Chapter 2!
I really blasted out this chapter cause I felt like, while I enjoyed doing the first chapter, I didn't get as much fighting stuff as I wanted which is part of the draw of this Izumi. I'm still working on updates for other fics so this is just a standalone update this time around but I hope everyone still enjoys it.
User/Reviewer yomunot: Thanks as always for your reviews and viewership! I feel like Izumi's gonna have beef with a lot of people and she'll also probably be way more unhinged that she is in Tiger's Bite.
To everyone who faved, followed, or reviewed thank you so much!
Enjoy, more notes at the end!
Chapter 2: First and Last Contact
*Itsuka POV*
It had only been a week since Itsuka had first met the greenette, who was currently running around town again, and the orange haired girl scrolled through her phone while she waited for the Osakan to finish up.
Midoriya had stopped back in twice since then, both times crushing Itsuka through the heavy bag, and at least she brought some life to the generally stagnant gym. Despite the strenuous new activity, the orange haired girl figured she should at least be thankful that the greenette didn't bring up the fact that they had a practice ring available to them too. She was hesitant to try holding mitts against those beastly punches or god forbid sparring with the boxing girl but so far she was in the clear for the time being. Hearing the door open, Itsuka had been expecting Midoriya to be the one to enter the gym but the two that appeared were at least familiar faces.
"You seem well Kendo!" the taller of the two beamed, a bright look on his face as he waved at her in greeting.
"Kendo-san," the other spoke quietly with a nod of polite acknowledgement.
"Togata-senpai, Amajiki-senpai," Itsuka waved, giving the duo a grin as they walked over, "what brings you two here."
"We were just in the area," the dark haired boy relayed, while Togata-senpai gave him a pat on the back.
"We heard you made it into U.A and wanted to congratulate you!" the blonde exclaimed, "we would have been around sooner but we've been kept busy."
"Thanks," she perked up and reassured them, "it's no problem though and you two helped me out by giving me info to prep for tests and stuff."
The older blonde was about to respond but the three of them heard the front door and a loud voice interrupt.
"Oi," Midoriya entered without looking around, "ya mind tossin' me some water Kendo," she requested but she eventually took in her surroundings while swiping at her sweat, "friends of yers?"
Itsuka sighed at her bluntness, "they're my senpai and will be yours when the term starts," the orange haired girl explained swiftly, tossing a bottle towards the greenette.
"Midoriya Izumi," the green haired girl stated without missing a beat, "hero course?"
"Nice to meet you Midoriya, I'm Togata Mirio!" the blonde introduced himself and Amajiki-senpai mumbled through his name and greeting, "Tamaki and I will be in the 3rd year hero course."
Midoriya hummed while she drank the water, wiping at her mouth when she finished to address them in return, "Gen. Ed but I'm movin' up during the Sport's Festival."
"I like your confidence! Though it might not be as easy as how you say it," Togata-senpai advised in a friendly manner but it also stood as a warning to not get complacent.
There was a moment of silence and Itsuka thought that Midoriya would be offended by the words since she was so hair trigger but instead the greenette appeared to be assessing the to-be senpai.
"Yer strong," Midoriya stated all of a sudden, "want me ta show ya exactly how confident I am?"
Itsuka narrowed her eyes at the greenette, she was provoking him and the orange haired girl didn't know if Midoriya was just being cocky or if she actually had a goal or plan here.
The blonde didn't even take more than 30 seconds to mull it over before answering her, "I can't very well turn down my junior's challenge!"
"Ya mind stepping in tha ring?" the greenette nodded over to the practice ring.
Togata-senpai obliged her and soon enough both were outfitted with gloves and waiting in their respective corners. It went without saying that neither was going to use their quirks but that didn't make the situation any less tense.
"Headgear?" the blonde noted at the lack off it on the greenette.
"Nah," Midoriya declared adamantly, "it screws me up."
Obviously Amajiki-senpai moved to the blonde's corner which left Itsuka supporting the greenette during the spar. The orange haired girl stood behind the greenette's corner as the abrasive girl loosened up. The spar was set for just 3 rounds but Itsuka wondered just how this was going to go and she was curious how hard Midoriya was going to come out swinging. The two made their way to the center and Togata-senpai aimed an arm forward.
"Let's see what-" the blonde tried as he offered a gloved hand but the words died at the greenette's suddenly flexed arm.
