Chapter 12: Round Two
"Begin!"
Midoriya slammed his hand down on the dial as quickly as he could; he hoped that his idea worked, because if not, Shinso would probably be able to take over his mind. He was honest enough to know that he probably wouldn't be able to stop himself from responding to one of Shinso's questions.
"Well, that's a strange one," Shinso said as the green light faded. "What do you call that form?"
Wildmutt responded with a combination of growls and barks. Shinso frowned when Wildmutt didn't go slack; his Quirk, Brainwashing, hadn't taken effect!
…
"Oh, cool!" Uraraka pointed at her friend in the arena. "I know that one! That was the first form Deku-kun showed me! He tried digging me out of some debris when I got trapped during the entrance exam."
"Really?" Ashido peered down at Wildmutt. "Weird. All of his other forms had a basic human shape, except for the flying one from earlier."
"It is fortunate he has such a form," Iida said. "It appears to make him immune to Shinso-san's Quirk."
"Yeah, that's pretty cool," Ashido admitted. "Looks like he'll have an easier time of it than last round."
…
"Hey, it looks like Midoriya isn't reacting like Shinso's last opponent," Present Mic commented. "Any idea why, my favorite co-host?"
"It might be that Midoriya can't respond normally in that form, which means that he can't trigger Shinso's Quirk. And I'm your only co-host, I'm your favorite by default."
Wildmutt ignored the commentary and charged at Shinso, who tried to dive to the side, and only partially succeeded. A large paw still managed to catch his leg and sent him tumbling. The boy struggled to his feet; he was trembling, but it wasn't from fear or pain.
"Of course you'd have a form that can resist my ability," he snapped. "That's just how it is with you Hero Course people, isn't it? The rest of us, we try and we try, but no matter how hard we push ourselves, you can do in days what takes us months. How does it feel to be so lucky, huh? Why do you get to excel, when I can't even get noticed!?"
Wildmutt growled and whined his answer—he was annoyed that Shinso had no idea that he did know what he was going through. For most of his life, he had dealt with people, even those with the most mundane of Quirks, looking down on him for having nothing at all. At least Shinso had a Quirk, and a powerful one at that; until he found the Ultimatrix, he had been seen as less than useless.
He had known that Shinso would be able to get under his skin—which was why he'd chosen Wildmutt to begin with—but now he had to win as quickly as possible, because he had a few things to say.
With a roar, Wildmutt charged and grabbed Shinso by the arm; he heaved the boy around and hurled him out of the ring.
"Shinso has been knocked out of bounds!" Midnight pointed at Midoriya, who had turned back to normal. "Midoriya wins!"
"And there you have it, folks!" Present Mic cried out. "Our first semifinalist is Midoriya Izuku! Show him some love!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, but Midoriya didn't pay it any attention. Instead, he walked over to Shinso. "Now that we're not fighting, can I say something?"
Shinso scoffed and looked away. "Sure. I can't really stop you, right?"
"Get over yourself," Midoriya said. His words were simple, but the iron in his voice made Shinso freeze. "You think I'm lucky? Yeah, I have a lot of power, but I spent most of my life thinking I was Quirkless; you might think you had it rough, but at least you weren't labeled as worthless by everyone you met." He reached out and hauled Shinso to his feet. "You have an amazing Quirk, and the only reason you're not in the Hero Course is because the entrance exam was a bad matchup for you."
Shinso didn't reply right away; instead, he just stared at Midoriya with wide eyes.
Midoriya wilted under his gaze and looked away. "Th-that's what I think, anyway."
Shinso stared at him with wide eyes. "Why are you so weird?"
"Sorry, I—" as soon as the words left his mouth, Midoriya froze up, trapped by Shinso's Quirk.
"Let's walk out of the ring already," Shinso commanded, and Midoriya's body unwillingly followed. Once they were out of sight, he poked Midoriya in the shoulder hard enough to jolt him free of his Quirk. "There. You were being embarrassing, and I just saved us from all of that."
"Uh…"
"Anyway, I'm gonna head back to my class." Shinso turned and waved tiredly, not even looking at Midoriya.
"Wait!" Shinso paused and turned back. "Look, a lot of people saw you in action in your fight against Tsuyu, and I'm the Vice President of my class. Maybe I can talk to Aizawa-sensei and get him to give you another test to get into the Hero Course?"
Shinso couldn't completely hide the hope in his eyes, but then he looked away. "You think UA will let someone with a Villain's Quirk become a Hero?"
This time, Midoriya gave him a flat stare that would have made Asui proud. "Half of my transformations make me look like horrible monsters. If they let me in, I'm sure they'll give you a chance." He brightened up as an idea struck him. "And your Quirk doesn't have to be seen as villainous. You could end hostage situations in seconds, or stop rioting—all kinds of things that could end a crisis peacefully!"
Midoriya began muttering to himself at that point; to make Shinso even more confused, the boy had taken out a notebook and was furiously scribbling in it.
Where was he even hiding that thing? Shinso wondered.
