Sports Festival: II

She never would've thought she'd make it this far. Mina was sitting in one of the break rooms, patiently waiting her turn to go on stage. It was a little nerve-wracking, going toe-to-toe with UA's strongest freshmen. "I'll be fine; I made it this far, no turning back now."

"Of course not." Beside her, the most handsome boy and epitome of male physique, volunteered his shoulder as a pillow for the pinkette. "You are strong, not only in your muscles, but also your willpower and intelligence. You have blown through every challenge that has been thrown at you, and you have not given up."

"I love the words of encouragement, Charming, but I want information." She leaned further into him, pulling his chin to face her. "just tell me what that boy's quirk is; maybe you can get a reward~ Extra credit if you can tell me how it works."

"It is so hard to say no to you, my love." His smile betrayed the tired sigh escaping his lips. "I can tell you what his quirk is, but you will have to figure out the functionality of it, yourself."

"Mmm, I don't know~" Their faces were so close now, but Mina was determined.

"His quirk allows him to copy the quirks of others. I do not know how many he can use or for how long."

"Oof; I don't like that." The girl furrowed her brows. "Anything else you can tell me?"

"No."

"Oh c'mon!"

"Sorry; that would put you at an unfair advantage."

"How? I'm an open book. You think the other guy doesn't know how my quirk works?" she gestured over herself. "He's the one hiding secrets about hos quirk."

The boy sighed. "I guess you are right."

Mina stuck out her tongue, "Hehe. I'm very persuasive, don't ya know."

He smiled, "His quirk operates through touch; when he touches you, he is able to use your quirk as his own."

"Hmm~ That will do, Charming." She quickly pecked his lips, turning to the door. But Izuku had different ideas, pulling her on the couch.

"That is not enough, love." He smothered her in kisses, some short and quick pecks around her face, while he saved her lips for more passion. By the time he was done, both were out of breath, and the contestants were given a three-minute timer to find the arena.

"You sure know how to surprise me, Izuku." She got up and headed for the door, making sure to sway her hips. "Don't worry; your extra credit comes later, big boy."

Leaving the room, the pink girl headed to the arena with a triumphant smile on her face.

-0-

Neito was up first; of course he was, he needed to show those 1A scum who's truly the best class! As Midnight called the boy out onto the stage, excitement practically swallowed him. Everyone has their eyes on me; my greatness will be shown across the world! A grin spread on his face as he stopped right by the seductress.

"And on the other side," Present Mic continued with equal enthusiasm, "Her personality is as potent as her quirk! Don't let her pink skin deceive you, she's a monster in combat and one of her class's top fighters! I introduce to you; Mina Ashido, from class 1A!"

Neito smirked; a top student, huh? It'll be fun to steal your quirk. As the pink girl crossed the stage to meet Midnight and himself, he stuck out his hand, "Let's have a fair fight, Ashido-san."

She met his without a second thought, giving it a firm shake. "Sounds good ta me!" The boy felt the power entering his body. Sacrificing Kendo's quirk, he replaced it with this one.

He had already won.

"Monoma, are you ready?" Midnight asked with a twirl of her flog. She seemed to be making more a show of herself than the contestants.

What an attention-whore. "Yeah."

"And Ashido?"

The pink girl raised two thumbs, as if this wasn't giant crowd watching their fight. "All good here!"

Midnight stepped back to the edge of the arena, "Then let the first battle of this year's sports festival, begin!"

No sooner than the teacher blew her whistle, Neito immediately activated the pinky's quirk.

Only to be crippled by a searing pain all over his body. Dropping to the ground, he turned off the quirk, hoping it would stop the pain. It stopped the flow of acid, however the damage had already been dealt. His uniform had holes in it, through which he could see the burned skin. The boy looked at his hands, regretting his decision to copy the girl's quirk. He glanced up, finding that she wore a confident grin on her face. He only noticed now that she had a mischievous glint in her eyes. Uh oh.

"I think you should call out now; that burn needs some attention from Recovery Girl." Ashido was calm in approaching the boy. "It was kinda stupid to steal a quirk like mine."

Neito looked up to see the girl standing above him now.

"Give up?"

He strained a sigh, though it sounded more like a pained whimper. "Yeah, I yield."

She nodded, turning to the ref, "Hey, Midnight-sensei, bring a stretcher!"

"Monoma is unable to continue, Ashido wins!" After the announcement, their teacher went to tend to the boy, escorting the medical bots to him and allowing them to carry him out of the field.

Neito didn't hear much after that, his head was too occupied with the lingering pain. He watched as the light of the tunnel slowly faded away before he entered the school building and was turned towards the nurse's office.

-0-

"See that, folks? That is what sportsmanship is all about! A quick match indeed, what did I tell ya; the girl's quite the cunning little fox!" Mina wouldn't consider herself a fox per se, but the rest of Present Mic's words rang true for the most part. It was practically the only thing she could hear over the sound of thunderous cheering.

