Hello crazy, beautiful world! It's the scribe with your biweekly delivery! I'm so glad I managed to get this posted today, I really wanted to get back into my schedule properly. Expect the next entry to come at the usual Sunday date!
Reviews: Engineer4Ever, should I just consider you a fan at this point? I've started to anticipate your comments specifically after each release, thanks for spending the time to let me know you like them!
Anyway, here we go!
Borderlands is owned by Gearbox and 2KGames and My Hero Academia is owned by Kohei Horikoshi and Funimation. Please support the official release.
Please rate and review!
"This means someone is talking."
'This means someone is thinking to themselves.'
This means it's a flashback.
*This means it's a sound effect!*
{This means I'm speaking in a different language!}
Angel in a Gilded Cage
To say that Angel had a lot on her mind would be a gross understatement. It was bad enough when she had been worrying about Midoriya, who was currently a pile of broken, bloody limbs in the nurse's office. Now thanks to the foreboding conversation she had with Endeavour, she didn't know what to think.
Sure, she had been able to glean from watching interviews that the number two hero was aloof and unapproachable, to say the least. But in that hallway, he showed something else hiding below his flaming mask.
A glimpse of ambition, one step away from madness, something she knew all too well.
With this revelation, she was bombarded with a plethora of new, troubling questions.
'Why did he call me a "stepping stone"? What the heck does that even mean?!'
"Um… excuse me?"
'More importantly, what are his plans for Shoto?'
"Excuse me? Hello?"
'First the whole thing with him not using his flames and now that weird talk with his dad? It can't be a coinci-'
"Excuse me!"
Angel blinked and looked up, finally noticing where she was.
The edge of the ring, in the centre of the stadium! Standing across from her, was her opponent, Shiozaki, hands on her hips as she looked at her with concern.
Angel's cheeks immediately reddened. It looked like she had made it to her match in a daze, her legs carrying her on autopilot while she fretted. Out of habit, Angel's eyes quickly gave her opposition a once over. Now that they were closer than when the other girl trounced Kaminari, she noted that they were about equal in height and build. Her dark green eyes matched the hue of the corded brambles on her head, extending down her back.
"U-Um, yes?" She replied nervously.
"Are you alright, er… Hodunk-san, was it?" The vine haired girl inquired. "You seemed to be troubled by something. Our match is about to start." She gestured over to where Cementoss was putting the finishing touches on the new ring to replace the one destroyed in Midoriya and Todoroki's clash.
"Oh, well, um… yeah. I'm okay. Just… a lot has been happening recently and it's getting to me." Angel said.
"I see. Please do your best to recenter yourself. Afterall…" Shiozaki peacefully smiled, clasping her hands together in a praying motion. "It would be truly deplorable of me to take advantage of your emotional turmoil in what's meant to be a fair duel. I want this to be a honorable match between two just and noble heroes, as seen in the eyes of the world and the heavens above!" She proclaimed, light seeming to rain from above, making Angel squint!
Was there this much sun a second ago?
Despite having to blink away the spots in her vision, she did appreciate what her opponent was trying to do and she appreciated it. Unlike Hatsume, Shiozaki came off as completely genuine and caring. She had a sort of calm energy around her that implied that she was physically incapable of lying.
All together, Angel found herself feeling more at ease as she accepted her words. She would worry about Midoriya, Todoroki, her goal and everything else later. It was fighting time!
She took a deep breath and gave Shiozaki a grateful smile.
"You're right. Thank you Shiozaki-san. May the best hero win."
Shiozaki returned her smile with a nod. "May the best hero win." She said and not a moment too soon as Cementoss turned off the cement hose and gave Midnight a thumbs up.
"We are ready to proceed! Contestants, take your places!" She ordered, sending the two girls to the opposite sides of the ring.
"Looks like the ring has been replaced and the contestants are here! The tourney will resume!" Mic announced!
"F*** YEAH! ON THE LEFT, THE LEAN, THE GREEN, THE NOT-MEAN, WRAPPING MACHINE, SHIOZAKI IBARA!" Torque bellowed!
"Hah...well it's better than being called an assassin." The aforementioned girl lamented with a sigh while the crowd cheered.
