Chapter 9: Reach out to your future (and save others)(and find nothing there)
And here we are! The Sports Festival Tournament! Happy Friday everyone and I do hope you enjoy this chapter! It certainly was a long one! Unfortunately I might have to switch to bi-weekly updates after this chapter because I've only got two more that are done after this and my writing has slowed down a bit since the new year started... I hope you guys don't mind!
Shinso and Midoriya stood on opposite ends of the arena.
"MATCH ONE! Midoriya Izuku vs Shinso Hitoshi! The rules for the tournament are simple! Ring out your opponent! Immobilize them! Or get them to yield! Those are your victory conditions! Endangering each other's lives is a flat out loss but you are free to injure each other within reason! We have wonderful pros waiting to take control if things get out of hand! NOW THEN!"
"You're friends with him aren't you? That absurd monster that's in your class?"
"READY!?"
Midoriya was caught off guard at Shinso's words, who did he mean exactly?
"STAAAAAART!"
"Relnor-san is really something isn't he? I hate his guts but I can't help but feel bad for him. That's why you're friends with him right? Because you pity him?"
"Pity him-"
Midoriya Izuku's entire body locked up.
"And so, I win."
"Well shit," Nathan said as he watched Shinso order Midoriya to turn around and walk out of the ring.
"Midoriya…" Yaoyorozu muttered under her breath.
"Hey! Hey you think there's any way to break out of that!?" Mina asked.
"If there is Shinso didn't tell me."
"What an absurdly powerful Quirk… He's in general studies right? How did that happen?" Shoji asked.
"Because the hero course application test filters out people who have quirks that only work on humans," Nathan said sharply.
Yes.
He'd realized it when he took it himself after all.
Jiro opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out. He was right wasn't he? They were graded on how they performed against robots. Even if someone like Shinso wanted to be a hero the only path they had was to apply to something like general studies and transfer over.
"Thats…"
"Now the only question is. Who wants it more? If there's one thing I know about Midoriya it's that he's got determination to spare."
Nathan watched. Who would prevail? In this fight where determination was the deciding factor. Who had more resolve to push forward?
One more step and it would be all over for Midoriya.
An explosion of force burst out.
Midoriya came to a halt and turned to face his opponent once more.
"There we go!" Nathan called out.
In a straight fight he would lose. He simply did not have the conditioning of someone in the heroics course.
"How the hell are there so many people that can break out of this all of the sudden!?" Shinso called out.
There was no way Miodoriya would open up again. He knew exactly how dangerous it was to speak now.
He tried everything he could to get him to speak. He tried to earn his pity. He tried to draw it out directly. Eventually he just screamed for him to respond. But Midoriya Izuku kept his mouth shut the entire time.
He pushed through his doubts and began to physically shove Shinso out of the ring.
Shinso lashed out, punching Midoriya straight in the face.
But it wasn't enough.
In the end they wound up in a small skirmish before Midoriya overhead tossed him out of the ring.
"Shinso is out! Midoriya Izuku advances to round two!"
"Damn," Shoji muttered.
They watched as Shinso exited the ring before being encouraged by his fellow general education students.
"He'll make a good hero I think," Nathan said with a smile, "He's got the fire for it."
"You think so? I wonder if he'll be transferred into our class or not then?"
"One can only hope."
"I think you're the only one that thinks that, then again if you say he's not bad I'm inclined to believe you," Jiro said casually.
"Who's up next?" Mina asked.
"Todoroki-san and Sero-san," Shoji supplied.
"Oh. That'll be rough for Sero…"
"I'll say! The only person that's got any chance of beating Todoroki is you probably!"
"I wouldn't go that far. Bakugo and Midoriya have everything they'd need to win. It just depends on how the matches go."
Yaoyorozu nodded along. Bakugo's natural battle sense was extremely strong as he'd demonstrated in the indoor battle trial. He could probably overcome Todoroki's quirk with that alone.
But even Bakugo's natural talent in battle was nothing compared to Nathan's intuition. Compared to the rest of the class Nathan was an unparalleled genius in the field of tactics and matchup analysis.
She almost wanted to ask him how she could beat him.
Would he even answer that?
Probably not…
She watched as he nearly knocked over his drink, having apparently misjudged how close it was to him.
Wait.
He only had one eye.
He couldn't have any depth perception. So how was it that his attacks were always so accurate?
Any slight deficiency in his perceptive ability would have gotten him killed against that villain at USJ.
And yet here he was almost spilling his drink all over the place.
What process allowed for both of those outcomes?
"I have a question Relnor-san, about the scales on your eye."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Do you have any depth perception?"
"Um. Kind of? I can see electromagnetic fields with my right eye so I can see like people and big things, but for something small like this it doesn't work," He said holding up his drink.
"That's wild," Jiro muttered, "Every time you talk about your quirk I just get more and more concerned with how you live your daily life."
"I'm fine really! I've gotten used to most of it."
"Oh! They're here! They're here!"
Everyone's attention turned to the ring.
"Has anyone ever seen Todoroki-san look quite that pissed before?"
A soft echo of no's sounded out in response.
"Sero might be fucked." Nathan muttered.
Sero was fucked.
He'd attacked the moment the round started but…
"Sorry."
"D-don't you think… You overdid it a little?" Sero managed to get out between shivers.
"Can you move?" Midnight asked, half frozen.
Sero looked down at his body which was almost entirely trapped in an absolutely massive glacier.
"No."
"Todoroki Shoto advances to round 2!"
The half and half boy approached the large glacier and began melting it with his left.
"I'm sorry… I was just a little pissed…"
"D-don't worry about it man…"
"Well… He did his best," Nathan muttered, offering a small prayer to the thawing tape boy.
"I wonder what set Todoroki off? Does he have some kind of blood grudge against Sero-san?" Mina asked.
"Not that I know of. I don't think I've really seen Todoroki-san speak with basically anyone except you and Midoriya," Yaoyorozu said with a pointed glance to Nathan.
"He's very reserved. I don't think this is a blood grudge against Sero specifically but it certainly looks like a blood grudge," Nathan supplied as the massive glacier began to break apart from Todoroki's efforts.
