Hello again, everyone. Well, it really made me happy to see so many people gravitating and responding to last week's chapter. That kind of reader-to-writer communication is what I like to see, so let's see if we can't keep that up, especially since we now find ourselves at the pinnacle chapter of this take on the Sports Festival Arc. It has been quite the experience writing this stories' spin on such an iconic arc in the manga, and it's been undeniably fun, but alas, all portions of the story as it is must inevitably reach their conclusion in order to continue on, and this section is no different.
However, I feel very confident when I say that the original fight I came up with for this chapter, as stated very obviously in last weeks' cliffhanger, is by far my favorite one I've written thus far in the history of this story, and a testament to how far I've personally come in my ability to write action/fight scenes. Hopefully you may all be able to see and enjoy the passion I put into this one in particular.
So, if you enjoy what you see in this weeks' chapter, as I usually say, please feel free to take the time to voice your opinions and thoughts in a review and let me know how you think this story is coming along so far, because I've got big plans in store for the near future.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters, the original events surrounding them, and the alterations of established events that occur as a result of their existence in this universe.
A/N: [[]] denotes that characters are contextually speaking Russian.
Chapter 19
Festival's End
(Конец Фестиваля)
The announcement of the coming semifinals had spurred Tunguska to come rushing back for the stands from one of the snack vendors, eager to either find Nikolay to give him some last-second pointers on his coming fight, or to simply make it in time back to the stands so he wouldn't miss a second of it.
As he rounded the last corner before reaching the stairs, though, he had to flush himself against the wall as the first-aid robots came wheeling down the hall, with an unconscious Eijirou Kirishima atop it; his uniform reduced to tatters and his body adorned with numerous scorch marks as a result of the continuous explosive barrage that had cost him his fight. Seeing one of the students that admired him the most in this state drove Tunguska to start keeping pace with the robots, leaning over the red-haired boys' motionless body.
"Congratulations on making it this far, malenkii Kirishima. Even if you have lost, it still makes me proud to see you pushed yourself hard enough to make it for this long. Rest assured, you are slowly but steadily proving yourself to be more and more of a man with each passing day." With that, he finally stepped back to let the robots take him the rest of the way. For a moment, he could have sworn he had seen one of Eijirou's hands clench into a proud fist at his side as a response to his words. The large Russian couldn't help but smile in satisfaction, knowing in his chest that his pride and encouragement had gotten through to the boy even in the depths of unconsciousness.
Once he began to go back down his original path to the stands, he was pleasantly surprised to find Izuku Midoriya back on his feet; albeit with an assortment of bandages all over himself, and his right arm in a sling, and with the always supportive Tenya Iida at his side. Thankfully, both boys looked equally pleased to see their Quirk History teacher looking so pleasant as well. "Malenkii Midoriya, I'm glad to see your surgery has gone well. The state you were in, I honestly wasn't sure you would be on your feet again so soon," he greeted, making sure not to delve into what he and his student had discussed more personally before, with the Class President here as well.
"Thank you, Tunguska-sensei. I'm glad, too; I really didn't want to miss the rest of the tournament, even if I've already lost. Oh, congratulations on Kolya-san's second round win, by the way. I wish I could've been able to see it. I know we'll be able to watch it on replay online after all this, but I know seeing it with my own eyes would've been much more amazing." Tunguska was only surprised at Izuku's knowing for a second, before seeing the telling smile on Tenya's face, having clearly been at the ready to fill his classmate on everything he had missed, to which the Russian gave him a grateful nod of acknowledgment.
"Sensei…is it true? Iida-san told me that Kolya-san was actually able to channel his Quirk into his feet. None of us have ever seen him do that before, and from the sounds of it after the match was over, he didn't know he could do it, either. Is it all true?" At this, Tunguska had no choice but to let out a heavy sigh.
"Yes, it's true. Recovery Girl actually found out about it after he hurt himself in the Obstacle Race. She thinks it's a particularly recently developed extension of his Quirk. I'm still trying to figure out how I can help train him in it, since I didn't know about it, either. I didn't think he would have such a considerable change this late into his development. And with his match against malenkii Todoroki about to start, it's not like I could give him any last minute advice even if I did know what to tell him."
"It is a lot of new information to go through, Sensei, but I'm confident Bezpalov-san may end up coming up with some ideas to give him an advantage. There's no such thing as too much versatility to one's Quirk, after all. Regardless how it turns out, we're still going to be cheering him on, aren't we?" Tenya's confidence and show of support was as admirable as ever, as Izuku and Tunguska alike nodded in agreement. "Come, Midoriya-san. We don't have much time left." With that, the two boys hurriedly took their leave, with Tunguska knowing he should have been following after them, only to realize a certain someone else was no doubt close by.
"I would have thought you would just introduce yourself as one of malenkii Midoriya's distant relatives by now. At least that way you wouldn't have to be hiding in the shadows like this," he finally announced, to which Toshinori stepped out from behind a nearby pillar, scratching the back of his head in thought.
"The idea had occurred to me, but I feel my habitual referring of him would inevitably come back up and give me away. Ultimately, this is simpler."
Tunguska couldn't rightfully disagree, but before he could say much more, he noticed his frail-looking colleague was appearing considerably more thoughtful than before. "You look like you're considering something more important than usual."
Toshinori let out a heavy sigh of his own as he motioned for the Russian to walk with him back for the stands. "I've just been thinking… or rather, trying to come up with some ideas. Recovery Girl made it very clear that she's not going to treat the kind of extensive injuries Midoriya-shonen had anymore, and I don't blame her for saying so. She suggested we try to come up with less harmful means to help him train and grow more capable of controlling more of One For All's power. I'm just not entirely sure how to go about doing that.
"To add onto it, Midoriya-shonen even suggested I should find someone else to pass my power on to, instead of him. I had to go and admit to him, finally, how I too was once Quirkless, just like him. I had a feeling he would have eventually asked, given what I had told him up to this point, but I had just hoped it would have been sooner. Nevertheless, I told him he's already proven far more worthy of One For All now, than I did when I first inherited it. I think that was enough to convince him to keep going down this path."
The two continued on in contemplative silence over these sudden developments, before Toshinori eventually came to a stop halfway up the steps. "Tunguska-san…I want to thank you, for all your involvement in helping me to get Midoriya-shonen ready thus far. It would have been considerably tougher on both of us otherwise."
Tunguska let out a considerably wry chuckle at such modesty on his friend's part. "Don't be ridiculous. I haven't been giving the boy any different training than any other Pro Hero would have in my place. Besides, it's clear as day that malenkii Midoriya takes far more inspiration from you than he ever would from me. You're the one that truly inspires him to keep pushing himself, no matter how many bones he breaks or warnings he receives." Toshinori bowed his head, chin in his fingers in deep contemplation at the Russian Hero's saying so. "If anything, I should be thanking you for giving me such an opportunity in the first place. I like to think that aiding you in his training is slowly but surely helping me figure out how to separate the teacher from the father in terms of the major roles I've been playing in my life, these last several years. I can no longer convince myself that they are one and the same, like I had thought, like a fool, for so long before. With Kolya and I finally starting to repair the bridge between us, I think this dynamic will ultimately prove what's best for both of us in the end."
Toshinori instinctively smiled in relief to hear that the bond between the father and son was no longer growing more frayed than it already had been, and was in fact beginning to heal. With the young Russian boy in mind, the gaunt Symbol of Peace perked up as he began to continue up the stairs. "Come, Tunguska-san. We don't have much time. I know you won't want to miss Bezpalov-shonen and Todoroki-shonen's fight." Tunguska immediately followed like a flame had been lit under him, silently feeling both anxious and apprehensive as to just how his son would fare against such an undeniably skilled and powerful opponent.
"AAAAAND HERE WE ARE AT LAST, EVERYBODY! WE NOW COMMENCE THE LONG-AWAITED SEMI-FINAL ROUND OF OUR COMBAT TOURNAMENT! IT HAS BEEN A DAMN DRAMATIC SERIES OF EVENTS WE'VE WITNESSED UP TILL NOW, AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ONLY GOING TO GET BIGGER AND BETTER FROM HERE! WHAT A MATCHUP WE HAVE FOR OUR FIRST OF TWO FIGHTS THIS ROUND! HE'S DELIVERED US TWO MONUMENTAL SHOWCASES OF SKILL AND POWER, AND LOOKS TO BE COMING OUT TODAY AS THE NUMBER ONE OF THE FESTIVAL, WITH AN ESPECIALLY IMPRESSIVE SHOWCASE OF A WHOLE OTHER SIDE TO HIS POWER TO NOW WORK WITH!
"VERSUS!
"HE STARTED THIS DAY LOOKING LIKE ANY OTHER COMPETITOR, EVEN SCREWING UP HIS CHANCES AT REACHING THE TOP EARLY ON, FOR THE SAKE OF ILL-ADVISED SELFLESSNESS! HOWEVER, HE HAS SINCE PROVEN TO BE AN UNEXPECTEDLY POWERFUL AND INCREASINGLY SKILLED UNDERGROUND FAVORITE! YOU KNOW 'EM, YOU LOVE 'EM, SO LET'S ALL GIVE A HUGE YUUEI SPORTS FESTIVAL WELCOME TO THE NAMESAKES OF OUR FIRST SEMI-FINAL MATCH: TODOROKI SHOTO VERSUS NIKOLAY BEZPALOV!"
The tremendous amounts of enthusiastic applause from the audience, Pro Heroes and students alike fell on deaf ears, as Nikolay and Shoto stood tensely across the arena from each other, neither one taking their eyes off the other. Neither of them could even imagine the conflicting emotions burning inside them as the seconds ticked away.
Shoto stared at the Russian boy in front of him with that same sensation of confusion and frustration churning inside his chest, still trying to figure out just what it was that was driving him so hard in this completely changed attitude of his. At the same time, Nikolay could only stare at the red-white-haired boy in front of him, torn between his desire to win and reach the top for himself and his friends, and his still-lingering sense of compassion and sympathy for everything the boy he now had to call his opponent had been coming from, this entire Festival.
"C'MON, KOLYA-KUN, YOU CAN DO IT! WE KNOW YOU CAN! SHOW 'EM WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!" Mina Ashido called out from the stands with all the encouragement and enthusiasm her energetic body could possibly muster, completely ignoring the skeptical expressions from some of their classmates, who clearly didn't have the same kind of confidence that she and some others did in their Slavic classmate.
In another part of the stands, Tunguska and Toshinori alike sat with an especially strong air of anticipation and anxiety, neither one remotely willing to risk guessing how this fight could possibly unfold, given everything they had witnessed up to this point in the tournament alone.
On the other side of the stadium, Endeavor sat with his arms crossed over his broad chest; his fiery eyes switching between his son and the milquetoast-looking foreigner across from him. Even with Shoto participating, the Flame Hero could not summon even a smidge of the kind of anticipation he had felt for his fight against the boy, Midoriya, in the previous round. 'This kind of matchup doesn't even deserve the distinction of being called a fight. Shoto, you've been placed up against a measly insect, the spawn of a cheap washed-up imitation who All Might no doubt simply lifted up out of pity. You could easily crush this whelp, even with just your mothers' share of your power. And yet you insist on placing these wretches on pedestals they don't even deserve to look upon, let alone stand on. This clearly must be another facet to your childish stubbornness. Just finish this farce quickly, and prove yourself my perfect successor that much sooner.'
"STAAART!"
BWOOOM!
Nikolay instantly launched himself forward for Shoto at breakneck speed, but he had the Russian spotted just as soon, as he immediately met him with a swung armload of cold. Reading his movements, Nikolay immediately fired from his right hand, launching himself to the left out of the way, but Shoto had already predicted this as well, not even missing a step as he threw another cold wave right at him.
Nikolay fired from his left and down, sending himself right and upwards, only to immediately fire himself backwards when Shoto fired a third cold wave right in his forward trajectory. This process continued, as Nikolay kept having to fire himself further and further back as Shoto kept attempting to freeze him every direction he tried to advance. 'I've been watching how you've conducted yourself in your last two fights, Bezpalov. You lean more towards evasion, always keeping yourself moving to avoid getting caught in your enemies' attack, instead of utilizing the distance attack property of your Quirk. A foolish strategy on your part.'
After a few more seconds of this, Nikolay finally landed back on the icy ground, trying to catch his breath while steadying himself. 'Dammit, this isn't working. He's trying to go for some kind of attrition strategy. He knows I'll eventually run out of my kinetic energy stores, then I'll be helpless to defend myself. And I know he's not pushing himself by throwing his biggest freezing attacks at me, otherwise he runs the risk of hypothermia from his Quirk again. I've got to rush in and close the distance before he can properly attack.'
Just as the last syllable of thought crossed his mind, Nikolay realized there was another trail of icy spikes hurriedly rushing from Shoto's right foot, directly for him. Knowing he couldn't risk staying, Nikolay reflexively shot himself in the catapult arc to avoid getting his feet frozen in place. However, as he made eye contact with Shoto below, he saw the boy reeling his right arm back, just waiting for him to get himself caught in the open like this.
'Now or never.' This was all Nikolay could think as he took a steadying breath in that moment, aimed his hands back, and fired, propelling himself in a dive bomb maneuver right for Shoto, whose eyes only slightly widened that the Russian wasn't attempting to move out of the way like he had expected. Instantly reforming his own strategy, Shoto reeled his right arm up, erecting a man-sized wall of ice between himself and Nikolay. The Russian boy barely managed to get his hands up in time to catch himself on the ice, before his face could have planted into it. With steam emanating off it, he could immediately tell it was dry ice, as his bare palms burned with freezing cold upon contact. He couldn't hope to pry himself off without tearing the skin from his hands. 'Just as to be expected from Todoroki-san…he has a contingency for everything you throw at him.'
Up in the stands, Endeavor grimaced as he rose from his seat, an impatient stride in his step as he made for the nearest stairwell, long since having decided a drink was time better spent than watching this joke of a fight. 'Quit toying with the worm and finish it, Shoto! Don't waste my time with this!'
