Chapter 41

Monoma's match was being set up, and in the meantime Midoriya had come back to the viewing section.

Nobody seemed very eager to let him live down the "damage" he might have done to the Kaminari bloodline, however. Poor bastard had a very good reason to be awkward at that moment, and Kazuki didn't let it get to him much. He had bigger shit to worry about and at least he knew this wasn't too bad. Besides, all the teasing seemed to make Midoriya relax, weirdly enough.

Soon, Kaminari came back from the infirmary with news that yes, he'd be able to have kids in the future. Whether that was a good thing or not, however, was up for debate, Jiro pointed out. Throughout the whole thing, Kazuki mostly leaned back and watched.

It was nice to witness those interactions. They grounded him there, in that moment, instead of letting him dwell on the everything else he was picking up. It was spreading, he was sure. The emotions were getting worse.

It wasn't easy to ignore, but it sure made him grateful that he couldn't actually hear the crowd.

"They are starting," Mineta told him, elbowing him lightly. Turning to him, Kazuki gave his friend a nod before looking towards the battlefield. "You ok?"

"Yeah…" he replied with a smile that belied how he was really feeling. "Peachy," he mumbled, his shoulders dropping a little. He knew he was fooling no one at all, but he refused to give in anyway. He needed to get used to this, or he'd be a terrible hero out there when he had to deal with more crowds. Hell, he was likely to have to go on internships and such real soon so…

"Begin!" Midnight called and Kazuki focused on the fight. He needed to be analytical, not emotional, else he'd slowly drive himself crazy through the whole event. Nobody wanted what could follow if he did, after all, least of all Kazuki himself.

This was his chance, he couldn't just let it slip through his fingers.

Yanagi started off strong, it seemed, because she immediately waved her arms. Following the motion, Monoma started floating away to the side of the stage. Clearly, the girl wanted to take him out of the field as quickly as possible, which was probably smart. One never knew which trick Monoma might bring into something like this.

After all, he could copy any Quirk he wanted in preparation for the entire thing. He could actually copy several Quirks in advance, and that was terrifying enough. Almost as bad as having to face a group, Kazuki supposed, since he had a bunch of separate, unrelated powers to help him in a number of situations. And his timer, whatever it might be, was too long to really just wait it out in a setting like this.

Unfortunately for Yanagi, she wasn't going to get a win that easily.

Mid-air, Monoma's skin turned a slightly shiny, metallic gray. 'Tetsutetsu's Quirk, huh?' Kazuki recognized easily enough. 'Fairly sure that makes him too heavy. Yanagi can't hold him up anymore,' he realized as the boy started falling down.

Monoma had been pretty close though, because he landed barely a few long steps away from the edge. Even after he touched the floor, he cracked the ground and skidded back a bit before stopping. It was epic, for sure, but Kazuki soon noticed something. 'That's really not good for you, Monoma, but it's great for Yanagi,' he thought.

Immediately, the girl decided to prove him right, taking a hold of the pieces of debris created by the rough landing and starting to shower them on Monoma. Amusingly enough, it was very reminiscent of Midoriya's approach. Hell, she even targeted certain more vulnerable zones too, probably on purpose though, instead of accidentally. To the side, he heard Uraraka teasing the green-haired boy about that, but he focused on the fight instead.

These two were competition, after all.

'Is that the only trick you brought into this?' Kazuki thought looking as Monoma continued powering through the rocks being thrown at him. Not that the blonde seemed to need much else, since Yanagi wasn't getting through those defenses. However, it felt a little… lacking, he supposed.

Then again, the other boy could save tricks for later this way, he supposed.

He was almost guaranteed to pass to the next round as it was, really, so Kazuki imagined it made sense to not show all his cards. He knew many 1-B students himself, but Shinso, Hatsume and many in 1-A didn't. That was a card that Monoma had in his favor. And one that lost a lot of its strength against Kazuki, which was great. If the blonde could take out competition before falling to him, then that'd be great.

