Chapter 28: The Final Event: Track 2 - Prelims 2, Boogaloo
- LEAGUE OF VILLAINS HIDEOUT -
The bright glow of a television bounced off the pale skin of Shigaraki as he kept his eyes on the screen, rarely blinking as he did. The shaggy-haired Villain never looked away as the match between Midoriya and Monoma began. While he was given instructions to study his future enemies, he grew more and more irritated as he watched the fight.
Soon, his fingers began to scratch away at his neck and jaw, his nails started to dig into his skin. The phantom pain of his missing right pinky finger caused him further anger.
"Midoriya Izuku... The cheating bastard." Shigaraki growled out.
Behind the bar Shigaraki sat at was Kurogiri, who listened in on his charge's rambling. He paused his cleaning, setting down the glass in his hands as he focused on the screen.
"And now there is an off-brand version of Sensei too." The shaggy-haired Villain continued to comment. "We have a damn copycat and a broken, min-maxing character build."
Kurogiri's voice broke Shigaraki from his observations. "It is concerning. Two future Heroes who have the ability to use multiple Quirks is something you will need to keep in mind."
Shigaraki simply gave a grunt in response before returning his attention to the TV. His red eyes narrowed as the match reached its conclusion. The shaggy-haired Villain snarled as Izuku was declared the winner, his mood souring further and further as the broadcast focused on the verdette.
'The damn cheater figured out how to beat our Nomu.' As much as Shigaraki didn't want to give Izuku credit, or to admit his own failings, he had to in this case. He believed he could waltz in and cause enough damage, maybe kill a few people, as well as All Might, but his simple plan failed. 'I acted like I was leading a raid group when we were the raid event instead. The fucking students weren't just mini-bosses for me to steamroll through.'
As Izuku and Monoma left the stage, a thought crossed Shigaraki's mind. 'It wasn't a raid on a dungeon. It was a battle between guilds. I brought a bunch of noobs to fight players who had already started leveling up.'
"Kurogiri? What was the name of that guy who spread the word to those trash units?" Shigaraki asked his misty accomplice.
"Giran. Would you like me to get in contact with him again?" The well-dressed Villain asked.
"Yeah. We need to set up a new recruitment notice and he knows how to get the word out." Shigaraki replied.
Kurogiri didn't reply right away. In his mind, the misty Villain was impressed that his charge was planning ahead. He took out his phone and called the man known as Giran. Kurogiri followed the protocol that the underworld mover had set up in regards to contacting him, though he grew irritated that Giran had yet to answer. That was raising some red flags in his mind.
The misty Villain was given little time to think on that when Giran answered. "Hello. It's been a while, friend. Lovely weather we're having, aren't we?"
Kurogiri listened to the underworld informant, waiting for his time to respond. "Indeed, though it would be better if there were more clouds to provide us both with some shade."
"It would make our job easier. What can I do for you, Kurogiri?" Giran said over the phone. Kurogiri could practically imagine the smile on the man's face as he spoke. "I saw the news. Bad luck on your lot's end."
Kurogiri saw Shigaraki shake with rage out of the corner of his eyes. The misty Villain sighed internally at the shaggy-haired young man's reaction to the conversation. "Quite. Though that also falls onto the man who provided us the manpower to deal with such a situation."
Giran laughed. "Maybe, but I simply gave you and Shigaraki the tools needed. How you used them falls on to you. I take it the young man would like some more people to fill his ranks?"
"Yes," Kurogiri replied curtly.
Giran was good at what he did and there was a reason he was the go-to man of the underworld. You just had to deal with his personality and quirks. It's also why he dealt with the man instead of Shigaraki. His shaggy-haired charge didn't have the patience to do so.
"I will see what I can do. At the moment, I have Heroes and police looking into my operations." There was a small pause on Giran's end of the line and Kurogiri could feel some anger and distrust as the underworld mover spoke, " Someone talked... I don't know who, but someone knew about me specifically. Until I can cover my tracks, don't expect me to do much. You and Shigaraki will have to wait a bit. You know I don't like unnecessary risks, especially to my better clients."
Kurogiri sighed, understanding the man's caution. Giran had lasted this long because of his slight paranoia and business sense and Kurogiri imagined the man would keep afloat even with issue.
"That is fine. We haven't made any plans at the moment and can afford to wait," the misty Villain answered.
"Good. In the meantime, the brat could do with some exercise. See if you two can't find a recruit of your own. I will contact you once the heat has died down." With that, Giran ended the call.
As Kurogiri put his phone back in his pocket, he turned to Shigaraki and noticed a thoughtful expression on his charge's face. A look of realization donned on the shaggy-haired Villain's face, his lips forming into a mad grin.
"You know. That asshole is worth what Sensei pays him." Shigaraki said with some excitement laced through his voice. "What we need is a specialized unit. One who already has the skills we need."
Kurogiri's eyes narrowed slightly before giving off an air of understanding as he listened. Part of him was glad to hear his charge taking some incentive for a change. He spoke up, drawing Shigaraki's attention to him. "You sound as though you already have someone in mind."
"Yeah." The red-eyed Villain simply answered.
Shigaraki changed the channel on the TV as the next match had yet to start. He landed on a news station, the anchor on the screen going over small bits of news as he and Kurogiri watched. The shaggy-haired Villain groaned in displeasure at the story about junk piles still appearing in Shibuya. He just thought it sounded like some jackass wanted attention.
His patience was rewarded when the next story came up. "And the hunt for the 'Hero Killer' is still on. Currently, the Ingenium Hero Agency has taken charge of the search and capture of the Villain currently targeting Heroes on the street. I for one believe Ingenium will no doubt capture this Villain soon, ensuring that our streets are safe once more. While many have voiced their concerns over the Hero Killer's actions, several groups and individuals have delved into the past and actions of the victims of his attacks. Many fallen Heroes have had several cases made again-"
"Him. The Hero Killer." Shigaraki said as he turned to look at Kurogiri. "Who better to bring to our team than someone who already has an impressive record, right?"
Kurogiri hummed in thought. It wasn't the worst idea. He was willing to give it a try. The misty Villain did come to the conclusion that he would mostly have to handle negotiations. Shigaraki wasn't at the right level to do so.
"I shall see if I can locate him and extend an invitation," Kurogiri answered.
- ALL FOR ONE'S HIDDEN BASE -
All For One smiled as he listened in on the conversation between Shigaraki and Kurogiri.
"He is learning, albeit ever so slowly. But that is fine. There is still time to mold him." The ancient villain said to himself.
While All For One was more than pleased that Shigaraki was improving, and to his surprise feeling some form of pride in someone else, his attention returned elsewhere.
"The power to create your own abilities, even if limited." He watched replays of the sports festival broadcast, focusing on Izuku's performance throughout the day. His twisted smile grew more and more at the thought of having that power as his own.
All For One had considered a different option but tossed it aside. To possibly cause a shift in Izuku's loyalties. From what he has already seen of the young man, turning the verdette to his side would be near impossible. He had sneered at the idea of Izuku being a thorn in his side but understood that Shigaraki would need someone to challenge him.
All For One would just need to make sure his investment did indeed grow from those struggles. If not, he is still a worthy enough vessel should the need arise.
He was patient. So, the Quirk Thief simply kept watching the quasi-gladiatorial matches on display. He would learn more about Izuku and his Quirk. After all, the more knowledge he had, the more he could work with. The more he could exploit.
Izuku's Quirk was really something he wanted. And All For One would strive to obtain it.
- U.A. UNIVERSITY STADIUM -
Momo couldn't hold back the bright smile on her face as Izuku won his first match. She nearly jumped from her seat during the end as she couldn't hold back her elation. And when he looked up at both her and Shoka, giving them that warm and endearing smile, compounded on her affection and feelings at the moment.
