Chapter 25 - A Sword for Others
Aizawa sighed in exhaustion.
He wasn't tired – well, not more than usual – but the event was taking its toll on him. The constant talking wasn't doing his admittedly sore throat any good, not even a glass of water could help quench it.
All of that, added with Yamada's insistent yammering, created a situation where he just wanted to slump on his chair and take a long-deserved nap. However, with the sports festival still in relatively high-gear, that wasn't an option.
Especially after that close finish at the end.
Four students, all neck and neck, managed to claim the top four with ease. It surprised him that Midoriya managed to reach first, but Aizawa supposed that his ingenuity was more than it seemed. It certainly helped that the other top two were busy fighting it out with each other. In a race. Like fools.
Aizawa suppressed a headache and calmed the throbbing vein on his forehead.
He'd be teaching them about how there was a time for everything, especially about fighting in the middle of a public venue. Sure, the audience loved it, but that occurrence was sure to dock them a few points in the eyes of any professional hero worth their salt.
Although, their quirks did make an impression, so Aizawa imagined that they'd still get quite a few internships offers after the festival finally ended. Unlike Midoriya, whose quirk as volatile as they came.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes.
… speaking of volatile.
Luckily, not many of the audience noticed, but Aizawa certainly did.
Bakugo and Emiya had argued, vocally, mostly on the explosive teen's part. Something the Emiya did had angered him to a degree. Unfortunately, Aizawa could guess the reason.
Aizawa wasn't an idiot. He had perfectly good working eyes, as sore and damaged as they usually were. He had seen Emiya run faster than what he recorded, albeit to a lesser degree. He imagined that no other teacher noticed, but Eraser-Head sure as hell did.
He held back again, just like in their first lesson.
Aizawa failed to hold back his headache.
"Terrific…" He mumbled under his breath. Everything with the brat just got him irritated.
Emiya didn't take this event seriously enough. It was something that would influence his development as a hero and help him land a place at a good agency in the future, but the brat seemed to care less.
No, Aizawa knew that the brat could care less. The experience he'd gain from an internship, he didn't need it because he already had some, especially from his still ambiguous past. The fact that performing well would boost his popularity didn't matter because the brat planned to go underground, just like Aizawa would.
The limelight wasn't what he sought, so he stopped at the very last second and let the others get ahead of him. Fourth place was respectable in the eyes of the public and good enough for him.
Bakugo didn't think so, some of his classmates didn't think so, and Aizawa sure as hell didn't think so.
Every pragmatic reason the brat could have had flooded the sleepy hero's mind in an endless torrent.
Fame? All it did was paint a target on your back. The brat certainly didn't want that. The event was public too, so all future and current villains would know their capabilities. By holding himself back, he'd prepare against those unseen threats… unseen threats such as the still-at-large League of Villains.
The worst part of it all, the absolute worst part that got Aizawa's mind reeling in subsequent disgust, was that he could agree with most of it.
"So, Aizawa," Yamada pipped up after turning his microphone off. No use for spectators to hear their thoughts at the moment. "What do you think of the teams so far? Any combo's piquing your interest? Come on, you can tell me!"
… Aizawa sighed once more.
He was glad to be friends with Yamada. He always dragged him out of his rapidly spiraling train of thought. With that appreciation in mind, Aizawa decided to sigh in exhaustion.
"I could care less about the combinations," Aizawa bluntly stated, happy for the change in topic. "All that matters in the teamwork between them. Sure, a good combination of quirks could lead to a substantial advantage, but if their ability to cooperate is non-existent then it'll all be for nothing."
"True, true," Yamada admitted. "However! I believe we need to get into the spirit of things, just like our cute little students!"
The muddle of bandages narrowed his eyes. "… Where are you going with this?"
"A bet, let's make one!"
"No."
He was glad to be friends with him, but he had no patience for his idiocy.
"Come on!" Yamada complained. "I know, for a fact, that everyone else is making one!"
"Then make a bet with them," Aizawa finalized. "I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up when the event starts."
He needed that nap too. All his previous thoughts were purged, for the time being, so his mental activity was at an all-time low, perfect for a ten or fifteen-minute nap.
Closing his eyes for the lull of blissful sleep was all that he needed to focus on. He had enough of Emiya's idiocy and Yamada's yapping for one day. Just a second of shut-eye would give him all that he–
"Oh look, the Emiya kid is working with Class-B students. Kinda weird that he's the rider though."
…
Aizawa's withered eyes, red from both soreness and irritation, glared at his fellow professional hero. Although at the moment, that professional tag was infinitely debatable.
"Oh? That got your attention, didn't it?" Yamada laughed off. "If you're curious, the ones carrying him are Shishida Jurota, Kodai Yui, and Shinso Hitoshi. What do you think? How do you fancy their chances?"
… Screw it. Aizawa wasn't going to be getting any shut-eye with the loudest professional hero in Japan right next to him, and especially with his mind once more being dragged back to that brat.
Not even Bakugo, with an attitude problem that eclipsed the meaning of the word, had given him a larger headache.
"Not zero, but unlikely. Other groups seem to have better combinations." Aizawa stated. "One of them has a quirk that can be easily countered by simply not talking – whose classmates have undoubtedly told their teammates about. Another is a beast who gets incredibly high when using his quirk, and the last one doesn't have any effective objects to use her quirk on."
It was one of the most dysfunctional teams he had seen yet. Even that little screwball of a human being, Mineta Minoru, had better team synergy.
"Right, let's go through all of that one at a time! Emiya could make some stuff for Kodai!" Yamada pointed out. "Sure, they'd all be weapons and stuff, but that's at least something. Giant swords or something."
As if throwing giant swords were a viable method of offense.
"While possible, it's limited in application," Aizawa countered. "Large objects are often easy to see coming, and subsequently dodge. I'd imagine that the preparation time to create them would also be tediously long. On the event that they create something like that, then I suppose they could use them to block off enemy teams and keep their own points safe, but then they'd be cornering themselves in the process."
Yamada winced. He knew how bad it was to be trapped in a corner, outnumbered, with little-to-no escape. Only a lucky break would get someone out of that situation. Or if you were All-Might and broke through it, like he always would.
"In the first place, why is the one with a mind-control quirk carrying? If he were the body, he'd have more opportunities to goad others into a reaction for his quirk, and subsequently breaking their formation, even if they would be prepared for his quirk. There are a lot of hot-headed brats here." Aizawa continued. "Kodai as well. She'd be better at lobbing objects with both of her hands being free."
"Shishida solves that though!" Yamada countered with a bit of cheek. He must've been looking for even a slight weakness in his arguments. "With his quirk, Shishida would be large enough to carry all of them! True, it'd be a tight fit and some could fall off, but as long it isn't the designated rider, all is OKAY!"
Aizawa pondered a bit.
He hated to admit it, but his friend had a point. The Shishida brat's quirk, while degrading his mental inhibitions to a degree, would grant him superior physical bulk and mass. He'd be large enough to carry all three of them, making him a one-man calvary… However.
"As large as he is, Shishida Jurota is just one man," Aizawa continued. "Their offensive capabilities, with technically three riders, is high, but one slip up and they all go tumbling down. There are enough quirks with the ability to do that, Honenuki's for example."
Yamada let out a long sound, trying to think of something to say, but ultimately fell silent. "Shoot. You got me there. Okay, their team comp is a bit weird. So, who do you bet on?"
"No."
"Aw come on!"
"The event is starting anyway," Aizawa reminded. "Turn on your mic and let's get this over with."
Seeing Present-Mic panic for a bit brought Aizawa just a little joy, but it was ultimately tempered by his irritation. Hopefully, the brat doesn't do anything stupid this time. He didn't want to teach a class full of volatile and angst-ridden teenagers.
His class honestly had more than enough of that.
Shirou took in a deep breath and surveyed the situation.
The cavalry teams have more or less been finalized. To their immediate left was a team of Ojiro Mashirao – the one with the tail – and Shoda Nirengeki as a body and Aoyama as the rider, which was sort of expected considering his personality.
Shirou had no idea what Shoda's quirk was, and it appeared that his classmates didn't know either. He didn't do much during the indoor training exercise which caused him to actually fail that assignment.
Then again, Shirou had been talking with Kodai and Shinso so he didn't pay attention to his match. A blunder on his part, seeing as they were now on opposing sides.
–only during this event. Not a real enemy.
