My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 29: The Cavalry Battle
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
As soon as Midnight announced the beginning of the Cavalry Battle, all the teams went off, most of them targeting Midoriya's team consisting of himself, Tokoyami, Furaya and Uraraka. He knew this would happen as he possessed the top score of ten million points and everyone would desire it above all else.
"Furaya, Tokoyami, now!" Midoriya called out. Tokoyami had Dark Shadow stretch across to the other side of the teams running for them and used him to pull them forward. They would've been caught had Uraraka not used her Quirk to make them lighter and Furaya using his boots to increase their speed. None of the teams were able to catch Midoriya's headband as he and his allies rushed past them.
"So what is the plan, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked. "Many of the teams will undoubtedly come after us."
"We play defense," Midoriya responded. "It'd be better if we avoid conflict so we can focus on keeping our headband. As long as we hold onto it, we should be-"
"Look out!" Uraraka called out as a line of ice shot towards them. Tokoyami quickly had Dark Shadow pull them out of the way, aided by Furaya's boots to provide great speed.
"I trust your entire plan isn't solely to run," Furaya spoke. "If we do that, they'll drive us into a corner. We'll need to fight eventually."
While Midoriya understood Furaya's suggestion, the only ones who could fight were him and Tokoyami. Uraraka had to stay close to the group and make them weightless whenever it became necessary and Midoriya couldn't use his Quirk. For now, their best hope for victory was to stay on the defensive and only go offensive if necessary.
Team Zankoku raced after Team Kendo and easily stole their headband, which Zankoku held with his tail before putting it on his head. Thanks to Okami's speed, the team was able to get out of there very quickly before Team Kendo could retaliate.
"Nice one, guys," Raionhato told his teammates as their score went up. "So our plan's to go after the lower scoring teams first?"
"For now, yes," Zankoku acknowledged. "But Todoroki's going to be a problem. He can practically freeze the entire ground if he wants to."
"That guy's Quirk is insane," Okami commented. "He froze that colossal robot during the Obstacle Course like it was nothing."
"Don't worry," Zankoku smirked as he dipped his tail into one of his poison vials. "I have an idea."
While everyone else was intimidated by Todoroki's prowess and the sheer power of his Quirk, Zankoku wasn't. He saw a glaring weakness with the son of Endeavor and knew perfectly how to exploit it that would take him out of the competition. But he wasn't going to do it right away; he was planning to wait until the right moment to strike.
Suddenly, Team Monoma appeared in front of Team Zankoku in a puff of black smoke. Raionhato recognized the Quirk and realized that Yonaka was part of their team, which would allow them to teleport all over the cavalry ground. Hironaka, being the front horse, kicked at Okami, but he dodged in time to avoid her attack. However, this gave Monoma the chance to extend his hand…and unleashed an explosion that knocked Zankoku off-balance.
Monoma was about to reach for the headbands, but Raionhato summoned his bo-staff and swung it at Monoma's arm to keep him away. Just as he was about to hit him, he instead hit what appeared to be a floating glass circle. Luckily, Okami backed the team up far enough so Monoma couldn't reach the headbands.
"Zankoku, you okay?" Raionhato asked the rider.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Zankoku replied.
"That was Bakugo's Quirk he used," Raionhato brought up. "How could he do that? Can he copy Quirks?"
"As a matter of fact, I can," Monoma replied. Zankoku lunged his tail at Monoma's shoulder to inject him with poison, but just as soon as it was about to strike, Monoma caught on and turned his body into steel.
"And he clearly copy more than one," Zankoku pointed out.
"Guys, close your eyes!" Satoshi called out as he pulled a flashlight-like tool from his belt. Before Team Monoma could react, a series of flashing lights emitted from the flashlight, blinding them and allowing Team Zankoku to get away while Raionhato used his wire gauntlet to grab Monoma's headband.
"Alright," Zankoku gloated as he took the headband from Raionhato. "That's a pretty useful Quirk they have there. They could appear anywhere with a teleportation Quirk like that."
"It's called Shadow Flash," Takeo informed. "The black-haired guy, Yonaka, can teleport anywhere he sees or has been in a black puff of smoke. However, overusing it, going long distances, or teleporting people with him tires him out. They'll need to let Yonaka rest whenever he teleports all of them."
"Yeah…Yonaka really hates you, Raionhato," Okami brought up. "All of Class 1-B must know by now."
