Capítulo 36: Chapter 4 - The Sports Festival: 9
Yoshihara opened the door to the gender-neutral bathroom that Josefumi had instructed her and the others to meet at. Following close behind her was Midoriya, who had a confused and nervous expression on his face. As they entered, they were met with Josefumi, who was already there leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, and one leg kicked up behind him against the wall.
His expression was serious, and his eyes had a contemplating look swirling within them. As soon as he noticed the pair enter, he motioned for Izuku to close the door behind him, the boy doing as he was asked. Once the door was closed, Josefumi nodded.
"Well, you came faster than I would've expected," Josefumi spoke, his tone carrying a hint of surprise. As he did, Karera walked out of one of the stalls, rubbing the side of her head with a nonchalant expression and demeanour about her. Izuku jumped back, not expecting her to suddenly show up despite her already being there. The green and black-haired teen looked at Kira and smiled, waving at her, Yoshihara returning the wave.
"Heya, Kira-chan! I saw your fight, that was pretty scary. Were you pissed off or something?" Karera asked as Yoshihara shrugged, scratching the back of her neck, her eyes carrying a faint glimpse of restrained annoyance.
"Well, after being told the same thing over and over again for the last handful of hours, one tends to reach their limit. It really could've been either Kendo or Monoma who had that happened to them. Regardless, what was it that we needed to discuss? I know it's about The Stand Bullets, but what about them? Have we got a lead?" Kira questioned, jumping straight to the point as Josefumi nodded, a stern glare in his eyes as spoke.
"Yes, it's about them. Specifically what's in them that causes the transfer from Quirk to Stand," Josefumi began as he unfolded his arms, standing straight and looking the group of three dead in their eyes, their attention on him and him alone.
"After doing a bit of analysis on the liquid compound within the bullet, our fears about what was in them were true, though that should've been obvious. It does have the virus of The Stand Arrow within them. But, that's not all. It also has a Quirk factor within it. Meaning human DNA is being used to create the bullets."
As soon as that bombshell was dropped, Yoshihara's eyes widened with shock, as did Midoriya's and Karera's. "The bullets are a result of human experimentation?" Yoshihara thought, a frown appearing on her face as she bit the inside of her lip. "What kind of group would have the funds to do that? Not even a Yakuza would be that strong, not without the heroes already knowing about it, at least."
The others were having similar thoughts, though they had noticeably more distressed reactions compared to Yoshihara. The blond looked up at Josefumi, then asked the question that was on everyone else's mind. "Do we know who it is they are using to create these bullets? If we know that, then we can locate them easily, can we not?"
Josefumi shook his head in response to the question, scowling as he looked down at the floor. "Unfortunatly, the DNA is too scrambled to actually find who it belongs to. To reverse engineer the DNA would take months. Our only hope right now to find whoever the DNA belongs to in a reasonable amount of time is if… he wants to help us. He's in retirement now, though, so I can't really be all too certain if he's up for it. He's 96 years old now, and his ability isn't as potent as it used to be, but…"
"Who're you talking about?" Izuku asked as Josefumi shook his head.
"Nevermind. If he can actually help us, then I'll let you all know. Until then, this is all we have about The Stand Bullets. Who creates them is still a mystery, as are the distributors. I—"
"I can say for certain that one of the people to who they deliver the bullets to are The League of Villains," Yoshihara interrupted, earning everyone's attention.
"What? How would you know…?" Karera asked an eyebrow raised as Yoshihara crossed her arms, leaning up against one of the bathroom stall doorways.
"In the attack on Musutafu, the thugs jumped out of purple portals. That's similar to that Kurogiri guy's Quirk, right? It wouldn't be a stretch to assume that they are in cahoots with the people who make them. It would also explain why they had a Stand User with them, right? I could see no other reason why that wouldn't be the case. If I'm wrong, then someone has to outright prove it to me, and if you can, then I'll take back what I said."
Josefumi hummed, cupping his chin as he narrowed his eyes. "No… now that I think about it, that news report a week before we all got to U.A. on the first day did say something about those thugs jumping out of purple portals, right? Unless there's someone with a Quirk similar to him, then I don't see a reason why you'd be wrong."
"So, The League of Villains are somehow involved. That means that Shigaraki guy is also involved. And if he's involved… more of those Nomu things could be around," Izuku stated as Yoshihara turned to face Izuku, her head tilted ever-so-slightly.
