Chapter 31: Burnt Pride & Blossoming Love
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The arena noise faded as Harue walked down the concrete tunnel, flames long extinguished from his body. His boots echoed with a calm rhythm, the residual heat of the match still rolling gently off his skin like the warmth after a wildfire.
He'd just put down Iida with ease. The crowd had cheered. The pros had whispered. And the scoreboard had done what it always did — told the truth.
It didn't matter to him that he was letting Ida go without telling about what was about to happen to his brother.
He was moving on. It wasn't his job. Simple as that.
Then the heat shifted.
It wasn't his.
It was heavier. Angrier. Artificial.
Harue stopped as a tall figure stepped into view, shadowed in flame — broad shoulders, burning beard, eyes like coals behind a furnace. Endeavor.
"Boy," the man growled.
Harue didn't say anything. Just met his eyes with a flat, unreadable stare.
"That little stunt you pulled out there," Endeavor continued, flames licking along his arms, "don't think it means anything. Flashy tricks. Nothing amazing just Parlor fire."
He stepped closer. The temperature rose with each word.
"You're not great. You're not special. You're just a spark that'll burn out the moment my son lights up."
Harue raised an eyebrow.
"Shoto Todoroki," Endeavor said with weight, like the name was a title. "He's the one destined to rise above the rest. You? You're just a stepping stone. One he'll crush on the way to the top."
Harue tilted his head slightly, as if trying to decide whether to laugh or yawn.
Then, he did something far worse.
He smiled.
Not a warm smile. Not amused. Just cold.
Detached.
"Must burn," he said finally, voice low and calm, "watching someone else do what you couldn't — without needing your blood. Or your baggage."
Endeavor's expression twisted. Flames flared violently from his shoulders.
"You arrogant little—"
"You think I give a damn about your son?" Harue cut him off, stepping forward, his voice still low but sharp as broken glass. "You're barking at the wrong tree, old man. I'm not here for family drama. I don't care who your kid is, or what you did to him."
He leaned in just slightly, just enough to let the heat between them become a warning.
"But I don't like being told I'm someone else's warm-up act. I don't do second place. Not to you. Not to him. Not to anyone."
Endeavor's control snapped. Flames erupted from his arms, searing the tunnel walls. The air boiled between them.
"Don't test me, boy."
Harue didn't flinch.
Instead, he opened his mouth — wide.
And breathed in.
The fire rolled off Endeavor's arms in a wave of rage, only to be sucked straight into Harue's throat like oxygen into a furnace. The flames twisted, bent, and vanished, pulled into him with a deep, hungry inhale.
In seconds, the heat was gone.
The tunnel went silent. Cold.
Harue licked his lips slowly and looked the #2 Pro Hero dead in the eyes.
"Thanks for the meal."
He turned and walked away, boots clicking calmly on the stone, leaving only scorched footprints and a stunned silence behind him.
Endeavor stood motionless in the dark, eyes wide, mouth slightly open, the air around him now dead and powerless.
For the first time in years… his fire had been taken from him.
And that — more than anything — made Endeavor burn.
But this time, there was no fire left.
⸻
The crowd's roar still lingered in the stadium air as Harue climbed the steps back to the student bleachers.
"Yo, Dai!" Kaminari waved him over with both arms like a man signaling a rescue plane. "Bro, that fight was so fire — and I mean that literally."
( AN: bad joke ik )
Harue didn't respond right away. He just dropped down onto the metal bench with a faint, satisfied sigh, arms draped casually over the backrest.
Mina next to him seemingly happier the he was gave him a towel to wipe his sweat. "Good job Harue!!"
Kirishima slapped his shoulder, grinning. "Man, Iida gave it his all, but you smoked him!."
"Total overdrive burnout," Sero added. "Dude didn't even stick around after the fight. You see where he went?"
A couple of the students glanced around, noting Iida's absence. Yaoyorozu frowned. "That's true. I haven't seen him come back yet."
Harue's expression didn't change.
"Probably needed a minute to cool off," he said evenly, eyes focused on the stadium floor. "Or cool down."
Kaminari joked. "He probably melted the poor guy's engine pipes."
As the other laughed, Harue's eyes flashed. He wasn't about to tell them that he knew why Iida was missing.
Knowledge of the future was a sharp blade, and he wasn't about to cut himself with it.
The stadium lights shifted. Present mic's voice boomed from the announcer booth.
[ Next up — Mina Ashido versus Fumikage Tokoyami! ]
Cheers erupted across the stands. Mina popped up in front of him, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Time to shine, baby!" she beamed, pumping a fist in the air.
