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Chapter 185 - 17

"The First Match! 100% Hero Course material! 

His mouth is foul, and he'll keep your feet firmly planted! AWASE YOSETSU! 

His tongue is as sharp as his blades, watch out for cuts! KAMAKIRI TOGARU! 

She's got the big-sister-act perfected to a t! KENDO ITSUKA! 

He seems quiet, but he's the Doctor Dolittle of Class A! KODA KOJI! 

START!" 

 

The two boys from 1-B shot forward with the ring of the bell, ready to put their plans into practice. 

Kamakiri cut apart the ground, separating small pieces that Awase immediately picked up as he rushed to tackle Itsuka. She responded by dodging and counterattacking, but Yosetsu managed to use his Quirk, leaving at least ten kilograms of material on her arms after a short bout. He'd seen how long her range was, and how fast she could move. He just had to keep himself afloat for long enough. 

"This match is mine Kendo!" the boy grinned as he kept repeating the same action, weighting her down even more. 

In his imagination, Itsuka would reach a point where she wouldn't be able to move anymore. Despite her strength, even she would be hard-pressed to fight with an extra hundred kilograms on herself. He only needed to endure the eventual blow from her and don't get distracted... Which is exactly what he did as something stung him on the back of his neck. 

"Wha-" Awase muttered, bringing a hand to cover the burning pain by reflex. 

Itsuka didn't miss the opening, making the whole operation backfire badly as she swatted her classmate in the face with the full weight of her cement-powered giant hands. 

"Awase is down for the count! That's what I call a slap girl!" 

She turned to see how, on the other side, Kamakiri was incessantly assaulting Koda, who could barely "block" the blows with his arms before they reached his face. 

"Surrender! Or I'll cut you up!" Kamakiri couldn't outright injure him severely, or he'd be disqualified. But he was quick and deadly nonetheless, the blades were putting a myriad of crimson lines on Koji. 

The silent teen kept his ground. He was being very careful about never showing his back, like he was hiding something. 

Togaru felt some rage expand, filling his muscles with adrenaline and making his body tingle like... Was something climbing up his legs? 

He jumped back, squirming as he tried to get a thousand ants off his body, with very little results. Even generating more blades barely helped, the insect sticking to him and covering every available surface. An endless trickle of insect was moving down from Koda's legs, and too many had managed to climb aboard the greenish-skinned boy. 

Just as it had happened for Awase, being distracted proved to be his downfall, as Itsuka rushed him. The steel on Togaru's body would have made it harder to hit him bare-handed, but she could deal with a little pain thanks to her new rock-solid gloves. She gritted her teeth, grabbing Kamakiri and throwing him out of the ring. 

"And Kamakiri is out of bounds! That must have tickled like hell!" Mic shuddered at the mental image before moving on. "Kendo and Koda move on to the second round!" 

"That's how you do it!" Itsuka high-fived Koji as he kneeled to let his little friends climb back into their container terrarium under his shirt. 

"You were completely right, that was a great distraction!" She smiled, happy to see the boy reciprocate. 

"Y-you'd t-think that h-he'd be b-better with i-insects," Koda managed to get out despite the embarrassment. 

She only contained the laughter until she reached the exit. She'd share the joke and say sorry later.

 

 

"Wow, that was a strange strategy..." Ochaco commented as she looked at Koji. 

"Indeed, but it was a smart way to make use of his strengths," Momo pointed out. 

Izuku nodded, agreeing with the analysis. "His good endurance let him buy the time he needed. It wouldn't work in all cases, but it was very effective in a non-lethal battle." 

"Who's next?" Denki asked, unable to wait for the screen to change. 

"Ida, Bakugo, Jiro, and Shishida," Tsuyu said, hunching her back a bit more. "A bad matchup for Jiro, ribbit." 

"I fear so," Momo sighed, "both Ida and Bakugo can make a lot of noise, and they're both strong. It's going to be hard on her." 

"Maybe they'll tone it down?" Mina asked, but her tone was already barely hoping. 

"Not going to happen." Izuku stated, keeping his eyes ahead. "Bakugo will try to crush them with everything he's got. And Ida is too respectful of his adversaries to hold back." 

"Yeah, I don't see Bakugo going easy on anyone," Eijiro shook his head. 

"Poor Kyoka," Toru sighed, with Mina and Denki making noises of assent. 

"Oh, don't count her out just yet," Izuku turned his head back with a light smirk. "She might surprise you." 

Class A kept their eyes on the ring as Present Mic called in the contestants.

"And it's fight number two! 

