The final match of the UA Sports Festival erupted into action with a powerful crack and a frigid explosion. Todoroki's power surged forward in a deluge of ice, hurtling relentlessly toward Kuri Kuri, who had mere milliseconds to counter. The frozen onslaught enveloped him, capturing him within an enormous iceberg that stretched across half the battleground. In an instant, it looked like the contest had already been decided.
( "Kuri's quirk is stupid! He just uses it to hide all the time!"
"Maybe set your sights a little lower, Mr. Kuri."
"The support course, honey? I thought you had your heart set on…")
Confident in his victory, Todoroki turned to walk away from the arena. Midnight poised herself to declare the fight over, "Kuri Kuri is incapacitated-"
But then, a voice interrupted the announcement, "WAIT!" Power Loader came running down onto the field, in such a frenzy that he almost tripped over his feet, and stopped Midnight in her tracks. He aimed a finger at the massive iceberg and urged her, "Listen!"
Inside the heart of the iceberg, Kuri Kuri was refusing to give in. With split second timing, he'd managed to encase his head with his protective chestnut shell. A hushed sequence of sounds could barely be heard from within - click, snikt, click, snikt. By retracting and expanding the spikes on his shell, he created miniscule fissures and openings in the frozen prison.
The fire and ice wielder maintained his frosty composure as he watched, anxiously waiting to be declared the winner of the match. But his hopes were shattered, just like his iceberg. A resounding crack, followed by a cascade of ice shards put an end to his assumed victory. From the wreckage, Kuri Kuri stood, visibly trembling from the cold but otherwise unscathed. He drew heavy breaths, clenched his fists and took a battle ready stance. Determined and fierce, this wasn't the timid and gentle Kuri that people knew.
"I-is th-that, all you've g-g-got?"
Todoroki's brow furrowed ever so slightly, and he unleashed another blast of ice, hoping to quickly bring the battle to a close for the second time. But this time, Kuri was ready. His support devices sprang to life, metallic coils wrapped around his limbs. These transformed into extendable appendages that pierced through the forming ice, ripping it into chunks. The arena erupted with thunderous cheers, the crowd's rallying cries behind the tenacious underdog of 1-H.
"More persistent than I thought he'd be…" Todoroki muttered under his breath. He hurled yet another wave of ice, only to find Kuri's metal extensions intercepting with lightning speed. Todoroki deftly dodged to the side and imprisoned the arm in an iceberg that fused it to the arena floor - believing he had managed to trap his opponent.
But Kuri still had some tricks up his sleeve. With one side of his support gear frozen, he propelled the other toward the stadium wall, attaching it like a grappling hook. Propelling himself, he swung a wide arc around Todoroki, circling the dual-element hero and forcefully ramming him into the very iceberg he had just shaped. As Kuri continued his acrobatic loops around the arena, Todoroki found himself increasingly ensnared in the coils, becoming more and more constrained. The tides of the battle had shifted.
("I actually think that's pretty awesome. A hero with a quirk like that could come up with some seriously creative strategies."
"A whopping nineteen different inventions,"
"Kuri's a genius, remember?")
The entire audience, now well-acquainted with Todoroki's power in his past battles, knew this wasn't the end for the son of Endeavour. Frustration and anger painted the hero student's face as he activated the blazing half of his quirk. As his body surged with escalating heat, steam erupted from the arena aimed toward the iceberg to which he was pinned. The iceberg's structural integrity succumbed to the heat, culminating in an explosion of ice and water - inadvertently releasing Kuri's trapped arm. Fixing an intense glare at Kuri, Todoroki asked, "You planned for me to do that, didn't you?"
Kuri simply nodded, recognising that Todoroki looked primed for an even more intense fight. Both competitors reset themselves, the extensions coiling back around Kuri's arms, leaving a tension in the air. They both locked eyes, each assessing the other, while the crowd buzzed with anticipation.
In a heartbeat, both students moved at once. Todoroki surged forward, freezing the ground beneath him. Simultaneously, Kuri unleashed his special technique. His arm extensions began to unravel like ropes, transforming into a network of eight, intricate, thinner appendages. These sinuous constructs twisted, curved and snapped with an uncanny precision, each appearing to follow Kuri's every command. His arms conducted a symphony of assaults, deftly manipulating the support gear's movements. Todoroki was forced into dodging the onslaught, barely evading the flurry of metallic lashes and blades that tore through his ice.