"AND ON THE RIGHT, WITH A FIRST NAME THAT FITS HER ALL TOO WELL AND A SURNAME THAT SOUNDS ODDLY FAMILIAR, GIVE IT UP, FOR HODUNNNNNK ANGEL!"
She sweated a little bit at that declaration, hoping that no one would make a guess at her and Moxxi's relationship, but only for a moment as she got into a lowered, ready position. She stared out at her opponent, who had taken a comparatively relaxed pose, standing straight and tall, her hands still laced together and her eyes closed, as if she was peacefully meditating.
'She kinda feels like a tree.' Angel noted briefly. As childish of an observation that it was, it was possible that it was a hint as to how she was going to fight. The way she was standing implied that she wasn't planning on moving anywhere, so she was either feeling very confident or she had a defensive fighting style.
Considering the vines she had for hair, the latter outcome was looking very plausible. She had missed the fight between Shiozaki and Kaminari earlier, but if she had to guess as to how her quirk worked, it was likely the ability to grow out and control the vines like prehensile tendrils. Perhaps she could employ them as long range restrains or whips or amass them together as a shield?
Unfortunately, Angel won't know until the fight starts, so with that in mind, she preemptively started to charge her markings, specifically towards her back.
"READY?! DON'T HOLD BACK! IF YOU DO, I'LL BE F***ING PISSED! GO! GO! GO! "
Angel flicked her hand up and fired three bolts the second the buzzer blew!
Shiozaki's eyes snapped open and her hair surged, instantly lengthening and curling around to form a barrier in front of her! Angel's shots burst against the vegetation, leaving three scorch marks but not much else!
Then with a ripping sound, the vines detached themselves from the bottom of the girl's mane and burrowed into the floor of the ring! Angel's eyes widened as she felt the ground rumble and shake underneath her!
"Woah!" She yelped and leapt backwards, just in time to avoid the eruption of green from where she once stood! The vines coiled together and reared over her like a giant serpent for a split second before pouncing down like so!
Angel dived to the side, narrowly getting out of the way as it burrowed its way underground again!
'Darn it!' She almost cursed! She was too vulnerable to Shiozaki's attacks on the ground, with no opportunity to mount a counter attack! She needed to get to the air!
Despite the risk, Angel crouched down and jumped as high as she could! With a flash of light and power along her skin, her wings burst forth and she achieved liftoff!
And she couldn't have picked a greater time, as she heard the telltale crack of shattering concrete and the vines broke the surface of the ground, rushing upwards towards her!
In a brief moment of panic, she pumped her wings harder and faster, desperately trying to gain altitude! She rose higher and higher, the vine's grasping at her feet like a shark biting at her toes!
It was not until she was about thirty feet in the air that she noticed the vines had stopped, reaching the limit of their length, flopping back down to Earth, lifeless. Shiozaki gazed up at her, her face calm and collected, if a little disappointed that Angel was now out of reach.
She let out a sigh of relief as she hovered above the ring, taking the chance to catch her breath.
"What a nailbiter folks! Hodunk just barely avoided getting captured by Shiozaki's vine grip! Already she's doing better than Kaminari from the last round!"
"Come on! Do you have to rub it in?!" Angel heard the electric boy cry from the stands!
"LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A STANDOFF, OR UH… ONE STANDING AND ONE FLYING! I DON'T KNOW!" Torgue floundered. "MIC! CAN SHE JUST KEEP FLYING UP THERE?!"
"Good question! As long as Hodunk doesn't touch the ground outside of the ring, she's still in the game! Then it's only a matter of how long she can stay up there!"
As loath as she wanted to admit it, Mic was right. She couldn't sustain her wings forever and Shiozaki definitely knew that now. She needed to eliminate her before that happened.
Her mind raced to come up with a plan. She had been right on the money with her guesses on what Shiozaki's quirk was and how she would fight, with the addition that she could separate her vines and control them from a distance. Angel still had to be wary of any other tricks that she could pull though.
'So she's good at defence, got it. Now, how do I get past that "shield"? She'll just block any bolts I shoot and if I approach she'll whip me around.' She pondered.
But then as soon as she thought that, she felt a faint phantom pain in her neck and she felt a light go off in her head!
This situation was fairly similar to her fight with the villains at USJ, specifically against the woman with the rope quirk.
She had an idea!