There was something about watching either Izuku or Shoka train or spar together, how focused her two lovers would get each time. During those times, the onyx-eyed heiress couldn't help but admire them. It was something she loved about them, something that inspired her to emulate.
And to see that on display here and now, to see Izuku's intense focus and skill, just made her feel a mixture of pride, excitement, and happiness. Momo couldn't wait to see Shoka's match. To see how her fellow ravenette would do.
But that would have to come later. Her match was coming up and she needed to get herself ready for it. While she had been working on her self-esteem, and her belief in herself, she had made it a habit to draw courage from the two.
She was no longer the young woman she was before U.A., and now it was her chance to prove it.
"I better make my way to the waiting room and get ready," Momo stated as she stood from her seat. She handed Shoka Izuku's notebook for her to hold onto until he returned. "Wish me luck, Shoka."
The slender ravenette took it into her hands, giving her onyx-eyed girlfriend a nod and smile. "Not that you'll need it, but sure." Shoka cleared the distance as Momo was still leaning towards her, giving the busty heiress a quick, affectionate kiss on the lips. She smirked as a faint blush formed on Momo's cheeks. "There. Some good luck for you. Now don't let that smart brain of yours get any stupid ideas about not being good enough. You got this Momo. And I'm pretty sure Izzy will say the same thing."
Momo's blush deepened at Shoka's simple assurance, happy that the slender ravenette could easily sus out her remaining insecurities. Both Shoka and Izuku could do that, to just break her out of her mental lockups. Just like she and Shoka could do the same for Izuku and his moments of doubt, and Izuku and her doing the same for Shoka when her issues cropped up.
The busty heiress gave Shoka a small smile. "Then, like Zuzu, I better do my best. After all, I can't let you or him have all the fun. Thank you, Shoka."
With that, Momo left 1-A's spectator box and made her way to the waiting rooms. It was a brief walk down the halls, and it left her plenty of time to start getting into the right mindset for her upcoming match with Setsuna. As she continued on her way, her mind focusing on other things, Momo nearly missed seeing Izuku waiting for her by the door.
Her onyx eyes sparkled at the sight of the verdette, ushering her to close the distance between them. Momo wasted no time to bring Izuku into an embrace, nuzzling into his soft, fluffy green locks and enjoying the slight height advantage she currently had.
'It's not fair. He is starting to get taller.' The busty heiress complained to herself. She just had to make the most of the difference before she could no longer do so. It was something Shoka groaned about, with her having to be the shortest one of them.
Momo shook away those thoughts, leaving them to be dealt with later, and focused on the young man in her arms. "Congratulations on your victory, Zuzu. It was a most impressive showing."
The tall ravenette felt Izuku's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her in close to him as her body was flush against him. They held each other for a moment before breaking away as Izuku replied. "Thanks, Momo. I believe I had two very beautiful girlfriends who gave me some incentive to 'go beyond'."
Momo let out a melodious laugh that echoed out through the empty hallway. "Indeed. I have it on good authority that these two ladies of yours are quite pleased."
"Good." The freckled verdette replied. His emerald eyes looked into Momo's onyx ones as he continued. "How are you feeling, Momo? Are you ready for this?"
The ravenette heiress darted her eyes away, subconsciously playing with the strands of hair that fell in front of her face. "I should be. Shoka made sure to remind me to not let my head get filled with unnecessary thoughts."
Izuku nodded sagely at her words. "Our Shoka is pretty smart." The verdette gave the ravenette a cheeky smirk. "I'm sure she's already told you, but you got this, Momo. Just remember, we believe in you, so believe in yourself too, okay?"
Momo's cheeks began to turn red at his words. She came to the conclusion she always did when Izuku and Shoka voided such strong belief in her and her abilities to her.
She liked it very much.
The busty heiress took a second to regain her composure, noticing that her boyfriend had a deep blush of his own. Momo couldn't help but find it cute, or how much the blush caused his freckles to somehow become more pronounced. She was caught off guard when he cupped her cheek and leaned in, crashing their lips together in an impassioned kiss.
Momo melted at the show of affection, her heart already beating at a rapid pass from Shoka's earlier show and beating faster still because of the verdette who held onto her.
She nearly whimpered as Izuku pulled away from their lip-lock. The verdette still blushed at his own actions but found the ability to speak soon enough. "I'm pretty sure Shoka also gave you some luck, so some extra from me couldn't hurt."
The onyx-eyed young woman felt steam coming from her ears as her brain was overloaded. She could only nod robotically as she remembered her and Shoka's words from earlier. 'He certainly one-upped us.' Not that she minded. 'At least I know Shoka will get the same treatment.'
Momo's brain finally rebooted in time for her to respond verbally. "It seems we all enjoy that little incentive."
Izuku chuckled heartily at her words. "It's pretty nice, that's for sure." He gave the busty ravenette one more soft smile. "I'll let you get ready, Momo. Shoka and I will be rooting for you. We'll probably be the loudest to remind you that we believe in you."
Momo brought her arms in, pumping them with enough force to cause her impressive bust to jiggle. She smiled internally when she saw Izuku give them a quick glance before looking back at her. "Then I have no reason to lose."
The ravenette heiress opened the door to the waiting room and stopped herself in the frame. She gave Izuku one more look and smiled. "I'll see you and Shoka in the next round, Zuzu."
Izuku entered the 1-A spectator box and made his way over to Shoka, taking the empty seat next to her. The gray-eyed ravenette smirked as he sat down and leaned into him, resting her back against him. "So, it's two-for-two now. Momo is gonna make it three-for-three pretty soon."
"And you'll be our fourth for this round," Izuku said, finishing her statement.
"Like there's any doubt." The slender ravenette easily replied with a light shrug.
Kyoka let out an amused snort as she watched the two from her seat behind them. "I still wanna know what you put in that coffee of yours to make the four of you so confident, Greenie."
"Dirty bean water, that's all we need." The verdette replied jokingly.
"Yep~."
"Coffee is life."
Kyoka rolled her eyes at the three, smirking at their answers.
[Well dear viewers and listeners, it's time for the next match of the preliminaries!]
The crowd roared with excitement at Present Mic's words. Izuku, Shoka, and the rest of 1-A shifted their focus onto the arena down below, waiting for Bakugo and Kirishima to enter.
"So, what's the word for this fight?" Kaminari asked the group.
"Kiri's got this!" Mina proudly stated. The pinkette's faith in her friend and coursemate brought a smile to everyone's faces.
While Izuku, Shoka, and Shinso respected that, they couldn't help but feel that if Kirishima won, it would be by the skin of his teeth.
"He can't risk dragging out the fight. The longer it goes on, the better chance Bakugo has at beating him." Izuku stated. He knew the ash-blonde bomber the best so his words carried a lot more weight to them. "The more he sweats, the more his explosions go up in both quality and quantity. They'll both get tired, but where that exhaustion can help Bakugo out of a tight spot, Kirishima can't afford it.
"The problem is, Kirishima is a stand-up guy. He probably won't try to end the fight quickly, thinking it wouldn't be manly to do so." Shinso added. He grimaced, not really liking what he was saying or thinking, but he had to be realistic. "Kirishima will have to fight against his own nature."
Iida looked down at the field, letting out a hum in response. "So, it will be a battle on two fronts, in a way."
Mina didn't like what she was hearing, but she understood it. She felt Shoka nudge her playfully, causing the pinkette to turn around and look at her.
"Hey, just have some faith. Pretty sure Kirishima would like to hear you cheering for him rather than being a downer." The slender ravenette said.
