Chapter 72: SF - Rivals
"Midoriya," Shoto said as he walked up the hill. "You are on our hill."
"Ehe." Izuku gave his classmate a crooked smile. "There's three other hills."
"I know, but you are here." Shoto stepped forward and large spikes of ice erupted from the ground in front of him, racing toward Izuku.
Izuku leapt into the air, One For All coursing through his legs as he saw the bed of ice spikes form below him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shoto still staring at him, as if he anticipated his move. His suspicion was quickly proven correct as he saw the ice continue to grow in height as it sought to knock him out of the sky.
"Crap!" Izuku exclaimed as he began to search for something to anchor Blackwhip too.
Fortunately, he didn't need to, as help came from his teammate.
"Need a little help, monsieur?" Aoyama asked as he fired his Navel Laser at the pillar, shattering the rising column of ice and halting its advance.
"Thanks!" Izuku called out. When he reached the apex of his jump, he wrapped himself in Full Cowling before throwing a tendril of Blackwhip straight down. The quirk found an uneven piece of ice to attach to, and Izuku pulled, accelerating himself downward. With a charged kick, he shattered the ice, landing on the hill in a cloud of fog and frozen splinters.
Izuku didn't even have enough time to recover before he heard the telltale sound of ice approaching again. Grinding his teeth, he leapt forward in search of his opponent.
Ochako had a brief moment of assurance that Izuku was still mobile before she heard the telltale sound of Momo's flashbang grenade hitting the ground.
"Himi!" Ochako called out as she threw her arms over her eyes and activated Smokescreen.
A moment later, she felt the grenade go off, the light and sound assaulting her senses. Her precautions blunted the worst effects, but she still felt her ears ringing and her eyes blurred as she opened them.
Fortunately, she didn't need to see much to see Momo rapidly approaching, a quarterstaff in her hands.
"I'm sorry Uraraka," Momo apologized as she swung with a low strike. "But just like Todoroki is challenging Midoriya, I have something to prove as well."
"I get it." Ochako leapt backward, a trail of smoke following her. "We're all here to show ourselves to the world." Pressing her hand to her arm, a flash of green light briefly wrapped around her as she increased her gravity. "We can be friends again when this is over, but for now, we are rivals!"
"Thank you for understanding," Momo said with a tight smile. Transferring the staff to her off hand, she gave Ochako a polite bow, preparing for a duel.
Ochako was prepared to match her, until she saw the flash of light from Momo's quirk around her chest. She quickly hopped to the side just in time to see Momo fire a grappling gun, the rope flying past her.
"I thought you were being honorable!" Ochako called out as she landed in a crouch before she launched herself forward.
"There's a time for honor," Momo said as she brought up her staff to block the blow, "and a time for practicality."
Ochako's fist connected with the metal weapon, the force of her impact enough to cause Momo to stagger backward. She reached out in an attempt to grab the other girl only to watch as Tenya hooked an arm around Momo's waist.
"Sorry I am late," he apologized as he ran away from Ochako, "but we must come up with another plan!"
"Plan? What is their plan…" Ochako asked herself as her eyes scanned for their fourth teammate.
There!
About five meters down the hill, she noticed Kaminari had shorted himself out… and took Himiko with him. Their teammate was lying on the ground, likely rendered temporarily unconscious from the blast.
"Damn it Himi," Ochako swore under her breath. "You've gotta stop picking up Izu's bad habits."
With a glance, she checked on her boyfriend, who was currently dancing around Shoto, trying to find an opening. Behind her, Aoyama fired his Laser down the hill, likely to prevent another team from taking advantage of the chaos.
"Not that they'll have any chance." Ochako felt a fierce grin spread across her lips. "Even if they claim the hill while we're facing Todoroki's team, we'll just take it back."
Satisfied with the situation, she returned her attention to Momo and Tenya, who both retreated about halfway down the hill and were hurriedly talking amongst themselves. Pressing her fingers together, she cycled from Heavy Gravity to Zero Gravity.
"Guess I'll go to you then," she said with a playful grin before kicking off the ground and floating skyward.
Kyoka winced as she heard an explosion reverberating through the ground.
"Was that Midoriya or Uraraka?" Aika asked.
"Does it matter?" Kyoka smirked at her friend. "As long as they're not aiming at us."
"Good point!" Aika let out a laugh.
"Guys, my Mushrooms!" Komori suddenly called. "Something's wrong with them!"
"Huh?" Kyoka turned her attention to her teammate gesturing down one side of the hill.
After they had claimed it, she had created a carpet of Mushrooms in a ring around the hill in the hopes to impede the next group who decided to fight them. However, as the group of support students started ascending the hill, the Mushrooms that impeded them started to wither away.
"Is one of them singing?" Aika asked.
"Of course you'd ask that." Kyoka rolled her eyes. "And yes."
"That means–"
"-another rival!" Komori finished excitedly.
"Focus," Kyoka said through gritted teeth. As she turned her attention down the hill, she raised her ear jacks to listen, only to realize that her enhanced hearing wasn't working.
"Guys, something's wrong with my quirk too," Kirishima announced as he looked down at his arms, their shape returning to normal as the effects of Hardening wore off.
"Great," Kyoka dryly remarked, "so they've got an Aizawa on their side."
"Good thing we know how to fight!" Aika stepped forward confidently.
"You three do…" Komori said weakly.
"Don't worry about us!" Kirishima threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Just keep anyone off our backs, we'll handle this group."
"R-right," Komori said before she forced herself to smile. "This's better for my quirk anyway!"
"Exactly!" Aika called out. "We'll be done before you know it!"
"Why did you have to jinx us like that," Kyoka asked.
"Because we've got– eek!" Aika screeched as she dropped to the ground as a net sailed harmlessly over her.
"Damn it," said a pink dreadlocked-haired girl with goggles atop of her head. She lowered her gun. "It missed."
"It's only a matter of time," a student with sky-blue hair said as he raised his own net gun. "After all, they can't use their quirks!"
Kyoka narrowly dodged a net fired at her as she examined the group. Three of the students had net guns. The fourth, a girl with green eyes and shoulder-length black hair tied up in a ponytail, stood behind them, her eyes filled with determination as she sang a song.
"It's gotta be her quirk!" Kyoka called out as she pointed down at the girl.
She realized her mistake seconds later when she saw Aika's eyes light up. "I'll stop her!"
"Aika wait–!"
It was too late as Aika charged down the hill, Kirishima hot on her heels. With a playful roll of her eyes, Kyoka singled out the lead girl – the one with pink hair and goggles and charged down after her friends.
"Uraraka–"
"You said honor's on hold, right?" Ochako flashed Momo a far-too-bright smile.
"I… guess I did," Momo admitted as she pushed herself off the ground.
"Well then, I'm gonna keep pushing until you're off our hill." Ochako pressed her hands together to release herself from her quirk's effects. "Or I'll just float you away from it instead."
Without any further warning, Ochako charged down the hill, her hand outstretched as she tried to grab Momo. She watched as her classmate raised her arm and Created a metallic shield. Ochako's hand pressed against the cool metal, and she mentally willed its gravity to increase. Surprised by the sudden change in weight, Momo fell to the ground with a yelp.
