Chapter 14: The One With Everything
"Um, Todoroki, what did you want to talk to me about?" Izumi asked nervously as Shoto glared at her as they stood by the path leading to the stage. Katsumi, Akatani, and Inasa were all hiding nearby, listening in on what Shoto had to say.
"You all overwhelmed me. It made me break the promise I made to myself... A long time ago."
"Are you...going anywhere with this?" Izumi said cautiously as Shoto's gaze seemed to harden on her, making her feel rather uncomfortable.
"I figured you were stronger than me, especially after what I witnessed you do in footage of the Entrance Exam, the Quirk Assessment Test, our combat training, and finally the Villain Attack on the USJ. You've shown me how weak I truly am compared to you. That power reminded me of something..."
"Todoroki?"
"Midoriya...are you like me? A project? A legacy desperately made to become something your predecessor couldn't be?"
"Um, no? I just had my Quirk ever since I was born. My Mom's Quirk is [Object Attraction] and my late father's Quirk is [Fire Breath]. My father's side of the family had all sorts of different elemental-based Quirks so I think the possibility is that the genes all merged together with me."
"I see..." Shoto said. "I guess that makes sense...My own father is the #2 Pro Hero in Japan, The Flame Hero: Endeavor. I assume you know him?"
Izumi nodded. "I'm sure everyone's heard of him. So wait... Is this why you're so eager to try and beat me?"
"Despite Hawk's quick rise through the ranks and Best Jeanist's consistent track record, it's projected that my father is still far above them thanks to his high capture rate. But despite his success, he could never surpass All-Might, so he devised a new plan."
"What are you saying…?"
"Have you ever… heard of Quirk Marriages?"
"I-I've heard of them. It's a practice where two people wed in order to have a child with a combination of both their Quirks. It's mostly frowned upon but it's okay as long as both parties consent to it in the end..." Izumi then slowly began to realize something. "Wait, are you saying...?"
Shoto nodded. "Father has a rich history of accomplishments and a lot of money to throw at problems. So he paid off my mother's relatives so they would agree to a marriage. He married my mother in hopes of having a child who had a Quirk that was the best of both of theirs. As you can see, I was the golden child father wanted."
"D-Did he...do THAT to your mother?" Izumi nervously asked, feeling a chill run down her spine.
"No, thankfully. My sister told me that both of them were consensual to each other. But once Father saw that I was exactly the kind of child he wanted, he started grooming me to replace All-Might. I hated it...being seen as a tool for his own selfish ambitions!"
"Todoroki, I'm-" Izumi began but Shoto was not done talking.
"My father pushed me to the limits training me. I remember plenty of times I ended up vomiting due to how much pressure he was putting on me. In my earliest memories of my mother, she was crying. She and my father argued constantly and there were moments where he even struck her for speaking against him...Then, one day, she couldn't take it anymore. She called my left side unbearable and poured boiling water on my face."
"So that's where he got his scar..." Izumi thought, her heart aching as she realized just how hard Shoto's life must have been.
"Now you understand my reasoning, Midoriya. By refusing to use my left side, the side that harnesses my father's flames, I'll have denied him everything. I will become the #1 Hero without being his perfect masterpiece."
Izumi felt tears run down her face. She knew that Shoto was in pain but in the end, what he wasn't realizing was that by only using his right side, his ice, he was merely hurting himself in the end in more ways than one. So, at that moment, she did the one thing she could do...
...And slapped him across the face. Not too hard, but enough to get him to look at her in shock.
"Todoroki...you idiot...! If you refuse to use your left side, you'll only destroy yourself!" Izumi said, the tears blurring her vision. "What if there's somebody who needs your help! What if the only way to save someone is to use your flames?! Will you let people die because of your pledge?!"
"I'll simply get better with my ice-!"
*SLAP*
Izumi slapped Shoto again, not wanting to hear any bullshit excuses.
"No! Getting better with your ice won't be enough! You need to be able to accept your power for what it is! YOURS! If you're making this all about Endeavor, then you're still letting him influence you!"
"Are you mocking my pain?!" Shoto asked, feeling angry but Izumi wasn't scared.
"You already did that to yourself when you accepted your father's recommendation into UA! If you really wanted to show him up, then you could have taken the Entrance Exam like me, Kaachan, and Occhan! I'm here now because even with my Quirk, even with how powerful it is, it isn't because I made it my whole being. I had people who supported me and who I supported back. People who don't have as great Quirks as me or you are here with us now because they're giving it their all! If you stick to this pledge of yours...if you keep letting your father influence you like this...you won't make it as a Hero."
Shoto stared at Izumi in shock as she wiped the tears from her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
"That fire isn't from your father and that ice isn't from your mother...it's all yours. It's you who defines who you want to be. Not Endeavor, not your mother, YOU. What your father put you through was awful but even still, you need to learn to take what he gave you...and make it your own."