The thought came back as a reminder, yet Shirou found it somewhat easier to push it out of his mind. The only real enemy he had was the League of Villains and Avenger, both of which should be watching this event with gusto along with the rest of the country–
"Emiya?" Kodai piped up, snapping the young third-rate magus from his thoughts. "You look distracted."
Shirou simply sighed in apology. "Sorry, I was thinking about some things. Don't worry, I won't let it distract me."
Kodai was behind him, but hanging a bit to the left seeing as Shinso was also behind him but towards the left. They formed a sort of triangle of riders, which many other competitors wondered if that was legal.
Kodai said that she had checked about it earlier. Because of the odd number of students this year, it was allowed to have a minimum of one body to ride atop on. Shirou could even see a team of two a few meters behind him, with Tsunotori Pony as the body – apparently, she was a foreigner who transferred in – and Kamakiri Togaru who was similar to Tokoyami in a certain aspect. That certain aspect being that, instead of having a bird head, he had a centipede.
"Nah, I think it'd be good to get 'em thoughts out," Shishida said from below them. He didn't seem to be struggling to carry around three people. His quirk had already so he was definitely high. It was actually remarkable that he seemed to be able to talk and fight coherently. "Don't want em' distracting ya in the middle of a brawl. Cough 'em up!"
Shirou hesitated for a second but eventually relented.
Constantly throwing the thoughts around in his head did nothing but echo back at him the same things he already knew. It frustrated him, but he knew that seeking counsel was probably his best move. He did it with Saber in the war, and with Rin when all hope had seemed lost.
Granted, Rin had forced it all out of him but the thought still counted.
"I'm sure you know, but I've seemed to upset Bakugo. I have a few guesses as to why, but none of it concrete."
"Oh yeah, that…" Shishida muttered, clicking his tongue in contemplation. "I didn't really see it, but I heard about that. Nasty piece of work, isn't he? Just ignore him."
"It's probably because he can't ignore it that it's bothering him," Shinso stated with a hundred percent accuracy. "So, Emiya. I'm guessing that you feel responsible to a degree? Monoma told me about it. You held back at the last spurt."
"He what!?" Shishida sputtered wildly. It shook all three of them for a bit before they gripped his fur and reoriented themselves. "Why'd ya do that!?"
"Don't shake us off before we even begin the cavalry battle." Shinso berated. "… but I do agree with Shishida. This event means a lot, especially to that Bakugo. I can see why he's furious," He then narrowed his eyes. "Even now, he's glaring at us from over there."
Sure enough, Bakugo – with his cavalry team of Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido – was glaring daggers their way. Even without a word, Shirou could tell one thing.
He was definitely going after them.
"Troublesome," Shinso muttered. "A shame. If he was like the others then he'd be going after Midoriya."
Shirou frowned. "He probably is, but then he'll be going after us next."
"Emiya's fault."
"Thank you, Kodai, for stating the obvious," Shinso drawled.
Admittedly, a bit of indignation crawled its way out and Shirou let a little snark slip. "Alright, that was my fault, but you were the ones who picked me as your teammate in the first place." He didn't like doing that. It reminded him of Archer.
Shinso tilted his head in consideration but nodded. "Well, you reap what you sow. You reaped Bakugo so you deal with that, and we reaped you so we're also dealing with that."
You reap what you sow…
For some reason, those words kept circling in his head. He shook it away before it could control his mind. He didn't want it to spiral down a weird train of thought again.
"Speaking of which," Shirou started back up. "Why did you pick me? I'm sure there are better options."
He couldn't exactly slice and dice other riders now could he?
"Your quirk works with mine," Kodai surprisingly answered. "I'm useless otherwise."
"They didn't let us bring our gear, which I'm sure you know," Shinso supplied. "Not that it would do much. My quirk is better used as a surprise, so I'd also be more or less useless. Shishida was our only brawn, but there was no way he could be the rider. There were certainly other choices, like that Yaoyorozu girl, but she and others were already taken."
So he was the last resort, then? Somehow, that made a lot of sense.
"Adding to that," Shinso continued. "Would you mind creating some things for us right now? I'd like to be able to do something at least."
Shirou nodded and prepared to trace something, only to stop to consider what exactly he'd be tracing.
He couldn't trace a sword, cavalry members couldn't go for other riders. They also couldn't mess with the balance of other teams through physical contact so a prodding staff wouldn't do either. By physical, Shirou meant pushing and shoving wasn't allowed, but things like changing the landscape with Honenuki's quirk or through Todoroki's ice was allowed.
With that in mind, giving them weapons was a lackluster idea. They, both his teammates and weapons, would be dead weight. Shirou also imagined it'd be bad to see a bunch of students pointing swords at other students, even though there are infinitely more dangerous quirks being used currently.
So it wouldn't be a weapon.
"Here you go," Shirou said as the traced object was handed to Shinso, and another to Kodai.
A shield.
The same shield that he used in the entrance exam, the one that protected his back while he and Kodai awaited aid under the pile of rubble.
He was tracing shields a lot more recently. Maybe there was a shield noble phantasm in UBW other than Rho-Aias he could use, but that was less of a shield and more of a conceptual barrier. He'd have to ask Archer later.
"Looks nice," Shinso commented. "A shield though… I guess we could defend from behind and the sides. Other teams will have to come through the front to try and grab the bandanna. Not bad. I could probably conceal myself if it was bigger too. Although, I'd have to try and change my voice manually."
"Hmm…" Kodai pondered. In a second, the shield grew in size and shrunk accordingly, which honestly surprised Shirou. That shield wasn't real in the sense that it was made of metal and padded with fur but made from his magecraft. Was she also altering the mass of magically conjured objects?
Shirou didn't understand quirks, sometimes.
Once she finished trying her quirk out, she enlarged Shinso's shield just a tiny bit. Large enough to conceal him but still light enough that he could carry it without issue. "Here you go, Shinso. Could you create some more things for me, Emiya? I can put them in my pockets to use later."
Seeing no reason to decline, Shirou did just that.
There was probably only a few more minutes left for planning. So Shirou took a scope of the other teams again. Ignoring Aoyama's team, there was also Kojiro Bondo, the teen with a speech bubble for a head, and Rin Hiryu as a team. Odd combo, but it could work. Especially because Bondo's quirk would be able to prevent others from moving too much.
There was also a floating headband far off to the side being carried by Koda, Sato, and Jiro… So that was probably Hagakure, the invisible girl that was currently without a top. That's… Shirou decided not to comment.
He sighed.
Seriously, why was he the rider? Shinso could've done much better, especially because Shirou was much more physically fit so he could've shared the load with Shishida.
Actually, that was a good question. He should've asked it.
"Shinso, are you sure that you want me to be the rider? I think I'd be better as a cavalry member."
"It's your points that we're piggybacking from, not ours." Shinso absently pointed out.
"But isn't it better for you? You'd be able to focus on baiting out responses for you quirk," Shirou continued as he turned back to look at him.
In the heat of battle, it was taboo to speak. However, in an event like this, with a bunch of hot-headed teens, words will eventually spill out no matter the reason. Whether or not those words were from anger or triumph, Shinso would be able to take advantage of that with ease.
So why wasn't he the rider?
Shinso seemed to consider his answer for a short while, which confused Shirou somewhat but he waited patiently. The mind-controlling teen tucked himself behind the traced shield as he answered.
"Do you remember back when we first met?"
Shirou blinked.
"That came out of nowhere, but yes, I do," Shirou admitted. How could he forget? It was a very eventful first meeting. "I don't see why you'd bring it up though."
"Just humor me for a bit," the teen continued. "I said that you were who I was to thank for getting into U.A. via recommendation. In a way, I supposed I was needlessly antagonistic. I used my quirk on you right from the get-go, which shouldn't have been the first thing I did if I wanted to make a good impression."
From the way Kodai blinked and narrowed her eyes, it appeared that she had her suspicions but she didn't even realize Shinso had used his quirk back then.
"I was… curious, as to what Uwabami-sama's first choice was like," Shinso admitted. "I thought to myself, if it weren't for you then I'd have never have been recommended. From the days leading up to our meeting, I could only ever wonder what you were like. I guess you could say that I was a little obsessed."
He narrowed his own eyes. "I wanted to know more, so I used my quirk on you to learn more. So imagine my surprise when you didn't fall under the effects of my quirk. I didn't even know that my quirk could be resisted, which was a good experience. I suppose I'll need to consider that in the future."
