While Izuku managed to make it in time to see Yaoyorozu and Tokyami's fight, it was sadly a quick one as Dark Shadow overpowered Yaoyorozu. While waiting for the next match, Izuku was given the rundown on the previous matches. Todoroki's match against Sero was hardly even a fight. Despite Sero's efforts, Todoroki took down the tape boy easily.
"Dude dropped a glacier on me. What was I supposed to do?" Sero said, still feeling the effects of the cold, cold ice.
Kaminari faced off against Shiozaki, one of the students from Class 1-B. The electric boy's Quirk was ineffective against Shiozaki's plant hair. Then came Hatsume and Iida. To call that a match would be lying. It was mainly an ad for Hatsume, showing off the girl's inventions with Iida being a demonstration of their uses. Eventually, the girl forfeited on her own, satisfied with her sales pitch and leaving Iida with wounded pride. Mina easily slid around Aoyama's Naval Laser before his Quirk backfired on him. The acid girl would then easily melt Aoyama's belt and knock him out.
Now, Izuku spot Kirishima walking onto the stage along with his opponent. Another contestant from 1-B, the boy named Tetsutsu Tetsutsu was his opponent. Once the match began, Izuku took note of not only how similar their Quirks were but also their personalities. Both boys had Quirks that boosted their defense and strength with an outer layer shell. Kirishima's was rocky while Testutsu's was more akin to steel. They were both aggressive brawlers who seemed evenly matched.
Like really evenly matched. Almost uncanny how identical their fighting styles were. Maybe they were secretly related, Izuku thought.
As the fight dragged on, Izuku noticed how Uraraka grew more and more nervous. Eventually, she left to go into the hallway, and Izuku followed.
"H-hey Uraraka, are you nervous?" Izuku asked, catching the girl off guard.
"Nervous? Me, nervous? About what?" Uraraka squeaked. "That I'm going against the most aggressive guy in our class who not only make massive explosions but yells 'DIE!' every time he does? Yeah, I'm a little nervous. Add the fact that this match might make or break my hero career with nearly every Pro Hero in the country watching? More than a little nervous."
"Oh, right, dumb question. Hey, you think your parents are cheering you on right now? I know mine are."
"I don't doubt it. It's just there's a lot at stake, and I really don't want to let them down."
"I'm sure you'll do great out there. Me, you, all of us have been getting stronger." Izuku paused, his facing scrunching in thought. "Hey, if you want any advice on how to beat Kacchan, just say so. I've known him since forever, so I know how he thinks and how he fights."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass." Uraraka's answer surprised Izuku. Before he could ask why she continued. "You're not the only one paying attention to our classmates. Besides, I've got something planned for Bakugo."
Uraraka motioned Izuku to follow her. "Hey, thanks for the encouragement, but come on. I'm really hoping Kirishima wins."
Izuku followed back to the observation booth. Turned out, Kirishima didn't win. Nor Tetsutesu. In fact, both boys knocked each other out, and the match was deemed a tie. They did confirm that the two would have a non-fighting tiebreaker after they both recovered and after the last match of the first round.
After Uraraka and Bakugo got in the arena and everything was reestablished, the match began. Uraraka charged at Bakugo. This was a good idea, Izuku thought. Be the aggressor to put Bakugo on the defensive. However, Bakugo's explosions not only kept Uraraka away but also weakening her further and further.
Izuku stood along the railing of the observation deck, hands gripping the support rail. He watched as Bakugo slowly gained the upper hand, standing strong and firm against Uraraka's weaking attacks. The girl was clearly struggling after taking explosion upon explosion. This was a David versus Goliath battle, with David losing.
By now, the crowd had begun to sour on Bakugo's continued assault. They started to boo him, calling his actions villainous and begging him to ease up his attacks to let the girl have a fighting chance. Eraserhead rebutted these naysayers, saying Bakugo has no reason to limit himself while fighting. After all, aren't Heroes supposed to give their 100% all the time? Would holding himself back show that Bakugo did look down on Uraraka rather than acknowledging his opponent's strength?
