章 33: Chapter 1 - The Sports Festival: 6
"THE RULES ARE SIMPLE!" Present Mic announced to the audience as the two combatants stared each other down. Emerald Green eyes stared down velvet red ones as Present Mic continued to explain the rules. "WIN BY KNOCKING YOUR OPPONENT OUT OF THE RING, IMMOBILIZING THEM, OR GETTING THEM TO SAY "I GIVE UP"!" Present Mic declared, earning several cheers from the audience. One person in particular with purple eyes smirked as he watched the two down below with interest, adjusting his orange and black striped fedora.
"BRING THE PAIN! WE'VE GOT OUR GOOD OL' RECOVERY GIRL ON STANDBY! AND FIGHT DIRTY, IF YOU HAVE TO! "ETHICS" HAVE NO MEANING HERE!" Present Mic continued before quickly clearing his throat. "OF COURSE, GOING FOR THE KILL IS A STRICT NO-NO! YOU'LL BE DISQUALIFIED IF YOU TRY! BECAUSE A TRUE HERO'S FIST FLIES ONLY WHEN IN PURSUIT OF VILLAINS! NOW! LET'S GET THIS THING STARTED!"
The sound of a horn blared out for all to hear as Izuku charged up One For All – Full Cowling into his body, green electricity dancing off of his skin as his eyes narrowed toward Tatami. For the Stand User's part, she sent her Leading The Pack directly at Izuku, maws wide open, snarling growls leaving their hideous jaws as they tore up the ground running toward him.
And then, in the blink of an eye, he was mere inches away from Tatami's face. Tatami's eyes widened as Leading The Pack tried to turn around, the two fastest ones leaping up to pounce on Midoriya, only for him to punch Tatami square in the face, launching her five feet out of the ring and tumbling onto her back, head banging against the grassy floor surrounding the battlefield.
The impact had caused Izuku's knuckles to hurt and left a small amount of bruising, but that was about it. Leading The Pack vanished into thin air as its user lay on the grass, completely knocked out from the single strike Midoriya gave to the cocky Stand User.
"WHOA! DID EVERYONE SEE THAT?! MIDORIYA JUST SENT HER FLYING OUT OF BOUNDS WITH A SINGLE PUNCH! THAT'S GOTTA SMART IN THE MORNING! IT SHOULD GO WITHOUT SAYING, BUT MIDORIYA IZUKU MOVES ON TO THE QUARTER-FINALS!" Present Mic announced as the crowd went wild.
In an apartment building in the Yamanashi Prefecture, an old man with a scraggly white beard dressed in a white shirt and baggy blue jeans sat in a rocking chair facing an old-style T.V., a small smirk on his face as he clasped his hands together. "That's your successor, Toshinori? An interesting pick, if I do say so myself. Let's see if you picked the right one," The old man said, reclining in his rocking chair.
Back in the stands, the man with the orange and black striped fedora grinned, His purple eyes drifting over to see a healthy-ish blond-haired man with a semi-sunken in face, bright blue eyes, wearing a button-down white shirt and black jeans sitting next to a doctor with puffy black hair, next to which was a younger woman and an older woman flanking either side of him.
"I see… so that troublesome Tooru healed you to full health, Little T. Good to see that you're in better shape, and your student seems to be in good shape, too. I don't think I've ever seen a Quirk user beat a Stand User so thoroughly outside of yourself…." The man said, adjusting his hat. "Now all I gotta see is how that Kira brat's Stand functions in combat, and I'll have seen enough."
"Whoa! Did you see that?! Deku-kun straight up obliterated that girl!" Uraraka said, a smile on her face as Ida adjusted his glasses.
"I've never seen that kind of speed out of Midoriya. He must've trained his Quirk to the extreme over those last two weeks!" Ida said, light reflecting from his glasses as Kira sat in her chair, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.
"He's fast. But Killer Queen is faster. If it comes down to it, then when I fight Midoriya, I have to blindside him. He can feel Stands and their presence, which takes away a small edge I have against the others. Regardless of that, I still have to win," Yoshihara thought, a small frown taking up her visage.
In the tunnels leading to the arena, Shoto narrowed his eyes. "Midoriya will be my next opponent after this. I'll defeat him before he can move. But first…" Shoto thought as he made his way to his fight with Sero, who he knew he would defeat easily. But as he walked down the hall. "Out of my way," Shoto said flatly as a man covered head-to-toe in flame stood leaning against the wall, arms crossed and annoyance on his face.
