Strips of cloud streak through the sky, tinted orange by the rising sun that seeps through them. Beneath, there's a blue backwash. That clear color becomes quickly consumed by a shadowy silhouette. It takes Izuku squinting his eyes to recognize the figure as his classmate, Kyoka Jirou. She's reaching down to him with an outstretched hand.
Izuku realizes he's gazing upwards, laying flat on his back in the grassy field of the Sports Festival stadium. How he landed there, sprawled out, eludes him only for a second longer. Then he remembers. The Calvary Battle and The Obstacle Race before it. He reaches for his forehead first, fingers searching for the million point headband he was wearing.
The first event had been a race track with various obstacles on the course. He managed to get first place using a piece of scrap metal to surf on landmines, a stroke of luck. That luck, however, must have been used all at once. The second event made his placement backfire when points provided for the cavalry battle were determined by the race ranking and he became a target for everyone.
He kept his promise to himself and Todoroki. He hadn't used his quirk. Even if he could have warded the other teams off from stealing his headband by having a chainsaw protruding from his head, he played without transforming. Whether that was the right choice or not remains to be seen. Izuku feels the curls of his hair, and then fabric. He releases a sigh of relief.
Kyoka takes his hand and helps him to his feet. It's hard to get his footing firm at first, but Izuku manages. "You alright?", Kyoka expresses her concern while gauging his own expression, "You didn't hit your head, did you?"
When Izuku levels out and sees Kyoka more clearly, he smiles to give her a bit of assurance. "I'm okay so long as you're here", he's immensely grateful that she was one of the few willing to join his team for the cavalry battle.
Kyoka crosses her arms and looks away to hide the blush that creeps up to her face. "Yeah.. You definitely hit your head..", she mumbles and grumbles despite the smile that pulls at her mouth.
When the stadium speakers chime to life so that Present Mic can announce, "The results of the cavalry battle are up, folks!", Izuku returns his attention upward. Kyoka looks with him. Posted on an electronic billboard, the top five teams of the event are listed. "Great job to everybody but the qualifying groups will be the only ones who proceed to our third and final event, so read em well!"
Izuku is pleased to see he made it to the final round with the rest of his team. Along with Todoroki's team and several others. Amongst the qualifiers is Iida, but the boy seems too engrossed in his phone to care. As a matter of fact, Izuku would say Iida had been distracted since even before the first event began. Though he chooses to brush it off since it obviously hasn't affected Iida's performance overall.
"Midoriya..", Izuku's attention switches from eyeing Iida to Todoroki who apparently closed the distance between them while he was deep in thought, "Can we speak privately for a moment?"
Izuku glances over at Kyoka to find her staring back. The two of them share a look before he returns his gaze to Todoroki. After a second of hesitation, Izuku nods. "Sure..", he then follows the other boy into one of the more vacant hallways of the sports stadium.
With the second event over and everyone clearing the field to prepare for the final round, the two have a window of opportunity to talk. Todoroki seizes that chance with vigor, his left hand clenching to make a tight fist. "You almost made me break my vow", Izuku realizes that's the hand that can create fire and recalls the flames that sparked when he tried stealing Todoroki's headband during the cavalry battle.
Izuku's own hand hovers over his chest, directly placing itself on the pulley string that dangles beneath his jacket. He admits, "And you almost made me break mine", the thought he had during the cavalry battle to gain an advantage recurring to him. Todoroki's heterochromic eyes widen, surprised by the mutual statement, then blink back to a narrowed focus. "I'm not just saying that to make you feel better either.. We truly pushed one another to our limits", Izuku returns the stare with his own tapered look.
They maintain eye contact for a while, neither backing down. Not until Todoroki closes his and leans his head back with a resigned sigh, the back of his skull resting against the wall behind him. "Do you know what a quirk marriage is?", he then presses the rest of his body back as though he's sinking into a cushion but shows no signs of being comfortable.
