Here it is, the twenty-first full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released early as I had the time to make the edits but only one more chapters will be released early before I slow back down to weekly uploads for a bit as I rebuild my draft cushion for this story. This is one of my favorite chapters so far and one that I had planned for a long time so hopefully you enjoy what is coming in the semifinals of the U.A. Sports Festival, especially in the much anticipated first matchup. However, that is all the all I have for here though and as there are no questions to respond to here and no guest reviews to answer, though keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all, so I will leave this note here which means that it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 21st full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.
Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.
Chapter 21: Semifinal Showdown
"It's time to start the pulse pounding semifinals and we are kicking it off with a match between recommended students, so this is going to be a battle of elites." Present Mic said as Marinette and Todoroki made their way up the steps to the battlefield. "From the Hero Course it's Marinette Dupain-Cheng! Verses, her classmate, Shoto Todoroki!"
Marinette stood opposite Todoroki neither smiling as they waited for the command to be given to start. It was time for the semifinals as the first year Sports Festival neared a close. Marinette was ready for this and after Adrien's loss to Bakugo she was more determined than ever to win this and advance to the final.
Adrien had done really well, better than expected against Bakugo. With his Quirk he wasn't great in battle against another human unless he could negate that person's Quirk and allow Adrien to get in close and use his raw strength. Cataclysm was strong and good to defend himself but if Adrien couldn't get close he was beatable. Bakugo's Quirk was perfect for that defense against him and used that in their match. Marinette had seen Adrien's plan, but so did Bakugo and he'd gone all out at the end.
In the end Adrien had to use his Quirk to stand up to the explosions and then it came down to who would last longer. Marinette had been shocked to see that Adrien's training had allowed him to use both hands now, that was new, but in the end Bakugo's hands lasted longer and Adrien was beaten. He was now healed and bandaged up and in the box supporting her in this battle though Marinette still didn't know the extent of his injuries.
That just meant that Marinette had more motivation to win this and show everyone how good she was. There was one problem with that though. Out of the entire class, the one who was the worst matchup for Marinette was Todoroki. Tokoyami wouldn't be easy either but so long as she lasted long enough to use her Lucky Charm she could get what she needed to best his Dark Shadow. Todoroki was different, he was fast and unlike Adrien, who could defend against the ice, Marinette couldn't, not with Todoroki's speed.
She'd watched his match with Midoriya closely to learn what she could, and she did learn something important. If she could prolong his attacks and his reliance on his ice she could slow him down. His fire was his counter balance, but Midoriya had to push him to use that to win.
Well, Marinette didn't want to just win, she wanted to make sure Todoroki gave his all if he was going to beat her. She had understood what Midoriya was doing in his battle. He was the true hero, and it would be a disgrace not to build on his foundations, she just needed to survive his opening salvo and that was what her goal was for her Lucky Charm.
For his part Todoroki wasn't taking this lightly, he knew that the cute but unassuming French girl was more than she seemed. He'd watched her closely in the assessment test, the combat class and during the USJ incident and knew that she was strong. Her Quirk was strange and powerful even if it could only last a certain amount of time and if what he'd heard was true the very nature of it was what made it so strong. A Quirk that allowed the user to create an item to accomplish a goal, like winning a battle say, was not something to be taken lightly.
Add in that Dupain-Cheng had clear control over it from her past school, a school Todoroki knew of thanks to his father's teachings on foreign hero schools, and where she'd received tactical training meant that she was someone who should be on his level. Plus, there was her own history with Quirk Marriages, Todoroki had deduced that by her unnatural strength she'd shown in her agility that was beyond human normal, and she was formidable for sure.
While Todoroki had focused on Midoriya for obvious reasons, he'd not neglected those in his class he'd noticed as potential rivals. Bakugo was the loudest, but Todoroki would be a fool to ignore him and his power, he just did that to rile the boy up more so that he'd make a mistake. Ida too was a potential rival with his speed and Todoroki had planned a strategy for him should he get past Dupain-Cheng, but he hadn't. lastly Yaoyorozu was up there due to her brains and powerful Quirk but she wasn't a direct combatant so he would have overwhelmed her with ease had they faced off in the tournament.
However, he'd not neglected the French girl in his assessment though he had initially overlooked Agreste which had been a mistake. He knew what an exchange student had to prove to get into U.A. and that they were on par with the recommended ones.
Overall, Agreste was the bigger threat that he should have looked at first, but he'd not had an interaction with him, so he'd overlooked him initially. His Quirk was the perfect negation for Todoroki's, and he was naturally stronger. In a match Todoroki wasn't sure who would win but thanks to Bakugo he wouldn't have to worry about Agreste.
