Chapter 17: Flaming Finale
There were many ways Ben envisioned the matches in the 3rd event of the Sports Festival going down. Whether it be a battle of strength, speed or intelligence, everyone Ben had seen so far had at least something going for them that they had demonstrated throughout the Festival. Now it was time for the students to prove themselves. Mano a mano in a limited arena, there was precious little that could be used to sway the battle in one way or the other. No obstacles, no teammates, only two students and their abilities honed from almost two months of professional training at the most well-known hero education institution in the world. At least, with the exception of two. Shinsou from gen ed was still a wildcard. Then there was Hatsume, the support course student that worked with Ben in the first event. She was in the ring right now.
That probably explained why the first match was so weird.
"Uhh, I don't know much about the support course, but aren't they under the same rules as the rest of us? I mean, not to knock on her style, she might just be a master tactician and I can't see it, but, you know." Hagakure trailed off, but everyone in the class A spectator box could see what she meant.
Kaminari, clad head to toe in strange gear, was running around the ring attempting to catch Hatsume. The girl in question was showing off a variety of other tools and gadgets that she invented, using some sort of sound amplification device by her mouth to, well, advertise.
"These Hydraulic Attachment Bars are versatile mobility tools that can assist in any common scenario! They are also compatible with many fighting styles, quirks, and easily fitted onto standard issue costumes and armor! Light, made of durable yet lightweight material and easily replaceable, they take up no space but hold their own in any combat situation!"
Hatsume was dodging past Kaminari's attacks with some sort of mobility gadget. Bars would rapidly extend out of a pack she wore on her back, pushing her up and to the sides at high speeds. To her credit, Hatsume was obviously experienced with this invention. She knew when to move and when to stay still and let the pack do the work. But her dodging may also be due to a rather slow Kaminari. He was quite fit for his age, as all hero students were, but two events in the Festival and with a foreign armor frame on his body, he was much slower than before. Sweat poured down his face as he sent sparks flying, only to see Hastume easily dodge. He was shouting something himself, but without sound amplification, none of the spectator's could hear. Only Midnight, the referee, and several UA staff who acted as emergency responders, were close enough to hear.
"I wonder why Kaminari accepted the gear, ribbit." Asui wondered aloud. "He never seemed uncomfortable using his electricity without support items during our heroics classes. Based on what Midnight said before the match began, both contestants needed to agree if a hero student was to use support items during a match. Kaminari is obviously uncomfortable in that wire-frame. Maybe he was coerced into it?"
"Tsuyu, did you forget what the creep did literally less than an hour ago?" Jiro grumbled from the side, with her arms crossed. She was watching the match with a strange look of satisfaction. "The guy is a pervert. Hatsume is a girl. All she needed to do to get Kaminari to do anything for her is just talk to him. Hatsume probably caught Kaminari before the match during the lunch break or something. Boom, problem solved."
"Are you still pissed at the trick he pulled on you guys?" Kirishima raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yes, wouldn't you?" Jiro shot back.
"...point taken." Kirishima leaned back in his chair to continue watching the match.
The match continued, with no one really knowing what was going on. It seemed that Hatsume had found who she was trying to impress, as she consistently turned her head to talk in a certain direction and angled herself to better show off her inventions. She paid less and less attention to Kaminari, who had mostly stopped running after her. He was coming to the realization that he may have been played, and walked into a deal that really didn't benefit him. However, Kaminari was a hero student and did indeed have some modicum of pride in him. He wasn't going to accept this public humiliation sitting down. He went over to the side, and waited for Hatsume to continue her rounds around the edge of the arena. When she made it to a corner, that's when he jumped out, cornering her, and made his move.
Kaminari's cry was definitely heard by the stadium. Arcs of lightning sprouted from his body, and guided only by his hands and will, showered the area in front of him in yellow bolts. It was a poorly aimed attack, but he had waited for his target to put herself in the area where she had the least amount of room to maneuver. Hatsume tried to push herself out of the way, but several bolts of lightning were attracted to her backpack of metal. As streaks of electricity surged up the extended bars and into the pack, a loud bang was heard and smoke began to billow out of the pack. Hatsume let out a surprised scream as her inventions stopped working while she was in midair. She landed in an ungrateful heap, where Kaminari easily caught her and pushed her off stage.
"Kaminari Denki wins!"
Polite clapping began as the first match contestants were escorted out. Despite winning, Kaminari was completely exhausted, staggered as he walked out. Hatsume may have lost, but she was happy to leave. She skipped and smiled as she exited, having accomplished what she wanted to do at the Sport's Festival. She never intended to win, or even go far in the 3rd event. She just wanted to reach the 3rd event so that she would have the greatest advertising opportunity that a first year support course student could have.
"Well, at least Kaminari didn't make a complete fool of himself." Shoji spoke up.
"He did win, so he has another chance to prove himself. The next match is Ashido and Sero right? Should be a fun one." Sato agreed from Shoji's right.
The class A spectator box was an enclosed seating area to give the students privacy and space, away from the crowds. They were in a taped-off area, where they had bathrooms and areas with small food and water to stay energized and hydrated. These areas were ideal for watching the action. There was a line of such boxes on the second floor, each for one of the first year classes. Class A was on one of the ends, right next to the class B spectator box. There was a bright-colored tape forming a line that guided students from their spectator box to the waiting room on the ground floor. Everyone in the Bracket A was in one of those rooms, where they were waiting for their cue to wait at one of the stadium's entrances. Bracket B participants were allowed to stay in their spectator boxes until the 4th match of the first bracket. There would be a small intermission as Cementoss made repairs to the ring, during which the second round would get organized.
"Oh, looks like they are coming out now!" Ben pointed down, bringing everyone's attention to the arena.
Ashido was bouncing on her toes as she made her way out, Present Mic's voice echoing throughout the stadium as he ushered her in. She stretched her arms and flexed her legs, warming herself up. She puffed out her cheeks as she took deep breaths to calm her beating heart. She stepped onto the concrete arena, where Sero awaited her. Contrary to Ashido's bouncy and energetic per-match actions, Sero was calm and cool. He did some light stretches, pulled his arms to stretch his shoulders. His sleeves were rolled up far, his cylindrical elbows on full display. His easy-going smile never leaving, his face not giving any emotion away. Midnight cracked her whip, and a quiet descended on the stadium.
"Begin!" The whip cracked again and Ashido flew forward!
Ashido started by firing a thin sheet of acid in front of her to skate on as she rushed Sero. She stayed low to the ground, swaying back and forth, indicating she was ready to dodge any attack. Sero jumped back and fired some cautious tap shots from his left elbow. As expected, none of them even came close to touching Ashido as she maneuvered around the slow-moving projectiles. The distance between the two fighters was quickly shrinking, and Sero moved to solve that problem. Backpedaling to gain some distance back, Sero ripped off a long band of tape from his right elbow and balled up a bunch into a rough sphere from his left. Sticking the tape ball onto the end of the long tape, Sero started swinging it around his head in long, wide circles.
Ashido paused, stopping to think. Then, with her mind made up, she continued forward as if nothing had changed. Sero raised an eyebrow at this, but responded by swinging his tape faster, hoping to catch his opponent now that she was within his range. Ashido lowered herself further, the tape swinging above her head. Sero cracked his tape back, flicking behind him, and when the tape ball slowed down, flicked it forward. Ashido just smirked as she displayed an unprecedented level of agility. She pushed out her chest, lowered her head, her back almost perpendicular to the ground and almost hitting it as she stuck out one hand to catch herself. Sero stayed focused as he watched her push herself back up and yanked the tape back. Ashido countered by swinging her legs around and rolling to the side. Sero caught his tape ball, but before he could throw it out again, Ashido fell upon him.
"Magnificent moves!" Aoyama looked enthralled with the match as he witnessed Ashido finally close the distance in just two dodges.
A stream of acid hit Sero, some hitting the exposed skin his rolled-up sleeves left open. Sero must have felt pain as he immediately grimaced and started rubbing off the acid as fast as he could. Not that he had a lot of time and space to do so, as Ashido kept the pressure up, throwing punches and shooting out acid. Sero was being pushed back, but once he got close to the edge of the stadium, he fought back. He was taller than Ashido, and abused that fact by lashing out with a kick that caught her by surprise. With the threat of acid temporarily neutralized, Sero shoulder bashed Ashido's chest. While she was stunned, Sero quickly positioned behind her and wrapped his arms around Ashido's shoulders and yanked back. Ben knew this move, he had done the same as Four Arms when he fought Nomu. Ashido primarily fired acid out of her hands as that gave her the most control. Sero was now in control.
