Chapter 17: Ectoplasm
The lunchtime was a welcomed time off for the half ghost. He needed those calories after the generous waste of the first two rounds. Danny wished to join his friends and classmates at the cafeteria, and on his way he was catching certain glances. He wasn't much different from many of his fellow students, for all of them were the centrepiece of attention, but his prowess must have made him very well known among the visitors. So, he should have expected that attention even outside of the arena. All that's left was to thank the organisers for keeping the press out until the end of the festival. But at this point Danny started to enjoy this. His pride with himself was slowly overlapping the embarrassment.
Nonetheless, his journey through the many festival stands to the place of nourishment was interrupted once again, when on his way the half ghost encountered his guardian and Makoto, who had been looking for him after the match.
"That was a good job out there, Danny," the detective commented with a smile, making his charge smirk.
"Was there ever any doubt?" Phantom asked.
"Well, I am impressed, for one," said Makoto, "It's every bit as Naomasa described."
It was when Danny noticed another person near the two, the one who barged forward with a bright grin on his face. The blond jock-looking hero in a retro-futuristic outfit decided to speak.
"Well, colour me impressed, kid," he spoke in English. "This is one awesome Quirk you've got."
Danny blinked.
"Who are you?" He asked, making the hero deflate, much to Makoto's amusement.
She laughed and patted the hero's shoulder. "That's Captain Celebrity, one of the top American heroes. I am his manager."
"Oh," was Danny's intelligent response, "Nice to meet you, then."
The man didn't appear very pleased to be an obscure figure to his supposed countryman. And the halfa came to notice that.
"I'm surprised you don't know me," the hero voiced his emotions.
"Sorry?" Danny offered weakly. "If it's any better, I know very few heroes. So it's not just you."
"That's not the best consolation," Captain grumbled. "Is he going to be trouble like Koichi, Makoto?"
"I am still here," Phantom responded instead. He never liked to be discussed whilst he was there. "You saw that I can fight."
Makoto sighed. "Captain, I already explained his situation to you. No need to bother him."
"Hey, you want to hire the kid, but it is me who will have to cover him if he does something stupid. I am not running a daycare."
"You are right. I run this daycare," the woman smirked.
"Look, you two," Tsukauchi decided to intervene. "Danny must be tired after the two rounds. Maybe you should save it for later, don't you think?"
Captain smirked. "Yeah, sounds about right. I've wanted to go for lunch, anyhow," he said and turned to the half-dead teen. "See you around, Danny-boy. Don't take what I said close to heart."
The man ruffled Danny's hair and strolled away, towards one of the stands. Makoto sighed and followed him, leaving the halfa and the detective alone.
"I don't like him," Phantom commented.
"He's just concerned, I think. Makoto can be...very biased when it comes to hiring practices. Can't say it doesn't work out in the end, but Captain obviously doesn't want to take that initial risk."
"You all see what I can do."
"Being a hero is not just about defeating villains, is it? Don't worry, I'm sure he is just acting all tough. Perhaps he already made up his mind, I know he trusts Makoto a lot."
"The detective is reading people again?" Danny asked sarcastically.
"Maybe," Tsukauchi winked.
"He reminds me of my school bully."
Tsukauchi sighed. "Nobody is forcing you to accept Makoto's offer. Think of it as a safer option, in case you don't get any better offers. There's...also something else I wanted to talk to you about. It's about that outburst you had out there. I've never seen you like this."
Danny looked away. "It's just...it brings back an awful memory. Each time I get a violent shock, I become ballistic and hyperaggressive, it's some sort of a coping mechanism. My sister has a theory that my brain wants to subdue the pain, and that's the solution my Quirk creates. I get a strong desire to snap the neck of the one who did this."
Tsukauchi's look turned worried. "That's not okay at all, Danny."
"I can control it," the halfa responded. "I'm still...human enough," he mumbled.
That was a very strange choice of words on Danny's part.
"Are you absolutely sure?"
"Old man. Even if I turned into an angsty potato that lied on the ground. Be honest, what could you do?" Danny crossed his hands. "It's pretty much confirmed that ectoplasm stimulates my brain in a way hormones of aggression do when it happens. So you either remove the power cell that keeps me alive or do nothing."
"Not much of a choice," Tsukauchi agreed. "I suppose...electrical Quirks are not that common, and you hold yourself fine enough."
"Told ya. Murderous spree ain't happening, I promise," Danny beamed. "But I WILL be beating those people harder than usual."
"Can't say I'm satisfied, but you are right. Nothing can be done as we speak. I think you should go join your friends. And for the last time..."
"I'm fine, old man. I can keep going."
"Then keep at it, Danny. I'm sure you'll win this."
Danny nodded, before parting ways with his guardian. He made his way towards the cafeteria, buying some snacks from the stands along the way. In retrospect, it was maybe some good publicity. Some people wanted to take pictures with him, and Danny was quite embarrassed to be frank, each petitioner could see it. But, he couldn't bring himself to say no. Thus, the internet soon received a small influx of images where Danny tried his best to appear confident. The word 'tried' should be accentuated. Other contestants didn't seem to have this much trouble from the seems.
Eventually the halfa did make his way towards the cafeteria and his friends. After the customary emergence out of nowhere to the scare of everyone else involved, Danny could finally enjoy some good food in the company of his classmates.
"I wonder what the next round will be," Mina said. "I'm getting all hyped up already."
"There are twelve of us," Danny responded. "So I guess it's a bunch of 1v1 matches."
"That's right, but they change what those matches are each year. Last time it was a chanbara match," Kirishima said, before noticing Fenton's befuddled expression. "Think of fencing. But with samurai swords and techniques."
"And Quirks," Danny finished. "That's kinda cool. Wish I knew fencing. Could add some nice style."
"Don't you have enough?"
"It's never enough for the likes of me," Danny smirked. "You just have to stop yourself before long. One friend of mine suggested some instructors, but I declined. I mean, I got a couple of lessons, I know how to swing the thing, but that's pretty much it. My supernatural reaction helps a bit," his expression then turned more serious. "I really hope it's something more conventional this time."
"Heh, I guess some of us got scores to settle," Grinned Mina and nudged the halfa.
"Got that part right," Danny responded and took a bite out of a hamburger, as his eyes drifted towards one of the targets of his future revenge.
The halfa simply returned to his food, but he was soon nudged once more by his redheaded friend.
"What is it, pal?" Danny asked.
"Hey, check those out," he pointed at a bunch of white girls in cheerleading uniforms. "What's that thing about?"
"Cheerleaders? Seriously?" Danny deadpanned, as the girls noticed him staring and giggled. "Do I look funny?" He asked Kirishima.
"Come on, man, you are skilled in combat but denser than me. Someone is in his popular phase."
The halfa sighed. "I know that. Had a chance to see it firsthand. So they are fangirls, huh?"
"Or they laid their eyes on you," Mina rolled hers. "Sheesh, sometimes I wonder if it's just an act of yours."
"Huh?" Danny sounded genuinely surprised. "Oh, that way. I ain't falling for it again. The last cheerleader I dated had her mind taken over all along."
"Eh?" Both of his friends asked simultaneously.
Some time after the halfa was, surprisingly, approached by his purple-haired classmate of all people.
"Can I help you, Mineta?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, Fenton-san. I was wondering if you're doing something about the upcoming cheer battle."
"Cheer...what are you talking about?" Phantom rubbed his temple.
"Yeah, Mineta, please explain," Mina added.
"So you don't know? We just heard from Aizawa that the girls will be taking part in a cheer battle. You should have known this as a class rep."
If Mineta was looking straight into Danny's eyes, he would have immediately given away that something was not right.
"I...can't say I know that," the halfa rubbed the back of his neck, before shrugging. "Then again, I am a lousy rep."
"Don't worry, Fenton-san! I've already told the girls."
"Of course you have," Danny deadpanned. "Wait, didn't Aizawa say he was going to have a nap?"
"Oh, he just...said this before going."
