Chapter 34 UA Sports Festival (part 2)
Chapter Summary: Todoroki vs Bakugo. Endeavor gets a call. Bad news is delivered.
AN: Kaminari, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Endeavor's POV this chapter.
Kaminari Denki
Bakugo Katsuki had been staring at him the entire time during the cavalry battle, so much so that Monoma stole his headband during his distraction. Only then did he look away and proceed to utterly destroy Monoma's group.
"Do you know him?" Shinsou asked from his position in the back of their group.
"Aside from him being an arrogant dick who seems to have anger issues? No, I do not know him," Kaminari Denki replied dismissively, but inside he was panicking.
Five years have passed since that incident but Denki could still remember the horror he had felt when Mustard brought Bakugo into their shared room in Shinsekai's HQ, and the dread that consumed him when recognition flickered in those crimson eyes.
At the time, he had panicked and attacked Bakugo without thinking of the consequences. One mishap and he could've fried Bakugo's brain, or killed him. If he had some time to think it over, he would have dragged out the conversation until Mustard returned and put Bakugo to sleep, which would give him ample time to talk the matter over with Giran and the others. Shinsekai wouldn't have operated this long without having a way to deal with this kind of situation.
But because of his panicked state, Denki had let Bakugo go after seeing he had amnesia, and then he made Mustard promise to keep this a secret from Shinsekai. He had just joined not long ago. He didn't want them to kick him out for releasing someone who was essentially a ticking bomb.
And now his mistake had come back to bite him in the ass. Bakugo may not have recovered his memories yet, but from the way he stared at him he obviously thought Denki looked familiar, but just couldn't recall where he had seen him. Sooner or later, he would remember, and then Denki's hero dream would be over.
I have to do something about this.
Todoroki Shouto
Todoroki Shouto breezed through his first few matches with ease. All his opponents were way below his level. It had only been a few months since the beginning of school and albeit his fellow classmates had gone through multiple training sessions, they still required more time and training to improve enough to reach his level.
Ever since Endeavor stopped training him and focused on his sister instead, Shouto had worked himself even harder than before. He spied on Fuyumi's training sessions and taught himself her techniques. Those were all pro-hero level and not something a child his age could learn by simply watching on the sidelines. But even so, Shouto absolutely refused to ask for her help. If her technique was too hard for him, he would find a way around it or modify it to fit his skill and physique. He was going to surpass her with his own strength.
Seven years had passed since the AMAP incident and the time had finally come for him to prove himself to Endeavor, to show him that Shouto would be the better masterpiece...
...so he can leave nee-san alone. Shouto thought, staring as Endeavor made his way towards him in the exit tunnel. Outside in the arena, Bakugo and Uraraka were finishing their semi-final match.
Endeavor stopped ten feet away from him.
He stared, Shouto stared, outside Bakugo screamed.
"Shouto." Endeavor grunted a greeting.
"Father." Shouto paused. He had so much that he wanted to say. I'm going to win. Make me the masterpiece. I'm stronger than you think... But all that came out was...
"Watch me."
Endeavor sneered. "What's there to see in a failure?"
Outside the crowd roared as Present Mic announced the end result of the semi-final. Bakugo won.
Instead of answering him, Shouto turned towards the end of the tunnel and was about to make his way to the stage when he heard Endeavor speak again in that stern, distant voice he'd always hated.
"You will never-"
Suddenly, Endeavor's phone rang, cutting off whatever he was about to say.
He took out that old flip-phone he refused to throw away ("because of simplicity," he said, but Shouto knew he just refused to admit he didn't know how to use a smartphone and was too prideful to ask for help) and whipped the cover open with a flick of his wrist.
"Endeavor speaking."
Shouto watched as his face gradually turned ashen, his eyes widening and lips trembling. Even his mustache diminished in intensity.
For the first time in fifteen years, Shouto saw Endeavor show fear.
"Who did it?" Voice full of despair and hatred, Endeavor growled. "I'll be right over there."
Without speaking a word to Shouto, he stormed off, flame burning brighter than ever.
"Wait!"
Endeavor didn't wait, nor did Present Mic who called for the final match through the intercom.
Glancing at the retreating figure one last time, Shouto rushed towards the arena.
Something happened, something dreadful enough to disconcert even the Number 2 hero, a cold-hearted failure of a father who would beat up his own six-year-old son until he fainted in a pile of his own vomit.
Shouto wanted nothing more than to chase after Endeavor and figure out what could possibly disturb his composure. What was the point of proving his strength in the Sports Festival when the Star of the show was absent?
But he wasn't about to give up. The thought of surrendering to Bakugo left a bad taste in his mouth.
He would just have to finish this fight as quickly as possible.
Bakugo Katsuki
"You son of a bitch!"
