So…some epic fights are coming from this point forward ^^
Chapter 11: Legacy
Ruby stared blankly at the table in front of her, her tiny smile and silence somewhat disturbing the people around her in the waiting room.
"She's just…sitting there," Nora commented.
"She hasn't said a word yet," Sero said.
"Um…Ruby? You in there?" Ochako asked, waving her hand in front of Ruby's face, but failed to get a response.
"You think she's nervous?" Kaminari asked.
"She's about to face up against Todoroki. What was your first clue?" Jiro frowned.
"Rose? Are you…?" Izuku said, worried for his friend.
"…Nervous?" Ruby finally said. She snorted a laugh and waved dismissively. "Nooo… No, I am not nervous."
Sero and Jaune exchanged glances. "…You sure?" the latter asked.
Ruby nodded. "Yep. I'm not nervous at all…" She slams her hands on the table, startling Izuku and Ochako. "I'm freaking out!" She pressed her hands on her face and dragged them down, stretching down her face. "Todoroki has crazy ice power. I mean, look at what he did to Sero! One attack. Just. One!"
Sero deadpanned. "Thanks…"
"He hasn't even used his fire side yet! And what does that leave me: Speed, rose petals, some rope, and a scythe," Ruby listed, counting off her fingers with a look of vexation.
"Sounds like a good combo to me," Mina said.
"Doesn't mean anything against someone like Todoroki," Ruby bemoaned.
Nora shook her head. "You shouldn't worry so much, Ruby. The worst thing that is gonna happen is you losing. And losing your spot in the hero course. Then, it's the rest of the year of you walking around school with everyone knowing you're a failure, your friends slowly abandoning you to preserve their social status, you won't be able to show your face in class anymore, no one will want to sit next to you at lunch, and you would disgrace your family for losing against Endeavor's son." She ends it with a cheery grin.
Jaune facepalmed and everyone was silent during Nora's rambling, unsure of how to respond to it and wondering if Nora was being hypothetical or joking.
Except for Ren, unperturbed. "So, yeah, you shouldn't stress out."
"Seriously?" Jiro asked.
Ruby whimpered into her arms. Ochako waves her hands frantically. "D-D-Don't worry, Ruby! We won't abandon you over a loss!"
"Ruby, we've been friends for a long time," Jaune said. Ruby peaked her eyes above her arms slightly. "After what you and I have been through, there's no way it'll end over something like that."
"They're right, Rose! It would take a lot more than that to make us stop being your friends," Izuku said. Ruby lifts her head.
"Really?" Ruby asked. Izuku gives her a smile.
"Of course," he said, his tone assuring. Ruby smiled back and rose from her seat.
"Thanks, Midoriya," Ruby said.
"What are friends for?" Izuku said. Jaune watched the exchange silently.
Ruby takes a deep breath and slaps her face. "All right! I'm off, guys! Wish me luck!"
"You've got this, Ruby!" Mina cheered. Ruby pumps her fist in the air and exits the room.
"…Think she'll actually win this?" Kaminari asked Sero. Sero giggled.
"She's gonna get her ass handed to her."
For their remarks, Jiro jams her jacks in their ears and uses her Quirk as punishment.
Ruby makes her way to the corridor leading out for her match with Todoroki. She is still nervous about facing the boy, but the others' encouragement kind of helped her nerves a little. For her classmates, she'll do her best.
Her path was then blocked by the large body of Endeavor, making Ruby stop in her tracks.
"Oh! Uh…Hi, Endeavor. Fancy to see you again!" Ruby said. "Are you…looking for Todoroki?"
"Actually, I want to speak with you," Endeavor said.
Ruby blinked a few times. "Huh?" Shouldn't the man be seeing his own son before his match? "Um…sure! What do you want to talk about?"
Endeavor farrowed his eyes. "Are you…the daughter of Silver Line?" Ruby's heart skipped a beat when she heard that.
"…What…?"
"You're a carbon copy of her. Same hair…and same eyes."
"Um…Yeah…That's right. She was my mom," Ruby revealed. She wasn't going to lie if the obvious was right there.
"I thought so. But, don't expect any sympathy," Endeavor said coldly. Something dangerously tugged in Ruby's brain by the coldness of Endeavor's tone.
"I'm…sorry?" Ruby said, looking a mix of confusion and skepticism. Endeavor walked forward.
