From the waiting area, Kirishima leaned toward Ren.
"You think Kaminari's got any kinda shot?"
"Absolutely none," Ren answered without hesitation.
"I give him ten seconds before he fries his own brain," Sero added from his seat, still sore from his fight with Inko.
Kaminari sprinted forward at top speed toward Jiro with sparks crackling between his fingers.
"GET READY, JIRO! I've been practicing this special move for weeks!"
He unleashed a massive electrical discharge that lit up the whole arena. The crowd held its breath while bolts shot out in every direction, turning the platform into a miniature lightning storm.
"WHOOOOOA!" Present Mic practically jumped out of his seat. "KAMINARI'S LETTING IT ALL OUT FROM THE GET GO! THIS IS INTENSE, FOLKS!"
In the waiting area, Ochako grabbed Ren's arm.
"Ren-kun, look, look! Kaminari-kun's really giving it his all! He's being amazing!"
Jiro didn't even look impressed. She launched herself upward in a flip while the electricity passed harmlessly underneath her. The moment she landed, she slammed one of her jacks against the concrete.
BOOOOOM!
The sonic wave shook the entire platform. But it wasn't only a distraction. The jack had struck the metal floor right where Kaminari had just thrown his discharge, and the electricity found a new path back.
"What? No, no, no..."
The current bounced straight back at Kaminari, hitting him with all the force he'd generated himself.
"WHEEEEEY!" Kaminari's yell cut off the second his own electricity fried his brain. His eyes rolled back and his mouth hung open in a stupid expression.
The crowd went dead silent for half a second.
Then they exploded into laughter.
"N-No way...!" Kirishima clutched his head, watching the scene helplessly. "Bro, I kept telling him! He needed to train that control first! Going all in like that without being ready isn't the way of a man!"
Sero was laughing so hard he had to lean against the wall.
"Ha ha ha! Ten seconds! I told you guys, damn it! It literally lasted ten seconds!"
Momo shook her head, though a small smile slipped out anyway.
"Poor Kaminari-san. At least he tried."
On the platform, Jiro walked toward the electrocuted Kaminari with slow steps. He stared back at her with empty eyes, one hand awkwardly raised in a thumbs up.
"Wheeeey..."
"Pathetic," Jiro muttered.
She tapped her jack against the floor once more, this time releasing a sonic blast so weak that Ren almost felt sorry for him. It was the sonic equivalent of a light shove with one finger.
Kaminari stumbled backward with zombie steps and tumbled off the edge of the platform.
He landed flat on his back in the grass, eyes still rolled back, drool running down his chin.
"Wheeey..."
"KAMINARI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! THE WINNER IS KYOKA JIRO!"
The crowd clapped politely, though there was way more laughter than enthusiasm. Present Mic sounded like he was straining to make it sound exciting.
"AAAAAND THAT WAS... IMPRESSIVE! JIRO SHOWED US EXACTLY WHY YOU GOTTA THINK BEFORE YOU ATTACK, FOLKS! SOMETIMES THE BEST STRATEGY IS LETTING YOUR OPPONENT BEAT HIMSELF!"
Jiro walked off the platform without even looking back. She passed her classmates with her hands in her pockets.
"That was boring," she said.
"What're you talking about?! You finished him in a blink!" Mina bounced in front of her with sparkling eyes. "That was super, super amazing, Jiro-chan!"
"Would've been more exciting if Kaminari weren't an idiot."
Ren watched from the waiting area with his arms crossed.
Poor Kaminari. Jiro beat him down with his own power. At least he tried, I think. He did try, right?
The fight had been so ridiculous that nobody could tell if it was Kaminari's incompetence or if he'd just thrown the match on purpose.
"Ren-kun, do you think Kaminari-kun's okay?" Ochako asked, tilting her head a little with a nervous smile. "He looked really... uh... out of it. Well, his face looked kinda funny!"
"That's just Kaminari when he uses too much electricity," Ren explained. "His brain shorts out for a bit. He'll be fine in a few minutes."
Momo nodded, though her expression turned more serious.
"The fight demonstrated something important. Powerful Quirks without proper control are more dangerous to the user than to the opponent."
"Deep, Yaomomo. Way too philosophical."
"Please don't call me that, Ren-san."
Ochako laughed, but then her eyes moved up to the screens where the bracket was updating.
"The next match is Todoroki-kun versus Hagakure-san, right?"
Ren felt his shoulders tense. He glanced toward where Toru was sitting alone in the corner of the waiting area, her gym uniform shaking slightly in midair.
"Yeah. And it's gonna be brutal."
Momo followed his gaze and frowned.
"The tournament rules put her at a severe disadvantage. Her invisibility Quirk is completely useless, since everyone can see her gym uniform."
"Exactly." Ren clenched his fists. "She's basically a Quirkless girl fighting someone who can freeze a whole stadium."
"Isn't there anything she can do?" Ochako asked. "Some kind of strategy..."
"Move fast and hope Todoroki makes a mistake," Ren said. "But honestly, her odds are pretty much zero."
Midnight cracked her whip again, her smile widening while she turned toward the cameras.
