Chapter 8 - The Sports Festival: 5

Kyoka Jirou was, in every sense of the word, confused. Not only was she confused, but she had many, many questions. All of which had to revolve around the last minute and a half of the second event of The Sports Festival.

During All Out War, she had accumulated at least 300 points before the half mark hit. She was on the fast track to entering the third round; and then that Hitoshi Shinso guy snuck up on her, and she felt something dig into her shoulders. From there, it was all over, as she had been taken out, and the guy had been talking like some sort of crazy person.

"You'll help me defeat Midoriya Izuku. Don't worry about getting bodied, Everybody Loves Me boosted your physical strength and defences. It's a trade-off. Not like you can say or do anything, anyway. You're under my complete control."

Then the whole confrontation happened, and for a moment she thought she was going to die due to how badly she got hurt from a wooden doll getting shattered to bits. Then Midoriya drove a fist into Shinso's face, and the pain disappeared, and all she felt was her now wounded and bleeding shoulders, and the broken wrist.

And then, when Izuku explained to her what happened, her one question of "what the hell was that" turned into several other questions that Izuku said he couldn't answer yet. What exactly were Stands? Why could only Stand Users see them? How did someone get a Stand? What the hell was an Everybody Loves Me and why the hell was Shinso so terrified when his wooden doll shattered?

Just when she was about to ask those questions, the two were separated and sent to the medical wing where Kujo was, and so was Bakugo.

Bakugo looked like he was run over by a high-speed car. His right arm was twisted and torn in several different directions that shouldn't have been possible, his chest area was covered in bruises, and according to the x-ray they were conducting, 6 out of his 12 ribs were broken.

Kujo looked about the same. He had small cracks in his skull, his ribs were broken, though not as many as Bakugo. One side of his hair looked like it got a buzz cut, and he had small burns and scars on the side of his face. Both medical staff members, Recovery Girl and Medi-lady—Recovery's assistant—were hard at work repairing their injuries.

As for her wounds, all they needed was some bandage wrap, some ointment, and a kiss from Recovery Girl. After that, she was given a vitamin gummy and sent out the door, all the while she questioned everything that had just happened. Kyoka didn't know if she was ever going to get those answers, but eventually, she knew she would. After all, Izuku seemed like the type of person to not leave someone in the dark.

As she walked back to the waiting room, she saw Izuku talking to Todoroki out of the corner of her eye. She didn't want to eavesdrop. The conversation looked like it was important, and Todoroki's expression was one of pure seriousness. And so, to respect their privacy, she walked away.

Just as she was about to enter the waiting room, a hand grasped her shoulder. Quickly turning around, she was met with the baby blue eyes of Yoshihara. "O-oh! Hi Kira… uh… what's up?" The purplette asked as Yoshihara crossed her arms.

"Midoriya told me that he spoke to you about Stands," Yoshihara said, catching Kyoka off guard.

"Huh? Wait, so does that mean you know about them, too?" Kyoka questioned, raising an eyebrow as Kira's expression did not change. Rather, she simply leaned against the wall, her eyes focused on Kyoka.

"That is not important. How much did he tell you?" Yoshihara asked as Kyoka raised an eyebrow, confusion lacing her face.

"I mean… the most he told me was that they're different from Quirks and that only those who use them can see other Stands. But… that's it? Why are you asking?" Kyoka responded as Kira hummed in thought.

"Hmm…. Very well… So he hasn't told you everything. He probably ran out of time. You're the fourth person outside of Midoriya and I's group to know of Stands. Uraraka, Ida, Ashido, and now you are the only ones in our class that are aware of Stands that are outside of our group. If you wish to learn more about them, tomorrow, find us at lunch. With your Quirk, it shouldn't be too hard," Kira said as she turned around to leave. However, just before she did, she glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes. "And you'll keep what you know a secret if you know what's good for you. Stands are not supposed to be known, and the only reason why Uraraka, Ida, Ashido, and yourself know about them is that you've been attacked by them. As far as I and the rest of the group are concerned, keeping them a secret is priority number one. That means not telling your parents, your friends, or anyone else for that matter, about them."

