Chapter 13
The Champion
The stadium rumbled as a massive glacier of ice formed; nearly everyone in the audience either ducked or threw up their hands to shield their faces as the ice came dangerously close. Cementoss had to raise several thick walls to protect those closest to the arena itself.
"Wow, would you look at that!" Present Mic tried to sound nonchalant, but it was impossible to completely hide the awe in his voice. "Todoroki showed us all once again why he's such a force to be reckoned with. Did he beat Midoriya in a single, overwhelming blow?"
Todoroki panted lightly, his right side coated in a thin layer of frost. It had been a risk to unleash that much power, but it was worth it to prove that nobody, not even Midoriya, could stop him. He was about to turn to Midnight and ask her to call the match, but then the stadium rumbled again. This time, the source came from the opposite side of the ring.
A large section of ice cracked, and then shattered, and Armodrillo stepped out from the hole he'd created.
"That was kind of cold," Armodrillo said, and if his mouth had been visible, Todoroki would have seen a wild grin.
…
"Whoa," Uraraka whispered, her breath coming out in a thick mist from the cold. "I knew Deku-kun was strong, but—"
"Forget 'strong'," Sero interrupted, "he just walked through Todoroki's strongest move!"
All Asui could manage was a weak 'ribbit'; the sudden cold had weakened her considerably, and Ashido hugged her in an effort to keep her warm. Despite the spikes of ice mere feet from her, the pink girl was grinning madly.
"Go get him, Midori!"
…
"I don't believe it, folks!" Present Mic was even more enthusiastic than the cheering crowd. "Midoriya's latest form just punched through that ice like it was nothing! Does this kid ever stop!?"
"Actually," Aizawa said, and in the commentator's booth, Present Mic stared as his friend actually sounded excited, "I think this fight is just getting started."
"He's right, you know," Armodrillo said, and cracked his knuckles. "I'm not even warmed up yet."
Todoroki glared at him. "So you can handle a widespread attack. What about when it's focused right at you?"
He placed his hand on the ground, and a massive spike of ice shot straight at Armodrillo's chest. The alien mirrored Todoroki's movements, and his jackhammer arm created a powerful tremor; as soon as the shockwaves reached Todoroki, they not only sent him sprawling, but they shattered the ice into pieces. What chunks did hit Armodrillo just bounced off of his armor.
"Looks like it's you who doesn't deal well with focused attacks," he said, and took a few steps forward. "One directed earthquake, and your ice falls apart."
"Shut up!" Ice crept around Armodrillo, and more spikes lanced towards him. "I'm not going to lose here!"
"Neither am I!" Another tremor shattered the base of the spikes, robbing them of momentum. "Besides, I already know how this will end; anyone with eyes could see it." He pointed at his opponent. "You can't handle using that much ice, can you?"
Todoroki glanced down at his right side; the frost was already thicker, and it was getting hard to move.
"Too bad you can't use your fire; then, you'd be able to balance out your ice and not get frostbite," Armodrillo taunted. "Oh, wait, it's not about whether or not you can, you just refuse to."
"I don't need that bastard's power!" Todoroki tried to freeze the ground, only for it to be shattered by another tremor. "Damn it!"
"Face it, Todoroki," Armodrillo growled, "your ice can't reach me. Of course, I don't really have a defense against fire."
Todoroki stared at him. "What is this? What are you trying to do?"
"I'm trying to get you to open your eyes, before you kill yourself because of your own pride!" Armodrillo clenched his fists. "You look like you've got frostbite, and this fight's just getting started!"
"I don't need you to look out for me," Todoroki snarled, and sent another wave of ice that Armodrillo shattered.
"And I don't have the same kind of limit as you," Armodrillo said. "All I have to do is keep this up until you freeze yourself. I thought you wanted to beat me, to show the world you didn't need Endeavor?"
"I don't need that bastard's Quirk!"
Armodrillo laughed, but it was a harsh sound. "All you're doing is letting him win."
Todoroki froze, and it had nothing to do with his Quirk. "What are you talking about?"
Inwardly, Armodrillo cheered. Finally! He's listening!
"If you use just your ice to become the greatest Hero, you've still let him influence you. You're devoting your whole life to sticking it to Endeavor—which means everything you do is still revolving around him! You don't need to let him rule your life, just be the Hero you want to be!"
Todoroki shook his head, but it was clear that his resolve was wavering. "I won't use his—"
"It's not his Quirk!" Armodrillo shouted. "It's yours! You choose how to use it, no one else!"
It was as if time stood still; that simple declaration made Todoroki freeze, even as his mind was rocked to its core.
Is it… is it really so simple? So obvious? Todoroki looked down at his hands—trembling from cold or emotion, he couldn't tell.
"Well, Todoroki?" Armodrillo stomped forward. "What's it gonna be?"
There was a pause; the crowd was roaring, but for the two boys, there was only silence, and the distance between them. Then, with a primal howl, flames erupted from Todoroki's left side, rising nearly as high as the glacier he'd created before settling back down. The ice on his right melted away, and life surged through him once again. The power he'd denied for years gave Todoroki such a rush that he couldn't help the mad grin that crossed his face.
"I'm going to be a Hero," he said, just loud enough for Armodrillo to hear. "One that chooses his own destiny."
"Good to hear," Armodrillo said, and then crouched low. "I want to be a Hero like that, too."
Thank you, Midoriya, Todoroki thought as he aimed his left hand at someone he suddenly wanted to call friend. "Just remember, you wanted this, so don't complain."
An enormous column of fire ripped through the ring, almost instantly melting and then evaporating the ice still scattered about. Cementoss had to shield the audience from the waves of flame; once again, people ducked down to avoid getting hurt.
