XIII. Duel
There were but many things that this old man had wanted throughout his years of living. Power, money, leadership, a hand in society in general and a global view of conquest to set out his desires and ideals throughout the world. While his foresight was strong, knowledge tantamount, and his will ironclad; he still grasped failure at every spot. The numerous victories he had in the past was now overshadowed by a great many failures. Failures that have far outweighed over his emotions was not to his liking. However, failure was a catalyst for great change and it also taught so much lessons that victory from the onset of failure proved to be so much more. A victory that was well-earned.
At present, that victory had not manifest yet.
Nor was his failures rekindled by lessons he learned.
Patience was his ally now. Patience to wait for something greater. Something better. He also had to be honest with himself at that current moment. His body was weak. The powers he now held was a pale reflection of his prime. His face, a scar of the last battle that nearly took his life. The last confrontation nearly killed them both however, that being he and his rival. The rival that broke out of the ashes of his predecessor and after decades of failure from their part, this one man succeeded where others could not. He could say that he was impressed at some level, although that would mean he was happy with his current state which in truth was not.
But as days go by he wishes to once again face that man.
The man that broke him to what he is now, and the same man he yearns redemption against.
In reality that's what his emotions want him to do. Admitting deep inside himself that victory done by his own hand was a slim chance. Both on his rival and himself. That's why… he intended to win on a different magnitude. A far different task that would shake the foundations of hero society as a whole. He didn't want to win a fist battle anymore, nor surround himself with the glory of killing his enemies. He wanted something else.
A message.
A message that would take root into society and change everything. A message that would someday rip apart the symbol and ideal his rival had built upon himself on the world. He could lose the battle again for all he cared, but leaving a legacy that would destroy the views and ideals people had was a thing he now craved so dearly.
He smiled, probably the last vestige of expression that his tattered and worn face could produce. A smile of victory as his plans were already in motion. It was nearing now, that time of day where he could show himself. It wasn't tomorrow, certainly not today, nor was it next week. But soon.
Soon he could unleash it all.
And soon, everything that All Might built will be for naught, and the world around him will change under his guiding hand. A very pleasant dream. A dream he was sure to happen soon.
Thankfully, one more cog was thrown into the plan. To further boost the scheme of things to come. A piece in the chessboard that would ensure victory on all fronts.
That piece was the girl. The girl with the wondrous quirk.
A quirk he intends to use for himself.
"Is my apprentice ready to see me?" he said as he felt a presence manifest behind him. A pillar of dark smoke that enveloped the room like a gateway appeared. The eyes he felt on the back of his head was familiar to him, and of course it was one of his most trusted aides.
"Yes my lord. He is ready to see you."
"Bring him in then. I intend to have a long talk about his future. You may also watch my dear friend. You are part of what is to come after all."
The blackened mass before him nodded as inside it, a figure robed in black stepped through. He had gray hair, pale skin, and a pale hand that was attached to his face. He smiled on his seat as he turned around and met the figure face to face. Joining his arms in appeasement, the black mass behind them transformed into something humanoid. Something that wore a suit jacket when it deflated to something human. The blackened figure who was named Kurogiri, stood in place, putting his hands on his back as he watched wordlessly.
The other figure robed in black now revealed to be a boy, bowed in respect towards him. In good faith, he waved his hand to take the seat next to him. The pale boy did as he commanded and with careful examination, he was pleased to see the results of his long term investment taking fruit.
"How are you Tomura?"
The boy took off the pale hand that covered his face and placed it on his lap. Revealing eyes that sunk inwards and surrounding them was lines across his face that stretched around it. Akin to an old man with the number that was on his face. He looked tired and worn as his lips were cracked and his teeth somewhat misshapen. Yet he looked steadfast and ready to hear what was to be said about him and to the man who was looking at him now, he could only smile at his behest.
"I am fine master… a little bored but otherwise fine."
The boy then scratched his neck in reflex. He quickly took it off the moment his master flinched at his action.
"What is the cause of your boredom my dear Tomura?"
"There is no action to speak of master. We hide in the shadows still and the enemy walks by us, I am honest in saying that I wish to do something about it, but knowing you I think that whatever action I take would ruin your grand scheme. I do not wish to be a hurdle in your plan, which is why I stay at my place."
"You've grown to be a worthy and patient man Tomura… for that I commend you. Gone are the days where you suffer the thrill to do something you want, and now you have groomed yourself into a man that may soon take my place one day."
"Please do not say that master. I am trying my best to uphold your teachings but I wish to still remain by your side. I have much to learn if I am to be worthy to replace you."
The man made a small chuckle as he watched his apprentice.
"You are correct in saying that you have much to learn Tomura. I am glad that you acknowledge that, for a true master never lets his student go on without giving everything he learned in life and share it upon his disciple. This in turn, the disciple learns from the ways of his old master and seeks to better with the tools and knowledge that he now possesses. I wish to do the same upon you one day my dear boy… for I do admit that I have many mistakes in the past. Mistakes that put me where I am…" he then smiles at his apprentice once more. "But that is where you come in… you will finish what I started and in time you will take my place."
Tomura began to feel unease in his seat.
"Master… why must you say such things? Your victory is assured once we put it into motion and I know for sure that you will remain where you stand, stronger and powerful than ever."
The man chuckles.
"It is not up to me to decide what my fate is dear Tomura. But a weary mind such as mine that has seen it all in life knows that a perfect plan doesn't exist. However, a well-executed plan does, and that is the goal I am willing to abide, the goal I wish to accomplish."
"Hmm…" Tomura groaned, unease further growing inside his head.
"What troubles you?"
"Master you know me well; I do not become scared in the face of danger nor death but I am worried of you. I wish to crush each and every enemy that even comes close to your presence yet you say such words as if you are ready of your own demise."
"I am…"
Tomura narrows his eyes at him.
"I am Tomura. I am ready for my own death should that come. But I bid you not to worry about it. My days are numbered for a reason and that is why I found you where you were lost in life. You had no purpose to speak of, and no living soul ready to give the care and empathy I gave when I found you. I yearned to teach you of my ways because I know my time is limited in this world. So in that sense, the reason I groomed you to be as if you were my own is to finish what I started. To be the man that would regain my honor even in my absence. I gave you everything so that I can see my dreams bear fruit, with you in the center of it."
Tomura was speechless in awe yet deep inside while his master's words were inspirational and thoughtful towards him, he was still worried about him deeply. Concern towards the tone of his words and intent. Yet he could see the meaning behind it, and what he was trying to say to him.
"T-Thank you master… I don't know what to say."
"Care not for it, I am happy already of the result you became."
Tomura bowed again in his seat.
"However, there is another reason why I called you here."
"What would that be?" Tomura asked, his tone now excited as his master's tone seemed ready to give him another order to work with.
"Have you gathered enough volunteers?"
"Yes. We have gathered a prudent amount to speak of."
The man looked at Kurogiri.
"Can you confirm this?"
"Yes my lord. The boy and I have gathered enough pawns ready to take any request or order we give them."
The man then turned back to his machines and monitors. Pressing one of the screens before him and revealing one of the images that still made him salivate in excitement the moment he had heard the truth about it.
"The time is almost upon us Kurogiri. I assume our contact inside is gathering enough info for us to use?"
"Yes my lord. That's what the girl told me. It won't be long before she complies."
"Good… it would make our work easier. Or should I say, it would make yours and Tomura's job easier once you get inside."
