Chapter XV:
-[-
Katsuki's face lit up in a grin, "Finally." He clenched a fist, his eyes seeking Izuku's. He wanted to see that trepidation – that fear – in Izuku's eyes. But contrary to what he would have believed, Izuku was already walking away with his friends and girlfriends for the break. He didn't pay Katsuki any attention at all. And that lit the blonde bomber's fuse like nothing else. He had to spin around and stomp away before he went and got himself disqualified for starting their battle early.
"You okay, Zu?" Setsuna asked, feeling tense.
Mina looked a little stressed as well, "I'm still mad I didn't get in, but yeah, are you good Midori? Looks like that childhood-friend-turned-enemy subplot is coming to roost."
Izuku smiled, and let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I think I'm fine." He said, surprising himself and his friends too.
Melissa's eyes narrowed, "Izuku…" She said softly, grabbing his hand, "Come on. This can't not be affecting you. Everything you've told us…"
Momo had been silent, but now she gave a growl as she took his other hand, "I wish I was the one fighting him." She'd love to introduce One For All directly to his damn nose.
Izuku kept walking, and merely gave them a small squeeze, "You know… I'm not sure when it happened, but I realized something recently."
"What's that, fam?" Camie asked.
"I just… don't care about him anymore." They all stopped short, looking at him wide-eyed. "I spent so long wanting things to go back to how they used to be. Before all the bad things. So long wanting things to just go back to normal. For us to be friends. For him to watch my back while I watched his. And for years, I hurt myself and let him hurt me to make that happen. Because he was all I had." He smiled at them, "And now I have friends. Actual friends. Real friends. And the best girlfriends in the world." The sudden compliment had all his girlfriends blushing in surprise. "And I just… don't need him anymore."
"But…" Camie still looked worried. "Still tho, he's like, been kicking you down for so long. That's gotta be rough. You're not trying to hide it, are you?
Izuku stopped for a moment, and they all looked at him. He looked away, towards the sky, "Honestly?" He looked down and they all started feeling better when they saw the smirk on his face, "You're worrying too much." He resumed walking and took Camie and Setsuna's hands, "You all have given me all the support I needed. I'm not the same scared little Quirkless kid constantly getting bullied anymore. I thought he'd be happy for me when my Quirk came in, but if anything, he just doubled down on being awful. And when he tried to accuse Melissa of cheating her way in here, I was ready to throw down with him then and there." His eyes sharpened, "I don't want revenge or anything. I don't want him to be a failure or give up on his dreams. But after facing off against Villains, after everything we've been through, he's just… not scary anymore. I hope there's still a Hero in there somewhere, sure, but I'm not going to waste my time or energy catering to his ego anymore." He raised his hand and squeezed his fist, cracking his knuckles. "If you really want to know what I'm feeling right now about this upcoming fight?" He grinned, "I'm eager to win."
His friends and girlfriends finally relaxed, and they walked through the tunnel and towards the cafeteria.
…
Lunch was delicious as usual, though all of the remaining competitors kept things light. No one wanted to be the one that barfed on national television because they stuffed their faces too much. The polycule was pouting a bit because Nejire couldn't join them after her role in the previous event was complete, but they would catch up with their fairy later. Of course, it wouldn't have been U.A. without some shenanigans being afoot.
"Excuse me?" Momo said flatly.
Kaminari and Tsuburaba shrugged, "That's what sensei told us."
"Yeah, Kin-chan is pumped to do it." Kaminari said.
Mina snorted, "Sure, and I've got a bridge to sell you. Real nice beachfront property."
"Ehh, I believe him about Kinoko. She'd definitely be into this." Setsuna giggled. Yui nodded, a very small smile on her face.
"Don't believe us then." Tsuburaba started to walk away, "See you later."
Itsuka raised an eyebrow, "They think we're stupid, right?" She snorted, "What do they think Eraser and Vlad King will do to them when we ask for confirmation?"
Inasa grinned, "My man could probably just telepathically ask Aizawa-sensei right now." He leered at Itsuka just a bit, "Though I think you'd look cute in a cheerleading uniform." Itsuka flushed bright red.
"What do you say, Zuku?" Camie grinned, "Wanna ping sensei?"
"Honestly, I kinda wanna see you as cheerleaders too." Izuku blushed, something which Momo mirrored.
"Hn." Yui agreed with a nod. She was still sad she missed French Maid Momo!
"Yeah, but do you want others to see us as cheerleaders?" Melissa raised an eyebrow at him.
" ." He said, and they all giggled, "Aizawa-sensei." He reached out after closing his eyes.
Aizawa jerked, "Problem child." He let out a groan, "What is it? You woke me up."
"No, I didn't." Izuku deadpanned, having felt the man was awake before speaking, "Kaminari and Tsuburaba told us that you said the girls had to participate in the cheer battle. On a scale of 'detention for a week' to 'extra homework,' how much trouble would they be in?"
Aizawa snorted, "I didn't know they wanted to run laps around campus." Izuku projected amusement at him.
Izuku smirked at his classmates, "Grade-A bullshit. Or Grade-F, I suppose, seeing as how no one fell for it."
Momo scoffed, "Honestly, what were they thinking? If we fell for it they'd be in even more trouble."
"Honestly, the U.A. Cheerleading Uniforms are pretty cute." Camie grinned, "You should make us some, Yaomomo. We can give Zuku a private cheer." She grinned lewdly as Momo blushed. Yui nodded, looking eager. Izuku's face was bright red as Inasa cackled.
…
The extracurriculars were much more fitting a sports festival, with the Gen Ed kids and the Hero Course students who failed to make the final dance getting to do things like dodgeball, scavenger hunts, and other assorted activities for the crowds. They even got to show off their Quirks, though it was much more lighthearted with nothing to play for. Almost everyone had fun, barring the ultra-competitive few like Kamakiri or those like Shinsō and Hatsume Mei from the Support Course, who still felt devastated over failing so harshly in the previous rounds to stand out. Though in Mei's case, it was because she wasn't going to get a chance to show off any of her 'babies' in the finals.
