I don't own My Hero Academia or Kill la Kill, please don't sue.
Ryuko Matoi anxiously sat in her seat as she waited for the match to begin. Even though the outcome probably wouldn't affect her own goals, Midoriya was her friend, of course she wanted him to do well in the festival. Especially since pretty much all of her other friends hadn't done so hot.
"So the match hasn't started yet?" Uraraka asked.
Ryuko couldn't help but be taken aback as she saw her classmate enter the stands. Her eyes were almost shut, surrounded by swollen red circles that took up nearly half of her face. Ryuko knew that Bakugo hit her hard during their fight, but this was worse than she expected.
"Something horrible has happened to your eyes!" Iida exclaimed. "You need to go see Recovery Girl!"
"I can't believe Bakugo hurt you like that!" Ryuko growled. "That bastard! I swear, I'm gonna-"
"I already saw her, Bakugo didn't do much more than give me some cuts and bruises," she cut her off. "This is from... something else."
Ryuko briefly wanted to ask what that something else was, but decided against it. "Well, do you feel alright? I'd be pretty frustrated after a fight like that, giving it everything you got and still losing."
Uraraka nodded. "Yeah, I guess it's kind of a wakeup call for me though. Now I know how much distance is between me and people like Bakugo, you, and Deku. That's why I'll be looking at this fight as a source of encouragement! And you know, I get to cheer on Deku too I guess."
Ryuko noticed that Uraraka's face turned a slight shade of red as she mentioned Midoriya. What was that all about?
"Thank you for your patience everyone! We've finally repaired the battlefield and it's time for the final match of the first round! You can just feel the anticipation in this stadium! And that's because this match is gonna be epic! Both of these competitors have been frontrunners in the festival, but only one of them can move on!"
It was finally starting. Both Midoriya and Todoroki were walking out onto the battlefield, all of their attention focused on each other. Midoriya was already doing better than Ryuko had expected, he didn't look anywhere near as nervous as she thought he'd be.
"Our first fighter has one cool quirk! He got into UA through recommendation, it's the Hero Course's Shoto Todoroki! But his opponent packs quite a punch too! While he hasn't used it too much, it looks like he's finally gonna show us what he's really capable of! From the Hero Course, it's Izuku Midoriya!"
"So how do you think the fight's gonna go Ryuko?" Uraraka asked.
She wasn't the only one who wanted to know what she was thinking. Iida, Mako, and even Senketsu were looking at her expecting an answer, which came as a shock to Ryuko. Why were they asking her? She was good at fighting, not so much at analyzing fighting. Usually Midoriya would handle this kind of thing- oh right. She supposed she was the only one in their class who actually fought Todoroki too, so if anyone was the "expert", it was her.
"I talked a bit about it with Midoriya and he said that he wanted to try and tire Todoroki out," she answered. "I told him that was stupid, he'd have to break his bones every time he wants to counter Todoroki's attacks and he can't do that forever. He only has eight fingers after all. He should try to get in close and finish it quickly. Once he gets past the ice, I think a single solid hit will knock Todoroki out of bounds."
"That's the problem though; he still needs to get past all that ice Todoroki will be throwing at him first," Uraraka pointed out. "Maybe he could try dodging the ice without using his quirk?"
Ryuko shook her head. "No, that ice comes out way too fast. I mean I could dodge it no problem, but it might as well be in slow motion to me. There's no way Midoriya can avoid it without his quirk. Breaking his fingers is his best option, but it's still not a very good one. It just sucks that he has to break his bones just to use his power. Then again, he did get really excited when Mako started talking to him about... microwaves or something?"
"I knew it! Ice melts when it gets hot!" Mako chimed in as soon as her name was mentioned. "So if he brought a giant microwave, he can just melt all of the ice! But then you'd have water in the microwave and it would make your food get all soggy and wet."
"Mako, you do know what a metaphor is right?" Ryuko asked, a little nervous to hear her friend's response.
"What's a meta and who's it for?"
"Forget it."
Ryuko tuned out as Iida started giving Mako a lecture on what a metaphor was. Her attention was on Midoriya and Todoroki now. As much as she wished that she was wrong, she couldn't see how Midoriya could win. He had to break his bones to attack, defend, dodge, or really do anything. It didn't matter if he could one-shot Todoroki when his body broke down before he got the chance. Todoroki probably knew this and would try to attack as soon as he was able to start burning through Midoriya's fingers. And that was if Midoriya fought completely rationally, which Ryuko had a feeling he wouldn't do.
Why did he care so much about Todoroki not using his left side? So what if he wanted to spite Endeavor? It was a perfectly reasonable motivation for wanting to win the festival! Todoroki's family business was his own and Midoriya wasn't even his friend. So why did he feel like he had to meddle where he didn't have to?
And why did he care so much about her wanting to avenge her father's death? So what if she didn't care about saving people or being a hero? She had a perfectly reasonable motivation for wanting to win the festival! Ryuko's goals were her own and even if Midoriya was one of her closest friends, one of her only friends for that matter... she didn't want him meddling where he didn't have to.
"Both of the heroes in training have clashed quite a few times throughout this festival! But which one of these rivals will advance to the next round? Prepare for Midoriya versus Todoroki! Let the final match of the first round... begin!"
Just like she predicted, Todoroki immediately started the fight off with an ice blast aimed straight at Midoriya. Ryuko sighed as she saw Midoriya start to glow, green lightning arcing across his body. That was already one finger broken right off the bat. At this rate, he'd be out in- wait, why was his entire body glowing?