Shoto let out an indifferent sigh as he was simply waiting for Midnight to determine Nikolay could not move and simply call the match. Though he didn't say so, he couldn't help but feel disappointed that this was as much as the Russian boy he had taken a smidge of notice in, could prove to do. It honestly couldn't help but make him question if he had perhaps misjudged him simply because he had seen how powerful the boys' father was.
Up with the rest of the 1-A students, Mina had her hands balled tight into fists held over her mouth, just barely shaking her head in denial that this could be how it ended already.
As for Nikolay, as his face grimaced with pain while the frigid cold continued to burn his hands, all he could think to do was shut his eyes, focus, and—
BWOOOM!
The wall of ice suddenly shattered into millions of crystallized pieces with the sound of another bass burst, drawing surprised exclamations from the audience. Nikolay had managed to fire a full dose point blank into the ice, the intense vibration practically rendering the frozen mass useless as frosted glass. Shoto had even managed to get caught off guard, as the ice crystals not only flew right back into his face when he didn't expect it, but the sheer kinetic force behind it even managed to take him off his feet and throw him back, before managing to catch himself and come to a dragging halt on his feet, even erecting another ice wall behind himself before he got too close to the arena boundary.
Nikolay knew he couldn't afford to waste a second, still trying to ignore the lingering freezer burn on his palms, as he launched himself in another mad charge for Shoto. However, the boy regained his focus just in time, as he met Nikolay's propelled charge head on, catching onto the chest of his uniform, and using his momentum to throw him at full speed into the ice wall behind, back-first.
Just before he could follow up, however, Nikolay already had his hands meeting this ice wall as well, and fired another blast directly into it, propelling himself forward straight into Shoto point-blank. The force knocked him off balance to the point where both boys went rolling and tumbling hard across the icy concrete, before Nikolay somehow managed to meet the speeding ground with his feet, kicking off of it, and sending him and Shoto flipping through the air, until he managed to slam Shoto back-first into the ground in return, forcing him to let go finally. Nikolay still ended up tumbling hard for a few more feet, his head ringing from the impacts, but he was hardly letting that debilitate him, as he and Shoto hurriedly got back onto their feet.
Trying to keep up his offense momentum, Nikolay fired himself forward again, this time with his arms reeled back to meet Shoto with a punch from either side if he needed to. However, he realized at the moment right before impact that Shoto had figured this out as well, as he created a mass of ice around his feet to stabilize himself. He met Nikolay head on, catching both of his fists in his hands; already proceeding to start sending a freezing chill up the entire length of Nikolay's left arm, causing the Russian boy to exclaim his pain through clenched teeth.
As he continued to freeze Nikolay's left arm, Shoto looked directly into his green eyes; his normally stoic expression reflecting only the faintest hint of either curiosity, or aggravation. However, Nikolay's pained expression somehow managed to reflect just the same. "Why…why won't you use your Fire, Todoroki-san? You already used it on Midoriya-san…so why not on me, too?"
Shoto's expression didn't even flinch; he simply kept looking with that barely visible flicker of frustration into the Russian boys' eyes, before actually speaking up himself: "Why is it you could somehow move on from where you were for so long, and so easily?" Nikolay couldn't hide his surprised confusion even if he tried. Was Shoto actually being serious right now, or was this simply a logical ruse of his own to try and make him lose focus?
Nikolay had no idea what the right answer was, but either way, he knew he couldn't let his guard down now; the freezing up and down his left arm was only getting worse. Knowing just how powerful Shoto had proven to be with his ice beforehand, he was honestly surprised he hadn't taken the opportunity to embed Nikolay in a glacier right off the bat from catching him. As a plan quickly formed in his head, he momentarily thought his opponent should have done exactly that.
Without a word, Nikolay fought through the pain and swiftly hooked his left leg around Shoto's right, and with a furious battle cry, clutched back onto Shoto's hands, and proceeded to turn his whole body, just like Tunguska had taught him long ago: using their combined body weight and the specific kind of leverage he had in this position, to flip them both over, even sending a double-handed blast point blank through his palms and into Shoto's; sending an intense vibration through his whole body that managed to shatter the ice he had formed around his feet.
With his opponent now freed, Nikolay followed through with the rest of his close-quarters attack, flipping himself and Shoto alike down to the floor hard, drawing yet more surprised reactions and cheers from the crowd. His last minute blast had managed to shatter most of the ice that had begun forming down his left arm, thus allowing what happened next once Nikolay and Shoto finally let go, allowing the Russian boy to roll away. Without another moment wasted, he pushed himself off from the ground in another roll, with his right hand already balled up into a fist, ready to drive it straight down into Shoto's midsection as he lay on his back.
However, he was already preparing to go on the evasive, as Shoto suddenly propelled himself up from the ground, forming a large column of ice from the ground he lay on, elevating himself a good dozen feet above Nikolay, forcing him to get back in order to avoid being frozen in the process.
Nevertheless, the Russian boy wasn't about to let Shoto get away, either, as he quickly followed after him with another hand-blast launch upwards, ready to meet him on top of his ice column if need be. Halfway up the column's height, however, Nikolay was barely able to make out the obscured boy-sized shape descending down the other side of the partially transparent ice. Shoto was leading him on a wild goose chase, preparing to attack further once he got to the top. 'Very clever, Todoroki-san…but I'm not pulling any punches for you, either.'
At the very moment he and Shoto were at the same point of the columns' height, Nikolay aimed his hand directly against the side and fired as much energy as he could collect into one hand while still remembering to fire back to level himself. The blast virtually caused the ice column to explode in half, raining crystals and icy mist on the nearby crowd, while sending further vibration power and ice right back into Shoto's face, knocking him off his trajectory and freefalling to the ground not far below. Nikolay tried to control his descent as he had killed his upwards momentum, but having spent as much energy as he just did, it proved barely less than enough, and he ended up crashing hard to the ground as well.
"THIS IS TRULY PROVING TO BE AN INCREDIBLE EVENT IN ITS OWN RIGHT, FOLKS! TODOROKI IS USING NEARLY EVERY TRICK WE'VE SEEN HE CAN PULL WITH HIS ICE THUS FAR, AND YET BEZPALOVS' VIBRATION QUIRK IS PROVING TO BE PRACTICALLY THE PERFECT COUNTER TO IT! THESE BOYS ARE GOING AT IT WITH EVERYTHING THEY'VE GOT…ALMOST!"
Nikolay's whole body was aching as he slowly yet surely managed to get back onto his feet. However, just as he began to return to his full level of alertness, his ears caught the sound of a very familiar freezing wind. Quickly darting his head to his left, he was met with Shoto rushing him on a continuously laid trail of ice, giving the Russian boy no time to react as he jumped from his ice at the last second and swung his right arm in his direction, catching Nikolay full-on with another cold blast.
As the mist cleared, Shoto felt mildly pleased to find Nikolay had efficiently been frozen to where he stood, at least from the neck down. His head was still able to move, his face quickly realizing the extent of his predicament. As Shoto began to further approach his opponent, Midnight was clearly also really on the ball: "Bezpalov-kun, are you able to move?"
Shoto ignored everything else as he further approached Nikolay, only stopping when they were less than a foot apart, so he could hear everything he had to say, once again reflecting that obscured sense of frustration. "It doesn't make any sense to me. Tunguska explained everything to us the day you tried to run away. You were scared to death of your own Quirk; you hated it just as much as you hated him. This was your life for years and years. Now, you're suddenly pushing yourself so far, practically overnight. So I'm only going to ask you this one more time, Bezpalov: what changed for you? Tunguska even told us himself how much he realized you hated him, so how is it that your attitude has been able to make such a complete and thorough change so quickly? I refuse to believe a few simple pep talks from him to you could ever have been enough to make you suddenly forgive him, after everything he cost you both."
Even through the unbelievable freezing burning pain all over his body, Nikolay heard everything Shoto was saying loud and clear. In that moment, it all was beginning to make sense again. Why wouldn't Shoto be confused and frustrated by what he was seeing from his opponent, not just now, but over the last two weeks? Just like he had, Nikolay had also realized the number of very significant ways in which they were similar. Perhaps that was why seeing the Russian boy make such a thorough paradigm shift in attitude so fast had stricken Shoto as illogical and frustrating. But the fact that he was asking what it was that could have driven him to forgive Tunguska after everything he had done; Nikolay couldn't rightfully tell if Shoto was asking out of genuine curiosity, or if this was simply some backhanded way for him to perhaps chastise the Russian boy for being too soft, too forgiving.
"Bezpalov-kun, if you can't answer, I'll have no choice but to call the match. Can you move, yes or no?" Midnights' voice reflected little patience, very similar to the sensation in Nikolay's chest as his own uncertainty behind Shoto's questioning burned inside, causing his heart rate to start increasing. Even if his body couldn't move, he could still feel the energy quickly returning, and running down his arms to his hands. Just as Midnight was getting ready to crack her cat o' nine tails and call the match—
BWOOOM!
The entire cast of ice that Nikolay's body had been encased in exploded in another shower of accelerated crystals, once again earning shocked and amazed exclamations and cheers from the students and audience alike. The force and suddenness of the surprise escape had even been enough to once again send Shoto skidding backwards on his feet, arms crossed to shield his eyes from the flying crystals, while still having the forethought to create another ice wall behind himself.
As the mist once again cleared, Nikolay's entire body was trembling like mad from the frigid burn emanating all over his torso, arms and legs. There was no doubt in his mind that minor frostbite had already started setting in even from the half minute he had been frozen, but he still wasn't about to let that convince him to call it quits. Gritting his teeth to try and fight through the pain, Nikolay repeated his common tactic of firing himself forward to try and charge Shoto.
However, Shoto's alertness was still at its sharpest, as he didn't even reel his arm back in the telltale sign, before throwing another blast of cold right at the advancing Russian boy. What he didn't know, though, was that Nikolay had by now become just familiar enough with Shoto's Ice repertoire to know how to react, even if it may not have been exactly fast enough.
The instant he saw the icy mist emanate from Shoto's right hand, Nikolay fired himself up in another catapult arc, although the cold had still managed to catch his right foot, encasing it in ice again, as the Russian boy flew through the air, just low and fast enough to prevent Shoto getting another distance attack ready, and instead allowing Nikolay to land right beside his momentarily surprised opponent.
With adrenaline and momentum on his side, Nikolay didn't waste a second after landing, before suddenly swinging himself around with his left hand balled into another fist, ready to drive it straight into Shoto's ribs or face if need be. Realizing this, Shoto swiftly brought his right arm up, already encased in ice of its own as a protective casing, to intercept his opponents' attack.
That was when the second round fight with Shiozaki, specifically the end, reoccurred to Nikolay, giving him the idea of exactly what to do. Time slowed to a crawl, as Nikolay extended his pointing finger from his fist, still steadily approaching the defending Shoto's frozen arm. Right before physical contact could be made, Nikolay focused as much power as he could right into the tip of his finger, and—
BWOOOM!
The resulting kinetic blast echoed through the stadium, as the pulse emanating from his finger managed to not only completely shatter the ice around Shoto's right arm, but had even managed to once again take him off his feet, rolling across the arena before once again managing to catch himself on his hands and feet, skidding to a complete stop, his face now reflecting even greater intensity at his opponents' persistence and resourcefulness.
Nikolay knew he couldn't risk lowering his guard in front of Shoto by taking his eyes off him in order to try and shatter the ice around his foot, so he instead opted to come dragging his foot along across the arena as fast as he possibly could without trying to launch himself, knowing it would hinder him by weighing him down. In all honesty, in that moment, all Nikolay could think to do was ask the same question that had still been burning in his mind: "What happened, Todoroki-san? You ended up using your full power on Midoriya-san; why won't you use it on me, too? Clearly you thought us both important enough to tell us what you told us, earlier. I thought you had realized that using your Fire doesn't make you Endeavor's tool; it's the intention behind you using it that matters. Why are you reeling back from that now?"
Shoto didn't dare take his eyes off the slowly advancing Nikolay, slightly unsure if he, too, was trying to make him lower his guard. That didn't stop his frustration at the entire scenario from building up, though. "Just because I was driven into breaking my vow to never use my old mans' power, doesn't mean I can simply forget or forgive just what it is that bastard did to make me swear that vow to begin with. You know damn well just what it feels like to hold that kind of anger towards a parent, so tell me: just what is it that made you forgive your father so easily? Don't forget that he got your mother killed; how are you able to forgive something like that?"
The edge of intensity in Shoto's voice was unmistakable, on a different level than his exclamations during his fight with Izuku. It still made it hard for Nikolay to fully decide if Shoto was asking out of a genuine desire to know, or if this was simply his way of voicing his disapproval of such a thing.
Before Nikolay could even wonder any further, though, Shoto immediately followed up with an especially fierce swing of his right arm, producing a lightning-fast trail of icy spikes spreading down the ground towards him. He knew the ice around his foot would weigh him down too much to simply dive out of the way, and simply trying to jump backwards would do no good; there was no telling how far this attack would spread.
JUMP!
In a flash, Nikolay felt that same sensation of reserved energy come rushing down his legs, and before he could even react, he felt the burst of wind emanating from the soles of his feet, shattering the ice around his right, and sending him propelling straight up into the air, out of line of Shoto's ground attack.
However, a repeat of this was just what Shoto was waiting for, as he had Nikolay in his sights like a predatory hawk to a wee little robin. He immediately elevated himself upwards to intercept the young Russian with another rising column of ice from beneath his feet. As soon as he retracted his right arm to stop growing the column, and still keeping his eyes on the now-beginning-to-freefall Nikolay, Shoto reeled his right arm back and threw another large wave of cold through the air, looking to catch him in mid-air with it and immobilize him, at least right before he would head down and produce more ice to catch him so he wouldn't shatter into a million pieces on the ground.
