Ch. 41: The Quarterfinals
["We are finally approaching the climax of the Sports Festival with the Quarterfinals, SO LET'S GET STARTED WITH THE FIRST MATCH!"] Present Mic exclaimed, the majority of the crowd agreeing with him. ["He's been on a real hot streak this entire Festival! And now, he's back to take us on a few more rollercoaster rides, it's Izuku Midoriya from the Hero Course!"]
The crowd screamed and cheered as the green-haired Devil made it onto the field, smiling.
["Versus! The big, beautiful brawler with a heart that's just as big… Also from the Hero Course, it's Hilda Shirakabe!"]
The crowd screamed and cheered some more, and Hilda blew a few air kisses to greet them back.
["LET THE MATCH BEGIN!"]
Izuku brought out his Boosted Gear and charged, right as Hilda also rushed straight at him. The two collided in the middle, their fists primed back, before they met fist-to-fist. After that brief confrontation of strength, the two backed up, shaking off the slight tingling in their hands as an acknowledgment of the other's strength.
[Boost!]
"Dragon Shot!" Izuku fired a Dragon Shot at Hilda, who simply squatted down before springing into the air to dodge.
Once she landed, she immediately rocketed toward Izuku, planning on ramming him. Izuku promptly responded by unfurling his wings and soaring into the air, just as Hilda had dodged his own attack just a moment ago. Hilda tried to grab his leg and pull him down, but he managed to shake her off and used his wings to make his descent onto the ground smoother.
Izuku then kicked off the ground to launch himself, fist held out straight toward Hilda, but she sucked in her gut and waited until the right moment to thrust it out again to counter Izuku's punch before striking him with a harite.
As Izuku stumbled down on the ground, Hilda rushed in again before turning around at the last minute and jumping toward him, attempting to pin him down with her fat butt. He quickly got up, leaving Hilda to crash onto the empty ground, and rearranged himself before charging up another Dragon Shot and firing it at Hilda, who was vulnerable while on the ground. The blow from the energy shot hit Hilda hard, causing her to roll back a bit, but it wasn't anything she couldn't bounce back from.
["Midoriya and Shirakabe are neck and neck! What a way to start the Quarterfinals!"] Present Mic exclaimed.
Hilda picked herself up and then charged forward like a raging rhino towards Izuku, who put his guard up, only to leap over him, then grab him by the arms and put him into a lock from behind.
"Better tap out now!" The big girl taunted.
"Don't be so cocky!" Izuku narrowed his eyes before surprising Hilda by countering the hold and flipping her over his shoulder, making her grunt as she landed on her butt, as Izuku leaped right above her with an axe kick ready.
Thinking fast, Hilda shot her arms out and grabbed onto the green-haired teen's leg before throwing him to the side, dropping him to the ground.
"BANZAI!"
Right as Izuku was about to get up, he heard Hilda's shout and barely had time to look up to see Hilda's massive body coming down on him for a belly flop.
Izuku suddenly felt himself being slammed to the ground by Hilda's immense weight. He grunted as he struggled to free himself from the immense pressure on top of him. Fortunately for him, he was pinned with his back facing up (unlike with Tomoe), which gave him better leverage against the ground.
[Boost!]
With another Boost activated, he placed his hands flat on the ground and began putting in strength. In a few seconds, he managed to start getting up, to the surprise of Hilda that he was managing to lift her. She tried to shift her position to make Izuku mess up and fall back down, but he didn't budge, and soon, he was back on his feet, holding Hilda high above his head.
"Hey, put me down!" Hilda struggled.
"If that's what you want!" Izuku retorted.
He then opened his wings and rose a few feet into the air before throwing Hilda to the ground.
"Dang, I'm impressed you managed to get out of that one!" Hilda said before pulling her feet back. "But you haven't won yet!"
She then thrust her legs out, striking Izuku in the chest with a double spring kick, but with another Boost, he managed to stand his ground and struck Hilda in the cheek with a punch.
'I'd better end this soon. Okay, just like last time against Chacha…' Izuku focused, drawing out 5% of One For All into his wings.
He then sped toward Hilda faster than her eyes could keep up, and then, with his Boosted strength, he grabbed onto Hilda, and with a loud yell, threw her towards the edge, though it wasn't enough to make her actually cross the line. That was okay, too, as he already had his next move planned out.
He channeled One For All into his left arm next as he readied a Dragon Shot.
"Delaware Dragon Shot!" Izuku fired the One For All-charged Dragon Shot.
Hilda could only stare in shock as the enhanced energy ball was fired in her direction, hitting the ground in front of her, causing a strong shockwave that she couldn't defend against, sending her rolling straight out of bounds, unable to stop herself from the sheer power exerted by Izuku's attack.
"Shirakabe is out of bounds! Midoriya will advance to the Semi-finals!" Midnight declared.
Hilda then stood back up on her sturdy legs and turned to Izuku, offering a high-five with a grin.
Izuku smiled back and high-fived her as the crowd roared in excitement.
Meanwhile, at the League of Villains' hideout, Tomura Shigaraki continued to watch the Sports Festival, and the sight of that damn dragon brat smiling after scoring one win after another was really pissing him off. Right next to him, the TV screen that his master used to speak with him was on, displaying the same "Sound Only" text as before.
["Pay close attention to them, Tomura Shigaraki. The Red Dragon Emperor and his allies could prove to be formidable obstacles to you one day,"] Master advised.
Tomura scratched his neck in irritation. "Ha. I'm not worried about a coupla kids."
Somewhere in an unknown location, the League's "Master" ended his conversation with Shigaraki. The man was dressed in a business suit, with his face shrouded in darkness. He had various tubes sticking out of his neck and jaw, helping him breathe.
"You think the lesson will actually stick with him?" Another occupant in the room questioned.
"Not right away, but in time, Tomura will come to understand. And I must be ready to continue guiding him when that time comes," Master replied assuredly.
"Very well, if you say so," the doctor said. "By the way, I should also inform you, Master. I've received word that Spindle is back in Japan."
"Oh, and what brings her back out of the blue?" Master asked, interest clear in his tone.
["Okay, loyal listeners, after that first match, it's now time to start the second match of the Quarterfinals!"]
The crowd cheered again, expecting the match between Shoto and Ethel, whose faces were being shown in the Jumbotron, to be as exciting as the previous one. And when the two combatants walked out to the ring, they immediately stared at each other.
["And here they are! On one side, we have the ice-cold prodigy of Class 1-A, Shoto Todoroki! And, on the other side, the girl who can pull out any weapon or armor for all kinds of situations! From the same class, it's Ethel Ginzan!"] Present Mic introduced the combatants. ["Who's excited to get through the first half of the third round?!"]
'Todoroki may have the advantage over me, but I will make sure this fight won't be as easy as his previous,' Ethel told herself. She had no intention of backing down, and the fact that Todoroki was the son of the Number Two Pro, Endeavor, wasn't going to stop her. As the son of Endeavor gave her a cold stare, she matched that stare back at him.
"Ready…" Midnight said, looking at the two students as they got into their fighting stances. "FIGHT!"
Just like his previous matches, Shoto began by throwing a freezing attack towards Ethel, but she managed to dodge it right on time and started to sprint towards Shoto's right.
'She's fast…' Shoto thought.
The Half-n-Half teen then froze the ground in that direction by bringing his hand to the floor, sending a trail of ice spikes forward, though Ethel quickly sidestepped to dodge.