"Nomu?" The blonde asked as Izuku snapped out of his thoughts, looking at Yoshihara while rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, uh… while you were out getting the heroes, All Might arrived earlier and defeated something created to kill specifically to kill him. I hate to admit it, but it brought All Might to his limits and nearly defeated him. They were both weakened, and All Might won in the end. But that's not the point. They aren't people, they are monsters and they're created somewhere within a lab if what Shigaraki had mumbled about were to be true," Izuku explained as Yoshihara nodded.
"Got it. Now, is there anything else we need to talk about, because Izuku and I have a fight we need to prepare for," Yoshihara stated as Karera's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"Oh? First name basis now, eh~? You're pretty lucky, Midoriya~!" Karera teased as the green-haired boy sputtered. Yoshihara couldn't help but snicker, covering her mouth as she did so. Izuku's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and to her, it was the funniest thing. Any form of teasing and he broke down. Yoshihara composed herself, putting a hand on Izuku's shoulder and spun him around.
"Come on, Izuku. We gotta go. As for you two, you better watch and not make out in the bathroom," Yoshihara said, making the other two go wide-eyed. Kira didn't wait for them to respond and dragged Izuku out of the bathroom, and just as they stepped out, she smiled, turning to Izuku and grabbing his hand in hers.
"Just so you know, no matter how hard I have Killer Queen sock you in the face, I still… Love you," Yoshihara said, the last word coming out a bit sharper than the others, almost as if she was trying to affirm that to herself. Izuku, once again, got flustered and tried to say something, only for Yoshihara to kiss him on the cheek, turn around, and begin to walk away.
Izuku's face turned redder than a tomato.
As for Yoshihara, her cheeks were red, her eyes whirling with a flurry of new feelings that she had never experienced before, the most prevalent ones of which being affirmation and satisfaction. If she had her doubts before, she no longer did. And walking into that battle with the knowledge that it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her, that she truly did love Izuku, it was the clearest form of consensus she needed to think straight going into the fight.
xxXXxxXXxx
"AND NOW, FOR THE MOMENT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! THE FINAL ROUND OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL'S ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES, AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR'S PORTION OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! IS EVERYBODY READY?!" Present Mic's voice echoed throughout the stadium as everyone in the crowd cheered as loud as they could. People from all across Musutafu could hear the cheers, from their television screens, their phones, their computers, or from their tablets or iPads. It was like a wave of excitement filled the air around Musutafu, and everyone was better off for it.
Once the cheers died down a little, Present Mic continued. "ALRIGHT, THAT WAS AWESOME! NOW, I'M SURE WE ARE ALL ACQUAINTED WITH OUR COMPETITORS, BUT JUST IN CASE ANYONE JUST GOT HERE OR IS JUST TUNING INTO THE LIVE BROADCAST NOW, I'LL HAVE MY PARTNER OVER HERE GO OVER A BRIEF SUMMARY OF WHAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE PAST FOUR AND A HALF HOURS! ERASERHEAD, THE FLOOR IS YOURS!"
"Thank you, Present Mic. The final event of The first year student Sports Festival is a one-on-one style tournament, where the last 16 students who cleared the first two events get to fight it out in a series of no-barred brawls, with only a few minor regulations such as no killing. After their four respective fights, these two contenders have proven that their strength, determination, and their willingness to win under any circumstance shone brighter than everyone else here, resulting in this last match-up. As for who they are, I'll let Present Mic do that over myself."
"THANK YOU, ERASERHEAD! NOW, TIME FOR THE INTRODUCTIONS, THOUGH I'M SURE YOU ALL KNOW THEM WELL ENOUGH BY NOW! ON THE RIGHT, WE HAVE THE BOY WHO COULD GIVE INGENIUM A RUN FOR HIS MONEY IN TERMS OF RAW SPEED, THE SAME BOY WHO CAN HIT LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN! IT'S MIDORIYA IZUKU FROM CLASS 1 – A!"
The crowd roared to life as Izuku stepped onto the arena floor, cracking his fingers as he did so. There was a look of flustered determination in his eyes, though he quickly reigned himself in so he could have full focus on the fight that was moments away from breaking out.
"AND ON THE LEFT, WE HAVE THE EXPLOSIVELY, DEADLY, BORDERLINE SOCIOPATHIC BLONDE-BOMBER OF CLASS 1 – A, IT'S KIRA YOSHIHARA!"
