Edit: Not much has changed from the original chapter except for the name of one of the characters. I changed it in order give this character a more original name than I had initally given them. This will apply for any further chapters from here on out. So, enjoy the chapter.
The cheers of the audience rang out as the final two participants made their way onto the stage. On one side was Izuku Midoriya, the telekinetic underdog who has wowed the audience with his Quirk and skill. On the other side was Katsuki Bakugo, the talented explosive boy who had quickly became seen as U.A.'s heel in the eyes of the audience. Hidden amongst the cheers, murmurs of people and Heroes guessing on who would win. Some believe Bakugo's sheer aggression would net him the final victory. Others thought Izuku's telekinetic skill would make him the victor. Some wanted Izuku to win because they dislike Bakugo that much. Nevertheless, it was clear that this match was at the forefront of everyone's' minds.
The two boys glared at each other as the final introduction were being made. Each boy had an additive reason on why they wanted to win beyond getting first place. For Bakugo, it was simply to prove himself to be the next Number One. In his eyes, Izuku had somehow gone from a weak, little nerd to being someone who managed to take down the closest person Bakugo could say was a threat to his position. Bakugo was annoyed at how much Izuku improved. This school, this event, was a part of everything he trained for, and he managed to be beaten by a weak little nerd who couldn't hold his own in a fight over a year ago. Bakugo knows that Izuku has gotten stronger. That little runt managed to beat the only other person Bakugo would consider a potential rival in this whole damn school. But Bakugo knew he could take Deku down. Because underneath all that bravado and telekinesis, Deku was the same worthless piece of waste that kept following him ever since they were kids. And Bakugo wouldn't give him a second to rest.
Izuku, on the other hand, wanted to prove Bakugo wrong. That he, and all their other classmates, weren't side characters in Bakugo's story. Izuku had hoped this festival would prove that point to his former friend. But it seemed like only Uraraka's match even touched Bakugo's worldview and only barely. Well, this time, Izuku knew how to get his message across. He had physically best Bakugo, since the explosive boy only responded to strength.
The two boys glared at each other. Izuku barely heard the familiar rules being reiterated. Both Izuku and Bakugo agreed to the rules and waited for the match to begin. When the call was sent, Bakugo charged forward. He raised his right arm in a form to strike. Izuku already got his guard up and prepared to counter. Izuku noticed how it was same attack Bakugo would always open with.
Is he seriously using that same old move again? Izuku questioned in his head. He already knows I can counter that.
As Bakugo got closer, Izuku noticed the sparks emanating from his hand. A second later, a large explosion rang out in the arena. Izuku was pushed back and blinded by the smoke. Even with his telekinesis-enhanced durability, Izuku still winced in pain from the heat.
That hit harder than he usually does. Does that mean he's going all out? Izuku pondered.
Izuku floated back before sending out a telekinetic push that impacted Bakugo. Bakugo recovered quickly and used an explosion behind him to propel himself forward. Izuku went on the offensive as well. He knew better than to just be on the defensive.
The two traded blow after blow. Izuku ripped chunks out of the arena and threw them at Bakugo. Bakugo's explosions tore holes into the ground. Punches and kicks were landed before the two back off, beginning to be covered in scratches and bruises.
Bakugo growled. "Damnit, Deku, start taking this seriously!"
He rushed forward and struck. Each punch was accentuated by an explosion that rocked Izuku's senses. Pressured, Izuku sent out a shockwave that sent Bakugo and any small debris flying. Bakugo, however, avoided getting sent out of bounds by using explosions to cancel his momentum and land safely in the arena.
"'Seriously'?" Izuku said with building frustration. "Do you still think that I'm not giving it my all?"
"I don't think. I know you can hit harder than that."
Bakugo let out a large explosion, more powerful than the ones he had been using this round. Izuku, prepared this time, made a wide barrier in front of himself. The heat and smoke were diverted before eventually dissipating.
"So, fight me with all you got!" Bakugo roared as he made a mad dash towards Izuku.
