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A My Hero Academia Fanfiction: Age of Heroes Chapter 15 The Battle Begins by Rvasil

"Dad?"

The older dragon looked down, seeing his bright eyed son look up at him, his toy figures still held in his hand.

He smiled warmly."What is it, Kinus?"

"Is it hard being a hero?" he asked.

The dragon's brow furrowed. He lowered the book he was reading and placed it on the desk at the side. "What makes you asked that?"

The younger dragon looked back at the television that was playing an anime targeted for kids. It featured a hero drawn with a brightly colored costume, fighting against an evil doer who was apparently out to destroy the city, with an equally bombastic and flamboyant costume that could rival the hero's. "Because He-Ro mentioned that being a hero is tough, and that it's not something for everyone." The boy turned his head. "How did you know that you wanted to be a hero, dad?"

The older dragon's eyes flickered towards the television screen briefly, before he answered, saying, "Well, what did He-Ro say? Did he tell you why he chose to be a hero?"

Kinus smiled. "He did! He said that someone had to stop Ant-Agony, and all the other bad people in the world."

"Well, I'm like He-Ro. I choose to be a hero because I want to make sure that the world you live in will be a safe one," he answered truthfully. His expression then softened and he said, "it's a hard job, but then I remember that I do it for you, and your mother, and that's what keeps me going."

Kinus nodded. Then a thought crossed his mind. "But what happens if you come across someone like Ant-Agony?"

The older dragon smiled. "Well, I do what I have to do to stop him and change him for the better. But whenever it feels like the whole wide world is against me, and I just can't go on any longer, I remember the most important thing there is."

"What's that?" Kinus asked curiously.

"Remember Kinus: a dragon never backs down."

Kinus let out a sigh, thinking back to the words he remembered his father telling him way back when he was a child. The dragon seated himself on one of the empty benches outside of the stadium, away from the hustle and bustle of peeps. A quiet place for him to just gather his thoughts, and collect himself. The one on one matches of the U.A. Sports Festival was something he always looked forward to every year, and to think that he was here participating in it was something surreal. These were the matches everyone watched, and frankly, the ones that truly mattered. It wasn't just about winning. It was winning and showing everyone what you were capable of doing.

The dragon mentally thought of the tournament. Majority of the participants were from Class 1A, thankfully enough, but he had the unfortunate luck of getting matched up with a student from a different class. Kinus frowned. If anything, that left him at a disadvantage. He knew nothing about Kamakiri, what kind of fighter he was, what kind of person he was, and most importantly, what kind of Quirk he had. For all Kinus knew, he could have something akin to what Shinso had and that was bad news. He could have gathered intel on him if he happened to have seen him in the Cavalry Battle, but given the circumstances, he wasn't able to.

At the very least the dragon just mentally prepared himself, remembering the choice words his father told him, and going back on his fundamentals, drilled into him by his mentor. His mentor trained him in various situations, and a wide range of fighting styles, so no matter what happened, Kinus was sure he could adapt to it. He always has, and the dragon knew in the back of his mind, he always would be able to.

"Never back down..." he repeated to himself.

A vibrating sensation from the dragon's pocket interrupted his quiet meditation. The dragon opened his eyes and reached into his pocket to see what was up. He was happy to find that it was none other than his mother calling him. Tapping the screen, the dragon accepted the video call.

"Hey Mom," he responded, smiling at his mother. The feed showed him his mother, smiling warmly back at him, in what looked like the interior of the police station. She was at her desk it seems, and from the lethargic activity behind her, things seemed to be rather quiet and calm in the station.

"Hey there, hero!" she responded. "I saw you on TV, sweety! You were amazing!"

Kinus smiled. Hearing his mother's acknowledgement of him always made the dragon feel even prouder of his accomplishments. Kinus was about to respond when he heard a commotion from the back. It would seem a few of his mother's colleagues overheard the call.

"Is that Kinus?" asked one of them. The camera was shifted and a middle aged male came into view. Kinus recognized him as one of the colleagues Ruby had at work. "Kinus!" he cried out. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, Mr. Satsu," Kinus responded respectfully. "Thank you for asking."

"Your mother and the rest of us got some spare time to watch the Sports Festival. I didn't know you've gotten so good." The man sighed, looking away from the camera. "Man, I wish I could move like you."