A mixture of boos, jeers, and cheers filled the stadium as Yoshihara walked onto the arena floor. When she did, however, someone in the crowd spoke up. "Get that murderer off the stage and arrest her! She doesn't deserve to be her for what she did! Nobody should be able to kill an innocent person and have it swept under the rug!"
The person in question, who happened to be a pro-hero, was joined by hundreds of members of the audience chanting "arrest the villain" over and over again. Yoshihara sneered, balling her left hand into a fist as she looked at the ground. The chanting got louder and louder but was abruptly cut when a loud, booming voice erupted from the speakers and around the stadium.
"BE QUIET!" Eraserhead's voice boomed over the mic, causing everyone who had been chanting to shut up. Before the pro who had sighted the riot could speak up, Eraserhead interrupted him without a second of delay. "You, attendee 5001. You're a pro hero, aren't you? Don't answer that question, because you already know the answer. If you were put into a situation where the only option was to kill the person before you, you would do it, right?"
Eraserheads question was left unanswered, the only form of acknowledgement he got was the shock and offence on the hero's face, and so, seeing as the hero in question had nothing of verbal worth to add, Eraserhead continued.
"I'll take your silence as a yes. Now, as a fellow pro hero, you would know that if the media ever caught wind of such a tale they would sensationalize it to the point of portraying the villain as an innocent victim. It's happened to the pros like Endeavor, Edgeshot, and to Best Jeanist hundreds of times in the past. The same thing happened to Kira, my student. The person who Kira had killed was a villain and a rather nasty one at that. I can understand the confusion due to the press and how they egregiously mishandled the case, in which U.A. is looking to sue the major companies for defaming one of its students, but for you, a pro hero, to purposely forget, or simply not do the proper research about a topic before putting your opinion out there is incredibly irresponsible, and therefore, you should be ashamed. The general public, I can understand, but a pro? Absolutely not. Now, shut up and watch, or get out and leave."
There was a dull silence in the crowd as the pro hero was left speechless. He made no move to leave, nor did he seemingly have any intention to stay, but after a few seconds of mulling it over, the man got up from his seat and left, his expression narrowed in anger.
For Yoshihara, she was a little bit annoyed that Eraserhead had broken his word, that he'd let her explain what had happened when she was ready too. Though, she had assumed that perhaps he had gotten fed up with waiting on her. Still, the fact that U.A. was going to sue the major newspaper and media companies over the mishandling of her story was something she hadn't seen coming.
"Well then, I wasn't expecting that…" Present Mic murmured on the mic, before clearing his throat and returning to his normal cheery self. "ALRIGHT, WITH THAT LITTLE INTERRUPTION OUT OF THE WAY, LET THE FINAL MATCH… BEGIN!"
The moment the all-clear was given, Izuku charged up Full Cowling and made a beeline for Yoshihara, who in return summoned Killer Queen in front of her. Izuku felt the air pressure fold slightly where Killer Queen was and elected to move out of the way, feinting to the left to avoid an attack. Instead of having expected it to have thrown a punch like had initially thought, it had thrown up a block.
Still unaware of this, Izuku threw a kick with his right leg. As soon as that kick got even an inch in front of Yoshihara, Killer Queen positioned itself to where the kick was going to land, and grabbed Izuku's leg, tossing him a few feet back with barely any effort. Izuku was able to reorientate himself mid-air and land on his feet, not stopping for even a second to give himself a breather.
Yoshihara began walking towards him, which he saw as an invitation to charge forward. That was a mistake, as Killer Queen's right hand glowed a deep purple, and out of it came Sheer Heart Attack. The Sub-Stand hit the floor and made its way over to Izuku, who noticed the pair of tread marks on the floor making their way to him.
He had never seen that before and was confused as to what it was. He changed his direction to the right, and as he did, tread marks changed their direction as well. He flanked towards Yoshihara's left, but was met by the tread marks a foot or so away from him the moment he did so. Before he was able to dodge, Killer Queen swung a punch at him meant for his head, only for him to jump back just enough to avoid its range.
Thinking he was in the clear, he stepped back a few more inches, only to be met with the tread marks behind him. He dodged to the right, the tread marks turning to face him. That was when he realized what was going on.
"Whatever is making those tracks is Heat-seeking! She has some sort of heat-seeking ability now?! Since when!?" Izuku thought, distracted by the tank to not feel Killer Queen's presence right in front of him. In the amount of time it would've taken for him to gasp, Killer Queen punched Izuku in the gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back a few more feet.
