Hello there my readers! I hope you are as excited as I am with the arc we are about to go into because we are going to have a lot of fights and drama. So I won't blabble too much today so you guys can read and get hyped for the next chapter because that one is going to have a lot of battles. Thanks for all the love and support, and be sure to voice your comments in the reviews if you have something to say, and I'll see you in the next update.
P.S. I am also very sorry as well...
Hagakure stared down her opponent with focus resolved as she practically gulped the air like a suffocating fish. Her sparring partner, however, was standing in a relaxed stance as if the battle he was in was of no interest to him. The invisible girl had to bite down the anger inside her opponent because she knew it was a trick, one made to goad her into attacking recklessly. She needed to remain calm and keep her cool because this was a battle of minds rather than of strength.
This little sparring match between her and Izuku was the crescendo of the promised training he would give to her for being a troublemaker. However, she just kept her mouth shut when she mentioned the UA Sports festival because that opened the floodgate of Izuku going above and beyond to prepare her for it. What was originally supposed to be combat training turned into a full blown regime with the Izuku stretching all her attributes to the limit. It was grueling to say the least, but she weathered the pain in pursuit of All Might's offer. At the very least she got to see the blue haired boy without a shirt everyday, as shallow as it sounds, a shirtless Izuku provided enough of a carrot for Hagakure to begrudgingly walk to the beach everyday. But now was not the time to think about such distractions because she needed to keep her eyes on the real prize.
The final exercise was simple, Hagakure needed to throw Izuku onto the ground and pin him. The exercise was one that would test her ability to problem solve against a seemingly impossible obstacle. The same quirk that Izuku used to see her invisible form also gave him a huge edge in combat. It was a quirk that was a multi-tool of information gathering that enabled him to not only to predict her attempts to knock him down but also to spot any weakness or flaw in her assaults. An apt analogy would be like trying to fight someone with the ability to see into the future and know what your every move will be used against them. It was a lesson which caused Hagakure to eat more sand than cement factory over the course of her training with Izuku.
Her quirk gave her a huge advantage over many people, but Izuku wanted her to not use it as a crutch against her possible opponents. As Izuku pointed out, any criminal with a quirk that enhanced senses could negate the advantage she had or a quirk with area reach could also be an issue. Hence why Ris had Hagakure do this exercise as her final lesson before the Sports Festival, because not all fights would allow her to brute force her way to victory with her quirk against every opponent. Todoroki with his ice came to mind in that regard, and was a proven fact when he froze a building whole during the Heroes vs Villains assignment. That still didn't stop Izuku from playing the role of an arrogant villain to complete the mock battle.
"Smug Bastard.", Hagakure swore under her breath as she resisted the temptation of smacking the uninterested look off his face.
"Well? Are going to come at me or have you finally decided to give up?", taunted Izuku.
"I'll give up when you are lying in the sand after I throw you there!", Hagakure retorted.
And like a bullet Hagakure bolt towards her opponent head on like a charging Rhino. She had a plan to beat her mocking partner, but it could just as easily backfire if the timing wasn't executed properly.
"Head on again!?", Izuku said in feigned surprise, "You can't seem to get it in your skull that this won't work like all the other times! But fine! Another easy victory for me!"
The blue haired boy took off in a sprint towards Hagakure, intent on meeting her head on as well. His blue eyes were now completely black as he used his vision quirk to probe for any weaknesses.
"He took the bait!", the invisible girl thought to herself, "Now the rest is up to me!"
The two teens continued their charge towards each other, and Izuku smiled as the ensuing brawl was about to begin. Hagakure took the first swing, a simple haymaker with her right hand that was directed towards his face. But the attack went wayside when the warlock vigilante dodged it completely, as he was well aware of its trajectory.
"Too slow!" He taunted before doing his own counter attack.
As quick as lightning, he grabbed the arm that Hagakure had thrown at him and flung it open. This was different from the norm because usually he would just throw her away from him. It seems that Izuku was so sure of his victory he decided to play with his food, a big mistake. The Blue haired teen wound his other arm back with his palm open, clearly intent on delivering a palm punch on Hagakure.
