Chapter 43: "I need a shower."
With the brackets determined, the sixteen contestants of the Final Round split off to prepare while the majority of the remaining First Years allowed themselves to get dragged into the festivities.
Even some of the fighters like Sero and Ochako got in on the action, claiming it would make for a good warmup.
Others like Kacchan, Tsu, Kirishima, and Iida simply left to do more standard warmups off to the side.
The more reserved ones like Shiozaki and Todoroki chose to simply sit somewhere quiet and alone in order to compose themselves, while Mei was simply off in her own world working on her babies.
Kamakiri, Tokage, and Tetsutetsu decided to take their own warm up very seriously, engaging in some sort of wild three way sparring match. It seemed like all their Quirks had a hard time hitting each other so they saw it as a good way to prepare for what was to come.
It seemed like Kaminari and Jirou wanted to join in on the recreational activities, but apparently Yaomomo wasn't through with reprimanding the pair, ordering them to both follow her and help her prepare, an order both of them quietly complied with. For a moment Izuku swore he saw a pair of leashes in Yaomomo's hand as she practically dragged her friends away, but when he rubbed his eyes he realized he was just seeing things. Maybe he was overworking himself.
"After what you've put yourself through I'm amazed you hadn't started seeing things sooner."
'Oh please, this can't be worse than the U.S.J.' Argued Izuku as he started walking in a specific direction.
"Yeah, but the U.S.J incident barely lasted twenty minutes before you got knocked unconscious by that Nomu, you've been going for much longer today and have been doing way more stuff too. Not to mention you've spent so much time helping others that you're starting to fray on both ends."
'Well, I'm not done helping people yet.' Said Izuku as he claimed what he was looking for and began walking in a different direction, barely paying any mind to the half hearted voice of complaints the person he grabbed gave him.
Seventh had been so distracted talking to him she didn't even notice what he was doing until just now.
"What're you- when did you- why are you like this?"
'Who's to say? Maybe I was just Born This Way.' Izuku swore he could feel Seventh's eyes narrow at him from the back of his mind.
"Something about the way you said that makes me feel like it was a reference."
'Seventh,' Said Izuku, doing his best to make his thoughts sound offended, 'Not everything I say or do is a reference, that'd just be Bizarre.'
"I- You-!"
At the sound of Fifth and Sixth's laughter, Izuku couldn't help but smile a bit.
"Hahaha… okay, but seriously Izuku, what're you up to?"
'You'll see.' Said Izuku as he reached his destination, giving a wave with his left arm, which wasn't currently being used. "Hey there Kendo."
Kendo paused the warm up stretches she'd been doing up until this point in order to turn and face Izuku, pausing when she saw what, or rather who, he was carrying. "Hello Midoriya," She said with an awkward half wave before letting her wrist hang limply as she looked down at his plus one, "and Shinso."
"I want it to be known that I have no idea what Midoriya's planning and I did not consent to whatever this is." Said the lavender haired teen drily. "Also hello Kendo, wasn't expecting to see you again for a couple rounds."
"Kendo, I considered waiting until after the festival was over to bring this up but I figure now is as good of a time as any." Said Izuku, pulling their attention back to them.
"That's not ominous as hell…" Said Shinso, his tone so dry it made Izuku want a glass of water.
"You probably should get something to drink before your fight."
'I will, I will.' Replied Izuku dismissively. He can worry about self care after each and every one of his friends have been cared for. "Kendo, I'd like you to help train Shinso."
Both the B Class and C Class students stare at Izuku for a moment.
"What?" Shinso was the first to break the silence.
"I mean I'm not asking her to turn you into a martial arts master or an absolute beefcake by the time your fight rolls around." Explained Izuku. "This is more the start of a long term project, because frankly Shinso, in the nicest way possible, you're a toothpick." To prove a point, he grabbed one of Shinso's arms and held it out for Kendo to see, giving it a light shake. "I mean, look at this Kendo."
Recovering from her confusion, and feeling slightly mortified that she was getting used to Izuku's nonsense, Kendo looked at Shinso's arm to see what Izuku meant, "Okay, yeah, Shinso you are way too scrawny. A villain could beat you by sneezing on you too hard."
"Isn't the entire point of my Quirk that I can beat villains without fighting them?" Asked Shinso in mild annoyance. "Also I'm sorry that I'm not a muscle headed jock like the two of you. Not everyone is capable of doing physical training for the sake of their Quirk."
"Shinso, Mei has more muscle than you, and she's an inventor." Responded Izuku. "To quote Aizawa-Sensei, 'no good Hero is a One Trick Pony.' If you expect every confrontation with a villain to end in you brainwashing them, you're just setting yourself up to get your face punched in the day someone doesn't respond. It doesn't hurt to have additional skills, whether you're a rescue Hero, a limelight Hero, an underground one, or even as a Sidekick. Honestly if you had put in the training beforehand you might've even been able to get into the Hero Course right away. Toor- Hagakure pulled it off and her Quirk is non-combative just like yours."
"Alright I get it already, you can stop beating me over the head with reasons." Groaned Shinso, slumping down in Izuku's arm.
Izuku gave him a grin as he placed Shinso on his feet. "Perfect, I'll leave you guys to it." He said with a goofy little wave as he turned and walked away from the pair, who exchanged a glance before Kendo sighed and started giving instructions to Shinso.
"I'm surprised you're delegating his training to someone else from another class rather than taking it upon yourself. What, did you finally decide to stop doing everything yourself?"
'Really?' Replied Izuku, sounding genuinely surprised. 'I mean I obviously can't train Shinso myself, I've barely got a fighting style of my own ironed out that goes beyond, "hit the enemy really hard using One for All." And I couldn't ask Ojiro to do the training, he's already got one student to work with. Kendo's a martial artist, same as Ojiro though and is someone I can trust to help train a fellow student, I have confidence in her abilities. Quirks are my forte while martial prowess is her and Ojiro's."
"…When you put it all on the table like that it sounds shockingly obvious."
"I think this kinda crap's only obvious if you're as galaxy brained as Izuku. The rest of us aren't nearly smart enough to keep up."
"I mean you're barely able to keep up with regular logic."
"Oh shut up you damn hermit."
Despite his offended tone, Fifth still joined in with Izuku and the other vestiges as they all laughed. Izuku then turned his attention to what was in front of him. He was up first after all and he was going against an opponent he couldn't take lightly. 'First Iida, then Todoroki.' Izuku thought to himself, a determined look on his face.
"Don't forget you've still gotta fight one of your girlfriends in between those two."
'I'll cross that bridge when I get to it…' Thought Izuku, his determined expression faltering slightly. Then his brows furrowed as Fifth's words fully caught up to him. 'And neither of them are my girlfriends! They're just girls who happen to be friends of mine!'
"Methinks the lad doth protest too much."
Now it was Izuku's turn to be laughed at. He groaned and hid has face in his hands as he tried to put the vestiges' teasing as far into the back of his mind as possible.