Takeo wasn't surprised, not after the way their friendship had fallen apart years ago. No doubt Yonaka would probably target him and his team during the Cavalry Battle after the several times he stated that Takeo didn't belong at U.A. But with his ability to teleport, Monoma's ability to copy Quirks and someone else's ability to create items out of air, they weren't to be taken lightly.
Suddenly, Raionhato found himself unable to move. He looked down at his left foot and saw Shiruku's web sticking it to the ground.
"Crap, I'm stuck!" Takeo informed as he tried to break free. He pulled his left hand free so he could summon his Ignition Glove and burn the Web away, but another Web bullet stuck his hand to his leg. Satoshi, Zankoku and Okami looked in the direction of where the Web bullets came from and saw the towering Mezo Shoji running towards them while using his Quirk to create a shield around his riders. Luckily, Takeo was able to move his thumb to the button on his Ignition Glove, apply incendiary oil and burn the Web on his hand away, but his foot was still stuck.
"Gijutsu, blind them!" Zankoku called to Satoshi. Before Satoshi could use his flashlight gadget, a Web bullet landed on his face and directly on his eyes, rendering him unable to see. Luckily, he knew which direction Shiruku and Shoji were and activated his flashing light gadget, but didn't see that Shoji had turned his eyes away and closed his shield to protect his teammates.
"I'm free!" Takeo informed. Team Zankoku then hurried as Satoshi struggled to hold on and keep up with him due to the web still being on his face.
"Do you feel safe if I use my Ignition Glove on the Web?" Takeo asked his friend.
"I should be fine," Satoshi assured. Takeo reached over, added a small bit of oil and used the flint to ignite it and burn away the Web on his face. It burned away safely, causing no harm to Satoshi.
"Why aren't we pursuing Team Zankoku?" Hironaka asked as Monoma directed them to pursue other teams, having recently stolen Hagakure's headband.
"I cannot copy mutant Quirks and I doubt copying either Raionhato or Gijutsu's Quirks would benefit," Monoma informed. "Not only that, Shadow Flashing us around takes a toll on Yonaka. We need to time when we can use his Quirk."
Teleporting the four of them wasn't too hard on Yonaka, but he'd have to catch his breath every time like a person gathering oxygen to go underwater. He hoped to go after Raionhato's team again and get them out of the Cavalry Battle, but as Monoma brought up, focusing solely on them would be a terrible mistake. They'd have to get their points from wherever they could.
"YEAAAHHH!"
Onkyo's Quirk went into effect as he leaned forward and amplified the sound of his voice to deafen his opponents. It was so loud that anyone who could cover their ears did that immediately, allowing Onkyo to urge his team forward, which consisted of Togaru Kamakiri, Jurota Shishida and Hiryu Rin. With Jurota's bestial speed, Onkyo quickly recovered three headbands and tied them around his neck.
"Dammit, Onkyo!" Tsubaraba groaned as his ears rang from the loud vocal blast. "That's some Quirk he's got!"
"I would know," Yonaka groaned.
"Whoa, that was loud!" Uraraka commented. "How was he able to do that?"
"He must be able to amplify sound," Furaya responded.
"But at least so far, it seems our enemies are uninterested in us," Tokoyami pointed out.
Midoriya was a bit relieved and confused by no one choosing to come after him and instead going after teams with lesser points. A team or two had made an attempt at them, but showed no desire to pursue. Perhaps victory would easier than he thought, but that was immediately disregarded when Team Todoroki appeared right in front of him.
"I'll be taking that," Todoroki told Midoriya.
"Todoroki, more teams are incoming!" Kaminari warned his leader. Many teams started charging towards Midoriya now that they believed Team Todoroki had cornered him.
"Iida, forward!" Todoroki told his teammate. He then instructed Yaoyorozu to protect them and started creating what appeared to be a blanket and a long stick from her arm. As for Kaminari, he started to crackle with electricity as he prepared for an attack.
"Okami, wait!" Zankoku told his front horse. "Stay out of their range! Once their attack is done, charge at them! Raionhato, get your wire gauntlet ready; you'll need to snatch their headband."
"Got it," the two of them responded. Takeo then turned to his pal, but realized that his eyes were closed tightly before opening them. He looked around as if he couldn't see anything.
"Satoshi, you okay?" he asked.
"I think that sound attack messed with my contacts," Satoshi informed as all he could see was blurry static. "I can't see!"
"What do you mean 'you can't see'?" Zankoku questioned. He looked at Gijutsu and noticed something: his electric blue eyes were flickering on and off like lights, showing a milky white color underneath. His contacts, as he said, were malfunctioning as a result of the sound attack from Onkyo earlier. He couldn't see anything beyond static and darkness.