"Let the final match of the first round... begin!"
"One For All: Full Cowling 5%!"
Izuku Midoriya's veins glowed red like hot magma for a moment before cooling down. His entire body ached and shuddered, trying to contain the energy flowing through him. Every small movement he made felt like it was magnified by a factor of ten. Even at only 5%, channeling One For All was uncomfortable, but it was much more bearable now. Like the heat had spread out evenly.
He'd have to get used to it quickly though. Todoroki stomped on the ground and launched a row of ice spikes at him. As the ice spikes rapidly approached, Izuku had to use all of his willpower to not bow to his instincts and fire off a 100% Delaware Smash at the cost of breaking a finger. The ice was coming quickly after all, maybe using 100% was actually the safer option. No that was stupid, and he couldn't waste time thinking about stupid stuff like that! Or could he?
The ice was much slower than it had ever been before. Every other time Todoroki used an ice blast, it was like the ice just appeared in a blink of the eye. Now Izuku could actually see it moving towards him like it was in slow-motion. Or maybe it wasn't that the ice was slower, it was because he was faster! He was channeling One For All through his entire body, using it in his brain must have sped up his reaction time!
Izuku leaped out of the way of the ice blast to his right and Todoroki's left, trying to position himself away from his right side just like he did in the cavalry battle. He easily dodged the ice with One For All powering up his legs, but the jump was a lot more powerful than he was used to. It was like an explosive blast coming out of his legs. He'd have to be careful with that kind of power, otherwise he might accidentally launch himself out of bounds.
Izuku wasn't the only one surprised by his sudden burst of speed. Todorki's eyes widened with shock for just a moment before hardening into an icy glare. He angled his right side towards Izuku, but the few moments he spent positioning himself was all Izuku needed. Now he could get in close!
He leaped at Todoroki with the same explosive speed he used to dodge the ice and cocked his fist. But even without a speed enhancing quirk, Todoroki was fast. Fast enough to hastily raise an ice wall in front of himself. As the wall formed in front of his eyes, Izuku couldn't help but smile.
"5% Detroit Smash!"
The icy barrier wasn't strong enough, as Izuku's fist sailed right through it and connected with his opponent's stomach. Todoroki grunted in pain as he was launched back, creating an ice wall behind him to stop himself. Izuku refused to give him a moment to rest and continued his assault. Todoroki fired an ice blast at him, which he easily dodged by sidestepping. He might have gotten a bit ahead of himself though, as he forgot to keep to Todoroki's left side and was now staring straight down at his right hand ready to fire another ice blast.
Izuku could have just dodged again, but looking at the ice structures Todoroki had left gave him an idea. An idea inspired by a move he'd seen a million times before. He jumped away from the torrent of ice spikes rushing at him, into the the ice left over from Todoroki's previous attack. He held out his arms and legs and when the moment was just right, he pushed himself off the ice toward Todoroki.
Todoroki instinctively ducked as he saw Izuku flying at him, which was exactly the reaction he had hoped for. While he thought he'd dodged his attack, it was little more than just a distraction. Izuku's actual target was quickly approaching, the wall of ice Todoroki used to stop himself from flying back. Just like before, he pushed off the ice wall. Now Todoroki's back was turned and he had no time to defend himself or dodge! Izuku punched Todoroki in the back, making him stumble forward and fall on his face.
If Izuku had still been using One For All the old way, a move like that would have taken months if not years of practice to perfect. Constantly thinking about channeling it into his limbs at exactly the right moment in addition to his jumps would be near impossible in the heat of the moment. That was the problem with his thinking before, his quirk wasn't some special power he could only use when absolutely necessary, it was just a part of his body now.
That was how Kacchan used his quirk and it was his use of his explosions that had just inspired the move Izuku just used. With Full Cowling, his arms and legs were pretty much explosions after all. Feinting an attack and then redirecting himself at the last second was something Izuku thought he'd never be able to do in a million years, but he just did it. He was getting stronger! Now he was just like Kacchan!
Katsuki Bakugo stewed in anger as he sat in his crater, his blood boiling as he watched the crappy imitation Deku just tried. He was almost kind of looking forward to watching that damn nerd break all his bones and get his ass kicked. No matter how powerful that "borrowed power" was, it was useless the way Deku used it. Even when he had a quirk, Katsuki was still better.
That was why he was so pissed off right now. Those were his moves! There was no mistaking it, the way Deku faked out Icy-Hot by bouncing off his walls and attacking him from behind was directly copying the way he used Explosion to propel himself. And the worst part was that it worked!
Now he was just like Deku.
Katsuki couldn't think of anything worse than that. It was bad enough that he got into UA, but that was just because the test was rigged to favor his impractical quirk. It was worse that he lost to him in combat training, but that was just because he cheated and used the rules against him. But now? That "borrowed power" was looking a lot like his own and he even had the nerve to use it to copy Katsuki!
Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! How dare that useless nerd try to be like him? He was going to be the number one hero! Deku was going to be a worthless nobody! They were nothing alike and they'd never be anything alike!
But that move had already disproved him. Deku may have been a worthless nobody just a month ago, but he was progressing fast. And that made Katsuki even madder. Why was he getting so much better so fast?
Actually, Katsuki kind of wanted Deku to win this fight. Sure it would be annoying that he got so far in the festival, but it would all be worth it in the second round. He'd get his payback for combat training and show that damn nerd just how wide the gap between them still was!
Deku was going to DIE!