And with that, Kira walked toward the prep room belonging to their class, leaving behind a confused and also slightly scared Kyoka. She stood there for almost five seconds before she heard footsteps walk behind her. Turning around, she saw Midoriya and Todoroki making their way to the waiting room, both of which seemed a little more than annoyed, though Todoroki was moreso than Midoriya.

Kyoka's stomach rumbled, indicating that she was hungry. There was food in the waiting room, and the last thing she wanted was to go another two hours without eating. And so, with that in mind, she walked into the waiting room to get a much-needed meal.

xxXXxxXXxx

Johnny sat beside his son on his bed, the pompadour-haired teen letting his father cut his hair with a spinning nail. "You know, Josefumi, you should've used Soft & Wet more than you did, you would've won if you did," Johnny stated, earning a sidelong glance from his son.

"I wanted to practice using The Spin. Using my Stand would've been a bit overkill. That, and I didn't feel like doing any permanent damage to anyone. It is a live event, after all." As the younger Joestar said that, Johnny couldn't help but shake his head with a tad bit of disappointment.

"Joseph, I—"

"Josefumi, we're in Japan. Call me by my Japanese name in Japan," the teen interrupted, earning a smile from Johnny.

"Right, sorry about that. Look, I know that you're more kindhearted than me in battles, but if this was a real-life scenario, and—"

"You and I both know I would've done whatever it took to defeat the enemy Stand User, Dad. Hell, you surprise attacking me when I was 10 should've clued you in on that already," Josefumi interrupted, again, as Johnny sighed, finishing the lasting touches on his son's hair, now looking more like a buzzcut. Josefumi frowned, feeling his head. "It's gonna take a month or so for it to look like I didn't go to the military, and a full year before I can style it again… damnit…."

"Well, it was either that or you look like a bomb went off and shaved half your hair off. I'm sure you'd rather not walk around like that, right?" Johnny asked rhetorically as his son slumped over a little bit, his expression one of mourning, mourning that of his once beautiful hair.

"Karera's gonna tease me…."

"And she doesn't do that already?" Johnny quipped as Josefumi rolled his eyes as he leaned back against his pillows. Johnny couldn't help but laugh as he crossed his arms. "You know, you're aunt called, she saw your work on TV and she asked how you were doing."

"Auntie Cat? I didn't think she'd be interested. You know, what with being America's number 1," Josefumi asked as Johnny sighed.

"Well, she is your mom's best friend. And a family friend, for that matter. To be honest, I kinda expected her to come with me somehow. Anywho, she saw your performance and said for me to tell you that when you come back to America for your internship that you should be ready. She wants to take a crack at you to see how far you've come," Johnny said as Josefumi paled.

"That's a one-sided slaughter! Stand or not she'll cook me alive!" Josefumi nearly shouted as Johnny scoffed.

"If you think like that she will. She's not going to be going too hard on you. Just enough to make you work for a win. It's been 3 years since you've sparred with her, and you've only gotten stronger. Granted, she has as well but unlike you, she's getting to the point where she can't get stronger. Not to say you can surpass her, but if you go all the way with Soft & Wet you'll be able to exceed your previous capabilities and then some."

Josefumi thought about what his father told him and frowned, glancing at him before looking back down at the bed he lay on. "As much as I want to agree with you, pops, Soft & Wet isn't like Tusk where it can grow and evolve. It's a static Stand that can't learn any new abilities. Incorporating The Spin is a pain, and while it can use its spinning bubbles just fine, I can't get them to do more than what they can already do."

Johnny shook his head, standing from the chair he had parked beside the bed and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Don't get me wrong, Josefumi, I understand what you're getting at, but right now, if you don't pull yourself out of that mindset, you won't be able to make it far. Soft & Wet has potential like none other. From what I saw from Kira and her Killer Queen during her fight with Rohan's great-granddaughter and her Sweet Child O' Mine, she was able to overcome it by using that small tank of hers. I don't mean to compare, but from what I saw from her, it seems like she's able to adapt and overcome any situation thrown at her. Perhaps I haven't pushed you hard enough, or perhaps you think you can't push yourself further. But let me warn you now… if you don't start to push yourself, you won't ever overcome your hurdles. Keep that in mind when you come back to America for your internship."

And with that, Johnny left the medical wing as Josefumi stared down at himself. He hated that his father was right, but what else was he supposed to do? He had been developing a new attack that merged The Spin and his Soap Bubbles into one. However, each time he tried to use it, it failed, and it caused a cramping pain in his finger whenever he tried to use it.

