Chapter XXIV: Third Event II
The entire world had gone nuts. After all, it just couldn't be that the extras were actually giving a half-decent show. The fact Bakugo couldn't stop reeling at the extras performance annoyed him to no end. Deku was at the head of that list of insufferable people but all extras had been god-damn exasperating.
Currently on the infirmary screen, Shitty-Hair was fighting off against that reject that had the fortune of being Bakugo's teammate on the last round. The fatso with the yarn ball quirk was completely pathetic. Out of shape, without a good fighting style, a cry-baby and with a pitiful quirk… what the fuck was he expecting?
As much as he wanted to be irritated by the extras, though, Bakugo was much more frustrated by someone else: himself. He was failing at what was supposed to be his greatest moment to date. He almost lost to Deku (fucking Deku of all people) in the First Event! Then the Second Event was a shit-show in which Half-Ice got ahead of him all while Bakugo got captured twice, one time by the freaking perverted midget and the second time by Deku. Oh, and then there was the grand finale when he, Katsuki God-Damn Bakugo was sent flying and passed out like a bitch… once again thanks to Deku.
There was still hope. This was his moment, after all. There was no way the extras could really pose a real threat to him and Bakugo was sure that the world would finally witness his strength. The only reason the extras had managed to bother him was because they had the advantage of terrain and numbers. Now… now there was no one who could stop him.
The Gold is as good as mine, he thought with a smirk.
At last, Shitty Hair threw the pathetic reject off the ring. The explosive blond grinned and stood up, grinning. It was nice to finally leave the stupid infirmary and the Old Hag. He paused, however, to send one last glance at one of the beds, or rather the veiling tall white curtains. Hitoshi Shinso, the creep, rested in there.
The extras are going to blame it on me, Bakugo mentally scoffed, clenching his fists. This is Deku's fault. If he hadn't hidden his stupid quirk or been a bitch about it the creep wouldn't have been such a dumbass…
As much as he wanted to act as if he didn't care, Bakugo felt a shiver run down his spine when he remembered the state of the creep when he had been brought in. To think Deku had done it. Deku, the worthless, weak and pathetic brat that had been such an annoyance for most of Bakugo's life... that same Deku had almost killed the purple-haired guy. It just didn't add up. Deku couldn't be dangerous. He couldn't. And yet he was.
"I don't have time for this" muttered the boy, shoving his hands into his pockets and marching off.
The corridors were silent and empty and, for once, Bakugo found the tranquillity rather pleasant. The one thing Bakugo disliked was the poor lighting. With every step, Bakugo thought of the fights he had witnessed. It was hard not to, given the few amusing details he had picked up.
Four-Eyes was a freaking dork, pushing Big-Boobs instead of kicking her sorry ass. She should have used something deadlier than knives and shuriken though. Had the two gotten serious it would have been far more interesting, but no, the extras of course had to hold back. Bakugo rolled his eyes at that.
The Weird-Eyes chick and Aizawa's lost daughter, the Creepy-Eyed chick, were both pathetic rejects, so it was no surprise their fight reflected that. Weird-Eyes tried using her stupid rifle to keep Creepy-Eyes from using her quirk, but it didn't work. None of Weird Eyes gear could have helped. In the end, Creepy-Eyes defeated Weird-Eyes through ceaseless laughter. Midnight called the match before Weird-Eyes could die from lack of breath.
At least the French guy and Bird-Head were more interesting. French Guy did some weird shit by spinning on his head while using that navel laser of his. Bird-Head, on the other hand, showed some initiative and used his Dark Shadow to sling himself at Frenchie. It was satisfying to see Frenchie be thrown out of boundaries. Bakugo hadn't expected either of them to have any close-quarter fighting style... if French Guy's weird ballet syle could be called that.
Pikachu and Pink-Bitch had their surprises. Pikachu revealed some weird shit involving his quirk, something about speeding his reaction time and own body movements with electricity while Pink-Bitch surprised Pikachu by revealing that she could coat herself in a viscous insulating acidic sweat. Her break dance fighting was stupid, but it seemed to work against Pikachu.
So yeah, maybe the extras had gone from pathetic to slightly pathetic in his eyes… but they were still pebbles in his path. They were all going to end up as nobodies without making much of a change in the world. Half of them would have some scandal revolving blowing some important dude for money or popularity points in the hero rankings and the other half would be junkies or corrupt. Most probably were already users of Trigger. It was the only way those weaklings could have put half a decent show.
The sunlight was a welcomed change, and the ensuing ovation from the crowd sure was nice to hear. Bakugo waved at the people on the stands and even offered a smirk at them. That seemed to win him a second round of cheering. That was how the world was supposed to be.
Straight ahead, on the concrete battle ring, stood Midnight and Cementoss. Further away, trembling and with a grimace, was Round Face. Oh, she tried to pull a brave and defiant face, but Bakugo could smell her pissing herself from where he was. He stopped over a large marked cross and waited, hands in his pockets. His thought, though, wandered back to Round Face.
Does she really think she can do anything against me?Bakugo thought. He was rather amused that Round Face truly thought she stood a chance. Just look at her… she should be in some other high school instead of wasting everyone's time in UA. Then again, Hero Agencies sure love their women… on that, Round Face has all the right aspects covered.
He must have scoffed with amusement, because the plump girl glared at him and some of her fear ebbed away.
"Something funny, Bakugo?" She angrily asked.
Bakugo was so tempted on responding with the honest truth, but a quick glance towards Midnight reminded him that the wrong word would probably get him in trouble later on. In fact, Midnight eyed him with as much if not more interest than Round Face.
"Maybe you should quit, Round Face" Bakugo said. "I won't hold back like before."
