Chapter 3!
Already right into the Sport's Festival. As usual didn't want to hang through what would have been throw away stuff here so we're steaming on with this event. I got what I wanted to in this chapter and of course I have some other plans and changes here and moving forward so that'll be nice to get to.
User/Reviewer NinjaGogeta: Definitely one of the more out there ideas and fruits for sure haha.
User/Reviewer USSRParrot:Thanks for reading, hope this new chapter finds you well too!
User/Reviewer Caduken: We're making with quite a pace so hopefully this chapter is enjoyable and then of course as I move forward on the next ones.
User/Reviewer yomunot: Ooh Rayleigh is a pretty good idea to pull from considering what you've said. The Yomi-Yomi fruit is also an interesting idea and at the very least I'll be thinking of how it would work in the BNHA universe. Glad you're enjoying the fic and thanks as always for your reviews.
User/Reviewer EndlessChains:Thanks as always for the reviews! A lot of subversion of expectations for the characters as Izumi is either placed in a situation that demands it or decides that it's time to be a bit more active with her quirk. We're already heading straight into the Sport's Festival this chapter so that'll be fun to get through.
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 3: Bitter
*Momo POV*
Momo didn't quite understand the lack of direction or ambition from Midoriya.
All of the girls were watching as Todoroki's challenge was lazily brushed aside by the greenette in a placating manner, Midoriya not being able to be bothered by what was probably more effort than she wanted to give. Among all the students in the class, Midoriya almost didn't belong considering how she acted. It was not to say that the green haired ice user was a bad person but she certainly didn't seem to be cut out to be a hero.
Rumors had circulated through 1-A about how Midoriya had helped take down some of the main villains during the USJ attack but it was hard for the students who didn't see the supposed action to believe it. Midoriya was far too lax in probably most of the class's opinion but while Todoroki was indifferent to their classmates, Midoriya seemed to get under the white and red haired girl's skin at times. Rather than from a competitive standpoint, Todoroki may have viewed her fellow ice user as an obstacle or a threat instead.
An uncontrollable yawn left Midoriya's mouth, ending the brief exchange, and Todoroki retreated away to focus on her own before the start of the Sport's Festival. Before long, the classes were called to enter the field and Momo and her classmates had lined up together to await the representative speech. The low buzz of the students and the excited crowd hummed through the field and Bakugo was delivering his 'speech' when Momo and likely the rest of 1-A turned in the direction of a bothersome noise.
Her body giving a slight sway, Midoriya's head was a bit leaned back while her always present sleeping mask was over her eyes and the greenette snored unceremoniously as she slept while still standing. Considering that Bakugo had cut off his own words at the greenette's blatantly rude display, the other classes began noticing the girl as well as some of the audience. Momo couldn't believe Midoriya and the girl in question was suddenly roused, her right hand lifting her mask as she peered about blearily.
Midoriya lazily dragged her gaze left and right before settling on Bakugo and politely clapping her hands at his words, ones she undoubtedly missed, and all the other students and attendees could do was follow her lead. Momo shouldn't have been worrying about someone not herself but Midoriya would really need to show something off this Sport's Festival.
-break-
*Endeavor POV*
As expected, Shouko had placed first during the first of the events but the Flame Hero's eyes now settled on another student during the second one.
The green haired girl used ice much like his children but was also much more polished with it. The greenette had been one of the last to the arena, just barely making it into the next round, and she hadn't paired with any outstanding students either. The hero recognized her as the student who had fallen asleep during the opening speech and despite the unbecoming attitude it had to be acknowledged that her control was quite above average.
Acting as the lead horse for her team, ice crept from her feet before the field was slowly covered in a thin layer of ice that caused many of the other teams to either lose their balance or be forced to proceed slowly. Of course though, the exact drawback that he had fixed through Shouko occurred to the girl and frost lined her body. Despite that, the greenette experimentally sent an attack at the two leading teams, first place being Shouko and second being a boy who used explosions, and blunt pillars of ice shot up from the frozen field.
The blonde destroyed the ice with an explosion and a string of curses but in Shouko's case the pillar appeared to be moving faster and just barely missed the left side of her face as she dodged. The barest hint of flames flickered along her cheek and a stunned look was on her face as she turned her attention to the other ice user. While not exactly what he wanted, Endeavor was pleased that the flames even made an appearance at all. Just a little more and Shouko would be done with the foolish idea of only using that ice.
Perhaps that greenette could be of use.
-break-
*Shouko POV*
The somewhat serious switch of demeanor reminded Shouko of how the girl acted against the Nomu at the USJ.
"Let's move elsewhere, this is between the two of us isn't it?" Midoriya wondered, her eyes moving towards the inner part of the hall that Shouko had brought her to.
