Last Time Ochaco was able to come out victorious against Bakugu and has moved on the Semi-finals, filling the second slot. Now it time to see who fills in slot three and four. And for that we have Izuku Midoriya Verus Shoto Todoroki. Both burdened with the legacy of their father, both trying to make their claim on their lives. To overcome their faults and their mistakes, to show the world who they truely are.
As always I do own MY HERO ACADEMIA or Marvel, of any of their characters.
With that, let's begin.
It didn't take long for the medical bot to arrive and cart off Ochaco and Bakugo to be healed by Recovery Girl. As the two disappeared on the stretch, Gizon stood up. The movement caught the attention of everyone in Class 1-A. They all looked at him with varying looks of humility and worry, some of them nervously gulped as he looked at each of them in turn. They owed him quite a bit of money, but then Gizon sighed and his shoulders relaxed, "I expect payment by the end of the month. I accepted cash or credit."
Gizon then turned and headed up the stairs, yet before disappearing from sight he stopped and called out, "Come on Kirishima, I believe it's time for Mochi."
Kirishima grinned as he looked at Mina. She just shook his head and waved him off, so he jumped up and hurried after Gizon. Yet before either of them disappeared, Momo asked, "How did you know? How did you have faith that Uraraka was going to win, especially when we all bet against her."
Gizon stopped as he stared blankly up at the hallway. His mind raced as he thought of a lie to make Ochaco's win believable with just zero gravity. He thought about the move Ochaco had yelled out. "It's simple, we've done some private training together."
"Is that all you were doing?" Mineta asked, and Gizon's head whipped back so fast that it looked as if someone had punched him. His stare turned cold as his eyes fell on the grape midget, freezing said grape midget in place.
"Training? What do you mean by training?' Denki asked, trying to get the heat off of his friend.
"Lunar Launch, it requires a bit of control and concentration and the timing is very specific for activating and deactivating zero gravity." Gizon said, pulling the explanation out of thin air. He would have to inform her of the explanation for future lying.
"Then why not come to me. My music background helps with timing attacks." Jirou said.
"I don't know, I asked her why she wanted my help in general and she said I could provide a unique aspect into using her quirk." Gizon said, partly telling the truth as he had been a great help in controlling One for All.
"But why did she think of you in the first place?" Todoroki asked, thinking that since Gizon was All Might's son, he could help boost her standing in the class.
Gizon sighed, "Because I'm the strongest. Because I'm the one that faced Iron Monger and Nomu with a smile." Gizon then finished walking up the stairs and disappeared into the hallway. He regretted saying that the moment he escaped his lips. Among other things, he didn't want to liken himself to All Might. He could never be the pure symbol of peace, All Might was, and the seemingly knowing glances from Todoroki didn't help. But also Class 1-A was still treating the USJ like a bad dream, and they should be able to live life like that for as long as they could. Gion didn't need to be the one who told them how harsh reality could be.
Luckily Gizon was brought out of his brief funk when the all shining light of optimism of Kirishima walked beside him. Kirishima leaned a bit front and smiled at Gizon, "It was more than training."
"You want to end up in the wall like Mineta?" Gizon asked, flashing a look at Kirishima that told him he was walking a dangerous line. Kirishima had recently gained some of Gizon's respect, and Gizon didn't want him to lose it so easily.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." Kirishima said as he straightened up and knew he needed to choose his next few words carefully, "Maybe a bit. I mean … I think something unexpected happened."
"Such as."
"You've got a bit of a crush on Uraraka. I mean you even called her Ochaco, and getting Mochi. She's mentioned that to be her favorite snack a few times and you're not known for getting sugary snacks. I've only ever seen you drink zero sugar soda." Kirishima said, with a knowing look.
Gizon stopped dead in the hallway, cursing himself within his head, enough to make even a sailor want to wash his mouth out. Had he, through training with Ochaco, unknowingly developed a crush for her? He was going to get Mochi and it was meant for Ochaco as he knew she wouldn't come out unscathed. Gizon sighed as he hung his head a bit, "What gave me away?" He could guess what gave him away.
"Besides the recent slips, not much. I have been friends with Mina since elementary school." Gizon lifted up an eyebrow, 'Mina' Did Kirishima not just explain how he knew about Gizon's crush since he called Ochaco by her first name, "Shut up. It's not that kind of relationship, she is practically my sister."
"My recent income says she doesn't see it that way." Gizon said.
