Hey, all. Sorry this took so long- was a bit of a slog to write plus I had to get a chapter of Empress Ascendant out too. Either way, I hope you enjoy.
After Usami's ominous statement, Izuku really wanted nothing more than to get out of there. The longer he was around them, the greater the chances that someone would realise something was up- and really, how much intelligence would it take? The Quirkless student in class 1-A, who'd lost an arm in the USJ attack, was missing from the Sports Festival while a group of MLA fanboys met with a General Studies student who was conveniently injured enough that he couldn't compete in the festival and had lost an arm and had a conveniently subtle Quirk. Yeah, anyone with a decent degree of paranoia would work that one out.
That said, there was also a level of sheer audacity in it that might let him get away with it. After all, who would even begin to suspect that a Quirkless person would want to infiltrate a neo-MLA cell, never mind succeed? And if things went wrong, it would be better that they went wrong here, with backup close at hand, than later on. Izuku watched Usami check the note that Chitose had handed him, wondering what it said. Nedzu was probably wondering too, watching through the cameras in Izuku's fake spectacles, but part of the art of infiltration was knowing when to push it. And now was not that time.
Bruce's paranoia when it came to teaching infiltration had really worked out in this case, hadn't it? Bruce's training coupled with the experience Jason had gained and Izuku was better at this than he had any right to be. The crowd roared more loudly than ever, the stadium seeming to shake, and Usami looked up with an expression of faint surprise.
"Oh," he said, before crumpling the paper in his hand and tucking it into his pocket. He turned and Izuku assessed his body language- thoughtful, nowhere near hostile or untrusting. That would do. Usami leaned in, with a gleam in his eye that Izuku characterised as fanaticism. Izuku didn't lean away, but it was a close thing.
"Miss Chitose has entrusted us," Usami said, "With an important task. Something we can do, to show that we're worthy of her trust. That we truly believe in the cause. You believe, Akatani, don't you? You want to be free to use your Quirk without fear of arrest or judgement, to be the best that you can be, rather than being stifled by rules and regulations?"
Izuku, recognising the speech as one taken almost verbatim from MLA propaganda, nodded, putting an eager smile onto his face.
"Of course, Mr Usami, I'm ready to do whatever I have to."
One of the first rules of dealing with fanatics, don't engage more than you have to. Be enthusiastic without specifying and they'll fill the blanks in themselves. But if Chitose was giving orders, then they might have found their link to whatever organisation was running the OMC. Usami nodded.
"Good. Good. Yes, I knew I could count on you. There's a message here, that I've been given. It needs to be taken deeper into the stadium, for someone to collect, but I don't know if I'd be a good choice. It might look suspicious to have me walking about. But you're a student, aren't you? Can I trust you to take this for me?"
Izuku nodded.
"Of course you can, sir," he said. Just to sell his excitement he put a little quiver of awe into his voice. Usami seemed to buy it, nodding sombrely.
"Come on then, my lad. We'll find the message and have you pass it on."
There was nothing really important in this, Izuku thought. It was a test to see Usami's commitment, and whether or not he could be trusted as a courier. That was why they were willing to do it here, in the heart of U.A. with Heroes milling all over the place. If Usami was caught, there would be nothing incriminating on the note- but it would be an easy test of his resolve. Would he break and admit what he was supposed to be doing, or would he try to lie his way out? And even if he did break down and spill everything, it was only circumstantial evidence. Usami nodded, checking the note again before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a small USB drive, wrapped in paper. He handed it to Izuku with a strange air of ceremony.
"Here you go, Akatani. I'll wait here for you to come back, after you deliver it."
Izuku nodded to him, taking the slip of paper with directions on and reading it. He made sure to hold it still in front of his eyes, so that Nedzu could see it.
"Ah," Nedzu said, the suddenness of his voice preceded by a soft buzzing- nothing worse than being undercover and getting startled by a sudden voice in your ear- "Directions. To the lower parts of the stadium, interesting. Very interesting."
Izuku ducked down a hallway, away from the occupied sections.
"Hmm. A shame, but I'm almost certain that there will be nothing useful on that drive. And it's carefully wrapped. If it wasn't, I could have directed you to a virus to install on it. Still, Mr Midoriya, we do what we can."
Izuku held his breath, tucking himself into the shadows of the walls as two Heroes walked past. They didn't even glance in his direction and Nedzu tutted softly.
"A poor display, not noticing a First-Year student. Even one with skill in hiding. Then again, I wonder if they might be 'in on it', so to speak. Is the message being moved to here because the security is lax, or is the security lax because the message is being moved? I do love getting my teeth into a conspiracy."
Izuku would have liked to think that 'getting his teeth into' was just a figure of speech, but he didn't want to get his hopes up. Personally, he hoped that it was just incompetence. Being able to organise supporters into set areas implied a level of strength and sophistication that was a little out of his league. Izuku continued onwards, deeper into the bowels of the stadium- maintenance tunnels, now. If the MLA- no, Izuku shouldn't assume like that, even though it seemed to him most likely- the organisation backing the OMC had access to the tunnels under the stadium, where else could they have access? The rest of U.A.? The USJ, the Training Grounds?
"It's strange that they would send you here," Nedzu mused aloud, apparently thinking along similar lines, "There is no real access to these tunnels other than through U.A., so how are they going to retrieve the drive?"
Izuku didn't speculate, turning one last corner and finding the location that he was supposed to hide the drive in. It was an old fire extinguisher case, bolted to a wall. Izuku leaned over it, carefully popping the latch and sliding the cover open. He'd just tucked the drive away when he heard a scuffing noise from a short distance away and a complaining voice.
"I don't know why we've been sent down here," it said, "It's so deep. She could have done anything else, didn't need to do this."
"We're doing this because she needs to know if she can trust them to do the right thing," responded another voice, rough tone turned rougher with aggravation, "Now shut your whining. The drop is just ahead."
Izuku glanced around, ducking behind a pallet of cleaning supplies and pressing himself against the cold steel wall. Not the safest hiding place, but it would do in a pinch. He heard the two people walk around the corner, waiting patiently. He heard them open the extinguisher and the noise as they presumably pulled out the drive.
"Well, looks like he did it. That's a good start. Maybe this one won't be as useless as the rest," the rough voice said. The other sighed.
"I don't care. Stop trying to make me care."
"This is for the good of the country! For all Quirked who labour under laws meant to protect the relics of the older world! Don't tell me you don't care," snapped the second. The higher, reedier voice came back, sharpened with irritation.
"Listen to me. I get paid to do this, and nothing else. I don't want to know, and I especially don't want to know enough that it would matter. If we get caught I'm going to spill my guts, so you don't want me to know anything either."
"You're a fucking coward," the harsh voice sneered. The second man made a scoffing noise.
"Call me what you want, I'm still getting paid. Are you going to deal with this now?"
"Yeah, I need to make a call. So piss off, before you hear something you don't like."
"I believe that those are two of our maintenance staff," Nedzu murmured, "Although it's difficult to tell from simply voice recordings, of course. Hmm…a pity. I had hoped that the quite generous renumeration package provided by the school would dissuade such actions, but it seems greed remains universal."
Izuku took a slow breath, eyes raking around in the dim light. He needed to stay where he was, stay unseen, but what if he was noticed? Shoving the pallet over and bolting into the dark was one option. Otherwise, he could risk fighting. He didn't know his enemies, however, and it would likely blow his cover. Better to keep that in his pocket for as long as possible.
"Hey," the rough voice said. Nedzu hummed softly.
"I believe that to be Zeru Yoshitani, Quirk Cat-Man. Part of our maintenance staff for two years. A good worker, by all accounts. I'll be sorry to see him go."
"Yeah," Yoshitani said, "I headed down to the drop like you told me to. The drive's here, hasn't been tampered with. Looks like Usami came through, might not be as useless as he seems. Hmm? Oh, right. Sorry. The OMC guys look like they might come through. Didn't think they would."
