Hero Academia: Rise Above Max Omega! [My Hero Academia RP/Co-Hosted by Chaos Sonic and Yui/pg-13/IC/NA]

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Try as she might she couldn't turn her flames fast enough to catch Terro as he lay on the ground. His last maneuver had left him vulnerable and, given that she’s running low on time if she planned to keep it up through the finals, she wanted to take him out in her next shot. Unfortunately she wouldn’t be able to do so from down here.

She began to stand, instead, to better twist her body. From there she would be able to launch an attack.
That's when she noticed the stones around her. Too late to avoid them but fast enough to see them coming in. They slammed against her body and entrapped her in a rocky tomb.

Darkness. It was dark in the middle of all this stone. And warm. Her own heat was trapped inside of it with her and even though her body was getting cold she could still feel the heat on the outside. It was an uncomfortable feeling. Worse still was all the rock pressed up against her body. Its rough texture rubbing on her exposed skin and pushing against her. Threatening to crush bone at any moment. She was stuck. Unable to move. Hardly able to breath.

It was silent for a few moments and it almost seemed like that was the end of it. That the match would soon be called. But then a keen observer could notice steam coming from the cracks between the stones.

A few more moments passed and the rocks were sent flying off Valerie’s body, each of them half-melted, and Valerie stood with her body blazing with a flame which extended five feet in each direction and a dozen feet in the air. She was breathing heavily and shuddering, her body now battered, but she was still standing. With a smirk she raised a hand in Terro's direction. "You’re strong, Terro, but I’m going to be the greatest hero! Nothing is going to stand in my way. Whatever you throw at me I’ll just keep coming back as strong as ever!”

Valerie started to bend down to prepare to move forward. She couldn't let him catch her like that again. Which meant she would have to get close once again. It all came back to that didn't it? She rushed forward with her flaming body, launching a column of flame overhead and down towards Terro.

He was moving slower than before. The heat had increased even from the intensity at the start of the match. She just needed to reach him and get in one good hit. This fight was hers!

[👀 REP 👀]

 

---

 

Isami chuckled at Shiki's excitement, before transforming back to his normal form. A slight blush on his face appeared as he rubbed the back of his head; the boy was not used to this. His smile, however, quickly faded as his fan girl seemed to tell off Ino for laughing, taking it rather personally. She seemed to have something against Hero Coursers... except for him, of course. He was amazing, or so he had been told. 

 

"Yeah!  It ain't really useful for a hero type, so I work with my parents instead!  Exotic Pet Shop!"  The girl had the ability to talk to reptile, apparently - something that, he admit, he wish he could do.  "That's how I got Rex!"  Shiki then stuck out her tongue.  "I bet if Isami had faced either of you in the tourney, he'd win in a flash!  Right, Isami!?"

 

Uh oh, he was on the spot now. "W-Well..." He sheepishly chuckled. "These two are pretty tough, and well... I'm not quite the best at the whole fighting thing..." He shrugged. "So you can talk to reptiles? That's really cool! I wish I could do that." He smiled at the girl, hoping that maybe he could try and defuse the tension between her and his friends.

[King K. Azo]

Terro took some deep breaths as he watched the rocks collapsed on Val. The heat wasn't as bad anymore, but it wasn't going to help too much now. He took a minute to catch his breath, but very quickly noticed that steam was coming between the cracks. He took his stance once more, taking some deep breaths. To his surprise though, a flaming aura exploded from the rocks, sending them flying in every direction. Val's body was covered by the inferno aura, a smirk across her face as she pointed at her opponent.
 
"You’re strong, Terro, but I’m going to be the greatest hero! Nothing is going to stand in my way. Whatever you throw at me I’ll just keep coming back as strong as ever!” Valerie bent down, rushing forward with her flaming body, launching a column of flame overhead and down towards Terro. Terro moved to the right, trying to get out of the way, but the flames managed to get on his left pant leg, igniting it on fire. He let out of cry as the fire began to ate his pants. He quickly undid his pants, kicking it them away before the flames ate them away to nothingness. 

His left leg was now hurting, the skin discolored from a burn. It wasn't the worst, but now he definitely now couldn't move that well anymore. The boxers-clad martial artist decided it was best to stand his ground, since moving would probably just leave him wide open. Val threw a massive punch, which Terro managed to block, but he wasn't ready for Val to hit him with an uppercut to his chin, causing the weakened boy to be launched back, hitting the ground and rolling away, ending up at the middle of the arena.
 
"You done yet?" Val asked as she watched Terro try to stand up, the martial artist coughing a bit as he did. A thought ran through his mind. Was he done yet? His leg was injured, his body taken to its limits. For the first time in his life, his martial arts couldn't help him, with his quirk and his control over it not being enough... There was no way he could win in a straight fight. But then a thought came to him.

They weren't in a straight fight.
 
Terro forced himself to a knee, panting and wiping the blood from his mouth once more. Despite his heavy breathing, despite his injuries, he was smirking, something having clicked in his head. "You may become the greatest hero, Val, but you still are gonna have to get me ice cream!"
 

Against all odds, a real man fights

 
Terro clenched his fist, raising it over his head, gritting his teeth before he smashed into the stadium with all his might, cracking the stage horizontally, making a large, clean crack from one side to the other. Afterwards, he slowly stood on his feet, legs wobbling, but still supporting him. He raised a fist, and a rock wall was summoned right in front of the crack, easily twice as tall as either of them and stretching the length of the stage. 

With that done, he fell back onto a knee, ignoring the pain in his leg as he reached into the crack and grabbed on the best he could. It was only right though... to yell his new attack's name. 
 
Hissatsu!! Haō Kohryuu-jin!!!  Using his quirk and pulling up with his arms, he began to lift the stage, which rumbled as it was slowly unearthed. He slowly stood up adjusting himself so he was pushing the stage, tilting it more and more. He gritted his teeth as he stood, doing his best to ignore the pain... but his left leg sent a sharp pang of it through his body, causing him to fall back to his knee. He couldn't let it end now. He got this far, Val pushing him to an extent no one had before. He couldn't let it end here, he had to rise above... he had to keep pushing forward!
 
"Chabudai Gaeshi!!" With one final yell, he stood back up to his feet, pushing the stage up with both body and quirk, before he used his quirk to make sure the stage tipped straight up, perpendicular to the ground. He stood, both hands over his head, using the very last reserve of his strength to stay standing. If he fell over, he wouldn't get back up, he knew that. So he stood, breathing hard, waiting for either a call of victory or for Val to tip him over. No matter the outcome, he knew he had used all he had... and in the end, that was what mattered, right?
 

Sustained by the strength of his will

[Yui]

---

"AH! WOWEE! YOU'RE AMAZING KOBAYASHI! CAN I CALL YOU ISAMI INSTEAD?!"

 

There are people besides me who don't call him Isami? Asuka had loosely figured everyone was just inexplicably close friends with Isami. Or maybe Isami was one of those people who preferred being addressed by his given name instead of his surname? She'd have to ask about that. Come to think of it, am I the only student that calls my classmates by surname? Maybe it's some sort of dying tradition? Whatever it was, it could wait. Shiki's Quirk apparently allowed her to communicate with reptiles - that was actually rather interesting

 

"I bet if Isami had faced either of you in the tourney, he'd win in a flash! Right, Isami!?"

 

"W-Well... these two are pretty tough, and well... I'm not quite the best at the whole fighting thing. So you can talk to reptiles? That's really cool! I wish I could do that."

 

"It's an impressive Quirk," Asuka added, nodding in agreement with Isami's assessment of Shiki's Quirk. "It's nice that you're using it to help your parents at their shop too. It may not steal the attention like destroying a doomsday device or arresting a major villain, but a hero's job is ultimately to help people. Even if it's just your parents and their store, doesn't that make you a hero in your own way too?"

---

Sayuri watched from the furthest-back row of seats. With what she understood about Valerie's Quirk, that wasn't a fight Sayuri wanted to sit anywhere near. Why couldn't it be ice powers? Or both?

 

...that sounded like a good idea for a manga character, actually.

 

"Hissatsu!! Haō Kohryuu-jin!!!"

 

Meanwhile on the stage, Terro was doing... something. Sayuri didn't entirely get it. The wall was impressive, and probably not something Valerie would be able to climb over, but giving her enough time meant she could probably just melt her way through it, right? Terro's next move, however, indicated that there probably wasn't going to be enough time for Valerie to get through.

 

"Chabudai Gaeshi!!"

