Chapter 21: (Episode 19: The Boy Born with Everything)
"The world has become a superhuman society, and about eighty percent of the world's population now has some kind of special trait."
"Ah nah- FUCK this! I don't wanna hear it, Deku!"
"At least it only plays when someone new shows up… Imagine how annoying it would be if this sequence played for every single episode." Hanta pointed out with a sly smirk at Katsuki, the blond groaning as he slumped into his seat, unaware of how Izuku had jumped at his name while Ochaco glared daggers into his skull.
"Would get boring so fast."
When Enji caught a look at his son's costume, he grumbled under his breath with a click of his tongue, "What an embarrassment of a costume…"
"If I may, Endeavor, sir, I believe that is not the appropriate response to have."
"Hey, Iida-"
"Especially as Todoroki-kun is your son, parents should be supportive and help their children to grow into the adults that can function in our society." Tenya moved his hand up and down while he spoke to Enji, whose blazing eyes narrowed down to the boy.
"You are in no position to lecture me about raising a child."
"Perhaps not, but I am simply speaking on how my mother and father brought up my brother and I."
"Obviously, they did not teach you any manners; speaking to a professional hero, such as myself, in that kind of tone." Enji sneered down at the blue-haired teen, Tenya gaping as he flinched back.
"I'll have you know, Endeavor sir, Iida is the most well-behaved student here in this theater, him and Yaoyorozu." Denki spun around next to tell off the number two hero, reaching over to take Tenya's glasses from him and place them on his face, "And this is coming from someone who is a dumb guy in a smart setting and- Holy shit, Iida, how do you see in these…?!"
"I can not see without them, so please give them back, Kaminari-kun…!"
"'A dumb guy in a smart setting'...?" Rikido chuckled to that phrase.
"I do not need to be lectured by children who are obviously not prepared for the world of heroism. Zip up and stay silent, Shoto and I must get back home as soon as possible so that he may resume his training. He has no time to slack off."
"It is advisable to take a moment of rest every now and then, otherwise you will only wear yourself to exhaustion." Momo, ignoring Enji's first statement, continued from where Tenya left off, glancing back at the man's blazing glare while she remarked, "And just so you are aware, Endeavor-san, while Todoroki-san may have been trained by a professional pro hero, it is common knowledge that one should not undermine those around them. For it will simply be their downfall."
"Yeah, we learned that pretty good yesterday…!"
"'Yesterday', you say? Meaning you have been here for several days?"
"Just two." Denki clarified, holding up his index and middle fingers before jamming to the ending segment of the song as he 'held up a peace sign'.
As the opening visuals came to an end, Enji looked back up to the screen and found a different costume that his boy was wearing this time, narrowing his eyes at the drastic difference. Meanwhile, Shoto was clenching and unclenching his fists, still wondering why he would switch out his costume into the one that was shown. Of course he would never decide that himself, so he must have had outside influence for the decision.
And he couldn't help but feel like it was either Enji or Izuku's influence.
'The feelings of the three… who trust in me…' Midoriya thought as he called upon One for All, Todoroki gaping at the sudden aura coming from his opponent, the greenet aiming for what they had lost as he screamed in his heart, 'I'm carrying all that right now!'
"I took the one on his head where his guard was the weakest. Midoriya, this was thanks to the opening you created with your last spurt." Tokoyami pointed to Dark Shadow, as she held the headband in her shadowy beak while she sent Midoriya a thumbs up.
"In fourth place, Team Midoriya!" Mic's final call came, Midoriya bursting into tears that sprayed from his eyes, breaking the cement by the pressure while the announcer wrapped up the cavalry battle, "They will advance to the final round!"
Title screen 'Episode 19. The Boy Born with Everything'
"Still have no idea how that was humanly possible…" Minoru hummed about Izuku's tears breaking the ground, but it seemed that logic would have to wait.
"Now, we'll break for lunch before we start the afternoon festivities! See ya!" Mic signed off after that, the audience and students heading out of the stadium to find something to eat.
"I'm hungry!"
"Food!"
"Let's hurry up and go eat."
"You know, I'm getting kind of hungry, too…"
"I'm certain lunch will be soon, Young Uraraka."
Todoroki stared back at Midoriya, choosing to ignore the greenet's question of what he wanted to talk about with him. Meanwhile, the other boy was a little unsure about what was going on.
"If we don't hurry, the cafeteria will probably be really crowded… Um…" Midoriya tried again, but Todoroki still refused to answer him or say anything, his piercing eyes just staring at him. His demeanor caused him to gulp, sweating nervously as he thought while looking back, 'He gives off a cold intimidation, different from Kacchan…'
"I was overpowered." Todoroki finally said, causing him to gasp out of surprise before he registered the words his classmate spoke, confusing Midoriya until the other boy explained, "So much so that I broke my pledge."
Subconsciously, his emerald eyes strayed to the hand resting in Todoroki's pocket, with Midoriya noticing, 'He didn't use it even if it would be to his advantage… His left side…'
"Why make a pledge like that? You're only holding yourself back, kero."
"T-Tsuyu-chan, I think we'll find out soon…!" Minoru nervously spoke, trying to stop the greenette from saying something too bluntly with Shoto gritting his teeth as he knew exactly where this conversation might go.
And he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or anxious.