The halfa didn't feel like he believed Mineta's words. Before he could address this, however, the small boy had already left. Something told him that he should verify that information and save the girls some humiliation. He had an idea for a shorter way. Kendo could be the solution to his problem. It didn't take long for him to find her. Being Yanagi's best friend, she was bound to stay close to the one holding on to Phantom's ectoenergy. The one he could sense clearly. That came across creepier than intended. Nonetheless, a brief talk to the redhead and the ever-shy former companion of his, a rather embarrassing one to be more precise, clarified one thing — that someone was full of shit.
And what do you know, one of those people turned up just here and then.
"Heeey, Fenton-san," came Kaminari's hesitant voice that soured Phantom's mood.
"Kaminari," Danny greeted.
"Look, dude...I was just meaning to say I'm sorry, alright? You told all of us about your trauma, but I still went along with that plan."
The halfa shrugged. "A bit early for that," he responded. "We still have a round ahead of us. You only have one attack, so if we fight...you get the idea."
"Oh, ehm...I'm sorry for that in advance?"
Danny gave a devious smirk. "What makes you think I'll let you even take a step, though?" He asked, making the human teen gulp. "Alright...you are forgiven. But just so you know, I'll do anything to stop that from repeating. Even if it means beating you unconscious," Danny patted Kaminari on the shoulder and went back to his friends.
The electricity-wielding teen released a sigh, full of hopes that he wouldn't have to face that menace again. But, one thing he had indisputably achieved — he managed to buy some time for his and Mineta's plan.
Danny returned to his friends, who by then had finished their own lunch. And he found only Kirishima.
"She decided to join the rest just in case. They were in a hurry," the redhead explained.
"Ain't that just peachy," Danny grumbled.
"Hey, maybe it's not so bad..." Kirishima said slowly, not entirely opposed to the idea of his girl classmates in nice outfits.
"I don't think they will share your opinion."
"Come on, Danny," the redhead wrapped his arm around his friend's neck. "I know you are dense, but you really gotta start enjoying what you can get."
"All we are getting is a bunch of girls who are going to stick out and die from embarrassment," responded Phantom, "And only I get to be a dead man walking here," he added, before the bell rang. The bell that signalised the end of the lunchtime and called for the people present to gather in the stadium once more. "Whelp. They are screwed now."
"Maybe we will catch up to them, they couldn't have gotten far," Kirishima said, accepting his friend's stance. Honestly, why did the usually uncaring teen have to act so incessantly serious at the most inappropriate times?
The two friends made their way to the arena, but the girls must have departed earlier and had taken a different route, for Danny and Kirishima didn't see them on the way to the stadium before it was too late. There they were, dressed in cheerleader uniforms they had taken from god knows where. The boys' surprise was not as profound as others', for they at least knew that this was going to happen. From their faces Danny could read just what he had expected, and he couldn't help a slight sense of guilt coming up. He could go faster, but his...less celibate celibate side must have been at fault. He couldn't make out what the girls were talking about over the noise of the crowd, but he saw Mineta and Kaminari relishing that view.
"So those two were involved," Danny grumbled, realising that he had been tricked.
"Gonna take revenge for that too?"
"Nah. This one the girls can handle, I think," the halfa shrugged, before noticing the confused glances other students were giving the girls of class 1-A.
It was a strong form of Spanish shame. But, whilst empathising with their plight, he knew there were more important things. He had made it to the final round, and he was there to win. Kaminari and Todoroki had done no small job in igniting his competitive spirit. The goal was far from noble, but it was clear and worth striving for in the eyes of a creature as vengeful as a ghost, even if partial. To make sure those two were trampled beneath him was all the revenge he could allow himself. It was, after all, the most humane way of doing so. His partial kin usually picked a different approach.
After the actual cheerleaders, who, as Present Mic explained, were invited all the way from America, finished their show, all students, even those who had failed the last two rounds, were invited towards the stage where Midnight was waiting for them.
"All right, everyone! Let's have some fun competing in the recreational games! When that's over, the sixteen participants that made it into the final round will duke it out tournament-style, one on one!"
And upon this, a lot of observant people noticed one huge discrepancy both on the screen and what was being said.
"Wait..." Tsu mumbled and turned towards her raven-haired classmate. "Fenton-san, your team had only two members, kero."
Danny nodded. "Yep. Guess we're in for a last minute surprise," he said sarcastically, before turning to Kirishima, who had stars in his eyes. "You alright, man?"
"I'm going to stand on the same stage that I watch every year on TV," he said.
"Now, let's draw our lots and decide on the bracket," Midnight pulled out a box. "Now, many of you probably wonder how we are filling the last two remaining slots, since we only have fourteen winners. It has been decided that the captains of the fifth and sixth teams shall be allowed to take part as well."
That meant two new contestants. Class B immediately looked towards the members of team Tetsutetsu, and their corresponding captain, who wore a shocked expression on his face.
"Really?" He asked. "But all members of our team just as much as I did!"
"Maybe," said his teammate, the one with lipless face and revealed teeth, and put a hand on the teen's shoulder. "But you still showed that you deserve getting into the next round. Do you agree?" He looked at the other two teammates, who nodded in agreement. "See?"
The loudmouth teen resisted the urge to shed a manly tear, showing how touched he was by the trust.
"I will do my best," he promised and punched his palm.
"We're sure you will!" Kendo gave a thumbs up.
"Hey, Yanagi-san!" Tetsutetsu excitedly called for the quiet girl. "Guess we both got in!"
Yanagi gave a small smile and nodded.
And the sixth team was not as vocal about their choice. Shinso was the team's captain, but neither the congratulations nor relief was shown. To be frank, none of them felt like they themselves deserved getting further, save for Aoyama. Shinso's feelings, however, remained an enigma, just like his Quirk. Danny stared at him for some time, trying in vain to read him, but the teen was like a stone in that regard. He shared that air with Aizawa, the halfa realised, but did not say this.
Then arrived the time to draw lots. The matches were quite intriguing.
As such, Tetsutetsu was going to be faced by Kirishima. Two teens of great physical strength and the ability to withstand a great deal of damage. The next pair were Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu — an interesting pick as well, for one could counteract the shadow with light-emitting devices, but were too different in fighting styles to make that interesting. They were followed by a pair of girls: Mina was facing off against Yanagi. And the audience was left wondering how they could properly use their Quirks against one another. One would have to be either inventive or redundant. The list went on, showing several more intriguing matches, with Midoriya being put against the enigmatic general studies student, or, finally, Fenton facing off against Kaminari.
When the latter read that, he prayed that he had misread. But no. Everyone shot him sympathetic glances, but when Kaminari turned to Fenton, he saw a grisly, toothy grin flashed towards him, and a pair of devious toxic green eyes.
"I'm so dead," Kaminari said with a meek voice.
"I'll take good care of your doujinshi, Kaminari-san," Mineta reassured.
"I gave you no permission!"
After every matchup was agreed upon and written down, Present Mic continued his job as a narrator.
"Alright, now when that's outta way, let's commence a momentary interlude!"
What followed next was a round of recreational games. The contestants for the next round were allowed to skip those, and many decided to use the time off to prepare, each in a different manner. Some devised their strategies, some rested, focusing on what was coming next. Danny decided to unwind, so he chose to play as well, without relying much on his powers. After his duplicate had brought snacks and water from the sellers standing outside. Joined by Kirishima, they soon decided to go on a scavenger hunt. A harmless activity, aimed at making the students and the viewers ease up. Besides, the journalists and agents did not go anywhere, although the interest from them was evidently much smaller. Good publicity was good, no matter what size.
"Alright, what have you got?" Asked Danny as Kirishima flipped his card.
"Sunglasses," he responded. "You?"
"A dog," the halfa responded dryly. "Just kill me again."
There were other games, like a ball race, and in general it was good time. Perhaps Danny could come across as careless, indulging in the games instead of making preparations. But in all honesty, he was not the only finalist who took that time off. He saw others competing in that friendly round. His eyes caught Yanagi during the ball race. She was obviously using that time to get accustomed to the augmented Quirk of hers. He noticed that without his presence, her Quirk manifested with purple glow still, but it did possess some specs of green. Danny figured he should observe her, lest his ectoplasm did something nasty to everyone involved.
"You feeling alright?" The halfa asked as Yanagi pushed the giant ball forward with her telekinesis.
"It's...nothing out of ordinary," the girl responded.
"You just need to get the hang of it," Kendo gave a thumbs up. "She does, right?" The redhead turned to the halfa.