 

The boy let out a battle yell as he stood up, flipping the stage up onto its side. Is that even allowed? He's technincally still on the stage but... still, he deserves props for that. Pretty creative solution to the problem of having to fight Valerie. Hopefully he doesn't do it in the finals against Mike. That would be boring.

 

As Sayuri - and the rest of the audience for that matter - waited for the referee's call on Terro's latest move, Sayuri was pretty sure she could hear at least three different girls in nearby seats squealing. And one phone taking a photograph.

---

[VCR_CAT]

Mike

 

"It's fine," Ichiro chuckled lightly, shrugging some. "It's just conversation in general, so it's fine. Oh, speaking of Terro, he and I watched the match and he wanted me to let you know that he thought you did amazing out there against Akira. And to be honest, he is right. I mean, after you took me out, I kinda expected you'd do well in the tournament...but to knock out Akira? That... that's actually amazing!"
 

"Oh! I mean, I don't want to say it was nothing, because it obviously wasn't," Mike said, motioning to his previous broken foot and the bruises that covered his body. "But it was just a couple tricks I did, I mean like... if we had a rematch I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to pull it off again."

Ichiro chuckled again, before glancing over at the TV and watching the match between Valerie and Terro continue on. The match seemed to just escalate more and more as the thing went on, and as Terro pulled off progressively bigger and bigger moves, he could feel a drop of sweat slide down his cheek as he watched the screen.

"Truth be told, while I don't know Valerie at all, I think it would be pretty cool if the finalists were from Class 1-A." he smiled, before looking back at Mike. "Oh... before I forget... Mike... is there a possibility, I could get a rematch with you sometime?" Ichiro looked at his working arm and clenched his fists. "I wanna try and beat you next time."

 

Mikr looked over at Ichiro and smiled, clenching his fist and feeling a pang from the stiffness. "Yeah! I think that'd be great, I'd love to see how well you can do when you know your quirk better!"

 

"Chabudai Gaeshi!!"

 

"Flipping the wha--" Mike snapped back to the television screen and his jaw dropped as he watched the match go on. Terro had managed to break the stage from the ground and raise it into the air. As the fear for Val's well being cleared, along with the sheer awe of what was going on, Mike forced himself to pay closer attention to what was going on. The cameras panned and focused on Terro, and the sheer exertion and effort needed to perform this move was written across his face. Mike's jaw un-dropped itself and his eyes lit up as he found himself unable to tear them away from the screen. "I think I know how to beat him..." Mike said, low and under his breath, as his lips curled into a smile.

 

They had one hell of a final match ahead of them.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

 

Turns out Terro wasn't done at all. He was persistent that was for certain. She knew that she just had to keep going though. She could win out if she just pushed him a bit farther. She was the master of persistence after all. It was how she got this far. From nothing she became the best of her class. She didn't do it by giving up with even literal walls in front of her. Her Quirk wasn't powerful. Her parents were regular people. Everything she had she got by studying harder. Training harder. And fighting harder than anyone else. "I'm not going to stop! Not now! Not ever!"

 

This wall before her was larger than previous ones in more ways than one. But no matter the size she just had to break through. Valerie braced herself. With her stance wide and low she thrust her arms out and slammed her flames into the wall. She would burn through it and reach Terro on the other side. She had this there was no way she'd let him win after coming this far!

 

That was the plan, at least.

 

When she felt the ground shift beneath her she didn't think much of it. He would of course try to attack her but she didn't think he could do much more after creating this wall. And it would only take a bit more time before this wall came down...

Except that time wouldn't come.

 

The stage itself began to move. Valerie realized too late what was happening. Somehow Terro was managing to lift the stage itself in an attempt to make her simply fall off the stage.

 

She couldn't let that happen! She still had fight in her and she refused to let something like this stop her. So she ran forward, or rather upward, trying her hardest to stay on the stage and continue her fight.

 

She even reached her arms back to shoot her flames backwards. Trying to give herself a boost.

 

 

But the ground, at this angle, was too far away. Without making contact with anything the flames couldn't propel her forward and, after one more step, she lost her footing.

 

"No, no no no, NO!" Valerie shouted, trying her hardest to defy gravity and physics itself. Trying to get her feet back onto the stage. She even managed to place a foot on it and, through immense effort, moved forward another step.

 

But it was too late now. The stage was completely vertical and not even her determination could change that. Her eyes widened as she felt herself falling down. That...was it? She didn't think she could lose. She was certain that she had worked hard enough to win any fight she came across! Was it not enough? Did she really have that much farther to go?

 

She closed her eyes as she fell through the air. "Sorry, mom, dad, looks like I'm not the best just yet." She thought as her back hit the ground and the buzzer sounded.

 

WINNER: TERRO KHIKYU

[King K. Azo]

WINNER: TERRO KHIKYU 

 

Terro smiled as he heard the buzzer sound, signalling his victory. He had done it... he had won the fight, sending him to the finals, and, as an extra bonus, he had won free ice cream. That was good too, he really needed it after all this heat he had endured. It was like he he had fought through hell, if hell was a spunky friendly girl that was both fun to fight and a nightmare to fight. 

It made him feel so alive. 

But it didn't instantly recover his strength.

 

"Oh no... I have fell," He mumbled to himself as he fell back, his back hit the ground with a loud THUD. His eyes closed, the exhaustion causing him to pass out, peacefully snoring on the stage's floor.

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

 

"Oh! I mean, I don't want to say it was nothing, because it obviously wasn't. But it was just a couple tricks I did, I mean like... if we had a rematch I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to pull it off again."

 

Ichiro nodded, understanding what Mike was saying. It seemed, least to him, that he wasn't a huge conversationalist either. Well, one thing they both had in common, Ichiro supposed. He was going to say something else, but was stopped, when Mike responded to his challenge.

 

"Yeah! I think that'd be great, I'd love to see how well you can do when you know your Quirk better!"

 

"Yeah...I'm hoping it'll be ten times different this next time." Ichiro said with a nod, before glancing over at the TV and was literally at a loss for words at what he saw.

 

"Chabudai Gaeshi!!"

 

"H-How is that even legal?!" he asked, just at a loss for words. Terro literally picked up a piece of the arena and flipped it...like it was a table. He thought his Tatami move was one thing...but this was on a whole different level. "J-Jeez...knowing my luck...there will be a rule in regards to that next year..." Nevertheless, the match was over and Terro was declared the winner. Ichiro let out a sigh, before glancing at Mike, who mentioned he knew how to beat Terro. "Well, looks like you'll be up against him next." He held out a hand towards Mike, making a fist. "Wishing you good luck in the final match."

 

 

Class B Squad

 

WINNER: TERRO KHIKYU

 

"COME ON!!! This isn't even right!!" Aina shouted, dropping herself into her seat, glancing to see Shin and Casey both on the ground, ever slightly getting back up. "I'm blaming the both of you for this."

 

"W-What?! Why us?!" Casey grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "If it's cause we didn't cheer loud enough, that's your fault. You bashed our heads when Valerie basically put herself on fire..."

 

"H-He has a point..." Shin sighed, rubbing his head as well as his neck. "And to be precise, it was right after Casey mentioned how 'hot' that was...still don't know why you even hit me..."

 

Aina rolled her eyes before scoffing. "Whatever. Now this finale isn't worth watching...it's just a huge 1-A show. ...oh sheet...1-B lost...all of us."

 

Right now, Casey and Shin looked at each other and both had a small vision of a certain sharkified human, cracking his knuckles and glaring at the entirety of the class. They lost, meaning Mako would most likely be giving them an earful about 'discipline'. At this moment, all three began to gulp, realizing that this was probably not going to end well.

 

"We're sooooooooo screwed..."

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

"Chabudai Gaeshi!!"

 

Akira was just stepping outside when he felt the ground rumble. Not quite a full-on earthquake, but it was clear that something was happening. Is it that idiot with the vibration quirk? Looking forward, he could actually see said idiot ahead of him, speaking to some lizard girl, the snake he beat earlier that day, and... Asuka. She is probably going to want to talk to me about my loss. But there were more pressing matters at the moment. like what the hell was making the ground tremble? It wasn't the vibration girl, her magnitude seemed well-managed at the moment. That would leave...

 

Akira took inventory of all the quirks he had seen at the school, and quickly realized who was responsible: The rock-thrower.

