Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.
Dikratsblim - Thank you so much. The fact that you laughed out loud is one of the greatest compliments I ever received. It's really inspiring.
Neo Infinity - I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Karminari does have his perverted moments, but other then that he's fine. I'll portray him in a better light later on. While Mineta...not even God can give him redeeming qualities.
Wow123 - Thank you so much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
RubixJr - Fantastic, I'm so glad you liked it. Lewis has definitely proved himself a hero for doing that. However, I think Cheer-wood will haunt Lewis a very long time.
djinn - Hello again. I had no idea where I came up with that idea. I think Mumei Mu's 'Loverly Class' inspired me. A great fanfic that sadly stopped updating. Anyway, I'm glad you liked the choices and I think he would go to Sir Nighteye's agency and then interns with Miruko in a later arc.
Freakyfreak - Thanks so much. It's yours and everybody's constant support that inspires me to keep on writing. So thank you.
Jojo - (Sigh) Yeah. Thankfully, it's not permanent. Well...let's hope anyway.
Guest - Thank you so much. That was certainly the most enthusiastic review I ever received. I don't think anybody has told me to stop (well not yet anyway) so don't worry about that.
wellingtonlucas282 - You are way too kind. I make too many spelling/grammar mistakes that it is honestly embarrassing. But your support is amazing and love the fact that somebody is reading my work on a different continent. It's absolutely brilliant! Muito obrigado (I hope I wrote that correctly) and enjoy the next chapter.
Lelouch of Zero - I quite agree. Lewis is certainly more confident than me, that's for sure. The third event will definitely be difficult for Lewis, but I'm sure he'll think of a way.
Thank you all for reviewing :)
Language keys:
"English,"
"Japanese,"
Quirk analysis
Chapter 14: The First Round
By the time Lewis was done being scolded by his uncle over the phone, the field had been converted into a battle pitch. Cementoss, a hero and teacher of UA who looked like a humanoid block of cement with grey hair tied in a short ponytail, used his quirk:
Cement: allows him to manipulate any cement-based material that he touches, allowing him to deform the object into various shapes and sizes, changing its appearance.
to form the rectangular pitch where the contestants would fight.
He then formed a chair out of cement and watched at the side of the pitch in case it got damage during the fighting.
The tension in the audience was abuzz as they waited eagerly for the tournament to begin, much to Lewis's despair. Although, he supposes he couldn't blame them, it was kind of exciting.
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Present Mic announced, "welcome back for the battle tournament! Let's give it up for her first two fighters!"
The audience roared and cheered as Midoriya and Shinso walked out onto the field and stepped on the pitch. Although they were far away, Lewis knew that their faces were filled with determination.
"On one side, it is Izuku Midoriya from the Hero Course!" Present Mic continued, while Midoriya rubbed his hands in anticipation, "versus Hitoshi Shinso from General Studies," Shinso rubbed his neck with a serious expression, "the rules are simple! Immobilise your opponent or force them out of the ring! You can also win by getting the other person to throw in the towel!"
Lewis saw a blonde person peaking out of the tunnel the Midoriya exited and instantly knew who it was. Checking if nobody was looking at him, Lewis disappeared next to Toshinori in the tunnel.
"Mr Yagi," Lewis said, making the older man jump and spit up some blood.
Toshinori turned to Lewis with a small glare, "Jeez kid, don't do that," he scolded, wiping the blood from his mouth.
"Sorry," Lewis apologised sheepishly, "I saw you in the stands and wanted to say hi."
Toshinori chuckled slightly before turning back to the field, "I don't think your allowed to be down here, but I won't say anything," he told him, making Lewis give him a thankful smile, "You fought against young Shinso in the cavalry battle, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"What do you make of him?"
Lewis frowned slightly and looked out at the pitch, "He's smart and has a strong quirk, but years of bullying and quirk discrimination is dragging him down. He doesn't have a lot of combat experience so he will probably provoke Midoriya and then use his quirk once he's vulnerable. The same thing he tried to do with my team."
"My thoughts exactly," Toshinori hummed, "Do you think young Midoryia can win?"
"Depends," Lewis answered seriously, "if Midoryia doesn't fall for Shinso's tricks then he has the upper hand. Although…" Lewis sighed," it only takes one slip up and it's game over for Midoryia."
Toshinori nodded wearily before looking at Lewis, "You know for someone who doesn't like fighting you are very knowledgeable of it," he observed, earning a small glare from Lewis.
"Let the match begin!" Midnight announced as she cracked her whip.
The two turned back to the pitch. Neither Midoriya nor Shinso made any movement, it was clear that they were being cautious of each other. As predicted, Lewis saw Shinso talk to his opponent try to use his quirk, but unfortunately, he was too far away for him to hear anything.
"Mr Yagi, can you hear what he's saying?" Lewis asked.
Toshnori shook his head, "Not in this form, but I don't doubt that young Shinso is antagonising young Midoriya."
"Well, as long as doesn't-"
"What did you sa-" Midoriya shouted suddenly before he was enthralled by Shinso's quirk.
"…respond to his insults," Lewis finished in despair.
The green haired teen stood rigidly on the pitch as Shinso grinned victoriously. The audience seemed stunned by how he suddenly stopped.