"Alright, everyone! Time for our NEXT match! This one's going to be DELICIOUS!" She gestured dramatically toward the tournament bracket on the screens. "SHOTO TODOROKI VERSUS TORU HAGAKURE!"
The crowd went quiet for half a second before bursting into confused murmurs. Ren could already hear people in the stands wondering how an invisible girl in a gym uniform was supposed to fight someone who'd frozen half the obstacle course.
Toru's floating gym uniform appeared next to him, trembling.
"Ren-kun... this is really bad."
Ren turned toward her and lowered his voice so only she could hear.
"You'll be fine. Just remember what I told you, and move first so he can't set the pace."
"That's easy for you to say." Toru's voice came out tiny. "You're not the one getting turned into a human popsicle! That's so cold!"
Ochako put a hand on Toru's shoulder.
"Toru-chan, you can do it! You just gotta be faster than him!"
"Uraraka-san is right," Momo added. "Todoroki-san relies on wide area attacks. If you keep moving constantly, you'll at least be able to dodge his opening moves."
"Thanks, girls," Toru answered, though her voice still shook. "But... honestly, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna lose in under five seconds."
"Then make it count," Ren said. "If you're gonna lose, at least do it after landing one solid hit. Show them you didn't just give up without a fight."
Toru went still for a moment. Then her uniform straightened up, chest puffing out under the fabric.
"You're right. I'm gonna punch him in the face before he freezes me."
"That's the spirit." Ren gave her hand a soft squeeze.
Toru walked toward the arena with visible reluctance, her uniform swaying with every nervous step. Todoroki was already on the platform, completely still with no expression on his face. His right side was starting to glow with frost.
Ren felt a knot tighten in his stomach.
The rules are already unfair to her. She can't use her hero costume, which means her invisibility is completely useless. Everyone can see exactly where she is because of that damn uniform.
"This is gonna hurt to watch," Kirishima murmured behind him.
Ren didn't answer. He just watched Toru climb onto the platform and take her position on the opposite side from Todoroki.
Midnight raised her whip between them.
"Ready?... BEGIN!"
CRACK!
Toru sprinted forward immediately, closing the distance as fast as she could. Her legs pumped with pure desperation, clearly trying to reach Todoroki before he could even react.
Todoroki lifted his right hand, getting ready to unleash a wall of ice.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
Screw this.
He focused his concentration on Toru's uniform and distorted it just enough to make the gym uniform vanish from Todoroki's perception. At the same time, he added a small pulse of confusion to Todoroki's thoughts, making him hesitate for just a fraction of a second.
To everyone in the stands, it looked like Todoroki had frozen halfway through a movement, staring at nothing with a puzzled expression.
Toru kept running and threw a straight punch at his face.
POW!
Her fist connected with Todoroki's cheek, snapping his head to one side. The crowd burst into massive gasps of shock.
"YEEEEEAAAAAH?! WHAT ARE MY EYES SEEING, AUDIENCE?!" Present Mic practically fell out of his seat. "DID THAT JUST HAPPEN?! HAGAKURE LANDED A CLEAN HIT ON THE SUPER ROOKIE TODOROKI! THAT'S UNBELIEVABLE!"
In the waiting area, everyone shot to their feet at once.
"WHAT?!" Kirishima yelled.
"YES! HAGAKURE-SAN!" Ochako jumped up and down with excitement.
Todoroki blinked, and the telepathic interference dissolved. His eyes refocused immediately and locked onto the gym uniform floating right in front of him. A red mark was forming on his cheek.
Ice exploded from his right side in a massive wave, spreading across the platform in under a second. The temperature dropped so fast that frost formed on the railings of the waiting area, and several students shivered from the sudden cold.
CRAAAAACK!
Toru tried to dodge, tried to sprint toward the edge, but the ice caught her halfway through her stride. Her entire body froze inside the gym uniform, locked in place like a statue. Only her outline was visible through the translucent ice.
Midnight raised her whip immediately.
"HAGAKURE IS IMMOBILIZED! THE WINNER IS SHOTO TODOROKI!"
The crowd roared, though half of them were still processing the fact that the invisible girl had actually punched Todoroki in the face.
"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Ochako practically hung off Ren's arm, waving her other hand with excitement. "Hagakure-chan really managed to land a hit on him! That was awesome!"
"Yeah," Ren replied, pulling out his phone. "Of course she did."
He snapped a photo of Toru frozen in the block of ice.
She looks so cute like that. Too bad nobody else can see her face.
He pocketed the phone while the medical bots rushed onto the field and started melting the ice. Todoroki walked off the platform without saying a word, his expression still completely blank, though he did touch his bruised cheek for a second.
Ren was already heading toward the exit of the waiting area.
"Where're you going, Ren?" Momo asked.
"To the infirmary. Gonna check on Toru."
"Hehe, that's really sweet of you," Ochako said with a smile. "Please tell her for me that she did her best and she was great."
"Don't worry. I will."
Ren walked through the stadium halls until he reached the infirmary. He pushed the door open and found Toru sitting on one of the benches, wrapped in a towel and shivering violently. Her gym uniform lay next to her on the floor in a soaked heap, with water still dripping from the fabric.
