She's the Man
Chapter 20: Izumi Vs. Bakugo
Izuku winced and fidgeted as Recovery girl finished putting in the stitches on his brow.
"Owowowowowow!"
"That's what happens when you propel yourself head first into another person." She sighed as he continued to whine and pout from the pain. "Oh suck it up sonny. Todoroki-kun got a couple of bruised ribs, and a broken arm and on top of that he lost, but you don't see him complaining." She lectured and pointed at Todoroki who sat quiet as a lamb in his bed.
"Sorry…" Izuku stopped squirming and glanced over at Todoroki. "You okay Todoroki-kun?"
"Yeah...I'm just thinking." He shifted, wincing some from the pull in his side.
"Those ribs will take the longest to heal. Try not to move around too much." Recovery Girl popped a candy in his palm then looked back to Izuku. "You're gonna need to take it easy as well Midoriya. Concussions are tricky plus you ripped at your old injuries. You should stay in bed… But I imagine you want to watch your sister's fight."
"Yes please…" Izuku gingerly held his head and stood up. He glanced at the mirror and had to chuckle at himself. The bandage across his forehead made him look liked those wounded samurai on TV.
"Mind if I go with you?" Todoroki slowly got out. "If I stay here my old man will wander in and I'm not in the mood to hear his lecture."
"Yeah sure," Izuku bowed. "Thanks Recovery Girl."
"Don't mention it, and take it easy Todoroki! No sudden movement." She warned and he nodded his head.
"Yes ma'am."
The two walked side by side towards the student seating area. It was awkwardly quiet...until Todoroki suddenly spoke.
"I'm surprised your sister didn't come see you." He looked down at his left hand flexing it.
"She's probably too busy mentally preparing herself. Izumi talks like she's gonna beat Kacchan but she knows he's a tough opponent." Izuku groaned a bit. He wasn't looking forward to it at all. "This fight between the two of them isn't gonna be easy or pretty. Just thinking about the two of them going head to head is making my stomach hurt."
"I know the feeling...though that could be the bruises." He gently rubbed his tender and and had Izuku laughing.
"Hahaha… Todoroki-kun I didn't know you could make jokes."
"Im totally serious… you should call yourself the Rib Crusher." He continued in a stoic voice and had Izuku in stitches.
"Pfft HAHAHAHA! Rib Crusher!" Izuku held his side's and head feeling dizzy.
"Izuku!" Izumi's voice came from the end of the hall and she rushed up panting. "The two of you should be resting!"
"Izumi! We wanted to see your fight." Izuku explained and had her sighing.
"You have some time. You guys did a lot of damage to the stage so they're taking a break to fix it." Izumi held his shoulders."Izuku listen, something happened you should know. Iida had to leave."
"Huh? Why?" Izuku looked wide eyed.
"His brother Ingenium was attacked by a villain. He's rushing off to Hosu right now to make sure he's okay but it doesn't sound good." Izumi held her chest. "He looked so upset and worried…" Her eyes glanced up at Todoroki and she blushed slightly.
"Izumi…" Todoroki whispered his eyes miserable seeing the discomfort on her face. "I'm-"
"I know…" she quickly interrupted him holding her thumping chest. "Its okay, Todoroki-kun."
Izuku looked between them, and fidgeted feeling very much like a third wheel.
"Um well, I'm gonna… oh All Might!" Izuku spotted his father coming up from behind, jogging slightly down the hall.
"There you are! Recovery Girl said you went to go have a seat and watch the fight. I wanted to make sure you two were alright." He looked at Izumi and Todoroki who were both blushing and avoiding each other's eyes. "Something wrong?"
"No… I need to go down to the tunnel, it'll be my turn soon." She finally looked to Todoroki and she hesitated before touching his left cheek. He flinched but allowed the contact this time, his eyes meeting hers. "We'll talk later, okay?"
"Yeah… do your best." he touched her hand and nuzzled into it. The act and words made her smile.
"I never do anything less." She pulled away and ran down the hall and steps to the tunnel.
"Want me to help you to your seats?" All Might offered.
"Actually, I think I might go with Izumi." Izuku fidgeted remembering that he'd wanted to talk to her about what had happened during his fight. "She came to see me, the least I could do is see her off."
"Good idea, but I can't have you taking the steps." He hoisted Izuku up. The boy groaning at the embarrassing princess style. "Take care, young Shoto." He jogged after Izumi with Izuku in hand.
Todoroki watched them leave and touched his left cheek. Despite the lingering doubts and questions circulating in his head, he let the smile spread on his lips.