He was trying to be stronger, trying to make his Stand better, trying to evolve past his limitations, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't do it. There was something that he was missing. Something that he couldn't pinpoint. Something that he couldn't quite reach. He knew it was there, but it was just barely out of reach.

It's why he decided that Soft & Wet could never grow beyond its capabilities. No matter how hard he tried to achieve that attack he couldn't do it. He couldn't reach past his limitations to achieve it. No matter how hard he tried to use it, it never worked.

He looked over to Bakugo, who was still unconscious. He winced at the wounds he had inflicted on the boy, and a part of him was regretful for doing as much as he did. The Spin was a dangerous tool and a dangerous weapon that, in retrospect, shouldn't have been used in this sort of situation. Then again, the damage he did to Bakugo was enough to hopefully teach him a bit of humility, that he wasn't king shit. Maybe it would humble him into believing he wasn't the strongest of the strong.

"Knowing Bakugo, though, it's only going to piss him off more than anything…" Josefumi thought, shifting to the left, his broken ribs spiking in pain as he groaned. There was a TV over to his right which broadcasted the event. With sparse healing from Medi-lady and Recovery Girl, he'd be out of bed in about two hours.

Out of the corner of his eye, his eyes widened at seeing Tooru talking to Recovery Girl, a smile on his face as he put on his coat. The Head Doctor of Musutafu's general hospital looked over to the room, his eyes passing over Josefumi as they glinted. He motioned Recovery Girl to follow him as they walked into the room, a smile on his face.

"Well, hey there Kujo, how're you doing?" Tooru asked as the Joestar groaned.

"Broken ribs and a cracked skull. You?" Josefumi asked as Tooru snorted, summoning Wonder Of U.

"Well, not anymore," Tooru said, his stand placing a hand on him as Josefumi felt his body shiver, and then, the pain went away. From a distance, Recovery Girl looked slack-jawed. Out the window, a small sparrow got scooped up by a crow, and the eggs in the nest fell out, cracking on the floor.

"How did you do that? The active X-ray shows that his bones healed at an accelerated rate?!" Medi-lady practically shouted in surprise as Tooru smirked.

"It's my Quirk. Calamity Control. It allows me to control both positive and negative Calamity, effectively making an Equivalent exchange with the universe to allow me to heal anyone I want. The side effect is that wildlife suffers as a result, but only on a small scale. Something like increased predation of smaller mammals and stuff along those lines," Tooru said, partially lying about how his ability was actually a Stand, but otherwise telling the Truth. "I can also do the opposite and severely hurt anyone who dares to pursue me, usually ending up in their death. It's either one extreme or the other. That's why I didn't become a hero and decided to be a doctor instead."

Recovery Girl's eyes practically widened out of her sockets, only for the older lady to shake her head. The older lady cupped her chin, then, an idea came to mind. She looked over at Tooru, then gestured for him to follow her. "If you can do that, can you come with me for a second? There's someone I'd like you to meet. If you're Quirk is THAT powerful, then maybe you can help them."

Tooru shrugged his shoulders, waving goodbye to Josefumi, who sat up with a small smile on his face. He didn't know why Tooru was there, but there had to have been a reason outside volunteer work. Maybe he and Recovery Girl used to be friends? Or maybe Medi-lady was his student? She was a rookie after all.

Whatever the case might've been, it didn't really matter. He was just glad to be in top shape. He looked over to Bakugo. His wounds were seemingly reversed too, meaning all he was now was unconscious. "Oh boy… when he finds out he got eliminated before the final round, he's going to be livid…."

xxXXxxXXxx

Tooru walked into a small room offset from the special visitor section that the Sports Festival helpers were allowed to go and relax in. When he signed up to help, he hadn't expected for him to be helping anyone other than the students at the school who got hurt. Sure, he was late, and sure his student Medi-lady, aka Saiki Saionji, wasn't too happy with him showing up late but it wasn't his fault traffic sucked.