Tomura then couldn't shake the feeling inside his head the moment he was told about this plan. He understood killing All Might was a secondary option, but the primary task? He could not understand it still. He then motioned to ask about it.
"Master… I have an inquiry to request. A question."
"What is it?" the man asked as he looked at the picture and schematics of a particular redhead girl's DNA sequence along with notes covering the multitude of abilities her quirk possesses.
"This girl… why her? Why do we need to take her?"
The man paused.
"I assume it is the correct time to tell you about this new person of interest we have… wouldn't you say Kurogiri?"
"I believe so my lord."
Tomura, who was still confused looked at the two adults near him.
"Tomura, can I ask you what is the purpose of the creation of Nomus?"
Tomura shifted in his seat.
"To use as better pawns under our grasp master. As well as making it easier to deal with the fools outside wearing colored costumes. All Might in the forefront is the prime reason."
"Then what do you suppose was the reason one of our Nomu labs was raided?"
Tomura put a hand on his neck and scratched in anxiousness.
"I-I can't say I know… I assume you have a deeper ulterior motive as to why that place was so special to you master. The only reason I could think of is because that's where you created it." Tomura said as he pointed towards another screen in the room, revealing an animalistic looking large muscular figure that had its brain exposed along with what looked like beak-protrusion taking place where its mouth should be.
"A fair conclusion but no… what was inside that compound was special. A way to further our plans to the next level."
"What do you mean master?"
"It is simple Tomura… you are worried of me because in time my days and hours in this world will indefinitely cease, but this girl... along with the many benefits she holds will ultimately pave the way to our assured victory."
Tomura looked at the picture of the redhead girl smiling next to All Might. He had caught wind of this news months ago and he was unimpressed as some pro heroes already had the ability to shut down quirks temporarily. To have his master say that she was that important and essential made him wonder what the reasons were.
"I was clueless myself when I first heard about it… but in time the more information I gathered, the more I understood that this girl was something I never even predicted would come to existence, least of all in my lifetime. But here she was, ripe for the taking and with the various things she could do… I believe she will be an important piece into the grand scheme of things we wish to uphold upon the world." His master said in excitement. To be honest, he had not witnessed his master this happy and excited about anything, so seeing it first time made him curious as well to the girl's importance.
"We can even groom her to our cause… in time that is."
"I see…"
"We must get to her first Tomura… I am not the only person who knows about her, and I am sure that others 'like us' are already putting in plans to get to her first."
Tomura smiled.
"Then she will be yours first master. I am sure of it."
The man smiled and nodded back. Tomura then stood up, ready to leave in preparation for this strike. As he put on the hand contraption back to his face, he looked at his master yet again, asking him for one more favor before leaving.
"Master… may I know of this girl further? If you allow me that is."
"Of course, whatever makes you learn more Tomura. I don't have everything but I do know one crucial thing about this girl."
"And that is?"
"Aldera." The man said with a bone-chilling grin. One that affected Tomura as well.
14:13 Hours, UA School Campus Grounds…
"Wow you look so cool Sylvia!" Mina Ashido said as she gawked over the mute foreign exchange girl. The girl happily smiled in gratitude as her blue suit did stand out a bit from the Class 1-A's roster. It wasn't too flashy per say, but the way how the partial black armor plates that surrounded her skin-tight blue bodysuit definitely made an impression on most of the girls, along with most of the boys (who in this case were quite surprised at how good she looked wearing it). Her frame was rather small compared to the other girls, but she made up with how she explained (albeit slowly) the way the suit functioned. The fabric was a special-synthesized material that allowed her quirk to appear in most parts of her body while not sacrificing herself in being near-nude. This fact made Momo Yaoyorozu a bit jealous and was clear to her that she could ask for the Support Companies to update her suit much like the blue-haired girl's. Hers was a tad bit more revealing than usual, it allowed her to have free reign in using her quirk to its full potential, but it also made it so that her body was exposed more than she cared to admit. The red and white colored configuration also did not help for a certain few boys in the class to feel a bit perverted than usual. Uraraka also felt eyes on her as her suit was so skin-tight for her liking and it showed most of her curves that she was uncomfortable of showing to others.
Thankfully, with the assistance of Mina and Kyouka alongside Asui, that issue was thrown out of the window with a little assistance from Tenya. The boys did not disappoint as well with their colorful costumes, Tenya stood out most of all with how heavily armored and flashy his suit looked. It also didn't help that his suit bore a close resemblance to that of a pro hero with a similar engine quirk. Katsuki's suit wasn't one to be left behind as well. The colors and design complimented his rather explosive personality and the grenade-like objects that he wore as gauntlets along his arms served a purpose that he was quite excited to show in the battle trials.
With all of that said however, some had simpler designs when it came to their hero suits. Kyouka had a rather punk-rock makeover complete with a functional set of speakers to amplify her own sound-based quirk. Kirishima while definitely stylistic only supported enough fabric to cover his skin as his quirk already provided as armor to his body. The likes of Mina's and Kaminari's were solely focused on styles they chose for their suits and while they did show some functional aspects based on their quirks, they came out rather simpler than intended. Sero's along with Tokoyami's were also simple in some aspect as they chose practicality first that would benefit their quirk rather than stylistic choices.
Seeing all of them now made All Might (who was wearing one of his iconic hero suits) cheerful knowing that these were the next generation of would-be heroes that would someday replace even the likes of him. He looked around seeing how happy everyone was seeing each other, and as he thought about the future, one thing did make him wonder…
"Himiko… have you seen Izumi anywhere?" Toru asked, her suit simply a set of gloves and shoes made it as if those parts of clothing were floating from the ground and used by a ghost.
"No… me and Kyouka wanted to stay by her side as she changed but… we haven't seen her since then." Himiko said, her suit too was rather simple in presentation as well. A full-gray bodysuit that had specialized fabric (akin to Midnight's) that allowed the porous material her skin produced to ooze out without the need to rip it open. She also had a specialized utility belt that contained some melee weapons for her to use, although All Might insisted that she wouldn't need them at this situation. Yet.
"I told you we should have waited for her…" Kyouka insisted.
"You mean to say that Izumi's still acting strange since lunchtime?" Momo said as she interjected into the conversation. It also drew the attention of Tenya along with Tokoyami who knew of Izumi's strange out-of-focus episodes in the table they shared at lunch.
"I can't say, she's been telling us that she wants some alone time and all of that…" Kyouka replied.
"What did she say her problem was?" Asui asked.
"If I recall correctly, Izumi said she was suffering nightmares? Was that the reason?" Toru suggested.
"I don't know about you guys but there's something definitely wrong about her. She never came back to us when she excused herself to take a leak!" Kyouka said.
"I'm worried for her. She seemed really troubled about something." Himiko said, guilt laced in the tone of her words. Momo felt the same thing seeing that Izumi did in fact act erratically in some instances today but she never noticed that it was that serious to think about until now.
"What should we do?" Tenya asked.
"Momo… I think we should say this to All Might. It's been more than a minute now and she hasn't arrived yet." Kyouka said as Momo nodded. They were about to give this matter to the number one hero until All Might himself called out the girl's name.
"Ah! Young Midoriya, you've finally joined us!"
All eyes moved to Izumi's position as the girl shyly walked towards the group. A blush forming under her features as she waved at her class.
"H-Hi guys! Sorry I was late." She then ran towards Himiko and Kyouka along with her other friends as quickly as she could. The moment she did however, it made everyone jealous at rather how well-designed her suit turned out.
