"And the big man returns!" grinned Hanta as Izuku returned to the bleachers.
"Nice fight!" shouted Mina.
"Yea, that was super epic!" cheered Toru.
"Hehe, thanks," blushed Izuku, giving a little smile before taking an empty seat next to Tenya.
"Are you alright?" asked Momo as she turned her head, "Do you need any bandages, burn cream, food?"
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," smiled Izuku, "Recovery Girl already gave me something to eat while treating my burns before sending me on my way. I might grab a snack after Itsuka's match, though."
"Oh yeah, it's her turn!" smiled Ochako as she quickly turned back to the stage.
"Let's get this show rolling!" shouted Present Mic, "I know we've had some excitement with the last match, but there's plenty more to come! In our east corner, she's the class president of 1-B, she's been called the Big Sister of 1-B, it's Itsuka Kendo from the hero course! Versus- Manly and passionate hardening, Eijiro Kirishima of the hero course!"
"Go Kendo!" shouted Tetsutetsu from the booth.
"Yeah beat him!" shouted Setsuna.
"Eiji, you can't lose to her!" shouted Mina in support for her friend.
"Go Kirishima! Use your sharpened hands to rip her clothes off!" roared Mineta. That comment earned him a jab to the ear from Kyoka as well as a death glare from Izuku.
"Let's get this seventh match started! Start!" announced Present Mic.
"I don't exactly feel comfortable about hitting a woman, but I'm not going to lose!" grinned Eijiro as he charged forward, "You seem like a martial arts girl! Just a warning, you might hurt your hands against my quirk!"
"Kirishima is going to be in a world of hurt if he underestimates Itsuka," frowned Izuku as he saw Ejiro rushing towards Itsuka.
"How so?" asked Mina with a curious tone, "Eiji's quirk lets him tank quite a bit of damage."
"Itsuka's quirk allows her to dish out a lot of damage," replied Izuku, "Not only that, but she doesn't rely on just hitting her opponent with her fists. Especially when she was training with me at Rekai. I'm sure she has countermeasures."
"Weird hair is gonna be in pain if he's not careful," commented Katsuki, getting surprised looks from the students around him.
Eijiro threw a straight at Itsuka, confident he could tank any counters. Itsuka easily read the straight, dodging the hardened fist before throwing a short upper into Eijiro's ribs. Just upon impact, Ituska enlarged her hands to maximize the impact force. Eijiro coughed as he felt the impact, but was able to tank through it just fine.
"Another Tetsutetsu," murmured Itsuka as she ducked under a left hook, "Wonder if he falls for the same tricks."
"Orarara!" shouted Eijiro as he fired off a barrage of fists, chasing after Itsuka.
Itsuka weaved and parried the fists, enlarging her hands only when needed. She was soon pushed near the boundary line, her foot mere centimeters away from it.
"C'mon you can't lose Kendo!" shouted Setsuna from the stand.
"Yeah, beat... wait a minute, why am I getting a sense of deja vu?" questioned Tetsutetsu, interrupting his own shout.
"Because you fell for this trick when sparring with Kendo before," answered Awase with a snicker.
Itsuka suddenly stumbled as she blocked Eijiro's uppercut, leaving an opening for him.
"Got you!" shouted Eijiro as he threw a right overhead punch with all his strength and weight.
Itsuka smirked at this, letting Eijiro know he had just been baited into a trap. It was too late for him to pull back, though. Itsuka suddenly recovered from her 'stumble', dodging to the right as the fist whizzed past her face. Without letting this chance pass by, she grabbed his wrist with both hands, enlarging her hands as she did so. Then, spinning on her heels, Itsuka used her strength and weight to hurl Eijiro out of the ring.
For good measure, right after tossing Eijiro out in midair, she enlarged her hands to its biggest size and slapped Eijiro into the ground, her fingers barely touching Eijiro but enough to reach him despite throwing him. The results ended with Eijiro being smashed into the ground despite his hardened state.
"Fighter Kirishima is out of bounds! Kendo advances to the second round!" declared Midnight.
"And it's the old bait and hook! Itsuka Kendo of 1-B lures Eijiro Kirishima to the edge, making him think he was pushing her back, only for her to mercilessly crush that thought!" shouted Present Mic in excitement.
"Ha! Beat that Shota! Though 1-A might dominate the finals in numbers, my students are nothing to laugh about either!" crowed Vlad, pointing a finger at Shota.
"It's illogical to argue about this," yawned Shota, "Just get the next match going."
"Alright, let's continue on!" screamed Present Mic, "It's a shock from the last match! He took out several teams in one go from the last game! Sparking killing boy, from the hero course, Denki Kaminari! Versus, Fully equipped with support items, from the support course, Mei Hatsume!"
"So, he's going up against a support course," mused Kyoka.
"I wonder what kind of fight this is going to be?" questioned Tsuyu.
"I mean, what is that?" Sato asked in confusion.
Sato was referring to the fact that Denki held two wires in his hands that was connected to a power station that Hatsume had pulled out from somewhere. Denki hadn't exactly broken any rules as Hatsume had tossed the wires to him, but everyone was quite confused at what was happening.
"Alright, ready?" asked Mei while Present Mic had yelled start.
"Yeah sure, but you going to keep your end of the bargain?" asked Denki.
"Of course!" grinned Mei "This is the perfect opportunity for me! Any more after that is just a waste of my time!"
"Errr, has the fight started?" asked Present Mic, turning to Shota to make sure that he had said start.
"It has, but something is going on with those two," said Shota in confusion.
"Hello everyone!" greeted Mei, her voice echoing throughout the stadium.
"Er, what? Why?" blinked Present Mic.
"She's wearing speakers?" stated Shota in confusion, "Wait... Oh no. I think I know where this is going."
Mei began to present all her inventions, hard selling it to the support companies that were in the stadium. Mei used her quirk, Zoom, to magnify her sight to see the support companies seemingly interested but also confused. Denki's purpose was soon discovered when Mei began pulling out some more power-intensive gears.
Denki, for all his quirk, was a human power station for Mei to use until she was done.
15 minutes later
"I've presented each and every last one of them," sighed Mei with relief, wiping her sweat off her forehead, "I have nothing left to say now."
With that statement, she stepped out of the ring.
