Chapter Twelve: Never.
Todoroki eyed the greenette curiously. He could tell that there was something deeper to his words, but he dare not pry. He didn't care enough to question it, matter of fact. "Hmph. Your riddles aren't worth my time, smoker."
"Ooo, that's a new one. Where'd you get that from, your shitty old man? Y'know, I always speculated that he was a smoker, what with the fire quirk and everything." Izuku countered, smirking as Shouto's anger began to show on his face. He was getting a rise out of him.
"You. Me. Outside in five minutes. I'll teach you about the mistakes you're making, Midoriya." Todoroki challenged, turning away from the greenette as he began to make his way off of the main field for their lunch break.
"How bold." Izuku mumbled, rolling his eyes as he went to follow the dual haired boy, only being stopped by Kyouka quickly gripping onto his shoulder out of concern. "Hah?"
"Are you seriously about to go with him? What if he tries to fight you?" She questioned, giving the greenette a concerned expression as he stared back at her with a blank look. "I kinda wanted to eat lunch and talk to you about something…"
"Hey, it'll only take a few minutes. Can you tell me now, or should I come find you when I'm done?" Izuku inquired, raising a brow as he blew out a puff of smoke to the side so he didn't hit her right in the face with a cloud of smoke. Kyouka looked down in silent embarrassment as Izuku turned to face her. Was now a good time to ask him what they were?
"No… Nevermind. It'll be better for you to focus during these upcoming matches, I'll just ask you after everything is said and done." She explained, sighing in slight frustration at her lack of confidence. It shouldn't be this hard to ask! "Just do me a favor and don't fight him. I don't need you getting disqualified before this thing's even over."
"I can't promise anything. That stuck up pricks getting on my nerves." Izuku muttered in response, averting her eyes guiltily as he was really having the urge to knock some sense into him.
"Izuku." She said with a threatening tone. The greenette scratched his hair underneath his hat and sighed out a puff of smoke before turning back to face her and nodding.
"Fine. But I don't promise not to beat the everliving shit out of him if I'm pinned against him." He stated, ripping his hat off his head and tossing it to Kyouka before walking off to follow after Todoroki, waving to her as he left. "I'll be back for it, babe!"
Looking down at the hat in her hands she smiled before the realization of what he had just called her set in. Her face erupted into a deep red hue.
'Did he just call me babe!?'
Izuku felt the vein on his head twitch in annoyance as he ruffled his hair impatiently. He was leaning back against a corridor wall, parallel to Todoroki who hadn't said a word since he had gotten there, and frankly Izuku was becoming more and more agitated with him.
"Are you gonna fucking speak, or am I wasting my fucking time, you stuck up peppermint patty!?" Izuku shouted angrily, wanting nothing more but for him to make up his mind on if he wanted to fight or not. He was tired of waiting, Kyouka was waiting for him.
"Oh, I'm, the stuck up one? You're threatening all that I have left to spite my old man. You literally went on about wanting a challenge during your speech!" Todoroki countered, glaring at the greenette as he furrowed his brow in anger and frustration.
"Are you fucking kidding me!?" Izuku shouted, rising from his position against the wall and stepping up and slapping Todoroki across the face as hard as he could before spitting out his cigarette. "If that's all the reason you have to win, then you don't even deserve to be a damn hero! What the hell is wrong with you!?"
Shouto turned to stare at the greenette in shock before being pushed against the wall behind him by Izuku gripping onto his tracksuit jacket. "What the hell are you-"
SMACK!
"Do you think this shit is a fucking GAME!? Your own personal vendetta against your dad is some fucking bullshit! Why do you even hate him so much? I get he's not the nicest hero around, but still!" Izuku shouted once more, slamming the dual haired boy into the wall a second time. He was infuriated, and rightfully so. Todoroki to him had no better reason to being a hero other than spiting his father? What, was he not even gonna try and half ass it and say that he wants to be a better hero than his father could ever be!?
"YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" Todoroki shouted, punching Izuku across the face, forcing the greenette to release his hold on the dual haired boy. "My father… You know nothing of what he's done! The constant abuse, the pressure to be just like him, the separation of our FAMILY! HE RUINED MY MOTHER'S LIFE, AND HE'S TRYING TO RUIN MINE!" He continued, looking down at his now red knuckles, fixating on the stinging sensation of striking the greenette. "I'm… I-I'm sorry, I just-"
"Don't be. I finally got you to talk." Izuku exclaimed, cracking his jaw as he spat out a small amount of blood. "So I'm assuming you hate using your left side because of him. Don't bother giving me the specifics, I get it. Endeavor's a prick, and now you want to prove that you can be a hero without needing his quirk. You've got a complex."