She didn't have time to follow up, however, as she felt a kick to the back as Tenya sent her flying forward. Reaching her hands out, Ochako did a somersault and landed on her feet before she spun around to face her classmates. She saw Tenya helping Momo up and pressed her hands together to cancel her quirk.
"My apologies Uraraka, but I cannot have you defeat my teammates," Tenya declared.
"It's okay!" Ochako assured him. "But I'm not letting either of you get to the top of this hill."
Activating Galactic Shroud, she leapt up the hill, easily jumping over their heads. Once she reached the apex of her jump, she pressed a hand to her arm to activate Heavy Gravity. The effects were immediate as she felt herself dragged downward, slamming into the earth with thunderous force as she felt the ground crack and splinter, sending dirt and debris everywhere.
"Yaoyorozu, now!" Tenya called.
Ochako watched Momo make a throwing motion with her hand, the flashbang being Created partway through in her hand ready to be thrown. She couldn't help but grin – they thought that she needed a moment to recover!
"Not so fast," Ochako said as she activated Smokescreen and leaped toward her opponents.
If I'm getting caught by that, you're coming with me!
She saw Tenya and Momo's eyes grow wide as she flew past the grenade and landed in front of them. While less impressive than the impact she had just made, she still cracked the ground under her increased weight, causing them to stumble–
-just as the flashbang went off behind them.
Ochako was shielded from most of the effects, but when she recovered, she realized Tenya and Momo were already gone. She quickly searched for them only to find them rapidly working their way around the crater she had left behind.
"Oh no you don't."
Pressing her hands together, she released her quirk and charged after them. Quietly thankful that Tenya wasn't leaving his teammate behind, she quickly closed the distance between them. Pumping One For All into her legs, she leaped forward to close the final gap, her hand outstretched as it sought out one her opponents.
"Got you!" Ochako said triumphantly as she tagged Tenya's shoulder, removing his gravity.
"Uraraka!" Tenya shouted in surprise as he suddenly cartwheeled in the air.
Momo quickly created another grappling gun and fired it, catching her teammate with the rope to prevent him from flying off before she spun around to face her classmate. "It seems you've won this round."
"Yep!" Ochako smiled brightly. She pointed a finger to the giant holographic clock in the middle. "If you leave now, you should have enough time to take another hill."
"But Todoroki–" Tenya started to protest.
"If you'd prefer, I can float both of you, and then you won't have any chance to take another hill."
Despite her cheery demeanor, Ochako's words caused both classmates to shudder. They looked at each other helplessly before Momo let out a defeated sigh. "Will you let us collect Kaminari and Todoroki at least?"
"Of course!" Ochako chirped brightly. "I'm not gonna hold a grudge."
Izuku launched a flying kick toward Shoto, only to watch as a wall of ice rapidly appeared in front of him. He heard the ice shatter as he connected with it, but he chose not to wait around for the counterattack. Kicking himself off of one of the fragments, Izuku flipped himself to land upright on the ground before he jumped backward.
"Your mobility's a lot more limited in an open environment," Shoto observed as he walked forward.
"And you're slowing down with your ice," Izuku replied.
Shoto's eyes narrowed. "Why would I want to give you more terrain?"
"Is that it?" Izuku asked as his eyes darted to the frost on his hand. "Or is there a limit to your ice?"
"Hmph. We'll see about that," Shoto's glared daggers at Izuku.
Izuku let out an ignoble squeak as he jumped back to the top of the hill, a massive glacier chasing him the entire way. While he expected the counterattack, he didn't expect it to be that intense. Not with the frost he saw on Shoto's hands.
"Is he really willing to sacrifice his third round just to stop me?" Izuku asked in disbelief. "How did I screw things up that badly?"
"I believe it is your continued prodding about his quirk," Aoyama helpfully supplied.
"Eep!" Izuku whipped around to face his teammate, only to see he was practically at the flag. "I came this far?"
His teammate let out an amused chuckle before he wagged his finger dramatically. "I believe the term you are looking for is 'poking the bear'? You have been aggravating him for several minutes now. And this is after his manifique declaration this morning. What did you expect to happen?"
"I…" Izuku sighed. "You're right." He looked at the glacier. "Are you okay up here?"
"Of course!" Aoyama struck a pose. "Nobody has been able to stand up to my dazzling display."
"Thanks." Izuku gave him a grateful look before he balled his fists. "Time to end this."
"Oh my? Have you finally accepted the rivalry?"
"I guess so," Izuku said softly as he summoned Blackwhip.
Izuku threw the black tendril toward the top of the latest glacier Shoto had created, and smiled to himself when he felt it connect. He activated Float and pulled himself upward until he hung off the top of the ice. Looking down, he spotted Shoto slowly making his way along the glacier towards the top.
"Todoroki," Izuku called before he launched himself skyward, landing in front of his icy classmate. "Find another hill."
"I already told you–"
"And I'm going to stop you," Izuku said. "Every time." He pointed a finger at Shoto's right side. "I've spent most of my life thinking I was quirkless. You don't know what it's like. Ever since my quirk came in…" He balled his fists in front of him as he took a challenging step forward. "I'm not going to lose to someone who's only using half their quirk!"
"You! How could you possibly understand?!" Shoto demanded.
"I don't," Izuku admitted as he threw his hand to his side. "But I want to!"
"It doesn't–"
"Todoroki!" Tenya called out, interrupting them. "I suggest we find another hill!"
"What?" Shoto asked in disbelief. Turning, he and Izuku saw Tenya fast approaching, with Kaminari in a fireman's carry on his back.
"We failed to get past Uraraka by ourselves, and Midoriya is still standing," Tenya pointed out. "We would be better off trying to claim a different hill where they have already been worn down."
"Grr…" Shoto grimaced as his eyes darted between Tenya, the approaching Momo, and Izuku.
Izuku bit his tongue, knowing that he would only make things worse if he spoke. Instead, he busied himself looking for Ochako. Without the telltale signs of Galactic Shroud, it took him a moment, but he eventually saw her helping Himiko to her feet.
"Fine," Shoto finally said before he turned toward his teammates. "We have three minutes left, let's secure a hill."
Letting out a sigh that he didn't even know he was holding, Izuku turned around and began his ascent. Now that Shoto's team was backing off, he didn't trust other teams to try something. And he wanted to make sure Himiko was okay.
"What's the big idea, suppressing our quirks?" Kyoka asked as she approached the lead girl.
"It was Songbird's idea," the pink-haired girl replied with a coy smile. "You hero types can get too reliant on your quirks."
"Well, some of us are." Kyoka smirked as she flexed her ear jacks. Even though parts of her quirk were suppressed, she could still use them as additional limbs.
Perfect.
"But you picked the wrong group to mess with," Kyoka declared as she launched herself forward. She sent her jacks towards the other girl's eyes, hoping that she'd stumble under the threat, despite having eye protection.
"Nice trick, but my goggles are reinforced," the girl cackled as she leapt into the air. "Besides, I've got more tricks."
The sound of a rocket ignition filled the air as the girl continued to ascend until she hovered several meters in the air. Kyoka watched as a small box extended out of her opponent's belt before spinning downward, aimed at her.
"Oh shi–" Kyoka jumped backwards just in time as a dart fired out of the box, striking the spot she was standing a moment before. "What the hell's that?"
