Chapter Thirty-Eight

Unexpected benefit of being buried in rubble? Helps hold you still during a seizure.

Everything hurt, as my muscles spasmed and I kept my teeth grit so I didn't accidentally bite my own tongue off, once more not ready for a full-body electrical transformation, and paying for it. Additionally, there was a sharp pain in my spine, like someone had slammed a metal bat across my back, every time I breathed. Even turning to lightning hadn't been enough to avoid injury, which was made worse by the fact I couldn't stop twitching, the pain so great I almost stopped feeling it entirely, only noting it intellectually.

Focusing, I brought One-for-All back, the power having broken trying to protect me from the worst of my injuries, and as the lines of power ran over me, making the broken cement covering me glow slightly, the pain faded enough for me to start to really feel it. My head clearing a little, and I bit back a scream, turning up the power to as high as I could push it, to further insulate me from my injuries. The agony receded, still present but I was able to ignore it as I tried to push myself up from the almost seated position I'd ended up in, thankfully still able to breathe when buried.

The rubble shifted slightly, but my muscles screamed in protest, telling me that even if I would've been able to move it if I was fresh, I sure as shit couldn't now. However, the rubble seemed to shiver, and I wondered if I'd destabilized something, before it lifted up off me, relieving pressure I didn't realize I was under, the static feeling of pinched nerves getting bloodflow shooting down my legs making itself known.

The bits of cement shifted and twisted away on their own, morphing from hard rocks into grey fluid, before forming walls, opening up to reveal. . . a hallway? Trying to stand, I stumbled, legs collapsing under me, and I shifted everything below my waist to lightning, the amorphous limbs letting me catch myself. Glancing around, bits of concrete were strewn about the floor, and opposite to where I had sat, the wall was a matching pile of rubble.

Did I. . . I thought, incredulous, as the other pile, too, started to shake and pull away, revealing a tunnel a good ten feet long, two pieces of bent metal on either side looking like they'd once been a single, continuous beam, but only a few inches were between them.

Figured out why my back hurts, I thought, a little nonplussed, wondering how the fuck I was even alive.

As the tunnel finished forming, further twisting the metal beams aside, it reveal the field. The arena was in pieces, a deep trench in the grass leading up to the tunnel, but everything was almost dead quiet, only the sound of my own footsteps telling me I hadn't gone deaf. Collapsed, on his knees, and staring with wide-eyed fear was Midoriya, who, seeing me, slumped in relief.

Walking out that tunnel, steps unsteady, every part of me aching, the crowd slowly started to cheer, louder and louder, Present Mic announcing " And he's all right! What a fight Sports-fans! I for one was on the edge of my seat! Seriously, what the heck is with your students, Eraser!?"

" That was all them," the Pro replied drolly, " And possibly a bit of influence from All Might."

" Well it shows!" the announcer replied, the crowd cheering loudly now, as I unsteadily climbed the rubble back onto the remains of the arena, where Izuku was struggling to his feet. My left arm was broken, with that last hit if it hadn't been already, but my right merely ached, so I offered it, and Izuku took it with his own right, letting me help pull him up. His left arm wasn't quite as pulverized as he'd broken his fingers that first day, when he used 100% of his power, but it was still a bruised, mottled mass of flesh that hung limply. His right, in comparison, looked like a full-length Indian burn, red and inflamed, but unbroken.

He still winced, though, telling me it was likely fractured, and I murmured, "Use a little of your power. It makes you tougher." Midoriya shot me a skeptical glance, the smallest of green sparks appearing around his body, and he let out a small breath of relief.

"Thanks," he said. Glancing down at my legs, he added, "Is that why. . .?"

"Yep," I nodded, "And I feel like I'm about to fall over anyways, so, help me to Recovery Girl's office?"

He looked worried, but covered it with a smile. "Sure," he told me, shifting to give me something to lean on, and, together, we picked our way down the arena, heading towards one of the exits as, if anything, the crowd cheered even louder. Midoriya laughed a little, as we nodded to Miss Midnight, who had been blown off her stand, and was giving us an unamused look. "I think we went a bit overboard."

"Not that we're the only ones," I shrugged, instantly regretting it as my collarbone felt like someone it'd stabbed it repeatedly with a knife made of cold fire. "You're next fight is with Mr. 'I make a glacier every match'."

