The Tournament Begins!

The day had finally arrived. The day that all the students in class 1-D, and several in class 1-E, had been dreading, anticipating, but definitely training for, had arrived.

The 1st ever Shiketsu Battle Tournament!

Karaburan had certainly done her work; the stadium was packed to the rafters! There was not a single empty seat in the whole building, but Karaburan was not one to let (much needed) revenue left on the table. She had set up many viewing areas so that those who couldn't get in could still be present and have an experience they wouldn't forget!

There were massive screens broadcasting the arena and commentary to the eager watchers. All around were dozens of booths selling all manner of goods, from merchandise to snacks, all manned by Shiketsu Business and Management Course Students. They had been busy with their thinking caps on, making a manifold of designs using properties that they had the legal rights to, including of course the images of the students! Sure, using the likeness of the students meant that they would get a cut of the profits from the sales of items with their likeness, but there would still be profits brought in, and wasn’t that the main thing?

They had t-shirts, mugs, bags, and more! All with various designs, featuring students, teachers, locations around the campus, and even more, catering to all desires that the thousands of people coming to watch could have. It was a scorcher of a day; the sun was blazing, the clouds were non-present, and the weather report said the weather would hold for the whole day! Naturally, there were many ice-cream and beverage sellers to take advantage of the climate, bringing yet more yen into the Academy’s coffers.

Some of the less scrupulous students had even set up a gambler’s booth, under the same laws that allowed betting on horse racing and motor sports, letting the many gamblers in the country (and of course the audience) test their luck and judgement. The student’s quirks and skill sets were in the promotional material. Nothing too revealing, not much more than a photograph and blurb under their own names, both legal and hero. Of course, some students had more hidden than others, but that was not a matter of divulgence here. That would be revealing too much, wouldn’t it? You wouldn’t go to a casino and demand to see the dealer’s cards, right?

-

“Come on Akagi, you of all people should be able to crack at least a smirk here!”
“Oh, shut it Ryusei” the much-shorter woman responded, in between swigs from a can in a sleeve “I’m only here because you dragged me.”
“You couldn’t expect me to waste those two tickets I won, could you? You could use some sunlight anyway!”
The down-on-her-luck heroine didn’t respond, she just took another drink and flipped the smoking hero the bird. He merely grinned, seeing this as a sign of affection.
“Unless there's something you wanna buy, let’s get to our seats, we don’t want to miss the action!”

-

The Business and Management Course Students had been busy online as well. Multiple hashtags were prepared and co-ordinated for maximum trending, not just in Japanese, but also in English, Spanish, and Mandarin! The Business and Management Course students had dedicated translators ready to go, pushing the event to the global audience. They also had several streams set up, with online stores linked in pinned comments, to bring in more eyes and money.

It wasn’t just the students, however. The School’s admin had been reaching out to many international broadcasters, getting them to come and platform the event yet further. There were sports news agencies from around the world here, lured by promise of quirk combat that was world class, interviews with teachers and students, behind the scenes footage, and more. They had their own commentators, but the star of the commentator’s mic was the special alumni that Karaburan had bought in.

“HEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOO LADIES AND GENTLEMENN!”

“What a B-E-A-utiful day, here at the fantasti-dabby-dozy Shiketsu Stadium! What a day is ahead of us! For today marks the FIRST- but hopefully not the last! – Shiketsu Battle Tournament! That’s right everyone, we’ve got a brand-new quirk extravaganza-bonanza-showdown! The students may be young, but if anything, that’s just increasing the power level, as they’re overflowing with youthful energy! There’s a big day ahead of us, but before the show begins, we have a special interview with the woman behind it all, the brains behind the battles, the Principal of Shiketsu herself, the Hero Karaburan, Nishima Anzu!
“Thank you for such a warm introduction, Yori.”
The two were in a dedicated area, a commentator’s box adjacent to the stands. In the background, there was a platform, built to be above the ground.
“AHHH, first names with my old Principal! It’s been almost seven years since I graduated, and I have to say, this Tournament is just the latest in a long line of strength-to-strength actions that you’ve taken as Principal!”
“You are too kind, Yori. It seems like only yesterday when you –”
“LET’S NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE PAST, PRINCIPAL! (heh heh) So, this tournament! What inspired it, what motivated you to undertake such a momentous task as getting all this organized?”
Spite.
“Well Yori, Shiketsu has long had a well-deserved record as the School where many of the absolute best Heroes got their start. The results of this have been seen in the public eye only in the end result of the graduates, but with the world ever more connected, I thought; our students are so excellent, they deserve the opportunity to display their skills in front of the world! Not only for their future careers, but to show the villainous and wicked everywhere that they shall have no reprieve from justice!”
“AHHHHH, WHAT INSPIRING WORDS! I HOPE YOU ALL HEARD THAT, BOTH SIDES OF THE LAW! Now, onto the tournament itself! What’s the setup, how does this work?”
“I’m glad you asked, Yori. The tournament itself is a 32-participant, single-elimination, bracket tournament. The students face each other in a best-of-one match, battling until one student surrenders, is unable to continue fighting, or steps foot outside the arena.”
“Let’s talk about the arena. What’s the layout?”
“It is a set area, measuring 20 meters by 20 meters, with one-meter elevation above the ground. Each student enters and takes the starting position 2.5 meters from their respective edges. As I alluded to before, the goal of the participants is to either incapacitate their opponent or force them to step out of the area.”
“Step out? Not simply knocked out of the stage?”
Karaburan smiled. “Many of our students have means to save themselves from a simple airborne knock. If we were to simply say going out of bounds, then we’d be devastatingly reducing their efficacy. So, in order for them to count as being out, they must actually make contact with the ground.”
“YOU HEAR THAT FOLKS, LOOKS LIKE WE’RE IN FOR SOME AIRTIME! Next question, and it’s one that we’ve heard asked a LOT: what’s the rules on weapons and gadgets? Yay or nay?”
“This is something we thought long and hard about. The conclusion we came to was quite straightforward; if we wish to show off our students at their absolute best, how could we deny them their tools? When they become professional heroes, they shall have access to their arsenals, why would they not have them here?”
“OOOOOH BOY! DID YA HEAR THAT AT HOME? I HOPE SO! How are you avoiding serious injuries taking place?”
“Well first of all, we have the finest medical staff here at Shiketsu. Rest assured, no matter how severe the injuries, our staff are more than capable of completely restoring full health. Secondly, our Support Course students have been hard at work, designing and building shall we say ‘safe for work’ versions of all weapons to avoid excessive bloodshed. These versions pack just as much of a hit, but thanks to the ingenuity of our Support Course students, it won’t look like a horror movie!”
“Well, I’m sure the sponsors are pleased to hear that! Speaking of our sponsors, let’s take a quick commercial break! When we come back, it will be time to begin!”