"Ehehe," the girl laughed as the box already shifted to track Kyoka again. "Sometimes all you need's a little tranquilizer dart to surprise a villain! One of my most recent designs!"
"That's great but-" Kyoka did a side hop to avoid the next dart. "-I'm not so fond of being on the receiving end right now!"
"Just think about how much they could help you!" the girl continued as the box started tracking Kyoka again. "I'd gladly set you up with one after the tournament!"
"How thoughtful," Kyoka deadpanned.
Suddenly, she got an idea. With a smirk, she dashed toward the boy with sky-blue hair. His eyes went wide at the sudden attack, and he raised his net gun to fire it. But she was faster. Throwing out a hand, she knocked the gun aside as she heard the shot go off, the net flying harmlessly into the air as she wrapped her jacks around his arm. Twisting his arm, she spun around her opponent until she was behind his back, just in time to hear the dart gun fire again.
"Hatsume!" the guy called out. "Your dart–"
"Crap! Sorry about that Blue," the girl, called Hatsume, said as she started lowering to the ground. "Don't worry, it'll wear off soon!"
"These guys are too strong!" their fourth teammate, a short squat boy with dark skin and steel-gray hair called out. He was trying to hit Kirishima with what looked like an electrical prod, but the hero student was too quick and easily dodged his swings. "We should find another hill."
"Speak for yourselves," the boy named Blue said as Kyoka felt him go slack in her arms. "I'm so… sleepy…"
Hatsume let out a sigh and fired a pair of grappling hooks toward Blue. Kyoka let him go and hopped backward, only to watch as the hooks wrapped around the boy and retracted back to Hatsume, attaching the boy to her back like an oversized backpack. "You're right. We've gotta get a move on if we want to win." She turned her attention to where the fourth student, Songbird, was currently sparring with Aika. "You heard that Songbird? We've gotta go."
The girl stopped singing only to stare defiantly at the other girl. "But we can win!"
"But we're running out of time!" the fourth boy insisted.
"Thanks for the distraction," Kirishima said as his hands showed the telltale sign of his quirk. Reaching out, he grabbed the taser-like device and wrenched it free from the support student. "Now we're even!"
"Damn it," the girl, known as Songbird, grimaced.
"It's now or never," Mei said as she activated her thrusters and boosted herself in the air.
"I'm with Hatsume," the short boy said as he activated his own jetpack. "Let's try another hill."
"Guys!" the girl complained before crossing her arm in a huff. "Fine!" Activating her own jetpack, she seemed to glare at Aika. "This isn't over yet!"
"I'm looking forward to it!" Aika called back with a wave.
Rolling her eyes, Kyoka watched as the support students maneuvered in the air towards another hill. With a shake of her head, she looked at her teammates. "Come on, I'm sure we'll have to deal with another attack before this is over."
Izuku felt his shoulders slump as he heard the buzzer sound, while the nearby 1-B students slumped their shoulders in defeat.
"Man, I thought we had you for sure," Tetsutetsu said. "After having to fight off Todoroki's team."
"Ehe, we still had a little strength left," Izuku said with a nervous smile. "Besides, I have a promise to keep."
"You'd better win," Tetsutetsu said. "I won't expect anything less!"
"I'll do my best," Izuku promised before he turned to search for Ochako.
She stood across the hill shaking hands with Shiozaki. When she was done, she turned towards him and their eyes found each other. Even with the distance, he knew the challenging smile she was giving him right now.
Which of us is gonna win the tournament?
Chapter 73: SF - Talks
"What an exciting match!" Midnight exclaimed from her platform after the students had reconvened. "Unfortunately, while forty-eight of you started this match, only a third of you will move on to the final match!"
Izuku could see the looks of disappointment on his classmates and none more from Monoma. Their hold on the fourth and final hill was broken in a desperate four-way battle at the last minute, only for the support team to disable everyone's quirks and use the chaos to take the hill for themselves.
He just hoped that they'd be able to keep relationships with their sister class strong.
Izuku's concerns about 1-B filled his head as Midnight explained the details of the final round. Much like he remembered, they were going to have a break before the elimination rounds began. And just like last year, it was sparring – Nezu had apparently decided to leave the final round unchanged after very specifically changing the first round.
"Now then, it's the moment you've all been waiting for." Midnight words caused Izuku's attention to return to her. With a flourish, she raised the microphone into the air, and the bracket for the top sixteen appeared.
Izuku Midoriya vs Junko Hachiro
Himiko Midoriya vs Yoshiya Sawao
Tenya Iida vs Mei Hatsume
Shoto Todoroki vs Kinoko Komori
Kyoka Jiro vs Kaminari Denki
Yuga Aoyama vs Momo Yaoyorozu
Aika Shizu vs Emika Mizuki
Ochako Uraraka vs Eijiro Kirishima
"Of course Nezu would do that," Izuku muttered to himself as he looked at the brackets.
He and Ochako bookended the brackets. Which meant they weren't going to meet until the final round.
"Well," Ochako let out a resigned sigh as she turned toward her boyfriend. "I guess Nezu doesn't want us fighting too early, huh?"
"Nope!" Izuku said as he gave her a goofy grin.
Ochako matched his grin before the two returned their attention to examine the rest of the brackets. As he went over the matches, he thought about who his opponents would be for each round.
"So I'm going to face him in the third round," Izuku mumbled to himself.
As if summoned, Izuku suddenly felt a gaze on his back. He spun around and saw Shoto staring at him. Their eyes locked, and Shoto quickly closed the distance between them.
"Midoriya," Shoto began. "Can we talk?"
Izuku tried to keep his emotions in check as he felt the flashing sense of familiarity of his first Sports Festival. "Sure." Izuku gestured toward the tunnels under the stadium. "Let's go."
As Shoto turned away, Izuku spared a glance to his girlfriend. She mouthed the words 'good luck,' to him and gave him a faint smile. Izuku gave her a small wave before he walked off to follow his classmate.
Ochako was so focused on watching Izuku walk off that she missed that she had someone approaching her until she heard a polite cough beside her.
"Excuse me," Yaoyorozu said politely. She waited until Ochako had turned toward her before she continued. "I noticed that we are in the same bracket and I'd like to talk before lunch." Her eyes drifted toward the departing Izuku and Shoto. "It seems like I'm not the only one with that idea."
"Oh," Ochako said in surprise. "Of course! We can go…" Her eyes darted around until she found a different tunnel entrance. "Over there!" She said as she gestured toward the alternate entrance.
"That will suffice," Yaoyorozu agreed.
Aika's head darted back and forth between her two departing friends before she turned towards Kyoka. "I feel like we're being left out."
"Speak for yourself." Kyoka gave her a lazy smirk as she crossed her arms.
"Huh?"
Kyoka gestured behind Aika with one of her jacks. The girl spun around, only to come face-to-face with the girl from the support course she fought the last round. The one with a singing quirk.
"You." The girl glared at Aika.
"Me?" Aika blinked as she pointed to herself.
"I want to talk to you," the girl declared. Without waiting for Aika's reply, she tugged on Aika's wrist.
"Su–" Aika began before the other girl dragged her off. She stumbled from surprise but kept up as the other girl led her toward another tunnel entrance, flashing a nervous grin back to Kyoka.
"So do you have any rival you want to tell me about?" Himiko asked jokingly.
