"Here's the next question, ladies!" Meliodas said.
'We'll get this one! We'll get this one right! We'll get this one right and without a mistake!' The girls thought.
"What is the name of Tatsumi's childhood friends who died in Aria's hands from before?"
A. Sayo and Ieyasu
B. Kai and Nina
C. Sayo and Sora
The girls got silent after hearing this question. Akame knew who are those childhood friends of Tatsumi and she smirked at the girls.
'Sayo and Ieyasu, poor childhood friends of Tatsumi. They are the reasons why Tatsumi raged to join Night Raid to avenge their deaths and to clean the Capital from corruption.' Akame thought.
"Hey! I know this from before! Gah! I forgot their names!" Leone said.
"I have a strong feeling that its letter C." Sheele said.
"Same!" Chelsea added.
Tatsumi remembered his childhood friends and cried a little after hearing their names.
"I'm sorry if I used them as a question, Tatsumi." Meliodas said.
"No! It's fine. I'm happy that you recall their names for me since I joined Night Raid, I nearly forgot them two, and also when I died." Tatsumi said.
"We already have an answer!" Esdeath said.
"What is it, Ice Queen?" Meliodas asked.
"It's... It's... letter A!!" The girls replied. The gods stood and clapped their hands after they answered the question correctly.
"I'm sorry to say but... The squad of Tatsumi must release him because they got the correct answer." Saitama said in worry.
"Kyahhh!! Tatsumi!" The girls now jumped in joy and rushed towards Tatsumi but suddenly got covered by Meliodas' Enchantment Hellblaze.
"Wait for a second! Since you got the answers right, that doesn't mean you're the only one who could hang with Tatsumi." Meliodas said.
"What do you mean?" Mine asked.
"Come in!" Meliodas yelled as a portal appeared and two figures walked from it and are known to be Tatsumi's childhood friends, Ieyasu and Sayo.
"Tatsumi!" Ieyasu yelled in joy.
"I-Ieyasu... Sayo!!" Tatsumi cried in joy and now ran towards his childhood friends and hugs them both.
"I really missed you, Tatsumi!" Ieyasu said.
"Tatsumi... If you know how I am so worried about you. And I saw you did well out there!" Sayo said while crying.
"Because of you five, we resurrected them and bring them back to life for them to be given a second chance to live." Kizaru said.
"You girls... really made me so happy!" Tatsumi said with his purest smiles while crying. The five got hit by Cupid's arrow and felt blessed seeing Tatsumi's smile towards them.
"Oh right, may I ask, who are you people?" Sayo asked. The gods and everyone explained things to the newcomers and they now understood their objectives in the room.
"I see! Shall we start the next episode then?" Ieyasu asked.
"Yeah. Here we go." Kizaru said. The girls cling into Tatsumi and also Sayo who hugs him on the right side.
'Another rival of ours has joined the battle!' The five girls thought.
"Can I do this with you Tatsumi? Even if these girls who have a crush on you clung to you?" Sayo asked. Tatsumi blushed after hearing this and missed Sayo for a long time.
"Yeah, why not." Tatsumi said and now hugs back Sayo, which made the girls around him look at them with jealousy.
"Midoriya! The match just started... and he's completely frozen?! He's got a blank look on his face and isn't moving a muscle! Is this Shinso's Quirk?! He didn't stand out at all, but could he actually be someone amazing?" Present Mic exclaimed as the screen shows the title "Victory or Defeat" on it.
"Hitoshi Shinso from general studies has gotten the better of Izuku Midoriya from the hero course! Who would've imagined this?! Will the bottom really overthrow the top?" Present Mic announced.
"That's why I said the entrance exam wasn't rational." Aizawa uttered.
"Huh? What?" Present Mic asked.
"Here's some basic data on the two of them. Since it's individual matches from here on out, I had someone compile it for me.
Shinso failed the practical exam for the hero course. Since he also applied for general studies, he probably knew that would happen. His Quirk is very powerful, but the practical exam consisted of fighting faux villains. That gave an advantage to those with physical attack Quirks. Shinso wouldn't have been able to rack up any points with his Quirk." Aizawa said.
