An Explosive Arbiter
Chapter 8: Of Fire, Ice, and Hope
Bakugo Katsuki refused to look back at Raxus as he fired up the starmap, adamantly keeping his eyes facing forwards. The last thing he wanted was to remember that godforsaken planet and the humiliation he went through there.
"We're getting the fuck out of this sector as soon as humanly possible." Bakugo mumbled, eyes roaming over the starmap inquisitively.
"So, where are you all headed?" Egg-head asked innocently. The bridge was quiet for a long moment. Bakugo sent a glance back at Shitty Hair, who was giving him an encouraging look.
Fucking fine. "Let me tell you right now- if you don't like where we're going, I'm dropping you off as soon as possible. I don't need anyone who's going to bitch out at the last second, got it?" Bakugo warned. Egg-head gave Bakugo a concerned look.
"It can't be that bad, right? I mean, it's not like we're going to Tartarus or anything, right?" Egg-head nervously joked with a small laugh.
"Yep. You're definitely fucking right on that one. We're going to Terra Ultima." Bakugo responded, firing up the engines.
Egg-head made a choking sound as the ship entered FTL.
"But- but why? You're Bakugo Katsuki! That's, like, asking for you to get captured!" Egg-head complained. Bakugo's eye twitched for a moment.
"I'm not gonna get fucking captured again! There's nobody on Terra Ultima who can capture me just like that! Besides, do you really think I'd be that much of a fucking dumbass to go there without a reason? Hahh?" Bakugo growled threateningly, turning and leaning forwards in his chair to intimidate Egg-head.
Egg-head leaned back and away from Bakugo. "Hey, I never said that! You just probably shouldn't go there, you know? What could be so important that you need to be there so fast?"
Bakugo let out a sigh. Fuck, I'm gonna end up telling this story to every idiot in the goddamn galay at this rate. Should I even tell the asshole? It's safer not to. I'm not taking any goddamn risks where I don't need to.
"...so All For One broke out of prison during this huge break-in, right? Like, it was big enough to get both me and him out. So now, we're all on the run as a group! Really makes for good bonding. Like, he might've killed us at any moment at the start, but now? Now he's only slightly likely to kill us." Pikachu explained, waving his hands around like a dumbass the whole time.
Bakugo glared at Pikachu, not even trying to hide his disdain. "God damn it, Pikachu! Don't just go around telling the entire goddamn galaxy!" He seethed.
"What? It's not like we can just hide it from him! He's going to figure it out eventually, anyways." Pikachu defended, holding his hands up in surrender.
Bakugo snorted. "He doesn't look like all his screws are in place upstairs. Could've fucking waited."
"Wait, All For One isn't in prison anymore?" Egg-head asked, eyes wide and disbelieving.
"See what I mean?" Bakugo snorted.
"No, he's not. That's why we need to go to Terra Ultima. To kill him." Raccoon Eyes muttered, a dark look in her eyes.
Bakugo narrowed his eyes. Something wasn't quite right with her.
Just as Bakugo was about to ask what her deal was, Shitty Hair beat him to the punch.
"Ashido, you alright? Like, I get that he's, like, super evil, but there's no need to stay so serious about this." Shitty Hair reasoned, a resolutely worried expression on his face.
Raccoon Eyes blinked once, looking at Shitty Hair. In a single moment, something about her entire personality took a complete 180, returning back to her normally peppy and annoying attitude. "Yep! Never better! I just want to do part in helping out, you know?" She said with a bright smile.
"Right, well, if there's ever a problem, don't be afraid to tell us, yeah?" Shitty Hair offered, looking relieved.
"You got it!" Raccoon Eyes nodded, still giving that damn happy grin of hers.
But Bakugo had seen a lot of fake smiles in his life. He knew when someone was genuine. This smile wasn't any better than the one that Deku hastily threw on whenever he fought.
Bakugo wasn't an idiot. Hell, he was the opposite- he was a damn genius, and he knew it. The idiots around him didn't seem to realize that.
Bakugo had a few theories on why Raccoon Eyes was acting like she was, but he needed just a bit more proof. He could guess right now, in front of all of the other idiots, and he would probably be right. But he wouldn't do that to her.
He wouldn't call her on it. Not here, not now. He would give her that basic courtesy. He was an asshole, he could admit that, but he wasn't that kind of asshole. But this problem is something that had to be addressed. If he just left it, who fucking knows what could happen.
Meanwhile, the merry band of misfits kept chatting it up. Egg-head fit in perfectly. There was no end to the stream of shit that poured from his mouth. He was like a social Mothra. All of them seemed to have that same goddamn annoying quality.
None of them knew when to shut the hell up. They were all positive as hell, and it was fucking annoying. Bakugo had barely ever even seen Shitty Hair frown when he wasn't provoking the idiot.
Bakugo let out a weary sigh, taking another look at the starmap. This delay cost them. If Deku was still just as predictable as before, then they only had a few days of a head start on him, and Bakugo needed extra time to get on-planet more easily.
Three jumps, one of which would be spent refueling. That would be the fastest route.
In the meantime, though…
Bakugo kicked his feet up on the console, careful not to hit any of the buttons. His eyes fluttered once, and then again.
Until then, he would sleep.
There was a steady beat as he walked, a flat thump, thump, thump as his boots echoed in the white, sterile halls of the Perfect Harmony.
The ship was too clean for his tastes. It always made him uncomfortable, just how clinical the halls seemed. Their drones were efficient at their job, but he never had the heart to call it creepy.
"Wooow...Cryo Flame is so cool! Just look at that intense look on his face! He must be thinking of battle strategies even now!"
Ah. The sidekick. He'd almost forgotten about her.