Katsuki yelled as another wave of ice rushed towards him, pushing him back towards the edge of the arena. The waves towering over him reached an insurmountable height and spanned across the entire width of the arena. His escape paths were blocked, but Bakugo Katsuki could make his own.
He dug his shoes into the cement and raised both arms, blowing a hole into the wall large enough for him to tunnel through it, only to find himself face to face with more waves that enveloped half of the stadium in their shadows.
"Quit playing with me and fight me seriously!"
He couldn't see that half 'n' half bastard's face with those tall ass waves blocking his vision.
"Use your full power dammit!" Katsuki yelled as he destroyed waves after waves of ice with a flurry of explosions, standing his ground and not letting the force of the waves budge him.
"Am I not strong enough to make you use it?"
Through the gaps in between waves, Katsuki noticed half of that bastard's body, the half that produced ice, was slowly being shrouded in frost. He stood there stiffly, feet not moving and one arm remained raised to produce attacks. His posture seemed frozen in time, as if he wasn't in a battle against a respectable opponent but rather posing as an art model.
"So I'm not even worthy of you moving your fucking legs like you're supposed to in a goddamn fight!?"
Even as frost climbed further up that bastard's body, he didn't make any move to use fire. The bastard panted, the continuous tsunami of ice apparently having taken a toll on him.
Lips twitching with ire, Katsuki launched himself backward into the air, away from the incoming waves. Then he propelled himself forward in a circular motion and encased himself in a twister-like wind, creating a tornado and releasing a powerful explosion upon collision with the waves.
"HOWITZER IMPACT!"
The shockwave that followed nearly threw him out of bounds. Shattered ice flew all over the stadium, audience's cries inaudible over the ear-splitting explosion.
Dust and smoke covered the arena, obstructing both competitors from view.
"I want an indisputable first place! There's no point winning against an opponent who's not giving his all! If you're not going to fight seriously, then why are you even here, damn it!"
Katsuki squinted at the silhouette of his opponent on the other side of this smoke screen. Now that there were no more waves of ice, he had a clear shot at Todoroki. Using the limited vision to his advantage, he sent off explosions behind him, pushing himself towards the other figure.
"I don't want to fight you."
Todoroki spoke, for the first time during this fight.
"The fuck is that supposed to mean!?"
"I don't have time to fight you."
Todoroki raised his other arm, the side that produced fire.
Excitement bubbled within him. Reinvigorated, Katsuki lifted one arm forward to prepare for the fire that was coming while the other arm continued blasting explosions to drive him forward in air.
"So just lose already."
A torrent of orange flame engulfed him. It was hot, but as someone who used explosions daily, the heat was nothing. Katsuki's skin had long since grown accustomed to high temperatures. Not to the point of being flame-resistant, but could definitely delay the burn.
"Is that all you got?" Katsuki couldn't resist taunting him. He pushed through the flame and closed the distance between them, his fingers itching to deliver an explosion right in that bastard's burned face! And then-
He was staring at the sky, his abdomen burning in pain but also frozen to the bones.
What the-
Katsuki glanced down. A spike of ice penetrated his abdomen.
The hell did this come from!? How did he-
What sounded like a whimper escaped his lips as Katsuki began to fall, hundreds of upside-down faces rushing past him.
He managed to catch a glimpse of half 'n' half's face as gravity pulled him back to the ground, where humans belonged.
Todoroki wasn't staring at him with a victorious smile, no, he wasn't staring at him at all. He was staring at his own hands, visibly shook for some unknown reasons.
The damaged ground of the arena was coming close.
What is this feeling?
Ominous grey clouds spanned across the sky.
It's familiar…
Blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth and drifted upwards due to the wind.
"You know nothing about me!"
Who was that?
His limbs felt weak.
"I won't let you destroy my new life!"
He needed to break the fall… launch an explosion at the ground… do something...
But he could barely stay conscious.
Todoroki Shouto
Todoroki Shouto hated his fire.
Fear was the better word, but he didn't like to use that because it made him sound weak.
He wasn't afraid of his fire. Absolutely not. That incident traumatized him no more and he didn't refuse to use his fire because of the extent of the damage it could do. He stopped having nightmares of his fire killing his sister, brothers, and mother. Every time he used it, he also didn't have flashbacks of innocent civilians screaming as his fire burned them to death.
Shouto kept telling himself that because how could he convince the others that he was fine and didn't have PTSD and didn't need them to baby him and treat him as if he could break easily if he couldn't even convince himself?
He refused to use his fire because he didn't want to. It was as easy as that. Ice was more versatile and could deal damage in more interesting and unexpected ways than just… burning people alive.
He also didn't use his fire on Bakugo, despite knowing the strength of his fire and wanting to end the fight quickly, because Bakugo was probably used to heat and fire wouldn't do him any quick harm.
But the lies he told himself had started to become less convincing.