She may not have used her quirk much this round, but she used it plenty during the previous events. This was more a show of her cunning and trickery, and the crowd loved it.

"Next up is…" Mina didn't really pay much attention to the next duo coming on stage; she wanted to take a nap before the her next battle. That Monoma guy was fairly easy to understand and beat, but she was sure it wouldn't be that way forever.

Going back to her waiting room, she flopped on the sofa and watched the broadcast absent-mindedly. It seemed Eijiro was going against a metal dude from their sister-class; it was almost exactly like the boy's gardening quirk, making the fight entertaining to say the least.

I swear they are the same person.

Chivalry and manliness. The entire fight was just the both of them taking direct hits from each other and returning in kind.

As much as she wanted to cheer on her friend, she was too drained from the previous events and fell asleep before the match finished. I believe in you, Eijiro.

-0-

The only thing that separated them was their experiences. Eijiro noticed his opponent's movements were robotic in nature, like he knew the moves, but he lacked the fluidity in the motion. The redhead almost bad for the guy, until he remembered just why he was more experienced.

Never again.

The memory still stung. He trained his movement and fighting skill for the past month to avoid ever having to feel so helpless. Weightlifting was useful to build muscle, but he learned that there was more to fighting than just having mass. Between the incident and now, Eijiro had become one of the most efficient fighters in his class; he took training from both Yaoyorozu and Ojiro in different fighting styles. He even consulted the Jahaad twins, but their own styles were a little too advanced for him, so he stuck to the basics. Though he still preferred the manly boxing style.

To the crowd, it might've looked like he was just taking hits, but those hits were only going to areas that the boy was leaving open. This created openings in the metal boy's guard, allowing him to strike the vital points harder and more often.

Jab.

Block.

Jab. Miss.

Block.

Left hook.

Step back to lure him in.

Reenter.

Another hook.

This went on for a while; him tanking hits from his opponent, forcing the metal boy to focus on what he wanted. Then going in and attacking his open guard.

"Kirishima wins!" the lovely Midnight brought his hand up in the air, as he raised a fist in victory. It was not an easy fight by far; as much as the redhead had a step-up in combat skill, the other boy had more time to focus on his quirk. Eijiro looked out into the stands; the cheers coming from the crowd warmed his heart, but the only one he truly cared about came from a beautiful brunette with big eyes and pink cheeks.

Ochako's smile put him on cloud nine. Heading out of the arena, the redhead couldn't wipe that goofy grin off of his face. That girl is gonna be the death of me.

-0-

Shoto wasn't in the most outstanding mood.

First; he gets second place in the obstacle course to Bakugou.

Then, he unfortunately runs into his waste of a father, who proceeds to explain to the boy how he is the man's most prized possession and how he needs to win this event so that he can boast about it to All Might. The half-half boy wished he could just cut those ten minutes out of his life entirely.

The cavalry battle went by relatively easy, he was able to win by going after the small fry and earning the most points, all the while dodging Bakugou's attacks.

After that was lunch, which would be the poor boy's only form of calmness for the day. Sadly, that was also taken from him as soon as his classmate came by to talk to him.

"I do hope I am not bothering you, Todoroki-san." He went on about his wish for the boy to go easy on Ashido, his other classmate and apparently, the boy's woman.

He didn't really care, explaining that if the girl doesn't come ready to fight, it isn't his responsibility. He was going to win and show his father that he doesn't need hid fire.

"You know, Todoroki-san, if you continue to treat other people so coldly, you will become exactly as your father has." That nearly made the boy explode from rage.

"I am nothing like that man!"

"You are very cold towards other people, including your peers in class. It has nothing to do with your quirk or your father's; his personality is harsh and destructive. I fear that if you do not change yourself soon, you will become the same."

These words echoed in his mind throughout the remainder of his break. What had the boy hated so much about his father's quirk, aside from it coming from the old man? There were plenty of heroes with fire quirks and they all tended to be very nice people; their quirks sometimes even influenced their personality to be aggressively friendly.

He hated his old man because of what he did to their family; he was a shitty husband, a terrible father, an evil mentor. A horrible person.

I don't want to be that. Shoto wouldn't use his fire side today; he will use his ice just to spite his father, whether it cause him to win or lose, he didn't care.

However.

From today onwards, he will try to become a better person. It couldn't possibly be that hard to say a compliment every now-and-then. And in the process, he will start to train his fire; it is just like Izuku said, it wasn't the old man's fire, it was his.

He was currently thinking about their conversation when he was called back onto the stage for his second skirmish; his first fight was with Sero, and the poor boy was a terrible match for his superior firepower. He was hoping that this match would go about the same.

On the other side of the stage stood Ashido. Her pink skin and carefree persona could throw off many who would fight her, but those in class 1A knew better. Every muscle in her body ready for action; her attentive eyes pointed not directly at him, providing a false opening that many would fall for.