Mina's gold and black eyes lit up, her small frown turning into a wide smile.
[On the west side of the field, we have the man who is loud and proud of his skills. The future Hero who will always make an explosive entrance. Viewers and listeners, it's Bakugo Katsuki of 1-A!]
Bakugo listened to the raucous crowd as they cheered for him. He couldn't hold back a smirk as he let it feed into his pride a bit. The ash-blonde refocused on his fellow Hero Course student. While Bakugo knew he wasn't the greatest people-person, not that he really cared, he would be lying if Kirishima hadn't started to impress him recently.
It helped that he knew the spiky redhead would make this a good match.
[And on the east side of the field, it's the living spirit of MANLINESS! The unyielding shield of the Hero Course. Viewers and listeners, make some noise for 1-A's Kirishima Eijiro!]
Kirishima smiled and waved to the crowd, giving them a sheepish, sharp-toothed smile. The redhead felt proud that he made it this far and he was itching for a good fight. "You ready, Bakubro?"
Bakugo let out a snort before he stared down the redhead. Kirishima didn't seem to mind, merely shrugging off the ash-blonde's standoffish behavior.
Midnight looked over the two students, giving them a moment before addressing them.
"Bakugo, are you ready?" The red-eyed bomber didn't answer. He only took his stance, his arms readied as his hands were opened by his sides.
Midnight took what she could get from him. She turned her attention to the redhead on the other side of the arena. "Kirishima, are you ready?"
"You know it!" Kirishima replied eagerly.
At the redhead's reply, Midnight raised her whip into the air. "Combatants are ready. Match five..."
Bakugo lowered his body, leaning forward slightly as he kept his eyes on Kirishima. Flashes and pops erupted from the palms of his hands while the redhead standing across from him took up a boxer's stance.
"Begin!" Without a second thought, Bakugo blasted towards his opponent. Kirishima hastily hardened his skin with his Quirk as the ash-blonde bomber neared him. The redheaded student crossed his arms in front of him as Bakugo thrust his palm out.
"TANK THIS, SHITTY HAIR!" Bakugo let out an impressive blast, unloading a powerful mixture of heat and force onto Kirishima. The spiky-haired young man dug his heels into the ground, preventing him from being knocked back.
Before Bakugo could back off, Kirishima lunged at him and grabbed him by the arm. He was caught off guard when his opponent twisted his body and slammed the ash-blonde into the hard ground of the arena floor. Bakugo let out a quick yelp at the impact before recovering quickly. He pulled his arm back, the sudden action catching Kirishima off-guard enough for him to fall to the ground.
Kirishima saw Bakugo's palm in front of his face. He gritted his teeth when a flash went off, followed by heat as the ash-blonde let off an explosion. The force knocked the redhead back, letting Bakugo free of his hold.
The red-eyed bomber kipped up and rushed Kirishima. The spiky-haired young man winced as his hardened skin cracked from the quick attack from Bakugo. His eyes widened as the ash-blonde was on him once more. Bakugo let loose another explosion but Kirishima easily knocked the ash-blonde's hand away.
The redhead threw a punch, hardening his skin to maintain his attack's momentum while increasing the impact of the blow. Unfortunately for Kirishima, Bakugo jumped back and out of his range.
[Looks like this is gearing up to be an all-out brawl! What say you my grumpy co-host?]
[First, you do realize I will get you back for this? Second, this is a good example of an unstoppable force versus an immovable object.]
[A pretty good description if there ever was one. Bakugo is an aggressive attacker, which can do good in keeping the more defensive Kirishima off his game, while Kirishima could turn that defense into an offense with how strong his hardened skin could knock Bakugo's block off.]
Kirishima pushed forward, keeping his guard up as he did. His ash-blonde opponent used his explosions to launch himself over the redhead. As Bakugo sailed overhead, he twisted his body and let off another explosion that propelled him quickly to the ground, right behind Kirishima. The spiky-haired young man couldn't turn around fast enough in time to deal with the imminent explosion and had to harden the skin on his back to withstand the attack.
Bakugo smirked as he placed both his hands on Kirishima's back, removing the distance between them entirely. The resulting explosion rocked the red-headed Hero student off his feet, creating holes with singed edges along his sports jacket.
Kirishima howled in discomfort as he felt his Hardening weaken along where he was hit. He wasn't deterred as he readied himself once more, taking up a guard as he stared down Bakugo and gave the ash-blonde a wide and toothy smile. "Gonna have to do better than that, Bakubro. I ain't going down that easy!"
Bakugo couldn't help but smirk at the redhead's tenacity. "Then bring it, Rocky."
Kirishima rushed Bakugo with surprising speed. The redheaded student unleashed a flurry of jabs, punches, and uppercuts that forced Bakugo to evade. At several points the ash-blonde went for a counter, only to have Kirishima brush off the explosion, though not without taking some damage. The spiky-haired young man retaliated, landing several heavy blows to Bakugo, causing the red-eyed bomber to flinch in pain and refocus on dodging.
The crowd roared as the match kept going, the majority of the spectators finding it hard to support one student over the other as they both fought on.
As Kirishima missed a strike, Bakugo acted. After building up more and more sweat as the match went on, the ash-blonde began to generate a large explosion from his palm and quickly struck out at Kirishima. The redhead cried out as the blast had broken through his hardened skin, resulting in him nearly dropping his Quirk's activation through the pain and exhaustion he was facing.
Kirishima doubled down and fought on, determined to win or to go down swinging.
Forcing his Quirk to go into overdrive, the redhead's skin took on a sharper, more jagged look to it as he performed a spinning lariat. Bakugo ducked under the first arm, only to be clipped by the other by chance. The ash-blonde staggered back, his vision going hazy for a moment as he noticed a red and blue blur coming at him.
Bakugo growled out in frustration and brought both palms together, his sweat pouring out profusely as it began to pop. Striking at the right moment, the ash-blonde bomber thrust out both of his arms, the palms of his hands hitting Kirishima's hardened chest. Bakugo smirked and he let out a powerful point-blank explosion.
Kirishima felt his Quirk give out immediately, followed by an immense heat and the air getting knocked out of him. His feet left the ground as his body was sent flying back and colliding with the floor of the arena. As darkness overtook his vision, he couldn't help but give a proud smile.
Bakugo shook his head and blinked his eyes rapidly to try and get his vision to normalize. He began to breathe heavily, taking several gasps of air as he kept his eyes on the fallen Kirishima. When the ash-blonde realized that his opponent was knocked out, he stood up and relaxed.
Midnight leaped from her podium and made her way over to Kirishima and checked him over. After she finished her check-up, the R-Rated Hero stood up and said, "Kirishima is no longer able to battle. Bakugo wins by knock-out!"
The stadium was filled with cheers and uproarious applause. Bakugo made his way over to the downed redhead, giving Kirishima a once over, and knelt down. The ash-blonde took Kirishima's arms and wrapped them over his shoulders, crossing them as he carried the unconscious redhead out of the arena and over to the medical bots.
[It looks like the unstoppable force defeated the immovable object. What a match!]
[While both combatants had capable attacks, Bakugo had the edge over Kirishima with speed and maneuverability with Kirishima being able to hold on with his impressive defense. The issue is endurance, something we Heroes will often face.]
[Very true, my friend. Drawn-out fights, while cool, are more detrimental to those participating in the fight. Bakugo squeaked by due to his Quirk becoming stronger with him sweating more. No doubt that added firepower took more out of Kirishima's stamina than our manly fighter would have liked.]
"Man, shame Kirishima lost. He was doing good too." Kaminari said, disappointed with the results of the match.
"Still, he fought the good fight," Sero said, getting a nod from the blonde.
