Yoshihara opened the door to the gender-neutral bathroom where Josefumi had instructed her and the others to meet. Following close behind her was Izuku, who had a confused and nervous expression on his face. They were met with Josefumi as they entered, which should've been obvious, considering he had asked them to be there. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and one leg kicked up behind him for balance.
His expression was serious, and his eyes had a contemplating look swirling within them. He looked to be in deep thought, which wasn't unusual. However, there was something else within his eyes that was unusual. Anger. He was angry. But why?
As soon as he noticed the pair enter, he motioned for Izuku to close the door behind him, who did as he was asked. Once the door was closed, Josefumi exhaled sharply, seemingly calming himself, before he spoke.
"Well, you came faster than I would've expected," Josefumi spoke, his tone carrying a hint of surprise. As he did, Karera walked out of one of the stalls, rubbing the side of her head with a nonchalant expression and demeanour about her. Izuku jumped back, not expecting her to suddenly show up despite her already being there. Karera smiled at Yoshihara and waved at her; Yoshihara returned the wave.
"Heya, Kira-chan! I saw your fight, that was pretty scary. Were you pissed off or something?" Karera asked as Yoshihara decided to stay silent, letting her silence do the talking for her, which Karera immediately picked up on. "Sup, Zuku."
"Zuku?" Izuku questioned, raising an eyebrow as Karera shrugged.
"I've been trying to think of a nickname for you that wasn't Midori, and I'm not calling you Deku because that's just rude. So, I thought, well, what about Zuku? Lo and behold, it works! You don't mind if I call you that from now on, right?" Karera asked as Izuku blinked before looking over to Yoshihara. She shrugged as if to say, "Don't look at me," before Izuku finally sighed.
"Sure, w-why not," Izuku relented as Karera pumped her fist in the air as if celebrating a victory. Then, she turned back to Yoshihara, crossing her arms.
"No, but seriously, what was that about? You seemed really pissed off. Like, there's you being mad, and then there's whatever that was. Don't take this personally, but you looked like a pyschopath out there," Karera said Yoshihara sighed, looking away with an almost disappointed look in her eyes. Not at anyone else but at herself.
"Well, after being told the same thing over and over again for the last handful of hours, one tends to reach their limit. It really could've been either Kendo or Monoma who had that happened to them. Regardless, what was it that we needed to discuss? I know it's about The Stand Bullets, but what about them? Have we got a lead?" Yoshihara questioned, changing subjects and jumping straight to the point as Josefumi grunted, his expression turning sour.
"Yes, it's about them. Specifically, what's in them that causes the transfer from Quirk to Stand," Josefumi began as he unfolded his arms, standing straight and looking the group of three dead in their eyes, their attention on him and him alone.
"After doing a bit of analysis on the liquid compound within the bullet, our fears about what was in them were true, though that should've been obvious. It does have the virus of The Stand Arrow within it. But that's not all. For some strange reason, it also has a Quirk factor within it. Meaning human DNA is being used to create the bullets."
As soon as that bombshell was dropped, Yoshihara's eyes widened with shock, as did Izuku's and Karera's. "The bullets are a result of human experimentation?" Yoshihara thought, a frown appearing on her face as she bit the inside of her lip. "What kind of group would have the funds to do that? Not even a Yakuza would be that strong, not without the heroes already knowing about it, at least."
The others were having similar thoughts, though they had noticeably more distressed reactions compared to Yoshihara. She looked up at Josefumi and then asked the question that was on everyone else's mind. "Do we know who it is they are using to create these bullets? If we know that, then we can locate them easily, can we not?"
Josefumi shook his head in response to the question, scowling as he looked down at the floor. "Unfortunatly, the DNA is too scrambled to actually find who it belongs to. To reverse engineer the DNA would take months, and we don't know whether or not we have that kind of time on our hands. We already know they are onto us, whoever "they" truly are. We have to be quick if we want to catch them. They could already be trying to leave and destroy whatever evidence there is to lead us to them," Josefumi paused, clenching his jaw as he looked at the ground, a quizzitive look in his eyes.
"Our only hope right now to find whoever the DNA belongs to in a reasonable amount of time is if…he wants to help us. He's in retirement now, though, so I can't really be all too certain if he's up for it. He's 98 years old now, and his ability isn't as potent as it used to be, but…"
"Who're you talking about?" Izuku asked as Josefumi shook his head.