It even made Katsuki to look at her direction. Shoto did so as well with widened eyes.
All of the attention however made Izumi feel a bit more awkward and shy seeing that all the attention was on her again. A thing she wasn't comfortable in the slightest.
To All Might however, he too was surprised. Inko and Nemuri already said that the suit was something they conjured with Izumi months ago but seeing it fully-fleshed out and worn upon Izumi's form was quite a different matter indeed.
Izumi's suit was simple in design, but the way it was presented was rather extravagant and eye-catching. In its entirety, it was a full red body suit with narrow white and dark green lines moving along the suit through her arms, legs, and torso. Her chest sported a partial armor plate that covered her for protection with a white symbol that was shaped into a flower placed on the center of it. A white band was placed next to her shoulders on both arms that were connected to the collapsible fabric running along her arms. This red-colored fabric stretched all the way to her fingers where it was colored white on the ends of it. This fabric was specialized to allow the energy tendrils to manifest through it when she conjures Black Whip. Along her neckline was a buckled narrow white cape that flowed behind her back which ended below her knee. Her hair was tied into a bun as she sported a partial-helmet in design similar to Uraraka's. A red visor which was layered over face along with a two short protrusions that connected to the headband she wore inside. The look was finished with Izumi's calm and loving smile that Toshinori grew to love. He would take a picture of it later and send it to her mother. Knowing her it would definitely make her proud.
He also observed that she took a lot of elements in inspiration from the people she admired. Her bodysuit reminded him to be close in the likes of Inko's former Jade persona. How it fit close to her style made him realize that Inko must have had some input. He also found it rather appealing to see that the helmet she wore along with the two protrusions were meant as a close but not too far reference of his own iconic hair that stuck up above his head. The white cape however, he didn't know where that came from but it looked so similar in design to her former master's cape. Nana Shimura's to be exact.
It made him smile for a bit knowing that.
"Wow… you look so cool." Uraraka said as she gaped her mouth open in awe.
"I told you she packed muscle underneath those clothes… but damn, I never expected it to look this great." Kaminari commented. Most of the boys shared the sentiment as well.
"Wow… I feel so underwhelmed with how I look all of the sudden." Kyouka said as Izumi scratched the back of her neck in shyness. She giggled as everyone looked at her. Putting more pressure as her heart beat faster.
"You've been keeping secrets from us!" Mina suddenly said with a pout.
"W-What?"
"Look how stacked you are!" Mina said as she grabbed the girl's arm and showed how tone and muscled it was. It wasn't too much, but she definitely sported quite an attractive figure.
"H-Hard work and dedication I guess…" Izumi replied as Asui and Mina continued to haggle her.
"Wow Izu… I know you said you took ten days to make the suit through concept art you make, but I have to say this came out better than I expected it to be." Himiko stated as she poked the chest piece that Izumi wore.
Ten days? Momo internally said in surprise. She only did this suit to her preferences along with how useful it would be for her quirk. She was now adamant to update this design for the support course to change in the future.
Conversations have returned to normal now as Izumi returned to class. The boys returned to what they were talking about earlier and the girls along with Izumi were talking with her normally like they were yesterday, as if nothing happened to the redhead earlier. All Might on the other hand was preparing his lesson so he let the class do as they please for a few minutes.
Izumi however, had something to say to her friends. She then instinctively played with her fingers (a trait she does when nervous) as she cleared her throat to make them hear her out.
She bowed apologetically towards them.
"I'm sorry I acted weird earlier! It wasn't my intention to worry you guys. I was just a bit a depressed with how much was going on inside my head that I neglected you guys… I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!" Izumi pleaded.
Himiko then made a soft giggle which was followed by her other friends. Izumi blushed profusely in shame only to see that Kyouka put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey… we all get bad shit in our lives at times… but that doesn't mean that we hate you for it."
"Yeah Izu, we are here for you after all." Himiko added with a smile. Momo and the others did the same as well as Izumi meekly smiled back.
"Thank you… I don't know what to say, but I'm really grateful meeting you guys!"
A small laugh passed between them as Momo looked at Izumi.
"The next time you experience something like this again Izumi, don't be afraid to tell us. You don't need to bottle it all up when we're here." Momo said as the girl bowed in thanks yet again. In Momo's head, she was thankful that Izumi was back to normal like yesterday.
"I'll keep that in mind guys." Izumi said.
Himiko felt a sigh of relief seeing Izumi like this, she now figured that maybe nothing happened yesterday after all. Maybe they hadn't made a move yet.
The conversations between the class were finally halted though when All Might cleared his throat.
"Now that you're all ready, it's time for combat training!" he proclaimed as everyone stood in attention. Tenya on the other hand raised his hand to ask a question. Hearing his voice through that armor made Izumi rather surprised to see that it was Tenya inside that suit. Izumi who now noticed everyone's suits made the inner nerd inside her salivate in excitement.
"Sir, this is the fake city from our Entrance Exam. Does that mean we will be conducting urban battle simulations again?"
Oh yeah… this was the place where I did some- Nevermind. Izumi said internally.
"Not quite! I'm going to move you two steps ahead, you see most of the villain fights you see in the news take place outside. However, statistically speaking run ins with the dastardliest of evildoers take place indoors. Think about it, backroom deals, home invasions (Izumi flinches hearing that), secret underground lairs; truly intelligent villains stay hidden in the shadows. For this training exercise you will be split into teams of good guys and bad guys. Fighting two on two battles with each other."
"Isn't this a bit too advance?" Asui asked.
"To answer your question, the best training is the experience you get from the battlefield! But do remember, you're not just going to punch a robot this time, you will be dealing with actual people now!" All Might said out aloud only to be welcomed by a barrage of questions.
"Sir! Will you be the one deciding who wins the exercise?" Momo inquired.
"How much damage are we allowed to do towards the enemy team?" Katsuki said.
"Do we need to worry about the losers getting expelled like Mr. Aizawa says?" Uraraka asked.
"Will you be splitting us by chance or by relative skil?" Tenya again asked.
And it continued as All Might stood there rather overwhelmed by the questions asked on him. Izumi awkwardly grinned at his mentor as he froze on where he stood while still taking in the questions being thrown at him. Izumi knew that the man was new to this, but it was honestly funny seeing him act the way he is right at that moment.
To Toshinori he groaned mentally. I wasn't even finished talking!
The man then suddenly took a piece of paper (written by Kaguya), and opened it to say what was written on it. It was made as a failsafe should things like this happen to him. Izumi shamefully put a hand on her face at how embarrassing this looked. She did hold back a laugh that was starting to build up in her however. To Himiko and Kyouka who were beside her, they shrugged in response as to what she was doing.
"Listen up! The situation is this: the villains have hidden a nuclear ordinance somewhere in their hideout and the heroes have to try and foil their plans. To do that, the good guys either have to catch the villains with a special capture tape I will provide or recover the weapon. Likewise, for the bad guys to succeed, they have to protect their payload or capture the heroes!" All Might said as he put the piece of paper back to his belt.
"This sounds like a classic action movie set up." Izumi commented.
"Time is limited and we will be choosing teams by drawing lots!" All Might said as he lifted a box filled with the individual names of the class inside.
"Isn't there a better way?" Tenya asked as well as others who were a lot more comfortable pairing up with people they know. Izumi however really liked the set of rules based on selecting teams.
"Think about it guys, Pro Heroes usually get to partner up with heroes from different agencies in the spot. So maybe that's the reason we're seeing it here."
