Hiro really didn't expect. After training everyday for countless hours, he would achieve a breakthrough just because of something so…simple.
He stared at his hand in wonder, marveling at the newfound sensation. If it weren't for his Quirk, he would have been cackling like a madman right now- all his previous effort to maintain his gentleman persona being thrown down the drain.
Instead, he just allowed himself a small smirk as he turned to the reason for his breakthrough.
…
(An hour earlier)
After Hiro's battle with Ibara, there was a short break before the second round of the tournament began.
The first match was between Todoroki and Uraraka.
Unlike his fight against Kodai, this time, Todoroki didn't immediately freeze half of the arena. He sent waves of ice towards Uraraka, which the bob-haired girl managed to weave through with difficulty.
She tried to levitate countless ice fragments and rained it down on Todoroki, but the icefire boy just created an ice shield above him.
And unfortunately, that seemed to be the extent of what she could do. As more and more ice appeared on the arena, the area which she could dodge decreased. She tried to go for close-quarter combat, but she was frozen before she could even get the opportunity.
The next match was Midoriya versus Tokoyami.
Midoriya still hasn't recovered from his battle with Kirishima. His right arm was cast in bandage, and after receiving treatment from Recovery Girl, his stamina was all but spent.
However, if there's one thing about Midoriya that wasn't lacking, it was his will to become a hero.
Faced with the Black Shadow's assault, he gritted his teeth and flicked it with his left index finger. That caused the shadow to dissipate, and without wasting the opportunity, Midoriya punched and knocked out Tokoyami under his Full Cowling.
The seaweed haired boy lay on the ground, grasping for breath after being announced the winner. The pain from his crushed index finger also didn't help.
In the end, he and Tokoyami both had to be carried to the infirmary by the staff.
Mina and Reiko's battle didn't have as many twists and turns. In fact, with her Poltergeist Quirk, Reiko was already fortunate to advance to the second round.
In this battle format where items can't be used, she was severely disadvantaged- just like her classmate, Kodai.
It was because her opponent in the first round was Mei that she won overwhelmingly. But against Ashido, the ghostly girl could only block a few times before helplessly conceding.
Finally, it was Hiro and Shinso's battle.
"Folks, are you ready?! It's the final match of the second round!"
"YYEEAHHHHH!!!"
"First, let's welcome Hiro Ryugamine, the guy who consistently showed an overwhelming performance in all previous events thus far!"
At Present Mic's announcement, Hiro walked out from the hallway. He familiarly greeted the crowd, nodded to Midnight and Cementoss who were the referees, and stood with his arms crossed in the arena.
"Facing such a powerful foe- is Hitoshi Shinso! A student from the General Studies who had silently surpassed many from the Hero Course to stand here today!"
As soon as Shinso stepped out of the hallway, he received an applause that was not much worse from what Hiro got.
As the only General Course student who reached the third stage and won against a Hero Course student in the first round, the lanky teenager had amassed quite a bit of fans as the underdog.
And now, battling against the strongest first year student, even some neutral spectators cheered for him to win.
Shinso tried his best to keep a steady expression, not used to all the positive attention. To keep himself from being distracted, he focused his gaze on Hiro as he walked onto the arena.
"Are the two of you ready?"
Midnight asked. She raised her whip, ready to signal for the battle's start.
"Yes."
"Wait!"
Midnight and Hiro both turned to Shinso, who was raising one hand in a stop gesture.
"Referee, before we begin, I want to discuss something with Ryugamine."
Shinso asked. With Midnight's nod of approval, he turned to Hiro with a relaxed yet provocative smile.
"Hey, Ryugamine. If we fought as normal, you'll just carry me out of the ring before I could even react, right? Instead of that, why don't we make it more interesting?"
"Hmm, how?"
Hiro raised an eyebrow in interest.
"My Quirk lets me control other people. And yours gives you more control over yourself. So why don't we test whether my Quirk would be effective against you? If my Quirk doesn't work, I'll automatically forfeit this battle."
"What a one-sided deal. This has no benefit for me at all."
Hiro said as he chuckled. However, his laughter turned into a confident smirk and he nodded.
"Alright, I accept. I'm also curious whether my Quirk can counter yours."
"Ohhh! Everyone, a new situation has unfolded!"
Present Mic, who had been listening to the discussion through Midnight's mic, suddenly shouted.
The audience's attention turned to him. They were already eagerly awaiting for the battle to start, and were somewhat dissatisfied at the ongoing delay.
"The two contestants have agreed on a more conditional combat! Contestant Shinso will try to control contestant Ryugamine with his Quirk, and the latter will see if he can overcome it with his own Quirk!"
"How irrational."
Aizawa said with a frown. If Hiro lost, he'd lose quite a bit of fame. And even if he won, he wouldn't get much benefit. It's a lose-lose deal.
"Why did Hiro agree to such an unfair agreement?"
At the 1A seats, Mina shouted with furrowed brows. Their other classmates wondered the same thing as well.
After the previous round of fighting, everyone could already guess how Shinso's Quirk worked. And while they admit it was powerful, as long as one is careful not to activate its condition, then facing the lanky teenager was just the same as facing an ordinary Quirkless civilian.
