Arthur POV
"So what did you want to talk about?"
"I've been thinking about resigning."
Nezu's teacup froze halfway to his lips. "From the tournament?"
"Kind of, yeah. I don't see much point in it."
The silence stretched between us, broken only by the distant cheers from the recreational activities below. I could hear students laughing, and Present Mic's enthusiastic commentary about someone successfully grabbing a rubber duck in under thirty seconds.
Nezu jumped down from the sofa, he walked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows. From here, we had a perfect view of the stadium grounds where students were engaged in what looked like a massive scavenger hunt. I watched as someone from Class 1-C triumphantly held up what appeared to be a plastic dinosaur.
"Why does there have to be a point?" Nezu asked without turning to me, his reflection visible in the glass.
I looked down at the stadium grounds, watching the controlled chaos below. Students were running around with pieces of paper, frantically searching for items, their faces bright with excitement and determination. It was nice.
"Oh and Arthur, everything has a point, maybe not in the way you see it, but it does," Nezu continued, gesturing toward the students below with his teacup. "What is the point of these recreational activities? It isn't like they excite the crowd a lot."
I considered this, I watched as Kendo grabbed with her giant hands, a blonde student from class 1B who I recognized as Monoma. The crowd's reaction was polite applause at best, nothing like the roaring they'd given the main events.
"The point is for the students to have fun."
"Bingo." Nezu's voice carried a note of satisfaction.
"But I won't be having fun in that tournament." The words came out more bitter than I'd intended. I didn't enjoy fighting for the sake of fighting, I never understood it, and after Shinsho's whole debacle I honestly didn't want to.
Nezu turned around, his button-black eyes studying my face with that unsettling intelligence of his. "Look Arthur, an opportunity has been granted to you. One which not many get. You may not see it as so, so let me give you a point. Your hero license."
My ears perked up at that. The provisional license, the thing that would legitimize everything I'd been trying to do for years.
"I've been talking with the Hero Public Safety Commission," Nezu continued, settling back onto the sofa with a small grunt. "The whole point of you coming to U.A. was to change your perception from a vigilante to a hero. Believe it or not, the incident at USJ actually helped your case, even though a lot of things weren't disclosed. Still, you proved yourself competent as always, but the public still sees you as you were. A vigilante."
I nodded at his words.
"You want to get your provisional license, then make them see you as more than what you were," Nezu pointed down at the students, where I could see Tetsutetsu from Class 1-B doing what appeared to be an impromptu arm-wrestling contest with someone from the support course. "Make them see you as more than a teenager who took the law into his hands for some reason."
The words settled on my shoulders. Out there in the stadium were thousands of people, millions more watching on television. Pro heroes, government officials, the families of my classmates.
All of them watching.
"Make them see you as one of them. The best of them."
"So if I win this tournament, I'll be able to get my license sooner?"
"It definitely wouldn't hurt your chances." Nezu took another sip of his tea.
While we were talking and the recreational games were done, Cementoss- sensei was done building the tournament platform, then Present Mic's voice boomed, rowding up the crowds once more.
"Hey guys are you ready! A lot's happened but it's now all come to this! A serious battle! You can only depend on yourself! Even if you're not a hero, you'll face lots of situations like that! You get it right?! Heart, skill, body, wisdom and knowledge!! Use all of that to rush up!"
Fire burst from the corners of the stadium, the flames dancing high into the air and drawing roars of approval from the crowd. The recreational games had ended, and now the real show was about to begin.
"The finals that you've all been waiting for are finally starting! Match number one! From the hero course it's Izuku Midoriya! Versus someone who hasn't stood out much, from general studies it's Hitoshi Shinsho! The rules are simple force your opponent out of bounds or immobilize them! You can also win by making your opponent say, I give up! Bring on the injuries because we've got our very own Recovery Girl standing by!"
At that, I looked down at Avalon, the scabbard warm against my side. I had never tried it, but could she heal other people? The thought was interrupted by Present Mic's continuing announcement.
"Put your morals and ethics aside for a moment! But of course, anything life threatening is crap! It's not allowed!"
I watched as Midoriya and Shinsho walked up onto the stage. From this high up, they looked small, but I could see the tension in both their stances. Midoriya's shoulders were tight with nerves, while Shinsho moved as tired as always.
Cementoss-sensei materialized a concrete chair to oversee the battle, his massive form settling onto it.
"Heroes should only use their fists to catch villains!"
The battle began.
I heard Shinsho say something, Midoriya's reaction was immediate, his face twisting with anger as he shouted something back. I wanted to smack my forehead at that.
"I told him not to say anything," I muttered, Nezu turning to me, cocking his head to the side, but since I said nothing else his gaze turned back to the match below.
Midoriya came to a full stop mid-charge, his face going completely blank. The same empty expression I remembered from the cavalry battle, the look of someone whose mind was no longer their own.
"Hitoshi Shinsho from general studies has gotten the better of Izuku Midoriya from the hero course! Who would've imagined this! Will the bottom really overthrow the top!"
Next to me, Nezu leaned forward with interest. "Fascinating quirk," he murmured. "I can see why he's so determined to get into the hero course."
I watched as Shinsho spoke again. "Turn around and walk out."
Midoriya began walking mechanically toward the edge of the platform. One step, then another, like a puppet on strings. The crowd had gone silent, none of them knew exactly what was going on.
Just as Midoriya was about to step off the platform, every instinct I had screamed at me. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, my enhanced senses picking up something that made my skin crawl.
