AN: I LIVE! MUHAHAHAHA-*cough* Sorry, something in my throat.
Before we get started let me clarify a couple of things from the last chapter. First off, while UNIT shares the name with the Doctor Who organization it's more similar to S.H.I.E.L.D. (hence why Agent Coulson is part of it) and the Hero Association in One Punch Man. So no timey-whimey shenanigans.
Second, the Holy Britannian Empire doesn't exist here. If it did, would Japan still be called that? Doesn't mean the people from it don't exist.
Now, onto some more exciting news. There's more art, specifically a commission of Mizu, along with a bio! Of course, if you're willing to do any fan art for the fic, either by commissioning it or doing it yourself (i.e. if you're a starting artist and want to practice) don't be afraid to do so.
Now let's enjoy the chapter.
The streets were busier than normal, though some stopped what they were doing to watch the U.A. sports festival.
Oddly, one of them didn't pay the U.A. Sports Festival any mind. It was a young girl, with short brown hair and wearing a yellow-orange hoodie. She sat by herself on a bench, enjoying a gigantic crepe. Normally she would be forced to attend school right now, but the principal of the school she attended was a big fan of U.A.'s Sports Festival and gave everyone a day off to enjoy it.
While she wasn't sure that such a thing was allowed, she wasn't going to complain. She needed the time to think. "It's been months now, and still nothing," she muttered as she finished the crepe.
The one person who could finally end her curse went missing months ago. And as much as she hated to admit it, she grew to care for the boy. He was a great cook for her, Wald, and the Autonomic Nerve. The fact that he and Seth just vanished without so much as a goodbye was baffling. Even Orie didn't know where he went, she and her friends reached out to their contacts to look.
"Hyde, where the hell are you?" She muttered as she got up, about to leave when people cheering nearby caught her attention. Apparently, the first event of the Sports Festival had finished.
She liked seeing the youth with so much energy. It reminded her of simpler times, happier times before all that Meta Ability nonsense. Right as she was about to move on, she spotted someone in the crowd on the screen. Someone with blond and black hair, red eyes, and had his dumb look on their face. It was brief, but there was no mistake. "Was that…?" The girl looked back to the screen, hoping that they would show that person again.
Her hopes were dashed when they didn't. But deep down, she knew it was him. It had to be. And if it was Hyde, then she was gonna beat the crap out of him for disappearing before dragging him back to Kanzakai.
"IIIIIIZUUUKUUU!" Inko had been crying in joy for over ten minutes after her son had managed to get first place in both the Obstacle Course race and Calvary Battle. She hadn't been able to tear her eyes from the screen the entire time.
Mitsuki snickered as she passed her friend another tissue and a bottle of water. She arrived a few minutes ago when Inko didn't answer her calls. When she opened the door Mitsuki was nearly washed away as a flood of tears burst out of the apartment, Inko having collapsed due to dehydration. "Try to keep the fountain down a bit, Inko-chan. We don't want to flood the whole building," she joked. "Still, your boy is doing great! This is gonna drive Katsuki nuts. He never takes losing very well."
A young man will silver hair and cool blue eyes watched the sports festival from the air, floating far above the stadium with two wings of blue energy. He'd never bothered to pay attention to this sort of thing before. Of course, before his destined rival wasn't competing.
His eyes turned orange in excitement at how the Welsh Dragon blew through the first two events. (Ddraig certainly has an interesting host.) The dragon sealed within his Sacred Gear, Albion, commented. (Wouldn't you agree, Vali?)
Vali nodded. "Yes. He is."
["Ready!?"] Present Mic called out.
"I feel like your club president had something to do with it. Gremory, right?"
["Begin!"]
"If she didn't let him join the tournament, then I guess she's just a stereotypical rich girl who doesn't care about anyone or anything but herself."
Izuku's eyes narrowed dangerously as he ran toward Shinso. "Don't you dare TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT!"
Shinso grew a victorious smirk.
Izuku suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes white and blank.
"Checkmate. I win."
Up in the shared balcony, Liana, Ochako, and Itsuka, all watch with worry. They've already figured out what's happened. Shinso tricked Izuku into falling under his control.
"Gah! Why didn't we say anything?!" Ochako exclaimed, asking not just herself but also Liana and Itsuka.
"Ochako-chan, what are you talking about?" Tsuyu asked.
"What's happening to Midoriya? He's not moving!" Tetsutetsu yelled.
"Shinso must've used his Quirk on Midoriya," Itsuka said.
"Shinso's Quirk?" Tsubasa blinked.
"It's a brainwashing type," Liana explained.
"What?" Momo asked she turn back to see Izuku with a blank face. "Izuku, wake up!"
"He won't be able to hear us from so far away," Tsuyu pointed out.
"Even if he could hear us I'm not sure we could reach him," Liana added.
["Huh?! Hey, hey, what's the dealio? I promised a high-stakes fight with tons of action! Don't make me look bad you guys! Why aren't you moving?! The fight has just begun and Midoriya Izuku is…completely frozen? He's not moving a muscle!"]
The audience was at a complete loss, having no clue what was going on.
["And what's with that look on his face? Could this be a Quirk at work? Shinso seems to have Midoriya completely stunned! He didn't look like that he was powerful during the first two rounds but maybe he is that powerful. Who could have imagined this type of event?! That's the sports festival for ya!"]
As Present Mic said this, Aizawa looked at two pieces of paper in his casted hands.
"This is a perfect example of why the Entrance Exam isn't rational," Aizawa said, catching his co-commentators attention.
Turing off his mic, Present Mic asked, "How come?"
"Since we're on the individual matches, I had some information compiled about all our competitors." Aizawa gazed down at the info, specifically peering down at Shino's file. "Shinso failed the practical exam to get into the hero course, albeit by a small margin. Since he also applied for General Studies, he probably knew that would happen. His Quirk is incredibly strong, but that entrance test consisted of fighting faux villains. Robots. That gave a huge advantage to those who have more physical Quirks than they could show off. Despite his abilities, Shinso never stood a chance at passing. But that didn't mean he gave up," Aizawa peered down at Shinso's feel again, specifically all the times Shinso used the school's gym.
Back in the ring, Shinso got closer to Izuku's body without touching him, looking into his almost lifeless eyes. "So here we are. You're lucky to have been so blessed, Midoriya," he said with venom being heard in his voice. Shinso then stepped back and nodded towards the tunnel behind Izuku. "Turn around and walk out of bounds."
Like a zombie, Izuku did as Shinso told him.
["Huh? …WHAT?! Midoriya is obeying him!?"]
Shinso Hitoshi, Quirk: Brainwashing. Answering his question or replying to him turns on a switch in his opponent's brain, forcing them to do whatever he says. If he does not want the switch to turn on, it won't.
"Snap out of it, Midori! You can't just give up!" Mina yelled, wanting to see Izuku win more than anything.
Iida flails his arms out like a robot. "He can't walk out of the ring! He'll lose the match if he does!"
"This isn't good!" Ochako exclaimed.