Angel felt the gears turning in her head as she bent and dove, making a direct beeline for her opponent!
Shiozaki tensed, her hair rapidly extending and circling her in preparation for whatever Angel was about to do!
Angel threw her left arm out, unleashing a barrage of bolts! Just like before, Shiozaki's vines shifted into a protective wall over her!
*SPAK! SPAK! SPAK! SPAK!* The energy blasts hammered the shield but didn't cause lasting damage!
But that wasn't the plan at all. Now, Shiozaki had blocked her field of vision!
Angel smiled earnestly as the ground and her opponent hurtled toward her!
Just before she would collide with the vine wall, she tilted up and reached out! She grabbed hold of the stretchy tendrils and zoomed over the ring!
"AAH?!" She heard Shiozaki cry out in surprise as her head was unexpectedly wrenched back!
Now came the more complicated part.
'Gotta be quick before she cuts her vines!' Angel told herself as she spun around at the apex of her climb!
"HAAAH!" She yelled, pulling the vines in her hands up high, then yanked them down with all her might!
*SNAP!* The air cracked as Angel sent a wave of kinetic force rippling down the vines, the potential energy carried all the way down until it reached Shiozaki's head!
"GAH?!" She gasped in pain as her skull was jostled and the force travelled through her body! The jolt was so great, her feet left the ground for a brief moment!
A moment was all Angel needed! Once again, she pumped her wings as hard as she could, tilting herself to the side! She grit her teeth as she pulled the stunned Shiozaki into the air, swinging her around in an arc just, not dissimilar to when she was dragged around by Hatsume. She kept on whirling around a few feet above the ring, dragging her helpless opponent behind her like an olympic hammer.
'Just… need… to... time… it… right… NOW!'
"YAH!" She bellowed and let go!
"EEEEK!" Shiozaki screamed as she spun through the air, bounced off the concrete and flew right out of the ring! As soon as she thumped on the soft grass, the crowd cheered!
"Shiozaki is out of bounds! The winner is Hodunk Angel!" Midnight announced!
Joy filled Angel's stomach as she tried to catch her breath while she hovered midair. Her head was starting to hurt again and her hands were covered in red welts but she felt great! She was honestly surprised at how well that plan had turned out.
She then descended back to the ring, lest she worsened her headache. She nearly stumbled when her feet hit the ground, her body becoming more and more tired. She couldn't remember ever getting this much exercise in her life.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spied Shiozaki staggering to her feet, looking quite disheveled with her hair tangled into knots, but aside from some bruises she wasn't much worse for wear. She fumbled with her vines, trying to untangle them for a moment before seemingly deciding it was better just to sever the extra mass, letting it drop from her head.
Angel hummed in thought. Wasn't this the part that competitors show good sportsmanship? She wouldn't mind, Shiozaki seemed like a nice person(nicer than Hatsume anyway).
"Hey…um… Shiozaki-san?" She called out, making the girl turn her way and push some of her bangs out of her eyes as she leapt off the ring.
"I-I just wanted to say… good fight and um… thank you for helping me there." Angel said awkwardly, not really sure if she was doing this right. "N-No hard feelings… right?"
Much to her relief, the other girl gave her a polite(if a bit wobbly) smile. "O-Of course. Like we said before, may the best hero win."
The comforting air was interrupted by a loud gurgle as Shiozaki lurched. "Now, if you'll excuse me…" She moaned as her cheeks turned green to match her hair. "I need to throw up! Oompf!" With that, she turned and ran for the hall.
"Sorry!" Angel yelled after her, feeling more than a little guilty. Taking a deep breath, she looked around the stadium, taking in the looks and cheers of adoration from the crowd, still scarcely believing that she could ever be in this position.
Then her eyes met a matching pair of blue, leering down at her from the front row.
There, sitting with his arms crossed and form ablaze, was Endeavour.
The sight reminded her all too well of what was next.
'That's right. I guess I'm facing Todoroki in the third round.'
Endeavour, or as the few people that he allowed to call him, Enji Todoroki, had been silently studying the girl left in the ring for the entire fight. He took mental notes of everything, how her quirk seemed to function, her fighting style, even the way she held herself. In the end, he couldn't deny the sliver of admiration for the potential she had.
