Tunnel Vision

A team of robot medics loaded the unconscious Midoriya on a stretcher. Todoroki stood motionless at the other end of the ring watching his opponent being brought to Recovery Girl. Before making his own way out, Isla swore he took the time to look up to the stands, specifically, where Class 1A was sitting. Could he have been looking for her?

Ochako gently nudged her shoulder. "Isla. We're going down to Recovery Girl to check on Deku." Tsu and Mineta were also accompanying her and Iida. "Do you want to come with us?" she continued. "Or. Did you want to look for Todoroki?"

Mineta snapped his head up to Isla, eyes bulging with fear. "Why would you want to go look for him?! He'll incinerate you dust and then freeze your ashes."

Isla rolled her eyes at the little pervert. "Don't you think you're being a little overdramatic?"

Ochako grinned at her. "I don't know. He did look up at our class section. He didn't do that with his other matches."

"I noticed that, too, ribbit," Tsu affirmed.

Iida looked lost. "What does that have to do with Isla wanting to look for -- ?"

"Nothing," Isla interrupted. "I'm not going to look for Todoroki, I don't know why he was looking where we were sitting, and yes. I want to go with you guys to check on Midoriya."

Ochako was still grinning at her. Isla felt her cheeks start to warm.

When the group arrived at Recovery Girl's station, Iida burst through the door without knocking; Ochako, Tsu and Mineta squeezing through at the same time. Isla was the last of them to get through. Midoriya looked terrible; one arm in a sling, completely bandaged up and splintered, pale complexion, scrapes and bruises all over.

Next to his bed was the man Isla sat next to during the first two rounds with the rest of the teachers. "Oh, hello again," she greeted. "It's so nice of you to check on him."

He looked startled, a worried expression on his face, though Isla couldn't figure out if it was for Midoriya or something else.

Recovery Girl's small frame attempted to herd the teens out. "He's in no state for any more visitors, I'm afraid."

"Hey guys," Midoriya choked out, voice hoarse and quiet. "Shouldn't you be watching the other matches?"

Leave it to this boy to be concerned about things other than himself.

"The ring was far too damaged from your battle with Todoroki," Iida explained. "They're taking a break to clean everything up."

Mineta walked right up to the bed where their friend lay. "That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life," the tiny boy shivered. "What Pro is gonna want a side-kick who hurts himself every time he uses his powers --?"

Tsu slapped him with her sticky tongue. "Now you're just rubbing salt in his wound. Can't you say something more encouraging?"

"I'm just speaking the truth --!" Mineta retorted.

"You are all being much too noisy!" Recovery Girl protested. "I know you're worried about your friend, but right now I have to put all my focus into his upcoming surgery –"

"SURGERY?!?!"

"Go on!" The Healer gently pushed them towards the door. "Get out!"

"But. Surgery is a big deal, isn't it?!" Ochako worried.

"Will his wounds completely heal?" Isla questioned. "Will he still be able to use his Quirk?"

At this point all five friends were out the door catching the last glimpse of Midoriya before Recovery Girl shut the door on them. An illuminated sign that read "Treatment In Progress" when they arrived, now flashed "Preparing For Surgery."

"Well," Iida reasoned. "There's nothing more we can do at this point."

Tsu nodded. "Best to leave Recovery Girl to what she does best."

Ochako couldn't take her eyes off the door. "Maybe. Maybe one of us should wait. You know? Just to make sure Deku's okay?"

"Recovery girl is the best," Mineta assured. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Isla put a hand on her friends shoulder. "Besides. Midoriya wouldn't want you to sit here worrying. He'd want you in the stands watching the last of the matches."

The brunette inhaled, Isla noticing a slight tremble in her stance. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right," she finally said nodding her head. "Well then. Let's get back up there!"

The group left Iida to prepare for his match which was up next. After their well-wishes, everyone returned to their class' section. The crew was clearing the last of the debris off the ring, while everyone asked how Midoriya was doing. Some commented on Todoroki and the use of his flames. No one was really all that concerned with him, though. There really wasn't a need to be. Physically, he was just fine. He barely had any marks on him.

Isla wondered if his father found him after he exited the ring. And then she began to worry what he the Pro Hero was saying to his son.

The next two matches were over nearly instantly. Iida was up against the vine girl from Class 1B; Shiosaki. His strategy was to basically propel himself into her right from the start and he quickly pushed her out of bounds. Mina was against Tokoyami next. Dark Shadow was once again, relentless; just like in his match with Yaoyorozu. The beast easily overpowered, quickly forcing his acid Quirk classmate out of bounds. Tokoyami was still very professional about the battle.

At first, Kirishima's strength seemed to be no match for Bakugou's explosions. The blonde even looked like he was getting worn out. After a strategically planned flurry of attacks, however, the redhead's rock hard body was starting to break down. Still trying to counter one explosion after another was eventually too much to handle, and Bakugou ended up knocking Kirishima out.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Present Mic announced. "Our FINAL FOUR!!" On the jumbo screen were photos of Tokoyami, Iida, Bakuogu and Todoroki.

The first match was going to be between Iida and Todoroki. Isla wondered if the engine boy would use the same strategy he used with the girl from class 1B. Theoretically, he could use the same burst of speed he brought out during the cavalry battle and simply push him out of bounds. He'd have to be fast enough to avoid an ice attack, though. And who knows if Todoroki will use his fire. Isla's stomach churned, but she couldn't figure out if she was nervous for Iida, or if it was because she wanted to see Todoroki.

