The Final Round Part 2

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-(U.A. High School/Sports Festival Stadium)-

"He didn't stand out in the first rounds at all, but it's possible Shinso's crazy powerful! Who could've imagined this turn of events?! Will the bottom really overthrow the top?!"

"This is a perfect example of why I said the entrance exam isn't rational," Aizawa remarked.

"Hmm? Why's that?" Present Mic asked.

"Since we're on to the individual matches, I had some information compiled about our final competitors."

Aizawa was currently skimming at two documents in his hands; one with a picture of Izuku and the other with a picture of Shinso.

"Shinso failed the practical exam to get into the hero course, but he also applied for general studies," Aizawa explained. "I'm guessing he probably figured that would happen."

"He had a fallback plan, huh?"

"Yes, even though his Quirk is incredibly strong, that entrance test mostly consisted of fighting faux villains -- robots," Aizawa continued. "I gave a huge advantage to those who had physical superpowers they could show off."

Aizawa then tilted his head to gaze down at Shinso, concentrating his attention on the boy; he remained several feet in front of a stationary Izuku whose eyes were as blank as a white canvas.

"Despite his abilities, Shinso never stood a chance at passing..."

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'The outcome of this battle isn't looking good for you, Izuku. Not good at all...'

Shinso's Quirk was Brainwashing. In Jotaro's opinion, it was an incredibly powerful ability to have; its possibilities were vast. For example, if he were to use his Quirk on a politician, he could make them do anything he wanted -- even kill themselves. Nevertheless, Jotaro wouldn't make any immediate assumptions on how Shinso's Quirk actually worked since he was only basing it on what was currently happening during the match below.

"Uh, why isn't he moving?" Hagakure questioned, scratching her head in confusion. "Izuku looked mad just a second ago..."

"He isn't moving because he's under that kid's control at the moment," Jotaro answered, keeping his eyes on the stage; a few of his classmates overhear and listen in. "Mind control to be precise."

"Really?! But that was... pretty fast!"

"That Shinso kid can do that to people?!" Kirishima exclaimed. "Aw man, that's crazy strong!"

"It is," Yaoyorozu agreed. "Midoriya's eyes are pretty dull, see? It definitely seems like he's in some sort of trance."

"It's strange, that's for sure," Tokoyami said, glancing at Jotaro. "What do you think, JoJo? How does it work exactly?"

"Hmm... well, if I were to guess..." Jotaro then closed his eyes in contemplation, keeping them extra covered by his white cap. "The Quirk absolutely needs a person to do only one thing for it to activate."

"Which is...?" Hagakure asked; she and the other classmates leaned in a little to listen to Jotaro's response.

-(...)-

-(...)-

-(...)-

"... For them to speak."

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"...So here we are," Shinso said after a long period of silence, still staring at his unmoving opponent. "You're lucky to have been so blessed, Izuku Midoriya."

"..."

"Now turn around..." Shinso ordered. "...And walk out of bounds."

Following his command, Izuku turned around slowly and began walking in the direction he came from. The audience can be heard clamoring loudly amongst each other in amazement and puzzlement; Izuku was seemingly about to throw the match.

"Uh‐ What?!" Present Mic shouted. "Midoriya's obeying him!"

"Oh, no, Deku, what are you doing?!" Uraraka questioned.

"He can't walk out of the ring! He'll lose the match if he does!" Iida added.

"There's nothing he can do to help it," Jotaro replied, getting a concerned look from both Uraraka and Iida.

"Only a miracle could help him at this moment..."

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"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO..."

Throughout the ordeal, All Might had been repeating the phrases "no no no" and "what are you doing," all the while tightening his grip on the corner of Izuku's entryway to the field. Right now, his successor was getting awfully close to the stage's edge.

'M-Midoriya! What are you doing?!'

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"Incredible! Is Midoriya about to give Shinso the win?!" Present Mic exclaimed.

As Present Mic continued making commentary, Aizawa was making his own analysis while reading the papers in his hands.

'In the fitness test on the first day of school, Midoriya scored pretty low for a student who'd been accepted into the hero course. Still, even in tests where he didn't use his Quirk, he outperformed Shinso. If they fought without powers, Midoriya would almost certainly win,' Aizawa sighed. 'But he'd have to overcome Shinso's Brainwashing to do that...'

"Either way; this match will be over quickly."

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'W-What's happening?! My body's moving on its own!' Izuku regained his senses but he, unfortunately, couldn't move a single muscle in his body. 'I-I feel like my brain is full of fog... I can't concentrate!'

