UA Stadium (Day)
After the Cavalry Battle, everyone took a lunch break. As usual, Dominic ate like an actor trying to gain 900 pounds for a role. "Hey Midoriya!" he greeted, carrying a 900-pound cheeseburger.
"Okay, I have to ask. How are you still alive?" the greenette asked.
"That's a question people have been asking since before the dawn of time." the blonde answered. "Anyway, I saw the footage of your fight against Todoroki. Good job!"
"Thanks. You did pretty well too." Midoriya complimented.
"Midoriya." a male voice said. Both he and Dominic turned to see Todoroki.
"Did you need something?" the greenette asked.
"Yes. I need to talk to you for a minute." Todoroki said. He then left with Midoriya.
"A good friend would respect their privacy." Dominic said. "I am not that good of a friend."
UA Stadium (Day)
After downing his burger, Dominic followed Midoriya and Todoroki to a dark hallway. "What did you want to talk about?" the greenette asked. "If we don't hurry, the cafeteria will probably be really crowded."
"...I was overpowered." Todoroki said after a long silence. "So much so that I broke my pledge." He then took his left hand out of his pocket, gazing at it with a scowl. "Iida, Xiao-Long, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Uraraka... None of them felt it. At that last instant, I was the only one who was overpowered. Only me, who had experienced All Might's full power up close."
"What does that mean?" Midoriya asked, nervous.
"It means I felt something similar coming from you." Todoroki said.
'Looks like I wasn't the only one.' Dominic thought to himself.
"Midoriya, are you All Might's secret love child or something?" the dual-Quirked boy asked.
"That's not it!" Midoriya screamed, flustered. "I mean, even if it was, I wouldn't say I was, so I don't think you'd believe me."
Meanwhile, Dominic was trying not to laugh and give away his location.
"Anyways, that's not the situation." Midoriya said. "But, can I ask you a question? Why do you think that about me?"
"Since you said that's not the situation, that means there's a connection between you two that you can't talk about." Todoroki deduced. Midoriya started to look nervous again. "Endeavor's my old man. I'm sure you know that he's been stuck as the number 2 hero for forever. If you have something from the number 1 hero, then I have even more reason to beat you. My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world. As a hero, he won a name for himself with crushing force. Because of that, the living legend, All Might, is an eyesore to him. Since he couldn't surpass All Might, he moved onto his next plan."
"What are you talking about, Todoroki? What are you trying to tell me?" Midoriya asked, worry creeping into his mind.
"You've heard of Quirk Marriages, right?" Todoroki asked. "That thing that became a problem for the second and third generation after superpowers appeared. Choosing a spouse based only on strengthening your own Quirk and passing it onto your children, forcing people into marriage. The old-fashioned way of thinking brought about by a lack of ethics. He is a man with both accomplishments and money. He won over my mother's relatives and got a hold of her Quirk. He's trying to fufill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might."
Dominic remained silent.
"It's so annoying." Todoroki said. "I won't become the tool of scum like that."
Dominic remained silent.
"In my memories, my mother is always crying. 'Your left side is unsightly' my mother said as she poured boiling water on me."
Dominic remained silent.
"Basically, I picked a fight with you to him what I can do, without using my old man's damn Quirk."
Dominic remained silent.
"No. I'll reject him completely by winning first place without using it." Todoroki said, a fierce expression on his face.
"ENOUGH!" Dominic yelled, coming down from the ceiling. With his eye burning, and with magma streaking down his face, he faced Todoroki. "Please. Stop it." he said, sounding out of breath.
"Why?" the monochrome-haired boy asked, irritated.
"Because if you keep doing what you're doing, it'll just prove to your father that he has you wrapped around his finger." the blonde explained.
"How would you know?" Todoroki asked, his anger rising.
"Because you're not the only one who was betrayed by a parent!" Dominic yelled, silencing his classmate.
"What do you mean by that, Xiao-Long?" Midoriya asked after a few moments of empty silence.
"You were bound to find out eventually." Dominic said under his breath. "My mother's name is Summer Rose. However, the being that gave me life was a woman named Raven Branwen. She and her brother, my uncle Qrow, attended a hero school. But their intentions were anything but heroic. They were part of a group of traveling bandits who raided towns and villages."
"Villages? Where did you say this was?" Todoroki asked, suspicious.
"They attended Beacon, the hero school I was talking about, to learn their ways in case they were ever attacked." Dominic continued, ignoring the question. "Beacon worked by sorting its students into teams of four. Raven and Qrow were teamed up with my parents. Summer and Taiyang Xiao-Long. Together, they were Beacon's second most successful team. Team STRQ."
"What was the most successful team?" Midoriya asked.
"Some group of idiots." Dominic said fondly. "Anyways, while they studied, at some point, my dad fell for Raven. She didn't reciprocate his feelings, but she went along with it anyway. Dad was just the latest in a series of conquests for her. After they graduated, they eventually got married and had a pair of twins. Me and my sister, Yang. I remember that day like it was yesterday. In the middle of the night, without telling anyone, she left us and went back to her tribe."
"I understand what you mean, but this isn't the same." Todoroki said.
"Really? What if I told you I kept looking for her for almost half my life?" Dominic asked, his eye blazing. "I wasted my life searching for someone who didn't care about me, or my family, and what did it get me? Nothing." After taking a deep breath, the blonde's eye returned to normal. "Even if our situations aren't exactly the same, please consider what I'm trying to tell you. Don't give that bastardo all your power. If you really want to stick it to him, why don't you try this." Dominic walked closer to his classmate, then whispered a series of instructions into his ear. After stepping back, he spoke at full volume again. "And, if you want to talk your issues out with someone, I'm always there to lend an ear." he said before walking off.
As he strolled back to the cafeteria, Dominic made a vow. "Endeavor, i tuoi giorni sono contati."