"Nevermind. If he can actually help us, then I'll let you all know. Until then, this is all we have about The Stand Bullets. Who creates them is still a mystery, as are the distributors. I—"
"I can say for certain that one of the people to whom they deliver the bullets must be The League of Villains," Yoshihara interrupted, earning everyone's attention.
"What? How would you know…?" Karera asked, an eyebrow raised as Yoshihara crossed her arms, leaning up against one of the bathroom stall doorways.
"In the attack on Musutafu, the thugs jumped out of purple portals. That's similar to that Kurogiri guy's Quirk, right? It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that they are in cahoots with the people who make them. It would also explain why they had a Stand User with them during The USJ, right? I could see no other reason why that wouldn't be the case. If I'm wrong, then someone has to prove it to me, and if you can, I'll take back what I said."
Josefumi hummed, cupping his chin as he narrowed his eyes. "No… Now that I think about it, that news report a week before we all got to U.A. on the first day did say something about those thugs jumping out of purple portals, right? Unless there's someone with a Quirk similar to him, then I don't see a reason why you'd be wrong."
"So, The League of Villains are somehow involved. That means that Shigaraki guy is also involved. And if he's involved… more of those Nomu things could be around," Izuku stated as Yoshihara turned to face Izuku, her head tilted ever-so-slightly.
"Nomu?" Yoshihara asked as Izuku snapped out of his thoughts, looking at Yoshihara while rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, uh… while you were out getting the heroes, All Might arrived earlier and defeated something created specifically to kill him. I hate to admit it, but it brought All Might to his limits and nearly defeated him. They were both weakened, and All Might won in the end. But that's not the point. They aren't people, they are monsters, and they're created somewhere within a lab if what Shigaraki had mumbled about were to be true," Izuku explained as Yoshihara nodded.
"Got it. Now, is there anything else we need to talk about because Izuku and I have a fight we need to prepare for," Yoshihara stated as Karera's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Oh? First name basis now, eh~? You're pretty lucky, Zuku~!" Karera teased as the green-haired boy sputtered. Yoshihara couldn't help but snicker, covering her mouth as she did so. Izuku's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and to her, it was the funniest thing. Any form of teasing, and he broke down. Yoshihara composed herself, putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder and spun him around.
"Come on, Izuku. We gotta go. As for you two, you better watch and not make out in the bathroom," Yoshihara said, making the other two go wide-eyed. Yoshihara didn't wait for them to respond and dragged Izuku out of the bathroom. Just as they stepped out, she smiled, turning to Izuku and grabbing his hand in hers.
"Just so you know, no matter how hard I have Killer Queen sock you in the face, I still… Love you," Yoshihara said, the last word coming out a bit sharper than the others, almost as if she was trying to affirm that to herself. Izuku, once again, got flustered and tried to say something, only for Yoshihara to kiss him. It was short, it was sweet, and afterward, Yoshihara walked away.
Izuku's face turned redder than a tomato, not having expected what had happened. He wasn't against it, but he still needed to get used to it. Especially given the fact that if this kept up, he was going to have a heart attack one of these days.
Yoshihara's cheeks were just as red, and her eyes whirled with a flurry of new feelings that she had never experienced before, the most prevalent ones of which were affirmation and satisfaction.
If she had her doubts before, she no longer did.
Walking into that battle with the knowledge that it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her, that she truly did love Izuku, it was the clearest form of consensus she needed to think straight going into the fight.
[XXXX]
"AND NOW, FOR THE MOMENT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! THE FINAL ROUND OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL'S ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR'S PORTION OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! IS EVERYBODY READY?!" Present Mic's voice echoed throughout the stadium as everyone in the crowd cheered as loud as they could. People from all across Japan could hear the cheers from their television screens, their phones, their computers, or their tablets or iPads. It was like a wave of excitement filled the air of the country, and everyone was better off for it.
Once the cheers died down a little, Present Mic continued. "ALRIGHT, THAT WAS AWESOME! NOW, I'M SURE WE ARE ALL ACQUAINTED WITH OUR COMPETITORS, BUT JUST IN CASE ANYONE JUST GOT HERE OR IS JUST TUNING INTO THE LIVE BROADCAST NOW, I'LL HAVE MY PARTNER OVER HERE GO OVER A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE PAST FIVE AND A HALF HOURS! ERASERHEAD, THE FLOOR IS YOURS!"