He was dressed in a dark blue costume with steel gauntlets, a fiery mask as well as flame covering his chin, mimicking that of a beard, along with his shoulders and upper arms. He stood at around 6 feet, and he had the muscle mass of a professional bodybuilder.
"You disgrace me, Shoto," the man growled, watching as the teen walked past him. "You and I both know you could've crushed both the Obstacle Course and the All-Out War if you had used your left side. Grow up. Stop this rebellion like some petulant child. Remember, your duty is to surpass All Might. Understand?! You're different than your brothers! You're my greatest creation!" Endeavour, aka Enji Todoroki, the number two hero in all of Japan, said to his son as Shoto growled under his breath.
"That's all you've got to say to me? I'll win this with mom's power alone. I'll never use your power in battle," Shoto said through gritted teeth, passing Enji with a deep scowl on his face. All the older Todoroki could do was scoff.
"That might work as a school kid. But when you're out in the real world, all you'll be doing is risking lives. Your mother's ice is strong, but so are the flames that you have. Refusing to use them is childish and will only get those who rely on you killed because someone has an ice resistance or control Quirk," Enji spat, glaring into the back of Shoto's head. "Face it Shoto. One day, you won't have a choice but to use those flames."
As Shoto stepped out onto the battlefield opposite from his opponent, Sero Hanta, Present Mic announced their presence.
"THE WAIT IS OVER! MOVING ON, THERE THEY ARE, OUR COMBATANTS FOR ROUND TWO OF THE QUALIFIERS! THE CREAM OF THE CROP! YET THIS GUY'S SOMEHOW STILL AS PLAIN AS THEY COME! IT'S HANTA SERO FROM THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… THE BEST OF THE BEST, THE STRONGEST OF THE STRONG! SHOTO TODOROKI, WHO IS ALSO OF THE HERO COURSE! BEGIN!"
Sero stretched his limbs, cracking his neck from side to side as he let out a short groan, all the while Shoto stared at him with disinterest. "Hrm… I don't really feel much like winning…" Sero muttered as a victorious glare appeared in his eyes, launching two long strands of tape around Shoto, lifting him into the air. "BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE LOSING EITHER!"
"HE'S TRYING TO PUSH HIM OUT OF THE ARENA WITH A SURPRISE ATTACK! IT'S PROBABLY THE BEST STRATEGY FOR HIM! HE'S GIVING IT HIS ALL!" Present Mic announced as Shoto glared at the tape Quirk user.
"Sorry 'bout this…!" Shoto growled, and as he did, a massive icicle large enough to poke out of the stadium formed right underneath Shoto's feet in a single second. The icicle came close to touching those in the crowd, including Midoriya, Ida, and Uraraka. Shoto flexed once, shattering the tape around him as Sero was ensnared within an icicle, his face and upper body free, minus his tape shooters.
"That's… a bit overkill… don't you think…?" Sero chittered out through shivering teeth. Meanwhile, Midnight, who had half her face and body covered with ice, asked the rather stupid question of if Sero could move, which was met with an obvious answer. A minute later, Endeavour, along with a few other fire Quirk users, helped melt the ice, along with Shoto, and his obvious entry into the quarter-finals.
The next two fights went on without much fanfare. Rikido Sato came victorious over Kirishima by knocking him out cold with a supped-up sugar-filled punch to the dome, and Tenya was able to get Hatsume out of bounds by getting her to fly out of the arena using her jet pack, while also wearing gear made by the inventor, mind you with annoyance on his face and a new "hatred" for someone that he barely even knew.
The next fight was Mina versus Yoshihara, the former of which was not too excited about the fight in question. However, even if that was the case, the fight still had to happen, and Mina still had to try her best. "C'mon, you can do this! She's just a little bit creepy… You can do this!" Mina cheered herself on in her head as she stood at the end of her entryway to the arena.
Meanwhile, Yoshihara stood underneath the archway on her side of the arena, summoning Killer Queen to her side. She wasn't going to hold back. The moment she got onto that stage, and the moment the announcements were done, Ashido wouldn't even know what had happened to her. She knew about Stands, but she never truly fought one before.