"Your mother was a threat to my ambition. That makes you a threat as well." Endeavor pauses next to Ruby. "You and Shouto are not friends. You two will never be friends. You are merely an obstacle in the way of my son's destiny."
Ruby stood silently as Endeavor walked away.
"…We're not a team, Rose." Todoroki's cold words stung Ruby. She could feel her arms tremble, even though they also felt weak. "And I'm not here to make friends." Her shoulders dropped. "I'm here to be a hero," Todoroki declared. He returns his gaze to Izuku. "And I will win."
A feeling started to come over her, a heated feeling she hadn't felt since…
…since the Battle Trial.
Ruby could feel anger building up from not only Endeavor's harsh words about her mother, but also Endeavor's words about Todoroki. Is that why he's been so cold lately? Why has he been doing what he was doing during the last two competitions?
"That isn't for you to decide," Ruby said. Endeavor paused his walking and turned around to see Ruby looking at him with a resolute glare. "And whatever it is you are forcing on Todoroki." Ruby's eyes turned steely. "I'll stop it."
Endeavor's turned equally intense. "I am not intimidated by Silver Line's ghost."
Despite his heated glare, Ruby didn't falter.
Ruby's fierce expression remained that way even as she headed over to the arena. Her intense look piqued the interest of her classmates.
"Whoa, who pissed her off?" Kaminari wondered. Everyone looks at Bakugo.
"Why are you looking at me? I haven't talked to her since this whole thing started," he growled.
"Then why is she suddenly super serious?" Nora wondered. "I haven't seen her this heated since the Battle Trial."
"Rose…" Izuku muttered. "What could've happened after she left the room and before coming out? I never got the chance to tell Rose what Todoroki told me. I wonder though…if she somehow found out for herself."
Toshinori watched silently from the teacher's section as he remembered a conversation he had with Summer regarding Endeavor.
'You would not believe what I learned, Toshi,' she had said. 'Endeavor has kids! He even has a little boy around Ruby's age! Wouldn't it be sweet if they became friends? That would be so precious!'
"She was over the moon at such an idea. I wonder how Summer would feel if she had learned what is happening right now…" Toshinori thought.
{It's time to start the 3rd round, everyone! Starting this round off, we got the rising star Shouto Todoroki going against Ruby Rose. Let's hope that red roses fare better in cold weather.}
"Todoroki!" Ruby called out. "I…am going to win this!" Todoroki didn't reply to her declaration, instead opting to get into a stance. Ruby puts on her goggles.
{Ready! …Go!}
At the call, Ruby dashes over to the right. "Todoroki has yet to use his fire side, so his left side is his weak point," she thought, remembering his fight with May. "He also can't create ice from a distance. He can only make the ice from himself first before it could reach a person. I just have to keep my distance until I can find an opening!"
She gasped as a huge wave of ice came towards her. And she saw no way to dodge.
{Just like before, the match has barely begun and Todoroki has already started off strong! Will Rose suffer the same fate as Hanta Sero?}
"He didn't have to word it like that," Sero grumbled. "And it doesn't look as big as what Todoroki did."
"Maybe he's going easy on her?" wondered Nora.
"Or maybe he didn't see Rose as an issue," Tokoyami said.
"Where is Ruby?" Jaune wondered, looking around the arena. "I don't see her anywhere." Izuku looked around too. He then heard a loud bang and gasped.
"Look!" he shouted, pointing. Everyone looks at the direction he was pointing.
"Whoa, she can do that?" Kirishima wondered.
Shinso watched in amazement at what Ruby was doing.
Ruby had no choice but to run. Luckily for her, the ice had stopped before it could force her out of bounds. Once the ice had settled, Ruby saw the many large judding icicles protruding. This sparked an idea for Ruby to take out her Crescent Rose before bursting upwards to an ice spike. Once reaching it, she cancels the burst and instead uses the recoil of her rifle to shoot upwards again to another icicle.
{Look at this! Rose is using the recoil of her scythe rifle to climb all the way to the top of the glacier!}
Ruby finally reaches the top of the glacier, flipping around, and starts sliding down the ice, using her scythe as an iceboard. She kept on her goggles to protect her eyes.
{Look at her go! What a surprise!}
Todoroki brought forth streams of ice at Ruby and she'll dodge the attacks by using the handle of Crescent Rose to steer like lever to a rudder.