"Don't put yourself down too much, Kai," another voice said. Ruby shifted the camera to show a female crow leaning on divider on the desks. She smiled and waved at Kinus, and the dragon waved back.

"Jewel's right," Ruby came back into focus. "Besides, Kinus just has been training more often.

Kai chuckled offscreen. "I'll take that as a hint to hit the gym more."

"You should," Ruby replied back. She then turned to face her son again in the camera. "I'm proud of you, Kinus. We're going to try and keep up with the Sports Festival whenever we can."

"Thanks, Mom," Kinus responded, blushing lightly at his mother's compliments.

"You better win, Kinus," Jewel said, appearing behind Ruby. "Because Kai will treat us out for a celebration when you do!"

"Wait, I haven't exactly agreed to that!" came Kai's frustrated response off screen.

"Too late," Jewel said playfully. "Good luck out there!"

"Thanks Ms. Hoseki," Kinus responded.

Ruby smiled warmly at her son. "I'm sure your father is very proud of you, Kinus," she said. "Well, we have to go, good luck! I love you!"

"I love you too, Mom."

The phone call ended, and the screen went black. Kinus found himself staring back at his own smiling reflection. Eventually he put the phone away back into his pocket. With the support of his family and friends, the dragon collected his thoughts and placed his mindset into a positive place. He was going to truly give it his all.

Time continued forward. Before long, Kinus found himself walking back to the stadium, climbing back up the steps to head back to their designated place. A door opened ahead of him, and out came Midoriya and Ojiro, with the latter looking a bit concerned.

"Hey guys," he called out, "everything alright?"

"We're fine," Ojiro answered. He turned to Midoriya and then said, "Just remember what I told you, alright?"

"Just keep quiet, and I should be good," Midoriya answered.

"Oh that's right," Kinus commented. "You're fighting Shinso, right?"

"I am. Ojiro kindly informed me how dangerous his Quirk is," Midoriya answered. "I can't even imagine what it would be like"

The dragon shivered. "Trust me, you do not want to know. It's like being under drugs. Everything is psychedelic."

Midoriya nodded. "Well, I'll have to head to the waiting room guys, wish me luck."

"Good luck out there, Midoriya! We're all cheering for you!" Kinus remarked, waving at the boy.

"Kick his ass for me!" Ojiro added.

Midoriya soon disappeared out of view, and the two boys were left alone with one another. Ojiro motioned for them to move and Kinus followed after him. "Are you ready?" he asked the dragon as they climbed up the steps.

"For the matches?" The dragon shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be I suppose."

The sound of the crowd cheering as they were hyped up by Present Mic was becoming audible through the concrete walls.

"You'll be fine," Ojiro said. "You have a shot at this as much as the rest of the class do."

"The same shot as Todoroki and Bakugo?" Kinus asked, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Well you've fought Todoroki before, haven't you?" Ojiro countered. "Don't put yourself down, Hazani." His expression then softened. "Hell, if things had happened differently, I'd love to have had a shot of competing against you."

The dragon blinked, surprised at the statement. "Really now?"

"Yeah, I can't exactly let the other person with a tail take away the spotlight now can I?" he asked, smiling back at him.

Kinus snorted. "Touche."

The two rounded around the corner and eventually arrived at their area. The rest of their classmates were already there, waiting for the matches to start. Kinus made his way to an empty seat, finding himself seated next to a familiar friend.

"Do you think Midoriya will do well?" Kinus asked.

"We shall see," Tokoyami responded.

"HEY SPORTS FANS! Are you guys ready?!" Present Mic announced, still sounding lively as ever.

The crowd cheered, the anticipation and excitement was almost suffocating. It was all leading up to this.

"After all the action that you've already witnessed, it's time for the real battle to begin. Can you feel the excitement? Our competitors are on their own now; sometimes heroes only have themselves to rely on. Heart, skill, strength, wisdom, and courage! They all have to use these things and everything else to rise to the top!"

