Chapter 34:
(Okay, my process should go a little faster. It's mostly thanks to the anime being on Netflix! Anyways, enjoy the chapter! I hope you guys like how I write this chapter.)
Ochaco was taken to Recovery Girl. This, Katsuki will advance into the next round of the tournament. Hizashi even mentioned that he would've rooted for her. "You're supposed be unbiased, you know." Aizawa said to him, "Let's try to forget that depressing outcome!" Hizashi said, remaining completely biased.
The first round of the final tournament is complete!
Here comes the next struggle, it was nearly time for Izuku's match against Shoto. Izuku decided to wait in the waiting room. The boy remembered what Ochaco had said to him, "Guess I'll see you in the finals!" The words she rang in his head, a nervous determination the voice was.
"I'm so sorry…" Izuku apologized, his mood however changed when he saw Katsuki walking up a flight of stairs! "Ah! H-Hey, Kacchan!" Izuku said, nervously. "What the heck are YOU doing here?" Katsuki said, angrily.
"Oh, well, I'm up next, so I was gonna hang in the waiting room." Izuku shook as he pointed toward the waiting room, congratulating Kacchan. "S-See you around." Izuku said, trying to walk away, laughing trepidatiously.
"It was your idea, wasn't it?" Katsuki accused Deku of Ochaco's strategy being his idea. "That stupid, desperate plan of hers. You would come up with something that annoying. If we end up—"
"You're wrong." Izuku said, loss of the fears he had felt in the moment. He stared, determined and confidently at Katsuki. "That plan…Uraraka came up with it on her own." Izuku confessed he knew nothing about it. "If that battle was harder than you thought it would be, then it's because of HER strategy, not mine." Izuku said, Katsuki was seething with silent rage. Izuku was about to walk off. "Hold it! I'm not done with you yet, Deku!" Katsuki said. Izuku looked back, "That little runt, Sakai has all those powers…" Izuku looked confused to why he was bringing up Lucas. "You said your power was given to you…Was it that stupid Flower-Boy who gave it to you?" Katsuki said. Izuku looked at him, "No, he's not. Lucas didn't give me any of his powers." Izuku couldn't even tell if that was possible for Lucas to have that ability. "Lucas' "Quirk" is a mystery not even he knows much about." Izuku said. Katsuki looked more irritated.
(Later)
Katsuki went back to the bleachers, he was mocked by Sero and Tsuyu for playing the role of a villain. All that did was irritate him. "SHUT UP, YOU IDIOTS! OR ELSE!" he shouted at them. "For real, dude. I don't know how you were able to aim a powerful blast at a frail girl like that." Denki said, "I couldn't help but hold back against Shiozaki." Tsuyu looked at him, remembering how that fight ACTUALLY went. "She completely overpowered you, Kaminari." Tsuyu said. "Can't you just let me have this?!" Denki said, embarrassed. Katsuki finally sat down. "I definitely wouldn't call that girl "frail."" Katsuki said, respecting Ochaco, surprisingly.
(Guess who's talking in the waiting rooms…)
Ochaco and Lucas were in the waiting room. Since Ochaco had her uniform destroyed, they had given her a new one. The two were engaging in conversation. "—Yeah, if I'm being honest, I wasn't looking to win." Lucas admitted, "Really, Lu? But you were fighting so hard. You punched Shoto in the chest with some sort of power boost." Lucas just chuckled, nervously. "I know, but still. If I really wanted to win, I could've just thrown Shoto out of the ring with a simple psychokinetic push." Lucas admitted it wasn't necessarily smart of him. "Sensei always said I let emotion cloud my judgement." Lucas said, "Mr. Aizawa said that to you? Since when?" Ochaco asked. Lucas sweat dropped, "A-Ah. W-When I was leaving for the next class that one time?" Lucas asked, hoping it was the best lie he could manage. "Oh, okay." Ochaco said.
"Still, I wish YOU could've won. Your strategy was incredible and you were so awesome out there, Ochaco!" Lucas said, while still feeling the shame of not being unbiased. "Still, is that even okay? I know I'm not sharing pleasantries with Bakugo-san, but I don't think it's okay to wish for him to lose because he isn't nice to my friends." Lucas thought to himself.
"Yeah, that really would've been nice." Ochaco said, while still trying to maintain her smile. Then, the two of them heard the door open. They saw Izuku walking through the door, he was shocked to see the two of them. "Oh, hi, Izuku!" Lucas greeted, "H-Hey, Deku! Man…I lost, too bad." Ochaco said.
"Guess I got a little carried away at the end, thinking I had it in the bag. Dang it!" Lucas frowned when she kept her smile. He could see it for nothing more than facade.
