The episode started with Izuku remembering what Todoroki had told him earlier that day about his past, and Izuku repeating his own motivation to beat Todoroki.
Izuku was already sitting on the ground with a newly obtained towel in his mouth. Recovery Girl insisted upon it just before everyone else sat down, stating it would be much more practical than using the notebook. Izuku had started to argue that they didn't really know that it would get that bad yet, but didn't even get to finish his sentence before the collective looks from the nurse, his friends, Aizawa and All Might silenced him.
Everyone else was on the edge of their seats, either literally or figuratively, as they waited for the fight to start. No one doubted that, if nothing else, this fight was going to be very intense, and likely very painful, for those involved.
The scene suddenly changed drastically. A very young Todoroki was seen crying in his mothers arms, while she told him it was okay if he wanted to be a hero.
Todoroki's hands clenched into fists, bunching up the fabric around his knees. 'Dammit, flashbacks too? The whole class already heard my talk with Midoriya when they shouldn't have, why did they have to see more? What is Truth trying to do?!' He sorely wished he could see Truth right now and freeze the answer out of them. He held tight to that idea, as it helped keep him from dwelling on how much he missed the gentle touch he'd just seen. He swore he could feel it ghost along the back of his head, and wasn't sure if it was from Truth, or his own memories.
The class didn't know how to respond to the scene. They'd never seen Todoroki show sadness before, much less to the point of crying. Plus, the gentle words and touch was very incongruous with what they had pictured of a woman who would later give Todoroki his scar.
Izuku though, found himself wondering about what Todoroki's mother had said. It implied Todoroki had wanted to be a hero when he was younger, just like him, but he wondered how true that was now. Did Todoroki still dream of being a hero? Or did he just want to spite his father?
The scene went back to the Sports Festival. Everyone watched as Present Mic announced the match and the two boys sized each other up and got ready.
There were a number of grumbles and insults when Endeavor was shown watching too. Hagakure went so far as to yell 'booooo!' at the screen. Everyone else was just as focused on what was about to happen as the two contenders were on screen.
The match started. Todoroki sent out a wave of ice. Izuku flicked it away.
"Mmmmmmpphhhh!" Izuku's cry of pain was muffled by the towel in his mouth. He was suddenly grateful for Recovery Girl's insistence, since the notebook wouldn't have blocked the sound nearly as well. He was even more grateful that Uraraka and Iida were already sitting down next to him, ready to help steady him as the match continued.
The ice wave shattered, and rained down around Todoroki. Cold wind buffeted him and the audience behind him.
The teachers and some of the class shivered as they suddenly felt the cold ripple across their skin.
"Shurry gush." Izuku tried to apologize through the cloth. He'd tried to take it out, but Iida quickly insisted it stay in since they didn't know just how fast any blows would be coming.
Todoroki was still standing due to an ice barrier behind him, and the show revealed that Izuku had indeed broken one of his fingers to combat the ice. All Might was shown thinking about how not holding back was the only way Izuku was guaranteed to fend of the ice attacks, but that thought clearly made him nervous.
"This strategy is effective right now, but it's not sustainable." Momo noted, worry clear in her own voice. Jirou nodded in tense agreement.
"Yeah, I mean, he's only got ten fingers. Doesn't seem like that will be enough to outlast Todoroki."
Another wave of ice, another finger broken.
Another muffled cry followed quickly by his friend's comfort...oh look, All Might was coming over to sit with them now too. That was nice of him.
The detached part of Izuku's brain that picked up on these things also noticed his other self's expression. That was the first time it looked like his own pain and the pain of his on screen self matched. Weird. Maybe it was something to do with the setting...
Despite the pain, Izuku's brain was still going, bemoaning how little information he had about Todoroki and wondering how he was going to find an opening.
"You're mind never really stops working, does it young Midoriya?" Yagi gave the boy a comforting smile as he sat down on the couch. Midoriya shifted until his head rested against Yagi's knees, which surprised the hero. He figured one of Midoriya's friends would be much more comfortable that his bony self.
"Midoriya can look kinda scary when he's so determined." Tsuyu noted, taking in the boy's intense expression. This earned her some nods from classmates, and one scowl from Bakugo.
'First Loudmouth calls these two rivals, then Deku starts getting more worked up fighting him than me? What the hell man...'