When the fires died down, Todoroki—now with his shirt burned off and panting heavily—looked around. The ring was blackened by his fire, but he didn't see Midoriya. The only thing out of place was the hole in the ground—
Wait. Todoroki had less than a second to stare down at his feet, before a yellow arm punched up through the ground. The fist on the end of that arm connected solidly with his jaw and sent him flying up. The rest of Armodrillo popped up out of the ground; Todoroki started to fall, and Armodrillo drew back his other fist. The punch that landed on his chest was so strong that Todoroki felt his ribs crack, and all the air fled his lungs.
The world spun, there was a painful impact, and then everything went dark.
…
Uraraka was practically screaming in her seat, as were Ashido and Sero; in fact, most of Class 1-A was losing its collective mind.
"It's over!" Even with his Quirk and the arena's sound system boosting his voice, Present Mic could only barely be heard over the roaring crowd. "Even after that insane level of power displayed by Todoroki, Midoriya Izuku has pulled off the win, both by knockout and ring-out! Ladies and gentlemen, we have our first finalist!"
"He won!" Uraraka linked arms with Ashido and did a little dance. "He won! He did it!"
Yaoyorozu stared at Midoriya, now back to normal and checking on Todoroki. I couldn't hear what they were talking about, but it was clear that Izuku was goading him. Was he trying to make Todoroki-san use his fire? If so, then he was waiting to go underground as soon as he got through to him. He was trying to help Todoroki-san, but he also wanted to win… She smiled. You really are amazing, Izuku.
…
The older of the two observers laughed. "You heard that little speech of his, right?"
The girl rolled her eyes. "He decided that the best place for a therapy session was in the middle of a gladiator fight? The kid is nuts."
"It worked, and he still won," the man pointed out. "You can't complain."
"Sure I can," the girl snapped. "He shouldn't have that watch. It was never meant for him."
"I'm pretty sure Azmuth said the same thing a few times, and look how that turned out." The man put a hand on her shoulder. "He's doing well. I don't see any reason to take the Ultimatrix from him."
"Not yet," the girl muttered.
…
"Tensei, what happened to you?" Tenya had finally regained his composure, and was sitting next to his brother's bed, along with his parents. "I know that the Hero Killer is dangerous, but I thought—"
"I'm not invincible, Tenya." Tensei's words were gentle, but the chastisement was there; Tenya realized then that he'd been subconsciously been putting his brother on a pedestal. "My Sidekicks and I did our best, but Stain ambushed us in an alley. You've seen the news, so you know he hit us with knives and a sword."
Tenya noticed that Tensei winced and rubbed his back, but didn't comment. He didn't want the image of a madman like Stain stabbing his brother with a sword.
"That wasn't the worst part of it, though," Tensei continued. "He didn't actually hit any of us too badly; in fact, most of us should have been able to keep fighting."
At this point, the Iida patriarch interrupted. "Should? What changed?"
Tensei grimaced. "After I got a cut on my shoulder, the Hero Killer licked the blood on his blade. As soon as he did, I couldn't move."
Tenya's eyes widened; for months, experts on the news had speculated that the Hero Killer had some sort of paralysis Quirk, but anyone who had ever actually seen the entire process was probably dead, as Stain's surviving victims had never been able to give much detail.
"So his Quirk involves ingesting blood?" Tenya leaned forward—a small part of him, likely the part that had spent too much time with Midoriya, wished he had a notebook to write this all down. "You saw it happen?"
"Actually, I didn't." Tensei closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts. "I was told what happened, and not by any of my Sidekicks. See, after I got hit by his Quirk, Stain… stabbed me in the back. I couldn't move before, but after that, I couldn't… I couldn't feel my legs."
Tenya's blood turned to ice. "But… but, you can move your legs now!"
Tensei nodded. "I'm getting to that. As soon as Stain left, someone else arrived on the scene. I couldn't identify him, and he made sure not to step into anyone's line of sight. He put his hand on my back, and I saw a green light; when it was gone, my injuries… well, they weren't completely healed, but I was certainly better off, and I could feel my legs again. He did the same thing to my Sidekicks. While he worked, he told me that he'd seen what the Hero Killer had done. I reported all of this to the police, but since what this guy said couldn't be corroborated, we have to take it with a grain of salt."
"He had to have been a Vigilante," Tenya said. "He has a healing Quirk, but didn't stay to provide a statement. Wait, did he leave you in an alley all alone!?"
Tensei chuckled. "He called for an ambulance, but he used my phone to do it. What a jerk. Anyway, he left as soon as the sirens got close, so you're probably right that he's a Vigilante. Still, I wish he'd stuck around long enough for me to thank him."
If Tenya was being honest, he wished the same; he was reasonably sure that this Vigilante had saved his brother's career, if not his life.
As the conversation drifted to less serious matters, including the Sports Festival, Tenya made a mental note to bring up what he had learned with his friends.
The Hero Killer has some kind of paralysis-inducing Quirk that involves the ingestion of blood, and a Vigilante with a healing Quirk. I'm sure that Midoriya will have some interesting theories, but I'll talk to him about that later. He has more immediate concerns right now.
…
As soon as Midoriya rejoined Class 1-A, he was nearly tackled off his feet by Uraraka, who grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him excitedly.
"Deku-kun, that was incredible!" she shouted in his ear. "You beat Todoroki!"
"Yeah, Midori!" Ashido waved her arms excitedly. "He was all 'fwoosh!', and you were all 'nah', and then you broke all that ice, and holy crap, you made Todoroki use his flames!"
Midoriya wasn't sure how to respond, either to Ashido's rapid-fire commentary, or to Uraraka's enthusiasm. He settled for a weak smile.
"Thanks, guys; um, Todoroki-san is going to be okay, according to Recovery Girl."
"Midoriya, what happened down there?" Yaoyorozu asked. "It was impossible to hear anything, but it looked like you two were having a shouting match for a while."
Uraraka finally let go, allowing Midoriya to take a seat. "Well, remember when Todoroki-san pulled me aside before? It has to do with that."
Sero nodded sagely, though his attempt to look wise was offset by his bandages. "Hey, if it's between you guys, then it's between you guys."
