Flare Signal
chapter twenty-one
"Akatani."
"Ah— Todoroki. Uh, hi?" Izuku chewed on his lip. "Oh! Good job in the last event. Your team did really well."
Todoroki raised an eyebrow. "Not well enough. You came in first place."
Izuku cleared his throat. "Did you… need something?"
Todoroki tilted his head to the side, gesturing for Izuku to follow. They stepped into a hall, somewhere private and out of the way.
"The last event starts soon, so I won't waste your time," Todoroki said, "but I wanted to talk to you."
"Oh, um, okay?"
Todoroki folded his hands over each other, pale and smooth, like two little birds settling into place.
Izuku had to wonder what Todoroki wanted to talk about. They weren't close, nor were they close to being friends. Maybe it would be another declaration of war.
"You're All Might's illegitimate son, aren't you?"
Whatever Izuku had been expecting, it wasn't that.
"Uhh…?"
Todoroki didn't seem very impressed.
"I've been thinking about it," Todoroki said. "It makes sense. Your Quirks are similar. The way he acts around you, the secrecy… you're his son."
Todoroki blinked slowly, then looked at Izuku through his lashes. "I suspect Akatani may not even be your real name."
Izuku made a high-pitched, wordless noise. Todoroki continued.
"It took me some time to figure out, but I think I understand."
"You… really don't," Izuku said, and then he started laughing. "He— oh, man, he's, he's not… my dad."
Todoroki looked bewildered—the clearest expression Izuku had seen on him yet.
"It's alright," he said finally, "it doesn't matter what your relationship to him is. Regardless, both I and my father consider you his— successor. That makes you my competition."
Izuku was still reeling from the thought of All Might—All Might—being his dad. He frowned.
"Competition?"
Todoroki took in a breath. He'd never looked more serious than when he next spoke.
"Have you ever heard of Quirk marriages, Akatani?"
There, under the stands, Todoroki told Izuku about everything he had left: Endeavor's ambition, an empty pot of boiling water, and half of a Quirk.
Izuku felt sick. He felt the same way as when Hisashi had first blown smoke in his face—eyes burning and stinging, lungs filling with thick darkness, poison seeping into his skin.
"Todoroki," Izuku said, and the name felt bitter in his mouth.
"Don't," Todoroki said. "I don't need your pity, Akatani. I have no use for it."
Izuku swallowed. He wasn't sure what to say, just that he wanted to speak. There were words sitting on his tongue, waiting for him to unfurl them, but he couldn't decipher what they were, couldn't quite taste them.
"But..."
"I only wanted to tell you so you would understand."
Izuku licked his lips. "Understand what?"
Todoroki's hands, which had remained folded throughout their entire conversation, now lifted and then fell to his sides. Like the little birds had dropped from the sky.
"That I refuse to use his Quirk."
Izuku blinked.
"I'm going to beat you," Todoroki said, "because I have to, but I'm going to do it without fire."
"Fire," Izuku echoed.
Todoroki looked him in the eye, waiting for a challenge. Izuku didn't have one for him.
"That is all I wanted to say to you."
Todoroki turned on his heel and stalked away. Izuku watched him go and saw the tense, sharp line of his shoulders. He saw the invisible ice, crackling over Todoroki's skin, enveloping him in a smooth, pristine armor. Ice was strong, Izuku thought, but it could be cracked. It could be broken.
"Todoroki, wait," Izuku said, but his voice was too quiet and Todoroki too far away. He reached out. Todoroki disappeared into the stands, and Izuku was left standing there.
He looked at his hands. Making sure there was no one to see, Izuku conjured for the first time in a while an illusion. Flames danced gently between his fingers, wavering. He thought of Endeavor then—when Izuku and Kacchan were younger, they'd admired Endeavor, too. He was second-best after All Might. The fire hero, the man who could walk through flames, who could withstand any heat.
They'd both wanted to be strong, like All Might, and unyielding, like Endeavor. Izuku bit down hard on the inside of his cheek until it hurt.
Now Izuku knew. All Might was as he'd always been, regardless of being a hero or a civilian. There was no difference between All Might and Yagi Toshinori, except perhaps Toshinori carried more sadness, and his smiles were more genuine. But his heart was the same—his spirit was the same. Izuku had learned that.
