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Beginning of Chapter
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The arena rumbled on as ice tore forward like a tsunami, jagged spires surging from Todoroki's right side. Frost bloomed across the ground, locking the air into a suffocating chill. Spectators shivered, their breaths visible even high in the stands.
But his opponent didn't flinch. He lifted his hand and flicked his finger towards Todoroki and his ice structures.
With that simple flick, the ground erupted. A shockwave burst outward, splitting the wave of ice like glass being shattered by a hammer. Shards scattered skyward, glittering in the light of the sun as they fell like frozen rain.
The crowd gasped.
Midoriya, four broken fingers into this match, and yet holding his own against Todoroki was truly impressive. But during their confrontation, the green haired boy spoke to Todoroki.
Gojo, reclining in his seat, as he watched the fight. After a few minutes he got up and started walking down the aisles.
"Gojo, where are you going, you're going to miss the fights?" Uraraka asked, the others glancing towards him leaving and went back to the fight.
"Need to take a call. Plus, with the emotional turn the fight has taken, I'd say Midoriya could win, but he'll make Todoroki use his flames so I'm betting on Todoroki." He said casually, the others raising an eyebrow as he walked down the stands.
"Uh, alright then, see you Satoru!" She said with a smile as he walked away.
In the locker room, the hum of fluorescent lights did nothing to drown out the muffled chaos outside. Gojo leaned against the wall with the phone pressed to his ear, grin fixed, blindfold slightly askew.
Hearing the cries of Present Mic as he commentated the battle, the cheering of the crowd and the sounds of ice being shattered by shockwaves, Gojo moved to sit on one of the benches, appearing to be alone in the locker rooms talking on the phone.
"Uncopyable. Uneraseable. Untouchable. Even resisting Brainwash... Satoru Gojo. What are you?" Came the voice on the other end of the call. Her words carried power and authority as she spoke smoothly.
"Well, President Kamizono, I did say call after the last fight, but I suppose you were to excited." Gojo chuckled as he answered.
"Satoru Gojo… I'll be direct. You're exceptional. Too exceptional to be left under ordinary supervision. Your power, your unpredictability… it's a risk to leave you constrained by rules that don't suit you. That's where we come in.
We want you on our side. Not under our thumb, but on our terms. Complete freedom to act, train, and pursue your strength and with access to resources no ordinary hero could dream of."
Gojo leaned back as he held the phone to his head, considering all she was saying. The sounds of the fight raging on muffled inside the locker room. He glanced to one side to suddenly see the mop against the wall fall before paying attention to the call. "You got my attention. Keep talking."
He heard a brief sigh on the other side of the call from her before she bagan speaking. "Financial compensation? How about we be reasonable. A first grade hero salary of 4.5 million US dollars yearly."
When he heard that number he let out a whistle at the amount before she continued speaking.
"We can also provide specialized training facilities, experimental equipment, and exclusive access to hero missions tailored to your abilities.
Missions we asign with Hawks, you will agree to do as well. In the end you benefit, think about the training, fieldwork and reconnaissance. All good skills a hero needs."
She pauses, letting that sink in. "Think of it as… a partnership. You keep your independence, your style, your methods. You're still a student afterall.
You gain the tools, the freedom, and the opportunities to grow stronger... and we get to ensure that someone like you is–"
"Is kept within your pockets, am I correct. My father abandoned you going rouge, and you, after seeing my potential, and to secure me under your thumb." Gojo interrupted, wearing a knowing smile.
"Let me ask, why shouldn't I say no. Why do you want me so badly." He asked, glancing around the room as if she were there.
The line was quiet, no words were spoken for a minute before Kamizono's voice spoke once again.
"I value efficiency. You're… dangerous, Satoru. But dangerous doesn't have to be reckless. You could achieve far more with us backing you, rather than arguing with Nezu over procedures and lessons you could most likely ignore anyway. The choice is yours."
The call ended. Gojo, looked at the phone, seeing she hung up before sighing and letting out a light laugh.
"Huh… sounds tempting. Money, freedom and toys? And you're asking me nicely instead of throwing me under Nezu's care?"
He put his phone in his pocket as he stood up, hearing the battle coming to an end as instead the shattering of ice being heard, he heard a raging fire, the crowd going crazy, as well as a certain Pro Hero exclaiming in joy.
He started walking to the door, stopping in the doorway before he left and turned his head as he lifted up his blindfold a bit to show his one eye.
"Hey, Hagakure. I can see you there. Not the way you think, but I know you're there. Next time, don't eavesdrop." And with those final words, he walked out the locker room into the hallway.