Soon enough the recreational events concluded, and it was finally time for the Final Round to begin. Izuku watched quietly from the Eastern Entrance as Cementoss but the finishing touches on the Arena that they'd be fighting on.
"Thanks for the hard work as always Cementoss!" Said Present Mic cheerfully before tuning his attention to the audience. "Hey there you listeners, you guys ready!? You've pushed yourselves through hell to get this far, but you're finally at the final stage, the final Round of the Sports Festival, the One-on-One Tournament! No tricks, no teammates to back you up anymore, you've only got yourself to rely on now! Be it as a Hero, General Education, or Support Course Student you know this to be true! Your Spirit, your Technique, your Knowledge, and your Quirks, use 'em with everything you've got and give it your best out there!"
"My boy."
Izuku nearly jumped in surprise at the sound of a voice behind him. He turned and smiled when he recognized who it belonged to. "Yagi-Sensei." He said cheerfully.
The frail form of the Number One Hero smiled down at his protégé, "I've been watching you out there, seeing you grow a better understanding of One for All before my very eyes."
Izuku gave the man a weak chuckle. "It's not that impressive, I mean I tried to force Float to activate and that nearly ruined my chances to show off before I could even get anything done." He admitted dejectedly. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his forehead. "Ow!" He exclaimed, covering his forehead with his hands as he looked at Yagi-Sensei who lowered the hand he used to flick him.
"My boy you made a mistake but you can't beat yourself up over it, especially since you were ultimately able to recover from it and still ultimately take first place, not only in the Obstacle Course but in Cavalry Battle too." Yagi-Sensei said sternly before smiling and placing his hand on Izuku's shoulder. "And I know you'll blow the competition away in this Round too, so go out there and show those pros what you can do. And remember that no matter what, you'll do me proud my boy."
Izuku's lips trembled for a moment before he smiled at his Sensei. "Yes sir!" He said, a determined look on his face as he turned and walked out onto the field.
"Hot damn, talk about being the dad who stepped up."
"I think it's sweet, Toshinori never really had kids due to his work so it's nice seeing him serve as a parental figure for his student the same way I was there for him."
"Plus it'd be kinda funny if the man retroactively made the Todoroki kid's theory true by becoming Izuku's stepdad?"
"Wait, wouldn't that require him to marry Miss Midori- yargh!"
Sixth's statement was cut off when Eighth tackled him, his yellow wispy face tinted orange as he attempted to choke the life out of a being that wasn't actually alive.
It was Present Mic's voice snapping him back to reality that managed to get Izuku to wipe the mortified expression off his face. "Our first fight is a battle of Class Representatives. On the East, making the weird face despite his stellar performance in the first two Rounds and the one who declared his promise to win on National Television, we have Class A President Izuku Midoriya!" Announced UA's English Teacher. "And on the West, we've got the heir to the Team Idaten Hero Agency, unofficial Secretary of Class A, Tenya Iida!"
"Alright boys, I'm sure I don't need to say this since you're both fine, respectable, adorable individuals." Said Midnight, looking between the two while licking her lips.
"I need a shower."
"You don't have a bod-?"
"I need a shower."
"But still, feel free to give this everything you've got." Continued Midnight. "If you can knock them out of the ring, immobilize them, or simply make them surrender, then the match'll be yours."
"And don't be afraid to bring the pain!" Added Present Mic, "We've got Recovery Girl on standby so feel free to rough your opponent up a little, a villain won't care for ethics and neither should you!"
"Unless you attempt to go for the kill." Said Cementoss as he made a little chair for himself to sit on. "If you try taking things too far I'll step in and stop you. Lethal force should be a last resort, even against villains."
"You boys ready?" Said Midnight as she looked between Iida and Izuku with a grin.
"Yes Sensei!" Said Iida with a stiff bow.
"Ready!" Said Izuku with a grin.
"Theeen Fiiight!" Shouted Present Mic, announcing the start of the first battle of the Final Round.
"Midoriya." Said Iida, grabbing onto Izuku's attention. Izuku looked at his friend, waiting to let him say whatever was on his mind. "I partnered with Todoroki in the Cavalry Battle because I wished to finally overcome you. Every time we've gone head to head in group combat you've bested me. First it was in the Battle Trial, where you and Uraraka overcame Sero and I. Then in the Obstacle Course today you came in first, despite speed being the specialty of the Iida family. And then when our Teams clashed in the Cavalry Battle, even with my Recipro Burst you still took back the lead. That's three consecutive times I've allowed myself to be beaten by you, Midoriya. That losing streak ends now! For the first time we face each other in a one-on-one clash and I intend to finally surpass you!"
Izuku couldn't help but grin at Iida's declaration. And it seemed like he wasn't the only one who enjoyed hearing those words.
"Hahahaha! Damn! I like this kid! He may have a stick so far up his ass he can taste the wood but I admire his gumption! Alright kid let's not disappoint the boy, let's show him what you can do!"
'I'm right there with you, Fifth.' Replied Izuku before activating One for All and running at his classmate, "Let's do this Iida!"
Iida activated his own Quirk in kind and charged at Izuku. Once the pair closed the distance, Iida swung his right leg at Izuku, who in turn swung his left fist. Their limbs clashed, engaging in a brief struggle that Izuku ultimately won out in, pushing Iida back.
Of course Iida wouldn't let that slow him down for long as he planted his leg and quickly swung the other at Izuku, who quickly used his right arm and leg to shield his side from the blow, staggering slightly once it made impact.
Iida didn't let up, kicking at Izuku again, though this time Izuku was able to avoid the kick by stepping backwards before delivering a solid punch into his thigh. Iida clenched his jaw but otherwise didn't react.
"Oof! A solid punch to the jaw from Midoriya!"Announced Present Mic, "The boys are engaging in quite the brutal exchange of blows, but which will tire out first, Midoriya's arms or Iida's legs?"
Izuku then swung his other fist, aiming right for Iida's jaw, but the taller teen managed to duck under the punch before doing a charging tackle, his arms wrapping around Izuku's midsection before he straight up lifted him into the air and started running.
"Ohoho, what's this? It seems Iida plans to end this by forcing Midoriya out of bounds! Will the rising star of 1A be able to counter or is this where his story in the Sports Festival ends!?"
"Dammit, you gotta get loose before he knocks you out!"
Izuku did his best to pry himself free, but with his abhorrent leverage and Iida having the grip strength of a bear, that was proving to be difficult. That's when a lightbulb went off in his head. "I'd suggest slowing down!" He shouted.
"And why is that!?" Asked Iida.
"Because otherwise you might end up running right off the arena!" Shouted Izuku as he activated Smokescreen, the purple haze exploding from his body and obscuring Iida's vision.
His plan worked, Iida skidded to a halt, not wanting to risk accidentally stepping out of bounds and being disqualified. Izuku used this to his advantage as he charged One for All up and aimed his hands at a Forty Five Degree angle in front of himself and behind Iida. "Delaware Smash: AIR FORCE!" Shouted Izuku as he flicked his fingers, launching himself, and Iida who was still stubbornly holding onto him, right into the air.