Izuku proceeded to telekinetically grab Bakugo mid-charge, lift the boy over his head, and then slammed him into the ground. Katsuki grunted as he hit the floor but rolled back up and started to charge an explosion in his hand.
"What is with you?!" Izuku demanded, frustrated. "You never showed restraint in your life! Why?!"
"Because going all out is what a Hero does, Deku! A Hero never loses! A Hero never holds back! I'm the only one who gets that, and it's time that I drill that into your shitty, dense, nerd head!"
Katsuki threw the charged explosion forward. The arena was filled with smoke and heat. As the ashes became clear, Bakugo found Izuku nowhere to be found on the ground. Looking up, he saw Izuku floating above with the dissipating smoke.
"What do you know about being a hero?" There was a hard edge to Izuku's voice.
Izuku shot down towards Bakugo. Before the boy could react, Izuku crashed into him. Pinned to the arena floor, Bakugo looked up to see Izuku's raised fist.
"All you care about is beating the villain and nothing else," Izuku said as he slammed a fist into the side of Bakugo's head. "There's more to it than just fights. There's rescue work, protecting people, hell, just basic community service."
Each point was accented with a punch before Izuku grabbed Bakugo and tossed him further into the arena. Bakugo landed on his feet and sneered.
"But you hate all of that. You despise and demean every time it comes up. Because you don't get what being a hero is, Bakugo."
If Bakugo was affected by not being called that childish nickname for the first time in years, he barely showed it.
"A hero is supposed to help others, to be their beacon of hope," Izuku's voice grew louder and louder. "A hero isn't supposed to put down others because they are stronger. A hero isn't supposed to treat others like they're worthless. And a hero doesn't let someone think they can end it all and try again in the next life!"
That last statement seemed to get to Bakugo. The blonde seemed to actually grapple with the words and ideas thrown at him. Izuku knew he let slip something secretive. That line could cause such a stir up around the two and probably destroy Bakugo's hero career if it ever fully got out. Izuku could have wondered how many people heard his rant besides himself and Bakugo. Midnight and Cementoss, the two closest to the arena? Eraserhead and Present Mic, up in the announcer booth? Who among the crowd had sensitive enough hearing to pick up on the implications? Izuku didn't care. He just wanted something, anything, to get Bakugo to think about the way he's been doing things. And it looked like he made his mark.
Bakugo shook his head and steeled his face. "You think that little speech means anything! It means jack shit unless you can prove it! So, come on! Fight me like you mean it! Go all out! Do it!"
Izuku's face slowly turned from one of surprise and disappointment to one of cold determination.
"You want me to go all out?" Izuku said, his voice oddly even. "Fine, I'll show you all out!"
Izuku lowered his arms and raised his hands up in a grabbing position. The arena shook like there was an earthquake. These rumblings extended past the arena, which were felt by the people in the stands. Bakugo's face turned into one of worry, as even he could not guess what Izuku was planning.
Izuku raised his arms and the arena exploded. Hovering in the air were countless concrete shards and pieces. They floated in the air like grey diamonds. Bakugo's expression turned to one of readiness. To him, this looked like what Uraraka's plan to defeat him was, only on a much larger scale.
Izuku yelled as he swung his arms together. Right then, every piece of concrete flew at Bakugo at blistering speeds. Bakugo tried to let off an explosion, but the shards were too fast and quickly covered him. The concrete collected together and formed a cocoon around Katsuki that left only his face exposed. Bakugo struggled to get free but the more he tried, the more Izuku put the pressure on him. The concrete was digging into Bakugo's skin. Bakugo tried to get free, but the constant pain and pressure of his concrete coffin hampered his ability to use his Quirk. By now, the attempts Bakugo made to get free had caused the shards to break skin and now blood had started seeping out of the cracks of his cocoon.
Izuku took a shaky step forward, ignoring the warm feeling of blood flowing down from his nose. He continued until he was close to his trapped opponent.
"Yield," Izuku said with strain in his voice.
Bakugo looked down at Izuku. His face, a mixture of pain and determination.
"Never," Bakugo said defiantly.