"Errr Hatsume is out of bounds. Kaminari advances to the second round," announced Midnight in slight confusion.
"Wheyyy?" answered Kaminari, who had reverted to his retarded state after supplying electricity for so long.
"He's back in that state!" giggled Kyoka as she saw Kaminari just standing there with his thumbs up.
"To win like this seems... empty," commented Tenya. He couldn't help but think what would've happened if he was fighting Mei. Just being on her team in the cavalry battle gave him a pretty good idea that Mei would have used him as a prop for a presentation.
"Well, she certainly achieved her objective," blinked Izuku before looking back down to his notebook, "Granted some of those items really are interesting. Was it because of her invention that you could keep up with me on my turns?"
"Actually yes," nodded Tenya, to Izuku, "I admit, her inventions are top notch. It allowed me to reach higher speeds and turns without straining myself, though it took all my concentration just to fol..low... you?"
Tenya's voice trailed off when he noticed Izuku writing in his notebook at lightning speed. Izuku was writing so fast that Tenya could see smoke trails wafting into the air. He could also catch a few words as Izuku muttered to himself every now and then.
'Where'd he get the notebook?' thought Tenya, as well as did a few others who turned their attention to Izuku.
"What are you writing?" asked Tsuyu curiously.
"Huh? Oh, just taking some quick notes about everybody's quirk so far," replied Izuku, looking up, "Didn't get the chance to earlier."
"Do you mind if I take a look?" asked Tenya, curiosity winning him over.
"Sure," nodded Izuku, passing his notes to Tenya, "Make sure to keep it for me, I'm going to head down first."
Izuku left to head down to not only grab something to eat, but to talk with Momo and Ochako, who had left earlier to prepare for their next match during the Mei and Denki's 'fight'.
"So, what's it say?" asked Mina curiously.
"I admit, I am also interested," commented Shoji.
"To see what our fellow classmate wrote will be enlightening," nodded Fumikage.
Tenya opened the book to a random page, landing on a page about Toru.
"Ooh, it's about me!" cheered Toru, taking a peek over Tenya's shoulder, "What did he write about?"
The others couldn't help but look over Tenya's shoulder, interested in Izuku's writing.
"Did he write the most important thing?" asked Mineta with a leer, "Is there the three sizes!?"
Kyoka jammed her Earphone Jack into Mineta's ear and cranked up the volume to full power as punishment.
"Gyakahyeahraiaufheoh!" yelped Mineta in pain, but enduring to see if he could spy of Izuku had written those numbers. He was quickly slapped down with a smack from Tsuyu's tongue.
"Stubborn pervert," huffed Kyoka as she withdrew her Earphone Jack, "So did he?"
"He's not that crass," frowned Tsuyu before looking at Tenya, "Is he?"
"I wouldn't mind," shrugged Mina, "He seems like the person who'd be able to tell but not really care."
"I'd be more amazed if he could tell mine," commented Toru.
"Midoriya is much more respectful than that!" argued Tenya, chopping his arms in sync with his argument.
"Let's just see what he wrote," advised Ejiro.
Since Tenya had the book, he began to read it out loud with Toru, Mina, and Eijiro hovering over it. Shoji had an eye extended over his tentacle arms to take a look, while Fumikage sent Dark Shadow to look.
"Let's see... looks like some basic information about Toru... he's made a pentagram stats chart on you. Think he's correct about it?" asked Tenya.
"Well... I guess he's not wrong," admitted Toru, "If he's scaling it to his own personal strength or the average of the class, I would be on the lower scale on strength and speed."
"It looks like he's also written some suggestions," pointed out Eijiro, "Some form of martial arts training, mainly on ending fights swiftly, along with grappling. Aiming to hit... pressure points?"
"I'm more interested in what he's written about her quirk," piped up Mina, "Look, he's even drawn arrows all over the place for Toru's quirk, invisibility. Possible mutant and emitter type? How does that work?"
"It looks like he listed possibilities," noted Shoji, "From skin camouflaging itself to bending light waves, which he noted that you could possibly turn off. Speaking of which, is your ability a mutant type?"
"I'm... not too sure?" blinked Toru, "It's labeled as mutant type, but I never really thought about it. I should see if Aizawa-sensei can erase it."
"Yo, he's also written about your hero uniform," chuckled Dark Shadow, "He thought you were wearing clothes that happened to work with your skin, but it looks like he crossed it out and written... nude. Also looks like there are puncture marks when he discovered that."
"Well, it's not like I could do anything about that," huffed Toru, "Any clothes I wear just paints a target for me. I can't even wear a sports bra or any type of support for my chest. I'm lucky and unlucky I'm a B cup. Not large enough to cause lots of sagging for everyday life, but enough to hurt if I try to run with it. I just have to power it through."
"It looks like Midoriya wrote something next to your hero uniform," noted Tenya, "It just says... hair. Now I'm just confused. He's also written Mt. Lady costume next to it."
"Well if he's figured something out, then I'm definitely going to ask him about it," exclaimed Toru, "If he solves my problem, then I'll... I'll... give him a kiss?"
Tsuyu suddenly glared at Toru before giving a quick kero and snapped her head back straight, blushing at what she had done.
"I think we should focus on the next fight," said Sato, inserting himself into the conversation, "It's Sero vs. Hitoshi."
"Ah, yes, we should show our support to our fellow classmates by watching!" nodded Tenya, putting the notebook away.
"Thanks for waiting! It's the eighth and last match for this round of battles! He's good, but what's with the plainness he just can't get rid of? From the hero course, Hanta Sero! Versus! He hasn't done anything to stand out yet, but don't count him out! From the General Course and yet also a reserve student in the Hero Course, Shinso Hitoshi!"
"Man, that's mean," chuckled Hanta as he stretched his fingers, looking at his opponent. Hitoshi didn't reply, but rather pulled out a kali stick.
"Hey, is that allowed?" asked Hanta, looking to Midnight for clarification.
"It is!" declared Midnight, "Fighter Shinso has petitioned to be allowed to use a few select weapons with the condition that they only be used in the final part of the festival! Furthermore, he may only bring one weapon, all of which are non-lethal. This is to make the fight fairer as Hitoshi is a reserve student for the Hero Course, thus his own training is limited compared to those in the Hero Course."
