Chapter 12: We Say Our Goodbyes
"All right, all right," came Present Mic's voice over the speakers, along with the swivel of a chair that told everyone that he was literally spinning in his seat. "For all of our wonderful audience, those rocking in their stadium seats and for those chilling back at home, please allow me to introduce to you the finalists who will be throwing down in the main event! And what a lineup we have as both 1-A and 1-B will both be getting to share the spotlight along with a few students from other courses! Starting us off from 1-A, we have the student who started us off with a bang which almost turned into a whimper. Let me hear you shout for Katsuki Bakugo!"
"HEY!" screamed Bakuko who turned around so his back was now facing Midnight. He, along with the rest of the students who were lined up on the podium, faced what felt like a random direction at first with the R-Rated Pro before them. But, in reality, they were facing the various cameras that were now zooming in on them before broadcasting the close-ups to the rest of the world.
"Then we have the leader of the team that placed above him; the girl who just has so much positivity bubbling up inside her that it lifts her off the ground Ochacho Uraraka! Then there are her teammates from 1-A the raven edgelord Fumikage Tokoyami and the slippery Mina Ashido! As for the rest of 1-A who just barely got in, we have the teen who saved them from a sticky situation: Hanta Sero! Along with him, we have the copycat Neito Monoma and the mountain of manliness Eijiro Kirishima!"
The Voice Hero then cleared his throat before continuing. "Now let's give it up for the people who surprised everyone by pulling the rug right from under 1-A's feet!" declared Present Mic, getting many cheers from the audience.
"More like they used a ruling to their advantage," came another voice, one that lacked energy. Instantly, Izuku recognized the owner as the person who had chastised him for how he acted after being attacked by Bakugo: Aizawa. At that moment, it almost felt like the dark-haired hero was looking down at him from the announcer's box to bore into his soul. "Had it not been for Midnight's decision in the last round, the outcome would have been far different. With that said, I will admit that they used the conditions presented to themselves well. Not just the ruling, but also the lack of awareness of the others, the space provided to them, and the countdown. All these additional factors played a key role in their success."
"First off, we have the leader of the second place 1-B team," continued Mic as though his co-host hadn't said a thing. "We have a girl who might be part reptile: Setsuna Tokage! Aiding her was the man of metal with a name that's a mouthful Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, our lady assassin of the roses Ibara Shiozaki, and the gentle beast man Jurota Shishida! Now let's introduce you all to the team that really stole the show! He's the boy of the shining wings who stole first place so quickly that if you blinked you missed the whole thing: Izuku Midoriya! But he didn't do it alone as he had some guided missile support from his classmate Pony Tsunotori! And the final member of 1-B who is sure to give up all a big thumbs up Itsuka Kendo!
"But it's not just the hero students who are the stars of this show," continued Present Mic, now sounding positively giddy. "From the support course, we have one of my more energetic little listeners: Mei Hatsume! And from General Studies, we have a student determined to break into the Hero Course: Hitoshi Shinso!"
With that done, the brackets were shown on another holographic image followed by a short break. Those who were not fighting in the tournament were offered the chance to continue to show off their skills in a series of smaller games. As many of the students played, either trying desperately to impress the pros or just have some fun, those who were moving onto the final event began to prepare. Some, like Bakugo, simply hyped themselves up. Others like Izuku, Itsuka, Shishida, and Pony used this time to plan for their upcoming matches. Especially Izuku and Itsuka who were going to be in the first and second matches.
Then, finally, it was time.
"Alright, my faithful listeners!" announced Present Mic when it was time, the crowd's excitement becoming almost deafening as they looked down at the field. Where once it had been a massive open field, now it held a raised platform made of cement which had been molded and hardened by the pro hero Cementoss. "The first round of the tournament shall begin! Oh yeah! Hailing from class 1-A, we have the master of shadows. The murder of crows: Fumikage Tokoyami. However, he's going to have his hands full as he faces off against the high-flying Vice Rep of class 1-B: Izuku Midoriya!"
The crowds cheered as both teens walked onto the stage, Tokoyami calming walking out with his hands in his pockets and his eyes closed. Meanwhile, Izuku's movements were a bit rigid as his nerves were getting to him a little. Before, it had been easier to stand before the crowd when there were plenty of other people around. But now that there were only two, he could feel far more eyes on him.
As the two teens stood at opposite ends of the ring, with Midnight going over the rules, Izuku eyed Tokoyami carefully. He had seen the bird-headed teen's quirk several times already, however his observations of Dark Shadow during the cavalry battle had been most illuminating. Put simply, Tokoyami's quirk was a sentient shadow creature that could attack and defend for the teen. Most notably, it could extend itself towards the target making it good for long-range attacks. Something that he had noticed more than once during the last event as the shadow creature protected their team's headband while also assisting them in capturing others. But now that he was closer to the 1-A boy, Midoriya could see a very noticeable flaw: Tokoyami himself was not strong. Judging by the lack of any real muscles on the teen's arms as well as what he had seen in the Sports Festival, Izuku theorized that his opponent was the type that relied either heavily or exclusively on his quirk.
"Begin!" cried Midnight. As she cracked her whip, Tokoyami called out Dark Shadow while at the same time Izuku activated his Divine Dividing. The crowd let out a cheer, ready to witness the showdown between quirks of shadow and light.
Tokoyami made the first move, sending Dark Shadow out toward Izuku as quickly as he could. The bird beast extended its clawed hands as it flew across the ring while growing slightly larger. Then, when it was right in front of Midoriya, the green-haired teen finally moved. In a flash, he had shot past the quirk creature and flown towards its host.
"Dark-" But that was all Tokoyami could say before Izuku's leg collided with his gut. Air shot out of the 1-A student's lungs, his mouth agape as spit and stomach juices flew out. Then the force of the kick sent Tokoyami flying out of the ring and onto the grass where he rolled until his back hit the stadium wall.
In less than thirty seconds, Izuku Midoriya had won his first match.
Once Midnight had called the match, Izuku walked towards his downed opponent who was still lying there with one hand holding his gut and his shadow friend looking over him in concern. Both of them saw Midoriya approaching, Dark Shadow letting out what sounded like a feral growl that caused the teen to flinch. Yet he didn't stop until he was right in front of Tokoyami and held out a hand with a nervous smile.
"Need a hand?" asked the green-haired hero hopeful.
At first, the bird-headed teen looked at the gesture in confusion. But then, after only a moment, he struggled to smile while accepting the hand. Carefully, Izuku helped Tokoyami to his feet before shaking hands properly while also looking the other in the eye with respect.
"You fought well," said Tokoyami, his voice somewhat laced with pain as his free hand went to cover his stomach. "Though I wish I could say the same for me."
"You'll do better next time," reassured Izuku. "But, if you don't mind me making this suggestion, you should probably work on your own strength. Dark Shadow is an amazing quirk, but relying only on it gives you an obvious weakness."
"Wise words," replied Tokoyami with a nod. "I shall gratefully take heed of them."
"Oh my," cried Midnight as she watched the scene unfolding, swaying from side to side with her hands wrapped around her body while a steaming blush grew on her face. "Such a wonderful display of sportsmanship. Oh yes, it's really heating me up!"
Hearing Midnight saying that, for all the world to hear, caused the teen's cheeks to burn. Quickly, Midoriya flew off into the stadium where he took a seat with the rest of 1-B, taking a seat between Pony, who was waving her arms in the air happily, and Toga. While the other blonde smiled happily at Izuku, she did shoot Midnight a glare while seeming to mouth something that the boy thought was 'Unfair'. As his class congratulated him on his victory, Izuku looked down to see a pair of drones had put Tokoyami on a stretcher. Most likely taking him to see the nurse.