Ethel then threw a metal baton at Shoto's leg, causing him to wince in pain, though he managed to shake it off and applied ice to the spot to ease the pain.
Ethel tried to capitalize on that moment by throwing out a kusari-fundo forward, but Shoto managed to form an ice wall in front of himself to block it.
Shoto then went on the move, forming a wave of ice beneath his feet to put some distance between himself and Ethel.
Ethel kept her eye on Shoto, waiting to see what he would do next.
And then, Shoto made his move, riding his ice wave in Ethel's direction. Ethel then got out a shield and a club, getting ready to counter.
However, right as he got in close, Shoto swerved to the left, catching Ethel by surprise, before sending out two waves of ice towards Ethel's left and right, fencing her in.
Shoto was then about to unleash another freezing attack when Ethel managed to jump on the crest of the wave to get herself up in the air, where she pulled out a giant Zweihänder and slashed at the ice with it, breaking through the ice barrier.
Ethel then charged at Shoto with a large hammer in her arms; Shoto tried to bring up another ice wall to protect himself, though Ethel's hit broke through before it could fully form. Regardless, it managed to defend its creator, at least until Ethel came charging in, a brass knuckle in hand, as she landed a punch on Shoto's face, sending him to the ground, causing the people to gasp.
However, Shoto was not out yet as he froze the ground from where he lay, sending ice creeping toward Ethel, who leaped over the ice to counter, only to be blinded by an ice wave he had already launched into the air, causing her to fall back down.
"You were always dodging or jumping over ground attacks, so I took advantage of that and hit you with a feint," Shoto said as Ethel got back up, even while covered in ice.
He then froze the ground again, but this time, Ethel was unable to dodge, allowing the cold attack to envelop her feet before it spread upward, encasing her whole body below her head in ice.
Midnight whipped the ground. "Ethel Ginzan is immobilized! Shoto Todoroki moves on to the Semi-finals!"
As Shoto melted the ice encasing Ethel, the people cheered at the awesome match between the two, which was almost as intense as the one before it.
"Sorry," he told the shivering girl, who was immediately set upon by the medics. "But I have something I need to prove."
["Ginzan held her ground for much longer than anyone else, but Todoroki still managed to freeze her advances!"] Present Mic stated, not all that surprised by the fight's outcome.
["Get ready, sports fans, we're in the third quarter of the Quarterfinals!"] Present Mic made a pun, his voice ringing throughout the stadium. ["In one corner, we have the Master of Creation, Momo Hanakai of Class 1-A! And in the other corner, we have the newest member from the same class who's been pulling her weight, it's Xenovia Quarta!"]
"Show me what you can do," Momo said, slightly undoing the zipper on her uniform to expose some skin.
"I intend to," Xenovia replied, putting a fist to her palm.
"Fighters ready? Get set… BEGIN!" Midnight announced.
Momo started by creating a metal bo staff in her right arm and a shield on her left, and Xenovia lowered herself to the ground to absorb the concrete, causing her whole body to take on the same texture. Xenovia rushed towards Momo, taking the initiative, with Momo taking up a defensive position in response.
Xenovia's concrete fist shot out, but Momo swiftly jumped to the side before thrusting her staff at Xenovia's abdomen, though it didn't do much against Xenovia's concrete-reinforced body.
Xenovia then grabbed onto the staff and yanked it out of Momo's grip before attempting to absorb the metal; however, what she ended up absorbing was not metal, but rather, plastic.
As Xenovia looked on, confused, she was suddenly hit by a shield bash from Momo, who followed up on that with a newly-made staff, striking her on the side, knocking her down.
Momo then followed through with a thrust of her staff, but Xenovia rolled out of the way and got up before rushing back in and putting her hands on Momo's shield, attempting to absorb something other than plastic, but like before, there was only plastic to absorb.
Xenovia, although surprised, managed to regain focus in time to dodge a staff hit from Momo and backed up, wondering what was going on.
"Surprised? While the staff and shield may be made of metal, they're also coated in a thin layer of plastic, which is what you absorbed," Momo explained.
"That's smart. Hanakai knew that whatever she creates can be used against her if Xenovia manages to absorb it, so she set it up so that she could trick Xenovia into absorbing a material that would be detrimental for her," Izuku observed, impressed with the Class 1-A Vice Rep's eye for detail.
["Wow! Hanakai managed to fake out Quarta with such a barely noticeable deceptive trick! Now that's using her head!"] Present Mic commented, as if he had the same thoughts on the matter.
Hearing Momo's words, Xenovia simply crouched down and absorbed the concrete again. "I won't fall for that again. Guess I'd better get serious."
Xenovia charged in again and threw her leg out forward, slamming it into Momo's shield.
Momo struggled a bit against the force of Xenovia's kick, but she didn't have much time to think about that as Xenovia quickly followed up with a punch, and after that with another kick. 'She's strong…!'
Thinking fast, Momo quickly rolled to the side to dodge as Xenovia attempted another punch. The Sitri Bishop then reached out with her staff to sweep Xenovia's legs out from underneath her.
Xenovia landed on her back on the concrete, and she saw Momo about to swing her staff down on her, but she quickly crossed her arms in front of her face to block the weapon and kicked it backward before quickly getting up.
Xenovia then charged again, ready to strike, as Momo held her shield ready. As she got in close, Xenovia threw out a barrage of punches at the shield as Momo did her best to hold her ground, but then, Momo felt something slam into her knees, causing her to cry out in pain.
Xenovia had slammed her foot into Momo's knee, causing the latter's leg to bend at an awkward angle, causing her to lose her footing. Xenovia then attempted to land a dual hammer fist, but Momo managed to get away in time, even with a limp from the pain in her leg.
As she recovered from the pain, Momo had an idea and ran forward and tackled Xenovia with another shield bash, knocking her down before creating some adhesive which she threw at Xenovia. Xenovia tried to roll out of the way, but she wasn't quick enough, and her arm ended up stuck to the ground because of the glue.
Despite being stuck, Xenovia wasn't about to give up and punched the ground around the glue, causing it to crack, and with a great exertion of strength, she was able to get her arm free, even if a chunk of the ground came off with it, a predicament she quickly solved by slamming the arm into the ground, causing the big pieces to break off, leaving just small debris that wouldn't hinder her much.
["Amazing, everyone! We've got a classic battle of brains vs. brawn with both sides competing for the advantage!"] Present Mic said. ["The question is… who will win?"]
Both girls breathed slightly heavier as they were feeling the strain of the fight. They had to finish this soon.
Momo made the first move, sprinting towards Xenovia, then she threw her staff at Xenovia like a spear, which the Gremory Knight leaned aside to dodge. But that was just a feint as Momo made something else, a smoke grenade like the one she used against Mina in the previous round, before tossing it towards Xenovia's feet.
Xenovia quickly recognized the item, but rather than trying to get away, she made a bold move by closing her eyes and reaching down for the grenade as the same tear-inducing gas was released.
Momo made another pair of goggles and entered the cloud of gas, but she didn't find Xenovia inside. Then, the gas began to thin, and Momo barely had time to notice Xenovia coming down on her for an axe kick, which she managed to barely block in time with her shield, making her stagger back.
But then, Momo noticed that there was something different about her opponent, in that her body was no longer concrete, but rather steel.
"W-What?" Momo questioned, until she remembered Xenovia reaching down for the gas canister, and realized that's what she used to absorb the steel.