Endeavor, it seemed, was the opposite. That victorious smirk, the strong stance he took. The number two hero, ever-burning. Somehow in his bitterness and jealousy he'd turned down a path Izuku could have never imagined.
"I'm sorry," Izuku said aloud, though he knew no one was listening.
Maybe— maybe after the Sports Festival, Izuku could find the chance to speak to Todoroki. If he dared to. He'd offer a hand in friendship, the only thing Izuku could give that was worth anything.
"Akatani?"
Izuku turned and saw All Might striding towards him. A glance around, and then he was just Toshinori again.
"Ah… hey."
Toshinori's wide smile faltered when he saw Izuku's face.
"Are you alright?"
Izuku took in a deep breath, about to say yes, and then stopped. "I don't know."
"Is this about the Sports Festival? Mikumi—"
"Yes, no, I don't know," Izuku said. "It's the Sports Festival, but it's, like, not the Sports Festival. It's, I, I don't know, I can't talk about it."
Toshinori put both hands on Izuku's shoulder.
"Stop," he said, and Izuku did.
"I don't think I can do this."
"Do what?"
Izuku gestured hopelessly. "Any of it. All of it. I'm sorry."
"Everybody's watching," Izuku said, "I know it, and everybody's waiting for me to mess up. And people have noticed that we- that us... that you and me aren't just, I don't know, teacher and student? You said this was my chance to show the world who I am, and I'm going to blow it."
Toshinori's brow creased. "That... I..." he struggled. Izuku swallowed.
"I just can't do it," Izuku said again. He was sure, now, that things were going to start falling apart.
"You can," Toshinori said.
Izuku's face was suddenly pressed against fabric. Toshinori's thin arms wound around him tightly, and Izuku stood shock-still as Toshinori hugged him.
"I know you can do it," Toshinori said in his ear, "because you are strong. I saw that in you when we first met. I still see it in you. It's a spark that no one can take from you."
Izuku's throat went tight.
"Toshinori..."
"I am not asking you to win," Toshinori said gently, pulling back so that he could look Izuku in the face. He took Izuku's chin in a large hand and held it there with long fingers so that Izuku was forced to look him in the eye.
"Then what are you asking me to do?"
"Make your mark. Show the whole world that spark that I see in you. That's all you have to do—be true to yourself, and the rest will follow."
Toshinori let Izuku go and folded him into another hug, looser this time.
"You don't have to be me," Toshinori said. "You just have to be you."
Izuku stared at his mentor, wordless.
"There's a lot on your mind, I can tell," Toshinori said, tapping the side of Izuku's head.
"Don't worry so much, my boy. Let it go."
Izuku dropped his gaze. "For now."
Toshinori gave him a smile and then an expectant look. Izuku sighed, but he stretched his lips upwards into a small smile back. The light in Toshinori's eyes made Izuku feel a little better.
"I'll be rooting for you, alright?"
Izuku nodded.
"Good luck."
"Thanks, Toshinori. I should get going. My first match is soon, I think."
Toshinori was nodding along. A puff of smoke, and then All Might grinned down at him, ruffling Izuku's hair with a large hand.
"Um, this is it, I guess."
All Might put a hand on Izuku's back and then pushed him forwards. "Go on, Akatani."
His friends were in the stands. Uraraka waved when she saw him emerge.
"Hey," Izuku said, plopping down in the empty spot next to her and trying to pretend that none of the events in the last hour had happened. "What's up?"
"What's up is you disappeared on us?"
"S—"
"I'm only joking," Uraraka said, nudging him. "Did you see the match pairings?"
Izuku hummed. "You're up against Bakugou."
Uraraka went rigid. "Yeah."
"You could beat him," Izuku said. "I know you can."
"Don't give me any ideas," Uraraka said, eyes blazing. "I know you've probably got it all worked out in your head, but…"
Izuku touched her shoulder and said, "I believe in you."
"Oh, did you hear?" Uraraka said, "Ojiro dropped from this round."
"What? Why?"
"He said he didn't deserve the spot because he was manipulated, so he couldn't do his best. A Class 1-B kid, too."
Izuku scanned the rows of students, looking for Ojiro. "...Manipulated?"
