Ch15: Promises...
Note: Hey everyone! Hope you guys are doing well! Holy crap this one gave me some serious trouble, I rewrote the entire chapter multiple times and by the end of it I desperately had to add some humor filler to make myself not feel dead inside. Ultimately though, I enjoyed reading back through it for proofreading purposes so I guess thats a win.
Oh yeah! By the way, I took some time to go back and edit the first four chapters and clean them up a bit... And I added previews at the end! I had a lot of fun doing them. Its really good practice for writing dialogue between the characters. So be sure to check those out if you're interested. And if not I'm intentionally making them skip-friendly... any epilogues will be added before previews that way nobody misses anything important.
I plan on editing a few chapters after I release each new one and then maybe posting deleted scenes after the arc wraps up.
@SulliMike23: Things are definitely about to start amping up from here! Thanks for continuing to review Mike! I really appreciate it! Hope you're enjoying so far! :)
@CRUDEN: Heck yeah!!! More where that came from coming up! I really dig the profile picture btw!!!
@HeavyWeatherRepoto: I did. I went back and cleaned up the first four chapters and added previews. Hopefully FF didn't screw up the upload or something. If it did, its not showing up on my end so please let me know.
@DrCoogans: Wow! I don't think you understand how happy that makes me!! I really do appreciate it! I'm glad you're enjoying it. To be honest... I kinda needed that to get through writing this chapter. I was struggling a bit, so yeah you're the freaking bomb!
Thank you guys so much for reading this far and giving me so much motivation to keep this going. I honestly couldn't do it without ya. You guys will never know how much I appreciate you.
I do not own any of the characters depicted in this story...
Ochako's eyes slowly opened to the glow of fluorescent lighting. She was in a momentary state of confusion as she rubbed her half lidded eyes and tried to figure out what was going on. She sat up and the aches from her body jogged her memory instantly. Before another thought could cross her mind she let out a hefty yawn and as she finished she suddenly was met with the face of Ectoplasm sitting in a chair by the foot of her bed.
"Oh good. You're awake." He said through his voice modulator.
Her eyes snapped wide open and her body shot to the head of the bed with a yelp.
He recoiled a bit as the sudden noise caught him off guard. Ochako recovered quickly as the initial shock wore off. "Oh... S-sorry Mr. Ectoplasm sir..." She apologized as started to relax. "I just kind of expected to see Recovery Girl is all..."
"Don't worry about it... I was instructed to keep watch over you and inform her when you awoke. You chose a good time to come out of it... I should be able to notify her before she begins Midoriya's surgery." He said as he began to reattach his prosthetic legs.
The brunette's eyes bulged as she felt her heart begin to beat erratically. "Surgery?!?!" Was the only word she was able to spit out as her mind was pushed into the throes of panic.
"His arms suffered severe damage after his fight with Todoroki... They looked pretty bad off. But the old lady assured me that she should be able to fully heal him, even if it would take more than the use of her power to do so. Just stay here and rest... You have some friends here to visit you..." The pro said as he rose from his seat and walked across the room and opened the door.
"Alright you two, come on in... I'm sure she has a lot of questions after being out that long, I'll leave it to you to answer them." he held open the door as Tenya and Tsu entered and slowly approached her side...
"Hey Ochako... Good to see you awake again *ribbit."
"Are you feeling okay?" Tenya questioned her from a place of concern.
"What happened to Deku?..." She said immediately as her two friends looked at each other...
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE LET ME SEE THOSE HANDS IN THE AIR!!!! WE'RE COMING AT YOU WITH THE SECOND MATCH OF THE QUARTER FINALS!!!! WE HAVE ANOTHER CLASS A—CLASS B SHOWDOWN WITH A TRIP TO THE FINAL FOUR ON THE LINE!!! IT DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!!!"
Momo practically floated down the stairs and into her seat as the introductions began. She wiggled her way into a comfortable position and sat up straight as she waited to see Peter trot out of the tunnel once again. The image of his muscles were still freshly on her mind as a clumsy grin formed on her face along with a light blush across the bridge of her nose.
"So... Was it everything you ever imagined?" Jiro teased her without lowering her voice the way she usually did, causing Momo to play dumb, albeit unconvincingly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about..." Her eyes darted between her best friend and Todoroki who seemed to be waiting for her response.
"Relax YaoMomo! Todoroki's in on it. Meet the newest member of Team YaoyoRomance!" Mina smirked.
Her head whipped to the boy sitting behind Jiro who gave her a thumbs up. "I'm inclined to ask how?..."
"Well... He sort of already knows about the whole flirting thing..." Jiro began as Momo shot him a questioning look.
"How?!"
"Other than the fact of it being pretty obvious... You'd be surprised what you can learn about people if you just sit back quietly and watch them." He gave her the same response as he did his best friend a few days ago.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "And what exactly are you getting out of this?"
"What's wrong with just genuinely wanting to see you two happy?"
"You want to mess with him don't you?" She said flatly.
