Chapter 21: Mysterio's Gauntlet Pt. 3: The Return of the Smacktalk
He was in a strange void.
As he walked away from Shinso, Midoriya could make out eight humanoid figures watching from the distance.They appeared blurred, as if viewed through a fogged window, but Midoriya could just make out a few details about them, save for one wreathed in golden flames, and another two who had their backs to him.
"Hello Nine!! This is a pleasant surprise." one of them, a well built man who looked to be bald with goggles, a beard, and a bandolier spoke up. "Wasn't expecting you to see us so soon… One for All has progressed further in power than we expected."
"I suppose that my Quirk did more than just stockpile our physical strength…" a young, wispy voiced man with white hair and a sickly appearance muttered.
"Could it have stockpiled our Quirks too??" a man with a torn sleeve questioned. "And perhaps any other meta abilities we had?"
"....I don't know…" the sickly man admitted. "Still… It's best to be prepared in case it did… if it hits singularity before he's ready…"
Midoriya's eyes widened, realizing what, or rather, who those people were. These people… they were the ones who held the Quirk before him! He tried to vocalize, move, do anything, but he found himself unable to.
"Easy, kid." the bald man said with a gentle smile. "For now, focus on getting ready for the fight against that brainwasher and getting access to more of your Quirk! We'll talk…. Well, not soon, but eventually."
"I think we'll be able to emerge sooner than we anticipated… but not for another few months, at the earliest." another young man, wearing a red coat with a high collar muttered. "And if we did, how will it affect you, Nine?" the man questioned, though nobody seemed to have an answer for him.
Midoriya could feel himself reviving, and apparently, so could the vestiges, for the ones speaking all straightened up, even as they became more blurred.
"Before you go… can you pass along a message for me?" the sole woman of the group asked. Unable to confirm or deny her, the woman continued. "Could you tell Toshinori that…." she stopped for a moment to wipe her eye, then continued. 'Nana Shimura is proud of him?'
Midoriya tried to tell the woman, Nana, that he would… but then he awoke, and he had work to do.
Shinso grinned. It looks like he was worried for nothing. Even if his opponent knew his quirk, he had fallen for it with the right provocation. It did make him feel bad to slander Midoriya the same way he had been, but he had to win. He had to show everyone he would use his quirk to be a hero.
Midoriya walked to the edge, not reacting even as people cheered or, in class 1-A's case, called for him to fight the mind control. It was pointless, though. Shinso's quirk couldn't be resisted once it got a grip on someone. Though running into a pillar might awaken him, so Shinso was very careful to watch how Midoriya moved.
So far he was doing alright, moving between the pillars without touching any of them. He was fully under his control. He just had to go around one last pillar and then he's- wait.
Where'd he go??
Midoriya was just walking behind a pillar when he suddenly vanished. Immediately Shinso was on edge. Midoriya must have been faking it! But how??? Was it Ojiro??? Or did-
"Behind you."
Shinso spun around, throwing a fist wildly, only for it to be caught by Midoriya, now in his Mysterio costume. The crowd gasped in shock. Apparently Midoriya had just appeared behind him!
.:And in a stunning twist, Midoriya has revealed that he's not under Shinso's control!!:.
"How… how did you-" Shinso began, before the arena loudspeakers crackled to life.
.:Before you speak, I'd like to clarify that as we fight, I've been keeping my mouth shut and what you're hearing right now is a prerecorded message.:. Midoriya threw Shinso back, the purple haired boy still well within the ring, as the recording continued. .: I assume that right about now you're asking me how I pulled this off? Put simply…:.
"Be careful who you use your Quirk on, Purple."
Shinso's tired eyes widened. That voice… that wasn't Midoriya's, but instead that pink haired girl!! As if to confirm it, a pillar of smoke engulfed Midoriya, and standing before him, grinning maniacally, was Mei Hatsume.
"I'd have accepted the offered help if I were you." the illusionist said, speaking in a perfect imitation of the girl, but Shinso was unsure if it was a recording or not, because though she appeared to have spoken the words, it came from all around him. "You'd be in a better position to fight." With that statement, another pillar of smoke restored Midoriya to his costumed appearance, and he traced his finger in a circle, a line of runes following behind. As the runes glowed a sickly green, several serpents formed from the smoke surrounding him, slithering out and rising around the green-haired boy. Several wrapped around his arms, hissing as strange, original music started to play, which sounded as though it belonged on an old gaming device.
.:But now that you cannot simply trick me out of the game, we'll have a proper battle this time. I hope you're ready, Hypno-Heckler!:.
Shinso gulped, but stood tall. He had a single support item on hand, one that he had been practicing with for years and kept hidden on his person. He had hoped he wasn't going to need it, and even considered not taking it with him into the games, but now he was thanking whatever gods were still alive that he had decided to bring it.
Midoriya thrust his arms forward, the snakes extending out like tentacles, hissing and snapping as they weaved through the air. Shinso leaped to the side, pulling out his weapon, a rope dart with hooked barbs on either side. He carefully took aim and threw the weapon at the illusionist. Dodging with teleportation, Midoriya reappeared on the other side of his opponent, throwing his arms out wide, the snakes leaping off of his form and morphing into a ring of fireballs, shooting out to orbit the GenEd student, trapping him on the spot. Shocked and confused, Shinso barely avoided a blast of lasers from Midoriya's hands. With a swing of his rope dart, Shinso cleared away the fireballs and ran forward, swinging his weapon at the Hero Student.
.:Things are getting more interesting between these two!! Midoriya is using all sorts of tricks and illusions to throw off his opponent. Though it looks as though Shinso has more than just his Quirk to rely on!:.
.:Shinso shows good instincts, though it's clear he's in need of more training.:.
Midoriya dodged the rope dart, but he spun his finger, another runic circle forming, and suddenly, like it had a mind of its own, the rope dart shot back towards Shinso, wrapping around him and restraining him.
.:Do you yield, Purple?:.
Shinso struggled, but more snakes emerged from the smoke around Midoriya's feet, slithering towards him. Even if he could escape from his weapon, he knew that it'd only be a matter of time before he was taken down again. Sighing, Shinso nodded. "I yield."
"HITOSHI SHINSO HAS YIELDED!! IZUKU MIDORIYA MOVES ON TO THE NEXT ROUND!!"
Midnight's shout was followed by several cheers, but also boos and hisses. Ignoring them, Midoriya vanished his outfit and helped Shinso out of his weapon.
"Thanks, Green." Shinso stood up, a question popping into his head. "How exactly did you make my dart wrap around me??"
Midoriya simply laughed. "Like I'd reveal ALL my secrets."