As the two approached on stage, one was nervous and on edge, while the other masked their emotions behind an uncaring mask. Tension was built up in the air, and despite that, Present Mic began his announcement to the audience with the same vigour he had since the beginning of The Sports Festival.
"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE! ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR AN EXPLOSIVE MATCH?! BECAUSE HERE WE GO! SHE'S A KILLER QUEEN, AND CAN PACK A PUNCH LIKE THAT OF A DYNAMITE AND A LASERBEAM! IT'S YOSHIHARA KIRA FROM CLASS 1 – A'S HERO COURSE!" Present Mic announced as a part of the crowd booed, some of them told her to walk off stage, and the rest cheered, not that Yoshihara cared. "AND HER OPPONENT! SHE'S FLEXIBLE LIKE AN ACROBAT, SLIPPERY LIKE A SNAKE, AND CAN STING LIKE A WASP! IT'S MINA ASHIDO, ALSO FROM CLASS 1 – A'S HERO COURSE!"
When Present Mic finished his announcements, Yoshihara had Killer Queen come in front of her, her eyes narrowing toward Mina, who had acid building up on her palms. And then, as the horns sounded for the fight to begin, Mina, who looked terrified, ran toward Yoshihara with a glint of determination in her eyes. Once she got in about 10 feet in front of her, she shot out her acid.
The acid nearly made contact with the blonde Stand User, only for her to sidestep the attack and circle around to her left flank, hands in her pockets with a tilted head, almost as if she was measuring a distance for something to happen.
The pink-skinned teen quickly turned around and sent a punch directly aimed at Yoshihara's face. However, just as it came two inches from making contact, Killer Queen grabbed the fist, pushed her back close enough to the line that threatened to take Mina out of the competition, and then squeezed. The moment that happened, blood erupted from her knuckles and between her fingers.
To the audience, it showed them that something was pushing Ashido back and that something had pretty much blown up her knuckles and in between her fingers; all the while Yoshihara had her hands in her pockets. To those with Stands that were watching, such as the man in the orange and black striped fedora, Josefumi, Shinso, Heimei, Tatami, and Johnny, they saw Killer Queen do all of that.
Mina cried out in pain as Yoshihara stared at her with a deadpanned, emotionless, apathy-filled expression. "You seemed so confident before, and now you're crying. How sad for you," Yoshihara mocked, venom dripping from her words as her expression became dark, and those soulless, dead eyes stared into Mina's, which made her gasp, not only in pain from the wound that had been inflicted on her, but by the shock of just how dead her classmate now looked—devoid of emotion, compassion, backed with a relentless pursuit to win.
"I hope there are no hard feelings between us after this match." And as soon as she said that, Killer Queen reared back a punch and slammed it right into her gut, blood spewing from Mina's mouth as she doubled over. Pain surged throughout Mina's body as blood dripped from her mouth, her wide and shocked eyes staring shakily at the puddle underneath her. Then, the final attack came with a knee to the face, knocking Mina back and over the line.
"AND UNLIKE THE LAST FIGHT, THIS BATTLE LASTED ONLY FIVE SECONDS! I GUESS THAT GOES TO SHOW JUST HOW POWERFUL THIS YEAR'S HERO STUDENTS ARE! ALTHOUGH, I GOTTA WONDER JUST HOW KIRA WAS ABLE TO FIGHT WITHOUT EVEN MOVING AN INCH! EITHER WAY, YOSHIHARA KIRA MOVES ONTO THE QUARTER-FINALS!"
Several loud boo's came from the crowd, though, once again, Kira shrugged it off, not caring in the slightest. "They keep booing me as if it's going to do something. If they don't like me, I'm not bothered by it. I don't need a public reputation. As far as I am concerned, once I'm done with U.A., I'll slip out of everyone's minds and become an underground hero. If anything, this is a blessing in disguise."
As she walked into the tunnel that led to the stands where her class sat, a group of four people were standing by the boy's washroom, all of which were in their late 20s to mid-30s. All of them were normal civilians, and all of them were talking to one another about something that Kira had no interest in listening to. That was until one of them saw her from the corner of their eye, that being the one to her far left.
"Hey! Is that kid the one who murdered that woman?!" The one on the left asked, his dark wavey brown hair almost blocking his eyes. His tone of voice was a mix of shock and anger at her appearance. It was almost as if they didn't even pay attention during the whole Sports Festival. Otherwise, they would've known she was there.
