Notes: Happy new year to everyone! as my last chapter ended 2020 on the fight we all wanted, 2021 will start a new arc to this story.
As a shoutout, there are two people who have been great with bouncing ideas off of and helping each other out with our stories. first is BBbeaver. thanks for your fellow shoutout, and you people will love his Danny Phantom X My hero academia story "Shadow of a Hero"
Another is EMTAcademia. great chatting so far, and love the unique story of a BNA X My hero academia fic "My beast hero Academia" . give both of them some love!
Enjoy!
The quiet hallway was the ideal place Shoto wanted to be at the moment. The crowds cheers from his match could hardly be heard at this point, and he needed the lack of noise to let his mind focus. He leaned against the wall not caring of the charred tracksuit he was wearing, for all he could do at the moment was stare at his left hand.
"I won…" he muttered to himself, not sure if he should be happy or upset with himself.
It had finally happened; he had faced Katara, one he had been set on confronting since school started, and beat her in a battle. But he was conflicted to how he should feel. He felt he should be happy with himself for finally proving he could defeat her. And yet he couldn't, instead feeling grateful and confused. He was thankful this girl opened his eyes and made him see himself for the first time, forcing him to finally accept who he is. And that is what made him confused, for he had broken the promise he made to never be like that man.
He used his left. He used his fathers quirk.
"Shoto…"
That familiar voice caused his heart to race, glaring to his father standing there with a large smirk across his face. "You came down here…" Shoto grunted out.
"What? Not going to tell me to get lost?" Endeavor's grin grew wider as he approached. "You won your match, but your outfit shows me the truth; You need to learn how to control your power. It's dangerous releasing so much energy at once. But now that you have abandoned that rebellious stage you were in, you finally have embraced your power."
Shoto felt his chest tighten to that statement. Did he embrace the power inside of himself, or did he just do it to not lose? He looked down to his father reaching his hand out towards him.
"Once you graduate, you'll come work by my side and I'll show you what it means to be a hero."
Shoto continued staring at his fathers hand, unable to take it. He took a deep breath before looking to his own hand below. "Today I was certain to win this entire thing with only her power. When I fought Katara, I realized I had no chance if I did that. But that isn't why I broke my promise…" He clenched his fist, thinking back to those powerful words she had said to him. "… in that moment, I had completely forgotten about you."
The smile dropped from Endeavor's face, replaced with a look of shock to the words his son said to him. He had no chance to say anything before Shoto walked by and down the hall away from him. The teen didn't even look back as he continued speaking.
"I don't know what happens now, but one thing hasn't changed for me. Perhaps I really don't need you."
Rounding the corner out of sight, Shoto made his way towards the nurses room. He didn't need to be healed, but talk to the one who already did.
Heavy.
That is how Katara's eyelids felt as she laid there. She groaned as she forced her eyes opened, slowly letting her vision focus to the light above. Once it did, she noticed the familiar ceiling above her and the small operation cart sitting next to the bed she was laying on. The sudden stinging sensation on her left arm caused her to yelp out and sit up too quickly causing her head to spin.
"Oh, Sorry about that."
Katara clutched her head from the throbbing headache killing her, rubbing it to soothe the pain before she looked to the elderly nurse wrapping her arm. "What happened?" Katara asked her.
Recovery Girl chuckled as she finished wrapping the teens arm. "You were quite something out there, although it seems you were a little more banged up than your first visit earlier."
At first she was confused to what she meant, but Katara's mind suddenly flashed. Images of ice and fire, along with the image of a certain boy standing there, his left hand held glowing as it raised up to her. It was fuzzy, but she recalled the few seconds at the end of the match before everything went black. She couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.
"So he beat me in the end." she said out loud.
Recovery Girl nodded and put the wraps back onto the cart nearby smiled. "You went toe to toe with one of the strongest first years I have ever seen. You shouldn't be too hard on yourself."
"I'm not, don't worry." Katara responded. It's not that she was too surprised. She knew in raw power there was a large difference between the two of them, hoping that her versatility was enough to get her through the match. End the end though, she ended up giving him the opportunity to overcome her by convincing him to use all of his power. Her choice in the matter was not one she regretted, though. She was okay with the loss she took knowing what it did for Todoroki.
A knock on the door made both of them turn towards it, Katara's eyes widening in surprise to her last opponent walking through the door. "Todoroki?"
Recovery Girl raised her eyebrow curiously. "Young Todoroki, are you injured as well?" she asked him.
"No I am fine…" Shoto responded as he came into the room. His eyes locked onto the girl sitting in front of him. "I was hoping to talk with you."
Katara tilted her head. "With me?" she was certainly surprised why he wanted to come see her after the match. Recovery Girl decided to give them privacy and walked out of the room, leaving the two staring at each other for what felt like a full minute before they even breathed.
Shoto noticed the wrap on her arm and gave a small frown. "I am sorry, I went too far in our match. Are you hurt?"