That made Round Face wince before grimacing. Midnight squinted at him, but didn't correct Bakugo. There was nothing she could say, actually. The Third Event was almost tailored for him, to go all out and give the audience the violence they craved. Of course, Bakugo was lying. Punching someone as Round Face without a good reason would sure hit his popularity. People could be really bleeding hearts for the most pathetic of rejects… and that included, much to his chagrin, his parents.
"Alright, listeners, are you ready for the last fight of the first round?!" Present Mic declared.
Of course, the people cheered, and boy did they cheer. Bakugo knew they were all hypocrites. They talked big about peace and equality, but in truth they loved – no, thirsted – the thrill of action from the safety of their seats, all while cheering for the top dog to beat the ones below.
"On the one side, she's bubbly, she's cute and she sure can throw you to infinity and beyond! She's Ochaco Uraraka!" Present Mic announced.
There was a mild applause from the spectators, one that was barely respectful. Bakugo found it rather funny when Round Face squirmed, realizing just how little people thought of her already.
"On the other side, he's the loudest, the meanest and the most temperamental of Class 1-A! He's UA own bomber man: Katsuki Bakugo!" Present Mic concluded.
The stadium, as expected, quaked under the ensuing cries, clapping and whistling. Bakugo grinned at the audience. Deep down, though, he was planning on getting back on the loud cockatoo for that stupid intro.
"Are the fighters ready?" Midnight asked. She quickly turned to Bakugo. "Please, don't go overboard".
"I'll try not to kill her" scoffed Bakugo, only to lazily scratch the back of his neck. "Just as long as she knows when to quit".
"Uraraka, there is no shame in quitting if things start going awry" Midnight told her. "Now… are you ready?"
"Yes!" Round Face exclaimed, flexing her arms and readying to fight.
"Let us get this over with…" Bakugo muttered with a roll of his eyes.
"Then… fight!" Midnight proclaimed.
The audience watched in silence, leaning forward. It oozed with excitement and impatience. Bakugo, though, didn't explode towards Round Face. He knew better than to do that. Instead, he stood there and waited for her to make her first move.
Deku must have given her pointers, Bakugo thought. If she manages to use her quirk on me I'd look like a moron… better see what she tries. It isn't like she can do much other than charge at me.
And charged at him she did. Bakugo leaned forward, readying to strike. He already knew what he would do. Once she was close enough, he would blind her with a bright explosion, followed by smoke to her face. One punch would probably do it. If not… then Bakugo would drag her sorry arse out of boundaries one way or another. He had to be careful to avoid burning her face, or else Aizawa was going to be all over his case again.
Can't believe I got Strike Two because I might have singed her round face a bit, Bakugo mentally grunted.
Then, just as she was twelve feet away and Bakugo was ready to explode his palms, she did the most ridiculous thing she could have done: she tripped over. No, it wasn't just tripping. It was literally jumping face-first onto the floor. Bakugo could only stare, dumbfounded, as she almost swan dived onto the concrete ground. If he didn't know any better he would have said it had been done on purpose. Round Face's hands slammed on the ground and Bakugo's eyes widened.
A bright pink light exploded off Round Face's fingertips just before her body touched the ground. It raced across the concrete floor in a wide circle, speeding incredibly fast. To his credit, Bakugo realized he had to jump and was halfway through the motion, one foot in the air, when the light reach him. It was too late, though. A sense of weightlessness washed over him and what would have been a saving jump ended up shooting him off the ground.
"What the hell?!" Exclaimed Bakugo as he tried to stop himself with small explosions.
With some effort, the explosive teen managed to remain hovering in the air. Bakugo glared at the ground down below. He remained awfully still, lest he started spinning. Thankfully, he was still far away from the boundaries. However, Bakugo did not like the way he had been surprised, or the triumphant smile on Round Face.
"Since when can you do that?!" Bakugo yelled.
"What's the matter, Bakugo, afraid of heights?" Taunted Round Face, ignoring the question.
A tick formed on Bakugo's head. This didn't look good. Oh, he was doing fine and he was going to beat the shit of the extra. However, he could already imagine the crowd, fickle as it was, already believing Round Face had a chance.
"You think this changes anything? Ha, what are you going to do now?" Bakugo responded, grinning.
Slowly, but surely, Bakugo started testing his mobility. It was rather easy, if he was careful enough. As much as he wanted to snoop down and punch her big fat face, he knew that one wrong move, one unforeseen bump, and he would start spinning uncontrollably. To his mounting ire, Round Face didn't respond. Instead, she glanced at the ground and then smirked at him.
Alright, this reeks of Deku, Bakugo thought, but what is she doing now? She's waiting for something…
"You know, Bakugo, Izuku noticed something odd back at the Entrance Exam" Round Face commented. "Did you know that whenever I merely used my quirk, Zero Gravity, on a robot it started floating upwards? Actually, almost all I use Zero Gravity on seems to start floating upwards."
"And what the-?" Bakugo started barking, only to pause. "Wait a fucking moment, that's not how zero Gravity is supposed to work!"
"He said the same thing!" Round Face chuckled.
Crack. Bakugo's eyes widened. Could that be… no, there's no way. And yet, he heard it again. Crack. The Explosive teen blinked at Round Face, dumbfounded.
"Oh, and Bakugo" Round Face said. She smirked at him. "I'm not done yet".
Wait a fucking moment, you're tell me she can-? Bakugo was thinking, only to be interrupted by a thunderous CRASH.
All around Round Face, the floor burst into pieces. Big and small chunks of concrete floated upwards alongside grey dust. The girl stood with a triumphant smile, surrounded by her newfound arsenal. Bakugo swore as Round Face grabbed a rather large piece of concrete and kept that stupid smile of hers.
