Chapter 16
"Have you ever had that feeling, that there's something that it seems like you should know, something that should make sense, but when you try to figure it out, it annoyingly stays just out of reach?" Kaina inquired, her expression pensive, even perhaps a little bit frustrated.
"I'd say that's one of those things that everyone's felt at one point or another in their lives, I suppose?" Toshinori replied, sounding rather perplexed by the sudden statement. "What brought this on?"
"It's just…" The heroine started, then hesitated, unsure on how to put it. "It's the kid. The more I look at him, all oddness aside, the more I get the feeling that he's… familiar somehow, but try as I might I just can't quite put my finger on it… Do you have any idea why that might be, Midoriya-san?"
"I can't really say I do, Tsutsumi-san." The boy's mother replied with a mild shake of her head, although her expression seemed oddly amused. "I do know that my son is a very big fan of yours, but I wasn't aware of any other connections."
"Hhhhmm…" The woman hummed in thought, before shrugging. "Ah, well, I'm sure it'll come to me eventually. Anyway, should we get to the food stands? It's probably gonna get pretty crowded, pretty fast."
She tried not to sound too apprehensive at the prospect, but apparently Toshinori saw right through her.
"No need to go face the crowds, Kaina-kun." The lanky man said, pulling a couple of paper sheets from a compartment by the side of his seat, which Kaina quickly noticed were menus. "Food delivery is part of the services provided for the VIP booths."
"Uh, nifty." She commented, inwardly rather relieved, but regardless she made to get up. "You guys can go ahead and order something. Anything, really, I'm not picky. Meanwhile, gotta go find me the ladies' room…"
/
Needless to say, Shouto was in a foul mood as he traversed the hallways of the stadium. That he was still traversing them didn't help in improving said mood in the slightest. Seriously, who built this place? It almost felt like it was designed for people to get lost…
And this inevitably left the boy alone with his thoughts, which inevitably lead back to his conversation with Midoriya, which inevitably soured his mood even further.
What right did that guy have to criticize Shouto? What did he know? He wasn't the one who had to put up with hellish training almost as far back as he could remember, he wasn't the one who's own mother scarred for life, he wasn't…
It was at that point that he notice how the air around him had been getting progressively chillier, and with a shake of his head he fought done the rising anger, which, now that he took a moment to think, seemed really uncharacteristic of him. Had Midoriya truly pressed his buttons that much…?
"Ah, there you are. I have been looking for you."
A voice suddenly cut through the boy's musings. A stern, pitiless, and familiar voice.
Shouto's head snapped to the side, and sure enough, there stood the unmistakable, flame-bearded figure of his father, Endeavour. Just about the absolute last person he wanted to see right now, or any other time for that matter…
"What do you want?" The boy grunted impatiently, throwing the man an icy glare.
"I taught you better than to disrespect your elders like that, Shouto." Endeavor replied sternly with a disapproving frown.
"Apologies, what do you want, sir?" The boy retorted, his usually unexpressive demeanour thick with sarcasm. This made the number 2 hero's near perpetual frown deepen, to his son's slight satisfaction.
"This petulance of yours does not impress anyone, Shouto." The man stated, having the gal to take a scolding tone. "For how much longer will this pointless rebellion of yours go on?"
"Pointless rebellion?" Shouto all but snarled, his whole posture tensing up defiantly.
"Your lack of respect is one thing, your lack of effort is quite another. Your performance so far in this tournament has been downright pathetic." The man continued, his eyes, as always, staring as if they were piercing through Shouto rather than looking at him. "Someone with the skills and power that I know you have should have been dominating the competition straight from the start. Instead, not only did you let this… Midoriya boy make a fool out of you during the race, but you also then allied with him rather than crush him during the second round. You clearly are not taking this as seriously as it deserves to be taken, if you think you can coast on by without your fire."
Normally, the scathing words wouldn't have done much more than mildly annoy Shouto. Years of having this kind of rhetoric forced upon him had made him develop some rather thick skin when it came to his father's ideas. But coming so soon after his talk with Midoriya, something unpleasant bubbled in the boy's gut.
"I am taking this very seriously." He said through gritted teeth. "It just should have been clear to you by now that I am focusing on what I know is best rather than what youwant. I will prove, once and for all, that I don't need you, your power, or any of your "advice"."
"Foolish bravado, boy, and this is precisely why it is pointless." Endeavor replied, with a certainty to his voice that had Shouto's skin crawling. "You may have had enough luck to get by so far, but sooner or later, you willhave to give it all that you have, Shouto. If not in this tournament, later on in the field, with actual lives on the line if you mess up. I don't need to see anything proven, boy, I don't even need to do anything one way or another, you embracing what I gave you is inevitable."
"Wow, I see that fatherhood didn't turn you into any less of an asshole."
…
…
…
Shouto was man enough to admit that the sudden, unexpected and downright outrageous intrusion into the conversation startled him something fierce.
Heck, even Endeavor's eyes widened briefly, before turning towards the other end of the corridor and narrowing in a rather displeased frown. The boy also turned curiously, to see a woman standing there, in simple civilian clothes, hair a dark bluish purple with vivid pink streaks that the All Might brand cap failed to contain, standing there with a hand on her hip, an unimpressed look on her face.
"You." His father grunted, clearly recognizing whoever this was and not really happy about it.
"Yep, me." The woman replied casually. "And really, Enji, one would think a hero of your standing wouldn't have so many insecurities to force upon their own children, wouldn't you say?"
…Shouto decided then and there that he liked this woman.
"U.A.'s standards must surely be slipping," Endeavor scoffed, ignoring the obvious provocation. "If they allowed a disgrace to heroes like you into school grounds."
"Yeah, well, at least this disgrace to heroes didn't hide her fuck-ups behind a tidal wave of lawyers and NDAs." The woman replied with a careless shrug.
…Shouto decided then and there that he really liked this woman. Was she a hero? She did seem vaguely familiar… He had half a mind to ask her for an autograph, just to stick it to his father even more.
And going by the way the number 2 hero's flames flared in clear aggravation, the woman had struck a nerve.
"What goes on within my family is of no concern to the likes of you." Endeavor grunted. "One would think security would have escorted a hazard like you from the premises already."
Now it was the woman's turn to scoff.
"Oh, please, I'm here on All Might's invitation, and with Nezu's approval, Enji, by any metric I am more qualified to be around children than you ever were. Which should really make you think." She replied, completely unbothered by the increasingly more annoyed hero, before bringing up a phone with a flick of her wrist. "In fact, why don't I call the Big Guy himself and see what he thinks? I do have him on speed dial, and I believe he had some questions he wanted to ask you…"
…
…
…
Shouto blinked, blinked again, and then blinked some more, his mind momentarily unable to process the sheer daring on display. Was this what people meant when they said someone had balls, metaphorically speaking?
He decided then and there that this was his third favorite woman ever.
Endeavor, for his part, again refused to rise to the bait, his scowl deepening into a sour expression akin to someone sucking on a lemon, and he grumbled in frustration something that sounded oddly like 'what was that fool thinking?'.
"Prepare yourself, Shouto. The tournament will start soon. Then you will see I am right." The man eventually said, looking quite done with this whole thing, throwing a distasteful glare towards the woman. "And don't interact with the rabble."
With that, the number 2 hero about turned and disappeared into a side corridor. Leaving a downright confused Shout behind to blink owlishly and look at the woman.
"…Are you a hero?" He asked, for lack of anything else that he could actually to say.
"Eh, still a matter of debate in some circles. And either way, I am technically off the clock." The woman shrugged, then looked down at him with a considering look.
"It might not be my place to say this, kid, but for all that he's a dick-shaped bag of dicks, your old man's right on one thing. You won't go far in this line of work without giving it your all." Then she too turned around and walked away. "Best of luck in the tournament, you got some heavy competition, from what I saw. Now, where the hell's that bathroom?"
And then she was gone, leaving behind a rather confused and pensive Shouto.
/
"Ah, Tsutsumi-san, at last." Inko greeted cheerily, even as she was putting a spread of take away on a table before their seats. "I was beginning to worry something had happened."
"Eh, I did bump into an arse, yeah, but mostly what kept me was actually finding the damn place." Kaina commented as she moved over, glancing over what was available. "Seriously though, who designed this stadium? It's a damn labyrinth out there."
"Probably Nezu." Toshinori sighed wearily. "It'd be just like him to make navigating this place as annoying as possible without being actively dangerous or malicious…"
Unknown to all three of the booth's occupants, in his own observation room, from where he could oversee the developments on the entire stadium, the principal of U.A. felt that familiar stab of sadistic glee that he usually got when he knew people were being inconvenienced by his designs, and promptly rewarded himself with a cackle and a spot of tea.
Chapter 17
Momo had to admit, it was less daunting to be a part of the sports festival when you were looking at it from the perspective of the audience.
After their class had eaten their fill, and the few that felt the need for it were checked at the infirmary, they had been led to their own set of seats in the stands. Only Midoriya and Shoji, as the first two to fight, were currently absent, gone down to the stage and to the locker rooms to prepare, respectively. Class 1-B was just on the other side of a dividing wall, something that was made quickly obvious when Monoma-san's head popped up to disparage them, only for a large hand to pull him back down. In all honesty, as the class president, Momo had put a lot of effort into trying to create a good relationship with their sister class, and despite Bakugou's abrasive attitude having required some damage control on her part, she liked to think she'd been successful, enough so that she could consider their own president, Kendo-san, a friend, but it was plain to see that the redhead had her hands full with her own troublemakers, with Monoma being by far the most obnoxious and prideful of the lot…
Shaking her head and deciding to shift her thoughts to more important matters, the pony-tailed girl couldn't help but give a quick glance towards Todoroki, the scarred boy sitting apart from the rest of the class. Quite unlike his usual, impassive demeanour, her fellow recommendation student was frowning deeply, clearly in a bad mood, not even deigning to acknowledge any of the few comments and questions from the others, nor seething glares from Bakugou thrown his way.