"I'm alright, don't worry." Katara responded rubbing her sensitive arm. "You were pretty good back there."
"Thanks." The tone in his voice was one of uncertainty however, one that Katara sensed.
"Are you okay?" She asked, causing him to look away.
"Why did you do that?" he said quietly. "You could have beaten me if you didn't make me use my left. Why did you force me to that point?"
Katara stared at him for a few moments in silence. She could see the confusion in his eyes to what had happened, and he was still unsure with his choice in the end. She huffed out and laid her head back against the pillow behind her. "I just wanted you to finally think for yourself for once and not for what others thought of you. You were hurting yourself by doing that."
"And that choice cost you the match…" Shoto bluntly stated. "You could have pushed me out in the end if you really tried, and yet you stood there and scolded me."
"I think even if I knocked you out and you lost, you still wouldn't have finally listened to me. Yes I lost, but seeing you so miserable before that… I just couldn't take it." Katara said in response, causing him to look back to her in surprise.
"You'd rather lose and see me use my power, than win?"
Katara rolled her eyes. "I didn't say I didn't want to win. Besides…" She cast a small smirk his way. "You said you weren't going to hold back against me. Now I know you really did. I would hate to know I beat you if you didn't try your best"
The corner of Shoto's mouth curled up slightly to the statement, her words for some reason clearing his confused mind. His small smile faded again as he recalled the way he treated her so far this year. "I would like to apologize for how I acted to you since you came. I was so focused on my father, I didn't consider your own feelings. I made this challenge to get back at my father, and yet you still chose to help me."
Katara gave a small shrug. "It just felt like the right thing to do. And I hope we-
"Katara!"
The two in the room jumped to the door bursting open revealing Midoriya, Mina, Yaoyorozu, Kirishima and Tokoyami coming inside. Katara's mouth dropped slightly in surprise to the group coming in. "What are you all doing here?"
"Why do you think? You fell face first on the ground back there!" Mina shouted out.
"Y-yeah. We didn't know if you were hurt really bad and wanted to come see how you were." Midoriya added.
"That was a crazy match. We all got worried when you collapsed in the end." Momo said as she came to the side of the bed.
"What the hell, you can't scare us all like that!" Kirishima rubbed his head awkwardly. "We could feel that stuff all the way from the seats."
"I'm fine, really." Katara smiled to all of them, "I just lost my match."
The group sighed in relief that she was fine, before Mina and Kirishima burst forward with huge grins on their faces.
"Holy shit that was a bad ass fight! Why didn't you say you were so cool!?" Kirishima yelled out.
"That stuff was way cooler than anything you've done yet! You are so awesome!" Mina threw her arms up. "You made like a tidal wave there!"
Tokoyami remained silent in the middle of the group as they all talked with her, happy one of his first friends at this school was alright. He then was trying to hide the smile on his beak as he stared at Katara, thinking back again to their match with Kirishima and Tsu. 'It seems you really are talented. Now I know you could have beaten me easily if the variables were different back then.' he thought to himself.
Smiling to seeing she was okay, Midoriya then noticed Todoroki sitting silently to the side watching everyone else. He also noticed the cold aura that surrounded him was gone, replaced with something he couldn't place his finger on. Before he could say anything though, Todoroki was the one to break the silence.
"How is your arm feeling?" Shoto asked him,
"Uh it's not bad." Midoriya answered before giving a small smile. "Too bad I got hurt. Maybe we could've had a great fight."
Shoto just looked back to the broken arm still in the sling, still baffled how Midoriya's quirk was so dangerous to use. Although his eyes then drifted to the burnt clothes on his own body, realizing he needed control of his own quirk as well. "We both need more training it seems."
The statement caught Midoriya off guard before he looked to his arm in shame. "Yeah, I have a long way to-
"KATARA!"
Midoriya yelped in shock from the door flying open again, Katara looking passed everyone in confusion until she saw Tenya marching straight through the crowd and up to her. "Katara, are you okay after that? I was mortified after the match! Are you hurt!?"
Katara waved her hand and smiled. "I'm alright. I just got a little-
"Your arm! You are injured!" Tenya furiously chopped the air as he glared at the bandages, turning his attention to Shoto in the room. "Todoroki! You should be ashamed of unleashing such a dangerous attack on a classmate!"
Katara's eye twitched as she watched her friend continue to chop as he berated the blank faced Shoto. "Iida, you don't have to-
"Such actions should not be tolerated even in competition! I implore you to apologize to Katara now and-
"He already did, Iida." Katara reached up and put a hand on Tenya's shoulder calming him with a smile. "It's alright, I'm fine."
Tenya exhaled as his nerves finally settled, smiling back to her and nodding. "Sorry, I was a bit nervous to your condition. And Todoroki," he turned and gave a bow towards him. "I apologize for my outburst. Katara is a good friend to me and I was worried about her safety."
