Apologies, but something tells me that this is going to come out later than I would like it to. After chapter six I crashed pretty hard(insomnia is not good when combined with stress and school) and thus didn't get my writing done yesterday. Each of these chapters really should only take one day, but I get lazy after writing 5000-7000 words and migraines constantly plague me so sometimes I stop to take a breather. I see that y'all are enjoying this mini-series, and I'm actually kind of sad that we're drawing to a close. It's been fun. More than I expected. The gunpowder plot was mentioned because I've had a lot of talk about history lately, then I drew parallels between Shattered and Guy Fawkes, so my brain went "why not?" and chapter six's ending was born. It may also be the fact that I watched V for Vendetta again recently. On a side note, if you like this style of writing go check out my other stories. I've put them all on hiatus for now, but I will be returning to them once chapter ten is done and this will be added to my rotation. Oh and before I forget, a reader on mentioned that I should write more dialogue. That's an intentional choice. The lack of words, so we're constantly in the action. Let's begin shall we?
While the only person besides him to know where he drew inspiration from with the usage of the Guy Fawkes masks was Mei, he still felt like a pretender, even as he removed the mask, top hat and cloak, feeling the eyes of all those present and even those watching from behind their screens follow his every move. While some of those in the audience had finished the start of his cheer, more out of reflex than anything else, he could see more than a few members whispering to each other. Most likely about the deranged kid who thought himself strong enough to win without a Quirk. He kept his face carefully blank, even as he walked back to class 1-A and met eyes with Mei along the way. Midoriya took a deep breath, calling up the long years of suppressing his emotions and looking at the world from a distance to fight whatever expression was threatening to break his composure(it was either a smile or a snarl, and he wasn't sure which one was better). As he walked past the other classes, whatever hostility he could feel from them(minus 1-B) earlier for being a student in the Hero Course seemed to have been alleviated. Much to his surprise, more than a few individuals from the other classes of UA reached out to pat him on the back, or wherever they could touch, almost like he had "redeemed" himself by proving to be a regular human being like the rest of them rather than thinking the world revolved around him like Bakugou did. There were even a few words of encouragement here and there, but as expected, everyone appeared to think that he would put up a good fight but said nothing about him succeeding. He allowed the briefest hint of a smile to cross his face as he slipped back into 1-A, ignoring the way his class parted around him to form a perfect circle of space with him at the center.
While he would particularly enjoy breaking the perceptions of the world that most of these hero students(because let's be honest, the Sports Festival was little more than an exhibition for UA to show off the Hero Course) had maintained from birth because of their powerful Quirks(although he did have to concede the point that some had obviously trained hard with their Quirks), the fact was that he still had to level the playing field. Despite stating that he wouldn't use any forms of support equipment, nor his Quirk, one of the two statements was a lie. Despite how far he had come, limiting himself to using One for All only in the event where the extra boost would help him stumble over the line between life and death and fight for another day, let it not be said that Midoriya Izuku was arrogant. He knew his limits, and had even surpassed them through sheer determination, but fighting against someone like Todoroki with nothing but his bare hands and a few contingency plans was equivalent to trying to put out a small fire before it could spread further with water balloons and a squirt gun. Not exactly impossible, but guaranteed to reward you with a few burns in the process. While he was fine with the deck stacked against him, that didn't mean that he was going to sit there and let them dance around him because he started off at a lower point. It just meant that he had to be more subtle about it. The Eagle Eyes 2.0 were already in use as Kayama-sensei announced the first part of the competition(obstacle course...almost perfect for him), one of them to tag the competition and the other to direct the people working for him so that they wouldn't get arrested. Mei had told him not to overexert the neuro-implant in case he managed to burn out his brain, but he would rather destroy himself than allow anyone to be captured because they wished to help him.
He felt something in his brain strain and the beginnings of a headache build as he cut the communications system of the police officers chasing a woman(thirty-four since three days ago, he found her pinned to the ground by two men while a third struggled to pull down his pants. Turns out busting someone's "manhood" was almost as easy as crushing the Sludge Villain's eye, only the latter was less disgusting), locking a previously unpowered door behind her as she escaped through an abandoned building. The constant switching of the cameras he was hacking into was almost seizure inducing, and three days ago it had caused a seizure that left Mei in tears and him wiping blood from his eyes. Thankfully, it looked like One for All was also accelerating his body's natural healing, or he would probably still be nursing a headache instead of building a new one. He made his way to the starting line, making sure that the people he had tagged with his left eye were in his field of vision as he made his way to the starting line. While the rest clamoured to start at the front, he stayed in the middle of the pack and ensured that the most discreet equipment that Mei had to offer were ready.
He wrapped the reinforced tape around his knuckles and made sure that the ends of the slipknots he tied would be easy to reach. Tapping his heels against the ground triggered the kinetic batteries, and the vibration of the energy they possessed started the adrenaline surge that came with a good fight. He hummed softly, crouching down into a sprinter's position. A glint of reflected sunlight caught his eye, and the telltale sign of frost building up on Todoroki's hand made him stand right back up, his mind screaming warnings while he tried to figure out the ice user's plan of attack. He would remove as much of the competition as possible right at the start, which meant an area attack. In order to catch as many people in one blast, he would need a large surface. And the most obvious choice, he thought while starting to push through the crowd, watching the obnoxious parody of a traffic light turn from red to yellow, is the ground beneath us . Just as the light turned to green, he paused for half a second before using the two unfortunate students beside him to boost himself into the air. The sounds of ice cracking as it spreads across the floor occurs just before he hits the ground, and he takes off with a short mental apology to the duo that he had used. Each step brings with it an extra kick that he knows will make his legs scream in agony, but the secondary kinetic blasts turn his steps into leaps. He ensured that they were at full capacity before starting the Sports Festival, so for the Obstacle Course, which was essentially a four kilometer run, they would last for about two thirds of it. Of course, it meant that Recovery Girl was going to kill him once she figured out the true extent of what he was willing to do to send a message, but that was a problem for the future version of him. Then there was his last resort(well, actually, his Quirk was his last resort) in the event that his speed still wasn't enough to level the playing field.
He used the trails of ice to increase the speed at which he could move, and while the lack of friction may have caused others to slip and fall, the gripping of the soles of his shoes were just enough for the ice to actually propel him forward as he kicked off the ground but stopped him from face planting when he took his next step. He faintly heard Yamada-sensei talk about something called a Robo Inferno, and watched as the robots from the Entrance Examination came into view. Midoriya grinned and readied the impact condensers. They started to heat up as he charged the next jump with ten times the kickback, and he said a brief prayer before putting his improvised plan into action. The next boosted jump briefly brought him back to the time when he leaped over the Nomu, and he latched onto the Zero Pointer's face before smashing its eye and climbing into the wiring. Knowing that he had precious seconds before someone(Nedzu) decided to send a drone in to catch him in the act of using a support item, a quick hack with the Eagle Eyes that made his brain scream in protest got the robot under his control and crossing a couple of wires gave him the ability to move it. He laughed with glee while amping up the speed of the robot so high that the information panels in it started flashing with warning signs. He dodged the pile of destroyed robots and ice, accelerating even further as he did so. When the ground ended in what looked like an endless drop that was getting closer every second, his smile briefly died before another idea crossed his mind. He sighed to himself while tying two wires together to make sure that it stayed at maximum speed. Grabbing a metal plate that had fallen due to the sudden increase in speed, he exited the Zero Pointer the same way he had entered it, and climbed onto the rapidly spinning head. Grimacing at the way the world was spinning, he waited for the familiar sensation of his stomach dropping due to the sudden change in height before jumping towards a rope with a 5x-impact kick.
