!"

"In that case, Asui is taking this seriously, unlike you," Aizawa said. "With her tongue, she has a third appendage more prehensile than her arms, offering her a distinct fighting style unavailable to most others. She needs to keep her attacks quick lest Uraraka manage to activate her own Quirk. Should that happen, there is little chance Asui could recover."

"AND JUST IN CASE URARAKA DOESN'T MANAGE TO DO THAT, FOR ANY POTENTIAL INTERNSHIPS OUT THERE, WHAT IS HER QUIRK‽"

"Her Quirk is called Zero Gravity," the other teacher answered. "With a single touch, gravity ceases to affect you. It's pretty hard to stay in the ring when you're floating away." He ended his statement with a deadpan, Present Mic laughing uproariously at the comment.

On the field, Ochako climbed to her feet, one hand pressed into her stomach. Her brown hair was plastered to her face with sweat, a scrape on her cheek bleeding.

"You don't pull your punches, Tsu," she grimaced, squinting at her foe.

"The point is to win, ribbit."

"Yeah. It is." Ochako sucked in a breath, charging again. Permutating on this situation, Tsuyu launched her tongue out like a whip. Ochako was, however, ready for it this time, the girl ripping her gym jacket off and bringing it around to intercept. The verdette's eyes widened as Ochako tanked the impact to her side, her soles digging into the concrete as she wrapped the tongue in the cloth. Tsuyu tried to pull back but could not, the brunette planting her feet. "Game over, Tsu."

One arm keeping Tsuyu's tongue pinned, the other reached forward. Five finger pads contacted Tsuyu's flesh, the frog-girl feeling her feet rise from the concrete below.

"Ochako!" Tsuyu tried to no avail. The brunette spun, flipping her foe over her shoulder. Unable to do anything, the frog-girl sailed over the boundary before Ochako released the effects, dropping her into the grass. Tsuyu managed to flip, landing on her feet.

"Tsuyu Asui is out of bounds!" Midnight called. "The winner is Ochako Uraraka!"

The stadium erupted into cheering, the two girls coming together in a short hug to show there were no hard feelings.

"WHAT A MATCH!" Present Mic yelled. "ASUI HAD HER ON THE ROPES FOR A WHILE, BUT AN UNEXPECTED PLAY TIPPED THE SCALES, BUT THAT'S HOW IT GOES!"

"It was a good show for the both of them," Aizawa nodded. "And their show of sportsmanship is excellent."

"I GUESS THAT'S WHY YOU KEPT THIS CLASS WHEN YOU EXPELLED THE LAST ONE, HUH‽"

"Shut up, Mic."

"NO DICE, ERASER! ANYWAY, OUR NEXT MATCH'S COMPETITORS COME FROM CLASS 1-B: YUI KODAI AND NIRENGEKI SHODA! COME ON DOWN!"

"That was awesome!" Kaminari said, clapping for his classmates. "I mean, I could have beaten them both, but that was pretty good."

"You? Beat them?" Jiro scoffed. "All you've got is a single attack that I bet both of them could tank. Then they'd just have to lead you around like a grandpa right out of the ring."

"Hey!" Kaminari yelled over the snickering of the others in the area. Izuku stood as they bickered, the verdet excusing himself. The halls were darker and colder than the stands on account of the lack of sunlight, but the deadening sounds of the area helped him focus his mind for his upcoming fight. There were two matches before his, but considering how quickly the first match ended, that did not mean he could take that time for granted.

"COMING TO US FROM THE EASTERN GATE, SHE'LL BRING YOU DOWN TO SIZE IF YOU GET A BIG HEAD, IT'S YUI KODAI OF 1-B! AND FROM THE WEST GATE, THE VICE-REP OF 1-B! HE MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE MUCH, BUT IT ONLY TAKES HIM ONE HIT TO DOUBLE-TAP THOSE IN HIS WAY OR ANYONE WHO MISPRONOUNCES HIS NAME, ITS NIRENGENKI SHODA!"

"You pronounced it wrong," Aizawa said.

"SHIT, DID I‽"

"No. I just wanted to scare you."

"THAT WAS MEAN, ERASER!"

Izuku wandered for a while, considering what he knew about Setsuna Tokage from his talks with Itsuka Kendo, 1-B's representative. The green-haired girl was, apparently, a bit of a rebel with a penchant for being loud when she felt like it and making inappropriate jokes. She also had a penchant for using her Quirk to perform elaborate pranks on her fellow students. Izuku only knew that because of how much Kendo would complain about such at representative meetings.

