Chapter 23
[Play KH 2.5 Remix OST Fate Of The Unknown]
There was silence all around. Everyone was just staring at the blade in Sora's hand. Unlike the Kingdom Key that was cartoonish in design, Oblivion screamed dark all over it. Only two other students had seen this sword before. Katsuki Bakugo was one of them, and he was furious over the fact that IcyHot was the first person to be considered worthy of fighting against that sword, and not him.
The other student who knew about its existence, was standing in the arena with Sora. Shoto remembered seeing his classmate use it against All Might back at U.S.J. for a short time, but he didn't see much. Now he had to go up against it. He couldn't afford to take any chances, so he had to strike hard and fast in order to win.
The ice user launched a barrage towards his target, but Sora had met the attack head on, hopping back and twirling Oblivion in his hands, before pouncing forward and cutting straight through the attack, shredding the ice in almost an instant. Sora then jumped up and casted three fire spells towards Todorroki, who rolled out of the way to dodge the first two. He then placed an ice wall in front of him to block the third one. The wall was blasted away from the fireball, and the other two were circling back around to make another run towards their target.
Shoto made another, much stronger ice wall to block the other two attacks, stopping one of them successfully, but he was open to attack from his opponent, who ran towards him and swung at the ice user's left side, slamming him into his own ice wall and breaking it, letting the final fireball hit the right side of his ribs.
The ice user was still recovering from the attack and didn't have enough time to react when Sora bombarded him with a strong 6 hit combo, launching the boy towards the edge, only being saved by an ice wall made at the last second to catch himself. He took a moment to recover, but when he looked up, another fireball was closing in on him. He rolled out of the way and let the attack destroy the ice barrier that was behind him.
When Todoroki stopped rolling, he launched another ice barrage towards Sora, but the swordsman easily avoided it, running to the side. After that, Shoto did another barrage in the direction that his opponent was heading, attempting to cut the Keyblade wielder off. Sora had stopped in his tracks and was now in between two ice clusters and the one who made them, in center.
Todoroki got himself ready to continue attacking, positioning himself to make a barrage that would cover the entire area he boxxed Sora into, but the Keyblade wielder had a different play in mind, using his flowmotion to blitz past Shoto and strike the ice user in the back, launching the boy into the center of the area that was boxxed off.
The swordsman wasn't done yet though, and he kept his flowmotion on, deciding to take advantage of the environment that was created by his enemy. Sora launched himself towards one of the many stalagmites and latched the end of Oblivion onto it, using the ice to rotate his body and build up momentum before blitzing towards the one who made the ice and slam his sword onto Todoroki's left side.
The attack caused the ice user to reel to the side from the force, but that was just the beginning. Sora stayed in his flowmotion and went to the other ice cluster, repeating the action and slamming Oblivion onto his right arm, striking the joint in the elbow to make sure that he didn't break it. The swordsman repeated this action, over and over again, hitting Shoto's body parts in this specific order, his left shin, the right side of his ribs, his back, his stomach, his left thigh, his right shoulder, his chest.
Each strike was getting faster and faster as the barrage went on, and Todoroki was forced to his knees, with both his hands on the ground. Sora went for one more strike to slam his opponent into the floor, but the son of Endeavor had enough strength to freeze the ground around him, and was lucky enough to catch Sora's feet. He looked up and noticed his situation, deciding not to waste any time and make more ice around Sora, covering everything except the swordsman's head.
Shoto struggled to get himself back up, as he spoke up. "You weren't joking when you said you were going to take this fight seriously." He was about halfway back onto his feet. "That power and speed was nothing like before. Not even I could react to it, but this fight is over."
It was then that the ice user noticed something unbelievable. The ice around Sora was starting to crack rather quickly, and the spiky haired fighter was almost freed from his cold prison. Todoroki made more ice around the boy, but that only slowed him down for a few seconds. The Keyblade wielder broke all the ice that was on him and slid to the side, dodging any extra ice that was heading towards him. And worst of all for Shoto, Sora wasn't affected by the cold at all.
