Chapter 28: Burning Pride and Determined Fists Part 3
"Now entering the arena from the North gate, he's made a strong showing in every round so far and is one of class 1A's noted powerhouses, the team leader of the top scorers from our second round, it's the bombastic bruiser Katsuki Bakugo!"
Katsuki's palms itched, his shoulders tensing up as he let the excitement wash over him. Izuku had already beaten down one of the extras, now it was his chance to get one step closer to meeting the nerd in the finals. His grin, much less feral than normal, was not missed by Midnight, who smirked knowingly at him as he stepped up the small staircase into the tournament ring.
"Now entering from the South gate, he's one of 1B's stronger fighters, and an absolute twisted terror of torsion, Sen Kaibara! He's made a decent impact so far in the first and second rounds, but close quarters combat is where this kid really shines. Give it up for our competitors folks!"
Katsuki watched the boy in question stride out from the tunnel and into the ring, standing across from him without too much stiffness. Dark brown hair drooped down his forehead, though not far enough to obscure his eyes,which had a shrewd look to them. He was smaller than Katsuki, less athletic, but still likely strong enough to pose a threat if not taken seriously.
The Sex Offender was going over the terms of the match, but Katsuki wasn't listening too intently, instead focusing on his opponent and trying to figure out his quirk. He hadn't seen the guy during the first event, but he knew he'd been with the Skull-fucker and Hair-Day who had done a lot more heavy lifting during the second event. Even then though, his only glimpses of them had been fleeting, he was pretty confident that the guy did something with wind to his hands and feet.
"Start!" Cheered Midnight, another whip crack punctuating her declaration. Wasting no time, even as the ground beneath his feet began to roil and shift, Katsuki was in the air, palms facing the ground as he boosted himself upwards with a series of contained explosions. The only strain from using this technique was on his wrists, thankfully, and even then it wasn't much. If push came to shove, he would have plenty of time to blast himself forward if the extra tried to use a gust of wind to push him out.
His suspicions about the guy's quirk were soon cast aside as he saw the boy's fingers, hands, and forearms all begin to rotate rapidly. The wind wasn't his quirk, just a side effect. His limbs were spinning quickly enough to whip up the air around them into a blur that looked too similar to a small tornado for comfort, but if the idiot had any idea on how to use that air as a weapon, he was choosing not to.
Drill Bit rushed him, the newly christened extra displaying none of the hesitation that Katsuki had seen from some of the other competitors as the terrain changed beneath them. As it was, it seemed the arena for this cycle was the ice zone once more, which made sense considering the random selection, even if it was kind of lame to have a repeat already.
That only seemed to work in Drill Bit's favor however, as the boy quickly jumped into one of the ascending icy walls with his legs spinning and disappeared inside it as the rotation carved an effortless path for him to tunnel down. Unfortunately for this particular stepping stone, he had failed to consider just how big Katsuki could make his attacks, and had inadvertently doomed himself.
He twisted in midair, beginning to rapidly spin as his blasts forced the heated air he was producing into a spiral that pulled more and more oxygen towards his target. Faster, more powerful, bigger and bigger the explosions roared, drawing into a fiery tornado that completely eclipsed the grounded version of the blast he had used in the second round. Smiling because his friend wasn't here to reprimand him for it, he screamed out the technique's name as he reached the peak of his acceleration.
" Howitzer Impact! "
For a moment there was an unearthly silence as the blast ripped free of his hands, the trailing cone of fire and explosive energy condensing as it flew towards the glacier that his opponent was currently inside. Once the tip of the screaming tornado reached the ice, there was a deafening roar, and then, fire.
The explosion tore through the terrain, smaller blasts rocketing up as it ripped large chunks of the frozen material away from the main body of the ice. Katsuki caught sight of the momentarily stunned Drill Bit halfway through tunneling deeper into the ice before he, too, was eclipsed by the blossoming explosions. A moment later, the smoke had cleared, and what was left was pure devastation.
In the middle of a large gouge in the floor of the arena was the singed form of his opponent, clearly unconscious but not too badly hurt. All around him, the remains of the ice was rapidly disappearing, but not from an arena change. The blast had let out enough heat to melt a good portion of the terrain.
Katsuki had known that the ice would absorb enough of the damage and fire that the main effect on the boy would be the concussive force, and thankfully it seemed that he wasn't hurt too badly. It would have been unacceptable if he got disqualified over something as stupid as accidentally incinerating his opponent or rupturing his internal organs.
A shot of pain ran along his arms, and Katsuki grimaced. Without his gauntlets using large explosions like that, much less a fully loaded Howitzer Impact, placed more strain on his shoulders than he was currently capable of handling. The nerd had recommended some strengthening exercises that he had been following, but even as strong as he was, there was still clearly room for growth. He scowled a bit as Midnight spoke up.
"Sen Kaibara is unable to continue! Katsuki Bakugo is the winner of the match by knockout, and will advance to the second round!"
Katsuki watched with feigned disinterest as two UA medical bots retrieved Drill Bit from his crater and carted him off to the medical office. The way those things moved was creepy, and watching the extra get carted off like that reminded him uncomfortably of Thirteen's lecture at the USJ before the attack.
Swallowing his discomfort, he rolled his eyes at the show. Biting down the urge to deride his opponent for not having gotten up already to mask his worry, he turned to leave when he felt a tug on his pant leg. Glancing down, his gaze locked with one of the little robots, which was looking up at him impassively. Of course it was, it was a fucking robot, the thing could only ever be emotionless.
"What do you want, tin can?"
"Katsuki Bakugo is requested in medical for post-match assessment. And the human should watch its tone." It tugged on his pant leg again before moving down the hallway he had entered from, stopping and turning around to wait for him. If a robot could look reproachful, this one was managing.
Katsuki's first impulse was to blow up the stupid thing, but then remembered a lesson his own mother had taught him with some force over the years. Ignore doctors at your own peril. Suppressing the urge to groan, he stomped off after the thing, scorching the wall with a small explosion as he went. Behind him, he heard his teacher call out the next fighters.
"Will Ochaco Uraraka and Itsuka Kendo please report to your waiting rooms. The seventh match of the first round will begin in ten minutes!"
In the stands, Izuku watched in only mild annoyance as Bakugo loosed his most powerful trump card against Kaibara, probably hurting his arms, and even calling out the attack as he did so! Honestly, for all his improvements, his friend was still as impulsive and aggressive as ever, he just seemed to be directing it in new ways. It was oddly kind of reassuring, in a way that made Izuku's blood pressure rise at the same time.
"I guess I'm up next, huh Deku?" chirped Uraraka, smiling with practically no confidence behind it. That wasn't going to fly, not when his friend had so much potential.