"Hey, Yaomomo?" Asui tapped the taller girl on the arm. "Shouldn't you get ready for your match, ribbit?"
Yaoyorozu glanced around and saw that Bakugo was already gone. "Yes, I suppose I should."
"Good luck," Midoriya said, as serious as anyone had ever seen him. "And be careful."
Yaoyorozu nodded and tried to look composed, but nobody missed how each movement, normally so graceful, trembled ever so slightly. Her friends wished they could say something to bolster her confidence, but they had nothing; Bakugo was easily one of the best in the class, and while Yaoyorozu was no slouch, her opponent's raw talent and combat instincts trumped her intelligence.
Still, I'll do my best, she told herself as she walked away. None of my friends would do less, so how can I?
…
In his waiting room, Bakugo killed time by doing some light stretches. It was taking a while to repair the damage done by Deku and Icy-Hot, but that was okay in Bakugo's book. It gave him time to think—not necessarily about his upcoming match, because he'd come up with the perfect strategy as soon as he'd seen Ponytail's fight with Raccoon-Eyes.
No, for all that he professed that the past didn't matter, he found himself thinking about his previous two fights.
Sticky had known he stood no chance against him in a straight fight, but he did anyway. The guy was a worthless extra, but Bakugo gave him points for courage.
Kirishima had withstood far more punishment than he should have, all because he wanted to give Bakugo a lecture.
By themselves, each fight would have been little more than a footnote in Bakugo's mind, but they were linked by a common factor—Deku. Sticky had gained that little boost of confidence from the damn nerd, and Kirishima had said all those things because he wanted to stand up for him.
"What makes Deku so special?" Bakugo growled; his tone wasn't aggressive, but honestly curious. "I get he's strong, so why the hell did Kirishima need to defend him?"
You know why, a traitorous part of him said. It's because he's still a bundle of nerves, and you did that to him. You made his life a living hell for years, all because he had the spirit of a Hero, if not the Quirk. You're just upset because now he's got both.
Bakugo paused as he digested that, and then did what he usually did—he found that part of himself that cared, and then mercilessly beat it back into the recesses of his mind. Besides, he reasoned, Deku was actually worth his time as… well, not a rival, because that would imply that he was Bakugo's equal, but he was definitely a worthy opponent. Until he came to UA, Bakugo had never had that, but now, there were plenty of people who could at least last long enough in a fight to make him stronger.
In that regard, his only regret in this part of the Sports Festival was not being able to fight all of the strongest in his class—Glasses, Kirishima, Birdman, Icy-Hot, and of course, Deku. At least those five were worth beating down, and maybe UA could be good for something and help the worthless members of his class become less annoying.
All UA had to do was stop getting on his case about actually showing that he was strong, and maybe he'd start having fun.
The light signaling for him to enter the arena came on, and he cracked his knuckles. He still had his original plan to carry out—beat as many of Deku's friends as possible to rattle him before they fought.
He still needed to put the damn nerd in his place, after all.
"And now, our last first-year semifinal match!" Present Mic waited for the roaring crowd to settle down before continuing. "Starting with ladies first—her Quirk puts any magician to shame, and she doesn't even need a hat, it's Yaoyorozu Momo!"
Across the ring, Ponytail reached across herself; Bakugo could tell from the way her right hand rested on her left arm that she was nervous, but at least she looked him in the eye.
"And her opponent—he's been absolutely merciless this entire Sports Festival, making it to third place in both the previous events, but can he break that barrier and get into the final match? Show your support for Bakugo Katsuki!"
Bakugo managed to turn his sneer into something resembling a smile; as if he needed support.
"Okay, you two," Midnight said, "keep it clean out there, and do your best not to kill each other."
Bakugo knew that she was mostly addressing him. He also knew that he didn't really care.
"Are both fighters ready?"
"Yes, Midnight-sensei!"
"Let's do this already!"
Midnight would have given Bakugo another pointed look, but he was too focused on his opponent. "Begin!"
"Blast Rush Turbo!" Bakugo rocketed forward, determined to get in Ponytail's grill before she could make anything.
He was fast, but Ponytail could make simple objects even faster. If Bakugo hadn't flown up at the last second, he would have taken an iron pole straight to his face.
"You're gonna have to do better than that!" Bakugo turned to unleash an explosion; Ponytail tried to dive out of the way, and only partially succeeded. There was a cry of pain, and she limped out of the smoke, her leg a bit charred.
Bakugo landed and charged, but he had to duck when Ponytail threw another javelin at him. He had about half a second to register the distraction for what it was before she hurled what looked like a water balloon at his feet. Instead of water, it was a slightly opaque liquid that splattered his shoes. The smell instantly told him what she'd hit him with.
"Glue?" he asked incredulously. "You think glue is gonna hold me?"
"Not just any glue," Ponytail explained as she backed up. "The strongest quick-drying cement I could come up with. It started hardening as soon as it made contact with the air."
Bakugo snarled, but his shoes were already sticking to the ground. Powerful though his explosions were, they were most effective at closer range unless he really ramped it up, but without his gauntlets, he had to use such a move sparingly. He needed to get close, but Ponytail didn't look like she'd be giving him the chance, and stayed far away.
Still, he could get free in moments, but it turned out that Ponytail only needed moments. Her exposed stomach glowed as she created—
Holy shit, that's a cannon!
It was certainly of an older design, but its simplicity was probably what allowed her to make it so quickly in the first place. Bakugo was still struggling to move when Ponytail loaded a shell into the cannon, aimed it directly at him, and fired.
The sound couldn't hold a candle to his own explosions, but the attack wasn't meant to cause injury. Instead, the shell burst apart to cover him in a net made of weighted chains.
Oh, hell no! Bakugo blew apart the net with a pair of explosions, and then, in a move that shocked many in the audience, used another explosion on his own feet. The blast cracked apart the cement, and he was free; sure, it hurt like hell, and he probably had a few fractures in his legs, but it was worth it to see the stunned shock on Ponytail's face.