Through the entrance gates, and around the corner, I tried to pull back on the Electrobody, already feeling myself hitting my limit, pushing it too soon after having gone full. The power fluctuated, disappearing, and twin spears of pain ran up my legs as I stumbled, Midoriya gritting his teeth as he supported me, and I got the power back online, transforming everything from my feet to above my knees, hurting a bit more, but also more stable. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, concerned, and I gave his still limp arm a look. "Right. Stupid question. Well, let's get to Recovery Girl."

"That was one hell of a fight," I commented, not really sure what else to say.

Midoriya laughed, then winced, before nodding. "Yeah. Yeah it was."

"WHAT DID YOU BOYS DO TO YOURSELVES!"

While Recovery Girl was capable of healing us, it seemed she wasn't going to do so without what I'm sure she considered due chastisement. I just took a seat on one of the beds, Midoriya opposite of me, as we both smiled and nodded as she called us every name in the book, before giving us both narrow eyed looks. "And why are you still using your Quirks?"

"Because it's the only thing that's letting us move," I replied without shame. "I'm pretty sure we've both broken our legs."

The tiny woman gave me a look that screamed 'You think?', before turning her back on me and focusing on Midoriya. "Well, young man, you still have one fight left, so we'll start with you. Go ahead and let go of your power, it's making it hard to get a read on you."

He did, the small emerald sparks disappearing, along with the hair-thin lines of power that ran along his body. He started to relax, before tensing with a hiss of pain. "Your friend is almost right," the healer stated. "Your left arm is broken, but your other limbs are only fractured. Fractured in a very familiar way. What did I tell you about you using your power carelessly?"

"I didn't!" he objected. "I only used fifty percent for the uppercut, and thirty-five for the punch!"

. . . what?

I'd dumped everything I had, destroyed my gloves, burnt my hands and nearly broke myself, and he overpowered me at a third of his maximum? . . . Fucking Shonen Protagonists. "Your resting level. How much you were normally using. How much was that?" I asked, trying to keep my tone mild, but from his wince, I didn't do a good job.

"Twelve percent," he replied sheepishly, and I couldn't help but groan. "It's not that much," he insisted.

"I believe that's why he's upset. And besides, it's more than enough to need to be careful with, Young Man," Recovery Girl chided. "The plan you and All Might came up with to use your Quirk constantly at low levels has been paying off, but there's still limits to what you can do!"

"Heh, yeah," he agreed with a chagrined smile. "I actually got the idea watching you," he told me, in what I'm sure was supposed to be a compliment. "You use your Quirk all the time, for everything, which is obviously how you're getting used to it, so I tried doing the same. Broke a lot of pencils at first," he chuckled.

Okay, so it was a complement, I was just annoyed that he'd taken me down with so little power. "Happy to help, even if it did mean you were able to completely kick my ass," I replied, actually meaning it. Yeah, a prideful part of me want to win this entire thing, to be top dog, for once, but. . . shit was going to get worse. I'd only watched through the third season of the anime I was now living in, but even that told me a whole bunch of bullshit was coming down the line, and the rumors I'd heard of what happened later were even worse. With how I'd knocked things off the canon course, and not for the better, every bit of strength would be useful. If I remembered right, five percent was enough to go toe to toe with Stain. At twelve?

I'd never stood a chance.

"A good attitude to have," the medic commented, "Now sit still." Leaning forward, her lips shot out as she kissed the boy on the cheek. A green glow rippled outwards over the boy's body, as he shifted his arm to let it set faster, obviously practiced at getting healed in this manner.

Izuku slumped a little, letting out a long yawn, but fighting through it. "Thank you, Ma'am," he told her, standing back up, but weaving a little.

"Don't you go running off just yet," she warned, toddling over to her cabinet and tossing Midoriya a familiar looking bag and bottle. "You hurt yourself like that again, and you'll be out like a light when I heal you. Now go get some rest before your next match!"

"Yes, I will, thank you," the boy bowed, quickly escaping, though stopping by the door to give me an encouraging wave.

Recovery Girl turned to look at me. "Now, you lay down youngster. I have a feeling that you were the worse off from that little scuffle of yours."

Not really having any response, as she wasn't exactly wrong, I complied, stretching out.

"And drop your Quirk," she prodded, and, hesitating, I did so.