"....fair enough." Shinso said with a nod. "Maybe in the future I'll ask Hatsume-chan for some more support gear."
"It couldn't hurt." Midoriya said with a reassuring smile, the two walking off the arena. "So… can I ask you about how your Quirk functions??"
After a moment of thought, Shinso nodded. "I don't see why not."
"Do you need to be physically there for your Quirk to affect people, or can it work over electronics?? What about recordings?? Does it have to be unobstructed, or would it work through, say, a wall?" Midoriya asked, typing something onto his gauntlet's screen. Probably notes.
Shinso sighed, but answered as best as he could. "No, electronics turn my voice into electrical signals, which can't affect people. I don't need to be in the same room, since I tested it with a cup and string and it worked. If it did work with electronics, I'd have accepted the Support Items you offered."
"What about mechanical?"
Shinso looked at him. "What?"
"Would altering your voice in a non-electronic way work?" Midoriya asked, jotting down their conversation in a notebook that seemed to appear from nowhere. "A cup and string still transmits sound, but it didn't do that by converting it into anything except physical vibrations, which sound already is, just in the air. Even then, there's different ways to alter the voice. Like tubes and pressure on different parts." Midoriya continued mumbling, not noticing the surprised expression on the GenEd Student's face.
Shinso opened his mouth to speak, but stopped. Would that have worked?? "I… I honestly don't know." he admitted.
"Looks like Mei and I will have to experiment in the future. Can't leave my fellow villain-rep student floundering."
Shinso looked over in surprise. "How did you…?"
"A combination of cold reading and educated guessing." Midoriya admitted. "Most people with 'villainous' quirks tend to be ostracized."
Shinso nodded sadly. "Hey, about that Sinister Six comment…"
"It's fine, you weren't completely wrong."
The mind controller looked back at the illusionist, surprised and confused.
"I am making a team modeled after the Sinister Six… but we're going to be saviors and heroes." Midoriya said proudly. "I'm not going to escape from my legacy's rep… so I'm embracing it."
Shinso blinked, then smiled. "Any chance I can get a spot?"
Midoriya smiled. "We'll see…. Hypno-Hustler."
Shinso only looked at him, utterly confused. "Who the hell is Hypno-Hustler?"
.:Next up, we have the girl who dominated the sky, the gravity nullifying girl with the suh-WEET jetpack, it's Class 1-A's Ochako Uraraka!!!:.
Ochako stepped onto the field, hearing cheers from the audience. Unfortunately, a few seemed to be glaring at her, possibly because of her team up with Midoriya in the last game.
.:And on the opposite end, anything you can do, he can do better, the One Man Army of Class 1-B, Neito Monoma!!:.
Monoma walked onto the arena, smiling smugly as several people cheered for him. "You hear that?? Class 1-A's position on top is not long for this world!"
Ochako rolled her eyes, adjusting her jetpack as she stepped onto the arena.
"And… FIGHT!"
Monoma threw his arm up, his hand growing massive as green lizard scales appeared upon his arm, firing at Ochako in a fast, but not accurate manner. Immediately Ochako took to the air, canceling out her gravity to lighten the burden of her jetpack. But before she could get too high, an invisible barrier stopped her cold. Going in another direction, the same thing happened, an invisible barrier blocking her.
.:Oh no, it looks like the Harpy of the Second Round is having trouble!! The girl can't move in the air to dodge, and her equipment doesn't have any offensive features!:.
.:In case it isn't obvious, Monoma is capable of copying Quirks. In this case, he's using Big Fist from Itsuka Kendo, Scales from Hiryu Rin, and Solid Air from Kosei Tsuburaba, all of whom are his 1-B classmates who couldn't progress further in the games.:. Aizawa drolly added.
"Sorry, but you won't be able to defeat me!!! I've carefully selected the quirks needed to take you down!!" Monoma loudly taunted, laughing as he fired normal-sized scales at Ochako, who was forced to try and block it with her jetpack's wing. The metal held, but was receiving several dents and dings from the organic projectiles, though many of them instead flew past her. "Face it, spotlight stealer, you're not going to progress without aid from a miracle!!"
.:Well, I wouldn't call myself a miracle , exactly…:.
Everyone, even Ochako and Monoma, stopped and turned towards the voice, the source being one of Midoriya's drones decloaking beside the gravity girl.
"What, you can't interfere in this fight!!" Neito shouted, practically frothing at the mouth. "This is a one on one match, Midoriya!! You're breaking the rules!!!"
.:Oh, I'm not partaking in the fight. Merely delivering some support items to my partner. Besides, you forgot that I'm allowed to bend the rules.:. With that, the drone extended out a robotic claw, giving Ochako an opaque plastic bag bulging with items. .:Hope you enjoyed my services!:. The drone promptly turned around and flew out of the arena, recloaking itself.
.:Um… is that allowed??:. Present Mic asked his co-commentator.
.:....we approved of all support items… and the drone only dropped off support items instead of attacking Monoma… so… yes.:. Aizawa sounded like he was being forced to swallow something bitter when he finished speaking.
While Monoma screamed in absolute fury, Ochako took the chance to peer inside the bag of supplies, smiling in gratitude. Reaching into the bag, Ochako pulled out a small orb and tossed it towards the Quirk Copier. Reacting instinctively, Monoma breathed out, blocking the orb with an invisible barrier of Solid Air. However, the borrowed Quirk did little to help since, upon impact, the orb broke open and released a bright flash of light.
Monoma cried out in pain, covering his eyes with a massive hand. His vision quickly reappeared, in time to see Ochako, wearing protective goggles, flying down at him, spinning at the last second with a leg extended, some kind of metal covering her shoes. Reacting quickly he brought up a Big Fist, coating it in Scales in time to block her kick. Unfortunately, that was a poor move on his part. Now that she was in range, Ochako smacked his hand, her Quirk affecting him, sending him hovering.
.:Oh no, Uraraka got Monoma with her Quirk!! Is this the end???:.
"No, I'm not done yet!!" Monoma cried out, his smug facade breaking as he dug a massive scale-covered hand into the concrete, anchoring him to his spot. Dismissing the scales, though leaving his hand massive and gripping the ground tightly, Monoma turned to Ochako, a furious snarl on his face. "I won't let you win this match!!"
Ochako narrowed her eyes at the Copier, then leaped off of him. Facing Monoma again, Ochako tossed out more grenades while she regained altitude.
Anticipating more flash bombs, Monoma shielded his eyes, but instead found his free hand covered in green slime that hardened immediately. Growling at the gravity nullifier, Monoma shed the scales, freeing himself from the clump. Grabbing the solid mass of slime, he threw it at Ochako. Dodging with an aileron roll, Ochako tossed a mix of grenades in front of her.