She was clever and powerful, but then again, so was his progeny. As he had told her in the hallway, her quirk was one of the most uniquely powerful abilities he had ever seen. Only his own son Shoto, that Bakugo boy or the Yaoyorozu heiress matched the versatility she possessed. He had long stopped theorizing on the genetic combination or environmental factors that went into creating such a powerset to instead focus on the possibilities if she were to ever have offspring.
He had briefly entertained the notion of approaching her family to perhaps set her up with his son before dismissing the idea entirely. If he was going to surpass All-Might the right way, he needed it to be done in the current generation, while the iron was still hot. If he tried to push his rebellious spawn into a relationship, it would just create another roadblock, something else that could go wrong.
For but a moment, a pale face with grey eyes and white hair came to mind, only to be dispersed just as quickly.
Giving his head a small shake, he returned his attention to the stadium one last time and noticed that the subject he had been observing was now staring up at him, her eye not obscured by her hair scrutinizing him.
He met her gaze and held it in a silent challenge. Otherwise, he didn't visibly react, remaining completely stone faced and apathetic. For all he knew, she was trying to read him, likely still confused after their conversation. He wouldn't give away a thing.
The staring contest lasted for a few seconds more before the girl finally relented, looking away as she left the stadium.
Enji let out an impatient breath and stared off into space. Now he had to sit through the rest of the matches before the girl and Shoto's fight in the semi-finals. Next up was the boy with the hardening power and the exploding girl, but he gleaned enough from their previous fights to conclude that they wouldn't be a threat to Shoto, therefore, he didn't care to watch.
For now, he was going to sit back and try to tune out the sound of the crowd and those irritating announcers, especially that screaming buffoon. Nobody would bother him thanks to the intimidating presence he had. He had almost an entire row of seats to himself as no one dared to sit next to him after his excited outburst during Shoto's fight with that green haired boy.
He tilted his head back and closed his eyes. Within a couple minutes, the sounds surrounding him began to blend together and fade.
Then-
*Tic! Tic! Tic! Tak! Tic! Tak!*
His brow furrowed as an incessant tapping invaded his ears. He grumbled a little and just tried to ignore it, thinking it was some sugar loaded child with a bouncing foot and that it would probably end soon.
*Tak! Tak! Tak!* Instead, it continued, much to Enji's ire. In fact, it sounded like it was getting closer to his left. Then it stopped.
"Hey! Hey you!" He heard a dry, twangy voice.
He wasn't talking to him right?
"Yeah you, the one that smells like a bushfire!"
Enji huffed in annoyance and finally opened his eyes, turning to face the newcomer with his usual scathing stare, one that would surely scare whoever it was away.
He quickly realized such an action would be lost on the thin, old man on the steps next to his aisle, judging by the walking stick held in his hand and the pale scars peeking out from under his dark, wide rimmed goggles. He also HAD to be blind to be walking around in a blue, gaudy, Hawaiian print shirt, fingerless gloves and a pair of dull brown, plaid pants.
Or maybe hobbling was the correct term, as upon closer inspection, Enji noticed his right foot was nothing more than a stick wedged in a boot, which didn't match the shoe on his left. The man was hunched over, leaning heavily on his stick as his legs trembled.
"Mind if I sit here?" The man asked in a very stereotypical southern American accent, scratching his short, unkempt, red hair with his free hand.
Enji breathed in, about to tell this old man to pester somewhere else. But before the words left his mouth, he glanced around to see the many curious eyes turned his way. He grit his teeth in frustration.
If word got out that he refused the blind, old cripple a seat, the tabloids would have a field day.
He had an image to uphold.
"Fine." He ground out.
The old man gave him a smile filled with crooked teeth.
"Why thank you! Bless your heart, heh heh!" He let out a wheezing laugh and started making his way down the aisle, shuffling slowly while tapping his stick back and forth before finally setting himself down right next to Enji of all places, to the flame hero's chagrin.
"Woo-ee~! Am I having a heat flash or is it mighty toasty over here? Heh heh heh!" He laughed again, wiping sweat from his brow. He turned to Enji and held out a hand. "Howdy there! The name's Teddy Baha, but everyone calls me T.K! What's your name Mr Supernova?"
Enji only gave the old coot a scowl. Much to his continued annoyance, this "T.K" seemed to take his silent refusal in stride, retracting his hand.
