Chapter Sixteen: Determination
Teruko waited to be cued out into the field, gripping her hands together behind her back in a desperate attempt to avoid any nervous gestures. Her go-to was fiddling with her hair, and she didn't want to risk pulling out any that she might need for the upcoming fight.
She was going up against Midoriya. That brief talk had left her nearly trembling, but she had mostly brought her nerves under her own rigid control. Unlike their middle school days, the school staff of U.A. hadn't had the standing order to keep the two of them separate whenever possible. Years of keeping a distance, and they were thrown into a position where neither could reasonably avoid one another.
And still, his voice still had that same effect on her. Those words lingering in the back of her mind, despite time and distance, making her want to hide and curl in on herself.
And he was right in the end, wasn't he? She thought.
Present Mic's voice blared over the speakers and the light signaled her out onto the field.
"Zip-lining into her first fight, it's the Chain Pain Lady of class 1-I, Teruko Suzuki!"
Casting a glance to the screen, she took solace that she didn't look as bad as she felt.
"And from the other end of the field, we have Brainiac of the same, Izuku Midoriya. Both Management course students, they've beaten the odds to make it this far, but only one of them can move forward."
Teruko let out a breath and began establishing a rhythm to steady her heartbeat as Midoriya took position across from her. Nothing too fancy. Almost vague in how squared off against her, shifting his right foot back.
Isn't he a lefty? No matter. I've trained to fight both.
Running down what else she knew of him, she remembered that he had a telekinetic Quirk. Probably strong enough to break anything she could throw at him, so she would have to rely on maneuvering him out of the ring.
"Good luck, Suzuki," he hollered out.
The apparent pleasantries he gave her spiked her anger. Snapping two strands of hair free, she planted them against the ground, chains springing out and coiling like a serpent. She could maintain direct control over them if she stayed within range of the origin point or kept direct contact as it extended.
At her bidding, the chains flew forward. Before they could reach their intended target, Midoriya pulsed in green light, and they veered off to the sides.
She corrected their motions, looping around, but instead he dropped low, letting them fly overhead. Two more attempts, the chains slammed down, Midoriya casually side-stepping it, then cartwheeling over them when she swept it across the field. Further attempts were thwarted as he ducked, jumped, and wove around the strands, making his way towards her.
Well. If she wanted anyone to pay her any attention to achieve her advancement, she needed to put the full spectrum of her abilities on display. Hand-to-hand was something she had put the most amount of time into. She only had so much hair at a given time, even if it grew back fast, and she needed to save some for the next match.
Best to engage him on my terms.
Dust kicked up from impacting chains, landing in such a fashion that had him edging closer to her. He had to know he was being goaded into abandoning his defensive posture, but as long she could catch him off guard, she had to convince him that running into her trap was the way to victory.
When he moved, it he blurred into motion, green light flickering as he ran. Teruko poised to meet his attack, confident she could hold out for a short while. Confidence that shattered when first strike flung her backwards to the edge of the ring, her chains catching her before sending her forward again, pulling her fist back for a punch.
Midoriya leaned in the attack, catching her and pulling them nose to nose.
"Let's show off a little, shall we?" he said, then threw her arm to the side, forcing her to correct her stance before withdrawing for another strike, which was handily caught, reversed, and then used to throw her across the ring.
Teruko pushed herself upright, bits of concrete cutting into her hands. Seeing as Midoriya wasn't flinging her out of the ring, he was planning to be sporting. Either out of caution or some misplaced sense of chivalry, she couldn't say. Regardless, she would use that opening.
Snapping another strand of hair, she sent the newly formed chain forward, and instead of striking, coiled around him. When she made to lift him up, he held fast, giving her an amused smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"Nice try, Suzuki."
With that, he lifted off of the ground and flew down at her, slamming into the pavement with enough force to crack it. And the range of her Quirk ran out, releasing him from her hold.
Ducking under a punch, she spun around for a kick, only for him to fold back at the waist.