"You're mine!" Xenovia shouted as she charged, reeling her arm back for a punch. With the added strength of steel, Xenovia's punch shoved Momo back a bit. Momo tried to create another weapon to retaliate, but Xenovia quickly followed up with a jump kick, interrupting Momo's Quirk. Then, with a kick from below, Xenovia managed to knock Momo's shield out of her hands, leaving her defenseless as Xenovia threw her fist forward, delivering a hard-hitting punch to Momo's gut. The pain from the blow caused Momo to black out, letting out a strangled gasp as she felt the air being forced out of her before she fell to her knees, followed by her whole body collapsing face-first onto the ground.
Midnight then came in and crouched down to check on Momo's condition before nodding her head when it was clear that Momo was unconscious.
"Momo Hanakai is KO'd! Xenovia Quarta is the winner!"
["What a match that was! Although Hanakai's smarts were unrivaled, in the end, they were no match for Quarta's ferocity and power!"] Present Mic commented. ["Though it still was an impressive display of fighting skill from both sides, folks!"]
Soon, the medic bots arrived and took Momo away.
["And here we are! It's the final matchups of the Quarterfinals! Which one of these fighters will score themselves a spot in the Semi-finals?"] Present Mic announced. ["First up, the only remaining student from Class 1-B, the Class Rep who has firmly held onto her placement with her iron fists! It's Itsuka Kendo! Versus… The guy who makes high-fives a serious health hazard, Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1-A!"]
"C'mon, Itsuka! That Mad Bomber's got nothing on ya!" Setsuna cheered.
"Yeah, don't let Explosion Boy beat you, Kendo!" Tetsutetsu also cheered.
"Make us proud out there!" Hiryu added.
"Ready… BEGIN!" Midnight declared.
Itsuka was the first to charge in, her hands clenched into fists. Katsuki brought his arm back, getting ready to hit Itsuka with an explosion. As Itsuka got in close, Katsuki threw his hand out, but Itsuka had already anticipated that and quickly dodged as Katsuki unleashed an explosion.
Katsuki's eyes quickly darted at his opponent, who had a fist ready as she threw it out, enlarging it at the last moment. Katsuki, who couldn't avoid it in time, was sent flying back a distance, though he quickly stabilized himself with a few of his explosive blasts.
["Kendo lands the first hit!"] Present Mic commented.
Itsuka got into a combative stance as Katsuki shook off the blow from her attack and cracked his neck, ready to continue.
"Gonna have to do better than that, Ponytail!" Katsuki said as he brought his arms back and set off his explosions to propel himself forward. Itsuka met his charge head-on by rushing in herself.
"Double Jumbo Fists!" Itsuka leaped forward with both her fists held in front of her, enlarging them at the same time to try to slam them into Katsuki.
However, the ash blond proceeded to fire off a small explosion to create a smokescreen, which also rocketed him above Itsuka, setting off another explosion to stop his momentum. Then, he turned toward his opponent and set off a third explosion to hit the orange-haired girl from behind.
Itsuka managed to get out of that one with a few scrapes and her uniform a little tattered, but it was clear she wasn't done yet. She then kept low to the ground as she charged in again. Katsuki realized she was trying the same trick Uraraka did, though he also knew that he couldn't attack her and avoid tearing up the battlefield at the same time.
As Itsuka got closer, Katsuki quickly set off an explosion before she had a chance to dodge, knocking her back and sending a few chunks of rubble up in the air.
He then took a few steps back as he waited for the smoke to clear, and then suddenly, his reflexes kicked in as he noticed a few rubble flying toward him, forcing him to defend himself with an explosion to blow up the projectiles.
With a wave of his arms, Katsuki cleared the smoke away, but he didn't find Itsuka. Then, he suddenly noticed a shadow behind him and came face-to-face with Itsuka's giant hand that slammed him into the ground, sending out a shockwave.
It didn't take long for Katsuki to ignite another explosion to free himself from Itsuka's attempt to crush him; he seemed a little roughed up, though nothing he couldn't handle. As for the Big Fist Quirk user, the hand she used to pin down Katsuki was a bit sore and a little bit red, but still relatively okay.
Itsuka rushed forward, approaching Katsuki from his side. He already had an explosion ready, as Itsuka also reeled her arm back for a punch. But right as Itsuka got in close, she suddenly changed stance to do a cartwheel, and then jumped up for a midair kick, landing a hit on Katsuki's abdomen.
Katsuki promptly attempted to retaliate with an explosion, but Itsuka quickly backed out of the blast range before reaching out with a giant hand to grab the blond bomber and swing him in a circle before tossing him toward the border.
However, Katsuki once again used his explosions to stop himself from flying back any further.
"That's it. I'm done messing around!" Katsuki declared as he lowered himself back onto the ground before once again propelling himself towards Itsuka with his explosions.
Right as Itsuka got into position to counter, Katsuki unleashed a bigger explosion than the ones he used before.
*BOOM!*
It was quite a lot for Itsuka to handle as she was sent flying back. Then, Katsuki kept up the pressure by unleashing several rounds of rapid-fire explosions, forcing Itsuka to try and defend herself by using her gigantified hands as a shield, though that defense was slowly failing as her hands suffered a few burns.
As Itsuka was no longer able to use her hands to protect herself, Katsuki primed the biggest explosion in the match so far.
"THIS IS IT! DIIEEEEE!"
*BOOOOM!*
And with that, Itsuka was sent flying backward out of the ring, right onto the surrounding grass.
Midnight lashed out with her whip. "Kendo is out of bounds! Bakugo advances to the Semi-finals!"
At her declaration, Katsuki moved up in the tournament bracket.
Itsuka sighed, groaning in pain as she picked herself up. Katsuki stared down at Itsuka as she got up to go see Recovery Girl. He had to admit, she provided him with a decent challenge.
"The quarterfinals are over!" Midnight announced. "These are the two Semi-finals! Whoever wins them will compete in the final match!"
Match 1: Izuku Midoriya vs. Shoto Todoroki
Match 2: Xenovia Quarta vs. Katsuki Bakugo
The screen then changed to display portraits of the competitors themselves.
["Ladies and gentlemen, our Final Four!"] Present Mic declared. ["The tournament is nearing its end, and soon we will know who wins this year's First-Year Sports Festival!"]
Izuku looked at the and thought of his opponent (who had already left to go wait in the waiting room earlier) and his declaration right before the Festival started.
"Midoriya versus Todoroki… Guess we'll see what'll come of Todoroki's declaration from earlier," Tsuyu said.
"It was only a matter of time. An inevitable matchup as decreed by fate," Fumikage noted.
"Todoroki is the son of the Number 2 Hero. Clearly, he trained with him. And, from what I can tell, he has only been using his right side the entire Festival. One has to wonder what he can do with his left," Momo pointed out, making most of her classmates shudder at the thought.
"Are you going to be okay, Izuku?" Asia asked, a little worried for her friend/crush.
"I'll be fine," Izuku replied as he stood up. "I'd better go get ready. Todoroki won't go down easy."
"Good luck, Izuku/Deku/Midoriya!"
"Best of luck to you in your final match against Todoroki," Tenya stated. "When I worked with him during the Cavalry Battle, I could tell he would be a formidable opponent, and what I have seen only proves it!"
"Thanks, everyone," Izuku nodded before heading off.
Right as Izuku left, Tenya suddenly started to shake, to his classmates' shock.
"What the heck?!" Dani exclaimed.
"Whoa, what's wrong?!" Ochaco asked, surprised.
"It's just my phone," Tenya reassured as he took it out of his pocket.