She's going to try to push me out of boundaries, Bakugo realized. This is definately fucking Deku's plan!
Bakugo panicked as the slab of concrete was sent flying towards him. He raised his hands and exploded downwards, dodging the slab by an inch. However, in his weightlessness, he slammed onto the ground. With his back against the ground, he focused on staying pressed against the hard concrete. However, Round Face had other ideas.
She came running at him with a large piece of concrete, ready to bat him away. Bakugo once again felt an embarrassing shot of adrenaline, as he exploded sideways. With a palm aimed at the sky to keep him grounded and the other behind him to steer and accelerate, he was able to escape Round Face.
I must be the laughing stock out there! Bakugo swore. Of all the people who could possibly be giving him a hard time, it just had to be Round Face!
SLAM.
"SHIT!" Bakugo swore as he accidentally collided against floating debris and was propelled upwards.
He started spinning, and for a moment, Bakugo thought he was done for.
This is it! He thought as the world swirled. Defeated by a pathetic extra!
His mind, ever the annoying foe, conjured images of the audience laughing at him, of the other extras taunting him for his failure, his mother trying and failing to cheer him up… losing against Round Face... instead of feeling defeat, however, Bakugo felt a burning anger and with it came a powerful flare of determination.
"I AM NOT GIVING UP!" Bakugo roared.
He closed his eyes and concentrated. He didn't think whether he was coming near the boundaries or if he was done for. Instead, he focused on his own movement… how he was spinning… and then he snapped his eyes, and reached out with his palms. His explosions didn't work at first, but, suddenly, he noticed how he spun slower and slower until he remained floating.
A few meters from the boundary line, Bakugo managed to stop himself mid-air. Red eyes squinted at the mocking white line. With a growl, he spun around, starting to get used to the zero-g flight. It was far easier than he had expected but he had done tons of flying before. He had to trust his instincts. Bakugo was not going to be beaten by a mere sense of weightlessness and disorientation.
Round Face stared at him, shocked. He would have smirked at her, but he was done with games. Bakugo was going to crash her. He pulled his arms back, and exploded forward.
The brunette threw pieces of concrete at him, but to her growing desperation, Bakugo was able to dodge the debris. Not only that, he was getting close. In a last effort to stop the inevitable, Round Face grabbed a man-sized piece of stone and pushed it between the two. Bakugo, though, would not be deterred from his retribution. He poised his feet at the stone and landed the slab of concrete, before kicking it back to a baffled Round Face.
Round Face managed to catch the slab and push it aside before it could send her backwards. However, as she avoided being struck, a fist came into view – and straight to her face. Round Face was struck on her left cheek, before another fist punched her gut. But Bakugo wasn't done. Still floating, he grabbed both sides of her head, and delivered a powerful kneecap to her face. Everyone winced at the ensuing sound. It must have hurt.
The brunette's concentration wandered off and, for a brief moment, the explosive blond saw her almost faint. It was a brief instant, enough for her quirk to somehow deactivate. When Bakugo regained his gravity, he landed on his feet. The ground shook as debris fell onto the concrete. Round Face, on her part, fell on her back a few feet from him with blood and saliva dripping from her mouth.
"You think you can beat me, you extra?!" Bakugo roared.
Round Face winced as she looked at him with scared brown eyes. Bakugo stepped forward and she crawled back, her pale face marred with fear.
"That's it?!" Bakugo yelled, raising a challenging fist. "Come on, quit you worthless piece of shit!"
Round Face trembled but remained mute. Bakugo looked at her with the utmost disgust.
"And to think you want to be a hero…" he spat.
Tears started to fill her eyes. Bakugo scoffed. She was big talk and brave when she had Deku's plan behind her. Pathetic. To his surprise, though, she stood up, with shaking legs and trembling arms. Her face was deathly pale. Even as pathetic as she looked, Bakugo could only feel incensed by her defiance.
"The fuck…?" Bakugo huffed. "Your stance is all wrong… and you call that a fist? Face it, Round Face, you aren't made to be a hero".
"Y-you're wrong" stammered Round Face.
"You are fucking trembling! How the fuck are you going to be a hero, huh? Are you going to stick to Deku for everything? Avoid all the risky missions?!" Bakugo yelled. "Fucking quit, Round Face, already or I swear…" he lowered his hands.
Round Face's widened eyes focused on the smoke coming off his hands and she shuddered at the sizzling sound coming from there.
"…I'll crash you" Bakugo hissed.
"N-no! I w-won't quit!" Round Face said, sniffing and scrunching her face into a glare of defiance. "You hear me, Bakugo? I won't quit!" She growled at him. "And my name is Ochaco Uraraka!" She yelled.
Her persistent defiance made Bakugo see red. Did she really think she could really do anything against him? Why in the world was she so stubborn? Did she want to get beaten?
"Fine!" Bakugo spat "then you asked for this!"
Bakugo exploded forward and drew his right arm back. Round Face rolled to a side and started running away. Bakugo skidded not far behind and chased after the girl. She went straight to the debris. A glance back and Bakugo knew exactly what Round Face would do.
Thus, when Round Face abruptly jumped onto the ground, Bakugo exploded upwards. He dodged the pink energy wave and landed straight on a surprised Round Face. She did try to strike him with a sloppy slap, but Bakugo blocked the attack with his forearm and delivered an uppercut punch. Dizzy, she attempted a punch of her own, only for her arm to be swatted aside and receive a head-butt.
Round Face fell on her butt again while Bakugo stepped back, seething.
