Chapter 10
Todoroki tossed away his sandwich wrapper, making his way to the stadium again. As he thought about the last match, he couldn't help but wonder about Oliver.
"I had to work harder than anyone to get to where I am! You walk over everyone you deem unworthy, but we all had to get here from someone else's missed chance, someone else's failures and mistakes!"
"Rowe..." Todoroki muttered. "What's your story?"
As he walked through the halls, he thought back to the battle with Midoriya. How despite hating his father for how he grew up, how he had treated the family, the words that he was proud of him still felt good to him.
"What's wrong with me?" Todoroki thought. "I shouldn't have felt like that..."
"Young Todoroki!"
The two toned boy looked up to see All Might standing near the hallway, a mysterious wisp of smoke disappearing around his feet. "Hi, sir."
"Hello to you too! We still have two hours before your match! Perhaps you'd like to check on young Rowe?" the No. 1 Hero asked, giving a thumbs up
"Yeah, if that's OK with him. I saw how beat up he was and was wondering if he'd be up for visitors," Todoroki explained.
"I see. He's in the nurses's office. He should be in stable condition now thanks to the efforts of our Recovery Girl. I heard that his injuries weren't as bad as Midoriya's when it came to fighting you, so I have high hopes he'll pull through in time for your match," All Might reassured.
"That's good to hear," Todoroki said, though he sounded anything but glad. "I have to go."
"Good luck!" All Might said. "Now, to speed off to lunch like I've been starving for a month!" As All Might raced off, Todoroki just scratched the back of his head, thinking quietly to himself.
"Was he holding back? Why is there so many sides to him?" he thought. "What is your game here?"
Oliver lay in bed, his body healed up rather nicely as Recovery Girl double checked the cast on his right arm. He no longer felt most of the pain from earlier, the burns and cuts now minor marks on his skin. They would be gone soon enough, and his wrist would be nearly completely healed when the two hours was up.
"You know, I'm still amazed at how well you work...I feel like brand new," Oliver said.
"Don't try to charm your way out of a talking to with a compliment!" Recovery Girl scolded, while Oliver felt a drop of sweat go down his head. "But...I meant it..."
"Excuse me."
Oliver froze when he heard that voice. Turning around, he saw the Flaming Hero: Endeavor himself. "Mind if I have a few moments alone with the boy?" the man asked sternly.
"As long as you don't overexert him any more than he already has, and don't even think of scaring him off from his final match!" Recovery Girl said as she walked out of the room.
Endeavor sighed. "That lady hasn't changed one bit over the years..." he said before looking to the American transfer student. Squeaking nervously, Oliver desperately tried not to lose control of his bodily functions right then and there.
"So you're my son's next opponent," Endeavor said. "You don't look like much, but you managed to outsmart that loudmouthed brat of a student earlier. Impressive, I must admit."
"Where's he going with this?" Oliver thought, a bit wary of the scary looking pro hero.
"You've seen the match between Midoriya and my son, have you not? You noticed how Midoriya fights, how he managed to spur the fires in my son," Endeavor continued. "I see a lot of you in that green haired mystery."
"W-what're you talking about?" Oliver asked.
"My son's flames. That match was the first time he's used them, then he went up against that pitiful excuse of a student, Ingenium's brother," Endeavor said. Oliver stifled his anger at insulting Iida, since Endeavor had more to say. "He never used the ice on that match. I've never been so disappointed."
Oliver found it hard to like this man, especially with how arrogant he sounded. "He's always been a difficult child. He refuses to accept that power of his, to accept the destiny I created for him. He believes the ice he inherited from his mother is enough to surpass All Might."
"All Might?" Oliver asked.
"My son is to become stronger. To be the best hero around, to overthrow the Symbol of Peace and bring pride to the Todoroki name!" Endeavor explained. "But he's in a rebellious phase right now, and believes I'm the worst figure in his life. Me! His own father!"
"I don't blame him..." Oliver thought. "What does this have to do with me, sir?"