Izuku was conflicted. Half of him agreed with Aizawa's reasoning. His own history with Bakugo aligned with this. Bakugo, despite all of his ego and anger, always pushed himself to his limits and beyond. He did everything at his best and continued to improve without ever holding himself back.
On the other hand, this was a goddamn sports festival. This wasn't an actual life-or-death fight. And yet, here was Bakugo: never pulling punches, never letting up, never showing any mercy on his target. Izuku's mind flooded with memory upon memory of Bakugo physically hurting him. No matter how many times he begged, Izuku could never get Bakugo to yield unless Katsuki himself got bored or a teacher was getting close by. Was that Kacchan acknowledging my strength, or was it just him putting me down because he could? The question stuck with him as he tightened his grip on the railing.
By now, it looked like the match was already over. Uraraka, burnt, burised, and tired, had barely done anything to hurt Bakugo. This was the end, it seemed. Until Izuku saw Uraraka start to bring the tips of her fingers together. Bringing all ten fingers together cancelled out her gravity Quirk. But where were the things that she touched…?
Izuku looked up above the arena and gasped. Floating above, concrete rocks hung in the air like they were on strings. That was her plan, Izuku smiled. As she let Bakugo attack her, Uraraka would disable the gravity on all of the debris let loose by Bakugo's explosions. Katsuki literally gave Ochacco the ammunition for her to defeat him.
Uraraka tapped her fingers together and the debris dropped. It fell like an oncoming meteor show. It was the perfect trap. There was no way Bakugo could dodge all of them. Even if he could, all it would take was one tap from Uraraka to float him up and push him out of bounds. Izuku smiled. This was it.
Bakugo stood his ground. He raised his arms to the falling debris and launched a massive explosion. Smoke covered the arena. The spectators grew tense in anticipation. As the smoke cleared, Bakugo stood there, unharmed. All around him, the massive concrete rocks were obliterated into tiny, harmless pebbles. Izuku felt his heart drop. Uraraka's plan failed.
As Bakugo began to approach, Izuku saw how unsteady Uraraka was. She eventually fell to her knees. Despite all the beatings and the nausea, she still tried to get up and fight back. Izuku's grip on the railing became so tight his knuckles turned white. Before Bakugo could land a finishing blow, Uraraka fell and passed out.
Izuku was so focused on the match that the small tapping on his shoulder shocked him. He turned around and saw Sato looking at him with concern in his eyes.
"Midoriya, man, are you okay? Cause you're kinda…" The words fell from the boy's mouth as he pointed to Izuku's hands.
Izuku saw where Sato was pointing at and quickly let go of the railing. From where he was holding onto the rails, the metal had become compressed and twisted. Izuku looked at his hands. There's no way he could have done this with his own strength. Did he accidentally activate his telekinetic strength while watching the match? Izuku closed his eyes and tried to steady his breathing. This never happened before, and it can't be starting now. He can't be losing control of his powers to his emotions. Not after all of his hard work. Izuku steadied his breathing and opened his eyes.
"Thanks for checking on me, Sato," Izuku said. "I guess I got really invested in that match to check on my Quirk."
"Yeah, man, I don't blame you. That match was rough." Sato replied. "You think we can get Cementoss to fix that up during a break?"
"Maybe. Hey, I gotta go prepare for my match with Todoroki. See ya."
"Okay!" Sato called out to the departing Izuku. "Just be back to see Kirishima's tiebreaker!"
Izuku ignored Sato's question as he made his way through the corridors. Hopefully, he'll be able to catch up with Urararka somewhere. Passing by the recovery room, Izuku continued towards the waiting rooms. As he got closer, Izuku slowed down upon hearing sniffling. He looked inside to see Uraraka trembling with each sob. Izuku felt awkward. He wanted to go comfort his friend, but he had no idea how to do it properly. However, a misstep alerted Uraraka to Izuku's presence, and with no other option, Izuku entered the waiting room to see her.
Ochacco looked up to see him. Her eyes were starting to get red from crying, and she attempted to put on a stoic face.
"Hey, Deku," Ochacco wiped her face.
"Hi," Izuku answered. They both were there, in the waiting room, awkward as all can be.