Another ice attack, another flick.
Yagi combed his fingers through his successors hair as the boy flinched and let out another cry. He hoped that having another sensation would at least serve as a distraction from some of his pain.
Kirishima made it back to the stands, now recovered from his match. He talked to some of the class and pointed out that he'd be going up against Bakugo soon. Bakugo deadpan said he was going to kill him.
Some people felt a little more at ease after seeing the easy interaction between the boys, finding it a good distraction from the worry for their other classmates. Sero and Kaminari poked fun at his Bakugo's signature response again. Kirishima though, picked up on how strangely focused Bakugo looked right now. As did Izuku, though he did it through seeing the on screen version.
'It's not like him not to get fired up after a challenge...''
Kirishima compared Bakugo and Todoroki, saying they could both fire off powerful attacks in quick succession. Bakugo quietly refuted him, saying there was more to it than just 'shooting off' attacks and that he had to be careful not to hurt himself too. Since quirks were physical abilities, they all had their limits.
"Huh, look at Bakugo getting all introspective." Mineta muttered. Kaminari nodded.
"Yeah, honestly didn't see that one coming."
"You saying you don't think I'm smart?" Bakugo glared at the blonde, who held his hands up.
"I didn't say that, just that I didn't expect it right now. Figured you'd be bragging about winning your next match or something."
"I gotta figure out who I might be up against later and what weaknesses they have, so of course I'm paying attention."
"Alright, I get it."
Aizawa's brows rose in surprise. The boy had directed attention away from the fact, but he had just admitted in a round about way that his own power had limits too.
"He's not wrong." Todoroki said to himself. Momo glanced at him, wondering if she heard that right.
Todoroki realized that Midoriya was going for an endurance match, and decided to get more proactive. He sent out another ice wave, and used it as cover. While Midoriya was distracted smashing that one, Todoroki got in close, forcing Midoriya to break two fingers in quick succession. Midoriya then had to immediately jump out of the way of Todoroki's punch. Ice shot up, starting to encase Midoriya's leg, and he resorted to using his whole arm to break the hold. Even this did not blow Todoroki from the ring.
The screams of the two different Midoriya's blended together. His body jerked, and his jaw ached from the pressure he was putting on it.
"Midoriya!"
"Holy shit!"
"His whole other arm already?!"
"How is he still in the ring?!"
"Deku! Hang in there!" Uraraka pleaded. One of Izuku's hands was firmly clasped around her own, and squeezing very tightly, but she held back any sign of pain. She could deal with it for a while, if it made things a little easier for her friend.
"Remember to breath through your nose!" Iida instructed. Recovery Girl was making her way over now, and silently chiding herself for not just staying there after she gave Midoriya that towel.
Midoriya was shocked that Todoroki was still in the ring, and marveled over his skill. The audience did two, saying they should have expected it from the son from the number 2 hero.
Todoroki's teeth ground together. Every time...every damn time they said that...and he'd only used his ice the whole time! Would he ever be able to escape his old man's shadow?
Unbeknownst to Todoroki, he wasn't the only one put out by this. Much of the class huffed or scowled at the comparison, and Present Mic frowned. 'Is it really that hard for them to see the kid's own efforts too? It's not like Endeavor would have had much to teach him about how the ice part of his quirk worked after all.'
Todoroki mocked Izuku for being so beat up after only evading attacks. Izuku though, noticed that Todoroki was trembling.
This got some people looking over to Todoroki. Much to their shock, he was visibly shaking.
"Todoroki, what's wrong?" Momo asked. He refused to look at her, and the show continued.
Todoroki apologized for Midoriya's current state, but also thanked him because Endeavor's face made it clear he found the match unsatisfactory.
Sato crossed his arms. "As much as I've grown to hate Endeavor over the last hour, given how hurt Midoriya is that line still feels kinda..." he trailed off, not sure how to word it.
"Cold?" Shoji suggested. Sato let out a surprised chuckle.
"Kinda, yeah."
Izuku found himself clenching his teeth again, but not in pain this time. Things were slotting together in his mind, and he was beginning to realize just how skewed Todoroki's way of thinking was.