Izuku groaned, catching his breath as fast as he possibly could. Yoshihara was still approaching him, her eyes narrowed with determination. She wanted to win, that much was obvious, but Izuku wasn't about to make it easy for her to win, let alone win at all. It was clear that she had all of her bases covered. If he went in for a physical attack, she was going to block it or have that invisible heat-seeking device attack him. If he wanted to keep his distance from her to plan out an attack, the heat-seeking device would stop that.
Even now as he was thinking of a way to fight her, the heat-seeking device was charging toward him, all the while he dodged back, front, left, and right, avoiding the punches Killer Queen was sending his way thanks to the air pressure that built up around its fist while it punched.
And that was when the idea struck him. It was a dumb idea and something that might seem like a regression in his strategies. But it was clear he wasn't being given much of a choice. He wanted to win, even if it meant hurting himself badly to do so.
And so, he did something reckless.
Sticking his hand up in the air, he made a flicking gesture. He had figured this out with his Quirk back at the training exercise at the beginning of the school year and used it again at the USJ attack when he, Tsuyu, and Ojiro were surrounded by the villains at the shipwreck zone. He also used it at a much lower level of power during his fight with Todoroki.
He thought that he'd only have to use it again when he was in dire straits, but seeing as he was here now, and seeing as he had to find some way to get the heat-seeking bomb off of him for even a split second, and for Kira to back off for a second herself, he resorted to using it once more, though this time with far more power than before.
He charged up Full Cowling once again, mixing it with as much power as possible, maxing out at 5% of One For All. He flicked his index finger against his thumb, creating a wave of air pressure in Kira's general direction. Killer Queen planted its feet into the ground so hard that the ground cracked. Yoshihara held on to Killer Queen as if her life depended on it, but as she did, she didn't notice Sheer Heart Attack get pushed off the ground and toward her, slamming into her body and knocking her off her balance, sending her flying back with Killer Queen in tow.
"DID YOU SEE THAT!? MIDORIYA LAUNCHED A FULL-BLOWN WAVE OF AIR AT KIRA LIKE IT WAS NOTHING! IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S GOING ALL OUT JUST LIKE HE DID WHEN HE FOUGHT TODOROKI!"
"But at what cost? Look." Aizawa began as, down on the battlefield, Izuku cupped his now broken finger with a look of annoyance on his face. "Midoriya broke the finger he used to cause that damage. If he's lucky, he's only got 9 more shots with that attack, that is, if Kira doesn't punish him for doing something so reckless."
Killer Queen punched the ground, creating a small fist-sized crater, stabilizing Yoshihara from continuing to fly backward and out of the arena. The blonde ended up falling to the ground, blinking rapidly as she cupped her forehead.
Yoshihara started to pick herself up from the attack, shaking her head. She hadn't expected Izuku to do that, but it came at a cost as it seemed. From what Aizawa had said, Izuku had broken his finger to use that attack. He had done it in his fight with Todoroki, but with far less power. Still, the fact that he had the gull to break his own bones during a fight, even if it was against her….
"He broke his finger to do that? Talk about reckless…" Yoshihara thought, nearly getting to her full height, only to be met with Izuku having already closed the distance, preparing to kick her while she was down. In response, she had Killer Queen punch up at a speed faster than he could've blocked, and socked him right in the jaw, sending him staggering back, allowing Yoshihara to get up.
Izuku shook his head, narrowing his eyes. Yoshihara had a small smirk on her face, and when he saw it a part of him flared with a small bit of anger. She was taunting him, and it was working, much to his more rational side's chagrin. He was about to continue his assault when a voice spoke up to his left. He looked over in that direction and when he did, he heard a single phrase that sent a chill down his spine.
"Look Over Here."
Once those three words were uttered, a clicking sound reverberated throughout the arena. It sounded like a detonator being pressed, and once he heard it, Izuku only had enough time to dodge to the right before the explosion happened. He put up a block to avoid most of the damage but found himself completely overwhelmed by the sheer force of the attack, sending him flying back about three feet in front of the disqualification line.
"This… This power…!" Izuku shouted, flying back toward the edge of the arena, landing firmly on his back as several deep cuts covered his body. Yoshihara felt a little bit of shame for using that level of power, but it wasn't as if it was deadly force. As much as she didn't want to admit it, had Killer Queen bit just a tad bit slower, she wouldn't be able to hit with such a combo. He would've knocked her out of the arena by then, and he would've won.