Izuku wondered who he was talking to. Chitose, maybe. She had the feel of someone important. Izuku leaned carefully around the corner of the pallet, still hidden in the shadows: Yoshitani had turned away, his mobile lifted to his ear. Izuku licked his lips, gently moving a tracker into his fingers and curling his hands. It would be a difficult shot, but worth it. Yoshitani had paused, throwing a hand into the air.
"Yeah, there's no-one here. Whoever dropped the drive must've headed out as soon as they could, we set off once the sensor I set up went off. Yeah, I know it'll be harder to get the rest of the instructions to him. He's got an email, hasn't he?"
Izuku curled his thumb under his fingers and flicked out, sending the tracker whipping across the open space. Izuku saw it hit the back of Yoshitani's overalls, adhering to the material, and withdrew into the darkness again.
"Well done, Mr Midoriya," Nedzu murmured.
"Yeah, he's still a cry-baby. We can't count on him for anything important, but so long as he gets paid he'll stick around. Alright. I'll speak to you later."
Yoshitani wound down his conversation. Izuku stayed tense, listening to the heavy footfalls fade away, until he could no longer hear them. He gave it until the count of thirty after that, just to be safe, before he emerged from the cover of the cleaning supplies.
"Well, that confirms a conspiracy," Nedzu murmured, "And one that seems to be attempting to expand. How very unfortunate. Mr Midoriya, might I advise a return to Mr Usami? Although I think you've done quite enough for today, no need to watch what remains of the festival with the OMC members."
Izuku set back off towards the top of the stadium, following the path he'd memorised. Nedzu had gone quiet again, apparently thinking, and he hadn't commented yet when Izuku made his way up the last flight of steps and met Usami again. The man looked slightly concerned, a faint wrinkle in his brow easing when he saw Izuku.
"Akatani," he said, smiling, "Good to see you again! Miss Chitose was very impressed with the speed and stealth you showed in dropping off the drive!"
Standing out in an infiltration. Good work Izuku, might have blown your own cover. That said, Usami seemed more congratulatory than suspicious. Izuku would just have to be careful.
"Thank you, sir," Izuku said, smiling. Usami shook his head, smiling in a genial fashion.
"Sir," Usami said, chuckling warmly, "No need for that, Akatani! We're friends, aren't we? Of course we are. Now then, should we be off? I think we've missed a good number of matches already, and we didn't just come here to meet! I have to thank you, though, we've all been invited to a meeting with Miss Chitose! You really impressed her, Akatani. I'm glad I met you."
Izuku let a half-nervous, half elated smile settle onto his face, bashfully pleased at the praise.
"Oh, really? That's great news!" he said. Usami chuckled again, beaming.
"Indeed it is, young Akatani! Indeed it is. But, now then. Should we set off? It might looks suspicious to have us standing around."
Usami set off, back towards their seats, and Izuku walked a step behind. The man seemed to be in excellent spirits, he noted, a good sign. Izuku narrowed his eyes as the crowd roared again and Usami half turned to him, smiling and waving around.
"Something interesting must be happening!" he called. Izuku agreed, somehow managing not to twitch when the communicator integrated into the arm of the spectacles he was wearing buzzed softly, a prelude to a message. Izuku reached up and pushed his spectacles back up his nose, a pre-arranged signal that he was listening for when he couldn't speak.
"You've done well, Mr Midoriya," Nedzu said, his voice still softer and more serious than usual, "I think we can extract you now. No doubt you'd like to watch at least some of the Festival around your friends, rather than enemies? And I have plenty of information. Although, by the sound of it, you may need to remain undercover in the future. Still, something to discuss with Aizawa."
Honestly, that sounded great to Izuku. There was something about them- not Bennet, Oyama or Usami, although the anti-Quirkless rhetoric hadn't been his favourite- but there was something about the woman, Chitose, that had shaken him. Something that screamed danger to every sense he had. He briefly wondered if Nedzu and Aizawa would pick up on it, through the sterile lens of the cameras and microphones.
"Of course, leaving won't be too easy. I can arrange for Snipe to intercept you, remark that you should be with your schoolmates, and you can use that as a way out."
Izuku reached up and scratched at the bridge of his nose, another signal that indicated his agreement to a plan.
"Excellent," Nedzu murmured, "Interception in roughly five minutes, Mr Midoriya."
Izuku tagged along behind Usami as they started to climb the stairs back to the stands. It was surprisingly empty, although if the increasing roar of the crowds that he could hear was any indication the Festival must be heating up. They'd climbed several flights, reaching a landing, when Snipe came out of a door and barely avoided running Usami down. Izuku wondered if his sort-of mentor had done it on purpose.
"Whoa! Whoo, sorry pardner. Didn't see you there," Snipe said, cheerfully jovial. He looked at Izuku, tilting his hat.
"Oh, hey there Akatani. Takin' a break?"
Izuku nodded.
"Um, yes, sir. Just a short break."
"Uh-huh. Bet you're pretty excited about Shinsou, huh? He's lookin' to be in the third round, an' spoilin' for a fight. Doing General Studies real proud, ain't he?"
"I'm really glad for him, sir," Izuku said, nodding. Usami had moved away and was slowly walking away, doing a bad job of looking like he wasn't eavesdropping. Neither Snipe nor Izuku let on that they could see him, continuing their conversations.
"Shame that you couldn't compete this year, pardner, real shame. Always does my heart good to see General Studies go at it, y'know? But you'll be wantin' ter head off and wait with yer pals, right? I won't keep you any longer."
Snipe tipped his hat in an affable nod and sauntered away without looking back. Izuku wiped a hand across his brow, cleaning away imaginary sweat as he caught up to Usami, his breath intentionally shaky as though he'd been worried.
"That a teacher?" Usami asked. Izuku nodded.
"Mr Snipe, yeah. He teaches a couple of classes."
Usami nodded, looking thoughtful. Izuku briefly wondered if he should bring up the two of them separating, but waited- Usami looked like he was about to say something. If Izuku was lucky, Usami would have been spooked by the encounter and would suggest it himself.
"It's been really good to meet you, Akatani," Usami said, and it looked like luck was with Izuku today, "But I don't know if we should stay together like this. If Snipe had noticed more we might have looked suspicious."
Too late for that, but it was a reasonable concern for Usami to have. Izuku plastered a worried look on his face.
"Do you think that? I didn't think we were doing anything wrong."
Usami looked sympathetic.
"Oh, of course we aren't doing anything wrong. We just want what's best for everyone. But a lot of people aren't going to see it that way, because they're too blinded by the status quo. They're too comfortable. When the time comes, they'll see, but until then we'll have to be careful."
Izuku looked down, bashful in the face of superior knowledge- or at least that was what he hoped he was projecting- and nodded.
"I understand."
Usami placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and chuckled, warm and rich. Something ugly coiled in Izuku's gut, some hard-edged cynicism given fresh teeth, but he pushed it away.
"I know it's hard, my lad," Usami said, "But it'll be worth it in the end. Now, why don't you head back to your friends? I'll make sure the others know what happened. And we'll meet again, of course. Bright young lad like you, of course we'll meet again."
Izuku looked up and offered the man a slightly shy smile.
"Of course, sir. I'd like that."
Usami beamed.
"Of course we will. Of course, we've got a whole meeting to go and I've no doubt everyone else will like to meet you. But for now, go and enjoy the Festival. It's what you deserve, for doing such a good job today."
Izuku quickly agreed and said his farewells, breaking away from Usami and heading away. He made sure to go in a direction different from the one Snipe had taken, just in case, and took several flights of stairs down, turning a few corners to make sure that he wasn't followed. A faint buzzing in his ear heralded another connection to Nedzu.
"Very well done, Mr Midoriya. I've rethought what I said earlier- I'll not insist that you remain in contact with the group, although if you are amenable…well, we can discuss that later. You're quite safe at the moment- I can see all three of the OMC members and Chitose on the cameras, Usami indicated no suspicion over the bugs and the maintenance staff members are accounted for. There is a changing room a short distance away, down one flight of stairs and three doors to your left. You can remove your disguise there, and Snipe will be waiting to collect your gear. My thanks for your good work."