"Very much so, yes." He chuckled as the other two girls shared in the humor of the moment. "But I really do want to see you guys be happy... He is my best friend after all... And I happen to know exactly how important you are to him..."
"Oooooh that sounds juicy!" Mina said as she rubbed her hands together.
"Yeah, I wouldn't mind hearing the story there." Jiro said in agreement.
"I'm listening..." Momo said suddenly with piqued interest.
"Well I wouldn't exactly refer to it as 'juicy' but it is something I think needs to be said before we officially start working together."
The boy stood up and nodded his head towards the hallway signaling for them to follow him. The three ladies didn't hesitate and followed him with a great sense of curiosity. Once they were out of earshot of anyone else, he looked at Yaoyorozu and began to speak.
"Normally, I'm not one to go around talking about things Parker has told me in private conversation, but if you guys are going to start a relationship together, I just want to make sure you understand the gravity what that means..." The trio looked at each other and then back to Shoto as they waited for him to continue.
"Parker does like you... A lot... I'm sure you are already aware of that. You're all he talks about over half the time I'm with him, which again, is a lot... But I'd be willing to bet that you don't know just how much of an important part of his life you are." Shoto said in a serious tone.
Peter had just gone out of his way to prove how much he cared about him by trying to help him through the whole situation with his family problems and his power. It was something that he would be forever grateful for... and he felt more than compelled to return the favor by making sure the person who held his best friend's heart in the palm of her hand was careful with it.
Momo felt her heart begin to pound harder. In truth, Peter always made her feel important. He treated her with a kindness unrivaled by anyone else she had ever spoken to... But Todoroki was making it sound as if there were things that he was keeping close to the vest, only sharing them with his best friend... Just like she had been with Mina and Kyoka... Little did she know, there were many things she was going to learn about him through the words of his best friend.
"I'm not sure how much you guys know about him... Or if he's even told anyone else any of this... But before Parker moved to Japan, he was a loner. He didn't have any friends, no close relationships with anyone, he just kinda flew under everyone's radar as an outcast."
Peter's pace quickened as rounded a corner and zipped past the waiting rooms.
Mina was shocked to say the least as she abruptly felt pity for the boy her friend had fallen for... He was such a genuinely good person. She couldn't understand why he was never close to anyone in his old life... Or why he would be alienated in any way. Before she could voice her feelings on the matter Kyoka spoke for the both of them.
"But he's literally one of the nicest people I've ever met!... And he's extremely fun to be around! How the hell did he not have any friends?!" Jiro couldn't help but feel upset by the revelation.
Momo remained silent as she felt her chest begin to tighten.
"From what little he's told me, he took advantage of his move here to reinvent himself in order to live the kind of life he always wanted to... He wanted the chance to start over and be the sort of person he always wanted to be..." He explained as the trio hung onto his every word.
He finally entered the tunnel as he slowed his pace down to a walk.
"Back in New York he was picked on quite a bit... He was never awarded the chance to come out of his shell and be the version of himself that we have come to know... He was just a quiet kid who kept to himself. People at his old school used to make fun of him for choosing to read every spare second he got... They also thought he was quirkless... But that was only because he's a humble person who never flaunted his power around to try to gain any popularity... so they just assumed he didn't have one. His interest in academics, science in particular, branded him as a nerd and he was made fun of for that as well... It even got to the point where the kids who taunted him got physically harmful towards him." He said lowly. "It's one of the reasons I was ready to rip Monoma apart earlier... Personally, I won't allow that particular part of his history to repeat itself."
It suddenly made sense to the three ladies of how he was able to stay so calm during each altercation with Neito... It was nothing new to him... He was used to being treated that way... Unfortunately for Monoma though, he involved Momo... And then his late aunt... which made all the difference in the end.
As he reached the end of the tunnel he stopped and waited to be announced.
Momo felt a pain in her heart for Peter... And comtempt towards those who were so cruel to him. She wasn't able to understand how none of them could see how extraordinary he truly was... As far as she was concerned, he was an actual gift to the world around him. She noticed Todoroki turn his attention to her again.
"That's actually one of the many reasons I believe he cares so deeply for you Yaoyorozu... Everything about him that he was always harassed and tormented for... You seem to love all of those things about him. You found the value in all the things that make him who he is. You see him in a light that nobody else ever has. He appreciates that about you more than you could imagine..."
He took a deep breath in as his heart rate began to slow back down to a normal speed.
Momo felt her heart thump uncontrollably as her significance in his life was made very clear. She now fully understood just how high the pedestal that their relationship to one another had been placed on truly was. She was extremely moved to say the least as a feeling of devotion washed over her.
He leapt high into the air as he brought his knees up to his chest at the peak of his jump, readying himself for combat.
"OUR FIRST CONTESTANT IS THE LAST MAN STANDING FROM CLASS 1B!!! WILL THIS YOUNG MAN OF SOLID STEEL BE ABLE TO FIGHT HIS WAY INTO THE SEMI FINALS?!?! OR WILL THE NEXT ROUND BECOME ONE BIG SHOWCASE FOR CLASS 1A?!?! THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT FOLKS!!! EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU!!!!!"
