Todoroki stood in in front of Izuku, who was writing some notes. Before the next event was to be announced, Izuku pulled him aside.
"Shouto, how are you feeling?" Izuku looked at him in concern. With the boy's father at the festival, there wasn't any doubt that the ice and fire user was stressed.
Todoroki looked down. "I'm fine." Izuku sighed. He was being stubborn as always.
Placing a hand on the dual teen, he smiled warmly. "Listen, I'm not going to keep you here for much longer. I'll just say the truth. Your father approached me, and requested you use your quirk, and I be the one to get you to do it." Izuku's gaze softened when he watched Todoroki's face contort from confusion to rage.
Todoroki stiffened, anger rising. "So what? You're going to force me to use it?"
"No."
Todoroki glanced at the vigilante, surprise evident. Izuku's answer was as clear as day. "What?"
Izuku smiled. "I'm not going to lie. You have some serious untapped potential. However, I've seen how you react when you use your fire." Todoroki nodded. "Now, here's the thing. If you ever start succumbing to frost, promise me you'll limit how much heat you use. It wouldn't do to have you lose a finger in a fight." The smile was warm. Todoroki was starting to see why so many students respected him.
Todoroki nodded, agreeing to the terms.
"A couple more things, Mr. Todoroki." The dual teen nodded.
"Remember, it's not your father's quirk. It's absolutely yours. As is your ice. You made it yours. As you have told me, you refuse to use your father's quirk. That's up to you. I'm not going to stop you.
"Ok, last thing. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to free you from your monster of a father's care. I've seen the scars. your father is a brute. I...just don't have all the evidence yet. I promise you that if your father tries to make you use your fire I will fight him. Second rate hero or not, what he's done to you all is nothing short of despicable."
Todoroki nodded, a small smile on his face. His voice was quiet, possibly because he didn't trust himself not to cry if he spoke louder. "Thank you, Quirkless."
Izuku waved him off. "It's really no problem. I just want you to succeed."
Ding
Izuku's eyes blew wide open.
As Todoroki walked back to his plans, Izuku shot a text to Nezu.
"Meet me in the teacher's box."
Midnight strutted back to her post in front of the students. She winked, and flared her whips around. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen! it's time to announce the second portion of the festival! it's -"
Giant bold words appeared on a screen.
"- A Calvary battle!"
The crowd cheered, excited for the match.
The students glanced at each other, smirks donning their faces.
"Here's how it works. Each student will pair up in teams of two to five students. The student on the top will be the "horse". If the horse falls or touches the ground, the team is disqualified."
The students looked more determined than ever.
" However, it's not a match unless there's something to gain! Every student will receive a bandanna with an allotted amount of points. The lowest number is five, and the numbers just keep increasing by intervals of two!"
The leader board shifted and displayed the student names with a set amount of points. It all added up, except for -
"The first place winner of last round will have the most amount of points, giving him a number of
TEN MILLION!"
Kirishima paled. Looking around, he noticed everyone was looking at him like a prize to be won. Kirishima audibly gulped. He wasn't going to enjoy this.
Midnight smiled. "Alright, everyone, pick your teams! You all have fifteen minutes!"
From the start, everyone avoided Kirishima, since if they lost the bandanna, they'd lose the match. On the other side of the coin, no one wanted to work harder to keep the victory.
"Hey, Kiri, do you have a team yet?"
The redhead turned, and smiled at the sight.
It was Mina and Kyoka. Both of them grinning. Kirishima cheered up at the sight of his girlfriend. "You know I'll always choose you, babe." He hugged Mina. Turning to Kyoka, he grinned. "Welcome aboard!" He was wondering if this would be all the help so far.
"Kirishima."
Eijiro turned around, and was pleasantly surprised to see Todoroki waving slightly. He expected the dual wielder to split on his own, but he welcomed the guy anyway. Now, he needed one more member-
"Hello Eijiro, do you need any more members?" Kirishima smiled when Momo approached him. "I just need one more! You interested?"
