Arthur POV
I walked through the corridors leading to the Class 1-A stands, my footsteps echoing off the concrete walls. Recovery Girl had told me that Kaminari would be fine, his whey mode would dissipate in about an hour, and me flinging him off the stadium hadn't actually hurt him.
Thank God.
The relief I felt was genuine. Especially since even though I controlled myself the speed I was going at would still drive a lot of force.
So yeah I was glad.
As I climbed the stairs to our designated section, I could already hear the excited chatter of my classmates.
Yeah, I had decided to spend the rest of the tournament watching alongside my classmates rather than Nezu. The principal's company was always entertaining, but right now I wanted to be with people my own age, people who understood what it was like to be down there on that stage.
I emerged into the stands to find most of Class 1-A already seated, their U.A. uniforms a sea of gray and blue against the stadium's concrete bleachers. The view from here was perfect, we could see the entire arena spread out below us like a gladiatorial amphitheater.
To our right, separated by a concrete wall and about twenty feet of space, was another class section. I recognized a few voices mainly Kendo's, Shoda's and Tetsutetsu's, yeah, they were Class 1-B.
"Next year we're this tournament is gonna be all class B just you wait," I heard someone say from the class B stands. I stopped listening in after that, simply smiling at their perseverance.
Toru waved from her spot, not that anyone could see that aside from me since she wasn't wearing gloves.
"Art!" Mina also called out, waving me over with both hands too.
I walked over to them, weaving between the rows of seats. Several of my classmates looked up as I passed.
"Is Kaminari okay?" Toru asked as I took a seat between her and Kirishima.
"He's fine," I assured them, settling into the plastic stadium seat. "Just needs to rest for a bit. Recovery Girl said the electricity didn't cause any real damage, and the impact was minimal. He'll be back to his usual self soon."
"That's a relief," Kirishima said, his sharp-toothed grin wide and genuine. "Kaminari's a tough guy, but seeing him get launched like that... nah he's manly I'm sure he would have been fine no matter what."
I nodded, my smile growing a little wider at that.
Midoriya seemed to have been listening to our conversation from a few seats over, his green hair shaking with nervousness. But as my head turned to face him, he immediately looked away, a flush creeping up his neck.
I guess he was embarrassed that he had replied to Shinsho when I'd specifically told him not to. Still as I looked at him, I couldn't help but think about the thing which had activated my instinct, it wasn't something bad, but... I wasn't sure what it had been either.
"So who's turn is it?" I asked, settling in my seat a bit more and focusing on the field below.
Of course, I wasn't answered by any of my classmates but by Present Mic's booming voice, which reverberated not just in my ears but seemed to shake the very foundations of the stadium.
"It's like he's the epitome of the middle of the pack! But don't let that fool you - this guy's got more determination than a freight train and legs that could outrun a bullet train! From the hero course, it's Tenya Iida!"
I watched as Iida strode onto the field with his characteristic rigid posture.
"Versus..." Present Mic continued, building the suspense as the second figure emerged from the opposite tunnel.
At the other side, a girl walked out with a confident swagger that immediately caught my attention. She had been on Midoriya's cavalry battle team if I remembered correctly, and she was absolutely loaded down with gadgets and equipment. Her name was...
"Fully equipped with support items! She's got more gear than a one-person army! From the support course, it's Mei Hatsume!"
"He's up against the support course, huh," Jirou said, her arms crossed as she leaned forward to get a better view. Her earphone jacks swayed slightly with her movement.
"I wonder what kind of fight it will be," Tsuyu added, her index finger thoughtfully pressed to her chin. "But from her looks it looks like she's going to use support items more than her quirk."
What even was her quirk? I don't think i had seen her use it once, in either the cavalry battle or the obstacle race, she had used support items for both. However now that I was talking about support gear, Hatsume wasn't the only one who was using it.
Iida was wearing one too. The contraption on his back looked like some kind of stabilization system, and his legs had additional components I had no clue about.
"Iida's also fully equipped with support items!" Present Mic yelled, his voice carrying a note of surprise.
Midnight's spoke up her voice authoritative.
That's generally against the rules for those in the hero course. Those who must use equipment must petition beforehand."
At those words, I reflexively looked down at Excalibur and Avalon, remembering when I'd had to ask Nezu for permission to carry them during the festival.
