My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 32: The Sports Tournament
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Author's Note: After relooking the scores of the Entrance Exam in canon, I changed Takeo's score to 46 Villain Points and 20 Rescue Points.
"Welcome back, EVERYONE!" Present Mic announced as everyone returned to their seats for the Tournament. "I hope you enjoyed the side activities because now, the REAL FUN BEGINS!" The stadium burst into cheer, having been entertained by the side activities and the cheerleading, despite many disapproving of Kiyama having been initially excluded. Now the tournament was about to begin.
The first match to begin was between Izuku Midoriya and the General Studies student, Hitoshi Shinso. He stood in one of the hallways leading to the arena, waiting for when it was time for him to face off against Midoriya.
It was by sheer luck that he managed to get into the Tournament since it was due to Gijutsu dropping out that he was able to join. He didn't know what kind of injury caused the Support Course student to withdraw, but that didn't matter; all that did matter was making enough of an impression to earn a spot in the Hero Course.
"Are you prepared, Shinso?" the voice of Furaya addressed him, the falcon swordsman standing several feet away and looking at his classmate.
"As prepared as I can be," Shinso replied. "I'll be up against Midoriya, but he doesn't know how my Quirk works. It'll all be easy unless one of my teammates from the Cavalry Battle informed him."
"Did you notice that he didn't use his Quirk once during the Obstacle Course or the Cavalry Battle?" Furaya brought up. "He's clearly inexperienced; weak as well as a fraud." Shinso raised an eyebrow, wondering what Furaya meant.
"A fraud?"
"Yes, Shinso. Midoriya claims he was Quirkless before he came to U.A. and somehow, the Quirk he has now 'manifested' late. No Quirk has ever manifested past the age of five, so he's a liar."
How Midoriya could do something so selfish and morally bankrupt was beyond Furaya. If Midoriya truly was Quirkless, he would understand the discrimination and harassment they went through every day. He would never take advantage of their suffering for his own selfish goal of gaining sympathy and popularity. It was a wonder that no one else had potentially questioned him about his 'miraculous' circumstances.
"You really don't like Midoriya, do you?" Shinso chuckled, but received no visible response from the Quirkless student.
"No, I do not," Furaya replied. "But if I end up going against him, I cannot afford to let my own prejudice with him cloud my judgment."
"Heh, you're really dedicated," Shinso spoke before his small smile dropped.
"I know why I'm here; my Quirk wasn't any good for the Entrance Exam against all those robots. I had no choice but to end up in General Studies, but you…I can't believe the U.A. Board would pull that crap on you. 3rd Place in the Entrance Exam and you get busted to General Studies."
"It's because the Board believes my Quirklessness makes me unfit to be a hero," Furaya replied. "That's why I plan to win this Tournament, to prove once and for all that you don't need a Quirk to be a hero as society believes."
Shinso greatly admired that belief that drove Furaya, something he could identify with. While he wasn't Quirkless, his Quirk, Brainwashing, wasn't a power many considered heroic; in fact, most people he came across believed that he'd potentially one day become a villain. He received that kind of stigma for years just because of the nature of his Quirk, just because it wasn't flashy or combat-oriented.
"Let's get ready to RUMBLE!" Present Mic announced, indicating that it was time for Shinso to walk forward.
"Do well, Shinso," Furaya encouraged before walking off in the opposite direction and into the darkness of the stadium.
"From Class 1-A of the Hero Course, the 1st Place winner of both the Obstacle Course and the Cavalry Battle, IZUKU MIDORIYA!" Midoriya walked onto a rectangular arena, a large fire lighting in each of the four corners. He watched as his opponent walked on, the same purple-haired student from that day when Class 1-A's Homeroom was mobbed.
"From Class 1-C of General Studies, we have Hitoshi Shinso!" The crowd cheered both times at the announcement of the combatants, but several people noticed that more of them cheered for Midoriya rather than for Shinso. Since many Pro Heroes knew that General Studies didn't cover combat training, they were quick to assume that Midoriya would win rather than Shinso.
"Hey, Ojiro," Raionhato addressed his friend.
"Yes?"
