MHA: A Cat's Way

Ch 88 F.A.F.O

"ON ONE SIDE IS THE FELINE MENACE WHO HAS BEEN DOMINATING THE TOURNAMENT, SHOWCASING JUST WHAT THE POWER OF NYA CAN DO: CATIA AKIHIRO!"

"I'm gonnya sabotage Aizawa's coffee and pin-nya blame on him." I grumble to myself at the reminder of my spur of the moment words. It better die out soon!

"AND ON THE OTHER SIDE IS THE DARK HORSE OF THE FESTIVAL, A GEN ED SUPERSTAR WHO MAY BE THE ILLEGITIMATE CHILD OF MY GOOD FRIEND- GAHK!"

"Hitoshi Shinso." Aizawa's tired voice comes through the speakers after Present Mic's voice makes a weird noise before cutting off. On the other side of the arena Shinso rolls his eyes, scowling up at the booth, evidently sharing my homeroom teacher's irritation with the loud hero.

Still, it's good to know that I'm not the only one who suspects their relationship.

Nyamuri gestures between us. "Any last words from our finalists? Go on, show us that competitive spirit!"

Shinso looks at me with a fire blazing in his eyes, but I speak before he does, not wanting to risk his quirk activating before we even start the match. "Mew'll have to settle fur second place, but you've done well. After I carried mew in the furst event, at least~."

His lips tighten into a line, his words coming out clipped as his eyes harden. "I'll win, and secure my place in the hero course."

Nyamuri raises her flogger straight up before bringing it down. "And with those passionate declarations, let the finals; begin!"

Unlike my fight with Midorinya, I don't charge towards Shinso. Instead I stride towards him with a smug smile, curious as to what he'll try. The fights have been fun so far, so I'll at least give him a chance to turn things in his favor. At the very least, if he makes it interesting I'll make sure we put on a show for the crowd. Which would also help his chances of a transfer.

But then he speaks, and my mind blanks.

"Geez you're cocky. No wonder you don't have a mother. Hell, you had two and neither of them stuck around! No surprise, really. No mother would want to have a daughter like you."

'~'

"Oh shit. He's dead."

Catia's friends all nod along with Midoriya's words even as their anger spikes, each of the girls developing a sudden and intense hatred for the Gen Ed student. While they start talking about how much they want to hurt him, Midoriya pulls out his phone, typing in Nezu's number. It picks up on the second ring and he speaks quickly.

"Make sure Recovery Girl is prepared for some heavy damage on Shinso's end. Painkillers will be a must, and we might need Aizawa-sensei's help in holding Catia back from going too far." He listens for a moment before nodding his head. "Thanks, and I am not overreacting!"

"Honestly, it's like none of you are aware of what she did to the Wild Villains!" He pauses as Nezu says something on the other end and his eyes go wide. "Wait, you don't!? But..." He shakes his head in disbelief, shock in his voice. "I'll tell you all later, after the festival."

He hangs up, still tuning out Mina and Toru's cries for Shinso's blood and Tsunotori's occasional cry of support from the 1-B seating. Instead he stares at his long-time friend down in the arena, her form unnaturally still as she keeps her eyes on his newer friend. Not even her tail is moving, frozen mid-sway. His eyes narrow as her head tilts.

"Catia... what don't I know?"

'~'

I stare at the purple haired boy in front of me, my smirk wiped from my face. Instead, it appears on his. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Hairball stuck in your throat? Do you even take baths, or do you just lick yourself?" He shakes his head in mock sadness. "I wouldn't be surprised. You're more beast than human."