"Well..." Danny hummed. "Human bodies have some limits. Yanagi-san's are admittedly bigger." He said and turned to the girl in question. "If you feel burning or chills that come from within, don't hesitate to use your Quirk. Ectoplasm needs release or it starts piling up and eating organic matter. My charge lets you grasp more residual energies, and expose yourself to larger amounts of those. But in our line of work this shouldn't be an issue at all. You'll come to use it a lot, after all."
Yanagi blinked. "I didn't know there were such downsides."
"I can take it any time if it causes you any discomfort," Danny offered. "Power doesn't come cheap. My heart doesn't beat, for one."
At this, he received a couple of concerned glances.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm an actual ghost," he sarcastically stated the truth. "Don't worry, I promise you'll be fine."
"Someone is a master of comforting," Kendo responded sarcastically.
"It's better than not knowing," Yanagi said. "Thank you for the warning. I'll keep this in mind."
And finally, the time for recreation was over. Danny himself situated at the special seat alongside his classmates, a bag of popcorn in his hands. He could as well enjoy it while watching. During the time off Cementoss created a fighting arena with his Quirk — a spacious rectangular one.
"Alright, everyone!" Present Mic shouted in excitement. "Here it comes, the finals you've all been waiting for are starting! Match number one: Hitoshi Shinso versus Midoriya Izuku! Even though he's done well, what's with that face?" The announcer commented on the photo of the anxious green-haired teen. "Well, no matter, the rules of this round are simple! Force your opponent out of bounds or immobilise them! You can also win by making your opponent say "I give up!". Bring on the injuries, for our own Recovery Girl is waiting on the standby! Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment. But of course, everything life-threatening is crap! It's not allowed! Heroes must use their fists only to capture villains!"
"I'll stop them if things go too far," said Cementoss, who sat on a cement chair and assumed the position of a ref.
"Alright, now, start!"
The fight did not begin immediately. Shinso was hardly a loudmouth, so his and Midoriya's conversation couldn't be properly heard over the noises around. However, whatever the indigo-haired teen said, it must have infuriated the usually non-confrontational student. It did surprise the half-ghost to observe this, but even more so what followed next. After making just a few steps, Midoriya froze in spot. And Ojiro jumped from his seat not so far from Danny and yelled.
"No! I went through all the trouble of warning him, too!" He exclaimed, grabbing his head. The rest of his classmates were at the edge of their seats as well.
"Hey, hey! What's the matter?" Asked Present Mic. "This is an important first match! Liven things up! Midoriya! The match just started and he is completely frozen?! He isn't moving a muscle! Is this Shinso's Quirk? He didn't stand out at all and yet it is something so amazing!"
"What's…going on?" Asked Uraraka.
"Blank look, lack of hostility…yep, signs are all there," Danny mumbled. "So, mind control it is, Shinso?" He asked nobody in particular.
"What!?" The classmates turned to him.
"This does make sense," mumbled Yaoyorozu. "Is there a way to fight it?"
She asked this, as Shinso issued his simple command to Midoriya— to walk out of bounds on his own.
"I have no idea," responded Phantom. "I'm not brainwashing anyone, I take over bodies. But if it's anything like my overshadowing…enough willpower must snap him out of his trance."
"But to do that his mind must be awake, kero," commented Tsu. "We don't know that."
"I think a jolt should work as well," answered Ojiro. "I told this to Midoriya…but I snapped out of trance after I accidentally ran into someone. But there's nobody who can do that to Midoriya," he said worriedly.
Everyone remained tense, they saw how Midoriya was walking towards his seemingly imminent defeat. But then, when he was close to the edge, something happened, and to Danny's own shock, a gust of air escaped his mouth.
"What the…"
The next second a powerful shockwave emerged from where Midoriya stood, strong enough for everyone to feel the air blowing into their faces. And when the dust settled, Midoriya was still standing at the edge, still not out of bounds, and most importantly — free of Shinso's control.
"Midoriya's has stopped!" Present Mic exclaimed over the noise of the elated crowd.
"Midoriya!" Exclaimed Iida with relief.
"I'm…I'm so glad," Uraraka breathed out.
Danny rose from his seat and approached the railing, his eyes piercing into the green-haired teen. Nobody expected such a lively reaction, but the interest of his was not only due to Midoriya's trick, which left two of his fingers wounded and swollen. Phantom's ghost sense had been triggered, and its source was located exactly where Midoriya stood. It disappeared as quickly as it had come, which made the halfa all the more confused. And besides, he sensed not one, but many traces that showed up for a fraction of a second. Powerful ones, which couldn't belong to someone with ectoplasm-using Quirk. But if they came, then where were they now? Something wasn't right!
But his shock at the underline of Midoriya's unexpected comeback remained largely unnoticed. Everyone was too focused on the match.
"What did you do?!" Shinso demanded to know.
Midoriya stopped himself from responding by putting a palm over his mouth.
"Why won't he answer?" Asked Kirishima.
"Because he finally remembered," Ojiro released a relieved sigh. "I had a theory that Shinso's Quirk activates when someone answers him."
That was quite convenient. Just saying nothing could easily negate Shinso's power. However, Kirishima saw that his friend was very distressed.
"Is everything alright, Fenton?"
"I just sensed…nevermind," Danny responded.
He knew that nobody but him believed in ghosts. It was pointless. And he didn't really know what was going on. In the meantime, Midoriya started approaching Shinso once more. He ran forward, before finally ramming into the general studies student, ignoring the provocative shouts of the latter. Grabbing Shinso, Midoriya started pushing him back, clearly being the stronger one despite the size difference.
"Say something!" Shinso exclaimed and punched Midoriya in the face, leaving a bloodied nose.
But his opponent was unrelenting, so Shinso changed the tactic. He hit Midoriya into his already wounded hand, breaking out of the grip, getting behind the enemy and now attempting to push Midoriya out first. But in the end, the student of 1-A seized the rival once more, and followed it with a shoulder toss and slammed Shinso out of bounds.
The audience exploded into cheers of excitement, and it was no different for 1-A. Danny let himself snap out of his thoughts and let out a cheer of his own.
"That was so manly!" Kirishima said.
"I think I'll go congratulate him in person," Added Danny and turned to leave.
"But he will be coming here soon."
"I'm quite impatient."
He needed to know for sure. That energy amount clearly did not belong to a human.
Danny knew where to go. Midoriya may have won, but his fingers were damaged after…the boy used his Quirk. That story had some missing pieces, so Danny went to the hospital to shed some light onto it. His match wasn't coming anytime soon, in any case. As the halfa traversed the corridors and rounded a corner, he accidentally bumped into a frail blonde man wearing a suit.
"Ouch, sorry," Danny rubbed his forehead, before looking the surprised-looking man over and blinking. "Uhm…are you from U.A. staff?"
"Wh-what makes you think so?" The man chuckled nervously.
"This is a restricted area, no?" Asked Danny.
"Alright, you got me, I do work here. But I needed to go to a hospital."
The halfa tilted his head. "For what?"
Why did young Fenton have to be nosy then all of a sudden?
"I…have a headache, young…child. Nothing serious."
"I was just heading there, too. We can go together, sir."
Toshinori gulped. That certainly complicated the matters. And he couldn't just say no, all hopes were on Recovery girl understanding the predicament. The two of them made it to the hospital wing, where the entrance was decorated with girly stickers. Toshinori always found her inner childishness amusing. He also was the one who walked in first, earning the reaction from Midoriya, who had his fingers and upper palm wrapped in bandages.
"All…"
And then Midoriya noticed Danny peeking in before he had the time to finish the sentence.
"Hey, pal, congrats on your win," the halfa smirked. "Hello to you too, old lady."
"As impertinent as the last time," Recovery girl grumbled.
"What last time?" Asked Midoriya.
"He still refuses to go through half of the checkups," the short old woman grumbled.
"Force of habit," Danny shrugged. "You'll get my weapon-grade blood over my fully dead body."
Toshinori coughed slightly, about to say something of his own, but the halfa noticed this and beat him to it.
"Oh, right. This guy needs some medicine for his headache."
Midoriya could see the discomfort, and All Might would not have come without a reason. Yet, he couldn't reveal himself in front of the halfa, so he had to go. An excuse was needed.