From the other side of the wall, separating the 1-A spectator box from 1-B's, Tetsutetsu popped his head out. "Damn straight! He fought like a real man!" The gray-haired young man added.
Kaminari and Sero shared a look with each other before looking at Tetsutetsu. The three began to share the same train of thought as they pumped an arm into the air and cried out as one, "MANLY!!!"
The rest of 1-A just watched the interaction with varying expressions displayed on their faces.
Kyoka leaned over to Shoka and spoke to her. "I swear, the word manly is going to start losing its meaning to me and I don't even use the damn word."
Shoka merely nodded, having similar thoughts as the punkette.
"At least we'll know that Kiri will be okay with his loss. Probably would have preferred getting knocked out rather than pushed out of the ring." Mina said, doing her best to keep things light and bringing the mood back up.
"He's nothing but earnest, that's for sure." Replied Izuku.
"Indeed. Kirishima has proven time and time again he is certainly one who holds true to his values." Iida stated. The bluenette stood up from his seat and turned to his friends. "Well, I better make my way to the waiting rooms."
Izuku nodded. "Good luck in your match, Iida."
"Remember, loosey-goosey, Mr. Roboto," Shoka added with a smirk.
"And don't forget to recharge your batteries before the match." Kyoka chimed in.
Iida shook his head, a small smile on his face as he had grown used to the group's antics and started to come to terms with his more robotic mannerisms. The bluenette blinked in confusion as Shinso remained quiet. Iida looked at the sleepy indigoette, quirking a brow as he waited for Shinso to say something.
His coffee-dependent coursemate slowly turned his head. "Beep."
The sudden sound effect caught them off guard. Shoka, Kyoka, and Mina couldn't hold back their laughter while Izuku gave Shinso an amused smirk. Iida blinked several times, unsure how to process the indigoette's humor and just simply nodded before leaving.
While the group of 1-A students fell into a comfortable chatter among themselves, Izuku, Shoka, and Shinso focused on the field, waiting for Momo's match to begin. Though the verdette gave one last look at Bakugo as the ash-blonde disappeared into the tunnel, following the medical bots as they took Kirishima to Recovery Girl.
Izuku felt his lips tug into a small, approving smile at Bakugo's action. Despite their past, he couldn't help but feel somewhat happy to see that Bakugo was becoming a better person, if only ever so slightly.
- YAOYOROZU INDUSTRIES, MAIN OFFICES -
"And as we can see with our current growth, we can expect this trend to continue well into the fourth quarter. It would be my suggestion that we use this sudden boon to branch out into different fields. Mr. Yaoyorozu, I believe you expressed the idea to step into the Hero Support field?" A well-groomed, middle-aged businessman asked, turning to Yaoyorozu Hideo at the end of the meeting table.
Hideo leaned in, steeping his fingers as he gave his subordinate his full attention. "Yes. While I have been hesitant in doing so, mainly due to Detnerat's long reach and the issues they could cause us, I am more open to the possibility. Granted, this is because my daughter is currently on her way to becoming a Hero, but you all have heard me gush about her quite a bit."
The group of businessmen and women chuckled, fully aware of Mr. Yaoyorozu's pride in Momo as when she was first accepted into U.A., there wasn't a single person he didn't stop in the middle of whatever they were doing just to share the news with them.
Hideo smiled, happy his little bit of levity hit the mark. "And as the proud, supportive, and cautious, father I am, I would like to see us tackle that particular industry and see what we can do to help with any advancements that could help keep our present and future Heroes safe. In fact, there was a Support Course student that caught my attention, I believe her name was Hatsume Mei, and I would like to possibly extend to her an internship offer once we get our future support branch up and running."
While the group all nodded, sharing Hideo's opinion, Yaoyorozu Anri slammed the door open and was instantly beside her husband.
"Dear, Momo's match is about to start!" She exclaimed.
Hideo completely ignored those at the table with him as he turned his chair around and brought up the U.A. Sports Festival stream. The Yaoyorozu patriarch vacated his chair, letting his wife take over as they fully focused on the screen.
"Go, Momo! Do your best Honey!"
"Show the world what a Yaoyorozu can do Sweetie!"
The individuals around the table looked at one another in confusion, unsure what to do. They chalked it up to the Yaoyorozus being the supportive parents they are and decided to watch the match with the two.
Momo took in a deep breath as she stood at the end of the tunnel. She tried her best to ignore the roaring crowd, doing everything she could to not let the noise get to her or psych her out.
"I am a Yaoyorozu. I can do this." The busty heiress said to herself. "Zuzu and Shoka believe in me. Mother and father believe in me. I just need to believe in myself."
Her onyx eyes gained a sharp edge to them as she stepped forward. Momo kept her head held high as she stepped onto the field and made her way to the arena.
[ALRIGHT VIEWERS AND LISTENERS, it's time for the next match!]
Momo kept her eyes on the arena as she crossed the field, barely listening to Present Mic's commentary.
[On the west side of the field, it's the cold-blooded lady of 1-B. She's here, she's there, she's EVERYWHERE! Viewers and listeners, it's Tokage Setsuna!]
Setsuna basked in the cheers the audience gave her, bowing theatrically as she took her spot on the arena floor.
[And on the east side of the field, we have the mistress of creation! The dark-haired heiress whose mind is her greatest weapon, bringing anything and everything to this field of battle! It's the vice-rep of 1-A, Yaoyorozu Momo!]
"GIVE IT YOUR ALL, MOMO!"
"YOU'RE GONNA TOTALLY KILL IT, MOMO!"
The onyx-eyed heiress smiled as she looked up to see Izuku and Shoka cheering their hearts out for her. Her heart swelled at their actions.
The mossy-verdette looked at Momo and gave the heiress a sharp-toothed grin. "Don't go easy on me, Yaomomo!"
Momo gave Setsuna a challenging and determined smile of her own. "I wouldn't dare to, Setsuna. And no hard feelings when I win."
Setsuna snorted in amusement at the ravenette's simple trash talk. Midnight looked at both young women, giving them a moment before addressing them. "Yaoyorozu, are you ready?"
"I am, Ms. Midnight," Momo answered as she readied herself, taking up a stance as she put her arms behind her back.
The R-Rated Hero gave a quick nod and focused on Setsuna. "Tokage, are you ready?"
"You know it, teach!" The mossy-verdette replied, spreading her arms and legs as she focused on Momo.
Midnight raised her whip into the air, pausing for a moment to build up the tension before the match. "The combatants are ready. Match six..."
Momo's onyx eyes narrowed, her mind already working on a plan as the rainbow glow of her creation started up. Setsuna split her body apart, using her jacket to hide what she was doing from her opponent.
"Begin!"
Setsuna split off her torso from her legs, then split her arms off from there. The mossy-verdette's split body quickly floated over to Momo, each split part moving in tandem before surrounding the ravenette.
Before the 1-B student could launch her attack, a metal can fell from behind Momo, erupting into a mass of colored smoke that blanketed the area around the busty ravenette. Setsuna clicked her tongue in annoyance as she would have to split her body apart more than she wanted. The mossy-verdette's left hand disconnected its fingers as Setsuna sent them into the smoke as a way to locate Momo, hoping that she might chance brushing her digits up against the ravenette.
Momo wasn't idle as she hid away in the smoke. Creating a respirator half-mask to protect her from her own smokescreen, the ravenette crouched down low as her mind raced with thoughts as she tried to determine a viable strategy to use against her opponent.'Setsuna is able to split apart her body and levitate each piece. She can easily overwhelm me if I'm not careful. My goal should be to capture her.'
