Chapter 15: Tragic Backstories and Suspicious Characters
In the end, Ochako's team managed to keep their ten million points.
Given that nearly everyone who responded to Shinso's blasphemous take on pizza, it was pretty clear that no one would be able to stop them once they were under his control.
And given that all of Class 1-B only experienced Shinso's Quirk once, it also meant that they wouldn't be able to figure out how to counteract it just yet, so he'd be safe during the finals. Hopefully. They still didn't know what the final round would consist of.
"NOW, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT WHO OUR TOP FOUR TEAMS ARE!" Present Mic shouted once more. "IN FIRST PLACE, WE HAVE… TEAM SHINSOOOOO!"
"Yeesh. We ended in first place, but it was too close for comfort," Kendo said.
"Sorry for keeping our trump card secret for so long," Shinso apologized.
"Eh, I can understand it," Kendo said. "And hey, it helped us win, so… it's cool!"
"IN SECOND PLACE… TEAM TODOROKI!"
"We were so close to first place!" Tsu complained.
"Sure, but we're moving on, so it's all good," Shoji said.
"I don't know if Todoroki would agree with us…" Iida said.
"IN THIRD PLACE IS… TEAM TOKAGE!"
"Thanks for your help," Bakugou said. "You girls are alright."
Tokage, Yanagi, and Tsunotori all smiled at that.
"AND IN FOUR PLACE IS… TEAM MONOMA!"
""""YEEEAAAHHH! CLASS B! CLASS B! CLASS B! CLASS B!""""
"THESE FOUR VALIANT TEAMS WILL ADVANCE ON TO THE FINAL ROUND! NOW, LET'S TAKE AN OUR LUNCH BREAK, BEFORE WE START THE AFTERNOON FESTIVITIES!" Present Mic said. "Hey, Eraserhead, let's grab some food."
"I'm taking a nap. Also, the mic's still hot."
"Oops."
Ochako was grown up enough to know not to trust strangers.
But for some reason, she kept doing it. From All Might offering her a Quirk, to All For One simply wanting to chat to the USJ, she thought she would have learned her lesson by now. But no.
Because even if they were classmates, Todoroki was effectively a stranger to her.
And for some reason, she followed him when he wanted to talk with her. Alone.
Ochako stood on the other side of the wall, as Todoroki kept glaring daggers at her. He hadn't said anything yet, and it was starting to make the brown-haired girl uncomfortable.
Risking it, she decided to start the conversation.
"We should probably eat soon… the cafeteria is gonna be busy… don't you think…?"
Still no response. He just kept… staring at her.
This was so different. Unlike the sheer paralyzing fear she felt when confronted by All For One, Todoroki's intimidation was cold, making her freeze far less than when she did with… him.
But the way he kept staring at her made up for it.
Then, he opened his mouth.
"Two times since coming to UA, I've broken my promise."
Ochako immediately understood what he meant. His left side, where that fire came from. It would have given him such an advantage… but he rarely ever used it.
"The others, they didn't feel it, but I did. The sheer power you have with One For All… It truly is All Might's Quirk. And added with your original Quirk… it felt even more powerful."
"Oh, yeah… is that all you wanted to say?" Ochako asked.
"My father is the Hero known as Endeavor. Everyone knows him, the No. 2 Hero. And since you share the same Quirk as All Might… that would mean I have even more of a reason to beat you. The man is ambitious, he aims for the top. He used his power to make a name for himself as a Hero. But he was never able to best All Might, so the Symbol of Peace is living proof of his failure. He's still at it, though, trying to take down All Might, one way or another."
"I'm not sure what you're getting at… what are you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"
The boy stared at her and simply asked, "Have you ever heard of… Quirk Marriages?"
In that instant, Ochako Urarka's stomach dropped.
"My father has not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought my mother to get his hands on her Quirk, and now he's raising me to usurp All Might," Todoroki continued. "In almost every memory of my mother, I see her crying. I remember she called my left side unbearable, before she poured boiling water on my face."
Ochako simply stared, as Todoroki continued.