"Not that I know of," Kyoka said nervously. She began to look around cautiously, and Himiko followed suit as they made sure none of their opponents were approaching them before they both sighed in relief. "How about you?"
"Maybe if Emmy was a first year," Himiko admitted with a giggle. "But since she's competing tomorrow, I'm safe!"
"Lucky you." Kyoka smirked. "Why don't we figure out lunch?"
"Sounds great!" Himiko chirped.
With one final glance around them, the two girls followed their classmates out of the arena, both hoping they wouldn't have to wait too long for their friends to join them.
When Shoto had felt they had gone deep enough into the tunnel system, he stopped and turned around. Izuku waited patiently as his classmate scanned him, his heterochromatic eyes looking him over as they searched for something.
"What changed?"
Izuku blinked at the question. "Eh?"
"Last round," Shoto explained. "Before my teammates showed up."
"Oh." Izuku rubbed the back of his head as he looked at his former, and hopefully future, friend. "Well, I wasn't taking the idea of a rivalry seriously." He winced internally as he saw Shoto's eyes narrow, but he pushed onward. "I didn't feel like you were giving it your all and so I wasn't either."
"Midoriya," Shoto said darkly. "I was very serious when I said I would defeat you."
"That's not what I was talking about." Izuku slowly lowered his hand from the back of his head and pointed at Shoto's left side.
"You mean my father's fire."
"It's your fire," Izuku continued. He took a deep breath and balled his fists. "I don't understand what you mean by that."
Shoto let out a weary sigh and shook his head. "Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?"
Izuku swallowed nervously. "I thought those were outlawed."
"They are," Shoto said steadily. "But that doesn't stop people with money and connections… such as Japan's second-ranked hero."
"Why?" Izuku asked, not really trusting his voice to betray his knowledge.
"All Might." Shoto closed his eyes. "No matter how much my father tried, he never was able to get close to Japan's top hero. So he came up with another plan – an heir." He opened his eyes and stared at his left hand. "Someone with the perfect fusion of his quirk and another quirk. An ice quirk." He balled his hand into a fist. "Someone who can surpass All Might."
"That's terrible," Izuku said softly.
Shoto opened his fist slowly. "It took my father four tries, but he finally got what he wanted."
"You."
"Yes. For years, he trained me, pushed my quirk to its limits with his singular obsession of surpassing All Might."
"So that's why you won't use your fire. Spite…" Izuku said softly. Locking eyes with Shoto, he raised his voice. "But after everything you've seen, do you really think you'll be able to beat me with half your quirk?"
"I have to." Shoto stared back, and Izuku could see the determination in his eyes. "Otherwise Mom– my training– everything I've been through–"
"Do you know what it's like, growing up thinking you're quirkless?" Izuku asked.
"Huh?" Shoto blinked in surprise at the question.
Izuku looked down at his own hands. "Everyone acted like I was disabled. That I could never amount to anything. That I could never become a hero." He watched as his hands began to glow in a warm green light. "Even knowing that, I still wanted to try! I didn't know how I'd do it but–"
"But then your quirk came in."
"Yeah," Izuku said softly, a fond look on his face as he remembered that fateful day All Might offered him his quirk. "It was the best day of my life. Even if it hurts me. Even if I can't control it fully. Even if it took a decade to manifest–"
Even if it was given to me.
"It's my quirk."
Mine and Ochakos.
"It's not the same. You aren't reminded of your father every time you use your quirk." Izuku let out a nervous laugh, and Shoto's shoulders tensed. "Midoriya… what's so funny?"
"It's nothing," Izuku said far too quickly. "My dad's quirk was fire breathing, after all."
"But your quirk…" Shoto hooked a finger around his chin as his eyes narrowed. "You've always been close to All Might. What is your relationship to him?"
"Ehe." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Promise you can keep a secret?"
"A bold question," Shoto mused, "especially after everything I just told you."
"Well All Might he…" Izuku swallowed nervously. "He's actually dating my mom?"
"Ah. That explains a lot."
"You're awfully accepting of that…" Izuku said nervously.
"If I didn't know better, I would say he could be your father," Shoto explained. "Especially given the similarities of your quirks. But if he's dating your mother… of course you would emulate him."
Izuku let out a soft sigh of relief. "Y-yeah. So while I'm not reminded of my father, I think of him every time I use my quirk."
"I see." A smile ghosted across Shoto's face. "So I was right. You are the perfect person to match myself against."
"Then I hope you're ready." Izuku gave him a shaky smile. "Because I won't stop either."
As Ochako followed Yaoyorozu through the tunnel, she spotted a small utility closet.
"Wait!" she called out.
"What?" Yaoyorozu froze mid-stride before she turned to look at Ochako in confusion.
Ochako said as she gestured to the door. "We can talk in there."
"Oh that's perfect." Yaoyorozu smiled politely. "Thank you."
The two girls walked over to the closet and opened it. The interior was filled with supplies, but there was more than enough room for the two of them, and they stepped inside. Ochako closed the door part way behind her before she turned to her classmate.
"So what do you want to talk about?"
"How are you so strong?" Yaoyorozu asked, and Ochako could feel the hint of despair in her voice.
"What do you mean?" Ochako asked.
"Out there." Yaoyorozu gestured towards the door. "During the fight. You were in complete control, and it felt like you were toying with us." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I saw what you do during class, and I've heard about what happened at the USJ. But that was on a whole other level."
"I guess I overdid it out there, didn't I?" Ochako asked sheepishly. "Well it's pretty simple, really. Izu and I have something we're fighting for."
"Something that you're fighting for?"
"Yeah," Ochako replied quietly. "I thought I had everything figured out but then…" She shook her head. "Something happened. Something that will haunt me for the rest of my life." She locked eyes with her classmate and gave her a faint smile. "I don't want to let something like that happen ever again."
"I see." Ochako couldn't quite tell what Yaoyorozu was thinking as she turned away. "I've spent my entire life up to this point being told how strong I was. Between Creation and the Yaoyorozu name, it felt like anything was possible. Of course I was going to become a hero. What else would I be?"
Ochako couldn't help but empathize with how lost her classmate sounded at that moment. It reminded her a lot of how she felt after Kamino. She waited patiently for her to continue, but Yaoyorozu remained silent. Finally, Ochako decided to prod her. "But?"
"But then I met the rest of our classmates. And I met you and Midoriya. The strength of your conviction. The power it gives you. It makes me realize how far I have to go."
"I'm sorry," Ochako apologized.
"Don't be!" Yaoyorozu spun around to look at her again. "If it wasn't you, it would have been Midoriya. Or Shizu or…" Momo seemed to swallow nervously. "Jiro. All of you have the same fire around you. It makes you all so– so bright."
"What we have isn't anything special," Ochako insisted. "We just found our reasons to be heroes."
"That tragedy. The one you are fighting to prevent from ever happening again," Yaoyorozu explained. "What was it?"
"I can't tell you today." Ochako gave her an apologetic look. "Someday, maybe. But not now."
"I understand," Yaoyorozu replied, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
"It wouldn't help much, anyways," Ochako continued.
"No, I suppose it wouldn't. Thank you, Uraraka."
Ochako slowly turned around and pushed the door open before she looked at her classmate over her shoulder. "I hope you find your answer."
