Kirishima’s arm-wrestling match against Tetsutetsu was up next.
“Kirishima Or Tetsutetsu? Who’s Going To Move On?!
The match lasts a while, the concrete block used for the arm-wrestle cracking as Kirishima slammed Tetsutetsu’s arm down.
For someone with a defensive Quirk, they sure have impressive strength.
“After Their Draw Earlier, Kirishima Has Won!!”
“We Now Have Our Full Line-up For The Second Round! With That Said…”
“Let’s Get Right To It!”
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“Both Of These Competitors Have Won Top Marks In This Festival So Far!!”
“But There Is Only Room For One Of These Greats In The Ring! It’s…”
“Todoroki!!”
“Verses”
“Midoriya!”
I stand against the railings to get as good a view as possible, both as I will be fighting one of these two eventually, and just cause their fight should be quite impressive. Extreme temperatures vs pure strength.
It’s like those Hero debates I see online, but that’s why everyone loves the UA Sports Festival.
“START!”
SHING
Todoroki forms a huge wave of ice, barrelling down straight at Midoriya.
SMASH!
Midoriya sacrifices one of his fingers to obliterate the ice instantaneously. The cold are flowing over the entire stadium as ice disintegrates under shear strength.
“Whoa!! He Smashed Through!!” Present Mic calls over the noise of the fight.
KRACKLE
SMASH!
“And He Smashed It Again!!”
Another finger down, Todoroki’s getting frosty.
He created a wall of ice behind himself to keep from getting launched off of the arena, reinforcing it whenever he has the chance. Unless Midoriya can break it, it’s a battle of endurance
KRACKLE
SMASH!
“Gah, they already started!” Kirishima complained, as he walked out to the class.
“Hey! Nice job getting to the second round, Kirishima!” Sero replied.
“Thanks, I’m up against you next, Bakugo!”
“I’ll kill you.”
“Ha ha ha, I’d like to see you try!”
“But man. You and that Todoroki… You can fire off as many of those crazy-strong attacks as you want.”
“As many as we want? Don’t be an Idiot.”
“Strain your muscles, and you’ll tear them. Run too much and you’ll be out of breath. Quirks are still physical abilities. Even that guy’s got to have some kind of limit.”
I bet it has something to do with all that ice clinging to his right side.
Midoriya still has it worse, blowing limbs apart for every attack made.
FWOOM
SMASH!
“Todoroki, Undaunted By Midoriya’s Power, Moves In To Close The Gap!”
Todoroki throws another wave of ice at Midoriya, using it as a staircase to jump above his counter attack.
Midoriya jumps back, avoiding Todoroki. But he launches a another wave, pinning Midoriya’s leg down.
SHINK
SMASH!
Midoriya retaliates with enough force to send Todoroki to the other side of the arena, even with his ice wall support behind him.
That was a full arm Smash I bet.
Todoroki’s walking straight at him confidently, seems he was counting fingers.
“Todoroki Continues His Relentless Assault!! Could This Next Ice Attack Win It All?”
SMASH!
He was almost knock out by Midoriya reusing a broken finger.
“Everyone’s… Giving it their all. To win… To achieve their goals… To make it to the top!”
“And you’re going to win with half your power?!”
“You still… Haven’t put a scratch on me!”
“Give me everything you’ve got!”
“Come at me!!”
He suddenly starts shouting out to Todoroki. Taunting is a good move, but not something I saw Midoriya ever doing.
Todoroki ruches in for close range combat. His movement seems slowed, the growing ice on his side obviously impacting him badly. But out of nowhere Midoriya lands a powered punch that doesn’t break his arm. He was a problem even with his body breaking down mid fight, but if he manages to pull that off again... I doubt most of us could beat him.
“What A Hit! Things Are Really Heating Up!!”
By this point, a good half of all bones in Midoriya’s arms and hands have been shattered to pieces. Yet he fights on through the pain with a clear head. He puts anyone who thought they were pushing themselves to shame.
By this point, he could’ve probably won the match, had he sill had a finger or arm left yet he continues to fight regardless.
SHINK
SMASH!
He used his cheek to create another attack!
“A smiling… Dependable… Cool Hero…”
“That’s what I want to be! That’s why I’m giving it everything!”
“For everyone!”
“Your power… Is your own!!”
“What Is This!!”
“SHOTOOOO!!” Endeavour screams, as Todoroki’s left side lights up in a great inferno
“So you’ve finally accepted it! Yes! Excellent!! It all starts now for you! With my blood pumping through your veins, you will surpass me… You will fulfil my ambitions!!”
Both Midoriya and Todoroki charge up immense levels of power, before rushing in towards each other.