Sora pointed Oblivion towards Todoroki and casted a Blizzard spell, making a small ice trail behind it as it went straight for Shoto. The ice user moved to his left, but he wasn't able to dodge it completely, as the right half of his body was frozen from the neck down. Todoroki was stuck in place, and was now very worried. He looked at where Sora was and saw the boy sliding on the ice path directly towards him. He closed his eyes and held his left arm in front of his face to protect it.
Sora jumped over Shoto and didn't attack the boy at all, landing on his feet behind his opponent and looking a bit annoyed. He then noticed Midnight raising her hand, and she started to speak. "Todoroki has..."
[Silence]
"He can get out of this!" Sora called out to Midnight, stopping her from stopping the match. "Just give him a minute!" He looked back at Shoto, and spoke to him. "We both know you can get out of this."
Todoroki struggled, trying to move his right side, but he couldn't do anything. "I...can't break it." He spoke up, his breath visible from the cold.
"You know that's not what I meant Shoto." Sora stated. The ice user looked back at him as he continued to talk. "I'm giving you everything I've got right now, so I was hoping that you'd give me everything you had."
"I...can't just..." Todoroki started, but he was cut off.
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Forever No.2]
"Look, Shoto." Sora started. "Whatever personal issue is causing you to not use your fire, you have to let that go, or at the very least, bury it down when you're fighting, so that you don't waste your potential as a Hero."
"What are you..." The ice user started. "Talking about?"
"Izuku told me that you had some personal issues, nothing specific." Sora explained, making sure that he wasn't loud enough to be heard by the audience. "And I also overheard your conversation with your father before the match against Sero, so I can only guess that it's family related." Todoroki was visibly shocked. "Before you had your match with Midoriya, he came to me, asking for advice on how to help you, and I gave him some advice. And since you used your fire back on his match, I can only guess it worked." He spoke up, making sure that the audience could hear him. "So why won't you use your flames against me!? I'm respecting your strength, so you should respect mine!"
Shoto was deep in thought, looking unsure of what to do, contemplating what was just spoken to him. His left arm was starting to droop down and his eyes were closed. He was about to give up the fight, but was suddenly brought back to reality when he heard a voice from the bleachers.
[Silence]
"COME ON TODOROKI!" It was Izuku, screaming from the top of his lungs, surprising the entire class. "DON'T GIVE UP! DO YOUR BEST!"
Though the class didn't understand why Midoriya was cheering for Shoto and not his friend, Sora knew why and silently thought, "Thank's Izuku."
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Nevertheless Go Beyond]
Todoroki's eyes were open once more, and hot air began to form around him. The ice on his right side was rapidly melting into steam and suddenly, flames had burst from Shoto's left side. He stood back up and turned around, looking at his opponent with reinvigorated determination.
Sora smiled and spoke up. "Yes!" He shouted. "Use that power! Remember what he said to you! That fire is yours and yours alone to shape! Don't think about anything else, other than this moment!" He gripped the hilt of his blade tightly as he got himself ready to continue.
The fire user ended up smiling as well, telling his opponent. "Both of you are insane. It's no wonder why you two are friends." The flames and ice on his body mirrored what he looked like in his last battle, but this time, Endeavor wasn't screaming at his son, allowing the boy to forget about him much easier. "So I suppose the real fight begins now?"
"Yeah, and now I can go 100%!" Sora replied, as he then released a huge surge of energy from his body, enveloping himself in light for a brief second. Once the light faded, his clothes were now a different color and had a new design. He was in pitch black clothes with a white outline. The Kanji for Darkness was now imprinted on his pant legs, and he was slightly glowing dark purple. He was now in his Dark Form. "Let's make this the best match of the tournament!"
Both fighters look at eachother, sizing up their opponent, figuring out how they were going to end the fight. But regardless of who won, it was going to be a spectacular battle that wouldn't be topped by anything else. The two fighters noticed that the teachers weren't stepping in, so they could just focus on the match. Now the real fight begins.
Shoto launched an ice barrage bigger than the one he used against Sero, blasting it towards Sora, but the Keyblade wielder met the attack head on, spinning Oblivion in front of him like a saw blade, cutting down all the ice that was in front of him. The spiky haired boy activated his flowmotion and blitzed towards the ice that wasn't destroyed, pushing himself off of it and onto another and another to build up more speed and throw off Todoroki, but the flame user wasn't gonna fall for the same trick twice.