================================

Pictured: A wide open field with flat terrain, grass, and trees. A soft-spoken female voice begins to speak:
“The World…has changed. With the dawn of man, the harmony of nature was upturned.”
A lightning bolt strikes the field, igniting the grass, burning a large tree.
“As we advanced, we bought more calamity, wielding our power with no concern for the next day.”
Ugly buildings grow through the ground, factories spewing toxic smog and noxious waste. A brutal cityscape has devoured the once peaceful nature.
“Our reach exceeded our grasp, and as the Age of Quirks began, we threatened to destroy…even ourselves.”
As the sentence ends, explosions rock the buildings, culminating in a flash akin to a nuclear bomb. The screen holds on the resulting white light.
“But here at Endless Horizons, we have made it our goal to help mankind through the challenges this latest epoch presents.
In the white light, lines begin to form. As the narrator continues, the new image takes shape. A futuristic metropolis, with grass and trees and nature interwoven into its design. An evolution and synthesis between the creation of nature and the formations of man.
Across every sector, we seek to establish the grounds for the next century of mankind. To correct the mistakes of the past, to build the dreams of the future.
The new world shown is slowly transitioned from in a golden light. The logo of the company fills the screen.
“Endless Horizons. Walking into the Future.

================================

Nishima Anzu walked through the large doors that led to the VIP ‘box’, though that was a poor description of the Executive Persons Area. This section was, by far, the costliest per square foot of anywhere in the stadium, but it was worth it. The seats here started at one million yen and could go up from there. Many of the wealthy found it worthwhile though, as the amenities were of the highest quality. From world-class chefs that made one’s orders to custom, to a fully stocked bar with a wide assortment of beverages from around the world, to seats that gave the best possible view (thanks to some expensive quirk construction!)
While it was at capacity, not all of these seats were sold. Many had been gifted to certain prominent individuals that were either funding this event or were in fact professional heroes themselves.

“Ahh, Endeavor-san! So pleased you could make it! Mrs. Todoroki, Toya, Fuyumi, Natsuo, and of course Shoto!”
“Ahh, Mr Chang! Here to cheer on your sister!”
“Ahh, Mr Shōji, marvellous to see the representative of Endless Horizons!”

Such mindless chatter was not without purpose. Anyone who knew anything about business knew that networking was of major importance. There were an almost unfathomable number of yen in this room, and the closer ties she could form with those who controlled them, the more she could bring into Shiketsu’s coffers.

The clock struck 9 am, the advertising break ended, and Narrator took back up the microphone.

“AAAND WE ARE BACK! PRINCIPAL NISHIMA HAS LEFT TO THE VIP BOX, BUT NOT BEFORE GIVING ME A VERY SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT! WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS? IT’S TO WATCH AND REPORT ON THESE INCREDIBLE MATCHES THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO SEE! THAT’S RIGHT, THE WAIT IS OVVVVEEEEEEEEEERR!
NOW
LET’S
START!”
[AN: Narrator’s dialogue will simply be marked with N. before the text.]
Two girls entered the stadium from either side. One was a tall, elegant girl with styled white hair, with three serpentine dragons emerging from her rear. The other was a pink-haired girl with a baton that she was swirling around her. They walked up the steps, taking their starting positions.
On one side of the stands, there were a large number of extremely well-dressed individuals, all dressed in Yamata merchandise purchased from the many stands outside. Recognised by some, this was the Atsushi family, or at least the branch of it from which Orochi stemmed. With them, her cousin, the Spring Dragon Hero: Seiryu. He was very pleased with himself, as he had managed to convince his uncle to wear a Yamata hat, complete with three dragon tails coming off the back! The giant of a man grumbled to his wife.
“We should have simply gotten seats in the VIP section, rather than these ones for family. I can hardly hear myself think.”
“But dear” she responded, “this is part of the fun! If you got in there, you would be far too distracted having all your silly important conversations, and you’d miss the action! Besides, the view is much better here, isn’t it? SWEETY! OROCHI! OVER HERE!” The woman frantically waved to the tall white-haired girl as she walked up the steps. The man simply groaned and rolled his eyes; his wife was caught in the mania of the event, it seemed.