"Thank you, Present Mic. The final event of The first year student Sports Festival is a one-on-one style tournament, where the last sixteen students who cleared the first two events get to fight it out in a series of no-barred brawls, with only a few minor regulations such as no killing. After their four respective fights, these two contenders have proven that their strength, determination, and willingness to win under any circumstance shone brighter than everyone else here, resulting in this last match-up. As for who they are, I'll let Present Mic do that over myself."
"THANK YOU, ERASERHEAD! NOW, TIME FOR THE INTRODUCTIONS, THOUGH I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW THEM WELL ENOUGH BY NOW! ON THE RIGHT, WE HAVE THE BOY WHO COULD GIVE INGENIUM A RUN FOR HIS MONEY IN TERMS OF RAW SPEED, THE SAME BOY WHO CAN HIT LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN! IT'S MIDORIYA IZUKU FROM CLASS 1 – A!"
The crowd roared to life as Izuku stepped onto the arena floor, cracking his fingers as he did so. There was a look of flustered determination in his eyes, though he quickly reigned himself in so he could have full focus on the fight that was moments away from breaking out.
"AND ON THE LEFT, WE HAVE THE EXPLOSIVELY, DEADLY, BORDERLINE SOCIOPATHIC BLONDE-BOMBER OF CLASS 1 – A, IT'S KIRA YOSHIHARA!"
A mixture of boos, jeers, and cheers filled the stadium as Yoshihara walked onto the arena floor. When she did, however, someone in the crowd spoke up. "Get that murderer off the stage and arrest her! She doesn't deserve to be her for what she did! Nobody should be able to kill an innocent person and have it swept under the rug!"
The person in question, who happened to be a pro-hero, was joined by hundreds of members of the audience chanting "Arrest the villain" over and over again. Yoshihara sneered, balling her left hand into a fist as she looked at the ground. The chanting got louder and louder but was abruptly cut when a loud, booming voice erupted from the speakers and around the stadium.
"BE QUIET!" Eraserhead's voice boomed over the mic, causing everyone who had been chanting to shut up. Before the pro who had sighted the riot could speak up, Eraserhead interrupted him without a second of delay. "You, attendee 5001. You're a pro hero, aren't you? Don't answer that question because you already know the answer. If you were put into a situation where the only option was to kill the person before you, you would do it, right?"
Eraserhead's question was left unanswered; the only form of acknowledgement he got was the shock and offence on the hero's face. Seeing as the hero in question had nothing of verbal worth to add, Eraserhead continued.
"I'll take your silence as a yes. Now, as a fellow pro hero, you would know that if the media ever caught wind of such a tale, they would sensationalize it to the point of portraying the villain as an innocent victim. It's happened to Pros like Endeavor, Edgeshot, and Best Jeanist hundreds of times in the past. The same thing happened to Kira, my student," Aizawa continued, but before he could continue his tirade, Hizashi put a hand on his shoulder and muted the mics for a second.
"Yo, Sho, what are you doing?" Hizashi asked, genuinely confused and also a little concerned as Aizawa frowned.
"Nipping this in the bud before it can get any worse than it already is. Unmute the microphone. I'm not finished," Aizawa said as Hizashi sighed, pressing the unmute button. Aizawa cleared his throat and then continued.
"The person Kira had killed was a villain. They had broken into her home with the intent to kill her. I can understand the confusion due to the press and how they egregiously mishandled the case, in which U.A. is looking to sue the major companies for defaming one of its students. For you, a pro hero, to purposely forget or simply not do the proper research about a topic before putting your opinion out there is incredibly irresponsible, and therefore, you should be ashamed. The general public, I can understand, but a pro? Absolutely not. Now, shut up and watch, or get out and leave."
There was a dull silence in the crowd as the pro hero was left speechless. He made no move to leave, nor did he seemingly have any intention to stay, but after a few seconds of mulling it over, the man got up from his seat and left, his expression narrowed in anger.
For Yoshihara, she was a little bit annoyed that Aizawa-sensei had broken his word, that he'd let her explain what had happened when she was ready too. Though, she had assumed that perhaps he had gotten fed up with waiting on her. Still, the fact that U.A. was going to sue the major newspaper and media companies over the mishandling of her story was something she hadn't seen coming.
Although, maybe she should have expected that. After all, defaming a student meant defaming the school. Yoshihara looked over to the stands were Class 1 – A sat, and using Killer Queen's enhanced vision, she could see Yaoyorozu, who looked to be practically seething. She had no clue as to why, but she was.
Maybe it was because Aizawa-sensei had actually taken her side instead of being ambiguous about his opinion. Perhaps. However, for her to have even thought that for a moment, Aizawa-sensei wasn't on the side of his student was downright delusional.
