And we're back with yet another chapter of "Through the Rough"! For those of you wondering how many more we have to get through before we reach the point where we meet up with where this story left off, there's 50 left. Yeah, it's gonna be a drag for some of you, so I'm sorry. But we can get there quicker so long as everyone can leave reviews for these updates!
Anyways, last time we left off, the first round of the tournament came to a close! So with the next round in our sights, let's see how our heroes fare in the matches ahead! Enjoy!
"Geez..." Victory muttered out as he and Creed had just watched Katsuki's match against Ochaco from the standing area of the stadium. Needless to say, it was one-sided for the most part. Even as the Zero Gravity Quirk user had taken advantage of her foe blasting the field apart to create ammunition for herself to make a makeshift meteor shower, he still bested her with his explosions.
"You were right about Bakugo," Creed remarked, getting his partner's attention, "He should definitely be on our watchlist for certain," he confirmed while crossing his arms over his chest.
"Yeah..." Victory said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head, "I'm honestly starting to get second thoughts after seeing just violent he can be to another girl..." he admitted.
"You heard what Eraser said, didn't you?" his partner inquired, "He was playing cautiously, which was smart," he pointed out.
"Guess so..." Victory agreed, "Anyone else from the first round catch your eye?" he guessed, raising an eyebrow.
"With Kogetsu getting a bye, I've yet to really say anything about her," Creed replied, putting his left hand onto his chin, "The Rutherfords are definitely contenders, as well as Todoroki and Steiner," he noted, "Granbell might be one to watch out for since his Quirk's similar to that of Ziggy's..." he mentioned, narrowing his eyes with curiosity.
"And what about that Midoriya kid who was moving around like All Might?" Victory asked.
"Well, he has yet to really impress me..." Creed admitted, "His opponent was from General Studies..." he pointed out.
"Yeah..." his burly partner agreed, glancing off to the side, "That's got me wondering..." he started to say, putting his hand onto his chin.
"What is it?" Creed asked.
"That Husert kid's from General Studies and took down a Hero Course student, too," Victory noted in remembrance, "With a Quirk like his, he'd easily be a pro," he added, narrowing his eyes.
"Yeah, that's true..." his partner agreed as he blinked.
"Gentlemen," a familiar voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they turned to see Justice approach. Alongside him was an older man with a pair of bushy eyebrows, a visible vein, a defined nose, and voluminous, strawberry blonde hair. He also had a bushy mustache and red eyes resembling that of a jaguar's. He was wearing a high-collared, light-colored coat with an insignia on the back that was draped on his shoulders like a cape. Around his eyes were small patches of black markings.
"Colonel Jaguar!" the two sidekicks greeted, immediately standing to attention and saluting. The older man chuckled.
"At ease, you two," he insisted, "I'm not exactly top brass anymore since Holloway shot up to number three," he pointed out, glancing over to the white-haired man beside him.
"It's Justice, sir," he corrected in response, causing Jaguar to frown worriedly.
"It's weird..." Victory whispered over to his partner, getting his attention, "Aside from the others of the Oracion Seis Hero Alliance, Jaguar's the only one who's really dropped in the rankings..." he pointed out.
"And he's still ranked fifteenth from what I remember..." Creed added quietly, "The Seis really are amazing..." he said.
"Something you two would like to share?" Justice inquired of the two sidekicks, getting their attentions.
"N-No, sir!" Creed stammered in reply, standing up straight, "Just cross-chatter..." he told him.
"Hm," he huffed out, "I see that the first round's already been dealt with," he noted, looking toward the scoreboard in the near distance.
"Yeah, they're letting the students rest before the next round," Victory confirmed in response.
"Sir, if I might ask," Creed began, getting his superior's attention, "what were you called into earlier?" he inquired curiously. There was a brief moment of silence before the Interstellar Hero sighed deeply.
"You two know of the Shining Star Heroes, correct?" he asked of his sidekicks.
"Yes sir," Creed replied, "In fact, Witch Regret and Sister Ivry are employed at UA currently," he added.
"Of course, Valkyrie Yuna's dead and Hermit Mio is still missing..." Victory chimed in.
"Actually, Mio might be gone as well," Jaguar noted to the surprise of both sidekicks.