"All right, all right," he said, "I get it. Look, if you really want to give me a recommendation… thanks, I guess."
Midoriya smiled brightly. "Of course!"
Shinso nodded. "Anyway, we should head back to our classes. I have some stuff to think about. See you around, maybe."
"Yeah," Midoriya said as Shinso left, "see you around."
"That was nice of you," Ben commented. "You didn't have to do any of that; I bet he got noticed after his first fight."
"It couldn't hurt," Midoriya said, once he was sure Shinso was too far away to hear him. "And I think he just wanted to hear someone say he didn't have a Villain's Quirk. I know I needed someone to say I could be a Hero."
"You're welcome," Ben said as they began walking. "By the way, you said there was something you wanted to talk about, back when you finished the obstacle course. What was it?"
Midoriya shrugged. "Just… something I wanted to run by you. You're always telling me that I can turn from one alien to another like it's no big deal."
"And?"
"Well… what if I don't have a chance to switch? What if things are going so fast that I don't have time to even think about transforming again?"
"Where are you going with this?"
"You saw how I've only used one alien for every round."
Ben paused. "Wait… did you give yourself a handicap!?"
Midoriya nodded. "It's like Nezu-sensei was talking about during the weekend training. Just because I can swap on the fly doesn't mean I should rely on it. I've been planning out which alien I should use."
"Dang, I'm impressed." Ben shook his head. "My programming makes me assume that you'll be as immature as the real Ben was, but you keep surprising me."
"Thanks."
"You're still as impulsive as he was, though," Ben said with a grin. "Fighting the big robot at the entrance exam, the USJ fight… I think he'd be proud."
Midoriya couldn't keep the grin off his face, which was mirrored by his friends when he rejoined them.
"Midori, that was so cool!" Ashido said as she stood up. "You totally owned that fight! Hey, I'm gonna let Tsuyu and Sero know what happened, be right back!"
Uraraka handed him a bottle of water. "Hey, Deku-kun, what was that dog-form called, anyway? And how do you know what you're doing without eyes?"
"Wildmutt," Midoriya supplied automatically. "And I mostly use my sense of smell and hearing, but I also kind of have an echolocation ability."
Yaoyorozu tilted her head. "And since you couldn't talk in that form, you were immune to Shinso-san's Quirk?"
Midoriya nodded. "It was the only thing I could think of, but I wasn't sure if it would work. Some of the stuff he said… I did respond to him, it just wasn't in words."
"Then it's a good thing that it worked," Iida said, and then stood up. "Yaomomo, our match will be starting soon. We should head to the waiting rooms."
"Of course." Yaoyorozu stood up. "Please tell us what happens during the next match."
"We will!" Midoriya promised.
"Good luck to both of you!" Uraraka added.
…
The next match had the audience buzzing with anticipation before Present Mic started his introductions. Both Todoroki and Tokoyami had displayed incredible Quirks, and everyone was eager to see how they stacked up against each other.
"Welcome back, folks! Let's not waste any time and bring in our competitors! Both are from Class 1-A, and both are as stoic as they come! Let's see who cracks under the pressure!
"First up, give a big hand for the boy with the living shadow, the avian avenger—Tokoyami Fumikage!"
Tokoyami stood with his eyes closed and his arms crossed; if anything, he almost looked like he was meditating right before his match.
"And his opponent! The only thing that can pierce his ice is his steely personality! He's an environmentalist's worst nightmare, climate change personified, it's Todoroki Shoto!"
Todoroki had the slightest slouch to his posture; if not for the determined look in his eye, one might be forgiven for thinking that he wanted to just give up.
"Are both fighters ready?" Midnight asked. "Wait, Tokoyami has a passenger. Does 'both' apply here?"
Tokoyami opened his eyes. "We are ready, Midnight-sensei."
"I'm ready," Todoroki said.
Midnight shrugged. "I'll think about the semantics later. Begin!"
Like with his first fight, Todoroki attempted to end it by freezing Tokoyami in place. Rather than try to avoid it, Dark Shadow lashed out and smashed the ice before it reached his partner's feet.
"Nice try!" Dark Shadow taunted. "But you'll have to do better than that!"
Todoroki narrowed his mismatched eyes and stomped with his right side; a much larger wave of ice swept forward in an overhead blow. Tokoyami ran in a wide arc, trying to stick to Todoroki's left side; when the ice got close, Dark Shadow smashed it aside. He was about to lunge at Todoroki, when it happened—a chunk of ice reflected a beam of sunlight directly into the living Quirk. For anyone else, it would have only been a minor inconvenience if the light had gone into their eyes, but for Dark Shadow, it caused him to practically wither in midair.
Dark Shadow, now shrunk to the size of a large dog, looked up at Todoroki pitifully. "I don't suppose we could talk this out?"
"No." Still, Todoroki took pity on the nearly powerless Quirk and his partner, and gently coated both of them in ice.
"Tokoyami is unable to continue!" Midnight shouted, and then paused. "And neither is Dark Shadow!"