She was a hero fanatic, not dissimilar to Midoriya. It was a little strange how focused she was on him, but he had plenty of fans, all eccentric.
Todoroki cast a glance back at her, and a wide grin crossed her face, sending a mild twinge of discomfort through him. There was adoration, and then there was obsession. He shouldn't have this level of influence over someone.
Wait, did she say something…? He had tuned her out.
After a long moment of him looking at her and her not responding, Todoroki merely let out a soft grunt of acknowledgement and kept walking forwards. Behind him, the girl, Spyralia, let out a soft squeal, and Todoroki resisted the urge to sigh.
He'd signed the girl on because of both her Quirk and her personality. With a Quirk that made her stronger the more intense her will to fight was, she had the potential to be amazingly strong. However, she placed poorly in U.A's Sports Festival because she was unwilling to hurt her friends and because she had poor mobility.
He was one of three that sent her an application. One of the first things she told him was that she wasn't even expecting any. He had looked her in the eyes and told her that that fear wasn't unjustified.
After her relatively uneventful experience in the field, she was sent back to school. When she came back to his office in Musutafu a few months later for an internship, there was something new in her eyes. Something that said that she had dealt with something serious. It was why he had agreed to take her on as an intern.
If there was one thing that he made sure any sidekicks that he took on learned, it was the value of determination. He pushed them to their limits, and then forced them to break those limits, or die trying.
So far, none of Todoroki's seven interns have ever failed to meet his expectations.
Spyralia hummed as she skipped alongside him, eyes glued to him. Once again, he felt mildly disturbed.
"So, uh, Mister Cryo Flame, sir, what exactly are we doing?" She asked shyly, a faint blush adorning her cheeks.
Todoroki's eyebrow raised slightly. "Didn't you listen as I explained it to you on the warp here?" He asked, exasperated. This girl was easily one of the most airheaded of the sidekicks that he had taken.
"Um! I, uh- well, that is…" She started, blush multiplying rapidly on her face.
Todoroki let out a long sigh. "Do you at least remember the name Bakugo Katsuki?" He checked, not really expecting a positive answer.
To his surprise, the girl nodded. "Yup! We learned about him from Mr. Aizawa, and we saw some of his fights in his Sports Festival. He was really cool, and intense! The fight with you and him was the best one, even though you didn't use your fire! If you did use your fire, though, you probably would've still lost because-" The girl happily rambled, until Todoroki quickly and firmly bonked her once in the head, pausing in his march to do so.
"He was cool during the festival, I will admit. However, do not forget that he became a villain. Regardless, the reason that I asked was because we're being deployed to search for and defeat members of a group that is targeting the man. It's a relatively mundane job for a relatively mundane purpose. With luck, we'll finish with this and be back with the fleet within a day." Todoroki monologued, keeping his eyes forward as he continued moving.
"Creati and I have been dispatched for this very reason. We're to work together and search out any members of this group. Nezu has provided us with potential locations for the villains, although you should expect the first one to be accurate." Todoroki continued, making sure Spyralia was listening. She was staring with an utmost conviction into his eyes, which could mean...anything, really. However, at the mention of Yaoyorozu, her face twisted in intrigue.
"Hey, so I know that this isn't related to the mission or anything, but are the rumors true?" She asked in a hushed whisper.
Todoroki gave her an unamused glance. "Which ones?" He asked dryly. There was no shortage of them at any moment. People tended to dream up the most outlandish scenarios about him. At least once an hour, he was sent a message from an anonymous person telling him that 'you and Deku should just fuck already'. It was honestly getting a bit out of hand with how frequent they were, especially considering the fact that Midoriya's wedding was galactic news for weeks.
"You know, the ones about you and Creati! I mean, you two are always together at business events, and you showed up to that one gala as dates and were seen sneaking out together, and you were in the same class in school, and you sat next to each other, and you two always take on big jobs together, and she's the only person you've teamed up with aside from freaking Deku-" Spyralia suddenly cut herself off, blush setting in even further as mortification settled onto her features.
"How did you know that we sat next to each other in class?" Todoroki asked, now slightly alarmed. The amount of information about him that wasn't public was much smaller than the amount that was public.
"Ah, well, you know, I just kind of- well, not really me, a bunch of people on the internet really did the research, even though it was more like guessing, but, um...Well, you see, your last name and hers lined up so that you sat next to her?" She ventured, a look of shame and fear etched into her features.
Todoroki let out a soft sigh. This girl was too quick to embarrass. "It's not surprising. You'll have people like that focusing on you in the future as well. It would serve you well to keep a close grasp on your personal information." He advised in a clear and concise tone.
The blush seemed to get worse, somehow.
"But as for your question, I'm afraid to tell you that my colleague and I are not in a relationship. Neither of us have that kind of time as heroes." He responded, keeping a straight face.
Spyralia's face seemed to fall. "But...there are plenty of people who are married with children and are heroes, right? Deku's with Uravity, and he's the top hero! And then there's Mount Lady and Kamui Woods!" She protested, falling back into pace with him and gesturing wildly with her arms.
Something inside Todoroki was telling him to tell her off for prying into his personal business, but she had a valid point.
"Some heroes have the ability to juggle their lifestyle as well as their work. I simply choose to not do so, and Creati feels the same way. Depending on who you ask, romantic attachments can also be used against you. Be sure that you take all of the factors into consideration before pursuing a relationship. Many families have been torn apart because they lost a hero in battle, and with a Quirk like yours, it can be easy to forget your own mortality in the heat of the moment." Todoroki explained gently, trying his hardest to stay impartial.