His fuse is short and his hands are deadly! BAKUGO KATSUKI! 

He's as stiff as board, but he runs like a hare! IDA TENYA! 

Is she harder, better, faster, stronger? Who knows, but she sure has the beat down! JIRO KYOKA! 

He'll be the beast to your beauty, but he's a gentleman inside! SHISHIDA JUROTA! 

START!" 

 

The first thing Kyoka did was jumping on Jurota's back, the boy turning into his monstrous form and taking the initiative to charge at the enemy. He cleared the distance between the groups in a matter of seconds, making Tenya and Katsuki split apart, one trying to evade by running, the other taking to the sky. 

Kyoka couldn't use any long range or sound-based attacks without her amplifiers, so she'd be an easy prey by staying on the ground. Using Jurota as a tank was the best option she had, and by employing her jacks as whips she kept guarding the boy's rear, trying to trip Ida or keep Bakugo at a distance. 

The two were a veritable fortress, but after four long minutes of combat they reached their limits. Bakugo would only get stronger the more he sweated, while the damage on their bodies would keep piling up. Shishida's resistance was higher than what most had, but he wasn't invulnerable. Izuku watched proudly as Kyoka kept going through the explosions, hands tight, brow frowning, and teeth gritting to keep the soreness and the noise at bay. 

Their loss was called as the beast man turned back into his smaller, human form, calling for his surrender as he protected the girl from another explosion after she'd already collapsed. They weren't leaving the boys without damages though: Ida's arms had suffered a heavy hit from Jurota's reckless attacks, crashing him onto the ground at high speed, while Bakugo was keeping his left eyes closed due to a gash that was covering half of his face, and probably had a few more gifts hidden under his uniform. 

"Oof, that took waaay longer than I expected," Denki rocked in his seat, impressed. 

"They didn't give up until the very end! So manly!" 

"A good match indeed," Momo applauded. 

"Where are you going Midori?" Mina asked as he got up. 

"I was thinking of passing by the infirmary to see if Jiro and Ida are fine. She must be exhausted, and I think Shishida's punch broke his arm. Want to come with me?" 

"Nah, we'll be fine here. Gotta rest before our matches," Mina shook her hand, turning her head to Mezo and Eijiro, who were already preparing to move to the ring. 

Tsuyu left her seat. "I'm in, ribbit. We can go directly to our match later." 

 Momo and Ochaco joined them, saying that they could "use a walk to stretch their legs." 

"Good luck on your matches guys! You know what to do," Izuku said with a wink, receiving back two equally fiery grins from Kirishima and Shoji's mouths. They'd make Shoto work hard for his win. 

He looked towards the left entrance to the arena. - Shoto must be meeting dear old dad about now... -

 

 

"Three for three, let's go! 

Thick skin and thick skull, better not butt heads with him! KIRISHIMA EIJIRO! 

He's the silent type, but he keeps his ears open! And look at those smiles! SHOJI MEZO! 

If temperature was a measure of charisma, I'd say he's really cool! TODOROKI SHOTO! 

Don't underestimate her because of her demeanor, or she'll hit you with a truck! KODAI YUI! 

START!" 

 

Kodai wasn't one for many words, as he was, so they had non-verbally agreed to see what would happen without planning. 

But Shoto was feeling conflicted. 

Midoriya's words had undoubtedly left a mark. He felt like his father's words in the tunnel had lost part of their edge. He was still angry, but the old man's assumptions didn't bite like they used to. Ignoring him had been somewhat cathartic. If he could choose, then the silent treatment was a good start. 

Now, though, he needed to decide what he wanted to do. His left side itched. 

As Kirishima charged him, Shoto found himself going for his usual tactic, enchasing the boy and a fourth of the arena in ice. Simple, majestic, and terribly effective. 

- And that's one. - 

Underwhelming. If he had to bring out his left, he'd at least wait for something harder. 

He turned towards Shoji, who had enough eyes to keep track of their movements and reflexes to dive away from a similar attack.

- We are two versus one. We could corner him slowly and- -

His thoughts were stopped as his cold creation was broken apart from the inside, Kirishima launching himself out and hitting him in the face with a haymaker heavier than a mace. The boy was going to keep up his charge without giving him a chance to breathe, but he was halted as a couple of giant crystals fell between them. 

Shoto turned, seeing Kodai with her hands full of shattered ice fragments. She nodded with a serious "Mm" as he thanked her for the assist. 