"Thanks for the mention," Dark Shadow whimpered.
"Todoroki wins!"
"And with an overwhelming victory, Todoroki has become our second semifinalist! He'll be going up against Midoriya in the next round, and I know that that'll be a fight no one wants to miss!"
The crowd erupted with applause, impressed with Todoroki's win. While he hadn't used the same insane level of power as before, he had still won handily.
"Sorry," he said quietly as he used his fire to free Tokoyami and Dark Shadow.
"There is nothing to apologize for," Tokoyami said with a bow. "You won fairly. I wish you well in your next bout."
"What he said," Dark Shadow said tiredly as he withdrew back into Tokoyami.
"If I may offer some advice, Todoroki-san?" Tokoyami waited until Todoroki nodded before he continued. "Whatever darkness weighs down on your spirit is clearly crushing you. I will not pretend to know what that darkness is, but you must either cast it aside, or learn to live with it. If you do neither, it will destroy you."
Todoroki just turned and walked away, heading back to his waiting room. He wanted to spend some time to himself, to get centered before his next fight—anything to get away from Tokoyami's words, because they hit closer to home than he was willing to admit.
Of course, things only got worse halfway to his destination, when he nearly ran into his father, Todoroki Enji.
Endeavor was a giant of a man, nearly of the same size and physique as All Might. His dark-blue bodysuit was lit up by fiery lines, and his face was covered in his Hellfire. He looked down at his son, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"Shoto," he rumbled.
"Endeavor," his son replied evenly.
"You've won your first two matches. Excellent." Endeavor looked anything but pleased, however. "I understand why you didn't use your flames in your first match; that girl was nothing compared to you. But you got lucky when your opponent's weakness came into play in this match. If you had used your flames, it would have ended everything in an instant."
"Why should I use your power?" Shoto stepped around Endeavor and continued walking. "I'm doing just fine without it."
"All you're doing is holding yourself back," Endeavor said evenly, though he raised his voice to be heard. "If you want to be a Hero even greater than All Might, then you should embrace the Quirk I gave you!"
I don't need your Quirk, the younger Todoroki thought fiercely. I'll win without it. I'll show you that I can be a great Hero, the greatest, with only Mom's power. Maybe then, she'll know that she doesn't have to hate me.
…
"Hey, Tokoyami-san!" Uraraka waved the boy over as he rejoined Class 1-A. "Sorry about your match, but you still did great!"
Tokoyami nodded and sat near her and Midoriya. "Thank you. I am pleased that I made it as far as I did; I knew that I would have more trouble the further I got into the Sports Festival."
Midoriya frowned at that, but then glanced up at the midmorning sun. "Oh! Because Dark Shadow gets weaker when there's more light out!"
"Exactly, and there were no shadows for me to empower Dark Shadow with."
"Is he gonna be okay?" Uraraka asked.
Tokoyami smirked. "Do not worry. He only needs a short rest."
"Thanks for the concern," Dark Shadow said, only poking his face out of Tokoyami's chest.
"Midoriya-san, do you have a plan for when you face Todoroki-san in the next match?" With his avian features, it was almost impossible to get a read on what Tokoyami was thinking, but Midoriya thought he looked genuinely interested in what he had to say.
He didn't notice it, but most of his class was interested in his answer as well; everyone knew that that fight would probably the highlight of the first-year event.
"W-well, I have a few ideas," Midoriya said. "I'm pretty sure I know what Todoroki-san expects me to use, but I can work around that."
Besides, he thought, I want to get through to him. I can't do that if I pick an alien he has no chance of beating. I need to think like Shinso-san; I need to get him talking.
The more he thought about it, the fewer options he had. Some of his aliens were just bad matchups for Todoroki; they would either lose, or would win too fast for Midoriya to get his point across.
"Good luck, Midoriya-san," Tokoyami said. "You are going to need it."
…
Yaoyorozu calmly stretched as she waited for her next round. Iida was going to be a tricky opponent, but she had been giving it plenty of thought. Ideally, she would have created traps to slow him down so that she could beat him, but with the gladiator-style of this event, she had no such opportunity.
What she did have was arguably her greatest asset—her mind. While she didn't have quite the tactical acumen that Midoriya possessed, she could still make a workable plan, and with the time she'd been given, she had just that. All she had to do was avoid getting defeated by Iida's opening blitz attack, which she was almost certain he'd use.
As much as she hated fighting her friends, she was also glad; she had come to know not only how their Quirks operated, but also how they thought. That gave her plenty of time to come up with the best plans to defeat them in this tournament. Ashido had been too confident in the corrosive power of her acid, and tended to leave herself open with her acrobatics. Iida was too straightforward to do anything but charge, and he was too honest to try anything underhanded.
And so, she had her plan. It was almost too simple, but Yaoyorozu's Quirk had taught her a valuable lesson on life—the fewer moving parts, the less that can go wrong.