The stage began to heat up as the four pillars of fire at each corner was lit. "Alright, audience! Let's get to the good stuff. Welcome our first fighters." Pictures of the current match up flashed on screen. It was Shinso, paired with Midoriya who looked like he would rather be elsewhere. "Whoa, he looks a bit scared in that picture isn't he? It's Izuku Midoriya from the Hero Course. He's up against Hitoshi Shinso from General Studies. He really hasn't done anything to stand out yet. The rules are simple. You win by knocking your opponent out of bounds, or immobilizing them! You can also win by making them say 'I give up'. This is a no holds barred fight. We have our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby, so anything goes. But of course, no life threatening attacks. It's not allowed. Real heroes use their powers to throw villains in jail, not kill them!"

Kinus blinked. If he didn't know any better, that statement felt like it was directed to him specifically.

"Hazani, I think Present Mic is telling you something," Tokoyami muttered just low enough for only the both of them to hear.

"Har har," Kinus spat back.

"I'll be the referee," Cementoss chimed in, seated on a throne he created himself. "I'll stop anything if it gets too rough."

"Are you guys ready?!" Present Mic asked.

Kinus noted that Shinso was saying something to Midoriya. The dragon's eyes flickered to Midoriya and saw that he was slowly becoming agitated.

It was Ojiro who voiced his concern for him. "Just don't open your mouth, Midoriya," he said.

"START!"

But unfortunately, Ojiro's warning fell on deaf ears. Whatever Shinso said angered the green haired boy and made a response. Midoriya was walking towards Shinso when he stopped moving altogether.

"Damn it!" Ojiro cried out. "I warned him not to say anything!"

"Hey, hey! What's going on?" Present Mic announced. "It's the first match. Things should start off with a bang! But why is Izuku Midoriya completely frozen?"

Everyone around Kinus was confused and baffled as to what was going on. Iida and Uraraka were both voicing their concerns, wondering why their friend wasn't moving. Tokoyami on the other hand was quietly observing, a hand underneath his chin. "That's the Quirk, isn't it?" he asked.

Kinus nodded. "I think it's safe to say that is the Quirk in action." The dragon focused his eyes and noted the empty look Midoriya had. Was that what he looked like under the effects of the Quirk? He must have looked so dead inside.

"So what exactly does it do?" Tokoyami asked.

"My best guess is that if you answer a question from Shinso, he can end up controlling you," Ojiro grimly replied, eyes focused heavily on the fight, or what little of it was, in front of him.

The match continued on as everyone processed the revelation. "What?! Midoriya's obeying him! Midoriya is walking out of bounds!"

"What?!" Iida and Uraraka cried out. Uraraka turned back to look at Midoriya, worry evident in her face. Iida on the other hand began to desperately think. He then asked, "is there a way to break out of it?"

Kinus thought for a moment. "My best guess is that someone has to probably knock some sense into you, literally."

"He's right," Ojiro remarked, surprising even Kinus. "Someone has to smack some sense into you to break you out of it."

Their eyes darted back to the field to see Midoriya inching closer and closer to the edge of the ring. The only person that could help Midoriya was himself. If the boy didn't do anything soon he was going to get out of bounds and be out of the tournament. Kinus watched with purpose. So this was the kind of power he should expect. Not everyone was the same and everyone had their own tricks and surprising amount of gimmicks. What if Kamakiri had something like this? Or perhaps, even something far more sinister?

"Deku, no!" Uraraka said, covering her mouth of sheer worry.

They were all literally watching their friend lose right before their very eyes.

But then, when all hope seemed lost, something amazing happened. Just when Midoriya was about to step beyond the line, a gust of energy burst from him, whipping up a blast of wind.

"What's this?! Midoriya just stopped just in time!"

Everyone gasped, but then quickly smiled, upon realizing that Midoriya was back in control. The boy was standing at the very edge, catching his breath. Whatever Midoriya did, he was able to break free from Shinso's control.

"Amazing..." Tokoyami muttered, smiling to himself.

"Way to go, Deku!" Uraraka cheered gleefully.

"Whoa..." Ojiro remarked, sitting back down. "That just about killed me." He was relieved, at least Midoriya was back in control.

Everyone watched as Midoriya rush back to Shinso, with the latter trying desperately to fend his opponent off. But with a new found vigor, Midoriya didn't relent, and continued forward, eventually throwing Shinso out of the ring in a dramatic turn of events.

