My Hero Automata

Summary: The 1 vs 1 day of the Heroics Tournament begins! And the very first match turns out to be quite an upset...

Chapter 20: Heroics Tournament Day 3

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Group A and Group B were both gathered in their own little bunches, despite sharing the same waiting area. They hadn't started out that way, with the more extroverted members of the various groupings from the previous day having made an effort to cross the divide and talk with each other at the start. However, as they anticipated the bracket announcement, the groups had naturally gravitated toward those they knew best. Now, each ground hovered near the large displays that would reveal the first round matchups, separate but mostly non-hostile with one another. There had been a bit of a minor scuffle involving a couple of the Group B students declaring a sort of rivalry between the classes…but any ill-feeling had been quashed rather brutally by Momo in bouncy-mode.

The poor, mostly male, 'rivalry' group had not been prepared for the Momo's highly enthusiastic acceptance of 'friendly rivals to make our school experience perfect.' Between their distraction at the bouncing that 'bouncy-mode' caused with Momo's assets, her adorably enthusiastic embracing of the idea, and the death glare from Izumi that dared them to upset her girlfriend…well, they'd quickly gone for the 'friendly' idea. They'd been towed away a moment later by Kendo and a practically-cackling Tokage Setsuna, who was one of the aforementioned extroverts that had been chatting up new friends from their team-up testing rounds the day before. Only Izumi had noticed the pure mischief in Momo's eyes, something which had made it really hard to keep up the death glare rather than join Setsuna's cackling. Few people realized it, but Momo was at least somewhat aware of what her 'bouncy-mode' did to people. More importantly, Momo had figured out how to weaponize in the last few years. Much to Izumi's occasional amusement.

With drama at a minimum, it was almost anti-climactic when the displays lit up with the initial round pairings.

Bracket 1

Todoroki Shoto vs Tokoyami Fumikage

Bakugo Katsuki vs Yaoyorozu Momo

Jiro Kyoka vs Tokage Setsuna

Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu vs Hagakure Toru

Aoyama Yuga vs Kinoko Komori

Niregeki Shoda vs Iida Tenya

Ojiro Mashirao vs Awase Yosetsu

Kuroiro Shihai vs Bondo Kojiro

Sato Rikido vs Kendo Itsuka

Kodai Yui vs Yanagi Reiko

Bracket 2

Tsuburaba Kosei vs Mineta Minoru

Shishida Jurota vs Asui Tsuyu

Midoriya Izumi vs Shiozaki Ibara

Monoma Neito vs Kaminari Denki

Fukidashi Managa vs Honenuki

Kirishima Eijiro vs Tsunotori Pony

Koda Koji vs Sero Hanta

Ashido Mina vs Uraraka Ochaco

Kaibara Sen vs Shoji Mezo

Rin Hiryu vs Kamakiri

Quite a few people winced as they discovered their placements. Some because they recognized they were in the deep end and unsure they could swim well enough among the monsters. Others, while relieved they weren't facing any of said monsters, winced just as badly as they realized it was because their own weighing had placed them among the weaker members of the Hero Course. Still others, of course, were pumped up. Tetsutetsu and Kirishima were both loudly cheering about manliness, and Bakugo was smirking hungrily as he realized he'd been seeded among the powerhouses. Still others were a bit confused, with Kaminari eventually speaking up.

"Uh. I mean, I know there's no way to evenly split forty people into a proper Tournament bracket. But why is it still divided that way?"

Several people looked at him strangely, with Monoma actually beating any of Group A to the punch with a derisive snort.

"Seriously? Don't you actually watch the Tournament each year?"

Kaminari blushed at that, more embarrassed than angry, despite the derisive tone.

"Of course I do! But, I usually only watch the upper years…"

Several people nodded at that, looking like they were glad Kaminari had asked the question instead of them. Izumi once again frowned at the seeming lack of research people did. What the heck? She knew this bit was publicly known. Thankfully, she beat Monoma to expanding on the issue.

"The First Year Tournament is more inclusive than the older years. Second and third years both do versus matches with some level of direct combat on the team days, which results in quite a few people either withdrawing from the Tournament or being knocked out of it by medical fiat. That's on top of the yearly attrition rate, since there are almost always some dropouts between year 1 and year 2, just like any university course. If there are more than sixteen of them left by the start of Day 3, they run a set of prelims to pair the number down. In First Year, though, UA wants everyone to get some initial exposure. It's important for when we go out on internships or work studies, since otherwise we could be miss-identified as Villains or Vigilantes all too easily."

