Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Fight on, Don't hold back!
"What the fuck!" Bakugou shouted from his seat, eyes as wide as possible. It wasn't just the explosive boy that was in a state of surprise, as the majority of the spectators had been shouting and loudly cheering the battle. The match had been quick, but not without excitement; in fact, there seemed to be a bit too much excitement, as the crowd had been going absolutely crazy the moment Izuku had landed the first hit.
There was a fair share of the audience that was rooting for Shoto to win, but the way he had been going about winning was bland, especially for those that came to the festival hoping to see action. As the match went on, it was clear for the world to see that Midoriya wasn't your average competitor, and neither would he easily grant the youngest Todoroki an easy win. The stakes were then raised to further heights as Izuku pressured Shoto with all he could put out, rather viciously lashing against the [Half-cold, half-hot]-quirk user.
Class 1-A knew that both teens were titans among them, but to see the duo display this level of power and battle prowess made them feel rather inferior. Even Bakugou had to admit to himself that should he battle with Izuku, he wouldn't come out unharmed. It grinded his gears to admit to the fact, but the blonde was being forced to acknowledge that the bloodsucker was a match for him.
Kyouka had been easing Momo's nerves as the rich girl would be the one facing Bakugou. Their conversation died down when Present Mic began to give his usual speech to hype up the crowd, presenting the top fighters of their class, followed by letting Midnight to give out the rules and begin the match. It was clear for all to see that the teens were ready to beat each other to a pulp, Izuku taking that literally as he was by Todoroki's side the second the match began.
The punk-rocker heard some surprised gasps coming from the neighboring wall, the stands for their sister class 1-B. She had been hearing them complain all the time about the treatment class 1-A had been receiving, so when they were left speechless in front of the might of the vampire and his opponent, Kyouka could not help the smug grin that graced her lips. Serves them right to talk without knowing jack-shit about us, she thought. The way that that vine-haired girl had spoken about Izuku, almost as if he was evil-incarnate left Kyouka really pissed off.
She would have given the girl a piece of her mind, but Momo was in need of her help. It wasn't like Izuku couldn't defend himself if it came to it and she figured that his actions would speak much louder than words. Kyouka knew that Izuku had been rather gentle with his first opponent, mercy that was not displayed to his classmate as she heard the crack of the vampire's closed fist meeting Shoto's jaw and sending him flying away.
And then, Izuku finished the fight in the most BM, taunting, provocative way she couldn't possibly have imagined. He fucking quoted AC/DC! No way! Pre-quirk era music had been on a decline, especially something as old as AC/DC, the band now been know more known among the cycles of hard-core rock fans. For him to just casually let out such a reference, forget the fact he legit struck Todoroki with actual electricity – that was its own level of awesome – he knew good music!
She knew he was into old-style music, one didn't drop Queen as workout music for shits-and-giggles, but this was the shit! Too bad Momo seemed to have a hard aversion to Izuku, they could become such good friends once the rich girl got past whatever funk she had against the vampire. Kyouka shelved her revenge plans against Izuku's earlier prank; right now her objective would be to make her friends become friends themselves. That however, would be done after she congratulated him after his win over Todoroki. That was rad!
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Izuku slowly raised right hand, the limb steaming and twitching. He had put everything he could behind the attack, the sleeve of his shirt being nonexistent proved as much; it seemed he needed to work a bit more on that, considering he was ready to drop, dead-tired. Still, Izuku couldn't help his lips quivering into a tiny smile as he looked at his defeated opponent. Midoriya Izuku, the vampire, had just won in a match against Todoroki Shoto, the son of Endeavor.
The [Inner Beast] released a pleased growl in his head, his shadow trying to extend and reach the defeated prey that would become sustenance for them.
[The loser has no rights to complain, the winner takes it all!] [Your foolishness shall be much appreciated, Todoroki.] [We shall feast on your delicious blood, the flavor was most delicious after all.] [Hot and cold, spicy and refreshing, become our food!]
Izuku's fangs itched terribly, his mouth watering at the thought of acquiring Todoroki's quirk factor. What would he gain after ingesting more of the dual-haired teen's power? He was very eager to discover, walking towards Shoto with slow steps and open mouth.
"AND THE WINNER OF THIS HEART-PUMPING MATCH IS THE IMMORTAL VAMPIRE OF UA! FOLKS AT HOME AND MASS MIDIA, THERE IS THE TURN OF EVENTS YOU ALL LOVE SO MUCH! THE EXPECTED WINNER ENDS UP FALLING FROM HIS THRONE OF GLORY AS A NEWCOMER RISES TO IT! THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH IS MIDORIYA IZUKU!" Present Mic's loud voice made Izuku snap from his stupor, the vampire clenching his jaw shut and exerting his will over shadow control, the dark tendrils returning to their nest in his shadow. The [Inner beast] shrieked in his head, banging against the cage that restrained it in his head; the hemomancer shut it down.
I'll deal with you later, settle down for now! He exerted his willpower over the cage in his head, his mindscape suddenly growing quiet as the [Inner Beast] was subdued by his sheer willpower. It released a last whimper, a silent wish for blood that was its right, only for it to be chained under the influence of Izuku's mind.
