An hour break just didn't seem like enough time, especially since Todoroki asked to speak to me, the two of us going somewhere private.
"So, what's on your mind, because I want to go get some food, and this is cutting into our break." I tried to play it cool, but the guy who'd declared war on me wanted to suddenly parlay? I didn't quite trust him, but it didn't matter.
"You overwhelmed me. So much that I broke my own pledge. Iida, Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, Ashido, Uraraka. None of them felt it. In that last instant, I was the only one feeling that pressure. I experienced All Mights power up close." He spoke, his voice calm and even.
"Spit it out. Beating around the bush is for liars and landscapers." I told him, leaning against the wall, relaxing a bit. I needed to play off my own worries.
"I felt the same pressure coming from you. So... are you All Mights illegitimate child or something?" He asked, and I tried not to laugh.
"Ha! As if. My dad lives halfway across the world, throwing checks to my mom until I turn twenty. Other than that, he stays out of my life." It was the truth, I hadn't seen my dad since before I was diagnosed as quirkless.
"Then you're connected to him some other way. There's definitely something you're hiding. I'm sure of it." He paused, looking even more serious somehow.
"You know, my father is Endeavor, the second greatest hero of all time. So if you're somehow connected to the number one guy, then all the more reason for me to crush you. My dad, he's a powerful bastard who only thinks of getting stronger. Yeah, he's gone all out to make a name for himself as a hero, but he's always seen that living legend, All Might, as a roadblock and an eyesore. My father could never beat All Might by himself. So he came up with another plan." Todoroki looked so calm, but his words had weight behind them. Anger and something else I didn't understand. A grief I'd come to learn.
"What's this about Todoroki? Why are you telling me this?" I asked, trying not to seem as interested as I was now.
"Quirk marriages. You've heard of them, yeah? They started becoming a problem after the second or third generation after quirks appeared. Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of passing on a strengthened version of their own quirk. Those earlier generations were lacking in ethics. With his wealth and fame, my father made my mother's family agree to the marriage. All to get his hands on her quirk. Raising me as a hero who could exceed All Might, just to fulfill his own ambitions. I hate it! Being no more than a tool for that human garbage. As I remember it, mom was always crying, "I can't stand to see that left side of yours." She said before throwing the scalding hot water in my face."
His words made me shudder, a child of human trafficking, and his own mother had disfigured him?
"In short, not using my left side against you was revenge on him. Never using my rotten fathers quirk... no... by rising to the top without using it... I'll have denied him everything." He turned, slowly walking away from me.
"Your connection to All Might, keep it to yourself if you want. Either way, I'll rise above you with just my right side. Sorry for wasting your time." He told me, hands in his pockets as I pushed off the wall and faced him, trying to find the words to reply.
"I've always had help. No matter the situation... I-I've only come this far because other people helped me. All Might... I wanna be like him. For that, I hafta become the strongest. That might seem like a lame motivation compared to yours... but I'm not gonna lose. All the people who have helped me... that's how I'll repay them! Let me return your declaration of war with one of my own... I'm... I'm gonna beat you!"
He stared at me for a moment before he turned his head away, and I went back to the field.
"Where have you been?" Mina asked as I took her hand, my eyes looking over her cheerleading costume before I looked away as Present Mic explained the third event to the TV audience watching.
"Between the sixteen members of the four winning teams, we'll have a final tournament! A series of one-on-one battles!!" He exclaimed, Midnight taking the stage to explain what exactly the rules would be.
"A tournament, huh? So we'll be up in that ring I see on TV every year!" Kirishima cheered, his excitement contagious.
"Was it a tournament last year, too?" Mina asked, looking up at the heroine.
"The formats alwasy different, but most years, they have some kind of head-to-head competition. Last year, it was foam sword fighting." He told her, Midnight getting our attention again by speaking.
