Bustling through the busy streets people walked to and fro like the crashing water of a river. All of them just living out their pathetic little lives. Just blissfully unaware how good they have it. It must come sooooo naturally for them. To just go with the rapid flow of the river of life without even questioning it at all.
Or even questioning why the river was this way to begin with...
And oh how Shigaraki loathed them for it.
The kindly, old, mutant woman out in the park feeding her birds.
The happy brats climbing over each other and shouting way too loud.
The newly married couple sitting nearby and giving each other googoo eyes, completely oblivious to the world around them.
They all made him sick, the feeling of his quirk scratching up at him from the core of his being. Long, jagged claws running along the back of his mind like nails on a chalk board. Begging him to be let out, if only for a second. Whispering the promise of relief...
As tempting as that was he knew deep down that it was ultimately unrealistic, at least, for now.
It would take no time at all for him to dust a park full of people, his master would probably be able to pull a few strings and cover for him. It would be so easy...he might even get away with it too...
But he had a mission to do. He wasn't just walking through a park for the 'fun' of it.
Looking over his shoulder he hiked the hood to his jacket a little higher. His bright red irises scanning the crowd until he saw the silhouette of Kurogiri in the distance. His shifting, misty form staying out of the sight of the crowd and making sure to keep an line of sight on him.
Huffing Shigaraki couldn't help but be a little annoyed by his bodyguard. He knew that having them follow you around was the whole point of a bodyguard but did they have to follow you EVERYWHERE you went?
Sometimes he felt more like a baby sitter and less like a bodyguard.
Shoving his twitching hands into his pocket he took a slow, even breath. Pushing the irritating itch back down and slamming the lid on top of it.
His annoyed thoughts and anger weren't helping...they were just feeding his quirk.
Facing forward he continued his long trek, his gaze flickering down to a person's phone as he passed by.
A kindly looking woman who had to be at least in her thirties, lightly rolling a stroller back in fourth absent mindedly with a baby inside. Her gaze firmly locked onto the flickering screen of her phone.
Despite everyone being up and about like usual it was painfully obvious that everyone had other things on their mind. Every phone in the area was playing the live footage of the sports festival and would be for the entire day. Everyone was too distracted with the next best thing to care about anything else right now.
He could probably kidnap a baby and the mother wouldn't even notice for a good thirty minutes judging on how enthralled she is on her little screen.
Letting out a dark chuckle at that thought he shook his head before moving on.
Walking along the grassy path he looked up to the shaded tree line, the slowly billowing leaves casting a drifting shadow along the warm ground.
Leaving the natural cage that was the park, grassy walkways gave way to concrete steps. The steps drifting up and up before stopping at a rather massive building. A large sign along the front spelling out the words "Hosu International Library."
This was the first time Shigaraki had seen the place in person, only knowing what he knew from what he had read online.
From what he knew about the Hosu International Library it was one of the biggest records of information in all of Tokyo.
If anywhere had what he wanted to know, it was here.
Ascending the steps slowly Shigaraki could feel his bodyguard's eyes on him. If he turned to see him he's sure he would see shock on his normally unexpresive face but he did not turn to look at him.
Did not even bother acknowledging him as he reached a hand out, took hold of the handle of the clear, glass door before swinging it open.
And walking inside.
"...And there you have it, dear listeners!" Present Mic shouted over the intercoms, still a little shaken from what they just watched. "Just when it looked like Yoarashi had Todoroki trapped in a bubble of pure concentrated air he unleashed a surprise burst of fire, giving him enough time to dive bomb both of them from way up high! What are they feeding kids now days? To think these two are first years!?"
"It's believed by scientist that every time a quirk is passed on it mixes with others and gradually starts to get stronger until eventually it will become so powerful and so complex that they could destroy the user. A spike in power in-between generations is to be expected. As powerful and as impressive as the raw power of their quirks are they will need more control to survive in an ever growing world."
"That interesting philosophical fact has been brought to you by none other then the underground hero, Eraserhead, so you know it's true!"
Midoriya couldn't help but silently agree with the words coming from the intercoms.
Never had there been greater proof of the Kyudai Garaki theory then what they just saw.
Todoroki just created iceberg after iceberg, the area around them dropping at least a few degrees and plunging half of the arena into a new winter. All while Yoarashi whipped the wind around them into a tornado and siphoned the air from his opponents lungs like something out of a comic book.
Midoriya remembers studying the effects of increased altitude on a human body, how it makes it hard to breath and drags you down. Mostly because as a would be rescue hero he may have to deal with mountain climbing accidents in the future...but never did he imagine seeing that same effect artificially created within a stadium at base level. If Todoroki was in that bubble for an extended amount of time he would have lost consciousness and maybe even suffered brain damage.
Those two have some serious fire power hiding under their engines...and Todoroki was only using one half of his power at any given time. He had no doubt both of their futures as heroes were bright ones.
They were so powerful he couldn't help but be a little intimidated by them. He wasn't even sure what he would be able to do against such impressive power...
Shaking his head he sighed, silently chastising himself. There was no point in even trying to compare himself to them at the moment, after all he wasn't trying to be a battle hero.
