Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PikachuSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI.
—
"Lady Satsuki?"
Inamuta looked to the Kiryuin heiress. Now he'd seen it all. She seemed as shocked as he was!
That strength was far greater than even she'd anticipated. Though she soon let a wry smile show, as Houka now didn't know what to think.
"You were watching, right?"
Inamuta snapped out of his daze to try and formulate some response.
"Um-uh Yes. I'll need to look at the data when we get back to Honnōji. This is a remarkable development!"
"Remember what I said about the eye test, Inamuta?" Satsuki asked.
"Of course, Lady Satsuki," Inamuta assured her.
"I think with everything we've seen so far today, this is only a small taste of what UA and Matoi might have to offer," the Kiryuin heiress surmised.
A few sections over, Mako was going absolutely nuts. She was throwing punches and kicks everywhere. That match was so exciting after Ryuko decked the floor with the other chick.
But keeping his composure was Aikuro Mikisugi, the Honnōji chaperone in full disguise. Behind his glasses, his eyes widened but not necessarily in shock. He was delighted and ecstatic beyond belief!
'My word! Matoi, you've far surpassed the expectations I had for you already, that's for certain,' the teacher ruminated. 'You've made me proud, and I'm sure your father would be too.'
The Kamui wielder continually proved her worth. Maybe she had earned some more answers, but not everything quite yet.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"YES! Ryuko won!" Both Mako and Izuku simultaneously shouted and shot out of their seats, pumping their fists into the air as the crowd cheered for the victor.
The term excitement was common to the greenette whenever he'd fawn over a pro hero or All Might, but seeing Ryuko's victory was a special case. When he saw her come into view in the waiting stands, he bolted from his position.
"Ryuko! Congrats on-!" He stopped himself in his tracks, hunched over with open arms. He was about to hug her again.
"O-Oh! Hey Izuku!" Ryuko knew what he was doing, and that knowledge set a red blaze in her cheeks. Her body, however, did not try to back away from him.
"A-Ahem, c-congrats on winning! That was amazing. I-I-"
While everyone else celebrated, Jirou sat and focused more on Momo.
'So, that's what got Momo all worked up? All because of Ryuko? I knew she mentioned Ryuko was in a gang, but I never knew it was that bad.'
While Yaoyorozu was walking back into the tunnels, Matoi's words were playing on loop in her head. What did she mean by that? All this time, she had been holding a grudge against her. Could it be that she was projecting her problems onto Matoi?
Once the front-banged girl was out of sight, Kyouka turned over to the others as they talked amongst themselves and welcomed Ryuko back. She then set her sights on Izuku.
'Whatever this Kanto gang fiasco is, I'd better talk to Midoriya about it.'
"RYUUUUUKOOOOOOOOO!"
The two turned their heads to the familiar voice that carried such a volume that it rivaled Present Mic. What they saw next was a row of people performing what looks to be a reverse wave. Once it came closer, it was revealed to be none other than Mako Mankanshoku, who was hopping over the crowd like a wild bunny.
"Ow!"
"Hey!"
"Who the hell?!"
"Ryuko! Ryuko! Ryuko!"
"WHOAA! Looks like someone's crowd surfing!" Present Mic fixed his eyes on the brunette.
"Is that…?" Izuku wondered.
Using the last person as a rocket pad, Mako launched herself up to the wall and began to scale it. How did she stick to it? Only the Lord above knows. She finally reached the railing where the 1-A seating stands were and climbed over it.
"Mako?!" Both Izuku and Ryuko gasped.
"RYUUKOOOOO!"
Mako jumped from the railing and hurled straight towards Ryuko, who caught the girl by the back of her collar.
"Holy crap! Hey Mako!"
"Bleh! Congrats on winning Ryuko!" Mako strained from being strangled by gravity before wrapping her arms and legs around her best friend. "That was so cool how you kicked butt without using Senketsu!"
Izuku felt an irk strike him in the chest. The feeling seemed to worsen whenever he'd look at Mako and Ryuko. He turned away quickly. What was his deal? Was he feeling jealous?
"C'MERE YOU!" Mako wrapped her other arm around Izuku and pulled him into the embrace with Ryuko.
"I heard you cheering Ryuko on too," She cooed with a wink.
"Y-Yeah! Umm…Ryuko! Uh! I don't want to sound selfish but…thank you for winning. Seeing what you did down there really helped me a lot," Izuku's cheeks turned a warm red as he tapped his fingers together.
The red streaked girl's cheeks also glowed beat red from the earnest words she received. Before she could respond…
"Excuse me! Young lady! Class 1-A loves their fans but they don't appreciate them jumping into their stands!" Mic then turned over to Aizawa. "How did nobody stop her from getting up there?"