The match ups will be decided by drawing lots. Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself. It's up to each of the sixteen finalists whether or not you want to participate in the fun. I expect some of you would rather take a break and save your strength. Now, let's start with the first place team." She was interrupted by Ojiro, who'd raised his hand and spoke.
"Um, excuse me. I'd like to drop out." He told Midnight, all of us wondering why he'd do such a thing.
"The calvary battle... I have no memories of anything that happened up until the tail end. It's probably his quirk that did it. I know this is a great opportunity, and I know how stupid I must seem to throw it away. But this final tournament... everyone else made it here by their own strength. Yet I'm standing here, and I don't even know how or why. I just can't take it." He explained, looking dead set on his decision.
"You're thinking about it too hard! Just show what you're made of in the tournament!" Hagakure told him, Mina speaking up as well.
"By that logic, I shouldn't really be here either!!" But she'd been important to keep us safe and beating Todoroki.
"No... I'm talking about my pride here. I don't think it's right. And why the heck are you girls dressed like that anyway?" He asked, holding his face in his hand.
"I can't remember anything either... I wanna withdraw, too!" A short kid from 1-B called out. "This is a contest of skill. Letting someone who didn't do anything advance... doesn't that defeat the whole point of the sports festival? Isn't it even against the rules?"
"These guy, so manly!" Kirishima loudly, looking amazed by both of them.
"We have a strange turn of events!" Present Mic spoke, and I could hear someone clear their throat.
"What will the coordinator, Midnight, decide?" Aizawa spoke, and I was impressed that he wasn't asleep right now.
Midnights face looked dark for a moment before she spoke. "How naive and green..." She cracked her whip. "I like it! Shoda and Ojiro have officially withdrawn! Replacing those two will be members of team Kendo, which took fifth!
A girl I assumed was Kendo put her hands on her hips. "If it's gonna be like that, shouldn't it be them instead? I mean, we were immobilized practically the entire time. But they were giving their all to keep what they had until the very end. Team Tetsutetsu, I mean." She looked to her classmate. "Don't worry, we're not colluding or anything. This just feels right." She told them.
"You guys!" Tetsutetsu and a girl with vine hair gave a salute and bow, respectively.
"So be it. Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki bring us back up to sixteen competitors!" Midnight called, and my team drew our lots first, the final results of the lots pitting me against Shinso, the guy who'd been in charge of the team Ojiro and the Shoda had been on.
"Izuku Midoriya, that's you, yeah?" A voice asked, and I looked back to see him, my mouth opening before something fluffy was in front of my lips, stopping me from speaking.
"Midoriya! That guy. Don't answer him." Ojiro warned, and I watched the tired looking boy walk away.
We were dismissed to participate in the activities, but I sat them out on the field, watching Mina cheer while Ojiro explained that he answered Shinso and then kind of woke up after the calvary battle
"So I just keep my trap shut and knock him out quickly? I'm screwed." I joked, laying back against the wall and watching the sun shine off Minas eyes.
"This isn't a joke, Midoriya. He's not physically strong, so he'll likely try to manipulate you. Just keep your head on straight, and you should be fine." He warned, the two of us waiting for the third event.
Before the event, I went to continue our little tradition with Mina, finally heading out, All Might stopping me before I could leave the tunnel out to the field.
"How're you feeling, kid?" He asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. I wanted to make him proud, make my mom and everyone who'd helped me get this far proud.
"I'm scared, a little worried. The higher I climb, the more likely I'll fall." I admitted, and he buffed up.
"When you feel that way, that's when you've gotta smile! You've come this far, show some bravado, even if it's fake! Never forget, I'm expecting big things from you!" He told me, and determination washed over me as I walked out to the field, Present Mic announcing who we were.
"The first match! Having given an excellent performance so far, it's Izuku Midoriya from the hero course! Versus! Sorry, but this guy hasn't really done anything to stand out yet! It's Hitoshi Shinso, from general studies! The rules are simple! Win by knocking your opponent out of the ring, immobilizing them, or getting them to say, "I give up! Bring on the pain! We've got our good old Recovery Girl on standby! And fight dirty if you must! "Ethics" have no meaning here!! Well, of course, going for the kill is a no-no! You'll be disqualified! Because a true heroes fist flies only when in pursuit of villains." The blonde announcer continued, giving us all a moment.