The teen closed his eyes for a moment, releasing a sigh as he reached Todoroki. The vampire could feel the other teen's small blood sample being broken down inside himself, the quirk-factor one of the many inside him. The medbots came rushing from the infirmary, carrying a stretcher with them. Izuku saw the machines carry his opponent away, wondering if he should say something.
His fatigue won over and the vampire made his way slowly to the student stands, many eyes settling over his frame as he slowly disappeared under the shadows of the hallway. [Rage] had sapped his stamina, the vampire wondering if he would be capable of facing the next round. He would be facing his childhood…acquaintance. Bakugou wasn't a friend, and knowing the blonde like he did, Izuku could say that they most probably would never be. Unless something managed to change the bomber's mind about his image of the vampire, they would always be at odds with each other.
The vampire saw more productive to rest his body while the following matches happened. He had enough blood in him for another fight, but the fatigue from using his ultimate move was piling up.
Returning to the student stands, it was clear that many were both awed and scared with his performance, nothing that he wasn't used to dealing with. Their sister class was silent for once, no person from there speaking or taunting Izuku. The vampire took the grace as it was, tiredly sitting on his seat and releasing an exhausted breath. Iida immediately came over, robotically moving as always.
"Midoriya-kun, that match was splendid! I never knew you had such raw output of strength! However, that last move of yours is something I haven't seen you execute before. How is it possible for you to use electricity as a means of attack?" The Tenya's youngest asked in a flurry of words, the only way he seemed to be able to when curious. Izuku lazily glanced at his friend, slowly raising his still steaming arm to the other teen. The action gathered the curiosity of his classmates, the group trying to discreetly peek and hear his conversation.
The vampire took a few more breathes to ease his tired body, then he allowed the green lightning build up once more over his limb, the arcs of plasma tiny when compared to his previous stunt. "I can replicate the abilities of people I have drunk blood from. It's not always the same ability, but I do my best with what I can." Izuku explained, lowering his arm and slumping over his chair. He was very thankful for his development of [Daywalker]; otherwise his whole body would be steaming right now.
Izuku noticed that his classmates had grown rather silent after his little explanation of one of the facets of [True Ancestor]. He turned his head to see the state of his classmates, finding many with bewildered faces as they stared at him like he was an alien creature. His eyes also noticed the add-ons over the dividing wall, the same agitators from before had wary, almost fearful eyes as they looked at him. As they noticed his gaze, the group from 1-B flinched and fled, Izuku hearing them mutter under their breaths, monster being a recurring theme-word being used to describe him.
He was used to such word. There weren't many words that could accurately describe his array of powers, the vampire having long grown accustomed with people's fear over him. The word (for him anyway) had lost its derogatory terminology and had become a simple description.
"That is actually really cool, Izuku-kun!" Much to his surprise, Uraraka exclaimed with enthusiasm as she picked a seat close to his own. "That way you can become, like, the perfect hero for any situation, right? If you can get any power, can't you become just like All Might? Being capable of doing anything!" The brunette excitedly said, arms flailing about.
Iida hummed, assuming a pensive pose. "That might be very much true, Uraraka-san. If Midoriya-kun can assimilate quirks, then he might become the ultimate support for hero work as he'd have a quirk for any situation. That was very insightful!" The tall teen reached an "Eureka moment".
Izuku was a bit overwhelmed with his friends' positive outlook on his quirk. Aren't they afraid I will rob their spotlight or something? He wondered. Society put much value in your quirk after all, and these days it was all about how powerful and flashy a quirk could be. When faced with a quirk that could copycat other quirks permanently, many weren't exactly pleased with such notion.
"So it was Midori that was spawning all those black spikes? Those things were really bothersome!" Mina whined from her seat, pulling one of her eyelids childishly at him while also showing her tongue. "That was really mean, Midori! Why haven't you told about this before?" The pink-skinned girl left her seat to approach the vampire, a curious energy emanating from her step that was previously unseen by him.
Izuku noticed the divide in his class. Some were clearly in doubt about his character, seeing as Ojiro now was staring at him, almost like he was solving a puzzle in his head. Others seemed partial to the fact, curiosity displayed over their expression. He decided that it would be fair to indulge their curiosity a bit, considering he had taken blood samples from a few of them.
Silently pulling on shadow control, the vampire allowed the black matter to rise up like it had done when in the infirmary with Recovery Girl. Many awed sounds echoed in the class stand as the shadow mass waved at them before it returned to his shadow. The vampire saw from the corner of his eye a smirk over Tokoyami's beak, the raven-headed teen amused at the antics of the class.
Mina almost jumped in place with her usual excitement, her golden pupils shining as she got almost closer to Izuku. She was about to barrage him with some questions, but the screen on the stadium called for her name two names from the class, calling the attention of the students back to the recently fixed and cleaned arena. Izuku made a mental note to later apologize for giving Cementoss this much work, as there still had a few matches to happen.
