Green Scale
Chapter 15 ~ False Hero
Rated M
I Don't Own MHA
Izuku walked up the stadium stairs with a conflicted and hurt look on his face as he tried to ignore the pain in his arms and legs. In his anger, he'd put too much power into his attacks and ended up damaging his limbs slightly. They were throbbing and his arms were slightly purple from the swelling and damage to his muscles, and it hurt far more than one would think…
He'd been so caught up in beating Bakugou into the ground that he forgot about his next match against Shoto Todoroki, the guy who would no doubt capitalize on this weakness. His arms were near unusable and his legs were damaged to the point that he was limping, and while it was not nearly as bad as after the cavalry battle, he would still be limited in both his offence and defence.
Todoroki fought while holding nothing but his fire back, drowning his opponents in his huge waves of ice that seemed almost never ending. Izuku figured out before the mock battle that his ice would slowly freeze up the left side of his body, and although that was helpful, it was almost irrelevant since Izuku's disadvantages heavily outweigh whatever stiffness the son of Endeavor would have to go through.
He'd only just been to Recovery Girl to salvage any strength he could, but it only served to get his breath back and heal the broken rib that Bakugou gave him. He'd go into the final with a fresh set of lungs and zero fatigue, but on the other hand, he would be fighting with a half smashed body. If he had time between fights, he would try and find a way to limit what damage was inflicted on him by his own quirk, but he barely had a break between matches and could only focus on the fights and how to win them.
No amount of healing would be able to compensate for the loss of Carla, who was able to negate any damage he received. She brought him back from a state of near death with just a slight usage of her quirk and looked to not be in any discomfort while doing so. Should she have been present now, he would easily be able to win against the fire and ice user, claiming the top spot at the festival, and now that she wasn't? Well it was around a 50/50 chance of success.
"Even though I beat Bakugou...was it worth it?" he asked himself as he trudged up the steel steps. His legs were heavy and he needed to rest, but the match had taken a load out of him to the point that even walking was like a chore to him. He had some time before he had to get to the tunnel, and in that time he could be strategizing, but he was far too caught up by his injuries to care.
He was a physical type when you forgot his fire existed, and Todoroki was a ranged type through and through; his only notable strength up close being his martial arts that were barely above the amateur level. In most cases, he would be able to crush the ice instantly and advance on the son of Endeavor, but his body would hardly let that happen…
What seemed to be an easy victory was now looking like an even fight between equals, and that was something that Izuku didn't want…
He knew about Todoroki's goals and why he wanted to win, so he had invested time into trying to see how to help him in his current state, and he'd come to the conclusion that convincing him through his own power was the only viable option, though trying to talk sense into someone while they were in the midst of a heated battle was a waste of breath. He'd shown himself to Todoroki not as the Izuku that everyone thought they'd knew, but as the one raised by Michael Midoriya. He was so arrogant and condescending to the kid that he just had to win this, and if he didn't, not only would Shoto fail to get the aid he needed, but Izuku would look like a complete and utter fool to his rival.
It was fine to be arrogant as long as you know your own strength and didn't slip into a deluded state like Bakugou, but not being able to back up your words is just pathetic. That was what his brother believed, and he was the guy that suggested Izuku act kind and polite whenever there was a chance, so he wouldn't be caught out by someone he believed as weak. He'd said loads of things to Todoroki and even insulted what the boy was fighting for, and although he had bigger problems for himself, saying that to someone is like demanding to be beaten.
He had his father and brother to impress, and he needed to show that he was strong to both the pros that could improve and stabilize his quirk, and to the devilish faction of villains under the literal wing of his dark counterpart Red Scale, while Todoroki was fighting to defy his abusive father and only win the tournament with his mothers quirk. They were both fighting for something, and it was Izuku's aim to make both their goals complete in one match…
The kid needed to learn that what he is doing will only result in him becoming more of a villain than a hero…
"Excuse me!" a loud and deep voice called out to him from behind.
