Happy Birthday to the Symbol of Peace! Glad that you exist, Toshi! ^^
Chapter 13: Saving Todoroki
Izuku knew tall.
Toshinori, whether in his true form or muscle form, was a towering man clocking at 220 cm (7'02"). It was somewhat intimidating when he first hung around the man, but Izuku eventually got used to the massive height differences.
Despite this, it didn't help stop making Izuku feel any less small at the sight of Japan's No. 2 hero, and Endeavor wasn't even as tall as Toshinori. He was, in fact, shorter, being 195 cm (6'5"). Perhaps it's less about Endeavor's height and more about his burning gaze looking downwards at him, his flames making the glare more intimidating.
"…Endeavor…" Izuku muttered. Ruby could feel her muscles tense up at the sight of the man.
"What does he want?" she wondered, remembering her encounter with him.
"…I must admit, you've got an interesting power, Midoriya," Endeavor said. "After watching your fight with that brainwashing kid and strings girl, I can't help but compare that power of yours to All Might." Endeavor's eyes narrowed. "I wonder why."
"Um…" Izuku's mouth felt dry. He wasn't sure if it's because of his nervousness and anxiety or the heat of Endeavor's Quirk, but he found himself unable to speak. So, Ruby decided to speak up for him.
"It's probably just a coincidence. There are others who have a Superpower Quirk, like All Might. Although, probably not as powerful, but…you know," Ruby said, half insisting and half rambling, the second half causing Ruby to panic about the potential of slipping up. She takes Izuku's wrist and leads him around Endeavor. "Please, excuse us, sir."
"Be sure to not hold back on my son, Midoriya," Endeavor said without turning. Izuku stopped walking, making Ruby stop. Endeavor turns halfway. "That child is destined to surpass All Might and you are the perfect specimen for him to beat. Just as Rose was in place of Silver Line." Izuku felt Ruby's hand around his wrist tense up. He looks at her to see her eyes at the ground, looking…ashamed? "Her mother was Silver Line, All Might's shadow. Such a title isn't given halfheartedly. If she had cared for her ranking, she would have been…among the top 3 of the ranks." Izuku felt Ruby's hand shaking. "Thus, making her an obstacle as well. Imagine my luck for my son's second match against Silver Line's daughter. Before her match against Shouto, Rose made a declaration that she was going to stop him and prove me wrong. And she lost. All that bluster come to waste. Shameful." Ruby's grip on Izuku's wrist tightened. He could almost see her knuckles turning white. "Be sure to not do the same. Don't be a disappointment." Ruby bit down on her lower lip and suddenly, her eyes started to mirror Todoroki's. A look of both sadness and frustration.
*BA-DUMP*
Izuku yanks his arm from Ruby's hand and whirls around, snapping her out of her thoughts. With a fierce gaze, Izuku glared up at Endeavor.
"I…am not All Might… Rose is not Silver Line… And Todoroki isn't you!" he declared. He said nothing more to Endeavor, turning back to Ruby. She was surprised at what she saw. Just a moment ago, he was timid and submissive-like at the sight of Endeavor. But…now…he had the same look as he did at the start of the Sports Festival. It amazed Ruby of how Izuku could go from being timid to someone with strong convictions in a blink of an eye. "Rose, go to the stands with the others. I'm heading out."
"…Okay."
Ruby makes it back to the stands just as Izuku and Todoroki make their way to the arena.
{And here we are at the preliminary rounds! We're gettin' close, ladies and gents and everyone in between! So, let's get a move on! For this match, we have the underdog, Izuku Midoriya, going up against the powerhouse, Shouto Todoroki! With how their last fights have gone, I'm excited to see where this will lead!}
"Me too!" Ochako declared.
"I'm sure I know who you're rooting for, right, Ruby?" Jaune asked, nudging his elbow lightly against his friend. Ruby didn't react to the light jab. "...Ruby?" Ochako and Tenya glance over at Ruby to see that she was keeping her focus forward. She clearly looked worried, the others surmising that she's concerned that Izuku is gonna get hurt. That is part of the truth, but not the whole truth.