At the sound of the announcement, Todoroki knew he had to wrap it up and say what he felt he needed to say. He turned to Ashido and Jiro. "Do you two mind giving us a second? I'd like tohace a word with Yaoyorozu in private."
The two looked at each other and nodded reading the tone of his voice.
"We'll be waiting for you guys back in the stands." Mina said as her and Jiro started towards the stairs, leaving Shoto and Momo alone to talk.
"I hope you understand that I'm not trying to be rude by saying this," he said as she focused her full attention on him, "...but I care about Parker too. If you're going to start this with him, I hope you plan on sticking it out through thick and thin. You are more than capable of making him happier than he's ever been... But on the other side of that same coin, you could seriously tear him down as well if you aren't careful..."
Her eyebrows furrowed as her eyes fell to the ground. Shoto watched her as she seemed to be gathering her thoughts together in order to convey them as clearly as possible. He felt a small twinge of guilt as he thought maybe he should have used more a more delicate way to phrase what he had just said. It was times like this that he resented his lack of social skills... He took a deep breath and gave it another shot in a softer tone.
"Yaoyorozu, I really do hope that you understand what I'm trying to say... I have no objections to you two being together... Quite the opposite actually... It's just that Parker is extremely important to me as well... I've never had a friend like him before... And I can't imagine finding a better one. I just wanted you to know that you're not just some girl he has a crush on."
Her eyes finally looked back up to meet his and she spoke in a tone that matched his own. "I know Todoroki... I promise you didn't offend me at all... It's just that... It hurts my heart to know how much he's been through. He's the most wonderful person I have ever met. He deserves so much more than what his old life offered him."
He felt a comforting amount of sincerity in her words as she continued.
"You're just as important to him too... He's lucky to have you—I'm overjoyed that he has someone like you in his life now... Which is why I will make you a promise as his best friend... I won't take this lightly. I won't hurt him... Because I plan on sticking with him no matter what..." He noticed her mouth curl up into a grin. "So you better get used to me being around." She lightly punched his arm.
He returned her smile. "That's all I needed to hear... Just be patient with him... He might be a genius, but he's incredibly dense when it comes to navigating this situation with you." The two chuckled at the truth behind those words. "Come on, let's go watch him kick this guy's ass."
And with that conversation behind them, a friendship between Shoto and Momoa blossomed out of their mutual care for the boy who had saved both of them in different ways. The two hurried down the stairs and hopped into their seats just in time for Present Mic to make his next crowd pleasing introduction.
'I wasn't sure at first... But now that I'm down here... I can definitely tell that they made the ring bigger for the second round...' Peter thought quietly to himself. He had just finished his prematch ritual consisting of a few plyometric exercises and stretching and was now formulating some strategies to take into the concrete stage with him.
'Thats certainly going to make my original plan of going for a ring-out more difficult... But I guess they want these last few rounds to be as entertaining as possible for the sake of the TV ratings...' he reasoned as he watched his opponent climb the steps and entered the ring.
'So I guess plan B is about to become plan A...' he looked down at his hands. 'Well this is gonna suck...'
"OUR NEXT CHALLENGER ABSOLUTELY DOMINATED HIS LAST FIGHT IN A CONVINCING FASHION!!!! HE DEMONSTRATED QUITE A KNACK FOR FOR A FIST FIGHT AND SHOWED OFF SOME CRAZY MOVES WHILE DOING IT!!! LET'S SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN UNSTOPPABLE FORCE COMES HEAD TO HEAD WITH AN IMMOVABLE WALL OF STEEL!!! GET READY MUSUTAFU, HERE COMES PETER PARKERRRRRRRR!!!!!"
'Huh.. looks like I have the answer to the irresistible force paradox... Final four here I come...' he thought as he stepped into the stadium confidently.
Last time he walked out of the tunnel, he had a much different mindset... He was so focused on wiping the floor with his opponent that he didn't really get to appreciate the moment... This time however, he allowed himself the opportunity on his way into the ring to soak it all in... The cheers from a stadium full of thousands were truly invigorating. The media sections sparkled with camera flashes as he walked by, only adding to the rush he was beginning to feel. He was relaxed, yet excited at the same time. It wasn't every day that he got the opportunity to loosen the leash he kept on his power the way he was about to. He had watched his opponent's last fight closely and was able to determine that he was finally going to be able to show everyone just how much stronger he had gotten since starting at UA.
As he passed the section his class was sitting in, he locked eyes with Momo who seemed to be sitting on the edge of her seat. She smiled sweetly and offered him a small wave as her two friends beside her seemed to be adding to the cheers filling the stands. A determined grin spread across his face as he held up a peace sign... His eyes drifted to Shoto, who stood with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He gave him a thumbs up and continued his journey into the ring. It was time to show her and his friends just what he could do...