With a savage grin, Bakugo used another Blast Rush Turbo to get in close; Ponytail's hesitation only lasted a second, but it was enough for him. He landed right in front of her and held both hands a few inches away from her stomach.
"DIE!"
The explosions that followed were nothing compared to the super-blasts he could use, but they were certainly large enough to throw Ponytail out of the ring. The way she limply fell suggested that she was unconscious, and she would have landed on her head, if not for Cementoss creating a gentle slide to catch her at the last second.
"Yaoyorozu is unconscious and out of bounds!" Midnight declared. "Bakugo wins!"
The crowd was more enthusiastic than in previous rounds, probably because he'd deliberately shown restraint—by his standards, anyway. As he limped towards the infirmary, a thought crossed his mind that had him grinning.
I got a knockout and ring-out in the semifinals, and I did it faster than you, Deku, he thought. This was just a warmup for my real win, just you wait!
…
Ben looked concerned, and only got more so as the match had gone on. "Buddy, you okay?"
Midoriya hadn't said a word during the fight, even as his friends called out words of encouragement for Yaoyorozu, and then cries of dismay as she lost. He hadn't even reacted when Uraraka grabbed onto his arm when Yaoyorozu had taken the hit that resulted in her defeat. Instead, he had kept his eyes locked onto Bakugo, his expression set in a way that rarely showed itself.
He was angry.
"I'm going to destroy him," he muttered, and Uraraka blinked at the dangerously even tone in his voice. "He's hurt two of my friends today. No more."
"D-Deku-kun?" Uraraka gently shook his arm. "You're kinda scaring me."
Ben frowned. "Izuku, you need to calm down. Bakugo probably wants you riled up; don't give him the satisfaction."
Midoriya didn't respond to either of them for a moment, but then took a deep breath. "I'm okay. I'm okay." He noticed the looks his friends were giving him, and shrugged. "Okay, I'm still mad, but I'm in control." He pulled himself free from Uraraka and stood up. "I'm going to be in the waiting room."
"Hey, Midoriya?" Sero glanced back at where Bakugo had been. "What're you gonna do out there?"
"It's like I said." Midoriya took long, deliberate strides down the stairs. "I'm going to destroy him."
Ashido waited until he was gone before speaking. "Yeesh. I guess it's true what they say about the timid ones."
…
"I'm worried about those two," All Might said, his fingers laced together in front of his face in a way that was too similar to Sir Nighteye for Gran Torino's liking.
"Who, the boys?" Torino frowned. "Do you know something about them?"
"Yes, but I have only the most circumstantial of evidence." All Might's voice held a level of frustration that he rarely showed to anyone, even Nighteye and Torino. "Young Bakugo and young Midoriya have known each other for most of their lives, but it seems that young Bakugo was quite the bully."
Nighteye frowned. "And such a boy was admitted to UA?"
"Again, there's no direct evidence, since his previous schools did their best to hide it." All Might sneered. "No school wants to ruin the chances of a prospective Hero."
Torino scowled. "Great, we've got one of those brats running around. Has he been a problem at UA?"
"Not really, not since his first day at school." All Might coughed up a little blood, but wiped it away with a handkerchief before it dribbled onto his suit. "He's followed the letter of the rules, if not the spirit.
"The worst part is that he could be an amazing Hero, but his attitude…" All Might shook his head. "It reminds me of Endeavor at his worst; he always had that inferiority complex with me, and a superiority complex with everyone else. I feel the same happening with young Bakugo, regarding young Midoriya."
Nighteye took a moment to wipe his glasses. "Mirio spoke to me about Midoriya a few days ago; he mentioned that Midoriya was quite close with a handful of classmates, including two of Bakugo's opponents. If Midoriya had a negative childhood, it stands to reason that he would be protective of anyone who showed him genuine friendship. Bakugo's actions today might backfire spectacularly, but only if Midoriya keeps his cool out there."
Torino chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "Yeah, I'd hate for the little broccoli kid to lose it here, when he's so close to winning it all."
All Might sighed. "We'll soon see."
…
"Okay, so you're mad, I get it," Ben said as Midoriya closed the door to the waiting room. "But please tell me that you're not going to sink to Bakugo's level?"
"I'm not," Midoriya replied as he sat down and began writing in his notebook. "I just don't feel like being nice. Bakugo wants to beat me; he can't bully me like he used to, so he wants to 'put me in my place'.
"I have to beat him, not just because I want to prove that I can be a great Hero, but because I know how Bakugo thinks. The more he focuses on beating me, the less he'll focus on hurting any of my friends."
Ben sat on the edge of the table. "So, what, you're going to protect your friends by being a punching bag and letting Bakugo be a total—"
Midoriya looked up when Ben stopped talking, and was surprised when he saw the hologram flickering wildly for a moment.
"What was that?"
Ben looked at his hands. "Tiny fault in my holographic matrix—also, my programming doesn't like it when I try to swear, apparently." He shrugged. "I'm gonna run some self-diagnostics, just to be safe. Can you please promise that you'll take the high road during your fight?"
Midoriya sighed. "I promise not to put Bakugo in the hospital, but I am going to completely defeat him today."
"Fair enough." Ben vanished. "Good luck, buddy."
…
In his room, Shigaraki scratched at his neck. "So, the brat made it to the finals, huh?" He glanced at the pile of notes he'd scribbled down. "Maybe all this work isn't for nothing."
At first, Shigaraki had viewed this 'assignment' as little more than homework, but as the Sports Festival had gone on, his opinion had changed. It was like going through a dry run for a raid, studying the different modes a boss might take during a fight—and after the USJ attack and everything he'd seen today, he had to admit that Midoriya was definitely at or near boss-level. He definitely didn't have boss-level fighting experience, but his sheer variety made him a huge threat.