"If you thought that was going to be enough to stop me then think again!" she shouted.
Todoroki releases another wave of ice at her. Ruby pulls the trigger of her scythe and launches herself in the air to escape the ice. Todoroki glared at the airborne figure before hearing something crack. Since he had added another layer of ice on top of his glacier, the new weight has caused it to crack and collapse, creating a shower of hail.
Ruby bursts her way around the ice before bursting towards Todoroki. He was too late to react as Ruby rematerialized before him and held him down, her legs straddling his sides, and she pinned his wrists.
{Am I seeing this right? Is Rose about to win?}
Everyone in the stadium was wondering the same thing. Because of his reputation as the son of Endeavor, Todoroki was seen as a force to reckon with, something nearly untouchable. Only a few dared to be a direct hurdle, among the few being Katsuki Bakugo in the obstacle race and Izuku Midoriya during the cavalry battle. Three rounds into the one-on-one tournament, has Ruby Rose become another such hurdle?
Todoroki was starting to think so and he willed for ice to emerge from his right wrist. Ruby retracted her hand once she felt the cold. Todoroki reached out for her and she bursted away from Todoroki, keeping distance between them. The two stared each other down, waiting to see who moves first. And the first to do so is Ruby, making a dash for Todoroki's left side. Todoroki acted fast and angled himself to make an ice wall to block her path. Ruby stopped and opted to go to the right instead, but Todoroki created an ice wall in that direction too.
Now, the only path Ruby could take was right in the middle, towards Todoroki.
Seeing no other options, Ruby made the daring decision to burst for Todoroki head on. It worked for Monoma and Tenya before, so why not try it again? WIth a step of his right foot, Todoroki makes another wall of ice in front of him and Ruby collides into it head on, leaving a sizable crack and canceling her burst and knocking her back in a flurry of red petals.
People in the stands – be it civilians, family and friends, teachers, and fellow classmates – grimaced in sympathy. Ruby laid on her back, unmoving. At first, everyone thought she was knocked out, but then, she started to move.
Midnight appears in view. "Are you able to continue, Rose?" she asked. Sure, Ruby was awake, but is she fit to continue to fight? Ruby doesn't answer as she stands to her feet, her hands on her knees, her eyes still obscured by her goggles. "Rose–"
"What happened to all that bravado?" Endeavor's voice rang from the crowd. "Didn't you say that you were going to beat my son?" His gaze turned intense. "Quit playing around and beat Silver Line's ghost, Shouto."
Hearing each of Endeavor's words only made her angry. She gritted her teeth and felt her hair rising. With teeth nashed tightly, Ruby yanks her goggles up to reveal the fiery fury in her eyes, aiming them at the no. 2 hero's direction.
"Will you shut up already!?" Ruby shouted at the top of her lungs. Her hair flowed wildly in a scattering effect. In fact, it reminded people well acquainted with Yang of Yang's Quirk. Said Quirk made her hair glow and flow like fire. "This is a fight between Todoroki and me! Not between you and Silver Line! Got it!?" Midnight stood silently, dumbfounded by Ruby's yell. Same could be said for Endeavor, though his expression was more stoic. With determination still burning in her eyes, Ruby looks back at Todoroki. "Let's go, Todoroki. Just you and me!" She puts back on her goggles and crouches down and a glow emanates from her as she starts to charge…something she hadn't done in a long time.
Todoroki stared at Ruby in awe, not just because of her declaration, but also because she had rendered someone like Endeavor speechless.
Suddenly reminded of where he was, Todoroki shakes away his astonishment and proceeds to unleash another wave of ice. Ruby jumped and burst straight high into the air. Todoroki looked up and flinched at the light of the sun. Ruby continued to burst in the air, even as gravity took its toll and she started to go back down. Todoroki was then able to focus and saw Ruby coming toward him like a comet. He summons up another ice wall, thinking she'll stop this time.
She doesn't, much to his buried worry.
"Ruby!" Jaune shouted.
"She's gonna get hurt!" Kirishima exclaimed.
"What the hell is she…" Shinso muttered.
"Ruby!" Tai and Yang had shouted at the same time.
"What is Ruby planning?" Toshinori wondered, feeling an anxious bead of sweat drip from his head.
{Ruby Rose is set in a collision course for Shouto Todoroki's ice wall and showing no signs of stopping!}
She's going to get hurt…severely hurt, maybe.