"Woah! And Midoriya turns this grounded clash into a battle in the sky! Will Iida be able to rise to the challenge?"
"No he will not…" Muttered Izuku under his breath as he swung his left leg back and kneed Iida in the stomach, causing him to let out a violent cough, his grip starting to loosen as he and Izuku twisted and tumbled in the air. "Now then, would you kindly GET OFF ME!" He shouted before slamming his fist into Iida's cheek, doing his best to avoid hitting his glasses.
The force of the punch was enough to break Iida's hold and send him rocketing to the ground, landing not on the arena but on the grassy field of the stadium instead. Izuku would've landed right there alongside of him, but one last Air Force flick right before he landed redirected his trajectory and made him hit and roll across the arena, breathing heavily and coughing from exhaustion.
"Tenya Iida is out of bounds! Match one goes to Izuku Midoriya!" Declared Midnight, causing the crowd to begin cheering.
They weren't the only ones either, Izuku could hear the vestiges shouting their praises as well. Honestly he'd appreciate it more if his head wasn't kinda killing him at the moment…
He staggered to his feet and jogged over to where Iida had landed. He could see that he was already being loaded onto a cot to be taken to Recovery Girl's office. "Iida!" He called out as he jogged up alongside him.
Iida groaned weakly, opening his left eye to look at Izuku. "Well… it seems that's four times you've bested me now Midoriya, and I truly have no one to blame other than myself for this loss." Said the Class Secretary ruefully.
"Don't say that, you put up an incredible fight!" Said Izuku, reaching over and taking Iida's hand. "I'm sure your brother will be proud once he sees how far you got today! I bet he's cheering you on from home right now!"
Iida let out a weak chuckle. "Truly, you are too kind Midoriya. I do not know what I did to end up with such an amazing Classmate and friend." He could feel feel Iida's grip on his hand tighten ever so slightly. "Now that you've defeated me, I am entrusting you to follow through on your declaration and win this Festival. I am counting on you Midoriya."
With a determined look, Izuku nodded his head. "You've got it, Iida." He said.
"Prez! Sect!" Izuku turned his head and was surprised to see Sero jogging up to them.
"Sero? What're you doing here? Shouldn't you prepare for your match?" Asked Izuku worriedly.
"Bah, there's still two more matches to go until I'm up, I'll be fine." Said Sero, waving off Izuku's concerns as they continued walking towards Recovery Girl's office. "I just wanted to check in on you guys. Uraraka would've come too if she wasn't up next."
Izuku couldn't help but smile at that. "Well, I'm sure Iida'll appreciate the company."
Sero grinned at Izuku. "Gonna go watch your gal pals wow the crowd?" He asked.
Izuku scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Sure, though I'm not sure why people insist on calling them that." He said.
Sero let out a laugh, "Sure man, keep telling yourself that. Unlike most people I can actually read the writing on the wall. Just make sure to cheer Uraraka on extra hard for Iida and I, catch you 'round man."
With a wave, Izuku jogged off towards 1A's seat in the stadium as the next match was preparing to start.
Chapter 44: "Release."
"Alright listeners!" Announced Present Mic. "Let's not waste any time and get ready for our Second Match! On the East we have the greatest grief against gravity I've ever seen, Ochako Uraraka! And from the West we've got the menace of Class H, Meeei Hatsume!"
Ochako walked out from the Eastern entrance to the field and approached the arena. Across from her Mei could be seen, her wide smile planted firmly on her face.
Izuku watched the pair from his seat in the 1A section of the bleachers with his arms crossed, to his left and right were Kaminari and Tooru, who also had their eyes on the Arena.
Everyone was just as eager to see how Ochako would perform against a student from one of the other courses. They were also curious about the strange items she was wearing and carrying.
"Uraraka." Said Midnight calmly, a hand on her hip and one of her eyebrows raised, "Can you explain to me where you got all of that?"
Ochako was wearing various types of support equipment, gauntlets strapped to her wrists, a strange harness, and special boots, plus some kind of gun that she currently had slung over her shoulder.
"You are aware that only Support Course Students are allowed to bring Support Items that aren't registered as required for your Quirk, right?" Asked Midnight.
"True, but this was a request from Hatsume." Replied Ochako, nodding her head towards Mei.
Midnight turned her attention to the inventor. "Is this true?"
Mei nodded her head enthusiastically. "That's right! Urarararara here agreed to help me show off all my magnificent babies to the Support Companies present today!" She said proudly. There was a beat of silence before she added, "And show off how good she is at handling gear, making it more likely that they'll want to invest in her as well!"
"Ura…?" Said Midnight, trailing off in confusion at the strange way Mei referred to Ochako.
"Yeah, she was totally talking out of her ass with that last part."
"Oh absolutely, but it's not like she said anything particularly wrong. Credit where it's due, what the girl lacks in social skills she more than makes up for with wit."
"Well," Said Aizawa-Sensei, "if both fighters have consented to Uraraka using Hatsume's inventions then I suppose we can allow it. Just let it be known that even if Uraraka wins, she won't be able to take those Support Items with her into future matches."
Ochako and Mei both shrugged, more than fine with that part of the deal. "Alright then girls," Said Midnight, "you two ready?"
"Ready!" Said both girls as they gripped their weapons tightly.
"Theeen fiiight!" Shouted Present Mic.
Ochako took the immediate momentum, running towards Mei and leaping into the air, swiftly activating her Quirk on herself before kicking on the boots she was wearing, allowing her to practically fly through the air.
"And that, dear investors, is the Hatsume Industries Brand Hover Soles, which with their fan-like thrusters implanted inside them, allows the wearer to hover above the ground, giving the user greater mobility and jumping ability."Mei's voice came booming through the stadium.
"What th-!? Is that a microphone!?" Exclaimed Present Mic.
"Oh for the love of…" Groaned Aizawa-Sensei, with Izuku practically able to visualize in his mind's eye the face palm that accompanied that statement.
"The specially made insides also allow the wearer to fall from great heights and have their landing cushioned without any damage to their legs! Assuming you land on your feet of course." Continued Mei proudly. "And in the hands, or rather feet, of Urararararara here and her Quirk, just watch the wonders that can be worked!"
There was then a sound of something being fired. Mei just barely lifted her foot in time as a metallic arrow like grappling hook embedded itself in the ground where her foot had just been. Connected to that hook was a rope that went all the way back to the harness Ochako was wearing. The rope quickly began reeling in, pulling Ochako towards the ground and Mei.
"Whoop, and that right there is my Wire Arrow baby! Used in conjunction with the Hover Soles and you can get some serious control over the terrain!" Announced Mei.
Ochako wasn't done yet as she aimed the funnel-like muzzle of the gun at Mei and fired, shooting out a capsule that exploded into a net that attempted to snag its creator. Mei was faster though, her own boots lighting up and launching her backwards, the net landing harmlessly on the ground.