"Oof, they're grappling now?" Sato winced. "That isn't good for Ashido. Looks like Sero ain't going down without a fight!"
Indeed, this was not looking good for Ashido. While she was faster, more agile and far more flexible than her opponent, Sero was stronger. He held her tight, trying to hold back her jostling and avoiding the stray acid that was firing off everywhere in attempts to get him off. Small puddles of the acid slowly built up as they melted small indents into the arena. Sero, now a bit more confident, started to move Ashido to the edge to claim victory. He didn't want to risk fighting her for too long; all it took was one good hit of acid as he would be done for. Ashido switched up her strategy. Instead of pulling side to side, she started pulling herself down. Sero frowned, she was slowing his movement to the edge and pulled up with even more strength. Ashido then pushed up with all her might, and alongside Sero's upward pull, successfully sent him off balance. He landed on his back, and when his head hit the floor his grip loosened. Ashido broke free and tried to trap Sero's head between her legs. The boy's eyes fell to the side as he saw a pool of acid just to his right.
The end struggle began as Sero frantically tried to push himself away from the acid and Ashido doing everything she could to force him to yield. Sero strained against the legs around his neck and chest, firing tape at Ashido's face and trying to pull himself up. A small coating of acid around her hand allowed Ashido to melt away the offending tape and concentrate. In the end, Ashido was able to use her whole body to move Sero, who couldn't muster enough force to fight back. Ashido forced Sero's head right next to the acid pool, and the boy knew he had been bested. With a sad smile, he called out his surrender, and the crack of a whip marked the end of the second match.
"Ashido Mina wins!"
Ashido untangled herself from Sero and helped push him upright. An exchange of smiles and a handshake showed no hard feelings, and both contestants left the arena with heads held high and the satisfaction of a well-fought battle. A much larger response from the audience followed their exit, as this match was far more exciting than the first.
"Man, I thought Sero had her for a second there. That hold he had her in looked hard to break, but she managed it. How'd she get so flexible anyways? Those were some cool moves she busted out there." Uraraka was among the last to stop clapping, obviously caught up with the excitement of it all.
"I think she does dance. What kind I'm not sure, but it certainly paid off. Maybe I should join her!" Kirishima agreed, his gleeful smile so wide it was showing off his sharp teeth.
"I do not think that is a good match, but if that is what you desire, go for it." Tokoyami shook his head, the image of Kirishima doing advanced ballet not sitting right for him.
Ben was looking forward to this match, but whether he was excited for it or dreading it he didn't really know. Shiozaki, one of two class B students to make it to the 3rd event, walked out, her calm expression never changing even as noise bombarded her. Through Present Mic's welcome, the cheers of the crowd, she merely walked to the stage and took a stand. It was impressive that she didn't show any emotions because her opponent certainly was. Todoroki looked pissed, his eyes narrow and his fists clenched into fists. This was quickly noticed by class A as they started muttering to each other. Todoroki looked fine, if a little tired and grumpy after the lunch period and during the introduction of the 3rd events and the brackets. Yet, he looked very angry now. Did something happen?
"Begin!" The whip cracked.
Shiozaki quickly burrowed a few vines into the ground while the rest formed a barrier in front of her. A solid strategy, but one that failed to take into consideration her opponent. Her vines had not gone an inch below the surface of the concrete floor when the air temperature of the arena, no, the entire stadium plummeted. Todoroki slammed down his right foot with a heavy slam, and the cold temperature went down even further, now at freezing levels. Then, a wave of ice shot out of his right foot. The wave hit Shiozaki and exploded.
"Woah!" Ben flung his body back as the cold slammed into the spectator's people crying out in alarm as the unexpected cold chilled the stadium. That wasn't the only thing that hit the stadium though. Silence rang as a large, no, building sized glacier dominated the stage. Jagged peaks of ice broke through the open ceiling of the stadium, freezing the arena and Todoroki's opponent. Not even Present Mic had anything to say, as people just stared. This was a level of power expected from professional heroes, not the students that were training under them. Yet, there was now evidence that Todoroki Shoto held immense power in just one side, enough to turn an anticipated match into a one-sided blowout.
"Shiozaki..." Midnight finally broke the silence. She smacked at the ice clinging to her suit, freeing her arm to bring a microphone to her mouth. Concern laced the referee's voice. "Can you move? Are you alright?"
The response wasn't heard, but even if Shiozaki had a microphone, it was unlikely that would have helped. The poor girl couldn't even shiver, as almost her entire body had been frozen. Only her head stayed out of the ice, and even then she couldn't move because her vine-hair had been frozen. She did manage a small shake, which Midnight took as a surrender.
"Todoroki Shoto wins!"
"Is everyone alright?" Ida called out from his position helping Ben and Aoyama off the floor. Ben wasn't the only one taken aback by the sudden display of power. Multiple others were being helped up and the rest were dealing with the aftermaths of the temperature change.
"I think we should be." Yaoyorozu called from the other side where she was producing a thick wooly blanket for Asui, who had curled up into a ball, fighting off the sleepiness her quirk made her feel following such cold temperatures. "It looks like Powerloader-sensei has brought out drones with heaters on them and has activated the stadium's temperature control mechanisms. It may take a few minutes, but I think the worst has passed."
In the air, Powerloader was controlling a small swarm of drones, each a small heater attached to a propeller and several other robotic necessities. The swarm spread out, each one expelling the hot air their propeller's engine created, melting the large glacier. The majority focused around Shiozaki, who was being attended to by Midnight and one of Recovery Girl's assistants. The moment she was able to be moved, Midnight loaded her onto a gurney and the assistant rolled her off. Todoroki watched as the gurney went by him. For a second, there was a look of guilt on his face. Only for a second though, as his indifferent mask slid on and he too exited the stage. There was a lot of applause, but it fell on deaf ears as one student was incapacitated and the other didn't care.
The class fell into silence again as the heater bots slowly finished their work. While Todoroki made a huge impact, it didn't heavily damage the arena, so the next match could go as soon as Powerloader gave the go-ahead.
"Well, it looks like Midoriya is next." Ben tried to break up the mood.
"Yeah, isn't Deku up against that gen ed guy? He made it so far, but we still don't know much about him. I wonder what his quirk is." Uraraka looked like she had more to say, but a voice interrupted her from the back as someone finally returned.
"It's a Brainwashing quirk." Ojiro turned heads as he entered and took a seat behind Ben.
"Ojiro where were you? You missed the first three matches." Hagakure waved at him.
"I was with Midoriya. As long as the student gives permission, anyone can be with them in their rooms before their match so long as they don't follow them to the arena entrances." That caught people's attention.
"You were with Midoriya? Wait, were you telling him about that guy's quirk? Sharing what we know?" Sato and Aoyama turned in their seats to face him.
"Yeah. I told Midoriya not to talk to him. Don't rise up to bite any bait, fight him without a word. It doesn't look like Shinsou trains all too much, so against someone with a strength quirk he shouldn't be too threatening. Midoriya should be fine. As long as he doesn't mess it up." A snort from Bakugo who was lounging in the back was heard, but the blonde didn't say anything more.
Present Mic's voice returned class A's attention to the arena. Midoriya walked out, his body shaking with nervousness. He tried to keep his limbs steady, but just ended up walking to the stage with straight arms and locked knees, looking like Ida on the first day of school. Shinsou walked out, staring at his opponent as he slowly walked to stand in front of him. The arena had some damage; scrapes and holes from the first and second matches, with small chunks missing from the third. But everyone knew that this match wouldn't go long. It would be decided in the first move.
Midnight's whip cracked.
Ben saw Shinsou's mouth start moving immediately upon the match being started, but couldn't hear what he was saying. Midoriya did however, and whatever was said made him pause. His arms jerking and a hurt expression slowly coming over. Shinsou smirked. His mouth moved again. This time Midoriya's face flushed with anger. Shinsou moved his mouth, speaking for a third time, holding his hands out in a condescending way. That proved to be the snapping point as Midoriya charged forward, yelling something. Then something stopped him. Midoriya's entire body paused out of nowhere, his eyes glazing over. Slowly his body relaxed, from his sprinting pose to simply standing. The audience didn't roar, but people were definitely talking. What was going on?
"Oh my god, you moron!" Ojiro groaned in frustration, gripping his head as he watched Midoriya stand like a lifeless mannequin. "We just went over this! We spent ten minutes talking about what to do! You even took notes for crying out loud!"
