"Welcome back, listeners!" Present Mic announced for the benefit of the television audience. "The second round is about to begin! First off, we have Tenya, the tall, dark haired, broad shouldered boy with glasses, against… hey, Eraserhead, which one did I introduce first?" Of course he went for the name joke.
"You're supposed to introduce Deguchiya first." Grumbled Eraserhead.
"Right! Thanks, you're a lifesaver." Present Mic replied. "Against Tenya, the tall, dark haired, broad shouldered boy with glasses." His joke over, Present Mic continued: "Which Tenya will earn the title of 'Top Tenya'?" the last two words were said in English; "Will it be the one from the management course, who can turn a random chunk of concrete into a startlingly realistic firearm prop in minutes?" He paused for applause, which was noticeably quieter than most other such pauses.
It's not like he expected to be popular, but Tenya flushed in embarrassment anyway. Present Mic whistled. "You can do better than that, listeners! Well the Tenya from the hero course may be more your speed: fast! Don't blink, this is a boy that considers a hundred kilometer sprint a morning workout! You'll miss it if you turn your attention away for an instant." The cheer this time was thrice as loud as previous, clearly demonstrating the crowd's favorite.
As the one facing the hero student without being one, Tenya supposed he was the villain by default. This could be useful. Momo mentioned that acting heroic was more important to the teachers than having skills, at least when looking at first years, so if he could thread the needle of having bad public opinion without spoiling Momo's opinion, that would be the best outcome. She should be capable of smoothing over any problems the rest of the hero course has.
So how does one act villainous while leaving enough plausible deniability to allow for an apology if Momo seeks an explanation? This is a critical question for all future operations. Violence and competition seems a good thing to focus on…
The plan to deal with Iida had two options: either get to the air first thing and harvest a concrete gun from Cementoss's pillar, or ramp up the reflex formula and joust the speed specialist. He already has the gun, albeit bereft of "bullets", and the stock of the tengu pattern did make for a solid melee weapon… and if it doesn't work, he'll have used one of the pre-planned strategies, so Momo would understand. Perfect.
The instant Midnight signaled the start, Tenya focused on his quirk, reciting the formulas necessary to keep up with Iida's speed. As expected, the other boy went on the attack immediately, veering to the right, away from the gun's line of fire, exactly as planned.
As anticipated, Iida sought to prove he could handle villains that were armed, by treating the concrete shotgun as if it was real. It was real enough, so this was smart. But he had no way of knowing that Tenya had trained reflexes on what to do when someone with quirk-assisted speed rushed him to take his gun away.
Before Tenya could think of doing otherwise, the butt of the shotgun had broken Iida's nose, bending him backwards as he comically flipped over himself from the momentum.
Slipping past the falling body, Tenya pivoted and pointed his shotgun at the fallen hero. Realizing the range was too great to accomplish anything without bullets, he scooted closer to the hero student that was clutching at his face. Hrm, not much blood. His nose is probably intact, then.
By the time the hero student recovered from having his face almost broken, he stilled as he looked straight down the scorched barrel of Tenya's shotgun.
Before Tenya could demand that he surrender, the boy lurched to get out from his prone position, which Tenya responded to by firing off the significantly underpowered explosion he had ready right in his face. It was more of a slap than anything actually dangerous, but after the abuse his face had taken from the shotgun's other end it caused the boy to clutch his face in pain again.
Seeing the boy roll and continue to stand up, Tenya used a more ordinary amount of power in another explosion to knock him back down. Allowing Iida time to get his feet under him would be a stupid mistake, so Tenya could not abide his stubbornness.
Before Tenya could approach Iida to demand his surrender, another concrete wall sprung up out of the damaged section created by the latest explosion. Midnight cracked her whip and made the announcement she should have made when Tenya was pointing a firearm right in Iida's face: "The winner is Deguchiya Tenya!"
Still annoyed at the waste of energy the latter half of that fight was, Tenya spun around on his heel and calmly walked back to the stands.
