Chapter 20
HELLO ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL AND WONDERFUL PEOPLE! ZAYDEN STORMVOID HAS RETURNED TO SHOWER YOU ALL WITH A NEW CHAPTER OF MY HERO POKEDAMIA!
Apologies are in order for such a long absence (a few months), but I was busy trying to write the recent developments with Welcome to the MCU and its sequel story, finalizing the changes and decisions that I have for this story compared to canon, and personal issues. For one, I have returned to my old hometown, or towns really, of Texas and Mexico, basically they are two towns that are closely next to each other and right on the border between Mexico and America. And during a convenient time where the Earth decided to drop on us a massive heatwave that makes living in already hot placed, like Mexico and Texas, into absolute deserts in the 100 of degrees. So yeah, lot of creativity juices just sweated out and left in tiredness.
Also, on a car ride to my hometown, me and my family passed by Uvalde, Texas, the town where that horrible shooting occurred. We decided to visit the site and pay our respects and prayers to the lives that were lost. I could feel the somberness and sadness in the air when we visited the site, but also a lot of love shown, seeing all the flowers, dolls and plushies, and photos and words that were left in honor of them. I both smiled and flinched when I saw a Pikachu cap on top of one of the piles. Just want to send out my prayers to those lives lost and now, hopefully, at peace, and to the families of those lost, that they may be able to move on with their lives after such a tragedy. I also want to send out prayers for all the victims and their families of the dozen of others shootings happening all over since then and hope that this madness will stop.
But let's, respectfully, bring things back up a notch. Last time, we had the introduction and first event of the Sports Festival. We had new characters appearing like Cynthia and Alexa, the former asking the latter to keep an eye out for anything special during this Festival, the early introduction of the U.A.'s Big 3, as well as Nejire Hado as a Chosen, tada, Izuku's speech towards Todoroki and Class 1-A and his grander speech towards the world, the Obstacle Course race with Pokémon, and Izuku and Combusken coming in first place.
And now, before we continue, I do Not own My Hero Academia, which belongs to Horikoshi, who I hope, despite being pressured and rushed, can make a satisfying and great ending, and Bones Studios, who better make sure Season 6 is fire, or Pokémon, property of Gamefreak and Nintendo, who I am expecting great things for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, starring Professors Gigachad and Instagirl. (Btw, I'm Team Violet!)
Also, speaking of, all things revolving around Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will only be mentioned at most, until game and its Pokémon, Legendaries and Mythicals, and content are fully revealed in November.
But with that all said, let's get right into it!
The Sports Festival Part 2: The Perfect Team
Third POV
"And The First Person To Make It Back to The Stadium Is IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
Mic's announcement was almost drowned by the roar of the crowd, all cheering for the green-haired teenager and his Combusken that won the First Event of the Sports Festival. The teen himself couldn't help but bask in the praise and cheers of the world. The only attention that Izuku received for most of his life were jeers, laughter, and mocking, mixed in with the sounds of explosions. Now the explosions he heard were the ones from confetti cannons, the jeers, laughter, and mocking replaced with cheers, claps, and his name being chanted with respect and congratulations.
The only thing that topped it all was the proud smile on All Might's face.
'This Sports Festival is the perfect encapsulation of the world we Heroes face.' All Might thought as he clapped for his successor. 'Popularity plays a huge role in the careers of Pro Heroes and this Festival is the perfect place to market yourself as an up-and-coming future Pro with promise. But more than that, this competition also highlights the clash against your fellow Pros, the competition among us for fame and recognition, to face against those who too want to reach the top.'
The monitors showed the rest of the contestants continuing the race towards the end at full sprint, such as Asui hopping, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu racing against each other, and Serena sliding on Todoroki's left over ice trail. 'It's a cutthroat world out there and only those who give it their all and beyond will be the ones who will be the best of the best.' All Might continued thinking, as he looked back down towards Midoriya, celebrating with Combusken. 'I chose you, Young Midoriya, because despite all that, at your core, you merely want to save people. Fame and money are immaterial to you. Your sole desire is to give people hope and peace, just like me. But, in all honesty, the unceasing selflessness of yours, along with my hesitance to pressure you, I felt could have equally held back your full potential.'
All Might clapped his hands one final time, his previous concerned frown morphing back into a smile. 'Turns out I was worried over nothing!' All Might concluded with finality. 'Your confidence is still a work in progress, but one step at a time.'
"This is interesting." All Might heard.
"I believe Midoriya's stock is about to go up." A second voice spoke up. All Might looked down to the source of the voices.
"Indeed, with such display of power from his Quirk, the prospect of his ever-growing strength, and his coordination with his Pokémon is sure to garner lots of attention." A third spoke.
The three voices belonged to three male students wearing their U.A. Sports uniforms talking to each other below All Might, at the top of the stands. They were rather plain looking from a bowl-cut haired teen with pink-swirl like blushes on his cheeks, a green-haired one with glasses and a laptop that looked like a nerdier version of Midoriya, and another with a large mane of blonde hair curled upwards in a swirl.
"However, he doesn't exactly have a way going for him in the looks department, given his rather plain appearance." The third student spoke. "The green electricity and that smile boost his complexion but a range of different expressions and looks would better flesh out his character for the public. We also have no idea what his costume looks like either and whether it compliments him well enough."
The teen had no idea that his comment on Midoriya's 'plainness' gave many of the still running girls of 1-A the strength to book it faster, fueled by indignation and rage on behalf of their crush.
"His Pokémon are also an important factor." The bespectacled student added. "While Combusken is a rare enough Pokémon, most 2nd stage rare Pokémon hold rather plain or even ugly appearances that could likewise detract points in his favor. His other Pokémon would also have to be held into account."
"Hmm, an agency that would take him on would have to focus more on his combat skills and adaption in battle and his Quirk." The big-haired one spoke. "The Aura that powers his Quirk is a still mysterious and not-well-understood concept that could garner him points based on mystery."
"Business Course students." All Might muttered, amusingly, to himself. "Some things never change."
[Present Mic: The Business Course! There is no real benefit in participating in the Festival, so they spend their time selling things and running predictive market simulations!...They have a lot of free time on their hands.]
Down in the field, Bakugou and Quilava panted in exhaustion at over expending their respective energies. Bakugou clutched at his arm, flexing and stretching his sore palms. "Goddammit...Deku...not again!" Bakugou muttered, enraged, taking his fourth loss to Deku, since the Entrance Exam, not well, if his grinding teeth and shadowed, furious eyes were all to go by.
"Unbelievable!" Bakugou's Quilava was in the midst of his own enraged muttering. "I was too slow to catch up to not only that sparkly, fancy Ninetails, but that cheap, inferior rare Fire Type Too?! Dammit!"
"The contestants are pouring in one after another! Save some of those cheers for all our competitors as we tally the results!" Mic's voice announced whilst Todoroki panted, steam escaping off him as he heated off the accumulated frost he built up throughout the race. Todoroki looked up towards the celebrating duo of Midoriya and Combusken. Seeing the Fire Type breathe out some flames in victory, Todoroki's left hand clenched into a fist. He quickly walked away, his Ninetails noticing and sighing, worried, yet exasperated by her Trainer's behavior.
As Deku put Combusken in her Pokeball to rest, he heard Uraraka's voice call out to him. "Deku! That was amazing!" Ochaco yelled as she ran up to him, Minnie floating beside her. She stopped right next to him, smirking brightly at him. "Both you and Combusken were so cool! And you got First Place! I'm So Jealous!"
"U-U-U-Uh, it was nothing!" Deku stuttered out, blushing from Uraraka's close proximity. With her so close to him, Deku could inspect more of Uraraka's face, from her constant round pink blushes that looked brighter than usual, the way her cheeks flexed upwards, cutely, with how wide her smile was, and his nose picking up the scent of sweet mochi on her. It made him blush further when he realized what he was doing and quickly turned away.
Deku would notice more and more students entering the arena. He noticed Iida off to where Uraraka ran from, his Doduo trying to consul him, while Iida had an air of disappointment and shame around him. 'Well, it was a race and his Quirk is all about speed, so I guess it makes sense that he would feel so disappointed at not finishing sooner.' Izuku rationalized.
