As the smoke cleared, everyone could see the arena had become a warzone. Shards of ice littered the concrete ground. Whole chunks of floor missing as it was telekinetically ripped up and thrown. But what lay at the center was the most devastating. A large crater, scorched and cracked, was carved into the center. A trail of uprooted concrete travelled from the center to near the border line. At the end of this trail was Izuku Midoriya, battered, burnt, and bleeding. He was unconscious but still kicking. But what of Shoto Todoroki? Well, it seemed the blast had taken the son of Endeavor out of bounds, in which he could be seen lying unconscious in the grass. Likewise, Todoroki was also bruised and scraped, but not to the extent of Midoriya.
After a quick, private debate, the official ruling was that Todoroki was out of bounds before Midoriya was unconscious, thus making Izuku the winner. Of course, none of the boys could hear this as they were quickly taken to Recovery Girl for medical treatment.
Izuku floated through the stary void.
Still.
Trapped.
Before his eyes, Izuku saw flashes. Of memories, Of dreams. Of events both real and fake.
In these flashes, he saw life after life that were and were not him.
He was a slave in the harsh sun.
He was a royal looking out at the snow-covered fields.
He was a boy who saw the world through a camera.
He was popular, an outcast, rich, poor, thriving, barely clinging to life.
And out of these wildly different lives, there was one constant.
It. The Object. The powers.
Some of the lives became protectors, legends, gods. Others hid their powers. Eventually, they all died. Faded away.
The last of the lives were three boys. And one by one they fell. The first was struck by lightning. The second went mad with pain and was put down like a vicious predator. The last boy simply faded. The ravages of time had caught up with him despite his power.
These were visions. These were people whose lives were touched by the object. They had the same powers. The same one Izuku has now.
There was one light far off in the distance. It was dim, and it was growing dimmer still. Izuku could feel that this one wasn't like the others. It was not…human.
What are you?
Izuku could feel the thoughts and emotions of the first light. It was as old as the Earth. It fed off the natural resources of the infant planet. Over time, it became buried underground by the planet's evolution. As humanity arose, it would touch those few who encountered it. It would give them abilities beyond anything seen before. In return, it wanted to live, and it needed to be sustained.
Over the millennia, it had moved across the globe. Feeding, granting, surviving. However, less and less humans were discovering it. It had grown weaker and weaker with each move, with each contact. It thought it died when it gave those three boys its gift. Now, it was here in Japan. Moved as humanity started their own evolution. Now, Izuku was the last.
What do you want me to do?
Could Izuku save it? No, it knew it's time was up. There was nothing more the boy could do. But it wanted Izuku to do one thing: use its power. Let this gift not go to the wayside. For good or for evil, it did not care. Use it.
Okay, okay, I can do that. I-I want to thank you. You gave me a chance to achieve my dream. Could I at least know your name?
It was from before names were a concept. Yet, it did impart the knowledge of the last title the humans gave it: Mogo.
Thank you, Mogo.
Go, Izuku Midoriya, use my gift and spread the seeds of the future.
Izuku groaned as he woke up. Another match, another awakening in the nurse's office. He squinted against the light, as he tried to sit up. Stretching his non-bruised but very sore muscles, Izuku's movement caught the attention of Recovery Girl who moved over to check up on him.
"What happened?" Izuku asked.
"You and that Todoroki boy went all out right at the end. Managed to knock that boy out of bounds while you managed to stay inbounds." The Youthful Heroine explained.
Izuku began to take her words in, but before he could, he was smacked gently yet firmly on the arm.
"Ow!" Izuku cried out rubbing his arm. "What was that for?"
"That was for pushing yourself too far, young man!" Recovery Girl shook her needle cane at him like a disobedient pet. "Your right arm was covered in second degree burns, your spine was used as an industrial shovel, and most of all, you overtaxed your Quirk again! I know this competition is important to you, young man, but don't make it a habit of coming to my office after every match. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am!" Izuku answered quickly. "Hey, did you say I knocked Todoroki out of bounds?"
"Yes, so I guess that means you won. Now rest up, dear."
Izuku formed a slow smile on his face. He won. He actually won. But then his face dropped. How must Todoroki feel? He pushed himself to use the side of himself that he hated, and he lost. Izuku wanted to go see how his fellow classmate felt, but for now, he was stuck in bed.