In the tunnel, Todoroki was already present and ready to walk into the public eye. Tenya politely nodded in acknowledgement at him but received an outright volcanic glare in return.
Pausing, Tenya turned towards the burning glare and raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Have I offended you, Todoroki?"
The glare flared up in intensity. "...You're well on your way to following in those footsteps, Deguchiya." Todoroki spat, presumably referring to Tenya's comment about Endeavor. Why would he say something so nice in such a spiteful way? "But for one thing: I am here, to stop you." Echoing All Might's catchphrase was not what he expected Endeavor's son to do, but then again, Endeavor's tried out numerous such phrases over the years, none really sticking...
Tenya took a moment to try and decipher what Todoroki found so objectionable about him. Was he buying into the villainous narrative that's been being built up by the crowd? One would think that someone trained by the number two hero would be more discerning than that.
But maybe Tenya could use this. Replaying the words in his head, Tenya calculated a response. Following Endeavor was the offense? What was wrong about wanting to emulate such a successful hero agency?
Of course. Clearly, Endeavor wasn't home much, too busy keeping his numbers high. Endeavor's branding placed him as Japan's emotionally distant but protective father figure. The epitome of the modern hero, really. Channeling their naturally violent desires in a way acceptable to broader society. This would naturally breed resentment among his actual children. Tenya didn't really sympathize with the position, but it was a common narrative. It was a little embarrassing that Tenya's reputation for competitiveness when it came to grades had led to this, but he had no intention of overworking himself once his position was secure, so letting Todoroki heroically defeat his 'ambitions' seemed to be the best way forward.
"Plus Ultra, Todoroki." Was Tenya's response. "Bringing everything one has is the bare minimum, at UA." While Tenya expected Todoroki's anger to flare, at his direct opposition to his words, he had underestimated the degree to which Todoroki's face twisted in burning hot rage. He didn't explode, however, storming off to the arena instead.
Perhaps Tenya has miscalculated. Motivating a hero course student to fight may have instead provoked him into losing sight of the objective. While even battle maniacs can be logical and respond to incentives, valuing danger and the catharsis of inflicting injury to acceptable targets wasn't something Tenya understood well enough, if the notoriously ashen Todoroki could change demeanor so much at the prospect.
Tenya was busy suppressing the mental image of Todoroki wielding bladed ice gauntlets to personally work out his anger on Tenya’s face when he realized that someone larger than him was blocking the way. As this was a very unusual event, his thoughts rebooted and he assessed the man in front of him. Just a handful of centimeters taller, but thrice as broad, with rippling muscles and a burning mantle of flame. This was the number two hero, Endeavor. Also known as Todoroki Enji, the father of Todoroki Shoto.
“Boy.” He began, his voice booming with derision. Tenya immediately straightened his posture, his hand twitching as the impulse to salute arose and was swiftly suppressed. Endeavor paused, raising an eyebrow before continuing: “You’re going to be fighting Shoto in the next round.” Normally, Tenya would be tempted to point out that Todoroki hasn’t actually won his match yet… but Uraraka doesn’t really stand much of a chance. Endeavor smiled, which was a welcome, if confusing, change in the conversational dynamic. “Your quirk… it’s strong.” It does look a lot stronger than it is under tournament conditions, Tenya couldn’t dispute that. “You’re a bit weedy, but that’s fixable. You’ll do, for showing the cocky brat the error of his ways.”
Tenya wasn’t entirely sure what Endeavor was getting at. “Sir?” He said, to prompt Endeavor to elaborate.