"Well, alright," grinned Hanta, "I'm not one to complain."
As soon as Present Mic announced the start of the match, Hanta quickly fired his tape at Hitoshi, trying to wrap him in it. Hitoshi easily ducked under the attempt and rushed at Hanta, dodging Hanta's attempts to catch him.
'This is so much easier than dodging Aizawa-sensei's cloth,' thought Hitoshi. He had been tempted to use the capture cloth as homage to him, but using such a weapon wasn't easy. Even Shota had admitted to him that it took him six years to master the weapon, and he had only used the weapon for a few months. Using the stick was easier for this fight.
"Man, you're slippery than I thought," muttered Hanta as he jumped back to dodge Hitoshi's attack.
Seeing his chance, he fired his tape at the weapon, wrapping it around the stick. Before he could wrench it out of Hitoshi's grip, Hitoshi threw the stick right into Hanta's face.
"That must've been embarrassing," taunted Hitoshi as Hanta quickly threw the stick aside.
"Not as em-" started Hanta, only to suddenly stop, his eyes glazing over.
"Gotcha," smirked Hitoshi, "Now turn around and walk out of the ring."
"Oh, what's this!? Why has Sero stopped moving? Wait, why is he turning around to walk out now? What's going on?" shouted Present Mic in confusion.
"He's been caught by Shinso's quirk," stated Shota before giving a simple explanation of what Hitoshi's quirk was and why he thought the entrance exam was illogical.
"Gah, why did he answer him?" moaned Mashirao, "We told him that either the blonde kid or the purple kid had the mind control quirk, and not to answer him! Well at least you did, Fumikage."
"Me? I didn't say anything," blinked Fumikage, "I thought you and Aoyama did."
Both boys turned to Yuga, who began posturing once more as he was under the limelight, "Oui, I did!"
"And...," said both boys together, "What did you say specifically?"
"I told him that he had an uncouth and unflashy quirk!" exclaimed Yuga, "That should have been enough!"
Both Fumikage and Mashirao facepalmed at this explanation, both blaming themselves for not taking the mantle of explaining the possible quirk to Hanta.
"You didn't know he had a brainwashing quirk?" asked Tenya in a confused tone, "He told us back on the first day, during our Quirk Apprehension Test."
Everyone looked at each other before Kyoka replied for them all, "We never knew."
"He told... only four of us," winced Tenya, realizing just why his classmates never knew, "Midoriya, Yaoyorozu and Uraraka were with me when he told us, and that was because Midoriya asked. I never realized he didn't tell anyone else, as he is a reserve student. Not to mention his quirk wasn't shown during the whole test, as he couldn't use it to influence others."
Not to mention that Hitoshi had never been formally introduced to everybody else and what his quirk was, unlike the second day when they had done their introductions and their quirks.
"Hanta Sero is out of bounds! Hitoshi Shinsho advances to the next round!" declared Midnight as Hanta took his final step out of the ring.
"Huh? Dammit I just lost didn't I?" blinked a confused Hanta, "Man that's a wicked ass quirk there."
Hitoshi had been keen on just walking away, not wanting to hear his opponent yell or complain or say that his quirk was villainous when he heard that comment. He blinked in surprise, not knowing whether to take that as an insult or compliment. Still, Hitoshi walked towards the exit without hesitation, not caring whether the pros judged him villainous. He wanted to be a hero, and would take whatever comes his way. As he exited, he heard the pro's comments.
"Damn, that Quirk would work well against villains. I wish I had it," stated one pro.
"U.A's not that smart if he's in the General Studies course. At least they put him in as a reserve student for Hero Course. Now, if he was at my school...," stated a familiar teacher with seafoam green hair, wearing a mask with smiley faces on it.
"Well, they do have tons of people applying to the school, so it can't be helped," shrugged another, "There are bound to be people who fall through those cracks, not to mention the amount of talent they get every year. Each year the tests vary to make sure nobody can try to predict them and prepare for it."
"Mmm, but it looks like he's been working through that," noted another, "Not only did he manage to get into the final, but he's even defeated someone!"
Hitoshi had to cover his mouth to prevent a smile from coming out as he went towards the waiting room. Back on the announcer booth, Shota couldn't help but smile at his... apprentice so to speak.
Few minutes earlier
Meanwhile, Ochako and Momo were in the same waiting room, waiting for their match. They were both watching the television set in the room, watching Hitoshi fight Hanta.
"Hey," said Izuku as he popped into the room.
"Deku/Izuku!" replied Momo and Ochako, turning to their crush.
"Holy, your eyebrows are twitching," blinked Izuku, pointing to Ochako before turning to Momo, "Yours are too."
"Ehehe, really? Must be the nerves," said Ochako as she took a deep breath to relax, as did Momo.
"Mm, can't blame you," nodded Izuku, "You two are fighting Bakugo and Todoroki."
Both females knew that their respective opponents were overwhelmingly strong. One was a prodigy in fighting that they had trained with before in their morning workouts, and the other was the son of Endeavor. Both would be fighting an uphill fight.
"Yeah... I'm a bit scared," admitted Ochako, "But after seeing your match... I know I need to do this if I truly want to be a hero."
All of them knew that Katsuki was not one to hold back, even if he was fighting a girl. After all, this was a stage where everyone was fighting to become number one. Nobody should be holding anything back, and that goes double for Katsuki.
Even Momo felt a little sorry for Ochako despite having to fight someone just as powerful. After all, Katsuki was the one who was more prone to violence, though Shoto seemed a bit more unhinged than usual.
"You two have helped me so much, so I thought I could probably help you two in return, even if it's a little," stated Izuku as he took out two thin binders, "In my right for Ochako, a plan to use your quirk against Bakugo. The left one is for you, Momo. A plan to use your quirk against Todoroki. Both are a bit rough, but it's something I came up with."
Both girls looked eyed the binders, feeling conflicted within their minds. Both of them knew just how analytical Izuku's mind was. The cavalry battle was the perfect example in itself. Not only that, but they had seen his notes before back in the summer. It was very detailed and descriptive, analyzing each pro hero's strengths and weaknesses. To be honest, it was frightening how much information Izuku could crunch in just one day or even a glance. All the information they needed to possibly win just in front of them. All they needed to do was reach out in front of them...