"You teamed up with Midoriya's opponent during the Cavalry Battle. Do you know what his Quirk is?" Ojiro thought back to what Shinso's Quirk was, but all he knew was that it was potentially some kind of mind control.
"During the Cavalry Battle…I felt like my body was moving, but rather…like someone was commanding me rather than on my own," Ojiro explained. "I think his Quirk is some kind of mind control, which only activates when someone responds to him. I just hope Midoriya remembers what I told him."
"I'm sure he will," Raionhato assured.
"Hey, Kiyama," Ojiro greeted, giving the snake girl away as she was trying to scratch Takeo's head. The Inventory user turned around and waved Kiyama away.
"I should start wearing a helmet," Takeo groaned as he made sure Nagami didn't approach him again.
"Why are some of the girls trying to scratch the back of your head?" Ojiro wondered.
"Because he likesssss head ssssscratchesssss," Nagami teased with a smirk. "He purrsssss-"
"No, I don't!" Takeo sharply interrupted. "That's just some stupid reflex. Now stop trying to scratch my head."
Sato chuckled, knowing that the odds of that happening were practically non-existent. He could already see several of the girls planning on how to scratch the back of Raionhato's head and get him purring like they did earlier. Jiro extended one of her Earphone Jacks to try and scratch Raionhato's head, but was stopped when Zankoku grabbed it with two of his fingers and gently tossed it away.
"Thank you, Zankoku," Takeo thanked the scorpion.
"Ready!?" Present Mic announced. "CLASH!"
The battle didn't start off immediately; instead, Midoriya and Shinso stood, looking at each other. Midoriya had to be cautious around Shinso since Ojiro had warned him of the Quirk he possessed. At the same time, he debated using his Quirk on Shinso since General Studies students didn't receive combat training like Hero Course students.
"Why are you being so hesitant?" Shinso questioned. "This should be an easy victory for you, right?" No response from Midoriya. Shinso's face lowered a bit since his lack of a response implied that one of his Cavalry teammates had warned Midoriya about his Brainwashing. He just had to push the right buttons to get a response out of his opponent.
"Ojiro told you, didn't he?" he asked, which got a silent response from Midoriya. "Yeesh, that stupid monkey really couldn't keep his mouth shut, could he?" Despite Midoriya not verbally responding, Shinso could tell by his facial expression that he was getting under his skin by insulting his classmate.
"Maybe everyone was right about your class, just a bunch of selfish, egomaniacal assholes. Had to ruin my chances just so you could be handed an easy victory, is that it? What a jackass."
"What did you SAY!?" Midoriya barked as he ran towards Shinso. Almost immediately after he responded, he stopped dead in his tracks.
"No!" Ojiro cried out. "I warned him not to respond!"
Shinso smiled at how Midoriya had fallen for his trick by insulting his classmates. Now he stood motionless, frozen like a statue in front of the whole stadium. With nothing nearby for Midoriya to bump into, Ojiro feared the worst for his classmate.
Bakugo couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction at Deku's stupidity; even though he suspected Tail had warned him beforehand, he still fell for Shinso's trick by badmouthing their classmates. But this placed Shinso in jeopardy; his Quirk only worked on those who verbally responded to him, so if he won this match, he'd need to think of something else.
"Turn around and walk out of bounds like a good little boy," Shinso commanded. Midoriya slowly turned around and started marching towards the steps where he walked up. He mentally tried to resist, but his body was moving on its own due to the Brainwashing Quirk. If he couldn't find a way out of this trance, he'd lose the match.
"This isn't good," Takeo spoke. "Ojiro, how could he break free from Shinso's control?"
"The only way he'd be able to do so is if something bumped into him, but there's nothing," Ojiro explained.
"If the damn nerd was stupid enough to fall for that trick, then all it does is prove he shouldn't be here," Bakugo insulted.
"Shut it, asshole," Raionhato responded harshly. "Especially since you haven't won 1st Place in either the Obstacle Course OR the Cavalry Battle."
Bakugo glared at Raionhato for bringing that up. This tournament was his last chance to prove that he could deliver the promise he made at the start that he was going to win the Festival. If he lost, then he'd be treated as a joke by the Pro Hero community; he had to win and Raionhato bringing up his failures didn't help him.