Yaoyorozu's eyes shone a bit as she said, "Me too."
As Ochako walked down the hallway, she couldn't help but notice that her classmate wasn't following her. Looking back, she saw the door to the closet was still open, and her classmate was still inside, staring down at her hands.
Aika allowed herself to get carried along until the girl found a suitable corner. Satisfied, she let go of her wrist before she spun around and glared at the hero student.
"Why were you mocking me?"
"Huh?!" Aika exclaimed.
"During our battle on the hill!" The girl stomped her foot for emphasis. "You were trying to match my song while we were fighting!"
"I wasn't trying to mock you!" Aika insisted. "You were trying to sing a duet!"
"Huh?!" The girl stepped back defensively, confusion written all over her face.
"The song you were singing for your quirk," Aika elaborated. "You were missing a partner – some of the lines don't work if you're singing by yourself!"
"How do you know that?"
"It's from one of my favorite groups!" Aika smiled at her. "I'd love to use their songs for my quirk, but they don't work great singing them by myself."
Taking the girl's silence as encouragement, she stuck out her hand. "I'm Aika. Aika Shizu."
"What?" The girl blinked in surprise as she looked down at Aika's hand.
"I never got to introduce myself properly. Since we were fighting and all, ehehe," Aika rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "But since we're not anymore–"
"Emika," the girl blurted out. "Emika Mizuki."
"It's nice to meet you, Mizuki." Aika grabbed the other girl's hand and shook it.
"You– This means we're facing off again next round!" Mizuki pulled her hand back. "How can you be so friendly!?"
"Why not?" Aika was confused.
"Because that makes us rivals!" the girl insisted.
"I mean sure, for the match we'll be opponents. But we aren't fighting now, and we won't be fighting after the match."
"That's–"
Aika's face lit up as she got an idea, and she snapped her fingers. "I got it! Do you want to go to a karaoke bar during our break?"
"I– WHAT?!"
"You're worried we can't be friends, right?" Aika smiled at the other girl. "Well, I want to prove you wrong!"
"But… why karaoke?" the girl asked skeptically.
"Because you've got a beautiful voice," Aika admitted. "Besides, wouldn't it be fun to sing those songs when we're not fighting?"
"I–" Mizuki's mouth opened and closed but no words came out.
"Just think about it, okay?" Aika asked hesitantly, worried she may have overstepped. "You can tell me after our match, and I promise I won't be hurt if you don't want to!"
Aika waited a few seconds longer until she started feeling awkward. Slowly, carefully, she turned around. "I'm gonna go find my friends. You should probably eat something before our match, okay?"
As she retreated down the corridor, she suddenly heard Mizuki's voice calling out to her.
"Shizu!"
Spinning around, Aika saw the other girl's hand outstretched toward her. Mizuki curled her fingers into a fist as she drew her hand to her chest, and a look of determination filled her face. "You'd better not go easy on me next round! Because I'm gonna be giving it my all!"
Aika felt a smile stretching across her face as she saw the fire in the other girl's eyes. "I won't! My friends deserve nothing less than my best!"
After a lunch break, everyone returned to the stands for the elimination rounds to begin. And first up was Izuku. Despite his opponent's jetpack and support gear, he was unable to overcome Blackwhip and Izuku managed to catch his opponent in a tendril of eldritch energy and send him flying out of the ring.
Next up was Himiko, facing off against Yoshiya Sawao, another support student. As she approached, she noted that he was equipped with a net gun as well as some sort of boots with thrusters on him. She'd have to be careful.
When she reached the starting line, she flashed him a fanged grin. "Good luck!"
"I don't need luck," Sawao quipped. "My gear will win the day, no matter your quirk!"
"Oh?" Himiko crossed her arms. "You think I'm gonna need a quirk to win!"
"I've made that mistake once today. I'm not gonna make it again," he replied as he held up his fist in a challenge. "Bring it on."
"Oh this will be fun!" Himiko's smile turned predatory as she slid into a combat stance.
"Oh my, what youthful passion on display," Midnight said from the stand as she raised her baron. "Begin!"
To the boy's credit, he lasted almost a full minute before Himiko discovered an opening. Taking a deep breath, she stopped breathing and emptied her mind. She would have laughed at his confusion if she could have, but she had a match to win!
She snuck up on him and grabbed his arm. Off-balance, he stumbled alongside her as she dragged him to the edge of the arena before tossing him out with an overhead throw.
"Ring out, Midoriya wins!" Midnight called.
"So much for needing a quirk." Himiko smiled at her opponent.
"That wasn't your quirk?" Sawao asked as he stood up.
"Nope!" Himiko chirped. "My quirk doesn't help in a fight."
"Maaaan…" The student rubbed the back of his head. "That's the second time today. Maybe I have it all wrong about you hero types."
Himiko laughed. "That's why I'm here, after all."
Izuku felt bad as Tenya fell into the same trap he did in his original timeline. Ten minutes and one long advertising pitch later, Hatsume stepped out of the ring, the support student more than happy with the results.
The next round was also just as lopsided as Izuku remembered. Komori raised her hands to disperse spores, only for Shoto to throw a glacier at her, freezing her and her mushrooms in place.
"I guess you must have made him angry," Ochako mumbled to Izuku.
"That wasn't me." Izuku shook his head. "It must have been Endeavor."
"Mmm…" Ochako gave him a sad smile. "Do you think you'll be able to get through to him?"
"I hope so." Izuku turned and smiled back. "If not, I'll keep trying."
"Of course you will," Ochako giggled. "C'mon, let's go check the stalls while waiting for the arena to be cleared."
"I promise I'll make this quick," Denki said as he stood at the starting line.
"You don't have to just give me the win because I'm a girl, Chargedolt," Kyoka snarked back.
Kaminari placed his hands over his heart. "You wound me."
"That's the plan." Kyoka smirked back.
"And here I was going to see if you wanted to go to dinner after this," Kaminari replied, acting hurt.
"Oh please." Kyoka rolled her eyes. "I've already got to deal with Aika. I don't need another blond idiot in my life."
"That's not a no!" Kaminari said.
On the platform, Midnight smirked at their antics before she raised her baton into the air. "Let's see that passion in the heat of battle. Begin!"
Kyoka knew that Kaminari had been trying to focus his electricity into more focused attacks ever since the USJ, and she couldn't count on him shorting himself out. So that meant she had to get close. It presented its own dangers, but she had an idea to counter that.
She just hoped it worked.
Kyoka dropped low to duck underneath a burst of electricity. She slammed both of her jacks into the ground and shot out a sweeping roundhouse kick, surprising Kaminari and sending him to the ground. She unhooked her jacks from the ground and stood up, waiting for the next opening.
"Hey, that's not fair!" Kaminari complained as he pushed himself to his feet.
"All's fair in love and war, dolt," Kyoka replied.
She threw another low kick at his knees, but he managed to dodge out of the way. She responded by grabbing his arm, silently hoping her theory was correct.
"Everything goes, right?" Kaminari said playfully as he activated his electricity.
Kyoka grit her teeth and jammed her jacks into the ground behind her. Not a moment later, she felt her opponent's electricity hit her like a punch in the gut. Fortunately, her theory proved correct as she felt the current run through her jacks into the ground below them. She was shaken but still standing as she felt Kaminari go limp in her arms.