But the fun had to end at some point, and the main event had to begin. Cementoss pumping in hundreds of cubic meters of concrete into the middle of the arena and rapidly transforming it into a raised ring for the finale was that point.
"You've been through hell to get to this point, and it's finally time!" Present Mic roared out, "It's time for the main event! This time, there's no team-ups, no objectives, just a mano-a-mano fight against your peers! You've only got yourself to rely on. Spirit, technique, strength, wisdom, and knowledge! Use 'em all and show us what you've got!"
Aizawa chimed in, sounding bored, "Your paths towards victory are knockout, immobilization, surrender, and ring out. The first three are self-explanatory, with Midnight confirming whether or not you can move for the second option. As for the ring out: you must get them to touch something not on the ring itself, such as the grass. As far as we're concerned, the ring itself extends infinitely down. Even if the ring breaks and you touch the ground beneath it, you will not be considered out." Honenuki smiled a little bit in relief, over in the tunnel.
Midnight grinned and cracked her whip, "Time to get bloody! For our first match, we've got one of the two recommended students of Class 1-B! Let's hear it for Mudman!" She jerked her flogger towards the 'red corner,' where Honenuki emerged. You couldn't really tell he was nervous, what with his teeth being completely exposed. The nerves were getting to him a little bit. Still, he made sure to wave and not let his nervousness show. "And from the blue corner, we have 1-A's mistress of gravity: Uravity!"
Ochako decided to show off, and launched herself out of the tunnel, landing on the ring in a single bound. Everyone cheered as she waved. She was going to do her very best! "Good luck, Mudman." She smiled at him in excitement.
He mistook it for intimidation, "I think I'll need it. Your Quirk is rough for mine." He got ready, knowing he would need to act fast to have a chance against her.
"It looks like we're all ready for action!" Midnight raised her arm, "Match One, START!" She cracked her whip.
Immediately, Honenuki stomped a foot onto the ring, and it visibly got a little darker in color. A small wave of that darker color raced forward, looking to sink Ochako down. She dodged out of the way and raced forward, knowing all she had to do was get a hand on him and she could take him down.
Honenuki knew it too, and so he changed tactics, expanding his Softening across the entire ring. Ochako skidded to a stop and leapt up, removing her own gravity, and allowing her to float. Honenuki clicked his teeth as he allowed himself to dive into the ring and into the ground below. He did have to be careful not to swim outside the ring though, as that would be an immediate disqualification.
"It appears that Mudman has made the first moves!" Present Mic crowed, "His ability to soften the ring completely has completely removed Uravity's footing!"
"Logical, though that doesn't actually help him win with Uravity's ability to float." Aizawa commented, "This matchup is a stalemate. Mudman can't get too close to her, or she'll remove his gravity and beat him with experience in Zero-G. But she can't get close enough to use her Quirk on him."
Up above, Ochako scowled, 'Smarty-pants!' She groaned, 'I can't stay up here forever and that would be boring anyway. He can just stay down there as long as he-' She stopped, 'No, that's not right. He needs to breathe. He'll need to surface eventually.' She put a hand on her stomach, willing herself to not start feeling nauseous. 'Why isn't he attacking? Can he not control any of the softened ring?' She smirked at the thought.
She was looking around but gasped as an eruption behind her heralded him breaching like a whale, reaching for her ankle so that he could drag her under.
"WOAH, MUDMAN PULLED A FAST ONE! LOOK AT THAT MAJESTIC BREACH! GANG ORCA, ARE YOU WATCHING?!" Present Mic yelled loudly as the crowd cheered, finally excited after a bit of a boring start.
Ochako would have been caught and pulled down then and there, but she had far too much experience in Zero-G. She tucked into a ball and rolled back, getting her ankle out of the way of his hand. Her own hand snapped out like lightning, trying to grab his forearm to activate her own Quirk. She managed to get three fingers on him, but then gravity reasserted itself and he started falling back down. He flipped down and dove perfectly into the ring. A splash rose up, before falling down with a wet plop. It was really a perfect dive… with only the fact that it was into concrete that had been turned into liquid to mark it as weird.
"It looks like Mudman's first attempt on Uravity almost backfired! Our Gravity Mistress almost turned his maneuver back on him! What will Mudman do now?!"
What would Ochako do now was a better question. She was already starting to feel queasy, and she knew she was either going to lose her lunch or have to deactivate her Quirk sooner than later. Honenuki didn't seem to have as many problems as she hoped. What was she going to do?
He surfaced, "Jeez, I thought I had you there, Uravity." He said, and she realized he was breathing heavier. "So, what now, huh?"
Ochako wasn't sure she liked the answer that she came to. But she had quickly realized that this was not going to go in her favor unless she did something drastic. This was going to have to be an all or nothing move… and she really hoped her legs didn't break.
"Ooooh, what's this?! Uravity is going even higher up?! She's far outside of Mudman's range now! What could she be planning?"
"I think I feel my blood pressure rising with her." Aizawa deadpanned, knowing Ochako could be one of his crazier brats.
"Here goes nothing." Ochako muttered, before seizing her Quirk and reversing its polarity. Instantly, she went from floating like a balloon to falling like a shooting star. 'Please be tough enough, please be tough enough, please be tough enough!' She chanted in her head, putting all of her hopes on the increased durability she seemed to get whenever she turned gravity up on herself.
"What the hell?!" Mudman rapidly moved out of the strike zone, watching her drop out of the sky even faster than terminal velocity.
"URAVITY IS CRAZY EVERYONE! WE'VE GOT A METEOR COMING DOWN!" Present Mic yelled in shock.
"U-Ryūsei!" Ochako yelled out right before smashing into the center of the ring with both feet. Immediately, a gigantic wave of softened concrete spread out in every direction.
"Oh shit!" Honenuki gasped as he finally figured out her plan. "I should have-bbnuybgvruyfobu" The wave smashed into him and carried him out of the ring. The white of the ring splashed down on the grass along with him. He sputtered as he rolled on the grass before getting washed onto the stadium walls and crashing into them.
The crowd erupted in cheers, though some of them had a bit disgusted looks on seeing as the stadium interior looked like a very unfortunate bit of artwork with white splattered everywhere. The internet was going to go stupid with it, no doubt.