"That's what you get for putting effort into a worthless Deku." Scoffed Bakugo. "No amount of strategizing will overcome that bastard's uselessness."
Several people looked like they wanted to say something, Ben among them. But, it was undeniable. Ben looked back at the arena, where Shinsou's mouth moved again, a victorious smile on his face. Midoirya obediently turned around and started walking towards the edge. If he fell out, that would be his loss. Bakugo did have a point. Ojiro gave Midoriya an advantage, spending time to help him prepare so Midoriya would not be taken out as he was. Yet, even with that edge, Midoriya was about to walk out on his own accord. Then, on the screens that showed a different angle of the arena, a finger twitched.
It was small at first, but the finger curled up. Then, his whole body stood still on the edge. Shinsou didn't seem like he was scared, so he started talking again. But Midoriya didn't budge. Shinsou's eyebrows furrowed. He learned forward as he spoke this time, putting more emphasis into his words this time. Instead of obedience, this time Midoriya fought back. The curled finger flexed, and a surge of energy coursed up his arm.
Phoom!
A blast of air and dust pushed Shinsou back as Midoriya let loose an explosive finger flick. The dust surrounded the green-haired boy, his body slowly turning as his eyes burning with fire facing Shinsou's stunned face. Midoriya clutched his broken index finger, before squaring his jaw and rushing down Shinsou. The gen ed student fell back, his expression souring as he started talking again. This time, Midoriya would not speak back. Shinsou went from annoyed to angry as he stopped going backwards and took a swing at Midoriya. The two started to tussle, with Shinsou never taking a moment to breathe and still shouting, trying to get Midoriya to say anything. But Midoriya said nothing and his higher level of strength and skill in combat showed. When Shinsou threw a desperate punch, Midoriya dodged out of the way, grabbed the arm, and forced Shinsou to follow through. Gripping the back of his uniform, Midoriya tripped Shinsou to send him off balance and threw him. Shinsou landed on the edge, but slid just a little further that sent him falling off.
"Midoriya Izuku wins!"
Ojiro finally relaxed back into his chair. "Thank god he won. That... was way too close."
"Yeah, but it doesn't look like Shinsou is all too happy about losing." Sato pointed at the way the gen ed student was leaving. Despite the applause, his body was stiff and his expression was a mix of frustration and humiliation. As marched away, leaving towards the tunnels, he was stopped by Midoirya.
Ben didn't hear what was said, but it looked like Midoirya was getting into it, holding his hand to his chest in a gesture of sincerity. They exchanged words, then Midoriya pointed above Shinsou to the spectators. Some of his gen ed classmates had left their spectator seats to offer words of encouragement. The general hubbub of the stadium seemed positive, with people impressed by the performance on both sides. The hero student pulled off a huge move of mental strength, but the gen ed student proved that some kids just fell through the cracks left by UA's rigid entrance exam. People were talking about Shinsou, and it was in the best way possible.
Shinsou left with a different smile on his face, seeming a lot more loose. Ben guessed he was happy for the guy. Yeah, he hadn't given Ben the best impression in that hallway confrontation, but maybe there was another side to him. He had selfish intentions, sure, with wanting to take down class 1-A to take their spot in the heroics program, but perhaps it wasn't malicious.
"Bracket B!" Ida snapped Ben out of his thoughts with his loud announcement voice and waving arms. "The Bracket A matches are done, so we are to proceed to the waiting rooms! Bakugo and Kirishima, you are up first. Make sure you get ready!"
"Stuff it four eyes." Bakugo rudely pushed past the president, ignoring his protests. "I don't need you telling me what to do."
"Aw man, he's so pumped!" Kirishima followed him out. "This is going to be a manly battle!"
"Yaoyorozu, are you ok, ribbit?" Asui croaked out as the vice president rose beside her. The frog girl noticed her friend's stiff stance and worried expression early on. Yaoyorozu was displaying unusual signs of nervousness, fidgeting about and constantly glancing to her left. Asui followed her gaze to see her staring at Tennyson, who was walking out past Ida, swinging his arms, seemingly without a care in the world.
"I'll be fine Asui." Yaoyorozu forced a smile on her face, ignoring her thumping heart and racing thoughts. She was out of it, she even forgot to call Asui by her first name as she requested all the 1-A girls and her other friends to do early on. Yaoyorozu was the last to exit, with several worried people watching her back hunch over.
"It can't be easy for her, going up against Tennyson." Hagakure's heart went out to the girl.
"She's strong. She will manage." Jiro sighed and rested her head on her knuckles. "All that she can do is her best. Her quirk is as versatile as Tennyson's, so who knows? The match isn't over till Midnight's whip cracks."
Yaoyorozu followed the rest of her class down the hall and down the stairs. Bakugo was directed by a staff member to the other side, so he stormed off, grumbling under his breath. Kirishima took one of the rooms nearby, waiting for Cementoss to finish repairs. Ida, Tokoyami, Uraraka, and Tetsutetsu who joined them from class 1-B's spectator seats went to claim a room for themselves. Yaoyorozu moved to join them, but noticed Ben talking to the staff member, who pointed in another direction. Yaoyorozu watched as Ben walked off, and then called out.
"Tennyson, where are you going? Our bracket is up next."
"Going to visit Shiozaki beforehand." Ben turned around and jabbed a thump behind him. "We're the last match, so I got time."
"She was barely conscious when I went!" Tetsutetsu poked his head out to holler. "Recovery Girl said she should be fine, but tell me how she's doing after I win, ok?"
"If you win!" Uraraka's voice joined in. "I'm not going down without a fight!"
"That's some manly spirit you got there! Let's have a good match!"
Yaoyorozu shook her head at the antics as Ida joined in, telling them to quiet down and focus on the matches to come. Yaoyorozu turned her head to see if Ben was still around, but found the spot where he was previously to be empty. She shrugged it off, moving into an open waiting room and sitting down to watch the event on a small TV set up on a wall. She felt the nervousness she had been bottling up since the match-ups were announced reach a boiling point. Deep breaths, in and out. Yaoyorozu knew this would be a tough battle, but no hero gave up. She would give it her all and she would win. She had to.
Contrary to Yaoyorozu's nervousness, Ben was feeling quite good. Throughout his adventures, Ben realized that nervousness was never going to go away, so he stopped paying so much attention to it. He simply covered it up. Not that Ben pretended that he wasn't nervous, but it was just that expressing fear and hesitation to the foes he tended to end up fighting only served to embolden them. Ben tried to shake off these thoughts as he entered Recovery Girl's temporary base of operations.
"Can I help you?" The small, elderly heroine turned from her position on a stool in front of a small station holding Midoriya, and Ben could see her working on his broken finger.
Another adult was there, one that Ben had never seen before. It was impossible to tell his age as he was a skeleton of a man, with a body so thin his bones could be clearly seen. His clothes hung off him, his face thin and skin pale. He was fretting over Midoriya, so Ben assumed some sort of connection. They didn't look related, so a family friend perhaps? A mentor of some sort? Noticing Ben's stare, the man gave a polite smile and nod. Embarrassed at getting caught, Ben turned to Recovery Girl.
"I wanted to check up on Shiozaki. Make sure she's ok before my match." Ben waved to Midoriya, who cracked a smile and waved back only to get donked on the head.
"She's past the curtain there. Just don't move her out of the blankets and don't mess with the heaters. Her body temperature needs to rise and I'm not letting her go until I am 100% sure she's healthy!" Recovery Girl then turned back to Midoriya, wrapping his fingers in some sort of medical cloth while berating him about being a regular visitor to the infirmary for broken bones.
Ben moved past the two to push past the curtain to find another area with beds. This was probably for thoses with more serious injuries. Shiozaki was in the back, near the window and in the sunlight. She lifted her head to see who it was and faintly smiled as she saw Ben coming.
"How ya doing?" Ben plopped down in a nearby chair.
"Alright, all things considered. It was bad at first, but I'm feeling better already. Recovery Girl set me up with all of these. I'm not too fond of them to be honest. Heaters dry out my vines with prolonged exposure." Shiozaki gestured to her many layers of thick blankets and heaters positioned around her.
"Well, you did take a glacier to the face. It was impressive you were still conscious. I don't think even our teachers knew Todoroki had that kind of power in him."
"It seems that Todoroki has been holding a lot back. I'm disappointed that I didn't even make him use the fire that he demonstrated in the second event. It only took half of his abilities to win."
"Aww, don't beat yourself up. I'm pretty sure 99% of our year would have lost from that first attack. Only someone like Midoriya could have stood a chance." Ben turned to the curtain to yell. "Oi, Midoriya, isn't it true that your quirk is so strong that you destroyed the zero-pointer in one punch?"