"Yeah, it is!" Another one of them said, his dark grey eyes staring at her with anger.
"Hey! You there! Get back here!" A third guy shouted, reaching out for her. However, what none of them knew was that Killer Queen was standing beside its user, dark pink eyes staring into the man's own eyes. All Kira did was slowly turn her head, and as soon as that happened, chaos sprung forth.
As soon as the one that yelled at her to 'get back there' had reached out far enough to get in its physical range, Killer Queen grabbed the base of his wrist and twisted his arm around a full 180 degrees, snapping the arm at the elbow. The next guy got a punch in the face, and the third got his left leg smashed in from the back of the knee before Killer Queen knocked the three of them to the ground writhing in pain. The last person took a step back, eyes wide in fear as Kira turned to face them.
"Well, what do you want? Can't you tell I'm busy?" Yoshihara questioned as the last guy looked at his friends, all of which were screaming and groaning in pain as blood flowed from all of their wounds. The final guy screamed, then made a run for it, leaving his friends behind. All Kira did was shake her head, slightly disappointed, and entered the woman's restroom to clean up from the fight.
After two and half minutes of waiting, the next three fights came and went, all of which had victors of varying talents. Tokoyami beat Momo by using his Quirk, Dark Shadow—a sentient mass of shadow which formed out of the user's stomach to command and attack its opponent. Depending on the light level, the Quirk would either weaken or become stronger. However, even in the light, it's physically stronger than that of a normal human, and in the dark, it only gets stronger. And by using that, he was able to knock Yaoyorozu out of the ring by bashing against the shield she created, using the force to push her out of the arena and win by ring-out.
Itsuka Kendo was able to defeat Tsuyu by catching her mid-hop with her massive hands and pinning her down to the ground in the span of five seconds, winning by making Tsuyu unable to move.
The next fight, Neito Monoma versus Mashiaro Ojirou, was a bit more interesting, as Monoma displayed the same Quirk as one Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, and was able to beat Mashiaro by using his copied Steel skin to knock the boy out with a single punch under his chin with a devastating uppercut after which declaring that Class 1 – B was the best hero course class at U.A.
And after those displays, the Quarter Finalists were shown on the Jumbotron to all those watching in the stadium, and for those watching at home, via a display screen behind the announcers.
Quarter Finals:
Fight 1: Izuku Midoriya – Versus – Shoto Todoroki
Fight 2: Rikido Sato – Versus – Tenya Ida
Fight 3: Yoshihara Kira – Versus – Tokoyami Fumikage
Fight 4: Itsuka Kendo – Versus – Neito Monoma
Yoshihara sat beside Uraraka, who was rubbing her left shoulder, flinching at the sensitivity of her wounds. "Are you okay, Uraraka-san?" Kira asked as the brunette smiled sheepishly.
"Huh? Oh… yeah. I was just… I really wanted to make it to the third event. But then that purple-haired boy used his ghost-thingy on me and rendered me unable to move or talk. He used me like a puppet! It was so creepy!" Uraraka said, rubbing her shoulders as she shivered slightly. Yoshihara felt a bead of sweat fall down the side of her head as she frowned.
"Well, Stands do come in different shapes and varieties. Although, I have to ask, how were you able to figure out it was a Stand?" Yoshihara asked as Uraraka shook herself out of the stupor she had put herself in before answering.
"I took damage without him moving, so I assumed. Then he told me outright after I called it 'weird ghost thing.'" Uraraka replied as Kira smirked, scoffing as she did so.
"Well, at the very least you won't have to worry about him. I heard that Midoriya punched the daylights out of him; at least, according to the nurse. Broke his nose and part of his upper jaw with a single hit. I guess he got really pissed off," Yoshihara said, crossing her arms as Uraraka nodded, then turned to face the blonde.
"Hey, are you going to be busy after the festival?" Uraraka asked as Yoshihara nodded.
"Yes. I'm going on a date with… someone," Yoshihara said as Uraraka's eyes widened with excitement.
"Oh! Really?! Who is it?!" The brunette asked as Yoshihara bit her lower lip. She hadn't been expecting that reaction of Uraraka, that much was for sure. She didn't seem like the type to be all jumpy about who dated who. The excitement in her eyes was enough to make Yoshihara crack, and so, she sighed.
"If you really must know, it's Midoriya." As soon as Yoshihara said that, the brunette covered her mouth, then looked away.