And it's not just Izuku she was worried about…
Toshinori was also keeping his eyes on the arena, more so than any other time Izuku was out there.
Ozpin noticed this, but didn't respond. Not like he needed to. He was aware of the animosity Endeavor has towards Toshinori. To have Todoroki, Endeavor's son, facing Izuku, Toshinori's successor…
Can this be considered fate?
A firm hand plants itself on Ozpin's shoulder. He turns to face Hound Dog. "They need you down there, Oz."
That hadn't come to a surprise to Ozpin. UA has a habit of having students and teachers with powerful Quirks. There were brawls here and there within the confines of school grounds, thankfully, but whenever things are looking to get out of hand, Ozpin is usually called in to contain the chaos with his own Quirk, with Glynda ready to repair anything. There had been moments during the Sports Festival in the past where he was needed for such a scenario.
{Look at this! Our vice principal has been called to accompany Cementoss down at the arena! That could only mean one thing, folks. We're probably in for one helluva battle!}
The villains watched as Ozpin was shown to be heading over to the arena.
During the majority of the festival, Cinder had been calm and confident, but as her golden eyes lay on the man in green, her smug smirk turned into a stoic frown.
Cementoss manipulated the cement next to him into another chair, smaller than his for his smaller companion. "Here you go, Ozpin."
"Thank you, Cementoss," Ozpin thanked before taking his seat, holding his cane up in front of him.
Izuku silently watched this until he returned his gaze to Todoroki. As Izuku comes up with a strategy, he thinks back on his conversation with Ruby before Endeavor showed up.
"If 10% is your new limit, maybe you can use 8% against Todoroki," Ruby surmised. "It should give you a chance to dodge and find a weak point, even if by a thread." She notices that Izuku was lost in thought. "Midoriya?"
"...Rose, remember how Todoroki looked after his match with Sero?" Izuku asked.
"How he looked…?"
"He looked…sad."
"Sad?" Ruby wondered. She then remembered the moment Todoroki handed back her Crescent Rose…and him expressing his condolences over what happened to Summer. He had also looked sad at that moment. "I think. But, what does this have to do with anything?"
Izuku shook his head. "I don't know, to be honest…"
Ruby stared at him for a bit. She looked like she was contemplating something. "...Midoriya?"
"Hm?"
"Can you…do something for me?"
{All right! Enough waiting! Ready…Go!}
With zero hesitation, Todoroki swipes his arm, releasing forth a large wave of ice towards Izuku, much too large to escape.
Izuku gasped. Without thinking, Izuku brought up his hand and charged One for All at full power in his middle finger and released a powerful wave to stop the ice with a flick of his finger. He winces at the now broken finger.
"I'm sorry, Rose…"
He didn't have time to think as Todoroki released another ice and Izuku responded with another Delaware Smash with a different finger, breaking that one in the process.
Ruby cringed at the sight of Izuku's now purple finger. "I guess there was no way around it…"
"Looks like Midoriya has resorted to using his Quirk at full power again," Tenya said.
"Can you blame him?" Jaune asked. "Todoroki is just…so powerful."
"If this continues, Deku is gonna be left with eight broken fingers," Ochako grimaced at the thought.
"Midoriya…" Ruby muttered. Images of Izuku's bruised and broken arm from the Battle Trial surfaced in her mind as that familiar anxious feeling built up again.
As they watch Todoroki and Izuku fight, Kirishima brings up a thought he had.
"Imagine if Bakugo and Todoroki were to fight later. WIth all that fire power from both sides, it could be a who's who of who's gonna win!"
"That would be awesome to watch!" Nora said, gleefully. "Like 'Bam' and 'Boom' and 'Pop-Pop-Pop'!"
"Yeah!"