PAIN

Smothering a scream of at the torturous sensations running through me, it still escaped as my legs felt like they were on fire, my ribs were laced with acid, every breath bringing fresh agony, and my arms felt freezing cold. Recovery Girl gave a yelp and darted forward, lips shooting to my cheek, and I let the power work, darkness enveloping me for the second time that day.

Coming to, I felt exhausted, and shuddered in the aftershocks of the mind-breaking agony I'd felt, even if just for a moment. Tapping OfA, I woke up a bit more, the edges of the lingering bits of pain receding. Sitting up, I saw Momo seated on the bed next to mine. The girl, seeing me seeing her, quickly called "Mrs. Shuzenji, he's awake!"

The old, tiny woman walked around a table, snorted, and shook her head. "Of course he is. Any other person would be out for hours, but you don't even have the decency to even be down for one. Just because you can regenerate doesn't make you immortal, young man!"

At that I couldn't help but laugh, as, in one respect, I was immortal, in terms of aging. Then again, in the way she was talking about, she wasn't wrong. However, that did leave me with a question. "Why did. . . why did it hurt so bad?"

"Healing Quirks can have downsides, boy," the medic lectured. "Some can starve you, using your fat to replace lost flesh. Some can age you, speeding recovery. Mine can do that, if over-used. Some can clear your system of hormones like adrenaline and endorphins. Without those natural painkillers, or the more active use of your quirk keeping things going, injuries most could move past because they still haven't come down can quickly become debilitating."

"Yeah, debilitating," I shivered, hoping I'd never be that hurt again. "But, Momo, if you're here, I missed your match! Did you win?"

The girl winced. "No. No, I didn't."

I waited for more, but she just looked down, dispirited. "Well, what happened?" I finally inquired.

"Endeavor's boy made a wall of ice and pushed her off the arena," Recovery Girl informed me. "Fairly harshly, too. She had some minor contusions, but insisted she stayed here until you awoke, young man."

" I-I was just making sure you did not wake up confused ," Yaoyorozu sputtered. "Studies have shown that it helps with psychological recovery after suffering major injury!"

"Thank you, Momo," I smiled, nodding to her. "I appreciate it."

"You're most welcome," she nodded back, blushing, before her mood started to fall again. "It was the least I could do. To do something right. After I. . ."

I considered my friend, tiredness dragging me down like thick, metal chains, but I pushed past that, going with the first thing that came to mind. "That ice wall. Sounds like the kind of thing that could pick up a car in a second or two, doesn't it?"

"Yes, surely, but. . ." she started to respond, confused, before her eyes widened in understanding. " Yes, I suppose it is, but it would make for poor medical care, wouldn't it?" she asked, with the hint of a smile.

"Yes, I suppose it would," I echoed, teasing out a bit more of a grin from the girl. I tried to stand, but every muscle felt leaden, though thankfully there wasn't any true pain, only lingering soreness. Tapping OfA more let me stabilize myself, though I still weaved a little.

Momo hurried over, and helped support me, asking, "Are you sure you should be standing?"

"He'll be fine," Recovery Girl told my friend, waving an annoyed hand in my direction. "My Quirk accelerates natural healing, and his gives himself a miniscule level of costless regeneration. They naturally synergize, but that's not an excuse to come in here as often as he has been today. Don't let it become a habit!" she chided.

"I promise I won't participate in tomorrow's second year Sports Festival," I stated with utter solemnity, wincing a little as the old woman whacked me in the shin with her syringe-themed cane, but Momo's giggle more than made up for it.

"Take these. Normally I'd worry about you overdosing, but there's not a speck of toxins in your bloodstream," Recovery Girl informed me, handing me another two baggies of gummies and I blinked, realizing it was likely Body Defense at work. "Now go and relax with your friends, and I don't want to see you again for two weeks, or else I'll only do as little healing as it takes to prevent permanent harm, and let you heal the rest on your own!"

"Understood, Ma'am," I replied, actually respectful. "And, um, thanks, again."

The old woman harrumphed, "Just doing my job."

Together, we walked back up to our class's box, which seemed much higher up than I remembered. Stopping for a moment and chugging the stimulant-laden sports drink helped perk me up enough to keep going, even though I knew it was temporary energy, which I'd be paying for later.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Momo asked, concerned, and I nodded, tossing the bottle in a recycling bin.

