Chapter 4!
This is definitely an update I've been looking forward to cause we get to the Sport's Festival!
Not much to say in the notes of this chapter but I'll definitely fill the notes on chapter 5. Just know that I updated a few stories alongside this one. 2 chapters for If It All Breaks, 2 chapters for Slice of Light, and then some single chapter updates on one or two other stories, not sure which ones yet but lookout for them!
User/Reviewer NexusNex: Ah nice! Glad the fight was something that could be visually scene cause yeah with how strong Izumi is fights won't generally last long so I need to have the details clear for the reader to imagine in an enjoyable way since they're so short.
User/Reviewer ManGuyPerson: Glad you're enjoying it and Izumi is certainly above most everyone but she's got her own goals of course and has no real desire or reason to go legitimately looking down on someone which makes for an interesting experience writing a really strong character that's slightly detached from the story in a sense.
User/Reviewer yomunot: I had a good laugh at the bubblegum comment and hopefully this update is a nice surprise too since I update in a bit of a batch again. Once again time to start building up the character interactions going forward and of course getting to know this Izumi through other characters. Thanks for the reviews as always and the welcome back!
User/Reviewer Cyde: I love how intimidating Whitebeard could be. From the glares, to when he uses his devil fruit with a smile, the laugh, and of course when he's just plain pissed. Pops couldn't be ignored and neither can Izumi.
User/Reviewer EndlessChains: Thanks for the reviews as always! I really enjoy building up the vibe of Izumi while not using her POV and I'm glad it seems to be paying off. More character interactions and perspectives incoming!
User/Reviewer Logical-Tadkins: I had a lot of fun letting Izumi just stomp all over the Nomu and wish granted cause this update covers the Sport's Festival so hope you enjoy it!
To everyone who faved, followed, or reviewed thank you so much!
Disclaimer: I don't own BNHA or the referenced power
Enjoy, more notes at the end!
Chapter 4: Shaken
*Itsuka POV*
The Sport's Festival was something that the students only had three chances to participate in. It was a massive event that helped pave way for their futures by appealing to interested heroes that could take them on as potential sidekicks one day. It was the perfect place to stand out and increase your own opportunities and...
Itsuka was terrified of it.
All Might had told her that this was the ideal place for her to show that she was here but his words only left her with a deep seated dread. The orange haired girl stood in the middle of her room and stared down at her shaking hands, she couldn't even get used to her naturally strengthening body let alone One For All so how was this the perfect scenario. Dragging her eyes to the mirror in her room, Itsuka took in her own pitiful reflection.
Her entire frame was now shivering, her once brightened eyes lined with the slightest hints of exhaustion, and Itsuka wondered just who was looking back at her now. Was this who was worthy of such a power? Itsuka didn't know what she could do but she didn't want to fail. Wrapping her arms around herself, the orange haired girl tried to even out her breathing to no avail. A creeping chill ran along her spine and Itsuka hunched over as the negative thoughts crawled through her head.
How had she gotten to this point? To think that she'd have fallen this far and over what?
She didn't know who to turn to, or even if she could, and this cold feeling swelling inside of her...
Made her feel incredibly lonely.
-break-
*Shouto POV*
Shouto simply waited for the start of obstacle race as he processed what he needed to accomplish and just who was in his way. There were a few members of his class who might give him issues but above all of them was Midoriya, who had subsequently laughed off his challenge from earlier. The greenette hadn't seemed to feel perturbed or particularly care for his words and simply let him make his statement without issue. Did she really think that highly of her own abilities that he wouldn't even be a legitimate opponent to her?
The moment the signal went off Shouto took the lead and made an icy trail which he already knew wouldn't stop at least most of his classmates and he hazarded a quick look over his shoulder. As expected, he saw some familiar faces make it but the one that nearly surprised him was the fact that Midoriya was running normally on his ice, completely unaffected.
Feeling a bit frustrated at her disregard, Shouto sent another quick wave of ice directly for her and turned his attention back on the upcoming obstacles. Dodging the robots that tried to impede his progress, the ice and fire user came up on the multiple zero pointers and promptly iced them so they'd block off the other competitors as they fell.
Hearing a crushing noise behind him, the red and white haired boy barely had time to duck out of the way as a head of orange blurred past him and nearly knocked him off balance. Whoever the student was wasn't in 1-A and the girl wasted no time in leaving him in the dust before taking off even faster as she increased her lead. Regardless, the now 2nd place boy pressed on while the ruckus behind him increased as more students got by his impromptu barricade.
