-Chapter 30: Competition pt 5-
"Midoriya, can I talk to you for a second?"
Izuku looked back as he, Ochako, and Mei walked out of the arena towards lunch and rest. Shoto Todoroki was looking at him expectantly. Izuku smiled and nodded, and looked down at the girls, "Go ahead. I'll catch up." Ochako smiled and nodded, taking Mei's hand, and led them off.
"Want to go somewhere where we can talk privately?" Izuku asked calmly. Shoto nodded.
Izuku stood aside and opened a warp gate. "This will take us to an unused hallway," he said, glancing over his shoulder at Shoto as he stepped through. He walked out into one of the closed off entrances to the arena, Shoto following through a second later. The portal closed with a flick of Izuku's hand as he turned around. Shoto looked a little disconcerted at the portal, a dark look crossing his face.
The memory of the USJ and Shoto's actions against the villains popped into his mind, reminding him of how close he came to losing control then.
"You okay?" Izuku asked, looking at Shoto with concern.
"Yeah, just… remembering the USJ." Shoto said as he shook his head, "It's nothing."
Izuku nodded, "So what's on your mind?" as he leaned against one of the supporting pillars of the entrance to the arena.
"Your proclamation at the start of the festival, what did you mean by it?" Shoto questioned, looking directly at Izuku, searching for any hints.
Izuku smiled and held out his hand, balled into a fist, confident and resolute, "Exactly what I said. I am All Might's successor and I will replace him as the Number 1 Hero. I will be the next Symbol of Peace for those that need hope. I aim to be the kind of hero that saves people with a smile on my face, so everyone knows that they are safe."
He let his hand fall to his side as he looked at Shoto intently. "Why do you ask?" Izuku asked, cocking his head to the side a little.
"You know that my father is Endeavor. Number 2, fighting to surpass All Might." Shoto looked down at his left hand. "If you are All Might's successor, then it's my duty to beat you."
Izuku's eyebrows rose, a look of incredulity on his face, but he didn't say anything, prompting Shoto to continue.
"Have you heard of Quirk Marriages?" Shoto asked as he looked back up into Izuku's probing gaze.
Izuku nodded and then realization hit him. He looked between Shoto's two sides.
"Your mom… she wasn't forced into it, was she?" Izuku asked cautiously.
Shoto nodded, "My dad, with all of his wealth and fame, paid off her family to get her quirk. He couldn't pass All Might on his own, so he tried to create something better. Me and my siblings."
Izuku was shocked at those words. He knew Endeavor was ruthless and focused, but this was something else entirely. Cruel, despicable, and evil.
Shoto continued, "He raised and trained me to become a hero that would beat All Might. All so he could rise above, using me for his own ambitions. I hate being a tool that he created."
Shoto looked back down and clenched his left fist, holding it in his right.
"I remember when I was younger, my mom was always crying. She did this," he gestured to his scar, "in a fit of rage or panic, I'm not sure which. 'I can't stand to see that left side of yours…' she said before she threw boiling water at me."
As Shoto talked, Izuku felt a torrent of emotions rise up within him, swirling about and twisting into a terrible vortex. He stared at Shoto as he felt them bubble up. Sorrow, at the pain inflicted on Shoto and his family. Disgust, that Endeavor had not been held accountable. And rage, at Endeavor's actions, the pain he created. Izuku clenched his left fist as he fought to control himself, resting it against the concrete wall behind him.
'Endeavor will pay,' he said resolutely to himself.
Shoto continued, "Earlier you said that we needed to give 100% in this tournament. I have only used my right side, because not using my left side and rising to the top would deny my father everything he worked for. It will be my revenge against him for what he did."
Izuku looked at Shoto for second before setting aside his anger. He smiled softly, a slight edge to his voice, "I think I understand now. Thank you for telling me, I know that couldn't have been easy. I know that it means a lot of you, to beat him without using your left side. But I seem to remember telling you that it's not his power. Did you forget?"
Shoto studied Izuku's face, a slight frown settling in. He shook his head.
Izuku nodded and stood up, "Think on that for a bit. And when you are ready to come against me, which let's face it, will happen soon, I'll give you every opportunity to prove you deserve to beat me. I will fight you at every turn and make you work for it."
Izuku held out his right hand for a handshake.
"I promise, Shoto Todoroki, that I will help you become a better hero than even All Might. By your own power and no one else's." Izuku said, the fire in his eyes unmistakeable.
Shoto stared at the hand in front of him for a second and back up at Izuku. He smiled softly and took the hand, shaking it.
