14

Chapter 14: Sports Festival II – Find Our AlliesNotes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"With eighty contestants there will be from twenty to forty teams on the field..." Sato mused, looking at the placements' scoreboard. 

"Going from five points to three hundred and five... and ten million, ribbit." Asui added, moving her eyes onto the greatest target on the field. 

Ochaco mimicked the move, as everybody's eyes were now glued onto Midoriya. The teen was simply standing there with his arms crossed, stretching his neck with a thoughtful look. 

Some of their classmates seemed torn, and she understood why. On one hand, Izuku was a great friend who had thaught them a lot already, and a powerhouse that would do anything in his power to keep his first place to the bitter end. But on the other hand, siding with the boy after his previous speech and this new addition to his value would mean becoming part of a target every other team would work towards bringing down. 

- Come on, Ochaco, he would help you if you were in his shoes! - she thought, having decided to approach the greenette. 

Izuku, however, had other plans. 

"Oh well," he shrugged, "I guess it's time. Good luck with your teams guys." Izuku turned away from the rest of 1-A, leaving some stunned. 

She took a few steps forward to catch up with him. "Iz- Midoriya! Team up with me!" 

He stopped mid-step, sighing as if he'd just remembered something, and faced her way with a guilty smile. "Sorry, Uraraka, but I've got a plan in mind..." he said while rubbing the back of his neck. "But I think you should try and ask Tokoyami and that girl with silver hair in 1-B, Yanagi. You'd make a good team!" 

She managed to get a few words out despite the surprise. "Y-yeah, no problem! I'll try!" 

- Since when did he know people from 1-B? Was it representative stuff? - 

Before turning away to look for his suggestions, Ochaco saw Izuku moving towards the middle of the field. Three students were already waiting for him there. 

*Around two weeks ago*  

Izuku knocked three times on the metal door that kept the disasters held by the support department separated from the outside world. The door slid to one side after a full minute, which was less than he'd expected. 

A skinny man with a yellow helmet peered through. "Uh, were we expecting visitors? Hi kid, something we can do for you?" 

"Good afternoon, Power Loader, sir," Izuku bowed politely, as a good first impression did a lot to enter in the man's good graces. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, from Class 1-A. I've asked for a meeting to work on a few alterations for my costume." 

"Oh yeah, you're that kid that blew a hole in my zero-pointer," the man snapped his metallic finger tips. "I've taken a look at that design you sent a few weeks ago. Gotta respect the level of thought you put in it. Come in." 

Once inside, the man started walking him through the small path that was on a "safe" distance from any working area.

"So, what are you looking for? I've got quite a list of requests from principal Nezu right now, but I'll see what I can do." 

"Oh, it's nothing that incredible, really, and it's not like I'm in a rush to get it."

The understatement of the century. Somehow, despite him virtually having all the time in the world, he always ended up needing things when they weren't ready yet. 

"I wouldn't mind waiting a bit. Or maybe, if that's okay with you, sir, I could ask for help from one of your students here?" 

"Mm, that wouldn't be a terrible idea," the Pro Hero mused. "First years need all the experience they can get, especially if they want to make a good impression in the Sports Festival." 

- Oh, that won't be a problem, - he thought, grinning inside, and bowing his head gratefully. 

"Thank you. Do you have somebody that you'd recommend for something that might take some tries? I'm not in a hurry, so I'd be happy to run some tests directly here if need be." 

At that, Power Loader turned with a more serious expression. He'd taken the bait. 

"How dangerous would your project be?" the teacher asked, probing. 

"Not a lot, I hope. It's about gauntlets and boots. I need them to keep my limbs intact if I ever overshoot with my Quirk." 

"Mm... And when you say, 'some tries', you mean that it may keep her occupied for days?" 

- 'Her' already. So easy. - 

"Well, my ideas are just that, ideas, but I've got a lot. It might be kind of challenging for a first year, since I don't think a first draft in going to cut it." 

Izuku could barely see the Hero's face under his helmet, but the smile that formed there was unmistakable. "I've got what you're looking for. Follow me." 

Deeper inside the lab, in a room clearly delimited by red tape and several "DANGER - KEEP OUT" and "WARNING - EXPLOSIONS" signs, Izuku recognized the familiar humming of a certain technician. The fact that nobody else stood even remotely close to the door wasn't a surprise. 

Power Loader cleared his throat. "Hatsume, you've got a visitor and a request." 

The girl didn't show any hint of having received the message, instead digging deeper into her work. She was lying down under her current project, working with her head almost all the way under the complex bundle of mechanisms and cables. 