"Uhm, thank you for coming, Fenton-san. I'll join you guys up there soon."
Surprisingly, a smile on Danny's face wavered, and he turned more serious.
"I was also curious," he said and leaned against the wall. "What you did out there was pretty…odd. You haven't seen anything by any chance? Or anyONE?"
Midoriya's face was a strange mix between shock, curiosity and fright at how Danny pinpointed what happened so precisely.
"H-how did you…know that?" He asked, and All Might tensed up as well. They both had a question in their mind. Did he know about the Quirk?
"It's a speculation," Danny scratched his chin. "You know I can sense ectoplasmic energies. When you used your Quirk, I felt it. That's odd, because up until now I got nothing when you used it. And at such a scale, too. You'll think I'm crazy, but did you see someone…else in that arena? Someone who did not appear human?"
"Do you mean that someone else was there?" Asked Recovery girl in shock.
"I…don't know. That's why I'm asking. I never felt this much energy from a human, so I suspected something else," Danny's look turned even more serious. "You clearly saw someone, Midoriya, didn't you?"
"I didn't," the human teen lied through his teeth. Midoriya panicked. He suspected what those 'beings' were. But Danny didn't need to know that. He was getting awfully close to his and All Might's most important secret. "It's nothing serious, Fenton-san."
Danny stared at Midoriya for some time, before sighing. "I'm just worried, is all. I know that this much ectoplasm can kill a normal human. And if it's not someone from the outside but your own Quirk…you catch the memo."
"I'm fine, Fenton-san," the teen reassured. "I promise."
Danny nodded, but on the inside he was still torn. Midoriya looked fine enough, so his Quirk must have allowed him to handle that much ectoplasm. Maybe he was worried for nothing. But why did he feel a surge of energy only now? Midoriya didn't look like he himself knew what it was all about, so the halfa chose not to press yet. Maybe Midoriya's Quirk simply had more layers to it than he had thought.
"If you say so," Danny mumbled. "People who know of ectoplasm rarely understand how dangerous that thing is. More so than beings that are comprised of it. If something weird happens, like you starting to see things or feeling like you are twisted inside out, just ring me up. I told this to Yanagi-san already, but I can always remove the excess," he said with good intentions in heart.
Unfortunately, All Might gained a new fear at that very moment. He got reminded that it was within Phantom's power to reach his hand and take the torch that had been passed from generation to generation. From behind Danny's back the blonde motioned that the discussion had to end. But luckily, it was Danny that deemed the talk over.
"Anyways, we're waiting for ya up there," Danny smirked and turned to leave. "Again, congrats on your win!" he gave a thumbs up and left.
All Might released a sigh. "That was awfully close," he commented. "Now that we are alone…young Midoriya, did you tell him the truth?"
"No," Midoriya shook his head, staring at the door. "In reality, his guess was scarily on point."
"So you saw something?"
The teen nodded. "There…were silhouettes, of eight or nine people, I'm not sure. You were there, too."
"Young Fenton appeared confident that you were seeing…"
"Ghosts," Midoriya finished. "But you are still alive, so it can't be right. But do you think that I was seeing the people who had inherited One for All?"
All Might appeared shaken. "All of this is scary stuff. I also saw something like this before, in my younger days. It's a clear sign you got a better grasp on One for All. I think it's like a trace of something they left behind in One for All. It's not something with intent that can interfere with you, nor can you interfere with them."
"But Fenton-san clearly noticed their presence, too. I'm confused," Midoriya scratched his temple.
All Might's look turned serious. "Young Midoriya, you must also realise the threat Young Fenton may pose even if non-intentionally."
"What do you mean?" Midoriya's eyes went wide. "Fenton-san is a good friend and class representative."
"Yes, but you heard and saw him. He is fully capable of taking One for All."
"He said that it works only with Quirks that use ectoplasmic ener…" a look of realisation crossed the boy's features.
"Which he just confirmed that you may have. Even if…indirectly. Young Midoriya, I don't believe young Fenton to be a dark force waiting to strike. But nobody else must be allowed to take hold of something as powerful as One for All, be it a copy or unintentional passing, you have to understand. And if you get high enough in today's ranks, there's no doubt you'll have to face him. And there's no guarantee that he will be conscious of the consequences and doesn't decide to take…"
All Might didn't finish his sentence, because he was hit by a syringe-lookalike cane of the local nurse.
"Since when is number one hero this paranoid?" Recovery girl asked. "I'll be more worried about Fenton's own wellbeing."
"What do you mean, Recovery girl?" Asked Midoriya.
"I already told you that he missed half of the checkups. But from what I already gathered…he shouldn't be alive by any logic."
Both visitors stared at her, making the old woman sigh.
"Quirks always manifest themselves logically. Quirk factors adapt the whole body, change it so that it can fulfil the purpose. Some are born with Quirks that wound and cripple them. Fenton's…should by all logical sense kill him. His bones and muscles are not fit for super strength, his eyes and hands are not built to fire lasers, his whole body cannot logically withstand low temperatures with ease. And yet he does all that and more. He lacks a heartbeat, and I don't even know how he breathes. I really wanted to check his Quirk factor, but he refuses to let me. Same went for his blood."
"That's even scarier," All Might shivered. "So you are saying that taking One for All may actually kill him?"
"Well, yes and no. On one hand, he seems to be doing fine even without a heart. Somehow. I'm not going to cut him open to find out. But on the other, we never know what can be a final nail."
"All of those are simply theories," Midoriya sighed and got up from his seat. "I'll make sure he doesn't take One for All, intentionally or not. But I know that Danny doesn't want to do anything bad to anyone."
"We all know. I just…knew someone who wasn't as amicable," All Might mumbled solemnly. "And I'm afraid that he won't pull the brakes when it is much needed and will only end up harming himself and others. Well, off you go now. The tournament is just starting!"
A small cloud was released around the man as his gargantuan form was displayed.
"I'm certain you will only show your best!" He reassured his protégé with his signature grin.
Midoriya made his way to the seats of his class. Once he was there, he was immediately greeted by Uraraka's joyful cheer.
"Hey, Deku!" She called for him.
"We saved a seat for you," Iida added.
"Thank you," Midoriya smiled, before his look drifted to his other classmates.
Ojiro gave him a smile and a thumbs up. Then the green-haired boy looked at another group, where Danny was lively chatting with Kirishima about something, not noticing the newest arrival. And after everything talked about in the nurse office, Danny's inconsiderate words back from back then flashed in the boy's mind.
'I know that this much ectoplasm can kill a normal human.'
'How would you know it, Fenton-san?' Midoriya asked himself grimly, before sitting in his spot.
"Alright!" Present Mic's voice rang throughout the arena. "Next on the line are…these guys!"
The giant screen showed the next pair: Todoroki versus Sero.
"Alright," the commentator looked at the latter. "He's good, but what's with the plainness he just can't get rid of? From the hero course, it's Sero Hanta!" He gave his totally unbiased commentary. "Versus. Taking fourth, then second in the prelims, you are pretty strong, kid! He wasn't recommended for admission for nothing! Also from the hero course, Todoroki Shoto! And now, for the second round…begin!"
Sero did not waste a second. He immediately released his tape forward, wrapping the fabric around Todoroki's body. And then he attempted to fling the opponent out of bounds.
"A surprise attack! Don't you think it was the best choice for the situation? Seriously, get him, Sero!"
And then, the previously silent Todoroki's feet touched the ground. And immediately ice emerged from beneath his legs, a lot of ice. The overwhelming amount in but a split second grew in size that was previously deemed incomprehensible. With a powerful earthquake that shook the arena, Todoroki's entire power went into creating a glacier that was the size of several cruise ships piled together. It went up and up, higher than the stadium itself. Danny was more than impressed at that display, tapping on the ice that reached his very own front seat.
"Don't…you think it was too much?" Asked fully frozen Sero with cluttering teeth.
Half-frozen Midnight did not look amused. "Sero-kun. Can you move?"
"O-Of course not."
"Todoroki advances to the second round!" Midnight announced.
"Apologies for the lengthy wait! We had to wait until the ice was removed!" Present Mic spoke. "On to the next match!"