Izuku tipped his head down in acknowledgement and moved quickly to follow the directions, slipping through the door. Snipe was waiting inside, lounging against a table with a revolver hanging loosely from one finger, spinning it. He tilted his head back as Izuku entered, tipping his hat back.
"You ok there, kid?"
Izuku carefully closed the door before he sagged, some of the stiffness going out of his back and shoulders as he sighed. Snipe nodded sympathetically.
"Yeah, undercover ain't pretty."
Izuku reached up and slowly pulled off the spectacles, a finger catching in the rough stiffness of his gelled hair and giving him pause for a moment.
"They were really nice," he said quietly, "But I know that if they knew I was Quirkless it'd be a different story."
Snipe hummed, sliding his revolver back into its holster as he accepted the spectacles.
"Yeah, that's the way, ain't it? Real fine and nice 'til they realise you ain't one of them. You get a couple of bugs on them?"
Izuku nodded, wiping his hands together before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny tracker. There was another one in his false cast, but he just took the whole thing off and passed it to Snipe, who settled it on a nearby table for the moment. There was something like concern in his body language, although it was settling down.
"Guess that's about all then, kid. Ya might as well take yer time gettin' changed, not like it'll make much difference. Third Round's not gonna start for ten or fifteen minutes, so you'll probably catch most of it if you're quick. Sorry that you might miss some of it, though."
Izuku shrugged.
"I knew I might miss some of it, sir."
Snipe eyed him- or at least Izuku thought he eyed him, what with the mask covering his face- and shrugged.
"Yeah, but knowin' it ain't the same as doin' it. Still. Once you've gotten cleaned up, you can head on up to the 1-A box. You've got a cover story put together, right?"
When Izuku nodded Snipe clapped him briefly on the shoulder before collecting the gear.
"You did good, kid. Real good. Now get yerself cleaned up before you go and see your friends. I'm pretty sure you'll be rootin' for more than a couple of them in the festival."
Izuku watched Snipe leave, shaking himself to bring some sense back. This room had clearly been prepared- there was a Gym uniform that would fit him in a locker, and an attached shower and bathroom. Izuku took the time to shower, washing the gel and dye from his hair with the provided supplies and making sure to clean away the makeup. Once returned to himself and dressed, he felt far more comfortable. It was strange, he mused, what a change of clothes and a wash could do for you. He looked at himself in the mirror, making sure that he hadn't missed anything and that his hair was dry before he shook himself and headed out.
"The Third Round!" Present Mic roared, loudly enough that Izuku could hear it from where he stood. He quickly headed up the stairs, taking several at a time in his eagerness, heading towards the 1-A box. He arrived just in time for Mic to announce the first competitors.
"From Class 1-A! She's the joint vice-pres, the froggy fatale, she's Tsuyu Asui!"
Izuku slid through the door into the 1-A box, full of his classmates although most of them were focused on the field. Kaminari, sat nearest to the door, turned and grinned.
"Hey! Midoriya! Thought we weren't going to see you today."
Izuku slid into the seat next to Kaminari, panting slightly from his run up the stairs.
"Mr Aizawa had a lot for me to do," he said, not untruthfully, "A lot of our class got into the final, then?"
Kaminari nodded enthusiastically.
"Hell yeah we did. More than half of the final round is 1-A, baby!"
"Really?" Izuku said, smiling, "That's really good. Who made it?"
Kaminari started to speak, but was forced to pause as Present Mic introduced Tsuyu's opponent.
"And her opponent! It's Mr Real Steel, the unbreakable shield, so good they named him four times- from class 1-B, it's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"
Well that was certainly a name. Izuku leaned forwards, to get a slightly better view. He thought that he recognised the boy walking onto the concrete arena to face Tsuyu.
"Doesn't he have a Quirk that's a bit like…"
"Kirishima's? Yeah, they were both pretty upset about it," Kaminari said in a bizarrely cheery tone, "Something about it being harder to stand out? Only he turns to steel and Kirishima turns to stone, right?"
Izuku tilted his head and rested his chin on a raised hand, thinking.
"Tsuyu's been practicing with Kirishima, too, so she should have some experience. Assuming that their Quirks are similar in function as well as appearance…I don't know how heavy Tetsutetsu is, so I can't tell if Tsuyu can throw him, but attacking him might not end well. She injured herself doing that against Kirishima, after all…"
Kaminari shook his head.
"I dunno, man. But I guess we're gonna see!"
Izuku settled himself, watching intently. Tsuyu was half-crouched, lower than her normal posture- it let her react quickly, half-way to a jump already. Tetsutetsu raised his arms in a stance that was something like a boxers- the similarities between Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were striking. Midnight, still the referee, raised a short whip- Izuku wasn't an expert, but he was fairly sure that it wasn't a normal whip- and brought it slashing down.
"Begin!"
Tsuyu took the initiative, as Izuku thought she might. Her tongue lashed out like a whip as she jumped, snapping towards Tetsutetsu. He ducked it, stance broad and solid, and dashed towards her landing point with his right fist drawing back for a heavy swing. Tsuyu landed, eyes locked on her opponent, and hopped back as he swung a massive blow that would have probably taken her out if it had hit.
"Tsuyu's faster," Izuku mused, watching as Tsuyu jumped forwards, planting her feet on Tetsutetsu's chest and kicking off him to send him staggering a step back and regain space, "But Tetsutetsu's a lot tougher, and heavier. If he gets one good hit that could be it."
She could grab him with her tongue, try to throw him, but if he weighed significantly more than she did there was the risk that she wouldn't be able to move him and could be grappled- or, worse, she could be pulled towards him rather than he to her. Dancing around Kirishima had proven effective in the past, but Izuku didn't know if Tetsutetsu had the same issues with stamina. Tsuyu was keeping her distance, her tongue flashing out in quick strikes to push at Tetsutetsu, probing for weaknesses. Izuku measured the space between Tsuyu and the border of the arena, the speed that Tetsutetsu was advancing at, and smiled suddenly. It was a broad grin, teeth showing, and it caught attention from at least one person in the box.
"Midoriya? What's with that grin?" Kaminari asked, sounding suddenly concerned. Izuku reined himself in, his smile shrinking slightly.
"Tsuyu's going to win."
"I…uh, I believe it too, dude. But how are you sure."
"Just watch," Izuku said, "She's hitting him with her tongue and he looks like he's just taking it. But he's not, he's getting ready to grab her. And she knows it."
"Pff," a snotty voice said from his left. Izuku glanced across to see Monoma's face poking over the barrier between the 1-A and 1-B boxes, with what Izuku assumed to be a customary expression of superiority plastered over his features.
"Typical 1-A posturing! Tetsutetsu is more than ready to defeat any of your class!"
"Even Todoroki?" Izuku asked, genuinely curious. He had to admit, seeing Monoma's face twist was an unexpected pleasure, although the other boy rallied admirably.
"Of course," he haughtily told them, "Just wait and see."
Izuku looked back to the match as the crowd roared. Tsuyu had lashed out with her tongue and Tetsutetsu had grabbed it, fingers wrapping around muscle. He must have intended to pull Tsuyu in for a big punch, but Tsuyu pre-empted him with a leap, pulling herself in. Tetsutetsu was caught off-guard, letting go of her tongue and staggering back as she landed on his chest, hitting him with her full weight before she jumped back, shoving him off his feet and onto the hard concrete. Tetsutetsu sprang to his feet, lunging at her, and Tsuyu hopped into the air, rolling over Tetsutetsu as his hasty charge brought him dangerously close to the edge of the arena. He stopped himself in time, arms windmilling, just a moment before Tsuyu wrapped her tongue around his midsection and used the anchor to pull herself into a dropkick.
The crowd roared as Tetsutetsu went out of the arena and Izuku turned to grin at Monoma. He didn't say a word, but Monoma still flushed bright red before being pulled back, off the wall.
"I did tell him," Izuku said mildly. Kaminari barked a laugh.