"U-uh yeah, it's true! I did break my entire arm though."
Bonk
"So reckless! That move should not be the basis of your fighting style! I blame you Toshinori!"
"Sorry Recovery Girl!"
"My deepest apologies."
'So his name is Toshinori. Hmm... nope! Not ringing any bells.' "Anyways." Ben turned back "It was just a bad match-up. If he did use his fire, you would have been burned. Judging by how you reacted when he used it in the cavalry battle, I take it that you hate fire more than ice, no?"
"True. While it was not pleasant getting frozen, at least I didn't sustain any bodily injuries. Once my core temperature returns to normal, I should be healthy. It would have been a different story if my hair was burned off." Shiozaki hummed. She turned her serious expression to look Ben in the eyes. "Going back to what you said, about 99% of our classmates falling to Todoroki's opening move. Do you count yourself in that 1%?"
"I could tell you, but I'm not going to. It won't matter until the finals anyways. He's in Bracket A, I'm in Bracket B. I'd have to beat some of the best in my class to have a shot at the guy in the finals. Ida, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu, Bakugo. But if I do make it, I'll beat him for you. Give you some payback."
"Ben, we aren't on a team anymore. You don't have to do that. Although, the gesture is appreciated." Shiozaki giggled.
BoomBoom!
"Huh. The matches are starting." Ben looked up at the sound of a double explosion. The sound echoed through the walls and out of the speaker from the TV set up so that Recovery Girl's patients could watch the matches. "Gotta go Shiozaki!"
"Best of luck." A simple response chased Ben out the door.
The staff member who showed Ben the way to the infirmary escorted Ben to the last open room. He explained that he would be given an early cue to follow the silver tape to the other side of the stadium, so that the two students in a match could enter individually. Ben was to go there and wait on cue, then walk out when Present Mic said his name. Simple. Ben nodded and the door shut. Ben looked around the simple room. Water, some fruit and bars, and a TV showing the match. Cracking open the water bottle, Ben took small sips as he watched Bakugo blast a hardened Kirishima on screen.
For as much as Ben didn't like the guy, he had to admit Bakugo was a good fighter. His quirk gave him power, but he obviously trained his mind as well. He was strong, quick and proved to be quite adaptable as well. Kirishima wasn't an intelligent fighter, but made up for it with determination and confidence. He knew what he was good at and stuck with it. His skin hardened and rough, Kirishima threw punches while Bakugo pelted him with explosions, the noise making that same double echo in this room as it did in the infirmary.
Ben wanted to root for Kirishima, but a minute in, he knew Bakugo had this match. Kirishima just didn't have a good plan to close the distance. He was a melee fighter, but couldn't get close enough to land a finishing blow. Bakugo was a mid-to-close range fighter, and abused his quirk's range hard. Everytime Kirishima got close, it just gave Bakugo a chance to use a more powerful explosion to knock the red-head back. If Kirishima put up his arms to guard, trying to evaluate the battle to find an opening, Bakugo just sent explosion after explosion. To Kirishima's credit, it wasn't like it was a one-sided match like Todoroki's. Kirishima landed a few good blows, his hardened skin leaving cuts and bruises with every hit. But the amount of blows landed by Bakugo was starting to wear away at Kirishima's stamina, and he was slowing down.
Bakugo, sensing blood in the water, went in for the kill. Kneeling on the floor, he used a double explosion to get in quick, sliding under Kirishima's punch. Before the red-head could protect himself, Bakugo pushed himself upright, far into Kirishima's guard and put his palms out. Right in front of Kirishima's face. Two bright white bursts of light exploded right in Kirishima's face and he went staggering back. He didn't fall, but he was obviously disorientated, seen by his inability to regain his balance. Bakugo launched himself again, and threw his legs out. He caught Kirishima in the stomach, sending him out of the arena.
"Bakugo Katsuki wins!"
"Man, talk about brutal. The arena looks like Vilgax just walked over it." Ben couldn't help but notice the black marks left from Bakugo's explosions and chips missing from Kirishima's footwork. Speaking of the hardening teen, he seemed in good spirits. He had softened his skin and had a dizzy grin. He tried to extend his hand to Bakugo, but it was just slapped aside. Bakugo exited as quickly as he arrived, but Kirishima was obviously in need of medical attention. Midnight stood over him, performing some tests to gauge his eye's responsiveness, and was not liking what she was seeing. She waved over some more medical assistants, and they wrapped Kirishima's arms around their shoulders as they helped him leave.
Ben was excited for the next match. With Shiozaki out, Tetsutetsu was the last class B student and member of Ben's cavalry team left. He exited the tunnel when called, enjoying the attention and spotlight. Uraraka on the other hand seemed a tad bit overwhelmed. She meekly waved about quickly hopping up the stairs and standing in the arena. It looked so one-sided, with Tetsutetsu far taller, muscular and confident. However, to all who knew the fighters involved, it was anything but that. Sure, Uraraka probably couldn't take more than a few steel-enhanced punches, but if she got all five of her fingers on Tetsutetsu, it was over.
"Begin!"
Tetsutetsu shocked everyone by leaping backwards instead of moving in. He smashed his hands into the arena, loosening a chunk of concrete. He lifted the loose bar in his hands, and brandished it like a sword. Uraraka held her hands loose at her sides as she slowly approached, the two students circling each other. Whenever Uraraka got too close, Tetsutetsu would jab forward, using his makeshift weapon to make more distance. This happened a couple more times before Uraraka slapped the bar, removing its weight.
Tetsutetsu swung the bar back, but didn't take into account it's new lack of weight. He swung it back with a lot of force, almost knocking him off his feet. In that one moment, Uraraka moved in, reaching out with one hand. Tetsutetsu let go of the bar and rolled back, skidding as he exited the roll. But Tetsutetsu was not the target, Uraraka was aiming for his weapon. Where it took Tetsutetsu all his strength to break the bar off the arena and swing it about, Uraraka was swinging the thing in circles as if it weighed nothing. Which, it now did.
Tetsutetsu found himself on the defensive, with Uraraka never giving him a moment to recover. She swung again and again, and with every blow Tetsutetsu blocked or knocked aside, the bar was getting weaker with cracks forming. Small bits of concrete were falling off, and the bar was breaking in the middle. Uraraka pushed on, choosing not to worry about the condition of the bar, but when it did break Tetsutetsu moved to attack. As Uraraka was swinging, he darted in and smacked her in the side with a solid punch, knocking the air out of her. She tried to smack his arm, but Tetsutetsu pulled back quickly. But Tetsutetsu retreated to where the broken half of the concrete bar was, floating in the air, still affected by her quirk. Uraraka noticed this and pressed her fingers together, sending both halves of the bar to Earth.
Tetsutetsu looked up too late as by the time he started moving, it was too late. The concrete smashed the ground, hitting the back of Tetsutetsu's leg. He fell forward, his face planting into the ground. He grimaced in pain, but forced his leg to move. Shaking off the crumbling concrete from his steeled leg, he looked back up to see Uraraka's hand too close to his face. So, Tetsutetsu acted on instinct. He threw himself forward, and clasped his hand onto Uraraka's wrist in a vice grip. Uraraka successfully negated the gravity anchoring Tetsutetsu to Earth, but she now had to get rid of his grip.
It wasn't easy, as Uraraka tried everything she could think of. She didn't have the strength to peel his fingers off and her blows would do nothing against his steel skin. It wasn't like Tetsutetsu gave up either; he was still trying to get in blows when he could. It was then she got an idea. The audience watched in anticipation as Uraraka started running to the arena edge, Tetsutetsu hanging onto her like some sort of metal kite. Tetsutetsu didn't know what she was doing, as he was shouting something the TV didn't pick up. Uraraka jumped to the edge, where she bent her knees, ready to jump out of the ring. In his panic, Tetsutetsu's grip weakened. Taking her chance, Uraraka twisted around, grabbing Tetsutetsu's arm and swinging him over her, flinging him out of the arena. One final tap of her fingers and Tetsutetsu fell to the ground, eliminated.
"Uraraka Ochako wins!"
'Well, that's all of class B and my team gone. That makes two I gotta avenge. If she makes it past Bakugo, that is.' Ben sadly thought as he watched Uraraka nearly hurl on TV from quirk use. Tetsutetsu stood up and helped her out. He had a smile on his face, but Ben could see the edges of his mouth twitching in frustration. Tetsutetsu really wanted to win, so it was a real shame to see him lose in the first round. But, that was just how the tournament worked.
