40 U.A. Festival (3)

The first match was between Shinso Hitoshi and Midoriya Izuku. One of them had grown quite recently yet he couldn't fight against Hitoshi because of [Mind Control]'s special effect.

Being the sincere guy he is, Izuku answered every question that his opponent had. Falling into his control.

Sadly for Hitoshi, the personality of quirks that were dormant in Izuku woke up. He overwrote the hypnosis at the sacrifice of two fingers since his power wasn't kept at 5%.

Once he was back to normal, he used 5% OFA and easily beat Hitoshi.

"Hey, Vampire, can you ask that guy if he needs lessons in kill-Ahem! Fighting?"

Masato found Hitoshi to be similar to Stendhal. They could easily kill their opponents if they wished for it.

One could even consider Hitoshi as the hidden child between Aizawa and Stendhal. 

"Sure. By the way, can you fight in the next match?"

Himiko had really not been easy on him, almost hacking his fingers in two.

"It's just another tuesday."

But he was already used to it. It wasn't that much different from the past 4 years that he spent with her.

"Hmm~ The third fight is between us. Should we get ready?"

It was the third match, right after Shoto versus Sero.

"Nah~ It will be a-"

- Swooosh!!

Half the stadium got frozen solid by Shoto's quirk.

"Let's get ready, Vamp."

"Umu.... Don't show any mercy for I definitely won't hold back."

She narrowed her eyes while taking out a vial of red blood. Something that she just collected.

"I really wanted to fight you once, for all that blood you sucked up."

Masato really wanted payback as his eyes gleamed with a mischievious hue.

"THE NEXT MATCH!!! Anzai Masato, the guy who won't uses his quirks!! VS!! Toga Himiko!!! The shapeshifter from the last match!!"

Cracking his muscles, Masato entered the stage at Mic's words. Himiko followed from the other side.

"BEGINN!!!"

At that mention, Himiko swiftly drew the vial and drank it. The spectators were wondering if that was fine.

"What's she doing, Aizawa-sensei?"

Mic, the commentator, tried to maintain the hype and not let the fight be unfair. He wondered if that vial of blood was allowed.

"It's her quirk [Transform]. By drinking the blood of another person, she can transform into him/her for a certain period of time. It can allow her to borrow the physique of another person, which is quite useful in bluffs as you have seen during the Cavalry match."

Unlike Mic, Aizawa gave out a cold and rational analysis.

"I can understand the cavalry match was a team fight so she could use the blood. But isn't it cheating right now?"

"... That depends on whose blood she's drinking."

Aizawa showed a hideous smile as he said that.

Though a few spectators were disagreeing with the usage of a blood-using quirk but they couldn't hide their curiosity about the blood's owner.

***

On the stage, Himiko transformed into Masato. Her physique was strengthened. Their stats became exactly the same.

"Can I use your blood for this?"

Though she had already received permission, she still asked it loudly for everyone to hear.

"You never asked for my permission before. What's the use of asking it now? At least, now this fight will be more fun!"

Masato said so with a huge grin.

***

"So I guess this is fair?"

Mic looked at his friend and partner for this event.

"No, not really. Fights are never fair. You may be fighting at your worst, when you don't expect it, when you are tired. Heroes can't back down in the face of an enemy.

We can only fight. This is U.A. High, a place for heroes to be raised. It doesn't matter how unfair the fight is. These brats should just toughen it out!"

Aizawa was serious for some reason. His eyes seemed to be proud of the kids on the floor. Though they were a pain.

"All I heard was that it is fair so let the match continue!"

Some spectators still felt a bit uncomfortable, feeling that it was blatant cheating. While others were frowning at Masato for sealing his quirk. But there was no such thing that could please everybody.

***

Back to the stage.

Masato soon dashed forward and raised his leg to strike her.

But it was swatted away by her. Their strength, speed and battle IQ was similar. The only difference would be that Masato used his legs more while Himiko was dependant on her hands.

After swatting the leg, she noticed the leg coming back after lightly touching the ground. She turned her body and leaned to the side, dodging the kick. 

Since the attack was wide, she used this moment to creep inside his attack range. Unlike punches, kicks were harder to use when the opponent was too close.

She raised her fist with a knuckle in the middle, aiming for his heart. Masato felt the cold sweat on his back as he lifted the body, tanking the hit with his stomach.

"Ack!"

But taking the hit, he kneed her sides. She winced in pain, having the same expression as Masato on his own face too. It was like looking in the mirror but she had greater pain tolerance than him.

She shook off the pain and struck the same spot with a zero-inch punch.

Masato flew backwards because of the strikes before landing on the ground. They dashed closer again, with Masato aiming for a low sweep. Himiko jumped over it, trying for an overhead kick.