As the Head Doctor of Musutafu General Hospital stepped into the small room, a frail blond-haired man with sunken eyes wearing a yellow and black pinstripe suit sat on the black leather couch, looking down at a cup of tea in his hands. To his right was the Principal of U.A., Nedzu, someone that Tooru was familiar with if only through the phone. He had never seen the principal in person, and it was quite jarring, what with him being an animal and all.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Tomioka. Recovery Girl told me over earpiece that you could help Mr. Yagi over here. If that's true, can you tell us how your Quirk works?" Nedzu asked as Tooru sighed, clearing his throat and adjusting the collar of his shirt.

"First, I need to know what's wrong first. What happened to make him look so… sickly," Tooru said as the man grew a conflicted look. After a few minutes, the man looked up at Tooru, and what he saw was something that he hadn't seen coming. The thin sickly man grew from that to Japan's number one Pro Hero, All Might. "Oh… I take it you got heavily injured in a fight, right? What's the damage?"

All Might looked taken aback by his astute attention to detail, his eyes widening slightly. "How did you guess?" All Might asked as Tooru scoffed.

"You're the number one hero. You must've gotten into one or two extremely violent fights every now and again. Now, let's cut to the chase. What wounds do you have? I can assure you that I can help, but depending on what it is, I might have to give you a warning," Tooru said as All Might sighed. He looked perturbed, and as he lifted his suit top and undershirt, Tooru grimaced.

"I lost half of my large intestine, my liver, and my right lung. The fight never went public, and for a good reason, too." As All Might said that, he sucked in a deep breath. "So, Dr. Tomioka, can you help me?"

Tooru bit his lip. He looked down at the floor, silence radiating throughout the room. There was a bit of tension in the air, but after a minute or two, Tooru looked up at All Might, then spoke. "I can. But, as I said, there will be some things I need to state first and foremost," Tooru said as All Might nodded.

"What is it?" All Might asked, Tooru crossing his arms as he leaned back into the couch he sat down in.

"My Quirk, Calamity Control, does exactly what it says. I can control the concept of Calamity with my hands which allows me to heal wounds. As I told Recovery Girl, it acts like an Equivalent Exchange between the universe and myself in order to heal said damage. Depending on the wounds, I can redirect the Calamity to somewhere else. However, when it's something like this I can't predict and control where it goes. If I do this, All Might…. A great Calamity will strike this school and its students. I will not be there to control it, nor can predict when it will strike. For all I know, it could take 30 years to catch up to you all." Tooru's expression became deadly, filled with nothing but seriousness, so much so that All Might flinched. "Tell me, All Might. When one of your Students dies because of this, will you accept the responsibility? If you die suddenly from an attack you couldn't predict, will you understand that it was all your fault? Because if we go through with this, that is exactly what will happen," Tooru explained as he put his hands on his knees, his eyes filled with darkness as All Might pursed his lips.

"Dr. Tomioka, is what you're saying true? Will a great Calamity really strike U.A. if you heal All Might?" Nedzu questioned as Tooru nodded.

"With the amount of Calamity energy I'd need to heal him, most certainly. And like I said, I can't redirect it. It will hover over the school and blanket it in a wall of death and chaos. So I ask again, All Might. Do you accept that?" Tooru asked, looking the man in the eyes as he said those words. All Might, for a split second, saw something from behind Tooru, the flash of a man with a microphone for a head wearing a bowler hat, suit, scarf, and holding a cane. All Might blinked, and before he could ask what or who was behind him, it was gone. All Might shook his head, clearing his throat as Tooru raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

"I don't think I can live in a world where I cause harm to so many people. I cannot, in good consciousness, take your offer even if it would benefit me," All Might replied, earning a shocked expression from Tooru, as well as Nedzu and Recovery girl.

"You… don't want to be healed? Even if it will save your life, you don't want to take that risk?" Tooru questioned as All Might shook his head.

"As tempting as your offer is, Dr. Tomioka, I don't want to endanger my students," All Might responded as Tooru shook his head. There was a tinge of concern and annoyance strewn about his facial features. One that offset the already grim mood into something worse. Something that Nedzu picked up on as his ears folded to the back of his head, and a worried look appeared in his eyes.