The son of Endeavor used his left side and blasted the entire area in front of him, setting that entire section in the arena ablaze as the ice surrounding him melted, and the cold air around him began to heat up and expand. Shoto held his hand forward and put even more heat in his flames, executing the exact same move that he used against Midoriya.
Another explosion was made, but there were no cement walls stopping this one, so it hit its target. Once the smoke cleared though, the audience and Todoroki were shocked to see Sora, in a cracked barrier made of purple light and black chains. The swordsman unsummoned the barrier and then looked at his opponent, ready to make his move. He pointed the blade forward and called out "My turn!"
The Keyblade wielder charged forward, going for a frontal attack to finish the fight. Shoto made an ice wall behind him and then froze the entire ground of the arena, but Sora used his Finishing Leap move, jumping up and slamming Oblivion into the ground below him, causing the floor under him to break from the force while also pushing Sora back into the air for the time he needed. Todoroki then used his flames to try and burn his opponent in the air, but the Keyblade wielder used his flowmotion to close the distance, twirling Oblivion into a reverse grip before slamming it into Shoto's stomach. The force of the attack had shattered the ice wall behind him as Sora announced the move, "ZANTETSUKEN!"
[Silence]
Todoroki was sent flying out of the arena and hit the wall of the amphitheater. Sora's clothes went back to normal as he powered down, no longer needing the form as he then began panting from slight exhaustion. This was his toughest match yet. He then heard Midnight call out. "Todoroki is...out of bounds! Sora advances to the finals!"
[Play KH DDD OST World Of Dream Drops]
The winner of the match didn't strike a pose or wave this time. Instead he ran over towards his defeated opponent to help him out. Sora had just managed to get to Shoto in time before he collapsed to the ground, catching him beforehand and wrapping his arm over the Keyblade wielder's shoulders. "You okay?" He asked.
"Y...Yeah." The flame user replied, leaning on the boy. "I didn't expect you...to be so strong."
"Well I usually don't show off my strength unless I have to." Sora stated. "I also only got this strong because of the second wave of the Villain attack."
Todoroki had slightly huffed at that response, replying with "Then it's no wonder that you were able to hold out long enough until the Pros rescued you."
Sora smiled at that response. "Come on." He said, starting to escort his friend out of the area and towards an exit. "Let's get you to Recovery Girl, Shoto." The flame user nodded and let his opponent help him get to the nurse's office.
The crowd cheered for Sora, but certain people were silent. Endeavor was speechless that his masterpiece was beaten at his best by a boy who was also holding back, and Class 1-A finally saw Sora at full power and were now voicing their opinions.
"What the heck even is he?" Hanta asked, looking very pale.
"Holy crap dude." Eijiro said dumbfoundedly. "He took out Todoroki easily."
"Yeah." Mashirao agreed. "He even used his fire, but he still couldn't beat Sora."
"What was with that sword?" Kyoka wondered. "Does it have its own perks or something?"
"Compared to the one he normally uses, that one seemed to make him physically stronger." Momo inferred.
"Y-Yeah, l-like he needed a strength boost to begin with." Denki pointed out.
"I'm more concerned with what happened near the end." Fumikage spoke up. "That form he was in, when he tapped into it, he somehow gave off the presence that I feel when I use Dark Shadow."
"You think that sword helps him summon dark powers Tokoyami?" Rikido questioned.
"It's possible." Tenya remarked. "We don't know the limit of Sora's quirk, so anything is possible at this point."
"Oh man." Toru said. "He really was holding back a lot of power back at the hero training."
"I don't think that's entirely true." Izuku explained. "If this really was Sora's full power, then why wouldn't he have used that against the Heartless back at U.S.J.? Not only that, but he doesn't seem to prefer using it when it obviously gives him an advantage. Aside from being considerate towards his opponents, he probably didn't want to use that sword because he can't control his strength output with it."
"That didn't stop him from using it on Todoroki though." Ochako reminded her friend.
"They're the two strongest people in our class when it comes to quirks and how they use them." Mezo chimed in.