"Thanks for listening, Midoriya. I'm looking forward to our fight." Shoto said before walking off.
Izuku watched him go silently, before looking down at his left fist, slowing melting the concrete and rebar of the support pillar. He sighed and pulled the heat from the concrete, before kneeling down to fix the pillar.
"How much did you hear, Kacchan?" Izuku said out loud, making the explosive teen stick his head around a far off pillar.
"Enough." Katsuki said simply, as he walked up to Izuku, watching him work on the pillar.
Izuku nodded, "Thoughts?" as he focused on the concrete.
"Not my place. It sucks, but it's not my place. Or your place, for that matter." Katsuki looking at Izuku seriously. He knew exactly what he was thinking.
Izuku didn't say anything as he smoothed the concrete out, making it as if it never happened. He stood up and turned to face his childhood friend.
"You of all people should know, Kacchan. I can't stand by when someone needs help."
Katsuki smiled, "You wouldn't be you if you didn't throw yourself into everyone's shit."
His smile faded, "Just be careful. I know what you are thinking. And that's a very dangerous path."
Izuku turned, nodding as he started walking off, lost in thought. Once he was facing away from Katsuki, a dark look and serious scowl crossed his face.
'Number 2 or not. The bill comes due.'
His mood carried with him as he walked towards the cafeteria.
"All I'm saying is that Class 1-A definitely has some heavy hitters. You saw what Midoriya did to those robots in the first event. And I overheard one of them say something about him showing off again. That's an insane amount of power. What do you think, Tokage?" Reiko Yanagi asked as she turned to the greenette sitting next to her.
"He's super powerful, alright, but what I want to know is how powerful he is in other areas." Setsuna said with a salacious smirk.
Neito Monoma scoffed into his rice bowl, rolling his eyes, as he continued eating.
Setsuna looked over at him and smirked. "Is that a complaint, Monoma? You even got to feel his quirk, all of his power. Though you still ended up needing his help." Setsuna said teasingly.
Neito glared at her, but before he could retort, a sudden pulse of heat rose up from his core.
"Hey, you okay?" Setsuna asked, a concerned looked as Neito's frown settled onto his face.
He nodded, but rubbed his stomach, the heat growing steadily.
Mei and Ochako were in line for some food in the food court, going over ideas for Ochako's support items, when Mei felt a slight pulse from Avalonn.
'Izuku is incoming. He could use some company.' Avalonn said simply.
Mei looked up and around the room, before she saw Izuku walk in, a serious look on his face. He looked around and spotted them, the scowl fading and a smile blossoming widely on his face as he walked over to them.
Mei nudged Ochako and gestured towards Izuku, both girls smiling broadly at him as he walked up, staying out of the line.
"Hi Deku!," Ochako said as she bounced over to him giving him a big hug, squeezing him around the middle tightly. Izuku sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her back, his head in the crook of her neck as he picked her up.
"Thanks, Ochako. I needed that." Izuku said softly as he set her back down.
"It looked like it." Ochako said as she pulled him by the hand to the line to get food. "Come on, let's get food and relax for a bit."
After they got their food and sat down to eat, Mei started vibrating as she tried to eat, trying to contain herself. Izuku smiled as he watched Mei try to not explode, before he gave in.
"So, Mei, you said you had an idea about giving Avalonn a body?"
"YES! Ohmygosh! It's going to be so great!" Mei practically shouted before toning it back down again as the people around them stared at her.
Ochako looked surprised and looked from Izuku to Mei, "When did this happen?"
Izuku laughed softly, "During the second event. Mei came racing up and said she had an idea." He turned back to Mei, "So, let's talk it over a little now, and then more after the tournament, okay? I want you focused for your fights."
Mei nodded rapidly, "Okay, remember that crystal metal I was talking about earlier? Well, since it's neurologically responsive, it's controlled by thought. If I create an artificial brain for Avalonn, put her in it, and then build her a body made of the metal, then she'll have a real presence instead of just being in our heads." She said, tapping her temple.
Izuku looked thoughtful as she spoke, nodding occasionally. "That's a good idea, but we still have to test this metal you made. You said that it can be infused into the body?"
Mei nodded rapidly again, "Yes! It's so cool! It's a nanoscale crystalline metal. It'll infuse with your cells, adding itself to your entire body, allowing a huge amount of new upgrades."
Ochako looked a little scared, "You're saying it'll change him on the cellular level? How do you know it'll work? And will he still be the same after?"