Midnight's voice came ringing in everyone's ears. "Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya advances to the next match!"

"That was so nerve wracking," Uraraka said, smiling happily.

"Turning the tables in the last minute, as expected of Midoriya!" Iida chimed in.

"Didn't he do the same shoulder throw on Bakugo back then?" Kaminari added, much to Bakugo's chagrin.

"Shut it, you," the boy snapped back heatedly.

Present Mic came on screen, getting everyone's attention. "That wasn't exactly the most explosive first match, but still, both of you fought bravely! Let's show them some love everyone." A round of applause greeted Midoriya and Shinso as they both exited the cemented stage.

Kinus allowed himself to relax. The dragon was happy that one of their friends made it through. "So," he asked to no one in particular, "who's the next match?"

"It's actually Sero and Todoroki," Kirishima added.

The dragon noted that Todoroki was already gone. But Sero was just about to leave. "Wish me luck everyone!"

"Do your best out there, alright?" Tsuyu cheered.

"I'll show everyone what I can do." Everyone bid the boy good luck as he took off, preparing for his match. A few minutes later, Midoriya came into their area.

"Hey everyone!" he greeted them.

"You did good!" Uraraka responded.

"Great job, Midoriya," Ojiro said, smiling at him.

Iida motioned for him to come over. "Come on down here, we saved a seat for you."

"Thanks guys," he replied back. He made his way over, taking a seat between Tokoyami and Iida.

"That was some good stuff, Midoriya," Kinus added, leaning towards the side to look at Midoriya. "How did you do it? How did you break out of Shinso's mind control?"

The boy raised his bandaged left hand up. "I don't know how exactly, but my finger kind of moved on its own," he explained awkwardly. "I'm just glad that I managed to break out of it."

"Still, that's some thinking on your part, Midoriya, good job," Tokoyami said, congratulating the boy. "Though, I think it's best you focus your attention on the next match. The winner of this will determine who you'll fight next after all."

"Oh that's right," he responded, tapping his palm with his fist. He then produced a notebook from his pocket and flipped through it.

"Taking notes?" Kinus asked curiously, seeing the various scribbles that littered the pages.

"Uh huh," he answered. "I like to take note of all the Quirks I come across." He then began to write down Shinso's name, as well as his respective Quirk. Midoriya's hand flew across the pages, words flowing through him effortlessly. His expression was of pure focus and concentration, like a person relaying everything they could on a piece of paper.

That was when an idea crossed Kinus's head. "Hey Midoriya."

"Yeah?" the boy responded, not looking up from his writing. He had already covered a page of notes based on Shinso.

"I don't suppose you have notes on me, do you?"

The pen stopped, and Midoriya paused. He then began to flip through his notebook and stopped when he found what he was looking for. "Oh yeah, I do," he answered, smiling at him.

"Is it alright if I read them?" Kinus asked pleadingly.

"Why do you need to read notes on yourself?" Iida asked curiously. Even Tokoyami had his brow raised at Kinus.

"Because I'd like to know what my weaknesses are," Kinus explained. "Just in case I missed something that wasn't obvious to me. After all, the best people to ask what you're bad at are the people around you, right?" The dragon's eyes briefly darted to Tokoyami at that statement, and the bird just looked away, a smirk forming at the corner of his lips.

"Oh, uh, yeah, go right ahead," Midoriya answered. "Though, it's not much." He handed the notebook to Kinus and the dragon took out his phone. He noted that there was about a page or two of stuff about him and nothing more. He briefly flipped the notebook and saw the other people, mostly his fellow classmates in Class 1A, had more pages dedicated to them than his. Kinus snapped a photo of the two pages and handed it back thankfully to Midoriya. "I haven't really gotten the chance to see you fight, so my notes on you are fairly simple in nature."

Kinus looked at the notes about him. "It's fine, Midoriya," he said, smiling at the boy. "Don't worry. You'll get to see me fight later."

"Oh yeah," Midoriya responded.