"You don't understand, All Might. By me simply activating my Quirk, I have already gathered the necessary energy to heal you. If I were to disperse it, a worse Calamity will come about. It acts on a reflex. I can't truly control it, rather direct it and gather it, and once I do, I have to make an exchange with it that is equivalent to the amount of energy I have gathered, that way the universe can then correct itself. I can't hold on to it, either. It has to go somewhere. Think of it like a sneeze. It builds up in you, and then, when you sneeze, it gets sent every which way. I build up the energy required to do my healing, and then I sneeze it out into the person I select. That is The Wonder of U. A saying in my family if you're asking."

All Might felt his stomach drop at the mere mention of what the implications were. If he didn't take the help, and accept the bare minimum, then something worse would come of it. "That doesn't sound like someone who wants to help, Dr. Tomioka…" All Might said, sending a half glare to Tooru, who simply shrugged.

"As I said, All Might. I can't control my Quirk completely. I've trained it over the course of 20 years, and not once have I ever been able to fully control it. I can't control something that is a force of nature; no one can. I am merely a conduit for it to channel and be manipulated. Take my offer, and you'll be able to live a full life after the fact. The price is taxing, I am aware. Many of my patients take the deal, but they never know about what happens if they don't. They always take it before I can explain it to them. Once they make the verbal agreement, I use it, and they feel better. 2 months later, their pet dies or something stupid like that. But those are for broken bones and the like. Regrowing organs is a completely different endeavour entirely. I can't predict what will happen, but it will be deadly. Someone will die. I can't predict who, and I can't say when, but with the amount of energy that I have gathered, it seems like a possibility. Hell… It might even be you. But you'll never know if you don't take it, and it'll only be worse if you don't."

The air in the room became dense, thick with tension as Tooru stood up. "What will it be All Might? I don't mean to strong-arm you, but those are your choices. For all I know, I could be wrong, and it could go the same way it always does, a tiger gets mauled by a hippo in Africa and you get healed as a result. Or, during The Sports Festival, someone gets brutalized by some accident or another. Or maybe, nothing at all will happen. One can never predict what Calamity will do. I can't, and I conduct it."

As he turned to leave, he looked over his shoulder and smirked. "I've been alive for a long time. I've met many people in your situation who offered the same thing. They took it, and something horrible came about it after the fact. Maybe you'll be different. My previous patient who was in this position was a hero, too. I can't remember her name, but I heard she died a horrible death at the hands of a great villain. I'll give you two guesses on who that was, Mr. Yagi."

There was a brief second of silence as All Might's eyes widened to the size of saucers. All Tooru did was turn around and head for the door. "You have two hours to choose what happens. I can either release the Calamity, or—"

"Stop!" All Might shouted, standing up as Tooru whipped his head around, his blue eyes staring into All Might's sunken in eyes as he returned to his frail form. "How do you know her?" All Might demanded as Tooru shook his head.

"Nana was my cousin. We all changed our names to hide from All For One. I stuck around her, and when my Quirk fully awakened I used it to help her. It turned out to harm her more than help her, but she still wanted me around. My appearance betrays my age. I might look like I'm in my early 30s, but I'm 66 years old. It's thanks to my Calamity that I look the way I do. It doesn't affect me, so I can use it for whatever I want. But that doesn't matter," Tooru said, shaking his head. "So, what will it be, Yagi? Will you take my offer?"

Toshinori's shoulders sagged as he looked down at the ground. "Nana…" The man thought, looking up at Tooru. He saw the resemblance, even if it was only slightly. The black hair was the same shade as his masters, and while he had slightly darker skin, he had the same mole on his cheek that she did. There was more of an edge to his voice, but the accent was there.

"Alright, Dr. Tomioka. I'll take your offer. But… even if you're lying, I want you to assure me that nothing too bad will happen to my students," Toshinori asked as Tooru nodded.

"Anything for my cousin's student, Yagi. I promise nothing horrible will happen as a result of this. Now, please, lay down on the couch. This will be painless."

xxXXxxXXxx

Yoshihara sat down on one of the chairs within the 1 – A prep room, one leg over the other, dull blue eyes scanning the room as all the girls filtered out to head to the change rooms. Kaminari had told them to dress up in the cheerleader uniforms and was supposedly sent by one of the staff members that all the girls from the different courses were going to go help with the cheerleading. While that happened, Kira remained out of sight of the electric blond. She knew that what Kaminari was doing was a prank, and that was why she didn't go.

