A Machine's Purgatory

TRAIN 'TIL YOU DROP: SPORTS COMMENTATION

V1 conversed with Midnight as Cementoss created the battlefield, quickly learning that it would commentate while connected to the arena's speaker system, so it could help with anything that needed another set of hands (or the knuckle-blaster).

"Students! Please gather here!" V1 sat across Cementoss as it listened intently to Midnight, observing as Ojiro and another student request to be removed from the one-on-one battles. After some questionable comments and squealing, Midnight allowed it, bringing Shiozaki and Testsutetsu from 1-B into the competition.

"Now, before we begin the matches, some ground rules! Fights will go until one person is out of the cement field or is unable to continue! Cementoss and I will be refereeing, as well as our newest staff member, who you all may call V1!"

"It's an honor to be a part of the staff here at this exquisite school. I hope all of you are prepared to give it your all in this final stretch of the festival. You may feel like you are battling against your friendships and your livelihoods, an understandable feeling given recent events and the early year. But remember to push past it, for an important lesson as a hero is to not let your personal life affect you. Remember: Plus Ultra." V1 never paid attention to the crowd in the booth, but out here it had no choice but to with how loud they yelled for it in excitement. "Now Midnight, I believe it's time to start the one-on-one battles?"

Midnight opened her mouth to speak before being interrupted by Mic's commentary, "I agree V1! Let's get this show on the road!" After clearing the other students off, it was time for the last event to really begin.

"Now, welcome to the first match of the final's tournament! It's Izuku Midoriya from the hero course versus Hitoshi Shinso from general studies!" There was banter given by Shinso that couldn't be heard under the intense roar of the crowd, but it was a good thing V1 could read lips.

'So you can just give up, huh? In a way, this is a test of how strong your spirit is. If you know what you want your future to ho-'

V1 stopped caring after the first two sentences, Shinso was just spouting nonsense, trying to get under Midoriya's skin. And it worked.

"Don't you ever talk about Ojiro that way, you hear me?" The quick jog Midoriya had started quickly dissolved into him just standing and blankly staring through Shinso, his pupils turned a glassy white. V1 noticed Ojiro stand quickly in dismay, and the smirk Shinso gave.

"Huh? Hey, hey! It should start with a bang! The fight has just begun and Izuku Midoriya is frozen! Could it be the work of a quirk?"

"It is. You may not be able to see it, but Midoriya is giving a blank expression. Coupled with Shinso's smirk and his insult to Ojiro for giving his place earlier gives me enough reason to determine this is the work of a quirk. Midoriya may be exponentially powerful against Shinso physically, but mentally, it seems to be even ground."

As Midoriya walked back where he came from, closer and closer to the exit, V1 could see his finger twitching with every right-footed step.

"Since we've moved to the finals, I've looked over our files on the students who made it." Aizawa spoke up for the first time in a while. "Shinso has a strong quirk, and applied to both the hero course and general studies knowing he would fail. That's because the hero course exam was against faux villains, heavily favoring those with flashy or powerful quirks."

For a moment, Midoriya broke out of his rhythm of steps at the very edge, before he let out an explosive flick of his fingers, breaking the control.

"An explosion from Midoriya! What happened?!"

"I said it was an even mental battle. It seems Midoriya has broken out of whatever Shinso has done."

The match was short-lived after, with Midoriya quickly shoving Shinso off the arena before helping him up, the general studies students yelling in praise for how far Shinso had gotten. As the two students walked off and Midnight called for the next match, V1 watched Shinso, messaging Aizawa to consider taking him in as a mentor and an annoyed message back stating it was already in the works.