His frustration at a breaking point, Izuku lifted the Bakugo cocoon up further into the air. Once sufficiently high enough, Izuku telekinetically slammed him down as hard as he could onto the ground. Lifting him up, Izuku saw that, while disoriented, Bakugo was still conscious. This led to Izuku repeatedly slamming Bakugo into the arena over and over and over again. He charged one final attack, a slam so powerful that it broke the concrete shell over Bakugo. As the dust settled, Bakugo laid on the arena floor unmoving. Was Bakugo just unconscious? Izuku couldn't tell from the ringing in his head.
Midnight called out to Bakugo to see if the boy was still conscious. When he didn't move, she ruled that Bakugo was unable to fight and declared Izuku to be the winner. Izuku stood there, the cheers from the crowd washing over him. He was too exhausted, physically and mentally, to fully register what happened. As the medical staff came to collect Bakugo, they also took along a bleeding Izuku who fell into their arms light-headed and unconscious. As they left, Cementoss began to repair the arena for the awards ceremony. He and Midnight looked at each other with concern over the last fight, for Katsuki, for Izuku, and whatever history those two boys had with each other to cause a match like this.
The awards ceremony was delayed to allow Midoriya and Bakugo time to heal. Fortunately for Izuku, his exhaustion combined with the aftereffects of Recovery Girl's Quirk made him able to space out from her rant about overusing his Quirk. In no time at all, the two boys were back on their feet and were ready for the awards ceremony.
The arena had been transformed into an awards pedestal modelled after the Olympics of old. Izuku stood in the highest pedestal for first place. He felt giddy and nervous at the same time. He never won first place in anything physical. So, winning not only an athletic event, but one that is held to such high importance was very different for him. Izuku could only shyly wave at the audience in the stands.
Standing in the second-place pedestal was Bakugo. His hands were still covered in bandages to help recover from all the cement shards digging into him. Yet, the most worrying thing about Bakugo was how quiet he was. He didn't yell or thrash around like a mad animal. He was…still, contemplative. Izuku was torn about his former friend. On one hand, he was glad to finally break through Kacchan's ego and prove his own worth. On the other, he felt like he should do something to try and help his classmate. However, the logical side of him said to leave him be and not provoke him anymore.
Standing in the larger third-place pedestal was Tokoyami. The shadow Quirk user stood there stoically and with some effort at trying to look cool. The pedestal itself was built larger for those who lost the semi-final rounds, as both were considered to stand in third place. However, Iida's sudden departure meant only Tokoyami was present for the awards.
Midnight led the closing speech for the first-year events. Her speech's main point was about the hard work the students performed to get them this far. Her introduction of All Might presenting the medals went less than smoothly, as both Heroes messed up their ques and basically talked over each other. Nonetheless, All Might bombastically presented the medals to the audience before walking up to the stage itself. He first stopped at Tokoyami to whom he presented a bronze medal. All Might gave some advice to the boy to encourage him to not rely on Dark Shadow. Tokoyami nodded and bowed his head to receive his medal. All Might then present Bakugo the silver medal. The Number One hero praised the boy for his fighting skills and encouraged him to work on his more aggressive tendencies. He added that despite only coming in second, that shouldn't dissuade the hero student from giving up on his dream. Bakugo didn't even respond; he just kept his head low. All Might's eternal smile became a bit more strained as he tried to put the silver medal around Bakugo's neck like putting a necklace on a cactus without getting pricked. After that, he finally approached Izuku with the gold medal.
"Young Midoriya, you have grown from a boy with a dream to a young man who has the means to make that dream a reality. The display you gave us at this festival shows your skill with your Quirk along with your morals. Keep this up, always keep pushing forward, and I promise you will be among the greatest Heroes this country has ever known," All Might said before lowering his voice. "I'm proud of you, young Midoriya, as a hero and a teacher. Those months' training were some of the best moments of my career. Thank you for reminding me that anyone is fit to be a Hero, Quirk or no Quirk."
"I - I have to thank you, All Might," Izuku whispered back. "Without you, I would never dreamed of being a Hero, and I wouldn't have gotten this far without your training."