The onyx-eyed young woman noticed a finger fly just over her head, causing her to worry about Setsuna locating her in the smoke. 'I will have to be quick. Think, Momo, think!' The ravenette began to work through her memory, going through each possible means and formula that would aid in her fight. 'I need to capture each part while preventing Setsuna from splitting apart more.'
Momo smiled as she remembered a unique capture item that would be perfect for her to use.
Outside the smoke, Setsuna was growing more and more annoyed with Momo's stall tactic. She smirked as she recalled her fingers before splitting both her arms into several pieces. "People want to see us fight, Yaomomo! It's time to stop hiding!" The mossy-verdette called out as her disconnected body parts sped through the smoke, rushing through and causing the smoke to dissipate much faster.
[So far, an interesting start to this match. While Yaoyorozu is able to create a way to hide her creations from her opponent, Tokage is wasting no time to pressure Yaoyorozu. Just look at how quickly she figured out a way to remove that smokescreen!]
[Tokage realizes that giving Yaoyorozu time to plan could mean either this fight will be difficult for her, or that she has already lost. She is making sure that Yaoyorozu will have to split her focus.]
Setsuna smiled as the smoke was nearly gone, only to cry out in pain as she felt a piece of her body get hit by a metal rod of some kind. She was greeted by the sight of Momo, removing the respirator from her face and taking up a bojutsu stance as she stared down the mossy-verdette.
The dusky-eyed student noticed a belt with several tennis-ball-sized metal balls clipped to it. She worried about what Momo had made but decided to risk it to force the ravenette to be reactive during the fight.
Momo watched as Setsuna's split body parts encircled her. Shifting her stance, the ravenette spun her staff and whacked several parts that flew at her, causing her opponent to hiss as she pressed on the attack. The busty heiress kept track of the split masses as best she could but suffered several hits as Setsuna kept her attack patterns random.
[It looks like Tokage has Yaoyorozu on the ropes at the moment. You were right about her keeping up the pressure, Eraser Head.]
[It's something that I often have to contend with. The more you pressure your opponent, the more likely you are to win by making them take too many hits, or making a mistake. But you have to be careful...]
Momo dodged a flurry of attacks that Setsuna sent her away. Swatting away several more body parts, the ravenette sprang into action and rushed Setsuna. The mossy-verdette levitated her torso up higher as she sent in more of her split arms, followed by her legs. The onyx-eyed heiress wasn't deterred as she jabbed the end of her staff onto the arena floor and used it as an impromptu vaulting pole, launching herself into the air.
As the ravenette sailed over the mass of parts, she activated one of the spheres on her belt and dropped it down. Setsuna watched as a blue foam expanded from the metal ball, engulfing several of her split body parts and her legs. As she tried to move them out, she was met with resistance as the foam hardened, trapping her body within it.
While that cut down on many of Momo's problems, she still had the remaining split parts to deal with, as well as Setsuna's main body. The ravenette was blindsided by a punch to the gut, causing her to gasp as she folded in on herself.
Momo's onyx eyes widened as Setsuna's detached fist flew at her once more. Reacting quickly, she rolled out of the way and got back on her feet, only to deal with several masses to rush her. The ravenette was put on the defensive, forced to react as Setsuna didn't give her a chance to breathe.
As Setsuna went in for another rush, Momo rolled away, leaving behind another foam grenade. Setsuna had no time to pull away her parts as several more pieces were trapped in the blue foam as it hardened around her.
Taking a chance, Momo took off another grenade and activated its trigger. Setsuna watched in surprise as the busty ravenette batted the sphere right at her main body. The mossy-verdette was enveloped in blue foam as her body fell to the ground below. Unable to split anymore, she acted desperately and attempted to use Momo's foam grenades against her.
The busty heiress hurried over to Setsuna, narrowly dodging her opponent's attempts to capture her, as she made one last creation. As Setsuna's hand neared the grenade's trigger, her dusky eyes widened as she saw Momo standing over her with a stun gun in her hands.
"Yield, Setsuna." Momo pleaded.
Setsuna huffed, not happy with having to do so, but conceded nonetheless. "Alright, I yield..."
Midnight raised her whip into the air after hearing Setsuna's concession. "Tokage has yielded. Yaoyorozu is the winner!"
The crowd roared at the announcement. Momo dropped her stun gun and Setsuna watched as a myriad of colors covered large parts of the ravenette's arms. "Please wait just a moment, Setsuna. I will have you out soon."
"Take your time, not like I'm going anywhere." The mossy-verdette jokingly said with a smirk.
Momo smiled sheepishly as she finished her creation. She took a spray bottle into her hand as she began to lightly douse the hardened foam. Before Setsuna's eyes, the hardened foam loosened and broke apart, freeing her from its hold.
[What an excellent match between Yaoyorozu and Tokage! Despite Tokage constantly pressuring Yaoyorozu, the vice-rep of 1-A did not let that stop her.]
[Yaoyorozu was able to keep a cool head throughout most of the match. Doing so helped her to plan on how to deal with Tokage's numbers advantage.]
As the commentary continued, Momo and Setsuna finished freeing the rest of the mossy-verdette's body from the hardened foam. The split body parts levitated, shaking away any remaining bit of foam and liquid, and returned to a now complete Setsuna.
"Thanks, Yaomomo. I was starting to feel a bit stiff there." The dusky-eyed young woman said with a smirk.
Momo rolled her eyes at the joke but still smiled softly at Setsuna's attempts at humor. "Still, it was a good match," Momo said.
The ravenette heiress held out her hand, which Setsuna grasped with her own. The two left the arena at the approving cheers of the crowd.
""YES!!!"" Cheered Mr. and Mrs. Yaoyorozu. The others in the meeting room politely clapped and cheered for their daughter and her victory, while finding amusement in the total shift in demeanor shown by the elder Yaoyorozus.
"That's our girl! I'm so proud of her!"
"We need to celebrate dear! I'll call our chefs to start preparing for this weekend."
"We should call our friend from England, I'm sure he would be willing to make a grand feast for our Momo."
Izuku and Shoka leaned back into their seats as they watched Momo and Setsuna walk through the gates. The two smiled, feeling proud of their onyx-eyed girlfriend and her achievement.
"Not surprised, really. Momo had this in the bag." Shoka said, her voice full of assurance.
"Yep. Our lady held her own pretty well. That's three for three." Izuku said. He looked over to the slender ravenette, lopping his arm around her waist, and pulled her close to him. "And that means you'll make it four for four."
Shoka blushed at the level of forwardness Izuku displayed before collecting herself in order to turn the tables on him. She hummed. "True. Guess I better tap into that same luck that Momo did."
It was Izuku's turn to blush as the gray-eyed ravenette leaned in. Meeting her halfway, the verdette locked his lips with her, pulling her closer to him. The two shared their kiss for what felt like minutes before they finally pulled apart.
Shoka's dark red lips quirked into a cat-like smirk. "Some damn good luck right there."
Izuku blushed once more, trying his best to retort but was having some difficulty doing so. He felt Shoka lean in once more, planting a quick peck on his cheek. "I'll see you, Momo, and Shinso in the next round."
The gray-eyed student stood up, stretching her body before making her way out of the spectator box ahead of Kaminari.
Before she left, Mina called out to her. "Not that I don't mind the show, but this is gonna be a thing with you three, isn't it?"
Shoka quirked a brow at Mina's question. "I'm in a relationship with two hot dorks. You're damn right I'm gonna capitalize on that whenever I can." The slender ravenette replied.
As she left, Kaminari just stared at Izuku, garnering the verdette's attention. As Izuku tilted his head in confusion, Kaminari voiced his thoughts. "Dude, I want to be jealous, and part of me is, but dammit I can't help but salute you."
