Chapter 19: Mysterio's Gauntlet, Pt. 2: Bakugo Strikes Back
"So what's the plan, bossman??"
Midoriya turned to Mei, surprised that, while everyone else broke off into their own groups (likely to plot against him), the support student immediately came over.
"Mei?? No, no, if you're with me, you could get disqualified-"
"Don't care. You're my friend, Izuku. I'm not leaving you high and dry." Mei said, her tone clear that she wasn't going to change her mind. "Besides… you're gonna need my babies to help out with whatever crazy illusion you've cooked up."
"...you're right, but that's still only two people on our-"
"Try three!" Ochako ran over, clipping her flightpack back on. "Friends should stick together, no matter what!"
"....Ochako…. Mei…." Midoriya's eyes began watering.
"Urgh, please don't cry, boss, it's been ages since you-" Mei's plea was cut off by a stream of tears soaking the ground around them. "Well, we're gonna need one more person… and I don't think there's any more volunteers."
Rubbing his eyes, Midoriya nodded. "Yeah… I have the beginnings of a plan, but we need someone else to help us finish it off."
"Who? Iida? He's the fastest." Ochako suggested.
"No, and besides, he's already been claimed by Todoroki… and same with Momo, darn." Midoriya looked around. Already several teams had begun to form while Cementoss created the battleground, nine plain looking towers around a tenth. Those who had teams already moved to Midnight, who gave their leader a silver crown & a megaphone, while each person received a numbered badge depicting their role and team, then directing them to their designated tower.
"Not many people are left…" Ochako muttered, but Deku put a hand on her shoulder, eliciting a small blush from the gravity girl.
"Don't worry, we have our final member in sight… I just hope she's willing to help us make some magic happen."
"So what's the plan? Go after Mido-Bro?" Kirishima asked as they looked around their base, Tower 3. Like the other towers (save for Number 1), it was a three story building, with each room only a bit smaller than their homeroom. The bottom floor was the only one with a cement floor, which transitioned into stairs that went up to the next floor. The chest, full of plastic coins with embedded circuitry, rested in the middle of the second floor, the lid open with a digital counter inside the lid itself. Just past that was a wooden ladder that went up to a trapdoor that led to the top of the tower from the second floor. There were no electrical lights, only narrow windows that let in daylight, which Sero had sealed up with his tape.
Bakugo rolled his eyes. "Of course it is!! It'll take more than a few shitty drones just to stop us!"
"Plus, we know his drones are there, and they're pretty similar to one another. Just avoid their attacks, get close, and smash them to bits." Sero commented, shooting out more strands of tape to surround the chest and seal up the trapdoor.
"Um… I don't get why I'm the King… don't you wanna be King, Bakugo?" Kaminari asked. Indeed, Kaminari was the one who wore the silver crown upon his head, secured to its spot with a bit of tape.
"No, cause then I'd have to stay here! I'm better suited as a thief!" Bakugo snapped. "Your quirk works better at close range, and only an idiot would try to grab a lightning rod like you!"
"Hell yeah!" Kirishima smirked. "And don't worry Kaminari, you can count on me to act as your Knight! I won't let anyone through!"
"Then it's up to me and Bakugo to claim the crown." Sero, finishing his task, approached. The interior resembled a spider's den more than a tower, strands of tape crisscrossing all over.
"Just don't slow me down." Bakugo growled as he left the tower. Once he and Kirishima were outside, Sero crossed several strands of tape across the doorway, sealing it off and hopefully slowing down anyone who tried to get inside.
Kaminari sighed, sitting on a chair someone had provided for the king, when a thought occurred to him. "...wait, doesn't this mean I'm the one in charge??"
"So we're not going after the Gold crown??" Shoji looked at their diminutive leader, who was spreading several of his balls all over the territory of tower 10.
"No, and trust me, while it's tempting, it's not worth it, since everyone else is going after Midoriya." Mineta explained. "We'd be better off hunkering down, while Tokoyami and Dark Shadow steal the gold. You'll be the Knight, since your massive arms can protect not only me, but the treasure chest as well."
"You're only going to have one Knight?" Shoji asked.
"Actually, Koda's going to be our other Knight." Mineta corrected. "Midoriya already proved that outside help is allowed, so we just need some friends to keep the place safe."
Koda, unsure of why he was there, stood up, and started signing rapidly.
"Our friend asks if you have any preferences for whichever beastly ally he summons." Tokoyami helpfully translated.
"Just anything fast. We'll need numbers more than strength. Go for pigeons most of all… maybe they can steal the gold from the other thieves." Mineta said thoughtfully. "Okay, that's the plan. Everyone cool with it?"
Koda nodded, while Shoji gave a thumbs up.
"...a clever machination for success, but one that relies upon luck. Will fate blow an ill wind upon us, or will our efforts bear fruit?" was Tokoyami's response.
"...I'm going to assume that means you're cool with the plan."
"This is perfect!!!" Monoma cackled as Ibara covered tower number 4 tower with thorny vines. "While everyone else focuses on the upstart villain student, we'll be going around, stealing coins from the other teams!"
"Hell yeah!! I hope I encounter that red headed faker in 1-A!" Tetsutetsu banged his metal fists together, eager for the upcoming battle.
"I'd rather face that 'splosive prick." Kamakiri growled, scraping his blades against each other. "Knock that loudmouth down a peg or three…"
"Be careful not to let your passions blind you, my friends." Ibara spoke up, growing a thick wall of her vines around the various possible entrances. "What's more, you have a lot of faith that I'll be able to protect our treasure on my own… would it not be prudent to leave one of you behind in case I get besieged?"
"No, we need to make up for our late start and that Villain Student's machinations! We cannot allow him to keep us lost in the crowd! And I have faith you can protect our treasure! After all, our class is inherently superior to those spotlight hoggers!" Monoma insisted. "The only ones we need to truly worry about are Endeavor's child, the Yaoyorozu heiress, and Mysterio."
"Yeah, about that… are you sure that Midoriya-kun's a villain?" Tetsutetsu asked Monoma. "Cause, I mean, he looks like he's just trying to prove everyone's worth as heroes."
"The games already handle that! Asking the principal to be the villain of the games, the center of attention, just SCREAMS a sense of inadequacy that he's trying to overcome by putting everyone else down while disguising it as lifting them up!" Monoma dismissed, having evidently never learned the definition of "projection."
Midoriya stood atop the five story tower number 1, directing his drones in silence. Hanging from his belt, gold in color, was a crown with 1,000,000 painted on the front. He was nervous about the task ahead of his team. Any sane person would have been, seeing as everyone was more than likely to go after his team. He had a plan to outlast them, of course, but he needed to move quickly, so he could set up his next illusion. His plan would require everyone to keep their focus on him and little else.
"Mysteriya!"
