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Midoriya Izuku entered the ring, observing his opponent as he did the same. His appearance immediately caught Izuku’s attention. Purple fluffy hair, tired drooping eyes, deadpan face, bitterness hidden in the eyes, and definitely a Cats & Coffee person. This was a mini Aizawa. Not to mention the also villain-esque quirk he had that sent shivers down people’s spines. Or at least of discriminatory people’s spines, because Izuku really wanted Shinsou Hitoshi to use his quirk on him. But how?
Ever since Ojiro had warned Izuku about the speech-activated brainwashing quirk, something had bothered Izuku. It wasn’t the stereotypical villain’s quirk view that people took. It wasn’t that Ojiro didn’t like it (Izuku probably wouldn’t like it if it was used on him without permission first, at least the first time so he knows what’s going on). It was something else. And in going over the similarities between his opponent and teacher, it became clear.
Izuku had been watching Sports Festivals all his life. It started with his dad, who wanted Izuku to grow up to be tough like other boys, and that was only enforced when it became clear that Izuku was on the more sensitive side. His dad complained about him not being a man, which was part of why he left. Mom said it was good Dad had left, and Izuku thinks so too, but the Sports Festival tradition had stayed. Izuku had fallen in love with heroes, All Might, UA, and anything related to those things.
So it was that Izuku had watched Aizawa Shouta’s first Sports Festival (several times ever since his diagnosis; he wouldn’t let it stop him and Aizawa Shouta, the Gen Ed kid who had won, was a great inspiration). This meant that long before he ever met the man, he knew his quirk and how it worked. He had analyzed it several times, as he did with all his favorite quirks. As anyone could do with a quirk that was displayed for all the world to see.
And that was the problem, wasn’t it? Shinsou Hitoshi had a brainwashing quirk that was voice-activated; probably response based, since he’d have to have some sort of command that takes over without the other’s cooperation at all otherwise, and brainwashing and hypnosis both require at least a bit of cooperation from the other person, but he’s distracted.
Back on topic. Shinsou Hitoshi’s quirk requirements and so-called villainous quirk would be exposed for all the world to see. That just wouldn’t do, because if he was anything like Aizawa-Sensei, he would one day make an excellent Underground Hero (though Izuku thinks he’s projecting the older man onto the teenager across him a bit…. Oh well. It really just makes him root for the teenager even more). So, they needed to hide them, but also give him a fighting chance.
Normally, he’d suggest they fight quirkless. The only problem? Unlike Sensei, Shinsou had no muscle. That meant no hand-to-hand fighting unless he’s got an impressive skill set of using practically no muscles to overtake others. But Izuku would bet he didn’t, just like Izuku didn’t a year ago when he was even scrawnier than Shinsou is right now (is he being neglected? Or is it just a disinterest in eating? Something to possibly look into. Lack of food is common for the discriminated).
So, no quirks, and no hand-to-hand. That’s alright with Izuku. As much as he loves quirks and hero fights, he’s also really tired of quirks and fighting in general. They’ve been everything in his life all his life, ever since he never got a quirk and was constantly reminded of it by the other kids beating him down. So Izuku’s had his share of quirks and fights for a while, thank you very much. Besides, he broke his arms two days ago in training (it was an accident) and had just gotten them all healed yesterday, so he was also super tired.
That still leaves the question of what to do. There has to be some sort of competition so that they can decide who continues on and who rests (Izuku would love to get out so he could rest, but he wouldn’t be able to until after the Sports Festival because he needs to support his friends). However, Izuku had recognized the look in the other boy’s eyes. The look of someone who struggled because they were born with (or without) something that people decided should dictate how they deserve to be treated, and the ruling was not in their favour.
Izuku was fully aware that he needed therapy. He was pretty sure that Shinsou needed it too, but he was also equally aware that it would be hard to get with their quirk statuses. So, the next best thing: heal themselves by doing something they were never allowed to do in childhood. Play a game. Izuku had often watched other kids play games, smiling and laughing happily. He never got to join in because he was “fragile”, and yet he could withstand being beaten up daily. He’d never understand teacher logic.