"I want you to do what that Midoriya boy did. Bring out the flames in his soul, and prove to him that the power he inherited from me is his destiny!" Endeavor ordered. "Prove to him how hopeless it is to fight the greatness I gave him!"
"It's yours. Your quirk, not his," Oliver said.
"Hmm?" Endeavor asked. "What did you say?"
"That's what Midoriya said before the fire came out. That the power he inherited from you doesn't belong to you. It belongs to him," Oliver said. "You still don't get it, do you? The fire he has comes from within him, not you."
"You implying something boy?" Endeavor growled, the flames on his body growing and licking closely to Oliver. Oliver gulped but didn't back down.
"Todoroki doesn't belong to you. He fought in this festival to prove he doesn't need you," Oliver said. "You might be his dad. But you aren't his owner."
"You..." Endeavor said before sighing and turning around. He had a calmer expression on his face, which didn't change much given that he seemed to always have a scowl. "I see you won't listen to reason. I suppose it was a fool's wish to believe you would understand."
"Sorry to disappoint you, sir," Oliver said, his voice a bit peeved. Endeavor left the room in a huff, and Oliver let out the biggest sigh of relief he'd ever released.
"Hey."
"AAAA!" Oliver screamed as Todoroki walked into the room, his ever so calm expression not changing once Oliver calmed down, hand on his chest to catch his breath. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. How're you feeling?"
"I'm OK. I'll be right as rain when we fight," Oliver said.
"Right as rain? I don't understand," Todoroki said.
"It means I'll be OK," Oliver explained. "So, any reasons why you wanted to come over?"
"I heard what you said to my old man," Todoroki said. "Did you mean every word?"
Oliver's nervous expression fell to one of seriousness. "I did. No father should treat their son so harshly," he said.
There was silence between the two. At first, Oliver was concerned that he may have crossed some sort of line with Todoroki until he spoke up.
"How did you find out? Did Midoriya tell you?" Oliver asked.
"Actually...I figured it out on my own. When your dad started screaming into the arena. Seriously, 'the destiny he created you for'? What kind of loving dad says that?" Oliver asked, throwing up an arm in exasperation.
"So...you get it?" Todoroki asked, a bit more fiercely. "How my dad is. The expectations he's burdened me with."
"I...uhh..." Oliver said before looking down. "No. I just know what it's like to be abused..."
Todoroki blinked, out of surprise, curiosity, or neither, he'd never know. "By who?" he found himself asking.
"My parents...everyone around me..." Oliver said.
"Why?" Todoroki asked.
"...I don't know. A lot of people called me a criminal because of my quirk. Others said I was a wimp or a loser...and my parents just didn't want me," Oliver said. "At least you got stronger from your past."
Todoroki sighed. "So did you," he said. Oliver blinked and looked over at his classmate in confusion. "You transferred to U.A. and survived a villain attack. And look how high up you are in the sports festival. You got stronger from your past too..."
Oliver blushed and looked down. "T-thanks..."
"No, thank you," Todoroki said. "Thanks to you and Midoriya, I have a lot to think about." As he got up, he made his way for the door before Oliver called out to him again.
"Wait, Todoroki. Umm...I wanted to say sorry about the first event," Oliver said.
"Hmm? Why?" Todoroki said, confused.
"When I...switched places with your jacket, we both fell over and rolled across the finish line. I didn't mean to hurt you then...or get you caught up in the fanart..." Oliver said.
"Don't worry about it. It ensured me second place in that race," Todoroki said, waving a hand. "I'll see you in a few hours. Get healed up so we can fight."
"Yeah..." Oliver said.
"Oh, and one more thing," Todoroki said. "Thanks for winning. I really didn't wanna have to deal with Bakugo in the final battle."
Oliver paled. "Thanks for reminding me..." he groaned. "Though I doubt you'd be any easier to fight."
Todoroki left the room, a hint of a smile on his face as he closed the door.