"I understand. I shall head back now." Shoto turned to walk out of the room, but stopped when he was at the door. He turned back to look at Katara one last time. "And Katara… thank you."
Katara didn't have a chance to respond before he walked out of the room, leaving everyone else confused. "Uh, thank you for what?" Mina questioned the girl in the bed, who just smiled and leaned back slightly.
"Just something he can finally admit to himself." Katara said.
Momo looked to the others with a raised eyebrow to the statement, unsure what she meant before shrugging and turning back to her friend. "Well, it's still a bummer you are not competing anymore. It would have been nice to see you in the finals."
Yeah… but I am not." Katara sighed and looked to Tokoyami standing there and smirked. "You think you can make it there for me?"
Mina chuckled and nudged the bird headed teen in the arm. "I think bird brain here is gonna wipe the floor with Bakugo."
Tokoyami grunted and crossed his arms. "I'll try my best, although 'wipe the floor' is not a term I would use against someone like Bakugo."
Both Kirishima and Yaoyorozu took that statement to heart, but while Kirishima chuckled to the loss, Momo clutched her arm again as she thought back to her match. Katara noticed the action, looking back to Tokoyami and nodding. "Good luck in your match. I'll be rooting for you."
"Thank you." Tokoyami gave a quick nod and turned walking out of the room. He moved a bit faster than normal, hoping the others didn't notice his action to hide the warmth in his cheeks suddenly. Why he suddenly felt that way confused him, she simply said she would root for him in the match. It's just his friend saying she would cheer him on, right? He shook his head to focus on his match, walking down the hall with his hands in his pockets.
Back in the nurses room, the group of teens finally calmed down knowing there friend was okay and readied themselves to head back to the stands. They all gave her a "congrats" and "nice try" before they filed out of the room, leaving Tenya alone with her. The taller teen adjusted his glasses and smirked. "It seems neither of us will be taking first place today."
Katara chuckled and stood up from the medical bed. "Yeah, it looks that way." She looked to the mirror in the room and frowned to the mess on top of her head called her hair. She began straightening it out before she smiled. "I guess we go home empty handed tonight. I wonder what your brother thought about our fight earlier."
Tenya's smile fell from his face when he heard that, subconsciously grabbing his phone inside his pocket and looking at the screen. His many attempts to reach his older sibling were all in vain, his recent calls actually going straight to voicemail now. He could only assume Tensei was busy with something important to not answer.
Thirty Minutes Earlier
"Recipro Turbo!"
Tensei kicked off the nearby wall and burst forward again towards the hero killer, his kicks whipping through the air but still unable to land a hit. His eyes widen when a blade whips straight towards his face, barely able to bring his arm up in time to deflect the sharp steel away from himself. In a quick blur the hero killer rushes his way, his long sword slashing forward and nearly connecting before his elbow engines propel him out of the way just before he his cut. The two stare at each other for a moment, the breathing through Tensei's mask much harder than that of his opponent.
"You have talent I admit…" the hero killer smirked and re gripped his sword. "That still only means you are a great fighter. To wear the name of hero is something all of you impostors are guilty of."
Tensei glared through his damaged helmet as he tried catching his breath. Almost immediately in the fight, he was in shock from the speed to which this man could move. He was by far the fastest villain he has ever faced, even matching him in his turbo boosted state. He was certain this villain had some form of speed quirk giving him this amount of maneuverability, and this man didn't seem exhausted yet. Not to mention the killer went straight for his helmet in the beginning, slashing deep into the armor and damaging his internal communicator. Now he couldn't contact anyone without his phone.
'He's much faster than I expected. This is worse than I had hoped.' Tensei hissed internally. 'I don't have the chance to get to my phone, and if I run to get help, he will disappear. I have to stop him here from hurting anyone else.'
Bracing his body, Tensei stepped forward and clenched his fists. "I am always there to stop men like you from hurting others. And today is the last time you will see the light of day!"
Hearing Ingenium talk only brought a scowl to the killer's face. "Don't open your mouth when all that comes out are lies. I know just what kind of fake you are, and it disgusts me!"
Tensei could barely move his eyes fast enough as the villain sprinted towards him, his own elbows igniting and blasting him forward in the alleyway. The blades of the hero killer launched out, Tensei ducking underneath and spinning his body throwing a roundhouse kick. Once again his strike only hit air as the killer flipped his body up and over the leg, swiping down with his sword and almost cutting through the armor. Tensei winced in shock before his quirk burst out and spun his body to land a punch. He couldn't stop his hand however when the villain brought a knife up and slashed deep into his knuckles. Tensei yelped out in pain, unable to move fast enough as the killer dug the knife into the armor underneath his armpit and slashed down, ripping into the plating and forcing him down to his stomach.
