The stadium is lively and hyped up for the next fight, Izuku can hear it from Recovery Girl's office. It's palpable excitement he can feel from here. Even as he sits in his cot, propped up by a mountain of pillows, Izuku is just as pumped up as everyone else.
It was time for Ryoya to go against Todoroki.
He worried about them both for very different reasons and with his conversation with his best friend fresh on his mind, he couldn't help but to feel like this fight will be brutal.
"My plan, huh?" Ryoya thinks aloud. "I have some ideas and none are pretty."
Izuku rubs his temples. "Like what?"
"I'm going to be his Endeavor."
"You're going to WHAT?!"
Ryoya winces at the tone shift. "I'm going to be his Endeavor. In a literal sense." He says again. "I think I understand him enough to know how he'll react to it."
"He'll hate it." Izuku cries. "He'll hate it and he'll probably hate you."
Ryoya shrugs. "I can deal with that. But, I can't sit back and let him go into the world like that. He's strong, but he's going to cause a lot of lives if he continues on with his little crusade." His eyes narrow. "I'm going to show him that. His ice can't counter my flames."
"But what if you lose?"
"What if I lose? It's just a silly tournament."
"Don't you care about your spot in the hero course?" Izuku asks with a sigh. "The principal said - "
"I know what he said." Ryoya cuts him off lightly. "No, I don't care about my place in the hero course. You know that. This isn't about me."
"I know it isn't. But... you've been acting really strange lately." He says with his eyes subtly flicking to the patch of red on Ryoya's crown. He hopes Ryoya didn't see the movement, but his friend could be annoyingly perceptive.
"...I don't need you to look after me, Izuku. I'm fine, really I am." He says lightly, and Izuku is almost tempted to believe him. "I just... I see a lot of myself in Todoroki, okay? If he doesn't let out some of that frustration and rage now, he's gonna -"
"I get it." It's Izuku's turn to cut his friend off now. "I'm just worried about you, man."
Ryoya nods then looks away. "Anyway, I just figured I'll tell you ahead of time so I don't look like a madman or anything."
Izuku lightly snorts. "I trust you'll make the right choice. I probably would've done the same thing."
"No," Ryoya says dryly. "You would've gone out there with no plan and probably broken all of your fingers and arm somehow." Izuku looks offended and Ryoya laughs and holds out a fist.
Izuku meets it without hesitation. "Good luck."
"Thanks. Tell Pink Cheeks-san I said sorry for dragging her boyfriend - oof!" Izuku punches him in the stomach.
"Deku."
Izuku flinches at the voice. He turned slowly to face the only other occupant of the room who'd been completely quiet thus far. "Yes, Katsuki?"
Katsuki is staring at the ceiling, unmoving and unblinking with several layers of bandages wrapped around his chest and arms. He looks rough and oddly subdued, and he speaks as such. "You're a real piece of shit, you know that?"
Izuku lets out a long suffering sigh. "What did I do now, Katsuki?" He droned. He didn't really want to deal with Katsuki's hissy fits right now, but he was told to stay put while Recovery Girl did a more thorough examination of his arms.
"You put that shitty plan in her head, didn't you?" Katsuki says bitterly. "That freaking self-sacrificing scheme of hers. You caused me to lose, Deku."
For some reason, that simple accusation struck a nerve. "I didn't." He spits with a scowl. "All of that was entirely Uraraka just to beat you. You lost to her because of her. I had nothing to do with that."
Bakugo scoffs. "You expect me to believe that? You two are practically joined at the hip and she even said she was saving that stupid technique for you."
"And that leads you to believe that I am the reason you lost?" Izuku asks incredulously. "I didn't even know that she could do that. Why is it so hard for you to understand that she beat you by herself?!"
"Because you've always had it out for me, damn it!" Katsuki snaps. "You, hiding that… power to laugh behind my back! Always looking down on me!"