Midoriya looked over to the final member of their team, skating over on a weak trail of acid, her speed aided by small rocket thrusters on her ankles. "Mei finished up the traps you requested, and she made these awesome gauntlet… leg…. armor things for me!" Mina gestured to her arms, which had bladed bracers made of dark purple ceramic and plastic attached over her acid directing gloves. Upon her shins were similar-looking greaves, the blades passing to just above her knees. "But they might limit my acid ability…"
"Don't worry. Mei's PMP made sure to include ports for your acid to pass through safely." Midoriya assured her.
Mei blinked in surprise, and promptly tested it out, acid spraying through her left greave without damage to the armor. "Wow…! And she used that thing to build it on the spot, too?! I might ask for something like this in the future, if all her inventions are this brilliant!"
"Mei's an amazing friend. She's actually memorized all the blueprints for our company's support gear and can make whatever we need on the spot!" Midoriya nodded with agreement, but then turned serious. "You remember the plan, right?"
"'chako and I hang around, defending the tower from the sky and ground, you and Mei stay in the tower." Mina listed off. "You're sure you won't need me to be a thief? My acid would be amazing to eat through just about any defense."
"No, I can handle that if we really need to… right now, just focus on keeping everyone else out." Midoriya assured her.
"I still think your Pafu is gonna be overkill in that regard, but okay!"
.:Alright, people, time for the next epic battle!! Will Team Midoriya remain the King, or will he be dethroned???:.
"That's my cue!" Mina skated off, an eager smile on her face, while outside, Ochako took to the air with her jetpack and some extra gadgets crafted by Mei.
Midoriya smirked, then sent out the final command.
Todoroki narrowed his eyes as the clouds above them darkened.
"I did not think there was going to be a forecast of rain today!" Iida spoke up, doing stretches.
"It wasn't," Momo said, wearing the crown upon her head and manning a turret loaded with Midoriya's web formula shots. "So either someone has a weather altering power…"
.:Or it's Midoriya.:. Peni, once again piloting the S.P.I.D.E.R.W.O.M.A.N, approached Todoroki, prepping an arm-mounted web cannon.
The son of Endeavor grimaced. Midoriya had not used his quirk in any way, angering the hetero-chromatic hero in training. His... 'Superpower' quirk, clearly inherited from his father All Might, would have been perfect for Todoroki's desire to prove how he only needed his ice, but instead, his classmate stuck with his toys and illusions. While it was, admittedly, amusing to see Midoriya run circles around everyone else, it could not distract from Todoroki's goals.
.:And….. BEGIN!:. Present Mic bellowed out.
Several students ran out of the towers. Some students, the Knights, stopped at the border of their territories, but the Thieves ran straight for Midoriya's tower. This continued even as the clouds above the arena descended, though several students did stop, including Iida, Todoroki continued moving forward, ignoring the hidden drones blasting music from another video game .
At least, until something bashed him in the face, sending him back.
As the clouds vanished, the battleground had changed. Instead of a plain field with simple cement towers, now the students stood within a battlefield straight out of Lord of the Rings, complete with a helmeted orc army approaching from Midoriya's territory, armed with weapons and shields, bearing Mysterio's eye as a coat of arms upon the latter. Upon the tower in the center of the field were identical banners, Midoriya watching from the top of the tower.
"Die you shitty drone!!" Bakugo blasted forward, firing at the torso of the warrior, who dodged and swung his weapon, a massive club. The weapon missed, but Sero wrapped the monster in his tape, and, with a mighty heave, flung it against another warrior, where it exploded into a shower of parts, its face torn open to reveal a robotic skull covered in realistic latex.
"Robots?! Midoriya has robots?!" Sato yelped from his spot, narrowly dodging a battle-axe wielded by another orc.
.:Oh yes!!!:. Midoriya called out from the tower, a holographic version of his Mysterio outfit over his body, the pink haired support student by his side, aiming a rifle at anyone who tried to approach from the air. .:I felt like changing things up from drones, and who doesn't love robots??:.
"YOU FUCKER!!! I'M GONNA KILL YA!" Bakugo flew towards Midoriya, his hands thrown behind himself. He barely made it to the second floor when a blur knocked him out of the air.
"Sorry, but the skies belong to me!" Decloaking, Ochako hovered above him, several small devices clipped to her uniform.
.:Ah yes, Castle Illusion's wondrous harpy shall protect her lord and master from these invaders!:. Midoriya cried out triumphantly. A swarm of body parts flew towards him, but Midoriya pointed to them and shouted aloud .:FULMINA VENITE!:. From above Midoriya, a green cloud appeared, shooting lightning bolts at each part as they approached. .:And who says Mysterio cannot get his hands dirty??:.
"Youch!! Dang, this is tougher than I thought…!" Setsuna muttered, her disembodied mouth startling Midoriya for a moment. "Gotta say, you've impressed me, fellow Greenie, but I'm not gonna let a cutie like you win!"
. :Wha- what?!: . Midoriya was caught off guard, and nearly missed the strand of tape that wrapped around the battlement behind him, though a blast from Mei's rifle destroyed the strand. .:Oh, thanks Mei!:.
The support student nodded, taking aim at an approaching Tsuyu while the speakers crackled to life. .:What you just saw was the RAT-UIID railgun, developed by Wondrous Might & Heroism, capable of turning anything that fits in its barrel into a powerful projectile!! Also among their catalog of support items is STARLING model flightpack, excellent for aerial maneuverability, and capable of carrying up to 453 kilograms without issue!!:.
Perfectly timed, Ochako appeared, kicking away an approaching Bakugo into a horde of skeletal warriors.
"Todoroki-kun!!"
The fire/ice user looked over where Iida was pointing, mismatched eyes widening when he saw several of Midoriya's warriors attacking several towers, including their own. Shifting his right foot, Todoroki launched a wave of ice spikes, impaling several of the robots. Satisfied, Todoroki turned back to the central tower. Nothing was going to stop him from winning, no matter how many robots or drones Midoriya summoned as backup.
"First drones, now robots?? Dang, what has your boy been cooking up??"
Inko looked over at Mitsuki, who was grinning widely. "I…. I don't know… whenever he tries to explain his gadgets, most of it goes over my head…"
"These are the Actor robots."
The three parents looked over at Tsuburaya, who was calmly watching the games. "Mysterio was well known for his robots, but most were rooted to one spot, or incapable of moving into position quickly enough, so Izuku's been developing a way to create an army that is fast and mobile, and these are the prototypes."
"Why?? Aren't those drones of his enough?" Bakugo's father asked.
"In most scenarios, they would be. However, Midoriya's drones are only capable of a certain set of tasks, have only a rudimentary program that needs to be uploaded prior, and are incapable of making adjustments to their flight plan should something go wrong. They're set on the path set forward, not to mention they're easy to disable once they've been discovered. Actors, however, have more advanced programming, and their humanoid forms are more adaptable, capable of actual combat, though only for a short period of time. With adjustment, I believe he'll even be able to build robots that can think more independently than the drones."