"Yes, I see… life is a random series of events." Tenya replied and he then went to apologize in yet another dramatic manner like the usual with him. After his apology, All Might excitedly pumped his fist in the air, shouting out that it was time to draw.
The class was a bit nervous as everyone's name was called out one by one and followed by who they were partnering up with. Himiko wished that it was Izumi she would be paired with, while the redhead girl maintained a rather excited glow around her, wondering who her partner was.
As the draws ended…
Izumi was fine with who she was partnered with.
But knowing who the enemy team was that was drawn afterwards, she was sufficiently surprised to know who they were and it made the battle trials a lot more harder than she previously thought.
14:27 Hours, UA Campus Library…
"Is this what you normally read when you have free time for yourself?" Inko whispered towards Kaguya who was sitting next to her, reading books about home design and furniture fixtures. Inko decided to relax a bit with literature the school offered and since Kaguya was following her, she told the woman to read some books she fancied as well. They didn't need to do anything after all at that time, as waiting for Izumi's class to end is still a few hours away.
The reason being why she stayed at UA at all was voluntary protection for Izumi as well as the request the principal asked on her and Kaguya to remain inside the school for added security.
"Ms. Inko, you have no idea how many changes the house Mr. Yagi goes through in a year. He usually doesn't mind whatever the house looks, but to make sure his public image retains, I was tasked to be creative with how the outside world sees him. That includes his home first and foremost. You don't know how much people get 'special' access to his home for an interview. It also helps that the people who visit it get to make stories and rumors of how great the place is… so I take pride in that."
"Really now? How much changes does the house go through in a year?"
"The highest count I could think of was six. The lowest probably at three." Kaguya mentioned.
Inko widened her eyes in surprise after hearing that.
"In what number of change is the house sitting at right now?"
Kaguya took a moment before responding to that question.
"Probably the second this year I think."
"And he just lets you?"
"Yes… though I do find it as a workout of sorts… and with the money supplied by Mr. Yagi's agency, I am allowed to do as much change as I can."
Inko was visibly impressed by that. She then wondered what would that mean for her and Izumi.
"If you're asking what changes I will do now that you two live there… I guess minor changes for the girl's wellbeing is the tantamount priority moving forward." Kaguya continued, guessing exactly what Inko was thinking.
"I suppose changing our room to better suit Izumi and I makes sense." Inko said.
"Oh… the girl's room will fit right into how I foresee it. She will love it… I think. As for Mr. Yagi's room that you and him share I think putting more flair into-
"Wait… what did you say?' Inko interrupted.
"Mr. Yagi's room, you share it with him right? I saw you sleep on his bed the moment I arrived at his residence. He wasn't sleeping next to you but I assumed that-
"Stop… stop talking. Nothing happened okay. Nothing happened." Inko firmly stated as a blush formed around her face. One of the students next to them looked at her as her voice was getting high in tone. Kaguya however remained expressionless and confused to her words.
"Just because I slept in his room does not mean I sleep with him." Inko continued.
"Hmm… but I think the girl would prefer sleeping alone and aren't you and Mr. Yagi close already?" Kaguya asked. Inko stared at Kaguya who was fearless asking that question. Truth is, she wasn't sure herself. They were close, she would admit that truthfully, but as to how close? She wasn't entirely sure.
"Can we… change the subject? Please?" Inko asked.
"If you want to, then yes…"
"Good… let's forget we had that conversation." Inko said as the woman returned to her own musings, flipping the page of the book she was reading. Inko on the other hand felt her blush subside as she sighed in relief. She then opened the book she held on her hands, which was about Quirk use modern day laws and regulations. Hoping to get something of use for Izumi in the future.
Being an undercover 'legal counselor' back in the day helped a bit in her favor.
As she flipped through the pages, another set of voices who were whispering was heard inside the library, catching the attention of some students who tried to silence a duo of third years talking to themselves about which reference to use.
Inko looked at them and saw that it was a boy and a girl, older by a few years from Izumi's age and about her age before she disappeared from everything back in her old life. The girl had long sky-blue hair and the boy had blonde hair. The both of them somewhat deep in conversation as to what book they needed to use for a project proposal they needed to finish.
They continued even though they already left the book shelf they grabbed books from.
Inko could hear them talk still, which made people look at them for being noisy. It reminded her of herself back when she was their age. Libraries were one of the places she used to sleep back in the day when she wasn't studying.
"I know but Mr. Cementoss said that this book was better." The girl said.
"But this book is concise than the one recommended. I think this is useful." The boy said.
"But aren't we supposed to-
Inko couldn't handle it anymore, so she stood up and went to their position. Where the girl's eyes widened as her serious look changed to a more friendly one.
"I hate to be a bother kids but you're pretty much making a fuss here." Inko said.
"Oh… sorry about that ma'am. We were just discussing something about our hero studies" the girl said, the boy then nodded too in agreement.
"I see… but can you please lighten your tones down to a bare minimum? This is a library after all."
Both students apologized and as they were about to leave, Inko noticed the books they were holding. It was something about hero regulations as well, and it peaked her interest.
"May I see those books you're holding?" Inko asked.
"Oh, these are just for our joint research project ma'am."
"I see… can I see them?" Inko asked again as the girl shrugged and gave her book to Inko's hands. Inko looked at it with close inspection and noticed that she was familiar with the book.
"May I ask what you both intend to use as your project proposal?" Inko inquired in curiosity. The two then explained in short detail, what they intended to use and Inko thought about it for a second before deciding on something for the two's benefit.
"I may be able to help you both… do you two have time for a consultation?"
"Consultation… from you ma'am?" The girl asked.
"Sure… I've got some free time right now. It wouldn't hurt doing something useful and besides lumbering around reading things ultimately ends with me getting bored in the process. It would be nice having people to talk to."
Kaguya heard that as her bunny ears stood out. She felt a bit offended hearing those words from her. She then wondered if she was indeed boring to talk to as Inko suggested. Meanwhile, the two students agreed at Inko's offer and at their behest, they went into one of the private study rooms inside the library. With Kaguya's help, Inko managed to get as much resources from the books regarding Quirk Regulations from the library to use for the two's benefit.
Time went on for an hour as Inko gave suggestions and expert advice about the topic these two wanted to pursue. By the end of it they were rather impressed and thankful for the input she gave for their project. The girl definitely felt that Inko left an impression on her as they finished their session.
"May I ask a question Ms. Inko?" the girl said.
"What is it? Nejire… right?" the girl nodded as the blonde boy was finishing up packing their notes and the books she suggested that they use.
"Are you a new teacher? You're pretty good at this." Nejire stated.
"Me? Oh no… I'm just here to… uh…" Inko then needed to think of a proper excuse as to why she was there. She then found the easiest excuse she can think of.
"I'm just a legal consultant hired by one of the faculty's members." She simply said.
"Ohh… I wish you could have been a teacher of ours. That would have been awesome."
"I agree ma'am and thank you once again for helping us." The blonde boy of whom Inko knew as Mirio said. Inko smiled at them as Kaguya returned with a cup of coffee for both of them to drink.
"What was your whole name again Ms. Inko? It would be helpful that we credit you once the work is done." Nejire asked. Inko said her full name as Mirio wrote it down, only for the woman to see that the girl was deep in thought about her name.
"Midoriya. Huh, Midoriya? Wait a second, are you related to an Izumi Midoriya from the entrance exam?" Inko was surprised the girl knew about Izumi, Mirio then stopped writing to hear the confirmation from Inko if Nejire's guess was true.