He climbed the stairs and approached his opponent, remembering that the last time he did this he got clocked in the face... but this time to his surprise, his opponent met him in the middle and stuck out his hand. Peter nodded and shook it firmly as the silver haired boy matched his determined grin.
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna punch you until the fight starts..." He chuckled. "I'm sorry about Monoma by the way... If it makes you feel any better, Mr. Vlad has been making him do laps around the stadium ever since he woke up from that nap you gave him..."
He whistled, "And here I thought Mr. Aizawa was scary..." He chuckled as he seemingly just noticed just how huge the perimeter of the stadium actually was... "Your class rep told me you're pretty strong, and I gotta say... I'm pretty excited. It's been a while since I fought someone with a quirk strong enough to allow me to really let loose. Good luck man, let's give these people a show."
"That's what I'm talking about!" Tetsutetsu said excitedly as he felt the spirit of competition flow through his body.
The two separated and went back to their respective sidelines as Midnight stepped forward.
"Contestants Parker and Tetsutetsu! Congratulations on your quarter final appearances! Are you boys ready?!" She raised her hand once again.
The latter activated his quirk and turned his body into his gleaming silver form. He nodded to Midnight as he slammed his fist together.
She looked at Peter who popped his neck and took his hands out of his pockets. He gave her a thumbs up.
With that her hand shot towards the ground.
"BEGIN!!"
Tetsutetsu charged forward with a yell of intensity. "LET'S SEE WHAT YOU'VE GOT BIG SHOT!!!!"
Peter remained standing in place as he watched his opponent's movement. His footsteps were heavy and he moved at a considerably slow pace for someone who was barreling towards him at full speed. He smirked knowing that whenever there was such a massive gap in speed between him and whoever he was fighting, it meant he had already won.
His feet began to move forward quickly to meet his adversary in the center of the ring. Tetsutetsu reared his fist back and swung it forward with great force... Only to connect with absolutely nothing... As the silver berserker threw his punch, Peter dropped down into a slide and webbed his ankles as he zipped by. His skid continued for a few more feet as he popped up onto his knees, turned his body around, and yanked the boy's feet out from underneath him. He crashed to the ground as Peter hopped back to his feet with the crowd coming to life at the impressive display of improvisation.
"AND TETSUTETSU GOES DOWN HARD AS PARKER SHOWS OFF HIS PRO-LIKE AGILITY!!! LOOKS LIKE HE'S NOT AFRAID TO GET FLASHY FOLKS!!! THIS SHOULD BE HIGHLY ENTERTAINING SO MAKE SURE YOU DON'T BLINK!!!"
Tetsutetsu rolled over and stood back up only to be met with two consecutive aerial roundhouse kicks to the face, causing him to stagger backwards a few paces.
Tetsutetsu growled and shook his head. "You're going to have to hit me a whole hell of a lot harder than that if you want to get anywhere in this fight Parker!!!" He yelled as he finally was afforded the opportunity to throw another right hook... That was caught in Peter's palm.
"Good thing this is just the warm up then..." Peter smirked as he caught his opponent's other hand as well and began to use his overwhelming strength to bring Tetsutetsu to his knees.
He gritted his teeth in frustration as he tried to resist him with every ounce of strength he had in his body. "H-how... The hell... *Grunt... Are you...*Strain... So strong?!" He managed to say through the struggle.
"Why does nobody seem to be able to grasp the concept of super strength?" He quipped before pushing off the ground, flipping over his opponent, and smashing his face into the concrete with his feet. The tiles of the ring splintered upon impact as Peter leapt away from his opponent hoping that he had just ended the fight before having to get farther into "plan A" than he personally wanted to... He didn't particularly enjoy smashing up his hands to win a fight... But he certainly wasn't above it.
Midnight started to step forward to give an announcement but stopped abruptly as Tetsutetsu picked himself up off the ground.
"It really looks like Parker has this one in the bag doesn't it?" Jiro said as she watched the match in front of her unfold.
"It's pretty unbelievable that the only time he's been touched so far has been by Monoma's cheap shot..." Mina pointed out.
Momo furrowed her brow as she spoke up. "He's being too passive for some reason... I spent a whole week sparring with him nonstop and I've never seen him pass up so many openings..." The other two turned to them in confusion. Momo's combat sense was really beginning to flourish.
Shoto nodded and began to support her claim. "So you see it too then... He's testing the water to see just how much of his power he can use without getting disqualified for excessive force. He told me he had a plan to win... But it almost seems like he's improvising. He must've noticed something before the match that made him rethink his strategy... Something tells me we're about to get a small glimpse into what it looks like when he doesn't hold back as much." The three girls turned back to the ring and waited for the real show to start.
Peter watched as his opponent got back to his feet and into a combat stance.