Kirishima's cheeks turned red to match his hair, "Please don't." Gizon just nodded and let Kirishima continue, "She's a die-hard romantic, gossip, drama, rom-com movies, everything. You spend enough time with her, you learn to pick up on that sort of stuff. So my warning, tell her to keep her mouth shut or she's going to spill everything to the rest of the class.
Gizon dropped his head and in an only slightly sarcastic tone said, "If Ashido talks, I'm going to kill her. And no teacher can stop me."
"While I'd rather not see my best friend lowered to her grave early, I'll keep a shovel handy. And dude with your manly quirk, I could see you going toe to toe with All Might. I mean you helped him defeat Nomu." Kirishima said. Gizon started to grin and Kirishima's sweat dropped. Had Gizon gone toe to toe with All Might, "Wait, you didn't."
Gizon gave a dry chuckle and said with a straight face, "Got curious and asked. Let's just say Recovery Girl was not too happy when Japan's Number One Hero had his butt dragged in by a high school."
Kirishima froze, Gizon had faced Nomu but that was after he had to handle the Iron Monger and Gizon had withstood punches even All Might had felt, "Wait? Really?"
"No. I was the one dragged in." Gizon said with a chuckle. It had been after Ochaco had been dropped off at Recovery Girl's office. All Might brought up how Ochaco's handle over One for All might take longer than expected as each passing made the quirk stronger. Gizon stated that One For All probably affected each user differently and to help Ochaco grow, he needed to have a sense of how strong she could become. While All Might explained Ochaco would be stronger than him in the end, Gizon said that didn't matter because Ochaco wasn't there yet.
After a small back and forth, it ended with Gizon dragging Toshinori back to the gym. They came to an agreement that All Might would punch Gizon but with only half of his strength. Gizon took the punch straight to his gut and stumbled back a bit. His quirk had been completely empty and with that single punch, Gizon knew he was near his limit.
But then Gizon felt nauseous, getting punched in the gut by the strongest person will do you. But before he passed out, he mumbled, "Well damn, how is All For One still alive." Toshinori told Gizon how mad Recovery Girl became when he dropped Gizon off. And while Ochaco was about to return to her apartment later in the evening, Gizon was passed out until the next morning.
"I can't say how strong the punch was, but I felt like I held the power of God for a bit," Gizon said then he and Kirishima laughed a bit. They soon arrived at a mochi stall and after a quick order, Gizon was handed a large box and slipped the needed bills to the worker of the stand. With receipt and box in hand, Gizon and Kirishima walked down the levels to the ground floor and then headed to Recovery Girl's office.
When they arrived the nurse's office, Gizon knocked.
Recovery Girl opened the door and looked up, her neutral expression turning into a frown at the sight of Gizon, "What are you two doing here?"
"We brought something for Uraraka," Gizon said and held up the mochi box like a peace offering, so Recovery Girl didn't feel the need to whack him with her cane.
"Well she just woke up, so be nice." Recovery Girl said, knowing the company would be good for Ochaco.
"Promise." Gizon and Kirishima said though Gizon had his finger crossed behind his back. Recovery Girl moved out of the way and they silently walked into the room.
Recovery Girl moved to a curtain-offed bed and moved some of the curtains out of the way, "Uraraka, you have guests."
"Please tell me it's not my parents," Ochaco said, as her head dropped back down onto her pillow. She really didn't feel like talking with them. She didn't want a lecture about being safe and staying out of danger, how she didn't have to go so far to be a hero.
"It's not." Ochaco relaxed, then recognized the voice, "It's someone much worse." The curtain opened further and Gizon and Kirishima walked in.
"Hisahito, you're here. Kirishima too." Ochaco said, a little surprised Gizon had come, but Kirishima was even a bigger surprise. Then her eyes fell on the box Gizon was holding, had he brought her something to eat?
"He's here because he won a bet with me. Decided to treat him to mochi." Gizon had to hold back a laugh as Ochaco's eyes went wide at the mention of mochi. He thought about saying she didn't get any, but the pleading look in her eyes broke him, "Here you go."
After setting the box on the small table to the side of the bed, Gizon opened and handed Ochaco a few pieces. Ochaco took the handful and quickly popped two into her mouth. "Thank you. So what exactly did you bet?" Ochaco asked, and then she threw another mochi into her mouth.
"Well I bet 1,000 yen you would win and Kirishima bet 500 yen." Gizon said, as he took a mochi and took a bite out of it. It was too sweet for him, he couldn't understand how Ochaco would like them so much, but he downed the rest of it, then motioned to Kirishima to have some.
