Hey all! We're back with another chapter for "Through the Rough"! I'm glad I get to post this story incrementally like this, because it gives me more of an opportunity to share it with other readers who couldn't see the forum.
Anyways, it's looking as if mid-April or early May will be when we're fully caught up from a current outlook. I'll be reposting the ad for this story in the promotion thread to gain some traction. Hopefully with this arc getting started, it'll be a lot more fun! But now, let's get back into it!
"You're saying you found a way to control One For All?!" All Might questioned to Izuku as blood spurted out from his mouth.
"Well... um... sort of..." his successor answered unsurely. They were in the teacher's lounge, discussing the upcoming Sports Festival and the incident at the U.S.J. Izuku had brought up how when he attacked the Nomu with the full force of his Quirk, he didn't break his arm. It was the first time he actually intended to use it against another person. Thus, it may have been a subconscious brake he may have unlocked. But more importantly, he told his mentor about what he figured out after talking with Rebecca.
"So like an Ether-Type Quirk, but in reverse..." All Might concluded, putting his hand onto his chin, "I must say, that sounds a lot better than the egg in the microwave..." he admitted with a grin.
"Rebecca thought so, too..." Izuku responded, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.
'Young Bluegarden, hm?' All Might inwardly noted, 'Seems like she and Young Midoriya are closer than I expected...' he added to himself.
"But anyways..." his successor continued, snapping him away from his thoughts, "my only problem is making sure the output I use is okay for my body to handle..." he told him.
"Hmm..." the number one hero hummed in thought, glancing down for a moment, "Show me what you can do first, but start with just a percent of the power," he advised. Nodding, Izuku stood up. Clenching his fists, he slowly drew out his power throughout his entire body as the green sparks crackled around his body.
'Just a percent to start...' he told himself. He could feel the energy flow through his body. It felt normal at first. But with each percent of power he managed to draw out, he felt himself slightly more strained. By the time he reached a measly five, he winced.
"Young Midoriya, are you alright?!" All Might asked immediately in concern, "Can you move?!" he questioned on. His successor gritted his teeth together, straining himself. He merely took a step like he was just learning to walk... and didn't feel any pain. His eyes shimmered before he smiled in amazement.
"All Might..." he began to his mentor, whose eyes were shaking, "I'll be ready!" he vowed firmly with a big grin. Seeing that, the number one hero was able to smile back, excited for his successor.
Izuku was on cloud nine by the end of the school day. He had a plan to use his power more effectively. Thinking back to all he had done in preparation to use One For All, he was a lot more confident in controlling it from now on.
"Someone seems really happy..." Rebecca's voice chimed in, getting his attention as he turned to see her standing beside him with her bookbag strapped over her right shoulder, "You get to show All Might what you figured out the other night?" she asked in a whisper.
"Yeah," he replied with a nod, "And I think I figured out a way to use it effectively with his help!" he mentioned excitedly in a quiet voice.
"Wow, that's great!" Rebecca exclaimed quietly, giving him a sudden hug, "After everything, I think you deserve a break from broken bones..." she remarked, causing him to chuckle a little at the unintentional pun.
"Mmmm..." Minoru growled in frustration at the sight, "Wish I had a hot childhood friend like Midoriya..." he muttered. However, as he and the other 1-A students were about to leave the classroom, they found themselves blocked off by several U.A. students of other classes. As Katsuki bluntly put it, they seemed to be there to scout their competition for the Sports Festival.
"Now move it, extras!" he demanded of them.
"You can't go calling people extras just because you don't know who they are!" Tenya exclaimed, frantically waving his right arm up and down like he was chopping something. No one seemed to be willing to confront Katsuki. That is until one boy with messy purple hair and tired eyes stepped forward, blatantly insulting Class A as a bunch of egomaniacs. He essentially declared war on the Hero Course students, much to their surprise. There was quite a long standoff between him and the Explosion Quirk user.