No you don't! She pivoted and lunged in, then pulling for a downward elbow strike, audibly smacking against Midoriya's hand before he pushed up and backhanded her across the face.
Stepping back, Teruko wiped her mouth, pulling her hand away to see a smear of red from a busted lip.
"You're not the only one who's trained obsessively, Suzuki," Midoriya said with a smile, resetting his stance and bidding her forward.
Reevaluating her options, she began to realize just how much she had underestimated Midoriya.
He had a strong Quirk. Dangerously strong, but back then, he had barely been able to use it without breaking something. At some point, his control had improved. And despite all the effort she had put into improving herself, he could still toy with her without relying on his Quirk.
There was no range or position she could engage him without him being in a position to overwhelm her by sheer force. No amount clever maneuvering, no point of leverage or holds were going to work when he could effectively alter his trajectory and momentum at will.
It would be easier to give up. Spare herself another humiliation at Midoriya's hands.
No! She refused to back down. She wasn't at her limits. She hadn't suffered any serious injury. If Midoriya was inclined to make a show of it, she was going to make it a good one. The only problem was potentially crippling herself in the next round.
Making her decision, she steeled herself and charged ahead.
Seeing her run toward him, Midoriya actually smiled and ran to meet her partway.
"That's unexpected," he said. "Still have your dignity, I suppose."
Ignoring the comment, Teruko feinted a punch, then transferred her momentum into a roundhouse kick.
Leaning to the side, avoiding the kick entirely, Izuku kicked her as he cartwheeled around, catching her across the face with his foot, then pulled her back into melee range.
Teruko lashed out with a punch, only to have him grab her by the arm, swing her around, and then strike her with a burst of air at her center of mass, sending her tumbling across the field.
Damn it! Teruko cursed. Another strand, and she had a tether to keep her in the game a little longer. Her vision was a bit fuzzy, but was clearing. And Midoriya seemed in no hurry to end the match. Like a cat playing with its prey.
"Fascinating," slowly moving forward. "But I believe it's now my turn to show off."
Teruko bristled. Then, rolling over and pushing herself back to her feet, she charged forward to meet him, both gaining speed until they met at the middle.
[IB]
Teruko needed allies. While it sounded harsh, it was something of a present reality for her and her classmates. School was both a battle ground and a place to build alliances in the future. It was nothing restricted to her. In fact, her peers appeared to be doing the same, albeit with less finesse or refinement, much less an eye to future prospects.
While she had collected a decent core group, there was one person she wanted to ally herself with.
From what Teruko could see, and she liked to think she had a discerning eye, Momo Yaoyorozu was like her; the right name and family, wealth and power, and a Quirk that could make her great with time and training. Perhaps in the future, they could partner or coordinate as Pro-Heroes. There was just one problem: her choice in company.
Izuku Midoriya, son of a media baron who owned a series of gossip rags. Magazines with nothing else to do but slander and tarnish reputations, and a willingness to skirt every legal boundary to gather information on their subjects.
That alone wasn't enough to deem him a possible threat. No, it was those fake smiles and eyes that saw too much of her liking. How he would lurk at the fringe of any group, watching their every move, searching for any weakness.
To keep herself safe, she needed to pry Midoriya from Yaoyorozu's side. Convince her that Midoriya was nothing more than a leech, and that she was better off without him.
[IB]
A driving punch caught in her arms rattled her jaw. Her retaliation saw her pulled in for a doublet of punches to the ribs. The hairs in her hand formed a chain she snaked around his chest and neck, flipping him overhead…
…Just in the ride position for him to kick out, wind rushing against her face.
[IB]
It had started simple. A theory here, an insinuation there, slowly building up the rumors like sediment, stirring the waters until they were murky. The children around her unknowingly parroted her words, letting them repackage it as their own. In the meantime, she would find reasons to talk to Yaoyorozu.
But Midoriya followed her like a black cloud. And to avoid Yaoyorozu tracing the rumors to her, Teruko had to skirt the subject, or reference it obliquely. As a concerned peer and not as the originator of the rumors.