"You seem fine. But…weren't you injured?" Izuku asked, "Yeah, but Lu and Recovery Girl helped me out. I still have a few scrapes and scratches, but I should manage pretty well. Still, Lu, are you okay? It looked like it hurt when you used your Quirk." Lucas looked sheepish, putting his hands up and waving them up in protest. "N-No! I'm okay, it's just a thing that happens if I push it too hard." Lucas said.
Ochaco nodded, before she clenched her fist."Geez, I didn't realize how powerful that Bakugo was! He wiped the ring with me! Now I realize how much more training I have to do!" She said, absolutely frustrated. "You sure you're good?" Izuku said, worried.
"Oh yeah, totally! I'm better than I expected." They heard her phone ring, "Even if you've lost, you always keep looking ahead to what's next, Deku." Ochaco said, Lucas noticed that her dad was calling her, before she put it to her chest. "This just means I have to work harder, now." Ochaco said.
"That's true." Lucas thought about it, "I know, we can help with that!" Lucas explained, remembering that he and Izuku train occasionally. They would've said more, if they hadn't heard Present Mic's voice.
(All right, Tetsutetsu and Eijirou are AWESOME!)
The tie-breaker match between Eijirou and Tetsutetsu was an arm wrestling match. The two of them were going at it! Eijirou had found his opening! Tetsutetsu's metal armor was starting to break! "Kirishima is the winner!" Midnight had called it! Eijirou raised his fist into the air, their rivalry was at an end in the Sports Festival! Tetsutetsu had hated himself, realizing his metal deficiency. "Shoulda eaten more iron this morning." he said to himself. Though he was surprised when he saw Eijirou hold his hand out. "Hey, man. You put up a good fight." he said, Tetsutetsu smirked, respecting the chivalrous attitude. "Now we've got a whole roster for the next round of the tournament!" Hizashi said, "Let's get the party started now, ya dig?!"
(Back with the three)
Izuku looked serious, reminded that he was up next. The green-ette sighed, "Already?" Izuku said, before smiling back at Ochaco. Lucas realized he was still needed on medical standby. "I should get back to the medical bay." Lucas said. "Later!" They both said. "Oh, I'm sorry, Deku! You weren't able to prepare since I was here." Lucas looked ashamed, "Sorry."
"No, this was perfect." Izuku said, glad Ochaco was able to remind him to keep moving forward. "I'll be watching. Good luck out there!" Ochaco said, Izuku smiled fondly. "Thanks." he said.
The two boys left the waiting room. Ochaco stopped smiling and picked up her phone and answered her father's call. "Sorry I couldn't pick up my phone earlier, Daddy." she said, "No, no! It's fine. Sorry for calling when you were busy." Her father said, "Your mom and I just watched you on tv! You almost WON! You were AMAZING!" He was so proud of his daughter. "It wasn't that close…and I wasn't very good. I rushed it too much at the end." She said, feeling her guilt of failure, also realizing she didn't have a backup plan for if her original wouldn't work.
She lifted her hand off the table, "I failed." She said, putting it plainly from her perspective.
"You LOST. But that doesn't mean you can't still be a pro hero." her father said, "I know I don't have a great understanding of how all this works, but there's always next year, right?" Ochaco's father reminded his daughter that this isn't the end for her. "I know. But I wish I could've gotten further in the festival, so I would've had more chances to show what I'm made of." Ochaco doubted that the scouts saw that she barely did anything this match. "What are you talking about? What are you in such a hurry for, huh?" her father asked. "It's just…I wanna help you guys out as soon as I can…" Ochaco's voice was breaking, before she started crying. "Ochaco, there's no need for you to rush. The very fact that you feel that way shows me you'll make a kind, caring hero one day. I am so proud of you!" Her father said, while Ochaco was fighting her tears, while they keep coming and dripping onto the table.
(Back with the boys)
Lucas and Izuku felt so much. They both understood Ochaco must be so upset. They bounced back by talking before Izuku's match. "Okay, this is where we temporarily part." Lucas said, "Good luck Izuku! I'm rooting for both you and Shoto!" Lucas said. Izuku chuckled, "Guess you didn't wanna root for just one of us?" Lucas looked sheepish, his smile telling all. "Yeah, y-you're both my friends. If one of you loses, I need to be fair about it. I've decided to not root for one over the other. Lucas explained, "I'll be able to lift up someone's spirits this way, depending on the outcome." Lucas was trying to stay the encouraging one, regardless of who won or lost. The blonde boy put up a fist, Izuku smiled and they fist-bumped. "See ya! I'm gonna go find Shoto and wish him luck!" Lucas said. Izuku waved his friend goodbye and walked to the entrance.