Izumi, her eyes still damp, turned and left Shoto pondering her words but not before she said one last thing to him.
You declared war on me earlier, but it sounded hollow. So now I'll make a declaration of war at you...I'll make sure to beat you, and make you understand how senseless your pledge is for being a hero!"
Izumi walked past Katsumi, Inasa, and Akatani, not even noticing that they were eavesdropping. Katsumi sighed as Akatani moved to follow after Izumi and make sure she was alright.
"Man, that was a total dick move of Endeavor...but still, Icy-Hot needs to learn to give it his all or he'll be sent to an early grave," Katsumi muttered, sympathizing with Shoto's harsh home life but also knowing that Izumi had a point in telling him off.
As for Inasa, he was frozen in shock, his mind falling back to all those years ago when he was a child. He had seen Endeavor defeat a powerful villain and desired his autograph, only to be coldly brushed aside. Inasa would have brushed it off as him being busy, but he saw Endeavor's eyes; Full of hatred and bitterness, it was not the eyes of a Hero, but someone who had a passion that Inasa, a boy who was all about it, didn't like.
He then thought back to the Recommendation Exam. He had noticed Shoto and noticed his eyes were somewhat similar to Endeavor. Despite that, after the exam ended, he wanted to try and strike up a conversation, only to be coldly brushed off. It was there that Inasa deduced Shoto was just like his father.
However, what he just heard now made him see Shoto in a new light. He now understood fully why Shoto's eyes had been so cold and angry. And at that moment, he himself never felt further from being a Hero as he remembered what he said during the Cavalry Battle.
"Remember me, Todoroki? What am I saying? Of course, you don't! You never considered anyone but yourself!"
He compared a victim to their abuser and judged him for being upset about it! And when Shoto was rightly furious, he compared their anger!
"You okay, Windbag?" Katsumi asked as Inasa made his way over to Shoto, who was still pondering Izumi's words before noticing him.
"Oh, it's you..."
Inasa said nothing for what felt like the longest time...only to then bow down and slam his head into the floor, leaving a large indent in it, catching Shoto off-guard.
"I TAKE BACK EVERYTHING I SAID AND DID! PLEASE! FORGIVE ME!"
"W-What?"
"I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN HOW HARD IT WAS LIVING WITH ENDEAVOR AS A FATHER! I SHOULDN'T HAVE JUDGED YOU THE WAY I DID! FOR THAT, I'M SINCERELY SORRY!"
"It's...it's fine, I should've considered your feelings as well back then."
"STILL!" Inasa said, rearing his head back and slamming it into the ground again. "I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL I HAVE REDEEMED MYSELF! AND I HOPE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO COME AT ME WITH ALL YOUR BURNING PASSION WHEN THE TIME COMES!"
With that, Inasa stood up and walked off, his scalp bleeding from the impacts it took while Shoto watched him leave in silence. Katsumi sighed as she gave Shoto one last glance before heading off to the cafeteria.
As Endeavor was heading back to the stands after going to the bathroom, he was approached by the one person he wished he didn't have to talk to right now.
"Ah, Enji! Long time no see! How have things been? We haven't talked in a while!"
"I don't have time to lollygag with you, you grinning buffoon. What do you want?"
"Just wanted to catch up on old times. You saw Young Midoriya and the others out there, yes?"
"Yes, they all were quite impressive in their own ways, even the child of All for One. They all easily surpassed Shoto in two different events. He'll need to learn how to accept the other half of his power if he has any hope of keeping up with them." Endeavor noted.
"At the end of the Cavalry Battle, I noticed they were all converging on Shoto and made him use his flames, if only for a brief moment," All-Might said. "Seems your ambition to simply aim for the top has finally caught up with you."
"He's still in his rebellious phase but sooner or later, someone other than me is going to point out how foolish it is." Endeavor said before looking away. "Though I guess a part of me knows I was responsible for how he turned out. I should have been more lenient on him...especially after what happened with Toya."
"How's your wife doing, anyway? Is she recovering?" All-Might asked.
"Yes, she's doing well. The doctors even say she may be able to finally return home soon."
"Well, well, well, some family drama?" Tomura chuckled as the spy drones hidden in the stadium caught wind of Izumi and Shoto's conversation.
"Pushing his son to become his ultimate successor is not akin to what Sensei is having us do." Nine noted. "Perhaps we can use this to our advantage."
"We can leak the conversation to the internet and news! Endeavor's reputation will be dragged through the mud and society's faith in heroes will be crippled!" Number Six cackled in delight but Curator shook his head.
"No, Rokuro. You need to think bigger than that. We have an even greater weapon to acquire."