The return of Recovery Girl brought him out of his stupor. She altered Izuku that he had several visitors in the form of Ochacco, Tsu, Iida, and…Mineta. They all crowded around him, congratulating him on a fight well won.
"Thanks, I'm serious." Izuku said. "Wait, hey Iida, isn't your match up next? Why aren't you getting prepared?"
"My match is postponed until the arena has been properly repaired." Iida answered.
"To be fair, you and Todoroki really did a number on it." Ochacco added.
"Oh, sorry," Izuku apologized.
They talked and chatted before Recovery Girl ushered them out. Izuku rested and before long, he was given the all-clear. Izuku wanted to see Todoroki before he got back to the observation room, but Recovery Girl informed him that the son of Endeavor healed and left before Izuku did. A bit disappointed, Izuku eventually left for the observation room. There, he managed to find Todoroki, who paid little to no mind to him. However, Izuku felt that Todoroki was…lighter. Like there was less weight on his shoulders.
The arena was eventually repaired, and the matches resumed. They went by faster than Izuku's match. The first match was between Iida and the girl from 1-B, Shiozaki. Iida won by speeding towards her and pushing the vine girl out of the arena before she could react. Izuku felt a bit of pride and apprehension on the thought of fighting his friend in the next round. The next match was between Tokoyami and Ashido. Dark Shadow once again showed how powerful it was by taking out Ashido quickly. Izuku was nervous at the thought of fighting Tokoyami and his Quirk. It was strong and fast, and unless you had a Quirk or something else that could produce strong light, nearly invulnerable. The final match was between Bakugo and Kirishima. After first, it seemed like Kirishima's Hardening proved to be a suitable defense against Bakugo's explosions. However, Bakugo leaned heavily on the offensive, not giving Kirishima any time or room to breathe. Before long, Kirishima's defenses broke, and he was defeated.
The matches for the semi-final round were announced. It was Izuku versus Iida and Tokoyami versus Bakugo. As the arena was being set up, Izuku and Iida took a brief moment to chat.
"Hey, Iida, have you ever heard anything from your family yet?" Izuku asked. "I bet your brother is pretty excited to see you make it this far."
Iida's face mused in thought. "While I have gotten some messages from my parents, I haven't heard from Tensei yet. Of course, he is a Pro Hero after all. I'm sure he's stopping some Villain or criminal. After all, a Hero's work is a never-ending battle against evil."
"Yeah," Izuku off-handily agree. "Come on, we've got to prepare for our match."
Iida nodded and the two set off in opposite directions. Eventually, both faced each other in the arena. The crowd's cheers filled their ears, and the sun's warm light bathed their skin. With the call of the referee, the fight began!
Iida charged forward; engines already revved. Faster than Izuku could blink, Iida attempted to push Izuku out of bounds. The two grappled with each other, each attempting to push back against the other. Izuku's telekinetic movement clashed with Iida's engine torque. Izuku knew that he couldn't keep up with Iida on solid ground, so he pushed himself off to the side. Throwing Iida aside, Izuku hovered in the air as Iida skidded to a halt.
Izuku knew he couldn't compete with Iida's speed, especially on the ground. Plus, Iida was taller and had longer limbs, so close combat was going to an uphill battle for Izuku. Fortunately, Izuku had the means to keep his distance and a greater range of attacks.
Izuku launched telekinetic blast after blast. However, Iida dodged them and leapt up into the air. He delivered a spinning kick straight into Izuku, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Ugh," Izuku winced. "How were you able to dodge that?"
"Your hands," Iida pointed out.
He was right. Izuku used his hands as a guide when using his telekinesis. And now, Iida was exploiting that habit. Guess the brother of Ingenium was more observant than Izuku thought.
A clicking sound was heard as Iida went into a runner's stance. He dashed forward, not as fast as before but still quicker than an average person. Izuku decided to try out a new strategy. Izuku dug out patches of the ground and lifted them up into the air. Without missing a step, Iida used the now floating platforms as steppingstones. Launching off the final platform, Iida performed an axe kick right for Izuku's head. He dodged to the side letting Iida's foot form cracks in the arena. Izuku took the opportunity to rush in and attack, peppering Iida with punches. They managed to push Iida back, as Izuku gave one final punch that managed to make Iida stumble. Izuku fell back and floated a few feet above the ground.
