Disclaimer: I don't own MHA/BNHA or its characters
An: I made it! It's officially the 1-year anniversary of Lethal Intent, though it's been longer than that if I count all the time it took to write the first draft. Anyways, I'm glad I made it this far! I'm finally to the Sports Festival. For a little prediction in how this story's gonna be... probably 32 chapters, but I plan to finish it before the 2-year anniversary, so yeah. Btw, it's late today because I got obsessed reading a bunch of BLs(don't judge, they're good), and I also started watching TWD.
What can I say, in the two days I gave myself to write this chapter, I read 5 completed BL comics, rewatched the Fairy Tail anime, started 2 other incomplete BLs, made it to S2, EP 4 of TWD, and read 3 Assassination Classroom fanfics. I'm an obsessive person. (I ended up writing this chapter within the last 2 hours) Well, now that my ranting is over, enjoy!
Chapter 11: Valiant Volitions
Somehow, they'd gotten the amazing Yaoyorozu on their side. She controlled the right arm while Hatsume covered the left and defense. Bakugou shared the cockpit with Izuki. Izuki's hands twitched over the controls nervously, looking over the quirk-compatible device. Her leg started to fritz over the floor in a nervous rhythm. Bakugou reached over in annoyance, squeezing a little too tightly.
"Stop that." She nodded slowly, eyes wide and breath short. She couldn't help feeling on edge. The bell for the match's start finally rang, replacing her anxiety with adrenaline. Their seem activated the mech, exhaust from each team covering the arena in dramatic smokiness. Izuki kept a tiny bit of energy in her right hand, ready to fire at any moment.
Their mech was met with an onslaught of beginning attacks. The other teams all vied for the 10 million point crown. Izuki grinned, hurriedly pulling up pictures of past hero battles, so her braver personality could join the fray. She looked out her mech's main window, catching a glimpse of Todoroki's team. She winked at him playfully while Hatsume powered up their main boosters. Their mech rose into the air, and the others followed, creating something much like an air show.
The groups still on the ground fought each other for second place, grabbing whatever bonuses they could. To keep the fuel supply large, Yaoyorozu made extra gas, hers being a good enough quality to not only prevent environmental problems, but allow swifter movements. They spiralled down, but the other mech's didn't shake.
Apparently, Bakugou didn't think 10 million points was enough because he stole the competition's first points by slamming into one of Class 1-B's bots. Monoma, the team's leader, got pissed, icicle-blue gaze flickering toward their mech.
Anyway, the kid couldn't stay angry because time was more important, and theirs was running short. More mechs joined the air battle. Todoroki's group came right up from below, and the mecha showdown truly began.
...
One minute remaining and Izuki's partners were exhausted, but so were their chasers. Most of them had given up and were aiming just to squeeze into the next round. They continued in a slower version of the showdown. The audience was getting bored, and Bakugou was getting frustrated.
"We need more points! Why won't anyone attack us?" Izuki smiled at his eagerness. The group gave into Bakugou's greed as they knew he wouldn't simply give it up. Pulling away from him would mean one already slightly chaotic robot team would go haywire. They rocketed toward Todoroki's team again which consisted of Uraraka, Iida, and Sero. The half-cold half-hot leader shouted to Iida and they blasted away. Their team followed with a shield of Bakugou's rage.
"Get back here you bastard! You owe me those points!" Todoroki glanced over with a flat expression. He ordered another boost. Blast after blast left their engines aflame, and it stalled them momentarily. The mechs stood in frozen sync until their engines began again. Just as their metal clashed, another team came blasting in, pummeling the 10 million point mech endlessly while Todoroki's team was barreled into the arena's outer ring. Unfortunately for the newest mech combo, the time had run down. Tokoyami's team had been that shocking contender, and his group's successful finale landed them in second. That meant most of Class 1-B had failed, other than those on Shinsou's team, and the rest who made it past were from Class 1-A(Bakugou, Tokoyami, Todoroki's, and Shinsou's teams made into the finals). Izuki grinned. She'd have the opportunity to face her friends in battle.
...
Recovery Girl was glad that, for once, Izuki had come to her with only a few minor scratches. It was slightly surprising to see her wearing none other than a cheerleader costume. The Nurse shook away her judgement turning to the girl with a smile. She spoke, voice ringing with the true joy she felt every time a patient recovered.
"By the way dearie, there's no need to sign anymore." Izuki brightened cutely, hair sweeping over her chin. The movement reminded the hero just how much some children could resemble kittens.
"Your tongue's root nerves have attached back together, thanks to your continuous restraint." She turned serious as the girl began to leave.
"That doesn't mean you should go losing control again!" Izuki chuckled at her concern, impulsively signing back.
"I'll try."
...
As she left the infirmary, she passed the room of waiting students. Before she could greet them however, Todoroki pulled her aside. He stared her down seriously, slightly flustered by her current choice of clothes.
"I will win against you, Midoriya. I'll show my father that I can win even without his power." Izuki stared back in confusion, sweeping away her bangs. She hated having her hair down.
"Okay…" Todoroki continued after they reached a more secluded area, his tone turning sad.
"My father is a tyrant. He's not a hero. I will defy him by beating everyone with my mother's quirk." Izuki nodded to let him know she was there, and ready to listen.
"When I was younger, I overheard my mother talking on the phone about how each day I grew to look more and more like my father. She hated how I resembled him so much that she threw boiling water over half of my face." He paused, reaching to his cheek instinctively. Izuki listened carefully, face grim. His heterochromatic eyes flared with some type of determination. He wanted someone to know his story.