"Plus, you can do it all with no lag time," Sero said, looking a tad jealous at Bakugo.
"I'm not poppin' off when I feel like it, genius," Bakugo frowned.
"Huh?" Nora questioned.
"If you overuse your muscles, the muscle fibers tear. If you keep running, you'll be out of breath," Bakugo goes on to explain.
"I think I get what he's talking about," Ruby thought. "Those gauntlets of his…they store his sweat and it allowed him to do bigger attacks that he can't normally do." She looks down at her goggles. "And that's why some people use support gear. They're extensions of sorts for when you lack a certain power."
"He makes a good point," Weiss agreed. "Everyone has a limit. Currently, I can only create five Glyphs at a time, two more since the USJ."
"Really? But…you were so cool out there, Schnee!" Mina insisted, remembering the Battle Trial when Weiss single handedly incapacitated Mina and Aoyama.
"I had to be creative with what I had," Weiss said.
"Quirks are physical powers, too," Bakugo explained as he watched the match carefully. "There has to be some kind of limit."
"Some kind of limit…" Ruby echoed under her breath. "Does Todoroki have a limit to how much ice he could make?" She thinks back on her fight against him. Near the end of the match, she somehow was able to drag Todoroki across the arena when she tried to get him out of bounds. He could've easily used his ice stop himself or her as there was a connection between the two.
So…what was stopping him?
"Hmmm…" Toshinori hummed as he watched the match. Todoroki had created an ice ramp to climb and Izuku blew it away, breaking another finger. "Shouto Todoroki…his Quirk is Half-Cold, Half-Hot…just going by that, he's capable of generating both ice and fire. However…he has yet to use his fire side except for using the heat of it to melt his ice." Toshinori looks over where Endeavor stood in the crowd. The man was watching with great intensity. "Endeavor's Hellflame is an incredibly powerful Quirk. And with it a great danger of increasing Endeavor's body temperature to a dangerous degree. If that's the case then…does Young Todoroki…"
"That's a lot more power than you did before."
Izuku barely felt the pain of his now broken left arm from when he used One for All to punch away another wave of ice. The force from the punch sent Todoroki back, but the boy was able to make ice behind him to prevent him from moving any further. He climbs himself out of his ice.
"Are you trying to say…to stay away?"
"Todoroki…is strong," Izuku concluded. "He is already powerful. Moreso than an average pro, probably. His judgment, his application skills, mobility…All of his abilities…they're at another level!" Izuku let's out a gasp when he notices Todoroki's right arm is shaking. "Is he…trembling? And…it looks like his arm is almost covered in frost…" And it dawned on him. And it was through the revelation that Todoroki is refusing to use his fire side to warm him up and avoid the risk of frostbite. And the fact that Todoroki was willing to freeze himself to prove a point to his father fueled a rage that Izuku hadn't felt since his fight with Shinsou as his eyes were set on another large wave of ice coming at him.
But, Izuku wasn't deterred.
"You…you idiot!"
Like the times before, a power force was released that not only scattered through Todoroki's ice but the force had also blown back Todoroki again and this time, he was dangerously close to passing the border, kind of similar to the end of his fight with Ruby. Like before, Todoroki was able to stop himself by making a wall of ice behind him in time.
Todoroki digs himself out of his ice again and gasps at what Izuku had done.
"You…"
"Midoriya's finger…" Jaune gasped, seeing the digit now a ghastly purple.
"It's even more broken now?!" Nora gawked.
"Is he crazy?!" Kirishima exclaimed. Even Bakugo was shocked.
"I'm getting Battle Trial flashbacks!" Hagakure exclaimed, her short sleeved waving up and down frantically.
After exchanging words that the rest of the class wasn't able to hear, Todoroki starts charging at Izuku, but…
"He's slower," Ren observed.
"Hey! He's right!" Mina declared.
"What's happening?" Kaminari wondered.