Shinso said something else and Midoriya turned on his heel and walked back his end of the pitch slowly. Lewis can now see the effects of Shinso's quirk. The glazed eyes, the slightly awed expression, the stiff movements. There is nothing Midoriya can do.
"What are you doing, kid?" Toshnori questioned in an alarmed whisper, "Get back in there and show what you're made of," he turned to Lewis in panic, "Is there a way he can snap out of it?"
Lewis racked his brain, trying to remember what he could do. Then he recalled what happened when Karminari shocked everyone.
"A physical shock like a slap or a push could wake him up, but I don't see how he can do that on his own. I can throw a card at him," Lewis suggested, flicking his hand to make a card appear.
Toshinori shook his head, "No, that would be cheating," he told him as Lewis made the card disappear.
The only thing they could is watch in horror as Midoriya stepped closer and closer to the edge. He was only one step away from losing the match and being out of tournament.
However, just when Midoriya was about to step over the line, Lewis noticed his index and middle fingers start to glow with power and start to spark with electricity. Lewis eyes widened in shock when he saw those fingers start to bend and they…
…they snapped.
An explosion of power erupted through the arena. Lewis had to shield his eyes from the dust sent hurtling in all directions., It was so powerful that even members of the audience in the top seats felt the gust of wind from the pitch. Soon the wind died down and the dust around Midoriya began to settle down to reveal, to the shock and joy of the audience, that Midoriya's foot was still in the pitch.
The audience roared in astonishment as Midoriya seemed to have snapped out of his trance and was looking around. Toshinori and Lewis were overjoyed that he was back to normal and waved the green haired teen to turn around and continue the match. Midoriya did so, but this time he was not falling into Shinso's trap.
"That was close," Toshinori sighed in relief as he turned to Lewis.
Only to find that he was sitting on the floor with his back to the wall.
"You doing alright?" he asked with a cornered look.
"Yeah…" Lewis sighed, "it was just a very stressful moment. I'll be okay in a few moments," he told him, earning a small chuckle from the older man before he turned back.
As Lewis was trying to get his nerves under control, he began to think about what just happened.
'There's no doubt about it,' Lewis thought, 'One For All snapped Midoriya out his trance. But why did it awaken all by itself? Did he do it subconsciously or is there something else to the quirk?'
Lewis decided to address these questions later and concentrated on the match. Midoriya was now pushing Shinso out of the pitch. The purple haired boy was trying to fight back, but it was clear that he was losing. Finally, Midoriya managed to judo flip Shinso out of the pitch and Midnight announced Midoriya's victory.
The crowd applauded and cheered for Midoriya while Shinso sat up and fought down the aching in his back. The purple haired teen looked at the board announcing his opponent's victory and sighed sadly at his defeat.
Lewis obviously felt bad for Shinso, but at least he put up a good fight. He waited for him to go back into his tunnel and turned to Toshinori.
"I'm going to talk to Shinso. Can you tell Midoriya that I'll meet him at the infirmary," Lewis requested.
Toshinori nodded, "Of course, young Fleetwood. If I don't see you before your match, then I wish you good luck."
"Thanks Mr Yagi," Lewis said before he disappeared as soon Toshinori blinked.
Tunnel Exit, Arena
Shinso stare at the ground and shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the dark tunnel. He was very disappointed that he lost, but at least he won some respect from his fellow classmates. A General Studies student making it to the tournament round was still impressive.
The purple haired teen noticed a presence in front of him and looked up to see Lewis smiling kindly at him. He raised an eyebrow, curious as to why he was here.
"Hey Shinso, well done out there," Lewis said, making Shinso snort.
"Yeah thanks," he muttered miserably.
"Come on, don't be like that. If Midoriya didn't do…whatever he did, you would've won," Lewis encouraged, "Not only that, but you did better than most of the Hero Course students. That's something to be impressed of."
A small smile crept onto Shinso's face, meaning Lewis had succeeded in cheering him up.
"I suppose," he reluctantly said as he began walking down the corridor.
Lewis laughed a little, "That's the spirit," he cheerfully said as he walked alongside him, "I was wondering if you would be interested in this."
Lewis made a flyer appear in his hand and passed it to Shinso. The purple haired teen took it and inspected it with slight curiosity.
"I'm setting up a club for non-hero students who are interested in learning how to do hero stuff like First Aid, self-defence, what to do if there was an emergency, etc, etc," Lewis explained, "if you still want to be part of the hero course than I think this will be beneficial."
Shinso hummed in interest, "Who else is joining?"
"…Well, no one at the moment," Lewis sheepishly admitted, "I still need to ask the principle for permission, but I believe it would great for not only you, but all of U.A. It's like being in the Hero Course, but you won't be attacked by villains on the third day," Lewis joked.
Shinso gave him a concerned look.
"That's a joke," Lewis reassured, "I'm sure we won't be attacked again."
Lewis didn't know why he felt a foreboding shiver go down his spine when he said that.
They stopped an intersection and Shinso looked down at the flyer again, still unsure about whether to join.
"I'm not forcing you or anything, but if you don't mind spreading the word about it. I could use the support," Lewis told him with a small smile.