Midoriya blew away the offered glove with a quick fire upwards punch from her left hand and the sudden explosive sound startled the two on the outside of the ring.
"Sorry," Midoriya grinned like mad, practically too excited to keep her smile down, "I ain't got manners if ya can believe that." The greenette spun an arm in a circle, "Can ya tell I'm serious bout this?"
"I'll respond to that then," the older blonde noted, recognizing that Midoriya had quite a bit of power behind her fists.
Another fast attack, a standard one-two, came from Midoriya and as built as Togata-senpai was he was shoved back harshly despite his guarding arms.
"Then be serious or you'll regret it," she warned one last time and the spar took place in earnest.
Itsuka observed from the sidelines and tried to figure out how the fight was going to unfold. Reasonably, Midoriya should have the advantage as the fighting format suited her more and she had to power to stack up with their senpai but the orange haired girl knew that the blonde wasn't just going to fold over and take hits. In fact, the greenette's jabs were missing the blonde quite noticeably as he made use of the whole ring space.
She could hear Midoriya click her tongue at the evasiveness but she only whiffed more and more before she threw and missed her right before taking a body counter from the older boy. A few more wild shots came from the other girl but they were met with air or compact shots after Togata-senpai dodged the punch. Itsuka guessed it could have been the difference in style as well as experience but Togata-senpai was now easily in control of the spar and for as much as Midoriya was punching, nothing was connecting for her while the blonde managed to get in hits over and over.
"How tha hell can I call this a spar if I'm just over here swinging empty?!" the greenette growled angrily, somehow not having lost any steam despite her aggressive approach and the number of body blows she took.
The blonde boy gave a chuckle, "I am trying to not get hit."
The first round ended and the two moved to their corners while Itsuka leaned on the ropes and nudged an elbow into the greenette's head while she sat.
"At least try something else," she advised, "surely even you can tell that what you're doing isn't working."
"Stuff it," Midoriya snapped at her in annoyance, worked up from her lacking round, "as if I'll let this end without landin' somethin' that'll satisfy me."
"Things don't just happen because you say they will," Itsuka retorted, irritated at the greenette's baseless words.
"I'm tha one who asked fer this and I'll slug him right in tha head ta show ya, so quit doubting me." Midoriya claimed as she waved off her words.
She was so bullheaded Itsuka thought in disappointment, as if just trying to punch without using her head was going to work. The interval ended and Midoriya had a thoughtful but grim look on her face as she walked forward.
Once again she was settled into the middle range and firing for Togata-senpai's face and as expected, the blonde was predicting her punches and dodging while giving his own punches to her body or sometimes face. Itsuka could tell that the greenette was growing more and more frustrated and her swings got a little wider until she dropped her left and went for an upper. The older blonde avoided to the inside and gave a tough right straight directly into her face, flinging the greenette's head back.
Itsuka shook her head, Midoriya's punch was really damn scary but that was all it was and apparently all Midoriya had. The blonde, realizing that at least Midoriya was extremely sturdy, came in with a straight left but a sudden feeling of dread crawled over Itsuka.
It was like things were in slow motion for a moment and although Midoriya was still staggered from the right counter from earlier, Itsuka noticed that the greenette's own right fist was clenched hard. The orange haired girl saw the beginnings of the green haired girl throwing a hook while her head shifted to the inside of Togata-senpai's left, the punch scraping her face, and the right cross counter exploded like a firework. The older boy was ripped straight from his feet and he hit the mat, undoubtedly out cold, while Midoriya stood above him while still holding her form.
"Mirio!" Amajiki-senpai called out shocked, checking on his friend and Itsuka turned her gaze to Midoriya who returned it.
"I told ya," the greenette reminded, her words aimed at the orange haired girl after having proved that her claim from earlier wasn't just an empty statement.
Even if she wasn't the one inside the ring, Itsuka could feel the pressure from the greenette's eyes and the orange haired girl broke into a cold sweat. Midoriya had been having so much trouble trying to hit the blonde as well as avoiding his punches but all of a sudden she could. Had she simply figured things out? Gotten lucky?
No, she hadn't learned a single thing with her head. She had adapted to and reacted to it with just her body. Midoriya instinctively knew what was coming, where it was coming, and most of all the green haired girl knew exactly where she was punching. The realization had startled Itsuka so badly that only now was she noting the implications of that hit.
It was a single punch reversal.
