Over at UA, the school festival was getting ready to start. Kendo from Class B was in a dressing room getting ready for the pageant, Reiko was helping her.
Monoma came in followed by Tetsutetsu and Awase. He laughed hysterically, "Are you kidding? What the heck are you wearing, Kendo?"
Tetsutetsu complimented, "On, dang. Looking good!"
"This is weird," Awase commented.
Reiko glared at the three boys from their class, "Don't just waltz in here. She could have been getting dressed."
Monoma shouted, "This is nuts! Hard to believe someone who's sold her soul to violence can pull off a look like that."
Kendo sighed, "I can't figure out if that's a compliment or an insult."
Monoma smiled, "A complement! After all, I'm the one who entered you into the beauty pageant to begin with. I figure you're a shoe-in because of all your fans from that commercial. If you win, Class B will be even more "Plus Ultra" than the losers in Class A. More importantly, since you've been focusing on this, I haven't been getting smacked as much." He started to laugh hysterically.
Reiko said, "Chill out. You're giving me the creeps."
Monoma laughed, "Says the girl who originally thought of entering to show off to a certain ghost someone from Class A."
Reiko blushed, then used her Quirk to throw a can at his head, knocking him out.
Kendo sighed, "Well, if I'm going to compete, I'm at least gonna aim for the top."
Najire walked over, "Hey, hey, hold the phone. It's not fair to say Kendo will win this. It's still anyone's game. This'll be fun. Won't it?"
Kendo smiled, "I agree. I'm looking forward to…"
Suddenly, Kenranzaki, the previous year's winner, walked over, "Bless your hearts. How precious you think either of you stand a chance. Not when I'm graced with perfect beauty! See for yourself!" She twirled around and laughed.
Awase asked, "Is this a girl fight, or what?"
Meanwhile, Mirio and Jazz were with Eri in a taxi on their way to UA. Mirio said, "We'll be there super soon."
Jazz looked over the itinerary, "Let's see, my brother's class performance is at 10AM, then we can go see the other first year hero course's play. Then we'll eat, then check out the beauty pageant."
Mirio asked, "I bet you're hyped to see Midoriya and Fenton, right?" Eri nodded.
Over at the workshop, Mei was shining up her prototype that she was going to show off. Her teacher, Power Loader, said, "Hatsume? You should probably clean yourself up before the presentation, too."
Mei was shocked, "What? All this grease is just proof of my hard work."
Over in the teacher's lounge, Midnight walked over to All Might, "Good morning, All Might. What do we have here?"
All Might showed her a form, "It's permission to leave the campus for the morning. Midoriya said that he had something to buy before their concert, so he headed down the mountain."
Midnight was shocked, "But we're just about to kick things off! That's cutting it pretty close. I hope he's not doing anything too naughty."
Meanwhile, Phantom glared at Ember, "Why are you telling me to hold on? Izuku might need my help."
Ember replied, "Chill out, baby pop. Like I said, they're on their way here. Also, I heard from a certain time ghost that Izuku wanted to prove to himself that he can handle a fight on his own. Wouldn't this be the perfect opportunity for your friend to do just that?"
Phantom sighed, "Damn Clockwork. When he's right, he's right. As he knows everything. Fine. But I want to be on standby in case things go south."
Ember chuckled, "Yeah I figured that. That hero complex of yours gets in your own way, sometimes. I'll be at your side to watch. This should be interesting."
Meanwhile, Izuku put down the steel beam that he caught, "Can't let them get away." He remembered what Gentle said about his elasticity staying for a while. He ran over to the crane that was used and jumped after the two criminals.
La Brava noticed, "He's on our tail, Gentle!"
Gentle replied, "La Brava, if possible, I'd like to save your Quirk until the situation becomes more dire."
La Brava said, "But, at this rate, it's highly possible that your plan will fail."
Gentle replied as he landed them in the forest surrounding UA, "I'm well aware. This clever caper is now a race against the clock. And he's fast."
Izuku was catching up to them. He saw where Gentle used his Quirk to help land. He used those invisible shields to bounce down and get behind Gentle. Gentle immediately put up more shields, but Izuku sent a wind attack at the shields, bouncing off of them and hitting Gentle hard.
"Are you OK?" La Brava asked.
But Izuku came up behind them and held them down, "That's it, I've got you both. Stop resisting and give up! I'll hand you over to the police as soon as I can. Don't try to fight back."
Phantom was watching invisibly, "Wow, he used that guy's Quirk against him. Clever."
Ember smirked, "Told you so."
But then La Brava said, "I love you, Gentle."
Gentle replied, "And I you, La Brava."
La Brava activated her Quirk, Love, which boosts someone's power that she professes her love to for a short amount of time. Gentle felt the effects and started to push Izuku off of him.
Phantom and Ember noticed. Ember said, "This feels similar to the love spell I put on you when we first fought. But that guy's aura is getting stronger."
Phantom started to panic, "Izuku."
Gentle said, "Apologies, lad." He quickly grabbed La Brava and sped away, Izuku tumbling to the ground. "I abhor using brute force, so I usually edit out scenes of such violence. It would be best if you took a nap." He walked over and karate chopped Izuku on the back.
La Brava added, "He really does hate this."
Phantom growled, "OK, time to step in."
But Ember held him back, "Wait, baby pop. Look."
She pointed to Izuku, who was struggling to stand, "No. I've fought against stronger, faster people than you. And beaten them. This isn't over. I haven't lost yet." He sent a wind attack out, hitting Gentle.
The criminal was shocked, "This is impossible."
He put La Brava down and charged at Izuku.
Izuku got up and charged at Gentle, "Why won't you just give up already?"