"Hatsume!" The teacher shouted, making her raise her head so fast that the only result could be a loud thud of objects colliding. She took the hit in stride, remembering only at that point to slide out before rising again. 

"Yes teach?" 

Izuku could see the red mark on her forehead that would probably grow into a bump, but she didn't appear particularly disturbed by the dizziness. And her hands were still working... 

"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your head out of your inventions..." the man grumbled, moving forward and placing an ice pack on her with a grunt. "You've got a request from the hero course, something to work on." He pointed his way with the metal claw. "That's Midoriya, ask him the specifics. And, for the love of my lab, don't make him explode." 

"He's joking, right?" Nana asked from the back of his head. 

- I'll admit she's come close to it, yeah. - 

"I don't get it, is she a technician or a menace?" Daigoro reiterated, clearly confused. 

- Both. But it's the kind of menace I can't do without, - he mentally smirked, -and I know a trick or two by now. - 

Mei jumped up and got in his face in one second as the teacher left. 

"Hi! I'm Mei Hatsume! I don't know you but teach said you have something for me!" 

"Mei, personal space." 

Looking taken aback by the firmness and intonation of his words, she actually took a step back. Knowing how to say her name exactly as her mother did was a limitless boon, as it awoke some deeply buried reaction in the girl. He waited for a few seconds, looking around and assuring himself that nobody else was watching and that the door was closed. 

"Thank you. I'm Midoriya Izuku," he started, reading himself for what came after, "and I'm proud to tell you that you've just got a code 74-sigma on your hands, Mei."

The girl's eye widened, her Quirked pupils coming in and out of focus for a moment. Then she showed the biggest and most prideful grin she could muster, ignoring his previous request by jumping on him. He let himself be taken to the ground to cushion her fall, both smiling and sighing weakly as she kissed him on the cheek.

"I always knew I'd find you! I was right! Time trav-" He gently put a hand over her mouth to make his lovable disaster lower her volume.

Mei smelled like oil and burned circuits. Her hands were greasy and calloused. She had no sense of shame, social cues or space awareness, and looked like she hadn't slept in three days.

He wouldn't have her any other way.

"Technically, I have found you, Mei. And yes, you were right," he whispered, letting go of her slowly. "Before you ask though, no, I can't bring you into the future."

"Bummer," she pouted, keeping it for a whole two seconds before going back to trying to strangle him. "But you must have something big for me!"

He smirked while getting both of them back on their feet. "In fact, I do. How would you feel about getting some free publicity in the Sports Festival?"

She grinned back at him with bright eyes.

Power Loader would question himself for weeks about how the boy had tamed the beast, receiving no answers whatsoever.

Itsuka would admit that she'd been quite surprised when she'd received a message from him. He'd apparently gotten her number from the chat shared by all representatives, where the 1-A teen had actually made some very good points in the last week or so. But a one-on-one conversation was something new. 

- Man, I reeeally hope he isn't thinking about confessing... - 

He didn't seem like the type, but she never knew with boys their age. He was admittedly cute, but they'd barely seen each other in person twice... 

"Hey Midoriya, you wanted to see me?" she said as she entered one of the more "traditional" gyms on school grounds. It was one of the few "no Quirks allowed" types. 

She found him in the middle of the room, moving barefoot on the tatami, midway through a kata. His form seemed flawless, but she couldn't quite place the martial art he was working on. 

Itsuka wasn't all-knowing by any means, but she'd seen her fair share of forms in her life. There weren't many as focused on martial arts as she was in the school, and barely a handful could compare. And yet, this boy was showing her something completely new. 

He landed from an acrobatic jump, his feet perfectly in sync with his hands, flowing like water. His moves were fast and precise, without wastes or useless frills. His breath was even, silent to the point of inaudibility. 

Izuku ended the exercise after another full minute, returning to a position of control and balance. Only then did he turn towards her with a smile. 

"Hi Kendo! I'm sorry for making you wait, but I hate leaving things unfinished." 

She stepped forward, shaking her head sympathetically. "I understand completely. It just wouldn't feel right otherwise, wouldn't it?" 

"You get it," he laughed heartily with her. "Would you like to spar as we talk? I've still got to train a bit, but I'd be fine waiting if you don't." 

That... wasn't a bad idea. She could use a match with someone who knew what they were doing, for a change. Her classmates weren't bad by any means, but some relied on their Quirks way too much. 

"Sure, just give me a minute to put on something appropriate," she smiled before heading to the changing rooms, still trying to find something to connect that kata to. A couple of minutes later they were in front on each other, both in fighting position. 

"So," she started, engaging to try out his defenses, "what did you want to talk about?" 