"Well then, I wasn't expecting that…" Present Mic murmured on the mic before clearing his throat and returning to his normal cheery self. "ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT LITTLE INTERRUPTION OUT OF THE WAY, LET THE FINAL MATCH… BEGIN!"
The moment the all-clear was given, Izuku charged up Full Cowling and made a beeline for Yoshihara, who in return summoned Killer Queen in front of her. Izuku felt the air pressure fold slightly where Killer Queen was and elected to move out of the way, feinting to the left to avoid an attack. Instead of having expected it to have thrown a punch like had initially thought, it had thrown up a block.
Still unaware of this, Izuku threw a kick with his right leg. As soon as that kick got even an inch in front of Yoshihara, Killer Queen positioned itself to where the kick was going to land and grabbed Izuku's leg, tossing him a few feet back with barely any effort. Izuku was able to reorientate himself mid-air and land on his feet, not stopping for even a second to give himself a breather.
Yoshihara began walking towards him, which he saw as an invitation to charge forward. That was a mistake, as Killer Queen's right hand glowed a deep purple, and out of it came Sheer Heart Attack. It hit the floor and made its way over to Izuku, who noticed the pair of tread marks on the floor making their way to him.
He had never seen that before and was confused as to what it was. He changed his direction to the right, and as he did, tread marks changed their direction as well. He flanked towards Yoshihara's left but was met by the tread marks a foot or so away from him the moment he did so. Before he was able to dodge, Killer Queen swung a punch at him meant for his head, only for him to jump back just enough to avoid its range.
Thinking he was in the clear, he stepped back a few more inches, only to be met with the tread marks behind him. He dodged to the right, the tread marks turning to face him. That was when he realized what was going on.
"Whatever is making those tracks is Heat-seeking! She has some sort of heat-seeking ability now?! Since when!?"Izuku thought, distracted by the tank to not feel Killer Queen's presence right in front of him. In the amount of time it would've taken for him to gasp, Killer Queen punched Izuku in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back a few more feet.
Izuku groaned, catching his breath as fast as he possibly could. Yoshihara was still approaching him, her eyes narrowed with determination. She wanted to win, and that much was obvious, but Izuku wasn't about to make it easy for her to win, let alone win at all.
It was clear that she had all of her bases covered. If he went in for a physical attack, she was going to block it or have that invisible heat-seeking device attack him. If he wanted to keep his distance from her to plan out an attack, the heat-seeking device would stop that. In every sense of the word, he was trapped.
Even now, as he was thinking of a way to fight her, the heat-seeking device was charging toward him; all the while, he dodged back, front, left, and right, avoiding the punches Killer Queen was sending his way thanks to the air pressure that built up around its fist while it punched.
That was when the idea struck him. It was a dumb idea and something that might seem like a regression in his strategies, but it was clear he wasn't being given much of a choice. He wanted to win, even if it meant hurting himself badly to do so.
And so, he did something reckless.
Sticking his hand up in the air, he made a flicking gesture. He had figured this out with One For All back at the training exercise at the beginning of the school year and used it again at the USJ attack when he, Tsuyu, and Ojiro were surrounded by the villains at the shipwreck zone. He also used it at a much lower level of power during his fight with Todoroki.
He thought that he'd only have to use it again when he was in dire straits, but seeing as he was here now, and seeing as he had to find some way to get the heat-seeking bomb off of him for even a split second, and for Yoshihara to back off for a second herself, he resorted to using it once more, though this time with far more power than before.
He charged up Full Cowling once again, mixing it with as much power as possible, maxing out at 10% of One For All. He flicked his index finger against his thumb, creating a wave of air pressure in Yoshihara's general direction.
Killer Queen planted its feet into the ground so hard that the ground cracked. Yoshihara held on to Killer Queen as if her life depended on it, but as she did, she didn't notice Sheer Heart Attack get pushed off the ground and toward her, slamming into her body and knocking her off her balance, sending her flying back with Killer Queen in tow.
"DID YOU SEE THAT!? MIDORIYA LAUNCHED A FULL-BLOWN WAVE OF AIR AT KIRA LIKE IT WAS NOTHING! IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S GOING ALL OUT JUST LIKE HE DID WHEN HE FOUGHT TODOROKI!"
"But at what cost? Look," Aizawa began as, down on the battlefield, Izuku cupped his now broken finger with a look of annoyance on his face. "Midoriya broke the finger he used to cause that damage. If he's lucky, he's only got nine more shots with that attack, that is, if Kira doesn't punish him for doing something so reckless."