"So, um, I thought you did a great job out there," Izuku said breaking the silence. "That was a really smart move using Kacchan's own Quirk and aggression to create that big meteor shower. You think you're going to name that move?"
Ochacco sighed. "Yeah, it was smart, but it failed. Bakugo was just too strong." Another sigh. "What do you do when you give it your all, and you still don't win?"
Izuku hesitated on answering the question for Ochacco answered it herself.
"It means I blew it! I failed! I failed myself, my classmates, my teachers, and -"
In the middle of her rant, Ochacco's phone rang. Izuku caught a glance of a name on the screen: "Dad". She quickly silenced it and put the phone away.
"And even my parents." Ochacoo finished solemnly.
Izuku took a seat next to her. They sat in silence as Izuku thought up of what to say.
"Uraraka, I think you did really great out there, even if you didn't win," Izuku said.
"What?" Ochacco asked.
"I mean it, and I bet your parents think you did too. Kacchan was never going to be an easy opponent to go up against. Yet, you actually managed to nearly trap him. Besides, isn't this what being a Hero student is all about? We give our best, and if we fail, we learn and do better?"
Ochacco stared at Izuku with near disbelief. She then curved her mouth into a small smile.
"Wow, you really do pay too much attention at All Might's speeches."
"Yep," Izuku answered before getting up off the bench. "Hey, when you're ready, I think Kirishima's about to have his tiebreaker match."
Ochacco's phone rang again with the same caller ID as before.
"I'll be there shortly," Ochacco said before turning to face Izuku. "Thanks for the kind words."
Izuku smiled back before leaving. As he exited, he could hear Ochacco talking with her dad.
By the time both Izuku and Ochacco came back to the observation deck, Kirshima and Tetsutesu were engaged in their tiebreaker match. Usually, the tiebreakers involve some other form of competition besides fighting to determine who moves on. For this match, it was arm-wrestling. The two went at it hard. One arm of steel versus one arm of hardened flesh. Two great forces going at each other with all of their strength. It took several prolonged minutes, but eventually Kirishima overpowered his foe and managed to defeat him.
Izuku was pretty sure the two became friends from that arm-wrestling match.
After Kirishima won his arm-wrestling match, it was time for the second round. The first match was between Izuku and Todoroki. Izuku was walking in the hallway to go prepare in his waiting room.
"Izuku Midoriya," A deep voice called out to him.
Izuku turned to face Endeavor, the Flame Hero. The man stood with his arms crossed along the wall. He towered over Izuku by a wide margin, and the flames that made up his hair and beard framed his serious face. Even if he couldn't feel Endeavor's heat, Izuku already felt like sweating.
"Your Quirk is rather impressive," the Number 2 Hero commented. "Something so simple, and yet so powerful. Despite falling under the Shinso boy's Quirk, you managed to overpower it and defeat him quite soundly."
"I, thank you, Endeavor," Izuku stuttered.
"From what I hear, when you're not throwing objects around with your Quirk, you fight similarly to All Might, correct? Strength and durability to overwhelm an opponent?"
"A-All Might is my favorite Hero, sir, so I like to take some inspiration from him on how I fight."
Endeavor's stance didn't change, though Izuku could guess that the Hero seemed to be connecting some dots in his mind.
"I know my boy, Shoto, has already conversed with you." Before Izuku could respond, Endeavor continued. "I don't care what he told you but know this: Shoto will replace All Might as the Number 1 Hero. He has this childish notion that he can become a Hero with only half of his power. You will provide a good opportunity to break that idea and make him see that using my fire will be the only way to fulfill his destiny."
"And what if I don't get him to use his other half? What then?" Izuku proposed.
"Then I was wrong about your potential. I am usually not wrong about these sorts of things," Endeavor added with a tone indicating a warning. "Eventually, Shoto will recognize the folly of his decision. Only when he recognizes the true power of his Quirk, then he will be able to become Number 1 like he is meant to."
Izuku gaped in quiet surprise as Endeavor turned to leave. Before he could walk too far away, Izuku spoke up.
"Endeavor, sir, if you don't mind me saying this, Shoto's your son. He's allowed to be the Hero he wants to be."
Endeavor stopped but didn't turn around.
