Chapter 16: Excessive
Maijima rushed forward, grabbing the comm from Present Mic with an iron-clawed grip, and hastily held the device up to his mouth.
"Nemuri, stop the fight," Maijima screamed into the microphone. "It's over! Get him away from her now!"
He sees Nemuri comply, shaking herself out of her shock, and intervening, pushing Bakugo away from the mangled form of one of his students. He sees Nemuri call the match, ending this horrorshow. With bated breath, he watches as Nemuri leans her head onto Mei's chest, and looks up towards the teacher's booth, giving them a nod.
She's still breathing…thank god.
With that weight of his chest, Maijima turns his fury towards Nezu, who seems indifferent to the whole display.
"Mind telling me why you just sat there?!" Maijima roared, "why didn't you call the match?!"
Nezu shakes his head at Maijima, "because there was no need. It would have ended soon enough regardless." Nezu puts a paw to his chin, "though I was surprised by the retaliatory strike, I expected her to simply give up."
"For god sake, Nezu! That little shit just mangledher!" Maijima leans towards the chimaera, who remains indifferent. "She had clearly already given up! It shouldn't have gone that far!"
"Oh, so now excessive force is a problem?" Kan interjects, "I thought we didn't care if some students got rough." Maijima turns to Kan, a furious snarl on his face, but Kan continues.
"Besides, it's nothing Recovery Girl can't heal." Kan turns fully to Maijima, arms crossed. "If Hatsume really did wish to end the match, she could have simply called for a forfeit."
"She couldn't!" Maijima cries out, grabbing Kan by his costume, and bringing him to eye level. The blood hero was shocked, but Maijima did not relent. "Hatsume couldn't cry out and give up! When she gets stressed or nervous, she becomes non-verbal! She couldn't have called out anything if she wanted to!"
A cold feeling filled the booth. Every teacher was shocked to silence by that news, every teacher, but Kan.
"What?! Why are we just now hearing about this?! Why didn't you try to stop her!"
"Because it shouldn't have come to this! Even for the standards of the Sports Festival, she should never have been subjected to that !"
Kan bristled, and shoved Maijima away, towering over the shorter man at his full height. "Bakugo has a destructive quirk by nature. It isn't his fault that he can't control it yet. It's why we teach these students!" He walks forward, and jabs a finger into Maijima's chest. "However, if you didn't want Hatsume hurt, then you shouldn't have allowed her to participate! It sounds to me like you can't control your students…" Kan's glare hardens, "...or you won't."
Maijima does not wither under the larger man's gaze. Rather, he seems to bristle, and expand, meeting the gaze head on. "...sounds to me like we aren't talking about Hatsume anymore, Kan …"
"Maijima, I understand your anger. These kids are your responsibility, and as such you feel some level of responsibility for this happenstance." Snipe began, placatingly, "but Kan does have a point. How do we not know that Bakugo simply lost control? It wouldn't sit right to blindly accuse someone without evidence."
"Evidence?!" Maijima threw his hands into the air, exasperation clear on his face, "did you not see what I saw?! She was crawling away ! Are we just going to ignore that?! Bakugo willfully maimed her!"
Kan rolled his eyes, "and what about what Midoriya did to Yaoyorozu?! He could have caused her severe burns, or broken her skull if her head were any closer to the shield when he punched through it with that spike !"
Maijima turned to Kan in a rage, ready to refute his accusation, but was interrupted by Toshinori, who had been silent the entire time.
"Maijima…while I feel for you, and understand where you are coming from, you are ignoring the bigger picture." Toshinori tented his hands, staring down at the arena, "in truth, the Sports Festival is a chance for the hero course to display themselves to the world, and show the public that they are here. As unfortunate as Mei's…incident…may seem, Bakugo is doing just that."
Leaning back, Toshinori's eyes locked onto Maijima's helmet, "I believe that in this instance, Bakugo was attempting to show his directive when it comes to crime. He wishes to market himself as brutal, but decisive, and so far he has done just that."
Maijima is stunned into silence, but he notices Ishiyama nodding to the side of All Might.
"While I personally don't like that brand of hero, I can understand your point." The cement headed man mused, "Bakugo just sent the message to all villains that when he joins the ranks of heroes in the future, he will be someone for them to fear…it's a gamble, but if done right, it can do wonders on crime statistics."
" Crime statistics ?!" Maijima was bewildered, looking at his colleagues with some level of disgust, "do noneof you care about the injuries she suffered?!"