"What are you saying, Isana?" Tomura asked, lightly scratching his cheek.
"The HEART, brothers. We attack the HEART!"
"And how do you propose we do that?" Nine questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Rokuro...see if you can find the hospital where Mrs. Todoroki is residing..."
After lunch was over, it was time for the final round of the Sports Festival to begin.
"ALRIGHT, IT'S TIME FOR THE BIG FINALE!" Present Mic cheered. "FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT, DON'T WORRY! WE STILL GOT LOTS OF SUPER-FUN ACTIVITIES TO DO!"
"Yes, it's illogical for a Sports Festival to only have three events, after all," Aizawa added in agreement.
It was then that Present Mic noticed something. "AND WHAT'S THIS?! THE STUDENTS OF CLASS 1-A ARE ALL GOING FANSERVICE?!"
Sure enough, Minoru and Denki had tried to trick the girls into dressing up as cheerleaders for the games but Tenya had stepped in and convinced all the boys to join in as well, not wanting the girls to be embarrassed. Tenya was even currently spouting off a speech about showing solidarity with his classmates.
"This really isn't how I figured things were gonna go!" Minoru said as he flexed his small scrawny arms.
"Hey, sometimes things turn out differently than you expect!" Sero pointed out as he, Rikidou, Kouji, Shouji, and Fumikage did the signature poses of The Ginyu Force from Dragon Ball. Someone could even clearly hear 'Ginyu Tokusentai' playing in the background as they did so.
Class 1-B was watching their sister class showing off, Monoma was about to make a snide comment but Itsuka punched him in the face with her enlarged hand before he could say anything.
"Is it wrong I kinda wanna join in?" Pony asked.
Inasa said nothing...as he was already joining Class 1-A in their cheerleading exhibition, flexing his muscles and shouting about 'hot-bloodedness' and 'passion'. the rest of the boys that weren't Monoma all turned and nodded before taking off their shirts and joining in as well.
"HEY, NO FAIR, YOU GUYS!" Setsuna cried out in annoyance as Ibara was on her knees, clasping her hands in prayer for her classmate's souls to be cleansed of impurity.
"T...Traitors...!" Monoma cursed out only for Kinoko to kick him lightly in the stomach to make him shut up.
After the side games were done, the final tournament proceeded in earnest.
Unlike the usual sixteen finalists, we've decided to up the ante and have 32 finalists this year considering the massive amounts of potential we have! You'll be drawing lots to see who you're up against." Midnight announced. "The brackets will also be randomized after every battle in order to make things more interesting!"
Everyone took their lots and after announcing their numbers, the brackets were decided in earnest:
Izumi Midoriya vs Inasa Yoarashi
Katsumi Bakugou vs Juuzo Honenuki
Shoto Todoroki vs Hanta Sero
Akatani Mikumo vs Sen Kaibara
Hitoshi Shinsho vs Monoma Neito
Ochako Uraraka vs Mina Ashido
Momo Yaoyorozu vs Itsuka Kendo
Tenya Iida vs Yuuga Aoyama
Melissa Shield vs Mei Hatsume
Denki Kaminari vs Ibara Shiozaki
Eijiroui Kirishima vs Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Minoru Mineta vs Reiko Yanagi
Tsuyu Asui vs Kosei Tsuburaba
Mezo Shouji vs Setsuna Tokage
Fumikage Tokoyami vs Kinoko Komori
Kyouka Jirou vs Yosetsu Awase
"SERIOUSLY!" Eijirou and Tetsutetsu called out. "HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!?"
"I dunno, you two do look like you could be brothers separated at birth." Mina giggled as both boys fumed.
"Midoriya, while I can only control air, you can do so much with practically every element!" Inasa said with excitement. "I don't want you treating me with kid gloves, come at me with all your burning passion!"
"I will, Yoarashi. And I hope you show just how good you are controlling the wind!" Izumi replied with a bright smile.
After the matches were set up and the arena was created by Cementoss with his Quirk, [Cement], both Izumi and Inasa were the first ones up to the plate.
"LET'S INTRODUCE OUR FIRST TWO FIGHTERS!" Present Mic announced. "IN THIS CORNER, SHE'S THE LITERAL CHILD OF MOTHER NATURE HERSELF! GIVE IT UP FOR IZUMI MIDORIYA!"
Izumi blushed at the loud praises given to her. She also knew that her mother and Aunt Ippan Josei were watching back home and wondered if Inko was currently bawling her eyes out at the moment.
"AND IN THE OTHER CORNER, HE'S THE HOT-BLOODED BOY WHO CAN CONTROL THE RAGING WINDS! IT'S INASA YOARASHI!"
"PLUS ULTRA!" Inasa shouted proudly, the crowds parroting his words with vigor.
"ARE YOU READY? CLASH!"