Todoroki said Izuku couldn't do much now, so he'd end things. He sent out another wave of ice. Izuku suddenly demanded to know where his opponent was looking, and the ice berg shattered once again.
"AHHHHHHH!"
Everyone in the room jumped. The four people around Izuku leaped into action, either to avoid a flailing limb or to keep the sudden, violent movements from hurting Midoriya himself.
People gulped, lips were bitten, shivers ran up spines. That scream from Midoriya was louder than any they had heard yet, and they soon saw why.
Todoroki only just managed to keep himself in the ring. Then it was shown that Izuku had used OfA with one of his already broken fingers.
"Oh my G-"
"Holy fuck!"
"Are you insane?!"
"Idiot boy!" Recovery girl seethed. "It's the sports festival, not life or death! You don't have to break yourself this much! Not for this!"
Fear and shame settled over Yagi's heart. 'Is this my fault? Did I stress the importance of the festival to young Midoriya so much that's he's willing to hurt himself like this?'
Tears ran down Uraraka's cheeks, and Iida's face twitched with the struggle not to show how upset he was. They didn't understand why their friend was going so far, and that made their inability to help him even worse.
There was one person who suddenly did understand, to some degree, though. The words 'Where are you looking?' caught in Bakugo's brain, and he almost wanted to smile. He doubted it would be for the same reason, but he wouldn't have accepted either loss or victory like that either. Who knew they actually had something in common?
Izuku wanted to tell them that this wasn't about the festival, not anymore. There was something bigger going on now, but even if he wasn't gagged he'd never be able to pick the words from his pain addled brain before the show continued.
"Why are you going so far?"
"That's what we'd like to know!" Ashido cried.
"I get being determined but this is ridiculous." Ojiro agreed faintly.
"You're trembling Todoroki."
Izuku brought up how quirks are physical abilities with limits, and surmised that the trembling meant that Todoroki could only stand so much cold.
"Wow, that's almost the same exact thing you said." Sero pointed out.
"Shut up!" Bakugo snapped. It was one thing for him to admit in his head that he and the nerd had some similarities, but that didn't mean others should point it out.
"For all of Midoriya's friendliness, he pounces upon weakness without hesitation." Tokoyami noted. Koda nodded along, admittedly disturbed by how intense things were getting.
Midoriya pointed out that Todoroki could fix that problem by using his fire side, yet he was refusing. He shook as he explained how everyone was fighting with all they had to get ahead and reach their goals. Yet here was Todoroki, fighting with only half his strength.
That's when it clicked for the teachers and the majority of the students. Izuku wasn't just determined, he was angry.
"Note to self, never piss off Midoriya." Hagakure muttered.
"Never thought I'd say that, but yeah." Ashido agreed fervently.
Todoroki stared hard at the screen, ignoring the bone deep cold settling through his body. Just what was Midoriya trying to say?
Yagi's worry lessened as he began to understand that, whatever was going on right now, it wasn't about what he'd said to the boy. Well, it wasn't only about that at least. He carded his fingers through Izuku's hair, ignoring how it was becoming damp with sweat. 'What am I going to do with you, my boy?'
Izuku squeezed Uraraka's hand when his other self talked about the others trying their hardest. Uraraka's mouth fell open. This...this couldn't have anything to do with her own match being so recent could it?
At this point, a part of Aizawa was thankful Midnight hadn't been transported here with them. He was pretty sure she'd start going on about 'youthful spirit' after seeing that and he didn't think he could handle that right now. Present Mic put a grounding arm around his shoulders, sensing the other teacher's worry about his students.
Izuku told Todoroki that he hadn't landed a single hit on him yet, and demanded Todoroki come at him with everything.
"I guess that is technically true..." Momo said uncertainly.
Bakugo once again felt a bit of grudging respect for Izuku, as he once again saw the nerd doing exactly what he would. Though his version would admittedly be louder.
Uraraka had to stop herself from groaning. If they were going to keep going at it then Deku would get hurt even more than he already was! I quick look at Iida and All Might showed they were of a similar mindset. Recovery Girl seemed to be muttering something about 'kids these days' as well.
The scene briefly flashed to All Might and Endeavor watching, All Might clearly worried and Endeavor angrily remembering what Izuku had said to him before the match started.