"Sorry, that's all I had in my wallet," Kirishima said, rubbing the back of his head as he grabbed a mochi and then took a bite of it. While he was one for more of a spicy-sweet, he could see why Ochaco adored mochi.
"Don't forget you mainly sided with me because you trusted my judgment, not Uraraka." Gizon said, lightly jabbed his elbow into Kirishima's side.
"What did everyone else bet?" Ochaco asked, curious about the class's stance on the fight.
Kirishima got a sheepish look on his face and rubbed the back of his head, "Well everyone else bet on Bakugou. We both earn 10,050,000 yen." Kirishima then popped another mochi into his mouth to make himself shut up.
"10…10.. Million." Ochaco nearly passed out, the only thought keeping her from doing so was finding out, "Who?"
"Yaoyorozu." Gizon said with a shrug, "She thought everyone would be betting around there. Aoyomo was the closest with 10,000 yen."
"Are you going to accept the money?" Ochaco asked.
"Yeah, I'll have some fun with the money." Gizon said, though he really didn't need it. He did have a large stash hidden, but he still gave a small grin that Ocahco didn't like. What he had planned for the money, Ochaco figured it better if she didn't know, plausible deniability might be needed.
"I'll have to think about what I'm going to do with my money." Kirishima said as he, in all honesty, was not expecting to win. Sure he bet with Gizon's but he trusted his judgment, but still Kirishima figured it could be a long shot. And yet it seemed everyone was going to pay up.
"If you don't want to accept the money you can give it back. For me, I'm taking it to teach a lesson." Gizon said as he looked over at Kirishima.
"And which lesson is that?" Ochaco said, tilting her head in confusion.
"Always vote for pink," Gizon said as he looked Ochaco in the eyes. He realized he did have a crush on her, she was strong and good looking and Gizon had seen a fighting spirit like Ochaco before. He didn't want to press Ochaco, as she might not feel the same way. But then Gizon focused back on Ochaco's eyes. "Screw it." If it was awkward afterwards, He wouldn't say anything and he was sure Ochaco wouldn't say anything. Kirishima would know better to keep his mouth shut. So with that, Gizon leaned forward and kissed Ochaco on the forehead.
Ochaco paused mid-bite from the kiss, she had not been expecting that, let alone from someone like Gizon. "What was that for?" Ochaco looked up but couldn't help but be drawn into Gizon's yellow eyes. There was so much strength behind them, strength she felt drawn to.
"I'm taking a chance." Gizon said, then without looking away pointed a finger at Kirishima, "You tell anyone, you'll be joining Ashido in her grave."
Kirishima nodded, but then Ochaco put a hand on Gizon's shoulder. And instead of trying to pull Gizon down, she pulled herself up and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't ruin the mood." Besides if Mina told the whole class, Gizon won't be the only one she had to worry about.
In the rest of the stadium, the crowd was getting the announcement, "If Todoroki and Midoirya could make their way to their waiting room. The arena should be fixed in 15 minutes".
To work out his nerves, Izuku stood up and went for a walk. He still had the gauntlet, with the armor, and boots on, so as he walked he noticed some people taking photos of him. As he got a bit hungry, Izuku stopped by a small snack that was selling mixed nuts. While Izuku pulled out his wallet, the owner dismissed it and got the snack for free. The owner explained he was already a big fan of Izuku and explained how his daughter would be trying out for the support course next year and how he was sure she would be looking towards Izuku and his friend Hatsume for motivation.
Izuku thanked the owner and decided to leave a few yen in the tip jar. Izuku then left the stall and began eating his snack as walked through the hallway. As he was almost finished with his snack, Izuku began looking for a trash bin to dispose of it in. Yet that search was interrupted by a big source of heat coming up from behind him.
"Support Student, I've been looking for you." A voice called out and Izuku was frozen in place despite the owner of the voice being known for his fire quirk.
Izuku looked over his shoulder and came face to face with the Number 2 Endeavor, "I watched your fight against the tape kid. Your quirk is pretty impressive. Able to create so much kinetic energy and release it from your hands and feet. With that it is almost like you're the next All Might."
"Well, actually sir." Izuku started but was interrupted.
"But you're far from the power he holds, but a good indicator of the future. It's my Shoto's duty to pass All Might and become the next #1 hero, it's what he was born to do. His match with you will be a good test to see how much more training he has left. Until he becomes a hero I've molded him to become. So hit him hard and don't hold back. If you can get him to use his flames, then I'll be in your debt."