.:Looks like this girl's going on the offensive!! Can Mr. Copycat Keep Cool??:.
Monoma panicked, dismissing the scales, and threw up his Big Fists to block the light, breathing out a blast of Solid Air that stopped most of the grenades from hitting him. The two quirks saved him from receiving any damage, but Ochako had accounted for it. She rocketed towards her opponent, speeding up even as she approached. Throwing out the grenades over Monoma's head, she sped up, even as her jetpack's engine groaned. Panicking at the sight of the grenades, and worried they'd be more restraint types, Monoma dismissed his giant hand and threw up his arms, firing scales to destroy the grenades before they got close and detonated.
Unfortunately, this made him look away from his opponent, and Ochako had her chance. She curled into a ball, head down, hitting the invisible barrier. The Solid Air, unable to maintain its structure without Monoma's breath to fuel it, shattered under the impact, and she continued forward, dropping her Quirk in time to hit the smug student with the full weight of a young teen wearing a metal engine going several kilometers per hour. Monoma only had enough time to cover his torso with scales, hoping to cushion the impact before she gave him a double kick that sent him flying into a pillar, breaking it in half.
.:OH MY GOODNESS!! OCHAKO URARAKA JUST BROKE PAST NEITO MONOMA'S BEST DEFENSE!!:.
.:Makes sense. The Solid Air quirk relies upon the user's lung capacity, and while Monoma can copy quirks, he can't alter his lungs to increase his capacity.:.
Moaning, Monoma tried to get up, regain his bearings, but Ochako flew towards him. Unable to get up, and panting too heavily to use Solid Air, Monoma could only fire his Scales at Ochako, who easily avoided them, grabbed his arm tight, once again using her quirk on him, and threw him out of the stage.
"NEITO MONOMA IS OUT OF BOUNDS!! OCHAKO URARAKA MOVES ONTO THE NEXT ROUND!!!"
.:I don't believe it!! With just a few items, Uraraka was able to completely turn the tide of this match in her favor!!:.
.:It was impressive.:. Aizawa admitted. .:Uraraka was able to figure out the weaknesses in Monoma's abilities. Namely, that he couldn't use more than two different quirks at once. By forcing him to split his attention on different targets, she got him to loosen himself from his position.:.
Ochako landed on the ground, panting and her jetpack smoking. Her stomach was all twisted, both from her quirk use and the acrobatics she had pulled off. Thankfully, she did not feel a need to vomit yet. A cry of anger nearby made her glance up.
"You… you cheated…!" Monoma shakily got up, the scales on his arms vanishing into dust. "You… you only won because that… that VILLAIN STUDENT interfered!!"
"Midoriya-kun is not a villain!!" Ochako protested, while Monoma snorted.
"Don't try to cover for him!! That illusionist might have fooled you spotlight hoggers of 1-A, but not me!! He's been breezing through these games, getting away with messing with everything just because he managed to deceive the Principle into accepting this… this… SELF-GLORIFYING FARCE!!!"
"MONOMA!"
Monoa looked up, the glaring face of Midnight turned towards him. "You are injured. Get to the nurse and be treated."
"I-" Monoma tried to protest, but the R-Rated Heroine wasn't having it.
"You lost! Accept it! Don't throw a tantrum."
Monoma seethed, but turned away, limping out of the arena.
Quieted by Monoma's outburst, Present Mic cleared his throat and tried to get everyone's attention again. .:Well, uh, we'll be setting up the next match in a few minutes, people, so don't go anywhere!!:.
Bakugo glared at the screen from within the locker room. He was admittedly surprised that Round Cheeks ( "I think her name's Ochako." ) had won that matchup, even if it was with Deku's help. Still, he was man enough to admit he had underestimated the gravity user. 'Course, that just meant that when he fought her, he wasn't going to hold back.
"M-maybe we should focus on our fight with Pony for now?" Zero suggested.
"Tcch, what's there to focus on? She's got horns she can detach and fly around on. Avoid them, blast any that get too close, and kick her ass." Bakugo dismissed.
"But what are her limits?? How many can she control or create?? You don't know anything about her! And if Ochako could surprise you despite knowing some stuff about her, what could Pony do??" Zero reasoned.
Bakugo growled, but could concede to the Symbiote's point. "Alright, fine… we'll be careful when we fight that Pony girl." the boy grumbled.
"Oh, you actually remembered her name!! Congrats!" the Symbiote complimented, only to receive confusion from its host.
"Wait, her name is actually Pony?" Bakugo asked, incredulous.
Ochako returned to the stands, where she was immediately set upon by her excited classmates, save for Midoriya, who was making adjustments to one of his drones.
"You were so manly in that fight, Uraraka-chan!!" Kirishima cheered, thumping her on the back with a big smile.
"Manly??" Ashido teased with a smirk.
"You know what I mean." Kirishima said with a smile.
"Thanks…." Ochako gave a humble smile. "But if it wasn't for Dek- Midoriya, I probably wouldn't have lasted that long."
"I just gave you some flash bombs and restraint slime, nothing powerful or special." Midoriya said with a small blush, rubbing the back of his head. "You were the one who figured out a way to win with them."
"Hey, wait, why'd you help out Uraraka and not me?!" Sero asked indignantly.
"The simple answer is because we're friends." Midoriya responded with a smile.
"What's the complicated answer?" Momo asked Midoriya.
"Well, it's more like the 'narrative reason,' but she was on my cavalry team, so we are in an alliance, for the moment." Midoriya explained. "'Course, once we face each other, all bets are off." he smiled deviously at Ochako, who smirked back.
"Don't expect me to go easy on you either!"
Mina smiled to herself, her sixth sense for shipping tingling.
Iida, however, rounded on the illusionist. "Midoriya!! I hope you're not going to do something like this when I face Hatsume-chan in my event!!"
"Not at all… but that's because she asked me not to, since she wants to show off her own support items and gadgets." Midoriya assured the speedster.
.:And now, give it up for the walking bomb of UA High, the Dragonslayer of the Second Event, KATSUKI BAKUGO!!!:.
Everyone looked down at the field, Bakugo stepping into the ring, seemingly ignoring the cheers for him.
.:And his opponent, straight from the Lone Star State of the Good Ol' U.S. of A, the rough riding mare, PONY TSUNOTORI!!!:.
The loudest cheers for the girl came from class 1-B, but Midoriya made sure to shine a holographic display above himself, reading as GOOD LUCK TSUNOTORI! The sight of it made Bakugo scowl, but he refocused his attention on his opponent.
Once the fight began, Bakugo immediately launched himself forwards with explosions, a rabid grin on his face. The exchange student fired a stream of Horns at Bakugo, who used his explosions to dodge and weave around the projectiles.