"Well, that's a relief," Ochaco breathed a sigh of relief, along with everyone else.
When Tenya saw the caller ID, he was surprised. 'Mother?' He then went over to a private spot to take the call. "Hello, Mom? I hate to tell you this, but I lost."
"No, son. I'm not calling about that. I mean, I'm sorry." Judging by her tone, Tenya could tell his mother had some bad news to share, worrying him. "But, Tenya, please listen carefully. It's your brother… a Villain got Tensei!"
It took a second for his mother's words to sink in, and when they did, Tenya felt like his heart had stopped, his face paling as he stared off into space, trying to process what he had heard.
Ch. 42: The Semi-finals
There was chaos in the streets of Hosu as a lone figure, the same individual who was confronted by Pro Hero Ingenium not too long ago, stared from atop a water tower on a nearby building.
"Fame… Money… That's what all of you who call yourselves 'Heroes' are really after…" He said as he continued to stare at one particular spot: the same alleyway where he left Ingenium lying in a pool of his own blood not long ago. The fake had already been taken to a hospital in an ambulance, and the police had cordoned off the area, which some civilians stopped to look at. "But you bastards are not Heroes. Except him… the only one with permission to kill me…" He held his katana, which had just been cleaned of his latest victim's blood not long ago, close to him as the ends of his red scarf and headband blew in the breeze. "…All Might is worthy."
He licked the inside of his mouth, remembering the bitter taste of Ingenium's blood.
"You haven't even noticed it, have you? This warped society mired by hypocrisy and vanity. That's fine. I'll open your eyes, 'Heroes.' You will see the world that you've created."
"Nice little speech."
His reaction was instantaneous, aiming his chipped blade toward the head of the person who dared to sneak up on him.
"Ooh, scary," the voice, a woman, based on the tone, said.
He glanced at the newcomer. It was a woman dressed in a white nun's outfit with large slits on both sides, a white nun's veil on her head, and she had fishnet stockings on with long black boots on her legs. She had long brown hair tied into a braid; golden eyes; two pairs of arms, with her upper arms having scorpion pincers instead of hands; and a scorpion tail wrapped around her waist like a belt.
And even with a sword being pointed centimeters away from her face, she seemed more amused than intimidated. "But there's no need for all this. I was just passing by before this. You could say that I was drawn in by the lust for blood."
"I'm not the only one," he spat. "You reek of bloodlust even more than I."
"Flattery will get you nowhere," the woman replied with a sweet smile. That was when they heard a swirling sound coming from nearby, a purple portal appearing in the air. "Oh, look. More company," the woman smiled, gently pushing the blade away from her face. "So you're Kurogiri. I was wondering when you and your master would come find me."
The purple portal quickly took on a humanoid shape. "I have been informed of you, Spindle. But I'm not here for you. Though you are free to come," the mist Villain replied before turning to the only other person present. "I have been searching for you, Hero Killer Stain. I heard of your exploits and wanted to meet you in person. I think you'll be interested in what I have to offer."
Hero Killer Stain narrowed his eyes as he stared into Kurogiri's eyes while the woman known as Spindle grinned, intrigued.
Izuku walked down the halls, heading toward the arena, his mind replaying the conversation with Shoto earlier. Particularly, how Shoto declared that he would win without using his left side. 'That's what Todoroki said… But he's actually hurting on the inside…'
[I shouldn't be surprised, even now, you're thinking of helping out that Todoroki kid.] Ddraig noted.
'This goes beyond just a match in the Sports Festival now. Now that I know what drives him, I can't just let it go,' Izuku nodded. 'He needs to realize… It's his Quirk, not his dad's…'
As he was about to walk past a nearby corner, he suddenly crossed paths with the tall, imposing figure of the Number Two Hero. "Endeavor!?"
"Ah. I was looking for you."
"Oh, yeah. Hi," Izuku awkwardly greeted. "So, uh, what are you doing back here?"
Endeavor pointed directly at Izuku, his imposing gaze staring right into the boy's eyes. "I watched your fights against the brainwashing guy and your other opponents. Your power is pretty impressive. And your Quirk is quite versatile. To some extent, it reminds me of another Quirk. You seem to have much in common with All Might."
Izuku managed to keep himself from freezing at Endeavor's statement. "Oh. Well, I… I guess I never thought about it that way. Sorry, but I should get going." He quickly excused himself to try to get away ASAP. 'Is it possible that Endeavor knows about One For All? No, he probably would have mentioned it. He's one person I can't let find out about All Might's secret.'
However, Endeavor seemed like he wasn't done talking. "It's my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might and replace me. You've already beaten him in the previous two events, and I'm sure he has also noticed the similarities between your Quirk and All Might's. His match with you will be the wake-up call he needs. So hit him hard. Push him out of his childish rebellion."
After hearing that, Izuku remembered what Todoroki had said to him after the Cavalry Battle.
"The reason I picked a fight with you was to show my old man what I was capable of doing. Without having to rely on his damned fire Quirk. You see, I'm going to show him that I reject his power, and I can take first place without using it."
And like that, Izuku's goal of getting away from Endeavor was replaced with something else. "Is that all he is to you? Just a tool to beat All Might?" Izuku asked, his tone confronting.
Endeavor notably flinched before he answered. "At one point, I did," he bitterly said, to Izuku's surprise. "I admit, I have… done things I'm not proud of. I'm also aware that, in the end, you're not All Might. And Shoto isn't me. If only I saw it a long time ago…" Endeavor's imposing gaze softened a bit, a sign of regret in his eyes.
Izuku stared at Endeavor in genuine surprise, not expecting Endeavor to say that.
"Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you," the Number Two Hero said.
Izuku stood in silence, watching Endeavor walk away before resuming his trek towards the arena.
[After getting the dad's side of the story, it seems their family situation is more complex than at first glance.]
'Yeah, I didn't see that coming. Even if his father no longer sees him as a tool, he's still got some lingering resentment.'
[Anyway, you got a plan for your match?]
Izuku hummed in thought. One for All would be ideal to deal with Todoroki's ice since it would take too long for the Boosted Gear to power up enough to do so, but that would mean he would break his bones. Then a thought crossed Izuku's mind. With only a few minutes left before the final match began, Izuku summoned his Boosted Gear, staring at it. 'Hey Ddraig… Is it possible to transfer power to certain parts of my body?'
The ceremonial torches ignited to the roar of the crowd, who had been anticipating this matchup since the beginning of the tournament.
["I can FEEL the anticipation in the stadium!"] Present Mic's loud voice boomed throughout the stadium. ["And that's because the Semi-finals' first match is gonna be EPIC!"]
The crowd cheered aloud as the Jumbotron displayed Shoto and Izuku's faces. Both combatants walked out to the ring at the same time, staring at each other.
["It's the guy who's won each and every challenge by literally freezing his opponents in place! The Hero Course's Shoto Todoroki! And his opponent, the green dragon who's been dominating the Sports Festival since the beginning! Also from the Hero Course, Izuku Midoriya!"]
The two opposing forces faced off as the large torches of flames danced around them from each corner of the battlefield.
Shoto spoke first. "So here we are."
Izuku's leer hardened. "And only one of us can win."
Up in the stands, Katsuki watched in silence and anticipation.
Tenya then turned to Fumikage for his thoughts. "Tokoyami. How do you think this match will go?"
"It depends on whether or not Midoriya is able to get in close to him," Fumikage responded without taking his eyes off the arena.
"Yeah, that's the problem," Ochaco agreed.