Still...he couldn't help but imagine what fighting one of them would be like and it did not look good for him.
It was silly to think that far ahead, he still had two more fights before them and he's not even sure if Todoroki would make it to the finals. Todoroki still had to deal with Kirishima after all and he was a whole other beast...
Flickering to the wall between them and class 1A Midoriya thought of the strong, if not a little naive, man on the other side. He wondered what it would be like to be born with such a power...
"Holy crap." Muttered Kendo next to him, breaking the silence amongst them and snapping him out of his spiraling thoughts. "That was...kinda crazy."
"Yeah..." Nodded Kaibara slowly.
Bondo chiming in not long after, the normally quiet boy actually saying something. "Who knew class 1A had such powerful students in their ranks, it's a little intimidating."
"Tell me about it." Komori whispered as she wiggled in place.
Even Kamakiri looked a little unnerved by their display of raw power, the normally loud boy instead just shaking his head with a frown.
Midoriya could clearly see that Kendo's class was starting to lose hope in their class even placing bronze. He felt the need to say something encouraging, to help lift their heads but at the moment he couldn't even think of anything to say...
"I know! Isn't it cool!? It just makes me want to try even harder!" Shouted Tetsutetsu, taking a stand with fire in his eyes. Flexing one of his arms his quirk activated on instinct. "Like hell I'm going to just give up to class 1A just like that! We still have two of our own strongest powerhouses in the race and lets not forget our master tactician Tokage is next! It's not over until its over!"
Like silver knuckles breaking through a glass window the tension in the room shattered, everyone looking amongst each other and giving each other encouraging smiles. Their spirits lifting as some of them smiled.
"Hey Yeah! That's what I like to see!" Exclaimed Kendo, standing up as well to punch her fist into her hand. The fire reignited inside of her. "I'll be damned if I don't go out swinging! If you all think that was a crazy show just you wait for my turn! I'm gonna wipe the floor with my opponent!"
Some laughs could be heard, a few of them letting out an encouraging cheer.
Taking a step forward Tetsutetsu stuck a hand out, taking her hand to squeeze it.
"Hell yeah! You got this class rep!"
Taking his hand in hers Kendo smirked back, giving it a squeeze. "You're damn right I do! Thanks dude, I needed to hear that."
Watching the two interact from his seat Midoriya felt a frown etch onto his face. The group that made up their class surrounding the two and giving words of encouragement.
With how Kendo and Tetsutetsu were interacting they looked like they were getting close...a fact that made something ugly twist around in his chest. A burning kind of anger that he immediately shut down. His eyes shooting a sharp glare into the back of Tetsutetsu's before he caught himself, looking away to try and to right himself. Midoriya could feel his hand tense against his seat, his eyes looking away and back into the ring to see both Todoroki and Inasa being taken away on robot controlled stretchers.
He was doing it again. Clinging to Kendo like she was a life line when she clearly had other things to worry about.
It was silly to feel this way he told himself.
They were the best of friends but really it was none of his business who Kendo got close with...after all, they just had a similar conversation about him and Jirou. He had no right to get mad at the growing relationship between the two of them.
Maybe it would be better if he just went back to sitting with his actual class...
"...think is going to win?"
Jumping slightly startled he turned to find that Kendo had come back to her seat, the tail end of her words snapping him from his thoughts.
"W-what?" He muttered a little surprised.
Raising an orange eyebrow at him Kendo frowned softly. "I asked you who you thought was going to win, Iida or Tokage? Since you know both of their quirks better then I do. I only really know what Set can do." Thinking for a second she paused before asking quietly. "Is everything ok, Midoriya?"
There was something about the concern in her voice that made him freeze up.
That's right...Kendo actually wanted him here. Just because she likes to spend time with other people does not mean she's replacing him.
Swallowing he felt a little ashamed of his own thoughts. Raising a hand to rub at his neck as he smiled.
"Just a little nervous from my match is all. As for Iida vs Tokage it will be an interesting fight. They both are extremely slippery and hard to pin down, it will probably come down to whoever manages to land a hit first."
Kendo didn't look like she believed him but talk about the fight seemed to distract her for the moment. Her hand raising to scratch her cheek, her gaze looking back to the repaired ring. "That's true. I think Set is a lot more crafty then Iida but in a flat plane it more lends to Iida's quirk. I guess we'll see how crafty Set really is."
Nodding along Midoriya looked down at the ring, absently inching a little closer to her.
"Yeah, guess we'll see."
In one of the waiting rooms Tenya Iida absently watched the matches play out on the tv screen in the corner of the room. Crouching down he grunted, bouncing on his heels before standing up and twisting his waist.
It was important to get your stretches in before a big match of course! He refused to go into the ring in anything but tip top form and that meant being as limber as possible!
Raising an arm he swung it over his head, bending his body to the side before turning and doing the same to the other.
A small pinging sound drawing his attention to his phone, letting him know he just got a text. The small piece of plastic vibrating on the bench with the rest of his stuff. Running a towel along his neck he walked over to pick it up, smiling at the messages that popped up when he did.
"Do your best Tenya." His mother typed out.
"Make our family proud son." His father responded as well.