Luckily for Tensei the slash was not too deep, only a small amount of blood leaking out of his torn armor. He went to flip his body up and sweep out the hero killer's legs, but before he could even lift himself up, a shocking sensation pulsed through his body, locking every muscle in an agonizing stiffness. No matter how hard he tried, not even a finger would wiggle now.
He could not move.
"W-What the hell…" Tensei grunted out from the ground, "D-did you, poison me?"
The hero killer hissed out in satisfaction, standing over the downed hero. "You pretenders walk these streets, and yet you don't even understand the meaning behind your title. I know all about you, a child who chose this path because your family did. You treat the name of hero like a family business, spitting on those who truly deserve it."
Tensei couldn't even process the words he heard as his eyes caught sight of the sword raised above his body. His breath caught in his throat as he did everything he could to move, the terrible fear of death creeping into his thoughts before the cold steel pierced his lower back. He couldn't even scream out in pain as the sword embedded itself straight through his armor, a burning sensation overtaking every nerve in his body and forcing his heart rate to spike. His frozen state kept his body from flailing in shock, the overload of pain from the blade twisting in place forcing his mind to go blank. His mouth shook from the gasps that couldn't escape his throat, his body on fire from the sharp pain as the weapon was ripped from his body. His mind only lasted for a few more seconds before it went black from the overload of suffering he could take.
The killer glared down to the blood pouring from the man beneath him, pleased to know another poser was removed from society. He then noticed the phone vibrating on the ground next to the downed pretender, seeing it next to where he slashed into earlier. Grunting, he curled his lips into a scowl as he brought his foot down smashing it to pieces.
"Fame… money. That's what all those who call themselves heroes are really after. But you bastards are not heroes. All of you are a stain on this world. All of you, except for him…" He stood back up and flicked the blood off his sword.
"All Might is worthy."
"Die!"
Bakugo's palms erupted once again as he brought forth another blast into the shadow quirk in front of himself. He grinned as he leaped again, blasting back the dark bird back towards its host. "Looks like you aren't so tough after all." he sneered, sparking his hands and leaping forward again.
"OHH, BAKUGO IS NOT LETTING HIS OPPONENT BREATHE! HE'S A MADMAN!" Present Mic yelled out over the speakers as Bakugo continued his onslaught of attacks, pushing his opponent towards the edge.
Tokoyami grunted in frustration as he stepped further back, wincing as he heard dark shadow yelp out in pain from another blast to the face. "Such ferocity…" he hissed out and summoned his quirk to shield himself again.
Mina shook her fists in the air in frustration to the match she was watching. "Come on, what's that bird brain doing? He's not being as aggressive as earlier."
Katara however stared down as dark shadow tried attacking, but every time the bright flash from Bakugo's hands came out, she noticed the quirk flinched before actually being hit. She remembered what he told her in the USJ and just before the cavalry battle. She exhaled and grabbed her chin to hide her frown. "The light is making his quirk weaker." she whispered out loud.
Momo clutched her arm seeing Tokoyami being assaulted like she was, only able to defend the brutal attacks being unleashed. She flinched herself as she could see the shadow bird trying to hide it's pain while trying to stay strong. When the shadow tried to retaliate however, Bakugo's hands went together, a blinding flash lighting up the stage so bright it caused her to cover her eyes.
"Stun Grenade!"
The audience covered their eyes to shade from the intense flare, not lowering until the bright light had died down. When they did, they all looked down to the explosive teen crouched down on top of the shadow users chest, one hand ready to blow and the other pinning Tokoyami's beak down.
"You… you knew my weakness, didn't you?" Tokoyami grunted out below, his quirk crying under the sparking light.
Bakugo grinned down to his downed opponent. "I noticed it after I kept attacking you over and over. It looks like I was a bad match up for you."
Realizing he had no other choice, Tokoyami closed his eyes and laid his head on the ground. "I surrender."
Midnight heard the quiet statement and snapped her whip. "Tokoyami surrenders. Bakugo moves onto the finals!"
The crowd roared out once again as Bakugo stood up from his opponent, walking towards the exit as they cheered for his performance as Mic jumped out of his seats. "THERE WE GO, FOLKS! WE HAVE OUR NEXT FINALIST READY TO GET IT ON!"
The class 1-A students looked down to the stage below, Tokoyami crawling off the ground in shame of defeat while his foe stomped down the steps onto the grass. Katara grunted and laid her hand on her knee. "Tokoyami was in a losing situation the whole time. He had no chance to win that match."
"Yeah… Kachaan is really strong." Midoriya exhaled lightly when he watched his former childhood friend walking away in victory, just like he always did when they were kids. And while he was somehow able to beat him in their mock battle, Midoriya could tell at this point Bakugo would take victory if they fought now. He clenched his fist, knowing he needed to take control of his ability, to become the hero he wanted.
While he did enjoy seeing his name move up to the final bracket on screen, Bakugo scowled when he saw the name opposite to him on top. Scoffing to himself, he made his way into the tunnel leading out of the arena to the side as he awaited for the finals.