"Mudman is out of the ring!" Midnight declared, "Uravity, you alive in there?!"
"OWWWWWWW!" Ochako cried out, holding both of her legs, which were broken. Her entire body felt like one giant mass of pain. Which was admittedly better than her being dead, as she should have been.
Off in her office, Recovery Girl was practically snarling, "THESE FOOL CHILDREN! THE SPORTS FESTIVAL IS NO REASON TO GET YOURSELVES KILLED OR CRIPPLED! I'M GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE MYSELF IMMORTAL, AREN'T I?! THESE DAMN IDIOTS ARE ALL GOING TO DIE THE SECOND I DO!"
"Well, Uravity is okay!" Midnight stopped, opened her mouth, closed her mouth, and said, "For a given value of 'okay.' She advances to the next round… though whether she'll be up to participate is probably up in the air." The crowd cheered, though it was a little subdued. Ochako was indeed nuts about competitions.
"I've got her, sensei." Izuku jumped down from the stands and floated to Ochako. "I'll bring her to Recovery Girl." He gently picked the sniffling girl in his arms and floated for the tunnels.
"Thank you, Eon!" Midnight called out. "You okay, Mudman?"
"My pride is splattered." He deadpanned, "Thanks sensei."
"Pride will recover!" She cracked her whip, "Unfortunately, Cementoss will have to repair the ring, so sit tight folks! It's time for an intermission!"
…
"Honestly, Uraraka-chan, why?" Izuku set her down before allowing his healing flames to burst forth.
She let out a relieved (and somewhat lewd) moan as his healing flames bathed her in relief. "Oh gosh, that feels gooood…" She was practically a puddle of goo under his flames. "Ya can heal others too?"
"And you have an accent." She froze as he grinned, "It's cute. Don't worry."
She blushed harder than usual, "It's embarrassin'." He cut off the flames and she took his offered hand.
"Don't do that move again, Uraraka-chan. It's too dangerous. Or at least don't do it without equipment to help you survive it."
She nodded rapidly, "Honestly, I kind of panicked. There was nothing I could do to him." She tucked her accent away even if he said it was cute.
"And there's going to be occasions where that happens." 'Like against Nōmu.' He didn't say. "You should make sure you just fight like normal in the next round. Pros might even get a bit turned away from scouting you even if you win if they think you're too unconcerned with your own safety."
Ochako froze, "Shit!" She cursed.
"Still though…" He grinned, "That might just impress others. I think I heard Miruko saying you had 'bigger balls than Best Jeanist.'"
Ochako squealed.
"Now, get going to Recovery Girl before she chases you down. She's going to want to check and make sure I didn't miss anything. And then whack you with her cane a bit." Izuku told her, smirking lightly, and her excitement turned to ash. Her poor shins.
-[-
"Was Uraraka okay?" Camie looked a little pale. "I don't think legs are supposed to bend like that."
"It's just the Sports Festival… she did fine just making it here." Yui said quietly. "Why?"
"Uraraka-chan is ultra-competitive." Momo pursed her lips, "But that was way overboard."
"Yes, she was fine." Izuku said, "Well, after a little healing." He quirked his lips, "Though I'm not sure that'll remain the case once Recovery Girl gets a hold of her."
"F's for her shins." Setsuna chuckled, relieved she was fine.
"F." Yui, Mina, Camie, Melissa, and Izuku all said.
Momo pouted, "I still don't understand that one."
"It's an ancient meme." Mina patted her on the shoulder. "Anyway, what do we think about the next match?"
"Itsuka wins it." Setsuna said confidently at the same as Momo said, "I am confident in Tsu." The two looked at each other in surprise, before Setsuna playfully narrowed her eyes, "Oho? Counting our Pres out, huh?"
Momo giggled, "Not at all, I just think that you haven't seen how strong Tsu is, and in terms of mobility I think we can all agree she has the edge."
"Hmmm, we'll just have to see then." They all turned to watch now that Cementoss had finished the first repair of the day.
…
"AND AFTER THAT WILD START, CAN THE NEXT SET OF MATCHES EVEN HOPE TO LIVE UP TO THE FIRST MATCH?! TIME TO FIND OUT, FOLKS!" Present Mic belted out, "From 1-A, our froggy Princess, Froppy!" The crowd all cheered as Tsuyu hopped onto the ring.
"Kero, I thought the frog was usually the Prince?" She tapped her chin, wondering if she liked being called a Princess.
"And from 1-B, you all know her by now! Class B's president and the one you better hope you don't ever get punched by: BATTLE FIST!"
Itsuka frowned, "Do you have to make me seem like a violent maniac?" She grumbled as she got onto the stage, before putting a smile on and waving for the crowd.
"Alright girls!" Midnight raised her whip, "Time to show the crowd some fight!" With the last word, she cracked her whip down.
"Kero, good luck, Itsuka-chan." Tsuyu bent her knees and put a palm on the ground.
"You as well, Tsuyu-chan!" Itsuka cracked her knuckles, before enlarging her fists to about medium size. She took off, aiming to close the distance between her and Tsuyu in a flash.
"Kero, you're fast!" Tsuyu sounded surprised, before she shot her tongue out of her mouth directly at her charging opponent's face.
Itsuka looked surprised at how fast the ballistic appendage was, and she skidded to a halt and crossed her fists in front of her. "Oof!" She gasped as the tongue smacked into her fists and forced her to slide back about a meter. "Holy, that's some power!" She grunted out as she uncrossed her arms, and her eyes widened when she realized Tsuyu was gone.
She instinctively dodged, rolling forward, and was glad she did so. Tsuyu had used the moment her eyesight was blocked to jump to one of the four pillars that framed each corner of the ring. She then jumped to the one behind Itsuka and immediately springboarded off of it, did a somersault in the air, and came spearing down legs first at Itsuka's back. She just barely missed Itsuka due to the class rep's excellent instincts.
"Wooo! What an explosive start! Froppy not only opens with an aggressive attack, but uses her opponent's block to get around her and attempt to take her out in one shot! An excellent play by Froppy!" The crowd cheered them on, already finding this match more fun than the last just from the opening.