"Are you done yet?!" Bakugo spat.
Round Face spat blood before she glared at him.
"Never" she growled. With that, she slapped the ground.
Bakugo was able to jump in time again, but Round Face was affected by her own quirk and floated upwards. She kicked off and straight to a nearby slab of granite. Bakugo, annoyed, exploded towards her. She grabbed her new weapon and threw it at him.
The explosive teen jumped over the projectile all while Round Face went towards another piece of concrete. Unfortunately, she was sluggish, and Bakugo was still fresh and ready. Thus, as the brunette was about to turn around, a new rock in hand, a fist struck her on her face before she was punched in the stomach.
Once again, Bakugo stepped back, glaring at the stupid Round Face, as she regained her gravity. Why couldn't she learn her lesson? Why could she understand just how much beneath him she was?
"Just quit already!" Bakugo shouted.
But Round Face, even with her face roughly beaten, glared at him in defiance. Bakugo growled at her. Neither of them moved, eyes locked on the other. Then, the silence was broken by the people up at the stands.
At first, Bakugo thought they were booing him. He stood up and tried to hear better, squinting at the crowd. However, before he knew it, he was making some of the chants and shouting… and a smile crawled on his face. By the looks of it, Round Face could hear them too. Her face looked pained and hurt, probably unable to take the lively commentary.
"Do you hear that, Round Face? They know it too" Bakugo taunted.
The crowd, much to Bakugo's amusement, was shouting for Round Face to quit. Of course they were. It was either out of concern or because she was no good. Bakugo didn't care. It sure was making Round Face look doubtful.
"You are only making it worse for yourself" Bakugo said.
However, Round Face would not quit. She scrunched her face with a defiant glare and clenched her fists.
"I might not be much now…" she raised a fist at him, voice filled with venom "but that will not stop me!"
"Just quit already you fucking extra!" Bakugo shouted. She really wanted him to beat her, right? Maybe so the crowd could turn against him?
"Never!" She yelled.
Again, she slammed her hands on the ground. It seemed that was the only thing she could do, her only strategy. Thus, Bakugo went charging at her. He would end this, one way or another. Round Face stood up in her piss-poor stance. He reared his right arm, ready to punch her. She held her ground, stubbornly stupid and infuriatingly defiant. He accelerated towards her. He was almost there. Suddenly, Round Face dropped on the ground and Bakugo reacted quickly. With both palms, he produced a powerful explosion.
Round face was sent rolling backwards, her clothes and skin burnt, while Bakugo landed and skidded backwards on the concrete ground. He took a deep breath, and allowed for the cheering of the crowd wash over him. Bakugo, though, wasn't done with Round Face.
"Enough"
Bakugo froze, snapping his head towards Midnight. She glared at him, but after one glance at the almost immobile brunette on the ground, made her sigh with resignation. She started counting.
"One, two, three, four…" Round Face moved, groaning "five, six, seven…" Round Face shakily pushed herself from the ground.
Midnight paused.
"Uraraka…" the referee said. Seeing the condition of the girl, she glanced at Bakugo, before she raised her whip towards him. "Uraraka can't fight. The winner-"
"I can fight" Round Face growled.
"Uraraka, stop" Midnight ordered. "It's gone on long enough".
"I am not an extra…" Round Face murmured. Her gaze was erratic, unable to focus on anything, with new scorched marks marring her face. "I'll be a hero…"
She got a concussion, Bakugo thought. Just great! Now Aizawa AND my mom will be all over my case… shit…
All of a sudden, Round Face raised her hands and threw herself at the ground. It was such a sudden move that even Bakugo was somewhat surprised. She was too far to actually affect him… right?
"I'll go beyond!" Round Face yelled.
A large pink light emanated from her hands and shot off. This time, though, it did not reach a few meters from her. Instead, as Round Face kept her hands pressed on the ground, the light grew and enveloped everything on the battleground, even a dumbfounded Bakugo. To his mounting horror, he felt a sense of weightlessness take over. He remained standing, awfully still, as he started to elevate a few inches from the ground.
Since when can Round Face do this shit?! Bakugo thought as he remained still. Round Face was glaring at the ground, focused. You think you got me, Round face?! I'll- Crack – oh, shit.
The ground exploded into pieces and, suddenly, Bakugo lost his footing. Worse, he started floating upwards. All around, chunks of concrete of all sizes started sprouting off the ground. A large piece shot upwards and hit his foot, making him spin forward. Another piece hit him to the side and then another to the face. He tried grabbing onto something, to make sense of what was up and what was down, only to smack headfirst onto a large slab of concrete.
I'm going to kill that bitch! Bakugo thought.
"U-Uraraka!" Midnight called, also floating. On the other side of the ring, a panicking Cementoss shared her lack of gravity. "Uraraka, stop this!"
Bakugo caught sight of Round Face's angry face and his eyes widened with shock. Her eyes… what had happened to them? Somehow, her eyes have turned into orbs of pink light.
"You hear me, Bakugo?! I'll go Plus ULTRA!" She screamed.
The debris and Bakugo kept rising, and the explosive boy was starting to panic. Weightless, with pieces of concrete gently messing up with his balance, smacking him all over, he was utterly helpless. He tried a few explosions, but any slight movement made him hit a chunk of concrete and mess everything up.
Shit! Shit! Shit! Bakugo thought.
"URARAKA!" Midnight shouted.
There was an audible reap of clothing… And suddenly, gravity returned and Bakugo came crashing down onto the ground. To his credit, he landed on his feet. With his heart drumming in his chest, Bakugo turned towards Round Face, ready to fight. He froze at what he saw, however.