The barrier fell apart quickly, torn apart by the muscly duo. Kirishima appeared thicker than before, as if he'd grown an additional layer of defense on himself. Mezo's eyes were deeply concentrated, and his arms were getting longer and bigger. 

He went on the offensive again, this time targeting the multi-armed boy first. His ice crashed against a barrier of arms, but he soon noticed that the boy behind it was mostly unharmed. The appendages had simply detached, leaving Shoji free, and putting Shoto back at square one.

More giant ice cubes fell between them before his enemy could rush him, but Shoto could feel how the situation was getting out of hand. He had used two big blows, but there were no apparent symptoms of exhaustion on his enemies. Would he hit his limit before them? 

The wall went down again after a couple of hits, Kodai having just refilled her hands with more ammunition. 

"Come on, Todoroki!" Kirishima grinned while cracking his knuckles. "I'm ready to fight tooth and nail here!" 

Shoji didn't add anything, but his smiling mouths said it all. 

They launched themselves forward, Todoroki taking the brunt of the assault as Kodai moved around to attack from the rear, giving him space. 

Kirishima broke through another prison, altering his skin's thickness to slid out of the block and push. His blows were shattering ice and cement alike, and one hit was enough to send a hellish pain through his forearm. 

"You're your own person."  

Shoji took note of his slower movements as his right started freezing. A had grabbed him on his left arm, pulling him up like a doll before a leg kicked his abdomen against one of his own creations, making it sing with a loud crack. He slid down, shivering. Kodai was about to get swarmed. 

"Your blood doesn't determine who you are. Your choices do."  

They would jump on him in a moment. He had to do something. 

"And you get to choose how to live your life."  

"Dammit Midoriya," he muttered under his breath. - Thank you. - 

Ice turned into water as a blaze crossed the ring's midsection, separating the teams on both sides. 

He ignored his father's shuts from the bleachers. He was inconsequential. His rivals and his teammate were all that mattered now. 

"You're all crazy," Shoto felt his mouth move into an unexpected smile. How long had it been since he'd done that? "Don't you want to win?" 

"Yeah! But anything less would have been really lame," Kirishima growled, his limbs and Mezo's growing to unprecedented proportions before they jumped forward. "Come on!"

 

 

Izuku watched the ending unfold from the infirmary, silently congratulating Eijiro and Mezo for the achievement. Not everybody could get that much out of his friend. He'd better gift them something later. 

Finally unshackled from his temperature limit, Shoto had blown away the two with an outlandish show of power. The recoil of his move would have probably sent him flying too, but Yui had kept them both stable by growing more pillars on his back. 

Judging from the way he had bowed to the girl as they were leaving the ring, he'd say that little Shoto was learning the value of collaboration. 

"You don't seem nervous, Midoriya," Tsuyu said as they were leaving the changing rooms. 

"Well, I'm not," he laughed weakly. The Sports Festival hadn't made him nervous in decades. The probability that somebody could get irreparably hurt were virtually zero. And Eri was here too, so... 

"Are you?" 

"A bit, ribbit," she nodded, placing a finger on her chin. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to do my part well enough." 

"I am," he replied matter-of-factly. "Shoda is good, but you're quicker. He won't know what hit him." 

"I still want to you to tell me how you know all about everybody's Quirks, ribbit." She lightly squinted her eyes in an ever-so-rare show of emotions.

"Maybe later, Tsu." 

"...I'll hold you to that." 

The sun hit his skin as they climbed the steps, listening to Mic's introductions.

"For our fourth bout! 

Keeping up his challenge, the smile of the one who kept victory in his fists! MIDORIYA IZUKU! 

She can do whatever a frog can and surely more! ASUI TSUYU! 

Plain and nice ain't a crime, but he might beat you up! OJIRO MASHIRAO! 

Reliable and hardworking, he'll give you two for the price of one! SHODA NIRENGEKI! 

START!" 

 

Izuku had taken off into the air as soon as the word left the announcer's lips. Mashirao and Nirengeki had backed away, defensively, just to look very surprised as he landed a few steps away without doing anything. 

Unluckily for them, the plan had already worked out. 

Mashirao seemed very hard-pressed to keep his gaze on him, so it was Nirengeki who posed the question: "Where did Asui go?!" 

"Wouldn't you like to know," Izuku smirked, moving to get into one of his preferred positions. He raised his fingers, asking for a fight. "For now, you have me. Bring it on." 

The two boys exchanged a quick look and a nod, deciding to put the other matter on hold. They had a higher probability of getting him by working together. 

"Zero plus zero is still zero," the Second sighed. 