"I refused to be a tool for that scumbag… I wanted to show my old man what I was capable of doing without having to rely on his damned Quirk. I wanted to reject his power… that I could take first place without using it… but I already failed twice," he said.
"Twice?"
The peppermint-haired boy nodded. "Twice. The first time was at the USJ. I was in the Flood Zone with Asui and Kaminari. We were all soaking wet, so Kaminari was unable to use his Quirk. Meanwhile, the two Villains there manipulated the water around us into becoming an ice storm. They goaded me into using my fire side, to prevent Asui from succumbing to hypothermia. And as for the second time… it was during our confrontation at the Cavalry Battle."
"Wait… the Villains knew about you?"
"I wasn't Endeavor's first child, I have older siblings," Todoroki explained. "My oldest brother… he was my father's first attempt. He manifested fire that was even hotter than Endeavor's. However, he inherited my mother's resistance to ice, making him burn up easily. My father dropped him the second that weakness became apparent, but he continued to train in secret. Then, one day, all of the forest he was training in, Sekoto Peak, caught fire. The only thing that was ever recovered were a couple of his teeth and a bit of his jawbone. We all thought he was dead. I had a few memories of him, but most of them are just the pictures of him at his shrine."
"But you don't think he's dead… do you?" Ochako realized.
The half-and-half boy nodded. "When I first used the bastard's fire, the heat was so intense that it knocked the hood off the red Villain, and the face I saw… he resembled my father if he was twenty years younger… or if my older brother managed to live up to today. But then, when the other Villain called out his name in concern… Touya… that was the final nail in the coffin."
"That was your brother's name? Touya?"
"Yeah… I don't know how he survived that fire, or why the hell he came back from the dead with a Quirk that allowed him to make ice, but he did. When the detectives questioned all of us, I left out anything that could imply that the two of us were related, his name, his features, everything. I need to figure out for myself why he and his partner, I think he called him Geten, forced me to use my Quirk." Then, Todorki whispered, "Did they know how I was referring to it…?"
However, Ochako heard it. "Referring to what?"
Todoroki looked at her for a second before continuing. "For the longest time, I would refer to my left side as "his power," as Endeavor's. But back at the USJ, Touya shouted at me that it was mine, and mine alone. It made me remember something from a long time ago… a memory of my mother, one where we were both watching an All Might interview about using the power given to you for good. And now… I don't know what I should do…"
"You don't want to see Endeavor win, but you also don't know whether or not using his flames is the right thing to do?" Ochako asked, earning her a nod from Todoroki.
"That's right. If I didn't use my flames that day, Asui and Kaminari would probably be dead. What if I ever find myself in another situation like that, where my hesitance could get someone killed? I don't even know if I'm doing the right thing anymore…"
Ochako was silent for a moment, before she decided to say something.
"You know, I was at a similar crossroads once," she said, gaining Todoroki's attention. "Back when I was a kid, I only wanted to be a Pro Hero because my parents were struggling financially. My plan was to make a lot of money and give them an easy life."
"Then what happened?" he asked.
"My parents own a construction company, and the Deika City Massacre happened," she said. "So, when the rubble and corpses were cleared out, our construction company was one of the many that was contracted for the rebuilding efforts. My family now had a steady source of income, and I lost my reason to become a Hero. Despite that, I still wanted to be one."
The half-and-half boy gave her a funny look and asked, "Why?"
"For the longest time, I didn't know why," she admitted. "It took meeting All Might and saving Bakugou from a Villain to make me realize that I just liked helping people, and seeing them happy. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved seeing people smile. And I guess me wanting to make as much money for my parents was just my way of wanting to help them."
"And I'm guessing that saving Bakugou was what made All Might deem you worthy enough for his Quirk?" Todoorki asked. "So you can help as many people as you can?"
"Yeah. Even if he never offered me his Quirk, I'd probably still be at UA today, training my butt off to be a Rescue Hero. Heh, now that I think about it, that's probably the reason why I idolize Thirteen so much. She uses her Quirk to primarily save others," Ochako said. "But enough about me! This is about you. Todoroki, why did you want to be a Hero?"