"Alright, please stop," Yaoyorozu requested. "We should be supporting each other as classmates and building each other up, not tearing each other down."
"Don't tell me what to do!" Bakugo barked. Just before Yaoyorozu could address Bakugo's rudeness, a loud blast was heard from the arena. Using two of his fingers to create a blast of wind pressure, Midoriya was able to break free from Shinso's Quirk. Everyone looked on in shock at this sudden turn of events, especially Shinso, who was now left wide open as Midoriya quickly recovered from the pain of his broken fingers and charged towards his opponent.
Shinso spoke again to Midoriya, claiming that he was blessed with such a Quirk and couldn't understand his struggles, but this time, the One For All user kept his mouth shut and refused to respond to Shinso. He ran towards Shinso and started pushing him towards the boundary of the arena. Due to his perceived lack of training, Shinso was easily overpowered by the physically stronger Midoriya and pushed out of bounds.
"Shinso is out of bounds!" Midnight announced. "Midoriya proceeds to the next round!"
Like that, Shinso had lost and his chance could be deemed wasted in the eyes of the majority, but not Eraser Head.
During the match, Eraser Head had gone over Shinso's file and realized that he did initially apply for the Hero Course at the start of the year. Sadly, because of the nature of the Entrance Exam, Shinso had no way of earning points to pass. This unfortunately left him in General Studies along with Hayata Furaya and many other students who failed the Entrance Exam.
"This is all the more reason why the Entrance Exam is illogical," Aizawa commented.
"What're you getting at, Eraser Head?" Mic asked.
"You saw what Shinso's Quirk was capable of," Aizawa pointed out. "If Midroiya hadn't managed to snap out of it, he would've lost the match. Shinso's Quirk in the right hands is a force to be reckoned with, but there's no way he could've used it in the current Entrance Exam. We really need to change it."
As Shinso walked away from the arena, holding his head up high despite his defeat, Aizawa contemplated the unfairness and illogical nature of the Entrance Exam. Only those who had some form of combat experience or a combat-based Quirk had any chance of getting into the Hero Course; students like Shinso who had neither were out of luck. But then, there was the case of Hayata Furaya.
Having scored 51 Villain Points and 20 Rescue Points, he was left with a total of 71 total points, just behind Raionhato with 76 Points and Bakugo with 77 Points. He should've been able to get into the Hero Course, but at the last minute, the teachers were informed that Furaya would not be joining the Hero Course to make room for two more recommendation students. Despite the U.A. Board claiming that Furaya was deemed 'unfit' for the Hero Course, the teachers knew the real reason behind this.
"Shinso and Furaya could become great heroes," Eraser Head spoke to himself. "If only U.A. had less narrow-minded idiots."
The 2nd round was Todoroki vs. Sero, but it went…very one-sided. Sero attempted to use his tape to knock Todoroki out of the ring, but before anyone knew it, Sero was trapped in a gigantic wall of ice. Todoroki apologized to Sero for his attack that was dangerously close to killing him and used his flames to free him from the ice, allowing medical bots to take him to the infirmary. Because of the colossal wall of ice, the arena was temporarily closed so it could be rebuilt.
"I apologize," Todoroki told Cementoss and Midnight after they pulled him aside. "I was angry."
"That was reckless of you, Todoroki," Cementoss criticized. "That move was dangerously close to killing Sero, just like when you froze the Zero Pointer during the Obstacle Course. Do not do that again; if you do, you are disqualified from the Tournament."
Todoroki expected the teachers to scold him for that attack, which could've easily blown Sero apart. Before the match, he had ran into the bastard, Endeavor, who criticized him for not using his flames.
"You nearly got yourself killed during the USJ Attack and now, you almost lost the Cavalry Battle. When are you going to stop your childish rebellion and accept your duty? I did not train you all these years so you could throw it all away!"
Endeavor's cruel and selfish words filled Shoto with immense anger, leading him to impulsively launch a giant torrent of ice at Sero. The teachers were right to scold him for his attack, which could've killed Sero and potentially some of the people in the bleachers. He'd have to be more careful from now on or, as Cementoss warned, he'd be disqualified.