Before Todoroki could pick himself up, Izuku Midoriya rushed forward at full speed and picked him up by his left arm. All he had to do was keep running at full speed and throw Todoroki out of bounds! He could end this match right now!
Or so he thought. While he didn't grab Todoroki's right arm so he couldn't get frozen, it also left him free to touch the ground. The ground beneath Izuku was covered in a thin layer of ice, making him lose his balance. While he flailed his arms around to stop himself from falling, he let go of Todoroki.
As soon as he recovered, Izuku jumped away from the frozen ground, narrowly avoiding an ice blast. Todoroki exhaled softly, the cold temperature surrounding him making his breath visible. Before Izuku could charge in for another attack, he spoke.
"I'll admit, I don't know where that power and speed came from, especially without you breaking your bones. I have to thank you though, it'll make defeating you that much more impressive when I do it with only my right side. Just look at him. He's furious that I'm not using his power."
Izuku looked over at the stands and spotted Endeavor in the front row. Just like Todoroki said, he had a nasty scowl on his face. Then again, he always seemed to have a nasty scowl on his face.
It seemed that Todoroki was getting what he wanted, proving to his father that he didn't need his quirk. And treating everyone else as nothing more than just a stepping stone so he could spite his father.
Izuku gritted his teeth. He worked so hard to get here just for the chance to give it his all, trying to reach his dreams. Everyone did! But all that meant nothing to Todoroki, as he refused to give them the basic respect they deserved by trying his hardest. All so he could make his father angry!
"That's still the only thing you care about?" he shouted without thinking. "Rejecting your father? Everyone here is giving it their all, trying their best to win the festival! Everyone except you! Even if you win with only your right side, you don't deserve the right to call yourself number one if you were half-assing it the entire time! So stop screwing around and come at me with all you got!"
Izuku panted heavily as he finished his rant, while Todoroki stood completely still. He was staring at the ground, obscuring his face in shadow. After a few moments, he looked up, his eyes filled with pure icy rage. As soon as he made eye contact, Izuku felt whatever anger he could muster instantly wither away.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" he roared. "Would you just stop it already? You're so damn annoying! Is this how you always are? Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong? Whether or not I use his fire doesn't concern you!"
Todoroki blasted the ground beneath him with his ice, propelling him towards Izuku at high speeds. He had just finished getting over his shock when Todoroki coated his arm with ice, forming a crystalline blade. Izuku jumped back to dodge, but the tip of the ice sword slashed across his chest clean through his tracksuit, staining the ice red with blood.
"You thought you'd have the upper hand in close quarters combat, didn't you?" Todoroki said. "I take immense pleasure in showing you that's not the case. Now I'm going to enjoy beating you at your own game!"
The cut wasn't deep, but actually seeing his blood spill made Izuku realize what a gigantic mistake he had just made. It wasn't just Todoroki's quirk that made him powerful. His judgement, mobility, reasoning. All of his abilities were incredible.
Todoroki raised a wall of ice far higher than any of his previous ones to Izuku's right and before he could run away, raised one of equal height to his left. With nowhere to run, Izuku could only brace himself as a third ice wall slammed into him, pushing him down the makeshift hallway.
Izuku dug his feet into the ground, tearing up the floor as he tried to keep the ice wall back, but Todoroki's quirk was just too powerful for him to break through with only 5%. With only a few meters separating him from the edge of the battlefield, he'd have to fall back on using One For All at 100%. Channeling his quirk's full power through his left middle finger, Izuku flicked the ice wall directly.
"Delaware Smash!"
The shockwave alone from a Delaware smash probably would have been enough to break the relentless torrent of ice, but making direct contact with it was overkill. The ice was just gone, reduced to nothing but tiny snowflakes that slowly fluttered down to the floor. Todoroki himself had almost been knocked out of bounds, saved only by an ice barrier behind him. Despite being pushed back, he was all too eager to continue his assault.
An ice pillar sprouted up from beneath Todoroki, launching him high into the air. As he descended, a spear easily over two meters long made of ice formed in his hand. After getting scratched by his blade, there was no way Izuku was letting that thing come anywhere near him. He easily dodged the attack, making Todoroki drive his spear into the ground.
Unfortunately for Izuku, that was just what he was planning. Ice rapidly spread out from the point of contact, blanketing the entire battlefield with a layer of ice much thicker than before. Luckily Izuku was in the air, so he didn't get frozen, but he slid across the ice as he landed.
"It looks like Todoroki's turned the entire field into an ice skating rink! There's no way Midoriya can win if he can't even find his balance! I wonder how's he gonna get out of this one?"
How was he gonna get out of this one? Present Mic was right, there was no way he could win with the battlefield like that. So he'd have to make it not like that. And the only way he could to that was...
"Delaware Smash!"
The index finger on Izuku's left hand was the second one to go. It was well worth it though, as a web of cracks spread across the icy floor, shattering it into millions of tiny pieces. Even some of the concrete was smashed into dust.
Despite the pure power of his smash, Todoroki kept himself in the ring again by completely surrounding his legs with ice, rooting himself to the floor. As he emerged from his icy cocoon, Izuku noticed that there was something different about him. He was shivering. Patches of frost were coating the right side of his body. But one thing that wasn't different was his rage.
"I am trying to win the festival and I don't care if the way I do it offends you!" Todoroki shouted, despite his constant shivering. "You say I'm only half-assing this fight, but you're losing anyway! And why the hell do you even care? What, did my monster of a father tell you to do this? Did he bribe you? Now I'm really mad! You want me to come at you with all I got? Then you can have it!"
