Note: Hey everyone! Holy... Shit... I'm not sure what took longer... Writing this chapter or proof reading it. From what I could tell, it seemed like you guys were looking forward to this one specifically, so I wanted to really put my full ass into it. This is the longest chapter I've ever wrote by far... totaling 11,920 words so while I hope you guys enjoy it, I really hope it has consistent quality from beginning to end. Be sure to let me know what you guys think about it when you get finished reading!!
@SulliMike23: He's gotta get through Momo first ;) but I can't wait to start writing more Bakugo for the story. He's extremely fun to write dialogue and fight scenes for and has tons of potential for character development... But yes right now he's asking for an ass kicking.
@DrCoogans: I'm sorry to hear you had a rough day at work hopefully its getting better. My job has been really kicking my ass lately too. I'm glad you enjoyed the banter enough for it to cheer you up a bit. Hang in there! I promise I'll keep putting chapters out!! Thanks for the encouragement!! I got your PM Btw!
@abijayks: Ahhh yes the good ol Mom dad please stop fighting line haha. I wish I could say it was off the top of my head but thats straight up ripped from Tfs... I actually heard it somewhere else years before I saw that episode of DBZA but I can't remember exactly where... Thanks for the review :)
@CRUDEN: Thanks!! I actually hated it when I was writing it but after I reread it, I think its one of the stronger chapters.
@BobIsBadAtEnglish: Sup Bob! Im glad you liked the chapter! I really leaned into showing the intelligence of Momo there. The fight with Tokoyami is where her character really starts to get nerfed in the manga and anime, so I decided to write it as a one sided fight in her favor so that her character grows from this point forward. The backbone she has in Ch16 is kind of a glimpse of whats to come for her character in future chapters.
@Ryustin: He's definitely the definition of someone who's willing to f*ck around and find out lol
@katana12: Hey! I'm super stoked you like the previews!!! Which is your favorite so far? I promise they aren't going anywhere! I try to add them to a handful of chapters as I update the story so check back in a couple days and there should be a couple new ones waiting for you before the next chapter comes out!
@sixdry: I love writing the previews. I'd love to know which one you like the most. My personal favorite so far is when Peter jumps out the window to get away from YaoMama. I promise they aren't going anywhere. I plan on getting them caught up to the story eventually that way every chapter has one. I'll be doing a few more before I release chapter 18.
@salsasan: What are your other two wishes? ;)
I also got a Guest review that doesn't show a name on the subject of I-Island. I actually haven't decided if I'm gonna include it or not, but that's how I felt about the Sports Festival too and here we are. So if you guys want I-Island I'm more than happy to do it, just be sure to let me know! Also to whoever wrote the review, just because Peter wasnt close to MJ, Harry, Gwen, etc, doesn't mean they don't exist in this universe ;)
I definitely want to thank you guys so much for all the reviews, favorites, and follows. You'll never know how much I appreciate it!!!
I don't own any of the characters depicted in this story...
Beyond the massive crowds that had clustered around the outside of the giant colosseum... Through the hoards of spectators that had gathered inside... Past the sections that were designated for the students who participated in the games... Deep into the hallways that made up the inner workings of the massive stadium... Inside an empty waiting room, laid a cellphone on a folding table.
The lonesome device suddenly vibrated with life for the sixth straight time as the word "Mother" was displayed across the screen. The phone continued to buzz without an answer once again as the owner stepped into the large ring in the middle of the arena.
The members of class 1A looked on as their class rep stepped into the ring.
"Do you think Iida has a chance?" The gravity defying brunette asked the boy with unruly green hair beside her.
Midoriya looked on intently with an expression of great concern. "I wish I could say yes... But I don't know... Kacchan is a bad matchup for him... At least in a ring setting, and the closer he gets to the finals, the more ruthless he'll become..."
Ochako Uraraka returned her attention to the two fighters who waited for the green light to start their battle. Worry for her friend began to plague her mind... She was more than familiar with the kind of power the blonde headed time bomb was capable of...
Peter furrowed his brow as he stared down at the ring, then suddenly he turned to the girl to his left. She was set to face the winner of this fight in the semi finals. He watched her and could tell her mind was already focused on observing every move that would be made in this fight. Ever since her last match ended, he noticed something inside her had finally clicked. She carried an aura about her that seemed to radiate confidence. He loved it. It drew his attention to her even further. She was magnificent. She was beautiful. She was strong... She was Momo Yaoyorozu... And her fighting spirit had finally reawoken.
He finally pulled himself from his trance and managed to speak to her. "This fight isn't going to last long... I think you already know who's about to walk away from this with the win..."
Her eyes remained forward as she offered a response, "Yeah... I somehow knew this would happen as soon as the bracket was revealed." She turned to face him and he stared into the two beautiful pools of obsidian that he found himself captivated by time and time again. A cheeky grin crept across her face as she spoke words that sent his heart into overdrive, "Good thing my new workout partner is a lot stronger..." She winked at him.
He reached inside himself and pulled forth his usual charisma from his enthralled state, "Hey, I'm more than happy to keep our routine going if you are..."
She smiled softly at him, "I'd like that..."
The two girls to the left of her cooed mockingly at the antics of their love struck friends.
Momo smirked deviously at her two best friends, "Sounds like you guys want to tag along with us..."
Mina and Jiro both turned pale at the suggestion and shook their heads nervously. "N-no that's o-okay..." Mina stammered as she forced an apologetic smile.
"Yeah, I think I'm good... I'd quite literally rather put toothpicks underneath my toenails and kick a wall, than go through that specific layer of hell again..." Jiro agreed as she shuttered at the thought of trying to survive a workout with the both of them... YaoMomo almost killed her on her "light day"... Adding Parker to that particular fold seemed like a very bad idea to her.
"Jesus Jiro, who hurt you?!" Peter shivered at the rather unpleasant imagery.
Midnight's voice suddenly filled the air around the stadium. "CONTESTANTS TENYA IIDA AND KATSUKI BAKUGO, CONGRATULATIONS ON ADVANCING TO THE QUARTER FINALS!! THIS IS THE LAST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND!! ARE YOU TWO READY TO SHOW US WHAT YOU'VE GOT?!" She shouted as the crowd began its regular rumble. Her hand raised above her head.
"Yes Ma'am!!" Tenya nodded as he pushed up his glasses and got down into a sprinter position.
Katsuki continued to scowl as he prepared to put his plan into action. "Just get on with it!" He spat quickly growing tired of the pageantry. 'His only chance is to try to finish me immediately. All I have to do is withstand his first attack...' he thought as he got into a low stance.
Midnight dropped her hand. "BEGIN!!!"
Iida immediately shot forward at a blinding pace and leaped into the air. He brought his leg up above his head and with great force, dropped it hard on top of the blonde with all his strength, hoping to knock him out with one quick strike to the neck.
He made solid contact... With the crossed forearms of his opponent. His eyes widened as a sinister smile made its way onto Bakugo's face. "And, now you die." He said with coldly as he latched his hand onto Tenya's leg just above his ankle. He pointed his other hand towards the ground and let off a massive explosion, sending them both high into the air.
"BAKUGO SHOWS OFF SOME INSANELY POLISHED REFLEXES!!! HE'S TAKEN HIMSELF AND HIS OPPONENT INTO THE AIR!!!!!"