Having been lost in his thoughts, Izuku had lost sight of where he was going, the verdet finding himself bumping into someone. They were tall and muscular from what he felt, but with a distinct sort of padding at his head height. He bounced, landing on his tailbone.

"Kids these days are so forward," a familiar voice laughed. "At least buy me dinner before you try to smother yourself."

"Mas— I mean, Mirko!" Izuku gasped, amending his initial form of greeting lest there be someone around who was unaware of her double life as Master Assassin Usagiyama. "W-What are you doing here?"

"After the USJ attack, UA thought it was best to have some extra eyes looking out for any trouble," the pro hero answered, offering a hand to the fallen student. "You were one of the team leaders in the second round, right?"

"Ah, yeah," Izuku replied, accepting the hand as he mentally set himself up for another faux meeting. Even if no one was around to see it, performing such an elaborate hoax would go a long way to establishing a cover story for how they met should the topic ever come to the attention of others. "Izuku Midoriya. And you're the Rabbit Hero: Mirko."

"That I am, kid." She flashed him a proud smile, her boisterous hero persona more obvious than the subdued pride she exuded in the Den. "You've got a fight coming, don't you? What are you doing wandering around back here? Not up to anything devious, I hope."

"N-No, of course not!" Izuku said, waving his hands before his face. Mirko leaned forward, her skintight hero suit emphasizing her tall, fit figure. Izuku felt his face color, the boy averting his eyes. "I n-needed the quiet to think and strategize. My fight will b-be tough a-and I want to have a good showing even if I d-don't move on."

"I can respect that," Mirko grinned, seeing the effect she had on the young Initiate. "With these ears of mine, quiet can be pretty hard to come across and Present Mic's commentary doesn't exactly help. Why don't you walk with me? I'll let you pick my brain for tips you can use."

"A-Are you sure?" the boy asked. "You don't think I'll get in the way?"

"Nah," the hero waved off. "You might just be a freshie, but you're good enough to get to the third round of the UA Sports Festival, so I'm sure you're good enough to take orders if something comes up." She gestured for Izuku to follow before moving on, the student having to jog to keep up with her long legs. "So Greenie, what do you know about your opponent?"

"Her name is Setsuna Tokage," Izuku began. "She is a student in class 1-B under Vlad King and her Quirk allows her to split her body into pieces and control them freely. She can be loud and brash and likes jokes."

"Huh," Mirko nodded. "If that's the case, then you might have to be careful of her trying to flirt with you."

"F-Flirt with me?" the boy questioned, his blush returning. "W-Why?"

"It's pretty obvious pretty girls are a weakness of yours," Mirko teased, poking Izuku in the cheek. He grumbled. "Anyway, fighting a Quirk like that will be tricky unless you have some area-of-effect power."

"I don't," Izuku told her despite knowing she already knew the information from the tests he ran through for the Brotherhood before his acceptance into UA. "My Empathetic Eye should help me keep track of her different parts, but that's it. And since she can make her pieces float, I can't count on a single piece giving me a ring-out."

"You'll need to knock her unconscious or make her cry uncle, then," Mirko commented as they rounded a turn. Her ears swiveled as she picked up on sounds Izuku could not hear. "Depending on circumstances, forcing her to give in might be the only way. It might make you look mean, but you're in a competition. You gotta be mean if you wanna advance. You can't talk your way through it."

"I suppose," the verdet sighed. "This isn't just training. And without a flashy, powerful Quirk of my own, I need to give it my all."

"Plus ultra, right?" Mirko laughed again. "Listen kid. You were fast and agile from what I saw and heard from the first round. If you've got a fighting style to go with that —and I'm sure you do since you never would have made it this far without one— then you just need to show it. And don't be afraid to hurt her. You hero students are tough, so I know any one of you can stand to lose a little bit of blood. Got it?"

"I understand, Mirko." Izuku closed his eyes, committing her advice to memory.

"WHAT A MATCH!" Present Mic yelled, his voice echoing through the hallways louder than the muffled commentary he'd had for the rest of the match that just finished. "IT WAS A WELL-FOUGHT FIGHT, BUT NIRENGEKI SHODA JUST PROVED THAT HE KNOWS HIS CLASSMATES AS THEIR VICE-REP! KODAI HAD AN IMPRESSIVE OPENING GAMBLE BUT IT DIDN'T PAY OFF!"