"Well… Who's next?" Shoji asked, hoping to clear the somewhat gloomy air.
"Kaminari-san and Shiozaki-san," Yaoyorozu supplied.
"Kaminari's going to have it rough. Those vines aren't structured like normal plants so they're not terribly conductive. I had to use my arc cutter on them."
"You think Kaminari-san's gonna be able to do stuff like you can Relnor-san?" Jiro asked.
"Our Quirks work very differently so it'll be difficult but with enough practice I don't see why he wouldn't be able to do some of it. I didn't start out like this, it took years of practice to drag myself to where I am right now,"
Nathan's right arm was still twitching from overuse.
There was another difference between himself and Kaminari. The amount of voltage he could generate was leagues ahead of Kaminari. He didn't know if that was a gap that could be overcome but perhaps with time…
Jiro for her part just gave him a look before shrugging.
It was odd wasn't it?
Practicing from such a young age before even reaching any kind of hero school?
The third round started as soon as the glacier was cleared. Shiozaki's victory was claimed swiftly thereafter. Kaminari almost immediately got caught in a trap and expended more power than his body could handle trying in vain to get out of it.
Nathan wished his wayward electricity brother well as he was carried out of the ring.
"Next?" He asked.
"Oh. Uh. Iida-san and that support girl that was on your team?"
"Ah. Iida should win on paper…" Nathan muttered darkly.
"Is there something wrong?"
"Hatsume-san's not in it to win it, she's in it to sell her gear. Victory means something completely different to her."
His four peers paled slightly at the thought of it.
"Rest in peace Iida…"
Sure enough when the match started Hatsume immediately began advertising the gear both she and he wore.
"We should probably get moving," Nathan said to Mina, "I don't know long she's gonna take but we're up next."
"Oh… Right! I'll see you guys later!"
They exited the stands together and headed towards their waiting room.
"Hey. Don't take it easy on me ok?" Mina said in the relative quiet of that empty room.
"I have to hold back a little bit. My quirk will kill you if I go all out," Nathan said somewhat evasively.
"You know what I mean. I wanna be able to walk away from this match with my head held high!"
Nathan looked at the pink skinned girl for perhaps longer than was necessary.
"I understand."
"Hey."
"Hm?"
"You've been through a lot of stuff right? Like dealing with Villains?"
Nathan broke eye contact as a laundry list of opponents filtered through his mind. He couldn't be specific but Mina was perceptive enough that she'd be able to tell he was lying if he said no.
"Yeah."
"I always tried really hard to stand up to bullies when I was in middle school. Then one day a big villain was looming over my friends… I rushed in and lied to him about the location of what he was looking for to get him to leave them alone."
"That's incredible Ashido-san," Nathan said with a genuine air she'd never seen out of him before.
"But I was terrified you know! After he left we all broke down sobbing. But you. After USJ you didn't even-"
"I was afraid,"
Mina's thoughts slammed to a stop. That boy had been scared!? The one taunting the villains at every opportunity and constantly pushing forward no matter what? He was afraid!?
"Combat is always scary. You could lose a limb or die even if you do everything right. But you've already realized it haven't you? You used your fear to save your friends and then when it was safe you released it. The only difference between you and me is that I'm used to weaponizing that fear."
"Hey, their match just ended, you two should head to your starting positions," One of the sports festival staff members said quickly from the door.
"Alright," Nathan stood before giving his future opponent one last smile, "I'll see you in the ring."
"Y-yeah."
As he walked off she had one final thought.
Was it a good thing to be able to wield fear as a weapon? Was it a good thing to be that accustomed to danger?
Was that healthy?
"Fifth match! Relnor Nathan verses Ashido Mina!"
His right arm let out a few sparks as a test. He needed to conserve his strength somewhat so his more powerful attacks were off the table.
She didn't advertise it, but an acid quirk was just as dangerous to use against humans as his electricity. She had to be careful not only for his sake but for her own.
"Ready?"
She took up a stance. It looked like she was about to start dancing instead of fighting, but perhaps that was just her style.
"START!"
Mina wasted no time. She sprayed a streak of acid out in front of her and dashed onto it, allowing her to slide forward.
"Here I come Relnor-kun!"
He pushed off of the stadium behind him and met her charge. Reflexively she swung her right arm out, throwing out a wave of acid with that swing. Nathan halted the flow of electricity to his left leg just before he planted it, causing it to lose all rigidity. Instead of pushing off of his left foot for his next step he unexpectedly dropped down, letting her attack pass harmlessly overhead. As soon as he could, he reactivated his leg. The sudden return of its rigidity pushed him up, allowing him to deliver a fierce left uppercut to her gut.
Ashido doubled over from the force of the blow. She had to fall back and get her breath back-
But it was already too late.
As he pulled back from the attack a gentle hand fell on her shoulder. Enough electricity to leave her immobilized surged through her body from that point of contact.
He caught her by the side as she fell.
"Ashido Mina is unconscious! Relnor Nathan advances to the second round!"
He gave a light sigh as Mina's senses returned to her.
"Ugh, what happened?"
"I hit you in the diaphragm and then electrocuted you to keep you from melting me."
"Sounds about right. Can you give me a hand here?." She asked as she swung her arm over his shoulders.
"You alright?"
"I- I think so? Just winded."
"That's what I was going for. Sorry. I couldn't risk fighting you for too long and getting my arm or leg damaged."
Oh.
So he'd ended it quickly because he was afraid of fighting her for too long? That made her feel a little better about losing in five seconds flat. With a steadying hand on her shoulder the two of them left the ring.
Nathan was the first to make it back to his seat.
"Where's Ashido-san?" Jiro asked.
"She's getting checked out to make sure I didn't hit her too hard. A blow like that could cause some serious internal damage if you're not careful. She should be back soon though."
"I see. Yaoyozoru-san's already left for her match," Shoji supplied helpfully.
"Oh. This'll be interesting."
"Thoughts?"
"It could go either way but the victor will be whoever acts first."
Tokoyami had the potential to be an extremely overwhelming opponent, one Nathan was hoping he wouldn't have to face directly.
On the other hand Yaoyorozu could produce stun grenades at will. Whoever went in with a more solid plan in their head would be able to claim victory.
