Chapter 17: Collision II
"You're sure we're not broadcasting to the students," Aizawa said, just to be sure.
"Trust me, I'm a professional." Zashi gave him a thumbs up. He clicked his mic back on. "Hello, hello, everyone! For this second round of the festival that you've all been waiting for, the commentary will be spectators only. Wouldn't want any of the participants getting an unfair advantage, now would we?"
There was an enthusiastic roar from the crowd.
"We've got a sound barrier up, so cheer as loud as you'd like. You don't have to worry about giving anything away. They'll only be hearing the general announcements. We'll be giving you the scoop. And the final countdown is starting! Hold onto your seats, folks, this is going to be a wild ride. We've already seen what the teams look like, but who knows how this will play out?"
"Judging by how both Green Team, Pink Team, and White Team have sealed themselves into their bases, it might not be so entertaining," Aizawa noted dryly.
"And, that's why we have cameras!" Zashi smoothly segwayed. "If you direct your attention to the big screens behind the seating areas, they will feature close-ups of the action inside and out. For those of you viewing at home, we'll be cutting to the most interesting shots, so you don't miss out on a second of the action!"
"3, 2, 1, Start!"
"We are off! Team Blue and team Orange have taken the offensive right off the bat, but they'll have a tough time. Team's White's defenses are no joke. Looks like Team Blue is running into some problems, too, at Pink's castle."
Right on cue, an explosion went off at the Pink Castle.
"Shoji has been eliminated. 39 contestants remain."
Aizawa watched his student walk off the field. Kan was never going to let him live down the fact that one of his students had been eliminated first.
"That is our first elimination, listeners! Maybe the best offense really is a good defense."
Aizawa read the report that popped up on his screen. "The elimination is going to Hatsume Mei, captain of the Pink Team."
"Must have been a trap of some kind," Hizashi speculated. "She's support course, which means we should be expecting some truly ingenious plays."
"She took out one of Blue's Team's reconnaissance members," Aizawa noted. "He was probably scouting. That could come back to bite them."
"What's this? Midoriya of the Green Team has left his castle."
Aizawa's head snapped up. Sure enough, Izuku had left his castle on his own and climbed onto the roof. He scaled the spire at the top.
"That's some impressive climbing." Hizashi whistled.
"He's getting a view of the field. It's an intelligent move," Aizawa said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.
"No argument there. And, it looks like Orange Team, led by Bakugo, has breached White Team's defenses. The ice wall is down, but there's a guard waiting for them. Kaminari unleashes a devastating electric attack while Shiozaki shields his teammates. Smart!"
"Shishida has been eliminated. 38 contestants remain."
"That was an elimination by Kaminari of the White Team."
"But Bakugo isn't taking that lying down. He's blown right through Shiozaki's barrier," Zashi said excitedly. He leaned into his microphone an gripped the edge of the counter.
"Shiozaki has been eliminated. 37 contestants remain."
"Things are really starting to heat up," Zashi quipped. "Blue Team is on the move again. Bakugo better lookout because they're after his crown."
"'I'd say it's Iida that needs to watch out," Aizawa said wryly. "Midoriya is on the move." He watched his student sprint across the ground between the castles with an approving eye. Izuku was making a good play. It was a little risky to go by himself, but the rewards were worth it.
"What's this?" Zashi exclaimed. "Pink Team is up to something. Are those drones? Wait, those are our camera drones…is she allowed to do that?"
"Probably," Aizawa drawled. If Nedzu didn't want someone messing with his drones, he should have installed a failsafe. Also, this seemed like exactly the kind of thing the rat would enjoy watching. Problem child, indeed. Majima would certainly have his hands full with Hatsume.
"Well, let's see what they're up to. They're flying to the other castles. It seems Kodai has noticed it. Ooh, that's gotta hurt."
On one of the monitors, the drone exploded next to Kodai. She was thrown back into the wall.
"Kodai has been eliminated. 36 contestants remain."
"And, Pink Team claims their second elimination of the game. Looks like the elimination goes to Yanagi for this one. It's too bad for Blue Team," Zashi said. "But it's an excellent turn of events for Midoriya."
Izuku had seen the whole thing go down, perched in the window. After some time to ascertain that the area was secure, he dropped inside and snatched up the crown.
"Midoriya has secured the Blue Crown."
"And that is the first crown capture of the second round, listeners. Let's give it up for Midoriya and the Green Team who have now taken a solid lead. Not only have they kept all of their members, they're the only team guaranteed to move onto the finals. If they can keep their crowns, that is. Looks like Blue Team is trying to make up for their lost crown. Will they be able to secure Orange Team's crown? There's just one guard, the only student from Gen Ed to make it to the second round."
It was Shinso, Aizawa noted. He stood there, posture relaxed while the remaining members of Blue Team approached him. He was holding the crown but seemed to be offering it to them. They exchanged words briefly, then four members of Blue Team suddenly destroyed their own targets.
"Asui, Kendo, Ojiro, and Tsunotori have been eliminated. 32 contestants remain."
"Whoa! Listeners, are you seeing this? Shinso of the Orange team just single-handedly took out four members of the Blue Team, and it appears that Iida is cutting his losses and retreating. What a twist!" Zashi was half out of his seat in his excitement. "Shinso is currently in the lead for personal eliminations with more than double Hatsume's score."
So, this was the kid Izuku had taken an interest in. Aizawa had to agree with Izuku that Shinso had potential. Without a fight, he'd taken out half a team. He certainly had a powerful quirk, and he was being smart about how he used it.
"Bakugo is retreating from the White Castle. Todoroki is trying to keep him inside, but there's no stopping such an explosive force."
"Sato has been eliminated. 31 contestants remain."
"And, that was Kirishima of the Orange Team. Can White Team afford to keep holding them back without sacrificing more members? Oh, they're out!"
Aizawa could understand why Bakugo had retreated. His fight with Todoroki was a stalemate, and it was allowing Green Team to rest easy on their laurels. If he could successfully storm the Green Castle and seize both crowns, he'd practically secure his place in the finals.
Bakugo's strategy was an interesting one. He sent the bulk of his forces in through the front door and set the others as guards outside while he went in from the sky. That in itself was a brilliant move. While Izuku's defenses were good, he was clearly counting on his opponents staying on the ground.