"Regeneration's kicking in. Hell, it might even get stronger from this," I shrugged, the movement only aching a little. "I've never had the reason, or if we're being honest, the dedication to train it like Quirks normally need to be trained."

The only way to train a Quirk was to use a Quirk, to the point that you pushed its capabilities, and mine only really worked when I was injured. I shuddered to think of what it'd taken to train this regen Quirk to raise it to the levels that the Nomu had displayed.

Yaoyorozu grimaced, "I don't blame you. It must be nice though. I'm still sore."

"How do you think I feel?" I shot back, and she chuckled, nodding at the point scored. I started to walk, winced at my aching bones, and she quickly moving to support me again, and as we glanced at each other we both reddened a little. "It's slow regeneration, at least for now," I added, focusing on moving forward, and she helped me continue. "Just wish I could figure out how to share it, or even lend it out, to help others."

"Healing Quirks are fairly rare," she replied, as happy as I was to get back on a safe topic. "Only about one in two hundred people has one, and most, like yours, only heal the user."

I sighed, nodding, and soon enough we were at the door, where Yaoyorozu hesitated, before helping me through, and down the stairs. " Denki!" Mina cried, getting up and rushing over to me. "Are you okay!?"

"I will be," I reassured, letting them help me to my seat, where Mei currently sat. The girl hesitated, before getting up and moving over to the other side of Mina's seat. She gave me a searching look, as her crosshair pupils danced down my body, taking stock of my injuries, and the twisted remains of my harness, blackened with electrical burns, jaw working as I could practically see the schematics start to spin in her mind.

Settling down, I saw they were clearing out the last of Todoroki's ice, giving us a few minutes before the next match started. "Dude, your fight was super manly!" cheered Kirishima. "You guys went at it with such a fighting spirit, it got me stoked! I'm totally gonna go train after this!"

"It looked like you were really trying to kill each other, at the end, ribbit," Asui added, looking at me with her large eyes, the faint concern on her normally blank features speaking volumes.

Bakugo snorted, "Like Deku'd actually hurt anyone."

"Um, Bakugo," Uraraka disagreed. "Denki looked really bad, after the fight, and still doesn't look good. No offense," she offered my way.

"Yeah," Sero agreed. "But what I don't understand is how you ended up that far back. The hole in the concrete you left behind didn't look big enough to fit you."

Turning an arm to lightning, I coiled it together, shrinking the limb to a fourth its size. "I went full-body and tried to pull in. I guess it turned me into a cannonball."

"Dude, that could be a super cool attack!" Kirishima grinned.

"Except he has seizures if he tries," Mei offered off-handedly. "Otherwise we'd be building power armor for him to use it with."

"Wait, really?" Uraraka asked, looking concerned. "Then why did you-"

"Cause he's tougher that way, duh," Bakugo interrupted. "It's like taking a bad fall. Better to take it on your own terms, even if it hurts, so long as it keeps you from getting' hurt worse. Thought you'd know that out of all of us, round cheeks."

"Wait, you just said Midoriya wouldn't hurt anyone," Asui argued. "Now you're saying Denki was going to get hurt no matter what? Doesn't that seem, you know, contradictory?"

Bakugo growled, shooting the class as a whole a glare. "Are you bunch of extras blind, or just stupid? Damnit, Tail would've seen it. You Big Lips, would you hit See-Through as hard as you could?"

There was a moment as we tried to figure out who he was referring to, before Sato realized it was him and shook his head. "No! I can't see Hagakure, and she's not tough, so I might hurt her."

With an angry, dismissive wave that said, ' Do you get it know!?', the class still looked confused, though I was starting to get what he meant. "They were testin' each other, seein' what they would take," the explosion teen stated. "That Shitty Nerd doesn't know his own strength, so he's scared of it, and Pikachu didn't know how much Deku could take either, right? That's why you didn't blast him like you hit the big guy!"

Connecting the dots, I nodded, reaching inside my jacket and fishing out the necklace of iron coins, showing I could've, but didn't. "Pretty much," I agreed.

"Oh," Ochaco said, realization dawning, "but at that last clash, Izuku went harder than he meant to, and so Denki had to protect himself!" Bakugo threw up his hands in a ' Finally!' gesture, as she frowned, "But I'm sure Midoriya didn't mean to hurt him."