Izuku nodded at the questions and looked at the inventor extraordinaire as she beamed at them.
"Of course it'll work! It's of my best babies! As for you, Zuku, you'll get more dense, as the metal does weigh a bit, but you'll be able to control the metal with your mind, so it'll do whatever you want it to do. It won't change who you are, just make you stronger and tougher."
Ochako still looked concerned, "How did you even come up with this idea?"
Mei looked around the food court and spotted the spiky hair steel boy that was also in Class 1-A, pointing him out.
"Steel boy over there! His whole body can turn into steel, making him super tough. And I started thinking about Izuku, if he could turn his skin metal, then getting hit like he did in the USJ wouldn't affect him again." Mei glanced back up at Izuku, a sad look passed over her face as she continued, "I don't want to lose you. You are the first person who truly understands me and the way I think."
Izuku smiled and placed his hand on Mei's and looked into her eyes, "I love you too. I'm not going anywhere. Let's get today over with and then we can play around with the tech, okay?"
Mei nodded and then smiled broadly, "I had a bunch of other ideas too, but one of them will have to wait. I need to do all of the math first. And get approval from a couple of other governments."
Izuku raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but Mei just smiled and shook her head.
She turned to Ochako, "Avalonn wants to design an interface for you too, 'Chako. She says that your powers could benefit from her help."
Ochako looked taken aback by the offer, "Oh… um… okay! I mean, I was beginning to feel a little left out with you and Deku having one, so sure!"
Mei smiled and clapped her heads, "Great! We'll start working on it as soon as possible. I really want to include you in everything since, you know..."
Ochako looked touched and smiled as she pulled Mei in for a hug. "I care about you too, Mei. I may not understand you most of the time, but you always impress me." She leaned over and whispered in Mei's ear, "We can protect him together."
Mei nodded, a soft smile on her face.
Izuku smiled as he watched his girlfriends share a moment together.
They pulled apart, and started digging back into their food, wide smiles on their faces.
"Oh hey! Deku, what did Todoroki want to talk about?" Ochako asked as they ate.
Izuku finished chewing and swallowed, carefully picking his words. "We talked about our upcoming fight. We'll be giving it our all, and he wanted to reinforce that."
Ochako smiled, "Well, I'm glad you guys are turning up the heat!" She winked as Izuku groaned.
"Almost too soon," Izuku said, laughing at Ochako's pun.
"I don't get it," Mei said, looking between them.
Izuku and Ochako laughed in unison.
Tenya Iida watched Izuku interact with Ochako and Mei, and smiled softly to himself, looking down at the cell phone in his hand as it buzzed once.
'One missed call… from Tensei!'
He excused himself from the table and walked out of the noisy cafeteria, finding a quiet corner in the hallway. He flipped the phone back open and pressed the callback button.
After a couple of seconds, the call connected.
"Hello, brother. Sorry I missed your call. I was in line for food, and didn't want to be rude." Tenya was quick to apologize. He knew how busy his brother was.
"Hey, easy now, Tenya. It's all good. I was just calling to wish you good luck and congratulate you on doing so well. I'm proud of you. I'm on lunch myself, so do you have a bit to talk?" Tensei's voice was full of emotion, even over the phone. When Tenya heard the weight of his words, he couldn't help but feel the happiness well up within him.
"Of course, Tensei! I have several minutes before my first match. Thank you for your praise. I appreciate it." Tenya had to resist the urge to bow, he was so happy.
"Speaking of your first match, do you have a plan? That Izuku Midoriya looks like a person with lots of tricks up his sleeve. Fast too. Had trouble keeping an eye on him during most of the race."
"Midoriya is a good friend, and has a very powerful quirk. He's also very resourceful. I'll have to come up with something unexpected if I want to beat him." Tenya thought hard, racking his brain for ideas.
"Well, seeing as you've got a couple of minutes, let's see what we can come up with."
Tenya smiled broadly. His brother helping him in a fight. He had dreamed of this for years. With his brother's help, he had a real fighting chance.
After they had finished eating, the trio walked up to the stands, saying goodbye to Mei at the Support Course box. Izuku and Ochako held each other's hand as they walked in peaceful silence, stealing the occasional glance at each other.
When they got to the 1-A Box, Izuku spun her around to face him and leaned down to kiss her deeply. Ochako gripped his shirt tightly, a soft groan escaping her throat as she melted into the kiss.
He broke the kiss a second later, and chuckled softly. "Thanks for the good luck." he said quietly.