"Yes, I feel partially at fault for what happened earlier and I -"
Kirishima frowned. "Don't worry about it. I've been through worse. I'm actually glad I'm not friends with Katsuki anymore. He was a mess to handle. However, let's forget about all that! Welcome to the team!"
Momo was surprised at how easily he was able to brush off what happened, and smiled when he told her not to worry about it.
Gathering the team together, he smirked. "Ok, so I have a few plans. Let's talk plan A."
"How can I help you, Izuku?" Nezu sat next to the vigilante, a cup of tea in hand.
"I need to request a favour."
"Unfortunately, that depends on what the favour is." Nezu sipped his tea, carefully watching Izuku.
"Understandable. I need you to promise me you won't interfere when I beat the shit out of Endeavor."
Nezu almost dropped his cup. "Care to repeat that and explain?"
Izuku squeezed his fists tight. "I just got a message from Nao. He sent me official divorce documents that were denied, mostly because Endeavor has a shit ton of money and fame. He's on his way over here as we speak."
Nezu arched a brow. "And what's included in the documents?"
Izuku shook, anger increasing two fold. Before he could start, a new face entered the room.
"Statements of physical and mental abuse, rape, extreme cases of child abuse, and domestic abuse. There are pictures and statements from each child and their mother. It looks like Enji refused to acknowledge it. When his wife "went off the deep end", as Enji called it, it was most likely she suffered From a severe case of PTSD. It's why she burned Shouto so badly." Naomasa described the file in his hands before walking to Nezu, handing him the official documents. "The statements are so detailed that you'd mistaken their young lives for a horror movie."
The room was silent at Izuku and Tsukauchi let Nezu read the documents. A couple of minutes passed before Nezu looked up, horrified.
"Hey Nez, you ok?" The principal didn't answer. He walked over to the window, where he watched the calvary battle progress. He watched the team Shouto was on, smiling briefly as he saw the boy smile when his friends complemented him for dodging a a stream of tape.
He continued to stare at the battle, the gears in his head going overdrive. When he finally did speak, it was soft, quiet. "Izuku," The vernadette looked towards his boss. "Do you think you have enough room in your place for young Todoroki and his siblings? Just until the eldest children can branch out on their own without assistance from their father."
Izuku was surprised. "Sure, what do we need to do?"
Tsukauchi smiled. "I'm looking into the paperwork now. How many rooms do you have, QL?"
"Around three. I can sleep in the living room if need be."
Nezu nodded. "Good. Good. Alright, now for the hard part."
Both Izuku and Tsukauchi looked at him, wondering what was up.
"Quirkless. I'm going to need you to knock Enji down, so Tsukauchi can arrest him. I don't know how he's gotten away with this for so long. To think the Todorokis have been living with such a beast." Nezu's voice was solemn, but vexed.
Izuku grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Time to shine. I'll promise not to kill the guy, but no promises on how hard I'll hit him."
Nezu nodded, his horror still lingering.
{Shortly before the previous discussion}
Kirishima, Mina, Kyoka, Momo, and Todoroki nodded after discussing the plan. Momo had to admit that the plan was well thought out:
Kirishima had Momo make cleats for them all to wear. This was to prevent slipping from anyone with a quirk like Mina's or Todoroki's ice. He also had her make transparent coverings that covered their arms, legs, and heads, while leaving a chest and back window specifically for Momo to use her quirk. Mina left the coverings off her arms and legs, so she could spew acid. The coverings were for the acid so they don't accidentally get splattered with the substance.
Jirou was to be the rider. Kirishima and the others thought it be best for her, since her jacks could extend and grab onto other bandannas. Kirishima was the front horse for defense, and Todoroki was the back horse to keep anyone away. Mina and Momo were at the sides. Momo was on standby while carrying so she could make anything jirou needed.
Kirishima knew Bakugo would go for them eventually, so he thought Momo could use herself as a water hose, since she was able to create water.