"A...W-What? What are you talking about?" Todoroki questioned, raising his head to stare at the greenette who seemingly only had a small scuff on his cheek from his punch. Izuku really could take a hit.
"Oh, don't try and act like you don't know what I'm talking about. You think that that left side of yours is a curse passed onto you by your dad… I know what that's like. More than you'd know…" Izuku started, memories of the many stories his mother told him about his own father slipping into his mind as he sighed thoughtfully. "But, that's all the more reason to utilize it. It's not your dad's quirk, Todoroki. It's yours. Just like my copy quirk is mine, your fire is your own."
"What are you trying to say? Is that smoke and Neon not your quirk, you've just been using a different quirk this entire time?" Todoroki questioned, appalled that Izuku was operating the way he was, and… That he was sharing it.
"Yeah. I've got the villainous quirk to top all villainous quirks… Mom says I get it from my dad, but yeah. Don't let those ties to your father stop your progress, if you want to be a hero better than him, then you have to overcome that hurdle." Izuku explained, stepping towards Todoroki and holding out his hand for him to shake. "Just don't think I'll let you beat me if you do, alright?"
Todoroki smiled. For the first time in a long time, and thanks to a crass green haired smoker… How fitting. "Yeah… I don't think you'll have much of a choice, Midoriya. I'm winning this."
Izuku smiled as Todoroki shook his hand, "That's what I like to hear!"
"Oh! There he is, Jirou!" Mina shouted, pointing behind her, revealing Izuku sauntering his way over to where they were seated with… Was that a scuff on his cheek!? Did he fight Todoroki!?
"You-" She started, pausing as she saw the dual haired boy approach from behind the greenette.
"No, I didn't fight him." Izuku interrupted, smiling as Todoroki walked past him with a red handprint on his right cheek, giving the two girls a nod before making his way to his own solo table. "We worked out our issues in a different way."
Kyouka stared at the greenette speculatively, but opted to not question it. She didn't need to hear about why it looked like he had just gotten his face slammed into a wall, but seemed perfectly fi- Okay, yes she did. "What the hell happened to you? Your cheek is kinda swollen…"
"Don't worry about it. I promised not to tell." He explained, shrugging off her concerns with a warm smile as he yoinked his hat back from atop the girl's head. "Sorry it took me so long though, but man am I starving. Did you guys save me something to eat? I ended up skipping breakfast…"
"What!? Why didn't you eat!?"
"Well, when I smoke I just don't really feel hungry, but after that whole thing with Todoroki I stopped and my appetites came crawling back…" He explained, rubbing his stomach as it growled. Kyouka sighed and sat the greenette down, sliding him some of her food as she sat beside him. "Wait, but isn't this-"
"Just shut up and eat it." Kyouka instructed, sighing as she crossed her arms over the table that they were seated at. Mina smirked rather smugly at the sight, a new ploy to mess with the two of them sprouting in her head.
"Jeez Jirou, you're acting like his wife. Worrying about what he eats and everything." The pinkette teased, causing a blush to form on Kyouka's face while Izuku paid it no mind at all. He was more nonchalant about it if anything, shooting Mina a blank stare before returning to his meal.
"O-Oi! Would you cut that out!"
"But what about you wanting to-"
"Shut!"
"But-"
"I said shut!" Kyouka finalized, pointing her jacks threateningly at Mina as she slammed her hands onto the table to silence the pink skinned girl with a red face. "Jesus, would you stop? I told you that in confidence."
"Told her what in confidence?" Izuku questioned, casually sipping from a water bottle that seemingly appeared from nowhere. "You keeping secrets from me now?"
"...You stay out of this." She mumbled, blushing as she turned away from the greenette and retracted her earjacks. "I can have my secrets, you have yours."
Izuku eyed the girl curiously before shifting his gaze to Mina, the person who did know. She caught his gaze and swiftly looked away as she began sweating nervously. "...Fair point, I guess. I won't question it."
"Good. We should be getting ready to get back onto the field anyways… How do you think you guys are gonna do?" Kyouka questioned, attempting to change the subject as she rose from her seat with the other two following suit as many of the students present began to exit the lunch room.
"I'm just hoping I don't get disqualified in the first round, that'd be pretty embarrassing." Mina chimed in, laughing nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "But, I'm sure I can pull my own weight!"
