Phasing through wall after wall, blind to everything except his goal in his rush to get back to the booth, Izuku made his way as quickly as he was able. He split off with Kacchan once he settled in the waiting room with his water, typing a goodbye and good luck before leaving his best friend to prepare as much as possible. His match would start in only a few minutes, and now that he no longer had the distraction of Kacchan's gentle nagging, the pressure of being all alone was creeping back up on him. Thankfully the promise of Aizawa staying put was helping him stay calm as he made his way back, knowing for sure that the teacher would be in the same spot he left him in. Aizawa wouldn't ever break a promise.
He charged through another wall and had to stop almost immediately after, blinking disorientingly in the sudden, bright light of the sun. Rubbing at his eyes, he glanced around nervously, trying to find some kind of landmark. Instead he found contrasting white and red hair just a ways from him in the crowd. It wasn't Aizawa, but the Hero Course was just as comfortable of a place, just as safe, and the stands were closer to the action anyway. Izuku made his way over.
Shouto, upon closer inspection the closer he got to the bleachers, was frowning at the sky, looking very distracted. Uraraka and Iida seemed deep in conversation, and many members were glaring over at the group of students next to them. Worry pulled at his shoulders. He floated over to Shouto, gently tapping his friend's arm, and Shouto slowly relaxed as his head swiveled back and forth, instinctually looking for him.
Hi Izuku! Uraraka chirped. He could see goosebumps rise on her skin, and he wondered if that was how she knew he was here. She sent a bright smile to thin air, and even though her aim was a little off, it was reassuring all the same, especially compared to the uncomfortable atmosphere of the bleachers. Did you watch the cavalry battle?
Yes! he said back, laughing. He had missed a bit of it in his panic, but with Aizawa's help he managed to calm down to see most everything else. Everyone had been incredible with their Quirks, placing their mark in the eyes of pros everywhere, just like he expected them to, and he was so proud of all of them. He poked rapidly at Shouto's left arm, just as usual, and gently poked at Uraraka as well, excitedly giggling.
Izuku! Sero shouted from behind them, and Izuku turned, beaming. Hey! Did you see us?
He did, Shouto responded for him, rubbing at the arm he had poked, but Shouto was smiling. Uraraka just asked him.
Kirishima, sitting next to Sero, grinned. So that's why he was giggling, huh? Glad you enjoyed it! Are you excited for Bakubro's match?
He raced over to Kirishima and gently smacked his arm with both hands quickly, not sure how else to get his point across. Kirishima cracked up at the response.
Izuku laughed too, happy to be with his friends.
Katsuki stepped up on the platform that acted as their ring, eyebags grinning smugly across from him. The rules were briefed for the crowd, then the match began with little fanfare.
Shinsou opened his mouth to speak. Katsuki grinned, feral, as he charged over to his classmate.
Katsuki wasn't stupid. He'd been paying attention to the fucker's Quirk all semester, and there was no way he'd give him a chance to speak. He came up on Shinsou quickly and led with a strong left hook into a flurry of punches. Shinsou scrambled to dodge them, not expecting Katsuki to push so early, trying his damndest to keep his distance. Katsuki met him, pace for pace, mini explosions crackling in his palms as he slowly forced Shinsou to walk backwards.
Shinsou's biggest weakness was combat, even with the training over the course of the semester. His Quirk was in no way physical after all, and didn't give him any physical bonuses.
As long as he could keep Shinsou's mouth shut, it was an easy win.
He kept up the pace, refusing to let Shinsou breathe for even a moment. Shinsou was forced to dodge and weave between his punches, backing away as Katsuki pushed forward. When Shinsou refused to move back anymore, Katsuki went on a whim and took the initiative.
He paused just long enough to aim his hand at Shinsou's chest. He braced himself, muscles clenching, then made his palms boom with a major explosion, sending Shinsou rocketing backwards and flying past the line in the ring.