Itsuka grinned, "Damn, you're good." She raised her fist and made it even larger, "Let's have some fun!" This time, she was the one that sprang forward with surprising speed. Tsuyu croaked in shock as she dodged back, and Itsuka's fist crushed the ring beneath them. She raised her arm and tried again, and again, with Tsuyu only able to hop backwards until she was at the edge of the ring. With a croak, she jumped to the side as Itsuka changed her punching motion, afraid of missing and touching the grass. It gave the froggy girl just enough time to change her direction.
"And Froppy has taken this fight to the air!" Present Mic called out in surprise, "What will Battle Fist do now that she's out of range?!"
"According to whom?!" Itsuka roared out, a blinding grin on her face as she raised her right arm so that she had an axe-hand formed to the side of her left ear. With an excited grunt, she swung her giant arm and chopped the pillar cleanly in half.
The crowd roared in approval as Tsuyu croaked in shock. "Kero!" She rapidly crawled and repositioned, and then leapt over Itsuka's head. The pillar crashed onto the grass as Tsuyu landed, and immediately sprang forward. She kicked out at Itsuka, and the ginger-haired girl cried out in shock at the surprising amount of power in Tsuyu's kick.
"Yeow!" Itsuka rapidly shook her fist out as she backed away from the edge, having barely avoided a ring-out from defending against that last impact, "Holy shit, girl!" She gasped out, "Those legs are killer! I thought it was only your tongue!"
"Kerokero." Tsuyu laughed lightly, "Frog legs are some of the strongest in the world, you know."
"I do now! You planning on being a combat Hero?" Itsuka asked during the lull as they repositioned.
"Nah, water rescues." Tsuyu replied, "I'm far more useful in the water, kero." Off in the stands, a Hero who actually had ears good enough to hear what they were saying frowned a little, finding that to be a bit of a waste of potential.
"Hmmm…" Itsuka hummed, "Should have guessed. You've got skill but you don't exactly move like a trained martial artist." Her fists shrunk as she grinned, "Let's see how you handle this!" She sprang forward, putting all of her Karate skills to use. She led off with a roundhouse kick that Tsuyu quickly ducked under, but Itsuka only picked up the pace. She used her momentum to turn it into a sweep, which Tsuyu hopped over.
"Kero!" Tsuyu quickly lost control of the fight, with Itsuka pressing her hard with punches, kicks, and a blistering pace she had never encountered before. Tsuyu tried to find her own little moments to counter, but then Itsuka started mixing in growing and shrinking her fists with her strikes, and it was all Tsuyu could do to not get hit. It turned from a fight to a chase.
"UNBELIEVABLE, FOLKS! Froppy can't even seem to find a moment to breathe, much less counter! And Battle Fist is proving her mettle, pushing Froppy to the brink! Is this it for her?!"
"Kero!" Tsuyu croaked as she leapt back as hard as she could, landing on one of the remaining three pillars.
"This again?!" Itsuka roared, chopping the pillar in half just as she had the first time, not noticing that this time, Tsuyu was prepared for it.
"Take this!" Tsuyu raised her voice a little, even if she sounded funny with her huge tongue sticking out of her mouth. Just before Itsuka could chop the pillar, she leapt, leaving her tongue wrapped around it. Itsuka only had a moment to realize her mistake before the large block of concrete was flying through the air and then thrown at her by Tsuyu.
"SHIT!" Itsuka screamed as she enlarged her hands to their max size and durability. The pillar smashed into her and shattered into concrete shards. Itsuka hissed in pain and yelped as she was almost thrown from the ring by the hit. Her hands ached as she shook them out.
"UNBELIEVABLE! IT SEEMS FROPPY TURNED BATTLE FIST'S UNRELENTING ASSAULT BACK ON HER!" Present Mic shouted, much to the approval of the crowd.
"An excellent use of her surroundings against an opponent pushing her beyond her comfort zone. Froppy is not only cool under pressure but very intelligent, even if she is noticeably out of her element." Aizawa agreed and provided some actual analysis.
"Shit Tsuyu, that was nuts!" Itsuka gave her opponent a pained grin. "Definitely not doing that again."
"You're overwhelmingly strong, Itsuka-chan." Tsuyu panted a little.
"You too! That pillar was heavy as hell!" She winced, shaking her hands out again. "Hit like a truck."
The two smiled at one another but regarded each other silently from now on. Each of them was trying to analyze the other, wondering how they could win the match. 'Tsuyu's mobility is her greatest strength. Plus, she has her tongue, which means she has one more appendage to fight with than I do. But her arms don't seem that strong, and she fights mostly with kicks and her tongue. She also doesn't have a highly trained battle instinct.' She eyed her opponent seriously.
'Kero, Itsuka-chan is tough. She's faster and more skilled than me.' Tsuyu thought to herself, 'However, even if she's faster, she's not as mobile. She's tougher and can take hits better than I can for sure. If she hits me directly, I'm probably out of the fight. Kero. I need to slow her down. Maybe I could do that?'
'I have to take away her mobility, but if I start breaking the ring then I'll lose my sure footing too.' Itsuka smiled as she had an idea, 'Maybe…'
Tsuyu squeezed her stomach, allowing some of her paralytic toxins to regurgitate and coat her tongue in a somewhat goopy layer of mucus. 'Kero, this is always so nasty.' She hid her grimace, not wanting to give the game away. Judging she had enough, she fired her tongue out without any warning. Predictably, Itsuka raised her fists to block rather than dodge, and the mucus splattered, coating the back of both of her fists.
"Ugh!" Itsuka grimaced, shaking her hands off, "Why was it so wet this time?!" She grumbled as she leapt into the air. "Take this!" She roared, enlarging her right fist to its maximum size. Tsuyu leapt to the right as Itsuka landed, pulverizing the concrete beneath in a large area. "I'm not done yet!" She yelled, leaping after Tsuyu, and crushing the ring once again. Right now, the concrete was utterly destroyed on that side, forming what looked almost like a half-circle of clean ring near the middle that was barely over two meters wide.