"Have you ever heard of quirk marriages?" Izuki nodded, not wanting to interrupt.
"My father searched for the strongest quirk to match his own, and he found my mom. He didn't even love her. He purposely chose her, so he could create a weapon, one that he could use to reach his ultimate goal. Since he knows he'll never be accepted as the number one hero, he's pushing that onto me." Todoroki glared at her now, defiance and passion, like she'd never seen from him, shining strong.
"I will win, and I won't ever be used by him again." Izuki let that sink in, but she didn't pity him. She knew what it was like, to suffer so deeply, so she knew exactly what he needed.
"I appreciate you sharing this with me, Todoroki, so I'll share something with you…" She hesitated, looking down. She let out a sorrowful sigh. Midnight was right, it didn't ever get easier.
"I have suffered from my quirk too. So much that I sometimes wish for a different one. Maybe then, my dad would still be alive. Then, I wouldn't have to face so much ridicule." Todoroki froze, looking at her expectantly. They shared a moment of silence and understanding.
"I'm the one who killed him. I'm a murderer." She let her emotions pile on her rival. She was glad, at least, not to be pitied. Izuki swapped his empathy out for envy with her next words, ringing with fire.
"But, unlike you, I don't let my past hold me back. I've accepted the fact that it's my fault. I realize the only thing I can do about it has to be done by me. That's why, instead of berading myself, I focus on helping others… I focus on being a hero." Izuki paused, green flames of passion in her gaze.
"I will beat you Todoroki. I won't just stand by while you take the title without even giving your all. Be ready, because I guarantee to use 100% of my power." The pair shook hands, making a silent pact, and separated.
...
"...And now, the girl that somehow possesses several personalities even though she's mute, Midoriya Izuki!" Waves of leaf-colored hair tangled dramatically through the air as she entered the stadium. She smirked at the ironic introduction. She was mute no longer. Of course, Shinsou didn't know that, so he thought he was entering a near-impossible match. They smiled at each other, sharing in anticipation, as Present Mic welcomed Shinsou.
"Here's Hitoshi Shinsou to face her with his unknown quirk and average capabilities, but hey, nobody's picking favorites right?" Izuki rolled her eyes at the MCs poor summary of her friend. They didn't know him like she did. Finally, they squared off, Aizawa's voice announcing the battle's start.
They circled each other warily. They knew almost everything about each other's quirks, so they watched for trickery. Shinsou noticed her change in poise, meaning she'd switched to her alternate personality. He built his resolve to face the adult-only version of Izuki. She darted in and bent his arm back so that he couldn't move without dislocating his shoulder. She then, much to his surprise, whispered in his ear.
" I like this look on you, Hitoshi ~ " He shivered, blushing vigorously. She detached from him, smirking like a maniac. Present Mic made a comment over the intercom.
"It appears Midoriya isn't mute after all! Now we're all curious, what could she have said to make such a guy loose his composure so easily?" Izuki chuckled. Shinsou pulled himself together, swatting away messy strands of hair. Izuki flipped forward and spun, her foot zipping past his nose. He had almost no time to dodge.
She kept persistently inward, pushing him back and closer to the elimination line. Shinsou didn't want to lose, so naturally, he blocked, doing his best to fight back. Her landed his first hit, tripping her onto the cement. The felled female did a sweep kick in retaliation, bringing him down with her. The two exchanged a series of scrambling attacks on the ground. It was like a cat fight if neither cat used claws. Izuki spiced it up with a special attack she'd never be able to use if it wasn't for Midnight. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled his face closer. Then, she kissed him.
Her quirk spread quicker through the thin skin on his lips. He blushed heavily, stopping all of his attacks. He was paralized in mind and body. But, he could still kiss back. Izuki's power easily wormed its way through his system, immobilizing him. She smiled at him playfully, pulling away while licking her lips.
Shinsou felt as if his blush would never disappear. He barely realized his loss. Instead, he waited for Izuki to resume her normal personality and acknowledge what she'd done. It wasn't fair that he was the only one enduring the insane thumping in his chest.
Izuki stood up and bowed to the resurrected crowd, who all wore some version of shock. Class 1-A's reactions were especially amusing. Mineta turned a lot of heads with his comment.
"I wish I'd faced her in a match." He looked creepily turned on by Izuki's forwardness, mouth dripping with drool. He got kicked in the balls for that.
After the match, Izuki was greeted with enthusiasm and congratulations on many things. Most congratulated her on the win, but her girlfriends teased her by saying things like, "nice kiss", or "are you gonna ask him out?" Their comments left her flustered. Another of her classmates celebrated her renewed ability to speak. She wasted no time in bringing back her old muttering habit. She barely paused long enough to wish her friends good luck in their battles.
The battles passed in a quick manner, boiling down to Uraraka and Bakugou's fight. Izuki noticed her anxiety and followed, concerned for her friend. She was eternally glad she did because her brunette friend clearly needed it. The hype-up from Iida and her seemed to help, since Uraraka entered the battlefield with her head held high.
An: so yeah, now that I've made it this far expect it to be finished before this time next year. I'm kinda surprised I made it this far since usually I'm not invested enough in stories to write passed a few chapters(without it being rushed). Thanks a lot to all my supporters! Also, technically it's the 1-year anniversary of one of my other stories too, but I got lazy on the one(it's called SSS: The Elite members of HISS). Thanks for reading!