"Match six! Yaoyorozu Momo verses Tokoyami Fumikage! START!"
Yaoyorozu didn't wait a single instant, she created a stun grenade, pulled its pin, and immediately tossed it.
She held her arm in front of her closed eyes, creating a shield as it went off. The blinding light that followed in the next moment completely blew Dark Shadow away.
She pushed forward creating another stun grenade.
There was no way Tokoyami wasn't expecting this kind of play, so he had probably managed to shield his eyes. The question now was how quickly could Dark Shadow come back after being repressed by such a blinding light.
She tossed the grenade at his feet.
He lunged forward, leaving the device behind. Dark Shadow quickly reemerged and attacked with an enormous amount of force.
She managed to deflect the first blow with her shield but she was knocked off balance.
Before she could receive another blow the second stun grenade went off. With a horrid shriek Dark Shadow retreated back into Tokoyami. This gave her much needed time to recover.
Nathan flashed into her mind briefly as she created her next weapon.
He was startlingly effective because one touch from either of his scale limbs was like getting hit with a taser.
She grabbed the stun rod that she'd created from her leg and swung, striking Tokoyami's midsection.
A sharp grunt escaped him as she bashed him with her shield, knocking him even further off balance.
Another blow from the stun rod was all it took to down him.
"A truly fierce clash! Tokoyami Fumikage is unable to move! Yaoyorozu Momo advances to round two!"
She'd done it. A breath she didn't realize she'd been holding escaped her.
"Are you ok Tokoyami-kun!?"
"Ughr. Just my pride… Excellent match Vice-president…"
"Stun rods and flash grenades, wonder where she picked that strategy up?" Jiro said, side eyeing the source of those tactics.
"It's a mystery." He said with a smile. He hadn't explicitly told her anything, but he'd apparently lead by example this time. .
They turned as Yaoyorozu made her way back to her seat.
"Nice work," Shoji said with a nod.
"Thank you! I wasn't sure I would be able to win but-"
Her eyes found their way to Nathan.
"Thank you."
"I didn't do anything. You carried me, remember? It's only natural that you'd be able to pull a victory here."
"We'll see how long that holds out! You'll be fighting each other next round!" Mina said with a mischievous grin.
Yaoyorozu's victory turned bittersweet. Sure she'd defeated Tokoyami, but Nathan was a different story. Had he demonstrated any weaknesses in combat she could exploit? Not to her knowledge. All of his deficiencies seemed to strike him during non combat situations. It was almost as if he'd been optimized for combat at the detriment of normal everyday living.
"You'll be fine. Win or lose, that was an extremely impressive showing."
"Who's up next?" Jiro asked.
"Kirishima and Tetsutetsu," Nathan supplied.
"Thoughts?" Shoji asked.
"Got a coin to flip? It's basically a mirror match. It'll be a good brawl probably."
Unfortunately Nathan did not know either of them as well as he wanted to. He wasn't sure who was a better fighter. Whoever could punch through the other's defensive quirk would be the winner here.
They watched as the match started and quickly devolved into a punch up each of them landing hammer blows on the other until they finally knocked each other out at the exact same time.
"I guess sometimes coins land on their side," Nathan muttered, "How are they going to decide that?"
"I'm sure they'll think of something. What's next?"
"Bakugo and Uraraka."
All eyes fell on Nathan as he ran the matchup in his head.
"Oof. Well. Uraraka has the drive to beat him… I just don't know if she has the quirk for it."
"Maybe you should have tried to give her some advice?" Jiro said, "I mean she is your friend right?"
"More Midoriya's than mine, but… Unless someone asks I'm one to hold my tongue. Unsolicited advice can be the wrong thing to offer sometimes."
Yaoyorozu nodded along. She was glad Nathan hadn't given explicit instructions on how to defeat Tokoyami. It wouldn't have felt like she had earned her victory otherwise. She could only imagine Uraraka would feel the same.
They watched as the two took to the field. Bakugo truly held nothing back, attacking with all of his might despite the discrepancy between the output of their quirks.
But.
"Oh that's clever," Nathan said.
"He's just beating the tar out of her, how is that-" Jiro snapped before she noticed Nathan pointing up.
Her eyes followed.
"Holy hell."
As Bakugo continued to attack, Uraraka would use her quirk on the debris, gathering a large arsenal of rubble to drop on top of him at the opportune moment.
"Doesn't she have a weight limit? She's really giving it her all…" Nathan said as he watched.
Finally Uraraka attacked, releasing her quirk and dropping that storm of debris.
Unfortunately.
Bakugo was not one to go silently.
He'd been anticipating something.
So he had plenty of power stored up to blow away that entire shower.
"Well shit. He really is quite strong…"
Bakugo took up a stance to continue but Uraraka simply collapsed.
It was a bit of an anti-climax but Uraraka had clearly made an impression.
"I guess he's not one to take it easy on girls huh?" Mina muttered.
"An opponent is an opponent," Nathan said dismissively.
"I already know you're merciless Relnor-san!"
"Now to decide the tie between Kirishima and Tetsutetsu! An arm wrestling match!" Midnight announced as the two boys reentered the ring. Cementoss quickly created a platform for them allowing them to duke it out once again.
"Midoriya and Todoroki are up after this…" Yaoyorozu said, "Hopefully whatever was eating Todoroki earlier has passed… For Midoriya's sake."
"I wonder…" Nathan muttered to himself.
Would Midoriya choose to defeat Todoroki and move forward, or would he try to save him?
Exactly what kind of hero would he turn into?
Eventually Kirishima managed to claim victory allowing him to advance.
"Almost all 1-A huh?" Nathan said, "Shiozaki-san's the only one left that's not in our class."
"Oh. Yeah. I thought it'd be a little more even I guess but most of 1-B got eliminated in the last round…"
"Alright everyone! It's time to start off round two! Midoriya Izuku verses Todoroki Shoto!"
"Come on Midoriya…" Nathan muttered.
The match started with Todoroki's signature wave of frost which Midoriya blew away with a flick of his finger.
"Damn Midoriya really does have a ridiculous quirk doesn't he?"