The two messages making his eyes a little glassy. Rubbing his forearm against his suddenly wet face he chuckled, slowly scrolling through the other text messages he had received from his friends and colleagues...but sadly, he noticed that that he had yet to get one from his older brother.
Silently he chastised himself for being selfish. His brother was out on patrol at the moment and doing his best to bring honor to their family name, he probably had no time to send him a good luck text. Tensei was more then likely busy and would get back to him later.
Still, he could not help but get a foreboding feeling. He knew his older brother was more then capable as a hero, he was one of the strongest people he knew...yet he still felt this worrying pull.
Perhaps I should message father and ask him to check on Tensei. If he was truly in trouble he might need back up.
Shaking his head he frowned. Adjusting his glasses slowly before setting his phone into his bag.
He was just being silly...
"Tenya IIda and Setsuna Tokage please make your way to the ring! I repeat, IIda and Tokage it's about to go down! Eijiro Kirishima and Jurota Shishida please stand by! You little dudes are up next!"
Standing up to leave the locker room Iida turned to make one final glance at his phone before steeling himself, nodding to no one and closing the door behind him.
The faint roar of the crowd got louder the closer he got, his hands firmly at his side as he left the dark inlayed tunnel and walked into the screaming embrace of the crowd. Looking amongst the people a serious look crossed his face, making his way along the grassy field.
He will make his family proud. No matter what.
As he approached the arena, he received the go-ahead by Midnight to step into the ring, making his way up the concrete steps.
"We got another match between the two hero courses! It's a classic tale of 1A vs 1B! Kendo scored a point on 1Bs side and Uraraka put one on 1As side! It's 1:1 and anyone can still take the win! Will it be class 1A or 1B? Who will be the superior class!?"
"Rivalry between classes is to be expected but must we feed into it..."
"Fighting on the side of class 1A! He's a Roaring Speed Demon! A Super Powered Track Star! You might know him as the younger brother of the pro hero Ingenium! Somebody clock the speed on that vehicle? It's Tenya Iida!"
The crowd roared at the mention of his brother, clearly a fan favorite amongst the people. He knew his brother was popular amongst his circles but hearing it in person was a whole other story. The screaming crowd filling him with immense pride.
"Not to be outdone! Fighting in class 1Bs corner! Daughter of the pro hero, Komodo Khan! She's as cunning as a snake and just as slippery! Put a scaly hand together for Setsuna Tokage!"
The people cheered out as a mix of both surprise and excitement at the mention of Komodo Khan, no one expecting to see his child fighting here today.
Blinking surprised up in the stands Midoriya looked around at class 1B, all of them with differing levels of shock on their face. Facing Kendo she looked just as surprised, meeting his quizzical gaze and shaking her head.
So no one even knew they had a legacy child in their ranks...that's a little surprising. He wonders why Tokage would keep something like that hidden until now...it's not like Komodo Khan was a terrible hero or anything. If anything he was more then impressive. Sure he wasn't really high up on the hero rankings but most mutant types weren't, with exceptions like Gang Orca and Miruko. None the less he had proved himself time and time again as a strong hero. Defeating most villains that crossed his path with his intimidating form and a well placed, paralyzing, venom induced, bite.
Undeterred by that news Iida marched forward, reaching an unbending arm out towards her. "It is pleasure Setsuna Tokage! To think there was another legacy child in our midst besides Todoroki and myself! May I wish you the best of luck!"
Watching him a little surprised her mouth opened to show rows of sharp, shark like teeth. Taking hold of his firm hand and giving him a flirty wink as she shook it. "Likewise hot stuff. Just because you have my heart in the palm of your hand doesn't mean you are allowed to go easy on me. May the best person win."
"Ah...yes, of course!" Blushing a little Iida marched back to his side and took his position, looking a little stiffer then usual as he coughed into his hand. "I would never...be so rude as to go easy on an opponent! Prepare for, erm, my best!"
"I'm sure you will notice that I can take your best and then some." Tokage said smugly, playfully licking her lips and making Iida turn bright red.
"The rules are simple." Midnight called out. "The match is over if a fighter is knocked out of the ring, or they are deemed unfit to continue. If there is any violation, Cementoss and I will stop the match immediately, understand?"
"Yes maam!"
"You got it sensei!" Called Tokage with a thumbs up.
"Then let the seventh match...BEGIN!" She screamed as she cracked her whip.
Springing forward Iida rocketed straight at her with a startling amount of speed. Even those that were used to the Iida family line were a little surprised at how fast he moved. Heading straight at her he leapt into the air, twisting his body and driving a super powered kick right into her stomach.
Except weirdly nothing connected. There was no give, or even sign of him hitting her. His leg passing straight through her stomach, as if it was just air. The momentum passing him through her split stomach and landing on the other side.
Turning to face her again he frowned in thought, unaware of what she just did.
While he has had a few conversations with the girl within their growing group of friends he still had no idea what kind of quirk she had. Whether she was purposefully keeping it secret, like her heritage, he had no idea.
I need to be careful...who knows what kind of tricks she has hidden away.