"You mean aside from my old man basically creating me for that purpose?" he asked.
"Uh, yeah."
"I guess because of All Might," Todoroki said. "When I was a kid, I used to watch him on TV with my mother, before she went crazy. And I guess… seeing him smile was the coolest thing ever. I wanted to be like him. And I guess… I still do. I don't want to be anything like Endeavor."
"You mean a person with a cold exterior, dead eyes, stubborn to a fault, and basically declaring one-sided rivalries to All Might-esque people?" Ochako sarcastically asked.
That threw Todoroki for a loop. "Wait… do I seriously act like that?!"
"Todoroki-kun, let me be honest with you: Before you told me about your backstory, I was pretty sure that you were gonna try and murder me where no one could see us."
"Oh… uh… I apologize for that…" Todoroki scratched his head.
"Well, given what you've told me, I seriously doubt Endeavor has ever genuinely apologized in his life," Ochako said. "What I'm saying is that, sure, you may be acting like him, but there are still parts that are different. Maybe you got your sense of human decency from your mom?"
Hearing that, Todoroki let out a small snort, "Yeah, probably."
"See? You may be Endeavor's kid, but you're as much his as you are your mom's, just like that fire side of you is as much his as the ice side of you is as much your mom's. But who do I see right in front of me? Shoto Todoroki, and no one else. Not Endeavor, not your mom, YOU."
"You… you've given me a lot to think about…"
"Glad to hear it," Ochako said, smiling. "But just so you know, even if we're still rivals, that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I had plenty of people supporting me to become a Hero. My parents, All Might, Yui-chan, Shinso. I think you could use someone in your corner, too!"
Todoroki stood still for a moment, before flashing a ghost of a smile. "Thanks."
One hour later, the lunch break was over, and it was time for the main event.
The one-on-one battles.
"Oh, yeah. Finally getting the chance to show what we're made of," Kamakiri said, his blades twitching beneath his skin. "I watch these finals every year, and now I'm actually in them!"
"So, wait, is it always a tournament?" Rin asked.
"The finals are always a one-on-one competition, but they switch it up every time," the pitch-black boy, Kurorio, said. "Last year, it was a foam sword fighting match."
"Come closer and draw lots to see who you're up against," Midnight said, holding up a box. "Then enjoy the pleasure of the recreational games before we start. The sixteen finalists have the option of participating in those activities, or sitting out to prepare for battle. I'm sure you all want to conserve your stamina. I'll start with the first place team…"
Midnight continued listing off people from the top four spots (since all four of them had four members each), with the end result for the first rounds looking something like this:
Uraraka vs Kendo
Tokage vs Shinso
Bakugou vs Kurorio
Shoji vs Monoma
Todoroki vs Kamakiri
Tsunotori vs Asui
Yanagi vs Rin
Iida vs Hatsume
"Kurorio? Who the hell is that?" Baukugou wondered.
Tenya, meanwhile, read the brackets closely. Judging by everyone's powers that he had seen so far, if he beat this Hatsume character, he would be up against Yanagi provided she beat Rin, and then followed by Todoroki, provided he beat Asui, with his final match being Uraraka.
Assuming that they all won their matches as well, of course.
"Hey, Legs, you're Iida, right?"
"Hm?" Tenya turned around to look at the pink-haired girl. "Correct, I am Tenya Iida."
She smiled. "Ohh, that's perfect! I have something nice for you!"
Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this?
For the next hour or so, it was recreational time, with everyone playing some other games while the teachers set up the arena for the final match. Well, almost everyone. As Midnight stated earlier, those in the final round could choose whether or not they wanted to participate.
Ochako decided to play. It was probably the best way for her to relax after… everything.
The scavenger hunt was interesting. They had a bunch of cards with words on them, and everyone had to scramble around the arena to find said words. Sero needed a bag, Koda fished a cat out of a dumpster, and a few of these cards were even more bizarre than that.
Seriously, back fat?
Ochako also saw Shoji rolling around a giant ball during the next game, some sort of race, so it seemed like the brown-haired girl wasn't the only one who had the idea of using the games as a form of relaxation. Everyone else in the final round though… not so much.