"His finger's broken from that though," Nathan said, "He's only going to have so many of those shots before he can't attack like that anymore."
In the time they'd been speaking he'd used two more blasts. Todoroki advanced mercilessly, trying to close the gap and freeze Midoriya solid, but the boy was simply too evasive.
He'd already used up all the fingers on his right hand.
He'd already used up his left arm defending from that last attack.
But Todoroki was slowing down.
Was his ice getting to him already? No wonder he always made a point to end fights in an instant. Even so Midoriya's options were severely limited.
He rushed in and punched Todoroki square in the gut, but it did little to topple the boy.
Midoriya was screaming. He was fighting with everything he had.
Nathan recognized that self destructive drive to push forward.
At one point in his life he'd held that same fierce determination to push forward no matter how badly injured he was.
Even now he could still reach it when his life was on the line.
But…
'I want to live' could only carry him through life or death situations.
So what was carrying Midoriya to destroy himself so thoroughly?
Was this the kind of hero he wanted to be?
Todoroki was cornered.
He was uncertain.
He was so caught up in himself that he couldn't fight properly.
So Midoriya swooped in and loosened those bonds.
Everyone heard it.
"It's your power!"
That was all it took.
Fire exploded from Todoroki.
Nathan hissed sharply.
"It's over. Midoriya can't beat him if he's going to finally stop holding himself back."
But was beating him even Midoriya's goal? He looked satisfied with the fact that Todoroki had put a crack in that icy shell he hid under.
A large fire man took the time to shout some truly empty motivational speech at the boy.
"Is that Todoroki's dad? Good lord." Jiro said under her breath.
Suddenly his reluctance to use fire made a lot more sense.
"If Midoriya pushes himself any harder he's gonna be seriously messed up!" Mina shouted.
Their attention turned back to the ring.
Those two competitors were rearing back for their final attacks.
They poured everything they had into their respective blows.
It was a truly massive explosion.
Midnight and Cementoss tried to dull the blow but even then.
Nathan was out of his seat, desperately scanning for Midoriya's lifeforce.
He found it just before the smoke cleared.
"I've gotta go!" He called out before rushing out of his seat.
Midoriya was seriously injured. He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do but… Midoriya was his friend.
"Well well. Here he is." Sherlock said as his eyes locked onto the closest screen.
Chaldea's cafeteria went from bustling to dead silent the moment Midoriya and Todoroki set foot in the ring.
"It won't be a pretty ending," Wise King Gilgamesh said before drinking from his chalice.
"No, no I doubt it will be but… Will it not a sight to behold?" Old man Li Shuwen said, gaze equally transfixed on the monitor.
"They're so similar it's frightening sometimes…" Nitocris muttered, "He does not value victory. His true core is 'Saving' so he'll throw something like that away the first chance he gets."
"That alone could make a fine hero, but he is a young boy destroying himself with a power he can barely hold. Which end will he meet first? Destruction, or control?" Ivan the Terrible's low voice rumbled across the table as that massive Servant watched on.
"Or both? Like what happened with Master?"
"Aye… Or both… We should pray that he does not have to withstand the same torrent Master did…"
"That's the benefit to the world Master saved. Sure there will be strife and turmoil. Such things push this world forward and are therefore unavoidable but he will never have to face terror the same way Master did…"
"IT'S YOUR POWER!"
"Hoh! There it is." Sherlock said as all of Chaldea erupted in applause.
"Much much too similar…" Li shook his head with a proud smile on his face, "Now then. Can Master be pulled towards him or will he be pulled towards Master?"
"It's hard to say… Perhaps they can meet somewhere in the middle. I think that would be best." Nitocris said with a nod.
Sherlock wanted to agree with her, but Midoriya was still so young. Well. They were both young, but Nathan's experiences far outweighed his. If there was any justice in the world Midoriya would save Nathan from the endless weight he shouldered...
Nathan ran into several familiar faces as he rushed towards the medical room.
Despite being up next, Iida was running alongside Uraraka and Tsuyu.
Then again given the state of the arena he probably had time.
They reached the first aid room in short order, slamming the door open and shouting for Midoriya.
An almost skeletal man stood at the side of Midoriya's bed. The boy's adrenaline had clearly run out, leaving him in a paralyzing amount of pain.
Seeing him that heavily bandaged stabbed into Nathan's heart. Once again he had to consider how many times he'd been left in a similar state.
"You guys… What about the next match?" Midoriya said weakly.
"It's been delayed to prepare the arena for combat," Iida supplied.
"Midoriya please for once in your life worry about yourself," Nathan said. If a single Chaldean ever found out he'd said something like that he'd never hear the end of it.
"All of you out! It's good that you're concerned for your friend but he's being prepped for surgery!" Recovery Girl shouted. Somehow this caught the other three off guard. Nathan for his part was already out of the room the second Recovery Girl advanced. He'd had enough experiences with Nightingale to know that medical professionals would just kick your ass if you didn't listen to them.
It was unfortunate that he hadn't been allowed to assess Midoriya's damage himself but he didn't want to slow his surgery.
"Iida you should probably get going," Tsuyu spoke up.
"... Right. It would do him no good to know I lost my match worrying over him," Iida said with a bow before leaving the group.
"I'll probably hang around here. No sense in returning to my seat then immediately having to come back down for my own match," Nathan said with a smile.
They didn't say anything but Uraraka and Tsuyu looked somewhat relieved at that declaration.
"We'll see you later then. Good luck with your match," Uraraka nodded.
"Thank you."
He sent them off with a wave before taking his place leaning against the wall.
That skeletal looking man exited shortly after Nathan settled in.
"Even you got kicked out huh?" Nathan said conversationally. He wasn't entirely sure who this person was. He'd been training to try and identify individuals by their lifeforce alone but he was not particularly skilled in that regard. As such he could tell this man was familiar but he had no idea who he actually was.
"Ah. Hello there young man… Is Midoriya a friend of yours?"
"Yes."
"He's in good hands, there's no need to worry excessively."
"I know. My match is next though so I figured I'd stay here for a little bit."
"I see."
An awkward silence fell over them.