From another walkway, a third figure walked onto the stadium ground, up some stairs to a viewing platform level with the arena. This was the man to referee the bouts. The current No. 6 Hero, the man who took down a member of the Night Parade and even defeated its leader in their cowardly assault…

“MA-JES-TIC! MA-JES-TIC!”

The Pro Hero reveled in the adoration of the crowd. Sure, they weren’t here to see him today, but it was hardly his fault that his loving fans were so passionate, was it? He laughed and raised his hands, ushering in another cheer. His name had been all over the place recently, particularly his trip to the hospital, and he was not one to ignore such attention.

The two girls met each other’s gaze; one full of fire (and venom from the owners of the other three pairs of eyes) above teeth in a gritted snarl, the other almost blank, black, and empty, floating above a creepy smile.
N. “And here we have today’s first match! We have the latest of the Atsushi Family, the Many-Headed Hydra, Atsushi Orochi! ALSO! We have the Summoner of Spirits, Legosi Valerie!
Their Combat Teacher spoke. “OK girls, you know the rules. The fight lasts until one of you gives up, can’t fight, or is knocked out of bounds. Are you ready?”
Both answered in unison. “Yes.”
“OK then. HAJIME!”

Both girls roared out a Kiai, and the stadium roared with them.

Legosi slammed her baton onto the ground, dozens of spooky ghosts rising from the ground before her. She thrust her baton forward, and the ghoulies rushed toward Orochi. Orochi knew this was her opponent’s quirk. She had read the promotional material that covered everyone, as had everyone else. It was no matter. She had to close in to do anything. She charged forward, dodging the wraiths as best she could. Legosi snapped her fingers. She couldn’t win in melee. She cried out, the former ghosts dissipating, before several far more realistic ghosts – each a dozen feet tall – came out from all around Orochi. She couldn’t help but gasp at their appearance, which was all the opening they needed to strike her.

N. “What an opening strike! I hope none of you are spooked by the spirits! If Orochi can’t power through this barrage, she will be in trouble!”

Orochi covered her head from the ethereal blows. She tried to fight back, but found her attacks simply passed right through them!
Stupid! Of course, you can’t hit ghosts! Orochi thought to herself. They were hitting her hard, but she didn’t choose “Hard to Destroy Lizard Hero” as her moniker for nothing! The blows weren’t that hard. She’d been hit harder by her classmates. She buckled down and charged at her opponent. More ghostly attacks hit her, she ignored them, her healing easily nullifying the pain. She raced forward, past ghosts, through them! She was 10 meters from Legosi, 5, 3, 1! She was about to touch her, when a sharp pain slammed into the side of her head!
She rolled with it on reflex, clasping the side of her head, looking back at her foe. Legosi was standing between the feet of a giant! It was 50 meters tall! She pink haired girl smiled a creepy smile. “What shall you do against this, I wonder?”
Orochi got to her feet, smirking. “I don’t have to do anything. You see” she pointed at the pink-haired girl “You’ve already lost.”
“What?” As soon as the word left Legosi’s lips, her vision suddenly blurred. She looked down and saw two small puncture holes on her arm. She looked up at Orochi, and the last sight she saw before passing out, was a very satisfied looking dragon tail.

Magestic raised his hand. “ATSUSHI WINS!”
The crowd roared, but none roared as loudly as a barrel-chested man with a silly hat near the front of the stands.

The next two students took their places.
N. “We have the next two students! All the way from America, a true Titan, Johnny Walker! And here, an angel from above, Noah Abrams!"
The two boys walked up the stairs to their designated spots.

“SECOND ROUND! HAJIME!” yelled Majestic.

No sooner than the start was declared, then Johnny bought his right foot back, kicking it into the arena, his foot expanding to a giant size the moment before impact. The now-giant foot sent a huge amount of debris and tile careening toward Noah. With not a moment to spare, Noah flung himself backward and took to the air. His flight was just enough to avoid the barrage, but he had been driven backward. Johnny ran forward, growing in size with every step.

The Bible teaches about giants, but I never thought I would be facing one! Noah thought to himself.

“Take this!” yelled Johnny, his voice a booming baritone, as he reached down and scooped a giant handful of the arena up. Noah scarcely had a moment before the rubble, itself also expanded, was right in front of him.
But did he back off? No!
He flew toward his giant opponent, deftly weaving between the rocks, as a fly might avoid the swatter. Johnny was large, and definitely stronger than he was at normal size, but Noah had the grace of a dove in flight.
It took him but a few moments to get in front of Johnny, who now stood over 50 meters tall! Noah’s whole body was barely the size of the giant’s head!
“Apologies for this.” Noah said, bringing his hands to his halo. It was a gloriously sunny day, and Noah was empowered greatly by this.
“EMPYREAN BURST!”
He released half of his light in a grenade-like explosion, right in front of Johnny’s face. The giant was blinded, eyes scorched from the luminosity of Noah’s light. He grabbed at his face, staggering back. He was still in the arena, only barely, but Noah had his next move planned. He flew up to the back of Johnny’s head, grabbing as much of the massive hairs as he could.
“GLORY AND VICTORY!”
He flew down and back, pulling Johnny’s head backward. He was off-balance as is, but this little bit more was all it took. Johnny fell backward, his head just barely missing the stands.
“ABRAMS WINS!” roared Majestic.
Johnny reduced himself back to his original size. He was far out of bounds here. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head. The impact had been dissipated over a larger surface area, but that hadn’t prevented it from hurting. Before he could stand, the light-drenched Noah floated over to him. The androgynous boy bowed his head, hands clasped in prayer.
“You fought well, Johnny. Noah thanks you for the experience.”
With that, he reached out a hand. Johnny took it and was helped to his feet. Noah made sure to personally escort him to The Doctor, refusing to leave until he had ensured his care.
N. “WOWSA, What a match! Folks, we’re going to need a moment to fix up the arena after that one! We’ll be right back after this quick message!”