He used his open palm to blast them into a spin and he threw his class rep down towards the ring at an alarming speed. As Iida smacked the ground, he winced from the pain. The blonde used an even bigger blast to send himself soaring back to the concrete like a hawk diving down on top of its prey.
He pointed both of his palms towards the ring and fired again. A huge explosion sent pieces of the ring scattered around the stadium, leaving the two shrouded in a cloud of dust and debris. As the veil disappeared, Katsuki smirked and began to taunt the speedster, knowing the fight was already over.
"You think you're fast?... Good God, get yourself together class rep!!! If you can't do any better than that, then you should walk your ass back to the stands right now!!"
Iida picked himself up off the ground and coughed into his arm. His eyes grew wide as he now understood the plan of his opponent... and the hopelessness of his current situation.
"HE JUST COMPLETELY TRASHED THE ENTIRE RING WITH ONE SHOT!!! JUST HOW MUCH EXPLOSIVE POWER DOES THIS KID HAVE?!?!"
The ring was toast. Craters speckled the surface. "Good luck trying to use that quirk of yours to run around now four eyes!!" Bakugo spat. "You're finished!"
Iida gritted his teeth as Bakugo leapt forward and cracked him across the face with his signature big right hook, breaking his glasses in the process. Tenya recovered quickly and the engines in his calf came to life with blue flames. He sent a super charged kick into the boys ribs. Bakugo winced in pain but ignored the dull ache on his left side... he brought his palms close together as a ball of bright light appeared.
"STUN GRENADE!!!!!"
The ball of light in the blonde's hands expanded rapidly and caused a bright flash, hindering Iida's vision even further. He couldn't see anything other than white and suddenly he felt an open palm on his chest...
"YOU LOSE, CALF IMPLANTS!!!!"
Another explosion sent Iida out of the ring and against the wall of the stadium.
"TENYA IIDA IS OUT OF BOUNDS!!! BAKUGO IS THE WINNER!!!" Midnight announced as the crowd made itself known.
"Well that was brutal..." Peter said as he ran his fingers through his hair with a look of pity on his face.
"Poor Iida..." Uraraka said with a sad tone in her voice.
"He always pushes himself to be great... To try to be the best leader he can be... This has to be devastating to him." Shoto said lowly with his eyes on his class rep.
Momo remained silent as she watched the blonde walk out of the ring, concluding her final chance to observe him before the two met in the next round. Already, her brilliant mind began to form different strategies. She had managed to gather a substantial amount of information about his tendencies.
"Well... How do you feel about it?" Peter asked her as he leaned forward in his seat.
She looked at him with determination radiating from her very being, "Ready." She responded bluntly.
"Adda girl." He smiled.
Tenya's vision slowly returned, but without his glasses things were still a bit fuzzy. He hopped back to his feet and sighed heavily out of disappointment before making his was back towards the tunnel. On his way he stopped in front of the section where his classmates sat and bowed to them. He spoke loudly enough for them to hear his every word.
"My fellow classmates... It has been an honor to compete with you all today... But my festival journey has come to an end... I want to let you all know that I performed to the very best of my abilities. I ask that you do not hold any pity for me... Instead, cheer on the four who continue to fight! I hope I was able to make you proud as your class representative." He smiled... Not knowing that it would be the last time he did so today...
With a round of applause and words of encouragement from his fellow students, he made his way back into the tunnel and towards his assigned waiting room.
As he entered, he approached the locker where he stashed away a spare pair of glasses. The boy was always prepared... But there was no preparation for the world shattering news he was about to receive. He put on his new frames as he walked over to the table and grabbed his phone.
27 missed calls...
His eyes widened. They were all consecutive... And they were all from his mother...
He felt his heartbeat thump louder and louder as anxiety began to overtake him. 'This isn't like her... Something is very wrong.'
Dread consumed his very being...
Before he could unlock his phone, it began to buzz in his hand. He quickly answered, "Hello?! Mother?! What's going on?! What's wrong?!"
His mother's voice sounded weak and broken as he heard her fail to stifle her sobs of anguish.
"Tenya!! Tenya thank God!! *Sob* It's bad! Veryvery bad... *more sobbing" she began as the boy trembled while he held the phone to his ear. "I need you to listen to me very carefully... *Sniffles* I know this is a big day for you and I'm so sorry that I have to tell you this... But you need to come to Hosu General Hospital right now..."
'No... No no no no no no...' the boy thought to himself as tears fell from his eyes. He immediately put the pieces together but refused to believe it.
"A villain... A villain got Tensei! He's in critical condition and they don't know if he'll pull through... I don't know anything else but we have to go! Get to Hosu as fast as you can! Use your quirk if you have to! I'm so *sob* so so sorry Tenya. Your father and I are already here. Please hurry..." The call ended as Iida instantly turned frantically towards the door.
Just before he could reach for the handle, it swung open with Mr. Aizawa on the other side.
"MR. AIZAWA! I HA-"
"I'm already aware of your family's situation! You're excused from the festival! Go! Be careful and watch your back!" The man said quickly as he stepped out of the way.
Tenya didn't even give a response as he ignored the pain he aquired from his fight and shot off down the hallway...
The phone in Eraser's hand had an article pulled up...
"INGENIUM LEFT IN CRITICAL CONDITION IN A HOSU ALLEYWAY!! THREE OTHERS DEAD AS THE HERO KILLER VICTIM TOTAL RISES TO 41!!"
"Well whaddya know... Who else saw this coming from a mile away?" Kirishima snickered to himself as the rest of the class looked at Peter and Shoto with excitement.
"Oh man! This oughta be good!" Denki said with a smirk.
"ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WITH OUR LAST MATCH OF THE QUARTER FINALS BEHIND US, I GIVE YOU THIS YEAR'S FINAL FOUR!!!!"
The screens in the four corners of the stadium flashed and suddenly displayed a picture of a different member of the semi finalists on each one. Momo looked forward and to the right as her picture and name were revealed to the crowd of hundreds of thousands. A wave of pride once again washed over her. She did have what it took to be a pro... The proof was right there in front of her.
"TAKE A GOOD LOOK FOLKS, THESE FOUR KIDDOS WILL BE STANDING ON THE PODIUM AT THE END OF THESE FINAL THREE MATCHES!!! THE ONLY QUESTION IS, WHO'S GOING TO BE AT THE TOP WITH THE GOLD MEDAL AROUND THEIR NECK?!?!"
Momo's eyes drifted from her picture to the screen on the left side of the arena... proudly displaying a beautiful brown haired boy cheesing hard while flashing a peace sign. Her eyes sparkled with adoration as she stared at his goofy picture. It was funny... she found herself wanting him to claim first place just as much as she wanted it for herself.
"Poor Cementoss has been really busy today *ribbit."
"Yeah, he's gonna need a vacation by the time the third year's get finished." Sero rubbed his head with a small chuckle as Koda nodded in agreement.
"You don't talk much do ya?" The taping hero-in-training raised an eyebrow.
The mountainous teen just shook his head.
"How long do you think it'll take to put the ring back together?" Toru asked the girls beside her.