Teruko decided she did not like being thwarted. She had seen few obstacles as stubborn as Izuku Midoriya, and she had never before encountered a problem she couldn't overcome with her intelligence, charisma, or determination, nor did she intend to taste defeat in the face of someone such as this.
Seeing as her campaign wasn't working as she desired, she had escalated matters. Notes were slipped into Midoriya's locker. Rumors increased in frequency and severity. Implications of criminal ties his father might have. Each successive rumor required her to dig deeper and deeper into Midoriya's life for ammunition...
[IB]
Chains flew out, smashing against at transparent barrier that shattered like glass. The moment of triumph ended when Midoriya ripped the chains out, swinging them in wide circles, putting her on the backfoot as he dove in after her.
[IB]
"Why do you hate me?" he asked one day.
He was still so nervous around others, ever looking over his shoulder whenever he couldn't find a corner to back physically back himself into. Right now, none of that showed. Defiance and anger burned in his eyes.
Finally, she had thought. "Whatever do you mean?" she asked back, all innocence and courtesy.
"Every time we meet up with Yaoyorozu, you try to shut me out of the conversation. And you try and arrange meetups that deliberately exclude me. And whenever you can't get rid of me, you keep looking at me like I'm something you wiped off of your shoes."
Teruko smirked at him, looking down her nose at him and twirling a strand of hair around her finger.
"Because you are going to drag her reputation down."
Something in his eyes twinged, barely echoed in him flinching back, as if struck by a whip.
Satisfied she was finally making progress, she pressed further. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you?"
And like that, the flat, blank stare returned, but it did little to hide the panic that was afflicting his posture. "You have nothing to say that I care to hear, and I have less to say to you."
Midoriya started walking away, and just in time, as Yaoyorozu rounded the corner.
"Izuku!" she had called after the boy.
Teruko scoffed. "At least I'm not a murderer."
It was a low blow. She had dug into some old news articles to find some dirt on him, anything to use her campaign against Midoriya's place in Yaoyorozu's life. She hoped throwing that in his face would hurt him enough to get him show his true colors.
She thought she had made a killing stroke.
Seeing him stop in his tracks was a victory, but she realized it was going to be a hollow one when Yaoyorozu looked at her with shock, horror, and disgust, ready to chastise her when the air fizzled and popped around them, then simmered into a low hum. All conversation died around them, everyone searching for the source.
"I see." Short and clipped, voice cutting the air, drawing everyone's attention to Midoriya as he slowly turned around, green eyes glinting through the fading light streaming through the windows. He drew up to his full height and, for the first time Teruko could recall, Izuku Midoriya smiled.
It was not pleasant. Just a hinting of his teeth, a deviously amused tilt to his lips. And eyes, so cold, full of hate.
"Really, Suzuki? 'At least I haven't killed anyone'? That is a low bar to clear."
Sweat built up on Teruko's back, a phantom chill rolling up her spine as Midoriya stepped slowly, deliberately towards her, eyes pinning her on the spot, leaving her unable to flee, even if she wanted to.
"But if we're talking about low bars to clear," Midoriya continued, "I don't care for my old man, and I hate giving him anything that can be construed as a compliment, but I can at least say I wasn't a eugenics experiment for him, and that he cared for me and my mother beyond our use to him."
Teruko began backing away, but there was nothing standing between her and Midroiya's advance, and no one dared step in between them.
"You, on the other hand, your parents' entire marriage barely escaped legal complications because it was so transparently a Quirk marriage. But so long as they made appearances of a happy couple, it wasn't like anyone could say anything. Right?"
He shrugged, as if he weren't doing his best to trample upon her.
"A bargained and engineered Quirk, gifts showered upon you, pushed into the spotlight at every turn for virtually every media stunt possible." Midoriya chuckled, shaking his head, incredulous. "Is there anything you have that wasn't handed to you? Given to you without strings attached? Is there anything you've truly earned? Are even your dreams and ambitions really your own?"