Two hours later, the arena was fully repaired, and Oliver's wrist was in moveable condition again, though it still pained him to use it after so soon.
"WELCOME BACK TO THE FINAL MATCHUP OF THE SPORTS FESTIVAL! IN ONE SIDE, WE HAVE SHOTO TODOROKI FROM THE HERO COURSE!" Present Mic shouted into the mic, as the audience went wild. "AND ON THE OTHER, WE HAVE THE AMERICAN TRANSFER FROM THE SAME COURSE!"
Oliver sighed, choosing to ignore the callout and focused on Todoroki. "Now that he's grown into using his fire, he'll make it harder for me to get close," he thought. "I'm at a disadvantage. I won't be able to flash forward with my quirk. He'll probably try going after my shoes to pin me and prevent me from using them."
"BEGIN!" Midnight announced.
Todoroki moved fast, his right foot sprouting massive tendrils of ice that rapidly closed in on Oliver. Oliver dodged and weaved, rushing towards Todoroki while slowly having less and less room to move.
"Come on!" Oliver cried as he squeezed through the crack that two ice structures were making. And by some miracle, he managed to leap out just as all the ice crashed together behind him. Landing in front of the ice, he dashed for Todoroki, in an attempt to catch him in close combat before he could create more ice.
Too late.
Another wave of ice blasted into Oliver, who slammed into it and flopped to the ground.
"Todoroki isn't pulling any punches with his ice," Midoriya said. "Still, he isn't using his fire."
"Maybe he's still worn out from that fight with you?" Uraraka asked. "And he did use a lot of ice on Iida."
"Yeah, but there was lots of time to recover after the match between Oliver and Kacchan. I think something else is wrong," Midoriya said as he scratched his chin with his good hand, albeit with some difficulty.
Oliver jumped over the ice wall Todoroki made, jumping to the side as another spire of ice shot towards him, intent on impaling him. As he slid to the ground and recovered, he got a kick to the gut, forcing Oliver down as Todoroki rushed up.
"LOOKS LIKE TODOROKI IS GOING TOWARDS SOME CLOSE RANGE TECHNIQUES AGAINST ROWE! BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH?!" Present Mic yelled.
Oliver rolled to his feet, and dodged a pike of ice out of the ground, jumping towards Todoroki and kicking him hard. Todoroki managed to bring up his left arm, covered in ice as a sort of shield, but it still managed to send him back a few steps.
Oliver pressed his advantage and punched him in his exposed stomach, forcing Todoroki back further. Swinging the ice covered arm, Todoroki smashed the ice against Oliver's face while recovering from the blow.
"Ouch!" Ashido sympathetically groaned.
"He'll get a bruise from that for sure," Shoji said.
"Todoroki's up to something," Yaoyorozu said. "But maybe so is Oliver."
"Well we won't know until something big happens," Asui said. "Ribbit."
Oliver leapt to his feet, ignoring the sore feeling on his face, rushing forward again. This time, he made a beeline for Todoroki's left side, intent on avoiding his right.
"You're going for my fire?" Todoroki said. "You're insane!"
"You haven't used it! Why not?" Oliver asked as he swept his foot, Todoroki jumping over with ease as he swiped his icy arm at him. "If you plan on winning with just ice, then I'll exploit that!"
"Do you think it's so easy?!" Todoroki said, his left side steaming, but not igniting. Either his emotions had a handle on his quirk, or he really did plan on using it. "My father will only be the winner if I use it!" As he said this, Todoroki's right arm formed several shards of ice before shooting them out at Oliver.
"That's if you let him!" Oliver yelled, blocking a blast of freezing ice with his arm. "He doesn't control your fire! You do!"
He rushed forward and blasted Todoroki with a swift kick to his face, sending him stumbling. Recovering immediately, his hand encased with ice and generating morel
"That's what Midoriya said! And my father ignored it! He still sees me as his! His successor! His creation! His property!" Todoroki growled, sending wave after wave of ice with each statement. Oliver was getting bombarded in ice blasts, mist flying rapidly with force, and the crowd was getting enraptured in the display.