Izuku started to fold in on himself as he was slightly embarrassed by the blonde's words and the playful salute the blonde gave that was mirrored by Sero. Kaminari left the spectator box to get ready for his match against Shoka, leaving behind the rest of 1-A to focus on Iida's match with Mei.
As 1-A focused on the upcoming match, Shoka smiled as Momo made her way over to the waiting room that she was about to enter.
"I did it, Shoka!" The slender ravenette was pulled into a tight embrace by the taller ravenette heiress. Thanks to their height difference, Shoka was able to nuzzle up against Momo's neck. She simply let the busty heiress let her excitement show, barely moving or trying to escape the sudden hug.
Momo felt a pair of arms snake around her as she bounced in place. "We knew you could, Momo." She heard Shoka reply softly.
The onyx-eyed ravenette pulled away, locking eyes with Shoka. "Then I suppose that you should have no issues during your match with Kaminari." Momo leaned in for a quick kiss with her fellow ravenette, blushing lightly as she pulled away. "Zuzu and I will be waiting for you, so do not disappoint."
- HOSU, CITY STREETS -
As the tournament went underway, outside of Musutafu in the city of Hosu, a manhunt was about to begin. Standing before a group of Heroes and sidekicks was Iida Tensei, also known as the Turbo Hero: Ingenium. The elder brother of Tenya wore a Hero costume similar to the younger Iida, though with several pieces and designs like a horn-like addition to his helmet, exhaust ports at his elbows, and a large, protruding brace along his collarbone.
Ingenium looked to the group of Heroes as they waited for him to begin the debrief. The knightly Hero took in a breath and spoke, "Everyone, we are on the lookout for the Hero Killer, also known as Stain. From what we know about him, he is quick, highly skilled with blades, and proficient in escaping. He is more likely to target those who are on their own, so we will be splitting up into groups of two or three. I want constant radio contact. If you believe you have the Hero Killer in sight, you work as a group and you call for backup. Understood?"
The group of Heroes answered as one, earning a nod from Ingenium. "Good. We have a modus operandi. Survivors of his attacks say that they were targeted because Stain did not view them as 'true heroes'. This is also backed up by the 17 deceased victims that were displayed after he murdered them." Ingenium looked down at the ground, doing his best to maintain his composure. "It is a shame to say, those who were executed by his blades were not the best examples of our profession."
"Still, it does not give Stain the right to play judge, jury, and executioner. If he has issues and criticisms with other Heroes, then he should find another way to voice them. It is also on us to hold each other accountable and to higher standards." One of Ingenium's sidekicks stepped up, holding a stack of papers, and started to pass them around as the Turbo Hero continued to speak. "My team and I have spent time coming up with assignments for our groups, as well as compiled more notes on Stain that we thought would prove beneficial. You have ten minutes to go over them before we begin our search."
Ingenium stepped back as the gathered Heroes and sidekicks began to go over the information shared with them. He looked over the group before his eyes narrowed on the one who would be his partner during the manhunt. The man was a Hosu Hero, and one who had been in the business for years, but had several known scandals tied to his name.
And many more that had either been brushed aside or had yet come to light.
He was someone that Stain would likely target. And it's why Ingenium paired himself up with the Hero in order to protect him and catch the Hero Killer.
Ingenium took out his phone and watched the news regarding the sports festival. He sighed sadly as he saw Tenya's match was about to start. The Turbo Hero wasn't happy that he would be missing it.
'I know you'll do great, little brother. And I can't wait to hear all about it later. But I need to get to work now.' Ingenium clenched his fist tightly. 'I need to make you proud.'
'I'm going to make you proud, Tensei.' Iida affirmed in his mind. The bluenette focused on his match as he stepped out onto the field.
[LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE VIEWERS AND LISTENERS! It's time for the next match!]
The crowd happily obliged the Voice Hero as they cheered wildly.
[That's what I like to hear! Introducing, from the west side of the field, it's the blue speedster of Hero Course 1-A. Blink and you'll miss him, it's Iida Tenya!]
Iida stood tall as Present Mic announced him. After taking a moment to take in the atmosphere, the glasses-wearing young man looked across the arena at his opponent, surprised by the amount of support gear she was sporting.
[And on the east side of the field, it's the mad genius of the Support Course. Kitted out for any kind of encounter, viewers and listeners it's 1-H's Hatsume Mei!!!]
The pinkette paid no mind to the crowd or Present Mic. Mei simply focused on her equipment, messing with a headset she attached to her goggles. She had on a pair of white, high-tech boots, a belt with several gadgets attached to it, and a harness that had a metal device sitting on her back.
Midnight looked at the Support Course student with some confusion but chalked it up to the pinkette's current reputation.
Power Loader had much to say about Hatsume Mei at the end of the day. Everything good about her was also exasperating.
"So, Midori? What's the word for this match?" Mina asked, leaning over the verdette's shoulders.
Momo returned to the 1-A spectator box in time for her to hear the question. She watched as her verdette lover pondered over the inquiry, flipping through his notebook as he landed on Iida's page.
"That depends. Iida still has the speed advantage, but I don't know enough about Hatsume to give a better idea of how this match could play out.
Momo sat down next to him, scooching closer to him, and greatly appreciating the warm side hug she received from him, as she voiced her thoughts. "It may come down to Iida having to outlast her equipment. We know that the Support Course is allowed to bring in and use anything they built before the festival started."
"Well, I do know she has some grenades that make the ground slick. It's what she used on Tsu, Kyoka, Toru and I during the Scramble Slam." Ochaco added in, remembering the pinkette causing some chaos during that event.
"Don't forget her hover boots and capture gun." Kyoka joined in. "Dude's got his work cut out for him."
"So now we have to wonder what else she has up her sleeve..." Izuku said as he focused on the arena.
The R-Rated Hero looked over to Iida. "Iida, are you ready?"
"Yes, Midnight-sensei!" The bluenette answered as he took a runner's stance, his eyes zeroing in on Mei.
"Hatsume, are you ready?" She then asked the pinkette. Mei didn't answer, still fiddling away at her equipment. "Hatsume?" Still nothing. "HATSUME!"
"Now I'm ready, booby-lady-sensei!" Midnight did her best to ignore how she was addressed and the snickering of the crowd.
"Combatants are ready... Match seven..." Midnight grumbled out as she raised her whip up into the air. She shot Mei a pointed look, which was completely ignored by the pinkette before she looked over to Iida.
"Begin!"
Iida's engines roared as he sprinted at Mei. In mere seconds he cleared the distance between them."Testing! Hello world!" Only for him to stumble as he came to a sudden stop. "My name is Hatsume Mei! Watch and be amazed by my super cute babies!"
Mei's voice rang out through the speakers around the stadium, much to the surprise of everyone.
Present Mic looked over the soundboard in front of him, trying to find where Mei had hijacked their systems.
"Um, buddy. Do you know what's going on?" The blonde asked his sleep-deprived friend.
Aizawa groaned. "If I were to guess, it was the rat who allowed this to happen."
"Oh..." Mic replied. "So that means we just roll with it?"
"Unfortunately."
Iida felt the glasses on his face fall down his nose as he just stared at the pinkette.
"That's H-A-T-S-U-M-E, Hatsume! And I-"
"Excuse me!" Iida cried out, cutting Mei off from her sales pitch. "Where I can respect the... Hustle..." The bluenette turned to the 1-A spectator box, looking to see if he got the phrase correct. Seeing Izuku, Shinso, and Kyoka nod, he continued to address Mei. "You are showing, I would respectfully ask that you show and not tell what your inventions can do."
Mei's golden-scoped eyes lit up, sending a shiver down Iida's spine. "You're right. Field testing is the way to go!" The pinkette moved a hand behind her back.