Izuku blinks back his initial shock, taken aback by the question. Suddenly, it clicks in his head why Todoroki wouldn't want to use his fire. Though Todoroki goes on to say more and explain it to him anyways, "They began during the second generation after quirks first appeared. Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of passing on a strengthened combination version of their quirks. With his wealth and fame, my father made my mother's family agree to a marriage much like that. All to get his hands on her quirk and have me."
Izuku swallows any empty words of consolation he may have. Afterall, Todoroki isn't finished. "In short.. That's why I'll never use my father's rotten quirk. If I can win this festival without using it, I'll have denied him everything", Todoroki pushes himself off the wall and reopens his eyes, "I wanted to tell you this so you understand why I won't make the same mistake again in the final round. Sorry if I wasted your time."
"You didn't waste my time", Izuku shakes his head before steeling himself, "But you will be if you continue to think like that!"
Todoroki makes an expression just short of a sneer, fixing Izuku with a glare. "What do you mean by that?", he snarls.
"I mean.. My quirk was literally given to me.. Yours wasn't. Yours is your own, neither your mom or dad's..", Izuku flinches but doesn't back down. Not even when Todoroki growls like Katsuki would when angry.
"I shouldn't have expected you to understand", Todoroki pivots on his heel with a sharp scrape of his sneaker before storming off at a brisk pace. Izuku reaches out, even contemplating chasing the boy to prove that they are alike as kindred spirits, but he stays rooted in place until Todoroki is gone instead.
Izuku sighs in defeat before heading to the bleachers himself. There, he finds the rest of his class waiting for the next event to be announced. A few wave to him and he waves back. Ultimately, he sits next to Kyoka. "Hey, you. Where have you been?", she asks.
"Having a fun discussion about quirks with Todoroki", Izuku can't help the dry sarcasm that leaks into his tone. When he sees the concerned expression on Kyoka's face, he quickly tries to assure her, "Not so much about mine! It was more-so about his!"
Though that doesn't do much to soothe her creased facial features. "Do you.. Wanna talk about yours?", she cautiously uses a gentle voice that matches her eyes when Izuku looks into them. When she hears his heartbeat quicken its pace, she reels back, "Y- You don't have to if you don't want to!"
Izuku shakes his head and reaches out to stop her from waving her hands, "No! No! It's okay! I just.. Usually don't get a lot of people interested in it.." Without realizing, he winds up holding both of them even after she settles down. The two of them blush and look away from one another. "Um.. What did you want to know about it?"
"Does..", Kyoka's voice squeaks as she shyly tries to muster enough courage to ask, "Does it hurt.. ? When you transform.. ?"
A pained expression crosses Izuku's face when he meets her eyes again. He can't lie to her but he can't bring himself to look away either. There's a burst of warmth in his chest as he says, "Every time."
The two jump in their seats and separate from eachother when Present Mic's voice screeches over the stadium speakers. Each of them blush a shade of red brighter than Kirishima's hair when the rest of the class looks back at them. "AANNNND NOW ANNOUNCING THE FINAL EVENT! WHAT ELSE WOULD IT BE OTHER THAN GOOD OL' FASHIONED ONE V ONES!?" They're fortunately saved from further embarrassment by the burst of excitement Mic's announcement casts over the crowded stadium though. A chorus of cheers that's accompanied by cacophonous applause drowns out Ashido's attempt at teasing them.
"Let's start announcing the matchups!", Mic keeps the hype going a while longer before an abrupt muffling of his microphone which is then followed by, "Hold up! This just in! I've just been informed that two of the qualifiers for the final event have opted out and adjustments are being made to replace them with the two ranked right behind them from the last event."
The crowd's collective reaction shifts to confused murmurs, Izuku and his classmates amongst them. Izuku and his peers further respond with awe when they discover it's some of their own who are opting out.
Ojiro holds his own tail in his hands as he explains himself, "The Cavalry Battle.. I have no recollection of anything that happened.. Not until the end.." His head nods in the direction of the Gen Ed students, but Izuku knows exactly which of them Ojiro is gesturing towards. "I think it was that guy's quirk..", the purple haired boy across the way scoffs. "Everyone made it here by their own strength except for me. I don't know how I got here or why."