"That's… kind of terrifying." Mitsuki admitted.
"Wait, what's to keep them from going Ultron?" Masaru asked, which got him a glare from Tsuburaya.
"You mean aside from the fact that they have no more intelligence than an internet chatbot? Izuku programmed them with a set of override codes that he can use to disable them, and these codes can't be erased since they're tied to the primary programming, meaning that if, by some ridiculous chance, one of them gained sentience and tried to attack people, Izuku could disable it. What's more, they're designed to be scouting/stealth units, not prolonged fighters like the drones, so if someone hacked into one to attack people, they'd be easy to break apart, even without using a Quirk."
"Wait… if that's the case why's Midoriya using them at all?" Mitsuki asked. "They'd be a terrible army to fight with."
"He's not using them to fight."
The three glanced at Inko, who was watching a group of robotic skeletons break into a tower, fend off the knight, and carry out sacks filled with treasure before moving onto the next tower. They were stopped by a girl shooting horns from her head whilst riding two others. Once she took them down, she gathered their dropped treasure, bringing it back to a tower run by a GenEd student with purple hair, guarded by a girl with massive hands and a boy with a tail.
"He's sending them out to gather treasure… and letting other groups have a chance to earn points even if they aren't going to get his crown."
"Ha!! Even when he's a faux villain, your kid's lookin' out for everyone else!" Mitsuki laughed. But in the back of their minds, a question lingered, unspoken.
'But will this act of compassion cost him?'
.:And Team Monoma has gained twenty points, bringing them to 6th place!:.
Midoriya was pleased with how the plan was progressing. Mei was keeping the students at bay from a distance, Ochako was stopping anyone that tried to approach from the tower from above, and Mina was moving quickly along the ground, utilizing her dance moves with her armor and Quirk to chase away anyone attempting to breach their tower. The Actors were pouring in without issue. Even when some were being smashed, cloaked drones carried in new units. At the rate things were going, Midoriya might not even need Pafu!
But right as he thought that, a massive blast of webs knocked Midoriya down, wrapped around his form. "Hey, where did-!!"
"I've got him! Get the crown!!" Momo shouted from atop her tower, carrying a bazooka and megaphone. With renewed eagerness, several Thieves ran for the tower, among them being Bakugo and Todoroki. Mei opened fire with the rifle, orbs of restraint slime hitting Iida and Monoma, but there were too many. Even when Mina and Ochako tried to keep people away, their acid and jetpack could only do so much.
.:Boss man!:. Mei, extending out her robotic arms, tore and cut at the webs covering her friend, eventually freeing Midoriya.
"Mei, we're enacting phase 2!" Midoriya hurriedly explained. The girl nodded and climbed down from the tower, carried by her arms as she kept blasting people with rubber balls launched by the rail gun.
.:This is the halfway point, people!! Is Midoriya finally going to be taken down from his throne of power??:.
"Ya hear that?? We're about to win, and take your crown!!" Dark Shadow taunted as they approached, Tokoyami on the ground with arms full of gold coins, but Midoriya only chuckled.
.:Oh, is that what you think, shadow beast?:. Midoriya chuckled, regaining some of his persona. .:Very well then…! Time for the climax of this epic battle!:.
.:Ubi sunt dracones mei, Ludus Thronorum!:.
Midoriya, throwing his arms wide, was struck by green lightning, and his purple cape twisted around him, enshrouding all but his dome. He twisted, enlarging until he was the same size as the tower itself, then his purple cape morphed, bones forming within the folds. Scales appeared upon the cloth, while shoulders expanded out and the bottom of the cape grew out, coiling around the tower like a massive purple serpent. The glass helmet bubbled like wax and distorted, becoming longer, narrower, morphing into a reptilian head, colored gold with a dark green, fluffy looking mane. Finally, the purple wings were thrown open with a mighty gust of wind. Midoriya no longer looked human. Instead, he was a massive, green and gold reptilian beast of legend, the crown now hanging from his neck on a string like a pendant while the massive creature curled around the tower protectively. Accompanying the change, the drones switched from one game soundtrack to another. The monster leered down at Dark Shadow, who suddenly felt very small.
"Um… nice dragon?"
*FWOOOOOOSH!!*
In lieu of a verbal response the robotic drake simply blasted flames at the living Quirk, sending it fleeing in fear from the bright flames, Tokoyami behind it. Most of the other students followed shortly thereafter. The flock of pigeons that had been quietly stealing gold coins dropped their loot, instinctively fleeing from the flames.
.:A-A dragon?! Midoriya turned into a dragon?!:. was all Present Mic could stutter out, his sunglasses falling off from shock, whereas Aizawa just groaned aloud, absolutely done.
.:Sure, why not? Just be careful here you point those flames, problem child.:.
.:Consider this the boss fight, people!!:. Midoriya cackled, his voice electronically altered to be deeper and more dragon-like. .:So who wants to be the hero and slay Pafu the Mighty Dragon???:.
"What is that thing, a hologram?!" Tetsutetsu yelped, barely dodging a stream of flames that got close to him, the scent of chemicals lingering in the air after the trail of flames.
"I dunno, those flames feel pretty real for a hologram, kero!" Tsuyu hopped away, her tongue covered in gold coins, possibly looted from the other students. Tetsutetsu was stopped from responding due to running into Ojiro, who blinked and looked around in confusion, before freezing up in shock at the sight of the mechanical monster atop Midoriya's tower.
Bakugo screamed in rage. "THIS IS BULLSHIT, DEKU!!" The student rocketed forward, trying to pass through the hologram, but found himself knocked away with a smack of the beast's wings.
As he fell, Bakugo's eyes widened. The last time he'd been under one of Midoriya's illusions, he could tell that the attack wasn't real because of the lack of texture. The pulse cannons Midoriya used for his attacks couldn't imitate something like rock or skin…
But just now, when the beast's wing impacted him, Bakugo could feel the scales. The rubbery, latex material. The bone-like structure underneath. "It.. it's real?!"
'It's a robot!!' Zero, panicking from all the flames, corrected. 'Keep your distance!'
"Screw that, we're taking that shitty thing down and snatching Deku's crown!"
'How though?! We can't get close to it with those flames!'
Bakugo bit his lip, they were running out of time, and the roaring dragon was not- wait.
Inside the dragon's mouth, Bakugo could see its robotic innards, including a tank of chemicals hooked up to the flamethrower. Quickly formulating a plan, Bakugo went behind his tower and pulled out his megaphone "Elbows, I need you!"
Despite grumbling about the lack of his name, Sero ran over. "What is it??"
"Your tape's flammable, right?" Bakugo removed his PE Uniform jacket and the shirt underneath.
"Yeah, and that thing's claws can just remove the tape, so it's useless against the dragon, why??" Sero asked, confused about his team leader's stripping.
"But it doesn't burn up immediately, does it?" Bakugo asked, balling up the shed garments.