"AND JUST LIKE THAT TETSUTETSU IS BACK ON HIS FEET LIKE NOTHING EVEN HAPPENED!!! PARKER HAS BEEN IN FULL CONTROL FOR THE ENTIRETY OF THE FIGHT SO FAR, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THE UNSTOPPABLE FORCE HAS YET TO BUDGE THE IMMOVABLE OBJECT!!!"
Aizawa leaned forward into his microphone. "Don't get ahead of yourself Mic..." He narrowed his eyes on his student. "...This fight hasn't even started yet..."
"Alright... I think I've seen enough..." Peter said under his breath. He wiped away the sweat from his forehead with his fist and called out to his opponent. "I'm gonna level with you... You and I both know this ring is too big for me to go for a ring-out when you have your quirk activated... That's why you've been using your extremely dense mass to your advantage and sticking close to the center... Isn't that right?"
Tetsutetsu flashed a grin. As far as he was concerned, he was his opponent's kryptonite. A bad matchup... No matter how he looked at it, there was no way he could lose this fight. Not as long as he kept his quirk activated.
"That leaves me with limited ways to win this fight... And something tells me you're not the kinda guy to throw in the towel under any circumstances, no matter how difficult things get... Narrowing that down to one option... I have to knock you out."
Tetsutetsu snorted, "Nobody's ever knocked me out before! What makes you think you'll be the first?! You have no chance of that ever happening!"
Peter smirked. "Care to put a wager on that?..."
--
*Kiss smack
"There you go... You should be able to walk under your own power now... But I'm going to keep you here over the next half hour to make sure you recover properly..." Recovery Girl said as the green haired boy panted from exhaustion, her tone had taken on an unfamiliar cadence. She was mentally drained from worrying about this boy. As a medical professional, she had seen a lot of wild injuries in her day... But none ever seemed to phase her. She was always ready to help anyone and everyone in need.
Maybe it was the severity of how much damage he had done to himself this particular time... Or perhaps it was the frequency of how often he appeared on her medical table... But the sight of Izuku Midoriya's broken body, was beginning to weigh extremely heavily on the old woman. She knew she couldn't let this keep happening... Successor to the world's greatest power or not, she wouldn't continue to be complicit in him destroying himself.
She let out another sigh and turned to All Might. "You lit a dangerous fire under this boy. Just look at the lengths he's gone through to make you proud... You're putting far too much pressure on him Toshinori." She was no longer yelling at him... Which was a bad sign. She had as much as her compassionate heart could take.
"I don't like it one bit... This is getting way out of hand you two..." Her voice dripped with dejection, she looked back and forth between the two as she spoke, then her eyes fell to the clipboard in her hands. "Just look at the size of the newest addition to your medical records that I have to find a way to fit in this file cabinet... You've already filled up an entire drawer." She held up the stack and flipped through the pages.
She looked at Izuku and shook her head in disbelief. Her stern tone of voice replaced the sorrow filled one, "You reported to me earlier today that you were becoming used to the pain of breaking your bones... Specifically the ones in your arms and hands... While that is entirely unacceptable..." She walked over to him and began to lightly bonk him on the head with her clipboard. "...That's *smack... Not *smack... How *smack... The *smack... Human *smack... Body *smack... Works *smack!"
She continued to look between the two of them. "Would you like to actually know what's going on?..."
The two nodded silently.
She began to look over her notes. "You're killing the nerves in your hands and arms... The human body uses pain to serve as both a reminder and a warning to instinctually avoid whatever causes it... but you continue to ignore that warning and go right back to the well you keep falling head first into. I'd say at the rate you're going now, you'll completely lose your ability to use them at all by the end of the school year..."
The boy's eyes widened at the revelation... The need to learn to control his own power was more dire than he could have ever imagined. If he lost his arms... He'd lose his dream as well. All the notebooks he had filled since he was a little boy... All the training he had done... All the pain he had endured... Every single second All Might had spent trying to help him harness his new power... Everything... Will have been for nothing. He swallowed his anxiety and frustration as he listened to her continue.
"The bones in your right arm essentially exploded... It took some doing, but I managed to remove all of the fragments that were lodged into your ligaments and muscles... It was horrific... And don't even get me started on that index finger you annihilated! All your other fingers had no less than three fractures... Which is a new record for a UA student." She said with annoyance. "And don't think I didn't notice that broken leg and foot as well."
His eyes fell as All Might remained silent. "I could keep going... But there's only so much time in a day... Besides... Mrs. Uraraka has finally woken up and I need to go tend to her..." Recovery Girl said firmly, but had one last message for both of them.
"I'm only going to say this one time, so you both better listen well... I won't ever heal another injury of this magnitude caused by your own recklessness again... I left your right hand crooked to serve as a reminder of what you're doing to your body. You have to learn to use your power without harming yourself..." The old lady said in a serious tone. She was one of the very few who understood what the boy's power was cultivated for... "You have yet to understand how much depends on it..."
She glanced at All Might with a knowing look... "I think it's long past time you reached out to him for help... Teaching is a skill, and you've obviously not mastered it yet. If anyone can help this boy figure out a way to wield your power, he's the first person that comes to mind. You and I both know I'm right."