"That's IcyHot's limit," Bakugo said. Multiple eyes landed on him when he spoke.
"The more ice Todoroki produces, the weaker he could become," Weiss deduced. The eyes were now on her. "It's very likely that's how Todoroki's Quirk works. Remember, he has both fire and ice and he could easily melt the ice away with the heat of his left side, like what he did for Sero. If that's the case, why hasn't he done that to himself yet? It could help balance out the effects of his ice. And perhaps the other way around."
"...Hold up. Schnee, are you saying that Todoroki had been deliberately holding back on using his fire side?" asked Kirishima.
"That's exactly what I am saying. If he had that kind of power, then how come he hadn't used it yet?" Weiss inquired.
"But…why? If he has that much power, why hold it back?"
Weiss' eyes have a distant look from that question. "I…have theories." She then took notice of Ruby shaking. "Rose?" Weiss sees that Ruby had a worried look on her face as she bit her lower lip and her fingers were curled tightly and her body trembled anxiously.
"Todoroki…Midoriya…"
"Even if Midoriya wins this, he won't be able to fight in the next round," Cementoss said to Midnight through their comms.
"My thoughts exactly," Ozpin thought as he watched carefully. Izuku and Todoroki continuously exchanged blows to one another, all the while Izuku proceeded to further break his already damaged fingers. "Those injuries won't heal in one setting and they will no doubt scar. Mr. Midoriya is going above and beyond in this instance."
That type of recklessness reminded Ozpin of a certain friend.
'Your reckless decision to make this boy your successor will ruin him, Toshinori.'
Toshinori gripped his fist tighter.
"Is this…what James meant…?"
It hurts…everything hurts…He can no longer make a fist for a proper Delaware Smash, opting to use the side of his mouth to flick his thumb. That now hurts too…
But Izuku did his darndest to ignore it as he continued to fight against Todoroki, perhaps hoping that he would yield before frostbite sets or…
"Why…are you going this far?" Todoroki asked, getting up from being blown back again.
'Why?' he asked.
To Izuku, the answer was simple.
"...Because…I wanted to live up to everyone's expectations," he said as he ran towards Todoroki. "I wanted to be able to smile…and respond to them…to be a cool hero…that's what I want to be!" Izuku rammed his head into Todoroki's midsection, reeling Todoroki back. "That's why…Everyone gives their all!" Izuku declared at the top of his lungs and shakily walked towards his classmate. "There's no way I can know all of your circumstances, or your resolve…But for you to become number one without giving your all…to completely reject your father…Right now…I think that you should stop screwing around!"
The look of inner turmoil was evident on Todoroki's face. "Shut up…"
Izuku charges One for All in his right arm. "That's why…I will win!" His powered fist digs into Todoroki's torso, knocking him back. "I will surpass you!"
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - 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 - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Izuku Midoriya
Quirk: One for All
"Smashes villains with a superpower passed down from one generation to the next."
— Affiliation: UA High School Hero Class 1-A Student
— Birthday: 7/15 (Cancer)
— Height: 166 cm
— Blood Type: O
— Likes: Pork Cutlet Bowl, Quirks, Analyzing
— Color: Mint (3EB489)
{~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* - Our Hero Academia - *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~}
Ruby stared at him for a bit. She looked like she was contemplating something. "...Midoriya?"
"Hm?"
"Can you…do something for me?"
"Like what?" asked Izuku.
"Can you…save Todoroki?"
"...Save…?"
Ruby lowered her head, her bangs curtaining her eyes. "I think… that Todoroki is dealing with something out of his control and it has something to do with Endeavor." She raised her head a bit and Izuku could see her silver eyes out of the shadows of her bangs. "I…I thought that by beating him, I could help in some way, but…It wasn't enough…I couldn't beat him…I couldn't help him…"
Izuku wrinkled his brow at Ruby's words. "Rose…" What she said...reminded Izuku of the conversation he had with Todoroki and the reason behind his creation. So...has Rose figured it out?