"Uraraka, wait," he said, fixing her with a serious look. She turned to regard him, curiosity lighting up her expression. "I know Kacchan would never accept it, but I've got analysis on most of the competitors already, and you've helped me so much in such a short time. If you'd like, my notes are yours to use, though uh, now that I say that, I guess I'd have to translate them out of the code I write in real quick."
He rubbed the back of his nervously at that admission, having gotten so used to working in the layers of security he had around his analyses and design books that he had forgotten it was there. His thumb brushed over the still warm interface as he did so, and he couldn't help but berate himself for not thinking things through. Honestly, he was such an idiot at times, offering help with basically unreadable books.
"Hey, you're not an idiot, Deku-kun!" Chided Uraraka, reaching out and gently squeezing his shoulder, careful to keep her pinky out. "And I know you could translate it really quickly for me if you needed to, but I can't take your notes. This is a fight I have to do myself, win or lose, by my own effort. The whole point of this festival is to show our strengths, but part of it too is to show us where we need to get stronger!"
There again, Uraraka was wearing that determined expression Izuku had come to recognize. Her furrowed brow, the pinched features; it wasn't a conventionally reassuring look, but it did scream that the girl would take all challenges head on, even if she had no chance of winning. It was a look that inspired respect, and in lesser mortals, fear.
"I need to know where I stand on my own, because the last round taught me I already work great with you and," she looked back and forth mischievously before adding, "angry McSplodeyface." Izuku couldn't help but snort at that. For a moment things were left at an awkward silence, but then Uraraka's look softened, and the look she shot at him forced a worried smile to Izuku's lips in turn.
"But I really, really, really appreciate it Deku-kun, and I want you to remember that you're not stupid just because you forget stuff sometimes. You're one of the smartest people I've ever met, and you know that, so please, try not to put yourself down so much, okay?" Izuku could only nod as warmth blossomed in his chest, reminded once again about how different things had become since coming to UA, how grateful he was for a friend like Uraraka.
"I'll do my best, Uraraka. And for what it's worth, I don't think you'd even need my notes to win. You're incredible, you know? You can do anything you set your mind to!"
"Midoriya is correct, Uraraka," chimed in Iida, momentarily without his brother. Ingenium had gone to get some snacks along with Yaoyorozu, apparently, meaning the younger Iida was free to be his usual uptight self without worry for his brother's intervention. "You are a model classmate and an excellent hero in the making. And while I would be happy to expound on the virtues of heroism which you embody, you only have five minutes to get to your waiting room now. And punctuality is a virtue that you very much cannot afford to neglect!"
"Eek," was all the girl managed to squeak out before she was shuffling hurriedly out of the stands and down the staircase that led to the waiting room. She was unknowingly leaving a small trail of floating objects in her wake as she rushed forward, a sight which Bakugo seemed to find very amusing as he rejoined their group.
Dropping into the seat on Izuku's right, he crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair, scowling down at the arena. Before Izuku could ask what had kept him, the boy began to speak, with clear annoyance coloring his words.
"Fucking Recovery Girl wanted to do a check on me after the match to make sure I wasn't suffering from fucking quirk backlash of all things. Me," he grumbled, still clearly a bit incensed at the indignity of having someone worry about him. Izuku suppressed a smile as his friend continued.
"Bakugo, language," offered Iida weakly. Bakugo ignored him entirely.
"First she sends some snarky ass robot to take me there, then there's so many banged up third years in the beds she's got that I've got to sit outside and wait for her to be ready to give me the stupid fucking check. Tintin's winning by the way, dork, thought you'd wanna know."
"Oh, awesome, thanks Kacchan!"
"Shut the fuck up and let me finish, god damnit. So yeah, I've gotta wait for Granny to give me the all clear to keep fighting for like, four minutes, and I'm worried I'm gonna miss Cheeks yeeting Man Hands into space, when god damn fucking Snipe in a pair of scrubs walks out of the infirmary."
"Oh, that makes sense Kacchan! With how often he has to treat the villains he apprehends for any wounds they sustain, Snipe-sensei got certified as a registered nurse so he could also help out in disaster settings. It's actually really inspirational, since it means he operates as a kind of rescue hero sometimes even without using his quirk."
"Of course you would have memorized our teachers' fucking fact sheets like that you god damned nerd. Anyways," he put extra emphasis on the word, "the discount Blondie takes one look at me and says 'yer fine kid' and let's me go just in time to watch Cheeks run past leaving a fucking asteroid belt behind her with all the small shit she was floating."
"Yeah I kind of wasted some of Uraraka's time and she had to run to the waiting room...wait Blondie? You saw Snipe-sensei's real hair?"
"No dipshit, it's from an old movie. Seriously, I thought you knew everything."
"Whatever," Izuku bristled, not so much annoyed as embarrassed. If it was a reference that his teacher had drawn on as part of his cowboy persona, then it was one he knew nothing about. Izuku was snapped out of his thoughts by the sudden clatter of a dozen small objects hitting the ground.
"Looks like Cheeks finally realized she was leaving a comet tail."
"Indeed," said Yaoyorozu as she sat down again, holding a tray absolutely covered in carb loaded snack foods with both arms. Beside her, Ingenium had returned with a much more humble set of two bags of popcorn and some juice cans, one of which he passed to his brother as their little group reassembled. "I must say, I wonder if there's some kind of maximum range to her quirk. Though, considering the score for her ball throw on Aizawa-sensei's quirk assessment test, it must be well outside of one hundred kilometres, if there even is one."
"Actually, that raises the question of how her cancelling the effects of her quirk works. Like, is it some kind of wave that gets sent out from her contact points on her fingers cancelling each other out when they're brought together, or is there some kind of communicative element to it that the gesture is only a trigger for? And how could she produce such a long range effect without sapping her own energy? I had assumed it was some kind of low-energy cost force applied to the objects she floats that counteracts gravity rather than negating it, but now…"
"Deku, shove it up your brainhole for later, Cheeks is about to deck 1B's rep!"
Ochaco did her best not to shake as she walked through the tunnel and onto the stage, Present Mic's introduction doing very little to reassure her.
"Now entering the arena through the South gate, she's shown a great deal of versatility in the first and second rounds, coming in fourth place in the Venatio and was an integral part of the first place from our Ludi Circenses, it's Ochaco Uraraka!" The cheers that accompanied her teacher's words seemed all too incongruous with how she felt, but it was nice to know that if nothing else, people seemed excited to see her. That was part of her aspirations as a hero after all, to reassure people with just her presence.
"And now approaching from the North gate, the battle hardened bruiser, President of class 1B, she may not seem like a powerhouse at first glance but she's consistently ranked highly in class battle exercises, give it up for Itsuka Kendooo!" The way the teacher stressed the last syllable forced a small chuckle from Uraraka, even as her opponent strode up to the stage across from her with a confident smirk on her face.