"Thanks Deku... but it's fine," said Ochako.
"I appreciate the offer, but I will also have to decline," nodded Momo.
Izuku blinked as the folders began to bend down a little, as if wilting from being denied.
"You're amazing, Deku," said Ochako as she pushed her fingers together, "I keep seeing more and more amazing sides to you."
"Indeed, in both the obstacle course and the cavalry battle, you continued to shine throughout the whole competition," added Momo, putting her hand to her forehead.
"I feel like I relied on you a little too much," admitted Ochako, "So for that, I want to stand up on my own."
As Ochako stood up to get ready to leave, she turned back before giving a thumbs up, "That's why it's fine. Everyone's facing the future and doing their hardest. That means even if we're friends, we're all rivals. So Momo... I'll meet you in the semi-finals! And then the best one of us will go to the finals to wait for Deku or Itsuka!"
Momo smiled as she returned the thumbs up, "I'll defeat Todoroki, so you better defeat Bakugo too!"
Izuku nodded in agreement, giving Ochako a big smile, which filled Ochako with energy. She turned and left the room, heading to the arena.
"So... are you hungry?" asked Izuku as silence reigned in between them, "I brought some food."
"That would be appreciated," nodded Momo in relief as Izuku stretched his arm out of the room and around a corner.
Seconds later, Izuku was dragging a small box of food high in lipids into the room. In it were fries covered in cheese, avocado slices, and a fruit drink. Momo voraciously gobbled down the food, thankful she could eat these high-fat food because of her quirk. For Izuku, it cost him nothing as he was in the tournament, thus had privileges and access to food for energy that he might require for the fights later on.
"Did you already eat?" asked Momo, offering some fries.
"I had a hot dog and a banana," replied Izuku, "I'm good and ready to fight."
"Then that'll be one less reason you can use when you lose," teased Itsuka as she entered the room.
Technically, she was supposed to be waiting at the other waiting room with Shoto, but considering his personality and the tension thick as ice, Itsuka decided to wait in the other room with Izuku. It wasn't like there was a rule that forbade that, after all.
"Alright let's start the first match of the second rounds!" shouted Present Mic in excitement, "You already know who they are! Katsuki Bakugo vs. Ochako Uraraka!"
"Next up might be the most disturbing match," voiced Tsuyu.
"I almost don't want to watch," admitted Kyoka.
The two competitors stood in the ring, their eyes locked onto each other. Katsuki took a deep breath as he prepared himself. He was vaguely aware of Ochako's quirk, having trained with her before during their morning workouts with Izuku and Momo. Knowing that she was close with Izuku, she would most likely be infected by Izuku's tenacity. He would not stumble over obstacles. He had one goal in mind.
Getting into the finals and finally beating Izuku in front of everyone, hurtling him forward as the true number one! He would not be stopped by his current opponent and whoever his next opponent would be!
"If you lose, I'm going to tease the hell out of you!" shouted Mitsuki from the stands, causing Katsuki to twitch in annoyance.
"Let's get this round started! Fight!" screamed Present Mic, uncaring of the glare that Shota was giving him.
Ochako immediately rushed forward, intent on tackling Katsuki.
'As long as I can touch him, then I can win!' thought Ochako as she ran as fast as she could. With all the training she had done, her speed had vastly improved from the first day of school. She was also aware that the longer the fight went, the worse off it was for her. She knew Katsuki had much more stamina than her with a stubbornness that rivaled Izuku's tenacity. Not to mention that the more he sweat, the more dangerous his quirk would be.
As Katuski brought up his right arm, Ochako was prepared to duck under it, knowing that it was almost always his opening move. Unfortunately, she failed to calculate the explosion's force, sending her reeling back.
"Geez, he blasted her like it was nothing," cried out Mineta while the rest of 1-A winced at the blow.
"C'mon Uraraka, you can't lose!" shouted Setsuna from her seat.
Ochako muttered to herself, "This isn't good. I knew it was coming, but I couldn't even react in time!"
Katsuki narrowed his eyes as the smoke cloud covered his vision, ready for whatever was to come. He instantly reacted when he saw something moving towards in the smoke, smacking it down with another explosion powered palm strike. Upon impact though, Katsuki knew something was off. He didn't hear the scream of pain nor the striking of flesh. As the smoke cleared, he saw that he had smacked down a P.E. Uniform.
Ochako suddenly rushed out of the smoke, appearing behind Katsuki, revealing that she had thrown her top half of the uniform as a distraction. Luckily, underneath her uniform she had chosen to wear a black tank top.
'Now's my chance!' thought Ochako as she threw her hand at Katsuki, 'If I can make him float-."
Her thoughts were interrupted when Katsuki blasted her away without hesitation.
"Holy shit his reflexes are insane," commented Hanta.
"He's not holding anything back," noted Eijiro.
Ochako felt pain spiking through her body as she landed on her back, but managed to recover back onto her feet after the tumble. Without hesitation, she charged forward once more. She knew that she was at a disadvantage as she needed to come close to her opponent, but it would be difficult against Katsuki's reflexes. Still, she wasn't going to give up like this!
The audience were treated to a sight of Katsuki blasting Ochako every time she got close. Dust and rubble were tossed everywhere upon each explosion. A few in the audience couldn't bear to watch the fight anymore and chose to close their eyes instead of watching a girl rolling into the ground every time she tried to get in close. And yet she stubbornly chose to continue.
Near the exit, Momo, Izuku, and Itsuka chose to watch the fight in person instead of on the television. Each one of them winced as Katuski slammed Ochako with an explosion powered strike. But they could see that in Ochako's eyes, she wasn't done yet. Katsuki could see it too. Her eyes were still alive and calculating. Both Midnight and Cementoss saw this, and so chose not to call the fight yet. A few in the audience, including Mitsuki, Inko, and Masaru, saw this. The top heroes such as All Might and Endeavor saw this, along with a few others pros as well as some of the students.
The majority of the audience, however, did not see the glint in Ochako's eyes and thought Katsuki was playing with his prey like a villain. Present Mic couldn't help but stutter as he made his commentary.
"Hey! How can you say you want to be a hero like that!?" shouted a pro-male hero, standing up in outrage, unable to handle the sight of Ochako being blasted so many times, "If there's such a huge difference in your abilities, then just hurry up and send her out of bounds! Stop bullying and playing with the girl!"
