Chapter 20 – Semi Finals
The moment Midoriya and Todoroki appeared in the arena, all the chatter that was going on in the 1A booth immediately stopped as everyone put their focus on the upcoming match below. Kazuya himself watched in apprehension. He just knows somehow that this current match will be bloody. There’s no other outcome for it.
Todoroki has some sort of unknown grudge against Midoriya. Something, a circumstance, that is only known by the two involved. He has his suspicions of course. From fleeting memories that come up from time to time, and whatever rudimentary knowledge he has of the world he currently lives in.
Soon enough the countdown for the match began and both competitors went to their respective stances. Todoroki slightly bent his knees and readied his arms at his sides, while Midoriya raised his arms and folded his thumb and middle finger in a flicking motion.
“Wait…He’s not gonna do what I think he’s gonna do, is he?” Ojiro asked with wide eyes
The moment the match started, Todoroki unleashed a massive wave of ice that rapidly approached Midoriya’s position. Only to be immediately destroyed by a huge burst of wind from Midoriya.
The back and forth between them kept on going as Midoriya sacrificed more and more of his fingers.
Kazuya just looked at all of this with furred eyebrows. He honestly has no idea what Midoriya is planning. Sure there is only so much you can do when your own quirk damages your own body, but right now all he’s doing is breaking his own body and hoping for the best. There are so many things he could do to get Todoroki out of bounds. Just simply flick 2 fingers continuously and Todoroki would have no chance in blocking it.
Of course it all finally made sense, the moment Todoroki used his fire. For the first time since the start of the school year, Todoroki let loose the raging flame within him. And it was a sight to see.
With Todoroki going full power, there was zero chance Midoriya would come out victorious. Especially considering all his injuries.
Midoriya lost the fight, but he made Todoroki break his one vow.
‘He risked the competition all for the sake of helping his opponent.’ Kazuya thought with a smile. ‘I was right. Midoriya really does possess the heart of a true hero. Can’t say I would’ve done the same thing in his shoes.’
Kazuya looked back to the arena to see Todoroki with a contemplative look on his face. He was watching the medical bots putting Midoriya on a stretcher.
Whatever issues Todoroki has, what happened here is definitely affecting him. Kazuya just hopes it wouldn’t ruin their fight. Assuming they both get to the finals of course.
— The Warping Hero —
Shinso was walking towards the arena after the previous match ended. It took a while for Cementoss to fix up the arena after the whole debacle between Todoroki and Midoriya. But now it’s ready and he came face to face with the class president of 1B.
“Are both fighters ready?” Midnight asked.
“Yes, maam.” Kendo replied while Shinso just nodded.
“Begin!”
Immediately, Kendo closed their distance and threw a right jab at Shinso. Shinso easily read the punch, dodging the last second before throwing a straight to her ribs. Before he could do so however, Kendo’s fist that he just dodged suddenly enlarged and smacked him by the side of his face. Kendo didn’t let up as he slapped her other enlarged arm towards the struggling Shinso.
Shinso was launched a good amount of distance before he managed to recover. He wiped the side of his face before turning to face his opponent. “You’re pretty good. I see you’re not like the others who rely completely on their quirks. It’s nice to meet a fellow martial artist.”
Kendo just narrowed her eyes at Shinso’s attempt in striking a conversation. She’s been well briefed by Shiozaki on what exactly Shinso’s quirk is and her theory about the trigger.
“Oh come on, why the silent treatment? I heard you 1B lot are pretty talkative. Your buddy Momona sure likes to run his mouth.” Shinso kept taunting just in case Kendo would slip.
Kendo still ignored him as she enlarged her arms and ran to engage Shinso for the second time.
“Oh well, that was worth a shot.” Shinso stated. “Looks like it's time to reveal what I can do.”
Shinso stood up to his full height as he looked at the incoming Kendo.
‘Self Hypnosis: Limiter Release.’
Shinso’s eyes gained a purple hue as he clenched his fists.
Kendo, who noticed Shinso’s change in demeanor, immediately raised her enlarged fist and threw it against Shinso.
Shinso simply drew back his arm and met the large fist with his own. Kendo, who was surprised that he managed to block her attack, couldn’t react as Shinso moved quickly and retaliated with an uppercut to her chin. Kendo could only take a few steps back as the hit rattled her brain. Shinso forced his own body to keep up with the attack as he again punched her in the gut and slammed a fist to the side of her face.
Kendo immediately swiped her enlarged hands around her in an attempt to ward off the constant onslaught. Shinso was forced to jump back and tried to follow up on the attack before a stab of pain forced to relinquish control over his body.
‘Dammit! I managed to up the limit of how much damage I could take during the Self Hypnosis but it’s not enough!’
Kendo tried to take advantage of the sudden opening, but Shinso managed to recover in time to dodge the hammerfist that cracked the concrete he was just in.