That was the nagging feeling Todoroki had in his chest as Ruby drew closer. He felt his left arm twitching and starting to burn, wanting to melt the ice. He tried to keep it down, but his worry was starting to take over. Just as he was about to melt the ice, the swarm of rose petals whipped around the ice wall. Todoroki let out a gasp as the swarm started to circle around him, forming into a ring of red. Ice, dust, and stray petals started to pick up in the turbulence of Ruby's move and swirled around Todoroki.
Then, he started to feel his feet leaving the ground. He looks down to see himself being lifted up by the strong turbulence.
Outside of the red whirlwind, Midnight struggled not to get pulled in by the tempest, her feet nearly dragging on the ground. She was lucky when Cementoss decided to use his Quirk on her side to keep her in place.
{What an incredible display! It's like a mini hurricane!}
"Ozpin...Qrow…that…" Toshinori muttered in awe, his wild hair and bangs whipping around from the strong wind being produced.
"We see it," Ozpin said, just as amazed, if not by a little less.
"It's like the miniature version of one of Summer's techniques," Qrow identified.
He had remembered seeing a move like this before…
It was many years ago…
It was an event that brought Summer closer to the title of the Shadow of All Might.
It happened in Sanus City, located in the northern regions of the Shizuoka Prefecture.
An incredibly powerful villain with a Quirk that allowed them to produce and release a foul-smelling odor that choked people was on the loose. Summer took on the task to capture the crook, as the villain operated primarily at night, targeting unsuspecting victims. When the villain realized that he was being targeted by Silver Line, he ran into nearby mountains. Many underground heroes gathered to hunt him down.
To retaliate, the villain released his gas, harming the heroes around him. He issued threats to spread the gas out to cause further harm, creating a large cloud of gas that he planned to release in Sanus, threatening to choke the denizens of the Beru ward and surrounding wards.
But, Summer intervened.
She scattered into a blizzard of white rose petals and flew up to the gas cloud, starting to swirl around the cloud at high speeds, the rose petals spreading outwards to cover more areas, dispersing and nullifying the cloud in the process and defeating the villain as a result.
And that technique was dubbed:
"The Silver Line Hurricane."
'If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't have trained as hard as I did for the Sports Festival.'
Ruby's words to Shinso continued to stick to him as he watched the spectacle in front of him.
"I… inspired her so she could do that?"
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Shouto Todoroki
Quirk: Half-Cold, Half-Hot
"Two Quirks: 'Generates ice and cold with his right side and fire and heat with his left side."
— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student
— Birthday: 01/11 (Capricorn)
— Height: 176 cm
— Blood Type: O
— Likes: Cold Soba Noodles
— Color: Cyan (00FFFF)
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Ruby Rose
Quirk: Petal Burst
"She can burst into a swarm of rose petals and move at high speeds."
— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student
— Birthday: 10/31 (Scorpio)
— Height: 162 cm
— Blood Type: O
— Likes: Support Equipment, Support Engineering, Sweets, Strawberries
— Color: Haute Couture (A52228)
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
"This is absolutely incredible!" Tenya declared over the wind.
"I had no idea Rose had this much power!" Sero said.
"Wait. Didn't she use a similar technique during the food fight yesterday?" Shouji asked, keeping Mineta from being blown out of his seat by the powerful wind.
"I think you're right," Tsuyu said. "Though, that was more like a slipstream. This is more like a twister."
"Yeah…" Izuku said, looking concerned.
"What's the matter, Deku?" Ochako asked, keeping her hair out of her face.
"...This is it."
"Huh?"
"This is Rose's last move," Izuku said, studying the mini hurricane. "Thanks to her training for the Sports Festival, Rose didn't need to charge to do simple bursts anymore. However, if she needed to use a stronger, more powerful and longer burst, she had to charge like she did before. She's putting everything she has into this one attack."
{I cannot believe what I am seeing, folks! Todoroki is getting tossed around like a ragdoll and Rose is showing no signs of stopping! Is this it for Shouto Todoroki?}
Todoroki nearly didn't register what Present Mic had announced as he was whipped and tossed around in the turbulence, unable to regain his balance. He felt his left side heating up, fire threatened to emerge but he was quick to snuff it out, refusing to use his fire side combatively. He needs to figure out how to get out of this without using fire.
