Chapter 18: A Chilling Experience
Izuku jittered silently as he shuffled down the hallway. He swore that sometimes it felt like he could never stay still for more than ten seconds at a time.
Not only was he still coming down from the high of the emotional conversation with Itsuka after his last match, but he was now also dealing with the nerves of the upcoming one as well. Especially after seeing the look of bitterness on Todoroki's face during the fight.
Which was actually why he was on his way to the other side of the stadium right now. See, after awkwardly telling Itsuka he would prefer to stay down in the tunnels, he walked back into Todoroki's waiting room after seeing her off. And while this gave him the ability to watch the half and half user's ruthless match, it also gave him the dread of having to fight him next.
I'm just glad I got out of there before he could come back. The last thing I need right now is another confrontation…
Which, as the universe would have it, was just what was in store for the boy, but not exactly in the way he was fearing.
"Tch, you have some nerve talking to me that way, brat." The voice of Endeavor boomed through the hallway.
What? Izuku thought as he froze before turning a corner. I thought I came to the other side of the stadium… Todoroki shouldn't be here. Did I make a wrong turn?
However, the boy soon realized that it was not Shoto that the number two hero was talking to.
"As if. Quit your whining, old man. You're the one who showed up out of nowhere trying to talk to me right before my match." An aggressive and familiar voice bit back. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I won't even be fighting Icy hot in the final anyway. He still has to go through Deku, and that won't be so easy."
"Hmph, whatever, just give my boy the fight of his life. I want him pushed to his limit so he'll use my quirk."
Gritting his teeth, Bakugo turned around and stormed off toward the battlefield. It was clear that the man wasn't gonna listen to him, so there was no point in talking anymore.
You wanna underestimate that nerd, go ahead. But that's a mistake I'll never make again.
Taking a risk in peeking around the corner after hearing footsteps, Izuku let out the breath he had been holding once he saw the coast was clear.
Did that really just happen? Why was Endeavor coming to Kacchan with such a weird request? Or better yet, why was Kacchan defending me!?
These were questions that the boy eventually just shrugged away, preferring that they just be left unanswered as he found his way to another empty waiting room.
Forget about that, I need to start brainstorming strategies for Todoroki-san. There are only two fights left before the semi finals begin. I need to get my head in the game!
Just as the boy had predicted, the next two fights went by in a flash. With Bakugo overwhelming Kirishima's quirk with a flurry of explosions, and Tokoyami besting Ochaco's sheer tenacity with his overwhelming strength.
"Aww mannnnnnn," the very same hairy class B student as before complained as they watched the final match of round two unfold. "There goes Uraraka, and with her, our humble dream of being represented in the semi finals…"
"Tch, I hate to admit it, but you were right Kuroiro, there's something different about these class A students. They're just so battle ready." The mantis looking boy exclaimed honestly.
Another student with sandy blonde hair known as Honenuki nodded in agreement. "I know, it's kinda crazy to think about. I expected this from Todoroki since I saw how overpowered his quirk was in the recommendation exam, but to see this from everyone else is wild."
"You can say that again," Kuroiro finally added. "That Todoroki kid is vicious. I've got him winning the whole festival if I'm being honest."
Once again overhearing the adjacent class's conversation in favor of listening to Tetsutetsu, Kendo squeezed her fist, disagreeing with class B wholeheartedly.
"Come on Izuku, Todoroki isn't all that. I know you can beat him."
Izuku was starting to get used to the way his body shuddered as it tried to expel all the nerves of the upcoming match. And just like they had the last two times, the nerves only multiplied when he opened the door to his waiting room.
Welp, I've got a pretty decent plan considering I only got around thirty minutes. Let's hope for the best…
However, nerves weren't the only thing that met the boy as soon as he stepped out into the hallway; there was also the intimidating and fiery presence of the number two hero staring him down like a hawk.
What the heck… Was he waiting for me?
"Izuku Midoriya… So we finally meet… I've heard so much about you already."
Um, ok? The teen thought awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. Had it not been for the hairs on his arms standing at attention and indicating that his spider sense was on high alert, he would have been more nervous for this intense encounter. But as things were right now, he was actually beginning to feel a little bold.
"You're friend Bakugo speaks quite highly of you. He seems to think that you are capable of besting Shoto in your upcoming match. This is where I would disagree however, because I believe that you're severely outmatched."
Not getting a chance to reply, the super powered teen took a deep breath as the man went on.
"All I came here to say to you was the same thing I told that hot head Bakugo; I need you to try and push Shoto to his limit. He's going through a rebellious phase right now, so he's trying to get by without my quirk. I doubt you can do it, but since your strongest classmate vouched for you, I figured it was worth a shot to let you know. Give Shoto the fight of his life, make him use my fire so he can be the next number one hero!"