"Shoto is my legacy. That is all he must concern himself with." Endeavor said. And then he walked off.
Izuku mulled over his conversation with the Number 2 Hero. Todoroki was, in a sense, right. Izuku knew the Flame Hero was never the most affable or emotional Hero around, but that conversation showed more of who the real Endeavor was behind the scenes. Endeavor didn't care about Shoto as a son; he was Shoto as a tool to establish his legacy. Just as he saw Izuku as a tool to get Todoroki to follow the Flame Hero's wishes. Shoto deserves to follow his own way of being a Hero, but how can Izuku show him that and also that he needs to use all sides of his Quirk? So many problems and not enough time to think them through.
By now, Izuku and Todoroki were facing each other in the arena. The commentary of Present Mic and Eraserhead went in one ear and out the other for Izuku. The boy kept focusing on Todoroki. No one the ice user was so stoic and stiff. If Izuku had a father like Endeavor, he may have ended up just like Shoto.
As both boys nodded in agreement with the rules, Izuku stared into the unemotive eyes of Todoroki. Izuku wondered how he was going to help Todoroki. If he forced Shoto to use his fire powers, he would just be playing into Endeavor's hands. If he threw the fight and lost just to Shoto's ice, then it would betray his promise of giving this festival his all. Izuku blew air out of his nose as he resigned to just figure it out as the match went on.
"BEGIN!"
"This will be over quickly," Todoroki said as he sent a wave of ice from his right foot. Izuku noticed this and took off before the trail of ice could reach him. Now in the air, Izuku saw the same glacier tactic Todoroki used on Sero. Luckily, this time it nearly didn't impale the audience and his fellow classmates. Even a fair distance from the glacier, Izuku could still feel the cold air emanating from it. Todoroki looked up to see Izuku floating above him. Izuku took this time to attempt a patented superhero quip.
"Y-y-you know if, if hero work doesn't work out, then maybe you could be-, no wait, you should try ice sculpt-."
Todoroki sent a wave of ice into the air, straight for Izuku. While not as dangerous as it was on the ground, Izuku still maneuvered out of ice's way. Great, Izuku's stammering not only let Todoroki counterattack, but it also didn't let him finish his quip. Plus, spontaneous quipping is hard. Izuku had no idea how some Heroes could do it and not get tongue-tied.
Todoroki quickly gathered that he needed to bring Izuku down. Rather than continuing to shoot ice into the air, he sent out several trails of ice which burst forth into large pillars of ice. Izuku dodged the rising spikes of ice before setting down on the ground. By now, the ice pillars had provide hiding space from Todoroki, giving Izuku time to formulate a plan. Izuku turned to face the glacier Shoto created.
Okay, Todoroki can make ice, Izuku thought. Let's see if he can control it.
Izuku turned to the giant glacier behind him. He telekinetically separated two large chunks from the slowly melting iceberg. Bringing them closer to him, Izuku floated above the ice stalagmites. With a wave of his hand, he sent one of the pieces barreling towards Todoroki. Todoroki created an ice path and slid on it to avoid getting smashed by it. Izuku threw the other projectile, and like before, Todoroki dodged it by sliding out of the way.
Alright, hypothesis confirmed. Izuku thought. Now to get up close.
Izuku tore off another large chunk from the now-melting glacier. He raised it high above his hands and threw it down right where Todoroki stopped sliding. Unable to make another getaway, Todoroki sent a larger ice spike up towards the falling piece. The stalagmite shattered the large ice cube as ice shards rained down from above. Izuku took this opportunity to drop down to the arena and rush directly towards Todoroki.
The ice shards provided enough distraction for Izuku to prepare a straight right punch. Todoroki saw Izuku's upcoming offence, and in response coated his left side in solid ice. Izuku's fist impacted upon Todoroki's ice guard. Despite the telekinetic forcefield augmenting his strength and endurance, Izuku still winced upon punching solid ice.
The two went at it, all of the hand-to-hand combat lessons drilled in were being put to use. A punch there, a kick here, the sound of fist hitting ice. Unable to break Todoroki's ice armor, Izuku moved backwards to gain some space. Taking the opportunity, Shoto sent out a wave of ice right at Izuku. Izuku threw up a telekinetic barrier that extended beyond his body. The ice hit the barrier and formed around it, leaving Izuku encased in a dome of ice.