"Okay, the lengths you're going to are still insane, but I gotta give you credit for pissing off Endeavor." Jirou said. Izuku felt the sudden urge to laugh.
Todoroki demanded to know if Endeavor had payed Midoriya off to try and get him to use his fire, and rushed at him angrily.
"That...I get this is a high stress fight and all but that sounds kinda ridiculous." Ojiro said with a frown.
"I know! Like, I can see Endeavor trying that, but not Midoriya going along with it." Ashido agreed. "He's way too nice for that!"
"To be fair, that Todoroki doesn't know Midoriya as well as we do now, kero."
'Obviously I know that's not what he's doing now. Can't imagine Truth would have skipped over that offer if my father had done that, but that doesn't mean I get what he's actually doing.' Todoroki's frown was the only thing betraying his frustration.
Todoroki was moving slower now, and Bakugo noticed and deduced the reason why. Todoroki tried to get a close up hit in, so Midoriya couldn't avoid it. But Midoriya surprised him by finding just the right time to power up OfA and sock Todoroki in the stomach.
Pain flared through Izuku's entire arm, and his yelp of pain was once again muffled by the gag. He was quickly tended to by the group surrounding him, but Todoroki was taken by surprise. He doubled over in pain so quickly he almost fell out of his seat. He would have yelled out in pain, if he'd felt like he had any air to do so.
"Todoroki!" Momo was suddenly kneeling at his side, and looking at him with wide, worried eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Fine." He grit out. 'Why is she here? She can't be that worried about the pain factor; she didn't fawn over anyone else feeling it.'
It was shown that Todoroki had managed to put ice on Midoriya's arm before being sent flying.
"Damn, can't believe they both got a hit in like that." Sato said in awe.
As soon as Todoroki got back up, they started going at it again. Todoroki put out more ice and Izuku deflected some more with another finger. On the sidelines, Cementoss asked Midnight if they should stop the fight. Yagi was heard thinking that Midoriya was probably planning on Recovery Girl healing him anyway and was too hyped up on adrenaline to fully feel the pain of his actions.
"I wish we had some of that adrenaline now." Iida found himself saying. His mouth was set in a hard line as he looked down at this friend. Midoriya's eyes had taken on a slightly glazed look, and he was breathing fast through his nose. He honestly wished Midnight would choose to end the match, if only to give his friend a respite from feeling his bones break.
"Based on his symptoms, he likely is getting some." Recovery Girl said. "It's been long enough now for his body to register the pain and release it, even if there's no physical reason for the pain to be there."
"Then why is he still in so much pain?" Uraraka asked desperately.
"Because that would take away from his toll." The sound of Truth's voice, after such a long silence, made everyone startle.
"What does that mean?" Yagi asked lowly.
"Even if the Midoriya you are seeing is going through an adrenaline rush, his pain is still there. The adrenaline just helps him focus on something else. But if I allowed the same to happen here in this room, his toll would be unbalanced. After all, the deal was that he feel all the pain of his on-screen self, not just the pain that self bothered to pay attention to at the time."
"I see, so he will still experience the symptoms of an adrenaline rush, but not get the 'distracting' benefit from them." Recovery Girl surmised gravely.
Yagi grit his teeth. Truth sounded just a bit too smug for his liking, but it wasn't like there was any point in arguing. Truth was unlikely to change their stance, and taking the time to do so would just prolong young Midoriya's pain. If adrenaline would not do the job of distracting the boy from his pain, Yagi would have to try and take up some of that mantle himself.
Aizawa was shown thinking about the progress Izuku had made so far, and concluded that he wasn't actually being reckless. He was doing everything in his power to win while still controlling his power to some degree.
Despite getting to the point where he was feeling 'out of it', Izuku still managed to catch what Aizawa was thinking as he watched the match. That praise, on top of the comforting presence of his mentor and friends, did make him feel just a bit better.
Izuku thought about his desire to be like All Might, just before using his cheek to 'flick' his thumb and use it to deflect another ice attack.
Numerous protests went up when people saw what Izuku was about to do, and they all cringed when he actually did it.
Another shriek of pain from Izuku sent the group around him into action once again, trying to comfort and distract him.
Todoroki grunted when his other self hit the ground.
"Todoroki, you're shaking even more now." Momo pointed out.