Tsuyu realized it immediately, 'She's trying to crush the ring except in the center so I can't jump as well unless I'm in her range. I have to end this quickly!' She spat her tongue out again, having regurgitated another dose. Again, she splattered Itsuka's fists in it, and retracted her tongue, before immediately firing it out again. This time, she aimed not for her center of mass, but at her ankles.
Itsuka, not expecting the change, cried out a loud, "Shit!" As Tsuyu's tongue wrapped around her ankle. 'Why couldn't I block that?!' She wondered to herself as Tsuyu whipped her head around. "AAAAAAAHHHH!" Itsuka screamed in shock as Tsuyu started spinning her around and around over her head. The froggy girl let out a croak as she let go, sending Itsuka flying out of the ring.
"INCREDIBLE! In an incredible turn of events, it appears that Battle Fist was unable to block Froppy's tongue forever! Her clever plan of trying to box our froggy Princess into the center of the ring with awful footing appears to have backfired! Is this the end for class B's president?!" Present Mic screamed in excitement.
"NO WAY!" Itsuka roared, throwing her hand out and catching one of the remaining two pillars.
"KERO?!" Tsuyu practically and uncharacteristically began to gape as Itsuka used the pillar to change her momentum around, swinging herself around the pillar a few times before flying directly at Tsuyu! 1-A's frog was unable to dodge and took a large hit from Itsuka's fist that sent her grunting to the floor. She rolled a few times and stopped just before she would have flown off the ring. "Keroooo…" She let out a pained wheeze.
"It's over, Froppy!" Itsuka roared out (using her Hero name just in case she was loud enough for the microphones to pick up), running at Tsuyu so she could finish rolling her off. And then it was like something had hit her as she tripped on seemingly nothing. "Wh-what?!" She looked at her right leg, which was numb and couldn't move.
"WHAT'S THIS?! It looked like 1-B's sure victory, but Battle Fist has fallen!" The crowd roared out in confusion along with Present Mic.
"It appears this battle is Froppy's to lose." Aizawa smirked, "Clever girl."
"But what happened?!" Mic bounced off of him.
"Th-that's what I want to know!" Itsuka yelled, feeling her hands start to grow numb too. "Wait…" She gasped, thinking back to the last few exchanges, "Don't tell me!"
"K-Kero." Tsuyu forced herself up on shaky arms, "You hit like a truck, Itsuka-chan." She smiled and wiped a bit of blood from her lips, "It finally took effect."
"Your tongue." Itsuka groaned, "Those 'wet' hits. You poisoned me!" The crowd roared out in shock.
"Kero, just a weak paralytic." She responded as she got to her feet, "It'll wear off soon."
"Oh my, perhaps we were a bit early in calling her a princess! Froppy appears to be well equipped to fight even physically superior foes! I wonder what else she has in her bag of tricks!"
"This is weak?!" Itsuka gasped, "I can't even move my leg, and my hands are shaking like crazy!"
"Kero, a strong paralytic would have you completely unable to move, and could last for weeks." Tsuyu responded, "Not sure I even have anything that strong, kero. And not sure I want to find out."
"Battle Fist, can you fight?" Midnight asked the ginger.
Itsuka ground her teeth, "I sure as hell am not going down by giving up!" She tried to force herself up.
"Kero." Tsuyu croaked, shooting her tongue out. This time, Itsuka dodged and didn't even try to enlarge her fists. They were so weak right now she couldn't even make a fist. Tsuyu's tongue continued on, wrapping around the pillar Itsuka had swung on.
"Oh, shi-" Itsuka didn't even get to finish her curse as Tsuyu used her new anchor to pull herself forward. Her feet landed square in Itsuka's stomach and sent the girl flying out of the ring and onto the grass.
"VICTORY! VICTORY FOR FROPPY!" The crowds ROARED as they cheered for Tsuyu. "After an incredibly entertaining, back and forth match, Battle Fist has been defeated by ring out with a devastating anchored dropkick! And look at this sportsmanship! Froppy immediately goes to help her opponent!" Tsuyu had jumped off the ring with zero grandstanding and went to go help her friend. "What wonderful young ladies we have in the Hero Course this year! Someone had to win, but after an unbelievable bout, both of these combatants deserve your applause! Let them hear it!"
Neither Itsuka nor Tsuyu could even hear one another from the roaring.
-[-
"Drat!" Setsuna pouted, "I was so sure that 'Tsuka-chan would at least get to the second round!"
"Not looking good for 1-B, fam. That's 0-2, and we have more members in the finals too." Camie needled her a bit, smirking.
Setsuna scoffed, "Just you wait! Nirengeki will show Kirishima what's up."
Mina blinked, "Uhhh, you do know he's our Tetsutetsu, right?" She grinned, "I know his Twin Impact rocks, but can it break rocks?"
Setsuna gave a reptilian grin, all teeth, "Good thing Nirengeki trained against Tetsu, then. He figured out a new trick with that Quirk of his, and it's OP!"
"Oooh." Izuku's eyes lit up, and his notebook materialized in his hand, "Should be a good showing, then. I wonder what trick this is…"
"Where did that notebook come from?" Melissa blinked, "I didn't know Izuku could teleport things."
"Huh?" Izuku blinked, "It was already here?"
"No, it wasn't!" Melissa protested, as the rest of the girls (sans Yui, who looked equally confused) started growing amused.
"Uhhh, yes it was? I always have it with me." Izuku retorted, "Dunno why no one ever notices it."
"Am I getting gaslit?" Melissa looked around for help, and almost everyone else just burst out laughing. 'Note to self… keep an eye on that notebook.' Her eyebrow twitched slightly. She eyed the ring which Cementoss was able to repair much faster this go around, 'I do wonder what this new trick is. It must be really cool if Setsu-chan is so confident. Looks like it's time to find out.'
…
"IIIIIIIIIII hope you're ready!" The crowd cheered at Present Mic's call, "That didn't sound very enthusiastic! Come on folks, give these kids some cheers!" The crowd roared, "That's what I'm talking about! Here we have one of 1-B's strongest! You better not find yourself down, otherwise you'll get Double Tapped!"