"Alright, alright!" came Present Mic's voice over the speakers. "Let's move on to the second round, shall we? Next up we have the little listener who got the highest score in the entrance exam ready to take a win for his class: Katsuki Bakugo! However, that might prove tricky as he faces off against the fiery martial artist and class rep of 1-B: Itsuka Kendo!"
Izuku leaned forward in his seat as both students entered the arena. As usual, there was a scowl on Bakugo's face and murder in his eyes. Whether it was because he was still fuming over nearly losing in the last round, ready to take his aggressions out on a member of Izuku's team which caused it, or if it was due to him remembering how Ituksa punched him in the cafeteria that one time, Izuku had no idea. In contrast, Kendo walked into the ring with confidence as she politely waved to the crowd.
"So, who do you think is going to win?" asked Pony as she, as well as the rest of the class, leaned forward just a little bit.
Izuku didn't answer right away, instead biting his lower lip before glancing over at Pony.
"It's tricky," he said, surprising the American girl. "Itsuka has more professional fighting experience under her belt. She can more easily read her opponent than someone like Kacchan and I would say is more physically strong. Plus she has a level head on her shoulders. However, while Kacchan never had any official training before coming to U.A., he has great battle instincts and a powerful quick that gives him an advantage both in close as well as mid-range combat. So, I guess the determining factor is who can take the advantage first."
Moments later, the match began with a literal bang as Bakugo rocketed himself arena with a savage look on his face. Enhanced by the jumbo screen everyone in the audience could see that he was out for blood. When he got close, the blond pulled back his hand for his famous opening right hook. Kendo saw this, ducking to the side which was wide open due to Bakugo overextending his swing. Now in position, Itsuka prepared to deliver a punch to his gut only to have Bakugo unleash several small explosions with his left to change his trajectory in the air. Seeing this, Kendo leapt back and out of the way before she was backhanded.
But it didn't stay that way for long as Itsuka moved in quickly to close the distance. "Kachū Tenshin Amaguriken!" yelled Kendo before she began to use one of the newest techniques she had learned just for the festival. Bakugo's eyes widened, arms raising to block the incoming attack but was too slow. Everyone watched as a flurry of punches moving so fast they could barely be seen impacting everywhere from his gut to his face with a force that Izuku knew all too well. What's more, each blow sent Bakugo back several inches towards the edge of the arena! Seeing this, Izuku clutched his notebook with his breath caught in his lungs. It was so surreal to see Bakugo, one of the most tenacious people he had ever met as well as the one who had bullied him for so long in this state.
When the attack ended, Bakugo's face was shown for all the world to see. Bruises were forming on bruises, large blotches of blues and purples forming over most of his exposed skin. One eye looked like it was fighting with all its might to stay open, his lip bleeding from several spots on his lip. But Bakugo refused to give in as he swung a fist at Kendo that she easily read, stepping out of the way to watch as it harmlessly sailed past her before using that same move again.
As more blows rained down on Bakugo, Izuku felt a hand touch his shoulder. Due to how engrossed he was in the fight, Izuku jumped a little at the contact but managed to relax when he saw that it was Himiko.
"Looks like we know whose going to win," she said in a sing-song tone. However, her smile vanished when Izuku shook his head.
"It's not over yet," he said. "Kacchan's quirk has to do with his sweat. Meaning the longer the fight goes on and the more damage he takes, the more easily he can produce sweat. That leads to more powerful explosions."
"Oh," replied Toga as she then went back to examining the fight, biting her lower lip a little while her eyes narrowed. "Well then, let's see if he can manage to use all that extra power he gets before his body gives out on him."
Back in the ring, the crowd watched as the angry blond fell to the ground where he rolled back while holding his gut. Anger and pain dominated the look in his eyes, veins bulging in his temples.
"Damn it!" screamed Bakugo.
Quickly getting up, Bakugo rushed towards Kendo with a savage growl. Once close enough, he shot his palm out to his opponent only for Kendo to deflect the blow with her wrist so that the explosion happened next to her head. At the same time, she knocked Bakugo off balance, hooking the back of his ankle with her foot before pulling back. The exploding teen fell backward with Kendo's fist ready to knock him out. Oh, if only the blow had connected. Bakugo saw this and, once again, used smaller explosions to get out of the way. The blond rolled on the ground before landing on one knee, raising a hand right at the orange-haired girl. A more powerful explosion came from his hand, a blood-hungry grin on his face as he saw the look in Kendo's eyes before flames and smoke obscured his vision.
But that look soon changed as Kendo's enlarged hands came out of the smoke. Izuku stood, realizing that his friend had used the back of her hands as a shield for there were several large burn marks on them. But that didn't stop her. Instead, she fought through the pain before grabbing Bakugo in her enlarged hand.
"I've had enough of you!" she roared as she brought the hand holding the explosive blonde back while taking up a pitching stance. "How about you spend the rest of the Sports Festival in the stands!"
With that, Kendo flung the 1-A student out of the ring with all her might. Yet, before Bakugo could touch the ground or hit the wall, he began to use the explosions from his palms to move through the air. Barely missing the wall by a hair, he managed to turn around to land back in the ring.
"JUST FUCKING DIE ALREADY MAN HANDS!" roared Bakugo. With that, he went all out. Veins could now be seen on both his arms and neck as he pushed as much nitroglycerin into his palms before unleashing the most massive explosion he could muster right at Kendo. And this was it, there was no way she could dodge or get away. The blast hit her full-on, flinging her out of the ring before her body was impaled into the wall. Blood could be seen leaking from her mouth right before she fell face-first into the ground, causing most of the audience to gasp in shock.
If Bakugo cared or seemed worried, he didn't show it. Instead, he looked down at his trembling arms with disgust. Then, before he turned to leave, he spat on the ground in a final show of disrespect.
Izuku, Pony, and Toga didn't even bother to wait for the match to be called as they rushed toward the nurse's office. As they did, they could hear the gasps from the crowd as well as the panic in Midnight's voice as she urged the medical drones to get there quickly. Because of their early dash, they were able to arrive at their destination shortly after Kendo did. The teens were in time to see Asai holding out her hands above Itsuka who became enveloped in green light. Quickly, all of the girl's injuries began to vanish until she looked as good as new. And, when the light faded, Itsuka opened her eyes. Slowly she looked around looking slightly confused before a small pout that Izuku found adorable appeared on her face.
"I lost, didn't I?" she grumbled, arms crossing her chest.
"Yeah, sorry," said Izuku as he went over to his friend, sitting on the bed next to her.
"But you did really, super good out there!" added Pony as she too sat next to Kendo.
"You looked so cute out there," said Toga as she surprised everyone by appearing behind the redhead, wrapping her arms around Kendo's neck in a gentle manner. "The way you made that guy bleed all over the arena with just your fists. You're just so adorable."
Izuku nodded. "They're right you know," he said, placing a hand on Itsuka's lap. "I bet all the pros out there will have their eye on you given how well you fought both with and without a quirk. Even more so when they realize what Kacchan had to do to take you out."
That brought a slight smile onto Itsuka's face as Pony joined in, her arms wrapping around the Big Fist girl's stomach.
"Thanks, guys," she said, no one noticing that the devil dressed as a nun was watching them with a slight smile on her face. Instead, Itsuka turned to look at her green-haired friend. "Oh, Izuku? When you face him in the next round could you kick him extra hard for me?"