But there was good to be found: he'd be up against Midoriya in the 2nd round, just as he hoped. He had the chance to prove once and for all that he could be a Pro Hero without using his father's flames. Just like with Sero, Todoroki was confident in his match against Midoriya, knowing that he couldn't use his Quirk without hurting himself. All he had to do was render his opponent useless and victory was his.
"Razor Shell," Shoto heard his father's voice address the Alligator Snapping Turtle Hero when he had gone further down the halls. Endeavor approached Razor Shell from the end of the hallway opposite from where Shoto had come in, so neither of the Pro Heroes saw the Half-Cold Half-Hot user.
"Endeavor," Razor Shell replied with a calm tone that carried some hints of contempt. "What do you need?"
"I understand Shoto has become rather…close with your adopted daughter, Himari Kataiya," Endeavor brought up.
"She's Recovery Girl's apprentice and a well-valued member of the U.A. Staff," Razor Shell replied. "And considering that students suffer injuries during combat sessions, of course your son is going to become familiar with her. Is that a problem?"
"I just want to make sure she's not distracting Shoto from his duty," Endeavor spoke.
Shoto frowned and looked down; of course Endeavor would object to him being in a relationship. Even if his father was open to the idea of his son dating, he had ridiculously high standards and would make any young woman feel as though they're inferior. He doubt even someone as intelligent and strong as Yaoyorozu had a chance of impressing him, but that didn't matter since he knew Raionhato had feelings for her.
"If you mean 'being a good friend to him', 'treating him like a person instead of a tool', 'actually care about his happiness and welfare', then yes, Himari is distracting Todoroki," Razor Shell scorned. "But you would know, considering you let your ego distract you from your duty to your family."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Endeavor questioned. "My responsibility is to make sure Shoto fulfills his duty to surpass All Might and anyone who becomes a distraction-"
"Becomes what?" Razor Shell questioned in a very threatening manner. "What becomes of my daughter? Hm? Let's hear it…and then I'll decide whether to rip your head off. And what about your daughter and son, your wife? What about them?"
"Fuyumi and Natsuo are failures," Endeavor bluntly disregarded. "And Rei was weak; she was constantly getting in my way of training Shoto-"
"She was trying to protect him from your cruelty and you know it," Razor Shell interrupted. "He was a young child, for crying out loud, and you were already treating him like a soldier rather than a son. And Fuyumi and Natsuo, they weren't failures just because they didn't have the Quirks you wanted; Fuyumi is now a successful teacher and Natsuo is in the process of becoming a doctor. And Rei…" Razor Shell paused for a moment, letting out several deep breaths.
"She didn't break down because she was weak, she broke down because you kept pushing her more and more until she couldn't take it anymore. Then to make it worse, you blame her breakdown on Toya's death. You put your family through hell and neglected your children all because you're jealous of All Might, because you know you'll never be stronger than him. That's why you tormented Shoto; you basically want him to succeed where you failed with no regard for his happiness or welfare. You better count your blessings that All Might doesn't know the truth because if he did, he'd tear you apart…that is if you didn't run from him like the coward you are."
Endeavor's eyes were filled with immense rage at Razor Shell's verbal onslaught. While he did respect All Might's power, he never liked him as a person, thinking of him as nothing more than a smiling, empty-headed buffoon. However, he couldn't deny that if he went up against All Might, he would lose and potentially die if the Symbol of Peace intended to kill him. It was only because of his immense wealth and status that he was able to shut down any potential investigation that could expose how he mistreated his family, but if All Might did know, he wouldn't show any mercy.
"How I treat my family is none of your concern," Endeavor responded. "And you would be wise to watch who you're talking to."
"And you would be wise not to make threats towards Himari," Razor Shell replied. "If you think I'm going to tell her to stop being friendly towards Shoto just so you can make him massage your ego and vanity, then the answer is no. Or do you want to drive him to suicide like you did to Toya?" The flames on Endeavor's body grew, engulfing his head and whole torso while showing his immense glare.
"Do NOT speak of Toya," Endeavor growled. "You knew his circumstances, now leave me be." He shoved Razor Shell aside and started walking down the hall and towards some stairs, unaware that Shoto had listened to the whole conversation.