"-Uraraka… None of them felt it." Todoroki declared about their teammates, recalling the spiteful last minute of him willingly using the fire side of his quirk as he continued, "At that last instant, I was the only one who was overpowered. Only me, who had experienced All Might's full power up close."
With another overview of Toshinori's fight with Nomu, the ones who witnessed it smiled at the fight, whereas Tomura spat with disgust when it replayed. Meanwhile, the two who had never seen it nor were even told about the attack, were a bit curious as to what went down and who this villain was. Enji didn't ask any questions, since he was surrounded by children, but Hitoshi had a few.
"What… What was that just now?"
"I'll explain at lunch, I promise." Shota quickly said, hardly acknowledging Hitoshi as he had a hunch this conversation between the two boys would be important for later reference.
"It means I felt something similar coming from you." Todoroki intensely stared at the palm of his hand while addressing Midoriya, who sharply inhaled with the fear of someone else figuring out his relation to All Might. Bringing his hand down to glare at his classmate, the two-toned teen genuinely asked the curly-haired greenet, "Midoriya, are you… All Might's secret love child or something?"
Midoriya had no idea how to respond to that.
Izuku wasn't sure how to feel about that. The question sounded like a joke that would be told by Denki, but it was said with the most serious tone and the surprise of it coming from Shoto of all people threw him off.
And he wasn't the only one; nervous laughter echoing around the theater with Tomura's loud outburst overshadowing everyone's nerves. Enji seemed to be the only one keeping it together, Shota even thrown for a loop along with Hitoshi while Toshinori really didn't know how to take that question. Whatever made Shoto come to that conclusion.
'Secret… love child…?!' Midoriya panicked internally as he held Todoroki's glare.
'All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?'
'I-I see… So that's what he was thinking!' Midoriya realized just what his classmate meant by that question before the tournament, now completely lost.
"Well? Are you?"
"Todoroki…! He's so dense…!"
"I was gonna say straight to the point… Wow, Todoroki really just came out and asked that…!" Hanta chuckled into his fist while Mina giggled over Izuku's stuttering defensive on screen.
"Honestly, I wouldn't know what to say either, Deku-kun…" Ochaco awkwardly laughed, glancing at the greenet boy beside her, Izuku lost in his thoughts for that exact reason.
"-you something… Why do you think that about me…?"
"Since you said, 'that's now how it is', that means there's a connection between you two that you can't talk about, right?" Todoroki, completely ignoring Midoriya's question, wondered about the wording to what he asked, which caught the greenet off guard as he looked away, unresponsive replying. Taking it as a sign to keep talking, the red and white-haired student sighed, "Endeavor's my old man. I'm sure you know that he's been stuck as the number two hero for forever."
Enji scoffed at that fact while the kids on the fifth row scooted closer to the edge.
"If you have something from the number one hero, then I…"
"What did I say- Rivalry…!" Kyoka whispered to Toru before the scene changed, going back to Toshinori and Enji.
"Hey! Long time no see. Let's have tea, Endeavor."
"All Might…" Endeavor's flames flickered at the sound of All Might, glaring back at his long-time competitor.
"I haven't seen you since that talk we had with the press ten years ago, huh? I saw you, so I thought I'd say hi."
"I see. Well, you've already done that. Leave me." Endeavor huffed as he turned back around, continuing down the stairwell, much to All Might's dismay, while the flame hero spat under his breath, "Tea? What a joke."
"Don't… think he was joking…" Denki scarcely whispered while he couldn't help but feel like the room got a little warmer.
Disregarding Endeavor's earlier attempt of dismissal, All Might laughed out loud as he somersaulted over the other, landing just in front of him on the set of stairs as he bellowed, "Don't be so cold!"
''Cold'...? Cold…?!' Shoto couldn't stop the anger that began to boil underneath this skin, as Izuku had described him the same way.
"Your son, Young Shoto, did wonderfully without even using half of his power. Is it because he was taught well?"
"More than perfect. If only he wasn't so rebellious…" Enji grumbled, his response unsettling a few of the teens while Toshinori and Shota couldn't help but feel there was more than what was implied.
"-to know how to raise the next generation." All Might replied to Endeavor when he asked what he wanted, and being an educator to his child, the new teacher figured asking the parent directly would be the best route.
"Do you think I'd tell you?" Endeavor rhetorically answered, heading to walk past the blond hero as he bumped his shoulder, insulting the man on his way out, "You look clueless as usual, and it's getting on my nerves."
"Talk about rude… Hasn't seen you in ten years and that's how he acts…?" Ochaco huffed under her breath, crossing her arms while her cheeks puffed out in irritation.
"Childish…"
More people in the theater were now absolutely certain that there was more to it than that.
"-remember this… I will make that into a hero that will surpass you one day." Endeavor had his back turned to All Might as he spoke, his lips upturning into a vicious grin as he declared, "That was why I created him."
"'That'?" Denki repeated, turning back around to glare at Enji just as the man's blazing gaze looked down on him, the blond spitting through his teeth, "Oh, you son of a bitch-"
"Kaminari-kun, how dare you say something so vulgar to a hero-"
"NO, how dare you dehumanize your own fucking child like that! What kind of a person does that?!" Denki exclaimed over Tenya, who faltered at scolding him back by what he said, others in the theater also shocked by this revelation. Everyone except for the father and son themselves.
