She's The Man
Chapter 11: Twin Might
Mineta pointed with a shaky finger, his eyes wide, his cheeks red and his mouth drooling.
"H-H-HOT! She's so hot!" he snarled and turned on Bakugo. "Liar! You said she was a boy in a dress!"
"She is… was… what the hell did you do to yourself?" Bakugo pointed an accusing finger at Izumi..
"Do to myself?" Izumi's brow twitched and anger knots throbbed at her temples as she walked straight to him. "Of all the things you could have said to me just now, you choose that?" She grabbed him by the shirt front, and despite their differences in height hoisted him to his feet."You've got some nerve Bakugo."
"Izumi, calm down, it's just a bit of a shock… I was shocked too remember?" Izuku rubbed the back of his head trying to laugh off the tense situation.
"That's different." She let Bakugo go turning her temper onto her brother. "In any case why is it you're always sticking up for this loser?" She jabbed a finger in Bakugo's cheek. "How many times have I told you to make some better friends than this spiky headed, landmine." As she continued to jab and insult, the other classmates could see the rage building inside Bakugo.
"Look out, he's gonna blow." Kaminari took cover behind his chair. Explosions ripped from Bakugo's hands as he let his temper explode with them.
"Bitch I'm gonna make you eat those words!" He made a grab for her but Todoroki snagged his hand frosting it.
"Cool it, Bakugo. Save your energy for the events." Todoroki warned him. Up until that moment he'd been lost in Izumi's sudden change of appearance. He'd found her attractive before, had seen the feminine touches under the male bravado… but now even in anger she just glowed with femininity.
Izumi glanced over her shoulder at him, lips slowly curving.
"Hello again, Todoroki-kun."
"Hello, Izumi. It's good to see you." He let go of Bakugo's hand ignoring his classmate's small tirade aimed in his direction. "I know Bakugo isn't your favorite person, but would you please refrain from irritating him further. It's hard to concentrate with him ripping explosions off left and right."
"Unfortunately for everyone involved this is how it's always been between us. I don't see that changing anytime soon, ne Kacchan?" Izumi's aura went dark and the entire room could feel the sparks of rivalry between them.
"I told you before you bitch, only one person is allowed to call me that and that's your nerd of a brother!" Bakugo suddenly choked a bit and he smacked his own face to hide the blush that appeared. Izuku also felt a little flushed and happy at the small confession.
"Why?" Izumi pouted exaggeratedly. "Kacchan is such a cute nickname and it makes you far more likable."
"Tch, I really hope you choke out there, because if I have to deal with you on a daily basis, I'll have to murder you." Bakugo warned, his aura flaring like a raging fire.
"Oooh what a coincidence," Izumi cracked her knuckles, her own typhoon of a temper matching his. "I feel the same way… but unlucky for you I don't like to lose, so be prepared to deal with me for the rest of the school year."
"Humph, we'll just see about that, tomboy!"
As the two continued to bicker Izuku was left blue faced and stuck in the middle with Todoroki. He sighed heavily.
"They were actually getting along, but I guess we're regressing to normal."
"What's their beef with each other, anyway?" Todoorki asked curiously.
"Uhm… it's kind of embarrassing to admit this now, but, I stood up to Kacchan once in grade school because he was picking a fight with another kid. I ended up getting my butt kicked. Izumi in turn Izumi decided to call him out on it in front of our entire class and labeled him a bully."
"I thought you guys were childhood friends."
"It's a little complicated. Izumi doesn't understand why I like Kacchan, and I can see it from her perspective but…" Izuku's eyes softened and he fist a hand over his heart. "She can't see the sides of Kacchan I do."
"I see, so she's protective of you." Todoroki hid a smile by rubbing the back of his hand against his mouth. So that was the reason she'd hidden her identity and posed as Izuku. She was trying to protect and help him. "Now it makes sense."
"Hmm?" Izuku blinked and looked up. "What was that?"
"Nothing…" Remembering his initial plan Todoroki tried to think of how he should phrase his thoughts. During the two week absence, Todoroki had found out Izuku and Izumi were taking private lessons from All Might. It had unnerved him and given him the incentive to concentrate on his own training in order to achieve his next goal. "By the way Midoriya I've been meaning to say something since we got here." He turned to him fully. "Don't take this the wrong way but, I'm better than you."
All chatter stopped at Todoroki's words, and Izumi turned to Todoroki, eyes narrowed.
"Todoroki-kun? I don't underst-" Izuku started to question but was cut off.
"Like I said don't take it the wrong way. These last couple weeks you've received training from All Might. The same can be said for your sister, but she doesn't concern me."
Izumi narrowed her eyes at his statement and shoved away from Bakugo even as Todoroki kept talking.
"I'm not sure if that's the school's doing or not, but it's clear to the rest of us that he favors you. I won't pry about the reasons behind it all… but I am going to beat you."
Izumi's fist came between them, smashing into the wall and creating a barrier. Izumi's eyes sharpened on his, but the way he stared at her wasn't that of a rival, but of someone admiring the other. It left her insides twisted.