[Katsuki Bakugou X Yaoyorozu Momo]
The vampire then remembered about his childhood tormentor. The ash-blond had been oddly silent for a while, no growling or gnarling leaving the bomber. He calmly left his place, the sight strange as Class 1-A had already grown accustomed to Bakugou's explosive temper. The blond had his hands in his pockets as he descended the stand stairs, stopping as he reached Izuku on the lower seats.
"I hope you are ready for the curb-stopping that will happen soon. Your disgusting tricks won't help you win in front of a true hero's power, bloodsucker. I will break you in front of all these people and the novelty of your shitty quirk will wear out. So what that you have some new shitty tricks, I will destroy you. Icy-hot was an idiot for challenging you and missing the best of the best." The blond declared with a low tone, only meant for the vampire to hear. His message delivered, Bakugou once more began walking the stairs to reach the arena.
Yaoyorozu stood from her place after a few deep breaths, the girl putting on her best confident face. She received one last pat on the back before she also made her way down the stairs, even managing to look Izuku in the face for a few seconds. If he can win against the Todoroki-kun, then even I have chance against Bakugou-san! I just need to be careful and execute my battle plan properly. I can win this match!
Izuku, after hearing the ash-blond, merely sighed in a troubled manner. He really hates my guts, huh? I don't understand what his problem is. The vampire relaxed his back and leaned on the chair, closing his eyes to relax a bit as Present Mic gave his speech about the two participants of the match. I guess he really hates me, whatever the reason may be. It's not like I like you either, Katsuki. To be honest, I also really hate you. A few memories played back; the beating on the park, the isolation from his peers lead by said blond, the nicknames about him, the jokes made at his expense. Middle school was a period of time that the vampire really wished to sink his fangs into a few necks and bleed certain fools dry, the blond being at the top of said list. It was maddening having to withstand the grumbling in his gut and the [Thirst] when he was forced to constantly heal burns.
Go ahead then Bakugou. I shall wait for you right here. I won't flee anymore; you want to fight me, then I guess I can show you how much I've grown!
The hemomancer opened his eyes as a presence settled close to his own. Lilac scent with just a tiny hint of tobacco, carefully hidden under the refreshing scent of mint was captured by his sensitive nose, the vampire letting his somber thoughts aside as a friendly smile painted his face.
"Hello there, Kyouka-san." He lazily greeted the punk girl.
"Finished with your dark brooding or do I need to get Tokoyami here to help break your dark spell?" She said back, lips also painted with a smile. Izuku lightly laughed, exposing his fangs for a bit.
"Yes, I'm done with my brooding for the day. I can't be a vampire if I don't brood and have inner monologues about dark matters that feeble mortals can't comprehend." He joked about, raising his hands in an "intimidating" manner. Kyouka mockingly raised one hand to her forehead.
"Oh no, what shall I do?" She followed the playful mood he had stablished, before one of her jacks suddenly shot towards his midsection. He let the jack hit him, the following soundwaves no more than a mild massage due to his shock mitigation. The punk noticed her "attack" had little effect on him and pouted, retracting her jack. "You know, you are no fun." Kyouka complained, turning to face the arena.
He did the same, feeling a gaze settle over his back. Another deep breath and he knew who was eyeing him, her taste still lingering in his mouth.
"Do you think Yaomomo will win?" The question made him turn to meet Kyouka's frame, the rocker girl now sporting a serious face as she still faced the arena.
Izuku let silence be his answer for a few moments, trying to work a phrase that would not sound harsh. "She has…a probability." His answer made the punk scoff. "Her [Creation]-quirk is capable of becoming a counter against absolutely anything thrown her way, provided she has time and enough lipids to make the necessary item she might need. I don't know yet how exactly it works, but my current theory dictates that the more complex her creation, the more time and resources she needs to spend to make it. Against someone like Bakugou, her odds of winning are decreasing by the second. The longer she takes to make anything, the more he sweats and increases his firepower." He explained, careful of his wording.
Kyouka nodded to his assessment, right hand playing with one of her jacks. Izuku had always displayed a rather uncanny ability to read people, be it their skills or their behavior, so the punk girl was fully trusting in his judgement. She wanted Momo to win for sure, as Bakugou was an ass, but she also was a realistic person. She could only hope that Momo had developed a plan to win.
The two teens were already at the arena, staring at each other. Yaoyorozu released a tension filled sigh, preparing herself as Midnight once more ran the rules by the two of them. Bakugou seemed nonchalant until now, but as the rules were being said he seemed to also prepare himself. Hands opened wide behind his frame, she had seen that form a few times when the blond used his explosions as a form of self-propulsion.
"FIGHT!"
The words barely left Midnight's mouth when two explosions occurred, Bakugou flying at her with moderate speed. Momo wasn't surprised that he would rush in, preparing a simple aluminum shield to handle his following attack; the blast was easily handled by her shield and the rich girl was already preparing a counter. A staff exited from her midriff, Momo trusting it in front of her to attack her classmate.
Her weapon didn't hit him, the blond using his explosions to dodge and rush to her left side. He primed another explosion, which her shield managed to withstand, but the defensive gear also became warped. She threw the gear away, spinning her staff to sweep the area around her. Bakugou had already jumped back, far from her striking zone. Yaoyorozu began another creation, but had to stop the process once the bomber pressed another attack. Another shield emerged from her, but this time she had to hold it with her two hands, as the explosive attack had been more forceful.
