Chapter 37.
Now it was time for the tournament-style one-on-one fights. The game everyone was waiting for.
Before the students who got to this round could draw lots to decide their first opponents. One student, Ojiro raised his hand and announced that he'd be withdrawing, despite making it all the way here.
His reasoning was that because he didn't remember the cavalry battle and how he got here, it didn't feel like he belonged here and it weighed on his consciousness.
Another person followed his example, Shoda Nirengeki.
The students of Class 1-A tried to convince Ojiro to not withdraw, but his mind was made up and Midnight respected his decision to withdraw.
Shingen respected Ojiro's decision, even though he found it a bit stupid. It would seem that his team leader mind controlled him somehow and because of that he ended up in the team he was in during the cavalry battle.
If you ignore the mind control, his team leader still used his body and capability to get here. In Shingen's opinion, Ojiro and Nirengeki deserved to be here just as much as everyone else did, even though the two of them didn't see it that way.
Their minds were unclouded and they decided to withdraw, that was it.
To be fair, their withdrawal did save time, since there would be 18 contestants which would mean that the two students Ojiro and Nirengeki would have to fight 2 more battles.
See, in an 16 people tournament bracket, it would be relatively smooth. 8 battles in the preliminary, then 4 battles in the next stage, 2 battles in semi-finals and then the final battle.
With 18 students, there would be 10 battles in the preliminary and the winners of those 2 extra battles would have to fight again to advance to the next stage, so it would be something like pre-preliminary for Ojiro and Nirengeki,
(Hopefully that made sense to you.)
After their withdrawal, the tournament bracket was finally made.
The matches were like this.
1st battle, Midoriya Izuku vs Hitoshi Shinso
2nd battle, Todoroki Shoto vs Sero Hanta
3rd battle Kirishima Eijiro vs Yamazaki Shingen.
4th, Iida Tenya vs Hatsume Mei.
fifth, Aoyama Yuga vs Mina Ashido
sixth, Tokoyami Fumikage vs Momo Yaoyorozu
Seventh, Shiozaki Ibara vs Kaminari Denki.
Eighth, Uraraka Ochako vs Bakugo Katsuki.
"Oh..." Shingen let out, "Okay... this bracket is looking a bit too good on my part..." He muttered, a smile forming on his lips.
He glanced over at his classmates and they all seemed pretty hyped, Uraraka was frozen like a statue though, fighting Bakugo in the first round might be a bit too much for her.
Objectively speaking... Uraraka had absolutely no chance against Bakugo.
Meanwhile, Shinso glanced over at Izuku.
"You're Midoriya Izuku right?" He questioned, "How nice. You better be able to back up all that smack talk from back then... you're not getting cold feet now are you? Now that you actually have to face me?" He questioned.
Izuku smiled, just as he was about to respond to Shinso, a tail wrapped itself around his mouth.
"Not so fast." Ojiro's voice came from behind. Izuku turned back with a raised eyebrow, but then he reasoned that Ojiro probably had his reasons for doing that.
Shinso smirked and walked away and when he did that, Ojiro released Izuku.
"What's the deal, Ojiro-san?" he questioned.
"That guy... don't say a word to him. Do not even acknowledge his words." Ojiro's eyes narrowed, "I don't know exactly how or why, but when I responded to him, that's when my mind went blank completely and I only came to when the cavalry battle was over."
Izuku hummed, "Mind control huh... then... the perquisite to use his Quirk must be... communication. I see, thank you, Ojiro-san. That is plenty." Izuku smiled.
"Happy to help." Ojiro smiled back.
Then Izuku glanced at Shingen who was looking at him with a smirk, Izuku mimicked his smirk.
Izuku knew that Shingen wanted to meet him in the tournament as quickly as possible, truth be told... he wanted to do that too.
But... before that, he had an opponent he had to worry about. His head turned towards the person who he considered a dangerous opponent.
Todoroki Shoto. He had to get through him first.
-----------------
Before the tournament even, it was time for the recreational games. Most of those who were fighting in the tournament didn't take part in it because they had to save their strength for when it really mattered.
The recreational games were fun though.
After it was done, the hero Cementoss came down to the field and made a medium sized arena where the students would fight, and after it was done. It was time for the tournament to begin.
"Is everyone ready?!" Present Mic, began riling up the crowd, "The tournament we've all been waiting for... is finally here!"
The crowd went wild, the excitement was through the roof.
"Throw away your morals! Throw away your ethics! We've got Recovery Girl here, so fight like your life depends on it! No life threatening attacks though!"
In the tunnel, Midoriya Izuku was very patiently waiting for when he'd be called out to stand in front of thousands of people to perform.
"Midoriya-shounen!" Toshinori's voice came from behind, Izuku turned around swiftly.
"All Might?"
"You figured out One For All right?! Very impressive kid! I've been watching you very closely and you're doing well! Keep it up."
Izuku chuckled nervously, slightly embarrassed by the praise, "Y-Yeah, don't worry. I got this, thank you for cheering me on though!"
"Haha! Of course! do your absolute best Midoriya-shounen!" All Might spoke, watching him with his eyes full of pride and joy.
"Of course." Midoriya smiled, "I can't guarantee victory, but I promise to show the world that I am here!" He spoke with conviction in his voice.
All Might approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "That's plenty." He spoke softly, "Good luck."
All Might turned around and walked away, leaving Izuku alone in the tunnel.
Izuku took a deep breath and looked back at the arena that was visible from the tunnel.
A smile crept itself up his face.
"Match number one!" Present Mic shouted, "Now entering... from the hero course: Midoriya Izuku from Class 1-A! Looks like he's pretty confident about this match!"
Midoriya was walking towards the arena with a confident stride and a similarly confident smile on his face.
"And facing him is... from general studies! Shinso Hitoshi! Sorry, he hasn't done anything to stand out just yet!"
"The rules are pretty simple! force your opponent out of bounds or immobilize them, you can also win by making your opponent say 'I give up!' Go crazy students, we've got Recovery Girl here."
Cementoss was in the arena sitting on a chair made out of... cement.
"I'll stop things if they go too far." Cementoss spoke.