Present Mic began to announce the next combatants, Sero and Todoroki, but Kinus tuned him out. He began to read through the notes Midoriya had about him. It outlined the name of his Quirk, and what the basic functionality of it was. He stated the obvious con of it, which was that Kinus needed a source of water for it to function. Without it, he might as well have been Quirkless. Thankfully, this problem was solved by his support item. Right next to this statement however was the word 'support item' and was circled accordingly. What did that mean? Did Midoriya see a problem with the support item he was using? Kinus let the thought hang in the air for a moment before he continued reading. The pros outlined that he could probably do amazing things if he had a large tank of water with him, or an endless supply of it. It also was stated there that he could wield weapons with his Quirk, and could levitate them as long as they were made out of water.

The dragon digested the notes on him, which told him things he was already familiar with. "It's better than nothing..." he muttered to himself, putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Can you blame him?" Tokoyami said, noticing his reaction. "He hasn't exactly seen you fight."

"True..." Kinus remarked.

"You're better off asking me what your weaknesses are," Tokoyami added, smiling smugly at him. "I know you better than anyone here."

"I don't suppose you're willing to share that information with me," the dragon asked.

"Maybe," Tokoyami turned his head to face him. "But after our fight probably."

"Will the two of you keep quiet?" Ashido said, snapping at the both of them.

"Sorry," Kinus remarked, quieting down. He turned his attention to the field in stage in front of him. Todoroki and Sero were already in place, waiting for Present Mic start the match.

"And now, for the second match of the finals! Ready?! Begin!"

Sero exploded with energy, sending his tape straight at Todoroki who barely had a chance to react. It wrapped around him, binding him helplessly. The boy spun around, propelling Todoroki sidewards, and headed directly out of bounds.

"That attack is about to throw his opponent out of bounds!" Present Mic called out, voicing everyone's surprise. "A brilliant surprise opening attack! Way to start off strong, Sero!"

But the sudden momentum was quickly halted by an equally savage counterattack.

Kinus watched as Todoroki stop his own movement by forming an ice wall with his left side. The ice then moved forward, and headed straight towards Sero who never had any time to register what just transpired. It covered the boy completely. But it didn't stop there. The ice kept pushing forward, and Kinus quickly realized what was about to happen. The dragon stood up immediately and spread out his hands.

It was Tokoyami who regained his composure fast enough to notice him. "Hazani, what are you..."

The dragon didn't answer as he focused. A surge of ice came rocketing towards them. Kinus used his Quirk to safely divert it, letting it jet straight upwards instead, keeping him and the rest of Class 1A from harm's way. The ice crashed into the wall around them, shaking the entire stadium along with it. Before long, it settled and stopped. Kinus looked back, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Is everyone okay?" he asked.

Everyone was taking in what just happened, their eyes going from the large wall of ice in front of them, then back to Kinus. Iida was the first to break the silence. "W-we're fine, Hazani," Iida responded, looking a bit relieved that they didn't get hit by the iceberg. "Thank you."

"Is Todoroki trying to kill us or something?!" Mineta spat out. The boy was clinging on for dear life next to Shoji.

Kinus turned back around and cut out a block of ice from the wall in front of them, letting them see back into the center stage. He floated it towards the side, much to the amazement of everyone around him. It landed with a gentle thud. "I don't think so..." he answered. "At least I hope not."

"Tell the truth, Sero, can you move at all?" Midnight asked.

"I don't think he can move at all," Uraraka responded, shaking slightly from the cold atmosphere. The girls were all huddled up together to keep themselves warm.

"Sero has been immobilized! Todoroki advances to the second round!" Midnight announced, saying what was clearly in front of them.

"Such a display of power..." Tokoyami muttered. "I'm glad we don't have to face him in our matches. At least, not until the very end."

Kinus nodded. "Yeah, well..." he turned his head to look at Midoriya who had a mix of concern, curiosity, and what Kinus could guess was even pity for Todoroki. Why pity however, the dragon did not know. "Are you going to be okay dealing with this sort of thing Midoriya?" he asked, getting the boy's attention.

Midoriya visibly gulped.

That was enough of an answer.

It took awhile, but once the ice had been melted, the third match immediately went underway. The crowd cheered on as Present Mic introduced the new fighters on the field. It was a match between Iida and Hatsune Mei, a student from the support group.

"So it's hero class versus support," Jiro said.

"I wonder what kind of fight it'll be," Tsuyu commented as well.

"Uh, what's up with Iida?" Sato asked.