Shoto was used to it by now, letting his father's word affect him was another weakness he had to overcome. Enji simply narrowed his eyes back down to the boy, him and Denki evenly glaring at each other until the adult looked away. Seeing how the man was unphased by the student calling him out, Shota rested a protective hand on the teen's shoulder, squeezing lightly.
"My old man has a strong desire to rise in the world." Todoroki began explaining to Midoriya, his calculated eyes watching the dark hallway leading into the stadium as he went on to say, "As a hero, he won a name for himself with crushing force. Because of that, the living legend, All Might, is a great eyesore to him. Since he couldn't surpass All Might, he moved onto his next plan."
Enji scoffed at what was being said, but didn't deny it, which had Toshinori feeling a little down to know that was how he was seen by the other. But that was soon brushed away by what Shoto had said next.
"What plan…?" Tsuyu was scared to find out, asking regardlessly, with Shoto swallowing the lump in his throat.
"-Todoroki-kun…?" Midoriya wondered what his classmate was talking about, his heterochromatic eyes turning back to him as the greenet asked nervously, "What are you trying to tell me?"
"You've heard of quirk marriages, right?"
Those who knew gasped, loudly, Toshinori placed a hand over his mouth, trembling as he uttered, "Endeavor, you…"
'Shit… Why did you have to mention that…?!' Shoto averted his eyes from the screen, but there was no way he could tune this out. However, he shook off Shota's hand, the black-haired hero too engrossed in what was being said on TV to notice.
"That thing that became a problem for the second and third generation after superpowers appeared. Choosing a spouse based only on strengthening your own quirk and passing it onto your children, forcing people into marriage. The old-fashioned way of thinking brought about by a lack of ethics. He is a man with both accomplishments and money. He won over my mother's relatives and got a hold of my mother's quirk. He is trying to fulfill his own desire by raising me to be a hero to surpass All Might."
Midoriya couldn't believe what he was hearing, frozen with his back against the wall as he listened to what his classmate had been enduring for his whole life.
"It's so annoying… I won't become the tool of scum like that." Todoroki spat out as he glared at the floor under his feet. A white-haired woman came to his mind, raising his left hand as he told Midoriya, "In my memories, my mother is always crying… 'Your left side is unsightly', my mother said as she poured boiling water on me."
Todoroki placed his hand over the scar on his left eye, just another reminder of his traumatic past as he ran it down the affected area. Midoriya was filled with dread as he continued listening to all this, shuddering at the imagery of the words that were being described to him and how he would have never expected this from a hero. The number two hero of all people.
"Basically, I picked a fight with you to show him what I can do, without using my damn old man's quirk…" Todoroki, taking his hand away from his eye, glared at Midoriya with hatred in his heart as he declared with resolve, "No… I'll reject him completely by winning first place without using it."
When Katsuki was shown to have been listening in on the conversation, the room took it as a sign, allowing them to let go of the breath they had been holding. What Shoto spoke of was a heavy topic, something that most of them didn't know because it was quickly brushed over in classes. Even those who did know about this inhumanity, just hearing what the boy described of it chilled them to the bone. Denki was a different story, however.
Standing up and turning his neck to sharply glare at Enji, the blond teen spoke with venom on his tongue as he snapped, "I hope you rot in hell."
The look that Enji gave back to Denki was one that scared the kids when they saw it, the electric-quirked student already on a pathway down to the first row to sit beside Shoto. Rikido and also quickly retreated, petrified of the hero's glare as they made haste to join Mashirao on the third row. Tenya reunited himself with Izuku and Ochaco, sitting beside Fumikage while Momo came back to Kyoka and Toru, the two girls gripping the other female's arm as she quivered.
Meanwhile, Yuga was in complete shock, a hand over his open lips with his lavender gaze flickering as he watched the screen. His question to Shoto from yesterday rang in his head, horrified that he had asked about something so sensitive and phrased it as a simple favor. He had to apologize to him, both him and Mashirao, but the two-toned boy first.
And while all this was going on, Tomura was… laughing.
It started off slow and quiet, soaking in the information that was shared so openly and how vulnerable it could make Enji if this were to ever get out. And the thought of that made him cackle more, louder and louder until it covered the entire theater room.
"OH…! Oh, who thought…! Who would have thought…! The great Endeavor- The number two hero; someone who saves and protects the city…! Who would have thought… that he could do something like this…! To his own goddamn son!" Tomura laughed, he laughed even as his sides hurt and his grin ached, wiping a stray tear from his eye as he gasped, "Oh this is too good- This is TOO GOOD! It's your grave, Endeavor!"
Leaning over the side of the sofa, with a smile so manic it scared the students, Tomura locked his crimson eyes on Enji as he exclaimed with glee, "WHO WOULD HAVE SEEN THIS COMING?! A HERO- ABUSING HIS OWN FAMILY?! WHAT A JOKE- A LAUGHABLE JOKE, BUT IT'S TRUE!"
Shoto trembled as Tomura continued to laugh, Denki noticing this as he slipped around to sit beside him, wishing he could do something to comfort him.