-x-
When Izuku and the others returned to the 1-B booth, they stayed as a group. Itsuka sat on Izuku's left while Pony took the right. As for Toga…
"Ah, this is comfy," purred the blood drinker. Currently, she was sitting directly in front of her green-haired friend while leaning back in such a way that her head rested on his lap. Naturally, this caused Izuku to blush in embarrassment while the rest of his class just chuckled at how clueless he was.
What they didn't know was that, at that moment, two pairs of eyes were watching them. Mineta, using his purple balls, had climbed up the barrier that separated the two classes with his face turning a slight shade of red as he glared with unrighteous fury at Midoriya. Standing on his tiptoes next to the grape-themed pervert was Kaminari, looking on more in envy than rage.
"Lucky bastard," grumbled the electric user shoulders slumping somewhat as he wished he was in that position.
"He has it," breathed Mineta, causing Kaminari to glance at the grape-themed teen as fires began to appear around him. Forgetting himself, Mineta pushed himself up a bit to point at Midoriya. "He has it! The legendary harem quirk spoken only in manga, anime, and hentia!"
"Whoa, seriously?" asked Kaminari in awe for he too had heard of this quirk…from the same sources as Mineta. Especially that last one.
"Of course! How else could such a plain-looking guy have all those hotties around him when we don't!" Mineta all but screamed. "We must do everything in our power to keep him away from our class before his quirk infects them. Then he'll be sure to take away Yaoyorozu so we'll never get the chance to squeeze her breasts. Then he'll take away Ashido and her nice rear. Uraraka who has curves in all the right places. Hagakure who's so freaky she runs around naked! Asui and her nice legs! He can have flat as a board Jiro since she's as plain looking as him but-" Mineta got no further as the cords to Jiro's earphone jacks suddenly wrapped around the pervert, almost strangling him for a moment before being pulled back. The smallest of small 1-A hit the ground for a moment, laying there in a fleeting moment of confusion until it dawned on him that he was surrounded. All of the girls he had just named were looking down at him, with their eyes whited out in furious glares. Jiro seemed the most angry, cracking her knuckles as she tightened her hold on him.
Later, after Mineta's screams had died down after the course of a few matches, it was Pony's turn to fight.
"So, who do you think is going to win this one?" asked Kendo as their friend Pony raced out to the middle of the ring, waving her arms in the air all excitedly. From the other corner came Sero with a big grin on his face.
"Pony will win, duh," said Toga as she rolled her eyes, kicking her feet lazily as she did. "There's no way someone that dumb looking can beat a cutie like Pony."
Kendo turned to look at Toga with clear disapproval, but before she could open her mouth Izuku spoke up. "Toga is right. If I had to guess, I'd say that Pony is one of the strongest people in our class. Given what I've seen of Sero thus far, he doesn't stand a chance."
"Oh really?" came the voice of Kamakiri from behind them. All three students turned to look at the bug-like teen as he sneered down at them. "Playing favorites are we? What makes Pony the strongest when compared to everyone else? Other than the fact that she's usually hanging off of you."
Izuku blushed and bristled at the same time after hearing that. A part of him wanted to shy away from answering the question. To say something that could placate his classmate. However, out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed that several of his other classmates were now paying attention to him. To the conversation he had started. He had dug his grave.
"It's not because we're friends," said Izuku with a sigh. "It's because of all the skills under her belt. Her quirk and the training she's done with it gives her massive advantages over most others. She can use her horns to move through the air, giving her a speed advantage. What's more, she can use them for long-range combat; either by a massive, numerous assault or a targeted attack. And now, thanks to Toga's help, she is learning how to use them better as close-range stabbing weapons. But that's not all she has going for her. Pony also has greater natural strength, stamina, and speed without her horns. She might not have the same power behind her attacks as Tetsutetsu or Shishida, but its nothing to scoff at. Nor does she need any additional material like metal shavings or fear of going berserk. So, because of all these factors, I believe that Pony is at least one of the top five strongest members of our class."
Kamakiri looked dumbfounded for a moment before slowly nodding his head in understanding before he, along with the rest of the class, turned to watch the fight.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Pony's smile brightened for reasons she didn't even know. She was already happy as it sounded like the crowd was really rooting for her over the 1-A guy. But now, she had an extra bounce in her step.
"Ah man, looks like the crowd is against me," said Sero, cracking his neck a little as he spoke. "Might end up really hating me if I beat up such a cute girl too." At that moment, Midnight cracked her whip and announcing that the match would begin. "But I don't feel like losing either!"
With that, Sero shot his elbows forward and began to launch tape from both of them at the same time. Pony, seeing one stand heading towards her chest with the other was heading towards her legs, reacted by raising her hands up to her head in a manner that almost looked like she was surrendering. Except, she wasn't! Instead, her horns detached from her head to attach to her wrists before instantly regrowing. She then brought down her arms, slashing through the tape and cutting it to ribbons before it could ever touch her.
Seeing this, Sero's eyes widened in confusion as he didn't know what to do next. But Pony wasn't giving him time to think as she bent her legs before launching herself in the dark-haired teen's direction. Sero let out a small cry of panic as he then launched more tape at the American girl, only for the make shift blades she was using to become detached from her wrist. Without losing any of her momentum, Pony twirled the horns in the palms of her hands until she was holding them like trench knives. The crowd went wild as the blonde then stabbed her own detached horn right into the ground, pinning one of the stands of tape to the arena floor before using her now free hand to grab ahold of Sero's tape.
Thanks to the way she was running at him, Sero's tape hung loosy within Pony's grasp. Though not for long as the 1-B used pierced the tape with her other horn before appearing to throw it.
"Ha! That'll never work!" laughed Sero, somewhat relieved as he watched the horn and tape fly past him. Pony just smirked as he had, somehow, forgotten what her horns were capable of. That or he assumed that she had only supplied the horns and someone else was using their quirk to control them which, to be fair, was a possibility. Nevertheless, she was extremely satisfied when her horn began to change course in the air to wrap around the tape user causing his smug smile to vanish. It spun around him in a blur, wrapping the teen up in his own tape until he looked like a mummy. Once Sero fell over, Pony just rolled him out of the arena like he was nothing more than a rolled-up carpet getting a good laugh from the crowd.
A few matches later came the funniest of them all.
"You have done well to get it this far, clinging to 1-B scum to do all the heavy lifting for you," laughed Monoma, posing slightly before Shinso after Midnight had called the match to start. "But alas, you miscalculated for clearly you forgot that the final round of the Festival is a series of one on one matches. No one to help you out. Though, its not like any of those inferior 1-B students would have been able to help you. In the end, they are destined to fall to the superior might of 1-A!" At that moment, Monoma threw back his head before laughing insanely. As Izuku watched his, he knew that Monoma's confidence was not unfounded in this moment. He had seen his Copy quirk in action a few times now. While he didn't know all its rules yet, Midoriya as well as the rest of 1-B had heard Monoma asking his classmates to allow him access to their quirks right before the match. Meaning he had an unknown amount of quirks at his disposal. But, at the same time, if this performance was suppose to endear him to the crowd or the pros, it wasn't working as Izuku could see many of them cringing and looking away from the jumbo screen showing focused on the 1-A student.
Shinso, on the other hand, stared at him while appearing relaxed.
the matches proceeded.
"Do you really believe your own hype that much?" asked Shinso, almost lazily.
"I am the-" began Monoma, only to be stopped dead midsentence as Brainwashing took effect. From there, all Shinso had to do was issue his simple command and Monoma walked out of the ring.
The final match of the first round was the one Midoriya had thought would last the longest. Tetsutetsu had been knocked out with a single punch, one so powerful that it caused hurricane-level winds to sweep across the stadium. Not only did this level of strength concern Izuku, but also the backlash of the attack as Tetsutetsu's opponent's arm looked broken.