Midoriya plummeted towards it and caught himself with one hand. Thankfully, the rope was elastic enough to absorb his momentum instead of shattering his arm and probably his spine if the desperate manoeuvre he had planned(redirecting the force by spinning around the rope) so instead of jerking up from the force of impact like he had envisioned, the rope started to bend. He winced as a bolt of pain lanced through his wrist and shoulder, but regained his composure fast enough to scream a battle cry as the only thing that kept him from falling into the abyss like his transport acted as a makeshift slingshot and sent him airborne once again. He had just enough time to angle himself so that he wouldn't just fall straight back down and he flew forward. Discreetly hacking into a camera to check on the progress of the other competitors, he hissed when it was clear that Todoroki and Bakugou were catching up. The pit was slowing the ice-wielder down, but Bakugou would soon overtake Todoroki if he managed to chain his explosions for flight long enough. He zoomed in on the next obstacle, and almost facepalmed in mid-air when he saw objects shaped like cartoonish landmines. Banishing the white noise from his ears that had gradually crawled up his spine and blocked out everything, he tuned back into the world just in time to hear Yamada-sensei scream about how the landmines wouldn't kill anyone, but were strong enough to definitely warrant a change of pants. He scoffed at the subtle hint to the blast force of the explosives, then tightened his grip on the metal plate before putting it underneath himself. He hoped that someone would catch him when it was all over.
With his track record, luck wasn't exactly something that was ever on his side. So, when he landed just on the edge of the minefield and they detonated under him, he almost cried. Once again, Midoriya was going through the air, now with an injury or two. He screamed once more, hunkering down so that he wouldn't get separated from his new mode of transport, watching the sky become earth and earth become sky over and over and over again until bile started rising up in his throat. He swallowed, gritted his teeth and forced down the rising surge of nausea along with his panic. His momentum started to slow down as he reached the last quarter of the minefield. Guess I have to roll the dice once more. He punched downwards and directed the remnants of his airtime to falling straight towards the biggest number of landmines that he could see. The impact rippled through his body, and Midoriya said a silent prayer to all the supernatural beings he could think of, hoping that none of his organs were too badly damaged. This time, with his improvised surfboard partially destroyed, he gets skipped across the ground instead of back up into the air like he was the first time. Good for speed, but with the end in sight and zero way to stop himself, Midoriya was on the fast route to death and destruction.
Like a giant stone being skipped across the surface of a lake, he somehow managed to bounce off the ground, with each impact jarring him right down to the bones. He was perhaps fifty meters from the finish line when he finally ran out of momentum. The final time he hit the ground removed any hope of using the metal plate ever again, for it had snapped clean in half. Midoriya scrambled to his feet with a gasp, and a quick check even as he started running again reported that he had about five percent of the kinetic batteries remaining. His eyes were streaming with tears and probably a hint of blood judging from the way every instinct was screaming for him to stop keeping the Eagle Eyes active as he rerouted all the power into a single boot. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up when he was probably five meters away from the finish line, and it didn't take a genius or a hacker with eyes everywhere to figure out that either Todoroki or Bakugou had almost caught up to him. It seemed that his stagger to the finish line had been too slow. Even as the smell of nitroglycerin filled the air and frost crept around his feet, he unravelled the bandages around his hands and flicked them. Each one wrapped around either side of the giant poles holding up an equally giant "FINISH" sign, and he tightened them to the point where his hands were losing feeling. A patch of ice appeared in front of the foot that was about to come down, and he grinned at the almost desperate attempt to stall him with the rules still in place. Midoriya tasted the too familiar taste of copper on his tongue and finally prepared to use the last kinetic kickback. Just to spite everyone watching who told themself that he wasn't going to make it, he slowed down just enough to allow the two other strongest members of his class Quirk-wise to get ahead as he winded up into a sprinting position facing away from the end and threw himself backwards.
Aizawa Shouta, resembling a typical horror movie mummy, fought to keep his eyes open and trained on the boy who was determined to make splashes as big as All Might did even without a Quirk to help him. The smile that grew on his face with each death-defying, reckless yet calculated stunt that Midoriya managed to pull off only widened. He was thankful that it was hidden under his bandages, or someone might have questioned why he was grinning like his student. Instead of taking the chance that his own speed would be enough to stop the two other teenagers vying with him for first place, he had already set up a plan. When the bandages started acting like his own capture weapon, Aizawa fought to keep the surprise he felt escaping him in a gasp.
The only two times Midoriya had seen his capture weapon in action was on the first day and during the USJ incident. So either the kid's abnormally powerful strength Quirk came with a photographic memory and the ability to copy other people's fighting styles(unlikely, considering it came from All Might and the blond's last two brain cells were struggling to keep him alive), or he had somehow managed to replicate the capture weapon Aizawa took months to learn and years to master in a matter of weeks. What made matters even more unbelievable, if Nedzu was to be trusted, was the fact that over the last two weeks, his new Problem Child had also been stirring up anarchy across the country while slipping away from trained professionals like a ghost. Judging from the way he had decided to grab the attention of the world, it appeared that the Principal's words were more than just the ramblings of a highly intelligent individual attempting to justify being outsmarted by someone with less intellect. On his mental list of "things that make Midoriya terrifying", he added another bullet point to the numerous ones that had been accumulated over the past three weeks. For someone who he had known for such little time, Aizawa possessed more information on the kid than he did on a few villains he used to analyse and track. Still, he wondered what last minute plan the green-haired demon would manage to pull off in order to win, without using his Quirk or support items.
He got his answer when the Problem Child crouched into a sprinter's start(and the fact that he was facing backwards drew more than a few laughs from Hizashi) before kicking off the ground with enough force to propel himself into the air(and more concerningly, a small crater where his back foot had been). At the same time, the camera drone Nedzu had dedicated only to watching Midoriya took in his bloodstained(what did he do?) grin and the way his knuckles turned white. Like he had done with the rope over The Fall, the boost stretched the bandages for a fraction of a second before the laws of physics came into play and slingshotted Midoriya across the finish line. Much to his amusement, the drone managed to capture a frame of the boy grinning like a loon as he winked at the camera while flying past his fellow competitors. He hit the ground running despite the fact that he had already cleared the end point, and the reason became clear to anyone watching when he stumbled and fell, throwing up pufts of dust and dirt as his momentum carried him across the ground. Bakugou and Todoroki finished before he even managed to get to one knee, and Aizawa had to resist the urge to go down and help the boy up. Still, as Hizashi announced Midoriya Izuku as the winner of the first event with a glint in his eyes that indicated pride and curiosity, the teenager in question finally managed to get to his feet. He swayed, and for a moment, looked like he was about to collapse.
There was silence as he continued to tremble, eyes closed, like a swift gust would knock him over. Aizawa watched with bated breath, mentally begging the boy to claim his hard fought place with the same amount of determination and presence that he had shown in his speech and in combat against the Nomu, eyes glowing a sickly green.