"Deku!" Ochako exclaimed.

He looked better than when they all saw him in Recovery Girl's room. His right arm was still heavily bandaged, in a sling held close to his body. He walked with a slight limp.

Isla smiled. "Looks like your surgery went okay," she offered.

The green-haired boy nodded. "Yeah, Recovery Girl healed me well enough to walk."

Tsu tilted her head. "Shouldn't you be resting, ribbit?"

"I want to see these matches," he replied, determination in his voice. "This is where everyone's hard work is finally going to pay off."

Present Mic's voice boomed over the speakers. "The first match of the semi-finals! Both of our competitors come from Hero families, so this is sure to be an inspiring battle!"

Isla recalled hearing about their class representative's family during their one-on-one training. His brother was the Pro Hero, Ingenium; and Iida couldn't be more proud of him. There was no doubt he was hoping to do well to honor the hard work of his family.

"Hey Isla," Midoriya murmured. "Did you see Todoroki after our match?"

Her eyes went wide and the warmth she felt rushing to her cheeks made her not want to make eye contact. "Todo – Did I see. Todoroki? Um. Um, no. I didn't, why. Why do you ask?" What was wrong with her?

The green-haired boy tilted his head curiously. Ochako giggled.

"BEGIN!" Present Mic announced.

Iida began racing around the ring, attempting to make his opponent dizzy and put him off balance, no doubt. Todoroki was quick to start releasing ice attacks and soon created a, sort of, trap; making the movements of the engine boy more difficult.

"Is Todoroki going for the win already?!" Present Mic screamed.

He started to charge, but Iida didn't look at all worried. A blast from his engines and he was suddenly airborne, heading towards Todoroki.

Midoriya looked awestruck. "Woah! A standing long-jump!"

Another burst from one of his engines propelled a kick right to his opponent's abdomen. Isla winced, remembering the hits Todoroki got from Midoriya. She wondered if he went to see Recovery Girl for anything at all during the Sports Festival.

"I didn't know he could kick like that," Jiro muttered.

"Look at that speed!" Kaminari yelled.

"That was a heavy hit," Sato added.

A roar from the crowd as Iida grabbed Todoroki by the collar of his PE jacket and began sprinting towards the out of bounds border. No sooner did his engines burst, he suddenly stilled. It was hard to tell at first, but the cameras were able to zoom in on his calves. His exhausts were completely frozen over. Todoroki whipped his body around, encasing Iida in a pyramid of ice.

"Iida has been immobilized," Midnight declared. "Todoroki advances!"

The spectators were on their feet cheering for his win. Isla had to wonder; was it because of his talent and power, or because of who his father is. "Shoto Todoroki advances without using his flames, again!" Present Mic shouted.

"Poor Iida," Ochako lamented.

"At least he had a fair fight with Todoroki," Midoriya commented. "This next match up couldn't be any worse."

Tokoyami was up against Bakugou. Dark Shadow immediately launched, but the blonde immediately whipped out explosion after explosion, causing the beast to curl itself in, rather than attack. Because Midoriya and Ochako partnered with Tokoyami during the cavalry battle, they knew exactly who had the upper hand.

"Dark Shadow can't go on the offensive because of Bakugou's explosions," Ochako explained to Isla.

"Tokoyami really is at a disadvantage then, if his own Quirk literally can't attack because of his opponent. Do you think Bakugou knows how Dark Shadow works?"

"It's hard to tell," Midoriya shrugged. "Kacchan is observant, but sometimes his tenacity gives him a serious case of tunnel vision."

Isla blinked, wondering what the green-haired boy meant by tunnel vision. She was aware of what it meant, but not in this particular case with Bakugou. As she watched him relentlessly attack Dark Shadow, she reasoned that it had to be due to his arrogance. Everyone kept calling him persistent. Focused. Unstoppable. The fact that he heard these things said about him must have inflated his ego to the N'th degree. And that's what Midoriya must mean by Bakugou having tunnel vision.

A particularly intense explosion made Dark Shadow recoil completely and Bakugou was able to pin Tokoyami to the ground. The bird didn't even try to fight back. He knew he was beat and decided to surrender.

Which meant the last match of the Sports Festival was going to be between Todoroki and Bakugou.

Out of the corner her eye, Isla saw Iida come into view. He looked pale, and she didn't think it was due to any injury from his last match. Ochako and Midoriya noticed as well. "I need to leave town as soon as possible," he began. "I just got off the phone with my mother, and –" his voice broke and he removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes heavily. "A Villain. Got my older brother in Hosu City. He's in the hospital right now –"

"Wait, you're saying Ingenium is hurt?" Midoriya gasped.

"Is he going to be okay?" Isla questioned.

Iida shook his head. "I'm not sure of all the details. But I am leaving right away. I'll try to stay in touch with you on how he's doing."

"Don't worry about us," Ochako assured their friend, patting his arm. "Just focus on your family."

Isla and Midoriya nodded in agreement.

Iida lowered his head, putting his hand over his chest. "Thank you. You are good friends." He shook Midoriya's hand, then embraced Ochako and Isla. "I'll see you all soon."