Spyralia looked at him in surprise, a look of astonishment etched into her features. Todoroki gave her a soft smile. "You'll figure out exactly how you wish to approach heroics in your own time. It's not something that can be taught. I'll try my hardest to guide you down the path that you feel is best, but the rest is up to you." He told her earnestly, feeling an odd sense of nostalgia for the years when he was too serious to even consider having a conversation like the one that he was having.
"Come. We've reached the teleporter room. Be prepared for a fight at any moment." And just like that, he was playing the role of the number 2 hero again.
Spyralia trailed after him, following behind him with a small sense of wonder. She had been in his ship before, but his ship was still one of the most advanced ones in the galaxy. The Perfect Harmony was a relatively small ship- he could walk from one end to another in a matter of two minutes. However, it sported one of the most compact shield systems in the galaxy and didn't suffer on speed for it. Yaoyorozu's ship, on the other hand, the Endless Automaton, was more focused on flexibility and firepower.
It also had hundreds of repair drones, but that was aside the point.
The two were considered 'sister ships'. Todoroki would often end up attacking quickly and ruthlessly, with Yaoyorozu providing support fire and acting as bait. They were an effective team.
"Ooh, am I gonna get to meet Creati, too?" Spyralia suddenly asked, letting out a small squeal. Todoroki merely stared forward.
"To the planet." Todoroki monotoned to the man operating the teleporter.
"...Right? We'll see Creati, right?"
"...Make it snappy."
The planet they were sent to was called Sol Aeternum, which seemed quite fitting when considering the nature of the planet. The name translated to 'forever in sunlight', if Todoroki remembered right from his Ancient Languages classes that his father subjected him to. The planet itself was massive, orbited by two very small suns that kept the planet in near-eternal daylight, only letting up for an hour or two at a time.
Because of the overwhelming sunlight, the planet was a tropical one. It was a tourist trap for the rich who wanted to enjoy the sun and the following operation to remove the skin cancer that came with the suns being so close. In all honesty, Todoroki didn't see the appeal. The planet's climate was harsh and there were dangerous creatures dotting the landscape. Mercenaries were often required to patrol property, although Todoroki and Spyralia wouldn't be hindered in their investigation.
The water was very beautiful, however. The planet had that going for it at the very least.
Todoroki already had an idea of where to start his search. There was a large event taking place, one that wasn't entirely legal, but most everyone turned a blind eye to it. After all, it didn't necessarily harm anyone, and it was a profitable business that kept the people happy, and in times like these, that was a necessary boon.
He was speaking of the games, of course.
Races, both on foot and in every form of vehicle imaginable. High-intensity games of tag. Even higher intensity games of hide and seek. Mostly every type of competition was available at these games, and anything and everything went. Quirks, guns, sabotage- so long as no one was permanently injured, it was fair game.
He had gone undercover and participated, once. It was intense. He hadn't managed to win (he lost the debate portion), but he had gotten quite far and it was good, honest fun.
The massive cash prize didn't hurt participation, either.
The planet was tight on security right now. He doubted that anyone who couldn't wave millions of yen around could even hope to get access to the planet. As it stood, the event was high-priority.
If anything happened, it would happen here. He was certain of it, and Nezu agreed. He needed to be vigilant at all times, keeping a close watch on his surroundings and always remaining careful to not be caught by surprise.
Unfortunately, Spyralia didn't seem to share that same sense of duty.
"Woooooow…." She murmured, face pressed against the glass of the VIP booth. Other party-goers were giving her mild looks of contempt, carefully concealing those looks when Todoroki's gaze slid over them.
She was still a child, and thus, he would allow her to act as a child, to an extent. She had to learn control, but she was also young. She hadn't seen what the world would throw her way just yet.
"Champagne, sir?" A waitress with blue hair tied into a neat bun asked kindly from behind him, her black eyes locking with his heterochromatic ones.
Todoroki paused for a second, giving her a small smile in return. "That would be lovely. Thank you." He responded, not allowing his smile to fade as he grabbed a glass.
Letting his attention drift back to the current race taking place, Todoroki raised the glass to his lips, taking a long drink.
"Um, Mr. Cryo Flame? Shouldn't you be more careful with what you drink? Alcohol can create an artificial warmth in the body, which could be regulated by your Quirk, but it'll also affect your balance and it could be poisoned and-" Spyralia began to speak rapidly before Todoroki softly bonked her on the head again.
"I'm very well aware of the effect that alcohol can have on my body. However, it won't be a problem." Todoroki responded easily and casually.
"...But how?" Spyralia asked, glancing at the swirling liquid in his glass with a dumbfounded expression.
Todoroki gave a wan smile. Perhaps he could leave her guessing for as long as possible…?
"You said that you wished to meet Creati, correct?" Todoroki instead deflected the topic of conversation.
"Uh- yeah? But what's that got to-"
"Look at the waitress that gave me this glass." Todoroki instructed, gesturing in her general direction.
Spyralia frowned, scanning the general area. Her eyes landed on the waitress- and she froze.
"That's Creati!" She hissed, eyes suddenly filled with panic. Todoroki smiled.
"Our role is to help prevent any incidents through our presence alone, whereas it is Creati's role to traverse the stands and the different sections of the stadium in search of anyone who might be a threat while she manages to keep a low profile. You'll often find that the simple presence of a hero is a deterrent in and of itself. Very few villains would willingly stage an attack on a crowded stadium with several high-ranking heroes and more mercenaries than you can count. Of course, there may also be villains that wish to fight for this very reason; either to prove their strength or to defeat one particular hero. Don't forget that fact." Todoroki gently lectured, keeping a light look on his face even as the person he was rooting for was losing the race.
"Yeah, I get all of that…" Spyralia trailed off, looking uncomfortable.
"But?"