Pony took to the air, riding two of her horns while keeping up her attack on Bakugo. The explosive boy pursued her for the next few minutes.
.:Looks like Tsunotori's going for evasion over combat, while Bakugo's struggling to get in close!:.
.:Tsunotori has better range and fine control of her Horns, but Bakugo is faster and more powerful in the air, and the longer this battle goes on, the more powerful his explosions will be. Ultimately, the deciding factor will be who slips up first..:.
Aizawa wasn't wrong. After a few minutes of Quirk Tag, Tsunotori was getting slower, her horns coming out more slowly. Bakugo, however, was getting faster and his explosions were becoming larger. It wasn't long before Tsunotori slipped up, and Bakugo got in close, grabbed her ankle, tossing her to the ground. Before she could get up, she found herself pinned down by the 1-A student, who had a hand, popping with tiny explosions near her head.
"I… I yield…" Pony sighed out.
"PONY TSUNOTORI SURRENDERS!!! KATSUKI BAKUGO PROCEEDS TO THE NEXT ROUND!"
The announcement was met with cheers and boos alike. The former for the intense cat and mouse game impressing the people watching, the other for Bakugo's viciousness and sadistic looking sneer. The boy got off of her and walked off.
"...you weren't bad, Pony-chan…. But I was just better."
The words were barely a mutter, but Pony heard them nonetheless.
.:Next up, we've got the edgelord of 1-A, always ready to crow on and on about gothic literature, it's FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI, WITH HIS QUIRK DARK SHADOW!:.
The bird-headed student of 1-A calmly walked forward, ignoring the cheers and applause. Dark Shadow, on the other hand, popped out, absorbing all the praise happily, waving to class 1-A.
.:And his opponent! He is both an unbreakable spear AND shield, give it up for EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!:.
Eijiro entered the arena, posturing and flexing. Even though people laughed at how silly he looked, he just smiled and kept on going.
"I wish you luck in this spar, but know that I have no intentions of handing you victory. You will have to earn it."
Ejiro simply grinned at his bird headed classmate. "Glad to hear it! I want you both to give it your all, like real men!"
"Actually I'm nonbinary." Dark Shadow muttered.
"Oh, sorry." Kirishima seemed surprised, but shrugged. "Either way, I want the both of you to give it your all!"
Tokoyami nodded. "And may you also fight with all the valor you can muster."
"FIGHT!"
The battle was, sadly, not very long. Dark Shadow lunged out and struck at Ejiro repeatedly, doing no damage against his hardened skin. Ejiro naturally returned the blows, but his fists did little to deter the Quirk. What's more, he was so focused on taking out Dark Shadow, he didn't notice Tokoyami himself run over until the avian-headed student swept his leg, knocking the redhead off his feet. Quick as a flash, Dark Shadow grabbed Kirishima and tossed him over the pillars and out of the ring.
"Kirishima is out of bounds! Tokoyami moves on to the next round!"
The audience's reactions were mixed. While most of them cheered, many booed, angry at the fight, which had only barely been over a minute in length.
Kirishima, for his part, just laughed and got up. "Good match!! I didn't expect you to get directly involved, Bird-bro!"
Tokoyami hummed as he approached. "When you focus upon only the shadows, you are easily blinded."
"Well I enjoyed the fight!" Dark Shadow piped up.
Kirishima laughed happily, following Tokoyami off the field.
.:And now, entering the ring are two masters of the elements!! First off we have the shocking second coming of Thor who just might 'conduct' his victory, DENKI KAMINARI!:.
Kaminari smiled and waved to everyone, ignoring the booing some of the audience members gave. His smile only grew when he saw Midoriya proudly display a hologram of his name, surrounded in yellow lightning bolts.
.:And his opponent, he's cool, he's hot, like the frozen sun, IT'S SHOTO TODOROKI!:.
Unlike Denki, Shoto didn't react to the cheers the audience gave him. In fact, he just looked bored, as if he wanted to get this over with. The only reaction he displayed was a brief scowl when he spotted a flash of flame from the upper stands of the audience.
"May the best man win!" Denki shouted to the dual-colored boy, who glanced at him apathetically.
"I intend to."
"FIGHT!"
*BOOM-CRACKLE!*
Before the electricity user could do more than spark brightly, a massive glacier engulfed him, trapping all but his face in the ice. Shoto panted heavily, his right side coated in bits of frost, but his shivering was minimal. He ignored the stunned silence, the shocked looks from the audience, focusing only on the scowling face of the man who sired him.
Unaware of the hatred Shoto was feeling, Kaminari struggled in his prison. He tried to make a spark, to create an electrical explosion, spit lighting, anything! But he couldn't. Ice wasn't electrically conductive, after all. So, with a heavy heart, Kaminari stuttered out to the referee.
"I-I-I sur-sur-surrender!"
"Sh-Sh-Shoto mo-mo-v-v-es onto the ne-ne-next round!!" Midnight shivered, her costume not made for colder temperatures.
.:W-well…. Th-that was… a-a q-quick one, huh f-f-folks??:.
.:Sometimes it's better to take out your opponent fast, before they can do anything serious.:. Aizawa commented, the only one who didn't appear to be bothered by the cold. .:We'll need to take a few minutes to clear out the field-:.
*FWOOOOSH!*
In a flash, a torrent of flame melted the iceberg within the arena, instantly turning the construct into steam. The cause of which was the Number 2 Pro Hero, who scowled down at the arena. Or more accurately, at his ice-using son.
"Oh, well, thank you Endeavor, for clearing up the ice!!" Midnight called up. "And the steam bath was nice too!"
Although most of the audience politely chuckled at the bad joke, Midoriya didn't. Instead, he was glaring at the Pro Hero. As if he could sense it, Endeavor looked back at Midoriya, his scowl deepening.
Chapter 22: Mysterio's Gauntlet, Pt. 4: The Phantom Opponents
.:Now is everyone ready to rumble??? YEAH!! First up, we have the Queen of Creation, the One-Woman Workshop, give it up for MOMO YAOYOROZU!!:.
The heiress walked onto the field, the roars of the crowd nearly overwhelming for her. She was nervous, but she had a plan in mind for her opponent. She kept her jacket open, and was ready to ditch it in case she needed the extra surface area. She only hoped that she wouldn't need to remove anything else.
.:And her opponent! The poisonous knight of Castle Mysterio, the homeborn alien girl of Japan, IT'S MINA ASHIDO!:.
The pink girl made it onto the field, smiling brightly. She didn't have any support items on hand, save for the nozzle gloves she started the games with, but she was certain that she wouldn't need anything else. After all, she could make acid intense enough to eat through anything!