Several people blinked at the idea of being misidentified, only to have slow realization visibly dawn on them. Seriously, did none of these people consider why the Hero system was set up like it was? Sure, the Tournament was a UA thing, but all Hero Universities had some equivalent event. Public meet and greets for Seiai Academy, since their students all tended toward the photogenic. A Quirk Festival for Shiketsu, where organized displays of Quirk power and control are put on for the public. So on and so on.

UA's Heroics Tournament might be the most popular, that was true. But every University with a Heroics Course, even the minor ones, had some way to show off their students prior to allowing them out on internships or work studies. The internships and work studies, in turn, served both as training and as additional public exposure. The showmanship that had crept into the industry hadn't started out as commercial as it was these days. Originally, it had been a way to make sure that the public in the places you operated could separate Heroes from equally costumed Villains. And that process still started over the first three years of Hero University, to this day.

Even the final year, where students operated their own agencies out of their universities, was a case of building on that exposure. Unless you went underground, which had its own system, by the time you left a Hero University you should be at least somewhat of a known quantity to the public. Even if you weren't famous, you were at least unconsciously recognized due to the media exposure. The same argument went for merchandising, public works, charity appearances, and even the Hero Ranking system. A lot of rot and money-grubbing had crept into the original system since its creation. But the original purpose of all of it had been as a way to make sure the citizens you were protecting knew who to look to when shit hit the fan. It was even, in point of fact, the reason that the Agency system continued to be used to this day. Lower-ranked heroes that weren't instantly recognizable could become locally recognizable by operating their agency in a specific location. An imperfect system, but it got the job done. Most of the time, at least.

Momo seemed to have realized her girlfriend had wandered off into a mental blind alley and took up the explanation.

"What Izumi was getting at was the difference between the older years you've watched and the First Years. Since First Years all participate, the initial numbers don't add up. They split us into two sides for the first round, but operate on the assumption that at least some winners probably won't be able to continue, despite their victory. That's the downside the weighing system they use. Fights will likely be much closer, and more likely to result in both fighters being knocked out of the tournament, even if there is technically a winner."

A few people had gone a bit pale at that revelation, but Momo powered on.

"The winners from Round 1 are reshuffled afterward into the second round, filling any gaps and making the result a bit less predictable than the initial bracket might appear. If they still don't have a suitable number, the judges will either add or remove someone from the running based on their technical performance in Round 1. Someone who got by via luck is more likely to be removed than someone who showed a lot of skill. Or someone who lost after a good show or a bad matchup and is uninjured can be added back in. Whichever gives them the better numbers for the rest of the rounds."

Most people were nodding now. The system made sense. Particularly when looked at through the lens of what the tournament was actually for. There was no 'prize' for victory here, other than more chances to show off your skill. By long tradition and in an effort to keep the gladiatorial aspect of things down to a dull roar, there wasn't even a medal ceremony or, in point of fact, even medals. That wasn't the point. They were here to display their abilities, not to engage in some sort of blood sport.

They were also, as it happened, out of time for contemplation. Midnight's voice came over the speakers, announcing that the first match was about to start. While everyone was already in costume, no one had noticed the flashing countdown amidst the explanation, all thoughts of preparation chased out of their heads by the discussion. There was a frantic looking around…only for everyone to realize that two people had noticed. It was simply that both of them were quiet by nature and had left without anyone noticing. All eyes swiveled to the monitors as Todoroki Shoto and Tokoyami Fumikage stepped out of the prep-rooms and made their way to the stage.

That stage was a solid 50-meter square of concreate, with a number of half-walls, pillars, and raised and lowered areas. Not difficult terrain, but with enough obstacles to allow mobility and maneuvering to actually mean something. The two silent classmates, accompanied by Dark Shadow who was making ridiculous faces at the cameras, met at the center of the stage where Midnight was acting as a referee. Everyone locked onto the exchange as Midnight spoke up.

"First match! Todoroki Shoto vs Tokoyami Fumikage! You've been informed of the rules and your purpose today. Show us your skills, but no excessive force. Winner is by knockout, surrender, or ring-out! Are both contestants ready?"

Both students nodded and Midnight took several steps back…well, she actually somehow turned that into a sort of backward saunter that made Izumi's mind break a little as she tried to figure out how that worked. However the 18+ heroine had moved like that, her whip was in hand as she came to a stop a good two meters from the competitors.

"The match starts at the crack of the whip!"