"Jeez… does he have to make it sound like I have a couple guns?" Shōda grumbled as he waved at the crowds, forcing a smile.
"And from the blue corner, it's 1-A's ultra-sturdy wall! Give it up for Red Riot!" Present Mic introduced Kirishima, who rushed onto the stage, grinning widely.
"Hehehe, I'm raring to go! You ready, Double Tap?" He held a fist up for his opponent to see.
"Are you?" Nirengeki shot back, getting into a boxing stance with a small smile.
"Oh, this youth is getting to me! Better start!" Midnight cracked her whip, and Kirishima turned into his stony form.
"You better be, Double Tap!" Kirishima took off with a grin. He had massively improved his speed and mobility, having focused heavily on it after his loss in the Battle Trials two months ago. He'd taken that loss to heart, and with Unbreakable, he felt he had already probably maxed out his toughness. He really wished he had been on I-Island to help his friends during their fight!
"Oh, you better believe it." Nirengeki let out a slow exhale, tightened up his muscles, and then threw a devastating left cross that Kirishima tried to tank right through.
Keyword there being 'tried.'
With a crack that sounded like a gunshot, Kirishima was knocked back, hitting the ring hard and rolling a few times. The crowd roared.
…
Off in the stands, Mina, Camie, and Izuku all gaped, "What the hell?!" The pinkette yelped, "That looked just like a regular ass punch! How the fuck did he knock Kiri on his ass?!"
"Hehehehe!" Setsuna cackled, "Told ya! He figured-"
"Ahp, ahp, ahp!" Izuku stopped her, "I want to see if I can figure it out, Set." He mumbled, his pen already flying across the pages, "Impact was much louder than a normal punch. Have seen Kirishima get hit plenty of times in spars, and it never sounded like that. Twin Impact normally allows for a discrete second hit, which hasn't happened yet. Mumble, mumble, mumble." Those who had not seen him do this yet stood there in bemusement, listening as his words slowly started flowing into one another and becoming nearly unintelligible.
…
Kirishima got up quickly, shaking his head, "Holy hell dude. That hit like the flu." He shook his head again, "What the hell was that?"
Shōda smirked, "You don't expect me to explain my powers during the fight, right?"
Kirishima paused for a moment, before revealing his shark-like teeth, "Nah, you're right! I can worry about that stuff later!" He punched his fists together, "Let's try this again!" He charged, much more focused this time and ready for anything. Shōda again tried to punch him, but he was better prepared this time. He blocked it sharply, and the impact still made him slide back a few feet. "Grh." He grunted, looking down at his arm and seeing that it looked slightly cracked. "Your punches are hard as hell, but your knuckles don't look too great, huh?"
Shōda grunted, "Tetsu might be harder than you, but he's smooth. Your skin is all jagged and rocky." He had a very slight cut on his knuckle. He was very grateful that he was soft-spoken because he was one hundred percent sure that Setsuna would have been yelling, 'That's what she said!' from the stands if she had heard him.
Kirishima almost felt obligated to say it anyway, seeing as Mina was one of his besties. Time and place though. Trying to sound ominous, he rumbled, "You haven't even begun to see how hard I can get!"
Midnight bit down on her fist, resolving to talk to Vlad and Eraser about having the 'what the hell did you say?' class a bit early. She spasmed trying to keep her laughter down.
…
Off in the stands, Mina was pouting that they weren't getting enough volume from the ring, because she felt like she was missing out somehow. And then Izuku and Melissa both gasped, "I've got it!"
"Hmm?" Momo turned to them, "Got what?"
Melissa smiled at Izuku, and nodded at him to go ahead. "I've figured out Nirengeki-san's trick!" He said resolutely, "Instead of letting out a discrete Twin Impact after the first, he's letting them out so close together that they're almost concurrent! With both impacts so close to one another, they're pretty much merging together and multiplying the effect!"
"Holy shit Zu…" Setsuna gaped, "You figured that out after two punches?"
Momo, Mina, and Camie all laughed as Izuku blushed, "That's our president for you!"
Setsuna laughed, "Well, shit!" Her grin widened, "I'll remember that if we ever face off then, Zu. Can't let you think!" Izuku blushed a bit harder, "The detail was a bit off, but you got the gist. Every impact wastes some power because every object has its own level of resistance." Izuku was speedwriting again, wide-eyed.
"Hold on a second." Mina and Camie's eyes narrowed. "That sounds familiar. I've heard that before!" The two said.
Setsuna's grin widened, "Essentially, he's letting off the second impact a microsecond after the first. His first impact eliminates the resistance of the object he's hitting for that microsecond, and then the second impact lands with full force."
"Get the fuck out fam!" Camie's eyes widened, "Bro got the Futae No Kiwami?!" Setsuna burst out laughing.
"Why is it every time we get together like this, I miss out on a bunch of references?" Momo asked rhetorically. Yui patted her shoulder reassuringly.
…
"What the hell?!" Shōda's question was repeated and roared out by Present Mic, "It appears Red Riot was holding out on us!"
Kirishima now looked monstrous. His skin was jagged and even harder than it had been before. He wasn't just a shield now. He was a sword. "UNBREAKABLE!" He roared out for the world to hear.
"Tch." Shōda clicked his teeth, "Damn, I wish we were allowed gear." He mumbled too low for Kirishima to overhear. 'Looks like I'm going to need to get hurt if I want to win.' He kicked off the ground, and to all observers, he seemed to almost teleport into Kirishima's guard, before hammering a kick into Kirishima's chest.
"Woah!" Kirishima yelped as he was forced back from the kick, but his grin was wide and sharp, "Heh, you're fast, but that didn't hurt at all!" He pounded a fist into his chest, "It's going to take harder hits than that to crack me open!"
"I'll just have to try harder, then!" Shōda retorted, and the two rushed one another, and their fists landed on each other in the middle of the ring. Again, that gunshot-like sound rang through the air, with Kirishima getting recoiled back from Shōda's much stronger punch. Yet again, it was Shōda who took more damage, with his knuckles tearing a bit more.