He had dismissively said yes, probably knowing I wouldn't actually cut a student but rather just wanted them close to me for comfort. I honestly couldn't think about separating myself from them.
"I completely forgot about that!" Iida said, his voice carrying clearly across the arena as he gestured in that robotic manner of his. "Arthur had his sword and Aoyama had his belt, so I thought it was fine!"
"They both submitted a petition," Midnight replied matter-of-factly.
"I must apologize," Iida said as he bowed forward towards Midnight. "However, my heart was moved by my opponent's sportsmanship. Even though she's from the support course, she said she wanted an even match since she made it this far. She said she wanted to fight fairly. So she gave me this equipment! I did not think I could ignore her fighting spirit."
At those words, my attention fell on Mei Hatsume with new interest. If she'd offered to share her equipment to make the fight fair, then she really was a kind soul. That level of sportsmanship was rare, especially in a competitive environment like this.
"Oh youth!" Midnight moaned dramatically, which made me recoil slightly in my seat. The way she could switch from authoritative to... whatever that was... always caught me off guard. She composed herself and waved one of her fans downward. "I'll allow it!"
The match began with Midnight's signal, and immediately I could see that Iida was moving differently than usual. He was faster for one.
"Isn't that acceleration wonderful!" Mei's voice suddenly boomed across the arena, and I realized she was also wearing a microphone and speaker system. "Don't your legs feel tighter than usual? Well, that's to be expected. Those leg parts are helping the wearer's movements along by providing additional support and reducing strain on the muscles!"
Iida was closing in on her rapidly, his enhanced speed carrying him across the arena floor. I found myself wondering how she planned to evade someone that fast, especially while carrying all that equipment.
"And I..." Mei grinned widely, reaching behind her back.
A hydraulic cable shot out from her backpack with a sharp hiss of compressed air, the metal cable extending and then contracting rapidly to push her to the side just as Iida reached her position.
"Can evade with my hydraulic attachments! These babies can extend up to fifteen feet and provide enough force to move a two-hundred-pound person at significant speed!"
"It looks more like a demonstration of her equipment than a fight, right?" Tsuyu observed, tilting forward in her seat with interest.
She was absolutely right. Mei wasn't even looking directly at Iida half the time - she was facing the crowd, gesturing enthusiastically as she explained each piece of equipment. Her hydraulic attachments seemed to have some kind of sensor system that allowed her to dodge automatically while she focused on her presentation.
Iida slipped on the hydraulic cable but just as he was about to fall the equipment on his back turned him around and allowed him to regain his momentum. Something which Mei also explained to the crowd.
The fight continued in this pattern, with Hatsume explaining each new support item she used while effortlessly evading Iida's increasingly frustrated attempts to catch her.
When she demonstrated her electro shoes, boots that allowed her to jump impossibly high. Iida ran after her planning to catch her wherever she landed but before he could do so, Hatsume turned around, a gun in her hand.+
And shot.
BAM
A red net wrapped around Iida. Again she explained the gadget while Iida tried his best to get out of it.
"Who developed all these items?" she called out dramatically, spreading her arms wide. "It was me, Mei Hatsume! Everyone looking for support items, the choice is clear - Mei Hatsume! Mei Hatsume! Mei Hatsume!"
"Tsu, I really think she's trying to sell her support items," Mina added, her mouth dropping open in realization.
Ten minutes passed with Iida trapped in the net while Hatsume explained each new gadget she revealed.
Finally, after what seemed like an endless product showcase, Hatsume casually strolled toward the edge of the arena.
"I'm done presenting them," she announced cheerfully, stepping out of bounds without any fanfare.
"Finally!" Bakugo yelled from several seats over, his voice carrying his usual explosive frustration. "That bitch was up there for too long!"
"Don't call her names," I said firmly, turning to face him. Something in my tone made him quiet down immediately, though I could see him grumbling under his breath, however I also couldn't help but murmur. "But you're right, she did go on for too long."
"Hatsume is out of bounds! Iida moves on to the second round!" Midnight announced as the net that had been entangling Iida suddenly released, probably another gadget of Hatsume's or as she liked to call them, her babies.
"You tricked me!" Iida yelled toward the departing Hatsume, his engines sputtering with indignation.