She couldn't help but wonder what exactly had happened between him and Midoriya. The green-haired boy had also been acting very sour when he had rejoined the rest of the class for lunch, and he similarly didn't answer to any inquiries other than grumbling in discontent something about "poor sports".
"Alright, Ladies and Gentlemen, now that we all had a little break, the third and final event of the day is finally upon us!"
The girl's musings were suddenly interrupted by the bombastic return of Mic-sensei's commentary, and the ensuing roar of the hyped up crowd, loud enough that Jiro-san winced uncomfortably.
"And now, without further ado, let the Tournament round begin! First contestants, hit the stage!"
Once again, the crowd roared loudly, as from the two tunnels on the opposite sides of the stadium, the fighters stepped forth, moving towards the arena as if the spectators cheering loudly all around them just didn't exist. If she was being honest, Momo was impressed and a little envious of such composure.
"On this corner, from Class 1-B, as sharp as sharp can be and ready to slice through the competition, let's hear it for Togaru Kamakiri!" Mic-sensei introduced, as the mantis-like boy went up the steps. Momo didn't know much about him other than Kendo's comments that he could get a bit "intense" when it came to a fight…
"And on this corner, from Class 1-A, with a trail of destruction left in his wake, and still more surprises in his magic pockets, it's Izuku Midoriya!"
… Which if she was being entirely honest, was probably something Midoriya would find quite agreeable, the green-haired boy also stepping up. Even from this distance, it was clear that he still looked kind of grumpy, and was not yet wielding any of the sundry contraptions he could bring to bear, but by this point, she knew full well that the key word there was "yet"…
"So, how d'you guys think this's gonna go?" Sero-san inquired conversationally, as Midnight-sensei seemed to be addressing the two contestants down below.
"Well, I don't know anything about Kamakiri-san. I didn't really see him in action in the previous round." Kaminari replied musingly. "So yeah, coupled with prior precedent, I'd say my money's on Midoriya."
"I don't think anyone here would bet against that, ribbit." Tsuyu pointed out with a finger to her lips. "Not even Bakugou, if only because he wants to have a go himself."
The explosive blonde growled in aggravation, but nobody paid him any mind.
/
"Alright boys, I want a nice, clean fight, you hear?" Midnight said, as she glanced between Midoriya and Kamakiri. "So, you kids ready?"
Kamakiri responded with a grunt, throwing a withering glare at his opponent.
"I am going to tear you to shreds." He all but growled out, hands clenching as if they were itching to do just that.
At that, Midoriya almost seemed to start, looking towards his opponent as if just now was he actually paying attention to what was going on around him. He blinked once, twice… and then a wide, eager grin bloomed across his face.
"Eh, I like dah way ya think, Bugsy Boy, maybe diz' gun be gud aftah all…" He chuckled, which going by how the mantis-like boy's glare faltered into confusion, had not been the expected reaction. "C'mere, let'z fite."
The confusion lasted for but a moment though, as with a blink of his own, the other boy grinned back in kind. Oh yes, Izuku dared say he was gonna like this git…
"Now, boys," Midnight cut back in, in a tone that, for once letting her more provocative persona slip, sounded more serious and exasperated. "I'm all for going Plus Ultra as much as any other teacher here, but let's not get tooexcited here, alright? Cementoss and I will step in if I think you are getting too into it, and deliberate, serious injury will land you in deep trouble, am I clear?"
The two boys glanced at her with the kind of accusing stare one often had in reserve for a mood killer, a sensation the teacher found she did not enjoy in the slightest, but then they both grudgingly grumbled in the affirmative, staring back at the other as they did. There was a moment of silence as their gazes met, and what seemed like some semblance of an understanding was had.
"So I ask again, ready?"
"Ready." Kamakiri replied, arms spreading to the side as he took a stance.
"Ready." Midoriya followed, hands slowly reaching for his pockets.
"Alright, then…" The woman said, letting a brief moment where the entire stadium went silent follow… "BEGIN!"
Kamakiri immediately charged forward, the sleeves of his uniform tearing open as massive, curved blades sprouted from his arms, effectively completing the appearance of a mantis. In the split second that followed, Izuku's eyes went wide as he saw the appearance of the incredibly sharp looking implements, and flashes of awe, envy and resolution flickered through his expression as he reached deep into his pockets…
"WAAAAAAAAAAGGHH!"
And then the boy eagerly rushed forth to meet his opponent with a war cry, pulling out the bulky frame of his power klaw was he went, and catching the first, scything blow, delivered with all the swiftness of the animal its wielder resembled, firmly in a steel-taloned grip, sparks flying upon first contact.
Undaunted, Kamakiri made to swing his other arm, only to be foiled as Izuku turned and pulled, sending the mantis boy's world into a spin as he found himself tossed away. Sharp instincts turned the fall into a roll, and as soon as he stopped, the boy was back on his feet, charging again.
This time Izuku let the git come to him, eager to see what he'd try, and sure enough, he was not disappointed as mid stride, the other boy leapt high and swiftly came bearing down on him like a guillotine.
Izuku brought his klaw to bear, and sparks flew as the blade was blocked by the gauntlet, scratching the paintjob. Kamakiri's eyes narrowed, and again he made to swing with his free hand, only for instinct to force him into an impressive summersault to avoid the blow that was blurring his way from the side.
Upon landing and judging there was some distance between them, the boy's eyes fell on his opponent, to realize that the hand that wasn't covered by the wicked looking contraption was no longer empty. Instead in its grip was what was obviously a bike handlebar, the break turned into a handguard, upon which was grafted what could only be described as a busted up, blunted lump of metal, making the whole thing into a close approximation, or perhaps a mockery, of a sword or cleaver.
"Not me first choice' o choppa, but dis'un should do just fine." The goggled boy commented with a wide grin. "Yer move, bugsy."
"And Kamakiri's starts off with a ferocious assault, but Midoriya meets him blow for blow! Just how much stuff does that kid have in his pockets?!"
"I think the better question right now is whether or not we should make sure Recovery Girl has tetanus shots ready…"
Kamakiri seemed to take a moment to consider, then with a roll of his shoulders he dashed forward again, swinging hard. Izuku was there to meet him, swatting the attack away with a backhand before lashing out with his choppa, and once again sparks flew as the retaliation was parried.
Kamakiri growled, ignoring how the impact jarred his entire arm, pushing the blade aside, and both arms came scything forward on the sudden opening, only for klaw and choppa to suddenly interpose themselves, and both combatants finding themselves locked together, as garbage dump scrap wrestled with quirk generated metal.
The mantis boy's let out a huff of exertion, muscles bulging and chitinous plates straining as he tried to push back his opponent, but to his growing shock, the much smaller boy didn't budge. In fact, slowly, but ever so surely, it was Kamakiri that found himself giving way, until the clash was finally broken with one final shove pushing him back.
It took but a moment for him to regain his footing, but Izuku did not press the advantage. Instead, with red eyes locked to his opponent's own, he begun slapping the side of his makeshift weapon against the back of his klaw, in a clangorous and obviously deliberate provocation.
Kamakiri's eyes narrowed, and he replied by wordlessly bringing his blades together, running them across each other in a shower of sparks, which just made the grin in Midoriya's face widen all the more. He was really starting to like this git, he knew the proper song and dance.
"Oooooohh, Midoriya is taunting Kamakiri, and 1-B's blademaster's not gonna take it lying down. These boys mean business!"
"Then they should get to it instead of wasting time with pointless displays."
"Ah, don't be such a spoilsport. There's nothing wrong with a little bit of showmanship!"
Going by the roar of the crowds as they cheered for the combatants, it certainly seemed like the spectators agreed with Mic on that one.
Then, for once, it was Izuku that went on the offensive, stepping forward with an overhead swing of his cleaver, which was parried aside as the mantis boy retorted with a scything sweep of his own, another shower of sparks flying as the klaw came up to swat it away, the sheer momentum of the impact jarring the opponents apart again, but this time Izuku recovered faster and once again brought his blade down on his opponent. Kamakiri barely had the time to cross his arms before him, catching the incoming attack in a cross parry.
For a long moment, the two fighters were locked in place like that, once again straining with all their strength against the other. But then, with a keening groan that culminated in a loud snap, the mantis boy threw his arms wide, and the blade of his opponent went flying.
A triumph he barely had the time to savor before the palm of his foe's gauntleted hand came slamming against his left side, forcing him away with a grunt of pain. Izuku took the moment's reprieve to consider the now broken grip in his hand, making a mental note to invest on duct tape for the next iteration, before flicking his hand so he was holding it in a reverse grip, and braced for the next bout.
"Ooooh, and Kamakiri breaks Midoriya's blade, but the lil'gadgeteer seems undaunted, clearly ready for more!"