Those who had responded to Midoriya's cheer at the beginning watched their screens in silence, waiting for the person who had declared that he would do the impossible and actually carry it out to carve his way into history.
Shigaraki Tomura scraped at the back of his neck even as his Sensei hummed, sounding impressed. He only scratched harder when he realized the cheater had gotten Sensei's approval without even meeting the man.
Hero Killer Stain had paused when the words of Midoriya Izuku reached his ears, and sheathed his sword with a grin, climbing out of the alleyway that would have seen the end of the name of Ingenium in another world. He would allow the fakes to live a day longer. He had to celebrate the arrival of a Hero Student with the same ideology, the same conviction that he held. With any luck, he would see the child soon, and perhaps even extend an offer for an alliance to rip apart the hero system.
Bubaigawara Jin stared in awe alongside those who had been saved by this child, the bar silent for the first time in his memory. He dropped the glass he was cleaning onto the table. Midoriya, who burned brighter than the sun and fought like he was escaping Hell itself, was not speaking. And so they would wait for his words.
Eri, who had been allowed to watch the UA Sports Festival by a grunt who would be reduced to paste the next day when his deeds were brought to light, only had eyes for this green-haired teenager, with eyes that looked so similar to the ones she saw in the mirror. She placed a trembling hand on the screen. Was this what it looked like to fight against your curse and win?
Gran Torino let the cane in his hand fall to the floor with a clatter, taiyaki briefly forgotten. Toshinori had told him about his successor, a boy with determination in spades and the ability to back it up. Who had incredible control over his Quirk even though it ripped apart his body, with a mind sharp enough to keep up. This wasn't the young, well-meaning child that he had envisioned. No, this was an anarchist with a silver tongue and fire running through his veins. For a fraction of a moment, he saw Nana standing behind the kid, hands on her hips and a smile on her face. Blinking rapidly, he reached for the blank form he had asked for from the Public Safety Commission and looked around for a pen.
Midoriya Izuku raised a single finger to the sky, facing the silent crowd with a smile that threatened to rip his face apart. He roared in victory.
And across the world, those who would follow this child into hell roared alongside their Symbol.
Their Symbol of Freedom.
Mei almost tackled him when she finished the race as well(tenth place!), before grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him frantically. She leaned forward to ask about the damage he had done to his body without anyone noticing(hopefully all Jirou could pick up was how fast his heart was pounding), and he shrugged in response. He didn't exactly carry a bio-scanner, considering he would rather pretend that he didn't know the way his body was falling apart with every new card he pulled from up his sleeve instead of allowing others to realize that he was, indeed, breaking himself just to claw his way to the top. It would definitely be enough for the UA staff to either expel him or lock him up in a mental asylum. Probably force him to get therapy as well. Mei knocked him gently on the forehead, before pulling on her goggles and scanning him from head to toe. Her smile flickered and died, then she pulled off the goggles and ran a hand down her face, a mixture of exasperation and panic surfacing for the briefest moment. She gave him the report as quickly as she could, and he swallowed down his regrets at the list of injuries.
Hairline fractures in his legs, especially present in his left leg, most likely due to the recoil of his final lunge for victory. A few burst blood vessels in the eyes due to the stress of overusing the Eagle Eyes. Some fragments of metal lodged in his side due to the rather explosive way he had ended the race. Midoriya grimaced, testing out his limbs and starting to feel the sting of pain as the adrenaline rush from his high-stakes obstacle run died down. Feeling around for the sharp metal embedded into him, he quickly pinched whatever he could reach and pulled it out. After the third one, blood was starting to stain his gym uniform. A glance at the time told him that there was no way he could run to Recovery Girl and back before the next event started. Mei seemed to have formed the same conclusions, for she surreptitiously handed him a first-aid kit. Muttering his thanks, he proceeded to lift his shirt slightly so that he could stick a cloth bandage doused with a healthy amount of alcohol against the wound. It burned constantly after that, but it was a small price to pay to stop any infection or aggravation of the wound. Mei grabbed him by the hand, slipping two small objects into it as she did so. She only let go when they had inserted themselves into the middle of the crowd, and somehow the people around him hadn't noticed his presence just yet. Bending down under the pretense of tying his shoelaces, he ejected the spent kinetic batteries and replaced them with the fully charged ones that Mei had just given him. He palmed the original batteries, then bound them to his left palm with the roll of reinforced bandages. It would look like he was reapplying his original wrappings(he was, actually, but that was beside the point) but now he was able to put the first two batteries to further use.
Simply put, the way Mei had fashioned the power cells was that any form of movement(squeezing, shaking, impact) that affected them would be converted to energy. When activated, they would quickly funnel the built-up kinetic energy to whatever needed it, like his shoes(Mei wanted to call them Sonic Shoes. He refused to be compared to a video game character whose main catchphrase was "gotta go fast") which meant that they were essentially bombs ready to go off. At full charge, accidentally, or purposely, breaking the batteries would provide him with a small explosion enough to turn his hand into paste and whoever he was holding on to at that point of time. However, considering how long it took to charge the batteries(actually the first time they charged the power cells, Mei had hooked them up to an impact condenser and got him to punch it with bursts of One for All) by just swinging them around or squeezing them, he should be able to get it up to maybe five percent of their total capacity by the time the event started. Maybe ten to fifteen if he used the slightest trickle of One for All on them(risky, considering a single crack would cause the batteries to leak and enough damage could cause them to blow up before he wanted them to. In any case, it would give him a triple impact strike in the event that he needed more "oomph" to his blows to throw someone off guard. He started to squeeze the batteries as Kayama-sensei announced the next round. Cavalry Battle, three supports and one rider. Reminded him more of servants carrying a king, but that was probably just him. Each person got a headband based on their ranking in the race, which meant that he would get the one with the most number of points. Although, something told him that it wasn't as easy as he thought it was going to be. His point was proven when she announced how many points he had.
Ah... he blinked at the sheer number of eyes that had turned towards him, the amount of hostility directed at him would have reduced him to a quivering mess about four years ago. But right now? He curled his hands into fists, still making sure not to destroy the batteries cupped in his palm. He looked towards one of the cameras focused on him to record his expressions for the audience. Nedzu, are you laughing at me right now, I wonder? So this was a way to turn everyone left against him. Probably planned beforehand, considering the fact that Kayama-sensei didn't look very surprised by this unfortunate turn of events. Of course, it could also have been planned like this because Nedzu predicted what he was going to do. He allowed a small, confident smile to cross his face instead of the panic that everyone was most likely expecting from him. Internally, he was torn between burning with anger at how the odds had been stacked against him once again and laughing at the way the odds had been stacked against him once again . They wanted to isolate him? Break him? Ruin him on live television? Even as the other competitors began to walk away and form their own teams, Mei stood beside him. He asked her a silent question. She responded by pulling into a one-armed hug. If Nedzu was trying to make sure he failed, then he had already done his part in the grand scheme of things. Because Midoriya wasn't alone. Now he had Mei.
And Mei had weapons .
