Once the side games finished and the final competitors had been given time to prep, Cementoss used his Quirk, Cement, to create an arena for the competitors to battle in.
"Alright, sports fans! Are you ready? Cuz the final tournament is about to begin!" Present Mic called out.
The crowd cheered as Izuku and Hitoshi waited in opposite wings.
"Let's introduce our first two fighters! First, our class valedictorian! He's arguably one of the strongest heroes-in-training the world's ever seen, and the smartest too! He perfectly embodies the phrase 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'! Give it up for... IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
Izuku walked out to uproaring applause, keeping his face as stoic as possible.
"Next we have a student from General Ed! But given his amazing performance so far there's talk that he might be bumped up to the hero course! Keep your mouth shut around him, or you might wake up in a cell! Introducing... HITOSHI SHINSO!"
Hitoshi walked out, a look of determination on his face.
"The rules are simple; Full use of Quirks or Objects of Power is authorized, so long as it doesn't endanger your opponent's life. To win you must either immobilize your opponent, take them out of the ring, or force them to say 'uncle'." Present Mic said. "And for anyone who's not Midoriya, we have Recovery Girl on standby for any injuries."
"It's a strange world we live in where the goddamn problem child is the only one who we don't have to worry about," Aizawa grumbled.
Hitoshi smirked. "So you can just give up, huh? That makes it a test of spirit. That monkey was going on about his pride earlier, but I just think he's an idiot for throwing away his chance like that."
Izuku got so angry about a classmate of his being insulted that he ignored Danger Sense going off.
"Don't you talk about him like that!"
He started forward, but suddenly felt his body go stiff. He could still move, but it was like he was moving through molasses. Hitoshi's eyes went wide when he saw this.
"Well, I'll be damned... He can even adapt to brainwashing..."
From the bleachers, Endeavor couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw this.
"When I saw the match-up I was concerned. Someone with a mental Quirk must surely have an advantage over a regenerator like Midoriya. Especially since his unbreakable skull implies his brain is a weak point. But it seems even his brain has defenses should anything bypass that skull."
"He's certainly full of surprises. But then again, what do you expect from Regenizard's son?"
Endeavor turned to see a young woman with porcelain pale skin, bright red hair done in curly pigtails, a light blue domino mask, and dressed in a mixture of a traditional superhero costume and a doll's gown. This was Poppy Powerplay or just 'Poppy' to her friends, one of the lead heroes of the Hero organization, Power Play Co., which functioned as a Hero Association much like the SCP Foundation, an orphanage for children, and a toy manufacturing company.
"You see it too, don't you?"
"His Quirk is similar to his dad's in many ways," Poppy noted. "But honestly, I feel like the UA Entrance Exam needs to be refined. Shinso has a lot more potential than people realize."
Endeavor nodded. "The Entrance Exam caters only to those with physical Quirks. It's foolish and leaves many notable individuals unable to excel simply because they can't bash around villains. That's why they added the idea of hidden rescue points and remodeled the robots so they could be manually shut down. Even so... Some students fall through the cracks, simply because the way their Quirk works leaves it difficult to grade them."
Izuku felt sluggish as his body struggled to adapt to the mental onslaught.
"I still gotta break free! If I don't do anything, Shinso might find some way to attack!"
He remembered something Oujiro had told him.
"Just before the end of the cavalry battle, I bumped into Shiozaki while Shinso was taking her team's headband. That seemed to break me out of the stupor I was in. I don't know how much of a shock it would take to break his spell, though. And you can't count on that in a one-on-one match."
Izuku thought back to when he first got One For All on Dagobah Beach. The first time he tried to throw a punch, it had critically injured his arm. He still had limited movement, so he just might have a chance.
With a mighty roar, he thrust his arm to the ground, his gym uniform tearing apart at the sleeve as the full force of One For All ripped through it. His arm was in intense pain, but the damage was already healed and he felt his mind clear up instantly.
"Whoa! Midoriya just focused a crap ton of power into his arm to break out of the mind control! It looks like he's firing on all cylinders again!" Present Mic exclaimed.
"A smart move. He took advantage of his rapid healing and broke his own arm with every ounce of strength he had." Aizawa noted.
"How the hell were you able to resist my Quirk?!" Hitoshi demanded in shock.