When Todoroki stopped, he released a sigh as he looked in front of him. The arena was covered in a large icy mist several meters high. If Oliver was still conscious, he would be unable to move.
"Then prove him wrong!"
Todoroki flinched as he saw Oliver stumble out. His clothes were covered in frost and his face was freezing pale. But more importantly, his shoes were gone. He held his left shoe in his left hand while the right shoe was nowhere to be seen. His socks were partly shredded, and his bare feet were visible.
"He must've used his quirk at the last second, used the ice as a cover," Todoroki thought. "I put a lot into that attack, and I can't do much more. If he gets close I'm done."
"This is the sports festival. Do you really wanna lose because you were too scared to use your other side?" Oliver asked, teeth chattering, but still challenging.
"Scared? You don't get it! I'm rebelling against him! Against what he's done! Midoriya may be right about it being my quirk, but it's my quirk that got me into this mess!" Todoroki shot back. "No matter if I use it or not, it will never undo everything that's happened to my family!"
"Then prove you mean that!" Oliver said, running forward, slipping on the ice, but still gaining speed. "Use that fire of yours on your terms! Win for you, not for him!"
Midoriya watched as Oliver rushed for Todoroki, who seemed to be exhausted. "Does Oliver have him?"
"I dunno, all I see is frozen feet," Mineta said. "Man that's gotta hurt..."
Todoroki growled, his right side hissing with ice. "Don't you dare tell me like you know the answer! It isn't so simple!" he said, raising his hand.
"Then make it simple! What's holding you back?!" Oliver asked. "Your dad?"
Todoroki's anger only grew, his left eye seemingly glowing an orange hue. "Shut up."
"Is it your abuse? Or something...or someone else?" Oliver asked, arm raised to throw a punch.
"Shut up!" Todoroki yelled, and for a moment, he saw a pair of eyes, wide and horrified before hearing a scream. Then everything went blank, all except for a silver kettle and lots of steam.
Before he could even blink, the entire arena exploded in uncontrollable flames. A massive blast of fire and wind sent everyone careening back as the arena vanished in thick gray smoke.
As the smoke cleared, Todoroki opened his eyes to see that his entire left side was completely smoking. His face was flushed, and he was exhausted. "What happened? All I saw was my mother and I think I...did something," he thought.
"Oliver Rowe is unable to continue! Todoroki wins!" a very singed and dazed Midnight announced, as the crowds cheered and roared. Todoroki looked up to see Oliver lying on the ground, his body smoking and his P.E. clothes shredded.
Todoroki couldn't find it in himself to be happy. All he could do was look down at his left hand, still steaming harmlessly from his fingers.
"We will take a short interval to repair the stage and ready the end ceremony!" Midnight said. "Stay tuned!"
- 20 minutes later -
"Someone explain why this keeps happening?" Oliver groaned. He was once again lying on the bed. He had severe burns on his body with his feet having lots of frostbite, and it took a bit of time to heal those wounds, but thankfully Recovery Girl managed.
"Sorry," Todoroki said. "I lost it and..."
"I'm not mad...it's just the third...fourth? No, third time I've been here," Oliver said.
"Don't I know it!" Recovery Girl said, steam erupting out of her nostrils. "You're worse than Midoriya!"
"I didn't mean to get myself hurt so bad..." Oliver said. "I honestly didn't see the fire coming from you."
"I doubt I gave you enough warning anyway," Todoroki said, getting a sigh from Oliver. "You know, I owe you and Midoriya."
"Hmm? Why?" Oliver asked as he sat up in bed.
"For making me think. I feel like I've been going about this all wrong," Todoroki said softly.
"What do you mean?" Oliver asked curiously.
"I mean how I've been choosing to use my flames. When you said those things, I saw...my old memories. My family when I was growing up. My father and mother," Todoroki explained.
"Your mom...she wasn't at all like your dad, was she?" Oliver asked.