Within moments, the mantis was upon him once again, swinging yet another scything blow. Izuku promptly brought his klaw up and caught the blade in its steely grip…
…Only for his instincts to scream at him, noticing the blades suddenly sprouting from his opponent's shoulders and torso, heading straight for his own, before his eyes did, and it was only this split second warning that allowed the goggled-boy to lash out with an uppercut with his now makeshift knuckle, hitting Kamakiri right in the insectoid chin, sending the mantis boy flying.
"Ooooh, dang! Kamakiri tried to pull a sneaky with his quirk, but Midoriya's lightning reflexes allowed him to just barely avoid the trap and cause a mutual first blood!"
Izuku blinked at the commentary, before a stinging sensation on his cheek made him finally notice the cut he'd gotten there, as well as other slight scratches spread around his shoulders and chest. Uh, the git had almost gotten him good…
The teen's red eyes once again turned to his opponent, who was shaking his head to shake off the stars from the corners of his vision, blood dripping down his chin, before his own eyes regained focus and met Izuku's own.
In a single moment, the roar of the crowds going quiet around them, the two fighters, seeing in the other a fellow warrior, came to an understanding.
It was time to finish this. One last blow, winner takes all.
Kamakiri spat some blood to the side, the blades in his arms receding, and a new, large one sprouting from his right hand. And then, with a warcry of his own, the mantis boy came charging forward again. Izuku braced, apparently ready to block… only to completely drop his defense at the very last moment and duck instead, Kamakiri's swing striking air as, caught completely off-guard, he was unable to do anything as his opponent lashed out with a punch straight into his leg, right above knee, forcing him down on it from the sudden jolt of agony.
The double whammy of surprise and pain left the mantis boy unable to react as the power klaw then came down to clamp around his neck and shoulders, and with shocking ease, lift him high off the ground…
"WAAAAAGGH!"
And then, with that final bellow, Izuku swung his opponent back down in a chokeslam, hitting the ground so hard that it cracked under the pressure. Kamakiri groaned, weakly trying to break free, giving his captor one last, defiant glare… and then his eyes rolled back, and his head hit the ground as consciousness left him.
"Kamakiri is out! Midoriya wins!" Midnight immediately called out.
"And there you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen, after one savage match, Midoriya manages to keep his win streak going!"
The crowd roared ever louder, but Izuku wasn't really paying attention, basking in the wake of a fight well fought. Glancing down at his downed opponent, the green-haired boy had the feeling that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.
Chapter 18
As the roar of the crowds dimmed and the combatants were carried or walked off the stage, up in the private booth, Kaina let out a low a whistle. "Gotta say, I didn't except the very first match to be a straight up sword fight. Good thing you guys still got Recovery Girl working here, because otherwise I imagine you'd get quite the PR nightmare if something had gone wrong."
"In fairness, U.A. also boasts of some of the most advanced medical facilities that money can buy. Recovery Girl never has any budget issues. But still your point is valid." Toshinori replied with a sigh. "I imagine the faculty's not going to be quite so permissive when she finally retires, if a proper replacement cannot be found. But at least those two showed greater restraint than I was expecting, so small mercies, I suppose. Speaking of, what did you think of the boy?"
"Honestly? From a purely technical standpoint, he's a bit of a mess." The heroine replied, looking ponderingly towards the screens, where some replays and highlights of the fight were still being shown. "There was little to no formal training of any kind in the way he carried himself that fight. Kid's clearly a self-taught brawler. That is usually an issue against better trained enemies, but he's also clearly not stupid, what with that little fake out at the end." She ultimately gave a little shrug. "He's unpredictable, is the vibe I am getting. And in my experience, out in the field that counts for a lot."
A fair enough assessment, the emaciated man found, having long since come to much the same conclusions during the time he'd know the odd teen. Credit where credit was due though, the boy was indeed showing far more restrain than he'd have expected so far. One could only hope it'd stay that way.
He scowled at the thought, trying to ignore the little voice in his head that was scolding him for just jinxing himself.
/
"Heya, guys!" Izuku called out cheerily as he approached the class' stands, making more than one student stop and double take at his sudden appearance.
"Uh, you got here quick, Midoriya." Sero commented uncertainly. "Congrats on the win, by the way."
"Thankz, Tapey boy!" The green-haired teen replied with a wide grin as he plopped down at his seat, not noticing how the other boy quietly mouthed the nickname in confusion. "T'wuz a proppah good scrap, it wuz. Shame it ended so fast, but I guess dat'z just how it iz sum times. Remind me tah look up bugsy later tho, he wuz a gud sport, unlike some gitz."
The surprisingly passive-aggressive end to that sentence was emphasized with a pointed glance in Todoroki's direction, the other teen just as pointedly ignoring it.
"Midoriya." Momo spoke up, after moment of looking him over and noticing the various nicks and scratches all over his uniform. "Maybe you should've dropped by the infirmary after the match, at least for a quick patch up?"
"You wot?" The boy replied confusedly, before reaching up to his cheek and smudging up the bit of blood that had been there. "Oh, dis? Nah, Boss, diz just be a wee scratch, I dun even feel it, ain't no need tah bother patchin' I up. Besides, ain't no way I wuz gonna be missin' dah next fite just fer dat!"
No zogging way he was gonna be around Recovery Girl any more than the absolutely necessary either, but they didn't really need to know that.
"If you're sure…" The pony-tailed girl conceded somewhat uncertainly, before their attention once more turned towards the announcer's booth.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, after an intense but rather collateral damage free bout, we are ready to proceed to the second fight! Bring in the contestants!" Present Mic's voice blared throughout the stadium, and once more cheers broke out as the contestants took their cue and stepped forward.
"In this corner, he's big, he's strong, he can throw hands like nobody else, let's give up for Mezo Shoji of 1-A!"
Shoji stepped up to the arena quietly, demeanor as stoic as ever, even as the crowds clapped and cheered. It was certainly a novel experience for the masked boy, but one that, he inwardly mused, I couldn't say he disliked, even if he thought Mic-sensei introductions could use some work.
"And his opponent, this lady has thorns, folks, and she is not afraid to use them, let's hear it for Ibara Shiozaki of 1-B!"
"…A bit more aggressive an introduction than I would have preferred, but I suppose it is harmless enough." The girl in question commented calmly as she approached, her entire demeanour radiating a confident serenity, as she looked over to her opponent and gave him a small, acknowledging nod. "I don't generally care for violence, but all the same, I do hope we can have a good match."
"Likewise." The masked boy replied with a nod of his own, after which silence falling between then, neither finding that there was much more to be said.
"Alright, you two, I doubt I'll have to worry about stressing this as much as with the last two," Midnight stated as she glanced between them, earning her a blink from the vine-haired girl and a knowing nod from the masked boy. "But I expect a nice, clean fight here. Are both combatants ready?"
"Yes." Shoji replied as he took a stance, his arms wide, almost as if they were wings that were unfolding ominously.
"Indeed." Shiozaki replied, calmly, but unlike her opponent, she didn't make much of a move, only clasping her hands together in apparent prayer.
"Alright, then… BEGIN!"
The masked boy did not waste time, immediately rushing towards the vine-haired girl, who remained motionless, even as some of her thorny tendrils surged towards him like lashing serpents. With an agility belied by his bulk, Shoji ducked under the first and leapt over the second without breaking stride. The third vine did hit home though, wrapping around one of boy's arms, but Shiozaki frowned as she found that this completely failed to stop the charge bearing down on her despite her efforts. Making a snap decision, turned her back to her opponent, the long veil of vines that was her hair moving and weaving into a bramble barrier, all sharp thorns aiming squarely at the incoming threat.
The sudden obstacle did give the masked boy pause, and with a glance at the vine still wrapped around his arm, he stopped, grabbed on to it, and begun stepping back, heaving at it as he went. His opponent seemed to have expected this, however, as several of her vines immediately slammed down and begun burrowing into the concrete, anchoring her in place.
Shoji frowned at this, specially so when his now stationary position allowed a few more vines to grip at him, wrapping around his arms and his torso, but he boy planted his feet, and did not budge at the pull.
"And Shoji's initial attempt at closing the gap is shut down as Shiozaki bunkers down, turning things into a tug of war!"
"Speaking in terms of defense, Shiozaki has the advantage in this match up, especially if it becomes a war of attrition." Aizawa threw in, because he just knew he was gonna catch flack later if didn't at least try the bare minimum at this commentator thing. "But Shoji's strength should not be discounted just yet."
For his part, the masked boy assessed the situation with a quiet hum, glancing down at the vines currently restraining him… and then for each arm that was restrained, a new one grew, grabbing onto the offending vines. With bulging muscles and a grunt of exertion, the boy heaved, ripping off the vines restraining him and immediately dashing around the blockade.
He had but a few moments to see Shiozaki glance in his direction as he came into view with wide eyes, before the surprise passed and the girl's form vanished behind even more vines, as the makeshift bramble past grew all around her in a protective sphere before he could fully cross the distance.
"Wow, Shiozaki takes the bunkering down up to 11. How will Shoji get past now?!"
How indeed, the boy in question thought to himself with a grunt of annoyance. He was under no illusion that this was not a bad match up for him, extra eyes and ears would avail him little here. Some more vines lashed out at him from the bramble ball as he thought, but again he managed to avoid them fairly easily, but Aizawa-sensei's commentary was fairly accurate. This was going nowhere fast, and there was no indication that Shiozaki would run out of steam before he did.
It became readily apparent to the boy that the only way to keep this from becoming a slog of attrition he was doomed to lose was to take a big gamble.