He kicked the ground three times, with the third impact launching him into the air. At the apex, another TWACK rang out from Twin Impact, and he recoiled down in a picture-perfect axe kick. Kirishima took it, crossing his arms over his head.
A shockwave rushed out, making little bits of grit on the ring fly apart. Kirishima grinned and grabbed Shōda's leg, before swinging Shōda around and around, with the boy looking like he was starting to turn a bit green. "WAAAAaaaaAAAAaaaaAAAA!" And then Kirishima let go, and Shōda flew out of the ring.
"AFTER AN ELECTRIFYING MATCH, IT APPEARS TO BE RED RIOT'S WIN!" Present Mic roared out, sitting at the edge of his seat.
And then Shōda, still green, yelled out, "TWIN IMPACT!" His third saved impact rebounded him off the air and sent him back into the ring, where he landed, panting a little.
"Maybe you should quit while you're ahead, Mic?" Aizawa sounded vaguely amused for once.
Mic grumbled, "I'm shutting up now."
Kirishima grinned, punching his fists together again, "Right on! Screw ring outs! Let's fight until one of us drops, bro!"
Shōda groaned, "You really are 1-A's Tetsutetsu." He shook his head in bemusement, "I'm going to win, no matter what!" He got into his stance again, revealing his lightly-bleeding fist.
"That's the spirit!" The two charged, with Kirishima getting launched across the ring and into one of the four pillars. Shōda crashed into it a second later, with Kirishima having rolled out of the way and raised a fist of his own. His fist crashed into Shōda's face a second later, bloodying his nose and smashing the back of his head into the pillar.
Shōda growled and threw his head forward, smashing his forehead into Kirishima's and ringing his bell. Kirishima fell back after backpedaling a few steps and landed on his back. Shōda shook his head slightly, before running forward and punching down at Kirishima. Kirishima rolled to the right, so the punch landed on the ring itself and put a small crater into it. Shōda raised his fist and chased Kirishima before he could get up, forcing the redhead to roll again, and then again, and then again. Soon, Shōda had put three more craters into the ring, but Kirishima finally managed to get to his feet.
Kirishima unloaded a punch that took Shōda in the gut, shredding his gym uniform slightly. Shōda coughed out a bunch of spittle as he folded forward, but managed to throw an elbow that smashed Kirishima in the face, revealing he could use his technique with more than just his fists and feet.
He then managed to hit Kirishima twice more, aiming for his jaw each time. He had realized he wasn't going to get anywhere if he just threw random hits. He needed multiple hits to the same target if he was going to crack Kirishima open. 'Or…' he thought to himself, before switching tactics.
He blocked a punch from Kirishima and then kicked him in the leg. That gunshot rang out again, and Kirishima stood strong. The redhead swung his arm with his claws pointed, and Shōda had to quickly back away, getting his uniform clawed and torn for his trouble. Kirishima swung again, and this time Shōda slapped the blow as it passed him.
"SHIT!" Kirishima yelped as he was forcibly overextended, spinning almost like a top, and then Shōda landed another kick on his leg, in the same place he had hit the last time! "Why you!" He growled, before lunging for Shōda.
Shōda fell back and planted both of his feet on Kirishima's chest, launching him up and over and almost off the ring. "Damn! So close!"
"UNBELIEVABLE!" Present Mic howled out, "What a bloody fight! Neither Hero-in-training is willing to give up an inch and is giving as good as he's getting! We've got punches, we've got kicks, we've got BLOOD! Who will fall first?!" The crowd cheered the two boys on, nearly shaking the stadium again.
And about a quarter of them were too busy feeling faint over how bloody this one had actually ended up being! They weren't even out of the first round!
"Shit bro, big props! I can't believe I'm actually feeling these hits." Kirishima rubbed his leg with a wince.
"I can't believe you're still standing." Shōda shot back, "Respect dude. Tetsu is totally on catch-up duty now."
"Heh, I'm willing to train with him any time! Let's do this, bro!" Kirishima jumped at Shōda, burying his fingers into the ring when he tried to swipe down at Shōda.
Shōda took advantage quickly, kicking Kirishima square in the face again, and then again before the redhead could free his hand. Shōda grunted as he again ate another brutal uppercut from his opponent that made him nearly cough up some blood.
Kirishima reared back for a haymaker, and Shōda, grimacing and tearing up from the pain, kicked the ground and flew forward, smashing the crown of his head directly into Kirishima's nose.
Both boys fell to the floor, unconscious. Kirishima even lost hold on Unbreakable.
Midnight rushed onto the ring the second it looked like neither was moving. She quickly checked their pulses, and sighed in relief. "BOTH FIGHTERS ARE DOWN! IT LOOKS LIKE ROUND THREE IS A TIE!" She grinned sheepishly, "MEDIC!"
The crowd roared, having gotten an actually fun slugfest.
…
"A fucking tie?!" Setsuna steamed a bit, "Do they give you guys different water or something?! Holy hell, Kirishima is so damn tough!"
Mina laughed, "Kiri trained by jumping off our school's tallest building. Nearly killed him myself when I found out."
"I wonder how they will handle a tie?" Momo asked, tapping her chin lightly.
"They usually have some sort of easy and quick tiebreaker like arm wrestling or Janken."
Setsuna groaned, "There goes Shōda if it ends up being arm wrestling."
"Also," Camie chimed in, "Yaomomo, shouldn't you be, like, heading out?"
Momo's eyes widened, "Oh dear, I am next, aren't I?" She stood, and smiled at all of them. "Wish me luck?"
"Should cheer for Shio-chan… but you won't need it." Yui said flatly as the busty girl got hugs from all her beaus.
"Oi!" Setsuna harrumphed, "Just cuz it's true doesn't mean you should say it." She smirked, before popping her mouth off and stealing a kiss from Momo, "Good luck, babe."
Momo blushed to her ears as she left.
-[-
"And now that the ring is yet again rebuilt," Present Mic's grin was a bit strained.
"I did warn you all to expect it this year." Aizawa got in a rare needle on Mic.
Mic gamely ignored him, "It's time for the next match! It's class B's Assassin, Gloriosa! Pretty things have thorns, you know!" Ibara was stone-faced as she entered the ring. "And from the other end, we have the deadly Izanami! Don't let her creations fool you, she packs a wallop!"
