Chapter 18: Sports Fest: First-Round Battle Finals
Fairy Heroes Academia 18
Sports Festival: First-Round Battle Finals
"Welcome back to the finals, everyone! Sorry for that long wait." Present Mic apologized, "The insane amount of ice from the second match has finally been cleared, though, so it's time to welcome new competitors!"
The crowd was ready after the intermission. After those performances, they were itching to see how the other contestants would do.
"Offense and defense in one!" Present Mic announced as a familiar bird-headed teen traipsed to the stage. "The dark samurai and his darker shadow! From the hero course, Fumikage Tokoyami! Versus!"
Lucy stepped out, meeting Tokoyami's cool gaze, "The light of class 1-A's hero course, the Zodiac fashion girl herself, Lucy Heartfilia!"
Lucy waved to the crowd, smiling big as people shouted their approval. Tokoyami played it cool, nodding at the audience as well, remembering that they needed to impress everyone here.
'Present Mic is right,' Lucy thought to herself, 'He is offense and defense in one… I'll have to end this fast if I want to proceed to the next round…' Lucy thought quickly about the Cavalry Battle and remembered how Dark Shadow reacted to Levy's light attack and began to form a plan.
Tokoyami met Lucy's gaze, never once faltering. 'Her Quirk is dangerous against mine, I'll have to attack as soon as the battle begins and hopefully overwhelm her enough to push her out of the ring early.'
"Third match, begin!" Present Mic roared.
"Go, Dark Shadow!"
"I've got her!" Dark Shadow popped out of Tokoyami's torso and lunged toward Lucy.
"No, you don't!" She responded, "Star Dress: Leo form!"Her body was enveloped with light as her PE uniform was replaced. Dark shadow hissed, trying to smack her, but Lucy's hands lit up with the power of Regulus and swatted him away.
"Look at their control! Instantaneously activating their Quirks and attacking right off the bat!" Present Mic whooped as Eraser Head looked at his students with approval.
Dark Shadow tried to strike the girl once more, veering away and continuing to rush her. "Would ya lay off with the light!" He jeered, as Lucy continued to counter with Regulus.
"Sorry, guess we're a bad match for each other!" Lucy taunted, "Regulus Impact!" Lucy's Regulus fist connected with Dark Shadow causing him to screech in displeasure.
'I've got them now!' Lucy thought as she drew more power from her magic, "Lion Brilliance!" Her entire body lit up and many of the audience shielded their eyes from the light.
Dark Shadow retreated into Tokoyami with a whimper, as the spell shone ferociously. Tokoyami yelled as the light took him by surprise.
"WHOA! Now that's what I call a star!" Present Mic's sunglasses protected his eyes, but Aizawa grunted in annoyance as he was forced to look away momentarily.
The crowd's shouts of approval spurred Lucy on.
In the stands, Izuku scribbled in his notebook, "That's similar to how she used her Quirk the first day we met…"
Levy nodded at him, "I should've known she was gonna use that." She blinked a few times trying to refocus her vision. "She's really going for the win this time." She noticed her best friend's attitude lately and how she's been more determined than ever to win the Sports Festival, and she didn't blame her, it was crazy how far she'd come from the Grand Magic Games just a few months ago, but it felt like forever ago now…
Levy smiled in approval, "Go, Lu!" She cheered as Mina clapped along right by her, she looked at the empty spot between herself and Izuku where Uraraka previously sat. 'She was pretty determined too, hopefully, she's getting ready in peace…' Uraraka's match was next and the girl seemed antsy before declaring that she was gonna do great.
"YES! GO PRINCESS!"
Lucy tilted her head to the crowd where the familiar voice came from. Loke was cheering her on embarrassingly loud like a proud parent or sibling. Capricorn's sunglasses glinted as he smirked beside him in approval.
'I don't want to disappoint them.' Lucy's heels lit up as she launched herself toward Tokoyami, "Regulus Lucy kick!"The kick connected cleanly with Tokoyami's torso and sent him back over the line with an oomph.
"Tokoyami is out!" Midnight's whip snapped, "This round goes to Heartfilia!"
Lucy held her hand out to her opponent, "That was a great match."
Tokoyami humbly accepted it and she helped him up, "I'll need to train with Dark Shadow to increase his efficiency with light, perhaps you'll be able to assist me with that?"
Lucy smiled at her classmate, "Of course, Tokoyami, just let me know and we'll set something up!"
"Would you look at that Sportsmanship!" Present Mic complimented. The audience continued their applause impressed with all the powerful Quirks showcased.
"She countered Dark Shadow really well." Tsuyu croaked, "That's not an easy Quirk to beat." Having worked with him during the mock battles, she knew firsthand how strong it was.
"Well, yeah!" Kaminari said, "She's like, a monster! Have you seen her Quirk? She only had to wear one dress!"
Jiro nodded next to him, "It is kinda insane how her outfits give her a bunch of different abilities. If my Quirk worked like that I'd never stop using it. I can see why she wants to be a hero."
"Levy's Quirk is pretty powerful too." Shoji chimed in, "The way they use them has been efficient throughout the festival."
"C'mon you guys we're all growing together!" Levy insisted, "But, I do have a trick up my sleeve in case things get dicey." She revealed much to her classmates' surprise.
"You still have more?!"
"That's our class rep for ya…" Kaminari nervously chuckled as Levy winked at the class.
. . .
Uraraka sat down, wondering how she was going to win her match. Sitting in the waiting room made her feel how real this was…
"Hey Uraraka." Lucy said, returning from her match, "Whoa…"
Uraraka had looked up, "Hey Lucy! Please, you can call me Ochaco, if you want to…" Although her tone was as friendly as ever, her face was extremely tense.
"You feeling okay, Ochaco?" Lucy sat down next to the girl.
"Oh, it's nothing!" The brunette giggled slightly, "I guess I'm not great at hiding how nervous I am."
"I get you. These games are really intense." Lucy agreed, "This is the final stretch, it's all or nothing here."
"Yeah, I'm kinda scared of that…" Ochaco relented.
Lucy could relate to the girl, it wouldn't be a big deal if they were to lose, they had already proven themselves enough, however… It would hurt.
"All we can do is our best out there." Lucy put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Win or lose, you can at least say that you tried."
"Thanks, Lucy. You know you're really sweet." Ochaco smiled, "Talking to you feels like talking to a sister." She then looked away sullenly, "To be honest… I feel like I've been over-relying on you and Deku…"
Lucy's eyebrows shot up, "There's nothing wrong with getting help from your friends." She countered.
"I know, that's why I wanted to work with everyone during the Cavalry battle. It's just…" Ochaco stood, "I just want to do my best too. Everyone is facing their future, and giving it their best. That means we're all rivals." She was facing away from Lucy, ready to walk toward the exit.
She thought back on how everyone was declaring war on each other, and now she felt like she could understand… She turned to Lucy and gave the girl a trembling smile with a thumbs up, "Guess, I'll see you in the finals."
. . .
"Let's welcome our next competitors for our fourth round!" Present Mic spoke into the microphone. "Even beautiful flowers have thorns. It's the assassin from Class 1-B. Ibara Shiozaki from the hero course!"Shiozaki calmly walked onto the stage.
"Versus the girl with the floating personality!" Ochaco walked out as well, "Another hero in the making, Ochaco Uraraka!"
The crowd cheered for the girls, "Keep those eyes peeled. I wanna see a super glitzy battle out there!"
"Excuse me." A dainty and sophisticated voice piped up, "Please pardon the interruption." Shiozaki raised her hand, "I'm not sure why you called me an assassin."
"I've come to the festival in search of victory, not to take my opponent's life." The vine-headed girl calmly explained, "That wouldn't be in line with the values of a hero at all, sir."
"Right. I'm sorry." Present Mic apologized, realizing he got carried away.
"Gentlemen, I didn't enter UA for wicked or selfish reasons, but to deliver salvation to others!" She raised her arms before clasping them together, and it was almost as if sunlight was illuminating her, "It is my humble quest to spread true good across this world."
"I said I was sorry! That was my bad, okay?"
Shiozaki hummed contently, "I thank you for your kind understanding." She bowed.
'Okay, I'm starting to feel a little better about this.' Uraraka exhaled slightly, 'At least I know this battle will be civil. She looks strong, better keep my guard up.'
"So, anyway. Begin!"
Ochaco wasted no time surging forward, if she could just touch her, she could float her out of bounds!
Diving forward Ochaco grabbed the girl firmly and activated her Quirk. Shiozaki's body began to float and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Looks like this is gonna be a short one!" Present Mic commented.
Her viney hair stretched out, firmly anchoring her to the ground.
"Ibara Shiozaki. Her Quirk, Vines!" Present Mic called, "The vines on her head can extend to great lengths. Pulse they're detachable!"
"No!" Ochaco gasped, 'I have to win! Like Lucy and Deku!'
Thrusting her arms out she attempted to push Shiozaki, but the concrete began to crumble around her feet, causing her to jump back as Shiozaki's vines emerged from the floor.