She giggled, "Like you need it. Now, go."
Izuku laughed and nodded, giving her hand one last squeeze.
Present Mics voice rang out from the loudspeakers, "ALL RIGHT LISTENERS, IT'S TIME TO GET THIS PARTY STARTED! THE FIRST ROUND OF THE ONE ON ONE BATTLES IS ABOUT TO START! CONTESTANTS TO THE ARENA, PLEASE!"
He gave her one last longing look with a broad smile and turned to walk down the hall.
Ochako watched him go wistfully, before walking into the box. As she climbed the stairs, Mina poked her head over the rail.
"Ocha, I saved you a seat!" she said with a wide smile, patting the seat next to the pinkette, in between her and Tsuyu.
Ochako smiled and sat down with her friends, looking out over the field as Midnight and Cementoss finished inspecting the arena.
"This is going to be an interesting fight, isn't it, Chako?" Tsuyu said, her finger placed on her chin, evidently deep in thought.
Ochako nodded and watched as Izuku and Iida walked onto the field. The crowd's cheering reached a fever pitch.
"I just hope he's careful." She said under her breath.
"HERE WE GO, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE FIRST ROUND OF THE BATTLE ROYALE! NO MORE WAITING! LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR OUR TWO SPEEDSTERS FROM CLASS 1-A! IZUKU MIDORIYA AND TENYA IIDA!"
Izuku and Tenya both waved to the crowd, their cheering getting louder as they took to the central arena, the concrete stage clean and smooth from Cementoss's careful manipulation.
Midnight stood opposite Cementoss on a concrete platform, her crop held tightly, running her fingers over it lovingly. She looked between the two students.
"Midoriya, are you ready?" She called out to him, her voice ringing out.
Izuku stood tall, his new sports uniform ruffling in the slight breeze. His smile was bright and confident. He looked from Tenya to Midnight and nodded.
Midnight smirked, and looked at Tenya, "Iida, are you ready?"
Tenya smiled and nodded at Midnight.
"Then you may begin!" She shouted, her hand snapping into the air to signal the start.
"Before we start, Iida, I'd like to shake hands." Izuku said, walking forward, hand outstretched.
Tenya was mildly surprised but nodded, "Likewise!" He started walking towards the middle.
They met in the center and shook hands firmly. Midnight started cooing, "Oh, what gentlemen!"
"Good luck, Iida." Izuku said, a friendly and confident smile on his face, "As a gesture of sportsmanship, I promise to use only my own power. I won't use any borrowed quirks. Is that acceptable?"
Tenya smiled back and nodded, "I appreciate that, Midoriya. Thank you for your consideration. But please know that I won't make it easy it on you."
Izuku laughed softly, "I'd be disappointed any other way."
They spun on the spot and walked back to their starting positions, as the crowd cheered for their display of sportsmanship and respect.
The breeze whipped up a little stronger as Izuku and Tenya stared each other down, waiting for the other to move.
'Well, let's get this over with.'
Izuku channeled some power into his fist, and tensed into a punch, throwing a hook with a massive blast of air behind it, sending the force right towards Tenya.
But in the split second that Izuku's line of sight was blocked by his arm and the gust of wind, Tenya vanished, appearing on the side of the ring, completely dodging the gust of wind.
Present Mic's voice blast out, "WOW, NOW THAT'S AN OPENING MOVE! IZUKU MIDORIYA LAUNCHES A HUGE GUST TO TRY TO KNOCK HIS OPPONENT OUT OF THE RING! BUT TENYA IIDA IS TOO FAST! IZUKU'S GONNA HAVE TO STEP UP HIS GAME!"
Aizawa's bored voice drifted down after, "Not sure what game Midoriya is playing, but Iida is the one that is going to have to make a move soon."
Izuku blinked and smiled broadly. "That was fast, Iida! Much faster than I have seen you move before."
He started laughing, "I guess you have more tricks. Come on, then. Let me see them!"
Tenya smiled and nodded, but dodged again as Izuku launched another punch and blast of air towards the speedster. He skidded to a halt on the opposite side, still eyeing Izuku warrily, waiting for his opportunity.
Izuku launched two more punches, and Tenya dodged each one easily. Izuku put his fist down, and looked at Tenya curiously.
'He's not attacking yet, only dodging. Hoping to wear me down? No, more likely, waiting for a chance to use a move that will help him guarantee a win.'
Izuku smirked knowingly. "Well then. Let's see it." he said under his breath.