The bandaged hero only shrugged. He too was curious, but since it looked like she was a friend of Matoi's, he let it slide.
"1-A? What's that?" Mako pondered.
"Mako! Hey!" Kaminari called out.
"What up, chipmunk!" Jirou waved.
"I said hello before, but it seems you didn't hear me," Iida said, deadpanned.
"OHH! Hey guys!" The brunette happily waved back to them.
"Please step away from the students and wait for an es-"
"Hey there! Excuse me!"
The two teachers' eyes followed the voice that called out to them, revealing a hunched over, scruffy blue haired man down on the nearby stairwell. But Izuku, Mako, and Ryuko knew him as Mr. Mikisugi.
"Sorry! I'm a supervisor from Honnōji Academy! I went to the restroom for one moment and she sprung into action! Didn't mean for her to cause any trouble! If you'll be so kind as to let me get her, I'll keep her out of your guys' hair!"
Hizashi turned over to Shota while covering the microphone with his hand.
"This guy says he's from Honnōji! Seems kinda fishy," The blonde whispered cautiously.
"Nezu gave the go ahead for them to take a field trip here and watch the Sports Festival. Did you forget? You can see Satsuki Kiryuin sitting right over there," Shota responded tiredly, before pointing out the student council president.
"They may be batshit crazy, but they know they're in our territory. They won't cause any trouble here, especially during an event like this," He reassured Hizashi.
Present Mic nodded, trusting his colleague.
"We'll allow it! Can we get someone to escort him to the stands to pick up the other student?"
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Mikisugi to retrieve Mako. When they left, he flashed a thumbs up and wink to Ryuko, which made her eyes roll. But she smiled regardless. Soon after, she and Izuku went back to conversing as usual.
"I knew you were strong, Ryuko. But I didn't expect to see you take blunt objects to the face and walk off like nothing happened. It's actually pretty scary," Izuku shook as he said that.
"Well, I owe a lot of that to the guy who punched me nonstop during our training," Ryuko noted.
"MIDORIYA IS COMMITTING DOMESTIC ABUSE?! YET HE'S THE ONE SWIMMING WITH BABES? I HAVE THE UTMOST RESPECT FOR WOMEN, AND-"
He got the Grape Treatment™, and now Mineta was slumped into his seat out cold.
Moving on from that little rant, Iida turned his attention to Midoriya with a curious, but also suspicious glance.
"Is that true, Midoriya? Did you go overboard on Matoi during training?"
"N-No! I-I mean… yeah I did, but-"
"Guys, I'm just joshing! Izuku never meant to hurt me," The Kamui wielder laughed as she wrapped her arm around Izuku's shoulder and ruffled his hair, letting Tenya breathe a sigh of relief.. "I told him to do it."
"Oh good- Wait what?"
Midoriya laughed as Matoi continued to pull the speedster's leg, but something caught his eye. In the seat beside him, there was a beverage sitting where Ochako had been. He looked over to the hallway entrance and assumed she had got up and left. Was she going to the waiting room? How come she didn't say anything?
"Guys, I'll be right back," Midoriya stood up and began walking towards the exit.
"Midoriya? Wait! Something wrong?" Iida tried to ask. But by then, Izuku had already went into the hallway.
If the greenette's suspicions were correct, Uraraka probably went into the waiting rooms alone to take a breath before her fight against Kacchan. He understood that feeling as even he would be on edge if he had to fight him again.
-Waiting Room 2-
Ochako had her fists wrapped together, with her pinkies sticking out, all while twiddling her thumbs. Her mind was free to wander outside of her head as she had this big empty room all to herself. But even with all of that space, she still felt trapped in what felt like a chamber of hot air. Since she was fighting against Bakugo of all people, it might as well be.
"Uraraka? How're-OHMYGOSH!" Izuku screamed after opening the door.
The girl's face was unsettling, to say the least. Her eyebrows were narrow, her pupils were shrunk, and her smile was crooked. Not to mention that she was shaking in her seat.
"W-W-What happened to your face? You look scary!"
"My face?" Ochako rubbed her eyes a bit before sighing.
"Oh, Oh gosh… N-No, it's nothing. I guess I'm not good at hiding how nervous I am."
"Yeah, I get that. It's Kacchan after all."
"Yep, and I've seen how violent he can get. Especially around you," The girl chuckled half-heartedly. "It kinda scares me."
She began to grip her wrist. There was an uncomfortable irk that ached while it mildly wiggled under her hand. Izuku noticed this especially, as it was a similar feeling that he would feel when stressed out.
"But after seeing yours and Matoi's matches, it really helped me feel a bit better. Seeing you two kick butt has got my blood pumping," Ochako said with a smile, which made Izuku chuckle lightly.