- Hey, don't bully my friends. I'm the weird one. - 

"On that we can agree, kid." Daigoro snickered, ready to enjoy the show. 

Mashirao came at him from the front, hands ready to exchange blows. He met him happily, blocking his first attack with an extremely precise parry. The next one, a knee directed at his torso, was redirected to the side, just like the third, a tentative grabbing move. 

Nirengeki had joined the spar from his rear, trying to catch him off-guard, to no avail. He turned abruptly, catching a kick with one of his own and turning to hit the other's chin with his talon. 

Something glinted in the martial artist's eyes as an understanding began to form, but he had no time to think as Izuku engaged, headbutting him after he'd made an opening. 

After the head blow, Izuku simply evaded Nirengeki's punch at the last possible second, making the teen lose his balance. He grabbed his arm without looking back and threw him forward, making Mashirao catch him in mid-air. 

Izuku knew that between the noises and exclamations from the public someone was starting to mutter questions. For example, a certain Gunhead would have certainly recognized that capsizing move, or a big name like Gang Orca would feel similarities in the way he used his head, or a battle-junkie like Mirko could find hilarious how his legs moved around like a rabbit's. 

Mashirao cleaned off a small trickle of blood that was running down his forehead onto his nose. "And you know martial arts too... Color me impressed, Midoriya." 

"Thanks, Ojiro. We should spar again when we've got more time," he answered heartily while getting back in position. 

Nirengeki whispered something to his companion, the two deciding to try a combined move to break his defences. The 1-B vice slapped the blonde's tail as he ran off to the side, trying to circle around Izuku, who decided to keep his eyes on his classmate. 

As expected, Mashirao jumped to close the distance between them, turning at the last moment to use his tail. Activating Twin Impact, Nirengeki gave the attack that extra oomph that would have gotten pretty much anyone else. 

The appendage hit Izuku on his chest, but he pushed through the hurting to grab it and overturn his friend, sending them both to the floor. 

The vice representative ran to approach them, but Izuku kept Mashirao pinned as he smiled. "You may want to watch behind you." 

Nirengeki felt his balance leave him as something moved between his feet, grabbing him in mid-air and swinging him out of the ring without any time to recuperate by using his Quirk. Tsuyu had reappeared as soon as her tongue had moved, but by that point it was too late for him. 

"It's hard to stay that still, ribbit." 

"You'll get better at it," Izuku gave her a thumbs up. "Now, Ojiro, would you surrender? It's two against one." 

The martial artist sighed, tapping three times and calling Midnight to announce his defeat. Izuku helped him up, excusing himself for the rough treatment. 

"Don't worry, I've had worse in the dojo," Mashirao shook his head, massaging his forehead. "You're really good though. Where did you learn all that stuff?" 

"It's kind of a secret," he replied, rolling his eyes as to give the "I can't do anything about it" impression. "But I can teach you some, if you'd like." 

The blonde's expression made it clear that he didn't want to intrude. The boy was too kind for his own good at times. 

"You wouldn't be alone, trust me, I'm getting people from 1-B too." Izuku patted his back before heading out with Tsuyu. "Think about it and let me know!" 

The girl was looking at him with an odd look. 

"What?" 

"Nothing, ribbit." She turned to face ahead, looking thoughtful. 

"If you say so..." he giggled, moving on telling her how she'd done a good job. 

She could take all the time she needed.

 

 

Mina was pretty confident about her skills. She'd come 10th in the Quirk apprehension test, and her recent efforts after Midori's training had only steeled her confidence! 

Buuut she also knew that Mineta had gone to that training she had (voluntarily) missed. 

And the girls hadn't told her anything either! "Payback, Miss 'Challenge Accepted'" Uraraka and Jiro had said, sticking their tongues out mischievously. Where did the good ol' "chicks before dicks" go?! 

Sooo... she lacked info about that.

And the two from Class B she had ended up with were both Recommendation Students! How unlucky was that! Okay, one was in her team, but still! 

Juzo seemed friendly enough though, and his Quirk would be pretty useful in battle!

Buuut he'd also explained what Setsuna could do with her lizard-body-thingy, which was absurd. Self-telekinesis, regeneration, flight! So broken! Making the ground mushy wouldn't hinder her at all! 

In the end, they had decided to make their moves on Mineta first, then play it by ear with Tokage. She was crossing her fingers. And removing her shoes, better not to melt those.

"This match better get a five-stars rating! 

Don't underestimate him, he'll get you and he won't let go! MINETA MINORU! 

Did somebody say 'dinosaur'? Caution, she might bite! TOKAGE SETSUNA! 