Izuku already had his talons ready as a result of the last time he was attacked from behind, but this time he couldn't sense any nasty air about this person that was directed to him, so he turned around…
When he got a gauge on the man's power, he realised that it was in the same court of All Might and the Nomu, only slightly weaker. This made Izuku curious, because there could only be one person near that level of strength…
When he faced the huge man, he saw flames. Bright orange ones… They were not even close to his own in strength and heat, but they still hurt his eyes to look at, and he could tell that they were several grades up your average fire. The hero's costume was a dark navy with fire all around it, shooting off in a basic pattern while the ground sizzled slightly from his boots. His face was covered in the brilliant fire, acting like a mask, and his eyes were a bright azure colour, screaming intensity while his hair was an intimidating garnet red…
Not even the youngest of children didn't know who this icon was…
It was none other than the flame hero Endeavor…
(Washington DC / America)
In the rural outskirts of the city, there was a large mountain surrounded by trees and barren wastelands, all by the design of the Blazing Fang Labs, and constructed at the very top of it all was a huge building spanning a large amount of land and towering above everything in its way…
This was the agency of Akira Midoriya…
This building, coloured black and grey, was the most secure and guarded place in the world with not even the Blazing Fang Labs having this level of protection. It was located on the peak for a simple reason, and that was to allow the heroes to hide in the trees or make formations on the plains while the huge turret gunners mowed down any intruders. The heroes under the protection of this agency were the strongest in all America and numbered well over 300, making this the largest guild in the world, and the members of this elite order were so far higher in power than the rest of the western heroes that it rose suspicion…
Some people even said that the four blazing fangs of Red Scale wouldn't be able to break through the immovable base, as it was specifically designed not only to stop those four from stealing anything that the no.1 hero wanted hidden, but to drive back entire nations…
This might sound absurd, but the heroes within the top 10 of the country were almost uncomparable when stood beside to the rest of the world, and those in the top 5 were in a completely different league…
Michael Midoriya had no use for allies across the globe and kept those he trusted close, and that managed to anger the nations that surrounded him. Akira had set up his fortress here to make sure that nothing would survive, should the states come under fire from enemy countries or even continents… This was all going off the outside defences, and not even considering the huge underground network that the younger Midoriya had set up…
In the event that someone did happen to break through; there were many tunnels and dead ends in the underground labyrinth filled with death traps that only the lead members of the agency could navigate through. It was all designed to allow easy passage to the main control room of the fortress while trapping villains or heroes that weren't welcome, though it was bold for you to assume that anyone could make it through the 9 best heroes in the US.
Even though this place was built into a mountain, it had the most access to the outside world that one could hope for, as it was able to communicate with guild/agency members across the globe with ease and could send out drones to gather intel whenever they wanted. It acted as the militaristic base of operations for Akira Midoriya, working alongside the blazing fang labs.
Down in the core of the mountain, there was a single room that only few could enter safely. It was dark and quiet, the only light inside being the glow of a single light in the middle of the ceiling, and just walking in would make your legs shake from the power of the individual inside.
Many screens were powered up and showed replays of the UA Sports Festival over in Japan, while others had the data and even history of every last student that had participated. The only sound you could hear was the audio from the monitors playing quietly as the sound of the crowd echoed across the room.
A single person was sitting in this isolated room, his maroon and black hair being the only thing visible behind the huge chair he was sitting on. Unlike most times when he was out in public, this man didn't bother to hide how much power he had, and therefore made whoever was close to him quake with terror.
A hero of the association stepped into the room, taking a deep breath before looking at his master.
"M-My Lord…" His hands shook as he revealed a sheet of blue paper, sliding it onto a desk. "Regulus and Volt Break were successful in their mission, and we have received every piece of information on the school, as your father requested…"
After his run in with Izuku; Regulus had scanned the documents and sent them digitally, as their master needed those files before anyone knew they were gone...
There was no reaction to the news and the man just kept his ruby eyes fixed on the screen, like he was eagerly waiting for something.
"We have been told that no one has managed to locate the 5 heroes sent there, and that the only evidence they have is a busted down wall." The hero gulped. "I apologize for Regulus and his lack of care. It was all because Hoshino wasn't there to monitor the group…"
Although this was a major issue and something that could have led to the failure of the mission, the master gave no reply.
The man turned his head ever so slightly to the right. "And the bugs? Have they been serving their purpose in the meantime?"
"Yes Lord… They have been circling the stadium and have infiltrated the school as you wished, and once they are finished with the scouting, they have been programmed to self destruct."