"That's a good mindset to have. Especially since Kacchan's not going to be holding anything back," Izuku acknowledged, which made the brunette squirm and whimper in her seat out of fear.
"It's not going to be an easy fight. Everyone's trying to get to the top, including him."
Izuku stopped for a moment and pursed his lips. His social anxiety clawed at him, but he pushed it down and faced her.
"You've helped me so much. I want to return the favor."
He then pulled up his notebook in front of Ochako as a sort of offering.
"I have a plan on how you could use your quirk against Kacchan. It's not much, but I put a lot into it."
Ochako's eyes lit up upon receiving this. Even when she and her classmates were all fighting to win, he was still willing to lend her a hand when he thought she needed it most. The room around her suddenly felt a lot more open, like she could breathe again.
She dragged her fingers across her forehead and through her bangs as an apologetic smile formed on her face.
"Thank you so much for doing that. But…no. Sorry," She declined.
"Huh? What?" Izuku asked in disbelief.
"You're wonderful, Deku. Seeing you just kept reminding me of that over and over again today. During the cavalry battle, I said that teaming up with the people you like the most was the best thing to do. But after hearing Iida say he was going to give it his all to beat you…I felt embarrassed for myself," Ochako said dejectedly as she lowered her head towards the table, her locks of hair obstructing the view of her eyes.
"It got me thinking that I was relying too heavily on you. You and Matoi showed in the first two matches how hard you've been working. And all I've done is ride your coattails."
Izuku did nothing but stare at the bangs that covered Ochako's face, as if he tried to look past them and see her. Because he knew what she said wasn't true at all!
"You're wrong, Uraraka. You've worked just as hard as any of us have. Your quirk was one of the reasons why we were able to get second place during the cavalry battle. You're strong on your own. I know for a fact that the others would say that too."
He looked at her as if her words were absolutely foolish, yet he still wanted to comfort her all the same. All she did was lift her head up and look at Izuku with one of the warmest smiles he had seen.
"I thought that'd be something you say on the off chance I told you this at any other time. Which is why I'm putting those feelings off for now. I don't like how they've been bringing me down. I want to have a fire in my heart, just like you and Matoi. We're all rivals in this after all."
Ochako stood up from her seat and gave Izuku a thumbs up. She was shaking, but her grin never wavered.
"I'll see you in the finals," She declared, her words filled with a sense of vigor.
Izuku nodded before returning the same expression.
"You got this, Uraraka. Do your best."
"Thank you, Deku."
While they were just wrapping up their talk, the door opened up, revealing Tenya and Ryuko.
"O-Oh, Iida, Ryuko. What's up?" Izuku asked.
"We saw you come down here without saying anything, and that Uraraka was gone," Tenya answered.
"Since you are about to go up against Katsuki, our… uhh…natural friendship instincts, as Mako would call it, kicked in. We thought you'd want the extra support," Ryuko added while placing her knuckles on her hips confidently.
Both Izuku and Ochako chuckled at the comment. Even for the short amount of time they knew her, Mako seemed to have a knack for lightening the mood.
"Thank you guys, but I'm okay. I was just a little bit scared because I have to face Bakugo for my first match."
"That is understandable. It's definitely not going to be an easy match," Iida responded.
"He can't even take a punch. You got this, Uraraka! Do me a favor and kick his ass," Matoi shouted.
Uraraka laughed once more before stepping over towards the door.
"I'll do my best. Wish me luck, guys."
With minutes to spare, the trio jogged back to the stands and got into their seats. They eagerly watched as Ochako walked across the grass field and onto the concrete platform. There was still shakiness visible in her movement, but she continued to march on.
"Get ready folks! Because this is the fifth match!"
"On the left we have the bubbly floating girl, Ochako Uraraka! Who I am personally rooting for!"
The brunette's brows were furrowed and didn't move an inch. She was maintaining absolute focus in this fight.
"On the right we have the hotshot Katsuki Bakugo! Oooh, get a look at that ugly mug!"
For his first match, Katsuki actually maintained a proper posture; He stood up straight and kept his hands loosely parallel to his body. Everything seemed normal except for one thing. His face. While his angry looking eyes were something to be expected, his lips were puckered while also baring his teeth. This overall gave a very strange expression that nobody knew what to identify it as.
"...Why is his face like that? Do his lips not ache?" Iida asked with concern.
"I still haven't figured out if Kacchan has constipation or not…" Izuku pondered, which made Ryuko literally begin wheezing in laughter.
"Let's get the fifth match going! 3! 2! 1! BEGIN!"
Not even a second after the countdown, Uraraka pushed hard off of the ground and sprinted towards Bakugo. Her feet kicked up bits of concrete in her mad dash.