Dupain-Cheng though, he'd watched her match with Ida closely and saw what his plan was, it was the same as his only he could act faster with a broader, ranged, move. That was how he was going to win this one and overcome her tactical mind and Quirk.
"Begin!" Present Mic said and instantly a wave of ice shot out at Marinette.
Todoroki wasn't holding anything back as he sent the wave at her. It wasn't as large as the one he'd used on Sero, he'd gone overboard with his determination to face Midoriya and knew it, but it was still controlled enough to either freeze her or force her out of bounds.
"In order for a competitor to be considered out, she must touch the ground outside the white lines." Midnight suddenly declared surprising Todoroki as the end of his ice was past the white line and if Dupain-Cheng wasn't frozen or trapped then she had to be on the edge. "Dupain-Cheng is still in this."
Still, Todoroki didn't fully understand what that meant until he saw a hand atop the ice and a figure pulled herself up and into the air, twisting as she flipped to land on the ice. His eyes widened when he saw what she had on her feet. That Quirk was more than he'd expected, and he suddenly remembered how she'd used it in the 50-meter dash and swore, this was not going to be easy.
That was because the moment the word begin was shouted Marinette activated her Quirk with the idea of something to allow her to counter Todoroki's ice in mind as that was the thing directly in front of her and while it wouldn't give her the win, it would provide her with what she would need to even the tables with him. She felt the power activate at her feet of all places and grinned as the ice reached her, jumping at the last minute to grab the jagged ice and hope that the fact she was over the white line but in the air was allowed.
It was and she was already climbing the ice, leaping by using her upper body strength to go from jagged bit to jagged bit until she reached the top and with one last pull she flipped up and over while also making sure to sort something out on the way while Todoroki wasn't looking. He really shouldn't obscure his opponent from his line of sight, that might cost him later.
For now, though Marinette had to focus on what was in front of her as she landed and the ice skates in a U.A. sports kit print that had appeared in her feet hit the ice and she skated down it like a pro. She'd wondered how her ice form might translate and it seemed that her Lucky Charm had allowed her to work with it though she'd have to ask Mage and Tikki about it and the other forms later.
"Dupain-Cheng is skating on the ice, who would have thought?" Present Mic said as Marinette made her way down to Todoroki.
"Her Quirk does allow her to create an item to accomplish a task but even by her inventive standards this is new as for the first time in the tournament she's not using it to directly win." Aizawa said in bored tone as he once again explained it to his friend. "But shows just how much we shouldn't underestimate other countries."
"Agreed." Present Mic said.
Todoroki just grimaced at the failure and with a move of his right arm sent another, narrow spike of ice at her that should disrupt her approach at least. She had the agility on him, but he had range and raw power on her now that her Quirk had given her ice skates. She wasn't going to win this.
However, Marinette just leapt up and turned sideways so that she grinded on the new ice as she bore down on Todoroki. He was trying for power against her, but she had agility on him, and he wouldn't beat her unless he showed all his power.
"That won't work on me Todoroki." Marinette yelled as she leapt off the ice and spun a kick at him. "Try again."
Todoroki barely avoided the kick and felt the very edge of skate slice along his jaw only a millimeter or so deep. However, it was razor sharp, and he could feel the blood well up and tickle down his neck as he spun away and sent ice at Marinette. She was not going to win this, but she was starting to show her skill.
Marinette for her part landed on the concrete and on instinct skated on it cutting lines in it as if it was ice. That was new to her, but she wasn't complaining as she felt the cold and avoided the attack, arcing around to face Todoroki as the ice spike shot past her. She saw the blood on his jaw and winced, looked like she couldn't use her feet just yet unless she was really careful with them. Well, she could use everything else instead.
She sped at Todoroki as he recovered and sent another ice barrage at her, but she skated forward and to the side to pass it and leapt at him. She wasn't great with hand to hand, but her raw strength would help as she aimed for his left side and punched.
Todoroki managed to twist using ice beneath him to speed his spin as he brought his right hand to bear and sent out ice from it at Marinette as she'd over extended herself. The blow hit her in the chest and as she was in the air she was thrown back. However, there was ice behind her from his earlier attacks and Marinette just tucked herself into a ball, flipped back and then planted her feet as she hit it skate first and launched herself off it bringing her knees to bear as hard as she could.
At the last second Todoroki got his arms up and intercepted the blow on his forearms but it felt like his dad had punched him there that was how hard she hit. They held the blow for position for a moment before Todoroki used his more solid base to throw Dupain-Cheng back while staggering himself.