Shirou held his wince back. His quirk probably couldn't be resisted, especially when it came to the average person and others in this world, but the red-head had instinctively flooded his circuits with his prana to cease the effects.
Shinso's quirk was a frighteningly strong one.
"When I told Uwabami-sama about it, she scolded me," Shinso continued. "She was right. It wasn't something that an aspiring hero should do. Someone like me, with a quirk as easily abused as mine, should have thought better. I'm not trying to justify myself, so I wanted to apologize for that event."
"It's fine," Shirou replied. "Its water under the bridge now. You didn't mean any harm."
"Even if there wasn't harm intended, it was still a reprehensible act," Shinso pushed. "I joined U.A. for one reason and one reason alone, to prove that anyone could be a hero, even if they had a villain's quirk. While I am in Uwabami-sama's debt, I owe everything to you."
The plum-haired teen turned to face the stands, or at one booth in particular. If Shirou recalled correctly, it was a booth that held the more famous professional heroes. He could guess why he was looking there.
"If you hadn't saved her, then she wouldn't have found me. If you hadn't saved her, then she wouldn't have started her campaign to rewrite how hero courses accept their students. If you hadn't saved her, then I wouldn't have gotten into U.A," He concluded as he closed his eyes. "Truly, I thank you. Because of you, I'm able to pursue my dream, on this grand stage known as the U.A. sports festival."
"I really didn't do anything though–" Shirou tried to argue. Those choices that Uwabami had made weren't his. He should be thanking her, not him.
"No, it was because of you. Don't argue with me on this, Emiya. I have thought long and hard about this. No matter what you say, it's the truth."
He sighed and lowered his head. "With Uwabami-sama aiding me, I have already achieved my dream, Emiya. So I have no need for the limelight. Perhaps if Uwabami-sama hadn't extended her hand to me, I would have still tried for U.A.'s entrance exam… and most likely fail and settle as a general course student. Perhaps I would be actively seeking the limelight if I did…"
His eyes reopened and focused on the ginger magus. "So, I decided that you, who was the very reason my chance her existed, should be in the limelight. That reason, alone, is why I personally wanted you to be the rider."
Shirou found himself falling silent.
He turned away and contemplated. "… I'll try and live up to your expectations then, Shinso."
Shinso's quirk was a frighteningly strong one, but Shinso himself was an equally strong person.
The mind-controlling teen snorted in response.
"After I pour my heart out like that, you still call me by my last name… You can call me Hitoshi. I don't mind," He added with a smile. His smile stunted when he noticed something. "Ah, sorry about that tirade, Kodai. You too Shishida. I'm sure it was boring for both of you."
"No, it's fine," Kodai refuted. "I didn't know you had such deep reasons for being here. It was… enlightening."
Shinso lightly snorted once more. "Alright then. What about you, Shishida?"
He got no response.
"Shishida?" Shinso muttered again. "Emiya, can you check over him?"
Shirou was already about to do that so he didn't need to ask. The magus peered over the bestial teen's shaggy mop of hair and took a gander at him.
At first, there wasn't anything that he could see was wrong. His glasses were foggy so that made it hard to see his eyes, but he was definitely still breathing. "Shishida," Shirou tried calling out.
When he got no response, he made to call again, but something caught his eye.
The snot bubble growing from his nostril.
He's asleep!?
In an instant, the sound of a blaring alarm echoed throughout the stadium. A quick glance behind him to the large monitor showed a few simple words.
In big bold letters,'Time Up!' was displayed.
"Now then, it's about time to get started!" Midnight shouted from her podium.
"Shishida, wake up!" Shirou hastily shouted. "The cavalry battle is starting!"
"Wake up– He fell asleep!?" Shinso shouted, in a rare display of surprise. "I knew his quirk made him unstable, but staying still for so long actually made him fall asleep?"
"After fifteen minutes to form teams and talk strategy, twelve cavalry teams are lined up on the field!" Present-Mic shouted to the crowd. "Now, raise those battle cries! It's time for U.A.'s bloody battle! Light the signal fire!"
The red-haired magus made hasty slaps to the side of the bestial teen's face in a somewhat desperate effort to wake him up. When that proved to do nothing, Shirou tried pulling on his fur and shake him awake, which also didn't work.
How deeply did this guy sleep!?
"You all made your teams, right? I ain't gonna ask if you're all ready or not!" the loudest professional-hero in Japan exclaimed, which made Shirou's attempts at awakening the slumbering beast all the more fervent. "Now, let's go! Counting down to the brutal battle royal! Three!"
"No choice then," Shirou found himself muttering as he traced something with his magecraft.
"Two!"
With a quick snap of his wrist, Shirou held an all-too-familiar bamboo training sword – the Torashinai – and slammed it down on Shishida's head.
Fuji-nee had done it before on those few times he'd oversleep practicing his magecraft and it had always awoken him. Through that experience and logic, he did the same to Shishida.
"One!"
Seeing the bestial teen shudder and wake up was exactly what Shirou wanted, but seeing Shishida spasm in absolute panic wasn't. In their panic, The teen managed to catch a glimpse of another team eyeing them. Said team was right beside them.
"What!? What's going on!?" The bestial teen shouted. "Where are we!?"
"Start!"
"Jump back, Shishida!"
In that short instant, Shishida relied back on his instincts and did as he was told. In doing so, he managed to avoid the floor he stood on becoming a swamp of sludge.
Honenuki's quirk.
The sudden movement had jostled them a bit, causing Kodai to loosen her grip on her shield somewhat but she remained stable by gripping hard on Shishida's fur. Shinso did much of the same.
Shirou had kept his balance and eyed the other team. Unfortunately, they had planned to trap them with that move and steal their headband with ease, so that meant they ended up creating a pseudo ravine between them.
They didn't have time to think, so Shishida, being the sole cavalry ride, kept his hands and feet rooted on the ground for stable footing. However, they were coiled, meaning that he was ready to leap away at a moments notice.
"Shit, sorry. My head was getting fuzzy from standing still for so long," Shishida muttered their way. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing important," the plum-haired teen decided. "I'll call out if we're being approached from behind. Focus on keeping away from that Bakugo, he's after us."
"Darn, we let them get away!" Tetsutetsu shouted above Honenuki.
It would seem that Tetsutetsu, the one whose quirks matched Kirishima, was the rider for a team comprising of Honenuki, Awase Yosetsu, and Shiozaki Ibara.
Those two… they could be problematic. Shirou hadn't seen much of Awase, but Shiozaki had a quirk that provided immense offense and defense. It wasn't really at the scale of Todoroki, but it was still something to keep an eye out.
"I can bridge us across," Shiozaki added. "We can still get their points."
In response, Shirou prepared to trace a bunch of nameless swords to create a pseudo wall. It would give them enough time to back away–
"No, forget about that! We went after them because they looked easy. They aren't going to be as easy now." Awase shouted from beneath him, which Shirou was glad for. They were still gathering their bearings. "Let's just go and get the ten-million points!"
"... No, let's go after Kirishima's team first," they heard Tetsutetsu say. "He's been acting weird! I need to beat some sense back into him! Let's go, Honenuki! Shiozaki!"
When they disappeared, Shirou felt the bestial teen under him let out a sigh of relief. Everyone else on his back did the same.
"We weren't prepared for that," Shinso declared. "We could've lost right off the bat."
"My bad, my bad," the bestial teen sighed out. "Damn, my head hurts. What did you hit me with, Emiya?"
Shirou sighed and held up the still-traced Torashinai. "I couldn't wake you up normally, so I had to hit you hard. Sorry about that."
"'Hard' he says," Shishida muttered. "My noggin's still ringing."
Which was what every competitor that faced Fuji-nee in tournament matches would say.
"Can we afford to take a breather right now?" Kodai asked.
"It should be fine," Shinso said. "The moat of softened ground would make it incredibly hard for other teams to get to us right now. We're cornered, but that works in our favor. We can use this distance as a way to safely gather points… but this won't last forever."
"Todoroki can still cross the gap, and Shiozaki too, now that I think of it," Shirou added. "Luckily, they're all focused on Midoriya right now. We can afford to stay back for now. However, if we grab someone's points, then they'll want to take it back."