In a surge of irritation, flames erupted, shrouding Todoroki's entire left side. A searing torrent of flames hurtled their way toward Kuri Kuri, who anticipated the attack and sprang into action. He slammed all his extended metal appendages into the ground at once, their combined force launching him into the air while he shed his support items. This was his defining moment, all or nothing. Propelled skyward, he managed to avoid the fiery attack by a hair's breadth.
Mid-flight, Kuri Kuri formed his green chestnut shell, covering his head with its protection. The casing around him began a gradual spin, building momentum until it reached a blistering velocity. At the same time, he retracted and extended the spikes on his shell. Taking aim at Todoroki's position, he yelled, louder than he ever had before,
"CHESTNUT BOMBER!"
The audience were held by an awestruck silence as Kuri descended from above, and in response, Todoroki unleashed a torrent of flames similar to the devastating attack he used during his match against Uraraka. Fire erupted from the arena floor, tendrils of flame whipping around the rapidly spinning chestnut shell. The collision of fire and centrifugal force swept both attacks into a blazing tornado inferno.
The onlookers shielded their eyes against the searing heat and brilliance of the clash, but the thunderous impact resulting from Kuri's drill-like assault connecting with the arena reverberated through the air, carving out a huge crater. Within the maelstrom of flames and debris, nobody could see what was happening.
As the dust gradually settled, the collective breath of the crowd held itself. Amidst the aftermath, lying unconscious in the dead centre of the arena, a segment torn from his chestnut shell, was Kuri Kuri. Outside the boundaries of the arena, a smouldering and equally unconscious Todoroki lay, a trail of scorched grass in his wake.
"What an unbelievable conclusion to the sports festival! I've never seen anything like it, holy moley!"
In the arena, Midnight clambered over the wreckage and shattered concrete in an effort to reach Kuri's side, Power Loader following close behind. At the same time, Cementoss moved to assess Todoroki's condition. Midnight knelt beside the young support student, looked over to see a nod from Cementoss, and raised her hand.
"Both contestants are knocked out! We have a draw!"
With Kuri Kuri and Shoto Todoroki making their way up to the grand podium, Shoto's arm in a sling and Kuri sporting a bandaged head, the uproar from the crowd reached a crescendo. The majority of the sound emerged from the ranks of the support course students, who whooped and hollered until they were sore. When their throats needed a breather, Izuku transformed both his hands into impromptu air horns. This year, the support course had turned the entire event on its head.
"Hey, guess what?! We're going viral again!" Hana bellowed to the rest of the crew, her voice barely cutting through the symphony of cheers. "Support Course UA, Chestnut Kid, Helicopter Boy Strikes Back, Mech Fight - we're practically half the list!"
"Get outta here!" Mei exclaimed, snatching the phone away unceremoniously, her fingers already a blur as she scrolled through the online world. "Woah, we have a fan account!" She gleefully displayed the screen for the group to see.
Izuku's face flushed at the image on the screen - a meme of him restraining Kirishima with his transformed metal hand, captioned 'expectation', next to another image of him taking a knee to the stomach, under 'reality.'
"Are you sure they're fans?" He asked, a little embarrassed.
Kazutani, interrupting with a wave of his hand, directed everyone's attention downwards toward the unfolding ceremony. "I think they're starting."
"Let's kick off this shindig with a bang! Can I get an OH YEAH!?" Present Mic thrust his microphone skyward, and the crowd responded with a resounding OH YEAH of their own.
"Alright, listeners! You've seen some amazing action today at the UA Sports Festival, but oh baby we ain't done yet! Here to present the medals, the man, the myth, the legend, the symbol of peace himself! The 8ft tall chunk of hunk who has saved our hides more times than we can count! Put your hands together for the one, the only, the ALL MIGHT!"
On cue, the sky seemed to part. "HAHAHAHA!" All Might's laughter echoed like a force of nature, surpassing even the collective roars of the crowd. With a seismic thud that rattled the very foundations of the stadium, he descended onto the centre of the arena, waving to the roaring audience. "I AM HERE… to hand out medals!"