Kinus looked forward and saw that Iida was wearing support gear. "Why is he wearing support gear? Hero course students aren't allowed to use those."

"Unless they file the paperwork, right?" Midoriya asked. "That's why you can use yours, right?"

"Yeah. Sato, Aoyama and I all filed for ours. What on earth is Iida doing? Did he forget that he's not allowed to use those?" Kinus added, cocking his head to the side quizzically.

Sure enough, this was kindly pointed out by Midnight. However, after exchanging a few words with the court referee, Iida was surprisingly allowed to keep them, as they themselves were given to him by none other than his opponent, Mei.

Midoriya was puzzled at the turn of events but still kept to himself, keeping his pen at the ready to take note of the match before him.

"So Midoriya," Kinus said, glancing at the boy. "What kind of person is Mei? She was on your team on the Cavalry Battle right?"

"She was," he answered. "She's a resilient person and from what she told me, she was the one who invented all the support items she uses."

"Without her, we probably wouldn't have stand a chance in the Cavalry Battle," Tokoyami added. "I'm sure that she has something planned up her sleeve to give Iida a hard time."

"I see," Kinus responded. "I wonder how this match would play out."

What soon followed after was a match unlike anything that has happened so far. Mei practically took center stage and basically made an infomercial right before their very eyes. Iida was helpless against her as she dodged everything he did to stop her, and was pretty much aided by manipulating the very support items she gave to the boy. All the while this was accompanied by her explaining what her support items did, and she marketed it with unrelenting bravado. Kinus, and pretty much the rest of Class 1A and all the other people in the stadium, wasn't sure how to take all of this in.

The match lasted onwards for what seemed like an eternity before it all came to a halt when Mei herself stepped out of bounds, pleased with herself as she managed to market all the items she created to the support companies who were watching.

"Iida's so sincere he trusted her motives. She probably made it sound like she was doing him a favor," Midoriya commented, looking up from his notes. "She's so driven and forward about her goals. From what I can tell, she'll pretty much do whatever it takes to reach them."

Kinus lightly chuckled, hearing Midoriya mutter to himself. This caught the boy's attention, stopping the flurry of writing in his notebook. "What is it?" he asked.

"I just realized something. With the way you described her back there, I thought you were describing Bakugo for a moment," Kinus commented.

Midoriya blinked. "Oh..." He then let out a light laugh himself. "Yeah, Mei does share the same qualities as Kacchan as well, though he is far more direct with his intentions."

"Speaking of Bakugo," Tokoyami added, speaking up, "isn't it his match next?"

Midoriya's eyes went wide open. "Oh that's right!" He immediately stood up, surprising Kinus at how fast the boy bolted upright. "I have to go do something real quick."

"Oh, okay," Kinus added, watching as Midoriya ran off in a hurry, disappearing from view. He turned back to Tokoyami and then asked, "what's gotten into him?"

"The next match is between Bakugo and Uraraka," he answered plainly.

It took a moment for the boy to process what the bird told him. "Oh...oh no," he said, realizing what was just about to happen. "Really?"

Tokoyami nodded. "This is going to be a very...interesting battle."

"I'm worried for her," Kinus said, speaking out loud. While he wasn't really all that close to Uraraka, compared to someone like Midoriya, he knew the girl well enough that she wasn't the most adept fighter around. She could handle her own, of course, as she did fairly well the last time he saw her fighting back in All Might's class.But against someone like Bakugo? That boy was a wall of difficulty that even made Kinus pause for concern. Still, the match continued on and in the next few moment, they were joined up once again by Iida and Midoriya, who both had looks of concern and determination etched on their faces.

"Welcome back," Kinus said, moving slightly to give them some space. "I take it you guys gave Uraraka some advice?"

"We did," Midoriya answered. "Or well...we tried to."

"Huh?" the dragon asked, wondering why Uraraka would refuse to accept support form her friends. "She refused?"

"She did," Iida answered. "She told us firmly that she wanted to win this match on her own merits." The boy looked down at the stadium and saw Uraraka and Bakugo walking up to the stage. "Still, we're still worried for her."

"This might be the most disturbing match up," Tsuyu commented.

"I know, I almost don't want to watch," Jiro added.

