37 Chapter 36
Encountering Ochaco on the way to their match, Izuku could only smile wryly when she asked, "Why are you sweating so much? Don't tell me you were training until just now..."
Shaking his head, Izuku replied, "We can talk about it later," before asking, "Are you ready for our match?"
Striking a guts pose, Ochaco exclaimed, "You bet! I might not be able to win, but I'll give it my all! Just be careful I don't get my hands on you, or else...!"
Adopting a teasing smile, Izuku raised his right hand, producing several black tendrils as he remarked, "It's you who should be careful. If you try and send me floating into space, I'm taking you with me..."
Furrowing her brows, albeit only slightly, Ochaco complained, "That's not fair, Izuku-kun. If I can't even use my Quirk, how am I supposed to win?"
Closing his fist with a 'pop,' Izuku answered, "I honestly don't know. But if you manage an upset, I'll listen to one of your requests in the future. That includes going out on a date."
Blinking in surprise, Ochaco asked, "Seriously?" before pumping her fists a second time and exclaiming, "Now I'm really fired up!" with illusory flames burning in her eyes. Her reaction made Izuku feel a little awkward, but he just smiled and allowed the petite gravity girl to dream.
Coming down from her momentary high, Ochaco looked up at Izuku and asserted, "Hold on. If my reward is being able to request something from you, it's only fair that I offer a similar prize. Or is there something else you want as a reward?"
Seeing Ochaco staring at him with her big, trust-filled eyes, a faint sigh escaped Izuku's nose as he replied, "Fine, I'll play along. As for what I'll request...how about having you dress up as my favorite Heroine during our end-of-the-year Christmas party?"
Blinking several times, Ochaco subconsciously moved closer to Izuku as she asked, "Who's your favorite Heroine?" in a genuinely curious tone. Her own was Space Hero Thirteen, but she doubted that Izuku, or any boy for that matter, would have such 'tame' preferences.
Regaining a teasing smile, Izuku replied, "I'm half-tempted to lie and answer the Vigilante Heroine, Pop☆Step. But I'll be honest and go with my genuine favorite, Rabbit Hero, Mirko."
As Mirko had been one of the top female Heroes since her debut, Ochaco could easily picture the muscular bunny's outfit in her mind. As such, her face went bright red as she pressed the pads of her fingers together and murmured, "That...might be a little much. I'm nowhere near as fit and athletic as someone like Mirko. There's no way I could pull off wearing her costume..."
"That's something we strongly disagree on," asserted Izuku. "However, the last thing I want is to make you uncomfortable. If that's asking for too much, I could always have you assist me with one of my inventions."
Shaking her head rather vigorously, Ochaco hastily responded, "No, no, no, it's fine! I don't mind trying it on if you think it'll suit me! Can I change just one, teenie tiny little thing, though?"
"Sure, go for it," replied Izuku.
Pressing the tips of her index fingers together, Ochaco looked up at Izuku with a bashful smile as she asked, "Do you mind if I only show it to you? If I wore such a revealing outfit in front of our other classmates and had my photo taken, I might die of embarrassment..."
"Ah..."
Recalling that there were die-hard perverts like Mineta and Kaminari in their Class, Izuku didn't hesitate to respond, "Sure thing. In fact, if going out is too much, you could always send me a secure photo. I promise not to share it, no matter the circumstances."
Leaning forward slightly and linking her hands behind her back, a potent blush began to spread through Ochaco's cheeks as she suggested, "I'd rather not leave behind any evidence. How about, instead of waiting until Christmas, I purchase the outfit and invite you to my apartment to view it directly? My family lives pretty far away from Musutafu, so I've been living in an apartment by myself since school started..."
"..."
Though he knew Ochaco shouldn't have any ulterior motives behind her invitation, Izuku was surprised to see how assertive she was behaving. It didn't match his image of Ochaco from the anime, but that didn't stop him from adopting a smile and replying, "Just let me know when everything is ready, and I'll literally come running over."
Snorting in a cutesy way, Ochaco rose to her full height, adopting a fairly mischievous grin as she said, "Don't get ahead of yourself, Izuku-kun. If you get complacent, I might actually come out on top. If that happens, it won't be 'me' wearing Mirko-san's costume..."
Understanding the implications of Ochaco's words, the smile faded from Izuku's face as he asserted, "You've sealed your fate. If my dignity as a man is on the line, I'll be giving it my all from the start. That, and I really want to see you in Mirko's costume."
Instead of being intimated by Izuku's words, Ochaco pumped her fists one final time, exclaiming, "Then let's give it our all!" with the same fiery expression as earlier. After all, even if she lost in the coming match, she felt she had achieved something significant by inviting Izuku to visit her apartment...
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When Izuku and Ochaco finally entered the arena, Midnight, with her microphone turned off, commented, "You two sure took your sweet time arriving. Are you reluctant about fighting the person you like~?"
Contrasting Midnight's expectations, Ochaco replied, "I'm ready!" with a serious expression, while Izuku asserted, "I won't hold anything back." in a firm tone.
Licking her lips, Midnight teased, "Well, are you two just the cutest little things?" before flipping on her microphone and shouting, "Sorry for the delay, folks, but it looks like our contestants are, at last, ready and raring to go! Show them some love~!"