"No one looks down on you!" Izuku snaps back. "What's wrong with you!? No one has it out for you! This competition between us, this whole 'looking down on you' thing, it doesn't exist! I never looked down on you, and I told you that! But for whatever reason, you can't get your head out of your own ass long enough to understand that!"
Katsuki's eyes widened, having heard Izuku swear for the first time ever. But Izuku continues.
"Ever since I started training, I just wanted to be your friend and equal. Nothing more. And you've shown me many times that you don't want to be my friend. You don't even just want to beat me. You want to destroy me for reasons that I'll never understand! And for what? Existing? Wanting to be a hero? Why do my dreams mean anything to you!?" Izuku's openly panting right now in an attempt to calm himself down. "For the last time, no. I've been trying for years to get through to you; and I don't even want to be your friend again. I just wanted you to see reason and be the hero I know you could be. But now? I'll do what you say. I'll leave you alone and won't bother. You've won, okay? I got the message."
Katsuki just lays there, watching Deku through narrowed eyes. The nerd's crying, but he doesn't seem to notice it. What he does notice is the look on his face before he turns fully; the look of contempt and resignation. He doesn't care about Deku's opinion, but something in them hits deep. It's a strange feeling that leaves a sour taste in his mouth. He wants to address it and tell the nerd a thing or two, but nothing comes to mind, nothing important. So he just lays there, staring at the ceiling, trying to pinpoint where it all went wrong.
"And now, one of the most anticipated fights of the afternoon! Shouto Todoroki, the frozen force of nature of the Hero Course!"
Shouto stalks forward with an intense look in his eyes and a confident gait. The conversation they had prior still rings in his head, but he doesn't allow his partial anxiety to show. This fight is much too important for his nerves to take over now.
"Versus! The blazing buster wolf who's stalked the competition all day with his vicious fangs! Ryoya Harushi of General Education!"
True to his animalistic comparison, Ryoya moves with the grace and intensity of a predator. His eyes are sharp and narrowed on Todoroki and each step he takes is light and loose, as though he's ready to pounce at any moment. The two come face to face and the glares they give each other are intense enough that the crowd goes silent.
"Have you decided, Shouto?" Ryoya asks suddenly.
If Todoroki is caught off guard by the use of his first name, he doesn't show it. He does however go a bit stiff in the stance, and turns his head to the right, somewhere in the stands. A quick glance confirmed what Ryoya already knew. Endeavor stood stoically, with his arms crossed as his trademarked orange flames flickered around his face and torso. He's staring down at them both through narrowed eyes, appearing both above it all, and so intensely focused that he wouldn't notice a fly landing on his head.
That gives Ryoya the answer to his question.
Oh well… He didn't think this would be that simple anyway.
"Are you both ready?" Midnight asks from the referee's podium. Both boys silently nod. "A reminder that this fight will be stopped if it goes to far." She says, not so subtly stealing glances at her student. Once again, both boys nod. "Begin!"
The sound of Todoroki's ice is as alien as it is unique, like someone rattling a dozen chains together. But Ryoya doesn't have time to linger on that. Instead, he braces himself where he stands and prepares to meet Todoroki's inevitable assault head-on. He can see it forming at Todoroki's foot in slow motion, a glacier to rival that of the one that took down Sero and Ryoya reacts in one fluid motion.
He recalls his teacher's lessons, ' fist raised up and drawn back, torque from the back and hips to throw the fist forward like a baseball pitch.' , and releases the strongest Power Geyser he ever has. "Go back!" He yells as his fist meets the concrete.
The two monolithes of ice and fire meet somewhere in the middle and collide with such a thunderous force that Midnight and Cementoss have to take cover. Ice chunks explode everywhere and scatter to the breeze, and before anyone could regain their composure and understanding, Todoroki doesn't hesitate in stomping his right foot down again. Another wave of ice, this time smaller, fast and more precise sprouted from his heel.
Ryoya smirks, but in the way he's known for, wolfish and threatening, heart pumping as he finally did battle with the one person he's been waiting for this whole year, someone who could rival him and Izuku. All of this was well within expectation, so it was time for Ryoya to test just how well Todoroki could deal with someone who truly outclassed him in speed.