"And that was my Capture Gun Baby! Since most Pros obviously don't want to accidentally hurt a villain, instead of firing bullets this baby shoots nets! Perfect for getting the capture against a villain that might be further than your arms could reach." Explained Mei as she landed on the ground.
Ochako did as well, and as soon as she touched down she released her Quirk and immediately began pursuing Mei on foot.
"Thankfully I had my Electromagnetic Soles!"Said Mei proudly. "These babies use electromagnetic induction on both feet, improving the mobility of its user and therefore allowing them instant evasive action!"
"Evade this!" Said Ochako as she lunged at Mei.
As soon as she got close, Mei's harness activated, strange attachments extending from the device and into the ground, immediately positioning Mei out of Ochako's reach. To add insult to injury her foot caught on one of the attachments and she was sent tumbling to the ground.
"If you insist!" Said Mei proudly. "Easily done with my Hydraulic Bracers baby! Its sensors detect a foe approaching, the backpack automatically activates its hydraulic attachments that makes the user dodge the attack."
Ochako forced herself to her feet and lunged again from Mei's blind spot, only for her baby to let her automatically dodge once more.
"And since the Hydraulic Bracers have sensors in every direction, the user can even deal with surprise attacks from behind." Explained Mei.
"This isn't looking good for Ochako." Muttered Izuku.
"What makes you say that?" Asked Tooru, shifting her entire body so that way it was clear she was looking at him.
Izuku briefly glanced over at her through the corner of his eye before looking and pointing back at the arena.
"Ochako's Quirk is great when it comes to making the most of her surroundings, but there's nothing for her to grab on that arena." Explained Izuku, "Other than M- Hatsume that is, and her items keep her from getting grabbed, not to mention she's incredibly smart too. This fight is very skewed in her favor as it is."
"So, Uraraka doesn't stand a chance then?" Asked Kaminari, turning his head to look at Izuku as well.
"I wouldn't say that." Said Izuku with a shake of his head. "Ochako can win, it's just that the means of doing so are unlikely. She either needs to experience an abrupt Quirk Awakening, or…"
"Or…?" Echoed Kaminari.
Izuku shrugged and gave Kaminari a sheepish grin, "Or outsmart one of the smartest students in our year."
Kaminari made a face, "Sheesh, put it like that and I can see what you meant about the odds being stacked…"
"Well, you two can be as doom and gloom as you like." Said Tooru, "But I'm gonna believe in Uraraka!"
Meanwhile, back in the arena, Ochako was breathing heavily, bringing the palm of one of her hands to push the sweat off of her forehead. Meanwhile it seemed like Hatsume had barely just started breaking a sweat, and Ochako was pretty sure that wasn't from any effort she was putting in, just from the heat of the sun beating down over their heads like a sledgehammer.
Ochako took a moment to spare a glance to the bleachers where her classmates sat, and her eyes immediately locked onto him. Deku was watching her fight. Her classmates were all watching her, her parents back home were seeing her fight for her dream on live TV. There's no way she was letting them down here.
"Hey, Hatsume." She said, letting out a groan as she forced herself to stand up straight. Hatsume let out an inquiring hum while tilting her head to the side, her eyes fixed on her and seemingly scanning every inch of her body to get a tell for how she'd act next. "If you're done with the sponsorship segment, does that mean you're ready to start taking this seriously?"
Hatsume let out a thoughtful hum as she brought a gloved hand to her chin, tapping her cheek with her index finger a couple of times before shrugging and pushing her microphone back into her headset, "Very well, after all it's as the saying goes, actions speak louder than words."
"Agreed." Said Ochako as she aimed the Capture Gun at Hatsume and fired off two shots.
Hatsume leapt into action, quickly evading the two nets before dashing towards Ochako.
Using her Hover Soles and Wire Arrow in tandem with her Quirk, Ochako launched herself through the air at Hatsume, attempting to land a kick on the inventor, but Hatsume's Hydraulic Bracers allowed her to dodge. Ochako swiped her hand at Hatsume in an attempt to use her Quirk on her, but once again was evaded. She then let out a pained grunt as she suddenly felt the engineer plant her fist into her side.
"And the first blow of this match goes to Hatsume! After so much back and forth a strike has been landed! Will Uraraka let it be enough to slow her down or will she surprise the crowd and Go Beyond!?"
Due to being under her own Quirk, that punch sent Ochako flying, though she was quick to react. "Release!" She shouted, as she deactivated her Quirk, landing on the ground and sliding a few feet, placing one hand on the ground to keep herself balanced before standing up right again.
She took a deep shuddering breath before releasing it, doing her best to force the nausea she was feeling downwards and stay focused on winning.
She launched herself again and again, missing and touching down as she repeatedly attempted to snag Hatsume with her Quirk, but failing time and time again.
"Oh boy, call Uraraka the definition of insanity, because it seems like the poor girl's fallen back in doing the same thing over and over again hoping for different results!" Commented Present Mic.
"Is that what it seems like to you, Mic?" Asked Aizawa-Sensei, "Because that doesn't seem to be the case to me…"
"Hey Hatsume…" Wheezed Ochako weakly, her legs trembling and her breathing ragged.
"Yeah?" Replied Hatsume, who in contrast was barely affected thanks to her inventions doing all the heavy lifting for her.
"Think fast!" She shouted as she suddenly threw the Capture Gun Hatsume's way.
"My baby!" She cried out, doing a leaping dive towards it in a desperate attempt to catch it before it could hit the ground and break.
As soon as Hatsume's feet left the ground, Ochako fired. The metal tip of the Wire Arrow launched right at Hatsume, who just narrowly avoided it thanks to her Hydraulic Bracers. The metal tip sank into one of the tiles behind the inventor.
Hatsume looked at where the Wire Arrow struck, then turned her attention to Ochako. Her mouth may have been smiling but her eyes were glaring. "A cheap trick, using my love for my babies against me Urarararararara." She said calmly before aiming her newly reacquired Capture Gun at Ochako. "One that's proven to be your undoing."
"You think so?" Asked Ochako with a weak grin. "I disagree." Suddenly the rope of the Wire Arrow began retracting. Oddly enough though Ochako wasn't being pulled forward, but rather the metal tip was coming back to her.
That's when Hatsume heard something large get pulled free from the ground. She quickly looked over her shoulder and recognized the large arena tile hurtling towards her just in time to narrowly avoid being hit by it.
Ochako stepped to the side, just narrowly avoiding being hit by the tile herself. As it flew by, she grabbed the rope of the Wire Arrow and yanked it free of the tile, allowing it to continue flying through the air until it smashed into the wall behind her.
"Uh… Eraser? What just happened?" Said Present Mic in confusion from the announcer booth, his voice shockingly calm for once.