Ochaco did her best to size up her opponent as Midnight once more recited the rules for the match and the procedures for submission, but she had always been better at reading peoples' moods and intentions over something like their combat potential. She knew it was a weakness, and if she had taken Deku up on his kind offer, she likely would have been in a much better position to win her match. But then, that would have defeated the point of this whole tournament.
Sure, a hero should use every advantage they could get, but she wasn't a hero yet! She was a student, and that meant making mistakes, and trying and failing, and learning, and being better because of it all. And for now, that meant being able to stand on her own, to get stronger through attrition so that she could become the hero who would save other heroes.
"Good luck, Kendo-san!" Uraraka called out as she and her opponent bowed to each other.
"Likewise, Uraraka-san, let's do our best!" The girl dropped into her stance, feet wide and shoulders squared, looking absolutely immovable. Uraraka for her part adopted what she could of the stances she had been learning with Aizawa-sensei and All Might during their combat courses.
"Start! " Boomed Midnight's enhanced voice.
For a second, neither of the combatants moved, then the terrain began to shift beneath their feet, and the temperature rose. A glow surrounded the fighters as flaming, charred trees began to emerge from the tiles, which were themselves rapidly becoming uneven, blackened dirt. Ochaco stumbled a bit as a large rock rose up beneath her, but managed to tap herself in time to negate her fall before falling back on one foot and facing her opponent, who had yet to move as she surveyed her.
"Welcome to the conflagration arena folks! This battle turns up the heat, though it seems neither of our competitors are too uncomfortable down there!" Chimed Present Mic.
"Hero students are expected to adapt quickly, which should come as no surprise. Given that Kendo holds black belts in several different martial arts and is an active practitioner of Hung Ga and Wing Chun, it makes sense that she wouldn't be thrown by something as simple as an arena change."
Well, that was certainly helpful of them to announce , though Ochaco as she began her attack. She cancelled her quirk almost immediately as she sprang forward, ignoring the passing heat as the flames roared on either side of her. She came at her opponent low and fast, bringing a hand up for feint that would hopefully lead into an effective leg sweep. Unfortunately, she never got that far.
Uraraka's forearm was suddenly wrapped up in a massively expanded hand that held onto her with a crushing strength. Now she knew Kendo's quirk, it made a scary amount of sense why the girl seemed so patient with her fighting. The slow, careful movements she made were powerful, and with the ability to grow and shrink her hands at will, it meant that she had far too many options for surprising strikes than Uraraka was comfortable with. Currently she had her enlarged thumb placed on the back of her Uraraka's hand, forcing her fingers to spread out wide enough that she wouldn't be able to activate her quirk on the girl.
"Good try," said Kendo, only a little bit of sweat trickling down her brow as the fire raged around them. A quick motion saw Uraraka being tossed back with the girl's overwhelming strength, but an even swifter self-activation of her quirk on herself saw Uraraka cancelling her own momentum and falling back to the ground.
"You're not getting rid of me that easily!" she shouted back, earning a determined nod of acknowledgement from her opponent in the process. She charged again.
"Oh no," groaned Izuku, watching as Uraraka and Kendo battled it out. "They're talking while they fight."
"Not everyone is a god damn human calculator like you, Deku!" barked Bakugo as he watched the display with mounting approval.
"You know, I've found that it both helps the image of the hero, and can have a decent effect on the morale of both villains and bystanders to have a few quips handy," chimed in Ingenium unhelpfully.
"Not you too," Izuku grumbled, earning a reproachful objection from Iida about respecting his brother's wisdom. Yaoyorozu simply smiled at their antics in her quiet, polite way, and went back to watching the match.
"Don't worry Zuku, I agree with you," said Mei, flopping down in the seat next to Iida as she began to use her quirk to zoom in on the ongoing match.
"Mei-chan, where have you been?" Izuku queried. After her loss in the second round the girl had seemingly disappeared, but without the despondency that a number of his friends had worn when they had eaten their lunches alone. The manic grin she was now shooting him was slightly concerning however.
"Scouting the third year festival for ideas for more babies, checking in on Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire, and making a deal to sell some of my babies with a sponsor or two," she chirped before turning to regard her company. "Hello Ingenium-san, mini-Ingenium, would you like me to make your costume more efficient?" Iida spluttered while his brother only regarded the suddenly appearing inventor quizzically, which she took as a prompt to continue.
As Mei began to pitch some kind of advanced cooling system to integrate into the hero's costume, Izuku found himself more and more worried about Uraraka as her attacks seemingly grew more desperate. Charge after charge was met with the same result, though it seemed Kendo was being moved at least a little bit by the repeated skirmishes. He knew how important this all was for his friend, and to her credit, even if she didn't have the best chance of winning overall, she would do her damnedest to make it happen anyways.
"Stop worrying about Cheeks and watch, Deku. Shit's about to get good," grunted Bakugo. Not understanding, Izuku looked more closely at the arena and caught sight of his friend's meaning. Smiling now, he got ready to jump from his seat to cheer at Uraraka's imminent victory.
"Something to note about Uraraka," droned the voice of her teacher over the speakers. Ochaco hoped that he wasn't about to out her plan, but then thought better of it. The man wouldn't do that. "Though it's only been since her start at UA, she's displayed an unusual aptitude for the Baguazhang style of fighting, specifically a derivative known as the Yin-Yang style. So while it may seem like she's on the back foot right now, anyone familiar with the Eagle form should be familiar with what is happening."
Well, crap. Her teacher had outed her, at least a bit, though it seemed Kendo didn't know exactly what her movements entailed. He had probably done it to try and help point out her strategy to any watching pros for the upcoming internships, so she couldn't be too mad at him, but still. This was her best shot at victory against an opponent like Kendo, and she didn't want to risk it.
The brief flashes of combat between the two girls had succeeded in repositioning the pair towards the southeast corner of the arena, a large cluster of the burning trees now surrounding them on three sides. Ochaco flashed her determined look at her opponent, temporarily catching her in a moment of confusion. It was all she needed.
She darted forward again, low with arms outstretched for the single touch that could end the match once more. Kendo recovered from her momentary surprise, ready to intercept the girl again, but wasn't prepared at all for the moment when Ochaco left the ground entirely.
She soared past the girl, a large fist barely missing a grab on her leg as Ochaco pirouetted in the air, landing with her feet against one of the burning trees which she quickly launched herself off of, cracking the trunk under the force of the impact. Kendo tried another grab, but she was too fast now, bouncing from tree to tree in rapid succession under her weightlessness, and sending the flaming trunks crashing down towards the girl.
Kendo was forced to shift a bit, batting aside the flaming logs with her enhanced strength and sending a few searing branches towards the still pin-balling Ochaco. They scraped her cheek, drawing blood and a sizzle at the same time as the girl continued her assault before one final impact and twist saw four flaming trunks falling on her opponent at once.