"But why the hell did Creati give you champagne if you're working?" Spyralia suddenly demanded info, a familiar, determined look entering her eyes.
"Oh, that," Todoroki said with a laugh, "That would be because this is apple juice."
Spyralia froze.
"It's- it's apple juice?" She asked, a look of wonder on her face.
Todoroki nodded. "It's something of a practical joke that we play on each other. We tend to replace anything even mildly alcoholic with something innocuous." He said with a smile, casting a fond look in Yaoyorozu's direction as she handed out glasses of actual champagne to those in attendance.
"I suppose that if someone higher up asked, we could claim that it's a code of some sort, meant to ensure that we are who we say we are." Todoroki mused, swirling his glass dramatically.
Spyralia huffed at him. "That's really irresponsible, you know! Shouldn't you be serious when on these kinds of missions?" She pressured, a frown plastered on her face as she folded her arms.
Todoroki hummed. "You do have a point. This is a high-stakes mission, one that both the top ranking hero himself and the leader of the highest ranked hero school in the galaxy has sent us on. As heroes, it is our job to stay focused and alert at all times." He agreed, nodding along sagely.
Spyralia was quiet as she stared at him expectantly.
"...Yes?" He asked, a smirk quirking just at the edge of his lips.
"Where's the 'but'? I know that I didn't change your mind so easily." His intern questioned, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Hm? Oh, there is nothing of the sort. You are, of course, correct. I'll focus from now on." He promised as sincerely as he could manage.
Spyralia eyed him suspiciously for a long moment before turning her attention back to the races. Within moments, she was completely enthralled again.
Yes, Todoroki thought, I suppose it could be quite difficult to focus when something this large is taking place.
And he stuck the seventh toothpick of the night into Spyralia's hair.
Honestly, it was getting ridiculous at this point.
This girl had fourteen toothpicks in her shoulder-length hair. How none had fallen out and how she hadn't noticed them yet, Todoroki would never know. And she was the one who was chastising him about being unfocused. This would serve as a good lesson in humility, he supposed. The other guests were beginning to notice, as well, so his ruse would only last so long.
It was on toothpick sixteen that she noticed.
"Cryo Flame, sir, look!" She exclaimed, watching the fireworks competition, turning to glance at him rapidly. Almost absent-mindedly, she ran her hands through her hair- and her expression morphed from excitement to confusion and finally to mortification.
"Have you- have I- how long have these been in here?" She exclaimed, the color rapidly draining from her face.
"And why are there so many?" She muttered, running her hands through her hair one more time, shaking her head a bit.
"I started putting them in about two hours ago." Todoroki told her vapidly.
"TWO- Why? Why did you do this?" She moaned, putting her head in her hands.
"You remind me of a porcupine." He responded blandly, not even meeting her eyes.
"A...a porcupine?" She asked wearily.
"You seem harmless and innocent when you're calm, and you're just as dangerous as a porcupine without its quills when you are. However, when you get angry, you hurt the people who tried to hurt you or those you care about." Todoroki responded. His reasoning was, without a shadow of a doubt, flawless.
"But that doesn't explain why you put the toothpicks in my hair!" Spyralia shot back almost instantly.
"Oh. That. I thought it would be funny." He responded easily from where he stood.
"You- I- Gah, you're awful!" She protested, throwing her hands in the air.
Annoyance welled up in Todoroki. He was joking with her, but she still should remember that he was the hero and she the intern, not the other way around.
"Perhaps if you wish to not look like a porcupine next time, you should focus, no?" Todoroki quipped back, his eyes hardening. Spyralia turned to him, ready to protest further- and she met his eyes.
Any protests that she may have had died in her throat, and her eyes instantly widened, panic setting into her features clear as day. This time, it wasn't in worry that she'd upset him, or whatever other reason she had for her panic- this looked genuine. She was genuinely afraid of him in that one split second.
Instead of saying anything, she lowered her head, shuffled her feet slightly, and mumbled, "Yes, sir."
Todoroki blinked once, all of his annoyance fading in an instant. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong-
And someone jostled against him, giving him a small 'sorry' over their shoulder. He cast an annoyed look over his shoulder at them, but they were already gone.
He turned back to Spyralia, but her moment of weakness was already gone. She was watching the races again, looking more detached that ever before.
"Spyralia-" He began, feeling concern well up in him for his intern.
"Don't ask." She said shortly.
"I wasn't going to. I simply wished to offer advice." He proposed gently.
Spyralia gave him a look that spoke of so much more than he wished to admit that he recognized. Desperation, annoyance, despair-
And yet, he couldn't do anything about it. Whatever this girl was suffering through, she wouldn't tell him- or perhaps, couldn't. Either way, this wasn't the time or place to confront her about it. He wasn't the best at recognizing and directly addressing emotional problems. That was more of Midoriya's comfort zone. It was the one skill that his father could never have taught him, assuming he had stuck around long enough, and that was simply because it was something that the man himself didn't possess.
"There will always be those that wish to hurt you, in more ways than one. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, you will always find an enemy. And, just like I've taught you, there's more than one way to fight an enemy."
"You're strong, but you're still just a kid. You have limitless potential in you- the potential to be exactly who you want to be, and no one else. You can become the hero that you want to be, or you can become the mercenary that you want to be, or the bodyguard, or the model. You choose your own path in life. Not anyone else. You have the power to do exactly as you wish. My job is to help you realize how to use it." Todoroki finished, keeping a close eye on her the whole time.
Spyralia was a good kid. She was smart, strong, and resourceful. But she could also be hot-headed and prideful. He could see how she would admire Bakugo.
Whatever was going on that had her so afraid of him looking even remotely angry, it wasn't something that she deserved. And yet, it wasn't his place to ask, and most of all, it wasn't his place to help.