The cameras followed the strike force of Kirishima, Kamikiri, and Tetsutetsu into the Green Castle, where Kuroiro and Tokoyami were waiting for them. While Dark Shadow acted as a tank, Kuroiro attacked wherever and whenever there was an opening. The close hallways only meant that he could spring up anywhere and disappear again in the blink of an eye after his attack. Despite how well they were doing, however, they were up against the two most defensive students in the entire hero course. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu just kept pushing forward.
"It's a close fight," Zashi said, "but Orange Team has the numbers advantage."
"Not for long," Aizawa observed, watching Monoma tearing through the hallways. "They've got back-up incoming."
Monoma skidded around the corner and touched one hand to the ground. The ground softened and rippled as it sped toward the intruders.
Kirishima yelled something and pushed Tetsutetsu out of the way. He sank up to his knees in the softened ground which Monoma promptly hardened. He got lucky and caught Kirishima's arms as well while he struggled to free himself. It was easy to hit his target like that. Tokoyami and Kuroiro pressed the rest of the team back.
"Kirishima has been eliminated. 30 contestants remain."
"Monoma has just secured Green Team's first elimination, right in the nick of time, too. That looked like it could have gone badly." Zashi breathed a sigh of relief. If he was going to be so biased, he needed to get better at hiding it.
While that fight had been going down, Bakugo had taken to the air, using his explosions to hover above the Green Castle. He went into an explosion propelled twisting nosedive that caught everyone's attention.
When he landed, a new crater had been formed in the roof, revealing a room that the cameras quickly zoomed in on. Jiro was there, meaning it had probably been a listening post. Jiro made a few jabs for Bakugo's target, but he overpowered her easily. Aizawa needed to remember to give Jiro more hand-to-hand combat lessons. Most of her attacks relied on gear, which she wasn't allowed for the festival, leaving her more vulnerable than most.
"Jiro has been eliminated. 29 contestants remain."
"Ouch! Green Team has lost their first member to Bakugo, who's swiftly climbing the leaderboard in eliminations. If he keeps this up, he might be able to dream of overtaking Shinso."
Once inside the building, Bakugo dropped into the hallways. Ignoring the maze, he went straight for the walls. He'd already bypassed most of it, so the wall he blew down opened to reveal the main hall.
Zashi tensed in his seat and caught his breath in anticipation.
Out of nowhere, Izuku dropped from the ceiling and onto Bakugo's shoulders, locking his legs around the other boy's neck in a move that Aizawa didn't remember teaching him. Monoma appeared from around the corner to soften the ground. Bakugo created an explosion that momentarily blinded the cameras, but when they came back on, Izuku still had him in a tight hold.
Zashi was out of his seat. "What was that? Midoriya got the drop on Bakugo just in time. He's like a ninja! Bakugo goes down, but will he stay down?"
They didn't. The two faced each other, Izuku dodging explosions as he tried to lure Bakugo into the softened ground and stay out of himself so that Monoma could trap him.
When the halfway point was announced, Bakugo suddenly straightened. He took advantage of a lull in the fight after Izuku dove behind a wall to dodge and took off running.
"Bakugo is…leaving?" Zashi said, clearly confused.
Aizawa was equally confused, seeing Bakugo pulling his team out. He'd lost a member, true, but he hadn't been doing badly. He still had team members in reserve that he could have called in, but he chose to retreat instead.
There wasn't much time to be confused, as the action continued elsewhere. No longer under attack, White Team had sent Tokage out to scout out Pink Castle. She tripped one of the traps on the exterior and was blown into pieces, only to put herself back together. Her target, however, did not survive.
"Tokage has been eliminated. 28 contestants remain."
"And, that was an elimination by Hatsume of the Pink Team, currently in second place for total eliminations."
"The teams who took a defensive approach have been doing the best so far," Aizawa said. "Most of the eliminations have happened on the attacking teams so far." Aizawa shifted in his chair. "This is an exercise in minimizing losses rather than focusing on gains. The teams that prioritized attacking have been worse in the long run, although Orange Team seems to have had a solid defensive strategy."
"Speaking of Orange Team, it looks like they're on their way back to the castle. And White Team has decided to go on the move. Could it be they have opposite strategies?"
"White Team could pose a threat to anyone this late in the game," Aizawa said. "It was a good decision, to wait until the other teams lost members to go on the offensive. He's lost a few members, but it's nothing as bad as Blue Team's losses."
Aizawa didn't particularly think that Iida's strategy had been bad. He'd left a guard behind, and his team was more suited for offense than defense. He simply hadn't accounted for Hatsume. He'd have to speak with his student about his performance later so that they could find a way to improve.
"White Team has Green Castle surrounded. This is shaping up to be real nail-biter folks!"
Aizawa was in the middle of nodding when he caught sight of the feed for Orange Castle. "Oh shit!" he swore softly, just as three of the Orange Team members destroyed their targets.
"Awase, Kamikiri, and Sero have been eliminated. 25 contestants remain,"
Zashi's mouth was open. Aizawa frowned. He didn't like this. He had no problem with Shinso's quirk, but using it like this…well, he hadn't been admonished for breaking the rules, so it must have been allowed. As long as it really wasn't against the rules, he didn't have a problem with it, even if left a sour taste in the back of his throat. He could recognize that Shinso was just playing the game.
Zashi recovered himself. "Shinso just took out three of his teammates. He now has seven personal eliminations. And it looks like…yes, he's taken his crown hostage! They're at an impasse. Bakugo and Tetsutetsu are retreating. It looks like that's allowed. Yep, according to the rules, teammates can be eliminated. That was certainly a twist…"
Aizawa could agree with the sentiment.
It was a relief to be able to switch back to the action at Green Castle.
"Green team has been hit hard by the spores. Could this be it for them? No, wait, they've sealed off the entrances. Yaoyorozu is making them masks. What a close call! Oh, but Aoyama is doing a number on Tokoyami. Green Team is on the ropes!"
"Todoroki hasn't even joined the fight yet, and half of Green Team isn't fighting. You're exaggerating." Aizawa rolled his eyes. "They should watch out for Hagakure, though."
"Right, she could slip past their defenses," Zashi said seriously. "Tsuburaba has found Komori by the entrance. He's got her trapped in air walls so she can't use her quirk. Smart thinking!"