"I'm fine." he repeated, exasperation leaking into his voice.
She frowned at him, then stepped away and said something to Jirou before coming back to sit beside him. A few moments later, Jirou showed up with a blanket taken from one of the bedrooms.
"That's not actually going to help." He pointed out.
"Humor me." Momo insisted, taking the blanket and draping it over his shoulders. "Besides, sometimes the weight of a blanket can help."
She didn't specify what it was supposed to help with, but Todoroki decided not to bring that up. She sounded determined to have it there, and he wasn't in the mood for a prolonged argument. It's not like the blanket would do him harm, and if he argued with her he might miss something important. He pulled the blanket around himself so it would sit more securely and comfortably.
Todoroki demanded again why he was going so far. Izuku yelled that he was going to live up to everyone's expectations of him, and be a cool hero. The phrase triggered another brief memory in Todoroki, distracting him enough that Midoriya was able to headbutt him. Izuku declared that he didn't know all of Todoroki's situation, but if Todoroki was planning to be number one he needed to stop screwing around and holding himself back.
Todoroki felt the wind get knocked out of him again and flinched hard. Momo started murmuring instructions and encouragement for getting his breath back. A part of him wished it wasn't as effective as it was because the attention was still so confusing.
"Damn, problem child." Aizawa found himself muttering. He thought about what he said to Midoriya when the boy asked if Aizawa would have let him into class if he didn't have a quirk. If the boy had managed to show off even a quarter of this resolve during the first day assessment then he would have been a shoe in, quirk or no quirk.
The words triggered something in Todoroki, and they were suddenly in another flashback. Endeavor stood over a very young Todoroki, who had just vomited onto the floor and was trembling. Todoroki's mother begged her husband to stop, saying he was too young for this. Endeavor hit her and told her to get out of his way.
For a moment, those in the room could only stare at the screen in shock. Then, the room began to fill with an enraged energy so palpable one could almost feel it crackling in the air.
"FIVE?" Present Mic seethed. "Endeavor trained him to the point of throwing up at fucking five?!"
"I wouldn't call punching a five year old training." Aizawa growled. His face felt so hot with his anger that he wouldn't be surprised if someone told him his eyes had turned red despite not having access to his quirk.
"Ah, so this is what Todoroki meant by Endeavor 'preparing' him to face All Might one day." Nedzu's smile had become something sharp and threatening. "Now that that has been confirmed for us, I'll have to do some information gathering when I get back. I wonder just how many skeletons will come tumbling out of Endeavor's closet once I set myself to opening the door..."
"So, are we allowed to start a new after school club? One that may or may not involve discussing how best to take out Endeavor?" Sato asked.
"I'd join it!" Hagakure cried, her sleeve going up in the air. Shoji held all of his arms up, asking to join too. Kaminari, Mineta, and Sero were all quick to say they'd attend too. Even Koda shakily raised his hand.
"Not gonna try to stop them?" Ashido asked of Iida.
"As class president, I approve of my classmates finding fulfilling extra-curricular activities to be involved in." He replied stiffly, his eyes boring into the screen.
"I believe you need a teacher to supervise. I volunteer." Yagi said. The last time they heard his voice that low and dangerous was when he'd strode into the USJ.
Izuku could only find the energy to look at the screen, willing his other self to be successful.
Todoroki didn't really here any of this. He caught parts, but most of him was too caught up in the sudden muscle pain and nausea that assaulted his senses. He curled in on himself, and pressed a hand to his mouth. He came back to himself a bit when Recovery Girl was suddenly there, trying to get a look at him. He tried to say he was fine again, but was cut off.
"You're a part of this class, and it's my responsibility to make sure you're alright, no matter what the circumstances. So please, let me do my job, young man."
Todoroki tried to swallow down some of his nausea, then nodded and let her get to work. Unbeknownst to him, Momo had been carefully watching his reaction. When he'd seen the memory and the pain had come, he'd pulled the blanket tighter around him and curled up; like he was trying to put a barrier between himself and the world. She saw some of her classmates, Jirou, Kirishima, Tokoyami, among them, looking over in worry or starting to get up to come over. She glanced at Todoroki, then waved them all back. She might not know him very well, but she got the feeling the crowding him any further wouldn't be welcomed.