All Might was still the prize, but there were other encounters on this raid, and they needed to be removed. Killing them was still on the table, but it would be far more efficient to just get them out of the way, at least until All Might was dead. Anyone in that fight couldn't waste their high-damage, long-cooldown moves on anyone else. With the Symbol of Peace in the grave, every other boss would have such a debuff that killing them would hardly be worth the XP.
So far, the other bosses were easy to read; the internet was such a great tool for figuring out their combos, and their weaknesses. Midoriya, on the other hand, was going to be a problem; if Shigaraki was going to get him off the board, he'd need something special—a team. Not just a few Nomus, who were little more than NPCs, but other players, who could intelligently work together. He'd have to train them up, of course, or hope to get lucky and find players who had already made it to a high level, but it was doable.
"Definitely not a waste of time," he admitted. If anything, this was getting fun.
…
"This is it, folks!" Present Mic sounded like he was bouncing in his seat. "You wanted it, I wanted it, and our two fighters definitely wanted it—the final match of the first-year Sports Festival!"
Midoriya was calmer than before as he walked into view, though he did jump a little at the sheer volume of support. He hadn't really thought about how he'd quickly become a crowd favorite.
Bakugo, on the other hand, couldn't stand still. He bounced up and down on his healed feet, fingers curled and a wide grin stretching across his face. In all the years Midoriya had known him, he had never seen Bakugo so eager.
"First up is the blonde berserker, the explosive extraordinaire… show some love for Bakugo Katsuki!"
For once, Bakugo tried working up the crowd, beating his chest once and then holding up his arms. Midoriya was surprised, but if Bakugo had really been looking forward to this match so badly, it made sense that he wanted the crowd as pumped as he was.
"And his opponent is the kid who keeps us all guessing with what he'll turn into next! He's slimy, creepy, fast and strong, he's every shape and size… let's hear it for Midoriya Izuku!"
If the noise from before had been loud, it was nothing compared to now. The ground under Midoriya's feet shook from the screams and cheers.
Once the crowd settled, Midnight stepped between the two boys. "Okay, kids, just remember that one of you is still getting second place at your first Sports Festival. That's nothing to be ashamed of, so keep it under control."
As much as Midoriya wanted to beat Bakugo, he knew Midnight was right. "Sure thing, Midnight-sensei."
Bakugo scoffed. "Let's just do this already!"
Seeing as how both boys had basically signaled their readiness, Midnight stepped out of the ring and held up her whip. "All right… begin!"
"Hey, Deku, notice something?" Bakugo held up his bare hands. "No gloves for you to soak, so there's nothing that shitty lobster form of yours can do to stop me."
Midoriya activated the Ultimatrix. "Then it's a good thing I've got other options, Kacchan."
Bakugo's eye twitched at the mocking tone used to say his old nickname, and he rushed forward, even as Midoriya slammed down the Ultimatrix's dial. Bakugo delivered an explosion-assisted fist right at where he assumed Midoriya's chest was. Instead of a satisfying smack of a blow well-struck, there was a loud clang, and he reeled back, his fist throbbing with pain.
Once again, Midoriya had used a form no one had seen before. This one was taller than an average person, and much wider. His entire body was covered in grey armor, and he looked almost like a furnace that had grown arms and legs. The center of his flat-topped helmet was a grate that glowed orange, and the hourglass dial was on the center of his chest.
"Okay, what's this one called?" Bakugo asked as he put some distance between them.
"I call him NRG." The armor clanked as he took a step forward and spoke with a Russian accent. "I figured you'd use your unpredictable style of attacks, so I picked something that can take anything you can dish out, no matter what angle you come at me from."
"Oh, you think so?" Bakugo grinned, and then propelled himself into the air. "Let's see just how much you can take!"
NRG reflexively held up his arms as Bakugo rained down explosions. Though the blasts didn't hurt, it sounded like a bell was being rung inside his head, and that was getting annoying. Bakugo landed near the edge of his side of the ring, ready for NRG to charge; unfortunately for him, NRG had no intention of stomping around. Instead, the grill on his helmet glowed brighter; that was all the warning Bakugo had before a beam of orange energy shot at him.
"Shit!" Bakugo's reflexes were as sharp as ever, and he managed to launch himself into the air before the beam of radiation hit where his feet had been a second earlier.
Of course, he had planned for Bakugo to move in time. NRG had to be extremely careful with that power; radiation was no laughing matter. He made sure to only aim at the ground; he didn't want to risk accidentally shooting into the audience, even with Cementoss nearby.
"Good dodging, Kacchan," NRG called out. "I'm sure plenty of Heroes will notice how skilled you are at running away."
Bakugo's only response was to bombard him with even stronger explosions, which sent NRG staggering. He had expected this to happen; after years of analyzing Bakugo's Quirk, he knew that his explosions only got more powerful as he sweated more, which meant longer fights worked in his favor.
"I'm also good at chasing," Bakugo sneered as he landed on top of NRG's head. "Don't you remember?"
Bakugo jumped off, but only so that he could deliver a point-blank super-blast; he winced from the pain in his right arm, but switched to his left to deliver a series of rapid-fire blasts into the cloud of smoke he'd created. When the dust settled, he saw the massive crater, with NRG at the bottom; his armor was scuffed and dented, but he appeared otherwise okay.
"Yeah, I remember," NRG said as he got to his feet. "I remember how you'd torment a Quirkless kid, just because you could, and nobody stopped you. I'm sure that made you feel real strong, right? All that talk about being a great Hero, and you went out of your way to beat up someone who couldn't even fight back."
Bakugo sneered again. "That was your damn fault for always trying to hang out, Deku. You should have just stayed out of my life."
"I did!" Bakugo was surprised by the anger in NRG's voice. "Don't you remember, when I hardly ever talked to you in middle school!? You hunted me down, all to 'put me in my place'. Why? Because I wanted to be a Hero? Before I got my powers, you were positive I'd fail at getting into the Hero Course, so you weren't threatened. So, what, did you just make my life miserable because it was fun for you!?"