During his thrash about, he felt something graze lightly against his head. Todoroki manages to look and see that he isn't too far up the ground. All he had to do was reach for it and use his ice. Even as he spun and spun, he continued to stretch his arm out to touch the arena ground.
"Come on…just the tip of my finger…that's all I need!"
He felt the coarse surface of the cement make contact with the tip of his middle finger and wasted no time to release his ice and started to freeze the arena, successfully stopping the red twister.
The end result was a sight to behold.
Because of the wind and turbulence, the frost started to spiral upwards, creating a large and tall, spiraling ice sculpture, starting wide at ground level before thinning out towards the top. The sunlight hit the ice and the red rose petals trapped inside, causing the sculpture to give off a soft red shine.
Everyone marveled at the structure, their breaths taken away by the splendor. Even Present Mic was rendered speechless.
Todoroki let out a sigh as he removed his hand from the ground, now steady on his feet again. He holds out his shaking right arm, looking at the frost that still lingered against his pallid skin.
He was reaching his limit. Anymore of this, he could get frostbite.
Unexpectedly, a red/black rope coiled around his arm. Before he could react, Ruby suddenly appears, riding on her crescent rose like she did before. Todoroki could barely do anything as Ruby pulled him along.
This sudden move abruptly pulled everyone out of their collective amazement and started to freak out, not realizing that the fight wasn't over yet.
Present Mic could be heard floundering to get back to MC mode.
{L-Looks like Rose has yet another trick up her sleeve. Will she be able to pull it off this time?}
Todoroki knew what she was planning: to pull him towards the edge and get him out of bounds. And while he knew that was the plan, still couldn't do anything at the moment. He tried to make ice to trap his foot, even if that meant he might hurt his leg, but the speed they were going made it nearly impossible to do.
Ruby takes the pole of Crescent Rose, her rope revealed to be wrapped around where the pole meets the scythe. She jumps off the blade and with every bit of strength she could muster, motions the scythe into a swing and takes Todoroki with it. The young man sled across the ice, heading towards the edge of the arena. Now, with better control, Todoroki was able to spread out his ice to create another wall in the nick of time, stopping him before he went past the border.
But, Ruby wasn't done.
It is unknown if she had foreseen this outcome, but she was coming in with a flying kick to knock him out of the ring. Todoroki moves away in time and Ruby breaks through the ice.
It was like everything was in slow motion as Ruby kicked through the ice. She let out a quiet gasp as the ice shattered around her and, before she knew it, she stumbled onto the grass, outside of the area.
"Ruby Rose is out of bounds! Shouto Todoroki wins!" Midnight announced.
Everyone was silent at the announcement, almost in shock.
Ruby layed on her back, staring up at the sky through her goggles while Midnight's words echoed in her mind. Ruby slowly lifts herself to a seating position. She takes off her goggles, revealing woeful eyes staring at the grass before her, surrounded by broken pieces of ice..
She lost…
She thinks back on the obstacle course. "...I'm sorry, Midoriya…looks like this is where I'm stopping," she apologized quietly. Despite her quiet tone, Todoroki was able to hear her from the arena edge. Ruby then thinks back on the cavalry battle and her previous fight. "...Tsu…Shouji…Mineta…and Iida…I'm sorry that I couldn't continue for you guys…" She thinks about Blake, wherever she is. "...Blake, I'm sorry that I didn't win..." She thinks back on her confrontation with Endeavor. "...Todoroki…" Todoroki makes a small, curious noise at the sound of his name. "...I'm sorry for not beating you and…" She trailed off as she thought back to her 'conversation' at her mother's memorial. "...I'm so sorry, mom…" Her voice started to crack from her emotions. "...I couldn't do it…"
"Ruby…" Ochako muttered. "I can't see her face from here, but…she looks really upset."
"I can imagine," Tenya said in a sympathetic tone. "She tried so hard and made it this far. She must be feeling devastated."
"I'd be too, seeing how hard she fought and so determined she was," Izuku thought. "Rose said something about her mom to Endeavor. Did that have anything to do with why she looked so serious?"
He continued to watch Ruby beating herself over her loss. Feeling a surge of altruism, Izuku stood up quickly, making the others look at him quizzically.
Izuku took a deep breath and then…
"You were amazing, Rose! You fought well!"
Ruby gasped.