His eyes danced around the room and landed on her, his eyes widening. "Oh, crap, Kira I—"

"Don't even bother. You're not gonna get me with that, I'm smarter than that," Yoshihara remarked, crossing her arms as Kaminari bit his lower lip.

"L-Look, I, I wanted to apologize for—"

"There is no need to apologize for that. You thought what you thought and that's fine. Everyone has the right to think what they want to believe. I owe Jirou-san for spreading the word about what happened to those that would listen. However..." Yoshihara began as she cracked her knuckles. "That doesn't mean I forgive you for the prank that you pulled on the other girls."

As Yoshihara said that, Killer Queen appeared in front of the blonde, reared back a punch, and socked Kaminari in the face hard enough to knock him to the floor and bust his upper lip.

"Ow! How did you—"

"A small bomb that I planted on you," Yoshihara interrupted the electric quirk user once again, letting out a soft sigh. "I heard Bakugo took you out after you did some sort of reckless electricity attack. You should learn to control your Quirk more," the blonde said as Kaminari sat up on the floor, wiping the blood from his lip.

"Yeah… the thing is though that it takes a lot of focus and concentration to do that. Even if I did that, I'd have to fry my brain at least half a thousand times to even get to that point," Kaminari retorted, earning a shrug from the blonde.

"Well, before U.A. I had to physically touch someone to plant my bombs on people and objects, now I just have to shoot a bubble. It takes practice to get good with one's Quirk, and without using it to its fullest capacity, you won't get anywhere. Besides, becoming a pro hero is difficult. No one said it was going to be easy. We're only a month and a half into the school year and things are already getting hard. It's only going to get worse as time goes on."

That was more or less Yoshihara reminding herself of that, namely so that she could remind herself that if she ever became doubtful that she made the right choice she could tell herself that and move on with her life. It was going to be a long, dangerous road. Becoming a hero was a dangerous job, and learning to become one was only going to take even longer. "Maybe I should've been a salary woman instead…" Yoshihara thought, a frown forming on her face.

"You're right… I shouldn't be—"

"KAMINARI!" A loud, angry voice belonging to one Jirou Kyoka rang out through the room as the door slammed open. The blond-haired electric Quirk user's eyes widened as Jirou cracked her knuckles, throwing one of the pompoms at Yoshihara, who caught it.

"You should run if you know what's good for you," Yoshihara stated as Kaminari cowered in fear of the looming Jirou. All Yoshihara did was watch as the poor boy got his side kicked in repeatedly by the irate purplette. After a minute of watching this, she got up and walked out of the prep room as the speakers crackled to life.

"ALRIGHT, FOLKS! WE'LL HAVE SOME RECREATIONAL GAMES SET UP FOR YOU ALL, AND THEN AFTER THAT'S OVER IT'LL BE TIME TO MOVE ON TO THE THIRD AND FINAL MAIN EVENT OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! BETWEEN THE SURVIVING MEMBERS OF ALL-OUT WAR, WE'LL BE HAVING A FORMAL TOURNAMENT! THAT BEING A SERIES OF ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES! TAKE IT AWAY, MIDNIGHT!" Present Mic announced as Yoshihara ran to meet up with the rest of the students, who were finishing some sort of idol chitchat.

"The match-ups will be decided by drawing lots. Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself! It's up to each of you 16 finalists whether or not you participate in the fun. I expect some of you would rather take a breather and save your strength. A-hem, now. Let's begin setting up the matches, shall we!"

As Nemuri drew names, a TV screen began to fill up the brackets, and show off who was fighting who:

Qualifiers:

Fight 1: Tatami Utsagi – Versus – Izuku Midoriya

Fight 2: Shoto Todoroki – Versus – Sero Hanta

Fight 3: Eijiro Kirishima – Versus – Rikido Sato

Fight 4: Tenya Ida – Versus – Mei Hatsume

Fight 5: Yoshihara Kira – Versus – Mina Ashido

Fight 6: Tokoyami Fumikage – Versus – Momo Yaoyorozu

Fight 7: Itsuka Kendo – Versus – Tsuyu Asui

Fight 8: Neito Monoma – Versus – Mashirao Ojirou

Once the TV screen was filled with the names and the match up's, Kira glanced over to Ashido as did the pink-skinned female student. The two looked at one another, one with fear in her eyes while the other with an emotionless mask of hostility. Not one born of hatred, but one born of pure competition.