"Ready... Start!" Present Mic started the match.
"This is a fight to test ourselves and to show the world what we have..." Shinso begun to speak, "And that idiotic classmate of yours threw away that chance." He smirked, "What do you think? Does a guy like that... really deserve to be a hero?"
Izuku just smiled and charged forward, he didn't even bother using his Quirk.
Shinso was taken aback by the sudden aggressive rush, he panicked and threw a lackluster hook towards Izuku's cheek, Izuku just leaned forward, weaving through the attack before he delievered two very precise and powerful strikes.
One to the liver and an uppercut that laid Shinso flat out on the ground, completely unconscious.
"Wha-What?! Looks like it's over folks! Midoriya Izuku wins!" Present Mic announced, completely bewildered, "Shinso didn't even get a chance to fight back, looks like Midoriya Izuku still has lots of cards he hasn't shown us!"
Midoriya looked down at Shinso and confidently walked off the arena, "Thought you'd be stronger than that."
---------
Back in the stands.
"He knocked him out in two hits." Shingen spoke, with a proud smile on his face, "Look how much my Izuku has grown."
"'Your Izuku'?" Iida who was sitting next to him questioned.
"Yeah, I taught him how to fight." Shingen nodded, "He's my one and only student though."
"Wait you taught him?!" Iida was surprised, "Wow, your martial arts skills are so good that you can actually teach others? That is... very impressive actually." Iida complimented him.
Shingen shurgged, "Not to me. For me... martial arts and fighting are pretty simple, kind of like breathing actually."
"That's... terrifying." Another person spoke up, Shingen glanced to the side and saw that it was Uraraka. "Uhm... can you teach me a move or two perhaps? After the sports festival?"
Shingen was about to answer, but then he froze for a brief moment becaue he remembered something.
Uraraka and Izuku were pretty close...
His eyebrows furrowed for a moment.
Maybe...
"I think it's best to ask Izuku about that, I'm going to be occupied with training Kirishima too."
"Oh alright." Uraraka nodded.
"There's a move I can teach you right now though." Shingen spoke and got up from his seat and took a stance, a standard boxing stance.
"This is the liver blow." from the ball of his feet he generated momentum and threw a punch with his weight loaded in.
Despite not putting any real strength in his attack, his little punch still managed to ruffle Uraraka's hair.
"Woah..." her mouth hung open, "Would that work on Bakugo too?"
Shingen nodded, "If you can land it, sure."
"Hmmm... Alright, thank you Yamazaki-kun!" Uraraka smiled brightly.
Shingen nodded and then turned his head towards the entrance of the room, currently the participants of the tournament had their own stands to watch the fights go down.
Shingen heard footsteps coming from outside the door, he was waiting to see who it was. Though he had a suspicion that it was Izuku.
The door opened and Izuku stepped in.
"There's our Izuku." Shingen smiled, "Good job out there, you really showed that guy who is boss. Proud of you." Shingen said to him.
Izuku approached them and took a seat next to Uraraka, "Thanks a lot Shin. By the way, Todoroki's fighting now, isn't he?"
Shingen nodded, "Yeah, it's best you watch this fight. No doubt he'll beat Sero and fight you in the quarter-finals."
Izuku nodded, "He's going to be a tough one."
"For sure. Pay close attention and make sure you don't miss anything." Shingen said, as he leaned back into his chair.
The match would be beginning soon.
Chapter 38
"Eraserhead, your student is pretty damn good at throwing his hands. Just what have you been teaching them?" Present Mic questioned him.
Aizawa turned towards him, "I didn't teach him those moves. Midoriya Izuku was already good at close quarters fighting before he even stepped foot in U.A."
"Really? Hmm... well, one thing's for sure. That kid is going to get a lot of internship offers, he beat the that Shinso guy without even using his Quirk. And he didn't even let Shinso use his own."
Aizawa glanced down at the papers he held in his hand, Midoriya's and Shinso's and compared them to each other.
Shinso failed the practical exam and that's why he didn't get into U.A. He did well in the written part of it.
Eraserhead couldn't fault Shinso for failing the entrance exam, even he believed that robots weren't it.
He let out a sigh, Shinso definitely had potential. His Quirk was way too good, perhaps... he could teach him after school hours were over to help him get into the Hero Course.
Aizawa saw potential in Shinso and he found himself relating to him, both of them had a 'Mental' Quirk that didn't give the benefits a regular enhancement Quirk or an emitter Quirk gave, meaning people like Shinso and Aizawa had to work twice as hard to bridge the gap.
The similarities were... too big.
Aizawa decided then and there, after the sports festival he was going to take Shinso as a student and he'd train him.
"Shinso Hitoshi... a talented like you shouldn't be wasted." Aizawa muttered to himself.
----------
Todoroki Shoto was walking down a hallway with his default blank expression, he turned a corner and there stood a man.
Extremely tall and muscular with red hair, wearing a blue bodysuit that had flames streaking across it.
Todoroki froze in place when he saw that man, his eyebrows furrowing into a frown.
This was Endeavor, the number 2 hero. A hero only surpassed by All Might in terms of strength.
"You're in the way." He spoke, raising his voice.
"You're acting disgracefully, Shoto. Why aren't you using your left side? Had you used it, you would've achieved overwhelming victories in the race and the cavalry battle."
Todoroki began to walk forward and passed by Endeavor without giving him another glance.
'Stop this childish rebellion already. You have a duty to surpass All Might." Endeavor spoke.
Endeavor followed Shoto's movement with his blue eyes, a frown forming on his face.
"Do you understand? You're different from others, you're my greatest masterpiece!"
"Is that all you wanted to say to me? Bastard." Todorki growled, "Don't bother. I won't use your power during battle, I will only advance with the power that belongs to my mom."
Endeavor fell silent for a moment, "Even if that works for now... you'll soon reach the limits of that power."
-------
Up in the stands, where most students of class 1-A were seated Iida, Shingen, Izuku and Uraraka were seated next to each other, waiting for the match to start.
"I'm not sure about this." Izuku crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, "I'm not sure Sero stands a chance against Todoroki of all people."