The phone floated in mid-air in front of the five; snapping photos from various angles while they struck various poses, and applying various filters as needed. It floated back into its owners’ hands, as she tagged her friends’ accounts, and wrote a quick caption:

Time to show the world what we can do! First, we win your hearts, then we win the show! #Shiketsu #Tournament

Hailey stood with her clique, utterly relaxed and ready for the match. She got the one-minute call, stood up, and turned to deliver one last line to her friends.
“Remember girls, our goal isn’t to win, it’s to look good.”
Hailey walked out of the waiting room and made her way down the corridor to the arena.
“I overheard that, Hay. Who says you can’t do both?”
She knew that voice. She spun around. There was Hifumi, eyes closed, leaning against the wall.
“Babo! What are you doing over here, you’re supposed to be waiting on the other side!”
“Oh gee, if only your boyfriend –” he vanished mid-sentence, reappearing behind her, before continuing without missing a beat “– could somehow, I don’t know, teleport around!”
“Look Babo, my match is in less than a minute –”
“I know, I’m just here for this.” Hifumi leaned in, Hailey reciprocated, and they kissed.
“Now get out there and show them how amazing I know you are!” Hifumi said, and in a blink, he vanished.
Bolstered by her boyfriend, she turned and ran to the arena’s entrance to make up for the (welcome) distraction.

N. “The Third Round! Hailey Chang VERSUS Xiaohei Naza!”
“MATCH THREE! HAJIME!”
“Hiiiyaa!” with a shout Naza threw a chakram, but before it got more than a meter from her, it froze in mid-air! “What?!” She tried to move it, then tried to move herself, but she was stuck!

Hailey may be defrosting thanks to Hifumi, but she was still far from thawed. The moment her opponent had taken their position, she had been focusing her telekinetic power, invisibly closing in around her, until there was but a tiny area that her opponent could move in without being frozen. If she had made it too obvious that she had taken action before the beginning of the match, she could have been disqualified.

The rich Korean smirked, her hair floating around her head, before walking toward her opponent. “Really, girl, you should have seen this coming. What can you do when frozen?” Naza tried to respond, but even her mouth was stuck. “There’s no point in dragging this out, out with you!” Hailey flicked her hair back with psychic power, before Naza found herself flying backward and out of bounds.

“CHANG WINS!” Declared Majestic.
Hailey blew a kiss to the crowd before flying her way back to the waiting room, waving to the people as she did so. Once she was back, she checked her page, happy to see the huge boom in followers! That performance had done wonders for her analytics!

Inigo had been dreading this moment. The reality of what he was about to do had set in, the humour of the initial reveal had dissipated. It wasn’t simply that he was about to fight the girl that had cut through his VN-shaped mind and actually made him feel feelings that he felt strongly. It wasn’t that he was going to be doing so in front of a global audience of who-knows how many. It was the fundamental unease of doing something that Luccione was the type to do. But he had promised Hoge, and Gigan wouldn’t let him break a promise.

---

“But HooooooGeeeeeeeee…!”
“No buts, Myoga! We are going to fight, and you are going to fight like you mean it!”
“Ahh, my manly heart! How can I possibly fight such a beautiful maiden!”
“BAKA! Didn’t we already discuss this?! Don’t you realize what is going to take place? The Principal wants this to rival U.A’S tournament! That means a crowd of thousands, with potentially MILLIONS of watchers! If you hold back, then you are besmirching the Shiketsu name to every single one of them!”
Inigo knew this tone and body language. This wasn’t ‘tease and flirt’ Maru, this was ‘Class Rep, Perfect Score’ Maru. He loved her too, but she was something else!
Hoge put her hands on her hips, her eyes drilling into Inigo’s. He momentarily wilted under the intensity, and Hoge took the chance to say her last piece.
“I’m not naïve, Inigo. I know in a straight battle, I can’t beat Gigan. As soon as he does any of the transformations that I’ve seen him do, I’ve as good as lost. But you may as well call me Kaylee, because remember: if you even think about holding back, then I’ll never talk to you again!”
She closed her door in Inigo’s face. He and Gigan stood there for a moment, before she re-opened the door a crack.
“A-and G-good night!”
With that, the door closed again, and locked with a decisive click. The linked pair stood there in the silence, before-
“Hey, how come she only said she couldn’t beat YOU?” Inigo said accusingly to his dragon. Gigan merely closed his eyes and flexed a green arm.
On the other side of the door, Hoge’s heart was pounding in her chest. What had she done? Dared the boy she lov, LOV, liked, into beating her up? In front of people?
You are Class Representative! You have a Duty to the School, and a Duty to your classmates, to ensure they do their best! Even him… She thought to herself.