When the light signaled for her to enter the arena, she did so with all the confidence she could muster. The crowd cheered, but she noticed that there were fewer catcalls this time; maybe she had proven herself more than a pretty face in the last round.
"Entering from stage left is the Class President of Class 1-A! She not only has the smarts to figure out how to beat you, she can create anything she needs to make it happen! Give it up for Yaoyorozu Momo!"
Yaoyorozu saw her classmates waving at her, and she smiled—even Mineta was being respectful, though whether or not it had anything to do with Sato keeping a firm grip on the back of his neck was up for debate.
"And her opponent is the knight who doesn't need a horse to charge into battle! Blink and you'll miss him, it's Iida Tenya!"
"I wish that we had fought later on in the Sports Festival, Yaomomo," Iida said as he bowed. "However, I have no intention of losing here!"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "I feel the same way, Iida. Still, no matter if you win or lose, I promise to give you a more dignified match than your last."
Midnight hid her smile behind one hand at the reminder. "Are both fighters ready?"
"Yes," both students said, and then smiled at each other.
"Very well… begin!"
Iida immediately leaned forward, and his engines roared. "Recipro Burst!"
Just what I was hoping for!
Yaoyorozu had calculated Iida's speed during the Cavalry Battle, factoring in the estimated weight of the rest of the team, and had a good idea of what he could do when not pushing three other people. With that in mind, she had exactly one-point-eight seconds to carry out her plan.
Her stomach glowed as she created a sturdy piece of sheet metal, and then she fell onto her back. She held up the metal at an angle with her hands and knees; moving at such high speeds, Iida didn't have the space necessary to avoid the makeshift ramp, and was catapulted through the air.
I have less than two seconds before he hits the ground.
A bolas was created from her arm as she scrambled to her feet. She hurled it at Iida's legs; she had hoped to catch both his ankles, but ended up only snaring one foot. Still, the sudden change in weight caused him to land awkwardly, and he spent precious moments trying to free himself.
Three seconds before he gets free.
Yaoyorozu concentrated hard and created a length of thick chain from her stomach. With a yell of effort, she swung it horizontally to wrap around Iida's torso, even as she kept creating the object. With of grunt of effort that came with making something with so much mass, she dropped the naval anchor to the ground. Iida was strong, but there was no way he could drag something that heavy.
"You've miscalculated, Yaomomo," Iida said, even though it took him some effort to stand tall. "My legs are still free, and I have one last trick to play!" Jets of blue flame burst from his engines. "Recipro… EXTEND!"
Yaoyorozu couldn't believe it as Iida not only began to drag the anchor, he was moving almost as fast as he would with an unencumbered Recipro Burst. She had thought that he would be tangled up enough to get in close and finish him off, but now—
He's still moving in a straight line! I have a chance!
She fell onto her back once again, tucked in her legs, and aimed her feet at her rapidly-approaching friend. Her pants became shorts as two enormous springs burst forth around her legs. Unbalanced and unable to slow down in time, Iida crashed headlong into her improvised defense. The springs tightened, and then pushed back; Iida was sent flying backwards…
And there was a loud clang as his head connected with the anchor behind him.
Yaoyorozu panted heavily as she kicked away the springs and forced herself up. Creating all that metal had almost completely exhausted her lipids, and her last move had definitely torn a few muscles in her legs. She staggered over to Iida, who was barely conscious; she fell to one knee and drew back her fist, which was soon enhanced by a set of brass knuckles.
"At this point, there's no way you can free yourself or fight back before my fist hits your temple," she said tiredly. "Surrender, or be knocked out."
For a moment, it looked like Iida would continue to struggle; then, he closed his eyes. "I surrender."
…
Midoriya and Uraraka were in the odd position of feeling good and bad at the same time. They were happy that Yaoyorozu would be moving on, but they felt bad for Iida, who wasn't.
"Iida has surrendered!" Midnight declared. "The winner is Yaoyorozu!"
For her part, Yaoyorozu could only wave tiredly at the crowd that was going ballistic at her victory. She then allowed the medical robots to carry her to Recovery Girl, along with Iida.
"Poor Iida," Uraraka said. "He was so close!"
Midoriya nodded. "Yaomomo had a really good strategy, but if Iida had connected with that last charge, he probably would have won."
Ashido grimaced. "I'll go see if they're both okay, and then I'll be right back. You stay here, Midori!" She waved her finger at him when he stood up. "You need to focus on your next match. Uraraka, if he tries to be all noble, make him weightless so that he can't go anywhere."
"You got it!" Uraraka's smile was teasing, but she still held four fingers against Midoriya's back.
Midoriya wanted to protest, but then Ben was standing in front of him. "Dude, relax; they'll all be fine. I'm pretty sure Recovery Girl knows what she's doing."
"Fine," Midoriya sighed, "I'll stay put."
"Good!" Ashido dashed off. "I'll be back soon!"
…
For all that he had encouraged his friends who had not done as well as him, Iida still felt bad for not doing better. He felt like he had let his family down—he felt like he had let Tensei down.
