"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME BACK TO THE UA SPORTS FESTIVAL!" Present Mic's voice boomed from every speaker inside the stadium and without, echoing all throughout Japan and the greater world as millions tuned in for the final event. "I'M YOUR HOST, PRESENT MIC, AND I HOPE YOU'RE READY FOR ONE DOOZY OF A SHOW! FOR THE FINAL ROUND OF THE FIRST YEARS' FESTIVAL, WE HAVE SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOU ALL!"
"Single combat," were the words on every pair of lips watching. It always ended in a bracketed single combat tournament, something to really raise the stakes and get the blood pumping. It was traditional as any holiday celebration or religious ritual, as regular as clockwork. The UA Sports Festival always concluded with sixteen students beating the absolute tar out of each other two at a time to prove their strength, courage, cunning and mettle.
Down in the arena, the sixteen assembled students were standing before a vast cement platform assembled purely for this purpose; a stage for them to perform on in some of their eyes. Others saw it is as an arena in which they could show the world their true power. And some instead saw a place of inevitable defeat.
Izuku Midoriya ran his fingers through his hair, eyes still narrowed. His anger at Todoroki lingered in his expression, though he didn't direct it at any of his classmates. He simply let an aura of determination fill the air around him, D4C enveloping him in its form and making it clear to all who observed that he was ready for the final trial.
Katsuki Bakugou's hands were steadily exploding, tiny firecracker pops as he warmed up his sweat glands in his palms in preparation for the coming fights. He would need to be at the top of his game to remind these extras and that heel Deku who was the top dog in this race. His pride could take no more lashes; he had been driven to the edge. It was time to push back.
Shoto Todoroki stared blankly at the arena, only half-aware of what Present Mic was saying. All he could focus on were Izuku's words, those declarations of disdain and those commands that he become better. It had shaken him to his core to be called out like that. He stared at his hands, left and right, cursed and blessed. What was he to do?
Kensuke Tororo was exactly one more surprise away from entering full-scale panic mode, hands quivering in his lap as Present Mic paused for dramatic effect. One on one combat? With a Quirk he had possessed for a grand total of five weeks? Against seasoned hero students who had already battled real villains and won? He was terrified. He was panicking. He was not ready.
Ibara Shiozaki let her head fall and her eyes close, slipping into prayer. Prayer for herself, for strength and courage to weather the coming storm. Prayer for her enemies, that they might find righteous victory if it was theirs and honourable defeat if it was not. Prayer for the audience, that this display might give them faith in the heroes they relied on.
Raymond Blackmore sat in expectant silence, mask on his face. He would fight his hardest, and either win or lose trying. If he lost, he would punish himself. If he won, he would rejoice and return to his master's side. Such was his place, and so were his goals. He did not even consider that perhaps he was wrong, that there was something more yet coming.
None of them did.
They should have.
"IT'S TIME FOR THE TAG-TEAM TOURNAMENT!" Present Mic declared, grinning like a madman as he subverted expectations worldwide, laying down the revised script handed to him ten minutes ago by Principal Nezu himself. "HEROISM IS ALL ABOUT TEAMWORK! COOPERATION! AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR OUR LITTLE LISTENERS DOWN THERE TO SHOW THE WORLD THE KINDS OF HEROES THEY'RE GONNA BE!"
Mic sat back in his chair as waves of shock and confusion rippled through the crowd. He loved this, truly he did; it was always great to see people dazzled by your declarations and dialogue. It was what he lived for! Already heroes who had been in UA themselves less than a decade ago were looking to one another, befuddled by the revelation. Tag-team? As in, two on two? Unthinkable?
The students were equally lost. Izuku touched a hand to his head, a 'good grief' escaping his lips before he heard a loud detonation from nearby. His eyes tracked up and sure enough he saw Bakugou literally blowing off some steam, a scowl on his face as he glared up toward the announcer's booth. Surely the thought of having to cooperate with an 'extra' was utterly offensive to him. Izuku smiled. At least some things never changed.
"You heard the man!" Midnight declared, snapping her riding crop to punctuate her sentence. "But this time, you won't be forming your own teams! Heroes often have to cooperate with strangers in a crisis; you're going to experience something similar! We've randomly selected eight teams, and you're gonna stick with 'em!"
Her crop cracked again, and she glared down at the assembled students with narrowed eyes.
"Or else..." she finished, leaving half the contestants afraid and the other half cowed. Even Katsuki stopped setting off explosions.
She pulled a sheet of paper out from her belt, narrowing her eyes and reading it aloud for the students. Each matchup was... interesting.
"Kensuke Tororo and Shoto Todoroki; Team A!" she declared, giving Izuku quite the start.
Kensuke audibly squeaked in terror, looking at the brooding form of 1-A's second, maybe third-biggest powerhouse with fear in his eyes. That was his partner? He would have to keep up with the kid who could do THAT? Todoroki ignored him, arms crossed as he stared into the middle distance.
"Katsuki Bakugou and Kinoko Komori; Team B!"