They all had some back up plans in mind, but they stuck with the first one for now.
Midnight grabbed her microphone, and shouted. "Alright! Now that we have our teams, you all have twenty minutes to score as many points possible!"
Each team glared at the other.
"And begin!"
On the dot, every team gunned straight for the redhead. Expecting this, Jirou smirked. "Now! Todoroki!" Without hesitation, Todoroki shot a wall of ice and surrounded them, effectively blocking them from any attack..for the moment. That hope died off when they witnessed a large chunk of ice break away, and in its stead was Bakugo and his team.
"ICY HOT! GIVE ME THAT BANDANNA OR DIE!"
Jirou didn't miss a beat. "Momo! Now!" As Bakugo and his team ran straight for them, Momo created a hose out of her arm and aimed at the explosion user. Ice cold water sprayed with the force of a firetruck, and Bakugo was shot back. Since Sero's tape was soaked, Sero couldn't catch their rider, and Bakugo slammed onto the floor, disqualifying him and his team. He didn't even have a chance to use his quirk, since the water washed away any sweat he had on him.
"And team Bakugo is out of the game!"
The audience erupted. Bakugo glared at Momo. "This isn't over between us." He stomped off, his team in tow.
Momo smiled. As the team turned away, she caught a glimpse of...tape?
It looked like Bakugo had grabbed onto one of Sero's tapes and used it like a whip. He looked delirious, aiming for Momo's feet, hoping to trip them up. To Bakugo, if he couldn't compete, they wouldn't either.
Since they were turned, the tape almost hit Todoroki, who shifted to the right. The tape flew by his head and dropped to the ground. He froze the tape, rendering it useless.
"Good job Todoroki!" Todoroki smiled, receiving complements was...nice. On the other side of the spectrum, Bakugo glared at the team, before a shadow covered him completely.
Midnight was onto Bakugo before he could even scoff. She looked to the teacher's box, and with a nod from Izuku, hurled the boy into a wall, making him dizzy.
"For any contestants looking at me right now, keep in mind that tantrums that Katsuki held are not acceptable in any form. If you are disqualified, you're disqualified. She glared at Bakugo's teammates. They nodded fervently.
Nodding, she walked back to her spot on the podium, a smile spreading on her face. "Good! Continue with the match!"
After a few seconds, the rest of the teams moved to Kirishima's. Dodging and evading the teams was their only option at the moment, and they were wearing out.
"One minute left!"
The five students watched at a blur sped to them. Tenya had rushed his team with his special move, Recipicro Burst. Flinching, Kyoka held onto her bands tightly.
Todoroki was at a loss. He knew his ice wouldn't be fast enough, but would his other elements be?
"it's not your father's quirk. It's absolutely yours. As is your ice. You made it yours."
"I'm not going to stop you."
"You have some serious untapped potential."
"Everyone stay strong, it's about to get hot in here!"
His teammates looked at him with concern, but that concern quickly changed to surprise. Was Todoroki using his fire?
Tenya was so close, so Close to the team, when he felt it.
Flames.
Todoroki was a human flamethrower. He shot the fire to the team rushing them, and like he expected, they dodged as they passed them. Kyoka snatched the bandannas the other rider wore, adding more points to their lot.
Todoroki looked on with pride, a grin spreading across his cheeks. I did it! I used it! It wasn't forced! It's my quirk!
He looked to the teacher's box, where he saw Izuku beaming and giving him a thumbs up.
"YESSS. FINALLY!"
Todoroki groaned. What a way to spoil the mood. He didn't even have to look unbundled direction of the voice to know who it belonged. to.
Endeavor stood proudly, arrogance spewing from him like pheromones. "Now that you've finally accepted your role, you can finally take your place as the number one hero!"
He heard Present Mic cough, breaking him from his thoughts.
"And that's time! Here are the standings.
"In first place with 10,000,650 points, it's team Kyoka!
In second place with 1,440 points, it's team Asui!
in third place with 1,015 points, it's team Shinso!
in fourth place, with 950 points, it's team Ibarra!
and in last place, with 450 points, it's team Aoyama!
That concludes the second round of the first day of the Sports Festival!"
Present Mic was about to go for lunch, when be received a text.
"Um, hey listeners! Before we all break for lunch, we have a special surprise for all of you for being amazing fans!"
The crowd cheered, not knowing what was going on, but didn't care.
The students were all confused, glancing at each other to make sure no one knew what was going on.
"If we could have all students clear the area, we could move on! To the field, can we please have the number two hero Endeavor and our Staff Showdown champion?"
The crowd quieted, murmuring. What was going on?
Endeavor straightened, making his way down as well. He walked with pride, the knowledge that his greatest creation finally used his flames.
He arrived at the field, looking to see his opponent. "What is the meaning of this? Where are you Quirkless?"
"Oh, I'm right here."
Endeavor turned around to the sudden voice, the owner nonchalantly leaning against a wall.
Endeavor's eyes narrowed. "What is your reason for this interruption of the festival?"
Izuku calmly stood and walked to him. "You know what my problem is with heroes like you, Endeavor?"
Endeavor balled his fist in anger. "Enlighten me."
Izuku needed no further prompting. "Sure, you may have graduated here, you became a pro hero, but was it for the sake of others? For your loved ones?"
"What are you getting at, Quirkless?"
"Oh, I'm getting there. Just be patient. What is your ultimate goal as a hero?" Izuku waffles his brows. "Dont answer that, it's rhetorical. Your answer is of course, to surpass All Might. Not to protect the public, not to protect your community."
The crowd murmured, analysing what he said.
Endeavor narrowed his eyes, realizing his publicity might be at stake. "Of course I do it for my family. I -"
"You needed me to talk to young Todoroki into using his quirk so he could surpass All Might." The vigilante's voice was deadpan, no humor survived. "In fact, I think this is what you said to me earlier today.
"I wish for you to convince Shouto to use the gift I've bestowed upon him. He cannot do well in this festival on his childish rebellion."
Endeavor paled. What was all this! They're trying to make him the evil one.
"As you can see, Endeavor, abusing your family is not grounds for being a hero for you family. No, Endeavor, you're nothing more than a popularized villain." Izuku's voice was toxic to the point where Endeavor could feel the hatred.
Before Endeavor could even speak up, he felt a can hit him on the chest. More cans followed. Garbage piled up at his feet, and he heard nothing but booing around him.
"Endeavor."
He turned to find nothing but air as he felt his knees buckle involuntarily. He whipped his head to his knees, and felt his arms go numb. He noticed his flames died out, and his arms limply hanging to the sides. He didn't even have a chance to turn his head before he found himself on the ground.
He watched as a pair of feet grow closer to him, and watched as an angry Quirkless kneel next to him.
"I don't know if you were aware of this, Enji." Endeavor shook, this new feeling overtaking him. "But if you actually kept up with what we vigilantes did, you would be aware that I despise people like you. His voice rose in volume, projecting to ten entire arena. "I can not stand heroes that use their abilities for selfish means. To use others as wrenches in a toolkit is one of the worst things any hero could do."
He kicked the pro hero. "Raping your wife and Locking her away, on top of making your children's lives a living hell is what does it for me." He.picked up the pro hero, and slammed him into the ground. "Endeavor, you're done."
Endeavor groaned, unable to do much more. He didn't show it, but he was scared for his future, and for once, where his children would live. His thoughts were short lived when he heard the young vigilante speak. "Endeavor, any last words before We take you away?"
The used to be hero stayed silent, completely at a loss for words.
Izuku nodded. "Nao, take him away."
As Tsukauchi whisked the brute to the station, Izuku looked towards the student box, where he saw Todoroki crying. He'll have a word with him soon. He smiled.
Speaking up, he addressed the arena. "Have a great lunch break, and we'll see you all in thirty minutes!" He walked out of the field, leaving the arena in silence.