"Holy cow, she's already going off!" Matoi's eyes widened, elated that she was taking the initiative.
"That's a good start! All she needs to do is touch him one time and knock him out of bounds!" Midoriya enthusiastically raised his fist.
"It won't be that easy. Bakugo's not going to let her get that close to him," Iida remarked.
"Right. So instead of dodging, he'll be focusing entirely on counterattacks."
Katsuki clenched his right hand and reared it back once Ochako got close.
"Time to die."
Remembering the battle trial, Ochako recognized his right hook and prepared to duck and end this. But she was met with an explosion to the face as Katsuki performed an underhanded sweep that caught her by surprise.
But there was an advantage to this, as now he couldn't see her among the smoke. Thinking on her feet, Uraraka undid her jacket and tossed it towards Bakugo as a decoy. Her plan was successful as he took the bait and blasted her jacket. With the moment of opportunity, she popped out from behind him and lunged at him with her palm ready to make him float.
Bakugo turned around and blasted her immediately, sending the girl back a few meters. The gap between them widened again.
"He's fast," Ryuko commented plainly.
"Whoa! She used her jacket as a diversion! Very quick thinking! But too bad it wasn't quick enough to beat those reflexes!"
What followed next were multiple trials of Ochako trying to attack, only for Katsuki to continue blowing her away without mercy. His attacks were relentless to the point that she couldn't catch herself anymore and collided into the ground.
"I can't watch anymore of this!" Kyouka shielded her eyes with her hands, with Izuku being nearly on the same boat. His wrist conjured the familiar ache from before and his breathing was shaky. He knew what it was like to be on the opposite end of Kacchan's wrath, but he found it especially difficult to watch it happen to someone else. Someone that he cared about.
More of their classmates expressed fear for Uraraka's well-being. Ryuko, on the other hand, remained silent and kept watching.
Pro heroes in the stands shared similar reactions, some even calling out to Cementoss to step in and stop the fight before things got worse.
"What a shameful display," A pro hero growled before standing from his seat, "Listen up, punk! If you really want to be a hero, then stop acting like a damn bully and send her out of bounds!"
His words fell on deaf ears as Bakugo continued to unleash his attacks whenever Uraraka charged at him.
"Stop toying with her and end this match!"
"Yeah, you heard the guy!"
"This is the bastard child that scored top at the entrance exams?!"
"I bet he knocked a few students down in order to secure the points for himself!"
For the second time that day, the audience was thrown into a frenzy. They were bashing Bakugo left and right, some even considering that he'd be thrown out of the hero course. Ryuko smiled, feeling satisfied for the world to finally see Katsuki for who he was.
"Looks like the crowd is now booing Bakugo! Can't say that I blame them though! He-"
-CRACK-
Aizawa struck Mic in his right cheek before taking the microphone out of his hand.
"Oww! Hey! What the crap?!"
"Where is the man who started this uproar? Are you a pro? Because if you're being serious, you can go home and hang up your cape. I'd suggest looking into another career."
The ranting from the audience stopped dead in their tracks once Aizawa scolded them. What he said was something that nobody seemed to comprehend, not even his students.
"Bakugo's fierceness is an acknowledgment of his opponent's strength. He knows she deserves to have made it this far, so he's making sure he does whatever it takes to keep her at bay and come out on top."
"Wow…I never really thought of it like that," Tenya mulled over what his teacher said. The rest of the class, as well as the entire audience began to do the same. Ryuko sighed heavily, feeling annoyed that she had to take Katsuki's side for the first time in her life.
"As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. In a fight, no matter where you are, you can't afford to get soft and let your guard down. It'll just get you killed. We might be friends here, but remember we're still fighting tooth and nail to get to the top."
While the crowd settled down, Uraraka regained her form and stared at Bakugo intensely. Thanks to the battle not being called off early, she could now execute her plan. Uraraka let out a primal yell before pressing her fingers together. What followed next was a hailstorm of concrete now falling towards Bakugo.
The crowd took notice of the falling debris that fell from the sky, shocking everyone at the sight of a meteor shower raining down above them.
"So she's been using his explosions to build up ammunition in the air! I get it now! It's a good thing they didn't stop the fight here. This is excellent data!" Inamuta fawned and typed into his datapad.
Satsuki however, had a resting scowl on her face. It wasn't directed towards the fight itself, but rather the pro heroes that protested against Bakugo's actions.
"Pigs. This is the truth of human nature. The system has them coddled up like slaves in a carriage. They'll cry wolf at the slightest inconvenience. But not all. Even in a dense herd of sheep, wolves will rise. And with it comes the pack," Satsuki then fixed her gaze on Ryuko from across the stadium, "You understand. Right, Matoi?"