What Shoto didn't expect, was that even in freefall, Nikolay had still managed to quickly recollect his senses, and was well aware of his most recent attack. Focusing his aim even in mid-descent, Nikolay set his hands up for another stabilizing deflecting blast, and fired a full charge of energy directly into the icy mist flying towards him, effectively dispersing it in mid-flight, thus rendering Shoto's attack fruitless, to his silent surprise; a surprise that quickly gave way to frustrated realization of just one of the Russian boys' capabilities he had long-since been waiting to see proven true.
Capitalizing on the momentary peace, Nikolay aimed his deflecting hand backwards alongside the other, and proceeded to fire himself forward in the same human cannonball maneuver he had done to Tenya two rounds back. He came flying at breakneck speed, just managing to keep Shoto from firing another deflecting cold blast in retaliation, before colliding hard with his center mess. This effectively took the red-white-haired boy off his feet, momentarily stunned by the impressive force behind Nikolay's projectile body, as they both tumbled down the length of his latest ice column, before meeting the concrete ground, hard.
Up in the stands where the rest of 1-A was watching intently, Izuku and Tenya were watching the proceedings with wide-eyed fascination. "This is a far cry from how he handled himself in our fight. It's like Bezpalov-san's gut reactions are giving way to a high-speed sense of environmental awareness and last-second planning." Tenya noted, with an undeniable air of pride in his Slavic classmates' quickly evolving combat capabilities.
All the while, Izuku was busily scribbling down what notes he could with the one hand he was barely still able to write with. "It makes perfect sense, too, how he's managing to stay in the fight for this long, even against a skilled opponent like Todoroki-san. As large as his ice attacks can get, vibration is still the perfect counter for destroying it, and the fluctuations in the air it produces are also an excellent counter for his distance attacks in the air. It might even be able to withstand the same kind of attacks from his Fire side, if given enough time to act."
At the same time as the two boys were speculating and commentating on the ongoing battle, several rows below, Mina was squirming frantically with anxiety, tensing up every single time Shoto managed to throw another attack at a speed it seemed Nikolay wouldn't be able to deflect or dodge. She had long since had to resist the urge to vocally cry out and cheer for Nikolay to keep going, lest she risked breaking his concentration and costing him the match. She could only do so mentally, continuously cheering him on as loudly as she could, and hoping it would somehow reach him and drive him to keep giving his absolute all.
Elsewhere, Tunguska and Toshinori couldn't even find words to describe the mutual impression between them at how well Nikolay was managing, even despite his numerous freeze and fall-related injuries up to this point. He was certainly managing to exceed both their expectations for being up against a powerhouse like Shoto Todoroki. Neither of them was willing to start making any assumptions who would come out the winner. It genuinely felt like anyone's game at this point.
Both boys visibly struggled back to their feet, looking noticeably beaten up as well. Nikolay's already band-aid adorned face and arms were now showing a multitude of new bruises and freeze burns, while his uniform was showing similar wear and tear from the constant freezing and harsh landings. Shoto, too, was now showing some scrapes and bruises on his own face and arms, while his uniform, too, was now noticeably frayed and torn in places. To know he'd managed to put up enough of a fight to leave such marks on the strongest kid in their class would have normally given Nikolay a feeling of accomplishment in himself. However, he could tell Shoto was far from getting winded, and the Russian boy couldn't afford to show as much, himself.
He didn't risk a moment for Shoto to begin formulating a plan, as Nikolay broke the heavy silence between them by launching himself for him yet again. However, Shoto was once more just waiting for him to do so, as he immediately created another wall of ice between them, but this time following up by lunging himself away from it, already reeling his right arm back for another swing. 'He's going to try firing his way through it, just like last time. The instant the wall breaks, I'll meet him with a full blast of cold; enough to freeze him entirely, enough to where he won't be able to even think of firing his way out this time.'
Although, what Shoto didn't realize or count on, was that even as he flew forward, Nikolay was strategizing as well. 'Being able to disperse his cold blast proves I can fire non-grounded objects like projectiles. Knowing Todoroki-san, he's bound to just be waiting for me to break through so he can counter. This time, I'll try breaking through the wall with one hand, and see if this theory of mine really can come through for me.'
Right before he made contact with the wall, Nikolay aimed his hands in another stabilizing blast, his anticipation going through the roof as the wall did indeed shatter from the force of a single-handed blast. With lightning-fast reflexes, Nikolay swung his arms around so that his previously back-aimed hand was now facing forward, and with his mind practically screaming for as much energy as he could spare to go into that hand, he fired off an immediate follow-up shot against the newly shattered plethora of ice. He could only watch in immense relief as, just as he had hoped, the mass of ice crystals flew forward at the firing of his hand, sending it all flying with gale force wind-like power at the now visibly surprised Shoto on the other side.
Without even a second to spare to formulate a reaction, Shoto instinctively brought his left arm up; igniting the entire left half of his body with enough heat to melt the incoming ice once it came less than a foot away from him. Just as soon as the oncoming threat had been dealt with, Shoto finally realized, to his shock, what his Russian opponents' little trick had just forced him to do. Now, three times in a single day, he had been forced into breaking his most solemn vow to himself.
What had started out as partially restrained confusion and frustration had now grown into unmistakable, genuine anger; his flames beginning to grow in heat and intensity to signify as such to the boy across from him.
As for Nikolay, himself, even if he couldn't bring himself to smile, he still felt a measure of satisfaction seeing Shoto finally decide to use his full power. However, it wasn't satisfaction in himself for getting him to do such a thing. It was satisfaction in Shoto once again getting past his hang-up and accepting the necessity to use it. Perhaps now he could finally be able to help him further along, just as Izuku had. That was when Shoto's most pertinent question throughout their fight came back to mind, as Nikolay simply remained where he stood, instead of continuing with his continuous assault as before.
"I know you want an honest answer, Todoroki-san, so here it is: I haven't completely gotten past what happened between me and my father, or what happened to us. And, really, I'm not sure if I ever will." This admission on his part, earned him a look of visible surprise from his now-fiery opponent, as if he was trying to make complete sense of it. "However, the important thing to take away from all of this is that I'm at least trying to get all the way past it, so that we can finally start living the best life we can together, and so I can finally start working to honor the hopes and dreams of both my parents, my friends, and myself. That's incomparably preferable to a life of just remaining stuck in the worst pieces of the past, I think." By this point, Nikolay had managed to regain his breath enough to where he could finally start to stand straight and tall again, meeting Shoto's gaze head-on, to communicate to him just how genuine he was in this moment.
"Considering what you and everyone else knows about where my father and I came from, Todoroki-san, I think you realize, just as much as I do now, that if I was able to put the hate I held for my father and my Quirk behind me… then you easily can, as well."
For a moment, Shoto said nothing. The fact that the fire of his left side was beginning to shrink in intensity was about as good a sign as Nikolay could have asked for. However, he soon began to shake his head in denial, his face still reflecting the same anger as before. "No…I can't. I can't just forget everything that shitty old man of mine did to me and my mother…all the things I saw and heard him do to her and my siblings alike. I can't just forget all those years he tormented us that easily."
Even in the face of such palpable anger, however, Nikolay didn't flinch for once. Neither did his face reflect any kind of frustration or anger of his own. Instead, there was a new kind of softness in his green eyes, a softness that could only reflect a regretful kind of understanding. "Todoroki-san…I want you to be honest with me: do you really believe it's that you can't move on…or is it that you won't, and you're instead actively choosing to stay in that awful past, in all those years of hate and anger for him?"
At this question, above all others, Shoto's once angered face almost immediately softened, as if the words themselves had stricken him right in his heart. The flames of his left side seemed to extinguish all at once, as he visibly looked uncertain for the first time. Once again taking this as the best possible sign, Nikolay took another deep breath, preparing to try and finally bridge the gap between them.
"I do understand, Todoroki-san. It's the easiest thing in the world to just stay in that place of resentment and anger, because it's come to feel like the most familiar place to you. That's exactly what it felt like for me, the closest thing to what I could have possibly called 'home'. But I realized after I came here, that that was no way to live. Wallowing in the poisons of such old feelings, it's downright suffocating, especially when trying to push yourself as hard as you can to try and reach the top. I know… and I think, deep down, you do as well.
"But you have even more reasons than I do to try and get yourself out of that place. You still have your whole family in your life, Todoroki-san. I lost my mom before I ever even had a chance to really know her. And yet, despite that, and despite the fact that it still was technically my fathers' fault that she died… I've still been able to even partially forgive the man for it, and try to move on. So why aren't you able to at least try and do the same; not for your father… but for your own sake? Why aren't you able to simply make peace with the idea that you can use your left side for yourself, and not for him?"
With the full extent of his questions and intentions finally in the air between them, Nikolay watched as each word sank into Shoto's head; his face still reflecting the intense conflict they brought about. He began to slowly bring up his hands, switching his gaze between them as though he were going through an internal debate within himself. Finally, he closed his hands into white-knuckled fists, shut his eyes tight, grimacing with frustration, and bowed his head to where his bangs obscured his eyes.
For a few precious moments, all was silent. The audience, even having failed to hear the exchange between the two boys, were collectively on the edges of their seats, as though they could simply tell this fight was nearing its end.
FWOOOSH!
All of a sudden, Shoto whipped his head back up, the left half of his body immediately re-igniting in a blazing inferno that reflected the indescribable anger in his eyes. Nikolay reflexively began to get into a defensive stance, but it didn't matter. With adrenaline rushing through his burning veins, Shoto threw a massive gust of cold air from his right hand, before instantly following with a similar swing from his left hand, producing another devastating gust of freezing and burning air, turning into a veritable wall of pure overwhelming steam.
Nikolay immediately brought both his hands up and fired the most concentrated two-handed blast he could muster in those few precious seconds, hoping it would be enough to try and disperse the approaching steam cloud. Alas, it barely measured up to anything in comparison, as Nikolay felt his body being forced off its feet and blown back; every inch of his body ravaged with pure steam burning into him with both heat and the biting cold to boot.
He didn't know just how far he had been thrown back, or how long the attack had actually lasted. All he knew was that if Midnight hadn't made the call, then he was clearly still in the fight. However, even he didn't know how much he had left in him, as his entire body was drenched with scalding sweat, the steam having burned into his fair skin to the point his arms, legs and face were almost a light red.
Even trying to move produced an involuntary exclamation of pain from within Nikolay's throat. If he had to compare his current state, he had to imagine this was what third-degree burn victims felt like. Before he could even try to think of a way out of this predicament, however, his eyes fell just in time to find Shoto using his Fire to propel himself across the entire arena in no more than a second, before just as suddenly bringing himself to a halt just inches in front of him, before just as quickly throwing his right arm in his direction, consuming Nikolay in a dead-center hit of cold, effectively freezing the young Russian from head to toe.
The frost biting into his skin somehow managed to relieve the burning from the steam, but also managed to be just as painful on its own, as Nikolay couldn't even think enough to try and break his way out this time. He couldn't even manage to take full breaths anymore as the ice constricted his chest.
He could barely make out the scattered murmurings of the crowd, before Shoto finally closed the distance between them, looking him square in the eyes through the frost on his face. Then, with the previous fury on his face having reverted to that normal stoic expression again, Shoto spoke up with just as much of his typical calm: "Thank you, Bezpalov. You and Midoriya… you have both given me a… considerable number of things to think about."
With that having been said, Shoto produced a much smaller fire from his left hand, just as he put it against the ice encasing Nikolay, producing just enough heat to render the whole thing back to water in seconds. Just as soon as he knew the Russian boy in front of him was free again, Shoto extinguished the fire, and proceeded to give the slightest push to his chest, toppling Nikolay over backwards, over the arena boundary line.
Immediately afterward, followed that familiar cracking sound, with Midnights' voice announcing across the stadium: "BEZPALOV IS OUT OF BOUNDS! TODOROKI ADVANCES TO THE FINAL ROUND!"
The combined pains of both frigid cold and burning heat were finally proving too much for Nikolay's brain to effectively handle, as his vision began to go dark from the utter strain his entire body had gone through. However, even as his eyes began to close, he saw Shoto Todoroki still standing over him, looking down to meet his gaze. And in those last few moments of consciousness, he heard the boy say: "You've done well, Bezpalov. Your attitude, the range, power and overall versatility of your Quirk have improved more so than I thought. You really did give me no choice but to use my left side. I actually could have potentially lost, otherwise. Thank you for exceeding my expectations."
Up in the stands among the 1-A students, Mina, Izuku, Tenya and Ochako alike felt their hearts drop into their stomachs at watching their mutual friend lose after everything they had just witnessed between him and Shoto. But between them, Mina was the only one driven to speechless tears as she watched Nikolay get loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled off the arena for the nurses' office.
Elsewhere, the instant the match had been called, Tunguska had shot up from his seat and was already making a beeline for the exact same place, with Toshinori not even having to be asked before following after him.
As the crowd continued to cheer behind him, Shoto silently traversed to the exiting tunnel once more, this time just silently preparing himself for the expected intrusion of Endeavor; a prediction that paid off, as he was swiftly met with the towering, stern visage of his father once again leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. However, this time, there was no sign of that infuriating arrogant grin on his fiery face like after the last fight.
"I suppose I should still take the effort to congratulate you on yet another win, Shoto. Not that I ever had any doubt." Shoto didn't say anything, still thinking about everything the fight had forced into his head, as he began to pass his father. Once he did so, he could just feel Endeavor's disapproving eyes dig into his back. "You and I both know you could have crushed that whimpering little bedbug with just your mothers' power. You think those scuffs and bruises can fool me for a second?"
At this, Shoto barely turned his head to look back at his father over his shoulder, all the incentive Endeavor needed to make his real point clear. "You were simply toying with that boy, pretending he was enough of a challenge for you to use my power, and for what? To make him feel like anything more than the downtrodden little weed he really is? As much as it pleases me to see you finally accepting my power within yourself, Shoto, don't think that simply using it is enough for me anymore. That display you put on out there wasn't some acknowledgment of your opponents' skill. You simply found yet another way to try and maintain this childish rebelliousness of yours: spiting me by wasting your full potential on a pathetic little nobody, a measly little brat spawned from one who doesn't deserve the distinction of being called any kind of Number One, let alone a Hero."