Bakugo was strong.
The wave of ice that K.O.'d Sero was nothing to Bakugo, it seemed. No matter how many waves of ice Shouto hurtled towards him, Bakugo always managed to blast his way through his attacks and—at the same time—his reluctance to use fire.
The fight had been dragging out way too long. And Shouto had no time to waste if he wanted to find out what that phone call was about.
If there was anything that might possibly unnerve Endeavor, it could only be something family-related.
It was a stretch, considering the kind of person he was.
But what if…
Just what if…
"Todoroki wins!"
Midnight's voice pulled Shouto back to the present. Heat lingered on his left arm that produced the technique he stole from Fuyumi, melting the frost that had made its way to his face and filling him with warmth he didn't deserve after what he had done. The crowd cheered for his victory, some shouting his name as if he was their hero for bringing down his fellow classmate in such a brutal manner.
His usually so boisterous classmate lay on the stretcher, face drained of color as the medical team fussed over his injuries. The sight of his ice spike protruding out of Bakugo's abdomen made him feel sick to the stomach.
Once again, I went too far with my power… The power I'm supposed to use to save people...
Resisting the urge to follow the medical team to make sure Bakugo was okay, Shouto turned towards the exit tunnel instead and pulled out his phone once he was outside of the cameras' views.
He first called Rei and made sure she was safe. His mother was surprised to receive a phone call from him after having just watched his fight against Bakugo on live television. Not wanting to worry her without having confirmed the situation, Shouto shrugged off her questions and hang up.
Next, he called Touya and Natsuo. Touya was attending an online group gathering somewhere in Hosu City and Natsuo was in college. Both were safe. He even got yelled at by Natsuo for calling him in the middle of class.
Lastly, he tapped Fuyumi's contact info, her picture featuring her smiling brightly at the camera.
It was taken seven years ago at that amusement park, before everything went crashing down and she signed her life away to being Endeavor's masterpiece. That was the last time they hung out together.
How long had it been since he last talked to her? To sit her down and have a conversation that wasn't over the phone or through text? It had been way too long, way too unacceptably long.
Shouto scrolled down the page until his eyes landed on the green phone icon next to her number. He tapped the icon and pressed the phone against his ear, his heartbeat quickening.
"The number you have dialed is not available. Please try again-"
He ripped the phone away from his ear and pressed the end call icon harder than necessary, lips curling into a frown as he tried again.
"The number you have dialed is not available. Please try again-"
Sweat gathered on his forehead and dripped down into his eyes. His trembling hands gripped the phone a little bit too hard. He breathed in sharply and called her again.
His anxiety ramped up with each repeat of the dialing tone. Every time he heard the woman's monotone voice, a piece of his heart crumbled.
"Come on… nee-san…"
Shouto had lost count how many times he heard the woman's voice ending his desperate calls. Hanging up before he could hear her again, he went back to his contact list and called his second hope.
The other person picked up faster than he expected.
"What's up little bird? How rare it is to get a call from our resident ice king! How's the Sports Festival? It's unfortunate that I couldn't go there personally and see you kicking some ass, but I'm sure-"
"Hawks, where's nee-san?"
"Yumi-chan?" Hawks didn't sound at all surprised that he was interrupted. After all, both of them knew that Shouto had a deep-rooted dislike of him ever since he was fooled into preparing bird food, bird accessories, and a bird cage only to find out that his new brother wasn't a cute, fluffy bird but rather a sarcastic-definitely not cute-human who had a knack for pushing Endeavor's button (the one thing he liked). "She's patrolling. Why? Miss her?"
The teasing didn't even faze him.
"Where is she?"
"Ignoring me as usual huh... How cold."
"Hawks."
"Fine, fine. She was patrolling the Noto town in Hosu City last time I called."
"I need you to find her. I tried calling her multiple times but she's not picking up. I have a feeling something has happened to her."
"What makes you say that?" The playful tone in Hawks' voice instantly vanished.
"Endeavor received a call a while ago. I don't know what it was about but apparently it was enough to make him afraid."
"Him? Afraid!?"
"I've never ever seen him make that face before, Hawks. He's not afraid of anything. He's strong. Nothing could ever bring him down. Not villains. Nothing. So I assumed it must be something family-related since if he truly hated us he would have ditched us a long time ago." His thoughts were going a hundred miles per hour and words were just trickling out of his mouth at this point. "I called and made sure mom and my brothers are safe. Amongst all of us nee-san is the most publicly known person who's related to Endeavor. I wouldn't be surprised if he has made lots of enemies in his years of heroism and some of those enemies would target nee-san to get to my father, or even you."
"I see. Don't worry, I'll find her. Your sister is going to be okay." The tone of his voice was soothing, but it didn't ease the worry.