A girlish squeal was all the warning he needed before being tackled into a hug from behind. "Izuku!" Serena's voice identified his hugger, as well as her impressive cleavage pressing on his back and her strawberry-scented hair. "You came in First Place! That's Awesome! I Knew You Could Do It! You Totally Showed Todoroki and Bakugou! You're the Coolest Best Friend a Girl Can Want!"
While the blushing red Izuku was at Serena's hug and mercy, Uraraka gain a dark air of jealousy around her smiling face, annoyed that her time with Deku was cut short, again.
After managing to calm her down, Serena recomposed herself, slightly embarrassed by her actions. "Oh, before I forget, allow me to introduce you to my newest Pokémon: Buizel." Serena directed Izuku and Uraraka to the Pokémon standing behind her.
The bipedal Pokémon had orange fur on most of its slim, thin body, with the exception of its cream-colored front torso and lower face to its black nose. The back also had two cream colored ovals, identifying its gender to male, and the ends of its thin, twin orange tails were also cream-colored. His feet and paws were ovalish, blue fins sprouting out on its arms. Cream-colored spots were above Buizel's ovalish eyes and below each of them were two black lines, and two orange tufts of fur sprouted at the back of his head, one significantly larger than the other. Buizel's most visible feature was the yellow collar ring, his floatation sac, around its neck.
"Bui Bui!" Buizel declared, standing tall and proudly, his arms crossed confidently.
"Oh, nice to met you, Buizel." Izuku nodded in respect to the Pokémon. "I do hope you watch out for Serena for me."
Buizel silently looked over Izuku with a critical eye. Izuku almost sweatdropped, wondering if Buizel was going to be like Piplup, thinking back to all the times Piplup blasted him with water almost every time he gets close with Serena.
Finally, Buizel nodded once more, before looking to Serena. "Bui Bui. Bui Bui Buizel." Buizel said towards his Trainer.
'Uh, can I have some translation here, guys?' Izuku telepathically asked his Pokémon. In his head, all he could hear was Pikachu laughing like a maniac, while Combusken and Eevee tried, and failed, to suppress giggles. 'Uh, Froakie?' Izuku tried his silent, new Pokémon.
'Buizel has stated that he approves of you as a warrior and worthy partner to his Trainer.' Froakie replied, in his mind. 'He told his Trainer to not lose you.'
'Eh?' Izuku questioned, comedic question marks appearing over his lightly blushing head.
Before Froakie could continue, Eevee interrupted with 'It's nothing.' Eevee replied, only confusing Midoriya even more.
Buizel, meanwhile, winked at Serena with a all-knowing look on him. Serena didn't need to understand him to know what her Pokémon was talking about. Serena's face grew redder by the second. "U-U-Uh back to the Pokeball with you!" Serena swiftly brought out her Pokeball and returned the snickering Buizel.
Uraraka stood to the side, confused on what caused the two to start blushing, but a tug of jealousy in her stomach told her she didn't like it.
The attention of the three was directed back to the students coming through the doorway to see Togetic joining with her recently arrived Trainer, Momo.
"How could this happen?" A tired Momo panted out, her shirt open to reveal her stomach and black sports bra, which served to greater Izuku's blush and draw jealous glares from Serena and Uraraka.
Though the source of her tiredness came from the perverted giggling coming from behind her. Momo shifted to reveal Minoru Mineta latched onto her backside by way of four sticky, purple balls. "Two birds with one stone~!" Mineta chuckled perversely, a line of blood running down his disturbingly pleased face. "I'm a genius~!"
"You are the Worst!" Momo declared, tiredly trying to shake him off.
Izuku frowned, his eyes and fists twitching, the desire to punt Mineta to the moon returning with equal force. Luckily, Asui's Croagunk did his job for him, again. Mineta crumpled off Yaoyorozo with a quick Poison Jab to the back, Croagunk proceeding to drag Mineta away.
"Izuku. *pant* Congratulations on reaching...*pant*...first place..." Momo walked over to the three, still panting.
"H-Hey Yaomomo." Uraraka said, scratching her cheek. "Tired, huh?"
"That purple pervert latched onto me during the third obstacle." Momo answered, upset.
They looked to see Mineta getting dragged away to who knows where by Croagunk, Mineta's Spoink quickly bounced after the two.
"W-Well, despite his perverse means, he did follow the rules, at least." Iida said, joining and sweatdropping with them. "The rules said that he shouldn't ride his Pokémon. I suppose riding onto another students with his Quirk is a suitable loophole."
"Don't worry about, Mineta." Asui said, walking up to them. "Croagunk won't hurt him. Well, not after that."
"Thank you, Tsu." Momo thanked her classmate.
"No problem, Yaomomo." Asui replied.
"Hey, Greenie!" Izuku and the others turned to where the voice was.
The voice's owner belonged to a girl, standing at 5'2, a mop of wavy, dark moss green hair that matched her dark green eyes. Her smile revealed notably pointy teeth, like Kirishima's. Her figure showcased a perfect blend of curve and voluptuousness, with her large breasts and long legs that drew Deku's eyes, and muscle. The girl beside her was blonde girl of 5'1 with large and round blue eyes, her face rounder and stuck out by her lower half in a short equine muzzle. Her most notable features were her legs, with hooves for feet and her calves were rounder and shaped like a Pokémon's, like a Zebstrika, a short, furry tail sticking out the back, and the tall pair of pale tan horns, shaped like a lyre, that stuck out her wavy blonde hair.
"Yo! Got to say, that move you pulled back there on the final obstacle was awesome!" The greenette spoke, her sharp-tooth grin wider as their eyes met.
"Oh, um, thanks." Izuku greeted, rubbing his head. "Um, I hope I didn't blow you away when I did that?"
"Nah, I was in the air." The girl shook her head. "You sailed right over me actually, which was freaking cool!"
"In the air?" Izuku questioned.
Suddenly, the girl started to split into pieces to the surprised horror of the group. Her torso split off of her lower half, her head floated from her neck and her arms detached from her torso like the arms of a doll. Yet instead of falling to the ground, they floated in mid-air like they were levitating. The girl's floating head grinned at them. "See? Pretty weird right?"
While the rest looked between shocked and horrified, Izuku's eyes brightened with comical stars. "That's...SO COOL!" Izuku gasped out.
"Huh?" The girl was taken aback with surprise.
"Your Quirk is so cool!" Izuku continued fanboying over the girl's Quirk, suddenly bringing out a notebook out of nowhere and stared writing down on it. "It looks like a Transformation or Composite Quirk! It looks like you can split yourself apart into pieces, but instead of them falling off they seem to float and move around! I'm guessing you're controlling them telekinetically, right?! And you can reattached them, right?! That would be versatile for literally dozens of situations. You could grab and reach people from far away, fly and survey an area, if you can detach your eyes and ears you would be perfect for recon, stealth, and rescue operations, and even surprise and adaptational combat. Can you split your Quirk into more pieces? What is your limit? Can they regenerate if they are destroyed? Is there a limit to how far you can send them?"
'There he goes again.' Izuku's friends and Pokémon sweatdropped as Izuku kept asking mumbling question after question.
'Where did he get that notebook from?' The other blonde girl thought.
Up in the stands, Nejire perked up, her desire to meet with this Izuku Midoriya suddenly skyrocketing. And perhaps asking him to marry her.
The girl was left gaping in surprise of the boy in front of her, gawking at her and her Quirk like it was the second coming of All Might or something. The girl usually had sharp hearing, given her Quirk and eavesdropping nature, but she could barely keep up with his questions, especially when they descended into incomprehensible mumblings. The questions and words she did manage to pick up made her more surprise, that he managed to analyze and figure out her Quirk in seconds. She couldn't help but feel impressed, despite being at first weirded out.
But what caught her off-guard the most was how he was gushing over and over about how her Quirk was so cool and useful, a stark contrast to what most people said about it. And it sounded sincere and honest, too. She, again, couldn't help the blush warmed its way onto her cheeks.
Shaking herself from her shock, the girl raised her floating arms in surrender. "Woah woah, easy my fellow green-haired bro. I got good hearing but not That good." The fellow greenette replied, still smiling, although more nervously.
Realizing what he was doing, and his close proximity towards the girl, Izuku's face grew red hot and backed away quickly. "I'm Sorry!" Izuku apologized. "I get a bit carried away when I see cool new Quirks."
"No problem, dude." The girl waved off his apology. "Happens to all of us." The girl raised her floating hand to him. "You got my Quirk figured out real quick. Name's Setsuna Tokage. I'm your classmate from Class 1-B."