For some reason or another, Uraraka approached them and asked to join their team. Upon questioning, she admitted that her objective in the Sports Festival was to climb to the top at all costs. And despite the fact that they had a giant target on their backs with the ten million points, she believed that he would manage to pull off another miracle. He laughed, and after getting Mei's confirmation, handed her a pair of boots with jet thrusters attached to them. He gave her a few pointers on how to use them and left it to Mei to dump as many of her babies as she wanted on the brunette. Shinsou was already in charge of his own team, and the slack nature of their faces indicated that brainwashing was in use. Midoriya made a mental note to use the throwing picks taped to the inside of his sleeve just to stir up some chaos, then realized maximum carnage would come if he did it now. He pretended to swat a fly buzzing around him and managed to snap one of them out of their brainwashed state. Ojiro stumbled, bumping into the other two and breaking Shinsou's hold on them as well. He left them to start arguing after they figured out what the purple-haired Aizawa-sensei knock-off had done to them, and walked around to find the last member of their team, profiles for those that he knew at the forefront of his mind. Interestingly enough, class 1-B had separated into teams made out of heavy-hitters and teams largely based on support. It seemed like they actually had a concrete plan for working together. Unfortunately, that would mean that some would be sacrificed, especially the two-person teams. He searched for their leader even as he hunted for his last team member.
Mei provided all the firepower that they needed, Uraraka plus his shoes would give them more than enough mobility. A couple of fast-acting motion sickness pills would help alleviate the nausea she felt from using her Quirk on herself. What they needed now was a defense strategy. He walked around, noting the teams forming and the dynamics of each one. Bakugou's was filled with the only people who could tolerate him. Todoroki had picked his teammates based on their Quirks, Kaminari was probably going to be used as a single area attack(but that would only happen at the end, or they would be one man down) while Yaoyorozu could insulate them from the blast. Iida was fast, and he had a sneaking suspicion that the teenager had a secret weapon(considering his legs were engines, probably a sudden boost in speed from a surge of power). He paused when Tokoyami passed him, walking straight to where Asui was located. Weighing the pros and cons in his mind as quickly as he could, he took a leap of faith and reached out to stop the edgelord, extending an offer for the other teenager to join his team. The boy with the bird head seemed to judge him for a few moments, before saying something cryptic that boiled down to "I like your insanity and would rather watch your plans unfold than be on the receiving end of them." Midoriya nodded, thanking him while tugging him along by one sleeve back to Mei and Uraraka. The pinkette was currently showing off a pair of gauntlets, which he recognized as the counterpart to his shoes. When she noticed him walking back, with Tokoyami in tow, she grinned and tossed him the things he had requested she bring in case there was a team based event. He quickly equipped them before giving Uraraka a bottle of anti-nausea pills and asking her to take three. As he geared up, Midoriya began to explain the plan.
Uraraka and Tokoyami exchanged a look after hearing it, as if they were wondering what they had signed up for. Mei put the jetpack on and they got into position, with himself as the rider. Two minutes before every team would throw themselves in his general direction to take the ten million headband. He readied his weapons before asking Tokoyami a question about Dark Shadow. He answered, slightly confused. Midoriya smiled when the final part of his plan fell into place.
Once again, it was time to show them why th̸̤̞̤̠͗̾̈́̀̈́̈́̈́͗̃̌̕̕͘ę̴̢̨̰̭̪̝̪͕̲̹͔͙̞̇͑̎̈́̈̈́̏̐̊̐͑́̆͘̕y̷̡̨̬̱̫̬̤̓̅͜ ̷̖͓̱̳̯͎̟̐̑̐̊̂̉ͅs̶̖͓̦͐̉̍̍́̆̔̔̈͝͝ḣ̷̨͖͉͖͓̩͍̟͔̪͕̤̲̯̓̅̇̽͒̐̚o̸̼͇͖̭̩̪͙͇̦̝͔̞̍̔̃̃͒̏͘u̴̡̱̪̯̠͑̎̆̉̕l̶͖̙͈͈̖͎̘̬̅̔̎͜͝d̶͓͐n̶̢̟̪̐͊'̸̧͙͍̗̑̃̿̕ţ̷̧͕̟̞͔̅ ̷̧̛̙̙͓͇͗̊̊̆͐̔̐͆͠h̸̡̲̯̪̘͇͔̗̺̞̻͚̾͜͝a̷̯͇̣̭̠̥̖̫͋̒̉̋͒̈̕v̵̬̣̯͓̘̠̼̦̦̺̦͇̠̺̥̊̒̒͑͊̀̌̕͝ē̴̢̱̰͎͈̳̩͕͔̩̝͓̓̂͋̃̋̓̊̓̄̒͑̀̕ͅ ̶̪͚̞̱̖̹͎̑̅̈́͆̈́̕͝͝ͅm̴̢̳̭̺̯͉͎̗̰̦̟͚̻̜̊̈́ͅe̴̼͍͇͐̊̅͐̑́͒͛̄̕͝͝s̶̡̜̲̘̩̠̻̓̄̿̔̀͑͝s̶̛̳͂̋͋̃̓̓̐͌͑̉̓͘ȩ̶̫̟̱̘͉̻͈̰͉͍̥̏͌̈́͒̊͛̒̂͝d̸̼̃̈́̌ ̵̥͈̘͉̗̖͓̯̳̪̩̇͐͜ͅw̵̢͍̗̙͚͉̪̤͔̍̍̇̑̓i̴͔͊͑͌̽̂̚̕t̴̨̢̨͖̩̰͈͍̞̯̗̪̦̒̍͜ͅh̶̢̡͚̜̥̺̤̩͚͎̩̝̽͆̔͒͌͂̉̂͠ ̷̛͇̗̙̗͍̀̊̈̒͌͛͑̄̾͋̄̽h̷̨̧͚̝̺͈͔̤͔͇̦͍͓͍̭̓͌̽̈̒̉̔̆̿̽͗ǐ̷̟̞͕̥̳͉͇̪͕͑̏͑͊͐̚̚m̸̮̖̼̩̮̤̳̿͛͜.
Todoroki watched impassively as Midoriya grabbed the last member of his team, noting each and every invention that the pink-haired girl(his soul, according to what he had said on the way to the USJ) had pulled out of her backpack and the things that he himself had equipped. The bandages had been overlapped by a pair of fingerless gloves. He suspected that the shoes Midoriya wore had some form of augmentation to them considering the sheer speed he had managed to demonstrate during the first round. The green-haired teenager had also attached a metal stick to his side, something that looked alarmingly similar to a rifle was slung over his back and there were several canisters taking up space on his other side. Despite the team members he had picked in order to take the ten million points being perfect for the job, he still felt uncertain. His victory was almost certainly guaranteed with the powerful Quirks on his side and his main opponent's refusal to use his own to prove a point. He could understand the need to prove yourself, for he refused to use his fire because of that bastard. But render yourself Quirkless? That was equivalent to suicide. Those without power had no place in this world. He ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head that reminded him of how Midoriya had won the first challenge through sheer ingenuity alone.