Ding
Ben was startled by the activation of a large red bulb lighting up over the doorway. If that wasn't the cue, then Ben didn't know what could be. He guessed that he should be in position before the match before his started to ensure a smooth and quick transition. Ben exited his room and followed the silver tape along the walls, leading him around the circular stadium and to the other side. A staff member waited for him at the tunnel entrance, and after patting him on the back, let him in and walked off. Ben was close to the action, so close he could hear Ida's engines roaring and Tokoyami giving orders.
"Dark Shadow, pin him in the corner! Do not give him any more area to work with!"
"Got it!"
Ben got a good line of sight to watch the match, where Ida appeared to be struggling against Dark Shadow. No matter how many powerful kicks he planted into the dark mass, the damage never seemed to stick. Dark Shadow would reform itself before resuming attacking. Ida's uniform already had multiple tears and scrapes, a testament to the damage Dark Shadow's claws could deal if they connected. Ida was panting while Tokoyami appeared no more tired than he was before the fight. It seemed that Dark Shadow's power was not connected to Tokoyami's stamina. Ida was burning energy on hitting the quirk, while the quirk user stayed fresh. Tokoyami's actual physical abilities were unknown, aside from the minimum expected of hero students, but it appeared that information wasn't necessary. In a one-on-one like this, fighting Tokoyami was like fighting outnumbered.
Ida slid back, his fist slamming into the ground as he took labored breaths. He was being forced to the edge, and Ben could see that he didn't have much room left. Tokoyami pushed his advantage and started moving forward as well, commanding Dark Shadow to take a couple finishing swipes. That order drew Ida's attention, as behind his glasses his eyes flickered from the shadow quirk to the shadow quirk wielder and back again. The gears in his mind were turning and he acted upon the beginnings of the plan he was concocting.
With a surge of power, Ida darted forward before sliding on the ground to duck under a swipe from Dark Shadow. Flicking himself up, he scooted to the side, observing how Dark Shadow contorted its body to protect Tokoyami. A small game of cat-and-mouse played out, with Ida testing the ways Dark Shadow responded to various moves. Tokoyami, realizing Ida was planning something, widened the distance between them and ordered Dark Shadow to stop attacking unless necessary. A standoff commenced. The audience seemed to side with Tokoyami, but only because of the state the two students were in. Ida was tired with a torn uniform while Tokoyami had yet to be touched.
The standoff was broken as Ida fired up his engines and sprinted forward. Dark Shadow extended to counter, and as Ida changed directions to run, gave pursuit. Dark Shadow extended, all the way to the edge where Ida turned to make his stand. Dark Shadow reared up and swiped with its left arm. Ida saw this and dashed forward, veering to his right. Ducking down, Ida narrowly avoided the attack and made a beeline towards Tokoyami, whose eyes narrowed upon seeing his defense broken. Dark Shadow chased Ida down, its claws extended to strike. But Ida didn't pause to attack Tokoyami. He didn't even try to. Instead he zoomed past the avian student, who turned in confusion. Ida checked behind him, and then shifted his direction to run a circle around Tokoyami. It was then, when Ben realized Ida's plan.
Ida moved in such a way that Tokoyami would always be between him and Dark Shadow. In a fight against the shadow quirk, Ida realized he could not win in his condition. So, he had to limit what the quirk could do, and the one thing it seemed to prioritize above all else was protecting its master. Putting that master between the quirk and its target prevented Dark Shadow from attacking, although Ida couldn't land a hit himself. Tokoyami got spooked, and commanded Dark Shadow to wrap around him in a defensive position. He obviously wanted his quirk to be in the best position possible to defend, and having it out chasing a speedster was not a good way of going about that. Apparently that was what Ida had been waiting for, as the moment Tokoyami enveloped himself in shadow, Ida sprung forward and planted a kick right into the shadowy mass.
Ida's kicks before failed because of Dark Shadow's inhuman properties. It most closely resembled a non-newtonian fluid; Dark Shadow was ghostly and intangible unless commanded to attack, at which point it became solid enough to heavily damage objects. Ida couldn't damage it, as there wasn't really anything to hurt. That was different, now that Tokoyami wrapped Dark Shadow around himself to try and counter Ida's positioning strategy. Ida's foot sank into the shadow quirk, but instead of being repelled like last time, his foot hit something solid: Tokoyami himself. Tokoyami's beak opened as he let out a cry of pain, and Dark Shadow reacted by slashing out at Ida, forcing him to retreat. But Ida came roaring back, energized at seeing a potential route to victory.
Ida landed one kick after another, with Tokoyami kneeling over after a powerful blow crashed into his side. But Dark Shadow fought back even more ferociously, and Ida suffered more slashes and a small amount of blood trickled from a multitude of surface-level cuts. Ida saw an opportunity to end it, so he ran forward a final time. Instead of kicking, he dove forward into a tackle, his larger body overpowering Tokoyami. Dark Shadow clawed desperately, raking its talons over Ida's back, but Ida ignored the pain. He wrapped his arms around Tokoyami, and near the edge, fell on his back while flinging Tokoyami over his head. Ida landed painfully, his glasses falling off on impact, but Tokoyami was ringed out.
"Ida Tenya wins!"
The clapping was the loudest it had ever been. This match appeared to be the favorite so far, with both fighters drained and exhausted from giving their first match their all. Ida forced himself up and walked over to Tokoyami, offering his hand. Tokoyami accepted and the cheers grew louder at the display of sportsmanship. Dark Shadow appeared again to nudge Ida in the side, probably making some more coarse remarks that Tokoyami would never say aloud, but agreed with deep down. Both students turned to their exits, the approval of Japan seeing them out.
"That was one sick battle dude!" Ben was quick to congratulate Tokoyami as he walked down the tunnel.
"Indeed, I learned a lot from battling our class president. We both fought our hearts out, and he came out on top. There is much I have to improve upon before I can call myself a hero." Tokoyami was still breathing hard, but he bore a satisfied smile.
"Yeah, we'll get him next time! But Tokoyami should probably hit the gym first."
"I think we all could benefit from a little more gym time." Ben laughed as Tokoyami squabbled with his quirk. It was so strange, seeing a quirk so animated, with a personality of its own. And the opposite of its master at that. In battle though, the relationship between master and quirk was seen.
"I feel like enough people have wished you good luck Tennyson, but I feel that one can never be given enough good blessings." Tokoyami turned to leave, but turned back one last time. "Good luck in your first match. Don't let it be your last."
"Oh, I intend to win this year's Festival Tokoyami. I carry the hopes of my team with me!" Ben posed dramatically. Tokoyami chuckled, but realized there was some truth. With the exception of Hatsume, who never intended to win, all of his cavalry teammates won their matches. They could have easily been his opponents, but fighting alongside them created a feeling of comradery that made him feel joy when they won, and saddened him when thinking about if they were to lose. Tokoyami heard Present Mic announce his class' vice president, to great reception. But then Tennyson's name was called, and the Earth itself shook. He watched Tennyson's back grow smaller as he walked down the tunnel, then as he was illuminated from the flashing lights. Tokoyami hurried back to the spectator seats, not wanting to miss a moment.
"AND HER OPPONENT COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE SIDE! HE'S THE BOY WONDER WITH SHAPESHIFTING POWERS! YOU'VE SEEN STUDENTS WITH STRENGTH, SPEED, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN, BUT THIS GUY HAS GOT IT ALL! INTRODUCING, FROM HERO CLASS 1-A: TENNYSON BENJAMIN!"
The moment Ben stepped out of the tunnel, he had to shield his eyes from a sudden shift from darkness to blinding lights. The tunnel wasn't even that long, but it was long enough for his eyes to adjust to the lower light, only to be overloaded. There were so many people, all looking at him with adoration and excitement. Cameras clicked and filmed as every step forward seemed to make the already loud sounds even louder. Ben, with his nervousness bubbling up again, tentatively raised a hand and waved it around. He wasn't sure what he did, but it was right as people cheered. It certainly helped with the mental game, as Ben marched with newfound confidence, down the path, up the stairs and planted his feet squarely in front of Yaoyorozu.
"Alright, you two know the rules, right?" Midnight waved her whip around. Seeing two nods, she motioned to someone in the stands, and must have gotten the approval to go. She cracked her whip, signaling the beginning of the first round's final match!
"Begin!"