Shoto Todoroki sat alone in his waiting room, his burnt clothes replaced with a new clean set. He chose not to watch the last match and would face whoever was victorious. At the moment he needed somewhere quiet to be, to really think about what was happening to him. When this day started, he was determined to beat a certain girl to prove something to his father, and win it without his power. And while he did win, it was because of her that he chose to use his other side. He felt freed, but now he was more confused than he had felt all day.
He looked down to his left hand again, staring at it in the troubled state that he was in. He had broken the chains that had ensnared his heart, but was unsure if it was the right thing to do. While it was his own power, using fire was exactly what his father had always wanted. Was using it allowing him to choose his own path, or playing right into his dad's plans made for him?
He didn't have time to think in private anymore before Bakugo kicked the door open,
"Hey, the hell you doing in my room? Get your ass out and go to-
Bakugo suddenly noticed the sign on the door, realizing he was the one at the wrong room. "Wh-whatever! Just get ready to die, Icy Hot!" He sneered, but before he walked out he noticed the sulking shoulders of his next opponent. "The hell's bugging you?"
Todoroki just sat quietly as he continued to stare at his left hand. "The finals are next, and yet I mind is not where it needs to be."
"Well get it where it needs to be! You're fighting me next, got that!?" Bakugo stomped his way into the room and slammed his hand into the table Surface Todoroki sat at. "You just make sure you both of your sides!"
"She said something like that too," Todoroki whispered out, clenching his fist as he remembered what she said in their match. "Katara made me realize what I was holding inside of me, but I am still unsure if it's the right thing to do."
Bakugo furrowed his brow as he listened to the teen complain in front of him. "Look, I don't give a damn what the hell hair loops said to you when you fought. What I do care about is you doing exactly what you did against her. You had better not hold back when we go at it, you had better use that fire when we fight!"
Grunting, Bakugo walked away from the blank faced Todoroki and cast one more glare behind himself before leaving. "I don't get why you have never used it until today, but if I am going to beat you, you better be giving everything you got!" He walked out of the room with a large grin to himself. "If I beat you after the fight you gave hair loops, I'll show everyone in this damn country why I will be number one."
Alone once again, Shoto shifted his gaze from the open door back to his left hand, his mind scrambled and in disarray. He only hoped he could somehow clear out this troubling feeling inside of himself before the chains that held him down returned.
Katara sat back down in the stands with the others, rubbing the sore spot on her left arm in annoyance from the tenderness underneath the bandages. Midoriya noticed it and frowned, looking down to his own arm wrapped up still. "It's annoying, I know."
"Huh?" Katara turned to his statement, blushing when she saw him rubbing his own arm before she chuckled. "Oh, yeah. It is. I was hoping to actually see how bad it was before it got wrapped. Recovery Girl says bandages should come off tomorrow morning." She suddenly heard slurping behind her, turning around and smirking when she saw Mineta popping open a water bottle. "Although a little healing of my own wouldn't hurt."
Mineta licked his lips as he readied to tip his bottle up, but went wide eyed as the water floated up and out of the top. "What the- Hey! I just bought this Katara!" he snapped out as she brought the water to her hand.
"Oh you did? That's so sweet of you, Mineta. Thank you." Katara gave a wink as she brought the glowing water to her arm, causing Mineta to blush and grin.
"Oh I do it all for you wonderful girls. Now as payment how about you and I get some- AGH!"
Mineta yelped out as Jiro's earphone jack pierced his ear. "Keep dreaming, bub. That's for those comments you said yesterday after training." She hissed before retracting her quirk.
Katara rolled her eyes and chuckled before focusing back on her healing. She glanced up and gasped in surprise as Tokoyami had silently made his way into her row and sitting down a few seats away. "Hey, sorry your match didn't go the way you wanted." She said to him.
"It's alright. I am disappointed but cannot change the outcome." He responded to her and crossed his arms. "It seems he was the perfect counter to my quirk."
"Yeah, but you still did really good today. Looks like we both tied for third place." She smiled, happy to see his beak smirk as well.
"Yes, we both placed well today." Tokoyami's smile faded as he looked back down to the two classmates facing each other on the stage. "But now we will see who be the winner."
"ALRIGHT PEOPLE! HERE WE ARE, WE HAVE FINALLY MADE IT! THE FINAL MATCH FOR THE FIRST YEAR TOURNAMENT! WE HAVE HAD QUITE SHE SHOW TODAY, BUT ONLY ONE WILL BE THE WINNER! LET US SEE WHO WILL BE THE CHAMPION!"
The crowd were all on their feet as they watched the combatants below, the excitement at its peak from the day. After two different high paced events and so many battles, they couldn't wait to see the conclusion to this tournament as Mic pumped them up.