As soon as Endeavor had stopped speaking, Shoto let the utter arrogance behind his words, for once, roll right off his shoulders; letting out a deeply disappointed sigh, before once more turning his back on the man he had the misfortune of calling his father. "I was wondering, even if just for a moment, why I couldn't spot you in the crowd. Perhaps if you'd had the patience to watch the whole fight, you'd be singing a different tune. But, regardless, that bullheaded narrow-minded attitude of yours when it comes to all the other Heroes around you… that's precisely why you could never hope to surpass All Might with your own power."
As Shoto continued to walk, he could feel the heat of Endeavor's fire rapidly grow, as his flames grew in intensity to mirror the barely restrained, insulted rage evident on his face. Finally, as his vision began to turn red with anger as he looked to the retreating image of his son, Endeavor declared: "If you continue preoccupying yourself with those that are less than nothing next to you, instead of focusing on your true purpose, then perhaps you're not the perfect evolution of my power I thought you were, Shoto!"
'I could only be so lucky.' Shoto thought wryly as he continued on his way, never sparing his father even a moments' worth of a passing glance, leaving Endeavor to fume by himself in that now empty tunnel.
When consciousness had finally returned to Nikolay, he had been fortunate enough to have the glaring overhead light obscured from burning his squinting eyes. "Try not to move too much, Kolya. You're not in good enough shape to move about as you normally do." Tunguska's' fatherly voice sounded distant, but it wasn't long until Nikolay's sight and hearing returned to how they were, and he found himself in the now all-too-familiar scenery of Recovery Girls' office, once more on a cot. Only, just as his father had said, he could already feel his whole body was not only feeling more stiff, but genuinely constrained as well. "He's right, Kolya-kun. Recovery Girl just finished patching you up, so you might still be feeling some pain."
He could feel his apprehension turn to relief as he quickly noticed not only his father, but All Might, Izuku, Ochako, Tenya, a partially bandaged Eijirou, and Mina were all gathered around him on his cot; the pink girl having long since taken the spot right at his bedside opposite Tunguska, and unable to hide the visible hurt in her black-gold eyes to look upon him in the state he was now in.
Even though he himself couldn't see it, the entirety of Nikolay's arms and legs, hands and feet were completely set in heavy-duty casts. Underneath his now open P.E. uniform, his chest and stomach, as well as his face, were adorned in a veritable patchwork of medical patches over his more extensive cold and heat-related burns, with more than a handful of yet more colorful designed band-aids placed in the spaces in between over even the most minor signs of damage, courtesy of an ever resourceful and attentive Mina when Recovery Girl hadn't been looking.
Much like the girl in question, everyone seemed to be expressing similar expressions of concern looking upon their Slavic student, classmate and friend, but there was also a palpable air of relief hovering over them as well; clearly as a result of seeing he was awake again. "You were out for a little while there, Kolya-san. How are you feeling?" Izuku finally asked, earning a groan of soreness from the bedridden boy.
"Well… my head is still kind of pounding. I think… I think I might have blacked out near the end. I'm still not entirely sure what happened." As he tried to recall, he soon noticed a flash of regret cross everyone's' faces, as though they weren't entirely sure how to break the hard truth to him. Finally, though, Tenya broke the uncomfortable silence as he cleared his throat and straightened his glasses.
"It was a very impressive battle, no matter how you look at it, but in the end… Todoroki-san froze you and pushed you just over the boundary of the arena. I'm sorry you have to find out this way, Bezpalov-san, but… I'm afraid you lost. He's moving on to the finals instead." For a good minute, Nikolay couldn't say anything. In fact, he looked as though he was actually physically trying to digest everything that had just been laid out for him, and it hurt to do so. Finally, Nikolay let out a heavy, weary sigh as his head fall back into his pillow.
"The final round of the tournament is slated to begin in a few minutes. Like Deku-kun said, you were out for a little while, so the fight with Fumikage-san and Bakugo already came and went. Fumikage lost by surrender, so it's going to be Todoroki against Bakugo." Ochako stated, trying to sound as casual as possible in the hopes of alleviating the clearly heavy mood that now hung over Nikolay's head; something that wasn't lost on anyone else, either.
"Hey, it's not so bad, though, Kolya-san. You gave everybody a real fight to remember, just like Midoriya-san did! You certainly lasted longer against Todoroki than I did against Bakugo, so there's at least that to be proud of, right? You fought like a real man, there's no shame in that. I'm just bummed I missed getting to see it with my own eyes." Eijirou was once again speaking with the utmost sense of bravado he could to try and bolster Nikolay's mindset, but even through his confident grin; he could unfortunately tell he wasn't getting through to him.
Nikolay simply could not stop repeating one thought over and over in his head, no matter what anyone else said: 'So this is what it feels like, knowing you did everything you could possibly think of, and finding it wasn't enough. You were trying so hard today to try and help get yourself to the top, and you couldn't do it. You've failed.' Now he could much better understand how Ochako had to have felt after she had lost her fight; but he didn't dare want to ask her if it felt nearly as bad for her as he was feeling right now.
Finally, his vision began to blur all over again, as he could feel the sting of overwhelming tears start filling his eyes, quickly followed by the expected choking sobs as he was trying to formulate words: "I'm sorry."
All his friends shared regretful glances with one another, while Tunguska likewise bowed his head, knowing a reaction like this was only natural for someone who lost even after pushing themselves like Nikolay did. "I was trying so hard to try and keep those promises we made, even more when I was the last one of us still standing. You've all been cheering me on and supporting me for what feels like so much longer than it really was, and I just wanted to try and prove to all of us that it wasn't for nothing. And today, knowing just what it was you were all striving for, I wanted to try and fight for all of you, to try and help you maintain the hopes you had in your dreams and goals, even after losing. I wanted to try and embody that hope for all of you, cause that's what a Hero is supposed to be for people… but I just couldn't do it. I couldn't make it to the top for all of you. I let you all down. And I… I'm sorry."
"That's not true, though, Kolya-san! You didn't let anyone down at all." Izuku's sudden denial of this was spoken with a surprising intensity, enough so to make the Russian boy momentarily stop weeping enough to look his freckled friend in the eye. "We all knew there was ultimately only going to be one person standing at the very top at the end of this Festival. But even if we lost, we all know we did the very best we could with what we know we can do with our Quirks right now. There's nothing to be ashamed of in knowing that."
At this, everyone else seemed to visibly light right back up as well, leading with Tenya, as his already tall and confident posture only seemed to grow that much more so. "That's exactly right! If anything, finding our limitations today serves as only greater incentive for us all to keep challenging ourselves in our training, and improving that much more!"
By now, even Mina had finally been inspired to shoot up from her seat at Nikolay's bedside; her pink hands clenched into even more determined fists as her face was now adorned with a bright smile that just radiated confidence, and even greater determination. "Yeah! If you really think about it, knowing we all did the very best we could, even if we all might have lost officially… I think, in a way, knowing the full extent of what we can do now and working from there; we all get to walk out of here as our own Number Ones! That's something we can all surely be proud of, right?!"
Thankfully, everyone's' following smiles seemed to give her just that very answer, as the apprehension in the air before, had now been rendered totally nonexistent. As the students all proceeded to express their agreement and ensuing congratulations to one another on their respective performances on this day, none of them noticed Tunguska and All Might exchanging silent yet knowing looks between each other, and just what the kids' shared vocal determination to improve had further convinced Tunguska to follow through with when the time was right.
"That's exactly right! You children all performed more than admirably today, and you can all go home resting assured of that! You showed your true mettle as future Heroes not just in skill, but in heart and mind, as well! However, today must also serve as a lesson for you all in the essential nature of maintaining an inner balance." Tunguska announced, feeling even further driven when he saw the attentive looks in all their students' eyes. Thankfully, All Might took the opportunity to step forward.
"Fighting for something greater than your own personal ambitions, like the hopes and dreams of the people you care about, is a fantastic thing to hold onto. In all honesty, it serves as the spiritual foundation for many great Heroes! Heroes are supposed to be symbols of hope for the people, after all! However, if any one of you tries to push yourselves to fight for that same thing for every single man, woman and child in this world, I'm afraid you'll only end up spiritually and mentally weighing yourselves down, to the point where no matter how hard you try, you will not be able to properly battle against the forces of Villainy as you should. In the end, you would end up inadvertently depriving those very same people you fight for, of the hope that you represent to them.
"To not only reach the status of a Top Pro Hero, but to most importantly maintain it, you must learn to find the perfect balance in your hearts between fighting for yourselves, and fighting for the people you care about, and the people that look up to you. It is, in its own way, one of the hardest things about being a Pro Hero, which is why Tunguska and I felt this was the most essential time to impart this lesson unto you kids, and the rest of your peers and schoolmates will have this same lesson imparted unto them in due time, as well."
Just as both teachers had hoped, this imparted lesson seemed to light a whole new fire of inspiration in all their students. With the proudest smile, Tunguska finally rose up to stand tall alongside the Symbol of Peace, looking no less radiant in comparison. "In the end, what you children must all figure out one day, as is the responsibility of all aspiring Heroes through the ages, is exactly what kind of Hero it is you truly wish to be: the kind that simply fights for yourself, in the hopes that your example will inspire others to push themselves just as much; the kind that fights for literally everyone; or the kind that somehow manages to find that balance to fight for both those things? It is a very difficult choice to make, and that balance often eludes even some of the most accomplished of Pros…but it is not impossible, and I think All Might and I can both agree that if you all work hard enough and search inside yourselves, you may be able to find the means to achieving that perfect balance of Heroism within yourselves as well."
Needless to say, Nikolay's remorseful tears had long since run dry, and looking at the newly driven glimmers in the eyes of his friends, he knew they were feeling the same way he was at that moment: more determined than ever to become exactly the kinds of Heroes they always wanted to be: the kind that fought both for themselves, and for others. He wouldn't dare to even try and guess who would be able to reach that kind of level; for as far as he was concerned, as they all stood together in that room right now, they were all equally determined to help each other reach that point, no matter what.
The gravity of this moment was ultimately set aside when Tenya chanced a momentary glance to the clock on the office wall, causing him to visibly flinch in realization: "The final match is bound to begin any minute! Midoriya, Uraraka, Kirishima, Bezpalov, you should all make for the stands so you can start formulating the eventual payback against Todoroki and Bakugo." Despite his wording, there was no trace of such malice. As far as the class president was concerned, it was all simply for the sake of maintaining their responsibility in observing everything they could about their peers' capabilities, and knowing how to work around them if need be. Regardless, Nikolay, Izuku, Ochako and Eijirou all seemed to be of the same firm understanding.
"Now don't go acting all hasty just yet! Bezpalov-kun's still suffered some extensive freeze and burn wounds, the former of which could leave considerable damage on his joints if he's not careful. My healing will ultimately bring him back to normal by tomorrow at the latest, but he can't be moving around as much as he has been." Recovery Girl's rundown of Nikolay's condition was firm and serious, leaving looks of considerable regret on the other students for getting him as fired up as they had. However, that was when the diminutive nurse began making her way for one of the nearby curtains for the cots, before pulling out a single wheelchair. "On the other hand, that being said, I can't argue that watching the last fight of the tournament could prove more beneficial, as far as his knowing how to plan around certain things so he can avoid getting himself this badly hurt again, than if he were to sit it out. So as long as you agree to just remain in this and not try to exert yourself, Bezpalov-kun, I can give you my leave to go."
Before Nikolay could even begin to express such willingness, the air was suddenly disrupted by a pronounced buzzing sound, coupled with Tenya's rigid form visibly vibrating along with it, drawing collective exclamations of surprised confusion from all those around. "Oh, it's just my phone; nothing to worry about." The bespectacled boy pulled said phone from his pocket while everyone else gave a sigh of relief, none of them noticing the visibly surprised look in his eyes when he saw the caller ID was that of his mother.
"Forgive me, I need to take this. You all go on back to the stands for the fight. I'll try to catch up if I can." With that, the class president took his leave, and Nikolay was already beginning to try and climb out of his cot, before Tunguska swiftly came in and nearly hoisted him out before setting him into his waiting wheelchair. "C'mon, if we hurry, we just might make it before they start." Izuku beckoned as he, Eijirou and Ochako were already making their way for the exit, with All Might quickly following after.
Nikolay was already beginning to try and reach down for the wheels so he could follow after, before Mina swooped in and took hold of the steering handles, a dutiful light in her eyes complimented by an affectionate smile. "She just told you not to over-exert yourself, Kolya-kun. Just try to relax and let me help, okay?" Nikolay couldn't help but feel considerably embarrassed, essentially being so helpless, but his best friend once again going out of her way like this was deeply appreciated on his part. Even Tunguska couldn't help but look visibly impressed that Mina was so on the ball when it came to being there for his son.
Even their three friends couldn't help but look upon such a wholesome display of friendship; their faces all reflecting something different when they turned away from the two. Ochako had a warm, knowing smile on her always blushing face, the reasons for which left Izuku momentarily confused as to why. Was she seeing something there that he simply wasn't? Whatever it was had clearly gone to a deeper meaning than he could have guessed, as it was soon to the point where Ochako was actually having to fight the urge to giggle in amusement. And right alongside them, Eijirou had a smile of a similar, deeper knowing.
Nearly everywhere in the stadium was bustling with some kind of activity, but with the benefit of his speed and his control over it, Tenya was able to soon find a place private enough for him to finally answer his still ringing cellphone, straightening himself up professionally when he finally hit the button, even knowing his mother wasn't there to see him do so. "Hello, Mom. I'm sorry, I lost my first match. I imagine it was difficult to find the words to properly express the disappointment you must be feeling right now, hence why you're only just now calling. I apologize; I was simply too careless—"Stop that, Tenya! That's not what I'm calling about…I'm sorry…"
Tenya's professional air immediately broke the instant he heard the utterly frantic tone in his mothers' voice. She never spoke like this, not to him, his father or brother, or anyone else. He didn't even think it was possible for something to get her to sound like this. Just the thought of whatever it could have been sent a chill across his skin as he froze in step, gripping his phone tight.