"Uh-huh," Uraraka replied. "You know that Shinsou kid?"
"From Gen Ed?"
"Yeah. Something about his Quirk."
"Do you know what it is? Looks like I'm going up against him."
Uraraka shook her head. "Sorry, no."
Midnight called for the tournament to begin and for the first opponents to prepare. Izuku's friends wished him luck before he left; he waved and ducked down towards the ring.
Ojiro was waiting for him. "Hey," he said, catching Izuku's arm.
"Ojiro—"
"Be careful with Shinsou, Akatani. Don't speak to him."
Izuku narrowed his eyes, thinking.
"He has a brainwashing Quirk," Ojiro continued, "but a good hit will knock you out of it. Don't let him catch you."
Izuku paused on the thought. "Alright," he said eventually, "thanks for the help, Ojiro."
Ojiro nodded. "Good luck out there."
A brainwashing Quirk, huh? From the little that Ojiro had told him, Izuku could come up with dozens of useful applications. Like Eraserhead's Quirk, Izuku knew that this brainwashing Quirk had a more subtle nature, but could be extremely valuable.
"The possibilities," Izuku muttered to himself as he walked out to where Midnight was standing with Shinsou, "I mean, just incredible. He could diffuse a villain fight in minutes just by talking to them. I wonder what the limits are? Maybe I could test his limits—no, no, that wouldn't be a good idea. Underground work would suit him well. Infiltration could be really easy…"
"Are you done?" a voice drawled.
Izuku opened his mouth on instinct to respond and then stopped himself short. Shinsou looked back at Izuku expectantly, eyes cool.
Izuku turned towards Midnight instead. "I'm ready to begin the match."
Out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw Shinsou's mouth turn downwards. He gave himself a smile, silently thanking Ojiro for the advice.
"You heroes," Shinsou hissed at him. "You're all the same. Born gifted with your Quirks. You think you're on top of the world. You think you deserve everything handed to you on a silver platter because you're powerful, and you can punch things or make them explode."
Izuku bit down hard on his tongue.
"Please separate," Midnight said. "Either side of the ring."
Izuku shuffled dutifully to the left as Shinsou headed right.
"You don't understand what it's like," Shinsou called across the din. Izuku screwed his eyes shut, but didn't react otherwise even though he wanted to. "You don't get it. You'll never get it. You're up there with the golden boys, the flashy ones, Bakugou and Todoroki, aren't you?"
Izuku bit down harder.
You don't understand what it's like for them, he wanted to scream. He thought of Kacchan, pushing himself, always working harder to prove himself. Then he thought of Todoroki, standing under his father's shadow, clawing himself out of it.
"And the first match…. begins!"
Izuku sprang into action. He darted forward.
Shinsou's eyes widened in surprise when Izuku charged towards him. Izuku pressed down on both of his Quirks and went without, tackling Shinsou to the ground. Dust flew up in a hazy cloud.
Izuku growled wordlessly, pinning Shinsou down. It took seconds.
Shinsou glared back up at him. His lips pulled back to reveal bared teeth; he knew they were outmatched in strength and skill. Bonestealer had taught Izuku to fight, and All Might had trained him.
The crowd went wild, roaring. Izuku could barely make out snatches of their words.
Shinsou slipped a hand free. Izuku moved, but Shinsou didn't fight back. Instead he grabbed the front of Izuku's suit and pulled him closer so he could whisper into Izuku's ear.
"And I bet," Shinsou said lowly, just for the two of them, "that you've never been called a villain, hero."
Izuku jerked back like he'd just been dealt a physical blow.
Shinsou was smiling. Izuku couldn't tell what kind of smile it was—if it was razor-sharp and barbed like his words, if it was sad, if he was a hungry wolf.
It didn't matter.
"Go on," Shinsou invited. He tilted his head towards the white line of the boundaries. "Knock me out."
Izuku ground his teeth together.
"How dare you," Izuku said lowly, and the words were almost worth the delighted surprise in Shinsou's eyes. He'd been caught, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
"How dare you," Izuku shouted this time, "do you think we have everything? Do you think we don't bleed for what we do? How can you say that— how can you think that, Shinsou?"