He swiftly evaded her first blow and blocked another, shifting to the side. "Well, as one representative to the other, I wanted to ask you about how it's going with your class. Like, have you noticed anyone behaving a bit... bitter?" 

She evaded a kick and tried to swoop him off his feet, concentrating more on her movements than on her reply. "Mm, not really? Why'd you ask?" 

"There are some rumors going around," he answered, parrying and keeping his distance before approaching again, faster. "Something about how someone is saying that we've been hogging the spotlight thanks to the U.S.J. attack. Some of us got a bit uncomfortable with that. We got kind of swarmed the other day, and Tetsutetsu from your class said something along those notes. He doesn't seem the type to make that kind of statements, and he excuse himself immediately, so I wonder where he heard that from." 

- Ugh, - she thought, starting to get where he was going with the conversation. 

"Plus, my Quirk kind of enhances my senses, so it's really hard to miss the looks we're getting from some of your classmates." He then raised one hand as to placate a possible misunderstanding before using it to deflect a punch. "And I'm not accusing you or anything, you don't seem like the type either!" 

"Eh, thanks!" She crashed a backhand on his biceps, clicking her tongue in disappointment, both for his words and the ineffective blow. "I'm sorry to hear that, Midoriya. Those rumors sound really shitty." Itsuka took a hit in stride, catching his arm and pivoting to subdue the boy, only to have his slip away at the last second. "Tch. Some of the boys in our class may be listening to that stuff, but I think they'll listen to me and stop if I point out how awful they are." 

If he wanted to know who the center of the trash-talking in her class was, she knew exactly who to look for... But she also couldn't just sell out her classmates. She'd have a talk with them first. Then, if things got worse, she'd rather take it to their homeroom teacher than make it personal. 

He smiled through another of her attacks. "Yeah, that's all I could ask for, Kendo. I hope they listen to reason. God knows it's hard to keep some of mine from making fools of themselves." 

She laughed with gritted teeth as she increased her rhythm. "Ah! You're telling me! Just yesterday Awase ended up welding together the mannequins we were meant to save! As if one could do that to civilians!" 

"Rookie mistake," he huffed as she almost managed to hit his chest. "I've got a similar experience with Sero's tape. I'm just hoping it doesn't happen to Mineta too." 

They kept bantering and exchanging little anecdotes as they stacked punches on blocks, kicks on jumps, lunges on dodges. Itsuka couldn't help but feel extremely content with their bout, if shocked more than she'd care to admit. 

She had started training with her dad as soon as she'd been able to stay on two legs. One of her first memories was her mother shaking her head as her father let himself be subdued by his "great little warrior." Her family owned a dojo and she'd kept up the tradition dutifully, training like crazy to crown her dream of becoming a Hero. Her parents had been proud of her choices, knowing that she'd put their ancestors' moves to good use. 

During 1-B's battle trials no one but Rin had shown a penchant for martial arts. Some were strong fighters, but their technique wasn't refined, wasn't honed through rigorous training. 

Yet this guy, who she'd never seen in any of the many competitions she'd taken part of, or in any of the thousands of videos shared on the net about young fighters, was keeping up with her without a care in the world. 

Was he some kind of secret pupil of a reclusive dojo in the middle of nowhere who didn't take part in any competition at all? His style was clearly a form of mixed martial arts, but she had only managed to recognize a couple of the many moves he was concatenating in an endless stream of focused power. 

Unable to contain her curiosity, she opted to just ask him. "Midoriya, where did you learn to fight like this?" 

He smirked, undeterred by the barrage he was receiving. "That's quite a question Kendo. Let's see... How about, if you win, I tell you. If I win, you'll consider a proposal of mine for the festival." Probably seeing a hint of doubt on her face, he added something else. "Don't worry, it won't affect you or your class negatively. Just the opposite I'd say." 

She thought about it for a moment. Itsuka considered their state: he was panting more than she was, and he'd been on the defensive far longer. If she played her cards right, she could end this in one move. 

"If you assure me that it's nothing bad..." she said, taking a firm step back to find stable ground and calculating how to overthrow him. "Fine, but don't take it too badly when you hit the mat." 

Izuku stood still as she shot forward, his breathing interrupted for a moment. Itsuka's left moved towards his face, to be blocked, making the feint work. Her right hand, now in a blind spot, grabbed his forearm while her feet hit his leg, pushing to turn him supine. She just needed to push and- 

The counter was so immediate she didn't manage to see how or when he'd started moving. The only thing Itsuka knew was how it had felt in-between and how it had ended: weightless as her feet left the ground, even the one that wasn't supposed to, and with her front pressed down on the tatami floor and the boy's knee weighting between her shoulder blades. 