One by one, the spotlight of honour shifted to the remarkable students who had made it this far. On her podium, Uraraka's heart raced as All Might approached, and she fought back the welling of emotions.
All Might draped the medal around Uraraka's neck with a warm smile. As he did so, he leaned down, "We can expect great things from you in the future, young Uraraka."
She nodded and straightened her posture, determined to live up to his expectations. "I won't let you down!" she declared.
"I doubt you ever could."
Moving to Kirishima, he draped the medal around his neck and placed a sturdy hand on his shoulder. "Young Kirishima! Keep that unbreakable spirit burning bright! Your determination will be the bedrock of your success!"
Kirishima's grin grew even wider with pride. "You can count on it, All Might! I'll keep giving it my all!"
All Might's grin matched the enormity of his stature as he placed medals around both Todoroki and Kuri's necks. He'd been rehearsing what he wanted to say right now.
"Todoroki, my young friend, remember that your journey is uniquely yours. Forge a path that melds the powers of both fire and ice, and you'll illuminate the way for everyone. And Kuri Kuri! Support course pioneer! Your boundless creativity and unshakeable spirit have etched a legacy in this tournament that will resonate for years to come. Both of you embody the very essence of true heroism!"
Todoroki's gaze flicked to Kuri Kuri and then back to All Might. "Thank you, sir," he began, his voice steady. "I'll keep learning and evolving."
Kuri nodded, his voice a gentle whisper choked with emotion. "Thank you. I'll keep striving, no matter what."
As the cheers of the crowd surged like a wave, Todoroki's gaze caught a fleeting sight in the stands. His father, Endeavour, huffing with visible displeasure. In a swift motion, Endeavour stood up and walked away, his shoulders tense.
Todoroki's expression remained unchanged, but felt the tug of conflicting feelings within him. He understood that he had the strength to tread this path alone, and his father's reaction was only to be anticipated, but the weight of it all tugged at his heartstrings.
Breaking the momentary tension, Present Mic's electrifying voice boomed through the arena. "Let's hear it for our exceptional students, and for the one and only All Might!"
With a thunderous roar of "PLUS ULTRA," the Sports Festival culminated, medals glinting proudly as the students shared a collective resolve to become the finest heroes they could be.
The sports festival had come to a close, and it was time for everyone to revel in their triumphs and bask in the glory of victory. And who better to lead this monumental shindig than Present Mic? He dubbed it the "Most Bumpinest, Rockinest, Plus Ultrainest party that this or any other planet had ever seen," a hootenanny that would make the cosmos itself boogie down.
The party was poppin' off in a massive hall that the school apparently kept tucked away for special occasions like this. (The lone banner that hadn't been taken down since the last event showed they'd thrown a bash to honour Snipe for passing his driving test.) The hall was a kaleidoscope of colours, filled with balloons, confetti, and streamers. To the side was an enormous buffet table filled to bursting with delicious treats.
The star of the show was, naturally, Present Mic. He was stationed behind a deck of turntables, facing a dance floor just begging for someone to get down there and shake a tailfeather. With his regular level of enthusiasm, he was trying to rally the troops—students and staff alike—urging them to do the twist, the dougie, or some other two-hundred-year-old dance that somehow never fell out of fashion. Anything, really. The little robot Deku had the right idea, currently breakdancing in the centre.
Being a school dance, and with most of the first years still being awkward teenagers, everyone else was standing off to the sides and talking to each other in their respective groups. Some parents of students had decided to linger around too; among them was Izuku's mother, who made the drive down to personally celebrate her son's achievements. Of course, the spread of delectable finger foods served as an added incentive to stay put.
Mei, now that the festival was over, felt the tiredness hitting her like a truck and she was barely managing to stay on her feet. Regardless, she refused to head home until she saw this entire thing through. Her parents, having been her biggest cheerleaders in the stands throughout the festival, now stood vigilant, their watchful eyes tracking her every move to ensure she didn't topple into the punch bowl. As for Izuku, he had assumed the role of her steadfast support, a human pillar for her to lean on during those moments when her eyes remained open, but her consciousness left her for a few seconds.
"Hey, Mei, you still with us?" Izuku inquired, giving her a gentle nudge. She had been caught in a daze, her gaze locked on a distant point where Kuri Kuri, a bundle of nerves, was engulfed in a sea of congratulations from the hero classes. It was impossible to hear what they were saying to him, but from their expressions it was clear they were all quite fond of the boy.