[Present Mic: Setsuna Tokage! Quirk: Lizard Tail Splitter! She can split her body into pieces that she can float around with her mind! They can also regenerate if destroyed like a Slowpoke or Staryu! Wicked and creepy!]
"Izuku Midoriya." Izuku introduced himself, shaking her hand. " And these are my friends. Serena Mariella, Momo Yaoyorozo, Ochaco Uraraka, Tsuyu Asui, and Tenya Iida. It's nice to meet you."
"Oh! Now I remember you!" Serena suddenly gasped out. "You also took the Recommendations Exam, like me and Yaomomo."
"Ah, yes, I remember, too." Momo nodded. "You placed 2nd, behind me and in front of Serena."
"That would be me." Setsuna spread her arms out, before willing her limbs back together. She then directed their attention to the blonde girl next to her "Oh, and this girl here is my classmate, Pony Tsunotori."
"Hey y'all!" Pony cheerfully exclaimed with a wave. "It's really nice to meet you, loser scrubs!"
"Huh?" The 1-A students were taken back by the insult.
Pony earned a flick to the forehead by Setsuna's floating finger. "Forgive her, Pony's sweet but a bit of an socially-inept ditz." Setsuna apologized for her friend's behalf. "Monoma's been taking advantage of that and teaching her to say those things to your class."
"Oh! W-Was that something mean?!" Pony asked Setsuna, her face looking almost heartbroken. When Setsuna's nodded, Pony quickly bowed repeatedly. "I'm so so sorry! I didn' know! Please don' think of me and my class all badly 'cuz of me!"
"Oh no, it's alright. We understand completely." Iida replied. "I too have my own struggles with social ques and relations. So too does Yaoyorozo and Midoriya."
"True." Momo nodded. "It is disgraceful that you would be taken advantage of that way."
"Y-Yeah, me too." Izuku nodded, too. "We forgive you, but there's nothing to forgive, really."
"Thank y'all really! Pony thanked.
"Wait a minute, y'all, 'cuz', 'didn'?" Serena listed off Pony's accent. "Are you from America, by any chance?"
"Yep, she is." Setsuna nodded, patting and rubbing her friend's head. "She moved here from Texas and was mostly homeschooled by her parents on their Pokefarm, so not really a wiz at socialness."
"Wait, Monoma?" Uraraka asked, thinking back to two weeks ago. "You mean that mean, cocky blonde guy?"
"Yeah." Setsuna sighed, dejectedly. "He has this grudge against your class because you got the world's spotlight after the USJ." Setsuna pointed towards where Monoma was, in the middle of of zealous speech to other 1-B students. "He's been trying to get me and my class to go after you guys with his strategies and plans. Most of us just try to ignore him, but others are more gullible and trusting, like Pony."
"I'm sorry to hear about that." Momo said. "Competition should be a source of betterment and unity between both parties, not division and animosity."
"Heh, you and our Class Rep, Kendo, would get along." Setsuna replied.
"Perhaps, we will." Momo nodded. "I'm the Deputy Rep of our class. Izuku, here, is our Class Rep."
"Don't doubt it." Setsuna turned her gaze back to Izuku. "After that awesome speech of yours, if you weren't, I'd say your class would be missing out."
"Thanks." Izuku smiled. "I'm really glad to have gotten to meet and know you, Tokage. A-And you too, Tsunotori."
"Nah, none of that Tokage crap." Setsuna waved off her last name. "Just call me Setsuna."
"R-Really?" Izuku asked, taken aback.
"Yeah, bro, us green's got to stick together." Setsuna grinned, gesturing to the two of them. "And you too, Asui, was it?"
"Ribbit." Asui nodded. "Please call me Tsu."
"Oh, I like you already." Setsuna smiled. "But don't think that just because we are all friends now, that I will go easy on you."
Izuku smirked, confidently. "We wouldn't have it any other way." Izuku replied. "May the best student win."
"Oh, I will." Setsuna smirked back.
Izuku smiled, happy that he made some more friends, this time from his rival class, hoping this will make relations between their class better. Though Izuku could not help but find Setsuna's smile contagious and the mischievous glint in her eyes cute, likewise unaware that the same thought was running through Setsuna's mind.
As the last of the students made their way through the doorway, they all gathered up by the podium where Midnight stood. "At with that, the first event of the 1st Year Sports Festival has concluded." Midnight announced. "Only the first 42 contestants will proceed to the next round. So, let's take a look at those standings, shall we?"
At her command, the screen started showing the ranking of the students, starting with a determined, smirking Izuku Midoriya, and his Combusken beside him, at 1st place. Todoroki, and his Ninetails, were shown in 2nd place, followed up by Bakugou and Quilava, the Trainer looking so angry he looked constipated.
The 1-B girl, with vines for hair, Ibara Shiozaki, and her Roselia, snagged 4th place, followed swiftly by her 1-B classmate, the guy with the skull for a face, by the name of Juzo Honenuki, and his Dugtrio. An upset Iida, alongside his Doduo, was shown in 6th place, Serena and Buizel landed 8th, and Tokoyami and his Corviknight snagged 7th place. Sero landed 9th, with Kirishima barely landing 10th place as Tetsutetsu finished 11th. Setsuna, Ojiro, and Asui were close, with Setsuna landing 12th, Ojiro 13th, and Asui 14th, followed by Shoji in 15th, Sato in 16th, and Uraraka 17th place. An annoyed Momo and Mineta scored closely since they finished at the same time, Momo taking 18th and Mineta 19th.
The following list of rankings went as followed:
20th: Mina Ashido. 21th: Koji Koda. 22nd: Kyoka Jirou. 23rd: Sen Kaibara. 24th: Kosei Tsuburaba.
25th: Denki Kaminari. 26th: Kojiro Bondo. 27th: Reiko Yanagi. 28th: Hitoshi Shinsou. 29th: Itsuka Kendo.
30th: Jurota Shishida. 31st: Shihai Kuroiro. 32nd: Yui Kodai. 33rd: Hiryu Rin. 34th: Shoda Nirengeki.
35th: Kinoko Komori. 36th: Togaru Kamakiri. 37th: Nieto Monoma. 38th: Pony Tsunotori. 39th: Toru Hagakure.
40th: Manga Fukidashi. 41st: Mei Hatsumei. And 42nd: Yosetsu Awase
Unfortunately, a stomach-churning Aoyama landed in 43rd place, and thus was kicked out of the competition. This served to fuel the snickers of one Nieto Monoma, earn looks of sympathy from the rest of Class 1-A, and a disappointment sigh from Aizawa.
"And with that settled, the first 42 advance to the next round, but don't be too sad. We have other opportunities for you to shine." Midnight assured, licking her lips almost seductively.
'Can this woman say anything without acting seductive to a group of kids?' Aizawa groaned in his head.
"Now, let us spin the wheel and see what the next event will be." Midnight declared, the roulette wheel on the screen started to spin by the crack of her whip. "What could it be? Oh, I am positively shivering!"
Nezu reminded himself next time to have one of the other teachers down with Midnight with a spray bottle.
"Prepare yourselves for THIS!" With Midnight's yell, the roulette wheel stopped at at an image of two ships, the stick figures on it firing at each other. The words in between them spelled out: Shipwreck Mania.
"Shipwreck Mania?" Kaminari groaned, miserable. "What does that mean?"
"Looks like the next event will have us on some kind of naval vehicle." Asui pondered out loud.
"Allow me to explain." Midnight spoke up. "Contestants will form teams of 2-4 people if they see fit, and the game will last for over 30 minutes. While normally, we will have Calvary battles instead, this game has a bit of a catch. Instead of riding each other in a Calvary Battle, you and your team will mount a small naval vehicle at the lake." Midnight cracked her whip to the screen to show the large lake. On the side of the lake, held a total of 21 different ships, that looked similar to a Barrack ship, with a mizzen mast, foremast, and main mast, yet smaller. It was enough for a crew of two to pilot but large enough for four or more to board and operate.
"Each player has been assigned a point-based value relating to their placement in the First Event." Midnight continued, showing an image of All Might, with a pirate hat and eyepatch, on a ship with Present Mic, Snipe, and Thirteen, each one having a point value over them. "A team will have their individual point values added together and given to the team in the form of flag with the added number percentages for everyone to know how much they are worth." The screen showed the points added together into a white and red flag hanging on top of the main mast. "Players can place the flag anywhere on the main mast, not just the top, and the more flags you snatch up from the enemy ships, the more points you score but the more flags you have the more you will have to manage, so be careful."