"Wait just a moment! Don't cross of Sero-kun so easily, maybe he will surprise us!" Iida defended him, "It's not good to underestimate people."
Shingen hummed, "True, but... be honest Iida, do you truly believe that Sero can pull off a win here?" he questioned, "Sero's Quirk isn't suited for direct combat like this. Sure, he certainly can use his Quirk in combat because he obviously has practiced a lot with it, but Todoroki just has... too much firepower, and to put the cherry on top... he's actually pretty good at using his Quirk."
"Perhaps he can immobilize Todoroki-kun before He uses his moves...?" Uraraka wondered.
"I doubt that would work on him, but that strategy is better than nothing I guess." Izuku spoke.
Iida went silent, "Well... the match is beginning, so we will see."
Shingen nodded, "Yeah, if Sero somehow pulls off a win, good for him."
"Now... it's the second round, and the ones fighting are... these guys!" Present Mic announced, "From the hero course, Sero Hanta! Versus Todoroki Shoto! Also from the hero course!"
"Ready.... Start!" Present Mic started the match.
Immediately as the word 'start' fell, Sero shot tape from his elbows and wrapped it around Todoroki arms and legs, immobilizing his limbs. Then he ripped apart one tape line from his arm and swiftly swung his arm around, trying to drag Todoroki out of the bounds of the arena to achieve victory.
"That was the best option in this situation! Get him Sero!" Present Mic cheered for him.
Todoroki wasn't moving for a moment, it seemed like he was going to be defeated by Sero. Iida's eyes widened as he watched on, perhaps Sero might actually pull off a win on Todoroki!
However...
Todorki's head snapped open as he glared at Sero, immediately from his right leg.
Ice began to rapidly spread towards Sero and in a second, a massive glacier appeared that froze Sero completely alongside Midnight who was refereeing the match.
The glacier didn't stop just there, it expanded all the way to the sky, it was so large that it could be seen from outside the sports festival arena.
The entire building shook for a brief moment.
Shingen's eyes were wide open as he gazed at the ice, his classmates were much the same.
"He can release so much power in but a brief moment?" Shingen muttered to himself.
There were definitely not many people, who could do something like this. There might not even be pro heroes capable of releasing this much power all at once.
Shingen chuckled, a bead of sweat began to fall from his forehead, "Can I beat this guy?" he asked himself.
The answer was... pretty complicated.
In an open field Shingen held the advantage because the field would allow him to move around swiftly and avoid t he ice and fire as well if Todoroki were to use it.
However in a confined area such as this arena, the difficulty spiked exponentially.
The problem was getting close to Todoroki, if he managed to get close then it was wraps. Shingen would decimate hi immediately, but would Todoroki allow him to get close?
Well... this was a problem for Midoriya, Shingen let out a sigh, he glanced at his friend whose eyes were narrowed and seemed to be deep in thought.
"...Good luck." Shingen said to him, slapping him on the back.
"Huh?" Izuku was broken out of his thoughts, "Did you say something?"
"I said good luck, make sure to beat that Todoroki guy. I want to fight you." Shingen said to him with a smile, "Though... it's not a problem if you loose, I'll beat him for you."
"I'm thankful but you don't have to worry, I'm going to beat him. Make sure you don't loose, I want to be the one to beat you." Izuku spoke with a smile.
"...This new personality of yours is strange." Shingen muttered but then he laughed, "But oh well! It was about time you grew a pair anyway! Many thanks to Grandpa Z. I'll make sure to work overtime to thank him." Shingen muttered that last part to himself.
Then he left for the waiting rooms, since it was his turn to battle Kirishima Eijiro.
After a while, someone came and told him to get ready since it was going to be his turn.
Shingen got up and stretched his body, then he left the waiting room and went to the tunnel that was connected to the Arena.
Shingen walked down the tunnel and went out in the open and stood in the arena, as always, he was very relaxed, hands in his pocket and humming a random tune he heard from someone's ringtone. Not even a hint of nervousness could be seen on his face, nor his boy language.
Kirishima stood on the opposite side, a bead of sweat rolling down his face which looked very determined.
"On one side... we have Kirishima Eijiro from the hero course with his manly and passionate Hardening Quirk! And on the opposite we have... Yamazaki Shingen also from the hero course! Bringing his ferocious strength!"
Shingen took his hands out of his pockets and slightly leaned forward.
"Third round... Begin!" Mic screamed.
Kirishima charged towards him with a roar, activating his Quirk to harden his entire body. Shingen met the manly charge with his own.
The two of them collided, both of them trading blows to the face. Kirishima stood his ground and tanked the attack completely.
And returned another strike to Shingen's body, Shingen's eyes narrowed, Kirishima's strength had increased from back when they first fought at school.
A small smirk crawled up his face.
The trading of blows continued, the skin on Shingen's knuckles were ripped open and blood gushed out because of the jagged skin Kirishima had, that was the culprit behind the cuts.
But Shingen wasn't the kind of person who'd stop just because of a few cuts.
He quickly reached out with his hand and grabbed Kirishima by the collar of his shirt then hoisted him up in the air and smashed him into the ground.
Kirishima grunted and swiped Shingen's legs from under him, making him fall over as well.
Kirishima maneuvered around quickly, sitting on top of Shingen's back, then he Kirishima put his knee on the back of Shingen's neck and grabbed onto his arm, putting him in an armbar.
Kirishima breathed heavily, "You gonna concede?"
"What a turn of events folks! Kirishima managed turn the tides immediately! What will Yamazaki do now?!"
Shingen's face was on the ground, invisible to all. He had a large smile on his face.
Kirishima learned a couple of tricks huh?
"I'm not afraid of breaking your arm!" Kirishima screamed, "Give up!"
Shingen chuckled, then he pulled his arm back, parallel to the one Kirishima had in an armbar.
"What is he doing?" Present Mic questioned.
"Rah!"
Shingen threw a punch at the concrete beneath him, his right arm began to travel underground and came up from the other side and slammed into Kirishima's face and knocked him off.
The crowd was silent for a brief moment and then they erupted into cheers.