Round Face was lying still on the ground, unconscious, surrounded by purple gas. All around, Bakugo could only see devastation. Somehow, Round Face had managed to pretty much destroy the entire ring. It made Bakugo stare at her, unable to believe it.
She must have taken Trigger… there's no fucking way that's her potential, Bakugo thought, disconcerted. She doesn't have what it takes to be a hero…
"Winner of the last match of the First Round: Bakugo Katsuki!" Midnight declared.
The crowd, as always, cheered for Bakugo's success. However, the explosive teen could only glare at Round Face with a mixture of hatred… and bewilderment.
Zero-Tailed Izuku Midoriya hurried down the corridors of the stadium. He was a teenager on a mission, and right now it was to try and comfort his friend to the best of his ability. Hopefully Rabbit Girl would start bonking Ochaco's head out in frustration. That made Izuku uneasily chuckle, and quicken his pace.
In the end, he made it to the Infirmary just as Recovery Girl walked out. She eyed him, surprised, before smiling at the bag in his arms.
"That better not be what I think it is" Recovery Girl huffed with amusement.
Izuku could only smile sheepishly at her.
"Fine, I'll allow it this once" she said with a roll of her eyes. "But only this one time, Izuku".
"Th-thanks, Chiyo" he mumbled.
"Oh, and remember, no healing" Recovery Girl warned with a stern gaze. "I will not have you faint or die because you were a bleeding heart".
Izuku on his part, grimaced. Sincerely, he really wanted to use his Three-Tailed form to at least undo some of the damage he had caused on Shinso. True, he still couldn't muster enough energy to heal that much.
"I-I p-promise" Izuku said with a nod.
"Don't feel bad, Izuku, and I can understand how you feel. I promise, once we are done with this foolish business of a festival we'll work on improving your healing abilities further" the old woman sighed.
"I'm looking forward to that!" Izuku exclaimed.
She chuckled and walked away, leaving Izuku to venture into the Infirmary. Inside, he was not surprised to find that the Usagiyamas and Iida were already by Ochaco's side. Ochaco, lying on the middle bed on his right, groaned at the ceiling. Izuku's eyes wandered off to the curtained bed next to Ochaco's before he tentatively stepped forward into the room.
"I'm so hungry…" Ochaco groggily mumbled.
Her face had been greatly healed from the swollen mess it was at the end of her fight. However, she still had a new set of scars and looked beyond exhausted.
"G-good th-thing I got this then" Izuku snickered. "I-I suspected you'd get hungry after Recovery Girl's treatment".
"FOOD!" A revitalized Ochaco exclaimed as she snapped her attention towards him.
"Don't tell me you actually went running for snacks" Rumi said, amused.
Izuku placed the large white bag filled with smaller bags on Ochaco's bed and started distributing its contents.
"I just… ehm… thought that since we have a sh-short break w-we could eat something" he said.
"You shouldn't have, Izuku! Everything is so overpriced…" Ochaco bemoaned.
"It- it's really n-no problem" Izuku mumbled.
First, he handed a large bag of popcorn to a drooling Ochaco, who greedily accepted it. Iida was rather surprised when Izuku handed over his favorite: scotch mints. Haku and Hana were more than ravenous at the bag of peeled carrots Izuku got for them. Rabbit Girl, though, was far more graceful… although she did stare at her own bag of carrots with wide red eyes, her ears perked up in full attention and her nose twitched. Izuku had never seen Rumi resemble a rabbit like that before.
"Hmmmm… you aren't offering any other carrots, are you?" Rumi sultrily whispered in his ear, all while wiggling her eyebrows.
And just like that, Zero-Tailed Izuku spluttered incoherently, red-faced. So embarrassed was he that he exploded into white-smoke and back to the Nine-Tailed form. Rumi, on her part, burst out laughing.
"Thanks, Izuku!" Said Ochaco, spewing pieces of popcorn everywhere.
"Swallow before you speak!" Iida berated an apologetic Infinity Girl. To Izuku, he added "thanks, Izuku! I will repay as soon as I return to my belongings".
"There's no need, Iida" Izuku said with a lopsided smile.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Hana asked.
"I'm not hungry… and I didn't get anything for myself" the Fox Boy replied.
"What about those?" Haku asked, pointing at the rest of the white bag's content.
"Oh, I got that for Shinso" Izuku said. He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Didn't know what he would like so… ehm… a bit of everything, right?" He turned towards Iida, who was on the other side of the bed. "Could you… could you put it on his bed?"
"I do not believe Recovery Girl would appreciate that" remarked Iida, only to offer a smile "but I can stand behind the sentiment".
Thus, he grabbed the white bag and moved over towards the curtains. However, before he could pull them aside, the curtains parted, as if on their own. Izuku froze. He wasn't the only one. Everyone had stopped munching to stare at none other than Hitoshi Shinso.
With his entire face wrapped in white bandages except for his mouth and his right eye, it was hard to actually assess the damage Izuku had done. He no longer wore gym uniform, though, dressed in hospital robes, something that exposed his rather thin arms. Under the sight of his victim, Izuku felt fear crawl in his heart. However, Izuku didn't cower. When his emerald eyes met his purple ones, he mustered his courage and offered the best tremulous smile he could offer.
"H-hey, you are awake" Izuku managed to say.
Shinso, though, moved his attention to Iida and the bag of different food.
"You actually got something for me?" Shinso, incredulous, asked.
"It's the least I could do…" Izuku mumbled.
For a moment, Shinso stared at the white bag, disbelieving. Then he glanced at Izuku, before he accepted it and, rather hesitantly, pulled out a bag of chips.
"Thanks" Shinso mumbled.
Izuku was a bit troubled by Shinso's befuddlement.