"Hmm… with our current points of four-hundred-and-five, we're seventh," Shinso muttered. "Midoriya's at the top, which is to be expected. How about the others?"
Shirou surveyed the ensuing chaos before him. Everyone, literally everyone went after Midoriya. His team was evading and running as fast as they could. They could do that endlessly, but with the number of participants with movement restricting quirks like Honenuki, Bondo, or even Mineta, it wouldn't last forever.
The point board hadn't changed much, but that was to be expected. It was still fairly early in the game, so a bunch of teams hadn't even grabbed points yet.
"Do we have a way of actually grabbing points?" Kodai asked.
After a few seconds of silence, Shishida growled as he eyed the random explosions and sudden surges of ice. "If we stay here, then there's no way we do. We're going to have to get out there."
"Let's target the teams on the outskirts," Shirou suggested. "We'll go clockwise around the stadium and grab whoever we can. Shinso, can you surprise them with your quirk?"
"If there aren't any Class-B students who told them about it, then I'll be able to. They'll be following us once my quirk runs out, though." Shinso concluded. "Also, I thought I said you could call me Hitoshi."
"I have an idea for that," Kodai piped up. "Unfortunately, it's going to be a bit hard on you, Shishida."
Shishida nodded. "Alright, let's hear it."
From the way Shirou saw the bestial teen grin like a madman, he knew that he was liking it already.
After Archer's continual urging, the Todoroki employee relented and eventually left with him, most likely to sample the rest of the festival. Apparently, he couldn't be less interested in what was happening in the stadium.
Even though the bastard trained one of the participants himself.
Just thinking about it made Yu irritated.
The start to the second round of the sports festival first-year level was loud, mostly due to the audience's collective cheer shaking the stadium like a boat. It was frankly amazing the amount of hype that was put behind them, seeing as it was much more than twice the amount of attention she received when she was in U.A.
However, while she was glad that her adoptive son could take a break from all the training – with cooking in between – and simply have fun in the event, Yu had a feeling that he wasn't having fun in the slightest. The short scene after the obstacle race had ended etched itself in her mind and she couldn't forget about it no matter how much she tried.
First-year speaker, Bakugo Katsuki, was a wild card. He was fiercely competitive and had a huge attitude problem. It would probably wear away with age, especially since he's enrolled in U.A., but the way he acts, at least to other professional heroes, is deplorable. For someone who wants to save people for a living, this wasn't how they should act.
Fortunately for Yu, she wouldn't need to see the teen on the big screen any longer, seeing as her shift had ended. After at least an hour of standing outside, rotating around the grounds in case of any possible villain attack, she relished in the new-found relaxation.
The break room was small and was filled with some other professional heroes already, but upon noticing her they realized it was time for their shifts to start and hastily evacuated the lounge. It was amazing in its own right to see twenty-something other professional heroes file out in an orderly fashion.
Yu sighed in relief as she made her way into the room, dragging out a random seat to sit on, and grabbed a random bag of potato chips to feast on. She was still feeling a bit hungry.
She ignored the fact that she had been eating from every possible stall, internally keeping track of the recipes to try out one day, so being hungry was sort of unbelievable.
Her quirk was exhausting to use, damn it! Let a woman eat!
Yu shook away the odd thought as Shinji entered the room. He had to use the washroom beforehand. He mirrored her actions and took a seat beside her.
"Good work," Shinji muttered in exhaustion, and he had every right to be. The number of delinquents from other city districts that caused problems, which his quirk was suited to deal with, was honestly too absurd to count.
"Good work," Yu reciprocated. God, she felt like a salaryman, which also reminded her of the paperwork she needed to do later. Wonderful. "You okay for our next shift later?"
"The five-thirty one?" He muttered rhetorically. "That isn't for another three hours, so I'll be fine. You need not worry."
Yu halfheartedly tossed a bag of potato chips towards him, which he caught with ease. "Thank you." He said as he opened it up to feast on. "So, how's the second round looking?"
"Pretty chaotic, all things considered," Yu mused. "I can't find Shirou, so he's not going after that Midoriya kid like everyone else."
It worried her. She expected to be able to see him from any of the screens but the redheaded teen was nowhere to be found. Maybe he was hanging back? Whatever the case, she just hoped he wasn't sitting it out from a sprained ankle or something. That'd be embarrassing.
"Speaking of which, that Midoriya is doing well. I'm not sure I'd be able to dodge all of those attacks." Yu added.
Shinji snorted just a tad bit. "I'm sure you would just use your quirk and enlarge yourself to keep the other cavalry riders away."
Huh, that was actually something she'd do.
"… the cameraman is having a hard time following that young man around," Shinji noted. On the screen above them, the Midoriya kid and his team were constantly moving away from attacks and dodging them at the last second. It must've been thrilling to see live.
"Yup," Yu confirmed.
Once silence rose again, Yu was starting to feel a bit awkward.
Come on girl, find something to talk about. The silence is getting weird!
Just as Yu's mouth opened to say whatever thought had randomly come to her mind, the door opened and a new professional hero made himself known. Or rather, herself.
"You in here, Yu-chan?" came the ever-familiar voice.
"'bami-chan~!" Yu cried out in joyful surprise. She leaped from her seat and hugged the living daylights out of her, which the snake-haired hero did much of the same. "What're you doing here? I thought you'd be in that booth upstairs!"
"I was~" Uwabami admitted with a sly smile. "-but I heard that your shift ended so I wanted to spread the good news!"
News?
"News?" Yu muttered as she let go of her friend. "What news?"
"You see–" Uwabami said as she was about to explain, but then caught the sight of the rookie-rising-star hero. Her slightly gaping mouth twisted into a sly grin. "Oh? What's this? Was I interrupting something?"
Yu blinked.
"Hmm? Oh yeah, it's just Shinji," Yu said without a fuss. "We share shifts so we have the same break too. A friend was with us for a while but she left with her ass of an employer for some reason, probably for work."
She could badmouth him if no-one recognized who she was talking about, right?
"Yu."
Damn it, Shinji knew!
Uwabami let out an admittedly irritating hum. "Are you sure this 'friend' of yours left for work alone? Maybe she wanted to give you two some privacy?"
"Question, how would there be privacy when we're immersed in a crowd for hours on end?"
"Good question Shinji, but I still want to know what this 'good news' is, 'bami-chan," Yu added on the end. "Please don't change the subject either."
Uwabami frowned.
"… You've got a lot more serious after you started taking your hero duties seriously, not that it's a bad thing."
"I've always been serious, though?"
"Right, moving on," Uwabami hastily forced out and acted as if she ignored what Yu said last. "So, the good news. The U.A. school board has volunteered to be the first school to accept the hero course reforms I suggested!"
"Really!?"
"That sounds wonderful," Shinji added from behind.
"I know, right!?" Uwabami cheered. "I mean, they would have to be dumb to turn it down after I managed to get so many heroes on board with the idea, but just think of it! A lot of misunderstood kids with scary quirks would learn how to use them better. A lot of potential villains would be nipped at the bud, and Japan ends up safer for it!"
"I'm so proud of you, girl!" Yu exclaimed once more as she gripped her friend as hard as she could.
She truly was.
These past few months, Uwabami had tirelessly fought to gain support from her fellow heroes about how their very educational system, the system that worked to instill the proper values into quirk-powered children, was flawed. Though they preached quirk acceptance, there was always discrimination that existed.
Even back to the dawn of humanity, they had fought each other for the most minor of details. With history as a guide, whether it be from a difference of religion, a difference of ideas, or even something as minor as a difference in skin color, humanity has always fought amongst itself at the slightest drop of the brush.
Even now, there are a bunch of people who look down on those who lack quirks or even bully them. Activist groups dedicated to helping them sprout up, but that was something that happened in every age. However, there are no groups formed to aid those whose quirks were scorned by everyone, by society itself.
Quirks that could easily kill, quirks that couldn't be tracked, quirks that could perform the perfect crime, even if these quirk-users weren't guilty society drops them into the guilty seat and judges without hesitation. Guilty before being proven innocent, that was the case they always had to deal with.
More often than not, this ends up caging them, trapping their emotions like a dam until it finally all breaks out. In the end, they become villains without remorse. A self-fulfilling prophecy.
Society made them yet society didn't want to have to do anything about them. By creating a program for those kids, with quirks that strike fear instead of awe, they lessen the rate of villains and create a haven for these misunderstood children.