In the tunnel, Izumi glanced behind her as she heard the approach and she raised a brow.
"What are you two doing here?"
"I wanted to see you off. You can put me down now dad, I'm fine." He straightened as he regained his feet. "Also there's something I wanted to ask you. During my fight did you feel that surge again?"
"Yeah…" Izumi turned her head to the ground. "I did."
"Surge?" All Might questioned and reverted to his shrunken form. "What are you two talking about?"
"We were hoping you could tell us… During my fight, and earlier during the cavalry battle, Izumi and I.. we… we sorta connected."
"It was so weird…" Izumi rubbed her arms. "It was like we were sharing the same body, having the same thoughts and emotions. The first time it happened it was so fast and brief I could barely register what was going on. The second time… I felt like I was in the ring with you. I felt your power just pulsing, making me unable to sit still. Bakugo had to hold me back because I kept trying to leap out of my seat. It was so intense!"
"I was the same way… I could feel your emotions. I could tell you were crying, hear your thoughts in my head… it was like you were the one confronting Todoroki, but you were using my body to do it."
"That's freaky!" All Might paled and backed away. "What is this like possession or something?"
"You mean you don't know what's happening to us?"
"Well…" All might rubbed the back of his head. "Not exactly… but I've got a theory. You remember me telling you that One for All was only ever meant to be passed down to one child per generation. This is the first time in the history of our family that twins have been born, and both possessed it." He tapped a finger to his head. "When i first started using One for All I would see faces appear and vanish, it was the faces of our ancestors, and predecessors who wove this power together. I think because you two share this power, you're connected through it. "
Both twins stared blankly at him and sighed.
"Somehow that answer wasn't all that satisfying." Izuku grumbled.
"Forget about it… look whatever this connection is, take it as a sign." He placed his hands on each of their shoulders. "You're stronger together, than you are apart. Haven't I always told you that?"
Izumi and Izuku smiled and looked at each other nodding.
"Good… now then young lady," All Might rubbed Izumi's shoulders gearing her up. "You ready to kick some ass?"
"DAMN RIGHT I AM!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Present Mic shouted through the speaker. "It's finally time for the last fight of the Semi-Finals. These two students are the most merciless fighters in the competition. Who's gonna go up against Midoriya in the next round? It's time to find out!"
The Audience roared to life, anxious for the fight to begin. The pictures came up on the screen, their poses both fierce in the face with Bakugo scowling and sending a deathglare into camera and Izumi's smug grin so wide you'd think she had fangs.
"Here they are! She's the last woman standing! Can she hold her own against the boys? I think so! It's Izuku's twin sister, from the Independent study course… Izumi Midoriya!" Izumi glanced back at her brother and father and gave a thumbs up before stepping out into the light.
"Versus… The boy with an exploding personality and a quirk to match! He moved from third place to second, and is now aiming for the title! From the Hero course, it's Katsuki Bakugo!"
Bakugo stepped up into the ring, him and Izumi facing off and sharing confident looks. He cracked his knuckles, explosions popping along the back of his hand in excitement.
"I've been looking forward to this all day."
"Hah, looking forward to getting your butt kicked?" Izumi crouched into a fighter's stance. The tension between both fighters was so thick, even the audience could tell that the fight was going to be intense.
~In the Audience~
"What's with this atmosphere…" Jiro commented and let out a shudder. "It's creeping me out."
"They've been building to this fight all day," Uraraka commented, also feeling the tension.
"More like their whole lives." Todoroki corrected as he joined his classmates for the first time, taking over Iida's seat.
"Todoroki-kun…" Uraraka looked at him worried. "How are your wounds?"
"Most of them have already healed, it's just my ribs giving me some problems. So long as I don't push it I should be okay."
"I'm glad to hear it." She smiled and looked back at the ring. "Did you talk to Izumi?"
"Not really… I wished her good luck and that was about the extent of our conversation. Midoriya went with All Might to see her off, he's watching from the tunnel."
"Good, I'm glad he's okay too."
"His injuries were a little less severe than mine.. Though he's got a concussion and he damn near peeled his skin completely off. The guy's like a tank." Todoroki grunted and rubbed his sore ribs. "Let's hope Izumi shares that trait."
"She'll need it. Bakugo's definitely not gonna hold anything back against her what with their history."
"What's their beef anyway?" Kirishima asked getting in on the conversation. "Midoriya mentioned they've never gotten along, but why? "
"Yeah…" Uraraka frowned remembering the conversation she'd had with Izumi. "Izumi was telling me she's always hated him. I couldn't understand why. Their personalities are so similar."