Before Bakugo could yell at her, again, Kirishima stepped in, "Yeah, and that's why we have Recovery Girl nearby. 'Cause we're all still learning!"

"Yeah, but what if Midoriya 'oops's and smushes me like a bug?" Minetta asked fearfully.

Jiro sighed, "Didn't you listen? They tried smaller stuff before that. You would've been out after the first hit from either of them." She gave Bakugo a consideringly glance. "And you're being awful helpful."

"It was a good fight," the angry teen almost sneered. "Coulda gone harder, but Deku was involved. If I'm supposed ta be 'learnin' from this, you bunch of extras should be too. But don't expect me to hold yer fuckin' hand!"

"Ah, there's the Bakugo we know," the jacked girl commented deadpan, but with a slight teasing hint to her words.

The blonde boy just turned away to watch the arena below, arms crossed, and an easy silence descended, finally broken by Present Mic's voice. "Alright everyone, do you know what time it is?" there was a pause, as some people started to cheer, but it was a bit tepid, as the announcement came seemingly out of nowhere. "That's right, after an anti-climactic end to the Semi-Finals, it's time for the last, winner take all match of the UA Sports Festival Tournament !" he continued, more people cheering as they realized the waiting was over.

Beside me, Momo winced, and, with everyone's attention forward, I reached over and took her hand in my own. When she looked at me, surprised, I mouthed 'lift a car', and she smiled, and nodded, squeezing my hand back before pulling it back to rest in her lap as Present Mic continued, " And what a final match it's going to be! In one corner, the Polaric Powerhouse who's dominated every match he's in, the frozen fighter who stops his opponents cold, the one, the only, Shoto Todoroki!"

The crowd cheered, as the boy strode out, looking annoyed, head tracking until he spotted his father, standing, on fire, and watching in the stands, before the teen tore his gaze away to look straight forward.

" And in the other corner," the Pro Hero continued , "the clear frontrunner of this entire tournament, three hundred pounds of power in a five-pound bag, give it up for Izuku Midoriya!"

The cheers were almost deafening, even half our class whooping and hollering in support.

" Alright, let's bring this thing to a close with a fight the likes of which we haven't seen in years!" Present Mic yelled, "Begin!"

The second the sound hit us, Todoroki slammed a foot down, a mountain of ice springing up, made up of dozens of interlocking square planks that grew up in an almost flat wall, some squares sticking forward a bit for than more, spreading up to cover the entire arena in an inescapable attack.

However, Midoriya wasn't idle, immediately pushing himself up to his resting level of OfA and dashing forward. It wasn't enough to get to Todoroki before he was hidden behind a barrier of ice, not even close, but Midoriya hit the wall, not smashing through, but running up it, using the uneven nature as hand and foot holds. He crested it at speed as it passed the edge of the arena and leapt upwards, while Shoto stared forward, waiting for Midoriya to just power through it.

The ice slammed into the back wall of the arena with a resounding crash, making the thermokinetic frown, only for his head to snap upwards as Izuku, crackling with energy and spinning in a rapid somersault that almost made me nauseous just to watch, yelled " California!" Shoto threw his hand up, creating an ice-shield as Deku's spin smoothed out and he came down with a fist, screaming "Smash!"

The ice-shield shattered in an instant, sending powder shooting in every direction, creating a cloud we couldn't see into, only for Shoto to come flying out a half-second later, the shockwave clearing the mist to reveal Izuku had landed a solid blow. Todoroki was sent hurtling at his own glacier, hitting and bouncing, ice forming under him to smooth out his path until he stopped.

Midoriya smiled, right hand just slightly red, and started to dart forward, Shoto sending a chain of frozen spikes his way, the boy easily darting to the side and dodging them completely. Izuku ran up the glacier, Todoroki starting to charge as well, sliding downwards on a path of ice, frost already forming on his body.

Melee? With Midoriya? I thought, confused, but Deku didn't seem bothered by the seemingly stupid move, coming in for a punch, but, tellingly, keeping silent.

The two met, slamming into each other, their combined vectors sending them up into the air, grappling as they twisted around each other. From where Todoroki gripped Midoriya, ice spread, trying to freeze the boy in place, while Deku twisted, and, with a heave, hurled Shoto for the stands.