That meant she had to drop her staff and fix her stance, the impact making the girl take a few steps back. She tried to counter by creating another staff, the weapon this time emerging from her hand in a swinging motion. What the young heiress wasn't expecting was for Katsuki to dive into the blow, his hands cupped together as small sparks began to accumulate at a rapid pace.
"STUN GRENADE!" The bomber shouted, the firepower behind his explosion minimal; the flash and noise, however, were what Katsuki was looking for. This wasn't a battle for him; it was an obstacle in his way. He wanted to have fought against icy-hot and the shitty vampire as they were the true challenges that had gotten in his way. Ponytail was slightly better than the majority of the extras, but in the end she was there to lose against him. Her quirk was good, but his was just that better.
He had been surprised at the beginning of the school year, when Aizawa passed that test that showed that while he was good, he wasn't the first one. That mistake would be rectified soon enough! Icy-hot had lost to shitty vampire after he had said a bunch of shit to the wrong motherfucker. Katsuki was the top dog, and he would prove that here!
His stun grenade blinded ponytail, allowing him the perfect opportunity for another blow. He flew over the girl and her annoying shield, her exposed back the perfect target. Bakugou decided to end this shit early, since he still needed to defeat the bloodsucker. He grabbed her wrist with a firm grip and pulled her to the side, taking away her already compromised balance and blasting a payload on her back. The explosion was of mild power, just enough to send the rich heiress tumbling and rolling to the edge of the arena. He even threw her a bone and made sure to target her gym jacket when he used his explosive force palm, instead of the skin.
Momo, on her part, was absolutely panicking. After Katsuki blinded her, she tried to attack all around her, but he made short work of her resistance. After that explosion to her back, she was launched to the ground, scraping against the rough concrete as her momentum carried her to one direction. She tried to stand up, but her sense of balance was messed up. Her ears hurt with a continuous ringing, her eyes stinging due to the flash of Katsuki's attack and her back was definitively bruised; that was without mentioning the scrapes she gathered when rolling on the arena's ground.
Another explosion echoed, Momo not aware of it. She created another staff from her hand to use as support, but before she could even prop herself up another blast hit her, this time the blow targeted her weapon and threw her back to the ground to earn more scrapes. She tried a shield this time, but the following blast that hit her gear yanked it from her hands, even more force behind the blow. She tried to make her last stand, putting her all into creating a stun gun. Her vision cleared somewhat, the white being replaced by wobbly colors and double vision; her hearing was still impaired, but she didn't need it to pull the trigger.
The two prongs of the taser flew at the target, Momo somehow managing to fire a steady shot towards Katsuki. However, the ash-blond blasted an explosion, the attack pushing away the prongs that were supposed to shock him. Yaoyorozu tried to fix her stance again, the light of her quirk once more emerging from her hands and she began to make another construct. Her trusty staff began to exit from her hand, but Katsuki was upon her before she finished her creation. She hastily pulled the unfinished construct in a sweeping manner, but the bomber ducked under her attack and once more released another explosion in close quarters.
Yaoyorozu was pushed farther this time, but she pushed through the pain and began using her quirk once more. Her vision cleared, giving her clean sight of her opponent. He had stopped his pursuit, merely shoving his hands back into his pockets while his red orbs stared at her. The gaze made Momo feel tiny, the humiliation of being unable to fight back threatening to make her spill some tears. She wondered why he had stopped his assault, as she knew her classmate to be akin to a rabid dog. He wouldn't stop unless…
"..NNER BY RING OUT, KATSUKI BAKUGOU!" Her hearing partially came back, the rumble of the stadium capable of shaking Momo to her core. It couldn't be.
Bakugou merely turned his back to her, walking without a care in the world back to the student's stands. Momo collapsed to her knees, her head low as she now noticed that she was indeed out of bounds.
Hot and salty tears left her orbs, the girl not noticing when the UA medbots had picked her up.
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Bakugou came back to the stands, the students clearing way for him to pass. Some tried to call him out for being overly aggressive, but he paid them no attention. If ponytail couldn't handle only this much aggression, then she might as well quit while she was ahead. This was UA, the best hero school and they were in Heroics class A. Nothing short of this was acceptable and the ash-blond would not apologize for being a good hero trainee.
Izuku stood from his seat and began to make his way to the infirmary, Kyouka right behind him as they walked. Iida also had excused himself from the group, something about a call on his phone. The vampire wasn't exactly a friend of the heiress, but he supposed he could be courteous and pay some respects to her. Besides, it was nigh time that Todoroki woke up from his beauty sleep. The hemomancer had some things he wished to talk with the ice/fire user.
The duo reached the infirmary quite fast under the guidance of the vampire, who was quick to knock on the door instead of just barging in. A few moments later their entry was authorized, the punk girl banging the sliding door open and rushing inside. The sight of the defeated heiress was one that tugged at the heartstrings for sure, as her face was full of shame at the lackluster display of her skills.
