Lord Monoma Decides to Ponder Life
For some unknown reason, Katsuki Bakugo dominated his match against Fumikage Tokoyami, relentlessly pressuring him. The seemingly invincible Dark Shadow, capable of both close and Tokoyami combat, was completely outmatched. After a relentless chase, Tokoyami like Todoroki had earlier, was utterly crushed by Bakugo and forced to surrender. 35xs
"Why is that shadowy Dark Shadow in the shadows Tokoyami dodging and weaving?" Minoru Mineta asked incredulously. "Bakugo really so strong that he needs to be kept at a distance?"
Midoriya sat silently to one side. Having teamed up with Tokoyami during the mounted battle, he knew that the Dark Shadow had a fatal weakness: it was afraid of light. The brighter the place, the less it could exert its strength, especially in a fleeting moment of light.
It seems Bakugo has already noticed this weakness. The explosions generated in his palms are like firecrackers, with continuous flashes and explosions intimidating the Nian Beast— the Dark Shadow —preventing Tokoyami from unleashing his true power.
Bakugo remained calm and advanced to the finals with an absolute advantage, where he will compete against Jilan Jiyu for the championship.
After Midoriya's injuries were treated, he went to the stadium and bumped into Tenya Iida, who was rushing out. Tenya looked a little surprised, but he didn't say anything to Midoriya and left the school without a word.
Midoriya arrived on the field only to find out that Iida had left at the last minute. He suppressed his unease and watched the entire duel between Jilan and Todoroki. He was amazed by Jilan's sharp judgment and held his breath for Todoroki's perilous situation. When he saw Todoroki unleash his flames under pressure and Jilan smile, he suddenly felt a tremor run through his body, a sense of loss washing over him, as if something had left his body.
The feeling was indescribable, as if All Might had diminished his Quirk, leaving behind a dark and mad power. Just as Midoriya was even considering asking All Might about it, that power quietly returned to his body, merging into the vast ocean of power.
To ensure Bakugo had enough energy for his match against Jilan, Bakugo was given twenty minutes of rest after the semi-finals, during which the doctors gave him a full-body check-up. Incidentally, Jilan also had a check-up, but the results showed that he had only suffered minor injuries, and his wounds healed almost instantly without the doctors' intervention.
Bakugo didn't use this time to close his eyes and rest; instead, he went to the Class A seats in the stands.
"Deku, you just recovered from your injury and you're already here watching the match? Want to die again?!" Bakugo's face instantly darkened upon seeing Midoriya. He put his hands in his pockets, kicked Kirishima's shin, and said irritably, "Hey, where's Jilan? Did he watch my match?"
Kirishima didn't seem to mind his rudeness, and said with a smile, "Mr. Aizawa called Jilan away earlier, so he didn't have time to watch your match. He should be in the locker room now, right?"
"Where's the two-faced guy?!"
This time, it was Ashido answered him, "Todoroki-kun was taken away by his father and will probably be here soon."
"Honestly, I only found out today that Todoroki's father is Endeavor!" Kaminari excitedly leaned closer and said, "He's the second-ranked Pro Hero! Although he can't compare to All Might, he's still a very imposing man!"
Bakugo didn't want to hear any of this. Feeling a bit irritated, he gritted his teeth and forced out a sentence, "I wish none of the people who were supposed to be watching this match were here. Hahaha, very good, you guys are very good!"
Watching Bakugo walk away with the swagger of a Bakugo, the laughter and chatter instantly fell silent. The group of people who had been talking exchanged bewildered glances and simultaneously shrugged.
Bakugo's next match is against Jilan, and he seems quite eager for it.
"Everyone, the break is over, and the moment everyone's been waiting for has arrived! I think the audience, like me, is eager to see who will take the final crown!" Mic handed the microphone to Shota Aizawa, who had just returned. "Let's ask Shota Aizawa, the homeroom teacher of Class A, what he thinks. It's no exaggeration to say that this Sports Festival was practically a stage for Class A of the Hero Course! Is there really such a big difference between those who have experienced real battles and those who haven't, Class B?!"
Tetsutetsu's veins bulged. "That Mic guy has such a foul mouth! Does he always like to poke at people's sore spots?!"
"That's right, we're trash, the non-recyclable kind, Mic wasn't wrong." The United States girl Pony Tsunotori, who spoke fluent Japanese, seemed to have seen through life. She touched the broken horn on her head and squinted at Tetsutetsu. "And, you really are an idiot for getting hit in the nose by that horn."
"What are you talking about? Didn't I explain it to you clearly? It was Jilan Jiyu who schemed against me!"
Itsuka Kendo glanced at the blond man beside him and joked, "Speaking of foul-mouthed people, we have one here too, you know?"
Unusually, Neito Monoma didn't utter any witty remarks. Prompting his head with his hand in a thoughtful pose, he suddenly said, "Tell me, wouldn't it be shameful for us to surrender now?"
"Huh!? Why are you saying that? This is so unlike you!" Tetsutetsu turned his head in disbelief. "No matter what you think or say, I won't admit defeat!"
"Tetsutetsu, take a longer view and face the facts. We did lose our first encounter with Class A, and it was a crushing defeat."
Neito Monoma showed no sign of discouragement, resting his chin on his hands and smiling confidently, "However, there's no need to worry. This is just the beginning. We lost because we lacked practical experience, so let's compare ourselves when we're on the same starting line as Class A. We're far from our limit!"
They say men don't easily shed tears, unless they're truly heartbroken. Tetsutetsu wiped away tears of emotion from his eyes and exclaimed excitedly, "Monoma, you're a real man after all! Alright, I, Tetsutetsu, will say it right now: if you want to defeat Class B, you absolutely must count me in!"
Monoma smiled but didn't say anything.
The complete defeat in this Sports Festival was a huge blow to Class B. Many people lost confidence, and like Pony Tsunotori, they accepted the fact that Class B was inferior to Class A. Even when Mic made sarcastic remarks, no one refuted them, which made Monoma feel very unwilling.
He learned one thing from this failure: that human capabilities have limits. No, that's not it.
Monoma the mounted battle, Bakugo. Several teams from Group B, after having all their points stolen, didn't go after the people from Group A, but instead targeted him, whom they considered an easy target. Moreover, they didn't get any points; they were just doing all the work for Bakugo.
Yes, this was a competition where everyone was fighting for their own interests, which is understandable. However, since they had already discussed and planned their strategy beforehand, being stabbed at this point is rather disheartening.
It wasn't until he saw Bakugo, Jilan, Todoroki, and Midoriya fighting on the field that Monoma understood that Class B needed role models, someone whose strength could be genuinely recognized by others.
He understood that he was just an opportunist, and even if others agreed with him on the surface, they wouldn't mind gossiping about this guy who only stole other people's Quirk.
Therefore, Monoma decided that using, or rather supporting, a key figure in Class B. Before they could deal with Class A, they needed to stabilize their side and prevent any more traitors from appearing. The hot-blooded and manly Tetsutetsu was well-suited to be a leader and could unite Class B.
Looking at Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Monoma suddenly felt a sense of apology.
I'm sorry to put you in the spotlight, but I'm sure you're willing to do it for the sake of this class... The first thing I need to do is restore your confidence.
Monoma also wanted to be a hero, to fight and win fair and square without using any tricks. But deep down he knew very well that he was just a clown and would never get a glorious and righteous role.