"Now Tenya…please stay calm and listen to me…Tensei…your big brother…there was a Villain, and…"
What his mother proceeded to explain to him made Tenya Iida's heart stop in mortified shock and disbelief, his blood turning to ice in his veins. He could scarcely believe it, even much less so wanted to believe it. It couldn't have been possible; couldn't possibly have happened. Not to him, not to his brother!
The athlete waiting room was deathly silent, perfect for the state Shoto was currently in as he was simply waiting for the announcement of his final match to commence. He had been needing the time to himself, as his mind was just as restless as it had been from the end of his match with Izuku Midoriya, now only made much more tremulous in the aftermath of his match with Nikolay Bezpalov. Twice in a row, now, he had been faced with opponents who had managed to hit him in the one place his perfect defenses and skills couldn't fully protect: his head.
Nonstop now was he hearing the words of both boys on constant repeat: "They're YOUR powers and ONLY yours!" "Do you really believe it's that you CAN'T move on…or is it that you WON'T?" The more those words kept bouncing around, the more Shoto could feel his hands wanting to clench into frustrated fists; his face only showing the slightest tic of a reaction. 'Midoriya…Bezpalov…until I fought them, I hadn't thought about those things before. No…I didn't WANT to. Mother…I'm—
SLAM!
The door to the waiting room was suddenly nearly kicked right off its hinges, snapping Shoto from his deepening train of thought, only sparing a glance out the corner of his eye to find an angrily confused Katsuki Bakugo in the doorway, clearly having not expected to find anyone here, before just as angrily looking to read the stencil on the door.
"Huh?! What the hell're YOU doing here?! Waiting room…WHAT?! TWO?! Well, shit!"
This kind of outburst had become far more than to-be-expected from the likes of Bakugo, so Shoto paid him no further mind, choosing instead to go back to his introspection; while completely ignoring just how much his indifference incensed the boy that was to be his final opponent.
"Yeah, sure, I was the one that got the room number wrong, but c'mon, now… what kinda attitude is THAT towards a fellow finalist?" Even as Bakugo got his right arm raised, just waiting to attack, he was still answered with nothing more than silence. His anger reached its peak in a matter of moments as he threw his hand down, producing a tiny explosion upon the table Shoto sat at. "HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU HALF-N-HALF BASTAAARD!"
While he still didn't grant Bakugo the courtesy of eye contact, his attention had been stirred enough to where he felt he could at least speak to the boy towering next to him. "Yes… Midoriya and Bezpalov… they both chastised me for the same reason. Those two… so different, and yet so unmistakably similar, aren't they? How they both seem to be driven by something far greater than themselves, and both feel drawn by the need to drag people's problems out and blow them right open. The only difference being Bezpalov seems to be just recently stepping into such a role. Midoriya seems far more naturally in tune with such an instinct. Perhaps he has some kind of influence on the former."
Despite the clearly inquisitive way in which Shoto spoke of both boys, just hearing their names, especially the scrawny Slav, made Bakugo instinctively spit at the floor in distaste. "Don't even mention that pansy-ass's name to me, dammit! If I can give you anything, it's that at least you did us all the favor of wiping that grease stain off the face of this tournament; especially for his sake. I would've happily put him in a body bag if he'd been unlucky enough to face me."
Shoto simply lowered his gaze back to his two open hands once more, as visibly contemplative as ever. Just from the way he spoke about him, it was clear to anyone that Bakugo didn't know Nikolay worth a damn. However…"Bakugo… you wereMidoriya's childhood friend, were you not? Tell me, has he always been like this?"
Bakugo froze where he stood, his always sneering face showing only a momentary flinch of having been caught off guard. Shoto had no idea, but the question had brought a myriad of memories back to the explosive boy, those he had wished never to have to think back to again, the kind that managed to anger him faster and stronger than anything else.
"Kacchan… you… looked like you wanted to be saved." "Are you okay, Kacchan? Can you stand?"
Bakugo grinded his teeth together; his heart racing, as he could feel his blood burn like napalm in his veins. "Do I look like… I GIVE A FLYING SHIT ABOUT A NERD LIKE HIM?!" With the suddenness of a reeled back rubber band finally being fired, he kicked his foot out on pure anger-induced reflex, kicking the table across the room, while Shoto remained as still and stoic as ever. However, that wasn't enough to cool the blonde boy's latest furious outburst; his pupils dilated with an almost psychotic drive. "I don't care about his yammering… or your problems at home! Or your feelings! None of that bullshit matters! You just make sure you come at me with everything you got! You clearly found Deku and that damned crybaby strong enough to go all out on, so don't you dare even think of holding back with me! GOT IT?! Just you wait, I'll make that pathetic little runt bow before me when I'm at the top, when I'm finished with you!"
With that, he stormed his way out of the waiting room, once again leaving Shoto to his thoughts, visibly unshaken by his soon-to-be opponents' latest tantrum, and instead focusing once more on whatever answers he was trying to find to the questions and doubts laid upon him by the two boys he hadn't expected to take up so much space in his own head.
The anticipation for the final match of the tournament, and the finale to the Yuuei Sports Festival, was at an all-out fever pitch. Nikolay could simply feel it in the air as Mina wheeled him back out into the open air and rejoined with all of their classmates, only a handful of whom were able to break away from the collective mood of the stadium to really notice just how roughed up the young Russian really was, and extending their sympathies in kind.
However, he didn't want to linger on his own loss more than he already had. Right now, he simply wanted nothing more than to see this final fight play out, all the while silently hoping (alongside Izuku) that their mutual experiences with Shoto would somehow get through to him in the way they had both silently been hoping they would.
Time had seemed to feel like it had come to a crawl, but eventually, the long-awaited time had finally come, as Present Mic's familiar commentary finally broke through the already tumultuous air of the stadium: "LADIEEEES AND GENTLEMEEEN! WE HAVE REACHED THE FINALE AT LONG, LONG LAST! THE TOP STUDENT AMONG YUUEI'S FRESHMEN CLASS WILL BE DECIDED RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! THE TIME HAS FINALLY COME FOR OUR FINAL MATCH: TODOROKI SHOTO VERSUS BAKUGO KATSUKI!"
The crowd was downright ravenous with anticipation, as the two boys who now stood at the pinnacle, stood across from one another, with Bakugo's face reflecting only pure bloodlust and the desire to dominate, while Shoto was just as bafflingly unreadable as ever. None of the students could even begin to make guesses who was going to emerge the winner at the end. Both boys had proven so undeniably powerful and skilled, this was going to make everything else pale in comparison.
In the seconds before the match could finally start, Nikolay and Izuku alike were focusing on Shoto like a pair of vigilant guardians, just anxiously waiting to see what the boy would ultimately do after everything they had all three gone through together in the course of this tournament, if not this whole festival. There was no lingering resentment for their shared losses between them. All there was now was that same feeling of empathy for him, and the resultant desire to see him take the first step forward to becoming the Hero he himself said he wanted to be.
"STAAAAAART!"
In an instant, Shoto ducked down and fired off a massive burst of ice, nearly consuming Bakugo's entire half of the arena, himself included. It was just like how he had won his fight with Hanta Sero… except this time, he hadn't nearly frozen half the audience in the process as well. He was actually restraining himself this time.
All was silent for a few moments as the crowd began speculating if the fight had already ended, before a deafening blast suddenly broke the silence, as well as the ice. Bakugo had managed to blast his way through the massive ice formation, and figuratively dug his way out. The crowd was once again whipped into frenzy, while Izuku and Nikolay were simply going over their respective observations of how both boys were conducting themselves.
"Bakugo's style is considerably different from mine and Midoriya-san's, that's for sure. We both focused more on deflection or evasion. Bakugo is all about pure assault, and overwhelming his opponents, like a war of attrition." Nikolay hadn't even realized he had actually started talking to himself, having become so consumed in his own studious thoughts, and was therefore ignorant to the reactions his details were drawing from his nearest classmates, like Kyouka Jirou, who was managing to watch this fight much easier than back in the first round.
"It's certainly proven effective for Bakugo-san so far. Unlike his continuous defensive strategy wearing Uraraka-san down, his battles against Kirishima-san and Fumikage-san were all about attacking and giving them virtually no means or room to fight back. Kirishima-san honestly only managed to get a grazing blow on him through sheer luck."
Despite her commentary, Nikolay couldn't dare take his eyes off the arena as the fight continued. As soon as Bakugo had emerged, Shoto had already gotten his right arm ready for another freezing attack, but Bakugo instantly flipped himself with a launching explosion right over the hot-cold boy's head, even managing to grab Shoto by his left arm and shoulder in mid-air, drawing surprised flinches from Nikolay and Izuku.
"So he HAS been paying attention over the last two fights! He knows the left side is inherently Shoto's weak spot! Unless he gives in and uses his Fire again, he's leaving a permanent opening for Bakugo to go after!" To emphasize Nikolay's point, Bakugo proceeded to use his momentum and leverage to flip Shoto off of his feet, and drive him back down into the ground with a devastating full-body swing, like a sledgehammer.
"DON'T LOOK DOWN ON ME, YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!" Bakugo shouted with savage intensity as he did this, watching as Shoto bounced and rolled, only to once again catch himself with a braking ice wall behind himself in the shape of a crescent arc, quickly getting back on his feet.
However, Bakugo refused to let up, still, as he practically glided along the ice himself, his aggressive right hand already held high for another no-doubt devastating attack. Just as he began to jab his hand forward to unleash an explosion right in Shoto's face, the red-white-haired boy suddenly ducked forward and brought his left hand up, catching Bakugo by the wrist, just as he let his explosion loose into nothing but empty air.
Nearly the entire crowd sucked in an anticipatory breath as the boys made contact; Endeavor's once apathetic face now reflecting that familiar intensity. "Yes! This is a worthy fight for you, Shoto! USE IT!" Even among the students, Nikolay and Izuku were even thinking the exact same thing. It was clear Bakugo was going to have the continuous advantage over him, otherwise.
Alas, Shoto instead used his left arm to throw Bakugo back, only for the explosive blonde to catch himself with his feet on the crescent of ice, rendering Shoto's excuse for an evasive maneuver meaningless. As he and Shoto locked eyes once more, Bakugo's once sadistic grimace of anticipation, was now twisting into an even greater scowl of anger, his red eyes now growing more and more bloodshot as a single guess suddenly occurred to him: "IS MY POWER… NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO USE IT?!"
Back among the students, Nikolay, Izuku, and even other students like Tsuyu, Eijirou, Momo, Mina and Ochako were beginning to realize something about the fight thus far: compared to his last two fights, Shoto's attack and defense strategies were considerably downgraded, far too straightforward for his usual style. It was almost as though his last two fighting experiences were only now beginning to take a physical and mental toll on him, causing his otherwise impregnable fighting style, or rather his drive, to slowly come apart. Just the thought left Nikolay and Izuku, especially, with knots in their stomachs. If there was ever a moment for Shoto to reach the breakthrough they had been hoping for, this was it.
At that moment, with explosions just sparking in the palms of his hands, Bakugo hunched over, his face wrought with a whole new kind of rage. "HOW LONG ARE YOU GONNA KEEP SCREWING AROUND, DAMMIT?! I'LL KILL YOU! WHAT I WANT IS AN ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING VICTORY! THERE'S NO POINT IN WINNING IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO GIVE ME YOUR ALL! NO POINT IF I CAN'T DO BETTER THAN DEKU! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO PROVE MYSELF IF YOU KEEP COMING AT ME ALL HALF-ASSED?! IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE WILLINGNESS TO WIN NO MATTER WHAT, THEN GET THE HELL OUT OF MY FACE, YOU BASTARD!"
In the face of this verbal bombardment, Shoto didn't back down. He instead rose tall and steadfast before his explosive opponent, only serving to enrage him even further, as he brought both hands over his head, ready to bring Armageddon down upon him with a bloodcurdling war cry: "WHY ARE YOU STILL STANDING THERE ALL PROUD, YOU SON OF A BITCH?!"
Even as Bakugo prepared to come at him with all the fury his body could physically hold, Shoto's mind was still lingering on everything before, everything he had once sworn to himself he would achieve before everything had gone so wrong. 'I, too…want to become a Hero.' None of that had changed for him, he knew that much, it had simply been the means he was willing to make it happen, that had. But now, thinking back on it all, the certainty with which he felt he could do it that way, only grew shakier with each passing moment; a realization more painful than anything a physical opponent could throw at him.
'I'm sorry, Bakugo. After those fights with Midoriya and Bezpalov…I no longer feel as certain what I should do, or if what I've done up to this point is truly the right thing or not.' As he tried to relay this silent explanation to his approaching opponent, Shoto thought back to those moments after his fight with Izuku, the words he had spoken with such powerful realization to Endeavor: 'In that moment…I forgot all about you.'
It was all true. When he had somehow managed to shut the tormenting memory and image of his father out, the idea of using his Fire came so much easier. Knowing that, why was he still struggling to bring himself to go that far, even now? And with that frustrating question, Nikolay's words came back to hit him just as hard, as they had repeatedly come to do by now: 'Do you really believe it's that you can't move on…or is it that you WON'T, and you're instead actively CHOOSING to stay in that awful past?'
Was it really true? Had Shoto really been actively poisoning himself by choosing to stay in all that pain, even when he realized how much easier using his Fire could be when not thinking of his father? Had he well and truly become his own greatest obstacle towards achieving his goal, and failed to realize it until this very point? Such deep-reaching self-doubt would have no doubt broken lesser boys than him.
If he found the strength to finally choose to move on, just as Nikolay had said before, it would be for no one else's benefit but his own, and not Endeavor's. Such a fact should have made that decision so much easier for him. So then why was he still struggling like he was now to just push himself into taking that first step?
As he finally lifted his head up to find Bakugo descending through the air for him, explosion in his hand and at the ready, Shoto formed the only words that could adequately describe the way he felt in this moment: 'I am…utterly confused right now.'