"Probably not too long... Mr. Cementoss has been pretty quick about it up to this point..." Mina commented as she noticed Shoto get up and make a quiet exit.
Peter nodded to him as he made his way up the stairs. They were officially opponents from this point on until the next match ended.
"Yeah but Bakugo really did a number on it this time." Kaminari said as he leaned backwards joining into the conversation as he let his head hang over the back of his seat.
Jiro pushed his head back up with her boot. "You're in my bubble." She said flatly before turning to her right to speak to her best friend... only to find the next three seats completely empty...
She leaned back in her chair with a grin as she continued to listen to the banter between her classmates... Her mind centered around a banquet of food to share with her closest friends... and of course, the dessert she had earned.
Momo stood in front of Peter as they held their drinks from the vending machine. The boy leaned back against the white concrete wall and took a swig from his water bottle as Momo twisted the cap back onto her own after taking a small sip. She wasn't actually that thirsty, but she gladly jumped at the opportunity to have another moment alone with him and happily tagged along.
So far, her day had been a complete success, and she had enjoyed seeing the benefits of all her hard work... But she found herself impatiently waiting for the days ahead of her to hurry up and arrive. Everything her heart desired waited for her after the festival...
It's funny how some things in life you just instinctively know... How some things you just have a certain, almost clairvoyant, understanding of... It could be a house you want to live in forever, or a career choice that would fulfill you more than anything else ever could, or even a destination you know would bring you peace if you were able to go visit it for a while... But for Momo Yaoyorozu, it was the fact that she and the boy, who somehow found his way to her from literally across the entire world, were meant to be together...
Another realization had very recently entered her mind as well... It was becoming more and more apparent to her that the game she was playing with Peter was beginning to have the opposite effect of what she and her friends had originally planned for. Flirting was supposed to be a way for her to slowly vent out her feelings without having to lay all of her cards down on the table until she felt sure that it was the right time to do so... But as the day progressed, the signs had suddenly became much clearer... The time she was waiting for was already here.
Looking back on it almost made her feel a little foolish. Hindsight was, in fact, twenty-twenty as they say... And it was becoming painfully obvious to her that there shouldn't be anything holding them back. They both liked each other and everyone could see it... Her classmates... Her friends... Hell, his best friend straight up confirmed it! She mentally scolded herself for being so borderline unaware of everything that was screaming at her to just take a chance. She had already confidently promised Peter that she wasn't going anywhere... And had also promised his best friend that she was all in on a long lasting relationship with the boy who meant a lot to both of them... The more she thought the matter over, the easier the decision was becoming...
Little did Momo know, Peter had been fighting a very similar mental battle all day as well... And in his brain, a piece of advice he had received before her previous match, had left a lasting impression on him.
"...there's nothing wrong with listening to something your heart is trying to tell you."
Recovery Girl's words resonated with him far more than she could ever know. It was exactly the kind of thing his aunt would likely say if she were still here with him... He could practically hear her voice saying those very words. Maybe it was time to be as reckless with his heart as he was with the rest of his body... At least enough to tell her how he felt anyway... He made a promise to himself to do so at a more appropriate time and place before the end of the day... But for now, he had something else he needed to say to her.
He suddenly realized that she seemed to be in deep thought about something...
"Hey Mo? Everything okay?"
She was suddenly brought back to reality by the sound of his voice. She blinked a few times and shook her head to refocus herself. "Y-yeah, sorry about that... I just kinda zoned out there for a second... Thanks for the water."
"No problem. I'm glad you came along... T-there's actually something I've been wanting to tell you ever since your last match ended." He said with a nervous smile.
She immediately perked up, "Yeah?"
He gathered his thoughts as he pushed himself off of the wall and stepped towards her. "I'm extremely proud of you..."
She felt her heart swell with pride and pure joy as she waited for him to continue. "For someone who told me before this whole thing started that you were doubting yourself... You've done something absolutely incredible. You've worked so hard to get to this point, and I feel lucky to have had a front row seat to the whole thing... You've pushed yourself so far... I knew you could do it, I knew you had it in you... But now I feel like you can see it for yourself."
She couldn't keep her eyes from welling up, but still, he wasn't finished, "I really do believe that you have what it takes to win this entire thing... But even if you don't... I hope you can see that you're still victorious. You've already won something greater than a gold medal..." His smile fell slightly as his eyes dropped.
"This match I'm about to go fight in... I don't know how it's gonna go... It's gonna be one of the biggest challenges I've ever faced. I just want you to know that when I'm out there, you and what you've done today will be my biggest source of motivation to keep fighting, no matter what happens... No matter how hard it gets. You're my inspiration... You have been throughout this whole thing." He said without a trace of insincerity in his voice.
She looked up at him as if he had just moved the mountains of Japan themselves and without a second thought, she threw herself into him and began to silently let her tears go. It was another shining example of how he was so different from everyone else in the world to her. The way he spoke to her moved her more than the words of her favorite poet. It was so hard... So very very hard to not confess everything to him right then and there. It was moments like these when she wanted to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull his lips against her own... But for now, she would settle for his embrace.
He hugged her tightly to calm himself... He didn't let it show on the outside, but internally he was anxious. His next fight where he would face his best friend, could very well be the end of his road in this tournament. He never spoke to anyone about it... But he had his reasons for wanting to win so badly... Why he wanted to be a hero... The pressure he placed on his very own shoulders was more than heavy enough to break someone... But the girl in his arms who tightly clutched the back of the shirt that she made for him, gave him strength he had never felt before.
After enjoying the moment for a little while longer, she released her grip on him and stepped back. She quickly wiped her eyes dry and with a sniffle she beamed at him. "You really do know how to make a girl want to throw herself at you, you know that?" She said softly.
"Honestly, I didn't actually..." He chuckled, "You're the only one who ever has..." He smiled, "And I wouldn't have it any other way."
She didn't know if it was the fact that his recklessness was beginning to rub off on her, or if it was due to her regained confidence... Perhaps it was both, but she made the very decision in that moment that would start her life on the path it was meant to walk upon.
"When we get to the cafe later... I think there's something that we need to talk about..." She said in a voice just above a whisper as her hand raised up and caressed his cheek.
To her surprise, he grabbed her hand and with a light squeeze, said three words that solidified that decision. "I do too..."
They smiled dreamily at each other... Her hand slowly made its way behind her back and joined with the other one... His made its way into his pocket. They didn't say anything further on the subject... But they had a strong enough connection with each other to know that they were both thinking the same thing. They silently found themselves on the same page.
"I have to go..." He finally said, knowing that his time to face the enormous trial ahead of him was drawing near.
"I know... Good luck Peter... I know you can do it..."
He pulled her into another hug and then released his hold on her. He flashed a smile of gold before he turned away and headed towards the waiting rooms...
Momo watched as he disappeared down the stairs ahead of her. In that moment she experienced so many different emotions... Having no idea what else to do with herself she just continued to stand in place... When she was a little girl, her mother used to tell her the story of how when she met her father, her heart suddenly began to beat differently...
Momo looked down and placed a hand over her own heart... A gentle, yet radiant smile slowly formed on her face that had turned a bright shade of pink as she felt the rhythm change.