"Ribbit." Tsuyu added. "Maybe Sora thought Todoroki could take his full strength after what happened with you two, Midoriya?"
"Geez. Talk about an amazing fight though." Mina praised.
"Yeah." Minoru added his two cents. "Amazingly terrifying! What did he do to get that strong?!"
Izuku, Iida, Uraraka, and Katsuki each knew how he got that strong, Midoriya more than the others, but the four of them kept to themselves. Fumikage and Yaoyorozu remembered the marks on Sora's body, but they also stayed quiet, as to respect the boy's privacy. After that was said and done, another break was needed to fix the arena once more.
[Silence]
After taking Todoroki to the nurse's office and letting Recovery girl do her thing, Sora and he began walking back to the stands, but the flame user stopped the Keyblade wielder about halfway to their destination. Sora had a feeling that this would happen and he leaned against the wall across from his friend, letting the ice user gather his thoughts.
"What did Midoriya tell you?" Shoto started with that.
"He just said you were going through personal stuff." Sora answered. "He didn't go into detail about anything at all."
Todoroki had leaned back against the wall across from Sora as he tried to figure out how to respond to that. "It's...not something that I...like discussing."
"Then how about I start?" Sora interrupted, catching the boy off guard. "Maybe it'll be easier for you to talk if you know a little of my dark side."
Shoto looked at the Keyblade wielder, unsure about this idea, but he didn't say anything to stop him.
"I'll take that as a yes." Sora said as he took Todoroki with him to his waiting room. "Okay then." He took off his gym top and let Todoroki see all of his battle damage, before telling him, "Pick a scar."
[Play KH Re:Coded OST Roxas]
Todoroki never really paid attention to his classmates when they suited up in their Hero costumes, both out of respect for people's privacy, and because he really just didn't care, so he never really got to see Sora's upper body uncovered. It was...damaged. And Shoto got to see every angle. Claw marks all over his back and sides, a scar in the center of his chest that looked like it came from a blade stabbing him, but what got his attention the most was the burn marks around his neck.
"Those burns around your neck." The boy selected.
"Jeez. That's a story." Sora replied, before gathering his thoughts, wanting to make sure that he told the story correctly. "Ok. A very long time ago, way before I came here, I was looking for one of my friend's named Riku, who was missing for a year, but a group of people wanted to use my Quirk for their own needs. They forced me to achieve their goals by kidnapping my other friend Kairi, sending countless amounts of Heartless wherever I went, attacking me and innocent bystanders at random, and toying with my emotions so I would want to go after them. I eventually managed to find out where they were holding Kairi and I attempted to rescue her with a group of Heroes, but Riku was there and had broken her out first. We found each other somewhere in the stronghold and worked together to take down the Organization before they could destroy us. Riku and I were the ones who fought the leader at the time. A Villain named Xemnas who was trying to make himself immortal. I fought him alone for a bit before Riku joined in and helped me defeat him for good. During the battle I had by myself with him, he used his Light Manipulation quirk to make two heated red rods and burn the skin on my neck when I was too slow to block his attack."
Though drastically different in many ways, Todoroki somewhat connected with Sora's tale. Both of them were used by someone else for their Quirks. Both of them were isolated from the people they cared about during the times they needed to be with those people. And both of them had gotten burnt flesh that permanently reminded them of the experience.
After hearing that, he felt both angry, yet relieved. He was furious that there were other people who would do horrible things to people so young, but he was also relieved because he wasn't alone. Sora had an understanding, though it was a small one, of what Shoto had been through, and it made him feel a bit more comfortable around the spiky haired boy.
"I think...You might be the right person to talk to about what I've been through." Todoroki said. Sora looked at him, a bit curious, but very patient. Letting the son of Endeavor continue. "I think I'm ready to talk about my issues with you."
"Just tell me what you're comfortable with saying Shoto." Sora replied. "Don't say anything you don't want to talk about."
"I'm okay with that." Todoroki agreed.
[Play KH2.5 Remix OST Roxas]
"Sora." He started. "Have you ever heard of Quirk Marriages?"
"I read about them." Sora replied, not liking where this is going.