"Not true. We're literally about to fight." I pointed out, getting shushed by Midnight.
"I give up, huh? Get it, Izuku Midoriya? This battle's going to test your strength of will. If you've got any kind of vision for your future, there's no sense in worrying about how you get there." Shinso spoke, looking menacing from across the arena.
Present Mic spoke up again. "Now let's get this thing started! Readyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!"
"Like that monkey, babbling about his stupid pride." Shinso pushed, probing for a reaction. "What kind of dumbass throws away a chance like that?"
"Start!" Present Mic called, my feet moving forward, blind anger clouding my thoughts.
"What'd you say!?" I yelled before stopping in my tracks.
"It's my win." I could hear Shinso speak, but beyond that, I couldn't hear anything else. Not the crowds, not Mic,
"You... now turn around... and walk out of the ring." Shinso spoke, my body moving slowly against my will, but I could hear the others now, their voices echoed loudly in the quiet of my mind.
As I stepped closer to the edge, trying desperately to stop myself, I could see them in the walkway into the field, figures in the darkness, a woman who kind of looked like my mother if my mom was super buff and over six feet tall speaking.
"Ninth, you can't lose now. You have a responsibility to the world. Wake up!" She called to me, but I was on the edge of the arena, falling, the ground getting closer, and then, nothing. No crash, like when Uraraka had caught me. No, it was that weightless feeling I'd spoken to All Might about.
Suddenly, I realized I could hear the sounds of people watching the festival, Mic shouting that I wasn't technically out yet, the sounds of Shinso running towards me.
I couldn't lose here, not like this, extending my hands and flicking upwards, shooting back and up into the air, but I wasn't floating upwards, I still had some semblance of gravity as I just floated there.
I didn't have time to think about it, a time out called by Midnight to make sure Uraraka hadn't used her quirk, leaving me stuck in the air before the match continued.
I could worry about it later, though, flicking my fingers and shooting down, running towards Shinso and screaming at the top of my lungs, drowning out his voice with my own and punching him in the stomach, Shinso taking two steps back before catching himself and throwing a punch, slow and sloppy, and I didn't move as it connected with my cheek.
"Five percent of my power should be more than enough." I spoke, focusing a bit of power in my right arm and punching the air, the sheer force knocking him off his feet and rolling him onto the grass.
"Shinso is out of the ring! Midoriya moves on to the next round!" Midnight called, and I ran down to Shinso, offering to help him up.
"You were the only support course student to make it this far. You've done better than most of the hero course. If your goal is to be a hero, I think you'll be a great one!" I smiled, and he took my hand, his support course classmates calling down to him.
"You were awesome out there, Shinso!", "You had us on the edge of our seats!", "You're the shining star of us general studies, guys!", "You did just as well as the guy who got third in the obstacle course!"
A few heroes even spoke loudly enough that their conversations on the boy could be heard, one of his classmates looking down and yelling.
"Hear that, Shinso!? You're awesome!" He told him, and Shinso spoke, this time to me.
"They'll consider transfers to the hero course depending on the results here. Remember that. Maybe I failed this time, but I'm not giving up. I'll show them all that I've got what it takes to make the hero course, and I'll become a greater hero than all of you." He told me, my smile widening.
"You better!" I told him, my body stiffening up again.
"People who respond to me tend to stiffen up like that. It'd be easy to mess everything up for you now, so just promise me, you won't lose in a sorry way out there." He let me go of his quirks grasp, and I nodded again.
"I won't." I told him, getting caught in it again.
"Really? Jeez." He sighed and let me go again, finally leaving, and after a moment, I realized I should probably go too. I wanted to ask All Might about the people I saw.