Marinette instinctively kicked out and pulled her feet back so that the blades on the soles of her shoes didn't do too much damage, but they still sliced through Todoroki's shirt and cut his skin. He ignored the stinging and blood; it wasn't deep enough to be a concern and with the old woman's Quirk he wouldn't scar. However, it did stager him and Marinette saw and opening.
She'd landed on her feet at the base of the ice formation that she'd just pushed off and used her arms to push off it to once again skate at Todoroki. He was still recovering when she reached him and kneed him in gut doubling him over. She then grabbed him under his left arm and turned on her skates.
"The only way you will beat me is if you use all your power." Marinette yelled as she used her momentum to throw Todoroki as hard as she could towards the edge hoping the winding had caused enough of a distraction to win this. "If you don't use your fire you will lose. I can hit almost as hard as Midoriya without breaking myself. You won't beat me by holding back. Be a hero Todoroki and unleash all your power on me."
Todoroki didn't doubt that Dupain-Cheng was right. The knee had hurt just as much as Midoriya's punches had and he was now in the air. However, the French girl had gone for the wrong part of him. He'd taken so many blows to the gut from his father that he could easily absorb them and fight on. He did that by twisting in the air and holding out his right hand and leg to create an ice slide to recover and arc around on an ice slide.
Marinette cursed in French; she'd hoped she'd had it then but did. Still, she saw his plan and quickly went after him as fast as she could. She intended to intercept him but he past her before she could, so she leapt onto the ice and skated behind him, keeping on it with the skates despite the angle though she knew she only had a minute or so left with the skates at most but as she followed Todoroki she prepared again while his back was turned.
Todoroki saw her behind him on the ice and finally realized that she couldn't be beat like this. Ice alone wouldn't defeat her; he'd been too arrogant to believe that he could win without his fire. Midoriya had been right, it was his Quirk and he'd made him see that he wasn't his father, he could use it if he wanted to. Well, now as good a time as ever to do so. Let's see how the girl handled flames, her boyfriend could be burned which meant that so could she.
He'd created a bowl that they were now in, and the ice was building up on the battlefield. He waited for the right moment and then leapt off the ice with a pillar as he cartwheeled to the side and twisted to land on his feet and slide along the ice that was covering most of the battlefield's ground within the bowl. Marinette saw the ice spike in her way and leapt off the wall and onto it to before leaping again to get into the air and twist to see him. That was the moment Todoroki had been waiting for and he raised his left arm, fire coalescing around it before he sent a jet of flames out at her.
"Todoroki's using his flames again!" Present Mic commentated as the crowd gasped at the sight. "This is getting serious. What will Dupain-Cheng do about it?"
Marinette would have grinned had there not been a gout of intense flames approaching her at that very moment. All she could do was raise her left arm, lower her head and bend her elbow to protect her face as the fire hit her left side and arm and washed over her. She knew she was durable but, well, she wasn't fireproof, and she yelled in pain as the flames seared her outer arm and left side. However, if she wanted to be a hero, she couldn't let a little fire stop her.
She rolled with the blow and using her good right arm, she grabbed the center of her top and ripped it off in a single move, tossing the flaming item away while still in the air. Alas, she wasn't wearing anything but her special bra on under it and the material had begun to melt into her burnt flesh, so she'd ripped that out as well but whatever, this was nothing in a battle and it taught Marinette that she needed to be careful and remember that she wasn't invulnerable.
As she was doing this, Marinette twisted so that she hit the ice with her burned left side, putting out any lingering flames as she slid along the ice leaving a smear of blood behind her, but the ice cooled her burns and she rolled on landing before slowly getting to her feet as her skates vanishing as she did. Todoroki just stared in shock at the girl as she got up and stood, grinning at him.
"That's what I'm talking about Todoroki." Marinette said as her left hair tie suddenly snapped creating a strange look with the left side of her hair down and the right side still tied back. "Bring your all to this battle just as I am."
All Todoroki could do was stare at the girl before him. She stood there tall and proud in nothing but her sports kit pants and, um, a red strapless bra that was snug across her petit chest with black dots on it similar to her hero costume. That wasn't what shocked Todoroki the most though he couldn't help but blush and push past averting his eyes as she might attack in that instance, no he was surprised by the burns on her. He was instantly hesitant with his flames again after seeing what they could do to someone with apparent enhanced durability.
Dupain-Cheng's outer left arm from the back of her hand to her shoulder, along with her left side from under her armpit to just above her hip was burned though not bad enough to scar given Recover Girl's Quirk. The burn extended onto her surprisingly toned abdomen and across most of it though her upper chest looked fin and it appeared to less bad compared that her arm. The only odd thing was that the piercing that Todoroki noticed in her navel was completely unaffected by his fire.