"WHO?" Katsuki's question echoed through the arena. He had been expecting four-eyes or Deku or even Round Face, not... whoever the fuck Kinoko Komori was! At least with those three they might have made decent sidekicks, watching his back. But some extra he didn't even know? More explosions popped from his hands as he looked around.
When he saw the small, demure form that approached him, eyes hidden behind the bob of her hair and head bowed, he audibly groaned and rolled his eyes. This was a bad joke. She stammered out a greeting and he grunted back, nodding. Whatever. Extra or not, at least she wouldn't get herself hurt by getting in the way. That would blow.
"Momo Yaoyorozu and Shinso Hitoshi; Team C!"
Momo swallowed, glancing to her right to see the boy with shaggy purple hair. She knew nothing about him, other than his challenge to 1-A a few days before the Sports Festival. It worried her that he was her partner. But she would have to work with it. Heroes were adaptable, after all.
"Eijiro Kirishima and Tetsutetsu Tetsu... tetsu... uh, Team D!"
"YEAH!" Kirishima punched the air, his cry synching up with another student doing the exact same thing. Their eyes met, and went wide.
Izuku smiled. There was a match made in heaven.
Somewhere in Japan, a very confused man sneezed.
"Sero Hanta and Itsuka Kendo, Team E!"
Sero was startled when a finger immediately tapped his shoulder, making him twist around to see a muscular red headed girl giving her a grin and thumbs up. He responded in kind, smiling a toothy smile. Izuku wasn't certain Sero knew quite what was happening.
"Raymond Blackmore and Kosei Tsuburaba; Team F!"
Blackmore let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, hands behind his back and eyes closed. A stranger, in part, but a stranger who had aided his master. In that they shared commonality, and in commonality they could perhaps find unity. A better position than most found themselves in; fuming Bakugou, staring at his partner, and doubtful Yaoyorozu, unable to look away from her own assigned teammate.
"Izuku Midoriya and Ibara Shiozaki; Team G!"
Izuku took a deep breath, before a smile formed on his lips. Shiozaki. Yes, the officials would organize something like that. The whole audience had seen their earlier argument; there was little doubt for any paying attention that there was tension between the two. Izuku released that breath and looked to his fellow green-haired student, who was looking at him curiously. Slowly, he raised a hand in greeting.
"Finally, Mezo Shoji and Kyoka Jiro; Team H!"
The first team made of actual classmates. No doubt some official somewhere was disappointed there weren't more students from 1-B, but the sporadic collective Shinso had assembled had consisted of himself, Kirishima, Tetsutetsu and Bakugou, the last of whom had correctly predicted his Quirk had something to do with mind control. Shoji and Jiro approached each other, the former bowing and the latter nodding.
Izuku smiled again. They would be fine.
"You have ten minutes until the first match begins!" Midnight said, cracking her riding crop again to get the attentions of the newly formed teams. "Team A and Team B will be the first round; winner moves up in the bracket. Losers... well, you'll see."
She smiled flirtatiously as she said so, bending down slightly and giving several of the male students pause before giggling and walking away. The groups were dismissed, and the chaos began.
"So what the fuck do you even do?" Katsuki asked, looking at his new partner with a frown. "Mumble at people or some shit?"
"M-m-mush you be so m-mean...?" Kinoko stammered. "I-I m-make m-mush-mushrooms..."
"Just my fuckin' luck." Katsuki swore, rolling his eyes. "Deku 2, with tits."
"W-what?" Kinoko asked.
Some distance away, Kensuke was trying and failing to get his partner's attention.
"So... we're on a team, huh?" he said, voice soft. "I-I... you're pretty strong. You have any ideas? Or strategies or, y'know... hello?"
Todoroki said nothing, staring at his right hand surrounded by a corona of mist in the warm midday sun. Kensuke gulped. Great. He was so far below this guy he didn't even care to pay attention to him! What the heck was he supposed to do now?
"Midoriya." Todoroki said suddenly, clenching his fist. "Our plan is to defeat Midoriya."
Kensuke blinked.
"Um... he's at the other end of the bracket." he said. "That's the other side of... well, we'd have to reach the finals, t-to fight him... you think we can get that far."
"With just my ice, I will defeat him." Todoroki said, scowling. "And I will show him he is wrong."
"I feel like I'm missing something here." Kensuke said.
Ibara Shiozaki and Izuku Midoriya stared each other down. Izuku's hands were clasped behind his back again, while Ibara held hers in front. Suddenly, after a tense moment of silence, Izuku stifled a laugh with one hand. Ibara raised an eyebrow.
"Is something amusing you?" she asked.
"Just the voices in my head." Izuku replied, bowing. "Izuku Midoriya, Class 1-A President and Representative. Bearer of the Quirk Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, also known as Filthy Acts Performed at a Reasonable Price outside of Japan."
Ibara blinked.
"Ibara Shiozaki." she replied. "I understand we have our differences, Midoriya, but it would please me if we could work together."
Izuku extended a hand, and she took it.
"Very well." Izuku grinned. "Let's go win a tournament."
