Chương 21: A Mighty Conclusion
Shinso felt apprehension as he stood in the arena, hands in his pockets and his Artificial Vocal Chords covering his lower face. Across from him, Todoroki was standing still, eyes on Shinso as they waited for the match to start.
Todoroki had power and skill, and Shinso doubts that standard brainwash tactics would work on his peppermint-haired classmate. He's gonna have to rely on everything he has if he wants to win this match.
The wait didn't take long as Present Mic soon finished with introductions and Midnight prepared herself to announce the second round of the semifinals.
"Are both fighters ready?" Midnight asked.
Both fighters gave a nod as they fell into their respective stances.
"BEGIN!"
Todoroki immediately sent a wave of ice that Shinso managed to dodge at the last second.
'Limiter Release!'
Quickly applying his new supermove, Shinso utilized the explosive power granted by his hysterical strength and rushed towards the hybrid quirk user. 'Todoroki excels in mid to long range combat with his quirk. If I can get close, I should be able to win!'.
Shinso threw a fist that his opponent managed to duck under, but Todoroki couldn't properly defend himself against the kick Shinso sent to his side.
The purple haired brainwasher then followed up with a haymaker that connected with Todoroki's cheek. Dazed from the attack, Todoroki was helpless as Shinso grabbed him by the neck and shoulder and started pushing him to the edge of the arena.
Gritting his teeth through the pain, Todoroki made a last ditch effort and grabbed onto the arm that was holding him. A cold aura appeared around him as he froze Shinso's arm by the elbow.
The flash of pain registered which caused Shinso to lose control of his self hypnosis. Knowing he lost the advantage, Shinso quickly let go of Todoroki and kicked back to gain some distance. He grimaced as his right hand lay limp covered in a layer of frost. Everything from the elbow down felt numb and he couldn't move it at all.
'Dammit, everything feels like crap. Looks like it's time to bring out the big guns.'
There was a reason Shinso opted to not speak since the fight started. Prior to the match, he set his Vocal Chords to match the voice of a particular person. One that he knows will definitely push all of Todoroki's wrong buttons.
"What a disappointment, Shoto."
Todoroki, who was about to unleash an attack, froze in his tracks at the voice of his father.
"Still you use only half your power. If you had used your fire, this match would have already ended." The voice continued to speak.
Todoroki's logical side knew that the one currently speaking was Shinso. He knew that his classmate was only trying to taunt him into speaking so he could use his quirk. However, to hear those words from that voice yet again irked him to no end. He wanted nothing more then to lash out at the voice of the man who tore his family apart. It was a tug of war between his emotions on which course of action his body should take.
Luckily for Todoroki however, his logical side won out. Had Shinso done this before his match with Midoriya, then on all accounts his purple-haired classmate would have attained victory. But his fight with Midoriya helped him gain another perspective on his one-sided hatred against his father. This allowed him to clamp on his instinctive anger, and allowed him to move with a clearer head.
Todoroki immediately slammed his right hand towards his mouth and froze it shut. Now no matter how angry and loose he becomes, no sound will come out of his mouth.
Shinso's eyes were wide as he didn't expect that sudden move. Todoroki took advantage of the surprise as he waved his arm and sent a giant wave of ice towards Shinso's direction. The brainwasher tried to move away but failed to do so in time when a jolt of pain came from his right arm. In the end, he could do nothing as the ice covered him completely.
"Shinso is unable to move! Todoroki advances to the finals!" Midnight announced to the stadium.
Despite the results, the spectators cheered the both of them for reaching this far in the competition.
"YEAHHHH FOLKS! What an incredible fight! And with this, we have both finalists! It's Akio Kazuya versus Shoto Todoroki!!!" Present Mic rallied the spectators. "We'll have a 15 minute break before the final round, so make sure to stay tuned for the epic showdown!"
Back in the arena, Shinso, who was shivering like mad from the cold, was being thawed out by Todoroki. The boy himself was looking into the stands at one man. Todoroki noticed Endeavour returned his look with a narrowed and intimidating gaze. He just looked away and continued to melt the ice to free his classmate.
— The Warping Hero —
Endeavour felt proud and frustrated at his son's victory. Shoto used nothing else but his ice in the entire festival, barring his one fight with the green haired kid, Izuku Midoriya, he thinks the boy's name was. On one hand, he's proud since with only half his power, Shoto proved his strength by reaching all the way to the finals of the competition. At another, his stubbornness on not using his fire will only prove to hamper him once he reaches the limits of his power. He would lose effectiveness as a hero and would only be a liability if this keeps up.