If her acid works better the more bubbly she is, we're doomed! ASHIDO MINA! 

This skeleton will make your legs feel like they're standing on jelly! HONENUKI JUZO! 

START!" 

 

Mina almost couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that Mineta was the first one to jump to action, throwing four of his grapes against them. She swiftly avoided the ones aimed at her, sliding away until she had to evade yet another attack, this time from Tokage. Their strategy had a gone out of the window. 

The lizard girl was already separated in a thousand (maybe?) pieces, and it was getting really hard to keep track of her. Mina was surrounded on all sides and had to do her best just to evade the incoming rush of pushes, punches and kicks. Though it felt good when she tricked Setsuna into sticking two attacks in a veil of acid. 

"Damn girl! That burns!" the greenette shouted, shaking the injured elbows to soothe the pain. 

"Then give up and see Recovery Girl!" Mina replied, keeping up with her own acid lashes. 

As exhausting as it was, the battle was actually fun! Having a living, moving target that also fought back was so challenging! 

She got three more of Tokage's parts with her acid, but the other finally managed to get close enough to grab onto her... But why had she done it with her head?! 

"Surrender Pinky!" Tokage exclaimed before sinking her teeth in her shoulder. Damn, Present Mic just had to give her that idea. 

Anyway, being bitten seriously wasn't nearly as kinky as she'd imagined it to be... Okay, it was somewhat kinky, but it still hurt like a bitch.

She pushed and pulled, but it only served to harm herself more. She couldn't get her damn head off! 

Then Mina had a stroke of genius. Grinning wildly, she started to turn herself into the human spinning top she was always meant to be. Not every little girl's dream, but still. 

"Let go Mosshead!" she screamed while containing the growing nausea. 

"-u fi-t!" Tokage barely got out a 'you first' between her clenched teeth. 

Mina thought she was on the verge on collapsing and throwing up, and Tokage was becoming as green as her hair, when Midnight said six fabulous, miraculous words: 

"Mineta and Honenuki are both immobilized!" 

The two were so surprised that they let go of their moves without thinking, sliding and sending themselves face-first into the ground. Remaining sprawled on the ground, she looked over at the result of the boys' battle: Mineta and Honenuki were stuck to the ground a few centimeters from each other, squirming in their constraints. The smaller boy was halfway underground, with only his torso and head out, while the bonehead (was that too offensive?) was completely covered in purple grapes and... blood? Thematic. 

Anyway, neither could move an inch.

- If it isn't my lucky day, - she thought, even though her nausea and growing headache weren't agreeing with her. 

They needed a minute to get back on their feet, but eventually Mina was helped up by Tokage's flying hand, returning the favor by putting her dazed head back on her neck. 

"Damn, Pinky, you sure didn't hold back. I so feel like puking right now," Setsuna said, giggling as she wobbled.

"You didn't joke either girl. I can still feel some teeth here," she laughed, in a similar state of discomfort.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she bowed lightly, or somewhat imitated the gesture. "After our prez's pep talk I got pretty competitive. Need some help getting to the infirmary?" 

"Are you kidding Mossy? I'll wear it like a badge of honor!" She shot back with a smile before feeling the nausea moving up again. "On second thought, I'll take that help, thanks."

 

 

Pony had been anxious from the moment the teams had been revealed. Why did she have to end up with the scary guy from Gen Ed? She had tried to ask around to see if anybody had understood what he could do—since her team surely hadn't—but hadn't gotten anything new! 

Maybe it was still because of the language barrier, but people seemed very confused. More than they usually were when they didn't get her English, at least. 

Kendo had also said that he was a nice guy, and she was usually right, but what if he wasn't?! 

Sighing and with her mind going nowhere, she stepped inside the waiting room. She noted with relief that he wasn't there yet. She had a few more moments to think of what she could do and- Was somebody snoring? 

She turned her head around, but she couldn't see anybody until she moved all the way to the end of the room. There, lying down on some adjacent chairs and previously hidden by the tables and other furniture, was the boy that was meant to be her teammate. 

He had his eyes closed, but didn't look that peaceful even while asleep. And she noticed he had some of the darkest eyebags she'd ever seen, Yanagi's didn't even come close. What could have made him so tired? 

She was wondering if she should wake him up when their fight was called on the intercom and he did it without her having to lift a finger. A second passed as the two stared at each other before he turned to leave his improvised bed. 

"Uh, sorry, must've fallen asleep. You're Tsunotori from Kendo's class, right?" 