Sure, Kendo and Monoma were also seen playing some of the games alongside Class 1-B, but Bakugou was sulking near one of the walls, Iida was chugging down orange juice, and Todoroki was nowhere to be found. To each their own, the One For All user figured…
But soon enough, the real game was about to begin.
Cementoss was finishing up adding the final touches to the platform, as Present Mic announced, "HEY, SPORTS FANS! ARE YA READY?! After all the action you have witnessed, it's time for the real battle to begin! CAN YOU FEEL THE EXCITEMENT?! Our competitors are on their own now… sometimes, Heroes only have themselves to rely on. Heart, skill, strength, wisdom, courage, they'll have to use all of these things to rise to the top!"
Showtime.
Ochako knew she was up first. She was waiting in the darkness of the hallway, waiting for Present Mic to yell out her name, so she could come out. To the eyes of millions.
Yeah, no pressure.
"Hey!" Ochako turned around to see that Yagi-sensei was waving at her. "Sorry I haven't said hi! You've been great! You used the limited power of One For All in some really creative ways!"
"Thanks," Ochako said. "I knew that this power was fast, but it wouldn't be fast enough for me to get into first place just yet, so I had to improvise. I still have to remain under ten percent, even with the help that Gran Torino has given me over the last two weeks. Sorry."
"Hey, it's fine, just do your best! Listen, whenever you're scared or nervous about a fight…" Yagi-sensei said, as he transformed into All Might, "Just try dealing with it by smiling! You've made it this far, kid! Even if you're worried, YOU MUST STAND TALL!"
Ochako nervously smiled, as she looked over to the stadium.
"ALL RIGHT, AUDIENCE! It's time to cut to the good stuff, and not delay these finals any longer! Welcome our first fighters! The girl with the bubbly smile, it's Ochako Uraraka from Class 1-A, versus Itsuka Kendo from Class 1-B, the karate queen! The rules are simple: IMMOBILIZE YOUR OPPONENT OR FORCE THEM OUT OF THE RING! You can also win by getting the other person to cry out uncle! Of course, no life-threatening crap, folks, it's not allowed. Real Heroes use their powers to throw Villains in jail, not kill them!"
"I'll stop anybody who tries to get too rough," Cementoss announced from the sidelines.
"I hope you're not planning on holding back or giving me an easy win just because we were on the same cavalry team," Kendo said, smiling. "In a way, this is a test of how strong your spirit is. SO BE SURE TO GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT, URARAKA!"
"READY?!" Present Mic shouted.
Ochako smiled. "You bet."
"BEGIN!"
The first thing everyone saw was pink lightning.
"Go, Kendo!" Tetsutetsu shouted. "You can do it!"
Neito had to admit, it was somewhat enjoyable watching Kendo fight the Class A scum from so high up. One minute, the two of them were working together in the cavalry battle, the next, they're now fistfighting one another with their Quirks. Delicious irony.
Of course, he was still rooting for Kendo, but still.
"Hey, is it cool if I hang out with you guys?"
The blond turned around to see… a Business Course student? He had red eyes, freckles, some seriously messy black hair, and he was carrying… a notebook with him? What?
"Hey, wait a minute!" Awase shouted. "You're the guy that deleted our Quirks!"
Quirk deletion? Netio's eyebrows were now raised in interest.
"Actually, I only deactivated them, not deleted them," the black-haired newcomer said. "Deletion would imply that they were gone from existence, but what I did was deactivation, which means that you simply were unable to use them. And I am sorry for that, I can't control it…"
"Darling, you're mumbling again," the blue-eyed girl next to him said.
"Oh! I am? Thank you, Yui, my love."
"What?! That guy has a girlfriend?! I'm so jealous!" Mineta shouted.
"Now just wait one minute!" Neito said. "Who exactly are you two? The girl I recognize, she's with those Class A tramps, but you? I've only seen you in passing. Names, please?"
"Oh, right! Of course! I'm Mikumo Akatani, from Class 1-J, and this is my girlfriend, Yui Kodai," he said. "I just came over here to analyze all of your Quirks! They're so cool!"