Kyouka was stunned into silence, unable to currently find the right words to comfort her friend. She turned to Izuku with a silent request, the vampire drawing a blank at her sudden request. When dealing with situations like this his most successful technique so far had been hugging and lending a shoulder to cry on, so he merely pushed Jirou towards Yaoyorozu, distancing himself once the girls were close enough to hold a conversation.
Recovery Girl seemed to be on a good mood, allowing them to continue without much fuss. His ears picked on rushed steps coming closer to the room, so he decided to let the duo of friends work the issue out. The Yaoyorozu girl immediately latched onto Kyouka,bawling her heart out. The sight felt personal, and the vampire felt like he was the third wheel that should get the clue and leave; besides, Momo didn't seem comfortable close to Izuku (and while she hadn't noticed him so far, busy with the whole crying thing) and having him witness such a low moment for the girl seemed almost imposing.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the youngest Todoroki. The teen was already up, busy into a corner with his phone. Izuku whistled softly to call the attention of said teen, Shoto's passive gaze seemingly without much of the heat from before. Whatever the case may be, the vampire motioned with his head for the teen to follow him outside, wishing to leave the room already. Todoroki nodded and quickly finished his talk over his phone, following the vampire as they left the infirmary under the watch of the elder nurse.
Outside the room, the two teens stared at each other for a while, almost as if sizing each other for a second fight.
"Midoriya."
"Todoroki."
The tension grew a bit, Izuku's hearing noticing that the people coming down to the room had stopped at the nearby corner, watching their stand-off. The vampire tilted his head to the side, the popping of bone echoing on the hallway. The group at the corner decided to back off for the time being, allowing the two teens to be alone once more.
"You beat me."
"Indeed."
"How?"
"Using your weaknesses against you. Your quirk isn't [Cryomancy] or [Ice Control], you have a dual-type quirk that you haven't made full use of, while I used all the advantages that my powers offered to face off against you. Nothing revolutionary, Sun Tzu has been around for a long while after all." Izuku said, raising one finger from his right hand and letting lighting course through it for a bit, green plasma sparks flying about.
"Your quirk was a form of vampirism, wasn't it? How come you are using electricity?" Shoto asked with an inquisitive tone. Izuku pondered if he should repeat himself once more, his hearing picking up the excitement from another match that began. It was Mina-san against Shinsou, right?
"Long story short, I can replicate powers of people whose blood I have ingested." He said, crossing his arms and waiting for the reaction of the youngest Todoroki. When all he got was a flat stare, Izuku was a bit confused. "What? You don't think it's weird?"
It was Shoto's time to have a confused expression. "It is not exactly common, but then again I yield two elemental forces that normally would oppose each other. Quirk marriages can do that to a person."
The vampire's expression soured a bit under the term. "You think my quirk is a byproduct of a quirk marriage?" The practice had been outlawed, but of course there were still those that did it in secret. A loveless marriage with only the strengthening of the quirk-factor gene in mind, said practice normally would result in children with a mish-mash of a quirk, either too powerful to be controlled or too weak to be of proper use. That was not even the tip of the iceberg, considering the various moral problems that said practiced entailed.
"Is it not? My quirk is the result of my father's pursuit of the number one spot. He realized one day that no matter what he did, he himself would never surpass All Might; however, his plans shifted to a more achievable method. If he couldn't become the number one, all he had to do was make a child that could surpass the number one. His [Hellfire] quirk is powerful on its own, all he had to do was find another quirk that could enhance and solve any weaknesses from it. Almost as if she was livestock, he just tossed some cash to my mother's family and they quietly accepted to give her to him." Todoroki bitterly said as the anger in his voice became almost palpable. He had his head down staring at his left hand almost in agony.
"His abuse of her drove her to madness. That's why I swore to never use his power, I would deny his stupid dream and become a hero with my own efforts and this ice granted to me by my mother. But, you beat me almost too easily, making me use this curse twice." Shoto's gaze returned to Izuku, the vampire staring back at the teen with the same level of intensity.
And then, Izuku flicked Todoroki's nose.
The serious mood immediately feel apart, the vampire still somehow managing to keep a straight face even when Shoto himself was stunned by the absurd action.
"Idiot! I said before, haven't I? That I would show you a true cursed power. Besides, even if your father's fire was cursed, isn't that his problem? What he passed to you isn't a curse Todoroki, it is simply a form of power. What you do with said power is your own business, the choice is completely yours. Will you take this fire and mold it into a flame of hope? Something that warms the hearts of people and grants them protection from the evils of the world? Or will you let the fire die down and become something that oppresses you? Will your fire save or will you allow it to destroy you? Will you let people die or will you rise to the call and save lives?" Izuku asked, getting a bit closer to the other teen.
Shoto seemed a bit overwhelmed with the declaration, constantly looking down at his left hand and his right. His voice seemed to choke a bit.
"What are you saying, Midoriya?"
Izuku released a tired sigh. Damn, these Todoroki fellows are too troublesome. He grasped Shoto's shoulder with his right hand, the left flicking the other teen once more, this time using his first two digits to tap Shoto's forehead with some force.
"It is your fire, isn't it? You fool."
Mom, can I become a hero?
…
…
…
Shoto, you are free to become your own person.