She blinked and nodded, surprised by the directness. " Yeah- I mean, yes. Nice to meet you, Shinso." 

He hummed in a way that reminded her of Kodai, then pinched his eyes to wake himself up. "Okay, time for strategy, fast. You can make your horns fly, right?" 

"Y-Yeah. How'd you know?" Had Kendo shared their Quirks and refused to share his? 

- I mean, it's not that bad, but it doesn't seem that fair... - 

"That's what you did during the cavalry battle," he raised an eyebrow, "I've seen you go all-out after we... got your headband. I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable." 

" O-Oh , n-no it's okay." Having her silly doubts about Kendo giving away information evaporate, she moved on to ask him the same question. "And you?" 

He seemed to have some difficulty sharing that information but spoke before she could say a weak "never mind." 

"I can take control of people, but I've got some activation requirements. I'll need your help for this one." 

Oh, that seemed like a useful Quirk. A bit scary, but having seen him sleep and deadly tired he kinda reminded her of... a cat? 

- Those also sleep a lot and ordered people around, don't they? - 

"Kaminari and Yanagi are strong, but I think we could win this one easily if my trick works." 

"And if it not?" she asked, then changing into a "doesn't?" 

"Then we'll do our best, I guess," he shrugged. "But it won't fail. All you have to do is answer when I ask a question aloud with: 'February.'" 

"February?" she looked at him, confused, thinking of how little time he had to explain now. 

He nodded as they exited the tunnel. "If people answer one of my riddles wrong, I can get them. And it works on everybody who can hear, so just answer 'February' and you'll be fine." He said the last words as they reached the top of the platform, meeting their opponent's faces. 

She really hoped that they hadn't heard now.

"Hope someone won't end up six feet under! 

The man we still don't understand, what's his secret?! SHINSO HITOSHI! 

When you mess with the bull, you get the horns! TSUNOTORI PONY! 

Giving shocking a new and sparking face! KAMINARI DENKI! 

Quiet until she gets spooky, a true ghost handler! YANAGI REIKO! 

START!" 

 

Pony only had a couple of second to think about how nice Present Mic had been to announce her in English, as Hitoshi didn't waste a moment to get on with his plan. 

"Answer right or be mine! What month has twenty-eight days?" The teen grinned widely, raising a hand in full view of the enemy squad. His fingers started going down one by one. 

Startled, she shouted her response as fast as she could. "February!" Then blocked her mouth with her hands in a panic, thinking that she'd been too loud. 

As expected, Kaminari and Yanagi seemed to get the message that they were getting out of time, but she'd also given them the way to get out of his trick! 

"February!" they shouted as one, starting to run as Reiko's shoes levitated and Denki's hands sparkled. Pony readied herself to fight, preparing to fight for control of her own horns against her friend Yanagi, but then the two stopped in place. 

Turning to Shinso, she could only see him giving her a thumbs-up. "Nice. You two, please turn around and walk out of bounds." 

Pony stared with her mouth agape as their opponents complied, barely believing the event until Midnight declared their faster-than-light win. Kaminari and Yanagi didn't seem to have understood anything either. 

She stumbled back out, reaching Hitoshi, as he proudly walked out, not bothering to hold in a yawn. 

"Sorry! Did I- No, did I make a mistake?" she asked, watching his tranquil expression. 

"Oh no, that was perfect, why?" 

"Uh, sorry, but that wasn't the right answer, was it?" she tilted her head sideways, squinting her eyes. 

"Nope. Every month has twenty-eight days," he laughed a bit, "but thanks for saying that out loud. It worked even better than expected." 

Pony stared at his back for a moment before making her way to her class's seats. That guy was still a mystery to her.

 

"Seven Wonders, and this match may as well be one! 

If every rose has its thorns, she's a full bouquet! SHIOZAKI IBARA! 

You'd better watch out, but you still won't see her coming! HAGAKURE TORU! 

A two in one, facing a shadow has never been harder! TOKOYAMI FUMIKAGE! 

Holding the secret on how to find the end of tape! SERO HANTA! 

START!" 

 

Fumikage and Sero started the match by sending their attacks forward, hoping to catch Hagakure before she could disappear, but Shiozaki didn't let them. A wall of vines temporarily halted both [Dark Shadow] and the tape, enveloping the girls in a cocoon. 

"Dammit! I'll surround them, you try to get through!" Sero shouted, fixing the beginning of his right elbow's tape on the ground before starting to circle the vegetal creation. 