Then, finally, it was Izuku's turn once more. Stepping into the arena with Present Mic reintroducing them to the crowd, Midoriya kept his eyes on his opponent. The blonde teen looked angrier than before as the veins on his forehead seemed to indicate. Seeing that face brought back so many memories, bringing with them the fear he held. The holder of Divine Dividing could feel his arms and legs trembling yet he stood his ground.
"There's no escaping this time Deku!" screamed Bakugo, not caring that the whole world was getting a close-up of his face. You're not leaving this ring until I have beaten all the answers I want from your worthless ass! And this time, you won't have any of those worthless extras around to save you!"
A flicker of anger appeared within Izuku, but nothing more as he looked at the bully. Slowly, he took a breath before giving the bully his most determined face. And it seemed to do the trick as Bakugo looked taken aback by it.
"It won't be so easy as you seem to think. After all, you aren't launching a surprise attack on me this time," said Izuku, his words causing Bakugo to bristle before raising his head so that a shadow covered the upper part of the explosive teen's face. Like this, only Bakugo's eyes could bee seen making him somehow look scarier. However, Izuku didn't stop. "You're last match. It was tougher than you thought it would be, wasn't it? You actually had to push yourself, going all out on Itsuka."
"Like hell!" spat Bakugo, fingers twitching as he spoke. "That worthless man handed extra-"
"Don't lie Kacchan," interrupted Izuku, surprising both Bakugo and himself with this. "I watched that match along with everyone else. I've seen what it's like firsthand when you effortlessly blow someone away. But that fight? No, you had to go all out. You had to push more nitroglycerin into your palms than ever before. All just to take her out."
Bakugo seemed ready to blow, several small explosions dancing in the palms of his hands as a growl escaped his throat. He might have charged then and there had Midnight not given him a look telling him not to try it.
"Who do you think you are talking to me like that?" demanded Bakugo with a growl, eye twitching as he was no doubt fighting with himself not to launch over there and begin attacking Izuku. "Well? You're nothing! A shitty loser! Look at you! Even now you're shaking in fear before me!"
Izuku took a breath. "You're right," he admitted before sliding into his fighting stance. "I'm afraid. But…I'm still here and not backing down!"
And with that, Midnight started the match.
Letting out a bloodcurdling scream of rage, Bakugo used his explosions to launch himself toward Izuku who stood his ground. And, like with his match with Kendo, the exploding teen started with a right hook. Rather than dodging it, Izuku used his wrist to redirect the attack so that it flew harmlessly past his head just as Bakugo unleashed an explosion. But, Izuku wasn't over as, before the flames could subside, the Divine Divider spun around to deliver a powerful kick right into Bakugo's ribs. A kick with so much force and power behind it that he, Katsuki, and Midnight could hear the cracking of ribs moments before the bomber teen was sent flying away.
"Itsuka asked me to give that one to you," said Izuku as he kept his guard up, waiting for the retaliation he knew was coming. He didn't have to wait long as Bakugo scrambled to get back on his feet, sweet forming all over his body from the injury. Growling in both pain and rage, he charged at the green-haired teen. Thanks to his with the explosive teen, Izuku knew all of Bakugo's tells and with his time at the Kendo dojo he could better capitalize on this information. And right now, Bakugo was nothing more than an open book to him.
So, he knew that this time Bakugo would launch an open palm strike aimed right at Izuku's face. While to most it would look like a slap, it was far more dangerous in the hands of someone like Bakugo. If it struck, he would then fire off an explosion at point-blank range. If you blocked the strike itself, the flames and the force from the blast would still hit. So that was why Izuku went with option number three: leaning backwards so that he fell on his back and allowing the strike to sail harmlessly over him. Then, while Bakugo looked on in confusion, Midoriya pressed his legs close to his chest before sending them into the gut of his former friend. This caused the angry blond to stumble back while Izuku got into a crouching position before delivering a sweeping leg kick on his opponent to knock him down. With Bakugo down, Izuku raised his leg high into the air ready to slam his heel right into Bakugo's gut and to finally end this. However, before the attack could connect, Katsuki unleached explosions from both his open palms that contained enough force that he slid across the arena floor.
While it would have been satisfying to defeat Bakugo using only his martial arts skills, Izuku knew that it was only a matter of time before his opponent used the same move he used to defeat Itsuka. That and he didn't want to hold anything back. Activating Divine Dividing, Izuku shot into the air so fast that he was nothing more than a green and blue blur that only stopped once he was right above Bakugo. Then, just as quickly, he shot downward to deliver an axe kick using his flying ability to enhance the speed and power of the blow. The ashen blonde saw this however and managed to roll out of the way as one hand gripped tightly onto his chest.
Gritting his teeth so hard that he drew blood while lowering his hand, Bakugo propelled himself through the air toward Izuku. This time, when he got close enough, the blonde positioned his palms towards the ground sending him upwards quickly while also generating plenty of heat and smoke. Due to this, Izuku was forced to cover his eyes for a moment. At that moment, Bakugo managed to land a punch to the teen's shoulder. Quickly, Izuku used his wings to gain a bit more distance. Only Bakugo wasn't letting that happen. He charged towards the green-haired teen, this time running as fast as he could while sending out several small explosions to help boost his speed.
'He's still working himself hard, trying to build up even more of a sweat , thought Izuku as he continued to move. 'With those injuries, he should already be sweating more than he needs. But he wants more. He must be trying to collect enough so that, when I divide his strength, his explosions will still hurt me.'
Once close enough, Bakugo extended a palm towards Izuku. This time, however, it wasn't one of his normal explosions. This one was far brighter, forcing Izuku to close his eyes. The next moment a real explosion collided with Midoriya's stomach knocking him back. But it didn't stop there as, while Izuku fell to the ground, blast after blast was sent toward the green-haired youth. And slightly above the deafening noise, somehow Midoriya could make out the screams of his bully.
After several moments of this, Izuku shot into the air in order to escape. There high above the arena and far enough from his bully's explosions, the teen paused to catch his breath while his vision slowly returned. He could hear the blasts and screams below him fading as the ashen blonde no doubt realized that he was no longer there. When he could properly see again, Izuku looked down to find that indeed Bakugo was glaring up at him. And seeming even angrier for having to look up at him.
As Izuku looked down at Bakugo, he believed that this was going to be the deciding factor in this match. While his opponent could move about the arena and propel himself in the air via his explosion, he seemed limited to just a few feet above the ground. Meanwhile, Izuku had far greater speed, mobility, and could actually. Something that Bakugo had to be aware of. Meaning that his opponent's options were limited.
'I think this is it,' thought Izuku as he went through everything he knew about Bakugo. 'If there was ever a time to unleash an explosion powerful enough like the one he used against Itsuka, now is the time. It is his only option. However, despite how powerful it is, with my speed I'm sure I can move out of the way before the flames even reach me. After that, his arms will be spent. I just need to-'
Izuku's thoughts were cut off as Bakugo surprised him by launching up into the air. The explosions from the teen's palms were rapid, spinning him round and round until he became a cyclone of pure anger. The crowd gasped and cheered wildly as they felt the after-effects of this move all the way in their seats. Class 1-A was cheering Bakugo on while 1-B screamed for Midoriya to get out of the way.
Only, Izuku didn't do that. Instead, he began to spin around himself to deliver his own attack.
"Howitzer Impact!" screamed Bakugo.
"Shooting Dragon Fang!" cried Izuku.