"Earlier Uraraka used her Quirk to remove the gravity from that tile, then she used Hatsume's invention to pry it from the ground and use it as an improvised long range weapon." Explained Aizawa-Sensei as Ochako swung the rope in her hand a few times before letting it retract back into its harness. "It seems that you and Hatsume both made the mistake of assuming all that jumping around had just been acts of desperation."
"Wait…" Said Present Mic fearfully as he finally came to understand Ochako's plan. "Are you telling me the girl just weaponized the arena itself!?"
"Alright Hatsume." Said Ochako as she raised her arms and aimed the gauntlets on her wrists, which up to this point had gone unused, at her opponent. "Ready for the real fun to start?"
Hatsume took a half step backwards. It seems that this was the exact moment she realized she'd fucked up.
Each gauntlet was essentially a wrist mounted version of the Wire Arrow Ochako wore around her waist. She fired both at once, their metal tips sinking into two more tiles. Then she grabbed the ropes and pulled as hard as she could, ripping them from the ground and launching them at Hatsume.
The inventor dodged them both, but Ochako wasn't done. Gripping the ropes tightly she moved her arms, redirecting the tiles mid air to make them pursue Hatsume. She had essentially created a pair of oversized, improvised morningstars for her to use.
Hatsume was still fast though, capable of ducking and dodging the attacks no matter how much they pursued her. Couple that with Ochako's Quirk exhaustion and it was clear that she was still ultimately the one on the back foot.
Ochako grunted as she slammed the tiles into the arena, Hatsume just barely evading the attack. As the shattered fragments of tile floated into the air, Ochako recalled the cords of her gauntlets before immediately sticking them into two more tiles and continuing her attack.
"Uraraka's offensive is relentless! But Hatsume's inventions are letting her avoid everything thrown her way! It's a battle of attrition folks, who'll run out of gas first!?"
Soon Ochako found herself panting, having exhausted not only her body but her supply of weightless tiles. By now even Hatsume was breathing heavily, holding tightly to her Capture Gun as her limbs trembled.
"Present Mic was wrong." Said Ochako.
"Hm?" Hummed Hatsume questioningly.
"This isn't the battle of attrition. Honestly I can't believe you fell for the same trick twice, Hatsume." Said Ochako, breathing heavily as she slowly pointed upwards. "Like the saying goes, you fool someone once then shame on you, but if you get them a second time then they only have themselves to blame…"
Hatsume's eyes widened as she looked upwards, an action that those watching the battle copied as they realized the true plan Ochako had come up with. The debris from all the tiles that had been destroyed in their fight was floating in the air above them. Lots and lots of debris.
"You might be able to dodge one or two things coming at you…" Said Ochako, a grin stretching across her face, "but can you handle a whole Meteor Shower?!"
Hatsume turned her head back towards Ochako and prepared to lunge at her.
But Ochako was faster.
"Release."
And then the debris all came raining down. Hatsume let out a panicked cry as the sensors of her Hydraulic Bracers picked up all the debris and tried to move her somewhere safe, but there was so much coming at her at once that it couldn't successfully avoid it all. Hatsume covered her head with her arms as she was pelted by the debris and her Bracers were overwhelmed and broken apart.
When the rain came to an end, the engineer did her best to stand back up, her legs shaking, her bracers non functional, her Capture Gun lost somewhere in the wreckage.
Her eyes then widened as she hear the sound of a foot stomping down right in front of where she was standing and looked up just in time to see Ochako's fist swing at her cheek, the impact knocking her onto her back.
She groaned from her spot on the ground, unable to stand back up.
After a moment Midnight made her call. "Mei Hatsume is unable to continue, the victory goes to Ochako Uraraka of Class A!"
As the crowd erupted into cheers, Ochako continued to stare at her downed opponent, her breathing heavy and her head light. After that clash she had been the one to come out on top. Now there was only one thing left to do.
She quietly reached down towards Hatsume… and…
Used her Quirk on her, causing her to start floating into the air. Ochako held onto the floating girl's wrist to keep her from flying away as the med bots quickly approached. She placed Hatsume down on the cot they brought with them before deactivating her Quirk. She then began staggering after them as they carted her away to Recovery Girl's office.
She didn't get very far though, just barely passing through the western gate before the last of her energy burnt out, and she felt her legs give out form beneath her.
She didn't fall for long though, as she felt something abruptly move in to catch hers before her left arm was wrapped around a muscular pair of shoulders.
Her head slowly turned to see who'd caught her, her eyes widening when she saw a familiar mop of messy green hair.
"You did great out there Ochako." Said Deku with a grin as she helped her to her feet.
"D… Deku…" Ochako wheezed weakly before making a gagging noise, Quirk Exhaustion finally pushing her to her breaking point.
She broke away and placed a hand on the wall, her chest heaving a few times before she ended up emptying the contents of her stomach onto the ground. She flinched when she suddenly felt a hand on her back, but relaxed when she realized who it belonged to.
Once she was done, she let out a couple coughs before standing up straight and wiping her mouth with the back of her wrist, "Sorry you had to see that…"
Deku shrugged. "It's not like I haven't seen this before." He said nonchalantly.
"Doesn't make it any less gross." Argued Ochako before quietly muttering, "Or embarrassing…"
Deku let out a hum as he kept a watchful eye on her for a moment.
"Is everything ok?" Wondered Ochako.
"Juuust fine." Said Deku under his breath as he suddenly crouched down and without warning scooped Ochako up into her arms.
Ochako's reaction, unsurprisingly, was her face turning a bright shade of pink. "Wh-wh-wh-what are you doing Deku!?" She exclaimed.
"I think you've stressed your body out enough for now, you need to worry about resting up for our match later." Explained Deku as he started walking towards the nurse's office.
Ochako paused as she realized he was right, they were going to fight in the next round of the tournament. "W-well what about you? Shouldn't you be resting instead of using your Quirk like this and wasting energy!?" She asked.
Deku looked down at her in confusion, "I'm not using my Quirk?"
Ochako stared at him silently for a moment as the implication sank in. "Oh. I see." She said quietly, unable to think about anything else to argue with and instead letting him carry her away.
"Unconscious Ladies and Gentlemen of the Nurse's Office, Introducing the Madam, the Myth, the Mistress of Gravity Herself, Ochako Urara-ack!" The first thing Izuku and Ochako were greeted by when they entered Recovery Girl's office was the sound of Sero doing his best Present Mic impression as he announced their presence, only to be cut short by Recovery Girl's cane smacking him.
"People are trying to rest right now you scrawny fool." Chided the nurse.
"Sorry sorry…" Said Sero sheepishly as he rubbed the spot he was smacked. He turned his attention back to his friends and just now finally noticed the state they were in. Looking the pair over, he couldn't help but grin. "Geez Midoriya, I know you've always been a knight in shining armor but I didn't think you'd try to magically whisk Uraraka off her feet like a princess."
"Princess, really?" Said Izuku as he placed Ochako down on one of the beds. "She seems more like the badass mage that accompanies the hero and has far more chemistry with him than some princess with no presence."