- Break through, my other self. - -- You got it Fumi! --  

[Dark Shadow]'s claws started tearing apart the construct, making Fumikage very glad that his companion couldn't feel the pain of handling thorns. 

"No holes on the other side!" his companion called, rejoining him behind the dark entity. "We'll just have to bring them out." 

Almost as if they'd waited for that moment to react, Shiozaki's vines suddenly moved, swirling around and catching the front of [Dark Shadow] in a hold. As expected, the girl from 1-B was now alone, with Hagakure's clothes some feet away. 

"Struggle all you want, I won't let go of your dark apparition," the girl declared, tightening her grip. 

- Shadow! Escape her deadly vice! - -- What do you think I'm trying to do here?! --  

"I'm on it!" Sero ran forward, launching his tape to catch the only target he could see. 

Once again Shiozaki showed a remarkable situational awareness, splitting her focus to defend herself from ranged attacks. 

"Find our invisible foe first! We can handle the green devil!" he shouted, making Shiozaki flinch and retort with an "Pardon my objection, but I refuse to be called a devil!" She didn't make him wait for an attack from the side, as her vines broke the ground and caused him to jump away. 

Sero got the message, opting to find Hagakure by swiping as much space as he could with his Quirk. The tape he'd stuck on the girl's side of the arena hadn't touched her yet, or had been stopped by the plants. His fifth try finally got something, sticking to the girl as she was already in the middle of their own half. 

"Shiozaki!" the girl shouted, making them turn towards the other girl. Fumi's sight was blocked by [Dark Shadow] and the vines, and he wouldn't have had the time to react anyway as Hagakure' s body began to emit a blinding light. 

[Dark Shadow] screamed in his mind, its size decreasing for a moment and letting it out of the bind. 

- I can't see! Come back to me! - 

That choice, fueled by Midoriya's words about his lacking defense, might have saved him. [Dark Shadow] enveloped him just in time to endure a blow from Shiozaki's hair, letting them both stay inside the ring's bounds as the Quirk's claws grabbed onto the ground. 

"Sero is out of bounds!" 

-- Rush forward! Now! --  

Believing his companion Fumikage ran, feeling the Quirk detach and attack someone, making what sounded like Hagakure let out a confused cry. Something heavy fell on him, blocking his limbs as ropes would, but by then [Dak Shadow] had already done its job. 

"Hagakure is out of bounds!" Midnight called, "Shiozaki and Tokoyami move on to the second round!" 

The weight on him was lifted, and he finally managed to shake off the troublesome sensation on his eyes. Opening them again, he could see that Sero and Hagakure were being helped up by Shiozaki's vines, the two a bit dejected by their loss. 

"Man, I really thought I had you!" the boy laughed, taking off his tape from Hagakure's back. 

"Me too! If only you hadn't stuck this to me before my move!" she sighed with a carefree tone. 

-- Don't be a stranger, Fumi, that move was clever. --  

"A surprising ability, Hagakure. You have shone light to break through the darkness." 

[Dark Shadow], regaining some of her size, sighed. "He's saying that was really cool." 

"Thanks!" she giggled. "Sorry Shiozaki, I thought it would have worked better!" 

"There is nothing to be sorry about. I only wish I had been faster in making use of the openings you created," Ibara bowed lightly while giving the invisible girl her clothes and covering her. "Now please, clothe yourself," she ended, her cheeks red. 

"Sorry Tokoyami, win the next one for me too, alright?" his ally patted his back in a friendly manner. 

"I'll do my best to uphold the sacrifice you made, Sero," he nodded gravely. 

"We'll kick ass is what we'll do!" [Dark Shadow] cackled. "Let's go see what Midoriya thought of the match!" 

Sero raised an eyebrow. "Midoriya?" 

The Quirk's grin widened. "Oh boy, do we have something for you." 

- Join the Shadow Master's cult... -

 

 

"How do you think we should approach them, Yaomomo?" Ochaco asked her friend, hoping that her great intellect had already found a strategy to work with. 

"If I have to be honest, I'm not entirely sure," Momo confessed, crossing her arms. "I'll admit I have only a passing knowledge of the threat our opponents may represent." 

"Well, let's start with what we know!" she proposed, trying to keep up the morale. She'd noticed that Momo had a habit of getting dejected at her own shortcomings (or what she deemed as such). "Tetsutetsu seems very similar to Kirishima. They even reached the end of the race side by side! I think his Quirk has something to do with metal, because his skin got really hard and steely." 

"Yes, that's a safe assumption to make." 

"And I've also seen Hatsume in the race. She seems to have a ton of support items, many more than anybody else in the cavalry battle. She may still have more to show." 