And as he said it, Danny made his way to the arena. The moment of reckoning made his core flutter in excitement. Something which could not be said about Kaminari.
"First comes the undisputed leader of the prelims from class 1-A, the one who scored higher than All Might during the entrance exam! Fenton Daniel from 1-A!"
"Aw, I'm blushing," Danny mumbled, hiding his embarrassment.
"Higher than All Might?" A collective murmur traveled around the shocked audience and the viewer base.
And an elated laughter sounded in an underground lab.
"Against him — Sparking Killing boy, Kaminari from class 1-A!"
Kaminari heard a stifled laugh coming from his opponent.
"Now, let's have a flashy battle just like the last one!" Present Mic shouted.
Kaminari was scared, that much was obvious, for Fenton's malicious grin did not go anywhere. He had only one chance at salvation — he had to strike immediately.
"Indiscriminate shock, 1.3 million bolts!" He exclaimed as the sparks of electricity danced around him.
Phantom knew what was coming, but that time there was a major difference. His still ice blue eyes were focused on his opponent. The next moment a powerful charge of electricity was released, but the halfa lazily waved his palm and conjured a dome over himself. Kaminari, who was slowly getting his brain fried by the very electricity who was using, and the audience as well observed how under the dome Danny conjured himself a glowing green chair as well. Sitting on it with a smug grin and waiting until the electric storm was over. Kaminari was helpless to stop his attack, and soon after, the braindead teen could only stand in place with a vacant expression, drooling.
Danny's smirk did not go anywhere as he removed the shield, standing up. "You shouldn't let the scare make you fire without thinking," he lectured, knowing full well that Kaminari was in no state to heed the advice. And then his eyes glowed green.
"The battle has been decided so quickly!" Present Mic exclaimed. "In just an instant! Wait, what's he doing with that chair…oof, that's gotta hurt."
Chapter 18: Quarterfinals
A.N. Aaand I am here with another chapter. Certainly been a while, guys. Firstly, I can explain this with my diminished desire to cover the current ark. Just feel like something is amiss. Don't worry, we will slug through this. Secondly, I had exams, thesis paper and its defence, but I'm now in possession of a bachelor's. Soo, I was also pretty occupied.
Also, how do you like the cover? I tried my best.
"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Kirishima asked his friend.
Danny raised an eyebrow and glanced at the empty seat Kaminari used to occupy. The rest of their classmates followed suit.
"Ya think?" Danny asked and took a sip out of a water bottle. "He will be alright. You know I could do worse."
"I'm pretty sure you broke some of his bones with that chair," Sero pointed out.
"Did he even feel it, though?" Asked Danny. "You know, with his mind fried and all."
"That's an interesting question," Midoriya mumbled as he wrote something in his journal.
"We must not forget what the last two matches taught us," Iida raised his hand. "The damage dealt during the fights may turn out to be more grave than we expect."
"I just hit him with a chair," Danny moaned.
"You have superstrength, Fenton," Jiro reminded him dryly. "Iida-san, isn't your match the next one?"
"Oh, you are right!" Iida exclaimed in horror and bolted under some good-natured laughs from his classmates.
"Who is he fighting against, again?" Asked Kirishima.
"Mei Hatsume," responded Danny.
"We haven't seen her use her Quirk yet," Midoriya said.
"Because it's useless in a fight," Danny was quick to clear the confusion. "It grants her an eyesight strong enough to see several miles ahead. That's why I didn't warn Iida. Didn't see the need. You probably have all seen that it's not her Quirk you should be wary about."
"It's her gadgets," the green-haired student realised. "How do you know of this?"
"Our shared passion for tool-creation makes us meet pretty often," Danny said dramatically. "We occasionally talk."
"Talk how exactly?" Asked Mineta with an expression that obviously hinted at his obscene thoughts.
"It's mostly just sharing of knowledge," answered Phantom without batting an eye. "Although I don't teach the use of ectoplasm in engineering. I'll probably get punished for that."
"By whom?" Mina tilted her head.
"Some very annoying guys with too much power. They're already angry enough with me as it is."
Everyone blinked.
"What have you done to upset them?" Midoriya asked.
"Well, one, I am still alive, despite their best wishes. And two...this will stay between us, I think."
They still couldn't deal with the fact that the Infinite Realms needed a glorified conduit in the form of a monarch. With the previous royal gone, there was only one viable candidate. One who had enough support among the closest lords to upend the Observants' hold over the dead world. They viewed him as a threat, while still not forgetting how Phantom had made a fool out of them, making the world question if their gift of foresight was as impeccable as everyone had believed. But, at some point, an unspoken agreement was reached. Danny, after all, was not eager to ascend from the title of a Prince, content with the rank he already had.
Danny's mind drifted off to the idea that they could actually let him into the treasury had they not been such pricks. It would have saved him plenty of troubles.
Nonetheless, the next match was upon them. An interesting incident took place prior to that, as Iida surprised everyone by actually putting on the support equipment. Problem was, the hero course had to inform the organisers about their gear prior to the tournament. Hence Danny had gone without his tools. However, Iida was allowed to wear the strange contraption on his back. It turned out that Mei was the one to provide him with tools to 'keep things fair'.
"That's bull," Danny commented upon hearing this. "For someone like her to let go of her advantage?"
"Do you think she has an ulterior motive?" Asked Midoriya with concern.
"She's in to advertise her skills and gear, she told me this much," Phantom recalled. "Or what, you thought she's dying to be in the hero course?"
"I...I haven't thought about this," the boy mumbled. "So, this fight is to let her show as much as she can?"
"Yep. But taking the gear from her was stupid. Who knows what she snuck into those."
And the half ghost's prediction was not far from wrong. The following match was...the longest so far. The cause of this was not due to the equilibrium between the two contestants. Rather, the match owed its length to the absolute control Mei had over her opponent. The whole fight immediately turned into a long presentation of everything she had crafted and had brought along, be it the electromagnetic boots, or a capture net, or a plethora of other tools to help her evade each and every attack of the bespectacled hero trainee, who was also aided by the very tools Mei had granted him. To her credit, the backpack and its "Auto-balancers" were not rigged in any way. However, with Iida using them for the first time, he could appear clumsy, unable to get a hold of the pink-haired girl. Most of his classmates pitied Iida, while Bakugo was roaring with laughter. Danny shared the former sentiment mostly, but he was intrigued by some tools he hadn't seen Mei make. For instance, that net she used to capture Iida. If laced with ectoplasm, those nets that were tightly packed into a handgun-sized contraption could be a useful anti-ghost weapon...he was thinking like his father.
Danny caught Kirishima's look.
"What?"
"You are rambling, dude. About ghosts," the redhead responded dryly, to which Danny laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. Kirishima never understood why would Fenton be so interested in making tools so situational and specifically dangerous to him.
The audience was getting extremely tired from the presentation aimed only at a specific group of people. It felt obvious to many as to who was going to win. Mei, however, did something unexpected. For when all of her gadgets were seen by possible employers from support companies, she simply stepped out of bounds. And that meant that the winner was the very person she had been making a fool out of. Needless to say, Iida remained unsatisfied with such cheap victory, but there was no going back.
With one more round behind them, without further ado, the next match came about. And it was something Danny was most curious about. It was, in the essence, an experiment on how well Yanagi's body would fare with all the extra power given to her. Not that Danny had had such intentions initially, but now he had to go through with it. If something happened, he would be there to resolve everything. But of course, he also prayed that he would not have to intervene. It was an uncharted territory — humans that used ectoplasm. And who were still fully alive. Coming from the family of ecto-researchers, he wanted to know more. That interest was born when he first saw Kurogiri.
"Alright, everyone," Present Mic spoke up again. "The next one promises to be as interesting as all the rest. First from the hero course, class 1-A, Ashido Mina! Is something going to come out of these horns? I suppose we'll see! And the second, class 1-B of the hero course as well! Yanagi Reiko, to whom we owe the spectacular show of two-person army of the last match."
Yanagi looked at the ground when Present Mic presented her in such a manner. After all...it wasn't entirely her doing, was it? The girl looked first at Kendo, who was at their own class row, and then at the half ghost, who gave her an encouraging smile. That did not go unnoticed by Kirishima.