"Aw, quit it. You're gonna make me cry." All Might teased.
Izuku bowed his head to let All Might put the gold medal around his head. He clasped his hand on the golden metal, feeling it and gazing deep within its reflective surface.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the next generation of Heroes!" All Might yelled as the ceremony concluded.
The crowd cheered with thousands of voices. Izuku looked up and waved to the public. He could feel the waterworks coming and chastised himself for starting to cry on television. Still, nothing could bring down Izuku's positive mood. Winning the Sports Festival, already adored by the public, and now finally proving himself to his former friend his strength. Nothing could ruin this good moment.
"Damnit! I wanted him to lose!"
Shigaraki slammed his good hand on the table in anger. Having just watched the finale of the Sports Festival, he was pretty frustrated over the turn of events. The little green brat that broke his arm won, and it made him want to turn the kid into dust even more. Shigaraki wanted to do nothing with the festival, but his master convinced him to watch under the guise of "observing" their enemies' skills. While outwardly disinterested during the tournament, Shigaraki couldn't help but be somewhat entertained by watching children beat each other up.
By now, Shigaraki's arm had healed up enough to no longer need a sling. It still needed a cast though, which had served as Tourma's scratching post for some time.
"I apologize," said Kurogiri who was cleaning a glass nearby. "However, it seems we need to keep an eye on the one called Midoriya. He may prove a problem in the future."
"Alternatively, he may prove to be a valued asset," a voice came from another TV. There was no image with only sound coming through. "The boy has shown to be quite skillful with his Quirk."
"And do you plan to take his Quirk?"
"It is a possibility. Though I would prefer if he would join us willingly."
"Master, you think this Midoriya kid would work with us? He's nothing but a goody-two shoes," Shigaraki protested.
"On the surface, yes. But I suspect there is more to the boy than meets the eye."
"What do you mean, master?"
"Remember, my reach is far and wide. I have eyes and ears in many places within this dreadful Hero Society. I was able to precure the Midoriya boy's medical records."
Shigaraki and Kurogiri waited in silence to let their master speak.
"Ever since he took his Quirk Emergence test, Izuku Midoriya has been classified as Quirkless for the past ten years. That is until eleven months ago, where he was listed with a telekinesis Quirk."
"Was this your doing, master?" Shigaraki asked.
"No, and that is what intrigues me." AFO answered.
The revelation intrigued the old villain. In all his years, only he had the power to give and take Quirks. Either someone had convince the Midoriya's to hide their son's Quirk for years…or an unknown party had given the boy his Quirk. Curious and curious.
"What are your plans with the Midoriya boy, my master?" Kurogiri asked. "From what I have seen, he does not seem inclined to deviate from the side of the Heroes."
"I agree with Kurogiri, master," Shigaraki spoke up. "Midoriya looks like the guy to only choose the good karma choices. What about the other kid? The one who got second place?
"I believe you are referring to Katsuki Bakugo, young master Tourma."
"Yeah, that guy. Did you hear how he fights? No way the Heroes are going let someone who yells 'DIE' and 'I'LL KILL YOU' in their ranks for long."
AFO hummed in thought over his apprentice's choice. "Young Bakugo does have some potential. Perhaps…"
"Do you plan on converting both children, my master?" Kurogiri raised a shadowy eyebrow.
"It is a possibility, though tougher than just taking one to our side." AFO answered. "They have shown to have history, and if the last match has proven anything, it was nothing pleasant. If we do turn both of them to us, we will need to work on them individually before they can fight together."
"And what of our mole inside?" Shigaraki asked expectantly.
"Our little spy will remain where he is. The Heroes have not suspected they have a traitor in their midst. As long as we don't draw any attention to it, there will be nothing to connect him to us." AFO paused before adding, "How has recruitment gone for out little League, hm?"
"It has been not good, master." Kurogiri answered solemnly.
"Ever since the USJ raid, ever villain and two-bit criminal thinks we're trash!" Shirgaraki added with fury.