"What a brutish way of getting out of an armbar! But terrifyingly effective! Looks like the Tiger isn't done just yet!" Mic screamed, he was getting excited too.
Shingen's ears twitched, 'Tiger?' Where'd that come from?
Then his mind went back to the fight.
Kirishima was still standing tall, though he was out of breath. Hardening was definitely an extremely powerful QUirk, however it consumed lots of energy and stamina to keep it constantly turned on, even more so when he activated it on his entire body.
Shingen smiled, "You've gotten stronger, Kirishima." he muttered.
Then he flashed forward into the air, his arm drawn back and ready to unleash a devastating strike. More devastating than any punch he threw in this battle.
Kirishima had shown off enough, any more and Shingen would be overshadowed by him.
Kirishima hurriedly raised his arms in an 'X' shape to block, but the attack was too strong, Kirishima was slammed into the ground once more.
BOOM
It was as if an explosion went off, Kirishima was buried in a crater. His Quirk turned off, his breathing was even heavier than before.
"I... g..ive up..." he barely managed to say.
"Kirishima Eijiro has conceded! The winner is... Yamazaki Shingen!" Midnight announced.
The crowd cheered for him and cheered for Kirishima too, they were all impressed by the display of power and skill from the two youths.
Shingen crouched slightly and offered a hand to Kirishima with a smile, "Good job there, you're getting pretty strong Kirishima. Keep it up."
Kirishima laughed weakly and took the arm, Shingen dragged him up on his feet.
"Still... I... couldn't beat you."
"Hahaha," Shingen laughed wryly, "Don't worry, you'll get a lot of tries."
Chapter 39.
"What a great round, don't you think Eraserhead?" Present Mic turned towards his partner and asked, "That big guy over there, Yamazaki Shingen. I knew he was strong but... compared to his classmates, isn't he a bit too strong?"
Aizawa slowly nodded, "Indeed, when it comes to combat, Yamazaki Shingen is in a league of his own. I'd even go as far as to say that he's pro hero level already in that department." Aizawa complimented him.
Aizawa heard from the others about how he fought Nomu, how he held his own for a while despite all the injuries he sustained.
He was also informed by other teachers who got the information from Tsuyu and Izuku about how Shingen lost consciousness and somehow stood back up immediately and somehow he seemed to be even stronger.
"Yeah I definitely see it, the kid didn't even so much as break a sweat. The only injuries he sustained were the skin tears on his knuckles. He gave his classmate the time to show off and then he finished him off... kind of terrifying."
After the match both Shingen and Kirishima visited Recovery Girl's office to heal the injuries and bruises and the cuts on Shingen's knuckles.
After that they made their way up to the stands to see the next battle.
--------
Down in the battle arena, something rather strange was going on.
Instead of a battle, it was more like an advertisement for merchandise.
The pink-haired girl, whose name was Mei Hatsume was using Iida Tenya as a means to show off her machinery, she also wore some strange gadgets as well.
She wore speakers and a microphone too, she spent the entire time basically explaining everything her gadgets did, all the while evading Iida's charging attacks and controlling the contraption on his back as well to further show off what she could to.
it was funny and impressive at the same time, most of the audience laughed at the absurdity that was going on but the girl, Hatsume Mei seemed to be satisfied with what she was doing, because she gained the attention of the people she needed for her own needs and ideas.
After she was done showing off her creations, she stepped out of the arena with a large smile on her face, giving the win to Iida.
The girl clearly knew what she was doing. The sports festival broadcasted throughout Japan and that means people whose name carried a lot of weight could see potential in her and she could land a job in a factory or a business where she could create gadgets to help heroes.
"She used Iida-san... as a test subject." Yaoyorozu muttered to herself.
Jiro nodded, "Yeah and because of that, she clearly gained the attention of some bigshots. I respect it." She shrugged.
"For sure!" Hagakure agreed with her, "But using someone else like she did with Iida-san is... not very nice."
"Four-eyes over there shouldn't have even used her garbage then." Bakugo spoke, "It's his own fault for being so stupid."
"...As much as I don't want to admit it, Bakugo is right in this case." Shingen let out a sigh as he leaned on his hand, "Why would you use the gadgets your opponent made for you? Makes no sense to me."
"'In this case?!' I'm always right you gorilla!" Bakugo snapped.
"...Maybe he was giving her a chance to show off?" Mina spoke, not very sure about her words.
"Even without Iida's help, she would've been able to show off on her own." Shoji cut in.
Back in the arena, two new participants were entering the arena. The rounds were back to back because the arena itself was mostly intact and didn't need any repairs.
So, Mina Ashido and Yuga Aoyama now stood in the ring, ready to throw down.
"Hey wait, why is Aoyama wearing that belt thing over there?" Kaminari questioned, "Support items aren't allowed, for those who are in the hero course right?"
"It's probably there for... fashion maybe." Jiro reasoned.
"...Right, forgot what kind of guy Aoyama was..." Kaminari muttered.
The match begun.
Aoyama immediately blasted a laser at Ashido, but she managed to avoid it by jumping out of the way, then from her shoes, acid began spewing out which she used to slide around the arena.
Slowly, Ashido was closing in on Aoyama while dodging all the lasers shot from Aoyama's bellybutton.
Her strategy was to slowly exhaust him, because she knew about his weakness. Aoyama couldn't shoot the laser for more than a second per shot, otherwise he'd get a stomachache. However, he couldn't keep shooting the laser in short bursts either.
When Aoyama's fire rate began to weaken, she closed in and with a swipe of her hand she sprayed acid onto his belt.
The belt melted swiftly and Aoyama's pants fell down, his guard went down trying to get it back up and that's when Ashido struck, she swiftly closed the distance and with an uppercut she knocked Aoyama out.
"Ashido advances to the next round!" Midnight announced.
"Ashido Mina's easy victory is indisputable!" Present Mic spoke.
"Mina-chan's amazing!" Tsuyu spoke with a smile.
Meanwhile, behind her.
Mineta was fuming, "If only Ashido's and Aoyama's Quirks were switched..." He muttered to himself.
"You're too much of a scumbag."