"Todoroki- Todoroki, hey, look at me." Shota gently shook the teen's shoulder, helping Shoto focus before he could spiral into a panic attack. When his turquoise eye turned up to look into his dark gaze, the teacher tried not to waver at the sight of the healed scar, reassuring his student, "Shoto, I know none of this is something you wanted anyone to know, and for that, I am sorry, but kid, I won't allow him to come near you while we're here, understood?"
"And hey, once we get back, with enough evidence taken to the police, they should be able to take Endeavor's hero license away, right…? I mean, he shouldn't be a hero if he treats his own kid like that…!"
"It's not that simple, Kaminari." Shota remarked, Denki faltering as he looked at the pro hero while he stated, "Endeavor is a powerful hero with fame and money, as Todoroki said. Unfortunately, even with more than enough evidence to prove this abuse, the Hero Commission would only raise defense in Endeavor's case."
"But… they… they can't just- that can't be right…! Endeavor would be ridiculed if this got out…!"
"As a hero, just like All Might, he keeps the peace and helps crime rates stay down… As much as I agree with you, this is unfortunately something entirely out of our control…"
Denki gritted his teeth at this, refusing to believe it as he turned back to Shoto next, tapping the boy's leg as he called, "Todoroki. Todoroki, you want to bring Endeavor down, right? I bet you're the one most frustrated, so if you-"
"Stop it- Just don't." Shoto hissed out, Denki flinching back while he still refused to meet anyone's eye, spitting under his breath, "You don't know anything."
'Then tell me…' Denki swallowed the words, knowing that if he said them out loud, it could potentially cause more problems. He hated seeing someone in pain, especially pain that could be eased if he would just open out. It wasn't right when someone chose to suffer alone, everyone needed that support in their life because people could break.
And Denki couldn't bear to see another person crack like that.
"-want to be like him." Midoriya spoke to Todoroki when he tried to leave, getting him to stay as he continued and told the boy about his dream, "In order to do that, I have to be strong enough to become number one. My motivation might seem trivial compared to yours, but I can't lose, either. I have to live up to the hopes of those who supported me."
Glancing back to the greenet, Todoroki let the wind blow through his hair as Midoriya clenched his fist and said with their eyes locked, "That declaration of war you gave earlier… I'll return that. I will beat you, too!"
Two boys that aimed for the same goal with differing reasons to accomplish them. One that was trained and prepared since birth for this day while the other glorified the position and proved his worth here just to make it to where he is now.
Todoroki stared back at his rival before tearing his gaze away so he could walk back to the school, satisfied that his words were heard and the challenge was mutual. Meanwhile, watching his classmate go, Midoriya brought his hand back down to his side while wondering what he could do for the boy; to give him the same support and help that he had received.
A hand was placed on his shoulder, startling Izuku out of his concentration before he saw Toshinori's sheepish look, his bony hands raised in surrender while he relaxed.
"My apologies, Young Midoriya, but I wished to tell you that I think you handled that well…"
Izuku was a bit taken aback by that, blinking in surprise as he asked, "R-Really…?"
"Oh yeah…!" Ochaco breathed out heavily with the curly-haired teen glancing at her as she sighed when she caught his eye, "I don't know what I would have said if Todoroki-kun had told me all that…"
"Sometimes words are not needed-" Fumikage mused, Tenya slowly nodding while the boy dipped his beak, "-and sometimes the right words are necessary for the battles to come."
"Battles? What battles?"
"The final round of the Sports Festival. Where we fight individually with our own strength."
"Oh… Right, those…!" Ochaco gasped, sitting up in her seat before slumping back down as she feared for Izuku's first match to be against Shoto.
As the students reentered the stadium with the crowd cheering for the final event of the festival, their eyes gazed upon a shocking sight, some blushing while Monoma chose to look away.
"What are they doing?" Aizawa wondered as he caught the girls of his class wearing the cheerleading outfits that the Americans had on.
"What's the matter, Class A? What kind of fan service is this…?!" Mic exclaimed while the six girls of the class looked upon the audience with betrayal in their eyes.
When Denki and Minoru were shown on screen, content and happy, they were both a little shocked by this while the three girls together on the second row glared at one of the two. Tsuyu stood up instead and walked over to sit beside Toru again, much to the purple-ball boy's dismay.
"Tsuyu-chan, why…?!"
"I could ask you the same question, Mineta-chan."
"I-I'm sorry- I don't know what I did…!"
"Looks like we're about to find out…!" Kyoka groaned, clenching her teeth as the episode went back to when they were in the school having lunch, as Izuku and Shoto were talking.
"Did you need something?"
"We'll, I'm sure you already know since you're a class rep and all, but they said everyone has to wear those clothes to do a cheer battle in the afternoon."
"Huh?!" Jiro didn't like the sound of that, Mineta pointing to a group of American girls as they sprinted through the cafeteria.
"I didn't hear anything about an event like that, though…" Yaoyorozu quirked an eyebrow down to her classmate, with Mineta having his back to the girl as he couldn't contain the grin creeping up his lips.
"You don't have to believe me, but we heard it from Aizawa Sensei. I thought maybe you'd forgotten, so I'd tell you just in case."
"Why would you trust a word of what that perv says…?! It's like he said, you're the class rep, so youshould obviously have remembered that he didn't say anything like that…!" Kyoka exclaimed over to Momo, who was offended for being deceived by the two men, but was also slightly ashamed that she chose to believe their word for it instead of asking Shota or even another teacher instead.