Class 1B's president brought her hands up, catching the trunks in midair and swinging them like an enlarged bat at Ochaco, but the girl had cancelled her own weightlessness already and dropped to the ground in a slide by the time Kendo would have made a hit. Barreling towards her across the scorched dirt, Ochaco wrapped her hands around Kendo's ankles, robbing her of her weight and springing up into a throw that sent the girl flying out of the arena and into the stands themselves, a shocked look on her face as she flew.
"Itsuka Kendo is out of bounds! Ochaco Uraraka is the winner by ring out, and will advance to the second round!" Ochaco grinned, pride blooming in her chest as Midnight called out her victory. It had been too close for comfort; her hair was singed, she was bleeding in a few spots, the front of her uniform was completely covered in blackened dirt, and she smelled like a bonfire. It was funny, in a way, and she felt an entirely different feeling bloom in her chest as a particular voice cut through the crowd's cheering to reach her ears.
"Uraraka!" called Deku, smiling as widely as she had ever seen and seemingly struggling not to begin blasting off from his place in the stands as he waved. Bakugo sat next to him, arms crossed, but when he saw her looking over smirked and gave a single nod. Yaoyorozu had produced a small banner at some point which simply read, Good Job Uraraka in curly lettering. Said banner was being hoisted by Deku's friend Hatsume and Iida as well, who made some approving hand chops as his brother flashed her a thumbs up.
At the risk of emulating Deku and breaking out into enough tears to flood the stadium, she instead waved back before jogging off down the tunnel she had entered from, not at all surprised to find a medical bot waiting to take her to Recovery Girl's temporary infirmary. On her way, she couldn't help but notice the lingering smell of burning oak, which was strange considering the trees in the conflagration arena had been mostly Cypress trees. Shrugging it off, she continued down the hall.
"Shoto Todoroki and Setsuna Tokage, please report to your waiting rooms. The eighth and final match of the first round tournament will begin in ten minutes!"
Shoto felt himself tense as he made his way to the prep room, and rounding the final corner before he would have some blessed privacy to prepare, the object of his discomfort became apparent. Leaning against the wall with a stoic expression on his face and his flames extinguished was his father, Enji Todoroki.
"Shoto," he began, a low, deep rumble with barely contained anger behind it. "You are not fulfilling your potential." Shoto felt his insides squirm uncomfortably at that.
"Say that after I win, father," he responded as evenly as possible.
"I'm not speaking of your performance today, Shoto," he shot back, turning to glare at his son. "Though that is also a concern. I told you that I would respect your vow against using your fire so long as you could prove your strength without it. You could have easily taken first in the last two events had you used it."
"Only the final event matters for determining the winner." He moved to walk past his father, and the man let him by without too much fuss.
"What is strength, Shoto?" he asked. Shocked at the question, Shoto turned to regard his father with wide eyes. What gambit was he playing to satisfy the old bastard's ego this time?
"One of your lessons was from some ancient heathen Pope. That, 'Authority is mainly a moral power...the duty that each person has to contribute willingly to the common good.' Strength is the ability to take that authority. Strength is what I have, what I was created to have, something else you have reminded me of many times." His father's face fell at his answer, and Shoto found himself confused at the reaction.
"You have misunderstood my meaning, Shoto. Yes, you were born strong, stronger than others, but yours is not the only and exclusive kind of strength. I have...I have failed to teach you a most important lesson. It seems I am to be reminded of a great many failures today."
"Save your breath, father," snapped Shoto, uncharacteristically incensed. Whatever this ploy was, it was getting under his skin. "I don't want or need your fire. I'll be greater than you ever were without ever touching your power." The man sighed at that, long and low and tired, and if Shoto hadn't seen so many similar attempts to get him to use his fire over the years, he might have even believed the sincerity of his words.
"You have to win today Shoto, not for me, but for yourself. Your power is your own, not mine, not Rei's. It's not my fire any more than it is her ice." The temperature plummeted, and without realizing it Shoto had coated nearly half the hallway in frost.
"Don't you ever talk about her, not after what you did," he hissed from between his teeth. He felt his anger ebb away, and Shoto let his face fall back into its neutral expression. Without waiting to suffer any more of his father's mind games, he marched through the door that led into the waiting room, slamming it behind him.
Shoto only nodded when his opponent bowed to him some minutes later, his mind still on the conversation with his father. He hadn't heard his own introduction, or the girl's for that matter, but he remembered her and her quirk from the entrance exam. He could beat her easily.
Shoto didn't hear Midnight yell out start, but he did catch the crack of her whip as she signaled the beginning of the match. His mind still elsewhere, Shoto called on his ice, feeling the chill wrap down his side and into the ground in an instant, his anger fueling the rise of a glacier that eclipsed the tournament stage and which even rose above the arena itself, completely encapsulating Tokage within its icy walls the moment she had tried to split apart. There hadn't even been time for an arena change before the match had ended, the girl being declared unable to move a few seconds after his attack had trapped her. Numbly, he began to thaw his victim, distantly hearing Midnight announce that the second round would be beginning in another ten minutes, and that the first match would be between Shinso and the thief.
Distantly, Shoto was aware of the crowd offering its sympathies to the girl he had frozen, and some small part of him felt a mote of pity for his opponent. It spurred him to offer an apology, though truthfully it was more of an explanation for the sudden intensity of his attack. The girl in question didn't respond though, probably related to her reptile physiology. In fact, it seemed she had gone into some kind of deep sleep as a pair of medic bots arrived to cart her away. He turned and walked back down the tunnel he had emerged from disinterestedly, never once noticing the sad look that was being cast his way from the stands.
Chapter 29: Burning Pride and Determined Fists Part 4
Ok, I don't owe him...anything at all. That guy already has a quirk and he didn't get through the entrance exam, and I did without a quirk, so logically this shouldn't bother me as much as it does and oh God I miss Lynchpin so much right now. Mirio would know what to do too, he always knows what's right and wrong. Argh, this is stupid, why am I even having this argument.
Izuku sat staring at the item his whole stupid plan for the next match rested on. It was an innocuous little thing, innocent under any other circumstances, and an elegantly simple solution to the problem of Shinso's quirk, but one which he had no way of testing beforehand.
As it were, he had two courses of action available to him. One, the logical choice; advance his own standing as much as possible by quickly and decisively overwhelming his opponent through a combination of massive firepower and lightning strikes. Shinso's quirk wasn't a problem he'd have to contend with in that case. Eleven years of near daily bullying had taught Izuku how to avoid rising to taunts, threats, jeers. Hell, he still had trouble sometimes even responding to normal conversations.
So no, Shinso's quirk was basically a guaranteed non-factor unless he consciously chose to expose himself to it. Which was where the second course of action came in: try to be like Mirio, All Might, hell, basically all the heroes he knew, and be an idiot. Ok, idiot was a harsh word, and one he would never associate with any of his mentors, but in this situation, it would certainly apply to himself.