"No, turn that off…"
"L-Lord?"
The man continued to keep his gaze centred on the screen. "We cannot have anyone significant be harmed by those. In the event that they do get discovered, making them lethal in the end will only make us look like terrorists and it will label us an enemy of Japan." the messenger felt the man's aura spike a tad. "And that would be most regretful, since I shall visit my brother in mere months from now…by any means necessary..."
Sweat was dripping onto the floor from the messenger's head…
Someone as seasoned as this hero knew what that statement meant for Japan...
He was one of the 5 strongest heroes in the states, the only one to not be sent on a mission to the sports festival, and yet he was feeling his master's aura, or just a sliver of it for the first time… It was making him feel targeted by the eyes of a terrible force, and he thought that his life was hanging in the balance with every word he said… Just how large was the gap between the second and first rank in this hero system?
"R-Right away Lord!"
He used this as an excuse to flee, but he then felt something from the other side of the room…
Carefully turning his head, he looked over to his master…
The man was now facing him, a single image loaded onto an electronic tablet…
Akira's eyes darkened. "Would you mind telling me what that black mark is...on my dear brother's neck?"
"Boy, I was wondering if I could speak with you!" the booming voice of Enji Todoroki invaded Izuku's ears.
"Endeavor?" he turned around, surprised.
The huge man looked down at him and nodded. "I hear you shall face my son in the finals, once his match is done…"
"Well, I wouldn't underestimate his opponent. If luck has it, I'll have Iida as my foe." the boy said sheepishly, trying to cut the conversation short.
The hero glared at him. "I can forgive you for believing that the engine lad has a chance, but make no mistake that my son will be your opponent in the last match of this tournament, and he shall be the one to lift the medal high into the air." he crossed his arms confidently while looking down at the smaller male. "You are formidable, I'll give you that, and I was very impressed with how you handled that overzealous lout in the match just now, but know that Shoto is in a new field when compared with garbage like him."
Izuku frowned slightly. "How can you presume his victory is assured?"
"I have been training him for years and haven't looked back since the day I began. I watched him grow with my own eyes and made him as strong as he is today. Believe me when I say that the boy shall be unstoppable when he reaches adulthood, and now is the time where I shall finally show the world the fruit of my labours."
"Fruit of your labours?" Midoriya looked at him in confusion, still pretending to tolerate the vain man.
"Aye…" the man smirked. "I trained him since his quirk first developed, and it has been hard on us both. We both made sacrifices and lost things along the way, but now he's here, ready to be the man that overthrows the blond fool at the top."
Izuku pretended to take that well, when on the inside, he wanted to slap this overconfident prune for insulting a man far greater than himself. "And how do you plan on doing that? What, when you aren't even approaching his level…"
Endeavor's gaze intensified as those words were spoke. "What did you say?"
Shit, he let that attitude of his slip out again…
"If you aren't even worthy of being that man's equal, then how the hell is your son going to do any better? At most, Todoroki will only get to a similar level of strength, nothing more."
"How can you be so certain?" the hero began to get annoyed with this brat.
Izuku smiled slightly. "Just a hunch…"
The boy then tried to continue his walk, to the displeasure of the flame hero.
"I'm not done talking…" Endeavor snarled. "You are to face Shoto in the final, and even with those injuries, you still persist in your misguided belief that you are a better fighter. How do you feel about it all?"
"How do I feel? I feel like beating your son into the earth and taking the gold, but also letting him go all out on me for his own benefit."
The Todoroki smirked. "And you are sure that those arms of yours will hold up in a fight of attrition? If you ask me, you're just lying to yourself. But then again, it seems like your goals align with my own."
"How so?" he already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from the man himself.
"Hmph… Shoto has always been a rebellious little brat, but he's the strongest of my children after my eldest left us. I've been able to overlook this little phase of his and focus on the future, though right now is where that future begins…"
"So you wanna have your kid use his fire in my match?"
"You have a problem with that?" the man raised an eyebrow, trying to find the smallest drop of nervousness in him.
"Not at all. Even with my arms going purple and my knees getting weak, I'm gonna go out there and give the crowd a show. I didn't survive those injuries in the race just to back out here out of fear, did I? For as long as your child contains the full power of his quirk, I'm still not able to legitimately say that I'm stronger."