Izuku opened his mouth but quickly covered it with his hand before a single word could get out. Danger Sense was able to clue him in on when Hitoshi's Quirk was active.
Frustrated, the purple-haired boy lunged forward and tried to grapple Izuku out of bounds, even though a part of him knew it was futile due to his scrawny physique being matched against Izuku's well-toned one.
"Didn't know you had so much power in just your arm! I'm kinda jealous!" He snapped. "SAY SOMETHING, ASSHOLE!"
Izuku glared and hooked his arms underneath Hitoshi before lifting him into the air and, taking some cues from the wrestling shows his dad enjoyed watching, performed an Attitude Adjustment power slam, sending him tumbling out of bounds.
"AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENA!" Ben screamed from Class 1-A's bleachers.
"WINNER BY RING-OUT...IZUKU MIDORIYA!" Midnight announced with the crack of her whip.
Hitoshi coughed as he let his body get used to the pain of the impact, picking himself up sluggishly.
"Nice shot..."
He then saw Izuku offering a hand to help him out. While initially confused, Hitoshi accepted it.
"Your Quirk really is something else, Shinso."
"Yeah, for a long time, I didn't think so. All my classmates joked about how my Quirk would be perfect for a villain but all I ever wanted to be was a hero like Eraserhead and CatNap."
"That's stupid. There's no such thing as a Villainous Quirk. Sure, things like super strength can be seen as heroic... Until it's used to murder people or tear down buildings." Izuku pointed out. "On the flip side, something like brainwashing could be used to contain villains. Say you were bursting into a villain's hideout. What's the first thing you say with your Quirk active?"
Hitoshi blinked. "Uh...pizza delivery?"
"And boom! As soon as they respond to that, you've got them caught!" Izuku said.
Hitoshi was surprised. Very few people had ever told him his Quirk could be useful for heroics, yet this kid just explained a scenario that could only be described as such.
"I always thought the students of Class 1-A were just stuck-up brats."
"With a teacher like Aizawa-Sensei? That sort of class would be expelled on the first day." Izuku pointed out. "If anything, Class 1-A has more pressure put on them because of higher standards. Being a hero isn't about the power you have or the costume you use... It's about working to save people and bringing them hope."
"Huh..." Hitoshi muttered before cracking a smile. "It seems we're more alike than I thought. We both want to be heroes because of our dreams. I wish I could have had a friend like you in middle school. Then I might already be sitting in the Hero Course."
"Well, maybe you just needed to find the right person."
Izuku gestured to the rest of the General Ed students, who were already cheering for Hitoshi. Many of the Pro Heroes were also noting how useful his Quirk was for heroics. In fact, many of them felt his shortcoming wasn't his Quirk, but his lack of real combat experience. For the first time in his life, Hitoshi had people encouraging him.
Nedzu was also thinking as he saw this.
"So we have one student from General Ed who has the true spirit of a hero and one from the Hero Course who is far too full of envy for his peers. What do you think, Sekijiro?"
Vlad King nodded. "I think we may have to consider a change in the class roster."
As Monoma was getting ready for his match with Ben, he felt a strange shudder go down his spine.
"Why does it feel like someone stepped on my grave?" He pondered before shrugging. "No matter, my match is against one of Class 1-A's most powerful members. I can simply copy his Quirk, overpower him with it, and show the world that Class 1-B are the true rising stars."
Monoma walked out as Present Mic began the announcements.
"For the next match! We have ourselves a real-life Avatar but Fire, Water, Earth, and Air aren't his only elements! Let's hear it for Class 1-A's Benio Toriokoyoshi!" Present Mic announced. "And his opponent! Class 1-B's resident scheming copycat! He can use your own powers against you if you're not careful! Give it up for Monoma Neito!"
Ben kept a cool head while watching Monoma basking in the cheers of the crowd. A sneer grew on his face as he cracked his neck from side to side.
"Man, for someone who says we in Class 1-A are just a bunch of glory hounds, you sure seem desperate for glory yourself."
Monoma scoffed. "This isn't about glory, this is about proving who deserves the spotlight. For too long, Class 1-A has overshadowed Class 1-B and now-"
"Blah, blah, blah, your voice is making my ears bleed!" Ben cut off. "Are we gonna fight or what?"