"I wouldn't say that, She's got a temper, sure, but Izumi's not as arrogant as Bakugo."
"True.. but anyway she told me about how Bakugo used to pick on Deku all the time, bullied him every chance he got. She doesn't understand why her brother is…" She trailed off fidgeting under the pressure of a secret. "Why they're friends now."
"Now I get it…" Kirishima crossed his arms nodding. "All those years of seeing someone you care about getting pushed around, and suddenly they become close friends. Must be frustrating and irritating."
"Deku likes him, so he's gotta have some redeeming qualities." Uraraka looked up at the picture and a sweatdrop slipped down her cheek. "I hope…"
"Bakugo's gotta have it out for her too. He's trying to turn himself around from that bully image and she's always forcing it back in his face." Kaminari rationalized. "They've been messing each other up all day too, one or the other might have gotten the top spot if they hadn't interfered with each other."
"Ribbit, with all that anger and resentment building up... this fight definitely isn't gonna be pretty." Tsuyu said with some worry in her voice.
~In The Tunnel~
"Oi, oi, oi, stop shaking. You're making me nervous." All Might lectured his son watching Izuku fidget nervously as they watched from the tunnel entrance.
"I can't help it… I've been dreading this all day." He covered his face with his bandaged hands. "I can't watch!"
"Oh yes you can!" All Might grabbed his wrists and pried his hands off. "Whoever wins will be your opponent in the next round. Now watch and analyze like you always do, prince of- EEP!" He let go of Izuku as the first explosion was let loose. He covered his own eyes. "Never mind, I can't watch either!"
"Whoa! Bakugo's not taking any chances and let's loose a huge explosion right off the start!" Present Mic praised and got out of his seat trying to get a closer look through the glass. "Is Izumi alright?"
Clouds of smoke covered the stage.. But they were quickly blown apart as Izumi darted through like a bullet glowing with her quirk. Her body vibrated with adrenaline, as she zigzagged and dodged Bakugo's blasts, getting in close and punching him hard. Bakugo caught the fist but his hands were still forced into his chest making him lose his breath. He instinctively let loose small explosions making Izumi pull back and wave her hand.
"Hot hot hot… oooh that burned. Heh… caught you off guard huh?"
"Tch," Bakugo spat off to the side. "Don't be stupid, just because your fast doesn't mean I can't see you coming."
"That so," she danced from foot to foot loosening her shoulders and pulled her fists up to her face in a boxer's stance. "In that case I won't bother hiding it!" She let out a flurry of punches, Bakugo dodging and blocking, wincing as the blows hit and bruised. Damn girl was fucking strong and wasn't giving him any time to counter attack. It wasn't like fighting Uraraka who attacked relentlessly, but had been slow in approach. Izumi always fought with calculation and precision, even went throwing punches at a rapid speed. She was quick, strong, and fiercely competitive. He was gonna have his hands full.
"Sooo annooying!" He growled between his teeth and grabbed her one fist, taking the hit to the stomach. He pulled her in close and hit her point blank range in the stomach. Izumi cursed and yanked back, but not before Bakugo sent another explosion catching her in the shoulder. She danced back and quickly ran from the next chain of explosions he released. The force of them knocking her off her feet and she had to go into a set of handsprings to keep herself moving.
When she ran out of room she stopped, turning and lifting up her arms to take the explosion head on. As smoke clouded the area she leapt above it, hand poised to attack. Bakugo spotted her a split second before leaping out of the way. Izumi's fist met concrete and the shock wave that followed was enough to create a small crater where his body had once been.
"Tch… missed." Izumi grunted and turned her eyes to Bakugo who was poised and ready.
~In the Audience~
"Whoa! What the heck? Bakugo's reaction time is crazy but Izumi's still getting hits in!" Kaminari said in awe. "How is that even possible?"
"Izumi's reactions are just as fast as his." Todoroki explained. "They're both moving and responding to each other at an increasing rate."
"That's ridiculous… how long are they gonna keep doing this?" Kirishima eyes were wide as saucers.
"Pain tolerance…" Tokoyami suggested. "Both of them are taking damage, and both can dodge and blow… so the winner will be whoever has the most endurance and can handle the most damage."
"If that's the case Bakugo might be at a disadvantage then." Kirishima clenched a fist beating on his knee over and over, trying to contain his excitement from watching the fight. "Izumi's pretty hard core, that resolve of hers makes it nearly impossible to wear her down."