Peter walked down the halls with his hands in his pockets. He strolled past his assigned waiting room and continued on his way. After he passed a few more doors he knocked on one. A familiar voice called out from behind it in a sarcastic manner.
—"Who is it?"—
Peter rolled his eyes, "Room service..." He parroted back his sarcasm. "Who the hell do you think it is? Let me in!" He called out.
—"What the hell do you mean, 'let you in'? These doors don't lock! You've got two hands that aren't broken... Anymore... Just push the damned thing open!"—
"Oh... Duh!" He chuckled and let himself into the room to find his friend smirking at him.
"Did ya figure it out? Don't be too hard on yourself... Those unlocked doors can be really tricky."
Peter sat down across the table from him. "God, I've created a monster..." The two chuckled before an uncomfortable silence fell over the waiting room and lasted for a good while... A highly unusual occurrence when the two were together. The situation they found themselves in felt foreign. As the deafening silence continued they both looked at each other... The hum of the air conditioner was the only audible sound that filled the space they shared.
Peter silently began to remove the bandages on his hands and wadded them up into a ball. He decided to take it upon himself to break the tension the two were feeling...
He sat the balled up tape down on the table and kicked his feet up. "I told you this was gonna happen." he said causing them both to chuckle once more.
"I wouldn't pat yourself on the back too hard... I think anyone could've seen this coming." Shoto said before his face seemed to fall.
Peter noticed the troubled expression and decided to call attention to it. "Hey, I know right now we're supposed to be competitors, or whatever... But I can still tell when something is off with you... What's up?"
The boy sighed knowing that his best friend had a track record of not letting things like this go... He knew it would be best to just come out and say what was bothering him, rather than spend the short amount of time they had before their fight being interrogated.
"My motivation for winning today... For trying to the number one hero someday... It was always to reject my father... His plans for me... His power... And everything else that ever pertained to him." He began with a solemn tone. "There was never a shortage of painful reminders of why I needed to keep pushing myself in order to reach my goal. There was always a plethora of intensity to drive me forward... But now... I'm fighting for something completely different... But I'm not entirely sure what it even is anymore..." He took a deep breath and exhaled as his eyes fell to the table.
Peter took a minute to process the words that his friend had said to him. He knew their fight was fast approaching and if he didn't say something then his friend was likely to head into the ring with a clouded mind... He seemed lost in an ocean of unpleasant thoughts... He knew he had to help him... After a brief moment of silence, his brow furrowed and he removed his feet from the table.
"Then borrow mine..." He said as Shoto looked up at him.
"What do you mean?" He questioned.
Shoto knew that everyone who was a part of the final sixteen had their own reasons for wanting to win the tournament, and most of them didn't mind letting it be known publicly just what their specific motivation was... But Peter happened to be one of the only ones who had never said a word about what was driving him towards his goals.
"Until you figure out what you're new motivation is... You should borrow mine..." He said again.
"I don't think you've ever mentioned it before..."
"That's because I don't feel the need to voice it very often..."
"Well, what is it?"
Peter sat up and began to speak... As a brief memory of his uncle guided his thoughts.
"There was a time when having a quirk wasn't exactly ordinary... When the first people with superpowers started to emerge, they made up less than one percent of the world's population... Off the top of my head, that still adds up to millions of people out of the seven billion who were alive back then... That's a lot of people who had to make a decision that shaped the reality we live in today... Some, as you could probably imagine, used their power to do some pretty unethical things... But there were also some who used the power they were born with to fight against those with malicious intent..."
"I know you're at the age where you're probably sick and tired of being asked this question over and over... But I'd like you to humor me for a second... What do you want to do with your life Peter?"
Shoto listened with piqued interest as Peter continued, "They were the greatest people to ever walk this earth in my opinion... They had power, and chose to use it to help people. Can you imagine the temptation there must have been to choose the other path? They rose above that, and did what was right... Without the expectation of receiving any gratitude, recognition, or compensation. They committed the most selfless acts in recorded human history as far as I'm concerned..." Shoto couldn't help but to feel inspired by his friend's outlook on the history of the world's very first super heroes as he started to understand the point he was starting to make.
"You know... You have an incredible power that can be used to help a lot of people who need it... Each day you wake up in the morning is an opportunity to use that power for the good of everyone around you... I think... If it's what you wanted... You could become an incredible hero someday..."
"Mo once asked me why I wore a mask... I spared her the monologue you're listening to now and only told her a small part of why I wear one... But half the reason I do is because I want to be like them..."
"One of the biggest lessons your aunt and I want to make sure you learn, is that helping someone whenever you are able to... Is the most important thing we can do with our lives... Especially in these times we live in today where so many unforseen things can happen..."
His deepest emotions began to flood his voice. "I'm an orphan Sho, nobody ever told me what happened to my parents, but it still hurt to not have them around... And when my uncle was murdered, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to go through... Not just because I lost him... But because I had to stand there and watch a woman who never hurt anyone and never did anything wrong go through so much pain and emotional suffering after it happened." He said as a rogue tear fell from his eyes. "I didn't always want to be a hero, I wanted to be the world's greatest scientist when I grew up... To use my love of learning to help make the world a better place... But my uncle always told me that with great power, comes great responsibility... And it applies to all of us! If I could stop anyone from having to feel the way me and my aunt had to that night, I would do everything in my power to do that, even if it meant I had to die to do it!" He raised his voice slightly but quickly composed himself.
"Each one of us is born with an opportunity... A chance to live our life in a way that leaves the world better than we found it after we're gone..."
Shoto certainly understood why he didn't speak freely about this sort of thing to just anybody. He could see the fire in his friend's eyes as he revealed what drives him.
"Shoto... You have an amazing power... You are insanely strong... You have the opportunity to be just like those people." He said calmly as he stood up. "It all starts here in this tournament where we have the chance to show the pros that we're worth taking a chance on... So come on... Let's go show them what we can do..." He extended his hand.
"No matter what you decide to do with your future... I can't wait to see what you do with the gifts you've been given.
Shoto sat with no words to fail... Only a quiet flame of determination that had been lit by the words his friend had shared... He would gladly latch himself onto Peter's motivation and bring it with him into the ring.
He stood and locked his hand with Peter's, as he looked him in the eyes and could only say one thing... "You're already like them Parker..."
They headed out of the room, wished each other luck, and went their separate ways towards their own tunnels.
As Shoto neared his entrance to the stadium, the words of his friend were on his mind. Twice now had he pulled him from a state of mental turmoil surrounded by the dark shadows of his family's past. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks... And turned around, before walking at a brisk pace in the opposite direction...
Peter stood alone before the gateway that led to the match that would decide his fate in this tournament. A gentle wind found itself caught in the concrete archway and pushed through his brown hair. Contrary to what the girl he held so many deep feelings for would believe... He did, in fact, get nervous from time to time before facing great challenges... But what set him apart from most others was that things like fear and doubt... Uncertainty and dread... They held absolutely no power over him. No matter how enormous an obstacle in front of him was, he always ran straight towards it without hesitation, determined to climb over it... Or force his way through it... Utterly refusing to back down from anything, even if it silently tore him up inside.