"If the League itself cannot draw in any members, then perhaps we might need to find someone else we can associate with and draw in more people." AFO mused.
"Master, I may have someone like that in mind." Kurogiri said.
"Go ahead."
"There have been reports of a vigilante named Stain recently. He has been targeting and eliminating many Heroes in cities across the country. His actions have given him the moniker 'Hero Killer'."
"Hmm," AFO mused. "Sounds like my kind of fellow. Do you have a location of our Hero Killer?"
"His most recent attack has been in Hosu City, leaving several dead and one critical. He is most likely in hiding."
AFO was silent before responding. "Very well. Kurogiri, Tomura, head to Hosu City and find Stain. Convince him to join us, and if that doesn't work, bring him here so that I may have a chat with him."
"Yes, master," answered Shigaraki.
"Understood," answered Kurogiri before adding. "When do you want us to leave?"
"Prepare after this call ends and then head out. If he is truly in hiding, then this search may take some time."
"And what of our other plans? With the Nomu?" Shigaraki asked excitedly.
"Patience, Tomura. The good doctor has said the Nomu won't be fully ready until a few weeks' time. I'll inform you when they are ready, and then will our next step be taken."
"Thank you, my master," Shigaraki bowed respectfully.
He felt a driving energy within himself. Shigaraki can't wait until his master and him show the world what it means to be villainous.
Hisashi Midoriya stretched in his sleeping clothes before heading off to bed. After dinner in the restaurant, he headed back to his apartment to try and catch the rest of the Sports Festival. It may have been late into the night here in America, and he spent a good portion of the event trying not to fall asleep, but he was glad to have pulled it though. He watched, in real time, his son winning one of the most prestigious sports events in recent history. To say he was overflowing with love and pride would be an understatement.
He wished he could get onto a call right now and congratulate his son, but now his body needed sleep. He was getting older, and he couldn't pull in all-nighters like he used to. So, he sent his wife a message saying they'll plan a video call later tomorrow and headed for bed. Now, all Hisashi had to do was close his eyes and let sleep take him…
*R-R-RING, R-R-RING*
The sound of his phone snapped his eyes opened. He quickly grabbed the phone, hoping it was some scam caller so he could turn it off and go to sleep. Fighting against the low light of his apartment and the bright glare of his phone, Hisashi read the number on his screen. His eyes opened wide and he sat straight up.
It was his boss.
Quickly answering it, he put the phone up to his ear and answered. "Hello, Mr. Continuum, sir?"
"Ah, hello. This is Hisashi Midoriya, correct?" the deep voice on the other line said.
"Yes, sir, I am he."
"And you would happen to be related to Izuku Midoriya?"
"Yes, sir, I'm his father."
"Well, let me be the first to congratulate him." Mr. Continuum continued. "That boy of yours did wonderfully in the Sports Festival. You must be very proud of him."
"I am, sir. Thank you."
"Mr. Midoriya, how recently have you visited your family?"
"It's been a while, sir. Not as much as I would like. You know, with the expenses of travelling across countries going up, it hasn't been as easy I would have hoped."
The voice on the other line went silent for a moment. Hisashi held his breath, wondering what exactly the enigmatic CEO was thinking.
"How about this, Mr. Midoriya," Mr. Continuum's voice returned. "You take a trip to visit your family, and we'll cover the cost. How does that sound?"
Hisashi's mouth dropped.
"Mr. Continuum, sir, that's just…this is so unexpected." Hisashi stammered.
"I understand this seems like a rare opportunity. But let it be known that this is not just a random act of generosity. You have proved yourself to be a loyal and hardworking employee, Mr. Midoriya. You have earned this. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir, I do. A-And let me thank you for giving me such a generous opportunity, Mr. Continuum."
Hisashi only heard a hum from the other line before Mr. Continuum began again.
"Now, I know it is late in your area, so I won't keep you long. We can discuss more details in the morning if you would like."
"Yes, yes, certainly," Hisashi said automatically before he spoke up again. "E-E-Excuse me, Mr. Continuum, how long are you wanting this trip to last?"