"You're lucky that you've been blessed, Izuku Midoriya. Turn around and walk out of bounds." Shinso said. Izuku slowly turned around and slowly walked towards the out of bounds.
"Wh-What's with his Quirk?!" Mine asked in shock.
"Please, don't obey him, Izuku!" Seryu cried.
"It's brainwashing. His Quirk is brainwashing." Ieyasu said.
"Huh? How can you say that it is brainwashing?" Esdeath asked.
"If you notice his eyes are all dead-looking, has no reaction and most of all, he easily responds to his words being thrown at him." Ieyasu said.
'This brat is right...' Kizaru thought.
"Brainwashing? That means..." Akame uttered.
"He'll be doing whatever Shinso to him!" Kurome said.
"If he can't escape that brainwashing effect, it's over for him." Najenda said.
"Huh? What?! Midoriya's being so obedient!" Present Mic exclaimed.
"Deku, why?" Uraraka asked in worry.
"If you go out of bounds, then you'll lose the match!" Iida said while waving his hands anywhere.
'That Quirk is...' All Might thought.
"Hitoshi Shinso. Quirk: Brainwashing! Answering his question turns on a brainwashing switch in his opponent's brain, forcing them to do what he says. If he doesn't want the brainwashing switch to turn on, it won't!" Present Mic narrated.
"I knew it!" Ieyasu said.
"Ojiro warned him earlier about that but he didn't listen. Midoriya fell to his trap." Bulat said.
"His Quirk is kinda scary. Once you answer him with a single word, you're done for." Sheele said.
"Airheads like you are the best nominees for getting victimized by him." Leone said.
"Eh?! So mean of you. Tatsumi, she bullied me." Sheele whined on Tatsumi but was ignored by him since he and Sayo are cuddling each other.
'Hmph!' Sheele pouted.
"His Quirk can be a powerful tool for villains! But the question is, is he really a villain in the making?" Zank asked.
"Why did he applied to the Hero Course if he'll just become a villain, idiot." Budou said.
"He got him by taunting Ojiro's pride that was shattered due to what happened earlier. People nowadays, doing everything just to win the game!" Wave said.
"The world is already cruel, Wave. What do you expect from us humans in order to get what we desire?" Run asked.
'In the fitness test on the first day of school, Midoriya scored pretty low for the hero course, but even in tests where he didn't use his Quirk, he did better than Shinso. So if they fight normally, then Midoriya would win.
If he can just overcome Shinso's Brainwashing... Well, either way, this'll end quickly.' Aizawa thought.
'Young Midoriya! You can't come here!' All Might nervously thought while seeing his student slowly walking towards his direction.
'No! My body's moving on its own... It's like... my head's filled with fog... No! Damn it! Stop! Stop! Even though... Even though Ojiro warned me... Crap! Damn it!' Izuku thought while being under Shinso' Brainwashing effect.
Flashback
"A Quirk that can control people, huh? Isn't that too strong to beat?" Izuku asked.
"Yeah, but you can probably avoid if you know about it. I don't remember much after I answered his question. I think that's how it works." Ojiro said.
"So if I answer without thinking, then I'll lose right away." Izuku said in a depressed way.
"No, but it's not completely impenetrable. I said I barely remembered anything until almost the end, right?
When we were running away after Shinso stole Tetsutetsu's headband, It looks like I ran into one of the horses on Team Tetsutetsu. That's when I snapped out of it. I remember what happened clearly after that." Ojiro said.
"Izuku needs to get slapped or what?" Kurome asked.
"A powerful force or shock to shake him out of the brainwash. What an easy counter for Shinso's Quirk. But, how he'll be doing it if his body moves on its own?" Sayo asked.
"If someone from the audience knows the counter of it, maybe they can throw something hard on Midoriya for him to get back to consciousness!" Wave said. Akame and the other girls looked at wave with fury.
"How about... I'll throw some kicks towards you..." Akame coldly uttered.
"Or I'll electrocute your limbs...?" Seryu added.