Izuku shivered. While his barrier may have protected him against ice hitting him, it did not protected him against the cold temperature. Fighting against the cold, Izuku rapidly expanded the barrier, shattering the ice and sending the shards out in an explosion. Izuku felt the relatively warmer air rush over him. He rubbed his nose to check for any blood, which was there none.
While Izuku was feeling well, Todoroki wasn't. His right side was nearly covered in a thin sheet of frost, and his breath was visible despite the warm weather. Izuku pondered Todoroki's condition before reaching an epiphany.
That's it! It's his Quirk's drawback. Izuku concluded. Todoroki has both fire and ice powers. One side regulates the other. Todoroki has to use his flames to heat himself up. If not, he'll freeze himself till he can't move. The problem is, how am I going to convince him to use the half of his power he hates?
Todoroki sent out another wave of ice attacks, which Izuku would dodge or use as projectiles. However, Izuku could see that Shoto was weakening. Todoroki's ice was becoming more frail and melted faster over time. More and more frost covered Todoroki's right arm and leg before it became a layer of ice. Todoroki appeared more winded, and it looked like it was tougher for him to move around. The ice layer spread to his chest and face, and his lack of mobility caused him to take more hits.
"Todoroki! You can't keep going on like this!" Izuku said. "You can either forfeit now, or you can use your fire if you want to beat me."
"I-I-I w-won't-t-t" Todoroki fought through the chattering of his teeth to say. "Y-you c-c-can't ma-ma-make m-m-me."
The boy sent out another weak ice attack, one that Izuku barely put in any effort to dodge as it missed the telekinetic by a wide margin.
"Look at yourself, Todoroki!" Izuku shouted. "You're freezing over. Literally! Even you can see that fighting like this isn't the way to go."
"I-I-I told h-h-him like I a-a-already t-told you," Todoroki said. "I will n-n-never u-u-use my left ha-ha-half."
Izuku scowled. Todoroki can't be this serious. He's hurting himself just to follow his self-inflicted rule. Izuku knew that Shoto was smart enough to know that fighting in his condition wouldn't result in victory. And yet, Todoroki still stubbornly tried to fight with only his right half. Izuku decided enough was enough. It was time to knock some sense into his classmate.
Izuku rushed towards Todoroki and unleashed a barrage of telekinetically enhanced blows. Nothing too serious to injure the son of Endeavor but enough to make the boy feel it. By now, Todoroki's defense was practically nothing. All the ice accumulated on his body did nothing to soften the blows, and his limbs were too stuck to properly move.
"Don't you see it?! Don't you see what your promise has led you to?!" Izuku shouted over the blows. "Each and every one of us has gotten this far by using all of our talents! All of us pushing ourselves to the limits! Except you. You believe that you can be a Hero with using only half of your Quirk. By fighting with one hand tied behind your back. And look where it's gotten you! About to lose to your own Quirk and somebody who is your match!"
One hard blow from Izuku sent Todoroki skidding across the arena, near the boundary. Todoroki nearly fell before stabilizing himself.
"I've met your father, and I understand where you're coming from," Izuku said. "He's an arrogant, egotistical jerk whose too stubborn to think that any other way other than his is wrong! You say you're nothing like your father, but even without using his side, you're just like him!"
That final comment made something click within Todoroki. The boy was stunned before he cast his face down. His left arm twitched.
"I. Am not. MY FATHER!" Todoroki thrust out his left hand, and a plume of fire roared out from it.
Izuku barely dodged to the side. The heat hit him like a train, and he felt the flames brushing against his arm. Izuku hissed, clutching his very warm arm and looked at Todoroki. All of the ice covering the boy was gone, evaporated into steam. Todoroki panted as he flexed his right arm again.
The match was briefly interrupted by the loud shouting of Endeavor, who had this to say.
"SHOTO! FINALLY, YOU'VE USED MY GIFT, MY POWER! NOW, DEFEAT THIS BOY, AND MAKE OUR FAMILY PROUD!"