"Oh… I see…." After that Uraraka looked away from the blonde, a slightly saddened expression on her face as Yoshihara raised an eyebrow. She had seen that look before on people's faces and was vaguely familiar with it. Nemuri had it once when her favourite baseball team lost the world cup earlier in the year. It was a look of sadness. Though Kira could only guess, she had to assume that Uraraka might have had a crush on Midoriya.
She didn't want to continue this current topic, which was obvious seeing as she had fully looked away from Kira, which was fine. "If she really is upset over this, then that's fine. So long as this doesn't drive a wedge into the extended group that we've… inadvertently created."
Yoshihara's attention was turned to her right as Bakugo Katsuki sat one seat down from her. His ruby red eyes shifted ever-so-slightly over to her, and a sneer came visible on his face. He looked away almost immediately, leaning back into his chair as not even a moment later Josefumi sat down next to the two blonds, his hair shaven down to a military crew cut.
Yoshihara to had to bite back a chuckle, to which the former pompadour-haired teen looked over to the blond. "Don't. Say. A word. I am aware of just how ridiculous I look," Josefumi noted as he placed his hands on his lap. "I saw your fight with Ashido. That was kinda brutal, don't you think? I mean, one solid punch should've been enough to knock her out, right?"
Kira shrugged, reclining slightly in her seat. "What can I say, I like inflicting pain onto those who are my enemies. Doesn't matter who they are, classmates or not. If I have to fight, they're not walking away without at least one scar. Mentally or otherwise."
Josefumi bit his lip, looking away slightly. "I can understand that in a life or death situation… but in a festival all about showing the next line-up of heroes? You're practically drowning your career…" Josefumi whispered, only for Kira to once again shrug.
"I don't care about popularity. Also, I wouldn't say that if I were you, look over there," Yoshihara said, pointing toward a pro hero with a black ensemble with a yellow X in the center of his costume, as well as a cape with another yellow X. Using their Stand's enhanced hearing, they caught wind of what the hero was saying.
"Such brutality… is not something you should do as a hero for the public… but as someone who wants to get the job done, that's some serious strength. Whatever her Quirk really is, I want to know more."
As they turned away, Yoshihara simply huffed, arms crossed as Josefumi hummed in amusement. The two remained silent as the next battle was about to be announced. Both Midoriya and Todoroki walked onto the battlefield, staying on their respective sides of the arena.
"Are you ready?" Shoto asked the green-haired teen, who simply nodded. Shoto lowered his eyes, glaring slightly at the boy.
"BOTH OF THESE COMPETITORS HAVE WON TOP MARKS IN THIS FESTIVAL SO FAR! BOTH OF THEM ARE INSANELY STRONG! BOTH ARE PRETTY MUCH EQUALLY MATCHED! BUT THERE IS ONLY ROOM FOR ONE OF THESE GREATS IN THE RING! IT'S MIDORIYA! VERSUS TODOROKI!"
As soon as the buzzer went off, Shoto leaned forward to send out an icicle to encase Midoriya in one attack. As the icicle formed, Shoto frowned, only to see green lightning out of the corner of his eye. Before he could do anything, there was a sharp kick to the back of his head that sent him flying into his own icicle.
When Shoto re-opened his eyes, he looked in shock seeing that Midoriya stood perfectly fine, dusting his shoulders off as small ice particles flicked onto the ground. "I gotta say, Todoroki, that was pretty good. You almost had me there," Izuku said, stretching his legs. "That hurt me, as well, you know? If I had used any more power, I would've broken my leg. I'm still practicing my control," the green-haired teen said as green lightning danced around his body.
"What the heck is going on with me? Where did all this confidence come from?! I was terrified a minute ago, where the heck did this come from?!" Izuku thought, confusion dancing in his eyes. "Whatever, I can't let that distract me. I have to beat Todoroki. I can't hold back, not unless I want to get frozen! I have to keep up with his attacks!"
Izuku then ran directly toward Shoto, cocked back a punch, and sent it his way. Shoto rolled out of the way as, with one punch, the whole icicle shattered into tiny little shards—all of which were scattered around the edges of the battlefield. "Ice is very brittle, meaning you'd be able to take those punches. Your ice, not so much," Izuku stated as Todoroki stomped down on the ground, creating a sheet of ice that trapped Izuku's legs.