"I'm an offspring of that." Shoto explained. "My father wanted to make me in order to surpass All Might." Sora wanted to ask why, but he didn't want to talk until he got the whole story, so he just let the boy continue. "After I was born and my Quirk manifested, my old man began to brutally train me to the point where it led to abuse. My mother tried to stop him, but she would also get abused if she ever got in the way. I was isolated from my siblings, so I could only go to her for comfort, but eventually my mother was so traumatized by him, that when she saw just my left side once, she attacked me by pouring boiling water on my face."
"That explains the scar." Sora remarked in a somber tone.
Todoroki just nodded and then continued. "I always viewed my left side as an extension of him, and because of that, I refused to use it in combat, just to spite him."
"I don't blame you for seeing it that way." Sora commented.
"Huh...weird." The ice user thought aloud.
"What's weird?" Sora wondered.
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Can't Look in the Eyes of Serenity]
Shoto looked down, on the surface of the table, wondering about something before he spoke up. "When I told Midoriya this story, I felt nothing but anger and regret." Sora nodded to this as he continued speaking. "But...when I told you this story, I felt more...relaxed, like...like I was getting something off my chest."
Sora responded. "Well...Why did you tell Izuku that story anyway?"
"The reason was so he could understand why I wanted to beat him without my fire." Todoroki recalled.
"And then you told me because..." Sora started, gesturing to Shoto to finish what he said.
It took awhile for him to answer. He looked at Sora when he said "Because...Because I think you could relate to me better than other people, at least...by a small amount."
"Really?" Sora replied. "Okay. I can kinda see that." Todoroki was confused about that answer until the Keyblade wielder elaborated. "We both have been hurt by people we looked up to. Me by Riku, and you by your mother. We both were isolated from people we cared about. Me from Kairi and you from your siblings. And we both have been scarred by these events. Yours is on your face, while mine are...well everywhere."
"But why only kinda." Shoto asked, still confused.
"Well, I don't exactly have a family to go back to, but you do." Sora said.
Todoroki was shocked to hear that. "Wait, then how are you still so positive, after everything you've been through?" He questioned.
"Hey. Just because I had to fight for my life ever since my Quirk manifested, doesn't mean my life was all doom and gloom." Sora pointed out. "I still had Kairi and Riku when I needed them. I made even more friends with the Heroes who helped me out of those tough spots, and I was happy with them."
Shoto had to process that for a minute before he asked Sora one last thing. "Do you...still get angry when you think about this organization?"
"Nope." The Keyblade wielder replied.
"How?" The fire user wondered.
"Because I choose not to think about them." Sora explained. "I won't ever forget the Villain Organization, or what they did to me, but I just don't let those memories distract me from what I need to do."
"And what is it that you want to do?" Todoroki questioned.
"To help people in any way I can." Sora answered with a smile. "Make them feel better when they're down, save them from danger if they're stuck. Make everywhere I go a better place, no matter how big or small of a difference."
Shoto ended up looking up at the ceiling, deep in thought. After a while of silence he said. "Thank you Sora, for understanding me, and for helping me out." He stood up and walked over to the door, but turned back and said one last thing. "It might take some time, but I think I know what I need to do to become the Hero I want to be."
Sora put his gym top back on and replied. "Anytime. After all, that's what friends do." They both left the room together.
[Silence]
While in the hallway, Todoroki asked his new friend a question. "So are you going to head back to the bleachers and wait for the next match?"
"No." The Keyblade wielder answered. "I already know who's gonna win, and I don't really want to see another one of my friends get beaten to the ground by Katsuki."
"What makes you so sure that Bakugo will win against Tokoyami's Dark Shadow?" Shoto questioned.
"Before the Cavalry Battle, Fumikage told me that his Quirk is weak against light." Sora informed his friend. "Katsuki's explosions are bright, his reaction time is faster than Dark Shadow, and Tokoyami only fights with his Quirk."
The ice user understood the reasoning, then asked "Then where are you going?"
"I'll head over to the stands out front and get something to eat. Probably get some stuff for the class while I'm at it." Sora replied. "Wanna come with?"
Todoroki paused before speaking up again. "Ok, I guess."