"Who exactly are you rooting for here, Fenton?" He asked with mock suspicion.
"Both are good. Mina's my friend, but I feel a certain ectoplasmic bond. That and I hope my little boon will actually be useful."
"Right, you augmented her Quirk, didn't you, Fenton-san?" Midoriya asked excitedly, waiting to scribble everything down.
"Yep. Before that she could only lift smaller objects. With my help...well, you saw it too. As long as she doesn't overextend and waste the energy I left with her, this power boost will stay where it is."
Meanwhile, back with the contestants, Mina was grinning from ear to ear.
"So, you got along with Danny-kun back there," she commented slowly.
Yanagi rewarded her with an ever-emotionless look. "We made a good team," she responded, glancing at her hanging arms and feeling the energy course through her.
"Heh, sure you did," the girl winked, before clapping her hands and splashing gooey acid around.
And once Midnight gave the much expected signal, Mina lunged forward towards her opponent. She realised her vulnerability. A single flick of a palm could ruin it all. So once more, all money were bet on the speed and instant action. She secreted the acid on her path, allowing her to quickly slide forward. Yanagi concentrated her power and moved her palm to meet the approaching pink girl, but Mina instantly tossed the acid her way. Yanagi's attention turned to defending herself as Mina splashed more and more liquid. The poltergeist girl could do little but use her telekinesis to keep the acid away from herself.
Yanagi took a breath and an idea occurred in her head. As Mina circled around, looking for an opening to lunge into her opponent and push her out of bounds, she made sure to secrete more acid. In the scenario most favourable to Mina, Yanagi would turn her back on the pink hero trainee. Mina could only guess that the stark-haired girl needed eye contact, or at least the knowledge of the object's position in order to grab it. Otherwise Yanagi would not be turning around to keep Mina in her sight. So, if she only managed to get behind...
And an observant viewer would see that the acid Mina was throwing was not melting the ground, glimmering with purple and green light close to it. As Mina went for another strike, Yanagi suddenly raised her palms, and all the acid in her hold came together to form a single shield that absorbed the strike.
"Woah!" Present Mic exclaimed. "Would you look at this! That acid cannot melt itself, which makes it a perfect protection! Nice thinking, Yanagi!"
Now Yanagi could take a breather and collect her thoughts, protected by a dome-like shield. Mina was hesitant to come closer, unsure about how well she would end up on another end. Firing more acid only reinforced the improvised barrier. And Yanagi had enough juice to keep it up. And now she could concentrate on the opponent. Watchful so as not to wound Midnight or Cementoss, naive and misplaced those fears as they might have been, Yanagi launched all the acid at her disposal forward, in the form of smaller droplets, flung with the tenacity of a machine gun.
"Careful out there, Ashido," warned Present Mic, "Stopping at this time will be a sentence!"
"You think I don't know that?" Mina complained quietly, dodging the barrage and sliding across the ground.
"Mina is resistant to her acid, no? Won't this attack be pointless?" Sero asked his classmates.
"It has own limits, though," Midoriya was quick to respond, opening his battered journal. "The more she produces, the less resistant her skin is. And she's made plenty."
"Does Yanagi know of this weakness?" Asked Kirishima.
Before all eyes turned to Phantom, whose mouth was full with popcorn.
"It wazhn't me!" He said and gulped it down. "Come on, even if Mina is resistant, being hit by droplets at such speed is gonna hurt."
Yanagi's improvised armaments were close to depleting, but now she had Mina right where she needed it — far away from herself and closer to the edge. The room for reaction turned too small. Yanagi finally tossed the remaining acidic goo away, and raised both arms. Mina felt how her body betrayed her, refusing to move as the familiar purple-greenish glow surrounded her. And then, a small push, and with a loud yelp the pink-skinned girl flew out of bounds, under the ever-excited cheers of the crowd. And especially the classmates of the winner.
"Now I do feel like this is all my fault," Danny mumbled.
"It kinda is, though," Kirishima agreed. "You gave her the trademark OP Fenton juice."
"I want to punch you just for naming it like this," the halfa deadpanned, his shoulders sinking.
And speaking of, Present Mic decided to rub salt in the wound.
"That was a quick, yet outstanding display!"
The halfa banged his head on the metal railing. "Please, don't hate me, Mina. Please, don't hate me, Yanagi," he mumbled.
"That was unnecessary," said Tokoyami, crossing his hands. "It was Yanagi's own skill that let her withstand the initial attack and win."
"Yeah, it's her Quirk and power now...I hope I didn't screw it over for both of them."
The aforementioned railing broke under the teen's forehead.
However, it served as a fuel for further thought. Not just to the potential hirers, who had already scribbled down plenty, or the already shocked audience, but also to the less savoury individuals, who resided in their own secluded habitats.
"You heard him, didn't you, Garaki?" All for One laughed. "So we discover that the boy doesn't simply take."
"He is also capable of bestowing power to others," finished a short moustached man in a lab coat.
"Not simply bestowing," the kingpin raised his finger with a grin on his face. "He didn't give her telekinesis, correct? To what limit does this beguiling power go, I wonder."
"This does feel like a next step in the evolution of your Quirk, Master. I see now what you meant."
"Hardly an eye-opener for you, is it, dear friend? Ever so eager to see the substantiation of your theories."
Garaki was old, old enough to see the confirmations all around himself, and within his Master also. He had no need in confirming it further. The ever-present mixing of Quirks was bound to create a highly-combustible substance that would doom them all. Even now his Master's was starting to have difficulties holding so many new Quirks, reluctant as the latter was to admit this. But to someone who was well-versed in the field, like Kyudai, the boy's power seemed...odd.
"The girl seems to be taking the augmentation in stride. I'm surprised the fools around are taking kindly to this, too."
"They are bewitched by the spectacle, is all. Once the dust settles, they will show the expected Caligula-grade paranoia," All for One chuckled. He himself had no interest in anyone but the two students. The one who could be his progeny and, by irony, the one whom he suspected to be the next incarnation and embodiment of what he was fighting against for decades. The girl was irrelevant.
"I also meant that she doesn't show any signs of strain. Usually when someone's power increases to such an extent, bodies just break."
"Like a twig," the villain added. "So many abnormalities, little Daniel."
Garaki had not been in the room for long, and it was his first time hearing the first name of their object of observation. However, it provoked a chain of thoughts that seemed to somewhat click.
"It is his name, correct?" Garaki asked.
"What?" All for One lazily asked. "Ah, yes, it is, from what I see. For a usual western name, it seems to concern you a lot."
"It's just...that person we apprehended snooping around our base. You know we keep him unconscious with electric charges, because it's all that seemed to work. But he mumbles in his sleep, I heard it. And the name 'Danny' keeps popping up way too often."
If the villain's eyes were still intact, they would have gone wide from surprise at a sudden fortune that came their way.
"What an interesting coincidence. Is there a chance we can interrogate him for more?"
"I won't advise waking the furball up. Those ridiculously sharp and large claws are not for show. He cut apart one of my Nomus and the wounds would not heal. Had to rid of that piece of useless lump meat. And apparently, that wolf could make portals. Barely had the time to knock him out before he jumped in."
"Yes, I know that part. And it couldn't be Daniel's doing, for he attained that very power after we caught that canine visitor."
"So you have to understand that we can't possibly contain him if he wakes up. I cut off one of his claws for research, and it's unlike anything I've seen. He also grew another back the next day, so I don't think he even noticed it's gone."
"I'll be there when he does wake up, so you don't have to worry. I'm positively intrigued by the conundrum of our boy-wonder and his entourage. It is great shame that the potential mothers of are all dead or gone with no trace. I could learn more this way."
"But none of them had the Quirks that could alter yours and pass it on. So it must have changed on its own. Has Kurogiri brought any more valuable information on him?"
"He is a child that emerged out of nowhere in all the official documents. An American with an American name, and yet with impeccable Japanese from the seems. And I have too much faith in the governments when it comes to keeping individuals with powerful Quirks in check nowadays. To miss something like him...Someone must have wanted a clean slate," All for One said. "Between this, and his intriguing hobby that he so unfortunately discarded ever since Tomura's daring little scheme, I'm slowly gaining hope that the boy may be amicable to the possible revelation."