And so, throwing caution to the wind, the boy once again ducked and wove through the attacking vines as he charged the bramble barrier, growing as many arms with hands and mouths as he was able along the way.
As soon as he reached his target, he grabbed it tight, hands grasping and mouths biting for any purchase they could find. Just as he expected, the wall of vines immediately reacted, various tendrils wrapping around all over his body, attempting to drag him under, but the boy held firm, every muscle bulging against the restraints, keeping him in place.
"Oh boy, ladies and gentlemen, it seems like Shoji is trying to rip Shiozaki out of her lair with sheer brute force!"
That was certainly a possibility that had crossed the boy's mind the moment this idea had popped into head, but given how every vine he ripped and bit off was immediately replaced, it was clearly not feasible. Which led to what he was actually trying to do.
The boy focused, ignoring the stinging from all the nicks and cuts from the thorns, and with all of his strength, he begun to pull at the sphere. Not to try to breach the barrier, nor to free himself. Rather, he was straining to pull it up.
And slowly, ever so slowly, Shiozaki and the sphere she wove around herself were lifted off the ground, the vines that had been anchoring her into place going taut and snapping under the pressure, until with one final grunt, the boy completely ripped it off the ground, holding it aloft over his head.
"WOWZA! Like a titan holding the world, Shoji managed to dislodge Shiozaki! The strength on this kid!"
The boy did not waste time, immediately retracting most of his arms to free himself, making to toss the sphere with his opponent in it out of bounds.
But alas, Shiozaki's surprise and disorientation didn't last as long as he might have hoped. Just as he was about to make the throw, the sphere in his hands lost cohesion, unweaving as the multitudes of vines lashed out, making the boy lose his steady grip as gravity worked against him, trapping him in a massive entanglement.
From above the mass of vines, Shiozaki rose, calmly stepping down to the concrete floor, and turning around as her hair finished wrapping itself in a cocoon around her opponent, leaving only his head free.
"It was a valiant effort." She said in genuine praise as she looked down at the boy. "I am impressed with your strength, but I do believe this is over."
"…Yeah." Shoji admitted with a sigh, after a few moments of straining, to no avail. "It's my loss."
"Shoji has conceded defeat! Shiozaki wins the match!" Midnight immediately called the match, the crowds roaring their approval.
The fight ended, the vine-haired girl promptly released her foe, the large mass of mass of tendrils fading back into a more regular hair length, and she stepped forward, gently reaching out a hand to her downed opponent. Shoji took it gracefully, getting back to his feet, realizing as he did that she was looking him over, at all the little nicks and cuts he'd accrued during the fight.
"Please forgive me for hurting you." She said, her tone one of such genuine sorrow that the masked boy couldn't help but blink.
"It's quite alright, I heal quickly with my quirk." He reassured with a calm nod, most of the minor injuries around his arms already fading away. "And besides, in the grand scheme of things, you did me a favor."
"Beg pardon?" The girl voiced her confusion, blinking in turn.
"…Let's just say that I don't envy you your next match." Shoji commented with a knowing glance back to his class' stands.
Chapter 19
It should come as no surprise to anyone that, while they barely interacted at all since the beginning of the year, Sato did not have the best of opinions of Bakugou. Like, sure, the guy was strong, and far more clever than his explosive demeanour might imply, which were qualities that were certainly handy for their chosen line of work, but that had done little to endear the ashen blond teen to the rest of the class, given how much of a raging asshat he tended to be most of the time.
Heck, it wasn't even the hair-trigger temper that was the worst of it, given that was more often than not mainly targeted at Midoriya (and frankly, Sato really just couldn't understand how Midoriya could be so chill and even downright happy at all the threats and insults, but then again that guy was crazy, so…). It was the fact that he barely seemed to acknowledge the existence of everyone else except for Midoriya and sometimes Todoroki.
Like sure, the other two main powerhouses of the class could be unapproachable in their own unique ways, but at least Todoroki knew how to be civil and Midoriya could be downright friendly in his own weird way. Bakugou just acted as if everyone else were just background noise, like they weren't even worth his time. Needless to say it was a behavior that grated and led to the teen in question to more often than not be left alone by most of them, except by Midoriya, who as previously established was crazy, and Kirishima, who was just that nice a guy.
So yeah, with all of this in mind, Sato didn't much care for Bakugou. But all the same, as the next match of the tournament was about to begin, and the explosive teen just got up and walked off, prolly to get ready for his own soon to come turn, with nary a word or a look to anyone else, Sato felt the need to speak up. After all, he knew what his classmate was up against. He himself didn't quite figure out the exact details of what went down (heck, he still had not freaking clue what that guy had been saying…), but surely some fair warning would be the right thing to do, right?
"Hey, Bakugou?" The bulky teen called out.
"The fuck do you want, you bloody extra?" The blond ground out crossly, glancing back with a look of contempt for what he probably thought was a waste of his time.
And you know what? With that contemptuous glare being thrown his way, for some reason Sato changed his mind.
"Oh, it's nothing, just good luck out there." He said simply and politely, masking very well the hidden undercurrent of annoyance.
"I don't need luck." Bakugou growled, looking as if Sato had just insulted his mother.
"Course ya don't, Ol'Katsu." Midoriya interjected with a wide grin towards his so called "bud". "Have fun, but not too much! Gotta save it fer later!"
Bakugou's eyebrow twitched at the encouragement, and Satou could swear a vein was bulging in his forehead, but the explosive teen just snarled and then stomped off without another word.
"…Ok, for real, Midoriya," Sato commented towards the green-haired teen as soon as the jerk was out of sight. "How do you put up with that guy?"
"Eh, dat'z just how ol' Katsu's always been." The green-haired teen replied with a cheery shrug, not really looking his way, entirely too focused on the arena. "He get'z like dat when he'z spoilin' fer a fite. Undahstandable, really."
"Of course…" Sato muttered to himself, not really surprised by the reply.
Not more could be said before the speakers around the stadium blared out loudly once again.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, and so we proceed to the third match of what is already proving to be an intense first round!" Present Mic bellowed to rousing cheers. "In this corner, sending sparks flying and ready to bring the thunder, it's Denki Kaminari of 1-A!"
The teen took the cue to walk forward, basking the cheers of the crowd, even waving back a few times.
"And his opponent, the last girl standing of the support course, she's clever, she's resourceful, she's Mei Hatsume of class 1-H!"
And there she was, Izuku noted, staring at the one who had nearly pulled a sneaky on his team right at the end of the last event, with curious interest. Much like himself, the pink-dreadlocked girl was sporting goggles, though hers had some odd parts jutting out from the sides the purpose of which he couldn't help but wonder, but compared to how kited out with hardware she was in the previous round, right now she only seemed to be carrying some sort of metallic staff…
Izuku blinked, noticing even at this distance how her oddly piercing, yellow eyes seemed to meet his own for a brief moment.
Soon as the two contestant entered the arena, Midnight addressed them both and some dialogue between the two ensued, Kaminari looking somewhat nonplussed at whatever the girl had told him in reply, and then the heroine called for the match to begin while stepping back.
The boy wasted no time, immediately pumping all the power he could into one massive burst, the massive jolt of electricity lashing out all around him and rushing towards his opponent.
Hatsume in turn, just jabbed the staff into the ground before her, several prongs popping out from the tip as she let go. Immediately the admittedly impressive attack diverted toward the contraption, and countless volts ran along the metallic length before dispersing harmlessly.
A lightning rod, clever.
"Wowzah, Kaminari went for a devastating assault, but Hatsume stopped it in its tracks without breaking a sweat!"
"He tried to play to his strengths and end the fight quickly, if way too flashily. Alas, his opponent was ready for it, and that cost him the match."
True to the teacher's assessment, the boy could do nothing but stand there and smile dumbly, his brain too overloaded by his own electricity, and Midnight swiftly called the match in Hatsume's favor. Once again, as she walked off, she looked Izuku's way, grinning widely. Uh, weird.
"Yep, kinda what I expected from that dunce." Jirou commented, unsurprised as her classmate was carried off the arena in a stretcher, thumbs up all the way. "It's really all or nothing with him."
/
"And now for the next match! In this corner, the gentleman ready to let loose the beast inside, give it up for Jurota Shishida of class 1-B!"
"My word." The polite boy commented as he stepped forth, the only outward sign of a reaction to the introduction was a quick readjustment of his glasses.
"And his opponent, she has a sunny smile, but mess with her and she'll toss you into the sun, it's Ochaco Uraraka of 1-A!"
Despite how much she was trying to focus on bringing home the win, Ochaco couldn't help but feel mild embarrassment at such an overly exaggerated proclamation, made even worse by how the crowd was eating it up.
"Let us endeavor to have an honorable match, shall we, Uraraka-san?" The thickly-furred boy addressed her, giving a polite little bow as he did.
"Oh, uh yeah, sure, right back at you!" She replied cheerily after a brief moment of surprise at the propriety.
"Now that's what I like to see!" Midnight declared with a crack of her whip. "I guess I don't have to worry about one or both contestants going overboard at least once. So, are the both of you ready?"
Both students gave their confirmation as they took stances.
"THEN BEGIN!"
Shishida did not waste time, his already large body growing even bigger and bulkier, a wide grin sprouting on his bestial muzzle.
"ALRIGHT, LET'S GET WILD!" He bellowed as he pounced towards his opponent.