"I am… I'm her mother."
"WOW! You should know that she was amazing in the exam-" the girl continued to spit out sentences of awe and gratitude about Izumi's performance while Mirio kept on apologizing for her tendencies. They continued to talk about Izumi until a certain Shota Aizawa entered the study room they were all in.
The two students greeted the teacher in respect while Inko nodded at him. He looked away from her and reminded the two that their classes would resume soon. With the final goodbyes from the students given out as they left, the room's tension rose once it was only Aizawa and Inko's presence that filled the room. Kaguya watched in silence as Inko looked at him.
"Aizawa… if you're going to say something about me, just say it." Inko said.
The man stared at her intensely, before sighing inaudibly and leaving the room abruptly afterwards. A chasm of mistrust still existed between them and it was something that Inko still felt guilty about. When the coast was clear, she sipped the remnants of her coffee and looked at Kaguya.
"What?"
"That went better than anticipated. Do you think having me by your side is still boring?" Kaguya asked as Inko smirked at her. Inwardly however, she hoped that Aizawa would forgive her in time.
"Kaguya… what time does Toshinori's class end?"
"About an hour starting now. Why?"
"What was the exercise he intended to do today? For Izumi's class that is."
"Battle Trials." Kaguya responded and Inko wished that the two were doing well on the onset of that exercise.
AN HOUR BEFORE…
Izumi felt herself ready while at the same time anxious for what was to come. When she heard who the enemy team was, she was pretty much excited at first to know who the pair was. Until she used her 'vision mode' and saw what Shoto's quirk really was. She had seen glimpses of it used in the last physical exercise yesterday under their homeroom teacher's guidance but getting more in-depth knowledge of how volatile his quirk was through what clues her vision mode gave, made her feel all the more intimidated by his presence than before.
She knew deep down that the guy had something special underneath that expressionless look of his, but knowing a semblance of what he could do made her shudder to how good her performance was going to be. His partner in this test was Kirishima and Izumi didn't mind him at first, a strong quirk by hers standards and definitely not someone she could shrug off. But the real problem lay on Shoto himself.
Izumi knew that he was intelligent. There was more to what the eye could see from the surface level of the silent 'half and half' boy. To what extent his experience, mastery, and skill towards his quirk lay, she was unsure. Which made it more than a problem than it initially was.
Add that with the 20 minute time limit along with only 5 minutes to prepare and discuss a plan, Izumi felt more pressure than before. And I thought Mr. Aizawa's test was scary… she mentally said.
Luckily to help her feel a bit positive on her side of things was that her partner was the colorful, energetic, and always friendly Mina Ashido.
"That's your plan?" the pink girl said.
"That's the best solution that I could think of, and based on what clues I've gathered about Shoto, this is not going to be easy in the slightest." Izumi reiterated as Mina thought about their plan.
"You're that sure of how difficult it will be for us?"
"No, not really. I can guess mostly of what their capabilities are but seeing the amount of evidence I have in hand, I don't see this as a walk in the park."
"I know Kirishima… a bit, we went to the same school but we weren't classmates. All I know about him is that his quirk makes him harden to increase his defense. But for the other guy… is he really that dangerous?"
Izumi thought about the conversation she and Shoto shared when they were alone inside the nurse's office. How he used her words about knowing how she felt made it seem her theory was correct.
"I believe so…" Izumi concluded.
Mina felt a bit of fear from Izumi's conclusion but her excitement over this test blew away all thoughts of backing out or negativity from her head.
"Wow Izumi! I knew you were smart but not this smart! And the plan you just made for us, I'm not really easy in understanding some aspects of it but I think its gonna work!" Mina excitedly said.
Izumi smiled at her as she thought about all the lessons Inko, Kaguya, and Gran Torino taught her.
The strategy was relatively simple for both of them, but pulling it off was going to be hard. Especially since they were the designated hero team and the pair working inside the building was the enemy defending their payload inside. Izumi's hunch of Shoto's defensive measures made it clear to her that they needed a focused 'scalpel'-like attack rather than a full-blunt force offensive.
She was still hashing out the details in her head while Mina watched her. Earlier, when it was revealed who the teams were, Momo along with Kyouka and Himiko told Mina to make sure Izumi was really alright and to talk to her so she feels better with whatever was happening to her that day.
A task that Mina happily obliged to do. She placed her hand on the girl's shoulder with that bright smile of hers. Izumi instantly looked at her direction. Her positive aura was far too much to ignore.
"Hey Izumi, how do you feel right now?"
"I'm fine Mina, if what you're asking about what happened during lunchtime… well, I was kinda having a bad day." Izumi admitted.
"It's fine, we all have bad days! But what I'm asking is what are you feeling now? Do you feel better? Are you okay taking this test?"
Izumi was still split on that internally, but since her focus returned to almost full capacity, she felt that it was okay going through with this.
"Yeah, I feel better now. A bit stressed but otherwise fine. Thanks for asking." Izumi said with a feeling of gratitude returned to the pink girl.
"Aw come on, we can totally win this. You've been doing amazing things so far ever since I met you! I'm sure we'll win with this as well." Mina's enthusiasm really struck a chord to her, and while it reminded her of Himiko at times, their energy was different from each other.
Which also meant that she liked the girl as well.
"I-I don't know about that though, I'm not really that special to begin with… heh." Izumi giggled afterwards as Mina continued to give her so much compliments. Then she asked something out of the blue all of the sudden.
"Oh I didn't mean to ask but Momo told me this was because of you having nightmares?"
Izumi flinched as she looked at Mina. She nodded as the girl asked about what her dream was. However, seeing that the mood turned down a notch, Mina pulled the question back quickly to make her feel better. Izumi smiled at how much she cared but a thought inside her made it hard for her to admit what her nightmare was.
Because it was about her killing all her friends.
"Izumi… it'll be fine. It was just a dream." Mina assured as she took her hand. Izumi nodded.
Then through the ear pieces provided to them, All Might finally announced that the 5 minute planning period for the commencement of the test ended and with a deep breath Izumi and Mina looked at each other with determined looks.
Their 20 minutes had just begun.
…
Meanwhile inside the building, Shoto and Kirishima already received the order that the test had started. They discussed a few things but the main front of their plan was that Kirishima was going to defend this room specifically where the ordinance they carried lay. They both agreed that he could handle anyone best at a close range and the room itself provided enough room to let him shine for that. For Shoto, the main thing he needed to do was to delay the advance of the attackers with as much prejudice and force he could give out. This came as no surprise since the girl on the enemy team was the main problem they needed to snuff out.
Ashido provided a threat level too, but she was far out of league of what they knew so far about Izumi Midoriya's capabilities. Luckily for Shoto, he had countermeasures in place of that.
"Can I count on you to make sure this place stays safe?" Shoto asked. The redhead boy smacked his hands together with a determined expression. His skin hardened enough to the point that cracks of stone-like material appeared all throughout.
"I can handle anyone at this small of a room Todoroki! You can count on me for that."
"Good… and I'll make sure our defenses are tight."
Kirishima's eyes widened.
"What are you going to do?"