Leaving Toru, who was fully invisible as she was naked, let out a scream of embarrassment and covered her bits.
Outside, standing near the hallway entrance, Gojo watched the fight come to its end, seeing the flames erupting across Todoroki's left side.
Fire crackling, bright and hungry, painting the stadium in orange and gold. The heat slamming into the crowd like a wave, the sudden shifts from freezing cold to blazing heat leaving the audience breathless.
Midoriya whispered something they couldn't hear, a smile on his face. Cureently standing with all 10 fingers broken, he curled his right hand into a fist.
Feeling his shattered and broken body, but the joy in helping his friend making it all worth it as he prepared his final attack for the competition.
Todoroki prepared himself as well, his left side lit with a raging fire while his right side has ice crawling up his arms.
The two fighters let out their battle cries as they rushed to meet and have their final clash in the centre of the stage.
The final clash swallowed everything in light. Ice cracked, flames roared, shockwaves split the air, everyone on the stands getting a strong wind blown across them from the clash, until Midoriya's body was hurled across the ring, crashing to the ground outside the boundary.
Midoriya did't get up.
Todoroki stood on the stage, holding his broken arm and applying ice around it slowly before collapsing to his knees.
"WINNER OF THE MATCH IS NONE OTHER THAN, TODOROKI!" Present Mic shouted, the entire stadium erupting with cheers and applause, the entire fight was exhilarating and exciting to the crowd.
Satoru stood at the hallway clapping his hands slowly, seeing Todoroki walk off the stage and Midoriya's body being carried away on a stretcher.
"Guess hes my next opponent, wonder what fun that'll bring." Gojo chuckled. He turned to the teacher stands, catching a glimpse of a skinny, short and blonde man with sunken blue eyes sneak away from Nezu's and Aizawaz's seats.
Under the blindfold, Gojos eyes narrowed, seeing the luminous glow of quirk energy emminating from him, and his eyes slowly widened under the blindfold, recognising that same energy.
'That's... my eyes must be fucking with me.' He thought before he muttered to himself.
"... What the Hell happened to All Might?"
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Elsewhere...
The office of the Hero Public Safety Commission was bathed in daylight, the skyline of Musutafu stretching endlessly beyond the tall glass windows.
Papers lay scattered across Madame President Kamizono's desk, but her eyes were fixed on the video playing mute on the new large TV screen.
The replay of Ryomen using his ultimate skill, one clearly meant for destruction, a devastating attack from years of pushing his quirk... or was it perhaps instead quirks?
She picked up the controller on the desk and paused the video, her expression unreadable.
"…Sukuna. To the world, your quirk was nothing more than simple air slashes. Devastating, yes, but simple. Clean enough to file away in the public record.
Yet when you told us a different story, wanting to keep your true quirk hidden for the most part... its not my fault it raised oir suspicion."
She rose from her seat, heels clicking softly against the polished floor as she approached the tinted floor to ceiling window. The glass reflected her sharp features back at her, framed by the city's glow.
"You weren't cutting the air. You were folding space itself. And then, advanced regeneration? Strength to punch through steel with ease? You were clever… disguising your arsenal behind a single mask. Too clever."
Her voice dropped into a dangerous whisper.
"Quirked individuals vanishing off the grid. My Warper stationed in my own HPSC facility ranks, disappeared without a trace.
And then you emerging with new powers as well as a rouge? Coincidence? Coincidence is a story for fools. I don't deal in fairy tales."
She turned her head slightly. In the corner of the room, motionless and silent, stood Jogo, a soft glow came from him as he lit a cigar with a flame from his fingers.
"What's the order Madame?" He asked calmly.
Kamizono's cold face glanced to him before she looked at the screen, the large sadistic grin of Sukuna, as if smiling directly at her.
"Find him. Track him down. And when you do… make sure he dies. Slowly. Publicly. The people can't know what he really was... or what he's working with now."
Jogo's head tilted, sudden flames across his face flaring with eager malice before they died down. He nodded once before pushing himself away from the wall and headed towards the door while drawing a breath of smoke from his cigar.
Left alone, Kamizono placed a hand on the glass, watching the very city that she took an oath to protect. Her voice remainded low, trying to hide the growing anger.
"All those quirks… they're not related Ryomen... Not naturally. You really thought Id never suspect?"
Her breath fogged against the glass, eyes narrowing.
"…You're playing with a fire I'm sure might burn you. You're playing on the same team as the demon."
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End of Chapter
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