"Fight it, Midoriya!" Setsuna yelled.
"Izuku, wake up! You're about to lose this match!" Momo yelled, getting worried.
"Why bother yelling at him? He's already going to lose. Guess he just got this far with luck after all," Monoma said with that arrogant smile.
"Shut up, idiot!"
In the tunnel, Toshinori gripped his hands on the edge of the entrance, getting very worried for his successor about to lose this match. 'What're you doing, kid!? Get back in there and show them what you're made of!'
"Izuku! What are you doing!?" Rias fruitlessly called out.
"It must be Shinso-kun's Quirk!" Yuuto quickly realized.
"You know him?" Ravel asked.
"He's in my class," Yuuto explained. "Shinso-kun's Quirk is Brainwashing."
"Brainwashing!?"
Back in the commentary booth, while Present Mic continues his talk on the mic, Aizawa was deep in thought while looking at the students' files.
'In the Fitness Test on the first day of school, Midoriya scored pretty high. If they fought without powers, Midoriya would easily beat Shinso. But he would have to overcome Shinso's Brainwashing to do that. Either way, this match will be over quickly.' He thought as he saw Izuku getting closer to the ring's edge.
Unbeknownst to anybody, Izuku is actually somewhat aware of what's going on. 'What's… going on…? My body's… moving all on its own… My head is… it's so… foggy. Wh-what's happening…?'
[Hey, Izuku! Can you hear me? Izuku!] Ddraig cried out.
'Ddraig… I can barely hear you…'
[Damn it! You need to snap out of this quickly!]
'I… can't think straight.'
Ddraig could only groan in frustration. [If only I could help… Wait, maybe I can!]
'Ddraig, what are you… huh?' Something happened. In the tunnel in front of him, a light sighed brightly that it almost blinded him.
Then, eight soul-like silhouettes appeared in the tunnel. All had golden eyes that shined.
'What's… that?'
Suddenly, rainbow-colored energy started to form and combined, enveloping Izuku as he felt unmatched power coursing through his body.
The glowing gem of Izuku's Boosted Gear began to appear on his left hand, but something was different. Instead of the normal green glow, it was glowing in several different colors. But he was just three footsteps from crossing the white line.
Shinso, unaware of what was happening, continued to glare at Izuku. "Even with a Quirk like this, I have my own dreams of becoming a great Hero."
Izuku's foot was now millimeters away from the line.
"So, lose for me."
Suddenly, Izuku's left hand was engulfed in a green light, sparks of power emanating from it as his Boosted Gear appeared, two of the clawed fingers stabbed Izuku's leg. "Gah!" Izuku started gasping for air. His feet were back on the ground and he hasn't crossed the white line.
["WHAT'S THIS!? MIDORIYA'S STOPPED JUST IN TIME!"]
The audience went crazy at such an upset. They truly thought it was all over then and there.
After panting, Izuku turned his head to glare at Shinso.
From the booth, Aizawa gasped upon looking closely at Izuku's armored hand, where his fingers had pierced his leg, small bits of blood dripping down. 'He deliberately injured himself to stop Shinso,' he realized. 'Reckless, but well played.'
Midnight looked at his feet and saw that his feet hadn't passed the white line. 'This little cinnamon roll is just full of surprises,' Midnight mused with a smile before swinging her whip towards Izuku. "Midoriya Izuku's still in bounds!"
"That's the way to do it!" Iida yelled, happy that his friend/class representative was still in the fight.
"YES! Way to go, Midori!" Mina cheered jumping up and down with her hands in the air.
"He did it?!" Liana exclaimed, having thought he wouldn't be able to break out of Shinso's Quirk unless an external force struck him.
Ochako sighed in relief. "Thank goodness…"
"That was close," Itsuka let go of the breath she didn't know she was holding.
"Yeah," Tsubasa nodded.
"He actually had me worried for a second there, but Izuku-san's still able to amaze," Momo said with a relieved expression. Kyoka nodded in agreement.
"Good going, man!" Hyde cheered.
"Way to go, Izi!" Hagakure cheered.
"Izi?" Tsuyu questioned.
"Kick his ass, Midoriya!" Setsuna cheered.
"Language!" Itsuka reprimanded.
"That idiot. Almost gave me a heart attack," Ravel said, relief in her tone.
Yuuto smiled in relief. "I wonder how Izuku-kun was able to escape Shinso-kun's Quirk."
"Maybe his Sacred Gear helped? It did appear." Xenovia guessed.
"But wait, I thought Sacred Gears couldn't affect their host," Sona said.
Rias looked back down at her Pawn. Was it possible that One for All was somehow behind this?
Back in the ring, Izuku winced as he pulled out his fingers from his leg.
Shinso stared at Izuku in disbelief. Shocked that he could actually break free. This has never happened to him before. How could this have happened? "N-No that's impossible! What did you do!? TELL ME!"
Izuku covered his mouth with his right hand. Wondering just what the hell he just saw at that moment. The light, the power, and those people. He didn't know any of them, but it was like they were reaching out to him and granting him more power. Taking control of him and helping him get out of the Brainwashing.
'Ddraig, what was that?' He mentally asked the dragon.
[This isn't the time, brat.]
"Say something!" Shinso yelled at him, proving Ddraig's point. Izuku nodded before he took in a deep breath. He still had a fight to finish.
Turning around, Izuku spread his dragon wings, his green scales appearing as he readied to take on Shinso.
Shinso looked at Izuku nervously. He had to get him to talk again. So, he brought his smirk back on his face. "Your Quirk allows you to do so many incredible things. Kinda makes me jealous."
'I felt the same way.'
"Thanks to my Quirk, I've been behind from the start. Someone who has been blessed like you with such a powerful Quirk would never understand, would you?"
'I do understand. And I have been blessed!'
"You've been blessed your whole life! You're so lucky! To be blessed and given a Quirk that'll help you reach your goal! SO SAY SOMETHING, YOU DAMN LUCKY LIZARD!"
'I've been blessed by others! That's why I can't lose!'
Izuku sped towards Shinso, hovering in the air to avoid straining his injured leg. All too quickly for Shinso to follow, Izuku was already upon him. Shinso gritted his teeth and threw a punch.
But Izuku caught the punch with his hand before pulling Shinso's arm upwards as he lifted the boy over his head effortlessly with one arm.
Izuku threw Shinso out of the ring, and his body made a huge thud when he landed on the ground.
"Shinso Hitoshi is out of bounds! Midoriya Izuku advances to the next round!" Midnight declared as the crowd started cheering.
The entire stadium erupts into cheers of joy. Even though that fight wasn't anything too flashy, it was still a nice change of pace after everything they'd seen.
"Yes! He did it!" Mina yelled in excitement.
"I knew Izi would pull it off!" Hagakure yelled.
"That was so close. I was worried for him but somehow he made it," Momo said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"That was so nerve-wracking," Ochako said, slumping to her seat, and breathing a sigh of relief.