"Watch…" Shoto said with seriousness as he walked to the halls outside the small room and pressed his hand upon the wall. Instantly in mere seconds, ice surrounded the entire hallway in a flash as the whole building froze with the touch of his hand. Boulders upon boulders of hardened ice blocked important passageways and entryways. The ice itself had spread into the entirety of the building that it was visible to the people outside who saw it unfold. Ice jutted out of the walls and windows along with chokepoints which can still be used inside. The permafrost completely made their defenses ironclad to any attacker willing to take the risk. While he did concur that Izumi had the capability to blow the ice away, this wasn't a problem since he had intentionally placed multiple hard obstacles on almost every passageway going to the room they needed to guard extensively.
The raw power Shoto displayed made their classmates gape their mouths in shock.
The temperature obviously dropped to such degrees that even Kirishima who was iced in by the blocks he placed on the entryways of the room, was shivering in his boots. His suit also never provided any insulation to speak of. But he luckily the test was only 20 minutes and he could survive enough for that long.
"A-A bit too much on there... Todoroki… D-Do you still hear me on your side?" Kirishima said as he used the earpiece provided. A signal went through, with Shoto acknowledging.
"Keep yourself tight there, I'm going to make sure they don't get to your location."
"A-All right… j-just keep y-yourself safe bro."
Shoto hummed in response as he traversed the halls that he used less of his quirk with. He then started to think what Izumi would do next.
…
"Holy shit… never thought that guy was that strong." Sero commented as he and the rest of his classmates along with All Might watched in the situation room, where they could view the test taking place. This was in fact the first match of the day and already the dials were turned to eleven when Izumi was placed against one of the strongest the class had to offer.
"That was smart of him to do that. While unorthodox for a villain to use such tactics, I suppose when it comes to defending and stalling for a good amount of time, this works perfectly into his hands." Momo commented.
"I'm sure Izu can pull it off!" Himiko cheered.
"Can they though? I'm a bit worried about them now. Todoroki barely showed any strain from using his quirk like that. Izumi on the other hand has severe backlash when she uses her quirk to large extents." Uraraka worriedly said.
Murmurs started to form until an unlikely voice came out.
"If there's one thing I know about Deku, she's stubborn enough not to give up even when there's the smallest chance of victory. She'll probably take it than walk away without proving anything meaningful on her end." Katsuki Bakugou said, a phrase that even All Might listened to.
"So you DO care about Izu!" Himiko teased.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT BLONDIE!"
"Speaking of Midoriya and Ashido… where the heck are they?" Kaminari pointed out as indeed the two girls were not in frame on the cameras installed inside the building. Only layers of permafrost across walls and tall boulders of ice were in frame.
Toshinori narrowed his eyes, because to him he knew that the girl had something under her sleeve. But of what magnitude was the thing he was deathly curious about, because the trackers in place attached to the two pairs of teams individually only registered Shoto's and Kirishima's. Mina's and Izumi's had the signals to their trackers lost within the building.
…
"H-have you seen them?" Kirishima said through the earpiece.
"No… I haven't yet. With only about eleven minutes remaining, I doubt they can do anything substantial to get to your end." Shoto replied.
"T-That s-sounds g-great."
"Just hang tight. This'll be over soon."
"S-Sure…"
"I'm going to go on one last rotation then I'll go back to your- Shoto suddenly stopped when he caught wind of smoke coming from the doorway towards hallway in front of him. He suddenly grew cautious on that new occurrence.
"Todoroki?" Kirishima asked through the earpiece.
"I think I've found them. Or at least one of them." Shoto said as he eased his steps to stealthily get himself to the doorway and true enough, Mina Ashido was there by the end of it, burning away the ice that was covering the staircase upwards to Kirishima's location. He wondered where Izumi was, but knowing that Ashido's quirk could melt through his constructs with a moderate pace, he had to take her out as fast as he could. He walked in the middle of the hallway about to place his hand on the wall next to him to produce ice strong enough to hold her in place.
He felt sorry for the girl when he was about to do this, until…
THWAP!
Black Tendrils of Energy binded his hand in mere seconds, and a shock of electricity temporarily made Shoto's hand partially numb. He looked up and saw perched above the ceiling was Izumi, held in place by Black Whip gripping itself tight along the walls.
"Hi." Izumi said.
Shoto frowned as he used his free hand to wave into the air towards her, sending a surge of ice on her direction. Izumi dodged by a millisecond as she leapt a spot next to him and wrapped Black Whip along his feet to drag him to the ground with one pull.
Izumi yanked it hard but luckily Shoto managed to stick his other foot on the ground with ice that latched on him he then aimed his free hand towards Mina's position, only to see that she vanished leaving behind melted ice from her wake.
He then turned his attention to Izumi, with forceful eyes he aimed at her direction.
Izumi released her hold on him as a torrent of ice blew towards her direction. With speed and reflexes energized by her quirk, she shot a line of Black Whip upwards and launched herself with enough momentum to break the ceiling upwards.
CRASH!
She landed directly on top and as she tried to catch a breath, a sudden pillar of ice struck out from the whole she came from. Suddenly another broke apart next to it, and another…
The pillars were heading to her direction.
Izumi was about to leap away from she perched herself when, the entire floor ruptured. Out of it came Shoto as he grabbed Izumi's leg in time before she could leap out of the way. He then threw her to the ground next to her.
The girl groaned as she hit the floor.
"That hurt." Izumi said as Shoto towered over her. He then leaned forward, making sure that she wouldn't move in place as he wanted her to surrender. Izumi on the other hand, smirked in response, in the heat of battle along with the tips Inko and Kaguya gave her, she knew what best to do at this situation.
She put her hands on Shoto's face in a sort of seduction tactic… making Shoto flustered and stunned for a second. The way how she moved her hands and how her face looked completely caught him off guard.
"What are you doing?" he asked in surprise as both of them blushed bright in red.
"I got you." Izumi said with a smirk as her hands tightened around his face and a shock of Izumi's electricity funneled into his head. He screamed in pain as the girl positioned her feet on his chest and kicked him off her by a good distance away from her.
The shock registered to Shoto's head stunned him as he tried to recover on the floor.
Suddenly something stirred inside him as painful memories of his father, his family, his drive, his pain, and worst of all what his mother did to him attacked him relentlessly in those short span of seconds. He opened his eyes as he tried to refocus on the battle, when Izumi ran at her with an arm ready to punch him. Shoto's eyes widened as he saw that the girl's helmet especially along the two protrusions on top of it was generating a moderate amount of red electricity she produced.
He aimed his hands at her to blow her away and incapacitate her.
Only to find out that for some reason, his quirk didn't work.
"TAKE THIS!" Izumi said as she thrust forward a blow. The speed was far too fast for him but he managed to dodge, only for Izumi to graze his cheek barely. A scratched had formed as minimal blood seeped through. He moved away, going into a defensive as Izumi kept on coming with a flurry of fast attacks. She was going to hit her again, only for Shoto grab her arm and try to redirect it away from him. Only this time, Izumi knew exactly that he would do that and in a fashion akin to Kaguya's moves, she used the grabbed arm to twist herself over him with a single leap while throwing him to the nearest wall with sufficient force.
"AGH!" Shoto said as he felt himself hit his back on the wall, nearly knocking out the wind out of him. Izumi didn't stop there though as she came at him again with a kick. The boy rolled away just in time as Izumi's kick was strong enough to dent the wall. While a groan came from her, it didn't seem to injure her at all.