…
Pausing for a moment to take everything in, Izuku clenched his fists as he began to walk forward, not speaking until he was just about to pass the intimidating hero.
"No thanks, Todoroki can hold back if he wants. I'll just flatten him. Because he's not the next number one hero, I am…"
A year ago, Izuku might've felt angry at the disgraceful way that the number two hero called his son's quirk his own, and while he wasn't totally ok with it now, he still had other priorities. Like winning this festival and taking one more step toward his dream. If Todoroki wanted to be an idiot and only use half of his gift, then that was fine by him. All it did was make things easier for him.
Endeavor on the other hand, was flabbergasted at the boy's audacity. Was every hero course student so brash!? How dare they disrespect him!
"Tch, you insolent brat! Even with only his ice, Shoto will bury you in under ten seconds!"
Yeah, we'll see. What a creep. And to think I used to worship heroes like him… Izuku thought, completely unfazed as he walked out into the light of the arena.
"HERE THEY COME LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THESE TWO NEED NO FURTHER INTRODUCTION. PLEASE WELCOME TWO OF THE FAVORITES TO WIN THE WHOLE FESTIVAL! SHOTO TODOROKI AND IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
As was customary, Izuku flinched a bit as his eyes adjusted from the dark tunnel to the shining sunlight. For the first time today, he felt a stillness running through him that he couldn't quite describe. It seemed as though his nerves from before were all but dissipated after his encounter with Endeavor. All he could think about now was that he was ready for this fight one hundred percent.
Time seemed to stop as he locked eyes with Todoroki from across the arena, both fighters glaring holes into each other as Midnight went through her whole spiel.
And the moment that she finally announced the start of the match, both contestants were moving instantly.
Already knowing what Todoroki would do, Izuku jumped back as high as he could, preparing himself for the oncoming iceberg.
Not even sparing a glance forward, Shoto focused all of his energy into his right side and shot it all forward toward his classmate, clearly determined to make his biggest glacier yet.
And that he did, because as hard as it was to believe, pretty soon eighty percent of the battlefield was enveloped in a glacier that went higher than the stadium…
"OH… OH MY GOODNESS!" Present Mic shouted out through the loudspeaker as the mist cleared, allowing everyone to see the arena again. "HE, HE'S DONE IT AGAIN FOLKS! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY BY SHOTO TODOROKI! I CAN'T EVEN SEE THE TOP OF THE ICEBERG FROM THE BOOTH!"
"Whoa… And I thought the attack he hit me with was overkill… This is just ridiculous…" Ashido practically shivered out.
Clearly agreeing with their pink haired classmate, the rest of 1-A nodded from their section of the bleachers, not really knowing what else to say at such an enormous display of power.
Even as the adjacent class B chatted to themselves about the incredible showing, Itsuka could only focus on the very peak of the glacier high above the stadium. Clearly still not convinced that this battle was over.
There's no way that got him. You had to have escaped that Izuku… Your spider sense would have warned you… Right?
As she fidgeted uncomfortably while scanning the sky, Itsuka seemed oblivious to the fact that her classmates were beginning to take notice of her visible nerves.
That was until she stood up abruptly, now purposefully gaining the attention of both hero course classes.
"Look! Up there!"
As the crowd roared like never before, Shoto couldn't help but shiver a bit as he exhaled sharply.
Tch, I might have overdone it with that one, my body temperature dropped way more than expected…
Happy to have at least gotten the match he was worried about out of the way, Todoroki brought his attention to finding his opponent in the block of ice so he could help free him.
He jumped back right off the rip, so he's probably frozen in the center.
But right before the half and half user could reach the wall of ice he had created, he stopped in his tracks as Present Mic's voice boomed through the stadium speakers abruptly.
"HOLD THE PHONE EVERYONE! PLEASE DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION UP TO THE SKY! IS IT A BIRD!? IS IT A PLANE!? NO! IT'S IZUKU MIDORIYA! AGAINST ALL ODDS HE SOMEHOW AVOIDED THAT ATTACK!"
What! How!? Shoto asked himself as he searched the sky until his eyes finally caught a small speck falling above the iceberg.
He wasn't the only one asking himself this though, Izuku had both that and other questions running through his head as he began a nosedive back down toward the arena.
Well, that was unexpected… I thought scaling that glacier would be a lot easier, but I guess peanut butter isn't the only thing that melts my webbing. I'll have to add ice to that list as well…
In truth, Izuku was freezing his butt off right now; it took more than a bit of climbing, jumping and fast reflexes to make it to the top of the ice and avoid being turned into a popsicle. Especially without his webs. He'd even go as far as to call his freezing hands and numb body a blessing, considering how lucky he was to scale the massive icy structure with limited web swinging.
But now was not the time to analyze his good fortune; now was the time to execute his plan to perfection.