 

Threat to His Power

 

In the middle of the crowd of people in which he stood, Akira formed a pair of platforms from his hard light, each barely larger than the soles of his shoes. Pushing himself upward as quickly as he could without snapping his shins in half, Akira left behind two pillars of light, trailing upward with him to the sky. Once he reach a sufficient height, a pair of spheres appeared in his hands, and he gripped them tightly to stabilize. Looking down upon the stadium, peering over the walls into the central arena, Akira saw something that he had trouble comprehending. Terro had lifted the entire battlefield, and turned it on its side to drop his opponent to her defeat.

 

For a moment, Akira simply stared down at the spectacle, his jaw left agape. The pillars beneath him slowly dissolved upward, until he was left standing on a singular platform, hundreds of feet above the ground. "So... this is what the school has to offer." The display of force was truly unlike anything he had seen so far from any of his classmates. Gin had fired off the X-Caliber in the previous round, but that was uncontrolled, he had simply let his quirk loose like a fool. This... this was leveraging all the strength he had into victory.

 

Akira's mind flashed back to the move that had won Mike the fight: a full-force assault at exactly the right moment. As Mike was explaining from his infirmary bed at the exact same time, Akira knew that he had only lost because of a few clever tricks. If there were a rematch, it wouldn't turn out the same way. As he descended slowly, he wondered if Mike would be able to dodge his way to victory in the coming match. Touching down near the group of his classmates, as well as the lizard girl, Akira approached them as casually as a person who just flew down on a platform of golden light could, injecting himself beside Asuka, before addressing her directly. "Down to just the finals, now. I assume you visited him after our fight?"

[Yui]

---

To say Asuka noticed the ground rumbling as Terro made the finishing move in his fight would be a lie. Even if she'd noticed, it was something she would have just passed off as being Ino's doing. Never did it occur to her that, just inside the arena, where she couldn't see and wasn't watching, Terro was flipping the entire stage up. However, that had already happened, and while she never did see just how, Asuka did hear the announcement that Terro had won, effectively moving him up to the finals. So it was going to be just him and Mike? That would be a fight to see.

 

A lot of them in this tournament were, come to think of it.

 

And then, a voice addressed her and the others, clearly directed at her in particular. "Down to just the finals, now. I assume you visited him after our fight?"

 

"Ah, I haven't gotten the chance yet. Hopefully I'll be able to before the finals. ...did you visit him? It was surprising to see you lose, and I know the rest of the stronger students in our class would visit whoever beat them."  Even if not all of them would be to congratulate the winner.

---

[Mr. Hyde]

 

"AW WHAT?!"  Mako could be heard screaming from the sidelines.  "There's gotta be a rule against that!?  The whole friggin' stage!?  Ya gotta be kidding me!  Get back in there Val!  I'm still rootin' for you."  

 

Suna on the other hand, looked rather pleased.  

 

"It was flashy...and effective...the makings of a fine hero..."  

 

"HERO MY TAIL FIN!  HE CHEATED!"  

 

"No.  He used his brain for once."  

 

Tons of different emotions swelled in the air above the stadium while the two were ushered away.  Madam Mic then rushed onto the stage to try and calm everyone down, whispering into her microphone.  

 

"Now wasn't that a great match!?"  She clapped for both Terro and Valerie's awesome fight.  "But since are contestants are in such rough shape, we'll take a quick intermission so they can rest their poor muscles, with the help of none other than U.A.'s finest medical staff!  They'll be in tip top condition for the next round!"  Madam Mic then pointed her finger towards the bracket on screen, which updated as soon as she did so.  

 

 

"Now this should be a final for the ages!  And don't forget to grab a certified U.A. T-shirt with your most supported Student's name and face plastered on the front!  We'll see you back for the finals in two hours!"  

 

 

 

"W-Well...These two are pretty tough, and well... I'm not quite the best at the whole fighting thing..."

 

"You're just being modest!"  She said, almost pouting.

 

 "So you can talk to reptiles? That's really cool! I wish I could do that."

 

"YEAH!  Maybe I can be your translator for your other brother's and sisters out in the world!  We'd be the perfect couple!"  

 

"It's nice that you're using it to help your parents at their shop too. It may not steal the attention like destroying a doomsday device or arresting a major villain, but a hero's job is ultimately to help people. Even if it's just your parents and their store, doesn't that make you a hero in your own way too?"

 

Shiki opened her mouth and mocked placing her finger at the back of her throat.

 

"Gag me.  That sentiment is way too played out, don't ya think?  My parent's are in it for the money...and I am by proxy.  Don't go painting me with all that hero nonsense just cause you wanna change my mind, hussy."  She sighed, shrugging at the two of them.  "Honestly...you two put on such a pathetic showing that you might as well apply for positions at my family store.  We'll start you off at a pretty decent wage,"  Her eyes shown like that of a predator, "But I'd work you until all the fat from your tubby bodies fell off your bones!  Chichichichi!"  She laughed.  Ino leaned in closer to Asuka and whispered.  

 

"She's a tad...uhm...what's the word...insurferbubble?"  And that's when the boy wonder fell from the sky, and casually joined their conversation.  It was hard to miss, but somehow Asuka managed to avert her gaze from the display.  "Nice hero entrance!"  Ino said, admittedly rather impressed.

 

"Down to just the finals, now. I assume you visited him after our fight?"

 

"Ah, I haven't gotten the chance yet. Hopefully I'll be able to before the finals. ...did you visit him? It was surprising to see you lose, and I know the rest of the stronger students in our class would visit whoever beat them."

 

"Oh!  Is the match over?!"  Ino dug into Asuka's pockets to grab her phone.  The screen was showing the play by play of the last part of the match, Terro lifting the stage and having Valerie fall off.  "Oh!  It's kinda like what he did to me!  When he was hovering me on all those stones.  Man that guy sure likes to take the easy way out."  But thinking on that, Ino wondered how much strain lifting that whole stage was put on Terro's body.  "So Mike and Terro huh?  That's gonna be a happenin' match!  We gotta be there for this one!"  

 

"Awww...Finals already?"  Shiki whined.  "I guess I gotta get ready for the big event!"  Shiki pulled out a business card, scribbled on the back of it, and turned to Isami.  She bowed, and gave the card to Isami with both hands.  "Here's my card...with my phone number on the back."  Shiki blushed as she dashed off.  "I'll catch ya later!  Bye Bye!"  

 

Ino shrugged.  

 

"Well there's bound to be an intermission for the finals...so let's do some more fun stuff together!  Akira included!"  

 

 

 

After the intermission, Gin was plastered to his chair.  His arms were still in slings, but he looked at the stadium floor.  He was completely envious that Terro would be the one standing there right now, instead of him.  Of course he had watched the highlight reel.  Gin bit his lip, thinking of all the ways he could've countered Terro's attack.  That was pointless now...he was sitting in the peanut gallery, waiting for either of these losers to win it all instead of him.  

 

"Neither of them could survive X-Caliber."  He mumbled to himself.  

 

"Survive?!  What do you mean Survive?!  Are you actively trying to kill your classmates?!  The one's you've known for weeks now?!  Are you trying to go to jail?!  Are you trying to end up in prison!?  I should report you right now to the proper authorities after a comment like that!  Awful!  Awful!  Disdainfully Awful!"  

 

Gin's eyebrow twitched, as he saw Erika in his peripheries.  

 

"Wha-"

 

Before he could finish a thought, Erika poked one of Gin's arms.  

 

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOW!"  

 

"That's what you get for what you did to me.  You just look so pathetic that I just had to get my jab in!"  Erika said, puffing out a cheek, but deflating it as she started to laugh.  

 

"WHY YOU!"  Gin said, trying to raise his arms but ultimately failing.  "WHERE'S THAT RUBBER KID TO KEEP YOU IN CHECK!?"

 

Erika shrugged.  

 

"I dunno.  I think he went home early...he took the loss pretty hard.  Thought Valerie was lying to him this whole time just to win it all, you know."

 

Gin thought back to Terro and him training together...thinking of how Terro taught him obvious martial arts that he himself could counter with ease.  Then he looked to the stage, and snarled.

 

"Yeah...I know that feeling."  Trash.

 

"OH!  There she is again!  She's so pretty!  I wanna be just like her when I become the real deal!"  

 

Madam Mic walked back to the center of the stadium.  

 

"Will Terro Khikyu and Mike Rosenfield please take the stage for the Final Round!?"  The stadium roared with excitement.  Madam Mic presented both of her hands towards the opposite hallways, waiting for the two to step out into the light.  "The Green Pulse Powerhouse vs the Mighty Mountain Mover!  Who will it be?!  I can't wait to see for myself!  Good luck boys!"  Madam Mic winked to the camera, as the uproar somehow got even louder.  