Ochaco continued to evade the vines as they continued to emerge from the concrete across the arena. She was leaping around, crouching, and using her hands to spring away from the attack.
"An admirable attempt, now release your Quirk so we can end this!" Shiozaki called as she continued to use her vines to stay grounded, pausing her onslaught.
Ochaco panted as she glanced up at the debris Shiozaki's hair caused. She made the pieces float as she was avoiding the vines bursting from the ground, "If you say so…" She touched her hands together releasing her Quirk. Not only did Shiozaki fall, but so did the bits of concrete suspended in the air.
"Could this be it for the Class 1-B student?!" Present Mic asked. The spectators all hollered at the girls' battle.
Shiozaki acted accordingly, having her hair wrap around herself several times over, creating a thick barrier, and leaving her unharmed.
Now back on the ground, Shiozaki's hair parted, and she walked out, disconnecting her hair from her barrier. Her hair whipped forward, but Ochaco grabbed it, using her Quirk on the vine, once again forcing Shiozaki into the air, Shiozaki forced the vine around Ochaco extending it to force her out of the ring before she could float away further.
Ochaco tried to drag her feet into the ground to prevent her loss, but it was useless as she was forced out of the ring. "The Winner is Shiozaki! She advances on!" Midnight's voice boomed.
The vines fell from Ochaco, and the girl disappointedly released her Quirk. She tried to put on a brave face, but couldn't help but feel a bit sad over losing.
"I'm so thankful I was able to make the most of the opportunity I was given today," Shiozaki called out as she floated down.
"Oh, yeah!" Tetsutetsu cheered, "Way to represent Class 1-B!"
"As expected!" Monoma's head popped up over the partition in the cheering section, his face looking obnoxious. "Hey! Wasn't Class 1-A supposed to be so much better than us?" He laughed, unaware that Kendo was approaching him from behind. She softly chopped an area on the side of his neck causing him to go limp, she caught him before he could hit the floor, though.
"Sorry 'bout him." She apologized before dragging him back to his seat.
'I hate that guy.' Many 1-A students present thought to themselves as he was dragged off.
"Oh man, she really put up a fight but Shiozaki's Quirk is really strong." Izuku frowned as he watched Uraraka retreat from everyone's sight. "She kept surprising me the whole way through." He pulled out his notebook and began cramming notes into it.
The class ignored his muttering, but they had to agree, "It was very impressive." Yaomomo nodded, "Even though she didn't win, she lasted far longer than I would expect against a Quirk like that."
"That was the best fight yet!" Mineta cheered, "Who could say no to some girl-on-girl acti– Ow!"
"How did Kendo do that…?" Mina wondered as she inspected his neck closer, the hit not stunning him.
"Careful, I don't approve of hurting Mineta." Levy said, "Even if he does deserve it." She added.
"Levy!" Mineta cried in gratitude.
"Hit him again, Mina." Lucy said.
"Ow!"
. . .
Ochaco had a few bandages for the scrapes she received but wasn't hurt badly. She stood in the waiting room staring at her phone. She wanted to call her parents before she talked to anyone.
She dialed the number, knowing she hadn't been able to answer their call before. The phone rang for a beat before it was answered, "Sorry for not picking up earlier, Daddy."
"No, no, it's fine." He reassured her, "Sorry for calling when you're busy. Your mom and I were just watching you on TV. You almost won! You were amazing!"
"It didn't feel as if it was that close, and I didn't really do well." She said softly, "I could barely even touch her. And I didn't have any backup plans. I failed."
"You lost." He corrected, "But that doesn't mean you can't still be a Pro Hero. I know I don't have the best understanding, but there's still always next year, right? This isn't the end."
"I know, but I wish I coulda gone further in the festival so I would have more chances to show what I'm made of. The scouts barely saw me do anything this time around." She countered.
"What're you in such a hurry for, huh?"
"It's just… I want to help you guys out as soon as I can." Ochaco sniffled.
"Ochaco, there's no need for you to rush." He said gently as tears began to escape Ochaco's eyes, "The very fact you feel that way shows me you'll make a kind, caring hero one day."
"I am so proud of you."
Ochaco cried as the words warmed her heart, making her feel so much better than she could've possibly expected.
. . .
"The fifth matchup includes a passionate, manly fighter made of rock! The hero course's Eijiro Kirishima!"Present Mic introduced.
"Versus! He was kind of a hotshot in middle school. And just look at that determined face! From the hero course Katsuki Bakugo." Present Mic wasn't wrong as Bakugo's teeth grit.
"I've already seen what you can do." Bakugo commented, "Better be prepared 'cause I'm not gonna hold anything back." He glared.
Kirishima grinned at the blond challengingly, "Wouldn't want it any other way! I like that manly attitude of yours Bakugo!"
"LET'S GET STARTED! Begin!"
Kirishima's skin hardened as he ran to strike Bakugo. Bakugo dragged his hand across the ground, igniting an explosion and sending it toward Kirishima, trying to obstruct his path.
Kirishima stumbled a bit but managed to power through, punching Bakugo. Bakugo held his hands out sending explosion after explosion at the other teen. To hit him with his bare hands would be foolish at this stage of the fight. He had to soften him up first.
"Bakugo sends an onslaught of explosions to Kirishima, but it looks like Kirishima's holding his own!" Present Mic announced.
Kirishima took the blasts, his hardened skin protecting him. He tried punching Bakugo, but the explosive teen kept his guard up, evading the hits. Kirishima did manage to get a few good punches in, scraping Bakugo up a bit.
Kirishima forced his skin to harden more, darting to Bakugo and swinging his hardened fist.
Bakugo tilted his head, however, he wasn't fast enough to prevent being cut. The blond teen forced an explosion upon Kirishima's exposed side. "He countered!"
Kirishima backed up slightly but his feet were planted firmly on the ground, "Nice try, but that's not gonna work on me, Explosion boy."
Bakugo growled in frustration, 'How long will he be able to keep his Hardening up?' He's been sending explosions to wear the armor down, but the redhead was durable. Kirishima continued forward to bash Bakugo, who proceeded to dodge accordingly.
"Bakugo's having a heck of a time dodging Kirishima's attacks!" Present Mic described the scene.
Izuku watched on with wide eyes, "Whoa, Kacchan's on the defensive?" His face became serious as he muttered, "I guess Kirishima's Quirk seems simple on the surface, but it's still effective…"
"It looks like he's trying to wear him down, but Kirishima's just focused on taking out Bakugo." Levy commented.
"I can't imagine taking on Bakugo with that much enthusiasm." Lucy giggled, glad that someone in the class could put up with him.
Bakugo put his palms on the ground igniting an explosion that put some distance between them. Using his Quirk he launched himself over Kirishima blasting the other teen head-on.
Kirishima crossed his arms to shield himself from the brunt of the explosions, but he could feel himself faltering the more he was blasted.
Bakugo landed on his feet, going low and thrusting his hand into Kirishima's side, knocking the teen away. "What's this?! Bakugo's attacks seem to be working now!"
Bakugo's palms smoked as he grinned at Kirishima, "You've been straining to keep your body rock-hard this whole fight, right?"
Kirishima's grin disappeared as beads of sweat dripped off his face.
"But that means you're overusing your Quirk. And sooner or later, you'll fall apart." As soon as he finished that sentence he flashed a giant explosion onto Kirishima.
Kirishima braced himself for the impact, but it didn't end there. Bakugo kept up his barrage of explosions, not letting up for a second. He grinned with a yell as he fought Kirishima's shielded skin.
"Too much!" Kirishima grunted.
"The finishing blow!" Bakugo called as he propelled forward, an explosion stronger than the rest swiping at Kirishima, "Die!"
Kirishima fell back slightly dazed.
"Now I understand why you were trying to avoid a drawn-out match with me." Bakugo panted.
"Kirishima has been knocked out, Bakugo is the winner!" Midnight shouted as the crowd cheered for the explosive teen.
Some of the medbots showed up on the scene to take Kirishima away as Bakugo walked off on his own.
"And just like that Bakugo has advanced onto the next round! An explosive attitude for an explosive Quirk!"
. . .
In the waiting room Tenya was trying to reach his brother on the phone, but only got his voicemail. "Hey, are you there, Tensei? It's Tenya."
"I am currently on a mission and cannot answer the phone." The voicemail automatically answered. "Please leave a message."
Tenya canceled the call, "Oh, well. We'll talk soon, brother."
. . .
Meanwhile, Ingenium ran down the streets before pressing on the communicator in his helmet. "Squad A, head north."
"Squad A, roger!" Squad A man 24A responded.
Sirens blarred seemingly throughout the town as Ingenium ran zoomed. "Right there!" He swiftly turned and leaped toward a building, the engines in his arms allowed him to scale the building.
"No doubt about it. It's him!" He jumped once more landing in a dark alley. "I've found you! Hero Killer!"
. . .
The door to the waiting room opened and Levy walked in. "Oh, hello Levy!" Tenya waved, "Decided to get ready for your match?"
"Yeah, I'm up next so…" She trailed off, "Did you manage to get ahold of your brother?"
"I just tried, but it seems that he's working." He responded.