"Until he becomes a hero I've molded him to become." echoed through Izuku's head. He couldn't get it out of his head as it was too similar to others he had heard, "It's good to have a dream but your goals should be realistic." "Your quirk is so weak, you'll never become a hero. It's not who you are." "You'll never amount to anything." "It would have been better for you to be quirkless then you would at least have an excuse to be so weak."
Everyday, everyone trying to tell Izuku his dream as if they knew it better than he did. As if dreams were meant to simple and easily attainable, that's why they were called dreams and were up in the sky with stars. They were meant to be simply-unattainable, so it was only through hard work and perseverance that they were achieved.
"That's all I wanted to say, don't hold back." Endeavor said and continued walking. As Endeavor walked passed, Izuku dropped his snack and his hand shot out and grabbed a hold of Endeavor's arm. Izuku normal strength wouldn't have stopped the Number #2, but the gauntlets had a tight grip.
Maybe it was because he grew up in Bakugou's shadow. Maybe now he had to deal with the legacy left to him by his father. Maybe for once in his life, Izuku had a shot at fulfilling his dream, his purpose and he wasn't going to let anyone dismiss so easily to the side. No matter the reason, Izuku didn't like how Endeavor stated his plans. Izuku looked up at the Number Two Hero, lightning within his own eyes as they filled with passion fueled by fury. His voice was sharp as he spoke, "I don't know your relationship with your son, and frankly I don't care, but you say he has to become like you. He won't, he'll become his own kind of hero. His own kind of person, not your stringed puppet." Izuku then locked eyes with Endeavour.
Endeavor flared up his flames, but it didn't frighten Izuku, he grew up going against Bakugo's explosions. A little heat wouldn't scare him, and it helped that the metal covering his arm and the paints it was coated with were heat resistant so Izuku barely felt any heat. After a couple of seconds, Izuku released Endeavor and walked away. Izuku had to keep his eyes focused forward so he didn't look back at Endeavor.
Izuku didn't why he said it, but right before he disappeared around a corner he said, "I'm not All Might and your son isn't you."
With the announcement that the 15-minute break would soon be over, Izuku headed to the tunnel. Present Mic's introduction fell on deaf ears as Izuku walked out of the tunnel. He walked up the steps and met Todoroki's eyes. They were ice cold, while Izuku's were a piercing lightning bolt. Endeavour thought he could push his dreams onto his son, just like everyone thought they knew Izuku's dream better than him. Screw them and screw Endeavour, he was going to shatter Endeavour's dream by beating his son.
Izuku had been debating whether he should get his whole suit, but Endeavour had stopped him from getting it. And luckily it wasn't like Izuku was going to need it, besides he didn't need to at his strongest to prove how much Todoroki was holding himself back. No matter how much ice Todoroki made, Izuku's repulsors could handle them. And though it was obvious he could use fire, Izuku hadn't once seen Todoroki use his left side. Maybe it has something to do with his relationship with Endeavour, but Izuku didn't care about that.
Nor did it sit right with Izuku. Everyone was fighting with everything that they had, but Todoroki thought he could win with just half his quirk. Izuku had trained, worked, and built for this opportunity, even if Todoroki was stronger, Izuku would show he was his equal.
"Any words before we begin."
"What did my father tell you to do?" Todoroki asked as if he had known Izuku had talked to Endeavour.
"Nothing I didn't already plan on doing." Izuku didn't know Todoroki or his past or his relationship with his father. Honestly, he didn't really care, right now he only cared about teaching a smug hero course student a lesson.
"Begin."
As always Todoroki was quick to the draw, and he sent out a large wave. Izuku judged the wave and said, "15%." The arc reactor instantly increased its output to 15% and as Izuku brought up both arms, the arc reactor pushed the energy out to the repulsors. Two beams of energy shot forward and blocked the large ice wave from going any further, yet it too much force for Izuku to hold his ground, but some short burst pulse to the boot aided him.
"5%" Izuku muttered as the light mist covered the arena. Izuku then shot up into the air. Todoroki spotted Izuku and sent an ice pillar after him. Yet Izuku dodged the ice pillar by backflipping and pressing one of his arms against the pillar. Izuku broke the pillar part with a blast.
"Come on, try something new," Izuku called out and then dropped down towards Todoroki. Thinking fast Todoroki created an ice dome around him, yet Izuku simply pressed his hands against it and broke it with a blast. Before the broken ice had a chance to hit the ground, Todoroki created an ice pillar under Izuku's feet and pushed him into the air. Izuku had to accelerate his mind to find the right time to jump off the pillar and be in the air by his own choice, "The same trick isn't going to work twice against me. Try something new."