"Get up," Shinsou said.
Izuku's body obeyed, but the words were still pouring from his mouth. Shinsou could make him move, but he couldn't stop the tears from pooling in the corners of Izuku's eyes.
"You're no villain," Izuku said, the last thing he could manage before Shinsou's power snapped over him. "Not even close. You're the one that doesn't understand."
"What a pleasant conversation," Shinsou said. Izuku pressed against the walls of his mind but found he'd lost control entirely. "Now do me a favor, Akatani, and walk outside of the boundaries."
The world seemed to tilt. Shift and change. Then Izuku landed back into the plane of reality, but there was something that wasn't quite right.
This feeling…
He lost his breath when he glanced up. Shinsou was still there. So was the stadium, full of distant people.
Yet the world around him looked completely different, like someone had flipped a switch. And in front of him, dark shapes appeared in twisting smoke.
Fog clouded Izuku's mind. He took a step forward. Izuku's control over himself had dissipated; his limbs felt heavy and awkward as he took another step—closer to the boundaries, and closer to the strange figures that were before him.
"Walk outside of the boundaries." Shinsou's voice came again, but it echoed in the fog.
Some distant part of Izuku was screaming, clawing against the loss. This fog, this feeling like a dream, the control… suddenly Izuku felt it was familiar and known to him. This wasn't just an effect of Shinsou's Quirk. He remembered this, and it was different.
Worse, Izuku thought.
Izuku took another, slow step. So did the eight figures.
He'd seen them before, he thought. Izuku recognized them, in the same way one might meet family for the first time but know somehow, who they were. Like his heart was saying hello.
Half in the ring, half in the dream world, Izuku lifted a hand.
The figure in the center stepped forward. His edges were smoky, but Izuku could see his eyes glowing brightly.
Who are you, Izuku tried to say.
A shadowy hand touched his. Tangible. Real. Iridescent light jumped between where their fingertips touched, and Izuku felt the world shudder around him. He could feel the ground underneath him, steady and still, and understood that he was back in the real world.
The shadows began to fade, but the man in front of Izuku stayed a moment longer.
We are, he told Izuku.
Then he vanished.
Izuku found his vision replaced with the boundaries, drawn in white. His right foot moved forward, and when Izuku looked down at his hand, he saw One for All igniting across it.
His Quirk burned in a way it had never before. Pain bloomed and pooled at the tips of Izuku's fingers, and the heat spread through Izuku's body as One for All fought against Shinsou's Quirk.
Millimeters away from the boundary line, Izuku stopped.
Turned.
Smiled.
"Impossible," Shinsou said, the light in his eyes flickering. Izuku went silent even as the noise around him grew in volume.
Izuku didn't waste any time. He tuned out Shinsou's taunts and went hard, crossing the ring in seconds and forcing Shinsou back further and further.
"I don't have a Quirk like yours," Shinsou yelled. Izuku ducked under his guard and hit Shinsou twice, fast, like he'd been taught. Shinsou brought his arms up; Izuku swept his feet out from under him. He got up.
"You were born to fight," Shinsou continued. Izuku gritted his teeth, hesitating. It was enough for Shinsou to catch him across the face hard, but Izuku didn't let up.
"I wasn't," Shinsou said, breathing heavily. He came in close, swinging.
Izuku caught his arm, shifting a foot back, and then threw his opponent bodily over his shoulder.
"Shinsou has been knocked out of boundaries. Akatani is the winner!"
Izuku stared down at Shinsou.
"You're wrong," Izuku told him.
"Akatani," Midnight said, "you'll be advancing to the next round. Both of you go see Recovery Girl if you need to."
Izuku shook his head. He looked at Shinsou a last time and then walked away.
"Akatani, wait."
Izuku cut him off before he could continue. "Why do you want to be a hero so badly, Shinsou?"
Shinsou blinked at him. "I can't help what I want."
"It's no use thinking of yourself as a villain," Izuku said shortly. "Your Quirk doesn't matter. You've got potential, if you'll use it."
He got a long, contemplative look back.
"Thanks, I guess," Shinsou said, "I'll make it to the Hero Course. Just wait. And don't lose too pitifully next round, Akatani."