Walking to her left he refused to look away from her for even a second, trying to look for an opening to strike. She did not push her advance, simply smirking at him and giving him a little wave. She wasn't even in a fighting stance, leaving herself wide open. Why? Was it a trap?
Rushing forward he went in again for a strike, zig zagging around her before pouncing on her from behind. Taking hold of her wrist he flipped her over, securing his hold on her and rushing to one of the four corners. Heart pumping, adrenaline rushing he pulled her along but only once he got closer did he realize the girl did not weigh anything at all. Looking down on his hold he was surprised to find he was only holding her hand.
Making a startled sound he jumped in place, turning and throwing it away from him. The offending appendage not hitting the ground and instead floating in place as if devoid of gravity. Not unlike Uraraka's quirk. The floating hand turning to face him before wiggling its fingers at him.
Blinking a few times surprised at it a snort made him turn to face his opponent. The girl watching on amused, a hand on her hip as she waved a stump of an arm at him.
"That is adorable. If you wanted to hold my hand you should have just said so."
"That was not my intention at all!" He shouted back, pointing at her red faced. "Do not misinterpret my actions! I was merely trying to throw you out of bounds! I thought you said you were planning to take this seriously!?"
Rolling her eyes at him she chuckled. "I said I was going to give you my best, I never said anything about being a stick in the mud. What's the point of any of this if you cant have a little fun here and there?"
"The point is to prove ourselves! To make our family proud!" He huffed back annoyed, startling a little when the floating hand took the glasses off of his face before floating them back over to her. Her hand reattaching as she put his glasses on.
"Yeah yeah, I've heard it all before. Legacy, pride, whatever." Adjusting his glasses on her face she squinted. "Geez dude, how do you even see with these? You must be blind as a bat without them."
"U-unhand those this instant!" He shouted, squinting at her as he stomped over to try and take them back, fumbling around amongst the blur of colors.
Sidestepping him easily she watched him flail about for a moment before shrugging.
"Yeah ok, I had my fun. Here you go."
Removing the glasses from her head she held it out to him, letting him reach for it before tossing it over her shoulder and into the grass.
"Oops. Clumsy me."
"Thank you so mu...why!? Midnight sensei!" Iida shouted, not really facing Midnight at all. Instead turning to face a different direction. "This can't be allowed!"
"Hey man, she said anything goes. I'm pretty sure me tricking the glasses off your face qualifies as anything." Tokage said smugly.
Midnight thought about it for a second before shrugging, cracking her whip and smiling widely. "I'll allow it!"
"You can't be serious...how am I to fight when I can't see!?"
Cracking her neck Tokage smirked evilly before getting into a fighter stance. "Tough luck dude. Guess it's my turn."
Running forward she delivered a fist against Iida's face, knocking the larger boy back, his face getting smacked to the side. Stumbling back a little Iida tried to counter attack with a roundhouse kick but only found air, his engine leg missing its mark. Tokage pushing her advance and hitting him a few more times, jumping back when he got an idea where she was.
This wasn't working, it was going to take forever like this.
Tokage thought, quickly splitting her body apart into many pieces. Tokage starting to hammer away at him from all over, the almost blind boy struggling to block against what he could not see. A blur of colors hitting him across the chest and shoulders.
Swinging a fist back to try and swat them away Tokage swarmed all around and pelted at him. The strikes weren't super powerful but more as a way to try and wear him down. After getting hit across the face Iida stumbled back, the stiff young man wildly flailing his arms about amongst the wave of body parts.
Floating closer pieces of her body reformed into a leg, the leg flying straight at him and sharply kneeing Iida right in the stomach and knocking him farther back. Coughing a little he took a step back and then another, his back towards the grassy field beyond and his feet cresting the ledge.
Now was her chance.
Coming back together Tokage ran straight for him, her head reattaching to her forming body as she went for a shoulder charge. Only instead of hitting him he quickly stepped to the side.
Stumbling a little on the cusp of the corner Tokage cursed a little to herself before floating to safety.
She was so close to knocking him out of bounds...
In a attempt to knock him farther back she continued her assault, her fist clenching before detaching from her wrist and flying at him.
Crouching down Iida ducked under her punch, turning and swinging a super powered kick straight for her. Eyes wide she barely ducked under it, the forcing blowing her hair back.
Something changed in the boy after that, she couldn't tell what it was but Tokage could feel the tide of the battle changing. Every time she would sneak in and land a few hits to try and knock him back Iida would counter with a potentially dangerous hit, each of them getting way too close for her comfort. Bending his knees Iida leaping into the air, doing a front flip and driving his legs right where Tokage was just standing a few seconds ago. The girl managing to break her body apart and dodge the strike just in the nick of time.
"Few, that would have hurt if it hit." Tokage muttered, a little surprised he got so close to hitting her yet again. "I don't get it. How is he getting so close to hitting me when he can't even see?"
Looking up to face him her eyes widened when she realized that he didn't even have his eyes open. They were closed...he wasn't even trying to see her right now.
How was he doing this? Her thoughts screamed at her, making a cold shiver run up her spine. Were the glasses just a trick? Did he pull a fast one on her?