Sero looked at Izuku, then down at Ochako, then looked past them at something else. "And what's that make the Support Course girl? Hatsume was it?"
Izuku paused for a moment before saying, "The blacksmith who doesn't participate in combat herself and isn't quite as present but the fans are delighted when she's on screen nonetheless given her tendency to steal the show."
Sero couldn't help but snicker, "Is that right? I'm sure she'd loved to have heard that from you if she was awake right now."
Izuku raised his eyebrow at that. "If she was awake? What do you…?" He trailed off as he looked at the bed right next to Ochako's and realized it was currently being occupied by Mei, who was, for once in her life, resting. "Ah." Was all Izuku had to say. He turned to look at Recovery Girl, "How's she doing?"
"She'll be fine, don't worry dearie." Said Recovery Girl with a smile. "The girl's a smart one, she protected her head from the debris so she was spared from any major injuries, she's currently just sleeping off the effects of my Quirk being used on her as well as her general exhaustion from the day, same as your friend." She nodded towards where Iida was laying next to Sero.
Izuku smiled. "I'm glad, the last thing I'd want is for either of them to have been seriously hurt." He then grabbed a nearby chair and put it between the two girls' beds and took a seat.
"I take it you're hanging back here then?" Asked Sero.
Izuku nodded, "As fun as it'd be to watch the Quirks of two of Class B's students in action, I'd rather stay here while Mei and Ochako rest. I'll head back out once it's your turn to fight Sh- Todoroki."
"Cooool…" Replied Sero, his smile strained slightly at the reminder of who his opponent was. He sat back down in his seat next to Iida's bed and decided to talk to Izuku some more while they watched the third match on the Television in Recovery Girl's office.
Chapter 45: "Holy shit, it's her. The Spear of Justice."
Match Three was easily the longest one yet, which is unsurprising given the two fighters in play. Setsuna Tokage's Lizard Tail Splitter and Ibara Shiozaki's Vines trapped the fighters in a deadlock of sorts.
Tokage tries to grab Shiozaki with her detached hands? Shiozaki could simply lock herself in place with her hair or use it to bat away Tokage's body parts. Those thorns were clearly sharp if the Recommendation Student's desire to avoid touching them at all costs was any indication.
The match came to a conclusion thanks to Shiozaki being the smarter fighter of the two, approaching Tokage without warning and making the girl panic, splitting herself into various pieces and making them all fly away to the other side of the arena, only for her and everyone in the audience to be confused when Midnight suddenly announced her elimination.
That was when Tokage noticed she was missing her left foot, but that the underside of it was definitely pushing into something. Her eyes followed Shiozaki's hair and noticed it seemed to be pushing something down.
Tokage let out a disappointed sigh as Shiozaki retracted her hair before recalling her left foot and reattaching it to her ankle. After exchanging a handshake as a sign of good sportsmanship, the pair parted ways through the same gates they entered through and made their way back to their classmates.
"Gah Dayum…" Said Sero as he stood up from his seat in Recovery Girl's office. "That's gonna be a hell of an act to follow up." He started making his way to the door. "Especially since I'm going against Todoroki."
"You're not planning to drop out, are you?" Asked Izuku as he followed after him once he was finished saying his farewells to the resting Ochako and Mei.
"I considered it for a split second." Admitted Sero before giving Izuku a lazy grin. "But I figured you and the Class Sect would give me absolute hell for it afterwards."
"You're free to make your own choices, Sero. But I'm glad you chose to keep moving forward" Said Izuku before his eyes narrowed. "We, all of us really, need to show Todoroki that we're willing to give this Festival everything we've got. Half Hot Half Cold might be a powerful Quirk but that doesn't mean he gets to Half Ass this while everyone else is refusing to back down."
"Sheesh, you're really taking your rivalry with the guy seriously, huh?" Noted Sero.
Izuku let out a humorless scoff, "Rival? Please, Todoroki's hardly worth a title like that. All he is right now is a disrespectful liability."
Sero could only stare, wondering what in the world happened between Izuku and Shoto earlier today. "Well if you say so. You're basically just telling me to go out and give it my best, easy enough."
Izuku stopped as they approached the Eastern entrance to the Arena. "Go out there and send him flying, Sero." He said as he extended his fist towards Sero. Sero grinned and met his fist with his own before turning and entering the Arena. Izuku meanwhile turned on his heel and fired up One for All, dashing to Class A's seats as fast as he could.
"From the East side, this guy may be amongst the cream of the crop but he's still as plain as they come, Hanta Sero!" Announced Present Mic.
"A little hurtful, not gonna lie." Said Sero with a strained grin as he stretched out his arms.
"And from the West side, he's the best of the best and the son of one of Japan's top Heroes! It's Shoto Todoroki!"
At the mention of the bastard he was forced to call father, Shoto felt his right eye twitch.
He flexed his fingers as the same rules that'd been discussed three times over were once again repeated, until eventually UA's English Teacher shouted, "Theeen Fiiight!"
"Y'know…" Said Sero, his tone suspiciously relaxed and casual, "I kinda came to this fight expecting to lose, heck after all the scary faces you've been making over there I was half tempted to turn tail and book it. I mean let's be real, I only got to this round because Iida vouched for me and you oh so graciously allowed me onto your team for the Cavalry Battle." Shoto said nothing as he watched him continue to talk, his father's words of 'encouragement' ringing in the back of his head like a damn gong. "But then I remembered what Midoriya said, and honestly he's right. If I'm going to get this far, then I might as well give it my all!"
Two ropes of tape suddenly were around Shoto's body binding his arms and his legs as Sero attempted to end this battle immediately by throwing him out of bounds. Unfortunately he made the mistake of mentioning Midoriya now of all times.
"Begone…" Said Shoto under his breath. And then the entire Eastern side of the Arena froze over…
Izuku was breathing heavily, his left fist raised up and in front of him, a couple sparks of green electricity still shooting off it. Kacchan wasn't too far to his left, smoke coming from his right palm. Izuku swallowed the lump in his throat as he staggered backwards slightly. "Is… is everyone ok?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at the others.
Everyone was huddled up, either out of fear or simply in an attempt to regain some warmth. Yaomomo was shivering as she lowered the shield she'd made to protect herself and those closest to her when Todoroki's ice came for them all.
"Th… that was too close…" Shuddered Mineta. "Thanks for the save Midoriya, Bakugou."
"No fuckin' shit, that was terrifying!"
Izuku let out a sigh as he let his arm fall down to his side. Had it not been for what he could only call an instinctive reaction from both him and Kacchan, who knows what kind of damage that ice had done.
"You did good, Izuku."
"Th… that was a bit overkill, no…?" Said Present Mic uncertainly. Aizawa-Sensei didn't even seem to have a witty response to say.
A giant iceberg was now peaking over the top of the stadium, so even those patrolling outside could probably see it. The only dent in it was the giant whole that Izuku and Kacchan had collectively punched through it in an attempt to keep their class from getting skewered by icicles, as they were dead center for that move.
