Stadium
"It's the first match of the semifinals!" Present Mic announced. "First up, it's the boy who's shown us how elite his Quirk is. From the Hero Course, Shoto Todoroki." He seemed composed. "Versus, his classmate whose shown she's got some serious brawn, Mina Ashido."
"Seeing how he started the prior two rounds with a lot of ice, I got the perfect counter." Mina was still out to have a little fun, but she couldn't deny the strength of her opponent. "If he thinks that alone will win, then his butt is already melted."
"Now, begin!" Mic declared.
Ashido vs Todoroki
Shoto immediately palmed the ground sending out a large wave of ice to the point Mina couldn't dodge. Fortunately, she expected this and instead went about generating as much acid as possible before spinning in place to let it loose.
As the ice began attempting to overtake her, the acid began eating away at it; however, it still seemed to overtake her created leaving everyone to wonder if the girl had been overwhelmed. Shoto merely breathed out a cold breath.
"Todoroki starts with a CRAZY ice blast." Mic announced. "Ashido seems to have been completely buried. Is it possible there is already a winner down there?"
"This isn't like when he attacked Shinso." Midoriya commented. "The ice was more controlled. He's being more cautious."
It wasn't long before Shoto noticed a hole being melted in the ice prompting him to leap back for distance. Not even a moment later, Mina emerged dripping acid which left holes in the arena where she stepped.
"Mina just used her acid to tunnel through the ice like some sort of mole woman!" Hanta exclaimed.
"Well, she does have the perfect Quirk for it." Kaminari voiced.
Mina smiled. "In a battle with me, ice isn't the move!"
She reduced the solubility of her acid before sliding along it right for Shoto. He rushed to meet her while sticking out his hand ready to ice the acid user over. At the last second, she slid to his fire side and grabbed him by that arm before throwing him towards out of bounds.
"If you think you can lay a finger on me, then you got to know I'll defend against that to!" Mina shouted.
Shoto managed to catch himself atop his ice, preventing himself from heading out of bounds, and slid along it.
"Todoroki surfs along an ice wave to avoid going out of bounds!" Mic announced. "Looks like fun!"
"If you want to see who can ride their Quirk better, then I'm game." Mina declared.
She slid on in, ready to intersect him with a punch, but he moved his head just enough to avoid it. In that moment, he grabbed her with his fire side and instinctively ignited his fire the moment he felt the acid mildly starting to burn his hand.
"Yes, use your left side." Endeavor declared happily, drawing Shoto's attention. "Do it Shoto!"
In response, he immediately stopped the fire while throwing Mina. She managed to land on her feet and worked with her acid, sliding along it, to remain standing before skidding to a stop. Shoto jumped off his ice wave to land just across from her. Frost was forming along his body.
"Todoroki, take this seriously." Mina chided sternly. "I came all this way, so the last I'd want is your best. Besides, I don't think there's much you can do with your ice and brawn that I can't match with my acid and technique. Face it, you need your fire here."
Shoto's mind turned to his last match. "I'm sorry Ashido." At this point, Mina began sliding along her acid, around her opponent, intent on picking up momentum. "Since I fought Midoriya, I'm uncertain of so much. Whether I did the right thing. What my left side truly means to me."
"Come on Todoroki!" He had been dropping his left hand before Izuku spoke out. "Don't give up! DO YOUR BEST!"
"Thank you, Izuku." Mina muttered.
She began speeding up to maximize her momentum while Todoroki started to heat up and fire ignited along his left side. She sped in at an angle as Shoto now fully managed to track her and turned to face his opponent.
Then, the worst parts of his past came to mind. In that moment, as Ashido sped towards him while generating her Acidman defense in a hope of weathering the fire, Shoto lost it as he dropped his hand.
"Acidman: Low Solubility!" Mina declared.
Her acid formed up around her, and her fist was already aimed before she ever realized the truth. Shoto had faltered leaving her a wide-open path right to his gut. All her momentum transferred to Shoto who was ejected out of the arena where he crashed down in defeat.
Mina skid to a stop and looked on in shock at Todoroki laying outside the arena. "This is…disappointing."