Rushing towards her at a startling speed he was on her in a second, his larger frame looking imposing and intimidating as he swung a foot at her. Startled Tokage did not have time to dodge, his leg finally connecting with her torso and punting her back. Knocking her back her body broke apart into pieces, flying into the air Tokage let out a loud groan. Trying desperately to put herself back together in time as she fell back and landed in the grass with a tumble.
"Setsuna Tokage is out of bounds due to ring out! Tenya Iida moves on to the next round!"
The crowd cheered all around them. Tokage sitting up with a grunt and slowly starting to put herself back together. Rubbing her head with her reforming hand she looked down at her off hand before blinking a few times in surprise.
That's weird, where did my pinkie go?
Tilting her hand slowly all of her parts had come back to her except her pinkie, the smallest finger weirdly missing. Looking around amongst the grass Iida marched forward to get her attention, sticking a closed fist out towards her.
When his fist opened her pinkie flew back to her and reattached to her hand.
Wait...when did he...
The realization slowly coming to her making her eyes widen.
"Are you alright?" Iida said kindly, completely oblivious to her stare.
"When I broke apart you managed to grab a part of me without me knowing." She said, surprise evident on her face. "You then used that piece kind of like a compuss, knowing that it was trying to come back to me to figure out where I was during the match."
"I apologize but I didn't know what else to do. You had me backed into a corner." The tall boy said nodding. "It was just a hunch that it was hard for you to track all of your body parts at once. If I was wrong you would have figured me out at the very beginning."
Staring up at him she blinked...it's been a while since someone managed to pull the wool over her eyes like this.
Snorting in mild amusement she stood up, patting herself off. "Sorry about your glasses. If they are too damaged I could always replace them."
The boy gave her a weird little salute as he shouted back. "Do not worry! I brought a few replacements with me just in case!"
"Replacements?" That got her attention. "As in multiple?"
"Of course! I have at least a dozen back home!"
...
That really got her laughing. Her face warping from confusion to pure, unadulterated amusement. Her sharp teeth opening wide as she belly laughed. Iida watching her with a cute little tilt of the head.
"What is so amusing? Was it something I said?"
When she was finally done laugh she shook her head before walking over to him. Hooking her arm around his, dare she say rather thick arm, she started to drag him along. Heading off to help the blind fool back to his stuff...and maybe flirt a little along the way.
"It's nothing tin man. Let's go get you back to your stuff."
If their parents could see them she's sure they would be proud.
Up in the 1B booth their class all groaned. Each of them with differing levels of disappointment.
"Man." Kaibara muttered. "So much for our 'master tactician.' I thought for sure Tokage had him."
"On a matter of strength class 1A has way more physical power then us." Scowled Tsuburaba. "This whole thing is starting to feel a little rigged. If our own legacy child is knocked out in round one what does that say about the rest of us?"
"Even the raven can only do so much with a broken wing." Whispered their resident goth girl, Yanagi. Kuroiro nodding along to what she said but not saying anything.
"Are we the raven in this situation?" Questioned Rin with a raised eyebrow.
Standing up Kendo let out a disappointed sigh. She was annoyed with how the match turned out but also happy to see such a fun match...it was just a shame that it had to happen to her bestie. Hopefully she was able to learn from this experience and get stronger but judging from how Set was clinging to the poor boy she wouldn't bet on it.
"Oh well, what can ya do? You win some you lose some." Facing her class she gestured with her thumb. "I think that's my cue to head out, wish me luck."
"Ok Kendo, do your best!"
"May the stars fortell your victory."
"Knock em dead vice rep!"
"Break a foot!"
"Leg, Pony...its break a leg."
Getting up from his seat as well Midoriya nodded to her. "Hold on. Let me walk with you. I have to start heading down to prepare for my match anyway."
Making her way out of her seat she smiled at that. The fact Midoriya was joining her making her weirdly happy. Which was odd because they went everywhere together...why was this any different?
Leaving the massive booth they walked down and into the fair, the same endless, white tunnels greeting them as they walked.
Looking over to Midoriya she took a mental note that he was quieter then usual. She didn't peg it as sad...but something else. That being said it probably wasn't anything to worry about, he was most likely just strategizing for his match.
The thought reminding her of something.
"Hey Midoriya." Her words drew his gaze to her as they walked. "I keep forgetting to ask you because it didn't seem that important at the time but what's the deal with you and Bakugo? I don't peg the guy as someone that usually likes to interact with people but then there he was pulling you aside to have a chat."
Stopping his step for a second Midoriya looked to her a little surprised, followed by...was that embarrassment? Shame? Whatever it was made him frown, like he was recalling an old memory.
Whatever that look was she decided that she did not like it.
"That's right. We got so wrapped up in talking about my past I guess I forgot that part." Muttered Midoriya, raising a hand to rub at his neck. His words slowly losing steam before the final one left his mouth like a whisper. "I told you about him...you know. Erm...Kacchan?"
Oh.
Now she was the one stopping in her tracks, watching the back of Midoriya heading down the hall before he realized that she stopped, turning to look back at her with a concerned look.
Kacchan.
Midoriya's old best friend...the same boy that used to run a group of bullies that tormented him constantly. The main antagonistic force in Midoriya's story.