Smiling now as the air around him warmed his body, Izuku stared down at the still shocked Todoroki from his nosedive, his grin growing even further once he was close enough to make out the apprehensive look the half and half user had on his face.
I've got him right where I want him. Izuku thought to himself, finally reaching out at a reasonable distance to the ground and shooting a pair of web lines near his classmate's feet. From there, all he needed was a small push off the iceberg to align his body mid air, and he was off like a rocket.
Instantly knowing that the green haired boy was about to pull himself toward him, Todoroki raised his right arm to prepare another ice attack before freezing for a moment…
Wait a second… This is exactly what he wants!
Shutting down his previous plan of attack, Shoto lowered his arm and dove to the floor as fast and far as he could, only narrowly avoiding the ground shattering kick that came from his opponent.
Hah, so he figured it out. This should be interesting. Izuku thought with a smirk as he stepped out of the small crater in the concrete he'd created.
This was just in time to see Shoto getting up slower than usual and dusting himself with heavy frustration evident on his face.
"You're one clever fighter Midoriya, I'll give you that."
Not wanting to let up on the mind games, Izuku continued feigning ignorance, only smirking at the boy silently.
"Tch, you knew I would try to end things quickly with one attack, so if you were to somehow avoid it, you would instantly get the upper hand by having the majority of the arena closed off. You're a stronger close quarters fighter than me after all… On top of that, you also knew that I'd overdo it and destabilize my body temperature, making me slower and that much more of a sitting duck. You really do think ahead… I can see now that dull and basic opponents like Tetsutetsu and Kendo stood no chance against you."
Taking a moment to straighten up out of a fighting stance and let his guard down, Izuku shifted his knowing smirk into a glare at the negative mention of his friend.
"So now that you know what my plan is, are you gonna allow it to unfold like a coward? Or are you gonna start using your own power and make this a real fight?"
Clenching his fists at the venom behind his opponent's words, Todoroki allowed the question to penetrate the walls of his mind as he hesitated to answer.
"Tch," Izuku began, gritting his teeth in frustration at the boy's prolonged silence. Not only had he arrogantly insulted Itsuka, but now he was hesitating to use his own quirk when backed into a corner.
This guy doesn't deserve his spot in this tournament, much less this school.
Without another moment's notice, the super powered teen took off in a mad dash toward his bewitched classmate, startling him from his thoughts with how fast he was on him.
"If you're just gonna stand there, then move out of the way Todoroki! Some of us are actually giving it our all to become heroes!"
Shoto didn't know why, but those words from the green haired teen pierced him in a way that made his heart ignite in a mix of pride and frustration. And pretty soon, the boy began to unknowingly leak that out in the form of heat from his body.
I won't lose! I do want this! I-
However, all of these passionate thoughts and quirk related warmth came too little too late, because before the boy was finished with his inner monologue, he was receiving a devastating roundhouse kick to the stomach. Not only causing all of his oxygen to abandon him, but also shooting him like a bullet out of the arena and landing flat on his back and onto the grassy field.
"YUUUUUUP! AND JUST LIKE THAT, THIS ONE IS OVER FOLKS! IZUKU MIDORIYA KNOCKS OUT ONE OF THE FAVORITES TO WIN THE WHOLE FESTIVAL! WHAT A SIGHT TO BEHOLD!"
Catching his breath, Izuku did his best to keep calm. As fun as it was to come so close to going all out, he still needed to keep his cool. If he lost control of his emotions, then his powers would be right behind.
Not shocked at all that Todoroki hadn't even moved from his supine position on the grass, the super powered teen turned and began walking out of the arena.
Endeavor is probably not too happy right about now…
"GAH! THAT LITTLE RAT! HOW DID HE BEAT SHOTO! THIS SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE!" Endeavor roared out from the stands, slamming both of his heavy fists into the railing and visibly denting it. This was just the start of his frustration however, because his focus soon shifted as his own son came to the forefront of his mind.
"AND YOU, SHOTO! YOU WOULD RATHER LOSE THAN USE MY POWER! YOUR REBELLION WILL COST YOU, BOY! I'M INCREASING YOUR TRAINING TENFOLD! DO YOU HEAR ME!"
"Oh my goodness… Midoriya actually beat Todoroki…" Kuroiro said almost breathlessly, mirroring the rest of his class's thoughts.
"You bet he did!" Kendo yelled from across the bleachers, clearly still very excited at her friend's victory.
What shocked the students of class 1-B even more though, was the lack of shock being shown throughout class 1-A. Sure, many of them were cheering, but none of them looked the least bit surprised at the outcome. It almost looked like, to them, either one of those fighters had an even shot to win the match…
"Guys," Kuroiro began with a strong gulp. "Class A is full of monsters…"
While their sister class struggled with their realization, Itsuka was on cloud nine as she and a few of her classmates cheered Izuku on.
"Heck yeah Midoriya! You're a beast!" Kirishima yelled.