"Not much of a talker, are ya? That's fine! Most people say that I talk enough to chat the ear off an elephant, so I can speak for the both of us!" He said mirthfully.
Enji let out a quiet groan and fixed his gaze upon the ring below.
There goes any chance of the elder taking the hint.
Guess he was going to pay attention to the upcoming fights after all, in the hopes that it'll distract him enough so he won't hear him rambling on.
He blinked in surprise when he saw the red headed brawler and the ash blonde demolitionist already in the ring. Apparently he had been so preoccupied that the time had flown by. He could only pray that that trend will continue.
"Hold onto your hats fight fans, because this one is shaping up to be a riot! Behold, class 1-A's bulwark who won't fall down, Kirishima Eijiro, versus the wild child of their rival class 1-B, Baha Tina!"
As soon as the last name was mentioned, T.K excitedly leapt up from his seat, nearly falling over! "WOOO-WEE~! Go get em girl!" He gave a shrill whistle, catching the attention of the girl below who flashed him a bright smile and waved.
Why wasn't Enji surprised that these two were father and daughter?
"Woo! Heh heh, so, any of them yours?" TK asked as she sat back down.
Enji glanced back at the elder. "Hm?"
"You know, any of them kids down there? Any of them yours?"
Enji remained silent for a moment before deciding he could humor him.
"Yes." He answered, getting a nod.
"How about that! Well that one down there is my baby girl, my pride and joy! Heh, but you probably got that already." T.K chuckled.
The buzzer rang and the battle commenced! Immediately, the red head hardened his skin and charged his opponent head on, only for the girl to nimbly jump out of the way in a cartwheel! Looks like she was quite the acrobat.
"It's funny though…" T.K continued talking. "Would you believe that we're not actually related?"
Enji's eyes flitted between the man sitting next to him and the girl in the ring. Yes, he could believe it, they didn't share any features at all. Why that was important, he didn't know, nor did he really care.
"You know what, you seem to be the quiet listening type. I bet you'd enjoy a good story! How about I tell you all about it?" T.K asked, much to Enji's horror.
"Don't you dare-"
"-spare any details? Alrighty then!" The cripple said cheerfully!
"I was born a long while back in the humble state of Oklahoma. I grew up with dreams of becoming a bonafide hero, but I was never cut out for it really. Not many bad guys that'll wet themselves thinking of a guy who can make things wiggle!" He said, holding his stick out where it began to undulate like a rippling sheet of paper before becoming solid again.
"So I did the next best thing and became a support item designer, which was definitely the right call! Mama always said I had a mind like a steel trap, God bless her!"
Enji resisted the urge to scream, the flames engulfing his body intensifying in his anger! All he wanted was gauge the progress in his progeny's development in peace, now he was trapped while a senile cripple regaled him with his life story!
"Anyway, I decided to head out west, try my luck and wouldn't you know it? Companies were bending over backwards for my designs and I got a job at one of the best! Better still, I met the woman of my dreams, Marian…" He sighed wistfully. "Those were the days. But you know what they say, the only constant about life is how much it wants to mess with you.
You see, I had a bit of a rivalry going on where I worked. This one guy, hoo, he was a piece of work. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, always schmoozing up to the exec's, getting on their good sides and taking credit for my work. Everything seemed to always go his way, including when one of my prototypes showered the CEO with oil and he got my job. Suddenly, I was out of work and blacklisted from every company and startup in the state. My career was ruined." He stated, catching Enji off guard with how nonchalantly he described what sounded like a brutal midlife crisis. His soul was always crushed whenever he received an award or rose in the hero boards, only for All-Might to completely overshadow him and render all of his efforts meaningless.
For whatever reason, he found himself paying more attention to what this foreigner had to say.
"But I didn't let that get me down! I was still alive, had some money saved up and was married to a beautiful woman who loved me! So I decided to move to the state of Colorado to start afresh, buying a farm with Marian at my side!" He smiled nostalgically.
"Then my wife died."
Enji almost choked out of sheer incredulity from the old man sitting next to him, his face and tone completely unchanged and bright despite recalling the death of his spouse!