With no more warning than that, the tip of her whip flicked out, breaking the sound barrier as it struck precisely between the two contestants. Both were slightly startled…but Todoroki had the superior training and reflexes. He slammed his left foot down, shooting a wall of ice directly at his opponent. Fumikage couldn't react in time…but Dark Shadow could. The Quirk Roared, reasonably strong in the domed arena. Its claws lashed out, splitting the wall of ice right down the middle, causing the attack to split to either side of its partner. Dark Shadow's reaction had given Tokoyami a moment to get back on balance, and he called out the name of the move they'd been working on during the Team exercises over the last month. Something he hadn't used during the previous two days.

"Abyssal Armor!"

More than perhaps anyone else, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow had benefited massively from the Teamwork training. It just hadn't quite been in the way that had been originally intended. While they worked well enough with most of the class, what had really helped the two was learning to synchronize better with each other. Something they'd also spent some considerable time talking with Izumi and 2B about, before and after training. The Quirk and Quirk Holder were now far better in-tune with each other than they had been, and it showed as Dark Shadow smoothly flowed over his partner's body, forming a set of swirling black armor.

Todoroki reacted with visible surprise to the new move, yet his response was predicable. He'd taken the seconds it took them to form the armor to launch a much more varied attack. A larger ice wall led the way, but was followed up by spears of ice lancing around several obstacles to hit his opponent from the side. It was a masterful show of both power and control…yet…

"He's still being stupid."

Izumi hadn't really meant to speak aloud, yet she had, and it had garnered the attention of the people closest to her. Momo had actually drifted off to speak with someone from Group B, but Mina, Kirishima, Jirou and Kaminari had all been close enough to here. Kaminari, surprisingly, seemed to get it immediately.

"He's not using his fire."

Izumi blinked, and Kaminari blushed as all eyes turned to him. He shrugged, but elaborated.

"That's what you meant, right? I snuck a peak at the basic information the support department has on all the students. Figured I might learn something useful, you know? There wasn't much there, for privacy reasons I guess, but his Quirk was listed as Half Hot, Half Cold and outlined as being a Generator type for both Fire and Ice."

Jirou was looking at him incredulously.

"What the hell happened to you in the last month? That actually sounded intelligent."

Kaminari got a far-off look in his eyes. Somehow half-admiring and half-spooked looking.

"The girl that made my new gear is…intense. I had to hit the ground running to understand even a fraction of what she was saying."

Izumi shook her head, not having actually met this Hatsume person yet. Still, between his new gear and some of her girlfriend's stories about 'the mad inventor,' she had to admit she was both looking forward to it and already a bit scared of the girl. Still, glancing back at the fight where Todoroki was hammering away with ice, while skating circles around his opponent, she got them back on track.

"He's right, actually. That is what I meant. Dark Shadow is weak to light. This would be over in seconds if he simply used his fire. Yet, we've never seen him do so. I thought Midnight was going to talk to him about it…but either she didn't, or it didn't do any good."

It was Mina that spoke up this time.

"Probably the latter. I was right after him for our counseling sessions, after the USJ, and I heard him actually screaming at Hound Dog. Didn't even know he had emotions, until right then. Dunno what it was about, but I doubt it was about the USJ. He iced his entire zone, including all the villains there, in about three seconds flat."

The silence after that grew a bit awkward, even as they watched Todoroki looking more and more haggard. Tokoyami, meanwhile, looked almost fresh. While Dark Shadow had taken quite a few hits, the ice building up around them had also cut off a lot of the light. The additional power from the deeper shadows had more than covered any temporary damage from impacts, which weren't a great way to hurt Dark Shadow in the first place. Tokoyami hadn't been able to land any return strikes, still not all that experienced with using the Abyssal Armor. Yet, it was clear who was winning as his opponent slowed down more and more. After another two minutes, Tokoyami and Dark Shadow actually split, each of them going around the side of a pillar Todoroki had been forced behind as his body slowed. Ice lashed out…but only toward Dark Shadow. Tokoyami went completely unblocked as he cold-cocked the heterochromatic teen.

It was all over seconds later, despite a last-ditch attempt by Todoroki to recover. He did manage to push his opponents away with a wave of ice…but then collapsed. Medical bots rushed onto the stage, even as Midnight's Whip cracked. In the first major upset of the First Year Tournament, the son of Endeavor, one of the more powerful members of Group A, was knocked out by someone normally not considered to be one of the Group powerhouses. Mutters filled the room, even as Tsuburaba Kosei and Mineta Minoru slipped away to the prep rooms…