I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.
"Now that our taste buds have been whetted by that incredible first fight, let's jump straight into the next!" Present Mic announced before the crowd exploded with cheers. Mineta had to take a few extra breaths to stop his nerves from giving out on him. He wasn't sure why he was having second thoughts now, especially when he'd already been out there before. Maybe it is due to the fact that at least half of the audience would be on him at all times.
And be ready to laugh the moment Mineta makes an ass out of himself. But while that hasn't happened in a long while, the shorter boy knew it was only a matter of time. Today could be the day where he reveals the more pathetic aspects of his being.
"If I hadn't already done that with the girls earlier…" Mineta thought, doing his best to silence the churning of his stomach. Still, this was an opportunity to show the world at large what small and feeble Mineta Minoru can do. He may have been called a pest. He may have been compared to an ant. But everyone knows that they still thrive despite all attempts to exile them from existence.
Yes, like the rats and roaches he's constantly associated with, Mineta will succeed!
"And I've completely given up on being more than a pest." He said as his head began to hang. Man, being successful and a good person is hard. Makes one wonder how Midoriya has a handle on his life in spite of everything.
But now wasn't the time to worry about that. Because right now, Mineta had to take to the stage. Ready or not, his destiny awaited him. He walked forward, chest puffed out and eyes staring straight ahead. The shorter boy left the safety of the stadium's interior and came out into the light.
"Introducing our first combatant! His small body betrays a vast, cunning intellect! He's the mastermind behind Team Tsuyu's hack tactic! He is Mineta Minoru of the Hero Course!" Present Mic introduced, audience letting out a cheer. Not that Mineta was focused on that. Instead, he was facing the commentator's box with arms raised at the Voice Hero. Hack tactic!? Aizawa, whom the shorter boy made eye contact with, simply shook his head as words were transferred through the aether.
Focus on the match, your opponent is deceptively strong.
"And for our second combatant. While he hasn't done anything note worthy in the previous events, he still made it this far! So please welcome Shinso Hitoshi from General Studies!" Present Mic continued, the crowds giving a much lighter applause. This caused Mineta to stop as he faced his opponent, his gut starting to flop around again.
Shinso Hitoshi… There wasn't anything too remarkable about him. Wild hair? Seen that several times before. Purple hair? It was just a few shades lighter than Mineta's. Bags from the possible lack of sleep? Aizawa's are way more impressive. And no matter how much Mineta noted down his features, he could feel Shinso to slipping away from his perception
However, the one thing that the shorter boy could not ignore was the dark glint in his eyes. There was a simmering scorn dwelling behind those dark purple irises. It made Mineta remember those questions he had about Shinso. Why does he hold such contempt for the Hero Classes? What is he trying to accomplish by waging war on them? And was it as simple as prestige difference? Or was it something greater than he could guess?
Whatever it was, this battle will yield answers. Both about Shinso and Mineta himself.
"Now, do either of you boys need a refresher on the tournament rules?" Midnight asked, looking between the two fighters. Mineta shook his head, it was simple enough even with additional rules. Shinso also shook his head, though his eyes were still trained on the shorter boy before him.
"Then let this fight… Begin!" Midnight shouted, snapping her whip. The crowd roared around Mineta. But somehow, it was all quiet as his ears focused on Shinso. He was talking. As bad as listening to him was… There was no avoiding it.
"Do you know what separates ordinary people from the greats? It's their ability to pursue their vision without quarter. If they believe so strongly about their goals, they wouldn't worry about the means to get there. Unlike that dumbass monkey you call a classmate… Seriously, only the mentally challenged would throw this chance away." He said, his shadow somehow darkening with each syllable that left his tongue. Mineta could feel words starting to burst forth from his lungs. The shorter boy had to control it; otherwise he'd lose and be unable to show Shinso what for. So with that, his brain fired out a memory that would put his body into motion.
That way, he'd be too busy to talk.
Left hand curve, box 1. Mineta plucked a ball off his head, adjusted his grip and entered his pitching stance. He went through the motions before finally releasing the hairball at the right moment. The ball traveled relatively straight, went over Shinso's left shoulder, and quickly sunk to the ground. Now, it'll remain there until it gets cleaned out.
And while it was a clear miss, Mineta could feel his urge to talk back die down. There was nothing that could kill his desire to speak faster than remembering Aizawa's training. It was a time where stupid questions were rewarded with stupid answers after all.