As heartless as it was, this was something that she had to figure out on her own. He could offer her a lifeline- tell her that he had connections at U.A, and would be willing to help out if she needed it. He could do that in a moment, and if it was a family problem, whisk her from the situation in an instant.
And yet, there was something in her that told him that this wasn't what she would learn the most from.
He couldn't teach her if he had that attachment. Not the same way that he taught the rest. If there was anything that he had learned, it was those that could return from the depths of despair and come out on top that were the strongest. It was a risky game that he was playing, he knew, but…
If he took her from it, then she wouldn't end up nearly as strong as she could be.
And he couldn't take that freedom from her. If the situation came around and he were presented with the opportunity, then he would help her. However, it would have to be something that she did on her own. If she could recover from whatever experience she had and take action, then she would be in a league of her own.
If it was something that she managed, then she would outclass even him. She might take his spot in a flash if he wasn't careful.
These were the thoughts that coursed through Todoroki's head. His brain was a flurry of motion, wondering how he could help without deterring her.
"Hey," she began, voice unsteady.
"You're a hero...but you don't always have to save everyone, ya know?" She pointed out, voice steadily gaining power, even as she refused to meet his eyes.
Todoroki was quiet for a long moment, looking at his apprentice, puzzled. Letting out a long sigh, he put his hands in his pockets, looking up to the ceiling above them. It was decorated with moving stars, using some of the finest hologram tech this side of the galaxy.
Todoroki froze when he felt something in his pocket. Something that hadn't originally been there.
Quickly taking the object out, he noted that it was simple, easy-to-obtain paper, the type that any citizen could buy in bulk.
Todoroki's eyes widened as he quickly unfolded the paper, eyes scanning the contents. It was a simple note, only one sentence.
Todoroki Shouto, meet me in the woods behind the stadium, in the large clearing.
No info beyond that. Simply a request to meet, and one that was completely vague. It had been a while since he had fought a group this straightforward. It was a wonder that they'd even managed to get themselves labelled as a threat.
"Spyralia. We have work to do." Todoroki ordered, watching his apprentice carefully. She turned, confused, only to meet his eyes and become serious.
"Right!"
Todoroki walked casually, hands in his pockets. The area wasn't hard to find. It was an open clearing in the woods, a decent distance in. They wouldn't be heard here. He had told Yaoyorozu where he was going and left without fanfare.
He leaned his head back, looking up at the sky. His hair was getting long, he noticed. He would need to get it cut soon. There was someone good at it on the One for All, but he preferred this nice shop back on Musutafu. They always got his hair just how he wanted it.
Clean, crisp footsteps broke him from his idle thoughts, and he glanced back down in front of him.
A woman stood in front of him, with flowing red hair and a perfectly modest dress. Her eyes were a deep shade of green, and even from the large space between them, he could see her malice.
"Todoroki Shouto...how nice of you to appear. I've been waiting for you." She uttered, voice smooth and controlled. If he were anyone else, he probably could have said that it was seductive.
"I'm sure that you know who I am. You are on this planet just to defeat me, are you not? My, what a devoted boy...So uptight, so focused on the job. Have you never wished to take a load off, enjoy yourself?" The woman asked, stalking closer to Todoroki.
Maybe I'll have soba for dinner tonight. I haven't treated myself in a while. Todoroki thought idly.
He blinked, focusing back on his opponent. She was still talking.
"...after all, you are the number two hero. Shouldn't you be allowed-" The woman rambled, words cutting short as Todoroki's arm swept forward.
In the blink of an eye, an ice spike was protruding from the woman's stomach, and she looked down in shock.
Todoroki's eyes narrowed. "Just as I thought."
The woman disintegrated, and Todoroki turned around leisurely, arm raised with a thin sheet of ice covering it that worked as an armor. An arm crashed down on his armor, which held fast, and Todoroki found himself staring down the same woman from before, albeit mildly less attractive.
The woman jumped back as ice quickly began to spread on her arm, meeting his eyes with an enraged look.
"How perceptive of you, Cryo Flame. I should have known that surprise attacks would have failed." The woman spat, her left arm igniting into flames and melting the ice. Todoroki raised an eyebrow. So there are two of them.
"You may call me Vesta. I've been wanting to test myself against a powerful opponent for quite some time now. Bakugo Katsuki may be our target, but we've been given express orders from Jupiter to defend ourselves if need be." Vesta declared, a ball of crackling flame forming in her hands.
And...there.
Ice shot up Vesta's legs, encasing her before she could do anything. She looked down, surprised-
And Todoroki's fist, wreathed in flame in the form of a fist, crashed into her face, sending her flying and breaking the ice. She slammed into a tree, collapsing onto the ground and unsteadily attempting to stand up.
"I don't have the time to waste on villains who chatter my ear off with talking. I've dealt with your type before, and you all always say the same things with different words." Todoroki monotoned, leering down at Vesta imperiously.
The woman pulled herself to her feet, faltering when she met Todoroki's eyes.
"You know...Todoroki Shouto...Fire only makes me stronger." Vesta breathed out, determination in her eyes.
She moved in a flash, and Todoroki let out another sigh.
It would have been better if you had just stayed down.
"Absolute Zero."
Todoroki's world became blue.
Spyralia watched Cryo Flame from a distance as he dealt with the villain. He'd told her to not get involved, but it was hard not to! Just thinking about a villain got her blood pumping and her fists yearning for battle, or something cool like that!
Still, though, there was no denying that it was probably better that she didn't fight. That villain...she was really fast. Faster than Spyralia could keep up with. She hadn't even seen Cryo Flame move when he'd blocked her attack, and he'd gone even faster when he attacked. That was just something that had to be built up with time, she guessed.