 

"You go call it..."  Mako said, with his arms crossed.  "I ain't got nothin' to say to those chumps of yours."

 

"Harsh."  Suna said, rolling his shoulder.  He walked up to the two boys and stood between them.  "You've both made it a long way.  You've overcome obstacle after obstacle...but there's still one more.  Don't get too crazy...but don't get too complacent.  The world is watching you two fledgling heroes...and their teacher...so give it all you've got."  With that, Suna raised his hand.  Behind him, a giant pillar of sand erected itself into the same pose.  

 

"Let the Finals...BEGIN!"  

 

Suna slammed down the sandy pillar in the middle of the two, simultaneously jumping back to the side of the stadium.  The sand flew away the instant it hit the floor, and seemingly vanished from sight.  Everyone's eyes were on those two's first move.   

[👀 REP 👀]

 

---

 

Isami wasn't sure how to feel. The attention was slowly being moved away from him, but only because Shiki was starting to berate his friends again. He started to say something in order to break it up, when suddenly a bright light seemed to descend from the heaven. Looking up, Isami saw Akira floating down from the sky. He instinctively flinched when he saw the light at Akira's feet, although he still waved at the boy as he descended. "Very flashy!" Isami said, completely earnest. 

 

As Akira informed them, the finals were coming up. "Oh right!" Isami turned to Ino and Asuke. "We should probably head back soon then. Would be a shame if we missed the finals." He turned to Shiki, who handed him a business card and, just like she mentioned, her phone number on the back. "Bye Shiki!" He said, waving at the girl as she dashed off. He let out a sigh, turning back to the other girls. "Well that was... unexpected..." He said, before turning to Akira. "Oh yeah, I never really got a chance to talk to you after the fight!" He extended his arm out. "That was a good fight! Terrifying, but good."

[scooterulez]

Aaron didn't know how to respond to that statement, but couldn't help but to agree to some degree that, yes, people who are reckless tend to be looked down upon. Even then, the most chaotic hero can be praised if he did a topnotch job. Aaron took a second to look around to find that he and Hadley were the only ones around. He got next to Hadley about a foot away, got out his phone, and slid down the wall in the same manner and proceded to look up the tournament standings. Mike won, too much of Aaron's surprise, against Akira, and Terro and Val's match was about a minute into the match. As much as Aaron should watch the match, he couldn't leave Hadley in this state of "Why?", but nothing was coming to mind. So, in hopes of thinking of something to say, he stared straight ahead and let his mind run as he left the video running.

---

 

Aaron kept looking back to his phone to see occasionally to see who was on the verge of winning but was still concentrating on his random thoughts. He would also look back at Hadley, still in the fetal position, as she has stared into the endless void of space, probably completely unaware of Aaron's presence at this point. This isn't helping at all. I can't think of anything to say. . . Aaron muted his phone and stretched out his legs as they were to fall asleep. "Umm. . . Hadley, I've been thinking, about what you said about Gin. . . Coming from a competitive side, the entirety of tournaments tends to bring the worst of us out, and there will always be someone there that will do anything to win. . . Even in a school setting, we try to be better than everyone else, especially now in a world full of supers. However, we tend to focus on the negatives while the positives are pushed to the side like a vegetable tray at a potluck. The negatives will always be in your face, but we need to look past them to find the enjoyable. . . I don't know, I'm just rambling now and none of this probably won't make sense to you, but if anything, can we try to have an optimistic outlook? Gin hasn't lost his arms, maybe he learned something valuable from this, or who knows what, but we should at least shake the thought off and make the best for the rest of this day.

 

With that, Aaron stopped talking and went back to his phone to find that the match ended with Terro as the victor. That just leaves the final between him and Mike then the day will be over. I wonder who will win?

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

Back in the Nurse's Office. Again. It was even the same room as before. Valerie barely listened as the nurse told her about her injuries. Or, in the Nurse's words, gave her a "diag-nya-sis". Turned out that she didn't have anything severe but that her entire body was rather battered and she had a couple minor breaks. The biggest issue was that her body temperature had dropped to dangerous levels. Her heat was barely radiating from her body due to how cold she had gotten.

 

Hence why she was currently covered in a heated blanket. She listened on to what the nurse was telling her but after a bit spoke up. "Uh, so...If any of my class come could you tell them I can't have visitors right now? I don't need them fussing over me and causing a scene." She grinned at the nurse. Though in reality there was a bit more to that.

 

She was supposed to be the top. Letting them see her like this would dishearten them. She had only ever shown her classmates her confident, can't be stopped, self. Right now that had taken a hit. In time she'd be able to get it back. But right now...it wasn't so easy. She was struggling to keep her head above water as it was.

If they visited her she knew it would be to try and cheer her up. Which was the last thing she needed right now. Having others trying to make her feel better would just make the failure feel all the more...real. She had to believe that she didn't need to be cheered up. Otherwise she might lose her nerve.

 

And without that nerve she'd be nothing.

[Yui]

---

"Gag me. That sentiment is way too played out, don't ya think? My parent's are in it for the money...and I am by proxy. Don't go painting me with all that hero nonsense just cause you wanna change my mind, hussy. Honestly...you two put on such a pathetic showing that you might as well apply for positions at my family store. We'll start you off at a pretty decent wage, but I'd work you until all the fat from your tubby bodies fell off your bones!  Chichichichi!"
 
"She's a tad...uhm...what's the word...insurferbubble?"
 
"Insufferable," Asuka whispered back. It wasn't a conclusion Asuka wanted to jump to so quickly, but Shiki didn't seem to have any intent of trying to even pretend to be friendly with the girls. Just because they were Isami's friends? Maybe? If so, she was the envious type at best. It was unfortunate. The next thing Asuka knew, however, somebody was digging around in her pockets! It was Ino, asking if the match was over. By the time Asuka was about to start protesting Ino's rather forceful approach toward getting her hands on the phone to check out the fight, Ino already had the phone. The tournament stream was showing a replay of the final moments of the fight. Terro's ability to flip the entire stage up on its side like that was...
 
"Oh! It's kinda like what he did to me! When he was hovering me on all those stones. Man that guy sure likes to take the easy way out."
 
"It may be harder than it looks, not to mention more straining on Kihkyu and his Quirk," Asuka noted. "Why wouldn't he just win every round like that if it was easy for him?"
 
However, as was pointed out by Akira, the only match left was the finals. Shiki didn't seem particularly excited about that.
 
 "Awww...Finals already? I guess I gotta get ready for the big event! I'll catch ya later! Bye Bye!" 
 
"Well there's bound to be an intermission for the finals...so let's do some more fun stuff together! Akira included!"
 
"Oh yeah, I never really got a chance to talk to you after the fight! That was a good fight! Terrifying, but good."

 

"If there's an intermission, I don't see anything wrong with having a bit more fun. We could also get some snacks to watch the fight with. Tomoaki, do you want to join us?"

 

"It's gonna seem like I'm walking away, but that's just because..." trailing off, Akira made his way back into the stadium. This fight was worth watching.

 

"...that would be a no," Asuka observed. She imagined Akira wouldn't particularly want to join in the fun, but it was polite to ask, especially after Ino had suggested he join them. All that was left was to get going. Asuka wasn't sure just what Ino had in mind, but Asuka did know she wanted to get something small to eat while the finalists duked it out.

The hour between fights had been a pretty fun-filled one. There were rides and games alike. Most notably in Asuka's case was the shooting gallery. It didn't take much convincing to get Asuka to take a shot at it, and in the end, she wound up leaving with a stuffed bear as big as she was. When the notice was put out that it was nearly time for the finals to start, Asuka brought the group to the nearest food source - a small ice cream stand that seemed to have gotten quite a bit of business today - and got herself something small to eat during the finals. Asuka had opted for vanilla ice cream, her favorite flavor, and with the bear and cone in tow, she got seated, eagerly waiting to see how the fight went down. It felt weird to have to give the bear a seat of its own, but with its size, it was simply a necessity.

 

"Let the Finals...BEGIN!"

 

And like that, it was time for Mike and Terro to fight it out to see who would turn out to be the winner of the school tournament. It was exciting to say the least! "Who do you think will win?" she asked, eyes fixed firmly on the fight in front of her. "Both of them are very powerful in their own rights, so it's not like there's a clear winner. I'm rooting for Rosenfield."

---

"Let the Finals...BEGIN!"