However, in the corner of his eye he saw something moving towards his as quickly as humanly possible. But the time he realized what was coming towards him, it was already too late to stop the handful of sand from crashing into his face.
Hagakure smiled when she heard Izuku sputter and cough from her little move. Yes! She did it! Using the opportunity that she had made for herself, Hagakure grabbed the arm that had been holding onto her with both hands. Using all of her strength and the momentum of his body weight to flip him over her. Her tormentor for the past week let out a gasp when his body connected with sands of Dagobah for the first time since they started. Hagakure continued her onslaught as she tried to jump on her opponent to pin him.
Izuku blindly struck out against her as he attempted to throw the girl off him. Hagakure threw more punches at her frenzied opponent, landing him twice in the face and once in the gut. Izuku grunted in pain and subconsciously took one arm away from the fight to grab onto the places Hagakure punched him. Once again Hagakure tried to pin him down, but one of the stay attacks from his blinded defense connected with her stomach, hard! Hagakure coughed out a shower of spittle from the force of the blow, but continued her attempt to pin him while she tried to keep the contents of her stomach from spilling out. Izuku flailed and bucked like an cornered animal, but being blinded by the sand while only having one hand prevented any meaningful defence. Hagakure finally managed to pin Izuku after nearly a week of no success.
The invisible girl found herself overwhelmed by the high of achieving a victory against a strong opponent. As quickly as she tried to get on him, the invisible girl jumped off the fish boy as she started to jump in victory. Whooping and cheering at accomplishing her impossible challenge!The moment was perfect….until the adrenaline of the fight wore off and Hagakure upchucked her lunch right on the beach.
Some time passed as the two remained locked in their positions as they recovered from the beatings they gave each other.
Izuku laughed heartily from his sprawled spot in the white sands, and with a great heave the blue haired boy lifted himself from the ground and back onto his feet. He ran his hands through his messy hair to roughly shake all the sand out of it before looking back to Hagakure. He shined a big smile at her even though his eyes were red from the sand.
"Congratulations Tooru-san!", Izuku cheerfully said, "You did good with that little move there because I wasn't expecting you to pull a trick like that."
Hagakure lightly blushed at the praise given to her by Midoriya. "It was nothing Izuku, but I can't help but think that it was a bit of a cheap move to throw sand in your face.
It was a move that Hagakure thought of in the beginning, but the simple notion that Heroes fought fair prevented her from using it. But the more and more she was unable to scale past the mountain of a barrier that Izuku presented, the more desperate she became. Her victory was not one of skill or brilliance but of sheer cowardice and hopelessness. However, such negative feelings were vaporized when she felt eight warm digits touch her shoulders and something warm nuzzle her hair.
"Nonsense.", said the calm and wise voice of Ris, "As a huntress defending her kill, you needed to be able beat a greater opponent lest you go hungry. A successful fighter uses their brain and their might, and you were able to do that Haga-chan."
Hagakure felt a little better after Ris gave her some of that much needed pep talk, but she couldn't help but roll her eyes at her new name from the fish woman. When Hagakure started training with Ris and got to know the sentient quirk a bit more, she couldn't help but feel like she was with someone who was both old and young at the same time. Ris was knowledgeable about a great deal of complicated ideas and concepts but was completely at a loss at something that was simple in concept. Her favorite instance was when Ris could point to places on the human body in which one would disable or kill if they were to strike it with enough force, but then the Mermaid was at a complete loss when Hagakure showed her one her dad's magic tricks. She would be hard pressed to forget it when Ris spent three hours trying to figure out how to get a rabbit to come out of that old top hat.
The invisible girl likens it to the fact that Ris did not have much in the way of anyone showing her these sort of things. So Hagakure took it upon herself to do so, and what better place to start was by honorifics. Her first lesson to the sentient quirk didn't really stick until she got to the honorific of "chan". And from that moment Hagakure learned of the quirk's unhealthy obsession with cute things or what it perceives to be cute. So now in the eyes of the alien mermaid, Hagakure was now Haga-chan, a name befitting of Ris' affection. But she wasn't the only under the scrutiny of the naive quirk's naming scheme. Hagakure admits that Izu-chan is an adorable nickname for her best friend, much to his own embarrassment.