"You can't have my cookie... So I'll give you my fists..." Kurome said.
'Oh lord.' Wave thought in fear while seeing the three.
"So receiving a shock can get rid of it?" Izuku asked.
"It's very likely. Even so, I don't know what level of shock you need, and in a one-on-one match, you can't count on outside forces like that. Anyway, that's about all I can tell you." Ojiro said.
"Thanks! That was amazing!" Izuku said while shaking his arms.
"I'm going to say something selfish... but please do your best for me, too." Ojiro said while offering Izuku a fistbump and he does it with him.
"Ojiro..." Izuku uttered and now gives him a determined face.
'Damn it... This... quickly! Even though... everyone is counting on me! In a place like this... Like this...!' Izuku thought. Behind him, there were eight lights on the other side of the tunnel and is known to be the eyes of eight unknown people who are known to be the former users of One For All. Now their light suddenly gushed into Izuku which gives him enormous energy.
'What... is... this?!' Izuku thought as his index and middle finger started to glow.
"Here it is!" Mine exclaimed.
"Those ghosts must be helping Midoriya! So cool!" Bols said.
"What kind of sorcery did Midoriya do for those ghosts to help him?!" Dr. Stylish asked.
'Mov...'
"You probably don't understand, but even with a Quirk like this, I have my own dream. Now, lose for me." Shinso said. Izuku now blows his power through his fingers and disables the Brainwashing effect of Shinso, causing a huge wind pressure throughout the stage.
"Th-This is...! Midoriya's stopped!" Present Mic exclaimed and the crowd roared in joy.
"Midoriya!" Iida yelled.
"I'm... I'm so glad!" Uraraka said.
'His fingers are... Did he remove the brainwashing effect by making them explode?' Aizawa thought.
"Yay!!!" The three girls cheered in joy. While the others got amazed by Izuku's escape from the brainwashing.
"If I were in his position, I will do the same. But that one isn't easy as what we guys think." Budou said.
"He sparked himself with his own Quirk. Way to go, Midoriya!" Tatsumi cheered.
"So that is Izuku Midoriya... The future greatest hero..." Ieyasu and Sayo said.
'If Bakugo hears them, he'll roar like an idiot once again.' The gods thought.
"That's crazy..." Ojiro uttered in relief.
"Why? You shouldn't be able to move freely! What did you do?" Shinso angrily asked. Izuku quickly covered his mouth to prevent answering his question.
'I'm the one who discharged my fingers. But I wasn't the one who moved them. What happened? People I didn't know came to mind, and for a second, my mind was clear! That was...'
'One For All. Passed on to me like a sacred torch.' All Might narrated.
'The people... The presence of the people who spun together this power... Did they save me? Is that even possible?' Izuku thought.
"The former users of One For All, saved him?" Chelsea asked.
"A-Amazing... Which means he is going to be an overpowered guy soon!" Bols said.
"Such a blessed kid like him. I wish I can have the same grace as he has right now. None other than Tatsumi himself." Esdeath said while looking at Tatsumi and strokes his hair.
"E-Esdeath?" Tatsumi asked.
"Please let me... Tatsumi." Esdeath uttered while blushing.
"S-Sure!" Tatsumi said with a smile and places his head on Esdeath's breasts, making her blush madly. She slowly hugs him and pecks his head.
"Love you..." Esdeath said. Sayo heard this and pouted.
'This woman, a murderer, loved Tatsumi? But how?!' Sayo thought.
"What did you do?!" Shinso angrily asked.
"Even if I think about it now, I won't find the answer. Later... Thinking can come later!' Izuku thought.
'He won't answer... Did he figure out my secret? No, he should've heard from that monkey from the beginning. All I can do is make him talk again...' Shinso thought.
"Say something. You can produce that much power just by moving your fingers? I'm jealous." Shinso said.
'I felt the same way in the past.' Izuku thought while approaching Shinso.
"Thanks to my Quirk, I've been behind from the start. Someone who's been blessed like you can't understand, can you?" Shinso asked.
'I do understand. But, it's true... I've been blessed.' Izuku thought.