Cementoss tries to put up towering walls of concrete between them but…
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WHAKOOOOM
An explosion of air pressure lifts people out of their seats all over the stadium. The resulting cloud of power and steam being bigger than the stadium itself. The arena was blasted to pieces.
“What A Blast, Though. And What Heat! I Can’t See A Thing.”
“Has The Match Been Decided?”
As the smoke lifts, Midoriya falls over from one of the far walls, over 100 meters from the impact site. Midnight call the result.
“Midoriya is out of bounds… Todoroki moves on to the third round!!”
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I took my position across from Ida while we were announced.
Ida is all about speed. One of the ones I made sure to prepare for, able to cross the distance of the arena in seconds. Fortunately it, or rather he, has a few weaknesses.
Obviously, turning was going to be a problem at such high speeds, but more importantly, his glasses!
Pulling them off mid fight would give me an advantage, but how I do it is also quite important.
There’s something I want to set up for a later fight.
My current strategy is to get close to the edge of the arena so any reckless charges send him out.
The round starts, Ida bursting forwards with his signature move, Recipro... well, Burst.
I use all the strength I have, and a little help from my Quirk to dash to the side, narrowly avoiding the attempted grab. Using the few seconds it took him to slow and turn, I rushed towards the arena’s edge, forcing him to take a curved line to avoid falling out during his next burst.
As he slowed down again, I lifted my arm, holding an open grasp towards his glasses, and straining my Quirk to rip them off his head before he could react. In his partially blinded state, he almost refused to move, knowing he couldn’t just dash over to me as I was close enough to the edge that he might mess up.
He also could try take me on in a close up fist fight, as I had proven myself against Kaminari.
“So, what’ll it be?” I called out, circling along the edge as I made my way towards him.
For a minute, he didn’t reply, seemingly weighing his current options as I made my way closer.
“I surrender!” He shouted, Midnight repeating it for the tv’s and crowds.
We shake in good sportsmanship and I walk back pass the stands, to prepare for my next fight.
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Bakugos POV
“His Speed Is To Be Feared! From The Hero Course, It’s Tenya Ida!!”
“Verses”
“He Showed Is Skill And Quick Thinking In The First Round! Also From The Hero Course, It’s Kyudai Miwaku!”
“Who do you think will win?” Kirishima asked.
“Ha! Ida of course. That bastard’s all talk with a Quirk like that! Though I almost want him to win so I can crush him in the finals!”
“As is, he’s no better than Quirkless, Glasses will have him down in seconds!”
Kaminari spoke up, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that”
“My electricity might not have been near full power, but by the end, it was still enough to put twice the man on the ground. Even so, he just kept on coming.”
“Yeah yeah, your just w-“
“START!”
Ida rushes Miwaku with his signature move, Recipro Burst.
Miwaku, however, dashes to the side, narrowly avoiding Ida’s attack. In the few seconds it takes him to slow to turn, Miwaku has already made it to the edge....
Smart.
As Ida slowed down again after a curved burst taking him close to the arena edge, just barely missing Miwaku again. Though what happens next gets his full attention. Holding an open grasp towards Ida, His glasses fly off and over to Miwaku faster than Ida can react.
Annoyingly Smart!
Hand towards his focus might be one of his Quirks conditions...
In his current state, Ida refused to move, leading to a tense stand-off as Miwaku slowly made his way closer around the arenas edge.
He was going for the close combat advantage he showed against Kaminari.
“So, what’ll it be?” He called out, Seeming to taunt Ida, who, for a minute, didn’t reply, as Miwaku made his way closer.
“I surrender!” He shouted, with Midnight announcing it officially.
“Ida is out of the ring, Miwaku move on to the third round!”
“And Miwaku Doesn’t Fail To Deliver A Good Fight Once Again!!”
“Well. What was that Bakugo? Down in seconds?”
A grin grew on Kaminari’s face.
“Hmm”
There’s more to him than there seems.
----------------------------------------
I walked up to the seats in preparation for my next fight.
Bakugo had just finished wearing down Kirishima with multiple quick fire explosions, and Cementoss was preparing the arena for the Finals, and Semi-finals.
Time for the plan.
Todoroki will only use his ice, wide area attacks and aiming to immobilise are his bread and butter. All of his attacks start low and build into ice towers, so staying above them is the priority. Up close and personal limits what moves he can use, his attacks being smallest at their origin point and due to his limited experience with close range enemies.
So use my Quirk to jump for speed and height against his attacks and get in close.
I got one or two other tricks for the actual fight though, got and idea for all the ice that fail to merge with the rest during an attack, leaving it just laying around the place.
“Let’s Get These Semi-Finals Started!”
And that’s my que.
“He’s show his over-whelming strength these first few matches! From A Renound Hero Family, It’s Shoto Todoroki!!”