BOOM
Midoriya's fingers twitched and his quirk activated, sending a shockwave through the air that I could feel even from our viewing box. His fingers broke with audible snaps, but the self-inflicted pain broke him free from Shinsho's control.
"Why?" Shinsho's voice carried even up to our box, amplified by the stadium's acoustics. "You shouldn't be able to move freely! First that Arthur and now you. What did you do!"
Midoriya stayed silent, and I could see Shinsho's frustration mounting. Despite my lingering anger over the mind control incident, I felt a pang of sympathy for him, however small it may have been.
"Say something," Shinsho continued, trying to bait Midoriya into responding, whose only response was running towards Shinsho. "You can produce that much power by just moving your fingers? I'm jealous. Thanks to my quirk I've been behind from the start. People like you who have been bless-"
He caught himself, stopping mid-sentence.
"Someone who's been born with the ideal quirk! Someone who's able to reach his goal!"
Midoriya finally reached Shinsho and began pushing him toward the edge of the platform. But Shinsho wasn't going down without a fight. He threw a solid punch that connected with Midoriya's face, making blood pour out his nose.
"Ooh," Nezu said, inclining forward in his chair a bit.
Still that didn't stop Midoriya, Shinsho targeted his broken fingers, striking them directly. Midoriya's grip loosened with a cry of pain, allowing Shinsho to spin him around and grab him by the face and chest.
"You get out!" Shinsho yelled, pushing with everything he had.
But Midoriya managed to grab Shinsho's wrist at the last second, using the same judo throw he'd employed against Bakugo during our battle trial. Shinsho went flying over Midoriya's shoulder, his leg dangling over the edge of the platform.
He was out.
"Yahoo!" Present Mic's voice boomed. "That was kind of a boring first match, but we should praise them for a bravely fought match! Clap your hands!"
The crowd erupted in applause, though I could hear the undertone of confusion. Many of them probably hadn't understood what they'd just witnessed - the psychological battle that had taken place alongside the physical one.
Nezu clapped politely beside me, and I found myself joining in. Despite everything, both fighters had given their all.
But even over the thunderous applause, my enhanced hearing picked up the conversation between the two combatants as they stood on the platform.
"Why do you want to be a hero?" Midoriya asked, his voice barely audible.
Shinsho's response was quieter still, but I caught every word. "You can't help the things you long for."
Then, louder, though still meant only for Midoriya. "Depending on the results, they'll consider my transfer into the hero course. Remember that. Even if it didn't work out this time, I definitely won't give up. I'll get into the hero course, get certified, and give them the choice of that better tomorrow that bastard talked about."
I flinched at the word 'bastard,' knowing he was referring to me. But there was something in his voice - a determination that reminded me uncomfortably of myself.
As Shinsho walked off the platform toward one of the exit gates, I found myself hoping that he would get another chance. Not because I'd forgiven him for the mind control, but because that kind of determination deserved recognition.
"That was a good match," Nezu said beside me, refilling his teacup from a small thermos. "A little boring like Mic said, but still a good match. Both fighters did good, the blood was more than enough."
I looked at him a bit weirdly.
The platform was quickly cleared and reset for the next match. I watched as two familiar figures emerged from the tunnels.
"Next up it's these guys!" Present Mic's voice carried renewed energy.
Todoroki and Sero walked onto the stage, their contrasting demeanors obvious even from our high vantage point. Sero looked nervous but determined, while Todoroki moved with that same cold confidence he'd displayed throughout the festival.
"He's good! He's good! But what's with that plainness he just can't get rid of?! From the hero course it's Hanta Sero! Versus! Taking second, then first in the prelims! He wasn't recommended for admission for nothing! Also from the hero course, it's Shoto Todoroki!"
I could see Sero crack his neck, trying to work out the tension. Even from this distance, his body language screamed that he knew he was outmatched.
"Well I don't think I can really win..." Sero's voice carried faintly up to our box.
"Ready! START!" Present Mic announced.
"But I don't feel like losing either!" Sero finished, and immediately tape shot out from his elbows with impressive speed and precision.
The tape wrapped around Todoroki in what should have been a perfect capture, forming a cocoon that would have immobilized most opponents. Sero began spinning, using centrifugal force to fling Todoroki toward the boundary line.
It was a good strategy. Against most opponents, it probably would have worked.
But Todoroki wasn't most opponents.
I saw his counterattack before anyone else in the stadium, my enhanced vision catching the telltale sign of his breath misting in the suddenly frigid air. Ice erupted from his right side like a glacier being born, following the tape back toward Sero at incredible speed.
In seconds, the entire left side of the stadium was encased in ice. The glacier stretched beyond the arena, almost reaching our viewing box before finally stopping. The temperature in our climate-controlled room dropped noticeably just from proximity.
Down on the platform, Sero was completely frozen, encased in ice from chest to feet. He looked like a statue, his expression frozen in surprise.
"Phew," Nezu whistled appreciatively. "Strong quirk. You think we can use some of the ice for my tea?"
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, next one it's finally gonna be our boy Kaminari's turn, let's hope whatever info Deku was able to get into his notebook, helps him out (it's not).
Also yeah while Arthur is angry at Shinsho for controlling him at the end of the day he is a kind soul and humanity has many things to teach us, mainly forgiveness.
See you guys and gals tomorrow. Send those stones if you want those extra chaps. Cause we haven't even cracked the top 10 lol.
Thx for reading. Author out.