Lastly there was the blood. Clearly Marinette's top had partially stuck to her when the fire hit her, and she'd ripped it and skin off when she'd removed it. A fair amount of blood ran down her left arm from her should and then branched as it reached her hand and dripped off her fingers onto the ground. There was a few more rivulets running down her side as well that stained her pants. That said Todoroki wasn't one to talk as he had blood on his neck and chest that had now dried from the skates that he noticed were no longer on Marinette's feet meaning her Quirk had timed out.
"Good thing I used the tungsten piercing today, that metal is great against your fire." Marinette said seeming completely unfazed by her injures though she could feel them, but the ice had help numb them a bit. "And that this bra is fire resistant, thankfully you didn't burn the girls Todoroki. Adrien might not like that."
"Umm…" Todoroki said.
"What? It's just a bra? And I'm not stacked like Yaoyorozu so you can't see anything as I'm not even showing any cleavage right now." Marinette said. "Though I am sure Mineta is having a field day and getting beat up now as the whole stadium can see me in this."
"I know but, er, is that allowed?" Todoroki asked.
"Dupain-Cheng's breasts are not showing so it is allowable." Midnight declared her microphone carrying to the whole stadium and winking at her in the process that Marinette found wholly inappropriate for the situation. "So long as she keeps her bra on this fight can continue. Bare your tits though and you will be disqualified though, I should know, I'm the reason for that rule, whoops."
"Did she have to remind us of the time she fully stripped in the Sports Festival." Aizawa said as the crowd roared their approval and Midnight gave another coy wink with a finger at the corner of her mouth to add to her statement. "That was an incident."
"What are your talking about Eraser, that was the best moment of the Sports Festival that year." Present Mic said. "We all loved it."
"See it's fine." Marinette said as she held up her arms showing that like Midoriya that she could fight through pain as she ignored the blood that was still coming from her upper arm. "And we aren't done yet."
With that she charged using Todoroki's shock to her advantage as she got in close and punched at the left side of his face with a right hook. Only by rolling with the blow was Todoroki able to avoid being knocked out but he could easily feel it and the bruise that it would leave. However, as he was hit he got an idea remembering how he had planned to beat Ida should he advance and try his Recipro Burst on him. This was going to work now that Dupain-Cheng was not using her Quirk and he knew that it took time to recharge it. He just needed to withstand the attack to land it.
Marinette didn't know that Todoroki had a plan, she just kept pressing her advantage intending to beat him into submission if she had to. She had Todoroki on the edge and after that fire he was clearly out of sorts with it thanks to her injuries and appearance, so she wasn't going to pass up on an advantage like that.
She followed her punch up with a kick to Todoroki's left side as he turned away, landing it hard and likely cracking a rib or two in the process. However, that was when she fell into his trap. Todoroki knew precision moves as well and pinned her right leg to his left side with his left arm and thrust down with his right palm into the side Marinette's knee though it wouldn't do any physical damage, not that that was his intention though.
As soon as his hand made contact he began to freeze her in place. Marinette saw this and yanked her leg back before he could freeze in, and she used her left to leap back to get some distance and remove the ice from her leg. However, that was when she'd forgotten about Todoroki's right foot. He'd used her focus on him to send out the ice from hit to encase her left foot and leg up to her knee. As her right leg came down to steady herself, he extended the ice to freeze it so that she was frozen up to her knees on both legs.
"What the hell?" Marinette said in French out of surprise as she raise her arms, hands balled into fists to shatter the ice. "Merde."
"I can use precision moves as well, you forgot that because I've only been showing off ranged attacks today, didn't you?" Todoroki gasped out, the kick had winded him and judging by the pain cracked a rib or two in the process though it didn't break the, so his lung was fine, as he thrust his right hand up.
A wall of ice shot out and encased Dupain-Cheng's raised left fist and forearm so that the blood now dripped off her arm or ran down the ice stain the ice red. Todoroki quickly sidestepped to avoid her right fist as well before attacking again.
Marinette saw this and tossed what she had in her fist into her mouth just before he froze it as she moved her arm back and opened her hand just before the ice captured her. She knew that her Quirk was almost recharge though she was going to go beyond her limit to use it and would likely not have the full 5 minutes for it, but she didn't need the full time now.
"There, you're immobilized." Todoroki said still panting a bit taking a step back as Dupain-Cheng stood there in an X shape before him. "I've won."
"It's not over until I surrender, you knock me out of the ring, render me unconscious, or actually immobilize me." Marinette said through the mouthful of ice she was chewing as the water spilled down her chin before she swallowed it and forcibly activate her Quirk to get something to escape from the ice. "And Miss Midnight hasn't said that I'm out of this battle yet."