"Did you see that uppercut?." Shingen bumped Izuku, "Pretty clean if you ask me."
Izuku nodded along, "Yeah, she's good. Almost forgot the fact that she scored pretty well on the test on our first day."
"That acid is... terrifying though." He continued, "If that got on me, I think my skin would melt clean off."
"Doubt she'd go that far, but... the thought of it is pretty scary. I'd rather not ruin my tattoos, I don't think anyone would paint it on me again... not to mention the price..." Shingen muttered to himself, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead just by thinking of the price.
"Ahahaha..." Midoriya chuckled nervously, "...How much would it cost? Just asking."
"...A lot, my entire salary of 6 months perhaps..." Shingen muttered.
Aoyama was carried to the infirmary on a robot and Ashido walked off the stage back into the tunnel.
"Now let's continue! We've got no time to loose!" Present Mic shouted, "Coming in from the Hero course! From the hero course! All-purpose creation, Yaoyorozu Momo!"
The camera panned to Yaoyorozu standing on her side nervously, with a bead of sweat rolling down her temple.
Standing opposite of her was, "From the hero course! Offense and defense, all in one body! Tokoyami Fumikage!"
"Start!"
Immediately, Tokoyami unleashed Dark Shadow from his chest which charged towards Yaoyorozu.
She immediately raised her hand and swiftly created an iron shield which she used to block his attack.
Dark shadow retreated and charged towards her once more. This time Yaoyorozu tried creating another weapon in her hand for offense but Dark Shadow wasn't giving her any time to prepare.
The hits were becoming heavier and heavier, Yaoyorozu was having a hard time blocking all the attacks. While she was focused on Dark Shadow, she didn't notice one crucial detail, Dark Shadow was slowly knocking her back out of the arena.
Yaoyorozu dropped her shield because she didn't brace herself well enough and her hand was getting tired as well, swiftly she created another one.
Just as she created it, Dark Shadow struck one final time.
Yaoyorozu skidded back on the floor and stopped, then she created a pole in her other hand to go on the offensive.
But... to her surprise, Dark Shadow retreated back into Tokoyami's body for some reason.
Then she heard Midnight's voice along with a snap of her whip, "Yaoyorozu! Out of bounds!"
Yaoyorozu was surprised, then she glanced down at her feet and saw that she was indeed knocked out of bounds.
Tokoyami bowed respectfully, turned around and walked off the arena. Leaving Yaoyorozu with a crestfallen expression.
"I couldn't do anything..." she muttered, looking down at the ground. After a short moment, she left the arena.
"Tokoyami's strong." Izuku muttered, "He just focused on her shield and knocked her out of bounds..." he muttered.
"That's how easy it was for him huh..." Ojiro spoke from behind, also astonished by Tokoyami, he then glanced at Yaoyorozu walking towards the tunnel with her head down, "She must feel really frustrated..."
"...This should be good for her," Shingen spoke up, "I think she will realize her shortcomings and learn from them, Yaoyorozu is a smart girl. Her grades speak for themselves." He said.
"Or... this might harm her self-esteem, causing her to hit rock bottom from which she may never rise again." Izuku spoke, then he let out a sigh, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"For sure... she's a great student with lots of potential to be a top hero." Ojiro spoke from behind, "Just has to practice close range combat."
"Yeah, that's about it really." Shingen agreed, "The biggest problem most of our classmates have is hand-to-hand combat, fix that and their overall fighting strength would rise to a whole new level." He spoke.
"Analytical talk aside, check it out another match is starting, Kaminari and Shiozaki are gonna be fighting."
"Oh, I'm actually curious about this." Shingen muttered, leaning forward.
"Why? Are you interested in that green-haired girl?" Izuku joked.
Shingen's eyebrow twitched, then his arm shot towards Izuku, Shingen wrapped his hand around his neck and dragged Izuku back to him, and gave him a little noogie on the head "I take back what I said, go back to the shy kid you used to be."
A noogie from Shingen was painful, like actually painful. But Izuku laughed through the pain while struggling against his grip.
Shingen released him after a moment.
And then their attention went back to the match that was starting.
Kaminari immediately opened up the match via discharging the electricity that was in his body.
"1.2 Million volts!" He shouted as the yellow electricity discharged off of him, going directly towards Shiozaki.
Shiozaki turned around and her hair began to expand and detach from her head and they firmly rooted themselves into the concrete floor, completely blocking the electricity.
Then those vines began to travel through the ground and they erupted from beneath Kaminari's feet, binding themselves around him completely.
"Eh?" Kaminari turned into an idiot because he discharged too much.
Kaminari wanted to end the battle in an instant.
I mean, the battle did end in a moment but this probably wasn't what he was going for.
"Shiozaki Ibara advances to the next round!" Midnight announced.
"That was fast." Shingen spoke in a blank tone.
"...Terrifying." Ojiro muttered.
"Amazing!" Izuku shouted, his eyes sparkling.
Chapter 40.
Uraraka Ochaco was in the waiting room, taking deep breaths to calm down.
She was feeling nervous and tense because her match was going to begin in a couple minutes and she'd be fighting one of the strongest students in class 1-A, that would be Bakugo Katsuki.
Uraraka knew very well about his ferocious and aggressive nature, those personality traits transferred over to his fighting style as well.
In a head on fight she'd undoubtedly lose in the first minute, so she had to come up with a strategy. But no matter how hard she thought about it, her mind ended up blank. She couldn't think of a way to defeat Bakugo.
Perhaps touch him and activate her Quirk to make him weightless and then push him out? But Bakugo wouldn't allow himself to be caught so easily, and even if she did. Bakugo probably could avoid getting knocked out of bounds using his explosions.
Uraraka scratched her head, she was in trouble now.
Knock
Someone knocked on the door, Uraraka coughed to clear her voice, "Come in!" She spoke.
The door was opened by Midoriya and behind him were Shingen and Iida.
"Hey, Uraraka are you alright?" Iida asked worriedly.
Uraraka clenched her fists and looked down, "No... I'm scared." She muttered.
"Ah." Iida let out, "Well... don't worry so much! Bakugo won't use full-power explosions on a girl would he?"