Perhaps his apprehension was because of the unsettling smile on the other's face, one that had silenced their teacher and, if Asui was to be believed, stopped a villain from killing him. Maybe it was the unstable light in his eyes, the same light that he had seen in his mother's when she had given him his scar during the last time they had ever seen each other in person. Whatever it was, his instincts, honed from years of "training" and figuring out how to avoid the bastard, was telling him that he should tread carefully around Midoriya Izuku. Nevertheless, he quashed the rambling of his paranoia, telling his teammates to get ready. Midnight announces the start of the second round and immediately, the majority of the teams rush Team Midoriya. The ground softens under them and they begin to sink, but their leader still looks unruffled. He extends his hands, each one facing half of those ready to attack him. Todoroki hangs near the back, telling his teammates to watch for anyone trying to steal points in the chaos. Midoriya's eyes, already burning with insanity, flare and the smouldering fire in them turns into a blazing inferno.
They get propelled into the sky by the boots Uraraka is wearing and what appeared to be a jetpack on the pink-haired student from the Support Course. At the same time, filaments almost invisible if not for the glint of the sunlight reflecting off them shoot from Midoriya's gloves and tear headbands from their places. Reflexively, he throws up an ice wall to prevent the ones coming for his points from getting what they wanted. He forces down a momentary rush of panic at the realization that he wouldn't have been fast enough if he had been just a few meters closer. He directs his team to move around the wall and almost curses at the new situation that has unfolded.
Todoroki had expected Team Midoriya to focus solely on protecting the ten million headband, which would allow him to force the green-haired boy and his team into a corner and then snatch it at the last moment. He was wrong. According to the scoreboard and the things Present Mic were screaming, their class' "resident psychopath" had managed to snatch the headbands of all but three teams(himself, Bakugou, and someone called Monoma). After that, they had launched themselves into the sky, with a large contraption similar to a parachute along with what looked like Tokoyami's Quirk keeping them airborne. Unless any of them magically developed the ability to fly, Team Midoriya was out of reach. Of course, the Explosion Quirk user chose to launch himself into the air and away from his team, using the same technique he had demonstrated in the Obstacle Course to give himself a makeshift version of flight. He reached the halfway point between Team Midoriya and the ground before a crack rang out and his head snapped back. The brief moment of pause caused him to fall back down a few meters, and when he tried to close the distance he had lost, Bakugou was rewarded with another shot, this time to the neck. A glance at the large screen depicting the Cavalry Battle showed an intimidating, yet awe-inspiring sight.
Midoriya was practically covered with headbands, and for some reason one of his eyes was gold. Each one of his teammates held a gun(two revolvers for his partner, a sniper rifle for Tokoyami and...a machine gun for Uraraka). Their leader was holding the rifle-like contraption that had been on his back, but this close-up view of them revealed that it was more akin to a grenade launcher. The shots seemed to have come from the Support Course girl, who was reloading one of her guns. Midoriya looked up, finally noticing the camera. He winked, holding up a canister labelled with the universal sign for poison, a skull and crossbones. Almost mockingly, he chambered the canister and aimed downwards. The other more perceptive students had already begun to scatter, as did Todoroki's team while defending themselves from anyone trying to steal their points. Another crack rang out, and his attention was directed to the yellow cloud emanating from a shattered canister. Surprisingly, the teachers hadn't disqualified Team Midoriya(although Present Mic was screeching about chemical warfare), and he figured out why when Bakugou was caught in the rapidly expanding cloud of noxious fog.
The blond wrinkled his nose, then started gagging and screaming about the smell, forgetting that he had to stay in the air. His teammates proved to be his saving grace, with Sero pulling him out of the cloud and back to safety with the tape he produced from his elbows. Midnight declared Bakugou to still be in the game despite the fact that he had separated from his team because he hadn't touched the ground. She also declared(with no small amount of sadism), that Midoriya's actions were perfectly within the rules because he wasn't using a Quirk with malicious intent, and the weapons had been cleared before the Sports Festival. Bakugou's team began to cry out, yelling about the stink clinging to his body and Todoroki concluded that the gas was just that, bad smelling but ultimately harmless. Still, with it still expanding and Midoriya still possessing at least two other canisters, the green-haired teenager had asserted his dominance over the arena. Experimentally, he created several ice spikes, reinforcing them and sending them towards the team still hanging out in the sky. This time, a steady staccato of gunfire indicated that Uraraka was destroying his attempts to attack them before they could even get close. A resounding boom made him bring up another ice wall. It cracked from the force of what was most likely Tokoyami's sniper rifle. He indicated to his team that they should retreat and protect their points, still keeping an eye on the team firmly in first place. They would have to come down eventually.
And he would be ready for them.
Midoriya had already reloaded his grenade launcher, this time with a flashbang. His teammates were taking potshots at those below, Tokoyami and Mei dissuading them from attacking and Uraraka preventing any structures like Todoroki's ice spikes from forming. They would be able to stay in the air for a while longer, but the beginning of their descent to the ground would occur in the last two minutes of the Cavalry Battle. Honestly, they could probably stay in the air for the rest of the second round since their propulsion system only needed to be used in short bursts to ensure they wouldn't fall back to the ground. But what was the fun in that? He had already proven that fighting against the odds could be done without a Quirk, but he could cement that fact with a dramatic finale. He swapped around the headbands so that their numbers weren't visible and fired the flashbang to stun Bakugou in time for the other blond teenager(Monoma) to swoop in and steal the headbands. Some taunting ensued, and the usage of Bakugou's own Quirk against him was more amusing than anything else. Unfortunately, the Copy Quirk user had just managed to incur the wrath of his childhood tormentor, and they were soon locked in a battle as Bakugou took back the stolen headbands and went for more. The rest of the teams were dogpiling on Todoroki's team, and despite the small glaciers that were constantly summoned to defend him, it was clear that they were being overwhelmed. Carefully, he unholstered his sidearm and took aim at Kaminari. When the telltale sparks that indicated his Quirk was ready to be discharged began to show, Midoriya fired.
The gun he had used was a grappling hook. With a little tinkering, it was also able to be used as a cable. The other end of the weapon was already plugged in to Mei's jetpack, and he managed to siphon the electricity from Kaminari's indiscriminate attack and reduce the damage it dealt while recharging their propulsion system. Dropping the gun as it began smoking, he grinned at the look of shock on Todoroki's face as his opponents recovered quickly enough from the brief shock and some even managed to avoid the follow-up ice attack. A quick glance at the clock alerted him to the fact that there was about two minutes left. He notified his teammates and they collapsed and returned their weapons to Mei's backpack of wonders. Uraraka pounded her fists together, gauntlets active and declared that it was time to crush some skulls. Tokoyami declared that this was "a mad banquet of darkness" before recalling Dark Shadow. Mei holstered her six-shooters and yelled a battle cry, switching the jetpack so that it was now boosting them down. When they were almost about to hit the ground, he readied the bandolier of blunt throwing knives and started peppering anyone who was getting too close. It would look unheroic, but the most his targets would get were a couple of bruises, and he was more for practicality than anything else. Bakugou was still locked in combat with Monoma, and every time the Explosion Quirk user tried to disengage, the Copy Quirk user would snatch his headbands and continue the never ending cycle. Todoroki had managed to freeze his desperate opponents to the ground.
They locked eyes, two damaged individuals, one who raged against society and refused to bow while the other fought to step out of the shadow of his past. The Eagle Eyes alerted him to the way Iida's engines were rapidly heating up and he urgently requested for his teammates to let go of him. Thirty seconds till the end. As soon as Iida's mouth opened, most likely to shout his special move's name(another thing that made heroes so predictable), he pushed up and leapt .