"For the strength of the pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the pack. That is the law of the jungle."
With a literal meteor shower over Bakugo's head, Uraraka had this in the bag! Even if he tried to dodge or counterattack, she had an opening to finally beat him. As expected, he lifted his arms up to prepare an explosion.
'This is it! This is my shot! I'll win and be just like Deku and Matoi!'
-BOOOOOOOM!-
Bakugo released an explosion that blew all of his previous ones out of the water, completely annihilating the shower of rocks as if they were nothing. The whiplash from the blast sent Ochako off of her feet and back onto the floor.
"Bakugo bangs out a huge demonstration of power! He completely blasted Uraraka's finishing move and remains untouched!"
But that wasn't completely true. The blonde's hands began to pulse and ache, as that took nearly everything he had to destroy the chunks of rocks. With that out of the way, he took things up a notch and faced Uraraka head on. She stood up to attack again, only to fall back down.
"Uraraka is down!"
"Uraraka…" Izuku's voice trembled.
Ochako tried to crawl. She wanted to keep the fight going, but there was nothing left in the tank. That last attack completely sapped the last bit of her strength.
Midnight walked onto the platform and checked her pulse before declaring that the brunette was out of commission. Bakugo won.
"Damn," Ryuko clutched her knees and turned her eyes away. Realistically, she knew Bakugo was going to win and advance onto the second round. But she wanted her friend to win. There was a lot that she was fighting for, and Ryuko wanted her to get the chance.
Once the brunette was carried off to Recovery Girl's office, Kirishima's match against Tetsutetsu was next. The redhead was a bit uneasy due to seeing Uraraka getting ragdolled, but he declared that he would win this match in her honor and walked off in stride.
"Do you guys think she'll be alright?" Ryuko asked, which drew attention from Tenya and Izuku. "There was a lot riding on this for her and…I can't help but worry."
"I understand how you're feeling. As her friend and Class representative, I'm worried too."
"Yeah. Recovery girl won't take long to heal her. I'm going to go check up on her. Do you guys want to come with me?" Izuku asked as he stood up.
Both Tenya and Ryuko gave the thought a onceover for a brief moment.
"Yeah, I'll come with you!" Ryuko declared.
"At first I wasn't sure, but I think Uraraka will feel better knowing that all of us are coming to support her. We have plenty of time since I imagine that the fight between Kirishima and Tetsutetsu will drag on for a while," Iida spoke before standing alongside the two.
With that, the three made their way down to Waiting Room 2. Once they arrived, Izuku reached for the doorknob before Iida stopped him.
"Remember, everyone. Uraraka might be taking this loss to heart. However we approach her, it must be taken with great care and sensitivity."
Both Izuku and Ryuko nodded to Iida and then to each other before the greenette slowly opened the door.
"Hey, Uraraka-"
"MAN! I lost! Too bad!" The brunette exclaimed.
"Huh?" The trio collectively wondered before Midoriya cleared his throat.
"Wow, you're looking upbeat as usual. Recovery Girl must have been on turbo, huh?"
"Yeah. She actually made sure not to take too much of my stamina! So I've still got some cuts and bruises," Uraraka said before her face scrunched up and her hands tightened into fists.
"MAN! Bakugo wiped the ring with me! I didn't know he'd be THIS strong! I gotta get back to training!"
Silence engulfed the room, as the trio didn't know how to respond.
"You're…sure you're alright? Recovery Girl made sure to heal any loose gears in your head?" Matoi asked with a raised brow.
"Totally!" Uraraka responded with seemingly no doubt in her voice.
Her pink flip phone began to vibrate in her hand, which read "Daddy" on the small screen. The brunette then tucked it away.
"Even if you lose, you always gotta keep looking ahead to what comes next. That just means I need to work harder from now on," She said, melancholy.
"That's true. But we still wanted to be sure you were doing alright. You were amazing out there, Uraraka. You almost beat Kacchan!" Izuku cheered on.
Ochako giggled softly and followed up with a light sigh. In her mind, a wall abruptly popped in between her and her friends. What was that? Could it be her trying to prevent appearing vulnerable? She could easily take the compliment and move on. But her feelings wouldn't allow it. She didn't want to.
The wall lowered. These were her friends that wanted to help her.
"Nah, it wasn't that close. I wasn't even that good and I was too hasty towards the end. I never even had a backup plan if my big move didn't work."
Her hand pressed onto the table and slid down its surface, the wrist tensing up until Uraraka's palm ran off the edge.
"I failed," Ochako's voice trembled.
"You lost, Uraraka. But you definitely did not fail. Kacchan often considers himself better than others and fights recklessly. But you forced him to stay on the defensive. He was cautious, because he knew what you could do."