Kan bristled, "of course we care about our students, all of our students." Kan shook his head, "and I am not denying that Hatsume's condition is…troubling." The tusked man sighed, and his shoulders slumped, "but I am saying that there could be a million reasons for what Bakugo did, and I hesitate to believe that what Bakugo did there was malicious, at least without proof."
Maijima looked around at the rest of the staff. Many of the teachers were nodding along with Kan, while others simply stayed silent. He noticed Present Mic staring away from the conversation, trying to stay separate from it. Turning his head, he sees Ectoplasm silently staring at the floor, and feels his anger begin to boil over.
"This is insane!" Maijima jabbed an iron tipped finger into Kan's chest. "Why is anyone trying to entertain this idea?! That little shit could have killed her!"
"To be fair to the boy, Maijima, did he know about Hatsume's… eccentricities ?" Toshinori spoke, "I mean, this is the first any of us have heard of the girl's mental state. How can you fairly assume Bakugo didn't just assume she still wanted to fight?" The number one hero closed his eyes, nodding to himself, "when in active combat with a villain, a hero cannot assume that just because they have ceased fighting, that they are giving up. Not to mention, Hatsume did launch a counterattack at Bakugo, albeit futilely."
"You all seem to be forgetting one very key detail." Maijima growled, iron tipped fingers digging into his palms, "Hatsume… isn't …a villain !" Maijima's tone skyrocketed in volume, catching some of the teachers off guard, "she is a student dammit! A student who is under our care! And here you all are, either pretending to ignore this little fact, or actively trying to undermine it! It's disgusting!"
Ishiyama interjected, "I believe that you are both getting tracked from the topic at hand…and ignoring the person with possibly the most insight into the subject entirely." Ishiyama points to Aizawa, who is simply staring at the blank screen, completely oblivious to the conversation at hand.
Maijima, however, decides to interrupt his introspection. "That's a wonderful point. Mind explaining what the hell just happened, Aizawa?!"
Aizawa shakes himself to attention, and schools his features. He takes a moment to properly formulate his thoughts, before continuing. "...what makes you think I can understand his actions any more than you can?" The ragged man's eyes narrow, staring down at his class booth, "Bakugo is a driven student. He scored top marks in both the written portion and practical portion of the exam." Aizawa looks back to Maijima, and the iron clawed man can see the perpetually tired man looking even more exhausted.
"I didn't ask for his resume, Aizawa," Maijima gritted out, "I asked you to explain how that kind of behaviour hasn't at least been discussed! I have seen you expel students for the most asinine of reasons, yet you let that slide?!"
Aizawa didn't speak for a time, leaving Maijima to stir in his anger. What infuriated Maijima more is the nonchalant expression on Aizawa's face, as if he truly didn't understand Maijima's issue.
The iron clawed hero worried that that inference might be right.
"I really don't know what you expect me to say to that," Aizawa began, turning away from Maijima, "Bakugo is an incredibly motivated student, with a childish ego befitting his youth." The shaggy man then held up his hand, lifting one finger. "The reason why his behaviour hasn't been discussed is because it hasn't needed to be. Aggressive as he is, that aggression comes from a determination for heroism I see very rarely." He holds up another finger, "as for why I haven't expelled him, or anyone else in Class 1-A save for one, is because Bakugo, like his classmates, has potential to be a hero…potential that, if properly nurtured, will make him an effective crime fighter, and serve our society better in the long run."
"In truth, I think it's irrational to immediately assume that what Bakugo did out there was done out of a place of aggression." The exhausted man runs a hand down his face, and Maijima can note the traces of anger hidden deep in the man's eyes, "And frankly, Power Loader , I don't appreciate you questioning my judgement so blatantly, especially when you still have yet to assure us that your judgement is sound."
"After all, if Hatsume truly was so outmatched in that fight, then it is your responsibility to inform us before the match even started."
Maijima can't believe what he is hearing, and his disbelief is only escalated by the silent agreement of the majority of his colleagues. He realises in that moment, he is outmatched, but he is still ready to defend his point. However, he is thwarted by Nezu raising a paw, silencing the debate.
"Maijima…I can understand your anger, but unfortunately there isn't much that can be done at this point." Nezu gestures to Kan, "The others have a point, though not in the way they intend to. All of the injuries that were inflicted on Hatsume, while painful, can be healed by Recovery Girl. The student will suffer no physical injuries from this situation."