"I shouldn't be shouldering you with all this, not when you already have a goal in mind. And it's probably selfish of me for doing so, but…" Ruby lifts her head fully, giving Izuku a full view of the desperation in Ruby's eyes as she declared. "However you do it, please…Save Todoroki!"
How?
"Be sure to not hold back on my son, Midoriya," Endeavor said without turning. Izuku stopped walking, making Ruby stop. Endeavor turns halfway. "That child is destined to surpass All Might and you are the perfect specimen for him to beat. Just as Rose was in place of Silver Line." Izuku felt Ruby's hand around his wrist tense up. He looks at her to see her eyes at the ground, looking…ashamed? "Her mother was Silver Line, All Might's shadow. Such a title isn't given halfheartedly. If she had cared for her ranking, she would have been…among the top 3 of the ranks." Izuku felt Ruby's hand shaking. "Thus, making her an obstacle as well. Imagine my luck for my son's third match against Silver Line's daughter. Before her match against Shouto, Rose made a declaration that she was going to stop him and prove me wrong. And she lost. All that bluster come to waste. Shameful." Ruby's grip on Izuku's wrist tightened. He could almost see her knuckles turning white. "Be sure to not do the same. Don't be a disappointment." Ruby bit down on her lower lip and suddenly, her eyes started to mirror Todoroki's. A look of both sadness and frustration.
*BA-DUMP*
Izuku yanks his arm from Ruby's hand and whirls around, snapping her out of her thoughts. With a fierce gaze, Izuku glared up at Endeavor.
"I…am not All Might… Rose is not Silver Line… And Todoroki isn't you!" he declared.
"I refuse to use that old man's power…"
"IT'S YOU'RE POWER! NOT HIS! GOT THAT?"
And that was all it took for Todoroki to finally release the literal fire inside in a blazing inferno.
"So much fire," Ruby marveled.
"He has that much fire power already?!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Todoroki's super OP!"
"Midoriya…did you…" Ruby thought.
"You've forced Young Todoroki to use his fire side," Toshinori observed. He could almost feel the heat of the flames from his spot. "Young Midoriya…were you trying to save Young Todoroki?"
Now showcasing his true power, Todoroki amped up the fire and ice for a high scale attack as Izuku did the same, charging up One for All at full power as a whirlwind whipped around.
"Ozpin! Midnight!" Cementoss called out as he started to warp and morph the arena. Midnight in turn rips her sleeve to release her Somnambulist aroma to tire Izuku and Todoroki.
Todoroki sends a giant ice wave at Izuku, which the latter avoids by using One For All in his legs to jump over it and dive at Todoroki. Todoroki heats up the air and melts all the ice in a brilliant display in preparation for a giant flame attack. Izuku counters with a smash attack with his broken arm. Despite Cementoss' intervention by making several cement walls, the attacks collided.
Seeing this, Ozpin attacked quickly. He raises his cane and slams it down. Green lines of light three inch in width emerge from where the cane landed and swiftly circled around the arena. Once the lines connected, an octagonal dome was formed around the attack just as the point of impact occurred, containing the explosion. Despite this, the shockwave still shot out, knocking back Todoroki and Izuku.
Ozpin took in deep breaths as he held onto the giant dome. He glanced up to see that there were sizable cracks around the force field.
"Kids these days…pack quite the punch," he commented.
[Ozwald Zachary Pine Ian Nathaniel Hawthorne Edel Alexander Doyle! I did it! I said it all in one breath! Whoo! Hero Name: Ozpin the Great Wizard! His Quirk: Force Field! He can create nearly impenetrable force fields that shine like emeralds and mold into any shape he desires!]
Ozpin glances over to the side and sees that Todoroki was still within the arena, half of his gym shirt ruined by his fire. Ozpin then looks to the other and spots where Izuku had been flown to. The young man was standing…up against the wall outside of the arena. Izuku slumped down, unconscious.