Harue leaned forward and murmured, "Good luck but be careful dark shadow is pretty powerful you might hurt yourself."
"So just try your best and dont over do it."
She turned, grin wide, and said. "Alright."
Then, as a small blush crept on her face, She quickly gave a small smooch on his cheek.
The pink girl then quickly escaped to go prepare for her fight.
"Sigh~ Mina you got to stop these unexpected attacks." Harue muttered to himself as he turned to see the rest of the class looking at him.
"What?"
"Damn you Ikeman!!!" Mineta cried out as he knelt on the ground, and cursed this unfair world.
————-
(Mina's POV)
The heat of the sun beat down as I stepped into the arena, but it was nothing compared to the fire in my chest.
The crowd roared. Midnight's voice boomed in the background. Across from me, Tokoyami stood tall and serious, Dark Shadow swirling around him like a stormcloud looking for someone to strike.
But all I could think about… was him.
Harue.
He was up there in the stands, I knew it. Probably looking calm and unreadable like always, but I knew better. He'd trained with me for weeks, teaching me precision, control — tactics. He never treated me like I was fragile. Never held back when we sparred.
And today? I was going to prove I deserved that trust. I wasn't just "Harue's girlfriend." I was Mina Ashido — acid queen and soon-to-be hero.
And maybe… just maybe, I was trying to shut up the whispers I'd been hearing ever since we started school. The way some of the girls kept looking at him. The comments about his looks, his power, his everything.
Jealousy wasn't cute. But I felt it anyway.
So yeah. I was gonna melt a bird-boy today.
"BEGIN!"
Dark Shadow lunged for me instantly, a tendril of black slicing through the air like a blade. I dodged sideways, flipping across the cracked arena floor, leaving sizzling patches of acid in my wake.
"Fast," I muttered, "but not fast enough."
I coated my arms in a light film of acid and punched upward into Dark Shadow's side, the creature hissing as it recoiled.
Tokoyami didn't flinch. "Impressive," he said. "I get how Aoyama got destroyed so easily."
"You're strong!"
"Damn right I am!" I shouted, charging again.
I ducked, weaved, twisted through every strike. I could feel the muscles in my legs burning, but I pushed harder. Every step I took, every blast of acid I sprayed — it wasn't just to win.
It was to show him.
Show Harue that I wasn't a side character in his story. I was fighting for the spotlight too.
And as the fight dragged on, I remembered…
⸻
Flashback – Years Ago, Summer in Musutafu
I was five. The other kids at school had called me "alien eyes" again. Said I looked freaky. One boy said he saw my eyes in his dreams and it gave him nightmares.
I ran to the park and cried behind the swings.
Then someone sat next to me. Quiet. Calm.
I looked up, expecting more teasing.
But Harue just tilted his head and said, "Cool eyes."
I blinked.
He smiled. "They look like something from space. That's awesome."
That was the first time someone made me feel like my weirdness wasn't something to hide.
Then a two years later, as he was walking me back home like he always did. A fire broke out in an old apartment block nearby.
The adults were panicking. No heroes had arrived yet. Everyone just stood there—
Except Harue.
He ran into the building without thinking, skin bursting into flame like it was second nature. He came back out coughing, holding two crying kids in his arms, singed but alive.
That was the moment.
That was the day I decided.
I wanted to be like him.
Not because he was fearless — but because he made people feel safe. Because when everyone else stood still, he moved.
Present – Arena
Tokoyami came in low, Dark Shadow sweeping across the field like a black wave. I shot upward, launching acid beneath my feet like springboards. I spun, twisted, and hurled a glob of sticky sludge directly at his path.
He dodged, but barely. I landed hard, knees aching, sweat soaking my collar.
"Running low," I muttered.
We circled each other.
"Why do you fight so hard?" Tokoyami asked quietly.
I didn't hesitate. "Because I'm not gonna be left behind."
Another exchange. Claws versus acid, shadow versus sparkle. I kept pushing, kept dodging. But I could feel myself slowing down. My control slipped. My last strike missed by inches.
And then — he got in.
Dark Shadow surged forward, wrapped around me, pinning me down gently but firmly. Not hurting. Just enough to say checkmate.
Midnight raised her hand. "Winner: Tokoyami!"
The crowd roared. I laid there a second, panting.
And yeah — losing sucked. But…
I smiled.
Because I knew I'd gone all in.
———————-
As I climbed back up the stairs, still catching my breath, I saw him — Harue — leaning back in his seat, arms crossed. No big grin. No dramatic applause.
Just… that slight smirk of approval.
Our eyes met.
I stuck my tongue out at him.
He gave a single nod.
I didn't need a trophy. I had that.