Another pro-female hero jumped up next to him to join in, "Yeah! Yeah!"
The pro-male hero gave two thumbs down and started booing, starting a chain reaction among the crowd who felt like he was right. Katsuki ignored him as he continued to blast Ochako away every time she charged in. The pro hero felt like he was correct and loved the fact that people were joining him in his assessment. Inko and Toshinori had to stop Mitsuki from standing up and hurling objects at the said pro, one of which included her seat that she had somehow managed to uproot.
"There's booing in the crowd... though honestly I also feel th-"
Present Mic was interrupted from his opinion via elbow to the face by Shota.
"Ow! An elbow, really? What are you-"
Shota didn't let him continue as he grabbed the mic despite being covered in bandages.
"Was that a pro saying he's playing around? How many years have you been a pro!?"
The booing instantly halted as Shota glared as the one who started it all.
"If you're saying that with a straight face, there's no point in you watching anymore, so go home and look into changing careers!"
The words hit the pro hero harshly, who looked like he was about to cry. He wanted to argue, to bluster, to say something, but no words came out. He would be arguing against a teacher at U.A., the most prestigious school known for their Heroics Course. That would not look good for him. In order to be a teacher of U.A., they had to pass a strict test among other requirements. In short, arguing with someone from U.A. would just make you look like a fool. Especially if it was Nezu someone was to argue with.
"Bakugo is being careful because he's acknowledging the strength of his opponent who's made it this far. It's because he's doing everything he can to win that he can't go easy on her or let his guard down. Because in our field, doing such a thing is a death sentence. So do us all a favor and either sit down or go home and quit being a hero!" explained Shota, "That goes for the second person who joined in on that!"
After hearing such harsh words, both pro heroes sat back down meekly, not wanting to draw any more attention.
"I'm surprised that Present Mic-sensei hasn't noticed it yet," piped in Itsuka.
"I think it's the angle," frowned Izuku, "He's mainly focused on commentary for the audience, and thus has to keep his eyes on the competitors. He can't really look up as he's inside a room with a ceiling that extends further than the ground. Aizawa-sensei however looks for everything as he's not the one doing commentary... nor does he really want to."
"Harsh but true," agreed Momo as she looked up, "But I think it's time for Ochako's show stopper."
"It's time...," huffed Ochako as she stood back up, tired but not yet beaten, "Thanks Bakugo... for not letting your guard down!"
Bakugo narrowed his eyes at her statement, noticing her fingers touching together once more. Something was being released from her Quirk, but what? Then he noticed the sound of something whistling in the air, growing louder by the passing second. Katsuki quickly looked up just in time to see all the rubble that had been upheaved from his explosions all above him falling rights towards him.
'Dam, should've noticed the lack of debris,' thought Katsuki as he quickly positioned himself while Present Mic was yelling, 'But not a bad plan.'
"She had such a desperate plan all along!?" shouted Tenya in surprise.
"Yea, go Uraraka!" cheered Mina and Toru.
"Kero, we underestimated her," admitted Tsuyu.
"Damn, that's epic! Wonder how Bakugo gonna deal with this?" shouted Eijiro, "I mean, I could tank it but that's all I really could do."
Both 1-A and 1-B members began discussing what they could do against such an attack before realizing that only a few of them with the correct quirk could do anything about that meteor storm. Even the pro heroes were startled by the attack and had no idea what could be done.
Katsuki raised his left hand, pointing at the debris while using his right hand to stabilize his left for what he was going to do.
Ochako sprinted forward, quickly applying her quirk on herself to make herself lighter and faster. This was her only chance! Whether Katsuki chose to dodge or counterattack, there would surely be an opening! And if she grabbed that opening, then she could win with her secret move! All it would take is just one touch! Then she would be like Deku and win!
Just as Ochako was mere centimeters away from touching Katsuki, small explosions traveled up his arms before it happened.
An enormous explosion, originating from Katsuki's left hand, instantly destroyed all the debris in one shot. The shockwave from the explosion blew Ochako away from Katsuki as an intended side effect. Many in the audience who had been standing stumbled back in surprise. Momo and Itsuka both had to grab onto Izuku to prevent themselves from falling down.
"Since you're friends with Deku, I thought you'd pull something like this," stated Katsuki as the dust began to clear to reveal the cold hard fact that he had taken no damage from Ochako's secret plan.
"In just one shot!?" whimpered Ochako as she saw all the effort she had put into the plan was easily dismantled.
"Though not fully unscathed," noted Mitsuki as she watched her son's left arm spasm a little, but he managed to shrug it off as though it wasn't a nuisance.
"Bakugo delivers a satisfying explosion! He boldly blasts apart Uraraka's plan!" exclaimed Present Mic as he remembered his job.
Katsuki had to admit it had been a rather close call, though. He felt his left arm twinge in pain as he tried to will the pain away.
Ochako was frustrated that her plan was so easily eliminated, but she wasn't done yet! She slowly stood back up wincing in pain as she did so. She felt all her muscles complaining at her, but she didn't want to back down! Not when there was so much riding on this match! Ochako wanted to go on to the next round, fight Momo, and to the finals to fight Izuku! She wanted to show her skills so that she could be scouted, become a hero faster so she could help her family!
"All right, let's get serious then, Uraraka!" shouted Katsuki with a grin as he lowered his stance.
Izuku raised his eyebrow in shock at this statement. Katsuki almost never called anyone by their name. Even his 'friend', or rather lackeys for a better term, back in middle and elementary school were all given nicknames based on various characteristics. Hell, even the teachers back in their old school were given insulting nicknames. The only time he had ever called anyone by their given name was Izuku's mother when he had to talk to her. Katsuki would respectfully call Inko 'Auntie Inko', no matter the situation. Perhaps he respected her... or his own mother threatened Katsuki if he didn't call Inko that. The closest person Katsuki had ever called someone by their given name was Izuku himself, and even then, that name was a bastardization of it. If not for that, Izuku knew his other nickname would've been something along the lines of green curly hair or freckles.