Endeavor’s smile sharpened. “In a fit of teenage rebellion, Shoto’s decided that he can be a hero without using the fire half of his quirk for anything but cleaning up his messes.” He shakes his head, smile fading as Tenya digested that statement. “Foolish. Not only does his quirk gain strength from balancing his usage, allowing him to act longer than if he used only one; his ice cannot be used to attack airborne opponents effectively. Further, it can’t be used to close into melee range without walls to brace his ice structures against. The mobility it offers him is strictly limited to the terrain, he’s stuck on the ground.” Hrm. The large glacier… Yes, Tenya could see how to work around it, if that was his limit. “But you, boy, can fly. On top of that, you can attack at range.” Endeavor’s smile returned. “He’ll have no choice but to use his flames or lose. I’ll make you a deal: draw the fight out a bit. If Shoto uses his flames in your battle, whether he wins or loses, I’ll send you an internship offer. You can gain experience in whatever facet of the heroics industry that you wish, I’ll ensure it.” After a moment, he repeated himself: “Any part of the industry.”
Tenya was shocked. Management internships were theoretically possible during the hero internship week. Usually, they were reserved for those with family in the business, which Tenya did not have. In future years, there was supposed to be connections from the hero course and industry events to use for such a thing, but first years don’t get to benefit from those. Such an offer from the number two hero’s agency was a dream… was this what was meant when it was said that a powerful quirk opens doors that nothing else does? Or is this just a natural consequence of attending one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the country?
Before Tenya could confirm anything, Endeavor held out his hand “I see you’re intrigued. Don’t say anything, this conversation didn’t happen. Shoto is the culmination of my legacy, and it is imperative that he stop this self-sabotage. If anyone asks, I was encouraging you to impress me, to convince me to send you an offer.” As Endeavor left, Tenya was left in awe of the paternal love that exchange showed. He risked his reputation with a potential scandal in speaking with his son’s opponent, but he did it not to ensure his son’s victory, as one would assume, but to make sure his son could move on to become the best hero he could be.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Tenya made a personal oath right then and there, that when he eventually becomes a father, he would make sure that he followed that sterling example.
--------------------------------------------
It took some running to make it back to the stands in time, but Todoroki’s match started after he sat down and greeted Momo, so it was effort well spent.
Much like Todoroki’s first match, it began with him stomping the ground, ice bursting forth to cover the entire arena, and his opponent attempting to escape into the air.
Unlike that match, Todoroki allowed the escape to occur, instead coating the concrete with a relatively thin layer of ice and creating blades of ice on both feet to skate around, keeping his eye constantly on his opponent as he maneuvered around with casual ease.
Present Mic didn’t waste any time. “It looks like Todoroki is changing things up! Such grace, such poise! Do we have a future Olympian here, Eraserhead?”
“Learning to ice-skate is just rational when you can make rinks anywhere, Mic.” Eraserhead corrected. “Agility-based routines are a good way for younger children to learn skills that will serve them well as a hero. Gymnastics, figure skating, dancing… even yoga.” Tenya nodded along, it was a good message for the younger audience. Mother signed him up for gymnastics for exactly that reason, before the weakness of his quirk was fully known.
“Uraraka seems to be having some trouble there, though.” Present Mic observed.
“Todoroki anticipated her first move.” Eraserhead explained. “From both watching her previous match and from classes, he knows that she must descend to fight him. With ice skates, he can move too quickly for Uraraka to be able to drop onto him, and with those turns? Remaining airborne is a losing proposition.” Eraserhead hummed sadly. “Limited area, no equipment, flat and featureless terrain… Uraraka’s quirk is less than half strength in this match, and Todoroki knows it.”
At that, Uraraka fell down, arresting her motion once more when Todoroki came to meet her on his terms. It was not enough, as Todoroki used his quirk again to create a ramp, gaining just enough elevation to snag her leg and curve back down. He tossed her down and attempted to freeze her, but she turned gravity back on and dodged the precise attack. This success lasted for exactly that long, as she then slipped forward on the ice, which gave Todoroki an opening to snag the back of her uniform, quickly turning that motion into a spin. After a few dozen revolutions with his impromptu figure skating partner, he released her to fly well over ten meters away onto the ground outside the arena, taking the opportunity to show off a quick twenty second figure skating routine, ending in a pose that prompted the crowd to erupt into cheers.