Izuku pondered the question for a minute, his usual tired expression seeming to grow a bit deeper as he shoved his hands into his pocket. If anything he was more afraid now, he had just given Todoroki a reason to use his full power against him and he didn't have a proper plan to beat that.
"I'm not sure…" Izuku spoke, surprising the two girl's with him as his expression changed to one of frustration. His eyes were distant, and he seemed deep in thought. "But one thing's for certain…"
"I have to play it safe."
"ALRIGHT, LISTENERS! WE'VE GOT THE LINEUP FOR THE FIRST ROUND OF THE ARENA MATCHES! I HOPE YOU'RE READY!" Present Mic announced, the crowd beginning to go wild as the students made their way out of their respected tunnels onto the field. "Due to there being a slight issue with the prior event, we decided to go with who held onto their points the longest before losing. Again, good try everyone."
The students poured out onto the field, many of the competing classes giving each other dirty looks, excluding the ever prestigious 1-A, who really couldn't care any less about what the others were up to.
Suddenly a massive projection revealed itself, showing the first row of competitors for the first round, and first up to have their fight televised was none other than Izuku Midoriya, and… Hitoshi Shinsou?
"Who the hell's Hitoshi Shinsou?" Izuku questioned under his breath as he stared up at the tournament's bracket before suddenly being shocked by a new voice speaking up, as a hand was raised to interrupt the other students' inspections of the bracket.
"Excuse me!" Mashirao Ojiro shouted, alerting all to his presence, something that seemed very out of character for the rather quiet side character. (How sad that he doesn't get more screen time). "I'd like to drop out."
Everyone stared at the tailed boy in shock. This was his one chance to make it big, what the hell was he doing trying to back out of the tournament?
"What? Are you serious?" Mina questioned, appearing from the crowd as many of his other classmates began to give him concerned expressions, and words of worry.
"Are you sure?" Midnight questioned from above the stage, many of the audience members grew silent as all eyes were on Ojiro. He looked down in shame and nodded, prepared to give his explanation.
"I'm sorry, it's just… I don't even remember winning that cavalry battle. I only came to when someone had bumped my shoulder, it felt as though I had no control over myself and I don't want to move on that way." He expressed, looking down in frustration as he balled his fist. Izuku watched the tailed boy curiously, a new suspicion arising within him as he squinted his eyes and scanned the crowd for anyone that seemed odd.
"You Izuku Midoriya?" A voice questioned from behind the greenette, causing Izuku to turn his head to face the unknown suspect, only to be met with a rather tall lilac haired individual with deep bags under his eyes. The same prick from before.
"So it was you…" Izuku figured, pulling out a cigarette from a carton in his pocket, offering one to the lilac haired boy, who politely shook his head to decline. "Figured you wouldn't, just thought I'd offer. You're the one who did that to my classmate, aren't you? It's fairly obvious."
"You'd be right. I get that you're some impressive hero candidate or something, but I'll be getting my revenge for what you pulled at UA." Shinsou declared, watching as the greenette lit up his cigarette with his finger. He smelled like a fire, the scent was almost a tad suffocating, but what did you expect from someone with a smoke quirk?
"Heh. You might want to be careful what you wish for, pal… You might get burned." Izuku threatened nonchalantly, giving the lilac haired boy an ominous glare with a wicked smile. "But don't worry, I'm not as easily fooled as everyone else in my class. I know not to take you other course students lightly, especially that blond copycat over there. He could be a real threat, so I'm lucky he's out of the fight."
"It's quite an honor to see that even you have people you look out for. But don't be fooled, I'm more than equipped to beat you and your snobby classmates." He informed, smirking confidently as he walked away from the greenette. Izuku blew out a puff of smoke as he watched the boy leave, glaring at him as he was getting the feeling this was going to be more than an easy fight.
"Midoriya-" Ojiro spoke, making his way over to the greenette as him and Kyouka both had just watched that entire encounter. Seriously, what's with him and picking a fight with everyone!?
"Don't worry, I know. Only question I have now is how he was controlling you. Was it his quirk? Some kind of neurological thing? How does it work, do you know?" Izuku questioned repeatedly, his words coming out at record times, almost seeming like his sentences were overlapping one another and the only one able to keep up at all was Kyouka.
"Woah, woah! Slow down, I'll tell you." The blond informed, his tail moving slightly to point back towards tunnels to gesture that the greenette follow after him. "But we shouldn't talk here, since you're first up in the tournament we can talk in your waiting room."