Katsuki took in a deep breath, right arm shaking and pulsating as pain blossomed from his palm and fingers, to his wrist, and traveled up his arm. Still, he grinned triumphantly.
First one down.
Izuku was going wild, but to be fair, it was an impressive display, at least in Kaminari's opinion.
The kid was whooping and cheering, laughter bouncing off of the floor and leaking into the air, making others laugh and cheer for the sake of it. The chairs shuddered with Izuku's energy, but Kaminari wasn't worried. Instead, he grinned with Kirishima, happy to see Izuku so happy. He was so relieved Izuku could come and watch them fight. He wasn't sure what the kid would do if he was all alone, but even just the thought made his chest tighten with guilt. Thankfully they had gotten Izuku out of the classroom when they did.
Kaminari was snapped out of his thoughts by the giggling growing in volume, sounding as if Izuku was right in his ear. He looked up on instinct, confused and a little alarmed, and he noticed an almost clear figure hovering over Todoroki and Uraraka's shoulders. It buzzed and flickered like a broken monitor, but he could just pick out the small form of a child. His breath caught and he held it, staring at the figure as it shifted from just barely there to almost comfortably seen. He couldn't make out much, just fluffy hair and a childlike body. Kaminari froze. The figure turned to beam brightly at Todoroki, and he barely made out freckles spotting round cheeks before the figure - Izuku - vanished.
The energy felt sucked out of him. His heart was a painful, sinking drum in his chest, and he knew the others would be just as upset to see what he saw, so he kept the incident to himself. He watched Todoroki stand and exit for his match, Sero nervously but optimistically following.
It was one thing being told he was a kid, it was another matter entirely seeing it.
Endeavor power-walked through the hallway, his footsteps like a powerful war drum as he searched for Shouto. When Shouto had decided to use his fire was beyond him, and keeping such a decision to himself was far past unacceptable. This whole time he could've trained Shouto's fire, made him unstoppable with his heat and ice, but unfortunately Shouto seemed to think such things weren't important, given his flippant attitude. Shouto's reluctance was infuriating at the best of times. It held him back from being the best, from being better than the number one hero, a feat even Endeavor himself was struggling to achieve. Yet he had no problem throwing it all away.
Scowling, he turned a corner quickly. Shouto was heading towards him, his face dropping from the almost calm expression he had before.
Good. He wasn't here for games.
Shouto, he barked. The temperature had dropped a good ten degrees, and Endeavor grit his teeth. Childishly lowering the temperature to antagonize him was going to get Shouto nowhere. Avoiding training with your fire is wasting valuable time! Have you no common sense?
Endeavor blinked.
A black shadow hovered behind and slightly above Shouto, carved out white space where eyes would normally be. It blurred and fizzled with rampant energy, movement inhuman as it twitched and jerked. Chills climbed up and down his back, seemingly spiteing the heat that his Quirk normally radiated. It started moving towards him, slow but steady, reaching out with dripping, broken arms. It harmlessly passed through Shouto's body as it made its way towards him. Endeavor took a shaken step back, body tensing on instinct. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the black mass of a figure. Closer and closer it crept.
What? Shouto said, clearly bewildered. Did he not see this - this entity? Was it only visible to himself? Why target him specifically? Was this a Quirk?
A chilling, broken scream pierced his ears, and he clapped his hands over them, backing away from the creature as it roared at him in an echoed voice. The noise rebounded in his very bones, making his teeth vibrate. It got quicker, hands claw like as it reached for him, pure white eyes staring into his soul. Mercilessly it screeched, uncaring of his pain, and still Shouto stood there, unbothered except for his growing look of confusion and alarm.
Endeavor let his Quirk flair, heat coming off of him in unbearable waves, but it did nothing to stop the shadow. The second it was within arms reach was the second the roaring reached its peak, hands going for his eyes as the shadow lunged-
Endeavor blinked. It was gone. The hall was blissfully silent, like nothing had been there.