Izuku started to frown, remembering how Uraraka was putting on a facade, "I thought I could help her in some way." He thought to himself, "But in the end, I didn't do anything for her." Izuku knows that it's always Ochaco cheering him on. "She's the who's encouraging ME." Izuku started crying, realizing that he wish he'd do more Ochaco, who's always in his corner, supporting him. Izuku decided in that moment, he'd win. Izuku wants to do right by Ochaco, so he dried his tears and walked, determined.
However, that all changed in not even a millisecond once a flaming shoe revealed itself.
There the #2 Pro Hero stood…Izuku shouted in anxiousness, "AHHH, ENDEAVOR?!" The pro hero turned to his side, to find the green haired student he was looking for. "Ah, I was looking for you." Endeavor said, "O-Oh yeah, hi. So, what are you doing back here?" Izuku asked, nervously. Enji raised a fist, "I watched your fight against the brainwashing guy. Your power is pretty impressive. To create so much wind pressure just by flicking your fingers." he explained, "It reminds me of another Quirk. You seem to have much in common with All Might." Endeavor pointed to Izuku, who stood in fear of his secret being revealed. "Well, I…I guess I never thought about it that way." Izuku said, pretending to be unaware of the idea. "Sorry, but I should get going." Izuku said, not trying to bother with this man, after everything he heard from Todoroki. Izuku questioned to himself if Endeavor knows anything about One For All. "No, he probably would've mentioned it. He's one person I can't let find out about All Might's secret." Izuku dismissed the idea, and he was about to leave this conversation.
"It's my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might as the Number One Hero." Endeavor explained, Izuku stood in his steps, more nervous as Shoto's father kept speaking. "And his match with you will be a good testing round for how much training he has left." Endeavor said, now encouraging Izuku to hit him hard, Izuku's nervousness was starting to vanish. "Don't disgrace yourself or him by holding back."Endeavor said, Izuku remembered how Shoto said he'd refuse to rely on his father's fire Quirk.
"You see…I'm going to show him I reject his power and take first place without using it." Shoto words spoke in Izuku's mind.
"That's all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you." Endeavor said, now walking off. He was halted by Izuku's next words:
"Endeavor, I am NOT All Might." Endeavor was confused by the boy's words, "Huh? What are talking about—"
"And the same goes for Todoroki." Izuku turned back, and glared at Endeavor. "He may be your son, but he ISN'T you." Izuku said, walking to the entrance.
Izuku remembered Shoto declaring war on him, reminding him he has All Might backing him up. "Todoroki…"
(So, anyone watch the abridged and saw how they handled THIS? It was WEIRD!)
Shoto was walking toward his entrance, a lot on his mind. Shoto needed a clear way to defeat Midoriya in this match. "Shoto!" The white-red-head looked back and saw Lucas running up to him. "Oh, it's you, Lucas. What are you doing here? My match is about to begin." Shoto explained, "I figured I'd wish you luck in there. After all, we're friends now, right?" Lucas said, "Friends…?" Shoto asked, Lucas looked a little sheepish. "R-Right. I-I suppose I need to ask first. Did you…wanna be friends?" Lucas asked. Shoto looked to his side, he really had nothing to say. Lucas was showing him kindness in a place that wasn't SUPPOSED to be kind. And even after the boy lost to him, he didn't despair, rather instead was honorable about it. Shoto grew a small smile, "Sure. We're friends." Shoto said, Lucas smiled happily, raising a fist. Shoto held up his semi-awkwardly. They had fist bumped, "Let me guess, you're wishing Midoriya the same good luck?" Shoto asked.
Lucas nodded, "I know I can't stop you guys from fighting in this match. So…no matter who wins or loses, I hope you guys give it your all! I'll be rooting for both of you!" Lucas said.
Lucas frowned, remembering what Shoto's goal was. "And Shoto…Fight as yourself in there. Not your dad, or not the path he's laying out for you. Fight as Shoto Todoroki." Lucas said, trying to make Shoto remember he's his own person. Shoto looked confused, but he pushed back anything beyond what his next task was: Defeating Midoriya.
(Later)
The next round was soon to start, with most crowds excited for what would happen next. However, Toshinori was still wondering what Endeavor had meant when he said he'd mold Shoto into the one who would surpass him. That would stick with him into this match.
Back at the students' bleachers, Tenya awaited the next battle with Shoto and Izuku. "The match hasn't started yet?" Tenya had heard Ochaco's voice ask. Tenya turned to her and saw…her eyes were incredibly red. "Oh good." Ochaco said, glad she made it on time.