The fight continued. Ice spread over Todoroki's skin, and Midoriya kept trying to get through to him. As they fought, more memories started to crop up. Todoroki cried in his mothers arms, declaring he didn't want to be like his father. In another he watched his siblings play, only for his father to drag him away while saying he was in another world from them.
"That bastard has other kids?" Present Mic demanded, both anger and worry clear in his voice.
"None of them came to UA, but I am aware of them. Thankfully, they are all older and should be out of Endeavor's custody by now." Nedzu explained. That did remind him though, it would be a good idea to talk to them. Both as a part of his information gathering, and to get an idea of how to approach the situation without causing them further pain. Talking to Todoroki himself was a given, of course, after he'd had some time to process everything.
Todoroki continued to be tended to by Recovery Girl. Momo, unsure of how exactly to comfort him, ended up adjusting the blanket when his flinches made it go askew.
Another flashback started, with Todoroki's mother saying she was going crazy.
Todoroki suddenly jolted upright so fast he almost hit Momo. "No." he said, his voice more strained than any of them had heard before. "Please, not this. Not again."
Shouto's mother could be seen standing in front of the stove with a tea kettle, talking to someone on the phone.
Dread began to suffuse the room, as those who remembered the details of Todoroki's scar realized what this must be leading up to.
Over the phone, Todoroki Rie told her mother that the kids kept reminding her more and more of her husband, that she couldn't take it any more, she couldn't raise them like this. When Todoroki called out to her, she suddenly jolted, and turned to him with a crazed look. The scene suddenly went black.
When the scene cut off, Todoroki suddenly deflated. 'Truth didn't show it. Not that moment...' he was far from grateful, with all of his secrets being held up for all to see, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't relieved that he didn't have to relive the moment he got his scar.
He wasn't the only one who was relieved. Momo and Recovery Girl had both been bracing themselves for helping Todoroki through that exact thing, and each let out a sigh when it didn't come. Even those who had only been gearing up to keep looking at the screen no matter what they heard felt themselves relax a little.
Next they saw a young Todoroki with a bandaged face. After hearing that his mother had been put away in a hospital for hurting him, Todoroki declared his mother's actions were Endeavor's fault. In the present, Todoroki once again said he would reject his father's power.
Uraraka had tears streaming down her face. She hadn't realized...she really shouldn't have started going on about Todoroki's mother before. What she went through didn't make hurting him okay, it never would, but it was so much more complicated than what she'd assumed from her classmate's first explanation. She couldn't imagine her own mother being driven to do something like that, and could only imagine what all Todoroki's mother must have gone through to reach that point. She'd have to apologize later.
Todoroki's lips pressed together when he felt a dull pain throbbing through his scar. He'd forgotten how long it had taken for the wound to stop hurting.
Izuku heard him and yelled "It's your power, isnt' it?!" This made Todoroki remember something once again. Young Todoroki excitedly watched a TV program with All Might on it, and his mother told him that he didn't have to be bound by his blood. That it was okay if Todoroki became a hero.
Todoroki found himself watching the screen with wide eyes, drinking in every word and image. His other self was right, he had forgotten that. He'd forgotten that his mother had already given him permission to use his father's- to use his power. It was his power. She'd said it was okay for him to use it, and she showed him that video to help tell him he could be a hero without being like his father. He could do it his own way.
Why...how could he have forgotten that?
Fire suddenly burst from Todoroki's left side. Waves of heat buffeted the audience. All Might was shown, wondering if Izuku had done all this to try and save Todoroki.
Todoroki turned his wide eyes onto Midoriya, who he could barely see around the couch and those surrounding him. Midoriya really did that? He made himself go through all that pain just to get through to him?
Todoroki said that if Midoriya really wanted to win, then he was the one screwing around by helping an enemy. Still, he now knew, he wanted to be a hero too. Izuku smiled, and Todoroki did too.
"That worked. I can't believe that worked." Bakugo muttered incredulously.
Momo smiled, and felt brave enough to rest an encouraging hand on Todoroki's shoulder. He didn't really acknowledge it, but he didn't shrug it off either. She figured that counted for something.
Endeavor suddenly started shouting in the stands, proclaiming how happy he was that Shouto accepted himself and could now start to fulfill his fathers desire.