"Heh, that is pretty cool. But… I wish I could have gone further in the festival with you guys. I wanted to test myself against different kinds of opponents. The pros… I was barely able to show what I was made of," Ochako lowered her head and faced the table.
"That's not true."
Izuku pulled up a chair beside the brunette, drawing her eyes towards him.
"Uraraka, you showed a lot of amazing things in that fight; Throwing your jacket as a diversion in the smoke? Gathering all of the destroyed concrete and making them all float without anyone noticing? You did all of that in the match! That was so cool!"
Ryuko noticed that Izuku was taking the initiative in comforting Ochako and sprung an idea. She walked towards the door and quietly opened it while grabbing Tenya's arm in the process. At first he was confused, but followed her outside.
"Matoi? What's going on?" He asked as she closed the door quietly.
"Alright, hear me out on this, but I know that Izuku's been totally crushing on Uraraka."
"Really? How'd you find out?"
"How could I not? I saw the way he's been looking at her whenever she talks about hero stuff. It's so cute," Ryuko giggled.
"Well, I suppose it is possible. They do get along very well. It's noble that you're helping him with this. Though, I can't be surprised given how close the two of you are," Tenya adjusted his glasses and smiled lightly.
"Yeah…" Ryuko spoke quietly and pressed her back against the wall. The sensation that plagued her being reared its ugly head once again. This time, it made her unconsciously lean her head closer towards the door.
"The fact that you can come up with all of that even with the odds stacked against you is amazing. That's what Aizawa saw when he scolded the pros that were booing Kacchan. That should be enough to show them."
"Show them what?" Ochako asked as her hopeful gaze met Izuku's.
The greenette smiled for a moment, reminiscing about something.
"That you, Ochako Uraraka, are going to be one of the best heroes the world will ever see. I know you're going to become just that. So dry your tears, dust your pants off, and keep showing the world what you're made of."
A few sniffles could be heard from the brunette as the dams in her eyes began to burst. She reached her arms out and wrapped them around Izuku. He was a bit surprised by the reaction, but he welcomed it and returned her embrace with his very own. As Ochako sobbed, Izuku sniffed as well, his eyes filling up with tears. But he closed them with a warm smile, letting them run down his cheeks.
This was exactly what Ryuko told him when he was having his struggles. And now he was using that wisdom to help someone else. This is what he wanted since the beginning, when he wanted to become a hero.
After a moment of comfort, Ochako's tears finally stopped before she released Izuku and wiped her eyes.
"I'm really sorry, Deku. I didn't mean for you to see me like that, and to get your shoulder dirty."
"Hehe, come on, Uraraka. We're friends here. Plus, I got sick of you guys always seeing me cry. Consider it an equivalent exchange," Izuku joked as they both started laughing.
"You wanna come back up to the stands? We still have plenty of matches to watch before -gulp- my first fight of the second round. Can't I ever start later?" Izuku slumped over as he stood up from his seat, which made Ochako giggle again.
"Oh, wait. My dad called me earlier and I didn't answer! Let me call him back real quick and then I'll meet with you, alright?" The brunette attempted to grab her phone, only for it to slip out of her hands. She scrambled to grab it out of the air before finally catching it.
"Sure thing. I'll wait for you outside."
"By the way… Umm… Deku."
Izuku's hand stopped mere inches from the door handle.
"Thank you. What you said really helped me today. You're a really good friend. And… Umm," Ochako began to blush at what she was about to suggest.
"You can start calling me by my first name from now on."
Izuku's cheeks were flushed red after hearing Ochako grant him that kind of permission. First name basis with the girl he likes? Could he actually have a chance?
"O-Oh, right. Sure thing, Er…O-Ochako. And, umm, you can call me by my f-first name too."
"R-Right!" Ochako nodded. "I'll catch up with you later, I-Izuku."
The greenette walked outside and quickly noticed his two friends that waited for him.
"O-Oh! Hey guys! Wait… Were you both out here the whole time? Wait-When did you get out here?"
"I snuck us out while you were playing hero for Uraraka," Ryuko snickered.
"W-Wha?! Wait… You told…" He exclaimed as quietly as possible.
"Yes, Midoriya. I know about your situation with Uraraka. And I'm rooting for you," The speedster gave two stiff thumbs ups with a dashing smile. Izuku could have sworn he saw his teeth shine.
"Sheesh… You just couldn't keep it between us, could you, Ryuko?" The foliage haired teen hunched over in defeat.
"C'mon, we're your friends. Iida would have found out regardless. Also, it looks like you were successful," The red streaked teen coyly pointed out the tear stains on his shoulder.
"A-Ah, come on!" Izuku covered himself up and continued to blush madly.