Raionhato and Zankoku knew this meant the former would have to pull double duty and use Satoshi's gadgets during the rest of the round, which only had eight minutes left. Whatever Satoshi would do, Raionhato would have to do it in his place.
"Indiscriminate Shock!" Kaminari cried out. "1.3 Million Volts!" His body unleashed a storm of electricity, paralyzing all the teams that had decided to pursue Midoriya. Luckily, as Zankoku stated, his team were out of the range of attack and were left unaffected by Kaminari's electricity.
"Wait," Zankoku stated. As soon as the electricity passed, Todoroki grabbed onto the stick that Yaoyorozu created and use it to create a field of ice, trapping all of the nearby teams. He had clearly learned from his mistake from the Obstacle Course, having properly immobilized his opponents rather than shooting blindly as he did before.
"Now!" Zankoku urged. He and his team raced towards Team Todoroki as they were charging towards Team Midoriya. Todoroki looked back and realized that he hadn't trapped Team Zankoku in his ice, so he grabbed the stick once more and unleashed another wave at them.
"Jump, quick!" Raionhato cried out. Okami and Raionhato leapt onto the ice, Takeo holding onto Satoshi so he wouldn't fall and jumped forward towards Todoroki. Thanks to Okami's wolf-like speed and strength, they landed closely to Team Todoroki and Zankoku reached for Todoroki's headband, but missed. However, instead of pressing the attack, Team Zankoku stood for a moment to catch their breath.
"That was foolish!" Todoroki spoke. He was about to grab the stick once more…but much to his shock, his arm just fell limp. He looked at his right arm in shock and tried to get it moving, but it simply remained still and limp.
"Todoroki, your headband!" Kaminari spoke. Todoroki then felt his head and realized that his headband was gone. He looked at over at Team Zankoku and saw Takeo holding the headband he wore before handing it to Zankoku. The Scorpion lunging at him was merely a distraction so Takeo could get the headband. But what was worse is that Zankoku had paralyzed his arm, leaving him unable to use his ice without freezing his teammates.
"Well, well, Prince Todoroki!" Zankoku mocked. "What will you do now that you can't use your ice anymore? As I said, you're arrogant if you think you can become a Pro Hero using only half your power. Have fun watching us win!"
"Okay, no need to mock them," Takeo spoke as the chased after Midoriya, who had taken the opportunity to escape from Todoroki. "Let's just get Midoriya's headband!"
As Team Zankoku took off after Team Midoriya, Todoroki growled in frustration as his arm wouldn't move. He couldn't generate ice from his foot or else he'd freeze his teammates, leaving them defeated.
"You'll have to use your flames," Iida told Todoroki. "You can't use your ice anymore-"
"No," Todoroki refused. "We'll figure something out."
"Todoroki-"
"I told you, Iida, I won't use my flames in combat. Now let's go! Midoriya's getting away!" Team Todoroki took off in pursuit of Midoriya, desperately needing the points as only four minutes remained in the Cavalry Battle. If they were to have any chance of succeeding, they had to get Midoriya's headband before Zankoku did.
"You bastard!" Bakugo shouted as his team chased after Onkyo, who had taken several headbands. Just as Bakugo threw an explosion at him, his ears suddenly pierced with immense pain from overwhelming sound as did the teammates on both sides.
"Watch it, Onkyo!" Shishida scolded him. "We can hear your sound amplifications as well!"
Bakugo was at a major disadvantage in this fight. His Quirk was powerful, but it was also very loud, something Onkyo was using to disorient the Explosion Quirk user. However, he had to pursue him in order to reclaim his points and take the other headbands Onkyo had ran off with. At the same, he had to proceed strategically in order to avoid Onkyo's Quirk.
"If this keeps up, my eardrums will burst," Kirishima brought up.
"No hard feelings to you guys," Onkyo told Ashido, Sero and Kirishima before looking at Bakugo. "But you…well, people call you a prodigy of sorts, but I'm not impressed. There can only be room for one prodigy here at U.A. and that's going to be me."
"Prodigy?" Bakugo snarked. "If you're such a prodigy, show me with your actions, not your words, you damn extra!"
"SUREE!"
Once again, Onkyo used his Quirk and amplified the sound of his voice to a degree that disoriented Bakugo's team and allowed Onkyo to get away. But Bakugo was getting an idea of how to outsmart his Sound Amplifying Quirk.
"Get after him!" Bakugo ordered. "And stay out of his line of sight! We're getting our points back from him and then going after Deku!"