"He turned the tables at the last moment. A classic Midoriya maneuver," Iida said.
"It sure was manly, what he did," Kirishima said with comical tears.
"That was supper manly, Midoriya!" Tetsutetsu yelled.
"I was so worried for him," Setsuna said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Hm, Shinso's power is amazing," a dark and sinister snicker adorns Monoma's face. "I can really make use of a Quirk like his."
Itsuka glared at her classmate. "Stop thinking up cockamamy schemes, Monoma. You're only going to embarrass yourself."
Yui retained her stoic expression, though red cheeks were forming for some reason. Even so, she was glad that Izuku was able to win.
Izuku then walked across the stage and jumped down from it. Landing next to Shinso, who had gotten up and was sulking. The things he said still ringing in his mind. "Why do you want to be a hero?" He asked as Shinso looked up at him for a minute. He then turned back before answering his question.
"You can't help what your heart longs for," he answered before walking off.
Izuku's eyes grew wide, before he gave a genuine smile, "I feel the same way too, you know."
Shinso stopped and turned around in surprise. "You do?"
Izuku nodded as he looked at his Boosted Gear. "I'm a late bloomer. I was Quirkless for a long time, but that didn't stop me from wanting to be a hero like All Might. To be a hero that saves those in trouble. However, before my power awakened, I was ridiculed. Just like you. But then I met people who believed in me, who helped. It was with their help that my power finally manifested."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Guess what I'm trying to say is that, even if you lost, you shouldn't give up. Be proud of making it this far. And if it helps, I'm sure you'll make an amazing hero. And it looks like I'm not the only one."
Before Shinso could ask what he meant, they heard all of Shinso's classmates shouting and congratulating him, having made their way down to the edge of the seats, leaning over the railings.
"You were awesome out there, Shinso!"
"We're proud of you!"
"You didn't tell us you were that good!"
"Yeah! You're the star of our class!"
"I can't believe you put up such a great fight, especially against the boy who came in 1st Place in both rounds!"
"They're right," Yuuto, who had run down to join them, said. "Even though you lost, we all think you did amazing. And we're not the only ones," Yuuto pointed upward behind them.
The Pro Heroes watching in the crowd were also impressed by Shinso.
"With a Quirk like that, it would be very simple to capture dangerous villains. Wish I had it."
"I can't believe they stuck him in general Studies. Those idiots."
"Well, there are a ton of applicants each year. Guess sometimes people slip through the cracks."
"If only he had more combat experience."
"Yeah, I bet he would've dominated."
"What a waste."
Shinso stood there in surprise. Despite losing, everyone was praising him for a good fight.
Izuku smiled hearing all the comments the Pros and students had for Shinso. "I'm sorry about insulting your friend," Shinso suddenly said, taking Izuku aback a little as the purple-haired boy had his back turned to him. "But depending on the results, they'll consider our transfer into the Hero Course. Remember that. Even if it didn't work this time, I definitely won't give up. I'll get into the Hero Course, get certified, and I'll definitely become a better Hero than any of you guys!"
Izuku nodded. "I'm sure you will." He then fell under Shinso's spell. 'He got me again! But why? The match is over.'
Shinso chuckles. "You know, usually people tense up whenever they talk to me," he smiled. "If you're not on guard, someone will defeat you," he deactivated his Quirk, freeing Izuku. "So be careful. You better not lose, or you'll make me look bad."
Izuku smiled. "You can count on it!" He gasped, falling under Shinso's Brainwashing again.
[…Really brat?] Ddraig sighed.
Shinso just stood there, looking back at him with an unreadable expression.
Aizawa continued observing as Shinso exits the arena. The Class 1-A homeroom teacher reaches for the sheet he pointed out about the boy and tucks it away for later.
"There, that should do it," Rosalba said. Recovery Girl healed Izuku's leg, she had Rosalba wrap it in bandages as a precaution.
"U-Uh, thanks," Izuku stuttered. He wasn't really expecting to meet a cute snake girl in Recovery Girl's office.
"It's no problem," Rosalba nodded before she addressed the elder heroine. "Ma'am, if it's all right, can I go check on Takamaki?"
"Go right ahead, dear," Recovery Girl approved.
Once Rosalba slithered out of Recovery Girl's temp office, All Might in his skinny form walked in. "You haven't been too hard on your new intern, have you?" He asked jokingly.
"Of course not. She just started and already the dear has been a great boon. I should've started taking interns here years ago."
All Might rolled his eyes before he addressed Izuku. "I gotta admit, you had me worried there, kid. I thought for a second there that you were gonna lose."
Izuku nodded and sighed, looking down at the wrapped-up leg. "It was hard to really smile during that fight," he said with a depressed tone. "I let my emotions get the better of me."
All Might sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I heard some of what young Shinso said, and some of what you said to him. I can kinda understand how you must have felt since you two are so similar."
"I know, but I couldn't go easy on him," Izuku said, looking determined. "I've got to keep my eye on the prize and win this thing! Just like you said."
Recovery Girl leaned back in her chair. "Oh, you poor little darling. Have you been putting too much pressure on him!?" Recovery Girl accused before backhanding All Might in the side of his ribs, making the number one hero yelp in pain, to Izuku's shock.
"It was necessary and that hurt!" All Might exclaimed, holding his side.
As Ddraig chuckled at All Might's agony, Izuku realized something. "Hey, All Might. During the fight, I had some kind of vision," he told All Might. This got his teacher's attention. "There were… 8 or 9 people, I'm not all too sure. When I was under Shinso's control, it felt like my brain was all foggy and I couldn't think straight. But when the vision appeared, I felt overwhelming power going through my body, and I was able to regain control of my hand a little. And that's when One for All moved all on its own!" Thinking back on it, Izuku remembered how one of the figures seemed to have sunken eyes and a rather thin frame. "Actually…one of them kinda looked like you, All Might. Do you… think that was all the people that have used One for All in the past pushing me on? Like spirits?"
All Might shivered in fright. "Spooky! I'm a g-g-g-ghost?!"
"What!? You didn't know?!" Izuku yelled, now freaking out too.
"Actually, I saw something like that too, in my younger days," All Might said more seriously with his arms crossed.
"Really?"
"Yes. It is a clear sign that One for All is becoming your own power."
"So, what was it?"
"I think it's like a trace of the user's spirit that's left behind in One for All when it's passed on. Don't worry, whatever you saw it wouldn't be interfering with your progress in the future, I'm sure. In other words, that vision isn't what got rid of the Brainwashing effects. Regardless of what you saw out there, it was your passion that allowed you to overcome Shinso's power. Even if it was only long enough for you to move your hand."
"That… wasn't the explanation I was hoping for."
"Well, sorry if it didn't give you answers. More importantly, shouldn't you be worrying about the next match," asked All Might.
Izuku's eyes widened, realizing that he'd totally forgotten about that. Ibara and Kyoka were fighting next. "Crap! You're right! Thank you both very much," he yelled as he ran out of Recovery Girl's temporary nurse's office. "Bye!"