"But knowing Izuku, he might be able to avoid or power through the ice," Chacha said in support of her friend/crush. "I know he can!"
"Yeah," Asia nodded. "Izuku's power allows him to double his strength every ten seconds until he hits his limit. If the fight goes on long enough, he'll beat Todoroki."
"Yes, but I doubt Midoriya can just keep smashing the ice forever," Ethel interjected. "If Todoroki manages to catch him off guard and freeze him in place, it may very well be the end for him."
At the Midoriya apartment, the floor was littered with used tissue paper and puddles of tears.
"MY BABY!" Inko sobbed her eyes out, sending up a fountain of tears upward that comically rained down on little Eri.
Hisashi chuckled as he did his best to calm down his wife while making sure she got plenty of water to rehydrate.
Back at the stadium, Toshinori watched the two teens, seeing the determination to win in their eyes.
"Oh, right. Those two students tried to save you at the USJ, didn't they?" Thirteen asked.
"Yeah," Toshinori confirmed. "They may have more in common than they realize. They both have such an intense vibe about them."
"Do your best, Izuku!" Rias cheered. "No matter what happens, I'll be proud of you!"
"Win, Izuku," Koneko quietly cheered.
"You'd better win, Izuku!" Ravel cheered. "Otherwise, I will burn you!"
"And you'll get a pretty nasty shock," Akeno added.
"I think that might be a bit counterintuitive," Yumi sweat-dropped.
["Both of these Heroes-in-training have been frontrunners in the Sports Festival! But which one of these rivals will advance to the Finals? Prepare for… Midoriya vs. Todoroki! BEGIN!"]
The second that Present Mic made the call, Shoto launched a huge ice attack straight towards Izuku, covering the distance between them with ice.
"Delaware Dragon Smash!" Izuku flicked his finger. The shockwave tore through Shoto's offensive, cracking the ice and turning it into shards with such power that people in the stands shielded their faces.
"Whoa! So cold!"
"Feels like this wind is gonna freeze me solid!"
Back on the battlefield, Shoto had created a small wall of ice behind him to prevent himself from being pushed back by Izuku's attack. He unshielded his face to see Izuku with his fingers stretched out, watching Shoto's every move. 'I should have known… It's gonna take more than that to stop him.'
'It worked! It still hurts, but Boosting my bones actually kept them from breaking!' Izuku observed as he kept an eye out for Shoto's next attack.
["Wow! Midoriya managed to break Todoroki's insane opening move!"]
'A good opening! He had no way of knowing how powerful young Todoroki's attack was going to be, so he fired a 15% Smash just to push him back!' Toshinori thought, cheering on his successor.
Shoto promptly responded with an even bigger wave of ice spires, but Izuku unfurled his wings to soar above the ice before flying down toward the biggest spire with his left arm pulled back, ready for a Smash. Having gauged the power behind Shoto's attack, Izuku figured he could dial down the percentage to ease the burden on himself.
'Detroit Smash, 10%!' Izuku's fist collided with the spire, causing it and the nearby ice to shatter into pieces that turned into projectiles heading straight toward Shoto, who put up an ice wall to block the debris.
Shoto furrowed his brow. 'He's got excellent maneuverability and concentrated power to deal with my long-range attacks. I need to take him by surprise.'
'I don't know much about Todoroki's fighting style. His attacks are so fast that it's hard to collect data on him. So, during this fight, I need to keep my focus up.'
At the bleachers, the students were still reeling at how effortlessly Izuku had countered Shoto's first two attacks.
"It took Deku no effort to repel the first attack," Ochaco said in awe. "I didn't know he had that kind of power."
"Yeah, Izuku and his Boosted G– Dragon Quirk is something else," Asia added.
Back with Izuku, he noticed the ice behind Shoto. 'The ice behind him is probably meant to stop himself from being blown out of bounds by my Smashes. In that case…' Izuku made a beeline toward Shoto, who sent out ice spikes in Izuku's way, but he quickly maneuvered out of the way and continued on his course.
'What is he–' "Ah!" Shoto suddenly had to move out of the way as Izuku threw out a fist forward, shattering the ice wall behind him. He then made an ice wave to put some distance between him and Izuku, but Izuku simply flew after him.
"Delaware Dragon Shot!" Izuku fired a green energy ball at Shoto, who raised an ice wall to block it, but the energy shot blasted straight through the barricade towards him. Shoto barely managed to dodge the enhanced Dragon Shot, but the shockwave was still strong enough to knock him off his feet and send him flying toward the edge. However, he managed to form an ice wall to stop that from happening.
'Damn…' Shoto scowled, annoyed as Izuku stared back at him impassively, almost as if he was letting him know he was going to have to do much better than that.
'Todoroki always ended his fights in an instant, so I don't have much on him, but given how he has been fighting, he's clearly playing the long-range game with me. Since I have him beat in hand-to-hand fighting, he'll try to keep me away to make it harder to hit him with a Smash.'
[I should also remind you that the Boost you gave to your bones will only last so long. You probably have only ten minutes max before the Boost wears off, likely less after those two Smashes.]
Izuku nodded. 'Yeah… Until then, my best bet is to keep the pressure on him until I overwhelm him… and force him to use his left side!' Izuku already knew what he had to do. Now, it was just a matter of whether Todoroki would listen or not.
"You're…" Izuku tried to say, but Shoto sent out another ice attack, which he just blew through with a Delaware Dragon Smash. "We can do this all day, Todoroki! Keep 'em coming!"
"Man, it's crazy how they both have moves that blast the whole stadium!" Tetsutetsu commented.
"Yeah, and Bakugo can do that too," Eijiro added. "Must be pretty nice."
"Plus, they don't have to pause between attacks," Hanta added while looking at Katsuki with narrowed eyes.
"It's not as easy as you think, ya morons," Katsuki replied.
"Huh?"
"If you overuse your muscles, you risk tearing them apart. If you sprint too much, you run out of breath," Katsuki continued explaining, as he thought back to the Battle Trials. 'We all have a limit to how much power we can produce. That's why I designed my costume the way I did, so I'd be able to fire off bigger blasts than my body usually allows me to.' He then finished by stating, "Quirks are physical abilities, too. They can get worn out. You can't just use them nonstop."
"At the rate things are going, Todoroki will be forced to use his left side to stay warm," Momo noted. "I doubt Todoroki is completely immune to cold. Eventually, he'll get frostbite and hypothermia if he overuses his Quirk."
"It makes sense when you put it that way," Itsuka nodded.
"And I'm guessing that's how Midoriya plans to beat Todoroki," Eijiro said.
"You want an endurance match. But I'll end this quickly!" Shoto shouted, sending another ice attack, this time faster than the previous ones. Izuku quickly smashed through the attack with another flick, but his opponent used that as a distraction to sidestep to his left and close in on Izuku.
["Todoroki withstood Midoriya's power and is now rushing his classmate!"]
"Looks like Todoroki's trying to close the gap," Tsuyu observed.
"Wonder what'll be his next move," Ojiro added.
"And how's Midoriya gonna respond?" Setsuna wondered.
Izuku shot another Delaware Dragon Smash, but Shoto made an ice pillar beneath his feet to launch himself into the air to dodge, quickly putting his hand on the ground when he landed to send a wave of ice at Izuku. However, Izuku spread his wings to leap into the air before coming down towards Shoto.
Shoto encased his fist in ice to try and strike at Izuku, but the dragon teen maneuvered out of the way and grabbed a hold of Shoto's left side before tossing him through the air.