Iida shot forward, his engines creaking under the strain of his Recipro Burst. Their team hurtled towards Midoriya's and for a brief moment, he believed that they had finally caught the teenager with all the plans off guard. His teammates' eyes widened with shock, and Tokoyami tried to use his Quirk to stop them, but to no avail. They closed Midoriya's team, Todoroki's hand outstretched to tear the headbands from their opponent's grasp…
Only to close on empty air when Midoriya did a backflip over their heads, even ripping the headbands that they had been protecting since the beginning of the game before landing back on his horse. Both he and Yaoyorozu exclaimed in shock, and they tried to turn around to get back their lost headbands. Unfortunately, Recipro Burst had already stalled his engines, and with Kaminari out of commission, they were unable to move. He apologized for failing the team, only stopping when Todoroki interrupted with a voice as cold as ice. They looked towards their rider, and he showed them the single headband that hadn't been torn. Iida praised his team member for his quick reflexes, but was quickly proven wrong.
The son of Endeavour revealed that Midoriya had intentionally left them with enough points to remain in the top four teams, pointing out how the only ones left with headbands were Bakugou's team, their team and Midoriya's team. Abruptly, Shinsou's team got some points, and they turned as one to see the purple-haired boy gaping in shock, staring at Midoriya. The green-haired boy gave him a thumbs up even as another team lunged for him, only for Uraraka to slam a fist into the ground and create a small crater. The unfortunate teenagers tripped due to the sudden change in terrain, but before the team could fall, the blond who had been locked in combat with Bakugou reached out and managed to skim a single headband. For a moment, it seemed like someone would finally be able to snag points from the untouchable teenager, only for Midoriya to lean backwards. The clock reached zero, and Present Mic announced the standings. Iida tuned him out, focused only on the way Midoriya had dismounted and was immediately tackled by Uraraka, his partner and Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. He laughed, congratulating them on a job well done before gently pushing them aside. Just like before, the camera zeroed in on him.
Midoriya Izuku smiled and just like before, raised his arm to point towards the sky. This time, without prompting, the crowd roared for him. Defeated, Iida lowered his head and wondered what his brother would think of him.
They had been utterly and totally destroyed. Mei latched on to him and refused to let go. While it wasn't something new, he gently broke her hug, citing the fact that Todoroki looked like he was about to march over and tell him something absolutely life changing. She pouted, but released him after pressing a kiss to his cheek(which he reciprocated) and darting off, shouting that she'd find him later. Soon enough, his prediction came true and Todoroki approached him with a request for a private talk. He nodded, following the teen into the building and to an empty corridor. Before the red-and-white teenager could speak, Midoriya stopped him in order to do a sweep of the surrounding area. He turned the corner to see Bakugou looking like he had been caught doing something wrong, and politely asked the eavesdropper to leave. The blond growled and spat a few curses, but eventually left. He returned and Todoroki offered his thanks. Midoriya waved it off, saying that Bakugou shouldn't have been there in the first place. The other teen grunted, before throwing out a question that left him blindsided for the first time in a while.
"Are you All Might's secret love child?" he immediately denied it, telling him that his father hadn't been around since he was diagnosed Quirklesss. Todoroki raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. Midoriya asked why he would say such a thing while turning on the recorder that he had convinced Mei to implant into his ear like a secondary eardrum. He wasn't disappointed.
Todoroki launched into a story of years of abuse, his siblings and mother living in fear of the Number Two Hero and how his mother had undergone a psychotic breakdown, giving him his scar. Midoriya fought down the guttural snarl that was threatening to surface, channelling that anger back into the pool that had been forming since the beginning of the Sports Festival and turning it into a lake. That explained things like why the other teen seemed to be repressing his emotions almost instinctively, and why he never tried to interact with anyone else. Todoroki finished by stating that he would win with half his Quirk. Midoriya snorted, and when the other teenager gave him a questioning look, he allowed the slightest hint of rage to enter his words.
"You would willingly restrict half your Quirk just because of your daddy issues? What kind of a hero do you want to be? One who's going to let people die and then tell their loved ones, 'sorry, I refuse to use the full potential of my Quirk because my problems are more important than saving people'?"
"You have no right to say that. I thought that you would understand because you are also refusing to use your own Quirk."
"You and I are not the same. I do this because I'm sending a message to the world on behalf of thos who get trampled upon because they have weak Quirks. Villainous Quirks. No Quirks at all. What do you think they see when they watch you, who was born great, pretend that half your Quirk doesn't exist when they would kill to be in your place? I fight for those who were forgotten. You say you fight to prove your father wrong, but the only thing I see is a little brat letting his father control his life." Todoroki growled, but something in his eyes had changed. Wordlessly, he pushed off the wall he was leaning against and went back the way they came from. Before he could get too far, Midoriya called out. The other teen stopped and asked him what he wanted.
"Fight against me with all you've got. There are easier ways to defeat your father. Fight me with all of your Quirk," Todoroki turned around, what was probably an argument on his lips dying when he met Midoriya's gaze, "and I'll personally bring your father down from the pedestal this wretched society placed him on. I promise."
Todoroki said nothing, but he had a feeling that the other teen wasn't taking him seriously. He sighed, unwrapping the bandages around his palm to separate the batteries.
Guess they were doing this the hard way.
He looked up when the public announcement system declared that the first match was between him and Shinsou. He tightened the bandages and got to his feet.
It was time for some payback.
Shinsou stepped onto the field, feeling his stomach shrink even further at the almost hostile look on Midoriya's face. His doubts from the past weeks were finally confirmed when his opponent slipped into a fighting stance. The worst part of it all was that he wasn't smiling. A smiling Midoriya may be a terrifying Midoriya, but it was one that was reckless. He had never seen his classmate with ice in his eyes instead of the usual ever-consuming fire. He tried desperately to get into a basic boxing stance, wishing that he had actually asked for his opponent's advice during one-on-one sparring rather than thinking that his Quirk would be enough to get him through the competition. It had almost cost him his teammates in the Cavalry Battle when they had somehow broken out of his mind control. If he wasn't so afraid, he would have laughed at the irony. Midoriya had given him the points necessary to go to the next round(and a small part of him writhed with guilt when his fellow team members had opted out of the final round), and now he was going to collect his debt.
The match started, and Midoriya dashed forward, silent and absolutely terrifying. Knowing that he would lose in hand to hand combat, he did the first thing that came to mind.
"Your girlfriend is a bitch who has to resort to support items to make up for her inadequacy!"
For a brief moment, he thought that he had struck a nerve as Midoriya opened his mouth. Then it promptly closed...and the green-haired boy blurred .
One moment, he was inside the boundaries of the zone. The next, he was on his back, outside the zone with a broken nose and a ringing head. Midnight snapped her whip, and declared the match to be Midoriya's victory. As Shinsou tried to get up, his opponent grabbed him by the collar and pulled him to his feet, before leaning forward to whisper into his ear.
"I'll forgive you this time because I know that you were trying to use your Quirk. But next time?" his hand tightened its grip on Shinsou's collar, and he tried to pretend he wasn't a breath away from begging for mercy. Still, he almost did just that when Midoriya delivered his parting words.