"No!" Todoroki yelled as he sent an ice spike at Izuku, "I refuse to use his quirk, I will win this with this ice. I don't need his quirk." As Izuku unleashed his blades he dove down towards the ice spike and carved them into pieces. Izuku flipped himself around and landed with his feet under him.
Izuku came out from the crouch and looked Todoroki dead in the eyes. Seeing the lightning jumping behind Izuku's eyes, Todoroki was remind of the fire that was always behind his father's. That made a heat build in Todoroki's body, but that heat quickly turned cold as he took a deep breath and sent out a mass ice wave which forced Izuku back and to the other side of the arena.
Izuku slid back using his equipment then stopped himself before he stepped out. With his balance back, Izuku held his hand and blasted the ice before it could get any closer and pushed him out "You think you can win with only half of your quirk? How is that fair to anyone, we're out fighting with everything we got. And you think you can win because you were blessed with a powerful quirk."
Todoroki sent another ice pillar that Izuku met head-on with a punch, resulting in his arm becoming encased within the ice, "Training day in and day out. Working until our bones ache and we sweat blood, becoming better than we were yesterday. That's what I had to do to get here and I'm not going to stand here and let you, someone gifted with a powerful quirk think I'm not a challenge."
Izuku forced his hand up and yelled, "10%". The repulsor encased in ice responded by melting the ice surrounding Iuzku's hand and then unleashing a blast that broke the ice pillar.
"I can and will win only using my mother's ice." Todoroki yelled and sent a large glacier. Izuku rode the glacier up before extending out his right blade and cutting off the top. He kicked off, sending the piece of ice flying towards Todoroki.
"Day in and day out, training in any way I could, improving in any way I can. And as an old friend used to say, 'Don't you dare look down on me." Izuku said, as Todoroki easily dodged and sent more ice after Izuku. Izuku retracted his blade and blasted the ice apart.
As the ice fell Izuku kept himself in the air, looking down at Todoroki. Todoroki stopped the ice and looked up at Izuku, "I'm not going to use his fire. I don't need it."
"Then what are you going to do then? I've beat your ice, you can't win, you'll get frostbite. I am going to win, because I fight with everything I have. My quirk wasn't designed for fights, so I had to find other ways to win. Everyone told me I couldn't become a hero, that I wasn't strong enough. And now here you are, the son of the number 2 hero and you won't even give me the curiosity of putting up a proper fight!" Izuku yelled as he blasted down towards Todoroki.
"Shut up!" Todoroki yelled as he sent more ice at Izuku. He could feel ice forming over his arms, "I can win with my mother's ice."
"No, you can't. Doesn't matter whether it is against me or in a few years, against a villain that can handle your ice. What will you do then?" Izuku slid to the side to dodge the pillar of ice and shot a blast at Todoroki, "You'll lose, while you rather stick it to your old man, the villain will win. You'll die and whatever situation you're in will become worse, because you'll be stuck in your father's shadow.
"While a better hero, a hero who knows what it means to truly work for something and fight with their heart has to step in."
Todoroki yelled and sent more ice, because that was what he chose to do, yet Izuku was handling the ice. And with his attacks becoming weaker and weaker, Todoroki was going to lose. He could feel the ice building on the right side of his body, it was making his muscles ache and his bones feel like they were going to shatter. "I don't need my bastard father's quirk. I reject his fire and I will never use it."
"I'm not fighting your father, I'm fighting you." Izuku said, his back flipped away from the ice, before landing on the ground and blasting it apart with his boots, "It's not his quirk, it's yours. And you're going to lose because you're not your father. You were never meant to be." Izuku then rocketed forward and was ready for another attack.
Yet Todorkoi's body was so frozen, he couldn't move. His right leg was frozen to the ground and frost was starting to move over to his left side. He tried to summon more ice, to prove his father wrong, yet his body just gave out.
"You can become your own kind of Hero! Propelled Punch!" Izuku yelled as he punched Todoroki in the chest
Shoto's mind went white from the pain as his body was ripped from its icy prison. When Shoto opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the ground in a hospital room. The carpet was soft against Shoto's burn. Bright sunlight came through an open window and warmed his body. He slowly got his hands and feet under him and got on his knees. There was a bed and some books lying on it, but Shoto's attention was directed to the window. Sitting in a chair staring out the window, was Rei Todoroki, his mother.
It looked like she hadn't noticed him but then she said, "Shoto." Her voice was broken and sounded like she was in pain. Shoto hadn't seen his mother since Endeavour had broken her and taken her to the hospital.