Ochako knew that it was far from over! When Katsuki shouted her name instead of the usual nickname 'Round face', she knew that Katsuki was taking her even more seriously. With a shout, Ochako ran forward. Katsuki ducked under a palm strike before landing a gut punch into Ochako's stomach. Ochako coughed in pain but tried to grab Katsuki, seeing as he was so close. Katsuki smacked Ochako's hand away, hitting her wrist with his before jumping back a little.
"Not yet!" shouted Ochako as she lunged forward.
Katsuki looked behind Ochako, noticing Izuku watching the fight before giving a smirk. Katsuki lifted his right hand and let it an explosion, shooting him diagonally from Ochako. Ochako quickly turned to catch him, only for him to completely disappear from her view.
"Wha-" blinked Ochako before she heard something from behind.
She quickly turned around just in time to eat a high kick to the face from Katsuki.
"Ooh, and a deadly high kick from Bakugo," shouted Present Mic, "Though quite surprising that he used a kick! And what was that move from earlier!?"
"That step... isn't that Master Rekai's move?" asked Itsuka, "Ghost Perplexing Steps! How did he learn that!?"
"Master Rekai did message me that Bakugo had been staying at her dojo for the two weeks leading up to this tournament," murmured Izuku, "Perhaps he learned the basics of it there."
"He really is committed to defeating you," mused Momo as she glanced at Katsuki's feet, "But it doesn't look like he can handle the strain as well as you."
Indeed, Katsuki's ankle were twitching, much to his disdain. It would take a lot longer for him to get used to it, but it was a challenge to Izuku. Katsuki, however, was still wary of Ochako, looking at her and ready to react if she tried anything.
Ochako tried to push herself up, but as she managed to get her chest up, her arms and legs failed her. She had long passed her limit, but she didn't want to give up. Ochako crawled towards Katsuki, still trying to fight.
"I... can... still... fight!" shouted Ochako as she tried to push herself one more time. Her mind flashed back to her promise to her parents.
"I... will... become... a hero!" whispered Ochako desperately before she finally stopped moving.
Midnight quickly halted the match as she went to check up on Ochako. Midnight could see Ochako's eyes glaze over as darkness took over her. Just before it, though, Ochako whispered out three words.
"Daddy... Mommy... Deku..."
Midnight sighed as she made the call.
"Uraraka is out of commission. Bakugo advances to the semi-finals!"
As the audience cheered, Ochako was quickly placed onto a stretcher and taken away by the robot paramedics. As the paramedics passed by Izuku and the others, Ochako had already regained consciousness, though barely.
"Sorry," whispered Ochako to Momo and the others, "I couldn't keep up my end."
"Don't be," said Momo as she knelt down, along with Izuku who grabbed Ochako's hand, "You did really well."
"Though it may not look like it, you really did push Bakugo to his limits," complimented Izuku, "You really are strong."
Ochako could only nod as the paramedics took her away to Recovery Girl.
"Looks like I'm up next," said Momo as she looked back to the stage, where Cementoss was quickly filling in the holes and flattening the stage, "I... I don't know if I can win."
"Not with that mindset!" exclaimed Itsuka with a huff, "You go out there with that mindset and you're sure to lose! Say it with me, I'm going to win!"
"I'm... going to win?" stuttered Momo.
"Louder and with more confidence!" demanded Itsuka.
"I'm going to win."
"Louder!"
"I'm going to win!"
Izuku could only chuckle from the side as he watched Itsuka hype up Momo. During this time, he wasn't sure if he wanted to watch Momo fight or check up on Ochako. In the end, that decision was made when a robot paramedic returned, stating that Ochako would be getting some rest as directed by Recovery Girl, and thus not taking visitors for the while.
"Ahh, that was the first match of the second round... Oh Uraraka. Oh, and Bakugo advances to the semifinals," sighed Present Mic lifelessly. He had seriously been rooting for the underdog in this match.
"Oy, if you're going to be the commentator, do it properly," scolded Shota, "Commentators are supposed to be unbiased."
"Feh, fine," groaned Present Mic, "I'll do it properly, but it doesn't stop me from hoping that Bakugo would lose."
Slam
Present Mic jumped up in fright as soda cup slammed into the window of the announcement booth.
"See, this is why you have to be unbiased," lectured Shota, "You're lucky that this booth is protected, otherwise that soda cup would have hit you."
"Point taken," nodded Present Mic seriously.
Shota had traced soda cup's trajectory and found himself slightly unnerved when he saw a huffing Mitsuki with her husband trying to calm her down. He noticed Inko and Toshinori in his real form, also trying their best to calm the raging mother. He decided not to comment on that as it was too much work.
"Anyways, let's get on with our second match for the second round!" shouted Present Mic, trying to recover from the sudden object thrown at him, "Both of these students got recommendations into the U.A hero course! Both of them are from elite families! It's Momo Yaoyorozu versus Shoto Todoroki!"
Momo stood at her end with her P.E. uniform already unbuttoned. She didn't care she was being ogled by the audience, both male and female. She could, however, feel Mineta's leering gaze for the while... until Tsuyu slapped him unconscious with her tongue along with Kyoka's Earphone Jack. She would need the extra skin if she wanted to create something big for this fight. At least her opponent wasn't using this time to ogle at her, though she would admit that if it did distract him, she could have a better chance of winning.
"Are you ready! Fight!" announced Present Mic.
Immediately as the fight began, Shoto launched a barrage of ice, intending to freeze Momo. Momo quickly created a cannon to counter this. She immediately had it fired it into the ice barrage. The ammo itself wasn't just a simple iron ball, though. Upon impact on ice, the cannonball released its contents of ethanol, which upon impact of the cannonball, created a small spark that was enough to combust into flames, melting the ice. She fired another before rushing in, already creating a staff for close-quarters combat.
Shoto wasn't fazed when he heard two cannon fires. He had been expecting something like this, after all. Not to diss Mina, but Momo was a recommended student for a reason, so it was within expectations that she could counter his first move.
"Haaa!" shouted Momo as she burst through the icy dust, raising her staff high into the air before slamming it down towards Shoto's head.
Shoto dodged to his left, intending to use the dodge to set up another attack with his right side. Momo, however, halted her vertical strike in mid-strike and changed directions. Shoto quickly raised his arm to block the staff. Upon impact, Shoto quickly froze the staff, allowing it to travel up the staff. Momo quickly let go of her staff, creating a blunt sword while moving to Shoto's left and attacking from there. 'She's purposely attacking my left side,' thought Shoto as he dodged, trying to turn so his right would be facing her. Momo wouldn't let him and kept running to his left to attack.