“Verses.”
“Winning through technique and creative Quirk use! From Class 1-A, It’s Kyudai Miwaku!!”
I take my place across from Todoroki on the now huge arena.
“START!”
SHING
Todoroki attacks as predicted, sending a mid sized wave of ice towards me, but I jump to avoid the initial attack, landing to the side and trying to work my way closer.
“That won’t work” he says.
“We’ll see about that!” I try to taunt.
SHING
Another attack, large scale this time.
I manage to stay on top of it, getting pushed back a bit with my shoes getting slightly frozen to the ice. But it’s weak enough that I can break them out without much issue and try to close the distance between us.
We get into close combat, Todoroki focusing on freezing my limbs as I try to get some punches in.
Each time I swing, I’m more focused on making sure my limbs aren’t locked with ice, or just frozen badly in general.
I’ll admit I only got this close because Todoroki was sizing me up, testing the waters if you will after I got past his initial attacks.
SHING
A wave rushes in to meet me.
And again and again and again, Todoroki trying to keep me at range.
Using the previous waves as blockades to dodge past each attack and close in, the new ice tries to smash through the old instead of it just covering it giving me some room to breath. I make my way closer as the arena starts to get completely covered in ice.
“Not going to use your left side, then?!” I comment, although it seemed to have struck a nerve with kid as he wears a scowl.
“No comment?”
He sends wave after wave to keep me at range as ice build up on the side of his body. I get quite close a few times but never manage to get a hit in as Todoroki ramps up his attacks in response. The ice wasn’t only affecting him, the chill was getting to me, and some ice built up on my body from the mix of attacks and freezing temperatures.
So the current endurance battle was completely out of my favour.
Time for more drastic measures.
“HEY! SECOND IN RECOMMENDED?!?!”
That got his entire attention.
“HOW’S IT FEEL TO BE FOLLOWING YOUR DAD’S RANK?!”
“...”
“No? Nothing to say?”
“How about actually taking me out instead of struggling against the kid who only learnt of his Quirk a couple weeks ago?!”
“...You want fire. I’ll give you your fire.” He snarled, melting off all the ice that had accumulated on his body during the fight, setting him back to peak condition.
The next attack was obviously going to be a huge one, and I was relying on one big gamble to end this fight. For all Todoroki’s talk, I doubt he will use fire for anything more than keeping cool enough to launch his huge attacks.
SHING
A huge wave of ice, rivalling the stadium filling one he used on Sero grew to cover me in a flash. The chill worked its way into my bones as I was frozen, hands pointed, facing out in front of me.
Midnight was probably already readying to announce my loss, the thick ice almost hiding me in it’s depths.
Key word, almost.
Vitally, there was still enough light getting trough for me to see the rough form of someone standing nearby... And for my Quirk, that was enough to work. Todoroki’s ice doesn’t form cleanly, either destroying other areas of ice, or just forming separate due to the extreme cold. So with my Quirk working, before the Ice could frost over opaque, I Forced my Quirk farther than ever before, Skull screaming in pain as the strain of what I was attempting mixed with less than ideal conditions.
I watched as the waiting form jerked away, as chunks of ice shot past, shattering Todoroki’s ice to free me in an explosion of probably cinematic levels.
It hurt like hell, ice having frozen to my skin shattering, taking small pieces with it as I dashed out at Todoroki during his shock and horror, some blood already starting to freeze under the sub zero temperatures as I landed three solid hits on him, knocking him out with a fourth.
“T-Todoroki is unconscious!” Midnight stutters out. “Miwaku wins!!”
“WHOA! Kyudai With A Dramatic Comeback!! Showing Quick Thinking Against A Way Stronger Quirk!!”
“I Don’t Think Anyone Saw This One Happening
----------------------------------------
“Here It Is!!”
“The Moment You’ve All Been Waiting For!”
“Bakugo! VS! Miwaku!”
“GRAND FINALY!!!!”
I step up to my position on the stage. Across for Bakugo, glaring death. I know he won’t be holding back even one bit during this fight. Midoriya’s notes, Ururaka’s plan, and my own preparation for this fight.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Bakugo would make this far, his skill and strength is almost unmatched.
I’m pitting everything on one last trick.
“START!”
There’s no rush nor attacks. No, we both stand stock still, analysing the other as neither is willing to make the first move.
Bakugo’s ego won’t let him make careless mistakes this far into the tournament, not after being showed up by Uraraka early on and not when he knows how tricky I’ve shown myself to be.
I ready my Quirk and rush Bakugo head on, low to the ground like Uraraka, startling Bakugo temporarily before he counters with a blast, carving at the concrete base. I dodge with the help of my Quirk and we fall into an almost rhythm of trading blows.