"The fourth match of the first round!" Present Mic announced, directing everyone's attention back onto the field. "He was kind of a hotshot in middle school, and just look at that determined face. From the hero course, it's Katsuki Bakugo! Versus! The one I'm personally rooting for, also from the hero course, Ochaco Uraraka!"

"Midoriya," Iida said, speaking up, "I'm curious. What was that strategy you came up with that would give Uraraka an advantage against Bakugo?"

"Honestly, it wasn't much of a plan," Midoriya said, looking down on his notebook "Kacchan's so strong. When it comes to close combat, he almost never has any openings. The more he moves, the more he sweats, which makes his Quirk all the more powerful. Plus, he's gotten really good at making use of his explosions to give him some air mobility. The silver lining is that if Uraraka is able to touch him, she can use her Quirk to make him float. If she succeeds in doing that, she wins by sending him out of bounds. That's why, it's obvious what Uraraka needs to do to get the upper hand." His face then turned serious as he focused on the match that was about to happen. "Strike first!"

"Let the fourth match, begin!" Present Mic announced.

"Wow look at her go!" Midoriya cried out, watching as Uraraka rush forward. "That's a good start, and all she has to do is touch him one time."

"But it won't be easy," Iida added, watching as intently as his friend.

"Which is why he won't dodge. He'll focus his energy on counterattacking," Midoriya said.

Sure enough, that's what the boy did. A loud explosion rang in the middle of the field as Bakugo swung his right arm towards his opponent. Uraraka was engulfed in smoke and debris, making Kinus flinch visibly in his seat. Taking a direct hit like that would definitely be painful.

"It looks like Bakugo isn't about to show her some mercy," Tsuyu commented.

Amidst the smoking debris, Uraraka's jacket appeared, and Bakugo reacted accordingly. "Now die!" he shouted, sending an explosive fist at the girl's direction. But as the smoke cleared soon after, everyone was taken aback upon realizing that it was a diversionary tactic.

"Wow! She made her jacket float," Ojiro said, surprised at the ingenuity.

"She used it as a distraction," Kinus added. Then the smoke shifted from behind Bakugo and out came Uraraka, burning determination in every step she took. "Here she comes!"

The girl reached forward but it was as if Bakugo had eyes behind his back. The boy turned around and sent another wave of explosion towards her direction, sending her flying back to square one. "Damn it!" Kinus muttered. "I thought for sure that would work."

"While that was a good trick, I don't think Bakugo would easily fall for something like that," Tokoyami added.

"Unfortunately," Kinus replied back, watching as Uraraka stand up once more, looking noticeably more ragged and desperate. He couldn't blame her. With the way how things were going, it seemed like defeating Bakugo was an impossible task to undertake.

The battle continued on, with everyone watching as Uraraka desperately trying to reach Bakugo but ultimately failing when it seemed like success was within her grasp. The expressions of everyone in Class 1A, as well as the rest of the audience, was becoming grimmer and grimmer, some of the girls even opting to just look away. Kinus spared a glance towards Iida and Midoriya, and saw both boys were clutching their pants in frustration, faces etched with anger as they were helpless in watching their friend get practically toyed with by a clearly stronger opponent.

"Uraraka keeps charging but Bakugo just keeps blowing her away. She's not even resting in between attacks anymore...the poor girl." Even Present Mic's commentary sounded less enthused than normal. This was a hard battle to watch.

"Isn't he going too far?" came a voice from the crowd.

"This is a bit too rough."

The crowd was soon becoming restless, voicing their displeasure at how Bakugo was performing. It was clear to everyone that he was the winner already, and they all just wanted him to get this over with. Even Kinus had to agree. This was beginning to be a bit too much. He wasn't one to toy with people. But that was when Mr. Aizawa's voice blared on the speakers.

"Is the guy who started this uproar a pro? Because if you are, then you should go home and hang up your cape."

Everyone was taken aback at Aizawa's statement. "Do you know what he's talking about?" Midoriya asked.

"Bakugo's fierceness is an acknowledgement of his opponent's strength. He knows that she deserves to have made it this far. He's doing everything he can to keep her at bay and make sure he comes out on top." The entire stadium quieted down after Aizawa's piercing statement. Even more so punctuated by the fact that the explosions audibly stopped.