Izuku slowly turned to look at Momo. The busty ravenette sent him an unamused look, the image she was trying to build up ruined by the rather cute pout she also had. He knew what point she was trying to get across nonetheless.
"What? I'm not that bad." He said, trying his best to plead his case.
Momo let out a small huff before giving him a small smile. "I know, Zuzu. You are getting better." She said as she ran her hand through his fluffy hair.
Iida started off into a jog before gaining more speed through a full-on sprint. Mei reacted quickly enough, tossing out one of her Slick Grenades that erupted as it hit the ground, covering the arena floor in a viscous blue liquid. Iida was unable to stop himself in time, so the bluenette shifted his body weight, lowering her core closer to the ground, and pushing out his left foot in order to cover more surface area. His quick actions allowed him to slide across the ground without slipping but forced him to move past Mei.
"With my Slick Grenades, you can easily cause fleeing Villains or lawbreakers to trip up, giving you time to catch up and capture them. This special liquid is meant to create a slick glaze on top of any surface and to expand as much as it can." Mei explained, doing her best to build interest in her gear. "And, now that my opponent is on the back foot, what a perfect chance to perform a capture with my own gas-powered capture gun."
Mei pulled out her capture gun from behind her back, taking aim at Iida as he finished his recovery. Pulling the trigger, she launched a capture net at the bluenette. Iida's eyes widened as the net neared him. He jumped out of its path; however, he was too slow and his extended leg was wrapped up.
Iida felt his momentum shift as the net pulled his body in a different direction from his jump. The bluenette grunted as he hit the ground, tumbling across the arena floor, right up to the edge. He worked fast to remove the net from his leg. Once Iida was free, he immediately used his Quirk to boost himself away as another net was fired at him.
The bluenette kept his Engines running low, fast enough for a greater speed boost, but slow enough for him to pull off sharper maneuvers as he rushed Mei once more. The pinkette merely smiled as her boots began to generate energy. As the glasses-wearing Hero student neared her, Mei launched herself into the air, sailing over Iida who watched her float away.
"And I can't forget to mention these babies!" The mad genius of 1-H said over her mic. As she floated into the air, she angled her body to show off the boots that helped her evade Iida. "With these boots, you can feel light as air as the electromagnetic induction allows for quick, evasive actions!"
Iida wasn't idle. Following Mei's trajectory, the glasses-wearing young man took off in another sprint. He leaped into the air, using his Engines to give himself a quick boost that propelled him into the air.
Mei saw Iida appear before her, forcing her to react quickly by pulling out her capture gun. Her opponent grabbed the gun and wrenched it from her hands, causing it to fall to the ground. Before Mei deactivated her boots, forcing her to fall back to the ground as Iida corrected his course with a series of engine bursts.
Mei landed, unaware of Iida about to pull off another attack. To the bluenette's surprise, Mei's pack launched two spikes into the ground as the poles connected them to the pack extended out, lifting her into the air with him running in between the poles.
"I can even protect myself from attacks from behind!" The curvy inventor explained. "No matter what. I will not be caught off guard!"
Mei pulled out several more of her slick grenades and tossed them around the arena. "And now, with my gear, I am in control of the field!"
Iida watched with worry as his free space was severely limited. Mei had nearly covered the arena in the blue, viscous liquid. His eyes narrowed as he saw the dropped capture gun near the edge of the arena. Quickly coming up with a plan of attack, the bluenette began to make his move.
Mei watched as Iida charged her once more, smiling at what she assumed was a desperate attempt to capture her. "That won't work, Mr. Engines!"Activating her boots, the pinkette inventor leaped into the air again. "I control both the air and ground with my babies!"
Iida kept his momentum, lowering himself as he slid across the ground, completely ignoring Mei. The curvy young woman watched in confusion, unsure of what his plan was. The bluenette neared the capture gun and quickly grabbed it as he changed his course, narrowly avoiding sliding off the edge. With great skill, Iida used his Engines once more, pushing him back to Mei.
The 1-H student kept her eyes on Iida, her scope-like, yellow irises zooming in and noticing her capture gun in his hand. She gasped in surprise as Iida, in one swift motion, raised the gun and trained it on her as he slid across the ground. Iida pulled the trigger, launching a net at the pinkette. Mei was unable to deactivate her boots in time as she was swiftly wrapped up in the net.
She flew into an arc before falling to the ground. Instead of hitting the ground like she expected, Mei was caught by Iida as he braced himself. The two stopped at the edge of the arena before they could fall off.
"Nice shot!" Mei said to the bluenette.
"Hatsume, are you able to move?" Midnight asked as she looked at the two.
"Nope!" The pinkette answered with a smile on her face. "Thanks to Mr. Engines here, he demonstrated that with my capture net, any suspect caught will stay caught as they will be unable to remove the net on their own, needing outside help. It's also fire, slash, and acid resistant!"
The R-Rated Hero nodded, still coming to grips with Mei's behavior and her priorities. "Hatsume is captured and unable to move. The winner is Iida!"
[Well... That happened.]
[If anything, aside from Hatsume's skill and creativity, she demonstrated how easy it is for a Hero's own support gear to be used against them if they're not careful.]
- U.A. STADIUM, PRIVATE BOXES -
Ayano finished checking her tablet and the several documents she needed to read over while Nezu and Joshua fell into their own discussion. The dark-haired assistant wanted to finish most of her work before Shoka's match.
"Well, that Hatsume is rather eccentric." She heard Joshua say.
"Indeed. All the best people are." Nezu replied with a laugh.
Ayano rolled her eyes at her boss' antics, having grown used to many of his own eccentricities. As she finished running through the last document, hearing Joshua address her.
"So, I understand that Ms. Sakurane is like your sister, Ms. Kamachi. You must be quite proud of her." The ashen-haired man said with a smirk.
Ayano nodded. "I am. Shoka has certainly grown into a fine young woman. And I know she will be a fine Hero in the future."
She looked over at Joshua, trying to gauge the man. He simply looked out at the field, paying her no mind and giving nothing away. For a brief moment, there was a look of hope in his eyes. "Good. We will need more Heroes like her in the future. In fact, this 'A-Crew' that is forming will certainly be a group of interest."
"I have high hopes for them all," Joshua said in a hushed tone.
[It's finally time to end the preliminaries, dear viewers and listeners! It's time to see who will be going to the quarter-finals!]
The stadium roared with excitement as cheers erupted throughout the stands.
[THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO HEAR! YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAH!]
""YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!""
[To start off our last match of the preliminaries, on the west side of the field, we have the black cat of 1-A, the feline fatale whose path you shouldn't cross. Viewers and listeners, give it up for Sakurane Shoka!]
Shoka playfully smirked, looking around at the spectators as she gave them all a wave. That smirk grew into a full smile when she saw Izuku and Momo up on their feet, while Shinso and Kyoka supported her in their own way.
"Bring the noise, Shoka!"
"Victory is within your reach!"
[And on the east side of the field, it's the electric sensation of 1-A. Bringing the lightning and thunder, it's Kaminari Denki!]
Across from Shoka, Kaminari began to play to the crowd and though he was nervous, his excitement was starting to win out.
Midnight gave the two students a moment, letting their nerves settle before addressing them. The R-Rated Hero looked at Shoka. "Sakurane, are you ready?"
"Oh yeah," Shoka replied. "More than ready, sensei." The slender ravenette got into her fighting stance, lowering her upper body as she looked ready to pounce at the word 'go'.
Midnight then turned to the blonde on the other side of the field. "Kaminari, are you ready?"