 

The finals were beginning. It was between Mike and Terro. It was pretty exciting. However, during the intermission, something else had taken up Sayuri's attention. It happened when she was queued up for one of the carnival rides. Some kid about Sayuri's age - she could only assume he was a student - tripped and sliced his arm open on someone whose Quirk had given them bladed fingers. The smell of blood had filled her senses at that time, and Sayuri had to leave the scene to suppress the urge to maul the poor guy. It seemed that he would be fine when Sayuri was leaving, but this was the second time she'd had this type of reaction, and it was starting to concern her again. At first, Sayuri was going to ask Nurse Neko about what might have caused it, but along the way, she'd passed some 1-B students. Seeing them made her think of their teacher.

 

Not at all unlike Sayuri, 1-B's teacher had a mutant-type Quirk that gave him animal-like traits. He was a shark. Sharks were notorious for their abilities to sense blood in the water, so surely, if anyone at U.A. would be able to relate to Sayuri's newfound blood issues, it would be him, right? She didn't rule out the possibility that he in fact did not have this problem, but it was definitely worth asking.

 

Which brought her to the sidelines of the arena, from which Suna and Mako had been watching the fights. Suna was just getting back too, and as Sayuri gave her teacher a small wave, she made for 1-B's teacher, tapping him on the back with the corner of her whiteboard, before holding up a message she'd written down on the way here.

 

I'd like to talk to you about your Quirk. Do you understand sign language, or will I have to write everything down?
(I'm mute, not deaf)

[King K. Azo]

Terro groaned as he opened his eyes, realizing he was staring at the ceiling of the infirmary once more. He chuckled to himself, smiling as he did. He somehow managed to win. He placed a hand on his forehead, feeling his skin was still slightly warm. It would probably be cool by the time he had to fight again.

 

"Well, well, look who's finally awake," Terro turned his head, seeing his Grandpa sitting by his bed, arms folded as he waited. "That was a good fight," He said with a smile, making Terro smile as well. The younger martial artist sat up, looking down at his arms as he flex them, just seeing if they still worked. "It was quite a sight, seeing you use your quirk like that," Goutetsu began, causing Terro to start paying attention. His grandfather rarely talked about his quirk.

 

"I kinda feel bad about it though... I was so beaten back I had to resort to abusing the rules... in a straight fight, I would have lost...," Terro muttered.

 

"Yes, you would have," Goutetsu said blunty, stroking his chin. "But, who's fault would that be? The faithful grandson that sticks to his beliefs and teachings, or the stubborn fool of a grandfather that didn't allow his grandson's special talent to flourish?" Terro looked at his guardian in shock. He had never heard him speak in such a way before... "I apologize to you Terro," Goutetsu continued. "Today had opened my eyes. I was so determined to preserve the old ways, the ways of training the body and one's spirituality, that I saw your quirk as a crutch instead of the blessing it is," Goutetsu paused. "If I had allowed you to develop your quirk along side your martial arts, you truly would have been a force to be reckoned with. Imagine, the feats you can do now, but with years of experience behind them. You'd be one of the shining stars of the class... but instead, now you are running the race with a giant handicap," He got on the floor to his knees and bow. "Forgive me, my grandson. I had let pride and tradition blind me...,"

 

Terro was quiet as he processed everything. It was true... growing up, while his grandpa would let him work on his quirk, more often than not, he was told that he shouldn't depend on it, that it was an unfair advantage over people that worked as hard, if not harder than him. He still believed that to be true, to be honest. If he wasn't born with these gifts, where would he be? Certainly not here...

 

"Grandpa...," Terro suddenly spoke up. "This tournament had also opened my eyes. Ever since the villains attacked us, I had seen... people. They said things like 'Quirkless Lives Matter', and for the longest time, I didn't understand. That should have been an undeniable fact, why would they shout that in the streets? But today... I think I get it," he sighed, mind flashing back to Gin's X-Caliber and Val's flaming aura. "To someone that's quirkless... it doesn't matter. No matter how much you train, no matter how hard you work, without a quirk... it doesn't matter," his mind flashed to people he had met in tournaments past... those passing moments were he had friends... those people would never be able to protect themselves against a powerful villain. "I felt that fear... staring down a move and an opponent my martial arts couldn't overcome...," He looked down to his hand. "I... I don't want other people to deal with that. Yeah, I can't take away quirks or give them away... but I want to protect people... to let them know they don't have to worry," He clenched his fist, before smiling a little. "I want to be a hero,"

 

Goutetsu chuckled, reaching out and rubbing Terro's head. "You know this path you're choosing won't be an easy one. You'll have plenty of obstacles thrown in your path, and you'll have to work twice as hard to develop your quirk," Terro nodded in response.

 

"Then I'll do what I've always done. Work hard until I've worked through it," He said with a grin. "And I'll start with this next match... win or lose... I'm finding the limit of my quirk," He looked over to his grandpa, smiling. "And I'll make you proud," Goutetsu only chuckled in response, flicking Terro's forehead playfully.

 

"Silly boy. I already am," With that, the old man pulled his grandson into a hug, the two just enjoying the calm before the final storm.

 

---

 

Terro discovered that at the moment, his hero costume needed repaired, since the pants were devoured by the flames, so instead, he was dressed in his old gi, the bright green one that proudly had a red heaven kanji displayed on his back. He made his way to the stage, where Mike was waiting. Madam Mic was hyping up the crowd, so Terro took a moment to address his opponent.

 

"I've really been looking forward to this. Let's have a good match, yeah?" Terro commented as he held out his fist.

 

"Same here," Mike replied, reaching out and bumping the fist. "I hope you brought your A-Game, because I'm not going easy on you!"

 

Terro grinned back as he got into his stance. "Sweet! Then let's both go all out, with no regrets!" At that moment, Suna walked up to talk to the two.

 

"You've both made it a long way. You've overcome obstacle after obstacle... but there's still one more. Don't get too crazy... but don't get too complacent. The world is watching you two fledgling heroes... and their teacher... so give it all you've got." With that, Suna raised his hand. Behind him, a giant pillar of sand erected itself into the same pose.

 

 

"Let the Finals...BEGIN!"

The moment the sand pillar in front of them collapsed, Terro raised his foot into the air and performed a massive axe kick into the floor, causing a formation of stalagmites to shoot out of the floor towards Mike. Mike had the sense not to try to take the attack head on and instead jump to the side, avoiding the attack all together and rushed to Terro in an attempt to close the distance. Terro simply grinned and waited for the approach. He would be ready for anything Mike had!

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

Akira had spent the entire intermission watching replays of the fights he had missed from the two finalists. As he went, he had to continuously remind himself that this wasn't something he particularly cared about; he simply didn't have a better way to pass his time. If he was going to watch a fight between two unremarkable students, he should at the very least have enough context to understand what is going on. Though he had originally intended to skip watching Mike's last fight, he ended up having to, simply to pad the intermission time before the next fight started.

 

What he saw confirmed his suspicion. Mike had spent their entire fight testing Akira: his speed, his strength, his reflexes, all so he could land the right hits when he needed to. The last moment of the battle, Mike's dodge and finishing move, went exactly according to Mike's plan. Akira may have smarter, faster, stronger, and more skilled, but Mike was the only one of the two who had been fighting strategically from the start. Pausing the video, the screen showed a still image of Akira, floating above the ground with his single wing and half a mask. He let his mind wander for a moment, before turning off the screen and dropping the phone into his pocket.

Descending the tiered rows of seating, Akira scanned the crowd ahead of him, as well as the ground far below. He had considered flying above this match, to get a better view, but that would have attracted too much attention to himself. Watching the match with everyone else was a necessary suffering. The chatter all around him was nearly deafening. Adult fans arguing about their favorites, children saying they wanted to grow up to be just like Greenshift or Kohryu, there were even some pro heroes in attendance, discussing the advantages of the different students, and how they would fair as sidekicks in the future. Akira sighed, pulling his hood up over his head. It didn't really make any of the din any quieter, but it helped him to tune it all out. That was the best he could hope for, right now.

 

It took him nearly a minute to reach the front row. Looking down the row of seats, he saw Gin, still clearly recovering from his X-Caliber attack, and some random fangirl of his, who wouldn't stop talking. I guess this is as good a spot as any. He quietly sat down a few seats away from Gin, with nothing but empty space between them. Even though this was the front row, it seemed people would rather watch from the nosebleeds than be near Gin. Well, aside from the fangirl. She was making a clear effort to be close to him. Eventually, the girl managed to shut up, as the fight was announced to start. She must have been a fan of Madam Mic as well.