"Complete 180º shift?!" Ochaco couldn't help but cry out in shock at such an abrupt change in her opponent's form and demeanour, just barely managing to dodge out of the way with a slight 'Eeep' as the mountain of muscle and fur came bearing down on her.
"C'MON, C'MON! LET'S BRAWL!" The hulking teen boisterously proclaimed, as upon missing his target he skidded to a halt and immediately about turned, bringing a now quite large hand clawing in her direction.
Ochaco ducked under the blow, but as it passed over she lashed out to grab on to her foe's wrist. And Shishida could only give a bark of surprise as he found himself suddenly lifted off the ground, as her quirk took hold and gravity loosened its own.
With a determined cry of effort of her own, Ochaco straightened and spun, throwing her now weightless opponent towards the arena's edge.
"Oh wow! It's like David vs Goliath, except it's Goliath himself that's getting tossed! Is it already over for Shishida?!"
It did seem that way, but just as the bestial boy was just about to go over the arena's edge and the girl made to cancel her quirk to send him crashing to the ground, with a defiant growl he reached out to the floor, massive fingers carving into the cement as they found purchase, and just as his whole body was out of bounds but yet to touch the grassy field, with a might heave and a roar, Shishida threw himself back into the arena, rolling into a landing just as gravity reasserted itself, and then kept rushing without breaking stride.
Ochaco barely had the time to separate her hands and overcome her shock at her imminent victory being denied before the boy was again upon her, and this time she wasn't swift enough to dodge as he caught her in a one-armed bear hug, keeping her arms pinned as his other hand once again carved into the concrete floor.
"GOTCHA NOW, IT'S OVER!" Shishida barked out, and indeed, despite all her efforts and struggle to break free or attempts to use her quirk on him, there was nothing that the comparatively tiny girl could do to break out of his hold or make him lose his grip on the ground to float away. After a while, she just resigned herself to the loss, once again releasing her quirk, and Midnight called the match in Shishida's favor.
The boy immediately shrunk back down to a less massive height, and released the somewhat queasy looking girl, helping her back to her feet and keeping her steady with a hand on her shoulder.
"I sincerely apologize for my uncouthness during the fight, miss." The boy stated, once again all prim and proper. "An unfortunate side effect of my quirk, I'm afraid, that loss of inhibition."
Ochaco was too occupied trying to keep the side effects of her own quirk contained to verbally respond, but she did sent a thumbs up his way.
/
"Up next, Ladies and Gentlemen, the last match between different courses of the tournament! In this corner, the surprise from the general course with a killer stare, it's Hitoshi Shinsou from 1-C!"
The purple-haired boy sauntered on towards the arena, with a well-practiced demeanour of aloof indifference.
"And his opponent, from class 1-A, the living definition of a hair-trigger, let's hear it for Katsuki Bakugou!"
The ashen blond didn't even deign to acknowledge the asinine introduction, instead matching his opponents downright bored look with his own contemptuous glare. A nobody like this wasn't even gonna be worth the effort it'd take to blow him up.
Midnight once again swiftly explained the rules, asked if both opponents were ready, and then called for them to begin.
"So, ready to get knocked off your high horse?" Purple hair asked, as casually as if he was discussing the weather, and just the sheer gal of being looked out on like that immediately set off Katsuki's temper, along with a downright feral growl.
"The fuck you-"
"Turn around and walk out of bonds." Hitoshi commanded.
For a split second he felt nervous at the possibility of failure, but as his opponents expression grew blank and he proceeded to do exactly that, the purple-haired boy allowed himself a victorious smirk.
"Bakugou walked out of bounds, the winner is Hitoshi!" Midnight immediately called them match.
…
…
…
"…WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTT?!" Came the bellow from the stands.
Chapter 20
The sheer spike of annoyance at hearing that most despised voice, amidst the confused rumbles of the crowd, would probably have been enough by itself to snap Katsuki out of his addled state. In fact, whether that had been exactly the case, or his opponent had just released his hold at that exact moment, would forever be a matter of academic debate.
Point was, the ashen blond boy suddenly found himself coming back to awareness. For a brief moment, sheer confusion was all he could feel, but then the relative positions of himself and the extra he should be fighting registered, and with that the hazy memory of the last few seconds hit him like a sledgehammer.
"Wow, now THAT was a match that was over in a flash! Seems like the match up wasn't unfavorable to Shinsou this time around!"
…
…
…
…He'd lost.
No, he hadn't lost, it was even worse, he hadn't even been allowed to fight.
There was no fucking way this noddle-armed general course extra, who looked like he didn't know the meaning of a good night's sleep, could've taken the best of the hero course in a straight fight. So instead, the fucker had caught him in some bullshit cheap shot with whatever the fuck creepy ass quirk he had before Bakugou could even let off a blast.
And now the piece of shit was just standing there, staring up towards the crowds like a fucking brain dead moron as people in the stands stopped wondering about what the fuck just happened and started cheering for him, cheers he had in no way earned.
A searing rage like no other that Bakugou had ever felt surged through his entire being. Never had he been so thoroughly disrespected, so utterly humiliated, by some random fucker that didn't even have what it takes to be a hero, someone who was never even a contender. For a split second, the thought of unleashing this rage, of blasting this piece of shit to smithereens for the insult of being denied, was tempting…
…But for all his wrath, Bakugou was not an idiot, and knew to listen to common sense. Assaulting the motherfucker, after the match had already been called, with the eyes of the world upon him, would do more damage to his goals than whatever setbacks would result from this indignity. And otherwise defying Midnight's call would just make him seem like a whiny bitch.
And so, with crackling pops from fists clenched so tight that they almost drew blood, a glare of such focused hatred toward the purple-haired extra that it doubled as a prayer for him to spontaneously explode, Katsuki about turned and stomped for the exit without a word.
The pitying, mocking bellows from fucking Deku only rubbed salt in the wound.
It was only when he found himself in the privacy of his prep room that he allowed himself to bellow out his rage, alongside a few contained explosions to vent. The few tears that followed he'd deny to his dying breath.
/
"BOOOOOH! BOOOOOOOH! DAH ZOG KINDA MATCH IS DIS?!" Midoriya was yelling, leaning so far over the railing as he angrily shook a fist at the arena that Momo was genuinely worried he might fall into it. "DAT ONE DIDN'T COUNT! DO OVAH! LET'EM FITE GUD'N PROPPAH!"
Momo looked around, and none of the students present seemed too keen on saying anything to the class loose cannon when he was so incensed. Iida might have, if he hadn't already left to prepare for their own upcoming match, and some of the others were even slowly inching away from the angry tirade, prompting the pony tailed girl to sigh. Being class president shouldn't equate to being class handler…
"Midoriya, please, calm down." She hesitantly tried. "Yelling like that is not gonna do anything, the match has already been decided…"
"But it'z unfair!" The green-haired boy turned to glare at her. "In wot zoggin' way can dat be allowed?! Wuzn't dah whole point tah let gitz show wot dey could do?! Even Sparky got tah let loose before going down! Winnin' without a fite ain't winnin'!"
"I… kind of understand your point, Midoriya…" Momo lied, for wont of a better reply to the rant. "But be that as it may, the call has been made. Shinsou-san did not cheat, far as I can tell, and if Bakugou lost, it was through no one's fault but his own,-"
Sato made an effort to not let the vindication he was feeling show, lest it draw the irate boy's attention.
"-just… please settle down? Your next fight will be coming soon enough. Surely, you'll have your fun then?"
To her surprise and mild relief, Midoriya seemed to still, clearly considering her words with an extremely grumpy frown.
"First, dah frosty git dun wanna take fings serious," He grumbled, ignoring the icy stare from the boy in question. "Now Katsu don'even get tah have fun. Dis whole' tournament is stoopid!"
Momo was about to reply when an all too smug and condescending 'Ah!' drew everyone's attention towards the barrier separating their booth from 1-B's, where Monoma was once again peeking out.
"What a truly pathetic display! For the brute to be so easily beaten by someone not even of our classes! You lot will have to do better if you-you…"
The boy's words died in his mouth and his smug demeanour wilted under the absolutely withering glare Midoriya threw his way. Such was the feeling of impending doom that crawled up Monoma's spine at the sight, that for once, self-preservation won over his obsessive, one-sided rivalry, the boy just slowly vanishing back into the relative protection of his side of the stands without another word.
…Momo had the feeling Kendo-san would be quite interested in knowing what had brought him to heel so swiftly next time there was a class president meeting.
Either way, it seemed like Midoriya's outrage had finally lost steam, the boy just stomping back to his seat and plopping down with his harms crossed, grumbling incoherently all the while. Considering that as good a sign that her job was done as any, Momo proceeded to make her way down to the prep rooms, mind racing with ways to deal with the upcoming challenge.
/
"Alright folks, let's get this ball rolling and move on to the next match!" Present Mic declared, his words washing way the last remnants of confusion and disappointment of the previous match from the crowd. "In this corner, straight from the ranks of the recommended students, underestimate her and you'll be the one falling apart, it's Setsuna Tokage of 1-B!"
The green-haired girl grinned at the introduction, flashing sharp, sharklike teeth at her unmoved opponent.
"And her opponent, the girl with a spring in her step that will land in your face, it's Tsuyu Asui of 1-A! Who will prevail in this match of reptile vs. amphibian? Let's find out!"
"Alright ladies, I am expecting a clean fight here." Midnight said as she looked between the two. "Are you ready?"
"Oh yeah." Setsuna replied, her wide grin gaining a taunting edge.
