With Bakugou and Kirishima's battle done, it was time for the semifinals, where the top three would gain their medals. Well, it seemed that they would be having one person be bronze, but Present Mic had explained that for one, that would leave almost no tine for them to rest and two, what's wrong with having two people tied?
So, in reality, all four people would gain a medal at the end of the day. It wasn't a matter of if anymore, it was a matter of which one.
Shinsou stretched as he waited in the waiting room to be called to the arena. His plan was to get first, but his chances were iffy with Iida. At least for Todoroki, he would still be in the ring, where as with Iida...
He'd be out before he could open his mouth. And it wouldn't be fair if he used his quirk right before the match started.
Shinsou took a deep breath in and sighed before a shiver in his neck made him jump.
He looked around. Nothing. Was it just his imagination?
The speakers crackled to life as they announced the semifinals to begin.
Shinsou could worry about that tickle later. Right now, the foremost thing on his mind was winning against Iida.
Little he knew that he wasn't the only one hoping to win against an Iida.
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Stain POV
Stain looked at his katana, the shiny surface that was so beautiful yet cruel. The sword had taken many lives for the past few years, he was proud to say. The blood of all of them had been washed or wiped off, yet the blade had starten to take a slightly pink/red/orange hue in some areas. How... pretty.
It was no matter now. Stain could hear the (loud) running of a person and as the said person sprinted past the alleyway, his mind supplied him with the answer.
Pro Hero Ingenium. What a pleasant surprise.
Ingenium also seemed to recognize him because he was then backtracking towards the space where Stain was.
Quickly hiding, Stain waited in bated breath. His katana was almost vibrating as he closed a fist around its handle.
It was time for some culling. It was time for his blade to find something to bite.
What a cruel yet beautiful thing his katana was.
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Back to the Sports Festival...
Iida stood on one side of the platform while Shinsou stood at the other.
"LOOK AT OUR MATCHUPS FOR THE SEMIS! OUR FIRST ONE IS ALREADY RATHER EXCITING! SHINSOU HITOSHI IS CERTAINLY CONFIDENT, WITH THAT POSTURE, AND SO IS IIDA TENYA! BEST OF LUCK TO THE TWO OF THEM, BECAUSE THESE MATCHES ARE HEATING UP AND FAST!"
Shinsou scowled at thr posture comment. Sure, he didn't have the best posture, but Present Mic didn't need to voice that!
Iida looked rather stiff with his posture, though the class vice prez was always on the stiffer side, with that robot chop of his. Shinsou found it a bit droll, but that wasn't the point.
In any case, he had almost no plan. Almost, key word.
There were several ideas. Whether they were good or bad, it didn't really matter.
Idea 1: knock him unconscious by chopping him on the neck. How ironic.
Pros: may work and it's not too straining on his body.
Cons: may not work and only irritate Iida. Not to mention that he might not do it fast enough or hard enough to knock him out. However, the arena WAS rather large... he may have around five or so seconds to be pushed out.
Idea 2: Act like a bull fighter and hope Iida runs out of bounds with how fast he's going
Pros: does not have to do anything super hard and may give him an easy victory
Cons: might look bad for Iida if it does work, which he doubts. The arena WAS rather large.
Goddamnit, the size of the battlefield was so annoying.
Idea 3: run towards him so that he has to slow down and fight hand to hand.
Pros: Iida would probably get startled
Cons: Iida would only back away and he'd have the same problem again
Or, his mind reminded him, you could COMBINE all of them.
Oh yeah, that made sense. Shinsou ignored the fact that his mind said that in a voice that he would use to teach a five year old, like one of those teachers that over exaggerated their movements and said this while nodding their head.
Yeah, he chose to ignore that.
Alright, he was ready(ish).
Taking a stance, Shinsou nodded along with Iida when Midnight asked them whether they were good to go.
"Then with that settled, the battle may begin!"
Immediately, both Shinsou and Iida ran at each other, condusing the hell out of Iida who tried to avoid the collision. Shinsou's hand reached out and tried to hit him straight on the neck when he was grabbed.
Iida spun him around like a hammer throw, faster and faster, before letting go. Shinsou was one second in the air before his back crashed against the wall and he slid down.
Shinsou gulped in deep breaths as cheers of the crowd faintly registered in his head.
Perhaps he was a bit too ambitious this time.
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While Shinsou had lost against the younger Iida, Stain had more luck as his blades sunk deep into the legs of the older Iida. Licking the tiny drops of blood that had made it to his face, he grinned at the sight beforehand.
Ingenium had already pressed the SOS button before they fought, but Stain allowed himself to stare at the gruesome sight before disappearing into the shadows.