Deku's motion was restricted by the ice, spoiling his throw and sending the boy high instead of straight out, but with a single surge of OfA it shattered, leaving him perfectly fine. Shoto, a snarl on his face and with the extra time the bad throw gave him to react, threw out his left arm and, with a burst of flame, sent himself flying back for the arena. He barely made it, but ice grew up under him to let him hit without worrying about the edge, keeping his momentum as he slid forward.

No longer frosted over, Todoroki sped forward, throwing his right hand forward as a blast of ice, even faster than normal, seemingly almost to keep up with the boy's speed, rose beside him, before surging forward for Midoriya, following the boy as he tried to dodge, clipping him.

Izuku spun from the impact, but still moving forward as the runner of ice curled around to chase him through the air. Simultaneously, with a twist of the Shoto's foot a second stream of ice shot forward, spreading out to try to catch the boy and crush him.

If Midoriya had been me, that might have been enough.

Instead, with a cry of, "Detroit Smash!" the second blast of ice was shattered, Todoroki having to break off his attack as huge chunks were blasted in his direction. One went high, heading for the crowd in the stands, freezing its arc in mid-air before dropping straight down towards the grass outside the main arena, seemingly on its own.

Midoriya, having hidden himself among the falling ice, leapt forward towards Shoto's left side with a fist sparking with OfA, ready to lay his opponent out.

However, Todoroki, surprised, reflexively lashed out, a torrent of flame surging at the boy from point-blank, whose eyes widened as he opened his hand, and swung it forward in a wave. Green lightning surged around him as Midoriya dragged his hand to the side, twisting his entire body around as the wind pressure diverted the blast into the ice beside them, trying for a twirling kick that missed by inches, a single tongue of emerald electricity arcing from the boy's foot to drag across Todoroki's chest, the shockwave still sending the two-toned boy backwards even further.

" I thought you weren't going to use your fire," Midoriya asked, as the other boy skidded to a halt, breathing hard. "You never said why."

"I don't need to justify myself to you," the other teen shot back, left hand shaking as he clenched it, pushing it down to his waist. "And I don't need it to win."

"Yes," Izuku said, almost sadly, "You do."

The green-haired boy almost blurred as he charged, Todoroki starting to reach forward with his left, before twisting it back to his side and sending a runner of ice with his right, which Deku easily sidestepped, coming in and grabbing Todoroki by the jacket turning and twirled, throwing him, not out of bounds again, but in the direction of the glacier, giving his opponent time to recover. Midoriya kept pace with Shoto, side-stepping the blasts of ice the other boy frantically sent out.

It almost looked like Deku was toying with the teen, who, with frost once more forming on his limbs, demanded, "Why aren't you fighting!"

"I am," Izuku said, "But I'm also trying to figure out why you'll only use half your Quirk!"

Todoroki's face twisted into a snarl, as he declared "I'll never depend on his Quirk!"

"Um. . . should they be broadcasting this?" Asui asked from behind me, and I wondered exactly how much dirty laundry was about to get brought out before this fight was over.

In return, Midoriya's head cocked. "You have a copy Quirk? Wow, those are really rare! But then why don't you try others?"

Shoto sent another blast of ice, that was easily side-stepped. " Don't make fun of me! " he yelled.

"I'm not!" Izuku reassured, hands out, stepping aside to dodge another ice blast, this one much slower. "But, if you mean it's similar to your dad's, so it's 'his', well, that's not how Quirks work. Kacchan's is a mix of his parents too, though not as obvious as yours is. Uncle Masaru has acid sweat that explodes, and Aunty Mitsuki can create Glycerin, which is why he can make nitro-glycerin! That doesn't mean he's just got his dad's Quirk, or his mom's Quirk, but kind of both, together! It's something new, and something that is his, and no one else's."

"And your parents?" Shoto shot back, no longer throwing out attacks. "What part of your Quirk is like your mother's?"

"None of it, unfortunately," Izuku shrugged. "But that happens sometimes. But even if I did have something that was more like hers, that wouldn't make it her Quirk, any more than my hair would be her hair. Yeah she gave it to me, but it's still my hair. If you really don't want to use your fire, Todoroki, then okay, but, well, we're here to show what we can do, and that is part of what you can do, not what your father can."