He was ecstatic when his son used his flames in his second round fight against Midoriya. But yet again he refuses to use it in his semi final match. Things could have ended much quicker had Shoto unleashed everything, but he remained stubborn and that almost cost him the match.
Endeavour could only shake his head at that. Shoto is supposed to be the one who will surpass All Might. That is a feat he has absolute confidence his son will be able to achieve one day. If only the boy realizes himself of the potential he possesses. It truly was such a pity.
His mind subconsciously turned to his other son who he deemed to be his successor. One with massive potential only for it to be dropped the moment they learned of his weakness. Flames even hotter than his, but a body not fit to contain it.
Endeavour gave a sigh at that. Remembering everything that happened up to the point. All the things he did.
He would never admit it, but Enji Todoroki dearly misses his family. Toya was missing and presumed dead. His wife is being treated in a mental hospital for nearly killing her own son. He has three children that he doesn't talk to.
If there was one thing the prideful number 2 hero regrets, it was the tragedy that befell his family.
His pride however, refuses to allow him to make amends. Not until his dream of surpassing All Might becomes reality.
On the corner of his eye, Endeavour noticed his son looking at him. Narrowing his eyes, he looked back towards his son in a stern gaze. He fully expected his son to express his anger, or to at least show some form of disgust. To his surprise, Shoto just turned away with no change in emotion.
Endeavour hmm'ed in thought. Perhaps his fight with Midoriya did something after all?
— The Warping Hero —
Kazuya sighed in his seat as he saw the outcome of the match. Shinso's quirk supposedly brings no advantages in combat and he's genuinely impressed Shinso figured out a way around it to increase his efficiency in battle. But apparently it wasn't enough. Shinso definitely put up a good fight, but Todoroki proved superior and managed to secure the win.
Kazuya stood up from his seat in the stands. 'I better get ready. This next fight definitely won't be easy.'
"Hey Kazuya, good luck on your fight!" Mina cheered.
"We're rooting for you prez!" Kaminari gave a thumbs up.
"Both finalists are from 1A! Show them all what our class is made of!"
Kazuya chuckled at their enthusiasm. "I'll do my best. Thanks guys."
Kazuya was making his way to the waiting room before suddenly deciding on making a detour towards the infirmary.
There, he found Shinso being treated by Recovery Girl, who gave him a kiss as he was sipping on a hot beverage.
"Somehow, I just knew you were gonna come through those doors." Shinso said as soon as Recovery Girl finished with her examinations. She soon left the room to check on Aizawa who was scheduled for a check up.
Kazuya smirked. "Heh, then you should've known to save me some of the gummies that Recovery Girl gave you." He pointed to the empty wrappers by Shinso's bedside. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine." Shinso said as he let out a breath.
"Hitoshi.."
"What do you want me to say, Akio? That's I'm pissed as all hell for losing after making it so close to the finals? I'm not that petty."
"I didn't say you were." Kazuya said. "You did your best. That's enough."
"Yeah, but he sure as hell didn't. I'm just pissed off Todoroki beat me with only half his strength. It feels insulting." Shinso scoffed as he crossed his arms.
"Yeah, I get that. But don't let that get to you. I'm sure you've noticed yourself but there's something going on between Todoroki and his old man. Whatever it is can't be good considering Todoroki's behaviour."
Shinso sighed at that. "Yeah, I know. I noticed during his fight with Midoriya. That's why I tried to catch him off guard with Endeavour's voice. It didn't work." Shinso grumbled in the last part.
Kazuya just snorted. "Was that what you tried to do? We couldn't hear much of you two talking from the stands."
"Not surprising. In any case, go ahead and get ready. You're match is going to start soon." Shinso stated. "Just do me a favor and kick his ass."
"Gotcha." Kazuya grinned. He gave Shinso a thumbs up before leaving the med-bay and continuing his way to the waiting room.
There's a fight he needs to prepare for.
— The Warping Hero —
"OH YEAHHHHH! We're here folks! Welcome to the finals of the first year's Sports Festival!" Present Mic announced in a loud and boisterous voice. On both sides of the arena, the two finalists are making themselves known as they walk to the center stage.
"With everything they've done on this festival, introductions are unnecessary! So let's welcome our competitors for the final match, it's Kazuya and Todoroki!!"
Cheers filled the stadium as the two finalists entered the arena. All around the viewer stands, spectators were screaming in awe and excitement.
"Are the two fighters ready?" Midnight announced as she eyed the two fighters. The stadium fell into a lull silence as everyone focused on the match ahead.
Midnight nodded once both of them gave her the affirmative. "Then, begin!"