"Perhaps he already knows everything."
The villain in turn laughed. "If this is your way of gaining my attention, child, you have certainly succeeded."
Garaki was still uncertain about how he should feel about that sudden excitement of his Master. It wasn't scientific wonder, like his own curiosity. All for One wanted something to come out of this. Whether to get the prodigal 'son' on his side or to simply take what looked like an alluring prize, Garaki could not yet fathom. But for now, waiting is what he was relegated to. Oh, and watching over a metaphorical bomb in his lab.
"I believe I should return to my work, Master."
"Certainly. I wouldn't want to distract you any more."
Despite the sense of guilt that suddenly emerged in Danny's stomach, he could deem the impromptu 'experiment' a success. Ectoplasm seemed to mash well enough with Yanagi's Quirk. He knew from experience that doing that to a normal human was much more dangerous. His whole school once got infected with a special ectoplasm-based virus. It did grant them a power or two, but it was slowly eating them apart. Thankfully he resolved the matter before anyone sustained grave injuries. Yanagi's body seemed to have a relative immunity, even without a core.
Soon, before the next match could start, Mina returned, looking awfully chill for someone who just lost an important match.
"Hey, Mina," Danny chuckled nervously. "No hard feelings?"
"Pfft," she huffed. "Of course not! But man, I had no chance, had I?"
"Don't say that," Danny's muffled moan was heard through the palms covering his face.
"Yeah, you did awesome!" Kirishima gave a thumbs up. "Given the situation," he added and got a light slap across the back of his head from the pink girl.
"Just...let's watch the next matches, okay?" Danny offered weakly.
Later, seeing Yanagi return to her joyous classmates and give him a small smile, his consciousness decided to loosen its grip. But it was still a half-assed consolation.
The subsequent fights maintained the high standards of entertainment. The audience was kept excited for each match that followed, for there was evidently always something to be surprised about. It was correct that their powers were very much well known by that point, but it is their inventive uses that actually mattered. It was thanks to skill in combat that Tokoyami triumphed over Yaoyorozu and it was because of that inventiveness that Uraraka managed to stand as long as she did against the unstoppable force Bakugo represented. The latter's display earned him the scorn from the audience, because for the most part it wasn't a fight, it was a beatdown.
Fenton didn't like it either. For he knew that Ochako did nothing to deserve such beating other than being a threat. However, that point of view was born due to his own personal sympathies, he suspected this, so he kept quiet mostly. His own thoughts were loudly voiced by Aizawa. It was true that Bakugo was going hard against Uraraka because he recognised that for all her innocent looks it was still a fight. Danny didn't agree with Aizawa relegating the fierceness purely to the desire to win. Fenton thought of Bakugo as an asshole, and he wasn't going to believe that it wasn't also him being a bastard.
Danny was also reminded that on the way to the top those two would most likely cross paths for the first actual time. And knowing Bakugo, he would give it his all to best someone who teased him about being inferior. And after seeing the unpleasant-looking fight, Danny decided to remind the blonde as to why that teasing took place at all.
Before the next round would start, however, a tie-breaker in the form of an arm-wrestling match would take place. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had turned out to be an equal match, and no winner had emerged from their fight. Unsurprising, considering how similar the two's Quirks were. Danny made sure to overcompensate for the previous lack of support and root for his friend perhaps too hard.
"Teach that metalhead a lesson, red!" Danny shouted loudly, earning himself confused looks. Everyone but Mina's. She was into this.
"You can do it, Kirishima-kun!"
The two strongmen wrestled for nearly ten minutes, with the platform beneath their elbows barely standing. But finally, with a final roar, Kirishima pushed down the opponent's hand, making the crowd explode in applause. Kirishima moved to the next round, much to the joy of his classmates and friends that rooted for him.
And then there was a fight between Midoriya and Todoroki.
Expectations differed on who you would ask, as was always the case. Midoriya was a glass cannon. As smart as he was, his choices were limited. Danny remembered why he had almost lost the first prelim and first place in the race to him, and it was him capable of using the Quirk without damaging himself. However, it was a momentary success, one that he had no guarantee of repeating. Shinso lost because he was not a fighter, but now, going against the student who was among the strongest, Midoriya's chances weren't as big. One from class 1-A would also remember that it was Todoroki who had challenged Midoriya for a reason probably known only to them. And that meant not going easy on their opponent.
Was it too early for the culmination of their newfound rivalry? Whatever the answer could be, fate had forced its decision down everyone's throats. The battle looked painful, it WAS painful, for neither side wished to relent, to allow a breather. Todoroki had had his hopes of winning it like he always did — by freezing all around him before the enemy could oppose him. Unfortunately, Midoriya had come up with a way to counteract his main weakness. Or, at the very least, delay it. A single finger at a time — a conduit strong enough to break any barrage of ice. But was only buying time. Everyone had seen Todoroki's capacity. Ten strikes, one for each finger broken, was far from it. Midoriya was evidently contemplating his strategy, for the current one wasn't going to last him for long. And all along, he and Todoroki were saying something to each other, something that couldn't be heard over the deafening noise of the shattering ice.
But Todoroki wasn't just a powerful Quirk, he was also the brains, he managed to catch Midoriya when he tried to evade the strike instead of meeting it head on. And then the green-haired teen had nothing else to do but to use his entire hand. Todoroki was caught unprepared, barely able to summon the wall that stopped him from falling out of grounds, so powerful the punch was. And yet, the result was evident to all, as every viewer could witness the absolutely ruined, purple arm that was in a horrid pain.
Both their respective states were looking grim, enough to cause a stir among the crowds. And doubts among the two judges. Perhaps the battle had to be stopped before they killed each other.
For something snapped in Todoroki's head. For better or worse, for what reason, only the two knew at the moment, but his second half was engulfed in fire that ate part of the arena in another attempt at besting the opponent. The people were shocked to learnt hat only now had the teen used that part of his Quirk. Although it made sense for a son of the Flame Hero to be capable of the feat. Danny was surprised to see this, and also...unpleasantly surprised. Fire was his second most hated thing to be hit by. But the atmosphere was growing tense, for if something so well-hidden was being used, the two must have really been going all out.
Before they could unleash their entire arsenal at a point-blank range, Cementoss tried to summon several walls between them. And yet, the combined force of Midoriya's smashing attack and the concentrated inferno was enough to make the cement barriers bend like cardboards and crumble like glass. With a powerful explosion that made everyone instinctively take cover behind the seat in front. The arena was ruined, and when the smoke cleared, the audience bore witness to Todoroki and his burnt off shirt, and Izuku, who collapsed outside of the ring. The undisputed winner of the match was the one who, albeit temporarily, renounced his shackles. And to the great shame, only he and Midoriya knew how much it meant.
"That was..." Mina mumbled.
"Quite flashy," Danny spoke slowly. "As in, holy shit what just happened?" He asked in genuine astonishment.
"Look at Izuku," gasped Uraraka, who herself wore several bandages, a parting gift from Bakugo. "He's..."
"He looks very bad," finished Iida and jumped from his seat. "We must see him immediately!"
That was the course of action Midoriya's closer friends took. Danny threw another grim glance at Midoriya's downed and bruised figure, which was immediately taken to the nurse office. Empathy emerged, an expected visitor in the heart of someone who himself was in that exact position more times than he dared to count.
"I guess it is a good thing he DIDN'T win," Danny spoke to the classmates around him. "This looks beyond what Recovery Girl can fix easily."
"Yeah, guess you are right," Kirishima nodded. "They both were so manly, though."
"Yep," The halfa leaned back in his seat. "Props to them for setting the bar," he said.
"Indeed," Tokoyami nodded. "People will come to expect the same determination and strength of character from all of us. This is why I am looking forward to the match between us, Fenton-san."
"Same deal here, pal. Same deal," Danny mumbled and slowly got up. "I guess I'll check on the poor guy, too."
"Not like the next match is gonna start like this," Mina pointed at the destruction the fight had left.
Next in line: a battle between Iida and Yanagi. The former had been preparing mentally, for he had need to wash away the humiliation he experienced in the last match. He suspected that by the time of her first confrontation Yanagi was still getting accustomed to what Fenton had given her. However, he had no reason to doubt that this time the girl would want to take him out quickly. Iida was not the one who specialised in ranged combat. Yanagi had observed that much. There weren't any projectiles to use against the enemy, so there was only one thing the poltergeist girl could do.