Taking first place was out of the question now as the orange haired girl from before was much too far ahead, already partially into the 3rd obstacle while he was only half through the 2nd, and once Shouto reached the minefield he would be slowed down considerably. By the time he'd started the careful process of navigating the last obstacle he'd already heard the cheers at the stadium signifying that 1st place was already taken but he wouldn't stand for anything under second now.
Not caring that it would also help the other students, Shouto iced a direct path across the field until once again he'd fallen under assault as Bakugo appeared to fling explosions at him. As the two struggled for a brief moment, the dual quirk user thought he felt something beneath his feet before all the mines starting from the back began going off in waves. Having been locked up with each other, both Shouto and Bakugo were eventually engulfed in the triggered explosions and the ice wielder thought he saw a large shadow go ahead of them.
Despite being setback, Shouto managed to make it through the rest of the smoke and dust filled field to see Midoriya's back in the distance ahead of him. Evening running with all his speed he wasn't able to catch up before Midoriya won 2nd place and he eventually was announced 3rd as he made it into the stadium.
Nothing was going as he'd planned.
-break-
The cavalry battle wasn't anything special, the four teams that were at the top managing to defend their points all the way to the end. Bakugo was far too distracted by lower point teams attacking him, Midoriya instead took the place of the leading horse thus making it hard to target the rider due to the greenette's height, and Kendo, the orange haired girl who took first, had speed and fast reaction time plus a group with strong supporting quirks. Shouto's own team was one of the heavily targeted ones alongside Bakugo's since they had the 3rd highest point total and appeared more favorable than going after Midoriya and Kendo.
After that and a brief intermission, the 3rd round one on one battles began and presently they were moving into their second rounds. The dual hair colored boy had gone overboard in his first match thanks to a run in with that damned old man of his but as long as he could show off his ice and shove the fact back into his face then what was done was done.
Out of the people that Shouto found would be notable opponents, two of the three had proceeded on with Midoriya and Kendo being the winners of their own matches, neither using their respective quirks, while Bakugo had run into someone with a brainwashing quirk. Looking at things objectively, both girls had an edge over him power wise but for this next round one of them would knock the other out since they were matched up next. He'd have to fight one of them eventually but he'd held strong to his promise.
His ice would take him to the top this time and he'd enjoying the face that Endeavor would make.
-break-
*Itsuka POV*
Itsuka had been managing to make it through the festival fine so far, keeping her quirk on the lower end while still performing well, but now Midoriya was the one in her way. Their first meeting had been rocky and Midoriya intimidated the One For All user in all honesty but of course the orange haired girl also had other things on her mind.
Alongside keeping her power carefully toned down, Itsuka still did not know what the towering greenette's quirk was. During the obstacle course Itsuka had been too far ahead to notice if the greenette used it and then during the cavalry battle it didn't look like Midoriya did so there either. All she knew was that supposedly the quirk was a very powerful one but nothing other than that. Both of them had won their 1st round matches without their powers, Itsuka out of worry and an unknown reason for Midoriya, so there was no new information to go off of.
Itsuka quietly made her way through the hallway to the arena stage, her nerves high and she was highly aware of her accelerating heartbeat. While she had little information on Midoriya, Itsuka's instincts told her that beating her with the same methods that she had been performing with wasn't a possibility. Beyond that, was it even right to keep at the level she had? There was a difference between using what was necessary while not going overboard and not giving it your all.
The cheering of the crowd grew as both of them entered the field and walked onto the stage while facing each other. Itsuka was solely focused on Midoriya, the greenette confidently standing at the other end of the stage, while she tuned out the roaring cheers. A bead of sweat slowly trailed down the orange haired girl's face as she waited on pins and needles for the start of the match, already feeling her quirks stirring inside of her. Just a little, she would only use a little to scope things out.
Itsuka made to dart forward as Midnight called the start of the match but her legs locked her in place as she kept her opponent within her vision. Midoriya hadn't made a move, no stance, no quirk, and not even a blink as she watched the orange haired girl. Any bit of readiness that Itsuka had amassed had been lost and quickly transformed to set her on edge. One of her feet shifted against the ground backwards and Itsuka tried to steady herself once more. She had to move, there was no other option. She had no choice but to move.
Midoriya slowly began taking steps towards her, the tension rising as even the audience remained speechless, and Itsuka steeled herself while charging to 5%, her quirk sparking through her body. The One For All user was burning towards the greenette in an instant and a forward hand chop connected with the taller girl's side as Itsuka made her pass. She didn't see any noticeable reaction from the other girl so the orange haired martial artist repeated her attack, this time getting the girl's leg.