 

Turning his head toward Gin, he could see him glaring down at the two combatants, about to start their fight. Even two rounds later, he seemed to have been a sore loser. "You know," Akira began slowly, trying to gauge Gin's reaction, "once I bothered to start fighting, I figured it would be you and I down there in the finals." Akira paused for a moment, redirecting his attention back toward the fight. "I would have won, of course, but that's not the point I'm making."

[~Faytl~]

Hadley raised her head, looking resentfully out of the corner of her eye at Aaron. Her eye was bloodshot, tired-looking. SHE was tired-looking.

 

"Has it occurred to you how crazy it is that he even thought to TRY it? Who CARES if he learns a lesson; That he was willing to do that to himself, to hit his opponent with an attack that powerful... Is that what Max Omaga means? Go beyond, even if it destroys you, destroys everyone around you? That's what UA preaches?"

 

"This school wants me to be the same, you know," she spat, standing, turning back to the hallway that led out to the stands. "Max Omega; DEVOTE yourself. Push yourself to the limits! Have you ever thought what they would think of you if you refused? I'm living goddamn proof of that, cause I won't fuckin look past the negatives, you idjit... There are too goddamn many fer tha'." She stalked down the hallway, her back to Aaron. 

 

She stormed back into the stands. "God sakes, less' just get this whole damn thing over with; Watch Tomoaki sweep this SHITE..." She blew out to the top row like a battering ram, then stopped short, looking down at the field with pause. 

 

"Let the Finals... BEGIN!"

 

She darted her head to the side, looking at the display screen to confirm what her eyes had told her. Akira wasn't on the field. His face wasn't on the screen, either. She looked back to the field, then the screen. She hadn't paid any mind to any of the monitors, already so sure of what they would tell her... But Tomoaki wasn't out there. Had he actually lost?

 

She felt her breath quickening, but it wasn't like the panic attack earlier. THe energy was nervous, still, but it expressed itself in a sound she hadn't made in a while: She started to laugh.

 

"Keh... That dumb shite... he lost... He actually lost..." She leaned against one of the rails leading down the stairs of the stadium, using it for support as she threw her head back, letting out a great, relieved laugh, echoing across the audience around her, even over all the excited chatter, Hadley's laugh rose above them. They paid her little mind; The finals below captivated them, but Hadley had received the best entertainment she would likely receive all year. 

[Super Chaos Sonic]

 

 

"Let the Finals...BEGIN!"

 

Ichiro rushed out back onto the stands, knowing that the Terro and Mike's bout was about to begin. He huffed slightly, doing his best to catch his breath as he scanned the area until he found Rei. Quickly, he moved over towards his brother, sitting down quickly with a smile on his face.

 

"Ichi, there you are!" Rei smiled, ruffling his brother's hair. "And just in time for finale. Who are you rootin' for?"

 

He wasn't sure exactly how to answer this question, as he shrugged slightly. Looking at Terro and Mike, letting out a small sigh. "Honestly...I can't tell who I want to win more." he said with a small chuckle. "Both of them are incredibly strong. I've fought Mike hand to hand...and then there's Terro, and I've seen how amazing he is..."

 

"Soooooooooo what I'm hearing...you can't decide between your two classmates and friends?" Rei asked, seeing Ichiro nodding. "Heh, then how bout you just cheer your hardest for both of them?"

 

"Jeez, that's some lame advice there Rei..." Ichiro rolled his eyes some, before shaking his head. "C'MON TERRO!!! MIKE!!!"
 

 

Class B Squad

 

"I think this is a bad idea to visit her right now..." Shin grumbled, walking behind Casey and Aina. The two were 100% into wanting to visit Valerie, but Shin definitely knew how to read the lines of the situation. Right now, wouldn't be the best time.

 

Aina waved her hand dismissively at Shin's obvious attempt to stop the group. "You worry too much, Shin! She'd be happy to see us!"

 

"Hell yeah she will!" Casey said giving two thumbs up, as he grinned. "Besides Shin, she's NEVER in a terrible mood!"

 

"Still think it's a bad idea..."

[VCR_CAT]

Mike vs. Terro

Part 2

 

Mr. Rosenfeld

We apologize but we are afraid we did not have time to finish repairing elements of your costume-- in particular the Wrist and Helmet components. The damage done to those components was far too extensive and we need more time to rebuild those components. General maintenance has been performed to the remaining pieces of your costume to keep them in working order and to avoid any unexpected issues in your final round. Once again, we apologize for this inconvenience and wish you all the luck in your final round!

- The Support Department

 

 

Mike sprinted at Terro, trails of bright green energy following his boots as he did his best to close the distance as quickly as possible. Terro wasn't the kind of opponent to give an opening, and the sooner Mike could end it and avoid any sort of drawn-out confrontation the better. Terro took on a fighting stance as Mike got closer, and just as the distance was beginning to close in he tensed his muscles for the impact.

 

However, at the last minute, Mike kicked his legs out from underneath, his body falling to the ground as the jets on his back and legs, along with those on his hands pushed him into brilliant, green slide. Terro's eyes widened as Mike's feet connected with his own legs, the world spinning as his body was flipped and flung to the ground. Mike's heart was beating fast, knowing that now was his chance. Planting his hands firmly on the ground, the jets on his heels fired and his feet began to swing around in a smooth arc, turning Mike all the way around.

 

Terro let out a grunt and slammed his fist into the arena floor. A pillar of concrete erupted from where he lay, launching his body in the air. Mike's foot burst through the concrete pillar in a bright and flashy explosion of glowing-green dust that soon covered a good portion of the arena. As the dust settled, Terro was revealed to be standing a good distance away from Mike, who was left alone on all fours.

 

"Shoot," Mike muttered under his breath, his thought process freezing in place in light of something he had not anticipated. With a smirk painted on his face, Terro ran forward towards Mike, rocks collecting on his arm to form a giant, earthen fist. Mike pushed himself into a crouching position, and as Terro got closer he sprung from his heels into a jump, a blast of green energy launching him high in the air.

 

"Emerald Comet!" Mike shouted, releasing another burst of green energy from his upper body to send him streaking back down to the earth. Terro's eyes snapped upwards, and in instinct formed a dome of rocks above his head. Mike's landed on the stone shield with an unsatisfying "thud".

 

"You're a lot more mobile than anyone else I've fought here," Terro said with a chuckle.

 

"Well I hope so! I'm not using my quirk very well if I'm not!" Mike said with a laugh, but gave very little opening as he released another strong blast of energy from his feet to send himself flying back into the air. The initial blast alone was enough to shatter the stone shield.

 

"Well then, I guess I'll have to just make you hold still!" As Mike reached the apex of his jump, Terro thrust his arm to the sky. "Kohryuuga!!" Stones collected around Terro's fist until they formed the giant maw of an earthen dragon. Mike's eyes widened as he saw the artificial beast threatening to clamp down on him. Tilting his body forward, Mike fired a blast of energy from the jets on his back, sharply moving his descent forward. As he came close to the ground, he fired a much smaller burst of energy to break some of the impact as he landed on all fours, hoping to avoid a repeat of his last match.

 

"Not fast enough!" Mike taunted, kicking his legs out behind him towards Terro and firing a strong blast of energy from his boots. Terro found himself caught in the thick of the burst and was sent flying away, flipping and bouncing against the stage floor twice before finally planting his feet firmly on the ground and forming a wall of rock behind him to stop the momentum. The arena's edge wasn't right behind him, but the distance was closed enough to make him sweat a little.

 

"Damn Mike. I knew that quirk hit hard, but feeling it for myself really drives that home!" Terro said, coughing as the dust around him cleared.

 

"There's more where that came from," Mike said with a smile, doing his best to hide how short of breath he had become.

[LordCowCowCowCowCowCowCowCow]

The match immediately started out explosively. Almost literally. The two were clearly raring to go and both seemed to have impressive control of their Quirks. It was bound to be an exciting match no matter who won.

 

It should be her out there.

 

Valerie couldn't help but let that invasive thought slip past. She didn't like it but it's how she was feeling. She should have done better and been the one fighting Mike in this final. But she had lost. Valerie had thought that she practiced hard enough to make it but clearly it wasn't enough. Even had she beaten Terro she wouldn't have had the energy to battle Mike.

 

And it wasn't even your own power.

 

There was the rub. She hadn't gotten this far on her normal abilities. This....mutation, expansion, whatever it was that had given her a power boost wasn't what she had been training with for so long. She may have even lost to Goto had it not came to her.