"That should keep him still long enough for him to be considered immobilized," Shoto thought, a small frown making itself visible on his face. "For a moment, I was worried I'd lose. But I won't lose to you, Midoriya. No matter what you do, I refuse to use my fire!"
The green-haired teen tilted his head, lifting his legs one after another and freeing himself by shattering the ice with ease. Shoto's eyes, once again, widened. "I'm sure you already know where this is going. But if you're keen on continuing this, go right ahead. I'll prove to you that your ice is meaningless in this fight."
Shoto narrowed his eyes. There was something off about Midoriya, that much he knew. Izuku was cowardly, for the most part. This confidence was extremely out of character for him. Although, it wasn't out of place. "Back in the Quirk apprehension test, he displayed confidence like this with Aizawa-sensei. It must be the pressure. If I can put on the pressure, he'll break and start to panic!" Shoto thought, ready to launch another wave of ice toward Izuku.
However, at that moment, right when he was about to unleash it, the green-haired boy launched forward knocking his whole arm into Todoroki and flinging him across the battlefield as he landed on his back, making the dual-coloured-haired boy gasp. He quickly got up and away before he could be hit with a punch—a punch that sent small cracks into the ground.
Midoriya felt a bit of pain in his hands. He broke his right index finger with that punch, something that took him a bit off balance. Quickly turning around, the ninth user of One For All was able to charge up enough power into his fingers and flick out enough power to shatter an oncoming icicle attack from Todoroki, the power of which was able to turn it into little shards. The result of this was another broken finger—his ring finger.
"He's really going all out with his ice, isn't he?" Izuku thought, as his hand trembled with pain. Still, he ignored it. Right now, he needed to focus on the fight and NOT his two broken fingers. Meanwhile, Shoto took a step back. Midoriya had successfully deflected all of his attacks. Every single one of them, either with a flex of his leg, a flick of his fingers, or moving fast enough to pretty much avoid them. But even still, he wasn't about to give up. Especially since Endeavour was watching.
"You're shivering, Todoroki," Izuku said, rolling his neck side to side. "You know… as of late, I've noticed that my confidence skyrockets when I'm up against adversity, and I get a little cocky. I guess hanging out around the people I have been with has given me a little bit of an ego boost. One that I've sorely needed for a long time now."
Without even thinking, Shoto gathered his fear and confusion at Midoriya's ability to negate his ice and slung a brilliant pillar of red-hot fire his way, of which Midoriya was only able to just barely get out of the way. Shoto's eyes widened, and Midoriya smirked. "I see you've realized it now, haven't you?" Izuku said, rushing forward and closing the distance. Shoto tried to shoot out more ice, only for Izuku to bat it away like it was nothing.
"He made me use his flames! He made me break my vow! But… I can't beat him with my ice… was this what he told me back in the underpass… what my fa—Endeavour told me there as well…." Shoto thought as he narrowed his eyes. "No… I refuse to use that. I will beat him with my ice!"
As Shoto thought that, a massive icicle formed out of nowhere right in front of the dual-haired teen, his body shivering as he launched the attack. "I'm sorry, Midoriya, but this is over."
"You're right, it is," a sudden voice behind him spoke out, and then, he was hit into the icicle he had just created, then he bounced back to where he was before, then kicked upwards about 15 feet or so into the sky. Using his ice, he created a pillar upwards to land safely on, but what he wasn't expecting was for Midoriya to jump up and meet him there, green lightning pinging off of him like a current.
"ARE MY EYES DECEIVING ME! OR DID MIDORIYA JUST JUMP UP INTO THE SKIES WITHOUT BREAKING ANY BONES!?" Present Mic exclaimed as ooh's and awe's came from the audience. And while Present Mic was correct, it was only partially. Doing the jump broke a few of his toes, as well as injured his ankle.
Midoriya hung in the air for a few seconds, his body sparkling with green lightning. Endeavour had a manic smile on his face. The boy had forced Shoto into using his flames, and with each attack getting progressively harsher, he would have to use them more. Despite the distaste that the boy seemed to have for him, he was doing exactly what Endeavour wanted.
As for Toshinori, he was shocked with just how much Midoriya was getting away with using his new Full Cowling technique. It was almost as if he was already close to mastering the ability. What was even more shocking was that he wasn't breaking nearly as many bones as he used to. Sure, he had a few broken fingers, and by the look on his face he probably had a few broken toes, but a jump like that used to completely destroy his legs.