"COME ON! DON'T GIVE UP!" "YOU CAN DO IT, TODOROKI-SAN! YOU KNOW YOU CAN! JUST REACH IN AND BRING IT OUT, FOR YOURSELF!"
The voices of Izuku Midoriya and Nikolay Bezpalov echoed across the stadium and reached Shoto's ears, loud and clear, spurring him back into the reality of this present moment, and with it came the sudden re-ignition of his drive and realization: 'Dammit…those two…they're right! Since he's already standing right in front of me…I WILL fight…'
Shoto bowed his head in acceptance, just as Bakugo propelled himself further into the air, ready for the mother of all explosive attacks he had in his arsenal. Just as he reached his peak, he felt his anticipation take off through the roof, as Shoto's left half finally began to grow its flames once again. '…WITH ALL MY STRENGTH! FOR VICTORY!'
The next handful of seconds, as Bakugo descended upon him in a spiraling tornado of explosive fury, even as the heat of his flames grew in power all around him, just as he was ready to meet his opponent head-on… Shoto, for just a moment, remembered that awful look from all those years ago… the last look he ever saw in his own mothers' eyes; the look that was born from gazing upon his hideous left side, and everything it represented.
"HOWITZER…IMPAAACT!" Bakugo's sight had long since been consumed with the red of his anger and thirst for violence, so he never even truly saw Shoto in the last moment before he finally delivered the full brunt of his attack, consuming Shoto and the arena alike in a colossal explosive cyclone, sending waves of concussive power and heat across the entire stadium, drawing yelps and cries of surprise and fear from all around. Even among the 1-A students as they tried to shelter themselves from the sheer power of it all, it was only through the grace of not being in the back row, as well as Minas' constant readiness to step in, that Nikolay managed to not get bowled over in his wheelchair from the sheer shockwave of it all.
"POSITIVELY UNREAL! BAKUGO USED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF FIREPOWER THAT WAS ACCOMPANIED BY BOTH A DASH AND A SPIN! VERY MUCH THE HUMAN HOWITZER, JUST LIKE HE SAID! IF TODOROKI IS SOMEHOW STILL STANDING AFTER THAT, WE MIGHT WANNA ADD TOTAL INVINCIBILITY TO HIS QUIRK ROSTER!"
For once, Present Mic's commentary drew no response from the crowd, as everyone was simply too anxious for the smoke covering the entire arena to clear so they could see who, if anyone, was still standing. Soon enough, though, they began to make out the shapes. It hardly looked like either Shoto or Bakugo were even still standing. However, the clearer it became, the more everyone began to realize the final result, especially the students, as many felt the strangest combination of disbelief, excitement… and mournful regret.
For as the smoke finally cleared, Bakugo, who had been laid flat on his front, was finally starting to lift himself up, eager to see the damage he had inflicted upon his enemy… only to be met with the sight of something that diffused his anger, even if just for a moment, and replaced it with complete and utter disbelief.
Amid the rubble of the long-since shattered ice, far outside the arena boundary, was laid out a motionless Shoto Todoroki; his flames no longer present, as if he had simply recalled them right at the last moment before impact had been made.
Bakugo didn't even notice nor care that Shoto was now out of the boundaries, thereby ending their fight. All he could focus on was that the boy had extinguished his fire on him, had given him the chance to earn his victory while his opponent was at full power… and then had the utter gall to pull it away from him at the last moment, depriving him of exactly what he wanted!
Bakugo felt like his teeth were going to shatter in his mouth, he was clenching and grinding them so hard against each other. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it, he refused to believe it! There was no way, no way in hell he was going to let it end, not like this! Getting back to his feet, he swiftly began storming over to Shoto's limp body, his veins burning with absolute rage he could just feel coming out his pores, ready to lay waste to every last scrap of Shoto's physical being, as he grabbed him by the collar.
"HEY! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU THINK THIS SHIT IS FUNNY!? THIS KIND OF-!"
From the moment he reeled his free hand back, ready to blast Shoto's face to smithereens, Bakugo's uncontainable fury was suddenly washed away, as was every last bit of adrenaline surging through his system. In fact, it felt like his eyelids were suddenly growing heavier by the second, until he felt his knees give out from under him, and he felt his entire body and consciousness fall into the deepest sleep someone could fall into in such a short time.
Everyone on the outside watched with bated breath, that soon gave way to sighs of relief, as Midnight had swiftly stepped in and began emitting a faint purple miasma from her skin, which seemed to render Bakugo unconscious in a matter of seconds. As soon as she was certain the boy wasn't about to pull any more illegal assaults, she finally cracked the old leather in her hand with an even more resonating power than ever before as she made the long-built-up announcement that would signify the end of this incomparable day for all those that participated and witnessed it: "TODOROKI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! THEREFORE, BAKUGO WINS! AND NOW THE TOURNAMENT COMES TO AN END! THE WINNER OF THIS YEARS' FRESHMEN SPORTS FESTIVAL IS CLASS A'S BAKUGO KATSUKI!"
The very stadium seemed to breathe with the clamorous cheers that filled the air as Bakugo and Shoto were both taken off the arena, and the structure was quickly beginning to be broken down and dismantled to make room for stands wherein the students that placed in the Top Three would be properly rewarded.
As they watched the two boys disappear within the tunnels, many of the 1-A students couldn't rightfully put a bead on how they felt. It would've been downright unfair to deny that Bakugo had certainly worked hard and therefore earned his spot at first place, but there was also no denying that, despite his icy cold and calculating exterior and equal ruthlessness in battle, Shoto was a comparatively less unlikeable person, and in that regard more deserving of that same spot.
But among them, Nikolay and Izuku couldn't help but feel the coldness of regret in their hearts, to have seen their efforts clearly sink into Shoto as they had, only for it all to still come to nothing and cause him to lose… at least, as far as either of the boys were aware. That was the thought they instinctively knew they had to hold onto right now.
Across the stadium, Tunguska and Toshinori both let out the heaviest of sighs, primarily out of relief that the battle, the tournament, and the entire festival as a whole was finally wrapping up. However, that did nothing to diffuse the mutual sense of duty both Heroes felt as they rose from their seats. "I'm assuming they're going to be conducting the award ceremony soon?" Tunguska asked rhetorically as Toshinori began undoing his necktie.
"Yes, indeed. That's why I'm going to have to get ready. You're looking pretty intent, as well. You're not thinking of going for Headmaster Nezu with your surrogate internship idea already, are you? I would have thought you would want to be here for the ceremony with your son, at the very least."
Tunguska gave a resolute shake of his head as he had his eyes squarely focused on all the 1-A students across the arena from where they now stood. "I won't be gone nearly that long. There's something…of just as much importance I need to take care of very quick."
"Now then, let us move on at last, to the award ceremony!" Midnights' announcement elicited further deafening cheers from the audience, as she motioned for them and all of the gathered students from all the participating classes throughout the entire festival, to look upon the three-leveled podium upon which stood the students who had made it to the Top 3. At the lowest raised level of 3rd place was Tokoyami Fumikage, who despite his final standing, still had his arms crossed, looking as brooding as ever. On the podium for 2nd place stood Shoto Todoroki, who simply stood indifferent, his head still bowed in contemplation. It was almost as though he didn't even have a care as to just where he was and what was happening.
And at the top, in 1st place, Katsuki Bakugo was heavily chained against a massive block of wood, both his hands encased in a very heavy duty-looking set of shackles, and his mouth set up in a silencing mouth guard or muzzle. Of course, his furious thrashing and still-audible muffled shrieks of rage that he'd been doing from the moment he'd regained consciousness, definitely necessitated such a measure.
Looking upon the restrained hothead even from down on the grass and in a wheelchair, Nikolay couldn't help but feel the driest of chuckles escape as a bemused smirk barely tugged at the corners of his mouth, drawing some confused glances from some of his classmates.
"What's so funny? I thought you'd still be feeling forlorn, not even making it to the Top 3-kero." Tsuyu asked, as bluntly as ever, while Nikolay hurriedly recollected himself.
"I'm sorry. It's stupid… just a momentary stray thought. Seeing Bakugo chained up like that… it just made me start thinking of this old American movie I liked from a long time ago. It had a character who was a really, really smart serial killer in it, and he was restrained and gagged almost exactly like that. Now I can't help but just picture Bakugo in that same role, and it almost feels too perfect… well, maybe not so much on the psychological end." *
Nobody could think of anything to answer that bizarre train of thought with, although Denki and Minoru were soon starting to chuckle in realization as well, the more they looked at Bakugo up above.
As Nikolay took the time to look upon all his classmates around him, thinking back on everything they had gone through today, he was quick to see, much to his and others' concerns, that Tenya Iida was nowhere to be seen. He had thought their class president would have wanted to be here to see their classmates be properly rewarded more than anyone else. Momentarily thinking back to his hasty exit upon his cellphone ringing, all Nikolay could think was that it had to have been so much more serious than any of them had thought.
"Alright, time to confer the medals! And the one who'll present the medals this year is naturally none other than…!"
As Midnight prepared the windup for the grand reveal, a powerful burst of air emanated from the very topmost rows of the stadium, and coming in like a cannonball of power, with the bombastic declaration of: "IT IS I!" came the godlike visage of All Might, landing before them all on one knee, and towering over all with three splendorous medals in his hand, that bright and confident smile utterly beaming, and still managing to elicit awestruck vocalizations from many of the students around. "AND I AM HERE WITH MEDALS—" "OUR HERO, ALL MIGHT!"
Numerous amused laughs broke out among students and audience alike, as the Symbol of Peace and Midnight couldn't help but chuckle in embarrassment at having talked over one another. Nevertheless, All Might quickly regained his proud posture, as he approached Tokoyami first, draping his medal over his shoulders.
"Congratulations, Fumikage-shonen! You're a really tough customer!" The crow-headed boys' answer was too quiet to be heard by the other students through all the cheering, but All Might suddenly pulled him into a strong embrace, his own voice too powerful to ever not be heard. "In order to crush that problem of unfavorable matchups, you can't keep relying on your Quirk. If you train up your own strength, your own potential, your chances of taking it will increase in kind!" As soon as he let Tokoyami go, his fierce eyes fell to the medal in his hand, and even from a distance, it was clear he was truly taking All Might's advice into consideration.
Next was Shoto's turn, as he only slightly bowed before All Might draped his second place medal over his shoulders. Watching even this brief exchange, Nikolay and Izuku both could only imagine what someone like Endeavor had to be feeling at this moment, not only watching the son he had driven to try and surpass the Symbol of Peace only make it as far as second place, but to watch the very Hero he wanted him to surpass place such a medal upon him, as well.
"Todoroki-shonen, congratulations! You must have had your reasons for suppressing your left side during the final match, right?" Shoto's unreadable gaze only momentarily fell toward the distant forms of Izuku and Nikolay among the crowd of his schoolmates, before once more falling to the ground. "The previous fights with Midoriya and Bezpalov… triggered my confusion, forced me to think on what I've been doing with a different eye… and I lost grasp of what I should do."
Even through his powerful smile, All Might's overwhelming aura seemed to fade, now coming across to Shoto as much more personable and understanding. "I have a feeling I understand… why those two have been weighing so heavily on your mind." Shoto still couldn't bring himself to look All Might in the face, however. "I wanted to be a Hero like you. But… I thought, if I tried to get over it all, just by myself…" In that moment, there was a flicker of a new kind of understanding in his multi-colored eyes, as if something had only now finally started to occur to him. "No… that would be wrong. There are still some things I need to come to terms with. I understand that, now."
With surprising swiftness for his size, All Might once more pulled Shoto into an embrace of his own, even capped off with a proud pat on the back. "Your expression has completely changed from what it was before. I won't pry any deeper. But I know that now, you can come to a reckoning without a doubt."
In a way, after seeing him come so far only to fall short of the top, seeing Shoto be taken in by All Might in such a way, left an indescribable sensation of satisfaction in the hearts of all those that watched, as though they were witnessing the boy officially crossing over an invisible threshold within himself. It was certainly enough to return the smiles of hope to Nikolay and Izuku; hope for the future potential and healing of their enigmatic classmate.
Finally, All Might now stood before the still thrashing and (albeit muffled) roaring Bakugo, never remotely flinching in the face of such incredible energetic rage. "And lastly, Bakugo-shonen! My, this is all too much." To the scattered cries of confusion and warning of the audience, he actually proceeded to ascend and remove the muzzle from Bakugo's face. "Your foreshadowing was truly exemplary…!"
However, the instant the muzzle was removed, Bakugo's face wrenched and twisted with inhuman fury, his already frightening eyes seeming to ignite white hot, as his voice bellowed and echoed across the entire stadium with just as much power as the Symbol of Peace himself. "ALL MIIIIIIIIGHT! A 'NUMBER ONE' LIKE THIS AIN'T WORTH SHIT! EVEN IF SOCIETY OR WHATEVER ACKNOWLEDGES IT, I DON'T! THEREFORE, IT'S BULLSHIT!"
It was amazing to see All Might's posture and smile didn't visibly flinch, even in the face of an apocalyptic time bomb like this, still continuing to lift up his first place medal. "Umm… well, you'll never stop being continuously appraised by society, so there aren't many who'd form an absolute, unchanging impression of you out there. So take this and bear it! Bear it as a 'wound'! So that you shall not forget!
"I TOLD YOU I DON'T WANT IT!"
Bakugo even proceeded to start thrashing his head this way and that, just to keep All Might from putting the medal over his shoulders. In a way, it was quite funny to see, at least being at a relatively safe distance; especially when All Might ultimately relented by slipping the velvet strap into Bakugo's mouth, like a dog.
As this display had gone on, Nikolay and Izuku could hear scattered mutterings, not only from among their classmates, but several of the other students from the other classes as well. "What the hell is that Bakugo kids' problem, huh? He was the one who made that shitty declaration at the start, remember? He got what he wanted, and he still has the gall to complain?"