The purple haired teen glanced up at Lewis and sighed, "Fine, I'll think about it," he told him as he folded the flyer and put it in his pocket.
"Thanks so much," Lewis said with a wide smile.
Shinso rolled his eyes and began to walk away, "I said I'll think about it. I haven't agreed to anything."
"That's still good," Lewis called out to him.
With a proud smile on his face, Lewis headed in the direction of the infirmary.
"Hey Fleetwood," Shinso called out, making Lewis stop and turn to him, "how did you figure out my quirk?"
Lewis gave him an amused expression, "You tried to use it on me during the entrance exam," Lewis answered, much to Shinso's surprise.
"Damn, since then?" Shinso asked.
Lewis shrugged, "Well, it took me a while to figure out the details," he admitted, "You know, I would have helped you if you had asked."
"I know that now," Shinso grumbled, turning away once more, "see you, Fleetwood. Good luck with your match," he called over his shoulder.
"You too," he called back before realising his mistake, "damn, sorry I meant…" he noticed that Shinso had turned a corner and was out of sight, "…and he's gone. That's embarrassing," he sighed to himself before walking away to the infirmary.
Infirmary
Lewis knocked and opened the door to Recovery Girl's temporary infirmary in the arena. He smiled once he saw Midoryia and Toshinori who looked up at Lewis as soon as he entered.
"Hey Midoriya," Lewis said with a small wave, "how's the fingers?"
Midoriya smiled and wiggled his no longer broken fingers at him, "All better, thanks to Recovery Girl."
"And they better stay like that," Recovery Girl called out from her office desk while giving Midoriya a glare.
Midoriya gulped and nodded frantically, "O-of course," he stammered,
"You two should get back to your seats," Toshinori urged, "and you, young Fleetwood, have a match to prepare for."
"Don't remind me," Lewis moaned, earning a chuckle from everybody in the room.
Midoriya followed Lewis out of the infirmary and headed to their seats. The two teens walked in silence for a few moments before Lewis started to ask about the match.
"So, what happened when you were under Shinso's control?"
"How do you mean?" Midoriya asked in confusion.
Lewis raised an eyebrow, "Your fingers broke and snapped you out of it. Was it- you know what?" he hinted.
Midoriya frowned when he brought the subject up. He looked to be struggling to find the right words to describe what happened and Lewis noticed this.
"You know what," Lewis suddenly said, "it's none of business. You don't have to tell me."
Midoriya sighed sadly, "Sorry Fleetwood. I would tell you but-"
"It's fine. Anyway, I've got something to tell you," Lewis said, catching the green haired teen's attention.
Lewis told him what happened to his hand during the cavalry battle. How he pictured the back of Monoma's head, then looking down and seeing it gone, his miniature panic attack and how it suddenly appeared again. Once he told him everything, Midoriya looked at him with a bemused expression.
'Did I freak him out?' Lewis nervously thought, waiting for whatever his friend was about to tell him.
...
...
...
...
"You really thought it was leprocy?" he asked in confusion, making Lewis hang his head in despair.
"In my defence, I was under a lot of stress to think about my bloody quirk," Lewis said, earning an apologetic smile from Midoriya, "anyway what do you think?"
Midoriya bowed his head and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Interesting. I mean it's not impossible that your quirk could develop into something else, but it's weird that it took that direction. You would think that once a part of your body is away from the main body the nervous system would be severed, but how you described it, the body part acted like it was still attached. Does it mean you can teleport other parts of your body like your head without dying? How long can you maintain the disconnection? Would it-"
Midoriya began to start to mumble into his hand as Lewis sweat dropped at his antics. It was way too fast for Lewis to follow, but he was sure even a native Japanese speaker would find his muttering unintelligible.
"Err..,Midoriya. Your mumbling again," Lewis said, snapping the green haired boy out of it.
"Oh sorry," Midoriya sheepishly apologised, "Are you able to do it again? Maybe I can see with my own eyes."
"Let's see," Lewis told him before raising his right hand up so both can see.
Lewis concentrated. He tried to relive the moment that it happened and stared intently at his hand. Sadly, nothing happened and Lewis lowered his hand in defeat.
"It was worth a try," Midoriya said with a shrug, "we should get back to our seats. I think Todoroki is fighting Sero."
"Oh... yeah," Lewis sighed, thinking about his stoic classmate.
Midoriya noticed the sigh, "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah...I'm just worried about Todoroki. I know she's suffering, but every time I try to talk to her she gives me the cold shoulder. Literally," Lewis told him as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "maybe I have been too forceful with her. I guess I have been pretty annoying," he admitted sadly.
Lewis noticed how quiet Midoriya had become and glanced over at him. His classmate had a look that suggested he was hiding something from him, so Lewis stopped him.
"What's wrong?"
"N-nothing."
"Midoriya, I've already told you that your a bad liar. Is it about Todoroki? Please tell me. I'm really worried about her," Lewis inquired.
Midoriya looked up at his concerned expression and reluctantly gave in.
"Well...after the cavalry battle, Todoroki pulled me to the side and started interrogating me...about All Might and me."
Lewis eyes widened in shock. He had been so careful to keep their secret safe and couldn't believe that Todoroki caught on. Lewis doubted that she would do anything with this information since he didn't think she was the type of person who blackmails, but it was still essential information.