Todoroki put his palm to to the ground and the entire stadium shook.
"Heaven Piercing Ice Wall!"
Calling that... thing an ice wall was the understatement of the year. It was literally an entire glacier hurtling at Izuku's face at supersonic speeds. It was taller than the stadium itself, so tall that Izuku couldn't even see its top. There was nowhere for him to run and no way a finger flick would stop it. Izuku didn't want to break his arms so he could save them for an emergency, but he was pretty sure that this counted as one.
Izuku clenched his right hand into a fist, putting the full power of One For All into it. Even though he would still break his bones, Full Cowling would continue to be helpful. In the past, while his arm may have had the strength of All Might, it was still coming from his unpowered body. While it may not have been the same as All Might, having 5% of One For All in the rest of his body would be a huge boost in power. Izuku just hoped it would be enough.
"Detroit Smash!"
His fist collided with the glacier, stopping it in its tracks and spreading cracks throughout it. Izuku screamed and struggled against the mass of ice, doing everything he could to keep it at bay. After a few seconds, it finally crumbled to dust. The gigantic windstorm he created combining with the pieces of ice made a miniature blizzard inside the stadium. While the glacier was gone, he had to put everything he could into that attack without killing himself. Every muscle fiber screamed in pain, every bone that wasn't already broken started to crack.
Even though he stopped the attack, Izuku couldn't bring himself to feel any sort of triumph. All he could think about was the agonizing pain, made even worse by the knowledge that it was all his own doing. This would have never happened if he hadn't tried egging Todoroki on like that. He should have just listened. Ryuko was right, he should have just focused on winning the match. Todoroki was right, his issues with Endeavor was none of his business. All Might was right, meddling in his affairs only made things worse.
Every way Izuku looked at it, this fight was a colossal failure. He had to break his bones and he made Todoroki's issues worse to boot. And for what? Trying to get Todoroki to use his left side? How stupid was that? If Todoroki wanted to compete with a self-imposed challenge, he was well within his rights to do so. If he won, that meant he really did deserve to win if he could do it with only half his power. If he lost, Izuku should've just taken the free win.
And why did it matter if he was doing it to spite his father? Both Iida and Uraraka were competing for the sake of their families and he supported their goals. Todoroki's motivation wasn't fundamentally different from that. Neither was Ryuko's desire to avenge her father for that matter. He shouldn't have tried to "save" her either.
But as the blizzard started to die down, he could see Todoroki's face again. He looked not just angry, but... sad. Not at all like someone who had just achieved what they were fighting for.
"I'm gonna become a pro, I'll sign with a good agency and make plenty of money! Then I'll be able to let my parents have an easy life!"
"I couldn't care less about money or fame, I just want to be a hero! So I can make the Iida family's hero agency proud!"
The expression on Todoroki's face couldn't have been more different than the ones Uraraka and Iida wore when they declared their ambitions. Or even his own. He wanted to be a hero who saved people with a smile on his face after all. But the mixture of grief and rage on Todoroki's face was familiar to Izuku, almost like...
"I don't care about 'potential' or 'talent' or 'ambition'! I don't care about saving people! I care about finding out who killed my dad! If anyone gets in my way, I'll destroy them! And when I find his killer I'll... well, I'll figure that part out later! I'm not like you three. I ain't a hero."
Despite all her fierce determination, Ryuko's quest for revenge didn't just hurt other people, but herself as well. Todoroki was the same. Izuku couldn't save Ryuko right now. Hell, maybe he'd never be able to. But what he could do was save the person in front of him right now!
Shoto Todoroki was violently shivering. He was already overusing his quirk to begin with and firing off Heaven Piercing Ice Wall only made it worse. But it would be worth it when he defeated that nosy bastard and his father as well.
He had to give his opponent a little credit though. He never thought that anyone would be able to not only stop his special attack, but completely destroy it. Though it didn't really matter. Even if Midoriya was able to destroy the glacier, there was no way he wasn't knocked out of bounds. For now, Shoto would have to wait until the judges could call it, which would probably take a while. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face due to the blizzard caused by his ice and Midoriya's shockwave combining.
The blizzard was finally starting to die down and Shoto could see clearly again. And what he saw was green lightning shining through the swirling vortex of ice and snow. As soon as it spotted Shoto, the source of the lightning charged at him through the blizzard. So Midoriya wasn't done just yet.
But he would be soon. His right arm had gone completely limp, trailing uselessly by his side like a bloody noodle. That was more like what Shoto was expecting when the fight started. There was no way he would seriously consider punching him with that thing, if he even could. And if Shoto recalled correctly, which he always did, he'd broken two fingers on his left hand as well.
Midoriya was getting close, so Shoto tried to raise an ice wall in defense. His right arm ached as even more frost built up on it and the barrier wasn't even finished in time. Midoriya cleared the meter-high hurdle with ease and landed a punch right to the stomach with his left arm.
Shoto forcefully exhaled as he almost felt like throwing up, which was an all too familiar feeling. But he wasn't the only one who got hurt. Midoriya yelped in pain, blood squirting out of his broken fingers. It made sense, even if he learned to use his power without breaking his bones, it wouldn't stop the already broken bones from hurting like crazy.
Now it was time for Shoto to counter-attack. While making structures with his ice would take too long, he was still capable of freezing things on contact. He reached out for Midoriya's left arm and grabbed it, slowly encasing the broken limb in ice. Before it could spread to the rest of his body though, Midoriya did something Shoto truly didn't expect him to do.
"Florida Smash!"