"As for your claim of willful maiming, we do not know if that is the case, or if this is a matter of youthful negligence. U.A. has had its fair share of those if you can recall." Nezu closes his eyes, "Finally, while Bakugo's…display…may have seemed overwhelming, he did not break any rules with his display. While it is recommended you do not go too far in combat, situations happen when young people are put into a ring. Sometimes they go too far…but sometimes overwhelming force is necessary to overcome overwhelming odds. Sometimes you must go beyond, and make a statement."
Maijima's fists clenched painfully, the iron clawed tips digging into his palm. Looking around, he noted that all of the other teachers had fallen silent. With Nezu's declaration, the discussion was over, simple as that. His rage, however, was not gone. It still boiled right under his skin, begging to be let out. However, instead of lashing out once again, he marched out of the booth, heading towards the nurses office. Though he only made it a few steps before Ectoplasm grabbed his shoulder.
"Maijima, please be reasonable," Ectoplasm pleaded, "Try to understand where they are coming from."
"That's the problem…I can't ." Maijima grunted out, his rage only boiling more under the pressure of his disbelief, "no matter how I try to see it, their perspective still sickens me." He chuckles sharply, "'a matter of youthful negligence', what a load of shit! We have had hundreds of students come through the hero course, and things have never gotten that bad!"
"...well…honestly I can understand their point…"
Maijima's breath hitched, but then his form almost seemed to close up. "Of course, so that's why you didn't back me in there."
"I didn't back anyone in case you forgot." Ectoplasm raised his hands in surrender, "Look…I agree with you. What Bakugo did out there…that was too far…way too far."
"Then why didn't you say anything?!" Maijima roared, refusing to look at the lipless hero.
"Maijima," Ectoplasm sighs, and pauses to consider his words, "…you need to understand that they are focused on the bigger picture, like you should be," Ectoplasm rebutted, "try to see this from the perspective of a hero, Maijima. At the end of the day, this event is for the betterment of hero society…"
It wasn't clear to either hero who he was trying to convince.
"You seem to forget, Ectoplasm …" Maijima spun around, getting close enough to invade Ectoplasm's space, grabbing him by the trench coat.
"...that I am a hero. As good a hero as anyone else! But while all of you are trying to see with your hearts, I'm looking with my fucking eyes." The shorter man spun around, and began walking away
"Maybe you should try it for once."
He needed to check on his student.
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Hana Satou was sipping her fruity drink, relishing in its sweet flavour. However, her eyes were glued to the jumbotron across the street, currently airing the U.A. Sports Festival live. Across from her, her friends, Keiko and Fumiko, were chatting among themselves.
"Wow, that last match was intense." Keiko chirped, "gotta hand it to that support course girl, even in a losing fight, she never gave up!" Keiko took a small bite of her pastry, chewing quickly before continuing, "she even got a decent hit in right at the end!"
"Yeeeah, but honestly that whole fight was soooo boring." Fumiko flopped down on the table, puffing air up and causing her bangs to bounce in her artificial breeze, "I mean, she never stood a chance from moment one. Talk about predictable." The girl crossed her hands in front of her head, "Lame!"
"I know, but that was a given, heroes always win!" Keiko kicked a foot up on the table, "so I was more looking to see if she could even make a dent. Colour me pleasantly surprised."
The two girls continued chatting, laughing among themselves, but then Keiko noticed Hana sitting silently, no longer sipping her drink.
"Hana…you ok?" Keiko leaned over the table, snapping Hana out of her thoughts, "you got a stomach ache or something?"
"Uh, no I'm fine," Hana waved her hands in front of her in placation, but Keiko didn't seem convinced.
"Then why are you just sitting there, staring into space?"
"Well," Hana hesitated, as if debating whether to give voice to her thoughts, "I don't know…didn't that fight rub anyone else the wrong way?"
Her friends seemed confused, so she continued. "I just…when you were watching the fight, didn't it seem…off?" Hana looked back up at the screen, "at points, it almost looked like the girl was trying to get away from the hero course boy…"
"Well, duh," Fumiko commented, "of course she was trying to get away. Bakugo's quirk is relatively close range. Keeping her distance was her only chance."
"Well, yeah…but I don't know…it almost looked like she was trying to crawl out of the arena…like she was trying to escape ."
"What? No way!" Keiko shook her head, "you're just imagining things Keiko. If that girl really wanted to get out of the fight, she could have just called a forfeit."
"Well…what if she couldn't?" Hana proposed, causing Keiko to look at her with confusion. "I mean, she looked scared. Maybe she wasn't thinking straight?"