"What did she say?" Lewis asked, fearing the worse.
Midoriya took a deep breath and looked up into Lewis' eyes.
"She asked me if I was All Might's secret love child."
...
...
...
...
Lewis blinked in disbelief, "I...beg your...pardon."
"She asked me if I was All Might's secret love child," Midoriya repeated.
...
...
...
...
Lewis burst laughter, making Midoriya jump back in surprise. He was laughing so hard that tears were starting to form in his eyes and if he didn't have his back pressed against the wall, he would have fallen over.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Secret love child! HAHAHA!" Lewis shouted through fits of laughter.
Midoriya gave him a deadpanned look, "Why is that so funny?" feeling slightly insulted.
Lewis laughter started to slowly die down as he wiped the tears from his eyes.
"Sorry," he said though a giggle, "it just that it sounded like something from a soap opera," he explained before chuckling, "I never knew she could be so adorable," he said without thinking.
Midoriya eyes widened at what he said, "Did you call Todoroki...adorable?" he asked in shock.
Lewis instantly stopped laughing and blushed in embarrassment.
"Well...I mean, after that, you have to admit that she's kind of adorable," Lewis admitted before coughing nervously, "she's definitely pretty...beautiful even, in a...ice princess way. You know what I mean?"
Midoriya gave him a confused look and so Lewis decided to go back to what they were talking about.
"Anyway," Lewis cleared his throat once again as he still had a large blush, "what else did she say?"
Midoriya frowned, internally debating whether he should tell him. One one hand, it was not his place to say, but on the other, he felt like he should tell someone. And Lewis was definitely the best candidate.
"Midoriya," Lewis said, making him look up at him, "please," he quietly begged.
With another reluctant sigh, Midoriya told him Todoroki's history. How her father, Endeavour the number two hero ranked of Japan, forced his wife's family into a marriage. How he tore Todoroki away from her siblings so he can train her to become the 'perfect' hero. How he physically and psychologically assaulted her and her mother. And how her mother was pushed to the breaking point that she had a mental break down and gave her the scar over her eye.
Lewis listened to all of this...
...and he...was...furious.
Never in his life had he felt more appalled and sickened. However, Lewis kept a calm exterior, despite the fury boiling inside him. He pulled out his phone and started to type something, much to Midoriya's confusion.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Calling the police," he calmly told him as he held the phone to his ear.
"What why!?"
Lewis gave him an odd look, "What do you mean why? What you described was a crime and I am reporting it," he told him as he waited for the other end to pick up.
Suddenly Midoriya snatched the phone from his ear and pressed the end call button to Lewis's anger.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing!?" Lewis demanded crossly, trying to get his phone back.
Midoriya pulled his phone out of reach, "Please, Todoroki trusted me with this information," he begged.
"Midoriya, this goes way beyond earning someone's trust; this is serious crime that has been going on for God knows how long," he argued as he tried to swipe his phone again.
"But Endeavour will get into trouble."
"Yeah, that's the point."
"But you don't have any evidence."
"Todoroki has siblings; I'm sure they would love to testify."
"Fleetwood please stop," Midoryia demanded.
"Why!? Why should I stop!?"
"Because I don't think Todoroki would want that!" Midoriya shouted, making Lewis take a few steps back in surprise.
"What?" Lewis quietly asked.
Midoriya took a deep breath before speaking in a calmer voice, "Todoroki wants to show her father that she can be a hero without using her fire quirk that she inherited from him. However, I don't think she wants to have him arrested for what he did. She might actually hate you more. Didn't you just say that you were being too forceful with her."
"But-"
"Think of the repercussions it will cause to the nation. Putting one of the highest ranking heroes into jail would put the hero governing body under fire by both the public and media. Not only that, but the scandal will give the villains an opportunity to attack more often and therefore put more pressure on All Might and every other hero."
"Yeah but-"
"Fleetwood don't get me wrong; I know what you are doing is right, but I don't think that's the best move. Not yet anyway. Let this one go," Midoriya finished as Lewis bowed his head in defeat.
'He's right,' Lewis reluctantly thought, 'I shouldn't make waves. Todoroki is her own person, and she knows best.'
Lewis sighed, "Fine. I won't call the police," he promised, "and I'm sorry for shouting at you. That was very mean of me."
Midoriya had small smile on his face as he gave his phone back to him, "It's fine. I'm sorry for shouting at you too…and for stealing your phone," he apologised.
Lewis nodded, "Friends?" he asked as he held his hand out.
"Friends," Midoriya agreed as he shook his hand and ended the argument.
'Wow! He admitted we were friends!' the two boys thought excitedly at the same time. This was the first time they both had a friend in years, so it was a bid deal for them.
The roar of the audience sounded from somewhere and looked towards where it came from.
"Looks like we missed the match," Lewis observed disappointedly.
"I wonder who won th-" Midoriya began to say before they heard the sound of wheels coming towards them.
The two looked down the hallway and their eyes widened in surprise as they saw Sero shivering on a portable bed. He looked like he had been recently thawed out of a giant block of ice, his face was flushed, his teeth were chattering, and they were still pieces of ice on him. They moved to side of the hallway so the nurses can push the bed pass them. Sero spotted them and gave a shaky wave.