"You're welcome!" Recovery Girl called as the door closed itself. As they heard his footsteps become softer and softer before being unable to be heard, there was a stark silence in the office. "So, he saw you there too?"
All Might closed his eyes and tilted his head down a bit and sighed, "That's a good thing."
As Izuku ran down the tunnels to the heroic students' balcony, a thought crossed his mind. 'Ddraig, why didn't you try to help fight off Shinso's Quirk? We do share the same head, in a sense.'
[I wanted to, but it's not that simple. God made it so that, for Sacred Gears that have a sealed creature within them, such as myself, could not affect the wielder, to prevent us from possessing our host. The most we could do in most cases is communicate with our host and other similar Gears.]
'So you couldn't have helped,' Izuku sighed as he climbed the stairs. 'But the Boosted Gear did move. If that wasn't you, then was that because of One for All?'
[Yes.] Ddraig answered. [I'm not entirely sure, but I think All Might is right in that part of the previous users' spirits stay with the Quirk. Something similar happens with the Boosted Gear.]
"Wait, REALLY!?" Izuku exclaimed.
[When a host of the Boosted Gear dies, a fragment of their consciousness is stored inside, where it mostly stays dormant. I learned that One for All was similar after you acquired the Quirk.]
Izuku then recalled how Ddraig didn't speak to him for a little bit when he fully absorbed One for All. 'Is that why you were quiet back then?'
[Yep. The spirits within the Quirk are currently weak, but at least one was strong enough to speak with me for a moment. I wasn't sure how to tell you about this before, but now, well… cat's out of the bag.]
Izuku chuckled as he arrived at the shared balcony. Near the steps Rosalba was examining Milia's abdomen, the succubus having unzipped her jacket, exposing a light blue sports bra. "Do you feel any discomfort?" Rosalba asked as she rubbed her hand against Milia's side.
"A little, but it's not much," Milia replied.
"I see. I better head back to Recovery Girl. If anything happens come see us right away."
"Okay," Milia nodded as she was about to zip up her jacket when she finally took notice of Izuku, who stood there gaping. "M-M-Midoriya-kun!?"
"I-I-I'm sorry!" Izuku stuttered as he turned around, having definitely not been staring at Milia's sports bra or how it conformed her big breasts and showed off a bit of cleavage.
Blushing like mad, Milia quickly zipped up her jacket. "I-It's f-fine. Y-You can look now," she stuttered.
Rosalba just stared in confusion at the two. "Well, I better get going. Take care. Tell Hyde I said hi."
"Sure, Kouris-san," Milia nodded.
As Rosalba slithered off, Izuku, still blushing, turned around and bowed apologetically. "I-I'm sorry! I d-didn't meant to look, I…"
"Is Kouris-san finished yet, Takamaki? Mineta is starting to wake up," Ochako walked into the corridor before noticing Izuku. "Oh, Izu-kun! There you are," her smile quickly faded when she noticed how the two were blushing. "Did something happen?"
"No!" Milia and Izuku both said.
Ochako wondered why they were so flustered, but decided that it can wait. "C'mon, Izu-kun! We saved you a seat."
"Oh, thanks," Izuku said as he followed Ochako. But before he could sit down, a sudden pink blur rushed him.
"Midori, that was awesome!" Mina squealed as she wrapped her arms around him in a bear hug. Izuku blushed as her soft chest pressed up against his. Ochako, Milia, Momo, Tsubasa, Setsuna, and Itsuka all glared at Mina in jealousy while Kaminari, Mineta, and Tsuburaba glared at Izuku.
"I-I… Thank you, A-A-Mina-san," Izuku said, noticing that some of the other girls had jealous looks, which made him even more nervous.
"Close enough!" Mina smiled as she let him go, walking back to her seat.
Sighing in relief, Izuku went down to the front where most of his friends were sitting. "It's now Ibara-san against Kyoka-san."
"Yes," Momo nodded. "I want Kyoka to win, but she won't have an easy time getting past Ibara's vines."
"Hahahahaha! There's no way that pathetic 1-A loser can beat our Shio-!"
*WHAM!*
Monoma was cut off from yet another rant and was knocked unconscious. The culprit, however, wasn't Itsuka, but rather Momo, a metal baseball bat she created with her Quirk in hand.
["That's enough standing around!"] Present Mic announced. ["It's now time to start the third match of the first round. Let's welcome to the ring our next players!"] The crowd cheered as the jumbotron displayed the images of Ibara and Kyoka.
["First up, it's the girl who proves that having a green thumb can be a cool and thorny power! From Class 1-B, Hero Course, Shiozaki Ibara!"]
Ibara calmly walked out onto the field.
["And going up against her is someone cut from the same cloth as me, from Class 1-A, Hero Course, Jiro Kyoka!"]
Across from her, Kyoka positioned her earphone jacks up in front of her like tiny raised fists.
["Alright, you two! Let's get this match started! Fight!"]
Right away, Ibara's vines shot out and rushed toward Kyoka, intent on ensnaring her. But Kyoka anticipated that and jumped to the side, the vines barely missing her as she ran toward Ibara.
Suddenly, a vine wrapped Kyoka from behind. "Wha!?" By the time she realized it, it was already too late. Several vines, bursting from the ground behind her, had immobilized her.
"Jiro has been immobilized! Shiozaki advances to the second round!" Midnight declared.
["WHAAAT!? It's over already?! If you blinked, then you missed it, listeners."]
Ibara let out a breath of relief before she released Kyoka. "I'm sorry, Kyoka-san. But this is a competition."
"Yeah, I know," Kyoka smiled.
["Alright, loyal listeners, let's start the fourth match!"] Present Mic announced. ["First up, she may look cute, but her entire body is a frog-shaped weapon. From Class 1-A, Hero Course, it's Asui Tsuyu! Verses, also from Class 1-A's Hero Course we have the warm yet bubbly space girl who is way stronger than she looks, and my other favorite to win, Uraraka Ochako!"]
["You're being biased again,"] Aizawa reprimanded.
As Present Mic did his introductions, Ochako did some stretches as she walked into the ring.
"Ochako-chan," Tsuyu spoke up, "I've been meaning to ask, but… do you and those other girls like Midoriya-chan?" She bluntly asked.
Ochako blushed, realizing what Tsuyu meant. "Y-Yeah, w-we do."
Tsuyu nodded. "I like him, too."
"Y-You do?!" Ochako stuttered.
"FIGHT!"
Tsuyu lashes her tongue out and grabs Ochako's right arm, taking advantage of her flustered state.
"What the?!" Ochako was about to pull against Tsuyu but the frog girl pulled her arm away, throwing her off balance as she tries to pull her toward the edge of the ring.
Ochako dug her feet into the ground, using her Rook strength to stop Tsuyu's tongue from throwing her out of the ring. Ochako tried to use her Quirk on Tsuyu's tongue, but the frog girl simply moved her tongue in the opposite direction, throwing Ochako off balance again.