"I-Izuku Midoriya is out of bounds! Shouto Todoroki wins!" Midnight announced in a shaky tone.
Ruby wished that she was faster to get out of her seat and on her way to the infirmary.
"Midoriya!" she exclaimed upon entering the room. She spots her injured friend propped up on one of the infirmary beds, his left leg strapped and both his arms wrapped closed to his chest. Ruby dared to think that this was worse than what he had to endure after the Battle Trial. Toshinori was there too, looking just as stressed.
"This was…my fault…wasn't it…because I asked him to save Todoroki…"
"I was wondering when you were about to come by, dear," Recovery Girl said. Ruby closes the door behind her. "I'll cut to the chase," Recovery Girl said to Izuku. "The bones in your right arm were shattered. It will never be the same as before." Toshinori made a light noise in response to that.
"He's…not gonna lose his arm, is he?" Ruby asked, feeling scared.
"Oh, heavens no. I'm going to have to remove the pieces of bones so they don't stay in his joints. That way I could heal him properly," Recovery Girl explained. She sighs. "To push and light a fire in a child…who would go as far as to destroy his own body for what he yearns for…" The Youthful Heroine looks to Toshinori with disapproval. "I don't like it. You've gone too far. You, and this boy. You can't praise him for this." Toshinori looks to the ground, knowing that Recovery Girl was right.
And this made Ruby feel more guilty.
"Um…Recovery Girl, I–"
The infirmary slammed open, startling Toshinori and Ruby. "Deku!" Ochako exclaimed, accompanied by Tenya, Tsuyu, Mineta, Jaune, Nora, and Ren.
"You scared me…" Toshinori muttered.
"Oh. Hello, Mr. Yagi," Nora greeted.
"H-Hello…"
"You are all so noisy," Recovery Girl chided.
"Guys…the next match…" Izuku managed to utter.
"On hold until the arena is properly fixed," Tenya said.
"You and Todoroki totally wrecked the stage!" Nora exclaimed.
"Lower your voice a little, Nora," Ren said.
Mineta trembled in fear. "That match earlier was scary, Midoriya…What pro's gonna want that?" Tsuyu smacks him with her tongue.
"Isn't that rubbing salt on the wound?" she said.
"Am I wrong though?" Mineta challenged.
"Quiet down, now. All of you," Recovery Girl said as she ushered them out. "I know you kids are worried for your classmate, but I'm going to have to prepare him for surgery."
"Surgery?!"
"Go on. Off with you now," Recovery Girl said.
While the others asked the old nurse some questions, Ruby shifted her gaze to Izuku, who had his eyes on Toshinori, who watched Recovery Girl and the kids.
"Just leave it to me. Now, off with a lot of you," Recovery Girl said as she closed the door. She turns to Ruby. "Perhaps you should leave as well."
"...What?" she asked softly. "Can't I stay?"
Recovery Girl frowned sympathetically. "I'm afraid not, dear."
"But, you let me stay before," Ruby argued desperately.
"He didn't need surgery before," Recovery Girl countered gently.
"But…it's because of me this happened…" Ruby admitted despairingly. "I…I asked him to help Todoroki because I wasn't able to…If I had just kept my mouth shut, then maybe this would've not happened. Like…back at the Battle Trial."
"Rose…" Izuku muttered.
"Is that right?" Recovery Girl drawled, giving Toshinori a look. The man couldn't make eye contact with her. The old woman returned to Ruby with an understanding expression. "Be that as it may, I'm going to need room to work."
"But–"
"Ruby," Toshinori said, getting his niece's attention. "Can you please wait outside for me?"
"Uncle Toshi…" Ruby said. She was about to put up another fight, even if it was her uncle, but his considerate gaze made any argument die in her throat.
"Please," he requested softly.
Ruby clenched her jaw. "...Okay." She turns and leaves the infirmary, closing the door with a click.