Hiro could have ended this match in a second just like he did before. Why would he accept something like this?
"Isn't it obvious? His arrogance got the better of him."
A voice which had been noticeably silent for the past few rounds reached everyone's ears. Bakugo, wearing a dissatisfied frown, had his arms crossed over his chest as he gazed sharply at the arena.
"That bastard, if he lost against some nobody, I'll never let him live it down."
A similar sentiment was also shared by the onlookers. And while some of them disapproved of Hiro's illogical decision, many were indeed more curious to watch the clash between the Quirks of the two students.
Thus, amidst everyone's expectant gazes, the fight between Hiro and Shinso began.
"Ryugamine, I honestly don't know whether to feel glad or insulted that you've accepted my challenge."
"Well, you've piqued my curiosity and had me accept your deal. So I'd say you should feel glad."
"Heh, I hope you won't regret this after you lose."
Shinso said and activated his Quirk. When he saw Hiro's face turn dull, a grin formed on his face.
He won.
"Turn around and walk off the arena."
Hiro turned around…and then stopped. His left leg slightly rose, before it paused mid-air, and then returned to its initial position.
"Walk forward! I said, walk forward!"
Shinso shouted, the joy on his face vanishing. However, Hiro did not respond. He just stood there, his eyes vacant and legs slightly twitching.
Shinso's expression twisted, as if he ate something sour. Damn it. Was his Quirk really countered by the opponent?
On the other hand, Hiro had just awakened his consciousness.
Before he responded to Shinso, he had fractured his shin bones and increased the sensitivity of the nerve endings there. This was a preventive measure in case his Quirk was unable to override Shinso's influence.
He knew the lanky teenager's Brainwash would be released if the victim suffers an impact. Thus, if he was commanded to walk out of the arena, the increased pain of a fractured bone would wake him up.
His plan worked. When he turned around, the pain from the movement roused his consciousness. However, he felt a disconnect between his brain and the rest of his body- like a vegetable who can feel their surroundings yet unable to command their body to move.
It was a surreal, and quite frankly, a terrifying experience.
He was just about to try and use his Quirk to resolve the situation, when he noticed it.
His body, which was used to being in a state of absolute control, was instinctively resisting the foreign entity that was trying to command it. And leading the resistance, were microscopic particles interspersed within his body.
These were what Hiro always wanted to find. The elements that would allow him access to more power. His own Quirk Factor.
At that moment, he forcefully yanked his instinctive desire to regain control over his body. Instead, he immersed his consciousness at the ongoing war within him, and made sure to burn the feeling of what his Quirk Factor felt like.
…
"Referee, my opponent hasn't moved for so long, doesn't that already count as loss through immobilization?"
"A valid point! Ryugamine, if you don't answer or move for the next 10 seconds, this match would be considered as your loss!"
Midnight's voice awakened Hiro from his concentration. He inwardly frowned, before sighing and deciding to continue studying his Quirk Factor later. Now that he knew how, he would just ask Shinso to use his Quirk again after this festival.
As he tried to regain control over his body, Hiro noticed how much easier it was compared to before. He paused, his eyes widening. Could it be?!
Yes. There's no doubt about it. He could never forget this feeling.
This was similar to when his Quirk Awakened during the middle of that serious fight against Bang-sensei.
Did his Quirk undergo a second awakening? Just from his bodies' instinctive resistance to bringing controlled!?
"5!"
"4!"
Hiro didn't have time to ponder further as Midnight began her countdown. He fixed the fracture in his shin and turned around, easily disregarding the influence that Shinso's Quirk was still trying to exert on himself.
"I'm fine, sensei. I was just testing something out."
Hiro said to Midnight, his eyes on his right fist as he clenched and unclenched it. Then, he looked up, and met the disbelieving gaze of Shinso, a smirk on his own face.
"Thank you, Shinso. You don't know just how much you've helped me."
"…ugh. I don't know about helping you or not, but it seems I lost the bet. Referee, I forfeit."
"Shinso Hitoshi has forfeited! Hiro Ryugamine has won the match and will advance to the third round!"
The crowd, which had been getting bored from nothing happening for the past few minutes, finally perked up. They loudly cheered. They didn't care much that Hiro won, only glad that this boring battle was finally over.
Hiro similarly didn't care what the crowd thought. He shook hands with Shinso in a friendly manner, then waved to the stands as the two of them walked off the arena.
A/N: This was just supposed to be a normal crushing battle between him and Shinso, with him using his Quirk to no diff the Brainwashing guy's.
But in the middle of writing it, I pondered. What would the effect be if someone who literally has absolute control over their body, suddenly had that control taken from them? I imagine it wouldn't be pleasant. Then I thought about his second Quirk Awakening. I didn't have much concrete plans for it, only that it should happen sometime soon. And isn't this the perfect opportunity for that?
Thus, I have to scrap and rewrite some of my plans for this chapter. Anyways, yeah, Hiro has awakened his Quirk once more. As for the extent of its power and what it can do now, let's all discover in the next few chapters.