"Midoriya's right," came Eraserhead's dry voice. " A child's Quirk is theirs, and they bear no responsibility, good or bad, for what their parents did with similar Quirks."

"So you're saying that, even if I beat you, it wouldn't be because of my father?" Shoto asked, skeptically, as if it was so obviously untrue that he felt Izuku should feel bad for even suggesting it.

Midoriya, however, just nodded. "If he trained you, then, yes, he's responsible for that because he helped you get better, just like how I wouldn't be this good if All Might hadn't gone out of his way to train me, but not because of the Quirk you have."

"Like All-Might is for you?" Todoroki echoed, and there was a moment of silence, before Midoriya reddened.

"I'm not saying he's my dad, like Endeavor is yours, just that he trained me like your dad probably did," Deku stammered, "though maybe he didn't, which would be sad, but might explain things in the long run, but I was just meaning like a teacher kind of thing and not everything else because I didn't get my Quirk from him or anything like that because, yeah, we're both power types, but we're completely different because he's all big and buff and I'm not and then there's the sparks and the glowing and he doesn't have any of that, so we can't have anything close to the same Quirk and-"

Todoroki chuckled, shutting Izuku up, as, from his position on the glacier, his left side started to spark, embers forming, and the frost on his right side slowly vanished into steam. "It really means that much to you, doesn't it?" he asked quietly.

"It's your Quirk," Midoriya shrugged. "And you were hurting yourself by thinking it wasn't. Isn't it a hero's job to help?"

The embers blossomed to full flame, whisps of steam rising up from one side of Shoto, while frost swirled on the other. "Some heroes aren't heroic, but, if the one you're looking at is All Might. . . I can see what you mean. You do know that all of this means you're going to lose , right?"

Deku shrugged, OfA spreading more thickly across his frame. "It means I might, but it'll be worth it."

Todoroki took a step forward, thrusting his left hand out to unleash a torrent of flames, Midoriya already moving, dashing to the side, ice cracking under every step, but he kept his balance circling around, darting forward towards Shoto's right hand. The boy gestured outwards, an enormous spike of ice growing up out of the pre-existing berg, almost enough for a glacier of its own, and as he looked up to watch for Midoriya to climb that, Izuku sped around the side, getting close before Todoroki spotted him.

The two-toned teen twisted, making a shield of ice, and Deku leapt high, like he had before, but went even higher than the last time, seemingly giving Shoto more time to respond. However, a second later the ice glowed from within and a tornado of flames blasted through the frozen barrier, enough to catch Deku just in time if he'd used the same move twice.

Except he hadn't.

Instead, Midoriya threw his hands out, sending himself spinning fast enough that winds started to gather around him as he plunged, feet first, into the heart of the inferno, which bulged outwards as he sped down it, landing next to a wide-eyed Todoroki, an open palm lashing out at the boy's chest, sending him flying high and past the edge of the arena.

Shoto wasn't done, though, twin jets of fire coming from his left arm and leg, pushing him back, like a rocket, as he blasted back towards Midoriya, who leapt up, arms and legs reddened from over-use, to meet him in mid-air.

A pillar of fire was thrown, and dodged, in a twirl that reminded me of Mina's own movements, and Izuku closed, punching through the ice that was thrown his way, ending right above Shoto and lashing out with an enhanced kick that sent the other boy slamming straight down.

A bloom of ice appeared beneath the teen, breaking his fall and another jet of flame pushed him to the side, sliding on ice as Midoriya punched upward, sending himself flying straight, down right at where his opponent had been a moment before with a kick that shattered both the ice and the arena below it.

Turning to face his opponent, Deku grinned, the lightning that sparked around him redoubling as the red bands grew, and it became apparent that the fight was going to be decided in the next few seconds.

Shoto, realizing this, threw both hands forward, twin blasts of fire and ice bigger than anything else he'd done before roared out for Midoriya, who nodded, dropped down on all fours, and seemed to almost vanish, throwing himself to the side, skidding up the glacier before leaping high up, ice breaking below him as he shot up into the air, almost to the clouds of vapor that'd started forming over the top of the arena.

Todoroki followed him with his gaze, firming his stance, twin vortexes of cold and heat swirling on either side. The teen stooped low before rising, almost invoking the elements as from each, swirl enormous plumes of ice and fire shot up, twisting around each other as they roared for the boy high above the arena who, with a wild grin, yelled " Arizona Smash!"