"Komori has been eliminated. 24 contestants remain."
"We're getting close to the end, listeners. Can you feel it? Less than half the time left, and only one team has two keys!"
While Zashi gave a quick recap of the standings, Aizawa focused on the many different feeds of the inside of the Green Castle. He wasn't sure where Hagakure was, but it was safe to say she was inside. With Todoroki and Kaminari left behind to guard the castle, that was the entire remainder of the White Team.
A movement near Kuroiro caught Aizawa's eye. The boy started, like he had seen something. He dove into a shadow, emerging several meters away and tackling an invisible something to the ground.
"Hagakure has been eliminated. 23 contestants remain."
Almost at the same time, Monoma snuck up on Aoyama and trapped him using Honenuki's quirk.
"Aoyama has been eliminated. 22 contestants remain."
"Double Kill!" Zashi yelled. "Green team is taking the lead! It was looking like a close call for a while there, but they pulled through!"
Green Team focused on rebuilding their shattered defenses for the next minute or so. Izuku climbed back to the roof to keep an eye on the field.
When the five-minute mark was called, Todoroki left his castle. Izuku clearly saw him coming and dropped off the roof to intercept him.
The maneuver was a good one. Izuku had been able to alert his teammates, and then he was buying them time. They'd join him and overwhelm Todoroki, except, that wasn't what happened. Todoroki froze over the door to the Green Castle, taking control of the field effortlessly.
Aizawa had to clench his hands tightly and pull away from the mic when Izuku slipped on the ice. It was only one mistake, barely even his fault, but it was fatal. Zashi was silent as Todoroki ruthlessly immobilized Izuku. It was the kind of combat Aizawa had come to expect from the number two hero's son, but on a normal day, Izuku could match him blow for blow. With one leg pinned to the ground, though, he was no match for Todoroki and his quirk.
When the fight came to a lull after Todoroki froze Midoriya's arm to his back, Aizawa wished they had mic'ed up the drones. His students were clearly having a conversation, a passionate one going by their expressions. Todoroki's expressions were generally difficult to read, but the anger and disgust on his face was evident.
If he's saying anything to Izuku…
The fight resumed when Todoroki went after Izuku's target again. Izuku, with only one free limb, tried his best to fight back. It hurt, seeing him pinned to the ground. Aizawa had to remind himself that it was just a competition. From the look on Zashi's face, he was dealing with the same thing.
Completely caught up in the fight between Todoroki and Izuku, Aizawa didn't notice Bakugo until he was breaking into the fight. Todoroki was thrown back and away from Izuku, who winced in pain as his limbs were harshly tugged against their restraints by the air pressure.
Izuku was able to recover quickly and used the opportunity to free himself. He was on his feet by the time Todoroki got back up and Bakugo had recovered from his explosion. They really should have let him use a brace of some kind for the sports festival, because Bakugo was rubbing at his wrists like they were hurting him, the way he did after long training sessions.
It was a breath-taking moment, seeing the three of them facing each other down, The clock was ticking. The match was down to the wire. Green team's crowns were likely safe, but there was still time for Izuku or either of the other two to be eliminated.
In the background, smoke crept out of the windows of the Pink Castle.
"Iida and Koda have been eliminated. The blue team is eliminated. Ashido, Bondo, Fukidashi, and Kaibara have been eliminated. 16 contestants remain. The second round is over. Congratulations to the remaining contestants. You have advanced to the finals."
"What?" Zashi said incredulously.
On screen, Izuku sagged in relief. Bakugo kept his tension, glaring at Todoroki who had withdrawn into himself again after whatever argument he'd had with Izuku.
"If you're anything like me," Zashi was saying, "you have no idea what just happened. Let's get instant replay on that, because I am just as confused as all of you."
Aizawa watched in interest as the feed on the screens rewound to about a minute before the end of the round. Iida and Koda had found a way to sneak into Pink Castle. They made it to the main hall where Hatsume was waiting with her team. A fight had ensued. In the heat of the battle, some of Ashido's acid gotten on one of Hatsume's inventions. The inventor noticed it, dove for her invention, which had begun to smoke, then chucked it into the thick of the fight. It exploded on impact, taking out the remaining members of Blue Team as well as four of her own teammates.
Aizawa winced a little when he saw it. None of the injuries were too severe. The blast had been enough to burst the targets but not to do any serious damage. Still, all of those affected looked like they had severe sunburns.
"With that play, Hatsume has tied with Shinso for total eliminations," Zashi announced.
"Who would have thought the two students not from the hero course would do so well individually?" Aizawa said dryly. He found it ironically amusing, that the hero students fell so far behind. Together, Hatsume and Shinso had 14 of the 24 eliminations. He felt smug satisfaction that Izuku, competing without a quirk, had led his team to a victory.
If Izuku used his quirk…
But no, the world wasn't ready for that, and neither was Izuku. Aizawa grinned a little, thinking of the panic that would ensue if people suddenly found themselves without their quirks. He'd seen it enough times, his own quirk being what it was. Izuku's was effective on a much larger scale.
He wondered what the competition would look like with a quirk like that in play, how many students would discover that they were nothing without their quirks to protect themselves? It would be a harsh reality check that was for sure. But then again, that had been Izuku's reality for so long. Giving everyone else a taste of what he had suffered was hardly cruel or unusual punishment.
But Izuku couldn't use his quirk, not now, not like this. Even if he had wanted to, there were other forces at play.
"Let's do a recap, listeners. The results of the second round are: Blue Team eliminated! Hatsume of Pink Team moving on to the finals with 7 eliminations and her crown intact, Uraraka and Yanagi with one elimination each, Rin who survived, Bakugo of Team Orange with two eliminations and his crown intact, Tetsutetsu another survivor, Shinso with 7 eliminations, Todoroki of the White Team with his crown intact, Kaminari with one elimination, Green Team with two crowns, that's Midoriya, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, Honenuki, Tsuburaba with one elimination, Kuroiro with one elimination, and Monoma with two eliminations! That makes the overall victors the Green Team! Give it up for all of them!"
The crowd roared their approval.