To have come all this way just to win like this. It left Mina feeling empty. She did register this was her win, it's not like she could control what Shoto does with his Quirk, but it still felt like a hollow victory in an event where everyone else gave their best.
"Todoroki is out of bounds." Midnight made the official call. "That means our first semifinalist is Ashido!"
Stadium
The crowd cheered, which saw Mina perking up a bit from her present state. Still, the prior feelings did linger, even as she realized there was one more match to come. Unlike Shoto, she knew neither Rex nor Bakugo would simply give up.
"Despite the ending, this Hero thinks Ashido deserves her place in the finals!" Mic declared.
"Well, looks like it's time four my battle with Bakugo." Rex noticed the explosive student already heading into the halls. "Seems he realizes it as well."
"Be careful." Midoriya spoke up. "While Kacchan has a temper, he didn't place second in the entrance exams' combat assessment for nothing. His reflexes are insane, and he adapts quickly when backed into a corner."
"Even though my Quirk was tailor maid for it, it doesn't change the fact I handedly came in first, remember?" Rex grinned. "That was before you helped me get two builds at once." He gave a thumbs up before walking away. "Don't worry, I think I got this."
When the students emerged, Present Mic began to announce, "These classmates you're about to see are some of the strongest among the first year. Katsuki Bakugo ranked second in the entrance exam, and he's survived a battle with actual Villains.
On the other hand, we have Rex Salazar who came in first during the same exam and went head-to-head with a Villian that even All Might had trouble besting. Which of these two will join Mina Ashido in the finals? I can't wait to find out!"
Rex could see by Bakugo's enraged expression that he did not like being described as second fiddle. Not that he particularly cared what the guy liked, but it was something he did note.
"Hey, tin can!" The blond student shouted. "You better not hold back against me!"
"Come again?" Rex asked.
"I want you to come at me with that build you used against the bird-faced freak from the USJ!" Bakugo snapped. "I want the whole world to know I beat you at your best!"
"It's exactly that attitude I take issue with." Rex stated. "I'm certain you've heard me mention this to anyone who's asked, but I can't fully control that build. I can control going in and out of it, but fighting within it is a risk I won't take.
What you seem to constantly ignore is that being a Hero isn't just about beating the bad guy. We are meant to protect people. Going into such a risky build just to satisfy your ego goes against that. Besides, you couldn't even keep up with my usual builds, so how would you beat that?"
"Now, begin!" Mic declared the start of the match.
Salazar vs Bakugo
Rex built his Slam Canon and had it dig into the arena to create projectiles.
"I'll force you to use that build!" Bakugo yelled, as he blasted himself forward.
Rex fired on Bakugo. The explosive student simply blasted the projectile to bits before blasting to keep up his propulsion towards his opponent. In that instance where he needed to slow, Salazar built his Smack Hands before throwing them forward.
Bakugo roared as he pushed his hands forward and performed an explosion as quickly as possible. They went off against the right Smack Hand's palm, pushing him into the air just before Rex could have snagged him like he did Iida.
Rex looked up and positioned his Smack Hands while Bakugo blasted down at him. He planted his Smack Hands into the ground hard enough that he shot into the air fast. Before Katsuki could blast him down, Rex's head slammed right into his gut winding him.
Salazar then managed to wrap his arms around Katsuki as he disassembled his Smack Hands and built his Boogie Pack. Katsuki growled at this and refused to let himself be taken anywhere. He fought through the pain to reach his right hand out towards that turbine.
Before Rex could move him out of bounds, Bakugo let off a strong explosion. He didn't put in enough power to fully break it, but there was enough power behind it to damage the mechanisms. With only one side of the pack working, they began to fall.
If that wasn't enough, Katsuki attempted to move his hand towards Rex's face. Salazar immediately let go of the explosive student while also sending out the strongest gust his good turbine could manage. Bakugo still took the chance to get off his explosion as he was pushed.
The resulting explosion and turbine resulted in two distinct outcomes for both students. Rex was pushed up and to the right before plummeting towards the ground. Katsuki was pushed towards the ground. All the explosive students could manage was one, quick explosion form his left hand.
This managed to slow his decent, but he still thudded against the ground on his back. Rex attempted to have his remaining turbine slow his fall while turning to his stomach. There he built his BFS and aiming it straight down at the arena.