---

N. “Fourth Round! Myoga Inigo VERSUS Nyoro Hoge!”
The voice of The Narrator bought Inigo out of his flashback. Showtime. With a fist-bump to Gigan, the pair walked out into the bright light of the Stadium. He walked to the arena, up the stairs, seeing his lovely Maru on the other side. Or at least her blur. She must be nervous, but she was doing her best to control it, flickering like an old-timey television. They both walked to their starting spots.
“MATCH FOUR! HAJIME!”
As if she was no longer trying to control her emotions, Hoge turned red, before almost completely disappearing into thin air!
All these people! How many are there? What’s the seating capacity of Shiketsu Stadium?? How many are watching right now, on TV, on the internet???
The thoughts were like a tsunami, slamming against her conscious mind, threatening to knock her out without a blow. But on the plus side, Wasuremono was running on full power; she was nothing but a blur! She made a mad dash toward her opponent, the boy she…refused to finish that sentence.
Had Inigo - or anyone else for that matter - been able to discern Hoge with their senses, they would see her weaving forward, or hear her draw her electro-blade, but none could. But Inigo didn’t need to see her, his heart would guide his way!

N. “If you can see where she’s gone, you have better eyesight than me! How is Inigo supposed to fight an opponent he can’t see? Let’s find out!”

Hoge felt ridiculous! Here she was, in front of the whole world, not even with her helmet on, doing leaps and rolls! Sure, it had a purpose – making sure that she wasn’t simply approaching along a set trajectory and breaking up what little footfalls she was making – but she still felt silly! But Ini had promised to go all out, so she had to as well!
Inigo, on the other hand, looked cool and collected. He raised a hand into the air, and with a snap of his fingers, dozens of green tendrils exploded from around him! Each one had a little Gigan at the tip. Some had binoculars, some were sniffing the air, all were marketable and trying to locate Hoge!
“20-meter radius – Gigan Splash!”
It wasn’t 20 meters, nor did it involve water, but it seemed to make a splash with the crowd! Many were cheering, some were even going aww! The “splash” came from “splash damage”. Like this, Gigan and Inigo were able to sense far more of their surroundings!

N. “I don’t know if I should be awed or go aww! Those little dragon heads are adorable! I wonder if those binoculars work! But will it be enough?”

Had Hoge faced this when she first arrived at Shiketsu, she would have panicked, not knowing what to do. But this Hoge had learned a lot in this term and knew what to do!
Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and…what was the last one? Hoge put the missing D out of her mind, as she evaded the Gigans as best she could. There were a lot, but she had to have faith in herself! She dodged a Gigan that was coming for her. She ducked underneath another to get closer. She dipped her head down just in time to avoid a Gigan with what looked like a pair of binoculars for the nose, and with a final dodge she was right next to Ini! Now all she had to do was-
Inigo span around.
N. “See that Gigan? It looks like it’s found something, judging by all those danger signs!”
No going back now! She had to go for the win! Hoge swung for her boyfri FRIEND.
Inigo went to grab it.
“Nice kni –” was all he got out, before the current shocked him! With so much of Gigan out, he had foolishly intercepted the blow with his hand, and gotten his just desserts! The Gigan-tendrils shot back, wrapping around the blade, and pulling it away from both students! Gigan passed it to Gigan, who passed it to Gigan, who threw it out of bounds!

N. “Oh ho! We may not be able to see either contestant right now, but we CAN see that weapon that’s just flown out! Is this the beginning of the end?”

“Now with that gone, Hoge, why don’t you –” Inigo was cut off yet again, this time by a thud to his solar plexus!
Got to get away! The thought raced across Hoge’s mind. At this distance, Gigan would simply intertwine them was that so bad? and secure the win. She had to avoid that. She put all her weight into hitting him right below that chest of his recalling the events in FOCUS! The breathlessness wouldn’t last more than a few seconds! She darted back and away from the pair, regaining her unknown location once more.
Gigan wrapped around Inigo, securing him in a green dome. The blonde boy coughed a few times, before straightening up. She made him promise (although never actually uttering the words) to go all out, and after she had so clearly done so, he had no choice but to match her passion!

“Now Gigan!"

Gigan swirled around Inigo, the dome closing in, crystallizing into a new, hitherto unseen, suit of armor. Heavily armored, with lifted boots (definitely not a sign of insecurity because of his taller classmates!) and a dome around the head, inside it he stood a full two feet taller! Striking a henshin pose, he boomed out in as deep a voice as he could:

“Gigan Form: Bulldozer!”

The crowd bellowed with approval, both for the transformation, and the posing!

N. “Wow, what a defense! Well, if you can’t see them, make sure they can’t see you!”

Hoge stumbled seeing the hulking armor, what was she supposed to do? This hadn’t been in the plans they’d gone over!

Ini you baka, I’m not giving up!

She gulped, Wasuremono reaching new heights, but pressed on. All she had to do was find an opening, a chance!
“Psst! Gigan, open some holes, I can’t see a thing!” Inigo whispered. He could hear the support of the crowd, but they hadn’t practiced this form much, and Inigo could hardly see out! If he wanted Plan 42 to work, he would need to see where to hit, but more importantly, where to not. Gigan expanded the eye holes.
Inigo was skilled in spotting his darling Hoge, but Wasuremono was working overtime. He looked back and forth, and as soon as he caught sight of a blur darting around, he slammed down a gauntlet far away from it.