"H-h-h-hey g-g-guys-s-s," he greeted before he was pushed to Recovery Girl's office.
They watched him and the nurses push him down the corridor until they were out of sight. Lewis looked towards Midoriya with an awkward look.
"No offence to Sero, but I totally predicted that would happen," Lewis admitted.
Midoriya also had a sheepish smile, "Yeah, so did I."
Class 1A Seats
A while later and Lewis and Midoriya were back with their class. Midoriya had decided to sit next to Ochako near the front while Lewis sat next to Mina and Hagakure.
Lewis couldn't help but chuckle slightly at the match between Karminari and Shiozaki. The electric boy tried to zap her his quirk, but Shiozaki simply blocked it and restrained him with her hair, winning the match.
"Karminari is not the most strategical of people is he," Lewis observed.
"You can say that again," Mina agreed with a nod.
"You know Shiozaki is pretty strong," Hagakure said as her uniform moved up as is she was pointing down at the pitch, "I wonder why she wasn't in our class."
Lewis smiled and turned to the invisible girl, "Just because Shiozaki is strong doesn't mean she would be automatically put into Class 1A. U.A assigned the class not based on strength or how useful our quirks are, but how varied our skillsets are. Some of us better fighters or better lookouts or better rescuers. I say that 1B is just as strong as 1A and really the only difference is a letter difference," Lewis explained.
"Oh ho! Don't make me laugh!" the voice of Monoma called out.
The class groaned and turned to the wall divider that the blond was trying to climb over.
"1B equal in strength to 1A. It looks like you really are delusional, Fleetwood," Monoma manically called out.
"How…long have you been up there?" Lewis asked in slight concern.
Momona cackled, "That's for me to know and for you to NEVER FIND OUT!" he shouted before laughing crazily again.
"…alright. I'm fine with that," Lewis muttered with a sweat drop.
THWACK!
Kendo instantly dealt with Monoma in her usual way. Her head popped over the wall divided, and she gave Lewis an apologetic smile.
"Sorry about that. I was away from my station," she apologised.
"Instead of being his babysitter, why don't you teach him not to do that anymore?" Hagakure asked, in slight annoyance.
"It's…harder than it looks," Kendo admitted as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Have you ever considered buying a leash for him?" Lewis joked, making Kendo giggle.
"That's a good idea. I'll ask our teacher," she joked back before they laughed together.
Mina looked between the orange haired girl and Lewis and pouted slightly at their interaction. She hugged Lewis' arm and grinned up at him, making Lewis blush.
"We should really get down there. Our match is about to begin," she told him.
Lewis' eyes widened in realisation, "Oh right," he said before turning back to Kendo, "sorry we need to go."
Kendo frowned slightly in disappointment, but hid it well with a smile, "Alright, good luck then," she said before ducking her behind the wall divider.
Lewis was about to stand up when he saw who was fighting. Hatsume stood on one side of the pitch with her usual mad grin. She was kitted out in support gear she brought to the Sports Festival waiting for the match to begin.
However, what was unusual was that her opponent, Iida, was also wearing some support gear.
"Where did Iida get that?" Lewis asked in confusion.
"I heard that Hatsume gave it to him," Momo answered from her seat, "apparently to make it a fair fight."
Lewis frowned as he tried to figure out why Hatsume would do that, but soon it dawned on him.
"Oh Hatsume," Lewis sighed before he sat back down in his seat.
Mina blinked in surprise, "Aren't we going down?" she asked.
Lewis shook his head, "Each match has a ten minute limit, right?"
Mina nodded in confirmation.
"Then there's no need to rush," Lewis cryptically said, earning a perplexed look from Mina before she decided to sit down as well.
"From the hero course Tenya Iida!" Present Mic announced, "versus, fully-equipped with support items! From the Support Course, Mei Hatsume!"
With a wide grin, Hatsume lowered a microphone attached to her helmet over her mouth and pressed a button. She giggled eerily as she heard the wireless microphone connect to the arena's speakers in preparation for her demonstration.
"Let the fourth match begin!" Present Mic cried starting the fight and making Iida sprint towards Hatsume.
"Don't your legs feel lighter than usual?" Hatsume announced, her voice carrying through the speakers, "that's to be expected! I designed those leg parts specifically to improve speed and mobility!"
She seemed completely unfazed by Iida who was closing in on her. Just before everybody thought he was going to attack, a metal expendable pole shot out of Hatsume contraption on her back, making her shoot into the air and Iida to inelegantly trip over the pole.
"But of course," Hatsume continued, "I can still easily evade you with my hydraulic attachments!"
"What is she doing?" Kirishima asked in confusion.
"It's like she's giving a demonstration of her support gear," Sato added.
Lewis held his head in his hands, "I probably should have warned Iida of Hatsume," he muttered guiltily as said girl kept on showing off her gear, mure to the ire of Iida.
"And who developed all of these items!?" Hatsume announced as Iida was trying to get out of a red net, "It was me, Mei Hatsume! The choice is clear Mei Hatsume! Mei Hatsume! Mei Hatsume!" she cried proudly.
"I'm sorry, Iida," Lewis softly said into his hands.