Apparently someone might have been present or could pass through so Shouko agreed to relocating and the two found themselves further secluded away, Midoriya relaxing back into her usual state, and Shouko revealed the things about her family that she wanted to. The dual haired girl would make it to the very top with her ice and even if others didn't realize it, Midoriya was firmly standing directly in her way. The attack that the greenette had sent at both her and Bakugo was actually faster and more well aimed when it came to the pillar going for Shouko. As a result, there was a slight moment of surprise, even the barest panic, in which the white and red haired girl had used her fire for a split second but the passing ice had snuffed it out.
Midoriya, uncharacteristically, listened to the story intently, not interrupting a single time, and as Shouko finished she noticed that Midoriya seemed a little off. The greenette showed her disappointment but it clearly wasn't aimed at Shouko meaning that something else had bothered her during the time. Regardless, Shouko had said nearly everything that she wanted to.
"Guess we'll need to head back," Midoriya informed and Shouko nodded and stood up to set out.
"I'll beat you and take the top," Shouko announced once more and this time Midoriya reverted back to her normal self and waved her off again. The dual quirk user gritted her teeth at the other girl's second dismissal of the day but left nonetheless.
She had to win.
-break-
*Endeavor POV*
With the first rounds wrapped up and the second ones about to be underway, Endeavor had managed to run into just who he had hoped to.
The Midoriya girl was up against his youngest daughter next and the greenette stopped before him as they crossed paths.
"Ice quirks have the drawback of freezing the owner's body," the Flame Hero began and the girl stared up at him as he spoke, "it can be countered with heat and that's precisely what Shouko is capable of despite her stubborn insistence to not use it." Endeavor gruffly explained, not even waiting for a response before he continued, "since you both use ice she'll be forced to counter with her flames since she also refuses to lose so do your best to last until then."
"Is that all you have to say?" the greenette questioned back, her voice flat and the hall was quiet save the flickering of the hero's flames.
"That child will, has to, surpass All Might and your fight is pivotal to that," the fire user announced, beginning to turn his back to the green haired ice user, "do not make a poor showing for her." Endeavor stated and passed by the greenette.
Endeavor stopped abruptly the instant that all his flames had shrunk down and he whirled on the girl who had her back to him, the hallway lacking ice but becoming bitterly cold all of a sudden.
"Are you threatening me?" the Flame Hero growled, his body only managing the cold due to his own quirk.
The girl turned her head towards him, the disappointment on her face evident, "decide for yourself," the greenette told him before facing forward, "bastard."
"You-" he ground out but the girl was already walking away.
Midoriya waved from behind her back, "Hopefully we don't meet again, number 2 hero."
-break-
*Shouko POV*
Midoriya had surprisingly started their match.
Already on the offensive, the greenette lashed out with her left and ice rippled against the ground as Shouko dodged to the left of the wave and sent her own ice for her opponent. The green haired girl flipped over the attack and a slick slope of ice grew over Shouko's and beneath the airborne Midoriya who landed on top of it and slid parallel but towards Shouko. Frost started to form between Midoriya's hands and the two were about to pass one another on Shouko's right so the white and red haired girl flared her cold at her moving opponent to knock her off the slide.
Pivoting on her right as she attacked, Shouko turned towards Midoriya as they were passing but a spearhead broke through the ice of the dual quirk user and the structure cracked outwards before exploding. Midoriya had frozen her legs to the slope to stop herself and reared back horizontally with the weapon, the sharp head of the ice becoming more like a sphere now instead, and Shouko erected an ice wall as she hopped back. The spikeless mace smashed through the hasty defense and Midoriya twirled it until it was held backwards before she launched the thing at the white and red haired girl.
Shouko was forced to lunge out of the way to avoid the thrown object and as she did the dual quirk user aimed a pillar of ice at Midoriya who, like at the USJ, created a thick shield of ice to block it. Not wanting to give up the advantage, Shouko sent a tall and wide wave of ice right after that covered that entire side of the arena stage and she heaved a cold breath from how much ice she just had to use in quick succession.
Despite her efforts, unusual sleets of ice crawled along the floor before her as a pillar shot from it and battered her right shoulder as she spun away from the other attacks. Shouko could hear the cracking and shattering of ice as the shield that Midoriya made broke in half and the girl emerged from behind it. Abundant amounts of ice and frost clung to Midoriya's body, half of her face was completely frozen at that, but the green haired girl still managed to block and attack back and it was Shouko who was at her limits now. Midoriya rose her ice encased left and another sheet of ice ran along the arena floor and forced Shouko to tumble away.
How the hell wasn't she done yet? The dual quirk user screamed in her mind, her own body trembling from the chilled area as frost bit at her limbs. Cold ragged breaths left her lips in huffs and the opponent across from her exhaled another icy sigh into the arena while a rounded wall of ice formed behind Shouko, trapping her into a smaller and colder area.
"H-how are y-you still...?" Shouko forced out as her teeth chattered from the frozen field surrounding them.
Midoriya, still looking unconcerned, tilted her head questioningly with a somewhat questioning hum, "Ah, the cold right?" she wondered aloud and scratched at the side of her head with her right, "When did I say I had that drawback?"