With that, Izuku entered the center of the cyclone. He didn't aim for Bakugo's head but instead aimed for the teen's side, colliding with the blonde's outstretched arm. A crack that only the two teens could hear soon followed, the explosion whirlwind ending as Bakugo spiraled out of control and out of the smoke. The jumbo screen zoomed in on the 1-A student, showing that his left arm was clearly broken as it was quickly turning purple. However, rather than falling head first into a wall or into the crowd, Bakugo was caught by the wrist by Izuku who held onto him at arm's length.
Once more, Bakugo was forced to look up at Izuku while the green-haired teen looked down as their eyes met. This only served to anger Bakugo evermore.
"Damn you! I'm going to-"
"Divide."
That word, spoken so calmly, silenced the explosive teen as he felt himself getting weaker. A look of utter horror began to take over his face as he began to struggle to free himself but to no avail.
Meanwhile, Izuku just looked down at the person who had tormented him for so long. He knew how easy it would be to just let him go, to let him drop and watch as he struggled to save himself with his diminished strength. To watch as he had to be saved by the teachers.
"Divide."
More strength was sapped from Bakugo as Izuku shook his head. Yes, it would have been easy. But was he tempted to do so? That was a hard no. Despite everything that had happened today, everything that he had been through during his entire life with Bakugo, Izuku could never just drop him like that. Nor would he ever do anything that might threaten his life. No, he would do the right thing and finally move on. And he knew just the way to do it.
"Divide."
At that moment, Bakugo became aware that they were getting closer to the ground. But, they weren't heading toward the arena. No, instead they were heading straight for the out-of-bounds area. A wide look of fear flashed through the teen's eyes as he called on every bit of strength he had.
"NO!" screamed Bakugo. "NOT LIKE THIS! NOT A DAMNED RING OUT! DEKU!"
"Divide," was all that Izuku said as he continued to lower his former friend to the earth below.
The ground was getting closer. Snarling, Katsuki launched several explosions from his good hand only feeling small puffs of smoke similar to those he had when he was four. His feet thrashed about, doing everything he could to cause some pain to the green-haired boy. But even when he connected, Izuku didn't seem to flinch.
"YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME!" roared Bakugo.
"Divide."
More strength was taken from Bakugo as he struggled to raise his bad hand. Tears formed in his eyes as he moved it, a sob escaping the teen's lips as he tried to point a palm at the Divine Divider. But he felt so weak that he could barely do that.
Then, before he could let out another curse, his feet were gently placed on the ground. The gentleness of it all infuriated the blonde like nothing else. Being kicked out or dropped out of the ring he could handle. It showed he was strong, that he was tough. But like this? Being treated as though he were a delicate piece of glass? That was a major blow to his pride. But what hurt worse was who had done this to him: Deku. Out of all the people in the world, it had been the one he had stepped on for years. The weak, cowardly, quirkless little pebble who had just defeated him for all the world to see! It was maddening!
Finally, the match was called with Midoriya being declared the winner. As the crowd cheered wildly, Izuku turned to look back at Bakugo one more time.
"Goodbye…Kacchan," said Izuku, intending for that to be the last time he ever used that old nickname for Bakugo.
With that, Izuku began to walk away from his former childhood friend as the medical drone approached.
However…
"NO!" wailed Bakugo. "THIS WASN'T HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN! YOU'RE NOT A HERO! YOU'RE A THIEF! YOU STOLE EVERYTHING FROM ME! MY DESTINY, MY PLACE IN THE TOURNAMENT, MY POWER! THAT'S ALL YOU ARE! THAT'S ALL A WORTHLESS STAIN LIKE YOU CAN DO! THIEF! THIEF!"
Izuku never looked back as he slowly walked away, his ears picking up the sound of Bakugo flailing around on the ground. Clearly, he was having a hard time accepting that he lost. But, this was one problem that Izuku was not going to rush over and try to help. No. Not this time. He was done with it.
Chapter 13: The Final Match
Izuku Midoriya was seated in the waiting room, his legs twitching with nervous excitement. A hand went to his chest, feeling his heart racing while a smile grew on his lips. This was really happening. Here he was, about to go into the final match of the Sports Festival to see who would win first place. Honestly, this felt a little too good to be true. Not only had he defeated the person he had admired, the person he had looked up to as a childhood vision of strength and tenacity, but also several other outstanding heroes in training. He felt so honored to be here that a part of him didn't care how the match turned out. That just being here was more than he deserved.
'Enough of such foolish thoughts partner! Do not settle for aiming for anything other than the top!'
Izuku nearly jumped in his seat at Albion's sudden words. As he looked down at his left hand, the teen thought about the person he would be facing. A student from 1-A, the one who had defeated Tetsutetsu in a single blow. The person that, with a single flick of his finger, sent Shinso out of the ring due to the massive air pressure he created. A student who stood there, taking everything Pony could dish out before sending her flying out of the ring.
'He's strong Albion,' thought Izuku, communicating to the ancient dragon. 'Much stronger than anyone else here.'
'Perhaps, but that is no reason for you to cower in fear!' insisted Albion. 'You hold the Divine Dividing! No matter how strong he is, all it will take is a single touch for it to be cut in half! Besides, would a true hero back down from a stronger foe?'
Izuku's eyes widened at that before giving a firm nod. In his heart and mind, a true hero would face any odds in order to save and protect the people. So, he would use this match to show the pros out there that he had what it took. That he would face down an opponent with superior strength and take him down!
With this newfound determination, Izuku began going over his opponent's matches in his head. His opponent was strong, insanely so, but he had one clear weakness that Izuku could capitalize on. Every time he used that super strength of his, the part of his body that he used would become damaged. Like when he fought Tetsutetsu, his arm looked all cracked before turning purple. The same went for the finger that he used against Shinso. Sure those injuries got healed up, but only once the match was finished. If Izuku used his speed to his advantage, he could just let his opponent's injuries pile up until he could not continue. Or just let him injure himself enough and then use Divine Dividing to sap half of his strength so that it could be used against him. Both were sound plans.
By the time Izuku had figured out what he was going to do, Present Mic's voice called him to the stadium. Taking a breath, he walked out of the room and towards one of the biggest fights of his life.
"Alright, alright," came Present Mic's energetic voice. "Ladies and gentlemen. Pros from all around the world. I hope you are ready because the final match of the first year's Sports Festival is about to begin. Coming in from the left we have the plainest-looking boy you will ever see! But don't let that fool you because he has taken down some of his rival class's heaviest hitters! Give a shout-out to the kid Aizawa wanted to kick out of the hero program on the first day: Izuku Midoriya!"
As Aizawa's incoherent grumblings filled the airways, the 1-B student made his way toward the center of the arena.
"But, does he have what it takes to take down the last of 1-A's heaviest hitters?" continued Mic. "Coming in from the right, we have the teen with the strength of the mountains themselves! The living embodiment of what it means to be manly. Let's give it up for the powerhouse: Eijiro Kirishima!"
Izuku took a breath, watching as his redheaded opponent made his way to the arena. Kirishima looked embarrassed as he walked across the field, scratching the back of his head while his class cheered him on. Yet, when he got onto the arena floor, he didn't stop. Instead, he kept moving towards the green-haired youth with a sharp-toothed smile on his face. Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw that Midnight was watching this closely and seemed ready to step in should something go wrong.
Finally, Kirishima stood in front of Midoriya with his eyes downcast slightly.
"Your fight with Baku-bro," began the 1-A boy. "You had a chance to get back at him for what he did to you in the cafeteria, you know? Could have just let him fall after breaking his arm. Heck, you could have just kicked him while you were both still in the air to knock him out of the ring." As he said this, Kirishima lifted his head to show that he was smiling with those sharp teeth of his before reaching out his hand. "But instead, you took the high road with my buddy. You brought him back down to the ground safely even though he didn't like it. That's super manly of you bro. And that makes you alright in my books."