However, neither the Russian nor the freckled boy could bring themselves to share such sentiments. Nikolay knew he could only say that, because Izuku had the compassion and specific understanding of that furious boy up there, to try and help his Russian classmate understand just how Katsuki Bakugo worked underneath all the anger, threats and foul language. There was much more personal pride, and a desire to genuinely prove himself under the surface, than anyone else would have expected. In that way, for him to have won, without his opponent giving his all and thus making him genuinely earn such a victory…they could both only imagine how much that had to have deeply hurt Bakugo's pride and confidence.
"And there you have it! This year, it's these three! However, take heed, folks! There was a possibility for everyone in this arena to stand there! It's just as you saw with your very own eyes, ladies and gentlemen! They competed! And boosted each other up! Everyone climbing ever higher, advancing ever farther! The next generation of Heroes will surely sprout from the seeds planted this day! And to that sentiment, I'll add one more thing! EVERYBODY SAY IT WITH ME NOW! AAAAAND…!"
Everyone across the stadium, student, Pro Hero and civilian alike, instinctively cried out "PLUS ULTRA", only for All Might's even more bombastic voice to cry out "GREAT WORK!" The utterances of confusion and resultant laughs were aplenty, as most of the tension seemed to instantly diffuse, and everyone basked in the festive mood of having finally gotten to see the entire Yuuei Sports Festival through.
Nikolay was feeling particularly elated, seeing the pure senses of accomplishment and congratulations on so many of his classmates' and friends' faces, no matter where in the proceedings they had ended up falling off. It was a display of genuine respect and all-around friendship that was nothing short of heartwarming. And he, of course, couldn't help but feel immensely grateful to not only be a part of it all, as many were even going out of their way to extend their congratulations to him as well, but to also simply have some of the most supportive of his classmates as his best friends, to boot.
"Man, this Festival was something else! I can't wait to see what it's gonna be like once we go in next year for the Sophomore round!" Eijirou proclaimed with all the enthusiasm in the world, while Tsuyu, Ochako, Kyouka and Tooru were all chatting among each other with comparable eagerness. Oddly enough, though, Momo was off by herself amid the throng, hardly noticeable to many amid all the activity.
As he watched all his classmates celebrating, Nikolay couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt in his stomach that Mina had to stay at his side to wheel him around, instead of getting to shoot the breeze and share her feelings with everyone else. "You know, you don't have to stay with me all the time now, Mina. If you want to hang out with the others, talk about the Festival, you're more than welcome to. I hate weighing you down like this."
"Kolya-kun, when are you going to start learning to cut yourself some slack? You're not forcing me to do or not do anything. You competed just as hard as anyone else, and I'm not just gonna leave you here. Besides, we're still going back to class after; I could easily chat with everybody then, too." Mina went on to further prove her willingness to stay, as well as her unbreakable sense of good humor, by playfully mussing up Nikolay's brown hair, earning some amused chuckling from him in response. Bless her heart; she really was the best kind of friend he could've ever asked for.
"Ho there, students! Don't be leaving in such a hurry!" The unmistakable, enthusiastic and accented voice of Tunguska suddenly called out from across the field, thankfully drawing the attention of every 1-A and 1-B student still on the field, to find the large Russian man hurrying over to them, with two especially large boxes tucked under his tree trunk-like arms.
"I didn't want to chance having to chase after you all individually to hand these out. Just because the Festival is over, doesn't mean you all should still have to walk out of here with nothing to take home." As he set the boxes down, the students of both classes exchanged mutually confused glances, unsure what their shared Quirk History teacher was getting at.
"Today has been a very eventful day for everyone involved, not just you competitors. It's been an exercise for me in learning just what it is to be a real teacher to you all. The fact that one of the classes I teach has my own flesh and blood as a student, I knew there would inevitably come accusations of favoritism or nepotism on my end. However, having gotten to know all you kids over the course of this school year so far, I can genuinely say that I could not be more proud of every single one of you. No matter how soon or late you ended up falling off from the rest of the Festivals' events, that doesn't change the fact that you all performed admirably, and to the very best of your abilities so far. And I know that you'll all only continue to vastly improve from here.
"You all started out this day as rivals, Class A and B, but I feel in my heart that at least some of you can look back on this day, and look at each other now as comrades… if not even perhaps, friends." At this particular note, among the students of the two Heroics classes, Eijirou and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu couldn't help but instinctively make eye contact, raising their fists up with smiles of absolute brotherhood between them. At the same time, Nikolay and Mina could just feel they were being watched intently, and both looked, with brightening smiles of their own, to find Setsuna Tokage smiling cheerfully at them with a supportive thumb up.
"And so, this may not have the pomp and prestige of the medals malenkie (little; plural) Fumikage, Todoroki and Bakugo received, but I am confident you can all find it in yourselves to bestow your own personal value unto these. You've all certainly earned them." With that, Tunguska finally opened the two boxes to reveal multitudes of what looked almost exactly like the very medals he had just mentioned, earning numerous surprised exclamations from the students, as he pulled out the first several he could fit in his hand, and began passing them out to Nikolay, Mina, Eijirou, Tsuyu, Kyouka and Ochako.
It absolutely delighted his old heart to see the way their eyes all lit up with each medal he handed to them, with some almost looking like they were on the verge of tears before he even put them in their hands. In a way, he almost felt like Father Christmas, several months early.
As much as it still made him indescribably happy, especially being able to bask in the same kind of emotional atmosphere from his schoolmates, Nikolay still couldn't help but notice how utterly lightweight these medals were, and how they themselves didn't even feel like metal or gold at all, but cheap plastic. "Dad…where did you actually find these?"
At this, Tunguska didn't even try to pretend, instead letting out a hearty chuckle of amused embarrassment. "I really didn't want all you students to feel like you were going home completely empty-handed, so I found one of the vendors for the Festival selling these as souvenirs for the guests. Thankfully they weren't selling them for absurd prices, hence why I was able to easily get enough for all the participants. Assuming nobody finds a reason to try and steal them, I have several other boxes of them to hand out to the students from the General Education, Management and Support Department classes as well. The important thing is what value you all decide to place upon them, yourselves. Even if you may not have made it to the very top, you all still earned these, and don't ever let yourselves forget that."
"Thank you, Sensei. It's… it's perfect." Ochako was the one to finally speak up; a quivering and emotional smile on her face as she happily fit her 'medal' over her shoulders, with Izuku and a nearly teary-eyed Eijirou quickly following suit, quickly followed by Mina, then Nikolay, and soon everyone from Classes A and B were likewise voicing their gratitude for the Russian Hero's outlandish show of support for their efforts, slipping on their makeshift medals with a genuine air of pride in themselves and each other.
As far as Nikolay Bezpalov was concerned, sitting there amid his classmates and friends, and with this token of their shared efforts upon his shoulders and theirs… he felt even grander than he ever would have standing atop that 1st place podium. In its own way, this felt so much better.
Shortly thereafter, everyone had finally started to make their way out of the stadium and either head back home, into town, or back to the school. As he was finally wheeled out of the main entrance and back to the outside, basking in the light of the late afternoon sun, Nikolay was able to spot the distant yet unmistakable red and white hair of Shoto Todoroki through the departing crowd. All at once, the desire, the absolute need to know the answer to something that had been plaguing him the entire tournament, came back with a vengeance.
"Todoroki-san!" To his relief, the boy managed to hear him, and was clearly back in reality enough to actually acknowledge that someone was calling out to him.
"Kolya-kun, are you sure you wanna talk to him? You're not still mad that he beat you?" Mina's concerns, especially considering how driven by emotions he and many other teenagers tended to be, were understandable.
However, Nikolay was able to meet her with a reassuring smile of his own underneath the band-aids and medical patches. "I was never mad to begin with. I just want to talk to him about something. If it's too awkward, would you feel better maybe just waiting by for me to call you?" Thankfully, this seemed a good enough idea, as Mina's momentary worry once again gave way to that understanding smile, and she was soon off amid the steadily thinning crowd, just as Shoto finally reached the wheelchair-bound Russian boy.
"I suppose I should apologize for the extent of injuries I left you with, Bezpalov." Shoto immediately opened up with, an almost distant kind of bluntness to his speech like in times before. Clearly he was mainly saying so simply out of the need to be formal and polite; an attitude Nikolay immediately tried to soften with a well-intentioned laugh.
"It's really not as bad as it looks anymore. Recovery Girl said I should be back to normal by tomorrow, so long as I don't try moving too much so my joints can fully heal. If anything, you should take the fact your Quirk was this powerful as a good sign."
"Why did you call me over here, Bezpalov? Surely it wasn't to simply exchange pleasantries and ill-advised attempts at humor." Nikolay immediately dropped the act, long-since figuring this kind of casual approach was useless with someone like Shoto. With a steadying breath, he finally asked the one thing he had wanted to, more than anything else, since the discussion between them and Izuku in the tunnel: "I have to ask, Todoroki-san: with Midoriya-san's Quirk being so tremendously powerful, on top of his apparent connection to All Might and how that tied in to your whole goal about surpassing him, I can understand why you wanted to speak with him like you did earlier. I just don't understand why you wanted me there, as well. In comparison, I was nobody to you, and so was my father. You're already so much stronger than pretty much everyone else in class, so why did you consider me, of all people, worth that kind of attention; that you would go and tell me such personal things like you did back there? I just can't wrap my head around it."
For a moment, Shoto couldn't help but show a flash of frustration, knowing he had tried to explain his reasoning back at the onset. However, now that there were no future battles between them to be had, he was able to thankfully put that aside.
"I can only hope you won't require me to spell things out for you like this, often. I said before that, from what I've gotten to see back at USJ, Tunguska-sensei is clearly of a similar level of power to All Might, if no doubt slightly dulled by his age. Right now, you may not be as powerful as him, but I have been watching the progress you've been making over the past month since the school year started.
"In just that short amount of time, with a good portion of your training and practice being conducted on your own, you have already managed to vastly improve in not only the handling of your Quirk, but also in how much of its power you can release on command, and in the complete versatility in which you can use it, whether it be close-quarters or long-distance offense, defense, acceleration, evasion, and even escape. The recent advent that you can even channel it from your feet as well as your hands only goes to show what further ways you can learn to utilize it in any given Heroics situation. Your attitude and tenacity have made a substantial improvement as well, not just with how you carried yourself back at USJ. Don't forget, you managed to push yourself through a debilitating foot injury, and used and controlled your Quirk in tandem with ours in a way that secured us a top spot in the Festival.
"The point I'm making here, Bezpalov, is that I've seen the progress you have made over these last few weeks ever since you decided to come back, and with everything I've witnessed from you so far, I can sense the raw potential for the kind of power you could eventually unlock in yourself in the future. As such, I want you to know that I am officially acknowledging you as a truly worthy opponent, just like Midoriya, for me to surpass, just the same as All Might and Tunguska-sensei."
With that, Shoto could tell his words had hit Nikolay harder than the Russian boy had expected, yet in a strangely good way, as though he was taking Shoto's declaration of intent and acknowledgment in his improvement, to heart. Satisfied with such a reaction, he finally turned his back on the wheelchair-bound Slav. "With that all being said, however, I'm not sure if you heard me at the end of our fight, so I'll only say it once more: thank you for proving me right about your capabilities as an opponent, Bezpalov. My father may see you and yours as nothing but a couple insignificant specks on my path to surpass All Might… but it is assuring to know we both ended up proving him wrong. It's really as satisfying as it will get, until I finally reach my goal."
With that, Shoto Todoroki finally took his leave, with Nikolay left alone in his wheelchair to contemplate everything the boy had just admitted to him. Of course, there was the unmistakable fact that Shoto was still regarding him as an opponent as opposed to something like a confidante… but for someone like him to still go out of his way and actually commend Nikolay on his abilities this far into the school year, had its own kind of satisfaction to it.
Today had felt so long in passing, it almost felt unnatural to be back in Class 1-A, even if the school day itself was practically on the verge of ending. It was more than a little awkward trying to change from his P.E. uniform to his school uniform while still bound up in his casts and bandages, but by God, Nikolay had somehow managed, and he was just glad and ready to face the comfort of his own bed, as Mina wheeled him into the classroom, where everyone was still abuzz with excitement about everything they had gotten to do today. Along the way, Nikolay could hear the unmistakable snickers of Denki and Minoru among their classmates, looking at the undeniably humorous image of the nearly immobile Russian boy being wheeled about by the cheerful pink girl once again loyally at his side. Nikolay himself could have sworn he had even heard the words 'Driving Miss Daisy' amid the buzz from Denki in particular, but right now he was simply too exhausted to even bother trying to correct the blonde sparkplug and his grape-haired sidekick.
As everyone slowly but surely began returning to their seats, Nikolay soon noticed something more than a little disconcerting: just like at the award ceremony, Tenya Iida wasn't at his seat. In fact, he was still nowhere to be found. The ceremony was one thing, but for their class president to be absent from the very end of a school day was simply too unnatural to be ignored. As soon as he realized Izuku was close enough for him to try and get his attention, Nikolay tried to motion for him to come so nobody would risk overhearing them, depending if the green-haired boy would even have an answer.
"Midoriya-san, do you have any idea where Iida-san is? It doesn't seem right that he would miss this on top of the ceremony."
To his growing worry, Izuku's face reflected a similarly deep concern, rather than the complete lack of a clue the Russian had secretly been hoping for. "Iida-san… I ran into him right before the final fight started, actually. That call he got back in the nurse's office… it was about his brother. Apparently, he got cut down… by a Villain. At the time he told me, they were taking him to the hospital. So he had the teachers give him permission to leave the Festival to go check on him. I just hope he's okay."
Nikolay was utterly speechless. To hear Tenya speak about his brother all those times, he would have thought the man to be completely untouchable. Of course, such naïve thoughts immediately brought back memories of how Aizawa and Thirteen looked back during the USJ incident; two undeniable pieces of evidence that even the most skilled or powerful Heroes were far from invincible. Hell, even the injuries he had personally seen Tunguska and All Might sustain during that very same incident should have been proof enough of that. Much like Izuku, all Nikolay could think of in that moment was to silently hope that Tenya was all right, wherever he was.