His stomach felt like a never ending pit, heart hammering fast as he looked all around the hall, just waiting for the shadow to appear behind him, but it was empty. His flames stayed roaring as a shudder wracked his frame.
This had to be a Quirk. Nothing else could inflict such unnatural feelings - Endeavor didn't feel fear. He made others fear, and the sudden role reversal was jarring.
He tried shaking himself off the best he could, but there were still chills clinging to his skin.
Are - are you okay...? He snapped his head up to see Shouto, looking conflicted between very confused or very concerned.
Shouto had seen nothing of that. Not a thing. He swallowed hard. What had he even come to say? An unnatural fear was unfurling, making it hard to focus. His vision swam dangerously. Nausea made bile climb up his throat.
Go away, a voice whispered. Go away. Go away. Go away.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and Endeavor realized this wouldn't end until he followed the shadow's wants for now, he could search for the Quirk user later. He snapped out a shaky We'll talk later before turning on his heel and taking large strides down the hallway, away from Shouto.
The black shadow followed him. Every time he turned, it just barely peeked out from behind a corner, in a door frame, behind boxes or even other people. If it deemed Endeavor too slow, it would start roaring, a horrid scream that made his ears pulse with sharp pain. He power walked the rest of the way out of the building, to get away from its awful noise if nothing else.
The second he stepped out of the stadium building was the second the figure vanished. Endeavor lingered just outside for almost twenty minutes, waiting, but it never came back.
Izuku found himself once again charging through walls and ceiling tiles, a desperate race to make it back to the stadium proper before Shouto and Sero's match began. He had to quickly adjust his route to avoid running into All Might, but he made it outside with no problem, screeching to a halt mid air. He spun in circles, trying to find 1-A's section a second time without Shouto's contrasting hair to guide him. It was tougher, but thankfully Tokoyami was his own beacon, and Izuku made his way over.
Kacchan was back now, settled in the very back row of seats, pressed against the firm wall of the stadium's building with his group of friends. Shinsou was back as well, folded neatly in the same group, and Kirishima, Mina, and Kaminari went back and forth between congratulating Kacchan and encouraging Shinsou. He didn't look too downtrodden thankfully, but Izuku still floated over to give him soothing pats on the back. The student jumped at the unexpected contact, but settled down quickly.
Thank you Izuku, he grumbled, but his slight frown was growing into a smirk. Don't baby me, go stroke Bakugo's ego. He'll keel over if someone isn't praising him.
Fuck off! Kacchan snapped, looking up from where he held his phone in his lap. Oi, Deku, tell Aizawa next time you run off, I'm getting chewed out because of you.
Oh, right. Izuku had said he was going to come back, didn't he? He had gotten very distracted...He floated over sheepishly, hovering over Kacchan's shoulder to see the messages from the class' group chat.
'I know where he is, he's in the bleachers with you. That's not the issue Bakugo, the next time he leaves you on your own you need to tell me. I can't have eyes on him all the time.'
Izuku reached down to respond, the screen immediately flickering. 'This is Izuku!!' he typed. 'I'm using Kacchan's phone, I'm sorry I worried you (◞‸◟)' Izuku sent it. He hesitated, then reached down to type again. 'I'm with everyone now in the stands, I get to walk with them to the ring while I'm down here. Can I stay? Please?'
The three little dots popped up then disappeared a few times before Aizawa properly responded.
'Yes you can, but you need to warn me next time, okay?'
'Yes!! :D' he texted back, grinning wide. Kacchan grumbled why did you get scolded less? under his breath, but said no more than that.
Izuku focused properly on his surroundings again, to see the class of 1-A collectively staring at their phones, all shocked and very, very excited.
You can type?! Kirishima exclaimed, eyes shining. I had no idea! Izuku, that's great!