"Well, no-"
"Then I need you to wrap this up in at least three layers of tape!" Bakugo thrusted the garments into Sero's hands, ignoring the Spider-man fan's disgust.
"But… won't it burn up-" Sero questioned, holding out the sweat soaked bundle with his fingertips and wrinkling his nose at the rank smell.
"Not immediately, the tape'll act like a fuse!" Bakugo snapped. "Now do it!"
"Midoriya, is this not somewhat extreme?!" Iida shouted, fleeing from a trail of flames the dragon robot sent after him.
.:How so? The Danger Room of Xavier's School for the Gifted has much more intense stuff than a mere drake.:. The dragon chuckled deeply, using its tail to lazily knock away an approaching Kamakiri. .:Besides, I thought heroes were all about overcoming unfair odds?? That's what Aizawa-sensei says, anyways.:.
.:Leave me out of this mayhem, Problem Child.:. came Aizawa's tired voice.
Todoroki glared at the battlefield around him. Peni was still dealing with the robot soldiers, and Todoroki was skating away from Mina, whose acid was dissolving his ice at an intense rate, though she stopped once she reached the edge of their territory. Mei, meanwhile, had left the tower, swapping out the sniper rifle with a pair of gauntlets that she used to knock away anyone else that tried to approach from the ground. Ochako, lastly, was watching the dragon's blind spot, preventing sneak attacks from being effective and keeping people away with some kind of slime grenade. Anyone else had abandoned the dragon, and instead chose to attack the other towers.
.:Only a few minutes left, people!:. Present Mic shouted, the dragon roaring in triumph.
Todoroki seethed in silent fury. His ice platforms weren't enough to get close. The robot's flames were strong enough to weaken it enough that a mere swipe of the tail shattered his strongest pillar, and thanks to frostbite, he couldn't risk creating too many at once. What's more, if he tried just overwhelming the machine with a glacier, he'd risk launching the crown out of the game. He was out of options… his anger at the situation, at how Midoriya wasn't taking his challenge seriously, made him angry… he could feel his left side ignite, flames covering his arm-
"DIE YOU SHITTY FAKE LIZARD!"
Todoroki glanced up, seeing Bakugo, without the top of his uniform, carrying a small bundle of Sero's tape that he threw like a softball into the burning maw of the dragon, blocking the flamethrower for a moment upon impact with the faux creature's throat. The massive beast turned to Bakugo, glaring, when Sero appeared, thrown by Kirishima, shooting tape around the robot's mouth and wrapping it shut. The strangeness of the scene made Todoroki go still, the flames upon his arm vanishing as quickly as they had come.
"Everyone get clear!" Sero shouted. "It's gonna blow!"
Quickly realizing what the tape user meant, everyone, including Ochako, Mina, Iida, Mei, Peni, and Midoriya, appearing from nowhere, fled from the tower. The dragon, hearing this, began to struggle, reaching up and clawing at its mouth. But it was too late.
*BOOM!* *FWOOOOSH!!*
The flames ignited Bakugo's shirt, soaked in nitroglycerin-esque sweat, which detonated, in turn igniting the chemicals in the robot's throat, and in only a few seconds flat, the dragon's head, neck, and claws were blown off, landing in pieces all over the stadium. The audience was protected, thanks to an energy barrier that kept stray attacks from hurting anyone. The students were not as lucky, many narrowly avoiding the pieces as they fell, others using the robotic soldiers as shields. Some weren't lucky, getting hot bits of metal and latex upon them.
And the dragon itself?
The lifeless torso, bits of its skin burning away to reveal hollow robotic innards and drones controlling parts of it with wires, fell from the tower, burning as it fell, crashing down. Following this, the music Midoriya had been playing cut out, the boy himself panting in shock.
.:HOLY-!!! In a stunning twist, Team Bakugo just slayed the Midoriya dragon!!:.
.:And endangered a lot of people in the process.:. Aizawa pointed out, calmly checking his tablet while the crowd began to panic. .:Everyone calm down. Baymaxima and Recovery Girl are on their way to help anyone who needs medical attention.:.
"If anyone needs serious help, please alert our medical staff!" Midnight called out, the robots in question led by Baymaxima and Recovery Girl, running onto the field with first aid kits and stretchers. Thankfully, most of the students only needed to be treated for second degree burns, at the worst, which was quickly taken care of by Recovery Girl, while Baymaxima used her microbots to remove any shrapnel that was in the students.
A surprised shout drew everyone's attention. Midoriya, now covered in ice, was pinned to his tower's outside, while Todoroki, ignoring everyone else, ran to the fallen crown, snatching it, then ice skating to his team's tower, making it inside just before the clock ran down.
"I win." He stated flatly, placing the crown on his head, feeling triumphant even as people looked at him in shock and a bit of outrage.
Checking her tablet, Midnight sighed, and raised her whip. "Team Midoriya wins, with 1,000,363 points!!" Everyone turned to her, screaming in anger and confusion.
"WHAT?!" Bakugo stormed over to the referee, his hands popping with sparks. "But IcyHot has the Gold crown!!"
"Does he?" Midoriya asked from his position, his Mysterio suit vanishing… and revealing a Knight's Shield badge upon his uniform. The crown upon Todoroki's head flickered, and suddenly it too vanished, replaced with a circle of dark purple metal holding four holocubes, much to everyone's shock and confusion. "The rules only said the King had to keep the crown in an easy to take spot on their person… but they never said the team couldn't hide who had the crown."
"But wait…! If you're not the King, then your team broke the rules, because everyone else left the tower when the dragon appeared!" Momo shouted, emerging from Todoroki's own tower.
.:Actually… I didn't.:. Everyone turned towards Mei, calmly walking over on the PMP, despite being on fire and sparking from the bits of metal sticking out of her. She continued as she used a laser from her gauntlet to melt away the ice covering her friend. .:I've been inside the tower this whole time, remotely controlling this Actor!:.
Everyone turned to the tower itself, where, emerging from a hidden trap door in the floor, Mei exited, wearing a haptic suit, the real gold crown upon her head, matching the badge upon her lapel. The false Mei, an Actor Robot, fell limp as Mei retrieved the PMP from it. "Our plan used misdirection, the most basic technique of any illusionist!"
Ochako landed on the ground, disabling her pack. "With Midoriya and everyone else seemingly outside, no one would really try getting inside the tower, but to make absolutely sure, Midoriya had Pafu set up to keep everyone's attention."
"I helped make the hidden trapdoor!" Mina said proudly, skating over. "It took a lot out of me, but Mei helped with her amazing pack's arms."
"UGH, YOU FUCKING CHEATER!" Bakugo threw up his arms, storming off in anger. Several other students looked ready to join him.
.:In any case... right behind the first place winners is Team Todoroki, with 792 points!:. Present Mic announced, silencing the students and crowd.
.:In third place, is Team Bakugo, with 743 total points!:.
Bakugo gnashed his teeth in anger at the idea that he got third place.