"Don't waste your breath, Hitoshi," a voice chimed in as a hand came onto the purple-haired boy's shoulder. Standing next to him was a tall, slim and effeminate young man with short, light-blue wavy hair, matching eyes with eyelashes, and small, full light-blue lips. "They might be full of themselves, but they got here with their Quirks," he pointed out, "That said, you should know that there are open spaces in the Hero Course," he told Katsuki, who blinked in surprise, raising an eyebrow, "People like Hitoshi and me are ready to take those spots for ourselves if we're good enough," he mentioned seriously, "so you better be ready," he advised of the Explosion Quirk user before walking off alongside his classmate.
"You didn't have to butt in there, Laguna..." Hitoshi claimed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Don't get too hung up on it," his blue-haired classmate insisted, putting his hands into his pockets, "You're not the only one who wants to get into the Hero Course," he pointed out, heading off. Back in the classroom, everyone watched as Katsuki left amidst the yelling of a Class B student, declaring that he'd beat him and the others in his quest to win the Sports Festival.
"I shall not say it aloud, but I do admire his courage..." Homura admitted, blushing afterwards as she realized that she said that out loud.
"That guy's always looking ahead, huh?" Weisz noted, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah..." Eijiro agreed with a nod.
"He is right," Fumikage pointed out, "We do have to best them," he stated firmly.
"And we will!" Shiki declared, pumping his right fist up, "That's what it means to be a hero after all!" he yelled out. Hearing the others' voices of agreement, Izuku thought back to the day All Might had given him his Quirk after he cleaned up Dagobah Beach. That feeling... was one of the most rewarding he had ever felt. And he was determined to rekindle those emotions of determination as he'd look ahead to the Sports Festival.
"A race?" Rebecca asked, standing barefoot on Dagobah Beach in her sky blue sports bra and navy blue sweatpants. Next to her was Izuku, who wore his tracksuit with his trademark red shoes. "I thought you needed more time to get a handle on One For All..." she noted in concern.
"Well, I've been working on strengthening my body however I could..." he told her, "I can use the power at least five percent now without any backlash throughout my whole body," he explained, "I'm calling it One For All: Full Cowling..." he mentioned. Though she was still a little worried, Rebecca couldn't help but be fixated on Izuku's smile. He seemed so confident. A lot more than she remembered.
"Then I guess I'm ready to be a sparring partner however I can be," she promised to him, getting his attention.
"Oh, w-we're not gonna fight!" he stuttered assuredly as he frantically waved his hands back and forth, "I just wanna test and see if I can keep up with you..." he admitted. Cheekily, Rebecca smirked.
"So it's a challenge then, huh?" she guessed, taking a lunging stance as her markings appeared upon her legs, glowing a bright blue, "Then bring it on!" she insisted. Seeing that expression upon her face made Izuku blink in surprise before he gave off a determined expression.
"Okay, let's do it!" he yelled, making the sparks of green bio-electricity crackle around him. He and Rebecca readied themselves... and then dashed off down the beach. Immediately, the Leaper Quirk user glanced over in surprise to find that her best friend was keeping up with her. But even more surprising than that, she could see the smile on his face. He was happy that he attained some level of control over his new power.
Two weeks of training went by. Both Izuku and Rebecca trained together and separately from each other, strengthening their bodies however they could. They wouldn't know what the events of the Sports Festival would be until the day of, so they had to be ready. Everyone in class was preparing as best as they could.
"Magimech Attack..." Shiki started to bellow while in the Collapse Zone of the U.S.J. with Ochaco, Mina, and Yuga, rearing his right fist back, "GRAVITY CANNON!" he roared, firing a condensed sphere of gravitational energy that slammed into a building, causing it to immediately break down in an instant. The Satan Gravity Quirk user looked back to his classmates and flashed a wide grin, while they were all just flabbergasted.
Elsewhere in U.A., Weisz was in the Development Studio, using a screwdriver to carefully finish putting together a watch-like device. Afterwards, he approached Power Loader with what he had made, getting a couple pieces of paper that approved his work. He cracked a smirk, excited for the times ahead.
"Huh... huh..." Homura breathed out overnight, training outside a traditional Japanese household in a gi as she swung her energy sword around ferociously. After a while, she went inside and approached a small memorial. She knelt down in front of it, lighting up a candle and looked to see the face of her master. She was a tall yet slim, woman with a dark skin tone, salmon pink eyes and long, salmon pink hair tied in a ponytail, with a lock of it hanging over the left side of her face. "Valkyrie..." Homura began, bowing her head, "I promise you that I will win tomorrow," she declared firmly.