His initial plan had been to offer his opponent the option of a quirkless spar before the match began, but then he had realized the risk that posed. Shinso would have so many angles to activate his quirk like that, and Izuku had absolutely no intention of relying on the other boy's good will for an 'honorable' fight. No, the situation was basically a prisoner's dilemma made manifest where if they both cooperated Shinso still had more than a good chance of losing, and he lost basically nothing if he betrayed Izuku's trust. Where was the incentive for his opponent to cooperate?
All of this brought him to his contingency plan for his plan B, which really might have been taking things too far if he thought about it. If it worked, then even if he were to be exposed to Shinso's mind control, he could break out instantly and pay the boy back for breaking his trust with a Bakugo style explosion. And then at least he could hammer home his whole, 'quirks are tools,' stance to the boy so hopefully he would stop letting other people define him by how villainous his quirk seemed to them.
But of course, if his contingency failed, it would mean he would be out of the tournament, and possibly out of the hero course. Perhaps that was a bit extreme, but Izuku had no illusions about how some of the board members would feel about a quirkless student in the hero course. Especially if he were to be so visibly and easily defeated, like how he would be if Shinso got control of him with his quirk.
Even if Aizawa, All Might, and Nezu himself protested, well, funding being cut by a group of board members with a legitimate excuse was probably worth more than his seat in Aizawa's class if push came to shove. Of course that was a worst case scenario, and not a very likely one at that, but whose mind didn't immediately go to the worst possible outcome in every stressful situation?
So the question remained: was it worth it, risking all his work and progress, just to try and help someone else to feel better about their own struggles?
No, Problem Child, it's not , chided his mental Eraserhead, the hero he had looked up to almost as long as All Might.
My boy, you must always save everyone you can, even if it puts you yourself at risk , rebutted All Might, appearing in his mind in his deflated form. It was a little odd that this was the way he pictured the world's greatest hero these days, but he found that his feelings about the man were largely unchanged despite what he now knew. But back to the issue at hand.
"I suppose the answer, Mr. Midoriya, is how much confidence you have in yourself to win, despite the risks," supplied Nezu over the intercom. Wait, what?
The principal's distorted laughter rang out through the prep room for a moment as Izuku looked up in shock at the box before his cackling abruptly ceased and he uttered a quiet, "ahem, excuse me," over the intercom before it cut off entirely.
Shuddering to himself, Izuku stared at his countermeasure, sitting idly on the table as if daring him to use it, to risk everything just to help someone else. To say that yes, he knew what he was doing, even if quirks were weird, even if orange and grapefruit juice were the equivalent of high octane fuel when one or the other was just normal gasoline, and even if he still couldn't for the life of him figure out how telekinesis worked. Well, when he thought about it like that, there was clearly only one answer.
"Now entering through the North gate, the upstart from general studies class 1C who has been wowing us all with his performance so far, the lilac lord of surprisingly short matches, give it up for Hitoshi Shinso!"
Izuku waited patiently, not quite able to see anything more than the silhouette of his opponent and Midnight standing center stage owing to the darkness of the tunnel and the brightness of the light outside.
"And now entering from the South gate, he's showcased some incredible agility during his first match, and some serious power throughout the other events of the day, it's Izuku Midoriyaaa!"
Izuku grimaced as he stepped through the tunnel and out into the light, really hoping that his plan would work. He had kept his torso armor disengaged for the time being, instead falling back into the same setup he had used when facing Todoroki. He hoped Shinso would give him enough time to explain that he wasn't limiting himself out of disrespect or anything like that.
If the bored look he was getting was any indication, his opponent likely didn't care one way or the other. At least he wouldn't have to deal with the boy being angry at him right off the bat.
"You boys both know the rules at this point, so let's have a good round," ordered Midnight, seeming a little tense from her spot at the top of the arena. Izuku dipped into a bow towards his opponent, but didn't receive as much as a nod in return. So, Shinso was going to start with the mind games early; that didn't bode well for his plan. His thoughts were interrupted by the now all too familiar crack of Midnight's whip. "Begin!" When the increasingly familiar smoke failed to rise and the ground refused to change, it became apparent that the ring would be in its default state for the next two minutes. Seeing his chance and hoping his opponent would reciprocate, Izuku spoke.
"Shinso, let's have a quirkless spar. Before you ask why, it's because I know about your quirk!" He kicked himself for immediately breaking one of his own rules about fighting, and groaned internally when he earned a jeer from where Bakugo was in the crowd. He'd be getting an earful from his friend later it seemed. Shinso looked at him unimpressed from across the ring, and sighed heavily.
"I guess I lose then, don't I?"
"Not necessarily Shin-"
It was a strange feeling, having his body suddenly lock up on him, even when he knew it was coming. Izuku felt his features relax into any easy expression that brooked no resistance, and was powerless to stop his motions at his opponent's next words. Hopefully his gamble would work.
"For some kind of supposed genius you really are naive, aren't you, Midoriya? I'm sure you can relate a bit to what it was like, being looked down on, but you know, most days, I think I rather would have been in your shoes, to have been born quirkless than to have been born with a villainous power. But that's why I have to win, to show them that I'm no villain. Now do me a favor, turn around and walk out of the ring."
"And it looks like Hitoshi Shinso's mysterious mastery of the mind is about to net him another victory as Izuku Midoriya falls under his control."
At Shinso's command Izuku felt his body spin on his left heel in a quick half circle before he began to march forward completely involuntarily. Please, me, be smart enough for this to work , he prayed, watching with no input as his body took one step forward.
"Stop jumping the gun already, and maybe you won't be wrong as often. I've taught Midoriya for a little under two months now, and if there's one thing he has demonstrated during all his time in my classes, it's that he's a strategist at heart, even if he does tend to get a little...excitable at times."
Those words from his teacher meant a lot to Izuku in that moment of uncertainty, but thankfully he found the man's faith in his abilities was rewarded not even a second later. The pain that flashed up his right leg as he completed his step forward broke Shinso's control instantly, and Izuku turned back on the spot, glaring at his opponent. Shinso, to his credit, only looked confused for a moment before he dropped into a messy boxing stance and squared up against him.
"How? How the hell did you just break my control?" He demanded, with only a hint of fear in his eyes as Izuku advanced on him. Izuku rolled his neck and shoulders as he stomped forwards.
"I told you, I know your-" the control took hold again for all of half a second before Izuku finished the step he had been taking and broke free once more. He smiled dangerously back at his opponent, and with his point having now been made, it was time to get serious. There would be no more talking on his part, no more quips no matter what Ingenium said about them. It had been made clear that his opponent no longer had his primary tool to use, and hopefully those watching would now understand why Izuku had seemingly refrained from using his own.