"Hold still, dearie," Recovery Girl said, and planted a kiss on his forehead. In seconds, the bruises and headache were gone, but he was tired.
On the other side of the infirmary, Yaoyorozu was massaging her sore legs, but she looked at him apprehensively.
"Tenya… there are no hard feelings, right?"
Iida immediately sat upright and chopped the air as he spoke. "Of course not, Yaomomo! Regardless of how our battle ended, I still consider you a good friend who will go on to be an amazing Hero!"
Yaoyorozu blushed a little, but then jumped when Iida started vibrating wildly. "What the—?"
"Ah, forgive me." Iida pulled out his phone, which he had snagged on his way to the infirmary. "I am getting a call. Please excuse me."
While Iida left to speak in private, Asui and Sero smiled at their friend. She frowned at them. "What?"
"Nice blush there, Yaomomo," Sero teased. "Should've figured Iida was your kinda guy."
Yaoyorozu's expression was stern, but it was ruined by her reddening cheeks. "For your information, I do not see him in that way."
"Just be glad we're not Mina, ribbit," Asui said; she somehow managed to sound gleeful without changing her usual tone. "Don't worry, we won't tell her if you don't want us to, but we'll remember this."
Yaoyorozu sighed, just as Ashido burst into the infirmary to check on everyone. She supposed that, if this was the price for moving on to the next round, she would have to pay it.
…
"Hello, Mother," Tenya said, once he found an empty waiting room. "I assume you saw what happened in the Sports Festival? I'm sorry that I couldn't make it to at least the semifinals, but—"
"Tenya, please listen to me," the Iida matriarch said, with enough panic behind her voice to immediately alarm her youngest son. "I'm sorry that you lost, but right now, you need to know something."
"Mother? What's happened?"
"It's your brother." Tenya's mother paused, and he realized that she was crying. "He was in Hosu City, and he was attacked by a Villain. He's in the hospital right now."
For Tenya, it was as if the world had stopped spinning, and he lost all feeling in his body. Tensei, his beloved older brother, Ingenium, had been hurt by a Villain? His mind literally couldn't comprehend it for several long moments. His response, when it came, was almost frighteningly emotionless.
"Mother, where is Tensei now?"
"I'm… I'm sending your father to pick you up right now. He's close to the stadium, and he'll take you to the hospital."
"Do you know Tensei's current condition?"
"He was taken to the ICU, that's all I know. I'm sorry this is happening to you, but—"
"There is no need to apologize, Mother." Iida glanced up and saw Yaoyorozu walk by, but with the door closed, she hadn't heard anything. "I will be waiting for Father; I just wish to let one of my friends know that I will not be there."
"Of course. See you soon, Tenya. I love you."
"I love you too, Mother." Iida hung up and walked back to the infirmary; there was one friend he had that both could handle what he had to say maturely, and wouldn't be distracted from the Sports Festival by his news. "Excuse me, Tsuyu, may I speak to you alone?"
Asui and Sero shared a look, but the latter shrugged. "Go ahead; Recovery Girl should be giving me the all-clear to head back to the stands in a few minutes."
Asui nodded and followed Iida outside the infirmary. "What's going on, ribbit?"
"Tsuyu, I am about to tell you something in confidence," Iida said, more robotically than usual. "Please do not tell anyone else; I will do so when I have more information." He waited until Asui nodded. "I will be leaving immediately. My brother was attacked by a Villain, and has been taken to the hospital. I am sorry to miss—"
Before he could finish, Asui grabbed him in a brief, but tight hug, and then stepped back and pointed to the exit. "Go. Just go, now. I'll handle it from here."
Dimly, Iida remembered that Asui had siblings of her own; if anyone could understand, it was her. He nodded, and then ran for the exit. He had to see his brother.
Tensei, please be all right!
…
Kirishima was pumped for his fight, though that was no surprise; you didn't have to know him for longer than a few minutes to know that he was pumped up for most things. As long as he got a chance to show how manly he was, he was content. Even failing didn't faze him for long; after all, it was a chance for him to grow and become even manlier.
There was only one thing that dampened his excitement for his upcoming fight—his opponent. He knew he could win, that wasn't what bothered him; no, what bothered him was how vicious Bakugo had been in his first fight. Sero hadn't deserved the kind of punishment Bakugo had tossed out, and it was just one more blow to the already wobbly tower of support Kirishima was trying to hold up.
Bakugo had some of the best qualities going for him—he was smart, talented, had an amazing Quirk, and an aura of confidence that many people could easily latch onto. Kirishima could admit that he was one of those people.
However, his major drawback was that he was a jerk. Not the angsty kind of jerk, the kind that had deep thoughts on his mind and didn't like being disturbed—Todoroki and Tokoyami came to mind there—but the kind that intentionally used his words to hurt people. Kirishima was never bothered by that kind of thing, but other people's skin wasn't as thick as his, both literally and figuratively.