Of all the teams, it was obvious that Izuku's had performed the best. Not only were they the only team to secure two crowns, they also had the most members remaining at the end of the round, having only lost Jiro. Todoroki had a good strategy, and it might have worked against someone other than Izuku, but it fell apart in the end. Bakugo's team had potential, but Shinso's betrayal threw a wrench in things. Iida had a lot of bad luck, and Hatsume, despite having a unique strategy, inevitably had it backfire on her team.
The split between class A and B was even, which was going to make the finals more interesting. When it was students from the same class, they tended to have a good grasp of each other's quirks. This way, they would have to adapt on the fly. It would be a good learning opportunity for all of them.
Aizawa was looking forward to it.
*
Hitoshi could feel the stares boring into him as he entered the cafeteria.
He'd said he was willing to do anything to win, and he'd meant it. If people thought of him as a villain for it, for his quirk, so be it. That didn't take away from what he'd accomplished.
Just the look on Bakugo's face when Hitoshi had given his ultimatum had been so worth it.
Even so, Hitoshi didn't enjoy feeling like a villain. He hated that that was what people immediately jumped to when they saw his quirk. With it out in the open, he resigned himself to staying in the shadows, like he usually did. His cards were all out on the table now. He didn't know what he'd do if he didn't make it into the hero course. He'd risked it all.
His intention was to pick up his lunch and leave the cafeteria as quickly as possible, preferably finding a nice dark corner that wouldn't make his migraine worse. It wasn't like anyone wanted him around anyways.
"Shinso!"
Midoriya was waving to him. The green-haired boy was sitting at a table with the rest of his team. Hitoshi gave him a nod and prepared to move on.
"Shinso! Come over here!"
Hitoshi looked over with one eyebrow raised questioningly.
Midoriya jumped out of his seat and jogged over. He grabbed hold of Hitoshi's arm and tugged him toward the table. "You can sit with us. Everyone, this is Shinso from General Education."
A blond with gray eyes looked Hitoshi over critically. "He's the Gen Ed kid who made it to the finals."
"Yep." Midoriya smiled and pulled Hitoshi into the seat next to him. "Shinso, you already know Yaomomo," Hitoshi nodded to the girl, "but these are my teammates, Honenuki, Kuroiro, Tokoyami, Tsuburaba, and Jiro!"
"What team were you on?" Honenuki asked. "I don't think I saw you in our castle at any point."
"Orange."
Monoma, the blond snorted. "I'm surprised you made it through with a hothead like Bakugo as your captain."
Next to Hitoshi, Midoriya grinned. "Monoma, you should cut Bakugo some slack. He might have won if it weren't for Shinso here."
"What do you mean?" Monoma asked, looking between Hitoshi and Midoriya.
"Don't tell me you didn't look at the personal stats. Shinso eliminated half of Orange Team and half of Blue Team!"
"What?" Monoma dropped his chopsticks into his food.
Yaoyorozu nodded primly. "I was very impressed by that. It was quite the feat."
"What a mad banquet of darkness," Tokoyami murmured.
"Wait, he was the one who eliminated that group of Orange Team members? How?" Honenuki demanded, staring at Hitoshi with abnormally wide eyes.
Hitoshi shrugged. "Midoriya told me it was allowed."
"Wait, so you were a plant?" Monoma said, his eyes taking on a sparkle of nefarious interest. "A double agent?"
"I would have recruited him for our team in a heartbeat," Midoriya said, "but if Shinso is going to make it into the hero course, he needs to make a big impression, and he certainly did. It was also a nice way of taking the heat off our team."
"You planned this?" Monoma asked incredulously.
Midoriya continued eating nonchalantly. "I gave Shinso a piece of information. What he did with it was all him. He got all those eliminations himself. You should see the clip of him taking his own crown hostage and forcing Bakugo to back down."
Hitoshi frowned. "How do you know about that?"
"Nedzu-sensei sent me a highlight reel. He knows I'm working with you, so he made sure to send lots of clips of you."
Monoma slapped the table. "You made Bakugo back down. That's priceless. I want to see that. What's your quirk anyways? It must be pretty powerful."
Hitoshi's shoulders tensed. Thankfully, Midoriya came to his rescue. "That's a secret." He winked. "You'll have to wait until the finals to find that out. I'll share the clip with you after that."
Monoma sat back in his chair, arms crossed. "Bummer. This is totally unfair. You know all of our quirks, Midoriya, and you get to know his."
"And you don't know my quirk," Midoriya said, tongue in cheek.
Honenuki rolled his eyes at the joke. "We can't know it when it doesn't exist." He paused. "Sorry, if that came off wrong."
Midoriya waved him off. "That was the joke."
"After this, we'll all be opponents," Kuroiro noted. "I wish you all the best of luck."
"Don't be too upset when Class B wins," Monoma said smugly. "Only one of us can win, after all."
Midoriya subtly elbowed Hitoshi with a smile on his face. "We'll just have to see, won't we?"
*
When Katsuki saw the purple-haired freak sitting with Izuku at lunch, he realized what had really happened during the second round. The nerd had played him like a fucking fiddle. He was mad at the pure genius of it. He hadn't even considered the possibility of double agents, not that he was under the illusion he could have recruited one.
It was obvious that Izuku knew him already, too, the way he pulled him into the seat next to him like they were chums or something. Katsuki wasn't jealous, he was just observant.
With the number of secrets Izuku was keeping, Katsuki was starting to feel fed up. Izuku kept avoiding him like…like Katsuki wasn't good enough for him. He'd found other friends, like Ponytail, and the purple Mind-controller, and apparently Class B, too. He was willing to be friends with anyone but Katsuki, it seemed. And he was the only person Katsuki could be friends with.
It was an old thought coming back to haunt him, that Izuku really just looked down on him. It was in the way he'd never fought with Katsuki and yet never run away from him. The mess of his brain had screamed that Izuku was weak back then, even if he had something Katsuki didn't, that he was weak and he had no right to look down on Katsuki.
Now, though, Katsuki could admit that Izuku wasn't weak, that maybe he had a right to look down on him.
Well, fine. Fucking Icyhot thought he got to declare war on Izuku. Katsuki would show him. he would beat all of them, like he had said in his opening speech, and then he'd beat Izuku. He'd prove that he was worthy, that they were equals.
After lunch, when everyone was leaving the cafeteria, Katsuki planned to confront Izuku. He'd dropped hints of it in his speech, of course, but Izuku hadn't even been looking at him then. He needed to make sure the nerd got the message.