Even though he couldn't see or hear anything distinctly at the moment, there were vague indications and signals all around him that let Izuku realize he was nearing the end of the stage.

'Crap! I gotta stop! Dammit!' Izuku internally cursed in frustration. 'This isn't good! I can't do anything!'

Inch by inch, he was making his way to the border of the stage. Almost everyone in the audience was at the edge of their seats, and All Might was beginning to cause cracks in the corner he was currently holding onto.

'I can't stop it... I'm going to lose- It's all over!' Izuku cried, deeming his situation to be inevitable, unavoidable, and hopeless. 'Even though... so many people are counting on me! I can't... lose here-'

As he was about to cross the edge of the ring, eight shadowed figures with green eyes manifested in the hallway across from Izuku, replacing All Might; they were all staring back at him.

'?!'

Yet, even though their appearance was striking and would obviously become the first matter Izuku would concern himself with at the moment, he was more concerned with who was standing in the far back.

"..."

Izuku could immediately tell that the aura of that one was much different than its counterparts, noticing how its whole atmosphere was beginning to distort and circumnavigate around the figure in a circular fashion -- similarly to a black hole absorbing light or the Earth orbiting around the Sun.

This was the ninth figure, and its eye color couldn't be discerned.

"?!/?/...!/!!/.../!/...?/...?!"

After sensing the presence of something abnormal or "out of place" behind them, all eight of the shadowed figures turned around to see what it was. Yet, once they did see who was standing behind them, every figure surrounded the anomaly and began examining it thoughtfully; this was something entirely new to them.

'Who are they...?'

Once they were finished, all eight joined the ninth's gaze and glanced back at Izuku, and a sudden surge of energy was sent towards him.

'?!'

Presently, Izuku could feel One For All flowing all throughout his entire body, even the strange heaviness on his mind began to feel almost "unclouded" in a sense.

'What... is this?!'

Izuku unexpectedly regained control over his fingers for the moment, he could feel them twitch slightly; this was his greatest opportunity to escape the Brainwashing. He took another involuntary step towards the edge of the stage; one more and it was all over for him.

'MOVE!!' Izuku bent two of his right fingers upward with all the strength he could muster. 'COME ON, DAMMIT!!'

"Even with a Quirk like this, I have my own dreams of becoming a great hero. So, lose for me-"

Suddenly, a loud thunderclap is heard from Izuku's position, and dust travels toward the eyes of anyone within close proximity. Izuku also began to hyperventilate uncontrollably, trying his best to calm himself down.

"GAH- HAHH! HAHH-"

"What's this...?! Midoriya stopped just in time!"

"HAHH..." Izuku gasped, glancing back at Shinso.

'His fingers...' Aizawa remarked; they were unbroken. 'He used them in order to shake off the Brainwashing?'

"He..." All Might said, wide-eyed. "He didn't break his body this time..."

"No, impossible...!" Shinso's voice started to get louder. "You're not supposed to be able to fight back! What did you do?"

Izuku then placed a hand over his mouth, making sure he wouldn't make the same mistake of talking to Shinso.

'I'm the one who used One For All, but... I'm not the one who moved my fingers just now.'

"Haah..." Izuku gasped once again; he realized his fingers hadn't been broken after he used All For One -- this was good.

'It was like people I didn't know came into my mind... and for a second, it was clear! Could it be that those people- were they the ones who cultivated this power? Did they save me? Is that even possible?'

"How'd you do that!"

'I'll save that for later,' Izuku said as he shook his head. 'I don't have time to figure things out right now- I have to focus!'

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Everyone watched as Izuku turned to face his opponent, slowly and surely making his way with each step. Meanwhile, Shinso began to make more snarky and mocking remarks at Izuku, trying his best to make the boy speak.

"Come on, say something," Shinso said, acting deceptively. "I didn't know you had so much power in your fingers. I'm kind of jealous of you!"

'He's getting desperate,' Jotaro noted; Shinso was starting to tremble a little as he watched Izuku gradually pick up speed in his direction. 'And Izuku's starting to get faster-'

"Wait, why isn't his finger broken?"

"Thanks to the way my Quirk works, I've always been at a big disadvantage! But someone as blessed as you wouldn't understand that!"

"Did he learn to control his Quirk already? When the hell did he figure that out?"

"You're lucky enough to have a heroic Quirk!" Shinso yelled. "It'll be so easy for you to reach your goal!"

Once he got close enough, Izuku pressed hard on Shinso's shoulder and stomach with his hands, using this chance to push him backward with all the strength he could summon.