The second match was another 1-A against 1-B match. Conspicuously, Monoma did not come to gloat this time, as Ibara Shiozaki faced off against Todoroki. Shiozaki, if Izuku remembered correctly, had scored quite highly on the Entrance Exam, but he wasn't sure that it would matter. Her Quirk…if Izuku had to guess, it was her hair. It looked like vines, tumbling down her back in an artful sprawl that must have taken forever to get right. Either that or she had enough control that it had been easy. Quirks could be funny like that. Izuku watched as the fight began, and wasn't surprised to see Todoroki open with a thick layer of ice, spreading over the arena. Shiozaki pulled herself into the air, her hair supporting her, but Todoroki was already kneeling and a pillar of solid ice rippled across the arena. Shiozaki dropped onto the ice, her hair plunging through ice and breaking off to shield her and Todoroki stepped aside, avoiding the serpent of tendrils that burst from the ice in front of him. He slashed his hand up, from his hip, and a torrent of ice fell upon Shiozaki, throwing her bodily out of the arena to the howls of the crowd.
"He doesn't seem too happy," Kaminari noted, leaning over. Izuku tilted his head, watching the way Todoroki walked out of the arena, and nodded in silent agreement.
Third match: Shinsou Hitoshi against Itsuka Kendo. Just before it began a heavy weight thumped down in the seat next to Izuku, a soft croak betraying their identity.
"Hey, Tsuyu. Good match against Tetsutetsu," Izuku said. Tsuyu nodded.
"Thanks, Izuku. I didn't know if that would work, but I couldn't just sit there and let him force me out of bounds. Are you done with the work Mr Aizawa gave you, then?"
Izuku turned, offering her half a smile.
"For the moment," he said, a little quieter, before raising his voice to a normal tone and gesturing to the arena.
"So. Who do you think will win this one?"
Tsuyu put a finger to her mouth, thinking.
"Hmm…well, Kendo is the martial artist in 1-B. Mina was talking about her, the other week."
"When she was trying to arrange a competition?" Izuku asked. Tsuyu nodded.
"That time, yes. Her Quirk lets her make her hands bigger, I've seen it. And Shinsou…Ojiro told us all his Quirk."
Izuku felt a pulse of interest, straightening in his seat. He'd wondered, ever since he'd first seen Shinsou. Despite everything Mina and Izuku had done, Shinsou was careful enough to keep his Quirk under wraps.
"He found out?"
"Shinsou used it on him in the Cavalry Battle, ribbit. You were busy then, right?"
"Right."
"Okay. Well, Ojiro said that Shinsou asked him a question, and he doesn't remember anything after that, until almost the end of the round. But he was part of Shinsou's team, so we all think that it's some sort of mind-control, ribbit."
Mind control. That was fascinating. Izuku wondered how, exactly, it worked. Obviously there had to be verbal contact- unless Shinsou was just pretending that, but Izuku doubted it. Maybe he could control someone just by looking at them, but something like that would probably have come up. In fact, it was likely that Shinsou could have just used it on Todoroki and Bakugo, so unless he was weirdly committed to laying low it was unlikely.
Given that Shinsou had almost caused a fight with his dramatic declaration of war against the Hero Course as a whole, Izuku doubted that he was the type of person to needlessly pretend and lay low.
Izuku watched the two of them, barely listening to the introduction Present Mic gave.
"Kendo's already lost this," he said, quietly. Tsuyu glanced over at him- Izuku felt her shift.
"You think so?"
"If Shinsou's Quirk needs a reply, then he'll be good at getting them. The best way, maybe the only way, to win will be to attack immediately, push him off balance and take advantage. He doesn't look like he knows how to fight."
Izuku looked up at the nearest screen, studying Shinsou's build and nodded.
"He's got arms like noodles. If Kendo attacks, she'll win. But she's a martial artist. She's got honour."
Midnight started the match and Izuku saw Shinsou's mouth move. Kendo's arms dropped to her sides, her chin dipping dully, and Izuku sighed.
"What did he say?" Tsuyu asked, leaning slightly closer to him. Izuku closed his eyes, thinking back, imaging the movement of Shinsou's lips in his mind and nodded.
"He said, 'Let's have a good match'."
He heard Tsuyu tut as Kendo turned slowly, so slowly, and walked off the field.
"Smart of him," Izuku said quietly, "He knew how to manipulate her, even if she'd been warned. He knows what he's doing with his Quirk."
He doesn't know what he's doing without it, Izuku didn't say, because he could see it in Shinsou. If he met someone who didn't fall for his tricks, he had nothing to fall back on. Izuku would have thought that the Entrance Exam might have taught him a lesson about relying too much on his Quirk, but he supposed that Shinsou was doing fine here. And if he ran into someone who might actually get in close- Shinsou had better hope that Kaminari got a lucky shot in on Bakugo in the next round- then knowing a little bit of hand-to-hand wouldn't save him. There was a part of Izuku, some small, bitter fragment of his being, that smouldered over the fact that Shinsou had seen the weakness of his Quirk during the Entrance Exam and still relied on it. That was filled with choking and clinging anger, like ashes fogging from a dying fire, that Shinsou, so bitter and jaded, still had one of the strongest Quirks Izuku had seen. That Shinsou could well be carried into the Hero course on the back of his birth.
Izuku would have liked to think that it was a leftover of Jason's rage and sour cynicism. That it was something new, something foreign to Izuku's soul.
He'd never been good at lying to himself.
Kendo walked off the field and Izuku watched the smile that Shinsou wore. It was a harsh thing, thin lips and bared teeth, something wild and desperate. For a moment Izuku wondered how far Shinsou might go to be a hero- and, if he wanted it so much, why he hadn't tried anywhere else. It seemed like a strange decision, to bet it all on U.A. But then, wasn't that what Izuku himself had done? Izuku was distracted as the door to the box banged open, Bakugo stalking out. Kaminari leaned across to Izuku.
"Midoriya," he said, "We're friends, right?"
Izuku blinked.
"Uh, yes? Why?"
Kaminari pressed his hands together, looking up at the sky.
"Midoriya. We're friends. I know that you're a good guy. So, since I'm going to be facing Bakugo next…if I don't make it, delete my internet history."
Izuku groaned and Kaminari laughed.
"Get down there, Kaminari," Tsuyu chided, although she sounded amused. Kaminari barked a laugh and bounded out of his seat, running out of the box. Izuku shook his head.
"I should have seen that coming, shouldn't I?"
"Probably, ribbit," Tsuyu said, glancing down to the field, "You think he has a chance? Bakugo looks focused today."
Izuku looked over. Bakugo was already on the pitch, his lips curled into a sneer and his hands in his pockets. Izuku chewed his lip, thinking.
"What do you think?"
Tsuyu tapped a finger against her mouth.
"Kaminari's Quirk is strong. If he can hit Bakugo he'll probably win. But he usually uses all of his Quirk immediately. Especially if he's nervous and thinks he won't get a good chance. So Bakugo will only have to dodge one attack."
"If he's thought about it, he'll take to the air," Izuku said quietly, "It puts pressure on him and he went pretty hard during the first round, but he only needs to be airborne long enough for Kaminari to miss his attack. He's smart enough to know that."
Kaminari was nervous, Izuku could see it even more clearly as his classmate walked out onto the field. Present Mic made the introductions again- Izuku almost laughed when Mic called out Bakugo's bizarre sneer-frown combination- and then the two of them were facing off.
"Kaminari needs to wait," Izuku muttered, "Wait until Bakugo closes in and release his attack around him. More like an orb than his usual lightning bolt."
"He's not going to do it," Tsuyu said. Izuku bit his lip. Bakugo took his hands from his pockets, mouth moving. Kaminari shook his head, a grin tipping over his lips as though to hide his worry, and Midnight yelled at them to start. Kaminari brought both hands up- Izuku heard what he said through the cameras.
"This'll be over in a flash! Indiscriminate Shock- one point three million volts!"
Electricity crackled around Kaminari, leaking from every pore, curling around and across before he slashed his hands down and it raced across the arena. Bakugo crouched, explosions bursting from his hands and propelling him into the air, above and over the electricity. Izuku, still watching Kaminari, saw his expression slacken and dull as the stress of using his Quirk got to him, briefly frying his brain. Kaminari staggered, a smile curving his face as the backlash settled in. Bakugo landed in front of him, expression still twisted in disgust before he pushed Kaminari out of the arena.