Shoto picked himself up and walked over, only to fall back down to his knees. He held his hands against her legs. He wanted to ask and beg for forgiveness, but it took a few moments for Shoto to find his voice. Once he could he cried and said, "Mom, I'm sorry I can't become a hero. Not like him, like someone that broke you. I failed to win with your ice," He laid his heart for judgment and didn't care if he lost.
"Since when have I wanted you to become a hero with only your ice? Like that kind hearted kid said, it's neither my ice or your father's fire, they solely belong to you" Rei Todoroki said as she slowly brought her hand up and then rested it on her son's head. Shoto looked up but his mother was still looking out the window, he still couldn't see her face "I've always known you would be powerful and I'm sad you're limiting yourself. You can help those around you, but you choose a selfish goal." Rei then looked down and smiled at her son, the year of sorrow and worry disappearing from her eyes and face, "You and your sibling have a good heart. Use it. Don't let your father destroy your kind heart. Use it to help your friends."
Shoto opened his eyes and looked down at Izuku. He was right, the only person he was hurting was himself. He had been allowing his father to control his actions. But no more. Shoto took a deep breath and a large flame ignited within his soul. The flame shot out his body, melting the ice on his body.
Shoto went flying back but managed to catch himself with an ice wall. However, Izuku was instantly on him again. "You want a fight, then come and get one." Shoto raised his left hand and shot out fire. Izuku raised his arms, the armor over his forearms expand out a bit to act like a small shield that worked well enough to protect Izuku.
Izuku felt the heat drying his skin out, so he powered up his boots. Izuku forced his arm down and before the fire that could reach him, flipped into the air. Izuku caught himself in the air and fled to the side. Shoto followed Izuku with his fire, but Izuku was able to easily dodge it. Shoto had to take a breath as his body heated up and he had to cool down. Izuku took these few moments to get back to the ground. They were now both back in their original starting position, but now both were ready to truly fight.
"You're handled my ice, but you won't win against my fire." Shoto said. He condensed the heat within his hand as much as he could before he aimed it at Izuku and released it. Shoto expected Izuku to try and defend himself or dodge out of the way. Yet Izuku just stood there, and then Shoto noticed a glow building underneath his chest.
Before the fire could reach Izuku, he puffed out his chest and yelled, "Unibeam."
A large glow began to build under Izuku's shirt and then a massive beam of energy erupted out from Izuku's chest and met the fire. Not only did it hold the fire out, but it pierced right through it. Shoto could feel the intense heat coming back at him and he had to jump to the side to dodge. Izuku's Unibeam hit the stadium wall and burnt a good hole into it. Shoto then refocused as he heard Izuku yelling, he turned around only to get hit in the chest.
Shoto tried to save himself, but with so much heat in the air, it was difficult to form an ice wall that he didn't simply go flying through. Shoto flew over the edge of the arena, then a few seconds later became embedded in the wall, right next to the hole from Izuku's unibeam. Shoto took a breath but then had to spit out blood.
The stadium fell silent, no one could believe it, everyone was stunned, Present Mic for the first time was speechless. Endeavour thought he was having a nightmare, that he had been drugged. Izuku Midoriya, a lowly student from the support course, not only made history by earning second and first and his way to the third event. He had fought against not just one but two hero students, the latest being the prodigal son of Japan's number 2 heroes.
Midnight's eyes jumped between Shoto and Izuku. She couldn't believe her eyes, she thought the strength coming from Gizon was hot, Izuku had stood his ground and won. Midnight didn't try to fight against the warm feeling inside her chest. Yet she still had her job to do, "T-T-Todoroki has been knocked out of bounds. Midoriya will move onto the next round."
With that the dam broke and everyone in the stadium and outside of it began cheering. Yet Izuku paid it no attention, with his anger cooling down, he knew he had overdone it. His anger should have been directed at Endeavour, Shoto was just an outlet.
Izuku walked down the few steps, then walked over to Shoto as he fell to the ground. Izuku crouched down and asked, "How do you feel?"
"Pissed," Shoto said as he held his left arm tight to his body.
"At yourself or your father." Izuku asked.
"Myself. I don't think I am ready to fully accept my fire, but I see the need to one day." Shoto said as he looked up at Izuku.
"Want some help." Izuku said, offering his help to Shoto to get up and to get Recovery Girl's office.
Shoto moved his left arm and pain shot up from his hand to his shoulder, "Yeah." Izuku grabbed Shoto's right upper arm and helped him get to his feet.
"Let's get a round of applause for Midoriya's showmanship, helping his opponent less than a minute after trying to tear him apart." Present Mic said and the crowd got loud, Midnight's eyes were starting to become heart-shaped.