She looked up at the 1-A stands and saw Izuku shouting at her with a big smile on his face. "Don't be upset over this! You were great, Rose!"
"Midoriya…" Ruby muttered.
What happened next was like a domino effect as the others started to cheer too.
"You were incredible, Ruby!"
Ochako.
"You have fought valiantly, Rose! Please, don't feel discouraged!"
Tenya.
"You did your best!"
Jaune.
And it didn't stop with Class 1-A.
Other people started to cheer for Ruby. It started from the ones who knew her well: Yang, Mirio, Nejire, Tamaki, Tai, and Jaune's sisters. Soon, nearly the entire stadium started to chant, similar to what happened with Sero.
Ruby rises to her feet. "Everyone…" she muttered. Todoroki looked at the crowd, just as surprised as Ruby.
Endeavor looked at the stadium in rare shock. Why would these people be cheering for someone who had lost? Ruby Rose, the daughter of Silver Line, had just lost to his son. She's not going to advance. Shouto is.
So…Why?
The cheers extended outside of the stadium.
From the heroes at the Lucky Phoenix Agency.
Practically the entire Patchi community.
Ghira and Kali Belladonna from their office at Kuo Kuana Enterprise.
Lucius and Prism Arc from Archam's Treat, plus the patrons.
Blake Belladonna from her hideout.
And…
Cybernetic eyes twitched with intrigue as they peered at the old television screen.
"My, my…doesn't that take me back…"
"Fascinating," Ozpin mused. "Despite Rose not advancing, her efforts had moved the people of this stadium."
A smile perked on Toshinori's lips. "She made an honest effort. She didn't back down and gave her all. She didn't win in the end, but she had inspired a lot of people."
Qrow couldn't agree more.
"Ruby Rose! Ruby Rose! Ruby Rose! Ruby Rose!"
Ruby stared at the crowd in the stadium in wonder, astonished by all the cheers.
And it didn't stop there.
"Hey, Little Red!" Ruby looks up at the 1-B stands to see May Marigold looking down at her with a grin. "That was some pretty neat moves you did!" she praised, ignoring the indignited Monoma, who was being held back Kendo and Tetsutetsu. "You've lasted way longer than I did! Or Elbows next door!"
Sero pokes his head over to see May, giving her a half-amused smirk.
"Hey! I tried!" he grinned. He looks at Ruby. "That was epic, Rose!"
Ruby giggled, feeling a little better over her loss as she heard her classmates continue to uplift her.
She hears the sound of her Crescent Rose being folded up and turns to see Todoroki carrying over the compacted weapon and hands it to her.
"Here," he said.
"Oh, thank you," Ruby thanked, taking her weapon. Todoroki bowed his head and headed in the opposite direction before stopping, much to Ruby's curiosity. "Hm?"
"I'm…sorry," Todoroki said, his tone so low that Ruby nearly missed it.
"What? What for?" Ruby asked. Was he apologizing for his behavior?
Todoroki turns to look at her, his face…sad? "...For your mom." He didn't say anymore after that, instead he continued to walk away as Ruby watched and Present Mic spoke.
{What an incredible start to this round, everyone! Stay in your seats for more after we catch our breaths!}
"There we go, dear," Recovery Girl said after giving Ruby a kiss to help with any injuries she had sustained. "Good as new. You did wonderfully out there, but be sure to not do anything strenuous so your neck and head can heal."
"Thanks, Recovery Girl," Ruby thanked.
"Oh, no need for that. I'm just doing my job."
Ruby stayed at her spot on one of the cots in the infirmary. She was still feeling a little down from losing, unable to live up to her promise. She couldn't help but wonder if she's willing to face Todoroki again. And Endeavor…he was so different from what Ruby had imagined. Sure, it was obvious that he was rough around the edges, nothing else outside of that.
That is…until Ruby met him in person. The man seems to have this grandiose ambition to take All Might's place as the No. 1 hero, not realizing what it really meant to be the No. 1 hero. All Might – Toshinori – had been number one for the sake of not just Japan, but the whole world.
And Ruby couldn't help but feel that Endeavor was cruelly disregarding that, in addition to whatever he had done to Todoroki…
Suddenly, in the most inopportune moment, Nora's rant had entered Ruby's mind. She had, indeed, disgraced her dead mother. She wasn't able to curb Todoroki's 'destiny.'
She failed…
The infirmary door opened and a familiar man entered.