He was rather shocked to learn that Razor Shell knew the truth of their family, that Endeavor had abused them and was responsible for his brother's suicide and his mother's emotional breakdown. Shoto smiled at Razor Shell calling out Endeavor on his jealousy towards All Might, his cruel mistreatment of his family and his hypocrisy towards preaching of Shoto's duty while ignoring his own. In all his years, he had never known someone who would've dared to badmouth Endeavor right in front of him.
"You knew his circumstances."
"Circumstances?" Shoto thought about his deceased brother, Toya.
"ARE YOU READY!?" Present Mic announced after the ice had been cleared and the arena rebuilt. The crowd burst into cheer as the next match of the Tournament was about to begin.
"On the one hand, we've got a student who got in through recommendations. First up, we've got the rather toxic looking student from Hero Course Class 1-A, Shin Zankoku!" Zankoku stood at the left side with a confident smirk as he looked at his opponent.
"Next, we've got another student from Hero Course Class 1-A! Give it up for Eijiro Kirishima!" The crowd burst into cheer as both combatants stood in the arena and were announced by Present Mic.
Both fighters were wary of each other. Kirishima's Hardening would protect him from Zankoku's stingers, but he could not hope to match the scorpion's speed. He had seen how quick he was in terms of movement and attack speed and if he managed to wear Kirishima down, Zankoku would claim victory. On the other hand, Zankoku knew his stingers had no chance of penetrating Kirishima's Quirk, but if he could tire him out, he'd claim victory. However, Kirishima also possessed great physical strength and Zankoku lacked durability, so if Kirishima landed a solid hit on him, he'd be out.
"Ready!? CLASH!"
Kirishima activated his Hardening just as Zankoku charged at him and unleashed a flurry of stinger slashes. As expected, neither his arm stingers nor tail could penetrate his jagged-rock armor. Kirishima threw a punch at Zankoku, but he quickly dodged it and kept his distance by attacking primarily with his tail.
"Oh, great," Present Mic groaned. "This is going to be a slow burn, I just know it."
"You're supposed to be professional, Mic," Eraser Head criticized.
Kirishima's Hardening protected him from Zankoku's speedy barrages, but he was far too quick for him to land a hit. He tried running after the scorpion and throwing punches at him, but Zankoku kept dodging his attacks and then retaliating with his stingers. Sadly, it appeared as though neither opponent was managing to gain an advantage over the other.
Midoriya watched the fight carefully, wondering what Zankoku's strategy was. He knew that he had to wear Kirishima down and weaken his Hardening if he were to take him down. Sadly, despite doing their best, it appeared as nothing more than a stalemate…that is until Zankoku attacked with his tail and Kirishima managed to grab it. With all his strength, he pulled Zankoku towards him and punched him square in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. The Poison user tried to get back up, but Kirishima's punch was too much for him.
"Dammit," he groaned in frustration. He then said aloud 'I can't go on. I surrender."
"Zankoku surrenders!" Midnight announced. "Kirishima moves onto the next round!"
"Geez, all it took was one hit?" Sato asked from the bleachers.
"Because he lacks durability," Midoriya brought up. "One of Kirishima's hits would've been enough to take him down because he relies on speed and agility, which unfortunately comes at the cost of being able to take hits." Before he knew it, Japanese kanjis were floating out of his mouth and surrounding the entire area, much to the nervousness of Midoriya's classmates as he kept mumbling to himself.
"Midoriya, stop it," Raionhato groaned.
"You're up next, Hayata!" Mei told her friend in the waiting room. "Now, which one's Iida again?"
"The one with the Engines in his legs," Hayata answered. "He helped Todoroki during the Cavalry Battle and he's a member of Class 1-A."
"Oh, right!" Mei responded with a smile. "Kind of sad that Gijutsu had to back out. I really hoped to see how some of his babies did compared to mine. That way, I can prove I'm the better inventor!" She stood up with a giant smirk, filled with pride and self-assurance in her abilities as an inventor and Support Course student. Furaya smiled and shook his head before quickly recollecting himself.
"Well, the match will be starting soon. I must get going."
"I'll be watching!" Mei replied with a big smile. "I want to see how our baby works in combat!"