"I see." Momo said, cupping her chin. "It plays sort of like a naval battle, only our goal is to board an enemy ship and swipe their flag."
"And in a point-based system, like the Entrance Exam." Sato added.
"However, even if your headband has been stolen or any of your members fall into the water, you can still play us much as you want, and take or steal back your headband, till time runs out." Midnight explained.
"Interesting." Serena muttered. "They have 21 ships for a minimum of 2-man teams, yet the ships are large enough for teams of four, so that can could mean over 9 or more different teams." 'And I will have the advantage the whole time since I will be on the water.'
"For this event, you can use your Quirks as much as you want while on your ship or another." Midnight continued explaining. "Falling into the water means you are unable to use your Quirk until you reboard yours or the enemy ship. And as a bonus, teams can use up to a maximum of 4 Pokémon to support them, one from each player. They can even be active while in the water and they can be called out at anytime, but they will not be switchable. Once they are brought out, they will fill one of the four slots."
"I see." Iida said. "So this also is meant to plan out your Pokémon wisely. If every student has 3 or more Pokémon, than that means, at most, only 1/4 of their Pokémon can be used, so you must plan and strategize effectively."
"However, there are still rules." Midnight warned with a wagging finger. "Any naughty players try to sink the enemy sink or severely injure another player, I will slap your indecent ass with a red card and you will be disqualified! And if you and your team do sink an enemy ship, that team's point value is lost forever."
Bakugou scoffed angrily, pissed that he couldn't go all out on these extras. Again.
"But what about the points?" Uraraka questioned. "How much will each player be worth?"
"Maybe you should wait and listen for me to say it!" Midnight yelled out, annoyed, making Uraraka jump slightly in fear. "Now, I'm sure you are all wondering just how much every player is worth." The screen showed the rankings, and the constants that placed that ranking, beside a number that raised the higher the the rankings went to 1st. "Now then, the points assignments go up by increments of 5 starting from the bottom. For example, 42nd place has 5 points and 41st has 10 points."
Midnight then narrowed her devious eyes towards Izuku. "And the point value assigned to 1st place: TEN MILLION!"
The world around Izuku grew dark and non-existent, only leaving him pale, ghost white. Suddenly, reality came crashing down like a wave. 'TEN MILLION?!' Izuku and his Pokémon screamed in his mind.
'Really?' Shinsou thought, looking to Midoriya with a creepy smile.
'In other words,' Mei turned her smiling attention to Izuku. 'If you take down his team-'
'You'll win the game and guarantee your spot!' Everyone thought, looking at Deku with ambitious, glowing red eyes.
Midnight giggled at the predictable scene. "That's right." She said. To Midoriya, his friends, classmates, and enemies all transformed into inhuman, large shadows of themselves, looking down at him like he was a ripe for slaughter. "It's survival of the fittest, for the chance for those at the bottom to Overthrow the Top!"
'...Well shit...pack it in boys, we're fucked.' Pikachu declared.
'Can you, for once, be unconditionally supportive of our Trainer?!' Combusken exclaimed.
'Now you see it. The price of being Number 1.' All Might thought, looking to Izuku completely frozen still. 'To be at the top is no easy thing,' He thought to Endeavor, Best Jeanist, Miruko, and the rest of the Top 10 Heroes that gun for his rank. 'For you have to worry about those below you to catch up and gun for you.'
"Izuku." Inko muttered, her previous overwhelming pride now shifted to worry.
Taishi scratched at his chin, pondering how Midoriya would respond to this.
"Woah, 10 million?!" Mirio exclaimed. "That's quite the score!"
"They always put the person in first place of the first event at a big disadvantage so that they will have to give it their best to keep that position." Nejire said, cupping her chin. "Team events are the worst since your position in first acts like a deterrent to others to join you."
"All that attention...people wanting to kill you...urgh, to dark, I'm gonna hurl..." Amajiki muttered and gagged.
"I don't think they are going to kill him, Tamaki." Nejire tried easing her shy friend. "Quit being so dramatic."
'We have officially become a target.' Froakie said. 'Likely all the teams will be after ours.'
'Damn...so, Izuku, what do you think we should do...Izuku?'
Izuku ignored Eevee's words, stuck in his own mind. His mind flashed back to that fateful day, the large, inhuman shapes of his friends gunning for him changed to the sinister dark shapes of Bakugou and his classmates from Aldera.
"You'll never be able to hang with the Best of the Best!"
'Even though a lot of things have changed since junior high, one thing has never changed. I'm still a target.' Izuku thought, hearing the very beat of his heart drum loudly. 'I went from being treated like worthless trash, to be the most desired person to defeat. Heh, ironic, really.'
He imagined All Might sitting on top of mountain, posing with all his might, while the rest of the pros climbed up and reach out to topple him. 'It is hard to be at the top, isn't it All Might?' Izuku's fists tightened.
"I just hope you haven't forgotten the emotions you felt back during our training."
"I don't just want into U.A., remember? I want to excel! I want to Become the Greatest Hero In the World!"
'I haven't forgotten. Not at all.' Izuku suddenly started to move, walking past the students around him. 'It's lonely at the top, but I've been on my own since I was 4, with only me and my Pokémon by my side.' Izuku stopped, standing at the front, his back towards the crowd of students. 'But I survived, I held strong, and preserved even with only that. And this is no different.'
"You can declare war on us all you wish, and we accept it. But words and warnings won't decide anything, only action will."
Izuku began to turn to face the crowd of students, his competition, all gunning for him. 'Like I said back then-'
Izuku smiled, his eyes and body ablaze with green lightning, a hint of blue aura around him. He lifted his hand towards the crowd and made a 'Come at me' gesture, and the students swore they could see the words 'Bring It On' form around him in green lightning. 'Come At Us With All You Got!'
All Might grinned in proud approval.
Inko went back to wailing over her baby boy.
Mitsuki whistled. 'Since when did Izuku get some bigger cajones than my son?' She thought.
Mirio and Amajiki grinned, excited.
Nejire's grin exploded wider and wider, a tiny blush on her cheeks.
Taishi and Nezu chuckled, amused.
Meanwhile with the students, their expressions raged from galled rage like Bakugou and Monoma, cold glares from Shoto and Shinsou, proud smiles of the likes Serena, Tsuyu, and Momo, excitement from Uraraka, Mina, and Hagakure, and equally challenging grins and smirks from Iida and Setsuna.
Midnight licked her lips. 'My my~! The balls on this kid.' Midnight thought to herself, feeling almost stimulated. 'This is sure to be exciting~!'
Meanwhile, over at a building at the side of the stadium, a sign read Break Room, Staff Only.
"Huh, I see what this event is about." Death Arms spoke.
The Punching Hero sat at a table, a cigar in hand, with Mount Lady and Kamui Woods sitting across from him. The room held other staff members from the U.A. teaching staff to other pros assigned as security for the event. Their Pokémon stood the side, intently watching the Festival from the screen to Death Arms's left.
"You gonna spill the beans or are you gonna be like a smug smartass and make us guess it?" Mount Lady said, dryly.
Death Arms simply breathed in his cigar. "Well, we all know that this country is overrun with Heroes and Agencies, more than we can count. If you want to put food on the table, you have to willing to step on top of other Heroes." Death Arms replied calmly. "The first event showed how well they could use their Quirks and how cooperative they are with their Pokémon, but this one is mostly suppose to simulate the competition they will face when they go Pro, how well you can team up with other Heroes and how willing are you to take others out of the game."
"That's such a sad way of looking at our job." Mount Lady groaned, half her scrunched face covered as she wiped away the smoke the Punching Hero let out.
"Seriously?!" Kamui exclaimed, annoyed, recalling the female Pro's debut. "You didn't have a problem stealing the spotlight! Don't think I didn't see that greedy smirk you hid from the cameras!"
"Y-Yeah, well..." Mount Lady's energy seem to drop to a sad frown. "I had a...change of perspective."
Kamui and Death Arms were taken back by this sudden turn to the normally fame-hungry pro.