Monoma scowled before getting into a fighting stance. As soon as Midnight cracked the whip, he lunged at Ben, who charged at him but did nothing to attack, allowing the blonde to touch him.
"HA! You really are arrogant! Do you believe I won't overpower you with your own Quirk?!"
"I dunno...try it."
Monoma fumed as he prepared to send out a wave of sound to put the 'arrogant 1-A dog' to his knees...only to find that nothing was coming out.
"W-What is this? I should be able to bend the elements to my will!"
"The basic elements are Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. When I pull off all my other elements, I gotta do a lot of mental mixing." Ben pointed out as he turned around and began approaching Monoma. "I've had years to refine, develop, and master the countless different facets of my Quirk and what does yours do? Give you the barest minimum, that's what."
Monoma's face turned red with rage as he decided to switch to wind and blow Ben out of the ring...only for the other boy's legs to turn into solid metal, anchoring him to the ground as he began marching closer and closer.
"What's this? A slight breeze on a nice spring day? Try a little harder!"
Monoma screamed in fury as he coated his fists in flames and rushed forward to try and punch Ben, who simply turned his body into magma rock as it absorbed the heat and impact from the punches.
"You know, I hate guys like you; people who think they are so much better than everyone yet at the same time are so needlessly insecure, they have to act like they are the hottest shit in the room just to feel validated." Ben scowled. "Honestly, that was Katsuki for a time but we kinda beat that out of him. Thank god this isn't one of THOSE stories, am I right?"
Monoma was confused and enraged at Ben's words and howled furiously as he tried to form a blade of water, but Ben caught his arm and glared menacingly at him.
"You know, my screeching howler monkey, I've been racking my brain in a thus-far fruitless attempt to resolve our recent unpleasantness. But then it dawned on me, your cruelty merely stems from some deep-seated inner pain. So the obvious remedy is a healthy dose of OUTER PAIN!"
Monoma then found himself grabbed by the neck and rapidly punched in the face as Ben's fist heated up with each strike before punching hard enough to dislocate his jaw. He then began rapidly punching him in the stomach in the same manner until he vomited up saliva. Ben then clapped his hands over Monoma's ears to discombobulate him before grabbing his leg and slamming him back and forth like a ragdoll.
"S-Should we stop this?!" Present Mic asked in concern.
"No...let him cook," Aizawa said coldly.
"I'm both proud you actually made a joke and concerned that you're condoning a student violently manhandling another!"
"Monoma Neito arrogantly downplayed the sheer trauma and danger my students faced at the USJ, even if they were able to get it under control thanks to Midoriya's smart thinking and teamwork. I believe pain is the best teacher in this scenario."
Finally having enough of abusing Monoma, Ben grabbed him by the head and stared the terrified blonde dead in the eyes with full hatred.
"No matter what you do for the rest of your life...you'll always be GARBAGE!"
With that, he slammed his head straight into Monoma's skull, knocking him unconscious as the blonde went down like a sack of potatoes. Ben then rubbed his forehead with a wince before spitting on the blonde's body.
"Sorry about that, Mom."
"Just so you know, that's going on your permanent record." Midnight warned. "I don't believe people want to see a bully live on TV as a hero."
"Sometimes to beat a bully...you gotta do some bullying yourself."
Ben calmly walked off as Midnight sighed with a shake of her head before waving her whip to signal her adopted son had won the match while the medic bots carried Monoma's broken body to Recovery Girl.
"Uh...is it wrong I'm kinda scared of Toriokoyoshi now?" Minoru whimpered from Class 1-A's stands.
"Ben-Chan tends to get...extreme with people who wrong the people he cares about..." Izuku explained.
"In my opinion, he didn't beat the screeching copycat fuck hard enough!" Katsuki sneered.
"Ever the compassionate sort, aren't you, Katsuki..." Morimoto dryly quipped.
Shoto was walking through the halls for his match only to stop when he saw his father standing in the hall.
"What the hell do you want?"
"You're behaving disgracefully, Shoto. You saw how much power Midoriya and Torikoyoshi were able to put into their fights. If you truly hope to overcome either of them, you can't hold yourself back." Endeavor admonished. "Stop thinking of your fire as mine just because I say I gave it to you. You're only hurting yourself by not using it."