As instructed, Bakugo's team raced after Team Onkyo, but Shishida's speed made it hard for Kirishima to catch up to them. Bakugo looked up at the time, seeing that only three minutes remained in the Cavalry Battle. If he failed to get enough points to get into the top four teams, then he'd never progress to the Tournament and prove once and for all that he was the best in U.A. He had to win; failure simply wasn't an option.
"Soy Sauce Face, give me some of your tape!"
"My name's Sero!" Sero responded as he held up his elbow and shot some tape at Bakugo. He grabbed it, tore off two small pieces and put them over his ears; it wouldn't completely protect him from Onkyo's sound amplification, but it'd at least help.
"Raccoon Eyes, get ready to slide!"
"It's Ashido!" Ashido responded. "Seriously, Bakugo, how can you not remember our names!?"
"Soy Sauce Face, aim behind those extras!"
"It's Sero!" Sero reminded as he aimed his elbow behind Onkyo's team. Onkyo looked back and saw Bakugo's team charging towards them, smirking cockily as he prepared to counter them. Even if Bakugo's ears were taped, his teammates were not, so they could still be disoriented. He held up his fingers to use a Sound Stun Grenade, but suddenly-
"Now!" Bakugo shouted. He held one hand behind to unleash an explosion to propel them forward, combining Ashido's Acid and Sero's Tape to accelerate their speed. Before Onkyo could unleash his Sound Stun Grenade, Bakugo's team raced by…and grabbed all their headbands, eliminating Team Onkyo from the top four. To ensure Onkyo couldn't use his Quirk, Bakugo used his Explosions to create a smokescreen, blinding the team.
"What!?" Onkyo responded in shock. "Where'd they go!?"
Bakugo smirked as he put the headbands on his neck. He had managed to deduce that Onkyo can only amplify the sound of things that were in his line of sight unless it came directly from him like his Sound Stun Grenade. By blinding him, Onkyo couldn't use his Quirk on Bakugo's team. The Explosion Quirk user tore off the tape on his ears, despite the pain, and tossed them aside.
"Alright!" Ashido spoke. "We're in the top four!"
"Nice going, Bakugo!" Kirishima congratulated.
"Shut up!" he shouted. "Deku still has the ten million points! Get after him!"
Team Midoriya wasn't cornered anymore by Todoroki and was relieved that he was no longer a threat to them, but now Team Zankoku was in hot pursuit of them. The wolf mutant who was the front horse was very fast, almost as fast as Iida and would soon allow Team Zankoku to catch up to them. After having seen how quick the Scorpion was in taking down Todoroki and leaving him unable to use his ice, Midoriya knew he had to be careful; he simply had no way of matching Zankoku's movement speed.
"We just need to stay out of his range," Midoriya told his team. "As long as we do that, we should be fine."
"And what makes it better is that none of them have a Quirk that can affect Dark Shadow, unlike Kaminari," Tokoyami stated. "I should be able to hold them if they get in close."
"But only Todoroki was weakened," Furaya stated. "His teammates still have their Quirks available for use. We cannot let our guard down."
As of right now, the top four teams were Teams Midoriya, Onkyo, Zankoku and Monoma; Team Todoroki was currently at only 270 points, putting them at 6th place. He looked back and saw that Todoroki was in pursuit of him, probably hoping to get the 10,000,000 points before time ran out. His arm was still limp and immobile, leaving him unable to use his ice without freezing his teammates.
"Come on!" Zankoku told Okami. "We need to get to Midoriya before Todoroki does! He may be out of commission, but-" Their progress was halted when Team Monoma appeared beside them in one of Yonaka's Shadow Flashes, blocking their path and allowing Todoroki's team to continue pursuing Midoriya. Having appeared on Satoshi's side, he was unable to properly react and almost gave Monoma the means to grab Zankoku's headband; luckily, Zankoku dodged Monoma.
"Sorry, but victory will be ours today," Monoma calmly condescended. "No hard feelings, Okami, but you should've known this when you chose to ally yourself with these Class 1-A egomaniacs."
"You're wrong, Monoma," Okami responded. "It's Bakugo and Todoroki giving them a bad rep. These two guys here are very decent people."
"That's because you don't know Raionhato, that scum," Yonaka insulted. Raionhato frowned.
"At least I'm not working with a hypocritical egomaniac. Here's that guy, calling us egomaniacs, yet he's the one condescending to us."
"Can you blame us?" Monoma asked. "I mean, we were provoked when that hothead, Bakugo-" Zankoku shot his tail at Monoma, but his skin turned to steel again, protecting him from the venomous stinger.