He wasn't stupid; he hadn't missed the way Midoriya never made eye-contact with Bakugo, or how he did his best to stay on the opposite side of whatever room they might share. Midoriya had even said that he and Bakugo had some bad history between them on the second day of class. And everyone saw how Midoriya's circle of friends put themselves between him and Bakugo whenever they could.
Bakugo had bullied Midoriya. Kirishima couldn't say how bad it was, but it was enough that Midoriya—as powerful as he was now—was afraid of Bakugo.
That was why Kirishima needed to fight Bakugo here, to make him fight as hard as possible. In Kirishima's mind, if Bakugo took out more of his aggression on someone who wasn't bothered by hurtful words, he'd have nothing in his arsenal for Midoriya. Then, maybe, Bakugo would think about his actions.
My Quirk is not just armor for myself, but a shield for others. I want to be a Hero who keeps people safe, and I can't do that if I break. Even if I fall, I will not break.
His resolve strengthened, Kirishima walked into the arena.
"All right, folks, now we have a battle of the unstoppable force against the immovable object! In one corner, it's the immovable object, the boy with the heart of gold, skin of stone, and manly spirit, it's Kirishima Eijiro!"
The crowd went wild, and Kirishima waved, especially when he saw his classmates cheering. He managed not to look embarrassed when Ashido started playfully blowing kisses his way.
"And his opponent, the unstoppable force! He's got a temper to match that Quirk of his, so Kirishima better watch out! He's the rampaging rocketeer, diabolical destroyer—it's Bakugo Katsuki!"
Bakugo's applause was more restrained than Kirishima's, but he didn't seem to care that much. He had a laser-focus on Kirishima, as if he expected the fight to start before Midnight said anything.
"Okay, boys, I want a clean fight," Midnight said. "Try not to kill each other, all right?"
Kirishima grinned with his shark-like teeth. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Sure, whatever."
Midnight raised an eyebrow at Bakugo's reply, but nodded all the same. She raised her whip, and then brought it down. "Begin!"
Kirishima didn't usually use his full-body Hardening; it took too much effort, and didn't last very long. Instead, he tried to figure out where his opponent would strike, and harden that particular body part; that usually left his enemy open for a Hardened punch, kick, or even headbutt. Unfortunately, Bakugo's Quirk didn't play like that, and if Kirishima didn't want to lose in the first three seconds, he had to go all-out from the beginning. His body stiffened and creaked, until even his eyes were as hard as stone.
"Come on, Bakugo!" Kirishima roared. "Let's do this!"
Bakugo grinned wildly. "Whatever you say, idiot!"
The first explosions didn't even slow Kirishima down, not that he expected them to. His Hardening was strongest at the beginning, and while he wasn't a Quirk-enthusiast like Midoriya, he knew that Bakugo's Quirk got more powerful as fights went on, not less. With that in mind, Kirishima charged through the blasts to get in Bakugo's face; only a last-second explosion that sent Bakugo flying upwards saved him from getting a Hardened haymaker to the face. Instead, Kirishima caught his ankle, and the blow sent him careening off-course.
"Shit!" Bakugo rolled to his feet. "Not bad, Kirishima! I kind of expected you to just stand there and take it."
Kirishima grinned as his blood sang. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't dish it right back? Besides, I knew you could take it." He ran forward and threw a jab that Bakugo dodged. "And I figured you'd want to fight someone who can fight back!"
Now, Bakugo's smile vanished as he peppered Kirishima with smaller explosions. "What the hell are you going on about?"
"Oh, come on!" Kirishima managed to catch Bakugo in the chest with a shoulder-check. "You've sent at least twenty people to Recovery Girl today, and one of them was Sero! You didn't have to go that far!"
"It's not my fault a bunch of weaklings managed to make it past the first event," Bakugo growled, and then hit Kirishima with a much bigger explosion, one that sent him tumbling end over end.
Kirishima struggled to his feet and spat out a trickle of blood. "It's not manly to beat on those who are weaker than you, and it's even worse to disrespect them."
"I respect people who are strong," Bakugo snarled. "Why do you think I tolerate you?"
Kirishima was too focused on the fight to register that Bakugo had given him a compliment, backhanded as it was. "That doesn't excuse what you did to Sero."
"He needed to learn his place," Bakugo said, and then rocketed forward to deliver a series of point-blank explosions. "He's got a useful Quirk, but he has no business fighting me. Deku really surrounded himself with friends almost as worthless as him."
Kirishima powered through the pain and smashed his forehead against Bakugo's nose; he tried not to feel just the tiniest bit satisfied at the crunch of broken cartilage. "How can you say that about Midoriya? He stopped the Nomu guy, and he won the first two events!" It wasn't exactly manly to say the next part, but Bakugo's ego really needed checking. "And he beat you in the Battle Trial."
From the way Bakugo's eye twitched, he hated the reminder, and he took it out on his opponent. With a feral roar, Bakugo hurled a series of rapid-fire explosions that quickly wore down Kirishima's Hardening. In seconds, his Quirk reached its limit, and he was left on one knee, panting and scorched.