"IN THE FINALS WE HAVE THE EXPLOSION MASTER BLOWING EVERYONE'S SOCKS OFF! FROM THE HERO COURSE, KATSUKI BAKUGO! VERSUS… HE'S BACK PEOPLE, AND NOW HE HAS SHOWN BOTH OF HIS DUAL POWERS! FROM THE HERO COURSE, SHOTO TODOROKI!"
Katara halted her healing as she looked down below to Todoroki on stage, the tension she felt against him this morning completely vanished now. She in fact wanted to see him succeed not just because she disliked Bakugo, but so he could achieve this victory for himself.
"START!"
Todoroki's right foot stepped forward and immediately unleashed a massive stream of ice forward, Bakugo growling out as his hands sparked out bright. "Time to give me everything, Icy hot!"
A rapid barrage of explosions began blasting their way through the incoming blocks of ice in front of Bakugo. The angry teen yelled out with every explosion he unleashed, but after a few seconds he was engulfed by a wall of ice almost the size of the one he unleashed on Sero and Katara earlier, the crowd going silent as the ice fortress stopped moving and engulfed half of the stage. Katara herself was still amazed by the enormous display of power no matter how many times she had seen it, now more impressed than shocked like before. For a single moment she thought this match was over just like the fight with Sero.
That was until she heard the deep rumble. Then heard it again, and again. Each time getting louder.
"What is that?" Tsu croaked out as she eyed the rumbling ice, no one else answering as they knew who was causing the shaking.
A moment later, the audience and class gasped out as a bright flash erupted from the bottom of the ice mountain and blew out a large chunk of the glacier. Sero's eyes widened as he looked at the glaring Bakugo crawling out from the tunnel he just formed. "Woah, he just dug his way through there like some crazy mole guy!"
"WOW, BAKUGO JUST TANKED TODOROKI'S LARGEST ICE ATTACK, AND THIS MATCH JUST STARTED!" Mic yelled in excitement.
Todoroki glared in annoyance seeing he didn't end the match right then, the massive attack already causing a few patches of frost on his arm. Baguko was glaring as well, but not from the large attack, instead from it not having more to it.
"What's going on, you icy bastard? You think your pathetic landslide attack will stop me? You'll need more than your ice to bring me down. You better give it your all!" Bakugo blasted forward through the air right towards Todoroki, flying above the ground and dodging another ice attack. Todoroki readied his right side and threw his hand forward, but before he could connect, Bakugo shot a redirectional blast and flipped himself over the icy hand and clasped onto Shoto's face. "You are going to lose fighting like that, you IDIOT!"
Katara sat up in shock as Bakugo flipped Todoroki over his shoulder and flung him across the ring. Before he reached the edge, her eyes widened as he swiped his hand across the ground creating a thick stream of ice flowing out beneath himself. She couldn't help but watch the way the ice pushed him, flowing out in a steady and smooth stream. It… looked like the ice walls she would create to skate across.
'Did he use my move there?' she amused herself.
Todoroki furrowed his brow as he watched Bakugo launch his direction again, ducking underneath the initial attack and blasting some of his ice out forcing his opponent to his left. Bakugo blasted away another chunk of ice, leaving him wide open for Todoroki's left hand to latch onto his forearm. The explosion user's eyes widened expecting the bright flames to suddenly engulf his body… only for nothing to come out.
His breath catching in his throat, Todoroki threw Bakugo aside as they squared off once again. He glanced down to his left hand, glaring to the confusion this situation brought to his troubled mind. Bakugo glared as he stood back up. "What the hell are you doing? You aren't going to use your left side again? You used it on her but now won't against me? Is that damned hair loops better than I am!? You had better start taking this shit seriously, I'll kill you!"
Todoroki's heart jumped slightly to the words, his left fist clenching in frustration. His eyes noticed his father eyeing him diligently, eager to see more flames used. That alone sent a cold chill through his heart, not wanting to give any form of pleasure to that man. Bakugo just hissed in anger as he saw his opponents lost eyes.
"I want to be the best here, but if you don't try your hardest, than what the hell is the point to a victory!? I want to kick your ass while you are giving me everything you got!" Bakugo ran forward again with his arms outstretched. "Give me those damn flames, you icy bastard!"
Katara felt her gut tighten from her seat as she stared down below at Todoroki standing there, his arm already turning white from the frost forming on his skin. Even after their match, her words reaching through to him, she realized he was still tormented with the pain caused by his father. The walls in his mind were forming back up, and if he didn't do something, he may go back to the shell he was before. She didn't want to see him in pain anymore.
She wanted him freed.
Standing to her feet, she took a deep breath.
"TODOROKI!"
Shoto's eyes widened to the powerful voice ringing through the air, looking up along with everyone else to the sudden outburst from his class section. He looked up and felt his mouth fall open in surprise when Katara was standing there, staring right back at him.
"DON'T BE A PRISONER!"
Everyone in the stadium was left in confusion; the students, the pros, the audience, and even Endeavor. No one understood what she meant by those words, except the one they were said to.