When Bakugo didn't answer, NRG sighed. "Whatever. I'm done trying to make you into a better person; if you're going to change, do it yourself. Now, I'm just going to beat you and make sure Sero and Yaomomo didn't actually get seriously hurt."
His immediate response was to get blown further into his crater by another super-explosion. His armor was dented further, but he got back to his feet.
"You're going to beat me?" Bakugo almost laughed. "You haven't laid a finger on me yet, Deku!"
"You're right about that," NRG said, and moved his hand over the Ultimatrix dial. "I just wanted you to waste your big explosions, Kacchan."
Bakugo's eyes went wide as NRG vanished in a flash of green light.
"What's this?" Present Mic's enthusiasm was in stark contrast to Bakugo's alarm. "It seems that Midoriya has finally transformed mid-battle! So far, he's only used one form for every event and match today!"
"This was probably his strategy," Aizawa said. "He wanted Bakugo to use his best move, and then turn into something that would give him an easier fight."
The green light had faded by now, but there was nothing in the crater—no new form for Bakugo to be wary of, and nothing for the crowd to freak out about. Bakugo's instincts screamed at him, but just as he turned, he felt the pain of a fist in his face.
"Wait, what just happened? Why did Bakugo fall over?"
"If I had to guess, Midoriya happened."
Bakugo stood up, only to get punched again, this time in the stomach. "What… what the fuck, Deku? Are you ripping off that see-through bitch now?"
"First of all, that's really rude," a sinister voice hissed, and then Bakugo's feet were pulled out from under him. "Second of all… yeah, kind of."
Finally, Midoriya's latest alien appeared, and this one made everyone a little apprehensive. He only had two thin arms, but no legs; instead, he floated in the air. His body was covered in grey skin, with black lines; he had no mouth, nose or ears, just a single eye, and the Ultimatrix dial looked like it was buried in his chest.
"I call this one 'Ghostfreak'," he went on. "I thought it would be appropriate; after all, you called me a Quirkless freak for years. That was one of your favorite insults, right behind 'worthless'."
Bakugo raised a hand to blast him, but Ghostfreak simply sank to, and through, the ground, leaving Bakugo without a target.
…
"Whoa." Togata watched as Midoriya's latest form made its debut. "It's like my Quirk, only he can also turn invisible!"
Hado shivered. "Yeah, but it's kinda creepy. I liked the armored form from before."
"It's hard to tell, since neither of the forms he's used have mouths," Amajiki said, "but I think Midoriya was yelling at Bakugo. He was definitely acting angry."
That worried the Big Three; they had seen Midoriya nervous, determined, and eager, but until now, they thought Midoriya didn't have an angry bone in his body.
They continued to watch as Midoriya's arm phased up through the ground; his hand turned solid and grabbed Bakugo by the face, and then slammed him headfirst into the floor.
"Should…" Hado looked at her friends nervously. "Should we be worried?"
Togata shrugged. "For Midoriya? Probably not. For Bakugo? I think we should."
…
"Tell me, Kacchan—how does it feel to be totally powerless?" Ghostfreak hovered over him with his arms crossed. "How does it feel to know that, no matter how hard you try, you'll never even scratch me?" He floated lower, so that he was level with Bakugo as he got to his feet. "That's how I felt every day for years."
Bakugo spat out blood. "Is there a rest stop between here and your fucking point?"
"Not really. I just wanted to say that… I'm done with you." To Bakugo's surprise and confusion, Ghostfreak shrugged casually; it was as if a switch had been thrown. "I said what I needed to say, and now, I feel like I can move on with my life. I have friends who care about me, and I care about them. Why should I focus on the crap you put me through, when I can focus on all the good times I'm having with them?
"Don't get me wrong, you're still a jerk—the biggest jerk I've ever met, and I don't think we'll ever be friends—but I'm willing to take the high road. I just put you through all that because you wouldn't have listened to me otherwise. Also, you hurt my friends, so, you know… payback." Ghostfreak's eye crinkled, and Bakugo suspected he was smiling. "Now that that's settled, I'll be winning this fight."
"I've still got plenty of fight left in me!" Bakugo wasn't wrong; those hits had hurt, sure, but they were far from debilitating.
"That doesn't really matter to me." Ghostfreak moved, but though Bakugo's instincts again tried to save him, his body was battered just enough to slow his reflexes, and he wasn't fast enough to stop Ghostfreak from flying into him.
It felt like ice flowed through his veins; he tried to fight it, to stop Ghostfreak from getting any further, but it was useless. He stopped struggling almost immediately; his eyes turned black, and ebon lines crawled from the corners of each eye. He then straightened up and looked down at his hands.
Midnight took a step forward. "Bakugo? Are you all right?"
Bakugo smiled; it was bizarre, because the smile on his face was actually friendly. "Sorry, Midnight-sensei; Bakugo isn't home right now."
Midnight flinched; it had been Bakugo's mouth that moved, but it was Ghostfreak's voice. "Midoriya?"
"Yes, Midnight-sensei." Ghostfreak/Bakugo lifted his hands higher, and two small explosions shot out. "Huh. So that's how it works. I always wondered." He shook his head and turned back to Midnight. "I'm going to take him out of bounds now."
"Er… okay." Midnight paused as a thought came to her. "Are you sure about that? If you're, um, inside him, you'll both be out of bounds, and it will be a draw."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Ghostfreak/Bakugo casually walked to the edge of the ring, and the crowd held its breath.
Ghostfreak flew out of Bakugo's back; just as the latter groaned and shook his head, the former pushed him, and Bakugo stumbled over the line.
"Bakugo is out of bounds!" Midnight shouted. "Midoriya wins!"
There was a half-second pause, and then the stadium shook with the force of the cheers.