"What?" Todoroki said looking to the R-Rated Hero.
"Dupain-Cheng hasn't been immobilized." Midnight said with a shrug from her platform. "She'd break out before she could be captured if she was a villain so she's still in the fight."
"What!" Todoroki exclaimed as he turned back to see Marinette grinning at him and a pink light receding on her right hand and lower forearm under the ice, and it hit him. "My ice? You can use that to recharge?"
"Bingo." Marinette said as suddenly the heat brace thing with a design matching her current state of dress that her Quirk had created began to heat up and melt the ice there. "I've been eating it whenever you weren't looking, never obscure your vision of, or turn your back on, your opponent Todoroki."
"The start and chase." Todoroki said as he realized his mistake and just how good Dupain-Cheng was, she'd really shown him that she was on his level in this matchup.
"Yup ate as much as I could handle during those moments." Marinette said trying to keep Todoroki talking as she melted his ice enough to break free. "It's not as good as food and I am actually pushing it past its limits at the moment, but I can still use the ice to recharge. I'm not out yet. We're U.A. students Todoroki, we are supposed to go beyond our limits on a daily basis. The only way one of us wins is if we go plus ultra and that's what I'm doing. That why I'm going to beat you!"
"Then this will shut you up." Todoroki yelled in frustration his right fist now encased in ice as he punched her as hard as he could in the side of the face. "I'll knock you out before you can break free Dupain-Cheng."
"Not bad but you'll have to hit harder than that little love tap to knock me out Todoroki." Marinette said as her mouth filled with blood from the force of the blow, some of it spilling over her chin as she spoke, and she could feel the bruise forming there along with a few loose teeth. "You need a shit ton of force to render me unconscious."
With that Marinette spat the mouthful of blood and water from the melted ice out of her mouth and right into Todoroki's face. At the same time the ice broke on her right hand, and she went for an open hand, heat induced slap across Todoroki's face as hard as she could.
However, thanks to the rather disgusting, underhanded, and un-ladylike move Todoroki had recoiled and inadvertently avoided the slap. He'd also gotten pissed and wanted to end this now as he unleashed his rage and swept his right arm up at Marinette as he finished his inadvertent spin, putting all his power into the move but as he wanted to be a hero he'd blunted the ends of the ice that shot out so he wouldn't kill her.
Still, it was a concentrated cluster of ice pillars at upward angle that slammed into Marinette's chest at full speed. With her ice restraints she couldn't dodge it and the force broke the restraints, and by the feel a several of her ribs as well, as she was launched back. Marinette didn't have a chance to react before her heels clipped the lip of the ice slide that Todoroki had created earlier, and she spun in the air in an arc out of the arena.
It wasn't until Marinette slammed hard into the concrete wall that separated the battlefield from the stands, the same way that Midoriya had only higher up the wall, and her head snapping back into it at the same time, that she realized what had happened and that she had lost. She was also near the top of the wall and stayed there spread eagled for a second before she pitched forward. She had enough sense to flip and land on her feet on the grass in front of the crowd, but she knew she was at the end of her strength.
"Yup, that will do it." Marinette said as she coughed out a mouthful of blood, her eyes rolled back, and she fell face first into the grass unconscious with more blood leaking out of her mouth and onto the grass.
"Dupain-Cheng is out of bounds." Midnight declared with a snap of her flail and Todoroki panted in the ice bowl he'd created, blood staining his shirt and neck and Dupain-Cheng's blood still on his face as he tried to figure what the hell was up with his classmates. "Todoroki is the winner."
At that the crowd cheered as Todoroki winced when he looked up at the screen to see Dupain-Cheng out cold on the ground, blood on the back of her head as the robots rushed to her. She'd pushed him just as hard as Midoriya had, if not more so in some ways, and she'd forced him to address more of his issues and now he was really uncertain with his fire after using it like that.
However, he'd advanced, and he would face the winner of Bakugo and Tokoyami in the final, but he knew that his mind and heart was no longer in it. He'd fight though and then he'd try and figure out what was going on with him. Still, he had one thing to say as he stood.
"Thank you Dupain-Cheng."
"I'm going to check on her, that was an intense battle and the force Todoroki needed to do that to Marinette had to be immense." Mage said as he rose and pulled his hood up. "Tikki, care to join me?"
"Of course, I was going to see Marinette regardless after that." Tikki said leaving a now drunk and crying Plagg where he was having watched him get like this thanks to Adrien losing. "Can you make sure he's ok Dominus? I don't trust his power in this state, and we are in a place he shouldn't use it."