But when the villain had stood up, and moved...In a single moment, Spyralia had gone from watching a fight to watching an icicle almost stab her in the eye. A giant, jagged ball of ice had sprouted almost out of thin air.
She jumped back, completely startled, almost falling off of her tree branch.
This ice...It's Cryo Flame's, but it doesn't look the same. And why is it doing that?
Spyralia was afraid to even touch it. It was a deep blue, and what looked like steam was rolling off of it in waves.
"Is this...How cold is this ice?" She wondered aloud.
Quickly, she rummaged around in the side pocket of her hero suit, pulling out a small tube of recovery gel. This stuff was apparently really hard to store because of how hard it was to get cold, so depending on how it reacted…
Spyralia lathered a small amount of the gel onto her hand, flicking it at the icicle.
She watched, with a slight amount of horror, as it instantly became a brittle chunk of ice.
Just... how strong is he? How...how could anyone hope to catch up to this?
And then, another chilling thought crossed her mind.
What would happen to us if he were a villain?
Could anyone even take him down?
Spyralia shuddered, moving away from the wall. It was nice to feel cool air, but this was too much.
Cryo Flame had won. That much was certain. And with power like that, he always would.
Todoroki let out a breath, the vapors in his breath turning instantly into a fine mist in front of him.
His fire side burned hotly, the only thing keeping him from hypothermia. Exploding all the power of his Absolute Zero in one go always overwhelmed him. The same went for Hellflame. He much preferred the powers in moderation, where it was easy to regulate and even more deadly.
Spyralia...Was she caught in this? I don't believe so. She should have been far enough away. Todoroki wondered, looking at the ice surrounding him.
Now...There's no one to stop me. Todoroki thought, staring his captive opponent down.
Only Vesta's head was visible. Fire was sprouting in erratic bursts around her, most likely the only thing keeping her alive.
Todoroki raised his right hand, grasping Vesta's head in a firm grip.
"It burns, doesn't it?" He asked, voice completely level.
Todoroki forced her to look at him. Her eyes had completely lost all fight- they were dull. Broken.
"Your body came into direct contact with ice at absolute zero. Your cells are dying. If you don't receive emergency care within the next half hour, your entire body will be paralyzed from the cold. The longer you spend in the ice, the shorter that time becomes." Todoroki told her, voice completely steady and remorseless.
"Tell me about Jupiter. Everything."
Vesta was quiet, mouth attempting to make noise.
Ice spread from Todoroki's hand, and she cried out in pain.
"I'm a hero, not a messiah. There are bigger fish than you. I'm not afraid to leave you for dead. Even if you don't talk, your companion may not be as mentally strong." Todoroki warned, grasping her head more tightly.
"...Power...He can't...Lose." Vesta rasped, coughing once.
"Electric...Quirk. Framed…" Vesta continued, teeth chattering incessantly. Her eyes unfocused for a second, and Todoroki brought his left hand to her head, applying a shock of warmth through her system.
"Bakugo...must die...for him to...be immortal." Vesta rasped, barely able to string the sentence together.
"What does Bakugo have that's so important? What's his plan?" Todoroki pushed, looking for an answer.
"...Don't...know…" Vesta gasped one final time before her head slumped. Todoroki grit his teeth.
In one blast from his fire, Vesta was freed, and Todoroki got to work on heating her body up, placing his left hand near her heart.
Todoroki pressed a button on his comm. "Momo, my target, Vesta, has been subdued. How is yours coming along?" He asked, looking around at his ice.
"I've found her. Engaging now." Momo responded after a short moment.
Todoroki grinned softly. "Good luck."
Yaoyorozu clicked her comm off, turning her attention back to the foe at hand, who she was spying on from a tree a good distance away. The woman herself was pacing back and forth, wringing her hands together. Her green hair was swaying in the wind.
Both of them realized what had happened. It was very hard to miss the sudden explosion of ice. Yaoyorozu believed it to be overkill, but she trusted that Todoroki was making the correct decisions.
She wasn't sure what this woman's Quirk was. However, because she was allowing Vesta to attack, that could mean one of several things: Vesta was stronger, this woman played a supporting role, they had split up to fight different opponents, or this woman's Quirk wouldn't be effective against Todoroki's.
No matter what, Yaoyorozu could take advantage of that.
Thoughts flew through her head- different battle strategies and ideas came to the forefront of her mind, each one analyzed and discarded at a moment's notice.
Finally, she settled on one- flexible enough to change depending on the Quirk, but versatile enough to be useful regardless of what her opponent did as a reaction.
Taking in a deep breath, she decided to make the first move, creating the first object that she would need. Her eyes flitted around to her surroundings, viewing the environment with an analytical eye before she decided on the best course of movement.
Her plan, in the end, truly was simple. She decided to call it the Checkmate Gambit.
Her first action was to throw ninja stars at her opponent's feet. A simple method of either disabling her opponent or forcing them to move.
The woman jumped back a moment before Yaoyorozu's weapons hit her, almost stumbling off of her feet. Yaoyorozu grinned. This was good.
Pushing off of the tree she had attacked from with a single hand, Yaoyorozu jumped to another tree, this one closer, and threw another pair of ninja stars at her opponent's midriff. Yet again, it was trivial whether or not these actually hit her opponent. This was simply a test.
Roots shot out from her opponent's feet, embedding themselves into the ground, and Yaoyorozu blinked in surprise.
A giant fist made of earth shot out from in front of the woman, knocking the stars out of the air.
"You're a brutish woman, attacking without preamble in this manner! Do you have any idea who I am? I am Juno, of the Council!" The woman boasted, previous worry vanished as she manipulated more dirt, attacking Yaoyorozu as she jumped from tree to tree with fists of earth.