"No. She's where my ice came from," Todoroki said. "And...well..." He grew increasingly uncomfortable with this when Oliver held up an aching hand to the other student.
"I won't push for details. But it's nice seeing you open up. Makes you seem less cold," Oliver said.
Looking curiously to Oliver, he sighed. "Yeah, I guess I have been a bit reserved," he said.
"Listen, uhh...I'm kinda happy all this came out. I feel better knowing I helped you," Oliver said.
"Yeah. I get that," Todoroki said. "Thanks."
"As heartwarming as this is, may I continue with the healing?" the nurse said on the sidelines. Judging by how calm Todoroki was, either she knew from the get go or he didn't mind that she knew.
"Sure," Todoroki said before heading out. Oliver let out a sigh before leaning back, awaiting the incoming pain and awkwardness.
- an hour later -
The stadium roared as the students who participated in the sports festival waited below with Midnight. "The first year students have completed the events for this year's U.A. Sports Festival! Now it's time to relax and enjoy the awards ceremony!" the R-Rated Hero said as steam rose out of the ground as the large podiums ascended, the cheers only growing in volume.
First to show up out of the steam was an irate Bakugo in third place, a nervous Oliver in second, and a quiet Todoroki in first. "Now, let's break out the hardware! There's only one person worthy of distributing the bonds!" Midnight said.
A loud and familiar laugh filled the air, and the stadium cheered. "I am here with the medals!" All Might laughed as he jumped down to the podiums.
"The number one hero, All Might!" Midnight announced at the same time. "Oop-I ruined that didn't I?"
As the classes all laughed amongst themselves, Midnight handed the medals to All Might, who took them to the winners of the sports festival. First was Bakugo with the bronze 3rd place medal.
"You may not have won first place at the Sports Festival, but third place is still very impressive in its own right. You were indeed very skilled and very powerful," All Might said. "Young Bakugo, you are extremely talented, but this also means you have much to learn when it comes to being a hero. So accept this medal as a reminder that while you are strong, you must always strive to be stronger."
Bakugo surprisingly didn't argue. He took the medal with one hand before All Might could put it on him, staring at the bronze shine distastefully. "Yeah," he said.
He was unpleasantly surprised when All Might hugged him. "Always remember how far you've come from where you started. Coming third place in the festival is a sign of strength and perseverance," he said. "I'm proud of you."
"GET OFF ME!" Bakugo yelled, struggling in All Might's hug. The No. 1 Pro Hero unexpectedly backed off, hands up in a placating manner. The rest of the stadium groaned at the volatile behavior shown before them once again.
"Now. Young Rowe," All Might said, moving onto second place. "You have shown incredible agility and creativity with your quirk. But remember that it might not always be safe to use. You must learn to utilize it in a manner that will be safe to civilians. After all, a hero protects the people."
Oliver looked down. "Yes sir...I'm sorry..."
"Now, now, don't look so down," All Might reassured. "Use this as a learning experience. Despite all the shortcomings and mistakes made, remember that you are still a student of U.A.. And U.A. is always proud of its students."
Oliver nodded, wiping his eyes as All Might held out the silver medal, gently placing it around his neck and hugging him. Oliver would've hugged back were it not for the fact they were still live on television, and that it was the almighty Number 1 Hero hugging him.
"Now. Shoto Todoroki. Congratulations," All Might said proudly, stepping up to first place. "You have won this year's sports festival. How does it feel?"
"Unfulfilling. During the fights, I've had to do some thinking..." Todoroki said, All Might looking curiously at him. "This is the first time I've really had to go all out. It makes me wonder...what else I can do. What I should do."
"Ah. We all wonder about that from time to time. It's important to remember what drives us. Why we are here in the first place. It's what makes us human after all. Why do you want to be here, young Todoroki?" All Might asked.
Without hesitation, Todoroki looked up. "To become a hero."
"And considering what you're thinking about now. What does it mean to be a hero?" All Might asked.