"It doesn't matter if Deku beat me before," Bakugo said, voice muffled from his broken nose. "He won't beat me again. Nobody will."
Instead of finishing things off with an explosion, Bakugo just drew his fist back and cold-cocked Kirishima across the jaw. The redhead collapsed in a heap.
"Kirishima is unconscious!" Midnight pointed at Bakugo. "We have a winner!"
The crowd erupted into applause; this fight had been much fairer, and to the audience, Bakugo had been almost merciful in how he had ended things.
Bakugo crossed his arms and jerked his chin at his fallen opponent. "He's alive, right?"
Midnight almost rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Recovery Girl will have him good as new in no time. You should see her about that nose, though."
"Yeah, okay."
Kirishima was unconscious, so he never saw the look on Bakugo's face. It wasn't his usual scowl, or a smile of superiority, but something else. Not even Bakugo could put words to what he was feeling, but he shoved them to the side for now. He could think about things after he beat Midoriya and asserted his position as the best in class.
…
"That was…" Uraraka trailed off.
"Yeah," Midoriya said uncertainly. "Bakugo is like that."
"I was hoping Kirishima would win," Ashido whined. "Darn. That just means that Yaomomo has to fight him." She turned to the girl in question. "Can you take him?"
Yaoyorozu, now wearing a fresh uniform, was slowly eating a high-calorie protein bar. "Maybe," she admitted. "There isn't much I can create before he gets in close, and he's very unpredictable in a fight. I'll have one shot, and if it fails, I'll lose."
"Just cover your face," Sero advised, and tapped a finger against his bandaged scar.
"Yeah, we can't have the prettiest girl in class lose her title," Ashido said with a grin.
"Um, Yaomomo?" Yaoyorozu turned to Midoriya, who looked worried. "If you w-want to go over s-some tactics b-before your match with Bakugo, I m-might be able to help."
Yaoyorozu smiled fondly at him. "I appreciate the offer, but I think you'll have to focus on your own match. It's up next, if I'm not mistaken."
"Oh. Right." Midoriya swallowed nervously, and then held out his notebook. "Pages thirteen through seventeen have everything I noticed about new strengths Bakugo has shown today, and how to counter them. Pages six through eight have everything I learned about your abilities today. If that can help…"
Yaoyorozu took the notebook, and Ashido ruffled Midoriya's hair. "That is so sweet, Midori! I'm sure that'll help, but you'd better get down to the waiting room; Cementoss is already fixing the arena, and Todoroki is gone."
Midoriya realized that, indeed, Todoroki had already left; officially, there was still another thirty minutes before the semifinals started, but the competitors were encouraged to spend that time centering themselves. "W-well, wish me luck?"
"Good luck, Deku-kun!" Uraraka raised one fist into the air. "I know you can do it!"
All of his friends, minus Iida—who Asui had said had been called away for a personal matter—echoed her words. He gave his usual, wobbly smile, and left. As soon as he was gone, Ashido whirled around to look Uraraka in the eye, her expression completely serious.
"He is gonna be okay, right? He's been getting more and more nervous, and Todoroki has been scaring the crap out of me all day."
Uraraka looked uncertain. "I don't know; Deku-kun seems to know what he's doing, but Todoroki-san is just so strong, and he's only using half of his power…"
"Come on, guys, it's Midoriya we're talking about," Sero said. "He'll be fine. Heck, even if he gets hurt, he can just turn into his Swampfire form, and he'll be good as new."
"I hope you're right, ribbit." Asui leaned back in her chair. "I guess all we can do is wait and see."
…
Tenya's father was as measured and responsible as anyone in the Iida family, especially since he was a retired Hero. However, he drove to the hospital at a speed that could almost be considered reckless. Had Tenya not been so focused on his brother, he might have lost a few years of his life from terror.
As it was, neither Iida spoke; the elder was concerned with getting to the hospital as quickly as possible without dying, while the younger had almost shut down.
Amazingly, the drive took almost twenty minutes less than it should have, even with almost no traffic—most of Japan was glued to whatever screen could show the Sports Festival. Still, the car hadn't even finished screeching to a halt before Tenya and his father opened the doors and ran out.
Tenya wasn't sure what his father said or did to get them through the waiting room—in fact, he didn't recall waiting at all, and might have just charged straight through. They would have torn the entire hospital apart in their effort to find Tensei, but luckily, Tenya's mother found them before they rampaged too far, and she guided them to a room guarded by a pair of police officers. By then, Tenya had calmed down enough to ask his mother questions.
"What happened, Mother?"
"It was the Hero Killer." The words sent a chill up Tenya's spine; the Hero Killer, Stain, had been a blight on Hero society for months. He had killed dozens of Heroes, and crippled many more. The idea of either fate befalling his brother was too much for Tenya to consider. "Tensei and a group of his Sidekicks were following a lead in Hosu City, but they were ambushed."
"And…" Tenya swallowed the lump that prevented him from speaking. "And how are they? How is Tensei, Mother?"