"̶̨͖̳̱̥̖̲̂́̅ͅY̵̼̖̙̦̞͕̗̽̍͆̅͊͛͑́͘o̷̢̭̖̩̼̠̲̯͖͎̠͖̎̚͘͠ų̷̰̲̣͙͙̥̯̰̗͍͈͎̫̃̈́͋̑̒̽̽͝'̷̛̪̿̐̍͌̔̎͝l̷̢̡̪̙̗̗͍͍̫͚̼̓͊͒́͛͠l̸̡̦̠͈̀̂̿̋̍̇̚͜ ̴̢̞̳̱̳̰̼̲̮͗̿̊̚͝ͅͅḑ̵̗̙̖̂̀͗̂i̷̧̛̺̖̎͋̊̊̈́̕e̸̢̩̼̦̩͛̾͑͐͗̍͂́̓͌̂̊̓̒̾ ̶̢̡̛̙̠͖͙̯̣͓̱͕̬͍͓̇͌̒̂̐̅͜c̴̪͔̝͌̽͑͗͂̏̈̂̚̚͠͝h̷̠̝͒̈́͆̈̿͌̌̚õ̴̭̙̱̣͙̰̑͒̅͝k̸̮̯̭͆̿̅̀̇̽̈́͗̓̊̋́͘ị̴̬̦̦͛͋͗̀̒͆n̷̛͕̤͈̠̦̲̳̅͋͛͆̂͐͋̒͜͝͝ͅg̴̱̲͎͒͊̆̔͠ ̵̡̫͙̖͇̏̆̄͝ǫ̵̫̬̗̗̪̺̭̬̙̍̂̑̀͛͘͜͜͠ͅņ̸̺̈͂̌̃̄͌͒͆̑̏̔͌͠ ̸̻̰̖̥̯̭̟̤̯͈͗̈̈́y̸̰̺͚͐͐̾͒̍͐̀̂͌̌̓̕ͅô̴̡̧̻͇̖͇͈̺͚̬̮̯͈̦̪̓̃̓̄̀̒̽̈̀̒̃̋ū̸͍̣̓͒̋̀̅͂̋̄̄͘͝ȑ̸̛̦̦̟͂͊̈́̊́͆̽͊̔͘̕͝ ̷̨̱̥̫͙̬̰͓͚͇̥̫̙͊͒̕w̴̪̩̥̼͈̖̤̭̪̯͌̍͋͐́͌̎̐ô̴̝̖̼͉͊̾̾̄̂̅̈́͛̂̚͝ŗ̸̖̳̥̤̩̺͙̼̤̇̈̒͛̈́̿̉͗͝͝d̴̨̞̖̤̘̦͉͎̞̬͚̭̔̀̍̒͜͝s̸͖̥̥̫͍̩̰͎̓̒͜͝͝.̴̛̛̯̖̘̘͇̳͈̈̽̈́̔̿̊̈́̌͘"̸̳̱͔̺̞͍̭̻̝̓͛͐͛͋̇͑̈́̈́̋̈́̕͝͝
Midoriya chose to spend his time talking softly with Mei, the two of them formulating a plan after realizing that he was going to fight against Todoroki in his next match. They did so until it was announced that Mei was going to fight Iida. He rests his hand on her shoulder, and tells her that he'll see her in the semi-finals. She grins, embracing him briefly before running off to find Iida.
Her match was nothing short of amusing, fifteen minutes of advertising in which she was utterly and totally in control of the match. In the end, Iida gets annoyed enough to use Recipro Burst once more. It proves to be his downfall when Mei dodges out of the way, leaving soapy liquid on the ground. He skids, trips, and the speed he was going at was too much for him to stop inside the ring. Kayama-sensei declares it to be Mei's victory while restraining her laughter. He gave her a thumbs up when they locked eyes, and she grinned even wider than before. Afterwards, he continued to flesh out every single thing he knew about Todoroki's Quirk, breaking it down to the bare bones. Mei returned shortly after, adding a few pointers to his plan. As each match concluded, and the final climactic showdown between Uraraka and Bakugou ended(he used Aizawa-sensei's defense of his tormentor's beatdown to fan his simmering rage. He would need as much of it as possible), he got to his feet. His classmates wished him good luck, but he could see in their eyes that they thought he would end up like Sero. All except Mei, who just held out her hand for a parting fist bump and Asui, who told him in a deadpan voice not to go too hard on his opponent. He thanked the two of them, then walked to his waiting room, using the last of his bandages to reinforce the binding of his hands and some portions of his arms, but let the ends trail loosely. He would need everything he had to win. And if that meant fighting dirty?
So be it.
He meets Endeavour in the corridor on his way to the battlefield. The man spouts something about how the Quirkless didn't have a place in the world, and that he shouldn't embarrass "his masterpiece". Midoriya breathes in, then breathes out and walks past the Number Two Hero without saying a single thing. Killing Endeavour is wrong. Insulting Endeavour is wrong. Don't do it- the man mentions how his Shouto wasn't going to be as weak as his mother and the last restraint holding him in place snaps, along with what little faith he still retained in the system.
"While it's debatable whether or not he's stronger than his mother," he turns back to give Endeavour a mocking grin, "she was already stronger than you. So I don't see what his strength has to do with your success. Maybe you'd like being third? Behind All Might and your son? Or perhaps..." he raised a single finger and tapped it against his cheek in a further attempt to irritate and infuriate the Number Two Hero to get dirt on him.
"You'd prefer it if you lose your position after the world figures out what you've done to your family?" Endeavour turns as white as one can when they're constantly on fire.
"You dare to threaten me boy? The Public Safety Commission has never done anything to me? Watch yourself, or you might just end up like my wife." Midoriya hides a smile and turns off the recorder.
It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Aizawa watched as Midoriya walked into the arena, bandages wrapped around more of his limbs now. He did not know what the Problem Child thought that some reinforced bindings could do against a force of nature, but with the things he had managed to pull off, he definitely had a plan. Hizashi announced both competitors, Todoroki being "the Ice Prince" and Midoriya being the "Quirkless Wonder". While the ice-user remains impassive, the green-haired teenager looks up directly at the announcer's box and sends a glare towards Hizashi. His friend pales, but just laughs shakily before giving the reins to Nemuri. She raises her hand, hesitates(it's odd how concerned the two of them were over the child he had dismissed due to his own hubris, and they refused to tell him why), before declaring the start of the match. Almost immediately, a glacier similar to the one that had imprisoned Sero earlier took over half the arena. There was silence and he felt a hint of disappointment at how easily Midoriya had been defeated. Except, Nemuri hadn't declared the match over just yet. Aizawa watched the screen to see Todoroki step towards the glacier with a blank look on his face.