"SAY SOMETHING ALREADY!" Shinso shouted, cracking Izuku right in the face, breaking his nose in the process.

Yet, to his surprise, Izuku instead kept on pushing him; even staggering Shinso a little when he saw that Midoriya was staring right at his face.

"GAHHHH!!"

The two skid across the stage, leaning towards the nearest edge. Shinso then glanced backward, immediately realizing that Izuku's aim was to push him out of the arena.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" He yelled, swerving to the side and causing Izuku to stumble forward a little. "Get out of this ring, you lucky brat!"

Shinso placed his hand on Izuku's face, smacking him towards the edge a little. However, Izuku uses his leg to stop himself from going any further and suddenly grabs Shinso's arm.

"RAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!"

"Huh?" Bakugo seems to have noticed that Izuku was doing "that" move from before.

Shinso is unable to do anything, being flipped over and slammed onto his back on the ground; his leg was a couple of inches beyond the boundary line.

"Shinso is out of bounds!" Midnight announced. "Midoriya advances to the next match!"

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"And with that expertly performed throw, we have our first victor of the finals! Class 1‐A's Izuku Midoriya!" Present Mic declared, causing the crowd to cheer with a loud "YEAH!"

"Ugh, that was so nerve‐wracking!" Uraraka sighed in relief.

"Turning the tables at the last moment ‐‐ a classic Midoriya maneuver!" Iida complimented.

"Did not expect this to be the outcome," Jotaro remarked, scratching his hair. "Good Grief, at least he made it..."

"He's pulled that shoulder throw on you before, huh?" Kaminari jested, nudging Bakugo; uh oh.

"Shut your damn face, Sparky."

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'Bro, why...'

Bakugo's insult was so devastating that it forces Kaminari to put on a "dunce" face in response; expressing the shame and dishonor he felt in that brief moment.

"That jerkwad..."

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After several minutes, the two competitors got themselves up and went to the middle of the stage again to make their adieus; of course, the two had differing emotions from that of the applauding audience.

"Oh, yeah! That was actually kind of a boring first match, kids!" Present Mic commented; such an empowering critique. "But both of you fought bravely, so let's show them some love, everyone!

Thunderous clapping erupted all around the two. In the mind of Izuku, he was still contemplating Shinso's words to him, wincing a little at the phrasing that was used. Shinso was the first to turn and leave but was stopped once Izuku asked him a question.

"Shinso... why do you wanna be a hero?" Izuku asked. "What's driving you?"

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"...I'll be a hero," Shinso grunted, walking away with one final statement. "Though, you can't help the things your heart longs for..."

"...!" Izuku gasped a little, thinking about what Shinso meant just now. 'I felt the same way... before I inherited One For All, I was just like him.'

"..." Izuku frowned a little as the realization sets in. "But, nothing I say now is going to make him feel better...'

Out of nowhere, his classmates started to pop up from their seats and congratulate Shinso as he was walking under them. From the distance Jotaro was at, he could tell that Shinso was getting a ton of praise from both his class and the audience; he agreed with a lot of their opinions, especially one sentiment in particular.

'Now, how in God's name did THAT kid not get into the hero course...' Jotaro thought, slowly turning his head to a certain MIDGET sitting in the back; currently, the guy was trying to look up the skirts of the American cheerleaders. 'And THAT one did...'

"The W.H.A is just a bunch of fucking morons..." Jotaro groaned, lowering his head between his knees. "What a fuckup, indeed..."

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"Depending on the results, they might transfer people into the hero course," Shinso said, getting Izuku's attention. "Remember that; even if it didn't work out this time, I'm not giving up. I'll get onto the hero track, get certified, and then, I'll become a better pro than any of you."

This causes Izuku to smile, inhale, and then grunt in acknowledgment; was this another declaration of war?

"Right!"

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Annnnd, he got Brainwashed -- again.

'EEEHH?! HE GOT ME AGAIN?! BUT- THE MATCH IS ALREADY OVER!!'

"Heh, heh... You know, usually, people tense up whenever they talk to me," Shinso said, smiling at Izuku. "If you're not on guard, someone's going to defeat you; so be careful."

Shinso decoratives his Quirk again and Izuku snaps back to reality -- all the while watching out for his profanity.

"You better not lose and make me look bad..." Shinso warned; and with that, he returns to exiting the field.

'Shinso...'

"AS GOD AS MY WITNESS; I WON'T-"

It happened again, by the way; the Brainwashing, I mean.

'OH, COME ON!'

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school kinda big kinda small guys, not gonna lie.

Also, NOT canceled; so keep that in mind.

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