"Aaaaand, it starts!" Present Mic exclaimed.
Iida lunged forward without delay, he had to act fast. But also without using his calf engines. Momentum could be both his ally and the enemy, he had to be watchful. Yanagi raised her hands and concentrated, her sleepy eyes not diverting from the bespectacled teen. In the next second, she moved away from his direct path, and Iida felt and saw the grasp of telekinetic power. The one that pushed him even further, something Iida had foreseen. But Yanagi made a mistake of letting go after tossing the opponent out of bounds. Before even beginning to fall, Iida turned to face Yanagi. Next second, he unleashed the pent up combustive energy of Recipro-burst. Like a jet engine, it propelled him forward and towards his opponent.
Yanagi's surprise broke the so much needed concentration, prevented her from reacting in full. She managed to slow him down, but not stop outright. The power of the engine overpowered the telekinetic pull and finally Iida rammed into the girl's smaller frame. The force of the push was enough to send Yanagi flying backwards and, with how short the distance to the boundaries was, out of said bounds.
"Yanagi is out of bounds!" Present Mic confirmed. "The victory goes to Iida!"
"When the opponent gets close and personal, her main weakness is revealed," Danny commented.
"But she is nearly invincible at a long range," Midoriya scribbled down.
"Min-maxing as is," added Mina.
Yanagi stood up, dusting the dirt from her gym uniform. Her expression was as emotionless as ever, not letting her frustration that was present there, show. She got too overconfident too quickly, and her defeat was just as swift. That was no way for her to go out, yet here she was. But once again, the internecine debate did not make its way out. Yanagi humbly decided that she would not let something like that happen again and would come up with some more sophisticated uses of her Quirk. But for now, she had to accept her defeat.
Danny stretched his muscles in preparation for the next match. Tokoyami was no pushover, he was rightfully considered one of the strongest students of 1-A. And with the ectoplasmic nature of his Quirk, he had the means of at least combatting the most bothersome power of the half-ghost. Intangibility was not as utile anymore. But that also meant that Phantom too had experience and countermeasures against Tokoyami's…alter-ego given shape? Companion? The nature of that bond remained to be seen. Now, however, they stood at the opposing ends of the arena, about to fight for the right to pass to the semi-finals.
"Fenton-san," Tokoyami spoke with all seriousness. "When you said you saw shadows like mine before…"
"I was being genuine," responded Danny, assuming battle stance. "Johnny's is less of a threat, though. The only thing it's good for is pinning you as a bad omen."
And when the bell rang, Phantom was in no hurry to switch into his ghost form. His blue eyes gleamed with the same mischievous glow,the same mischievousness you would expect from him no matter what foe he was facing. Without delay he swiped his hands and fired a blue beam that coated the ground in front of him in a layer of ice, creeping closer to Tokoyami. The feathered hero trainee assaulted the opponent with the ferocious shadow from the get-go. The shadow dodged the ice ray, got closer, raised its arm to block the ray from finally hitting the opponent directly and lunged.
Danny smirked and before the shadow could get him, he slid down across the line of ice he had created, trying to blast the shadow's underbelly. However, the scorching ectoplasm only 'scratched' the quick and nimble creature. Phantom's intention was to get closer to Tokoyami himself and down him with a strong punch. The raven boy was no fool himself. He knew his weakness. When Danny reached the end of his slope and pushed himself to his legs in a swift motion, the shadow was already before him. The hit was absorbed by the Quirk manifestation, which he could swear was smirking.
"Found a way to your heart," Danny kept grinning, too, before from the inside the Shadow felt an intense burning.
Light and alien ectoplasm hurt it equally.
"Shadow! Get him away!" Tokoyami commanded.
The creature swung its huge arm and hit the halfa. Phantom's human body was launched to the side, but he managed to land on his feet and summon a shield against the next attack. The barrier stood firm, but the agile shadow went around it, but Phantom greeted it with an ectoplasm-engulfed fist with a lighting speed. The shadow blocked the strike, but was sent reeling backwards, into the still present shield, that instantly blew up into a mess of light and otherworldly lasers. The screeching shadow retreated back to Tokoyami at the latter's silent order, giving Fenton some room that wasn't near the very edge.
"Fenton manages to stand his ground!" Present Mic commented. "Even when not in his ghost form he is still a formidable force!"
Tokoyami knew this already. He knew not what Fenton's reasoning for allowing a handicap were, but this was not a reason to underestimate his enemy. He was probing the halfa's defences, and Fenton gave him a demonstration. Whatever shape his energy took, he could use it to bash the attacking enemy. Tokoyami had been searching for a possible weakness in his defence, but so far only lighting had proven its worth, and it was something he did not possess.
"Tokoyami, I am getting a bad feeling from this," the shadow spoke to him in panic.
"We will do this," the student responded to the creature humbled by light exposure.
"Huh, so he actually talks," commented Danny. "That's nice to know."
Not a moment too soon, from his eyes emerged another beam of energy, which Tokoyami managed to dodge at the last moment. Fenton kept barraging him with a stream of green blasts, cutting off possible ways of retreating, as he so obviously fired in advance, expecting Tokoyami to run into one of them. It was like a game of dodgeball, ripe with special effects. Nonetheless, the teen quickly realised that dodging would get him nowhere. The only way to get in close proximity was to give Fenton what he wanted. Instead of sending shadow forward, he himself was closing the distance alongside it. The halfa seemed to have taken the bait, and the fighting arena was no longer a mere shooting range for him.
Instead, he let his ice power take over, before he ran towards Tokoyami as well. Before they could enter close combat, Danny fired an ice beam right at Tokoyami's legs, but managed to freeze only one leg. Fenton was about to hit the teen, but once again the shadow blocked his offensive, took the hit and held the ground. With Fenton's human form, and with him not putting ectoplasm into his strikes that time, they were more than a match physically. Tokoyami in the meantime tried to get his leg out of the trap. The ice did not creep far up. With enough twitches he could get the leg out at the expense of his shoe. And the shadow knew it had to buy time. It went for a counterattack, which Danny blocked with his left arm, smirked and opened the palm and revealed another improvised flash-bang.
The shadow reeled in fright, but could not dodge the small explosion and was blasted away.
"Ruffled your feathers, eh?" Phantom commented with a stupid grin. "About time we wrap this up, anyway."
Tokoyami managed to get his leg out and barely had the time to dodge a punch from the ghost that seemed to never give him a breather. The shadow went to attack the halfa once again, looking even smaller than before. Phantom did not stop his advance, raising his arm once more.
"You stay down," he said and blew up another ball of ectoplasm.
The bright light again kept the creature away, leaving the owner defenceless. Tokoyami himself was much less of a fighter than his opponent, he couldn't hope to match, so he had to keep the distance. Fenton pushed himself forward, in order to cut off the retreat of his opponent. The shadow still went after him, guided more by the instinct of an animal pushed into a corner, buying time for the owner to concoct a proper plan. But Tokoyami could see that Fenton was not letting himself be distracted. Each time the shadow got close, it was blasted with light. Unlike the blasts, flash bangs were impossible to dodge. However, when Fenton was once again near Tokoyami, he suddenly vanished from sight, surprising his opponent who had been looking over his shoulder.
Then, he felt like he ran into something. Into a hand that gripped his neck. And whilst not choking, it was firm as dead man's. Fenton dropped the veil of invisibility, holding his another hand with a readied green glowing ball, daring the shadow to try.
"I think we should call it a match," the halfa said, his eyes now blazing with emerald light.
"I…I give up," Tokoyami spoke in a defeated voice.
"Tokoyami surrenders! Fenton is the winner!"
Immediately Danny let go, allowing the raven teen to stand on the ground.
"You did very good," his smirk became a good-natured smile. "But it is daytime, and I just knew what to do. Sometimes matchups are not perfect."
"That's true," mumbled Tokoyami and nodded. "I hoped that the ability to prevent your intangibility will suffice."
Danny chuckled. "Well, that's why I'm a menace to society," he said and followed Tokoyami out of bounds.