["Oh no! Looks like Uraraka and Asui are in a deadlock already! One can't activate her Quirk, and the other is doing anything she can to keep her from using it!"]
Aizawa chimed in. ["It's a fair strategy. Asui knows that in a straight-up fight, she can't win against Uraraka, who's physically stronger. So instead Asui's stopping Uraraka from using her Quirk while keeping her off balance."]
Tsuyu and Ochako continued with their little tug-of-war. Every now and then Tsuyu would pivot her body and swing her towards the edge of the arena but it'd always end the same with Ochako slamming her feet and free hand against the dirt to keep himself from being flung out.
"You're really not making this easy. Kero."
Ochako grunts. "Neither are you," seizing her chance, Ochako pulled Tsuyu's tongue, using her Rook strength to fling Tsuyu toward her.
But Tsuyu simply retracted her tongue back, speeding towards Uraraka. The Rook didn't have much time to react as the frog girl slammed into her. Thanks to her durability, Ochako didn't budge, but before she could react Tsuyu wrapped her tongue around Ochako's waist, lifted her up into the air, and threw her out of the ring.
Midnight raised her hand, signaling the end of the match, "Uraraka is out of bounds! Asui advances to the next round!"
["It's over?! Poor Uraraka…"] Present Mic wasn't as enthusiastic as he should be.
["Did you hear what I said about not being biased?"] Aizawa asked. ["Should I remind you that Asui's parents run a successful law firm?"]
["What an amazing match, listeners! We all better cheer for Asui from now on!"]
["That's not what I meant by not being biased…"]
As Ochako got to her feet, the applause from the spectators was a whole degree of magnitude louder than it had been from the start. "You okay, Ochako-chan?" Tsuyu asked.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Ochako replied.
"By the way, why didn't you use your Quirk on my tongue? Kero?" Tsuyu tilted her head when she saw the wide-eyed look in Ochako's eyes.
"WHY DIDN'T I THINK TO TRY THAT!? Gah! I'm so stupid!"
'So, Midoriya is advancing to the next round, huh?' Todoroki thought. She was walking towards the arena for her match, taking a leisurely pace and turning around a corner until he saw just who was waiting for her.
"You're in my way, old man," she coldly stated.
Endeavor merely glanced over at her for a second before replying. "Still so stubborn, Shoko."
Shoko snorted, not even stopping as she tried to get past the man. As if the bastard would think using her real name would work. So Shoko ignored him and continued walking. Her match was starting soon.
"You can't rely on your right side forever. Eventually, you'll encounter an obstacle that your ice can't overcome. That nearly happened during the obstacle course and the cavalry battle. I understand your reasoning, but you need to drop this childish act of rebelling and embrace who you are. Otherwise, you'll never reach your true potential."
"Is that all you have to say? If so then leave," Shoko snapped, not even bothering to look back as she kept walking. "I will reach the final, and I will win, using only Mom's power. I will never use your power when I fight!"
Endeavor sighed as he watched his youngest child walk away. "Even if it works for now, you'll soon reach the limits of that power."
"So, you think Mina has a chance?" Ochako asked.
"She'll do great!" Kirishima exclaimed, popping into the conversation. "She won't be pushed over so easily, even if she's fighting against Todoroki!"
"With her acid, she should be able to dissolve through Todoroki's ice," nodded Izuku. "But just how much she can do is the question."
"What if he uses his flames, kero?" asked Tsuyu, putting her finger up against her cheek.
"I… don't know if he'll use it," Izuku said.
"I believe Todoroki said that he would never use his flames in a battle," Iida said, remembering Todoroki's words to him before the cavalry battle, "Though I'm not sure why."
Any more attempts at the conversation halted as Present Mic made his announcement.
["It's now time for the fifth match, listeners! Give it up for these two!"] Present Mic announced as the two competitors entered the ring.
["She's got skills! And some unique yet delightful looks. From Class 1-A, Hero Course, Ashido Mina! Versus, an early frontrunner in the competition who's way too strong for his own good! Someone who rightfully got into the hero course based on recommendations! Also from Class 1-A, Hero Course, it's Todoroki Shoto!"]
"Man, my first match and it's against him," Mina pouted. "Why couldn't it have been Midori? Still…"
"FIGHT!"
Mina charges in without a second thought. "I'll give it my best try!" She's grinning from ear to ear as she slides across the arena with her acid.
Todoroki's dark cold gaze pierces through her, with no hint of sympathy. "Apologies."
Ice rushes forward through his right foot and rushes towards Mina before exploding.
At the same time, the stadium shook like an earthquake. Recovery Girl and Rosalba felt the vibration in the temp office, looking up at the ceiling. "Is this an earthquake?" Rosalba asked.
Within the stadium's corridors, Black Knight discreetly moved, staying out of sight, following the energy single he detected earlier. His sensors indicated that it was still within the stadium somewhere.
Suddenly, the whole stadium began to shake. "What is this?!" Once the shaking stopped, Black Knight gave up on his search temporarily and ran outside. What he saw shocked him.
The entire audience stayed quiet, too shocked at what they'd just seen. Even Present Mic wasn't saying anything, which was a first.
The devils were especially shocked. Sure, they've all heard about how powerful Quirks could be, but seeing something like this was unprecedented. Sona, while she was confident even now that Todoroki won't be able to match her, let alone her sister, was still in shock at how a human with no magic of some sort or a special bloodline beyond having Japan's Number 2 hero as a father could create the gigantic glacier before them.
"Holy crap…" Kudelia finally said what everyone thought.
Todoroki exhaled a deep breath as the left side of her face and body was covered in frost. Endeavor scoffed at the display.
As for Mina… "Uh… d-d-d-don't you t-t-think you w-w-went a b-b-b-bit too far?" She asked, embedded in the ice itself.
"T-t-tell the t-truth A-Ashido…c-can you m-move?" Midnight asked, she herself was covered in some of the ice as she was shaking in discomfort from the cold.
Mina struggled as she tried to use her acid to melt through the ice, but it was too cold for her. If she wasn't encased in the said ice, then she would have melted through it if she increased the solubility of her acid. But since she was in it, doing so would only harm her more. Not to mention she would end up dissolving her clothes, letting everyone get a good view of her body. Not that she minded that too much, but she didn't want Mineta to perv on her. As such, she did the sensible thing. "N-No, of c-course n-not!"
"M-Mina A-Ashido h-has been i-immobilized. T-To-Todoroki a-advances t-t-to t-the next r-round!" Midnight declares but the crowd were still in shock from the display of power that Todoroki showed.
Even though it was such an amazing display of power, the entire audience is still left in a state of shock. Possibly because of how terrifyingly powerful the child of Endeavor truly is.
Todoroki releases a breath of air, trying to compose herself. "Sorry about that," she said as she walked up to Mina. "It was a bit much," her eyes fall downward…down to his left side as she began to melt the ice. "I was angry, that's all."
"T-T-T-This is y-y-y-y-you angry?"