Endeavor blinked slightly, respecting that notion, if only for a moment. "Well, when he uses his fire, he'll be beginning his real training and will one day be able to use both left and right sides of his quirk."
"And you want me to force him into that position?"
Enji smiled. "Yeah, you catch on quick. Do that and I'll make sure that you find the best place in my agency. You're damn strong and without those injuries, you could probably beat Shoto with his fire. I need you to put him over, and in return, you'll have a chance to intern with me at my agency."
Endeavor's agency was one of the best in Asia and offered interns almost everything they could ever want, thought this man that ran the place was as despicable as they come. The bastard didn't outright admit it, but he was aware of the pain he put Todoroki through.
For him to act so proud like that…
It made the boy sick...
Izuku's eyes narrowed. "I have a fight to win… Get out of my way…"
"And where exactly are you going to fool?"
He used some of his strength to shove the giant man out of the way and turned his head to the side as he walked toward the stairs. "If you want Todoroki to be strong, then try to be a better father first…"
Kirishima spotted Izuku walk out of the hallway and into the stands, so he gave his classmate a friendly wave. "Hey Midoriya! Todoroki's fight's about to start!"
"Coming!" the green-haired male quickly stepped over a line of chairs to take his seat.
The crowd was still buzzing from what they'd seen in the previous match, so the hype of seeing the son of Endeavor and the new member of the Iida family face off was making the arena explode, to the displeasure of Kirishima.
"This is driving me mad…"
Izuku looked across from him. "What is it? You don't like the noise?"
"Not that dude…" the redhead frowned. "It's these asshole fans cheering."
"What about them?"
Eijiro frowned. "I know Bakugou had it comin from a mile off, but you beat him up so bad that I was scared for the idiot's life, and these guys all cheer for that? Look, I know that he crossed the line back there, but he's just a hothead that hasn't understood what's right and wrong yet."
"You're asking me to pity that bastard?" Izuku looked back at Kirishima with a sharp eye.
"Nah, but I just think its wrong…"
Izuku was feeling the same way, but he'd already anticipated this reaction from the masses and played it in his own favour, making him the target of praise and Katsuki the aim of ridicule. If Kirishima found that out, it would probably compromise their friendship a bit, so what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
"If you think something that small would get to a caveman like Bakugou, you clearly haven't known him long enough." Midoriya smiled, partly because he knew what made the blonde tick.
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
But Izuku wasn't as bothered about the crowd as he said he was…
He was far more invested in the match that was about to take place, as his friend was about to face off against possibly the strongest student besides himself, in the entire school when it came to pure power. If the young man's fire could achieve power similar to his ice, even Izuku himself would be on guard, and for someone like Iida who lacked the physical power to break through the thick and constant sheets of ice that bombarded him, it was probably near impossible to get close, and getting in close was the only way to deal damage if you weren't a range type yourself.
Izuku still believed that only he and Bakugou could stand against those waves of frozen mass, and even though Iida had incredible speed, it wouldn't be enough… The youngest Midoriya already knew that Todoroki was a tough opponent mentally as well, as he almost lost their mock battle twice because of his own arrogance, and Todoroki didn't have much of an advantage in that fight. In this one though, he was on an open field with a clear target in his sights, and there wasn't any way for him to miss. It could take just one huge blast to render Iida immobile, and that was not an option if the boy wanted to walk away the victor.
Ingenium was racing down the streets of a suburban town, trying to find this villain that had been on a huge murdering rampage, leaving all its victims almost torn down and half eaten, suggesting that the monster was a cannibal. It disgusted the hero to know that a freak this twisted was operating near where his younger brother was being educated…
The Hero Killer had a quirk that paralyzed people when he ingested their blood, so it was possible that he also ate his victims, but that wouldn't explain the supposedly innocent victims all being ordinary citizens and not heroes, which were the people that Stain sought to destroy.
If not him, then who?
As he dashed, the hairs on the back of his neck began to rise…
'Strange… I'm never intimidated by villains unless they're damn strong…'
He began to follow the strange air…
"This is Ingenium. I think I've encountered the villain in question." He spoke into the mouthpiece that laid inside his helmet.