Of course, if Shinsou agreed to a game, that would mean he’d be more likely to train with Izuku so he could help the purple teenager get his muscles up and teach him the heroics lessons he would be missing out on. If Izuku did that, Shinsou would be more willing to let Izuku analyze his quirk, which was so cool! Izuku had so many questions and he couldn’t wait to—
His thoughts were stopped as his face was punched to the side. He turned back to face Shinsou, staring at him in shock.
Shinsou Hitoshi watched as Midoriya Izuku entered the ring. Of all the hero brats, he had to fight the one that was already rumoured to be the best. That just meant that taking him down would be all the more satisfying. He was the Golden Boy: a perfect quirk, a perfect life, a perfect heroic spirit. Hitoshi would not let him win.
Midnight called the start of the match, and Hitoshi waited a few seconds to see what Midoriya would do. He frowned as he watched the boy stay still in one spot, one hand coming up to pinch his chin as if in thought. He was taunting him, telling Hitoshi that it would be easy to throw him from the ring. Hitoshi wouldn’t let that happen.
“I heard you failed to protect your teacher in the attack! What sort of hero does that make you?!” It was harsh and untrue, but Hitoshi was bitter and needed to make the hero brat respond to him.
It didn’t work. Midoriya just walked closer, his pace slow and thoughtful. He completely ignored Hitoshi, as if he couldn’t even be bothered to care about what some Gen Ed kid was saying. Hitoshi’s frustration rose. He was working hard to become a hero, and here was this hero brat acting as if it didn’t matter at all!
Hitoshi threw out a few more barbed comments, trying to find a break in the hero student’s armour. A perfect hero; he won’t even respect a villain enough to listen to them, Hitoshi thought bitterly as the green teenager continued to approach. He was circling Hitoshi now, slowly examining him before coming to a stop in front of him and scrutinizing his face. He was mumbling; seeing his chance, Hitoshi threw out some more barbed comments, but the hero student still ignored them.
How?! Why?! Why couldn’t Hitoshi even get the respect of being listened to!
Overcome with frustration, and remembering fighting is allowed, Hitoshi punched the mumbling student in the face. Hard.
His hand hurt, but the look of shock on the other’s face was worth it, though he was hoping for something more, he thinks. At least now he’s got the jerk’s attention.
“Was I just mumbling? Blast it, Izuku! You can’t do that in the middle of a fight!” The hero student mumbled to himself once more, but this time it was more clear. Seemed like Hitoshi just found a weakness.
“You mumble in a fight? That’s pathetic. You’ll kill someone that way!” Midoriya just stared at him, a look of understanding on his face. But that didn’t make sense; he was the Golden Boy, what could he possibly understand about Hitoshi, a teenager who was worlds different from him?
“I was thinking, this is all being broadcasted on live TV, which means everyone will be able to know your quirk’s activation requirements. It’s a response-based snare, right? That’s easy to counter if you know that’s it, which will make things much harder for you in the future if you become a hero.” Midoriya’s response to Hitoshi’s comment wasn’t a response at all, and failed to ensnare the hero student. Even worse, everything he said was true, and Hitoshi was highly aware of it. It made him hate Midoriya even more.
“I have a solution though, that is if you’re okay with it.” Midoriya continued his verbal assault. Hitoshi was sure that Midoriya would say he should just leave the ring, since he’s just a villain in the making. He prepared for the insult he’d heard all his life, only to be surprised when Midoriya suggested they play a game.
“A game? With you? You’re my opponent, my enemy right now. The only thing standing in between me and my goal.” Hitoshi was not ready to play games with the Golden Boy of UA.
After a moment of thought, Midoriya changed the topic again, and Hitoshi once again failed to catch the hero student in his quirk.
“I am strong, or at least stronger than you. With my quirk, that difference is multiplied. Your quirk is wonderful, but it does have loopholes. With how things stand, if we fight, I will win unless you manage to successfully use your quirk on me, which I have managed to dodge thus far. This fight is highly unfair. A game would be much more fair, and have the advantage of hiding your quirk requirements since neither of us would use our quirks. Besides, something tells me neither of us really got to play many games growing up.” Midoriya sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, looking away in discomfort. He exhaled, took a deep breath, and continued speaking.