"'Dead' would've been the key word. Did that flaming bastard forget to teach his son the meaning of the word 'restraint!?'"
"Shit," Exclaimed Izuku as he came to a realization, "Sero!" He immediately leaped into action, using One for All at Sixteen Percent to jump clear through the hole and onto the top of the iceberg before slowing it down.
"Hanta Sero has been immobilized, the fourth match goes to Shoto Todoroki!" Announced Present Mic.
Izuku continued sliding until he reached the base of the iceberg where Sero had been frozen. Thankfully it seemed Shoto at least had the restraint to not freeze over his head and suffocate the guy.
Speaking of Shoto, the guy had been walking towards Sero with his left arm raised and had frozen in a pace when Izuku came sliding in. The pair exchanged a look, saying nothing before turning their attention back to Sero.
Shoto worked fast, melting the ice trapping Sero in place, the shivering boy falling forward the moment he wasn't being held in place any longer. Izuku was able to act just as quickly, catching Sero and allowing him to lean into him for support.
"I've gotcha." Said Izuku quietly before looking at Shoto and nodding his head towards Midnight, whose entire left side had gotten iced over in the process of Shoto's attack. Shoto nodded his head, turning to help their teacher while Izuku lifted Sero up, activated One for All, and dashed right past the med-bots that were only just now arriving on the scene.
"We have robots designed specifically for bringing injured students to me, you know that right?" Asked Recovery Girl as Izuku placed Sero onto the bed next to Iida.
"Like I was going to stand to the side when my friend was in that state. Especially when Todoroki was kind enough to provide me a way down and everything." Said Izuku, his expression nearly impossible to read. "Even if he did nearly put my friends and I on ice as a result."
Recovery Girl had nothing to say to that, simply letting out a hum in response. Eventually she settled with, "I'd advise you return to your classmates, your friend will be in good hands here."
Izuku turned and gave her a weak smile as he approached the door. "The best in Japan, I'd imagine."
"You're darn right she is. Fixed Toshinori's reckless ass up more times than I can count back in the old days. Same with Gran too for that matter…"
Izuku opened the door and walked out only to be met with a surprising sight.
It was Shoto.
The heterochromatic boy stared at him for a moment before looking over his shoulder, "Is Sero…?"
"He'll be fine. As will the rest of our classmates, in spite of the crap you pulled back there." Said Izuku with his arms crossed.
Shoto reached over and squeezed his right arm, which was slowly being coated in a layer of frost, "I wanted to… apologize back when I was thawing him out but didn't get the chance."
Izuku stepped past him, "Save the apologies for after I beat your ass."
Shoto said nothing, simply standing there staring into Recovery Girl's office.
"Alright folks, with the arena finally defrosted we can move right onto the fifth match. It's another battle of representatives folks! On the East side it's Class B's President, the battle hardened Martial Artist herself, Itsuka Kendo! And on the West we have Class A's Vice President, the Goddess of Creation herself, Momo Yaoyorozu!"
As Present Mic announced the fifth pair of fighters for the first Round, the two girls stepped from their respective entrances.
"Do it Kendo! It's time to show these A Class Bastards who the real stars of the Hero Course are!" Shouted Monoma from his spot amongst Class B adjacent to where Class A was.
"If you want I can turn you into a shooting star and let the crowd watch you be launched right out of the goddamn stadium…" Growled Kacchan as his palms menacingly shot off a few sparks.
"Haaah!?" Said Monoma, turning towards Kacchan. "You wanna go? I'd love to see how well you can do when you don't have your buddies to fall back on!"
"Bakuchan, please sit down." Said Tsu calmly.
"Haaah!?" Said Kacchan, perfectly, and unintentionally, mimicking Monoma's tone as he turned to glare at Tsu. "Are you seriously asking me to back down against the Blond Bast-?!"
"Bakuchan." Said Tsu sternly as she glared up at him. "Sit."
Kacchan glared down at her for a second before huffing and plopping down next to her on the seats.
Though he couldn't stop his eye from aggressively twitching at the sound of Monoma's mocking laughter. "Well well, it seems that the mad dog of Class A has been well trained, talk about-!" He was cut off by something smacking the back of his head. "Ow." He said, rubbing the spot he'd been hit before turning around. "Who-?" His question died in his throat when he saw his Class's Vice Representative standing behind him, a frown on his face as he stood there with his arms crossed.
Monoma raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'm sitting down, just have mercy." He then slunk off to his seat.
Izuku and Shoda exchanged a look. "I'm sorry about his behavior." Both said in perfect unison, pausing in surprise before ultimately letting out amused giggles. They then returned to their seats.
"Theeen Fiiight!" Izuku got back into his seat just in time for the match to start.
Kendo took the initiative, charging at Yaomomo, though Class A's vice president was more than prepared for a clash against the martial artist.
Kendo enlarged her fist and swung it at Yaomomo, only instead of striking flesh and clothing, her fist struck solid metal, that being the titanium coating Yaomomo's forearms, which she used to shield herself from Kendo's blow, while also creating something not so dissimilar to Mei's Hydraulic Bracers, which were planted into the ground to prevent her from being pushed backwards.
Her entire outfit seemed to shift as metal began forming in the space between her skin and the fabric as she began adorning herself in armor on various parts of her body, the fabric of her gym clothes straining to remain in place.
"Oh wow! Kendo tries to land a strong blow out of the gate, but it's no match against Yaoyorozu doing a magical girl transformation into a literal knight in shining armor!" Said Present Mic in amazement.
"Quick thinking on Yaoyorozu's part." Chimed in Aizawa-Sensei. "Being able to create armor like that at that speed is no easy feat, it's clear she's put in lots of training in preparation for today."
"Geez Eraser, really singing your praises for your students this year, huh?"
"I'm simply stating objective facts, they're only positive because the students who work under me have done their best to earn that praise."
"Sure sure, you big ol' Tsundere."
The two continued their clash. Exchanging blows, Kendo may have been the faster and stronger fighter thanks to her martial arts training, but Momo's armor and quick thinking allowed her to prevent any critical strikes from landing. Even her creative creations of metal braces against her legs from behind prevented her from being pushed back by Kendo's strikes.
"It's a battle of attrition folks! Big Fist versus Creation! An unstoppable force versus an immovable object! Who'll win!?"
Momo would throw a punch, Kendo would block it with one of her large fists, she'd throw a punch of her own and Momo would block it with her metal coated arms.
Momo would attempt to strike Kendo with her metal covered knee, Kendo would block it with the underside of her foot.
Things would come to a head as both reared back and arm and punched at the same time, their fists straining against each other for a moment before breaking away.
"I'll admit Kendo," Said Momo calmly as she flexed her metal coated fingers, "you are far more practiced in direct combat than I am. Our brief bout during the Cavalry Battle told me as much."