Momo sighed before she stepped into the light, "Shiozaki-chan isn't going to like that nickname."
"And I'd like to remind you all, Izanami is wearing her hero suit because she created it herself with her Quirk." Aizawa threw in tiredly, with Mic getting ready to begin the match despite the grumbles from some of the audience.
"Now, we'll have a super flashy battle this time too-"
"Uhh, pardon me?" Ibara had a hand up as she stared at the teacher's booth, "Please excuse the interruption, but what do you mean by 'Assassin?' I have only come to find victory, not to take my opponent's life." She looked like someone had just kicked her kitten.
As Aizawa lightly rubbed his forehead in exasperation, Mic stammered, "S-Sorry, Gloriosa-chan."
Momo hid some giggles behind her hand as Ibara continued, "In the first place, I wished to enter U.A. not for wicked reasons, but for the salvation of others." She said as she brought her hands together in a prayer motion. Even a light seemed to shine on her from the heavens.
"I said sorry! My bad!" Mic belted out, a little harried now. "Go ahead and begin!"
Ibara smiled, "Thank you for your understanding." She bowed, before turning back to Momo. "And thank you for waiting."
"Present Mic really needs to buy a better filter, doesn't he?" Momo allowed her amusement to show, something that got Ibara to smile again as well.
"Indeed." She replied, before her expression closed up, 'I truly do not know how I can overcome this wall. Tokage-san warned us of how powerful 1-A is, and Yaoyorozu stands near the top of that pyramid.' She bowed her head, 'I do not wish to use excessive force, but it may be the only chance I have.' Clasping her hands in prayer again, Ibara declared, "Via Dolorosa!" Immediately, her vines started to snake out like little creepers, expanding rapidly and covering the entire ring and even the areas beyond.
Momo kept her cool, having expected as much. She raised her hand and One For All flashed, disgorging a naginata into her hand. The five percent she was limiting herself to may not have sounded like much, but with how strong her Quirk truly was, it was more than enough for this. Expertly spinning the weapon, she sent out a few weak air slashes at the vines, slicing and dicing them to hundreds of tiny pieces that flopped uselessly to the floor of the ring.
Ibara's eyes were wide as she regarded her hair, which was now cut much shorter than she was accustomed to except for what had been behind her neck. "That was quite dangerous." She said faintly.
Momo smirked as she slammed the butt of her naginata into the ring, "I assure you, my aim is quite good."
"Holy cow! Izanami instantly shreds through Gloriosa's opening salvo! What will the gardening queen do now?!"
"She has now seen quite clearly that her usual tactics will not work. It is an opportunity to see how she performs under pressure." Aizawa stated, "Though it appears that Izanami is not pressing her advantage."
Momo winced at the edge in her homeroom teacher's voice. She did not want to appear arrogant, and would be devastated if she lost to anyone except her love, but was she wrong to allow her opponent to show off a little if she was confident in her victory?
Ibara frowned a little, "I do hope this is not overconfidence. Pride goeth before the fall. A sin in my religion."
"Not at all." Momo stated, "I merely wish for both of us to get the chance to show off. We are trying to get scouted, after all."
"My, my, it appears that Izanami is trying to be a good sportswoman! Let's see if she regrets it!"
"I see." Ibara's hair had not grown back, but the mass that remained behind her back had started burrowing into the ring behind her, "You are perhaps not overconfident, but you are certainly sure of your own victory." She smiled somewhat ominously, "I do pray you do not have cause to regret that."
Upon finishing her sentence, the ground around her and Momo started to crack and shatter. Giant masses of the ring rose up, ensnared by her vines. Ibara formed a protective shield around her, while also using the rocks and boulders to both reinforce her hair as well as to form massive clubs.
Momo's eyes widened as one of the giant masses swung, aiming to crush her right then and there. She raised her naginata and speared it forwards with red lightning surrounding her. Her thrust shattered the boulder Ibara's hair was carrying, and then the masses of thorny vines spazzed out, whipping to capture her. The boulders had just been a distraction.
Momo's naginata started to glow before splitting apart into two lightly curved blades. The eagle-eyed nerds in the crowd (like her partners) all squealed at her reveal of two perfect replicas of Orcrist from the Lord of the Rings. Before Ibara's disbelieving eyes, she sliced and diced her way through the mass of thorns, spinning her blades and herself in a deadly dance. The ring was littered with the remains of Ibara's vines as Momo slid to a stop, with more and more vines splatting on the ring.
The crowd erupted in cheers, "HOLY-! Izanami is proving that her choice of name isn't for show! Not only creating, but destroying at will!"
Momo straightened up, "It appears that your vines are insufficient to capture me." Or hold her for very long if she did get captured, "Unless you have some way of hardening them, of course."
Ibara did not, in fact, have a method of hardening them. Nor, for that matter, did she have the time to waste in this battle. She had never had to expend her vines so much, so quickly, and regrowing them was clearly taking a toll. She could already feel herself starting to dehydrate, something she hadn't experienced from pure Quirk use in years. "It appears you are correct."
"I will be happy to accept your surrender." Momo smiled at her, "You've fought well, and surely you've been noticed by the Pros."
"I thank you for the offer, but you will have to defeat me if you want to win." Ibara bowed to her opponent, "Please forgive me, for this is further than I ever wish to take a fight. You leave me no choice." With that, her hair surged once more, not as great masses or clumps, but as individual strands aiming both to grab Momo to throw her out of the ring as well as just physically whip her like their Art History teacher would have. Where quality had not worked, she would now try quantity. It was already straining her, but she had control over each individual strand of her hair. Her jaw was clenched, but she was going to use that to the fullest effect and stagger her blows, giving Momo so many things to think about that she would never be capable of stopping all of it!
"It appears Gloriosa is refusing to throw in the towel, and it appears she's actually landing some blows!" Indeed, Momo was grimacing in slight pain as a vine she couldn't evade entirely gave her a small cut on her forearm.
"This is what she gets for not simply trying to win her match and allowing her opponent to breathe." Aizawa said ruthlessly.