"Oh, well maybe he'll be free soon." Levy suggested.
"No. It's for the best. When we do talk, maybe I'll get to tell him that I won." Tenya smiled, "After my other displays I just wish to redeem myself."
Levy frowned, "Hey now, it wasn't your fault that Shinso brainwashed you, Tenya."
"I know, it still just bothers me a little if I'm being honest with you." Tenya said.
"You were caught by surprise, it could've happened to anyone." Levy insisted, "But I can see why it would bother you. You've got this in the bag though! All you have to do is push your opponent out as fast as possible."
"I suppose you have a point, but not all of the contestants would let it be that easy…" He said, "I just want to make my family proud."
Levy nodded, "Tenya, they're your family. From the way you talk about them, it seems like they just want you to be happy."
Tenya smiled at the bluenette, as she continued, "Your friends just want you to be happy too. I'm happy that I know you. Your Quirk really does remind me of a close friend of mine."
She laughed thinking about Jet and in turn Droy. They always tried to make her feel better, and they really were some of her best friends. "Your personalities are way different, but you both have such a grasp on your Quirks I doubt anything could ever truly slow you both down."
"I really appreciate that, Levy." And Tenya meant it, "You're one of those in class who truly tries to look on the bright side."
"You just never know what you have until it's far out of reach." She looked away, a glimpse of longing in her eyes.
"Ah yes, your memories." Tenya assumed, "I do hope you and Lucy remember more, you both seem to be recalling more with each day."
"Hehe…" Levy nervously laughed, "Bits and pieces, but everything is so… blank? But there have been triggers." And that wasn't far off from the truth, there were just times when her memories came to the surface, even though she didn't really have amnesia.
"Oh, I hate to cut this conversation short but it seems like I'm about to go on." Tenya said as Present Mic started his announcements up again.
"Let's keep pumpin' out these hits and move on!"
"Good luck, Tenya." Levy waved.
"Thanks, you too." He walked off.
"Time for the sixth match! Get ready to watch two new players duke it out!" Present Mic truly pumped up the crowd.
"He's the kid with engines in his legs. Tenya Iida from the hero course! Versus…"
Mina and Tenya could both be seen stretching.
"Is there some kind of purpose to those things sticking out of her head? From the same class, Mina Ashido!"
She chuckled nervously at the fast teen, "Oh man, this might not be good." She rubbed her hands together, 'Pleasewokpleaseworkpleasework…' She prayed, she only had one shot.
"Now let's get started!"
Tenya got ready, his engines slightly lighting up, as Mina put her hands to her sides.
"Begin!"
Tenya sped forward and Mina immediately jumped, oozing acid from her hands as much as she could, this being her only plan. The reflexes and agility she got through years of dancing really came in handy.
Tenya's eyes widened as he slid forward, trying to steady himself, but it was no use, he was out of bounds.
"Iida is out of bounds! Add Ashido to the bracket!"Midnight pointed her flogger toward the pink girl.
"Our fastest match yet! He may have lost, but there's no denying that speed! And Ashido's quick reflexes ended up bagging her the win! Do her horns help with aerodynamics or balance?" Present Mic remarked with a laugh.
"That really worked?!" Kaminari gaped.
"Simple, yet effective. Ribbit." Tsuyu replied.
"That match went nothing like I expected, I've obviously underestimated Ashido…" Izuku was once again muttering to himself as he scribbled in his notebook. "Although, now that I think about it, she has been doing really well in class…"
"She has great power, but she won cause of her great physique, I never would've thought she could jump that high. But the way she navigates her acid shows great coordination..." The scribbles continued.
"Now, let's not let this hot streak cool. Time to move on to the next match!"
"She may be tiny but she's been leading the sports festival! The hero course's Levy McGarden! Versus…"
Levy walked out, "Tiny?!" Oh, how she missed Wendy…
"A passionate manly fighter made of steel. The hero course's Class 1-B's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!"
"That intro feels familiar!" He roared.
'Made of steel?' Levystudined her opponent then shook her head,
"Begin!"
They both charged toward each other. Tetsutetsu used his Quirk to transform his body into steel, causing Levy to falter a bit.
'Gajeel…' She frowned as she was knocked back, "Ugh!"
"I thought you were supposed to be strong!" Tetsutetsu bellowed.
Levy flipped through the air, landing on her feet. "Sorry, I got distracted! But I'm ready now!"
"Solid Script: ARMOR!" The word vertically began at her torso with the 'A' acting as the breastplate extending to her arms and descending with the second 'R' covering her legs. The word was mirrored on her back as well. Unfortunately, it didn't do much to protect her head.
"WHAT AN AMAZING QUIRK!" Present Mic called, "Where are these kids coming from?!"
"Don't think that's gonna help ya!" He swung again, this time Levy tried to block the blow with her arms.
CLANG!
It still hurt, but not as much as the first blow, so at least the spell was working properly. But Levy didn't want to solely rely on her armor so she dodged the punches.
'How do I take him out? Assuming he is made of actual steel I wouldn't be able to use lightning or fire, and he'll be extra durable…' Levy ducked a hit, springing back up to uppercut Tetsutetsu.
CLANG!
'Not as strong as Gajeel's scales, but hitting him with my bare fist won't be as effective.' Tetsutetsu stumbled back a bit when the hit connected but merely cracked his neck and grinned.
"Now we're talkin'!" He laughed, "I saw ya before, don't hold anythin' back now, you hear me?!" He bounded for Levy as the girl lept back to gain some distance.
"Solid Script: Bullet!"
'BULLET' formed and the word dispersed into many different lights, shooting the boy.
He crossed his arms, and the magical bullets hit him.
"AUGH!" He groaned, "Usually bullets bounce off me, your Quirk must be strong, which means I need to just finish this faster!"
'It's like Bakugo's fight with Kirishima, maybe I can wear him down.' Levy would have to draw out the fight and keep bombarding him with spells.
Feeling the force of his elbow against her side, knocking her back slightly, she hissed at the pain but stood tall.
"You're not so bad either." She held up her hand, "Solid Script: Storm!" The word 'STORM' formed, and from the 'O' came a spiraling gust of wind, heading straight for Tetsutetsu.
His steel allowed him to hold his ground, but he could feel his feet scraping against the floor. "I'm not gonna let some air stop me!"
Levy used the wind to propel herself forward, "Solid Script: Sword!" Her other spell dispersed and the word formed against her arm. The next few moments were filled with sparks as Levy slashed him with her sword.
He held his arm out in front of him to take the brunt of the attack. 'Damn, she really is strong… This is starting to sting!'
Using his other arm, he punched her back, and she rolled away.
"Dark Écriture: Wings!" The wings sprouted from her back, "Solid script: Drill!" Clapping her hands together she flew, corkscrewing through the air directly into Tetsutetsu.
"Talk about a screwy attack!" Present Mic quipped as the crowd awed at the display.
Tetsutetsu fell back as Levy landed in a crouch, panting.
"You're a tough one…" She said rising to a full stance.
"Ya got that right." He said rising to a stance, "And I'm not backin' down just yet!" Tetsutetsu huffed, his body heavily scraped as his eyes lit up.
"This fight's been tougher than I was expecting!" He smirked.
Levy had one more last-ditch effort to win this thing, "You're tough Tetsutetsu, almost as tough as a dragon I know back home."
"A dragon? Like Ryukyu?" He questioned.
'Oh, yeah that dragon hero. Huh, I wonder how the dragon slayers would feel about her.' She wondered, before setting the thought aside.
"Sorry, but this ends here, Testutetsu."
"Solid Script: Magnet!"
'MAGNET' Formed behind the fighting line, and Tetsutetsu's eyes widened as he dug his steel fingers into the cement to still himself.
"What the–?" He was cut off by Levy.
"Solid Script Magnet!"
A second 'MAGNET' formed beside the first one and Tetsutetsu's body rose off the ground, his fingers still tethering him to the earth.
"Not cool! It's not gonna be that easy!" Tetsutetsu deactivated his Quirk, and his body fell back to the ground as he attempted to get up to recuperate.
Levy didn't allow him a moment to recover as she briskly scooped him up and threw him out of bounds.
"Tetsutetsu is out of bounds! McGarden moves on to the next round!"
"Ugh…" Tetsutetsu tossed his head back as the match finally caught up with him. "Should've eaten more iron."
Levy jolted slightly but hid it quickly bowing to the crowd in humility. Her armor disappeared in a flash along with her wings. She never knew she could be so strong, maybe now she could give Gajeel a run for his money. She giggled at the thought before Present Mic spoke up.
"And our very own librarian hero in the making moves onto the next round! Let's give a hand to our fighters!"Present Mic pumped the crowd and they screamed in delight
"His Quirk really does give him metal-like properties!" Izuku said as he made a new page in his notebook, "It's really similar to Kirishima's, I wonder what kind of density it has to be able to protect him from Levy's Quirk…" He muttered as he flipped to the page on Levy's 'Quirk.'
"Levy's really powerful huh, Deku?" Ochaco asked, she was feeling a lot better now, especially after she had rehydrated, her eyes had been so red from crying.