"I don't think she'd appreciate those words." Izuku cut in, laughing nervously, "Uraraka-san, I won't be able to offer any words to get rid of your fear of Bakugo. But... I can only say, give it your all."
"Eh?" Uraraka let out, a bit confused. "No No, you misunderstand, I'm not scared of Bakugo. I'm scared of not doing well in the tournament and loosing easily."
"Oh, haha!" Shingen laughed loudly, "Then everything's fine, Uraraka-san. Just do your best so that you don't regret it later, get rid of any negative and useless thoughts and only focus on one thing. Winning." Shingen gave her some advice.
"That's good advice." Iida nodded approvingly, "Believe in yourself and your capabilities, Uraraka-san." Iida spoke.
Uraraka smiled after hearing their words, "Thank you everyone! I won't disappoint you."
"Don't disappoint yourself." Shingen spoke, "You shouldn't worry about disappointing us."
Uraraka froze for a brief moment then laughed wryly while scratching the back of her head, "Right... thank you Yamazaki-kun."
Izuku was silent for a moment, he wanted to say something but was unsure if he should.
"Uraraka-san... do you need my help to strategize?" He finally spoke, averting his gaze from her, "Perhaps... I can help you come up with a way to beat Bakugo." He spoke.
Uraraka shook her head, "Not necessary, I don't want to keep relying on you like I did in the cavalry battle. I'll come up with a strategy on my own. Thank you, Deku-kun."
Shingen smiled, approval could be seen in his eyes. "Good... that kind of mindset will get you far, Uraraka-san." Then he turned around while dragging Iida and Izuku out, "The match is beginning, we'll be watching you. Make sure you give Bakugo a good smack in his face." Shingen grinned at the thought.
Uraraka giggled, "I'll do my best!"
------------------
"This is the eight match in the first stage!" Present Mic announced, "From the hero course! Uraraka Ochaco!"
Uraraka stood in the arena with a determined look on her face.
"Versus... From the hero course! Bakugo Katsuki!" Present Mic shouted!
Bakugo stood with a scowl on his face as always, watching Uraraka like how a predator watches it's prey.
"Hey..." Bakugo's eyes narrowed, "You're the one who makes things float... right? Round face?" He questioned.
"Round face?" Uraraka muttered.
"I'll give you a chance to withdraw right now... because this match won't end with a simple 'Ouch.'" Bakugo growled, showing that he had no intention of taking it easy on her.
"Eighth round... start!" Present Mic shouted.
Uraraka immediately leaned forward and rushed towards Bakugo without the slightest hesitation.
"Withdrawing isn't an option!" Uraraka shouted, she was getting dangerously close to Bakugo now with her hands open.
"Then... you'll die!" Bakugo shouted drawing his arm back.
The moment she got within range, Bakugo swung.
'Have to dodge... if I dodge this...!'
Normally, Bakugo always opened up with a right overhand.
However... this time, it was an underhand.
Bakugo swung his arm upwards and unleashed an explosion exactly were Uraraka leaned forward to dodge an overhand.
The arena was filled up with smoke immediately after the explosion.
"Ah..." Shingen let out, "That's gonna be bad. She took it right in the face."
Izuku gulped, "...Uraraka!" he muttered, "Come on... you got this."
"Even though he's fighting a girl, he doesn't have mercy does he? Bakugo-chan?" Tsuyu muttered.
The other classmates were shocked that Bakugo actually blasted her.
Uraraka within the smoke quickly took off her jacket and she threw it out of the smoke towards Bakugo.
Bakugo took the bait, he immediately sent an explosion right towards the shirt, this simple move worked especially well with people who had lightning fast reflexes.
"Don't you dare underestimate me!" Bakugo shouted, then his eyes widened when he saw that it was a jacket he blasted.
"Oh! Splendid strategy from Uraraka!" Present Mic complimented her wits.
From behind Bakugo Uraraka jumped out of the smoke, reaching towards him with her hand stretched out, intending to touch the boy to swiftly end the match.
However... the opponent was Bakugo Katsuki.
Bakugo's head snapped towards her immediately, and with a wave of his hand he blasted him away. This time, the explosion was much stronger than the last one.
The more Bakugo sweats, the stronger his explosions get.
Uraraka rolled on the ground and swiftly managed to gain her footing.
"He still reacted?!" Sero shouted in surprise.
"That reaction time is crazy... it doesn't matter if there's a smokescreen, Uraraka isn't fast enough to make good use of it." Kaminari observed.
"With Uraraka not being able to use her Quirk unless she touches Bakugo... she's at a big disadvantage here." Shoji spoke.
Uraraka charged towards Bakugo again, but Bakugo blasted her away as soon as she took a step closer.
"Too slow!" He shouted.
The next few moments were mostly just Bakugo blasting Uraraka away the moment she approached, every direction she emerged from, no matter how well she used the smoke created from Bakugo's explosions. None of it mattered.
There was simply a large difference between their base stats.
Frankly, there wasn't a single aspect in which Uraraka held an advantage over Bakugo. Not even her Tenacity was a match for his own.
"Ochaco-chan..." Tsuyu muttered her name worriedly as she watched the battle between them.
"I can't watch this..." Jiro muttered, covering her eyes with both of her palms, unable to stomach the sight.
Shingen heard what she said very clearly and... to be frank, her words kind of... triggered him.
"Hey," Shingen called out, his voice a tad bit more aggressive than he intended, "Don't close your eyes. Watch the match." He growled.
"Hey Shin! Calm down." Izuku said to him.
"Jiro Kyoka." Shingen called out, turning his head fully towards her, "Don't you dare, close your eyes. Uraraka is fighting, she's giving it her all, she's showing us how determined she is to win the battle... and you're going to close your eyes?"
"It's hard to watch!" Jiro snapped at him, "I can't stomach it... I'm not... sadistic, like you."
He slowly got up from his seat and walked over towards her.
"Yamazaki, calm down man!" Kaminari shot up from his seat as well, "What's your problem?! Can't you see that Bakugo is doing too much?! He's clearly messing around and toying with her like a cat does to a mouse!"