The first person to abandon him.
Suddenly the faded burn scars on Midoriya's chest made more sense. The faint traces of them hardly even noticeable if you didn't already know they were there.
There was something about the fact that he made it into the hero course over Midoriya that pissed her off to no end. A bully like that made it into one of the top hero courses in all Japan? Were they aware of what he did?
Feeling Midoriya's hand on her shoulder she turned her head to look at him.
"Kendo...please be careful out there." Whispered Midoriya, concern leaking from every word. "There's something different about Bakugo. He's trying to act the same as he used to but it doesn't feel right. Bakugo's quirk is incredibly dangerous and it only gets more powerful the longer the match drags on. If you have a chance, make sure to put him down early before he starts to gain momentum."
Smiling up at him she nodded, reaching up to put her hand over his. Her rough, calloused fingers tracing over his larger ones as she gave them a comforting squeeze.
"Got it. I'll be as careful as possible. You have my word."
Startling them out of their moment was the sound of an loud bang. The stadium shaking from the force and drawing their attention back to the ring. Without communicating they both ran down the hall and made a turn, cresting the corner and leaning over a railing for a better look.
Standing in the ring, if you could even call it that, was Kirishima. He barely looked like he was able to keep upright at that moment. The sleeve and half of his gym uniform blown clean off to reveal a mangled and brutalized arm. Smoke billowed from the destroyed ring and there, far on the other side, was an unconscious Shishida. The massive man laying in a crumbled heap far up in the stands.
Was he knocked all of the way up there? It's a good thing it looked like he didn't land on anyone...
"In a startling display of raw power Kirishima punched his opponent all the way up into the stands! That might have been the fastest match today so far! And here I thought we were done with super powered quirks but it seems like we are just getting started!"
The cheer of the crowd was almost deafening, the entire stadium going nuts over what they must had just witness here today.
Slowly looking over to Midoriya he met her gaze with a just as shocked one.
That was probably going to be a problem...
Sitting in a chair Katsuki Bakugo's foot moved a mile a minute. His roughed up shoes slapping against the cold floor of the hospital room. It's been a while since anyone had said anything really, him and his parents choosing to fill the room mostly with silence.
His father walked back and forth like the nervous wreck he was. Walking from one end of the room and back to the other with a slow pace. His gaze moving to the ticking clock on the wall only for a second before going back to his steps. Raising a thumb he silently bit at it as he walked. A sign that he was being extra nervous.
He hated when his father got like this, all it did was make him more angry...
Meanwhile, his mother sat quietly with her head in her hands. She was quiet, probably quieter then he had ever seen her before.
You would never catch him saying it a loud but he always admired that about his mother. She was always so fierce, so determined and adamant on what she wanted when he was younger. He really...looked up to her. So seeing his mother look so defeated and dejected scared him more then any villain ever did.
Even more then the nightmare of him slowly drowning in tar that he tends to have whenever he closed his eyes nowadays.
All it took was one sound. The faint sound of a door opening to draw all three of their attention.
In walked their doctor, the kindly looking man looking at something written on a clipboard before turning to face them. Before he could even speak his mother practically lept from her seat.
"Tell me you have good news doctor." She all but demanded, some of her fire returning just for a moment.
Taken a little off guard their doctor quickly righted himself, nodding at her before speaking.
"Ah yes, of course. I apologize on the wait." Walking over to stand between the three of them a grim look crossed the man's face. "I'm not going to sugar coat it Mrs. Bakugo, it does not look great. Your son was submerged in that slim like substance for a long time. If he was saved sooner it would have been a fairly simple fix but your son was trapped for a concerning amount of time. Frankly, he is lucky that he's a fighter and did not outright suffocate."
Sadness was etched on his mother's face but there was also a layer of exhaustion that was not there before all of this started.
"What...does that mean?"
"It means...that because of this your son's lungs seem to be coated in that very same slim. The excess residue clinging to his throat and making it harder for him to breath, resulting in these coughing episodes he has been having recently." Looking at the ground with a frown Katsuki's hands clenched, his teeth gritting together into a scowl. "We can try and remove that excess through surgery but there is no guarantee that it will completely fix the problem. Although it is second nature for you and I to breath that does not mean that it is easy. Our bodies were trained for years through evolution to do the incredible, easily. I'm sorry to say that regardless of the outcome his lungs will probably never be the same again. Moving forward any and all treatments will be less about curing him and more towards making sure the symptoms do not get worse...after the surgery we will be able to provide medications that will..."
"H-hold on." Shyly said his father, taking a step forward. "This all sounds incredibly expensive. Even with the money provided to us by the hero league for compensation we may not have enough. After Aldera...w-we have not exactly had extra money to..."
"We'll do it." Interupted his mother, their eyes meeting to have a silent conversation. His father slowly relenting after a moment and giving a nod before his mother looked back to their doctor.
Watching on Katsuki Bakugo swore that he was going to be the number one hero. It did not matter if his parents didn't believe in him anymore or even if all the doctors in the world told him it was impossible. He was going to be the best...no matter what.
"We'll do it."