"No doubt about it." Izuku responded, "She really knows how to use her Quirk."
"We've had a lot of practice." Lucy offhandedly commented, before realizing several heads turned toward her.
"Oh, I mean, back in our village the Quirk restrictions were a bit different." She tried to cover it up, "Unlike here in Japan, we were advised to use our Quirks for self-defense or practicality."
Izuku was honestly really impressed with how Lucy could come up with that on the spot, the perks of being a writer. The class seemed to be satisfied with the answer as they watched the med bots collect Tetsutetsu.
. . .
"The eighth and final battle in the first round of matches. The great creator! She was admitted because of recommendations and I think we can all see why."
Yaomomo walked out, her face remaining steady, with a hint of uncertainty. "From Class 1-A Momo Yaoyorozu! Versus!"
"He's got skills! But at the expense of some really creepy-looking elbows. Also from the hero course, it's Hanta Sero!" Sero smiled, but his eyebrows furrowed, "That was uncalled for."
"And now for our concluding match for our first round!"
"I don't know if I can really win this fight." Sero stretched his arms where his tape dispenser was."
"Begin!"
Tape shot out from Sero's elbows, "But man, I don't really feel like losing either!"
Momo created a shield, and Sero's tape wrapped around it, pulling it away.
'His tape is dangerous, if I can just create some sort of projectile to harm him, then I could use a staff to force him out of bound–'
Momo didn't even get to finish her thoughts before Sero's tape shot out and wrapped around her once more.
"A surprisingly brilliant opening from the underdog!"Present Mic gasped impressed.
Yaoyorozu grit her teeth, 'Not like this!' Creating knives from her body, they ripped through Sero's tape, but the momentum ended up flinging the girl. Momo rolled across the floor before catching herself in a crouch, 'Perfect, now I can counterattack–'
"Yaoyorozu, you are out of bounds! Sero moves on to the next round!" Midnight's voice broke through Momo's thoughts.
"Wha– what?" She glanced down and saw her foot just barely behind the line, "But, I– I hardly did anything…" She whispered to herself.
Everyone in 1-A looked on in shock, including Sero.
"And that's it for the first round." Present Mic called, "To be honest I was kinda pullin' for her."
"Once again, uncalled for." Sero shook his head with a laugh.
"You're supposed to be unbiased, you know." Aizawa told the man.
"Let's just move on already! With that the first round is complete! We're taking a quick break and then we're back with more matches!"
The crowd's enthusiasm was unmatched having been watching the battles intensely and observing the kids' Quirks they definitely weren't disappointed, and from the looks of it, the heavy hitters were beginning to make themselves known.
There were unexpected outcomes to the battles, but not being able to predict what would happen next made each one refreshing. They wish that they could've seen more out of some of the battles, but what they had seen was by no means less impressive. Not one student ever gave up until the end and now things were going to pick up once more with the rest of these battles.
Chapter 19: Sports Festival: Second Round Battles!
Fairy Heroes Academia 19
Sports Festival: Second Round Battles!
Izuku walked to the waiting room, his battle with Todoroki being next. He had been reviewing his notes on the half-hot half-cold teen because he wanted to win…
Yet he wanted to help him somehow…
"Ah. I was looking for you." A gruff voice called.
Izuku had been so preoccupied with his book he hadn't realized anyone was around.
"Endeavor?! Oh, yeah hi! So, uh, what are you doing back here?" Izuku nervously asked, taking a slight step back as Endeavor took one forward.
"I watched your fight against the brainwashing guy." Endeavor informed, "Your power is pretty impressive. Being able to increase your power, while also being able to manifest your power physically…"
"Now one of those abilities was quite familiar." Endeavor's eyes narrowed, "You seem to have much in common with All Might."
Izuku avoided the man's gaze, "Oh, well, I–" His brain searched, "I guess it's just one of those Quirks, y'know…"
"Sorry, I need to get going to prepare for my match." He stepped around the man, heading toward the waiting room once more. He contemplated the possibility of Endeavor knowing about All Might's secret, 'I can't let him find out…'
Meanwhile, Lucy carried drinks in a bag as she walked down the hall. She had volunteered to pick up refreshments for the class.
"It's my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might as the number one hero."
Both Izuku and Lucy froze. Izuku was across the hall from Endeavor, while the wall had hidden Lucy.
"And his match with you will be a good testing ground for how much training he has left. So hit him hard." Endeavor commanded, "Don't disgrace yourself or him by holding back."
"I refuse to rely on my old man's fire Quirk. You see, I'm going to show him that I reject his power and take first place without using it." Todoroki's words played in their heads.
"That's all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you."
Lucy gripped the bag closer to her, she couldn't even begin to imagine that this was what Todoroki had to deal with… She didn't want to believe it, for her classmate to be related to someone like that…
'Todoroki… Just what have you been through?' Lucy thought to herself.
"Endeavor." Izuku's voice pulled her back into reality.
"I am not All Might."
"What?" Endeavor turned to the boy, "What are you talking about–"
"And the same goes for Todoroki." He actually glared at the hero, "He may be your son, but he isn't you."
The man met his glare, but Izuku didn't falter, he just walked away from the flaming man.
. . .
"I'm back," Lucy said sitting beside Levy and putting the bag down. She automatically began passing out water bottles, as she thought about what she just witnessed.
"Thanks Lu!" Levy chirped, before noticing the blonde's expression, "Everything okay?"
"Huh?" Lucy shook her head, recovering from her thoughts, "I just… overheard something troubling." She admitted.
"Today has been somewhat troubling, hasn't it?" Tenya noted softly to himself.
"You're telling me…" Momo sulked.
Lucy and Levy frowned upon hearing their friends' words.
"It's no time to wallow." Tokoyami chimed in nearby, "Use this next fight as a source of encouragement." Tokoyami would be lying if he said he was happy he lost, but he put up a decent fight, and his opponent was one of the best in the class.
The two silently nodded, still feeling disappointed but realizing it was pointless to reflect on it at the moment.
…And they had to admit they wanted to see how this battle would turn out.
"Tokoyami's right," Levy said, "We could all probably learn a lot watching these two." Levy leaned forward, "The way they fight could be interesting, against each other…"
Levy's words hung in the air as the fire around the arena flared. The crowd screamed with anticipation as Present Mic spoke, "I can feel the anticipation in the stadium! That's cause the second round's first match is gonna be epic!"
Todoroki stepped out of his side of the arena, "It's the guy who won his last fight by a landslide and literally left half the audience frozen. The hero course's Shoto Todoroki! Versus!"
Izuku met the other boy's steely gaze with a hard one of his own. "This kid almost walked out of his first matchup, but made a stunning comeback by showing off that flashy Quirk! Also from the hero course, Izuku Midoriya!"
The class cheered along with the audience as the two teens in the arena-sized each other up.
"So here we are," Todoroki said to him.
"And only one of us can win," Izuku responded.
Bakugo looked on from his seat with interest, not that he'd ever admit it.
"How do you think this match will go?" Uraraka asked the fairy girls near her.
"Guess it'll depend on if Izuku can knock him out of the arena first," Levy said thoughtfully.
"Or if Todoroki can capture him in ice," Lucy added, "...or maybe if he used his fire." She knew it wasn't likely based on how convicted he was, but under the right circumstances…
. . .
In a dark room, various items were strewn about, papers were pinned upon a board, and shelves were filled with different books and figurines. The only light present in the room was a screen that had a figure hunched over it watching footage from the Sports Festival.
"Pay close attention to them, Tomura Shigaraki." His master spoke, "These two can prove to be formidable obstacles to you one day."
"Ha," He scratched his jaw, "I'm not worried about a coupla kids."
. . .
"These two heroes in training have both displayed their talents in the Sports Festival! But which of these rivals will advance to the next round?"
Izuku flexed his fingers, as Shoto brought his right foot down in preparation.
"Begin!"
"Now…" Todoroki's ice spread toward Izuku, and the boy's body lit with his own power. "Smash!"
Izuku's fist shot forward, crushing the ice and even creating a force with the excess power he poured into the punch. Todoroki grunted, using his ice to plant him firmly on the ground.
Vapors of ice rushed against the audience, causing many of them to shield themselves from the harshly cold winds.
A half-shell of ice kept Todoroki from being blown away by Izuku's attack.
"Wow! Midoriya was able to counter Todoroki's attack!"Present Mic noted, "Keep in mind Todoroki's the same guy who froze half the arena!"
Izuku activated One For All, ready to rush Todoroki. Todoroki noticed that familiar glint in his classmate's eyes. The half-and-half boy clenched his teeth as he sent ice barrages at his opponent.
"Smash!" Izuku called, swinging his arms to counter Todoroki's waves of ice.
Todoroki shielded his face as Izuku's attack sent some of his own ice back toward him. He glared at Izuku, knowing this tactic wouldn't work forever and his opponent would eventually try to close the distance.
'I don't know much about Todoroki's fighting style,' Izuku thought as he studied the other fighter, 'He's powerful and usually attacks so fast, I don't want to rush in and get caught off guard.'