Can you use my phone? Can you try? Uraraka chimed in, standing from her seat at the front to race up the bleachers' steps and into the row just below Kacchan. It's not a touch screen, but maybe?
Try mine too, kerro, Tsuyu piped up, making her way next to Uraraka at a much calmer pace.
Me too, Kaminari said, face determined as he waved his phone.
Iida chopped away with a smile, seemingly unable to muster his firm tone. This is a fantastic revelation, but Todoroki's match is about to start, he scolded gently. Let's focus on the tournament for now.
Izuku watched as half the class pouted, and he giggled. Teasingly, he batted at Kacchan's hair and leaned down to text, the receiving swat harmlessly passing through him.
'Shouto needs our support,' he texted. 'Let's cheer him on! Plus Ultra!!! ٩(๑>◡<๑)ง'
Free, excited laughter swept the class, students randomly punching their fists in the air and shouting Plus Ultra! with laughter in their voice. Izuku pumped his fists too, shouting the school's mantra for his ears only. His heart swelled in his chest, throat clogging as the overwhelming joy filled him up until he was fit to burst.
Shouto could hear the furious and sudden chanting that had broken out from the stands, and one glance revealed it was indeed his class that was making a fool of themselves. Still, the display made him smile wide.
Sero looked incredibly nervous across from him. He didn't like the look on Sero's face. Shouto wasn't the most social, but he knew exactly what would put Sero at ease.
Plus Ultra, he said neutrally. Sero looked surprised at him, then he relaxed, a grin slowly pulling at his lips until he was laughing.
Plus Ultra, his classmate replied, glancing at the stands.
The match began. Sero, now loose and focused, immediately shot his tape towards him. Shouto made a huge wall of ice in retaliation, ducking briefly behind the cover. He pressed his left side into the ice, creating a burst of heat. A small part of the wall melted, creating water puddles on the ground, and Shouto darted out from behind it to shoot ice into Sero's face.
He had to keep Sero from focusing too hard on the ground. His plan would fall apart immediately.
Sero dodged the ice, jerking to the side. He shot his tape on the ground and used his momentum to pull himself toward Shouto, the other arm already shooting more tape at him. It managed to cling to Shouto's left shoulder, and Sero yanked. Shouto felt weightless as his body went flying to the line of the ring. He let his left side flare and the tape burned, Sero's hold on him lost, and Shouto created another ice wall to stop his path before he passed the white line, crashing into it a little roughly.
He burned the ice, and water trickled down to the floor.
Shouto dodged another strip of tape, ducking and weaving and leaving thin trains of ice in his path that began melting almost immediately on the warm floor.
Sero didn't have any buildings for his tape to latch on to, but any momentum he could get from shooting himself forward he was taking full advantage of, and Shouto knew aiming for Sero directly as he zipped around the ring was a waste of time. If he could just pin him down, he would win the fight no problem, but he didn't have a lot of time in between Sero's brief touches with the ground. His ice on his own was too slow, especially since both he and Sero preferred to keep their distance, but if there was cold water there already his ice would travel just a bit quicker, and that might give him the edge he needed to pin Sero down without getting too close.
Once Shouto felt confident enough with the amount of melted ice on the ground, he watched Sero's progress. Sero shot forward. Shouto, seeing where his path led, shot ice at him, and Sero landed early to duck behind one of Shouto's own ice pillars.
Shouto shot his hand to the floor and let out a burst of ice. It travelled along the cold water in a wave, lightning quick, and Shouto sent the biggest shard of ice he could make and hurled it at the ice pillar. It was weak from Shouto melting it, and it broke off, pinning Sero behind the pillar and sending him flying backwards, forcing him out of the ring before he knew what was happening.
The second Shouto stepped onto the bleachers was the second he was assaulted with pats to his face. He had to freeze in his trek to his seat, scrunching up his nose and squinting his eyes as Izuku laughed and squealed.
The rest of the class only watched his reaction and laughed, not bothering to offer assistance.