"I can't say I haven't been where he is…" Nathan began again, "I hope he doesn't have to push himself as far as I did…"
He held his right arm out. Losing limbs was not enough to stop him. Rather he was not allowed to stop until much later. He hoped he could keep Midoriya from walking down that path but he had no ground to stand on in that regard.
After all, he'd jumped even further off the deep end.
"I fear… A fierce fire has been lit under him… He was pushed perhaps too quickly… And this damage was done before he could be slowed down…"
Nathan nodded. He was familiar with that feeling. Being pushed into situations he wasn't ready for and coming out of it missing something was an all too common occurrence in Chaldea.
However.
Nobody would be anywhere if he hadn't been pushed beyond his limits.
Todoroki wouldn't have smiled like that if Midoriya hadn't pushed himself beyond his limits.
There was value in it, enough to make Nathan hesitate.
But how far was too far?
Nathan had never been able to answer that question. He always pushed until everything was safe regardless of how much damage he took.
He was the exact wrong person to try and stop Midoriya.
The announcement of Iida's victory washed through the stadium.
"I'm up… Please. Watch over him while I'm gone."
"I will young man. Good luck on your match."
"Thank you," Nathan gave him a bow before rushing off.
All Might watched his back as he ran.
Nathan Relnor was a glimpse at a potential future for Midoriya. That boy carried a pain that All Might could only see the faint edges of. If he was to help Midoriya… Maybe he needed to start by understanding Relnor.
He stepped into the arena.
"Is Midoriya ok?" Yaoyorozu called as Present Mic began their introductions.
"He's in surgery now, beyond that I don't have anything to report."
Yaoyorozu nodded.
"READY!?"
She didn't have time to worry about Midoriya.
She was about to face the ultimate test of her abilities.
He would no doubt attempt to make the first move.
Anticipate his actions and move to counter them. She queued up a grenade.
"Start!"
He exploded forward as she created her ordinance and threw it.
She could not use the same tactics she'd used against Tokoyami and expect a win.
Not from an opponent like Nathan.
The grenade exploded at his feet as he passed over it. A sticky substance caught his legs and nearly caused him to fall to the ground face first.
With her opponent locked in place she took a step back and prepared her next attack. As much as she wished she could simply use a stun rod to take him out she knew using his own tactics against him would quickly result in a loss.
A sharp burst of static met her ears. An arc fusion blade cut through the strands of glue that held Nathan in place.
She didn't have nearly as much time as she wanted.
He pulled himself a few inches off the ground and darted forward again.
She created a large net with sticky orbs at its edges and threw it at him.
But he had yet to deactivate his arc fusion blade.
He slashed the net straight in half and dove through the opening he'd made.
His shoulder smashed into two wooden shields she'd made in haste.
But.
Electricity surged through her body. He'd planted his left foot right on top of her right.
Her vision shook and her senses were in complete disarray. Another blow smashed into her chest and she folded, only barely managing to maintain consciousness through it all.
"Relnor Nathan advances to the semi-finals!"
It hadn't been enough.
Overcoming someone like Nathan required much more…
"Damnit…" She swore as feeling and sight returned to her.
"Sorry. Here." He offered her his left hand which she gladly took, "Do you need to head to medical?"
"I… I think I'm alright," She muttered.
"Alright. Let's head back then."
On their way back to their seats they ran into another group.
"You're already out?" Nathan asked, frankly stunned.
Midoriya's right arm was in a sling and heavily bandaged. He was wobbly on his feet but he was standing.
"Y-Yeah! Everything went fine!" Midoriya said quickly. He and Iida had clearly just run into each other and were standing near the entrance to the stadium seating watching Kirishima and Bakugo go at it.
"Good. Good…" Nathan said. The smile that accompanied his words set Midoriya off.
There was nothing overwhelming about it. It was almost subdued and empty.
"Are you ok Relnor-san?" He asked.
Nathan could only laugh at him.
"You are in no position to ask that question! Just like I'm in no position to tell you to maybe tone it down a little. I was worried about you."
Midoriya understood instantly. He nodded and gave Nathan a resolute smile.
"I'm sorry for worrying you! I'm fine really."
"Not comforting but I'll take what I can get. You ready to face me in the finals Iida?" He changed the topic quickly. There was nothing brooding over Midoriya could do for either of them right now so it was best to deflect.
"Yes! I'm going to use everything Midoriya taught us during his fight with Todoroki to win!"
"Looks like you'll be up against Bakguo," Yaoyorozu said, her attention having been on the match for most of the conversation.
"Mh."
An endurance match against someone with that kind of attack power was out of the question. Kirishima was being completely overwhelmed.
"D-do you want any advice Relnor-san?" Midoriya asked cautiously.
"No. I'll be fine."
Briefly, Midoriya recalled that Nomu and Nathan's completely unflappable attitude towards facing it down.
"Of course! We'll be pulling for you Relnor-san!" Iida said enthusiastically.
"Bakugo Katsuki moves onto the Semi-Finals!" Present Mic announced.
"I'd better get moving. Good luck on your match Relnor-san," Iida said as he excused himself.
"To you as well."
"I better head back to my seat, you two coming?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Oh! Sure!"
Iida did not fare much better against Todoroki than anyone else had. Getting into melee range against someone who could instantly imprison you in ice was just not ideal.
Once the ice thawed it was Nathan's turn yet again.
Bakugo stood across from him, fuming as he usually did.
It occurred to Nathan that they'd never actually directly spoken before.
Sure Bakugo was yelling at him during the obstacle race but…
"You better show up. There's no victory worth taking from someone who's half assing it like you've been doing." Bakugo said plainly as their introductions played.
"I can only do so much before my quirk becomes lethal. I could stop your heart and kill you the second they say go but-"
"That's not what I fuckin mean and you know it. You've been half assing everything since you set foot in UA. Why do you think everyone's gunning for that fucking nerd and not you?"
"There's a reason?"
"Che-"
"START!"
Bakguo launched himself forward, bouncing unpredictably on his explosions as he approached Nathan.
Nathan's right arm lit up, sparks scattering everywhere as Bakugo reared back and unleashed a truly massive explosion. He hoped that quantity would be enough to seal Nathan's movements. With fire all around him there was nowhere for that nimble boy to dart off to.