'Plans hardly ever go swimmingly though,' he reminded himself. Monoma could still pull a fast one on him. Either by making some kind of weird combination he hadn't seen or using one of the few Quirks he didn't know from that class or something else. 'Don't get overconfident,' he thought.

He wouldn't fail.

He couldn't fail.

Breaking him out of his thoughts, he saw Yanagi use a bunch of rocks together to push Monoma away from his straight path towards her. That was smart, since a single one wouldn't be enough, but getting them all together gave them the strength needed to mess up her opponent's charge. 'Now what, Monoma?' Kazuki wondered, looking as the blonde now covered in iron was slowly pushed to the side.

The counter that his Calvary teammate had for that was the same Quirk he'd "stolen" during the aforementioned event. The one that allowed him to make air barriers. Using that, he was able to disturb the pieces of debris that Yanagi was using against him, allowing him to continue running at her. Whether it had been a good call to try and save that card, Kazuki didn't know, but it was changing the tide of the battle once more.

And it was a decisive change too, because Yanagi wasn't able to come up with a good enough counter to that before Monoma reached her.

That was match for the blonde.

"Endo," a voice broke him out of his focus then, making him turn towards a concerned Mineta. Everyone around was feeling like that, he realized then. "Are you ok?"

"No, I'm not… But focusing on the fight helped," he told them, leaning back on his seat as both Monoma and Yanagi left the stage. Kazuki was suddenly able to pick up on Yamada's and Aizawa's commentary. Off to the side, he saw Tokoyami and Iida move out of the room, since theirs was the next fight. "I really need this event to be over. It's getting worse," he muttered, gulping down as the emotions washed over him.

'I'm not crazy, right?' he wondered to himself. 'Those emotions are really there and they are because of me, right?' Or was he just sabotaging himself by assuming as much? Surely not, right?

"How about we take a break, yeah?" Hagakure told him, walking behind him and placing her hands on his shoulders. "You know Iida and Tokoyami, right? There's no need to watch that fight and I'm not in the event so we can go and take a minute off. What do you think?"

"I…" he started, about to tell her that no, he needed to watch. Even if he knew Tokoyami and Iida, he had never trained with them, or observed them for long enough. He needed as good an idea as he could get… But then he took in his friends' concern and he closed his eyes. "Yeah… Yeah, that sounds good," he said in the end.

"Great, let's go," the invisible girl exclaimed taking his hand and pulling him up before dragging him through the halls. Eventually, they stopped in front of a vending machine. "My treat," Hagakure told him, pulling out a wallet before buying a drink for each of them.

"I'll pay you back later," he mumbled, taking the offered can and holding it with both his hands.

"Don't worry about it," the girl waved off and he could hear the smile on her voice. She was worried, but there was little else and he had no problem picturing her being as upbeat as she usually was. "So, you wanna talk about something?"

"Didn't think about that before dragging me away?" Kazuki asked, his lips tugging up into a smile.

"Well, excuse me if I panicked a little. You looked really out of it," she argued, and this time he could hear a pout on her face accompanying the very slight annoyance she projected.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper as he opened the can in his hands. He didn't bring it to his lips though, simply staring at it.

"Have I told you how much you've helped me?" she said then, making him blink. That question had come out so out of nowhere that it managed to break him from his thoughts and feelings for a moment. "We hadn't even become students yet and you were helping me, remember the entrance exam?" she asked, and the picture of him carrying her back to a safe point flashed in his mind. "And I was kind of nervous about, you know, not knowing people here, but I had a friend right off the bat with you. And then, after the USJ… You helped a lot, so, thanks, Endo, for being my friend."

"I could say the same," he told her with a slight smile. "I thought I'd be alone through my stay here, especially once everyone found out who I was. Maybe that was very pessimistic of me, but… That's how it felt. I thought for sure I'd have everyone against me."