Though the crowd's response wasn't nearly as loud as it could have been, the combined force of tens of thousands of people cheering and clapping was enough to shake the stadium. Izuku could feel the vibrations through the soles of his feet, but instead of feeling intimidated, he had a confident smile on his face as he met the eyes of the girl standing opposite of him in the arena.
With Izuku and Ochaco in their respective starting position, Midnight raised her bondage whip high, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement as she shouted, "Now, without further ado, let the first round of the second elimination matches...begin!"
Expecting Izuku and Ochaco to have a nice, 'friendly' brawl, Midnight and the spectators were more than a little surprised when the former abruptly 'exploded.' Izuku had promised Ochaco that he would be going all out, so dozen Blackwhip tendrils, resembling teal-tinged black lightning, erupted from his body, flickering around him violently before compressing to form a protective layer around his arms, legs, and chest. Then, demonstrating a surprising degree of flexibility, he raised his right foot nearly 180 degrees, emulating one of Mirko's signature techniques as he briefly multiplied his power more than a thousand times, splitting the entire arena...
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Though she didn't ordinarily watch the UA Sports Festival, uninterested in the performances of a bunch of brats, Rumi Usagiyama, better known by her Hero name, Rabbit Hero Mirko, had received numerous emails about a 'promising youth' that would appear among the first years. Such an email wouldn't have been able to divert her attention away from her Hero duties under normal circumstances, but, as the sender was someone Mirko owed quite a few favors, she decided to check it out.
Recognizing Izuku's form the moment he raised his foot, a somewhat predatory smile developed across Rumi's face as she thought, ("Is this cheeky little brat copying me? But what's he hoping to accomplish from so far away...?")
Answering Rumi's question, Izuku's leg abruptly became a blur, much too fast for the camera to follow. The aftermath of his attack, however, was all too obvious, causing Rumi's carmine eyes to widen quite a bit. She prided herself on having the most powerful legs in Japan, potentially even the entire world, so she knew how strong someone would need to be to split reinforced concrete like a karate tile.
Recovering her predatory grin, Rumi couldn't help exclaiming, "Not bad! Great, even! It's no wonder that busybody of a Principal sent me such an email! Looks like UA found itself a good seed!"
Having made up her mind, Rumi leaped to her feet, shedding the white and purple-trimmed kimono she often wore in her traditional Japanese home before racing off to change into her Hero costume. Near the end of his email, Nezu had asked if she would help reinforce security during the Sports Festival, but Rumi had refused. Now, however, she was at least a little interested in seeing how things played out. Thus, after changing into her Hero outfit, consisting of little more than a sleeveless, exceptionally skin-tight white leotard, purple stockings, and a pair of white gloves, Rumi bolted from her house, producing a sizeable crater as she leaped several hundred meters into the air at near-supersonic speeds...
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Though he had nearly slipped into the crack he had created, Izuku was spared from embarrassing himself as the tendrils of Blackwhip embedded into the surrounding concrete, preventing him from falling. As for Ochaco, she had leaped into the air, remaining afloat using her Quirk, but her eyes were completely round as she stared down at the devastation below.
Breaking the usually bubbly girl from her stupor, Izuku called out, "I told you I wasn't going to hold anything back. This should also give you some ammunition to utilize with your Quirk, so if you're ready to continue, so am I."
Shaking her head and waving her hands, all while tucking in her legs to prevent herself from spinning too much, Ochaco loudly replied, "No, I'm good! I've seen everything I need to understand I don't stand a chance against you, Izuku-kun! You're way, way, way stronger than I expected...!"
Though he returned a smile in response to Ochaco's compliment, Izuku couldn't help thinking, ("You say that, but if I didn't reinforce my body with Blackwhip, my leg would be a mess right now. I really need to work on my timing...")
Using Blackwhip to lower himself onto the stage, Izuku clenched his teeth as a sharp pain ran up his leg. He didn't think it was broken, but he sure as shit wasn't using it to execute any flashy moves the rest of the day...
Having been paying close attention to Izuku's and Ochaco's dialogue, Midnight directed her gaze to the latter, asking, "Are you sure you want to forfeit the match? You won't get another opportunity like this for an entire year, you know?"
Releasing her Quirk, Ochaco landed on the arena, the extra-thick padding of her shoes cushioning the impact as she replied, "It's okay, Midnight-sensei. I know when I'm beaten. Besides, not having another opportunity for a year means I can use all that time to practice! Just you wait, Izuku-kun! I'll be ten, no, a hundred times stronger next year...!"
Nodding his head in approval, Izuku's smile broadened as he said, "I have no doubt that'll be the case, Ochaco-san. But, fair warning, I don't intend to slack off. Especially not when I have such a compelling reason to win..."
Understanding that Izuku was talking about her dressing up like Mirko, the perpetual blush marks on Ochaco's face became noticeably redder. At the same time, after observing the duo's interaction with an affectionate smile, Midnight raised her bondage whip, loudly announcing Izuku as the match's victor...
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(A/N: Nezu is a powerful ally to have (O w O)...)