"Alright then!" the Keyblade wielder cheered. "Don't worry about paying for anything. I got it covered."
[Play KH3 OST Metropolitan Maze (Day)]
By the time the two boys got outside the next match was about to start. Outside the stadium, there were plenty of people who recognized both of them as they were walking by, crowding them and asking questions. It was pretty hard to get through until two Heroes on security stepped in to disperse the crowd.
"Hey, clear the road people!" Death Arms ordered as he politely, yet firmly pushed some people away.
"I know you're excited, but please give the students some room to walk." Kamui Woods instructed as he helped out with clearing a path. When the crowd finally dispersed, he turned to the two boys and already knew who they were. "I'm surprised to see both of you walking with each other after that match."
"Eh, we might have roughed eachother up a bit, but were all friends here." Sora replied. "Besides, even though it's a big deal, it's still a game, and the point of a game is to not take things too seriously."
"Is that so?" Death Arms interjected. "You boys sure looked serious during that match."
"Oh...well...uh..." Sora stuttered.
Shoto stepped in. "Just because we're friends doesn't mean we have to go easy on eachother."
"Ok. Fair point." He accepted the response. "Just try not to freeze, or blow up half the stadium next time."
"I understand sir." Todoroki replied, before asking Sora. "So what are you planning on getting here exactly?"
"Probably just another Dango, and maybe some Mochi." The Keyblade wielder answered.
"Grabbing some food before the next match?" Kamui Woods guessed. "The sweets stands are in the middle section to your left. I know because Mount Lady keeps going there in between matches."
"Thanks a bunch Kamui." Sora said as he walked off with Shoto, "You too Death Arms! Thanks for clearing a path for us!"
"No problem! Hey, good luck with the finals kid! I'm still rootin for ya!" Death Arms called out.
"I won't disappoint!" He cheerfully waved at the two who slightly waved back at him.
When the two were out of sight, Kamui Woods spoke up. "That kid really is something else."
"No kidding." Death Arms agreed. "Who'd have thought a twig like him could do so much crazy crap like that?"
"Well it just goes to show that looks can sometimes be deceiving." Kamui commented.
"Here here." Death Arms said, before the two went back to their duties.
[Play KH ReChain of Memories OST Welcome to Wonderland]
The two boys followed the directions given to them by Kamui and when they got there, a familiar female Pro had noticed the two and greeted them. "Well if it isn't the cinnamon roll that bought me sweets earlier." She complimented the Keyblade wielder. "And who'd have thought you'd be so strong too."
"Oh, hey!" Sora remembered who it was. "Mount Lady! How were those by the way."
"Oh just scrumptious." She replied. "What brings you out here anyway? I thought you'd be getting ready for the finals before the match is finished."
"I got time." Sora replied. "Besides, I can't fully concentrate on fighting when I'm hungry, so I came out to get some food with my friend here."
"I just decided to tag along." Todoroki informed her.
"What? You're not hungry?" Sora questioned.
"Not really." Shoto replied.
"But you skipped lunch earlier, and you've been doing so much today." Sora pointed out.
"I ate enough before I got here." Todoroki responded.
"You sure you don't want anything?" The Keyblade wielder asked. "I'm paying after all." The ice user shook his head to tell him no. "Well...too bad. I'm getting you something anyway. I'm that kind of friend."
Shoto just closed his eyes and accepted it, despite saying no thanks.
"Well how about I escort you two to the stands you need to get to." Mount Lady offered. "Lots of people around here might crowd around you two especially."
"You do have a point." Sora thought aloud. "Ok. Why not."
"Alrighty then." She stated. "Let's go get some sweet treats."
"Yeah!" Sora cheered while Todoroki was just watching this happen in front of him.
The first things the three got were some skewered dangos, 21 to be exact. 3 for them, and the other 18 for the rest of the class that would watch the final match. Next up the three went and got two boxes of rice cakes for the class, they then went and got a box of daifuku that Mount Lady took a piece from, and lastly a box of mizu yokan. After that was taken care of, the three were walking back to the stadium together.
"Thanks again for escorting us Mount Lady." Sora thanked her.
