Technical Support

Chapter 24

"I won't."

"Then I will keep my side of the deal." Ayano began walking away from him.

Bakugou headed off in the opposite direction. Neither of them turned around, valiantly marching forward. Each of them holding a small smirk of their own, excitement glimmering in their eyes.

"I will fight my way to the top to reach you."

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.

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"Between the sixteen members of the four winning teams, we'll have a formal tournament! A series of one-on-one battles!!!"

After some withdrawals and lots being drawn, Ayano analyzed every matchup. She payed particularly close attention to her and Bakugou's name. "...Opposite brackets."

There was a small upwards tilt of her lips. "It is better that way, meeting at the finals..." Her eyes travelled to Todoroki, Midoriya, and Iida. "I should not get ahead of myself. I have to worry about them first."

Ayano quietly watched from the stands, surrounded by her classmates of 1-H. The first match was between Midoriya and Shinsou. Needless to say, the girl was most certainly rooting for her childhood friend. Since she would need to go to the waiting rooms soon, she opted to sit on one of the aisle seats towards the back.

She watched closely and intently, even going so far as to use her scouting lens and rapidly taking notes through her projection wristband. Everything was saved electronically. Every match, every person, every quirk was being recorded and saved into their own files. Ayano's eyes twinkled with excitement and anticipation, hundreds of ideas flying through her mind.

What items would enhance quirks. What items would counter quirks. What items would complement quirks.

The only thing she disliked were how quickly the matches were going. It gave her much less opportunities to fully analyze a contestant. All three of the matches were decided in nearly an instant and could barely be considered a 'fight.'

Her match came much too soon. Strapping on her air soles, utility belt, scouting lens, and bionic arm cover, Ayano took a deep breath. She opened her eyes as she stepped forward, facing the crowd.

"The first round's just about half over! Next up is Iida Tenya of the Hero Course! Versus! Covered head-to-toe in support items, Sasaki Ayano of the Support Course!"

Unconsciously, her two childhood friends shifted forward in their seats. Both of them were eager to see this fight. Midoriya, in particular, was fidgeting quite a bit. Uraraka noticed and misunderstood his concerns. "It must be hard to choose between two of your friends right, Deku-kun?"

The boy flinched, having been so engrossed in the fight that had yet to start. "Ah! Uh...well...yeah, I am a little torn on that, but I think I'm more concerned...about something else." His eyes shifted nervously, debating on whether he should reveal his thoughts. At Uraraka's supportive gaze, he continued slowly.

"I know that Iida-kun is plenty strong, and I admire him...but..." He bit his lip. "Even though Aya-chan doesn't have a quirk, I can't see her losing at all." Uraraka just stared him, curious as to how strong Ayano was that Midoriya had such confidence in her.

"START!!!"

The two immediately swiveled their heads forward to see the match. Iida wasted no time in activating his quirk, and he sprinted straight at Ayano. She matched his initiative and threw down a handful of pills, releasing a large puff of smoke to surround the arena. Both Ayano and Iida were completely concealed.