Neither of them waited for the other to make the first move. Once the start was announced, both competitors unleashed their attacks.
'Partial Displacement.' [Teleporting parts of a marked object. The named version of the attack he did against the zero pointers.]
'Ice Encampment.'
The wave of ice that Todoroki sent crumbled as Kazuya displaced parts of it with a flurry of knives. The teleported ice appearing on the grass on the outside of the arena.
Kazuya continued with the attack as he tried to throw a knife towards Todoroki. The latter however, countered by conjuring walls of ice in front of him. 'I have to prevent him from reaching me. As long as I prevent any markers from reaching me, I should be fine.'
Kazuya looked at the walls that sprouted in front of him before dual wielding two kunais on each hand. A red glow emanated from each handle as the blades started to gain a reddish hue.
'Dimension Blade.'
Kazuya then rushed forward and cut through any wall that stood in his way. Todoroki was ready for it as the moment Kazuya breached the last wall, he found Todoroki's hand reaching for his face. Utilizing his reflexes to his advantage, Kazuya threw one of his knives upwards above his opponent's head. Just as Todoroki was inches away from touching him, Kazuya reappeared above Todoroki, while hand snatching the knife out of the air.
Quickly turning off his technique lest risk severe injury, Kazuya then slashed his other knife downwards, catching Todoroki in his outstretched arm.
"Urk!" Todoroki instinctively pulled his arm back from the pain while simultaneously slamming his foot on the ground. A large cone of ice was summoned that nearly impaled the still airborne Kazuya had he not managed to flash away on time.
Kazuya just stood watching Todoroki grit his teeth in pain. "You know you won't win this, Todoroki. Not without using all your quirk. You could have prevented me from reaching you if you used your flames, so why didn't you?"
Todoroki just scowled. 'Ever since I fought Midoriya…' He gritted his teeth. 'Ever since then, I became unsure of what I should do.'
Visions of his mom and his fight with the verdette started appearing in his mind.
'I-I don't want to be like Dad!'
'It's your power!'
'I want to live up to everyone's expectations..'
'I wanna be hero too!'
Suddenly, heat began to radiate from Todoroki's left side. Flames could be seen flickering, covering the left side of his face and arms. The lingering frost left on Todoroki's right side began to melt as steam started to appear all around him.
"There ya go…" Kazuya grinned as he looked at the sight before him.
"You're just the same as he is. If you want to win, then you should stop making me go all out!" Todoroki declared as he aimed his left fist and let loose a wave of flames. Kazuya simply sidestepped before rushing Todoroki.
"What can I say? I'd like to see what you could do at your best." Kazuya threw a flurry of knives only for Todoroki to raise an ice wall to block them.
'Perfect.'
Kazuya then threw a knife upwards in a high angle above Todoroki's head. "Let's see how you handle this then."
All the ice walls that Todoroki used to block the knives since the match started, added with the ones he just created, suddenly reappeared above him, gravity causing them to fall at high speeds.
Todoroki concentrated flames to his left hand before unleashing it in a massive blast that consumed all the incoming ice meteors.
This however, made him vulnerable for Kazuya to get in close. Just as Kazuya was about to tag Todoroki with a mark, the peppermint-haired student unleashed the powers of both sides simultaneously. Frost and cold air wisped from his right half while flames flicker from his left. The sudden burst in different temperatures sent the teleporter flying backwards from the resulting shockwave.
Quickly righting himself midair, Kazuya grounded himself as he teleported two knives back to his hands.
No words were exchanged as Todoroki used his ice to thoroughly chill the air in the area around him. He then used his flames to rapidly heat the air and expand it. This resulted in a super-heated blast that went flying towards Kazuya's location.
The teleporter just grinned as he aimed both knives parallel to the ground, the blades being pointed towards Todoroki. A red glow symbolized the usage of the technique as the Heatwave was absorbed into one of the knives before reappearing from the other.
"Redirection!"
Todoroki could only widen his eyes as he was forced to subject to his own attack, the heatwave slamming into him with the force of a potent explosion. Once the steam cleared, everyone could see Todoroki stuck in the walls of the stadium, well outside of the designated arena.
There was a moment of silence in the stadium. It all changed the moment Kazuya raised his fist into the air. At once, the whole crowd erupted into cheers and thunderous applause.
"Todoroki is out of bounds, Kazuya is the winner! The Champion for the first-year Sports Festival is Akio Kazuya of Class 1A!"
Kazuya had a triumphant grin on his face. He faced his class booth and met the stares of his classmates who were all cheering on him. He gave them all a victory sign.