"Oh!" Mic screamed, "What a quick and flashy match! What a thing to see, ladies and gentlemen!"
"Kaminari should have bluffed," Izuku said. Tsuyu hummed softly.
"Bluffed?"
Izuku nodded.
"He should have used a less powerful attack, and just called out the same attack name. That way he could pull out the big attack when Bakugo got close. It might not have worked, since Kacchan is good at paying attention to that sort of thing, but it would have been better than just throwing one attack. Especially at convincing the Heroes around that he's got potential."
"Hmm. But would it have worked even if Bakugo fell for it?" Tsuyu asked, "Maybe that was the only attack that would have taken Bakugo down. Kaminari doesn't have the skill to beat Bakugo up close."
Izuku shrugged again.
"Maybe. Yeah. Kacchan is really strong, that's true. But Kaminari didn't even try. He was intimidated from the start, he'd already lost. Do you know who's up next?"
"Mm. Yaoyorozu and Uraraka, ribbit."
"Oh," Izuku said, somewhat inadequately. Tsuyu nodded.
"Oh."
"It should be interesting, at least," Izuku said. Tsuyu nodded.
"I think Yaoyorozu has an advantage here."
Izuku leaned back, tucking his hand over his mouth and thinking.
"Yaoyorozu has more versatility in her Quirk," he said, only half-mumbling despite the prosthetic digits partially covering his lips, "But Uraraka has basic power. If she can touch Yaoyorozu she'll probably win. Unless Yaoyorozu is prepared to grapple Uraraka after being touched, but that's not the style Yaoyorozu has used before…she uses shields and batons in hand-to-hand usually, but she's better at it than Uraraka, she must have more training. And then if she uses nets she can fight at range. The biggest threat for Yaoyorozu is getting overwhelmed, because she doesn't handle pressure that well, we saw it during the battle trials, but I don't know if Uraraka can pressure Yaoyorozu heavily enough for that to make a difference."
"I don't think she had many problems at the USJ," Tsuyu thoughtfully added, "But the thugs there weren't very tough. And Uraraka is determined."
Izuku looked across at her.
"Determined?"
Tsuyu nodded.
"She had that look on her face again, ribbit, the one that almost made you jump out of a window. There's something important to her here. I don't think I'd like to be in her way."
"Yeah," Izuku said quietly, "She's pretty intense, sometimes."
"Yaoyorozu had better be careful," he added, looking down at the two competitors, "Uraraka looks like she's out for blood."
There was something tense in Uraraka's stance, shoulders squared and fists closed. She was almost vibrating with imminent violence. Izuku initially might have compared it to Kacchan, that readiness for violence, but when he looked again he saw something else. Shinsou, almost a desperation. Izuku wondered what, exactly, drove Uraraka to become a Hero. Midnight raised her whip and sliced it down.
"Begin!"
Uraraka went from standing to sprinting immediately, rushing at Yaoyorozu with her hands open. One touch, that was all it would take, and Izuku leaned forwards to watch better. He heard Tsuyu croak softly as Yaoyorozu brought her arm up, a small shield forming from the skin. She used it to block Uraraka, immediately abandoning it and falling back, skipping away. Uraraka grabbed the floating shield from the air and threw it, whipping it through the air at surprising speed- Yaoyorozu barely avoided it.
"That was close," Izuku muttered.
"This might last longer than the others," Tsuyu agreed.
Uraraka lunged after Yaoyorozu, hands swiping at the air in an attempt to get a hold. Yaoyorozu keep backpedalling, producing more shields to protect herself. Izuku clicked his tongue.
"Yaoyorozu's going to lose if this keeps up. She needs to actually hit back. Difficult of course…like fighting Shigaraki, you can't afford to get touched, so you need to be very carefully. A baton, maybe."
Uraraka swung widely, Izuku noticed. She was untrained, like he'd guessed, and she left wide gaps. In theory, it would be possible to block one of her swings at the wrist and strike back, perhaps a punch to the gut. If her other hand was quick enough to grab you, even without gravity you could grab her, lock an arm around her throat, choke her out. Tsuyu croaked quietly.
"At least you're getting a little quieter with your mumbling," she noted. Izuku fought down a blush, realising that the second part hadn't been as internal as he'd thought. Uraraka suddenly paused in her relentless assault, giving Yaoyorozu a second to skip away. Yaoyorozu flicked her left hand, a baton sliding from her wrist and into her hand and Izuku frowned.
"Strange that Uraraka gave her a moment," he muttered. Tsuyu leaned past him.
"I think," she said slowly, "That she did it on purpose. She's taking off her jacket, too. Wonder what she's doing?"
Izuku tipped his head, squinting down.
"Using it to mask her hands, maybe? I'm not sure. But maybe…maybe, if she's letting Yaoyorozu think that she's tired herself out, she can get an opening. If Yaoyorozu's smart, she'll stay away, go for nets and some sort of caltrop. But I don't know if she'll do that…"
Yaoyorozu let her shield slip to the ground, her eyes fixed on her opponent. Izuku saw the net start to form from her hand as she reached behind her and clenched his fist.
"Of course," he whispered. Tsuyu made a questioning noise.
"The jacket," he said quietly, "I think I know what Uraraka's going to do with it."
Uraraka launched herself forwards, jacket wrapped around her left hand. She swiped with her right, pulled back just in time to avoid the baton as Yaoyorozu tried to smack it across Uraraka's hand- that was a dirty move, Izuku couldn't help but approve- and rammed her jacket-clad fist into Yaoyorozu's face. Yaoyorozu staggered back, the throw of her net going wild and Uraraka closed in, still hammering away with her jacket. Yaoyorozu took three blows before she got herself back together, cracking her baton hard into Uraraka's ribs. Izuku winced.
"That'll have hurt," he said, "They're getting a bit vicious."
Yaoyorozu caught Uraraka across the shoulder with another swing of her baton before using it to block Uraraka's swinging right hand, darting a punch into Uraraka's stomach. Yaoyorozu abandoned her baton, stepping back as Uraraka bent over slightly- she was so close to the edge of the arena, didn't she know- and swept her right hand forwards. A net burst out, flying towards Uraraka, and Uraraka grinned. She slipped the jacket off her hand and threw it into the net, tangling them both together and lunged through the mess, catching Yaoyorozu off guard. Uraraka's hand closed around Yaoyorozu's instinctively raised arm for just a second before Uraraka lifted her now weightless opponent and hurled her out of the ring.
"That won't be good for her self-esteem," Tsuyu noted. Izuku looked over at her.
"Her self-esteem?" he parroted, baffled. Tsuyu nodded.
"Yaoyorozu is…complicated. She's got issues about feeling like she's done poorly, ribbit. I noticed it when she was speaking about the Battle Trials, she felt like she'd failed personally, I guess. Getting beaten like that, on this sort of stage? She won't be happy."
Izuku turned back to the arena, studying Yaoyorozu's body language. He frowned slightly.
"She's not just unhappy," he said quietly, "I think she's devastated. She put up a decent show, though."
Tsuyu shrugged. She was quite perceptive, Izuku noticed, despite her tendency to be blunt and straightforward.
"She puts a lot of pressure on herself. I guess it's pretty different from the two of us, right? You're not exactly aiming for Number One Hero, and neither am I."
Izuku had known Tsuyu for several weeks now, but her tendency to just make statements like that still surprised and amused him. He tilted his head.
"You think I don't want to be number one?" he asked. Tsuyu squinted at him thoughtfully, before shaking her head.
"No," she said, "I don't think you do. Maybe you'd take it if you got it, ribbit, but you aren't in this to be the recognised best or anything like that. Not like Bakugo or Todoroki. You're just here to help people. And maybe prove people wrong."