"We are back, ladies and gentleman, for the opening match of the quarterfinals! I predict this match will be a crazy one full of grit, passion and dare I say at least a few explosions!" Shouted Present Mic over the intercoms, both Bakugo and Kendo making their way up to the center of the ring.
"In this corner! We have the Fiery Rocketeer! The Blonde Haired Bomber! The Explosive Enigma! Everyone give an explosive round of applause for Katsuki Bakugo!"
Running his fingers against the faded surgery scars along his neck Bakugo scowled. Taking his side of the ring he was met with thunderous applause, the eyes of everyone baring down upon him. Staring forward with an unwavering glare of determination he absently cracked his knuckles, only frowning harder when he saw his opponent come into view. Her orange ponytail being seen from the steps followed by the rest of her.
"Facing the other side is the Brass Knuckled Brawler! Crusher of Mountains and Men! The Bronze Colored Fist Train!"
"Still hate that name..."
"Itsukaaaaaaa Kendo!"
The sound of the screaming crowd surprised Bakugo, making him blink a few times as he looked about.
That cheer was so much louder then his own...
The crowd had clearly picked their favorite for the match and it was not him. Not that he cared what a bunch of losers thought of him. Their cheers only seeming to fuel him more, swinging his head from side to side and cracking his neck. Growling he grit his teeth together, tiny sparks popping from his finger tips.
Unintimidated by him all Kendo did was raise an eyebrow at his display of force, cracking her knuckles at him and smirking.
"And here we have the fourth showdown between Class 1A and 1B in their fated clash between classes! A Class Clash Eraserhead!"
A low drawn out sigh leaked through the speakers.
"That means he's excited folks! With Class 1A holding a 3-1 lead so far, can Class 1B's Kendo catch up with her rival class? Or will Class 1A push even farther ahead!?" Present Mic's electrifying commentary fueled the crowd's excitement to new heights.
Sizing each other up Midnight walked between them, waving a hand to get their attention. Looking between them she observed them closely, already picking up the aggression and animosity. Bouncing between excitement on seeing so much passion and concern for her students.
"Listen well you two." She said with a serious look. "We've already had one dangerous outburst today, I refuse to see another. Whatever you two have going on you better save it for later, do I make myself clear?"
Rolling his eyes Bakugo huffed annoyed. "Whatever."
"Sure." Kendo said in a not very convincing tone.
Sighing Midnight shook her head before walking back to her elevated platform, raising the whip into the air.
"Then let the first match of the quarter finals! Begin!"
Raising both of his palms Bakugo started to fire off volleys, multiple tiny blast firing off like a machine gun. Peppering her entire area with tiny explosions.
Charging ahead at full speed Kendo rushed into the fray, enlarging a hand and holding it over her body like a shield.
Firing off a few explosive blast into the large charging hand Bakugo quickly realized that she was not stopping. Cursing he propelled himself into the air to put distance between them, a massive hand slamming down right where he was just standing. Flying overhead he rocketed behind her, firing off two well timed blast into Kendo's back.
Gasping out a stinging, burning sensation ran up her spine, making her grunt out in pain before she turned around to protect herself from an other incoming fire. Blocking a few more blast she followed his movement, the blonde haired boy zipping around all over the place. Running in again to try and get in close Bakugo did the exact same thing, launching himself into the air and flying around to try and get around her defenses.
Try as she might she couldn't catch him, him abusing his higher mobility over her.
He may not look it but he's pretty clever.
She mused, watching how he moved around.
He knows that I'm stronger up close so he's keeping me at a distance, probably hoping to wear me down.
Covering herself with an enlarged hand she grit her teeth, covering herself the best she could under the blanket fire of Bakugo's explosive assault. Feeling one of his blast fire into her knee she wavered, falling to one knee. With her off hand she enlarged it, slamming it into the stage and cracking away at it as she used the other to protect herself. One, two, three. Under the third strike she felt it give. Scooping up chunks of rock she lower her protective hand covering and turned to throw it at him. The chunks of rocks soaring straight at him like the blast from a shotgun. Small chunks of rock firing off in a wide arc, some of them flying clear off of it's mark entirely. A nice chunk of them slamming into Bakugo's face and knocking his head back, using that distraction to rush in.
Staggering back from the blow Bakugo shook his head, the warm feeling of blood drifting down from a cut in his forehead. Raising a hand to touch his wound he lowered it to look at the sticky, warm, blood. His red eyes flickering to hers and letting out a furious growl, his blood covered hand curling into a fist. Raising his other hand he fired off a super powered blast at her feet, the stage splintering and shooting up dust into her face.
Rubbing at her eyes Kendo struggled to see within the dust cloud, the silhouette of Bakugo coming from her right and slamming a fist into her stomach. Taking a step back Kendo spit onto the ground, turning to face him and return his strike with a well timed fist right into his face.
Up in the stands it was hard to see what was happening amidst the billowing cloud. The shadow of the two of them trading blows like two wild animals, thrashing and clawing away at each other.
Holding his hands up in a defensive block stance she jabbed into his forearms, tenderizing him and trying to open him up.