Izuku needed to get Iida into the air. If Iida used his speed to make a jump, he couldn't maneuver around or change his momentum as well as Izuku could in the air. Izuku took the previous ripped-up chunks and telekinetically threw them at Iida. Tenya weaved around them, but before landing a kick on Izuku, he took a telekinetic blast that landed him on his back. He rolled back up before sliding into a runner's four-point stance. Another shifting of gears, and Iida disappeared, running straight at Izuku. At least he was, before turning to the side and running in an arc before tacking at Izuku's side. Izuku dodged backwards, letting Iida whiff and slide across the ground. However, it wasn't long before Tenya ran back into position facing straight against Izuku. Izuku gave a glance behind him. He was a few feet away from the boundary line. And Iida knew it.
Once more the sound of gears shifting was heard but added in was a familiar roar of an engine. Iida once again took that runner's stance with determination in his face. Izuku tensed up. He'd seen this move before, and the only way to dodge it was to move at the right second.
"RECIPRO BURST!"
Iida dashed forward at blistering speeds. If this was any ordinary person, they would have been blind sided by Iida's speed. However, Izuku had been preparing for this. As Iida was barreling towards him, Izuku used his telekinesis to jump and flip high enough to dodge Iida. Tenya, unable to slow himself down or jump after him, could only watch as Izuku soared over him. Iida forced his engines to stop, skidding across the arena while trying to turn and face his opponent. Izuku, floating upside down, let out a telekinetic push. This blast hit Iida, pushing him farther away. While the Engine Quirk boy managed to keep upright, he didn't, however, keep himself from being pushed out of bounds.
"Tenya Iida is out of bounds! Izuku Midoriya wins and moves to the final round!"
The crowd cheers as Izuku lands upright. Both boys had faces of shock and surprise. Izuku, for how his plan actually pulled off, and Iida, surprised at the outcome. Both boys' faces morphed into ones of admiration.
"I'll admit, Midoriya, that was a good match," Iida said. "I didn't expect you to adapt to my speed so quickly."
"Thanks, you did really good too." Izuku added. "If I wasn't able to make that last second dodge, you would have gotten me, no doubt about it."
Iida nodded. "I'd hate to ask this of you Midoriya, but can you help me back to the observation deck? I'm stalled and still can't move my legs."
"Oh," Izuku blanched. "I'll try and get you to Recovery Girl."
Izuku attempted to carry Iida to the nurse's office proved fruitless as the boy's large physique and stalled engine legs meant that Izuku couldn't physically carry Iida over. This task was alleviated when medibots arrived to guide Iida to the recovery room. Izuku also had to take a trip to the nurse's office for his injuries. Nothing as severe as before, but mainly to heal any bruises. This, of course, did not calm Izuku's worries of facing the Youthful Heroine's wrath over breaking his promise not to be seen to her after every match. Luckily, she was much more docile, and one quick trip later, both Izuku and Iida returned to their classmates in the observation deck.
The final match of the semi-final round was between Bakugo and Tokoyami. Bakugo's explosions proved to be bright enough to hurt Dark Shadow. After several minutes of this onslaught and one devastating finishing move later, Bakugo won when Tokoyami surrendered.
Even though Izuku was cheering for Tokoyami, deep down, he knew he would be facing Bakugo in the finals. Izuku would have wanted this to be on friendly terms, like a rivalry, but that's not what Bakugo wanted. Every direct moment with Kacchan just brought Izuku back to those days of torment and pain. Back to when he was Quirkless and powerless. This was supposed to be different. He had friends and powers, yet for some reason, Bakugo kept antagonizing him over and over again. To be fair, this level of bullying wasn't as bad as before, but as Izuku's friends pointed out, this wasn't a healthy relationship.
Izuku hoped their last fight would have knocked some sense into Bakugo. At least making the boy recognize Izuku as something of an equal. But no, Bakugo kept looking down on Izuku like he did everyone else. This time would be different. Izuku would show him that he, and all of his classmates, were not to be looked down on. That Bakugo couldn't keep acting like he was the OP lead of a shonen manga. He would have to recognize their strength. He has to.