With his hands by his side, he listened to the quickly swelling anticipation of the massive crowd that awaited the two combatants. Their excitement growing larger and louder with each passing second. He found no need for his regular prematch ritual. His mind and body were already prepared after so clearly feeling the presence of his lost love ones in his mind and heart. He missed them... Everyday he thought of his aunt and uncle who shaped him into the person he was today.
As the passing seconds began to feel like years he found himself drifting away in thought while the breeze continued to swirl around him. So much had changed in his life. So many new people had come into it... People who saw him as someone... People who seemed to value him... People who made him truly happy... They accepted him... They welcomed him... They wanted him... And among them, he found his new home. A home where he formed two life long connections with a couple of wonderful people...
A boy who had faced so much hardship and trauma throughout his life... Now smiled and joked with him as if they had grown up together.
And a girl who gave new meaning to the word beauty... became the very source of his own heartbeat, and seemed to want to attach herself to his side as they navigated their futures.
Suddenly, from the back of the tunnel, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed as they made contact with the concrete ground... He turned his head to find an unexpected sight.
Shoto walked forward and stood beside him as they faced the archway together. Peter furrowed his brow in confusion.
"I thought you were heading to your tunnel?"
He slightly turned his head and smirked, "You can't deliver a speech like that to someone and not expect them to want to follow you Parker... We might be opponents... But above that we're best friends... I'm walking out there with you... Or I'm not walking out there at all."
He nodded as they bumped their knuckles together before they shoved their hands in their pockets and waited together quietly as the final seconds before their showdown ticked away.
"I don't suppose this means you'll be holding back does it?" Peter joked, breaking the period of silence they found themselves in.
"Absolutely not... Your ass is grass."
Peter turned his head towards him with a amused grin. "What the hell has gotten into you?"
"I've been talking to Ashido and Jiro a lot today..."
"...Yeah that checks out."
*Achoo!!
The pink hair and skinned girl scrunched her nose as Jiro followed suit with a sneeze of her own.
"Allergies?" Momo raised an eyebrow at the two of them as they waited anxiously for the next match to begin.
"I don't know, maybe..." Mina shrugged.
"Either that, or someone's talking shit.." Jiro joked.
"Geez... I can't decide on who I should be rooting for." Ochako said to nobody in particular.
"I can't either... I'll probably just end up cheering for both of them. *ribbit"
"Yeah same here..."
"Well I definitely know at least one person who's gonna be cheering for Parker..." Toru snickered as everyone looked at Momo.
After the interaction she just had with the boy... Her brain no longer found the teasing jab of the invisible girl, or all the eyes that turned their focus on her, something to be embarrassed about. She took it in stride as she smiled and fixed her eyes on the tunnel...
"Until my voice gives out..." She said under her breath.
The jumbotron blinked to life along with all the other screens behind each corner of the newly repaired ring. As the crowd began to rise from their seats, the pictures of Shoto Todoroki and Peter Parker appeared on the giant monitor as well as the uncountable amount of TV screens across the world.
"HEY ALL YOU BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND PROS IN THE STANDS, ARE YOU READY TO SEE SOMETHING INCREDIBLE?!?!?!?! AFTER TWO ACTION PACKED ROUNDS OF BATTLE, WE HAVE NARROWED DOWN THIS COMPETITION TO FOUR CONTESTANTS!!!! ITS TIME FOR THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEMI FINALS, AND BOY DO WE HAVE A HECK OF A MATCHUP ON OUR HANDS!!! WE HAVE THE BOY WHO COULD TORCH THE COMPETITION OR LEAVE THEM FROZEN IN FEAR, SET TO GO HEAD TO HEAD WITH THE UNBELIEVABLY STRONG WEB SLINGER FROM NEW YORK CITY!!!!! WHO'S GOING TO CLAIM A SPOT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH, AND WHO'S GOING TO BE FORCED TO WATCH FROM THE STANDS?!?! WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT RIGHT HERE!!! RIGHT NOW!!!!"
The announcement left goosebumps on both competitors waiting in the tunnel as they prepared to do something that had never been done before in the history of the UA sports festival.
"So how much did you think about the logistics of this?" Peter asked him.
"Whaddya mean?"
"Well if we're gonna walk out together, that means whoever gets announced first isn't coming out when they're supposed to... You sure they wouldn't disqualify us?"
Shoto chuckled, "No chance... They wouldn't jeopardize their precious TV ratings... Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I think we've built up a pretty big fan base in this crowd... If they tried to stop this fight before it got started, something tells me it wouldn't be received very well... They might have a riot on their hands."
"OUR FIRST FIGHER OF THE SEMI FINALS WON HIS FIRST MATCH IN A MATTER OF SECONDS AND IN HIS QUARTER FINAL APPEARANCE, LEFT THE RING COMPLETELY DESTROYED!!! HE'S THE LEADER OF THE POPULARITY CHART AND IS THE LEADING FAVORITE TO BRING HOME FIRST PLACE ACCORDING TO ALL THE ANALYTICS!!! HOT ENOUGH FOR YA?!?!?! EVERYONE PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR SHOTO TODOROKIIIIII!!!!!!!"
Every single head in the crowd turned to the tunnel the boy was supposed to walk out of, and after a few seconds it became apparent that something was up...
"What's he waiting for?" Mina asked the group of students she sat around without removing her eyes from the entrance to the ring.
"Do you think he's still in the waiting room? *Ribbit?"
"Beats me... But I know one thing..." Jiro said as she leaned from side to side, trying to see if she could get a glimpse of Shoto anywhere down there. "it's a good thing our class rep isn't here right now... This is definitely the sort of thing that gets his blood pressure up to unsafe levels."
"Yeah... Come to think of it, where is Iida anyway? He should have been back by now..." Midoriya said suddenly feeling a rush of concern for his friend.
"He sent a message in our group chat saying he had to leave early because of a family emergency... Didn't you see it?" Ochako asked as she held up her phone to show him the message.
Izuku read the text and sunk back into his seat as a mysterious feeling of dread began to rise within him. "... I hope everythings okay..." He said quietly.
"Dude, seriously! If he doesn't show up soon they might disqualify him!" Kaminari exclaimed.
Momo looked around at all the confusion with a raised eyebrow. "Have you guys really not realized what's going on?... Just keep watching." She smiled knowing exactly where Shoto was.
"Uhhh... Shoto Todoroki... You kinda missed your cue there kid..." Present Mic said with a mixture of confusion and annoyance as the murmurs from the crowd started to get louder. He switched off his microphone and looked at his partner who seemed to be surprisingly unbothered by the situation. "What the heck is going on? And why aren't you upset? Isn't this the sort of thing that sets you off the most?"
Aizawa just continued to stare down at Peter's tunnel as he spoke in his regular nonchalant tone, "I think I have an idea of where he is... Just go ahead and introduce Parker..."
Present Mic raised an eyebrow, but did as he was told and switched his microphone back on...
"Wow... I really have created a monster... I've never seen someone screw with so many people at the same time...Its beautiful... You've really outdone yourself dude!" Peter said as the two chuckled amongst themselves.
"What can I say?... It's an art form."
"WHILE WE GIVE SHOTO TODOROKI A FEW MORE SECONDS TO MAKE HIS WAY INTO THE RING, LETS GO AHEAD AND BRING OUT OUR OTHER HALF OF THIS MATCHUP!!!!"