"I don't know, Bakugo can take a lot of damage, and still come back swinging. He's got as much resolve and stamina as she does." Uraraka bit her thumbnail nervously and flinched as another explosion erupted. The stadium shook from the barrage Bakugo unleashed. Izumi was scrambling now, ducking and dodging trying to get out of the way but his hits still managed to catch her arm, shoulder, leg, and she felt herself losing breath from all the smoke.
"Damn it!" She leapt through the smoke trying to use it to cover her advance but Bakugo found her. He turned and Izumi gasped as he blasted her clear out of the sky, hitting her point blank. Izumi crashed and skidded across the concrete. She coughed and winced feeling the burns all over her body. Her shirt was in tatters, and her arms were starting to bleed from blocking the hits he'd aimed at her face.
"His reaction time is too fast…" she hid amidst the smoke again, crawling on all fours keeping away from where he'd sent her flying and staying inside the smoke. She ripped off a piece of her shirt holding it to her mouth and shook. She was sweating like crazy, which meant so was he. His quirk was getting stronger while hers was getting weaker. She was losing stamina fast.
She needed one good clean hit. She'd been foolish trying to outlast him in an endurance fight when it was clear she needed to overpower him. If she could land a high power smash while he was off guard she could send him out of the ring, or, god willing, knock him out cold. Question was, how was she gonna do it? What would knock him off his stride?
She looked down at her tattered shirt… and suddenly smiled wickedly.
She started to laugh, making sure to make Bakugo aware of where she was hiding. And put her plan into action.
"Hmmm?" Bakugo whirled where the voice had come from. "The hell you laughing at Iz-" He saw Izumi's form start to emerge from the smoke and poised to strike.. But suddenly stopped and gawked at what he saw.
The boys in the stand went crazy, Mineta in particular.
"Finally!" he squealed with delight. "I take back all the bad things I said about Bakugo! The man is my god!"
"It's just as I thought." Izumi said with confidence and finished tying the makeshift bandage on her arm. She'd used the tatters of her shirt to bandage her arms, and now stood in just a bra, her pants riding low on her hips. "You've been holding back on me."
"What the hell Izumi!" Irritation and embarrassment raged on Bakugo's face. "Put your damn shirt back on!"
"Can't… you kinda ruined it." She lifted her fists up showing off the strips of shirt that now acted as her bandages. "I wouldn't worry though..." She smirked wickedly her eyes taking on a gleam. "I'm not your type."
"That's not the prob-SHIT!" He brought his right hand up to block Izumi's oncoming attack, but she saw right through it and brought her leg up instead kneeing him in the gut. He spat up, losing his breath and she smacked him hard on the back of the neck.
"You're too predictable! You're not taking this seriously!" She grabbed him by the wrists and swung him around tossing him. Bakugo quickly used his explosions to save from a ring out but Izumi was meeting him head on and she punched him hard in the face. "Come on, explosion boy!" She egged him on, punching him over and over, feeling the rush of adrenaline. "Show me something flashy!"
"I'm mnng gonna.. GRRRR KILL YOU!" He faced forward and whipped his hand up. Izumi was too lost in the moment to dodge and she took the hit right to the face. She let out a scream of pain as the explosion hit her straight in the eye and she stumbled back holding her face trembling and seething.
Bakugo panted, his temper flaring and his hands popping. "You want something flashy… fine. I'll give you something flashy!" He rushed her, leaping up and using his explosions turned himself into a human missile.
Izumi looked up, holding her burned face, eye squeezed shut. Stil she saw the incoming attack and had to take the opportunity. She powered up her fist, her hair floating as wind kicked up around her and she readied to meet his power with her own. "This is it, my shot!"
"Howitzer…" Bakugo shouted out.
"Detroit…" Izumi called out.
Izuku squirmed and peeked behind his hands, both him and All Might panicking and shouting.
"IMPACT!"
"SMASH!"
Izumi thrust her fist out, meeting Bakugo's exploding palm, the combined exploding power sending out a massive wave of fiery wind and smoke throughout the entire stadium.
"KACCHAN! IZUMI!" Izuku shouted and moved to rush out to the stage but all Might held her back.
"No, don't, you can't interfere… not just yet, Izuku."
"What the hell is with these first years!" Present mic complained picking himself up from falling out of his chair. "It's like they're not satisfied until the whole ring is destroyed…" he grunted at all the smoke "I hate it when I can't see a thing!"
Midnight took stock of the situation. Neither contestant was out of the ring, but Izumi was on the ground seemingly unconscious. She was about to call it but saw her twitch and begin to move.