Throwing his arms backwards, twin blasts of pressure shoved the pseudo-clouds directly out of the arena as he was shot downwards by the backlash, Meeting the twister with a falling kick, like nothing so much as a meteor descending from the heavens.

With a massive blast, he tore through them, all the way down to Todoroki who threw himself to the side, still picked up and thrown from the impact as Izuku destroyed the arena floor, barely getting enough ice under him to stop from crossing the edge. The teen turned, shaking, to look at the dust cloud kicked up, which was blasted away as Midoriya, both arms and one leg purple and red with bruising, but unbroken, swept it away, turning to face his opponent with a look of pure determination.

"OH MY GOD!" Present Mic shouted. " WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?"

Taking a running stance, hurt leg buckling a little, but otherwise fine, Midoriya grit his teeth in a pained grin but was ready for one last confrontation.

Shaking like a leaf, Shoto took a stance of his own, twin plumes of fire and ice, almost like wings, extending outwards from his back.

"This isn't like watching a sports festival!" Present Mic continued, at, as if in response to some unheard signal, both teens blasted forward, Izuku leaving a trail of emerald lightning as he tore up the ground, while Todoroki was carried forward on twin trails of frost and fire, "This is like watching Endeavor himself throw down with All Might!"

At the words, both teens half a second from meeting, Shoto stumbled, his flame vanishing in an instant, trying to correct with pure ice but unable to as Deku, with a cry of, " Detroit Smash!" slammed a fist directly for Todoroki's chest. Shoto tried to throw up an ice shield, only to have it broken completely, the shockwave blasting the boy back, and through layer after layer of ice that he tried to form behind himself, ending his flight only a few feet before the wall, out cold, feet resting firmly on the grass.

"Mic. We're going to have words later," Aizawa promised, the crowd silent, as Midnight took a step out of a concrete bunker I hadn't noticed, built to be flush with the side of the arena.

Izuku's left arm was, once again, hanging limply by his side, and he looked like hell, but he stood, breathing hard, unbroken.

Ms. Midnight gave the green-haired boy a wary look, glancing only a moment at Todoroki, before holding her flog up and announced, " Izuku Midoriya is the winner by ri-!"

" NO!" a voice called from the stands, and I could see Endeavor turn his back on the arena, stomping away angrily.

"As I was saying," Midnight reiterated, " Izuku Midoriya is the winner by ring out!"

The crowd lost their damn minds, as the boy glanced up, seemingly having forgotten about us, and gave us all a weary grin, waving a bruised and bloodied arm, before turning and asking Ms. Midnight something that was lost in the cheers. The woman shook her head, saying something which made his shoulders drop in relief, nod, give the crowd another wave and weary smile, and head towards the exit, as two robots, with a stretcher between them, rolled out, paused and then started to pick their way through the wreckage towards Todoroki.

"Recovery Girl is not gonna be happy with him," I chuckled, the crowd still going wild, feeling a bit better about my defeat at the teen's hands, even if it underlined the point that, for all of my gifts, I was not the frontrunner here. Glancing at the other students, who still looked in shock from what just transpired, I verbally prodded, "Uraraka?"

"Huh? What is it?" she asked, blinking, dragging her attention over the broken battleground that had once been an arena.

"Midoriya's gonna be going to get healed, but, with his injuries, he might need some help once the adrenaline fades," I told her, seeing if she connected the dots.

She did, blushing as she stood. "Oh, I-I guess I should go see if he does," she stated, making her way for the door, only for Asui to also stand. "Tsu?"

"I'm going to go see if he needs help too, ribbit," the girl stated, almost challengingly.

The anti-gravity specialist hesitated, before blushing even brighter for a moment, and nodded. "I, okay. We should get going."

With both girls gone, and the crowd's cheers finally dying down, Present Mic's voice could clearly be heard, " And, with that, the final match of the Freshman UA Sports Festival is over! The First Year Champion is: Izuku Midoriya from Class 1-A!"

AN: As always, next three chapters up on ! Also, for those of you who were complaining, now that it's not ~20 back to back fight scenes, the music cues will be more spread out. Though, when big fight scenes happen, they'll likely make a comeback.