"Tch, whatever," Tetsutetsu grumbled.
"YES MIDORIYA! WAY TO BEAT THAT COCKY, ATTENTION STEALING JERK!" Mineta screeched out with tears in his eyes.
"Aww, I was rooting for Todoroki-san…" Yaoyorozu spoke glumly, her already poor mood getting even worse.
"Midoriya to the final, huh. I wonder if we'll get to see him face Bakugo. That would be interesting." Jiro commented, getting many nods of approval from her classmates.
Itsuka was not one of them though, she was too busy replaying the short but intense fight in her mind with a big grin on her face.
Way to go Izuku! That plan was perfect! And the form on that roundhouse kick was great too! Just one more win! You got this!
"WELL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, UNFORTUNATELY, WITH TODOROKI OUT LIKE A LIGHT AND NEEDING MEDICAL ATTENTION FROM OUR STAFF, WOULD THE NUMBER TWO HERO, ENDEAVOR, PLEASE MAKE THEIR WAY TO THE ARENA. WE WILL NEED YOUR HELP TO MELT DOWN THIS GLACIER IN A TIMELY MANNER."
Getting lighthearted cheers as a response from the crowd, Endeavor gritted his teeth as he slowly stood up and jumped onto the field.
This is humiliating…
Alright, it's just as I thought, Kacchan is gonna be my final opponent… The green haired boy thought as the conclusion of the fight unfolded on the waiting room TV.
Not knowing whether to be relieved that he was fighting someone he already had several plans for, or terrified that he would be going against his former friend once more after just a few short weeks, Izuku took a shaky breath and reached for the remote. Now that the last semi final match was over, it was time to focus up.
Ok, deep breaths, I know I can do this. It's been a few weeks since the battle trial. My fighting style is a bit more polished, and my confidence is higher than ever. I've got this. As long as I don't lose control of my emotions, everything will be fine…
As the clock continued to wind down ahead of the final, Izuku ran through multiple plans in his head. Making sure each one was down pat in the event of any curveballs.
That was, until he heard a knock on the door of his waiting room.
What!? Don't tell me it's time already!
Stepping up to the threshold and gripping the doorknob, Izuku was surprised to find out that a faculty member was not who greeted him.
"Finally! Do you know how many empty waiting rooms I've had to knock on!?" The bright haired girl grumbled in playful frustration.
Not being able to help himself, Izuku sprouted a bright grin across his face at the sight of his orange haired friend.
Seeing this, Kendo also followed along, matching her friend's joyful expression as the pair locked eyes.
However, this time Itsuka did not allow their gaze to linger, because pretty soon she punched her student in the shoulder as she walked by him and into the room.
"Great job, dork! The form on that kick was perfect! You did awesome!"
Wincing at the moderately hard punch from his sensei, Izuku cursed his fleeting spider sense before responding lightheartedly.
"Heh, thanks Itsuka. That means a lot coming from you. I really tried to envision all of my torque and power coming from my hips just like you taught me."
"Well, well, well, would you look at that. You do actually listen when I talk. And here I thought you just used those moments as a chance to catch your breath during sparring."
Izuku blushed at the big fist user's direct response, but rather than crawl back inside his shell and get laughed at even further, the boy went for a daring response.
"Really? That's what shocked you? I'm more surprised that I ended up needing any of that stuff in the first place. Y'know, since the student has surpassed the master after all…"
Holding back her own blush, Itsuka glared back in response.
"Ohhh, you are so gonna get it after this festival is over… I was actually planning on giving you a break on the day off the school gives us after the festival, but you can forget about that now. Tomorrow at my house, bright and early!"
…
This appeared to be where she won the war, and she knew it, because simply the mention of hanging out outside of school was enough to turn Izuku redder than a tomato as he fell onto the floor in a puddle.
Giggling to herself, Itsuka simply walked over and took a seat on the floor next to the breathless boy. She was well used to this by now and knew better than anyone that Izuku would be fine in a few minutes.
"Hehe, anyway, we can talk more about that later. The reason I came to check on you was to see if you had any injuries from your fight with Todoroki. Recovery Girl made me promise to turn you into her if you did. Luckily it looks like you're fine, so my job here is done. You ready for your fight with Bakugo?
Welcoming the change of topic as he caught his breath, Izuku nodded at the first half of her statement, but then gave actual words for the second half.
"Yeah… I think I am. I know I can win. My only real fear is losing my grip on my feelings and lashing out at Kacchan. The last thing I want is to really hurt him…"
Seeing how glum the boy's dilemma made him feel, Itsuka nodded. As much as she disagreed with her friend's position, she still very much understood where he was coming from.
Breaking the silence, Izuku spoke again. "What about the others? Any interesting opinions from our classmates?"
Smiling once more, Itsuka jumped at the chance to talk about something more lighthearted.