"However long you need it to be," Mr. Continuum answered. "Two weeks? A month? The duration is up to you."
Hisashi would have love to say that he wanted to move back home forever. To finally be with his family in person. But this job was basically the Midoriyas' major source of income. He had to make this work.
"A-A month would suffice." Hisashi answered.
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Midoriya. Now, get some rest and be ready for tomorrow. We'll set up and finalize everything for you," Mr. Continuum responded.
"I-I can't thank you enough for this, Mr. Continuum. I'm in your debt."
"Don't think of it that way. All I want you to do is to steer that son of yours towards the right path. Trust me, everyone wins if Izuku Midoriya is a Hero. Good night, Mr. Midoriya."
The call ended before Hisashi could respond. His mind was racing at a mile a minute. There was so much to unpack. He was finally going home to see his family again after so many years. It's been so long since he's been there with them. But everything seemed so off. Why the sudden interest in Izuku? The Sports Festival just ended; why did they need Hisashi to leave so soon? Not only that, but the CEO himself asked him to go. A man that had never personally met Hisashi nor was his supervisor. Plus, there was the "all expenses paid" deal. An incentive to get Hisashi back home to Japan? Why? He wasn't anyone important in the company. He wasn't a manager or supervisor. What did Mr. Continuum want from him? From Izuku?
Hisashi sat in his bed, thinking about it all. He eventually sent his wife a text saying that they needed to talk tomorrow and put the phone down. He lay in bed, hoping he could close his eyes and fall asleep. But he laid there for who knows how long. All the questions, all the excitement, all that tense nervous energy would not let Hisashi fall into the realm of sleep.
And that's the end for now! Izuku wins the Sports Festival, but more eyes are watching him than expected. All For One plans the next stage of his goal. And who is Mr. Continuum, and what is his purpose for Izuku and Hisashi? All will be explored later.
Sorry, this took so long to get out. It was just a slow process to write. Plus, I started a new story, The Friendly Neighborhood Vigilante Toxin, which you can find in my page or by the MHA and Spider-Man crossover section. I have a lot of fun with that one, so go check it out if you want.
Now, as the Sports Festival ends, we must close the poll for interns. Everyone gave some great answers, which will be explored in the next chapter. Thank you for participating.
Now, onto the comments:
santiagoabelcampos: thanks for your vote!
AnimeFan13579: Thank you for the suggestions. MHA really doesn't have a good analogue to Chronicle's telekinesis, so that's in part of why I opened a poll. Both of your options are good, though I would like to have a mentor to focus on just Izuku (Endeavor has Shoto, and Best Jeanist has Katsuki).
Guest #1: I'm pretty sure I clarified this point in another chapter, but I'll reiterate: All Might would pushed through his time limit to save Bakugo. Yes, in canon, Izuku's actions inspired All Might to go further, but I still think that All Might wouldn't leave someone to die if there isn't something he can't do about it. He has a very "If I don't, who will?" kind of mindset.
Ranger McAleer: Thank you for the compliments. This may not be the utter domination you were looking for, but I did want to tap into that Shonen rival fight mood for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it.
Redfdragon: I hope this chapter was sufficiently pleasing to you.
Nacholoco (sorry I couldn't answer this in Spanish) Point #1: You're absolutely correct. If Shinso could get into the General Course without destroying a robot, then Izuku would have been safe from failing. I'll post a new edit around the time this chapter is up. Point #2: The reason why Izuku gets less rescue points is because of the mini character arc Izuku goes through in the early school chapters. It's mentioned throughout these early school chapters that Izuku may be subconsciously holding himself back in order to fit in with the rest of UA's Hero student population. I'll admit, this might not work for some, but I've had no complaints about it yet. Thank you for your questions.
Guest #2: I didn't expect Captain Celebrity to be a choice. To be fair, I haven't delved much into Vigilanties, so I wanted to do some research on him to know where he would be by the time of MHA. Izuku interning with him would prove to be an interesting scenario. We'll see about that potential plotline later.
That's all I have for now. See ya next time!