"Mineta-kun, uncalled for! You too, Kaminari-kun! Shame on you two!"
"I-I didn't do that…! It looked like it was all Mineta's idea, anyway!"
"Oh, throw me under the bus, huh, Kaminari…?! You should be grateful- I got your girl-"
"Stop that because you know that's not it!"
Minoru was about to say something in return before he caught Shota's eye, swallowing the words he was about to throw out at the harsh stare the man was giving him. This was obviously him wanting to see if he had learned anything from their talk last night, so he stayed quiet and thought to himself about the situation.
"Let's have fun competing in the recreational games! When that's over, the sixteen from the four teams that made it to the final round will duke it out tournament style, one-on-one!"
"Still don't understand why I'm on Shinso-kun's team…"
"We'll probably find out soon, judging from the glare you were sending him…" Rikido pointed out to Mashirao from when it presented the four teams advancing to the final round, Koji slowly nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, I can only hope…"
"Was it a tournament last year?"
"It's different every year, but there's a one-on-one competition every year. Last year, it was a sports chanbara match." Sero replied to Ashido's question, Uraraka listening from behind as Yaoyorozu was still ashamed of their clothing.
"Oh, a chanbara match, huh? Guess we know what one event's gonna be for this year…!"
"Spoilers…"
"-games and then start. The sixteen finalists can choose whether or not they want to participate in the recreation. I'm sure some of you want to rest or save your strength." Midnight addressed the group of students in the front, the sixteen who would be participating in the third round. Holding a yellow box labeled 'LOTS', she moved to one side of the podium while she spoke, "Now, from the first place team-"
"Um…!" Ojiro uttered, raising his hand while everyone's attention turned to him as he softly called, "Excuse me. I'm withdrawing."
Gasps exploded from around the room, as well as Mashirao blinking in surprise at this.
'Why would I want that…? I mean, if I think about it, maybe I didn't choose to be on Shinso-kun's team, but then… Would that mean he forced me to team up with him? No, no, no, it was probably just slim pickings… maybe…'
"Why…?"
"I don't know…" Mashirao whispered back to the brunet, Rikido and Koji exchanging a look before they turned back to the TV for answers.
"-why?"
"This is a rare chance for pros to see you!" Iida exclaimed while Ojiro placed his hand back down.
"I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until almost the end."
Hitoshi took note of his wording and spat under his breath, unknowing of Shota's watchful eyes on him.
"I think it was that guy's quirk."
'If I remember correctly, Ojiro-kun was with…' Midoriya scanned through the sea of students before spotting the purplenet from before, the general course student, Shinso, watching him turn away from the tail-quirked boy.
"I know that this is a great chance… and that it's foolish to waste it…"
"Ojiro-kun…"
"But-" Ojiro's exclamation took those around him by surprise, staring down as he clenched his fist to say, "Everyone here competed by giving it their all. I can't… I can't be up here with everyone without knowing… what really happened."
"You're worrying too much about it! You should just make sure you produce results in the finals!" Hagakure tried to comfort Ojiro's anguish, shaking her pom poms and Jiro agreeing with her.
"If you're gonna say that, I didn't do anything either." Ashido also attempted to reassure him, but that only caused Ojiro to shake in place before resting a hand over his eyes in shame.
"That's not it… I'm talking about my pride here… I can't…" Ojiro shuddered, his words affecting Midoriya and Iida as they gaped, the greenet dipping his chin in thought. Though, the blond must have taken note of his female classmates' change of clothing as he asked suddenly, "Also, why are you guys wearing cheerleader outfits?"
"Don't try to change the subject, Ojiro-chan. Also, I agree with Toru-chan that competing in the final round would make up for what you couldn't show in the cavalry battle, kero."
"While I don't disagree with either of you, it just… it doesn't seem right for me to accept that…" Mashirao clenched his fists over his knees, listening to the other member of their team, Nirengeki, share the same feelings as him.
"So manly…!"
"No, they're idiots…" Tomura scoffed with a few of the students glaring in his direction.
"They're so manly!"
"This is an unusual turn of events…" Mic hummed into the speaker.
"We'll have to see what the chief umpire, Midnight, has to say about this…" Aizawa stated about the current situation, the students watching Midnight idly as she made a decision for the two boys.
"Youthful talk like that is something…" Midnight drawled before she flashed her whip, grinning as she accepted, "...I like! Shoda! Ojiro! I accept your withdrawal!"
"I thought she said we could choose to withdraw… not that she needed to decide if we could withdraw or not…"
"It wasn't in the fine print." Fumikage declared, which made Ochaco confused by his response.
"-two people from the fifth place cavalry battle team…"
"If that's what's going to happen, then rather than us, who barely did anything during the cavalry battle, it should be them, right?" the orange-haired girl from earlier spoke up, looking over to her other teammates as she asked for their opinion on the matter too, wondering, "Right?"
As her three teammates agreed to their leader's decision, the girl turned back to Midnight and recommended another team for the final round, "The ones who fought to the end and stayed in the top, Team Tetsutetsu, right?"
"Kendo…!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed back to the girl, Kendo, who smirked as she rested her teal gaze on him.
"This isn't collision or anything. It just makes sense."