"...If you're going to disrespect your friend by closing your eyes and not watching how she tries her best... what kind of a friend are you?" Shingen questioned.
"Yamazaki-chan! That's going too far!" Tsuyu got up to defend her.
"No, it isn't." Shingen's eyes snapped towards her, glaring at her for a moment, before he returned his gaze towards Jiro who was trembling slightly.
"She's crying Yamazaki-kun!" Iida cut in, rushing over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Apologize to her immediately!"
Shingen slapped Iida's arm off, "No. The one who has to apologize, is her. For her disrespect."
Shingen looked down at Jiro who was letting out choked sobs here and there, and let out a sigh. Perhaps... he did go a bit too far.
"Listen closely, if you can't watch this. Drop out, you're not cut out for being a hero and you're not cut out to be a good, supportive friend either." Shingen spoke, then he crouched down and lifted her head up with her chin.
He looked at her teary eyes without even a shred of emotion or change in expression, "Or... you can prove me wrong right now. Change your mentality, watch Uraraka's stand against insurmountable odds and prove to me that you can be a good friend."
Slap
Jiro slapped Shingen in the face. Shingen's face didn't move a single centimeter, nor did he show a different expression. Instead, he slowly got up and walked back to his seat.
"...You are right..." he heard Jiro mutter, tears still falling from her eyes. "I was... a bad friend." She admitted it.
She then looked up and begun watching the battle, though her lips trembled and her stomach churned at the sight, but she managed to hold on.
The other classmates looked at her worriedly and some of them glared at Shingen with contempt for his words, but a select few understood that he was right, and knew what he was getting at... though he could've said it a bit more softly, or delicately.
As for the fight itself...It wasn't even a battle, it looked more like a one-sided slaughter.
Uraraka kept getting blasted left and right, her body was riddled with bruises and some scorch marks as well.
"...What's she doing? Why does she keep charging head on?!" Izuku muttered.
Shingen's eyes narrowed as well, then his eyes widened, "Haha!" He erupted into laughter, "Damn! That girl is a lot more ferocious than she looks."
The explosions from Bakugo's palms were destroying the floor of the arena, but the debris was nowhere to be found!
"Why? What is it Shin? What did you see?" Izuku questioned, leaning forward and trying to see what his friend was seeing.
"Just keep watching... Uraraka will surprise us very soon!" Shingen spoke with a large, expectant smile on his face.
Chapter 41.
The battle seemed unfair, the crowd could tell that the difference between the two students was way too big.
Uraraka was unrelenting, charging towards Bakugo despite her injuries. No one aside from Shingen noticed that this was a part of her plan.
"Hey... this is going too far isn't it? The girl... she's completely outclassed." Someone from the crowd muttered.
"Right? And that boy... he's going too far it looks like he's just playing with her."
One person from the crowd leaned over the railings and shouted at Cementoss, who was watching the battle with a calm look on his face.
"Hey, shouldn't you stop this?! It's going too far!"
But Cementoss didn't pay him any mind.
What they didn't understand is one simple fact. Uraraka hadn't given up, if she wanted to she could've just stepped out of the ring and conceded.
Bakugo wasn't playing around with her either, he was just treating her like an actual opponent.
"Hey! How can you say that you want to be a hero like that?!" A man dressed all flashily shot up to his feet and shouted at Bakugo, "If there's such a glaring difference between you two just throw her out of bounds and be done with it! Stop playing around!"
The hero obviously meant well, but by saying those words he was underestimating and spitting on Uraraka's resolve.
His voice was heard throughout the entire arena and many people also voiced thier opinions out about what they thought was just cruelty and sadism from Bakugo Katsuki.
"Stop bullying and playing with the poor girl!"
BOO
Audience erupted into boos, but Bakugo didn't pay them any mind. What part of Uraraka did they think was poor?! He didn't understand that.
If the audience couldn't see Uraraka's strength, then... words and feelings would be wasted on such blind idiots.
Aizawa who was up in the room with Present Mic snatched the microphone from his hands and brought it to his mouth.
"Was that a pro talking just now?!" He spoke into the microphone, he was genuinely irritated by the blatant disrespect towards both Uraraka and Bakugo, as well as the idiocy.
As soon as Aizawa's voice rung out in the arena, the crowd froze in place and quieted down immediately.
"How many years have you worked as a pro?!" He continued, "If you're saying all that with a straight face, there's no point in you watching anymore! Go home and think about changing careers. Clearly, you aren't suited for hero work!"
Shingen couldn't help but grin, he elbowed Izuku "Aizawa-sensei sure shut them up real fast, say what you want about how strict and unforgiving he is, but he always has our backs."
"For sure, Aizawa-sensei is the teacher I've come to respect more than any other one." Izuku agreed with him, "Can't you tell me about Uraraka's plan now?"
Shingen slowly turned around, "...What the heck? Do you need to get your eyes checked or something? You were always so observant and strategic, how'd you turn stupid?"
"...So are you gonna tell me or not?" Izuku ignored Shingen's words.
Shingen let out a sigh and pointed up, Izuku looked up and his eyes widened at what he saw. The debris from Bakugo's explosions were suspended in the air.
Iida who was sitting next to them also looked up, his mouth fell open.
"Goodness! Uraraka-san might actually pull this off!" Iida said with a smile, "Bakugo doesn't seem to have noticed it, she might actually have a shot at this!"
Shingen nodded, "She does indeed."
Aizawa continued to grill the pro hero a bit more, then he paused for a brief moment to catch his breath, "Bakugo is being careful because he's acknowledged the strength of his opponent who has reached this far. It's because he's doing everything he can to win that he can't afford to go easy on her, or let his guard down for even a second!"
With that, pro hero Eraserhead finished his speech, and the crowd didn't utter a single 'boo' as for the pro hero who mouthed off... he visibly shrunk in embarrassment.
Bakugo glared at Uraraka who was hunched over and breathing heavily, he knew that she had something planned, but didn't know what.
Uraraka wiped the sweat from her forehead and took a deep breath, then she put her hands together and shouted.
"Thanks for... not letting your guard down, Bakugo!" Uraraka's palms glowed a bright pink for a brief moment.
