"Izuku Midoriya Vs. Hideki Shirakawa; Shoto Todoroki Vs. Fumikage Tokoyami."
"Katsuki Bakugo Vs. Eijiro Kirishima; Tenya Iida Vs. Denki Kaminari."
Mato read aloud the names on the table while drinking cola.
"Guess it's my turn, finally," Mato turned and started to go downstairs to enter the fighting stage. On his way, he met Tetsutetsu.
"Yo, Hid!" he exclaimed. "Seems like I lost! But that Kirishima guy was very funny!"
Mato inserted his hands in his pockets.
"Did you befriend him?" he asked.
"Yeah. I'll introduce him to you someday."
"Sorry, but someone already did."
"Really? Who?"
"The boy I'm going to face now."
"Good luck, Hid. You're the last one standing of our class. The rest is all Class A."
Mato smiled.
"I'll honor our class."
__________
Kamino District, Yokohama
"AND NOW, FOR THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND, WE HAVE IZUKU MIDORIYA AND HIDEKI SHIRAKAWA!" Present Mic shouted from the TV.
"Yay! Mato-kun is back on the scene!" Toga exclaimed. "And his opponent... he seems pretty handsome too..."
"Finally," Dabi muttered under his breath. "He's fighting that kid suspected to have the same Quirk as All Might."
Shigaraki scratched his chin. "If he wins, we can say he's won the tournament."
"I won't be so sure, y'know," said Dabi. "The other two possible opponents for Mato are strong, too."
The door opened, and Kurogiri entered. "Has Mato's turn arrived?"
"Yeah, come here," said Shigaraki, motioning him to get closer.
"Is All For One listening or watching?" asked Kurogiri.
"He's always watching," said Shigaraki.
"C'mon, Mato-kun..." Toga muttered. "Think about the fact that your beautiful best friend, Himiko Toga, is watching~."
Dabi made a face. (He's doing it only and exclusively for you, Toga...)
__________
Fighting Stage
Mato and Izuku were stretching. They looked at each other.
"Don't hold back," said Izuku.
"Don't destroy your body," said Mato.
"FIGHT!" Present Mic shouted.
Mato and Izuku dashed forward.
Mato punched the pavement and summoned a dark slab. Deku snapped his right index finger and shattered it.
Izuku attempted to punch Mato on the face, but Mato slid down his legs.
(I gotta use my brain,) He thought.
Izuku turned and jumped.
"Delaware Smash!"
Mato rolled aside and dodged. The impact created a hole in the fighting stage.
(Delaware Smash? That's the same technique he used against me at the USJ...)
"SPLENDID ATTACK FROM MIDORIYA AND A SPLENDID DODGE FROM SHIRAKAWA!"
"Great reflexes!" Tetsutetsu said from the stands.
"If he wins, I'll pay him dinner tomorrow," Setsuna promised.
"Delaware Smash!" Izuku tried again. This time, instead of dodging, Mato created a dark shield and blocked the attack, though he stumbled backwards.
"The same attack won't work on me twice," he said. "Even though it didn't even work once."
He cracked his knuckles.
Mato ran towards Izuku and punched him. Izuku blocked and tried to kick Mato's face. He lowered his body and attempted to deliver an uppercut to Izuku's jaw. This time, it worked.
"AFTER A SERIES OF ATTACKS, SHIRAKAWA MANAGES TO LAND A HIT ON MIDORIYA!"
Izuku delivered a swift kick that caught Mato off balance. Mato used his hands to regain position.
Mato infused his punch with dark and punched the air, creating a long-range shockwave. Izuku snapped his left index finger and shattered it, once again.
(Ugh... my fingers hurt...)
Mato jumped forward and attempted to punch Izuku's face. Izuku seized the opportunity.
"One For All: FULL COWL!"
SBAM!
Izuku punched Mato in the gut. Mato spat blood and flew backwards.
(Full Cowl? Did he say One For All?)
Mato regained his position, though he was barely standing.
(My legs are shaking, and I'm bleeding from the left corner of my mouth... but I can't give up.)