…
…
…
"Midoriya,
Thank you."
"May I have some of your blood?"
"What the.."
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"ANOTHER MATCH IS TAKEN BY THIS PLAIN MAN THAT CONVINCES PEOPLE TO JUST GIVE UP! GIVE YOUR APPLAUSE TO GENERAL COURSE'S HITOSHI SHINSOU!" Present Mic announced, the crowd giving the match the same treatment as the other previous matches where Shinsou had fought, a mild wave of applauses for the teen's ability to provoke and taunt people into speaking and getting caught in his [Brainwashing].
Eraserhead had arrived at some point to add commentary with Present Mic, the underground hero finally solving the audience's recurring question as to why those that faced Hitoshi just gave up under his orders. The lavender haired teen was a bit annoyed to have his quirk exposed like that, but he knew that it was bound to happen sooner or later. He was thankful that his trump card had been hidden for this long.
Mina, on her accord, was quite depressed. Ojiro had told her that whatever Shinsou's quirk was, it required a response from her to actually work its effect. At first the match seemed to be completely in her favor as not only was she faster and more athletic than the General Studies teen, she was quite flexible thanks to her breakdance habit. The fight should have been in the bag for her, a mere threat of melting him with her [Acid] should have been enough.
Yet, she got too much into it and ended up talking back to one of his insults, the taunt being about how she should never have gotten into heroics class if she was only coasting on Bakugou's success as seen on the previous cavalry match. It pissed her off; she hadn't exactly had the chance to show off her skills, since Katsuki was so dominant in his leadership. That little slip up caused her to lose her match instantly, replying to the taunt and getting caught in the hypnotic command.
She tried to not show her diminished spirits to her classmates, but it was clear she wasn't happy about her loss. Since her fight was so short, Sero and the girl from their sister class were already on the arena.
Her friends tried to console her, so Mina gave them a smile and told them to not worry about things like that. She would be fine.
The following fight began to happen soon enough, Sero having to fight against Kendo.
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Kendo knew that she could not afford to lose this match. It wasn't out of some sense of misguided rivalry against their sister class, or some weird inferiority complex, but simply because she was fighting for her own future. Her quirk [Big Fist] wasn't flashy, but she preferred it that way. She didn't need flashy, she was a martial artist. Her arms and her legs had been forged to be her best weapons; all the years training under her grandfather were for this.
She stepped into the arena to fight another student from class 1-A, this time the teen she had seen shot tape from his elbows. The martial artist pictured a few ideas on her mind on how to combat him, considering he was a mid to long range fighter while she was a close-quarters expert. Kendo wished for a moment to be just like that Midoriya guy, with powerful legs strong enough for a shumpo-technique (Flash-step/Ground Shrinker) like that. She then shook her head to disperse such thoughts.
She wasn't like him, wishing for such as foolish and stupid. She was her won person, and thus would win with her own way.
"Be careful to not hurt each other too much, but I won't mind a little bruising! FIGHT!" Midnight announced the beginning of their fight with her usual sultry tone. Kendo scoffed, but quickly assumed her usual stance. The other guy grinned at her before shooting two lines of tape towards her.
Kendo ducked under the strands, rushing to get closer to him. As the arena was flat, Sero had few options for escape. He still managed to flee from the incoming knife-hand, shooting tape to a far corner and pulling himself while scraping the bottom of his shoes on the concrete floor.
"I don't really care for winning, but I'm not exactly on board with losing either." He declared, turning around to try to bind the orange-haired girl with his tape. He was a bit surprised to see that she was already rushing his position, seemingly unwilling to give him space. He changed tactics, shooting a barrage of short strands, the pieces as sticky as he could make them. The tape was also double-layered, a perfect trap to capture his opponent.
The only problem was that the girl dodged absolutely all of them, closing the gap much faster than he expected. Sero saw the incoming punch and gambled on his reflexes, using shooting a thick line of durable tape. The line stuck to the girl's hand, the teen smirking as he planned to wrap her up like he had done to Iida; he just needed to dodge her following punch.
Hanta managed to do so, the blow whooshing by the side of his head. He quickly fled from Kendo's effective punching range and began to run around her, the thick line of tape still attached to his elbow. Easy win, baby!
His trust in his victory however, was Sero's downfall. Kendo grabbed the tape glued to her right hand with her left and firmed her stance on the ground, bulking the size of her hands to help increase her strength. Hanta firmly believed the girl had further trapped herself, but his mistake was not cutting the tape in time.
I have to win this one! I can't let down my class! The girl hissed in effort, yanking the line close to her. Sero wasn't expecting such bout of strength from the girl, easily having his balance taken away as Itsuka began to spin the line of tape over her head, swinging the attached teen together like he was a yo-yo. After the fifth spin, Kendo brought the line over her shoulder and then swung it down, bringing Sero to a harsh meet-up with the concrete floor. He fell on his back, the air exiting his lungs as he was smashed on the floor.
Before the male teen could do anything else, Kendo rushed to his fallen position, linking her hands to perform a hammer blow that surely would put anyone out of commission if it hit. Hanta closed his eyes, waiting for the pain to reach him, but found himself facing the two big hands a few centimeters away from his face. He exhaled in relief, raising one of his hands in defeat.