"Well, I know I will be a Hero! Your only hope is to cling to fame by defaming those better than you. You think that makes you worth anything as a person?"
"Better? You? Hah!" Midoriya's smile turned feral, baring his teeth and eyes wide and wild. "You are the child of philanderers, liars, and backstabbers, the last of which you've seemed to come by quite honestly it seems, or did you think I hadn't noticed that petty little scheme you've been playing at my expense these last few weeks."
Realization crossed Yaoyorozu's face, and reproach turned to condemnation. Only now did Teruko realize the line she had crossed. And there was no going back. Only a public social execution.
"Face it, Teruko Suzuki: you are nothing more than a pawn. A thing whose only value to their own family is as a tool for their advancement." Midoriya was now standing in front of her, conviction poured across every syllable as he sneered, "What's more, you've proven your worth today as a person, so I don't have any doubt: I know I am better than you."
She didn't want to believe it. Midoriya had to be lying. Papa had always said tabloids were liars, and Midoriya came from a family of them. He wouldn't be any different. He had to be lying!
But she couldn't refute it outright, as it would sound like simple denial. It would be like admitting that he had hurt her. Made her doubt her parents. That anything he had to say held the slightest truth or worth.
Instead, she ignored it, continuing her way, though not without Yaoyorozu's disappointed stare following her the entire way. She contented herself with the smug satisfaction that Midoriya had lost their battle that day, called to the office by one of their teachers. Teruko could apologize to Yaoyorozu later, if needed.
But Midoriya's words refused to leave. And by the time she returned home, Teruko's composure was becoming strained, the boy's words gnawing at the back of her mind.
Mama asked her what had happened at school. Figuring it was Midoriya's last ditch attempt at slinging mud and barbs her way, Teruko had explained her exchange with the boy, hoping that Mama could chase away the seeds of fear that Midoriya had cast her way.
As expected, Mama soothed her hurts, and told her everything would be right in the end.
That was the last time her mother would have a kind word for her.
[IB]
Teruko wiped the dribble of blood, then seized a loose chain, swinging it out and around like a bola, only for it to fly off to the side, darting forward for a punch.
[IB]
The next day, she was greeted with her parents in a fierce argument. Perturbed, she had gone off to school, hoping the tension would be gone when she returned.
It did not dissipate. In fact, it got worse.
Fierce arguments threatened to boil into violence until the police were called. If she tried to get them to stop, they both would round on her, all while trying to get her to side with one of them.
And still they fought. In the house. In the courtroom. And when they weren't fighting, they were avoiding each other and trying to convince her help one ruin the other. It was as if years of silent war had finally broken out to the surface, and she had been the one to draw the poison to the surface.
And the high profile scandal was everything the media loved. Investigations were opened into her father's company, witnesses brought forward that put all of her parents' crimes on display for the world to see.
[IB]
A punch Midoriya easily caught, then kicked her legs out from under and flipped her over, only sparing her from hitting the ground at full force.
Teruko pulled the chains back, putting every ounce of energy she had left in the tank for this final push. Chains wrapped around her wrists to help soak up the impacts, but did nothing for the relentless barrage of punches that rattled her bones with every strike.
[IB]
By the time Midoriya finished his suspension, once again by Yaoyorozu's side, school was rapidly becoming the only safe haven for her, and a tenuous one at best. Teruko had won the battle, but it had cost her the war. And now everything else was falling apart.
Every time she saw him, he would meet her gaze, cold and confident that his revenge was at work, and she knew he didn't have to lift a finger.
She changed homerooms. The school put notes in both of their files to keep them separated if at all possible. Then changed schools to be further away from him, his stares and barbs. And still, his words followed her.
"You are nothing."
[IB]
Midoriya launched himself up in a telekinetically assisted leap. Wind pulled around his feet, then snapped at her, flinging her back once more, then dropping his heel into the pavement.