Yaoyorozu retreated instantly. In her mind, attacking was not an option, not when her foe could turn into something she couldn't even fathom. No, she wanted to stick to her strength, which was using her quirk's versatility to counter whatever form Ben took. Yaoyorozu focused, blocking out the sounds of the crowd, the negative voice in the back of her head, and opened her uniform to more easily access whatever she would create. She already had ideas for the forms she knew Tennyson could take. Four Arms, expanding containment foam used to handle villains with strength quirks. XLR8, paralysis through tasers. Wildmutt, loud sounds and bad smells through anything she wanted. The next two she was unsure of. Upgrade, paralysis again maybe? Diamondhead, the foam or soundwaves? She didn't have enough data on his two newest forms. So Yaoyorozu prayed that he would transform into a form she had a preexisting contingency for.
Beweep
Ben dialed up the Omnitrix, catching the attention of the entire nation.
"A girl who can create anything against a boy who can become anything. Kinda poetic if I do say so myself." Ben dialed through his aliens casually, seeing Yaoyorozu on the defensive. He found the one he wanted and raised his hand high.
Slam!
Flash!
Ben's body morphed, slowly morphing and widening. His spine shrunk, his overall body growing rounder and bulkier. His fingers and toes molded into a single limb, and his elbows and knees disappeared completely. Ben's shoulders broadened, head moving down into the torso and feet disappearing into stubby legs. Armor plates grew on the back of his hands, shoulders and sides of legs and a large, plated armored back developed. The light faded, and the nation looked closely in anticipation.
Ben's transformation looked just human enough to seem familiar, but still alien enough to awe the crowd. This transformation was round and stubby, being an inch taller than Yaoyorozu's above-average height. His arms were wide, with large rounded palms topped with five black claws where the fingers should be. There were no feet, just two stubs with three claws digging into the ground. Smooth white fur that looked like skin on first glance dominated this creature, with only a single black line cutting down the form's center, breaking for the mouth. But it was this form's exterior that drew attention. Bulbous orange armor plates lined the creature's limbs and his back was covered in a protective shell. Two pupil-less orange eyes topped the torso, with two black lips not too far below. An Omnitrix nodule was atop the forehead, above the eyes. The most shocking thing about this creature was the lack of a neck or head.
The crowd loved Tennyson's newest form. Not as out-there as Upgrade, but more alien than Diamondhead, this one struck a middleground. It had a huggable appeal, but the claws and armor plates gave it a menacing undertone. What was this new form's niche? What powers did it have?
"Heh, you know, I actually dialed Gray Matter." Ben grinned, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth. "Cannonbolt is a bit simple and straightforward to fight, but if that's what the watch wants!"
Yaoyorozu was taken aback, even if she knew she should be. A new form, three in a row! Only this time, his powers were not obvious at first glance. The stubby body told her that this form was not very fast or mobile, but the lack of joints in the limbs didn't show strength. Maybe some sort of intelligence form? Those sharp teeth and lack of a head to house a brain made that improbable. That mouth looked particularly intimidating, maybe it was like a leech? Yaoyorozu slid into a combat stance. She would have to let Tennyson make the first move, and then she could extrapolate his fighting style and create the tools she needed for victory from there.
"Letting me make the first move eh?" Cannonbolt leaned forward, spreading out his arms. "Let's get this party started!"
Yaoyorozu was expecting a multitude of different ways Tennyson would attack. A gyster of wind created from an exhale. Lasers fired from the eyes. Some element manifesting in those large palms and being thrown her way. A lunging swipe attack, similar to how she watched Dark Shadow fight minutes prior. She was anticipating a wide variety of attacks, but she was not expecting Tennyson to curl up into a ball, and pushed by some unknown engine, speed her way!
Wrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Yaoyorozu saw concrete chunks flying back as Cannonbolt's armor dug into the arena floor to move, leaving the arena broken behind him. The yellow sphere was picking up speed, and hurling toward his opponent. Yaoyorozu knew that she wouldn't be able to take many hits from a heavily armored sphere moving that fast. But she didn't know how Tennyson was seeing her, or how he was moving. If she could figure out how he was sensing her location, or the physics behind his propulsion, she could make a substance or device to neutralize him! But she couldn't afford to get hit.
"Hup!" Yaoyorozu nearly rolled out the way, easily dodging past the sphere. It was clear this was not Cannonbolt's top speed, as he was still gaining momentum, but Yaoyorozu would take what she could get. She pushed herself up, morphing a small shield to serve for defense as she watched Tennyson continue past, nearing the edge. A small naive part of her thought he would fly off the arena, just like that. A wishful thought, one that Yaoyorozu knew would not come true.
WrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRrumblerumblerumble
Somehow, Tennyson was turning! Yaoyorozu was flabbergasted. It was one thing to somehow still be able to sense the world around you despite rolling in on your sensory organs, but it was another to have full control over a wheel without exterior forces assisting! How was he generating momentum out of nowhere and how was he turning so sharply, heading right back for her!
"Ha!" Another roll let Yaoyorozu avoid another attack, but the wind passing her whipped up her hair. Tennyson was speeding up, that much was certain. She had to do something before he reached a speed too fast for her to dodge. While that speed should make it so that Tennyson wouldn't be able to stay in the arena boundaries, she had already tossed aside common sense when dealing with the shapeshifter. A thin staff grew out of her shoulder, similar to the one used in the 2nd event, but this time made of metal. She gripped it in both hands, holding her stance with her left shoulder facing forward, the one with the shield.
The next minute consisted of Yaoyorozu dodging out of Cannonbolt's way as she looked for an opportunity to strike. Cannonbolt was getting faster and faster, leaving a torn up arena in his wake. Rounded indentations littered the ground from where he ground pounded, and valleys criss-crossed the arena from his rampage. Yaoyorozu was tired, but she finally found her opportunity. She dodge out of the way and pushed her rod forward!
Thwing!
"Ow!" Yaoyorozu hissed in pain as she rubbed feeling back into her palms. The moment her metal staff had connected with Cannonbolt's armor, the staff's tip lodged between his armor plates and got stuck. Yaoyorozu couldn't compete with the power of a speedy Arburian Pelarota, but it happened so fast she didn't have time to let go. The rod was ripped from her hands, her tight grip making the pain so much worse. She watched as the rod sailed through the air and landed with a faint pink on a far end of the stadium floor. Weapons were probably not going to work, but she could use her other ideas! Her skin glowed as various objects and containers grew out of her body. Ignoring the hunger pain from using so much fat in a short amount of time, she threw everything she had at Tennyson.
Thwump!
Tingtingtingtingting
Bwoosh!
Whap!
'Nothing is working!' Yaoyorozu internally screamed as she staggered to the left, just barely dodging another attack. She didn't get out of the way fast enough, as she felt several burning pricks of pain as several strands of her hair got caught and pulled off. It was only a matter of time before her exhaustion made her mess up somewhere and she got hit. The arena was covered in irregularities that could trip her up and she now realized she had nothing to answer this form. Tennyson was right; this form was simple. All it did was curl into a ball and throw itself at people. But it was just so dang hard to stop!
Expanding foam was a standard weapon used by police forces. The rapidly expanding gooey substance trapped villains in sticky, immovable foam that stifled all attempts to fight. Strength is nothing without physics to make the blows possible. If the person can't move their body, their strength is meaningless. But not for Tennyson! He just plowed through the stuff no problem! Tasers to try and attack the soft body behind the armored plates? Nope, he was spinning so fast any projectiles would just bounce right off. A canister of sleeping gas, to inhibit his breathing? Spinning wins again! The rotation speed of Cannonbolt was so great the air whipped around him, dispersing the gas before he inhaled too much of it. In her frustration, she created the biggest bat she could and swung as if she was a baseball player. All that managed to do was strain her already tingly hands. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking. The pain of having held items forcefully ripped from your clenched hands was not something one could just ignore.
But Yaoyorozu battled on. How long has it been? A minute? Two? Ten? All she knew was that Tennyson was too fast to stop now. Maybe she could disorienate him somehow, and get him to ring himself out. But she ruled out that possibility earlier. This form has the impossible ability to generate its own momentum while maintaining complete control over its own mobility. She started creating some adhesives in jars, backing up, when her foot didn't hit solid ground and she fell backwards.
'The arena!' Yaoyorozu had forgotten! The power of Cannonbolt left valleys in the arena floor, not deep enough to bother most people, but definity enough to trip someone whose attention was directed elsewhere. She toppled over, landing on her back in the valley and her legs propped against the edges.
Wrrrrrrrrrrrr!