While Izuku was being teased by Ryuko like usual, Ochako managed to get a hold of her father on the phone.
"Hi daddy! Sorry for not picking up earlier. Had a few things come up," Ochako spoke while continuing to stand.
"Oh no, it's fine! I'm sorry for calling during such a busy time. You must have a lot on your plate. Your mom and I just saw your match on TV. You almost won! You were so amazing!" Her father responded.
"Nahh, to be honest, I could have been better. I should have tried to come up with a backup plan in case that one didn't work. But, thank you, dad. It means a lot to hear you say that," The girl responded somewhat melancholy.
"You might have lost, but you still have a shot at becoming a pro hero. After what we saw, they'd be crazy not to see what you achieved in that match."
The brunette giggled softly and smiled.
"Yeah. But, there's so much more that I know I can show them. This isn't over. I'm going to do what I can. You and mom have done so much for me. I-I want to give back to you two as soon as I can when I become a pro hero."
"Hey now! You don't need to be in such a hurry. Hearing that from you is enough for us to know that you're going to be an amazing hero, Ochako. One of the best of the best."
Ochako could feel tears swelling in her eyes again, along with sniffles coming from her nose. But this time, she did her best to hold it in, which her father could spot right away.
"There, there, Ochako."
"S-Sorry. It's just that…someone told me that too when they were helping me after I lost. I definitely wasn't ready to have my spirits raised like that again," She began to giggle, which stifled a laugh out of her father.
"Is that so? That just gives us relief that you have people that you can count on over there. But just know that we're proud of you. Keep going at your own pace, alright? We'll be fine. Now you should get to watching the matches. Have fun, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah. You're right," Ochako wiped her eyes as her smile came back. "Love you, dad."
"Love you too, sweetie."
The brunette finally hung up her phone and inhaled, taking in the words that both her dad and Izuku said to her. Her journey to become a hero was not over. This was just the beginning, and she was going to see it through to the end.
..~~~HLK~~~..
"Looks like we have a double knockout! Once they recover, this draw will be settled with good-ol'-fashioned arm wrestling! Stay tuned for that!"
"Seriously? We waited nearly 20 minutes just for a draw?" Jiro scoffed and lazily rested her head in her hand.
"Well, it's about what you'd get in a fight between two similar quirks," Midoriya responded.
"I'm surprised. I thought you'd be ecstatic over this, Midoriya," Iida commented.
"Yeah, you look just as bored as we do," Ryuko followed up.
"The fight basically went how I would expect it to, so it was more of a waiting game for me."
"Wow! Talk about thinking ahead," The gang thought in unison as they stared at the greenette.
"In that case, it looks like we're up next, Iida," Jirou rose from her seat and stretched her arms.
"I'll see you down there. Good luck, Jirou," Iida responded.
-A few minutes later-
"We're just about finished with the first round of the fights! Here's to hoping we get to close it off with a rousing finale! First we have the girl that secured a top two spot for Team Midoriya with her wiiiiICKED earphone jacks! Kyouka Jirou!"
Kyouka took a step on the platform to let herself be seen by the world.
"Next we have the speedster, who is also 1-A's class rep! Tenya Iida!"
On the opposite end, Tenya took his place in the arena with the crowds cheering him and his opponent on.
"3! 2! 1! BEGIN!"
With no time to waste, Iida made a mad dash towards Jirou in hopes of catching her off guard. She anticipated this and waited until he was close enough before baring her jacks. Once Iida got into place, he was met with a jack soaring towards him with the intention of striking his leg.
Pushing off of his feet, he weaved to the side to dodge the oncoming projectile and continued to do so.
Borrowing the analysis tactic from Midoriya, Jiro remembered that Iida's recipro-burst was a move he had limited use of. He already exhausted it completely during the cavalry battle. So, maybe she would have a shot at hitting him since he wouldn't risk using it and leave himself open.
Iida also acknowledged this. If he were matched up against someone like Shiozaki, he probably would have had to use recipro-burst to dodge all of the vines. With only two projectiles to focus on, he just needed to wear the purplette down until he had a window.
Whenever Jiro sent her jack after him, Iida would dodge and run circles around her. But whenever Iida attempted to intercept her with his speed, she kept him at bay with her ranged attacks. This match was a matter of endurance and who could tough it out, and who would be the first to slip up.
It seemed that the match was going nowhere and was dragging on with no end in sight. Both of the contestants knew they had to take a risk if they were going to finish this. Jiro began to walk in whichever direction that directly faced Iida as he ran towards her to close the gap between her jacks and him.
With more room to grab, Jiro attempted to lace her jacks around Iida's limbs in order to briefly stall him and secure a blow to his legs. The speedster began zig zagging around Jiro and was forced to make even sharper turns to avoid the strikes. If this kept up, he was going to slip and fall onto the pavement.