Togata-senpai had always been quite powerful with a strong build to boot but Midoriya had dropped him just by landing one strike. It could have just been because the hit was outside of his consciousness but at best Itsuka knew that even if he was aware of the punch then he'd still have been downed.
That was just how much power Midoriya had.
Itsuka realized that already but now she also learned that the greenette's instincts and adaptability were top notch too. It was Itsuka's own fault for thinking she had everything about Midoriya figured out just from how straightforward she acted.
"Ugh, that didn't feel good," Togata-senpai painfully chuckled as his dark haired friend helped him sit up when he came to, "There was no way I could have predicted that."
"As if I was fair ta ya," Midoriya reasoned despite her prior frustration, "I really doubt ya fight like me plus yer not using yer quirk," she advocated for him, "thanks fer puttin' up with me."
"Sure," Togata-senpai grinned, somehow maintaining a good mood despite the results, "but I thought we agreed no quirks?" he clearly joked back, obviously referencing the greenette's abnormal punch.
"Quirk?" Midoriya repeated questioningly while she leaned on the ropes with a disinterested look, "Don't got one."
-break-
The reveal had been a surprise to everyone, Togata-senpai even seemed quite pensive about it, but Midoriya shrugged it off and just said it was how it was.
Itsuka had been a bit tuned out from the following small talk and only regained her full senses right after the two older students left, the indigo haired boy supporting his friend as they made their exit, and at the point she had made up her mind.
"Do you mind another spar?" Itsuka inquired, unsure just why she made the request but at least understanding that something in her wanted to, had to, experience the feeling for herself.
"Ya were eyeing me early but I didn' think ya'd ask," Midoriya admitted, having not removed her fist wrappings, "I was tryin' ta keep cool during tha first spar but I don't think I can this time so ya better watch out."
It was a caution but it was almost framed like a threat and the craving look in Midoriya's eye told the orange haired girl that she wasn't going to leave that ring unscathed.
"You call how you fought earlier keeping calm?" she tried lightening the mood but Midoriya just kept her green eyes focused on her.
"Watch out," Midoriya reiterated and Itsuka knew this was her last chance to call it off.
"You too."
-break-
The orange haired girl knew that Midoriya was a competitive person.
Itsuka was competitive too and unlike Togata-senpai she had already known Midoriya for a little bit prior to this so she was going to try and drag out some more of the greenette. The orange haired girl wasn't going to take the punches but she also wasn't going to throw 5's when she should be using 10's. Sure she could box but Itsuka was far better at karate and she was going to nail Midoriya with the strongest straight punch she could when she got the chance.
The two had already started the fight and Itsuka's heart nearly leapt out every time she dodged one of Midoriya's punches. Even through their gloves and Itsuka using headgear, the feeling of those fists going by her and the thought of what could happen if she was hit constantly threatened to swallow her but Itsuka held firmly. She just needed to wait a little longer and her chance to strike would come once Midoriya started getting a little too pissed. The green eyes that flashed in Itsuka's view narrowed and the cut of the punches slightly changed and a telegraphed right was coming in and Itsuka threw her own to match it. Putting the strength she had into it, the orange haired girl rammed her fist into her green haired opponent's face and the feedback in her hand told her that that did damage.
Show me. Show me what you're trying to hold back Itsuka demanded in her own head but a terrifying feeling was all she got back.
Danger.
Itsuka had managed to shell up, her arms drawing into a cross armed block but the right that Midoriya was trying to throw earlier made her arms go numb. The greenette's eyes reminded Itsuka of a wild creature hunting its prey and the power puncher fired left and right over and over into Itsuka's guard, forcing her back with ease.
Midoriya's rush combination had nailed Itsuka directly into the corner and all the orange haired girl could do was defend as she was drilled into the corner post. It didn't seem to matter to the greenette if Itsuka's arms were up, she just continued pummeling her over the guard without hesitation and the orange haired girl knew she was getting massacred by these blows. She couldn't just ride out the storm, Itsuka had to get out and regroup somehow but she wasn't being given time to think. Itsuka just needed one chance.
Apparently Midoriya had gotten sick of the defending girl's guard and Itsuka managed to pinpoint a left upper coming. Pushing forward as Midoriya fired the punch, Itsuka took the inside and put a left hook into Midoriya's chin while attempting to circle out the same way to trade places.
"Yer not goin' anywhere," Midoriya huffed, her right extended out to her side and blocking Itsuka's escape.