"Okami, go!" Zankoku ordered, then the wolf mutant ran off before Monoma's team could stop them.
Satoshi smiled at Zankoku's actions, despite only hearing them and not seeing them. He had guessed that Monoma was trying to stall them and keep them from pursuing the ten million points held by Midoriya. Unfortunately, that was dashed when Team Monoma appeared once more in front of them; this time, they opened up with Tsubaraba using his Quirk to create a glass wall to force the team to stop. Monoma reached for Zankoku's headbands once more, but yet again, Zankoku dodged.
"He's got amazing reflexes," Monoma thought to himself. "We've taken him by surprise three times already and we still can't get an edge on him. He must have a weakness of some sort…gyah!" Satoshi grabbed his flashlight gadget and blinded the group, giving Team Zankoku the means to get away and continue their pursuit of Team Midoriya. When they recovered, Monoma saw Okami lead Zankoku towards Team Midoriya.
"Yonaka, are you able to use your Shadow Flash?" Monoma asked his teammate.
"No," Kaze reluctantly informed. "I need some time."
"I'm sorry to go back on my word, Yonaka, but it might be better if we just stay on the move," Monoma replied. "I can't get Zankoku and there's only two and a half minutes left on the timer. At this rate, we should be able to get into the tournament."
Yonaka was frustrated at this; he had hoped to knock Raionhato's team out of the battle, but Zankoku's reflexes and Okami's speed made it too hard for them to pin down. Not only that, Monoma couldn't copy the mutants' Quirks; he could copy Raionhato and Gijutsu's, but they wouldn't be of any benefit to him.
Despite his frustration, Yonaka didn't feel like he could criticize Monoma. He had tried to keep his promise and knock Raionhato out of the match, but his team made it too hard for him. As Monoma stated, it was in their best interest if they simply stayed on the defensive rather than continue to pursue Team Zankoku.
"Todoroki's catching up with us!" Uraraka warned Midoriya as Team Todoroki closed in on them.
Todoroki looked at the timer, revealing only two minutes remaining in the match. Getting the ten million points from Midoriya was their only chance to get into the top four and beat his proclaimed rival. But without the ability to create ice, he had to rely on other means as he staunchly refused to use his flames.
"Todoroki, get ready," Iida informed. "You're only going to have one chance to grab that headband. After this…I'll be out of commission."
Iida prepared to use a move he had been taught: Recipro Burst, a move that allowed him to supercharge the engines in his legs and move at incredible speed. If done correctly, Todoroki would be able to grab the ten million point headband from Midoriya and secure victory for their team. With Todoroki's right arm still immobile, Iida would go right of Team Midoriya so he didn't have to reach over to grab the headband.
"Wait!" Todoroki spoke. "We'll need to immobilize them first. Kaminari-"
"Got it," he replied. "But I'll be out after this." Before he could even ask, Yaoyorozu created another insulated blanket to protect them from Kaminari's electricity. With only a minute thirty seconds left on the timer, there was no room for error or chances. Todoroki had to get that headband if his team was to move on.
"Guys!" Uraraka warned. "Kaminari's preparing for another attack!"
"Turn us around!" Midoriya told his team so Tokoyami was at the front to use Dark Shadow as a shield from Kaminari's attack as he had done so before.
"You underestimate us, Midoriya!" Yaoyorozu cried out as she created a flash bang grenade and threw it, having deduced that Dark Shadow was weak against light. "Everyone, close your eyes!"
"Thanks for the warning!" Zankoku responded as the flash bang went off. All three teams shielded their eyes in time to avoid being blinded by Yaoyorozu's flash bang, but as expected, Dark Shadow was weakened by the immense light. He would be unable to protect Team Midoriya from Kaminari's attack.
"We can't get out of their range," Okami stated.
"Guys, this is going to hurt!" Zankoku warned.
"Indiscriminate Shock: 1.3 Million Volts!" Kaminari let out another large electric attack, electrocuting both Team Midoriya and Zankoku while Yaomomo's insulation blanket kept her team safe. Both teams cried out in pain from the pain of Kaminari's attack, rendering them unable to move.
"Iida, as soon as Kaminari's attack is done, use your move," Todoroki instructed. "We need that headband!"
Several moments passed and Kaminari's attack subsided, but having used Indiscriminate Shock a second time, Kaminari's brain had short-circuited and he was reduced to a babbling idiot saying 'yay'. With both teams recovering from the painful shock, it was the perfect opportunity for Iida to use his move and get the ten million points from Midoriya.