Despite it being an obvious opening, Teruko charged forward, right into Midoriya's waiting counter. The resulting strike made her see stars
[IB]
Both Mother and Father were deemed unfit as guardians, not that they put much effort in keeping her once it became clear how the chips would fall. Father would be spending time in a federal prison, and refused to see her. Mother managed to just escape jail time, opting to move out of the country with her lover.
She didn't even bother to say goodbye.
Grandmother wound up taking her in. She was cold and stern, but also plainspoken when it came to her expectations: keep up on academics, stay out of trouble, maintain appearances. Any commitments she made for extracurricular activities, she was expected to keep up of her own volition.
She would be a Hero for her own sake. Rigorously managed training and nutrition, participation in any club that facilitated her growth, all to that end. Her progress and dedication was noted by her teachers and fellow students. Before the entrance exam, she had outperformed almost all of her peers. But it wasn't enough…
[IB]
…All of her work, and she still fell short of the mark she had set for herself. And again, it wasn't enough and she was forced into a second choice. Worse still, she wound up in same class as him. Voice deeper, as expected, but the same tone and energy as she remembered. More confident than before.
Panting heavily, Teruko pushed herself off the ground, only a few strands of hair left to spare. Her hands shook and her legs were unsteady. One eye had swollen shut. The referees had not called it, so nothing had transpired that would see them call the match. Or did they believe she might have a chance?
She wanted to laugh at the thought, but her lungs burned and her ribs ached.
And standing against her, undaunted and unaffected, still smirking at her, was Izuku Midoriya.
"Hey! How can you say you want to be a hero like that?!" Someone shouted from the stands. How could anyone hear a voice from the stands? "If there's such a huge gap in your abilities then hurry up and throw her out of bounds!"
Midoriya glanced at the direction of the stands, irritated.
"Tch. Asshole," Teruko grumbled. This was an interference she neither wanted nor needed.
"Stop bullying and playing with the girl."
Screw your pity! Teruko seethed.
Jeers rained down from the stands. Izuku seemed to be weathering the bombardment, but there was cringe in his steps that hadn't been there. It was an opening she could hardly afford to ignore.
Snapping all of the hair she had left, she coiled the emerging chains and sent it forward.
"Quit acting like a villain!"
Midoriya froze up, the chain hitting him squarely in the gut. It did little to move him, but it did wind him. He snagged the chain, preventing Teruko from pulling it back towards her, but he wasn't following through with his counter.
She didn't need some asshole on the sidelines crippling her competition. She was enough, or so she kept telling herself. Even if tasted like bile in the back of her mouth for exploiting the opening she had gotten for their interference.
"Midroiya, snap out of it," Teruko hissed. "You're seriously going to let some nobodies get to you?"
He appeared to be unresponsive, almost hyperventilating.
"Fine!" She was running on steam, out of hair, and she couldn't honestly say she could keep this up. She had a single card left to place. Scalp irritation aside, it ran the risk of straining her neck if she wasn't careful. The move didn't even have a name yet.
In short order, her hair grew out, restoring its previous length and then some. The next moment, those same strands became chains, snaking around her opponent. The other chains she could still reach, she willed to wrap around him, driving him to one knee.
"That was a clever trick, Suzuki," said Midoriya, bringing his breathing back under control. "How the hell did you fail the entrance exam?"
"Midoriya, can you move?" asked Midnight.
A snort, then Midoriya flashed a grin, eyes wild. "A bit."
Green flashed around him, forcing the chains back, strength versus strength. Whatever funk he had fallen into, he was bouncing back with vengeance. Midoriya rose back to standing, the chains forcefully pushed away, whipping around as they unraveled around him, clipping Teruko in the face.
She went out like a light.
[IB]
Izuku let out a calming breath as the medics hauled Suzuki off, following sedately. He approved of her goals and admired her drive to succeed. He hoped everyone watching had seen it, too. Herself, most of all.
Of course, a small part of him was screaming in frustration at locking up in the middle of a fight like that, especially the bruising he was feeling on his stomach. But it had also felt good, watching Suzuki stretch herself and rise to the challenge. He hadn't planned on going at Gear 4 against her either, but she had exceeded his expectations, and against most of their available competition, she might have pulled off a win.