"He'll be fine Tikki, go and check on your friend." Dominus said dismissively. "I can keep his power in check if need be."
"Thank you." Tikki said.
Mage just nodded as he pulled his magic around him to render himself invisible, Tikki flying into his hood to hide there as they left the room. Adrien had been hurt in his fight with Bakugo, but it hadn't been too bad in the end though his arms, chest and right leg were covered in bandages.
Marinette on the other hand had just been knocked out so he wanted to make sure she was recovering well with Recovery Girl. He couldn't heal her as that would be too much interference and he was already pushing it with what he'd done already, but he could make sure his ward was ok, she and Adrien were his responsibility after all, and that had been a few hard hit that she'd taken. Plus, it would be a while before the stage was clear again with all the ice and blood on it.
While Mage could have used magic to get to where he needed to go without an issue, Recovery Girl was one of the few in the know about his true nature and that of Marinette and Adrien due to her being part of All Might's inner circle, he knew that Todoroki would be there right now. He would be getting his wounds seen to as soon as Marinette had had her first healing round but they were superficial for the most part so his healing would be quick, and Mage didn't want to run into the boy just yet.
That's why he took his time getting there and managed to reach the Nurse's office as Todoroki was leaving, noticing that Adrien was approaching though the boys didn't exchange a word as they passed each other. However, it seemed to be more because Todoroki was deep in thought and Adrien worried then any sort of animus between them. Mage opted to let Adrien head in to check on Marinette first before he dropped his cover and walked in a moment later, magically locking the door behind him as he lowered his hood.
As soon as he was in the occupants looked at him. Adrien was now sitting next to Marinette in a clean outfit, bandages visible on his forearms and upper chest that Mage could see from the slightly unzipped shirt. Recovery Girl had just finished dressing the injures after her healing though it was likely not a full healing as Marinette, who was seated up in the bed, was just coming to.
Marinette looked a state though she was still looking better than Midoriya but not by much. Her head was completely wrapped, her hair down and poking out at the bottom as it was barely shoulder length, a gauze pad on her left cheek. Her entire torso was covered and judging by the item on the side table she wasn't wearing anything under it, but the bandages that covered her chest were thick, tight, and went from her waist to her armpits so more modest than she'd been in the battle. Lastly, her whole left arm from her finger to her shoulder, as well as her collar bone, was wrapped up and in a sling.
It looked bad but Mage knew that it was just the first healing and that the bandages were a precaution. She'd get another session the presentation of the medals and again the next morning to complete the job but would be bandaged for a while just to be safe.
"Hey Adrien." Marinette said in a weak, dry, voice noticing her boyfriend next to her as she came to and blinked a bit at the light. "Guess I lost that fight."
"Rather spectacularly m'lady." Adrien said with a smile, it had been an unreal battle and second only to Midoriya's, even if Marinette had lost and he offered her a cup of water with a stray that she gulped down. "You almost had him as well."
"Honestly I think that fire was what got me in the end." Marinette said as she finished the water with a wince as she tried to move and failed. "It's really hot and he has no control over it at the moment, likely from neglect, but it slowed me down. Plus, the adrenaline numbed the pain and fogged my mind, made me forget he can fight up close with precision moves as well as at range."
"At least you made him use his fire." Adrien said. "That was big. He couldn't have won without it, and you pushed him just like Midoriya did."
"Yeah it was tough but I'm glad he's breaking out of his shell a bit." Marinette said. "When he starts to come around talk to him kitty, I think you can relate."
"Will do." Adrien said. "But only when the time is right."
"Marinette." Tikki squealed unable to contain it anymore and flying over to hug her face and making sure that she was on the right side where there was no bandage. "Are you ok, hurt, in pain? I can call in some favors if you need it. I don't know Fracture well so I can't help with any broken bones and Plagg's debts with him mean he's out though they are friends, but I can probably get a favor from Dola, she's the newest I've learned so no history with her. She can help if you need it. Sanguina does owe me a favor from 500 years ago or so, if you need blood I can get her here for you."
"Tikki, I'm fine just a bit sore and tired after that healing." Marinette said with a smile. "I don't need help other than Recovery Girl here, she's been amazing and really helped. I'll get a few more sessions with her plus my own high recovery thanks to the enhancements and I'll be good as new tomorrow. Though my left arm will be bandaged for a few days just to be safe."
"Yes but still take it easy deary and eat this." Recovery Girl said handing an open protein bar to Marinette that she took with her right hand and began to eat it as the old woman turned to Tikki. "So, you are one of the kwamis that I have heard of, interesting."