"Unbelievable! It seems Midoirya has broken Shinso's mind control, and is getting ready to go on the attack. Without a quick victory in the bag, can Hitoshi Shinso still pull off a win?"
Deciding to match Shinso's apparent preference for boxing, Izuku crossed the distance between them in a stance he had been working on during his lessons in Muay Thai. His limbs moved with a fluidity and grace that seemed incongruous with his own somewhat bulky frame, and as he finally closed within striking distance, it became rapidly apparent that even if Shinso had been working to improve himself since the entrance exam, this would be a short fight.
Izuku left himself open a bit, wanting this to be more of an exhibition for the both of them than an outright win for him alone. It was illogical, sure, but well, in for a penny in for a pound as All Might would have said. His mental Eraserhead rolled his eyes when Shinso actually managed to land a decent cross on Izuku's face, drawing blood from his nose in the process. The real Eraserhead would probably give him a lecture later as well.
Half a minute of restrained sparring later and Izuku decided to end things. He had done his best to respect his opponent, to give him a chance to show what he could do to those watching, hell, he had even managed to surprise Izuku with a few of his tricky combos as the two fought. But, now, things were just going to draw out, and it would be as disrespectful to Shinso as someone like Todoroki was to him to prolong things any further.
Abandoning any further pretense, Izuku fought with his everything, Muay Thai, Krav Maga, his lessons in takedowns since coming to UA, and every other bit of martial arts and kickboxing he had picked up while learning to fight quirkless. It was aggressive, it was brutal, and it was sure to look painful from up in the stands. Two searing rights followed by a left and a duck under Shinso's own flailing retaliation saw Izuku inside the boy's guard, a kick spinning out towards the back of his opponent's leg as he tried to twist away.
Shinso stumbled under the impact, and Izuku was on him, barreling into his side and planting himself firmly within the other boy's reach as he rained strikes into both his stomach and kidneys, heedless of the elbow he took to the face in the process. The barrage of punches, kicks, knees, and elbows continued unabated even as Shinso tried desperately to land his own hits in turn, only managing superficial glances against Izuku's attack.
Five seconds later, Izuku went for the grapple, catching one of Shinso's attempted counters between his arms with just enough force not to break it before seizing the limb in an iron grip. Izuku threw him, using his whole body in the motion as he brought his opponent up into the air, and then down onto the hard ground outside the ring. Panting, he stood up and wiped the blood from his face before turning to look at Midnight, who shook herself and proceeded to call the match.
"Hitoshi Shinso is out of bounds! Izuku Midoriya wins by ring out and will advance to the next round!"
Izuku hadn't expected to be allowed to accompany his opponent to Recovery Girl's temporary infirmary, but after Midnight had cooed something about 'the sheer passion of youthful sportsmanship' when he had asked, he really shouldn't have been surprised. As it was, he was walking down the hallway with Shinso in relative silence, wincing slightly with every step. He knew why he had done what he did, even as he knew why Shinso had tried to get him under his mind control even after he had made his offer.
Shinso wasn't stupid, hell, he probably took more after Aizawa than Izuku himself did, but it still stung and made it a bit harder to will himself to talk to the boy. Especially after hearing how the spectators and the kids in general studies had reacted to their match. They had called him heroic, talked about how useful his quirk was, and though Shinso had put on a brave face at their praise, Izuku could tell he still didn't quite believe it. It would have been nice if he had though, since he hadn't really ever had to give a serious pep-talk before.
It all reminded him too much of himself, how his own mind could curl in on itself and doubt every word of praise and reassurance sent his way. Shinso taking advantage of the situation during their match didn't sting because he took what someone like Kirishima would call an 'unmanly' opportunity to fight pragmatically. It stung because Izuku knew that it was something he probably would have done as well had their positions been reversed, because it meant he saw it as his only option.
So now, here he was, and Izuku had to at least try to help the boy, seeing as no one had ever bothered to help him when he had needed it. Be the change you want to see in the world, or something like that.
"Shinso, do you know why I wanted to fight you quirkless?" he began after a deep breath.
"Because you felt sorry for me," the other boy replied stiffly. It didn't pass by Izuku how he had phrased that either, not bothering to ask for confirmation like one normally would in their response. Either he wholeheartedly believed that Izuku had been pitying him, which was unlikely considering how he had acted outside their classroom door on that one day, or Shinso had been conditioned to almost never include questions as part of his speech. Which was absurd, considering Izuku was pretty sure he had a choice over whether or not to activate his quirk.
"No, but I am sorry that you would think so, Shinso-san."
"Bullshit, whizkid." Again, no question, no follow up. Izuku felt his anger flare, and he stopped walking.
"Shinso, ask me a question right now." That got the other boy to stop too, confused, as he turned towards Izuku. Conflict raged over his face for a moment before it settled again, and he barked out a one word reply.
"Why?"
"Because you're not talking like how you would if you weren't afraid of being judged and it's pissing me off that you think I'd call you a villain for having a quirk like you do!" And there it was, no mind control at his response, not even a flicker of a momentary loss. "I just responded to your question and nothing happened, so that means you can control when your quirk activates. So why would I be afraid of you? Why are you afraid of you?" He didn't expect to get the reaction that he did. Maybe it worked because Shinso was probably still smarting from the hits, or maybe it was because no one had ever even bothered to ask the question before.
"Because I meant what I said, asshole! I'd rather be quirkless than to be a villain in the making. Because of some stupid accident of birth that means I have to fight ten times harder just to get recognized. I figured you of all people would understand that, but then you've got some kind of bullshit genius brain in there that still lets you get everything you want handed to you! So congratulations, you win the genetic lottery and I fucking lose. I always lose to the people who get raised up by those around them, just like I lost to you today."
Izuku was surprised. That was without a doubt the most emotion he had seen his former opponent show at anything, and to have it all directed at him was unsettling. To see jealousy of all things being sent his way too, that was entirely new. And it was wrong, wrong for Shinso to be jealous of him, wrong for thinking that Izuku hadn't had to fight too, wrong to think that he hadn't had to fight harder than everyone else. But, well, wasn't he also right at the same time?
When he really thought about it, wasn't Izuku blessed? He had talent, yes, and he had nurtured it, but would he have had the same opportunity to grow that talent if he had been born with a different kind of handicap? He was unnaturally smart, he knew that, and really it wasn't that different from the advantages a quirk conferred even if society chose not to recognize it as such. Something about him was different from others, and it gave him an advantage, just like Bakugo's explosions gave him an advantage. Someone like Yaoyorozu was smart too, but no matter how hard she worked to match him, Izuku would always find their schoolwork almost effortless while she had to really apply herself to earn perfect grades.