But of course, fucking Icyhot got to him first and dragged Izuku away to some secluded hallway. If it had been anyone else, Katsuki might have given them some privacy, but Icyhot had already dropped a declaration of war and then specifically targeted Izuku during the second round (Katsuki ignored the fact that he had also targeted Izuku's team). If he was going to try anything, Katsuki would be there to stop him.
He wasn't expecting what he heard.
"UA is training you to be a weapon for them, aren't they?" Todoroki asked with ice in his voice.
"Todoroki, I don't know what you're talking about," Izuku said evenly. "If you think I'm being forced to be in the hero course, I'm not. I'm here of my own choice."
Todoroki scoffed. "Sure, you are. Just like I am. You try to hide it, but I've seen your power. They had you locked up after the attack and everything was conveniently buried, but I know what I saw. You're powerful, Midoriya."
Katsuki clenched his fists. So, Ichyhot knew something about the USJ that Katsuki didn't.
"Todoroki, whatever you're thinking, I can assure you it isn't true."
"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?" Todoroki abruptly changed the subject.
"Yes," Izuku said. "They were more common in the first generations of quirks, but they've since been outlawed."
"My father bought my mother," Todoroki said bluntly, and Katsuki sucked in a breath. What the fuck? "He wanted her quirk, to produce an heir capable of defeating All Might, since he himself was never capable of it. In all my memories, my mother is crying. She called my left side unsightly as she poured boiling water on my face."
So that was where Icyhot had gotten his scar. Fucking figured that he had mommy issues as well as daddy issues. Fuck, get a therapist already!
"I will beat you," Todoroki declared. "And I will do it without using fire. I don't know what UA wants from you, but I will beat you, whether you use your power or not. I will become the best, and I will do so without that bastard's power."
"There's no question of me using my power," Izuku said firmly. "But Todoroki, you can't keep hurting yourself by not using your fire."
"You're one to talk."
"You don't know what you're talking about," Izuku said, harsher than Katsuki had heard him since their argument in the infirmary. "It isn't the same. You're hurting yourself by not using your quirk to the fullest, Todoroki. And some day, you will be in a situation where you have to use it."
"I won't."
"You will." Izuku sounded absolutely sure. "You're going to use it. I'm going to make sure of it. Endeavour shouldn't get to control your life like this Todoroki, and he won't. Believe me, you won't have to live like this much longer."
"You can't do anything against him," Todoroki said bitterly. "Never mind. I will beat you, no matter what. And I'll do it without my fire. Whether you choose to use your quirk or not, I don't care. You may have been trained, but so have I, and I have no intention of losing."
Todoroki stalked away, thankfully not looking around the corner where Katsuki had hid himself. The blond's head was whirling with all the information he had overheard. Icyhot was insinuating that Izuku had a quirk, which had to be total bullshit. If Izuku had a quirk, he would have used it. Katsuki would have known about it.
The part about Izuku being UA's weapon was a little more convincing, although it probably wasn't in the way Icyhot thought it was. Izuku was smart and determined more than anyone else. If the principal had caught onto that, he might have cut some kind of deal to admit him, because Katsuki knew that the admissions were completely biased against the quirkless. It was entirely possible that there was some kind of blackmail involved.
"Bakugo?" Izuku's head poked around the corner. It was phrased like a question, but from the look on his face, Izuku had known he was there.
Katsuki crossed his arms. "Yeah?" He had totally been eavesdropping on a private conversation, but he wasn't about to apologize for it.
Izuku frowned, his forehead wrinkling. "I hope you don't believe anything Todoroki said."
"About you or about him?" Katsuki had to ask.
"About me, obviously. I'm pretty sure what he said about himself is true."
Katsuki tsked. "It was obvious he was delusional, talking like that about you, and talking about beating you, too." He leaned forward, so that he was at Izuku's eye level, their faces only inches apart. "Because I'm going to beat you. You damn well better remember that."
Izuku leaned away from him. "Whatever you say, Bakugo. Good luck on your matches." He turned on his heel and walked away.
It maddened Katsuki to no end that Izuku was so nonchalant about this, almost like he knew he was superior, and why shouldn't he have been? Katsuki had been the one with his head too far up his ass to realize that living an easy life where everything was handed to him didn't make him strong. He'd changed since then. He swore he had. He'd trained so no one could say he'd lucked into his power at birth, poured blood sweat and tears into his dream, but nothing could make up for the fact that he'd been given a leg up since birth whereas Izuku had had to fight to survive.
Katsuki had to prove to Izuku that he wasn't the same person. They'd reconnected somewhat, but the gap was still there. Katsuki was determined to close it. He'd win Izuku's approval if he had to claw it from him with bloody fingers.
*
When Izuku finally managed to make it back into the stadium, the matchup for the first round of matches had been posted on the enormous screens around the arena.
Finals-First Round:
1.Shinso vs Tsuburaba
2.Yaoyorozu vs Yanagi
Hatsume vs Tetsutetsu
Uraraka vs Bakugo
Monoma vs Kaminari
Honenuki vs Todoroki
Tokoyami vs Rin
Midoriya vs Kuroiro
Izuku looked over the matches that had been posted. They were bound to be interesting, which meant they were probably Nedzu-sensei's work and not random match-ups. Was that technically a breach of the rules? Yes, but it didn't really affect the outcomes all that much. If anything, it was better for the students that someone was manipulating the brackets so that they'd be up against opponents who'd challenge them to really show off the best they could do. That way, even if they lost, they could still expect to het offers.
Shinso would have to fight first, but Izuku was confident he could beat Tsuburaba. It was only after that first round that things would get difficult. His quirk would likely be revealed, unless he was successfully able to pull off one of the many ruses they had discussed during training. While Izuku believed that Shinso was more than capable of misleading his opponents about the nature of his quirk, anything could happen in the heat of the moment.
Since his own match wasn't for a while, he settled in the stands with the rest of his class. Some looked down at having been eliminated, but most were eager to watch. Jiro didn't seem to mind that she wasn't fighting in the matches. Without her gear, it would have been difficult for her anyways. Her contributions to the team that came out on top of the second round would probably get her some internship offers anyways. Todoroki was nowhere to be seen, but Izuku was sure he was just preparing for his matches.
