*Discontinued* Idol Hero[BNHA]

Chapter 20

"After the side games are over, the 16 students from the top four teams will be duking it out one-on-one in a tournament-style fighting competition!" Present Mic announced. "I promise you, you're not gonna wanna miss these epic matchups!"

I looked up at the screen that was showing a bracket for the next game. It didn't show who was fighting who yet so I didn't know who I'd be up against.

"Oh yeah. Finally getting a chance to show what we're made of." Kirishima said with a grin. "I watch these finals every year, and now I'm actually to be in them!"

"So wait. Is it always a tournament for the final?" Mina asked.

"Yeah. It's always a one-on-one competition, but there are different conditions each time. Last year was a form sword-fighting match." I explained, recalling when I watched the sports festival last year. Ryu had been a bit fussy about canceling my plans for that day, but I ended up finding a way to convince him to cancel anything I had going on while the festival was actually happening so I could watch it. But I didn't get the whole day off, so afterward I had to deal with whatever else I had to do.

"Come closer and draw lots to see who you're up against. Then enjoy the pleasure of the recreational games before we start." Midnight said. "The 16 finalists have the option of participating in those activities or sitting out to prepare for battle. I'm sure you all want to conserve your stamina. I'll start with the team in first place."

"Um. Excuse me." Ojiro raised his hand and gained Midnight's attention. "Sorry, but I'm withdrawing."

Everyone gasped at what Ojiro said and Midoriya and Iida tried to talk him out of, but he wouldn't change his mind. Another student, I heard his name was Nirengeki Shoda, also asked to withdraw as well. He was on the same team as Ojiro and had the same reasons for withdrawing. It was something about not being able to remember anything during the cavalry battle.

"This sort of talk is incredibly naive boys. That turns me on! Shoda! Ojiro! You are withdrawn!" Midnight announced. "Now let's see, we'll have to move two students up from the fifth-place cavalry team so we have enough contestants."

After a pretty quick conversation about who would taking the place of Ojiro and Shoda, Midnight continued. "Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki will advance to the final! Take a look at the bracket, my dears. These are your opponents." The screen above Midnight changed to show who would be fighting who. I scanned the screen and found that I would be fighting Aoyama.

"I'm afraid that this battle will be the end for you, mademoiselle," Aoyama said, walking up to me.

"There's no way I'd ever lose to you." I countered, confidently. "But we'll just have to wait and see."

"Ok! Let's press pause for a momentary interlude! Before the battles begin, it's time for some heart-pounding side games!" Present Mic announced.

* * *

During the recreational games, I sat to the side almost the whole time. I wanted to conserve my energy for the tournament. It felt like the side games didn't take very long, because soon, Cementoss was building a platform for the tournament using cement that was supplied to him from a tube.

"Thank you, Cementoss!" Present Mic said once Cementoss finished building the stage." Hey, sports fans. Are ya ready? After all the action you've already witnessed, it's time for the real battles to begin! Can ya feel the excitement? Our competitors are on their own now! Sometimes, heroes don't have anyone but themselves to rely on! Heart. Skill. Strength. Wisdom. Courage. They'll have to use all of these things if they want to rise to the top!"

I was sitting in the stands with the rest of my class as we watch Midoriya and Shinso walk onto the stage. We had our own little area like the other classes. I sat in the front row next to Iida, the other seat beside me was empty.

"Alright, everyone! Let's cut to the good stuff and not delay these finals any longer. Welcome our first fighters." Present Mic gained my attention as he spoke about the first match. The screen changed to show Midoriya and Shinso, his opponent on it. "Whoa, he looks kind of scared in that picture on the big screen, doesn't he? It's Izuku Midoriya from class 1-A. Verse... Hitoshi Shinso from general studies, who hasn't done anything to stand out yet. The rules are simple. Immobilize your opponent or force them outta the ring. You can also win by making the other person cry for their mommy. Bring on the injuries 'cause we've got our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby! So put your morals aside and don't be afraid to play dirty! But of course, no life-threatening crap, folks. It's not allowed. Real heroes use their powers to throw villains in jail, not kill them. Ready?!" Present Mic yelled, then waited a minute before yelling, "Begin!"

Midoriya ran toward Shinso while yelling something at him. But then, he suddenly stopped.

"I told him not to say anything!" Ojiro exclaimed.

I turned back to Ojiro and gave him a puzzled expression. "What?"

"That Shinso guy has some mind control quirk. It activates when someone responds to him." Ojiro explained.

"What's going on? This is the first match! It should start out with a bang!" President Mic exclaimed. "The fight had just begun and Izuku Midoriya is... frozen? 

"Oh..." I said under my breath before turning my attention back to the fight and watched as Midoriya slowly walked toward the edge of the stage. In just a few steps, he would be out of bounds. 'He has to snap out of it.' I thought seconds before a large gust of wind blew past everyone in the stadium. The next thing I saw was Midoriya standing just before the boundary line. I let out a sigh of relief as Midoriya turned back around and ran toward Shinso. The crowd was cheering loudly as Shinso was pushed out of bounds by Midoriya.

"Shinso is out of bounds!" Midnight announced. "Midoriya advances to the next match!"

"Oh yeah! That was actually kind of a boring first match. But you both fought well. Let's show them some love, everyone!" Present Mic said, causing the crowd to applaud.

"I'm glad that ended up working out for Midoriya." I started, mostly to myself. I watched as Midoriya and Shinso walked off the stage and soon it was time for the next battle.