As Mei left, Hayata walked down the hallways to the arena, equipped with his boots and Falcon's Talon. He had his entire future at U.A. at stake here; if he lost any of his matches, then he'd walk out of U.A. and never return. But if he won, he'd send a message to the entire world: one can be a Hero even if they don't have a Quirk.
"What's even the point?" Furaya recognized the voice of one of his General Studies classmates, who was conversing with two more.
"What do you mean?" the 2nd student asked.
"Furaya," the 1st one responded. "Does he honestly think U.A. will let him into the Hero Course? I mean, come on! They're never going to let him join the Hero Course!"
"Hey," the 3rd student replied. "Let's give him a chance; you don't know, maybe he'll end up kicking Bakugo's arrogant butt."
"Against HIM!?" the 1st student gasped. "That guy's got one of the best Quirks I've ever seen, besides Todoroki's! If Furaya honestly thinks he can beat either of them, he's just deluding himself! He wants to live in some stupid reality where he can become a hero! This whole Sports Festival is nothing more than some stupid sham to make the Hero Course students look good!"
Furaya shook his head and continued walking, disgusted by how his classmate was acting. Like so many others, they had already branded him a fool for wanting to become a hero despite his Quirklessness. His words would do nothing to convince them of his determination; only his actions and victory today would prove them wrong.
"Alright, here we go!" Present Mic announced as the next match was about to start. "First up, we've got yet another student from Class 1-A, the actual Representative, Tenya Iida!" The crowd cheered for Iida, some of whom knew of his family line and being the younger brother of Ingenium.
"Next, we have from General Studies Class 1-C and one of our first ever Quirkless students, Hayata Furaya!" The crowd cheered, but unfortunately, some of them jeered in mockery of the Quirkless student. Many of the students in Class 1-A and 1-B looked around with expressions of disgust at those who booed at Furaya.
"What the hell is a Quirkless doing here!?" a Pro Hero shouted. "Get that scum out of here!"
"If you have an issue with a Quirkless competing in the Tournament, then get out," Eraser Head spoke over the intercom. "He has earned his place here in the Tournament, so if you don't like him being here, that's your issue, not ours. Now shut up and sit down or get out."
"Harsh, Eraser Head," Present Mic replied.
While Bakugo didn't join in the jeering towards Furaya, he believed they were right. There was simply no way a Quirkless could become a Pro Hero, no matter what he did to compensate for it. Glasses should have no issue taking down Quirkless.
"This is atrocious," Yaoyorozu expressed with great disdain towards those booing at Furaya. "Regardless if one thinks someone can become a hero with a Quirk or not, there is no need to tear him down like this."
"Yeah," Takeo agreed, also expressing disgust at the crowd for booing Furaya.
"Alright, alright, calm down!" Present Mic demanded, silencing the crowd. "Now let's go onto the match!"
"Iida," Furaya called out.
"Yes?" Iida replied.
"Do you believe a Quirkless can beat you?" Furaya asked Iida, causing him to think on it in a few moments of silence.
"If they are willing to put in the effort and work towards their goal, then yes," Iida answered.
"Then you know not to hold back just because I'm Quirkless."
"Ready!? CLASH!"
Iida and Furaya both charged at each other with matching speed, Iida throwing the first attack with an overhead kick. Furaya ducked to dodge the attack and attacked with Falcon's Talon at Iida's other leg; luckily, Iida reacted in time to dodge and attempted to attack yet again. Furaya dodged the attack and sheathed his katana before attacking again.
"Iaijutsu," Raionhato spoke.
"What?" Kiyama asked.
"It's a form of sword fighting originating from here in Japan," Raionhato informed. "It focuses on drawing the katana as a form of counter-attack or to take your enemy by surprise. I tried once when I was training, but it- Ashido, will you quit trying to scratch the back of my head!?" He caught sight of Ashido trying to scratch his head and quickly shooed her away.
"I want to hear those purrs of yours again!" Ashido groaned. "Well, you know what? We're up against each other, so I want to scratch your head if I win!"
"And if I win?" Raionhato questioned.
"We'll leave you alone for the rest of the Tournament," Ashido answered.
"Speak for yourself," Jiro smirked.
"Well…fine, but those purrs are just a reflex and I do NOT enjoy head scratches," Takeo spoke firmly before turning his attention back to Furaya and Iida's match.