Izuku closed his eyes and focused on his breathing, letting the noise from the crowd fall away as he turned his thoughts inward, starting to relax and let the wind flow around him.
'Let the power flow through and around you.'
He pulled at the nova in his core and squeezed the power around, flexing his mental control as he meditated, focusing on the energy around him.
The heat and noise from the crowd.
The radiation from the concrete.
Radio signals from thousands of mobile devices and cameras.
And the life energy signature of his opponent across from him. A fast paced, controlled spark. Blue and excited, ready to move.
He smiled as he watched and observed the energy within Tenya shift and flow.
"What's Midori doing?" Mina asked as they watched from the stands. "Doesn't he know that he needs to do something in order to win?"
Ochako just nodded, watching Izuku as he stood still, eyes closed.
"It almost looks like he's meditating." Tsuyu said, her eyes focused on Izuku.
Ochako turned to look at Katsuki, "What do you think, Bakugo?"
Katsuki had a scowl on his face, staring at Izuku, as if trying to burn a hole through his head.
"What I think, Round Face, is that your boyfriend better start doing something soon." he said.
"Nah, Aniki's got this. Meditating is a manly way of finding your way through a fight! Just you wait!" Eiko said, her fist clenched in pride.
Ochako smiled and turned back to look at Izuku, but she noticed Tenya start to move.
'Here goes everything.'
Iida concentrated on the engines in his legs, priming the carburetor, letting the lactic acid flow into the engine to supercharge it.
"My Ultimate move! Recipro~"
The engines on Iida's legs ignited, blue flames bursting out of them.
He kicked off in a burst of speed.
"TORQUE~"
He flashed down the ring towards Izuku, still standing with his eyes closed.
"OVER!"
Tenya's leg extended into a high kick, aimed right for Izuku's solar plexus, intent on hitting center mass to force Izuku out of the ring. Tenya had covered the entire distance of the ring in a split second, shocking everyone into a stunned silence.
Izuku felt the pulse of power, the flow of heat and energy moving down through Tenya's body. He waited.
He felt the rush of speed as Tenya approached him faster than anyone Izuku had ever seen.
He waited.
He felt the pressure of the kick coming for him, with all of the speed and force behind it intent on moving him.
He waited until Tenya's foot was touching the outside layer of the fabric of his uniform before he finally let out his breath.
The foot connected with his chest. A blast of air burst out from around the impact.
Izuku opened his eyes to look into the eyes of Tenya, a smile crossing his face.
"Nice move, Iida."
He thrust his palm forward, connecting with Tenya's chest. His eyes went wide with shock.
"But still not fast enough."
A titanic blast of air collided with Tenya, launching him across the ring like a bullet, before he dropped to the ground outside of the ring.
"Tenya Iida is out of bounds! Izuku Midoriya is the winner!" Midnight's voice called out.
The crowd, still shocked from Tenya's show of speed, and Izuku's massive punch, began cheering, praising both Izuku and Tenya.
Tenya started to pick himself up. But a sudden gust of wind, and Izuku was there offering his hand.
"You fought well, Iida. Very smart, keeping your distance." Izuku said with a smile.
Tenya looked up and studied Izuku's face for a second, then he smiled and nodded, reaching up for Izuku's hand.
"You are the superior fighter, Midoriya. Your power definitely gives you the advantage." Tenya said, solemnly.
"True," Izuku said as he pulled his friend up, "But you still surprised me with your speed. I bet you still have some more tricks to show." He smiled broadly as he shook hands with Tenya.
Tenya chuckled and nodded, "I can't show you everything, now can I?"
Izuku smiled as they walked towards the exit of the arena, the crowd cheering for them loudly, Midnight fawning over their friendship and comradery.
A sudden intense pulse of familiar energy made Izuku stop, fear creeping up his spine. He looked towards the student stands, dread flooding his brain.
All Might and Inko Midoriya watched with pride as Izuku helped Tenya up.
"He is a good choice, Inko." All Mighty said softly. "Always respectful of others. You should be proud of the son you raised."
Inko couldn't help but tear up at All Might's praise, "I am proud. Always have been."
All Might smiled down at her, kind eyes crinkling.
A scream across the arena made his head snap up.
Several people were pointing to the student stands.
Class 1-B was scrambling out of the booth. At least most of them were. Several of them weren't leaving, a blonde haired boy keeled over on the ground.
All Might immediately stood up and bolted for the door.
A/N: I'M ALIVE! Sorry for taking so long to update! I had a really weird couple of weeks, but things are back to normal! Expect regular updates from now on!