"Anyone else getting super nervous?" Rebecca inquired as she and her classmates were in the locker room the next day, wearing their gym clothes.
"Oh, totes!" Toru admitted in response, "We got no idea what's ahead in the first round..." she pointed out, shaking a little.
"Don't worry, girls!" Ochaco chimed in reassuringly, "We're all gonna do our best!" she declared with a pump of her right fist.
"Yeah!" Shiki agreed while striking a similar pose. Both Rebecca and Toru giggled at the pair of gravity Quirk users. At that moment, the door was slammed open by Tenya.
"Everyone, get your game faces on!" he insisted of his classmates, "We're entering the arena soon!" he pointed out. Everyone took a moment to collect themselves, preparing for what was going to be a very strenuous experience, especially for one day.
"Midoriya," Shoto suddenly chimed in, catching Izuku's attention as he glanced over to see the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user approaching him.
"Hey Todoroki..." he greeted as he turned to him, "what's up?" he asked. Rebecca and Katsuki looked over as they caught wind of the conversation starting. Shiki and Ochaco did as well, along with everyone else.
"From an objective standpoint," Shoto began to Izuku, "I think it's fairly clear that I'm stronger than you," he stated rather bluntly.
"Whoa, hey..." Rebecca said as she jogged over, only to notice her best friend shrink a little as she stopped, giving off a worried look.
"However..." Shoto continued, "you've got All Might in your corner helping you out," he noted, causing the freckled teen to blink in surprise, "I'm not here to pry about what's going on between you two," he told him, "but know that I will beat you," he declared, making Izuku gasp as his eyes widened.
"Okay, wait a second!" Rebecca exclaimed as she hurried over and placed a hand onto the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user's shoulder, "Why declare war on him like that guy from Gen Ed?" she questioned, "And right before we get started, too..." she pointed out additionally.
"We're not here to be each other's friends," Shoto bluntly responded, shoving the Leaper Quirk user's hand away, "Don't forget, this isn't a team effort," he noted, turning around and walking off. Rebecca looked back to her best friend, who glanced down in thought.
"Wait a sec, Todoroki," he insisted, enticing the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user to come to a stop near the open doorway, "I don't know what's going through your head..." he said, "or why you think you need to tell me that you'll beat me..." he mentioned on as Shoto glanced back at him, "And yeah..." he continued, "of course you're better than me..." he pointed out, "In fact, you probably have way more potential than anyone in the Hero Course," he added.
"Izuku..." Rebecca uttered worriedly.
"Midoriya, maybe you're being a little hard on yourself..." Eijiro chimed in out of concern as he got up from his seat and approached.
"And us..." Denki muttered.
"No, he's right you guys!" he exclaimed to their surprise, "All the other courses..." he recalled, "they're coming for us with everything they've got!" he pointed out, remembering how hard he had worked to get as far as he was right now, "We're all gonna have to fight to stand out..." he noted aloud as Shoto turned to face him fully, "And I'll be aiming for the top, too," he declared firmly. Hearing that and seeing his determination return made Rebecca smile. At that moment, Homura stood up.
"If I may, I'd also like to echo a declaration to you, Todoroki," she decided as she walked over. Glancing back, Izuku was surprised to see fierce look upon her face as she stared down Shoto. "I will defeat you should Izuku not," she vowed with clenched fists. Everyone was left surprised. The Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user narrowed his eyes onto his two new rivals.
"Fine," he responded simply. The stage had been set for quite a day...
As the Hero, General Studies, Business and Support Courses piled into the stadium, Rebecca gulped at just how massive of an audience they all had. It was a lot bigger than she imagined, even though she had seen the Sports Festival last year. Being a part of it was a much different experience.
"Listen up, everyone!" Midnight echoed through the microphone as she stood upon the stage in the center of the arena, "It's time for the introductory speech!" she declared with a whip of her flail, "And for this year's student pledge..." she continued, "we have Homura Kogetsu!" she announced, causing the Class 1-A students to blink in surprise. They watched as the Soul Blade Quirk user made her way up to the stage.