Iida skidded onto the ground, drifting around Jiro to get right behind her. Good. She wasn't able to react in time. He stretched his arms out and began pushing her towards the edge. Jiro stuck one of her jacks into his left leg to stop him, but it was already too late.
Iida tumbled onto the ground in pain as the purplette was standing outside of the ring
"Jiro is out of bounds! Iida is the winner!"
"Whoa, that was a lot closer than I thought!" Midoriya once again leaned onto the railing to get a closer look. Nothing else was able to contain his excitement other than the metal bar that kept him from falling into the grass.
"Yeah. Jiro actually held her own a lot better than expected. Especially against someone like Iida of all people," Tsuyu added while placing her finger to her chin.
"Must be nice to have been able to get to the finals thanks to being on Midoriya's team," Mineta scowled while Tsuyu prepared to slap him with her tongue.
"No, come on now. Jiro got here all on her own. I can't say thank you enough to the ones that were willing to join my team, given the circumstances," Izuku spoke, which inadvertently saved Mineta from certain death.
"Ochako, Tokoyami, and Jirou. I wouldn't have gotten where I am without them. They all worked as hard as I did."
Initially, there was no response. But smiles soon made their way on a few faces. Ochako and Tsu were one of the bunch as they appreciated Izuku's gratitude to his peers and wasn't one to try and hog the spotlight (intentionally). Fumikage even shared the same expression as he now knew that his efforts really meant a lot to Izuku.
"Your words mean a lot, Midoriya. Thank you. I still think you would have made a fine class president," Fumikage responded warmly, which made Izuku perk up and gasp inwardly.
The others began giving Izuku pats on the back, while Minoru sat in silence, thinking about something else in particular.
"Is it just me or did MIDORIYA JUST SAY URARAKA'S FIRST NAME?"
..~~~HLK~~~..
"We're finally at the end of the first round! Who's booking their ticket to round two?"
"In the one corner, we have the shockingly strong knight of Darkness, Fumikage Tokoyami!"
"And his opponent and fellow classmate will melt you away if you're not careful! Literally! From Class 1-A, IT'S MINA ASHIDO!"
"So," Ochako paused as she looked down below, "Who do you have winning this match, Izuku?"
"Uh!" He sputtered for a quick second. The inheritor remembered they both were going to call each other by their first names.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought for a second," Izuku responded as the fight started. "It's unfortunately not much of a contest. Tokoyami has this."
"C'mon Midoriya!" Mineta rolled his eyes. "You think that a babe like Ashido doesn't-"
"Ashido is out of bounds! Tokoyami advances to the second round!"
Minoru was stunned silent as Izuku gave him a shit-eating grin.
"Told ya!~" He whimsically noted. After what Mineta did earlier, it felt good to see him be shut down so quickly.
"If we ever go to Las Vegas, we're bringing Midoriya so we know how to win the games," Kaminari noted, as a few of the students started to laugh.
"Hey c'mon!" Ashido huffed as she made it back to her seat. "I know I lost, alright?"
Jirou chuckled, though she understood where Mina stood.
"It wasn't about that, Ashido. It's just that Midoriya basically predicted how all the fights would go. They only want to use him as a human calculator to win money."
"Also," she pointed a jack at Minoru, "I think he broke Mineta."
The grape haired boy sat there silently, mouth agape as he stared off into the distance.
"PFFT! Dang Midoriya! Whaddya do?" Mina inquired.
Before he could answer, Mic came over the intercom to announce a short break before a prompt start to the second round.
"I'll have to tell you later. I'm going to head down to my Waiting Room. Wish me luck!"
With Izuku out of sight, everyone started chatting amongst themselves. Matoi hummed with her eyes closed as she'd be up right after him.
'He's got a plan to beat Todoroki. I'll be shocked otherwise.'
Uraraka stood up from her seat unannounced, which caught the Kamui wielder's attention.
"What's up, Uraraka?"
"I think I'm actually going to check up on him. After what happened in the waiting room, and the lunch room, I'm worried about what he's feeling right now. Ya know, since he's going to actually fight Todoroki," the brunette held her hands close to her chest.
"UH!"
Ryuko's eyes flew wide open. How could she forget about Todoroki confronting Izuku earlier?! Izuku's reaction mostly put her at ease, but that's what worried her the most.
"Let's go, Uraraka!" Matoi bolted for the doorway, with the gravity girl behind her.
"Matoi? Uraraka?! Where are you going!?" Iida asked.
"Either follow now or be left behind," Matoi shouted back.
"Something else happened between him and Todoroki, man. I have a bad feeling that Izuku's hiding something else now, too!"
To Be Continued…