 

The top is so far away.

 

She wasn't stupid. She knew she was just a student and yet had a long way to go. But she had believed she was the best of her class. Maybe even of the students in general. But she lost. There was at least one person stronger than her. Maybe even three since she wasn't able to test herself against Mike or Akira.

 

Valerie slammed her fist against the wall in frustration. All those hours training. Practicing. Trying to get stronger...why was it not enough?

 

She would have to thank the nurse later. She had agreed to keep her class out without any questions. Right now Valerie did not want to see them. They'd be full of excuses, and pity, and she couldn't let herself accept that right now.

Especially because they thought of her as a friend.

 

What kind of friend could I be?

 

She constantly avoided hanging out with them outside the classroom. There was no time for that kind of thing. On occasion she dragged herself away if only to make them feel better. Because while she didn't exactly think of them as friends, more comrades, it wasn't as though she didn't care about them.

They were her classmates, her responsibility, and she can't be a hero if she ignored the people she was responsible for. They were good people and would become good heroes and she didn't want to ruin that. If it meant losing a bit of training time to occasionally go along with some playtime, even if she did often leave early, then so be it. It was her duty as a hero.

 

But she couldn't let them try and help her. None of them knew why she was fighting. They didn't even know about her life outside of school. Only that she was driven to be the best. The closest to learning more was Goto but that was only in moments of weakness.

 

She can't let herself fail.

 

If they came in she'd have to do something she never had to before. Fake confidence. The mere thought caused a pit in her stomach to form. She always was certain she was doing it right. Certain she could take on any obstacle. And she didn't want to lose that.

 

She felt her classmates needed her to be the best almost as much as Valerie did. Even if they didn't realize it. She needed to be a symbol of strength. That was part of being the top hero.

But more importantly she owed it to her parents. Valerie looked at her hand, which had so recently been wreathed in flames, and she watched as a single tear drop fell onto her open palm.

 

Especially if her suspicions about her "new" powers were true.

[Mr. Hyde]

 

Gin looked on at the fight, realizing that this was just going to turn into a slug fest.  

 

"That idiot...with his quirk...he could've done so much by now."  He squirmed in his seat a little, trying to think of all the possibilities that came with Terro's quirk.  Immobilize your opponent, then slam them with a mountain.  It wasn't hard.  Yet this idiot refused to use those tactics, and instead just tried to punch harder.  "What a waste...just end it like you did the last match...so I don't have to suffer this awful display."  In the back of his mind, he made the fight pan out in Mike's favor, until the end.  There, Mike won...excruciatingly hard.  He smirked, thinking it was funny that he was rooting for someone other than himself.  But the less pathetic idiot should be the one that wins.  

 

"You know," an all too familiar smug tone spoke, "once I bothered to start fighting, I figured it would be you and I down there in the finals." Gin's eyes made their way towards the voices origin.  And there that bastard was, sitting somewhat close to him. "I would have won, of course, but that's not the point I'm making."

 

Gin couldn't help but stir in his anger for a moment, letting the air between the two sit in silence.  He then finally let out a scratchy and irritated response.

 

"You wanna mock my fighting style, and have the gall to lose?"  Gin lurched his head in Akira's direction, with a fat smile on his face.  "You're no better than that electric kid!  Trash shouldn't think so highly of itself!"  Gin then turned his attention back towards the fight.  "Although, I hoped you would make it...so I could blow you to hell..."  His eyes peered back at Akira once more.  "Hell...I'll take you on any time, Star Bright." 

 

"Fighting between students isn't allowed outside of school sanctioned activities!"  Erika said, nudging Gin's arm again, causing him to wince in pain.  "Anyone who breaks those rules are villain scum.  Not that I don't think you aren't already villain scum, but that guy who decently has a chance at becoming a top hero shouldn't place himself in the same realm as someone like you!  Don't drag people down to your level idiot!" Erika said, before turning back to the fight.

 

 

 

Ino sat in the stands with all of her classmates...no, friends, casually scooping bits of cookie dough ice cream into her mouth.  Her legs kicked back and forth, as the flavors and friendships swirled around in her head.  She didn't need to be on the stadium to have a good time, just being with her friends was enough for her!  She'd get stronger later!  And then she'd wipe the floor with Terro!  FOR SURE!  But until then, they were all friends.

 

"Who do you think will win?" Asuka asked. "Both of them are very powerful in their own rights, so it's not like there's a clear winner. I'm rooting for Rosenfield."

 

Ino popped the small plastic spoon out of her mouth, and dolled it to the side as she thought.

 

"You know, I'm not totally sure!  But do you see Mike zooming down there!?  There's no way Terro can keep up!"  Ino thought of all the ways she might be able to counter Mike...but they wouldn't probably pan out in real time.  Ino took another bite of her ice cream, just to talk with it still in her mouth.  "But Tewwo dib thawt reawwy coow stadioom fwip thing."  She swallowed and took the spoon out once more.  "Maybe it'll work again!  But if I were anyone else, I'd probably have a plan for that!  It all comes down to the plan, man!"  Ino laughed, as she waited for Isami's reply.  

 

 

 

The match was a real snoozer this time...well currently.  Nothin' as flashy as before.  Mako stood there with his arm's crossed, waiting for something crazier than the last to happen.  Although, he really didn't care seeing as it was between two 1-A students.  His teeth were grinding so hard at that fact that he swore they were falling out of his mouth.  He suddenly was turned around by a slight tapping on his back.  A wolf girl wanted his attention. 

 

I'd like to talk to you about your Quirk. Do you understand sign language, or will I have to write everything down?
(I'm mute, not deaf)

 

"How in the hell did you get down here!  People ain't allowe-"

 

"She's one of my students."  Suna sighed.  He turned to Sayuri to flip her a slight peace sign.  "She didn't partake in the tournament...curiously.  But looks likes shes got a question only a mutant-quirk hero might help her with."  

 

"I know the feelin'!  Most of my class didn't even want to sign up!  They're a bunch of chumps who think they're above the rest, and ain't got nothing to prove!  These lousy dang kids this generation, am I right?!"  Mako turned towards Sayuri, and laughed.  "Not you though!  You look like you're pretty troubled with somethin'!"  Mako started to walk away from the stadium before turning back towards Suna.  "You got this right?"  Suna replied with a thumbs up, not even turning around.  Mako led Sayuri to the teacher's lounge area, where he sat in a large couch ushering Sayuri to sit opposite of him.  "So what's the 119?" 

[Yui]

---

"How in the hell did you get down here!  People ain't allowe-"

 

"She's one of my students. She didn't partake in the tournament...curiously."

 

There were a few reasons for that one. Sayuri was nimble and could certainly do a number with her Quirk, but that was in fights where her natural agility gave her an advantage. An open arena like the ones used in tournaments were no good for her. In a straight fight, Sayuri would lose to more or less the entirety of 1-A right now. The wildcard Valerie was also a small factor; agility aside, Sayuri's main advantage in a fight was that she knew everyone's Quirks. The biggest reason, however, was that she simply didn't want to. Best case scenario, she did well in the tournament and got a ton of unwanted attention for it. However, her absence from the tournament wasn't why Sayuri was here.

 

"But looks likes shes got a question only a mutant-quirk hero might help her with."

 

That was.

 

"I know the feelin'! Most of my class didn't even want to sign up! They're a bunch of chumps who think they're above the rest, and ain't got nothing to prove! These lousy dang kids this generation, am I right?! Not you though! You look like you're pretty troubled with somethin'!"

 

Sayuri nodded, as Mako started away from the stadium after confirming that Suna had everything under control here. The large, shark-like hero led the wolf girl to a teacher's lounge, where he sat down and ushered her to sit opposite him. The room was pretty nice, based on her quick glances around. Which made sense.

 

"So what's the 119?"

 

For one, you never answered my question about sign language. Not that Sayuri was opposed to writing everything down anyway. As much as she would have preferred just signing it, she had a gut feeling that 1-B's teacher probably didn't know sign language. He didn't strike her as someone who would learn and remember all of it. And so, Sayuri took to the whiteboard, writing down her problems. Until eventually, she was done, and handed the board to the teacher for him to look at.

 

I don't know for sure if the answer is yes, but does your shark Quirk cause any sort of reaction to the scent of blood?