Izuku grunted and made to leave. He was worried if they spent any more time talking that he'd snap and say something he'd regret. Izuku felt like a mess: angry and confused.
"Did you mean what you said?" Izuku asked, and the ugly words made anger bubble up in him. "About everything?"
"Did you?"
Izuku stared at Shinsou and then walked away.
"I guess we'll both have to figure that out for ourselves," he called over his shoulder.
Izuku didn't feel like returning to the stands, where inevitably he'd have to talk to his friends. He didn't want to. Izuku liked their company, but he felt like then he'd have to explain things to them.
So instead Izuku took a turn and went to the medical office, barging through the door and throwing himself onto an empty bed.
Recovery Girl poked him. "Hurt?"
Izuku rolled over. "Not badly."
She shoved him into a sitting position and looked him over.
"You're telling the truth this time, hm?" she asked, poking at one of his cuts. There was nothing more than a few scrapes, maybe a forming bruise or two. His fingers ached.
"My head hurts a bit," Izuku said, and she stopped, humming. He let her check his eyes dutifully. "I think it's just an aftereffect of fighting Shinsou, though."
"You seem fine," Recovery Girl confirmed, "which is good, considering you need all the brain cells you can get."
"Hey."
Toshinori poked his head through the door. A lanky body followed.
"That was a good fight," he complimented.
Izuku flopped back onto the bed, covering his face with his arm and groaning into it.
"Sure," he mumbled, "if you want to call it that. I don't think it was very impressive. It probably looked boring."
"You broke yourself free from Shinsou's Quirk. That's no small feat."
Izuku sat up, lighting jolting through him.
"I- I saw something, when he, when I was under his influence." Izuku looked around and saw no one else in the infirmary, but he lowered his voice anyway. "People. Figures. Eight of them."
"Eight…?"
"The wielders of One for All," Izuku said, "well, at least I think that's who they were."
"I see."
"He helped me," Izuku blurted. He didn't know why he needed to say it.
"It's alright," Toshinori said, "I used to see them, too, when I was younger. One for All is a difficult Quirk to understand, but I believe what we see are simply imprints, if you will, of the former users, from passing down the Quirk."
Izuku opened his mouth. Closed it.
"But," he said, then trailed off.
He spoke to me, Izuku wanted to say. He was real.
"Don't worry about that now," Toshinori said, "because regardless of the imprints… it was you that summoned One for All, to break yourself free. You should go watch the rest of the matches."
"Yeah," Izuku said shakily, and tried again, "Yeah."
By the time Izuku returned to the stands, the next match was over. He walked out in time to see Sero frozen in ice, tape scattered. Todoroki had beaten him, but now he was standing next to the pillar of ice, slowly melting it with his fire.
Izuku searched along the stands to where most of the pro heroes were sitting and found Endeavor. Then he looked back to the hero's son. Seeing Todoroki slowly melt the ice until it disappeared only made him sad.
The first round passed by quickly. To Izuku's joint delight and disappointment, Shiozaki from Class 1-B took down Kaminari in the blink of an eye.
Iida's opponent was Hatsume, which Izuku wasn't sure about. Both were strong in their own right: Iida had a quite powerful Quirk, but Hatsume was challenging with her devices and support items.
The fight wasn't much of one. Izuku winced in sympathy as the two played cat-and-mouse; he couldn't say he was very surprised when Hatsume used the opportunity to show off her 'babies' before stepping out of bounds.
"Winner by default," Izuku muttered, hissing through his teeth. "Sorry, Iida."
Ashido tore through Aoyama's defenses to a cheering crowd in the fifth match. In the sixth, Izuku found himself pleasantly surprised when Tokoyami beat Yaoyorozu.
As interesting as they were to watch, Izuku found his attention straying during the matches. He couldn't stop thinking about his own match with Shinsou—everything his opponent had said, and the appearance of the previous holders of One for All.
Izuku scribbled a few notes down absentmindedly in code but eventually stopped writing and simply stared at the half-empty page.
Hisaishi was watching, Izuku suddenly remembered. Heroes weren't the only ones who watched the Sports Festival. The villains did, too, to see what they were up against.
"Sensei," Izuku whispered to himself as Midnight called for the next match.