"Is that a declaration of war, Todoroki-kun?"
"Not at you," he took her hand out of the wall moving it.
"Why not? I'm the one everyone claims is getting special treatment, my brother has nothing to do with-"
"This isn't about you getting into the class. Earn the right if you want, but Midoriya is already my classmate, and All Might favors him."
Izumi felt the chill of Todoroki's temper. Unlike her own his came in a frosty chill that made her want to tremble.
"Why are you acting like this? What's gotten into you, aren't we friends?" Izumi accused and the shock of his cold went straight up her arm.
"We're not here to play at making friends." His voice was low and dangerous, warning her to back off. Izuku immediately pushed his sister back breaking Todoroki's grip on her.
"Todoroki-kun, I don't know why you're doing this… but I have to agree with all you said."
"Izuku!" Izumi went to scold but the look in her brother's eyes had her backing off. She'd never seen him so fierce in the eyes before.
"You are better than me… in fact I think you're capable of more than most. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to back down."
Izuku recalled his father's words to him an his sister. This was their chance to announce to the world who they were. They were the children of All Might… he was the son of All Might. He couldn't cower back.
"I'm going to aim for the top with everything I have!"
Izumi eyed her brother with the same sparkling admiration she'd had for him as a kid. Instead of his kindness and bravery, it was his determination she now admired. Her fists relaxed at her side, and she remained quiet and lost in deep thought as they crowded together to enter the arena.
The classes were all announced to the roars of a screaming audience. Because Izumi didn't have a class of her own she was grouped in with Class 1A standing beside her brother in the lineup.
"Hero, Support, General and Business… never seen so many students gathered in one place before." Izumi murmured his eyes wandering around. " and this is only the first years."
"Whoa, i'm suddenly getting nervous," Kirishima admitted. "How about you Bakugo?"
"No way," Bakugo laughed with a wicked smile. "This is just getting me more fired up."
The opening announcements and introductions were finished. Midnight was proclaimed the chief umpire. She cracked her whip across the air snapping the attention of all students.
"It's time for the student pledge! Representing the students, from the Independent Studies Course, Izumi Midoriya!"
"EH?!" Izuku glanced at his sister stunned as she casually strolled up to the platform.
"Hmm why Izumi?" Ashido wondered aloud. "I thought her brother would be the one to do it."
"You heard what Aizawa said, she got the top score in the written exam." Sero answered.
"For the hero course, anyway." One of the general studies said with resentment and had them shrinking with discomfort.
"Is it just me, or do the general studies students seem to hate us?" Sero whispered.
"It's not just them." Bakugo said glancing at the class next to them. "Seems like Class B is holding their own grudge."
"Can you blame them? I overheard Aizawa saying the main reason the people are watching us is because our class has some of the most talked about elites… you know youngest son of the Iida family, only daughter of the Yaoyorozu clan, and not to mention Todoroki is the son of Endeavor."
"Geez… targeted from the start. Kinda makes you not wanna bother." Kaminari sighed suddenly losing his drive.
Izumi could feel the tension behind her, and it made her temper rise again. Did these guys forget what was at stake? If they slacked off, one of them would end up being expelled… and hell who's to say it would stop there? She was sure there were plenty of other students from different courses who wanted in and were just waiting for an opportunity.
The entire class 1A, and now her, were all huge walking bullseyes. She was sure the first move these classes had in mind were to either give up, or take them out.
We're gonna be the top heroes!
She recalled the proclamation her and her brother had made to All Might. She couldn't let fear or intimidation stand in her way. To hell with it, if it was a fight they wanted, she'd give it to them… and remind class 1A just what was at risk.
"I pledge to do my best… doesn't quite cover my feelings on the upcoming events." She glanced back briefly before looking back at the mic. She clenched her fists at her side and spoke again, but with more fire in her tone. "When I first came to U.A. my motivation and will was lackluster. I wasn't sure why I wanted to be a hero, or why I decided to go to this school." She looked down at her hands slowly flexing them out. "Things have changed since then… a lot has happened in the short few weeks I've been here and it's helped me resolve my feelings and focus on my goal. "
She recalled Ochaco and Iida telling her of their own personal motivations, and replayed her brother's declaration from the waiting room. She grit her teeth for a moment then let the smile spread. All Might rule #1, Always smile in the face of adversity.
"I've found my reasons, and my resolve." As she spoke, the attention of the students rose and focused solely on her. "I want to be a hero because it's what I was born to be. I want to fight villains that threaten our peace, I want to rid the world of crime and violence, but more importantly I want to protect those I love most." She grabbed the mic, looking almost rockstar the way she handled it. "This is my dream, my goal, and nothing and noone is gonna stand in my way!" She pulled the mic off the stand now and pointed at her fellow students. "You sour faces down there… even your sorry lot have dreams and goals to fight for. It's the reason you're here, and it should be the reason you fight today! So I'm warning you all now, you'd better give me all you've got!" Her eyes went dark and her smile challenging. "Because I won't show any mercy."