"Well, that's not how it went," Hagakure reassured him, poking his chest with her finger. "And I'm sure it's not how it's going with everyone out there. Maybe there's a lot of people that don't like you, but I'm sure there's some that will give you a chance, like we did."

"I guess you are right," he replied weakly, bringing his drink to his lips and taking a sip. Intellectually, he knew that she had to be right. There was no way the entire crowd hated his guts. However, there were so many bad emotions coming from around, that it felt like they might as well. Was it wrong of him to want more people to give him a chance?

"You said you expected everyone to be against you at school," Hagakure commented then, bringing his attention back to her. "You decided to go there anyway, to try and be a hero. You decided to be a hero even if everyone was against you. How is this any different?"

To that, he didn't have an answer.

What was the difference?

The difference was that now he had to actually face that situation. The difference was that now he had to actually deal with that negativity. The difference was that believing he could do it wasn't the same as actually being able to do it.

"The difference is that now I actually have to do it," he admitted, hunching over the can in his hands and feeling like just squeezing it with all his strength. He didn't, but it was so very tempting as the bitterness rose inside him. "The difference is that I'm not as strong as I thought."

"You aren't weak, Endo," Hagakure told him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Someone weak wouldn't have stood up in the middle of chaos and forced order during the panic with the press incident. Someone weak wouldn't have helped others in the middle of the USJ. Someone weak wouldn't have taken the time out of one of the most important moments of his life to carry a girl to safety."

"... Then why do I feel so weak right now?" he asked, not even looking up at her. Although, he supposed it didn't matter. Not like he could have seen her anyway.

"Because you are having a difficult time right now. You'd know I'm not always cheery," Hagakure answered softly. "And you helped me when I was down, so I'll help you when you are," she added, kindly but also firmly. "Now, are you done moping? Because you have asses to kick so that everyone knows you are great."

He snorted then, a smile forming on his face, even if it was a weak one.

"I think I can manage," he replied, but he didn't move from where he was. "You won't leave me, right? When the news start speaking about me and all that… You will stick around, right?"

"Of course," she answered without hesitation.

Taking a deep breath in, he looked up trying his best to find where Hagakure's eyes would be.

"Thank you, Hagakure."

"That's what friends are for, right?" she asked, making him smile wider.

"Right." He nodded, his shadow extending as he concentrated and made a beowolf puppy. "As a thanks," he said as an explanation as Hagakure picked it up and started cooing. "I'll make it as much as you want. I think you earned them."

"Him, Creepy, he's a him."

"Whatever you say, Bubbly," he replied with a shake of his head and a fond smile.

Taking a deep breath in, he started walking back to the room where the rest of the class was. Hagakure was right. There were asses to kick. He'd decided that he was going to be a hero and no angry crowd would get in his way. If they didn't like it, then too bad. It was happening anyway.

With his head a little clearer, Hagakure's words and his own resolution weren't the only things that came to mind, however.

"You can show everyone that we are more than just the rejects. The trash that they think we are. You can show Japan that being in juvie doesn't mean you are destined to be a villain. You can show people like you and me that it's possible to get somewhere in life without having to fall back into old habits. You can be a symbol, Endo."

Io was right. He wasn't doing this only for himself. He was doing this to prove a point. Several points, in fact. He was doing this for himself, to prove that he could be a hero. He was doing this for all the people like him, who needed someone that would come to save them. He was doing this for all the people like him, who needed to know there was a chance for them in the world.

'I can do this,' he thought, pursing his lips as he pushed through the negativity that continued flooding him. Looking to the side, where Hagakure walked with the beowolf puppy in her arms, and then inside the room, where the rest of his friends waited… He nodded to himself, and it was nowhere as resolute as he wanted the motion to be. 'I can do this…'

"What did we… miss?" he asked, only to pause and blink at the sight on the stage.

"Yeah, that teammate of yours is… something," Mineta commented dryly as they watched Hatsume… do a promotional show for her equipment? She seemed to be telling everyone in the audience what each of her devices did while demonstrating in her "fight" against Kendo from 1-B.