Was Sensei—All for One—watching? Izuku could see the television screen in his mind, then his own reflection. Could All for One see this little dragon, wings flared?
In the ring below, light flashed.
Izuku was jolted back into reality as he watched Kacchan and Uraraka meet each other again and again. He watched Uraraka pick herself up, watched the two of them shine brilliantly like stars.
"Go," Izuku whispered, not sure who he was cheering for.
The fight ended as Izuku expected—Kacchan won. He hadn't gone easy on Uraraka at all, and she'd put up a tough fight.
After it was over, Izuku hesitated only for a moment before going down to see Uraraka. She'd wanted to win so badly. Her strategy had been good—really, really good. Kacchan had only won through sheer firepower.
Izuku followed her back from the infirmary and was about to head into the waiting room when he heard her crying.
Izuku stopped outside the door, then carefully looked in and found his friend on the floor, knees drawn to her chest. Izuku swallowed hard and backed away. He wanted to go in, to talk to her, but… the truth was, Izuku wasn't sure what he'd say. She was strong. She was capable. Yet it hadn't been enough.
You 1:24 PM
I'm proud of you.
It didn't feel like enough. Izuku resolved to talk to her again if he could, but he knew his time was short before his next match.
Izuku slowly shuffled away from the waiting room, intending to head back to the stands to the catch the match between Tetsutetsu and Kirishima.
"You," someone called.
Izuku stopped in the middle of the hallway. Endeavor walked towards him. He looked every bit the hero that Izuku remembered admiring, but suddenly Izuku could see an ugliness in him he'd never seen before.
"Endeavor," Izuku said coolly. "Excuse me, I have to prepare for my match."
"That's why I'm here," Endeavor said. He stepped closer, and the hair on the back of Izuku's neck raised. Izuku clenched his fists at his side and felt that deep pool of anger begin to rise again.
"I don't see what you have to do with my match," Izuku said.
"You're fighting my son."
"And?"
Endeavor's eyes flashed. "Watch your tone." He looked over Izuku, like he couldn't believe who he was talking to. "Your Quirk... from my understanding, it's one that could rival All Might's."
His distaste was clear. Izuku ground his teeth together.
"If you have nothing else to say to me, sir, I'll take my leave."
"I only wanted to ask you to give Shouto your best," Endeavor told him. "He is going to be the best hero. I don't want you to throw your match and disgrace him."
Izuku ran his tongue over his teeth and tried to pick his next words.
"It doesn't matter what you think," he said finally, and Endeavor reared back, eyes widening. "It's not your fight. It's mine and Todoroki's."
"I have no say?"
Izuku's lip curled. "Regardless of how similar my power may be to All Might's, I'm not him."
Be you, Toshinori had said. Izuku looked Endeavor in the eye.
"Todoroki isn't you, either." He bowed partly and then stepped around Endeavor to leave. "I think it would do you good to remember that."
Izuku stalked into the ring and found himself face-to-face with Todoroki.
"Take me seriously," he told Todoroki.
Todoroki blinked. "I will."
Todoroki wasn't going to use his fire. He'd told Izuku before that he refused to win with it. So it came as no surprise when the match began and ice immediately raced across the ground towards him.
Izuku watched it come calmly. He met Todoroki's eyes and then fired up One for All, blasting away the ice before it could reach him.
Then he dug his heels in for the long game.
A sheet of ice formed again. Izuku raced forward, One for All pulsing, and sent a blast of power right at Todoroki.
His opponent didn't let himself be taken out so easily, slamming back against a wall of ice.
Ice, again. Izuku gritted his teeth and shattered that, too.
"You're not taking me seriously, Todoroki," Izuku called. "You said you would."
"I am."
"You're not!"
Izuku smashed through another wave of ice, but he'd gotten distracted. Todoroki raised a hand, and Izuku looked down to find ice creeping up his ankle. It shone like crystal in the sun and climbed higher, until Izuku was frozen in place.
He didn't have time to free himself and only barely brought up his defense when Todoroki attacked. Ice scraped past Izuku's cheek, so cold it burned, and something wet slid down his skin.
For some reason, it made Izuku angry.
He'd been angry before—at the world, at its unfairness, at Endeavor, at All for One, and at himself. But it was fury that sent One for All spiralling down into his fingertips, and it was fury that tore through the blast of ice and freed him.