He did it. All that training, the sweat, the blood, the tears. They were all worth it. He could now say for sure he is among the best of the next generation of heroes. He is one step closer to achieving the dream he's had ever since childhood.
— The Warping Hero —
In a coffee shop owned by the Kazuya's, Mama Kazuya was cheering and crying at the same time.
"That's my baby boy! I'm so proud huaaaa…"
The dad was no better as he had the largest smile anyone has ever seen on him. He bragged to anyone listening that the winner of the sports festival was his son.
"I raised that boy. Taught him everything I know. Mhm." He gave a nod as to convince everyone it was the truth.
Every single patron of the coffee shop just laughed and cheered along with them, as the mood was much to joyous to be ruined.
"To celebrate Akio winning the Sports Festival, all your orders from today are on the house!"
"AYEEEEEE!!!"
Safe to say, things were going pretty well in the Kazuya household.
— The Warping Hero —
Soon enough, came the Awarding Ceremony. I was in a joyful mood. Everything I've ever worked for was finally made clear as I stood at the first place podium.
The students from all classes were standing in formation around us. Midnight moderating the ceremony with her ever loving skin-tight outfit.
"In third place, we have Juzo Honenuki and Hitoshi Shinso!"
The stadium cheered for the two of them. I glanced at Shinso and saw him with a satisfied smile. He may not have achieved the goal he initially aimed for, but it looks like he's content on making it into the top 3.
"In second place, we have Shoto Todoroki!"
The stadium cheered louder as Todoroki stood there stoically. He had no change in expression but he did have a small smile. Looks like Shinso's not the only one who accepted his loss.
And last but not least, it was my turn.
"In first place, coming in as the champion for the first–year's Sports Festival, Akio Kazuya!"
Once my name got announced, the stadium cheered the loudest they ever did. Honestly,any louder and it might get into my head.
"Now for the medals, presenting them is the number one hero himself, All Might!"
"I am…" All Might's iconic voice made everyone nearly jump in excitement. "...here with the medals!!"
Suffice to say, hearing the cheers, awe, and excitement that All Might received from his entrance, I got humbled.
Soon enough, All Might began awarding us with the medals.
"Young Honenuki! Congratulations. You possess great power and a good mind in using it. Make sure to cultivate them and become the great hero I know you will become." All Might said as he awarded Honenuki with a bronze medal.
"Thank you, All Might. I will take your words to heart." Juzo replied.
All Might then awarded the medal to Shinso. "Congratulations, young Shinso. Your performance was exceptional. Believe it or not, I know a little better than most how scary and prejudiced the world can be. You have done well in proving them all wrong. Be proud of yourself!"
I could tell that All Might's words meant a lot to Shinso, judging from his shaky voice. "Thank you, All Might. You have no idea what your words mean to me." Shinso said with his head bowed.
Then he moved towards Todoroki. "Young Todoroki, congratulations!" As he awarded the silver medal, he talked to Todoroki. "I don't know what exactly happened or the circumstances leading to it. But I'm glad you freed yourself from your shackles. You have a good heart, Young Todoroki. I hope that whatever it is, you may find peace in the answers you seek."
Todoroki replied with a quiet voice, which I barely managed to hear. "Midoriya forced me to use my quirk. I was lost and he helped guide me back. I can see why you've taken an interest in him. I still have things to figure out, but I promise you I'll become the hero I know I can be."
All Might gave him a hug and whispered something into his ear which I unfortunately could't hear.
He then moved towards me. "Young Kazuya! Congratulations! You show exceptional skill and you possess the heart of a true hero. There's no one else but you that is more deserving of this gold medal. Accept it with pride, Young Kazuya!"
"Thank you, All Might." I said with a wide smile.
"Not just these four, but every student here has went well and beyond! So say it with me!! One, two,..."
"PLUS ULTRA!" "Thanks for the hard work!!"
"Eh?"
"What was that All Might?"
"Oh uh.. Well it's just they worked really hard so…"
—————————————————————————————————————————
This marks the end of the Sports Festivals!
Next up, internships! And boy do we have a journey ahead of us.
But before that, Hero Names!
I've got a few names ready for both Kazuya and Shinso so I'm throwing up a poll on my pat_reon. Make sure to check it out!
I also brought back the first person perspective on that last bit. Should I stick to third person or is first person more enjoyable to read?
Advanced chapters and other benefits on my Patr_eon! Make sure to check it out.
P atr eon /TeemVizzle
(Remove the spaces)
That's all from me!
Cheers!
Trivia: If you receive 1 all-granting wish with no limitations (aside from getting more wishes or omnipotence since that's a lazy answer), what would you wish for?
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