"Something horrible's happened to your eyes! You need to go see Recovery Girl!" Tenya said, worried about what had happened to his friend. "I already did. This is from…something else."
Ochaco explained, leaving it there.
Tenya just decided he wouldn't pursue more answer, even saying he'd be frustrated, too. "It's no time to wallow. Use this next fight as a source of encouragement." Fumikage had said, which left Tenya stunned speechless. Ochaco nodded, "Will do." She said, taking in the advice. "You're so wise." Tenya muttered to Tokoyami.
The torches were once again lit, and preparations were underway. "I can feel the anticipation in the stadium! And that's because the second round's first match is gonna be epic! "It's the last guy who won his fight, and beat our mystery man in deadlocked combat! The hero course's, Shoto Todoroki!" Hizashi introduced Shoto, who was now back to being razor-focused.
Izuku was next to walk, "And this kid nearly walked out of his first match, but made a stunning comeback by showing off some impressive moves! Also from the hero course, Izuku Midoriya!" Izuku stared on, ready to face Shoto and aim for the top.
The two glared each other down. "So here we are." Shoto said, "And only one of us can win." Izuku said.
Katsuki stared on the two as they fought, wondering who would advance and who could be his potential opponent. "Tokoyami, how do you this match will go?" Tenya asked. "It depends on whether or not Midoriya is able to get in close to him."
Ochaco looked on, "Yeah, that's the problem, how will Deku avoid the ice?" She asked
(Meanwhile…this obviously sucks.)
"Pay close attention to them, Tomura Shigaraki." A voice said, "These two could prove to be formidable obstacles to you one day." Tomura scratched his cheek and neck, "Ha, I'm not worried about a couple of kids." he said.
(Back with everyone else)
Things were really heating up, now. Everyone anxiously awaiting the two students' match. Both are not only front runners, but they've got more in common than they think. Toshinori noted that they've an intense vibe about them. Izuku prepared his first move when before Hizashi declared the match to: "Begin!"
(Meanwhile… …Again…)
Claus prepped his hand and shot out a bolt of lightning out into the sea from a nearby cliff. "Okay, so…this is getting easier to control, I'd say." Claus said, trying to stay optimistic. Fuel catalogued Claus newfound Quirk as PSI, "So, we've narrowed down that you have three abilities from this." Fuel catalogued the three as followed:
PK Thunder - The ability to manipulate and control lightning. Never seen lighting being pushed around almost like a kite flying around.
PK Lifeup - Claus has the ability to heal any of his injuries. We'll have room to test if he can heal injuries of others later.
PK Pow Pow - It'll just be what I call it until we get a better name. Basically, Claus can manifest some weird purple energy and emit it into his fists. Give him kind of an energy boost.
"It's incredible how you managed to master these pretty easily." Fuel said, "Thanks, still…what's with the names? What does PK stand for?" Claus said. "The P & K in psychokinesis, I thought it would make the names sound cooler." Fuel said, Claus laughed. "Yeah, you're right, it works." He said.
"Anyways, I know I'm getting a better hang of these powers, but I think we should rest." Claus decided to put these to use for a later date. "What do you mean? Wait…are you thinking about using these powers when we raid Thunder Tower and the Chimera Lab?" Fuel asked.
"Of course. If I have these powers, things could go a lot smoother when we raid the tower." Claus wanted to be strong enough to take down the Pigmasks, and while getting these powers felt EXTREMELY painful, he decided that this was how he could get strong.
"With my powers, we can free the island from Fassad and the Pigmasks." Fuel looked a little concerned by how war-ready Claus seemed to be. "Hold it, man. You getting struck by lightning made you invincible? We'll head to the lab in the morning, but don't go crazy with this, okay?" Fuel asked. "Fuel, relax. I'm just saying, besides, we don't know if I AM invincible, right?" Fuel then gave a deadpanned look on his face and sucker punched Claus. "Ow! What was that for?" Claus said. Fuel smirked, "Well, now we know that you're not invincible." he said.
Claus took a breath, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I better not let this go to my head." Claus said.
(Okay, here we are! I hope you guys enjoyed this! I tried to keep Ochaco's story relatively the same, because I felt like I didn't need to change a whole lot. Now, I'd say Lucas and Shoto's friendship has come full circle to becoming official friends. I will say, I'm trying my best keep Lucas in the character I've set for him as best I can, so I hope I'm doing a good job! Anyways, stay strong and awesome! Hope u had a happy Easter/Resurrection Sunday!)