But obviously, that was not what happened.
As the dust settled, Izuku had been brought to his knees, his breathing heavy as he looked up at Yoshihara, blood dripping down from his forehead. The myriad of cuts and burns on his body made it look like he had survived a grenade blast. In reality, it had only been about half of a grenade in terms of explosive power that she detonated Sheer Heart Attack at. It was its weakest setting, so it wasn't as if she could've gone any weaker. That was unless she shrunk Sheer Heart Attack down a size, but then its explosions would've been practically useless.
Yoshihara watched as he tried to stand up but found himself unable to do so. The pain had been too much, and even though this was a friendly battle, the fact that she had used that amount of force caused him to remember back to before he met her, when Bakugo would hit him with a powerful explosion and knock him to the ground, then proceed to beat on him after that.
There was a part of his mind that told him that this was different. That this was within the rules, and he knew that. But his more emotional side was louder, telling him that this was unacceptable. That he had to show her that he could push through this and then some.
More importantly, it was more about proving to himself that he could withstand anything that anyone sent at him, be it a friend, a classmate, a former friend turned bully, a villain, to even his Girlfriend, as strange as that last thought might've been to him. He would surpass his previous weakness and become stronger for it.
And by doing so, he would win the battle and subsequently win the tournament.
The blonde walked over to Izuku, a smirk on her face as she approached. "I'll be honest… I wasn't expecting you to actually endure a hit like that. You should be proud to have tanked such a blow from Sheer Heart Attack. Most people would've been knocked out by that, but you're different. You truly are strong, Izuku…" Yoshihara said, walking behind the green-haired teen as the blonde looked at the ground, then back to Izuku. "But now's not the time for celebration or useless chitchat. I don't mean to be cruel, or to be rude, but… do you think your feeble Quirk can stand up to the power of Killer Queen?" Yoshihara asked, her expression becoming dark as the aforementioned Stand readied itself to hit him in the back of the head to end the battle and secure her victory.
But as soon as Killer Queen's fist got a few inches away from his head….
Green lightning covered Izuku's body, and before Yoshihara or Killer Queen could intercept the attack, Izuku turned around with the speed of a professional boxer and slammed a fist into Yoshihara's face, blood spewing from her nose and upper lip as her eyes widened. The punch was so strong that, had Izuku not grabbed Yoshihara by the wrist, she would've been sent flying.
"H-Huh?! W-What just…." Yoshihara was at a loss for words. She knew Izuku was fast, but not that fast. What made things worse was that the force with which he had hit her was enough to make Killer Queen disappear. His verdant green eyes stared into her ocean-blue eyes, a determined look on his face as he spoke.
"I'm not going to lose to you. You asked if my 'feeble' Quirk could stand up to your Killer Queen. Well, he's my answer to that…!" Izuku all but shouted, winding his punch back as Yoshihara was mere seconds away from summoning Killer Queen, only to have Izuku lift her with no effort what-so-ever and slam his One For All charged fist into her stomach, making her spit up a mixture of blood and saliva, the blood coming from her split lip. As soon as the punch hit, he let go of her wrist, and proceeded to hit her again with another blow, only using 2% of One For All and Full Cowling.
In what seemed like a few seconds, Izuku was able to punch Yoshihara at least 20 times while keeping her in mid-air, and then, with one final punch, this time using 4% of One For All, sent Yoshihara flying out of the arena, a trail of blood following suit as her now bruised body slammed up against the same wall Sato had been slammed into.
"Heh… I… won…." Izuku murmured as the rest of the energy that he had in his system dispersed, and the adrenaline that he had been feeling to keep himself standing for that last little bit. Izuku fell to the ground, exhausted.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, FOLKS! MIDORIYA IZUKU, DESPITE THAT LAST DEVASTATING ATTACK, PULLED THROUGH! YOU SAW IT HERE FIRST, HE LAUNCHED KIRA YOSHIHARA OUT OF THE ARENA BEFORE PASSING OUT! MIDORIYA IZUKU IS THE WINNER! NOW, CAN SOMEONE GET THOSE TWO SOME MEDICAL HELP?! WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK IN 10 MINUTES TO DO THE AWARD CEREMONIES! AFTER THAT, THIS FESTIVAL WILL BE OVER! DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK TOMORROW TO SEE THE SECOND YEARS AT WORK, AND THEN AGAIN ON FRIDAY FOR THE THIRD YEARS!"