"Hey! I was on that guy's team too! By that logic, I shouldn't be competing either!", Ashido pouts with her pink lips and folds her arms.
"That's not what I'm saying!", Ojiro rushes to explain himself better, "I'm talking about my pride here. I just don't think it's right."
"I guess that makes sense..", Hanta scratches the back of his head as he tries to boggle his brain around Ojiro's decision. "But then why did Iida drop out?", he gives up on trying to understand after a while and looks for the other boy instead.
The rest of the class looks around too, realizing Iida isn't with them. Izuku begins to worry just as much as he wonders about Iida checking his phone constantly. Though he doesn't get very long to dwell on it, not when Present Mic shouts over his thoughts. "OKAY! After some reevaluation, we got our first round of matchups! Starting with…"
Izuku looks upwards, seeing the electronic billboard displaying what the first match will be. "Izuku Midoriya!", himself. "VERSUS!" A picture to go along with the name, "Hitoshi Shinso!", has Izuku recognizing the Gen Ed student as his opponent.
"Midoriya!", Izuku jumps a little when he hears his name being called. He turns to see Ojiro fixing him with a serious look, "That guy.. Whatever you do.. Don't answer him!"
Izuku isn't sure how to respond at first, so he numbly nods. Then, "Thanks for the advice..", he stands up from his seat to head down to the field for his fight.
"Good luck", Kyoka gives him an encouraging smile to which he returns.
"Show em how manly you are, bro!" Kirishima flashes a thumbs up that Izuku also mirrors.
And he's standing across from Shinso before he knows it. He wasn't expecting to be the first match of the final event, a nervous cough coming up on him, but he finds the resolve needed to fight. The crowd roars around him with a frenzy of flashing lights. This is no place or time to show weakness. Izuku swallows the blood that tries climbing up his throat and seals his mouth shut.
"Yet to show his teeth yet, if you know what I mean, we've got Izuku Midoriya of Class A!", Present Mic announces his presence to the world first. Izuku tries to fix his posture, standing up straight, trying to be as tall and proud as he can. "Versus!" A beat of silence. "Sorry but he's not done much to stand out yet either, Hitoshi Shinso of General Studies!" Shinso sneers.
"Without further dallying, let's get right into the battle! READY?!"
Izuku tenses. Shinso stays slack.
"START!", Mic signals the start of the match.
Before Izuku dashes, Shinso starts to say something, making the boy pause. "It must be pretty nice having a quirk that gets you in the top heroics class", they each lock eyes, "And not a villain's quirk that gets ridiculed like mine." Izuku stops in his tracks.
Shinso smirks, sensing that he struck some sort of nerve. "I mean.. You haven't even used your blessed ability yet! I, on the other hand, I'm forced to be judged under a spotlight!", he gains enough confidence when he sees the way Izuku expressively reacts to his taunting that he even takes a step forward. "You must have had everything handed to you that you never stopped to think what it means to actually earn something."
That's the last chord that needs to be struck for Izuku to respond. Unable to resist or restrain himself, he shouts angrily, "You don't know- !"
It feels like a bucket of ice cold water has just been dropped over him. The fire in his eyes gets snuffed out, glazing over. The tensing of his muscles become even tighter, confining him, holding him in place. Shinso's quirk takes control.
"Dammit, Midoriya! I warned you!", Ojiro slaps a hand against his face when he recognizes the effect of Shinso's quirk overtaking Izuku.
Shinso's smirk stretches, his lips parting to make a grin. "I win", he chuckles to himself.
"Oi! Oi! Hey! Hey! What's going on?! This battle is just beginning! Show us some spirit!", Present Mic's voice shouts from the stadium speakers but sounds ever so distant to Izuku's ears, "Mere seconds into the match and Midoriya is frozen in place?!" There's something muffling the boy's hearing. Almost as though he's completely underwater now. Though he does register the words enough to understand his situation is a dire one, "He's not even twitching! Could this be Shinso's quirk?!"
Suddenly, his ears clear enough that he can hear Shinso say, "Turn around and walk out of the ring" The order resonates strongly in him. His body jolts, acting of its own accord. Izuku watches himself shift and turn to obey, much to his horror and awe.