Izuku held his broken index finger carefully as he shifted on his numb feet.
"Are you really here to be a hero?"
Todoroki only response was the crackle of ice.
"Answer me!" Izuku shouted. One for All surged through another finger.
"Why do I have to?" Todoroki asked. His eyes flickered to Izuku's hand; Izuku fired up Full Cowl again, dancing out of the way as Todoroki chased him.
"Because you're not acting like it."
A second later, Izuku had a hand balled in the front of Todoroki's suit, their faces close to each other. Izuku shoved him, then followed with a fist that sent Todoroki stumbling back.
He dropped Full Cowl and hit Todoroki again before he could form more ice. Izuku fought—dirty, like Bonestealer liked. He slammed a hard fist into Todoroki's side.
Frost formed on Izuku's arm. He ignored the numbness—Bonestealer had taught him that, too—and threw Todoroki over his shoulder.
"You haven't been listening to me," Izuku said, standing over him.
Todoroki shot up. Ice burst outwards from underneath his feet, but a flash of green lighting sent him sprawling.
"Are you listening now?"
"What do you want?" Todoroki bit out. He scrambled to his feet—Izuku was wearing him down, slowly, but if he let up, Todoroki was strong enough to win.
"You want to be number one?" Izuku shouted. He let Todoroki trap him. "You're aiming for the top and—what, you're only going to use half your power? What the hell are you thinking?"
There. A spark of something. Frustration, maybe, or anger in Todoroki's face. Izuku let it fan his own raging fire and broke free again.
"Did my father put you up to this?" Todoroki yelled, chest heaving. "Is that what this is?"
"You're blind," Izuku said. Todoroki charged him again, but he was slow. Weaker than before.
Izuku flung him to the ground again.
"I'm going to ask you again," Izuku yelled, "are you going to be a hero or not, Todoroki?"
"Shut up!"
Izuku forced Todoroki backwards.
"I want to be a hero," Izuku said, pushing Todoroki back another step, "because I want to live up to All Might's expectations. So I can save people. So I can be a hero who helps people with a smile."
Another step.
"Is this what you think being a hero is?"
Another step. Izuku blocked Todoroki's half-hearted attempt at another wave of ice and felt a terrible and raw satisfaction when he hit Todoroki again.
"You're doing this, and you're not going to give it your all?" Izuku grabbed Todoroki, ignoring the ice, ignoring the pain, and shouted in his face. "You're doing that so you can disown your dad? Huh?"
He flung Todoroki down, next to the boundary line.
Close. Close. Close enough that Izuku could make one more move, and he'd win the match and move on.
It wasn't about winning, anymore. It wasn't about moving on. It was about facing someone who looked like him, who wouldn't give Izuku his all even though Izuku had fought for it.
"Get up," Izuku said, "and fight me like you mean it. I saw your dad earlier, Todoroki. Do you want to know what I told him?"
Todoroki stared up at him. His gaze was sharp yet distant at the same time.
Izuku forged forward. "I told Endeavor that you aren't the same as him. It's not his Quirk, Todoroki. It's yours. It belongs to you."
Todoroki got up.
Izuku was shaking. Exhaustion, anger, whichever one came first.
"I want to be a hero," Izuku told Todoroki, eyes burning.
Todoroki looked at Izuku like he'd never seen him before. Then something happened: fire burst forth, red and gold flames erupting from Todoroki's side, and he smiled.
"I want to be a hero, too," Todoroki said finally. Izuku grinned, and One for All sang as he called it up to the surface for the final time.
"Let's give it our all, Todoroki."
The two ran towards each other. Izuku sent a blast of pressure towards Todoroki, feeling One for All explode outwards.
"Stop! Stop the match!"
He couldn't. Ice raced towards him, followed by a raging inferno. Izuku braced himself, One for All crackling.
Izuku could win the match. He could, he thought, the thrill of power racing through him. He was bright, brighter than any star. He could do it.
Time stopped. Just for a moment.
Just long enough for Izuku to see the flames bursting towards him. There were no shadowy figures. There were no reflections. But Izuku could taste the smoke, could see again that little square television and that smooth voice. He could see his father.