Kendo's eyes narrowed, before she leapt backwards, just narrowly dodging a metal spear Momo created and jabbed at her.
"C'MON YAOMOMO!" Kaminari's voice could be heard shouting from all the way up in Class A's reserved seat.
"SHOW HER WHY YOU'RE THE BEST!" Jirou's voice could be heard too.
The sounds of her friends' voices brought a smile to her face, "Of course, I've got my own ways of overcoming you!" Kendo watched in shock as Momo generated more metal from her body.
The armor coming from her skin became denser as she created more of it, the seams of her clothes bursting in several places while she left her stomach exposed in order to have a reliable area for Creation to work with. She also began creating metal from and around her head and face. The metal took on the shape of a knight's helmet, her own ponytail acting as the plume.
Momo gripped her spear tightly in her left hand as she showed off her new form, "Witness the fruits of my efforts, the Knight of Creation!"
Kendo cracked her knuckles before letting out a battle cry and charging Momo.
"Holy shit, it's her. The Spear of Justice."
As soon as Izuku heard Fifth say that, he also heard Sixth begin humming some weird song.
"…Fifth I can understand making jokes, but really Sixth? You're choosing to join the nonsense?"
"Don't judge me! It's a catchy song. I can't help it…!"
Well, Izuku had to admit, whoever composed that song did know how to make some good music…
"Holy shit that's hot…" Murmured Jirou, Kaminari nodding his head in agreement.
Third couldn't help but scoff at that.
"Teenagers."
First seemed to be in agreement from the way he was nodding his head.
"It is quite an impressive implementation of her Quirk, her training with you has shown great results Izuku."
Izuku shook his head as he watched his vice president clash with Kendo, 'Nah, I just gave her the foundation, the credit for her growth goes to Yaomomo.'
"DON'T LOSE KENDO! WE CAN'T LET CLASS A PULL ANY FURTHER AHEAD!" Shouted Monoma from the B Class Section.
Izuku looked over to where Monoma's voice was coming from and found himself smiling. He then stood up and shouted, "GO GET HER, YAOMOMO!"
"HYAAAH!" Shouted Momo as she continued thrusting her spear, jabbing at Kendo time and time again, her hands blocking the spear's tip but each thrust leaving a new graze that was slowly leaking blood.
Kendo then used one enlarged hand to swat at Momo's spear, throwing the Vice President off balance before swinging her other fist. The punch connected and Momo was sent flying back, but she managed to land in away that allowed her to quickly roll using the momentum and end up back on her feet, her armor taking the impact of each blow for her.
She attempted another stab, but Kendo's hand snaked forward, grabbing Momo's spear arm and torso, restraining both before lifting into the air.
Kendo was breathing heavily from the effort of the battle so far. "Your creativity with your Quirk is impressive, but this is where you lose." Said the Vice President as she began walking towards the edge of the arena, keeping her grip firm to prevent any movement.
Momo was short of breath too, her Quirk and body becoming taxed. Thankfully she still had one arm free, and that meant she wasn't done yet. "I disagree, Kendo." She said softly as she moved her arm so that her palm was aiming at her face.
Itsuka's eyes widened as she saw something fall out of Yaoyorozu's palm and drop into the space between them both. She released Yaoyorozu in an attempt to shield herself but was too slow as the flash bang detonated right in front of her.
Itsuka staggered backwards, her vision a blur and her ears ringing. Suddenly she felt the air besides her shift and the faint sound of something clanging behind her. Yaoyorozu nice snuck behind her in an attempt to strike her back!
Moving quickly she turned around and swung an engaged fist behind where she'd been standing, only to his nothing. She suddenly felt a stinging pain in her back as two sharp needles pierced her back.
"Apologies Kendo," Said Momo as she gripped the taser in her hand, "But this is checkmate."
Kendo's body then seized up as it was charged with its fifty thousand volts of electricity, before eventually falling to her knees and then onto the arena floor.
Midnight and Momo both stood there for a moment watching the downed martial artist before the call was made. "Itsuka Kendo is unable to battle, Match Five goes to Momo Yaoyorozu!"
The crowd erupted to cheers as Momo took a deep breath, sighing as the tension in her body was released. She watched the Medea's arrive to take Kendo away before turning and walking through the entrance she'd arrived from.
One by one the metal coating her body fell to the wayside, clanging as it hit the floor as her stretched gym uniform hung loosely from her body.
It'd been a hard fought battle, but she won. She won…
"Yaomomooo!"
"Oof!" She let out a grunt as she felt two bodies tackle into her and embrace her. She tiredly looked down to see Kaminari and Jirou hugging her.
The pair looked up at her with excited eyes. "That was incredible!" Exclaimed Jirou.
"Yeah man, way to show Class B who's Boss!" Said Kaminari with a grin. "That whole transformation of yours was super badass!"
Momo let out a weak giggle, "That's very sweet of you to say… but are you sure you should be hugging me so tightly right now? I am rather sweaty. "She paused for a moment before adding, "Not to mention partially naked."
There was a moment of silence before Jirou's fist connected with the underside of Kaminari's jaw, actually sending the boy a few inches into the air before knocking him onto his back. "PERVERT!" Shouted the purple haired girl angrily.
"Ow…" Whined Kaminari as he rubbed his jaw on the floor, while Yaomomo looked between the pair worriedly.
"Keep your male gaze off our Vice President, you Electric Type Degenerate!" Said Jirou threateningly as she stood between Kaminari and Yaomomo, standing noticeably closer to Yaomomo.
Kaminari noticed this too as he looked at Yaomomo, then at Jirou, pointing an accusatory finger at the latter. "Talk about stones in a glass house! You just want her all to yourself, you pervert!"
Jirou stared down at Kaminari and his pointing for a moment before taking a deep breath in through her mouth and then exhaling while cracking her knuckles. "You wanna try repeating that, Jamming-Whey?" She asked menacingly.
Within the blink of an eye Kaminari was on his knees looking up at Jirou apologetically, "No ma'am, I'm sorry…"
Jirou huffed and crossed her arms, "That's what I-"
GROWL
"…thought."
Kaminari and Jirou both looked at Yaomomo, who was staring at the ground in shame after her stomach growled loud enough for it to echo through the entire hall. "I uh…" Said the vice president weakly, "b-burnt off a lot of lipids in that fight… I'm feeling a little hungry now."
"Kaminari, you get something for her to eat." Said Jirou calmly, "I'll take her to get a new gym uniform."
"Got it." Said Kaminari in complete seriousness and without question as he stood up and took off.
"Th-that's really not nece-"
"No." Yaomomo's attempt to play down her own issues was something Jirou wouldn't have. "You just worry about resting up for your next fight."
"…Understood." Said Yaomomo quietly.
Izuku couldn't help but smile as he watched the whole spectacle from his spot to the side. He'd been there the whole time and they hadn't even noticed. 'They make a good trio.' He thought to himself as he turned and quietly walked off. 'I guess it was fitting for Yaomomo to win with sound and electricity.'