"Huh? Oh yeah, don't worry, I'm still present and accounted for, Captain… Man, Kuri really went wild out there, huh?" Mei responded, snapping back to the moment.
Izuku nodded in agreement, "You're telling me. I had no idea he could do things like that. Did you notice his shell's fully healed already? I'm super curious about its real strength. Do you think it was all his natural power, or did he use some support gear? He had to be using some kind of neck support to handle all that spinning…" He started to mumble to himself, diving deep into contemplation.
"Beats me," Mei said with a nonchalant shrug, "Why not ask him? HEY! KURI KURI! OVER HERE!" Her voice rocketed across the hall, waving her arms like a windmill. "KURI KUUURIIIII! OVERRR HEERE! I don't think he can hear me. KURI KURI!"
"Mei I'm pretty sure he'd be able to hear you if he was in France." And true enough, Kuri caught sight of the enthusiastic display and began making his way over, an elated grin plastered across his face.
"Hey guys, um, quite a day, huh?" Kuri mused, rubbing his arm.
"You really crushed it out there!" Izuku enthused, "That final event was like watching a tornado in action!"
"Yeah, especially that moment where you made a tornado." Mei helpfully added.
Kuri chuckled modestly, "Thanks, both of you. Actually, a lot of it goes back to you, Midoriya."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Izuku blinked in surprise.
Kuri's smile grew warm. "It might sound silly, but on our very first day at school, you told me you thought my quirk was awesome… You were the first person who ever thought that."
"Oh wow, heh," Izuku chuckled bashfully, "I'm glad it helped, but honestly, I just said what anyone else would have noticed. Your quirk is seriously cool."
Kuri's gratitude was palpable. "Well, after that, I began practising my quirk every single day after classes. Over time, I figured out there was more to it than I had ever imagined."
Suddenly, Mei gasped dramatically and pointed at Kuri's face, her mouth forming an 'O' of realisation. "Kuri Kuri! You wanna be a hero, don't you?!"
Caught off guard, Kuri's eyes darted to the side before he managed a hesitant half-shrug. "Y…Yeah, yeah I do. I always have, my whole life."
"Then go for it, man!" Mei bellowed, flinging her arms up in the air. "Eraserhead! Where's Eraserhead?!" She scanned the room frantically. "I'm dragging him here to put you in his class, pronto!"
"Hey, Mei, hold on a sec!" Kuri interjected, attempting to rein in her enthusiasm. "It's all good, I've actually been talking with Mr. Kan from 1-B. He seems nice and I think he's pretty interested in the idea."
"That's fantastic, Kuri!" Izuku said, smiling widely for his friend, "You're going to be great."
Kuri beamed at his friends. "Thanks, guys. Your support means the world to me."
"Well," Izuku said, holding out a fist, "It's just like Hana said. We're the support course for a reason."
Kuri's grin grew wider as he fist-bumped Izuku. "Corny as hell," he quipped before catching the attention of another group of students who were beckoning him over for their own round of applause. "Mind if I...?" he trailed off, indicating the group.
"Don't let us hold you back, Rockefeller," Mei chimed in with a wink, her energy clearly running on fumes. As Kuri started to head over to the group, she turned to Izuku. "Isn't he nice? I wonder who he is."
"You sure you don't want to call it a night, Mei?"
"Oh come on, I've still got a few sparks left! The night is young! Besides, I've got to be present for all the post-party analysis, you never know where the next great idea might strike."
Izuku shook his head with a fond smile. "You're something else, Mei Hatsume."
"And you're Captain Obvious, Izuku Midoriya," she retorted, poking his side.
As they teased each other, a tall and unassuming figure approached Mei and Izuku, his presence going otherwise unnoticed amid the excitement of the party. Dressed in a smart-casual button-up shirt, Yagi Toshinori's calm voice joined the mix. "Sounds like you two are having a good time. Always a pleasure to see."
"Oh! Mr. Yagi! H-how are you?" Izuku stammered, his nerves suddenly jangling in the presence of the number one hero. Despite knowing that he was Mr Yagi right now, and not All Might, the day's extraordinary heroics had elevated him to a larger-than-life stature in Izuku's mind. Of course, to everyone else, he simply remained their law tutor.