"Ehm… so… Shinso" Izuku said, feeling rather awkward. "I'm sorry for… ehm…"
"It's fine" Shinso bluntly said. "Accidents happen. It is my fault for trusting Bakugo".
"It isn't fine. I... wait, what was that about Bakugo?"
"He lied to me" Shinso grunted.
"Figures" Rumi scoffed. "What did that son of – er – that bastard told you?"
"That you were an emitter type instead of an animal mutant quirk" he said, facing Izuku. "He obviously lied… probably so that you could go berserk if I brainwashed you. I bet he knew all along or at least suspected it when I asked him".
"That ruffian!" Iida exclaimed, outraged. "We must inform Aizawa immediately!"
"Damn, he really is a son of a bitch" Haku said, before he was smacked by Rumi, much Hana's amusement.
"He should be expelled. Maybe if we tell Aizawa now he'll be kicked out of the Festival" Ochaco said.
Izuku grimaced, pinching the bridge of his nose. How did it come to this? How did it come to the point where he would have to play devil's advocate and defend Bakugo?
"It wasn't Bakugo's fault" Izuku stated.
"Like hell it wasn't" Rumi grunted.
"No, it wasn't" Izuku insisted. "Look, Iida, Ochaco, did you know I am a mutant type before I told Rabbit Girl?"
The two opened their mouths, ready to proclaim that, yes, they had known all along, only to pause and frown. Ochaco pouted while Iida averted his eyes.
"No, you didn't, because I would all be in my Zero Tails forms and only ever so often change into other forms, making it look like my real form was the Zero Tails and… truth to be told, I wanted to believe that" Izuku explained. "Bakugo has only known me as the Zero Tails. In his eyes, I was quirkless until I suddenly manifested a transformation emitter quirk".
"Hold on, so it is true?" Shinso asked, baffled. "You spent most of your life…?"
"Quirkless? Yes. I kind of… suppressed it without knowing" Izuku grunted. "Until my last year in Middle School, I had no idea I actually had a quirk".
Shinso blinked with his one eye repeatedly. The Fox Boy wasn't sure but he got the impression that Shinso was more than just dumbfounded.
"You… you got into U.A. after one year of training?" Shinso wondered, disbelief.
"Rehabilitation and training… it was the only thing keeping me together" confessed Izuku.
Shinso looked down at the chips on his hand, lost in thought. Not that Izuku could blame him. It must have sounded outlandish to achieve something like entering UA after barely discovering his quirk.
"So that's your true form?" Shinso asked. "You lived most of your life without even knowing how you actually looked like?"
"I lived with most of my entire being repressed, ignorant of my own power and true self" Izuku nodded.
There was a long pregnant pause. Iida and the Usagiyama children stared at Izuku, apprehensive, while Ochaco, face stuffed with food, grimaced at the ceiling. Rumi offered a sad smile towards Izuku, squeezing his hand before giving him a more energetic nudge.
"But that's in the past now! Ehm… so… how are you feeling? Both of you, I mean" Izuku awkwardly asked.
"Oh, I'm fine" said Ochaco, grinning. "I have popcorn now! How can anyone be sad with food?" With a more apologetic smile, she added "sorry I didn't follow the plan. It's just that-"
"It's fine" Izuku said. "No plan survives contact with the enemy. Besides, being the first time you used that aspect of your quirk, you did rather well".
"You did push yourself overboard" Iida stated. "There was no need to harm yourself the way you did. Once Bakugo adapted to zero gravity maneuvering you should have quit".
"I'm sorry guys! It's just that…" Ochaco muttered with a pout "…I couldn't just quit!"
"Why not? I do not wish to speak ill of your abilities, Ochaco, but Bakugo is comparatively a dangerous beast to fight. There is no shame in withdrawing" Iida said.
"Did he call you anything?" Rumi wondered.
"Nah, it was the usual" Ochaco said before putting on her best Bakugo impression "Bwah ha ha! Weakling, you truly thought you could stand up to me?'" She gave the most Bakugo-ish sneer she could muster "'pathetic extra, you should quit before me, the next Number One'".
That got a chuckle from the others. Shinso, on his part, smiled as he slowly ate his chips.
"You had nothing to prove, Infinity Girl" Rumi huffed with an amused grin.
"I did" Ochaco sighed. "Ever since I got into UA I've been wondering if I… I could really be a hero. I mean, I am not like you guys. I got in thanks to Rescue points… so I needed to know if I could actually do it, you know? If I could stand up like a hero and fight for what I believed in".
"Well, rest assured: you are as thick-headed as any top hero" Rumi chuckled, gently bonking Ochaco's head. "We will need to get you up to shape, though. That stance... geez... I sure need to teach you how to punch, Infinity Girl".
"Th-that won't b-be necessary! I-I can learn on my own!" uneasily chuckled Ochaco.
"Oh, I wasn't asking" Rumi cackled with a maniacal grin.
"About the rescue points… you shouldn't feel any shame about it" Izuku said. "I mean, I also got in thanks to them, remember? Barely had any villain points, actually".
Shinso started coughing at that, drawing their attention.
"Really?" Shinso asked, baffled. Clearing his throat, he looked away.
"Well, yeah, I was kind behind everyone. I had less than twenty" Izuku told Shinso.
The boy turned towards him, frowning. Izuku didn't want to read too much into anything, but it sure looked like Shinso had quite a different impression about him.
"But then…" Shinso wondered, baffled. "Why waste time against the Zero-Pointer? Or did you know about the Rescue Points?"
"Ha, you kidding?" Rumi interceded before Izuku had a chance to speak. "Fox Boy has a people-saving thing, huh?" She nudged at the resident fox boy, much to his embarrassment.