But when that spectator had called him a villain, it was like dumping a bucket of ice water over him. From the outside, it might have looked like he was toying with them, mocking her efforts. It felt like he was emulating his father.
He had accepted that he would use the Quirk he had been born with, the Quirks he had been given, and every other resource he could filch from the old man. He could accept being similar to All for One, but he didn't want to become like him. Never.
"How bad is it, Recovery Girl?" he asked.
"You have some slight bruising, but nothing that a little rest won't cure."
"I meant her. Physically. I know I was pulling my punches, but things still got out of hand."
Recovery Girl shook her head, sadly. "You foolish children. There was no reason to go so far for a school event like this."
"I'm deeply sorry, Recovery Girl, but I must disagree with your assessment." The look the Youthful Heroine shot him went ignored. "She was trying to prove something. I was just doing my best to facilitate the process."
"And what would she need to prove that would push her so far, hm?"
"Just some bad blood and personal frustrations. I just happen to be associated with both, so I was the best subject for her to vent at." Sliding off of the bed, Izuku started walking to the door. "If you don't need me here for observation, I'll see myself out. I don't want to be here when she wakes up, if possible. She might take it poorly."
The walk back to the stands, Izuku let himself finish healing. The superficial injuries faded from his consciousness when the speakers crackled with Mei's voice breaking the airwaves.
Izuku ran for the nearest TV to see the match between Tenya and Mei. He almost laughed at the prospect of the stiff, straight-laced Iida going up against the energetic ball of chaos that was Mei Hatsume. Pinching his lower lip, he observed the forces clashing against one another.
Tenya was quick. In terms of combat ability and training, he arguably held the advantage. But Mei was also well-prepared and had an intimate knowledge of each and every gadget she had created. Both had also spent time training together, making them both confident in themselves and cautious in their approach towards one another.
Anything she could block, she did. A shield and some braces, not to mention the anchors on her boots when she needed to hold her ground. If it looked as though she couldn't maintain ground under an attack, she dodged or rolled with the motion, boots and jetpack allowing her to return to the field with little issue. If Iida had the chance to build up speed, Hatsume would jump into the air and take potshots with an air cannon or nets, which Iida could evade with ease, or even tearing through them entirely.
If Izuku didn't know better, he might have thought Tenya and Mei had arranged this beforehand. Ten minutes later and the Mei's Hatsume Industries Expo was still going strong, neither landing the decisive blow.
Alas, the audience was starting to get bored, and with neither side relenting, Midnight raised her flogger, signaling both of them to stop. "At ten minutes, the match has been called in a draw. A tie-breaker will be held prior to the next set of matches."
[IB]
"A clash between the gods of the skies. From Class 1-B, we have the titanic tornado terror, Inasa Yoarashi! He's carried his team into the finals, but can those lofty winds of his take him to the next round? And standing against him, the master of electricity, Denki Kaminari of Class 1-A!"
At Midnight's signal, both teens sprang into action. Kaminari released a surge of electricity, to which Yoarashi answered by kicking up a whirlwind. The residuals swept over, tingling across his skin, but leaving no further impact.
Capitalizing on this, Yoarashi launched himself across the ring, catching Kaminari in the crook of his arm and throwing him out before he could let out another burst, ending the match.
"Kaminari is out of bounds. Yoarashi advances to the next round!"
[IB]
"Tall as a mountain or small as a pebble, this girl can size up or down anything she get her hands on, Yui Kodai of Class 1-B. And coming out to face her is Sho Hajime, machine master of Class 1-H with a medley of tools for the fight ahead. Another round of Heroics versus Support courses, Midnight, count us off!"
Yui sized up her opposition in the remaining seconds before the tip-off. It was difficult to resize things when there was nothing to change the size of. She had almost brought some pebbles collected from the stands, but had decided that would be unsporting. Yaoyorozu hadn't brought anything with her for her match, and she wasn't like Monoma, who had a perfectly valid reason to source their classmates for his performance.