Midoriya's head slammed into Shoto's, forcing him to let go. It also forced his nose to let go of some of its blood. He reached out for MIdoriya again despite his now blurred vision, only to be stopped by Midoriya's left elbow hitting his arm. Now Shoto understood. He was trying to avoid hitting him with his broken bones. They were clever moves, but he would have expected them from a street brawler, not a hero in training. Midoriya was fighting like a cornered animal, fierce, crazy, and desperate at the same time. But why?
"Your arm is broken and you're still fighting?" Shoto said out loud. "Why are you still trying so hard?"
He meant for the question to be rhetorical or even persuade Midoriya into giving up. He wasn't actually expecting an answer. Especially not the one he gave.
"I'm trying because this is what I want, more than anything in the world! I'll do anything to reach my dreams, to become a hero who saves people with a smile on his face! Have you smiled for even a second thinking about rejecting your father?"
Smile? What the hell was he talking about? It didn't matter what made Shoto happy or not, the only thing that mattered was not being a puppet for his father! Shoto growled and prepared to launch an ice blast, but his right arm refused to obey.
Damn it, using his quirk too much had finally caught up with him! And it was so cold too, if only he could warm up. His left side started to itch in response and- No! He'd thought that once before and he swore it would never happen again! Using his fire against Matoi might have felt good in the moment, but it meant giving in to his father! Becoming the type of person who hurt her!
Shoto couldn't say it wasn't tempting though. Vile as he may be, his father did have a good reason for wanting to combine ice and fire. Being able to use his ice at full power again would make winning a lot easier. And he wasn't the only one who realized that.
"I see it now," Midoriya said. "You're trembling Todoroki. Normally you'd make up for it with the heat from your left side, but you refuse to use it. Is this how you want to live your life? Only ever reaching half of your potential? Hating half of who you are?"
Half of who he was? Did that idiot still not get it? The whole point of not using his fire was because it wasn't a part of him! It was nothing but a genetic curse, forced upon him by his father to keep him under his command like a puppet!
"I don't hate who I am!" he shouted. "I hate that my father thinks that I'm some kind of extension of his will! His damn fire quirk isn't a part of me! That's why I have to show him that I reject him!"
"You're wrong. Like it or not, your quirk is a part of who you are! That's why you should use it! Todoroki, you're losing this fight right now. Look around you!" Midoriya shouted, gesturing to the piles of broken ice littered around the stadium.
"All that for a drop of blood! You could turn this fight around in an instant, but you won't. And even if your ice was enough to beat me, even if it was enough to let you win the festival, it won't be enough forever. Forget about the festival and think about when you're a pro! Are you still going to only use half your power when you're saving people? When you're fighting a villain with your life on the line? Will you let other people and yourself get hurt just so you can spite your father? If even a small part of you wants to be a hero, then you have to give it your all no matter what! So do you want to be a hero?"
Did he want to be a hero? The only thing training to be a hero brought was pain and suffering to himself and those around him. From a purely logical view, his life would have been objectively better if he wasn't forced into becoming a hero. But a faint memory was nagging away at Shoto.
"But honey, you do still want to be a hero don't you?"
It was becoming clearer. Shoto was crying after a particularly brutal training session when his mother asked him that question. No, that couldn't have been real. The only memories he had of his mother were the ones of her crying. Because of what his father did to both of them.
"Flashfire Fist!"
Shoto cringed in fear as his father bellowed the name of his signature attack, landing a punch right in his stomach and lightly burning him in the process. He felt the wind getting knocked out of him and forcibly started coughing. Eventually the coughing turned to vomiting out on the floor. Despite the obvious pain he was in, his father had no sympathy.
"Get up and stop whining!" he yelled. "If you get hurt that easily, you can forget about surpassing All Might! Or even beating some small-time villain!"
Shoto tried to force himself to stand up, but he was too weak. His father scowled at him and ignited his fist again. Shoto did his best to brace himself, but before his father hit him, someone grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him away.
"What on Earth do you think you're doing?" his mother shouted. "Using Flashfire Fist on our son? You could have killed him!"
His father just scoffed in response. "Please, it wasn't actually my special attack. I only said that because he can't think that I'm holding back on him. In the real world, villains won't hesitate to hurt him as much as they can. He needs to learn to stop flinching whenever he thinks he's gonna get hurt."
"He is five years old. He shouldn't be getting hurt or be afraid that he'll be hurt. Do you know what you're doing to him? Yesterday I went to turn the the stove on and he nearly had a panic attack!"
Shoto's father turned to him. "Is this true?" he said softly.
Shoto weakly nodded in response. His father slowly approached him and knelt down. And then kicked him in the stomach across the room, launching him into a wall.
"THEN THAT'S PATHETIC!" he roared. "You're afraid of a kitchen appliance? This is exactly why I have to hit you so hard! How do you think you're going to become a hero if you're weak not just physically, but mentally as well? Think Shoto, think!"
"Please stop this!" Shoto's mother pleaded. "You're pushing him way too hard. Can't you see?"
"That's exactly the point! He needs to be pushed to his limits so he can surpass them! And then surpass them again! It's why I created him! Why we created him!"
"Don't try to make me a part of your schemes, Enji," his mother replied. "All I wanted was to have a family. I used to think that was what you wanted too. Shoto might be your creation, but he's my son. And I will not let you hurt him."
His father was quiet for a moment, contemplating what he just heard. It didn't last long though, as his face burst into flames, making him look more like a demon than a human.
"Get out of my way," he growled. "I won't ask so nicely a second time."