"Or maybe I guess it's better to say it was more of a rude awakening deal, really." Mount Lady muttered, picking at what was left of the food she scammed from that vendor, her eyes flinched a bit. "A couple really."
While Death Arms remained clueless to what she was talking about, Kamui quickly figured out what his fellow pro was talking about. Memories of the Sludge Villain Incident came back and how the three of them were practically useless when it came to stopping that rampaging Villain. Another time he figured out was that Villain that they faced on the same day as the USJ incident, the large pink one that held that family hostage. A phantom flare of pain in his arm made Kamui rub it.
'Both times we couldn't do anything to them.' Kamui realized what Mount Lady was probably thinking. 'And in both times, someone else had to step in and do something where we couldn't.' He thought of All Might swooping in to stop the pink Villain with a single chop to the head. 'Hell, even though he shouldn't have done it, a kid did better than what a group of Pros couldn't.' He remembered the green-haired teen that managed to harm the seeming untouchable Sludge Villain and pull the hostage out, all while not even using his Quirk to do it.
Kamui looked the image of that same boy, Izuku Midoriya, his face shown to be in 1st place. 'Compared to them, we were liabilities. Pros too green and glory focused to do anything helpful.' Kamui thought bitterly. He looked back at the miserable looking Mount Lady and then back at the the boy on the screen.
Suddenly, the boy's speech came to mind. Two parts in particular. "No matter how hard they punched, kicked, or mocked me, I always got back up." and "A Hope to be stronger than the day before, to be better than what came before, for those who ridicule me to be better and be redeemed." Kamui couldn't help but think he chastising the kid was among those who ridiculed him as well.
'Look at that. Getting helped by a teenager. Again.' Kamui chuckled. He fiddled with his water bottle and spoke up to the two. "Well, then I suppose that those awakenings were for the best." The two pros turned to look at him. "They showed you mistakes and you acknowledged them. All we can do now is have the strength and Hope to be better from those mistakes."
Mount Lady was taken surprised by Kamui's words. Normally, she would tune them out because of how cheesy and dramatic he sounded, but this time she listened and noticed. 'He said we, not me.' She thought, realizing he felt the same as her back then. She couldn't also help but catch that last part.
'Hope to be better, huh?' Yu Takeyama thought. She turned to look at the screen with Midoriya's smirking face. His inspiring speech came to mind and connected the dots. Her frowned turned to a small smile and nod, to both the boy and her fellow Pro Hero, that she wouldn't mind calling a friend.
Kamui nodded back, no words left needed between the two. He went to place the bottle to his lips. Only to find it barred by his wooden mask he still had on.
Yu giggled, a light blush on her cheeks. Her Gourgeist came over to her and looked her with concern. Yu smiled and petted her Pokémon, Gourgiest lightly grasping her arm to continue showing her approval and asking to continue. 'Look at us.' Yu thought. 'Even though those kids still have so much to learn, they are teaching Us a thing or two. Guess it's never too late for us Pros to evolve to.'
'Maybe I should send that kid a internship offer as thanks.' Both Kamui and Lady thought.
Death Arms looked between his two fellow Pros with confusion, scratching his head, having no idea what was going on.
Up in the personal stands, thankfully away from overeager fans, a woman stood out watching. "Quite the predicament that the boy has been put in." The woman muttered to herself, a hand cupped over her delicate, pointed chin, her sharp, shark-tooth-like teeth visible as she talked.
The woman was young and beautiful, looking around her mid-20's, and standing at a height of around 5'5. She wore a dark red, traditional qipao dress, the slit on the left was raised higher to almost her hips, allowing her long, creamy legs to be showcased to the world. A large yellow claw design was at the bottom of the dress, with an additional line crossing the three claws. A similar yellow design started from her collar and down her long, graceful neck, the clawed lines shooting off from both sides, the yellow line ending just above her large bust. A green-scale-like pattern ended the dress around her inner shoulders and down the smaller line of the dress on the back, leaving the rest of her slender shoulders and back exposed. Her arms were covered with long white gloves that went from the wrist to the bicep. She wore knee-high black boots with a strap and small pack strapped around her left thigh.
Half of her face was covered by four large, light purple claws attached to a green-scale pattered headband that covered the rest of her forehead, her blonde hair sticking out the exposed left side. Two large, black dragon-like wings were attached and spread from the back of the headband. The left side of her face revealed a beautiful face of the woman, her yellow, golden eyes slit like a dragon's and her left ear decorated with golden spiked, cartilage piercings. In one of those piercings, attached was a rainbow colored orb with a DNA symbol on the orb. A Key Stone. Her right wrist also appeared to have what appeared to be a blend of a Dynamax Band and a Z-Ring.
"Izuku Midoriya." The woman muttered the name of the boy who won first place. "What an interesting find." She recalled when the boy blasted through the Zero Pointer with his Combusken, the pose he struck as he did, and that confident smile on his face. It seemed rather obvious just who the boy was trying to immolate or idolize. Though now, the boy will have to face the same pressure that man held when it came to being at the top, something she herself knows a bit of.
"So, are you happy that I managed to drag your ass here?" The woman smirked, addressing her question to the woman behind her, hidden in the shadows.
The woman who stepped out appeared the perfect blend of athletic and beauty. The woman dressed in a white leotard with dark purple rims along the end by her shoulders and covering her private area, leaving the rest of her athletic, tanned chocolate skin exposed. A yellow crescent moon design was designed over her large bust, a single grey metal plate around her midriff, and a white furred collar around her neck. Her arms were fully exposed, showcasing her muscles that did not detract her beauty, if only enhancing it. Her hands were clothed in a pair of white gloves. Her legs were large and held an aura of power. Dark purple thigh high boots covered most of her leg, leaving the rest of her large thighs, hips, and a bit of her large ass exposed. Her feet were longer than the average foot, almost looking like a Lopunny's, and covered by the purple stocking and plated, metal soles.
However, the most unique feature of the 5'2 goddess was the similar Lopunny-like features than just her feet. A small, white, fluffy tail stick out of her tailbone, and two large bunny ears stuck out of her waterfall of flowing, straight white hair, the ears easily making up for her height. The woman's face held a level of arrogance and pride, from her smirking smile to her piercing, ruby red eyes. Also, around her wrist was a similar band to the dragon lady, and around the end of her stockings was a strap with a Key Stone inside.
"Yeah, yeah, no one likes like smartass, Ryukyu." The newcomer rolled her eyes. "Much less a smug smartass."
Ryukyu chuckled. "If that were the case, then you would never have made it to the Number 7 spot of the rankings, Miruko." She replied, coyly.
"Shut It!" Miruko lashed out in retort. "And fine, yes. This whole thing isn't such a complete waste of time. Though, it's still not as fun as doing it yourself."
"I don't believe that they will simply allow one of the Top Ten Pros in Japan to participate." Ryukyu chuckled, always amused by Miruko's feisty nature. "There would be no students left after you done with them."
"True." Miruko huffed in pride. "No one can really keep up with me with other than my Pokémon. Isn't that right, Lopunny?!"
The Pro's Lopunny made an affirmative nod as it stood to the side with a Salamance that seemed to belong to Ryukyu. Both Pokemon's looked to be wearing similar looing stones to the two Pro's. Lopunny's was in a band around of its large ears and Salamance's was around it's long neck in a fancy, plated collar.
"So, are there any students you found interesting?" Ryukyu asked.
"Nah, most of them are either forgettable or not my style." Miruko flicked her hair back in dismissal. "Although, that Frog girl and 1st place are intriguing. Frog Girl's got mad hops and that green kid's whole fighting style seems a mix of his punches and kicks. Although, his punches seem rather sloppy. He definitely needs to work on his legs better."
"Oh. So are they the oh-so-lucky students to be your first ever interns?" Ryukyu asked teasingly.
"Ha! Don't get ahead of yourself!" Miruko let out a loud laugh. "They got a long way to go before I'm ever interested in letting those rookies have the chance to train under my benevolent teachings!"
Ryukyu rolled her eyes. "You know the Commission is still pressuring you to have a least one Intern for the Internships soon?" Ryukyu reminded her fellow pro. "They even said a work study would be suitable."
"Yeah, yeah, 'will help better my image and make me easier to work and team up with'!" Miruko said in a mocking tone. "Blah! Let those greedy, out-of-touch asshats whine all they want! I'm doing just fine on my own!"