"Someone like you who was born with the ideal Quirk!s someone who can reach your goal!" Shinso yelled.
'I've been blessed by the others! That's why!' Izuku thought as he starts to push Ojiro.
"Say something!" Shinso yelled and punches Izuku in the face.
'I can't... lose, either!' Izuku thought while pushing.
"Just punch him also, Izuku!" Seryu yelled.
"Use your One For All, please!" Kurome cried.
"I know why... Why are you holding on your Quirk... For some reason..." Akame uttered with a smile.
'Is he trying to push me out?' Shinso thought. He punched Izuku's broken fingers and gets away.
"You've got to be kidding! You get out!" Shinso yelled and goes for the push against Izuku, but the One For All user grabs his forearm and does a shoulder toss on him towards out of bounds.
'I can't lose...!' Izuku thought and successfully slams Shinso out of bounds.
"Yeah!" Kurome and Seryu exclaimed.
"Talk about power and strength, that's Izuku for you." Akame said.
"He slammed him out of bounds, with his fingers broken, he's so awesome!" Lubbock said.
"That isn't as easy as you thought. He resisted the pain and found a way to eliminate Shinso. He did well out there." Ogre said.
"Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya advances to round two!" Midnight announces and the crowd roared.
Three years ago. Nabooh City Middle School
"Wow, Shinso, your Quirk is Brainwashing? Seriously?"
"That's amazing! I've never heard of that before!"
"I'm so jealous..."
"I can't believe you can control anyone!"
"You can do as much bad stuff as you want!"
"No one'd know it was you. Don't control us, okay?" The students complimented and said to Shinso from three years ago.
"Everyone says that." Shinso said while holding the back of his neck.
'Of course, if someone else had it, the first thing I'd think is that they'd use it for evil, too.
"Criminal."
"It's good for being a villain, huh?"
I'm used to people insinuating that about me. That's just what the world is like.'
"But you know... But..." Shinso now opens his eyes in disappointment after losing consciousness.
"In the finals, the first person to advance to the second round is Izuku Midoriya from Class A!" Present Mic announced.
"People with that kind of thinking are really idiots. How they can say such negative comments about his Quirk? They should be lucky that he didn't use his Quirk against them!" Ieyasu said.
"You can't blame bullies like them. They really are nothing but a bunch of people who really intend to break one's soul and personality." Run said.
"I was so nervous!" Uraraka sighed.
"Turning the tables at the last moment! As expected of Midoriya!" Iida said.
"He did that shoulder toss on you before, too, didn't he?" Denki asked while re-enacting the shoulder toss.
"Shut up, Dunce Face." Katsuki said.
'That damn... He was definitely aiming for it! He led him right into it!' Katsuki thought.
"Felt traumatize, Bakugo?!" Kurome smirked.
"Look at Kaminari's face, after getting insulted." Lubbock laughed.
"That's what you get if someone hates you." Najenda said while grabbing Lubbock and hugs him by her arm.
"B-But you...?" Lubbock uttered.
"Why would I hate someone who loved me from the bottom of his heart?" Najenda asked with a smile.
'Her smile is so pure!' Lubbock thought.
'Using his power on part of his body like at the fitness test and the throw from the combat training... Rather than calling it the best use of his experience, it's like he's using any experience he can to force the flow to change in his favor.' Aizawa thought.
"Yahoo! That was kind of a boring first match, but we should praise them both for a bravely fought match. Clap your hands!" Present Mic said.
'Someone who's been blessed like you can't understand, can you?'
'Someone who can reach your goal!'
Izuku remembered Shinso's words and looked at him.
"Shinso, why do you want to be a hero?" Izuku asked.
"You can't help the things you long for." Shinso replied and walked away from him.
'I felt the same way before I inherited One For All. But... No matter what I say right now...' Izuku thought. Before Shinso could enter the tunnel, some praised him for his performance at the said event.
"You were really cool, Shinso!"
"Good job!"
"I was really surprised!"
"You're the star of general studies!"
"You put up a fight against the guy who first in the obstacle course! Besides--" One student said while doing some signaling.