Ahh, Plan 42! Showboat Shoveoff! Bulldozer gave the appearance of brute strength, but Gigan was a shapeshifter, not a bodybuilder. He could only conjure so much force with his forms, but this meant nothing of what the perception a form had! Much like an actor wearing a muscle-suit, Bulldozer was more form over function. This would allow him to make a big show of how much effort it took to take Hoge down, while doing it in as safe a manner as possible. At this size, Gigan was relatively slow, slow enough to avoid accidentally hurting her. As soon as he could safely grab her, he would walk over to the edge and push her off. Just like a bulldozer!
I am so smart! Inigo thought, just before a nukite – spear hand – thrust through the newly widened eye holes, just barely missing Inigo’s face! Oh no!

Hoge had climbed up the back of this brutish armor, noticed the openings, and taken a pot shot. It was her only chance to get another hit in, but she was surprised when she felt lips on her hand!
BBAAAKKKKAAAAA!
Before she could pull back, the eye hole closed up, trapping her hand! To make matters worse, she felt one of those giant gauntlets push behind her, as he was covering his face with them!

N. “Woah! Looks like she got up to his face! Guess an armor is only as good as its weakest point!”

Inigo kept Hoge pinned to his face but couldn’t help himself.
“Hey, what do you think of Plan 42?”
“Ini, you baka! What are you doing? You promised –!”
“Don’t worry, I’m taking it seriously. I’m taking it so seriously, I’m about to end this fight.”
“What?”
The massive armor began stomping forwards, marching toward the edge. As it got a couple of feet away, the armor slowly dissolved, unraveling from Inigo, until it was just a gauntlet holding a fuzzy blur over the edge. Inigo dropped to the floor, hamming up his fatigue and chewing the scenery as hard as he could, as Gigan opened up his gauntlet and dropped Hoge out of bounds.

“MYOGA WINS” shouted Majestic. As the crowd cheered, Inigo ‘wearily’ gave a big thumbs up as he lay on his back. Out of bounds, Gigan winked at Hoge, prompting a smile and a quiet “baka”, holding the kissed hand close to her chest.

Chihiro was in the waiting/changing room of the opposite side. She was practicing, as she always did, but with an unfamiliar blade. Was it even a blade, did it count as one? She wasn’t sure yet, it had been bequeathed to her only the day before. “minimizing the possibility of cheating” they had said. She didn’t much care, she was simply pleased she was permitted a weapon at all. She had been under the impression that the tournament was operating under a ‘no-weapons’ clause, so when it turned out that it was not, she was quite relieved.
The Support Course students had done their homework with this one. The quality and modern design were so striking, it may take a place as her practice blade. It was of near-identical weight and balance to her true blade, but instead of an edge, there was an electrical current that ran through it, calibrated to cause an effect akin to that of a slash. She had no clue how they had managed to create such a fundamentally different weapon that had such similar physical properties, but she supposed that that was why they were on the Support Course of one of the most prestigious schools in the world. She performed a finisher and a flourish, before sheathing the blade. The one-minute call came through, and Chihiro took her leave.

Faith checked her hair, touched up her makeup, took a delicate pose, and took a quick selfie. She typed out a caption, nice and simple, with the purpose to elicit as much simping as possible:

Are you cheering for me?

’I’m not cheering for me, but I am cheering at those likes! She thought as she refreshed the post, seeing the number rise each time. She didn’t have much hope against Chihiro, her being an actual martial artist with a physical enhancing quirk, but she was planning to at least put up a fight. She ran her hand along the metal bo staff she had requested, feeling it shudder under her touch, smiling to herself. She was going to make Chihiro work for a victory. With a last check on the likes, she left to answer the one-minute call.

N. “Fifth Round! Mitsurugi Chihiro VERSUS Faith Kang!”
The two girls walked into the arena, both wielding their respective weapons. Chihiro raised an eyebrow; she didn’t know that Faith used a staff. This may prove easier than she thought. After all, in a weapon duel, she was absolutely certain in her martial superiority.
They both took starting stances. Chihiro’s was conventional, prepared to dash forward and draw her blade, while Faith’s was peculiar: the staff was out horizontally in front of her. What was she planning?
“MATCH FIVE! HAJIME!”
Faith’s plan was instantly revealed; she had never intended to use the staff as a weapon, but as material. The staff broke into half a dozen pieces, each one turned into a drone that took off at the red-eyed girl.
Chihiro meanwhile had dashed off the start, running like a figure from an anime. She saw the drones fly at her, but no matter. She had had a sword in her hand before she could walk, flying targets were nothing. In a move that was nothing short of poetry in motion, she performed her ballet.
One, two, three.
A spinning leap took them out, the blade moving like water.
Four, five six.
One slash per step, one kill per step. She was so close to Faith.
Three steps away.
Two steps.
One.
Her blade arced toward Faith’s neck, going for the kill strike. As the blade made contact, it delivered an electrical current into Faith, knocking her out in an instant.
“Spring Blossom Slash.”
Chihiro continued for a couple of steps, before sheathing the blade, clicking it down as Faith fell to the floor.
“MITSURUGI WINS!”