Shouto fully expected Harushi to do something outlandish during his initial volly. Having been watching him rather closely for the past two rounds, Todoroki could say with confidence that Harushi apparently didn't know how to slow down. He watched in thinly veiled awe as Harushi's mighty geyser technique countered his own, even though he expected such a thing. His power seemed never ending.
Regardless, it was irrelevant. While he admitted to himself that he'd need to do some soul searching when this was over, he wouldn't allow himself to slip up in a fight like this. For now, he only focused on putting down his formidable former classmate with his ice alone. He'd leave the logistics for later.
When he sends forth his secondary wave, Harushi ignites in a way that Shouto had grown accustomed to, and he avoids the jagged crystals. Harushi dashes forward and Shouto sweeps his hand through the air, sending more jagged shards of ice at the teen. Ryoya's eyes narrowed and he slowed down and took a deep breath before blowing flames, orange ones, outwards to melt the loose ice. Then he makes eye contact, and something about the tanned teen has changed.
Shouto is quickly reminded of a scary, paralyzing sensation that he'd felt in the two confrontations he'd had with the boy but he was in control now. He wouldn't let the fear or whatever it was dictate his response this time. He redoubles his efforts, swiping his hand once again, sending more ice; less refined and more chaotic. Ryoya avoids them vertically this time, leaping in a way that Shouto swears looks like a rabbit before taking a deep breath and scorching the earth below.
Thinking quickly, Shouto creates a thick dome of ice to protect himself. Having been on the wrong end of this little trick before, Todoroki reinforces his igloo with spikes to prevent any forward assault. Inside the dome is lit up beautifully when fire meets ice, and it lasts a few moments before Harushi's burning fist slams through the ice and into his chest.
He grunts and flies into the back of the ice, shattering it on impact and rolling unceremoniously to a stop. With his head reeling, he wonders if he made a mistake and didn't fortify as well as he did. Until he looks at Harushi. He's standing there with cuts both large and small across his upper body, all dripping a mixture of water and blood. He seems completely disinterested in that however, as he continues to grin like a monster.
Was he insane?! Those ice spikes could've cut something major if he was even just a bit off.
He struggles to his feet, moving to retaliate, only to blink and stare into empty air.
Harushi was gone.
The crackling sound of flames and the blazing heat over his shoulder are his only warning. Shouto turned, frost already forming in his right hand, but he simply wasn't fast enough.
A fiery foot appeared in his peripheral vision for a split second before a truck slammed into the side of his head.
'Wh - what?... where…?' A fist entered his field of vision, alarmingly heading towards his chin.
'No! Dodge, now!'
Shouto barely manages to lean back in time to avoid the Shoryuken that would've knocked him out. In an act of pure panic and desperation, Shouto's ice flares up, some rounded, some jagged and shoots up at an angle towards Harushi's exposed midsection.
He scowls, and narrowly avoids being impaled by weaving out of the way of some of the sharper ice, though he is still nicked on the side. He doesn't, however, avoid the burnt of the blunt ice and takes a direct hit to the stomach and chest. The stopping power of the ice is enough to send Ryoya upwards and backwards, and had it not been for his ki protecting him, he would've surely lost consciousness. While airborne, he grits his teeth and rolls over his shoulders to catch himself with a backflip and the moment he touches the ground, his flames, Heat Rush, burns brighter than before.
He's done playing games and Shouto can feel it.
The students of 1-A are surprisingly quiet watching the whole ordeal. No one dared to breathe a word as several attacks, too large scale and destructive, were thrown around left and right. The amount of injuries Ryoya starts to gain unnerves Momo and bothers her way more than it should've but she manages, somehow, to not run down there and tell him to stop.
"Oh, would you look at that?" A voice, loud and condescending heckles from an adjacent wall. "A student from the famed 1-A losing to someone in Gen Ed? For shame."