He noticed the ice around Todoroki, figuring that the small wall behind him would keep him from easily being pushed out of bounds. A sheet of ice formed between the two from Todoroki's previous attacks.
'There has to be a weak spot somewhere…' Izuku thought as Todoroki sent more spikes of ice toward the boy. Izuku's fist crashed into the ice sent his way, neither teen relenting.
Back in the stands Kirishima elbowed Bakugo, "Kinda crazy how you and Todoroki both have moves that blast the whole stadium. Must be pretty nice!" He threw his arms up.
"Plus, you don't have to pause between attacks." Sero leaned forward.
"You guys might be getting ahead of yourselves," Levy pointed out, "Even if it doesn't seem like it, it probably takes a lot of energy and concentration to control power like that."
"Like you're one to talk…" Kaminari muttered, "You send out your Quirk the same way."
"Exactly." Lucy snapped her fingers. "That's how we're familiar with this. Levy and I actually get really exhausted from overusing our Quirks. Since we arrived in Japan, though, we haven't really had that problem."
"They're right." Bakugo calmly relented, "If you overuse your muscles you risk tearing them apart. If you sprint too much, you run out of breath. Quirks are physical abilities, too. They can get worn out. You can't just use them nonstop."
"It makes sense when you put it that way." Kirishima scratched his cheek.
'Bakugo knows what he's talking about…' Levy looked at the red-eyed teen closely, 'If we're not careful about our magic, he might notice they're not like other Quirks…'
"Izuku might be trying to outlast him." Lucy said, "He could probably win an endurance match, but he's being on the safer side and keeping his distance, not necessarily a bad move."
"Not necessarily a wise one either," Tokoyami countered, "Given enough time Todoroki can think of new tactics, although the same could be said for Midoriya as well." He closed his eyes and crossed his arms.
"This battle could go either way."
Back on the field, Todoroki paused as he realized something, "You want an endurance match." He stomped his right foot, "But I'll end this quickly!"
"Smash!" Midoriya clapped his hands together, shattering the chunks of ice heading for him. Unfortunately, the vapors created from the shatters obstructed the view of Todoroki sliding toward him.
"And Todoroki rushes forward first!"
Todoroki propelled off the ground ready to strike Izuku, but the freckled-boy lept away with his Quirk, landing in a crouch as Todoroki struck the spot he had previously been.
Ice spiked on the ground in the area Todoroki struck. Izuku's eyes widened realizing that if he were hit he'd be vulnerable to getting frozen. Todoroki's head snapped toward Izuku as the ice spread toward Izuku.
'His control is amazing!' Izuku took a page out of his classmate's book and stomped his right foot causing the ground to quake and most of Todoroki's ice to crumble.
Todoroki used his ice to ground himself, once again creating a small wall to stop himself from being propelled away. "You're smart to keep your distance." Todoroki acknowledged, coming to a full stance. Frost began to cover parts of his clothes and skin, even his hair glistened in the sunlight.
Vapors escaped Todoroki's mouth as he observed Midoriya. "What's the matter? Are you tired of countering my attacks? Don't want to get too close?"
Izuku's brows furrowed, 'It's not just his Quirk that's powerful. His judgment, mobility, reasoning… All of it… is incredible.' He couldn't help but admire someone like Todoroki, but that didn't cloud his judgment, he could see it…
Todoroki's frost-covered arm could be seen trembling slightly, probably not as obvious to the audience, but Izuku could see it clear as day, 'Is he reaching some kind of limit?'
Todoroki rushed forward to strike once more, he began to bombard the freckled teen with punches. Izuku used his superior speed from his Quirk to evade, knowing the strikes could still freeze him.
"I'm sorry about this," Todoroki spoke between his punches, "But thanks for drawing it out." The cold vapors escaped as he spoke. "He's furious I'm not using his power." He chanced a glance over to Endeavor, who watched the match with a stern eye.
Izuku jumped away from the half-and-half boy. He had told him about this before when he gathered Lucy, Levy, and himself…
"The reason I picked a fight with you was to show my old man what I was capable of doing. Without having to rely on his damned fire Quirk." Todoroki removed his hand from his face and focused on the three, "You see, I'm going to show him I reject his power, and I can take first place without using it."
"Why don't we end this?" Todoroki suggested with his icy gaze on Midoriya as more ice than before shot out toward the green teenager.
"Todoroki continues his overwhelming attacks!"
The ice shards grew in size as they raced toward Izuku, the freckled teen planted his feet firmly on the concrete as he spread his arms. "I'm not done, yet!" He clapped his hands together, immediately creating a shockwave that shattered the ice and sent Todoroki flying back into his wall of ice, dragging him across the arena.
Todoroki was nearing the edge when he recreated his ice wall, stopping him just short of elimination. "You've had yet to directly attack this entire time, yet you persist. Why drag this out? What do you have to prove?"
Midoriya stood tall, panting slightly, his fists cold and his hands tingly from combating Todoroki's ice this entire time. "I'll admit, I am tired, but you… You're trembling Todoroki… It's easy to forget that Quirks are physical abilities, and that means there's a limit to the cold your body can take, right?"
"Usually you'd make up for the drop in temperature by using the heat from your left side. But you're refusing to do that now." Izuku crossed his arms, "Listen. We're all giving it our all to try and win."
The students sat there transfixed to the usually shy teen's display of confidence as he continued his speech, "To make our dreams into a reality. To become number one!"
Izuku glared at Todoroki, "You think you can win with half your strength? Look at me Todoroki. You haven't managed to put a single scratch on me yet." Todoroki returned the glare.
"Sure, I'm tired, but that's nothing. So come at me with all you've got!" Izuku declared in anger.
"What about you, Midoriya?" Todoroki finally spoke, "We all saw your round with that brainwashing guy." Izuku gulped slightly, "You have another Quirk that you refuse to use. How is this any different?"
"I-I don't know how to control that power yet… I barely managed not to break my body when I use my Quirk…" He turned his head slightly, "I could've hurt people…"
He met Todoroki's gaze, "But if I could use it, you better believe I would. Like you can." He said firmly.
Todoroki frowned in frustration, "You want my fire? Did my monster of a dad bribe you or something?" He rushed forward for his opponent, "Now I'm mad."
Anyone with a good eye could tell Todoroki was moving slower. Lucy watched the match with interest, "Kinda like magic, huh?" She said quietly to Levy.
"Like magic? What's that supposed to mean?" Jiro commented from nearby.
"Like the magic meter in a videogame, right blondie?" Bakugo brashly interjected, "I was thinking the same thing, actually. He must've wasted some of his power on Sparky and hasn't been able to recover."
"Serves him right," Kaminari huffed, "Dude went way overboard!"
"Weren't you just going to discharge your electricity all over the place and fry your brain?" Jiro teased with a laugh, causing Kaminari to sputter indignantly.
Izuku waited for the perfect time, and there! Just as soon as Todoroki's right leg raised in his run, Izuku charged forward, knocking the boy away, but not before his arm was frozen.
'That's what I was worried about!' He grunted as he regained his footing, Todoroki stomped his right foot, sending ice at Midoriya.
'He and his ice are slowing down, if this keeps up we'll both be frozen.' Izuku aimed a kick sending Todoroki hurling across the arena, Todoroki dragged his right hand down forcing himself to stop with his ice.
Izuku looked down at his frozen leg and frowned. He slammed his free fist against his frozen arm and leg shattering the ice. They felt a bit numb, but he would force himself to keep fighting through as long as he was able.
"Why continue?" Todoroki asked, "Why not just give up when you know you're outclassed?"
"I want to live up to people's expectations." Izuku responded, "I wanna be able to smile while doing something good for them. I wanna be a pro!"
"Whatever it takes to be a hero!" He declared.
"Shoto." Todoroki heard his mother's voice.
A fist slammed him back into reality, "That's why I'll give it my all like you should be!" Todoroki skidded back as Izuku continued to speak.
"There's no way I can know what you've gone through, or why you're even here. Your life has been so much different than mine, but right now… Stop Screwing around!"
"If you wanna reject your father, fine, but you don't have the right to be number one if you aren't going to use your full power."
Memories flashed within Todoroki's mind, memories of his mother, of his father, of his training, of simpler times…
"Please stop pushing him, he's only five years old!" Todoroki's mother pleaded as his father scoffed. "He can take it. Get outta my way."
A smack could be heard as Todoroki's mother yelped.
"Momma?" Todoroki cried.
Frost expanded across the right side of Todoroki's body. "Shut up." He growled.
"I don't want to be the kind of guy he is!" Five-year-old Todoroki sobbed into his mother's shirt. "I don't wanna be someone who bullies and hurts people, Momma!"
A loving hand gently came to stroke Todoroki's hair, "But, honey, you do still wanna be a hero, don't you?"
"Just remember, stay true to yourself. You can be the kind of hero you want to be when you grow up."
"You're not even trying to use your full power!" Todoroki noted again, seeing the hypocrisy in his words.