Feeling his guard start to loosen Bakugo raised a hand towards her in the hopes of firing off a blast only for her to quickly knock his hand aside. Slapping his outreached hand away before landing some punches into his stomach. Bending down from the hits Bakugo coughed out, surprised from the strikes. Forcing him to bend over she slammed an open palm into his nose making him reel back.
"Gah! You bitch!" He shouted, both of his hands clutching at his now bleeding nose. "You're just like fucking Deku! Stubborn as hell!"
"Do not. Call him that." She growled back through clenched teeth.
Swinging at him he ducked under the obvious hit, firing into the ground and propelling himself back into the air. She however knew that was going to happen, reaching an enlarged hand out and grabbing hold of his leg, turning her body and slamming him back into the ground like a club.
Spit rocketed from Bakugo's mouth, his body forming a u shape from the power of the strike. He could swear some of his bones cracked from that hit.
Climbing on top of him she started to drive fist after fist into his face, her normal sized knuckles slamming into him over and over. Each punch making his body tense for a second.
"You." Slam.
"Never." Slam.
"Deserved." Slam.
"Him." Slam.
Holding his arms up to try and protect his face he found himself under her furious assault, each of her fist hurting more then the last.
"Kacchan, do you think we'll always be best friends?"
"Of course idiot!"..."You and me, we are going to be the best heroes ever!"
"You don't know what you are talking about!" He shouted back.
She was a little surprised that he was still conscious after so many of her hits. Back in the dojo it would take half as many well timed strikes to the head to knock someone out. He sure was sturdy, or maybe just too stubborn to go down easily.
Raising both of her hands into the air she clasped them together, both of them enlarging and poised to come down on him.
If this didn't knock him out nothing would.
Bakugo trashed trying to break free of Kendo's grip. He knew that he wasn't going to be able to break free of her hold on him, her pin too strong.
Lowering a hand he place the bottom of his palm against the floor, heat starting to billow and form. Panting, sweat clung to his skin and face.
Putting all of his strength into one final blast he fired it off right on top of them. The spot where they just were exploding into a ball of fire and debris. The stadium shaking from the raw force of the blast.
Up in the stands people gasped, holding on to their seats. The class of both 1A and 1B watching on in horror.
When the explosion cleared there was not much of the ring left.
Letting out a strangled cough he couldn't hear anything over the sound of his own ringing ears. A horrible amount of pain hitting him all at once, almost as if his body needed a second to register what just happened. Slapping a palm against the floor he pushed himself up off of the ground, movement only making the pain worse but he refused to stay down for long.
He was lucky that he was born with a high level of resistance to his own explosions, else he probably would not be able to stand at all.
Knees bending he placed a hand to his head, the worst kind of headache pulsing through him.
Looking down at himself he could see smatters of blood decorated over his body...whether that blood was his or hers he had no idea. He felt like he was going to be sick when he realized what he had done. Looking about the stadium everyone just watched on in pure shock, the normally fun air of the stadium giving way to silent, never ending quiet.
They came expecting a fun little match between students and would leave having seen a blood sport instead.
Inspecting his own body he was covered in burns and bruises. Turning his head he owlishly blinked, noticing just now that Midnight was in his face, her mouth moving a mile a minute but nothing coming out. He should say something right? The older woman did not look angry at him, more just worried for his well being...he's sure that the anger will come later.
Instead of acknowledging her he turned his head to look out into the field, only now noticing a hint of orange in the distance. His opponent laid in a heap not far away. Robots were already tending to her, looking her body over before lifting her onto a stretcher.
Feeling Midnight's hand on his wrist she lifted it into the air to say something.
That meant he won right?
Standing on top of a burning stage he had defeated his opponent, the last man standing. Yet, even without his hearing he could tell that no one was clapping. There was no cheering, no exclamations or excitement.
Everyone just watched on...and stared.
Notes:
More fights baby, more fights more emotions!
Iida vs Tokage was a fun one. Something about the two of them dancing around each other and her flirting nature meeting his uptight one was something I found funny. I don't remember if it was ever stated why Tokage was a recommendation student so I made her the daughter of a made up pro hero named Komodo Khan. He has a komodo dragon mutation a lot like Gang Orca and can cause a venom based paralysis within people he sinks his teeth into. He will not have any factor in the story, I just thought he was a fun idea for a character and a little head canon on why Tokage has long sharp teeth.
Shishida vs Kirishima was a super short one. Emphasizing how strong One for All is and short because I don't want to dwell on One for All stuff much. We have canon for that.
And ending on Bakugo vs Kendo. We have yet to talk about the difference between him and canon Bakugo so I wanted to show a little how unhinged this Bakugo is. He's still himself, rough, dangerous and clever but also more desperate to prove himself. Forcing his body wayyyy past what he should be doing and breaking himself in a mad dash for some kind of victory. Kind of like when we saw him fight All Might in canon but a bit more extreme and toxic. Less tactician and more wild animal and at the end of the day there is nothing more dangerous then a cornered animal.
On top of all of that Shigaraki is doing a thing...who knows what that will turn into.
We're cranking through the fights now and going downhill towards the end, only a few more chapters until the explosive finale! Who knows who will come out on top?