Killer Queen punched the ground, creating a small fist-sized crater, stabilizing Yoshihara from continuing to fly backward and out of the arena. Yoshihara ended up falling to the ground, blinking rapidly as she cupped her forehead.
"What the hell was that?" Yoshihara thought, frowning as she looked at Izuku. He had broken one of his fingers to have accomplished what he had just done. In a way, it was what she was trying to do, but she hadn't expected for it to be nearly as strong as it was. The fact that he was able to dish out that kind of power was the minimum of what it took to break a part of his body….
"Note to self: making Izuku break his body is not a viable option for victory. Time for plan B," Yoshihara thought, her eyes narrowing as she started to pick herself up from the attack, shaking her head.
She nearly got to her full height, only to be met with Izuku having already closed the distance, preparing to kick her while she was down. In response, she had Killer Queen punch up at a speed faster than he could've blocked and socked him right in the jaw, sending him staggering back and allowing Yoshihara to get up.
Izuku shook his head, narrowing his eyes. Yoshihara had a small smirk on her face, and when he saw it, a part of him flared with a small bit of anger. She was taunting him, and it was working, much to his more rational side's chagrin. He was about to continue his assault when a voice spoke up to his left. He looked over in that direction, and when he did, he heard a single phrase that sent a chill down his spine.
"Look Over Here."
Once those three words were uttered, a clicking sound reverberated throughout the arena. It sounded like a detonator being pressed, and once he heard it, Izuku only had enough time to dodge to the right before the explosion happened. He put up a block to avoid most of the damage but found himself completely overwhelmed by the sheer force of the attack, sending him flying back about three feet in front of the disqualification line.
"This… This power…!" Izuku shouted, flying back toward the edge of the arena, landing firmly on his back as several deep cuts covered his body. Yoshihara felt a little bit of shame for using that level of power, but it wasn't as if it was deadly force. As much as she didn't want to admit it, had Killer Queen been just a tad bit slower, she wouldn't be able to hit with such a combo. He would've knocked her out of the arena by then, and he would've won.
But obviously, that was not what happened.
As the dust settled, Izuku had been brought to his knees, his breathing heavy as he looked up at Yoshihara, blood dripping down from his forehead. The myriad of cuts and burns on his body made it look like he had survived a grenade blast. In reality, it had only been about half of a grenade in terms of explosive power that she detonated Sheer Heart Attack with. It was its weakest setting, so it wasn't as if she could've gone any weaker. Unless she shrunk Sheer Heart Attack down a size, its explosions would've been practically useless.
Yoshihara watched as he tried to stand up but found himself unable to do so. The pain had been too much. Even though this was a friendly battle, the fact that she had used that amount of force caused him to remember before he met her—back when Bakugo would hit him with a powerful explosion, knock him to the ground, and then proceed to beat on him after that.
A part of his mind told him that this was different and within the rules, and he knew that. But his more emotional side was louder, telling him that this was unacceptable. He had to show her that he could push through this and then some.
More importantly, it was more about proving to himself that he could withstand anything that anyone sent at him, be it a friend, a classmate, a former friend turned bully, a villain, to even his Girlfriend, as strange as that last thought might've been to him. He would surpass his previous weakness and become stronger for it.
And by doing so, he would win the battle and subsequently win the tournament.
Yoshihara walked over to Izuku with a smirk as she approached. "I'll be honest… I wasn't expecting you to actually endure a hit like that. You should be proud to have endured such a blow from Sheer Heart Attack. Most people would've been knocked out by that, but you're different. You truly are strong, Izuku…" Yoshihara said, walking behind Izuku as Yoshihara looked at the ground and then back to him. "But now's not the time for celebration or useless chitchat. I don't mean to be cruel or to be rude, but…do you think your feeble Quirk can stand up to the power of Killer Queen?" Yoshihara asked, her expression becoming dark as Killer Queen readied itself to hit him in the back of the head to end the battle and secure her victory.
But as soon as Killer Queen's fist got a few inches away from his head….
Green lightning covered Izuku's body, and before Yoshihara or Killer Queen could intercept the attack, Izuku turned around with the speed of a professional boxer and slammed a fist into Yoshihara's face, blood spewing from her nose and upper lip as her eyes widened. The punch was so strong that she would've been sent flying if Izuku had not grabbed Yoshihara by the wrist.