"Dad?" Ruby asked.
"Hey, Ruby," the man greeted. "I wanted to come check on you, but you weren't in the waiting room. Your friends told me that you might be here." Tai's expression softens. "You've got some amazing friends."
"Yeah…"
Tai noticed how sad Ruby looked. "Ruby?"
"I'm…sorry."
"What for?" Tai asked, confused. When Ruby didn't reply, Tai kneels to one knee to be at Ruby's level. "Ruby, what you did was amazing out there. I have no doubt that your mom would have been so proud of you."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"So…you're happy for me?" Ruby asked.
Tai gives her a proud smile. "I am more than happy for you, Ruby." He caresses his youngest daughter's cheek. "I'm proud of you too. I've always had."
Ruby hugs her father around his neck and the man returns it by wrapping his arms around her.
Recovery Girl stood back with a kind smile at the familial display.
The next person Ruby sees was someone she didn't expect once she was out of the infirmary.
"Sun Wukong?"
Sun gave her a single nod. "Hey." He removes himself from the wall he was leaning on. "You did awesome out there." He raises a hand up, waiting to give Ruby a high five.
Ruby gives him a small one in confusion. "Thanks…" She was even more confused when Sun started to walk away after.
Then…he paused.
He then turns his head to Ruby. "And, before I forget, Belladonna thought you were awesome out there."
Ruby gasped. "What?"
She was too late to ask any questions before Sun ran off.
"That was amazing, Rose!" Mina chirped as Ruby came into the waiting room..
"Thanks, guys," Ruby smiled. Her mind was still processing what Sun said. "Why would he say that? …Does he…? I'll ask him about it the next time I see him."
"Are you going to be okay?" Ochako asked, noting the redness around Ruby's eyes.
Ruby nodded. "I will be." She looks around. "Hey, where's Midoriya?"
"Polendina came by and wanted to talk to him," Ochako replied.
"Privately," Mineta glowered.
"Really? Aren't they fighting next?" Ruby asked.
"Polendina has good sportsmanship and would encourage people around her, no matter who they may be. I wouldn't be too worried for Midoriya," Tenya said.
"That is true. She was probably the only one who didn't hate our guts," Kaminari said.
Tenya nodded. "Indeed. She's probably wanted to tell Midoriya to give his all against her."
"Izuku Midoriya…has All Might chosen you to be his successor?" Penny asked with a serious tone.
Izuku gaped at her words. How…How did she…? He tries to wipe away his shock and replace it with faux cluelessness. "U-Um, what are you talking about, Polendina? Doesn't everyone want to be the No. 01 hero?" he asked, making a feeble attempt at playing dumb.
"That isn't what I am referring to, Midoriya," Penny said. "I am not talking about the hero ranking."
Izuku starts to sweat profusely. "Then…what…?"
"I'll admit that I overheard a conversation between Uraraka, Schnee, and Tenya two weeks ago. They were talking about the similarities between you and All Might when he asked you and Rose to join him for lunch," Penny explained. "I am aware that Rose is close to All Might's secretary and considering that you do bare a similar Quirk to All Might and he seems to include you along with Rose, I couldn't help but ponder if All Might is grooming you to become his successor, not as the No. 01 hero, but as the next Symbol of Peace. Is that correct?"
"U-U-Uh…" Izuku stuttered. "What should I say? She's technically telling the truth. That's what All Might is doing." He gives a nervous grin. "Um, why do you ask? I-I mean, All Might retiring? That's such a long way away. We shouldn't worry about something like that right now."
Penny looks speculative. "That isn't what Mr. Ironwood said."
"Ironwood? Are you talking about Due Process?" Izuku wondered. Is the General Hero also aware of Toshinori's situation? How much does he know? How much does Penny know?
Penny closes her eyes. "…All Might's reign isn't infinite," Penny said. She opens them again. "There will come a day when All Might falls, whether by retirement… or death. Mr. Ironwood has been concerned as of late over the notion that Japan…no, that the world will one day lose their Symbol of Peace, their Pillar of Hope." Penny moves her hands from behind her back to intertwine her fingers together. "Many people tend to forget that All Might is human, and humans have limitations. No one had ever entertained the idea of him stepping down from his spot on top of the pedestal. No one had ever considered what could happen when All Might is gone." Penny gives Izuku a determined expression. "And that is why Mr. Ironwood has chosen me to be All Might's successor."