Bobby shadowboxed while waiting for the call. He didn’t have gloves on, just his Sports uniform. Jab, cross, hook body, uppercut. Switch stance, slip, bob & weave. He was confident in his skills and power, and from what he read of his opponent, he was not going to pose a challenge.
He’s a Canadian thought Bobby. He’ll likely apologize to me after I punch him in the face.
The one-minute call came through. He checked himself in the mirror, did an Ali Shuffle, and made his way out.
N. “Sixth Round! Bobby Samson VERSUS Liam McDichael!”
He walked out into the almost-blinding sunlight, bathing in it. The crowd was cheering, cheering for him! He couldn’t help but showboat, bouncing around, throwing out combos, playing for the audience. As he almost hopped up the stairs, he saw the guy he was here to beat. He looked like the kind of guy that, just last year, he would have pick-pocketed for a quick buck. Now he was here, still going to pummel him, but for much better causes. He was a stereotypical looking Canadian; a friendly face, jolly demeanor, somewhat pudgy. Bobby noted that his sleeves were rolled up.

“MATCH SIX! HAJIME!”

If the audience was expecting one of them to dash forward, then their expectations were subverted. Bobby didn’t charge, but instead raised his hands in a guard, before bobbing and weaving across the arena, eyes locked on the other boy. Liam, meanwhile, stood still with his hands behind his back. Bobby continued to advance, until he was a boxing ring’s distance away.
Bobby may have been a delinquent, but he wasn’t an idiot. If this boy was just standing still as he approached, then he clearly wanted him to get closer. He made up his mind. He simply didn’t have a means of attacking without getting closer, and since his opponent was a Canadian, he could wait all day and he wouldn’t attack first. If Bobby wanted to win, then he had to get closer. If he wanted to win, then he would need to attack too fast for whatever Liam was planning. He got within a couple of meters, did another Ali Shuffle, and jumped into a leaping punch.
As soon as Bobby leapt, Liam threw his hands in front of him, his quirk-effected sweat spraying out in large globs. He had been building it up as Bobby approached, rubbing his hands together and along his arms to build up as much sweat as he could. As Bobby was in mid-air, the globs hit him.
If Liam had been against someone lighter, then the globs would have had more effect. If there wasn’t as much sunlight today, then the globs would have had more effect. But Bobby was 191cm of pure American Beef, that amount of mass takes a lot of energy to stop, more than the globs could do in mid-air. He collided with the Canadian, sticking them together.

N. “What a crash! Looks like this match is going to the ground!”

Bobby was stuck! This goop was all over him, sticking him to his opponent and the floor. Liam was grapping him, seemingly immune to his own quirk’s effect.
“Sorry, eh. But this tournament is all aboot winning, you know? Got to do what ya gotta do.”
“I – am – not – losing – to – a – Canadian!”
Bobby held onto the portly boy, realizing that if he let Liam stand up, then he would lose to not being able to continue to fight. Losing to someone from Class 1-E would make him the laughingstock of the class, not to mention the international angle! This was being watched in the States, and he was the son of the former No.1 Hero!

N. “All Liam has to do is get out of Bobby’s grip, and he wins from his opponent not being able to fight! Will Bobby let him?!”

Bobby kept the Canadian in his sunlight-enhanced grip. He was simply not in position to get a good hit on his opponent, with his upper body stuck to the floor, while Liam was working his way into getting him into a rear naked choke. There was only one thing for it. With a roar, Bobby heaved himself up, ripping his shirt off.
“Wha –” was all Liam got out, before Bobby decked him in the face, hard. With that one hit, Liam was out of commission.
“SAMSON WINS!”
“I’m gonna need a shower after this.” Mumbled Bobby to himself. The goop was loosening with the unconsciousness of the quirk user, but it was still all sticky and goopy – like being covered in maple syrup.

Yui was uncharacteristically nervous; it wasn’t that she was an introvert, but who wouldn’t be nervous with an audience of this size? She tried to distract herself by planning for her opponent, Sora. He was a gravity master, able to increase, decrease, reverse, and direct gravity to his will. She brought her threads in front of her; how was she going to pull this off? She was going to be about 15 meters away, in her range, but also in his. If she just went straight on the offense, then she had no doubt his gravity would be enough to rip her threads, and then just levitate her off the arena. She had a plan, but she was going to need to be sneaky.
Sora floated about, not too concerned about the results of the upcoming match. He wasn’t in this to become some big and famous hero, he wanted to be able to use his quirk without others bothering him. With that in mind, his only real aim was to show off a bit. As the one-minute call came in, he simply floated out toward the arena.

N. “Seventh Round! Sagara Yui VERSUS Tanaka Sora!”
Yui walked up the steps. Sora of course floated.

“MATCH SEVEN! HAJIME!”