Izuku suddenly felt like he was thrown to the side of this conversation as he watched his idol gulp nervously and then reluctantly nod his head...
The old lady said nothing more and exited the operating room, leaving Midoriya free to ask a few questions.
"Who's she talking about All Might?"
The frail version of Toshinori Yagi stared at him with a mixture of intensity and fear. "An old friend of my predecessor's... Who just so happened to be my teacher when I was a UA student. He helped me grow into what I am today..."
Midoriya's eyes widened as his mentor continued.
"The old lady's right, I've been failing you Young Midoriya... And for that I am truly sorry... I know you were probably looking forward to going through your offers and choosing an internship yourself... But after hearing your injury report, I think you'll agree that it'd be best if I took over and put you in contact with my old teacher..."
Izuku nodded in agreement. "You're right... I can't afford to keep breaking my arms... I think it's the best option too."
All Might nodded and peaked out the door to find that Recovery Girl had given him a convenient chance to slip out of the room unnoticed by drawing the curtain around Uraraka's bed.
"Get some rest Young Midoriya... I'm gonna go make a few phone calls. You did an excellent job today, I'm proud of you. Don't beat yourself up for losing your match. Today was a success, I promise... We'll talk more after the festival."
"Yes sir."
And with that the number one hero slipped out of the infirmary unnoticed...
Present Mic, along with the rest of the stadium, silently stuttered at the sight of what had just taken place before their very eyes...
All of his classmates including Momo and Shoto stared at the boy utterly flabbergasted. Even Bakugo was showing his own expression of shock.
The right hand of Peter Parker had taken on an unsettlingly deep shade of purple... Before tightening back up into a fist.
Tetsutetsu didn't even know what had just hit him... Never in his life had he felt an attack stagger him the way his opponent's just did. He struggled, but managed to pick himself up off the ground and wobble back into a combat stance. Peter had finally let himself unleash half of his current strength. He had crouched down into his signature stance, leapt halfway across the entire ring, and delivered a brutal haymaker to his opponent's face leaving behind a dent where his punch had connected.
"I DON'T BELIEVE WHAT I'VE JUST SEEN!!! IT LOOKS LIKE PARKER HAS BEEN HIDING ANOTHER LEVEL TO HIS POWER AND FINALLY SEEMS READY TO USE IT TO BREAK THROUGH THE RESOLVE OF CLASS B'S INDESTRUCTIBLE HUMAN SHIELD!!!!"
"This won't take long..." Aizawa added in his lifeless tone.
As soon as the silver coated student was back on his feet, two webs latched onto his hands. Using the weight of his opponent to his advantage, Peter slung himself into his opponent, and stuck his feet to the heavy steel thighs of Tetsutetsu. With his unimaginable core strength he pulled himself up and peppered him with right and left hooks, one after another, until he finally pushed off into a backflip... Only to latch another pair of webs to his adversary and swing back into him all over again, this time, sending him skidding backwards with a violent kick to the stomach.
The boy raised his forearms in front of his face for protection as Peter refused to let up. He lunged forward once again and ignored the sharp pain in both of his hands as he grabbed onto Tetsutetsu's wrist, and with a powerful jerk, ripped his forearms down away from his face. He clenched his fist as pain shot through his knuckles and decided that it was time to punch his ticket to the semi finals. He shot his fist forward and made direct connection with the boy's face, sending him into a state of unconsciousness as he flew against the wall of the stadium.
Midnight and Cementoss snapped out of their stunned states as the latter immediately sprung into action and reinforced the cracked wall to ensure the safety of those in the stands above. True to his toughness, Tetsutetsu came out of his nap rather quickly and realized what had transpired. He deactivated his quirk, and to Peter's great relief, the dents covering his body didn't stick around afterwards.
"Huh... Guess I shouldn't have ruled out the possibility of a ring-out after all..." He looked down at his broken hands, "Which means that i didn't have to obliterate my knuckles... Hooray..." He uttered sarcastically as he became slightly annoyed with himself. "Hopefully Recovery Girl has already finished up with Midoriya... Because I'm definitely gonna need to make a pit stop on my way back to the stands..." He grunted as the majority of the adrenaline rush started to wear off and the pain began to make itself known.
"TETSUTETSU HAS BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF BOUNDS!!! PARKER ADVANCES TO THE SEMI FINALS!!!"
Cheers boomed throughout the stands as Peter hopped out of the ring and waved to the crowd, determined to hide the pain he was experiencing from the public eye. Tetsutetsu refused the help of the robots and made his way towards his former opponent under his own power. The two met outside the borders of the ring.
"Hey man good fight! You're insanely powerful... It's been a while since anyone has been able to stand up to me using that much strength." Peter said with a grin as he extended his busted right hand towards him. "Don't hang your head and keep working hard. I get the feeling this isn't the last time we'll get the chance to go toe to toe with each other."