"If they think this is going to get the attention of pro heroes, they're dead wrong." Katsuki spat out, his words catching Eijiro as he glanced over at the blond.
"I mean, I think they're doing it just to be nice…?"
"Being 'nice' isn't going to get you to number one…"
Eijiro considered that with a tilt of his head as he replied hesitantly, "Yeah, I guess… but, um, I still think it's a little manly…"
"Then you're just like those bozos." Katsuki scoffed, which caused Eijiro to flinch at his words, but a rapid tap to his shoulder jolted his attention, turning around to see Mina and Hanta pointing at the TV.
"You're going up against Tetsutetsu…!"
"Oh…" Eijiro wasn't all too excited to hear that.
"No, no, this is great…! This is your chance to prove that you're so much better than the steel guy! How your quirk's better and that you deserved that second place in the entrance exam!"
Eijiro didn't really think of it like that, but he didn't feel like arguing with Hanta, so he just nodded with a weak smile. Meanwhile, Mina spun around to catch Yuga's gaze, his lavender eyes unblinking with an unreadable expression as he stared at the TV.
"What a shame that your first match is against me, Aoyama, cause there's no way you're beating me with my Acid…!" Mina punched the palm of her hand, smirking at the blond and expecting a jab back.
But Yuga just nodded with a tiny smile before turning his eyes up front again. She wasn't expecting that. It made Mina slowly turn back around and slump in her seat while she worried for him. Even though they all only knew each other for a day, she thought that she could at least say that his behavior seemed off, especially since there was no twinkle around him. His expression didn't seem so unreadable now.
As the eight matches were presented, Izuku gulped as he saw that he had to fight Hitoshi for the first match. And even if he won that battle, and Hanta lost his, he would immediately be up against Shoto for the second round.
"Don't think about it too hard, Deku-kun…!" Ochaco did her best to reassure Izuku, patting his back lightly, but he seemed too into his thoughts to hear.
"Young Midoriya-" Toshinori's voice jolted Izuku, thankfully, the greenet looking up to the hero as he smiled softly, "-Remember what we are here for."
Izuku gaped before tightening his lips as he remembered.
'Don't you dare disgrace my name by losing to these low lifes, Shoto.' Enji turned his glaring eyes down to his son.
'Before that, if I remember correctly, Shinso was…' Midoriya stared at the name, the person who he would be going up against first.
"It's you, isn't it? Midoriya Izuku."
With Shinso suddenly behind him, Midoriya jumped at the sound of his voice before backing away in surprise, gasping as he faced the wavy-haired teen, 'This person…'
'Depending on the results of the Sports Festival, they'll consider our transfer into the hero course.'
'...is from general studies…' Midoriya recognized the purplenet, Shinso staring back at him cooly, his hands resting in his pockets.
"Looking forward to the first match."
From their first meeting, Midoriya was taken aback by his manners, about to return the gesture, "Me-"
"Midoriya!"
"Ojiro-kun…?"
"Sorry about that." Mashirao waved back to Izuku, who blinked down to the blond as he turned back, gritting his teeth as he murmured, "But I wonder, because of my reaction, Shinso-kun's quirk has something to do with… voice activation?"
"Someone replies and his quirk takes effect…?" Izuku hummed, flipping open his notebook and eyeing Hitoshi down in the front row. Getting up from his seat and sitting on his knees to Mashirao's eye level, he whispered to the other, "Since I'm the first match, I don't think guessing Shinso-kun's quirk would be a good idea…"
"You think?" Mashirao questioned, Izuku's nodding.
"I think we have one more episode until lunch, so it could possibly be revealed then… If not, we can discuss possibilities then…" Izuku muttered while he dedicated a page in his book to Hitoshi, Mashirao agreeing with the greenet as he did so. His thoughts were interrupted when he looked up and found that Ochaco would be going up against Katsuki.
'Why me…?!' she knew someone would have to fight the aggressive blond, but Ochaco really didn't want it to be her.
"Uraraka-kun…?!" Tenya worried for his friend before Mei was shown to be approaching him in the next scene.
"Are you Iida?" Hatsume asked as she walked over to him.
"Hm? Indeed, I am Iida."
"Oh, good!" Hatsume grinned until a dangerous glint came over her while looking at her opponent, giggling, "Actually…"
When Hizashi moved on to introduce the recreational games, Denki gaped, shaking his head as he exclaimed, "Wait a damn minute, who am I going up against?!"
"It didn't show you, Kaminari-chan?" Tsuyu tilted her neck, a finger to her chin as Denki spun around to shake his head to her, the froggy greenette questioning next, "Who else wasn't shown? I'm assuming they'll be fighting you, kero."
"Uh, let's see, let's see- Shit, I can't remember…!"
"Todoroki-san, Iida-san and I are fighting Sero-san, Hatsume-san and Tokoyami-san. Bakugo-san and Ashido-san are fighting Uraraka-san and Aoyama-san, with Kirishima-san going against Tetsutetsu-san, who was added into the final round because of Ojiro-san and Shoda-san's withdrawal."
"Oh, Shiozaki-san…!" Ochaco gasped, standing up to heighten her voice for Denki to hear and calling, "Kaminari-kun, I think you'll be going up against Shiozaki-san…!"
"Eh? Who was that again?"