Izuku felt his cheeks heat up before taking the other teen's hand in his own, giving Kirishima an honest quirk-free handshake.
"T-Thanks," he managed to say.
"But don't go thinking that just because you helped out my best bud I'll go easy on you. I plan on winning this," added Kirishima.
"You're not the only one," replied the Divine Divider as the two ended their handshake. "So come at me with everything you have and I'll do the same!"
Kirishima grinned wildly at that. "Alright!" exclaimed the teen as he gave Midoriya a thumbs up. "Looks like this is going to be one manly fight!"
"Oh my!" swooned Midnight, gaining everyone's attention. "Such passion before the match. Oh, it's really doing something for me now!"
Both students, as well as most men in the audience, turned bright red as Midnight squirmed from her spot on the stage. Her face had a blush that almost hid the blood running down her nose. Almost.
Once the crowd had gotten over their shock and embarrassment over Midnight's statement, the cheers grew to their highest volume yet as both students took their places on either side of the arena. Izuku activated Divine Dividing, his wings on full display causing his class to go wild. At the same time, Kirishima's body took on a more jagged and rocky appearance while his class did their best to cheer him on. The teens, however, blocked everything going on around them out as their eyes locked onto the others. The only sound to get through to them was Midnight's voice when she told them to begin.
Like a flash, Izuku was zipping around the stadium. While doing this, the teen kept his eyes on Kirishima who was visibly having a hard time keeping track of the flying teen. Seeing this, Izuku shot at full speed with his legs in front of him. The green-haired teen's feet connected with his opponent's right shoulder with a force so powerful that it sent a shock wave through the stadium, sending plenty of litter flying up into the air. Yet, despite making contact, Kirishima stood there like that kick had been the equivalent of a fly landing on him!
'Ok, so he's not just strong but also has an amazing defense!' thought Izuku as he took in this new information.
Seeing Kirishima raising a clawed hand, Izuku shot back into the sky before his opponent could swipe at him. But as he gained distance, the green-haired teen looked back in time to see the redhead preparing to flick a finger at him. Though, that wasn't the interesting thing. As Kirishima held his hand out aiming at the flying teen, Izuku noticed what looked like glowing red veins of power on that finger. Before Midoriya could ponder about it some more, the hardening quirk user flicked his finger! The result sent a massive, uncontrollable whirlwind of air at Izuku while also creating a number of cracks on the user's finger. And while Midoriya was thrown around a bit by the powerful winds he was able to quickly right himself.
That didn't stop Kirishima as he readied another finger to flick at Izuku, the same veins appearing on that digit as well. Spotting this, Izuku flew faster out of the way at the very last moment and avoided the attack altogether.
'It's like a volcano,' thought Izuku as he continued to analyze his opponent with growing excitement. 'That strength is like magma, pooling into a certain point before it erupts. That's so amazing!'
'Focus partner! Focus!' snapped Albion.
'I am!' As Izuku thought this, he dodged another attack from Kirishima. Then another. Each finger flick sending another blast of air toward the audience, causing them to cry out in both shock and amazement. Now, four figures on his dominant hand were cracked and the teen looked like he was in pain.
Believing that now was the right moment, Izuku flew around the stadium once more so that he was nothing more than a blur. Kirishima could do nothing but stand there, unable to keep track of his opponent but keeping his cool. That is, however, until Izuku appeared right behind him while placing a hand on the teen's rocky back.
"Divide!" declared Izuku. A mass of power filled the teen, causing him to cry out in pain. Not even the Nomu he had drained that first time had this much strength! So it was no surprise to Midoriya as his wings shattered, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Uh…so much…power," grunted Izuku as he forced himself to stand, his body still feeling the sting from the strain.
'Yes,' commented Albion, using the tone that indicated he was nodding. 'It is remarkable that he has that much power flowing through his veins. However, that power has now been cut in half so he should be easier to-'
Albion's words were cut off as Kirishima turned on Izuku, his uninjured fist raised to attack. A rush of adrenaline flowed through the forest-haired teen, giving him the strength he needed to push away at the last moment before the blow connected. That was the only good news as Kirishima's attack was powerful enough to create massive cracks in the arena that webbed their way from one end to the other. What's worse was the fact that his arm looked to be completely intact!
Slowly, Kirishima raised his arm up to the sky seeming to inspect it with a look of awe and wonder.
"Whoa," said the redhead before turning to look at Izuku with a grin. "I don't want this to sound like I'm bragging or anything, but I have so much strength that it was a real challenge controlling it! But this? Much easier! Thanks, man."
'Oh, well, ah…mistakes have been made.' As the sheepish words of Albion rang through Midoriya's head, Kirishima threw a punch in the direction of the Divine Didier managed. While Izuku managed to dodge the attack, the force of the blow still created winds that sent him flying. The crowd watched in shock and awe as the 1-B student was flung backward before rolling for some distance only stopping close to the edge of the ring.
Gritting his teeth, Izuku managed a back flip onto his feet before racing away from the edge while the crowd cheered wildly. Kirishima was not standing idly either, running towards his green-haired opponent with a wild smile on his face. Izuku reached him first, getting low while trying to knock him off balance with a sweeping kick. Unfortunately for him, Kirishima's leg barely budged. Taking barely a moment to process this, Izuku changed tactics as he sent an upward kick from this position aimed at his opponent's jaw. While the blow connected perfectly, Kirishima acted as though he felt nothing. Instead, the 1-A student grabbed Midoriya by the leg before flinging him to the side in the hopes that he would be sent out of bounds. Thankfully, Izuku managed to twist himself in midair before landing on the ground so he would be able to stop himself.
However, Izuku's respite was brief for Kirishima had already leaped high into the air with his fists clasped together above his head. Izuku reacted more out of instinct than anything else, racing away from the spot before Kirishima struck the cement. The ground behind Midoriya erupted, stony shrapnel impaling his back before he was sent flying to the other side of the arena. This time, Izuku nearly did land out of bounds as his head was so very close to the edge. With a groan, Midoriya pushed himself off of the ground before standing on shaky legs waiting for the dust to settle.
As he waited, Izuku tried to activate Divine Dividing once more in the hope that it would allow him to somewhat make this fight more even. Yet there was nothing. Things were not looking good for him. He was tired, both from the fight and the loss of blood as he could feel his life fluid slowly moving down his back. His attacks were not strong enough to hurt his opponent when his rocky skin was activated. Not to mention that Kirishima was now able to use the super strength of his quirk without fearing its repercussions.
However, Izuku refused to throw in the towel. No, that was not what a real hero would do. After all, he still had everything he needed. Two arms, two legs, and a brain to use. He just needed to figure it out.
So, as Kirishima walked out of the dust cloud with smoke rising from his hardened body, Izuku began to process what he had seen so far. Looking for any sort of weakness. Well, for starters, Kirishima didn't seem to gain a speed boost. At least, not that he had noticed. As for his fighting capabilities, calling the 1-A student a brawler would be generous.
Then, Izuku noticed something interesting. Kirishima seemed to stumble a bit, nearly tripping on some upturned rock. Eyeing widening at that, Izuku looked behind his opponent to see that the ground behind him was composed of either jagged rocks or small platforms. Taking his attention back to the redhead, Izuku could see that he was beginning to tire out. No doubt from the fight so far as well as pain from his broken fingers. But there was something else. Something that could only truly be seen up close. Kirishima's body was losing some of its edges. It looked far less jagged and rocky. Was there a time limit to it or was it like tensing a muscle, something he couldn't hold forever? Whatever the case, it looked like Kirishima's time in this form was coming to a close.