"I give up!" His announcement was followed by the usual cacophony of noise as the battle was settled quickly, but with enough action to spice things up. Kendo's show of strength was displayed on the screens of the arena, the girl awkwardly standing in place as she stared at the screens.
I won! A proud smile painted her lips as she turned to face her classmates, the group absolutely brimming with excitement at her victory over class 1-A. She turned to Hanta, giving him a small bow before doing the same for the audience, Present Mic saying something that she didn't pay attention as a few tears of happiness appeared on the corner of her eyes.
Although her hands were still glued together due to the tape from before, she managed to separate them with a simple flex of strength, returning them to their usual shape and waving to the crowd, gaining further praise and applause.
She vacated the arena grounds with a bounce on her step. It wasn't in her to feel this giddy over a victory, but she couldn't contain her happiness. She walked to the exit while humming a song, and on the hallway she met him.
1-A's class president and hot news all around, Midoriya Izuku. The rumored Immortal Vampire, his name had been a frequent topic among her class, specially today after his easy win over Shiozaki and his brutal beat down of Todoroki Shoto. It wasn't every day that someone managed to overpower Endeavor's son after all.
Her class had at first been wary of the teen, followed after his victory over one of them by hostility and then awed fear of his strength. Even Monoma, the obnoxious little shit that he was shut up once Izuku began displaying the full extent of his capabilities on his fight. The fact that the green-haired teen even revealed that he could emulate permanently a vast array of powers must have been a hurtful blow to Monoma's pride, since his [CopyCat]-quirk was under a time limit as well as the restriction to only two quirks at a time.
She waved at him, giddiness still present in her step. He answered in kind, nodding respectfully at her. Yet, something in him seemed different. She knew he could be brutal in combat, but he always seemed to carefully restrain himself to only deal the right amount of damage.
One superficial look at him would only grant a person the sight of a student preparing to his match. However, a shiver of fear ran down Kendo's spine as she kept her gaze over Izuku for a while. His body posture, his clenched fists, the bulging veins in his neck and forehead and the forcefully closed jaw that was suppressing a growling bellow that was begging to flee from his throat.
Midoriya Izuku looked like a man ready for slaughter.
Kendo had only felt that kind of thing once; when she asked her grandfather to seriously face her in a sparring match. She lost badly that day and had nightmares for three days. She quickly lowered her head and fled from him, only glancing back when she felt at a safe distance. Her hair stood on its end, Itsuka's eyes only seeing the extended shadow of the vampire stretching on the ground as he walked to the arena for his match.
A black and murky shape that barely seemed human. Two crimson-red orbs shone in the shadow, the impossibility of such making her curiosity grow along with her fear.
The following match would be named The Clash of UA's Greatest First Years, and one of the reasons Kendo wished to further know the man called Midoriya Izuku.
[XXX]
[XXX]
Izuku walked to the arena, facing the other teen currently walking to the other side. They would finally be facing each other, the long and overdue match. The vampire, while tired, was feeling absolutely static. For years, Katsuki Bakugou had been the bane of his life, tormenting him and putting him down, making fun of his tribulations; a classic bully.
The vampire felt the [Inner Beast] rear its head, waiting for him to call upon it. He could pretend to not be feeling excited to be unleashed on Bakugou without restraints, but then he would be lying to himself. After his latest blood refill, Izuku was confident to say he could win against the bomber.
Once more the world crawled to a slow movement, his increased perception of time allowing him to ignore anything that wasn't his current opponent. Bakugou cracked his fists, his red eyes staring at Izuku with only one wish: his complete victory over the shitty bloodsucker.
"….F…IGHT…."
(Fight music: The Pledge of Demon)
Izuku pushed his body to its limit, [Blink] allowing him to be beside Bakugou, one fist already covered by his blood gauntlet and coming to greet Katsuki's ribs with all the delicacy of a freight train. However, Bakugou had predicted the move, one hand already in position and releasing a blast against the vampire.
The hemomancer was blown back by a few meters, his gauntlet having taken the brunt of the explosion and becoming slightly warped. The hardened life fluid fixed itself without much trouble, Izuku taking the time to cover his other arm in bloody armor.
"You fucking monster, always skulking around like a damn villain, don't think that your shitty trick will work on me! Just because you are a bit fast doesn't mean shit when you always move in a straight line!" The ash-blond scowled at the vampire, sparking explosions happening constantly in his hand. "You will fucking lose, you fuckin– " The bomber was interrupted when Izuku [Blink]'ed once more, this time appearing right in front of him with full jab. The explosive teen was forced to raise a cross guard, also being pushed back a few meters.
"You talk too much, Bakugou!" The vampire's deep-tuned voice echoed, Izuku already on the move. He closed half the gap between them before he unleashed his left gauntlet in a rain of projectiles. The scatter shot of hardened blood pellets hit Bakugou almost like a real burst of buckshot, the vampire triggering the effect of [Coagulation] on the few rounds that pierced through skin. He figured that one out? Guess he has been paying attention to my fights after all.
