Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The break that followed the cavalry battle was anything but. Tensions were higher than they had been for the entire festival, with enemies and even close allies eyeing each other suspiciously. Izuku took the time to sit to himself, stream closed, and contemplate the events of the last few hours.

One, the vestiges had once again lent him their strength and allowed him to use a speedrunning technique in real life. 

Two, he had barely won the cavalry battle thanks to Mei’s and Momo’s ingenuity in the creation of the bike mecha suit.

Three, there were way too many women vying for his affections. The folded note with Midnight’s personal number, a kiss mark, and a flirtatious “Call Me~” in addition to whatever Momo and Kyoka were currently throwing his way on top of Mei’s tactless proclamation of “making babies” wasn’t helping with the shock. He also noticed the seductive looks Himiko had been shooting his way and frankly, it was starting to be a bit too much.

The phantom feeling of a hand on his shoulder drew him out of his impromptu meditation.

Seventh: [Something bothering you, Ninth? You look distracted, Studmuffin.]

Izuku sighed. “That’s part of the problem, Nana. I become a streamer and suddenly every dominant woman in a five-kilometer radius decides they want a piece of me. I don’t dislike the attention, I’m just… a bit overwhelmed by it.” 

A psychic sigh echoed through his mind. 

Seventh: [That’s probably my fault. I’ve been so shameless in my attraction to you that it’s more or less given the green light to your other admirers.]

“I can see that-- wait, you’re attracted to me?”

He felt Nana’s deadpan stare. 

Seventh: [You really are dense. I called your ass tight. I zoomed in on your ass when we past holders merged with your quirk. Frankly, I’ve been creepy and I think it’s time I reevaluated my priorities.]

“I… don’t know how to respond to that.”

Seventh: [That’s okay. We’ll work a bit more on your self-confidence. On one hand, women like me enjoy seeing a man stumble over his words over our beauty. On the other hand, we like a man who isn’t a pushover, and you have the self-confidence of a wet sheet of toilet paper caught between the sweaty asscheeks of a bridge troll.]

“Thanks…?”

Seventh: [Yeah that was a bit harsh. The point stands. Get some lessons from Midnight. Non-sexual lessons. Her entire job is teaching about PR and the public image of a hero, right?]

Izuku blinked. “That’s… not a bad idea.”

Seventh: [Ninth, I’ve had plenty of bad ideas. I know one when I see one. Now go kick some ass.]

Nana clapped Izuku on the back, her smile fading into the recesses of his mind as his attention turned back to the stadium. Cementoss had just finished constructing an arena in the middle of the stadium, with Midnight testing it with a few presses of her boot. She gave a thumbs up to Cementoss, who nodded, and that’s when Present Mic opened his mouth again. 

“WELCOME BACK, LISTENERS! I HOPE YOU ALL ARE READY FOR THE FINAL EVENT OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL!”

The crowd erupted into cheers. Present Mic let them go at it for a few moments, then promptly launched into his speech. Izuku decided this was a good point to turn the stream back on.

[and we’re back]

[shit i went to the bathroom, what’d i miss?]

[nothing so far]

[okay cool]

“I’M SURE YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR THIS SINCE THE FESTIVAL! WELL, I WON’T WASTE YOUR TIME ANY LONGER! THE FINAL EVENT IS A ONE-ON-ONE TOURNAMENT! MIDNIGHT, IF YOU’D BE SO KIND.”

[tournament? what is this, a tournament arc?]

[the power scaling is going to be wild on this man]

[as much as i hate to admit it, i think bakugo might have a high chance]

[stop speculating until we see the actual matches]

[I’m making a betting circle]

“Thank you, Mic. As my friend so proudly (and loudly) proclaimed, the final event of the sports festival is a tournament of strength. The top four teams of the cavalry battle will be our lovely contestants today. Those sixteen students will battle each other in one-on-one matches in single elimination. A contestant is eliminated if they are forced outside the circle of the arena or they are unable to continue. Any questions, contestants?”

Three hands suddenly shot up next to a boy with purple unruly hair. Nemuri pointed at Ojiro, who had a grave look on his face. “Yes?”

“I’d like to withdraw from the tournament.”

[huh?]

[:wat:]

[:monkas:]

[pardon?]

[who’s this guy again?]

The heroine cocked an eyebrow. “Alright. Any particular reason?”

“I do not feel as if I earned my place in the tournament.”

“I see. I’m assuming that extends to you two as well?” 