"She is right Tooru-san. You shouldn't bring yourself down because of that, but enough of that right now because it is time to celebrate.", Izuku said with excitement in his voice.
"Celebration?", Hagakure parroted.
Izuku beamed with a large smile. "Yes! A celebration for all your hard work these past few weeks and a good luck tradition from us. Now come one and get your things we need to hurry."
Hagakure wasn't sure what to expect by celebration, but one of things on the list certainly didn't involve a cafe. Or rather a cafe that was themed after Victorian England. It was a small cafe and one that tucked away in a niche corner of the commercial district of Musustafu. It also appeared to be runned by a tall man with a white mustache-goatee combo and a short girl with red pigtails, but the place had the homely feel that most cafes don't have. At first she couldn't tell why Izuku would come to a place that was more befitting to girls that were into handsome boys dressed as butlers. But that changed when she tasted the food and tea because whoever cooked the food in the back clearly knew what they needed to do to get customers.
"I will admit you surprise me with your tastes Izu-chan.", Hagakure said after eating her share of mini sandwiches, "I was under the impression you only ate Katsudon."
Izuku blushed slightly, "That's not funny Tooru-san. I'll have you know that I cannot burden my mother with my insatiable taste for that dish. I would simply eat all the pork in Japan if I did that."
Hagakure chuckled at the bad joke, but she soon forgot about it after she took a drink of her tea. But her mind drifted off towards the monkey that was on her back, and had been there since she confronted All Might after class. She steeled herself for the inevitable conversation she spent a long time trying to avoid.
"Izuku.", Hagakure said, "I want to ask you a question, an important question
Izuku became unreadable in Hagakure's eyes and she wasn't certain if he was overthinking her intentions. But he didn't shy away from her prodding, "Sure, ask anything you want?"
The invisible took a deep breath and steeled herself to say the question that could potentially ruin the evening. She looked around to see if any of the two staff were nearby before asking the cursed question.
"Izuku, have you ever thought about...not being a vigilante anymore? Have you thought about going legal...become a real hero." Hagakure said with her resolve shaking.
She didn't know how her friend would react to the can of worms she opened. Rage? Sadness? Denial? Yet, in the moment she looked away she was met with no kind of response. Yet, she could feel the air stiffen and the temperature drop a few degrees. Reluctantly, she turned her vision back towards the boy sitting across from her.
His expression was blank and unreadable with no discernable emotion on the surface, he was a stoic as a statue. But Hagakure was perceptive to the emotions of others to a greater degree than most, and she could see the broiling beneath his visage. Was it anger? Was it sadness? Was it denial? No, it was none of that. For all Hagakure could see was acceptance.
"What brought this up?.", Izuku said in an oddly quiet voice, "I was under the impression that we would not talk about my job."
Hagakure gulped, "Izuku, I just thought that maybe your 'job' isn't exactly a good long term idea. I think that maybe you should be open to new opportunities when they emerge."
Izuku looked angry for the first since Hagakure met him, "Hagakure. I think you are overstepping into something too dangerous for you? How did think this could even work?"
Hagakure paled, "W-Well, I-I thought maybe I could talk to Principal Nezu abo…"
"No!", Izuku interrupted. His voice became louder despite not being raised a decimal, "I won't let you ruin your future trying to fix mine. It is already bad enough you know my secret, and how would you think they would react if a hero student knew the identity of a known vigilante and not only did nothing but also decided to learn from him?"
"I-I j-just t-thought…", Hagakure in shock at the quiet anger of Izuku, "t-that y-you…"
"It doesn't matter what I want or what you think I want.", Izuku quietly said in a bitter voice, "I read what they all say about me, Tooru. Out of all the hero news, only one applauds me for my actions at the USJ. The rest don't even acknowledge me for my actions because to them I am just another one of the villains that invaded your school."
"B-But…", Hagakure stuttered meekly as her head hung low. Drops of tears were starting to spill onto her lap.