"She was also from Tetsutetsu's team who moved up because of the two withdrawals." Shota answered this time, with Denki's gap of understandment.
"If you're unmotivated, then come with me!"
"Why?" Monoma asked Kendo, leaning against the wall as they played in the recreation games, the ponytail girl holding up her assigned card that read 'Perverse Person'.
"She really called him 'perverse'...!"
"What does 'perverse' mean…?"
"Someone who's like, not doing what they're supposed to be doing- Uncooperative, if you will." Hanta replied to Mina's question, watching her reaction go from understanding to then laughing along with him.
"-if we were told to have fun, those of us in the tournament couldn't relax."
When it showed Mashirao and Izuku sitting in a locker room, everyone questioning the latter's expression, the boy himself leaned back down to the blond as he murmured, "I'm assuming you figured out his quirk there, so maybe we'll find out soon…?"
"That's what I can only hope for. For you as well, Midoriya-kun."
"Some sharpened their senses. And some tried to relax their nerves."
Denki looked over to Shoto as it showed the boy crouching outside of the stadium, in a shaded area among the trees. He worried for his seatmate, wanting to get the boy to open up about what Enji had done to him and his family, but he couldn't force him either. Looking back at the TV, it then showed Ochaco and he remembered her opponent, now fearing for both of their matches and mentality.
"As we thought our respective thoughts, it was time to start before we knew it."
With the games over and the final round set to begin, Cementoss crouched by a plastic tube, using his quirk to spread out cement across the arena where the students would be fighting, soon reporting, "Okay. It's pretty much done."
"Thank you, Cementoss!" Mic called back through a shared com before he switched to his microphone for the audience, yelling to the crowd, "Hey guys, are you ready?!"
The students cheered along with the sounds of the speaker while Izuku and Hitoshi tried to control their nerves for the first match. Tomura gave out an exaggerated sigh that everyone chose to ignore.
"A lot's happened, but it's now come to this! A serious battle! You can only depend on yourself! Even if you're not a hero, you'll face lots of situations like this! You get it, right? Heart, skill, body, wisdom, and knowledge! Use all of that to rush up!"
As he listened to his teacher hype up the crowd, Midoriya was doing his best to concentrate and ease his breathing and heart rate for his first match. If he didn't win this, he couldn't fight Todoroki.
"Hey!"
A hoarse call brought him out of his thoughts, turning around to spot All Might walking toward him.
"Sorry I'm late, but… You figured out One for All, right?"
"Does that thing last episode count…?"
"Last episode…" Toshinori tried to recall which moment Izuku was referring to before snapping his fingers, "Ah, when you used One for All to brush Young Todoroki's arm away…! Yes, that would count, Young Midoriya."
Izuku immediately brightened up at his praise.
"-the microwave and how I hit the villain, but it still feels unsteady if I don't focus, like it'll fall apart… Besides, as you saw, with my current body, even if I succeed, I just end up with a little more power…"
"Yes, if we talk in terms of the zero to hundred percent from before, what your body can release right now is about a five."
"Only five…?!"
"I mean, it's better than zero, which is where I'm at now…!" Izuku awkwardly laughed at his joke while rubbing the back of his neck before he heard Ochaco's soft giggles, ducking his head down in embarrassment.
"What's he talking about with a microwave…?" Hitoshi muttered under his breath with his arms crossed until he and the entire theater watched in horror as Toshinori hit Izuku on the side of his head.
"Yeah, beat the child…!" Tomura yelled out with joy, despite what was revealed earlier in the episode.
"Young Midoriya, I do apologize for my… harsh methods, but do understand that I possibly did so with good intentions…"
"It's okay, I get what you're saying, All Might."
"He is right, too; you're a big prince of nonsense, Deku-kun…"
"You've made it this far. It's fine if it's a bluff. Stand proud! Don't forget that I've got high hopes for you!" All Might sent his successor off with good luck and a thumbs up, Midoriya trying to smile as he nodded to his mentor before he turned around in order to face the day.
Fire erupted from the corner of the arena, bringing the crowd's cheers to life as Mic announced for their entertainment and these young kids' futures, "Audience! The finals that you've all been waiting for are finally starting! Match number one-"
Showing the contestants images on the displaying screens, Shinso Hitoshi versus Midoriya Izuku, the former appeared to be relaxed while the latter was terrifyingly nervous, a tension in his shoulder.
"Even though he's done well, what's with that face?! From the hero course, Midoriya Izuku!" Mic teased the boy as the greenet walked on stage with a quivering smile before the hero introduced his opponent, "Versus…! Sorry, he hasn't done anything to stand out yet! From general studies, it's Shinso Hitoshi!"
'That's the point.' Hitoshi masked his smirk by tapping his foot until he heard a soft meow through the sound coming from the speakers. He glanced down, along with the other three on his row, finding his cat sitting on the carpet, him asking the feline, "Yuki…? Are you hungry?"
His pet's response to the question was to yawn and stretch her front paws before curling up at his feet.
"Aw, that was too cute…!" Denki squealed with Shota carefully watching the white-furred animal as Hitoshi opted to tapping his finger instead against his arm.
"-or immobilize them! You can also win by making your opponent say, 'I give up'! Bring on the injuries! Because we've got our own Recovery Girl waiting on standby!"