The other two students nodded. Nemuri frowned but accepted their withdrawal. “Understood. Faced with this new information, can I have three members of Team Kendo step forward to take their place?”

The vine-haired girl stepped forward, followed by a redhead from Class 1-B and a guy who looked like a male metal clone of Eiko.

“Thank you. Now, without further ado, I will announce the bracket. Please, direct your attention to the screen.”

Nemuri gestured to the big screen. It sprang to life, revealing the bracket.

[who the hell is this shinso guy?]

[dunno]

[probably the purple aizawa clone over there]

[there’s another aizawa?!]

[and why he urple?]

[this is getting out of hand. now there are two of them!]

First: [I see that Star Wars survived.]

[oh are those the movies about the dudes with laser swords, yoga, and dark vader?]

First: [... Ninth, am I allowed to ban these fools?]

[guys shh it’s about to start]

[right right sorry]

[YOU CAN’T SHUSH MY ASCII]

[hey at least this’ll be fun to watch]

[is anyone watching this on TV?]

“The first match will begin in five minutes. Izuku Midoriya and Hitoshi Shinso, please make your way to the arena.”

[CHOOSE YOUR FIGHTER]

[oh my god it’s actually happening]

[everyone stay calm]

[STAY FUCKING CALM]

[I WANT TO CONTRIBUTE]

Izuku was understandably nervous. This Shinso guy was a complete mystery to him, and engaging him in battle would require a bit of on the fly recon. 

First: [Relax, Ninth. You got this. Just remember some of the things that Miruko tried to teach you and Seventh subsequently failed to teach you.]

Seventh: [Hey!]

BattleBunny; [Excuse me?!]

Fifth: [What are we, chopped liver?]

Second: [First, Third and I tried our best.]

Fourth: [We just need to make sure he doesn’t explode his arms like he did his legs.]

Sixth: [The egg in the microwave analogy can only go so far. We’ll do our best to help you stay whole, but you’ll need a teacher.]

[who the fuck is out here microwaving eggs?]

Eighth: [👍]

Izuku nodded. “Okay.”

Ochako smiled and patted him on the back. “Good luck, Izuku!”

“Thank you, Ochako.”

He rose from his seat in the stands and made his way into the stadium, emerging out into the arena to a roar of cheers.

“FROM THE THE FIRST YEAR’S HERO COURSE CLASS OF 1-A, IT’S IZUKU MIDORIYA!”

[THERE’S OUR GREEN BOI]

[GO GREEN BOI GO GREEN BOI GO]

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Izuku awkwardly waved as the crowd roared in approval. He chuckled to himself and stepped into the circle. Thankfully, Midnight kept her flirts to herself and nodded curtly.

“AND HIS OPPONENT, A WILD CARD FROM THE GENERAL COURSE OF 1-H, HITOSHI SHINSO!”

There was significantly less cheering as Shinso stepped onto the arena, his tired apathetic eyes resembling those of Aizawa. Izuku’s nervousness didn’t subside, but he swallowed it and prepared himself as Midnight cleared her throat.

“Alright, you two. Rules are simple; You win by forcing your opponent outside the circle, getting them to concede, or otherwise making them unable to continue. Quirks are allowed and encouraged. Any questions, boys?” 

Both contestants shook their heads. Midnight nodded and raised her hand. “Begin!”

Shinso’s apathetic gaze turned to Izuku. Hands still in his pockets, he didn’t even bother to move as Izuku dropped into a combat stance, eyeing him suspiciously.

[what is he doing]

[he’s just standing there… menacingly!]

[i don’t like this…]

Sixth: [Be careful, Ninth. He’s got some trick planned.]

“Y’know, you’re lucky,” Shinso complained.  “That strength quirk of yours must’ve made you a shoo-in at the Hero Course. Seems like they’ll let in any old person, including people like you. I guess the added publicity from your stream helped your chances.”

Izuku’s eyes opened wide.

Does he know about One For All? I know my quirk destroyed any mention of it off the internet, but it could still be passed via word of mouth. All those years of secrecy, for nothing!

“Stupidsayswhat?” Shinso blurted.

[IZUKU NO]

“What?” Izuku asked. Immediately, Shinso grinned.

“I’m in.”

Izuku felt his body relax and stand in a neutral position, mouth slightly agape as he stared straight ahead. He watched as the stream glitched and the theme shifted from the usual green to a sinister purple. Shinso stumbled back, holding his head as the feedback of his quirk came back at him.