"Yes, ribbit." Tsuyu replied impassively, which made her opponent double take.
"Then begin!"
The frog-like girl did not waste time, her legs bending as she leapt forward, lashing out at her opponent with a kick, the other girl dodging out of the way, her grin now seeming amused.
"Ribbit? Damn girl, really sticking to the theme, aren't we?" She commented casually as she stepped back, making some distance between them. "Feels kinda forced, don't you think?"
Tsuyu did not bother with a retort as she dropped down on all fours, opening her mouth only to allow her long tongue to lash out like a whip, wrapping around her opponent's ankle before the girl could react and pulling, seeking to trip her up. Her face didn't show it, but she was surprised when the limb simply popped off from the knee down, leaving her opponent standing on one leg.
"Aaaaah! My leg! My leg!" Setsuna cried out dramatically, before cutting off with theatrics and smirking teasingly at her perplexed opponent. "Nah, just messing with you, Froggy. Though I gotta say, guess you're not keeping to the theme that hard after all. I mean, I'm more of a dinosaur kinda gal myself, but I'm pretty sure frogs don't actually have tongues that long and-"
Tsuyu, ever a pragmatic girl, simply lashed out once again with her newly obtained makeshift club, the other greenette's casual comments cut short as she yelped in genuine surprise from being thrown back by her own leg smacking her across the face, somehow managing a perfectly balanced landing as if she still had two legs under her.
"Ooof, seems like Asui's surprise didn't last! I dare say Setsuna never had her quirk turned on her like that before!"
"Adapting on the fly to unexpected circumstances is a necessary skill to any hero." Eraserhead helpfully supplied, with as close to approval as his usual, dour demeanour allowed.
"You, you hit me with my own leg." Setsuna voiced incredulously, before bursting into laughter. "Well played, Froggy, well played. You caught me off guard, but now I can't let that happen again."
The frog girl barely had the time to process the statement before she found her tongue tensing from unexpected strain as the limb she held seemed to gain a mind of its own, trying to pull away from her grip. And moments after that, she caught from the corner of her eye something speeding towards her.
Tsuyu promptly let go of the sudden tug of war and leapt upwards, allowing her to see that the projectile passing where she had just stood was a clenched fist. A quick glance towards her opponent showed her that the other green-haired girl was now lacking the other leg and both arms, suddenly just a limbless head and torso somehow floating in place.
That glance was all she needed to realize what was coming, shooting her tongue towards the arena floor to pull herself out of the way in midair as two more projectiles came blitzing past where she'd just been.
What an odd quirk, the frog girl couldn't help but feel, but then again she was hardly in any position to judge. Swiftly realizing that allowing the current situation to continue would get her nowhere fast, she promptly decided to go for the head.
And so Tsuyu leapt straight towards her opponent, closing the gap in a split second, feet first, ready for a diving kick straight into her opponent's face.
The smug grin that she glimpsed as she went was all the warning she had to realize she'd been played.
Seconds before impact, Tsuyu's eyes went wide as her target's face split in half from ear to ear, floating apart and causing her to fly harmlessly by, straight off the edge of the arena. She made a last second attempt to turn and use her tongue to pull herself back, only for floating hands to clamp her mouth shut and push her further out, until she had no choice but let her feet hit the grass.
"Asui is out of bounds, the winner is Tokage!" Midnight immediately called out, and the crowd broke out in cheers.
"Well, dang, ribbit." Tsuyu commented without much heat as soon as her mouth was free, immediately dropping her combat readiness. Her opponent, quite literally pulling herself back together, stepped out of the arena, walking up towards her.
"Hey, that was a good effort." The other greenette genuinely praised, her toothy grin looking much friendlier. "It was good thinking. You would have given me a lot of trouble if you'd known that I could do that."
"Well, now I am aware of it for next time, ribbit." Tsuyu replied mildly, staring at the girl in a slightly more deadpan than usual manner. "Calling me out on my theme when yours is much less evocative feels kinda hypocritical, though."
"Yeah, about that, I was really just trying to get a rise out of you, throw you off your game. Didn't work out, you really know to keep a cool head, which isn't really a surprise, given what you guys went through." Setsuna replied apologetically, extending her arm. "No hard feelings?"
"Eh, I've heard far worse, ribbit. We'll call it even with that smack I gave you." Tsuyu stated gracefully and reached to shake hands, to the growing cheers of a crowd approving of the sportsmanship.
/
"Oh, Tsu-chan…" Momo couldn't help but breathe out, feeling bad for her friend and classmate, the monitor in her waiting room allowing to see the full match.
The frog-like girl's conduct had been exemplary, she couldn't help but feel, it was just a shame that her opponent had a trick like that up her sleeve. Even Momo herself hadn't know Tokage-san's splitting could be that extreme, despite having seen it in action in the recommendation exams. In hindsight, perhaps some discussions in strategy and intel sharing might have benefited the class. Might be too late now, but it was certainly an idea for later.
For now, however, she needed to concentrate on her own fight, and how exactly was she going to handle Iida-san. His speed was a massive issue, but she had some…
"Attention, spectators and participants." The voice of Present Mic suddenly spoke through the room's comms, and Momo couldn't help but find it odd how uncharacteristically lacking in bombastic flair it was. "Unfortunately, Tenya Iida will be unable to participate in the next match, and thus forfeits by default. This being so sudden, Yaoyoruzu will be moving towards the next round."
…Wait, what?
Chapter 21
"Hey, Yaomomo, you good?" Kyoka asked, being the first to notice the returning, rather nonplussed class president.
"Oh, I'm perfectly fine, yes, one of Ectoplasm-sensei's clones directed me back to the stands." Momo replied, looking around, to notice a few conspicuous absences. "Why was the match called off, did something happen with Iida?"
"No idea, really." Tooru replied, the shrugging on her sports uniform the only visible sign of the girl's own confusion, although her tone also sounded concerned. "He excused himself to take a phone call from his family, and next thing we knew Mic-sensei was making that announcement. Maybe something happened to a family member…?"
"I see…" The pony-tailed girl replied as she sat down, not really reassured by the answer. Even before having to work with him in their capacity as class president and vice-president, it had been quite evident that Iida was something of a stickler for rules and proper protocol, perhaps too much so at times, even to her own, similar sensibilities. Anything that could've forced him to walk out from the tournament without so much as a notice had to be serious… He wasn't the only one missing either. Todoroki and Tokoyami were a given, but there was someone else missing too. "What about Bakugou? He didn't come back from his match?"
"Eh, knowin' him, Ol'Katsu's already halfway home by now." Midoriya commented with a sage nod, sounding for all the world like he understood the other boy completely. "He'z not gun have any interest on anyfink dat goes on here now he dun got dah chance tah fite an' show he'z da "best". He prolly gun be sulking at bein' cheated like dat fer a while."
"I get the feeling he'd attack you for saying that last bit, and that you'd say it to his face for just that purpose, ribbit." Tsuyu commented blandly, to which Midoriya did not reply, but the look on his face made it clear he would do that and didn't understand why anyone would think differently.
"Anyway, don't think too hard about it right now, Yaomomo." Mina brought the conversation back on track, throwing the class president a big grin. "I'm sure Iida will tell us what happened later if it's truly important, and Bakugou's a jerk anyway. Focus on the tournament, girl, and hey, look on the bright side, you got a free pass to the next round!"
"I… I suppose…" The pony-tailed girl replied hesitantly, not really convinced. Yes, objectively, it was a good thing to advance in the tournament, but doing it this way, for reasons outside her control and with no effort on her part? It felt… cheap, undeserved even. Honestly, thinking on it, Midoriya might have been coming from the opposite end of the issue, but he did have a point about a victory not being earned if there was no effort made…
"Alright the, ladies and gentlemen!" The bombastic voice of Mic-sensei interrupted Momo's musing, signifying that the scramble to accommodate for the skipped match was done with and turning everyone's attention back to the arena. "We are prepared to move on to the last match of the first round, and boy howdy, ladies and gentlemen, we are in for a show! Bring in the contestants!"
With crowd roaring their hype at the proclamation, two stoic figures stepped out into the arena, both seemingly uncaring of all the noise around them.
"In this corner, a two in one combo of man and quirk. Together, they are the night! It's Fumikage Tokoyami and Dark Shadow!"
"Well, it's nice to be acknowledged as part of this outfit, at least." The shadowy quirk commented, preening like the bird it resembled.
"And in this corner, one of the recommended students of 1-A. The stone-cold ace, the master of temperature, let's hear it for Shouto Todoroki."
And once again the crowds roared, this time followed by a surge of whispers and conversations. The scarred boy paid it no heed, already guessing what was going through the minds of the masses. 'Hey, isn't that Endeavour's kid?' this and 'Endeavour must be proud' that. It sickened him…
"Ok, boys, we all know the drill by now." Midnight called out as they both took their places on each end of the platform. "Keep things nice and clean. Are the both of you ready?"
"Indeed." Tokoyami replied, piercing red eyes locked on to his opponent, Dark Shadow crowing out an eager "Aye, aye!" in agreement.
"Yes." Todoroki replied dispassionately, the very air around him growing colder.
"Alright then, without further ado, begin!" The teacher called the start of the fight.
The words had barely had the time to leave her lips before cries of shock and panic filled the stadium as an iceberg burst into existence smack dab in the middle of it.