His mother didn't listen, standing still between Shoto and his father. With his mask of flames still raging, he harshly slapped her across the face, knocking her down to the floor.
"Mama?"
A few hours later, their training finally concluded. Shoto ran to his room as fast as he could, which wasn't very fast because of how sore his legs were. His room wasn't like those of other kids his age. There were no toys or trophies for sports, as his father said those things would only distract him from his purpose. Apparently his own siblings were just "distractions" as well.
Shoto was looking forward to this moment all day. He could finally collapse on his bed and cry in peace. He had to keep it down though, if his father heard him, they'd be training until the next morning. Which was why he nearly felt his heart stop when the door opened.
"Shoto, are you alright?"
Fortunately, the figure standing in the doorway was not his father, but his mother. Shoto was overjoyed to see her, but much less so when he saw the mark on her face. He couldn't hold himself back anymore, he ran into her arms and started crying even harder.
"I don't want to mom! Please, I- I don't want to be the kind of guy he is! I don't wanna be someone who bullies you and hurts people mama!"
His mother hugged him tightly, pulling him close to her chest. "But honey, you do still want to be a hero don't you? Just remember, stay true to yourself. You can be the kind of hero you want to be when you grow up."
"I'll surpass you!" Midoriya shouted.
Shoto's reminiscing was interrupted by another punch landing in his gut. Unlike the first time, Midoriya didn't scream or even flinch in pain, even as his broken fingers experienced far more force than they should have. Shoto was sent flying through the air, giving him more time to reflect on both his memories and Midoriya's words.
Maybe Shoto did want to be a hero after all. But that was so long ago. And even if he did want to become a hero, he could still do that without using Endeavor's quirk. He couldn't take any risks of becoming anything like him, especially after all that he did.
He didn't have his mother to comfort him after training for long after all. His mother was able and willing to stand up to Endeavor for Shoto's sake when he was younger, but years of abuse had whittled both of them down.
Shoto had just woken up and went down to the kitchen to eat breakfast. Training would start soon, he'd need a full stomach if he wanted to get through the day. It hadn't gotten easy, but the years that had gone by made it more bearable. He couldn't even remember the last time he threw up or cowered in fear and while he'd never admit it, mastering his ice was almost enjoyable now.
He hadn't expected anyone to be up at 6:00 in the morning, but someone had already gotten to the kitchen before him. His mother was standing over a tea kettle, talking over the phone.
"Mom, I feel like I'm going crazy," she said. "I can't take it anymore! Everyday the children seem more like him! And Shoto, that child's left side sometimes looks... unbearable to me. All I can see is his father! I can't raise him anymore, I want to run away from this life
Unbearable? All she could see was his father? Shoto wasn't becoming like him, was he? Did his own mother... hate him? She did say she wanted to run away from him, all because of the thought that he might become like his father. But that wasn't true! He'd never be anything like his father!
"Mama? What are you saying?" he asked out loud.
Shoto hoped that she'd tell him she didn't mean any of it and she'd run over and hug him just like she always did when his father gave him a hard time. But that wasn't the case. When he saw her eyes, he felt more fear than he ever did looking at his father.
The tea kettle started to whistle.
"That moronic woman!" Endeavor growled. "To hurt you at such an important time!"
Things after the incident were messy to say the least. The police and an ambulance had to come and over an hour later, Shoto's left side was wrapped in bandages. The burn hurt, but he didn't really care. There was something more important on his mind.
"Where did mama go?" he asked.
"Huh? Oh, she hurt my masterpiece, so I put her in a hospital to keep you safe."
Shoto's fist balled in anger. That's all he had to say? That's all he was? She hurt his precious "masterpiece"? That bastard wasn't even pretending that he cared about him! And he took away the only person who did, trying to act like he had no fault in what happened!
All of this happened because his mother thought he was becoming like Endeavor. If it wasn't for him and all of his "training" sessions, all the times he hit her, this never would have happened! Shoto would never forget the look in her eyes, the fear and hate she had of his left side. His father's side.
"That was your fault!" he shouted. "You're the one who made her hurt me!"
That was what using his left side meant. Becoming like Endeavor, someone his mother feared so much, she poured boiling water on his left side because it reminded her of him.
Wanting to be a hero or not, that left side was but a curse. A scar far worse than the one on his face. A permanent reminder of what he was to Endeavor, just a tool to get what he wanted. He would reject that side at all costs! He had to, for his sake and his mother's!
"I do want to be a hero!" Shoto shouted. "But that power, there's nothing heroic about it. What kind of hero would use a quirk that was only used to bully and hurt people?"
"It's yours! Your quirk, not his!"
"Shoto, come with me. There's something I want to show you."
"Where are we going mama?"
Shoto's mother just smiled as she took his hand and led them down the long halls of their house. They finally stopped at a room he'd never seen before, one with a TV. Shoto wasn't allowed to watch TV, but he was sometimes able to sneak a few peaks while his siblings watched if he was lucky. But why did mama bring him here?
She picked up the remote and turned the TV on, cycling through the channels until she stayed on one with a burning, collapsing building. Shoto cringed at the sight of the flames, but his mother softly placed her hand on his shoulder, making him feel a little better. If mama wanted him to watch whatever this was, he would.
Soon, a giant of a man emerged from the rubble, carrying several others on his back. Despite the obvious danger the man was in, he still bore a huge smile on his face.
"HAHAHA!" the man laughed. "FEAR NOT CITIZENS, HOPE HAS ARRIVED! BECAUSE I AM HERE!"