"Hawks, I..." Words were stuck in his throat, refusing to come out. Shouto swallowed thickly. His eyes stung. He felt uncomfortable appearing this vulnerable, especially in front of Hawks, who he had yet accepted as a member of his family. Surprising how easy it was to bring out the weak, crying boy he was all those years ago.
"Hey, Shouto, listen to me. Yumi-chan is strong. You should know that the best. No matter what's happening to her, she will make her way through it. So believe in her, stop worrying, and leave it to me. Alright, little bird?"
Shouto nodded.
Hawks chuckled, saying his goodbyes and hanging up.
Shouto let out a shaky breath. The thick, humid air inside the dimly-lit exit tunnel was suddenly less suffocating.
He glanced at his phone, and decided to call Touya again.
Endeavor
Endeavor had witnessed numerous crime scenes in his years of heroic work. Undried blood staining the molded walls of a deserted alley, the revolting odor of recently slaughtered animals made it clear that the human (or what remained of them, depending on the quirk used to commit the kill) was just a piece of rotting flesh, gone were all the marks that made them 'human.' They were dead because they were weak, and Endeavor felt no pity for the weak.
But the scene in front of him was unlike any other crime scene he had scene. The wall was dirtied with years of rain, snow, wind, and other unknown substances, but it was clean of blood. The only smell was the trash littered in the disgusting alley and the sweat of the police officers gathered around the scene. The body lay peacefully on the ground, its eyes closed and mouth slackened. If not for the deep laceration across its abdomen and the blood that pooled around it, Endeavor would have thought it was asleep.
"Endeavor..." A police officer called hesitantly.
Endeavor chuckled dryly, voice cracked and face rigid. A sharp stabbing sensation spread out from his chest, the heavy air crushing his lungs. He couldn't breath.
"Pathetic," he spat, looking away from the body. "To lose to some lowlife villain. And to think I had hoped she would become the Number one hero someday."
"Endeavor, it wasn't just a lowlife villain. I'm not sure if you're tracking but there's a serial killer known as the Hero Killer Stain here in Hosu City and he's already murdered numerous professional heroes-"
"My daughter is not just a professional hero! Don't compare her to the other losers!" Endeavor barked, advancing on the small officer who was shivering so bad he looked just about to piss his pants. "If she couldn't even protect herself against a simple villain, how is she going to be the Number one hero and protect everyone in this country!?"
His outburst froze all movement in the vicinity. Endeavor glared around; no one dared to meet his eyes.
"Fuck!" He stormed off, leaving the silent audience in his wake.
Terrifying face and a permanent frown, Endeavor left the crime scene.
Hunched back and a haunted look, Todoroki Enji turned the corner into a secluded street.
Endeavor didn't care about his family. He wanted to surpass All Might, wanted his masterpiece to surpass All Might. That was all he ever wanted. Who cared what happened to his children? As long as one of his offspring could take the rank of Number 1 away from All Might, that was what mattered.
They were just his tools to achieve his dream. He didn't care about them. Birthdays? No celebrations. Free time? They didn't need them. Allowance? Friends? Those were just distractions. He didn't care what the failures do. They failed him, so they were as good as strangers to him.
Fuyumi was the only one that mattered. She was his masterpiece. She was his hope, his tool to achieve his dream. That should be all there was to their relationship.
So why did he feel so distraught over her death? Why did his heart ache so much? Why was it suddenly so hard for Enji to maintain his image as Endeavor?
His masterpiece turned out to be a failure.
Endeavor should be disappointed.
But out of all the emotions Enji was currently feeling...
Disappointment was nowhere near on the list.
"Burnin, find me everything you can find on Hero Killer Stain."
Without waiting for a reply, Enji snapped his flip-phone shut and stuffed it in the pocket of his skin-tight hero suit.
Fuck the laws.
Someone is going to die.
AN: Wow it's been like 3 months since I updated? I don't deserve all your supports :(
I have a lot planned for the Sports Festival like Izuku vs Shinsou (Shinsou wins), Uraraka vs Bakugo (Uraraka wins, going differently than in the anime), and how the cavalry battle can end differently with different teams (Izuku teaming up with Tetsutetsu, Uraraka, and Yuuga) and such. But that would take at least 3 chapters to write and I want to get straight to the point (the pacing of this fic is horrible enough as it is haha).
I literally spent a month trying to figure out how to cramp all that in as little chapters as possible. All this thinking hurt my brain, so I stopped thinking.
For like 3 months.
And in the end I cut them all out and maybe I'll write a short scene for each of them in the omake some day.
The next chapter should be easier to write and I'll try to get it out in a month (if I didn't, send me a message and yell at me).
Next chapter begins the Hero Killer Stain arc!
What do you think happened to Fuyumi? And if she's dead, who do you think killed her? ^u^ (I'd be pleasantly surprised if you can guess it :)