Before anyone in 1-A can reply, Itsuka comes out of nowhere with a neck chop, "Don't start, Monoma!" She says with a bit more vitriol than expressly warranted.
"Yeah!" Usagiyama agrees. "Kick him while he's down too! People always like to poke fun at Pretty Boy being in Gen Ed like he can't do," as if on cue, Todoroki sends another titanic wave of ice at Ryoya and the teen responds with an equally titanic torrent of flames. Rumi's jaw dropped and judging by Todoroki's wide eyes, he didn't expect that either. "...that? High Class! Since when can he do that!?"
Momo peels her eyes off of the fight with great difficulty to see everyone else staring at her in shock. She awkwardly clears her throat. "Always." She answers simply. "Ryo-kun has… a lot of power and he isn't able to be as fluid as Midoriya can with his magnetism. He could always produce attacks like that, however, it's impractical."
"I'm sorry, what?" Kaminari says. "How's that impractical? Dude lit up half the arena with ease! Even Todoroki's ice can't keep up and he instantly froze a building!"
"Well, think about how much power it takes to produce something like that. Ryo-kun is quirkless and ki, by nature, is tied to energy. To create an attack that big drains him quite a bit, so he chooses to condense his strikes as much as possible. He doesn't have the liberties of Midoriya or anyone else." Momo explains then turns back to the ring just in time to see Todoroki prepare another volley of ice.
"How's he doing that?" Someone, Mina most likely, inquires. "I thought Todoroki couldn't do that since he can get really cold. I mean, we saw him with frostbite a few times in class, right?"
"We did but…"
"It seems like our raging inferno has met his match." Tokoyami cuts in smoothly. "Harushi's flames, for as beautiful and devastating as they are, provide Todoroki the warmth needed to continue his ruthless assault. I'm afraid he's at a major disadvantage."
"But why hasn't he used his blue flames yet?"
"Because he's trying to prove a point." Izuku's sudden voice says. Everyone turns to him to see Ochako in tow while both stare at the fight unfolding. Ochako's usually sunny disposition is dimmed and forlorn while Midoriya watches the fight through an analytical gaze. "He will, but he needs to do something first."
Shouto made the mistake of assuming Harushi's injuries would slow him down in any way, shape or form like it would to literally anyone else.
He is at least grateful that Harushi's heat can keep him warm enough to essentially keep him at full power the entire fight, since he is sure the fight would've been long over otherwise. Harushi, instead of slowing down, speeds up and glides on his fire in ways that he's yet to see from his own father. Todoroki sends another wave of ice, but for a split second, Harushi's fire goes blue and everything in the stadium melts, leaving Shouto defenseless.
A burning heel snapped out, or at least he thinks it was a heel, as the blue of motion was far too quick to tell for sure. The air rushing out his lungs and the hideous amount of burning pain in his abdomen was all that mattered. That, and the fact that he was tumbling end over end directly towards the end of the ring.
' Shit!'
He had to stop!
A palm to the rough asphalt and a shoddily constructed ice wall saved Shouto from a ring out, but the way he clung to his ice to support his weight proved his body was far from in the best condition. He spat out a glob of crimson, metallic liquid, and winced as he could already feel the swelling in his jaw. As much as he wasn't underestimating Harushi in the slightest, and believe him, he wasn't, the boy still managed to exceed his expectations. The power behind those blows were borderline criminal and he had yet to even use those blue flames of his.
Harushi stands there, dripping blood from several cuts across his person, simply watching him. He looks bad, as his uniform is stained red and mostly torn but he stands firm. "What a waste, Todoroki." Ryoya sighs, looking directly into Todoroki's soul. "I thought I told you that your ice won't be enough."
"Shut… up." Shouto manages painfully. "I don't need his -" In an instant, Harushi closes the gap between them and punches Shouto hard in the face, causing his head to snap back. In the same fluid motion, Ryoya grabs his hair.