"Heyyyy… how arrre youuuu still…"
"It's called science, dolt." Kyoka smirked as she unhooked herself from the ground. She then walked him over to the edge of the arena and pushed him out.
"What a clever way to disable her opponent. Jiro wins!" Midnight called out.
The next round was not even close as Momo used her quirk to Create an oversized mirror. Using the mirror as an oversized shield, she deflected her opponent's attacks as she grew closer. Whenever she got close, Aoyama retreated to maintain his distance until he ran out of room. Without any other option, he let out a graceful sigh and conceded the match.
Finally, it was Aika's turn to face Mizuki again. She was so excited that she almost forgot to say goodbye to her friends as she left the stands and raced down to the field, where she saw her opponent there, dressed in a pair of bulky purple maneuvering boots and a backpack with two whiplike arms attached to them.
"Begin!" Midnight called out.
"I'm not going to hold back either!" Mizuki called out as the arms came to life, both surging forward toward Aika.
Aika began singing to activate her quirk, deflecting the first strike harmlessly. She heard her opponent begin to sing as well and felt a tingling in her arm as she blocked the second strike.
My quirk! Aika thought.
Grimacing, she increased the tempo and dashed forward in an attempt to finish the match quickly. With each passing moment, she felt her quirk weakening as the robotic arms continued their relentless assault. Rather than continue blocking, she stopped singing and switched to dodging instead, jumping back and forth in an effort to avoid being caught.
"Think, Aika," she murmured to herself as she dove toward her opponent and tucked into a roll. She heard the claw strike the concrete behind her with enough force to crack the pavement as she untucked herself and used the momentum to carry her forward.
Mizuki grimaced as she fired her thrusters and pushed herself backward, and Aika responded by taking a flying leap at her opponent. She had intended to try and tackle her opponent, but the final result was more of a flying hug as they ended up in a tangle of limbs as they flew backward towards the edge.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Mizuki stopped singing long enough to yell at her.
"My best!" Aika responded.
"Get off of me!" Mizuki shouted as she pushed Aika off of her, causing her to land ignobly on her butt. She watched her thrusters catch her before she left the arena, and she stood there panting heavily as she recovered from the shock. "Let's finish this!"
"Okay!" Aika said as she pushed herself up. Getting an idea, she began to sing the same song that Mizuki was singing earlier.
Please work! Aika silently begged as she raised her arms and felt the claws come in for a strike. Her quirk held, and she watched the claws bounce harmlessly off her arms. With a grin, she slid into her stance, her fists tightening as she watched her opponent square up.
Here I come!
As she charged, she heard Mizuki as she began to sing. But not just any song – she was matching Aika. Trained by many hours of practice, Aika managed to avoid breaking her song to cheer. But she still felt herself smiling as she charged her opponent. Once again her quirk began to weaken, but it felt slower this time – like she was able to hold off the effect of her opponent's quirk. She dodged, deflected, and countered every strike as she closed the distance until she was once again next to her opponent.
Mizuki had a desperate look on her face but refused to back down as she tried to escape again. But Aika was prepared this time. Grabbing her opponent's leg, she redirected her opponent's force and allowed her momentum to carry her foe out of the arena – and dragging her along for the ride. Both girls let out startled yelps as they landed in a heap outside the arena.
"Shizu wins!" Midnight calls out.
"Sorry about that." Aika scrambled off of her opponent and offered her a hand. "I didn't mean to get dragged along with you."
"You–" Mizuki looked at Aika's hand in disbelief before she took it and let herself get pulled up.
"Thanks for the fight," Aika said awkwardly. "I had fun."
"Thank you. For not holding back."
"I told you I wouldn't," Aika replied. "So about that offer…"
"Maybe if you win the whole thing," Mizuki said with the ghost of a smile on her face.
Aika stiffened at that as she recalled the brackets. "Ehehe."
After Aika's match, Ochako's was almost anticlimactic as she faced down Kirishima. The student tried his best to dodge, but it didn't take long for her to place a hand on him and activate his quirk, removing his gravity. Without any way to maneuver in the state, he was helpless as she carefully pushed him outside the ring before she freed him from her quirk's effects. He brushed it off with a grin and a flex, promising to come back even stronger next year, and Ochako said she was looking forward to it.
Side-by-side, the two returned to their classmates, ready for the short break before the top eight matches began.
Chapter 74: SF - Quarterfinals
"Are you ready for this, Himi?" Izuku asked as he stepped into the locker room.
"I think so," Himiko admitted. "Are you sure this will work? I know everyone's been accepting but putting it out in the open for the whole world to see's different."
"I get it," Izuku said. "Even after everything, there's still that lingering doubt. I feel that a lot of the time too."
"You're always so sure of yourself though," Himiko grumbled as she checked her phone.
"Ehe." Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "It's because I have a lot of people believing in me." He offered his sister a reassuring smile as he held out a hand. "But right now, it's your turn to shine."
Himiko looked down at the message from her sister. She had asked Hifumi what she thought about her plan, and the girl was nothing but encouraging. Emily had also threatened that there would be consequences if she chickened out, although Himiko had doubts that that would last long. And then there's her family – her real family – and the rest of her friends.
Even if her stakes were a lot more personal than what Izu and Ocha were dealing with, she still had people who believed in her too.
Locking her phone and setting it down, Himiko matched her brother's smile as she took his hand and let him pull her upright.
"Time to tell the world 'I am here,' huh?"
Izuku's face screwed up at the phrase. "Tell me I don't sound like that when I say it."
"Sorry, you're just as dorky every time."
Izuku let out a low moan as he looked crushed, and Himiko laughed in response.
"A fated battle against siblings," Midnight declared as she raised her microphone. "Let's hope they don't have any hard feelings afterwards! Begin!"
The crowd watched in silence as the two students stood there, neither one in a combat stance. Izuku slowly examined the crowd before he turned his attention to his sister and tilted his head.
"Ready Himi?"
Himiko looked at him and nodded. "Yes."
The two walked to the center of the arena and Izuku held out his hand. Himiko took it, cradling it as if it was precious glass as her finger slid along his wrist to find the vein. Not that she needed to – she's drawn his blood enough times that she had a good sense of where it was. Turning her gaze to his face, he saw the smile and sheer belief behind his eyes.
Belief she knew was shared by many people important to her.
Lifting his hand to her lips, she heard the crowd collectively gasp as she bit down on his wrist and felt his delicious blood filling her mouth.
Ignore them, Himi. The voice of her girlfriend rang in her ears. If they can't accept you, they don't deserve your attention anyway!
After swallowing a mouthful of blood, she licked the fang marks and released his hand. Closing her eyes, she activated Transform. The gray slime began to wrap itself around her like a warm hug as she felt her gym uniform tighten. And once again, she heard the crowd gasp – this time in awe.
Opening her now-green eyes, she smiled up at the crowd as a perfect copy of her brother. Playing things up, she twirled and bowed before she waved.
"How are you feeling Himi?" Izuku asked.
"Good," Himiko replied in his voice as she smirked at him. "Think a little blood loss will slow you down?"
"You wish."
Himiko rolled her eyes. "I know I don't have a chance, but can we at least pretend I do for a moment?"
"If things were reversed, would you?"