"Heh, not really. Pretty much everyone is rooting for you except Kirishima, who's split and says he wants you both to win. Oh, and Tetsutetsu for some reason. As soon as the final began, the metalhead instantly turned into Bakugo fan number one… Idiot…"
Laughing at the girl's humorous descriptions, Izuku waited patiently for her to finish.
"Hah! And don't even get me started on class 1-B, you and Todoroki were all they could talk about! They may hate us as a class, but they definitely respect our strength, that's for sure."
"What? Really? What kind of stuff did they say about me? Was it like-"
"Izuku Midoriya, it's time. Please make your way to the arena at once." The voice of ectoplasm echoed, piercing right through the door and interrupting the teen's conversation.
This obviously derailed everything, but understandably so, and both of them knew it as they stood up from their spots on the floor.
"No worries, I promise I'll tell you all about it later on the walk home. Now get out there and kick some butt Izuku!" Itsuka said with a newfound intensity, raising her fist and growing it slightly for an exaggerated fist bump.
Instantly growing a smile that reached his ears, the super powered teen met his fist with hers wholeheartedly.
"I'm gonna hold you to that!" The boy shouted as he began for the door, only to turn around once he reached the doorway. "I'm gonna win this thing!"
The last thing the boy saw before taking off down the hall at full speed was the pleasant picture of his amazing friend giving him the most confident thumbs up in existence.
Yeah… She's definitely my best friend….
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT IS FINALLY TIME FOR THE GRAND FINALE! FOR THE LAST TIME TODAY, ARE YOU READY TO RUMBLE!"
Roaring like never before, the crowd continued its eruption all throughout Midnight's rule explanation, making it almost impossible to hear.
Not that either fighter cared in the slightest. Both pairs of red and green eyes were locked only on each other as the R-rated hero wrapped up and raised her flag.
"Ready!? Begin!"
Chapter 19: An Explosive Finish
"Ready!? Begin!" Midnight shouted, dropping her flag as the crowd went crazy all around.
Instantly, Izuku's mind was running a mile a minute as he braced himself.
Alright, get ready! A right palm explosion will most likely be his first attack…
However, when a few seconds had gone by and neither of the two teenage boys had moved from their tense starting positions, Izuku began to reconsider his prediction.
Ok… I stand corrected… Kacchan is actually playing it safe; this is unexpected… Oh well, at least I still prepared for this. Plan D it is then…
Uncrossing his wires at the odd hesitation from his former friend, Izuku quickly changed gears and jumped up into the air before firing a barrage of web balls at his opponent.
"Tch." Bakugo grumbled in what appeared to be frustration.
Whatever the boy may have been feeling, it was very clear that his emotional state did not affect his strength or ability to react, because soon he was reaching out and blowing up every individual web ball with his palms.
Fortunately for the super powered teen, this was exactly what he was waiting for, because as soon as Bakugo began to disintegrate all of his web balls, he reached out midair and fired a pair of web lines at the ground.
Now, normally, the blonde haired boy would have seen the pair of web lines fired near his feet and reacted accordingly, but it just so happened that at this very moment, there was grey fog that was developing around him right as he was finished destroying the last web ball.
"Gah!" Bakugo yelled through a series of coughs. "This smells like crap!"
Already well on his way toward his opponent at high speed, Izuku cracked a grin as he prepared his favored drop kick.
Hehe, yeah, that probably smells like burning chemicals… I'll never forget that first time I overboiled the ingredients…
It didn't take long after entering the now thick smoke that Izuku felt his legs collide with his former friend. Only, instead of feeling the satisfaction of knocking down his opponent, he felt the horror of a loud crack underneath his feet.
"AHH!" Bakugo screeched out from his position pressed on the floor.
With the smoke now clearing out due to all the movement, the green haired boy was now able to see the complete picture. There, down under his shoes, was Bakugo's heavy breathing chest.
Crap! I must have broken his ribs! I swear I was holding back! What happened!?
"LOOK AT THAT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST LANDED BLOW OF THIS MATCH BELONGS TO MIDORIYA!"
Quickly beginning to hear white noise as panic set in, Izuku tried his hardest to ignore the roaring crowd, as well as the excited voice of Present Mic.
NO! Not again! Stop it brain! Focus!
While Izuku continued to fight his inner turmoil, Bakugo was beginning to get a grip from his spot on the ground, and it was gonna take a lot more than a few shattered ribs to keep him down.
"Kacchan! I-I'm sorry! That was-"
"DON'T YOU DARE APOLOGIZE!" The blonde haired teen screamed out with as much fire as he could muster. From there, he didn't hesitate to grab both of Midoriya's legs and pump out the biggest explosion he could.
With all the commotion running through his mind, essentially drowning out his spider sense, Izuku didn't move until there was already pain shooting through his shins.