"She was in Midoriya's team, wasn't she? I fear that she might turn out to be an incredible foe..." Momo muttered, recollecting about what she'd seen. "I was keeping my eyes elsewhere mostly, but I think it would be safe to say that she has great mobility, some escape tactics and perhaps some traps at her disposal." 

Ochaco nodded, "Yeah, maybe we should deal with Tetsutetsu first. It'll make it easier to react to her antics if we're two against one." 

"Indeed. Alright, I will take care of Hatsume at first, while you get Tetsutetsu out of commission. If he moves like Kirishima, he's bound to approach you in melee and give you a chance to touch him." 

"Let's do this!" She closed her fist, ready to fight for her place on the podium.

"The eighth and final team battle of the day! 

Tempered by fire, the man with real muscles of steel! TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU! 

She's covered head-to-toe in support items! HATSUME MEI! 

Newton's laws have no meaning to her! URARAKA OCHACO! 

She'll create anything, even a path to victory! YAOYOROZU MOMO! 

START!"

 

"Come on!" the lone boy shouted his war cry, charging at them with all his might. Ochaco ran to meet him, leaving everything else to Momo. 

Her battle with Tetsutetsu lasted a good eleven seconds. He punched, she evaded, he tried again and hit her blocking arm, making her flinch. In an all-or-nothing assault, she launched herself forward after taking away her own gravity, flying over the boy's head and slapping him with her left hand. A push on his back sent him well over the ring's edge. 

"Wha- NO!" he shouted, trying and failing to swim in the air to make his way back to the ground. 

A "Release" later, Tetsutetsu was declared out of bounds. 

- Izuku wasn't lying when he said that I'm the bane of melee types... - 

"Incredible adaptability, Yaoyorozu! But my Ranged Stun Gloves will make any metallic shield a bother!" 

Why was Hatsume's voice so loud? 

Holding and blowing on her left arm and hand, as they hurt like hell, she turned to her companion. Her eyes widened as she took in the strangest fight she had ever witnessed. 

Ochaco knew their strategy could work, but she had expected the implementation to be challenging. Damn, she had also been ready to take a few more hits to get her Quirk working. What she hadn't expected was for their match to turn into a sales pitch. 

"Dodging is no problem for me with my Hydraulic Attachment Bars!" Hatsume proclaimed, her voice carried through her microphone trough Mic's system. 

Momo was sprinting around, taking object after object from her skin, doing her best to counter whatever trick Mei was taking out of her hat. She didn't look terribly challenged, but Ochaco could see the growing look of frustration on her face. 

She ran to the rescue. 

"Another challenger!" Mei beamed. "It would be hard to keep track of their running around, if not for my Movement Detection Goggles!" 

Nothing seemed to shake Hatsume's confidence. It was a bit disheartening, really. She didn't seem to want to be mean about it, but the way she was prepared for any situation was strangely infuriating. 

What took the cake for Uraraka was probably the inventor's "Oh no! I'm floating! But have no fear, my Directional Jetpack won't let me end up out of bounds!" 

Ochaco facepalmed so hard she risked taking away her own gravity. 

Five minutes went by in a game of cat and mouse, as more and more items were shown, some kept on her person, some left on the ground in a neat pile. When her work was done, Hatsume calmly stepped off the ring, waving friendly in their direction. 

"Thanks for the help! Boss was right, I knew I could count on you two!" she said with a smile as she took off with her works. 

Ochaco and Momo spent a second to exchange a tired gaze before walking out. 

"I don't know how to feel about that. How can something be so easygoing, yet so demeaning?" the heiress sighed. 

"In her defense, I don't think she meant it like that?" Ochaco tried, thought she shared the sentiment completely. 

"I agree, she didn't seem like the type. Her items were interesting, but I would have rather avoided giving spectacle like that," Momo sighed.

"She's intense, but also a bit of an airhead," she noted, thinking she could see some similarities with people she knew. 

The ravenette hummed along before starting to look thoughtful. "And what did she mean with 'I knew I could count on you two'? Who's 'Boss'?" 

"It could be anyone..." Ochaco thought aloud before stopping. - Anyone? Nah. - "But I bet it's Izuku." 

They exchanged another look, nodded in agreement, and kept walking side by side. 

"I don't like debts, but I daresay he owes us for this," Momo offered, a new side of her determination peeking out. 

"I'll ask for mochi," Ochaco declared, leading the way back to their seats. 

Their greenette had some answers to give (and bribes to pay).

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Chapter 765, 59