"And what's she doing here?" Kaibara asked.
"She's just overprotective," Akatani said. "Just wanted to be sure that I wouldn't get you all upset over deactivating your Quirks. And it's only temporary, I assure you! I have to get close to someone to deactivate them, and once I'm gone, they're back for good, I guarantee it!"
"Hmm… So what I'm understanding is that your Quirk is a Mutant-type Quirk that allows you to deactivate all types of Quirks around you from a certain distance, but is rendered useless once you're out of range, due to the fact that they're only deactivated once?" Neito asked.
Akatani's eyes widened. "Yeah! How'd you know?"
Neito smiled smugly. "I'm something of a Quirk analyst myself. And I suppose I can let you hang out with us and talk about Quirks, provided that your girlfriend doesn't spill anything compromising to her class. We still want to win the final round, you see."
"My lips are sealed," Kodai said.
"Great!" Neito said, as he grabbed Akatani. "Everyone, this is Mikumo Akatani from the Business Course! He'll be hanging out with us for a bit to talk about Quirks! Please don't freak out when he deactivates yours, it's only temporary, and… wait, I can't feel mine."
"Well, you are right next to me, sooo…"
"I walked right into that one, didn't I?"
Shoto walked around his designated hallway as he waited for his turn.
He had no doubts that Uraraka would win the current match. A gravity-defying girl with All Might's power versus, what? Bigger fists? It was only a matter of time, really.
All Shoto had to do was wait for his number to be called up, and – fuck.
As he turned around the hallway, he saw his sperm donor leaning on one of the walls, like some wanna-be edgelord. At least Tokoyami makes that shit look cool. "What do you want?"
He knew he wasn't going to get out of talking with Endeavor. The asshat even went as far as to make his way into the "students only" section of the building, not talking to him wasn't an option.
"You're acting disgracefully, Shoto," the old bastard said. "If you had simply used the power in your left side, you would have had an overwhelming victory in both of the first rounds. It's time to stop this childish rebellion of yours. You have a duty to surpass that imbecile, All Might."
Shoto simply ignored him, as he kept walking by.
"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Endeavor called out. "You're different from your siblings."
Right, I'm somehow better than the one that tried to freeze me to death at the USJ.
"You're my greatest masterpiece."
Okay, now that, pissed off Shoto.
"Is that all you have to say to me, you bastard? I'll win this match and advance only using… my right side. I won't give you the pleasure of seeing me use my left."
"Even if that works for you in this tournament, you'll soon find the limits of that power."
Shoto hated to admit it, but his old man was right. He already learned its limits when he almost got Kaminari and Asui killed. He was more than willing to use his fire now, thanks to Uraraka, but… that was something that his dear old father didn't need to know.
Not yet anyways. For now, he needed to blow off some steam.
"KENDO IS OUT OF BOUNDS! URARAKA ADVANCES TO THE NEXT MATCH!"
As the crowd cheered for her, Ochako huffed her chest. That was tough. She realized now that, despite the Quirk she had gained, she had no idea how to fight. Apply it with her original Quirk? Sure. Use it to enhance her physical abilities? No problem. But fight? Ehh…
Kendo, on the other hand, actually knew how to fight hand-to-hand.
Ochako made a silent note to herself to figure out how to properly fight, because she now knew she couldn't always rely on moves like "smash" and "smash harder."
"AND WITH THAT, WE HAVE OUR FIRST VICTIM OF THE FINALS! CLASS 1-A'S OCHAKO URARAKA IS THE WINNER!" Present Mic shouted into the speakers. "BOTH OF YOU KIDS FOUGHT BRAVELY! NOW SHOW THEM SOME LOVE, EVERYONE!"
Ochako bowed to Kendo, and the orange-haired girl did the same thing. With that, the two of them headed over to the hallway, as they breathed sighs of relief.
The brown-haired girl smiled. "You were awesome out there, Kendo."
"Well, I'm proud of you, too, Uraraka," Kendo said, walking up the stairs.
The two of them made it to their floor, to see that… Yui-chan was with Akatani, talking to Monoma and the rest of the Class B students about their Quirks.