Mei's eyebrow arched in confusion at Izuku's reaction, but she greeted the teacher with a sleepy smile. "Hey there, teach." Her words were a bit sluggish, prompting Izuku to wince at her casualness.
"M-Mei! You can't talk to Mr Yagi like that!"
Yagi chuckled softly, "Don't fret, Midoriya. You two have had quite an eventful day. You managed to surprise a lot of people, myself included."
Scratching the back of his head, Izuku smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I couldn't keep it hidden forever."
"Secrets tend to find their way to the surface eventually, my boy…" Yagi's expression grew a touch distant as he spoke. "Using your quirk took a great deal of courage. Equal congratulations to you as well, Hatsume. You really showed what you were capable of out there today. But I won't keep you for long. I'm just here to extend my wishes to the students. Everyone performed admirably today, and All Might was equally impressed with each and every one of you."
"That's reassuring to hear, Mr. Yagi," Izuku replied, maintaining the distinction between Yagi and All Might, as if they were separate entities.
Mei, who had now been battling sleep for an impressive 36 hours, fixed Yagi with a piercing gaze. The man could only return her stare, his confusion plain on his face.
"You know…" Mei began, her voice slow and drawn-out, "You look awfully similar to All Might…"
Izuku and Yagi jumped as if they had been electrocuted. "No, no, no! Absolutely no similarity at all, ha ha ha!" Yagi's laugh was frantic as he flailed his arms around in denial.
"Completely different people! Like night and day!" Izuku added hurriedly,
"Mmhm…" Mei's eyelids drooped, and she leaned her head gently onto Izuku's shoulder, almost instantly succumbing to a soft snore.
Exchanging a look of mutual relief, Izuku tried to signal Mei's parents. "I guess she's finally asleep," he whispered.
"Let's uh, hope she doesn't remember that tomorrow." Yagi said with a grimace.
Following the excitement of the party, as Mei's parents escorted her home, a sudden wave of exhaustion crashed over Izuku. He couldn't wait to shelve the day's events and get himself all tucked up in bed. The journey home for the Midoriyas was hushed, Inko seemingly understanding that Izuku needed a respite after everything. So, they were happy to sit in a comfortable silence, finding solace in each other's company
But, as they ascended the staircase and neared the entrance to the apartment, a figure materialised from the shadows, halting them in their tracks before they could enter the building
"Why, as I live and breathe." the bald man greeted, his voice unsettlingly calm. "If I'm not mistaken, you're the young man who was on the television this evening, aren't you?" Towering and impeccably dressed, his cleanliness felt oddly out of place. But it was his eyes that were the most unnerving - they were completely cold.
Izuku's heart hammered within his chest; an indescribable unease radiated from this man, but he fought to maintain his composure. "Thank you, sir."
The palpable tension wasn't lost on Inko, "We're grateful, but it's quite late," she hinted, her hope being that he would take the invitation to leave.
The man brushed aside her words, his gaze remaining unrelentingly on Izuku. "All I ask for is a handshake. As a congratulations, for doing so well." His smile mirrored the emptiness in his eyes.
Looking down at the outstretched arm, something inside was screaming at Izuku to get away from this man as soon as possible. Get in the apartment. Close the door.
Nervously, he extended a hand over.
Unbeknownst to Izuku, the man readied himself to trigger his quirk. A single touch would be enough to remove the healthy bacteria, and soon enough, the boy would succumb…
"ERK~" A sudden, involuntary convulsion coursed through the man's hand. Startled, Izuku withdrew in shock, watching while the man's expression changed as he lunged for his arm. The terrified boy hastily took a few steps back, his mother pulling him in close, their eyes fixated on the man's legs buckling beneath him. He fell sideways, slumped against the threshold of their home, motionless and with twin pairs of forks aligned perfectly vertically at the base of his skull.
From the darkness emerged a woman, presumably behind the attack, slowly became more visible in her black clothes as she made her way towards them - her face recognisable to both Izuku and his mother.
"We need to leave - right now," she pronounced with a matter-of-fact air, concealing another handful of utensils within her belt. "This place isn't safe."
Inko's eyes widened in disbelief. "...YUKI?!"