"She's the first-year rep?" Izuku inquired, sounding somewhat surprised.
"Well, she did finish first on the entrance exam..." Hanta pointed out.
"Tsk," Katsuki scoffed in frustration. He and the others watched as Homura took a deep breath in front of the microphone.
"First of all, I am honored to be part of this grand event," she began, "I know that my teacher would be smiling at the sight of me on this very stage with so many promising future heroes," she pointed out, "And thus..." she continued, raising her right arm up as glowing red lines appeared along it before she formed a blade into her hand, gripping its hilt tightly, "in honor of the late Valkyrie Yuna, I shall win!" she declared proudly. Her classmates were surprised by such a declaration... but were also moved by the fact that she was doing it to honor the lost Shining Star Hero. However...
"BOOOOO!" one student in the General Studies Course exclaimed, followed by a plethora of booing from the other courses, including Class B. The Soul Blade Quirk user was quite surprised as she turned around to face them.
"Wh-Whatever is wrong?" she inquired with a stutter, "I thought that my speech was quite moving..." she noted aloud while letting her markings and energy blade disappear.
"Poor Homura..." Weisz remarked as he scratched at his head.
"Guess no matter who was on stage, they'd get booed..." Eijiro realized, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Without further ado, it's time for us to get started!" Midnight declared over the microphone. Without even a moment to delay, the first event was selected. It was an obstacle race.
"Oh, this oughta' be fun!" Shiki exclaimed as he clenched his fists tightly.
"An obstacle race, huh?" Rebecca noted, sounding somewhat nervous, "Guess we'll have to see what happens..." she realized, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"Yeah..." Ochaco agreed beside her. Moments later, the students from all of the courses gathered at the starting gate. Izuku thought back to what All Might had told him about finally introducing himself to the world. He glanced over to spot Rebecca, who gave him a confident smile and a nod. He nodded back.
'I won't let either of you down...' he vowed inwardly. The lights on the gate went out one after another before the horn went off, signaling the start of the race. Right away, everyone was jam-packed in the gateway, squishing against each other.
"Ergh...!" Rebecca grunted trying desperately to free herself. Then she and the others felt a chill in the air. Shoto went ahead and froze up the ground, taking an immediate lead as he hurried out of the gateway. However, he looked back to find that all of his classmates had escaped, including students from other classes. He hadn't expected many of them to escape so easily. Minoru attempted to take him out of the running with a special technique he'd been developing, but was suddenly swatted aside by the arm of a robot.
"Mineta!" Izuku called out, seeing him tumble over. He looked ahead to find that the robots from the entrance exam were being used to impede the students.
"What the heck...?!" Rebecca yelped out, trembling a little.
"This seems like overkill..." Kyoka remarked, quite concerned by the sight as well. Shoto wasn't deterred, even as several zero-pointers loomed before him. He planted his right foot down, making ice spread off from it.
"It's obvious they went through a lot of trouble," he noted, lowering his hand to the ground as a cold mist wafted off from it, "but I wished they had something a little more difficult," he admitted as the ice around him started to build up, "Especially since my dear old dad is watching..." he muttered out. Swinging his right arm up, the ice surged onto the zero-pointer that attempted to attack him, freezing it up.
"Whoa..." Weisz uttered out in shock, amazed just as much as many other students. But now, it seemed like they had an opening to get through.
"Careful now..." Shoto remarked back to his competition, "I froze them while they were off balance," he pointed out as the iced robot started to fall forward towards the other students, "On purpose," he mentioned. However, he widened his eyes to suddenly see the zero-pointer get cleaved cleanly in an instant. As the cold mist settled, standing before the other students was Homura as she held an energy blade in her right hand.
"It's as I pledged, Todoroki," she proclaimed, tightening the grip on her created weapon as the halves of the frozen robot fell harmlessly to the sides, avoiding the other competitors, "I will win," she declared with a fierce glare toward the Half-Cold, Half-Hot Quirk user.
And thus, the Sports Festival has started! Expect a lot of action from characters like Homura and Weisz this time around. I think their stories will be fun for everyone to read. See you all later!