Soon enough, Shoto got annoyed as he continued to dodge the attacks. Especially when Momo created a taser and tried to shoot him with it.
Shoto suddenly shoulder charged Momo, causing her to squeak and cough in surprise. Before she could do anything, Shoto grabbed her wrist with his right hand and immediately activated his Quirk. Frost quickly spread across Momo's arm. Momo tried to pull her wrist back while attempting to kick him when she suddenly found her legs frozen. Shoto had taken a step with his right and immediately activated his Quirk from his leg as well as his hand. Ice permeated throughout her whole body, and soon she was encased in an icy prison with only her head free. Momo tried to move, or even create something to free herself, when she noticed the ice was quickly sapping away her body heat. She felt her eyelids start to droop down as she fought to stay awake. Sadly, she had already used quite a bit of her fat reservoirs, and was soon fading away.
'I couldn't even hurt him... are our levels so far apart despite being both recommended students?' thought Momo right before she fell unconscious.
"Yaoyorozu is unable to battle! Todoroki is the winner!" declared Midnight as soon as she noticed Momo unconscious.
Shoto quickly melted the ice and allowed the robot paramedics to transport Momo away. As Shoto watched the robots take her towards the exit, he saw Izuku standing near the exit. As their eyes meet, it was easy for Izuku to see what Shoto was conveying through his eyes.
'You're next.'
"Ooooh and Todoroki stopped Yaoyorozu's assault ice cold!" commented Present Mic.
"Really? That's the pun you're coming with," deadpanned Shota, but Present Mic ignored him.
"Let's get to our other quarterfinals on the way! From the Eastside, he's been going on a winning streak here! Especially with that last match, it's Izuku Midoriya! Versus! Ooh, fate can be cruel, having worked together in the cavalry battle, only to be torn to face each other, it's Itsuka Kendo!"
As the crowds cheered, Izuku and Itsuka stood across from each other.
"Ready to get your butt kicked?" taunted Itsuka good-naturedly.
"I'll show you what I've learned over the past years," snarked back Izuku with a smile.
"Are you all ready!? Fight!" screamed Present Mic.
Instead of sprinting towards each other, both of them adopted similar fighting stances before slowly moving in closer to each other. As time slowly ticked by, the audience was held captivated at the tension and the fight sure to come. Itsuka and Izuku slowly closed in closer and closer until their wrists began to reach for each other. It was upon contact that the fight seemed to start.
Ituska threw a hook, only for Izuku to dodge and counter. Itsuka easily dodged and struck back. Soon, it began to be a battle of who would land the first hit. Strikes and kicks were dodged, parried, or blocked by the other.
"Wooo, now that's a fight!" exclaimed Present Mic, "You don't see too many hand to hand combat these days. It's like watching an action movie during the Pre-Quirk Era!"
"They both seem to be decently skilled in CQC," remarked Shota, "You don't see that a lot."
"Haha! Make him bleed! Give him the one-two!" shouted Vlad from his booth, cheering on for this class.
In the 1-A and 1-B booths, each class was respectively cheering on for their classmates.
'He's definitely gotten better,' thought Itsuka as she dodged, 'I remember when we were back in the dojo, I'd win our spars even if he was immune to some of the hits, as we used a point system.'
Soon, Itsuka found herself losing ground as Izuku pushed her back, pressing on the attack. Itsuka quickly backflipped to gain some room before using the momentum to launch herself forward, throwing a barrage of enlarged fists.
Izuku put up his left arm in front of him as he used it to block or parry Itsuka's barrage as best he could. Itsuka took a step forward to launch a right straight, intending on breaking through that guard. She, however, did not expect Izuku to suddenly drop the left hand guard, instead lowering it down before catching the fist with his right hand, the left side of his body still pointed towards Itsuka.
Itsuka managed to push Izuku a bit before he stamped his feet to the ground to halt the momentum. With a roar, Izuku used his left hand that he had lowered to attack, swinging it back out towards Itsuka's sternum. Itsuka managed to lower her left hand to block the attack, wincing as she felt the impact. Izuku wasn't done yet, though.
With the impact, Itsuka had been pushed back a bit, enough for Izuku to draw his right hand back and punch Itsuka in the face. In the past, Izuku may had been reluctant to punch someone, especially a girl, in the face. That was driven out of him by Renka and Itsuka, the former being more sadistic about getting rid of that particular thought. Plus, Itsuka didn't want Izuku to hold back, especially in a tournament like this.
"And first blood goes to Midoriya!" shouted Present Mic, "A brilliant straight right into Kendo's face. Though I have to say that looked like it hurt!"
"That's not manly!" shouted Ejiro in complaint, with Yuga agreeing with him, "Iida, you agree, right?"
"Kero, it's a tournament, holding back would be foolish," said Tsuyu.
"I'm all for equality, but that looked like it hurt," winced Mina.
"Plus, you didn't really say anything when Bakugo was blasting Ochako all over the place," pointed out Hanta.
"The path to victory is certainly brim with obstacles," remarked Fumikage.
"C'mon, Iida, back me up!" pouted Eijiro.
"Actually, I believe Kendo would have complained if Midoriya had not taken the strike," replied Tenya, "From what I know, both of them are childhood friends who trained at the same dojo for a bit. And considering whom their master is, from what I've gleaned from them both, both would've been irritated if Izuku did not take that opportunity he created."
"Well, that solves that," said Mashiro as he clapped his hands together, "Personally, I would also prefer not to punch a woman in the face, but sometimes it's unavoidable. And since Itsuka is also a martial artist, she would expect such a thing."
"Let's just focus back on the fight," suggested Shoji, causing everyone to snap back to the fight.
Meanwhile, at 1-B area, Monoma was sneering in disgust at the fight. It had nothing to deal with the fact that he lost to Izuku even after copying Endeavor's quirk... so he kept claiming at least.
"Neito, shut up," barked Setsuna after hearing Monoma's third snarky comment, "You lost, get over it! I'm trying to watch a good fight!"
"Hmph, all I'm trying to say is that it's barbaric he would aim for the face like that," huffed Monoma.