Shoto managed to recover quickly and created an ice slide to ease his descent back to the ground.
"You're trying to keep me away. Smart," Shoto noted. He was breathing out frost, which he knew was not a good sign, but at least he had not yet suffered any injuries.
"Man, Midoriya's powering through all of Todoroki's attacks like a badass!" Tetsutetsu said.
"But doesn't mean much when it hardly seems like this fight is close to ending," Kosei pointed out.
"Maybe Midoriya's being cautious. After all, Todoroki's not only the son of the Number Two Hero, but also a clever foe," Monoma guessed.
"That makes sense," Shihai said.
"But Izuku will win, I'm sure," Chacha said.
"I agree with Chacha," Orihime added.
As the two kept attacking, the power behind Shoto's attacks grew, and Izuku was forced to use more powerful attacks to deal with the ice.
'It's not just that his Quirk is powerful. His judgment, mobility, reasoning… All of his abilities are incredible…' Izuku thought, impressed, and the crowd clearly agreed.
"That kid's already better than the average Pro…"
"Guess that's what you can expect from the son of the Number Two Hero!"
However, said Number Two Hero wasn't exactly feeling proud of his son. 'You're only crippling yourself, Shoto. If you don't start using your flames soon, it will come back to bite you!'
"What's the matter? Are you already worn out from defending against my attacks?" Shoto asked, aiming for a psychological attack to try to get Izuku to slip up.
Right as Izuku was about to speak up, he noticed Shoto was shivering, which he seemed to be trying to hide. Plus, there was a thin layer of frost forming on his right arm, which seemed debilitating.
'He's shaking. Is he reaching some kind of limit?' Izuku wondered. 'Either way, I've got to keep fighting!'
"I'm sorry about this, but thanks for drawing it out," Shoto added, nodding towards his father. "Look at him. He's furious I'm not using his power."
Izuku just gritted his teeth, remembering what Shoto had said to him earlier.
"The reason I picked a fight with you was to show my old man what I was capable of doing. Without having to rely on his damned fire Quirk. You see, I'm going to show him that I reject his power, and I can take first place without using it."
However, Shoto knew he was getting close to his limit: if he did not finish the fight soon, he would run out of power. "This has gone on long enough. Why don't we end this?"
["Whoa! Todoroki continues his overwhelming attacks! Could this be his finishing move?!"]
In the second that passed between Shoto throwing his ice attack, this one larger than all the previous ones, and it reaching Izuku, everyone knew that the latter was in trouble: if he did not find a way to counter it, he would lose.
But then, Izuku glared at where Shoto was, a green orb of energy appearing in the palm of his Boosted Gear before sparks covered the arm, causing the orb to grow to the size of a beach ball.
"It's not over yet!" 'One For All, 20%…' "San Francisco Dragon Shot!" The empowered Dragon Shot flew from his hands towards the ice, vaporizing it the moment it made contact. Shoto only had a moment to react to how his most powerful attack had been denied in one shot before the explosive wave sent him stumbling backwards, and even as he created another ice wall, the shockwave of the attack cracked through the defense, forcing him to make more until he finally came to a stop.
The audience, especially Toshinori and the Hero course students, was left in awe at all the power Izuku had unleashed in a single attack, reducing the gigantic glacial wave to vapors in a fraction of a second.
"Amazing," Yumi said, amazed. "Did his Sacred Gear evolve or something?"
Rias kept quiet, amazed and a little terrified at what One For All and the Boosted Gear together could accomplish.
"Dammit…" Shoto cursed. "Such power… why are you going so far?!"
"You're trembling, Todoroki," Izuku calmly, yet angrily, said, causing Shoto to gasp in shock that his opponent noticed his weakness. "It's easy to forget that Quirks are physical abilities, and that means there's a limit to the cold your body can take, right?"
Shoto stood in silence as Izuku continued on.
"I get it. Usually, you'd make up for the drop in temperature by using the heat from your left side. But you refuse to do that now." He noted, causing Shoto to scowl. "Listen. We're all giving it our all to try and win. To make our dreams into a reality. To become Number One! You think you can win with half your strength? Look at me, Todoroki. You haven't managed to put a single scratch on me yet!" Izuku yelled, clenching his Boosted Gear hand, which was covered in green lightning. "So, come at me with all you've got!"
"Midoriya… What are you trying to do here? You want my fire?" Shoto questioned in a confronting tone. "What, did my damn dad bribe you or something? Now I'm mad!" He then started running straight at Izuku.
However, Izuku noticed something was off about Shoto. 'His movements are…'
'...slower…' Katsuki noted, having noticed it as well. 'Is it because he's got so much frost on his body? Maybe his Quirk is like a magic meter in a video game. If that's true, he could be running on empty.'
'In close quarters, there's no way he'll–' Shoto's thoughts were interrupted when Izuku closed the distance between them so suddenly. "What?!"
"Too slow," Izuku said with his fist pulled back, One For All coursing through it at 10% right before he slammed it into the Half-n-Half teen's gut, sending him flying back several feet. And even though Shoto managed to graze Izuku's arm and partially freeze it, Izuku was able to flex his arm to shatter the ice.
["A solid punch! That's the kind of action I like to see!"] Present Mic exclaimed.
Having the wind knocked out of him, Shoto was in a coughing fit as he got back up. 'Why?' Shoto sent another ice wave at Izuku, which he was able to dodge rather easily.
Izuku was quick to spot the change in Shoto's attack. 'The ice attacks aren't moving as fast now.'
Shoto tried to reach Izuku and ice him at point-blank range, but Izuku just fired another Dragon Shot, sending him back.
"Should I step in, Midnight? Midoriya knows that Recovery Girl will heal them after the match, so he's being reckless with Todoroki. He's pushing Todoroki around all over the ring when he could've finished the match. It's clear who is the stronger between the two. They may not be able to get healed in one go. Even if he just ends up knocking out Todoroki by accident, it could lead to very serious injuries…" Cementoss said to Midnight through an earpiece.
Then, Shoto was forced back by another Smash from Izuku, forcing him to make an ice wall behind him yet again, but the cold was really starting to take its toll, and constantly being slammed against the ice wall was murder on his back.
"Why are you going so far?" Shoto asked as he struggled to stay on two legs.
"I wanna live up to people's expectations. I wanna be able to smile while doing something good for them," Izuku answered. "I wanna be a Pro! Whatever it takes to be a Hero!"
"Shoto…"
Shoto froze as his mother's voice echoed through his mind. He was then brought out of his thoughts when Izuku punched him in the chest, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"That's why I'll give it my all. Just like you should be! There's no way I can know what you've gone through, or why you're even here. Your life has been so much different than mine. But right now… Stop screwing around! If you wanna reject your father, fine, but you don't have the right to be Number One if you aren't going to use your full power!"
Shoto's eyes widened as he stood back up again. At that moment, memories of his past started playing in his head. The time when he was forced into training by his father at the age of five.
It was brutal, to the point he would be on all fours, gagging with his bile on the floor. And of course, his father showed no sympathy, merely telling him to get up, and when his mother attempted to talk him down, the Todoroki patriarch slapped her across the face.
The ice on Shoto's right arm and leg started to expand as he faced his opponent. "Shut up!"
Shoto sobbed into his mother's chest, telling her how he didn't want to be like his father. "I don't want to, Mom. Please, I-I don't want to be the kind of guy he is. I don't want to be someone who bullies you and hurts people, Momma!"