She walked onto the arena, her opponent looking pensive, probably trying to make a plan of attack. Mina, however, was certain that she'd be able to destroy anything that the rich girl could come up with.
"FIGHT!!"
Mina wasted no time, dashing forward with her hands thrust out, spraying an intense stream of acid towards Momo. The raven-haired beauty was fast, however, creating a plastic shield upon her arm. A shield that withstood Mina's attack! Moving forward, Momo created a staff, longer than she was tall, coated in that same plastic! Mina tried to dodge its swing, but despite her years of dancing-honed agility, Momo's bojutsu was superior and it knocked her off her feet. Mina barely dodged the downward swing that followed, throwing more acid at her classmate, but it slid harmlessly down a face shield that sprung out from her cheeks.
"What is that stuff made of?!" the pink girl leaped back, dodging her classmate's swings as she tried unsuccessfully to create acid intense enough to eat through her creations.
"Polyethylene, a plastic that's used to contain the strongest acids known to man!" Momo said proudly, creating a t-shirt cannon that she fired at close range. Mina instinctively sprayed a stream of acid at the encroaching capsule, but it exploded into a cloud of powder that covered her front and the ground around her.
Coughing, Mina was unable to defend herself when Momo pushed the horned girl to the ground, pinning her with the shield. She tried to do something, anything to get out, but the powder reacted to her acid, making it useless to even eat through the ground.
"Sodium carbonate." Momo said proudly. "Used to neutralize acidic chemical spills. You're not getting up. I recommend that you yield."
Mina struggled in place, but was forced to concede. "I give up… phooey."
"MINA ASHIDO YIELDS, YAOYOROZU MOVES ONTO ROUND 2!"
Momo got up, helping the acid user to her feet while offering her compliments. Mina, however, wasn't listening. She had been soundly beaten because when her acid was rendered useless, she was worthless. Her dancing-honed acrobatics were good, but not enough to help her win the fight. It was like Aizawa-sensei said; if she was gonna be a successful hero, she needed to avoid being a one trick pony. Over her internship, she would learn how to fight. But even then, it would take time to get good. It would help if she had something else to use, at least to help her until she got good at fighting.
Hmm… Ochako commissioned Mysteriya for some tech based on the Vulture's old gear… perhaps she could get something? Something cool, sleek, but badass?
Though, it'd probably have to be changed in style to accommodate her theme and Quirk.
Deep in the mountains of the Aichi Prefecture, an average sized city stood, surrounded by nature. It wouldn't appear to be special to anyone passing through. It had a few factories, a newspaper office, a couple of restaurants, some cinemas, several houses, and a single tower in the middle. Anyone would be forgiven for thinking it was simply an unimportant, rural city that wasn't worth looking twice at.
Which was exactly what the Meta Liberation Army desired.
This city, Deika City, was used by the army of people who followed the philosophy of one Chikara Yotsubashi, aka Destro. When quirks first emerged, he believed it was a human right for people to have free use over their power. After all, in America, there were hundreds of people with similar powers who could use their abilities openly, take the laws into their own hands to flex their power, why should this be any different?
Naturally, the man faced pushback, not only for his beliefs, but for the terrible acts he and his followers committed to "liberate" the country of Japan. It did not help that the Quirked faced opposition from a man with similar beliefs, one Max Eisenhart, alias Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants. Even though the man was well over a century old by the time he faced Chikara, the man had put up enough of a fight that Chikara was forced to retreat. Later battles with the Avengers and Wolverine-lead X-men, aided by a young Japan-native Spider-man, ended Chikara's threat, and the Meta Liberation Army was remembered only by history and a book he wrote before his death in Tartarus Prison.
But alas, the past was never content to remain forgotten.
Chikara's last descendant, one Rikiya Yotsubashi, CEO and President of the Detnerat Lifestyle Company, wanted to revive these beliefs for a quirk-based meritocracy. So over his life, he secretly gathered many people who shared this belief, and revived Destro's army, biding his time as they gathered power and spread Destro's word. He even went as far as calling himself Re-Destro, the reincarnation of his ancestor's ideals. And what a wonderful idea it was! Why shouldn't the mighty rule over the weak? They had the power, therefore, they had the means to do so, and the right to it. Anyone who said otherwise would be silent, or be removed. That was how the world worked, since the dawn of time. But no. Instead, they were forced to bow to nulls and weaklings.
Though, as much as Rikiya hated the Marvels of the Pre-Quirk Era, he was at least willing to respect the vast majority of them for their power, even if many of them cheated by receiving or mimicking Quirks through artificial means.
Mysterio, however, was not one of these people.
How was it that a man who didn't have any powers, supposed mystic ability, or even a warrior's training, became so notorious outside of his home country?! All he had was light shows, above average machines, hallucinogenic chemicals, and parlor tricks!! Yet he was capable of fighting Spider-man to a standstill, almost drove Daredevil insane, and helped Doctor Octopus nearly destroy the world!! Even Kraven the Hunter, despite lacking a Quirk or advanced technology, at least had spent his life training, and received chemical enhancements! Mysterio had NONE of that!
A powerless little insect like Mysterio should NOT have been as well remembered as he was while Destro was shoved into a single chapter of a history textbook!!
Hence why he, and his fellow MLA members had taken to slandering the newest incarnation of the null online. At the moment, the four of them were within the central tower of Deika city, observing the UA Sports Festival, rewatching clips of the green haired boy repeatedly breaking the rules with claims that he was just supporting his classmates.
"Is there anything we can use?" Rikiya asked, trying his best to keep black spots from forming across his face. The one good thing about that null's successor? A good source of Stress for the CEO's quirk. Despite that, he didn't want to lose control in the middle of a meeting, so he kept his quirk in check, letting his narrow face, receding hairline, and massive nose remain unblemished.
"Oh, plenty." Chitose Kizuki, alias Curious, a woman with blue skin and lilac hair admitted as she looked through the footage. The executive director of Shoowaysha Publishing couldn't help but smile as she compiled all the footage she was gathering. "Many people are already up in arms over the idea of a Villain Student at UA's school being given free reign. With the right editing, we can make this look as if the principle is showing favoritism to the little null-wannabe."
"That's very close to the consensus online as well." The speaker, a lanky man with long sleek hair named Tomoyasu Chikazoku, alias Skeptic, spoke up. The board member of Feel Good Inc. spun his laptop around, displaying the various postings from the Stylo Discussion boards. "Several people think that Nezu is either being brainwashed by the Villain student or being blackmailed in some way. Ridiculous idea, but it helps the agenda we're going for. Shouldn't take much to spin this the right way."
The Detnerat CEO nodded. "Good. Any word from the oppressors regarding the boy?"