Now, it was as if he could do that almost as second nature. "Midoriya… my boy. You've progressed faster than I would've expected…!"
Shoto's eyes widened even more as Midoriya prepared a hammer kick, dropping it on the dual-element wielder, sending him crashing through his own ice as it shattered in one cohesive kick. They were fifteen feet in the air, and the only way for either of them to land safely was… "I have no choice!" Shoto thought, and once again used his flames to land just that much slower on the ground, as Midoriya landed with a dust cloud surrounding him, leaving a small crack in the floor.
"I don't get it…." Shoto murmured, slowly rising to his feet, anger in his eyes as a scowl was plastered firmly on his face. "How… how is it that you keep making me use his fire!" Shoto shouted, glaring at Izuku, who slowly stood up to his full height, a slight limp in his stance as he adjusted to the broken toes in his left foot.
"His fire?" Izuku asked, a confused look on his face. "I don't see Endeavour in this arena. I see you, Todoroki," the green-haired boy shot back, crossing his arms as Shoto's ice bristled to life once more. He shot out another attack, and once again, as the green lightning danced over Izuku, he shattered the ice with a single bat of his arm, rendering it into little shards.
"Endeavour told me to give you a good battle. You know what I said to him?" Izuku asked, rushing toward Shoto and closing the distance, punching him directly in the stomach and knocking him to the floor. "I told him that you weren't him," Izuku continued before picking Shoto up and throwing him across the arena in the other direction, Full Cowling dancing over his body as he did so.
"I REFUSE TO USE HIS FIRE!" Shoto shouted, standing back up to his full height as he sent out more ice that Izuku easily deflected.
"But you already have, Todoroki, twice now, actually," Izuku stated, enraging the dual-haired teen as he sent a massive icicle Midoriya's way… only for it to be flicked away, breaking another one of his fingers, specifically the finger beside his ring finger. Shoto's body was shaking from the hypothermia that was slowly setting in and rage-filled every part of his being.
"You think by taunting me, you can force me into using his flames! I will NEVER. EVER. Use his flames! Even if it gets me killed, I refuse to use that monster's fire!" Shoto shouted as, suddenly, an angered look appeared on Izuku's face as he approached the livid Todoroki.
"SHUT UP! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!" Shoto yelled, unleashing another wave of ice, although this time it was almost large enough to nearly eclipse the entire stadium. And while it was huge, it was extremely brittle, and all it took to break it into little shards was a left hook Midoriya used by incorporating 5% of One For All with the punch. When the iceberg shattered into nothing but tiny fragments Shoto stumbled forward, breathing heavily as ice covered parts of his cheek and left arm.
"Look around you, Shoto Todoroki. Everyone here in this class has been working their ass off to get this far. All of them using their full power. What have you done? Used half of that power?! These wounds have only been caused by myself defending against you! You yourself barely even scratched me! Start pulling your weight, Todoroki. GIMME EVERYTHING YOU GOT!" The rage in his voice was palpable, and annoyance and anger on Todoroki's were the same.
"He set you up… he told you to do this, didn't he? That bastard told you to do this, didn't he?!" Shoto snarled, clenching his left side, preparing another wave of ice, only for Midoriya to lunge forward, grab his arm, and bend it backwards, breaking the limb and sending Todoroki into the ground with one attack. Shoto gritted his teeth together as Midoriya kicked him in the side, knocking him inches away from the line that separated him and defeat.
"HOLY CRAP! MIDORIYA IS PISSED OFF! HE BROKE TODOROKI'S LEFT ARM!" Present Mic announced to the audience as Aizawa frowned underneath all of his bandages.
"Over the past month, Midoriya's learned to control his Quirk. His power output is less, far less than what it used to be. But his speed has increased tenfold. He opted for speed over power, and that speed equals power. Not only that, but he seems to know basic offensive maneuvers as well as a bit of proper fighting etiquette. Someone's been teaching him how to fight, and how to fight dirty. Not only that but he's grown far past the point I would've expected from him. This kind of progress only comes from years of practicing with one's Quirk, yet he only took a month. What exactly drives you, Izuku Midoriya?" Aizawa thought as the fight continued down below.