"H-Huh?! W-What just…." Yoshihara was at a loss for words. She knew Izuku was fast, but not that fast. What made things worse was that the force with which he had hit her was enough to make Killer Queen disappear. His verdant green eyes stared into her ocean-blue eyes, a determined look on his face as he spoke.
"I'm not going to lose to you. You asked if my 'feeble' Quirk could stand up to your Killer Queen. Well, he's my answer to that…!" Izuku all but shouted, winding his punch back as Yoshihara was mere seconds away from summoning Killer Queen, only to have Izuku lift her with no effort what-so-ever and slam his One For All charged fist into her stomach, making her spit up a mixture of blood and saliva, the blood coming from her split lip. As soon as the punch hit, he let go of her wrist and proceeded to hit her again with another blow, only using 2% of One For All and Full Cowling.
In what seemed like a few seconds, Izuku was able to punch Yoshihara at least 20 times while keeping her in mid-air, and then, with one final punch, this time using 4% of One For All, sent Yoshihara flying out of the arena, a trail of blood following suit as her now bruised body slammed up against the same wall Sato had been slammed into.
"Heh… I… won…." Izuku murmured as the rest of his energy in his system dispersed, and the adrenaline that he had been feeling to keep himself standing for that last little bit. Izuku fell to the ground, exhausted.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, FOLKS! MIDORIYA IZUKU, DESPITE THAT LAST DEVASTATING ATTACK, PULLED THROUGH! YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST, HE LAUNCHED KIRA YOSHIHARA OUT OF THE ARENA BEFORE PASSING OUT! MIDORIYA IZUKU IS THE WINNER! NOW, CAN SOMEONE GET THOSE TWO SOME MEDICAL HELP?! WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK IN 10 MINUTES TO DO THE AWARD CEREMONIES! AFTER THAT, THIS FESTIVAL WILL BE OVER! DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK TOMORROW TO SEE THE SECOND YEARS AT WORK AND THEN AGAIN ON FRIDAY FOR THE THIRD YEARS!"
The medical bots came out in droves to get the two to Recovery Girl; all the while, all of Class 1 – A and even some of Class 1 – B were shocked to see just what it was that had happened. The fight had been brutal, so much so that blood had been shed. In most of the fights, blood had been drawn, but not nearly as much as what had happened there. The fight was more comparable to a villain versus hero brawl rather than a fight you'd see in the sports festival.
And for a majority of Class 1 - A, and all of Class 1 - B, a part of them had to wonder just how Kira was able to fight without moving a muscle. It was beyond the fact that her Quirk could emit explosions, but invisible explosions? Invisible bubble bombs? That made no sense. It especially made no sense to one Katsuki Bakugo.
He knew that something had been up with Kira Yoshihara on day one of entering the U.A. Her quirk back at Aldrea was some sort of psychic Quirk that allowed her to imprint physical damage to someone, not bubble bombs. He wanted to use the Sports Festival to confront her on it, but thanks to what happened in the second round, his chance to do that was taken from him.
And it pissed him off.
What pissed him off more, however, was that Deku managed to WIN the Sports Festival.
Over a month-and-a-half ago, Deku had been just that, a Deku. But, somehow, he managed to get a Quirk. Fucking Deku managed to get a Quirk. Not only that but thanks to Blondie, he had gained a confidence boost, so much so that he now had the gall to talk to him like they were on an even playing field.
But Bakugo knew better than that. Bakugo knew damn well that he and Deku were not even close to being on the same playing field. Bakugo was stronger than that shitty little pebble. He was worthless, was he not? That was what he was always meant to be—a side note in his story! He was never supposed to be here, let alone get even close to being this strong.
"But if that's the case... then why did he make it to the finals, and I didn't?"
That thought seeped into his mind like an unwanted virus. He shook his head, not wanting to entertain the idea that Deku was even an iota stronger than him. If that was the case, then his whole life had been a lie. Everything he was told as a kid would've been a falsehood, and if that had been the case. Then that meant that he couldn't—
"Don't you fucking dare finish that thought! You're better than everyone in this goddamned school! Even Icy-hot and Deku! You're better than them! You will be the number one hero of Japan! You'll beat All Might!"
Bakugo frowned, leaning back in his chair. What was he thinking? Of course, he was stronger than Deku. That was how it was supposed to be, and nothing would change the natural order of things. Ever.
He didn't care what it was he had witnessed in the quarter-finals.
He didn't care if Icy-hot had been on the backfoot the entire fight.
He didn't care that Deku had won The Sports Festival.