The last member, a man with a neatly done business suit, yellow and purple glasses, and a small mustache, checked his contacts. He was one Koku Hanabata, alias Trumpet, and leader of the Hearts and Minds political party. "The HPSC has thus far remained silent regarding the boy's self outing, likely because they're still trying to figure out how to deal with the fake null."
"I doubt they're going to flat out slander the boy." Curious mumbled. "That'd make them look like the bad guys and him the underdog. More likely they'll try to convince him to change his persona to one of their corporate approved identities."
"Ugh, I don't believe this…"
Rikiya looked at Skeptic. "What's the matter?"
The man spat out the words in disgust. "Some people are actually in support of the Mysterio student."
Re-Destro's spots formed around his eyes, an unpleasant sneer on his face. "What."
"Well, they're in support of what he's saying. 'That anyone can be a hero no matter where they come from.'" Skeptic explained, showing some forum posts. "Some of the posters are actually talking about becoming a hero, no matter who they are or how useless or villainous their quirk is!"
"You must be joking!" Curious checked her own feeds, her eyes soon widening before furrowing, an ugly scowl across her face. "Even people with weak quirks, like vanishing objects only a few centimeters away from them, think they can become a hero!"
"I think we must do something about this…" Trumpet muttered, only for Skeptic to shake his head.
"No, we shouldn't. As much as I'd like to put that null worshiping punk into the ground, doing so might reveal us too early."
"Then we don't use our men." Curious suggested. "The boy's got a target on his back thanks to the league, and he outed himself already…"
"So we just set someone with a grudge after the brat while not leaving anything tangible behind! Genius!" Rikiya clapped, smiling brightly.
"I'll look through the forums, see if I can find any potential candidates." Skeptic nodded, before placing his thumb upon his forehead with his pointer finger sticking up, forming an L shape. "For the Liberation of Quirks."
The others repeated the gesture.
"For the Liberation of Quirks."
.:And now, here we are at the final match of the first round!! Will he blitz his way to victory, or stumble just before the finish line?? Let's give a big cheer to TENYA IIDA!:.
Tenya Iida made his way to the field, his face settled into a stoic gaze. 'Tensei, I hope you're watching me. I hope I make you proud.'
.:And introducing his opponent! She's the top student of the Support Course, one that blindsided everyone with a body double in the last event, and with her babies she'll build anything she needs to get to victory, IT'S MEI HATSUME!!:.
"Ya know, Legs… before your class was attacked, I was plannin' on hijacking the stadium's sound system, use you as a demonstration piece for my inventions before conceding the win to you. I thought it'd be enough for me. After all, I'd get to show off my skills to the investors and you'd get to progress forward, so everyone wins." Mei said casually, walking onstage as she spoke. Iida was about to speak, ask her why she felt the need to bring it up, but then she turned her gaze to him, determination radiating from her.
"But then my friend was attacked, and I almost lost him to some villains. I can't let that happen again, so now I gotta get into the Hero Course… which means I've got to prove I can handle it." With a gesture, Mei snapped the metal mask shut, a hunting rifle being built in her arms. Drawing out an ammo clip from her belt, the pink girl loaded her weapon. "So please don't hold back, because I sure won't be."
"AND… FIGHT!"
Iida immediately started running, his leg engines boosting him forward. Mei rose into the air, supported by her PMP's tentacles, remaining stationary as she opened fire. Iida swiftly dodged the projectiles, web pellets bursting open with each hit on the ground. He reached Mei, swinging wide with a kick that she blocked in time with her gauntlet-covered arm, unmaking a tentacle for material. "The HV-IE impact gauntlet increases attack power, and has been perfectly replicated by my Programmable Matter pack for this situation!"
Iida leaped back off her gauntlet, barely avoiding her grabbing him with her other arm. The robotic tentacles that followed were swift, but not as quick as the training he'd undergone with Tensei. Even if his Quirk only manifested in his legs, he had always been a very agile person in movement.
Mei, seeing this wasn't working, used her PMP's tentacles to leap towards the Hero in Training, forming a large shield to protect herself from impact, but it did disorient her for a moment. "That was the new Rogers-High Impact Absorbing Protector, modeled after the shield used by Captain America!!! Still in the testing phase, but even this prototype is strong enough to protect me from some of the hardest hits!"
"Stop advertising and just fight!!!"
Iida had dodged the follow-up attack, but leaping backwards, he failed to realize that he landed in one of Mei's webs. Eyes widening in panic, Iida tried to pull away, but he was stuck tight. Even with the aid of his boosted engines, he was unable to pull free.
The inventor herself, meanwhile, recovered from the impact and formed a massive whipsword, ("The Long-Range Bladed Armament!!") simultaneously building a pair of hoverskates ("Electro-Magnetic Hover Shoes!") to propel herself towards her opponent. "It's over, legs!"
"Not yet! RECIPRO BURST!"
With a roar from his engines, a brilliant blue flame burst forth from the student, the extra boost burning away the web while simultaneously pushing him out of the webs. He ran forward, his speed boosted to the point that Mei was caught off guard and only barely able to form another shield to block his kick.
.:Hrm. So he kept this technique hidden until such a time that he felt it was needed. What's more, he used it to get the drop on Hatsume. Not bad:. Aizawa commented.
The next few strikes drove the inventor back, cracks forming in the Programmable Matter. Despite this, the material held up, and Iida leaped off it before Mei could grab his leg. Circling his opponent, Iida ran in, slamming his fist into her side with each passing dash…. Until his engines suddenly gave out and he tripped. 'NO!'
.:Oh no!! It looks like Iida's ace in the hole has some serious backlash!:.
Seizing her chance, Mei grabbed Iida around the torso and quickly formed some restraints out of Programmable Matter, locking his legs and arms together. "And now, the newest model of Villain Restraint Manacles! Capable of restraining anyone with a lightweight, yet tough design resistant to almost any quirk!"
Looking over, Midnight called out to the bound student. "Iida, are you capable of escaping??" Despite his best struggles, the bespectacled boy was unable to slip free and so, with great reluctance, shook his head. "Tenya Iida has been captured!! Mei Hatsume moves on!!"
Mei sighed in relief and went over to the speedster, placing her gauntlet upon the purple metal, deconstructing it and storing it in her suit with the rest of her devices. "Thank you Le…. Iida-kun." the girl said with unusually controlled emotion, holding out a hand to help him up.
Despite the wonderful display of sportsmanship, Iida couldn't bring himself to accept it, and instead stood up, walking away. Throughout the games' various events, his attempts at following the rules kept getting him pushed back and back by Midoriya. He was glad that his classmate wasn't letting the rumors bring him down, truly, but did he not see the consequences he was creating with all that blatant rules flaunting?? Did he not care about the unrest he was causing by openly using the Mysterio name?? What that could mean for his classmates and the school's reputation?