As Mineta said, it was something alright.

"Er, Tokoyami beat Iida," Yaoyorozu said, looking she was trying not to pay too much attention to the "match" that was going on. Kazuki could feel the 1-B class president's annoyance, but it wasn't quite as bad as he thought it probably should have been. "Even though he pulled a new move on him, Iida just couldn't get through Dark Shadow."

"Was pretty epic though, almost looked like he'd kick that Quirk thing's ass," Mineta pointed out.

"Everything fine?" Jiro asked, and Kazuki nodded.

"Yeah, Bubbly here set me straight for now. Can't promise I won't spiral again in a bit," he answered with a weak smile. He might have gotten his confidence back, but it didn't mean he was feeling great. 'God, how I wish I could turn my Quirk off,' he grumbled internally. "How about you though, Beauty," he asked, turning his attention to Yaoyorozu. "Ready for your fight?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," the girl answered with a firm nod. Kazuki almost felt bad for Uraraka, but she wasn't a friend like Yaoyorozu, so it was what it was. Nothing against her, but Kazuki hoped she'd lose.

"She looks ready to kick ass, doesn't she?" Jiro asked, making Yaoyorozu's resolute look melt into an embarrassed one.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about," Jiro replied with a smirk on her face.

"I hate you."

"No, you don't," everyone else save for Todoroki told her. The poor guy looked a little confused, but he didn't seem to feel bad or left out, really. Kazuki didn't want to wait until that happened though, so, in the spirit of avoiding that, he changed the topic.

"Her gadgets are pretty good," he commented, turning his attention back to the stage where Hatsume continued her showcase while Kendo was… there. "It's a little questionable to do this though, or is it just me?" he asked with a bemused expression.

"Definitely not just you, man," Mineta agreed.

"It goes against the spirit of the event, even if the point is for us to show ourselves to the world. A support course student might have a different goal, but this is still not how it should be done," Todoroki offered as a response, expression mostly flat, if a little thoughtful. "That's what I think, at least."

"Glad to know it's not me being weird."

"You are weird though," Hagakure pointed out and he just turned to stare roughly at where her eyes should be.

"She's not wrong," Mineta agreed with a sage nod.

Ultimately, Kazuki just sighed and decided to focus on the fight going on in the battlefield. There was still stuff to learn about both participants, even if the match wasn't the best. On top of that, he could take a moment to think about something other than the tournament by thinking of what kind of support equipment he could get.

After all, he was basically a Quirkless guy himself, as far as his body was concerned. Support equipment couldn't really get in the way of his grimm creation and he wished some gadget would get in the way of his sensing. As of that moment, his hero costume was basically just clothes and some first aid and generic tools on his belt. 'I can do better than that,' he thought.

Then again, he did have that one idea about-

"That's definitely against the spirit of things," Mineta pointed out and everyone nodded with him, looking at the stage in bafflement. Hatsume had just gave up after she was done explaining and showing off her gadgets. She'd just raised her hand and declared that she gave up.

Kendo was about as pleased as Kazuki knew the crowd to be with that move. Between that and being in his team, he really hoped Hatsume hadn't shot herself on the foot. She seemed like the kind of person not to realize that would happen.

"Well, your turn, Beauty. Good luck," Kazuki said, watching Yaoyorozu stand up, still a little… confused by Hatsume's display. She shook that off quickly down, making her way out of the room and towards the stage. Uraraka left right afterwards too, looking very determined too.

No offense to her, but Kazuki thought the expression looked a little out of place on her though.

"Thoughts?"

"Beauty wins," Hagakure answered instantly, making him chuckle. "How can you even ask, Creepy? I'll tell her."

"Snitch," he replied jokingly, drawing a dramatic gasp from the girl. "Uraraka doesn't have much to work with in a flat, empty field," he added, tilting his head. "If Yaoyorozu doesn't mess up majorly, she should win this… That's what I think."