Shoto tried to get up, only for Izuku to stomp on his chest, glaring down at him. "You have two choices, Todoroki. You either use your flames, and quit being a moron, or, you forfeit. You've seen what happens when you get overpowered and out-sped. Think about the outside world. Not just yourself, you selfish bastard."
Shoto glared upward at Midoriya as he growled. "You and I… we both want to be heroes. But right now, the only thing I see is something I once was. A scared little child who refuses to move past his own past."
At that moment, Shoto remembered something. He remembered something that his mother told him. Something that she told him long before everything. Not told, but rather asked:
"Do you still want to be a hero?"
Those eight words in the voice of his mother awoken something in him. He remembered sitting on his mother's lap watching T.V. They watched the news, and saw that All Might had saved an entire building from collapsing on a bunch of people. She asked if he wanted to be a hero, and when he replied, she said something that inspired him to push through his training. To be the best hero he could be.
"That's fine. You're not bound by his blood. You decide who you want to become."
"When did I forget that…." Shoto thought, his mind racing as fire began to pour off of his right side with a blast powerful enough to knock Midoriya off of him and back to the other side of the arena. The explosion of red-hot flames warped the area around him as he pulled back all the rage in his system. Everyone in the stands watched as the fire warped the surrounding temperature to a whopping 50 degrees Celcius, the heat being enough to nearly put some people into heatstroke.
"I thought you wanted to win damnit," Shoto said, pushing past everything, including his broken arm as he activated more of his ice, creating a makeshift cast, mixed with the adrenaline in his system, pretty much blocking out all of the pain he had been feeling. "So why're you trying to inspire me?! Which one of us isn't taking this seriously now? Because I… wanna be a hero too!"
"SHOTOOO!" Endeavour roared, catching everyone's attention, walking as he spoke. "You've finally accepted it! Yes! Excellent! It all starts now for you! With my blood pumping through your veins, you will surpass me! After all these years, you will fulfill my ambitions!"
"A sudden pep talk from Endeavour, his father… such a dotting parent…." Present Mic said over the speaker, a little bit confused seeing as he knew that they weren't on the best of terms.
"Well, that's the spirit!" Izuku said, smiling as he got ready to prepare an attack, his whole body charging up with One For All. "If you're going all out, then so will I!" Izuku shouted as the two charged up massive attacks.
"What happens now… is not my problem!" Shoto stated as he raised his arm to unleash a massive blast of fire.
"Midnight, we need to stop this!" Cementoss said over the comms as he prepared to send down several massive concrete walls to mitigate the damage to the arena and to the others.
"Already on it!" Midnight replied, ripping a part of her costume off to unleash some of her sleep gas.
And as the two attacks met in the center, the walls were erected, and the gas coated the area. However, when the attack landed, a massive explosion rippled throughout the stadium, the shockwave being enough to knock Endeavor off his feet despite his grip on the railing. Those who were seated felt the air pressure press up against them, most people covering their faces as the wind whipped up icy debris from the ground and the arena below.
Smoke filled the arena as Present Mic cleared his throat, fixing himself as he sat back up in his chair. "WHAT A BLAST! THOUGH WITH ALL THIS SMOKE CAUSED BY THE FIRE, I CAN'T SEE A THING! HAS THE MATCH BEEN DECIDED?" Present Mic asked as a shoe sticking out of the smoke, and then another. Stepping out of the smoke was…
"You're crazy, you know that?" Midoriya ground out, carrying Shoto over his shoulder. "Your left arm is mangled to hell… but then again, so is my right…." The green-haired boy said, looking over to Todoroki, who was barely conscience.
"The same… can be said about you… Midoriya…." Shoto replied, his head dipping down completely as Midnight, who had been knocked back by the attack ruffled the back of her head.
"Shoto Todoroki is unconscious… Midoriya moves onto the Semi-finals!" Midnight announced as Izuku smirked. Several recovery robots came out of the woodworks, and the two were taken to the medical wing, all the while the arena was being repaired. Yoshihara sat up straight, brushing the sweat from the heat off her forehead as she looked down at the ruined arena from her spot in the stands.
"Midoriya… holy shit… that kind of power output is terrifying…. Depending on if he'll be able to be healed from the wounds he suffered in his fight… if I win my fight with Tokoyami, and if he wins against his opponent in the semi-finals… we'll be fighting… and I don't know if I can beat that…! But if I do fight you, Midoriya… I won't be holding back."
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