Unfortunately, her opposition wasn't constrained by such simple things such as a sense of fair play. Nor was he limited to his Quirk as she was. The boots thrusters he had had helped carry them past the Cavalry Battle and she had seen the grappling hook in action. She certainly wasn't expecting her opposition to bring out a grenade launcher as part of his equipment, among other things. She didn't think he brought live ordinance, but that left her at something of a disadvantage.
For his part, Hajime flashed her a silly grin, then flipped down his goggles, dramatically sliding the hammer back on his monstrosity. And judging by the reactions from both the referees and the announcer booth, it was, by all appearances, legal.
"Begin!" Midnight shouted.
Hajime leveled the launcher and fired off the first shot, lobbing a pink projectile across the ring. It was slower than Yui, but she still side-stepped, hoping she might be able to make use of once it went off.
Upon impacting on the floor of the arena, the device exploded in a slash of goop, forming a mass outpaced the container it had come in, expanding and rapidly hardening as it reacted to open air. And Hajime was already firing the next shot.
Running to the still-hardening goop, Yui shrank it down, then lobbed it back his way. It sailed high, and in the middle of dodging grenade number three, she reverted the goop glob to its original size, then increased it.
Hajime blinked out of the way, but
By Yui's count, he had a drum of twelve shots. And he had just fired off number 4. Their game of dodge ball continued.
Shot number nine, Hajime changed strategies. Instead of blinking out of the way, he landed on the glob, kicking his feet out.
Yui prepared to shrink the hardening glob, but the Support student fired off his own thrusters, sending the mass back. Even with it shrinking, it was still headed straight for her. She evaded, only to spot Hajime appearing next to her, a foot lashing out and striking her arm into her side.
Stumbling back, she could only watch as he aimed the launcher at her feet, the foaming cement snaring her right foot. Gravity took care of the rest, landing her out of bounds.
Hajime stepped over, pulling his goggles up, still smiling as he said, "Sorry about that. Didn't think I had any way to counter your Quirk, so I thought it best to use things you couldn't easily touch." He paused, then held out a hand. "No hard feelings, yeah?"
Yui blinked at the unintentional pun.
"Hm."
[IB]
Ochako clenched and unclenched her hands, doing her best not to appear nervous.
Seven other matches had transpired. Some had been resounding knockouts. Others had been punchy exchanges between contestants. A few had been grueling contests of strength, wits, and endurance. In short, she was following a long parade of strong acts, and this one held the power to stop her short or give her another shot at impressing any Pro-Heroes watching from the stands or from the other side of a TV screen.
Standing against her was Ojirou, an established martial artist and her erstwhile teammate from the Cavalry Battle, which, on top of being classmates, also meant he was at as much of a disadvantage as she was. Both had had chances to see one another in action, how their respective Quirks worked.
On the plus side, they would have to get close to make use of their Quirks, or do anything of import. And his tail was connected to the rest of him, so it wasn't like he could kick it out at her like Momo did during training.
Midnight's signal given, both ran towards the center of the ring.
From her training and experimentation, she had a number of moves that she had not had the chance to properly integrate into her style. Unless pressed, everyone had recommended she hold off on using them.
That still left the basics, which primarily consisted of beating the crap out of one another.
She only needed to make five points of contact once.
Whack!
And that was the sound of Ojirou was doing his best to deny her that chance. She felt hat strike against her wrist, the warmers barely cushioning the impact. His tail rocked him back like a counter-weight when she tried swiping at him.
One more round, and then two, but neither side was making much progress. Ochako shook out her wrists, figuring she was going to have some bruises. It might have been over already if not for Ojirou having to alter his entire fighting style to avoid her hands.
Another lunge, and Ojirou just slid back, choosing to play it defensively and wear her down before going for the knockout.
She sent a silent thanks to her trainers and the regimen they had been putting her through. During the Entrance Exam, She had worn herself down in ten minutes. While she wasn't flinging robots into the air at a constant rate, the repeated bouts of activity had been draining nonetheless.