The crowd's murmurs of confusion slowly turned back into thunderous cheering.
"AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CONTEST, HIS GOAL WAS TO LET ALL OF JAPAN KNOW JUST WHO HE IS, AND AFTER AN INSPIRATIONAL STUDENT PLEDGE AND TWO ABSOLUTELY CRUSHING VICTORIES UNDER HIS BELT, I DON'T THINK I'D BE EXAGGERATING WHEN I SAY HE HAS ABSOLUTELY ACCOMPLISHED THAT HERE TODAY!!!! I NEVER GET TIRED OF ANNOUNCING THIS KID!!!! ALL THE WAY FROM NEW YORK CITY TO HIS NEW HOME HERE IN THE LAND OF THE RISING SUN!!!! GIVE IT UP FOR PETER PARKERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!"
"Let's go do this thing Broto!" The two nodded.
Momo watched with indescribable pride as he stepped out of the tunnel and was more than welcomed by the loud cheers from the thousands in attendance... And as the other boy stepped out a second after, those cheers turned into a deafening roar.
"WELL IF THAT ISN'T SPORTSMANSHIP, I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS!!!! LETS HEAR IT FOR THESE TWO YOUNG MEN EVERYONE!!!!"
He once again switched off his microphone and leaned towards Aizawa. "How did you know that's where he was?!"
"It's like I told you earlier... The kid just has something about him that makes people want to follow him... If he were here when my class voted on their representatives, I wouldn't be surprised if he won by a wide margin... But ever since he got here, those two have formed an inseparable friendship... And don't even get me started on the way him and his vice rep have began to gravitate towards each other... Peter Parker is going to have a very important impact on our world someday... Just wait and see."
As the two passed the student section, they gave a wave to their class that had jumped to their feet and screamed with life... But none were louder than the girl with the jet black ponytail... Causing something to awaken once again inside Peter Parker as the two fighters parted ways and stepped up into the ring.
From that point, until the match reached its conclusion, the two best friends wore expressions of unbelievable intensity.
Takashi Yaoyorozu was more than interested as he watched the boys meet in the middle of the ring and shake hands. His business empire happened to supply the Endeavor agency with all of their support items and over the years he had grown familiar with just how powerful the number two hero was... And after witnessing his son in action, it was safe to say that young Shoto had the potential to become even stronger than his father some day...
Yana noticed the furrowed brow of her husband and squeezed his hand to grab his attention.
"Hm?"
"You're not giving him a chance are you?" She cocked an eyebrow.
The man sighed as he turned his attention back towards the ring. Throughout this entire day, the boy who had captured the interest of his daughter, had managed to substantially impress the easy going titan of industry... But he just couldn't see a way for him to win. The Todoroki boy was just simply too tall of a mountain for anyone in these games to climb.
"It's not like I'm not pulling for him, it's just..." He paused, "the odds against him are insurmountable... It's just like that announcer said... All the analytics say he's completely outmatched. His opponent is a Todoroki... I designed both his father's and All Might's personal training rooms in their agencies myself, and I still have to send weekly maintenance crews to make repairs to them. That kid he's about to fight is not just an obstacle, he's a barrier..."
Yana inwardly admitted that her husband had a good point... But still, it just wasn't in her nature to doubt people who had something to prove. Besides, the man she married taught her a very valuable lesson... "Do you remember the day we met?"
He looked at her with confusion at the sudden seemingly random question, "Of course I do, why?"
"Because that was the day, you taught me not to believe in something like analytics or odds of success when they go against someone who has a dream of doing something incredible... When I took that meeting with you as a favor to your friend, it took quite a long chat with my boss at the time to convince him not to fire me over it, and when you came into the office, the receptionist mistook you for the new custodian who was just hired..."
Takashi chuckled at the memories brought up by his wife about that particular highly awkward interaction.
"You showed me that even if the odds against someone are a million to one... That 'one' still counts... That improbable is not the same as impossible... Look at her Takashi..." She pointed down towards the student section at their daughter who was cheering her heart out along with her friends. "That girl is much smarter than you or I ever were at that age. You can't convince me that she hasn't already thought of everything you just said and yet she still believes in that boy out there."
He looked down to see his little girl bouncing on her feet as her whole class continued to cheer.
"When was the last time you saw her that excited about anything?... Don't ever give up on the underdogs in this world... They're the ones who end up surprising us the most... I know mine sure did..." She said as she gave her husband a loving look.
He smiled and lightly kissed her head as they continued to watch and wait...
"SHOTO TODOROKI... PETER PARKER... CONGRATULATIONS ON FIGHTING YOUR WAY TO THE SEMI FINALS!!! YOU BOYS HAVE PERFORMED EXCEPTIONALLY WELL SO FAR, BUT THERES ONLY ROOM FOR ONE OF YOU IN THE FINAL ROUND!!! ITS TIME TO DECIDE WHICH ONE OF YOU THAT WILL BE!!! CONTESTANTS READY?!" Midnight yelled into the microphone amongst the deafening crowd.
Peter pushed down any and all feelings of anxiety as he clenched his fist. 'He's only just now started using his fire, which means he probably isn't used to utilizing it in combat to it's full potential... Which means that he's most likely going to be relying heavily on the ice from his right side. He'll probably use his left to keep me from getting in too close and for regulating his body temperature... If that's the case, I can't use Midoriya's strategy of waiting around for him to run out of gas. Even though our powers are physical abilities, it's gonna take a lot more time for him to reach his limit now that he's using his full strength. My best chance is to try to evade and endure his attacks until a complete opening in his defense presents itself...' he thought as he looked at Midnight.
It was an extremely tall order to fill, but just as the feelings of doubt threatened to rise within him... Words from someone who held a very special place in his heart stamped them back down.
"... Good luck Peter... I know you can do it..."
'I can do this... I will do this! COME ON SPIDER-MAN!!!'
He gave his confirmation... Shoto gave his own...
"LET THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SEMI FINALS... BEGIN!!!" She yelled as her hand dropped.
Peter instantly found a train of ice heading his way at a ridiculous speed. He acted fast and leapt up and away from the first attack of his opponent.
It was very apparent already that his first two matches would barely amount to a warm up for what he faced this time around as he was immediately forced to jump out of the way of another wall of ice the moment he landed... It was the first time he had to take a defensive approach in the entire tournament.
"AND ITS SHOTO TODOROKI WHO IMMEDIATELY TAKES OFFENSIVE CONTROL OF THIS FIGHT STRAIGHT OUT OF THE GATE!!! HE'S GOT PARKER ON HIS HEELS!!!!"
One after another, Shoto continued to bombard the nimble former New Yorker with barrages of frozen spikes, only for Peter to jump, flip over, and bash his way through them as he drew closer and closer to his opponent... Desperately trying to figure out a way to turn the tables and go on the offensive, all without being completely overtaken by the seemingly endless well of frozen fury from his frenemy.
Izuku Midoriya stood locked in place with his mouth agape. Shaky breaths managed to slip from his lungs as he watched Peter evade every single attack Todoroki threw his way. Nobody else could quite understand... He was the only one who had truly witnessed just how fast those trails of ice moved... And what kind of speed it would take to evade them.
'Whoever is in charge of analytics... Might have gotten this one wrong.' he thought to himself...