Fumiko seemed to ponder Hana's words. "That doesn't seem right…heroes would have stepped in if it was really getting that bad…right?" Hana's friend had seemed to shrink a bit, mind awash with indecision.
Keiko seems to really consider her friend's words, her previously joking attitude giving way to a more serious tone as her feet moved from the table, and her posture straightened.
"Maybe…maybe Hana has a point…" Keiko concluded, her pastry forgotten on the table. However, before Hana could respond, they heard the voice of two boys from behind them.
"Hey cuties! How's it going?"
The trio turned and saw two boys walking towards them, wearing matching highschool uniforms. Both boys had muted features and hair colour, entirely unremarkable in almost every way. One boy was maybe an inch or so taller than the other.
If it weren't for the, frankly, uncomfortable flirtatious expression on their faces, Hana would have likely paid them no mind.
The duo swaggered over to their table, standing in front of the jumbotron, and addressed the middle school girls with cocky smirks. Hana could see the practised facade they were putting on, and laughed internally.
Keiko rolled her eyes, "well, things were going great until you two started blocking our view."
This, surprisingly, only seemed to embolden the boys, who turned and gestured to the screen.
"Oh, were you watching the Sports Festival?" The taller one asked them, smirk growing, "hey, this might sound weird, but see that guy, Katsuki Bakugo?" He tapped his chest twice, "we're tight with him."
Fumiko gave a dry chuckle, "yeah, and my dad is All Might," she responds, sarcastically.
"Don't believe us?" The taller one takes out his phone, scrolling through his pictures, before settling on one and spinning the device around. The three girls saw a hastily taken picture of the two boys in front of them, sitting in a movie theatre with the boy from the jumbotron, all wearing matching middle school uniforms.
"Oh wow," Keiko says, her expression getting more animated, "I totally thought you were joking."
The shorter one rolls his shoulder, casually, "yeah, we're like best friends, honestly." He seems to puff out a bit, "His name is Yuto, and mine is Kenji. Maybe we could even put you in touch with him? Get you an autograph…or a date ?"
Hana, addresses the two for the first time, "honestly, after that… fight …I don't really think I want to know him."
The two boys look confused, but Yuto addresses her, "What was the problem?"
"You're telling me you didn't see anything wrong with that? That didn't seem…I dunno, excessive?"
"Nah that's just how he is when it comes to heroics." They both look up at the jumbotron. "I mean, yeah it looked bad, but it only looks that way because Bakugo isn't the type to hold back. He puts his all into heroics, every time."
"Yeah," Kenji agrees, "and nobody is more destined to be a hero than Bakugo. Everyone always said it, from day one."
"So, you don't think that was a bit too far?" Hana crossed her arms, and swears she sees a moment of hesitation cross their faces, before it quickly fades.
"I mean…no?" Kenji shrugs, "don't get me wrong, Bakugo goes hard, but doesn't that just mean he is a more effective hero in the long run? A heroes' job is to fight the villains after all."
"Yeah," Yuto nods along, "personally, I would rather have a hero who will get the job done than a hero who is too nice to do what is necessary." He holds up a finger, which seems to extend a bit, "Bakugo is the top scorer of the entrance exam, he's perfect for heroics, and everyone knows it. No way U.A. would give him that title if he wasn't the best!"
"Yeah, that makes sense," Keiko nods her head, and turns to Hana, "see? You're just imagining things, Hana."
"...yeah…maybe you're right."
"Of course I am! I'm always right!" Keiko puffed out her chest in mock pride. "Now c'mon, I wanna get pictures of us at the Hosu library, or else our parents won't ever let us go out alone again!"
"Oh hey, want us to walk you there?" Kenji and Yuto try to follow, but the girls seem to ignore them. The trio of middle school girls left their payment on the table, and walked away from the small bistro, leaving the duo ignored, standing in front of an empty table. They wilt a bit, before looking back up at the jumbotron.
"...Plus…everyone knows that you don't get in the way of Bakugo's rise to the top…"
None of the students were paying attention to the figure crouching on a fire escape just in the alley next to them. The figure was clothed in ragged scraps of cloth, with boots covered in spikes, and bandages covering his arms. Mounted across his body is an abundance of knives of all different kinds. Some seem to be improvised, while others are finely tooled. On his back is a katana, tied around his shoulder with simple rope.
His face was his most striking aspect. The upper half was covered in a cloth mask, and a headband acted as a barrier between his mask and his wild, unkempt raven black hair. However, the most unusual part of his feature was the visible lack of a nose, with the mask showing no protrusion indicative of a nasal structure.