"All Might," Izuku spoke up. Toshinori turns to face him. "Please, don't be mad at Rose. She was worried about Todoroki. And…I was too. It was my choice to do what I did. Todoroki…he looked so sad…and maybe Rose and I shouldn't have meddled, but…I'm sorry, All Might. I couldn't do what you asked of me…it was just…so frustrating."
Toshinori shook his head. "You…have nothing to apologize for. Yes, it was a regrettable result, but shaming you and telling you how foolish it was won't change anything. You have helped Young Todoroki to realize something he didn't." A faint smile curled up the corner of his lip. "If you ask me, meddling in business that you are not part of…is the essence of being a hero."
"...Rose…she looked upset too. Can you tell her…?" Izuku asked.
"Of course."
Ruby sat alone on a bench next to the infirmary door. She had her knees drawn, her heels against the edge of the bench, and her head laid on her knees with her arms around her legs as she waited for Toshinori to come out.
"Ruby?" Ruby raises her head to see a worried Penny standing near her.
"Polendina."
"How are you doing?" asked Penny.
Ruby sighed. "I don't think how I'm doing matters when I'm not the one in surgery at the moment!"
Penny looks at the closed infirmary door. "Surgery…"
"...I'm sorry for snapping at you," Ruby said apologetically.
"It's okay," Penny shook her head. "You're frustrated. I get it. I'm worried about Izuku too. ...Are you thirsty? There's a vending machine down that way. I can get any drink you may desire."
"You don't need to do that, Polendina," Ruby said.
Penny smiled. "That's okay. It's what friends do, right? Kendo told me that a good drink of soda can calm one's nerves. Though, Monoma suggested that I get you a water salad."
Ruby's face distorted at that. "Yeah, I don't want a water that tastes like lettuce."
"I thought so. So, do you have any preferences?" Penny asked. Ruby smiled at Penny's insistence of getting her a drink.
"Think you can find anything strawberry flavored?" she asked. "If not, I don't mind just plain water."
Penny saluted. "I'll see what I'll find. Just sit tight! I'll be right back." She sprints off to retrieve the drink, clearly happy to help a friend.
The notion reminded Ruby of what happened and frowned again as the door to the infirmary opened and Toshinori emerged.
"Thank you for waiting, Ruby," he said. Ruby nodded and scooched to give Toshinori a seat. The man let out a long sigh as he sat down. "Today has been one heck of a rollercoaster, huh?"
"Yeah…"
"Back in there…I know why you didn't want to leave Young Midoriya's side," Toshinori said. "It's because of what happened to Yang, isn't it?"
"...It's silly," Ruby said, feeling a little embarrassed. Toshinori shook his head.
"It's not. There's nothing silly about worrying for a friend," he said. "I…shouldn't have pressured him like that."
"...Yeah, that was a lot of pressure. But… I'm also to blame here," Ruby said. "I asked Midoriya to help Todoroki somehow. I wasn't able to do it when I faced him, so…"
Toshinori reached around Ruby's shoulder and pulled her close so her head would be resting just below his shoulder. "I guess we've both got some apologies in order."
"...Yeah."
"But, there was something that Young Midoriya had wanted to tell you."
Ruby looks up at him. "What's that?"
Toshinori smiled softly. "He said that you shouldn't have to blame yourself. You may have asked him to save Young Todoroki, but it was his choice to make because he wanted to save him too. You two...are a couple of meddlers."
"Is...that a good thing?"
"Yes."
"Surgery?" Weiss asked Ochako, who sat across from her in the waiting room. Ochako nodded.
"Yeah. It was that bad," she said, worried for her friend.
"Looks like he'll be missing out on watching your fight with Bakugo in a bit~ribbit," Tsuyu said to Weiss from her seat next to Ochako. Momo, sitting across from Tsuyu, notices the vials Weiss is placing in the revolver of her sword, or really her newest addition colored dark purple.