"Of course, I can't take all the credit, although it pains me to say!" Hatsume continued, making Lewis look up, "my guinea pig had helped me develop my babies either as a test subject or as a source of inspiration!"
'That's me. I'm the guinea pig',' Lewis thought.
"I am grateful for all his assistance in being able to show off my beautiful babies! I couldn't of done it without ya!"
Lewis smiled happily, 'Aww Hatsume. I didn't know you felt that way. I'm happy to have assisted you,' he thought, seeing the mad inventor in a new light.
"So before I show off the rest of my items, I would like to thank Lewis Fleetwood...FOR BEING THE FATHER OF MY BABIES!" Hatsume proclaimed, making the smile instantly drop from Lewis' face.
A hush fell over the 1A seating area as the entire class all simultaneously turned to Lewis with blank stares. Lewis himself was starting to look pale as he swore he heard a funeral bell toll in the distance.
"I'm not having a great day," Lewis quietly muttered to himself in despair.
"Whoops!" Hatsume followed up as she stuck her tongue out innocently, "Sorry didn't mean to phrase it that way!"
"You totally knew what you were doing!" Lewis shouted at her from his seat, knowing full well that she planned this.
Hatsume heard him and turned to him with a wide grin and a thumbs up before turning back to the audience, "Now let's see what else I can show you!"
Lewis moaned tiredly, noting that the entire class was still staring at him blankly. He glanced up at the timer displayed on the screen.
"Nine more minutes," he sighed.
Nine minutes later
Hatsume nonchalantly stepped off the pitch with a satisfied smile, happy that she was able to show off her gear. She briefly apologised to an livid Iida before walking into the exit tunnel.
Lewis shook his head in disappointment, "That was painful to watch," he said to himself.
Mina had left a bit earlier, but Lewis decided to stay behind and watch and listen to some music to get into a fighting mood. The song 'Size Of A Cow' by the Wonder Stuff just ended and Lewis stood up to get to his position.
"Hey Fleetwood," Mineta called out, earning a curious look from Lewis.
'Is he...going to wish me luck? I thought he didn't like me,' Lewis thought in surprise.
"See if you can somehow get Mina to melt her own clothes off," he said with a thumb's up and a wink.
"Don't you ever get exhausted being the worst person!?" Lewis shouted at him angrily.
The Pitch
"Let's start the next round!" Present Mic announced, "on one side is our horned hero. From the hero course is Mina Ashido!" he presented as said girl waved to the crowd excitedly, "versus the Ameri- Oh sorry -the Englishman and temporary cheerleader," Lewis grumbled in annoyance, "also from the Hero Course, it's Lewis Fleetwood!"
Lewis shakily stood on the pitch facing his classmate, still not used to all the attention. He took a deep breath and focused on Mina who gave him a confident smirk.
"Ready to have your butt kicked," Mina taunted from her side of the pitch.
Lewis smirked back at her, "Don't get cocky. We haven't started yet," Lewis called back in English.
Mina's smile dropped slightly in confusion, "What?"
"You'll find out in our English lessons," Lewis said with a teasingly.
Mina eyes widened in realisation before she grinned again, "Oh very funny," she sarcastically said.
Lewis chuckled slightly, but on the inside he was not so confident. It became clear that this is going to be a struggle for Lewis. Here are the advantages and disadvantages he's working with:
Advantages:
1) He's physically stronger than Mina
2) He's better at hand to hand combat
3) They're fairly equal in agility
Disadvantages:
1) Mina can actually use her quirk
2) She has close and long range attacks
3) She has close and long range defence
4) She has better mobility
5) Lewis doesn't have the luxury of sneak attacks
6) Although Lewis was more strategic in his fighting, Mina's speedy approach is just as effective. Especially in their environment.
In conclusion, Mina was the obvious winner.
Lewis predicted that Mina will used her acid to move quickly around the pitch while assaulting him with acid attacks. The only option she would give him was to surrender or force him off the pitch.
'I have no way of winning this,' Lewis thought miserably before his face lit up in realisation, "unless..."
"Let the match begin!" Present Mic proclaimed and almost instantly Mina took off.
She began to circle Lewis, making sure he wouldn't be able to get close to her. As Lewis predicted, Mina began to pelt him with acid which he nimbly avoided.
'Sorry Neko chan,' Mina thought guiltily, 'It's an unfair fight, but if you step out the pitch I can treat you on our date,' she blushed slightly when at the mention of their deal.
Lewis kept on dodging her attacks, slowly backing to the edge of the pitch.
'Come on. A little bit closer,' Lewis encouraged himself as he got closer and closer to the edge.
Soon his heels were right next to the white lines, threatening to step over and lose the match. Mina stood a few feet in front of him, no longer able to circle him.
"Oh no! It looks like Ashido has cornered Fleetwood! What will he do now!?" Present Mic commentated.
Mina was confident in what to do. She would aim a couple of acid attacks at his chest, forcing him to duck. Once he's distracted she would rush to him and push him over the edge. She was about to carry out her plan before she realised something.