"It's the least I can do for you, since you bought me even more sweets." Mount Lady replied. "I didn't even ask you to do that."
"Well, you were drooling over at the dango stand, and I remember you saying you left your wallet in another costume, so I figured why not help you out again." Sora explained.
"And that is why you're an amazing little cinnamon roll in my eyes." She replied.
"Well, as long as I'm not your next meal, I can live with that." Sora joked, earning a giggle from her.
[Play KH2.5 Remix OST Courage]
Suddenly the three heard Midnight's voice on the big screen outside the stadium. As she announced. "Tokoyami gives up! Bakugo is the winner of this match!"
Mic then announced. "That means our final fight will be between Sora and Bakugo!"
Sora could see the angry determination in Katsuki's face as he looked first at the stands to see that he wasn't there, then towards the camera, as if he knew the Keyblade wielder was watching him.
"I guess you were right about the victor." Shoto commented.
Sora sighed and then responded. "Yep."
"You don't sound too excited." Mount Lady noted.
"He and I aren't exactly friends, so...yeah." Sora explained.
"Ah, rivals?" She guessed.
"Most likely." He answered. "Hey Shoto, can you get the sweets to the class while I go get ready?"
"Uh...sure." Todoroki answered. "Who gets what exactly?"
"Everyone gets a skewered dango, and then they share the daifuku and mizu yokan." Sora explained as he began to run off to go get ready.
"You want some help?" Mount Lady offered.
"I can carry this by myself." Shoto replied. "Besides, you'd probably eat half of the stuff before we got there." He then walked off.
"What? HEY!" She yelled out, before storming off.
[Play Boku no Hero Academia OST Master Criminal]
Back in Hosu. The Hero Killer was perched on the same rooftop he was before. The blade was still bathed in the blood of his last victim, who's name was Ingenium. Said Hero was being dragged out of the alleyway he was left to bleed out in by the police. The Hero Killer just watched this happen as he licked some blood off of his weapon.
"You haven't even noticed it have you?" He silently preached. "This warped society, admired by hypocrisy, and vanity. That's fine. I'll open your eyes, Heroes. You'll see the world that you've created."
As the Hero Killer was on high alert, due to his previous encounter with an unknown hooded figure, he pointed his blade behind him and looked in the direction of the very minute unnatural noise that was created in his vicinity. It was a purplish black void, similar though not the same as the one summoned by the figure he encountered. Out came an unfamiliar voice.
"Please, remain calm." The voice of Kurogiri requested. "We are of the same mind." This very slightly intrigued the man as he listened to the void. "I had been searching for you, Hero Killer Stain. I heard of your exploits and wanted to meet you in person, however my cohort in the black hood seemed to have found you first. I do apologize for any...altercations that they might have caused. I think you'd be interested in what I have to offer."
Back at the hideout, Tomura and the Figure were looking at an out of focus frame in a video that showed the Hero Killer. "Hero Killer, Stain." Shigaraki said aloud.
"That's him." The Figure confirmed.
"Well now. For once you've actually done something useful. My thanks." The white haired boy complimented.
"Yeah, sure." The Figure responded in an uncaring tone. Clearly the brat forgot about how they pulled him out of U.S.J. or about how they healed him and his friend, or the bit of advice he was given earlier by them, but fine. Just take the compliment, it's better than throwing the brat to the floor again for now.
[Silence]
Back at the Stadium, Shoto was walking towards the bleachers, until Katsuki stopped him. "Hey, IcyHot."
"It's Todoroki." The flame user responded.
"Where's That damn Toy Sword bastard?" Bakugo questioned. "He isn't in the waiting room."
"His name is Sora." Shoto corrected him. "And he told me that he was going to get ready, so check the waiting room again. Maybe you got there before he did."
Katsuki growled and just walked off, while Shoto continued to walk to the bleachers. When he got to the exit that led to them, he noticed Tenya walking in his direction, seemingly in a hurry. But the ice user remembered what Sora asked of him and got in front of the class rep.
"Iida." He spoke up.
"What is it Todoroki? I'm in a hurry." Tenya sounded stressed.