"Recipro Burst!" Iida cried out as he raced forward. Todoroki reached out his left hand to grab Midoriya's headband, confident that victory would be his. Midoriya was still recovering from the shock of Kaminari's attack, leaving him wide open for Todoroki to grab his headband.
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami cried out. Even though he had suffered from the electric attack as well, he had heard Iida cry out his move. He knew that if something wasn't done, his team would lose. Using all the strength he had, he ordered Dark Shadow to push his team aside just as Todoroki was about to grab Midoriya's headband.
"Did you grab it?" Iida asked Todoroki. "Please tell me you grabbed it!"
Todoroki looked down at his left hand, which was unfortunately empty. He had failed to get Midoriya's headband because of Dark Shadow pushing them aside. If he had used his flames and exploited Dark Shadow's weakness to light-
"No!" Iida cried out in frustration, seeing the headband still on Midoriya's head. "We need to figure out-"
"And the match is over!" Present Mic announced as the timer went off, indicating the end of the Cavalry Battle.
Todoroki wouldn't even look up at the board. He had chosen the perfect teammates for this event: Iida for his mobility, Yaoyorozu for her defense and Kaminari for his offense. They were perfectly balanced and everything would've worked, but Zankoku paralyzed Todoroki's arm, leaving him unable to use his ice without freezing his teammates. Because of that one small act, Todoroki's plan fell apart.
Iida looked up at the board, but much to his shock, Team Todoroki was in 4th Place. But how was this possible? Todoroki had failed to get Midoriya's headband. Unless…he looked back at Yaoyorozu and saw two headbands in her hand along with a staff she had created.
"Yaoyorozu…" Iida addressed, causing Todoroki to look back as well.
"I created a staff to grab them from Zankoku," Yaomomo brought up, handing them to Todoroki.
"She got our headbands!?" Raionhato gasped, noticing that two of the headbands Zankoku had been wearing were gone.
"In first place, Team Midoriya!" Present Mic announced, causing the crowd to cheer.
"We did it," Furaya stated stoically and started to walk away. He didn't even bother to congratulate any of his teammates over their victory, knowing he'd potentially be up against any of them in the Tournament.
"In second place, Team Zankoku!"
"That was great!" Okami told his teammates. "I've got to say-"
"Satoshi!" Takeo cried out, seeing his friend with his hands over his eyes. The electrical attack must've made Satoshi's contacts even worse, leaving him unable to see. Without hesitation, Takeo took Satoshi and guided him out of the stadium so he could have his contacts checked on.
"Is everything okay with him?" Okami asked Zankoku.
"I guess not," Zankoku replied. "But with white knight Raionhato around, I'm sure he'll get better."
Teams Bakugo and Todoroki were announced as the final two teams in the top four, but despite this victory, neither Todoroki nor Bakugo were satisfied with themselves. Bakugo aimed for 1st Place as he always did, but he had failed to get to Deku in time, courtesy of Dunce Face's electric attack. He sat on the ground, screaming like an angry madman at his failure to get 1st Place while his teammates kept their distance once again from him.
"Well done, Yaoyorozu!" Iida congratulated. "That was some very quick thinking! You helped us get the finals!"
"Thank you, Iida," she replied politely. "But you and our teammates also deserve thanks for getting us here."
As for Yonaka, he was angry that not only did he and his team fail to get into the top four, but Raionhato's team had made it. He had hoped that his team would be able to take down Raionhato, but his teammates left Monoma at a disadvantage and they were unable to defeat them. Without saying anything, he Shadow Flashed away, probably to be by himself.
"I lost…?" Onkyo gasped, seeing that he was one of the teams with zero points. He was barely able to comprehend what he was seeing that he had lost against Bakugo. He was confident that he, who he believed was a true prodigy, would easily win thanks to his Quirk and skills. Unfortunately, Bakugo outsmarted him and left him unable to use his Quirk offensively.
"Some prodigy," Rin criticized.
"Oh, shut up," Onkyo responded. "Well, at least I'll be able to get some numbers in my free time."
"Well, that was an amazing two events! Now it's time for an hour-long lunch break before we return! Hey, Eraser Head, let's go get some food!"
"I'm taking a nap."
"Dammit!" Satoshi barked in anger after using his Quirk to interact with the contacts in the Development Studio. As he had feared, the damage from Onkyo's sound attack and Kaminari's electricity had practically rendered his contacts useless. With only an hour before the tournament would officially start, he didn't have enough time to repair them or make new ones.