Without Uwabami's program to speed up the effort, then they'd be flooded with villains without end. An endless clash of good and evil, there still would be, but now with her program, at least the scales tipped to their favor.
"To think that this would all happen because you wanted to help out one kid," Yu muttered.
"Hitoshi's a good kid. People like him deserve better. I just gave them what they deserved," Uwabami finalized. She broke away from the bone-crushing hug and sighed in relief. "I'm glad I got that off my chest. Anyway, did you guys see how well Hitoshi and Shirou were doing?"
"We haven't been able to see them," Shinji pipped up from his seat. "The camera has been focused on the other teams, mostly that Midoriya boy." His eyes grew lidded. "To think… that boy, who jumped in when no one else could, would stand on this stage…"
"Oh, you know that kid?" Uwabami mused as she also took a seat. Yu went back to her own seat as her hunger for potato chips grew. "I wonder how that happened. Mind telling us?"
"It was with that slime villain. I believe it made headlines?"
"Wait, let me think… Yeah, I remember it now. It's all coming back to me."
"You don't remember," Yu stated.
"Got it in one, Yu-chan!" Uwabami shamelessly agreed. "I mean, I knew that the Bakugo kid was the one who that slime guy took hostage, but there wasn't any mention of another kid. All I heard was that All-Might saved the day like always."
"He did. His presence was necessary. Had he not appeared, then we would have lost the lives of two promising heroes," Shinji said. "All-Might did arrive, but he wasn't the first. We were there. However, my quirk was completely useless against that slime villain and Yu couldn't enter without destroying several buildings in the process–" she held back from smacking the back of his wooden helmet, "–so in the end, we were powerless. We allowed that child to struggle for his life endlessly."
It was a horrifying thought. Thousands of people all around you as you drowned in sludge as an evil voice whispered your inevitable doom, but none of them even lifting a finger to help you. Yu was surprised but glad, that he hadn't gotten some sort of stress disorder from it.
"That kid, Midoriya, was the only one to run and help. While it was reckless, he had the heart of a hero," Shinji admitted with eyes closed in admiration. However, his eyes snapped open as they fell in regret. "Had I known his potential, I would not have admonished him so greatly."
Yu frowned.
"Hey, the kid didn't even have a quirk back then! He deserved to be scolded. What if he did it again? Think of how his parents would feel if he always put himself in harm's way," Yu could certainly relate. It was a horrible feeling that she had even before she formally adopted that lovable sword-for-brains son of hers. "We did what we thought was right. No pity parties today. It's a sports festival, we should be enjoying it."
"Yu is right!" Uwabami declared, she snickered for some reason. Maybe it was some inside joke. "If you're gonna cry then take it outside. We got a festival to watch!"
Shinji, after a quick snort, went back to his seat. For some reason, Yu could feel that he had a smile growing under that wooden face mask. "You both are a handful."
"You say it like that's a bad thing," Uwabami shot back. "Look, Present-Mic and Aizawa are showing us the scores so let's just look… at… them?"
At her friend's trailing voice, Yu turned to the monitor–
"Well, what do you know?" Shinji muttered. "Looks like they were doing well after all."
First place, Midoriya had 10,000,310 points and stayed the same.
Second place, Tetsutetsu had 690 points but it rose to 1,590.
Third place, Emiya had 435 points but it rose to 810.
Everyone else below was Bakugo's team – with six-hundred-and-eighty at fourth – and Endeavor's son's team – with six-hundred-and-thirty-five at fifth – both of which hadn't changed from the start at all. Most likely because they were still after Midoriya, but that could quickly change, especially seeing as those students had started realizing their point difference.
"Hitoshi's on the kid's team, right?" Uwabami asked. "Looks like he's doing well."
"How did they get those points, though?" Shinji asked. "Never mind. The cameraman finally decides to show him."
Yu's eyes narrowed on the recognizable scalp of her son and his two other teammates. Both of whom sat with him on their fourth and final member, who looked to be carrying them all with relative ease. Around Shirou's neck were several headbands from other teams, the majority of which look to be lower-end numbers, meaning that her son had been going for quantity instead of quality.
But how did he get those points…?
The answer was much more obvious than it seemed.
This plan wasn't a plan at all.
Shishida ran as fast as he could while Shirou grabbed the headbands from behind them, which meant he also detraced Torashinai because he would need both hands available. Since they were all focused on Midoriya, it gave them the perfect element of surprise.
In theory, anyway.
Ignoring the several traced items he had given Kodai, which she promptly shrunk and kept in her uniform pocket, that was literally it. That was the entire plan.
Due to Shishida's quirk, his size made it hard for others to reach up for the headbands around Shirou's neck. However, that wasn't the same for Shirou, who could lean down and grab them. From an upward tugging angle, the act of taking it was trivial.
Their theory proved to have worked when they managed to nab the points from Rin Hiryu's team. While Bondo's physique could match them, the benefit of Shishida going without footwear made sneaking up on them easy.
From there, they ran like hell. Bondo, of course, tried to use his glue-spray quirk to stop them in their tracks, but the traced shield from Kodai stopped it. She had to let go of it once the glue made it stick to the floor, but she ensured to make it grow to a supreme size. In doing so, she was able to prevent them from following as quickly as they could.
Also, from Shinso's input, it prevented them from getting blasted by Manga's quirk, whatever that quirk was.
From stealing Rin Hiryu's headband, their points had risen by a hundred-and-sixty, bringing them to a total of five-hundred-and-ninety-five. Not enough to worm past Bakugo and Todoroki's points, so they would need more.
Shirou frowned once he noticed team-Tetsutetsu's point total rise, which showed that they were now in second place.
"Who do we target next?" Shirou asked as he wrapped Hiryu's headband around his neck– he realized that Hiryu was his first name but he couldn't bring himself to call him Rin mentally.
The cloth was too smooth to create a tight knot, which was probably why it would pull away easily if pulled. Unfortunately, he couldn't just trace a helmet and wear it to block any attempts at stealing it. It was a foul play apparently, so that meant he had to settle for this.
"Over there. I recognize Shoda," Kodai said as she pointed over Shishida's shoulder. Following her view, Shirou could see Aoyama holding onto his navel, ready to fire a laser at any possible incoming enemy, which they would be if they approached recklessly.
"Hmm… We'll need to approach carefully," Shirou muttered.
"I got an idea!" Shishida shouted. He didn't listen for a reply as he shrugged his shoulder, which caused Kodai to fly up and onto Shinso, who had to let go of his shield and catch her.
Shinso had to make sure he didn't bite his own tongue. "What're you doing, Shishida!?"
"That blonde dude shoots his sparkly lasers at people, right!?" Shishida asked. He raised one arm, the one which Kodai was using for leverage, and held up a shield. Coincidentally, it was the one that Shinso had dropped. "We're charging in!"
Shirou blinked.
A second later, the bestial teen barreled forth, blasting smoke and dust into the air as he did so. It was hard keeping a steady grip, especially with the constant swaying his body had, but Shirou managed.
Shinso, while holding on for his dear life, made sure he was steadily wrapping his arms around Shishida's left shoulder. Kodai, on the other hand, settled for one hand grabbing the bestial teen and another around Shirou's waist.
"Aoyama! Our right!" Shouted Ojiro once he noticed their approach. "It's Emiya!"
At the mention of the third-rate magus' name, the showy blonde snapped to hasty attention as both Ojiro Mashirao and Shoda Nirengeki turned him so that their angle was better.
They were still a few meters away when the laser shot forth.
It was bright, blindingly so, but Shirou was saved from blinding his corneas when Shishida raised the shield to cover both his body and his riders.
Aoyama, who saw this changed his angle and aimed for his feet. However, with quick aid from Kodai, the shield grew and blocked the sparkling beam entirely. Inwardly, Shirou was glad he reinforced it because he distinctly remembered Aoyama being able to pierce through concrete given enough time.
Unfortunately for them, they didn't have that time. Shishida had already gotten close enough to them that Aoyama's beam would be more a detriment than a benefit.
"Shoda-kun!" Ojiro shouted as his tail impacted the shield harshly. While he wasn't allowed to attack the cavalry body, he could attack the shield, especially since it didn't count as the body himself.
"G-Got it!"
The impact of the tail strike was strong, good enough that it stopped Shishida's charge. Not that it was incredibly strong, but the bestial teen was no doubt worried for his passengers, who were already hanging on by a thread.