Itsuka could just barely register the now revived cheers but they were second to her thoughts. She was faster than Midoriya and not hurting her too bad at 5% so Itsuka would just wear the towering girl down. Midoriya had yet to attack back but this was currently the best strategy in her mind while also putting Itsuka at ease. Once more the orange haired girl tried her darting attack but noticed movement from Midoriya's left arm. The round blow came and Itsuka hopped over it and aimed at the girl's left shoulder only to find that the greenette managed to block it with her right.
A few more attempts proved useless, Midoriya seemingly blocking the hits with ease and Itsuka nervously inched her percents higher only to get the same results. The enhanced girl had just hit 10%, the one she wasn't comfortable going above, and tried again with no success. Midoriya still hadn't used her quirk either but also hadn't landed a hit on the much faster orange haired girl. Experimentally, Itsuka crept up to 12% having seen no change by going up single percents but she worried if it was too much as she dove in. Nearing the taller greenette, Itsuka lost her nerve and shifted back down to 10%.
The action proved to be the wrong one as Midoriya turned her left shoulder towards the approaching girl and with a left hand back fist blew the chop away before using the momentum to crash her right directly into Itsuka's guts. The blow took the orange haired girl off her feet and she was flung back before crashing into the ground and tumbling backwards onto her feet in a crouched position. The strike and the fall hadn't hurt, nothing more than a tingle to her, but the suddenness of it had taken her off guard. Standing back up, Itsuka shook off the surprise and almost excitedly processed that Midoriya could easily handle her 10%.
Whatever it was that drove Itsuka to grab onto her faint hope caused the orange haired girl to increase her output to 15% and yet Midoriya withstood it, the orange haired girl's roundhouse kick being stopped by a translucent orb around Midoriya's fist. A shock wave emanated from it and blew the One For All user back, Itsuka finally getting to see her opponent's quirk.
"Not a very good attempt," Midoriya grumbled and something inside of Itsuka instantly sank at the comment.
The greenette had no way of knowing the orange haired girl's circumstances, hell she was only using 15% of her power, but the almost disappointed tone in Midoriya's voice felt like she was making light of Itsuka's efforts. Her strength kept outgrowing the rate at which she tried to adjust, everyday cold fear gnawed at her causing her to slowly suffer alone, and now the work Itsuka had been putting in was being mocked. Even if the other girl had no idea it still hurt to hear her words.
Itsuka spun a backhanded chop, still at 15%, towards Midoriya's right side but was cleanly stopped by another infused fist that sent the orange haired girl skidding back. Running back in, she tried a barrage of sharp and fast kicks with a few hand strikes knitted in but was swatted down just by Midoriya's right, the greenette's quirked left following up and blasting Itsuka with a disruptive shock wave. However, the orange haired girl wasn't going to back down, even if she was forced to give more than what she wanted, and went for a heavy kick backed by a spin's momentum.
Midoriya blocked her leg with ease, an irritatingly confident expression now on her face, and Itsuka retreated back. The orange haired girl wasn't getting anywhere with her attacks but...
What could she do about it?
Her raw power was stronger than All Might's and Itsuka had been holding back even more than she probably needed to, at least against her daunting opponent. However, she also wanted to at least get Midoriya's confident and seemingly smug look to change and for the taller girl to take their match seriously. So far, Midoriya had only been keeping them at a standstill despite Itsuka knowing that the greenette clearly had more power than this. It almost felt insulting from the orange haired girl's point of view but her attacks were continually stopped by the other girl.
Engaging in another trade of attacks, Itsuka blocked a punch from Midoriya and her eyes widened in surprise when she realized that the greenette hadn't even used her quirk this time. The towering girl looked down upon her and Itsuka felt her quirk flaring in her body. The power welled up inside of her and Itsuka had unconsciously thrown her punch and only realized that she'd lost control when Midoriya's eyes slightly perked in surprise. All her anxieties crept along her body as the punch continued traveling, Midoriya was right in front of her and the orange haired girl had no clue how much power she was using.
She was scared.
She was terrified.
It felt as if everything had slowed down and Itsuka snapped her eyes shut, not wanting to look, but the powerful blast came regardless of if she'd averted her gaze. The disgustingly overwhelming burst of tearing winds continued whipping in all directions but something managed to make its way to the orange haired girl's ears. The faint sounds of cracking followed by a tremoring sensation that rolled over her body caused Itsuka to peek in confusion. Blue crack lines were scattered before her fist and on the other side was Midoriya's fist, the greenette's originally surprised expression having become somewhat serious. Midoriya's arm flexed and the shaking that was covering Itsuka's entire body grew more intense and the orange haired girl shuddered slightly. Her quirks were helping her resist some of the damage but the sensation was still painfully uncomfortable.
