Present Mic: “Now comes the fourth match up! Kaminari from class 1-A vs Shiozaki from class 1-B!”
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3 seconds later.
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Present Mic: “And it’s over in a flash!! I’ll say it again, folks!! It’s done, finished. Fastest match yet. Shiozaki advances to the second round!”
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The winner said nothing, instead, she looked up at Izuku in the stands with a glare. What she felt in that first match was anything but pure. It felt… demonic.
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However, Izuku was lost in his own world right now.
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Izuku: “That ability of hers is amazing. It wrapped and bound Kaminari, basically sealing his quirk. She had the advantage, but if he had played his cards right, he could’ve righted himself. But instead he panicked and fired off all his juice…”
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Kiri smiles as Izuku starts mumbling about quirks. It’s been a while. It would be better if it was just them, though. But no, Uraraka and Momo wanted to sit around him as well.
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Momo: “Uh, Midoriya?”
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Izuku: “H-Huh!? S-Sorry!”
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Kiri: “Don’t. It’s cute.”
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Izuku: “C-Cute!?”
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Uraraka: “Hahaha! It only just ended, and you’re already forming counter-strategies based on how you see it playing out?”
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Izuku: “W-Well, I-I… it’s what I like to do. It’s fun! I even compiled tons of notes on everyone in Class A! That includes your zero gravity, too, Uraraka!”
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Uraraka: “R-Really!?”
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Momo: “I even took a look at it while we were training. It’s quite detailed and a great source of inspiration.”
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Uraraka: “I see… you’re really incredible, Midoriya. I’m happy to see you’re having fun again. I was worried.”
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Izuku’s face darkens for a moment before lighting back up when the next match is announced.
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Present Mic: “All right, here comes the next matchup! Sprint to the top!! His coming across like a center fielder!? It’s Ida Tenya, of the department of heroic class 1-A!”
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VERSUS!
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Present Mic: “She who is fully decked in support gear!! Hatsume Mei, of the department of support.”
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Izuku: “Why do I have a bad feeling?”
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His feeling was right. Mei played Ida throughout that whole match, just to sell her products. At least she decided to bow out of the tournament after that, because she did not deserve that victory.
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Momo: “How shameless.”
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Kiri: “Nh.”
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Izuku: “There’s no doubt she saw how super earnest Ida is and fed him a nice-sounding line so she could take him for a ride. She’s not really that frank or honest; she’s actually the type who’ll do whatever it takes to accomplish her goals.”
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Uraraka: “Uh… I’m going to the waiting room for a sec; I’ll be back.”
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Uraraka got up and left the group with an unreadable expression. One that worried Izuku, it almost reminded him of how he could be.
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Momo: “You can check on her if you want.”
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Izuku: “Huh?”
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Kiri’s eyes widen at Momo’s suggestion. Why would she want Izu to follow some other girl? Didn’t she also…
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Momo: “Something is clearly bothering her. I’m sure she could use a friend to talk to. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you how the matches went. Right, Tae?”
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Kiri: “… Nh.”
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Izuku: “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
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The esper hurried and made his way to where Uraraka was. Meanwhile, Momo and Kiri turned back to the stage in silence.
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Kiri wanted to ask a question, but she didn’t really know how to word it. So instead, she avoided it altogether and focused on the next match. One that might be interesting.
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Present Mic: “These matches are going by quick! Will the next one be any different?!”
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Jiro: ‘I hope not.’
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Present Mic: “In one corner, the one who managed to get her hands on a sci-fi-looking blaster, Kyoka Jiro from class 1-A!”
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Jiro adjusted her wrist blaster and hoped it worked as well as she imagined.
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Present Mic: “And her opponent! The girl who dazzles with her athletics and unique color, Mina Ashido from class 1-A!”
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Mina: “Hehe, time for some payback. I won’t fall for the same trick again.”
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Jiro: “That means I need to think of some new tricks.”
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Present Mic: “Ready?!”
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Mina lowers her stance, preparing to go full throttle from the start. Jiro gets her blaster ready to fire as her eyes narrow.
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Present Mic: “Start!”
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Jiro fires the blaster, sending the sound of her heart through it. The result? A thin sound wave aimed right at Mina. But seeing that coming from a mile away, Mina was already jumping before the trigger was fired.