To try and reassure the audience, Iida had spent the game trying to remain on the straight and narrow, but kept finding himself being outmatched by his more devious opponents. Even his hidden technique only bought him maybe a minute against the girl he had admittedly written off. Her technology was something he had not been expecting to last that long. Most support items couldn't handle quirks, so her machines had not seemed like a major obstacle. A line of thinking that was clearly wrong.
How else could this day get any worse??
Unfortunately for him, his phone started ringing, and his mother would soon answer that question.
Within a warehouse, La Brava ran through an obstacle course. Dodging paintballs and swinging bags, she ran down a makeshift corridor, from one end to the other. Coming up to a floor covered in orange paper lava, she activated her newly arrived suit's boots. Glowing lights along the soles activated, purple lights shining as she was launched onto a wall, clinging to it by means she wasn't aware of. It wasn't true wall crawling, and she could feel herself sliding down it as she lingered in that spot, so she ran ahead, her boots leaving a trail of quickly fading lights with each step she took. Leaping off the wall, she grabbed onto an extended pipe, using the momentum to swing further ahead. She landed on the ground, grunting from exertion, but made her way onwards. Reaching a six meter tall tower of plywood, La Brava leaped up, claws emerging with a twitch. Thanks to her training and the suit's capabilities, she made it to the top in five seconds flat. Spotting a potential anchoring point, she fired a grappling hook line out, then swung over like she was a Spider.
Though she nearly missed the next tower, she recovered and climbed onto it. Crossing a tightrope, she made it to the center and lowered herself towards her goal, a folder containing her favorite fanfictions vital secrets pertaining to the villain's evil deeds. Slipping the cat-eyes goggles on, she smirks and carefully lifted up the folder, placing it in her backpack, before righting herself. Making it back to the tightrope, she made it to a series of cardboard boxes taped together an air vent and climbed though, emerging from the other side triumphantly. "Done!"
Nearby was Danjuro, timing her progress while he practiced his tea pouring tricks, albeit without much success. "Excellent work!! A whole ten seconds shorter than last time!"
"Does that mean I can accompany you on your next heist??" Manami asked, her eyes wide with him.
Wiping some stray tea off his sleeve with a handkerchief, Danjuro smiled. "My dear La Brava, I am thrilled to say that I believe you are ready for your debut as the Black Cat!"
"Better than Prowler… that makes me seem like some kind of creep or monster! Black Cats are romantic and beautiful!!" Manami proclaimed. "Still, this plain black bodysuit isn't really my style…"
"Well that just won't do!" Danjuro stood up, eyes nearly glowing with indignation. "Before you can debut, we'll need to make sure you look right! After all, a costume is a statement to the world about who you are and what you're saying!! Presentation is what separates us from the common thugs and criminals, after all!"
"Oh, Gentle-sama….!" Manami stared at her partner, smiling widely.
"Next stop, the crafts store!" Danjuro proclaimed, gathering his coat and cane.
Peni adjusted the joints of her machine, her socket wrench slippery with engine oil. She was about to face Midoriya in combat, and decided to try and calm her nerves by working on her mech suit. Unfortunately, she was too nervous to focus, and kept slipping up.
{"You need not be so concerned."}
Peni glanced up at Mayflower, resting in her web.
{"I think you'll be just fine.}
"But we're facing Mysterio! One of Peter Parker's original enemies, and I don't have a spider-sense yet! We're at a major disadvantage!"
{"And we know the original's tricks and methods. We can handle him."} the quirked arachnid calmly countered.
"I…. you're right! We won't let the Spider-family down!" Peni proclaimed, replacing the panel and climbing into the mech suit. Meanwhile, Mayflower entered through a smaller opening on the back.
{"But even if we fail, everyone will be proud of you. I know I am, big sister."}
.:First up, it's the latest snow globe-loving master of illusion, the boy who can rock green and purple and not look silly, IZUKU MIDORIYA!:.
Midoriya walked out, playing some kind of punk rock theme.
.:And his opponent, proof that two heads are better than one, even if it's on a spider's body, the young Spider-heiress, Peni Parker and Mayflower!!:.
Peni walked out, piloting her mecha as the song switched to a fast paced rap song.
From her seat in the stands, Ochako watched the two students, bearing the mantles of a hero and a villain respectively, enter the arena.
"Oh, this is the closest we'll ever see to a real fight between Mysterio and the original Spider-man!" Midnight squealed in excitement, raising her whip. "GO!"
Immediately shots were fired from the mech suit, aiming at the ground instead of the Mysterio in the air. From a cloud of pixels, Midoriya ran along, throwing out handfuls of dice-like objects, some of which exploded into clouds of smoke. At the same time, Midoriya started crackling with electricity. Running forward, he raised his fist, landing a series of punches along the body. It was slow, but the smoke disoriented the mech enough that he landed some good ones.
He was knocked back after only a few seconds, and the Support Course student went on all fours, lunging with clawed hands. Midoriya dodged, and a second Midoriya appeared, running in the opposite direction, but Peni ignored it and knocked the green haired hero student away.
.:Nice try, Midoriya!!! But I can tell where your illusions are, and I made this mech tough enough for anything you can throw at it!:.
"We'll see about that, Spider-girl." Midoriya smirked, leaping back to his feet. With a clasp of his hands, the boy made several hand mutras, and shouted "BUNSHIN NO JUTSU!"
From all around the arena, emerging from clouds of smoke, several Mysterios appeared, Midoriya forming an identical costume over himself in a ring of pixels.
.:What?! But how…?! My radar should be more than capable of telling which one's fake from these holo-:. Peni'scry of disbelief was interrupted by several of the Mysterio copies running at her, attacking with their bare hands, the echos very real sounding. Grabbing the closet one, she swung it onto the ground, the dome shattering, turning into an Actor Model… but one with Programmable Matter covering its form. .:What?!:.
.:Radar has its weaknesses, Parker-chan!:. One of the robots called out, morphing its arm into a pair of hammers that swung at the mech's leg, sending it down.
.:I just covered my Stunt Doubles in a material that had a shape mimicking that of the F-117 stealth fighters and had them waiting around until we were completely surrounded!:. Another Mysterio, creating a scimitar, helpfully explained as it slashed off the web cannon.
.:Hm. Not a bad trick, Midoriya. However, not all enemies rely on radar, and they could detect you, which makes this scenario a very specific one that won't always work out in your favor.:. Aizawa grunted, checking his tablet to make sure Midoriya was still staying in the ring.