However, all they needed was a second or two to recover and they would be–
A second and undoubtedly stronger impact came and Shishida cried out in surprise.
The shield wrenched itself from his grip and barreled into the sky like a toothpick. Shishida gathered himself quickly and used his now free arm as leverage to hold them all up.
Shirou finally got a few words out as the teens stabilized. "What was that!?"
"Shoda's quirk, Twin Impact, allows him to add a second impact to any attack. It's delayed but it the second comes with several times the power. He must've added it to that tail slap." Shinso informed as he steadied himself. "Shame that such a quirk is wasted on him."
Shirou blinked and then frowned. At first, he was a bit mad that he insulted his own classmate but then realized how Shinso's quirk worked best. It was dirty, but Shirou couldn't say anything about it. So he kept the words he wanted to say buried deep down.
Aoyama's team remained silent in response, already knowing what his quirk could do and didn't want to risk getting caught.
Shirou threw a hand out as Aoyama narrowly dodged him.
Unfortunately, this also meant that they couldn't communicate with each other. If they did, then Shinso could capitalize on it. Having Shirou physically attempting to grab it, alongside the threat of Shinso's mental assault if they let their mental guard down at any second, let to a dastardly combo. This was especially true with Shishida providing more movement leeway than a regular cavalry body.
"Behind us. Rin Hiryu is approaching!" Kodai shouted, loud enough to get Aoyama's attention.
When his mouth opened, Shinso acted fast.
"Are you leaving?"
"–we're leaving! Eh–?"
In an instant, Aoyama was mentally down. He simply stood atop the cavalry riders, who realized what happened. Ojiro frowned and leaped away. Shoda followed, although somewhat shoddily. Both of them were eager to get away from them.
In response, Shinso gave him his order. "Throw your headband to Emiya Shirou! Keep your team from following"
Even though they tried to stop it, Aoyama followed. Shirou caught it. Then, they left as quick as they came. With Aoyama actively pushing and shoving the two boys that carried him, they were too preoccupied to follow. If they let him fall, they were out of the event.
"This is looking good," Shinso said. "How many points do we have?"
"We have eight-hundred and ten," Shirou said after conducting quick mental mathematics. "We're in third place now, which should drag some attention onto us."
"Midoriya's first, but whose second?" Shinso muttered.
"Uh, guys?" Shishida called as his pace slowed. "We have a company."
Once Shirou paused to follow his line of sight, Shirou tensed up.
"I see them," Shirou muttered. "To also answer your question, Hitoshi, Tetsutetsu's team is second place. They're also dead ahead.."
"I see you remembered to use my first name this time," Shinso let out a small laugh. "We ran from those guys first and now we're back to try and catch them. Ironic."
"We got a plan?" Shishida asked, feeling a tad pressured from the teams around him. "That Aoyama dude looks like he'll be waking up soon. Rin's on his way."
Ignoring the familiar-sounding name, Shirou turned to Kodai. "How much ammo do you have?"
"Seven," she answered. "I haven't used any."
"I assume we're going after them?" Shinso asked.
After giving his teammate a nod, Shirou traced something in his hands.
His teammates wanted to win the event and move on. While Shirou personally didn't mind whatever placement he got in the end, he didn't want to disappoint the three teenagers who placed their trust in him.
Shirou took a deep breath. "Use them all. Box them in."
It would also be inconvenient if Bakugo raged again.
From within the stadium, two people stood over the railings. One was actively cheering at her little brother, while another simply sighed in minor exhaustion.
This was what Archer's day boiled down to. Accompanying his own employee with her free time while another manned the station. Setsuno was lucky that there would be little-to-no customers this week because otherwise he'd be flooded.
He really wished that he was there to help him out. More for Archer's own sake of course. It wasn't that he didn't like him, but he was hasty when pressured too much. The cafe had a reputation to uphold, of course.
"… You're thinking of work again, aren't you?" Todoroki Fuyumi's accused. She then sighed in exasperation. "I thought coming here would stress you less! Being a workaholic isn't good for you!"
If only you knew what real-work for me constituted as.
In comparison to that, the cafe was his sorely deserved vacation. A safe bastion where he would spend the rest of his days simply cooking a variety of dishes to a surplus of patrons.
Truly, it was his ideal vision of heaven. At least with food, he could see the faces of the people he satisfied. He didn't have that luxury with the dead terrorists he usually dealt with.
"If being a workaholic means being happy with my current lifestyle then so be it," Archer said with acceptance. However, in response, the counter-guardian sent her a berating glance. "In the first place, should an employee be berating their employer like this?"
"If that employee is worried about her employer's health, then yes!"
Archer gestured to himself. "I think you'll find that I am the perfect picture of health."
The Todoroki tried to find a response but reluctantly settled for pouting at him with a frankly ridiculous expression. She didn't deny his claim.
It vaguely reminded him of someone, but Archer didn't even attempt to dig through his record of memories. It was usually too troublesome to do so. So instead, he compared her to a wounded puppy.
"… Still, that doesn't excuse you from taking a break once in a while!" Fuyumi pushed.
Seeing an attempt at an explanation as a lost cause, Archer opted to hold his tongue. If he tried, then they'd be at it all day. Seriously, any other person would've been fine with the servant doing his job, but Todoroki acted like a nagging mother.
Archer's eyes softly folded into a close.
Speaking of mother… the woman that adopted his foolish younger self was an odd one. In some ways, she reminded him of the caretaker that cared for him in his formative years. While Archer could not clearly remember her name anymore, he could remember her vocal nature.
While this… Takeyama Yu wasn't as loud as his old caretaker, she was equally headstrong. Whether that was a good thing or not, Archer didn't want to think about it.
She didn't like him though, not one bit. Even a blind child can see that. He could feel the disdain she had just from the way her eyes twitched whenever he talked about her adoptive son– and Archer still felt odd about that.
He sighed.
If that idiotic younger self of his chose to tell that woman beforehand, then she wouldn't have been so irritable with him. She only disliked him because of her suspicion of him, which came from having found her precious child working in his shop without telling her.
If it was any regular situation, Archer would've sent the hypothetical underage worker with his parent. No questions asked.
The fact that it was Emiya Shirou, the bone-headed fool with nothing but swords and heroism on his mind, made it complicated. He knew deep down that wherever they went, trouble would inevitably follow. From the fact that his younger self was a U.A. student, which had an attack from an unknown League of Villains, only proved his case.
He was like a magnet that only attracted trouble. Fumbling into a secret war for a holy relic by a mysterious society of magi, fighting heroic spirits who could've easily ended his life, and now getting sucked into an entirely new world. Truly, trouble followed him like a puppy.
Archer snorted.
Like he was one to talk. In the same way that trouble followed his younger self, so did it follow him.
"Fuyumi. I did not expect you to be here."
Archer's closed eyes opened in mild frustration.
Case in point.
"Hello, F-Father…" Todoroki Fuyumi muttered out. "I was just here to cheer Shoto on!"
Archer only needed to tilt his head ever so slightly to catch a glimpse of her so-called father.
The man was built like an ox. It was a physique that many could admire, and combined with his status as a professional hero, ranked two in all of Japan, were a couple admirable trait to have.
It was a shame that he was an ass.
"Are you still working that ridiculous job?" He berated. "I did not pay for your educational degree just so that you would waste it at some worthless small-time diner."
Judging from the frown etched on his face, he wasn't happy. Then again, Endeavor was usually unhappy. The few interactions scattered across the fewer months that Archer had known him told him that much at least.
The professional hero's usual attitude often caused those around him to feel intimidated. It was as if an apex predator stared down their prey, or rather an ant that he wouldn't even bother deigning them a moment of acknowledgment. Not even his own flesh and blood were an exception.
"My my, Endeavor," Archer piped up. "Are you implying that my cafe is some worthless small-time establishment? Odd, seeing as most of my demographic consists of professional heroes, all of whom greatly enjoyed my dishes."
Archer was the exception. While others flinched and submitted, he would bark back and cull the arrogance before him. When compared to the King of Heroes, Endeavor was small-fry. Everyone was.
Endeavor snorted. "I trust no judgment but my own. Whatever those others believe, it doesn't change the fact that my daughter is wasting her time in your, small-time, establishment."
Even if Archer merely dismissed his claims, he couldn't deny the truth in them.