"Yes ma'am, I'm Tikki, the Kwami of Creation and formally bonded to Marinette, thank you for looking after her so well, I am grateful for it." Tikki said with a respectful bow. "I am aware that you are in the know of us and our history. As well as the truth behind Marinette and Adrien's past."
"Yes and it is fascinating, even in a world of Quirks learning of the Guardians and Miraculouses took me by surprise, but it was easy to understand once Mage here explained everything and of course having All Might and Nezu vouch for him helped a lot." Recovery Girl said. "And thank you, it is a pleasure to help out a young, aspiring, hero get better. Marinette is right though; I should be the only one to help. We can't have them relying on the Guardians too much."
"Plus, Dola and Sanguina are both stateside helping there in their cover capacity as heroes with healer Quirks." Mage said as they all turned to see him there. "And while I can call them over easily, they are busy and have main presences to maintain. That and we are supposed to refrain from interfering to much. I can do what I can because you fall under my protection due to the Miraculouses but for the most part the other Guardians won't interfere unless it is an emergency that affects more than you two and a Guardian is best suited to aid."
"That's fine, it's better this way." Marinette said as she put her hand on her abdomen and realized that her piercing had been removed while she was out cold. "Speaking of Miraculouses, can I have mine back as well as the one I had in?"
"Here is the one I took out after healing you so that I didn't heal the hole, tungsten was a good idea as it wasn't damaged at all." Recovery Girl said handing Marinette a small box that she pocketed in her pants that hadn't been changed; she'd have to sort it out later. "Your actual Miraculous, along with Agreste's ring, is your cases in your classroom. You can get them when the school opens again after the Sports Festival ends."
"Ah thank you." Marinette said with a sigh leaning back. "Also, how bad were my injuries? And Adrien's for that matter? I actually don't know how bad they got after taking that final hit."
"Yours were bad but I was able to stabilize you and that enhancement thanks to Mage's work really gave you a lot of stamina so I could do more than I expected." Recovery Girl said. "I was able to heal your 10 broken ribs, a punctured left lung, cracked skull and the skin you removed when you ripping that shirt off. Your burns have been lessoned and I've given you a pain killer before you leave, but I'll need to heal you again before the ceremony to get them. Then I'll heal you again tomorrow to ensure I got everything."
"I see, thank you." Marinette said with a wince at what she'd suffered though she wasn't in much pain anymore. "And Adrien?"
"I'm good actually." Adrien said with a grin holding his arms up. "Just burns all over my arms, some on my cheeks, chest, left hip, and lower right leg with the worst being my forearms. My stamina was still enough to fully heal it, but I'll be in bandages until tomorrow at least."
"Good." Marinette said before noticing someone was missing. "Where's Plagg? Shouldn't he be here as well."
"Passed out drunk and in debt in the Guardian's box with Dominus." Mage said surprising them. "And I should go and check on him, Tikki, care to come with me?"
"As much as I would love to be with Marinette now I should return as she needs to see her friends and let them know she's ok and they aren't ready to meet me yet." Tikki said. "I'll see you later Marinette."
"Of course, and thank you, all of you for coming to see me." Marinette said with a smile.
"Of course, we had to make sure you were doing well after that battle." Mage said as Tikki nodded. "See you later, I'll take you home once everything is done from the usual spot in the station."
With that Mage vanished with Tikki to go back to the box and watch the next match. Recovery Girl just shook her head as she made her way back to her desk and Present Mic announced the start of the second semifinal. She returned with a fresh, still wrapped, top for Marinette though she'd have to keep her now bloodstained pants for a bit longer.
"You two should go and rejoin your classmates." Recover Girl said. "Here, put this on. You'll have to leave the pants on for the moment though."
"That's fine, thank you Recovery Girl, for everything." Marinette said with a smile as she passed the shirt to Adrien who opened it for her and helped her into it though only her right arm could go into it, it had to be draped over her left should and the sling similar to how Midoriya's currently was. "Sorry for getting so banged up there."
"No worries dear, it's what I'm here for." Recovery Girl said with a smile. "Come see me the moment the final is over in the bowls where the podium is, I'll give you another little heal."
Marinette nodded before she and Adrien left and went back to their seats. All of her injuries had been on her upper body so she could move fine and while she was sore, she didn't want to miss the battle. As such, soon she and Adrien were there in time to see Bakugo repeatedly attacking Dark Shadow as he and Tokoyami faced off.
"Woah Marinette, you ok?" Uraraka asked her eyes dancing with worry though nowhere near as much as they had for Midoriya as she used Marinette's first name for the first time. "That looks bad."