“Ten out of ten!” Present Mic said after Midnight announced the end of the match. “Give it up for Todoroki Shoto, the man who can make figure skating exciting!”
With one last show of power, Todoroki stomped his left foot, causing his ice skates to instantly melt and the ice on the arena to rapidly evaporate with a small but visible shimmer of flame. Finished, he stormed off.
Momo had already left for her own match with Kaminari, so it was Sero who started the conversation about what just happened. “I didn’t know Todoroki could figure skate. Regular skate, yeah, but those were some fancy moves.”
“Five years ago, he entered a prefecture-level competition and won it.” Midoriya mentioned idly. “I noticed he kicks out to gain angular momentum when he’s sliding along with his quirk, which is a skating technique. Endeavor’s family has their own fansite, so I checked there and it confirmed that he was a figure skater.” Tenya wished he could be surprised at that fansite’s existence, but he knows better.
Bakugo sneered. “What a waste of fucking time. Do you ever put anything useful in that stalker book of yours?”
For some reason, Midoriya took the question seriously, thinking as to how to respond. “...Todoroki directs the growth of his ice by turning his palm. He uses his left hand for that sometimes, so it’s just visualization.”
After a moment of digesting that, Bakugo snorted in wordless derision and focused back on the stage.
Not everyone understood the minor, but concrete value that information gave, though. “Um… how is that useful?” Ashido asked.
Midoriya shrugged. “He’ll still be able to shape his ice with his hands full, but he’ll be clumsier.”
Uraraka, having shown up at some point, raised her hand excitedly. “Ooh, do m-”
“Our next match!” Interrupted Present Mic. “On one side, we have Kaminari Denki, our electrifying contestant! You don’t see many heroes with electrical quirks, so you know this guy’s not here for the cash!” The crowd cheered, as appropriate. “On the other side we have Yaoyorozu Momo, Class 1-A’s Vice Representative and the second girl in this event with tons of technology at her fingertips! Will Kaminari’s advantage against electronics carry the day? Or will Yaoyorozu’s extensive training and endless supply defeat the electric wonder?” The crowd cheered even louder, and Present Mic led the crowd in a Plus Ultra to signal the beginning of the fight.
The plan for dealing with Kaminari was simple: make an electrical defense and let him blow his circuits trying to defeat it. Momo began by creating a white cloak and wrapping it around herself. Kaminari wasn’t quite stupid enough to attack anyway, so he charged in and went to grab the cloak to disarm her of the protection.
It was a good plan, but when Kaminari tore away the insulating cloak, it revealed… a second cloak. With the element of surprise secured, Momo leapt back, leaving behind a mine that Kaminari immediately stepped on as he pursued his opponent, falling backwards from the weak explosion.
Capitalizing on her advantage, Momo pulled out a weighted net that she threw over Kaminari before he could get back up, which was answered by Kaminari unloading his quirk to get himself out. Unfortunately, the net was made of rubber, so all he managed was burning himself as the non-conductive material melted under the voltage.
“That was fast!” Present Mic said after Midnight called the match, Momo staying behind for just long enough to cut Kaminari free from the net before making her way back upstairs.
Eraserhead, always the professional, added his own commentary: “Kaminari’s plan was good, as he anticipated that his opponent would try to counter him and moved to counter the counter. However, Yaoyorozu was his worst matchup. She has far too many ways of insulating herself from his quirk, and that’s before you mention her overwhelming offensive power.” Tenya admired Eraserhead’s subdued sales pitches. Momo had mentioned that he was coming to work with many injuries, so even then, he was dedicated to his job beyond all else. It was inspiring.
Momo arrived before Sato (who took a few slices of cake down with him) and Midoriya’s match started, beaming with happiness. “What did you think about my match?”
“The plan worked as expected.” Tenya replied. “The mine was an inspired addition, but no other outcome was possible. Superior products will naturally succeed in the market, after all.”
Sero chuckled at the blatant flattery. “Kaminari against the Vice Rep? No chance.” He waved dismissively at the concept.