"There you have it!" Present Mic screamed. "In what has to be one of the most exciting Sports Festivals we've had in years, our first-year winner is none other than Midoriya Izuku!"
Midoriya turned back to normal and waved at his cheering friends and classmates, just as Bakugo got his bearings.
"Wait, what?" Bakugo whirled and glared at Midoriya. "What the fuck was that, Deku!?"
Midoriya shrugged. "I won?"
Bakugo looked down at his feet, still out of bounds; he then stomped over to Midoriya and grabbed him by the front of his shirt.
"What kind of shitty win is that!?" he demanded. "This was supposed to be a real fight! Why would you use a cheap trick like that!?"
Before Midoriya could answer, a cloud of pink vapor swirled around them. Bakugo fell unconscious almost immediately, and Midoriya wasn't too far behind; he stumbled back, but Midnight caught him.
"Sorry about that," the teacher said gently. "I had to get both of you with my Quirk, but I did my best to give you a smaller dose. You'll wake up in a few minutes."
Midoriya yawned. "Th-thanks, Midnight-sen—zzzz."
…
There was a slight delay before the first-year medal ceremony could begin; Midoriya and Bakugo had to recover from Midnight's Quirk, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu still had to be cleared by Recovery Girl, and the arena needed to be repaired once again.
Midoriya was still tired, but he was happier than he could ever remember. A year ago, he had been the Quirkless outcast of his school; now, he was attending the most prestigious Hero school in the country—arguably the world—he had friends, and he had just won the UA Sports Festival!
If he was being honest, there was one thing that might have been better than all of that—Uraraka might have been happy for him after his fight with Todoroki, but that was nothing compared to now.
"Deku-kun, that was amazing!" Uraraka hugged him tight enough to hurt. "You were so cool out there!"
Maybe it was the lingering effects of Midnight's Quirk, maybe he was just getting used to hugging girls, but Midoriya had no problem returning Uraraka's hug.
"Thanks," he said. Then, as if it had really occurred to him for the first time, his eyes went wide and he spun in a circle with Uraraka still in his arms. "I won! I actually won!"
Uraraka laughed; she wasn't just happy for him because he won, but because she had never heard such honest joy in his voice before. In that moment, there was no trace of his usual anxiety and hesitation; instead, he was a happy boy that a small part of Uraraka admitted she might, might, have a crush on.
Then the moment was gone, and Midoriya realized where his arms were; he went as red-faced as anyone had ever seen, and he sputtered as he put her down. Fortunately for him, no one teased him, though that was because Kirishima put him in a friendly headlock.
"Dude, that was so freakin' manly!" Kirishima shouted. "You just took everything Bakugo had to throw at you, and then you just went 'yeah, I'm done', and kicked the snot out of him!"
"More like he punched the snot out of him," Ashido corrected. "That last form didn't have feet. Hey, Midori, what was up with that one, anyway? You were kinda brutal out there—not that Bakugo didn't have it coming, but still…"
Midoriya's smile faded a little. "W-well, Ghostfreak is a little weird. I'm not really a fan of using him, even if he's really useful, but he makes me feel… mean."
That was more true than he was willing to say in front of people. He had intended to give Bakugo a piece of his mind, but before he'd possessed him, he had felt sick pleasure in returning even a fraction of the pain Bakugo had caused him over the years.
Ben had warned him about Ghostfreak when he'd first unlocked that particular alien. Some of the original personality could bleed through if he was stressed or angry enough; apparently, the real Ben had even had to fight Ghostfreak when he'd gained self-awareness and escaped the Omnitrix, but that was no longer a concern. Still, Midoriya decided not to use Ghostfreak unless he had to.
"Still, you were able to rein in your demons before it overwhelmed you," Tokoyami said. "I have some experience with that, if you want to master that form."
Midoriya smiled and nodded, but then Asui tapped his arm. "Ribbit, the medals are going to be handed out soon, Midoriya; you should get out there."
"R-right, thanks, Tsuyu." He smiled at Yaoyorozu and Todoroki, sporting fresh uniforms and plenty of bandages. "Are you guys ready?"
Yaoyorozu nodded tiredly. "I'm certainly proud, but I'm more looking forward to getting home and sleeping in."
"Same," Todoroki said; the boy looked half-asleep, but managed to stay on his feet. However, after the rest of the class headed out to the area in front of the repaired ring, he turned to Midoriya. "Thank you, by the way."
"F-for what?"
"Everything you said during our fight." Todoroki sighed. "I have a lot to think about, but I'm going to start using my left side." He paused and glanced at Yaoyorozu, who smiled understandingly and put some distance between them. "I spoke to Endeavor after I woke up."
"You did?" Sudden worry clouded Midoriya's features. "Are you okay?"
Todoroki smirked. "The bastard works me hard, but he wouldn't dare hurt me; I'm his best chance at beating All Might, after all. Actually, he was just… well, not happy, but he was satisfied that I'd used my flames. He offered to teach me to control them better, and I accepted."
"Really? I thought you, well, hated him."
"Oh, I still do," Todoroki said with a shrug. "But he's still unquestionably the best fire-Quirk user in generations. If I'm going to use my flames well, I need to learn from the best."
"Th-that's good." Midoriya noticed Yaoyorozu waving them over. "We should hurry, they're going to start soon."
"Where's Bakugo?" Todoroki looked around, and saw the boy in question standing off to the side, hands shoved in his pockets and covered in bandages. He didn't look as furious as before; instead, he seemed a mixture of thoughtful and grumpy. "Never mind, there he is."
"He s-seems in a better mood," Midoriya said, "let's go before that changes."
"Sure." Todoroki hesitated, and then decided to go for it. "Hey, Midoriya, can I give you my phone number? So we can talk? If you want, I mean."
Midoriya thought about it, and how lonely Todoroki seemed at times. "Sure, but on one condition."
"Go ahead?" Todoroki tried not to sound apprehensive, but that had been one of Midoriya's default settings for most of his life, so he gave him a friendly smile to calm him down.