Peter landed a few paces in front of his adversary and once again leapt over the icicles that sprung from the ground beneath him. With his great athleticism, he shifted his body into a flip and as he passed over his best friend, he reached down and latched onto the back of his shirt collar. Using his momentum to roll himself forward, he slung him with a jaw dropping amount of strength through the air and towards the edge of the ring.
The elemental expert adjusted in mid air and created a path of ice to land on that looped him back around and shot him towards Peter just as his palm hit the ground after landing his acrobatic leap. Shoto cocked back his fist and covered it with a thick layer of ice before slamming it into the side of Peter's face. The ice gauntlet shattered on impact and left the boy absolutely dazed.
Momo and her friends flinched at the sight of the punch. They were suddenly made painfully aware that this had the potential to be Shoto's match to lose... But the raven haired girl refused to lose her faith in the boy she had fallen head over heels for. If anyone could find a way to win this match, it was him.
"WHAT A SHOT FROM TODOROKI!!! GET READY LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I THINK WE MIGHT BE IN FOR ONE CRAZY RIDE!!!!"
It felt as if he had taken a sledgehammer to the head, but he shook it off remarkably quickly and saw his opportunity to counter. As Shoto followed through his punch, he left his midsection exposed, not expecting his opponent to bounce back so quickly after his heavy handed strike.
Peter jumped at his chance to deal some damage and jerked his knee up into the ribs of Todoroki. The saliva in his mouth escaped as he bent forward with a hacking cough. He quickly ignited the flames of his left side, forcing his opponent to jump backwards into a retreat before he could string together a series of combos while he was in a vulnerable state.
Peter wasn't able to put much distance between them... All of the frozen walls of spikes from the beginning of the fight still stood as they crisscrossed the ring. 'He's trying to completely take away my mobility so he can better utilize his fire! I have to get rid of all of this ice now!' As Shoto recuperated, he watched as Peter jumped as high as he could, shot webs to the concrete tiles below, and flung himself back down with all his might. Putting all of his power into his legs, he pushed them into the ring upon impact and sent a massive shockwave throughout the ground that crumbled all of the ice that surrounded the fighters... Leaving their battle ground with a wide crater where he had landed.
"Did you guys see that?! He must've jumped a hundred feet in the air!!!" Denki shouted in astonishment as the rest of the class gaped in disbelief.
"THIS IS COMPLETE MADNESS!!!! JUST AS SOON AS ONE FIGHTER BEGINS TO TAKE CONTROL OF THIS BATTLE, THE OTHER EVENS THE ODDS!!!! AND NOW WE'RE RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED AS PARKER USES HIS UNBELIEVABLE POWER TO RESET THE BATTLEFIELD!!!!!"
Aizawa watched two of his most capable students closely. "They've both done their homework on how the other likes to fight... At this rate, it's impossible to tell who's gonna come out on top..."
Shoto lowered his forearm that he used to shield his face from the flying debris to see Peter latch his webbing onto two huge chunks of ice and leap towards him. He allowed himself to use more strength than he normally would to hurl the frozen slabs towards his opponent.
The son of Endeavor was forced to take his eyes off of his opposition as his flames once again blazed with life, completely burning away the left side of his shirt. He pulled his left arm back and as he thrusted it forward a blast of fire shot out towards the projectiles, effectively distracting him from the webs that latched onto to his lower legs. Peter pulled himself into a slide underneath the flames and swiped Shoto's legs out from under him. As his back hit the concrete, he slapped his right hand against the ground and a large pillar of ice lifted them both into the air. The sudden rumble caught Peter off guard and caused him to stagger backwards towards the edge. Shoto capitalized on the brief window of opportunity as he quickly flipped over and sent another burst of flames towards him... Causing Peter to plummet back towards the ring.
The entire crowd gasped in shock as they watched him fall... All except for his classmates, who knew all too well that he was right in his element. Momo watched him expertly redirect his body midair, reminding her of the time he slammed the door on death itself on her behalf the very day they met two months ago. It was almost like having an out of body experience as she watched him put an end to his fall by shooting a web to the side of the frozen tower and used his momentum to swing around to the other side.
Shoto's eyes darted around the edges of the frozen platform, knowing full well his opponent was sure to pop back up at any given second. He had managed to buy himself enough time to rebalance his internal temperature but he could feel himself beginning to experience fatigue... Parker was pushing him farther than he had ever been pushed before in a fight. But if he was starting to feel the effects of their drawn out battle, then that meant that Peter was too... He quickly made an alteration to his approach. If he could manage to keep up the pressure while using less strenuous techniques then maybe he could wear him down just enough to unleash whatever energy he saved into a few large scale attacks to end the fight while his opponent was in a weakened state...
It was a gamble... He was well aware that Parker had an advantage in a fist fight with him... But he had to try something... At this rate, it was going to be a coin toss as to who would win, and in a fight against his battle tested best friend, he wasn't comfortable with those odds... Especially given the fact that he was sorely out of practice at controlling his left side... And that it was taking more and more of an effort to keep regulating the sudden spikes and drops in his body temperature.
Peter sprinted up the side of the pillar and leaped over the edge to find the right hand of his opponent, once again, coated with ice... And his left, wreathed in brightly burning fire. He landed in his trademark stance with a single palm slapping the frigid surface beneath him. Shoto widened his stance and brought his fist up in front of him.
Peter slowly stood up straight, balled his fist at his side, and popped his neck as he rolled his shoulders forward.
"You sure this is the direction you wanna take this thing?" A gaze of intensity flashed in his eyes that matched his serious tone.
Shoto knew the risks of his chosen course of action, but as long as he could manage to wear him down just a little over the next few minutes, he would be in a perfect position to end the fight in his favor... He steeled himself and prepared for hell. A few minutes in this particular match might as well be an eternity. It was a good thing that Parker wasn't the only person in this ring who knew how to fight... And after all of those absolutely grueling and gruesome training sessions with his dear old father, he was more than prepared to withstand a few punches from someone with a lot more raw strength than him.
"Bring it on lover boy..." He smirked.
The two ran towards each other and the spectators watched with bated breath as fist began to fly at the top of the pillar. Peter ducked and dodged Shoto's first few attempts and slammed him in the gut with a strong right handed punch. He quickly followed up with a left hook to the face. Shoto gritted his teeth and ate the attack as he sent his burning left hand across Peter's jaw. One after another, the boys traded blows until, after few back breaking minutes of ruthless hand to hand combat, Shoto found himself getting forced back towards the ledge. He braced himself, covering his face with his forearms as Peter jumped forward and delivered a kick that sent him falling towards the ground below.
Before he could readjust his body, his opponent had jumped off the edge after him, shot a web against the tower of ice, and swung himself violently into the free falling prodigy, pinning him to the side of the frozen plateau before they could reach the concrete surface of the ring below. Peter held his opponent against the frozen wall as they slid the rest of the way down, causing frozen splinters to fly as Shoto's back scraped his way down the wall. As soon as he felt his feet make contact with the ground, Peter threw him towards the edge of the ring.
The boy tumbled and bounced across the concrete and just before he he approached the sideline, a wall of spikes sprouted from the ground and broke his momentum as he crashed into it. Peter cursed as he watched his opponent save himself from a ring-out defeat for the second time... He wasn't sure how many more chances like that he would get to end this fight. He felt his lungs beginning to burn...