Nathan blitzed forward, keeping low and sliding just under the blast and Bakugo himself.
Bakugo was out of the way before Nathan could properly counter attack.
How he didn't see Nathan advancing through that was beyond him but...
"You better start actually trying or else I'm gonna kill you!" Bakguo called out, "I can't stand you! You're too fucking strong for a goddamn stepping stone! How did you even get here!?"
"The hell do you even mean?" Nathan attacked, electricity arced towards the boy, striking him out of the air as he moved to approach yet again.
Bakugo hit the ground rolling but quickly hopped out of it and unleashed another explosion.
Had the voltage been too low to stun him or was Bakugo forcing his body to move despite the pain surging through him?
"You've got fire I'll give you that much," Nathan said after rocketing out of the way of Bakugo's attack. He returned the favor, striking him with lightning yet again.
But once more that boy refused to fall.
"One of us fucking better! It's the semi-finals and you're still pissing around!"
Nathan winced.
An explosion knocked him back the next moment.
He pushed his way through the force of the blast, scattering electricity across a wide area in an effort to stop Bakugo from blasting him out of the air.
"You're just a fuckin wet blanket! You're only here because you have to be! That's why everyone is passing you over for that shitty nerd!"
Why were his words so effective?
Nathan planted his feet on the ground before immediately having to dodge another explosion. This time he closed in, swinging his right in a wide hook. Bakguo erupted from the smoke of his previous attack and struck Nathan's side with a devastating explosion.
Perhaps Bakugo's first misstep.
Just because he lacked fire did not mean he lacked durability.
Nathan did not even flinch as part of his uniform burned away.
For an instant Bakugo was stunned by what he saw.
Electricity surged through him in that single moment of hesitation.
He screamed as he stumbled and fell.
But.
Still.
"I'm going to be number one…" Bakugo ground out as he pulled himself to his feet, "I don't care what you've been through! I will defeat you!"
Nathan held his left hand over his side in an effort to cover the hole in his uniform.
"I won't let some shitty nobody who doesn't want anything stand in my way."
Small explosions danced across his palms like sparks.
He was building up something.
So this was what it was like to stand against pure determination? No. This was far far from the first time Nathan had done this.
It was just one of the few times where his own determination was not strong enough to push him forward.
Bakugo had a firm desire and a future he was chasing with everything he was.
Every time Nathan looked at his future all he saw was uncertainty and fear.
"You might be right. But I do have a tiny smattering of pride left."
He straightened up with an unsettling crack.
As Bakugo reared back a terrifying bolt of lightning struck him in the gut.
This time he did not get back up.
Nathan could feel his opponent's anger from where he was but he couldn't find it in himself to care.
"Nathan Relnor advances to the finals!"
He won but there was no joy in it.
He knew everything Bakugo was right. But...
"I will keep moving towards tomorrow until I find what I'm looking for…"
He spoke in English under his breath before turning to leave the arena.
"Oh. You're in here too." Nathan said as he entered the waiting room.
Todoroki looked at him from his place at the table.
It felt eerie when he thought about it. They'd started the day all crammed in this room.
And now it was just the two of them.
"There are supposed to be separate waiting rooms…" Todoroki said quietly.
Were there? Nathan couldn't remember… He'd been in such a hurry to replace his uniform that he hadn't really been paying attention.
"It's fine isn't it?" He said, taking a seat opposite his opponent, "At the end of the day we're still students in the same class."
"I suppose…"
They sat in a comfortable silence for a moment before Nathan decided to try and open up a little.
"We're really a mess aren't we…"
"We?"
"You're struggling with it too aren't you? What you want to become?"
Todoroki's silence was the only answer Nathan needed.
"It's fine to be uncertain I think… There's always tomorrow. But. When clashing with people like Midoriya and Bakugo… I wonder if that's enough."
Todoroki nodded along but said nothing.
But that was ok.
"I don't know where I'm going. And I'm scared of what the next day will bring, but I've lost too much to stop. So. Let's drag each other forward kicking and screaming."
Todoroki looked up and saw Nathan had extended his gloved left hand to him.
He paused for a moment before firmly taking that offered hand.
"May the best idiot win."
"Speak for yourself," Todoroki said with something close to humor.
"Todoroki-san your match is - oh you're both here!" An event organizer spoke as they poked their head inside the room.
"Alright. Let's go then."
Yaoyorozu watched on furtively.
"At least the guy we lost to is in the finals right Yaomomo?" Mina said cheerfully.
"Oh. Um. Yes!"
"Something on your mind?" Shoji asked.
"Yes… Well… Maybe?"
"What's eatin at you?" Jiro piped in between bites of churro.
"Nathan's quirk… By itself isn't that strong. I would say Midoriya, Bakguo, and Todoroki all have more powerful quirks… But imagining the fights in my head? I cannot picture him losing."
Mina paused and mulled over the idea herself.
Was Nathan weaker than the three of them? Yeah maybe? He couldn't punch through a robot like Midoriya could without his railgun. If he'd been up against that barrage of debris would he have been able to clear it away like Bakugo? And then there was Todoroki…
But the other half of Yaoyorozu's statement was also true.
"The guy's insane," Bakugo said roughly from his place in front of them. Usually his instincts were sharp enough that they at least gave him a direction to go in. But when he squared off against Nathan? Nothing. A complete blank.
He had already lost the moment he walked into the ring. There was no doubt in his mind that that fight went almost exactly how Nathan had pictured it in his head. The only thing he'd managed to do was get up a few extra times… "Half and Half is gonna lose. He's strong enough to win but he won't be able to do it. To beat someone like that lunatic… You have to crush him before he can crush you and he already knows exactly how to crush you by lookin at you once."
And even then… He had trouble imagining a scenario where that would work…
Scars like that should not exist and yet his torso had been littered with them...
It was the first time Yaoyorozu had ever heard Bakugo say anything reasonable, a fact Kaminari and Kirishima immediately pointed out.
But he wasn't wrong.
Nathan was an opponent that made up for his deficiencies by putting together a devastatingly accurate read of your abilities and your personality in a matter of moments.
For perhaps the dozenth time she wondered.
Where did skills like that come from?