But no, all of that, it was a result of what he had done with his advantages, and in spite of the adversity that had been thrown his way. Quirks, intelligence, natural aptitude, even physical health, one could have possessed all of these things, but if they never developed them, never applied them correctly, then ultimately they were useless things to have.
"I do understand it Shinso, because I had to fight to get to where I am now. You're right, you know, that I'm blessed," he fiddled with his hands as he spoke, the anger receding again. "But I'm blessed because I had people help me to grow. To take every day as a challenge to get better with what it is that I do have, even if it's not a quirk. I don't mean to unload all of this on you, but I've always said that quirks are tools, useful tools, but only tools."
"Tell that to everyone else," interrupted Shinso. Izuku just gave him a patient smile in turn and leaned against the wall before he continued.
"I know what it's like to live in a world that thinks all you are is your quirk. Or your lack of one. But Shinso, what they are, what they do or don't do, it doesn't matter. It's how we use the tools that we have that defines who we are, not just having them. A gun isn't evil because a criminal uses one to rob a bank, and it's not good either just because a police officer uses one to stop the crime. Your quirk isn't villainous Shinso, not unless you choose to use it for villainous things. You're here, trying your best to become a hero, which makes your quirk heroic. Take it from someone who let others tell him he was useless for too long, you are who you choose to be, and you can be a hero, no matter what anyone else says."
The boy barked out a laugh, sounding bitter and defeated in a way that even Izuku didn't think he would have on his worst day. Okay, maybe right after All Might had told him to give up the first time, but he had come through that all right in the end, and his hero had used practically the same words on him. So why wasn't this helping Shinso?
"I can't be a hero after today, Midoriya. Everyone saw me, and they don't think like you, hell, like we do. They didn't see someone with more skill beat someone else with less, all they saw was someone so weak he lost to the quirkless kid after he should have had him beat. It's not your fault it's over, but it is what it is." Izuku was quiet for a moment, reflecting on the other boy's assumptions before he answered.
"I think you need to start believing in the good things that people tell you, Shinso, and that you need to start paying a lot less attention to the bad things they tell you. To the bad things you tell yourself. Those pros in the stands at the end, the other students in general studies, they were right. The exam wasn't fair, and heroics keeps focusing on the wrong things. You're the only person I've seen in this tournament, myself included, who has a way to win his matches without hurting anyone. Do you know, we haven't had a single lesson on de-escalation? I've asked Aizawa-sensei about it in class before, he said something about how we learn it in the second year. So in that way, you're already ahead of everyone else here, you know?"
Izuku could have sworn he heard a sniffle as Shinso turned back away from him and brought his arm up to wipe his face, but truthfully it could have just as easily been nothing. What really mattered was that for the first time since Izuku had seen him, Shinso seemed to relax a bit, to let his guard down with a kind of reassurance that someone he was talking to didn't immediately hate him. It had taken too long, but Izuku had found that same feeling at UA, and he was glad he could give it to someone else.
"You're a real piece of work, you know that Midoriya?" He laughed, and it sounded honest and real.
"Yeah, I do Shinso. I look forward to seeing you in class someday." They continued on down the hallway, the silence no longer oppressive but more comfortable as each found in the other a familiar kind of pain and a reassurance that things could get better. Finally as they rounded the last corner, Shinso turned to Izuku and raised a curious eyebrow.
"By the way, how did you break my mind control? It seemed like it only lasted a second or so each time before you got free. Was it some kind of pulse in your armor on a timer or something?" Izuku rubbed the back of his head and grinned apologetically at the boy before bending over and unlocking the clasps for the armor on his right leg. Pulling his signature red shoe free after unlocking the bracer's frame, Izuku held it up a moment before upending it.
He and Shinso both watched as a small red rectangle fell out of the shoe and clattered onto the ground, with Izuku picking it up and holding it for Shinso to see a moment later. The boy's face was entirely deadpan.
"You beat my brainwashing...by putting a Lego brick in your shoe?" Izuku felt himself flush in embarrassment as he hurried to respond.
"Well, I f-figured that any kind of pain would work, but I didn't want it to be visibly obvious how I was breaking the control, so at first I thought of p-pushing a thumbtack into the bottom of my foot and walking on it, b-but then when I remembered how they sold special little souvenir sets at the vendors around here I thought I could get one and just use a brick since I remembered how much these things hurt to step on, and I wasn't really sure if it would work or not, but I-" Izuku suddenly went rigid mid-explanation as Shinso eyed him with clear amusement. The control released a moment later, and he looked to the boy curiously.
"Sorry, I was worried I might need to command you to breathe if you went on much longer," he smirked, and Izuku found himself smiling back. "To think the quirk that scared everyone for so long was beaten by a child's toy." Their grins grew wider and before either knew it, they were laughing. Shinso's dry, almost wheezing chuckles seemed strange, like he hadn't laughed in a long time, which truthfully, he probably hadn't. When he transitioned into full on guffawing, Izuku couldn't help but to tear up a bit, and didn't even flinch when the other boy grabbed his shoulder for support. It took them a few minutes, but they finally stopped, the relief pouring off them both as they finally straightened up.
"I mean it too, Shinso, when I said I hope I'll see you in class soon," said Izuku as they continued walking to Recovery Girl's temporary office. "I take classes with principal Nezu, and I'm going to tell him that you deserve to be in the hero course. You've got so much potential, I know you'll make a great hero someday."
"Yeah," said Shinso quietly as they finally reached the door. "You will too, Midoriya. Thanks for the talk. It helped, and I mean it. For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what I said, about being quirkless being better. I know, really, that it's not. That you've got a lot of shit on your shoulders too, but sometimes it's hard to get out of your own head. Oh, and for taking advantage of your offer with my quirk. I uh...I'm not really used to this, but, if you're okay with it, do you think we could be friends?"
"Dude," Izuku deadpanned back, "one of my best friends used to beat me up for like, ten years. So don't worry about it, okay? I'd be happy to be your friend. I'll see you in foundational heroics soon, okay?"
Shinso looked back at him a little dumbstruck, but finally relaxed his face into a gentle and clearly unpracticed smile before nodding. There were no tears between them, just the understanding that they had built of the other during their conversation, and the respect they had gained during their match. Finally, Shinso stepped through the door and closed it behind him, and Izuku let out the breath he had been holding. As he walked back to the stands, Midnight's voice rang out over the stadium's speakers.
"Yui Kodai is unable to continue. Jurota Shishida wins by knockout and will advance to the next round!" Shocked, Izuku dashed back down the corridors towards the stands. He hadn't realized he and Shinso had been talking for so long, and had completely missed the match between the two students from 1B, one of whom was now his next opponent. Redoubling his speed, Izuku bounded up the stairs right as Present Mic announced the next match.
"Will Tsuyu Asui and Katsuki Bakugo please report to your waiting rooms. The third match of the second round will begin in ten minutes!"