‘But one thing about Self Hypnosis is that I’m much slower than normal, but my punches hurt a lot more.’ Shinso kept weaving out of Kendo’s attacks as he tries to think of a plan. ‘The small bout from before definitely slowed her down, which means I have the advantage in speed right now.’
The brainwasher continued to move back and dodge the fists, skirting just around her to make it look like she barely reached him. He was soon pushed to near the boundary line, mere centimeters away from being out of bounds.
‘Now!’ Shinso again entered Self Hypnosis and mentally removed his limiters. He used both hands to catch one of Kendo’s enlarged fists, spinning on his heels, he used all his strength and weight to throw Kendo out of the ring.
He cancelled his own brainwashing as he panted in pain and exhaustion. His arms were bruised and sweat started to pool on the ground around him. But Shinso just smiled in satisfaction and raised a fist to conclude his victory. The crowd obviously like it as they continued to cheer and holler.
“Kendo is out of bounds! Shinso advances to the Semi-Finals!” declared Midnight.
“Incredible! Shinso shows incredible strength as she met Kendo’s attacks head on. I didn’t even know he could do that! What about you, Shota?” Mic cheered.
“It’s news for me too. He’s definitely shown creativity on how to use his quirk. Well done.” Aizawa said with a proud smile, one that Mic immediately latched on to as he proceeded to tease Eraserhead about being a softie.
“Shut up. The quarter finals are finally over. Hurry up and make the announcement.”
“Oh that’s right! With Shinso and Kendo’s match concluding, we now have our fighters for the Semi-Finals! These 4 have proven they are the best among the generation as they continue to show the world what they can do! We have Akio Kazuya vs Juzo Honenuki for the first fight and Shoto Todoroki and Hitoshi Shinso for the second match! I don’t know about you folks, but I am mighty excited!”
‘The Semi-Finals. Just one more fight and I'll’ be able to reach the finals. One step at a time.’ Shinso nodded to himself as he let out a breath. He went and helped out Kendo as the Medbots tried to get her on a stretcher.
“Hey, sorry about the hit. That looks painful.” Shinso said with a bit of regret in his voice.
Kendo tried to chuckle in her delirious state. The hit to her skull definitely doing a lot more damage than he originally thought. “I’s fine. It was a competition and you won fair and square. I’ll be rooting for you for the rest of the festival alright? Make sure to win.”
Shinso smiled and gave her a nod. “I’ll do my best.”
— The Warping Hero —
“Hey hey folks! Welcome to the first match of the semi finals! It’s the speed demon who wakes in a flash of red, the class president of 1A, Akio Kazuya! And his opoonent, coming in from the rival class of 1B, he’s proved to be a dangerous opponent to be fighting against, it’s Juzo Honenuki!”
The two fighters appeared at the arena at the same time. Both having determined looks to win with everything they’ve got.
“Are both fighters ready?” Midnight asked to which both competitors nodded. “Begin!”
The moment the match started, both Kazuya and Honenuki made their move. Kazuya immediately threw a knife forwards while Honenuki crouched down and touched the arena with both hands. Kazuya appeared right above his opponent as the arena around them suddenly turned to liquid. Kazuya extended his arm to touch Honenuki only for the latter to dodge by sinking below the ground.
Kazuya landed on the semi-liquid arena and started to sink down like quicksand. Knowing what’s about to happen, he immediately threw the knife upwards to the sky and flashed towards it. Just in time as Honenuki made his appearance and the ground Kazuya was just in, suddenly solidified. Honenuki then sunk back to the ground and reliquified the arena.
Kazuya reappeared above the arena and kept the motion of throwing the knife upwards to keep still in the air.
‘He’s hiding. It’s true I won’t be able to touch him if he’s underground. But if he’s adamant on staying down there, I’m just going to have to force him out.’
Kazuya then threw a bunch of knives towards the inside and the outside of the arena. The ones that were thrown inside quickly sunk into the ground but it works just as well.
Immediately, parts of the arena were teleported and holes and cracks appeared around the ring. One of these holes revealed a shocked Honenuki who could only widen his eyes.
‘There you are!’
Kazuya didn't waste a second as he threw a knife and reappeared above Honenuki, slamming the latter with enough momentum to crack his ribs upon impact.
Honenuki fell unconscious from the pain. And victory was soon announced to Kazuya. Making himself the first finalist from the first year Sports Festival.
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Hey folks!
We’re rapidly approaching the end of the festivals. Next chapter will definitely be the last before we move on to the next arc.
I wrote this one at 2 A.M so quality and grammar could be a bit bad. I screen checked it but could miss a few typos here and there.
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P atr eon /TeemVizzle
(Remove the spaces)
That’s all from me!
Cheers!
Trivia: What do y’all think of the Fairy Tail series as a whole?