'Wait a minute' Mina thought, 'It's a trap. As soon as I get close enough he's going to grab me and throw him out the pitch,' she smiled victorious, 'nice try. I'll make it seem I fell for it. But before I get too close, I'll stop and send an acid attack at his feet. He will have no choice but to back away,' she decided as she slid towards him.
Acid started to form in her hands, but before she could throw it, Lewis did something she wasn't expecting.
He suddenly sprinted at her.
Mina gasped in shock and almost tripped over. She only had few seconds to act before Lewis tried to tackle her. She leaped frogged over him, almost tripping over at the landing.
"Whoa! Fleetwood tried to tackle Ashido! What a unexpected manoeuvre!" Present Mic announced excitedly, as the crowd roared.
'Okay, I wasn't expecting that,' Mina internally said, 'he must be taken a more physical approach since he can't trick me.'
She spun around and helped as Lewis rushed at her again. She jumped back to avoid a swipe of his arm and formed acid in her hands to defend herself on.
"I didn't think you were the type to hit a girl," Mina teased at Lewis.
"Oh, I wasn't trying to hit you," Lewis replied with a grin.
Mina looked at him confusion before she heard Midnight's whip crack over at her podium.
"Ashido is out of bounds," Midnight declared, "Fleetwood is the winner!"
"What!?" Mina shouted in shock before she looked down at her feet. She gasped once she saw that her right foot had passed the white line. She must of went over when he tried to swipe at her. He led her into a fake trap so she could fall into the real trap.
"No way! He did trick me!" she exclaimed before falling to her knees in defeat, "Aww man and I had the advantage as well."
"Sorry Mina," Lewis kindly said as he held his hand out for Mina to take, "You really had me in a corner though. Your strategy was impressive."
Mina looked at his hand for a moment before smiling and taking it. He pulled her to her feet and they both walked towards the exit tunnel.
"We don't have to do the tutor session if you don't want to," Lewis told her, "we can just get an ice cream or something."
Mina giggled at his offer, but shook her head in denial, "Nah, don't worry. I really do need help with my English," she admitted sheepishly, "I just don't get it all."
"It's a very hard language," Lewis said, "But I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. Do you want to meet at a library?"
Mina shook her head, "I don't work well in libraries."
"What about your house, then?"
"No!" Mina firmly denied, making Lewis jump in surprise.
Mina coughed in embarrassment at her outburst, "I m-mean why don't I meet at your place. If that's alright."
It wasn't as if she was embarrassed about her home or anything like that. She just didn't want her mother to know about Lewis yet. She can be...excitable when she brings a boy over to the house and she didn't want her to scare another one away.
"That's fine with me," Lewis agreed.
They heard footsteps coming down the tunnel and turned to see Momo walking towards them. She seemed to be in deep thought as she maintained a plain expression.
"Yaomomo!" Mina shouted, snapping her out of her though, "Are you going to your match?"
Momo gave her a small smile, "Indeed, I am," she said before turning to Lewis, "congratulations on your victory."
Lewis rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Thanks. It was a close one. Who are you fighting against?"
"Fumikage," she answered, earning a worried him from Lewis.
"He's a tough opponent," Lewis informed, "I've seen Dark Shadow in action at the USJ. I can give you some advice if yo-"
"That's kind of you, Fleetwood," Momo interrupted, "but I am confident that I can come up with a strategy," she said denying his help.
"Oh...alright. Well, good luck then," he told her.
Momo gave a small smile and a curt nod in response before walking past them. The two watched her leave to the field with worried expressions.
"She seems uptight...more than usual, I mean," Mina observed.
"She's just worried," Lewis told her, "I'm sure she'll be alright once the fight starts," he reassured.
Well...he hoped she'll be alright.
Mina shook off her worries and her wide smile returned, "You want to get some popcorn? I think I saw a vendor as I was walking down." she excitedly asked.
"Err...actually, you go on ahead," Lewis told her apologetically, "I'm going to wait for Yaoyorozu."
Mina moaned in disappointment, but didn't argue.
"Fine, see you later, Neko Chan," Mina said as she left.
Lewis gave a small wave goodbye before heading back to the exit to wait for Momo.
The match only lasted a minute. It was devastating to watch.
Momo was battered and pushed away by Tokoyami's Dark Shadow while she just took it. Once she finally figured out a plan; it was too late. She had been pushed out of the pitch and lost.
Lewis can see how upset she was as she walked back to the exit tunnel. Her head was bowed, and he swore he saw tears in her eyes, but those tears left as soon as she saw Lewis waiting for her. She put on a brave face and nodded rigidly at Lewis.
"Fleetwood, you didn't have to wait for me," she said, trying not to sound disappointed.
Lewis hummed sadly at the façade, "Yaoyorozu, I'm really sorry that was a bad match up."
Momo gave him a small smile and walked past him, "It's quite alright. There's always a next time," she plainly said, "I'm vice president of 1A and I need to set an example to the other students."
She stopped when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked around to see Lewis' soft, comforting expression.
"Just because your vice president, doesn't mean you can't have emotions," Lewis told her, "It's alright to be upset, so please don't keep these feelings inside."
Momo looked down once again. He thought she was going to deny it, but then he saw s few teardrops fall from her eyes.
"I…didn't do anything," she quietly said, trying to supress a sob, "I didn't have time to think of a strategy."