Izuku charged again, and Mato wrapped himself in a dark shell. It got crushed by Izuku's punch.
Mato began to exchange powerful blows with Izuku, and slowly, Mato noticed that Izuku's continued use of his Quirk was starting to damage his body.
(Just as I thought... I told him not to overuse it, but he didn't listen...)
Mato wrapped his punch with darkness and punched Izuku's jaw.
(And now, there's one more thing I'm sure of...)
Another punch was delivered to Izuku's guts.
(This kid really has One For All!)
"Dark Punch: 100% Power!"
SBAM!
Mato's punch crushed against Izuku's guts. The impact was so strong that the shockwave knocked Present Mic off his seat.
Setsuna, Tetsutetsu, and Itsuka held the arms of their chairs tight to not fly away.
When the dust settled, Mato was on the fighting stage, and Izuku had been smashed against the wall, but was still conscious.
(I did it to stop you from too severe injuries from your Quirk.)
"MIDORIYA IS OUT OF THE FIGHTING STAGE! SHIRAKAWA ADVANCES!"
The crowd clapped their hands. Mato slowly walked up to Izuku's weak body. "You okay?"
Izuku looked up to him. "What do you think?"
"Well, maybe I broke some of your ribs with that punch, but... if you kept using your Quirk, you'd be in worse conditions."
Mato gave Izuku his hand. Izuku grabbed it and got to his feet.
"Good luck for the next match, Hideki."
Mato smiled. "Thanks, Izuku."
Suddenly, Mato felt his body weak. His eyes slowly closed, and he fell asleep in the middle of the fighting stage.
"SHIRAKAWA HAS FALLEN ASLEEP AFTER THE MATCH! IS THIS SOME KIND OF CONSEQUENCE FOR USING HIS QUIRK?"
Izuku stared at Mato's asleep body. He was snoring loudly.
"WE'LL CALL THE MEDICAL STAFF TO BRING MIDORIYA TO THE INFIRMARY AND WAKE SHIRAKAWA UP!"
"Falling asleep after winning a match," said Tetsutetsu. "It's just like him."
__________
Infirmary
Izuku was lying on the hospital bed, his entire right arm bandaged and broken. Beside him, Mato was sitting, awake and unharmed.
"Thanks for bringing me here, Hideki," Izuku said.
"No problem, Izuku," said Mato, looking at the wall. "For a friend, this and more. And I didn't bring you here, I was sleeping."
Uraraka bursted inside the room. "Deku-kun!"
"Hey, Uraraka-san..." Izuku said weakly.
"You've been too rough with him, Shirakawa-kun!" said Uraraka, punching Mato's head. "You punched him too hard!"
"Ouch!" Mato gasped. "He asked me not to hold back..."
"Don't worry, Uraraka-san..." said Izuku. "I'm fine. I'm also out, so I don't need to fight anymore."
He looked at Mato.
"I'll root for you from now on, Hideki."
Mato nodded.
"I'll root for you too, Shirakawa-kun," Uraraka added.
"I won't disappoint you guys," Mato smiled. "I'll win."
__________
Stands
After ensuring Izuku's safety, Mato returned to the stands, waiting for his turn.
"Now... Shoto Vs. Fumikage Tokoyami, then Bakugo Vs. Kirishima, and finally, Iida Vs. Denki..." he read on the screen. "I'll face one between Shoto and Tokoyami. I hope it's Shoto."
He remembered something.
"Oh, right. I must wish Shoto good luck."
Mato quickly went downstairs and reached Shoto in the waiting room.
"Hi, Hideki," said Shoto, who had a cloth on his shoulders. "Congratulations on your victory."
"Thanks, Shoto," Mato walked closer. "I've come to wish you good luck."
"Thank you, I'll need it against Tokoyami."
"Just for information: who's Tokoyami?"
"One of my classmates. The one with the crow face."
"Okay, I think I understood who he is."
Mato patted Shoto on the shoulders. "Freeze 'im with your ice."
"I will."
Shoto walked outside the waiting room.
"We'll meet in the next round, Shoto," Mato whispered. "I'm sure we will."
Chapter 16 - End