The power struggle appeared as if it would last longer but the sudden shattering sound pierced the orange haired girl's ears and both of them were sent skidding away from one another. Itsuka panted, still shocked by what had just happened, and noticed that the part of the ring that they had clashed at was smashed apart while deep cracks ran outwards from the meeting point. Looking to her opponent in wonder, Itsuka was dumbfounded when the quake girl's serious look morphed into a small, approving, but amused grin while a low rumbling chuckle broke the silence.
"Don't go thinking that your little punch did that much." Midoriya told her and instead of feeling insulted Itsuka felt something like relief etch itself into her. Just a little more, just once more Itsuka needed confirmation.
Running her quirk higher than normal, Itsuka tried to force another power struggle. Her 40% One For All punch was quickly crushed by Midoriya's quirk infused fist, the tremoring sensation still being felt in her arm, and the orange haired girl jumped back from the experiment. The damage from their initial large clash wasn't only from Itsuka so Midoriya had to somewhat be like her but instead of fearing what she could do with her quirk, Midoriya was proud of it. Obviously the greenette contained her power but she had no doubt in her own abilities and that was some of what distinctly set the two apart. Itsuka eagerly dashed back in to find more of the answers that she was seeking.
At each turn and with every strike Midoriya held her own and even overpowered Itsuka at times, the One For All user barely breaking through the latest shock wave, while maintaining her confidence. After taking enough of the slightly painful blows from the taller girl, Itsuka had used the time to study just how Midoriya used her quirk while avoiding destruction. The orange haired girl didn't doubt that the greenette had other techniques but she managed to still use her quirk by condensing and containing the vibrations which she then coated her fists with.
If Itsuka could do something like that, even for split second intervals, then maybe she could feel even that tiny bit more confident in her abilities. Instead of Itsuka being the one on the offensive, this time Midoriya initiated the assault with the martial artist using her superior speed to avoid the punches. The quake girl raised her left foot and gave a bit of a stomp and the ground cracked beneath Itsuka, the footing around the immediate area becoming poor, and the orange haired girl carefully found a place that was still able to be stood on. The action proved to slow her down and Midoriya was already bearing down on her with a quake bubble, the vibrations spinning within, and she would have to defend.
Itsuka gave her idea a try and raised both her arms up to block the incoming blow. She felt her quirk fully coat her body and at the very least she could use 100% to enhance the defensive capabilities of her own body. Midoriya's fist made contact with Itsuka's guard and as she had hoped the quake didn't hurt or even budge her. Digging in with her feet, Itsuka tried to slowly inch forward but found that she herself also couldn't budge Midoriya. It was like trying to move a mountain!
All at once the situation had flipped and the swirling in the quake bubble pressed against the One For All holder's arms sped up while the usual whitish blue color instead became tinted green. In an instant, green cracks grew swiftly and deeply through the air before them and Itsuka's crossed arms slammed against her cheek as Midoriya's strike gained ground. The orange haired girl struggled to defend and her arms were immediately alight with pain as the shattering noise assaulted her ears.
Itsuka was harshly being forced back and Midoriya, with a deep roar, drove her fist forward before another ear shattering boom exploded between them and there was a split second that Itsuka clearly saw Midoriya's expression morph into that pleased grin before the tall greenette suddenly became smaller. Only just then had Itsuka registered that she had been completely ejected from the arena stage and was being launched back down the hallway entrance. The One For All holder smashed into a wall, the pain only in her arms, and she threw her gaze back up her opponent who was now in the distance.
15%? 40%? 100%? None of that mattered to Midoriya.
Notes and Stuff
I had to, not necessarily cut, skip over some stuff in the Sport's Festival as they didn't generate much more content then some throw away sentences so I figured getting to the heart of things was better and I could focus more on the main encounter of this chapter. A lot of character stuff for Itsuka cause this is the one story I have in which she's practically our main character and where I went and made some tweaks and changes to her in both quirk and a slight directional influence with her personality.
It's kind of hard to write action with Izumi, less so Itsuka, when she could just break everything but is actively not supposed to. She's still got the huge power in her condensed blows but I know I and probably all of you want the real big stuff that Whitebeard could do.
Since this is a two chapter update I'll be getting more chattery in the end notes of chapter 5 and asking the usual suggestions and whatnot so make sure to give that a look!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!