Blackmore watched this and smiled, before his partner coughed.
"The plan?" Kosei Tsuburaba asked.
"Do not lose." Blackmore replied, before turning away.
Truly, it was a day of great strategic enlightenment for all involved.
Soon the ten minutes ended, and Midnight called for Teams A and B to assemble atop the large elevated cement square that would be their arena for the match. Katsuki stood with tiny explosions popping in his palms, while Todoroki stared him down. Their partners both looked more afraid of their teammates than the enemy, Kensuke fiddling with the strings of his Quirk while Kinoko swayed back and forth slowly, humming a song to keep her nerves in check.
"FOR OUR FIRST MATCH OF THE DAY, WE'RE LOOKING AT ONE HELL OF A POWER PLAY!" Present Mic declared to the world. "TEAM A'S KATSUKI BAKUGOU MADE A BOLD DECLARATION AT THE START OF THE FESTIVAL, LISTENERS, BUT CAN HE FULFILL HIS VOW? HIS TEAMMATE, KINOKO KOMORI, MEANWHILE, HAS STAYED TO THE SIDELINES AND BACKGROUND SO FAR! IS THIS HER TIME TO SHINE?"
Katsuki growled, a larger blast filling one hand.
"TEAM B SEES SHOTO TODOROKI, ONE OF CLASS 1-A'S TOP STUDENTS, TEAMING UP WITH A RECORD SETTER; BUSINESS CLASS STUDENT KENSUKE TORORO, WHO IS THE FIRST FROM HIS CLASS TO MAKE IT THIS FAR!"
Kensuke heard Bakugou laugh, a bark of amusement, and he felt a strange prickling in his chest. Was this... anger? Indignity? He clenched his fists. Who was Bakugou to laugh? Kensuke had fought hard to get this far.
"Just give up now!" Bakugou shouted across. "You can't take me alone, Icy-Hot, what makes you think a nobody like him can help you?"
Nobody? Kensuke swallowed.
"Let's have a good match." he said, earning a rapid nod from Kinoko and a laugh from Bakugou.
"Know your place, extra!" Bakugou spat on the cement, glaring at Kensuke. "This is a fight between that Half-and-Half Bastard and I! You're just a footnote!"
Present Mic began the countdown, and Bakugou's stance dropped, his hands back and explosions building in his palms. Todoroki took a single step with his right foot, a mist forming around his rapidly cooling right side. Kensuke swallowed again, that strange sensation building. His hands clenched into claw-like shapes, strings slowly falling from his fingertips.
"Let's go, Icy-Hot!" Bakugou roared. Todoroki just glared.
"FIGHT!" Present Mic shouted.
"DIE!" Bakugou blitzed forward, raising a hand filled with nitroglycerin and sparking it.
Right before the blast could blow away his opposition, however, he felt something wrap around his forearm and pull it away. The blast went wide, nearly hitting his partner, who ducked away and yelped with fear. Bakugou swore, wrenching his arm back, but it didn't obey his pull at first, something holding it in place.
He looked, and saw glittering blue threads of light leading back to Kensuke's fingertips, holding him back. The boy's eyes were narrowed and his jaw clenched, arms straining with the effort of holding back Bakugou's strength with his own. But there was a glint of something hard in his eyes, something... strong.
"Fuck off, extra!" Bakugou swore, blasting the strings with an explosion.
When the force rebounded and blew him backwards to the edge of the ring, he realized his mistake. Kensuke sent another set of strings after him, wrapping three around his other arm and two around one leg near the ankle. He wrenched Bakugou back towards himself.
"My name!" he shouted, voice booming across the stadium. "Is Kensuke Tororo!"
Bakugou tried to blast the strings again, the backlash throwing him to the ground. What the hell was this, he asked himself. How was this extra countering him this goddamn hard? He swore as he tried to wrench himself free, before Kensuke finished his challenge.
"And you're gonna say it, you arrogant son of a bitch!"
AN:
Kensuke mad. Here goes fight one, and with it, all the rules for writing the Sport's Festival arc. I'm not saying for certain I'm the first person to change the last event, but I think I might be? Lots of people mix up the second event because human chariots are hard to write well, but the third event... I can't recall reading a story where it wasn't a series of one-on-one fights.
But I wanted to try something different, and I also wanted to put certain characters in new positions and situations. And so here we are.
Beyond that, this chapter was sort of filler-y, and for that I apologize. I needed to bridge the gap between events two and three, but I couldn't think of a decent way to introduce this particular event without going through the teams one by one and having characters reflect on it. Show-don't-tell and all that. Here's hoping I haven't messed with the story too much.
There's a subtle clue as to the identity of a future character in here. Feel free to spot it instantly and make me feel unsubtle as can be.
Big thanks to my buddy Dev for reading this mess and letting me bounce ideas off of him. And big thanks to all of you whack jobs who actually read this voluntarily and enjoy it. You guys are really cool, and I do read every review. I may have an addiction. Please feed it.
All that over and done with, that's a wrap once again. Hope you all enjoyed!