"Are you ready for your match, Weiss?" Momo asked.
"As I'll ever be," Weiss replied.
"So…is that…?" Ochako asked, eyeing the dark purple vial as Weiss picked it up.
"Gravity Dust," Weiss named. "All thanks to you, Uraraka."
Ochako blushed. "Not like I did it on purpose. So, where did the other two come from?"
Weiss picks up the periwinkle colored vial. "I got this when Kaminari used his Indiscriminate Shock during the cavalry battle, and…" She picks up a white one. "...I got this from Todoroki all the way back in the time of the USJ Incident."
"So, how does it work?" Tsuyu asked curiously. "You making your 'Dust', I mean."
"It's actually a simple process," Weiss said. She holds out her hand and a 'Dust' Glyph appears. "Any elemental matter that makes contact with the Dust Glyph can be categorized and then crystalized for later use."
"Gravity is an element?" Ochako asked.
"To the Glyph, yes," Weiss said, dissipating the sigil. "As for the powder form, that's something I had to do." She gestured to a cloth and hammer. A buzzing sound can be heard and Weiss takes out her phone and glowers at the caller ID.
Father.
Momo looks at her, a little worried. "Aren't you…going to answer that?"
{Will Weiss Schnee and Katsuki Bakugo head out to duke it out!}
"Nope," Weiss said, taking her buzzing phone to her locker and stuffing it in there before slamming it shut. The phone continued to vibrate. Weiss places the rest of the vials into the pouch attached to the belt holding her scabbard. She takes Myrtenaster and sheathes it into the scabbard. "Wish me luck."
"R-Right. Good luck out there, Schnee!" Ochako cheered, albeit a little awkward by Weiss' actions.
"Ribbit," Tsuyu nodded.
"We'll be cheering for you," Momo said. Weiss nods and leaves the waiting room.
"Hm…hmhmhmhmmm…hmhmhmhm…" Weiss hummed as she sauntered.
As she heads down the hall and through the corridor to the outside, Weiss couldn't help but imagine the cement walls becoming a familiar white and blue marble of the Schnee Family Mansion back in Hokkaido, in the city of Soritasu to be exact. Weiss didn't pay it any mind as she headed for the light at the end. With a click of her heel, she stepped out into the sun…
…She was a child, no older than seven, standing on a stage with a spotlight shining down on her in front of a theater full of people.
Next Chapter: Weiss Schnee: Origin
Yes. Ozpin's full name makes the acronym OZPINHEAD lol. He's not really a fan of his overly long name. In RWBY canon, 'Ozpin' is actually a surname, but we have no idea what his first name is, I don't think it's relevant anymore. Speaking his names, most (if not all) of his middle names hold significants. I'll let you guys figure it out.
Some had wanted me to have Izuku win the fight against Todoroki and against Bakugo (thus winning the tournament), but I kinda didn't want to do that for a few reasons. 1) It's cliched. How many times has the protagonist won a tournament? Even some VA's liked this turnabout, 2) Izuku was more focused on saving Todoroki. In a way, Izuku still won. 3) It's integral to the growth of Bakugo.
Additionally, they wanted All Might to man up and have Izuku to be trained by Gran Torino before the festival to help with his Quirk, which would have helped, I'll admit. However, the way that I see it, Izuku needed to first…build up resistance, if you will. Exercise his Quirk a bit to better handle it. That's why 10% currently is border lining risk of potential damage. Also, I'd say that Toshinori didn't feel the need to call Gran Torino once Izuku started to train better thanks to Ruby.
I mean, at least Izuku is in the top 4, placed in 3rd along with whoever loses in the next battle. I do still plan for him to be trained by Gran Torino (clearly as from last chapter), just not sure how at the moment. I do have one idea, though, I'm not sure if it's enough.
Fun fact: water salad is a thing in Japan, apparently. Really though, who wants to drink water that taste like lettuce.