As Todoroki melted the ice, Izuku couldn't help but notice how incredibly sad the girl in disguise looked. Like he wished the match…that the entire Sports Festival could have gone differently.
["All right! Now that all this ice has been cleared up! Let's move on to the next battle!"] Present Mic announced. ["A girl fully equipped with support items she has made herself that are as dangerous to herself as they are to everyone else! From Class 1-H, Support Course, Hatsume Mei!"]
Hatsume walked into the ring, wearing enough gear to pass as a cyborg.
["Verses, he makes high-fives a serious health hazard, and that's not the face of a regular person, but that of someone who loves to blow stuff up! From Class 1-A, Hero Course, Bakugo Katsuki!"]
"THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT MY FACE!" Bakugo yelled out in anger, offended, but Present Mic ignored him.
Up in the stands, Rias had a sudden glint in her eye as she pulled out her phone and started recording. "What are you doing, Rias?" Sona asked.
"Recording for future reference," Rias answered. In reality, though, she was recording this match because she had a feeling it was going to be utterly humiliating to Bakugo.
Bakugo glared maliciously at his opponent. She had tried to approach him earlier, but he brushed her off. He wasn't going to talk to some extra, especially one that was just a little pebble for him to kick.
"Fighters, are you ready?!" Midnight asked. Bakugo smiled evilly and nodded, while Mei smirked devilishly. Midnight nodded, "Then let's get this fight underway! Ready… FIGHT!"
Bakugo almost immediately blasted toward Hatsume, intent on ending the match in a single blow. But before he could, a sudden, horrible feedback ripped through all the loudspeakers in the stadium. Bakugo covered his ears, while above, Present Mic started playing with the audio controls in his booth.
["Whoops! Sorry about that. Ah there we go, looks like I'm all hooked up!"]
Bakugo blinked in confusion as the feedback died down and Mei's voice started to come through all the loudspeakers. Now that he got a better look, Bakugo saw she had a small over-the-ear mic on.
["Sorry, Present Mic-sensei! But I'm hijacking your audio equipment for a little bit. I'm gonna need it."]
"Tch," Bakugo spat, continuing his attack
"As I expected, your explosions give you incredible mobility and speed! If only you'd listened to me," Mei said as she threw a ball-shaped device on the ground. A puff of smoke appeared blocking Bakugo's field of vision while Mei jumped up and two long poles sprung out from one of her gadgets. "And I can easily evade you with my hydraulic attachments!"
Coughing because of the smoke, Bakugo didn't have time to react when Mei suddenly attacked something to his back. "The hell!?"
["Perfect fit!"]
Mei jumped back grinning before looking around at the crowd until she found the specific group of people she wanted to show off to. 'There they are, the support companies' representatives are watching… oh, they're biting their nails now! I got 'em!' She thought, observing two of the men in suits talking and pointing towards her.
Hatsume Mei, Quirk: Zoom. If she gets serious, she can see clearly up to five kilometers away!
"You bitch! What the hell is this!?"
["That's my Auto Balancer! Well, half of it, but with it, you'll never be knocked over!"] Mei began explaining to the audience what it did, much to the confusion of most of the audience.
"Seriously? What kind of match is this?" Present Mic asked with a dumbfounded look.
"She's turning this thing into a commercial," Aizawa said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"STAY STILL ALREADY!" Bakugo roared as he rocketed towards Mei again.
Suddenly, Mei jumped over Bakugo and looked almost like she was floating in the air.
["What do you think of this lightness? These electro-shoes use electromagnetic induction on both feet, allowing for instant evasive action!"]
"DIE!" Bakugo fired an explosion upwards.
*BOOM!*
The sound of crunched metal echoed through the ring as Mei tumbled back down to the ground, Mei's Electromagnetic Soles had been destroyed by Bakugo's attack.
["YOU KILLED MY BABY!"] Mei screamed in horror as she looked at her damaged gear before she glowered at Bakugo. ["You're a villain! Baby killer!"]
"THE HELL DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!"
Hatsume, glaring utterly hatefully at Bakugo, quickly pulled out a new gadget and threw it at him. Within a second it had wrapped itself around his mouth. Bakugo immediately tried to remove it, to no avail.
"What the [BLEEP] is this? Wait, what?" Bakugo's face went from confusion to rage in record time as he shouted, "WHAT THE [BLEEP] IS THIS!? [BLEEP] YOU, CROSSHAIR EYES! WHAT THE [BLEEP] DID YOU DO TO ME!? I'LL [BLEEP] KILL YOU, YOU [BLEEP]!"
["Mwehehe! That's my Censor Gag! Not sure why I created it, to begin with, but whatever."]
"DIE!"
Bakugo, having had enough of the mad inventor, blasted toward her. However, when Mei brought out a gun that shot out a red-colored net that tied Bakugo up.
"The hell!?"
"It is a capture gun to use against Villains! The capture nets are in cartridges, and you can fire up to five before reloading!" Mei explained as she sidestepped Bakugo, who landed a few feet behind her.
Once he wrestled himself free from the capture net, he turned to glare hatefully at Hatsume.
["Oops! Didn't mean for the show to end this quickly,"] she said sheepishly.
Bakugo blinked, wondering what she meant. Then, to his horror, he realized where he had landed. He was out of bounds.
"Uh… Bakugo is out of bounds. Hatsume wins!" Midnight announced.
Snarling in primal rage, Bakugo immediately whirled around and, propelled by his explosions, propelled himself at the suddenly scared support student, intent on giving her a piece of his mind.
Before he could reach the eccentric support student, he found himself colliding headfirst into a rock wall that wasn't there two seconds ago, courtesy of Cementoss.
"The fight is over, Bakugo," Midnight chided.
"The [BLEEP] it was!" Bakugo growled as he turned to face her. "That wasn't a fight!"
"You went out of bounds after the fight started. That's a completely fair victory for her."
"No, it [BLEEP] wasn't! Let me back in there, I'm gonna-" and that was as far as he got before a sudden wave of sleeping gas overcame him, sending him collapsing onto the hard floor. As he was unceremoniously carried away, Mei spoke up.
"Well, I honestly don't care that I won. I just wanted to show off my babies! And now I can show them off even more! Mwehehe!"
"Uh… okay?" Midnight honestly wasn't sure what to do in this situation.
"That… was different…" Rias commented, still recording on her phone.
"Bakugo's not gonna be happy when he wakes up," Izuku sweated nervously, already imagining what'll happen.
Mei cheerfully walked towards the exit tunnel before stopping, looking up into the stands, and making eye contact with Izuku, Milia, and Ibara. She grinned, winked, and blew a kiss at them. Izuku's face erupted red while Ibara and Milia blushed, each instinctively knowing that Hatsume aimed it at them.
"Eh!? Midoriya! Why did that hot and busty babe blow you a kiss!?" Mineta asked. "Teach me your secrets already!"
Suddenly, Kyoka's Earphone Jack connected to the perv's ear, shocking Mineta away from Izuku.
"You're too loud!" She yelled.