It was him. All Might. Shoto really hoped his father wouldn't catch them. Watching TV was one thing, but even mentioning that man was strictly forbidden to anyone except his father, who mostly just complained about him. Shoto couldn't help but be enamored with the number one hero though.
The disaster scene paused and shrank down to the corner. All Might was still on screen, but he was wearing a yellow pinstripe suit instead of a hero costume. It must have been in the middle of some kind of talk show.
"YES THAT'S RIGHT, CHILDREN OFTEN DO INHERIT QUIRKS FROM THEIR PARENTS, OR DEVELOP SIMILAR POWER SETS!" All Might said. "BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT A QUIRK IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT, REGARDLESS OF YOUR HISTORY! YOU DECIDE HOW YOU USE IT! THAT'S WHAT I MEAN WHEN I SAY 'I AM HERE!', ONLY YOU CAN DECIDE TO BECOME A HERO, NO ONE ELSE! TAKE THIS TO HEART KIDS, YOU'VE GOT IT!"
Shoto smiled as he watched the number one hero. His father called him a boastful idiot, too loud and flashy for his own good, but Shoto saw the exact opposite. All Might was so cool! He wanted to be just like him! A hero who didn't just save people, but gave them hope and joy as well. Someone who used his quirk to inspire others!
"You see Shoto? You are not a prisoner of your lineage," his mother said. "It's okay to use your power. To become who you want to be."
Become who he wanted to be. How could Shoto have clung to the past so fiercely while at the same time forgetting the parts that really mattered? He wanted to be a hero who gave people hope. Who inspired them by using the full power of his quirk!
Shoto's left side started tingling in response, the flames once again begging to be unleashed. This wouldn't be like when he fought Matoi though. He wouldn't do this as simply a means to an end, now it would be because he wanted to use his fire.
The last bits of Shoto's restraint faded, melting under the intense heat building up on his left side. It felt so good that he forgot why he never used his left side in the first place. Shoto took one last deep breath.
Then the entire world was fire.
"Whoa! Is that fire?"
Izuku Midoriya winced at the intense heat. Todoroki had completely engulfed himself in flames, making a massive pyre nearly as tall as the stadium itself. The bits of frost on his right side had melted away and were soon reduced to nothing but vapor. He was doing it! He was really using his left side in battle!
"You're helping your opponent," Todoroki said. "Even though you want to win this battle. You're a fool. Now which one of us is screwing around?"
Yeah, he kind of had a point there. Izuku wasn't really sure what to do now. He didn't think he'd get this far to begin with.
"I want it too," Todoroki continued. "I'll be a hero!"
Izuku didn't care if he didn't have a plan anymore! Just listening to Todoroki now, seeing him use his flames, made Izuku break into a giant grin. And underneath Todoroki's flames, he was sure he saw him smiling too. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones so happy to see Todoroki use his left side.
"SHOTOOOOOOO!" Endeavor shouted from the stands, loud enough for Izuku to hear. "Have you finally accepted your purpose? Yes, that's it! Very good! This is the dawn of a new era for us! With my blood in your veins, you'll surpass me! You will live up to the reason I created you!"
"Endeavor suddenly shouts words of... encouragement? What a doting father."
Crap crap crap! He was totally ruining the moment! If Izuku could hear him, Todoroki definitely could. Endeavor reminding him of the exact reason he wanted to reject his left side would make him stop using it for sure. Izuku waited for the flames to die out and Todoroki's smile to vanish, but it never did. In fact, the fire looked brighter than ever.
"Amazing!" Izuku couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
"Why are you smiling?" Todoroki asked. "With those injuries, in this hopeless situation. You must be crazy. Don't blame me for what happens next!"
Oh right, they were still fighting! Todoroki stomped on the ground, activating both sides at the same time. Izuku responded in kind, though his broken right arm still flapping around probably made him look a lot less cool. Both of them stared intensely into each other's eyes, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Izuku charged 100% of One For All into both of his legs and 5% into the rest of his body. It wasn't like he'd need them later after all. One way or another, the battle would end after this last clash.
They weren't the only ones preparing for the battle to end soon. Cementoss had touched the ground, pouring extra concrete into the battlefield and starting to shape it. Midnight tore one of her sleeves, trying to disperse her sleeping gas as quickly as possible. If they wanted the battle to end without the teachers interfering too much, they had to do it now.
Todoroki was the first to strike, launching his ice first. Due to his enhanced reactions, Izuku was able to fire off One For All in his legs before the ice blast got too close. He couldn't even feel his broken legs as he rocketed down the battlefield, which was now completely covered in ice.
He had to get in close and give it everything he had! On the other end of the battlefield, Todoroki was switching to his left side. He was coming at him with his full power, so Izuku would as well. While he had some broken fingers on his left arm, it would have to do. He put 100% of One For All into his left hands, making his broken fingers burn with the excess power flowing through them.
Todoroki was getting closer and his hand was red hot. Izuku prepared to make contact, but before he could reach Todoroki, a row of concrete pillars erupted between them. Izuku's smash and Todoroki's fire blast collided with the concrete at the same time. In the first few milliseconds of contact, the concrete bent and was melted together. Then it exploded.
The massive explosion shook the battlefield, sending roaring winds all the way the the even the farthest stands. Some unlucky spectators were nearly blown out of their seats. It took a few seconds, but the windstorm finally started to die down.
"What just happened? What the heck is up with your students?"
"The air around the ring had been thoroughly cooled down and then rapidly expanded when heated up."