"Or should I mention that despite everything that happened at the entrance exam...", Izuku puffed, "That I wasn't given anything besides a rejection letter! No invitation to general studies or recommendations to somewhere else! They didn't have the gall to tell me if you were okay because they don't want me! I am just the failure of an examinee that they don't want to tarnish their image! You are wrong and foolish to think that it was a possibility! So just drop it!"
Hagakure wanted to deny it but she couldn't help but remember what those kids said on the train all those weeks ago. Or when Mr. Aizawa said vigilantes are worse than villains. How could she forget the interviews in which three of the top ten boasted on capturing Izuku if given the opportunity. They really don't want him…
"I too would like to see this individual as a hero"
No! All Might wants Izuku to be a hero and that had to count for something. It gave the invisible girl a small nugget of hope that if anyone can make Izuku a hero then it would be the greatest one of them all. It means that she has to win the sports festival or Izuku will be lost to her forever.
"I am sorry Izuku, but I am afraid that I cannot just drop it.", Hagakure's thoughts replied to Izuku, "I won't give up on you, even if you gave up on everyone else."
The rest of the time at the cafe passed in silence. As neither of the two dared to utter a word to each other.
The day was bombastic as spirits were high, and why wouldn't they? It was the UA Sports Festival. It was a day in which the people of Japan could partake in spectating some of the nation's most talented and powerful students to test their mettle. The affair was extravagant as the Olympic Games of the Pre-Quirk Era, and was ripe with people from all sorts of life. Money Hungry Agencies eyeing future investments, Talent Scoping Heroes looking for future sidekicks or apprentices, and Starry Eyed Children watching in awe. Heck, even the scum and villainy of society watched on for reasons such as calculating as sizing up future enemies to merely wanted to watch a good brawl with quirks.
For the students involved in the Festival, most were excited to put their skills to the test and succeed at whatever goals they had placed upon themselves. But out of all the contestants within the student body, there was one that did not share the high optimism or the frayed nerves of the other students. Instead, she sat alone in the locker room in a hunched position with her head looking towards the floor. She was fully dressed in her UA Gym Uniform, save for her jacket, which was sitting next to her on the bench she was resting on. Describing any of her physical features beyond her clothes would be impossible for anyone in the student body because this girl was Hagakure Tooru, and her quirk Invisibility prevented that from happening.
Tooru was still troubled from her conversation with Izuku the night before, and she was pretty certain she had inadvertently angered her friend. He didn't even show up to wish her good luck when she arrived that morning. To say that she was hurt would be an understatement. She was just glad that her friends couldn't see her face or they would see that she was not feeling okay. Why did she have to open her mouth?
"Are you aware that such talk is not a good thing to have when you are about to undertake a hunt as large as this?", soothed the familiar voice of Ris.
Hagakure sighed from her hunched position, "Was it really that bad?"
Ris was quiet for a moment or two before speaking again, "No, but I don't want my Haga-chan to be down when she has an important job to do."
The invisible girl raised herself before turning to face the source of the voice. Contrasting greatly against the pristine lockers was Ris the Mermaid floating in the air as if it were a pool of water. Black empty eyes met saddened brown eyes in the pause between the two speaking.
"It's just a sports festival, Ris. It's not that important.", a dejected Hagakure said.
The blank face of the Mermaid gave a quizzled look, "It is important. You are taking a part of it, so that is more than enough of a reason to make it important. Besides, I know of the deal you made with the Smiler."
Hagakure jumped in shock, "How did you.."
"Know?", Ris finished, "I always know what all of my kin are up to, no matter how secretive they think they are. Just because I am not there doesn't mean I cannot see or hear you."
Something large and heavy dropped into Hagakure's stomach, "Oh okay.", Tooru said as she hunched over again, "And I guess that means that you are going to tell him…."
Ris tilted her head in confusion as her tendril-like hair began to twist in on itself, "No."
A shocked Tooru practically jumped into the air to stand up and face Ris again, "NO?!" she said in bewilderment.
"Yes.", deadpanned the Mermaid.
"B-But Why?", Tooru questioned in disbelief.
The mermaid looked puzzled at the question. Puzzled enough for Ris to begin to tap her chin with her finger while she tilted her head upwards.