Tsu and Marinette had helped get the girls more accustomed to the use of given and not family names amongst the girls at least and her injuries had finally gotten Uraraka to use it. That said, Marinette wouldn't use her first name until Uraraka gave her permission to do so and she only had Tsu and Momo's permission on that front, but she didn't mind, she was just glad that Uraraka was finally comfortable calling her Marinette.
"It's alright, Recovery Girl patched me up and the broken bones are fine now, so it looks worse than it actually is." Marinette as she sat down next to the brunette, Midoriya on Uraraka's other side while Adrien sat on Marinette's other side. "Dealt with the ribs, punctured lung, and skull fracture just fine. I'll need a few more sessions but I'll be good. It's Midoriya we should be worried about."
"Same as you, I'll be fine after a few more sessions." Izuku said. "And that battle with Todoroki was nuts, how did you use your Quirk twice? I thought you had to use food to recharge it and I didn't see you eat your special cubes for it."
"I was eating the ice when I had a chance." Marinette said with a shrug of her right shoulder, and she looked around notice that Ida was not there while Mineta was wrapped up in tape, but the rest of the class was present except Todoroki, Bakugo, and Tokoyami for obvious reasons. "So, it recharged me enough to use it again if I pushed myself to do so, but I don't think I'll be able to use it again for a bit. Not that I really can in this state."
"Makes sense and that is clever thinking." Midoriya said wishing he could make a note of it but committing it to memory for the future. "You almost had him as well, we all forgot that Todoroki could fight up close though. Had he not immobilized you, you probably would have won."
"Yeah well next time." Marinette said with a smile though as she looked back on the battle she realized that her mistake had been spitting in Todoroki's face, that had caused him to dodge her blow and allowed him to land his final hit, but she didn't want' to dwell on that so asked what she wanted to ask to change the topic. "By the way, where is Ida and why is Mineta in tape?"
"The tape was because of you girl." Mina said from behind her. "The little creep got all excited when you ripped your top of and stood there tall and proud in your bra despite those burns and the blood. Well until Adrien knocked him out like a good boyfriend would, real keeper you have there, and Sero taped him up."
"Yeah that was super manly Dupain-Cheng." Kirishima said with a grin at her. "You and Midoriya really showed us how to get through pain."
"Still a girl as you recently saw Kirishima." Marinette said simply. "Though I thought Mineta's state would be because of Adrien, good. And Ida?"
"He left." Uraraka said though she wasn't going to give the real reason just yet as Ida had only trusted her and Deku with it. "Something came up, so he won't be back."
"I see, I won't ask." Marinette said as suddenly there was a huge blast from the battlefield, and they all turned to it to see what was going on. "Looks like something big just happened down there."
"How am I supposed to commentate when I can't see?" Present Mic asked from his announcer's spot as they all watched the smoke intently. "This is frustrating."
A second later the smoke cleared, and they saw the result. Tokoyami was on his back with Bakugo crouched over him, his left hand on his beak and his right out and glowing with many small explosions that were keeping a much smaller and cowed looking Dark Shadow at bay. He said something to Tokoyami, and the bird headed student replied before laying his head back.
"Tokoyami gives up." Midnight declared with a flick of her flail. "Bakugo advances to the finals."
The crowd cheered as the students looked on in shock. Tokoyami had won his last two battles really quickly, only Marinette had been as fast in them, but Bakugo's Quirk had countered his with ease and now it had revealed what its weakness was. Dark Shadow was weakened by light making his matchup with Bakugo a huge mismatch as Bakugo produced the second largest amount of light behind Todoroki, so Tokoyami had no hope against him once Bakugo figured it out. Midoriya, Uraraka, and Koda all knew but now everyone did, but now they did, and it showed that Tokoyami could be beaten.
"And that is it folks." Present Mic said as the screen changed to show just Todoroki and Bakugo's pictures to everyone with a big VS between them. "The final is set so stay tuned as the final of the first years' U.A. Sports Festival is coming up really soon."
From the battlefield Bakugo looked up and Todoroki looked down from where he was standing at the back of the box, and they locked eyes. All knew that this was the expected final and it was here. Soon they would have a winner as Bakugo, and Todoroki went at it in the final of the U.A. Sports Festival.
Sorry Marinette, that was a lot, but you held in pretty well until the end despite the hits you took. Looks like Todoroki has the ability to beat her, but it took a lot to do so. This battle has been the one I've been most excited about and planned out the most in preparation for this so hopefully it went well for y'all even if Marinette unfortunately lost in the end. Marinette is now out as well, and the final is upon us as we wrap up the Sports Festival next though it is the second half of the next chapter that is the important part of it. However, that is all I have for y'all so I will leave it off here. If you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.
Stringdog