"That Quirk would work quite well against villains. I wish I had it." One hero said.
"U.A.'s not very smart if he's in general studies." Another hero said.
"Well, they've got a ton of people applying, so some things just can't be helped." Another hero said.
"It was the difference in combat experience, huh?"
"Yeah, it ends up making a big difference. What a waste."
"You hear that, Shinso? You're amazing!" His classmate said. Shinso felt relieved and happy after some people acknowledged him due to his performance.
"Depending on the results, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course. Remember that. Even if it didn't work this time, I definitely won't give up. I'll get into the hero course, get certified, and I'll definitely become a better hero than you guys!" Shinso said.
"Yeah!" Izuku replied and all of a sudden, he got brainwashed.
'He got me! Even though the match is over, what's he...?' Izuku thought.
"People are usually wary when they talk to me, though... At this rate, someone'll trip you in no time. At least... don't lose in an unseemly way." Shinso said. And Izuku finally got out of his brainwashing effect.
'Shinso...' Izuku thought.
"I feel good now at least he isn't a bad guy as we thought." Mine said.
"He'll be in the hero course, in no time. Just let him have another chance." Seryu said.
"Yeah. He may have the powers of a villain, but his heart and soul are all set to be a hero." Akame said.
"Kiss! That should do it." Recovery Girl said while wrapping Izuku's injury.
"In the match with Shinso, I couldn't smile at all." Izuku said.
"Well, his cries hit close to home for you, huh?" All Might asked.
"But that didn't mean that I could lose. That's what it means to aim for number one, right?" Izuku said.
"Poor thing. You put some weird pressure on him again, didn't you?" Recovery Girl asked and now punches All Might in the gut.
"It was necessary! Ouch." All Might cried.
"At a young age, he is facing such problems and things he needed to learn for him to be the greatest." Bols said.
"Will he be able to overcome them all?" Kurome asked in worry.
"We are talking about Izuku over here. He can do a lot of things and can handle them with everything he can." Akame said.
"Oh yeah, All Might. I had a vision... There were eight or nine people... I'm not sure exactly how many... But when it felt like my mind was filled with fog from the brainwashing, the vision appeared, as if to drive away from the fog. It was like I was barely able to move just my fingertips for a moment...
There was someone with eyes like you, too, All Might. Was it... the people who had inherited One For All who did it?" Izuku asked.
"Scary... What the heck?" All Might asked while shivering.
"What? I thought you'd know about it!" Izuku exclaimed.
"No, I also saw it before, in my younger days. It's a clear sign that you've got a better grasp on One For All." All Might said.
"What does that mean?" Izuku asked.
"I think it's like a trace of something they left behind in One For All. It's not something with inherit that can interfere with you, and you can't interfere with them.
In other words, that vision isn't what got rid of the brainwashing. It was that when you saw the vision, your strong emotions allowed you to overcome Young Shinso's Brainwashing for just long enough to move your fingertips, I think." All Might said.
"That explanation's not satisfying at all, though..." Izuku uttered while scratching his head.
"Don't get too hung up about it! More importantly, don't you need to go see who you'll fight next?" All Might said. Izuku remembers this and now ran away.
"Thank you both very much!" Izuku said as he quickly ran into the door.
"Welcome!" Recovery Girl replied.
"Goodbye!" Izuku said and now closes the door.
"You... were there, too, he said." Recovery Girl uttered.
"That's a good thing." All Might said.
"What could it mean?" Esdeath asked.
"Is it a foreshadow of All Might's future death?" Budou asked.
"H-How can you say that, Budou?!" Zank asked.
"It can be true for some reason, Zank. But also be wrong." Meliodas said.
"Is he going to..." Kurome and the others uttered.
Shoto can be seen walking in the hallway and heard the news of Izuku winning the first match.
'Midoriya won, huh?' Shoto thought. He stopped walking and sees someone blocking his way.
"You're in my way." Shoto said to his old man, Endeavor.