"Well that is a silly question Haga-chan. I thought it was obvious that we both agree on having the exact same reasons for doing this.", Ris stated as if the answer was obvious, "I want you and him to be happy, and I believe the only way for that to happen is if he follows you past the gate."
It made sense that Ris would be interested in what was best for Izuku, but Tooru could not help but think that being secretive like this would have some unforeseen consequence."He won't like this, us going behind his back like this.", she said with doubt in her voice, "He was so angry for even thinking about the idea."
Ris looked somber, "I am sorry about what happened last night. If I was there, then he wouldn't have dared said what he said."
Hagakure sighed, "You don't have to apologize. It's not like it's your fault."
"You are wrong Haga-chan. It is my fault.", Ris said with guilt in her voice.
"How is your fault?", Hagakure asked.
Ris huffed a breath of air before speaking, "When he failed this place's proving test, I was the one responsible for pushing him down the path he now treads."
Hagakure's eyes widened in surprise, "You did that? I thought he became a vigilante by his own choice."
Ris' hair drooped while she also slouched, "He did choose it, but I nudged him in that direction. It is just…", Ris said before pausing, "...He was so devastated. He worked so much and experienced so much pain, and for all his efforts to fail. I should've been there with him, but I wasn't. He was so sad, so empty. I wanted him to be full again...to be alive. I wanted him to be happy again."
Hagakure felt her chest bottom out at the anguish in the voice of the warped mermaid.
"And now, here you are...my second kinsman. Fixing the mistake I made.", Ris said apologetically, "I am sorry to burden you with such a momentous task."
Tooru didn't know what possessed her to reach out and hug the sentient quirk, but she couldn't help but feel that Ris was more than a quirk. Ris felt like a living and breathing creature, one that was human in every way but appearance. The quirk's body was slightly damp and warm to the touch, and had the same rosey feeling when one hugs one of their grandparents. Hagakure could feel the hidden tension give away completely from the fish woman, and after some hesitation Ris returned the hug.
"You did what you thought was for the best, and you couldn't have possibly known.", Hagakure gently soothed, "But I am not gonna do this alone and neither are you. We will fix this together, and I know nothing will stop us. So, let's make a promise to see this through. Can you promise me that, Ris?"
The sound of sniffing could be heard coming from Ris, and Hagakure felt something wet drip down on her shoulder.
"Please, call me Marris, Haga-chan.", Ris said with relief in her voice, "And yes, I promise. Can I count on you as well?"
Tooru squeezed Marris harder and said with determination, "Yes, you can count on me, Marris!"
The mermaid was quick to reply, "Well then, let us start our work. Good luck out there Haga-chan. Know that I will be watching and cheering you on."
Yagi Toshinori maneuvered his way through crowds of people with the haste seen within a person who was very late. For a Hero who prided himself on showing up to the danger ontime, he certainly had an issue of showing up late. Hopefully the people waiting on him won't be too upset.
After another minute of weaving, he found the vip booth reserved for him and a few other guests for the Sports Festival. The tall skeleton man slammed through the close door and forgoed his promise to enter through a door like a normal person in favor of sparing what little seconds he had left. The door creaked and banged as it was violently opened by the rushing hero.
"SORRY I AM LATE! BUT I AM HERE NOW!", Yagi screamed bombastically into the room.
His former sidekick, Sir Nighteye, and Principal Nezu certainly didn't look pleased at the fact that he was tardy. Even more so with his 'grand' entrance into the booth.
Yagi could feel a drop of sweat run heavily down his forehead as his suit tie suddenly became a little snug around his neck.
Luckily his successor was there to help lighten the mood, and got up from his seat to greet the old hero.
"Oh! Glad to see you made it on time Mr. Yagi!", Mirio said with enthusiasm in his voice, "I bet you are excited for this year's festival."
All Might inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, "You bet, Mirio my boy. We got quite the bunch of contestants this year."
"Ah yes, and Sir told me that you scouted one of them to intern at the agency?"Mirio said, "I am excited to see her in action, and hopefully she can make a big impression."
"Yes Yes, I think we are excited to see if Miss Hagakure can meet expectations!", Nezu chimed in, "She does have a long road to travel, and placing dead last in the quirk evaluation tests means that she has a lot of room to grow."