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Mina vaulted over the attack and skated towards Jiro using acid slide. But Jiro quickly aimed the blaster again and fired. Once again, Mina was able to dodge by going to the side.
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Jiro: ‘Shoot! She’s still getting closer.’
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The rocker girl started moving around while firing the blaster, keeping Mina at bay.
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Jiro: “You can’t dodge forever!”
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Mina: “You can’t run forever either!”
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Jiro: “I’ll get lucky before I get tired.”
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But why take that chance? Something they both thought. Mina, after dodging, threw a ball of acid she was generating at Jiro. With little choice, she had to stop firing and instead dodge.
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This gave Mina time to get closer, but she didn’t stop slinging acid. Instead of balls, though, these were just strings of stinging pain.
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Not wanting to experience acid burns, Jiro kept on the move and took pot shots every now and then.
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Present Mic: “Well, would you look at this, folks! We have ourselves an actual shootout!”
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At this rate, Jiro was going to lose. Mina was too athletic and had no problem dodging. While for Jiro, it was a bit harder to dodge the acid, and her footing was slipping.
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Jiro: ‘I won’t win without taking some risks and pain. And I refuse to lose here!’
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The rocker stopped dodging and charged at Mina. The alien girl had no problem with this and met the charge head-on.
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Mina: “Handing me the victory? Thanks, Jiro!”
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Mina slung some more acid, expecting Jiro to dodge again. But instead, Jiro blocked it with her forearms. It lightly burned through the clothes and a bit of skin. The girl hissed in pain, but it was manageable.
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Jiro: “Don’t thank me just yet!”
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Countering, she attacked with her free earjack, and as expected, Mina caught it easily. But that second of halted movement was enough to fire another shot, this one too close to dodge.
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A thin and piercing sound wave hammered into Mina’s stomach. The unexpected amount of pain was enough to force Mina to let go of the earjack and kneel over.
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Seeing her chance, Jiro tackled Mina to the ground and grappled her into submission.
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Mina: “M-M-My w-w-whole b-b-body i-i-s s-s-shaking. I… t-think I-I’m g-g-going t-t-to b-be s-s-sick.”
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Jiro: “Give up, and I’ll help you to Recovery Girl.”
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Mina: “I-I-I g-g-give u-up!”
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Midnight: “Ashido surrenders! Jiro advances to round two!”
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Jiro looks up at Momo, who was smiling and clapping for her victory. The rocker girl smiled back while helping Mina to her feet.
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Mina: “T-Thank you.”
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Jiro: “No problem. Sorry though, I didn’t know the blaster would make you sick.”
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Mina: “I-It’s fine… a-all’s f-fair… ”
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Jiro looked down at the wrist blaster and frowned a bit.
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Jiro: ‘This thing was stronger than I thought. I have to be careful with it from now on.’
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After 15 or so minutes, the duo made it to Recovery Girl. But something was wrong; she looked… pale. She wasn’t the only one. Some skeletal-looking man was there too, rubbing the back of Recovery Girl. It was All Might, but these girls didn’t know that.
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Jiro: “Is she okay?”
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All Might: “It would seem so. I found her like this.”
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Recovery Girl: “I-I said I’m fine. I’m just… deep in thought. What’s wrong?”
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Jiro: “She has nausea, and I have some acid burns.”
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Recovery Girl: “That’s normal. Lay her down.”
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Jiro does so, and Mina relaxes on the soft bed, her face a mix of discomfort and relief. Recovery Girl then kissed Jiro’s arm, healing the light burns. Seeing that everything is all right, All Might leaves.
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He doesn’t know exactly where Shinso is, but Recovery Girl said he is fine and doesn’t remember anything from his match with Izuku.
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A shame, but there is not much else he can do.
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Jiro: “Thank you.”
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Jiro takes a seat and once again notices that Recovery Girl looks off.
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Jiro: “Are you sure you’re okay?”
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Recovery Girl: “… I think it’s best if I keep what happened to myself. At least until I fully understand it. After that, I’ll discuss it with the pro heroes first.”
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Jiro: “O-Okay.”
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Jiro: ‘Well… that doesn’t sound good. What could have happened?’
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Izuku: “S-Shinso?”
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The esper just wanted to check on Uraraka. Why did he have to run into the thing that he was trying to ignore?
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What’s worse is what Shinso looks like. He’s taller, slightly more muscular, and handsome. Like a Shinso 2.0.