"Thanks for not dropping your guard. I'm going to win!" Uraraka shouted.

Just then, ruble fell from the sky, seemingly coming out of nowhere.

"It's a meteor shower!" Present Mic called out.

"She had a plan all along!" Midoriya cried out, standing up out of pure excitement. "I can't believe it!"

"That's quite devious," Kinus responded, watching as the big rocks tumbled all around them in the stadium, threatening to crush the fighters if they didn't get out of the way. "She had Bakugo focus on her and floated the ruble from the explosions."

"Let's hope it pays off!" Iida said, watching the scene intently. All the attention was on Uraraka as she raced through the field, running as fast as her legs would carry her, arm outstretched in an all or nothing attempt to touch Bakugo. But the explosion that Bakugo sent upwards to deal with the shower of ruble was so strong, the shockwave that came with it sent Uraraka flying helplessly back, seemingly crushing what little advantage she had worked so hard for.

"You've got to be kidding me..." was all Kinus could mutter, as he could empathize at that very moment the very emotion Uraraka had as she looked at Bakugo.

"I figured you had some stupid plan to beat me," Bakugo announced, standing menacingly in front of her. "You are friends with that damn nerd after all."

"Bakugo has blasted boldly through Uraraka's secret plan!" Present Mic announced, punctuating the moment.

Kinus shook his head as he watched the girl tried to stand up on wobbly legs. It was clear to everyone there that this match had been decided. Uraraka was in no shape to fight anymore. But still, she persevered. She struggled, her entire frame shaking as she tried to stand. She turned to face Bakugo, desperate for one more shot. But as she tried to move, her legs buckled underneath her.

Uraraka collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"She's way passed her limit..." Midoriya muttered darkly.

Midnight walked towards the scene and confirmed Uraraka's condition. "Uraraka is K.O. Bakugo advances to the next round."

The sounds of cheers emanated from the crowd, but the heavy fight weighed heavily on people's minds.

"Well that was..." Kinus said trying to find the words to alleviate the dark mood. "That was something."

"Indeed," Tokoyami added, equally at a loss for words.

Everyone watched as Uraraka's body was carried on the stretched and carted off to Recovery Girl's clinic.

"And that's it for that match..." Present Mic announced. "I was really pulling for her. Oh yeah, Bakugo's moving on," he added sadly.

"You're supposed to be unbiased you know," Aizawa chimed in.

"Let's try to forget that depressing outcome!" Present Mic replied back, sounding like his usual more enthustical self. "We're going to take a quick break as we try to repair the stadium. After that, we'll have more matches!"

Kinus sighed, feeling his anxiety kick up, and his heartbeat quicken. That only meant one thing. "Well," he said, standing up from his seat. He turned to everyone in Class 1A who all glanced at him. "Looks like I'm up next. Wish me luck."

It seemed everyone was happy to focus their attention on something other than the depressive fight they just watched. Ojiro spoke up, beaming at him. "You're going to do great out there!"

"Thanks. I just wish I wasn't going in the dark in this one as the rest of you guys are," Kinus remarked.

"You're fighting a Class 1B student, right?" Shoji commented. "I'm sure you'll manage, Hazani."

Kinus was about to go when Tokoyami momentarily stopped him. The bird only had a few choices words for him. "Don't lose."

Kinus chuckled. "I don't plan on it."

---

Author's Notes:

First and foremost, I truly apologize for the long overdue update. I went hiatus for over a month there, but with good reason. Life came at me. Work had me do things, and then I also had to deal with school stuff. Yeah. It's not fun. Hell, I'm still stressed out still right now. I'm still searching for a possible thesis title. College is never fun, especially when you're going back again for a higher degree.

Ugh. But enough about me. XD

Thoughts on the chapter!

Now that was a long chapter now was it? I mainly did it like that to condense it so that we can easily breeze through the fights in the chapter before it's Kinus's turn to take center stage. We even get to see a brief flashback of Kinus's father, Kazehaya, giving him some solid advice while growing up. With the next chapter, it's finally time for Kinus to step up! Let's see what happens as he fight a student from Class 1B! Please don't forget to comment you guys! Feedback is always greatly appreciated.