The medical bots came out in droves to get the two to Recovery Girl, all the while all of Class 1 – A and even some of Class 1 – B were shocked to see just what it was that had happened. The fight had been brutal, so much so that blood had been shed. In most of the fights, blood had been drawn, but not nearly as much as what had happened there. The fight was more comparable to a villain versus hero brawl rather than a fight you'd see in the sports festival.
And for a majority of Class 1 - A, and all of Class 1 - B, a part of them had to wonder just how Kira was able to fight without moving a muscle. It was beyond the fact that her Quirk could emit explosions, but invisible explosions? Invisible bubble bombs? That made no sense. It especially made no sense to one Katsuki Bakugo, who had recently re-joined the crowd with a sling for his right arm.
He knew that something had been up with Kira Yoshihara on day 1 of entering the U.A. Her quirk back at Aldrea was some sort of psychic Quirk that allowed her to imprint physical damage to someone, not bubble bombs. He wanted to use the Sports Festival to confront her on it, but thanks to what happened in the second round, his chance to do that were taken from him.
And it pissed him off.
What pissed him off more, however, was that Deku managed to WIN the Sports Festival.
over a month-and-a-half ago, Deku had been just that, a Deku. But, somehow, he managed to get a Quirk. Fucking Deku managed to get a Quirk. And not only that, but thanks to that blonde-haired murderer, he had gained a confidence boost, so much so that he now had the gall to talk to him like they were on an even playing field.
But Bakugo knew better than that. Bakugo knew damn well that he and Deku were not even close to being on the same playing field. Bakugo was stronger than that shitty little pebble.
"But if that's the case... then why did he make it to the finals, and I didn't?"
That thought seeped into his mind like an unwanted virus. He shook his head, not wanting to even entertain the idea that Deku was even an iota stronger than him. Because if that was the case, then his whole life had been a lie. Everything he was told as a kid would've been a falsehood, and if that had been the case. Then that meant that he couldn't-
"Don't you fucking dare finish that thought! You're better than everyone in this goddamned school! Even Icy-hot and Deku! You're better than them! You will be the number 1 hero of Japan! You'll beat All Might!"
Bakugo frowned, leaning back in his chair. What was he thinking? Of course, he was stronger than Deku. That was how it was supposed to be, and nothing would change the natural order of things. Ever.
As for those in the general studies, their eyes had widened into the size of saucers. But more importantly, the three Stand users within that part of the school had their eyes wide as well, but not for the same reasons. What amazed them was that Midoriya, someone without a Stand, was able to predict what Yoshihara's Stand was doing without being able to see it, and plan accordingly around it. To them, it made no sense. Especially to one Heimei Kishibe.
As much as she hated to admit it, she was rooting for Kira, namely because Heimei knew that Kira would've, or at least, should've, been able to beat Midoriya. After all, how could someone who lacked a Stand, and someone who couldn't see Stands, beat a Stand User?
But, in a shocking turn of events, it was as if Midoriya was able to see Yoshihara's Stand, Killer Queen. He had been able to dodge some of the punches and punish Kira for it. In end, he resorted to a cheap shot at the end of the fight, but still. The fact was that Kira was defeated by someone without a Stand. Which, in hindsight, would've made sense. After all, If Midoriya was able to keep up with Todoroki Shoto and his busted Quirk, she kinda wondered why she even thought Kira even had a chance at beating the green-haired boy.
"Maybe... I should do a One-Shot Manga on that fight... Yeah! Just like my Great-Great Grandfather! I'll take this as inspiration! I must follow in his footsteps! This'll be the best PR Midoriya Izuku will ever receive! Truly, I am a genius!"
The rest of the audience simply cheered, whooped, and hollered at the display they got to see. Even if a hand full of them still hated the blonde for her actions, they had to admit that the fight, while confusing, was a blast to watch. Some people in the audience had their minds changed thanks to Eraserhead, now seeing Kira as a victim rather than a cold-hearted killer. Though, a majority of the people in the crowd changed their stance to a more neutral one.
As for Toshinori, he felt a swell of emotions when he watched Midoriya use One For All without damaging himself too badly, in comparison to how he was using it 11 months ago, back when they were still training, Midoriya's body had been ready for it. Even when he gave the boy One For All, his body was barely able to handle its sure power. But now, thanks to the training he underwent, and thanks to whoever else had been helping him, the boy was close to becoming a natural with the Quirk. "It's only up from here, Young Midoriya. And if what Taisuke said is to be believed about All For One being alive, we're going to need you at your strongest in the very near future…."