It sliced into the concrete quite a bit before effectively preventing Rex form crashing down as Bakugo had. He then disassembled both builds and let himself drop to the ground while Katsuki managed to stand once more. He was hurt but not out of this battle yet.
"If you thought that would stop me, you're wrong." Katsuki declared. "The only way this match end is with you going all out!"
"Bakugo really wants Salazar to use that build of his." Eijiro commented.
"According to what we've heard, that build was able to go up against Nomu." Momo voiced. "The same Nomu that gave even All Might trouble. Given Rex's lack of control, he could potentially kill him by going that far."
"What do you think, Deku?" Ochako asked her friend.
"Kacchan is the kind of person who seeks a total victory." Izuku explained. "He refuses to have anything less than that. In simpler terms, he's a perfectionist when it comes to his expectations in combat."
"That means he won't allow the match to end unless Salazar goes all out." Fumikage voiced.
"Pretty much." Midoriya confirmed.
"He might not have any choice in the matter considering just how hard Rex rocked him in that prior exchange." Denki voiced.
"Yeah, he's strong enough to the point knocking Bakugo out or getting him out of the arena isn't out of the realm of possibility." Mina added.
Back in the arena, Bakugo spoke up again. "I'll tell you what happens if you treat me like fodder. I'll kill you! I don't want any doubt that I'm the best of the best! That's only happens if you come at me as hard as you can, right now!
There's no point if you don't fight me with the same power you used against that freak at the USJ! If you don't want to win this, then why are you even here!?" He took a step forward. "SHOW EVERYONE YOU'RE TRYING TO DESTROY ME!"
"Fine, you really want to see it?" Rex finally asked, gritting his teeth.
"What part of anything I've said this whole fight led you to believe I wasn't serious!?" Bakugo yelled. "Show me Full Evo!"
"Then, I'll cut you a deal." Rex nodded his head. "The only way this happens is if you give me time to get in the right head space. Then, the moment the build appears, you'll know it when you see it, come at me with everything you got. That way, I can end this quickly."
"Cocky bastard." Bakugo growled before stepping back. "I'm going to enjoy tearing apart your build and proving, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am number 1."
Rex ignored him, closed his eyes, and began taking deep breaths. "Defend against Bakugo. Don't kill him. Just beat him. Defend against Bakugo. Don't kill him. Just beat him. Defend against Bakugo. Don't kill him. Just beat him."
Rex repeated those three orders, through his mind, repeatedly before glowing blue lines ran along his body. They were followed by the gray metal fibers which shifted into a sort of orange and gray armor. He grew to the height of All Might; however, it kept his proportions.
"Whoa, that's Full Evo!?" Denki exclaimed in shock.
The only people, outside of Rex's family, who saw this build were those who were there when he fought Nomu. The rest of the class were stunned.
"That's right." Mina nodded with a smile. "It's really cool, huh?"
"It's also dangerous, according to Salazar, and I don't think he'd lie about this." Tsu voiced. "I hope Bakugo knew what he was doing by asking for this."
"I'm confident, Rex knows what he's doing…even if he didn't want to break this out." Izuku voiced.
"This is it." Katsuki gave his grin before running forward a bit and blasting himself off the ground. "If you plan on facing me, you can't half ass it!"
He began to surround himself with powerful blasts that sent him hurtling at his enemy, spinning like a top to build even more heat and momentum. Essentially, Bakugo turned himself into a human missile aiming to blow Rex away with vicious force.
"Howitzer…IMPACT!"
As Katsuki flew at Rex, he stood there allowing the attack to connect. The blond's palm hit squarely on Full Evo's chest creating an explosion that was on par with his full gauntlet. A violent gust of wind was made from the force of the explosions.
"Whohahaha!" Mic announced. "Bakugo just combined speed and rotation with a huge blast like he used against Uraraka! He turned himself into a human missile! Before that, Rex enacted his currently strongest build just to stand there and take it. What has become of our competitors?"
The smoke around Katsuki cleared to reveal he was laying on the floor, still fully conscious, as he looked at where he launched his Howitzer Impact. When the smoke finally cleared, he saw Rex standing there. He was still in Full Evo which was only cracked where he'd been hit.