"We were looking into the Müller Royal Laboratories after discovering they had connections to the creature that attacked the USJ," Justice explained, "Müller himself apparently escaped, but there's plenty of evidence to suggest that he had Mio in his custody," he mentioned on, "And if he still does..." he continued grimly.
"Do you think he's attempting to perhaps brainwash her?" Creed guessed.
"It's difficult to say for the moment," Jaguar admitted, "The others of the Seis will be coordinating in this effort, and we'll be informing Regret and Ivry of the situation," he told the two sidekicks.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Victory asked, raising an eyebrow out of concern, "I doubt they're gonna take the news well..." he pointed out worriedly.
"It'll be fine," Justice assured, "They deserve to know the truth and help us seek justice," he stated, "In the meantime, let's not dwell," he advised seriously as he looked down toward the stage below, "After the festival's over, I want all the students in the top sixteen to be sent offers for internships," he insisted, "We'll need all the help we can get for the investigation ahead..." he pointed out seriously.
1. Homura Kogetsu VS Kleene Rutherford
2. Tenya Iida VS Ibara Shiozaki
3. Izuku Midoriya VS Kris Rutherford
4. Shoto Todoroki VS Setsuna Tokage
5. Shiki Granbell VS Momo Yaoyorozu
6. Itsuka Kendo VS Fumikage Tokoyami
7. Weisz Steiner VS Laguna Husert
8. Rebecca Bluegarden VS Katsuki Bakugo
"Huh..." Rebecca exhaled, trying to calm herself down. Even though she told Ochaco that she wanted to win against Katsuki, she couldn't help but be nervous, especially after seeing the match in which she lost. Both she and Izuku were worried about the Zero Gravity Quirk user as she finally returned to the stands, sniffling a little as her eyes looked red. She had definitely been crying.
"Uraraka..." Izuku uttered worriedly. At that moment, Homura stood up, getting their attentions.
"Pardon me, everyone," she said, walking off, "I must prepare for my battle," she stated, heading up the steps. Katsuki nonchalantly bumped her with his elbow, making her stop. "Something wrong, Bakugo?" she inquired, looking down at him.
"I don't care whether it's you, Icy-Hot, or Deku..." he began to her, glaring all the while, "I'm gonna crush you with everything I've got," he declared. Those near him shivered in surprise. But the Soul Blade Quirk user remained firm, turning away.
"I do not have any quarrels with you yet, Bakugo," she pointed out as she walked up the steps, "My only concern at the moment is winning my current battle," she stated firmly.
"Hmph," Katsuki scoffed, slouching back in his seat.
"She's a hardened warrior for sure..." Eijiro commented.
"Well, she did train under Valkyrie Yuna," Hanta pointed out, "That's more than enough of a confidence booster!" he added with a toothy grin.
"Yeah, you're right," Denki agreed.
"Hmm... Izuku hummed curiously as he went back to Homura's page in his notebook, "Against someone like Rutherford, she'll have to watch out for that wind trap attack she used on Asui..." he noted, "but she'll also have to get in close in order to land an attack since her Quirk doesn't work from a distance..." he explained on. Rebecca let a drop of sweat roll down her head as the mutter-storm that was her best friend kept rambling.
"Uh... Izuku?" she uttered out, poking him on the shoulder to get his attention.
"Ah!" he yelped, blushing a little, "Oh, uh, sorry!" he apologized with a stutter.
"It's okay..." the Leaper Quirk user assured, "And thanks for your support earlier," she added with gratitude.
"No problem," the One For All inheritor responded, "By the way..." he continued, "are you going to tell Mister Aizawa or Witch about what you think happened with your Quirk during your match?" he asked her.
"Um... I don't know..." she admitted in reply, glancing down for a moment, "It feels really weird that my Quirk would... do something totally different," she pointed out, putting her left hand onto her chin in thought, "Maybe super speed isn't really what Leaper's meant to be..." she inferred.
"Well, I'm happy to help you figure it out," Izuku assured to her, making her smile. Looking at their interaction from nearby, Mina gave off a big, toothy smile. Kyoka rolled her eyes, poking her with her jacks.
"And now..." Mic's voice started to echo over the loudspeakers, "it's time for the second round to begin!" he announced, causing the crowd to erupt into cheers. Walking up onto the stage were Homura and Kleene. "First up..." the Voice Quirk user continued, "the Class A swordswoman who received the bye into the second round, Homura Kogetsu!" he introduced, "VERSUS!" he kept going, "She's the wind-riding girl who breezed through the first round, Kleene Rutherford!" he introduced.