Izuku gasped.
Ironwood stood alone in the faculty private box, staring out of the large window with a stoic expression.
'Remember what I have taught you, Penny,' Ironwood had said.
'I do, sir,' Penny had replied.
'Remember why you are attending UA.'
'Yessir.'
'This is for the sake of society's…no…the world's future. Understood?'
'Yessir.'
'Be sure to give quite the impression in front of All Might. Show him what you can do.'
'I will, sir.'
It won't be long…It won't be long and Toshinori would see the fruits of Ironwood's labor going up against the boy Toshinori had apparently taken a liking to…
"Polendina…was also chosen to be All Might's successor?"
Izuku recalled the conversation he had with Toshinori when the man chose to give him One for All.
'I was…on a long hunt for a successor.'
"That's right. All Might was looking for a successor. I guess I should have known that he had other contenders in mind. I wonder who else was elected…Achillea, maybe?" Izuku wondered. "She is All Might's sidekick, after all. And a prodigy. I wonder if that's the reason she graduated early…"
Penny's expression was then turned to sweet concern. "Please, don't make it seem like I'm trying to dissuade you. In fact, I want to encourage you to give your all against me with everything you've got. I am aware of the stigma that comes to male vs female scenarios, but really, when it comes to fighting crime and heroism, gender doesn't apply." She smiles with a friendly demeanor. "So, don't see me as some girl, see me as your next step to take All Might's place as the Symbol of Peace, as I do to you. Okay?"
Izuku is amazed at Penny's own declaration. It is clearly very different from Todoroki's or Shinso's. While theirs came off as threatening, Penny's came off more as friendly, if anything. While that did somewhat put Izuku at ease that she's nice about it, there was still a sense of uncertainty about his future.
"Uh, yeah." Izuku nodded. "I'll do my best."
Penny giggled. "That sounds wonderful. I'll see you again at the arena stage shortly, Midoriya. Arrividerci!" She turns to leave and sees Toshinori coming their way. "Oh! Good afternoon, Mr. Yagi."
"Good afternoon to you too," Toshinori nodded as Penny moved past him. He watched her leave, curious as to what she was doing. He looked over at Izuku, who was looking down, his eyes unreadable from where he stood. "Young Midoriya?"
"…All Might…can we talk?"
{Was that last fight something or what? Let's hope we continue all that hype with this match! It'll be 1-A's Izuku Midoriya and 1-B's Penny Polendina!}
Ruby lets out a loud cheer. "You can do it, Midoriya!"
"I'm happy that Ruby's seems better now," Ochako said.
"Indeed. She looked so down from her loss," Tenya said. "I am also happy to see her in good spirits again."
"Hey, Iida, I want to ask you about something," Ochako said.
"Sure. What is it, Uraraka?"
"You and Polendina went to the same middle school, right?"
Tenya nodded. "Indeed we have, why?"
"Do you know anything about Polendina's capabilities?" Ochako asked.
"I'm afraid we hadn't assisted each other in our training to pursue this path of heroism. I will say though that she had once made an interesting declaration in our final year in middle school," Tenya said.
"What was it?"
"That she will one day become the next Symbol of Peace when All Might steps down."
"All Might stepping down?" Ochako wondered, mulling over how foreign the concept was. "That sounds silly. There's no way All Might is gonna retire anytime soon. He's not that old…I don't think so, at least."
"That's what everyone in our class said too, but Polendina was very steadfast with her declaration."
"They don't have the faintest idea," Ruby thought. Her smile turns into a frown, hidden from the others.. "All Might is going to retire one day, sooner rather than later. With only having access to his power for only an hour…it's only a matter of time…"
"From what I could gather, Polendina has a versatile use over her Quirk," Izuku thought as he looked at Penny, rocking back and forth on her feet as she looked around curiously, something she had done before as she waited for the match to start. "She could very easily ensnare someone in her strings and they seem very durable and not easy to break. I need to be quick on my feet in this fight."
"Midoriya?" Penny spoke up from her side of the arena. "Let's do our best. Good luck!"
Izuku nodded. "Same to you!" He turns serious again. "She and I have similar goals in mind: to become the next Symbol of Peace!"
{Are we ready?}
Penny and Izuku ready themselves. "Let's see who's worthy!"
{Go!}
Next Chapter: GG
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