'He's coming back around!' There was nowhere to go this time. She maybe could stand in time, but not in time to dodge. She was in a rough position to roll, but she had to try! Yaoyorozu rotated her legs and rolled over her head, and then stood up. In the corner of her eye, she saw yellow broken up by horizontal black lines. He was too close! She moved to the side, but it would be more than just her hair that would be hit this time. With no choice but to take a hit, Yaoyorozu raised her left arm up and braced herself.
PONG!
Yaoyorozu felt no pain! Wait, she didn't feel anything at all? Knocked to the complete other side of the arena, she tried to stand, but as her right arm moved to push herself up her left refused to obey. Dread rising in her, she chanced a look at her left arm. Relief washed over her as she didn't see any major swelling or bones sticking out. The shield was in tatters, shattered to pieces on impact. Yaoyorozu tried to ignore that she made that shield out of metal.
Her left arm was down. It was numb; poking it elicited no response. It dangled uselessly as she struggled to her feet. The rest of her senses had taken a blow too. Her vision was hazy and images swam. The whole world seemed off balance and everything sounded like she was underwater. She held her shield close to her body when Cannonbolt hit her, so maybe she suffered more damage when the force traveled through the shield and into her body?
Rumblerumblerumble!
Too late to move, Yaoyorozu could only weakly throw herself back as Cannonbolt barreled into her again. This time, as the sphere lifted into the air to hit her, it unfurled to reveal Cannonbolt's toothy grin. Tennyson proceeded to barrel into her, pinning her to the ground. A tough black claw pierced the ground next to her head.
Yaoyorozu could faintly hear Midnight's voice.
"Yaoyorozu, are you able to continue?"
Her head fell back, limp as the last of her energy left.
Crack!
"Tennyson Benjamin wins!"
"Nice fight!" Tennyson lifted himself off her, and smacking the symbol above his eyes, turned back into his base form. He looked no different from how he left the tunnels, looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "I really had to try there! I have a lot of experience with Cannonbolt, so I know who puts up a good fight and who doesn't!"
He tried to help her up, but a call from Midnight made him stand aside as professionals came to evaluate her situation.
"WITH TENNYSON WINNING, WE NOW HAVE OUR LAST QUARTER FINALIST! AFTER A 5 MINUTE BREAK WHERE CEMENTOSS WILL FIX THE ARENA, WE WILL RESUME WITH KAMINARI SQUARING OFF AGAINST ASHIDO!"
Yaoyorozu felt herself being lifted up, her right arm being thrown around a medical worker's shoulders as she got assistance walking to the temporary infirmary. She managed to find her footing, but turned back to see Tennyson waving his hand and a sheepish smile on his face. Did he feel bad about hurting her? Bad thoughts swarmed her mind and she fought back the bile rising in her throat. She turned back to focus on walking. She had no right to be upset. She fought Tennyson on an even playing field and he had won. Countless mistakes ran through her mind. Why didn't she rush him in the beginning, before he transformed? She was fast and could create weapons with reach, she could have won in the first few seconds! All the weapons and materials she created made no sense. Tasering a wrecking ball? Smacking it with a bat? As she was laid down on a bed, and Recovery Girl started evaluating her wounds, Yaoyorozu finally let out a groan of pure frustration. This feeling was foreign to her, never manifested in her life before high school, but was appearing in her life quite often after joining UA. Losing sucked.
Class 1-A Spectator Seats-
"Boom, I'm back!" Ben slid back into his class's designated area, hands held high.
"Hey, hey! There's the man!" Sero shot a couple finger guns at him. His arms and face had a couple of bandages here and there, probably just to prevent any small burns from getting aggravated.
"You got to slow down with all the new forms today dude!" Sato shook his head, hand on his forehead, smiling. "That makes three in one day!"
"Three so far." Ben corrected as he took his seat.
"'So far?' You telling me that you've got more in you?"
"Maybe." Ben wore an impish smile as more people around him muttered under their breath good-naturedly.
"Your forms are getting quite ridiculous. First, a blob with technological powers, then a crystal man, and now a rolly-polly. When will it end?" Kirishima patted his shoulder. The boy had bandages like Sero, but was covered in them. Despite the alarming amount, he still smiled. He jabbed a finger behind him. "I know someone's enjoying it."
"A green form with assimilation abilities. Is he limited by the complexity of the machines, or is he able to take over anything that is mechanical in nature? He also seemed to be able to create weapons out of the robot, so he can upgrade them as well... but how? Is he manipulating the mass of the robot, or creating something new?" Midoriya was hunched over with a notebook in hand, scribbling away, ignoring the world around him. "The crystal form can control his body at will, but the crystals don't necessarily have to be attached to him. The physical abilities are no joke either, and he seems to regenerate any crystals fired. How does that work?"
"Kinda weird hearing about my transformations out of someone else's mouth." Ben laughed awkwardly, others joining in seeing Midoriya so intensely focused. Ben walked over to try and break the boy out of his muttering.
"The most recent one has ball-like properties, but can move without the need for a starting push force. Can also presumably see and hear when rolled up into a ball, despite none of his sensory organs facing outwards. Does he rely on sound? Feelings through the armor?"
"Eh, you're probably better off not knowing how I see things as Cannonbolt." Ben poked Midoriya in the side, causing the boy to gasp and leap upright, making Ben recoil back in shock.
"Jeez man! You're really wound up." Ben held out a hand to try and calm down his classmate.
"Oh, Tennyson! Sorry, I just get really into quirks. Yours is especially interesting, each transformation is like a unique quirk, with different strengths and weaknesses! It was really exciting to see you fight in such a different way with your, what was it, 'Cannonbolt?' transformation." Midoriya put away his notebook and pen, causing Ben to raise an eyebrow.
"I thought we weren't supposed to bring anything with us. Where do you keep getting that notebook, and where did it go just now?"
"Tch." A dismissive noise altered Ben to Bakugo slouched over a chair, giving Ben a death glare. "That ball form was weak. Just one of my explosions would have sent you flying off like a pinball."
"Well, no one asked for your opinion Bakugo, as usual." Retorted Ben. Before the blonde could say anything, Ben looked around. Only Kaminari and Ashido were missing. All the rest of those who moved on were present. Todoroki, Uraraka and Ida were sitting, which was confusing. "Hey, shouldn't the rest of Bracket A people be in the waiting room?"
"You weren't here when the announcement came out, ribbit." Asui croaked from the side. "Present Mic-sensei announced that after seeing the amount of damage the arena was taking after most battles, Cementoss is being given more time to fix it between rounds."
"That's why only Kaminari and Ashido are gone, got it." Ben nodded. But, he did notice one odd thing. "Hey, Jiro is gone too."
"Mhm. She went off to see how Yaoyorozu was holding up." said Asui.
"I tried not to hurt her too badly. But she was pushing me; that usage of the gas in particular almost got me! After that move, I knew it was only a matter of time before she created something that I wasn't expecting."
"I don't think Jiro was worried about physical damage."
"Huh?"
"Ah, never mind Tennyson. Looks like the next match is starting soon anyways, now that Cementoss is finished with arena repairs."
"Oh, ok." Ben didn't really know what Asui meant. But, it wasn't his business so he shrugged it off and chatted with some others as Cementoss hurried off the stage, and the second round began.
Present Mic's voice ushered in Kaminari and Ashido, recounting their victories in the past events. Ashido bounced around, enjoying the attention and pumping herself up. Kaminari had a more serious expression, with clenched fists and his mouth drawn thin. He obviously wanted to make up for what happened in the first round. They stood apart in the newly repaired arena, fingers twitching and eyes unblinking.
Crack!
Ashido moved first, spraying acid out of an outstretched palm as she tried to get in close. Kaminari ducked out of the way of the liquid attack, and stuck out his fist to meet Ashido as she got closer. Nimbly moving around the extended limb, the pink girl slid behind him and smacked the back of his head. Momentarily stunned, Kaminari couldn't stop Ashido from wrapping her arms around his waist and being dragged to the stage's edge. It didn't last long, as the moment Kaminari could see clearly again he started sparking with electric power. Activating his quirk, he didn't even have to aim. She was already touching him.
A surge of electricity emitted from Kaminari, shocking Ashido and stopping her dead in her tracks. Unable to properly move her limbs, the girl could only try to push through the pain. She was unsuccessful, and Kaminari broke free and turned on his heel to slam a punch into her collarbone. Spinning and landing on her face, Ashido was still twitching from the electrical attack, but despite being vulnerable, Kaminari wasn't moving. Ben did recall from what he's seen of Kaminari in class that he himself wasn't fully immune to his own quirk the way some other emitter-type heroes were. Kaminari was clutching his head trying to shake away whatever was bothering him. He must have overdone the voltage, and was suffering some recoil.