This fight turned into one of speed, Iida kicking and charging at Furaya while the Quirkless swordsman relied on his swift sword strikes to combat Iida. As requested, Iida did not hold back against Furaya, delivering kick after kick against his opponent.
"You definitely have determination, Furaya," Iida spoke. "I must commend you." He then leapt into the air and came at him with great Engine speed, shouting 'Recipro Burst!', but much to Iida's surprise, Furaya drew his sword and used the blade to block his kick. After the failed attack, Iida jumped over Furaya and kicked at him, but Furaya was quicker and unsheathed his sword.
"Final Strike," Furaya muttered as he slashed at Iida with Falcon's Talon, unleashing a great attack of mass power. It caused a blast of dust and debris, briefly obscuring everyone's sight of the fight.
"Whoa, what just happened?" Present Mic guessed. "I can't see anything!"
As the dust started to settle, it was revealed that only one of the combatants were left standing. Many expected to see Iida standing, but much to their shock, Furaya was the one standing, still holding Falcon's Talon. As for Iida, he was on the ground, unconscious and beaten, having been defeated by Furaya's last attack.
"Holy-!" Raionhato gasped. "He beat Iida!?"
"Iida is unable to fight!" Midnight announced. "Furaya moves onto the next round!"
Furaya, as expected, was met with a mixed reception from the crowd. Many cheered and praised him for winning against Iida, but others booed at him, believing that he had somehow cheated and didn't deserve the win. Furaya paid no heed to it as he sheathed his sword and waited for the medical bots to pick up Iida.
"You were a good opponent," he spoke before bowing his head respectfully and started on his way to the other end of the stadium.
Boom! A green laser hit near where Furaya was, but he reacted in time to dodge the attack. Everyone was shocked by this sudden act of violence, but the Quirkless swordsman seemed unfazed by what happened.
"Who shot that blast!?" Aizawa demanded to know.
"It was him!" one of the bystanders exposed, pointing to a Pro Hero with a green visor on his eyes. Death Arms and Kamui Woods were quickly on the scene to apprehend the Pro Hero and drag him out of the stadium, all the while the hero cried about how he didn't do anything wrong.
"Clearly, we need to go over one of the rules again," Eraser Head spoke. "Anyone who physically assaults a student will be arrested. If any of you think of doing that, you better get out now."
Many of the students were in shock that Furaya had managed to defeat Iida, especially Bakugo. He felt the very same way he did when he first saw Deku use his Quirk during the 1st day of school: shock, anxiety, confusion. He was certain Glasses would've beaten him easily, but instead, the Quirkless had managed to win and was now moving onto the next round of the Tournament. He had witnessed the Quirkless's skills during the Obstacle Course, but against a human opponent…Bakugo couldn't process what he was seeing.
Could a Quirkless truly become a hero? Bakugo had always answered no to this question…and he still believed it. He'd prove it if he went up against the Quirkless.
Next up was Momo Yaoyorozu against Fumikage Tokoyami. As usual, Present Mic introduced both of them as they stood across from each other.
"He primarily focuses on ranged attacks," Momo thought to herself. "But if I remember correctly, Dark Shadow is vulnerable to light. Perhaps if I could make some flash grenades and use them to weaken Tokoyami's Quirk…"
"Come on, Yaomomo," Takeo spoke quietly. Jiro's superhuman hearing caught him saying it and she snickered.
Momo knew she was at a disadvantage against Tokoyami, but she was certain that if she exploited his weakness and got in close, she could win this match. Her parents were watching, making her all the more determined to win.
"Remember your fighting lessons with Tak…Raionhato," she mentally corrected herself. "You are Class 1-A's Vice President and could've been-"
"Ready!? CLASH!"
"Dark Shadow!" Tokoyami cried out. His Quirk spawned from his body and launched a relentless barrage of attacks against Yaoyorozu, who was barely able to create a shield in time to block his attack. She tried to counter, but Dark Shadow's speed and strength were far too much for her to handle. All she managed to do was create shields to block the impact of Dark Shadow's attacks, but also made her stumble.
Just as she prepared to block another attack, she noticed that Dark Shadow had stopped and Tokoyami was just standing there. Neither of them were bothering to move.