Shoto scowled in disdain as he stormed past his father.
"Every day with the same crap you spew at me. I'll NEVER be what you want me to be."
Endeavor gave his son a disappointed glare before walking off.
"That's only because you mistake what I truly want you to be."
"And we're ready for the third match-up of the tournament!" Present Mic called out. "First up we have a skilled and maneuverable young man! A hardware store's best friend and running villain's worst nightmare... SERO HANTA!"
Sero came out, stretching out his arms as he entered the ring.
"And his opponent; the icy-hot apprentice, so far he's only been showing half of what he can do, but let's see if he can show his full strength! Meet... SHOTO TODOROKI!"
Sero gulped as he saw Shoto step in with a look that would kill a person if it could. Deep down, the tape-dispensing boy knew he wasn't gonna win this match...but that wasn't gonna stop him from giving a show.
"Sorry, Todoroki...but I WON'T GO DOWN WITHOUT FIGHTING!"
As the match began, Sero launched tape from his elbows, managing to tie up Shoto and start throwing him around.
Not even a minute later, a massive eruption. Shoto had made a massive glacier, so big that everyone was frozen. Though only Sero and Midnight were frozen because of the actual ice. Shoto quickly thawed out Sero so that he wouldn't be in danger of frostbite.
"Sorry...I got too angry."
Cementoss sighed. "I'll let this one slide since you worked to correct your error. Just make sure not to go that far again."
Ben then stepped in and unleashed a massive gout of controlled flames and heat to melt all the ice as well as thaw out Midnight, warming her up for good measure.
"T-Thanks, sweetie..." The 18+ Heroine thanked her adopted son. "Since Cementoss has given his permit, this match is officially over by immobilization! The winner is Shoto Todoroki!"
Izuku frowned. "Todoroki could have endangered more than just Sero. He's both angry and sad right now."
"Whoever ends up facing him in the next round better beat some sense into that thick skull of his," Tsumi muttered. "If there's one thing my dad taught me is that a hero's allowed to be hurt emotionally... He just can't let it dominate his life..."
After the rest of the ice was cleaned out, Mayumi and Denki stepped in to have their match.
"Alright, people! It's time for the fourth match! She's the apprentice of the legendary inventor Dr. Light! The sweetheart cyborg of both the Hero and Support Courses! Give it up for... MAYUMI GOTO!" Present Mic announced. "And her opponent; the boy with the electric personality! The human stun gun who's strong enough to give anime characters a run for their money! Here comes... DENKI KAMINARI!"
"Man, you're a real-life Mega Man with all those cybernetic upgrades. Don't know how I'm gonna match up." Denki said, a little nervously.
Mayumi giggled. "How about a bet? If you win...I'll see if I can get a three-way date between you, me, and Jiro!"
"And begin!" Midnight called as she raised her whip.
As if Mayumi's words had sparked a special neuron in Denki's brain, he suddenly charged electricity through his body before recalling a video game he played a while back about a man with electricity powers.
"Channel it like Cole MacGrath, Denki!"
Taking some lessons that Ben had given him as well as the much-appreciated edits made by Akatani at Izuku's request, Denki focused his electricity and then sent it forward akin to a missile fired from an RPG.
"MEGAWATT HAMMER!"
Mayumi was surprised by the sheer power Denki shot out but quickly leaped over the electric missile as she turned her arm into a railgun-like configuration which she called the Tesla Buster, made from scanning Denki's Quirk.
"Sweet move, but I'll have this over in seconds!"
"That's the advantage of an Object of Power as opposed to a Quirk. It can take months or even years to master a Quirk, but an Object of Power can be upgraded immediately, provided you have a good grasp of how it works." Aizawa noted.
Mayumi then got behind Denki and aimed her buster at him before firing a charged blast of electricity, sending the boy flying back and tumbling near the edge.
"Sorry, Kaminari! But this is my win!"
Denki suddenly chuckled as he picked himself up...before his eyes began glowing with electricity, the normal yellow now a radiant neon blue.
"You forgot something...I can ABSORB electricity as well...and you just gave me a big boost, Goto!"
Mayumi's eyes widened in shock as Denki, now fully charged, zipped toward her and grabbed her by the face before spinning around and throwing her straight out of bounds with a yell. Izuku, Katsuki, Ben, and Morimoto were the most shocked out of everyone.