The greenette had turned to face her and while she wasn't exactly in the corner anymore, Itsuka was still trapped against the ropes. Midoriya primed her left again, the punch somewhere between a hook and an upper, and Itsuka didn't know which one was coming but she knew that she had to fight her way out. A lump immediately caught in the orange haired girl's throat at the realization, fight out with what? Fight with her own punches? Against Midoriya's?
Midoriya's left was curling in but Itsuka still couldn't determine the target. Head? Body? The greenette didn't want her to escape so Itsuka gambled on a body shot. The orange haired girl put her all into the block but the path suddenly changed in response, she couldn't stop this! Itsuka just had to grit her teeth and take it!
The sharp and ferocious look of Midoriya's expression sent chills along Itsuka's spine and she felt like a wild animal was lunging for her throat. She wasn't in a ring anymore, the orange haired girl was stuck in a cage and this beast was going to bite her head off. The fist came closer but then suddenly there was nothing.
Did it hit her? Something was digging into her back and she was seeing the ceiling so it probably did. Was she hurt, sleepy, feeling good, what happened to her, how was her body's condition? Itsuka wasn't sure but she could vaguely recognize herself tipping forward now.
That...was a punch?
Itsuka still didn't know how her body was feeling in the moment but maybe it was for the best. If it was a punch then it must have hurt too much for her to even realize yet and if that was the case then she had never taken a hit as bad as Midoriya's punch just now. Midoriya said she didn't have a quirk right, so what was that? That punch was inhuman.
The orange haired girl felt something supporting her, the rising and falling of someone's chest against her cheek, and her vision slowly recovered as she heard Midoriya's voice reaching her ears.
"Ya were gonna land bad," the greenette told her, still holding her slumped form, "let's get ya restin' alright?"
"Why do you want to be a hero?" Itsuka asked out of nowhere, even she was surprised at how her thoughts fell out of her mouth, since it was bothering her.
"Cause I do," Midoriya snorted like that was a good enough answer as she helped the orange haired girl over to a bench.
"You're so simple," Itsuka chuckled to herself, that didn't help any in why Midoriya didn't choose a different path.
"Can it Cinderella," the greenette poked, settling her into a more comfortable position and laying her down, "If I see someone hurtin' then I help em."
"What are you, a little kid?" Itsuka had to wonder since that logic was far too simplified for how the world was.
"Nah, I'm just me," the Osakan retorted in a deadpan but Itsuka could tell she was amused.
"What about a villain?" she tried next and Midoriya laughed at her question.
"After we punch each others' lights out then we can talk an get them movin' where they need ta go," the green haired girl recited.
"If they're a real bad villain?" Itsuka prodded further and she felt Midoriya messing with her hair.
"I look like some mind genius?" the greenette asked in irritation, probably fed up with Itsuka's continual questioning, "Hell should I know, I just do what I can an others who do know do what they can."
"Fair enough," the orange haired girl relented, staring up at the ceiling, "what are you doing with my hair anyway?" The sensation stopped and Midoriya coughed a little in embarrassment.
"My bad, I was just tryin' ta keep it outta yer way an well," the greenette lowered her voice a little, "I feel weird if I'm not movin' my hands."
"Does it at least look good?" Itsuka wondered, not wanting to get up or move around at all for the most part.
"Sure pft," Midoriya giggled until bursting into a fully blown laugh, an occasional cackle pissing Itsuka off, "Ha! It looks like a mikan, I can't!"
"Shut up! You're the one who did it!" the orange haired girl yelled, ignoring her pounding head cause she was mad and Midoriya was still laughing.
How'd she end up with a stupidly strong stray dumbass?
Notes and Stuff
I did say I made Izumi strong, plus a punch you didn't expect can floor you.
Both Mirio and Tamaki are from Chiba Prefecture like Itsuka and since she mentioned knowing some upperclassmen in canon I figured I could use them.
Don't worry about the title, it's just in reference to the spars in this chapter of Izumi's first punch that landed being the one that ends things, I'll probably have Mirio come back around eventually especially since OFA went his way as initially intended.
Even though I'll be differing this Izumi from Tiger's Bite Izumi in ways, they of course still have overlap with one another but simply put more importance in somethings here and there. Like I said, I already know that this Izumi is way more violent, and okay with that, than the original fic.
Not much else to say since this was a solo update today but I am trying to work on some ideas like an Izumi x Kyoka and Izumi x Tooru fics cause I felt I had some fun ideas for them, we'll see!
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed and look forward to more updates from me!