Katsuki attempted to stand only to grunt in pain and curl in on himself. With everything he did prior, his Howitzer Impact left his arms screaming in protest at being overused like that. Rex didn't miss a beat as he was instantly standing before Katsuki.
He grabbed the explosive student by the face before lifting him into the air. From there, he drove the explosive student right into the ground, head first, hard enough that even someone as stubborn as him couldn't stay conscious.
Rex then released his hold, turned his back on Katsuki, and disassembled his build with a tired sigh. "You got what you asked for." He stumbled away from the unconscious body. "In the end, it didn't turn out like you hoped it would."
"Katsuki has been knocked out!" Midnight declared after checking on him. "Salazar is the winner and shall advance to the finals!"
The crowd cheered as Rex made his way to the hallways, as dignified as possible given his current state. As he did move, the class rep looked to 1-A. Almost all of them were grinning and cheering for his success.
The only exception was Kirishima, who merely nodded firmly as he leaned back in his seat with folded arms. It made sense. Out of all the people in their class, he was the only one that might have called Bakugo a friend.
Hallways
Rex was on his way to the waiting room where he'd eat and rest before his match with Mina. On the way, he ended up running into Shoto.
Rex noted the heterochromatic guy seemed troubled. "Is this about your loss?"
No, Midoriya." Shoto replied simply.
"What about him?" Rex asked.
"You're friends with him, right?" Todoroki asked, his expression unreadable as he gazed down at his left hand.
"At this point, I'd say so." Rex answered.
"Is he always so…helpful?" the other boy asked blankly.
"I'd say as much." Rex answered.
"You're lucky to have a friend like him." Shoto stated. "Not to mention a family that supports you."
"Let me guess, Endeavor." Rex voiced.
"Yeah." Todoroki responded.
"Just keep in mind what Izuku told you and truly learn from it to grow beyond this." Rex stated. "No matter what Endeavor thinks, your Quirk is yours alone." He began to stumble past him. "Now, I need some rest and food. Using that build took its toll."
Stadium
"Alright ladies and gents, you know who they are by now." Present Mic declared as Rex and Mina took to the stage. "Both from the Hero course, we've got Mina Ashido and Rex Salazar!" Only one can take the gold, and that shall be decided now!"
"Hey Rex, I don't want you to use Full Evo, but I am expecting you to give me your best." Mina stated seriously.
Rex could tell her prior match with Shoto was still getting to his friend. "Don't focus so much on the last battle." He smiled confidently. "After all, I'm your opponent now. I say, let's see which one of us sets the standard for our generation."
"Just as with many times prior, he's inspiring." Mina smiled. "Alright, I'm game."
"BEGIN!" Mic shouted.
Mina started just as she always does, by sliding across the arena. Rex took a moment to note her movements, speed, dexterity, and factored in what he knew of her reaction times before building his Boogie Pack.
He was better at 'leading the shot', so to speak, as he reversed his Boogie Pack's function at just the right time. It easily drew in Mina due to its intensity coupled with the fact she was already sliding all around the arena.
"His builds really do have a lot of functions to them!" Mina thought stunned.
Mina swung out her arms at the Boogie Pack with the intent to melt them. That was exactly what Rex wanted as he sent out the weighted cables at the same time. They just flew past the acid and entangled Mina as the acid fell on the Boogie Pack melting it.
Rex disassembled what remained and sprinted forward while building his Smack Hands. He knew there were only precious seconds before Mina freed herself, so he'd put them to their best use. He sprung off his right Smack Hand and snatch Mina just as she freed herself.
Due to already soaring, they kept going right for where the arena ended. Mina tried desperately to melt the Smack Hand in time, but she wasn't acidic enough to achieve it in time. As such, Rex dropped her outside the arena with himself landing mere moments later.
"Ashido was set out of bounds before Salazar touched down!" Midnight cracked her whip. "As such, Salaza is the winner of this match, and the First Year Tournament! Congratulations!"
As the teacher spoke, Rex disassembled his Smack Hands and approached his friend.
"You are one tough person to overcome." Mina smiled as she stood. "Thanks for giving me a good battle."
"There wasn't much choice given how damaging your acid can be to my builds." Rex smiled. "Still, second place is something you should take pride in."