The two jumped through the air, fighting each other. La Brava knelt to the ground, crying. "Gentle! No. I'm sorry! Forgive me, but it seems my love wasn't strong enough to help!"
Gentle shouted as he was fighting Izuku, "Nothing's certain yet, La Brava. Your feelings will see us through. Gently Sandwich!" He slammed Izuku to the ground using multiple shields. "The thinner the sandwich, the more elegant it's considered. I do regret having to pile on so many layers, but I suppose it can't be helped. Sacrifices must be made to achieve the dreams of my youth. To make certain history remembers me. This is no longer an ambition I hold simply for myself! Unless I want my name to fade, I must persevere. My aims aren't so trivial I would abandon them only because you asked. You're a UA student, so you must understand what it means to yearn for a goal."
Izuku got himself out from under the multiple shields, "I do. If you understand that, then why would you target the school festival? Why would you ruin everything we've worked so hard for?"
Gentle answered, "Because, there's no other way."
Izuku charged at Gentle and grabbed hold of the criminal, "It's for your dream. So nothing else matters? You'll get the whole event cancelled. And take the happiness away from a girl who doesn't even know how to smile yet!"
Gentle kicked Izuku off of him, "I will. If that's what it takes to achieve my goal." He started to use his Quirk to jump around Izuku. "You can mock me and say that I'm weak. I care not what you think. We will prevail."
He charged in to punch Izuku, but Izuku caught the punch. "I won't mock you. But I can't let you go to UA!"
La Brava shouted, "Defeat him! You have to!"
That seemed to power Gentle up even more, the criminal using it to push Izuku towards the ground. "You! Tell me, why is it you want to be a hero?"
Izuku answered, "I'm the same as you, Gentle. My dream isn't just my own anymore. I have a goal that my body wasn't made for. And there was a point when I'd completely given up on it. But for everyone who's cheered me on. For everyone who's acknowledged me. I'll become a hero. Plenty of people in this world are hurting. And so, I want to become someone who can show them a bright future!"
Gentle replied, "I see. Yes." He tossed Izuku towards a tree, then charged at him.
La Brava pulled out her computer to try and connect to UA's network to deactivate the security system. But she was too far away. So she started to run through the forest towards UA.
Izuku saw this, "Can't let her leave."
But Gentle blocked him, "Tell me. Do you still believe me to be an unworthy opponent? I will throw away my pride, honor, everything to defeat you. Consider it a sign of respect, lad." He charged in and the two continued their fight.
Meanwhile, La Brava ran towards UA, but suddenly an eerie voice stopped her in her tracks. "Where do you think you're going?"
She turned to see Phantom standing there, glaring at her with his glowing green eyes. Ember was invisible nearby.
La Brava muttered, "It's….you. The ghost…..kid."
Phantom grinned, "Indeed I am. And I will not let you anywhere closer to my school." He heard something coming this way. He turned to see Hound Dog and Ectoplasm walking through the forest on patrol. "And it seems your plan won't come to fruition with them around."
La Brava started to freak out. Phantom turned back to her, "Is this crusade really worth it? And I think your beloved is about to lose the fight he's in right now." That statement caused La Brava to run back to Gentle.
Back at the fight, Izuku finally got the upper hand and used a St. Louis Smash that took Gentle down to the ground, and the power up from La Brava's Quirk faded away, the time limit was up.
Izuku walked over and held Gentle down, "You were my toughest opponent. Because you are someone I can understand."
La Brava ran back to Gentle, and saw that he was down. Gentle saw her, "Run. Save yourself."
But La Brava ran over and started to hit Izuku, "No. Stop. Take your hands off of him. Let my Gentle go! Get off him! Now! Gentle poured his whole heart into this scheme! He even forgot to take his tea breaks white he worked. You want to show the world a bright future? Can't you see Gentle is my only light? Don't take him from me! Please, I'll have nothing left. I'll die before I'll let anyone take you from me!"
Gentle heard everything. And he made a decision. He mustered enough strength to push Izuku off of him and toss him far away. He wanted to make sure that no one knew about the fight that happened. To make the crime a little less serious. He had to give it to Izuku. His passion helped him protect everything he stood for to help him win. He pulled La Brava into his arms.
La Brava muttered, "The heroes are coming. And then there's…"
"Wow." That voice made Gentle slightly jump. He looked around and saw Phantom standing there. "You are definitely an interesting villain, I will give you that. You put up one heck of a fight."
Gentle replied, "You're that ghost hero. How long have you been watching?"
Phantom answered, "A while. I could have intervened, but Izuku was doing a good job handling it himself. He wanted to prove to everyone who believed in him that he could fight on his own. I'm proud of him. You were a worthy opponent for him."
Gentle was shocked. Phantom continued, "Believe me, if I intervened, this fight would have been off in seconds. Since I can phase through your shields no problem. Know that."
Phantom heard the pros coming. "I hear people coming. Are you two going to hand yourselves over willingly?"
Gentle answered, "Yes. I won't fight them. I will at least help Izuku Midoriya's dream come true. For that girl's sake. Go enjoy the school festival. I will make it seem like this fight never happened."
Phantom said, "Thank you. I know you have your own dreams. But maybe you just need to think about how to achieve them without having to resort to criminal mischief. For your sake, and hers."
Gentle looked up at Phantom, "You are an interesting young man. I would almost say there's something kingly about you."
Phantom chuckled, "I guess so." He then disappeared.
Ember made herself known, "I'll be watching to make sure you keep your word, pops." She disappeared before Gentle and La Brava could react.
Hound Dog and Ectoplasm reached the criminal pair. Gentle said, "I'm afraid I took a tumble in the park. UA, I'm turning myself in."