Ryukyu frowned, unsure whether Miruko's statement was coming from a place a pride and arrogance or even a fear of attachment. Either scenario has a number of problems that could happen, but Ryukyu decided it was best to not butt in. She has known Rumi for long time now and, if the Rabbit Hero: Miruko was right about one thing, it was that she can take care of herself.
"Well, if you aren't interested in her, then perhaps I could take her up." Ryukyu brought the conversation back to the students. "She and the gravity girl, Uraraka I believe, I find have potential. From what I've seen, they could be quite the Rescue Heroes, and even formidable Battle Heroes."
"And the green kid?" Miruko asked. "Midoriyo, was it?"
"Midoriya." Ryukyu corrected her friend. "And while yes, he does interest me, I feel like there could be someone else that could help teach the boy better. After all, as Eraserhead said, the way his Quirk functions appears similar to Riley's."
"Riley? You mean the Mystery Hero: Guardian?" Miruko asked, her mind conjuring an image of the mysterious Hero, his back turned to her she could only make out his black, spiky-end cloak, black and blue hat, raven black hair, and his weird staff.
"The very one." Ryukyu nodded, smiling in fond memory of the man, and denying the existence of a small blush on her cheeks. "He's Number 20 on the charts, last I checked. From what he would divulge about his Quirk, it functions to a similar degree to Midoriya's, revolving Aura."
"Isn't the dude just as against team ups and interns as me?" Miruko asked. "Hell, the only intern he ever had now works under you."
"Nejire was a breath of fresh air for Riley." Ryukyu nodded. "He needed to open up and be more presentable and trusting to the public. Nejire often swaps between the two of us, helps us keep in touch with each other."
"Yeah, cause it's so hard to keep in touch with each other when you're both Pros operating in the same city." Miruko replied out in a sarcastic tone before switching to a teasing one. "I'm sure that you two really do keep in touch with each other."
Ryukyu had the grace to look away, fighting down the blush on her cheeks. "I haven't the faintest of what you are referring to."
Miruko burst out laughing in response.
"So you changed the 2nd event, huh?" Taishi said as he watched from the stands the kids spreading out and others huddling to form their teams.
"Whatever could you mean, old friend?" Nezu responded with his ever playful tone, sipping his tea. "You mean to say that our roulette wheel is but a sham to display a sense of random unpredictability?"
"I mean to say that it is a wonder that the course for the 1st event was set up so quickly and in time for it to be announced." Taishi sipped from his own tea cup. "Or that while the race transpired, everyone failed to noticed the last of the ships Power Loader made placed on the dock of the lake."
"One must always come prepared for anything to transpire." Nezu replied, coyly. "This world of ours happens to be a random and unpredictable one. Our students must come prepared to face such situations."
"Indeed." Taishi replied, recalling a meeting he had with his Pokémon-like friend, where the Aura user noticed among the stack of papers a plan for the Festival, including the two chosen events for the 1st years. "Especially those times where when those use the veil of randomness and unpredictability to mask their hidden agendas."
Nezu chuckled. Taishi was truly, perhaps, the only person on the planet to truly get him. "This 2nd event is sure to be quite the challenge for our students." Nezu continued, unfazed. "Rather than looking out for themselves, they will have to work together with others to achieve each other's goals."
"Such levels of cooperation that this event would bring out are many." Taishi likewise continued. "Quirk compatibility, Pokémon compatibility, teamwork, planning, the struggle between selfish ambition and mutual, beneficial cooperation."
"And for the student that would be in 1st place, an even greater challenge they would face." Nezu added. "The distance between everyone and Number 1, the lonely weight of being the best and being targeted for it, and the test of bonds of loyalty and other's own ambitions."
"You mean to test to see how Midoriya fares with potential betrayal and ostracism?" Taishi questioned.
"I'm afraid that Young Midoriya has already suffered such woes in the past, his speech said it all." Nezu constant smirk dipped, for a second, to a frown. "To revisit and overcome those old wounds would be beneficial for him to move on forward to what he is meant to be." Nezu looked to Taishi, seriously. "And to prevent what would occur if said wounds were left to fester and rot. A second time."
Taishi set down his teacup, his lips in a thin line, showing no emotion, yet just Taishi knew Nezu, the rodent Principal could see the emotion hidden in the main's grey eyes. Sadness. Shame. Regret.
"Then let us hope he has what it takes to do so." Taishi responded. "For the world's sake."
"You have seen the boy for yourself long enough, old friend." Nezu sipped from his tea again. "With Izuku Midoriya, Hope is what he is all about."
Izuku Midoriya felt rather hopeless. 'Maybe antagonizing everyone like that was a bad idea?'
After the teens split up to form their teams, everyone seemed to spread away from him like he had the plague. Multiple groups of people had already gathered to form their teams among their numbers, some splitting off, some staying, and then the stragglers that floated around different groups to see if they had an spot left for them. Midoriya was the third one.
Whenever he would subtly approach a group, they would, not-so-subtly, inch away from him, either giving remorseful looks, challenging glares, or trying to ignore is presence like he wasn't there.
Even Serena seemed to be avoiding him. She was the first person that he looked for when the students split up, but she was just gone. Later, Izuku would find Serena in a group of four, with Ojiro, a rather small, wide student Izuku gathered, from the rankings, was Nirengeki Shoda, and Hitoshi Shinsou, the indigo-haired student from General Studies. He seemed to be calling the shots as he talked to them, and the others listening to him intently, almost unmoving and still like a pair of robots.
The ones that bothered to acknowledge his presence would be among those he considered as friends. Momo revealed that someone had already reached out and asked for assistance in the event. Momo agreed, but expressed her remorse to Midoriya, stating that she, for once, wanted to show off for her own sake. He was met with similar responses from Asui, Toru, and Kaminari. When they expressed their apologies, Midoriya quickly shot them them down, understanding.
"It's ok to be selfish now and then." Midoriya would say to them. "You all have your own dreams and goals to that your are aiming to achieve. I would be hypocrite if I didn't say for you all to give your all any way you can."
Of course, behind his smiles and understanding words, Midoriya's heart bled quietly. Memories of the past once more made their way to the forefront of his mind. His time in Aldera. He recalled how every attempt he ever made in the past to make friends was met with immediate rejection. Some were decent and just made fake excuses to leave, others were more upfront and told him to go away, and most were cruel, laughing in his face and jeering him away.
"Ha, who wants to be friends with a Quirkless loser like you!" Was among many of the responses he got.
In his quest to find people to team up, he spotted Bakugou with a number of their 1-A classmates. He spotted Kirishima firmly on his side as they accepted Sero, though he had an slightly offended look on his face, like he was insulted, which considering it was Bakugou, was a definite.
'Given how he is, he might have forgotten his name and Quirk, and had Kirishima tell him.' Izuku thought, unknowingly completely right about that.
He also spotted Mina among them, albeit she looked reluctant to be there. Judging from how Kirishima smiled and nodded at her, Izuku figured that Mina owed him a favor and joined them for Kirishima's sake. They did go to the same junior high before U.A., so it was possible.
Another thing that Midoriya spotted was look Bakugou sent his way. A look that seemed mixed between looking at him like he was a pile of disgusting trash and smug satisfaction that he was alone. Midoriya felt that the best option to do was to ignore it, not to give Bakugou the satisfaction of what he was feeling and knowing that ignoring him would serve to insult the blonde hothead further.
'He's a hothead, an annoying and insulting one at that, but he did place 3rd in the Obstacle Course, and with versatile and powerful Quirk, it's no wonder that people would gravitate towards him.' Izuku thought, bitterly.
Now, Deku feels like he is right back where he started from. Outcast, avoided, alone. Even though he said for them to do what they wished and not worry about him, Izuku had his own selfish desires, and one of them was to be on a team with his closest friends. And seeing them turn him down for others was like a punch to the gut. Serena's was the worst, even a well of anger started to form in his stomach seeing her pay complete attention to the purple-haired guy than him.
And of course, Izuku knew that what he was feeling was undeserved towards them, and he hated himself more for feeling this way.
'Nah, who needs them!' Pikachu tried comforting him in his mind. 'Cowards and Traitors, the lot of them.'
'For once, I agree with the spark rat.' Froakie voiced his opinion. 'It is disgraceful of them to abandon you in your time of need.'