Izuku sighed in relief. However, before he could thank Kyoka, he felt like someone was glaring at him. Turning, he flinched in fright at how Momo, Ochako, Mina, Tsubasa, Itsuka, Setsuna, Hagakure (probably), and even Kyoka and Tsuyu were all glaring.
He wasn't sure if it was at him or Mei.
"I-I-Is something wrong?" He asked, looking around at each girl glaring at him.
"That girl was on your team earlier, right?" Tsubasa asked. "Why did she blow you a kiss?"
"Tell us, Midoriya. How do you feel about a girl blowing a kiss to you?" Itsuka asked.
Izuku shivered in fright at how the girls were glaring at him. They had jealousy in their eyes. 'Ddraig, help?' He pleaded.
[Sorry, you're on your own, brat.]
He should've known.
A dark aura had gathered around Rias and Ravel, causing everyone to scoot away from them. "Uh, is something wrong, Rias?" Sona asked.
"I don't know why, but I feel like that kiss Hatsume blew was meant for Izuku," the red-haired devil growled.
["Iida Tenya, Yaoyorozu Momo, please report to your waiting rooms."]
Izuku was immensely relieved as the glares from the girls all died down.
"Looks like we're up," Momo said, getting up.
"Indeed," Iida said, getting up. "I shall see you all after our match!" Iida bowed sharply and promptly speed-walked out of the viewing box.
'He really needs to relax.'
As Iida settled into his waiting room a thought occurred to him. 'Perhaps now would be a good time to call Tensei.'
Pulling out his phone, and scrolling through his favorite contacts to find his older brother's name. After hitting 'call' and waiting a few moments, his brother's voicemail responded.
'He did mention something about being on patrol today. I shall have to wait until later to speak with him.' Iida smiled softly to himself. 'I should introduce Midoriya-kun and the others to Tensei, I believe they would enjoy meeting Ingenium in person, Midoriya-kun especially.'
["Please make your way to Entrance A at this time."] The intercom drew Iida out of his thoughts. Following the directions, the boy walked to the hallway and stood at the entrance.
["Okay…! So, after that whole… marketing scheme fiasco, let's try to get back on track, shall we? Right now, let's start the next match!"] Present Mic announced as the next two combatants entered the ring.
["First up, it's the speedster knight, the epitome of the middle of the pack! From Class 1-A, Hero Course, Iida Tenya!"]
"Middle of the pack?!" Iida shouted.
["Verses! The great creator! She was admitted because of recommendations and I think we can all see why. Also from Class 1-A, Hero Course, Yaoyorozu Momo!"]
"Good luck, Yaoyorozu-kun," Iida said to her as he prepared himself, revving up his engines.
"You too, but I'm going to win this!" Momo grinned.
"FIGHT!"
The roar of Iida's engines drowned out the cheering crowd as he went on the attack, "Recipro Burst!"
Iida's engines rocketed him forward, right for Momo, intent on grabbing her and pushing her out. Momo, however, had been prepared for this. Sparks of energy had gathered in her hand as she aimed, firing a bolt of lightning toward Iida.
Iida barely avoided the lightning, the attack burning a hole into the wall behind him.
"Whoah! Yaoyorozu can shoot lightning, too?" Someone in the audience exclaimed.
"Since when can she do that?" Hagakure asked.
"Since forever," Kyoka answered. "She just doesn't like using it that often."
Kaminari suddenly had a look of terror in his eyes. "Wait a minute! Does this make me irrelevant!?" No one answered and kept their eyes on the match. "Guys! Guys seriously! Someone answer me!"
Iida sped around Momo, intent on grabbing Momo from behind and pushing her out. Momo, however, had been prepared for this.
In her hand, she created a plastic bag full of lubricant and tossed it into Iida's path. Once the bag hit the ground, its contents spread across the cement, right as Iida reached it. Iida screamed as he lost traction and slid across the ring, slipping right as he reached the edge of the ring.
The entire audience winced after seeing Iida land butt first, Momo especially, feeling pretty guilty for it.
Even Present Mic winced along with everyone else. ["Ouch! I felt that one."]
"Anyway, Iida is out of bounds! Yaoyorozu advances to the second round!" Midnight declared, the crowd going absolutely nuts at how quickly Iida lost.
"That looked really painful," Mina winced.
"Yeah," Izuku nodded.
["Welcome to the last match of round one!"] Present Mic greeted as the screens lit up with the images of the next fighters. ["One of them's a passionate manly fighter made of rock! From Class 1-A, Hero Course, Kirishima Eijiro!"]
Kirishima claps his hardened fists together. "Bring it!"
["He's up against a spirited maiden of skill and action. It's Class 1-B's own big sis, Kendo Itsuka!"]
"Go Kendo!" Tetsutetsu cheered.
"Yeah beat him!" Setsuna added.
"Kirishima, you can't lose to her!" Mina shouted in support of her friend.
"Go Kirishima! Use your sharpened hands to rip her clothes off!" roared Mineta. That comment earned him another jab to the ear from Kyoka.
["Let's get this seventh match started! Start!"]
"I don't exactly like the idea of hitting a woman, not very manly. But that doesn't mean I'm going to lose!" Kirishima charged forward, "You're a martial arts girl, right? Just a warning, you might hurt your hands against my Quirk!"
Kirishima threw a straight at Itsuka, confident he could tank any counters. Itsuka easily read the straight, dodging the hardened fist before throwing a short upper into Kirishima's ribs. Just upon impact, Itsuka enlarged her hands to maximize the impact force. Kirishima coughed as he felt the impact, but was able to tank through it just fine.
"You sure it's me who should be worried about getting hurt?" She taunted. 'He really is just like Tetsutetsu,' Itsuka thought as she ducked under a left hook. 'He even falls for the same tricks.'
"Orarara!" Kirishima fired off a barrage of fists, chasing after Itsuka.
Itsuka weaved and parried the fists, enlarging her hands only when needed. She was soon pushed near the boundary line, her foot mere centimeters away from it.
"C'mon, you can't lose Itsuka!" Setsuna cheered.
"Yeah, beat… wait a minute, why am I getting a sense of déjà vu?" Tetsutetsu muttered.
"Because you fell for this trick when sparring with Kendo before," Awase answered with a snicker.
Itsuka suddenly stumbled as she blocked Kirishima's uppercut, leaving an opening for him.
"Got you!" The dyed redhead shouted as he threw a right overhead punch with all his strength and weight.
But Itsuka smirked, making Kirishima realize too late that he's been baited into a trap. Itsuka suddenly recovered from her 'stumble,' dodging to the right as the fist whizzed past her face. Without letting this chance pass by, she grabbed his wrist with both hands, enlarging her hands as she did so. Then, spinning on her heels, Itsuka used her strength and weight to hurl Kirishima out of the ring.
For good measure, right after tossing Kirishima out in midair, she enlarged her hands to their biggest size and slapped Kirishima into the ground, her fingers barely touching Kirishima but enough to reach him despite throwing him. The results ended with Kirishima being smashed into the ground despite his hardened state.