 

I'm asking because I've had a problem with it ever since the Kashyyyk Incident. When Mr. Suna lost his arm, I got a huge whiff of his blood, and it caused me to behave strangely. Violently actually, though I was able to suppress the urge to injure anyone. I figured that would be the end of it, but just a bit earlier today, some kid from another school tripped and hurt himself on somebody's sword-fingers, and the same thing happened again. I thought, "I'd really like to claw and bite that guy so badly that his parents won't recognize him when he gets home." Even thinking about it can sometimes get me into those violent moods, and it doesn't feel like it's really me when it happens.

 

So basically, if this kind of thing happens to you too, do you know any way to get rid of that type of behavior?

---

[(GigaDrillBreaker)]

"That guy who decently has a chance at becoming a top hero shouldn't place himself in the same realm as someone like you! Don't drag people down to your level idiot!" The fangirl stopped Gin's challenge short, which was... amusing.

"You should listen to your girlfriend, she's trying to protect you," though his expression appeared disinterested overall, his eyes darted back and forth as he watched the fight below, concealed behind the glasses he wore, "besides, he can't fight. His quirk requires use of his arms, and as you can see, they are out of commission. It would be even more of a sweep than otherwise. I don't know what business he has leaving the hospital bed in the first place, but he'd best hope the rest of the day only has relaxation in store for him. He can't handle much else right now." Mike hurtled down at Terro from midair, using the same Emerald Comet attack he had led with in their fight. Once again, it was ineffective, though Akira supposed he wasn't in the best position to criticize telegraphed moves.

Two Sides

"X-Caliber was stupid." Though he had spent a while trying to think of the best way to get the point across, he ended up taking the blunt approach. "You may have fooled a lot of people into thinking it makes you the real deal, but not me. I was surprised, but not impressed." Akira clenched his fist around the arm-rest of his seat, his face taking on a cold expression as he watched Mike dart back and forth, testing Terro's abilities. Lines of hard light traced the contours of his knuckles, and his tone of voice lowered to a murmur, barely audible over the action below. "You didn't show how strong you are. You showed how little control you have over your quirk. Anyone can let loose." Akira gritted his teeth. He had no interest in becoming personal with this idiot, but this point had to be made. "My quirk creates anything I think about. If I wanted to, I could probably create a roof over this entire stadium, or even destroy it. I could have won my fight in an instant, wiped Greenshift right off the concrete and flattened him against the wall, but..." Akira took a few deep breaths, his body trembling slightly as his voice was halted. He could remember how good it felt during the fight, surrendering even a little bit to his quirk as the wing manifested on his back, but he knew that wasn't the path he should be on. It wasn't why he was here. "The reason I work so hard is so that I can control this power. I... People like you and I, we can't succumb to our own strength. If we do, we hurt the people that us heroes are supposed to be protecting. That's all I had to say"

Akira felt sick. He quickly rose from his seat, making his way back up the steps without saying another word to Gin. X-Caliber, that kind of unbridled display of power, was all too familiar to him. He bounded up the stairs, hardly even looking where he was going, before colliding with Hadley, the support course student he had briefly met earlier. Wheeling around from an upper step, he looked down at her. The face of the boy she had met and despised before was not the face she saw now. Where there was arrogance and resentment before, there now only resided fear. He didn't know what to say to her in this moment of vulnerability, but it didn't stop him from trying, "I... didn't mean to... sorry."

[Mr. Hyde]

 

"You should listen to your girlfriend, she's trying to protect you,"

 

"P-P-Protect him!?  Preposterous!  Why would I want to protect someone as pretentious and problematic as this idiot right here?!  If anything, I'm trying to protect you!  Truthfully, truthfully, honestly truthfully!"  Erika started to twiddle her fingers, pouting.  "I thought your fight was pretty cool..."  

 

"Shut up."  Gin muttered.   

 

"besides, he can't fight. His quirk requires use of his arms, and as you can see, they are out of commission. It would be even more of a sweep than otherwise. I don't know what business he has leaving the hospital bed in the first place, but he'd best hope the rest of the day only has relaxation in store for him. He can't handle much else right now."

 

"I can handle you with my legs if I have to, you prick!"  There was some tense silence that lingered for a while, as the fight beneath them continued.  

 

"X-Caliber was stupid."

 

"Eh?"  Gin said, turning his head and raising an angry brow.

 

"You may have fooled a lot of people into thinking it makes you the real deal, but not me. I was surprised, but not impressed."

 

Gin's arms started to rumble in their bandages.  He tried to make a fist, but the pain was excruciating.  It didn't stop him. 

 

"You didn't show how strong you are. You showed how little control you have over your quirk. Anyone can let loose.My quirk creates anything I think about. If I wanted to, I could probably create a roof over this entire stadium, or even destroy it. I could have won my fight in an instant, wiped Greenshift right off the concrete and flattened him against the wall, but...The reason I work so hard is so that I can control this power. I... People like you and I, we can't succumb to our own strength.  If we do, we hurt the people that us heroes are supposed to be protecting.  That's all I had to say."

 

As Akira began to rise, Gin jumped up to do the same.  

 

"Don't turn your back on m-"  But Akira was already on his way out of the stands.  "HEY!"  Gin said, trying to hop over a row of seats to catch him, and ultimately falling over.  He fell on his arms, hurting them beyond words yet again.  However, he scrambled to his feet to chase after Akira.  

 

"Hmph."  Erika pouted.  

 

Gin eventually caught up to Akira, who had ran into that metal gauntlet chick from before.  Gin roared, as he slammed into Akira with his shoulder.  

 

"You!  You don't get to say that sheet and walk away  You've got some kinda nerve, kid."  Gin's breathing was heavy, as he looked upon Akira with quivering eyes.  "You don't know me...no one in this damn class does.  Don't go projecting yourself onto me, just cause I wanted to win more than you!"  Gin's left arm was taken out of it's sling, and grabbed the neck of Akira's shirt.  Gin closed his right eye, and his teeth grit in pain.  "If I wanted to have gone all out there...there wouldn't be a stadium left."  Finally, Gin's arm collapsed to his side, causing a grunt to sound from Gin.  "Get it through your head Jackass...you aren't the only one trying to figure out how to tame their quirk in this world!"  Gin gingerly placed his arm back into the sling, and turned his back on the two.  "You got anything else to say...you better say it now.  I'll give you the courtesy that your parents must not have taught you."  Gin sneered at Akira.  "I guess you've earned my respect that much."   

 

 

 

For one, you never answered my question about sign language. 

 

"Just keep writin' what you're wantin' to say down, alright?!  I'm not as smart as those other heroes when it comes to that kinda stuff."

 

I'm asking because I've had a problem with it ever since the Kashyyyk Incident. When Mr. Suna lost his arm, I got a huge whiff of his blood, and it caused me to behave strangely. Violently actually, though I was able to suppress the urge to injure anyone. I figured that would be the end of it, but just a bit earlier today, some kid from another school tripped and hurt himself on somebody's sword-fingers, and the same thing happened again. I thought, "I'd really like to claw and bite that guy so badly that his parents won't recognize him when he gets home." Even thinking about it can sometimes get me into those violent moods, and it doesn't feel like it's really me when it happens.

 

So basically, if this kind of thing happens to you too, do you know any way to get rid of that type of behavior?

 

Mako sat back in the couch for a moment, and scratched the top of his nose.  

 

"Geez...you're just now gettin' into that part of who you are?"  Mako continued to scratch as he talked.  "It happened to me when I was a kid...a lot of kids were scared of me.  On the playground, they ran away...one tripped...scraped his knee...I attacked him."  Mako let out a heavy sigh.  "You can imagine how well that must'a gone over with the Quirkless and the parents of other kids around where I lived.  But I still wanted to be a hero like my pops!  Hearing that screaming...I never wanted to hear it again.  I wanted to make things right.  And my pops believed in me!"  The 1-B teacher leaned forward, and crossed his fingers.  "I didn't interact with a lot of people after that...had to go to some Podunk High School because of my record.  But there I met a teacher who told me I could tame that wild side of myself...the animalistic tendencies you and I share.  Told me I could harness that bloodlust, and unleash it on my enemies.  You just gotta train your brain to ignore the source of the blood, and place that target onto the thing causing that blood to pour."  Mako grinned.  "And once I could do that...they saw me as a Hero who protected anyone with any kind of injury!"  He tapped his nose a couple of times.  "The smell of blood just gets me riled up for a fight now!  I get pumped up, and let loose.  There's nothing wrong with that side of you...it's how you let it loose outside where the problems start to come in.  So tame that...and you'll be all set for hero status."