"Agh!" The super powered teen shouted, losing his balance and wobbling off of Bakugo and onto one knee. Afterwards, it didn't take long for his spider sense to go crazy again as he saw his opponent move rapidly out of the corner of his eye.
Moving swiftly with one goal in mind, Bakugo knew now that there was only one way he could win this. No matter how much he hated to admit it.
I need to get rid of that nerd's escape route.
Reaching out with both palms open, Bakugo sprang at Midoriya, only for the green haired teen to react perfectly and catch both of his wrists.
Clearly still struggling through some pain, Izuku spoke through gritted teeth. "Tch, that was too slow, Kacchan."
Growing a smile through gritted teeth of his own, Katsuki only spoke two words…
"I WIN!"
What followed from there was a simple pair of explosions onto the only thing that Bakugo could reach; Izuku's wrists…
There, right before his eyes, Izuku watched as his former friend palmed his two prized inventions and blew them to smithereens…
… No…
"NO!" the green haired boy wailed, immediately raising up his leg and delivering a strong spartan kick to his opponent's stomach.
"Blah!" The blonde all but burped out in pain, holding his stomach as he rapidly slid across the smooth concrete floor.
As soon as the threat was cleared and lying on the ground across the arena, Izuku looked down at his singed wrists as he held back tears.
They're-they're completely destroyed… All that time… All those months…
Indeed, even when the boy touched and inspected them further, what were once very complex and sophisticated devices on his wrists were now nothing more than scrap metal, with the mechanisms totally wrecked.
"Agh," Bakugo barfed out, leaving his entire lunch on the floor of the arena as he stood up shakily. "Ugh, finally… This is an even fight now without your toys."
Feeling his sadness boil over into burning anger, Izuku wiped away his tears and shifted his gaze to his former friend. "Even!? NO! Now I'm gonna pulverize you, Kacchan! You've gone too far this time!"
"Oooh, aaaaand it's over, Bakugo is definitely winning this one." Honenuki began, getting various nods from his classmates. "Midoriya is strong and all, but he's been carried this whole festival by those support items. I honestly don't think he's all that without them."
"Ditto," Kamakiri said, agreeing. "I'd be surprised if this fight lasted five more minutes…"
Meanwhile, across the bleachers on class A's side, some of the students were nodding glumly at the words they just heard.
"Tch, as much as I hate to admit it, I think they're right," Mineta muttered in slight annoyance. "Not about Midoriya being a pushover, of course, but about this fight. I don't know if he can pull it off without his webs."
"I agree," Kirishma said in an even tone. "Bakugo is really strong, probably the strongest in the class when it comes to a no nonsense head on fight, and that's essentially what he just created by eliminating Midoriya's webs. What do you think, Kendo?"
Not even paying attention to the topic of discussion, Itsuka was far more concerned about what had just transpired down in the arena.
No! He absolutely adores those things! I really hope it's not too much trouble for him to make a new pair… Darn it, I know this sucks Izuku, but you can't get flustered! Don't let him bait you into a street brawl! Keep calm and remember your training! That push kick had good form! Don't lose focus!
"Good luck getting anything out of her Kirishima, she's too busy staring at her boyfriend…" Kaminari chuckled.
This however, was sufficient to burst the girl's train of thought. "W-what!? He is not my boyfriend! And he's gonna win this thing!"
"Yeah! What she said!" Tetsutetsu added on, only to process the rest of her sentence before hesitating. "Uh… The first part, I mean… I still think Midoriya is toast…"
"Nowhere to run now, Deku!" Katsuki yelled passionately through violent coughs. No one could ever say the guy was a quitter. How he was even still standing at this point was a miracle all on its own.
This, on the other hand, was something that Midoriya couldn't care less about at the moment. Gone was the critical thinker who exploited his opponents' weaknesses ahead of time and was always three steps ahead. Now all he could think about was all the pent up rage he had for the blonde boy standing across from him.
You always have to ruin everything for me… Ever since we were kids! You always had to get the last laugh! Well, that ends today! I'm done playing nice and putting your feelings first when you're the one being a jerk!
"I'm done holding back, Bakugo…"
The explosive quirked teen didn't know what shocked him more: his opponent using his actual name or the speed at which he came charging at him.
Regardless, Bakugo utilized his sharp reflexes to narrowly dodge the incoming punch, as well as delivering a small, but concentrated explosion to Izuku's side.
The green haired boy winced as the explosion penetrated his clothing, but this was just a formality, because with all the tunnel vision he was experiencing at the moment, he could barely even feel the pain.
Because of this, Izuku wasted no time on recovery as he instantly went back in for another attack. One that wouldn't be so easy to avoid, given the two fighters' close proximity.
Rather than dodging this time, though, Bakugo engaged the boy in hand to hand combat.
"Fine! You want a knuckle sandwich that bad!? Come and get some!"