"Itsuka would probably disagree," replied Yui.
"Can we argue after the fight? I'm watching some kickass moves here!" shouted Tetsutetsu as he saw Izuku hit Itsuka with a backwards left roundhouse heel kick, followed by spinning in the air before hitting Itsuka again with his left leg. Itsuka replied back with an uppercut to the chin. Tetsutetsu wasn't as concerned about the fight as Eijiro was because he was Itsuka's classmate. And being her classmate, she made it a point to drive it in not to treat her as some sort of fragile relic during their spars.
Soon, Itsuka was pushed back towards the edge of the stage. Izuku charged forward, seeing as she was cornered.
"Hey, wait, that's a trap!" shouted Eijiro while Tetsutetsu yelled out, "Yea show him your trap!"
Immediately, Itsuka enlarged her hands to their biggest size while grabbing Izuku by surprise. Her hands wrapped all around Izuku's body, covering his whole body. With a shout, she threw Izuku into the air and out of the ring.
"She's got it!" cheered Tetsutetsu.
"Ha, goes to show that my class can take on your top student!" bragged Vlad, pointing at Shota.
"It's not over yet," mused Shota, ignoring Vlad's snide remarks.
Izuku immediately stretched his arms out, grabbing Itsuka's wrist to much of her surprise and pulled her down. Itsuka immediately put her hands forward to stop herself from face planting, her hands hitting the ground. It was there she noticed that her hands were now out of bounds.
"Winner by knockout, Midoriya Izuku!" shouted Midnight, surprising everyone as they thought Itsuka had won, "Allow me to explain! Though contestant Midoriya was thrown out of the ring, he had not landed on the ground yet, thus keeping him in the fight! By forcing Kendo to step out of bounds before he landed, she was thus the first one to step out of the ring!"
"Ooh, what a twist of events!" announced Present Mic, "Did Midoriya plan this, was it instincts or was it just plain old luck?"
"Dammit! Kendo should've won that!" cried Tetsutetsu. Vlad was of the same opinion with his metal headed student.
Itsuka, however, took the loss with a good heart, shaking Izuku's hand.
"That was close," complimented Izuku, pointing to the throw.
"You knew about that trap," riposted Itsuka, "There's no way you didn't think of a counter on the fly like that."
"I had a feeling," acknowledged Izuku, "But I wasn't sure. Luckily, Master Rekai had me learn more about grappling during my years with her."
"So we could've gotten into a grappling match?"
"Yea, but it's a little awkward for me since I can stretch my limbs. I end up wrapping my opponents like some sort of rope."
Itsuka blinked at this statement, but before she could completely register that, Midnight was already urging them off the stage to make room for the other competitors. Itsuka soon forgot about that statement, but Midnight, who had heard it, did not.
'He'd be a natural in BDSM,' thought Midnight as she licked her lips at the thought of Izuku binding people. His fingers would be the perfect rope substitute, tight and firm but also warm and pulsing, something ropes couldn't do. Her mind began to wander until...
"Ahem, Midnight, we're waiting," coughed Shota, snapping Midnight awake. She hadn't noticed Denki and Hitoshi standing there waiting with a curious look in their eyes. Present Mic had already finished introducing them and had been ready to yell start, only for Shota to elbow him once more to stop him as he noticed a distracted Midnight.
Midnight coughed as she snapped back to attention, making sure to look sexy but still professional. She'd visit back on her thoughts at a later time, and perhaps find a reason to put Izuku in a private detention in a private classroom.
Izuku was heading towards the infirmary to check up on Ochako and Momo when a towering figure crossed his path.
"Oh there you are," said Endeavor as he slightly tilted his head down to look at Izuku.
"You were looking for me?" blinked Izuku before slightly giving Endeavor a cold look. Shoto's words rang in his head as he remembered his own useless father.
"I was watching your fight," stated Endeavor before pointing at him, "You have a wonderful quirk, being able to stretch and create so much wind pressure with a mere flick of a finger. If we're talking about power... yours is comparable to All Might."
Izuku blinked as he flinched at this statement. He took a few breaths as he tried to calm himself to prevent himself from panicking. There was no way Endeavor knew about the secret of One for All, as All Might had hidden that secret very well.
"Is that all?" asked Izuku, "I have some friends I want to check up on."
Izuku began to walk by Endeavor, hoping to get away as soon as possible.
"It is my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might," continued Endeavor, halting Izuku on his path, "His match with you will no doubt prove to be an instructive test bed. Do not think just because you were able to defeat some whelp with a fraction of my power and no real control of it that you are stronger him, let alone me. Don't give a disgrace match when you face him."
Izuku took a deep breath before turning back to Endeavor.
"He still has his match with Katsuki Bakugo. I wouldn't underestimate him, as he might be the one to knock out Todoroki before he even gets to me."
"Hmph, that boy is strong for his age, but he is nothing compared to my Shoto. Perhaps a close match with Shoto being the winner if Shoto only used his ice, but he would be outclassed if my son would use his flames," huffed Endeavor, "I expect him to meet you in the finals. That's all I wanted to say."
Izuku couldn't help but remember Shoto's words, taking another deep breath before speaking, "I... am not All Might."
Endeavor looked at Izuku in confusion and was about to reply when Izuku continued, "And Todoroki is not you either."
With that statement, Izuku stomped away, hoping to check on Ochako and Momo. Endeavor looked at Izuku's back, which was shrinking until he turned the corner. With a huff, Endeavor walked off back to the stands.
Unknown to both of them, hidden in the corner, was Katsuki Bakugo. This time, he learned his lesson from eavesdropping Izuku last time and made sure not to move an inch or let any crackles come forth from his palms. After making sure the two were gone, Katsuki gritted his teeth at what Endeavor had said.
"I'm outclassed if he uses his fire? Don't make me laugh, I'll show him that I'm the strongest, and I don't need any damn handicaps."
Inside himself, Katsuki was a tiny bit happy that Izuku hadn't dismissed him out of the finals. Katsuki knew not to overlook any opponent even if his final goal was to defeat Izuku in front of everyone. Now he had to plan out what to do.
And done. Hope you've enjoyed the story and review! Tell me when I could improve on! Hope you enjoyed the fight scene.