There was a pause, presumably for Aizawa to say something Izuku could not hear. Mirko swallowed a chuckle.

"RIGHT YOU ARE, ERASER, AND SHODA'S 'SKY WALK' CARRIED HIM UP THE STAIRWAY TO VICTORY! OUR NEXT FIGHT PITS OUR GLOOMIEST STUDENTS IN A BATTLE OF GOTH-ITUDE!"

Another pause.

"I DON'T CARE IF IT'S NOT A WORD; THAT'S THE BEST WAY TO EXPLAIN IT! YOU NEED TO LIGHTEN UP, CAUSE THIS NEXT FIGHT WILL BRING THE DARK! REIKO YANAGI AND TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE, COME ON DOWN!"

"You should be getting to a prep room," Mirko suggested. "Your fight is coming up and you have no idea how long this fight will go. Good luck, kid. I'll be rooting for you."

"Thank you, Mirko. With you in my corner, I just have to win."

As it turned out, the match between Yanagi and Tokoyami took nearly 15 minutes as they fought in a constant back-and-forth, her Poltergeist and Tokoyami's Dark Shadow on even ground until she managed to use his missed attacks to make enough rubble to pummel the bird-headed teen out of the ring. Izuku sucked in a breath, releasing it slowly to try to let go of his tension as Present Mic called his name.

"COMING TO US FROM THE WEST GATE, SHE CAN STAB YOU IN THE BACK WHILE LOOKING YOU IN THE FACE, IT'S THE FUN-LOVING SETSUNA TOKAGE! AND COMING TO US FROM THE EAST GATE, ONE LOOK FROM HIM AND HE'LL KNOW YOUR SOUL'S SECRETS! HE MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF BY TAKING THIRD IN THE OBSTACLE RACE WITH NOTHING BUT HIS NORMAL HUMAN LEGS AND ACROBATICS, IT'S 1-A'S VICE-REP IZUKU MIDORIYA!"

Izuku blinked away the light as he stepped out of the tunnel, the boy activating his Eagle Vision for a few seconds until his eyes adjusted. He blinked the effect away to take in his opponent. She was about his height with long, green hair a shade or two darker than his own. She flashed him a smile that showed off her sharp teeth and Izuku's hand went to his belt on reflex to check that his weapons were still there.

"Oh, another green-head," she said as Izuku climbed the steps. "I'd say we need to stick together, but only one of us can advance, so I'll go ahead and say sorry."

"O-Oh?" Izuku questioned, giving a grin that he hoped looked more confident than he felt. "For what? Not giving me a real challenge?"

"Ha!" Setsuna laughed. "Good one! But I'll need to beat you up for that one 'cause it's a challenge now."

"W-Well I'm not going down without a fight."

"Are you both ready?" Midnight asked, turning to look both of them in the eye. Both students gave their acknowledgement. "Then begin!"

"Hand Cannon!" Setsuna yelled, both of her hands separating at the wrists and blasting toward him. Izuku moved, his bo extending even as spun it. Setsuna winced as the metal rod smacked her detached hands out of their intended paths, the girl retracting them. She shook them as they reattached. "A bo, huh? I thought that was, like, pepper spray or something."

"My Quirk has no outward effect," Izuku admitted, "nor does it affect my body in any way, so I'm practically Quirkless. I needed to make up the difference."

"Yeah, that's fair. Too bad I couldn't end this quick, but I guess that just means I need to show off a little bit. Circus Cannon!"

"I knew that power looked familiar!" Izuku yelled as Setsuna split apart. Several pieces of her abdomen launched toward him, the male student diving into a roll as the body parts sailed overhead. He came out of the roll and twisted, smacking an arm like an oddly-shaped baseball.

Setsuna, her head floating above the ring to look down, grimaced in pain. Her eyes narrowed as more pieces converged on her fellow student. Below, Izuku's eyes turned gold, each piece of Setsuna's body now glowing with an outline of red to him as everyone did when they were pit against him in battle. His bo became a blur as Izuku allowed his muscle memory to take over, the verdet sidestepping and spinning with ne'er a pause.