Bakugo has the advantage though, as for every failed attack from me, he returns an explosion I just can’t quite clear in time. Each one takes it’s toll as i start to slow, getting caught in more and more blasts, as Bakugo easily stays out of reach. So I switch tactics.
BOOOOM
Bakugo catches on immediately, throwing himself across the arena faster than I can react, faster than I thought possible, his explosions launch a large chunk of the arena floor into the air as he slams me against the ground, taking no chances. One hand threatens my head as the other holds my hands down.
“Try use your Quirk now, extra!!” he taunts, as I feel the threat of small explosions on the hand near my head.
I look back to him. With both hands pointing down, unable to target anything, my Quirk is as good as gone...
...Right?
“I don’t blame him” I think as debris from the start of the fight accelerate to dangerous degrees towards us.
He had no reason to think any different, after all, It’s how I’ve used it throughout The Entire Tournament.
“Sure.” I reply, just before Bakugo gets launched off me with a shout of pain and a loud crack as he hits the floor.
He stumbles his way to his feet, blood dripping from his head and a wild look in his eyes.
Most would think an injury like this in a fight would be a good thing, but with Bakugo’s ego and just shear intensity, he’s only grown many times more problematic. Any fight against him like this is a death sentence.
Unfortunately... before he can cave my face in like I know he wants to, we’re stopped by something big.
“Bakugo is disqualified!!” Midnight announces, much to Bakugo’s horror.
“THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?!” he rages.
“Due to severe head injuries, Bakugo will be treated immediately, counting as his loss.” she continues, Ripping her outfit to release her Quirks sleeping gas to prevent the imminent destructive tantrum.
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“Now, let’s move on to… The Awards Ceremony!”
On the podium beside me, Bakugo was chained up and muffled, while he twisted and turned to try break out.
“In third place we have both Todoroki and Tokoyami!”
“Now for the medals! Presenting them this year is… you know who!!” Midnight announced
“I AM..”
“He’s everyone’s Hero… ALL MIGHT!!”
“HERE with the medals.”
“Cut you off, sorry!”
He actually looked a bit sad as he moved to the podiums to hand out the medals.
“Congratulations, Tokoyami, Kid! You’re a strong one!”
“But relying on your Quirk alone won’t be enough to overcome a bad match-up. Hone your innate strength to open up a world of opportunity.”
“Understood…”
“Todoroki, kid. Congratulations.”
“You held back, you didn’t use your left side in your final match. Was there a reason for that?”
“it was my match against Midoriya… I think I’ve lost my way.”
“I know you’ve taken an interest in him. And I’m starting to see why. I’ve always wanted to become a Hero like you. But.. It’s not like I can just forget and get over things. That’s not enough.”
“There’s still something I have to settle first.”
“…”
“That’s a new look I’m seeing on your face. So say no more. Whatever you must settle, I’m sure you can do it.”
“Bakugo!”
“Well, um, this is…”
He removed the metal mask from his face.
“You made it all this way. Wonderful!”
“All Might. I was cheated! Doesn’t matter what anyone says, if I don’t recognise it. I would’ve definitely won!!”
“Hmph!”
“Maybe, but the rules are there for a reason! In a world that’s constantly graded on a curve… there aren’t many who can continuously be on top. So accept this! As a wound even! So you don’t forget!”
“I told you I don’t need that junk!!”
“And finally! Kyudai!”
“You’ve done well, young Miwaku. To make it this far, all the way to the top against those decisively stronger than you! Keep up the good work, and take this medal. You’ve earned it!!”
“All Might...”
“Had this not been a Tournament, had there not been rules... were we to do this again in a year- no a month... I wouldn’t make it past qualifiers. This was only possible due to others weakness, not my strength.”
“That may be so, but it is difficult still to come up first in these circumstances. You’ve shown yourself to have a strong mind and will, to trick even them more astute of us with your Quirk. If you were to put all that skill to good use... I don’t see why you couldn’t keep growing with everyone else!”
All Might moves to hang the golden medal around my neck, stopping when I grasp it tight in my hand.
“No. It’s not for me...” I try to explain.
All Might just laughs, seeming to catch on “Then to whoever the lucky kid is!”
I raise the medal to the cameras as the crowds cheer.
“Well!! These are your winners!” All Might declares.
“But hold on everyone! Everyone here today has the potential to be standing up here!! As you all witnessed! Competition! Encouragement! Pushing each other to climb higher and higher!! The sprouts of today will grow into the Heroes of tomorrow!!”
“In that spirit, let’s have one final cheer!!”
“Everyone say it with me!! One, two, and…”
“Plus u-“
“Thanks for the hard work!!”
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