Todoroki Fuyumi was a bright young woman, one who had the whole world for her to explore. She might've been mediocre, or even less so, in the eyes of her father, but Archer would not deny her tenacity.
Where U.A. excelled in the creation of professional heroes, other schools focused on pure education. She managed to graduate as a scholar in high school and pass her college classes with flying colors, and it showed in her work ethic.
So why would someone like her stop her chosen career path to cater plates in a simple cafe?
"If you haven't forgotten, Endeavor–" Archer added. From the way his frown deepened, the counter-guardian could tell he was irritated but pushed on anyway. "–She's under my employ because of a certain someone." The act only seemed to deepen his anger. To be frankly honest, Archer found it amusing. "If only someone had managed to protect their own flesh and blood properly–"
"Farran-san!"
Words were left unsaid, but the wounds they dug still showed. The rank-two of the country seethed but said nothing. He couldn't after all. To deny it was to be a liar, and Endeavor was anything but a liar.
"Please, just… don't say anymore," Fuyumi said- or rather begged. "I don't blame him. Can we just move on?"
But your ass of a father does blame himself.
Again, those words were left unsaid, but from the way that Endeavor noticed Archer's watchful gaze, the meaning behind those words were conveyed anyway.
Endeavor shook away his irritation. "Your bark is as loud and irritating as always."
"Well, I suppose that my bark is worse than my bite."
"Tch, why did I even bother."
Endeavor suppressed any reaction and merely chose to leave, without even offering a word to his daughter. He didn't even seem to notice how she frowned at his departure.
However, Endeavor's apparent thoughts betrayed nothing. He didn't believe that claim one bit. Archer's bite was much, much worse than his bark.
He especially believed it after what he saw.
A blunder on the counter-guardian's part, but he was lucky that this man preferred method of doing things was by doing it himself. It was better this way, especially since Archer wanted nothing to do with this hero infested society.
A society where these children all sought to become heroes naively… it made unwanted emotions crawl out of his rusted soul. Emotions of longing, irritation, anger, denial, ridicule– all flowed out like a river.
He hated this world of heroes, it was as if it existed just to spite the journey he took for his own forsaken ideal. However, he could not deny that, if he had been born in this world, then perhaps that asinine dream would've easier to obtain.
Probably not. Humanity was greedy and corrupted no matter where you go.
He wasn't as hopeful as his younger self.
"Farran,"
Archer held back his thoughts. Endeavor hadn't left yet. However, he was standing just by the steps. It would only take a few seconds for him to leave entirely.
"Don't forget. I'm only paying back this debt. Nothing more, nothing less," he growled out. "When you make a mistake, I'll be there to bring you in myself."
And with that, the flame-clad hero stomped away. All Archer did was sigh in response.
He blamed his disorientation when he arrived in this world of heroes. It made him not think clearly. The counter-guardian didn't regret what he did, but it did bring some unwanted attention.
"The Cavalry Battle is about to enter the second half!" Present-Mic shouted."In this exciting play of events, who will wear the ten million points in the end!?"
For once, that loud-mouth professional hero offered some well-wanted respite. Archer gazed back towards the stadium. He had no real need for the monitor to provide him any vision. His eyesight was already good enough, with or without reinforcement.
"Fuyumi," Archer called out, using her first name for once and acknowledging the fact she shot out of her apparent self-loathing in surprise. "Focus on your brother. I'm sure he'll be happy to know that you're watching. Take it from me. A sibling bond is one to be cherished."
Her frown slowly turned curios. "Did you have a sibling, Farran-san?"
Shit, said a bit too much. Oh well.
"A little sister, but she died due to an illness. Don't worry, I'm over it," Archer said, telling nothing but the truth to her apparent honor. The nature of her illness went unsaid. "That's exactly why you should cherish each and every moment you spend with them. You never know when you won't be able to."
The girl seemed to grow determined at his words and focused on the stadium. She reached into her purse and- wait, was that a flag with her brother's face on it? Where on earth did she have the time to make that?
"GO SHOTO! YOU CAN DO IT!"
Well, at least she was feeling better now.
With his employee feeling emotionally sound, Archer turned back to the stadium.
The one who held the ten million points was struggling, especially with the Todoroki and Bakugo boys going after him. Students surged at him at all sides in an attempt to reach the top. Twelve teams, but most of them were only after one.
It was like watching piranhas devouring themselves. Fitting. However, there seemed to be a few fish in this little pond that would rather skirt around and await an opportunity. One such fish… was his younger self.
The instant that Archer laid his eyes on him, he couldn't help the frown sprout from his face.
His day just kept getting worse and worse, didn't it?
Archer bet that that child didn't even notice it yet, what exactly was happening to him, what he was doing to those around him. If his former master were here, she would've snapped her wrist from slapping that fool so hard he wouldn't be able to even mutter a word.
"Ah, Farran-san! Look, it's our little kouhai, Shirou!" Fuyumi called once she too caught sight of him. "What do you think? Should we cheer for him too?"
Archer's lip twitched.
"Not in a million years," he said. There was no way he'd cheer on an idiot like that, especially with the current idiocy he had been spreading throughout the day. "Cheering for him would be wasted effort. The chances of him winning the event are astronomically low. In fact, they don't exist."
"Eh? But didn't you help train him?" She asked in confusion.
True, however…
"That fool doesn't want to win this event. He doesn't even care how well he does," Archer explained. Halting at the last second of the race like an idiot, it was laughable. "It's for that reason alone that he isn't worth cheering for. Others want to win far more than he does. Just cheer for your brother, Fuyumi. Your 'kouhai' isn't worth it."
She seemed to frown at that, but understood his reasoning and cheered for her younger brother. For what purpose would there be to even cheer for someone not giving his all?
Honestly, it made the training he had done with him seem absolutely pointless if he wasn't going to use any of that here. That being said, Archer hadn't trained him for purely altruistic reasons. He had his own benefit to glean from it.
Emiya Shirou gleaned some experience from him. In the same way, Archer gained some experience from him too. He suppressed an irritated growl at being reminded at what exactly that idiot saw in this world.
Or rather, the things he saw that idiot do.
Archer sighed.
Rin should have been here.
Emiya Shirou was slipping, and he didn't even notice it.
At this rate, that ideal would never be reached. Even if he didn't care about doing well in this – frankly unnecessarily gaudy – event, there was still something he should be doing. Something infinitely as important that his younger self seemed to have forgotten.
The universe already had one counter-guardian with a heart of rusted steel. It didn't need another.
Shirou's team approached team-Tetsutetsu, who seemed unaware of their approach. The steel boy was much more focused on trying to get to Kirishima's team, which was also Bakugo's team.
While Shirou didn't know why he would do so, it provided them with the perfect distraction.
Kodai reached into her pocket and dragged out a small wooden shield. With a flick of her wrist, the disc was sent flying forward. Normally, it was too small to do anything, but the quiet girl's quirk activated.
The wooden disc, now a wooden shield fit to be wielded by a giant, spun and crashed into the dirt before team-Tetsutetsu, stopping them in their tracks.
"What the– Shiozaki!" Tetsutetsu cried out as his quirk activated on instinct.
His teammate understood quickly and drove her hair into the coarse dirt, allowing vines to spread and grow in their general direction.
However, they were prepared.
The torrent of greenery was brought to a halt when another wooden shield appeared before it, blocking its path.
"Damn! Not good!" Awase shouted as his eyes studied the wooden shields. They were tightly knit together despite having been thrown– his eyes widened in alarm. "They're going to cage us in!"
"We're going to lose Kirishima at this rate! Honenuki, topple the walls!" Tetsutetsu shouted, to which the recommended student below him followed. A ripple of softened earth made the titanic wooden shields sink into the ground.
Kodai, in response, simply tossed more and more gigantic shields around them, being extra careful to not hit and harm them. Giant objects could easily crush a man alive.
However, the shields simply sunk into the ground once more when Honenuki saw their approach.
"Hah! That did nothing!" Awase laughed from behind.
However, when Honenuki blinked and gazed downwards, he noticed something.
The floor caved in.
As if the floor beneath them was ripped under them, the mud that surrounded them poured down like a torrent surrounding them in an instant.
Emiya Shirou blinked.
"I think we overdid it with the shields," the third-rate magus admitted.
The plan was simple. Honenuki's quirk turned solid objects soft, so having solid shields buried under the mud would create a platform under them. However, once Shirou detraced the shield, all that would be left was a gaping hole in the dirt. With the brittle ground above it, the floor would give out from the lack of support and collapse.