Shouko's eyes widened as the ice locked to Midoriya's body swiftly receded before disappearing entirely. There was no way the green haired ice user didn't have the same freezing issue as her but the dual quirk user suddenly remembered the training exercise and the USJ. Midoriya had offered her hand warmers to both Shouko and later Asui in those situations, never using the items herself. They were meant for anyone caught up by the cold, either her own ice quirk or someone else's.
The short moment of respite was filled with the cheers of the audience, previously in a hushed silence from the abrupt action, and the Voice Hero raised his voice for the crowd. "Midoriya Izumi! Quirk, Ice-Ice...? Anyone know what it does?" Present Mic's voice quieted as he wondered to anyone who could have the answer.
"It seems she can transform her body into ice." Aizawa-sensei observed, "I suppose we all just assumed that she could freeze herself."
There was no freezing drawback for Midoriya? What a load of bullshit, the dual hair colored girl growled as she glared at her opponent. Midoriya was covered in ice and you were telling her that the greenette was unaffected by it? Shouko didn't have time to be frustrated as Midoriya formed three ice staves around her and shot them towards the exhausted dual quirk user. The white and red haired girl threw herself backwards, her back close to the encircling ice wall, and shot her head back up to her fellow ice user but Midoriya had disappeared.
"Guess I forgot to explain my quirk," Midoriya's voice startled her from behind and Shouko swung her right arm at the greenette who caught it easily and the dual quirk girl tried to freeze her but her ice had weakened substantially. The greenette was half emerged from the rounded wall of ice that she had made earlier and had lazily stepped out of the ice, her lower half reforming into her normal body.
"You know there's no point," Midoriya lectured as the ice crawled along both of their arms.
Shouko tried to grit her teeth in frustration but they continued to chatter, "I'll win this way."
This time, Midoriya did look disappointed at her, "Stubborn fool."
Releasing Shouko's arm, the greenette raised a foot and kicked the white and red haired girl through the staves that were stuck in the ground, Shouko hacking from the physical blow to her brittle body. The biting cold was painful and now that Shouko knew that Midoriya was unaffected by it like her, she wondered if she was going to lose. No, Shouko's ice would-
Crouching down low, Midoriya placed her right hand towards the ground and rested her fingers against it. Shouko had realized too late that she was going to use her quirk to end it and tried to use the last of her strength to dash off to her but the drawback and the cold were too much for her.
Midoriya exhaled a cold breath, "Ice age."
The greenette's ice swallowed her in an instant and Shouko's body felt numb as she was trapped in a similar glacier to the one she used in her first match. Doing her best to focus her eyes she watched Midoriya stand up, the ice clinging all over her body already receding.
Midoriya rubbed at the back of her head before turning around and walking away, "melt yourself out if you don't want to freeze."
-break-
Shouko woke in one of the standby infirmary beds that Recovery Girl had set up and she looked impassively at the screen that was displaying the rest of the festival.
Midoriya had finished off Iida by freezing the entire stage so he couldn't run properly on it and then had gone on to defeat Bakugo by simply breathing out cold air which made it impossible for the blonde to continue sweating and therefore stopping the use of his quirk.
None of the outcomes of the matches truly interested Shouko as she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to truly be able to focus on the rest of the Sport's Festival. She had been completely defeated by Midoriya. Ignoring how the greenette's ice worked, had Shouko even stood a chance in the first place? Because of that question, the other thought that plagued her was if she could have won using her entire quirk. Midoriya couldn't be the only person in the world in which Shouko couldn't beat just using her ice and now she had to re-evaluate everything.
Turning her head on the pillow, Shouko caught sight of a pair of hand warmers beside her. Moving one of her arms from under the blankets, the white and red haired girl took one of them and gave it a squeeze. The warmth reminded her of something and the vague memory of someone stroking her hair came to mind, it was something that her mother used to do. They had been sitting on the couch watching something about quirks in fact. What was the name of her own quirk again?
Shouko had a lot of things to think about.
Notes and Stuff
I did say this Izumi was OP.
By the way, peak fraudulence on my part for naming the fic after a pokemon move and then not doing the same for the chapters. Too late to go back now.
Considering how I've done the other One Piece inspired/referenced stories, and that in this it's Aokiji, Izumi is going to be really far up there though perhaps she's not quite as destructive as in Slice of Light, If It All Breaks, and Time. I made sure to focus on how she looked when she used her ice throughout the story but like I mentioned, the characters simply assumed her drawback by themselves.
Of course we kind of saw some more about Izumi in regards to her power and well as some of how she seems to feel about certain things. I'll be moving in what I think is a quite different direction with this story as opposed to some of my other fics so please look forward to that too.
As a little update just cause, I've been working on the next chapter of The First Steps Upwards and I'm maybe around a fourth or third through it. That being said, it's actually a lot in this case because the chapter is shaping up to be a really long one by my own standards. I think it's around 4k words right now and I'll debate on whether or not I split it into two depending on how that goes. Been working more actively on writing stuff but of course what stories are updated will continue to be sporadic.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!