The boy staggered to his feet and wiped the sweat from his brow as his breathing became heavier. At this point, the attacks from his opponent were beginning to take just as much of a tole on his body as the over use of his quirk was. He fixed his gaze at his opposition and watched as his shoulders rise and fell with his breathing. It was the only indicator that showed any hint of exhaustion. To the untrained eye, it seemed as if Peter could keep up this sort of pace for hours on end, judging by the cold expression of determination in his eyes.
But Shoto knew better... He had spent more than enough time sparring with the boy to know where his limit was, and he was nearly at it... But something like physical limitations meant little to nothing to both of them. The look in his best friend's eyes told Shoto everything he needed to know about just how far he would go in order to win... And he wasn't about to throw in the towel any time soon.
During the short reprieve, the jubilation of the fans shook the stadium.
"WHAT A COMPLETELY INSANE RALLY FROM PETER PARKER!!! HE JUST SENT AN EAR-SPLITTING MESSAGE TO ALL OF HIS DOUBTERS!!! HE DIDN'T JUST TURN THE TABLES OF THIS FIGHT... HE FLIPPED IT COMPLETELY ON ITS HEAD!!!! HOW WILL SHOTO TODOROKI RESPOND AFTER FACING SUCH UNBELIEVABLE BRUTALITY?!?!?!"
The standstill came to an end as Peter quickly shot his hand forward and attached a web to Shoto's chest.
"No dice Parker..." He said as his right hand latched onto the string of webbing. Ice rapidly began to travel up the sticky substance and as Peter tried to jerk his opponent towards him, it burst into shards, causing him to stagger backwards. He looked up and a chill ran down his spine as he saw the boy slowly raise up his left hand. Shoto was finally ready to unleash everything.
"I know you're getting tired... We've both been pushing ourselves this entire time... and even though you hold back your true strength, you can't keep this up forever... It won't be long until we reach our limits... So how about we go ahead and end this?... I suggest you give up now..." He said coldly as his whole body became cloaked in flames.
'Oh... Shit...' were the only words that came to mind. Peter's Spidey Sense went absolutely ballistic as he saw the palm of his opponent's hand glow brightly. He knew there would be no dodging this as he remembered how his friend's last fight ended. The inferno raged and built itself higher and higher as the flames began to crack louder than the heaviest of whips. Midnight and Cementoss hopped to attention quickly and prepared to step in if things went too far south.
Momo stood in angst as she watched the events unfold. A hand stifled her gasp as it covered her mouth and her body shivered with dread. It wasn't looking good for the boy she silently devoted herself to. She had wanted nothing more than to see him win this fight, but now... In the face of such a devastatingly dangerous situation... All she begged for was his safety.
Peter desperately tried to search for a way to shield himself from what was to come until he realized that his only option wasn't a great one... But it definitely beat getting roasted alive. He quickly shot a pair of webs to the ground behind him and zipped behind the frozen tower that stood on the other side of the ring just as a huge discharge of fire rushed forward towards him.
He slammed his back to the wall of ice as the flames blasted around him on both sides.
Among the crackling flames shooting out around him... He rested the back of his head against the frozen tower that provided him his only shelter. His chest heaved heavily and the sweat began to drip down his forehead... He closed his eyes... The heat was unbearable and made the air around him thin. He felt his breathing become more and more laborious as the flames whipped and curled around the edges of the pillar he took shelter behind. His situation became more dire with each passing second. He felt the droplets from the melting plateau begin to hit his shoulders and immediately evaporate. He was running out of time.
He opened his eyes to find the heat slightly distorting his vision... But as he focused, he could still make out the faces in the crowd. His head turned slightly to the left and he saw his classmates standing in their section... and then... He saw her.
Momo continued to pray to whatever God would listen for his safety... She, along with the rest of the members of class 1A could feel the intense heat that radiated from the ring. She didn't even dare think of just how miserable it must be from his position... All of the sudden she saw him turn his gaze to her and her breath hitched. He looked absolutely worn out. She remembered the words he had said to her in the hallway that filled her with so much happiness and pride...
"...you and what you've done today will be my biggest source of motivation to keep fighting, no matter what happens... No matter how hard it gets. You're my inspiration... You have been throughout this whole thing."
She felt a few tears fall from her eyes... All of the effort he put in to help her... All of the times he made her believe in herself... All of his words of encouragement he offered her... It was her turn to pay it forward. She continued to watch as her new heartbeat pounded relentlessly in her chest... She wouldn't allow herself to lose faith in him... As her emotions boiled over she screamed out to him.
"COME ON PETER!!!! DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP!!!! I KNOW YOU CAN DO THIS!!!! I BELIEVE IN YOU!!!"
In the very midst of his darkest moment, when all other sources of motivation and hope had failed him... She was there to give him strength. Her hands were clasped together in front of her chest and her face reflected her feelings of unspeakable worry for him... Her scream of encouragement carried itself over the crowd and through the fire to reach his ears.
Her voice continued to echo those very words in his mind as he made the decision right then and there that he absolutely would not fail. He clenched his fists and wiped away the sweat from his forehead. He began to think quickly of a way out of the mess he found himself in...
Shoto continued to push the limits of his left side... But he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep this wildfire burning too much longer, unless he wanted to char himself in the process of trying to win this match. His right side was having trouble keeping him from overheating. But in the boy's mind, he knew that all he had to do was melt through that pillar and then he'd have a clear shot to use his heaven piercing ice wall technique to put an end to this once and for all. He continued to turn up the heat...
In a short amount of time, Peter had come up with a plan... Well... Kind of... It was less of a plan, and more like what would so far be known as his crowning achievement of reckless decisions. He backed up to the quickly melting collum and attached a pair of webs to it before shooting off into a dead sprint towards the sideline. His right foot touched down just before it reached the white boundary line and he jumped as far and as high as he could out towards the stands as the the strings of web in each of his hands stretched and gradually became extremely tense.
Those in the section he jumped towards gasped loudly and quickly cleared a path for him to land... But touching any surface outside of the ring would merit disqualification... And he wasn't about to go out just yet. If his friend wanted to win this fight, then he was going to have to knock him unconscious to do so.
As the entire stadium watched in complete disbelief towards the boy's highly questionable and inadvisable chosen course of action, he tightened his hold on the strands of webbing. 'You know what Sho... I don't give a damn about your ice... I don't give a damn about your fire!!!! AND I SURE AS HELL DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT ANY PHYSICAL LIMITS!!! I DECIDE WHEN IM FINISHED!!! AND IT SURE AS HELL ISN'T NOW!!! I'LL SHOW THESE PEOPLE WHAT KIND OF HERO I'LL BECOME... ONE THAT NEVER GIVES UP WHENEVER THINGS SEEM HOPELESS... AND ALWAYS FINDS A WAY TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE!!!!!'
As he came just a few feet away from a self inflicted ring-out defeat, he was turned into a human slingshot and ripped through the air. With all of his might and momentum, he smashed through what was left of the frozen pillar and zipped through the flames like a bullet. He crashed into Shoto feet first, sending him flying out of the ring...