Sir Nighteye kept up his usually serious face, "I will be the judge of that Principle Nezu. It is my agency, and I will determine if she has grown enough to intern there."
Mirio gazed upon his mentor with a puzzled look, "Aw come on and lighten up Sir. It's still a day to enjoy the festival and take things laid back a bit."
Sir Night Eye remained as stoic as ever, "But Mirio! I am laid back right now!"
The sound of laughter reverberated within the booth like a raging earthquake.
Bakugou was steading his breathing as he took slow and deep breaths of air. He closed his eyes and tried to drown out the noise of the extras in this dark tunnel. He needed to remain calm and keep his body calm just as the doctor said. But it felt like a temporary solution rather than a permanent one. The doctor's medicine wasn't able to do anything about that thing that was mocking him.
The explosion quirk user cracked open his eyes to see the little monster that had been tormenting these past two weeks hiding in the periphery of his vision. Whatever the damn thing was it most certainly wasn't human, but that was about the only description of the thing that could be said without the word 'distorted' in it.
Yes. Katsuki couldn't really get a good look at the fucker to really say what it looked like, but whenever he did...he could feel his heart start to go haywire. And the last thing he needed was to get a heart attack from looking at the blasted thing, so staring directly at it was a no go. But that didn't mean the fucker wasn't content to sit in his periphery being a nuisance. Instead, the bastard would get up close and personal with Katsuki with the clear intent of giving said heart attack. Luckily the doctors knew of a way to stop that from happening, but there's no telling when the murderous little monster would decide which inopportune time to leave its spot to give Katsuki the hug of death.
He just hoped that the fucker would decide to play nice and stay in his periphery. He needs to win the Sports Festival to prove he is the strongest and that he will not be hampered by this fucking little gremlin. He just needs to focus, and ignore it. Just as the doctor said to.
Going on patrol in Musustafu was not only dangerous but also redundant at the moment, and the last thing Izuku needed was to draw attention to himself to a large group of heroes. Even if there was danger going on in the city, there were simply more than enough heroes to take care of it. So, if the surface was frenzied with competition, he just needed to dive to deeper waters where there would be less fish to bother him. At least that's how Marris would put it.
However, getting to his temporary hunting grounds would take some time, especially since he travels there by train. But it should give him some time to watch the Festival before he gets to work. As such, the blue haired vigilante sat there in the empty train car as it traveled to his destination. His phone in hand as he watched a live stream of the opening events.
"I am really disappointed in you, Midoriya.", scolded a familiar voice.
Izuku turned his gaze away from the cell phone and towards the voice that appeared in the seat next to him.
In a manner that was not befitting of a creature of supernatural origins, Marris was sitting in the train seat like a normal person. Nevermind the fact that her tail nearly reached the other side of the cart, or the fact that she took up nearly two seats because of her sheer size. But that paled in comparison to the scold that was etched on her blank face.
Izuku gulped as he had never seen Marris directing such emotion towards him, "H-Hi Marris. Where have you been?"
His response seemed to irritate the fish woman more, "Do not 'Hi Marris" me, Midoriya! I am in no mood for you to be pretending that nothing is wrong! And if you must know, I was seeing Haga-chan and trying to help her feel better after what you said to her."
A flare of anger emerged in his chest, "So, you know about it then. And you are taking her side in all of this?"
"Is it wrong for her to care about you Izuku! And don't act like she was in the wrong because she isn't!", Marris bite back.
"That's easy for her to say, Marris because she is already a part of that group! And I've been a vigilante for months now, and the moment she finds out she immediately tries to butt in and fix things that can't be fixed!", Izuku retorted back.
"Midoriya…", Marris warned as her hair danced in a frenzy, "Do not pretend to be in the right because you are not."
"No! you don't get to stand there and lecture me for this because in all that time you never once tried to do what Hagakure brought up. You are being a hypocrite that is siding with someone who is wrong!", Izuku barked back as his emotions boiled over.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!", barked Marris, her voice a raging storm, "I do not care if you think what she was doing was out of line or not! The simple fact is that Ma'Kal Ris cares about you enough to bring it up and even risk herself for you! She did it as an act of love for you Midoriya and you responded to it by biting her and barking at her. That is unacceptable! You are going to apologize to her and that is final! AM I CLEAR!"