/
"Holy shit, kid, that was not quite what I meant…" Kaina muttered quietly, staring wide-eyed at the gigantic mass of ice that suddenly popped up in front of the booth's window, blocking their view of the stage. "Isn't this kinda dangerous? If that thing topples, one unlucky side of the stadium's gonna be in deep shit…"
"The sad part is, this was an expected enough possibility that Nezu has contingencies in place in case something goes wrong…" All Might replied with a long suffering sigh, earned him a flabbergasted look from the off-duty heroine.
"The principal foresaw the possibility that someone was gonna get an iceberg thrown at them?"
"Fortunately he did, so no one's in any danger. Unfortunately, those measures might turn out to be necessary in the end…" The emaciated hero confirmed, sound quite put off by it. "Young Todoroki's been favoring the ice side of his quirk ever since his enrollment, and he has that typical rookie mentality of ending any fight with overwhelming force. Aizawa and I have been trying to get him off that mindset but… it's been something of a work in progress, especially since it worked so well for him during the USJ incident. Aizawa's gonna be unamused by this…"
"I see…" Kaina replied, her mind swiftly connecting the dots between what she had just heard, the tons of ice currently in the stadium, and what she had witnessed earlier. "Damn, kid, this isn't the way to do it…"
/
"Foolish, boy…" From his seat in the hero section of the stage, Endeavour grunted displeased, arms folded in a clearly unimpressed posture.
/
"Holy shit!" Kaminari squawked out, scrambling backwards over his seat in sheer shock at the sudden mass of ice out in the field. "How is that legal?! Or fair!?"
"Ribbit…" Tsuyu croaked miserably, shivering from the ambient temperature drop. It wasn't quite bad enough to be debilitating, but it was still rather uncomfortable… "Suddenly I don't feel so bad for my loss…"
Amidst all the surprised and intimidated reactions from her classmates, something quickly drew Momo's attention. Prior precedent would have led her to presume that Midoriya would've reacted to this display of power with awe, not to mention an immediate, eager desire to pit himself against it.
But instead, the green-haired boy was the one person in her close proximity who didn't say a word. In fact, he barely even reacted at all, besides looking on with an expression that seemed grudgingly impressed and yet… disappointed?
Just what in the world had happened between the two boys, she could not help but wonder…
/
"W-well, ladies and gentlemen, it seems like Todoroki decided to start strong by throwing a literal ice age at his opponent! Is it over already for Tokoyami?!"
Shouto let out a breath, the air steaming in the cold, as he looked up at his handiwork. Privately, the scarred boy could admit that he had, perhaps, gone a bit overboard, due to letting his frustrations at the world apparently ganging up to dump on his desires get to him.
"Shouto." A shivering voice earned his attention, making the boy turn towards Midnight, the woman, having been unable to get out of the way in time, rooted in place from the ice covering her legs. "We are going to have some words about this after the tournament."
…He supposed that was fair. He should probably take responsibility by getting rid of all the ice once the fight was done. Speaking of which…
"You can call the match, Sensei. I wi-"
Thooom…
His words died in his mouth as a loud, banging noise suddenly echoed across the stadium, silencing the still-reeling crowd.
Thooooooom.
All eyes fell towards the glacier in the field, realizing it the source of the noise.
Impossible, Shouto could help but think disbelievingly, there was no way that-
THOOOOOOOMMMMM!
With a deafening crash, the wall of ice the scarred boy was facing suddenly burst, followed by a horrible shriek as a shadowy, beaked figured, roughly the size of a bull elephant, broke through the icy prison, obscured by smoke and mist, carrying its host body in one of its large claws with surprising gentleness.
"SO YOU WANNA PLAY ROUGH, DO YA?!" Dark Shadow roared angrily as it set a winded Tokoyami down, glowing yellow eyes glaring towards their opponent. "THEN EAT THIS!"
Stretching itself, the living shadow surged forward, charging towards the boy, swinging a claw straight at him. It was so fast, it Shouto barely noticed that it was growing smaller as it moved out into the sun to approach him, but that swipe was still gonna pack a considerable punch by the time it reached him, and his own body was so addled by the cold of his own power that he had little chance to dodge in time.
So surprised was the boy at this unexpected turn, so caught out was he by his overwhelming show of strength being powered through, and how much of a mistake he had just made, that he lost is usual, frosty composure, frantically bringing up his left arm in a desperate attempt to block the blow.
And in his desperation, with that black claw moments away from making contact, instinct took over, and his arm ignited.
"GAH!" Dark Shadow shrieked, recoiling back from the sudden brilliance, now a bit smaller than its usual size due to the flames "Bad touch! Bad touch!"
At this point, Shouto's conscious mind finally caught up, and he immediately clamped down on his flames, forcing his power off as hard as he could. He almost missed Tokoyami taking advantage of his lapse to charge at him, clearly intent on pushing him off the field. Almost.
Immediately, he slapped his right hand against the ground, sending a wave of frost blitzing towards his foe. Tokoyami had no time to get out of the way, and Dark Shadow was still too weakened by the blaze to help him. The ice surged up, trapping the avian boy in a cocoon with only his head free, and then it went further and spread around Dark Shadow too, turning the being into an ice statue, though this time Shouto made sure the icy prison was still clear enough for the sunlight to shine through.
The bird-headed boy struggled briefly to break free, to no avail, glanced towards his fully trapped quirk, then sighed.
"This is our loss." He declared solemnly, a muffled, barely audible 'Aye aye…' rattling from Dark Shadow.
"Tokoyami's concedes! Todoroki wins the match!" Midnight called with an arm raised, the only part of her body she could really move at the moment. "Now get us out of this, Todoroki. I am not in my proper outfit for cold climates!"
"And there you have, ladies and gentlemen! It was a short fight, but boy howdy, it was the most intense one we've had by far!" Mic cried out, and the crowd roared, some awed by what Todoroki's power, others screaming support for Tokoyami's nearly snapping victory off the jaws of defeat.
"Todoroki was lucky in the end." Aizawa followed up sternly, his tone cold and clearly done with everything. "In resorting to brute force, he almost ensured his own defeat. This win was a matter of chance."
Todoroki grit his teeth at his teacher's harsh words, feeling all the more displeased for knowing that the man was right. He had been overconfident and nearly paid the price for it, if not for…
A promise had been broken, and needless to say, the scarred boy was not happy.
"Even so, it was still a win! And that marks the end of the round! We will now be having a short intermission to give the contestants some time to breathe. And a good thing too, cause there is A LOT of clean up to do here…"
"Get to it, Todoroki. It's your mess, you clean it up." Aizawa ordered, with an air of finality. "Preferably before Midnight and Tokoyami start getting frostbite."
Without a word, the son of the number two hero prepared to do just that. As he did, his eyes turned towards the crowd, and chanced upon a familiar, blood red glare.
Not enough, it seemed to say, not nearly enough.
Chapter 22
Needless to say, with an event so heavily publicized, and broadcast for the world to see, not everyone interested in what the next generation of prospective heroes had to offer had to go through the trou00ble of finding their seats in the crowded stadium. And as was the case in one particular, out-of-the-way seedy bar, not everyone was watching solely for the sake of entertainment.
"Sensei, why are we wasting time with this fake hype-fest meant to hypnotize the sheeple into believing the bullshit of the heroes and their "perfect" society?" Shigaraki commented from the bar stool he was sitting at, glaring at the large TV showing the unfolding events with undisguised contempt. "Wouldn't it be a better use of our time to look for new recruits and plan our next move?"
"In due time we'll be looking into the former, Tomura," The voice from the smaller, static-riddled screen drawled out in patient amusement. "But for the time being, we are doing the latter. It costs us nothing to learn from what the enemy is so generously letting us see. After all, you didn't think the students were a variant that merited attention, and they have already proved you wrong once, didn't they?"
"I suppose…" Shigaraki grunted unhappily, glaring down at his finally fully healed hand.
"Come now, Tomura, do not sulk. Surely, what you've seen so far as given you something to think about, no?" The voice replied, with cordial encouragement. "Watch, observe, learn. Who knows, you might even find something useful to our plans. Inspiration can come from anywhere."
The gruesomely-masked villain didn't reply with much more than a grudging, if acknowledging grunt, eyes narrowing as the bigger screen once again drew his attention.
/
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! Intermission has come and gone. I hope the contestants had their time to rest and refuel, because now that we've cleared out the arena, it's time for the next round! And once again, we are starting strong, Ladies and gentlemen!"
As was becoming increasingly frequent throughout the tournament, the crowds broke into cheers at Mic's hyping, chattering among themselves about what further surprises could be awaiting in a tournament that already stood out from previous years, as the contestants started making their way towards the arena.
"In this corner, a kid who knows how to leave an impression. He is green, he is lean, he is one mean, fighting machine! Let's hear it for Izuku Midoriya, folks!"
Izuku grinned at the proclamation. All prior setbacks aside, the green-haired was probably among the select few people in the stadium genuinely enjoying these introductions.
"And in this corner, his opponent, a lady with the patience of a saint and a killer-"
"Excuse me." A polite, serene voice suddenly interrupted. How exactly did it manage to make itself heard above the din of the crowd and the announcer's own quirk-boosted voice was anyone's guess. But it did have the intended effect, the entire stadium turned to look towards Shiozaki, who herself was staring up towards the announcer's booth.
"My sincere apologies for interrupting your job, Mic-sensei." The girl demurred with mild disapproval. "But I feel the need to point out that comparing me to a Saint, and then using such aggressive and violent adjectives to describe me in the same sentence, feels somewhat hubristic and disrespectful of my personal beliefs."