And then he was punched in the back of the head by a not frozen Midoriya. Hizashi continued to commentate, more pumped up than ever as Aizawa watched with rapt attention. The green-haired teenager threw two more punches before jumping into the air, in time to dodge the second glacier thrown his way. He kicks off the side of the glacier and flies straight into Todoroki. From that point forward, it was a one-sided beatdown. Every time Todoroki attempted to use his right side, Midoriya would swerve to the left and throw another punch. Soon enough, it was clear to everyone that he was just toying with his opponent, even going as far as to use his bandage as a makeshift garrote long enough to sweep him off his feet and deliver an axe kick into his downed competitor. Aizawa frowns when the screen shows how Midoriya is talking even as he continues to beat Todoroki into the ground. Frost constantly forms, but as soon as it does, Todoroki gets distracted by another blow. Another two minutes of this occurs, with the green-haired boy finding more and more creative ways to embarrass his opponent(his bandages get used more and more), until he seems to say something that finally gets Todoroki's attention. Encouraged by the way he causes ice spikes to sprout from the ground, just narrowly avoided by a sudden switch in direction and another surprisingly strong leap, Midoriya yells something that causes the white-and-red-haired boy to snarl and throw another two glaciers in quick succession. In a show of dexterity, he throws himself out of the way of the first one, then jumps high enough to grasp onto the top of the second and climb over. He screams once more, and for the first time since Aizawa had gotten Todoroki in his class, flames flicker to life. Todoroki feels his body temperature return to normal when he finally lets loose, and Midoriya breaks off an ice spike as he enjoys the way it feels to use his flames. The bastard leaps up from his seat, shouting something that he couldn't hear over the roar of his own fire. Much to his surprise, Midoriya spins on the spot before hurling the icicle at his father. It forces Endeavour to increase the intensity of his flames, and the weapon melts, slapping him with a brief coating of water. He laughs, surprising himself when his sperm donor looks like he's been slapped by a child(technically he had been).
"You're insane." he ignites his left side as frost covers his right and for once, he wasn't carefully regulating the amount of ice he was putting out. Midoriya lets his bandages trail along the ground, smirking as he does so.
"All the best people are crazy Todoroki. What do you think that makes me?" Todoroki smiles at the unspoken question, throwing a glacier forward, as big as the one he had used on Sero earlier. Midoriya dodges once again, but his bandages get trapped in the ice. He channels the fire into his arm, and thanks his opponent before throwing a swath of flames at the still form of his current enemy. The teachers race forward to stop them, and concrete barriers are raised to contain the rapid expansion of cold and hot air in the form of an explosion. He gets flung back by the force of his own attack, smashing through the concrete barrier and tumbling onto the grass.
The last thing he remembers, before his vision fades to black, is that of Midoriya's grin. Unlike before, it is comforting instead of intimidating.
The smoke clears to reveal Todoroki lying outside the boundaries of the arena. Everyone watching the Sports Festival scans whatever area they can see, searching for a hint of Midoriya Izuku. When the dust finally settles, they see the true damage done to the arena. Swafts of dirt have been torn into the ground of the arena, with spiraling structures of ice splintering and falling apart, but still standing. The screen zooms in on a motionless figure, lying within the boundaries, bandages caught within one of the few glaciers still remaining. They must have prevented him from getting blasted back by the force of the explosion. The silence is deafening as the camera picks up the way one of his arms is dislocated and bruised, most likely from the bandage pulling him in one direction while the explosion tugged him in another. Across the world, people quietly urge for him to get back up.
As Midnight steps forward to check on Midoriya's condition as Cementoss goes to check on Todoroki. She places a hand on his chest, and almost reflexively, he twitches. Then he convulses. And finally, he sits up with a gasp. Pushing away the Pro-Heroine attempting to help him, he unwinds the bandages from his arms and staggers to his feet. His arms are discoloured and limp. Burns give the left side of his face a patchwork pattern. His uniform is torn in several places, revealing raw skin underneath.
But he is standing, and so he must scream.
And the world screams along with him.
He gets healing from Recovery Girl, and it is with a limp in his stride and a barely functioning eye that he staggers onto the rebuilt arena. Mei has forfeited, knowing that he is in no condition to fight, so Bakugou is the one facing him with a swagger in his step and confidence in his gaze. Not to mention the hint of murder. His vision is darkening, and the sounds around him slowly begin to stop reaching his ears. Still, the crackling of explosions as Bakugou flies straight at him is loud enough to make up for the way the volume of the world seemed to decrease. Midoriya is so tired.
So he j̷̗͒̒̎̆͝ư̷̙̯͙̟͎͇̽̓̾́̐̚̚͜͝ ̵̭̥̬̳͉̰̯̜̎͐̒̅͑̾ͅs̵̟͙͙͊̈͆ ̵̛̤̞̱͇͚̻̘̮̉͛̑̋͜ͅt̸̡͚̻̘͓̠̗͂̓̃ ̸̛̩͆͂͑̽͑̌͑̎̒ ̴̦͓̹̬̘͔̘̣̖̇l̷̠̟̮͚̯̤̲̩͊ͅ ̶̡̛̮͎̬͖̓̈̅̉̒̐̑͝͠ ̶̧̫͊e̵̻̙̽̿͑̀͛̒̃͑͌̕ ̶͚̾̐̏̏̎̌͂͋͊ ̴̡͕̫̮̞̙͕͙͉̐͊͋̽̅̚͝ṯ̴̝̻͓̗͔͎͖̿͛̑̍̓̒̈́͗͆͊ ̶̡̻̖̘̥͙͚̞̝͊̌̒ ̷̨̭͇͈͓͔̇͐̄̽̓̈́͘͝s̵̡̬̦͖̤̗̬̠̳̀͐͂̊̆ ̴͚̤̣̌ ̷̖̯̳̽̈́̈́́̔̓̄̽̋̕͜ ̶̧̝̝̳͓͕̻͉͍̎̃̒̍̑̚͜g̵̦̜̩̍̃̀͐̈͌̐͆ ̵̜̜̗͔̗̾͝ͅ ̴̟̄̂̓̅̈́ ̷̹́̽̄̔ỏ̷̧͖̼͇͇̙̒̆͒̋͐̋͘͘͠
It is over even before it can begin. Midoriya was swaying on his feet while Bakugou was fresh and rested. Those watching that still don't believe in him, and even some of those that do sigh and lament the tragic end to Midoriya's long fight. Which is why what the green-haired child does next surprises so many of his viewers.
He collapses like a puppet whose strings have been cut, and Bakugou whizzes over him. Just as the explosive blond turns around, Midoriya leaps to his feet and turns around to deliver a solid roundhouse kick to his opponent's sternum. Before his opponent can react, a punch is thrown into his chest. It looks feeble, and the freckled boy collapses once again afterwards, heaving and trembling. However, Bakugou flies backwards through the air, coughing. He attempts to use explosions to remain airborne, but Midnight has already swung her whip and declared him out of bounds. The enraged blond yells as he lands on the ground, running forward to try and attack the unconscious body of his opponent. Midnight quickly uses his Quirk to render him unconscious. Both boys are quickly carted off by medical bots. As he is carried away, Midoriya manages to, as his usual sign of victory, raises a trembling arm to point at the sky for the last time today. He cannot scream.
So the world screams for him.
And that's a wrap. Also, if I'm being honest, I've figured out that I can't restrict this thing to ten chapters. Probably around fifteen if I can do the math properly. I tried to insert more perspectives, and dialogue in this one. I like to think that actions speak way louder than words, so the only times you get to read people talking is when it's important dialogue. Kind of. This was pretty fun, and I hope that it made sense. Right, I'm tired now, so I'm going to go sleep at long last. Leave a comment or something. See ya next time.