As Izuku was walking over to his waiting room, he saw Iida speeding down the hallway. Which was concerning because Iida never ran down the halls. Not even speed walking.
"Hey, Iida, wait," Izuku called out. "What's going -?"
"Sorry, Midoriya, I can't stay and talk right now," Iida said. "I have to go. It's a family matter. Good luck."
And with that, Iida ran off. Izuku noted the tense, hurried tone of Iida's voice. He wanted to know what was wrong, what he could do to help. But Iida was already gone, and Izuku needed to get ready for his match.
Izuku was prepping himself when he heard the slam of a door. That's when Bakugo walked in before spotting Izuku, and his already sour demeanor worsened.
"The hell are you doing in my waiting room?" Katsuki demanded.
Izuku's look of surprise then turned into confusion. "What do you mean 'your waiting room'? Isn't your room on the other side?" Izuku rattled to room number.
Bakugo looked around at the locker numbers and realized he was indeed not in the right room. He blasted close to one of the empty lockers. Despite the great sound, Izuku could hear a cry of "Shit!" coming from inside the smoke.
As the smoke dissipated, Bakugo simply glared at Izuku.
"I'm real pissed that you took out Icy-Hot before I could," Bakugo said. "I don't know what kind of bullshit luck you're pulling out of your ass, but I won't be taken down by you, Deku."
Izuku fought the urge to slam his locker door. "Isn't there anything you're supposed to be doing besides trying to put me down?"
Bakugo seemed to take the jab in stride. "No, I don't. Because this festival was to show everyone my potential, my greatness. Now, all everyone's talking about is you, Icy-Hot, and whatever extra won a match. Trust me, after this round, all everyone's going to see is me at Number One, and the rest of you in the trash where you belong."
"Is that seriously what you still think about yourself? That you're the only one destined for the top? That all of our classmates' achievements are just background noise to you? You really think you're just destined to win?"
"I don't think I am. I know I am." Bakugo said matter of fact. "Take all the time you want. It won't help you. Just like Uraraka, I won't be holding back."
And with that, Bakugo left the waiting room to go find his own.
"You never do," Izuku muttered.
He felt so tired of Katsuki's attitude. It was like all the shine he put on his former friend was washed away, and now Izuku could see 'Kacchan' for who he really is. Izuku knows Katsuki can be a great hero: he has the determination, the powerful Quirk, and the intellect to use it strategically. But all he could see was himself. He couldn't care about anyone else unless they were impeding him. And in that case, Katsuki wouldn't hold anything back. Izuku's seen it with Uraraka, with himself, and with all of Bakugo's matches. Bakugo needed someone to give him a reality check. Someone to show that he wasn't the only one who wanted to be the best. That there are others with the same drive as he does. And it looked like for Izuku, that person was going to be him.
As Izuku finished up the last of his preparations, his phone dinged at a notification. It was one of the news sites Izuku kept up with. Sliding the "BREAKING NEWS" notification, Izuku's eyes widen upon seeing the headline.
"TURBO HERO INGENIUM CRITICALLY INJURED AFTER BATTLE WITH HERO KILLER."
Izuku gaped. Iida's brother was seriously hurt. That's why he had to leave so suddenly. And the more Izuku skimmed the article, the more his heart sank. The wounds were severe, life-threatening. The article didn't clarify on Ingenium's state but did mention he was being rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.
The light buzzed on, signifying that Izuku needed to make his way to the stadium. Izuku shut his phone off and closed the locker. He wanted to be there for Iida, to help him out as a friend. Unfortunately, that would have to wait. Izuku has a final round to win and an old friend to contend with.
And that is that! Shorter than last chapter but was needed to get to the final round. Next time, the dramatic conclusion of the Sports Festival: Izuku versus Katsuki!
Thank you to everyone reading and interacting with this story. It means a lot. The poll for Izuku's internship mentor is still going on. We've got one vote for the Pussycats, and that's it. Maybe I don't have that vocal of a reader base to do polls like I see with other authors. Still, I hope you do share your thoughts through comments. They are always appreciated.
That's all I have for now. See ya next time!