'Hey, give them a break, guys.' Eevee tried defusing the situation. 'They want to win too. And we can't have all of them on the same team as us in a four person event.'
'Eevee's right.' Izuku thought back to them, before Pikachu or Froakie could retort. 'This is a tournament. A competition. They have every right to do what they wish and if they want to join another team, they can do what they want.'
Combusken hummed in his mind before speaking out. 'While I agree, are you saying this from a place of complete understanding, or a place of self-loathing victimhood.'
Midoriya didn't know how to respond to that honestly, so he didn't. Instead, he sighed, deciding to prepare for the worst and begin trying to plan how he would face this event alone.
"HEY DEKU!" Izuku froze. He turned slowly to where the voice was calling from, finding Uraraka running towards him, smiling and with that ever constant pink blush on her cheeks.
"O-Ochaco?" Izuku questioned as she caught up to him, feeling slightly hopeful. "What is it?"
"I've been trying to find you but I was pulled by some students who wanted me on their team." Ochaco explained.
"Oh, I see." Izuku said, dejectedness returning in force. "So, you already are part of team huh?"
"Nope, I turned them all down." Uraraka revealed, grinning brightly. "So I could team up with you."
Izuku's eyes widened, disbelief and tears filling them. "Y-You're serious?" He asked, his voice cracked with emotion.
"Of course!" Uraraka replied, energetic. "I mean, I know you have a lot of points on you and everyone is gunning for you, but that just makes it more important for to help you out. Besides, it's much better to team up with people you like!"
"..." Izuku was silent and frozen, like he was petrified. 'S-She knows and understands what joining me will do, how hard this will be...and yet she wants to join anyway...' Izuku's heart felt like it was mending itself, and the voices of his former, laughing classmates were vanishing.
"D-Deku, are you okay?" Uraraka noticed and looked concerned. "Is something wrong?"
"WWAAAAHHHH! THANK YOU OCHACO! YOU'RE AN ANGEL!" Izuku wailed out, a waterfall of tears blasting out of him.
"Oh come on, it's nothing!" Uraraka, slightly wet after getting blasted by tears, waved off his praise, even though she found she liked it.
"Like mother like son, huh?" Mitsuki said from up in the stands, she and Inko witnessing the whole thing.
"Mitsuki." Inko groaned in embarrassment from her best friend's teasing.
Nonetheless, Inko smiled as she saw the girl team up with her son, silently sending her heartfelt thanks towards her.
Back on the field, as Deku calmed down, he replied "No, it's not nothing, Ochaco. This really means a lot to me and I'm really glad that you turned everyone else down to team up with me." Izuku flashed a grateful smile towards her. "I really wanted to team up with you too."
Ochaco's cheeks flared fully red. "Y-Yeah, you're welcome, Deku." She said.
"Anyways, you're also right about what you said. For a game that requires a lot of teamwork, it smart to find people that you can communicate and cooperate easily with." Izuku continued. Uraraka nodded, whole heartedly. "Actually, with that in mind, I think I know someone else who could help us."
A few minutes later...
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to refuse." Iida said.
Izuku and Uraraka looked taken back, and slightly upset at Iida's decision. The two searched among the students for the blue-haired teen, and when they found him, Midoriya attempted to have him join them. However, the results were instead a refusal.
"Please do not take this the wrong way, Midoriya, you are great friend, my Class Rep, and the one who promoted me to Chief Class Officer." Iida began to explain, looking rather remorseful, yet determined in his decision. "But, all this time, I have been losing to you. The Entrance Exam, our Battle Training Exercise, even the Class Rep title, I've lost to you over and over. I can't progress in my goals if all I do is fall short and follow you."
Iida stared Midoriya with a determined glare. "Izuku Midoriya, as much as you are my friend, you are also my rival." Iida turned and made his way over to the group that was behind him. Izuku's eyes widened slightly as he found Iida standing with Todoroki, Kaminari, and Momo. "And as your rival, I will do my best to defeat you."
"Iida. Kaminari? Yaomomo?" Uraraka said, looking to their friends with surprise, and little betrayal.
Momo and Kaminari at least had the decency to look ashamed, Momo refusing to make eye contact with Midoriya. Todoroki simply stared at them with cold eyes, yet Midoriya could see the growing smugness and retribution in his eyes.
'I get it.' Izuku thought. 'Todoroki said this was a war between us, so he managed to convince Iida, Kaminari, and Momo, friends of mine, to join him, thinking that they can give him an advantage in knowing how I think. I'm sure that he chose them for other reasons too, but this must be the most personal reason.'
'But how did he managed to convince them?' Eevee asked. 'Iida I get, and Kaminari...well, respectfully, he isn't the brightest tool in shed to, so he is easily convincible. But why Momo?'
Izuku thought about that to, but chose to ignore it, for now. 'It really doesn't matter now.' Izuku's face hardened. 'They made their choices, and I respect and understand them for it, but right now, they are enemies, and I can't afford to lose.'
"Fine." Izuku replied, sending back his own challenging eyes towards them. "I'll see you out on the lake."
Todoroki's glared narrowed but turned and walked away. His team followed behind him, Momo sending one last look of remorse, mouthing a response that Midoriya interpreted as 'I'll explain later'.
Uraraka sighed in disappointment. "Well, that was failure." She groaned.
"Yeah, but we shouldn't give up." Izuku said, still determined. "We'll just have to try again."
"Heh heh heh, perfect. You're still alone, and the star." Izuku and Uraraka perked up and shivered and that the almost hungry tone of the voice. They turned just in time for said person to be in front of Izuku's face. "TEAM UP WITH ME PERSON IN FIRST PLACE!"
"SO CLOSE!" Izuku yelled back in horror. "WHO ARE YOU?!"
The person giggled as they stepped back to reveal it was the pink girl with the all of the Support Course tech on her. "I'm from the Support Course." The girl answered, lifting her goggles up to reveal her amber gold eyes, that looked like scope lenses. "The name's Mei Hatsume!"
As Izuku was still taken aback by her sudden appearance, Uraraka perked up. "Oh, you're that weirdo from the Obstacle Course!" Uraraka said.
"We haven't met yet but I want to use your current fame to my personal advantage!" Mei declared, staring directly at Izuku.
'That's straight forward.' Izuku thought.
'Asui would like her.' Froakie pointed out. The others hummed in agreement.
'She just ignored me completely!' Uraraka thought.
"If I team up with you, then my and my marvelous babies will be in the spotlight!" Mei zoomed up right in front of Midoriya, her face growing ever closer to Midoriya's own nervous one. "That means all the Support Companies watching will also see them shine, and when they see them perform amazingly at helping you succeed despite all the odds, then it will be the best way for me to get recruited!"
"Well, um, that is I guess a reasonable goa-wait...did you say b-babies?" Izuku asked, growing ever dreadful at what he was thinking she meant.
When Mei nodded, Izuku's dread only grew. It then skyrocketed when she suddenly, from out of nowhere, brought out a chest...and then relaxed when she opened it to show a number of different gadgets and machines.
"I packed a ton of super cool babies and my little Porygon can bring all of the others from my lab!" Mei continued, cackling like a madwoman.
"Woah, that's quite a lot of gadgets." Uraraka nervously said, sighing in relief when they both realized her 'babies' were her inventions.
'Get your mind out of the gutters, the both of you!' Combuksen scolded the two teens, though only Izuku could hear her.
Izuku then noticed one particular machine out of the rest of Hatsume's collection. "Wait, I recognize that one." Izuku said, picking up the jetpack of the group, his inquisitive eyes analyzing it up and down and every nook and cranny of it, to Hatsume's surprise. Suddenly, Izuku's eyes sparkled in amazement. "I Knew It! It's a little different from some modifications, but this is clearly a replica of Air Jet's jetpack!"
Hatsume's surprise grew, her eyes widening.
"Yeah, although his Quirk allows him to fire blasts of air from any part of his body, which he pushes that air into his jetpack so that he can fly, this one must be modified with a way to copy it. Maybe by stored up air pressure and a propulsion system? Does it have a filter to suck in more air to replenish itself?" Izuku continued to mutter and mumble as he inspected the Support item.
"There he goes again." Uraraka sighed, joining Hatsume's stunned side. "He's a bit of, well a lot of, a Hero fanboy. He's a Quirk and Hero analyst genius. I guess that also extends to their gear."