That was very perceptive of her, Izuku thought, since she wasn't exactly wrong. Sure, he wanted to become a hero to help people. But there were many ways to help people. Would he be here if not for the lingering spite, directed towards everyone who'd ever looked down on him, curdling in his chest and driving him onwards? Well, maybe. Who could tell. Either way, Izuku was always impressed by Tsuyu's insight.
"You think Yaoyorozu will have trouble accepting this, then?"
"She'll beat herself up about it," Tsuyu said, her large eyes lingering on Yaoyorozu as she walked off the field, "And maybe that'll make everything else worse, ribbit. We'd better keep an eye on her, just in case."
"It's that kind of thinking that got you elected Vice-President," Izuku said. Tsuyu frowned.
"Well now I regret it, ribbit."
Izuku glanced away with a smile.
"ALRIGHT!" Present Mic howled, "Now that that intense match is over, how about another one?"
The crowd roared approval and Mic cheered along with them.
"Yeah, alright! Let's get onto the next match- this'll be a good one! We've got a real livewire, dark horse coming out first- from the Support Course, it's Mei Hatsume! And her opponent- let's hope his wits are as fast as his legs! From Class 1-A, it's Tenya Iida!"
"Is Iida wearing Support gear?" Tsuyu asked. Izuku nodded.
"Looks like it," he muttered, listening in to the conversation. Apparently support gear wasn't technically allowed without prior permission, but seeing as Hatsume had offered it to him Midnight was convinced. Tsuyu drew in a deep breath.
"He thinks Hatsume gave it to him to be sportsmanlike?"
"That boy is far too trusting," Izuku mumbled. Tsuyu nodded thoughtfully.
"She's going to take advantage of him, isn't she?"
"Phrasing," Izuku whispered, before replying more loudly, "I'm not sure that Hatsume understands the meaning of the word 'sportsmanlike'."
"It's going to be a bloodbath, ribbit."
Tsuyu's prediction turned out to be spot-on. Hatsume, clearly taking full advantage of the gear she'd given Iida, was in complete control the whole time. Iida was like a puppet on her strings, dancing to the tune of her advertisements. Izuku wondered if the watching Support companies would take her on because they were impressed, or because they were frightened. Hatsume almost ended the whole thing when she pulled out a massive revolver that fired nets, waving it around with more manic energy than safety-consciousness even though she deliberately missed hitting Iida, drawing it out to continue her advertising. Izuku, once again, wondered if Power Loader had managed to find all of her hidden stimulants.
"She said that gun has five nets in it," Tsuyu commented, "How many bullets do yours hold?"
Izuku shrugged.
"Twenty. Eh…five, if I'm using Hatsume's Neural Disruptor rounds. Have to cut down on the amount in case there's an explosion."
"Is that likely?" Tsuyu asked. Izuku shrugged again.
"I don't think so, but I don't want to take the risk. They're a bit too powerful for my liking."
"Really?"
"Yeah. If you hit someone in the head with one they'd probably die. They're really unsafe, that's why Hatsume's still working on them. I've got some of my own design that are a lot weaker, I'll use them if I have to."
"Hatsume is a little bit terrifying, ribbit. And she just forfeited. Iida won't be happy, either."
Their President and one Vice-President being unhappy with their Sports Festival performances? That was pretty unfortunate.
"Do you know who'll be going next?" he asked. Tsuyu nodded.
"Mina is facing Sero, and then Kirishima is against Tokoyami."
That wasn't a bad match-up for Mina, so long as her acid could destabilise the adhesive on Sero's tape, but Kirishima would be at a disadvantage. Dark Shadow, Tokoyami's sentient Quirk, was both fast and strong.
"And after that," Tsuyu said, her tone soft and thoughtful, "I'm up against Todoroki."
She didn't sound afraid, exactly, but Izuku didn't think he'd ever heard Tsuyu sound afraid. She did sound…apprehensive. Uncertain.
"Frogs don't do well in the cold," she elaborated, "Nor the heat, actually. But I guess the cold is the problem, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Izuku said quietly. Tsuyu nodded.
"What would you do, ribbit?"
Izuku shrugged.
"Walk onto the field and then surrender and walk off, I think. I can fistfight a lot of things, but a glacier is outside my weight class."
Tsuyu chuckled.
"I'm tempted. But I'd like to give it a try."
Izuku nodded.
"Maybe," he said slowly, "If you can get past his first attack and up close. It won't take him long to switch, but you might have a moment to hit him hard enough before he adapts."
Tsuyu nodded.
"That was what I was thinking. I don't think I'll be able to actually beat him, ribbit. But I'm still going to try."
"That's the sort of attitude that'll get you to Number One," Izuku half-heartedly teased, and Tsuyu chuckled again.
"If you say so."
The two of them went quiet again as Mina faced off against Sero. She was doing well, pressuring him and using her acid to melt any strips of tape that he directed at her- Izuku could just about see the red marks on Sero's arms, where the stinging acid had splashed. He was slowing down, too.
"I guess all that time practicing with people stronger than her paid off," Tsuyu noted. Izuku glanced over.
"I don't know if Sero is that much stronger than Mina," he said, "I think he's about as strong as I am? Maybe a little more?"
"Still stronger than she is," Tsuyu pointed out, "And she's wearing him down. Hmm…a bit like you wear down Kirishima, actually. Small hits and looking for an opening."
Izuku returned his attention to the arena, where Mina was skating around on a film of acid. Now that Tsuyu had mentioned it he could see it clearly- she was waiting for an opening. All she needed was for Sero to drop his guard and she could slide in, hammer in a kick or an uppercut and finish it. It didn't take long: Sero was obviously getting tired of throwing tape out and having it melted. He tried for something wider, flinging both arms wide to send spools of tape both in front and behind Mina. Mina turned, kicking off and launching herself towards him, between his arms, her fist colliding with his chin. Sero went down, although Mina was left massaging her hand. Should have used her elbow, Izuku silently mused, although it had been an excellent punch.
"That was good work," he said. Tsuyu nodded beside him.
"She was drawing him in the whole time. He must have noticed, though."
"Maybe," Izuku agreed, "But what could he have done about it? Just try to hit her."
The door to the box swung open and Mina bounded in as the next match started. She vaulted two rows of seats, landing next to Tsuyu and collapsing into a seat.
"Hey, guys," she said, cheerfully. Tsuyu croaked softly- Mina had come pretty close to landing on her.
"Hey, Mina. Good match."
Mina pumped her fist in the air.
"I know, right? I was kinda worried, but Sero just wasn't quick enough! He gave it a really good try, though. And I hurt my knuckles."
She leaned across Tsuyu towards Izuku, who blinked at her.
"Hey. Midori. You punch people in the face, right? How do you manage it?"
"I aim for the soft parts," Izuku dryly told her. Mina nodded, her serious expression wavering only slightly.
"Aim for the soft parts. Yeah, I'll try that next time, Midori."
Mina spun in her seat, looking back down to the arena and chewing her lip.
"I don't think Kiri's gonna win this one," she admitted, "Dark Shadow's got too much muscle for Kiri to power through. You think it's got any weaknesses, Midori?"
"Light," Izuku said, not even having to think about it. He'd seen Tokoyami practicing, once, under the glare of half a dozen floodlights. Dark Shadow had seemed smaller, spindlier, reluctant to even emerge. Tsuyu hummed.
"That won't be much help to Kirishima, ribbit."
The three of them watched fairly grimly as Kirishima attempted to defeat Tokoyami. Kirishima was determined and Dark Shadow wasn't quite strong enough to throw him out of bounds, but Kirishima was unable to push through the shadowy being to reach Tokoyami. The crowd yelled and cheered for a good five minutes as the bout went on, but the outcome was obvious from the beginning.
"Ah, poor Kiri," Mina lamented as Kirishima finally let his Quirk fall and raised his hands in surrender, "He tried his best."
"It wasn't a bad fight," Izuku said, "And at least he put up a good show. That'll help him get attention."
"I guess there's that," Mina said, "Though I don't think Kiri'll be very pleased about just that. Speaking of which- Midori, what are you doing about that? Since you aren't in the Festival at all?"