"Whoa! Midoriya is following orders like a good little boy!", Present Mic reacts for the audience to Shinso's brainwashing effect but Izuku's hearing is back to being muffled.
Gradually, Izuku sways side to side with each exaggerated stomp towards the brink of the ring. No matter the amount of will power he tries to use to stop himself, he keeps going. All he can do is helplessly watch. He looks at the dark hallway waiting for him. There's nobody there waiting to console him. Not his mom. Not Kyoka or any of his friends. Just an empty corridor.
A high pitched yap breaks through the muffling effect on his ears. Izuku's heart thumps in his chest. He recognizes that bark. He hears it a second time, this time much louder. Much closer. Izuku's eyes regain some of their color when he sees a familiar sight. Emerging from the hallway ahead of him, trotting on all fours, is none other than Pochita.
The small dog walks right up to him, by the edge of the ring. Pochita's tail flicks back and forth, wagging. If his eyes weren't so dry, Izuku would be shedding tears. He continues to fight Shinso's hold on him but all he can do is look down at his old friend. Just like Pochita had done when saving him, Pochita begins to speak.
"Izuku, I thought you were going to show me your dream", the little dog tilts its head to the side as though the chainsaw protruding from it is too heavy, "That's why I passed my power to you."
Izuku strains to speak, wanting to respond. He has so much he wants to say. That he doesn't deserve the quirk Pochita entrusted to him. It shouldn't belong to him. Izuku wants to shout that the power belonging to Pochita should only be used to bring about Pochita's dream and not his own.
Somehow, Pochita seems to smile, his eyes creasing with the odd expression. It's as though Pochita could understand every single one of those thoughts as he says, "I belong to you. We made a contract, remember? You saved me and earned my power."
Pochita begins to trot forward again, gaining traction and speed. "Izuku.. MY dream.." Pochita hops, clearing the gap between boy and dog. "You already fulfilled it", Pochita leaps right into Izuku's chest to be caught in his arms, "My dream was only ever to have someone hug me."
Izuku's arms cross over himself as he regains awareness of his surroundings and his hearing returns to him. The numb effect is gone and yet he feels the loss of Pochita cradled against him immediately. The dog's tail dangles from his sternum beneath his jacket. He feels tears brimming his eyes.
"Midoriya! He appears to be back in control!", Present Mic notices the change in Izuku's demeanor just in the knick of time. Izuku breathes heavily as he continues holding himself, Pochita's words resonating in his heart quite literally.
"How.. ? You shouldn't have control! What did you do?!", Shinso takes a step back as panic settles into his system. There's a shift in the whole atmosphere that makes him sweat.
Izuku slowly turns himself around to face his opponent. All of the ill effects recede and he feels rejuvenated. Shinso's quirk was the cold bath that he needed to cleanse his disease. The hot feeling in his chest. The bile in his throat. It's all gone. He feels like an engine being revved to life.
Seeing Pochita again, to gain some much needed clarity, that wouldn't have been possible without Shinso's quirk. Izuku smiles and doesn't bother wiping away the tears streaming down his cheeks as he says, "Thank you!"
Already flabbergasted, Shinso is struck by a second shock when Izuku wraps his arms around him. The boys suffer a wave of whiplash as Izuku's hug tackle carries them towards the other side of the ring. One goes out of bounds..
And the other, "IN A SHOCKING TURN OF EVENTS..", goes on to live their dream, "IZUKU MIDORIYA WINS!"
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I thought since Izuku doesn't use his quirk for the first two events and they relatively would happen close enough to canon that I'd just skip them and let your mind fill in the gap. There was much juicer stuff I wanted to get to, like further setup for Iida and Todoroki, but mainly the 'Pochita Return' that breaks Shinso's brainwashing and how that'll play into curing Izuku's coughing disease. If you haven't already put two & two together, it'll be explained at the start of the next chapter, but essentially Izuku was putting up a mental block by rejecting Pochita's quirk fully and that's why the disease hadn't fully dissipated - NOW THOUGH...