His mother's smile finally broke through the tunnel vision afflicting Tenya. "Ask him yourself."
The police let them in, and Tenya felt hot tears fall down his face as he saw his brother. Unlike Tenya, Tensei didn't wear glasses, and though he was older, he had a youthful exuberance that seemed out of place when near his stiff-necked younger brother. His bandages were obvious, even under his hospital gown, but he was awake; he looked exhausted, but when his family arrived, he smiled.
"Hey, little brother," Tensei said.
Tensei staggered closer. "Tensei, are you—"
To the protest of an attending nurse, Tensei swung his legs over the edge of the bed and reached over to pull his brother into a hug.
"I'm going to be okay," he said, his voice quiet, but full of strength.
Tenya finally let the dam break, and he sobbed while his family surrounded him in an embrace.
Forget the Sports Festival; Tenya would have been fine with never even competing if it meant knowing that Tensei would be all right.
…
"This is your last chance to take the training wheels off," Ben said as Midoriya walked to the arena entrance.
Midoriya was about to reply, but as he turned the corner, he nearly ran headfirst into—
"O-oh! Endeavor!"
The number two Hero crossed his arms and looked down at Midoriya; the way the man narrowed his eyes made Midoriya think he was being studied, and Endeavor wasn't impressed.
"So, you're the boy who's been impressing everyone at UA," Endeavor rumbled. "Rumors were spreading about you even before the Sports Festival began."
Midoriya blinked. "I h-have? There are?"
Endeavor raised an eyebrow, barely seen behind his flames. "You're either humble, or ignorant. Try to accept praise, boy, or your humility will make you look weak—and always be aware of what people say about you, or the rumor mill will destroy you as completely as any Villain."
Midoriya nodded; though Todoroki's earlier conversation about Endeavor had him wary of the Hero, he couldn't deny that the man was giving him good advice.
"I know that your match against Shoto is about to start," Endeavor continued, "but I wanted to make a request of you. I'm sure you're aware that my son is not using his Quirk to its fullest potential. As a Hero, that is unacceptable; Heroes must give their all to their work, or risk failure and death, either their own, or those of civilians."
Again, Midoriya nodded; everything Endeavor was saying made sense.
"My request is that you force Shoto into using his fire." Endeavor narrowed his eyes. "He needs to be backed into a corner, to see that the only way for him to be the very best is to use what I have given him." He smirked. "Of course, this will undoubtedly challenge you greatly; do not take offense when I say that I want Shoto to win. Not just against you, but the entire Sports Festival. He will take his rightful place as the top Hero in Japan."
Without another word, Endeavor stepped around Midoriya and walked away, but he only made it a few feet before Midoriya spoke.
"I already know that your son has to use all of his Quirk," he said, and Endeavor stopped. "I want to help him with that. But everything after that is his choice—not mine, not yours."
Endeavor glanced back over his shoulder; had he been anyone else, he would have sneered. "We shall see."
As soon as the man left, Midoriya sank to his knees, and Ben knelt in front of him. "Dude, you okay?"
"Th-that was t-terrifying," Midoriya stammered. "W-why does n-no one talk about how s-scary he is?"
Ben smiled dryly. "He's strong, and that makes him popular. Remind you of anyone?"
A certain blonde classmate came to mind, but Midoriya didn't say anything; instead, he took several deep breaths, just as Ben had taught him.
"Good," Ben said, "just keep breathing. Are you good to go?"
Midoriya nodded; it was shaky, but he managed. "Yeah. I can do this. I need to do this."
Ben smiled, and then vanished. Midoriya got to his feet, and stepped into the arena.
"Let's get ready for the first semifinal match!" Present Mic shouted. "Both our fighters have proven to be front-runners throughout the entire Sports Festival, but now, we'll find out who's truly top dog between them!
"First up is the walking mystery himself, the shapeshifting surprise—give it up for Midoriya Izuku!"
The stadium rocked with cheers, but as before, Midoriya looked at his classmates in the stands; Uraraka and Asui waved at him with both hands—and the latter included her tongue—while Yaoyorozu, Ashido and Sero all grinned as they cheered. The rest of the class that was present was also enthusiastically supporting him. That was enough to bolster Midoriya's wavering spirit.
"And his opponent—a kid as ferocious as he is composed, he's the world's scariest thermostat! Let's hear a big round of applause for Todoroki Shoto!"
It was hard to tell if Todoroki received more cheers than Midoriya, but it was definitely close. Todoroki's gaze bored into Midoriya with a disturbing level of intensity.
"This is it, Midoriya," Todoroki said, barely heard over the crowd. "Today, I show everyone that I'm beyond Endeavor."
Midoriya just held up the Ultimatrix, hand hovering over the dial. "First, you have to beat me, Todoroki-san."
"Are both fighters ready?" Midnight asked, and got two nods; neither boy broke eye-contact. "All right… begin!"
Ice exploded forward, and there was a flash of green light.