As for Izuku, he looked around the group of final contenders and saw someone off in the distance. They were tall, perhaps 5 foot 11 inches. The person was a female, and they had long black hair with silver tips at the end. They were chewing something, and as they chewed, they blew a big pink bubble from their mouth. They were sitting down on the ground, legs crossed and a big black mutant-looking wolf walking around her.

"I take it that's Utsagi…" Midoriya thought as Utsagi looked up at him with her velvet red eyes. The teen stood up and whisked her finger in the air as the wolf evaporated into thin air. As the ravenette passed by Midoriya, she smiled a predatory smile and whispered something into his ear.

"I'm going to enjoy tearing you apart with Leading The Pack, Midoriya. Then I'll take your spot in the hero course," Utsagi said walking away as Izuku shuttered slightly from the malice in her voice. Izuku looked at her back and frowned. It was clear as day that she was a Stand user—no one named their Quirk something stupid like that, not even a crazy person. It was visible, meaning it was an automatic Stand.

"She's confident that she'll win. But she has no idea what my Quirk is or how fast I am with it. If I'm correct in her overconfidence, then this'll be an easy fight. If not, and I get defeated in the first round, then I'll lose my chance to break Todoroki-kun out of his selfish vow," Midoriya thought, thinking back to what Shoto had said.

Shoto had said that he was going to be a hero without using his fathers fire when in reality it was his own fire. The fact that he didn't see it any other way confused Izuku. But now was not the time to be thinking about something as trivial as how Todoroki saw himself. By making that vow, he would be recklessly endangering not only himself but the people that will rely on him in the future as a hero.

It was part of the reason why he was training as hard as he could; so that he would be a useful hero. Shoto's ice was powerful, no doubt about it. But if he got hypothermia in the middle of a villain altercation, and refused to use his fire, he'd be not only endangering himself but those who would be in harm's way such as civilians.

If simply talking him out of it wasn't going to work, then beating the snot out of him would. Breaking his courage and rebuilding it. And if he couldn't, then perhaps someone else would. But the fact of the matter stood that Shoto's vow was dangerous, and he needed to make him break it… one way or another.

After everyone met their enemies and who they would be fighting for the upcoming one-on-one fights, the recreational games began. Yoshihara decided to sit out of the events and stayed in the class's prep room, mulling over ways to easily take out Ashido when her fight happened.

As for Midoriya, he tried out one or two games before doing the same thing, namely practicing charging up and dispursing One For All in his body to quicken the pace at which he gathered it up into his system. He did this for nearly an hour and a half, constantly, and when he finished, he was able to reduce the amount of time from 5 seconds to 4.8 seconds.

That didn't seem like much, but any amount of cut-off time was enough to make him just that much more faster.

There were two minutes left before the first match, and as he stood in the underpass, he watched as Utsagi, in the distance, was beating the crap out of her own Stand. And as she beat it, more copies of it came out until it stopped at around 6. Six copies of her Stand showed up, and as they did, Izuku saw her glare at him with a throat-slitting motion.

A build-up of worry filtered throughout his body as they were announced onto the arena. Izuku cracked his knuckles, while Utsagi cracked her neck from side to side.

"AND HERE WE HAVE IT, FOLKS! THE FIRST MATCH OF THE AFTERNOON! THE CURRENT HOLDER FOR MOST SELF-DAMAGING QUIRKS IN ALL OF U.A., YET DESPITE THAT HE'S MAKING WAVES IN THE SCHOOL AND THE WORLD BEYOND WITH HIS PERFORMANCE HERE TODAY—IZUKU MIDORIYA FROM CLASS 1 – A!" Present Mic announced, clearing his throat and continuing. "AND FOR HIS OPPONENT, SOMEONE WHO, DESPITE BEING IN THE GENERAL STUDIES, HAS SEEMED TO BE ONE OF THE MORE STRONGER ONES OF THE BUNCH, AND WITH AN INTERESTING SHADOW WOLF QUIRK, IT'S TATAMI UTSAGI!"

At that, Izuku heard the growling sounds of the Stand, the boy couldn't help but flinch at the devilish expression on its user's face.

"Don't get too cocky, Midoriya. You might be in the hero course, but I'll show you just how deadly us General Studies people can be."