Tetsutetsu looked at the boy's discolored and swollen hand. He looked back up at him. "Uhhh... I don't think you're in any condition to be giving out handshakes my man..."
"Don't worry. I've walked off with worse." He insisted as the silver haired boy apprehensively shook his hand. Peter fought off a wince only allowing his mouth to twitch slightly as the boy let go.
"You know... Before today I didn't get it... I just couldn't see what all the fuss around your class was about... But now I think I'm starting to understand. You guys are amazing. You set the standard for the rest of us to shoot for... And after watching you guys in action... I see now just how high that bar is. Our class has a lot of talent, but nothing tops experience." He said with sincerity, "I know you weren't at the USJ when it happened... From what I've heard things went south pretty fast... But something tells me that you're no stranger to knocking some heads either... And I could tell you were still holding back at the end of the fight..."
Peter noticed Tetsutetsu's fist clench. "You guys are pretty inspirational, I mean that... Even Bakugo, as crazy as that may sound..." He noticed the surprise on Peter's face and felt compelled to offer an explanation.
"He may be a complete ass, but you can't say anything about his work ethic or his drive... Besides, if Kirishima hangs around him, he must have some kind of redeeming qualities somewhere..."
Peter chuckled, "Well, I'll be damned if I could find them." He quipped, earning a laugh from the class B student.
"Anyway... I'm gonna keep busting my ass until I'm on your level. You better watch it because you were right about something during the match..." Determination flashed in his eyes, "I never give up... Good luck Parker... Go win the whole damned thing!"
"That's the plan!" The silver haired hero-in-training turned to walk away. Peter felt as if he needed to say something as the last member remaining from class 1B set out to exit the stadium one last time. "Tetsutetsu!" He called out causing him to stop and turn around.
"One out of every three hundred..." He said. The boy from the rival class looked confused. "That's how many people get accepted into the hero program that we're a part of... There's roughly around twelve thousand applicants each year... Only forty of us make that cut. Out of a 0.2% acceptance rate, your class makes up half of that number... That makes you guys just as amazing if you ask me... Don't forget that."
Tetsutetsu smirked in amusement, "How do you know all that?"
"There were a few layovers on my flight here." Peter chuckled.
Tetsutetsu shook his head with a snicker, "That's way too much math for me... But thanks... I'm gonna go tell my class that same thing. I'll be sure to give you credit. Good luck Parker." He said before heading into his tunnel with his head held high, only stopping for a brief moment to watch Peter's name be written into the final four on the tournament tree displayed by the jumbotron. He took a mental picture of the moment to use as his motivation during his future training sessions... And then he disappeared into the hallways of the stadium.
Peter turned his attention to the massive screen that showed the enormous challenge that awaited him. He took a deep breath in and exhaled heavily, knowing that nothing short of a Herculean effort from him would prove to be enough to overcome it. The throbbing pain of his hands shook him from the screen as he made his way back towards his respective tunnel. The screen read as such:
Semi Finals Match 1: Peter Parker vs. Shoto Todoroki
Upon his arrival to the tunnel, he was met with a very welcome surprise... There waiting for him to arrive was none other than Momo. He quickly moved his hands into his pockets as he approached. She stood there with her hands clasped together in front of her as she waited for him. As he drew near she brought her hands behind her back and stepped towards him, beginning a round of their game that would forever live on in their memories with extreme significance.
"Congratulations... Spider-Man..." She said in a teasing tone. The name had a certain ring to it that he liked very much, especially when it was spoken in her melodic voice. "You really are full of surprises aren't you?"
"Sure am... Make sure you stick around long enough to see them all." He smirked.
"As if you could ever get rid of me..." She stepped closer to him.
He smiled 'You don't know how desperately I hope that's true...' was the thought that raced through his mind.
"So... Spider-Man huh? I like it... How on earth did you ever come up with that?" He joked.
"Don't know... Just thought it suits you pretty well..." She said sarcastically, now only a few paces away from him.
"Well it's way better than the one I came up with..." He grinned as he stepped forward.
"Oh yeah? And what, pray tell, would that be?" She rocked back and forth between her heels and her tiptoes.
"How does, 'The Human Spider' make ya feel?"
She began to cackle uncontrollably. "Sorry for you." She quipped through her fit of laughter.
He shared in her laughter. "I really shouldn't be allowed to name things."
The laughter subsided and he took the opportunity to ask a question that had been plaguing his mind for a while. "You still up for spending more time together from now on?"
She matched his grin and looked up at him through her deeply smitten eyes as she closed the remaining gap between them. "Of course I am. What a silly question." She lightly tapped his nose with her index finger, causing him to blush profusely.
"Just making sure you haven't changed your mind."
After hearing about his past from Shoto, she could tell he was testing the waters he was in with her by charismatically disguising his insecurities in his words... She decided to squash them right then and there and let him know she wanted nothing more than to be with him as much as possible.