Iida was perhaps the most disappointed of anyone. Izuku knew he came from a family of heroes, so he must have been under a lot of stress trying to live up to the family name. Izuku decided to sit next to him.
"Midoriya," Iida greeted him with only a shade less than his usual energy. "Congratulations on your victory in the second round!"
"Thank you," Izuku replied. "You did well, too."
Iida shook his head. "There's no need to sugarcoat it, Midoriya. I know when I make a mistake, and I made several mistakes in that round."
Having seen the shortened version of Blue Team's demise, Izuku could agree that Iida had made a few bad calls. The bad calls in question were going within a fifty-yard radius of Hatsume. But, Iida didn't know to stay away from Hatsume, so it wasn't really his fault. "You got unlucky having Hatsume as a neighbor," he told his classmate. "She would have taken anyone by surprise."
"She certainly was full of surprises," Iida admitted. "Who would have expected landmines?"
"My point exactly. And now, you know better."
"Right." Iida straightened his spine. "I must remember this is a learning experience."
They were interrupted by Yamada-sensei's voice flooding through the stadium again. "Hello, listeners and welcome back to the third and final round of the first-year UA sports festival! We have some exciting matches lined up for this afternoon. First of all, please welcome Shinso, the dark horse from General Education who dominated in the second round versus Tsuburaba from Class B of the hero course, a member of the victorious Green Team!"
The torches on the corners of the concrete ring that had been erected in the center of the stadium during the lunch break ignited, throwing columns of flame into the air. Shinso entered from one tunnel, face set in grave determination. Tsuburaba, in contrast, waved and smiled at the crowd as he made his way to the ring.
Kayama-sensei made a few opening comments, explaining the rules to both boys, and then the first match of the afternoon began.
Izuku really wished they had mics down in the arena, because he really was curious how Shinso was going to handle this. It was an entertaining match to watch, nonetheless, because Tsuburaba's attacks couldn't really be seen, being made of condensed air and all. It looked like he put several walls up around Shinso and created a hallway ending at the edge of the ring.
Tsuburaba's plan was obvious but effective. All he had to do was push Shinso out and he would win. He had counted without Shinso's quirk, however. Izuku thought he could pinpoint the moment Shinso caught him, the way Tsuburaba paused, just for a few seconds. He resumed his actions soon after. He seemed to create an air shield and walked purposefully toward Shinso holding it in front of him. Shinso met him in the middle of the invisible hallway, and they strained against each other.
"It looks like this match has turned a reverse tug-of-war," Yamada-sensei observed.
Slowly, Shinso overpowered Tsuburaba, pushing him back until he was out of bounds. No doubt if the other boy had been in control, he would have put up a barrier behind him, but with Brainwashing at play, any advantage he could have gotten from his quirk was off the table.
"Tsuburaba has stepped out of bounds," Kayama-sensei announced. "Shinso is the winner."
While the crowd cheered, Izuku left his seat. There would be a minute or so between matches to clear the ring. Before the next match, he wanted to catch his former teammate.
He found Tsuburaba on the stairs up from the prep area, looking thoughtful.
"Tsuburaba," he greeted the other boy.
Tsuburaba looked up. "You knew, didn't you?" he said evenly. "You knew what his quirk was."
Izuku nodded. "I did."
"Fuck!" Tsuburaba sighed. "He got me good. I can't even blame you for not telling me, because he wouldn't have stood a chance if I knew about it. No wonder he got so many eliminations."
"You won't tell anyone?" Izuku asked. This was the purpose of his visit.
"Yeah. Yeah, I won't. It wouldn't be fair. Besides, I kind of want to see him beat everyone else like he beat me."
"Thanks."
Tsuburaba smiled wryly. "You want him to win, don't you?"
"It's the best way to get him into the hero course," Izuku replied.
"Well, I wish him the best of luck." Tsuburaba gave him a salute and continued toward the Class B seating area.
With that out of the way, Izuku went in search of Shinso. He found the other boy in the hallway outside the prep room, curled up in a shadowed nook.
"Migraine?" he asked, noting how Shinso had his arms crossed over his eyes.
"Hurts like a bitch," Shinso groaned in reply.
Izuku settled down next to him cross-legged. "See, this is why I said not to use your quirk in the early rounds," he teased. "We gotta work on improving your limit. It's your biggest weakness right now."
"That and people not talking to me."
"Tsuburaba said he wouldn't tell anyone."
Shinso looked up when he heard that, blinking rapidly. "He did?"
Izuku nodded, playing with the fabric of his uniform. He wasn't wearing his boots, having taken them off for lunch. He didn't see himself needing his gear for his first match, so they stayed off. "He wished you good luck, if it means anything to you."
"That was nice of him." Shinso settled back into his weird curled up position. "Shouldn't you be watching the matches, figuring out how to beat everyone?"
"Shouldn't you?" Izuku shot back.
Shinso grunted. "I think I already figured out how to get people to answer me. That's really all I need."
Izuku shook his head. Shinso couldn't keep being a one-trick pony, but that was something that could be addressed once he was in the hero course. Learning not to rely on your quirk was something the other hero course students, with the exception of maybe Kacchan and Todoroki and kind of Ojiro, had had to learn the hard way. Most of them were still learning it. It had only been a few weeks after all.
"If you need a better place to hide, I can show you," he offered. The hallway wasn't exactly the quietest place. People coming and going from the prep rooms were continually passing by. That would only make Shinso's migraine worse.
"Yeah." Shinso exhaled softly. "This place is loud as fuck."
Izuku smiled as he pulled Shinso to his feet. He checked to make sure no one was coming, then stopped at one of the entrances. Shinso seemed a little confused that they were just standing in front of a wall, but then Izuku pressed his finger into a gap between the cinderblocks, hooking it around the handle and pulling the door open. Shinso's eyes were wide with surprise when Izuku looked over.
Izuku climbed in and gestured for Shinso to follow. They crawled a few meters until Izuku came across one of the niches that the tunnels often had, spaces large enough for an adult to lie down in.
"This should be good, right?" he asked. "You can set an alarm on your phone or tune into the broadcast so you don't miss anything. I'll try to check back here, too, in case you fall asleep. Actually, give me your number, and I'll shoot you a text before I have to leave." Shinso handed his phone over, and Izuku was finally able to get his number. "Now, you won't sleep through anything important."