'We still have a chance to win.' Zero tried to assure him.
"Shut up." Bakugo quietly snapped.
.:In fourth place, we have Team Shinso, with 521 points, making them the final team to enter the-!!:.
"Actually, Ojiro and I choose to bow out of the third round!" Itsuka Kendo announced, using a megaphone to ensure she was heard. Everyone stared at her, save for Shinso, who didn't seem to care for some reason.
.:What?? Why??:. Present Mic asked, genuinely confused.
"Neither of us remember what we did to earn our position, so it doesn't sit right with us." Ojiro explained, though Midoriya noticed that he was giving Shinso a look as he spoke, while the GenEd student looked unbothered.
.:...alright, then! In that case, we'll have to get two students from the team in fifth place... and what do you know, we have a tie!! Teams Mineta and Monoma both have exactly 364 points! As a result, one member from both teams will get to take the place of Kendo-san and Ojiro-san, to be chosen by their teammates! We'll give you ten minutes before we announce the third event!:.
Todoroki must have used his right side on himself. It was the only reason he could have gotten so still. Even with his best effort, even when he nearly used his bastard father's power, he still lost?!
He remained silent even as Midoriya's drones flew by, gathering up the remains of the destroyed robot, along with removing any broken off chunks of concrete and depositing them in a dumpster, much to Cementoss' gratitude. The crowd above him was shouting, some calling for Bakugo's disqualification over his dangerous plan, others defending it, some calling him out for taking advantage of the chaos to win the game. It took seeing Midoriya passing in front of him to snap Todoroki out of his stupor, and he knew what he needed to do.
The boy walked forward, grabbing Midoriya's arm, and spoke before the green haired teen could speak up.
"We need to talk. Alone."
Chapter 20: Clash of The Titans
.:Congratulations to everyone who made it to the third round! We're going to take a quick break for lunch, but when we get back, we'll have something special for those who didn't make it into the final round; The Recreational Side Games!:.
Ochako smiled. She had been worried about making it this far, but she had been doing amazingly! Sure, most of it was due to her wingpack, and she still needed a lot of training to get good at it, but she was getting a lot of attention, and she didn't feel like she was riding on anyone else's coattails with it, since it was her own skill in piloting the device…
Though she didn't create the device herself, so in a way, she did owe it largely to Midoriya's company…. Maybe, after the game, he could join her for some celebratory mochi? The idea made her blush, but she remembered Mei's words. This wasn't the time to be doubtful, but instead to seize her chance!
Before she could speak with her crush, though, she saw Todoroki pull him away, and she was tempted to follow, make sure he would be alright… but decided instead to stay where she was. Midoriya was a capable guy, and could handle himself. For now, maybe she'll just talk with her classmates, and meet up with him after the third event.
After all, it's not like Midoriya had anything important to do after the Sports Festival, right?
Midoriya had no idea what was going on. One moment he was commanding his drones to clean up the remains of his dragon, the next Todoroki was dragging him to a private side entrance. "Um, is this going to take long?? Because, I need to prepare for the next-"
"You're not taking my challenge seriously." Todoroki interrupted. Seeing Midoriya just staring at him blankly, Todoroki continued. "I told you to give it your all, but all you've done is use support items and rule bending. You're not showing off your quirk, your true strength-"
"Well, that's hypocritical of you." Midoriya spat out.
"Excuse me??" Todoroki suspected he knew what Midoriya was referring to.
"You're talking about not taking this seriously, when you're just using only your ice instead of your fire!" Midoriya snapped, glaring at the heterochromatic boy who was returning his gaze with equal intensity.
"I have personal reasons for that, and I unlike your father's quirk, I only need my ice-"
"Wait, what?" Midoriya blinked, staring at him, anger forgotten in place of confusion.
"Yes, I figured out All Might is your father." Todoroki explained, frustrated. "You're trying to hide it with the Mysterio aesthetic, but your use of Smashes, super strength, and the smiles adorning your costume are indication enough of his influence."
"....All Might's not my dad." Midoriya flatly said. "My dad, Hizashi Midoriya nee Akatani works abroad in America as a financial investigator for the Future Foundation."
Todoroki blinked. "Wait, how do you know he's not divorced from your mom and they're just hiding it?"
"Because he Zooms us every month, again on my birthday and Christmas, still sends me gifts that he knows I like, and he's happy to see me every time he contacts us." Midoriya responded, offended at the idea of his father being a liar. Todoroki blinked, the idea of such a long distance family having never occurred to him as possible.
"Well, regardless of your parentage, you aren't using your power."
"Because I JUST figured out how to use it safely. I don't have any practice with it and I don't want to hurt myself." Midoriya pointed out. "But your father is Endeavor, so you should be more than capable of-"
"That bastard is NOT my father."
Todoroki's voice came out as a growl, his stoic demeanor fracturing for the first time Midoriya had ever known him.
"...what?" was all Midoriya could ask.
"That… man is nothing more than my sperm donor, who bought my mother like cattle to fulfill his own purposes." Todoroki spat out.
"....what are you talking about…?" Midoriya asked, horror creeping into his voice. And Todoroki answered. For several minutes, Todoroki told of Endeavor's ambitions to be the strongest hero, but that he always fell short of All Might. The man seemed to have no limit, and Endeavor, for all his efforts, found there was a threshold of heat that he just couldn't surpass without endangering himself. No matter what the man did, he just could not grow stronger than the god in human skin… so he decided to make someone who could.
Quirk marriages, or marrying a partner for the express purpose of producing a child with a powerful quirk, was heavily frowned upon. But that did not stop Endeavor from finding a woman, Rei Himura, whose quirk was generating ice, with a weakness to heat. For twenty three years, the man attempted to birth the perfect heir.
The first child, Touya, seemed to be a good candidate, for his flames burned much hotter than even his father… but it was found that he had a weakness to his own heat, and was forced to stop, much to the boy's anger.
The next two siblings, Fuyumi and Natsuo, weren't as strong as Endeavor hoped for, so he cast them aside.
But then, Shoto was born. As indicated by his hair and heterochromia, he had power over both fire and ice… and could use them to compensate for any weaknesses the other produced.
So Endeavor focused all his efforts on strengthening Shoto, and Shoto alone. He was seen as the favorite, the child that would surpass even the number one hero.
But Touya became envious, and even tried to attack Shoto as a baby. He wasn't successful, but he was later found to have been continuing his practices in the woods, even as his quirk damaged his body, leaving awful burns across himself. Eventually, his flames grew so hot that the surrounding woods burned down, and the boy was presumed dead, with only a burnt white piece of his jawbone left behind.
Fearing for the safety of her son, Rei's mental health declined, and she grew to despise the man she had married, fearing that Endeavor would drive her youngest to hurt himself worse than Touya. Desperate and undergoing a mental breakdown, she came up with a horrible plan to try and spare her child from such a fate. She boiled a pot of water, and when Shoto approached… she poured it over his left side. The side that had the face of his father.