Kaminari shot the dark-haired woman a thumbs up. "Yeah, I am!" He answered as electricity danced along his body.
Midnight couldn't help but smile at the enthusiasm between the two. She schooled her features and raised her whip up into the air. "The combatants are ready. Let the eighth and final match of the preliminaries…"
Kaminari's Quirk let loose more electricity around him. As the bolts danced along, his hair began to stand on end with more and more volts charging his body. With a cocky smirk, the blonde readied himself.
Shoka's uniform drained itself of its black color, her skin becoming ghostly pale as her Quirk began to work. The pure-black segments of armor formed along her limbs as she focused on the blonde ahead of her.
"Begin!"
The two students ran, removing the distance between them. Shoka was the first to start the engagement as she moved in a zig-zag pattern before pouncing. As she was in the air, she used her Quirk's tail to adjust her positioning, lifting up her leg before slamming it down on Kaminari.
The blonde grunted as he blocked the hit. Shoka's gray eyes widened in surprise at the blonde's new speed. She barely had time to react when Kaminari countered, kicking off his arms right as he lunged for her.
Kaminari raised his hand, forming it into a finger gun as he pointed at ravenette. "Discharge Bolt!"
The blonde let out a small amount of his electricity, the bolt flying out at Shoka. The gray-eyed student shifted her body to the side on instinct, narrowly avoiding the discharge. Not wanting to give Kaminari time to line up another shot, Shoka took off into a sprint and started to circle around the blonde.
Kaminari gritted his teeth as he struggled to take aim as the slender ravenette adjusted her movement slightly, throwing him off.
"Kinda surprised Kaminari has some new moves," Kyoka said as she watched another bolt of electricity sail past Shoka.
"He must have figured out how to discharge a low enough amount to allow him to shoot it at a target." Izuku quickly began to jot down more notes on Kaminari's page in his notebook. "There is also his new reaction time."
Momo brought a hand to her chin as she thought about it. "It's possible he learned how to safely use his electricity to stimulate his muscles enough to increase his movements and reaction time. Quite clever and most impressive."
"But Shoka also has speed, power, and instincts on her side," Shinso added as on the arena floor, Shoka rushed Kaminari again, with the blonde dodging in time to avoid a swipe of her claws. "This could come down to who reacts the fastest."
Shoka weaved through several electric-enhanced jabs from Kaminari. She couldn't help but feel annoyed, and begrudgingly impressed, that the blonde was keeping up with her at the moment. As the ravenette ducked under a fast haymaker, she capitalized on her new positioning, sweeping her leg along the arena floor and at Kaminari's legs.
The blonde lifted up the foot in Shoka's path and offset his balance. His opponent's gray eyes narrowed on him as she pushed up off the ground, sending her knee into his gut and scoring the first direct hit of the match. Kaminari gasped as the air was forced out of him. Before Shoka could go in for another attack, Kaminari let loose a small discharge of electricity, creating a defensive wall around him and forcing her back.
The blonde winced, feeling some of the kickback from his Quirk after he cut off the electricity.
[Well viewers and listeners, we've had some highly skilled brawls, we've had matches that display incredible amounts of speed, but this is one of those times I need to look at the replay. Both Sakurane and Kaminari's attacks are just that quick!]
Shoka swiftly launched a series of kicks and swipes at the blonde. Kaminari began to struggle as more and more of the ravenette's attacks landed, he got just as desperate. He pumped more electricity throughout his body, overcharging his nerves as he reacted.
The ravenette felt a fist slam against her, the discharge causing her left arm to lock up for a moment. Shoka was put on the back foot, doing her best to weather Kaminari's second wind as she waited for her arm to return to normal. Her gray eyes tracked the blonde's movements. Each punch was deftly dodged, only for her to be blindsided.
As Kaminari threw another punch, Shoka raised her right arm to block the hit. Both students expected her to suffer the same effect, only to be surprised that the electricity simply dissipated across the segmented armor.
Shoka gave Kaminari a feral smirk. "Huh, learn something every day."
Kaminari started to panic. Shoka immediately went on the offensive again, launching a kick into the blonde's side. The electricity user grunted in pain as the ravenette pulled back, spun on her back foot, and hit him with a roundhouse.
The blonde grew desperate for some relief. Kaminari started to build up a greater charge of electricity from his body. 'Fuck it, I just hope I don't go dumb before Midnight-sensei calls it.'
"Indiscriminate Shock, 1.3 million volts!" Kaminari cried out as the electricity from his body surged outward.
Shoka's eyes widened at the sudden attack. She leaped back as quickly as she could, only to have the electricity seek her out. The ravenette thought up a plan and lowered herself to the ground. With all four of her limbs supporting her weight, the segmented tail swaying above her rear shot straight up.
Her body trembled, nearly locking up as even her sudden countermeasure only protected her from most of the electricity from her body as the golden bolts went for her raised tail. The ravenette bit back a cry of pain as she nearly gave in to the shocks of Kaminari's attack.
And as quickly as it happened, it ended just as fast.
Shoka huffed, gasping for air as she struggled to steady her breathing. She had expected a follow-up attack from Kaminari, only to find that nothing was happening. The ravenette slowly raised her head, her gray eyes deadpanning at what she saw.
Across from her, Kaminari's face had changed. His expressive eyes resembled that of a fish, merely dots that couldn't focus on anything. But it was the rather ridiculous and dumb smile plastered on his face that got her.
Midnight blinked in confusion, not expecting this at all. She shook her head, getting her mind back into action as she addressed the blonde. "Kaminari? Are you alright? Can you continue the match?"
Kaminari didn't answer right away. He didn't even look at the R-Rated Hero. The blonde lifted up his hands, gave her a thumbs up, and dumbly said one word. "Yay."
The crowd was silent, save for one sound coming from the 1-A spectator box.
There, Kyoka was struggling to hold back her laughter.
Which caused Shoka to follow suit as she rolled over onto the ground. The ravenette winced as she clutched her stomach, unable to handle her own amusement at the situation.
Midnight looked over at Shoka in concern, wanting to make sure the gray-eyed student was alright after an attack like that. "Shoka, are you able to move?"
The ravenette raised an arm and waved it lethargically as her Quirk was released. "Yeah, just give me a minute."
The R-Rated Hero nodded, raising her own arm up as she called the match. "Kaminari is unable to continue the match. Sakurane is the winner!"
[What a shocking end to the preliminary matches!]
[Why do you hate me...]
[With both opponents able to act and react to each other in equal measure, it led Kaminari to let loose a devastating attack. Unfortunately, he suffered more from it than Sakurane.]
[Sometimes, we Heroes can be pushed to such extremes. In situations like those, if we have to make a call like this, we need to make sure that it works.]
[Right-o buddy. And with that, the preliminary matches are over and we will move on to the quarter-finals! We will have a 15-minute break before announcing the next match-ups, so don't miss it!]
Shoka stood up, her knees wobbling as she felt her strength return to her. She nearly tumbled back to the arena floor when she took a step. Slowly but surely, the ravenette made her way to the gate. She paused, her lips quirking into a warm smile as she saw Izuku and Momo rushing through the tunnel to meet her.
The gray-eyed young woman gave them a wave and kept on moving. Once she made it through the gate, Shoka was pulled into an embrace by her boyfriend and girlfriend as they helped carry her to Recovery Girl's temporary medical room.
- WILDKAT CAFÉ, MUSUTAFU -
Mr. H watched the screen on the back wall of his café, taking a sip from his coffee cup with a smile on his face. The sports festival broadcast began to replay the most intense moments and victors of each one. The café owner couldn't feel more proud as each of his Wildkats made it to the quarter-finals.
"Not a bad showing kiddos. Keep up the pace."