So, an idea came to him. It was a stupid, reckless idea that might get him killed if he wasn't careful. Not to mention turning off a number of pros watching. Yet it was the only thing he could think of doing. Thus, Izuku got into his fighting stance.
"Kirishima!" called out Izuku. "I've only got one shot at defeating you. So I'm coming at you with everything I have left!"
At that, the redhead grinned as he raised his own fist.
"Oh, that is so manly! Let's finish this Midori-bro!" exclaimed Kirishima.
With that, Izuku charged forward while yelling at the top of his lungs. He could hear Present Mic yelling over the speakers, wondering out loud if Midoriya had lost his mind! The crowd's noise was almost deafening, but Izuku pressed forward until he was right in front of Kirishima. The redhead launched a punch from his uninjured hand, just as Izuku knew he would. So with the hardening quirk user putting his weight behind the blow, Midoriya twisted his body to go behind Kirishima while hooking the other teen's leg with his own. This caused the teen to go off balance, falling to the ground face, and fist, first. As for Izuku, he managed to plant his other leg onto Kirishima's back before launching himself away.
Just in time too. As the blow from Kirishima connected with the arena floor, the cement instantly shattered in what felt like a massive explosion. Massive cracks spider-webbed their way across the floor, sending streams of debris up into the air to create a cloud of dust. Then, when it was over, the crowd gasped to see that the arena that had taken so much punishment over the course of the day lay in ruins! Now it appeared more like an island chain of platforms with large gashes separating them from each other going all the way to the grassy earth below. Midnight looked concerned but allowed the match to continue as such.
As Kirishima got to his feet, he stumbled a little as the piece of cement he was standing on could barely hold him. That and he was panting heavily now as his hardened body looked almost gone. Meanwhile, Izuku was putting the final piece of his plan into action as he jumped from platform to platform without losing any of his speed. Kirishima tried to jump to the next platform, ready to continue the fight but stumbled with the landing so badly that he began swinging his arms wildly to keep himself from falling face-first into the ground.
That was the moment Izuku knew he had to strike. With Kirishima still trying to steady himself, Midoriya moved behind the redhead before leaping up into the air with all the might he had in his legs. Slightly above his opponent, Izuku spun himself into a ball the same way he had during the entrance exam before delivering a powerful axe kick to Kirishima's shoulder. A loud crack was heard followed by Kirishima's scream, the remains of his rocky skin vanishing. The redhead fell to his knees clutching his broken shoulder with his broken fingers while sweat began to pour down his face. As for Izuku, he fumbled the landing badly due to his now broken foot. The green-haired teen fell to his side, gritting his teeth in pain as an arm dangled off the cracked edges inside the arena. But neither of them was out yet.
Slowly Izuku and Kirishima began to rise, ready to continue the fight as the crowd went silent. The crowd seemed to know that the fight was nearing its end. Neither teen could use their quirk, but the fierce look of determination they had in their eyes told the other that this wasn't over. That they would continue to push themselves and go Plus Ultra. And now, on this little island that Kirishima had accidentally made, all it would take was a single slip-up to end the match.
Once they got to their feet, Izuku saw Kirishima raise his injured arm while the other hung limply at his side due to his broken shoulder. The Hardening teen staggered for a moment before charging at Izuku the best he could. At the same time, Izuku struggled to get into his proper stance due to the strain of his broken foot. As his eyes watered, he noticed something about Kirishima's arm. The veins he had noticed before were back, glowing as they webbed across the other boy's skin! As much as Izuku wanted to theorize what that meant, his survival instincts promptly slapped his curiosity upside the head! He glanced quickly to his right and then his left, but there was nowhere to go. No way to dodge this save for the most reckless and dangerous option. His other options were to take the hit and die or quickly shout that he surrendered.
It took a split second for Izuku to make up his mind. Gritting his teeth, Izuku stood his ground waiting for the blow. Midnight was shouting something, Cementoss getting ready to move to action as well. But, just before the attack hit, Izuku leaned back allowing the fist to sail over his body. The teachers saw this, stopping to watch as the 1-B student then quickly clung to the arm, wrapping his own arms around it before the wind generated by the attack could be formed. Kirishima was quickly thrown off balance by this unexpected weight, his body bending downwards. Just then, Izuku's feet planted themselves into the hardening teen's gut. The crowd went deafly silent as Kirishima's body was tossed over by this maneuver, half of his body landing on the edge of the small island of cement they were on with his feet touching the grass.
"What is this!?!" cried Present Mic as the crowd went wild once more. "No, seriously: what is this? Is it a ring out or what?"
That's when Midnight held up her whip. "According to the rules, you are out if you touch any part of the ground outside the arena floor. While Kirishima did not move out of bounds, he did touch the ground that was not a part of the arena. So with that in mind and seeing how neither contestant is able to continue fighting, I declare that Izuku Midoriya is the winner!"
-x-
A short while later, a patched-up Izuku found himself being raised up from underground as he stood on the first-place podium. Before him stood all of the first years, looking back at him with a mixture of pride, awe, and even envy. He could easily spot his friends, Istuka giving him a thumbs up while Toga blew kissing at him and one of the people on the third place podium. As for Shinso, the brainwashing teen gave him a thankful wave while being surrounded by his fellow General Studies classmates who were treating him like he was the true winner of all this. Meanwhile, class 1-A didn't seem too upset that it wasn't a member of their class standing at the top save for two. Monoma looked like he was doing everything in his power to pretend that there was no first-place spot. As for the other, well…
Bakugo was situated in the back of the pack, heavily retrained in a manner that some would consider overkill. Numerous straps bound his body to a special lifting dolly, his hands and feet seeming to be encased in heavy-weighted armor. There was also a metal frame that surrounded his body from the neck down while his mouth was gagged. And despite all that the school had down, it still didn't seem like enough for the moment Bakugo saw Izuku on the podium his rage gave him additional strength. He began to rock back and forth, doing everything in his power to inch his way to Izuku so that he could ring his neck. Muffled curses could be heard, no doubt trying to call Izuku a thief again.
Not wanting to look at those bloodshot, angry eyes anymore, Izuku turned his attention to the person on the second-tallest podium. Standing there to his right was Kirishima, scratching the back of his head and looking a little embarrassed as the crowd cheered him on.
"Hey," said the green-haired teen, gaining the attention of the 1-A student. "I hope there are no hard feelings. You know, about how the match ended."
"Heck no," replied Kirishima. "That was one of the most manly fights I've ever been in. The way you stood your ground and used my own strength against me was just so cool! Besides, I was on my last leg anyway. Can't wait to see how things turn out next year when I get more control over my strength!" With that, that redhead let out a laugh while never noticing Izuku's shiver. Would he ever be able to handle the strain of dividing and taking in that level of strength? Only time would tell.
Glancing to his other side, he saw the two who were tied for third place. As always, Pony was super excited as she waved to the crowd. As for the other student who had tied for the position, Uraraka just looked a little embarrassed.
Finally, the moment came for the metal to be handed out. And who better to do it was the school's most famous alumni as well as the current holder of the number one hero: All Might! Upon seeing this, Izuku was practically vibrating in place. One by one, the great hero placed the metals around the necks of each student, giving them words of both praise as well as words of wisdom before embracing them in a hug.
Finally, it was Izuku's turn.
"Young Midoriya, I remember the first time I saw you," began All Might. "A nervous young man who was low on points, yet risked everything to save a random stranger. You stood up and defeated a foe that many of your fellow examinees feld from, not by overpowering it but by being cunning and creative. Skills which I am glad to see you have not thrown away. And it is my hope that you never do."