Izuku was taken aback by the rage of Marris, and trained his eyes on the floor before reluctantly saying, "Yes, Marris."
The fish woman looked away from Izuku and crossed her long arms. Marris huffed a breath of air for the first time ever before disappearing entirely from the cart. " I am leaving to go watch Haga-chan, and to give you time to cool down your temper. I do expect you to think things over and come to the proper realization."
With that final threat/order, the presence of Marris disappeared from the train leaving Izuku all alone. Frustrated and angry beyond repair, Izuku pocketed his cell phone and spent the rest of the trip watching out the window of the train as it zipped along its path.
Hagakure huffed and puffed as she finally crossed the finish line at the end of the obstacle course. Her body ached and her lungs burned at the mad dash she had to do to secure her position in the final stretch of this insane course.
"Robots, minefields, and sheer drops. Who is the madman who designed this and got approval to use this nightmare?", Hagakure thought to herself.
Nezu sneezed loudly from his seat in the VIP booth.
Hagakure counted herself lucky that her combined training with Izuku and Marris had helped steeled her body in more ways than she imagined. Quick reflexes honed as a result of sparing Izuku enabled her to avoid getting her feet encased in ice by Todoroki in the tunnel. Increased strength and endurance allowed her to keep up a good pace after everyone broke out of the tunnel. Marris' stealth tips allowed her to not get noticed by the hoard of Zero Pointers running rampant, despite the unconscious shuddering she did when she got close to one of them.
The parkour that Izuku showed her how to do worked well with her own training in gymnastics helped her cross the ravine with greater ease than some of the other students. Thankfully, Bakugou's self proclaimed challenge to Todoroki enabled the minefield to clear by the time she got there, leaving the final stretch of the race to just be a simple sprint.
Still, despite all the outside training given to her by the Vigilante duo, it still wasn't enough for her to overcome many of her classmates that had a strong quirk. Momo zipping past her on the final stretch on a bike comes to mind. 11th place was not bad by all means, and it meant that she was able to move on to the next round. A step closer to her goal.
Hagakure blinked as she found herself standing with a group of students she didn't remember walking up to. Nor did she have any memory of the second event even starting, in fact...wasn't she freaking out because she couldn't find anyone that will take her into their team? That was until she met that boy with the purple hair?
The invisible girl looked up to the scoreboard and said that she was on a team for someone called Shinso. The cavalry battle was already over? And they had also managed to score in fourth place, just barely enough to make the cut to the final round. The gears in her head worked hard to figure out what in blazes just happened.
"You were under the control of the sleepy one's quirk?", Marris' voice echoed in her head.
"I was under a quirk's effects?", Hagakure mouthed in disbelief.
Under any normal circumstances, Hagakure would've been feeling a number of things at the notion. None of them are good. But when Marris emerged in her life in the most painful of ways. The shock of not having control was considerably lessened as a result. Besides, she considers the whole deal a blessing in disguise rather than the polar opposite of it. She was able to make it to the third round, despite the fact that it was looking like she was going to lose at round two.
"Perhaps I should thank this Shinso person?", Hagakure thought to herself, "He may just have done me a favor."
The invisible girl then looked back to the scoreboard to see the announcement for the third and final round.
Final round: One on One Duels
Final Contestants: Hitoshi Shinso, Hanata Sero, Shoto Todoroki, Ibara Shiozaki, Denki Kaminari, Tenya Ida, Mei Hatsumi, MIna Ashido, Ejiro Kirishima, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Katsuki Bakugou, Momo Yaoyorozu, Fukikage Tokoyami, Yuga Aoyama, Ochaco Uraraka, Tooru Hagakure.
First Bracket: Shinso vs Uraraka
Kaminari vs Shiozaki
Ida vs Hatsume
Todoroki vs Sero
Aoyama vs Ashido
Tokoyami vs Yaoyorozu
Kirishima vs Hagakure
Bakugou vs Tetsutetsu
Hagakure looked at the board with an unseen and fierce determination. She was going to win this competition and save Izuku from the trap of vigilantism. And she wasn't going to do this alone because she had a secret weapon that she had been saving for this final round. The power of the Oarfish will ensure she will not lose this final obstacle.