An old man within an apartment building smirked, eating another piece of Taiyaki, and reaching for the T.V. remote. "That boy... Toshinori, you picked the right successor. Though, I have to wonder, what will he think of this? Especially after all this time..." the man thought, slowly standing up from his rocking chair, and reaching for his cane. "Now... I want to see just how strong he is in person. Time to make a phone call..."
Within a secluded bar in Yokohama County, Shigaraki scratched at his neck furiously. He had been watching The Sports Festival from the T.V. screen, per Sensei's orders. It was clear that those brats had gotten stronger. But, at the same time, he too was getting stronger. And thanks to his connections, he was about to make a potential new party member. One that was hopefully enough to kill All Might, and maybe even a few of those brats in the near future.
"Tomura Shigaraki… I have told him our location. He is within the area. I suggest you get ready to face him…." The deep voice of Kurogiri spoke out to the blue-haired man, his neck scratching ceasing. His head slowly turned to look at Kurogiri, a smirk on his face.
"I see… I will be there shortly."
In downtown Esuha, in a dark room, six people sat on an assortment of couches all staring at a T.V., and all six of them had been assigned to watch The U.A. Sports Festival by their Boss. All of whom deeply respected him. At first, they thought their boss was crazy, but when they saw those Stand Users, they understand their job immediately.
He came into the room with four photos, each of which had a name attached to them. The names were that of contestants in the Sports Festival, and notable ones at that. Kira Yoshihara. Kujo Josefumi. Sakunami Karera. And Midoriya Izuku. The last one was not a Stand User, however, the boss urged them that he needed to die due to how he was able to sense Stands despite not being a Stand User. They now had their jobs. To find, and kill these four individuals. Three of them belonged to Damnatio Ad Bestias. The other three were a part of another rival Yakuza that had similar interests.
Flying back to America, Jonathon Kujo had a bad feeling in his stomach. He didn't know why, perhaps it was the stress of flying back home in an airplane when he much would've preferred a boat trip. But if there was one thing that Jonathon knew, it was that whenever he got a bad feeling, it meant that something beyond disastrous was coming for his family. And whatever that thing was, he was going to make sure that it was put down.
A "black" haired man covered in purple-ish brown scars, wearing a black, ripped-up trench coat with metal sleeve cuffs and a pair of black pants leaned up against the wall, holding a phone in his pocket as his eyebrow raised. Even if he didn't see the fight in full, he had been a bit shocked that the little brat had actually made it as far as she did. Granted, he had expected her to win after the display he witnessed earlier, but he was still content.
He looked over to his right, and a charred corpse that once had been a man slumped in a corner of the alleyway reaching out to him, almost as if he was begging to be kept alive, sat there. The man smirked, passing the phone back to the dead man before releasing a small burst of blue flame.
"Another fake hero is dead, another one added to the pile, and another waiting for Endeavour to eventually join it. I wonder who'll be next?" Dabi thought, crossing his arms as he glanced at the smouldering pile of ash. "Let's just hope it won't be her," Dabi muttered, wandering away from the alleyway, his trench coat flittering in the wind as he approached the darkness of the underground once more.
Little did any of these people know that their paths would be crossing in the very near future.
And as the ending celebration of The Sports Festival was being held, a man connected to various pieces of medical equipment and life support gear, sat staring at several T.V. screens. He was wearing a black tuxedo, a tie, and a pair of black suit pants. The upper portion of his face was covered in shadow, obscuring a rather nasty-looking scar. And yet, despite that, he smiled. Though unlike what a normal smile should've brought, that bring joy and relaxation, this smile only brought terror and fear.
All For One, despite being injured beyond repair, and despite only having a quarter of the power he once held, he truly saw the current situation as an absolute win. Because even now, as he watched All Might hand out medals to the first, second, and third place winners of U.A.'s yearly Sports Festival, he couldn't help but smile.
Because he knew, deep down in his black, inky heart, that All Might's days were numbered.
"The next time we strike, All Might…. You and your Students will be fed to the lions. Then, It'll be me and you, a battle of the ages, and this time… I won't lose."
And as All For One laughed, those who heard it, even if only barely, shivered.
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[New Stands Shown within this Arc!]
