Chapter 36: Brother's Keeper
The battle between Todoroki and Tokoyami was exhilarating. Aside from my match against Katsuki, it may very well have been the best battle up to that point in the Sports Festival. Todoroki's continued refusal to utilize his left side ensured that the fight was far more even than it had any right to be, with Dark Shadow forcing him to remain in a near constant state of defense.
Unfortunately for me, I was unable to enjoy a single moment of it.
Iida had left the Sports Festival immediately after he told me what happened, leaving me to contemplate not only the immense personal loss suffered by my friend, but what it meant for the future, as well.
In canon, Stain had left Tensei grievously wounded and ultimately paralyzed below the waist. That had led Tenya to attempt to hunt down Stain in the midst of the Nomu attack on Hosu City. Now, with Tensei dead, my original plan for handling our internships had been thrown into a flux.
In theory, nothing had changed. Tenya could hardly go wandering through Hosu by himself. He wouldn't be able to go an hour before some pro or another stopped him and sent him home. Therefore, he would have no choice but to wait for the internships like he did canonically. But, with Tensei dead instead of injured, it was possible that U.A. would take notice of Tenya signing on with a pro hero that was, frankly, well below his pedigree.
Did Aizawa and the rest of the staff say or do anything about Iida going to Hosu for his internship in canon? I can see them blocking it to be safe, but I can also see them letting him go as a form of coming to terms with what happened. To make matters even worse, Iida is easily capable of fooling people into believing that he just wants to take responsibility for his brother's area of operations, and that vengeance has nothing to do with it.
Racking my brain, I cursed myself for being unable to remember the fine details of Iida's internship. What was supposed to be a simple reproduction of what happened canonically, had instead derailed into a rapidly diverging web of possibilities, many of which held the potential to result in Iida's death.
And the Sports Festival isn't even over yet!
Grinding my teeth, I began to pour over potential solutions. If I brought my concerns to Aizawa, it was likely that Iida would be barred from Hosu, but who knew what that could do to his mental state. On the other hand, if I did nothing, there was no guarantee that Iida wouldn't do something reckless before the Nomu attack. The results of that could vary anywhere from Iida being sent home early for disobeying orders to him being killed by Stain before I even knew what was happening.
I growled in frustration, desperately resisting the urge to punch a hole through the concrete parapet in front of me.
"What's wrong, Midoriya? Were you hoping for Tokoyami instead? Can't say I blame you." Kaminari teased from somewhere behind me.
Forced back to the present, I looked up from my lap to see Tokoyami encased in a pillar of ice and a visibly irritated Todoroki patting down his torn and tattered gym uniform.
Only surprise there is how long it took. I thought apathetically.
Ignoring both Kaminari's words and Present Mic's triumphant announcement of Todoroki's victory, I turned to my left. Momo was curled up knees-to-chest in the seat next to me as she had been since shortly after my return, looking as though it was taking every ounce of her willpower to not throw up.
With Tenya's permission, the first thing I had done upon returning to our class' suite was ask Momo to speak with me in the hall. The whoops and whistles had been torrential, made even worse by the scarlet blush on Momo's face as she hurried to follow me into the hall. When the two of us returned a few minutes later, Momo white as a sheet, the teasing had been markedly absent.
I immediately received a barrage of questions, but after I refused to answer them, most of the class brushed Momo and I's distress off as something personal. Mineta had even whispered to Sero that it may have been a 'monthly' issue. A swift Delaware Smash had sent the boy tumbling and silenced the rest of the class' speculation, leaving only the more perceptive amongst them such as Jiro and Shoji to continue casting the two of us worried looks.
"Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, can you please step out with me for a moment?"
Looking over my shoulder, my stomach curled into a knot at the sight of Aizawa atop the stairs. Our teacher stood ramrod straight with his hair pulled back into a neat bun, any trace of his usual aloofness utterly absent, replaced by cool professionalism.
Turning back to my fellow class representative, I winced at the miserable expression on Momo's face. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and her shoulders trembled lightly as she nodded silently at Aizawa. Placing a comforting hand on her back, I gently brought her to her feet alongside me.
As the two of us made our way up the stairs to join Aizawa, I sent a reassuring smile to our classmates, who looked on in mounting anxiety.
Stepping out into the hall, Aizawa leaned against the wall opposite us and stared despondently at the ground for several seconds.
Sighing heavily, he raised his head and began to speak. "There's something the two of you…" He halted abruptly as his eyes met ours. "You already know." He stated rhetorically.
"Iida told me, and I told Yaoyorozu. The rest of the class doesn't know yet." I confirmed sadly.
Aizawa's face fell, but after a brief moment he nodded in understanding. "Alright, well, I don't have much more information than you do at this point. The Hosu police department has confirmed that Ingenium, Iida's brother, was killed today, but the circumstances are still under investigation."
"Do they know what happened? I know the Hero Killer is supposedly active in Hosu right now…" I trailed off.