.:Very true, sensei! But I think you can appreciate the fact that I studied my opponent and developed a countermeasure before facing them in battle!:.
Aizawa only grunted in response.
.:I'd say he does!:. Present Mic laughed.
.:ENOUGH!:. Peni leaped into the air, .:WEB BLOSSOM!:. Spinning around, several hidden ports shot out a multitude of webbing, impacting the robots and either taking them out or pinning them to the ground. Only one remained standing, having used another Mysterio as a shield. .:There you are…!:. Peni landed, her suit doing a classic 3-point Hero Landing. Her mech suit was not in great condition. It was covered in dents, the finish was all scratched up, and a few of the clones managed to crack the face.
The last Mysterio tossed the webbed up robot aside, turning to Peni. .:Not bad. I recognize that move from Peter Parker's moveset. Used in the Devil's Breath Incident, right?:.
.:That's right, and this one was used in Kraven's Villain Hunt:. Four massive arms, modeled after spider-legs, emerged from the back of the robot. She ran forward, the arms ready to strike, only to be intercepted by four green and purple serpents emerging from within the folds of Mysterio's cape.
.:Cool! I actually borrowed this from the Iron Spider-suit, and Dr. Octopus:. Midoriya floated back, the serpents striking the robotic suit repeatedly, lashing at the mech suit.
.:Dang it, stop pulling new tricks out of your ass!!!:. Peni shouted, audibly growing frustrated.
.:But that's half the fun of being an illusionist!:. Midoriya countered, floating away from the machine. .:But this is getting boring, so let's throw in a little panache!! FULMINA VENITAE!:.
Above the mech, a cloud of green smoke appeared, shooting lightning down at the Mech suit. The robotic spider-woman fell to its knees, but Peni cackled. .:Nice try… but I can absorb electricity! Helps against the likes of Electro.:.
.:Oh… well then… In toto ancto es!:. Forming a flaming green skull, Mysterio lobbed it at the mech, which, not taking chances, dodged. Landing near the edge of the arena, the two traded blows, their fists a blur.
Needless to say, the crowd was at the edge of their seats. The two had been effectively countering each other repeatedly for the past few minutes. The vast majority were certain that Peni would have beaten him in an instant. After all, she was descended from the hero who originally defeated the villain! And yet, Mysterio was handling her with little difficulty, even pulling out new illusions and devices to put himself on equal footing with the girl. Despite this, she was overwhelming him, his boxing stance clearly not doing him favors as he was forced backwards by the giant robot suit.
Then, finally, Midoriya overextended on a punch, and the support student seized her chance, grabbed Midoriya around the waist, pinning his arms, and pulled him in, the holographic costume vanishing to show the struggling Midoriya. .:It's over, Mysterio. You're out of illusions.:. Peni declared, turning away from the edge of the arena.
.:Actually, I've still got one left.:. Midoriya opened his mouth, and a spray of green smoke pelted her.
.:HEY! Not now Mayflower, I- what do you mean there's another signal?!:.
Behind the robot, a second Midoriya appeared, grabbing the machine by its underarms, then suplexing it hard enough to slam it through the pillars lining the arena. The Midoriya in her arms, a fake, launched several small pyramid-shaped devices from within its mouth, each one latching onto the machine.
"Codephrase: Technical difficulties." Midoriya quipped. The d4 holocubes, clinging to the mech suit, lit up. A crackle of electricity arced across the pointed devices, and the Mecha suit fell, incapable of moving. The head unscrewed open, Peni crawling out, just barely staying in bounds, Mayflower on her head.
"Do you surrender?? Midnight called out to the girl. In lieu of answering, she ran at Midoriya, swinging her fist wildly. Midoriya sidestepped it, instead pinning her arms behind her back.
"Yeah… I thought that wouldn't work… just had to try, you know?" Peni muttered, Midoriya simply smiling and nodding. To Midnight, she gave her answer. "I yield!"
"PENI PARKER AND MAYFLOWER YIELD! MIDORIYA MOVES ONTO THE NEXT ROUND!"
Ignoring the usual boos and jeers, Midoriya typed a command into his gauntlet, prompting several drones to decloak, spraying a chemical dissolvent that freed the webbing-trapped robots, who all got up and gathered the pieces of their broken counterparts and the scattered holocubes.
"How did you hide from my Radar the second time??" Peni asked, watching as Midoriya gathered the holocubes from the robot.
"Oh, I just stayed low to the ground and moved towards you slowly." he explained, pocketing the holocubes. "With all these identical robots around me, and your focus elsewhere, you were unlikely to spot me moving."
"Ah… gonna have to work on that." Peni muttered.
"Still, I think you're on your way to being a potential hero. You just need some more experience in fighting." Midoriya assured her, offering his hand to her. "Maybe after classes, if Nezu will let us, we could do some sparring in our suits?"
"That… sounds good. And Mayflower agrees." Peni said with a smile, shaking Midoriya's hand. The two left the area, ignoring the cries of anger directed at the male of the three.
From the stands, Ochako watched in joy. She was concerned with how the match would play out, but she knew that, win or lose, she was always going to root for her friend and secret crush. Unfortunately, she couldn't linger, because next up was her fight with an explosive Pomeranian.
All Might left the restroom, drying his hands. He was wearing the holographic disguise belt Midoriya designed and finally built, so he just walked around in his unpowered form, sighing in relief from not having to do the equivalent of sucking his gut in for hours on end. This way he could keep his energy saved up without worrying about anyone running across him.
Speaking of which, was that Endeavor up ahead?
Putting on his "Hero Voice" as Tsuburaya called it, All Might approached the Number Two Hero. "Ah!! Endeavor!! Your son is doing quite well out the-"
"Don't patronize me."
Taken aback by the anger in the pro's voice, All Might faltered for a moment. "Ex- hrmp! Excuse me?"
If he noticed anything, Endeavor said nothing about it. "My son is spitting on his legacy, using only his ice instead of my fire… clearly you are not an adequate teacher."
"Hey now, I admit that I do have a lot to improve upon, but in my defense, it's my first time teac-"
"You are responsible for the growth of the next generation of heroes, my son among them. 'It's my first time' is not an excuse." Endeavor interrupted. "Especially considering the scrutiny placed upon your students, the Mysterio boy in particular."
"And I'm doing all that I can to make sure they're ready." All Might defended.
"Then why is my boy still insistent upon defying me?!"
"I cannot force your son to do anything." All Might coolly responded. "And you cannot either."
"Hmph… well, even if you won't make him see reason, I'll get through to the boy, and he WILL overcome you." with that final statement, the fire hero left down the stairwell, leaving a very concerned All Might thinking about their conversation.