"That's what caused the explosion? How hot did those flames get? Geez, I can't see a thing! Is the match still going on or what, huh?
Izuku had many of the same questions himself. It was even harder for him to see what was going on, since he had to lie on the ground due to his broken legs. That explosion was so cool though! If Todoroki could- wait, Todoroki! What happened to him?
The final remains of the smoke from the explosion dissipated, making the entire battlefield clear for Izuku to see. And Todoroki wasn't in it. He was slumped against the wall at the very edge of the stadium, either unconscious or too tired to get up. It wouldn't really matter though, since if he was out of bounds, that meant...
"Izuku Midoriya wins!" Midnight declared. "He advances to the second round!"
Ryuko Matoi was completely silent. She was definitely the odd one out though.
The moment it was declared that Midoriya won, the stadium exploded into cheers. Both Honnouji students and heroes celebrated his victory, but the cheering from her classmates was the loudest. Even Bakugo was smiling. Sure it was a terrifying, murderous smile, but it was a smile nonetheless.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Sanageyama cheered as he stood up from his seat. "Oh man, I can't wait to fight to fight Midoriya now! Our battle will be legendary!"
He might have been a bit too excited though, as he spilled the popcorn he was eating all over Jakuzure.
"Hey, watch it!" she shrieked. "You're getting your monkey food all over me!"
Sanageyama's brow furrowed, which was visible even under his mask. He picked up his popcorn bag and held it upside down over Jakuzure's head, spilling the rest of its contents on her.
"Oops," he taunted.
Inumuta sighed and shook his head at the sight of his fellow Elites bickering. "I swear, you two act more immature than the first years. I have to wonder though, what made Todoroki use his flames? He never used them before, why wait until now?"
"I heard everything he said. A lot of stuff about being who you want to be, chasing your dreams, giving it your all no matter what, that sort of thing," Sanageyama answered, still trying to fend off Jakuzure. "Oh yeah, he also said something about how Todoroki motivation for fighting only made him miserable."
Inumuta nodded and got up from his seat. "This fight has certainly been an interesting source of data. Well, I'll be leaving now. Need to prepare for the second round and all that. I'm looking forward to our match, Ryuko Matoi."
Right before he left, he adjusted his glasses, making the light reflect off their surface and obscuring his eyes. It was pretty creepy, but Ryuko just ignored him. She couldn't pay attention to anything even if she wanted too. Her mind was stuck replaying a specific moment from the battle.
"He won he won he won! Midoriya's so cool!" Mako shouted, shaking Ryuko's shoulders. "Did you see him smash that iceberg into pieces? Imagine how many snow cones that could have made! He- wait, why aren't you cheering Ryuko? Your friend won!"
"He... he made him use it," she said. "He made Todoroki use his left side."
Ryuko remembered explicitly telling Midoriya not to try to get Todoroki to use his fire, but she couldn't exactly say she was surprised that he did it anyway. He didn't let what other people thought discourage him from doing what he wanted. What surprised her was that he succeeded.
How? How could Midoriya have done that? Todoroki was so set on never using his left side while in battle and Ryuko thought he had a pretty good reason for doing so. So what could Midoriya have said to make him stop his quest to reject his father? And if he could change Todoroki's mind, who until now had been almost a complete stranger to him...
Could he change Ryuko's?
A/N: Oh boy it's been a long time. Sorry for the long wait, I've just had a lot going on and it's hard for me to find the time to write. Admittedly, a lot of it is just laziness. Deltarune Chapter 2 coming out did not help things.
So yeah, we have a pretty major change from canon with Midoriya winning. Not only did he win, but he's uninjured enough to actually fight in the next round! Though given who he's fighting next, he might wish he wasn't. Yeah he still broke some bones, but those can be healed by Recovery Girl. And no permanent damage to his hands either! The reason he hurt his hands so bad in canon was because he used One For All in fingers that were already broken. Since he never did that in this fight, they're just normal broken bones, not "double broken". I'll also explain why the fight went the way it did.
Izuku Midoriya vs. Shoto Todoroki!
Having Full Cowling was obviously the reason Deku won. The main issue in the canon fight was that he had to break a finger every time he didn't want to get hit by the ice. Being able to just dodge with Full Cowling really helped him stay in the fight longer, which is the main reason he won.
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows for Deku though. Since this is the first round, Todoroki never had to fight Sero. Which means that he never used Heaven Piercing Ice Wall, so he could use his quirk more than he could in canon. Speaking of using his quirk more, I did take some liberties with how he used it, specifically with the ice sword and the ice spear. While he never does anything like that in canon, Endeavor can make a spear out of fire, so I don't think it's too much of a stretch to say that Todoroki can make a giant icicle.
The other major difference is that Todoroki got a lot angrier at Deku. Part of the reason he got so mad was because he's more confident in his motivation to not use his fire thanks to Ryuko kind of supporting him earlier. The other reason is that Deku's "stop screwing around" statement was a lot more powerful when he was fighting despite his numerous injuries. Since Deku was uninjured at that point, it sounded more like a taunt than anything.
But the final clash is pretty much the same as in canon. It's one of the best moments from MHA and one of my personal favorites, so I wasn't gonna change it too much. All of those changes don't really matter in the end. The most important thing is that Deku has just a little more health going into the final clash, which is why he won. Assuming the final clash stays the same (and it did), I think Full Cowling Deku wins 7/10 specifically for that reason. I gave a little bit of leeway for Todoroki to win just in case I'm overestimating how important not breaking bones is.