[A/N]
By focusing on the new chapters, the chapters from 19 to 23 aren't well corrected. All my time is for the new chapters so plz if there was any mistake or conflict let me now by paragraph comments.
Chapter 19: Torque, Shadows, and Heavy Hearts
Author's Note: By Mistake I made Mashirao Ojiro a part of this instead of sero Hanta. But I'm to lazy to go back and fix the previous chapter so we will keep Ojiro. °u°
The arena crews had done a miraculous job clearing the glacial debris from the Todoroki match, though the air in the stadium retained a crisp, biting chill. The concrete ring, usually gray, was dark with moisture from the melted ice.
"ALRIGHT! THE SHOW MUST GO ON!" Present Mic yelled, his voice cracking slightly from the cold air. "LET'S WARM THIS PLACE UP WITH SOME KINETIC ENERGY! FROM THE HERO COURSE, THE ENGINE OF JUSTICE, TENYA IIDA! VERSUS! THE MARTIAL ARTS MASTER OF THE TAIL, MASHIRAO OJIRO!"
Ojiro stepped into the ring, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. He looked focused.
Iida needs a runway, Ojiro thought, analyzing his opponent as he took a low stance. His Engines needs a line to rush. If I give him space, he'll run me over like a truck. I have to suffocate him. Corner him. Use the tail to disrupt his center of gravity.
Iida adjusted his glasses, the sunlight glinting off the lenses. He revved his engines—VROOOOM—a sound like a high-performance motorcycle idling.
Ojiro-kun is skilled in close-quarters combat, Iida analyzed. I must be decisive. I cannot allow this to become a grappling match.
"START!"
Ojiro didn't wait. He lunged forward, closing the gap instantly. He unleashed a flurry of jabs, forcing Iida to raise his arms in defense.
"You're open!" Ojiro shouted, spinning his body. His massive, muscular tail whipped around like a steel beam.
THWACK.
Iida blocked with his forearms, but the force skidded him backward three feet.
"Heavy..." Iida gritted his teeth. "Your tail strikes are heavier than they look!"
"I'm not letting you run!" Ojiro pressed the attack, unleashing a combination of kicks and tail swipes. Iida was on the back foot, being pushed closer and closer to the white boundary line. The crowd cheered for the underdog's aggressive strategy.
"Iida is in trouble!" Kaminari shouted from the stands. "He can't get his engines going!"
Iida glanced at the boundary line behind his heel. I have no choice. I wanted to save this for the finals, but...
He crouched low. The pipes on his calves began to glow red-hot. Smoke poured out of the exhausts.
"Recipro... BURST!"
The sound was deafening—a high-pitched scream of tearing metal and combustion.
Ojiro swung his tail downward for a finishing smash.
Iida's leg came up.
CRACK.
The collision was visceral. Iida's kick, fueled by the explosive torque of his overdrive, met Ojiro's tail in mid-air.
Ojiro's eyes widened in shock. The force wasn't just strong; it was overwhelming. His tail was knocked upward violently, throwing his entire body off balance. He felt weightless.
"What spee—?!"
Before Ojiro could finish the thought, Iida was gone. He was a blur of blue and silver. He appeared behind Ojiro in the blink of an eye.
"Forgive me!" Iida shouted.
He grabbed Ojiro's stunned tail with both hands. Using his momentum, he spun once and hurled the martial artist toward the edge of the ring.
Ojiro flew through the air, unable to correct his trajectory. He slammed into the grass outside the bounds, bouncing twice.
The engines on Iida's legs stalled, sputtering black smoke. He stood panting, his glasses askew.
"OJIRO IS OUT OF BOUNDS! IIDA WINS!"
"Whoa!" Midoriya, sitting in the stands with fresh bandages on his hand, leaned forward. "That speed... it was invisible. He overloaded his torque for a split second!"
"I didn't even see him move," Uraraka gasped.
Aokiji, watching from the tunnel entrance with calm black eyes.
"He got exponentially faster," Aokiji noted. "He sacrificed duration for raw velocity. Dangerous move. If he missed, he would have stalled out."
He turned and walked in the tunnel.
"NEXT MATCH! THE DARKNESS REVELRY VS. THE CREATION QUEEN!"
Momo Yaoyorozu stood up from her seat in the student section. Her face set in a mask of determination that didn't quite reach her anxious eyes.
She walked down the stairs toward the preparation area. As she passed the corridor leading to the VIP viewing deck, she saw Aokiji leaning against the wall, drinking a juice box.
She stopped.
"Kuzan-san," she said.
Aokiji lowered the juice box. "Yo. Yaoyorozu. Heading out?"
"Yes," she nodded, clutching her hands together. "We... we were both accepted through recommendations. You, Todoroki-san, and myself. You two have already shown such overwhelming power. It would be... a shame upon my family name if I do not perform to that standard."