Izuku avoided her amused face or her teasing red eyes, preferring to blush towards the ceiling.
"You should know, our friend here has an inclination towards self-sacrifice and self-deprecation" Iida told Shinso.
"I don't self-deprecate!" Indignantly huffed Izuku.
"Yes, you do" Ochaco giggled. "You need Rumi to stop doubting yourself".
"That's not true" Izuku halfheartedly muttered.
"Everybody knows it, Fox Boy" Rumi laughed, nudging him. "Can't live without me!"
Izuku just grumbled irritably at that, much to Rabbit Girl's amusement. Shinso, on his part, kept frowning.
"Well, I'm sorry if I have my moments!" Izuku grunted. "I am trying to make up for lost time, y'know?"
"We are just teasing, Fox boy" Rumi cooed. "There, there, you silly fox boy" she added, scratching his head.
"I am not a dog" Izuku grumbled. His tails, however, begged to differ as they wagged happily behind him, much to the Usagiyamas' amusement. "Traitors!" He grumbled at his tails.
"I am certain it must be difficult adapting to an entire new lifestyle after over a decade" Iida conceded. "Regardless, you do suffer from low self-esteem".
"But you are getting better!" Ochaco chirpily added.
In the end, while the others kept teasing Izuku, Shinso lowered his chips and turned towards them.
"I'm sorry" he sombrely said.
Izuku and the others paused, perplexed, before exchanging bewildered expressions.
"That's… kind of my line" Izuku said.
"Not really" Shinso sighed, defeated."I have acted like a bit of a jerk..." with a miserable bandaged face he added "...or a villain rather".
"That's water under the bridge, right?" Izuku said. "You should apologize to the rest of our peers, though. A lot of people got hurt thanks to your actions".
"Yeah, I know" The indigo-haired boy conceded with resignation. "But, the thing is... I can't believe I got you so wrong…"
The others exchanged confused faces.
"I was there, at Battle Centre B, during the Entrance Exam". He looked down at his lap, looking rather ashamed. "When you helped Round- I mean, Uraraka and took down the Zero Pointer I…" he trailed off, grimacing "…I was rather jealous".
"Jealous? Of me?" Izuku mumbled, wide-eyed.
Now that was foreign concept to him. It felt so wrong it rubbed him the wrong way. Why would Shinso ever feel jealousy towards him?
"All my life I had to keep quiet about my quirk, at least after I figured out it was brainwashing" Shinso grunted. "When my classmates learned about it in Middle School, I was treated little better than a villain, always suspicious of me…"
"You hid your quirk?" Izuku asked.
"I more or less allowed others draw their own conclusions" Shinso admitted. "My mom didn't know she had Brainwash until I discovered it. Up until then my mom and I thought our quirk merely dumbed down whoever answered to us…"
"How could you not know?" Haku wondered. "Didn't you play with your quirk?"
"Yeah! That's how all our classmates figure out our quirks" Hana said.
"Even though you aren't supposed to, mind you" harrumphed Iida.
"Yeah, when I was a toddler I used it, like everyone else" Shinso huffed. "But I never actually bothered giving orders to whoever I paralyzed, and neither did mom. That and it isn't like we wanted to use it often. People don't tend to like it when they get brainwashed. That and my quirk counselor was an idiot".
"Hey, Fox Boy, now that he mentions it…" Rumi hummed "you don't think the Four Tails could do that as well, don't you?"
Izuku frowned, stroking his chin. "You mean… order the ones I hit with my pheromones? Like Shinso's Brainwash? I never actually tried it. The problem is I never found someone to practice my Four-Tailed form on…" his eyes wandered off towards Iida.
"Oh no! I will not be used for target practice, much less for your Four Tailed form!" Iida exclaimed.
"No? But, Iida, you love that form" Izuku teased.
"I-I d-do not!" Iida spluttered. Steam started coming off the top of his reddened face.
"He has a crush on Izuku's Four-Tails form" Ochaco giggled to a confused Shinso.
"Lies!" Iida exclaimed. "Do not fall for their deceit!"
Chuckling, Izuku turned towards Rumi. "I don't really know, Rabbit Girl. There are so many aspects of my quirk I still haven't explored. For all I know I could be ignoring a lot of other abilities or potential uses of my forms. Look at Ochaco. Who would have guessed something as simple as applying her quirk on the ground change a fight?"
"Your quirk, Midoriya, is really overpowered" Shinso remarked. "The Nine-Tails in particular. That fur manipulation plus your other forms? It is a miracle you don't have a massive ego problem like Bakugo".
"Fur manipulation?" Midoriya asked, confused. "I can only control my tails".
"Really?" Shinso frowned. "I saw you covered in fur – back when you attacked me". Midoriya blinked at Shinso, and Shinso blinked in response. "I thought that was your ability… that you could grow, stretch and harden your fur. You… didn't know?"
"He's right" Haku said, pointing at Izuku "you were like a big fox".
"But that's the One Tails" Izuku responded.
"No, he means like a walking fox" Hana corrected.
"Uh, I know: a Were-Fox!" Ochaco said.
"I think I saw something like that… but then you were covered in Midnight's quirk and I wasn't sure" Rumi hummed.
"You seriously didn't know that?" Shinso asked Izuku.
"Well excuse me if I haven't figured out my zillion quirks!" Izuku scoffed. "Seriously, an entire life as a quirkless boy and suddenly I have like a thousand quirks out of nowhere!" He frowned, scrunching his face in concentration. "I don't remember any of that… when I was brainwashed it felt like I was under Primal Fear – although it was more of a rage".