"THIS REMINDS ME OF THE LAST FIGHT!" Present Mic commented. "OF COURSE, THE AMMO THERE WASN'T BODY PARTS, BUT WE ALL SAW HOW THAT ENDED! CAN MIDORIYA REWRITE HISTORY AS IT PLAYED OUT MINUTES AGO‽"

"As I mentioned during the first event, Midoriya is keeping up in the hero course with hard physical training just to stand on an even level with some of his classmates," Aizawa put in. "He's not as strong as some of them, nor can he fly or create massive glaciers. His most powerful strength that I have witnessed is his mind. If he has enough time to analyze and think, then he can counter any foe."

"YOU GOTTA BE CAREFUL, ERASER! IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE GIVING AWAY MIDORIYA'S WEAKNESS!"

"Midoriya has proven that he can perform when given time," Aizawa countered, "but he cannot hope to become a pro hero if he cannot think in battle against opponents who have more abilities than he does. He is similar to me in that regard, but his Quirk does not affect his opponents. He has to prove he can stand with the best or his dream will end before it can begin. It's unfair, but that's how this world is."

"I'D SAY IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S HOLDING HIS OWN RIGHT NOW!"

And indeed, Izuku was trying his best. Sweat dripped down his face as he spun, his bo smacking against one of Setsuna's floating hands and batting it away before he rolled under a knee that came for his face. His eyes could not stay still —nor could the rest of him— as the girl's pieces swarmed him like a cloud of mosquitos.

"Kendo says you're a nice guy, Midoriya," Sestuna said, the girl doing her best to not know how much her pieces hurt from Izuku's repeated blocks. He spun only to pull back and duck as Setsuna's chest flew over his face. The girl laughed. "Just surrender and we can all get out of this a little less hurt, ok? I don't want to hurt your cute face."

"N-No way," Izuku replied, shaking the last attack from his mind. "I need to do this to prove that I can do this. I'm sorry, Tokage, but you're in my way."

"And you're in mine."

"So, Tokage," Izuku shifted, steading his breathing to hide how winded all the sudden movement was making him. "When were you going to tell your classmates that your power isn't unique?"

The girl and all her pieces froze, each one rising upward quickly to be outside Izuku's reach.

"Excuse me?" she hissed.

"Well," the boy said, pitching his voice to press her buttons. "It's just that your Quirk is oddly similar to one from a pre-Quirk manga I had a friend suggest. It's not exactly a good look when you can do the same thing as an annoying clown."

"Don't you dare disparage him!" Setsuna yelled, Izuku being forced to jump over another swarm and run across her pieces to escape the sudden attack. He rolled, landing in the corner of the ring. His eyes scanned the arena, looking for an out or a chance. "All the best ways to use my Quirk I learned from his strategies! I won't let you badmouth the man who became an Emperor!"

"He becomes an Emperor?" Izuku blinked, having not gotten to that point in that series yet. To be fair, it does have over a thousand chapters that were none-too-short. "That guy‽"

"Of course! That's what inspired me to become a hero! If Buggy the Clown can use the powers of the Chop-Chop Fruit to become one of the most powerful men in the world, then I can use my Lizard Tail Splitter to become one of the top ten heroes!"

"But you're looking at the end of the story," Izuku commented, his rope-dart shooting out to stab into Setsuna's pelvis. She let out a cry of pain as that floating part jerked, trying to pull away, but the barb in the dart would not come loose that easily. Izuku pulled reeling in his capture. "You seem to forget that he was just a small fry at the start."

"Let my ass go, perv!" Setsuna ordered, her face verging on purple as anger and embarrassment mixed. Izuku hooked an arm around his 'hostage' as he stowed his rope-dart and lined up his bo. "The Hell do you think you're doing? Let go!"

"I know this doesn't look good," Izuku admitted, his own cheeks red, "but I have to do whatever I can to get move to the next round. With you able to float, I can't force a ring-out or knock you unconscious. That means I have to force you to surrender."

"So you took my ass hostage‽"

Present Mic couldn't seem to come up with words to explain the situation, the man choking on his own tongue while Aizawa beside him watched without a shred of emotion. Midnight covered her mouth, unable to fully muffle her laughter. Win or lose, she and Nekoi were so going to tease Izuku about this!

"My bo has a taser function, but long-term exposer to it can cause numbness and permanent damage, both of which I want to avoid. Tokage, if you surrender right now, you can save us both a lot of embarrassment. If you don't, I'll…" —He swallowed— "I'll h-hit you!"

"Are…" Setsuna choked. "Are you threatening to spank me on live TV‽"

Unable to hold it back anymore, Midnight laughed one of those full, hearty, making-it-hard-to-breathe belly laughs.