I watched as Hatsume waved cheerfully at the crowd, completely unbothered by Iida's protests. She'd accomplished exactly what she'd set out to do, and she knew it.
As the arena was cleared for the next match, Toru and Mina stood up from their seats, both of them looking nervous but determined.
"Good luck to both of you," Kirishima said, his wide-toothed grin encouraging and genuine. "Make it a manly fight!"
I actually chuckled at that, though Kirishima only tilted his head to the side.
"Don't worry about it," Tsuyu said as she patted Kirishima on the shoulder. "And like he said, good luck to both of you."
"Yeah, good luck," I added, waving them goodbye.
Mina and Toru made their way down toward the arena entrance, and I could see them talking quietly together as they walked.
A few minutes later, they emerged onto the stadium floor. Mina was stretching, as she warmed up her muscles. Toru, meanwhile, who was effectively invisible to most of the crowd, also made her way up with no sports uniform on, she was probably wearing her suit.
"The invisible woman herself, from the hero course, Toru Hagakure!" Present Mic's voice boomed. "Versus... will something come out of those horns? S Also from the hero course, it's Mina Ashido!"
Mina grinned up at the crowd, waving enthusiastically and clearly feeding off their energy.
"Let the best girl win!" Toru called out, her voice carrying clearly across the arena.
"Yeah!" Mina replied, pumping her fist in the air.
That's when we heard it, a voice that made all of us cringe simultaneously.
"Yes, women fight! You love to see it! Tear each other's clothes off!"
We all turned in unison to stare at the source of that inappropriate comment.
Mineta.
The girls in our section glared at him with expressions that could have melted steel, and I myself wanted to smack some sense into him, ME. The guy who hated violence.
"I mean..." Mineta started, apparently realizing from our reactions that he'd said something wrong.
"Just be quiet, Mineta," Sero said firmly.
Down in the arena, the match was beginning in earnest. Immediately, Mina began skating around on her acid, but not toward where Toru had been standing, not that she couñd have known where she was.
So she started spraying acid in wide arcs around herself, creating a gradually expanding circle of dangerous terrain.
It was like watching a spider weave its web, but made of corrosive chemicals instead of silk. Mina was being pretty smart and making the terrain hard for Toru to walk through so she wouldn't be able to sneak up to her.
I could see Toru, or rather, the slight distortion in the air where she was, trying to navigate the increasingly complex maze of acid patterns. She was being forced closer and closer to Mina with each passing second, her options for movement becoming more and more limited.
"There!" Mina suddenly shouted, flinging a stream of acid toward what seemed like empty air to most of the crowd.
A yelp of surprise confirmed she'd found her target, seriously how lucky could she get. Toru materialized partially as acid splashed across her leg, not enough to seriously hurt thanks to Mina's careful control of the pH level, but enough to mark her location and make her visible.
"Got you!" Mina launched herself forward on an acid slide, surfing across her own creation. Her fist was drawn back for what looked like a finishing blow.
However, just as she closed the distance, something unexpected happened. A bright flash suddenly surrounded both fighters.. The light was blinding, causing Mina to stumble mid-slide as her vision was completely overwhelmed.
The flash lasted only a moment, but it was enough. Toru slipped through Mina's compromised punch and struck forward with her own fist, the impact connecting solidly with Mina's midsection.
Mina smiled even as she absorbed the hit, her combat instincts taking over. Her leg lifted in a counter-kick, sweeping toward Toru's position. The kick connected with the leg that still had acid on it.
Toru let out a small yelp of pain, but her hand was already moving.
Another flash of light erupted from her position, even brighter than the first, completely blinding Mina once again. In that moment of confusion, Toru launched an uppercut that caught Mina perfectly, sending her flying just over the border line of the arena.
The crowd erupted as Midnight made the call.
"Mina Ashido is out of bounds! Toru Hagakure advances to the second round!"
A/N: Hope you ladies and gents enjoyed this chapter. Loved writing the Mina an Toru fight, also yes I know that Toru should have learnt how to manipulate light much later into the story but I promise I have an explanation, you'll see next chap. Some of you may not like that I'm not skipping these fights, but I wanted to write them so yeah...
Either way that's pretty much it for today. See you all tomorrow.
Thx for reading. Author out.