Meanwhile in Hosu...
Steel shined in the miniscule amount of light that was able to worm its way through the darkness that engulfed the alleyway. It was a scene beholden to a grisly and one-sided slaughter because once again the Hero Killer had struck once again. A man dressed head-to-toe in a suit of armor that reminiscent of a mecha lay on the dingy street with blood pooling beneath his crumpled form. This man was Ingenium, the Turbo Hero. Or at least he was Ingenium because at this moment he was nothing more than Tensei Ida, and was struggling against an unseen force slowly choking him.
Standing victorious over the mecha man was a predator that specialized in this peculiar type of prey. The Hero Killer: Stain. The vigilante turned villain took the appearance of a Shinobi or atleast what one would look like in the modern world. He wore a tattered red scarf that also functioned as a headband while also sporting black arm guards that protected his wrists. However his most striking feature was the fading mask that covered most of his noseless face. The look was complimented with spiked combat boots, black military issued trousers, and kevlar bullet proof vest. But what completed his image was the bloodied Katana that he held in one hand over the downed hero.
"Pitiful!", the Hero Killer barked with disgust, "I was expecting more of a fake as popular as you are, but I shouldn't be surprised that a hero that hides behind his sidekicks wouldn't put much of a fight!"
The downed hero below him said nothing.
"Got nothing to say?", Stain said in mocked jest, "Good, because I don't think I would like to hear anything that comes out of your LYING MOUTH!"
In a bout of ideological rage, the Hero Killer raised his katana high in the air and brought it down on the helpless hero underneath him. The sound of metal giving way echoed in the alley as the gory sound of slicing took its place. But it wasn't enough for the Hero Killer to attack once, no, he quickly ripped the katana out of the hero and struck again. And again. And again. With each attack blood splattered the walls of the alley and the pool of blood grew larger beneath Ingenium.
The blood stained villain lifted his red katana and in one quick motion swiped the blade through the air, removing all the gore coating the sword.
"Fakes like you disgust me. All of you fake heroes are polluting what it means to be a hero.", Stain monologued as he circled the Hero, "It's a disgusting stain upon society, a stain that must be washed away with the blood of the unworthy!"
The Hero Killer stopped his circular motion in order to point the blade near the neck of the injured ingenium.
"If you have any semblance of true heroism then you should be thanking me because your death means that society will grow better without you. Goodbye, Ingenium! May your corruption die with you!", The Hero Killer bellowed.
In one final and swift motion, the Hero Killer raised his katana in the air one last time and was going to bring it down into one final blow on the beaten hero. This time with the intent of decapitating the helpless man.
However, the Hero Killer was many things: A crusader, a skilled fighter, and strong willed. But above all, he was a man that was well experienced in the art of stealth and stealth attacks. Had he not been so experienced, then he would've never heard the attack that was coming for his exposed backside. In a display of extraordinary reflexes, Stain turned around just fast enough to block the attack with his battered katana. Sparks ricochet as the sound of nails on steel screamed in the alleyway like a banshee. The force of the attack threw the Hero Killer a great distance away from his quarry, causing him to ragdoll from the momentum before he was able to catch himself back on his feet.
In a display of martial prowess, the Hero Killer was quick to reform up a defensive battle stance with his offhand prepared to pull out a hidden blade for a counter attack. However, there was no follow up on the attack nor was there any indication of the use of a ranged quirk. But the Hero Killer kept his guard up as he scanned the dimly lit alley for the interloper. And glowing like a beacon in the dark was a small figure dressed in white. A figure that Stain recognized from seeing him in countless images.
"The Ghost of Musustafu.", Stain said out loud as he stared down his newest opponent.
The city of Hosu trembled at the villain and vigilante, whose battle was about to tear it shreds.
So what did you think of this one? Be sure to let me know if you liked it or hated in the reviews, and I will know what to do better next time. Or if you have any questions feel free to ask.
Next time: Stain vs Izuku and Hagakure vs Kirishima.