Lewis rubbed her back comfortingly and led her to one of the unoccupied waiting rooms. He sat her down on of the chairs and she rested her elbows on a table.
"We all fight in different ways and the environment was not in your favour," Lewis calmly told her as sat in the chair next to her.
"The environment was not in you favour and you managed to win," she muttered with a little bit of bitterness in her tone.
"True," Lewis admitted, "but we did have different opponents."
Momo nodded, "Of course, sorry," she apologised for her tone
"The point is, like you said earlier, that there's always next time and that time you're going to show the world what a great hero you really are. Don't let one stupid fight get you down. You're intelligent, have a fantastic quirk and any agency will be lucky to have you as a member," Lewis encouraged, making Momo look up at him, "so you need a little time to come up with a strategy. Big deal. You've only been at U.A for a few weeks; you've got three years ahead of you to learn."
Momo wiped tears from her eyes, but Lewis knew that he wouldn't succeed until she truly cheered up.
Luckily, years of being reassured by his uncle had trained him for such an occasion.
Lewis nudged his shoulder into Momo's, "Come on, stop being sad," he encouraged, giving her a goofy grin.
"Stop it," she demanded softly, a ghost of a smile on her lips.
Lewis gently nudged her shoulder again, "I'm not going to stop until you laugh," he nudged her again, "come on."
Momo bit her lip, trying to stop herself from laughing, "Fleetwood, stop it. I'm being serious," she said trying to keep a stony visage.
It only took one more nudge before Momo gave a cute giggle.
"Hah! Made you laugh," Lewis proclaimed triumphantly.
"I'm not laughing," she insisted despite that fact she was in fact laughing, no longer able to keep her façade.
Lewis smiled proudly as Momo held a hand over her mouth daintily, trying to keep a hold of her giggling. Soon the laughter died down and Momo turned to Lewis with a grateful smile.
"Thank you, Fleetwood," she told him.
Lewis blushed at the way she was looking at him and turned shyly away.
"It's no problem at al- oh no!" Lewis cried in realisation.
Momo eyebrows raised in surprise, "What's wrong?"
"I just remembered how the tournament table is set out," Lewis explained, his face filling with concern, "I'm fighting Fumikage in the next round."
"You're right," Momo uttered in realisation, "what are you going to do?"
"I…have no idea," Lewis answered in despair.
Lewis tried to not focus on the next fight for now. Instead, his mind was focus on the fight he just witnessed. After Kirishmia and Tetsutetsu draw it was Ochako's turn to fight Bakugo.
In Lewis' opinion, she did rather well. She managed to trick Bakugo twice and made him look like the brutal moron he really was. However, Ochako was exhausted and after suffering painful attacks, she slumped on the ground in defeat.
Lewis told Midoriya to go and talk to her in the infirmary and he will follow soon after. He felt devastated for Ochako, she really wanted to win for her family. That's why he was, once again, walking down the corridors to meet her in the infirmary.
"I feel like I've been down these corridors all day. Maybe I'm getting claustophob-"
He stopped talking to himself as he noticed Todoroki walking in the opposite way down the corridor. She stopped as well once she saw Lewis and the two stared at each other awkwardly. She didn't seem outright hostile to him, but it was clear that she didn't want to see him so soon.
Remembering her words earlier and wanting to avoid confrontation, Lewis wordlessly walked past her. He didn't glance at her or even acknowledge her presence.
She wanted him to stop annoying her and so he did just that.
If Lewis actually looked at Todoroki, he would have noticed that her heterochromia eyes followed him as he bypassed her. Her mouthed open slightly as if she was about to say something to him, but she closed it instantly. Instead, she turned her head and watched him leave down the corridor, not once did he look back.
She felt a small pain in her heart as he walked out of sight. It was as if she was…disappointed that he didn't pester her. He was the only person to bother talking to her and she pushed him away.
But that's what she wanted, right?
For him to leave her alone.
She sighed and continued to her destination.
Just as Todoroki turned away, Lewis glanced back at her and sighed sadly.
"I'm sorry Todoroki," he said to himself before he turned a corner.
The first thing he felt was a blazing heat on his skin. At first Lewis was convinced it was a fire, but he didn't see any smoke. He turned in panic to see where the inferno was coming from and was met with the sight of a tall, muscular man.
The first thing he noticed was that the top half of his body was covered in flames. He had short spiky red hair, pale skin and eyes that glared down at Lewis. Parts of his face were on fire, but it didn't seem to burn him. Instead, it looked more like facial hair than anything. Judging by the dark blue suit he wore; he must have been a pro-hero.
He looked up into his eyes and saw a glare similar to Todoroki's. But instead of a cold stare that his classmates usually have, it was more superior as if the man viewed as no more as an insect.
Lewis held no doubts that this was the Flame Hero: Endeavour…
…Todoroki's father.
And Lewis instantly hated him.
And cut! Things are starting to heat up. Literally.
Next chapter, Lewis will express his…opinions of Endeavour's parenting skills (I hope you don't mind a bit of language, because he's not holding back). And Lewis will face Fumikage in the next round.
I was actually struggling to find way for Lewis to win against Mina. She had the clear upper hand and would have definitely won.
Hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you next time.
Thanks :)