"If you're going to talk to me, you have to talk to all my friends." And then he gently elbowed Todoroki. "And if it's all right with you, I'm sure they'd like to be your friends too."
"I'd… like that. I've never had many friends."
Midoriya grinned. "Then you're going to fit right in."
…
"Okay, that's so sweet, I think I just got diabetes." The girl turned to her companion. "Can we go now? Please? Any more of this and I'm going to start puking rainbows."
"Fine, fine." The man ruffled her hair. "We got what we needed, and we can track him down if we have to."
"Finally!"
There was a flash of light, and then it was like they had never been there at all.
…
"I AM HERE!" All Might shouted as he fell from the sky and landed in front of the podium. "AND I HAVE BROUGHT THE MEDALS!"
The crowd cheered as the number-one Hero arrived. For the audience, today had been one treat after another; seeing All Might was just the cherry on top.
For All Might, he was incredibly happy; he loved to see up-and-coming Heroes show what they could do, and the Sports Festival was only a third of the way done. The fact that the winners of the first-year events were all his students filled him with pride.
"Young Yaoyorozu," he said, muting his mic so that his words were for the girl alone, "you showed excellent strategic decisions during your matches. With enough preparation, I daresay that you'll be a match for nearly any Villain!"
Yaoyorozu blushed and bowed her head. "Thank you, All Might-sensei."
"However," All Might continued, "your weakness is that you hesitate when things don't go according to plan, or if you simply don't have time to react. Work on those reflexes, and you'll be a force to be reckoned with."
The girl nodded, and then accepted both the bronze medal All Might placed around her neck, and the brief hug he gave her.
"Young Todoroki." All Might placed a hand on the other third-place winner's shoulder. "I don't know why you decided to use your flames, and I won't pry. However, this decision will only help your growth, and I know that this is an important step in your journey. Make sure that your footing on this path is secure; starting is easy, but it is even easier to backslide in the beginning."
Todoroki met his gaze evenly. "I know. I… have someone to talk to about that, just in case."
All Might suspected he knew who Todoroki was talking about, but didn't comment. Instead, he gave the boy the other bronze medal and hugged him.
"Ah, young Bakugo." All Might kept up his grin, but it was a little harder; the runner-up had left a bad impression on him early on, and his behavior during the Sports Festival hadn't done much to improve that. Still, the boy was calm enough now; maybe losing so thoroughly had opened his eyes. "There is no shame in coming in second place. This is only your first Sports Festival, and you have plenty of time to grow."
"Yeah." Bakugo held up the silver medal All Might placed around his neck. "Hey, All Might, can I ask a question?"
"Of course! I can't guarantee I'll give you an answer you'll like, though."
"Whatever." Bakugo glanced at Midoriya for a second. "Does being the best mean proving you're the strongest at everything?"
"Not in the slightest," All Might said, and gently hugged the boy so that he could whisper in his ear. "For all that our society loves ranking Heroes in popularity, there's really only one person you should ever work to impress—yourself. As long as you do your very best, even if you fail, you can walk away from anything with your head held high."
"… Okay." Bakugo frowned thoughtfully. "Well, I'm still gonna be the greatest Hero ever; that's my goal, and I won't stop until I achieve it. Just you wait, All Might, I'm gonna surpass even you and Deku."
All Might wasn't sure what surprised him more—that Bakugo seemed to be listening to honest advice, or that he had compared him to young Midoriya. He appeared to have done the latter without really thinking about it. All Might chose to let Bakugo think about things as he moved on to the winner.
"Young Midoriya," he said, "congratulations on winning your first Sports Festival. You showed determination, creativity, and a compassionate heart, all of which are the best qualities of a Hero. You'll go far, I just know it."
Midoriya didn't even try to hide the tears pouring down his face. "Th-thank you, All M-Might…"
All Might placed the gold medal around the boy's neck, and then hugged him; from the way he was trembling, All Might was genuinely worried that the fanboy was about to pass out.
"One more thing," he said quietly. "I remember what I said to you, back on that rooftop. I know that you have your Quirk now, but it doesn't excuse how I dismissed you. Quirkless or no, that was unacceptable, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."
There was a choking noise, and then Midoriya nodded. All Might smiled and patted him on the shoulder before turning to the crowd.
"THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS!" he shouted, and the speakers carried his booming voice a fair distance beyond the arena. "GIVE IT UP FOR NOT JUST OUR WINNERS, BUT ALSO EVERYONE WHO WENT BEYOND TODAY! SAY IT WITH ME…"
The arena shook with the combined force of thousands of voices.
"PLUS ULTRA!"
(Dakara, Hiroti ja Nai—Little Glee Monster, TV version)
The music starts, and the scene opens with UA's Rising Stars sitting together on a hill. Midoriya points at something on the horizon and smiles. They all get up and begin to run. In the sky, clearly visible in the evening air, is a shooting star.
The scene shifts to Midoriya standing in the middle of his room, looking down at the Ultimatrix. Behind him, Ben smiles, even as he flickers. Midoriya is then seen walking down a sidewalk in his school uniform. His friends are around him, talking excitedly; Todoroki is also there, but is hanging back and looks unsure. He then looks up and sees Midoriya gesturing for him to come closer; he smiles and takes a step forward.
The scene changes again, this time to a training area. Midoriya has turned into Four Arms, and is holding up the arm of a UA robot that was trying to crush Uraraka. The two grin, and then the scene flashes forward to the Rising Stars, including Todoroki, sitting on a pile of destroyed robots and looking exhausted, but happy.
Finally, the eight students are heading home. Midoriya is laughing at something Sero says, Uraraka has linked arms with Asui and Yaoyorozu, and all three girls are smiling, Ashido has an arm around Todoroki's shoulders while she sticks out her tongue at Iida, who is trying to reprimand her. The scene fades to black as it zooms in on Midoriya's smile.