"Very poor choice of words, Present Mic…!" Hanta chuckled as he eyed Izuku, who shrunk behind Mashirao as the boy softly laughed along.
'She's going to come after you for saying something like that, Mic…' Shota shook his head, but felt nothing for his friend's future fate.
"But of course, anything life-threatening is crap!"
"You're crap…" Tomura spat back, turning his head to the side as he itched his neck.
"Heroes should only use their fists to catch villains!"
"I'll stop things if they go too far." Cementoss assured the crowd after Mic's long outdrawn speech, creating a seat for himself to proctor the matches.
Taking a deep breath in, Midoriya exhaled as he tried to relax before he heard Shinso spit out, "'I give up', huh?"
'That better not count.' Hitoshi was counting on his future self here, so he better not throw it all away now when he was so close.
"This is a fight to test the strength of your spirit. If you know what you want for your future, then you can't worry about appearances."
"Ready?!"
"That monkey was going on about his pride…"
"Start!"
"...but don't you think he was dumb for throwing away his chance?" Shinso asked Midoriya as the match was called to begin.
Mashirao had been called worse before, so Hitoshi's words didn't really sting all that much. Izuku was a different story, however, and those that saw his expression were reminded of what happened to Katsuki yesterday during the USJ attack.
Midoriya stared at his opponent for a moment before his words set in and he was pissed, rushing forward as he shouted without caution, "What did you SAY?!"
Shinso smirked as Midoriya stopped advancing, 'I win.'
Watching the match, Ojiro began to panic as he stood up from his seat beside Sato, exclaiming while holding the back of his head, "I went through the trouble of warning him, too!"
"Hey, hey, what's the matter? It's the important first match! Liven things up!" Mic yelled out in question with All Might stiffening from his place by the entrance, Uraraka and Iida slowly rising from their own seats in the stand. Getting a good look at Midoriya's expression, his pupils were blank white with his lips parted open as if he didn't have control of his own body, bringing the announcer to say, "Midoriya! The match just started and he's completely frozen?!"
The ending theme commences.
"So fucking stupid…" Tomura cackled out and while Katsuki completely agreed as he, like others in the theater, were questioning to themselves what kind of quirk Hitoshi had.
Meanwhile, the purplenet himself was reveling in the fact that he had this match in the bag and at how easy it was. Even if Mashirao had apparently warned him, it didn't matter since Izuku wasn't able to keep his mouth shut.
"That spot in the hero course is mine for the taking…!"
"A quirk that can stop a person from moving…" Izuku hummed, sitting on his knees as he crouched on the floor with his notebook seated on his lap, beginning to write down his thoughts with his mouth running as he muttered, "Not only can it stop someone's movement, but it seems to also have that person under his control…? Like a puppet, perhaps…? Maybe that's how it could be voice activation, but puppeteering might not be right since strings could be involved- Or maybe there's invisible strings…! No, puppeteering doesn't make sense; Shinso-kun said something, I replied back, so it could be like an 'out of body' quirk…? Is that even possible…?! This is so cool-"
"M-Midoriya-kun, are… you okay?"
Izuku glanced up, finding Mashirao and Rikido looking down at him with genuine worry in their eyes.
"Um… yes? I-I'm just trying to figure out Shinso-kun's quirk…"
"Well, uh… Didn't we agree that we wouldn't unless it wasn't revealed this episode…? Or the next?"
"Oh, you're right…! I'm sorry, Ojiro-kun, I just got too excited!" Izuku jumped up from his place on the floor, Mashirao and Rikido watching the greenet as he rubbed his neck with a sheepish look, "It's not every day I get to see so many amazing quirks, so I got a little caught up in my thoughts…"
As those words hit Hitoshi's ears, the boy had to stop and think about what Izuku just said, spinning around to catch the teen's eye as he asked, "What did you say…?"
While some of the students gave him a harsh look, Mashirao unsure how to feel about what the boy said about him, Izuku only blinked as he stared back at Hitoshi, who urged him to answer his question.
"I… said, 'It's not every day that I get to see so many amazing quirks'…?"
"You… think my quirk is… amazing?"
"I think… all quirks are… amazing- I-I mean, they're special powers and… are… unique…?"
Hitoshi couldn't believe what he was hearing. Everyone around him also said that his quirk was nothing good and was made for a villain, which immediately casted him out as the 'villain' kid, despite having done nothing.
"Well… That makes sense if it's coming from you."Hitoshi didn't know why he said that, turning back to glare at the ground as he cupped his hands while Yuki meowled in protest of his restless foot, 'He's literally the first person to compliment your quirk outside of your family, and you what…? Brush it off…?! Shit, why are words so hard?!'
Izuku flinched at the harsh tone of Hitoshi's, but was soon reassured by Ochaco's touch as he glanced back at her bright expression.
"You know, you have a special power too, Deku-kun, don't you forget… And soon, we'll watch you beat Shinso-kun and his dumb power with that quirk of yours…!"
'Shinso-kun's quirk isn't dumb…' Izuku thought while he nodded to the brunette's enthusiasm, sitting back down while he opened his book again to read over what he had, guesses on what kind of power Hitoshi was born with.
From what it sounded like, the boy didn't think his quirk was amazing, and Izuku would be damned if he didn't make Hitoshi realize that.