Shinso looked back at the ball that went past him, before turning back to Mineta. His expression was completely unfazed. His mouth opened and the scathing words came pouring out again.
"And that's not even going into you and your friends. That last fight? There was nothing exciting about it. It was just ugly. Are Heroes in Training really supposed to make fights look like bloodbaths? Or are we training petty thugs now?"
Left hand two-seam, box 9. The shorter boy plucked another ball off his head, the grip automatically coming to him. He pitched and it began to sail towards Shinso's abdomen. The ball, however, dipped down and broke to the right, missing Shinso entirely. The General Studies student raised an eyebrow before returning back to his dark expression.
"And why were the girls in your class wearing those cheerleader costumes? Because I feel they weren't part of the team to begin with. Were they so stupidly naïve that some pervert tricked them? Or are they all just degenerates?"
RIGHT HAND CUTTER, BOX 3. Mineta slugged out another hairball, this one traveling much faster as it went straight for Shinso's face. His opponent's eyes widened, seeing the object threatening to collide with him. However, the ball broke right several centimeters from his face and went just past his right ear. It was such an impressive pitch that the audience roared with cheers. Mineta didn't hear this though; he was too busy drowning in his own thoughts.
"I swear to God, if fucker says one more thing about anyone that isn't Bakugou, I'm going to lay the smack down on him!"
"For a Hero in Training… Your aim just plain sucks. Whoever taught you is a hack that needs to be fired." Shinso said, recovering from the last attack. The shorter boy's mind cooled to the sound of that insult. In fact, he was internally doing summersaults as every last teaspoon of grey matter cheered. The reason is… There were no words that could hurt Mineta directly. Not when he could come up with far more hurtful words for himself.
And the last part to Shinso's statement? Aizawa would thank whoever got him fired as he could finally get more sleep.
Abandoning his grips, Mineta grabbed as many balls that could fit between his fingers and scattered them in front of his opponent. Shinso, who didn't notice the change in behavior, continued down this line of insults. Perhaps he thought that the shorter boy was getting so frustrated that he can't even pitch anymore. That it was only a matter of time before he cracked… Oh how wrong his opponent was.
"What's wrong? Not going to say anything to refute my claims? I'm smearing your class with mud and you're just going to accept it? Do you hate them so much that you won't even bother to protect them? What a pathetic Hero you'll grow up to be, too spiteful to even look after your own. Perhaps it's because they're better than you?"
Mineta scattered more balls, this time it was on the ground to Shinso's left and right. Now all he needs to do is to get a few more balls behind him. And that meant more pitches. The General Studies student continued to glare at him, but there was a spark of sadness dwelling within. He continued to speak, but there seemed to be a more desperate tone to it.
"I mean, this Quirk of yours is pretty shit. I wouldn't be surprised if they all picked on you for it. Doesn't it suck? To be born with such little power that everyone overshadows you? That they start deciding what your life means for you?"
Mineta pitched his balls around Shinso, allowing them to stick to the area behind him. But the words he spoke rung deep within the shorter boy's soul. Not only did it resonate with his feelings about himself, but also the struggles that Midoriya faced. Did… Did Shinso feel the same way? Mineta kept his ears and heart opened for whatever was said next. He wante– no, he NEEDED to know.
"I bet they all think you'll be nothing more than a creep… That you'll use your Quirk to achieve some Villainous agenda… Aren't you tired of hearing that? All the prejudice leveled against you? All for something you had no control over?"
The more this continued, the less his words felt insulting. Rather, it began to resonate with Mineta as he started to see Shinso's true self. Through the spiteful glare was a small light. If it were to be compared to a flame, it was a single birthday candle. And that was all Shinso had to fend off whatever darkness was eating away at him. It reminded Mineta of how Midoriya was before their chance meeting with All Might.
And the way he talked about Quirks… It was like Mineta was looking at a mirror.
"It's like he took on our problems… And is looking for a way out like us…" He thought before pitching more balls behind his foe. In truth, he was losing his will to fight Shinso. How could he defeat him when Mineta knows of about the suffering he faces? In fact, winning might worsen the problem. It might forever damn Shinso to be stuck in mediocrity for the rest of his life, a fate that Mineta fears just as much.