"Huh?!" Bakugo instantly went on high alert.
"I'm going to... win!" Uraraka screamed and... the debris that was suspended in the air began to rain down on Bakugo.
Bakugo looked up and his eyes widened completely and a small smirk crawled up on his face, "So this was your plan?" he muttered.
As the debris rained down on Bakugo, Uraraka charged towards him as well. This was an unavoidable pincer attack.
If Bakugo concentrated on Uraraka, then the debris would be enough to defeat him. If Bakugo placed his attention on the debris, then Uraraka would touch him and win the round.
Uraraka stuck her hand out, reaching towards Bakugo she was just a second away from touching him, but...
Grip
One of Bakugo's hands shot towards and grabbed her by the wrist, making sure to avoid touching her palm.
And in the same moment, he raised his other hand and unleashed an enormous explosion that swallowed all the debris that was raining down on top of him.
Then without wasting a single moment Bakugo swiped Uraraka's legs from under her, making her fall on the floor.
Then he quickly crouched down, placing one knee on her stomach while his one hand locked her arms behind her head and his other hand was hovering inches above her face.
"...Checkmate." Bakugo spoke, "That was a good plan, round face." Bakugo complimented her, "Too bad... I'm your opponent."
Uraraka shut her eyes tightly and her lip trembled briefly, she was devastated that her plan didn't work.
"I... concede..." She muttered, and Bakugo released her immediately.
"Bakugo Katsuki advances to the next round!" Midnight shouted.
Bakugo calmly walked off the stage, that earlier blast took a lot out of him.
"Close... that was... too close..." he muttered while glancing down at his trembling arm, it hurt a lot.
Then he clenched his fist and began walking up to the stands to join his classmates.
Meanwhile, the robots picked up Uraraka and drove her to Recovery Girl's office.
She had her face covered with her arm and lay motionless, the defeat was really weighing down on her it seemed.
Up in the stands, Izuku got up from his seat since he would be the next one fighting.
"Good luck, make sure you don't lose... otherwise..." Shingen didn't finish the sentence, just smiled widely.
Izuku shivered slightly, "Right..." he said and walked off.
------------------
Izuku was walking down the hallway on his way to the waiting room, he passed by a staircase and noticed Bakugo walking up.
He stopped and turned towards him, "Congrats on winning Kacchan, I'm off to the waiting room." he spoke briefly and continued walking.
"Wait." Bakugo spoke, "That was your idea, wasn't it? That desperate plan of hers."
Izuku stopped glancing back over his shoulder, "No, that was all her. I didn't give her any ideas or tips, she came up with it all on her own." Then he paused and smiled, "...She almost had you too."
"Huh?! No she didn't! Like I'd lose to that round face!" Bakugo shouted, "Get lost now! Make sure you don't cry when you fight That half-and-half bastard."
Bakugo walked off after saying those words.
"...Is that his way of encouraging someone?" Izuku questioned, scratching the back of his head. "Geez... this guy really is a piece of work." he muttered to himself.
He continued walking towards his destination... though another person crossed his path.
Massive and extremely muscular, wearing a navy suit that was set ablaze.
Endeavor, the number two hero.
Izuku froze in place, his eyes widening while his body seemed to tense up.
"Hm? You are..." Endeavor squinted his eyes, "Midoriya Izuku, right?"
Izuku took a deep breath to calm his nerves, "Yes, that's me."
"I've been watching you," Endeavor spoke, "Your Quirk is rather impressive, kind of similar to All Might's... however it lacks the strength and explosiveness All Might possesses, but nevertheless, you make a fine opponent for my Shouto." Endeavor smiled, and continued.
"His duty is to surpass All Might... so serve as a good stepping stone for his progress." Endeavor finished and walked by him.
'Don't let anyone walk over you.' He remembered Z's words, 'A hero needs to be confident, a hero needs to stand tall and proud, to show that there is no opponent that he can't defeat, to show the world that as long as he's around... everything would be alright. So take pride in who you are, take pride in what you've achieved and don't let anyone... not even All Might himself to belittle you.'
Izuku's eyes narrowed and for a second it looked like he would lash out at Endeavor, but he soon calmed himself.
"'Serve as a stepping stone'?" Izuku questioned, glancing back at Endeavor.
Endeavor paused, glancing back at Izuku.
"Don't write me off so easily," Izuku grinned, "I don't plan to be anyone's stepping stone, I'm going to beat Todoroki Shouto and show you just how large the gap between me and your son is."
Endeavor raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Words don't have meaning. Show me through your actions, boy." then he walked off.
"...He took that surprisingly well." Izuku muttered to himself, "Huh... I was expecting him to lash out at me or something..."
Then he finally went inside the waiting room.
Uraraka was already there, sitting next to a table with her fingers interlocked.
Her head snapped towards the door when she heard someone open it.
"Oh! Uraraka-san, you're here?" Izuku smiled, "How are your injuries?"
"Fine, I wasn't that injured so the healing was pretty moderate, I still have some scratches though! But nothing to worry about!" Uraraka was laughing and acting all cheery.
But Izuku knew immediately, that she was frustrated an was hurting.
He approached her and took a seat next to her and patted her shoulder, "You did well, good job. Uraraka-san." He said with a kind smile.
Uraraka froze immediately, and slowly... her lip started quivering and a few tears slipped out of her eyes.
She quickly wiped them away, "...I wanted to win... I wanted to win so badly..." she muttered, her voice starting to tremble.
"It's alright," Izuku spoke, "Maybe not this year, but there's always next year. Keep your chin up, okay?"
Uraraka almost burst into tears, but she held them in. She smiled at Izuku and nodded, "Right! Next year I'll wipe the floor with Bakugo!" She said loudly, pumping herself up.
Izuku chuckled, "That's the spirit!"
"Let's get started with the next round! Todoroki Shouto, Midoriya Izuku! Get ready!" Present Mic's voice interrupted their moment.
"Looks like it's my turn." Izuku said to her, "I'll be going now, see you later."
"Good luck Deku-kun! Go win!" Uraraka cheered him on.