The two boys walked to the tunnel and disappeared from view. As they walked through the hallway, Shoto looked over at Izuku and said, "So you want to get transferred to the hero course."
"It's always been my dream to become a hero, but like I said, my quirk isn't designed for fighting. I failed the entrance exam, but I'm more than willing to play catchup." Izuku said, defeating the son of the number 2 hero could help with that, but Izuku kept that to himself.
"Well you have my vote and I'm sure you have Sero's too," Shoto said then grimaced as a bit of pain shot through his shoulder. Izuku had hit him hard, if his quirk was that strong, how could he have possibly failed the entrance exam?
"Well thanks for the vote of confidence." Izuku chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"What exactly did my father offer you?" Shoto asked. He knew his father wanted him to use his fire and would do anything, pay someone off to force Shoto to use his flames. Seems Endeavour owed Izuku a massive check.
"He tried to offer me something, but I think I told him to get lost. I think my exact words, `His own kind of person, not your stringed puppet." Izuku said with a worried chuckle.
"Bet that ticked him off." Shoto said.
"Yeah, it did." Izuku was never going to forget Endeavor burning eyes as he bore into Izuku's soul. But it also fueled his desire to become a hero even more, even adding the Number 2 pro hero to the list of people who thought Izuku couldn't make it.
"And somehow you're not burnt," Shoto said he remembered how some reporters asked some not-so-friendly questions. The only reason they were left without damaged equipment was because Endeavour made sure not to show his true self on camera.
"I think my gauntlets scared him a bit. He compared their power to All Might's." Izuku said. He couldn't before, but now he could see the comparison. The raw power and strength behind them, even without the repulsor, the suit was designed to dish out some heavy attacks, "I think he thinks it's my quirk."
"It's not." Shoto believed that Izuku's quirk was firing off concussive blasts and he used his equipment to direct the force. Again how could someone that powerful have failed the entrance exam?
"They're just my equipment. My quirks simply power them up." Izuku showed Shoto his palm, then powered up the repulsor so it glowed slightly, "My quirk is called Static Cell, meaning my body holds a high amount of bio-electricity. But I can't discharge it so I have to use equipment to bring it out."
"Like a battery." Izuku nodded, "I need to introduce you to Kaminari."
"I think we already met. I'm the one that fired his brain." Izuku said, reflecting on the beginning of the second event. Again he hadn't meant to harm a fellow student so badly.
"Oh yeah. That was you." Shoto said. Kaminari was his only other heavy hitter during the second event but was kind of useless since he got knocked out early on.
They soon arrived at Recovery Girl's office. Ochaco woke up from her nap as Izuku and Shoto walked in, she looked around and saw Gizon and Kirishima were gone, but more importantly, they had left the remaining mochi. She looked over and locked eyes with Shoto and Izuku, "Oh Hello. Wait, who won?"
Shoto was one of the strongest in 1-A, yet he looked like he was in the most pain and the most beaten up. While Izuku looked to just have some fatigue. Shoto pointed a finger at Izuku and said, "Midoriya."
"Wait what? Midoriya, you actually won." Ochaco couldn't believe it, she had seen how powerful Shoto was. He was always at the top of the class and had never lost in training.
"Well Todoroki wasn't using his fire for most of the fire, and my repulsor handled his ice. Though there at the end, I thought you had me." Izuku said as he helped Shoto up onto a bed.
"Does that mean you're using your left side Todoroki?" Ochaco asked, if Shoto was this strong with just ice, how strong could he be with both?
"Working towards it." Shoto said. He had a long way to go to come over his past and gain control over his fire, but now he was working towards it. Instead of abandoning it.
"Well, now it's Shinsou versus Yaoyorozu," Izuku said. He hadn't seen Yaoyorozu in action, so he couldn't judge the fight. For that fact, he had only met Shinsou earlier today.
"Midoriya, While I'm sure you want Shinsou to win. Yaoyorozu is the smartest student in class 1-A. Her quirk allows her to literally create any non living items. If she's figured out how Shinsou's quirk works, then it's game over for him." Ochaco said.
Izuku took a breath, then dropped his shoulder, "Well I guess it's the end for me."
"Yeah even if you beat Yaomomo. You still have myself or Gizon." Ochaco said with some confidence and a bit of warning in her voice.
"Yeah I've seen you guys training. Hisahito's quirk allowes him to absorb kinetic energy and use it to increase his strength and speed. You on the other hand, you've got two quirks." Izuku said as he casually threw that out into the cosmos.