The two boys briefly acknowledge the words coming from the Number 2 Hero, and instead focused on each other.
"Why?" Shoto asked, in between breaths.
"You had to see that both sides of your Quirk are yours," Izuku answered. "You control the fire, not your father, not anyone."
Shoto took stock in this before asking further.
"But why even try and push me towards that revelation? You had me at certain defeat. You could have easily taken the victory. Why try to help me?"
Izuku smiled. "Because I promised to go through this festival with all of my power. To go beyond my limits. I hoped you would too, and I had to help you realize that."
Shoto let out a chuckle and shook his head.
"Izuku Midoriya, you really are a strange guy." Todoroki said.
Shoto let out another wave of fire. Izuku took to the sky in order to evade the flames. However, Todoroki's flame continued to follow Izuku in the air, even as Izuku ducked and weaved in the air. Eventually, Izuku put up a barrier in front of himself to block the fire. The flames warped around the barrier, but the heat was causing Izuku to sweat bullets. Knowing he was unable to sustain this, Izuku quickly dropped down to the arena and, after tearing two chunks of the arena, threw them at Todoroki.
Todoroki had lost sight of Izuku from the flame, but he was able to notice the two oncoming projectiles. Retiring the flame, Todoroki created ice walls to block the concrete chunks. Izuku knew he needed to finish this match now. He couldn't continue to fight Todoroki, especially now that the boy used both sides of his Quirk. Izuku took off, flying low to the ground. He gathered nearly all of his telekinetic power into his fist, forming an invisible gauntlet around it. Todoroki, likewise, created an ice slide to meet his opponent head on. Flames gathered in his right hand. Both boys yelled with all their determination as they prepared to clash.
As the two came close to impact, time slowed for Izuku. He could see Todoroki's determined face. He saw the trail of ice that was centimeters under him. He saw the flames surrounding Todoroki's hand as it came in for a punch. In this moment, Izuku felt something was wrong. That whatever was happening he needed to be far away from. In the painfully short amount of time he had before impact, Izuku tried to change his attack to a telekinetic push. It happened so slowly that Izuku didn't even know if he moved before he saw the brief flash of light next to him. Then, nothing but sound and fury.
A massive explosion rocked the arena. Audience members shielded themselves from the wind and smoke rushing towards them. Shortly, the shaking stopped and all that was left was the smoke. The audience drew forward in anticipation. Their breaths held to see who won. As the smoke cleared, they gasped as they saw the outcome of the match.
Cliffhanger, baby! Boy, ain't I a stinker. Yes, you'll have to wait until the next update to see who won. In the meantime, you can show your support through liking and commenting on this story! In all serious, I am a bit sorry this took a bit longer than the last update. Figuring out how I wanted this fight to go took a bit longer than expected, plus everything before.
Anyway! Last chapter, I said I would announce a poll would be coming up in this chapter, and I will deliver. For this poll, I want you, yes you the reader, to decide who Izuku will intern with. Honestly, I have no hard rules for this. Just choose a Pro Hero you would like to see Izuku be mentored under. I'll be honest, I already have plans with Hawks being Izuku's mentor, but if someone else proves to be more popular, I'll see how they could fit.
(Or I can just executively veto the popular vote if I don't like it. But I won't tell them that.)
Note: This poll will last for the next two chapters. After Ch. 16 is released, the voting stops.
Now onto comments:
For those who complain about how this story is following canon too much, I get it. I don't like reading the exact same thing over and over again too. I have some unique ideas on how I want the story to go too, but unfortunately, I have to get through all the stuff everyone else goes through before I can enact them. If you can't wait on that, sorry, go read something else. To those who are willing to stick around, thank you. You're very appreciated.
To urielmontiel79: I, uh, sort of did that. Having Uraraka shift Deku into a more positive meaning by associating it with "Dekiru"?
To AnimeFan13579: Thanks for the suggestions on how the fight could have gone. I did include some of your ideas for this chapter, so hope you liked that.
Next time, the second round continues on! However, how long will festivities last when reports of someone targeting Heroes make their way around. And what does this mean for Iida?
That's all for now. See ya next time!