“The game would determine the outcome of this match, and would also give the crowd something new to see. I don’t know about you, but personally, I’m tired of all the fighting.” Hitoshi agreed with him on that, but Midoriya still didn’t understand anyways. Hitoshi was sure of that, however reasonable and logical an argument he presented. He still continued speaking, but with more nervous energy this time.
“I would also like to help you train. You don’t have to agree to it! It’s just that you don’t really have much in the way of muscles and you’re missing out on all the heroics lessons we get, so if we trained every day after school, I could teach you what I learned, and help you get some muscles put on. And, you could practice your quirk on me! It’s so cool and I have so many questions about it, so you’d get farther with it too — not that I think you’re bad with it! Just that we all could improve — and then maybe you could impress Aizawa-Sensei! You’re practically a mini him, just purple!” Midoriya continued to talk, sputtering as he went.
Hitoshi stood there, processing everything that Midoriya had just said. He’d talked quicker when he got nervous, so Hitoshi had a harder time understanding the last bit, but he did and kinda wished he didn’t. He was aware that he was behind the hero students, and having it pointed out wasn’t fun, but Midoriya had been honest and offered a way to fix it. And, he’d compared Hitoshi to Aizawa-Sensei, the famous Underground Hero Eraserhead. He’d said that Hitoshi is practically mini him. Highly flattering in Hitoshi’s opinion, but that was precisely why he wished he didn’t understand. He wanted to hate Midoriya, but it suddenly just became a lot harder.
He thought it over, begrudgingly accepting that Midoriya was right, and agreed to a game with no quirks. It might be fun at any rate, and if Midoriya decided to go against what he said, he could always try brainwashing him when he wasn’t paying attention so it’d actually work. Just one problem…
“A game with no quirks, fine. But what game are we going to play? It couldn’t be based on physique at all.”
“A board game of course! That way we can sit down too!”
“And how are we supposed to get a board game? We can’t just create one like your classmate can.” Hitoshi had seen the black-haired ponytail girl create some crazy things during the obstacle course, and was bitter to find out she was also in Class A with such a perfect quirk. He looked back at Midoriya, having looked away as he talked. Midoriya had clearly bluescreened. He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Hitoshi raised an eyebrow.
“I guess we just manifest a quirk that can do that, then,” Midoriya shrugged. Hitoshi stared at the green-haired boy like he had just said that Eraserhead was actually a villain, or that All Might was secretly the number one villain.
“You do realize that you can’t manifest new quirks after your quirk comes in, right?” He was suddenly doubting the common sense of the hero students. How did he not know this?
“Yeah, but I’ve been proven wrong in such things before.” Midoriya shrugged, looking exhausted. He then proceeded to concentrate on his hands. Hitoshi thinks he was trying to force a quirk to manifest, but nothing happened. Midoriya grabbed at his hair, letting out a frustrated growl that was interrupted by himself as he pulled a hero and cats themed game board out of his hair?
He stared at it, then looked at Hitoshi, then back at the game board, shrugged, and reached into Hitoshi’s hair ignoring the flinch he gave, and pulled out game pieces. Hitoshi looked on in amazement and utter bewilderment. Midoriya gestured for them both to sit, and then told Hitoshi to get himself a drink while pulling a green hero mug filled with steaming matcha tea out of his hair. When Hitoshi still didn’t move, he sighed, picked up Hitoshi’s hand, shook it, and told him to use it.
Knowing it was futile, Hitoshi reached into his hair, and pulled out a purple cat mug filled with coffee? What? He looked at Midoriya in shock, who just shrugged in acknowledgement and acceptance of the new ability, and continued setting up the board. It was chess. Hitoshi could play chess. That was better than thinking about his hair. Definitely better. Chess. He got cat pieces. He smiled. Midoriya had gotten hero pieces from his own hair for his set, and so it made the picture on the board. Somehow, it all worked perfectly. And he’d made Eraserhead the all-powerful queen on both sides (on Hitoshi’s side, he was covered in cats).
Time passed as the two boys enjoyed their drinks and game of chess. Eventually, Hitoshi walked out of the arena, but he was smiling, had a new chess set, a new training schedule, and a new friend. Who knew that life could be so good?