Standing opposite Todoroki certainly felt a lot different than watching other people do it.
They both had a relatively good idea of what the other was capable of at this point. Or at least Todoroki probably thought he did.
"We've reached the finals at last! The top student of the freshmen class will be decided here!"
Nathan began building up power in his right arm. If he was a betting man Todoroki was going to open big.
"Todoroki Shoto verses Nathan Relnor!"
His right arm was going to be shot after this match, but he had no more matches to fight. He could go all out here without worrying about what came next.
"BEGIN!"
A massive wave of ice rushed towards him.
Nathan's right hand split open and formed an arc fusion blade just before it hit him. The heat from that blade disrupted the attack as it struck, creating a small pocket of free space within the ice.
He poured more power into it, extending it further and further.
And then he swung.
That blade of light tore through the ice like it wasn't even there. Nathan shot out, not wanting to be buried in the aftermath of his attack. He stopped flooding power into his right arm, allowing that blade to fall apart so he could take evasive action.
Another wave of ice rushed out, but this time he charged right over it.
Todoroki raised his left arm as Nathan cleared that attack. His eyes were locked on Nathan's right. So when a bolt of electricity exploded out of his left leg Todoroki was caught somewhat off guard.
He did not have time to think. Ice began to explode out before his body seized up.
Nathan pushed off the stadium giving himself a spin as he fell right on top of Todoroki. This allowed him to impart a good deal of force when he punched him right in the face, interrupting his attack and sending him crashing towards the arena edge.
Unfortunately it didn't have quite enough power to send him all the way over.
Nathan shook the small layer of ice that had formed on his left hand off. Even after receiving a one two punch like that Todoroki had managed to defend himself.
"You really aren't an opponent I can take lightly huh?" Nathan called out with a huge smile on his face.
Todoroki just pulled himself off the ground. He'd hesitated. Even though he'd been caught off guard he should have just attacked with his fire right away.
But.
There just wasn't enough time.
He couldn't shake free just yet.
Even after coming so far.
Nathan zoomed forward, hovering just off the ground to stop from getting tripped up.
A wall of ice shot up between them.
Flashes of Anastasia and Skadi filled Nathan's mind, allowing him to act on pure reflex.
It wasn't a large wall, or even very tall, so he simply vaulted over it.
Todoroki was already starting to slow down due to the cold, so he did not react in time.
Electricity showered down on top of him. He fell against his own ice wall as his body twitched uncontrollably.
Fire erupted from his left side but he couldn't make his body move in any meaningful way.
A sharp thud coming from behind him told him Nathan had hit the ground.
If he couldn't move he would just blast his fire down and hope to push him out of the ring.
If Nathan retreated there was a chance he might retreat right over the edge of the arena.
He felt a hand grip his ankle despite the fact that the area was covered in flames.
He was flying through the air in the next moment.
Thinking fast, he put up another ice wall, stopping himself only an instant before he left the ring.
A bolt of electricity surged through his body before he had time to collect himself.
Nathan could barely hold his right arm steady.
But his opponent was unconscious.
He'd won.
"WHAT A FIGHT! THE WINNER OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL TOURNAMENT IS CLASS 1-A'S RELNOR NATHAN!"
The audience exploded in applause as Nathan took a moment to collect himself. His left arm and his legs were lightly burned, but it was well worth the victory. He quickly shoved his left hand into his pocket out of a primal fear that his glove might be damaged enough to slip off.
After coming so far without using an ounce of magic he wouldn't allow some last minute slip up alert the whole world that he was a Master.
"Congratulations young man, let's get your injuries checked out while we get the awards ceremony set up." Midnight said, approaching him.
"Let me see your left hand just to make sure everything's ok."
Recovery Girl just stared at him while he held an extremely defensive posture.
He couldn't…
"It's fine. It was in the glove. I'll get it checked out when I get back to Chaldea."
"Young man." She said sharply.
Why was it always medical professionals that made him fear for his life the most?
Well…
There was no one else here…
Maybe…
He held out his left hand slowly. Every instinct was screaming that he should just run away but…
"I have trouble getting the glove off myself… I'd like some tape or something so it doesn't fall off during the awards ceremony…"
"It is a little damaged, but what's so special about it that you need to-"
The question died in her throat as she removed that black glove.
"YOUNG MAN!?"
"It's fine. It's always like this."
He held his hand palm up to try and hide his command seals even with the glove removed.
But there was no hiding the permanent damage he'd done to it.
Overusing his mana had actively necrosed his fingers.
And before that…
He had beaten a demon god to death with his bare hands.
He had fought Edmond Dantes in that eternal prison.
His hand bore those kinds of curses so it was only natural that it was alarming to look at.
His fingers were blackened in waves stretching half way down his hand. They looked gnarled and unnatural, almost as if they no longer belonged to a human.
"They still have all the functionality I need out of my hand. All my nerves still work for the most part. Can I please get my glove and some tape…"
He felt extremely uncomfortable without it on.
"How did you do this to yourself?" She asked, taking his hand in her own. He flinched at the direct contact but managed to calm himself enough that he didn't immediately rip his hand away.
It was trembling.
She could only see it now that she was looking at it so closely but that hand was trembling.
It was trembling and so so warm...
"I-" He had to stop himself. He was about to answer her honestly. Something about her presence made him want to open up. But.
"I can't remember."
Her eyes traveled up his arm.
It was littered with scars.
He'd been torn apart by something. Multiple times from the looks of things.
She gave his palm a quick smooch, starting the process of healing off all of his burn damage.
"We'll get your entire arm bandaged up too…" She said as she gently helped him back into the glove.
"Thank you."
"Relnor-kun. If there's anything you need to talk about my office is always open."
"I'm fine. Thank you for the offer though."
"Well I'll be damned. He actually went and fucking won the whole thing."
"Guess you better get to filing some forms."
"FUCK. YEAH I GUESS!?" She shouted perhaps excessively loudly. His performance in the semi-finals had been worrying but he'd picked back up in the finals. All of his matches were short but that was to be expected. He was overwhelmingly stronger than all of his opponents in terms of technique and experience.
You did not climb to those ridiculous heights with talent alone. His defeat of that explosion kid showed that much.