"Alright, that's probably for the best." Izuku stated, turning to the purplette beside him who was giving him a wary look. "Wish me luck, Violet Queen."
Kyouka blushed and scowled, "...Yeah, good luck, moron."
All Might waited right by the tunnel that Izuku was assigned to exit onto the field. There was talk and rumors of the greenette walking around and trying to start fights and that didn't sit well with the number one. He was supposed to be a figure, a role model for the generations that would grow up watching him. He didn't need to be so crass.
"All Might? What are you doing here?" Izuku's voice questioned, appearing from the dark void of the tunnel. All Might turned to the greenette with a rather disgruntled expression before clearing his throat and adjusting his oversized blazer.
"I heard rumors of you getting into a fight. Maybe even if it was just a scuffle, I want you to know that's not the way to go about any conflicts you have with other students. It's not right, you need to have better control over those kinds of situations." All Might scolded softly, pausing as he watched the greenette's brow furrow in annoyance. He was clearly upset, perhaps more at the fact that someone had caught him and snitched, but All Might was only concerned from a place of platonic love. Like a father would his son. "I'm only scolding you as your teacher, don't think this relates at all to One For All. I just want you to know that you shouldn't go around fighting your classmates, okay?"
There was a pause as Izuku looked down in what appeared to be shame. All Might made his way over to the greenette and placed a hand to his shoulder comfortingly, gazing in the boy's green eyes as he knelt down.
"Please, do it for you future. I'd hate to see you get expelled over something like this, kid." The man continued, pleading to Izuku with his eyes. The greenette finally nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke.
"Yeah, okay… Sorry, All Might. It's just… He needed me to be the one to let out his frustrations on. I couldn't sit there and let him suffer any longer, it was obvious that he was hurting and-" He started, going into a mumbling fit anxiously before All Might lightly chopped him on the head to silence him.
"Geez, slow down!" He joked, smiling at the greenette warmly as he brought himself back up to his feet with a grunt. "But I think I get the jist. Just try to be less 'physical' about helping people next time, okay?"
"Yeah, I'll try to do better… Still, I'm sorry. You must be disappointed in me for that one, and I don't blame you." Izuku uttered, looking down shamefully.
All Might sighed and smiled, "Quite the contrary. You did it to help someone, I knew very well that there should have been a reason for your actions, and I'm glad to see it wasn't just irrational violence. You did what you felt was right, and I admire your dedication." He expressed, turning to walk the opposite direction from Izuku before continuing, "Now go out there and put on a show, my boy. Tell the world that you're here, kid!"
Izuku smirked and adjusted the beanie on his head as he zipped down the jacket of his tracksuit, revealing his white t-shirt before making his way out of the tunnel, "Right. I won't let you, or anyone else down, old man."
Making his way out of the tunnel, the greenette was blinded by the bright light of the sun and outdoors. He could hear the shouts and appraisal of the crowd around him, and as his eyes adjusted the greenette was met with a massive arena in the middle of what used to be a massive field filled with what he assumed was artificial grass.
Looking around at his surroundings Izuku watched the crowd staring down at him, some smiling and some shouting with anger at the fact that a kid this powerful had made it into UA. It didn't seem natural to some, but to others this was the second coming of one of the greatest heroes of their era, All Might. A new beginning to a new era.
The boy then made his way up to the arena, parallel to the lilac haired boy that was walking up to the arena at the same pace as him, the two staring each other down. Sizing each other up, if you will, yet Izuku had an edge thanks to the curious amount of information that he had received from Ojiro prior. He was more than ready to take on this fight.
"So, I'm guessing monkey boy told you about my quirk, right?" Shinsou questioned, pausing to wait for the greenette to respond, and yet his answer never came. "Hellooo? Anyone in there, or are you just too dumb to process what I just said?"
Izuku smirked and shrugged, slowly pulling out a cigarette in front of all eyes to see, many parents shielding their children, and some heroes and other spectators watching in concern at the greenette's action. Of course they had seen him smoking before, but a boy so young (Even if it helped with his quirk) shouldn't have been smoking cigarettes.
"Right. Y'know even if you understand the fundamentals of my quirk, all I have to do is get you to say one word to me and you're finished." Shinsou pressed on, scowling at the greenette as he lit up a cigarette and shrugged once more. He wasn't letting Shinsou get any leeway in this fight, he was more than used to dealing with people who did nothing but talk shit.
The two boys seemed to drown out the starting of the match from Presentation Michael, but as soon as they heard that loud "START" from the man, a massive cloud of smoke erupted from the greenette's body, blinding everyone from the events happening on the stage, including the spectators, and himself.