"Oh man, what all did I miss?" Izuku asked as he sunk into his seat beside Uraraka. She rolled her eyes at him good naturedly before giving him a brief recap on the last match, with Yaoyorozu and both of the Iidas providing their own comments on the fight. Mei's only contribution was to criticize the arena design they had fought in, which was failry amusing. Apparently, despite rolling the electrified arena again and having a variety of objects to use for her quirk, Kodai had been unable to overcome Shishida's pure power, and had gone down to a particularly strong kick to the head. Izuku shuddered, thinking about facing an opponent like that in the next round and having an all too unwelcome flashback to facing the Nomu at the USJ. That was part of the reason behind his newest special project, the one that he hadn't brought to the festival, and he found himself slightly regretting that decision now that he was faced with the consequences.
"All right folks, now entering from the North gate, is he cunning but brutal, or brutal but cunning? He showed off some overwhelming firepower in his first match, it's the 'bomb'-astic Katsuki Bakugo!"
Izuku and his section cheered as Bakugo walked out, looking a lot more serious than he would normally. His posture wasn't stiff so much as ready, like he was taking things seriously. Izuku supposed that was a good thing, especially given that his opponent was no slouch.
"And now entering from the South gate, you've seen this adaptable amphibian pull a win against the odds and work with everything she's got. Give it up for the froggy future hero, Tsuyu Asui!"
Again, Izuku and his friends cheered at their classmate's entrance, and he found himself chuckling when he saw the girl's lips move in an unspoken request to, 'call me Tsu, kero' which seemed to quickly be becoming her catchphrase. For her part, she too seemed serious about the match, though she was clearly the underdog and knew it. It wasn't until Midnight declared the start of the bout and the arena transitioned into one beset by turbines and gusts of wind that it became apparent just how bad a matchup it was.
For what it was worth, Bakugo treated his opponent with total seriousness, waiting and watching for her attacks before repelling her time after time with his explosions. Between the heat of Bakugo's explosions and the wind, Izuku had one of his suspicions about the frog girl confirmed as she began to slow down, likely 'drying out' so to speak as she sweat out her body's water.
Still, she threw herself against him, again and again, being tossed backwards in contained blasts that kicked up smoke with every attempted kick or grab. At one point, she had struck out with her tongue through a smokescreen of Bakugo's own making, only to regret it immediately as the heat of a particularly close blast almost singed it. Even with his visions obscured, Bakugo was fast, and could react almost too quickly. With every attack, the crowd seemed to grow more and more discontent, and Izuku felt his own anger rising more and more in response to their objections. It almost snapped completely when one of the watching pros spoke up.
"What the hell are they doing, allowing this to continue? If he's so much stronger then why doesn't he throw her, or why don't one the refs call the match? Stop toying with the poor girl already!" As if in answer a number of the other heroes and spectators around the man, some guy in a cape with a helmet bearing the English letters 'JA' started booing and also calling for an end to the fight.
Izuku saw red and was about to rise from his seat to personally acquaint the pro with the sole of his shoes when Uraraka's hand on his arm stopped him. Snapping his head towards her, the girl only shook her head and mouthed a quiet 'not worth it' before all was interrupted by the sudden screech of a microphone, even as the match below continued in earnest.
"Is the idiot who started all this booing a pro? Because if so, you either just graduated and you're greener than green, or you need to start looking for a new job."
"Jeez Eraser, tell them what you really think, why don't you…"
"Both of these students are recognizing the strength and accomplishments of the other. Bakugo is no more 'toying' with Asui than she is with him. Each of them desires to win with everything they've got, it's why Asui has to go all out, and why Bakugo has to be cautious. Because they each know the other is a worthy opponent, and neither can afford to be careless with this. So I'll say it again, either shut up, or get out, because you have no business being a hero if you can't recognize a threat better than a pair of first year students."
As if in time with their teacher's words, the arena began to change again, the turbines and fans sinking down into the ground as bushes and trees, not flaming this time, sprouted up in their place. Seeing her opportunity, Asui charged her opponent once more, managing to crack the living wood of the trees as she bounced off them in a seeming imitation of Uraraka in her match against Kendo.
"It seems someone's been paying attention to the other matches as Asui uses the arena to her advantage and sends a log-alanche of tumbling timber towards Bakugo. But will it be enough?"
Moments later, Bakugo proved it wasn't, as with his palms sparking, he sent up yet another massive explosion, catching the falling logs and his opponent in the blast and sending them all down to the ground. One of the trees landed on top of the frog girl's legs, pinning her down and leaving her flailing. Still, Bakugo refused to advance, eyes narrowed, as if anticipating some sudden resurgence. Desperate now, Asui shot out her tongue at Bakugo, but he simply backed away with the help of two small explosions, landing comfortably out of her range. At that point, Midnight finally called the match.
"Tsuyu Asui is immobilized and unable to continue the match. Katsuki Bakugo wins by technical knockout, and will advance to the next round!"
Down on the stage, Izuku watched with a smile as Bakugo walked back over to his opponent and extended a hand to her as the terrain disappeared back into smoke. As his friend helped the girl to her feet, Izuku smiled even more broadly when he just barely managed to catch their words.
"Good effort Frog-Legs, but it was a type mismatch. You kicked some serious ass though. You ought to hang out with me and the nerd sometime. He's a motormouth dumbass, but he could probably tell you how to help with that sorta shit in the future."
"It was a good fight from you too, kero," she croaked quietly. Bakugo nodded at that, and strode back down the entryway to his tunnel, not looking back the entire way. It was when Present Mic called out the next match that Izuku felt himself tense. He had known it was coming, of course, but it was still here far too early.
"Shoto Todorki and Ochaco Uraraka, please report to your waiting rooms. The fourth and final match of the second round will begin in ten minutes!"
"Deku-kun," said Uraraka, breaking Izuku from his thoughts. He regarded her for a moment, noticing that what before had been mere nervousness leading into her first match was now almost full-on trembling on her part. "I...I really want to meet you in the finals, and I'm going to do my best okay? And part of that is because I want to win, but part of it too is...nevermind. Just, wish me luck?" Izuku smiled as he looked at her, doing his best to be as reassuring in the moment as All Might always had been to him.
"You don't need luck, Uraraka-chan. You're amazing, and you need to remember that. But if it makes you feel good about it, then I wish you the best of luck."
"Thanks, Deku-kun," she said, her trembling stopping altogether as the determined look she put on came out on full display once more. Another round of encouragement from both the Iidas, Yaoyorozu, and Mei as well saw her walking off confidently, though Izuku thought it looked a little fake. His face fell as she rounded the corner, and Izuku couldn't help but run through the many possible ways her impending fight could go. He sighed, eyes downcast. There weren't many where she could win, but he owed it to her to believe that she could beat the odds and find the path to victory. It was what she had done for as long as he had known her, after all.