Mina smiled back at him.
Underneath the Stadium
Mina and Rex were soon led under the stadium by Cementoss. There they were joined by Shoto and Katsuki.
The latter of that pair approached Rex. "Salazar." Both stared each other down. "After our match, I can say, despite what you might have thought, I respect you. That said, this isn't over between us."
"At times, you've angered me Bakugo, but I can't say there aren't aspects of you I respect." Rex voiced. "Given time to ruminate on everything, I know you can become someone I respect fully. As such, let's put the pointless arguing to bed from here and start over as proper rivals."
"I'll…consider it." Katsuki voiced, genuinely.
Mina smiled at the pair while Todoroki simply looked on at the two with an unreliable gaze. With that conversation out of the way, Cementoss had the students take their proper podium. Rex was atop the first, Mina the second, and Shoto and Katsuki shared the third.
"Alright now, get ready to go up." Cementoss told them. "All Might will be giving you the medals in front of all of all the courses, so do your best to be ready for the cameras."
At that, the ceiling above began to recede admitting sunlight and the sound of a cheering crowd once more. As soon as the roof had been retracted wide enough, Cementoss sent them up.
Stadium
The entirety of the first year was assembled before them in the stadium, with Midnight standing between the two groups. Innumerable cameras were flashing to record this moment.
"Here are the winners of this year's Sports Festival!" Midnight announced. "Well done, all of you!" She turned to look up at the edge of the stadium. "But of course, there's only one man worthy of distributing the medals!"
"Hahahaha!" All Might's laughter boomed down from the lip of the coliseum as his silhouette emerged from the same spot. "Citizens!" he called down, just before he leaped off the mile-high roof to crash down next to Midnight. "I am here to hand out the medals!"
Unfortunately, it seemed he and the R-rated Heroine had failed to coordinate beforehand because she accidentally overrode him. "It's the number one Hero!" All Might gave her a frustrated look, prompting her to make an apologetic gesture.
"Sorry, kind of ruined that, didn't I?" She quickly recovered and went to retrieve a small board that had four white-and-red straps hanging over the sides. "Since you're here All Might, why don't you start the presentation?"
The massive man laughed it off and took a bronze medal from the woman before walking up to Shoto first. "Young Todoroki, congratulations." He put the medal around his neck. "I'm assuming there's a reason you didn't use your left side. It did cost you the semifinals."
"Midoriya opened my eyes during our match, but I started to doubt myself." Shoto was looking down. "I think I now understand a little of why you're interested in him. I want to be the kind of Hero you are, but my path isn't the clear one I thought it was. There's a lot to think about." He looked up. "Plus, there's someone I must settle things with, very soon."
All Might nodded. "I've never seen this sort of look on your face before." He wrapped the heterochromatic boy in a warm embrace. "I won't ask for details but trust yourself." He patted the guy's back. "I'm sure you'll work things out."
"Right." Shoto answered.
Briefly turning around to grab the other bronze medal, All Might then turned to Katsuki. "Young Bakugo, congratulations." He put the medal around the explosive student's neck. "You worked hard to make it here, and it shows. You can go home knowing you did your best."
"I will grow from this and challenge the top again." Bakugo declared fiercely.
All Might laughed heartedly before giving him a warm embrace. "That's the spirit."
All Might then parted and approached Mina with a silver medal in hand. "Young Ashido, congratulations." He put the medal around her neck. "You showed a great deal of strength."
Mina smiled. "Thank you, All Might."
All Might then hugged her. "I know you will become a great Heroine one day."
He then retrieved the last medal and strode up the stairs to stand before Rex. "Young Salazar, congratulations." He put the final medal around his neck. "I suppose I can see why some expect you to replace me someday."
"That is what I am ultimately aiming for sir; however, I know this is only one of many steps which lay before me." Rex voiced. "As things stand, I'm not ready to fill your shoes, but I intend to one day."
"You've done very well." All Might declared. "The top spot of this year's Sports Festival is yours!"
It was Rex's turn to be embraced.
All Might then retreated down the steps to address the rest of the classes. "Listen closely! Any one of you could have been up here on this podium. Think about what you've done today. How you've challenged each other, learned, and taken steps toward your goals of being pros."