Bakugo knew he was stronger than everyone. He was the best! He was going to be stronger than All Might! He had to be—he had to be stronger, faster, smarter, and better than everyone!
Otherwise, his whole life had been a lie.
As for those in the general studies, their eyes had widened to the size of saucers. But more importantly, the three Stand users within that part of the school had their eyes wide as well, but not for the same reasons.
What amazed them was that Midoriya, someone without a Stand, was able to predict what Yoshihara's Stand was doing without being able to see it and plan accordingly around it. To them, it made no sense, especially to one Heimei Kishibe.
As much as she hated to admit it, she was rooting for Kira because Heimei knew that Kira would've, or at least should've, been able to beat Midoriya. After all, how could someone who lacked a Stand and someone who couldn't see Stands beat a Stand User?
But, in a shocking turn of events, it was as if Midoriya was able to see Yoshihara's Stand, Killer Queen. He had been able to dodge some of the punches and punish Kira for it. In the end, he resorted to a cheap shot at the end of the fight, but still, a win was a win. It made sense because he had been fighting dirty the entire time.
The fact was that Kira was defeated by someone without a Stand. Which, in hindsight, would've made sense. After all, If Midoriya was able to keep up with Todoroki Shoto and his busted Quirk, she kind of wondered why she even thought Kira had a chance at beating him.
Maybe it was because of the bias she had toward Stands? Probably. But that didn't matter, not now, anyway.
It was then that she suddenly got a rush of inspiration. Out of nowhere, an idea popped into her mind so quickly that she just had to capture it. That idea was rather simple but a good idea nonetheless.
"Maybe... I should do a One-Shot Manga on that fight... Yeah! Just like my Great-Great Grandfather! I'll take this as inspiration! I must follow in his footsteps! This will be the best PR Midoriya Izuku will ever receive! Truly, I am a genius!"
The rest of the audience simply cheered, whooped, and hollered at the display they got to see. Even if a handful of them still hated her for her actions, they had to admit that the fight, while confusing, was a blast to watch. Some people in the audience had their minds changed thanks to Eraserhead, now seeing Kira as a victim rather than a cold-hearted killer. However, a majority of the people in the crowd changed their stance to a more neutral one.
As for Toshinori, he felt a swell of emotions when he watched Midoriya use One For All yet again without damaging himself beyond repair, he couldn't help but think back to when he first got One For All two months ago, and just how quickly he had progressed with it.
Back then, he was weak. He could hardly even so much as think about using One For All without shattering a part of his body. It was during that time that Toshinori was at a loss for what to do with him. He believed in Izuku, but if he kept breaking his body, then how was he supposed to become a hero?
But he never stopped believing in Midoriya. He refused to look that boy in the face and tell him that it wasn't possible. The word "impossible" held no value in the world of superheroes and superpowers. All Midoriya needed was a breakthrough.
And that was exactly what happened.
He didn't know when it happened, but Izuku had somehow managed to control One For All without breaking his body or making it look weak.
And all of that happened in just under two months.
But now that The Sports Festival was over, something else was on the horizon. Something that, if what Dr. Tomioka had said was true, was far greater than anything he had ever imagined.
He had hoped that he had killed All For One all those years ago. He had destroyed his head—caved in his skull and utterly ruined his face. He should've died right then and there, but like a cockroach, he came back.
If it came down to it, Izuku was going to have to fight All For One.
But it would only be once Toshinori was dead and buried. "I won't let Midoriya die. I cannot do that. I refuse! I would much rather die like Nana had than let Midoriya fall at such a young age," Toshinori thought, scowling as he got up from his seat.
As he left, he had only one thought on his mind. "I will find you, All For One. When I do… I will finish what I started all those years ago."
Meanwhile, an old man in an apartment building in the Musutafu city limits smirked, eating another piece of Taiyaki and reaching for the TV. remote. "That boy... Toshinori, you picked the right successor. Though, I have to wonder, what will he think of this? Especially after all this time..." the man thought, slowly standing up from his rocking chair and reaching for his cane. "Now... I want to see just how strong he is in person. Time to make a phone call..."
It had been a long time since he had called that annoying little rodent. But, he supposed it was about time to check in on him. He couldn't imagine how much stress Nedzu had been going through. From the attack on The USJ to the controversy with one of his students, it must've been hell.
It wasn't particularly his place to care, but he did use to be a teacher at U.A., and given that there were signs that All For One was still around, ones that he had hoped would never have shown themselves, it was about time he got back into action.