From there, the fight became an all out grudge match, with Izuku ignoring his spider sense completely in favor of focusing fully on offense.
*BOOM*
"Hah!" Bakugo grinned maniacally as he landed two huge explosions on his opponent from up close. "Take that, Deku!"
However, when the green haired boy didn't even flinch at his flesh smoldering, Katsuki realized he had just fallen for a trap.
Crap! He was taking the hits on purpose to counter!
By the time the blonde haired boy realized what was going on, Izuku had already charged up what might have been the most powerful right hook in sports festival history.
Right before he could release it though, the boy stopped as the world around him seemed to freeze in place. Everything slowly appeared to just wash away, the anguish and resentment he was feeling, the crowd around him, even the arena. All that was left was him and Bakugo, frozen in battle stances…
The truth was that it wasn't all that long ago that the super powered teen had found himself in this exact same position. Face to face with his jerk of a classmate while staring down a moment of truth.
He could recall vividly that he had chosen hesitation in that last encounter.
I… I almost killed Kacchan. If I hadn't regained myself and stopped that punch, he would be gone, just like that…
Recalling the sensitive memory, Izuku almost allowed all of his anger to slip away, his many teachings from Peter on responsibility emerging once again from the corner of his mind.
Peter, you wouldn't want this…
Taking one more huge deep breath, Izuku began to feel unburdened. He could do this, he was confident now that he could choose responsibility.
That was, until he caught another glimpse of his singed wrists and the mangled scrap metal stuck to his burned skin.
From there, all the sour memories came flooding back as the super powered teen's rage spiked to an all time high.
NO! He's not getting away with it! Not this time!
"AHH!" Izuku screamed at the top of his lungs, tearing down all the years of emotional floodgates and unleashing everything he had in a punch aimed squarely toward his classmate's face.
All those years… All that pain…
Bakugo seemed to sense the all or nothing nature of the impending attack, because pretty soon, the boy raised up his arm to guard his face in a last ditch effort to block.
Tch, as if you could block me at full strength! You don't even know how great my power is Bakugo!
And that was when it hit him…
With great power there must also come great responsibility!
…
…
…
What am I doing!? I'm gonna kill Katsuki!
Instantly, Izuku attempted to put on the brakes as fast and as hard as he could. And while he did succeed in taking his full strength out of the punch, it still by no means made it weak.
In the blink of an eye, Bakugo felt not only his pride shatter, but also his arm as it came in contact with the missile of a fist that his opponent had prepared.
"GAH!" Katsuki wailed out in agony as the attack broke through completely, not only forcing his arm to bend at a horrifying angle, but also still managing to make solid contact with his face and knocking him out like a light…
From there, the whole stadium went silent as the blonde boy was thrown to the floor by the strength of the punch, his many injuries now becoming obvious to everyone.
"WOW! WHAT A PUNCH! KATSUKI BAKUGO IS DOWN LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! THE WINNER OF THE FIRST YEAR SPORTS FESTIVAL IS IZUKU MIDORIYA!
Finally allowing the tension in the air to leave, the crowd erupted into massive cheers and applause, easily surpassing their previous noise levels.
Despite that, however, Izuku couldn't hear a thing; all he could see now was his battered and bloody opponent lying lifelessly across him on the battlefield.
I… I almost actually did it. I almost killed him. This wasn't like last time when I stopped myself well before… I was actually gonna go through with it this time…
The boy was ripped from his thoughts forcefully when a giant hand gripped his shoulder.
"Great job, young Midoriya! What a performance indeed!" All Might shouted in his signature pose.
Oh, yeah… I won…
"Welp, I didn't see that coming…" Honenuki gulped from the class B section of the stands. "Remind me to never get on Midoriya's bad side… Yikes, what a punch, I'll be surprised if Bakugo wakes up before next week…"
"Heh, I hear ya," Kamakiri agreed with a nod. "We may not have had anyone from our class shut that jerk up, but I'm at least glad someone else took care of him. Dude needed to be brought down a few pegs…"
"Ahahahahahaha! You pathetic class B scum! Who cares if Bakugo lost! You are all still ants underneath our feet! Ahaha-"
"Ugh! Shut up already!"
In the blink of an eye, Class 1-B flinched heavily as the slick haired blonde before them was karate chopped in the back of the head and put to sleep.
"Phew," Itsuka breathed, dusting herself off before turning to their sister class. "Can we please just call a truce? I'll do my best to keep Bakugo and this idiot from messing with you guys. Deal?"
While the statement was said in the format of a question, the wise members of class B could sense that the girl wasn't actually asking like they actually had a choice. The edge of annoyance in her voice made that perfectly clear.
"What!?" Kamakiri stood up defiantly. "So we're just supposed to forget about everything that jerk said!? No wa-"
"What Kamakiri means, of course, is that yes! We would love to take that offer, Kendo-chan." Uraraka interrupted sweetly, completely ignoring her green classmate.