"Oh SHUT UP you flaming trash heap!" Uraraka yelled.
"That had nothing to do with you!" Momo declared loudly.
"Your brightness is tacky and unwelcome here!" Aoyama said disdainfully.
Insults and protests filled the room until Present Mic was forced to whistle and calm everyone down. The one student that stayed quiet was Todoroki, who just switched between watching Midoriya on screen and off screen.
Todoroki asked why Midoriya was smiling under these circumstances, and said he couldn't be blamed for what happened next. He started to use his full power, and Midoriya smiled and did the same. Now, Midnight and Cementoss finally stepped in to try and stop things, but it was too late, all they could do was damage control. The display of power that followed was indescribable. The screen briefly went dark when the two finally clashed and exploded against each other.
"Oh my g-"
"That's amazing!"
"Are you trying to kill each other?!"
"So manly!"
"Holy shit!"
Cementoss managed to contain most of the debris, but wind still buffeted the audience and pelted them with grit. Shoji had to keep Mineta from being sent flying.
"Ow, oof, hey! I'm happy for whatever just happened between you guys, but could you tone it down just a little?" Ojiro asked, wincing as he felt bits of gravel sting his face.
"Thanks Shoji." Mineta called from his seat, rubbing his own face. Shoji gave him a thumbs up.
"Yeah, geeze guys, look at that! You almost killed Mineta!" Kaminari teased.
"It wasn't that bad!"
"I suppose it would have been too easy if some of the bigger debris had hit Endeavor huh?" Sato said with a sigh.
"I know right?" Hagakure agreed. "We didn't even get to see his flame hair blow out! Talk about disappointing."
"I'm glad it didn't. If a brick took him out we wouldn't be able to have a straight up fight with him, which wouldn't be manly at all." Kirishima said.
"He doesn't deserve an honorable fight." Tokoyami disagreed.
"Just because he doesn't deserve it doesn't mean I should deprive myself."
Everyone reoriented themselves as things began to settle down, and Midnight was called on to identify the victor. When the last of the dust finally settled, Midoriya was shown with his back against the wall behind him. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
Finally, Midoriya body relaxed. His eyes came back into focus a bit, and he shakily reached for the gag. Uraraka got their first, and carefully took it out while Yagi helped him sit up and Iida handed him a glass of water.
Todoroki was still in bounds, so he was declared the victor while the audience roared with applause. The episode ended.
"I believe this calls for a break." Nedzu said.
"A longer one, this time." Aizawa clarified, looking over at Midoriya and Todoroki.
"So...that was something, huh?" Kirishima started. He was surrounded by a fairly large group, but no one seemed to know quite what to say after all that.
"I never would have guessed someone so admired would use it to spread such a deep darkness." Tokoyami said solemnly.
"I'd still be up for joining that Endeavor murder club we talked about." Hagakure bounced in place as she said it.
"We'd probably have to call it something else." Sato warned.
"I heard All Might endorse us, so I say we should call it whatever we want."
"We should really discuss that sort of thing with Todoroki first. It is his life after all." Momo reprimanded lightly.
"Could you do it?" Jirou asked.
"Me?"
"Yeah, I mean I'm all for helping Todoroki out but that doesn't mean I actually know how to talk to him." Kaminari played anxiously with his hair.
"You seemed to get what he needed during the episode, and if we all tried on our own we'd probably screw it up. I know Kaminari would anyway." Jirou said.
"Hey!"
"Well, if you're sure, I suppose I could take the first step in bridging the divide between Todoroki and the rest of the class." Momo said. That's kind of what she was trying to do during the episode anyway. "What is it you all wish to say?"
"Come along, young Midoriya." Yagi said. He stood up, then helped Midoriya do the same.
"What's up?" He asked, tiredly.
"After all of that, you deserve a rest. Now, which bedroom did you use again last night?"
"I- I don't need a nap, I'm not a little kid."
"You have been through a lot though, and you deserve a break to recover from it without being bothered." Iida declared.
"Yeah! And you should never say no to nap time Deku!" Uraraka teased. Izuku smiled at that, and let himself be lead away.
Todoroki watched as All Might lead Midoriya into one of the bedrooms. The hero left a minute later, and Todoroki continued to stare at the door. After a minute he stood up and started walking toward it, but was stopped by Yoayorozu.