"Both contestants are in the ring and conscious. The battle will continue!"
"Are you fucking serious?" Bakugo grunted, he'd gotten to his feet first but he felt as if he'd been run over by a truck. His own clothes were ripped, he was sure his arm was broken, and every muscle in his body hurt like hell. "Why won't she just die already?"
"Shit that hurt…" Izumi got on her hands and knees, panting and holding her arm that now had severe burns all up to her shoulder. She'd gotten the point blank hit she's wanted, but it hadn't been glanced behind her, saw the line of the ring and let out a shaky breath. She'd almost been the one to go out of bounds. Now she was hurting and could only see out of one eye. The hell was she gonna do now?
"Give it up Izumi." Bakugo's voice got her attention. She turned her head only to stare at his open palm. When had he gotten so close? "I win."
"Tch…" her eyes went hard and she moved to get up. "I don't thi-" She flinched when he made a small explosion and had her sitting down again.
"Look at your situation! You're outmatched, outsmarted, and outgunned! Admit defeat! DO IT!" Bakugo shouted at her. "Or I'll kill you right here and now."
"Damn you, Bakugo…" Izumi stared up at him, tears forming in her good eye. "Why do you have to be so damn good at everything! You're a jerk! You've always been a jerk!" She bowed her head wiping the tears. "You're arrogant, abusive, ignorant, and just a goddamn jerk. Why does my brother have to like you?" She sobbed and looked up her face miserable, she lifted a hand and laced their fingers together. "Why do I?"
The touch and her words caught him off guard. She saw the look of surprise and softness come across his face, and felt him return the grip on her fingers.
"Izumi…"
"Why do I have to…" She rose up on her feet her hands sliding over his chest, head leaning in, their lips a breath apart. Bakugo's guard completely dropped as he became lost in the moment. His eyes closed and Izumi's lips smirked wide. The hand on his chest gripped tight in his shirt and the other squeezed his fingers until they broke. "HATE YOU SO MUCH!" She lifted him up by his shirt, over his shoulder, using their linked fingers to pull him with her rotation. Though his quirk popped in reaction, it did little to stop what was happening. He felt his back slam against the concrete, and out of the ring.
Shock… that was the expression on everyone's face all across the stadium. Midnight numbly raised a hand, her face slowly getting excited and she cracked her whip squealing with delight.
"Using her feminine wiles to blindside an opponent! I totally allow it! Bakugo is out of bounds! IZUMI IS THE WINNER!"
Izumi laughed breathlessly as she let go of Bakugo and held her face once again. He stared up at her, stunned speechless and she had to say he never looked better to her. "I told you the first day of school you were better than me. You could have beaten me easily if you'd stop being an ass." She grinned wickedly and backed up fully expecting the fury that followed.
"ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS! WHAT KIND OF CHEAP ASS MOVE WAS THAT? YOU FUCKING CHEAT!"
"IT'S YOUR OWN DAMN FAULT FOR LETTING YOUR GUARD DOWN AND NOT FINISHING THE JOB! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR BEING ARROGANT, YOU PRICK!"
"PRICK?! WHAT KIND OF LANGUAGE IS THAT FOR A GIRL TO USE? WHY DON'T YOU GO BACK TO BEING A DUDE?"
"WHY? SO YOU CAN PRETEND I'M IZUKU AND ORDER ME AROUND? FAT CHANCE!"
"BITCH!"
"JERK!"
They turned their noses up at each other and Bakugo started to walk away but then heard Izumi collapse.
"Izumi?" He whirled around and rushed back. Izumi was on her hands and knees again, her adrenaline finally wearing off and all she could feel was the pain and fatigue. "Oi Izumi!" He hauled her up off the ground and over his good shoulder. "Damn it, you overdid it, you idiot."
"You're touching my ass…" Izumi shoved his hand off and groaned. She was too sore and dizzy to put up a fight. "Keep your perverted hands off me."
"Relax, you're not my type, remember?" Bakugo grunted as he walked down the steps.
"What? I'm not male?" She countered, and though Bakugo's temple throbbed with annoyance he merely responded.
"No," He looked up to see her brother rushing straight at them, his big green eyes filled with worry and tears. "You're not Deku."
~Ask Briry~
Briry: YAY! *throws confetti* Izuku and Izumi made it to the finals… but with those injuries how much of a fight will it be I wonder. Who do you think will win? Brother or Sister? Be sure to put your thoughts into your comments and keep reading to find out what's in store!
Next Chapter: Izuku Vs. Izumi: Sibling Rivalry!