Sweet Child O' Mine [Born Stand User]
User: Heimei Kishibe [Reserve Course Student]
Status: Retired
Stand Type: Close Ranged
Appearance: Sweet Child O' Mine is a humanoid Stand that sits around the same height as Heimei herself. Its whole body is a bright white with golden lines going across its face. It wears a black mouthguard that covers up where its nose and mouth would be, and over its eyes are a pair of golden radiator sunglasses. Sweet Child O' Mine's limbs are disjointed and do not connect to themselves, rather floating in the air as if they were in anti-gravity 24/7. This extends to the fingers. On its head is a black top hat, accompanying it is a black cape that is constantly blowing in the wind.
Abilities:
Limb extension: Despite being a close-ranged Stand, Sweet Child O' Mine can stretch its limb segments out 10 meters ahead of it. Anything past 10 meters and The Stand's limbs will snap back together and won't be able to stretch out for 5 seconds.
Sensation/Emotion tampering: Sweet Child O' Mine, upon touching someone, can cause any kind of sensation or emotion of Heimei's choice. This sensation/emotion cannot be removed unless the user deems it important, or, if the user is knocked out. The sensation does no physical damage to the person, but it will feel like it is. As for the emotion, it can be snapped out of if the user overcomes it. This ability has no set range and can go on even if the user is miles away. However, Sweet Child O' Mine must first have touched the Stand or User for more than 5 seconds to have the sensations be placed, and the sensation must be pre-determined.
Stats:
Destructive Power: D
Range: D
Speed: A
Persistence: A
Precision: A
Developmental Potential: E
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Everybody Loves Me [Recent Stand User]
User – Hitoshi Shinso [Reserve Course Student]
Status: Retired
Stand Type: Long Ranged Stand
Appearance: Everybody Loves Me is a humanoid Stand that is missing its lower body. In place of its lower half, it has wires dangling from its waist. Its upper torso has a monitor in the center of it with the words 'Disconnected' in white text. Its head is oval, and it has no facial features at all, rather it had spirals and pits on its face that make no real pattern. Its neck is a mess of metallic cords, all of which connect its head to its overall body. Its torso around the monitor was skeletal with the purplish black skin seemingly just draped overtop a ribcage, though around its abdomen was some sort of metal plating. Everybody Loves Me has wide shoulder blades with red cartoon hearts lining around it and on its upward face. The shoulder plates themselves had been the colour purple, contrasting the darker purple its body was made out of. On its wrists seemed to be a bundle of wires in a holder that you'd see on a fishing rod, with a hook on the ends of the rope.
Ability : Everybody Loves Me has a similar ability to Hitoshi Shinso's Quirk, however, it is different in several ways. The Ability activates once the hooks dig into someone's flesh, and at that point, using a wooden doll, Hitoshi can control that person, as well as use their Quirk for his own purposes. If the person that is hooked has a Stand, Hitoshi can also control their Stand, but can't use its ability. While being controlled, the person who was hooked by Everybody Loves Me is fully conscience throughout the whole experience, and can even talk, however they cannot control themselves. The only way to gain control of their own body again is to dislodge the hooks from their skin, which will leave lasting damage. The hooks can shoot out 25 Meters. However, once they are latched onto someone, they can reach 20 miles out. While hooked, Hitoshi can see the hooked person through walls, underground, or within a smokescreen.
Stats:
Destructive Power: D
Range: A
Speed: C
Persistence: A
Precision: C
Developmental Potential: C
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Leading The Pack (Recent Stand User)
User: Tatami Utsagi [General Studies Student]
Status: Retired
Stand Type: Automatic Stand
Appearance: Leading The Pack is an animalistic appearing Stand. Its body appears to be that of a deformed Wolf of sorts with elongated limbs, butcher knife-sized claws, and a deformed maw filled with 50 teeth the size of daggers. It has eyes are covered by a red visor, and it has spikes going down its back. Its tail has a barbed end with spikes leading up and around the rest of its tail. Its body is muscular, but also boney.
Ability: Leading The Pack's ability is to split itself into duplicates, capping out at 8 separate wolves, all of which appear to be the same size and can duplicate into 8 more, with a max of 100 being able to be put out with great strain to the user. However, with each duplication, they become easier to destroy. The trade-off is that they become physically stronger, faster, and far more stealthy per duplication.
Stats:
Destructive Power: A
Range: Inf
Speed: A
Persistence: C
Precision: E
Developmental Potential: A
Status de energia semanal
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