This gave Ashido enough time to get back on her feet, and she held her fists up as she moved back in. She probably assumed, after getting a good look at Kaminari herself, that he wasn't in a position to use his quirk for a bit. Confident in her martial abilities outclassing his, she moved in with one punch after another. They weren't particularly powerful compared to the other attacks seen in previous matches, but they were getting the job done. Kaminari was simply slower and less agile than Ashido. She danced around him, her punches like bee stings as they were leaving tiny acid burns, and he couldn't get a proper counter blow in.
Kaminari put out a hand, catching Ashido's fist. He tried to fling her to the side to knock her sideways, but all he did was give her room to flick up a leg and sink her heel into his shoulder. She disengaged, bouncing away as he staggered back from the blow. Holding his wounded shoulder, there was a glint of desperation in Kaminari's eyes. In a straight-up fist fight, he couldn't win. He needed to use his quirk if he wanted to win. So, when he saw Mina take a large, over exaggerated step forward, he closed his eyes and channeled all his energy into one final attack. Flinging his arms out, he shouted something and a web of electricity sparked out of him. As impressive as it looked, it didn't hit anything.
Ashido's step forward was a bait. Expecting a desperate move like this, she made it look like she was moving in, but instead of continuing forward, let her momentum gently sway back and she walked backwards away from the electrical storm. The moment the electricity faded, she moved in for the kill. Get in close, one step with her right foot, and bring her right arm miles back. Then, in a single motion, let loose an uppercut that sent both her and her opponent into the air. Ashido landed on her feet, but Kaminari landed on his back, groaning in pain. Midnight moved in, probably asking him the same question Ben heard her ask Yaoyorozu. Kaminari shook his head.
"Ashido Mina wins!"
Ben clapped along with the rest of the crowd. It was a good, clean fight. Kaminari had been bested, fair-and-square. As he was clapping, a small commotion was happening behind him.
"Uraraka? Is something wrong- hey! Are you alright?" Ben turned his head to catch a glimpse of Uraraka dashing out of the room, with Ida on her heels, asking questions.
"Wait up Uraraka!" Midoriya followed suit.
"What's her deal?" Ben saw two seats previously full now empty. Todoroki and Bakugo must have left to get ready during Ashido and Kaminari's match.
"Probably just nervous. She is going up against Bakugo after all. Wouldn't want that battle, I'll tell you." Aoyama shook off the chills running down his spine at the thought of facing down Bakugo alone. "Aren't you going to join them Ben? I know your match is last, but don't you have any preparations to run through or something?"
"Not really. I just transform and I'm ready to go. When I'm in one of my transformations, I don't get cramps or have muscle strain. It's something that I really take for granted, but is super useful." Ben looked back out. "Besides, I want to watch the matches! They've been really cool."
"That they are." Shoji rumbled in agreement. Down on stage, Cementoss filled in a couple holes left by Ashido's acid, and flashed a thumbs up at Present Mic. The announcer resumed his casting as Cementoss exited, and Midoriya and Todoroki entered.
"Uh, is it just me or does Todoroki look different?" The sound of Jiro's voice turned heads and she walked in, with Yaoyorozu close behind.
Ben lifted his hand in greeting, and while both girls responded, Yaoyorozu looked sad. Her eyes downcast, her posture just a little bit slouched and saying nothing as she took her seat next to Jiro. Was something bothering her? Was this what Asui meant?
"Now that you mention it, he does look a bit... unbalanced." One of Shoji's arms with an eye moved out, trying to get a better view.
"It looks like he is being haunted by his personal demons." Tokoyami tilted his head. "If I recall correctly, he did seem aggravated in his match against the vine girl from our sister class. Perhaps something is disturbing him?"
"Whatever is bothering him, he better shake it off fast. If he lets his guard down for a second, Midoriya can end it with one punch!" said Hagakure.
"If he can make it through the first second. Remember the glacier he made? Can Midoriya really power through that?" Sero mused, rubbing his wrists.
The two boys stood in the arena, tense and ready. Midnight cracked her whip, and Todoroki took the initiative. Mirroring what he did in his first match, Todoroki stomped with his right foot and a wave of ice spiked out, covering the floor in front of him and reaching Midoriya's feet in a matter of seconds. Gritting his teeth, Midoriya held out his right hand and braced it with his left. He focused, the ice creeping closer. Then, he let loose a finger flick.
Smash!
Ice cracked and shattered, the air filled with melting crystals as the flick left a wave of destruction behind it. Todoroki was buffeted by the blast of air, covering his face with an arm and sliding back. In the end, he looked a little rattled, but unharmed. Midoriya's finger was now the shade of purple Ben had heard about from the rumors of the entrance exam. It was a nasty shade of purple, and his finger was bent in all the wrong ways. He had smashed through the ice, sure, but was it worth it? Todoroki seemed to think the same, as he took a step forward and stomped again, a second ice wave facing Midoriya down.
Smash!
"God damn that's some impressive power!" Kirishima was on the edge of his seat. "Talk about manly! He's standing there and showing Todoroki what he's got!"
"That may be true, but look at his fingers. He's assuming Todoroki is attacking at full power, so Midoriya is forced to defend at full power." Ojiro bit at his fingernails. "Midoriya can't win a battle of attrition. Not when he breaks his bones with every move."
Smash!
"But he's a smart guy! Surely he can come up with a solution within 10 flicks, right?" Hagakure questioned.
"8 flicks actually." Yaoyorozu finally spoke, her eyes not leaving the battle. "His flicks need the thumb of the hand he's using to flick off of. Even if he does think up something, if he breaks all his fingers, how will he attack? He would have to use his legs, but in all our lessons, Midoriya has not shown he is comfortable with kicks."
Smash!
"Well, he better get thinking fast. His right hand is all used up."
Ben couldn't help but wince at seeing Midoriya's hand all purple, bruised and swollen. It must hurt like hell, but Midoriya slowly moved to brace his left arm instead. He stood up and started yelling something at Todoroki. Ben could hear some odd words here and there, but he was still too far up to make out any meaning. What was seen was the impact it had on Todoroki. Almost like a reverse of Midoriya's last fight, Todoroki was getting worked up by spoken words and his eyes narrowed with fury.
The two closed in on each other, Todoroki foregoing his ranged attacks and Midoriya bringing back his mangled right arm. The green-haried boy ducked down, clenched his hand into a fist and sank it deep into Todoroki's gut. The heterochromatic boy was sent sprawling back, arms outstretched to regain balance. Midoriya kept up the pressure, moving in close and still yelling.
"Midoriya sure talks a lot." Ben mindlessly mentioned, not expecting a response and not receiving one. Several others nodded, also noticing his mouth moving as much as his arms and legs, but not saying anything. But Todoroki cared.
It was a gradual change, but Todoroki's ice was getting weaker. It wasn't announced, but it didn't take a trained eye to see the difference between this fight and the one before. Todoroki's ice was usually able to withstand normal sun exposure, standing tall and unmelting. It took Powerloader's drone army to melt his first glacier. Now? The ice was crumbling seconds after forming, the once pristine and clear ice was cloudy and weak. Where it took a full bone-breaking finger flick to smash through the ice, Midoriya was just running through. So, Todoroki responded with his fire.
Whether it was from a personal choice, the rising feeling of desperation or something Midoriya said, no one but Todoroki knew. But fire ignited from his left side, burning a circle around where he stood and forcing Midoriya back. A crazed expression crossed Todoroki's face, but he didn't look like he had lost his mind. It was more of a result of finally accepting something and the result feeling good.
"SHOTO!" A voice rivaling that of Present Mic's reverberated through the arena. A bright flash of fire caught the class A student's eyes, as well as everyone else, and everyone turned to see the source.
A large, muscular man with facial flames marched down the area reserved for heroes with a similarly crazed smile on his lips. He continued to talk, but his words were not really as loud as his first outburst. He marched to a railing, and slammed his hands around the bar, fires burning brighter still. Ben assumed this dude was a hero based on his looks, and probably the father of Todoroki based on his investment into the boy.
The match temporarily stopped from the noise, with Midoriya's gaze flickering up and out. Todoroki stayed still, not even acknowledging the interruption. Both boys looked at each other, and one last exchange of words was had. Midoriya flexed his only good arm and Todoroki let loose power from both sides. They flung themselves at each other, and the collision produced a massive explosion.
Kaboom!