It was that same mistake that caused her first opponent to lose almost immediately.

He would not make that mistake.

Like his fight with Sero, he would freeze the girl, hopefully trapping her and winning the second match just as easily as the first.

As soon as Midnight's whistle sounded, a glacier appeared in the arena, and the pink girl was trapped.

Or so he thought.

It took a second, but the ice trapping her melted and Ashido stepped out, shaking and obviously peeved. "You could have killed me!"

"No, I specifically trapped you on a safe manner to which you would be unharmed." He stepped back, creating a few more feet between the two.

"Gosh! I might get a cold from this." The girl was trying to get him to lower his guard, but he wouldn't.

Stomping on the ground, Shoto released more ice towards her. And she shot acid in return, melting some and dodging others. She was slowly gaining ground, but he wasn't worried.

He knew he couldn't beat her at a range, as much as he wished he could. Her acid could negate his ice fairly easily, and she had incredible flexibility. As much as she was an incredible fighter and absolutely terrifying up close, she had less defense there.

The girl threw a punch, but instead if it contacting his face, it painfully collided with hard ice. His plan had worked; he formed a wall just as she got up close, protecting him and disorienting the girl.

In the next second, he pushed his ice as hard as he could, throwing the pinkette off stage and out of bounds. It was a gamble, but it turned to his favor. The sound of the finished battle allowed him to let out a sigh of relief.

Dispelling his ice, he moved to the downed girl and held out his hand. "That was a good fight, Ashido-san."

-0-

What's with this guy?

Usually, Todoroki was an unsociable loner. Saying Mina was confused was a little bit of an understatement. But who was she to judge?

Clasping his hand, she brought herself up. "Not too shabby yourself! I do wish I could have won though." She was so close, too!

"You almost had me; your quirk is a very good match against mine."

"What? Are you actually talking to me?" she was surprised with the first words, followed by his assistance, but he was still going.

"Yes. I have realized that I have been rather distant from my peers, and I have decided to attempt to correct my disrespectful behavior." The boy bowed his head, then left.

The girl also retreated from the arena. The sounds of cheers and Present Mic saying something about sportsmanship fading out the further she got from the entrance. She was so tired; that power nap did nothing for her. She needed actual rest, somewhere comfy.

And she knew just the place.

Reaching the stadium stands, she looked around for the unique uniform her school wore, moving to where the group sat. And in that mass, sat a very comfy spot. She hadn't even made it to Izuku before the boy smiled at her.

"Congratulations on tying third place, my love." His smile was infectious, making the girl giggle.

"Thanks, Charming; I couldn't've done it without you." Sitting down beside him, she rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm sooo tired."

He leaned back a little, letting the pink girl's head fall on his lap. His hand sank into her head, lightly scratching her scalp in a hypnotic motion. "Just relax for now; the next two battles have yet to commence, so you have quite some time until you are called to the podium." Mina loved it when the boy pampered her.

Leaning further into him, she sighed, "I forgot about the podium. Urgh, can I just stay with you?"

Izuku laughed, "You can, but I think that you will miss a big opportunity to gain attention from the heroes here. Not to mention your family, who I am sure are very proud of you." That brought the tired girl back to her senses.

"Wai-"

"I can already imagine the faces of Kitsu and Akari; they are most-likely watching the television right now, waiting for you to go on stage. You would not want to see them sad, right?"

"Are you seriously blackmailing me right now?!"

He leaned down, planting a kiss on her lips, "Perhaps; is it working?"

"Yes, but that kiss was a lot more persuasive." Mina giggled.

"Please cease the public displays of affection!" Iida wasted no time in draining the fun out of their intimate moment.

"Calm down, Iida; it's not like we're going in full tongue. We're just sharing a quick kiss."

"So wholesome! Much wow!" Kaminari perked up, followed by Sero's and Hagakure's laughter.

"I agree with Ashido in this, Iida-san." Yaomomo turned to face the couple, "However, I ask that you two refrain from pursuing anything further than that in public. I don't think everyone is so uncaring or unbothered as our peers."

"That's fine." The pink girl hugged the boy's waist, squeezing herself closer to him. "But this is my lap, and you can't take him away!"

Most of the class snickered, Izuku rubbed her back, "You heard the lady."

It didn't take long after that for Mina, along with the other winners, to be called onto the podium to receive their awards, announcing the end of the festival. The renowned guests left the stage, food carts and pop-up shops closed, and the students returned to their dorms to rest and recuperate. It was a long day for everyone.

But amongst the silence, some movement continued well into the night; bodies tangled up in a dance hidden by the darkness.

Hahaha! Another one done. I assume that you all understand how the next chapter will begin. I am not making an entire chapter out of it, and it will stay wholesome!

Also, I'm sure some of you are wondering why I make Izuku so strong right off the bat. I wanted this to be more of a progress of humanization, rather than quirk strength. I don't plan to narrate a lot of fights, as I want to focus closer on the relationships in the story.