"Hopefully, Mr Aizawa will have something sorted out. Besides, if we're going on internships, some people might not get offers even if they compete, so there must be something for that."
Mina nodded. Tsuyu let out a long, croaking sigh and stood.
"Wish me luck, you two?"
"Good luck, Tsuyu," Izuku said. Mina gave her a thumbs up.
"Punch him in the face for me, Tsu!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow at her and got a shrug in return.
"He's a bit of a downer, don't you think? Getting punched in the face might cheer him up. Anyway," Mina said, stretching, "Who do you think'll win the other rounds? Bakugo's up against Shinsou, right? You reckon Shinsou'll pull it off?"
Izuku shook his head, deciding not to even try tracking Mina's logic in the last few sentences.
"He's been in a round already, and the two main events before that. People have to have guessed what his Quirk is. And he's up against Kacchan, he won't get a chance to use his Quirk."
He grimaced briefly.
"It's a bit ironic, really. Shinsou made his declaration of war because of Kacchan, and now one of them is going out of the Festival."
"Yeah," Mina agreed, leaning back, "You know, I understand why Shinsou's so prickly now. Now that I know his Quirk, you know?"
Izuku shrugged.
"Not really? I mean, it's not like…"
"Oh. Yeah, I guess so. It's not really the same, right? But a Quirk like that, controlling people, I guess people make assumptions. I don't think he's had the easiest time of it, if that makes sense."
That did make sense- there wasn't that much bullying of people with weaker Quirks in Izuku's old school, probably because Izuku was there to provide an easier target. But being able to control people- especially in these sort of times, that just screamed villain in the making. Although Izuku wasn't exactly sure what was so different, in terms of potential villainy, between mind-control and outright exploding people, or whatever else went on. Not for the first time, Izuku wondered what Mina's school experience had been like. She drew his full attention again when she waved a hand.
"I mean, people can be dicks, right? When I was younger people got all weird about being able to melt people, or whatever. But if people are thinking the worst of Shinsou it's gonna be worse, right?"
"Right," Izuku agreed, "That might explain something, actually. He relies on his Quirk a lot- probably too much, looks like he could barely even throw a punch. But if everyone thought his Quirk was villainous or something, then I guess he could be only using it to become a hero."
"You're saying that he's probably overcompensating?" Mina said, her eyes glittering with unvoiced laughter. Izuku barely managed to suppress a smile.
"Something like that, yeah."
Mina grinned briefly before sobering.
"So. Shinsou's got a complex about his Quirk. What about Todoroki?"
Izuku had some ideas, courtesy of his chat with Todoroki a few days ago, but he wasn't really going to share them. Mina wasn't untrustworthy, but he felt like some things should be kept in confidence.
"I…I guess I know some things, but they're private. Sorry, Mina."
Mina shook her head.
"Nah, dude. Private's private, right? Still, he seems pretty wound-up today."
Izuku wondered if Todoroki had been talking to Endeavour. Almost certainly. It would explain why Todoroki seemed so on edge. That said, Izuku was a little more worried about what that might make him do than why it was. Of course it also depended on how vulnerable to cold Tsuyu was. Izuku couldn't imagine Todoroki actually harming her intentionally: his control over his Quirk was superb. The two combatants walked onto the arena, Tsuyu looking at Todoroki with narrowed eyes. Izuku wondered what she was thinking. The crowd roared and cheered as the match began, Tsuyu dropping into a crouch. Todoroki barely twitched, a trail of ice bursting from under his foot and racing towards Tsuyu. She jumped to the side, barely avoiding it, and leaped towards Todoroki. He whipped his hand around, a wall of ice forming, Tsuyu smashing through it with a single bounding kick and a sheet of ice rose around her, clasping her legs in an unyielding grip. Izuku, watching carefully, saw her shudder. He knew that Todoroki saw it too: his classmate stepped back, a frown wrinkling his normally expressionless brow, and said something. Tsuyu shook her head, heaving once at the ice before her shoulders slumped.
"And that's that!" Present Mic screamed, still as enthusiastic as ever, "The Ice Man Cometh! Winner, Todoroki!"
"Ah, poor Tsu," Mina said, frowning, "That was a bad matchup."
Izuku nodded.
"She was at a disadvantage from the start," he said quietly. He hesitated for just a moment before he stood.
"I'm going to go and check that she's alright, once she's free," he said. Mina nodded to him.
"I'd come with you, but my own match is pretty soon. Wish me luck, Midori?"
"I'm sure you won't need it, Mina," Izuku said with a smile, standing and following her out of the box. Mina shrugged.
"You think? I saw the way Tokoyami manhandled Kiri, not sure I can do better. Any advice?"
Izuku considered it, shrugging.
"Get past Dark Shadow and take down Tokoyami. He's not a very good fighter on his own."
Mina pulled a face.
"Yeah, I dunno about that one, Midori. You think you could do it?"
Izuku snorted and Mina sighed.
"Yeah, thought so. Well, I guess I'll give it a try."
Izuku nodded to her.
"Good luck, Mina."
The two of them split apart, with Mina continuing on to the changing rooms while Izuku quickly made his way to the infirmary. When he got there he found Tsuyu sitting up in a bed, wrapped in several blankets and with the faintest expression of distaste on her face.
"Tsuyu? You alright?" Izuku asked. Tsuyu turned, croaking softly.
"Oh- hey, Izuku. I'm fine."
Izuku pulled out a chair and sat down next to her bed.
"Somehow, I'm not sure I believe that."
Tsuyu huddled deeper into her blankets, her slight frown becoming a little more pronounced.
"I guess you wouldn't. It just doesn't feel good, lasting all of ten seconds against Todoroki."
She shook her head.
"I barely got the chance to do anything. I'd hoped I could catch him off-guard."
"I don't think a lot of people would do better," Izuku admitted, "You probably did better than I would. And he's had some sort of training, I don't think anyone could take him off-guard."
Tsuyu turned her head to look at him.
"I know. But it doesn't really make me feel any better."
Izuku nodded, knowing that there wasn't anything else to say to that. Tsuyu sighed.
"You don't have to stay here," she said, "You can go and watch with everyone else."
"Absolutely not." Recovery Girl snapped, bursting into the room. Izuku twitched slightly as the nurse closed in on him, her cane gripped tightly and her lips pursed.
"Sending a First-Year student to infiltrate a group of criminals, ridiculous. Sometimes I think I'm the only member of staff with any sense. I can't believe you weren't immediately sent to me to get checked out, anything could have happened."
"I wasn't in any danger," Izuku weakly protested. Recovery Girl shut him down with a glare.
"Yes, that's what people doing this always say. You clearly lack a functioning self-preservation instinct, so it's the job of your teachers to provide one. Hmph. Are you hurt in any way? And I'm going to need a blood sample, just in case. You see one person exposed to a toxin and it changes your whole outlook on infiltrations."
"Um- no, Ma'am. And yes, Ma'am."
Recovery Girl grabbed his chin, turning his head left and right as though looking for injuries. Izuku saw Tsuyu's frown melt into a tiny smile as Recovery Girl manhandled him, checking his arms and clucking her tongue at the faint marks left over from the fake cast. A bony finger prodded hard at his ribs before Recovery Girl produced a syringe and took a blood sample from his elbow. Izuku winced as she scrubbed a rough finger over the syringe mark.
"Don't be such a baby," Recovery Girl snapped, "If you want to do something reckless then you have to bear the consequences. If I had my way you'd be getting a proper debrief, with a psychiatrist present."
"A psychiatrist?" Izuku protested. Recovery Girl nodded sharply.
"I'm old enough to know how the MLA talked about Quirkless people, and I can guess that their successors would do the same. It can't have been pleasant."
"Hearing them refer to 'The Quirkless' when talking about the class 1-A rumours wasn't my favourite," Izuku admitted and Recovery Girl clucked her tongue again.
"Of course not, dear. Well, you seem to have avoided any injuries at the moment. I'll leave you here- the Festival will broadcast on the TV over there, if you want to watch it. Miss Asui, I need you to stay for a while longer, perhaps half an hour just to be sure."