That left the teen open for the following haymaker of Izuku's right gauntleted first, the hit making many in the crowd wince in pain at the noise of the vampire's fist hitting the bomber's jaw.
The vampire tried to follow through with a rising knee, but Katsuki broke through the paralyzing spell and blasted Izuku's torso with a double palm explosion. The hemomancer felt air leave his lungs on impact, his control over his blood failing and allowing his remaining gauntlet to disperse in a shower of blood that painted the gap between the two fighters with crimson. Izuku hissed in pain while Bakugou panted a bit, feeling a bit woozy after the blow he took.
The exchange was quick to happen, the two teens noticing that they were back into their starting places.
Bakugou growled, shaking his head to get rid of the throbbing pain in his jaw. Fucker hits harder than what I was expecting. "What the fuck was that, a love tap?" The blond took the initiative this time, rushing towards the vampire using his explosive boost, a kick aimed for the head being the bait he laid out, one hand accumulating enough sweat for a blast that should break any defense laid out.
Izuku fixed a stance and waited for the blond to get closer. Right as Bakugou's kick was about to connect, Izuku pulled on [shadow control], making the dark matter rise like a pillar and take the hit. He saw the ash-blonde's primed hand slowly come for him, a smirk painted over his lips as he finally cracked the first part of the troublesome quirk he had been breaking down. Clicking his left fingers to create an electrical spark, the vampire aimed his left hand to the ground while his right limb became covered in shadow matter.
His right arm shot to intercept the incoming explosion, while the sparks on the left hand touched the concrete floor they were fighting on, the same part of the floor that was covered in his blood.
The explosion from Bakugou's right overpowered the black matter protecting the vampire's limb, forcing Izuku to take the explosion over his raw skin. While at the same time, Katsuki was airborne right over the blood-soaked ground, unable to escape the sudden urge of flames that seemed to spawn from nowhere.
"FUCCKKK!" The bomber shouted, being toasted under the sudden heat. He immediately used a few explosions to elevate his position and escape the flames, wondering how the fuck that had come about. His retreat was cut short as a [Blood Spear] flew past him, cutting into his left shoulder and downing him. Katsuki shouted in pain, losing focus and plunging to the ground, barely able to adjust himself and avoid slamming onto the concrete. He noticed that the flames were quick to die, leaving the ground scorched. The blond quickly pieced the puzzle.
"You took that bastard's fucking quick, didn't you?!" He shouted, his battle frenzied face becoming even fiercer. "GOOD! Otherwise you would never have a chance to even stand against me, you shitty monster!"
Izuku released a heated breath, steam following his sigh. "Monster this, monster that. When will you ever shut the fuck up and fight?!" The vampire roared at the bomber, the ground cracking under him as he rushed the blond once more, blood covering his arms. The fluid became a multitude of tendrils instead of the usual hardened gauntlet form, each lashing out like furious whips.
Bakugou blasted a few explosions towards Izuku, hoping that the impacts would destabilize the tendrils of life fluid, but the vampire's shadows rose from the ground once more and tanked the attacks, Izuku managing to land another blow into the bomber's gut. The attack was followed by the five tendrils around the hemomancer's arm, the tentacles hardening their tips and bashing into Katsuki like maces.
"GUUHHHHH!" The blond was staggered by the never-ending blows, almost blanking out due to pain. FUCK THAT! His mind screamed, the teen releasing the maximum amount of power he could at point-blank range. The duo was each thrown into a direction like ragdolls; the blond went into the air, gym jacket gone and sporting light burns along his arms. He took flight with controlled explosions, trying to survey the arena that was riddled with acrid smoke.
Izuku had been blown to a corner of the destroyed arena, claws digging into the ground to keep him from being blown away. As the smoke cleared, a long groove had been carved into the ground, the vampire still inside the arena. A few burns dotted the vampire, the flesh slowly healing back. He looked up, finding Bakugou high in the sky. The vampire rose his right hand and motioned for the bomber to come at him, taunt very effective if the explosive teen's face was anything to go by.
The bomber began to rise up quickly. The vampire wondered what Bakugou was doing, but his question was soon answered as the ash-blonde began his descent; controlled explosions began to spin Katsuki in place, the resulting smoke staring to funnel into a cone shape.
Izuku took one look at the incoming projectile and knew that whatever it was, this exchange would be the last for this fight. He let blood quickly flow to his legs and arms, equipping them with his Blood Greaves and Gauntlets. Not enough, I need more. He let the bloody armor harden to its greatest point, the crimson pieces resembling true metallic armor. Still not enough, give me more. The Blood Greaves began to be further encased by dark matter, the shadows at Izuku's feet climbing his legs and meshing with the life fluid, rooting him into the spot as what wasn't used to reinforce his armor was digging into the concrete. Still incomplete. The gauntlets began to radiate heat, glowing with a cheery-red color as even the air around Izuku began to warp under the sudden heat. To finish it, a chemical reaction made all the current blood acquire volatile capabilities as another quirk-factor was fully broken down. All the current usable powers that I have acquired mixed to become the ultimate attack. Let my fist become the core that that turns into a …
…
…
…
"HOWITZER IMPACT!"
"GOD SHATTERING STAR!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone