"Excuse me, could I have a word with you in private?" Izuku asked the taller teen. The other kept a neutral expression, studying him, before giving a brief nod and heading back out the door.
They walked down the hall away from prying ears and came to a stop a good distance away from the other students. The bi-colored boy leaned against one side of the hallway while Izuku leaned against the other.
Todoroki was still sporting ice on his left side except for his head. The Support student could finally see he had two different hair colors split down the middle, white on the right and red on the left. He also had a scar covering the top portion of the left side of his face.
Quirk accident, possibly?
"Before I bring up what I wanted to talk about," Izuku began. "I have to ask…is that comfortable?" He gestured towards the ice.
Todoroki shrugged. "I run warmer on my left side so it doesn't bother me."
His casual response confirmed the Support student's theory that there were two sides of the other boy's Quirk. Ice and, maybe, fire? Izuku's mind raced, thinking through all the Fire Quirks he knew as well as any connection to the name Todoroki. He was sure he knew that family name from somewhere.
"Wasn't there something else you wanted to ask?" the taller boy asked, when the Support student got lost in thought for a bit too long. "If not, I'd rather go and observe the other battles."
Izuku forced himself out of his head and looked into the other boy's eyes. One eye grey, under white hair, and the other blue, under red hair and surrounding by rough red scarred skin. The blue one's color seemed familiar.
"Are you related to Endeavor?" the Support student blurted out suddenly. Apparently a very wrong move because the other boy glared at him. "I-I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong?"
"Is that all you wanted to ask?" Todoroki spat. "If so, we are done here."
"N-no! It isn't!" Izuku replied quickly. He opened up his notebook to the section on Todoroki. "I had a question about your Quirk. I wanted to ask why you focused on your ice."
"How is that any of your business?" the taller boy hissed.
Ok, there was definitely a history with this. He really hoped the scar didn't play a part in that history.
"It is my business when it effects your well-being," the greenette shot back. "My job here is to analyze your Quirks. Which means I look for any side effects that could be harmful, to you or others. You froze an entire building! While the others were distracted by the magnitude of your attack, I noticed the beginnings of frost build-up on your right side."
He noticed that small of a detail after a less than a minute of seeing my Quirk? Todoroki thought. There had been some frost build up but a quick use of his left side after the battle ended fixed it easily. What else could the other boy notice? If this pattern continued, what else would the other boy figure out as time passed?
"Frostbite is no joke. Though I guess you would know that growing up with an Ice Quirk," Izuku continued. "However, and I'm only guessing here, I believe your body has a natural way to counterbalance that."
"…how so?" the bi-color teen inquired hesitantly.
"A lot of Quirks have some kind of physical trait that represents an aspect of the Quirk," the Support student explained. "From the way your hair and eye colors are different on either side of your body, I can guess that there is a different side of your Quirk directed through either the right or the left. Since you used ice on your right, said that your left side tends to runs warmer, and managed to free the other team from your ice, I would theorize your left possibly could channel fire since your father also emits fire."
Todoroki was shocked at the detailed breakdown of his Quirk that came from a brief observation and a few questions. Did this boy have some kind of Analysis Quirk?
"If I'm right and you do have the ability to use ice and fire, then to keep equilibrium within your body, you would need to use both sides equally," Izuku continued, writing down his thoughts as he spoke. Then he stopped, looking up at the other. "However, you only used your ice. Why is that?"
"I don't see how any of this is your business," the bi-color teen retorted.
"If you don't use both sides of your Quirk, the result could affect your abilities," the shorter boy countered. "You could be incapacitated in a fight if you overuse one side of your Quirk, then someone would have to save you. Or someone could die in a situation that calls for you to use all of your Quirk, not just your ice."
Todoroki scoffed, turning away from the other dismissively. "I refuse to use it."
"Todoroki-kun, if this continues, you could get seriously hurt!" The greenette's voice was filled with concerned.
"Why does it even matter to you?!" Todoroki snapped, causing the shorter teen to flinch.
"B-because if I had your power, I would use it, all of it, to help others," Izuku said, turning away slightly. His fists were balled up in frustration as tears started to well in his eyes. Not that the other could see that. "After all, you have twice the natural power than I could ever have. Yet you squander it for reasons I don't know. I would have given anything to have even half your power. You see…"
He turning back to the other boy, shifting the goggles to sit high on his forehead. Glistening green eyes connected with heterochromatic ones as Izuku looked at him with a sad smile on his face.
"…I'm Quirkless."
Todoroki just stood there, stunned.
"Please don't tell anyone else that, because I'd rather tell them on my own," the greenette requested, adjusting the goggles back over his eyes. "But think about what I said. In the meantime, if you still insist on using only your ice, at least let me make a Support Item to help with the side effects. I don't want you to get hurt."
With that the shorter boy went back into the observation room, leaving Todoroki alone with his thoughts.
...
The talk with Todoroki raised more questions for the Support student than it answered. What exactly could he do with his left side? Why was he so adamant about not using his full power? Did the scar on the left side of his face have something to do with it? Questions, questions, questions. Izuku hoped they would be answered with time.
The greenette entered the observation room and returned to his seat next to All Might. The Hero shot a concerned and questioning side glance at the boy but said nothing. Izuku was preparing a new page for the next round when Todoroki opened the door and joined the other students. Uraraka, who had wandered off to talk to her friends while he was out, made her way back over to him.
"Hey, Hiro-kun. What did you talk to Todoroki about?" she asked curiously.
"Oh, just something about his Quirk. Nothing to worry about," Izuku replied vaguely, smiling. He knew she was just being friendly, but he felt that whatever the reason was that made the ice user refuse to use his full Quirk was a private one. It wasn't his place to discuss it with other people.
"Heroes, Villains, your five minutes are up," All Might boomed. "Ready? BEGIN!"
Tokoyami and Asui VS Kirishima and Sero
The boy with the bird head, Tokoyami, and the frog girl, Asui, cautiously entered the building. From Tokoyami's stomach came a dark entity that must be the bird boy's Quirk which Uraraka informed Izuku was called Dark Shadow. The pair, plus Dark Shadow, quietly made their way through the first floor, checking each room they came across before moving onto the next floor.
When they made it to the fourth floor where the bomb was hidden, Tokoyami was immediately engaged by Kirishima who easily deflected the hits from Dark Shadow with his Hardening Quirk. Izuku took note that the bird headed teen seemed to be weaker at close range combat while Kirishima excelled at it.
Asui was left to deal with the other boy, Sero, who was shooting tape out of his elbows. During the planning period, he seemed to have had prepared tape traps around the room to defend the bomb. The girl's frog-like abilities helped her dodge the tape user for a while, but one poorly timed dodge got her caught in one of the traps. Sero quickly used his capture tape to take her out of the fight and then turned to help his partner.
In the beginning, it seemed that the battle could have gone either way. Both teams had strong close- and long-range attackers, but with the defeat of Asui, the winning team was clear. Kirishima kept attacking Tokoyami while hardening against Dark Shadow's hits until Sero used his tape to immobilize the remaining Hero.
"Villain team wins!" All Might declared. "Please return to the observation room for discussion."
The battling students returned and the discussion was held like the two previous fights. Izuku finished up his notes and prepared for the next round. Once again, All Might selected the next teams from the boxes. Team E was the Heroes and Team F was the Villains.
The students in question went to their respective prep areas as the five minutes began. The rest stood around exchanging small talk and predictions about the next match. Kirishima joined Izuku and Uraraka closer to the screens. The friends congratulated the red head on his win which he graciously accepted. All too soon, time was up and the next round began.
Aoyama and Ashido VS Satou and Kouda
The Villain team made an imposing pair from their large statures alone. The muscular teen, Satou, ate some sugar from a pouch which Kirishima told Izuku that the boy's Quirk converted sugar into energy which increased his strength. Satou stood confidently between the door of the room and the bomb. His partner on the other hand was another story.
The boy who had rock-like features, Kouda, looked nervous. When the Support student asked what his Quirk was, the answer was to communicate and command animals to do his bidding. With that knowledge, Izuku then understood the teen's nervousness. In an environment such as a building, there were likely no animals for him to use. Maybe a rat or something but for the most part animal free.
I wonder how he used his Quirk to pass the practical exam. Does it work on all animals? Or was there a difference between mammals verses reptiles? Does it only work on animals? Could he use it with insects as well?
Once the Hero team made it to the bomb room, the match didn't last long. The boy who could shoot a laser from his belly button, Aoyama, shot the door to the room open and the pink girl who produced acid, Ashido, confidently slid into the room. Satou and Kouda put up a good fight using just their strength and height advantage, but in the end it wasn't enough.
As the minutes passed, Izuku noticed that Satou's movements were getting slower and Kouda's limited confidence was dwindling. Using her acid, Ashido eventually trapped the Villain team in a corner while Aoyama proudly walked toward the bomb and touched it, securing the Hero team's victory.
They all returned to the observation room and the class reviewed the match. With four battles completed and only one pair of students who had yet to fight, it was time to figure out who would compete again for the redemption round.
"I'm sure you're wondering how we will choose who will have a chance to save face," All Might said, smiling brightly and standing proudly in front of the students. "We shall decide the fairest way possible among the students on losing teams who will face off as Villains against young Kaminari and young Jirou. It is a time-honored tradition for breaking ties and making tough decisions. To decided our redemption team…"
The students waited with baited breath.
"…it's time to play Janken!" All Might announced proudly.
...
Blog name: ja0-s-blank-canvas-fic
Notes extension: post/626547997865656320/chapter-17-1-a-battle-training-cold-shoulder