She laid her eyes on Shoto and saw that he stood his ground, trying to make his quirk work to no avail. Izumi spotted a window of opportunity and was determined to seize it. She ran to Shoto as the duel between them continued. Blow for blow the eyes of which were watching them stood in awe…
…
"Look how fast she's going." Ojiro commented, being trained with hand to hand combat himself, he was very surprised and amazed that Izumi could pull off successful attacks while also countering attacks being thrown at her. The speed and strength that came with such blows was also a thing that made everyone in the room interested to watch second by second as minutes pass.
"Why is Todoroki not fighting back? He can easily freeze her right then and there!" Sero said.
"Don't you see what she's doing to him, the moment she put her hands on his face and electrocuted him, he wasn't able to use his quirk anymore." Shouji said in observation.
"Wait… so she was the girl in the news last year?" Mineta said in surprise.
"I thought Shoto had this fight the moment she engaged against him, but I'm starting to have doubts about it now." Kaminari exclaimed, and deep down he felt useless again seeing Izumi who had the better 'electric-based' quirk than him.
"This is so awesome… it's like watching Pros at play!" Toru cheerfully said.
"Appealing as it may be, I think Izumi is doing far too much combat for my liking." Momo expressed. Kyouka and Himiko turned to her for an explanation.
"Look at the timer. There's only less than five minutes left and Izumi hasn't subdued him yet nor has Mina gotten close to secure the bomb."
Uraraka gulped in fear, hoping that Izumi and Mina would still win…
"Why is she dragging this fight so long?" Toshinori whispered to himself as injuries on Shoto were starting to appear and Izumi didn't look like she was finished with her onslaught.
"Come on DEKU! Beat his sorry ass!" Katsuki screamed in frustration.
…
Shoto's suit was starting to have visible damage as parts of it were ripping up. Izumi didn't cease to attack him and while he intended to absorb each hit to delay her further in their advance, he knew that the more damage she dealt, the more likely she will be able to go through him. Along with the speed and strength advantage she held physically, he knew that she could easily take the bomb just by her own.
But since time was ticking, he need to disengage and make sure he wastes enough of her time.
Izumi lunged at him again with a combo of punches and kicks, but as they were about to hit him, he dodged right on time and high-tailed out of the room as he ran. Izumi in quick reflex, bound his arms with Black Whip and then for some reason crashed herself to break the wall in this room to enter the next. She then threw him inside the frost-laden spacious room that had multiple boulders of his ice covering the exits. He stood up slightly weaker than before as he looked at Izumi standing where she made a hole through the wall.
He looked at the timer and saw that 3 minutes were left, and she didn't move where she stood.
He needed to delay her further.
"I have to say, I didn't know you could cancel out quirks just like Mr. Aizawa."
"I can only dampen them… I don't erase a quirk fully unlike him." She replied as she started to walk towards him. Shoto finally standing up, held one his arms that were aching. Izumi had visible damage too from his earlier attacks, but he was the more battered one between them.
"Midoriya… what's your plan? I hate to say that you're wasting too much of your time."
Izumi stopped, suddenly the energy field she produced was shut off. Shoto finally felt the frost and flame of his quirk back at his fingertips.
"I'm not actually…"
"So you mean to say Ashido is still in the loop? You do know she isn't fast enough to get to the bomb, with Kirishima still guarding it, I doubt she can secure it in time. You don't even know where it is, and I'm willing to be she doesn't either."
"I actually know where Kirishima and the bomb is. The thing is, I whenever I see someone in my vision mode even for the first time, I get the sense of knowing where they exactly are in and it's even more effective when they're close by."
Shoto was shocked to hear that, but this little conversation gave way to his advantage. Before she could activate her quirk again, Shoto raised his hands as fast as he could and let loose the frozen tundra upon Izumi.
BWWOOOOOSSSHHHHHHHH!
…
Toshinori was floored the moment he heard about what Izumi had just said. As he recalled the last time the girl told her about the numerous innate abilities her vision mode possessed and one of them was to track anyone seen by herself while getting a sense of where they are no matter the distance.
He was impressed to know that detail firsthand before all hell broke loose.
The fight went on and the intensity was doubling up.
He started worry if he needed to intervene to stop both of them from getting each other hurt.
"Izumi's losing ground!" Kyouka said out aloud as the storm of snow and big blocks of hale was being thrown at the girl nonstop through the screen. Making everyone worried.
Toshinori gripped the table he was holding, the edges bending to his strength.
…
"Give up! You can't get through me!" Shoto screamed to warn her that he wasn't going to stop. The heavy raw power of his quirk was now overwhelming Izumi as she tried to hold her ground. Her suit was now taking serious damage as parts of it were breaking off or ripping due to the force blowing her away. Her armor was cracking under the weight of the onslaught as Izumi tried to cover her face. Her quirk was barely able to work in focus. Gritting her teeth, she tried to aim Black Whip towards Shotos' direction.
The tendrils bound to his wrist quickly but Shoto further intensified the force of his quirk. The next building over was also affected as a large hole from where Shoto was unleashing his quirk tore through the walls with ease.
One of the nearest blocks of Ice between Izumi and Shoto suddenly broke off…
And smacked into her visor head first… knocking her out almost instantly.
Shoto quickly turned his quirk off the moment he saw it unfold. His body heaved for a breath as the left side of his body and face started to freeze over. He then lit a fire providing enough heat on his right side as he defrosted himself. He walked towards Izumi to see if she was okay.
"Young Todoroki, is young Midroiya unable to continue?" the voice of All Might said through the earpiece. It was now down to two minutes within the timer and as Shoto walked close, he saw that Izumi completely covered in ice, except for her cracked helmet and head sticking out. Her eyes were closed and Shoto felt relief that she didn't seem that injured.
"I think so All Might…"
"Good… we can end it here. I don't think Young Ashido made it in time too but-
Rumbling was heard. The floor beneath him started to shake, as the whole building did as well. Shoto wondered what was going on until in a split second, Izumi's eyes opened wide in bright glowing red…
And the ice around her exploded.
BOOM!
Shoto made an ice sheet in time to protect him from the sudden blast but as the flare snuffed itself out. Multiple Tendrils of thicker width barged on the ice sheet and tightly bound all his arms and legs along his neck in quick succession. The ice then shattered as Shoto saw Izumi standing where she was, her eyes glowing brightly in red. The red protrusions along the top of her helmet discharging large amounts of electricity. Her suit was broken all over, even her cape was torn partially but the disturbing thing that surrounded her entire presence was the multiple tendrils of Black Whip appearing not just from her arms, but from her back, along with the rest of her body. Moving beside her like tentacles ready to grapple and crush anything its sight. Her face was weary and tired as she looked at Shoto…
Her eyes menacingly staring at his face.
The ties tightened around him, even along his neck that he started to gag a little.
"I GOT HIM!" Izumi suddenly shouted as her entire body heaved for a breath after everything she did. From her voice came the vision of Mina Ashido who ran into the middle of the spacious room, aimed her hands above the ceiling next to Shoto and burned a circular hole from it.
And from that hole came crashing down was Kirishima who was both in shock and shivers from the cold and surprise of what just occurred in a series of tight seconds. Mina triumphantly aimed her hands at Kirishima who yielded in place. Mina smiled at Izumi as Shoto finally understood that this was their plan. They never intended to get the ordinance with how heavily defended it was. The only thing that mattered was to subdue both enemies to secure the win.
Shoto felt failure on his part but was at the same time impressed at how the duo pulled it off. Especially on Izumi's part.