"You're worthless…"
Shinsou's eyes widened as he began rotating in a full 360 degrees very slowly, his heart beginning to beat out of his chest as he now understood the situation that he was in. As long as Izuku wasn't directly answering to Shinsou he could talk and use his inferiority complex against him. He was going to torment the brainwasher's mind, how ironic.
"Useless…"
"You'll never be a hero…"
"You and the rest of your classmates… They'll never understand what it takes…"
"Give up now…"
"GRRR, SHUT UP!" Shinsou shouted, swinging his fist in a random direction that he heard one of the voices. The purplette was beginning to see red, and all of the greenette's words were beginning to cut deep. Not only for Shinsou, but for Izuku as well as these were all things that he had heard directed at himself. "COME OUT AND FACE ME COWARD!"
The crowd could hear the purplette's shouting; they could feel his anger, and yet no one could do anything about it. They had no idea what was going on, and it confused them. The only one who began to grow skeptical was the mummified man himself, Shouta Aizawa.
"What a villainous quirk you have… I bet you've been an outcast…"
"You'll never make it as a hero…"
"Jump off the stage, make this easy for me…"
"NO! I WON'T!" Shinsou shouted, throwing another aimless punch. "I WILL BE A HERO, YOU WON'T STOP ME!"
"Good… That's what I like to hear."
Suddenly the massive cloud of smoke was absorbed by the greenette who stood behind Shinsou. The purplette swiftly turned around in an attempt to strike the beanie wearing boy but was launched back by a strong smoke shot blasting him in the chest.
"Your resolve is impressive. It seems like I was right on the money with you, you're like me…" Izuku mumbled, stepping towards the lilac haired boy who writhed on the floor of the arena in pain from the burns. "Don't worry, the burns won't leave any scars, but I did tell you I wouldn't lose."
Shinsou went to shout at the greenette in an attempt to brainwash him one last time but was quickly kicked in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. The greenette knelt down to Shinsou and blew a puff of smoke in his face, the crowd no beginning to watch in horror as if the greenette was going to brutalize him.
"You can be a great hero, Shinsou-Kun. I think you and I are a lot more alike than you think, and I'd be more than happy to be your friend and vouch for you to join the hero course." Izuku said, giving the boy a warm smile before punching him in the jaw, knocking him unconscious. "And that's for insulting Ojiro after brainwashing him into being your slave. Quit acting like a prick."
Many members of the crowd gasped before the greenette brought himself to his feet, hoisting Shinsou's limp body up along with him. The crowd went wild at the greenette's honorable display, many of the people who detested the greenette were now out of their seats cheering him on as he brought the boy to the stretcher bots that would whisk the purplette away and take him to the infirmary.
"IT LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A WINNER PEOPLE, ONCE AGAIN, CLASS 1-A'S IZUKU MIDORIYA!" Present Mic cheered, warranting the crowd to continue their applause and praise. The greenette merely looked outward into the crowd for two faces, All Might, and Kyouka.
Spotting All Might in the stands with the other teachers he gave the man a thumbs up, receiving one in return. He then went to scan the student's stands as he made his way towards the tunnel to make it up to the spectator stands so that he could spectate the next match, but as he peered into the dark abyss of the tunnel the greenette was appalled to see a few glowing figures staring back at him.
Tilting his head the greenette scowled, and as he went to approach them they vanished into thin air. It was odd… Was this some sort of effect from battle fatigue? Was it One For All? Was it something else entirely? One thing was for sure though...
One of those figures seemed awfully familiar.
AND HERE IT IS, THE LONG AWAITED UPDATE OF SWITCH THE COLORS!
Truth be told, I was just updating other stuff on a binge, but I'm glad to be back after making a few more oneshots and fics.
With this chapter I really wanted to show how Izuku thinks, I wanted you guys to really see how he feels about those that he would relate most to.
Izuku and Todoroki share similar familial issues, and Izuku and Shinsou share the fact that they have villainous quirks. (Or what are seen as such).
Izuku can tell at a glance that they are struggling, but he also knows that just trying to talk to them about it isn't his style. So he gets more rough around the edges.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you for the next one!
P.S. I'm posting a oneshot directly after this, so please check it out if you feel like it.
One more thing, a reminder to join this discord server: /ckJhbktu5R
This server is where I update my followers on what I'm doing and sometimes share snippets of my other stories, so please join it so you don't have to wonder what I'm doing and why I'm not updating. (Seriously the amount of people that ask this is insane).