Within a secluded bar in Yokohama County, Shigaraki scratched at his neck furiously. Per Sensei's orders, he had been watching The Sports Festival from the TV screen. It was clear that those brats had gotten stronger. But, at the same time, he, too, was getting stronger. And thanks to his connections, he was about to make a potential new party member.
"Tomura Shigaraki… I have told him our location. He is within the area. I suggest you get ready to face him…."The deep voice of Kurogiri spoke out to Shigaraki, his neck scratching ceasing. His head slowly turned to look at Kurogiri, a smirk on his face.
"I see…" Tomura paused, narrowing his eyes. He honestly had no idea how he would help with his goal. But, he supposed it was worth a shot. It was just a simple mini-boss dungeon. He was significantly levelled for it. Maybe a little bit under the requirement, but so be it. Sensei wanted him to keep up his progress, so why make him wait? "I will be there shortly."
In downtown Esuha, within a small bedroom, Noroi caught the final moments of The Sports Festival, narrowing her eyes at the TV screen. "So, those are the two people you wanted to meet, eh, Eri?" Noroi thought, crossing her arms as a small smirk took up her visage. "Perhaps that'll happen sooner than you think."
Noroi looked over her shoulder and glanced at the door that belonged to Eri's bedroom, of which she was inside. "Three months. That's all it'll take. Just hold out for another three months, my precious Eri…. Everything will be whisked away into a place where it will no longer be able to be reached. As your big sister, I give you my word. I will always be there to protect you."
As Noroi said that, she looked down at her right arm, staring at the various healing scars that riddled it. Some deep, some shallow. All of them are from the same source. "I know that it is not Kai's fault. I know you do not hate him, despite everything. But I will not let him disfigure you any more than I have to. Once I finally figure out the secret to the gift we've received, I promise you, it will all be over."
Elsewhere, standing in a small, cigarette smoke-smelling room, Dabi loomed over the information broker known as Giran, blue flames dancing over his hands as Giran looked as if he was about piss his pants, eyes wide with fear. "Y-You don't gotta do this!"
"Then tell me where The League Of Villains are located, and I might spare ya," Dabi said as Giran gulped, narrowing his eyes as he tried to regain his composure. Before he could, though, the flames on Dabi's hands began to increase in size, which finally made Giran falter enough to the point where he began to write something down.
Once he wrote down what Dabi wanted, that being the address of where The League Of Villain's main hideout was, a small smirk took up his visage, deactivating his flames as he turned to leave. "Pleasure doin' business with ya, Giran. You'll get to live another day." With that, Dabi left Giran alone, allowing the man a chance to finally relax.
As Dabi left, his phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he got a news notification about how Kira had lost in the finals. He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he stuffed both of his hands in his pockets.
Finally, medical equipment lay strewn about in an old warehouse far from prying eyes. Cords connected to heart monitors, breathing apparatuses, and blood-filtering systems sat in a chair. A man in a black business suit sat in a chair, most of his body completely covered in shadow, with only the lower part of his face exposed to the light.
A slight sneer took up his visage as his right and rested on his cheek, a bemused sigh escaping his cracked lips. "Doctor, how much longer do I need to wait until my body is fully healed? I'm itching to do something…."
"Unfortunately, sir," an elderly voice echoed from the darkness over to the left of the man as it continued, "you still have years left to go until you are in a stable condition without the use of support equipment."
"And with the use of support equipment?" The man probed as The Doctor hummed.
"I'd say… a few weeks, give or take. As for an exact date? I can't give that," The Doctor replied as the slight sneer on the man's face shifted to that of a sly smirk.
"Well, what do you know? I guess technology has come a very long way after all," the man mused, a deep chuckle spilling over his sentence as he leaned back into his chair. "A new era will come to pass, and I, in turn, will take my place as Japan's rightful ruler," the man continued, his smile twisting and turning into a sneer. "Make no mistake, Doctor. We both shall rule the world. There will be nothing separating our goal."
The shadows began to peel away from the man's face, with the top half of it being a sea of marred, twisted, and scabbed-over flesh. The man had no eyes, nose, or even ears, and yet, despite that, he was still able to see. All because of the plethora of Quirks he had amassed over the years.
"Soon, I will return. When I do…" All For One snarled, his left hand clenching the armrest it sat on as an IV ran through his wrist. "I will take back what is rightfully mine. I will have One For All, even if it is the last thing that I do!"
-To Be Continued in - Date Night-