Izuku frowned, knowing that he did have a point. He came to a halt, closing his eyes for a single second to search for his power. "You're right… I can't let fear hold me back forever if I ever want to learn how to control it… I've got to use it!"
He grabbed his right wrist with his left hand, holding it forward. A black mass began to form, shocking Todoroki.
Endeavor pulled Shoto away from his siblings, "They live in a different world than the one I'm training you for."
"Mom?" Shoto was looking for his mother when he overheard her speaking on the phone… "I feel like I'm going crazy. Every day, the children seem more like him. And Shoto."
"That child's left side sometimes looks unbearable to me." The kettle in front of her steamed on the stove, "All I can see is his father. I can't raise him anymore. I want to run away from this life."
"Mom, what're you saying?" He mumbled from the doorway.
She gasped as the kettle whistled, turning with a horrified look in her eye.
"I'll surpass you!" The black tendril formed and headed directly toward Todoroki, wrapping around him, they immediately froze, with the ice traveling rapidly to Izuku, he raised his arms and slammed Todoroki down, shattering the ice and releasing Todoroki in the process.
'I remember…' Todoroki thought to himself.
"Moronic woman. To hurt you at such an important time..." Endeavor ranted as Todoroki passively stood there, his left eye wrapped.
"Where did momma go?"
"Huh? Oh, she hurt my masterpiece so I put her in a hospital to keep you safe." The man answered dismissively.
"That was your fault." Todoroki growled.
"Huh?" Endeavor turned to face Shoto.
"You're the one who made her hurt me!" He angrily said, tears spilling from his one good eye.
'I will reject you.' Todoroki struggled to stand, "I refuse to use my left side."
"It's yours! Your Quirk, not his!" Izuku screamed to his rival.
"Yes. That's right." All Might's voice said, "Children often do inherit Quirks from their parents, or develop similar power sets. But the most important thing to remember is a Quirk is what you make of it, regardless of your history. You decide how you'll use it."
A young Todoroki before the incident leaned into his mother smiling as he watched All Might on TV, "That's what I mean when I say "I am here." Only you can decide to become a hero, no one else."
"Take this to heart kids! You've got it!"
"Honey, you do still want to be a hero, don't you?" His mother said, "Just remember, stay true to yourself."
'I didn't realize how much I'd forgotten.' Todoroki thought. He watched as Izuku's brows furrowed and a bead of sweat dripped down his face as he concentrated the power into his hand again.
"You are not a prisoner of your lineage." His mother had said, "It's okay to use your power to become who you want to be."
Remembering his mother's words and seeing Izuku's resolve caused something to spark within him. First, his scar blazed, then a fiery inferno overtook Todoroki's place in the arena.
"Is that…?" Present Mic gasped.
"His fire…" The flame reflected in Lucy's eyes as she contemplated Izuku's speech.
'You made him use his father's power.' All Might watched his student, 'Midoriya. Don't tell me you were trying to save Young Todoroki this whole time!'
"You're helping your opponent…" Todoroki said as the ice on his skin began melting from the flames, "You fool. Even though you wanna win this battle. Now which one of us is screwing around?"
Izuku gasped realizing that the difficulty of this fight increased way more, but it was worth it to see the look in his classmate's eyes.
"I want it, too." The fire steadily streamed from the left side of his body, as the frost made vapors around the right side, "I'll be a hero!"
Izuku grinned, and Todoroki gave a toothy grin in return.
Endeavor gave his own grin from the audience. "YES, SHOTO!"
"Huh?" Even Present Mic was impressed with that scream honestly. But he also felt it out of place…
"Have you finally accepted your purpose?" He walked down the steps, and many of the audience turned to face him. "That's it! Very good. This is the dawn of a new era for us! With my blood in your veins, you'll surpass me. You will live up to the reason I created you!" He leaned in closer to watch his son who didn't even bother to acknowledge him at all.
Lucy frowned as she eyed the older man, not liking the man's rant at all. What kind of parent would say something like that to their own child…
"Endeavor suddenly shouts words of… encouragement?" Present Mic said unsurely, "What a doting father."
"Amazing…" Izuku said in awe, getting to see the fire illuminate Todoroki up close was inspiring.
"Why are you smiling?" Todoroki said, "I have better control over my Quirk than you do yours, and with your energy, you're in a bad situation… You must be crazy."
Izuku focused as Todoroki continued, "Don't blame me for what happens next." He stomped his right foot, pouring more power than he usually lets into it as the flames erupting from his body kept him warm.
Izuku's body lit with power as he focused on One For All and the tendrils once more, the two boys sharing a heated look as they both raced to ready their attacks.
"That's it!" Cementoss began to alter the arena, "One of them could be killed."
"As much as I love seeing young men getting it on," Midnight spoke tugging at her sleeve to release her Quirk, "This is too much!"
Todoroki had created a barrage of ice to shoot toward Izuku, who had used the black tendrils to propel himself forward, the icy avalanche slid underneath him, then arced around, like a wave as he used his right hand to use the whips to ski forward, he readied his left fist for a punch. 'Gotta try and get close and give it everything!'
'Come at me with your full power, Todoroki!' He raced forward in a flash.
The ice around Todoroki melted as the fire scorched, "I see now, Midoriya." He lifted his left hand, filling it with power, "Thank you."
Izuku's left sleeve ripped off as he channeled power into his arm, his body flying forward at an amazing speed.
Time seemed to slow as Cementoss successfully managed to create five thick concrete walls between the two teens. They were crushed simultaneously by the opposing fighters, right before the two powerful attacks met in the center wall.
The concrete burst, causing the audience to shield their faces as the debris flew from the exploding in the center of the arena. The force of the wind didn't let up for half a minute and neither did the dust.
"Having great power doesn't mean you'll be a good hero. But these two are amazing..." Cementoss commented surveying the damage caused to the arena.
"What happened just now?" Present Mic was knocked over from his chair, "What the heck is up with your students?"
"The air around the ring had been thoroughly cooled down, and then rapidly expanded when heated up,"Aizawa explained.
"Wait, that's what caused the explosion?" Present Mic quickly sat back down, "How hot did that fire get? Jeez, I can't see a thing! Is the match still going on, or what, huh?"
The dust settled slightly and a lone figure could be seen slumping down the wall outside the arena's bounds. He fell to the ground, unfortunately still not able to grasp the power he was given…
"Midoriya…" Midnight's voice rang out as she gathered herself, being close to the match, "Is out of bounds."
"Todoroki wins! He advances to the third round!"
Todoroki panted as he worriedly looked at Midoriya, realizing just how close that had actually been. His gym outfit had been burned off where the fire had formed from his body, and he had sweat dripping down his chin.
The crowd erupted in cheers at having witnessed that passionate battle. Midoriya was taken away to get checked up and healed, and Todoroki walked out of the arena.
He stopped as he saw a familiar figure in the hallway, "What's the matter?" Endeavor smirked, "Not gonna tell me to get lost?"
"You need to learn to control your left side. Not only did that kid almost get the upper hand…" He scolded him, "But it's also dangerous to release so much energy like that."
"But I'm glad you're finally seeing reason." He spread his arms, "Now that you've abandoned your childish rebellion, we can get back to what's important."
"After you graduate, you'll work by my side. I'll lead you down the path of the mighty, Shoto." Endeavor grinned.
"I haven't abandoned anything," Todoroki said, to Endeavor's confusion. The teen looked at his left hand, "You're a fool to think my feelings could be so easily reversed. Instead… Out there…"
"For that one moment… I forgot all about you." He admitted.
Endeavor gasped as his son walked past him, "Whether that's good or bad, whether it's the right thing to do, I don't know."
He walked away from his father, "Maybe I don't need you."
. . .
"He wasted a lot of energy on that last attack," Recovery Girl informed Toshinori as the man crossed his arms, "He'll be fine, I'll heal him up and he should be ready to go before the next match."
"Kids these days," She complained, "You'd think they'd want to take it easy, but all they want to do is prove themselves. I suppose there are worse traits to have…" Recovery Girl sat in her swivel chair, "You've really lit a fire under this child, he works hard to make you proud. I'm just glad he's not breaking his body to be here anymore."
"Usually this is around the time I complain about how you push too hard and shouldn't encourage it, but…" She looked at Izuku who watched her with tired eyes, already going through the first half of his treatment, "This time I think he needed it, they both did..."
Before All Might could respond four heads burst in.
"Deku!" "Izuku!" "Midoriya!"
Ochaco, Levy, Tenya, and Tsu all shouted the boy's name as they saw him, lying somewhat drowsily.
"You scared the crap outta me," Toshnori muttered after being startled by the teens.
"Are you okay?" Ochaco stepped toward Deku in his infirmary bed, before noticing the blond man, "Oh, it's nice to meet you, sir."
"Oh, yeah!" He waved nervously to the girl as sweat dotted his face, 'She doesn't recognize me.' He thought, semi-relieved.
"How's he doing?" Levy asked her faux granny.
"He received the first half of his treatment," Recovery Girl informed, "And he'll receive his second soon, he should be able to return with you in a moment for the next fight."
Levy nodded, "They're still fixing up the arena, but Lu's preparing for her battle anyway."
