Justice Across Space and Time
Chapter 20
Yeah….. this chapter is gonna have an ass whooping and then a good fight to finish it. I was on the fence, because after I thought about it I realized there might be some ramifications of what I have planned for the fight. Mainly because of the details of the so called meta liberation army. They really want to think quirks are the next step. But with what I'm about to do, they'll be shown how worthless quirks are. Now then, on with the show
(No POV)
Izuku was just facepalming as Jotaro made that challenge to Endeavor. Said challenger was looking up toward the stands. Where he could feel the heat from the arrogant hothead. Endeavor on the other hand was having a bit of an internal dilemma. 'If I answer his challenge, there is a chance I could lose. Also, even if I could win, there would be some who see it as me attacking a child. But if I don't answer him, not only will the civilians think I'm afraid, but villains will as well…. I guess I don't have a choice.' Endeavor calms his flames before taking a breath. With that he says, "Alright boy. I'll face off with you. I hope you're ready."
With his accepting of the challenge, there are plenty in the stands who are excited. "Oh man! The number 2 is going to show how strong quirks really are!" "Yeah. That kid may have durability, but Endeavor has gotten through tough opponents before." While many are voicing that opinion, there are a few others who are concerned at what the results could spell. For All Might, he saw this as breaking down some of the peace he had created.
'But it may help other matters in the long run. I had started looking into some of the mistreatment and abuse of quirkless people, and it is much worse than we thought. With this, maybe it will stop. Though it will be out of fear.' For both Izuku and Saphentite though they had a different thought. Mainly thinking they will have to deal with a lot of the fallout to this whole matter.
When Endeavor gets down to the arena, he notices that Jotaro is taking off his gym jacket. "What are you doing?" "This isn't a match between students. It's supposed to be between heroes, right? So, I gotta use my costume." Jotaro says with a smirk. When he has taken off his undershirt, there are quite a few who have wide eyed opinions on his appearance.
For the men they see a young man with a physique and build equal to All Might. Some of whom are attracted by it. For some of the women, a fair number are drooling at the sight of a young man with a very impressive build. Midnight herself is staring quite intently. "Ara ara. Quite the impressive specimen we have here. But don't you have to get your suitcase with your uniform?" She asks.
Jotaro in turn just smiles, before taking a breath. He then has a look of intense concentration across his face and appears to be flexing his upper body. Then, with a crackle of electricity and a shout, Jotaro's upper uniform shirt is seen. The black shirt with red lines outlining a pair of white Libra scales, seems to shimmer in the sun. "There we go. Now then" "How did you do that!?" Endeavor shouts, and most of the audience is confused as well.
Jotaro just sighs before saying, "I ran a charge through the air around my body and ionized the air. I can only make the shirt so far, but I can probably do the same with my whole body. I don't need some idiots making me one, when to make it so they can advertise." At that a large number of companies see the loss of a potential investment and other are amazed at Jotaro's power again. "So, he's flexing again. But just in a different way?" Kaminari shouts from the 1-A section. And while most of the rest are confused, most are not surprised that Izuku and Saphentite were non-plussed at the whole matter.
"Now then. I want to say age before beauty…. But I know that doesn't apply here." Jotaro says with the latter statement said under his breath. Endeavor is more and more enraged by the audacity of the young man before him. "I hope you're ready brat!" He shouts before rushing in and attacking Jotaro. He opens up with his "Flashfire Fist!" jet boosting his punch into Jotaro's head.
Said person doesn't move but copies what he did against the younger Todoroki, and plants his feet into the ground to make sure he can't be knocked out of the ring. After the hit though, Endeavor could feel the pain in his hand. 'The boy really is incredibly durable. It's no wonder no one could even phase him. But I won't let that stop me. I can't!' With that thought, Endeavor tries as many different attacks as he can to do some damage to Jotaro. Who in turn blocks some of the strikes, but still doesn't move from his spot.
Endeavor decides to mix in a few of his other ultimate moves, first going for a "Hell Spider" strike to try cutting. Then mixing in Hell's Curtain, Hellfire Storm, and the Hellfire Minefield. When Jotaro still seems to be standing, Endeavor decides to pull out all the stops. "I'm impressed boy! You made me have to pull out my most powerful technique! Eat THIS! Prominence! BURN!" The older hero shouts and unleashes a powerful torrent of flames.
Most people in the audience already had to move back from the front rows, but now everyone was up next to the top seats. After seeing the huge torrent of flames, most were convinced that Jotaro (even if not hurt) had to be unconscious from the heat and lack of oxygen. "Guess that's what the kid gets for talking big. Quirks still are powerful. At least with the right people behind them." A few spectators state and see the ring as the smoke clears.