"I mean, I'm not arguing and I'm on her side too," Mineta started, frowning in thought. "But Uraraka's not dumb and she didn't look defeated going there. I'd imagine she has a plan or two…"

"So, Yaoyorozu has more chances, but Uraraka has some anyway?" Todoroki asked, looking like he was considering that for a moment. "Yeah, I can see that."

"They are having a bonding moment, Rocky," Kazuki heard Hagakure mumble to the side, failing spectacularly at stealth. It was very obviously not her intention to keep that conversation a secret. "Isn't it moving?"

"Don't look now," Jiro followed along, placing a hand to cover her mouth as if that did anything with how loud she was talking. Meanwhile, Todoroki, Mineta and Kazuki himself just stared at the two. "But I think you might have ruined it."

"And I think we might need new friends," Mineta deadpanned, drawing twin gasps from the girls. "I blame you for this, Creepy."

"Wait, what? I did nothing!"

"I don't know," Todoroki joined Mineta then with a thoughtful hum. "He makes a compelling argument."

"He made no argument at all!" Kazuki protested. "These weirdos aren't my fault."

"Excuse me?!"

"Guys, come on!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. Then he sighed as his friends started laughing. "You guys suck," he grumbled, leaning back against this seat and staring at the stage, even if things were still being set up.

Eventually though, Yaoyorozu and Uraraka stood on the field, face to face, and it was time for the show to go on. The group fell silent then, waiting to see how one of their own would do. Idly, Kazuki wondered if they'd been like this when he'd been about to fight himself.

"Begin!" Midnight called and both girls rushed into action. Uraraka dashed to the side, using her Quirk on herself. Yaoyorozu, for her part, started creating something from her arm. Something that made the ones in them all flinch except for Todoroki, who didn't know any better.

"Ouch, Uraraka's not going to have a good time," Kazuki muttered, drawing agreement from everyone else as they watched Yaoyorozu create a rope from her arm. When her opponent looked like she was going in for an attack, she just swung the cord at her, making Uraraka jump.

And that's when she screwed up because there were only two things she could do in the air. She could stay there and be an easy target or she could release her Quirk's power and drop down. There was a moment's hesitation then before Uraraka chose the latter option.

Not that it was much better than the alternative, really.

Yaoyorozu gave a second swing of her rope weapon, now finished and with a small weight the size of a fist at the end. Her opponent dodged again but now she was getting speed with the newly created weapon. 'And once she gets going, there's nothing but pain afterwards,' he thought wryly. He'd know, his Nevermore had been what caused the creation of this and everyone in their group knew what it was like to be at the end of that rope.

Especially when it wrapped around you and you got hit with the steel ball at the end.

Uraraka got a taste of that after dodging some swings herself. After all, the more Yaoyorozu twirled the thing around, the more speed it got. The girl had gotten hit herself while getting used to the thing, but after some practice? They'd had to make some rules because everyone was tired of that bullshit thing.

Her opponent didn't have any such protection, however, and Uraraka was swiftly swung by the rope and smacked against the outside of the stage.

"Well, I guess I expected too much," Mineta commented.

"Unlucky her," Hagakure added.

"Better Uraraka than me," Jiro said, drawing agreeing hums from all of them, even Todoroki. The ice and fire user clearly had learned what was what right then and there. "Your turn again, by the way, both of you."

"Yeah," Kazuki said softly, running his fingers through his hair. "Yes, it is," he added, turning to share a look with Todoroki.

It was time for their fight.

[} Chapter End {]

Hey guys! How's it going?

I know I kind of basically skipped a few fights, but if I actually took the time to flesh out all the fights in the tournament we'd be here forever. This arc is already going to be long enough without that, honestly. I hope that's not a problem for you, guys.

I also hope you enjoyed the chapter, of course.

As always, if you can't wait until next week for next chapter, or if you just feel like supporting my writing, there's up to three new chapters in my Pa tre on:

P a treon . com (slash) AdrianKing

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Random Question: How's that Top 3 looking?

See you.