"Huh, I guess Monoma wasn't really serious about the rivalry," Kendo said.
"Yeah… I guess since they're cool… wanna sit with my class?" Ochako offered.
"Sure," the orange-haired girl said. "I'd like that."
The two of them walked over to the other side of the walled seats, and…
"There you are, Uraraka!" Shinso waved at her. "You did good!"
"Come on down here," Iida said. "We saved a seat for you."
"Thanks, guys," Ochako said, as she sat down, alongside Kendo.
As she was introducing her to the rest of the class, however…
"We're gonna charge right along to the fifth match…" Present Mic said, now having control of the microphone once again. "No, her teeth aren't part of her Quirk, it's Setsuna Tokage from Class 1-B! Versus, Eraserhead's secret love child… Shinso Hitoshi from Class 1-A!"
"HIZASHI YAMADA!" Eraserhead shouted.
"What?! Look at him! He has the same sleep-deprived eyes as you!"
"We look nothing alike!" the co-host hissed. "If anything, I have more in common with Akatani from the Business Course! At least our appearances and Quirks are similar!"
"They are? Let me see… black hair, red eyes, Quirk that deactivates other people's powers… HOLY CRAP, YOU'RE RIGHT! How many children do you have, dude?!"
"WILL YOU STOP THAT?!"
Hitoshi cringed as he listened to his mentor argue that the two of them weren't related. Yeah, it was painful to listen to, all right, but he still had a job to do. Mainly, win this round.
Currently, he was doing various random exercises. Jumping in one place, clapping his hands, stuff like that. The reason behind it was for people to be unable to tell what exactly was the trigger to his brainwashing, namely, him talking to his opponent.
Live by the logical ruse, die by the logical ruse.
"Sorry you had to hear that!" Hitoshi called out to his opponent.
"It's cool. Hey, between the two of us, is he actually your dad?" Tokage asked.
"What?! No! I have actual parents!" Hitoshi defended himself.
But deep down, he was smiling. She fell for his trap.
"NOW… LET'S GET STARTED! FIFTH MATCH… BEGIN!"
Before Tokage even had a chance to activate her Quirk, Shinso snapped his fingers. It was one last way for people to be misdirected; do something obvious and then activate his Quirk, so everyone assumes that snapping his fingers is the trigger rather than his voice.
His two weeks of lessons with Aizawa-sensei were paying off.
"Moonwalk out of bounds," he commanded her.
Okay, now, he might have been being a little bit of a troll.
Ochako let out a small laugh at Shino's shenanigans.
"Did he really have to make her moonwalk out?" Kendo asked.
"No, but it was still funny to watch," Ochako said, with a smile on her face.
The two girls laughed a bit, before the next match was announced.
Mikumo couldn't help but lick his lips, as Monoma kept rambling on about his Quirk.
The ability to copy other Quirks was nifty, but compared to what his power could do, it was a weak imitation. Still, it couldn't hurt to have it. But it wouldn't just be Monoma's Quirk.
He would have a taste of every single Quirk these students had.
Author's Note: Uh-oh. Anyways, we're moving on to the comments right away!
Guest: Creo que podrías estar en la plataforma equivocada, amigo.
James Birdsong: There will be more good chapters in the future, trust me.
Knightmare: Monoma's comments are a bit reprehensible, yeah, but not expulsion-worthy. But he will be getting a bit of an attitude check. Also, I didn't know about Leech until you brought him up, so thanks for that, I guess.
EmilMobile: And I also choose to respect your opinion about pineapple on pizza, but I'm just going to cite any time I have ever bit into a pizza without knowing there was fruit on it, leaving the taste to linger in my mouth as I did everything I could to get rid of it, to no avail. Moving on, I've been planning for Class 1-B to join the main cast, and this was the first place I could introduce them properly. Hope you enjoy what comes next!
VinHD15: I'm pretty sure I was reading "False Love Academia" when I was writing this chapter, hence the reference, but I can't be too sure, it was months ago.
And now, for the last bit of shilling…
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- Ernalore