"Ah yes, Lucy's next. I'll be sure to watch, but I'm sure she'll have no trouble." She grinned, although she was a bit biased she truly believed Lucy was a force to be reckoned with. "You've both been doing very well."
"That was an impressive battle, Midoriya." Tsu commented, "Your mobility with those black things could use a little work, but seems promising. Ribbit."
"Thank you," He rubbed his eyes, "That was the first time I've ever really tried that."
"What, seriously?" Ochaco gaped, "No wonder you hadn't mentioned it."
"Yeah it's pretty new, but I figured I couldn't just urge Todoroki to use his power if I wasn't using my own…"
"It was indeed impressive," Tenya's face was a little downcast, "I was hoping you would win, but you put on a phenomenal display just the same." He gave a small smile to the other teen.
Levy noticed the look on Recovery Girl's face. "Alright, let's get going everyone." She said ushering them out of the room, "Izuku will catch up with us when he's fully healed up." She waved once more to All Might and Recovery Girl before leaving too.
"I'm sorry." Izuku finally said to Toshinori.
The skinny man gasped as he faced his successor, "I couldn't do what you asked of me…"
"You must introduce yourself to the world, and proudly say "I am here!"" All Might told him, and he's been carrying those words with him since.
"If I had shut up, not said anything… I might have been able to beat him. But I…" Izuku trailed off, searching for the words to continue.
All Might spoke instead, "You got Todoroki to realize something very important about himself."
"I guess so… In his first match, he looked so sad." Izuku could picture Todoroki thawing Kaminari, with that glum expression, "I was trying to figure out why when I should've been focused."
"I made a bigger mistake, though." He admitted, "When we were fighting, I was just so frustrated. I couldn't see the bigger picture. Or what it would take to win. I even used that power after I said I wouldn't… I'm sorry."
Even Recovery Girl was saddened by the scene, the boy wasn't wounded horribly on the outside, but on the inside, he was hurt. She wanted to chastise All Might for inadvertently pushing the kid so far but now wasn't the time.
"It's true that the match didn't go how we wanted it to, and realizing where you went wrong won't change that." Toshinori explained, "But, listen. Meddling where you don't technically have to, is the essence of being a hero."
Izuku's lip trembled slightly as All Might continued, "And as far as I'm concerned, you use your power your way, how you see fit. If you think you can handle it, then you do it, just don't try to rush anything."
"I put everything I had into the Sports Festival. But still…" Izuku trailed, "There were other competitors who fought for the victory harder than I did. So maybe–"
All Might cut him off, "You're thinking it might be better for someone else to be my successor. Right?"
"Right." Izuku sagged slightly.
"You speak the truth." All Might admitted, "This place is full of incredible potential heroes. One For All is a crystallization of power. It bolsters Quirks."
"For example, if Young Todoroki were to inherit it, the strength added to his own Quirk would make him an unbeatable superhero. Even Lucy or Levy would become even more formidable, presuming they could even it."
"Then–" Izuku didn't get a chance to say anything before All Might continued.
"But, you know, I was Quirkless, too, as a kid."
Izuku's eyes widened as he looked at his hero, "Quirkless? Seriously?"
Toshinori's skinny face smiled as he spoke, "Back then it wasn't as rare of a thing. But it was still out of the ordinary. I had someone who believed in my potential."
He remembered looking at the back of the woman in her hero gear, they were both standing on the roof of a city building at night, the lights illuminating from other buildings seemed to make her sparkle in the darkness, "My master gave me One For All and raised me to become a hero."
"You never told me that!"
"Not my fault you never asked." All Might shrugged, "Which is honestly surprising."
"I just can't believe it… Quirkless, you…" Izuku said trying to wrap his mind around it.
"That's right. The day we met, I saw little of myself in you. But kid, you've gone above and beyond my expectations time and time again. One day you're gonna do even more incredible things with One For All. That's something I truly believe."
Izuku wiped his eyes, feeling a weight lift slightly from his mentor's words. "Thank you, All Might. I'll do my best."
"Now don't keep your friends waiting any longer," All Might patted him on the back, "Or you might miss Young Lucy's match."
. . .
"Now that the arena's all fixed up from our last match, let's get this show on the road!" Present Mic cheered into the mic, "This next battle is one I'm sure we'll all be able to appreciate!"
"She's been the light of the competition, and the head cheerleader! Lucy Heartfilia!" Lucy walked onto the arena, shaking her head as she remembered the break where she and the others cheered.
"Versus! No less bright in her own way, the diVINE little lady, Ibara Shiozaki!" The vine-headed girl walked out as well, her hands clasped together, figuring this intro was better than the one she received before.
"Oh, I'm fighting you…" Shiozaki noted, glancing at her opponent.
"Uh, yeah hey! Hope we have a good match." Lucy responded, confused at the girl's attitude.
"I've seen you throughout these games in your…" Shiozaki paused as if considering her next words, "Rather revealingoutfits."
"My outfits are cute." Lucy frowned, wondering what the problem was.
"If you could even call them outfits." Shiozaki sneered, "I'm sure if you pray for forgiveness you will be forgiven for your transgressions!" She cried as the sun seemed to beam on her again.
"You don't even know me!" Lucy frowned, "Shouldn't you respect my choice of what to wear as a woman yourself?"
"You have a point, but you must also respect that we have a different idea of what's appropriate to wear." Shiozaki relented.
"Looks like we're gonna have a CATfight, MEOW!"Present Mic purred into the mic, to the shock of the two girls on stage.
"What?" Shiozaki gasped, "No! We're just having a discussion."
"Yeah, a little heated, but not a catfight." Lucy agreed… but it was too late, the audience ate it up as they voiced their support for either girl.
"Now don't go pulling each other's hair or scratching…" Present Mic teased, "Unless you HAVE tooooooo…."
"Enough." Aizawa slapped the back of his head, "Begin!"
Shiozaki's hair plunged into the ground, before bursting in front of her and rushing for Lucy. Lucy gasped as she watched the move.
"Raven Tail's Flare Corona." The announcer spoke as the red-haired woman tilted her head, a creepy smile plastered onto her face.
"Too bad for you, Blondie."
The two had similar abilities, but they couldn't be more different. Lucy was determined this time, no one was going to interfere, and it was going to be nothing like the last time she faced someone with this power.
Lucy's body shone as her outfit was replaced, the vines were oncoming and the crowd watched with baited breaths wondering if she would change in time. With a flick of her wrists, Lucy used her newly acquired twin swords to slice the other girl's attack.
'Hopefully that doesn't make her mad like Flare…' Lucy thought as she stayed on guard. Shiozaki looked unbothered as she sent more vines Lucy's way.
"Are those swords allowed?" A random hero in the audience asked aloud.
"I don't see why they wouldn't be, her Quirk created them, like her clothes right?" Another responded.
"So what are they? Like accessories?"
"Yes!" A woman called out.
"Technically the weapons are allowed since they came from Miss Heartfilia's Quirk! Otherwise, proper paperwork must be filled out." Present Mic explained into the microphone.
"Do any of her other dresses have weapons?" Sero asked Levy.
"There's the bow and arrow," Levy looked thoughtful before shrugging, "Who knows what other outfits she even has… But she's also an expert at using a whip."
"She is?" Mineta blushed as steam shot out his ears and blood dripped from his nose.
Shiozaki looked at Lucy's Cancer Star Dress, the kimono, "I suppose I may have been hasty when judging your outfits, perhaps not all of them are inappropriate."
"Glad you think so, I like them too." She dived out of the way from some more vines. "Don't think complimenting me will distract me from winning." Lucy joked, jumping and slashing at Shiozaki's hair.
Shining once more, her outfit changed, "Star Dress: Virgo!" Drilling into the ground she disappeared from view.
Shiozaki's hair dug into the ground as she worked to find the blonde. "Where could she…" She concentrated on expanding her hair.
"Lucy punch!" Lucy burst from the ground uppercutting Shiozaki, the vine-headed girl flipped onto the ground as she detached the hair tethering her.
Lucy's dress switched back to its Cancer form, using her superior speed she bounded forward, "Lucy kick!"
"Lucy kick!" Lucy didn't want to use her swords for anything other than defense against the girl's hair, but she wasn't above attacking. Shiozaki's hair wrapped around the blonde's leg twirling her around in the air.
Shiozaki slammed Lucy on the ground, causing the blonde to grunt. She raised the girl again to slam her, but Lucy chopped the vine restricting her, flipping midair air to land in a crouch.
How many times had she seen Erza fight? Lucy could recall each time. The very first time was during the incident with the Dark Guild, Eisenwald. She had cut down her opponents with a fierce precision that Lucy could only dream of…
Shiozaki sent vines straight toward her, Lucy gripped her blades, widening her stance. The vines were about to collide when Lucy held the blades out slicing them in half. Twisting her body along with her blades she cleared a path toward Shiozaki, using a speed that rivals Cancer's she shot forward, "LUCY KICK!"