“What the fuck?”

M0d 5H1N50 hAs j01n3d 7h# sTr3am.

[WHAT THE FUCK?!]

[HE HIJACKED THE STREAM!]

[MODS! GET HIS ASS!]

[KICK HIM OUT]

[SEND HIM TO THE PENIS EXPLOSION CHAMBER AND HAVE HIS PENIS EXPLODED!]

[ IMMEDIATELY!!! ]

[dude]

[sorry, i got a bit excited]

5H1N50: [0kAy… tH15 i5 r#a11y w31rd…]

[Curse of Ra upon ye]

Shinso shook his head, gathering himself. “Let’s just get this over with. Midoriya, step out of the arena.”

Izuku’s body turned at Shinso’s command. He slowly took one step, then another, then another. Izuku began to panic, unable to control his body. 

No I can’t go out like this! After all I’ve been through? I can’t disappoint Mom, Yagi-sensei, Ochako or Mitsuki! Or the mods! Izuku screamed internally. What do I do?! 

Try asking a friend, perhaps? Nana’s voice echoed through his mind.

You don’t have to do this by yourself, the voice of the fifth holder agreed.

We’re here for you, for better or for worse, the sixth holder sighed.

First taught both of us the mentality of ride or die, an unfamiliar voice, presumable the third or second conceded.

And we’re already dead, so might as well ride, eh? A second unfamiliar voiced laughed.

Are you really going to let this Grimace Shake embryo take over your body and just kick you out of the tournament?

No. Izuku resolved. Not after I’ve gotten this far.

[Then let’s show this doomer who the hell he’s messing with.] His quirk growled, cracking its digital knuckles.

Izuku stopped. Shinso looked at him with the upmost confusion and raised an eyebrow. “Why haven’t you stepped outside the circle? Move!”

The stubborn look on Izuku’s face made Shinso huff. “Oh for the love of-- now my quirk decides there’s an exception to the rule?”

He stomped over to his opponent and began to push, grunting at the exertion. “Why won’t you MOVE?!”

“Quirk mental defenses, Shinso,” Izuku replied shakily. His hands seized his adversary’s shoulders, and very slowly, the green bean began to push Shinso back.  “They activate in response to mental probes.”

Shinso let out a frustrated growl and began flailing against Izuku’s hold. He kicked, punched, and otherwise lashed out, but the ninth holder didn’t so much as blink as he continued to push Shinso towards the edge of the arena.

First: [STANDING HERE]

Second: [I REALIZE]

Third: [YOU WERE JUST LIKE ME]

Fourth: [TRYING TO MAKE HISTORY!]

Fifth: [BUT WHO’S TO JUDGE]

Sixth: [THE RIGHT FROM WRONG?]

Seventh: [BUT WHEN OUR GUARD IS DOWN, I THINK WE’LL BOTH AGREE]

Eighth: [THAT VIOLENCE BREEDS VIOLENCE]

Ninth: [BUT IN THE END IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY!]

With a final heave, Izuku forced Shinso out of the arena, panting heavily. The purple Aizawa clone landed unceremoniously on his ass, looking bitterly at the ground. Midnight raised her hand.

“Shinso is outside the arena. Midoriya wins!”

The stream’s purple glitchiness stopped, returning to its normal green color.

[and we’re back!]

[hell yeah!]

[yoyoyoyo shhh]

[talk-no-jutsu time]

“I guess I’m not cut out for this hero shit,” Shinso grumbled. “Everyone always said my quirk belonged to villain. What kind of hero brainwashes people?”

“You deny your quirk its purpose,” Izuku replied. “I can think of a few ways you could be a hero. Honestly, your quirk would be really good in hostage situations. Just bait out the villain into replying to you and bam, you’ve got everything under control.”

“Huh,” Shinso contemplated. “I’ll admit, I didn’t think about that.”

“The hero course is worth a shot. At least you made it this far.”

“Fair enough. You’ve given me a lot to think about, Midoriya. Thank you.”

With that, Shinso got up and walked off the arena as Midnight began to call the next two contestants. As soon as he was out of sight, he cheered. 

“Chat I won my first match!”

[green bean won his first match]

[betting circle winnings will be distributed momentarily]

[I won a crisp, whole two dollars]

[so proud]

SweetDreams: [Excellent work, Midoriya. I look forward to your next match~]

[pog train]

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