Upon hearing this Ochaco tensed up. She and Gizon had Class 1-A convinced that whenever she used One for All, it was a different way of using her quirk. "What do you mean? I've only got Zero Gravity."
"Yeah you do, but that doesn't exactly explain the pink aura you get sometimes with you have super human strenght. If it was a part of your zero gravity quirk, that would always happen when you used it." Izuku said, then realized that maybe Ochaco didn't want other people to know that.
Ochaco sighed if Izuku, a person she rarely saw, was about to notice then her classmates were not going to be far behind. She would need to do damage control and fast, so she turned to Shoto, "Yes I have a second quirk. Todoroki please don't share this with anyone else. My second quirk is from my father's side. My great great great great grandfather had a quirk called Percent Strength. I can increase my strength and speed by different percentages, I didn't know I had it until the USJ attack. It woke up when I helped Hisahito against Nomu, that's why I chose him to help me train it in secret. At the time I was afraid to show it, because it was new and I didn't exactly know you guys too well."
"But you shared it with Hisahito." Shoto said, inclining his head towards Ochaco.
"That's because his quirk is similar and he's taught how to control my second quirk. I don't have complete control over it and I was injuring myself because of that. I want to be able to control it before I talk about it, so please don't share this with the class." Ochaco said, really hoping Shoto would take the lie, then for some reason, Izuku stepped in to help.
"Well if you ever need some support equipment to help minimize damage to yourself, swing by the support department. Though I hope you get a handle on it." Izuku said and Ochaco thanked him for that offer.
Shoto nodded and said, "I guess in a way I have two quirks. I don't have great control over my fire, how about we learn to control our quirks together."
Ochaco released a breath of relief, Shoto took the lie, and now she and Gizon could begin working on convincing the rest of the class, "Sure. Let's become better heroes together."
"Well I'll leave you two be." Izuku said, then turned to leave.
"See you in class," Shoto said before Izuku left. Izuku laughed before he walked out the door, he never pegged Shoto to be an optimist.
"You really think Midoriya will be transferred." Ochaco would be happy to have Izuku in class. She could see them being good friends, but their teacher was Mr. Aizawa. He was serious about expelling students, but not so forward about accepting new students, "I hope he replaces Mineta."
"I'm sure all the girls and most boys would agree with you on that," Shoto said. It was well known how much the girl disliked Mineta. If Izuku didn't replace Mineta, Shoto could see Izuku punting Mineta during their first training.
Seemed this time around Izuku was about to come out virtuous. "Oh but Izuku is technically weaker this time, he was using 100% One for All during Cannon. He should have still lost." One of my friends sarcastically said after reading this chapter and I have a feeling some of you might actually feel that way. Yeah OFA Izuku is much stronger than Iron Man Izuku, but his fight against Todoroki in Cannon was an endurance match. At the sports Festival Izuku didn't have have complete control over One for All and could use 100%, resulting in him breaking his fingers. Can't remember the number off the top of my head so in come math. Ten fingers, two uses each that twenty attack possible, 22 by using his both of his arms.
With only 22 attacks possible, OFA Izuku tired himself much quicker than Todoroki did, who had trained his ice since a kid, resulting in great endurance and stamina. But this time around Izuku had more control of his quirk (In an odd sort of way). Let's say for Todoroki's opening glacier only 45% of OFA is needed, OFA Izuku couldn't adjust, wasting extra energy. EC Izuku could adjust his output, conserving his quirk's energy much better, thus allowing him to last longer than Todoroki.
Now the first draft of this story had the fight end after Todoroki's vision of his mother, with him trying and failing to use his fire to keep himself in. But due to increased word count I try to hit for each chapter and a sense that the fight wasn't dramatic enough, it became what you just read.
Yet, I'm not sure I hit the emotionally stand point of the fight. Todoroki rejecting his father's flame, Izuku had to beat his ass and Todoroki see's the error of his ways. All the good kind of stuff. Personally I feel like I did okay, Todoroki wasn't outright good using his flames, hence the whole, not being ready to use that aspect of his quirk but being able to see the need to accept it and gain control over it.
Tell me, was the pacing good, did it feel like a natural progression or did it felt a bit force. Comment or Message me, I will take input and this chapter might get updated many times until it feel natural.
Beyond that
Next Time: Shinsou has been relying on lies and deception to get through his fights, but what happens when he comes across someone who can see through the smoke and mirrors.
Next Chapter: Lies From a Sly Tongue
Review and tell me what you think (Seriously)