Could he subject someone to that willingly?
"Do you ever wonder why we're all born unequal? I could never figure out the answer… Back before Quirks, who we're born as had very little effect on our future. When we had a dream, we could freely shape ourselves to suit it. Want to be a Doctor? Dedicate your time to science and medicine. How about a great musician? Just pick up an instrument and play until your hands bleed. But now, our lives have been decided for us."
No… That's not right… Mineta wanted to tell him that. Tell him that we can still decide our own destinies. Tell him that even if you don't believe in yourself, someone else will. But his mouth wouldn't move as his arms kept scattering more hairballs. Was it too late? Did he temper his own mindset too much?
"But I suppose you don't have to worry about all this… I mean, you've already passed those golden gates… You yourself had more luck and skill than I will ever possess…"
"It's because I had Midoriya, Aizawa, and everyone that I got this far! I'm nothing without them!" That's what Mineta wanted to say. But again, his jaw remained rusted shut.
"My throat's sore from all this slander and preaching… So I guess this is where I'll call it a day. Still, it was nice to stand here and feel important… Like the Heroes I wanted to be." Shinso said, teetering on the edge of breaking down.
This isn't the end! Don't give up! Those words echoed in the shorter boy's mind but only in his mind.
"Coordinator, I wish to surrender." Shinso said, turning to Midnight. The crowd all gasped and began talking to themselves over this strange action. Not that Mineta could hear all this noise, not when his heart was screaming. But alas, the disconnect between his body and soul still stood. It was like he was possessed by Shinso's Quirk… Except this was all Mineta's doing. All his fault.
"Are sure? Because once you say yes, you'll lose without doing anything." Midnight asked.
"Not true, I've done all I can. But yes, I give up." Shinso said, each word deeply piercing Mineta. No…
"Then I hear by declare Mineta Minoru the winner of this battle!"
The crowd was still in locked discussion but Mineta could hear 1A cheering. But those voices just drove the daggers deeper into his heart. He didn't earn this win, not when he willing sacrificed someone else to do so. Someone who had a dream as grand as his own. So as Aizawa and Present Mic did post battle commentary, Mineta ran forward.
Towards the person who was walking towards the darkness of the stadiums interior.
With all the weight of his emotions dwelling in his hand and resolve burning in his eyes, he reached out and grabbed Shinso's arm. The General Studies student stopped and slowly turned to face him. He looked tired and definitely didn't want to deal with whatever this was. But Mineta knew if he let go, Shinso's dream would forever disappear.
"What do you want? You won, so go celebrate and rest up for your next fight." Shinso asked with words heavy with both disinterest and frustration.
"I need to talk to you." Mineta answered. He was afraid that the guy would brainwash him to leave him alone. But he didn't feel that out of body sensation as Shinso narrowed his eyes at him.
"And now you talk… To be frank, I don't feel like speaking anymore. So unless it can change the outcome of the fight, don't bother."
Mineta's grip remained firm, his heart still pumping all his emotions into it. This made Shinso's expression soften somewhat. With all the zeal and courage in his small body, the shorter boy spoke in a resolute tone.
"There's still a chance for you to be a Hero."
And that has been chapter 27. After thinking about it, Shinso's back story sounds awfully like our Heroes' back story.
Even in Canon, Midoriya understood where he was coming from and it allowed him deeply reflect on his situation. So for this chapter, I did my best to emulate that. However, because Mineta shut his trap, Shinso will become further stuck in his situation. So for that reason, there will be another part where Mineta will help Shinso begin his Hero's Journey. All because he understands the struggles of having a dream.
"Just two purple boys talking about their troubles over drinks, it'll be great."
That's the idea. Any how, I've really got no interesting news since the last update. New Years has come and gone without any incident for me. But that doesn't mean I'm not working to make this decade better than the last one. I hope it's the same for you, doing everything you can to change yourself and the world around you.
Even if our beginnings aren't so happy, we still have time to write our endings. Take it one word at a time and you'll be surprised at the story called our lives.
"Dude, that was deep..."
It felt appropriate, new decade means new opportunities. None of us are getting any younger.
Anyhow, that is all I have for this update. Stay tuned as our idiot grape does his best to inspire a man who wasn't so lucky.
"It's not too dramatic, but heartwarming never-the-less."
So with that said...
Until Next Time. T1.