"Hm," the Wind Snatch Quirk user huffed, "You must be riding a confident wind thanks to your bye, correct?" she inquired of her opponent, getting her attention as she blinked in surprise, "Unfortunately for you, I will steal the wind from beneath your feet," she declared, making her Ether lines appear upon her face. Homura merely scoffed, holding her right hand out. Ether lines appeared along her arm before a red blade of energy formed into her extremity.
"I did not come here to lose," she stated.
"Hey, you see that?" Izuku inquired to Rebecca, who nodded.
"Her sword's different..." she noted. The energy blade Homura wielded resembled a broadsword with a loop hilt. She spun it around before holding it firmly, planting her right foot back. Kleene had wind swirl around her, lifting herself up from the ground.
"And begin!" Midnight exclaimed as she swung down her flail. In that instant, Homura reared her arm back and threw her blade forward.
"She pitched it?!" Denki exclaimed in surprise. Kleene was also a bit stunned, but quickly recomposed herself as her wind caught the blade, turning it around.
"I told you that I would steal your wind..." she remarked, firing the weapon back to her foe. However, she suddenly pivoted around and caught it by its hilt in her right hand. What followed was her turning around and firing the blade again with added momentum. It easily sliced through her opponent's wind and cut into her shoulder. "AH!" she yelped in agony, lowering herself to the ground as she grabbed onto her new wound as it bled.
"I was uncertain as to how to best face your wind at first," the Soul Blade Quirk user admitted to Kleene as she looked up, shaking a little, "so I decided to simply counter each of the techniques you used against Asui before finishing you..." she told her foe. Thinking she was being looked down upon, the Wind Snatch Quirk user growled before she had her wind contort around her target, trapping her within a swirling orb of air.
"You won't be able to escape my Wind Cage!" she declared firmly. However, she suddenly saw the orb get slashed apart in an instant.
"Wind can be counteracted by gusts equally as strong," Homura noted, now wielding a sword spear in her right hand while standing on her left foot, "Five Sword Fencing: Crane Stance," she said, "Your wind will be the one that's stopped," she stated, narrowing her eyes. She then put her foot down and split her sword into two, holding them in both hands in a reverse grip. "Five Sword Fencing: Leopard Stance," she remarked.
"Impossible...!" Kleene gasped, looking rather panicked, "My wind should steal all!" she exclaimed. Homura dashed forward, causing her to yelp in fright. She slashed rapidly, leaving behind multiple cuts in her foe's gym clothes before she fell backwards onto the ground, unconscious.
"Leopard Claw Frenzy," the Soul Blade Quirk user uttered, letting her markings disappear along with her weapons.
"No way..." Itsuka uttered out from back in the stands.
"That's definitely Valkyrie's student all right..." Tetsutetsu added, sweating madly. In the meantime, Kris glared down at the girl who had defeated his sister. She wasn't even paying any mind to him. Rather, she turned her attention to Shoto, glaring towards him. She was determined to see her victory in this tournament through and face him in the end. Moments, she returned to the stands, being greeted with compliments from some of her classmates.
"Well, I better get going..." Izuku said as he closed his notebook, setting it down.
"Good luck, Midoriya," Mezo remarked with a wave to the One For All inheritor.
"Knowing him, he won't need it," Rebecca chimed in, giving her best friend a reassuring wink. His face exploded into a blush, enticing him to cover it before making his way down the hall.
"Guess Midoriya's not the only one with a good flirting game..." Mina pointed out, getting the Leaper Quirk user's attention as she turned to see the widening smirk on her horned classmate's face. Realizing what she meant by that, Rebecca blushed a bright red.
"I-It's not like that!" she claimed in a stutter, "That was an inside joke from earlier!" she yelled.
"Sure..." the Acid Quirk user responded, folding her arms behind her head while still grinning. Sighing in embarrassment, Rebecca turned back to the field, hoping that her best friend would prevail in his upcoming match.
And the second round has begun, along with some setup for the upcoming arcs later in this season! I gotta say, I'm really stoked to show you all what'll come up after the Sports Festival in terms of both the original arcs and the what I've done with the other key arcs for the season! I'll catch you all later!