"I'm sorry, Satoshi," Takeo apologized as he comforted his angered friend. "I know this meant a lot to you."
"The tournament was a perfect opportunity for me to show off my gadgets and earn the attention of a Support Company…and now I can't," Satoshi groaned in frustration. "I can't fight without my contacts."
Takeo wish he knew what to say to Satoshi to reassure him, but he had nothing. Satoshi was literally blind without his contacts, meaning he'd be unable to fight in the Tournament. He'd be left with no choice but to withdraw from the competition, which deeply frustrated him. He breathed heavily due to his unfortunate circumstances, especially when he deemed it very important to do so.
Even though he had shown technical prowess during the Obstacle Course and the Cavalry Battle, the Tournament was the true highlight of the Sports Festival and what most Pro Heroes and Support Companies paid attention to. If he was lucky, at least one company was able to be impressed by him and reach out to him.
"How will you know a Support Company wants you?" Raionhato asked.
"The same way Pro Heroes will want you," Satoshi answered. "Support Course students receive internships from Support Companies similar to Hero Course students receive internships from Pro Heroes. I just hope I impressed some of them out there…if not…" His eyes started to tear up at the thought of his family losing their house.
Their financial situation hadn't improved since Satoshi enrolled in U.A.'s Support Course and now they were on the brink of going broke. If this kept up, they'd be forced to sell the house and move somewhere more affordable, such as an apartment.
"What about your uncle?" Takeo asked. "Couldn't you and your parents move in with him until you're able to make some money?"
"He lives down in the Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyushu Island," Satoshi reminded. "I'd have to drop out of U.A. if we ended up living there." He groaned in frustration once more before banging his fists on the table.
"Why did I have to be born with glaucoma!? Why did I have to go blind!? Why couldn't my parents have found out before I lost my sight!?" By now, his eyes were becoming very watery as he loathed the circumstances he was in, hoping that at least one Support Company would show interest in him. He felt two strong arms wrap around him and pull him in for a hug, obviously being Takeo. He returned the embrace and rested his head on his best friend's shoulder.
"Thanks, Takeo," he wept. "I appreciate that."
"Any time, pal," Takeo responded, patting his shoulder.
"You better go get some lunch before the tournament begins," Satoshi insisted. "I'll be fine; I'll come watch you when I'm done."
After making sure Satoshi was fine, Takeo left the Development Studio to start making his way to the Cafeteria to get lunch. He prayed that his best friend would be fine and that at least one good Support Company would reach out to him.
"Raionhato," Yaomomo addressed, much to his surprise.
"Yaomomo?" he responded. "Hey."
"Where's Gijutsu?" she asked. "Is he okay?" Takeo shook his head.
"He'll have to drop out of the Tournament," he informed. "He took it hard."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Speaking of such, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you."
"What is it?" Raionhato asked. Yaomomo thought carefully of what words to say to him so as to not start a potential argument.
"I heard you call Bakugo a beast again before the Cavalry Battle," she brought up. "Raionhato, I need to be blunt and please hear me out…you need to stop this."
After what Bakugo had done so far, Takeo felt very justified in his anger towards him. No one was spared from his arrogance and condescending, which had led the other classes to view Class 1-A as a bunch of selfish egomaniacs. Combining that with his violent behavior and uncontrollable temper, it was far too easy for Takeo to utterly despise him and view him as a mindless beast.
"I understand that Bakugo has done things no one would approve of," Yaomomo continued with a stern tone. "I didn't like it either when he called us 'stepping stones' and talked down to everyone. He's difficult…but that doesn't mean you get to degrade him as some…as some animal. He's a human being and he deserves to be treated like one." Takeo frowned.
"It's not just that. That face he made when he almost killed Midoriya-"
"That has been addressed, Raionhato," Yaomomo interrupted. "What Bakugo did was very irresponsible and dangerous, but the teachers took care of it. Do you think they didn't because he wasn't expelled?"
"The guy almost killed Midoriya and has blatantly shown no respect for anyone but himself, even the teachers," Raionhato countered. "If you ask me, he should've been expelled by now. He's already proven that all that matters to him is his ego and he doesn't care about who he has to trample over. I mean, he didn't even remember our names or Quirks, despite the time we've spent together."
"Yes, Bakugo is a very difficult person, but that doesn't mean you should dehumanize him. Everyone else in our class mostly shows annoyance and some even tease him about his attitude, but you…you just hate him. Anytime you talk about him, it's to degrade him…and you dehumanizing him honestly disturbs me."