"…Uuuuuh, right, sorry about that. Didn't mean to offend." The chastised man replied with awkward uncertainty, but to his credit as a showman he recovered quickly. "Anyway, who will prevail in this epic match of green vs green? Let's find out!"
Seemingly satisfied with the apology, the girl turned back to her opponent, and bowed slightly.
"My apologies for delaying the proceedings, but I simply could not let such commentary pass without notice." She stated (somehow, it seemed that now only those in the immediate area of the arena could hear her), and Izuku could only blink owlishly.
"…Ya do realize we'z supposed tah be havin' a scrap in a few moments, roigt?" He inquired, to which the girl nodded her understanding.
"Of course, I have seen enough to understand such a thing appeals to you." Shiozaki conceded the point, hands clasping together as if in prayer. "It is not for me to judge, but I myself have no taste for violence, nor for any of this grandstanding."
"…Ya don't like tah fite. And yer studyin' tah be a hero?" Izuku stated, looking completely flabbergasted, like the very concept was a foreign thing. "So wot, you'ze just gun stand there, do nothin dah whole time?"
"One thing hardly precludes the other. Rescue heroes do exist, after all, to offer safety and salvation to those in need." The vine-haired girl pointed out. "And I have had the good fortune of being blessed with the power to ends conflicts relatively peacefully, as you no doubt saw in the previous match."
"And wot happens when yer fancy schmancy powah ain't enuff? Even rescue heroes need tah be ready tah fite when it's needed. Thirteen did back at USJ." The goggled-teen countered with a deepening frown, surprise quickly giving way to annoyance even as he let out a frustrated groan. "Zog dammit, why do nobody but Bugsy Boy understand how tah do this proppah…?"
"…This is an interesting debate, one I'd be more than happy to continue some other time." Shiozaki commented sincerely after a moment's consideration. "But I do believe we have a match to get through, and we have delayed enough already."
"Right you are, Shiozaki, it's about time we got this thing going." Midnight promptly took the cue to speak up. "Now, you both know the drill, so let's get right on with it. Are both contestants ready?"
"I am." The vine-haired girl replied serenely, even as her thorny locks began to wave and weave like live serpents.
"Yeah…" Izuku grumbled, hand reaching for his pocket. If the teacher noticed the sudden tenseness in his posture, she did not comment on it.
"Then begin!" The teacher called out.
"WAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"
And no sooner had the words passed her lips, than the boy charged forward with a furious below, the large, crimson gauntlet of his power klaw pulled over his hand as he went.
Shiozaki was not rattled in the slightest by the sudden advance, standing in place with almost statuesque stillness as four of her vines surged forwards to meet her opponent, each one wrapping itself around the boy's wrist and ankles and bodily lifting him off the ground.
"That did not seem particularly well thought out." She commented, in a somewhat chiding tone. "I'd prefer it if you surrendered now."
The goggled teen's reply was tug and pull with his gauntleted hand, ripping it free from the snare. A sudden hum and brief flash of green energy spread through the steel talons before he swung it at each of the other binds, landing on his feet with a grunt.
Shiozaki made to speak further, but as soon as the boy's head rose and their gazes met again, she found words failed her. Something felt… off, about her opponent. It felt almost like a flip had been switched, and someone else entirely stood before her. There was something looser about the way he held himself, something more primal, more savage his entire body wracked by ragged breaths. Where before he had been frowning in annoyance, now his expression was a downright feral leer, lips parted to show clenched teeth and eyes wide in a way that felt borderline manic.
The girl couldn't help but feel like she was staring down a wild animal, one that she had somehow provoked.
"WAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!" Midoriya bellowed defiantly at her, talons clenching and unclenching expectantly.
"…So be it, then." Shiozaki muttered with a focused frown, sending more of her vines to restrain her opponent. With yet another bellow, Midoriya swung wildly, tearing each and every vine that came within striking distance to shreds, with far greater ease than should have been possible even for those crude claws, the girl couldn't help but note, well accustomed as she was through the years to the hardiness of her own hair.
"And Shiozaki seems to be trying to restrain Midoriya for the win, but Midoriya's hacking at her attempts like the angriest gardener ever! Who'd you reckon is gonna give first, Eraser?"
"Too early to tell. Shiozaki has a very strong and versatile defense, but then again, Midoriya's nothing if not too stubborn to know when to quit."
Sure enough, a full minute of this was enough for the girl to realize things were going nowhere. Her vines could reach her opponent, some could even start wrapping around him, but despite clearly being cautious enough to keep them away from his weapon, Midoriya was fighting like a man possessed, and any purchase she could find was momentary at best. If anything, he was slowly gaining ground, having managed to take a few steps in her direction. She briefly considered letting him, like in her previous fight, but she had the feeling letting that with that claw in play such an exchange would go poorly for her this time.
"You are persistent, I will admit." She praised humbly. "But at this rate, you will be tiring long before I do."
"WAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!" Came the reply to her appeal to reason, some frustration crossing the girl's otherwise serene expression.
Despite his staunch refusal to act civilized, however, her words did seem to trigger another reaction from the boy, as he took advantage a slight lull in her assault to reach into a pocket with his free left hand.
"Oh boy, seems like Midoriya's got another trick up his sleeve! Or in his pocket, such as the case may be."´
Indeed, Shiozaki couldn't help raise an eyebrow in cautious confusion as the boy pulled from his pocket what appeared to be… some sort of rifle? No, not a rifle, she swiftly realized, it looked more like the spray gun of a power washer, if a clearly shabby one, with the slightly crooked nozzle and clearly tacked on red paint, the hose attached to the bottom of the handle, going all the way down into her opponent's pocket, and… was that a lighter attached to the tip?
The girl suddenly had a very bad feeling about all this, and immediately redoubled her assault, merging her vines into a single surging coil rather than have them lash out individually, and sending it surging forward as fast as she was able. She wasn't fast enough however, as Midoriya brought his new gadget to bear against her vines.
She had only a second to see his feral leer turn into a grin before he pulled the trigger, and suddenly there was fire,her eyes going wide. A flamethrower?!
Unnoticed by either contestants, in the stands, Todoroki tensely leaned forward in his seat, glaring at the ensuing fight with tightly clenched fists.
The assaulting vines were engulfed by the blaze, burning and breaking off from her hair even as she tried to pull them back. They'd be useless for the remainder of this fight, she realized, at least until she could cut off the charred stumps to allow them to regrow.
An indulgence her opponent didn't seem keen on allowing her, as with yet another of his incomprehensible bellows, the boy began approaching. He didn't charge, not this time. Instead, he took a step forward, and then another, and then another, his blood red glare firmly set on her.
Shiozaki sent more vines, making them weave and turn to try to strike at and restrain her opponent from all directions, but each one was easily destroyed, by flame or by claw, completely failing to stop his approach.
Only then, did Midoriya deign to do anything other than bellow…
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
… But the loud, raucous laughter that followed was, if anything, even worse. Between that horrible noise, that seemed to revel in destruction, that piercing, manic stare, and the wisps of smoke and flame that left charred stretches in the arena as he went, Midoriya's approach made for a sight that, to Shiozaki, felt almost hellish.
"Stay back." She said, her calm and serene demeanour cracking.
All he did in return was laugh, and take another step forward. Frightened, the vine-haired girl barely even noticed that for each step he took towards her, she had begun taking a step back, desperately trying to maintain some distance between them even as her vines still tried to entrap him.
"Stay back!" She yelled, knowing even in her growing panic that her usual defense in a wall of thorns would be useless against her opponent's tools.
"WAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!" He bellowed back between bouts of laughter, drawing ever closer despite her best efforts.
Then, when he had crossed half the distance between them, she saw his grin widen. Now he did charge forward, apparently throwing what little semblance of caution he had to the wind.
Shiozaki made to intercept… only for nothing to happen. Eyes wide, she glimpse towards her vines, only to realize in horror that she had lost so many to Midoriya's weapons that her hair had quite simply grown too short to mount any sort of significant defense.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHH!" The boy bellowed one last time as he came ever closer, that wicked claw surging towards her face.
The girl could not help but cry out, closing her eyes against the inevitable blow…
…
…
…
…Nothing?
Realizing the blow never came, Shiozaki slowly and tentatively opened her eyes. A single steel talon was a mere hair's breadth from her face, and as soon as she was looking, its wicked tip pressed gently against the tip of her nose, so gently it didn't even draw blood.
"Boop."
So rattled was the girl, so confused by the sudden turn, that she suddenly found herself lurching backwards, falling flat on her behind.
"Shiozaki is out of bounds. The winner is Midoriya!"
It took a little bit for the words to register, for the girl to look down, to see that, in her panic, she had indeed crossed the lines marking the arena's limits. Then she looked up, staring uncomprehendingly at her opponent. No longer did he seem like a raging beast, his eyes now gleaming with cunning and amusement, his grin cheeky but far more human.
"Well, that match took a curious turn at the end there. What do you think, Eraser?"
"I think… that Midoriya was trying to prove a point."
"Yep." The boy commented casually, as he reached down and easily pulled Shiozaki back to her feet. "S'all well n' gud tah believe in sumthin' and stick to it. But ya shuld really consider being able tah fite for it too. Fink on dat, Planty girl."
With that, the boy about turned and casually left the arena, leaving a thoroughly mystified girl to watch him leave.