"Kirishima is out of bounds! Kendo advances to the second round!" Midnight declared.
["And it's the old bait and hook! Kendo Itsuka of 1-B lures Kirishima Eijiro to the edge, making him think he was pushing her back, only for her to mercilessly crush that thought!"] Present Mic shouted in excitement.
"Ha! Beat that Aizawa! Though 1-A might dominate the finals in numbers, my students are nothing to laugh about either!" Vlad yelled, pointing a finger at the booth Aizawa was at.
["Your behavior is pointless,"] Aizawa let out a tired yawn. ["Let's just move on to the second round already."]
"Yeeaaahhh!" Tetsutetsu lets out a gleeful roar. "Way to go Kendo! Way to represent Class 1-B!"
Kaminari chuckles consolingly. "Man, I thought Kirishima had this in the bag."
Sero frowned. "Yeah, I thought Hardening would have had the advantage over her Big Fists Quirk."
"Hahahahaha!" Monoma rises from his seat like a vampire that's awoken from his slumber. "What was that? Is Class 1-A shocked to see us, their superiors, outclass them?! Who would have guessed? Hahaha ha! Ha!"
Both hero classes deadpanned, finding Monoma's tirade tiring. 'What a tool…'
"Anyway, looks like you'll be facing her in the next round, Yaomomo," Mina said.
A couple of minutes later and Kirishima and Itsuka returned to the bleachers. "Nice fight, girl!" Setsuna greeted.
"You doing okay, Kirishima?" Mina asked.
"I'll be fine," the dyed redhead replied. He then noticed that, aside from Iida who was still in Recovery Girl's office, they were missing someone. "Hey, has anyone seen Bakugo?"
"Not since his match with Hatsume," Kaminari answered.
"You think he's okay?"
"It's kinda hard to say with that guy," Kyoka twirls one of her earphone jacks. "But I know I wouldn't be happy with how the match went."
"True," Tokoyami nodded. "To be used as a marketing tool, then step out of bounds by accident."
"If you're worried about Bakugo-kun, I know where he is," everyone looked up to see Iida arrive to the bleachers.
"Iida-kun!" Izuku greeted.
"How's your ass?" Hyde asked.
Iida stiffened a little, a pained look in his eyes. "It is fine now. Please don't mention it, Kido-kun." Some of the students chuckled a little at this. "As for Bakugo-kun, as soon as he woke up he was called away by the principal."
"Really?"
"Dammit…" Bakugo Katsuki growled as he makes his way through a dark secluded corridor, away from prying eyes.
The rat principle can wait. He needed time to think. He was actually somewhat glad the principal called him away, he couldn't stand hanging around the Nurse's Office any longer. It was already humiliating enough that he lost to some extra. He didn't need some old hag and snake girl to help him recover either.
'How…? How, damnit?!' Bakugo slammed his fist against the wall, the hit echoing across the empty dark hall. "How could I fucking lose?!"
This was not how things were supposed to go! He was supposed to beat every one of these extras! He was supposed to win. He was supposed to beat Deku!
"Fuck!" He slams his fist against the wall again, and a sqlesh sound accompanies it as his knuckles began to bleed.
Bakugo glared down at his bleeding fist, offended that his own body is suggesting that he was weak.
"How…? How could I lose?" His voice chokes away in the end, and even tears threaten to break free but he holds out, snarling and grinding his teeth as he recounts his humiliating fight. He wasn't even able to go all out because that damn bitch kept jumping around.
That thought alone made Bakugo even angrier, a burning rage beginning to fill him from within. He just can't seem to grasp the situation; all his life he knew of his own superiority, of his own skills outclassing everyone else… But ever since he arrived at U.A. it's been nothing but disappointment and some long-overdue reality checks.
He's not the strongest. He's not the best. And how the hell can he become the greatest hero that ever lived if he's not either of those? He couldn't even win against some psycho mad scientist who wasn't even in the hero course!
And then, as if to add insult to injury, his phone began to ring in THAT ringtone.
"Hey, Katsuki~! Your phone's ringing~! Your phone's ringing~!" The ringtone said in that blackwing bastard's voice. "Hey, Katsuki~! Your phone's ringing~! Your phone's ringing~!"
Bakugo's eye twitched as he looked at his phone, gripping it with such force he felt it could break at any second.
"Hey, Katsuki~! Your phone's ringing~! Your phone's rin-" *beep*
"What?" Bakugo finally answered. It was a miracle he didn't yell at or blow up anything.
"{Hey. Saw the match. Sorry, you couldn't make it to the second round.}"
"Shut. Up!" Bakugo hissed.
"{Yikes. Close to a meltdown, huh? Can't blame you though. Still, it's not the end kid. Far from it. You can't let this drag you down. Try to learn from this.}"
Bakugo wanted to tell the bastard to go to hell, but he knew that already happened. "…Fine," he growled.
"{Good! Anyway, I gotta go. See ya later, Katsuki!}"
Midnight took middle stage once again. "The first round is done! Now, the remaining competitors will be matched up following the same pattern as the previous one, as you can see on the screen!" The R-Rated Hero said, the jumbotron displaying the next matches.
Round 1: Liana Kozuki vs Midoriya Izuku
Round 2: Shiozaki Ibara vs Asui Tsuyu
Round 3: Todoroki Shoto vs Hatsume Mei
Round 4: Yaoyorozu Momo vs Kendo Itsuka
With the next matches set, everybody watching was excited for what may have been the best Sports Festival in a long time, and they were dying to see who would win and take it all!
AN: FINALLY! Sorry that this chapter took far longer than it should've. A lot happened in this chapter and I'm not sure I got it all the way I wanted. At least now we've made it past the first round of the third event.
Trying to figure out each match was a little tricky since the only canon one was Shinso vs Izuku.
Ibara vs Kyoka was pretty obvious since Ibara could literally wrap her up like a Christmas present in vines within a second.
Tsuyu vs Ochako was a bit more tricky. On one hand, Ochako has Rook strength, and if she manages to use her Quirk the fight's over. On the other hand, Tsuyu has greater mobility and agility and can use her tongue to keep her distance.
Mina vs Todoroki was, again, pretty obvious, all things considered.
Bakugo's match was the trickiest. Obviously, he's not going to fall for whatever Hatsume says regarding her 'babies', but that didn't mean he was free from her grasp. I had originally intended on Hatsume giving the win to Bakugo, but then I realized that she might take the win just to show off her 'babies' some more. Either way, it be a miracle if U.A. still stands when Bakugo's anger surfaces.
Iida vs Momo, well, Momo has both lightning and her Quirk. All she had to do was make sure Iida slipped on something wet and he was done.
As for Kirishima vs Itsuka, well, Itsuka's classmates with Tetsutetsu, who's a clone of Kirishima in all but name, so she knows what to expect from him.
Anyway, I'll be taking a break now. Expect the next chapter in either January or February 2021. Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, and have a merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year. And a happy new year! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!