His hands blocked it while she just jumped over his hands and landed behind him. He tried to do a backkick, only for Himiko to fall to the ground. She used that gap in his defense to close in.

But Masato knew that and jumped up, turning his body. His knee was heading right to her face. 

- Bang!

She took the hit with her arms, sliding backwards a bit before Masato brought down an onslaught of kicks. Himiko found no time to gather up her defense so she just jumped closer.

Tanking a few kicks by the shin, not the feet, she decreased the damage. Now, she stood right before him, too close to be hit by the feet but too far to be hit by the knee. The perfect position for a punch.

With a right hook, she snapped his head to the left but Masato used that force to jump up and reverse roundhouse kicked her in the side of her head.

She was just as strong as him but she had to admit that he was more skilled. Thankfully, her reflexes moved her, blocking the attack with her arm. Her arms stung but most of the damage was blocked.

Instead of jumping away, she moved in closer. Trying to hit him. Her straight punch aimed at his solar plexus was blocked by his palm while another hand caught her. With her locked in, he kneed her in the sides.

Himiko punched the hand that gripped her instead of blocking the knee. It was of more important to escape his grip than to block. Taking a bit of pain wasn't anything new to her.

In the past years, she saw Kaito and Masato move away. Her parents refused to even talk with her. Things that she desired were finally before her. But she lost too much for it.

She trained again and again. Unlike Masato, she didn't train her body but her skills yet she was less skilled than him.

'Is this... talent?'

Her dreams of saving him... were fleeting away as his grip tightened on her hand. Her punches didn't do anything to him, except cause his skin to become blue.

It was like he held on, even with a hammer striking his hand. His brown eyes were filled to the brim with life and persistence.

'How could a suicidal maniac even look so cool?'

Yeah, Himiko couldn't win.

'No! I refuse to be defeated!! Not here, not like this!!'

The limit was approaching her. Of both mind and body. Masato let go of her palm, only to jump back and roundhouse kick her sides, blowing her away.

She rolled on the ground, reaching the edge of the stadium.

"Man, it's not really a good feeling to hit my own handsome face."

Masato slowly caressed his own face while looking at the fallen Himiko.

Yet he dared to call Neito a narcissist. In his mind, he had already won and there was no need to continue.

But Himiko stood up. Her feet were wobbly. She didn't notice it but when she was caught. Masato kept kneeing her in the exact same spot. It was slower and weaker than 'Diligent Ant' but striking the same place again and again did her some great damage.

"You know... I reall-"

- Bang!

Before she could speak, Masato ruthlessly kicked her head. 

- Bang! Bang! Bang!

After the head, it was her throat, chest and stomach.

"Gauack!"

The kicks were strong and precise, like a stab. Seeing that she still hadn't fallen, Masato sighed before raising his leg again.

"Is that all you have, weakling!? Even after taking my blood, you're still weak."

- Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Blood dripped down her face and on the white tiles of the stage. Her lips were torn while her sight started to blur. Her body ached, demanding rest and care.

"Get up! Fight back, huh!"

It was a heartless, one-sided beating from Masato to Himiko. No one knew why he suddenly started acting strange. His usual bored or mischievious nature had vanished, leaving only a cruel grin on his face.

***

That lack of care about his opponent left the spectators in hate for the young boy.

"How can he be so harsh to his own friend?"

"I should have known that he was no good when he said he wasn't going to use his quirk."

"Poor girl. To have a friend like that."

"Oi, oi, oi, Aizawa-sensei, don't you think we should stop the fight now?"

Even Present Mic was feeling a bit of pity for the young student from Class 1-B.

"... It's fine. She hasn't lost yet."

Somehow, Aizawa saw the truth that nobody could see, not even Masato. His eyes narrowed in on the young girl's clenched fists.

***

While Himiko was being mercilessly thrashed, she had only one thought.

'Ha~ He's still kind...'

Because of her quirk's strange growth, she could feel the emotions of the person who owned the blood. There was only pity and the will to help hidden behind Masato's actions.

In the entire stadium, there wasn't a single person who tried to help her when she was suffering. Most of them even outright hated her quirk and were disgusted.

But the entire stadium was now in her favor. Whether they wanted to or not, the opinion of the one next to their seats, forced them to take her side. That's how public opinion works.

In the end, Masato was probably trying to help her gain more sympathy.

'But I don't want that.'

She never wanted sympathy. She wasn't a broken person. She wasn't a weak person. She wanted friends, not out of pity but approval.

Everybody was here to prove something. To show something to the entire world. Himiko also wanted to show something.

She wasn't a damsel in distress. She's the hero, the knight riding on a white horse.

"Gate of Opening, Gate of Healing, Open!"