"He's stopped attacking?" Momo spoke. "Now's my chance to-"
"Yaoyorozu is out of bounds!" Midnight announced. "Tokoyami moves onto the next round!"
Momo's mind froze in shock and she looked down at the ground; her right foot was out of bounds. She stood still like a statue for several moments, barely able to comprehend how this fight ended. Tokoyami had managed to beat her and she wasn't able to counter even once as Dark Shadow's power easily overwhelmed her.
"No…" she spoke quietly.
"You, a hero? What a joke. You're just some extra child brought in. You're worthless."
Momo lowered her head in defeat and walked away from the arena, not caring that her classmates were watching her. Once she was in the hallway and by herself, she sat against the wall and tried to process the humiliating defeat she had just suffered.
"I couldn't even attack…" she spoke. "I couldn't even react to…I couldn't…"
"Stop living in a dream world, Momo. You have nothing worth anything."
Her eyes started to water, the crushing reality of what happened coming down. What good was she as a hero if she couldn't even land one attack on her classmate, especially since she had received three votes to be Class Representative? Was she wrong to believe she could become a hero?
"Yaomomo?" Takeo's voice addressed as he came across the hallway.
"R-Raionhato?" she spoke, her voice shaky and tears already falling down her cheeks. As if on instinct, Takeo rushed over to her, sat down and put an arm around her to comfort her.
"I couldn't even attack…" she wept. "My parents were watching and all they saw…all they saw was their daughter being beaten down like I was nothing. I failed so miserably…you wasted your time…" Takeo held her closer as she started crying more.
"Yaomomo…don't…don't talk like that," Takeo tried to comfort. "I don't consider training with you a waste of my time."
"Didn't you see how quickly I lost?" she spoke through tears. "I always strive to be the best I can be, especially since I wanted to be Class Representative. But good can I be as a leader if…if I…I'm so useless?" She leaned into Takeo's shoulder and started to let out the true sense of defeat she was feeling.
As she said, she had always striven to do her best. But as she thought over the events ever since she entered U.A., she started to believe that in the end, all of her accomplishments were because of others intervening to help her.
In the Combat Training, it was Raionhato who took down both Yukine and Zankoku while she couldn't beat Zankoku on her own. During the USJ Attack, had Raionhato, Zankoku and Ashido not intervened to save her, Jiro and Kaminari, they could've been killed. When Bloodmoon attacked, if she had been all on her own, she would've undoubtedly been killed by the savage werewolf. During the Cavalry Battle, most of the reason they won was because of Todoroki's planning and Iida's speed.
All on her own, she felt effectively useless.
"You're not useless, Yaomomo," Takeo assured. "You're a great leader and you are a skilled fighter and strategist. Tokoyami…he just got the upper hand, but that doesn't mean you're useless. You're one of our best students, Yaomomo, and everyone knows it."
As encouraging and comforting as his words were, it didn't help the sense of uselessness Yaomomo felt. What good would she be as a hero if she couldn't hold her ground on her own like most of her classmates, like Todoroki?
Todoroki had beaten Sero like it was nothing the way Tokoyami defeated her. Both of them got in on recommendations, but unlike him, she had failed to prove herself worthy of having gotten in the 'privileged way' compared to the rest of her classmates. Where she failed, Todoroki succeeded with ease.
"I…I'm sorry for crying on your shirt," she apologized after seeing the tear stains on Takeo's shirt.
"It's fine," he assured. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I have a tissue with me."
"It's fine, I can create one," she replied, using her Creation to make herself a tissue and wipe the tears from her eyes. Takeo held her closely, hoping to comfort her, to which she reluctantly accepted and extended an arm to hold him close as well.
"Raionhato," Open Palm addressed. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but you're up next. The crowds don't like a no-show." Takeo was about to protest, but Yaomomo touched his shoulder.
"It's fine," she assured. "You better get ready." Takeo slowly pulled his arm away from Yaomomo and walked off to get ready for his match against Ashido. As he left, Yaomomo felt better after he had helped comfort her and encouraged her. Even though the feelings of defeat and uselessness remained, she also felt another feeling...one directed towards the Inventory user himself.