"Well, holy shit...who the hell knew Pikachu had it in him..." Katsuki muttered in disbelief.
"Akatani's editing skills are top-notch..." Izuku noted.
"Kaminari might not have the best grades but he's no dumbass," Mina said.
"Sure he had a little help from Mikumo's tweaks to his Quirk, but he made that power his own," Sero added.
"Next up we have the rocket speedster! Coming from a long line of heroes with turbine engines for organs! Give it up for... TENYA IIDA!" Present Mic announced as Tenya walked up to the arena, a look of determination on his face. "And our second cutie from the Support Course! A fully-equipped gadget dynamo, ready to show her stuff! Let's hear it for... MEI HATSUME!"
Mei grinned as she stepped into the arena as well, only to look confused by something about Tenya...or rather, the LACK of something.
"Hey, where's the gear I offered you before the match?"
"I know you intend to showcase the gear you created. But to be honest, I'm fine with that. It's fitting for the spirit of the Sports Festival, after all. We're all here to get attention for our chosen future. But don't you think the CEOs you're hoping to impress will think better of you if you offer a personal demonstration, rather than use someone else as a guinea pig?" Tenya pointed out. "I know everyone says I need to cut loose more, but outright trying to deceive me is something I cannot tolerate. Not to mention it is extremely unsportsmanlike."
Mei was so busy processing what Tenya had just said, that she was nearly unprepared as he dashed her at max speed. She quickly lowered her goggles and launched herself out of the way using her hydraulic attachments. Her system sensors let her detect where Tenya was coming from, but with no way to predict the match she was flustered and scrambling for a solution.
"That's Mei for ya. She's like the Salarians from Mass Effect always wanting to win a fight before it even begins." Mayumi noted, sitting next to Denki and Kyouka.
"Sorry if I manhandled you there, Goto..." Denki apologized.
"No problem." Mayumi smiled. "Besides...I owe you and Jirou a date, don't I?"
Denki and Kyouka both blushed brightly as Minoru and Sero gave congratulatory thumbs-up to their electric pal in response.
Down below, Mei was trying to keep a step ahead of Tenya.
"Well, if you don't want to use my super cute babies... Then I can always use them myself!" She hit a switch, triggering a package to drop. "It's a good thing I registered for my instant delivery cases just in case!"
She donned herself with special gear to lighten her body and improve her stability. She then ran right at Tenya using electromagnetic soles to increase speed, and special gauntlets to improve punching power.
"I never intended to actually fight... But it looks like I'll have to in order to get noticed!"
"That's the spirit of the Sports Festival!" Tenya praised as he dodged the first blow and prepared to come in with a leg sweep, but Mei quickly pulled out a gun meant to fire capture nets, forcing him backward to avoid getting trapped.
While he didn't quite succeed, he was able to get up and launched himself full force at Mei, catching her off-guard and causing her to land out of the ring.
"WINNER BY RING-OUT! TENYA IIDA!" Midnight announced.
Mei was stunned, but then her Zoom Quirk showed something. All the CEOs she had wanted to impress were talking excitedly. She quickly turned on her audio enhancer.
"Those gadgets seem very useful for hero work."
"It'd be easy to market them, especially to heroes struggling against villains."
"A few tweaks to her creations and she could easily be the next great support inventor."
Mei's eyes began to tear up, her smile widening. Tenya was just getting out of the net when he was shocked by Mei leaping into his arms before landing a big kiss right on his lips.
"Thank you for the wonderful advice!"
"Dang! Even Iida is getting game?!" Minoru gawked.
Mayumi giggled. "It's a good thing I warned him about what Mei was planning. He would've fallen for it otherwise."
"Let's move on to the next match! We have the sparkling laser boy, Yuuga Aoyama! And the glamorous acid queen, Mina Ashido!" Present Mic called out.
"Come on, Ashido! Show some hot female badass action!" Minoru cheered. "If we're lucky, maybe we can see some clothing damage for added flavor!"
"Ugh, do you have to be a creep?" Kyouka asked with a groan.
"Sue me! I'm still in my youthful prime!"