Yaoyorozu glanced down at the trees, noting that they seemed to be relatively unharmed. Her eyes narrowed.
Her plan wasn't quite finished yet. She still needed a few more creations.
As she jumped to another neighboring tree, several small capsules popped out of her arms. She nimbly caught each one, hurling them at her opponent only for each one to be crushed by her opponent's Quirk. Chemical formulas flew through her mind with her opponents every action.
Smirking, Yaoyorozu jumped down from the tree she stood on, slipping right below another fist, which she carefully tapped before it returned back to the dirt below her opponent's feet.
Another fist shot out from below Juno, this one roughly grabbing Yaoyorozu. She winced, but remained relatively still.
"I've finally caught you. What hidden tricks can save you now, Creati? You weren't on the kill list, but for what you've done to me, I might just consider it." Juno hissed from where she was twenty feet away.
Yaoyorozu tilted her head. "You aren't very aware of your surroundings, are you?" She asked, bemused.
Juno blinked once before her eyes shot down to the ground beneath her.
And with the click of a button, the ground around Juno exploded, and with a single extension of Yaoyorozu's arms, the dirt that was firmly holding her collapsed.
Quickly vaulting over the quickly crumbling earth, Yaoyorozu reached Juno, creating a sheet of metal and sliding it under her feet while she slapped a pair of handcuffs onto both her feet and hands.
When the smoke cleared, Juno was completely immobilized with heavy weights holding down her hands and feet that Yaoyorozu had made in seconds.
Yaoyorozu turned on her comms. "Shouto, I eliminated my target, Juno. I believe that our mission here is a success."
"Good. We can leave as soon as the day is over, then. From Nezu's calculations, no one else should show their face here."
Juno, from below her, rasped, "How?"
Yaoyorozu blinked. "I'll talk to you later, Shouto. Let me finish up here. Creati, out." She said with a sigh.
"Understood. Cryo Flame, out." And with that, the conversation was ended.
Yaoyorozu turned her attention back to Juno, her lips quirking up into a smile.
"Really, it was quite easy to get the jump on you. Most opponents would have figured out some of my plan before it fully went into effect."
"The entire time you were attacking me from a distance, I was throwing stars embedded with a low-power explosive at your feet. These stars were coated with a protective coating which allowed air into it, and the stars themselves were also coated with hydrofluoric acid which melted the dirt beneath them and allowed them to sink into the ground. Because of the nature of your Quirk, you simply never noticed."
"As I jumped from tree to tree, I implanted a capsule with a highly acidic substance into the bark, which your Quirk broke open again and again. The more acidic the soil, the more soluble some of its key elements are. Just before I jumped down, I threw a large amount of capsules filled with water at you. These helped weaken the dirt just enough for me to break open the dirt that was holding me and reach you in time."
"However, even if that failed, I made sure to implant a small explosive into one of the fists of earth that you created. That way, even if I was unable to break free of your dirt, or if you modified the properties of it somehow, I could still break free. It wasn't necessary." Yaoyorozu finished explaining, watching with a small sense of satisfaction as Juno's eyes widened more and more.
"Now, let's get you to the police station. They'll know what to do with you."
Todoroki clicked Send on the joint report that Yaoyorozu and him created on what had happened on Sol Aeternum. He leaned back, letting out a loud yawn as Yaoyorozu did the same. She had been slowly eating snacks all afternoon in an attempt to replenish her body's natural supply of fat for her Quirk, and with a full stomach, she was no doubt getting the urge to sleep.
"You can go back to your ship. I still have something that I need to do here." Todoroki murmured quietly, rubbing his eyes.
Yaoyorozu blinked at him. "Are you sure? I could probably help you." She offered, an earnest look decorating her eyes.
Todoroki shook his head. "No, this is something that I should do on my own." He reassured her, giving her a small smile.
Yaoyorozu tilted her head, giving him her patented 'I'm worried about you but I trust you enough to let you make your own decisions' look.
...It probably didn't say good things about him that he could instantly recognize that look.
"Alright. Just comm me when you're done." She murmured, pulling herself to her feet.
Todoroki left a few minutes after she did, taking a moment to review everything.
This planet wouldn't be anything more than another stop on his way, but he wanted to remember it as its own place, special and unique.
He would be able to do that in a single moment. There was something more important that he had to handle first.
It didn't take long to find her.
Night had fallen by now, though Todoroki knew that it wouldn't last for very long. He'd been searching for Spyralia for about fifteen minutes already, and he got the feeling that sunrise wasn't too far off.
He'd gone searching for the most scenic place possible. He felt like he would find her there.
She was sitting on a tree stump, arms wrapped around her legs as she stared wistfully into a gently cascading waterfall, small enough to not make much noise but large enough to still create quite the sight.
She didn't say anything as he approached. Out of respect for her, he did the same.
He stood beside her for a long moment, staring at the waterfall as well, searching for whatever it was she was staring at.
"You had me worried, you know." Todoroki monotoned, carefully gauging her reaction. She didn't say anything for a long few seconds.
"I'm sorry." Spyralia choked out, pain in her voice.
"Don't apologize to me. I'm not the greatest with emotions, but a blind man could see that you're hurting right now. There's nothing to be sorry for." Todoroki reassured, hoping that she could accept what he was saying.
"It's just...U.A was supposed to be a new start for me, you know? I'd be able to be more independent, live at the dorms, fight bad guys...But today, I saw you fight that villain. I couldn't even keep up with what was going on. How am I supposed to be a hero if I can't fight the villains that attack us?" Spyralia asked quietly.