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But more than that, it’s what’s beneath the surface that concerns the boy. Shinso felt different; his psychic signature felt… like a growing flame. What was once an ember now felt like a contained inferno waiting for something to ignite it fully.
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Shinso: “What… did you do to me?”
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Izuku: “I-I… don’t know what you mean.”
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Shinso: “Yes, you do. I can tell. Answer me.”
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Izuku: “… I don’t know. I-It was an accident.”
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Shinso: “An… accident?”
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Shinso’s body shakes as he comes to terms with that fact.
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Shinso: “My quirk was already seen as evil, a quirk for a villain. How could you make it worse?”
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Izuku: “W-Worse?”
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Shinso: “… My quirk is brainwash. I used to be only able to use it if someone answered a question of mine. Now… that limitation is gone.”
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Izuku: “W-What? How?!”
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Shinso: “When I woke up, I desperately wanted answers to what happened. The questions from Recovery Girl, ones I couldn’t answer, only confused me more. So I told her to stop. And she did. Everything.”
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Izuku paled at the implications.
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Shinso: “She stopped breathing because I told her to stop without being specific. If I didn’t cancel the command…”
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Izuku: “I’m-”
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Shinso: “Don’t. I don’t want to hear it. I just wanted to know why. But now… I know. It was an accident; my life was ruined because of chance.”
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Izuku: “N-No! This doesn’t have to be a curse! It’s how you use your quirk that’s important. Y-You can still be a hero.”
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Shinso scoffs at Izuku’s words.
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Shinso: “Easy for you to say. Someone blessed with a powerful quirk like yours.”
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Izuku: “Blessed…?”
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Shinso: “Don’t try and say how hard it’s been. Your quirk is perfectly suited for hero work. Everyone will gloss over the darker aspects of it with time. Your sister proves as much. While mine… everyone will only see it as evil. Especially now.”
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For a solid minute, they said nothing, just stood in the darkened atmosphere. That was until Shinso began to walk away.
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Shinso: “I hope to never see you again.”
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Izuku: ‘No…’
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How could he let it end like this? How could he, of all people, ruin someone else’s chance at being a hero? So… he made a choice.
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Izuku: ‘Just this once. Please… one of you… help me to help him.’
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The multitude rejoice, as their prince has accepted his place, at least for this moment. Using the opportunity, the most suited manifested into the world through him.
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Izuku’s eyes burn bright gold as The First speaks through its prince.
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Izuku: “&*%^”
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Shinso stops in his tracks; he recognizes this voice. He blocked off most of what happened within Izuku’s mind, but that voice wouldn’t fade no matter what.
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So he turns around to see Izuku with golden eyes and a different aura.
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Izuku: “&#*^.”
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Izuku: “Wait a minute, this is not going to work.”
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The prince closes his eyes and listens, trying for the first time to understand what that entity was saying. After a moment, he got the general picture. He opens his eyes, and his natural green returns.
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Izuku: “I-I understand.”
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Shinso: “Seriously, what are you?”
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Izuku: “… I don’t know anymore. It’s complicated. But… I know what happened to you and how you can control it.”
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Shinso: “… How?”
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Izuku: “T-The First… choose you as its… child? The real word is confusing.”
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Shinso: “Child?”
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Izuku: “Your quirk is similar to it, and it thought you would make a good… hero. One to inherit its power of Authority. But in order to inherit it, it had to… change you. Otherwise, your body couldn’t handle it.”
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Shinso: “Huh? Look, I don’t really understand any of that. Just tell me how I can control it.”
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Izuku: “W-Well, you use the prefix command to specify when you want to use your quirk. That way you don’t accidentally use your quirk like before.”
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Shinso: “I see… ”
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Izuku: “S-See! You can still be a hero! And Authority doesn’t just extend to brainwashing or mind control. You can command inanimate objects and-”
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Shinso: “And would I explain that?”
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Izuku: “H-Huh?”
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Shinso: “My quirk is not like yours. It’s not something that can just grow new abilities. I already have to somehow explain this growth spurt. Face it, I’m stuck with the label society has given me.”
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Izuku: “O-Oh… well… as for the growth spurt, you have a passive psychic field that makes it so everyone thinks it’s normal.”
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Shinso: “R-Really?”
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Izuku: “Did Recovery Girl notice your growth spurt?”