"ALLLRRIIIIGHT!" Kirishima shouted feeling spirited and pumped with excitement. The rest of the students followed his example, roaring to life with new found determination and drive.
"Your sister is quite the motivational speaker…" Iida clapped loudly and eyed Izuku who stood just smiling proudly at his sister.
"That she is… and she means every word of it too." Izuku clenched a fist looking up at Iida. "So don't slack off, got it?"
"Ah…" Iida raised his own fist, and bumped it with his. "I'll challenge you both."
~First Event: Obstacle Course~
"You just had to get them fired up…" Izuku commented with a laugh as the two of them stretched in front of the gate.
"I didn't exactly plan it that way. I pretty much just said what was on my mind." She slid into a long lunge and eyed the entryway of the obstacle course. While it was big by normal standards, the hallway would be too narrow to hold the mass of bodies that would try to fight through it… but in height… "Izuku, let's move to the back"
"Huh?" He lifted his head from touching his toes and jogged after her as she pushed through the crowd and let other students shove forward. "Won't this put us at a disadvantage?"
"Just watch…" Izumi put her hands on her hips as the countdown for the start of the race began. Izuku watched her calm face, with eyes that held as much fire to win as they had during her speech. His sister had a plan… and if he wanted to match his power with hers, he'd have to see what she had in mind.
The final green light blinked out and Midnight shouted for the race to begin. The door opened and bodies raced and rushed forward colliding together in the cramped archway.
"Whoa! It's a stampede." They would have been crushed in the middle he realized, with little room to maneuver or wriggle free. Izumi crouched down and Izuku followed suit
"Aim high on the walls, stay above the crowd and even if you bypass all the people don't let your feet touch ground until you're on the other side."
"Huh, why?" He blinked.
"Call it a hunch… let's go!" She launched forward and upward above the crowd. Using the sight space she bounced wall to wall bypassing the crowd nearly instantaneously. Not wanting to fall behind Izuku followed suit, quickly catching up to her with his superior speed and strength. They bounced together like glowing orbs in a pinball machine.
"Whoa! Midoriya!" Kirishima, trying to climb his way above the crowd stared wide eyed at the light display.
"Look at em go!" Uraraka praised and winced when she was shoved forward. "Mnnng I can't break free… eh?" She felt the cold and gasped, leaping up just in time before Todoroki released a wave of ice that encased the floor and walls of the hall.
Izumi and Izuku barely broke away from the tunnell as Todoroki's eyes burst out in a flash of glittering power. Izumi turned her body sideways, gliding across the ice and letting it carry her forward and after Todoroki who had pulled ahead. Izuku hadn't been so lucky, slipping on the downward fall. He struggled to get to his feet, slipping and sliding with his classmates moving past him one by one. Class 1A had been prepared for his ice.. And he'd been foolish not to be.
"Impressive," Todoroki called out to Izumi who now jogged beside him. "It's almost as if you were preparing for that."
"Don't flatter yourself, I don't give you that much thought!" She called back to him. She'd been a fool to be the least bit interested in him. She remembered now that she didn't date, not because no one asked her, but because most boys were jerks… and Todoroki was no acception.
"Do you often go out on dates with boys you don't give much thought to?" He responded and nearly had her tripping up.
"That wasn't a damn date, and I'll kindly remind you that this is a competition," as if to prove her point Mineta soared above them, spewing nonsense in his power high. Izumi grit her teeth at the annoying little pest and jumped up twisting in the air. "So stop talking!" She told Todoroki as her fist flew out, the shockwave knocking Mineta back and off course while pushing her body ahead of Todoroki in a burst of speed.
She backflipped and twisted in a show of beautiful acrobatics that righted her onto her feet again and sprinted forward taking the lead
"Wow," impressed all over again Todoroki couldn't help but grin at her show. "No mercy, indeed."
Izumi glanced back at him, smiling smugly and she was about to pick up the speed when a blur of movement caught her eyes. She gasped and screamed as sheer metal whipped across her body knocking her down til her body skid across the dirt.
"Izumi!" Todoroki shouted with concern, and he saw the robots. An army of them including massive Zero pointers forming a blockade. The robot that had struck izumi down pursued her even as she got to her feet. Todoroki lifted his hand preparing to ice it, but a blur passed him in a burst of speed and light. He heard Izuku scream and the sound of metal cracking as his fist flew out and blew away the first barrage of robots away from his sister.
"Izumi are you alright?"
"I'm fine," annoyed she'd let her guard down she shoved Izuku forward. "Keep go- SHIT!"
She saw the armada of robots blocking their path. She stared down the zero pointer, and remembered what it had cost her the last time she went up against this thing. Izuku must have sensed her fear, because he put a hand on her shoulder. Somehow, her nerves calmed and she let herself breathe again. Standing side by side with Izuku she crouched into a fighting stance, and prepared to take the whole armada on.
~Ask Briry~
Briry: I love this part of the anime. The sports festival has by far some of the best scenes in the series and I can't wait to put my own twists into it. Who's gonna win? You'll just have to keep reading to find out.
Next Chapter: Four Way Rivalry