Takeo's frustration turned to shock at Yaomomo's last sentence. His thoughts solely focused on the last sentence she spoke to him, especially the word 'Disturb'. His breathing got heavier as his mind revolved around that sentence, that the way he treated Bakugo disturbed her.
"Raionhato?" she addressed, confused by his silence. To her own surprise, his eyes started to water and tears started to run down his cheeks.
"I'm sorry!" he tearfully apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Yaomomo was taken back by this tearful outburst, but she quickly reached out and hugged her classmates as his eyes overflowed with tears. She failed to understand where this crying came from, but no matter; she still held onto him and made sure he was okay as he tried to contain his tears. After several moments of hugging him, he pulled away, his eyes red and his cheeks stained.
"I'm sorry," he apologized once more, his voice still shaky.
"Raionhato…I know Bakugo is a difficult person and I'm not asking you to be his friend, but you're going too far," she told him. "You're better than that; I know you are." He was still silent for several moments as Yaomomo created a tissue and handed it to Raionhato to wipe his face.
"Thanks," he replied. "I…I didn't mean to cry like that. It…" He stopped.
"Raionhato?" she asked when he didn't continue.
"Being told…I disturb…or scare people…" He paused for a moment before he continued. "It just…it just reminds me of…of Fukushu."
Yaomomo remembered the last sentence she said to him about how his mistreatment towards Bakugo disturbed him, which by Raionhato's words, caused him to burst out crying. She could see how terribly Fukushu's brutality and cruelty, especially murdering his own father, had affected him. She stayed with him to make sure he didn't break down again, only letting him go from her grasp after she was sure he was fine.
"So please, stop degrading Bakugo like this," she insisted. "I know you're better than this."
"Yaomomo…" He sighed. After everything Bakugo had done, it was going to be hard for him to not see him as a wild, violent person. He had never hidden his major disdain for Bakugo, but hearing Yaomomo say he disturbed her, he knew that something had to change.
"I'll…I'll make an effort," he replied.
"Thank you," she responded with a smile. "Now let's go eat. We've only an hour before the Tournament starts."
"Yeaahh!" Mei Hatsume cheered as she hugged Furaya tightly in one of the stadium's hallways. "You made it into the Tournament!"
"That's only half the battle, Mei," Hayata replied. "I still have four battles to go through before I can enroll in the Hero Course."
"I'm surprised you teamed up with him during the Cavalry Battle," Mei brought up. "I thought you hated him."
"I do," Hayata stated. "But I have a promise to keep."
He was proud of himself for having made it this far. All those years of discrimination, bullying, harassment…he had endured it all the hopes of proving to the world that Quirkless people can become heroes too. He wanted to prove that becoming Pro Heroes shouldn't be restricted to only those who have Quirks.
Furaya quickly grabbed Falcon's Talon by the scabbard and knocked aside a glass bottle thrown at him. It came from two older bystanders, who glared at the Quirkless swordsman with great disdain.
"Who do you think you are?" the first one shouted. "You're a Quirkless; you don't belong here!"
"That's not for you to decide," Furaya countered, walking in front of Hatsume to protect her.
"Quirkless scum," the other man barked. "What makes you think you can be a hero, huh? You Quirkless are as low as dirt."
"If you think I'm intimidated by your degradations, you're mistaken," Furaya rebuked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go eat before-" The other man threw another glass bottle at the Quirkless swordsman, but he yet again deflected it with Falcon's Talon. By the way they were looking, it appeared the two men wanted to hurt Furaya, so he was prepared to defend himself and Mei Hatsume.
"What's going on here?" Ectoplasm questioned just as he walked into the corridor.
"These guys threw glass bottles at us and were going to attack us," Hatsume told the Mathematics Teacher. Ectoplasm looked down to see the shattered glass bottles on the ground and the two men having looked like they were about to physically attack the two students.
"Get out," Ectoplasm demanded.
"What?" the first man barked. "You can't just kick us out-"
"For attempting to physically assault a student, yes I can," Ectoplasm interrupted. "Now leave before I contact the police and have you dragged out in cuffs." The two men groaned in frustration before leaving the stadium.
"I could've taken them," Furaya replied.
"I've no doubt of that, but we'd prefer the violence be kept in the combat sessions," Ectoplasm responded. "Enjoy your break; you should eat before the tournament starts."
Hayata and Mei went off to do just that while the former thought of the two men who tried to attack him. All they did was strengthen his resolve to win and prove once and for all that a Quirkless can become a hero. He had trained tirelessly to make his dream a reality and nothing was going to stop him. Not now, not ever.