Aokiji looked at her. He saw the weight of generations pressing down on her shoulders. The need to be perfect.
"Don't overthink it," Aokiji said, tossing the empty box into a bin. "Titles don't win fights. Quirks do. And your opponent... Tokoyami... he's not easy. He's fast, and he doesn't hesitate."
"I know," Momo took a deep breath. "But I must win."
She walked out into the arena.
The match was short. Painfully so.
"START!"
Momo tried to think. I need a shield. No, a staff. I need to create...
"DARK SHADOW!" Tokoyami whispered.
The shadow monster erupted from his chest, screeching across the arena before Momo could even visualize the molecular structure of a weapon. It slammed into her, pushing her back.
Bam. Bam. Bam.
She couldn't think. She couldn't focus. The pressure was too high, and the enemy was too fast. She was pushed back, step by step, until her heel passed the white line.
"YAOYOROZU IS OUT OF BOUNDS! TOKOYAMI WINS!"
Momo stood there, holding her half-formed metal sheet. She hadn't done anything. She hadn't shown her intellect, her versatility, or her power. She had just... lost.
Her knees buckled, and she fell to the ground, tears welling in her eyes. "I... I couldn't do anything..."
The VIP Section
Soichiro Kuzan sat in his plush leather chair, watching the monitor. A small, cold smile touched his lips as he watched the daughter of the Yaoyorozu family crumble.
"Disappointing," Soichiro murmured, though his tone suggested he was anything but disappointed. "The Yaoyorozu stock just took a hit. They focused too much on elegance and not enough on combat application."
He turned his head slowly, his dark eyes locking onto the flaming figure of Endeavor, who was standing at the far end of the balcony, looking stoic.
"One rival down," Soichiro whispered to himself, swirling the ice in his whiskey glass. "Your turn is next, Endeavor. Let us see if your creation can stand against mine."
Aokiji walked down the row of seats in the student section. He saw a gap next to the bandaged Midoriya and the nervous Uraraka.
"Mind if I sit?" Aokiji asked.
Midoriya jumped. "K-Kuzan-kun! No, please!"
Aokiji sat down. The air around him cooled instantly, providing relief from the midday sun. Midoriya immediately opened a burnt, tatty notebook and began scribbling furiously.
mutter mutter... Tokoyami's speed was impressive... Dark Shadow has a range limit... weakness to light...
Aokiji watched him for a moment. "You know, Midoriya."
Midoriya stopped writing. "Yes?"
"If you have enough brain space to analyze everyone else's quirk," Aokiji pointed a finger at the notebook, "you should use some of that processing power on your own. You're treating your quirk like a borrowed tool instead of a limb. Analyze yourself. Figure out how not to explode."
Midoriya stared at him, stunned. Then, a look of realization dawned on his face. He looked at his bandaged hand. "Analyze... myself..."
"I... I've been trying to think about that," Midoriya admitted softly. "About how to lower the output."
"Good. Keep thinking," Aokiji leaned back.
He turned his head to the other side. Ochaco Uraraka was sitting with her hands gripping her knees. She was staring at the bracket on the screen.
MATCH 8: KATSUKI BAKUGO VS. OCHACO URARAKA
She was pale. Her usual bubbly demeanor was gone, replaced by a quiet, trembling dread.
"You're quiet," Aokiji observed. "That's rare."
Uraraka jumped slightly. "Ah.. Kuzan-kun. I... well... look at my opponent."
"Bakugo," Aokiji nodded. "The angry pomeranian."
"He's the most talented guy in the class," Uraraka said, her voice wavering. "And he's terrifying. To be honest... I'm scared."
"I think it's normal, I would have been scared too if I was a girl. You should be scared," Aokiji said bluntly.
Uraraka flinched.
"I think," Aokiji continued, looking down at the empty ring. "Bakugo has an ego the size of the stadium. But he respects strength. He doesn't care about gender. He won't hold back just because you're a girl. He's going to try to blast you out of the stadium. He'll treat you like a threat."
"Yeah..." Uraraka looked down at her hands. "Midoriya-kun said the same thing. Kacchan fights to win."
Aokiji tilted his head, his sunglasses sliding down his nose slightly. "Don't overthink it, just go on, and protect your pretty face.."
Uraraka looked up at him. A small, determined fire lit up in her eyes. She slapped her cheeks with both hands. Smack!
"Right!" she said, her voice firmer. "I can't give up before I even start! I'll do my best!"
Aokiji smirked slightly, pulling his sleeping mask up over his eyes again.
"ALRIGHT, LISTENERS!" Present Mic's voice boomed suddenly. "LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT MATCH! THE RED RIOT, EIJIRO KIRISHIMA! VERSUS! THE CHARGEBOLT, DENKI KAMINARI!"
The screen flashed with their portraits.
"Wait a bit," Aokiji lifted his mask. "Hardening vs. Electricity. That's and interesting one.."
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