In theory, they would've been trapped with almost no room for escape. Shirou would've been able to easily swoop down and grab their points if needed.
He didn't expect them to be fully submerged though.
"Sorry, I didn't control how big they would end up becoming," Kodai admitted.
"Are they alright down there?" Shirou muttered. Already, his mind formulated a plan to try and dig them out, which would be hard seeing as it was mud and that was hard to dig through without a shovel or something.
"Probably," Shinso admitted. "After all…"
Earthy mud and a burst of vines sprouted from the ground.
He frowned. "… they have Shiozaki."
On a platform of vines, team-Tetsutetsu rose like a phoenix from its ashes. Physically, they were fine, but they looked like they were panicking, Awase in particular.
"We were nearly buried alive!" He cried out. "What was that!?"
"They used my quirk against me," Honenuki answered. "I'll have to be careful next time. Shiozaki, you aren't pushing yourself, right?"
"No issues. I believe that we are blessed to have overcome this trial."
"Enough of that! That wasn't a manly move at all!"
"LOL"
Before Tetsutetsu could cry indignation, a vine from Shiozaki shot up, wrapped itself around his mouth and prevented him from spilling even a single word.
Shinso sighed. "It was worth a shot."
"They're coming," Kodai warned. "What now?"
Well, they were completely outclassed in offense because of a certain vine-manipulating quirk so a front-on match was a bad idea, to say the least. They had a mobility advantage, but it would fade once Honenuki used his quirk. Tetsutetsu himself was tenacious, so trying to grab his headband from his head was a risky idea.
In short, the simplest idea was the best one.
"Use your mobility Shishida," Shirou said. "Honenuki won't use his quirk much when we're nearby but you'll have to dodge Shiozaki's quirk."
They were taking the risk.
"That's a tall order, Emiya," Shishida nervously forced out. "She can lift a truck with her quirk, you know? I'm basically paperweight!"
"It's fine," Shirou finalized. In his hands, he traced his favored Kanshou and Bakuya. This time, they weren't dulled at all. "I'll be helping out."
Honenuki didn't use his quirk when they approached but waited patiently. There was no need to rush for team-Tetsutetsu, especially when they had a much more beneficial alternative.
The second they got into range of Shiozaki's quirk, the vines spread out. They surged forth like a tidal wave. It was less to harm but more to incapacitate. They would wrap around them and corral them into a more beneficial position.
However, when Shirou flicked his wrist, he sheered through the vines with complete ease. Her eyes widened as the shredded greenery fell to the wayside.
They might've been strong and sturdy vines, but a sword was sharp enough to cut through it either way.
Shirou didn't stop there. When more vines came he would cut it down. As degrading as the comparison was for both of them, the third-rate magus felt like a weed cutter.
Regardless, the distance closed. Shirou detraced Kanshou and reached for the headband. Tetsutetsu leaned back and tried to reach for his own, a war-cry echoing from the depths of his soul.
"You ain't getting this from me!"
"You sure?"
"Y–"
Shiozaki's vine wrapped around him again, preventing the dreaded words from escaping, as Shinso clicked his teeth in frustration. The steel-clad boy's hot-headed nature made it hard for him to keep quiet, which Shinso would exploit without hesitation.
It was a game of chicken. If Shirou got too close from his elevated perch, then Tetsutetsu would be able to snag some of the loosely tied headbands. In addition, Shinso kept riling them up, trying to make them prone to mistakes. Shishida darted around while holding them, but the ground beneath him was slowly being turned to mud. Shiozaki's vines were still an issue, and Shirou only had one hand to make sure they didn't snake their way onto his head.
In short, it was a cluster-fuck.
It was a stalemate. One that they could not afford, especially not with Aoyama and Hiryu's teams making their way there. The mud from Honenuki slowed them down, but they would get to them eventually.
With this in mind, Shirou leaned forward.
Tetsutetsu saw the opportunity and reached out with his iron fingers.
Shirou tilted his head back just enough that it didn't quite reach, but reached forth with his free hand.
He snagged a headband from them and sliced a vine that tried getting too close.
They got one.
"Now, Shishida! Run!" Shirou ordered.
The bestial teen complied without a second to spare, avoiding the softened earth that formed beneath them that finally surged forth. However, Honenuki foresaw it and sent out another wave to intercept, eager to retake their stolen points.
A quick act form Kodai saved them. With the last few shields she had tossed away, they grew in tandem, sinking into the mud and blocking Honenuki's line of sight. There was no doubt that Shiozaki would wrench it away, but it gave them enough time to flee.
And flee they did.
A solid five-second head start they had gotten, but with the superior physique of Shishida's quirk, they made some good distance. Aoyama and Hiryu's team backed off once they saw team-Tetsutetsu approach. Even if they had no points to give them, the idea of getting in between them and their prey wasn't one they'd entertain.
Seeing as they were somewhat safe for now, Shirou and his party took a breather.
"That was horrible," Shinso muttered. "I think my throat hurts. They didn't even say anything back."
"You're quirk's an open-book, it was a long shot anyway," Kodai affirmed. "The other teams might follow us later. Emiya, can you make some more?"
Shirou complied and traced several objects for her. This time, the magus intentionally traced them smaller, seeing as she could make them larger at any given time.
"S-So? How much did we get from that?" Shishida asked, wheezing just a bit from the physical exertion. Just because he had a quirk that made him a large and sturdy bruiser didn't mean he wouldn't get tired.
"Hold on. Let me check," Shirou replied.
The magus the blinked.
Eighty.
"Eighty."
"Eighty?" Shishida muttered. "That's it? All that effort for that?"
"Team Tetsutetsu must've taken it from Tsunotori's team," Shinso muttered in realization. "They're the ones with the lowest total points. We got unlucky."
Their total points were now at 890. It barely counted as an increase at all.
"I don't want to try that again," Shishida bemoaned. "They're gonna be ready next time!"
"Then we'll have to leave them alone," Shirou said. "We had unpredictability on our side, but that's gone now. If we face them again, they're going to win."
"So, who do we go for next, then?" Kodai asked. "There aren't many options."
True. From the twelve participating cavalry teams, Hiryu, Aoyama, and assuming Tsunotori were all at zero points. Therefore, they needed to keep an eye on them in case they tried to approach them.
A glance at the scoreboard showed who else was empty. Hagakure's team and Mineta's where the only other teams at zero. While Hagakure he could understand – the girl was topless for crying out loud – it surprised him that Mineta's team lost it.
From the few glances that Shirou could get, his team had some solid defense on them.
Shirou sighed in contemplation. "Well, we might be able to run for Kendo's team. While her quirk is a problem, we could probably sneak up on–"
The adoptive son of Yu stopped himself as the scoreboard updated.
Kendo's team reached zero.
Monoma's team reached four hundred and ninety.
Shirou looked around to find the copycat teen, only now remembering something he really shouldn't have forgotten. If he touched Monoma Neito, then his secret would get out. Not good.
"Well, any new ideas?" Shinso asked. "Because there aren't any new targets for us."
Shirou sighed. "We'll probably have to wait and see. There are few teams we can face and take points from. It might be for the best."
"So I can stop running so much now?" Shishida said, panting as he did so.
"We'll keep an eye out, but nobody's following us at the moment," Shinso added. "Team Tetsutetsu is going after Bakugo's team now, and Tetsutetsu seemed to have reasons to go for Kirishima. We should be fine."
With that, Shishida took a breather and stopped running. He merely walked to regain his energy.
Within the first half of the game, their team was spent. Or rather, the cavalry of it. Maybe having only one person carry them all wasn't a good idea?
There were still seven minutes left. Anything could happen-
"What–!?" Came Present-Mic's overly eccentric shout. "What happened? So fast! Really fast! Iida, if you could accelerate that fast, then show us in the prelims!"
Shirou blinked. He had been hearing Present-Mic screaming a while ago, but in the heat of things, he didn't pay him much attention. So this was his first time hearing any play-by-play from the loud hero.
Might as well listen. There could be some useful information from it, but what happened? And what was that from about Iida going really fast?
"The tables have turned! Offense and defense right at the edge! Reigning that in, Todoroki gets the ten million points! Midoriya is now suddenly at zero points!"
Shishida whistled.
"Well, that happened."