Endeavor is over on one side breathing heavily. 'I overdid it. But that should have knocked him out. His body is invulnerable, but only from the outside. He still has to breathe.' When the smoke clears, they see Jotaro is still standing. In fact, he doesn't appear to be any worse for the wear. Instead, he is rolling his shoulders and just brushing off a little bit of soot. His pants had been charred the worst, but even that damage is minimal compared to what most expected. Then with a crack of his neck and a deep breath, Jotaro says something that destroys people's idea that quirks are strong or are the next step.
"My turn."
And with that Jotaro rushes at the older hero and punches him in the face so hard, it sends him flying. Or it would had Jotaro not grabbed the older man's leg and started rag dolling him on the ground over and over. After about 10 slams to the ground, Jotaro catches the man in a clothesline hit as he's bouncing up and slams him on the ground again. Endeavor manages to regain enough of himself to try and roll away but Jotaro is him again in an instant.
"I'm gonna get a little weeby here." Jotaro jokingly says, before unleashing his attack. A flurry of blows that come so fast the older man can't keep up. And while he is punching Jotaro is just shouting, "ORA, ORA, ORA, ORA!" Saphentite though is not amused. After a big punch after that, Jotaro starts moving so fast around the ring that most can't keep up.
And with each of his hits, he breaks more and more of Endeavors body. Most of the punches break his ribs. But Jotaro mixes it up with some chops and kicks to break each of the bones in his limbs. This terrifies more and more people as they see one of the strongest heroes in their nations being rag dolled by a young man who is said to not have a quirk. The thing they believed to be what defined all of them. For the students though, they are terrified at the idea of having to face off with him. Izuku and Saphentite though are worried as they can see the look on Jotaro's face. A slightly manic grin on it.
"He's slipping back into that isn't he?" Izuku asks and Saphentite responds with, "Yeah. When he feels he needs to deal out an extremely harsh and strong punishment, his sadistic side comes out. Not saying it isn't deserved in some cases, but it's still terrifying." Jotaro seems to have heard what they said and snaps out of his haze. As he is shaking his head, Endeavor is just bloody and broken in his hand. When he looks down and sees the broken man, he calms himself more. And with that, he drags Endeavor to the side of the arena and drops him out of bounds.
When that was done, he walked back to the lockers and tried to focus on calming his mind again. His main friends all decided to come in and check on him, with All Might excusing himself from the teachers seating. No one was cheering as Endeavor was taken off to get fixed up. More were terrified that the powers they were proud of were just shown to be weaker than they could ever hope to achieve.
For the quirkless though, some saw this as a good and a bad thing. They saw this as the idea that they had more potential than anyone else. But it could also mean that they may be targeted. In the following weeks of the UA sports festival, there would be dozens full awakenings of true metas across the world. And following that, a large number of quirked gangs would be eliminated or arrested.
When the three reached the locker room, they saw Jotaro trying to calm down more and more. But he had also damaged a fair number of lockers. Either by gripping and crushing them or punching them as he finished working out of his haze. He barely notices them, as they come in and help him bring his mind at ease. It takes a few inspiring words from All Might, reminding him again he can't control everything (and can't always beat himself up for limitations or loss of restraint) and Izuku and Saphentite saying they are not afraid of him and that they know he won't hurt them like that. Jotaro lets out a few tears as he finally eases his mind away from what transpired with the fight with Endeavor.
All Might had called and asked to wait a while before the final match. Most were terrified at the idea of Jotaro coming back and what he could do to Izuku. Others were already leaving the arena, thinking that the fight was a forgone conclusion or were afraid of what could happen to all of them if they got caught in the shockwaves of the fight. When the two boys come back into the ring, the audience is half what it was before. As Midnight is announcing the two, Jotaro goes up to Izuku and says, "Thanks for pulling me out of that place Izuku."
With that he holds up his hand to shake Izuku's. When Izuku does though, he feels a shock run through him. "Wait. Did you?" He asks Jotaro. Who in turn nods with a small smile. "What's going on? What are you talking about Midoriya?" Midnight asks worriedly, but Saphentite instead answers. "I think I know. Jotaro just gave you a little super charge didn't he Izuku? Meaning now, you can use your full power and you'll heal even faster and have to worry about the recoil less and less." Jotaro in turn nods and Izuku realizes another point. "This isn't permanent. I still have to build it up long term. But for now, I can give you my all without worrying about hurting myself. And to an extent without you worrying about hurting me." Izuku says with a smile growing on his face.
"HOLD IT! You two are not fighting here! You'll kill everybody! I have a place you two can fight without most people getting caught up in it." Saphentite says before snapping her fingers and creating a portal next to them. Saphentite then says to Midnight that she can make it to where everyone can see the action on the big screens. "I suppose that is fine. But this match will have to be to a knockout. No point to a ring out in this case."