"Do you have a minute?" she asked. He looked at her in mild surprise, but nodded. She'd gotten up just after the episode ended, and he'd seen enough to know she had started talking to Jirou but was too caught up in his own head to notice anything more.
"I guess."
"Well, first I wanted to make sure you were okay with what I did during this last episode. Did I make you uncomfortable at all?" she asked, fiddling with her hands.
"Hm...I didn't mind it I guess, but I didn't get it either. Why'd you come over?"
"Well, Midoriya had others to support him, and that seemed to help him. So when you started to feel the pain of the episode, I wanted to make sure you had the same."
He nodded to himself. Yoayorozu did seem like the kind of person who might worry about everyone being treated fairly, and she was one of the class reps.
"While I was talking, I found out that others wanted to give you some support too, but were unsure if that would be well received."
"...probably not. It was already a lot."
"I thought that might be the case...and some of the others did too. So, they sent me over with some messages."
Todoroki raised an eyebrow at her.
"First, we wanted to apologize for the intrusion into your life. We know those were things you wouldn't have shared willing."
"It's hardly your fault." He said with a frown. "You didn't choose what went up there."
"I know, but it was still an intrusion, so we still wanted to apologize. On that subject, we would understand if you don't want to talk about it, and won't bring it up if you don't want us too. But, if you ever do want to talk about it, we'll listen. Does that sound agreeable?"
Todoroki looked down as he thought. After a few moments he looked back up and nodded, making Yoayorozu smile.
"Very well. I'll let the others know you are amenable. Ah, also, I should let you know there are several offers to help you 'take out your old man' if you want them."
Todoroki actually let out an amused huff. "I'll keep that in mind...thanks."
After Yoayorozu left, Todoroki continued to Izuku's room. He went inside quietly and walked up to the bed Midoriya was laying on. The boy was breathing much easier now, and sat up a bit when he saw Todoroki.
"Oh, h-hey Todoroki. What's up?"
"I wanted to ask you something."
"Okay." Izuku nodded and waited.
Todoroki breathed in, then out. "Why did you do that?"
Izuku cocked his head. "What?"
"You pushed yourself to breaking, far more than normal, to get me to use my fire. To...to reach out to me and get me to...really think. I want to know why."
Izuku's eyes widened in surprise, then took on a familiar determined glint.
"Well, I can't entirely speak for my future self, since we have different experiences now. But if I had to guess, I'd say it was because he knew you needed help. And that's what a hero is supposed to do, right?"
"That would be nice, if that's how all heroes thought." Todoroki admitted.
"So, yeah, I'd say it was to help. To be like All Might you know?"
Todoroki stared at him for a long minute, and Izuku began to worry that he might have said something wrong. But then he said "It's your power too."
"Huh?"
"You got your power from All Might, but it's yours too now. So you should be yourself too."
"Oh..." Izuku smiled. "Okay, yeah, it...Thanks, I'll try to remember."
While that was going on, Ashido and Aoyama were staring at the door they'd seen Todoroki go through.
"So," she began. "Uraraka and Midoriya are great together."
"They are. Very supportive of each other, and soft."
"Exactly! On the other hand." she gestured to room Todoroki and Midoriya were in.
"Hm..." Aoyama rubbed his chin throughtfully. "It has potential as well."
"It's a fire forged bond, literally!" she giggled.
Well, the two of them knew what they were going to be talking about until the next episode started.
A.N.
Just so it's clear, Ashido and Aoyama's talks are just them having fun discussing potential relationships that their classmates may or may not get into later. Whether or not the interactions between the characters themselves count as romantic or platonic is somewhat open to reader interpretation.
Also, I hope the thing about adrenaline in here made sense. It just really seemed like the kind of thing Truth would do, giving all the symptoms of an adrenaline rush with none of the relief in the name of keeping things balanced.
To be honest, I found myself struggling to write Izuku's suffering in this chapter. I've been lucky enough in my life that I've never been in a situation where I ever felt pain quite that extreme. I mean, I assume most people haven't, but I've never broken any bones or even gotten a sprain before. Add that into how unique the pain factor situation is and it can make writing intense and ongoing pain a challenge. I hope everything came across as believable despite that.