Makes all of those rounds on Izuku's tilt-a-hurl worth it.
Training had given her the staying power, but she still needed to get a decisive hit in to move on.
Bouncing on her toes, she got her breathing back under control, taking the chance to
"Not bad," said Ojirou
Ochako flashed a smile at him. "Not too bad, yourself."
Both surged forward again, same as before. Reach out, and-
Instead of waiting for Uraraka to make her move, Ojirou leaned back and prepared to kick. Instead, he sprang back up, smacking her arm out of the way, then dropped his elbow into her shoulder and then followed with the kick, forcing the wind out of her lungs.
She caught herself in the fall, sucking in that sweet, sweet oxygen. Now that he was in range, she whipped a hand out at his leg, but missed as he jumped out of reach.
Ochako groaned at the close call. So close!
She slapped her own hand and pushed off, arcing up. Twisting in the air, she pressed her fingertips together, hissed, "Release", and then fell back to Earth.
Before she hit the ground, she clapped her hands, tips to palms, sinking to a crouch, and then pushed off again. Her body protested the speeds and stops, nausea building up, but easily willed aside. For now.
Though surprised, Ojirou dove to the side, avoiding Ochako's hands.
"Release!"
Ochako's shoes dragged across the pavement, digging her in before she slid over the boundary line. Clenching her hands, she reengaged her Quirk and kicked off again, barreling towards her opponent, this time releasing to stop next to him.
Engage, and then jump. Ojirou began to evade again, but not fast enough. It's barely enough to grab his clothes, but grab she does. While making his shirt weightless wasn't going to doing her any favors, an anchor was an anchor. And still functionally weightless, she pulled herself in, incidentally head-butting her classmate.
Stunned, Ojirou lashed out with his tail on impulse. The look of regret was tangible the instant when Ochako landed all five fingers.
She grabbed him by the tail, digging her heels in to serve as her anchor, and swung him out of the ring, nice and low, releasing him into the grassing area. He rolled along the ground and then to a low crouch, but far too late to do anything about it.
"Ojirou is out of bounds. Uraraka advances to the next round, wrapping up the qualifier battles. The next bracket will be finalized by the tie-breaker.
The audience erupted into cheers. No longer putting herself under the stress of shifting gravitational forces, she breathed deeply and looked out to the stands, first giving her teammates a thumbs-up, then over to Management students, where Izuku was clapping, smiling in approval.
Ochako beamed brightly. She had passed her first match.
[IB]
Teruko Suzuki, Quirk: Chain Hair (her hair transmutes into chains, which she can then manipulate)
Denki Kaminari, Quirk: Electricification (he emits electrical currents from his body, but pushing too hard results in him being effected)
A/N: You remember how I was talking about how chapter 15 had turned into several other chapters? Yeah, part of that delay was getting the emotions and headspaces somewhat stable for what occurs in this chapter. I have some reservations about how well I may or might not have pulled it off, but hey! At least the chapter is done. After that, the actions were pretty easy to clean up after that.
Much of Teruko's physical design came from Rider from Fate/Stay Night. When deriving a Quirk for her, I used Shiozaki as a parallel for functionality with a couple of tweaks. Her personality was partially drawn from Weiss Schnee from RWBY, mainly because when writing the fight between her and Izuku, "Mirror, Mirror" and "Path to Isolation" played well with the emotions I was writing.
It was a fair bit of work for a character whose original purpose was little more than a side character to act as a reference for how Izuku has changed for this AU. I'll have to slip her into other stories under less antagonistic circumstances.
Most of the other qualifier fights were of limited story significance, along with being rather easily decided (Yoarashi vs. Kaminari, for example), but I wanted to give Uraraka a chance to show her new moves, and it gave Ojirou a chance to shine as well.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, moans, gripes, or complaints, let me know with a review or PM. Even if it's to tell me the conversations between middle-schoolers is advanced, constructive criticism is always appreciated.
Until next time!
Winterman, Out