"I won't All Might," responded Izuku as the pro hero placed the medal around his neck.
Nodding, All Might turned while making a sweeping gesture towards the camera. "Now then young man," said the smiling hero. "How about we hear some inspiring words from you to close this day of the Sports Festival?"
For a moment, Izuku's brain froze as he stared at his reflection in one of the lens. He could see it zooming in on him, getting a close-up of his face to be broadcast all across the world. So that everyone could see and hear what he had to say. The teen could feel his mouth hanging open, completely blindsided by this. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that he wasn't the only one freaking out. Midnight, it was giving All Might a look that screamed "Are you CRAZY?". Seeing that, it became clear to the young hero that All Might had decided to do this on his own. That had the school wanted this, they would have informed the young man sooner so that he could get his thoughts together.
After a moment longer of awkward silence, Izuku took a breath. He guessed this was another case of All Might wanting to go Plus Ultra. After all, heroes had to give on-the-spot interviews and the like all the time. So maybe this was just practice?
So, all that he could do was tell the world what he had always wanted to hear.
-x-
Meanwhile, at the same time, Melissa Shield sat at the drawing board within her personal lab on I-Island as she worked on the design of her next project. The idea she had was a pair of special gauntlets that would be able to absorb high levels of impact and protect the user from the backlash of their own power. If she was correct, someone like her Uncle Might would be able to able to use them several times before they broke.
While working on the design, the television was playing the U.A. Sports Festival in the background. A part of her winced every so often as she listened as memories of an old dream would rise up from the depths of her heart where she buried them. A dream of being a hero which she knew she could never have as she was quirkless. However, she never changed the channel as she used this to focus on her new dream. To be like her father and create support gear for heroes. It was the closest that someone like her could ever get to being a hero. And keeping tabs on some of the future heroes was a good move as she could start coming up with ideas to help make them better. But that would come after she finished-
"For the longest time, I thought I was quirkless," came a voice from the TV. Instantly, Melissa stopped what she was doing as her eyes widened behind her glasses. For the span of a single breath, her pencil trembled in her hand before she looked at the screen. There stood this years first place winner, a somber expression on his face as he looked at the camera with honest eyes.
"I'm sure that many of you witnessed what happened during my last match," continued the green-haired boy, Melissa standing up before walking closer to the screen. "How my quirk failed me when I tried to use it against Kirishima, rendering me quirkless throughout the rest of that match. Fighting an opponent that was much stronger than I was. I'm sure many people out there thought it was crazy to continue fighting in that condition. That I should just give up. That I shouldn't even try. That I was useless in that state." Melissa watched as the teen briefly closed his eyes before shaking his head. "Before coming to U.A., I was taught my most important lesson: all of us are born with all the tools we need. Two arms, two legs, and a brain to use if we are wise. We just need to figure it out. It's because of those words that have helped me forge who I am now. And it can be the same for everyone who has a dream worth fighting for! It doesn't matter if you have a strong quirk, a weak quirk, or none at all. We are all more than our quirks! We are all born with all the tools we need! All you need to do is put in the time and effort to figure out what works for you. It might not work all the time! It will be difficult and you might fall on your face more than once. But that's what it means to go Plus Ultra!"
As the crowd gave the boy a cheer, Melissa fell to her knees while missing the uncomfortable look that All Might was giving the winner. Her mind was reeling from what she had heard. What he was saying, it couldn't be true. Could it? She couldn't be a hero, her body wasn't strong enough. She just…
Melissa's head then shot up, her eyes growing wide. Quickly she scrambled to her drawing board, ripping her old sketch off the moment she was seated in front of it. That green-haired boy was right! She may not have a quirk, but she was damned smart. Smart enough to figure out what she needed.
-x-
At the same time, a man with dirty blue hair watched from his computer scene of the Sacred Gear holder giving his stupid little speech. While the man-child's master was pleased to see the new holder of One for All in action for his own purposes, Shigaraki found himself unable to care. No, he wanted the boy with the wings. The one who weakened his Nomu with his cheat hack. A cheat hack that only HE was supposed to have. What's more, he was going to make that entire class pay! From that guy with the steel quirk who stood up to them first to the freaking psychopath that dropped a freaking robot on them!
-x-
After the Sports Festival ended, the first years were given the next few days off to recover while the school began looking into the number of requests they got from pros.
When they returned to their homeroom on Monday, before class began, everyone was excitedly talking about all the people who congratulated them on their performances. Kendo, Izuku noticed, blushed when she brought up her experiences. Apparently, the media had found out that she and Izuku had trained in the same dojo. Once their fans found out, the place was swarmed by people asking her all sorts of questions. Many of them were people with less flashy quirks like her own, praising how cool she looked when she fought Bakugo.
"It was kind of embarrassing considering how I lost," admitted Itsuka.
"Honestly, I thought you did really well," said Izuku. "And, well, they're not lying when they said you looked really cool out there."
As he said that, Izuku felt his cheeks burn as though Bakugo had unleashed multiple explosions on each one. And, at the same time, Kendo's face began to turn bright red as well.
Thankfully, before the situation could become awkward, the doors to the class opened to reveal Vlad King and, surprisingly, Present Mic. After the students took their seats their homeroom teacher congratulated them all on their hard work. Then he informed them that before he showed them their results they were all going to be picking out their hero names with the help of Present Mic. Something that got a big cheer from everyone there.
Everyone was given a few minutes to decide, writing their names on a whiteboard before presenting them to the class. While many of the students were nervous, Present Mic told them to think about it like they were announcing this to the press. Shouting out to the world who they were.
After time had been given to them, Izuku watched as his classmates presented their names. Itsuka had gone with the name Battle Fist. Shishida wanted to be called Mr. Noble Beast as a proper hero name, only for Present Mic to shoot it down for being 'too lame'. In the end, the proper teen decided to go with Gevaudan. Pony nearly bounced to the front to present the name Rocketti while Toga had gone with the more ominous title of Nobody. As for Izuku, when it was his turn, he had decided to take Vlad King's words to heart and use the name that had been an insult to him as his hero name. However, the name Deku would no longer mean nothing. Instead, it would stand for 'you can do it'!
Once that was finished, Class 1-B got to see their results…though they were disappointed that they didn't get as much as they were hoping. Izuku, who had placed at the top, barely got over nine hundred offers with the rest getting drastically less. The reason this was upsetting was that they heard that some of the students in 1-A got offers in the thousands.
'If I had to guess, it's because the quirks in 1-A are flashier than ours,' thought Izuku. 'That and the fact that the son of the number two hero is in that class.'
'Perhaps so,' commented Albion. 'However, those who only look at such trivial things are unworthy of our attention. So pay them no heed. Instead, focus on the ones who seek your true worth.'
'You're right,' agreed Izuku.
Soon, sheets were handed out to those who were given offers sorted by the rank of the heroes. What surprised Izuku was the fact that Endeavour was at the top of his list! This was odd seeing that the pro hero normally kept sidekicks that had something to do with fire, either controlling it or dousing it out. And Izuku didn't really fit into that category. For a moment, the teen considered his options before placing the man in the maybe pile. Endeavor was skilled, he had to be to keep the number two rank for so long. But, the man's demeanor was the exact opposite of what Izuku wanted to be known for. That as well as a feeling that Endeavor wanted him for something else. Still, this was a great possibility so if nothing else caught his eye then he would-
Izuku's thoughts were cut off as he looked at the next offer. He had expected it to be Hawks, seeing that they were both flyers but it wasn't. It wasn't even someone that Izuku had ever considered before! But now, looking at the name with wide-eyed wonder, it made sense. It was the Rabbit Hero: Mirko!