Yui dramatically thrust her hands forward, threads shooting forth. Sora responded by putting a single hand in front, creating a gravitational tunnel to push them back. Yui, undeterred, dashed in an arc to the forward-left, shooting more thread as she did so.
“You’re wasting your thread, Yui! That’s not going to work!”
Sora moved his gravity tunnel to chase Yui as she ran as fast as she could. The tunnel was invisible, save for the effect it had on the thread, pushing it backward while it was affected. Yui could feel her thread running out; not much more and she would not be able to control this string. She dropped it, letting it fall from her hands, before she started with another. As it reached out in front of her, it whipped toward the edge. Yui skidded to a halt, realizing the predicament.
N. “If you guys at home can’t see what’s happening, here’s a rundown. Tanaka’s manipulating gravity, trying to push his foe out of bounds! Sagara’s doing her best to avoid it, but it looks like she’s out of room!”
Sora had been approaching her the whole time, getting closer so that his gravity tunnel could expand in diameter. Now that she had gotten herself to the corner, he had split the tunnel, pinning her on both sides with a gravitational force that would propel her straight off the arena.
“Sorry Yui, but the match is mine. You should have planned more.”
He bought the two tunnels together. As he did so, Yui threw her threads, not in front of her, but behind, further along the tunnels. The threads rapidly shot backward, and suddenly; Sora found himself completely entangled!
“W-What?? What just happened?”
“Ako’s Cradle. You may have planned for me, but I out-planned your planning!”

Sora, unbeknownst to him, had made two crucial mistakes. One: his tunnels were round, not squares, and as such Yui’s threads could sneak through the gaps. Two: he had focused on his opponent, not the ever-so-thin strings that she had laid out. All that thread that was still under her control, and with how proficient she was with using them in combat, they had been laid out in a very specific manner before she let them drop. It was like a net but woven in such a manner that if something or someone were to be pulled into it, that it would wrap them, trap them, and blind them! The two threads that were still attached to Yui, the two that she had thrown behind her, had pulled the cradle right into Sora and wrapped him up like a fly in a spider’s web!

N. “UNBELIEVABLE! I don’t know if you folks at home caught that, but Yui just got her opponent in a deadly cat’s cradle! By the looks of it, as soon as the threads she shot behind her pulled tight, it led to the previous threads she had laid out to shoot up and cocoon her opponent!”
Sora was off guard, but his gravity tunnel was still in effect. The now wrapped boy hurtled toward Yui, as her threads were under the gravitational pull and were pulling him along for the ride. Yui took back control of the threads, pulling him ever closer. Both of them fell off the edge, the momentum carrying them even as Sora desperately attempted to stop himself. Their masses were now bound, and through the esoteric effects of Yui’s threads, Sora’s gravity was not enough. They collided into each other and bounced onto the out of bounds area. Yui, skilled in the use of her threads in martial contexts and with control over the threads themselves, slammed Sora down to make sure that he hit the ground first!

“SAGARA WINS!”

Sen chomped down on a lump of coal the way that most would an apple. He was a bit apprehensive; Victor had an amazing quirk, being able to control the inertia of water. The applications were next to limitless! He would need every bit of Train-Fu that he knew in order to win. He swallowed the last of the coal, knowing that he would need all the energy he could get. He got the one-minute call, and no Shinkan train was ever late! With a check of his pocket for his secret weapon, he met the call.
Victor was feeling confident. His quirk should do well against Victor. After all, he had control over the inertia of water! What couldn’t he do with such a versatile power? It was well understood just how practical this power was, allowing him to control, well, the inertia of water! Surely victory was already his! The one-minute call came in, he made his way to the arena.

N. “Eighth Round! Shinkan Sen VERSUS Victor Sigurd!”

They both took their places. Sen was twitchy, hopped up on coal, while Victor was cocky, arms crossed.
“MATCH EIGHT! HAJIME!”
“Sen, do you know what control over water inertia means? It means that –”
Before Victor could finish the sentence, Shinkan had steamed ahead, punching him as hard as he could! Few could even remain standing after such a blow, but Victor was unaffected!
N. “Amazing! Victor’s quirk allows him to –”
The Narrator cut himself off to avoid talking over Victor, who with a wag of his finger, had started monologuing:
“Foolishness, Sen, foolishness. My quirk allows me to completely nullify your strikes! You see, by controlling the inertia of water, I can –”
Shinkan then punched him so hard in the that he went flying out of the arena.
N. “What a punch! How did this scion of the Shinkan family overcome the immense power of controlling the inertia of water?!”
Shinkan Sen went over to the collapsed (and now inappropriately named) Victor. His jaw was healing already from the blow, but he was clearly confused.
“I-Impossible! How could you overcome the inertia of water? My quirk allows me to –”
Sen raised his hands, buzzing from Momentum and victory posing, before cutting him off.

“CAN’T STOP AND TALK! YOUR WORDS CAME DOWN THE TRACK, SO I PUNCHED RIGHT BACK!” The rest of what Sen said was cut off by his own funnel, a plume of steam and ash rising into the air.

N. “OF COURSE! Inertia goes both ways! For Victor to talk, he had to let his water vibrate! By waiting until Victor was talking, Sen was able to ensure his blow would pierce the water veil!”
Victor’s healed jaw went slack. How had he overseen such a weakness? He began to laugh, shark teeth glittering in the bright sunlight. He got up and leapt back onto the arena. Before Majestic could scold him, he reached out a hand. Shinkan, who had enough experience in the gym to recognise the gesture, took it and pulled his fellow student into a shoulder hug.
“Fair do’s, Sen, fair do’s! I’ll get you next time!”

“I’LL BE WAITING, VICTOR!” yelled Sen, as he once again blew his whistle for the crowd.

“SHINKAN WINS!” Roared Majestic.

N. “WOW! What a closer to the first half of today’s preliminary matches! We’ve had all kinds of twists and turns, and we haven’t even gotten to the last 16! What is going to happen in the second half of these opening matches? We’re just going to have to wait and see! The First Shiketsu Battle Tournament will be right back after these messages!”