"Tch, what the heck Uraraka-san!" Kamakiri grumbled.
This was when Kuroiro and Honenuki stepped in and each grabbed each of the boy's shoulders.
"Woah, relax man. She's right, this is done. We don't need to be antagonizing those guys." Kuroiro insisted.
"Yeah" Honenuki continued, lowering his voice to a mumble for his next sentence. "C'mon man, trust me, after seeing these guys fight in the festival, do you really wanna go around picking fights? They have at least three monsters in their class. Not to mention their scary class rep. Let's just leave things be. The best way for us to win is for them to not see us coming. Just let it go."
"Tch," The boy grumbled, shrugging off both teens and walking off. "Fine, whatever…"
Smiling at how the situation turned out, Itsuka finally allowed herself to relax as her new friend approached her.
"Thanks again, Uraraka. I don't think they would have listened to me if not for you."
"Hehe, somehow I doubt that. Believe it or not, Ida-san is the one who really connects with them; I'm just kinda floating around."
Letting out a sheepish chuckle at the girl's clever play on words, Itsuka widened her grin. "Hah! That's a good one, you could probably give Izuku's jokes a run for their money."
Giggling as well, the zero gravity user turned her attention to the arena at the mention of Midoriya.
"Speaking of Midoriya-kun, I hope he's alright. That last fight was brutal. Don't you think?"
This change of topic instantly caused the big fist user to tighten up as her mood took a small dive.
You've got that right Uraraka… In more ways than one…
"Gah! That brat!"
Kurogiri shuddered as his comrade continued his rampage on the innocent furniture. The room was really starting to get dusty…
"Little bastard! How dare you take my spider and steal my favorite hero's quirk! I was supposed to be Spider-Man! AGHHHH!"
"Shigaraki, please calm down. We can just-"
"DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU MINDLESS TOOL!"
Kurogiri gulped as his leader turned back around and continued to disintegrate things around the room.
Welp, he still definitely hasn't forgotten about that…
Where the heck is he? They definitely should have let him out already… Itsuka thought to herself as she scanned the crowd outside the stadium.
Aizawa-sensei and Vlad King had stopped by the student section after the award ceremony to let both classes know that the day was over and they were free to go. So that was a big plus, but there was only one problem…
That was over thirty minutes ago! Where are you, Izuku?
"Looking for someone? Young Lady?"
Itsuka jolted instantly when she heard this, already knowing exactly who it was. And judging by the edge in their voice, they were not in the greatest mood.
Stiffening up like a board and spinning around rapidly, Itsuka began to fidget with her hands. "Oh, uh, hey Dad… Didn't uhh, see you there…"
Not letting up his firm stare, Itaru crossed his arms over his chest. "You didn't answer my question."
"Oh yeah, uh, I was just uh. Waiting on my friends! They're a little late for some reason, but forget about that! You don't have to stay, Dad! I'll just see you at home. Don't worry about me!"
But the elder Kendo didn't budge an inch as he continued to guide the conversation.
"Friends, as in plural? Or just one friend?"
Itsuka gulped, looking down at her shoes. She knew she was beat, and her silence told her father everything he needed to know.
"I'm not stupid Itsuka, I know you're more than acquaintances with the young man who won the festival. My only question is if he is the same person you're training with after school."
Keeping her head lowered, Itsuka simply nodded lightly.
"I see, you already know what I'm going to say then."
"Dad, wait! It's not what you think! It's just training, I promise! He really needs it, and yeah, I've gotten closer with him than any other classmates, but he's super respectful! Please don't make me stop training him!"
The large man took a moment to try and think over the situation. On one hand, his daughter had attempted to lie to him to keep this arrangement hidden from his knowledge. But on the other hand, this young man was clearly a top contender in the first year hero course, so maybe his daughter was one of the reasons for this.
My only real fear is the boy's temperament though. It's a very real possibility that he's just another arrogant prick… I guess I'll need to find out.
"Please, Dad!" Itsuka burst out again after a prolonged silence. "You should have seen him when he came to me, he fought like a blind drunk guy!"
"Hmm… Well, given that I can see how much you care about his improvement, I'll consider it…"
"Yes!" Itsuka jumped for joy.
"BUT!" He inserted forcefully, temporarily pausing her celebration. "I need to meet him first and make sure he's got a good head on his shoulders. You guys have the next two days off, don't you? Invite him to the dojo for some training. I need to see this young man up close…"
Straightening up again almost immediately, Itsuka suppressed another gulp.
Welp, I guess my halfhearted offer from earlier just became a reality…
"And don't think I didn't notice you losing focus in your last match. As punishment, you're gonna be training right alongside him until you puke…"
Crap… This is gonna be so embarrassing…