For once, Hatsume listened to Uraraka, though her eyes still zoomed onto the green-haired teen. His analyzing emerald eyes, his infectious energy, the way he handled and treated her baby with care and pristine like it was an actual baby. Mei would forever deny or ignore that her eyes locked onto his muscular arms and physique. 'He's...like me...and he...likes me babies...' She thought.
Suddenly Hatsumei smiled wide and zoomed right back up to Midoriya. "I know! I made some modifications of my own that let me use it without the need of an Air type Quirk! I made it because he's one of my favorite Heroes!"
"That's so cool! I actually live close by to his agency so I was able to go on a tour." Izuku said, his enthusiasm matching Mei's.
"Isn't he awesome?!" Mei gushed over her Hero. 'Perfect Future Husband Material!' She thought, her eyes zooming in on her target, Izuku Midoriya.
As the two continued gushing over Air Jet and Mei's clone of his jetpack, Uraraka watched them with a blank expression. 'Well, they seem to be getting along.' She thought, a swell of jealousy rising as she saw the two get along splendidly.
Meanwhile, up in the stands, Nejire felt her desire to meet Izuku Midoriya grow more and more, as well as her girl instincts flaring up. 'I sense love rivals!' Nejire thought, her eyes ablaze blue and hands sparking.
Mirio and Tamaki edged away from the clearly fired up Hado, their sweatdropped expressions picking up that this must be about Midoriya again. 'Poor kid.' The two thought, mournfully.
After Izuku and Mei managed to get over their enthusiasm for Air Jet and Support items, Izuku looked around the group of students. 'Alright, now I have Uraraka and Mei on my team.' Izuku thought as he scanned the groups of students. 'I can see it. The pieces I need for my plan are coming together. But for it to work, I need a more offensive power to my squad.'
Izuku frowned a bit. 'I can't have Iida who could have protected the flag easily or his Skarmory or Lucario, powerful hitters. Without Serena, we won't have the advantage in the water. And without Momo and Kaminari, that leaves my power based options short, especially Kaminari who would be a major deterrent in the water. Even stealth and keep away tactics are a bit loose without Asui, Toru, or Mina.' Izuku's eyes narrowed and zoomed in onto his target, who was standing a bit away from another group as if contemplating to join them. 'But I know exactly the person I need to fulfill this plan.'
Izuku marched up towards the person, placing a hand on their shoulder. "I choose you." Izuku declared. "Join me."
Tokoyami turned to face Midoriya. "I'm listening." He said.
"Okay, it's time to get this party started!" Midnight declared over her coms.
"Hey, time to wake up, Eraser! It's showtime!" Mic woke up his sleeping mummy friend. "After 15 minutes of talking, convincing, and planning, our 11 teams of students have formed and have arrived at the lake, ready to set sail on their voyage!"
True to Present Mic's words, the audience watched on their screens that large lake in the forest of U.A.'s campus, one vast and large enough for the 11 different ships to scatter and give each other a wide enough distance.
"Hmm, I see some rather unexpected student combinations." Aizawa commented.
"They say people fear the unknown and unexpected, but to me, it's getting my Blood Pumped Up!" Mic roared out, joining with the own roars of the crowd. "Now That's The Spirit! Put your hands in the air and wave as our students take to the lake and waves!"
On the lake, many of teams were shown on their ships with a few Pokeballs ready to be sent out. Todoroki stood at the side of his ship, Yaoyorozo on the other, Kaminari at the front and Iida at the helm. Bakugou's ship had the blonde hothead practically hanging onto the front of the ship, with Kirishima at the helm and Mina and Sero on the sides. Shinsou's could be seen being more off to the back compared to the other ships, the man himself at the front, Ojiro on the wheel and Shoda and Serena on the sides, though all but Shinsou's eyes looked glazed over.
"Get ready folks! For a U.A. Navy Battle Royal!"
Finally, Midoriya stood at the side with Uraraka on their ship, Mei with her hands on wheel, and finally Tokoyami at the front, with Dark Shadow pouring out of his chest and floating at the front like their figurehead.
Upon Midoriya's nod, Uraraka pulled on a rope, a white flag raised up and stood straight and steady, with the red painted number of ten million. Although far they were from the others, they were not far away enough for the teams on the ships to eye that flag, hungrily.
"Ochaco, are you ready?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah!" Uraraka yelled out, a Luxury Ball in hand.
"Hatsumei?" Izuku yelled over to Mei.
"All System Go!" Mei yelled out, sticking a thumbs up.
"Tokoyami?" Izuku asked his final teammate.
"Yes." Tokoyami declared, stoically.
"Aye Aye, Captain!" Dark Shadow cawed out.
Izuku nodded, clutching his own Pokeball in hand. "Alright, then Let's Do This!"
"Let the Madness Begin!" Mic roared out.
AAAAANNNNNDDDD SCENE! Phew, that took longer than expected, guess traveling back to your old hometowns will do that to you. Anyways, sorry that it took so long, and that it is rather shorter compared to its predecessors, but I felt adding this to what I have planned might make it feel too bloated.
Anyways, we got lots more info on this chapter. We now know that Ryukyu has a some history and ties with Riley, Taishi's student and the Mystery Hero known as Guardian. (heh, see what I did there.) Ahem, anyways, we also know that Nejire once interned under him and still does upon occasion with Ryukyu. Speaking of, we now have seen Ryukyu and the Bunny Waifu Queen herself, Miruko. And to those wondering if I am adding her to the harem: Yes, Yes I will. And to those who will point out that I said I wouldn't add anymore. Yeah, I lied. Mwahahahaha! Also, fi you guys know how to edit a the end notes that keep popping up at the end of this in AO3, please inform me.
Also, we saw them with their Pokémon and their Mega stones, so you can tell which are their go-to Megas. And at this moment Miruko is Ranked 7th as Edgeshot is 5th and Crust is still 6th before All Might retired. We also had Taishi and Nezu talking about the purpose of this team event, and Taishi revealing that the randomness of the events is a sham. I always felt it was rather quick or overpreparing of them to have already set up the Obstacle Course and then have it 'selected at random', so it isn't, except the audience watching the Sports Festival thinks it so.
And we had the main highlight of the chapter, Izuku confronting the returning feeling of loneliness and abandonment. I'm sure the characters I mentioned ditching Izuku are going to catch some hate but cool those Air Jets, like Iida, they have their reasons, Momo's would probably make you sympathetic towards her. And I'm sure you all know why Serena is on Shinsou's team, unless you've never seen this show before.
I wanted this scenario to truly make a reason for Deku and Uraraka to grow closer as I feel that Serena has taken more precedent in Izuku's mind and heart than his obvious canon crush. Also, Mei has joined Deku's team and joined the Deku thirst train by claiming him as her future husband. Classic Mei. And we also have Setsuna introducing herself to the group and will have some importance and relevancy coming soon and later. Oh and she is also in harem, Mwahahaha!
And on a side note, for those wondering, for Izuku and others, they will likely have more than the standard 6 and there will be reason for it, so continue to predict to your heart's content. Anyways, like last time, I will end this with an update list of in for for the characters, their abilities, stats, and Pokémon, this time with Serena.
Serena Mariella:
-Height: 5'7
-Age: 15
-Birthday: October 17
-Quirk: Hydro
-Moves: Hydra Surf (her water surfing)
Pokémon:
1. Piplup:
-Gender: Female (Excuse the incorrect pronouns in previous chapters, was still deciding)
-Type: Water
-Ability:
-Moves: Bubble Beam, Peck, Ice Beam, Water Sport
-Technique: Bubble Field (Performed in Battle against Bakugou's Quilava)
2. Brionne
-Gender: Female
-Type: Water
-Ability: Liquid Voice
-Moves: Disarming Voice, Round, Aqua Jet, Dive, Bubble Beam
3. Milotic:
-Gender: Female
-Type: Water
-Ability: Cute Charm
-Moves: Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Dragon Pulse, Hyper Beam
4. Buizel:
-Gender: Male
-Type: Water
-Ability: Swift Swim
-Moves: Aqua Jet, Ice Beam, Swift, Quick Attack, Water Pulse
And with that, I hope you guys liked the chapter, check out my other stories if you wish, keep each other safe and healthy in these trying times, comment your thoughts predictions, especially for what might happen next chapter, and stay awesome.
This has been Zayden StormVoid and I'll catch you all later!