Shinso huffed a laugh. "Don't have to worry about that. But, thanks. This is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen. How the fuck did you know about this?"
"One of the perks of being the principal's student." Izuku winked at him.
"Are there more of these?" Shinso asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.
"Maybe."
Shinso seemed to realize he wouldn't be getting more of an answer. "Well, thanks. How do I get out?"
"This one's easy. You should be able to push. Just make sure there's no one coming before you get out. Use the peephole."
He left Shinso to get what rest he could and returned to the stands. His match was the last in the bracket, so he'd have ample time to observe the others.
Yaomomo was in the middle of her match with Yanagi by the time he made it out. It was certainly an interesting match-up. Anything Yaomomo made would be ammunition that Yanagi could use against her, so she had to be much more careful about what she made than she usually was.
She elected to make herself knuckledusters in the end, after having made a short staff that Yanagi was able to pull out of her grasp. The match ended quickly after that.
Izuku cheered loudly for his friend as she left the ring.
Hatsume was up next. By the looks of it, Tetsutetsu had fallen victim to her sales pitch.
Izuku tuned out Hatsume's long commercial, using the lull in the action to think over what he had learned during the break. What Todoroki had said was shocking. It wasn't that Izuku couldn't believe it, because he could. People with power got a free pass to do whatever they wanted, even when what they wanted was against the very rules they were supposed to uphold.
Nedzu-sensei had undoubtedly been watching, which meant he already knew, and knowing him, he was working on a plan. Todoroki had already been on his radar. Now that he knew about the gross abuse and what basically amounted to genetic experimentation, there was no way Nedzu-sensei would let it go. He simply didn't stand for that type of thing.
The mammal had never shared his full story with Izuku, but it was easy to guess the outline of it. He swore to destroy anything that reminded him of his treatment at the hands of humans, and Todoroki's story was far too close for comfort.
The crowd cheered as Hatsume finally stepped out of the ring, ceding the victory to Tetsutetsu even though she could have easily won. Uraraka and Kacchan's match was up next. Izuku couldn't see Uraraka winning. He had no doubt that she would put up a fight, but in terms of training and sheer firepower, Kacchan had her beat.
He was pleasantly surprised by the outcome. Uraraka lost, but he'd managed to back Kacchan into a corner. He disagreed with the crowd booing Kacchan, as did Aizawa-sensei, as was evident from his commentary. Would they do the same thing if he was beaten—boo his opponent for beating up a weak, quirkless opponent?
He shook his head, as if he could get rid of the thoughts that way and rubbed his bracelets.
He was looking forward to the next match. He'd been working with Kaminari to get better at using low voltage that wouldn't fry his brain and exercising more control. It was slow going, but Kaminari had a quirk that would be truly revolutionary if he just put in the work. Izuku had confidence he could do it. Kaminari had been using his quirk all wrong. Explaining it to him had been hard at first, but when he'd switched to Pokémon terms, everything had made more sense to Kaminari.
He'd been thinking of his quirk as a special attack when it wasn't. Maybe when he got better at controlling it or got a support item to channel it, he would be able to use it like Thunderbolt. His Discharge move had some merit as an AOE attack, but his real strength lay in his physical attack. Think Volt Tackle, Wild Charge, and the like.
Kaminari was still struggling with keeping the electricity round himself instead of discharging it into his surroundings. Izuku hoped Monoma could help with that.
Likely because of his quirk, Monoma had an excellent grasp of how different quirks worked. Within minutes of copying a quirk, he could use it almost as skillfully as its original user. His control and technique were phenomenal. If anyone could work out how to best use Kaminari's quirk, it would be him.
Izuku was a little jealous. No matter how much he observed and researched, he couldn't experience what it was like to have someone's quirk for himself.
He watched in anticipation as the match started. Monoma copied Kaminari's quirk immediately. It was only a few seconds before he had electricity crackling between his fingertips. As far as Izuku knew, Monoma wasn't able to copy any kind of stockpile effect, and Kaminari, while he generated a small amount of his electricity himself, also functioned as a battery. Monoma wouldn't have much voltage to work with, but Izuku was confident he would be able to manage a demonstration even with so little.
Kaminari made the mistake of going for a Discharge. Monoma stood still and took it. he absorbed the electricity with a manic grin on his face. Now, he had more than enough power to do whatever he wanted, and Kaminari was looking a little fried. They really needed to find a way to prevent that. Kaminari was going to give himself permanent brain damage if he kept going over his limit like that.
Monoma let off a few experimental zaps. He already had more control than Kaminari did. It was impressive, but also a little depressing for Kaminari who'd been struggling with his quirk for years.
Since both were electricity users, electric attacks would just be absorbed back and forth, unless one of them wasn't able to absorb either because they hit their limit or because they fried their brains, like Kaminari had.
Monoma clapped a hand on Kaminari's shoulder, delivering a small shock that was just enough to make his muscles lock up. Watching his ideas in action was amazing. Izuku was practically hanging over the railing to watch.
Kaminari collapsed, and the match was called with Monoma as the victor. He was going to be insufferable about it later, wasn't he? At least, Izuku hoped he could convince the blond to work with Kaminari. The opportunity to copy a quirk like Kaminari's would be enough of an incentive, hopefully. Izuku was sure that Kaminari would benefit from some hands-on demonstrations.
While the next match was being announced, Iida's phone rang, and he excused himself. On his way out, he passed Yaomomo, back from her match.
Izuku smiled as she joined him at the railing. "Congrats on the win," he told her.
Yaomomo blushed lightly like she did whenever she got a compliment. "Thank you. Yanagi was an excellent opponent.
Jiro gravitated to her other side. "You were a pretty difficult opponent yourself."
Yaomomo blushed an even deeper red. "It's too bad you didn't get to fight. We should have had a guard for you. I feel—"
Jiro shushed her. "We've been over this. I don't mind that much. I wouldn't have done well without my support gear anyways. Besides, this way I get to cheer for you the whole time." Her earjacks twirled around her head.
Yaomomo's face was very red. "Thank you."
Izuku's attention was taken off this very entertaining conversation by his phone buzzing in his pocket. Nedzu-sensei had texted him.
Sensei: Endeavour is in the student section. Please escort Todoroki away from him.