"I–" Himiko crossed her arms and turned away with a huff. "Not fair!"
Izuku chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry."
"Fine." Himiko uncrossed her arms and dropped her transformation, feeling relief as the fabric of her uniform no longer fought against her brother's larger form. "Let's get this over with."
"Mhm." Himiko watched Izuku glow green as he summoned One For All. "Here I come!"
Thanks to their months of sparring, Himiko had gotten really good at surviving Izuku's onslaught. Sure, he wasn't using Full Cowling at his full power, but even without pushing himself to his limit Himiko did a great job of dodging and weaving as they played a game of cat-and-mouse across the arena.
She even managed to break line of sight several times and use her Vanishing Act to disappear on him! Those seconds were precious to catching her breath before she inevitably tagged him with a punch or kick. She knew they wouldn't hurt him, but for them, the principal was more important than the physical effect itself.
Unfortunately, patience was never her strong suit. Eventually she grew bored and restless of their game, and that made her reckless.
And that's always when Izuku caught her.
As she began to throw a low kick to tag her brother's ankles, her eyes went wide as he began to spin around, his own leg raised ready to deliver his response. And despite her best efforts, she was not as fast as he was when he was wrapped in Full Cowling.
Feeling the air knocked out of her lungs, Himiko felt herself flying through the air, Izuku's form rapidly shrinking as she flew away from him. She let her training take over and curled into herself, ready to hit the quickly approaching ground. The impact threatened to leave her breathless a second time, but she let her momentum carry her forward in a roll as she slowed down until she finally stopped.
Letting out a low groan, she uncurled and pushed herself into a sitting position. Before she had time to get any further, she felt a shadow fall on her as a hand reached out.
"Sorry about that," Izuku said as he rubbed the back of his head with his other hand.
"Next time I'm bringing knives," Himiko grumbled as she grabbed his hand and pulled herself upright. "Or maybe my Needles if Emmy's finally done building them."
"Ehe." Izuku turned to look up at the crowd and offered them an awkward smile as he waved. "I'll see you back at the bleachers, okay?"
"I didn't know you were gonna go to class 2's section." Himiko smirked.
Izuku stiffened. "I guess I'll see you later tonight then."
"Better," Himiko said as she looked up at the stands in search of her girlfriend.
It didn't take long to spot her. Between her blonde hair, her bright blue eyes and the fact that she stood taller than most of her classmates, it was easy to pick her out of a crowd. Especially when she was waving. When Himiko locked eyes on the girl, she felt a moment of fear as she wondered what the crowd's reaction was to her little stunt.
Fortunately, Emily was paying attention for her. As soon as their eyes met, the other girl gave Himiko a thumbs up, letting her know that her stunt worked.
I knew they'd accept you! Himiko could practically hear the smug words of her girlfriend already. Not that she could bring herself to care.
Swatting away an errant tear that was threatening to spill, Himiko made her way back to the exit so that she could hear the words properly.
Fortunately for Izuku, he was able to make it back to his classmates before the next match began. He sat down next to Ochako, his hand instinctively finding hers as he looked out onto the field.
"I wonder how this will go down this time," Izuku said under his breath.
"This one's all you," Ochako said lightly as she turned her attention to the field. "It never happened for me."
On the field, Tenya and Shoto both took their starting positions as they waited for Midnight to give the signal.
"Begin!" the teacher called out.
Shoto opened up by launching a glacier at his classmate, but Tenya was already on the move. Izuku knew he had been practicing his Recipro Burst in an effort to enhance its duration, although he had not resorted to pulling out his own mufflers yet the way he did in Izuku's past.
He wondered if it would make a difference this time.
Just like last time, he saw Tenya grab Shoto and take off toward the edge of the platform. As every heartbeat passed, the two students got ever closer to the edge, and he wondered if Tenya would succeed this time.
And then he saw the first glint as light reflected off the ice forming around his tailpipes.
To his credit, Tenya didn't stumble when his engines stopped. However, when he looked down in confusion, that gave Shoto the opening he needed. He used his Ice quirk to create a sheet of ice underneath his opponent before a massive spike of Ice sprang up between them, tearing him free from his opponent's grip. Shoto stumbled backward only to be caught by a small seat made out of Ice that he formed while falling, but Tenya was far less lucky.
The Engine quirk user was thrown off balance and stumbled over, landing on the ground with a dull thud. The force of momentum from his flailing sent him sliding toward the edge, and he was unable to find purchase in time until he slid all the way out of the ring.
"Todoroki Wins!" Midnight called out from the stage.
Shoto, however, wasn't paying attention to the teacher. Once he confirmed that Tenya was out of the arena, he turned his attention to the stands – and Izuku.
Izuku's eyes locked with Shoto's, and even at a distance, he could see the challenge his classmate was issuing.
After the match ended, everyone wished Kyoka good luck as she stood up to prepare herself for her match.
"How do you think this'll go, Ocha?" Izuku asked.
"I think Momo's going to win," Ochako said to the surprise of her friends.
"What?!" Aika exclaimed. "But Kyoka's done all that training and–"
"And she doesn't have her support equipment to channel her quirk through," Ochako countered. "Sure her Ear Jacks are strong and act as additional limbs, but Yaoyorozu's been training her quirk as well, and it's more versatile than, well…" She darted her eyes in Izuku's direction and tilted her head towards him before she bobbed her head a couple of times.
"Ohhhhh," Aika said far too conspicuously for anyone's liking. "So Yaoyorozu's gonna be really tough, huh?"
"Yep!" Ochako said quickly. "Besides-" She turned her attention to the field. "I don't think she's gonna stop until she faces me next round."
"Hey! What makes you think you're gonna win our match," Aika demanded, earning her an incredulous look from Ochako.
The gravity girl's face quickly shifted to one of playfulness as she held up a gloved hand and wiggled her fingers. "Did you figure out how to deal with Zero Gravity yet?"
"I–" Aika sputtered as she folded her arms defiantly. "I'll figure something out!"
"I'm looking forward to it," Ochako said before she turned her attention back to the match.
Midnight had just finished introductions and held the baton above her head. "Begin!"
Kyoka rushed forward, her jacks already ahead of her acting like pseudo-projectiles as she sought to keep her opponent off balance. Momo, however, was not so easily swayed and held up her arm – complete with a half-Created shield – to fend off the attack. The recommendation student stepped back to give herself some room as she reset her grip on the newly-Created shield. She held her free palm downward, and as everyone watched, a staff began to appear out of her hand.
Her opponent tried to change tactics, going low in an effort to get beneath her defenses. The changeup worked, and Momo had a momentary look of shock on her face as Kyoka's jacks wrapped around one of her legs before losing her balance and landing on her back with a dull thud.
"You can do it Kyoka!" Aika cheered from beside them.
Kyoka followed up with a swift kick to Momo's side, sending the other girl barreling towards the edge of the ring while the crowd watched in silence. From his vantage point, Izuku saw the telltale flash of quirk activation right before Momo stopped in her tracks. When she stopped moving, everyone noticed the pair of climbing spikes she slammed into the ground to halt her momentum. Letting go of the spikes, the girl quickly scrambled back to her feet, another metal staff already forming out of her hands.