"The real problem here is that Ashido and Aoyama were on the same team during combat training, so they have a good idea of each other's Quirks. The difference is that Ashido can constantly produce acid from her bodily fluids, while Aoyama can only fire off his laser for so long before his stomach starts to hurt." Izuku noted.
Sure enough, Mina kept skating away from Yuuga until his constant bursts caused his stomach to start cramping.
"Here's my shot!"
She tossed a glob of acid, successfully hitting Yuuga's belt, not only shorting it out but causing his pants to fall down.
"Mon Dieu!"
He tried to pull up his pants to preserve his dignity, but dignity was ultimately the least of his concerns as Mina got close and nailed him with a hard uppercut to his chin.
"WINNER BY KNOCKOUT! MINA ASHIDO!" Midnight announced.
"Well, I got clothing damage..." Minoru grumped. "Still, it was cool to see Ashido so badass like that."
"She's a real bubblegum punch, that one." Tsumi grinned.
"After that brief but thrilling match, we're on to the seventh match!" Present Mic called out. "First we have the dark samurai, Fumikage Tokoyami! And our second recommendation student, the great creator who can literally pull anything from her body, Momo Yaoyorozu!"
"I'm rooting for Bird Brain," Katsuki smirked. "Someone needs to knock the other prissy rec student down a peg."
"Kaachan..." Izuku silently admonished. "I don't know if you noticed but Yaoyorozu actually has serious self-esteem issues."
"Really? Couldn't tell from how much of a pretentious queen she acted during the Combat Trials in our first week." Katsuki huffed. "Thank god Mori put her in her place."
Shoto was sitting with the class but as Tsumi looked at him, she noticed he actually seemed worried.
As the match began, Fumikage unleashed Dark Shadow on Momo, who quickly formed a large shield to block the sentient Quirk's assault. The best she could do was keep up the defensive from Dark Shadow's barrage before noticing he had stopped.
"Now's my chance!"
However, Midnight waved her whip to stop the creation girl from moving.
"Sorry, Yaoyorozu, you're out."
It was then Momo noticed that she had stepped right out of bounds. All of Class 1-A could see her devastated expression and even Fumikage looked regretful for how aggressive he and Dark Shadow had been.
"She came here hoping to showcase her skills... Only to get beaten too easily." Shoto somberly said.
Up in the Hero stands Foresight also felt her sympathies known.
"I knew she'd have that look. She needs to learn to be spontaneous. I think I might be able to help with that..."
"And now, call me biased, but I feel like this might be the only draw in the tournament!" Present Mic called out. "It's Eijirou Kirishima, the stalwart rock versus Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, the iron brute!"
"It ain't biased if it's the truth," Katsuki muttered. "Shitty Hair and Repetitive Name are gonna slug each other out at the same time."
Sure enough, a ten-minute long slugfest occurred between the two identical boys before they finally knocked each other unconscious.
"BOTH FIGHTERS DOWN!" Midnight announced.
"Wow, we sure called it!" Morimoto laughed.
The next match that would happen was Katsuki vs Ochako, the two looking at each other, the explosive blonde having a determined look that silently told the brunette "Give me everything you got."
Despite her fear, Ochako steeled herself as she silently replied to Katsuki's expression with one that said "I plan to."
Eight preliminary matches down, eight to go! I hope all the Monoma Haters in the audience enjoyed the brutal beatdown he suffered! I also changed Denki and Mayumi's match-up from how it went in mtnetsurfer's My Hero SCP. We also have the inclusion of PopCross Studios' Hero versions of Poppy Playtime characters coming in!
Also, yes, Ben purposely broke the fourth wall there.
-BIO TIME-
[DENKI KAMINARI]
Quirk: Electrification
Quirk Description: Electrification gives Denki the ability to store electricity and discharge it out of his body as a sort of protective aura that electrocutes anyone through contact as well as absorb electricity to empower himself. Thanks to editing from Akatani's Quirk Crafter, Denki is able to more properly manipulate the electricity for various attacks, such as electric bolts, shock grenades, and lightning missiles.
[MEI HATSUME]
Quirk: Zoom
Quirk Description: This Quirk grants the Mei eyesight that can zoom far away, allowing her to clearly see distant people and objects. By focusing her eyes on a particular spot, Mei is capable of seeing up to 5kms away.