Striking Shiozaki clean in the gut, the girl fell back with a grunt. Lucy didn't let up though, "Lucy…" Charging forward she flipped into the air and struck, "KICK!" Backflipping off of Shiozaki, the vine-headed girl landed behind the boundary.
"Shiozaki is out of bounds! Heartfilia advances to the next round!" Midnight cracked her whip, signifying the end of the match.
"Sorry if I was a bit rough." Lucy apologized as her regular outfit returned, "I just really wanted to win." She laughed, helping the dazed girl up.
"I suppose that is the competition," Shiozaki sighed, "Still, well done. I see why Kodai likes you so much."
"Will these cats ever sheath their claws?!" Present Mic called, "This could be a rivalry in the making!"
A smack could be heard over the speaker, "I told you to stop that."
"I'm just saying what everyone's thinking!"
. . .
Lucy stretched in her seat with the rest of the class, having just come back from seeing Recovery Girl for the scratches she received from Shiozaki's thorns.
"You barely even had to use any outfits!" Ochaco commented to her, "I came up with a whole plan and still couldn't beat her." She smiled sheepishly.
Lucy patted her on the back, "My Quirk is just versatile, and I had the right outfit for the occasion. You did well for your match."
"Versatiley unfair…" Kaminari grumbled under his breath.
"Besides, I've had experience fighting against a Quirk similar to Shiozaki's. Except it was normal growing hair that could light on fire." She said nonchalantly to the class's amazement again.
Levy hid her expression as she remembered Lucy's experience during the games, she had really gone through so much, and her battle with Flare seemed to be one of the lowest moments for her, being cheated out of her win. But that paled in comparison to what Minerva did to her…
Levy shuddered as Mineta spoke up, "I wish I could've seen that fight! Heartfilia dominating another girl!" He drooled.
"I never said I won." Lucy corrected, taking the class off guard.
"It was clever to everyone that you should have won." Levy insisted, "If someone hadn't interfered…"
"You really lost?" Kaminari gasped. "But you're Lucy."
Lucy gave him a weak smile, "You'd actually be surprised how often I've been beaten before, but it only makes me want to get stronger."
"You really are something, aren't you Lucy?" Tokoyami shook his head, "Truly one of the better ones amongst U.A."
"Speaking of one of the better ones," Kirishima pointed down to the arena where two students were in the middle of their fight.
"I've been watching you Bakugo!" Mina pointed as she secreted more acid from her arms, "And I've been listening, too!" She grinned flinging her arms forward.
"There's a first for everything, pinky!" Bakugo retorted blasting the acid away before it could touch him.
There were various puddles of acid around them covering a good amount of the arena, Mina shot more and more to Bakugo who kept blasting it, spreading it around their battlefield.
Mina grinned, surfing along her acid, evading Bakugo's blasts aimed toward her, "The more acid I make the harder it'll be for you to move around! And the more you use your Quirk, the more tired you get!"
"The same applies to you, raccoon eyes!" Bakugo rolled his eyes, "I bet your arms are starting to tingle from overuse already."
Mina's smile became nervous as she kept trying to surf by for lower attacks, getting caught up in some explosions.
"You'd think big bad Bakugo would tone it down for a girl." Present Mic huffed as Mina slid across the arena from one of Bakugo's explosions.
"He's taking her seriously," Aizawa said as if it were obvious, "They can recognize each other's strengths and weaknesses and are fighting as equals."
"If you think that he should go easier 'cause she's a girl," Underneath the bandages, he glanced at Present Mic intensely, "Perhaps rethink your position on being a Pro."
"The fact of the matter is that they are not a boy and a girl out there, they are two competitors." Aizawa directed this toward the audience, cutting off any arguments.
Bakugo rolled his eyes at the chatter, finally having seen enough of pinky's moves, placing his hands behind him he was propelled around, his speed enhanced as he surfed along the acid.
"Wha-What?!" Mina cried as Bakugo began his assault. He blasted back and forth, getting jabs in as he passed Mina, aiming for her legs so she wouldn't be inclined to move them fast enough.
He released a final explosion behind him as he launched himself toward Mina, the blast cleared out the acid from the stage as he moved along, rearing his leg back he kicked the girl, sending her sliding along her own acid, a path clearing behind her as she was knocked out of the arena.
"Ashido is out of bounds, Bakugo moves on to the next match!" Midnight said as the crowd politely clapped, some more genuinely than others, although many agreed with Eraser Head, some still couldn't get behind Bakugo's roughness.
Bakugo rolled his eyes, he didn't care. He was just here to prove he was the strongest, no more, no less.
. . .
"And now we have our final match for the second round!" Present Mic called, "Class A's class representative versus the guy who no one thought would get this far!"
"I'm gonna sue for slander." Sero grumbled to himself.
"He is being unreasonably harsh, probably trying to draw ratings through drama." Levy shrugged, "Personally I'm not a fan."
"Harsh!" Present Mic cried.
"She's harsh?" Sero raised his eyebrow.
"Begin!"
Sero shot his tape at Levy, "Solid Script: WALL!"
The word 'WALL' formed out of bricks, Sero's tape connecting to it, he grinned as he reeled his tape, closing in on the girl behind the wall.
"Dark Ecriture: Wings!" Levy rose into the air, and Sero shot the tape at her legs, one from each elbow connected to her feet, he pulled her down, forcing her closer to his level.
Quickly working, he used more tape to wrap around her legs, and going for her arms, he tied one down to her side, moving for the other one levy swiped at him, swinging her legs around she knocked Sero off balance.
"Solid Script: Sword!" The word cut her bindings, and using her wings she rose once again, Sero used his tape to catch her, but she was ready this time.
"Solid Script: Ice!" Sero's tape froze as it hit the word, the frost expanding across his tape down onto his arms, he slammed it on the ground shattering it. Figuring he had nothing left to lose he grabbed the chunks, connecting two pieces with the tape, he tossed his makeshift bolas at Levy and it wrapped around performing her arms to her sides.
"Just like when you battled Todoroki!" He called, shooting his tape out to drag her back down. This time he used his tape to tape her wings to the ground so she couldn't fly anymore, as soon as he was able to tape her legs she wouldn't be able to battle anymore…
"And Sero gains the upper hand! Could this be it for our blue bookworm?!" Present Mic asked the crowd who hung in suspense, some cheering halting as they watched.
That is until Levy dismissed her wings, and began moving her legs, "Solid Script: Shine!" The crowd went wild watching Levy work to stay in the match.
Sero blinked and rubbed his eyes, trying to clear away the spots from looking directly at the attack. "Solid Script: Storm!" She sent Sero away from her, using another 'SWORD' to cut herself free again.
Sero regained his vision and the two stood facing each other again. "Almost had you there, class rep." Sero grinned, "Are you going easy on me?"
Levy grinned back at the teen, "You're really good at using your Quirk, Sero. Quick with it, too."
"Thanks!" He held his elbow up, shooting more tape at her.
Levy reached out and grabbed it, the tape stuck to her hand, Sero looked shocked for a moment before reeling it in. Levy tugged at the tape at the same time, causing it to accelerate her speed, she jumped up, using both her feet to kick at Sero.
"Ugh!" Sero coughed as he was knocked back. Levy freed herself from the tape before she could be dragged along with him. "Solid Script: Storm!" A gust of wind was created to further his tumble, but Sero used his tape to stick himself to the arena's ground.
"It'll take more than that to get me out!" Sero called over the wind, his tape's stickiness more than enough to keep him tethered.
Levy knew he was right, so she jumped into the wind's stream. Sero's face became concerned as he watched her get closer. She twisted around, readying a kick. Sero tried to duck, causing Levy to misjudge her aim and strike his face.
The force caused Sero's tape to rip as he was knocked out of the arena and knocked out conscious. "Whoops!" Levy said as she rushed over to the unconscious boy.
"Sero is unable to battle! McGarden goes onto the third round!" Midnight called.
"WOW! Now that's packing a punch!" Present Mic called, "Who would've thought that little miss could knock out someone with a good kick?"
"Monsters." Kaminari coughed into his fist, wondering how he managed to survive his match with Todoroki relatively unscathed. He also inched a bit from Bakugo, wondering if he knew he was included in that statement.
Lucy rolled her eyes at his reaction, "Nice one Levy!" Lucy called, causing her friend to grin sheepishly as Sero was taken to recover. Lucy then got up to hurry and prepare for her match, knowing she wouldn't have much time to actually prepare, it wasn't her match that was worrying her though, but rather someone…
Levy walked out of the arena, feeling a little silly for feeling bad about hurting Sero… This was a competition and she would have to be a little aggressive to win, even if they were her friends. Some things couldn't be resolved by just pushing someone out of a ring… She thought about her next match and those crimson eyes that she felt had been watching her.
"AND JUST LIKE THAT!" The girls could both hear Present Mic's voice rang out from inside the building, while the class watched the screen change to four familiar faces.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, our final four!"
The pictures showed Todoroki's left side, his scar on full display. Then it showed Lucy winking at the camera, a cheerful smile on her face. Levy was third and she could be seen confidently beaming. And lastly was Bakugo, a satisfied smile plastered across his face, his eyes as intense as ever.