His smile widened. "I think the next generation of Heroes is proving to be our most promising one yet. Now, I only have one thing left to say, and you all know what it is. I want to hear everyone yell it with me!"
"PLUS ULTRA!" The crowd, and many of the students, shouted excitedly.
Unfortunately, it seemed All Might had something else in mind. "Thanks everyone, for all your hard work…"
He paused, unsure of how to proceed, before the crowd shouted at him. "That was the perfect chance to say, 'Plus Ultra', All Might!"
"I'm sorry, my bad!" All Might declared awkwardly amid a cacophony of boos. "It's just that everyone did such a good job!"
Hosu
An intimidating, muscular man was perched atop a rooftop watching as the last of the police left the alleyway where he'd severely injured the Hero, Ingenium. He has long, messy black hair and small red eyes.
His attire consisted of a sleeveless dark combat suit, plated with metal armor across his body to holster his weapons, yellow bandages down to his wrists, black wristbands, metal pads, black boots, a blood-red scarf, matching headband, and tattered cloth along his arms
"You haven't even noticed it, have you?" He silently preached. "This warped society, mired by hypocrisy and vanity. That's fine because I'll open your eyes, Heroes. You'll see the world you've created."
As the Hero Killer was on high alert, he pointed his blade behind him and looked in the direction of the unnatural noise that was created in his vicinity. It was a purplish black void. Out from it came an unfamiliar voice to him.
"Please, remain calm." The voice of Kurogiri requested. "We are of the same mind." This slightly intrigued the man. "I had been searching for you, Hero Killer Stain. I heard of your exploits and wanted to meet you in person. I think you'd be interested in what I have to offer."
Class 1-A:Evening…
Class 1-A were now back in their uniforms with those who received a medal sporting them.
"Nice work." Aizawa voiced, referencing their hard work in the Sports Festival. "You have the next two days off school to recuperate. I'm sure the pros who watched the festival will want to recruit some of you. We'll look over the draft forms and update you when you return. Get some rest. You still have a lot of training to do."
"Yes sir." The entire class, minus Tenya who obviously wasn't here, chimed.
Salazar Residence: Night…
Rex walked on into the family home, only to notice the lights were off. "Hey, I'm back!"
He flicked them on with a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations, mi hijo/hermano!" Rex's parents/Caesar declared.
Rex turned, with a surprised expression, to see his family standing around the dining table. There were multiple pizza boxes and soda laid out while they all had huge smiles on their faces.
"I told you two it'd surprise him." Caesar declared.
"You were right, mi hijo." Violetta ruffled his hair.
"You guys got pizza and soda to celebrate?" Rex asked.
"After your big win, I told them we had to scramble to put something together." Caesar declared.
"I'm glad we listened to your older hermano because you do deserve at minimum this." Rafael approached his son with a smile. "You did well, mi hijo." He patted his son's shoulder. "We're all proud of just how far you've come."
"Well then, what are we waiting for?" Rex grinned in appreciation of his family. "I'm here now, so let's dig in!"
Rex walked over to the table with his father where he was met to the usual hugs from his mother and brother before they really got down to celebrating his win.
If Todoroki had used his fire, weather it was the element he preferred over ice or utilized both, Mina would not have beat him. Given Shoto used ice, I think Mina is the perfect counter at this point. Her acid can melt his ice, she can glide along her acid like he can ice, she's athletic, and is rather skilled at hand to hand. Shoto stopped himself and left that opening at the end leading to Mina's victory. Then, Rex faced off with Bakugo, and, as shown here, I think it would be a good battle...
until you bring in Full Evo. Katsuki just does not have the power to break through this particular build, at this point in the story. Given we see he has a tendency to draw out someone's best, and Rex doesn't have a massive hang up with this form like Shoto does with his fire, it became a wash. This led to a Rex vs Mina finale. Despite Mina's acid, Rex's builds were just too massive to be quickly overcome. This means Rex takes first, Mina second, and Shoto & Katsuki share third.
Maximum Rhapsody: Rex will certainly improve his Quirk. As for the other's suits, Generator Industries isn't the only support company out there. Others could do good work. Katsuki will have some development.