Aizawa turned his head to stare down the empty hall. "They don't know for certain. Initial indications are that the Hero Killer may have been involved, but he usually operates at night, so we may be dealing with a copycat killer."
Momo choked back a sob beside me, muttering Iida's name pityingly.
Looking back to us, Aizawa shook his head mournfully. "Let the police and the pros handle the investigation. I'll tell the rest of the class before you're dismissed for the day. I only pulled you two aside because I know some of your classmates will look to you for support and I didn't want you to be caught off guard." Shifting his focus to me, our teacher gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry to drop this on you just before the final, Midoriya."
"It's fine. This is more important, anyway. I offered to withdraw from the tournament and go to Hosu with Iida, but he insisted I stay." I replied with a dismissive wave, earning looks of surprise from Aizawa and Momo.
My words sparked Momo's resolve, and she addressed our teacher with renewed determination. "Is there anything we can do to help?"
"No, let the teachers handle this. Iida will need a warm welcome when he comes back, but until then, focus on your own studies." Aizawa answered immediately before checking something on his phone and meeting my gaze. "Midoriya, the schedule is still condensed because of the mess you, Todoroki, and Bakugou made in the earlier rounds. We've moved one of the second year quarterfinals to this stadium to keep the crowd busy and give Tokoyami time to recover before the third place match, but you still only have around an hour and a half before the final. I suggest you prepare yourself." He advised as he began to walk down the hallway back towards the announcers booth.
Halting after a few steps, Aizawa looked over his shoulder. "And try not to blow up the stadium this time."
Remembering how events unfolded canonically, I rubbed the back of my head and offered him a sheepish smile. "I can't promise that."
Aizawa sighed heavily before continuing down the hall, grumbling under his breath about 'problem children'.
Absorbed in thought as I was, I very nearly ran headlong into the human wall that was Endeavor whilst on my way down to the field tunnel. Enji Todoroki couldn't have been more than an inch or two taller than I was, but his sheer muscle mass leant him an undeniably imposing physique.
That, is a large man…
The veteran pro didn't so much as flinch at my sudden appearance, but I couldn't fail to notice the spark of anger that flashed through his turquoise eyes as he turned to face me.
"Ah, I was looking for you." He stated cooly.
My brow furrowed slightly at his frigid tone of address. I remember him being quite polite in canon. Then again, my relationship with All Might is all but official at this point, rather than just being a general similarity.
I acknowledged him with a respectful nod. "Endeavor. It's an honor, sir. What can I do for you?"
"I watched your fights with that delinquent and the girl with the vines." Endeavor began, ignorant of my desperate attempts to restrain my laughter at his description of Katsuki. "Your power is very impressive. To possess so much strength is truly remarkable." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Though, I suppose that is a fitting quirk for All Might's protege."
When I remained silent, Endeavor continued. "It's my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might as the number one hero, and his match with you will be a good benchmark for both how far he has progressed, and how much he still needs to push himself." His tone hardened, a touch of irritation infusing his words. "Shoto is in a bit of a rebellious phase right now, and is refusing to utilize his more powerful flames. Even so, you forced him to use his fire during the second event. Perhaps you can make him realize how foolish it is to handicap himself. So I ask that you hit him hard. Don't disgrace yourself or him by holding back."
I nodded in silent acceptance. Endeavor studied me a moment longer before turning on his heel and making his way back down the hall from whence he came.
"That was all I had to say. I apologize for interrupting your preparation." He said as he walked away.
I allowed him to go no further than a few paces before calling out, halting Endeavor in his tracks. He looked back at me over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow, an action that would be considered quite ordinary if not for the dancing flames that encompassed his eyes.
"Shoto despises you." I stated plainly.
As expected, Endeavor's glare sharpened to a razor's edge, but he remained fixed in place. I had no doubt that if it wasn't for my status as a minor, I would almost certainly have a very displeased number two hero inside my personal space.
"I won't speculate as to whether or not that is the reason for his refusal to utilize his left side, but I will tell you the same thing I told him. You may be his father, but Shoto is not you." I continued resolutely.
Endeavor's eyes were alight with suppressed anger, a sight made all the more intimidating by the surging flames around him.
"I do have a suggestion for you, however." Endeavor finally turned to face me fully, his face thunderous, but before he could express his outrage at my impudence, I pressed on. "Have you ever wondered why Shoto is here? At U.A., I mean. He loathes you, after all. So why is it that he hasn't refused to pursue heroism outright? Would that not be a far more spiteful action than simply refusing to utilize the power he inherited from you?"
My unexpected question caught Endeavor off guard, and the anger building within him lessened somewhat, replaced by confusion as he pondered my question.
Seizing on his uncertainty, I brought our discussion to an end. "Maybe you should consider asking Shoto why it is that he wants to be a hero."
I proceeded down the hall without looking back, leaving the Flame Hero to his contemplation.