A sharp yet warm sensation ran through Shoto's stomach, racing up through his body and into his mind, reminding him of that warm image of his mother holding him close. Steam began billowing off his left arm as the ice melted away, his teeth clenching together. "I want to be who I want to be…" Embers flaked off his body as the sensation grew larger. "Even if he wants it… I do this for myself."
Flames flickered off his hand, growing with each breath. Even though his father wanted this, he knew his mother would have thought the same. If it meant she would be happy, then he would do whatever it took to bring a smile to her face. "I will be the hero… that I want to become!"
Bakugo's heart jumped when he saw the burst of flames from Shoto's left side, a large smirk spread across the exploding teens face. Whatever annoying thing hair loops said to his opponent he didn't care, only that it worked and was willing to fight. "That's what I wanted. Now don't stop until one of us cannot move!"
Bakugo began spinning through the air, his blasts picking up momentum until he was a swirling tornado of ash and fire. Todoroki's eyes narrowed as he brought his hand forward and burst out fire like a giant flamthrower, the jet of flames blasting out as Bakugo's spinning attack raced at each other.
"Howitzer Impact!"
The two forces collided in a blinding flash, smoke and fire blasting out sending everyone's hair out behind them. Todoroki's flames continued to stream out, locked in a burning stalemate with Bakugo's vortex of explosions. His left hand began to feel hot, sweat falling down his forehead as he continued to use his fire. He didn't stop, grunting out and forcing his body to create more flames. His flames doubled in size for a quick burst, actually breaking through Bakugo's attack to both of their surprise in a large pulse of heat blowing the smoke out of the arena.
Feeling the flames grow closer, Bakugo lowered a hand and blasted his body up and over the flames, falling back and skidding away from the flames. His sharp smirk didn't fade, in fact enjoying the fact that his strong attack didn't work. And now that he was feeling hot from the fire, his sweat was working over drive. "Now that's what I'm talking about. This is the fight I was hoping for. Lets see who is the stronger hero here and-
"Bakugo!"
Midnight calling his name brought a sneer to the teens face, glaring her direction. "Don't distract me! I'm in the middle of-
Midnight snapped her whip his way cutting his words off. "You're out!"
Bakugo's eyes shot open, glancing behind himself in disbelief before he felt a sickening lump in his stomach. He didn't look behind him from the flames he avoided, but he was certain he knew where he landed. All except for the back of his heel touching the stage over the line. "Wh-what!?"
Midnight's hand went up into the air as she smiled. "Bakugo has stepped out of bounds. Todoroki is the winner!"
The stadium burst out a roar of cheers to the victory, while sudden and surprising, a win by ring out nonetheless. Present Mic leaping out of his chair as he screamed in excitement. "YEAAAH! NOW THAT'S IT FOLKS, WE HAVE FOUND OUR WINNER TODAY! SHOTO TODOROKI!"
Whistles rang across the arena as the class A students cheered for their fellow classmate winning the tournament. A certain blue eyed girl just stared and smiled down to the arena below, happy to see someone so hurt finally overcome the walls that held him back. Todoroki's own eyes met hers, and through all the cheers, for some reason hers felt the strongest to him, for she was the one who got him here.
One in the arena however, glared to the ground beneath him.
"No… this bullshit." Bakugo hissed out, his breath coming in more ragged every second. "Out of bounds? I don't belief that shit. I was only getting started, and I lose to a technicality?"
His fists clenched in fury as he felt his hands sparking out. "A true hero… doesn't stop because of a line. They fight until the battle is over. All Might would not quit until he got the job done…" His glare rose up to Todoroki once more. "And this battle is not done!"
Midnight's smile dropped when she saw Bakugo burst across the stage his his hands out. "Bakugo, stop! The match is over!"
The cheers turned to gasps as the students saw the sudden change below. "Dude, Bakugo's still trying to fight!" Kaminari yelled in surprise.
Katara's smile faded when she saw the new explosion of Bakugo rushing forward. "What is he doing!?"
Bakugo ignored the call from the teacher on his right, all of his focus now on the wide eyed Todoroki. "This fight isn't over, icy hot! One of us hasn't been brought down!" Bakugo's right hand was about to cock back and charge up a blast, but a burst of concrete from below rose up and encased both of his arms pinning them out to the side. "What the hell is this!?"
Cementoss glared as he looked up from the ground, his hands pressed into the stage. "The match is over, Bakugo. You stepped out of bounds and lost." the teacher scolded him.
"The hell kind of stupid rule is that…" Bakugo gritted his teeth. "A true hero won't stop because they crossed a line on the ground. They would fight until they kicked a villains ass! They get knocked down, and hero would get back up! That's what should be happening!"