Before anything further could be said, the classroom door opened to reveal Aizawa making his way in, forcing everyone back to their desks, all completely at a loss what their homeroom teacher could possibly have to say after everything he had seen from them during the Festival.
Through his bandages, his eyes were still as unreadable as ever, but thankfully this time, he chose not to stay silent for long, instead simply seating himself at his desk and folding his mummified hands together. "You've all been through quite a lot today, so I'm going to keep this short. The rest of the teachers and I are in agreement that after today, you've all actually earned some honest rest. So with that being said, starting tomorrow, you have the next two days off from school. Those of you who are injured can obviously use that time to get yourselves healed up, and I suggest you and everyone else use that time to get your heads back into business, because come the next school day, I'll have all of the nominations from the Pro Heroes who watched you all today, organized, and I'll hand them out to you all as well. So with that, class is dismissed."
Nikolay could practically feel the relief fill the entire classroom as all the students voiced their elation at being given two whole days to recoup. Even though, taking into account that today was Friday, and Sunday was already their one day off, Aizawa was essentially only giving them one extra day; the young Russian wasn't about to start complaining. Certainly none of his equally analytical classmates were doing so, anyway.
"Oh my God, yes! After all that, two days off? It's like a miracle, Kolya-kun! Aren't you happy?" Mina exclaimed with her hands outstretched over her head in a gesture of cheer.
"Of course I am. Even if these injuries heal by tomorrow morning, I'm still going to be feeling this stiffness in my joints all day. Another day off is exactly what I need."
"Well not only that, but I can't imagine you still want to stick to that same nonstop training routine after all this. If you're feeling up to it, wouldn't it be fun to finally just hang out together, and not have to worry about all this school stuff?" It was clear from her tone that Mina was really hoping he would agree, and he definitely was of the same mind, but right now, he was simply too exhausted to give her a definite answer now.
"How about this: we have each other's numbers. You can check in throughout the next two days and I can tell you if I'm feeling okay for it, and we can work from there? I know it's not a 'yes' or 'no', but—"
"That's perfectly fine with me, Kolya-kun! If you are, then I promise you won't regret it!"
With that, Mina couldn't help but giggle in frankly adorable anticipation as she instinctively pulled Nikolay into another tight, enthusiastic hug, only to immediately reel back with multiple apologies at the ready, in response to his instinctive groan of pain from his aggravated injuries. Nevertheless, the two friends couldn't help but start to laugh at such a mishap that seemed right out of the movies. Honestly, Nikolay was silently hoping he would be feeling good enough for such a thing before these next two days were through. Spending time with one of his best friends without the constant threat of detention or other schoolwork hanging over their heads sounded exactly like what he needed. Of course, lingering in the very back of his mind, he also couldn't help but think back to his two surprising escapes through his Quirk channeling to his feet. If Tunguska and Recovery Girl were right, and this was a permanent extension to his Quirk, he was going to have to try and figure out how to better control it sooner or later.
At the front courtyard of Yuuei Academy, Tunguska was busily stapling a notice onto one of the larger bulletin boards for the school, looking upon it with a swelling of pride in his chest. Just as he had been hoping for all day, Headmaster Nezu had given the go-ahead for his surrogate Pro-Hero internship idea with nearly no need for convincing, citing it as an excellent means for keeping those students who were unfairly overlooked by the Pros on the same level as their more fortunate peers.
The notice itself was simple and straightforward enough, especially with his still notably lacking skill in writing in Japanese, but his fellow teachers he had approached to proofread had deemed it clear enough. With his address and contact info even provided, he could just feel, deep in his heart, that there would be those among the students who would take this opportunity. His head was already brimming with ideas on how to help them become their truly better selves on their journey to real Hero-status.
Tenya Iida had rushed to Hosu General Hospital the instant he had finished telling Izuku of his brothers' condition. Nobody could have stopped him, no matter how hard they would have tried. He needed to see it with his own eyes, even if the more naïve part of his mind wanted to do so for the sake of seeing it wouldn't be real.
His mother had already been just outside the room the receptionist had told him his brother was being kept in, but he couldn't calm his desire to see him enough to even try and comfort her, as he practically barged in like a man possessed with madness: "BROTHER!"
The instant he stepped inside, though, all of that adrenaline and fervor was nowhere to be found. He felt his hair stand on end, and his blood go cold, as he saw the unmistakable image of his older brother, Tensei Iida, laid up in a hospital bed, patched up in bandages and on a respirator. Even the presiding doctors' voice struggled to get through to him as he took in the most awful sight he never had hoped to see.
"They lifted his anesthetic earlier and he's awake, but he's still groggy. If the operation had started two minutes later, we would've been too late." However, even these foreboding words meant nothing to him, as all Tenya could see and hear, was his brother just barely managing to open his eyes and look at him. As he tried to speak through his respirator, it was enough to reduce the normally stoic Tenya to devastated tears, to hear how weak his voice was.
"Tenya… M…Mom… You're such a… brilliant little brother… You…you've looked up to me so much… for so long… and yet… I'm sorry, Tenya. Your big bro's… gone and… lost."
Even the sound of his own mother fainting in shock behind him couldn't compare to the inconsolable wailing that managed to escape Tenya's mouth in place of composed words. It was the only thing he could think of to adequately express just how overwhelmed and lost he felt, for perhaps the first time ever, to see the brother he admired so much reduced to such a state, and with him unable to do a solitary thing about it.
As soon as the first day off from school had started in the Todoroki household, Shoto was already driven, a true man on a mission. He hadn't been able to get a single wink of proper sleep, for no matter how hard he tried, his mind simply would not stop reflecting on those damn words from Midoriya and Bezpalov. At one point in the darkness of the night, he had finally come to something resembling a realization, the closest thing he could come up with that could be called an adequate first step towards reaching his supposed personal reckoning.
He had been silently grateful to avoid running into Endeavor on his way for the front door, but much to his chagrin, Shoto had not managed to completely avoid drawing attention, as the moment he began to put on his shoes to take his leave—"Where are you going so early, Shoto?"
The red-white-haired boy didn't even let out a sigh of indifference when the soft female voice spoke out from behind him. Standing attentively around the corner was a young girl, no more than a couple years older than him, with glasses and a head of semi-long white hair, with only the ends of a few of her bangs ending in a similar shade of red to his. This was his older sister, Fuyumi Todoroki.
Shoto knew biding his time here would further run the risk of another confrontation with their father, so he decided to be as short and blunt as necessary: "The hospital."
"The… the hospital? What is this, all of a sudden? Are you sure it's okay if you don't tell dad you're leaving, Shoto?" Despite her apprehension, and understandable sisterly concern, Shoto still didn't miss a step as he hastily made his way out the door with a brief "yes."
As he continued to proudly stride forward out the door, Fuyumi's voice called out behind him: "Why, Shoto?! Why've you decided to go meet mom now, after so long?!" It was a question that was more than justified being asked, but Shoto, honestly, couldn't summon the words to answer her with, as he was only beginning to find that answer for himself as he walked ever onward: 'It was my very existence that drove her to her breaking point. So I didn't go see her. I couldn't torment her any more than I already had… just by being the supposed successor that bastard wanted. The truth is… Mom is definitely still being kept caged up… by my dad… and me. So in order to use this body of mine… and give it my all… in order to finally start taking my first steps forward from the past… to once again aim to be a true Hero… I need to meet her again… and talk about… so many things. That's… what I'm thinking. And even if, say, it's not desired… I will save her.'
Back in the Todoroki household, Endeavor had sealed himself up in his private training room since late into the previous night. Over and over again, he had resolved himself to re-watching all of Shoto's matches. His displays in the second and final rounds were still as gratifying as before… but his match in the third round was one he continuously found himself begrudgingly coming back to.
From the moment he knew he had personally walked away, the fight had slowly but surely evolved into something of equal splendor as the fight with that boy, Midoriya. No matter how much he wanted to verbally deny every second of it, what the Flame Hero was witnessing was ultimately unmistakable. Not only was his pride and successor fighting with everything he had from both sides of his power… but the scrawny milquetoast little nobody he had been pitted against… was actually putting up a genuinely decent fight; enough so to actually justify Shoto using his full power, even.
"He manages to come up with a genuine defense or deflection opportunity for nearly every move Shoto throws at him. His reaction times are decent, and even when rendered immobile, his Quirk allows him to brute force his way out of it. He actually has halfway decent fighting skills for someone not on the same level as Shoto or that boy of All Might's. Is it… is it actually possible I… misjudged this boy?"
The very moment that word 'misjudged' flashed across Endeavor's eyes, he could feel those parting words Shoto had given him, digging deeper under his skin: 'That bullheaded narrow-minded attitude of yours when it comes to all the other Heroes around you… that is precisely why you could never hope to surpass All Might with your own power.'
His face once again ignited with flames, his teeth grinding and his muscles tensing with utter anger as he furiously threw the cellphone in his hands against the wall, shattering into a million pieces as he fumed silently by himself in that room, mentally shouting his unending refusal of those words.
The first day off from school had carried no special plans for Ochako Uraraka. She had simply greeted it like any other day, and that typically started with a trip to the supermarket to keep her food supply nice and plentiful. Thank goodness she had taken the liberty of finding a place to live in one of the cheaper parts of town.
As she had begun making her way back home with a couple full bags draped over one arm, she found herself instinctively reaching into one of her pockets, pulling out something she had found herself repeatedly looking over since the end of school yesterday.
She had found a notice on one of the school billboards, advertising some kind of 'Surrogate Pro-Hero Internship' plan, hosted by Tunguska-sensei even. It had said it was strictly voluntary for any students who didn't get enough satisfactory recommendations from Pro Heroes during the Festival, or any at all for that matter.
It sounded like something akin to an outside-school training program if nothing else. As much as Ochako was really hoping she would at least get one such recommendation come Monday, the fact that she found herself looking over the detachable slip with all the contact info and time details more and more often, made the idea continuously sound more and more appealing as an alternative.
After all, Tunguska-sensei had gone out of his way to try and make her feel better after her loss; if he was going this far for any other students who fell by the wayside, then surely she could find the time to try and help prove to him the idea was worthwhile. It didn't say anything about an official starting date for it. Maybe she could at least get a jump start on it tomorrow and see if he was already open for any volunteers.
She quickly put the slip back into her pocket as she finally reached the door to her apartment, only to find, to her apprehensive surprise, that it was unexpectedly unlocked.
As soon as she stepped inside, Ochako nearly found herself being charged by two momentarily unrecognizable figures crying out her name; only for the split-second outcry of shock to be replaced with an overwhelming feeling of sentiment and confusion, when she recognized her two unexpected visitors: a tall and powerfully built middle-aged man that fit the very term 'salt-of-the-earth', and a comparatively demure middle-aged woman with the same kind of permanently blushing cheeks as she had; both of them smiling with all the warmth and love that two people could give to another. "Daddy?! Mommy?! WHY ARE YOU HERE?!"
Their daughter's over-exaggerated surprise couldn't help but make her parents laugh in amusement as she had to visibly try and catch her breath from their nearly swarming her out of nowhere. "When we saw our daughter pushing so hard out there, we just had to come running!"
"That's right, sweetie. We came to throw you a nice get-together for all your efforts."
Within seconds, Ochako's nearly heart-stopping sense of surprise gave way to joy, which gave way then to sentimental tears and a quivering smile of boundless happiness to see her parents' faces again. In an instant, any lingering feelings of failure and regret were no longer anywhere in Ochako Uraraka's mind or heart to be seen.
Just off the coast of Vladivostok, Russia
The early summer heat of the early afternoon sun did nothing to quell the chill of the ocean winds, as the massive cargo ship took off from the harbors of the Golden Horn, preparing to make its return voyage back to Musutafu Port in Japan.
As the grizzled crewmen continued about their daily routine to try and keep their cargo secure and the ship running smoothly, a select couple found themselves continuously looking to the solitary figure standing like a gargoyle at the bow of the ship, never once taking his eyes off the ocean horizon ahead.
Truth be told, this stranger had been standing in that exact same spot for the last few hours, long before the ship had even taken off. Many of the crew had initially mistaken him to be a stowaway, but the captain and the rest of the higher-ups of the crew had been very quick to diffuse such suspicions.
Apparently, this stranger had just come to the captain the previous night like a specter, and offered him over 300 grand in cold hard cash, simply for the task of taking him along for the return voyage to Japan. As soon as the possibility of splitting such a sum with the rest of the crew in exchange for their cooperation had come up, nobody dared bat so much as an eye at their mysterious 'passenger'. The fact that he gave them all serious creeps, even without saying a word, was plenty enough reason on top of that.
As he stood at the bow of the ship, with the full chill and force of the ocean winds hitting him square in the face, he never paid mind to the saltiness in the air, or the smell of cheap ship oil, or the long since embedded stench of the crew. No, none of these things even once registered to him, as he could only continue to stare across the horizon, and take another deep, enticing whiff of a scent that lingered in the air, so minute that of course he could be the only one to ever notice it. And notice it he did, and each time it sent a tremor of what he could only describe as 'pure ecstasy' up and down his spine. The fact that he had been following this nearly nonexistent scent across the Siberian sub-continent for the last two weeks, only to finally end up here, made all the previous efforts feel so much more worthwhile.
"I've got your scent good now, Tunguska. I'm coming… after all these years, I'm finally coming for you. And you… oh, good God… you better be ready when I find you."
And there is this weeks' chapter, and the end of this stories' spin on the Sports Festival Arc. Starting next week, we delve into our first fully original story arc to take place parallel to the events of the Hero Killer: Stain arc! I hope you'll all be looking forward to reading what I have in store, as much as I'm enjoying planning and writing it all.
If you liked what you read here today, please take the time to leave an honest review, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 03/24!
* Kolya is referencing the 1991 Jonathan Demme crime thriller 'The Silence of the Lambs', as I'm sure many of you have figured out by now. Seeing Bakugo restrained like that with his known temperament, it was too good a reference to ignore.