Recovery Girl had already left to prep for the next match, leaving them alone.
"A-Achoo!... R-Ren-kun, l-look at me..." Toru's voice trembled hard while she hugged herself and tried to rub her invisible arms. "I-I did it! I landed a good one on Todoroki-kun before I ended up as a popsicle! Y-You thought I was awesome, r-right?!"
Ren sat down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder, pulling her a little closer.
"Of course you were awesome out there. You punched one of the strongest students in our class. That's no small thing."
Toru shifted under the towel, and Ren realized she'd already pulled off the entire wet gym uniform. She was completely naked underneath, though thanks to her invisibility that didn't make a practical difference to anyone looking.
She leaned against him, still trembling.
"Hey, Ren-kun... You can't hide it from me, you know? I know exactly what you did! Hehe, you can't fool me!"
Ren tensed.
Did she notice? Yeah, I've been getting too obvious lately.
"You helped me, didn't you?" Toru continued. "At first I didn't get what happened, but Todoroki-kun stopped for a moment... and he never gets distracted in a fight! Hehe, you were looking out for me, weren't you, Ren-kun?"
Ren sighed.
"Yeah. I used my Quirk to mess with his vision. I know I shouldn't have interfered, but I couldn't just sit there watching him freeze you instantly without you even getting one hit in."
"You think anyone else noticed?"
"I don't think so. Let's hope not. I hate having to explain stuff."
Toru turned fully toward him. Despite being invisible, Ren could feel the warmth of her hand when Toru gently brushed his cheek.
"To be honest... any other girl probably would've gotten mad at you for doing that," Toru whispered, tilting her head a little. "They'd say stuff like you didn't trust them or you thought they were weak... Hehe, but I know that's not why you did it!"
She let her weight drop onto him, settling onto his lap straddling him while the towel slipped a bit off her shoulders, completely ignoring her lack of clothes.
"It doesn't bother me at all, Ren-kun... Honestly, I think it's super sweet that you're so protective of me. Hehe, it makes me really happy!"
She kissed him, and Ren felt the warmth of her lips pressing against his. It was a soft kiss at first, but then Toru deepened the contact.
When they finally pulled apart, Toru kissed the top of his bald head with a loud MUA! that echoed through the empty infirmary.
Ren let out a long sigh.
Mitsuki kissed my head like that too. Apparently girls really like kissing bald guys. Is this some kind of fetish for girls in this world?
Toru giggled, clearly guessing what he was thinking. She took his hand and guided it under the cotton of the towel, making him cup the bare shape of her breast with his palm. Ren tensed at the immediate warmth of her skin, so soft it almost dissolved under his fingers. Toru exhaled a short sigh when he brushed the edge of her nipple, surrendering to the gentle touch of his fingers.
"Mmm... You have no idea how cute it felt knowing you were so worried about me," Toru whispered, her voice a little shaky. "So I figured... you earned yourself a little reward."
Ren was about to respond when the infirmary door swung open and Recovery Girl walked back in carrying a tray of medical supplies.
"YOUNG LADY, PUT YOUR UNIFORM BACK ON THIS INSTANT! AND YOU..." She pointed at Ren with her cane, aiming straight at his chest. "GET OUT OF MY INFIRMARY BEFORE I HIT YOU WITH SOMETHING!"
Toru scrambled off Ren's lap so fast she almost dropped the towel. Ren jumped to his feet and bolted for the door.
"Sorry, Recovery Girl! I just came to check on her!"
"SURE YOU DID! AND I'M THE QUEEN OF ENGLAND!"
She slammed the door shut behind him, and Ren leaned against the hallway wall, trying not to laugh.
Hahaha, totally worth it.
He walked back toward the waiting area, still smiling. By the time he arrived, the next match was already getting set up.
Midnight was at the center of the arena with her whip raised.
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, our FOURTH matchup of the day!"
Ren dropped into his seat next to Momo and Ochako.
"How's Hagakure-san?" Ochako asked immediately.
"Fine. A little frozen, but she's really happy about how it turned out."
"Good." Momo nodded. "She was brave out there."
"She was," Ren agreed.
In the arena, Midnight finished her announcement.
"MEZO SHOJI VERSUS OCHAKO URARAKA!"
Ochako shot up from her seat with a determined look.
"It's my turn!"
Ren caught her arm before she ran off.
"Hey, be careful out there. Shoji's faster than he looks."
"I know, I know!" Ochako replied with a slightly tight smile, trying to shake off the nerves. "But... yeah, this time I actually have a plan!"
"What is it?"
"Touch him before he touches me."
Ren blinked.
"Wow. Brilliant strategy. You really thought through the details."
"Oh, shut up!" She tapped him lightly on the shoulder before sprinting toward the arena. "Just don't take your eyes off me. You're gonna see what I'm made of!"
Momo chuckled softly.
"Uraraka-san is very direct with her tactics."
"Yeah, but it works for her," Ren said. "Sometimes the simplest strategy is the best one."
*********
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