"Give it a test" Rumi said, nudging him. "Try to cover yourself in fur".
"Eh… huh?" Izuku replied ever so smart. "I-I don't know how!"
"That ability could be really useful if fight Bakugo, maybe it can make you faster and stronger" Shinso stated. "We still have a few minutes before the start of the second round for you to practice".
Izuku grimaced at that, looking at his lap. Shinso, confused, raised an eyebrow at Rabbit Girl.
"He's not going to fight" Rumi clarified.
"What?" Shinso exclaimed.
"Really?!" Haku and Hana shouted in unison, shocked.
"But… you can't give up!" Haku exclaimed, horrified. "You have yet to beat Bakugo!"
"Yeah! Who is going to stand up against him now?" Hana asked, pale.
"Is it because of the incident?" Shinso wondered.
"It's more than just that… and it isn't about giving up" Izuku replied. "I just don't want to take part of the Festival. It seems we are at the brink of someone dying in every event, and nobody cares. It's like villains are running the entire show. I will not be part of it, much less if it is to entertain a blood-thirsty crowd that loves the likes of Bakugo".
There was a moment of silence as everyone stared at the fox boy. In the end, Izuku's shoulder slumped and he sighed.
"However…" he scrunched his face, clenching his clawed hands as he bared his teeth. "I can't just stand back and do nothing, not when Bakugo is out there on his way to the top".
"It is fine, Izuku" Ochaco said. "Iida can beat him, right? And – ehm – maybe Kirishima or some of the other guys could defeat him?"
They all remained awfully silent. As much as they hated to admit it, Bakugo was bound to win. A fighting beast like him wouldn't be easily put down. Perhaps, with some luck, someone could beat it. The fact remained, however, that that was very unlikely.
"But what if they can't?" Izuku asked. "What if… what if I could beat him? Todoroki is the most likely person to beat Bakugo, but he is stunting himself! If he uses only his ice he won't stand a chance against Bakugo. I don't mean to question your abilities, Iida but…"
"I understand and I actually share your reservations. However, you should not feel pressure to partake in the tournament, Izuku" Iida said. "This Festival has been difficult on all of us, especially you. You don't have to let Bakugo dictate your life".
"You can't quit" Shinso told Izuku. "Even if this entire festival has been a shit show, what do you achieve by quitting? It will change nothing if you quit on the First Round. If you want to make a change… you need to get to the top".
Izuku frowned at him, unsure.
"He's right, Fox Boy" Rumi said with a nudge. "This games have been terrible, but I know one thing: if Bakugo does get the gold after you quit, you'll beat yourself to no end. You will ask yourself if you could have taught him a lesson. No, you'll believe you could have done something to bring down that bastard a peg or two and guilt-trip yourself to do something stupid like quit your dream".
"Yeah, and it will be worse because Bakugo will feel vindicated" Ochaco said. "All that talk about us being extras and that he is the next number one… he can't get that position or else he'll only get worse".
"Come on, Fox Boy, I will stand behind any decision you take, but I do not want to see you quit when I know you'll regret it later" Rumi told him.
Izuku stared at her, emerald locked onto ruby eyes.
"That and you do have some unresolved business, don't you?" Rabbit Girl said. "I am no psychologist… but I don't think you'll ever overcome the you-know-what until you confront that bastard and beat the shit out of him".
"Huh? You-know-what? What's she talking about?" Ochaco asked, confused.
She can't mean my Mental Repression, can she? Izuku thought. And yet, it seemed she meant exactly that.
"H-how d-do you know about that?" Izuku asked, shocked.
"That doesn't matter now" Rumi said. "What I know is that there is one course of action. I know how difficult it is to fight, especially after what happened… but I know you can do it".
"She's right" Shinso said. "You lose nothing by trying and if you do manage to succeed… then you can really flip the bird at the organizers".
"Izuku would never engage in such ill behaviour!" Iida harrumphed.
"What do you say, Fox Boy?" Rumi chuckled "try to get the gold to shove it up their a-" her eyes swept over her attentive siblings "-up where the sun doesn't shine?"
Izuku sighed. He shook his head before he looked at everyone. It was strange to believe that he now had people that counted on him, even an acquaintance as Shinso. Ochaco, Iida and Shinso… they all bore scars thanks to the Sports Festival. If Bakugo won… no, now that was really a situation he didn't want to see. He couldn't allow to happen.
Rumi was right. If Bakugo got the gold after he had quit, Izuku would regret it forever and Bakugo, being Bakugo, would be a lot more of a villain. Like Ochaco said, he would truly feel vindicated. Heck, he would actually have something to back it up. Even if he crossed a line and got expelled, other Hero Schools would take him in no matter what he did before.
The festival had been a mess, a far cry from the enjoyable, yet challenging, events he had expected. So many had been injured, so many could have suffered… and if to top it all Bakugo won… no, Izuku would not allow the suffering they had all been put through have such a conclusion. Moreover, his friends were right. Quitting now wouldn't drive a message across to anyone. Instead, it would rob him the opportunity to finally confront Bakugo.
And after the beating he gave Ochaco, after the Second Event… I can't sit still and hope someone else beats Bakugo… he thought. For too long I've been but a fan-boy. All I've ever done was watch Bakugo from the sidelines while he mistreated others, doing nothing while he mistreated me... I'm done with that. I am not that person I once was.
"You are right" Izuku decided with a form nod. "I will fight…"
Rumi smiled at him, giving him a nudge.
"That's my Fox Boy!" She chuckled.
"…and, if I do make it to the finals, I will bring Bakugo down" he growled. "I have a score to settle with that bastard and it's high time I deliver."