Rei was committed to a mental institute not long after, and Endeavor doubled down on the training he forced his boy through. No more games, no more family time.
No love.
Only training.
And Shoto grew bitter. He did not hate his mother for what she did to him…. But he hated his father for driving her to such depths… so he decided to get revenge on the man who created him, by becoming the strongest hero alive… but by using only his mother's power.
By the end of the story, Todorkoi's sole audience member was silent.
"Do you understand now, Midoriya?" Todoroki asked. "I cannot use my fire again, because that would just give that monster satisfaction. I must use my ice, and only my ice. And you need to use only your Quirk to fight me. There is nothing my ice cannot do…. But you need to use your quirk so I can prove it to the bastard who made me."
Silently, Todoroki turned away, leaving his silent classmate behind. After a few minutes of silence, Midoriya pulled out his phone and started texting.
GreenFishB0wl: Tsuburaya, begin an investigation into Endeavor's personal life. I have good reason to believe that emotional, and possibly physical abuse is occuring at Todoroki-kun's house.
Lord0fIllusions: Wouldn't that be better handled by the authorities? I'm not a detective, and if it gets out that you conducted an investigation that lead to an unauthorized breach of privacy, that could further taint your already shaky reputation.
GreenFishB0wl: I cannot risk Endeavor himself finding out about this. What's more, he's likely to use his influence to drive any official investigation away.
Lord0fIllusions: Fair enough. I'll see what I can do. But what about when it's time to actually use the evidence?
GreenFishB0wl: Once you've compiled enough evidence, I'll deliver it to Detective Tsukauchi personally.
Lord0fIllusions: I think you're kicking a hornet's nest when you don't have to… but fine.
GreenFishB0wl: I probably am, but like All Might said, 'A hero is someone who interferes even when they don't need to.' But in this case, I need to. For the sake of a classmate.
Midoriya pocketed his phone, a dozen thoughts going through his head as he walked, a cyclone of differing emotions focused on what Todoroki spilled out to him in their discussion.
As a boy, Midoriya had always respected Endeavor, largely because the man was the Number Two pro hero and his Hellfire quirk was similar to his father's Firebreath Quirk. Over time, though, as Tsuburaya taught him to better read people, Midoriya's opinion changed. It was clear that Endeavor cared only about his position in the Hero Polls. He was gruff and unapproachable, but solved more cases personally than the rest of his agency combined. It was likely because he wanted people to be certain that his position was due to his own strength instead of charm, but the man was notorious for being callous towards everyone he met, even if they were the people he was protecting at the moment. That attitude was what initially drove Midoriya away from the Fire-quirk user.
Midoriya always loved All Might because he reassured people, he made them feel safe even when disaster was happening around him. Endeavor, however, scared a lot of people, including his fans. Despite that, the man was respected by everyone, Midoriya included, for the sheer effort he put into his job. But now that Midoriya knew the truth, he felt only disgust for the man. A corruption of the idea of heroes, and one of the very things he hoped to change about this world.
But what really made Midoriya mad was Shoto Todoroki himself. He sympathized with his classmate, he really did, but the way he was handling his trauma was just stupid, and worse harmful. He was holding himself back out of pure spite, disrespecting everyone else and potentially endangering everyone else. As someone who spent years preparing to attend UA even before he had a Quirk, he felt personally insulted by Todoroki's self-imposed handicap. So he knew what he had to do to stop it.
Unfortunately, he could not linger on these thoughts as he made it to his table. Despite that, his angry expression stayed on his face, even as he dug into his katsudon.
(Mineta, who had been planning on trying to trick the girls of 1-A into wearing cheerleader outfits, saw Midoriya's expression and immediately changed his mind, not wanting to anger someone who could mess with his senses.)
Tsuburaya walked down the hallways of the stadium. He had excused himself, claiming to need the restroom, but he had a different purpose in mind. Midoriya's message had caused him great concern. The boy was someone who took All Might's words to heart, but such naive idealism was likely to get him in trouble with Endeavor, or worse, if the media found out about this whole affair.
Still, he was compelled to help his successor, so he decided the best place to start was to meet with All Might. The man would be a good place to start, seeing as he had worked with Endeavor a lot. In addition, the AI wanted to remind the man of his promise.
Unfortunately that meetup would have to wait, since instead he encountered the very man he was meant to investigate.
"Endeavor." Tsuburaya nodded respectfully. "An honor to meet the Number Two hero."
Endeavor glared, eyes narrowing. "And you are?"
"Dr. Alfred Rinehart Tsuburaya, of Wondrous Might and Heroism ." he calmly supplied. After only a moment, the Pro Hero scowled. Although worried, Tsuburaya did little more than raise an inquisitive eyebrow. "I take it that you know of me?"
"You provided the Midoriya boy with his technology." Endeavor did not sound as though he was impressed.
"I did." Tsuburaya confirmed. "As well as plenty of other Pro Heroes, such as Razorshell's shield, Bounce Bounce's Inertia Maintainer Suit, and-"
"I know who you make them for." Endeavor interrupted. "Your reputation is well known… as are the questions around you and your company."
Tsuburaya blinked, but visibly remained calm.
"Your company appeared five years ago, but almost nothing is known about it." Endeavor continued. "You have only the bare minimum of documentation in your government records. No credit card information. No listed schools you've attended. No mention of where you graduated from. No listed housing. No known family. Not so much as a favorite place to eat. All of it is highly suspicious."
"I prefer my private life to remain so, and if you must know, I was an orphan." Tsuburaya responded in a clipped tone. "I have no family anymore."
"That doesn't explain how you started that support company." Endeavor continued. "There are almost no employees on record, aside from one Mei Hatsume, Izuku Midoriya and yourself. Your financial records only show a list of current investors, all of them clean and not connected to anything nefarious, sure. However, there is nothing about where the money came from to start it up in the first place."
"A cash fund left behind by deceased loved ones." Tsuburaya smoothly responded. He had prepared for this exact scenario enough to have responses ready for almost any question posed. "With wise investments, I was able to start up the support company, utilizing some designs entrusted to me by some old friends before their passing."
"Ah yes, a lot of tech that shows capabilities on par with Stark and Oscorp creations. What's more, the Midoriya boy's technology is very similar to the original Mysterio's, even down to the designs-"
"Are you actually accusing me of anything or merely trying to waste my time?" Tsuburaya interrupted, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. Endeavor glared at the android before he responded.
"No… but you and your company have far too many mysteries surrounding it…" Endeavor loomed over the man, his gaze almost as intense as his flames. To Tsuburaya's credit, he did not back away, instead holding his ground despite barely reaching the man's neck. "You've taken the Mysterio boy under your wing… his technological prowess is impressive, but Shoto will overcome him with his Quirk's power." Endeavor turned away, his massive form going down a flight of stairs. "Count on it."