Tsuyu, looking comfortable in her nest of blankets, nodded and Recovery Girl bustled off, muttering darkly about the Festival and children sending each other to the infirmary. Izuku leaned back in his seat, suddenly realising that Recovery Girl hadn't even questioned that he would be staying. He supposed that she was right: he couldn't imagine just leaving Tsuyu on her own.
"You're staying, then?" Tsuyu asked. Izuku nodded.
"Thanks, Izuku. I appreciate the company, ribbit."
"Hey, what else are friends for?" Izuku asked, flicking on the tv. He was just in time to see Mina get thrown out of the arena by Dark Shadow and winced again.
"Hmm," Tsuyu said, "Shame. She doesn't look too unhappy, at least."
Mina's smile was a little rueful but wide as she rose to her feet, and the shake of her head at Tokoyami was more an acknowledgement that she wasn't hurt than anything else. She walked off the field with a wave and Izuku tapped a finger against his leg.
"So that leaves Iida and Uraraka, and then Bakugo against Shinsou."
Tsuyu croaked quietly, in a way that Izuku interpreted as regretful.
"I think that Uraraka and Iida might be unpleasant. They're both friends, and both extremely committed."
Izuku, remembering the way Uraraka had gone after Yaoyorozu, had to agree.
"I think I might put my money on Uraraka. She's fighting for something important," he said quietly. Tsuyu nodded.
"And then Bakugo and Shinsou. That will definitely be nasty, ribbit. You would think that there wouldn't be time to form grudges three or four weeks into the first year."
"I've learned to never underestimate Kacchan," Izuku said gloomily. He looked back at the tv as Present Mic announced the participants of the next match and Uraraka and Iida walked out.
"Iida's shaken," Izuku said, "He looks uncertain. He lost to Hatsume and he knows it, it's affecting him."
"He needs to be on top of his game against Uraraka. She's vicious," Tsuyu agreed, "And if he thinks she'll go easy on him because they're friends he's going to be in trouble."
She hesitated, as though not really sure that she should say what she was thinking, but spoke after a moment.
"Besides that, I think he's too chivalrous. He doesn't like to hit girls. A few of the boys in the class are like that."
That would get them killed, Izuku thought. He didn't say it, but it must have shown on his face- Tsuyu let out a soft, croaking laugh.
"I know. You would think they'd learn, but it doesn't seem like it."
"Begin!" Present Mic shouted, and they both turned to the tv. Iida made the first move, bursting across the open space and swinging a kick, but it was hesitant, uncertain. Uraraka ducked aside and swung a hand that he barely avoided and Izuku narrowed his eyes.
"He should have started as hard as possible," he said. Tsuyu nodded.
"In the second round he used a sort of supermove, he called it Recipro Burst. It made him a lot faster, although his engines stalled afterwards. I would have thought he'd use that, knock her out of bounds immediately."
Izuku studied the way Iida was moving, the way he was trying desperately to stay away from Uraraka's reaching hands.
"He's thinking too hard. He's so worried about being touched that he's not doing anything else."
"How would you beat Uraraka?" Tsuyu asked, sounding interested. Izuku shrugged.
"In something like this? Take the hit, grab her arm. I'm stronger than she is, so once it turns into a close-range grapple and strike match it's in my favour. First one to fall loses. Iida should try the same. If he makes a quick attack and can stun her he can use his size and weight against her."
"That's pretty brutal, ribbit. But I'm pretty sure that you're right."
Iida continued as he was, clearly uncertain and dancing away from Uraraka as she went after him. Izuku chewed his lip, thinking.
"Maybe he's trying to wear her down before he takes his shot? That's risky, though. I don't think I'd try it. And she's smart, just like she beat Yaoyorozu…oh."
The two of them had broken apart and Uraraka had bent over, hands on her knees, apparently gasping for breath.
"No, Iida," Tsuyu whispered, "Don't fall for it, ribbit."
Iida fell for it. Izuku saw his jaw harden, his stance drop. Flames burst from the engines on his calves, Izuku saw his mouth moved, imagined the shout- 'Recipro Burst!'- and Iida shot towards Uraraka.
She dropped to the ground, one hand reaching back as he passed over, a triumphant snarl on her face, and Iida's own momentum carried him out of the arena.
"What an upset!" Present Mic screamed, a thud sounding as though he had hammered a hand on his desk. Much more quietly, Aizawa added his own opinion.
"Uraraka was devious, but Iida gave her too much time. It was a decent match and Uraraka did well to use what she knew of her opponent against him."
Praise? From Mr Aizawa? Izuku wished he'd been recording it for posterity. Uraraka heaved herself to her feet, a broad grin spreading across her face as she raised a fist in victory. Izuku only looked at her for a moment, glancing across to Iida. He was standing but his shoulders were slumped, his chin lowered as he slowly walked off the field. Tsuyu sighed.
"Iida and Yaoyorozu, they're both too hard on themselves."
Izuku looked back at her.
"At least they have you to keep them straight, Tsuyu. That reminds me, what are you doing about the vice-president thing?"
Tsuyu shook her head.
"We're sharing, ribbit. We've both got skills that the other lacks, and I don't think Mr Aizawa cares."
Izuku nodded.
"Yeah, that fair enough."
"Alright," Present Mic shouted, the sound reverberating oddly through the tv and through the walls, "It's time for the last match of the quarter-finals! The tournament Dark Horse, the champion of General Studies, the man of mystery, Hitoshi Shinsou!"
Shinsou walked out. His shoulders were set and his expression was grim. He was afraid, Izuku could tell. This was his big chance: he'd thrown out a challenge to Bakugo, and now he'd have to back up his words.
"And his opponent! His personality is explosive! He get's on with people like a house on fire- ever been in a burning house? He's the blaster master, Katsuki Bakugo!"
Bakugo stalked out, his usual sneer displaced by a cold, fixed glare. There was just a hint of teeth showing at his lips, his fingers curled, his posture set. Bakugo was normally angry, but this was a step further. This was a harsh, focused rage. Izuku felt sorry for the person on the receiving end.
"For those who don't know," Mic shouted, "These two have a frothing rivalry! Shinsou confronted Bakugo himself to deliver a declaration of war, and he looks like he's carrying it all the way! Who'll win in this clash of personalities? The explosive king, or the dark usurper? Let's find out!"
Shinsou said something as Midnight raised her whip. Bakugo didn't respond, other than dropping his chin a little. Present Mic screamed as the whip fell.
"BEGIN!"
Bakugo exploded across the empty space, propelled on a wave of explosions that carried him to Shinsou in an instant. Shinsou brought his arm up in defence, his mouth opening in shock. He managed to block the massive right-hand haymaker than Bakugo swung but his arm crumpled under the impact, muscles unable to bear it, and Shinsou staggered. Bakugo gave him no chance to recover, swinging his other hand into Shinsou's ribs under a sloppy attempt to guard, an explosion following and sending Shinsou reeling. Bakugo followed, slamming two punched into Shinsou's ribs without even exploding. Shinsou swung a desperate response, his fist skidding off Bakugo's jaw, and Bakugo responded with his own blow to the jaw. Shinsou fell to his knees under the impact and Bakugo grabbed him by the front of his uniform, dragging him the last few steps to the edge of the arena and hauling him up.
"Jesus," Izuku whispered. Tsuyu was pale.
"This is a slaughter, ribbit. Why haven't they called it off?"
Bakugo held Shinsou up with his right hand, the left splaying over his chest. Through the camera, Izuku just about saw what Bakugo said.
"Come back when you know how to fight, small fry."
And with one last explosion, Bakugo sent Shinsou toppling out of the arena.
Much as I like Shinsou's character and the way he gives a bit of insight into discrimination in MHA, boy's a one-trick pony in the Sports Festival. Also, if anyone's wondering, I flipped a coin for Uraraka vs Yaoyorozu and Yaoyorozu got the short end of the stick.
Not sure how soon the next chapter will be out, hoping for three weeks though. Either way I hope you enjoyed, reviews are appreciated, and I'll see you in the next chapter.