"You made the bet Rumi!"
"I fuckin know what I said! I'll make the offer!"
It was certainly awkward standing there. They'd made a small platform. for the top three contenders. Bakguo stood fuming in third, Todoroki seemed indifferent to the proceedings on the second place platform.
And then there was Nathan. It was only now that he realized exactly what he'd done.
He bulldozed through every single one of his peers and cemented himself as the sports festival winner… He hadn't even thought about actually winning the damn thing when he declared he would defeat everyone else.
Iida could have been on the third place stand but apparently he'd had to leave in a hurry. Midoriya had been speaking very quickly as he ran it by him.
Something about a villain attack...
He'd have to check to see if Chaldea knew any more, or if they could extend a helping hand medically.
"It's time to confer the medals! And here to present them-"
"IT IS I!"
Nathan looked up and spotted him as he leaped from the top of the stadium.
All Might landed with a resounding crash before the three of them.
"AND I AM HERE WITH THE MEDALS!"
"Our hero All Might!"
After a brief exchange of looks with Midnight who had talked over his intro he began to pass out the medals. He gave a brief speech to both Bakugo and Todoroki as he handed them their prizes.
"Relnor my boy, you declared your intention and came all the way with it! A truly impressive showing!"
"Thank you All Might," Nathan said with a small bow. His left arm was bandaged and his right arm was slightly deflated. He'd stopped running power through it to prevent it from constantly spewing out sparks due to the horrible shape it was in. "I just wanted to bring out the best in everyone. It was a difficult fight for sure."
"Well then! There you have it!" He said as he hung the medal around his neck.
All Might started his final speech of the tournament, but Nathan was honestly almost completely checked out. It had been a long day for him. Fighting for this long wasn't something he'd had to do recently after all.
As All Might set up the audience for UA's catch phrase only to say something different and throw everyone off he looked up to the clouds.
Had he done the right thing by climbing to the top even though he had no defined goal he was working towards?
What did he even want now?
It was late afternoon by the time they made it back to their homeroom. It was hard to imagine but the Sports Festival had just been a day activity for them.
"You'll have the next two days off. Make sure to rest and relax. When you get back I'll have organized all the nominations that are starting to come in," Aizawa said simply.
Iida was still not present.
He wondered if there was anything he could do for him but… For now he needed to rest.
"Excellent work today. You're dismissed."
With that the exhausted class stumbled their way out of UA.
As he walked he felt his phone buzz in his pocket.
"Hello?"
"Senpai!"
The familiar voice of one Mashu Kyrielight came through the other end.
All of his stress left his body immediately just from hearing her say that one word.
"Mashu! How are you?"
"I'm well! Goredolf gathered a lot of the former Chaldea staff to watch the sports festival!"
"W- Wasn't it early for you guys!?"
"Yeah but we wanted to see how you were doing over in Japan! Congratulations on your win!"
He heard a commotion on the other end.
"OF COURSE HE WON HE'S OUR BOY!"
"Are you still with everyone?"
"Yes! We're catching up! You should call everyone more often! They worry about you!"
"Ah. Sorry. I've been kind of scattered with UA and such lately. I'll make sure to call everyone in the next couple of days. We're off after all of that nonsense."
"They'll be happy to hear from you. I'm just glad… I'm glad to see that you're doing ok."
"Thank you Mashu. How are things on your end?"
"About the same! I've been helping Goredolf around Clocktower. We haven't heard anything new about your mission either so I assume everything is going well."
"It's quiet. Nobody's made any noticeable moves in the last month or so. I'm starting to wonder if we were sent on a wild goose chase."
"Well. I'm sure you'll be able to resolve everything without a problem. I should get going! It was nice to talk to you again senpai!"
"Likewise."
The call ended with an audible click, Nathan pocketing his phone.
"Who were to talkin to that left you with that kind of smile!?" Mina said from beside him.
She'd snuck up on him while he was talking but he was used to people suddenly appearing next to him so he didn't jump in surprise.
"Oh. I guess she's sort of like my adoptive big sister? She really helped me out during my time at Chaldea. She moved to London last year though and I haven't talked to her since I started attending UA so it's been a bit." She was right, he needed to get better about calling everyone.
He was so used to having everyone there that the extra step of having to put time aside to call them instead of just seeing them at lunch threw him off.
"I see I see! I thought maybe you had a girlfriend you weren't telling anyone about!"
"No no, nothing like that. She's a little out of our age range," He said with a chuckle.
As they reached the gate Nathan spotted his ride.
"Oh a carriage! Fancy!" Mina said, "I've never seen one pulled by bulls though!"
"That's how it be sometimes," Nathan said dryly. "I'll see you later Ashido-san!"
"Later Relnor-san!"
With that Nathan climbed into the back of the carriage and beheld the occupant.
"It's not nice to keep a queen waiting," Medb said sharply.
"I'm tired from the sports festival. Also Mashu called and I wanted to talk to her for a bit."
He felt the vehicle start moving once he got seated comfortably.
"I see. Well. Excellent work at the festival Master! All of us were watching with bated breath. By the way you will personally have to tell a few of them not to murder that explosion boy."
He let out a loud groan. That was going to be a hassle. He could understand where they were coming from but sometimes they tended to overstep their bounds.
But that was a problem for later.
"Everyone? I heard there was a hero that was badly wounded in a villain attack today."
"Oh yes. Someone or another responded to his emergency call but apparently the villain was gone by the time they arrived. It didn't seem worth my attention."
"Mh. I'll ask Sherlock about it later."
"Now then Master! You deserve a reward for coming in first place! Ask anything of me and I will provide!"
He knew where she was trying to lead him, she was fairly transparent when it came to her wants after all. But.
"I'm just tired. I'm gonna have to replace my arm when we get back and I want to see if I can visit Iida-san if I can manage it…"
"Very well then. Lay down. Rest a while."
And that's that! What did you think? Did you enjoy the sports festival? I had some doubts about how I was going to take it but in the end I decided to go the way I went and have things to pay off later. For now though I hope you're ready for the Work Study/Hero Killer arc! It was a lot of fun to work on specifically because I decided to heavily feature one of my favorite MHA characters.
Till next time!