"You're stuck with me Peter Parker... You better get used to it... because I'm not going anywhere." She said with a grin as she jabbed her index finger into his chest like she had earlier. She watched a weight seem to lift off his mind as he smiled at her.
The pain coming from his hands was becoming more and more noticeable. He knew he had to get them treated soon if he wanted to be in any sort of fighting shape by the time the semi finals rolled around... The problem was... He didn't want to leave her. He could continue to live in these kinds of moments forever if he could...
"I'm glad... Now as much as I'd love to stay and keep you company until your match starts, I should probably go see Recovery Girl so I don't miss any of it..." He said with a noticeable amount of disappointment in his voice.
Momo cocked an eyebrow at him. "Recovery Girl? Why?!"
"Cause it's gonna be hard to clap for you with my hands in this condition." He admitted sheepishly.
She narrowed her eyes. "What condition?"
He knew he was in for it now, "It's really not that bad Mo..."
She looked down and noticed his hands were hidden in his pockets, "Prove it."
He sighed as he removed his hands from his pockets. "It's not as bad as it looks..."
She looked up at him with skepticism as she flicked the top of his right hand causing him to wince heavily.
"How does that feel Grimace?" She chuckled referencing the purple shade of his injuries.
"That's actually really funny... I promise I'm laughing on the inside." He strained to say through the pain.
"Go to the infirmary Peter..." She rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Where'd you think I was going?" He asked playfully as the pain began to slightly subside. He began to walk past her before stopping after she answered his question.
He set her up nicely to ask him something she's been wanting to for a hot minute. "To the cafe with me again after the festival is over." She said with confidence, "...so we can have some tea... And I'll give you the run down about coming over tomorrow for dinner."
"Sounds like a plan! Already looking forward to it... Hey Mo?"
"Yes?"
"Good luck out there! I know you're gonna do great."
She walked back up to him and smiled sweetly, giving him a quick hug. He gingerly wrapped his arms around her. "Go get your hands fixed so I can get a proper hug. I'll see you after the match."
He nodded and took off towards the infirmary at a trot as Momo watched him disappear around the corner with a flutter in her heart. "Human spider..." She snickered, "Bless his heart..."
The boy quickened his pace as he approached the infirmary. As he reached his destination, his hands had lost the ability to close fully, so he used his elbows to push down the handle and gently nudge the door open with his shoulder. Upon his entrance he noticed Uraraka, Tsu, Iida, and Midoriya all speaking around the hospital bed of the latter. He was wrapped up like he was in a straight jacket and his leg was fitted in a walking boot... but he seemed to be in high spirits as he spoke to his friends that surrounded his bedside. Seeing him and Uraraka up and around brought a small smile to Peter's face as the door closed behind him. The sound of the door latching back into place attracted the attention of his classmates.
"Hey Parker, how're your hands doing? *Ribbit" Tsu asked, sufficiently surprising him.
"How did you know about that?"
"We watched a live broadcast of your match on my cellphone... They seemed to do quite a few close up shots of your hands as the fight went on... But still, you did excellent!!" Iida said with a thumbs up.
"You're trending all over the Internet right now! You're the 5th most popular search on Google too! Right behind Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, Aliens, and 'Is a hot dog a sandwich?'..." Uraraka said in a bubbly tone.
Peter rolled his eyes and chuckled at how humanity was using the world's most infinitely vast source of knowledge... But then again... He actually wouldn't mind hearing the answer to that debate.
"You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention... What's the verdict on that?"
Uraraka tapped the top result and skimmed it for the answer after a quick second she shared her findings, "Results are inconclusive, seems to be pretty even... Wow, people are surprisingly passionate about this..." She said as she continued deeper down that rabbit hole determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.
Everyone chuckled as she remained silently glued to her phone. "I'll save you the trouble and settle this whole thing right now... It's absolutely a sandwich." Peter said with confidence.
Midoriya's head shot towards him, "Wait! What?! No it's not!" He disagreed.
"Shhhh!!" Uraraka hissed as she put a finger to her lips, refusing to take her eyes off her phone.
They lowered their voices but continued the suddenly contentious debate as Tsu and Iida watched in amusement.
"What evidence do you have to support your claim?" Peter asked the green haired boy.
"Common knowledge!" He laughed, lightening the mood slightly.
"Comm- No! I refuse to accept that as your reasoning!" Peter let out a light laugh of his own as Uraraka shushed them once more with even more intensity.
Suddenly the door opened behind them and Recovery Girl stepped briskly into the room.
"There you are Mr. Parker! I've been looking all over for you! I can't believe you'd run this poor old lady around this entire maze of a stadium looking for you." She jokingly scolded him. "Luckily, I ran into Miss Yaoyorozu and she told me you'd be here..." She walked over and grabbed the bottom of his shirt and led him towards the examination room. "Come on, lets have a look at your hands... Its always the hands today..." her voice trailed off. Just before he passed through the door he leaned back and spoke in the direction of Midoriya.
"This conversation is not over!!"
And then the door shut behind him amongst the laughter...