"This isn't a real fight…" Cementoss corrected him. "You lost and therefore must-
"I'm not unconscious, and that means I am still kicking! I fight until… I… Until… win…" Bakugo's words slurred as his eyes grew heavy, his mind fogging up before he passed out from the pink mist floating in front of his face. Cementoss turned and nodded towards Midnight, the teacher's torn latex suit expelling her sleeping quirk out. She let go of the rip she held open once the enraged student was out, sighing and raising her hand up again. "Bakugo has stepped out of bounds, therefore he has lost. Todoroki is your winner! I would like the first year students to please come down to the arena for the awards ceremony."
While some people applauded, there was an awkward silence over the other students as they looked to their one classmate locked in concrete. Shoji shook his head in disappointment. "It seems Bakugo doesn't take any kind of loss well."
"Yeah… he is more competitive than anyone." Kirishima sighed out and rubbed his hair. "Sometimes a bit too competitive."
Tenya sat there cross armed in shame to having a classmate so disrespectful. Bakugo lost by a set rule of the games and had to accept that. His thoughts were suddenly caught off by his phone vibrating in his pocket causing his eyes to widen. "Finally! I was wondering what was taking him!"
Bursting up from his seat, Tenya sprinted by the others in the class much to their surprise, Katara turning around in confusion from the end of the match and now him. He went to a private section of the hall and pulled his phone out, but was surprised to see his mother calling. He answered it and brought it to his ear. "Mother? I thought you had a meeting with work and-
"Tenya! You have to get out of there! Get on a train to Hosu right now!"
The tone in his mothers voice sent a cold chill up Tenya's neck, never once hearing her so terrified. "Mother, what is the matter? What happened?"
Several sniffles echoed across the phone before Madoka was able to compose herself. "Tenya, it's… it's your brother. A villain got Tensei!"
The air seemed to freeze around Tenya's body, his heart feeling like it dropped into his stomach. His breath caught inside his throat, unable to move as his mind could barely process the words he just heard. They had to be a mistake, they couldn't be real. But the sweat falling down his face caused him to shiver, his body unable to act properly from the news he was told.
"Iida?"
The call from Katara didn't reach his ears, even when she turned him to face her. Her eyes went wide when she saw his pale skin and shaking eyes. "Iida what's wrong!? Are you sick?" She shook his shoulders trying to get him to answer, worried as he just stayed there staring. She turned to call for help, but was surprised when both the teacher Snipe and the principle were standing right behind them.
"Iida, Katara. I need you to come with me now…" The principles normally warm face was stern and not smiling, causing Katara to grow more confused.
"But sir, my friend is looking sick. He needs to-
"Principle Nezu…" Tenya was able to stutter out, his hand trembling as he lowered his shaking hand from his ear. "Is… is it true?"
Katara looked back and forth between the two of them in confusion. "What's true?" she asked the principle.
Nezu closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Katara, it seems… his brother and your guardian, Tensei Iida, was brought down by a villain attack."
Katara's heart felt like it stopped inside of her chest. She couldn't breathe as she stared at the small principle, her mind racing as she heard that statement. "what? Do… do you mean he's…"
Fifteen Minutes earlier
"Come on buddy, stay with us!"
Shit, how long was he here until they found him!? There's so much blood!"
The two paramedics scrambled as they lifted Tensei's still body off the ground and onto the stretcher, their eyes wide by the large pool of blood beneath his armor. "Shit, we have a deep laceration to his back. Serious condition and needs stabalizing." one of them shouted.
"Hurry and call the ER. Tell them we have a critical coming in hot!"
The other medics and police there kept the gathering crowd back as they hurried and slipped Tensei into the open ambulance doors. They pulled his helmet off revealing is ghostly pale face, sweating as they put the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose. "Come on man, don't you quit on us! We are almost there!"
The panic and the shouts below kept the crowds distracted from the single figure overlooking the scene, his red eyes locked onto the ground from his high perch above. He couldn't' help but grin as he brought his sword up, his long tongue licking a section of his blade clean of blood.
"You haven't even noticed it, have you? This warped society mired by hypocrisy, and vanity. That's fine, I'll open your eyes "heroes". I'll make you see the world you created." he said to himself, sighing out in annoyance the people couldn't open their minds and see the big picture. He would just have to continue to work then.
He then sensed a sensation behind him, swiping his sword backwards but didn't hit anything. The killer looked back with a raised eyebrow to the shifting black mist behind himself, watching as the cloud shifted up and revealed two yellow eyes.
"Don't be alarmed…" Kurogiri said as he materialized. "We are the league of villains, and we have been admiring your work, hero killer. We have a proposition for you."
Alone in front of his computer, Shigaraki scratched his neck several times as he peered through the hand attached to his face. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the partial image of the man Kurogiri was locating, the picture only capturing part of his body before target disappeared into the shadows.
"The hero killer… Stain."
Notes: Ohhhh boy. getting closer to "That arc". this is where some of those surprises ive promised will start happening. All that i know is i cannot wait myself.
and for those confused to the choice in the festival ending... you'll have to wait and see. Till next time!