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Shinso: “… No. She didn’t.”
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Izuku: “As for your quirk gaining new abilities and how people judge it… I don’t know… ”
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C: “Society is not something that can’t be bent in time, my prince. If they won’t accept him, make him yours.”
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It sounds like a good idea, but for some reason… this seems like the first step to something much bigger. But if he wants to help Shinso, to be his hero, then he has no choice.
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Izuku: “I-If they won’t accept the new you, Shinso, then I will.”
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Shinso: “What?”
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Izuku: “I say you can be a hero. It doesn’t matter what anyone says. I will help you master your new quirk, and together, we’ll both be the heroes we want to be. Deal?”
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Shinso looks at the boy’s outstretched hand, the same boy who did this to him. He wants to knock it aside and walk away. But despite what Shinso may say, he does want to be a hero. He doesn’t want to be labeled evil or some villain in the making.
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So, with a small spark of hope in his heart, he grasps the hand.
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Shinso: “Alright.”
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And the multitude rejoices, for the first apostle has been claimed. A soft green glow emerged from their hands, and the connection was formed.
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Izuku: “We’ll meet up after the festival and talk some more, okay?”
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Shinso: “Right, thanks, Midoriya.”
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Izuku nodded and let Shinso go back to wherever he was suppose to be.
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Izuku: “Thank you.”
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C: “Of course. Now, are you ready to-”
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Izuku: “No.”
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The voices are still as the prince employs his own Authority.
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Izuku: “None of this would have happened if I didn’t block you all out better. This was the only time I will allow something like this. No more. I’m done.”
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And just like that, the voices were cut off. Silence reigned in Izuku’s mind.
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Izuku: ‘I’ll master my quirk, but not that part of it. Shinso may think his quirk is villainous, but he has no idea. That side of me… is better discarded.’
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How else is he supposed to see that side of himself, after what The First explained to him? The details of how he broke Shinso’s entire being down to nothing and rebuilt it into something explicitly not human.
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Izuku: ‘And if that was required to handle just a portion of his power… what does that say about me? I have all of it and much more within me.’
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But worse than that was the rush when he accepted his role as prince, if just briefly. It felt similar to when he fought the Nomu. The feeling of accepting that side of his quirk is exhilarating. The power and confidence it offers is intoxicating.
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He felt… whole. But better to be incomplete than to become some monster. Monsters can’t be heroes.
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Izuku: ‘Never again. I’ll use only what I already have, the basics. That’s enough for me to become a hero.’
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With that declaration, he felt a bit more free. The burden of that power and its implication fades into background noise. Thanks to that, he suddenly remembers why he came here.
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Izuku: “Oh, Uraraka!”
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Present Mic: “The matchup of nearly identical quirks, Kirishima vs Tetsutetsu!! It was a full-on, close-quarters punch-up!! But who is the victor?”
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Kirishima dodges another strike and counters with a mean uppercut that sends Tetsutetsu to the ground.
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Midnight: “Tetsutetsu is out! Kirishima advances to round two!”
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Kirishima holds out his hand to the quickly recovering Tetsutestu.
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Kirishima: “That was a fine match!”
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Tetsutestu: “Keh.”
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He accepts the gesture, and the two shake hands. Kiri looks on with a smile.
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Kiri: “He’s gotten better.”
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A few minutes later, the next match was announced. Uraraka vs Bakugo.
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Izuku and Ida rejoined the rest of the class in preparation for the match. Kiri glanced at Izuku and noticed how tense he was. She didn’t think it was because of the match.
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Kiri: ‘Did something happen again? Why is it so hard to feel his emotions sometimes? I wish he would talk to me more.’
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While Kiri focused on her brother, the match was getting underway.
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Tsuyu: “Next match is that match… the one that’s bound to be the most upsetting.”
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Jiro: “I feel like I might have to look away.”
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Present Mic: “And here’s the next match! The boy who’s been somewhat famous since middle school! But that face ain’t the face of a kid on the straight and narrow! Katsuki Bakugo of class 1-A!”
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Present Mic: “Facing him is the kid I’ll be rooting for!! Ochako Uraraka of class 1-A!”
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The results of the match were as expected.
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A/N: Okay, I may as well say what I’m adapting. I’ve dropped enough hints by now.
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Concepts Adapted: Superhuman (Visual Novel)
ns52.15.60.240da2