“Dunce-face is a one-trick extra, getting past Dreadlocks was a fucking miracle.” Bakugo said as his own contribution to the conversation.
Jiro huffed, offended on Kaminari’s behalf: “He did really well against that support student, give him some credit.”
Momo’s beaming smile became even more radiant at the collective praise. “Thank you.”
“Hey, the match is starting!” Uraraka said, pointing at the arena. “Go Deku!”
“Let me hear you say YEAH!” Present Mic said, to the crowd’s enthusiastic answer. “Sounds like everyone’s as hyped for this as I am! Sato Rikido is class 1-A’s sweetest strongman, and that’s a position with some stiff competition! The lean, green, fighting machine Midoriya Izuku is one of the toughest contenders to that title, so it’s time for a head to head!”
On Midnight’s official commencement of the match, Midoriya assumed a strange stance, priming a finger flick as his primary weapon. Given the demonstrated power of those flicks from the last match, Sato’s caution and readiness to dodge wasn’t nearly as foolish as it seemed.
For his part, Sato took a boxing stance, slowly and steadily closing the distance while being ready to sidestep if it looked like Midoriya was going to unleash his quirk. When the distance was close enough, Sato attempted to get inside Midoriya’s reach and turn the fight into a grappling contest, where he would have the advantage. Midoriya ducked underneath the larger boy’s arms and scrambled to the center of the arena, and the pair ended their recovery periods close enough to each other that they had no choice but to resume the standoff.
Present Mic, for his part, attempted to break the stalemate. “Come on, the arena’s still in one piece! Eraserhead, help me out here: what’s happening?” Ah, the announcer was playing dumb so the color commentator could illuminate the audience.
“One could say that this match is strength versus strength, but that’s wrong. Sato’s quirk helps him build and keep muscle, along with a temporary strength boost when he needs it.” Eraserhead explained. “Midoriya’s quirk has overwhelming power, but his body isn’t really suited to it right now. He needs to be careful to ration out usages of his quirk, until he can learn to control it better, and build up more tolerance to it.” Eraserhead let the explanation settle in people’s minds before concluding his assessment. “Eventually, one of them will make a mistake, and that’s when the fight will be over.”
Present Mic chuckled. “So it’s a quick draw duel! Everyone likes those, right?”
Sato attempted a second grapple, but Midoriya ducked into a roll to avoid it. Before Midoriya could recover and attack, Sato engaged his quirk, his muscles bulging and speed tripling as he attempted to stomp on the prone Midoriya.
Unfortunately, Midoriya also managed to avoid that attack, and with Sato’s foot stuck in the arena for a brief second from the miss, Midoriya was able to get to his feet before Sato’s next lunge.
Pressured by Sato’s punishing speed and strength, Midoriya lashed out with a full fist, crackling with power as it landed dead on Sato’s abdominals. The effect of the strike was as fast as it was dramatic, with the larger fighter flying out of the arena and out of bounds, cracking the stands with the impact.
A sudden silence settled on the stadium as Midoriya looked in wonder at his hand, flexing the fingers that exerted such strength. When Sato started to stand up, the spell was broken as the crowd roared in approval for Midoriya’s victory, Midnight’s announcement to that effect inaudible in the face of the crowd’s applause.
Usually, the 1-A stands were calmer than the crowd, but this seemed to be an exception, with most of the class cheering for their green-haired friend. Ashido nudged Bakugo, one of the few who remained seated at this event. “Looks like Mido finally learned how to pull a punch. You better watch out, or else he’ll start swinging when you talk shit. Eh? Eh?” She continued to poke Bakugo until he warned her off by sparking small explosions on his palm, Ashido retreating from her childish antics with a giggle.
Momo, on the other hand, was next. She frowned in worry at the improved capability of her opponent. “This… could be bad.” She eventually said.
“New plan?” Tenya asked.
Momo nodded slowly, unsure. “I’ll need one, yes.”
“That makes two of us.” Tenya commented, glancing at Todoroki’s empty seat.