Tsuburaya watched the Fire Quirk user leave, his mechanical brain running through the scenario, analyzing everything that he could think of about their confrontation.
Endeavor was investigating Wondrous Might and Heroism, and Tsuburaya himself. The man did not appear to have any solid evidence of wrongdoing on Tsuburaya's part. The well placed bribes and black market forgeries of IDs had done their jobs, creating enough of a paper trail that Endeavor was unable to figure out the truth of Tsuburaya's origins. Still, the man was determined, and if he got a chance to investigate the AI's affairs… Well, that would create unnecessary attention that could threaten Midoriya's future.
Therefore, the AI could only come to one conclusion.
It looked as though he would need to look into Endeavor's life, after all.
Taking a sip of his soda, Present Mic did what he did best, and began hyping up the audience. .:Welcome back spectators!!! I hope you've enjoyed the chaos in our games, because now we're going to see what the final event is gonna be!! And this year we have…. Oh, Sparring in the Shifting Arena! Always a classic!!:.
.:The way it works is simple.:. Aizawa spoke up, sounding as bored and disinterested as ever. .:The arena will have several rows of pillars moving up and down along the edges, controlled by Cementoss. They can be broken off to be utilized as weapons, or used as barriers, if the student so chooses. The students have ten minutes to either defeat their opponent, immobilize them, or make them yield. No hitting below the belt. All support items have been approved for all students to use in this matchup. Recovery Girl and Baymaxima will be on standby in case anyone needs medical attention, but try not to go overboard.:.
.:SO LET'S SEE WHO'LL BE BEATING THE SNOT OUT OF EACH OTHER!!:.
The screen showed the four hero teams, plus Fumikage/Dark Shadow and Monoma, before scrambling them up. After five seconds of randomization, the matchups were shown.
Hanta Sero vs Peni Parker/Mayflower
Izuku Midoriya vs Hitoshi Shinso
Ochako Uraraka vs Neito Monoma
Pony Tsunotori vs Katsuki Bakugo
Fumikage Tokoyami/Dark Shadow vs Eijiro Kirishima
Shoto Todoroki vs Denki Kaminari
Momo Yaoyorozu vs Mina Ashido
Tenya Iida vs Mei Hatsume
.:But before we get to some government sanctioned kid on kid violence, we've got something special for the people who didn't make it to round three!! A half hour of side games and events for you to show off what you're capable of, YEAH!!!:.
.:If anyone who made it into the third round wishes to join in, they're free to. However, I would advise that they do not, so that they may remain rested for the sparring matches.:.
"So, we'll be facing each other, huh?"
Midoriya glanced over, Shinso approaching with a smirk. "I hope there's no hard feelings when I beat you."
Before Midoriya could respond, a thick tail wrapped over his mouth, courtesy of his classmate, Ojiro.
"Don't respond. Come with me." he whispered to the boy, who could only nod. Shinso looked disappointed, but shrugged and left.
"Hey, Purple!"
Shinso stopped, looking behind himself. It was that pink haired girl from the Support Course with the shapeshifting Octopus arms, carrying a duffel bag over one shoulder. "What is it??"
The girl stopped, and immediately began speaking a hundred words a second. "Oh, well, I noticed that you didn't really go outside of the castle all that much in the last match, so I was wondering if you had a combat capable quirk, but if not, I thought that I could offer you some of my babies-"
Taken aback by her odd choice of wording, Shinso could only say, "Your what?"
"My babies!!" the girl repeated, holding up the duffel bag, now open and revealed to be full of support items. "All from Wondrous Might and Heroism !! I figure that I can help you show off my stuff for the support companies to get investments, and at the same time, help you progress in the games!"
"Except you were working with the Mysterio kid in the last game, and there's a good chance we'll be facing each other at some point. For all I know, your devices could be made to sabotage my performance." Shinso tiredly pointed out.
"What?! But that would mean that not only am I untrustworthy, but that my babies would be unreliable!!" the girl protested. "Come on, just try one!"
"No." he said, turning away. Unfortunately, she followed behind him, pulling out numerous Support Items and gadgets.
Pulling out a pair of green boots, she continued her sales pitch. "How about these electro-magnetic coil boots?? They'll let you jump high and kick harder!!"
"No thank you." Shinso said, going down another hallway.
"No?? What about these Web Shooters, modeled after the ones used by Peter Parker??" the girl asked, pulling out a pair of devices resembling fitbits.
Though he was admittedly interested in those, Shinso turned away. "No, I don't want anything from you."
"Oh, but you haven't seen everything I've got, though!!" The annoyance ran in front of him, pulling out a belt buckle. "What about this Instant-Armor belt?? It shoots out bands of metal that wrap around you, and are capable of stopping anything below a .50 caliber bullet!"
"No." Shinso repeated, getting frustrated.
"I've also got these awesome pulse gloves!" the annoyance pulled out a pair of gauntlets. "They'll send out a blast of energy that'll-"
"Actually, there is something you can do." Shinso interrupted.
"Really?? What'd ya-" Mei began, before her form went slack, eyes out of focus.
"Go back to where you came from." Shinso said. Silently, the girl turned around and left him alone at last. Shinso sighed. He knew it was rude, but that girl was just too overwhelming, and he already had issues just talking to people. Honestly, it was like that girl was trying to provoke him.
.:And here we are with the first matchup of our final event!!! In this corner, we have the tape slinger, the trap master who's elbowed his way into round three, he's ensnared all his obstacles with the stickiest ropes since the Spider-man's webs! INTRODUCING HANTA SERO OF THE HERO COURSE'S CLASS 1-A!!!:.
Hanta stepped out, nervous, but confident. He heard cheers, mostly from Class 1-A, who was sitting in a private booth to watch the matchup. Above the arena he could spot several drones with cameras, broadcasting to the jumbotron and streaming services displaying the Sports Festival. The idea was intimidating, but he knew that he could do it.
.:And facing him, the latest in a long line of Spider-people, the Queen of Creepy Crawlies and Circuitry, and her hyper intelligent arachnid classmate, PENI AND MAYFLOWER PARKER OF THE SUPPORT COURSE'S CLASS 1-H!:.
Stepping over was Peni and her spider, the two climbing into their minimecha while the crowd cheered. "Um… is that mech even allowed?" Sero called to Midnight, who only laughed.
"It is! Parker and Mayflower filled out the appropriate paperwork!!" Midnight confirmed, raising her whip. "FIGHTERS, TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!"
Sero stepped onto the field while the duo, now piloting the mech, did the same. After crossing the edge, all around the field, encircling the two-er, three fighters were thick pillars of cement, in four rows. Every other pillar would rise up to about five meters before sinking back down, while the others rose up, and the cycle would repeat in a coordinated fashion. It was an oddly hypnotic effect, but Sero wouldn't let himself be distracted.
"Aaaaaaaand… FIGHT!"
