Chapter 54: You or Me?

Recap:

So with an unfound cautiousness, he sized her up, taking small steps to the side, appearing at leaisure yet tense.

The girl had her nerves rattled as this didn't follow her original game plan at all.

She knew her strengths and weaknesses, and attacking first was never on her list of strong points.

Still forced by her loudly beating heart, she acted.

She ran towards the boy with her determination evident on her face as his steps grew closer.

When she breached his danger zone, the agile boy performed superhuman feats, effortlessly jumping above her and missing her outstretched hand.

But in his way in the air was a jacket, one completely outstretched, that blocked his sight of the ground and, subsequently, her.

"WHAT A SHOWCASING FROM URARAKA, USING HER QUIRK TO MAKE THE JACKET FLOAT, BLOCKING SHOJI'S SIGHT! THE TIMING SHE HAD TO HAVE ON THIS HAD TO BE CALCULATED TO THE EXACT SECOND!"

As he was preoccupied with that, he felt a tap on his boots, and an unfamiliar sense of weightlessness, releasing all the mass he had to deal with, washed over his body.

Recognizing this as her quirk, Zero-Gravity's effect, he acted with his predisposed backup plan.

A rock.

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He spun around, thankful that at least that portion of his body could be manipulated.

Then, using his arms and eyes, he aimed for her head before throwing the piece of gravel.

The girl's eyes widened as she had no time to dodge it.

She raised her arms to shield her head.

Due to her actions, the pads of her fingertips touched, and an accidental usage of her quirk broke her connection, causing Shoji to fall back onto the ground.

"INGENIOUS! WHEN HE JUMPED IN THE AIR, SHOJI ACTUALLY USED ENOUGH FORCE TO BREAK THE CEMENT IN PREPARATION FOR IF SHE TAGGED HIM!"

At the same time, again, dissatisfaction welled up the masses.

"Cheap shot!"

"Why aim for the head?"

"He could've hurt her!"

But neither of the two commentators were finished, nor would they allow the crowd's words to settle any longer.

"THE FAITH HE HAD TO HAVE IN HER ABILITIES IS VISIBLE BY HIS PREPARATIONS!"

The previously mummified teacher's mic flared to life.

"His cautiousness is a testament to her resolve. For you all to criticize that is to do the same to her. Mezo is a kind yet smart kid. If he prepared this much for her, then it means he truly thinks of her as a worthy opponent."

Her arms shook as she felt a purple bruise start to form on her wrist, which received the most of that attack.

She felt her stomach twist as the aftereffects of her quirk crept up on her, and an affirmation of her opponent's strength welled up in her mind.

'Strong.'

She rushed in again, only to be met with the same flip over her, only this time much higher than before.

It seemed like he was a calculator, as after repeating this a few times, he now jumped to a higher position just out of her reach yet close enough to where, when he landed on the ground, he could begin his counter.

He moved swiftly, targeting what he could never risk—having any part of his body caught in her grasp.

His punches hit like hammers, and his palms on her chest felt like the air got beaten out of her lungs.

Ochaco was barely standing and shivering, yet the only visible damage to her body was her original bruise from the rock.

She felt her consciousness slip and wane and knew her time was coming near.

Like Ida, to win, she needed to do her best!

The roar of the crowd as she stood up once again after being knocked over by Shoji fueled her to do more, as did the thought of her mom and Dad watching.

Money.

That was her initial reason for entering the school of heroes.

Ever since she was a kid, they hadn't had the best financial situation.

A naive question of what job paid the most, to which her parents responded, "Heroes," lit her childhood dream.

But over the past few months, watching as her classmates had genuine ambitions, not half-hearted or baked like hers, lit something else inside her.

Midorya screaming so passionately,

Momo took the time to teach her things she'd forgotten, saying, "A hero needs to know everything they can to be most prepared for any situation."

All of them brought out a genuine desire inside of her, not only for money, but now she wanted to prove to them and to herself that being a hero meant more.

She could be more.

And looking at Shoji's gaze that said 'Again,' it felt like he was acknowledging her as well.

So she stood up amidst her shaking legs and body, which screamed for rest, ready to meet his demands.

The two had a stare-off; her gaze, which didn't falter in the slightest, different from when she first walked onto this stage, sent a message to everyone's hero.

'I am here!'

And for the faintest of moments, she could've sworn she saw him nod.

Again, she dashed at him, slower than before but more determined than ever.

Again, he dodged to the sky, this time not taking chances with the 'new' Ochaco and jumping to the sky.

'But not this time!'

The girl tapped her fingers to her body, lifting herself into the air, and with a bending of her knees, using her strength to propel herself into the air, she was off.

Shoji was powerless in the air, and she capitalized on that, using her fingers to swipe at his flailing legs, activating her quirk and making him float.

But unexpectedly, she held on!

"WHHHAAT, OCHACO AFTER CATCHING SHOJI OFF GUARD HAS HELD ON!!!"

The two soared into the sky, and to those below, it appeared that Ochaco was holding on.

But in reality, Shoji had his grip on her shirt, forcing her into the sky with him.

Like with Momo, they soared above, quickly reaching above the stadium and higher, yet it didn't end.

Her original plan was simply to lure him into the sky, go with him, and then jump off, using her quirk on herself, to safely fall to the ground.

'But that won't work now.'

She had been battered by Shoji the entire fight.

Her standing up and making one last charge was purely her will.

Even now, she had to fight mentally to stay awake, let alone use her quirk again, which used physical energy.

Right now, she would die if she fell to the ground. 'But…there's no other…way.'

Her mind slowed down, and her body relaxed as the air got thinner.

The higher they were, the less oxygen she had, and her stressed body desperately needed that resource right now.

So she looked up, using her reserves to lift her head and look into the silver-haired boy's eyes.

She mouthed her words and watched as shock was evident in his eyes at her next action.

[You or me]

She used the puzzle of herself to use her last means of attack.

With such surprising quickness that she started doubting what was really her 'last,' she lifted her head down onto his hand.

Then she bit.

What is the instinctive human reaction when in pain? To get rid of it. And if it was coming from what he held in his clutch, then his subsequent action was... to release her.

She felt the howling wind rush through her ears as her body locked up, finally declaring her done.

She thought about the rest of the words she couldn't mouth out at the moment.

'Either you run out of breath or I fall to my death.'

An exchange, her life, or his win.

She didn't mean to apply such insidious methods, but this was truly her last card to winning the festival.

If they went higher and higher, his added mouths, which were already supplying him with extra oxygen, would promise him the win.

So she bet her life was the last thing she had.

The girl heard the sounds increase from below as her body was positioned to face the sky.

With her last thought, she looked at the image of a clear sky, and a yellow ball of energy illuminated everything.

An unimaginable warmth flooded her body as the yellow rays felt akin to a mother cradling her newborn child.

'How pretty.'

"_______ WINS!!!!!!"