"You're acting disgracefully, Shoto. If you used the power on your left side, you would've had an overwhelming victory in the obstacle course and the cavalry battle. Stop this childish rebellion already. You have a duty to surpass All Might. Do you understand? You're different from your siblings. You are the greatest masterpiece!" Endeavor said while seeing Shoto walking past him.
"Is that all you can say, bastard? I will win and advance with just Mom's power. I won't use your power when I fight." Shoto said.
"Even if that works for now, you'll soon reach the limits of that power." Endeavor said.
"I really hate him, damn his attitude towards his son is the worst!" Bols said.
"How dare he treat him like his servant and not a son?!" Wave angrily asked.
"The flames around him represent nothing but full of foolishness and selflessness towards himself." Run said.
"He isn't a hero at all. He is a monster." Mine said.
Izuku walked towards the bleachers where his classmates are and Uraraka called him.
"Oh, Deku! Good work!" Uraraka said.
"We saved a seat for you!" Iida added.
"Thanks." Izuku said. He saw Ojiro raising his fist on him and he smiled at him.
"Thanks for waiting! Next up is... these guys! He's good! He's good, but what's with that plainness he just can't get rid of? From the hero course, it's Hanta Sero!" Present Mic exclaimed.
"That's mean." Sero uttered while stretching.
"Taking second, then first in the prelims! You're way too strong, kid! He wasn't recommended for admission for nothing! Also from the hero course, it's Shoto Todoroki!" Present Mic announced.
"And now, for the second match of the finals... Ready... Start!" Present Mic announced.
"Well, I don't feel like I can win... but I don't feel like losing, either!" Sero exclaimed as he surprisingly wrapped his tapes on Shoto's body and starts to move him towards out of bounds.
"A surprise attack aimed to push his opponent out of bounds! Don't you think that was the best choice for this situation?! Seriously, get him, Sero!" Present Mic exclaimed.
"Woah! What a quick attack!" Sayo said.
"He knows that he can't stand a chance against him. So he quickly attacked him without showing a hint from his movements." Bulat said.
"The question is, will he really win?" Najenda asked.
"Sorry." Shoto said as he released a huge amount of ice towards Sero and caused vibration towards the whole stadium.
"Wh-What is this?" Recovery Girl asked.
"What's with the vibration?" All Might added. Izuku, Uraraka, and Iida slowly pull themselves from the ice and Death Arms and Kamui Woods saw the glacier from the outside.
"What is that?" Death Arms asked as a huge ice glacier was formed. Shoto breathed with a little smirk while looking at Endeavor.
"What the hell?!" Everyone asked in shock. Esdeath herself can't believe that someone like Shoto can do such an attack as that.
"Th-That brat... really gone far on his attack." Esdeath uttered.
"Such power..." Budou uttered.
"He nearly killed Sero! He should've been disqualified!" Seryu said.
"Are you scared that he might do the same to Midoriya later on?" Sayo asked.
"O-Of course not! I am so confident that Izuku can match him!" Seryu said with confidence.
"Don't... Don't you think that's a bit much?" Present Mic uttered while getting chilled by the ice.
"Sero, can you move?" Midnight asked while her body is half frozen.
"O-Of course not... Ow..." Sero replied.
"Sero is immobilized. Todoroki advances to the second round!" Midnight announced. The crowd got silent after seeing such an attack.
"D-Don't worry about it..." One hero said
"Don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it!" The audience yelled on Sero after getting immobilized.
"Sorry, I went overboard. I was angry." Shoto said while heating off Sero's body.
'Under the eyes of the crowd that started shouting "Don't worry about it" unprompted was Todoroki, melting what he'd frozen himself with his left hand. For some reason... he looked very sad to me.' Izuku thought as the screen turned off.
"Sad?" Mine asked.
"Maybe Izuku can tell what and how they can calm the fiery heart of Todoroki right now." Akame said.
"And the only one who can cheer him up." Tatsumi said.
"All of it will be answered later on. Let's start in the next episode." Kizaru said.
"Yeah!" Everyone replied.
To Be Continued...
Another chapter is done! I hope you liked this as always! Stay safe and have a great day!