"THE HERO TEAM WINS!" All Might's voice said from the speakers inside the building. Mina happily cheered as Kirishima smiled at her. Shoto and Izumi on the other hand, was still locked in the same disposition they had earlier…
And as Mina cheered for their win, she stopped abruptly in silence seeing that Izumi was still grabbing Shoto tightly as she could with Black Whip… and Shoto was now gagging.
The bind around his throat was choking him.
"Izumi?" Mina said.
Izumi didn't flinch however, her eyes still red in color as she looked at Shoto in an expressionless state. Shoto felt fear fill his emotions and body as he tried to get himself out while the girl's bonds turned to tighten…
As if to kill him.
"IZUMI! Hey! It's done! We Won!" Mina said as worry was now entering her words. Kirishima stood up and before everyone could panic…
Izumi started to shake where she stood.
Shoto felt relief as the bonds loosened up. He clutched his neck as Black Whip receded back to Izumi. However, she didn't look okay and her eyes which returned to their normal color was more inclined to that of someone paralyzed. Blood now foamed on her lips and she gagged on it as her body went limp.
Before she could fall to the floor, Shoto was able to catch her.
Her eyes closed as she lost consciousness and a stream of blood trickled from her lips as Shoto held her. Mina and Kirishima rushed to her side as they called out for All Might's help.
What came out as victory that everyone celebrated was met with panic afterwards…
FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER…
Izumi's eyes finally opened. A groan escaped her lips as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings. It was a familiar place to speak of. A place that he promised to never return to again. Turns out she did… and it was the second time on her part ever since the Entrance Exam. She looked at herself and found that she was still wearing her hero suit, albeit damaged significantly. She looked around the room and saw Recovery Girl smiling at her. Her bed was placed next to the window and a curtain covered her from the other side. Thankfully, it seemed like she didn't attain major injuries. Just a few bruises and scratches.
"Oh, you're finally awake dearie?"
"Y-Yeah… I feel better now. I think." Izumi said as she sat up. Her body was still sore, but compared to earlier today and in the battle trials, it seemed like the mysterious feeling of dread, uncertainty, and depression left her like it wasn't even there. She didn't even seem fazed by what happened yesterday as her thoughts dwindled on it.
She felt new again…
But for what reason, she couldn't say nor guess.
She looked at her palms at Recovery Girl did one last check up on her.
"Now the next time you end up here, you better have good reason to okay? You only suffered a minor blood loss. The bruises and scratches you accumulated weren't that bad so I think you fared better today than last time…"
"Thank you and uh, sorry about… getting myself back here again."
The old woman smirked.
"Don't think about it too much dearie… but please stop going back here. As much as I love seeing you students, I would mind that the reason of your visit is not related to such imposing injuries or sickness that needs healing."
Izumi meekly smiled.
"Of course…"
"Good then, you're cleared to go. Oh, and I almost forgot, some of your classmates are waiting outside my office. They were a lot of them earlier, but since lessons still went on, I managed to convince them to go back once they're done."
Izumi nodded, and felt a bit of guilt yet again for making her classmates worry about her. It was a problem early that day with how erratic her quirk acted, but now that she was back to normal, she was a bit scared of what they would think of her.
Most of all…
Since she nearly choked Shoto to death.
She placed her feet on the floor, trying to gain strength to stand. Recovery Girl pushed the curtain away from her bed as Izumi looked at the window.
"How long was I out?"
"Not that long fortunately… I'm happy that you did wake up. Otherwise I would have called your mother again." Recovery Girl said. Izumi then realized that she had to explain this to her mother and All Might later as this new development made her feel that it could endanger someone else around her should she not be able to control it.
She looked at her hands and recalled how her instincts seemed to guide her to kill Shoto at that spot. It disturbed her greatly, thanking luck that she managed to stop the moment her quirk reached its limit. She then looked at Recovery Girl to say her goodbyes, when the door to the Nurse's office opened and out came Mina who was ecstatic seeing her alright.
The girl rushed to her as she enveloped her into a relieving hug. Behind her, Momo, Kirishima, Uraraka, and surprisingly Shoto came inside. They all looked relieved to see her alright after being worried seeing the outcome of the first battle trial.
"Thank God you're okay! I thought my partner was lost from me!" Mina dramatically said, though she was indeed happy to see Izumi and to the redhead girl, she simply smiled while giving back the favor.
They separated as Momo sat beside her, while Mina sat on the other side. Momo conjoined her hand on Izumi's to comfort her.
"Kyouka and others are still finishing their tests… As for me, I got to finish mine rather quickly too. Even if my partner was less than desired… but he helped." Momo admitted as laughs were exchanged. Izumi recalled that Mineta was her partner.
"Everyone got inspired by the thing you guys did Midoriya… you should have seen their faces at how happy and determined they were after our session ended." Kirishima acknowledged.
"Really? I don't even think I did that well to be honest with you guys…" Izumi said as Mina rested her head on her shoulder.
"Oh come on Izumi, you won us that fight! And I have to say seeing you and Shoto deck it out was amazing." Mina said. Izumi then awkwardly looked at Shoto who was staring down at her. Not a word coming out from his mouth.
"I have to agree, though the specifics of how your plan worked out was quite impressive. There were flaws that I pointed out to the class but I think overall that was a worthy try." Momo explained. Izumi felt a sense of gratitude that she returned back at her as she looked at Shoto once more.
"Hey…" she said as she looked at him.
An eyebrow was raised on his part.
"Sorry about… what happened."
"You were only doing what needed to be done to win the fight, that in itself is respect coming from me." He proclaimed as Izumi smiled a bit at his reply.
"I thought you were going to hate me at first…" Izumi said.
"I do a bit. My neck still hurts you know."
A courteous and comforting laugh was exchanged as Izumi bonded with her classmates. It was there where she realized that these new companions of hers inside the school was more than she first anticipated them to be…
And for the first time in her lifetime, she felt happy going to school and meeting new friends.
Especially those that belonged in her class. While the threat of misuse with her quirk remained, she knew that with the people around her eager to help her, there was no problem that she couldn't bypass with their help.
And at the very least… she drew comfort knowing that.
As she enjoyed the company of her friends, the door to the Nurse's office opened and closed as two adults entered the room. One of them, namely Inko herself looked rather disappointed and furious at Izumi. Kaguya was beside her and as the room went silent, deathly silent as the tension Inko was carrying made Izumi pale in fear.
"Excuse me... but I think I need to talk to my daughter please." Inko firmly said, as she locked eyes with Izumi. Angry about something that the redhead girl withheld from her. From some odd feeling deep inside her, the redhead girl knew the reason why her mother was furious.
With a sharp gulp, she hoped that she wasn't too mad.
TO BE CONTINUED…
AN: Another chapter done! Ahahaha... and I have to say I that ending it there was fine. As for next chapter, tensions will be diffused for a bit as we develop Izumi's relationship with her classmates and loved ones. A threat still remains in the horizon as we go closer and closer to the USJ incident. I hope you like this chapter, as the fight itself was not an easy thing to do. I did three iterations of it, only one seemed to fit the type of fighter I want Izumi to be.
That's all for now... and I hope you wait for what comes next. Reviews are also appreciated, if you have questions PM me as well. :)
NEXT CHAPTER: The Foreboding Ultimatum Part 1 - Izumi and Inko talk about the new things she experiences with her quirk in the aftermath of the Battle Trials. As to what good or bad it means for her condition is unknown as she returns to the arms of her friends and loved ones. Unaware of the danger that looms ahead. A danger that is too close to home of which no one realizes...
SideStory #11 Coming Soon