The mech ran forward, deceptively fast, like one of those American football players. But Sero dodged, shooting out a strand of tape towards a pillar with a *thwip!* pulling himself away. The mech stopped short of crashing through a pillar, a cannon popping out of the shoulder to open fire at Sero.
*Pew!* *Pew!* *Pew!*
The tape dispensing boy dodged, using his strands to move quickly between the pillars.
.:Well dang!! It looks like Sero's taking a page out of Spider-man's book!! I'd have thought Peni would be the one to go with web swinging, but Tape Boy's moving fast between the pillars!:.
.:Peni Parker's S.P.I.D.E.R.W.O.M.A.N. mech grants her advantages that Sero does not have, namely higher defense and attack strength. Thus he's taken to relying on evasive maneuvers.:. Aizawa calmly explained.
'He's right, I can't damage that suit… but maybe I can restrain it long enough to send it out!' Moving fast, Sero spun around and shot several quick strands of tape at the mech suit, aiming for the "face" of the machine. With several direct hits, he launched himself forward, ready to knock it down…. Only for the machine to reach up and grab his leg, the tape sliding off its face uselessly.
"What?!"
The mech spun Sero, throwing him up and out of the arena. He was saved from a painful impact with the ground by the mech firing an orb that expanded into a webnet, catching him.
"Hanta Sero is out of bounds!! Peni and Mayflower Parker progress to the next round!" Midnight shouted, the crowd cheering, though some people were disappointed at the short fight. The concrete pillars sank back into the ground while the mech approached, Peni emerging.
"Too bad for you, my mech's got lubricant dispensers to keep unwanted adhesives from sticking. Plus, we had radar to act as spider-sense… still, you did pretty well!" Peni complimented. After a moment, Peni added "Mayflower says you'd make a pretty good Spider one day." The mech extended a hand to the tape dispenser boy.
Sero smiled humbly, and accepted the hand, climbing out of the web net.
.:Such respectful combatants!!!:. Present Mic cheered, the audience following suit.
In Class 1-A's box, the crowd, sans Midoriya since he was in the locker room, welcomed Sero back with open arms and pats on the back.
"You did amazing for your first matchup, Sero-kun!" Iida rushed over, arm chopping even as he praised his classmate.
"Thanks, but… I lost so quickly…" Sero lamented.
"You took on a Spider, bro!! You proved how manly you were!!!" Kirishima cheered.
"Oh, like it was anything special!!"
The class turned to Monoma, who was peering over the wall of the spectator box from his class's own with a smug smirk. "I guess your reputation as an all mighty, unbeatable team was bestowed prematurely!!"
"....huh?" most of them questioned. Monoma just laughed.
"One of the vaunted members of the oh-so praised Class 1-A was beaten by a girl in the support course, two years his minor no less!!! I'm certain this comes as a shocking revelation for such a delusional group, but it's an indicator of the harsh reality you've found yourself in!!"
"...what are you talking about?" Momo asked, more confused than anything else.
"Oh, unable to grasp what's so clear???" Monoma sneered at the heiress. "Your class is nothing but a one hit wonder!!" Monoma continued, cackling evilly. "You'll be knocked down from that pedestal you've placed yourself on, leaving it to be open for the taking by the superior class 1-"
*Thwip!*
Monoma would have continued had a small strand of tape not launched itself onto his mouth, temporarily gagging him. "Mmm?! MMMM!!!"
"Thanks Sero. That guy gives me a headache…" Kaminari muttered.
"Don't mention it." Sero said with a smile, taking his seat. Monoma ripped off the tape with a yelp, but Present Mic speaking up kept him from going on a tangent.
.:Will Midoriya and Shinso please make their way to the field?? Miss Uraraka and Monoma, make your way to the waiting rooms!:.
Glaring at the students with a smug smirk, Monoma slinked away, muttering about how he'd take the "spotlight stealers" down.
"Tcch. What a delusional nut." Bakugo muttered, otherwise ignoring the interactions.
'How's that for irony?' Ochako thought to herself as she made her way out of the booth.
.:Next up, we've got two students who can mess with you in ways you'd never expect!!! In one corner, we've got the gremlin of the games, the faux villain that's been making the events into his personal playground, we have IZUKU MIDORIYA OF CLASS 1-A!!:.
The crowd was unsurprisingly subdued, only a few hundred cheering, while the rest only clapped politely or flat out booed. A few even tried throwing trash at the boy, only for it to bounce off an energy field. Though it quickly stopped when people heard music playing through the speakers.
Despite this, Midoriya ignored them all.
.:Oh, looks like we're getting some entry music! I can dig it!!:. Present Mic cheered as Midoriya entered the ring. .:In the opposing ring, this is the dark horse that made it further than anyone, all the while sporting eyebags that rival my co-host's!! Give it up for HITOSHI SHINSO OF CLASS 1-C OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION COURSE!:.
The boy stepped out onto the field, to several cheers and cries of "KICK HIS ASS!!" while the drones played a cover of an old song.
The purple haired boy walked onto the field, his expression neutral, though for a moment he had a brief flash of panic when he heard the song playing, though it quickly gave way to a steely determination. Midoriya stepped onto the arena, the pillars rising and falling behind him.
With a shout of "FIGHT!" Midoriya ran forward, crackling with green lightning.
"What? No holograms or robots??" Shinso asked, dodging the punches by the boy. Midoriya frowned, but didn't speak. "I thought you were the master of illusions?? Or was that the real illusion?"
Midoriya went for an uppercut, but Shinso sidestepped it with ease. "Well, you're certainly a terrible fist fighter… maybe you should have gone into kid's parties instead."
Midoriya grew visibly frustrated, but he remained silent. Internally hating himself, Shinso decided to pull out the big guns. "But then, I guess with a reputation as a villain, you wouldn't be much of a success anyways."
Midoriya growled, but said nothing.
"Then again, that's probably why you're hanging out with those other students." Midoriya's eyes widened, and Shinso saw his opening, and went all in. "An idiot with electric powers, a mad scientist with robot tentacles, a girl with a wingsuit… it sounds to me like you're trying to make a new Sinister Six… they must be really pathetic to want to work with you."
"YOU DON'T KNOW-" Midoriya finally shouted, only to fall slack, his expression going blank.
.:Uh-oh!! looks like Midoriya's fallen victim to Shinso's Quirk!!:. Present Mic helpfully supplied.
.:Unless it's a trick. Remember, Midoriya is an illusionist and skilled at acting.:. Aizawa tiredly reminded him.
Shinso ignored the commentary. Midoriya looked just like anyone else who had fallen under his Quirk's control, blank eyes and all. Although, while Shinso visibly smirked, internally he felt guilty for having to use such awful accusations, since he himself had been on the receiving end of them. But he could apologize later. Right now, he had to advance to the next round. "Turn around and step out of the arena. Watch out for the pillars."
Wordlessly, the green haired boy turned around and walked towards the edge.
Seeing the Green-haired boy move to the edge, Shinso allowed himself to relax.
Victory was assured.