Saphentite nods and gives Midnight a lift to watch the action, by turning into a magic carpet. With the two young heroes in position, Izuku goes into OFA full cowling 100% and circulating his kinetic healing at the same time. "Well this is a strange stage, out in these mountains. But it is still the final match. If both competitors are ready!... BEGIN!" Midnight calls out and the battle between the two begins.
They start with a mix of blows against one another. Most having a hard time telling where one hit starts and ends. This continues for about 2 minutes before Izuku decides to get some distance. As Jotaro is rushing in to tackle him, Izuku unleashes a "Kansas City SMASH!" and hard chops the top of Jotaro's head. The blow sends the taller boy careening to the ground. When he gets up, he shakes his head before saying, "Yeah, that one hurt." Shocking the audience that is watching the events.
Izuku follows this up with a "Kansas SMASH" and then a "Detroit SMASH" to send Jotaro flying around the area. After that, Jotaro regains his composure and unleashes a powerful thunderclap to throw off Izuku's follow up. From there, Jotaro gets in and hits Izuku with as many powerful hits as he can muster. This does break a few of Izuku's bones, but since he is focusing on healing with his kinetic meta powers he recovers quickly.
'I really can't hold back. I'll try and get some distance again, before unleashing that.' Izuku thinks to himself, before kicking Jotaro back and using a "Delaware SMASH" to shockwave push him back across the rocks. Izuku then crosses his arms and fires out tendrils of black energy. "HUH!? What the?!" Jotaro says as the energy wraps around him. Izuku then takes this moment to spin Jotaro around and around, smashing him into some of the rocks before throwing him a ways. "What the heck is that?! That kid had that lying in wait!? Why didn't he use that earlier?! He probably figured that it would come down to the two of them, and he wanted to make sure he could have it as a surprise." Most of the audience and students were saying.
Tokoyami and Izuku's other teammates from the cavalry battle had an idea what it was. "Midoriya had mentioned it was something new. But he was waiting to fully use it. He said he couldn't control it too well, but I guess Jotaro giving him a supercharge helped." Tokoyami said. Katsuki on the other hand is incredibly livid. 'Not only did he not have to put out everything against me, but he had another power waiting and he didn't have to use it against me! Am I really that weak compared to him!? (Yes you are. You always should be)' Were the main thoughts running through his mind.
Back in the fight, Jotaro is shaking his head again as Izuku used the tendrils to pick up loose boulders from around the area and throw them at Jotaro. The taller boy grits his teeth, before planting his feet and unleash a barrage of super-fast blows. This pulverizes the boulders, and he catches Izuku as he rushed in after the boulders were destroyed. With his opponent caught, Jotaro slams him against the ground a few times before Izuku frees himself.
Both continue this pattern of strikes and counter strikes for at least 15 minutes. While Midnight wants to call the match after that time, she stops when she sees the look on both of their faces. They are both exhausted, Jotaro having actually taken some damage and was breathing heavily and Izuku while healing isn't healing as fast as he was before. But neither of them is willing to stop. So, with a resigned sigh and a nod, Midnight allows the match to continue.
'I think we're both almost done. I don't think I can unleash anymore really strong hits. And he's running out of steam too. But there is still one last advantage I have.' Izuku has been thinking much the same, and both decide to lay everything out with one last attack. They both rush in and combo and block each other's initial attacks. After striking each other's heads, they reel back a bit before gritting their teeth and tightening their fists for one last hit.
When they throw their last punches the strike each other in the face with such an impact, it cracks the ground. The hit even breaks Jotaro's sunglasses. They both fall on their backs, seemingly unconscious. Midnight and Saphentite fly down to check them, and see the state they are in. "Both are unconscious. So, whoever can stand up first and speak will be declared the winner!" Midnight exclaims as the cameras focus in on the pair.
The audience watches with anticipation and trepidation. Who knows which of these two powerful students will stand first. Who knows what will happen when they do. Suddenly, they notice a twitch from one and many in 1-A gasp in joy. Izuku has started to move first and drags himself up to stand. Once he stands, he takes his stance ready for the next blow. But he doesn't say anything. Then they hear a grunt from Jotaro, who has also started to stand manages to get up and say, "Good fight pal. You pushed me plenty hard." With that statement Midnight declares Jotaro the winner.
"But Izuku stood up first! Shouldn't he be the winner!?" Ochaco calls out, and Jotaro signals a camera to come down. At a close up of Izuku's face they can all see it. He passed out fully while standing up. "AH! Damnit. I'm impressed he broke my glasses. Hey Saphee, when we get back do you mind making me a new pair." "Sure. I know you need them." Saphentite says with a proud smile, while Midnight is confused. So she asks, "why do you need those glasses? And why does she have to make you a new pair? Will you look at me when I'm talking to you, young man. Open your eyes."