{We hear you sir! Do you know who it is?}
"I'm unsure, but I doubt the Hero Killer could possess this level of power. He's known to be extremely skilled, to the point that he can vastly compensate for his weak quirk and turn it deadly. Someone with that amount of presence surely doesn't rely on skill to kill people."
{Should we send some of our members out to you?}
"Yeah, that would be helpful, but only send the best…"
{Sir? What do you mean?}
"This monster may require the entire agency to bring down…"
Ingenium turned a corner and felt the feeling rapidly intensify. 'What on earth can produce this amount of power!?'
He put more power into his legs and shot forward like a bullet, becoming a white blur in the street as the strength of this aura became almost nauseating.
And then he saw it…
The feeling in his body suddenly shot up in strength and he almost fell over from the amount of bloodlust he could feel. 'It's in here…'
Most heroes would turn back and get others to help, but Ingenium knew that if this monster was not brought out into the open, it would continue killing things until it was satisfied, and as someone who strived to save every person that he saw in danger, that could never happen…
The place in question was a long alleyway, shrouded in shadows and plagued with a putrid rotting odor. The hero didn't have to guess what was making that foul smell, and wasn't surprised to see human corpses littered around the ground like waste.
How could no one but he smell that?
He was almost looking to faint from the air that this monster was giving off, but he had a sudden burst of energy when he thought about his surroundings. 'Hold on just a minute… How could I be the only one that can sense this disgusting presence, and how am I the only one to smell the corpses? This all doesn't make sense…'
Then, he felt a single finger glide along the back of his neck.
'No, wait… It's possible that…'
The seductive laughter of a woman echoed in his ear as a purple substance began to slither out of a drainage grid…
Her violet hair and sage green eyes glowed with an almost celestial power as she loomed over him, her body slowly morphing into one that was resembling a real monster…
It was all coming together now, and he instantly turned off communications with his agency…
His final thought in that moment was for the safety of his brother…
'She lured me here…herself...'
Todoroki walked up the stairs of the stadium calmly, rubbing his slightly shivering wrist with a warm hand, but his eyes seemed to turn to knives when he saw the man waiting for him. He saw the flame hero leaning against the wall with his eyes dancing with pride.
Endeavor smirked as he saw that nasty look of hatred. "Boy, you did well out there…"
The boy only scowled at his father as he passed him. "I have nothing to say to you, bastard…"
Endeavor found it regrettable that the two of them couldn't converse like normal people, but he thought it all necessary for the completion of Todoroki's training. He regreted what he did to his wife and what happened to Touya, but he couldn't change the past.
All he could do was fulfill his goal of making Shoto the greatest hero in the world
"I spoke to Izuku Midoriya…"
Todoroki's eyes shot open in shock. "You did what?"
"I went over the match to come with him, and he was so confident that he could beat you. The boy will be bringing his top game even with those grievous injuries and will be fighting with everything he has, so I expect you to show some respect and do the same…"
Shoto glared at his father. "Midoriya is strong and wouldn't be manipulated by you…"
Endeavor chuckled knowingly. "Oh but the brat doesn't even need that much." he watched Shoto's head turn slightly. "He already wants that fire of yours to be used…"
"And you treat that as a sign of strength… That fool only wants to help me get out of this loathing, but he's only fanning the flames. I don't need you or him to tell me that I have potential…"
"Then perhaps you're weak after all…"
The scowl on the boy's face was one of pure hatred as he forced himself not to attack the man.
Endeavor watched the boy walk out and frowned to himself. 'This is only the beginning Shoto. You will accept the path of the mighty and become stronger than any of us. Perhaps then will you finally appreciate your father's struggle…'
The flame hero's only regret was not being able to see a genuine smile from the boy, even after all these years together...
{S-Son… It's your brother Tensei}
Iida's hand shook as he pushed the phone closer to his ear.
{A villain got him, and killed most of the people sent after him… P-Please come quickly!}
The last airbendr ~ Don't sweat about whether to comment an essay or a note dude. I'm a nasty tease with these chapters, but we shall get there...eventually… I'm glad I'm considered good in the eyes of the people (͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)
MIKE202303 ~ guess you'll have to find out next time. It's all going down next chapter ┐(͠≖ ͜ʖ͠≖)┌