Little dragon, Sensei said in Izuku's mind.
He faltered.
Light. Heat. Weightlessness, like Izuku really had wings and was flying.
When Izuku blinked, he was on the ground, staring up at hazy clouds and wondering if they were smoke instead. He still felt like he was floating.
Distantly, Todoroki was announced the winner. Izuku found his feet and curled them underneath him, pushing himself up to stand. The world spun a bit, but Izuku steadied himself.
"Akatani," he heard, and Todoroki crossed the ring to grip Izuku's shoulder before he could fall again. "Thank you."
Izuku blinked at him. "That's what heroes do."
He was whisked away to the infirmary. Recovery Girl yelled at him, but Izuku couldn't quite focus on her words. He knew they were important. Izuku let them pass through his ears anyway. All he could think about was how tired he was.
"Are you listening to me?"
Izuku squinted at Recovery Girl.
"Not really," he mumbled back. "How bad is it?"
She pursed her lips. "Not as bad as it could be, but—"
Izuku suddenly spotted Toshinori behind her shoulder and reached out for him. His mentor took his hand.
"I'm sorry," Izuku said.
"Why did you do that?"
Izuku had to think about it. "He needed my help."
Recovery Girl huffed and smacked Toshinori's shoulder. "This is your fault."
Toshinori searched Izuku's face, then said, "Your match was— an unfortunate outcome. As your mentor, I have to ask you not to do this again. You're going to hurt yourself beyond repair."
"Sorry," Izuku offered.
Toshinori squeezed Izuku's shoulder. "You did something today you should be proud of, though. I don't know exactly what young Todoroki struggles with, but you reached out to him… and he listened to you. That is one of the principal qualities of being a hero."
Izuku almost cried, but Recovery Girl interrupted the conversation before he could. "Are you done?"
She pinned them both with a look that could send any villain running. "Those injuries won't heal themselves."
The door burst open, and Izuku heard more than saw his friends' voices piling over each other. It made his chest fill with warmth.
It did not have the same effect on Recovery Girl. She whirled on them.
"Out! Get out! All of you, out!"
"Chiyo…"
"Enough," Recovery Girl said. She jabbed a finger in Toshinori's chest. "You've had your time. Now all of you leave!"
"I don't know why I'm still here," she grumbled once the room had cleared. "Now, you're going to miss the rest of the Festival—"
Izuku whined. She frowned at him.
"That's what you get. Your injuries aren't so terrible, but that does not mean you can do this again, hear me? Stop smiling. If you're good, I might let you catch the end of the Festival."
"Copy that," Izuku said.
He ended up sleeping through the rest of the Festival, like Recovery Girl had told him. When he woke up again, the worst of his injuries were gone, left with only a few bandages tight against his skin.
"Don't do anything stupid," Recovery Girl warned him.
"Yes, ma'am."
She glared at him. Izuku smiled pleasantly back, but there was nothing Izuku could do. All of the fight had left him, draining away slowly until it was gone.
"Don't come back."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Izuku said, sighing. He made his way out of the infirmary and watched the awards ceremony from the edges.
Kacchan had placed first. It made Izuku proud to see him there, but his childhood friend didn't seem very pleased about it. Todoroki was second, and Izuku smiled when he saw Tokoyami in third.
All Might appeared to give the winners their medals. Izuku watched him speak quietly to each person and found himself relieved he hadn't won after all. Up there, there was no hiding.
"Everyone here had a strong chance of making it to this podium," All Might said, and his voice echoed around the entire stadium. The Sports Festival was ending; Izuku, unnoticed, began to slip away. "It makes me proud to stand here having seen every student put forth their best effort, and I want to congratulate you on your incredible work."
Out on the street, Izuku could still hear his mentor's words. He'd already changed out of his clothes in the infirmary, but now Izuku fit a hoodie over his head. The crosswalk he'd been waiting at turned green. Izuku followed the lines and continued forward.
He paused on the street corner and looked back.
Distantly, Izuku heard the echoes of All Might's voice chasing him.
"The next generation of heroes looks bright."
Izuku nodded slowly to himself, then stuck his hands in his pockets and began to take his path away from the winner's circle.
END: PART ONE
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