"Turns out, Colorado is home to a buncha mountain lions and Marian got killed by the biggest and meanest one around! The town had taken to calling him "Scar"! Once I buried her, I bought the biggest gun I could afford and swore I would get revenge!" He declared, only at the end did his voice crack the slightest bit. "And… well…" He tapped his stick against his false leg, then pointed up to his goggles. "I think you know what happened."
"After that, I was just a blind, crippled widower in an empty house tending to some onions. I was in a dark place for a while, never really showing my face at town. Kids even started calling me "Batty Baha"." He let out a hoot. "Heh, that was a good one."
At this point, Enji could only stare down at this man, stupefied. How could someone lose his leg, sight, wife and life goal and still find a way to live on, let alone with a smile on his face?! If he was injured beyond repair and forced into retirement with no way to keep chasing after his rival, he didn't know if he'd be able to live with himself!
"Now you're probably wondering where she gets into all of this?" T.K continued, blissfully unaware of his sole listener questioning his sanity.
"One day, I went to town to pick up some hootch. But on my way out from the liquor store, I snagged a hand reach'in into my pocket. Turns out I had caught a ten year old runaway who figured a blind man was an easy mark. Long story short, she lost her parents in a villain attack a while back and she slipped through the cracks of the child care system. After hearing her story from the police, I made a decision that would change my life, for the better this time. That was the day that I adopted Tina as my family and my life has been ever sweeter!" He said with utmost satisfaction.
Enji continued to say nothing, this time however he was absorbing this old man's words. Maybe it was the odd air of optimism around him, which normally Enji couldn't stand thanks to it being a reminder of All-Might. Here though, it served as a testament to T.K's spirit in the face of the worst that life could throw at him, that no matter what, he kept on going.
And on a certain level, that was something he could respect.
"Whew! Have I been spinning the yarn or what? How's the fight going by the way?"
*KABLAM!* There was an explosion down below, catching Enji's attention.
Down in the ring, Kirishima was covered in burns with smoke drifting from his scorched clothes. He was panting heavily, slouching over in exertion.
On the other hand, Baha seemed completely unscathed, if looking a little giddy.
"Stay still dammit!" The boy yelled as he charged once more and tried to grab her in a bear hug, only for her to keep her distance with a series of back somersaults, all the while she cackled.
"Little redhead Foofoo running after Tina~! Stepped on some landmines and landed on his head!~" She chanted.
"Huh?" He paused, confused. Then he looked down to see a light under his foot.
Then there was another and another and another and another and another until they formed a glittering circle of pink light around him!
"Aw, FU-!"
*BABABABABOOM!* The circle burst in a series of fiery pops followed up with one big blast right under Kirishima's feet, sending him screaming head over foot out of the ring!
"Kirishima is out of bounds! The winner is Baha Tina!"
"Yeah! That's my girl! WOO!" T.K stood up and cheered again as his daughter gave the audience a dramatic bow.
Setting himself back down, he let out a chuckle. "Yep! My life might have been just one, giant dumpster fire, but sometimes you just need to be happy with whatcha get. Dreams are important and all, but you can't lose sight of what's important! Take it from me, heh heh! Sure, I wish I didn't lose everything I did, especially Marian, but in the end, I'll be remembered as a loving father, rather than some beaten down old coot!" He said aloud, making Enji look at him strangely.
Was he trying to tell him something?
"Why are you telling me this?" He finally asked.
T.K looked up at him, a grin on his face.
"Call it a… blind man's intuition. I had a feeling like you might need some advice. Hell if I know why, heh heh heh heh!" He laughed to himself, shaking his head.
"Welp!" He piped up, unceremoniously shattering the momentary silence. "Sounds like we have some time before the next fight. How about I tell you about the time Tina talked me into adopting a stray puppy she found? Little did I know that it was actually a rottweiler pup! Boy, was that a big surprise two months later, heh heh!"
And so the old man continued to ramble on and on(unfortunately), all the while, Enji mulled over his words in his head.
Losing sight of what was important. He wanted to dismiss what he heard over the last several minutes, brand them as the senile babbling of a man long past his time.
But he couldn't. It stuck with him. His mind began to wander, thinking about what life would be like if he had lost everything too. His physical capabilities, his hero career and reputation…
His family.
Then, the grey eyes returned. They didn't go away this time, no matter how much he tried.