Izuku couldn't hear what the girls said between each other, but he saw Momo take the offense as she charged her classmate, her hands wrapped tightly around the staff. He thought she was going for a side strike, but it was a feint. Instead, the raven-haired girl stopped short and stabbed forward with the tip of the staff. The sudden change caught Kyoka off guard as well, and she took the attack in the stomach, stumbling backward with the air knocked out of her.
Kyoka threw her jacks in front of her defensively, holding Momo off as she regained her footing. Instead of trying to counterattack, she dodged away from the next blow, racing over to pick up the previously discarded staff before she spun around and assumed an offensive posture.
Momo respected her choice and reset her posture as well before both girls charged. Momo went high, only for Kyoka to intercept. She threw her jacks in response and Momo dodged. Momo went for another jab only for Kyoka to intercept.
Back and forth they went, each testing the other's defenses as they sought to find a weakness. Seconds ticked by, and from their vantage point it looked like Kyoka was slowly gaining the upper hand thanks to her ear jacks. But then Izuku saw a flash of light as something appeared in Momo's hair.
A Russian nesting doll.
"She's seriously going to use that?" Ochako exclaimed. "She'll be caught in the blast too!"
"She's banking on recovering faster than Jiro," Izuku muttered.
"Wait wha– Aaah!" Aika exclaimed as their view of the battlefield temporarily went white as the flashbang went off. Even with the distance between them, the effect surprised their classmate.
Izuku opened his eyes and began to blink rapidly, waiting for his vision to adjust so he could see what was going on. Vision restored, he saw Momo already in action, one arm hooked tightly around Kyoka's as she dragged the flailing girl toward the edge of the arena.
"Kyoka, no!" Aika cried out.
"She can't hear you," Ochako said slowly. "Taking a flashbang at that close range without her insulating cuff? She's gotta be really disoriented right now."
With nothing to but watch, the three friends waited for Momo to reach the edge of the arena with Kyoka barely offering any resistance at all. Once there, Momo repositioned her grip on her opponent before she swung Kyoka over the edge of the arena. The other girl appeared to realize what was going on but was too late to stop it as she lost her balance and stumbled out of the ring.
However, Momo didn't let her go. Rather than let her fall on her face, she tugged on her arm and pulled her back over the line. Startled, Kyoka spun around and stumbled forward until she slammed into her opponent, her arms wrapping around Momo in a hug as she scrambled for security. Momo appeared just as startled by the response, but managed to keep both girls upright as she looked at Midnight, a bright crimson staining her cheeks.
"What a touching way to end this match. Yaoyorozu wins!" Midnight declared.
"I'm so sorry Kyoka!" Aika exclaimed as her best friend returned to the bleachers.
"It's fine," Kyoka said dismissively as she collapsed into a seat next to her friends. "I can't believe she used a flashbang at that close range."
"Didn't you see it coming?"
Kyoka shook her head. "She hid it in a doll of some sort, so I didn't have time to process what it was." She shot an accusatory glare at Izuku and Ochako. "And certain people didn't warn me about it."
"Ehe."
"No cheating," Ochako said with a lopsided grin. "She's changed things up since we last saw her, anyways."
"Fine," Kyoka huffed as she stretched her arms and jacks. "Besides-" She shot a playful glance in Ochako's direction. "It's not like I'd be getting past the next round anyways."
"Why does everyone assume Raka's gonna win?" Aika huffed as she put her hands on her hips.
Kyoka just leveled a flat stare at her friend before she broke out in laughter. "Just go easy on her, will you?"
"I will," Ochako promised. "Gotta give her a chance to look good."
"Hear that?" Kyoka jabbed her friend's shoulder lightly with a jack. "Don't screw it up okay?"
"I won't!" Aika pumped her fist in the air before she shot a glance towards the bleachers where the support course was sitting. "Besides… I promised Mizuki I'd give it my all!"
Ochako chuckled lightly as she stood up and stretched. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah!" Aika exclaimed as she jumped out of her seat. "It'll just be like sparring practice!"
"Begin!" Midnight called.
Ochako heard Aika's singing begin immediately as she summoned One For All and wrapped herself in Galactic Shroud.
Don't worry Shizu, I'll let you show off.
"Here I come!" Ochako announced. The black energy that hovered around her collapsed onto her skin, as if pulled in by her gravity; she launched herself forward.
As she flew through the air, she pulled her arm back, winding up for an overhead punch that would send an unguarded foe to the ground. But she wasn't facing a normal foe. Aika's arms came up in perfect synchronization, ready to block the blow.
The air swirled around the pair as Ochako's fist connected with her opponent's forearm, alerting everyone to the force behind the blow. And to Aika's credit, she withstood the blow, only forced to take a half step back to retain her balance. She didn't wait to respond, taking advantage of the brief window provided by Ochako's landing to launch an elbow at her opponent.
Ochako felt the blow connect, feeling a sting as the elbow buried itself in her stomach. She silently thanked Galactic Shroud for providing her with enhanced resilience as she regained her footing. Her eyes locked with Aika's, and she had to give the other girl credit – the fiery determination never left, even as she saw her absorb the blow.
"Good hit." Ochako smiled at her friend. "My turn!"
Ochako dropped low to the ground as she swept her leg out, catching Aika and sending the other girl to the ground. Happy to hear the other girl still singing, she followed up by hopping to her feet and launched into an elbow drop, hitting her foe square in the chest.
There was a collective gasp as the ground cracked beneath Aika, but from the sound of music reaching her ears, Ochako knew that wasn't enough to stop her. Her opponent confirmed that fact a second later when she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her left arm, and she felt herself yanked off-balance as Aika used her as leverage to rise before throwing her toward the edge of the arena.
Placing a hand to her chest, Ochako activated Heavy Gravity and slammed into the ground, her momentum not enough to overcome gravity's pull. She turned around and smiled at her opponent before she pressed her fingertips together.
"Release!"
Lowering herself into a combat stance, Ochako smiled at her friend.
"Time to see how long you can dodge!"
Once again Ochako charged, but now, she sought to grab her foe instead of punch. Aika noticed the change immediately and dodged, the only indication of worry being a minor change in pitch as she narrowly avoided her grasp. The other girl danced backwards several feet to give herself space, and their new dance began.
To Aika's credit, it took her several minutes before she finally managed to grab her. The other girl let out a startled yelp as she felt herself freed from gravity's influence, no longer worried about using her quirk to protect herself.
"Sorry Shizu," Ochako apologized as she grabbed the girl's leg and flung her toward the edge of the arena.
"Ehe," Aika laughed nervously as she tumbled helplessly through the air until she was over the artificial grass of the stadium before Ochako pressed her hands together to free her from the effects of Zero Gravity.
"Uraraka wins!"
Ochako walked over to where Aika was already scrambling to her feet. "You put up a good fight."
"Thanks for letting me show off," Aika replied.
"Gotta let the world see how hard your head really is," Ochako giggled.
"Yeah…" Aika looked nervously toward the section of the bleachers where the support students sat before she let out a sigh. "Blew my chance at karaoke though."
"You're really gonna let that stop you?" Ochako raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.
"You're right!" Aika's face lit up as she balled her fists. "I'll talk to Mizuki!"
Ochako smiled as she watched her friend run off before she turned toward the stands and found her boyfriend smiling at her.
Now the real matches are about to begin, huh?