Izuku texted back a thumbs up emoji and ran out of the viewing area. As soon as he was alone in a hallway, he ducked into the passages. They ran all the way to the prep rooms, so he'd be able to make it there without running the risk of meeting Endeavour. There was an entrance in the back of one of the lockers.
When Izuku kicked open the door of the locker, Todoroki looked a little confused.
"Midoriya?" he said, rising half-way out of his chair.
"Endeavour's outside," Izuku explained breathlessly. "I can get you out another way."
Todoroki's face hardened. "That bastard!" He clenched his fist on the table, and for a second, Izuku thought he might charge out and attack Endeavour himself. Then Todoroki took a long breath. "All right."
"Follow me," Izuku said, and stepped back through the locker. Who'd have thought he'd be sharing his tunnels with two of his…maybe friends, in one day. Once Todoroki was inside, Izuku shut the door behind him. "There's an exit nearer the stadium tunnel," Izuku explained as they walked. "I'll take you there."
"You know UA quite well," Todoroki observed.
Izuku resisted the urge to sigh heavily. They arrived at the exit he'd wanted to use, but Endeavour was blocking the way. He was in his full hero costume, waiting to ambush Todoroki whenever he tried to leave for his match.
"Never mind," Izuku muttered under his breath. "We're going to the other side."
Todoroki offered no resistance. They had to run, and Izuku could hear Kayama-sensei calling Todoroki's name several times before he was able to throw open one of the entrances to let the other boy out.
Todoroki looked downright murderous, but he nodded to Izuku, nonetheless. "Thanks."
"It was no problem. And good luck with your match."
There wasn't time to go back up before he'd have to go to his waiting room, so Izuku elected to head right there. He would be a little early, but that never hurt anyone.
When he dropped out of the vents in front of the prep room, he came face to face with Tokoyami who was coming out.
"Greetings," Tokoyami said, not batting an eye at the surprise.
"Oh, hi! Is the match already over?"
Tokoyami nodded. "It is."
That was fast. Izuku had thought Honenuki would have been a good match against Todoroki's ice. "Well, good luck then!"
"Dark Shadow and I thank you." Tokoyami bowed. "The same to you."
Inside the prep room, Izuku checked the live feed of the tournament. The main area of the arena was filled with a giant glacier that reached above the stands. Honenuki had been frozen so that he was unable to use his quirk. The match had only lasted a matter of seconds. On screen, Todoroki's face looked bitter as he freed Honenuki from his icy prison.
There was a brief recess while the ice was cleared from the stadium, then the matches continued. Tokoyami defeated Rin, although it was a close match. Dark Shadow was weaker in the light, and Rin had a versatile quirk that he was good at using both for offense and defense. At the end of the day, however, his scales couldn't do much to Dark Shadow, who was able to push him out of the ring.
And then, it was Izuku's turn. He sent Shinso a text before he left to make sure the other boy was up and received a "GL" in response.
It was time to make a statement.
*
Reluctantly, Hitoshi crawled out of the dark passage that Midoriya had shown him. God, he would live there if he was given the chance. It was so quiet and dark.
His migraine hadn't gone away, but it had been better without the lights and noise that he was subject to outside. He plopped down in the prep room, switching off the lights. That didn't do anything about the light from the TV, but at least the sound had been muted.
He kept an eye on the proceedings on screen so he'd have an idea of when he was going to be called out. Midoriya was up against one of the 1-B students who'd been on his team, Kuroiro. Shinso felt a little bad for the other boy, having to go up against people with quirks when he didn't have one. Midoriya's abilities should have been obvious to everyone after his performance in both the first and second rounds, so hopefully that counted for something.
He knew Midoriya was in mad shape, of course, but that could only do so much.
Hitoshi took it back. Being in great shape was more than enough. It was barely even a fight. The other kid disappeared into the few shadows cast by the flickering flames, and Midoriya just stood there. As soon as Kuroiro appeared, Midoriya turned. A few swift blows, and the other boy was on the floor. Midoriya had him in a chokehold in a flash, and Midnight was counting down.
He won without breaking a sweat.
Hitoshi was gaping. That was…terrifying? Intimidating? Incredibly cool? It was no wonder Izuku was in the hero course.
And he'd been able to do all that without a quirk?
How much more could he do with one? Could Hitoshi do the same?
*
Izuku pushed a rebellious green curl out of his face as he stood and gave a hand to Kuroiro.
Kuroiro rubbed his neck with his free hand as he took Izuku's hand. "Man, remind me never to get on your bad side," he joked. "I can't believe we had so many classes together and you never decided to disclose you were actually a ninja."
"It never seemed relevant?" Izuku offered.
"That was Midoriya Izuku of the hero course!"Yamada-sensei boomed over the speakers. "Give it up for that flawless win!"
The cheering that followed was somewhat muted compared to what it had been for other matches. Of course, it could have been because it was such a fast match. That was a possibility.
Or, people could have finally picked up that he hadn't used a quirk the whole time. His obvious use of pure martial arts in the match should have made that clear. Unlike everyone else, he didn't have a quirk to use.
Izuku sighed. He knew it would be like this. It felt so wrong. He'd won fair and square. He hadn't even used support items. Anger boiled under his skin, an itch that demanded to be scratched, an insidious voice that whispered—
"You good?" Kuroiro asked. The white-haired boy looked at him with concern on his face, then looked over at the bleachers. "They don't know what they're missing out on," he said, understanding the situation.
Izuku nodded tersely. Kayama-sensei was glaring at the audience, having obviously picked up on the mood. Her hand hovered over the easily ripped fabric of her costume, like she was ready to release her quirk at a moment's notice.
He tapped his bracelets, dissipating his tension and frustration. "I'm good," he decided. "I just have to show them, right?"
"Right," Kuroiro agreed. "And then you have to show me how you did that."
Izuku walked off the field side-by-side with Kuroiro, feeling the stares that followed him. He'd probably be branded a manipulator, a cheater, anything to discredit his win.
"A true example of the importance of combat training in the hero course," Aizawa-sensei was saying as he left. "Having a powerful quirk is no use if you don't know how to fight."
Izuku locked eyes with Hitoshi as he left his prep room and headed for the tunnel. The other boy nodded at him.
The tournament was only just beginning. Both of them would have more opportunities to prove themselves. He'd just have to make sure he made good use of them.