"I...I don't really know. Midoriya and Oliver opened my eyes," Todoroki said. "I started to doubt myself, and I can't really say I know for sure. I wanted to be a hero like you are, but...I'm not so certain my path is as clear as I thought it was."
"I see. I won't ask for details but..." All Might hugged Todoroki, patting him on the back. "Trust yourself and your instincts. I'm certain you'll work things out."
Todoroki nodded as All Might stepped back to drape the first place medal around Todoroki's neck. The crowd went wild as the pro hero stepped back to give a clear shot at the podium. "And here are your winners for the sports festival!" he announced. "But listen closely, any one of you first years could have been standing on these podiums! Think about what you've done today. You've learned, grown, challenged each other and got even closer to becoming pros! I think this generation of heroes is proving to be our most promising one yet!"
All Might lifted a finger. "Now, I have one last thing to say! I want everyone to yell it with me! You know what it is!"
"PLUS ULTRA!" the stadium roared.
"Thank you everyone for your hard work!" All Might boomed.
The entire world erupted into boos and jeers as the perfect opportunity for All Might's catchphrase was ruined. Meanwhile, Oliver only laughed nervously.
"Hey..." Bakugo growled. "You'd better watch your back, Spotlight! I'll beat you yet! And Icy Hot too!"
Midoriya sighed tiredly as Oliver gulped nervously. Todoroki just ignored him.
A few hours later, it was close to sunset, and everyone was back in their school uniforms. "Nice work. You all have the next two days off from school to recuperate," Mr. Aizawa said. "I'm sure the pros watching at the festival will wanna recruit some of you. We'll look over the draft forms and update you when you return. Get some rest, you still have a lot of training."
"Yes, sir!" the class said. As they all headed home, Oliver walked out the door with Midoriya.
"Hey, where's Iida?" Oliver asked. "I don't think I saw him at the end of the festival."
"He had to leave for a family emergency. He said sorry he missed the ending and congratulations for getting second place," Midoriya said.
"I see. Thanks," Oliver said tiredly. "Man, this was such a rough day..."
"Tell me about it," Midoriya mumbled. As Oliver walked with Midoriya saw Yaoyorozu walking out of the room, and he looked back to Midoriya. "T-talk to you later?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, see you in two days!" Midoriya said before walking off. Oliver made his way to Yaoyorozu, clearing his throat.
"Hmm? Oh, hi Oliver," Yaoyorozu said. "If you still wanna talk about earlier, sorry but-"
Oliver sighed. "No it isn't that, Yaomomo," he said. "Look...do you wanna...have dinner with me or something?"
"Huh, a-are you asking me out?" Yaoyorozu asked, a pink tint on her cheeks. Oliver went red as the words sank in, and he coughed.
"Honestly, I just wanted to...hang out," Oliver said. "Sorry if you're busy or something I just..."
"No, I was just surprised. Never thought you'd be the kind to ask that with a straight face," Yaoyorozu said.
Oliver looked down. "Guess I'm working around my shyness. Trying to anyway. Anyways...I was hoping I could cook something big, a celebratory dinner? And I doubt anyone would be interested enough to hang out at my place so..."
"You wanted to ask me?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"You did like what I made last time I shared with you," Oliver said. "I was kinda hoping...I'd be able to cook for you again?"
The ponytailed rich girl thought about the offer. "I'd really like to but...I still have to get a lot of things done at home," she said. "Sorry."
"Well...that makes sense. Sorry for bothering you," Oliver said, a little bummed out before he turned back to leave the school. Yaoyorozu looked down, a bit guilty but otherwise content with her decision.
Oliver made his way back to his small apartment, before flipping the lights on. Throwing off his jacket, he stretched his arms as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt. As he began to prepare dinner for the night, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
Pulling it out, he smiled before opening it and accepting the call. "Hey, uncle."
(AN: That's it for this arc. It'll be a while before the Stain Arc is published, but that comes next. Story will be completed for now, until the next chapter is published)