"I can't believe he would even think about such a plan!" Mina raged in the stands. "When Midori gets back up here, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"

"You're not alone there!" Toru agreed, her sleeves showing her own anger.

"That's so not manly!" Kirishima blinked.

"You must admit, however, it is an effective strategy," Shoji muttered only to fall silent when the pink-skinned girl turned a baleful eye on him.

"ARE WE SURE THIS DOESN'T CONSTITUTE HARASSMENT‽" Present Mic questioned.

"If you remove societal ethics from the equation, it's a logical conclusion," Aizawa replied. "Considering Tokage's abilities and Midoriya's lack of an outward Quirk, this is one of the few strategies that could lead him to victory, and of those, the most effective."

"THIS STILL HAS TO BE A VIOLATION OF SOMETHING!"

"If kicking a male student between the legs is allowed, as the Sports Festival last year proved, then this is also within in the rules," Aizawa argued. "Gender equality, Mic."

"As referee, I declare this plan legal!" Midnight called after she got her laugher under control.

"Not another move!" Izuku ordered, Setsuna's pieces freezing where they were. Izuku's arm strained as he held her pelvis in place with sheer strength. If it escaped, he could kiss any chance of moving on goodbye.

"You wouldn't dare," the verdette muttered, her eyes narrowing. "We're on live TV."

"You don't know what I'm prepared to do," Izuku replied, the sentence loaded to anyone who was aware of his 'extracurriculars.'

"You… You…"

Izuku raised his bo, his eyes begging Setsuna to spare them both. She grit her teeth.

"Three…" Izuku warned. "Two… One… Ze—"

"Wait!" Setsuna yelled, her disembodied hands waving to get his attention. "I give! I give!"

"Winner by forfeit, Izuku Midoriya!"

The stands were silent as the boy on the screen released his 'hostage,' allowing his opponent to reconsolidate herself. The heat in her glare was palpable, the look in her eye an unconquerable dislike that would never be overturned for the actions of this day. He tried to say something, but Setsuna turned and walked away without a word, the girl holding her pierced hip as she moved with a painful limp. Izuku, for his part, still held his head high despite the clear disapproval of his means.

"I…" Okame Yaoyorozu muttered, "do not know how to feel about this. I'm just glad Kyo was not here to witness that."

"I think we just learned an important fact about Izuku Midoriya," Kanri argued. His wife could practically see the gears turning in his mind as the man steepled his fingers. "We just learned that Midoriya is willing to do whatever it takes to win when his future is on the line. You heard what his teacher said, if Midoriya cannot prove he can stand among his peers as an equal, then he has no place in the hero course. He just showed that no means, no matter how unscrupulous, are out of his limits when needs must. That is exactly the mindset he needs to have if we are to recruit him. Why, with that mentality, I hazard to believe that be could become the next Grand Master with our backing. With his mind, our Momo at his side, and the full might of the Yaoyorozu Group behind them, he and Momo could complete the goal every one of us has fought for for the last several millennia."

"That is assuming we can give Momo the same mindset," Okame said, certain lackluster results coming to mind. "We cannot afford for our future leaders to have subpar beliefs without conviction in our cause. Not after we lost the headstart we had from the Purge of the Turn. The Assassins are back to their former numbers after the chaos of the Dawn of Quirks."

"I know that." Kanri growled at the reminder, his fist pounding into his chair's armrest. "The Meta Liberation War was the bloodiest time of our secret battle in Japan since World War II. They turned that on us and grew in the chaos, but those times were unprecedented. At that time, Quirks were still new. Now… Now we can prepare for the next great Purge of the Assassins' Brotherhood." His eyes drifted to the victor on the screen as Present Mic tried to shuffle the proceedings along.

"We just need the right trigger."

End of Chapter 15

As a note since I seem to have forgotten to mention it, I randomized the final round matches the same was that I randomized the Battle Trials. The fact that we came out with matches like Shoto vs. Shinso, Momo vs. Ibara, and Reiko vs. Tokoyami were all, honestly and truly, random. The prior two worked wonderfully for storytelling, but they were not planned. That's the wonder of randomizers, I suppose.

On to the prompting questions, what did you think of the fights? What will be the results of Izuku's methods? And with the televised showing of the Sports Festival, Kanri and Okame continue to study their prey. I'm sure that won't come around to be a problem in the future, right? Let me know what you thought and, as always,

Read and Review!

-SwordOfTheGods