"I did say I hate leaving things unfinished," he chuckled, moving away and offering her a hand to bring her up, which she took. 

"What the hell was that?" she groaned, understanding that she'd been played like a fiddle. 

"It's called 'Soft Plying Collapse'," Izuku explained, "it's a good move to play the reverse uno card when your opponent wants to capsize you." 

"Well, it worked just fine for that," she closed her eyes and exhaled, getting to terms with her instant defeat. 

He passed her a bottle before drinking himself. "It was a good match though, you almost had me. You're the first here to make me go all-out." 

"I'll take the compliment then," she huffed, feeling a bit of pride inside for having taken so much out of him. She then remembered the bet she'd lost spectacularly. 

"So, what's this about an idea for the Sports Festival?" 

Izuku beamed at the question. "Oh, I think you will like it! You know how the second event is usually a team effort? Like, nine times out of ten." 

"Yeah, I've never missed a festival on TV," she nodded. 

"Good. You see, I'm looking to tackle that event a little differently than usual..." 

Itsuka listened with increasing attention as he explained his reasoning. Five minutes later, the two shook hands. 

"You know, when I said 'I'll see you at the festival,' I meant it, Midoriya." Hitoshi stepped inside the gym with his hands in his pockets, as usual. "Honestly, a message is the last thing I expected. How the hell did you get my number anyway?" 

Izuku, stopping his chin-ups and jumping down from the bar, welcomed him in with a gesture. "I know a guy that knows a guy." 

"Not suspect at all for a Hero trainee," he said sarcastically. 

Izuku scoffed. "You're smart enough to know that contacts are essential for the job, especially for Underground Heroes. That's what you're aiming at, isn't it?" 

Hitoshi squinted his eyes. Midoriya was too perceptive for his liking. 

"Perhaps, but what would you know? You're just so perfect for Daylight Heroics..." 

"Knowledge is power, it doesn't matter whether you're Daylight, Underground, Sidekick or Villain," the boy responded, sounding almost bored at the taunt. 

The last term didn't make his bile boil. Oh no. It was that and the goody two shoes act. 

"Whatever. Is there a reason you've wasted my time to get me here? Contrary to you Hero Course prodigies, people like me have got to put in some effort for the Sports Festival," he grunted, looking down as he shook his head, prepared to ignore any bullshit the other would spit. 

"Mm, like training Brainwash. You need people to answer you, so I imagine it's not easy finding some willing to help." 

Hitoshi stopped, his heart jumping to his throat. Rising to meet Midoriya's deadpan face, he practically growled. "How did you-?" 

"Know your Quirk? I've heard whispers. The other day I had to shut up a couple of Gen Eds that talked about 'villainous Quirks,' as if it was a sound thing." 

Hitoshi snorted. He'd already seen his fair share of assholes, and U.A. wasn't without issues. But he'd heard about something like that happening. 

"You were the one that terrorized Okamoto and Yogi? Uh, gotta thank you. They haven't looked my way once since yesterday." 

"Because I put the fear of God in them about spouting Quirkist bullshit. The teachers don't exactly approve of misconduct," Midoriya chuckled before going back to his explanation. "Besides that, I've seen you train. You aren't exactly subtle, Shinso. Though I gotta say your classmates are quite nice to let you try it on them, even though it's just quid pro quo," the boy replied amicably, making his irritation grow. 

- Fuck! Did he tell all his shitty classmates? Or is here to blackmail me? Damn it! - 

His thoughts must have been apparent on his face, because Midoriya sighed and raised his hands as if to placate a child. "Calm down, I'm not here to divulge anything. I'm here to help you." 

The indigo-haired student stood on the defensive. "And why in the world would you do that?" 

"A couple of reasons," Midoriya started raising digits while smiling. "For one, I gotta say I was impressed by your spirit. You've shown some balls the other day, and you seem to have a good brain in that head of yours. It would be a waste not to find a spot in the Hero Course for you. Plus, your Quirk is fucking amazing. Your body is barely fit though, so I guess you were screwed over by the robots in the entrance exam. Even then, underestimating your potential as an Underground Hero would be sheer madness." 

Hitoshi was stunned. Had this guy just highlighted his pros and cons in a couple of phrases? 

Midoriya raised another digit. "And two, this wouldn't be a one-way street. I need your help for something I'm cooking up for the Sports Festival's second event. Or, I'd be probably fine with anybody from General Studies, but you were obviously the best choice I could make." 

And now was he praising him or insulting him? 

Still, even though Midoriya seemed to have a screw loose, Hitoshi needed to know more. For the sake of his dream. 