His mother, Rei, caressed his head gently. "But, honey, you do still wanna be a Hero, don't you? Just remember, stay true to yourself. You can be the kind of Hero you want to be when you grow up."
"That's why I'm going to win this!" Izuku's shout briefly broke Shoto out of his memories, only to send him right back in with a One For All-enhanced right hook. "I'LL SURPASS YOU!"
Shoto watched from atop a balcony as he watched his older siblings, Toya, Fuyumi, and Natsuo, playing with one another while their grandmother watched, wanting nothing more than to join them in the fun. However, his moment of longing was interrupted by the firm, unforgiving grip of his father, who began dragging him away.
"Ignore them, Shoto. They live in a different world than the one I'm training you for."
The boy wished that it wasn't the case.
…
Shoto had woken up, wandering into the kitchen when he saw a sight that worried him.
"Mom? I feel like I'm going crazy. I can't take it anymore. Every day, the children seem more like him. And Shoto… that child's left side sometimes looks unbearable to me. All I can see is his father. I can't raise him anymore. I want to run away from this life…"
"Mom, what are you saying?" Shoto asked, alerting her to his presence.
His mother gasped, her head slowly and shakily moving to face him as a kettle filled with boiling water let out a whistle. The way Shoto was peeking out, with mostly just his left side visible, caused her eyes to be filled with horror. And then…
…
Shoto stood with the left side of his face bandaged up, just as Endeavor returned home to spot him.
"Where did Momma go?" Shoto asked.
"She hurt my masterpiece, so I put her in a hospital for her own good."
"That was your fault," Shoto said with gritted teeth, looking up at his father with a look of contempt as he cried in sorrow. "You're the one who made her hurt me!"
"…I remember. I WILL reject you," Shoto murmured as he stood up, still reeling from Izuku's blow. However, his intentions remained resolute, even now. "I refuse to use my left side–"
"IT'S YOURS!" Izuku screamed. "Your Quirk, not his!"
Shoto's eyes widened, and he gasped as a different memory, this one happier than the others, played in his head.
He was sitting on the couch with his mother, watching a live talk show where a certain Number One Hero was being interviewed.
"Yes. That's right. Children often do inherit Quirks from their parents or develop similar power sets. But the most important thing to remember is that a Quirk is what you make of it, regardless of your history. You decide how you'll use it. That's what I mean when I say, 'I am here!' Only you can decide to become a Hero, no one else. Take this to heart, kids! You've got it!"
"Honey, you still wanna be a Hero, don't you? Just remember, stay true to yourself."
With his mother's words ringing through his ears, Shoto felt something begin to stir inside of him. "I didn't realize… how much I'd forgotten."
"You are not a prisoner of your lineage. It's okay to use your power to become who you want to be."
Shoto breathed heavily as his left side began to steam before a plume of flame began to erupt from it, and that flame quickly exploded into a raging inferno.
Present Mic gasped. ["Is that…?!"]
The heat of the inferno could be felt even from the stands, making some recoil from the intensity.
"He's using his fire!" Ochaco shouted, trying to block the heat with her hands.
Tenya recalled from the Cavalry Battle how Shoto stated that he never uses his left side in battle, and yet, look at him now. "Incredible."
'You made him use his left side. Young Midoriya. Don't tell me you were trying to save young Todoroki this whole time!' Toshinori thought. He had seen through Izuku's plan, but now he knew that Todoroki had closed the gap in power between them. Now, he just hoped Izuku had some sort of backup plan because it seemed to have turned on him.
Up in the stands, Endeavor watched with glee as his son began to use his left side.
"You're helping your opponent," Shoto said as the heat from his fire began defrosting the ice on his right side, allowing him to regain feeling in his limbs. "You fool. Even though you wanna win this battle. Now, which one of us is screwing around?"
Izuku, despite the scorching heat searing his face, couldn't help but stare in awe at the sight in front of him.
"I want it, too. I'll be a Hero!" Shoto declared with full determination.
Izuku smiled to meet his opponent's resolve, ready to finally finish the battle, and Shoto responded with a matching determined smile.
"SHOTOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Endeavor suddenly shouted from the top of the stands. "THIS IS WHAT I WANTED FROM YOU! TO ACCEPT BOTH SIDES OF YOURSELF! BECOME THE HERO YOU DESIRE WITH THE POWERS YOU HAVE! THE POWER THAT IS YOURS AND YOURS ALONE!"
Despite his shouting, it seemed Shoto hadn't heard a single word, not taking his eyes off Midoriya.
["Endeavor suddenly shouts words of encouragement! What a doting father."]
"Amazing…" Izuku said.
"Why are you smiling? You must be crazy. Don't blame me for what happens next," Shoto said before creating ice from his right foot to create a balance of fire and ice as he readied his final attack.
[Boost!]
Izuku grinned as he activated one last Boost and unfurled his wings.
While Shoto gathered all of his remaining strength into one attack, Izuku readied another One For All-powered Dragon Shot.
"That's it, Midnight. They could get seriously injured!" Cementoss shouted as he used his Quirk to spread out a wave of cement towards the boys.
Midnight ripped off her right sleeve, purple smoke beginning to form out of it. "Their bodies won't hold up!"
Shoto unleashed a massive wave of ice, bigger than anything he had thrown against Izuku so far, which the draconic Devil managed to avoid getting trapped in before flapping his wings to fly straight towards the Half-n-Half teen.
'Gotta try and get close and give it everything! Come at me with your full power, Todoroki!'
As Izuku got in closer, Shoto instantly switched to using fire again, the air pressure changing instantly as hot and cold mixed around them. He then brought up his left hand, ready to send out his attack. 'I see now, Midoriya.' "Thank you…"
"San Francisco… Dragon Shot!" Izuku fired the Dragon Shot.
Cementoss raised several concrete walls in between Izuku and Shoto to stop their finishing attacks from colliding, but it just wasn't enough, as the One For All-enhanced Dragon Shot and the concentrated fire blast obliterated the barriers and met each other midway. And then…
*BOOOOOM!*
A huge burst of light, wind, and sheer force exploded from the very center of the stadium, sending debris flying out everywhere. Midnight was completely taken off guard as the wind knocked over the platform she was on, sending her flying back.
The audience was either left screaming or completely dumbstruck as a pillar of wind blew straight up through the stadium, catching the attention of even those outside. In the stands, the students had to brace themselves as the gale belted through, threatening to take some of them off their feet.
"Holy crap balls!" Mineta flailed about in the air, the only thing keeping him from flying away being one of Mezo's arms.
"This is crazy!" A terrified Denki shouted.
Momo tried to shield herself from the thrashing wind. "What's happening down there?!"
"Izuku!" Rias cried out.
It felt like hours before the winds finally calmed down. The whole stadium was completely silent, stunned at the power being used. Endeavor was grinning after seeing his son finally using his left side, the proof of which was the smoke cloud floating above the ring, waiting to be cleared.
"Having a great power doesn't mean you'll be a good Hero," Cementoss rumbled as he stood back up. "But these two are amazing."
In the booth, Present Mic had fallen backwards on his seat, his feet in the air, even though the booth was protected against the explosion. ["What happened just now? What the heck is up with your students?"]
["The air around the ring had been thoroughly cooled down and then rapidly expanded when heated up,"] Aizawa calmly explained.
Present Mic quickly got back up. ["Wait, that's what caused the explosion? How hot did that fire get? Jeez, I can't see a thing!?"] Present Mic complained, a thought shared with many of the spectators. ["Is the match still going on, or what, huh?"]