Todoroki was quiet for a moment. "Being a hero isn't only about strength. You can be the strongest man in the world while being an awful hero. Do you understand?" He asked, looking Spyralia in the eyes. She blinked, looking confused.
"The reason that Deku is the top hero is because his presence reassures people that they will be safe. It's the same quality that All Might had." He explained, looking out towards the waterfall.
"Strength will come to you in time. If you base yourself, who is just a beginner, off of me, who is a pro, then you will always fall short. Do you understand? Just become the hero that you want to be, and you will find your own peace."
He gave out advice only when he thought that someone needed it. He'd given advice to Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Midoriya. Each and every time, it had roused them into action. He hoped that it happened the same way here.
"Thank you…" Spyralia whispered, just a small whisper among the crash of water.
Todoroki gave a small grunt of acknowledgement. "Come on. We have to get back to the ship. Creati is waiting on us." He told her, still holding a patient expression.
And just like that, her mood seemed to lift somewhat. "I get to meet Creati?" She asked hopefully.
Todoroki nodded. "Yeah, I'll let you meet Creati. But we have to get off this planet first. Now, let's go."
The walk back to where the Perfect Harmony had docked was an excited one for Spyralia, and a mostly exasperated one for Todoroki, mainly because his mind was elsewhere.
There was something that he couldn't quite shake. Some piece of evidence that he was sure that he'd missed. Something that just wasn't adding up.
Bakugo...Why do these people want you dead so badly?
Bakugo awoke from his nap to the sound of the ship rumbling.
"What the hell is going on?" He asked blearily, eyes scanning the controls as his mind struggled to keep up.
"An asteroid field, looks like. Weird. Didn't even see this on the way over." Egg-Head supplied helpfully.
"How the hell didn't you see this?!" Bakugo snarled, quickly taking up the controls and barely dodging a large asteroid that would have scraped away their shields.
"I didn't see where you were going, and it should have been in the beacon info! I didn't think you would run into one!" Scotch defended, raising his hands in surrender.
"Wha- there wasn't shit about a hazard in the beacon info! Are you fucking lying to me!" Bakugo yelled, barely swerving around another asteroid. "And get to your places! We don't have time for this! Raccoon Eyes, I want you to shoot down any asteroids that come too close! I know you're not the same as a defense drone, but make an effort, damn it!" Bakugo snarled, feeling very pissed about this turn of events.
"On it!" Raccoon Eyes gave an affirmative, scrambling up from the floor where the rest of the idiots were playing cards and running into the hallway. Shitty Hair and Pikachu followed suit, urgency in their steps even as they made some kind of joke about dinosaurs.
"Wait- there wasn't anything in the beacon info? But I could have sworn…" Egg-Head trailed off, looking confused as he settled into the chair that governed the sensors.
"It doesn't matter now. If you didn't know, then you didn't fucking know. We don't have time to argue the semantics. We just need to get the hell out of here. Any stray asteroid will fuck this ship up beyond repair." Bakugo noted, eyes glancing warily around as he weaved the ship through danger.
Two lasers fired out from the top of their ship, destroying an asteroid that had slipped past Bakugo's field of view.
"Got your back, Captain!" Raccoon Eyes' cheery voice came over his comm.
Bakugo growled back a quick thanks, and the deadly game of dodging began anew.
Something's wrong here...I haven't seen any asteroid miners. This field isn't particularly dangerous for most ships, and fields like these can hold a lot of valuable ore.
Bakugo swiftly pulled the ship into a roll, avoiding a large asteroid. His eyes were still scanning the area when Egg-Head spoke up.
"Hey, Bakugo, you might want to look at this!" Egg-Head almost shouted over the sound of the engines as Bakugo forced the ship forward to pass through a gap in between two large asteroids.
"What is it, Egg-Head? Kinda busy here!" Bakugo growled as a small hail of rocks pelted off of the shields.
"Here, let me show you. You're gonna want to see this for yourself." He assured Bakugo, voice nervous.
A screen popped up in Bakugo's peripheral vision, and he swung his head around in annoyance.
"What the hell are you…" Bakugo trailed off, staring at the screen.
Alongside a scan of the area which told him there were seven ships in the general area, one of them a Heavy Cruiser class ship, there was also the beacon information.
There was apparently supposed to be a planet here.
There was no planet here.
What was here was a large asteroid field, unlisted in the beacon information.
Something in Bakugo's soul that was previously left untainted by rage was lost to the never-ending abyss that was his anger.
"Kaminari...Kirishima...Ashido...and Sero…" Bakugo said, his thoughts aligned in only one pattern.
"Uh-"
"We're going to FUCKING KILL THESE ASSHOLES!" Bakugo roared, an almighty rage filling him.
Nothing would stop him. Not now.
Not when these assholes had destroyed what had once been a planet, full of life, full of hopes. Not when these assholes had so callously ended the lives of so many.
Not when the only thing that had the power to destroy a planet had come from him.
And that's a wrap for chapter 8- Of Fire, Ice, and Hope!
Once again, sorry for the delay. I kinda lost my will to write for a while. School and work was kicking my ass, and once I got thrown off of my flow, it was really hard to just pick up the story again and write. More than once during this chapter, I found myself wondering if I was writing the characters how I wanted them to be written. However, now that school is over for summer, I'll be back with more frequent updates. Plus, now that Endeavor is getting some solid action in the manga, it's giving me another point of reference for how high-level battles will go. Contrary to how most people feel, I actually like the development he's getting and look forward to seeing how he turns out.
But, I digress. Anyways, in this chapter, two more members of the Roman council were defeated, and Bakugo Katsuki gives in to his rage. In the next chapter, a startling revelation is made and the crew of the Ground Zero is in for the fight of their life.