But he'd test him first. 

"You're awfully easy going for someone that's been answering all of my questions," he pointed out, challenging him to see that spark of fear in his eyes. 

It never came. Instead, Midoriya simply waved his hand jokingly. "Oh, that. It's because your Quirk doesn't work on me." 

Oh no, that was crossing a line. "Bullshit." 

The other didn't seem perturbed in the least. "Try it then." 

Hitoshi grit his teeth, opening his mouth with rage-fueled vigor. "You think you are immune to my Quirk?" 

"I do." 

- Gotcha. - 

Hitoshi felt the familiar sensation of connection to the other's mind, the string that was supposed to let him move the puppet around. What he hadn't expected was to find that Midoriya's side of the connection would move on its own, as if a much stronger force was holding the reins. 

The greenette, despite his milky-white eyes and dazed demeanor, kept a hand up a snapped his fingers. The movement waked him up instantly. 

Izuku shook his hand to get rid of the pain on his fingers as Hitoshi's mouth hung open. "One of your Quirk's problems is that people can be woken up by others through physical jolts or pain. If somebody has help or if you can't get all the people down at once, you run the risk of uncovering your cards too early and end up with nothing." 

Seeing Shinso's questioning look, Izuku added, "In my case, I'm my own help. Sentient Quirks may be your natural enemies." 

"Goddammit," he cursed. He'd never even thought about the possibility of such a thing happening. That kind of Quirk was pretty rare, wasn't it? "Is there anything you bastard can't do?" 

"I really hate working alone," Izuku admitted. 

For some reason, despite how generic the "confession" was, Hitoshi decided to keep that in mind. It sounded important. 

Midoriya had proven he knew his stuff, at least in regard to avoiding his Quirk. Now he'd see if he could actually be useful. 

"Fine. You say you could help me, right? Prove it." He asked and commanded, fixing his eyes on the teen's. 

"As I said, you're not subtle Shinso. Like, at all," Midoriya huffed. "I could tell that your Quirk required a verbal response by looking at it once. Even a moron would get the hint after watching it twice. If you enter the festival like that you won't get past the second round of the tournament. Less if you're unlucky and someone discovers the trick early on." 

"Some would say that's still a pretty high placement for a Gen-Ed kid," he growled, unable to find holes in his analysis. 

"And generally, it would be, but would you be satisfied with that?" 

- No, I wouldn't. - 

Hitoshi didn't want to settle for the top sixteen. Any additional step he managed to climb to may as well have been the one necessary to change his life. He'd feel like a fool if he lost his only chance by being read like a book. 

"So, what's your solution?" 

Midoriya stepped closer, showing a devilish grin and offering his hand. "Your collaboration during the second event, which is a team effort every year, in exchange for my help now. Do you take my offer?" 

Hitoshi pondered for a second. Midoriya had treated him as an equal, pointing out his actual flaws instead of some random "Villainous Quirk" crap. He'd already shown greater insights into his Quirk than he'd received from any of the (very few) specialists he'd seen. He already knew his weaknesses and was bound to beat him in a one-on-one. But, all things considered, a second place was better than a sixteenth. 

He signed the deal with the green devil.

Present

"What's this?! Ladies and gentleman, are my eyes deceiving me? It seems that some students from both classes in the Hero Course have formed a temporary alliance!" 

Izuku looked around and analyzed the formations around the field. He was pleasantly surprised by seeing that a couple of his classmates' teams had actually followed his suggestion and integrated members from 1-B. It was only four in total, Itsuka included, but it was better than nothing! 

"And look, our ten-million-boy has just found himself the weirdest combination of a team! Who knows, is he trying to put every department together?" 

- You got that right Mic. - 

Izuku called to the girls behind him. "Are you ready? Kendo!" 

"I was born ready!" Her gigantic left hand was holding on his shoulders, creating the perfect platform while leaving her gloved right free. 

"Hatsume!" 

"Hehehe ready Boss!" Her right hand rested by Itsuka's, though her main objective wasn't supporting their rider, but activating her babies fulltime. 

"Shinso?" 

"Yeah..." The rider fastened their dangerously high-value headband to his neck, moving his fingers around over the support items that covered his hands. 

"Then let's break this party." 

Notes:

As Nezu said back in chapter 11, some changes were going to happen in the festival, one of which is numbers growing in events 2 and 3.

I thought I'd make one big chapter for the second event, but just getting the crew together grew this long, and the next one is even longer, so...

And Mei's the third one in the known! Though definitely not on the same level as the principal and Aizawa. She just wouldn't care about the boring details.

Up next, 1-A destroys its opponents.