"Are you sure you want to be a hero, Todoroki?" He asks, but this time, his eyes track to one particular spectator in the audience. His tone, once calm, now held a concerning amount of heat. "I asked you before, what would you do if you ran into someone who your ice couldn't beat. If this were real, I would've slaughtered everyone here and that's nobody's fault but your own. How would you sleep at night knowing you could've done more to save someone's life!?" Ryoya spits while Shouto goes still. "You know, something my master always told me, sometimes the best therapy is to just scream and shout and break shit . So for this fight, and this fight alone,"
Shouto gasps when Ryoya's flame burns out and then reshapes around his head, eyes and chin exactly like his father's. "I'll be your Endeavor. Fight me like you wish you could fight him. Go all out, I can take it. It might not fix anything, but it'll make you feel a hell of a lot lighter."
Izuku takes a deep breath as the scene unfolds. Even though he knew it was coming, he couldn't help but to feel trepidation.
"What is Harushi doing? Is he mocking him by copying his dad?"
"No," Izuku says instantly. "He's trying to get through to him."
"He's… trying to draw out his fire." Momo says breathily. "But - but why?"
"It's not my story to tell," Izuku says quietly. Ochako sneakily grabs his hand. "But I will say, I hope this works."
"...but you want to be a hero, right?" Rei says as her son sits happily on her lap. All Might is on TV saying one thing or another, but she focuses on Shouto's happy smile.
"That's fine, you're not bound by his blood. You decide who you want to become."
Steam began billowing in the previously-cold surrounding air at the same moment that Ryoya heard the familiar crackle of a raging fire.
The temperature was rising, a natural effect of Todoroki's quirk. A spark of orange flickered around Shouto's left eye, before the rest followed and finally, his entire left side burst into flames.
Ryoya stands there, still holding his head, unbothered by the heat. His uniform starts to burn away, but he ignores it. He instead focuses on the topic at hand.
In a sudden burst of speed, Ryoya jumps back to the center of the ring.
"You… you go through all that to inspire me? And you expect me to see you like him? I'm afraid I can't do that." Shouto says with a shaky, manic smile. "You're… not him."
"Nope," Ryoya says casually, popping the 'p'. "I'm not him, and neither are you. Now, I'll ask again, Shouto Todoroki , have you decided?"
"Yes… I wanna be a hero too!"
"SHOUTOO!" Endeavor screams happily, taking several steps down the stairs. "You've finally accepted it! YES! Excellent! It all starts for you now!"
He takes several steps closer to the railing, but pauses when Ryoya ceases holding back and turns up the heat. The blue fire is just as disarmingly pretty as he remembers it. Endeavor stops his advance. '...Why'd you become a hero, Enji?'
"A sudden pep talk from Endeavor!? Geez, what a doting father!"
"Ignore him, Shouto." Ryoya says, standing amidst his flames. The stadium is drenched in it, so much so that it's hard to see where the boy himself is. "For now, this is just between you and me. Let's burn together, Shouto!" Heat Rush flares again, transitioning into the blue fire Harushi had been known for.
"With those wounds, in this situation… you must be crazy. I'm sorry for what happens next."
"Me too."
Shouto stomps down with his right foot while his left side burns hotter and hotter. Harushi's fire stands to pool around his center.
"Midnight!" Cementoss yells from the sidelines. "We can't let those two release those attacks!"
"Boys!" Midnight yells, tearing her sleeve, "Stop!"
But neither boy pays them any heed. Shouto slowly raises his burning left arm. Then he speaks in a low whisper. "Harushi,"
'Despite it all… I always thought you were really cool, Endeavor-san…' Ryoya thinks to himself. "Prominence…"
"Thank you."
"Burn."
What happened next could only be described as catastrophic. Shouto's plan of cooling the air and then rapidly heating it up failed before it started, since Harushi's fire made it impossible to cool the air in any meaningful way. Harushi's attack, an imitation of his father's signature, tore through those cement pillars like a freight train and before long, Todoroki's vision was filled with blue.
"Nebraska SMASH!"
All Might comes in at the last moment, rotating his arm to generate a small tornado before punching Harushi's attack head-on. The fire roars and expands before dispersing and leaving a long trail of destruction in its wake.