Shoto took out a skewered dango and gave it to him, catching the rep slightly by surprise. "Sora asked me to give these to the class, and you also look stressed." He explained. "That's all I needed to say."
"Well, thank you very much. I have to go now." Iida replied before heading out again, picking up the pace.
After that happened, Todoroki went back to the bleachers with his class and everyone noticed him.
"Hey Todoroki." Izuku greeted his classmate.
"Midoriya." Shoto spoke up, before handing him a dango. "Here."
"Huh? For me?" Izuku asked, wondering why Todoroki was giving him this.
"I have sweets for the whole class." Shoto said to 1-A, making everyone wonder if he was some impostor. "Sora bought them and asked me to give them to you all." That made the entire class understand. They then each got their own dango, and whoever wanted to eat the daifuku and mizu yokan had split it as evenly as they could. Shoto sat down next to Midoriya.
"Thanks for bringing us this stuff Todoroki." Mineta thanked him as he ate his dango.
"Yeah, really." Tsuyu agreed while Ochako nodded.
Shoto nodded and then looked over at Izuku. "Midoriya." He said, catching the boys attention. "I can see why you're so fond of Sora. He has a very positive influence on people." Shoto's hand was under his nose, obstructing the view of his mouth to everyone as he had a small smile. "He's a good friend."
Izuku smiled at that compliment and replied "Thank you Todoroki. I'm glad you like his personality."
"And...thanks for before." Shoto quietly said to him.
Midoriya nodded to that. And then the two looked down at the arena.
[Play KH3 OST Blast Off]
"Welcome to the final battle of the U.A. Sports Festival!" Mic announced. "In just a moment here, we'll see which first year comes out on top! Yes it all comes down to this folks!" The two finalists walked into the arena as he continued to commentate. "First up, the man who's explosive personality and quirk has beaten down the competition, from the Hero Course, Katsuki Bakugo!" Katsuki had a serious look on his face, knowing who he's up against. "Verses, the boy who's breezed through this tournament with a smile on his face, though he ain't smiling right now, also from the Hero Course, Sora!" Mic was right, Sora wasn't smiling, in fact he was also giving off a very serious look towards his opponent.
[Play KH ReChain of Memories OST Face It]
The audience was cheering, but certain people were just focused on the fight that was about to go down. Class 1-A, Shouta Aizawa, Class 1-B, Hitoshi Shinzo, Mei Hatsume, The teachers in the stands, and a good few pro Heroes both in the stadium and watching on their TVs or phones. "Now, BEGIN!" Mic announced.
The two finalists slowly walked, circling each other as Bakugo spoke up. "You better not hold back against me."
"Yeah, and what makes you think you've earned the right to tell me that." Sora responded.
"Cause if you don't," Katsuki's hands were making small explosions, as if to intimidate his opponent, though it didn't affect Sora in the slightest. "I'll beat your ass so bad that you'll regret not taking me seriously, Toy Sword."
Sora sighed, seeing that this fight was just gonna be annoying, rather than fun. He held his hand to the side and replied. "Your funeral, Short Fuse." He summoned Oblivion and got ready to fight, but Bakugo still looked dissatisfied.
"I said, don't hold back." He repeated. "Do the thing where your clothes change color."
Sora explained. "I can't."
Katsuki demanded to know. "Why not!?"
"I guess I'll explain it to you." Sora said, showing off Oblivion. "These swords aren't just weapons. They also stockpile energy that I can use to power myself up. I can only get that energy through combat, but once I tap into the energy, It all flows out at once, completely draining the blade. Since I used it on Shoto, It's out of energy."
Bakugo got the idea and grinned. "So you're telling me, that all I gotta do is beat you down enough, and then you'll be able to go full power." The explosive boy primed himself to attack. "FINE BY ME!" He blasted himself forward, screaming at the top of his lungs. "DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"
And now the chapter is complete. Sorry it took so long. I haven't had any free time due trying to keep clean and running low on supplies for the quarantine, so I had to restock. So yeah, Next chapter will finish off the Sports Festival and then start heading into the Hero Killer Ark. Hope you guys liked the little bit of friendship building with Sora and Shoto during Katsuki and Fumikage's match. Until I decide to upload again. ;)