At this Jotaro backs up saying, "No thank you. I'm already tired so, HEY!" He shouts as Midnight grabs his eyelid and opens it. She then recoils in shock, while Jotaro in a bit of pain. "GOD DAMNIT! Don't do that! Ah that hurt." Jotaro says. Midnight though decides to breach the point she thought when she saw his eye. "Can you even see me? Or see anyone?" At this everyone is shocked and dumbfounded. "I thought he had heightened senses?! How can he not see?!" Ojiro and a few of the other members of 1-A ask. Jotaro then just sighs before saying, "No. I can't see anyone or thing. I'm blind."
While more and more people are shocked and dumbfounded as the four return to the center ring, Jotaro decides to clarify. "I guess it's not exactly that I'm blind. My eyes are just so insanely sensitive, I can't see anything. Or rather anything more than white light. That's why I need the sunglasses. It takes a lot of the edge off of the light if I do open my eyes." Saphentite then starts casting some type of spell in her hands muttering, "Lets see; orichalcum, adamantine, tungsten steel, titanium, then some extreme ballistic glass that can't be broken by meteoroids entering the atmosphere. That should do it. Your usual pair of sunglasses." Jotaro just says thanks while Midnight is questioning why he needs such impressive and durable materials (some thought to be fictional) for sunglasses.
Saphentite gives her a flat look before saying, "with as strong as he is, he needs glasses that can survive if he happens to fall or run into something." Midnight shakes her head and announces the end of UA Sports festival. When Izuku fully wakes up in Recovery Girl's office, he gets the run down from said nurse. "So Jotaro won in the end. Now that I think about that last exchange, I know exactly how he won."
"Oh. And how is that sonny?" Recovery Girl asks, but in truth she knows the answer. Right as he's about to explain, a bunch of his classmates crash in asking if he was alright and that they were glad he was awake.
"Now then. You were saying young Midoriya?" Recovery Girl asks once most of the questions had been asked. Izuku's classmates look to him so he explains, "I know why he won in that last exchange. He took advantage of a factor most of us wouldn't think of. Most of you guys thought it had to do with the amount of strength or what our power could put out right?" At an affirmative nod from his class, Izuku shakes his head before continuing. "We were roughly at the same level of power. He won because he was taller."
This confuses most of the class that was there so Izuku explains more concisely. "He's 6 foot 1 remember. I'm only 5 foot 6. He could hit me in the face before I could hit him. And so, my punch would have less impact." At realizing this Momo is the first to facepalm, and the others are impressed that Jotaro had thought about that during the battle. With the final victors named, it is time for the award ceremony. "And the medals will be awarded by…."
"I AM HERE!" All Might exclaims, which makes everyone around them cheer. At that he gives a big smile to the crowd before saying how proud he is of all of the students who competed today. For the two third place fighters, Ashido Mina and Kendo Itsuka, he has different words of encouragement. "Young Ashido. You did quite well. Considering who your opponent was. Improve your skills with not just your quirk, but also your dancing! It could prove useful in a battle down the line." "Yessir All Might!" Mina said with a big smile on her face.
Itsuka had a smaller smile, but she was proud of herself by showing she could win without relying on her quirk. "Young Kendo. I'm quite impressed by your skills in martial arts. It is unfortunately something that has gone by the wayside for most heroes. Continue to inspire others that the work they put in can give great results."
With a fist in her palm, she bows to All Might. Who reciprocates the gesture. For Izuku, All Might couldn't be prouder of his successor. And he tells him this without giving away their relationship. "You showed grit, ingenuity, flexibility of mind. And above all, a true spirit of Plus Ultra my boy. You earned quite the victory here today."
Izuku is tearing up at that and thanks All Might. When it comes to Jotaro, most in the stands are still unsure of what to think about the young man. But All Might knows exactly what to say to him.
"Even though you went all out against Izuku, you still held back quite a bit. I know those little windstorm and earthquake bits you are putting a bit more force into those steps and breaths, but you still hold back in the right ways. I'm proud of you for the other matches. You chose to respect most of your opponents and give them a chance to show their skills. Or help them in some ways." All Might says as he places the gold medal around Jotaro's neck.
"Well now folks! That is the end for the first-year competition! I hope to see greater things from these students. So good day, and good luck to the next set of competitors! PLUS! ULTRA!" And with that, All Might leaps away. With the event done, the students head for home. For one though, he has something he has to do. "Shoto? Where are you going?" Shoto's sister Fuyumi asks. "I'm just going to the hospital." When he arrives, he resolves to make things right with the one who had scarred him. Upon opening the door, he saw the more gentle and happy face of his mother from his memories. "Hi mom." He simply said, while his mother Todoroki Rei just started to tear up at seeing her youngest son again.