"Aha! That was close, wasn't it?" All Might says jovially. " Do learn some restraint next time, young Harushi!" And with that, the Symbol of Peace jumps away so quickly, most people hadn't realized he was there at all.
"Wow… that was something else." Cementoss says quietly. "I don't usually believe bigger is better, but that attack was just unbelievable."
Midnight, who sheltered almost immediately, groans as she climbs over Cementoss' wall. "I'll say. I didn't know you had it in you, Harushi!" Midnight yells, mostly as a test. The dust had yet to settle, but she felt relief in hearing Ryoya groan.
Then she hears someone stumble and fall, and finally, the dust clears.
Todoroki is lying flat on his back. "Winner, Ryoya Harushi!"
Just as the words leave her mouth, Ryoya comes into view. His top is blown clean off, exposing his body to the world and his hair is even more messy than normal. Ryoya is built like a spartan warrior, and the fruits of his training is evident. He glistened with sweat, even as dried blood clings to his defined arms, arms and chest. Then he takes a deep breath and exhales a small stream of fire and smiles, fangs bared.
"... And just like that folks, millions of fangirls and boys go wild! Save some for the rest of us!"
"Mic… you're thirty. Please recant that statement."
"Look at him, Eraserhead! Even Midnight's staring… wait - stop! He's sixteen!"
Ryoya takes a second to bask in his victory before his eyelids start to feel heavy. "Good job, Shouto. You almost had me." He says slowly before all but collapsing under his own weight.
"Dude..."
"Did he just use Endeavor's attack?"
"He did..."
"Why is this kid in Gen Ed? Seriously? What the hell?"
"Yeah, this kid is stronger than me! What is UA thinking?"
The crowd begins an small uproar, but Endeavor isn't hearing anything. Instead focusing on the middle of the ring. He watches as Harushi is helped to his feet by Midnight (who seems a bit too touchy), before he and Shouto are taken away by med bots. The greater part of his is elated beyond words that Shouto finally ceased his rebellion, and accepted his destiny. But there's a part, muted and old, that's questioning the origin of his happiness. Those blue flames, that question. Endeavor's flames die down ever so slightly. Why did he become a hero? Regardless of answer, one thing's for sure; he's sending Harushi an internship.
On his way to Recovery Girl's temporary office, Ryoya allows himself to drift into a nice, much needed nap. He had next to no ki left from the final attack, and had no idea if he would even have enough energy to face Izuku next round.
Figuring that's a problem for later, Ryoya closes his eyes.
Only for his eyes to immediately snap open.
He senses people, six people to be exact, heading to the temporary office. "Oh no," he says to himself. "Mo-chan and Rumi are going to kill me."
A/N: There you go, Ryoya vs Shouto has finally happened. Next chapter is Momo vs Ochako, and a few other important things happening (totally not Stain)! The Sports Festival is almost over (thankfully) so we can move on with the story.
And if you want to talk to me about this or any of my fics, or just join a community of AO3 authors, you can find me at Jaded. discord. gg/ pkmgFzUkBu
Monster King: Thank you.
Ryuujin96: Haha, that's completely fair. People in the discord knew already who would've won since they see the chapters before it's posted so I definitely understand the surprise. Also yeah, Tenya vs Izuku only could've ended quickly due to Tenya having metal bones in his legs. He couldn't really do much besides rush him and hope for the best.
KingGDF: Glad you enjoyed.
Acosta Perez Jose Ramiro: Oh yeah, Ryoya's not the type to sass people (a lot) when it comes to serious topics like that. It also is kinda personal for him since it reminds him so much of him and Akuma. Glad you enjoyed Ochako vs Bakugo, it was really fun to write.
Solbandgus: Yeah, Izuku breaking his arms has to happen at least once, but hey, Tenya broke them, not him. Also, I'm glad you enjoyed Ryo and Endeavor's talk. People probably expected for Ryo to tell him off, but he's not that kind of character.