"I can't see anything," Ravel said, trying to look through the smoke.
"The smoke's clearing up, we'll find out soon," Yumi said, balling her hands in anticipation.
'Please, Izuku, tell me you won!' Rias thought.
Fortunately, it did not take too long for the smoke to finally clear up, and in the sepulchral silence that pervaded the stadium, the result was shown.
Izuku was on one knee, right at the edge of the ring, his head down, the upper half of his PE uniform torn up due to the explosion, breathing heavily as he looked around.
Meanwhile, Shoto had his back propped up against an ice spire rising from the edge of the ring, but then, his body started slumping to the side before collapsing onto the ground, a key sign that he was unconscious.
It took a moment for everybody to process what the hell just happened, and finally, Midnight raised her whip.
"Todoroki is unconscious! Midoriya wins! He advances to the Final Round!"
The crowd cheered as Izuku panted. He looked at Shoto and noticed that, despite being unconscious, he somehow seemed relieved. And that brought a smile to Izuku's face.
After a quick visit to Recovery Girl's office, Shoto was walking the hall back to 1-A's seats when he saw a face he honestly didn't want to see.
"What's the matter? Not gonna tell me to get lost?" Endeavor asked, a fatherly smile on his face. "You need to learn to control your left side. It's dangerous to release so much energy like that. Midoriya opened the door for you, and now you've abandoned your childish rebellion. You can finally work on truly making that power your very own. After you graduate, you can come work in my agency. I will lead you down the path of the mighty, Shoto!"
"I haven't abandoned anything," Shoto replied dully, causing Endeavor to blink. "You're a fool to think my feelings could be so easily reversed. Instead… Out there… For that one moment… I forgot all about you," Shoto continued on his way. "Whether that's good or bad, whether it's the right thing to do, I don't know. Maybe I don't need you."
Endeavor, the man in All Might's shadow, could only watch in silence as Shoto walked away, away from him and his goals. And yet, a small part of him felt proud of him for doing so.
Eventually, the damage to the battlefield caused by the previous fight had been repaired, and now, the next fight was about to get underway.
["After that intense start to the Semi-finals, we're finally ready to get on with the second half!"] Present Mic announced. ["First up, we have a representative of Girl Power who has earned her way to victory multiple times, it's Xenovia Quarta! And her opponent, the explosive-tempered bombadier, Katsuki Bakugo!"]
Izuku paid close attention to this matchup, as the one who wins this fight would be his opponent in the next battle. As he did, he thought back to his visit to Recovery Girl's office after the last match.
*Flashback*
"You stupid boy! I oughta smack some sense into you!" Recovery Girl swung her cane around like it was a sword.
The fully recovered Izuku covered his head and reeled back in terror. "Wah! I'm sorry!"
"I don't know what trick you used to keep your bones from breaking, but they still had fractures in them," Recovery Girl continued to huff. "You're lucky the match ended when it did; otherwise, you would've broken your hands eventually."
[She has a point. The transferred power was close to ending.]
'Ddraig, please don't take her side.' Izuku winced before Recovery Girl's cane hit him in the head. "Ow!"
*End Flashback*
So, yeah, Boosting his bones did work, but that wouldn't be enough in the long run. He would need to figure out another way to properly use One For All in long, drawn-out fights.
"Ready? Begin!"
Xenovia was the first to act, crouching down to absorb the concrete as Katsuki set off his explosions to rocket himself toward her.
'Blue Hair's Quirk is somewhat like Kirishima's, but she needs to touch other stuff to make it work. Also, her durability's probably limited to what she absorbs, unlike Kirishima. So, like before, whittle down her defense until she breaks!'
He was about to reach out with his hand to set off an explosion in Xenovia's direction when she struck her fist out before he could, nailing him in the face and knocking him to the ground.
Xenovia then quickly followed through with a kick, but Katsuki leaped over her with an explosion and attempted to blast her in the back, but she quickly backed up to avoid the explosion. She then went on the offensive again with a round of punches, which kept Katsuki on his feet as he barely managed to dodge each and every blow.
'Damn! Compared to Dumb Hair, she's quicker on her feet! But even so, she's still going down!'
Katsuki then blasted himself backward to put some distance between himself and Xenovia before charging in again with an explosion primed. As he got in close, Xenovia threw her leg forward at Katsuki's abdomen, but he had anticipated her attack being faster and had already started to dodge by the time she tried to counter, leaving her vulnerable.
Katsuki then set off the explosion he had primed, consuming Xenovia in a fiery blast. After a few seconds, Xenovia ran out of the smoke, her concrete-transfigured skin showing a few cracks and some parts reverted back to flesh. She aimed a punch at Katsuki, but he set off an explosion to blast himself backward, out of her reach.
["Even after taking such a blast, Quarta remains resilient!"]
Xenovia then lowered herself to the ground again to reabsorb the concrete, repairing the damage to her body before quickly running after Katsuki again. He tried to back up, but she got to him before he could, grabbing him by the arm and tossing him over her shoulder before slamming onto the ground.
However, Katsuki suddenly grabbed her back and blasted her with an explosion, pushing her back and dealing some damage to her again. Regardless, after quickly touching the concrete, it was quickly fixed, though Katsuki noticed something.
'As I thought, her durability is dependent on what she absorbs, but she can fix whatever I do to her by reabsorbing stuff. Still, I noticed that it wasn't as fast as the previous time,' Katsuki noted. 'That must be the limit to her Quirk, she probably can't keep absorbing in quick succession without it slowing down… Meaning I'll just have to keep on the pressure!'
He then noticed a movement in the smoke and aimed an explosion in that direction, but he hit nothing.
Seeing this, he brushed the smoke away with his arm and quickly rushed towards Xenovia, who threw out her knee and managed to hit him in the abdomen. However, despite the pain, he made a grin as he took the opportunity to take a swing and slam an explosion into Xenovia's side, eliciting a pained grunt from her.
Xenovia quickly attempted to absorb the ground again, but Katsuki used that window to bombard Xenovia with a volley of rapid-fire explosions as he did with Eijiro, whittling away at her defenses. Xenovia tried what she could to defend herself from Katsuki's attack, but the constant damage she was taking was also slowing down her Quirk.
At the end of the barrage, it appeared that Xenovia had taken quite the beating; however, Katsuki was hardly finished with her.
"I'll finish with this!" Katsuki declared, detonating one final blast that swallowed Xenovia.
*BOOM!*
And indeed, finish it, he did, as when the smoke and dust cleared, Xenovia was revealed to be on the ground, defeated.
"Quarta is unconscious! Bakugo competes in the Final Round!" Midnight declared, pointing at the latter with her whip.
["Bakugo once again claims victory with his relentless attacks! And since that was the last match of the Semi-finals, you know what that means!"] Present Mic commented.
And with that, the Jumbotron updated to show the matchup that would decide it all for the Sports Festival.
Final Round: Izuku Midoriya vs. Katsuki Bakugo
Izuku looked at the Jumbotron and then down at the ring, where his next opponent sent him a look telling him to be prepared, which he returned with one that said he was.
"So this is it. The fated battle between you and your rival," Ochaco commented.
"Guess this holds more weight than the final round for you, huh?" Ojiro said.
"You can do it, Izuku," Asia said.
"Show him what you're made of," Chacha encouraged.
"And us too, Dragon Boy," Setsuna added.
"Break a leg out there," Itsuka said.
Izuku nodded and started heading to the waiting room.