The figure growled to himself, staring up at the screen, and replaying what he just saw over and over ahead in his mind. His mouth opened into a terrible grimace, his oversized maw filled with equally oversized teeth, and a thick, slug-like tongue, covered in warty nodules.
"Ignorant fools…that was no heroism. That was torture…plain and simple." He took note of the name of the boy in the match.
"Fakes, all of them…Stains on the name 'hero'..." the man licked his teeth, his tongue undulating out to a disturbing length.
"So many fakes…so many Stains…so little time…" he smiled to himself, a twisted expression only enhanced by his manic, pinprick eyes.
"All the more fuel for my purpose."
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The 1-A booth had been silent since the end of the last "fight", though calling it that seemed to be unfitting. The class was simply staring down at the site of the slaughter, stunned at the display that had played out only minutes prior. Ashido felt her blood pounding in her ears, her heart hammering against her chest.
"Once I'm finished putting Deku's bitch in the dirt…i'll make sure you understand just how bad my bite is…"
Did…did he do that because of me?
Next to her she noticed Kirishima staring down, eyes locked on nothing as his sharp teeth clenched, and his hands gripped the railing so hard she swears she heard the metal creak.
Looking around, she noted that Yaoyorozu had not returned after her loss. However, she saw the majority of her classmates seeming stunned, with a few displaying visible appallment. Uraraka was holding her hands to her mouth, her eyes panicked, likely due to her own experience with the explosive blonde.
However, she also noted several classmates who seemed indifferent, almost unaffected by that display. Shaking her head, she stands up, causing everyone to look at her.
"Ok," Mina begins, "I feel like this doesn't need to be said…but whatever the hell happened there? That was not okay." She looked around, "are we all agreed on that?"
She saw Kirishima nod, with Jirou and Uraraka shakily following. She sees the subtle movement of clothing as Hagakure nods as well. However much to her shock, the vast majority of the class stays silent, many not moving an inch.
Mina stared at her class in disbelief, "what…what's up? Why are you hesitating?"
"Well," Satou starts, "I dunno, but maybe we don't have the whole picture?"
"The whole picture ?!" Mina exclaims, causing many of the class to flinch, "were you not using your eyes?! That was brutal ! Nothing about that display was okay!"
"Mina, are you sure you aren't projecting?" Ojiro counters, causing Mina to fix him with an increasingly angry glare. "I mean, everyone knows you don't like Bakugo. And I don't like him either, but do you think maybe you are letting your bias carry you to assume the worst?"
"Yeah," Sero interjected, "I think you might be letting your anger towards Bakugo cloud your judgement."
Kirishima stood up, taking Mina's right side, "Are you guys even hearing yourselves? That little display was disgusting !" Kirishima spread his arms wide in disbelief, "he just mutilated that girl!"
"I mean, that's what Recovery Girl is for, right?" Sero challenged Kirishima's point, "besides, if the teachers thought the fight was getting out of hand, they would have stopped it way earlier." Sero saw Kirishima gritting his teeth, and held up his hands in defence. "I'm not trying to say that Bakugo isn't an asshole, he is, 100%," the boy lowered his hands, "but are you saying we can't trust our teachers? They're pro heroes ! They know what they are doing."
"I dunno," Hagakure piped up for the first time, "That…that was scary. The whole thing made my skin crawl, if i'm being honest."
Iida stood up from his seat, hands chopping at his sides, "I am certain that if our teachers saw a problem with the fight, they would have intervened before it got too intense." He adjusted his glasses, "Our teachers are seasoned heroes, they know the difference between an intense fight, and a brutal beating."
"Besides," Sero continued, "if that girl really was hurt, she would have just given up."
"The girl was crawling for her life , Sero!" Uraraka stood from her seat, looking at the rest of the class in disappointment, "did you not see her actions? She was clearly terrified ."
Ojiro shrugged, "that last hit with the rock says otherwise. Seems to me like she was still going, if i'm being honest."
"Honestly, mademoiselle," Aoyama chimed in, winking at his classmates, "are you certain you aren't letting your own defeat at Bakugo's hands cloud your judgement?"
"T-that…" Uraraka deflated slightly, seeming to draw inward.
"This has nothing to do with that!" Mina slammed her foot into the floor of the stands. "How are you all ignoring what just happened?! That girl could be seriously hurt!" Mina took a deep breath, "Bakugo has gone too far…he has done nothing but cross lines since the Sports Festival started ! What's to say he doesn't keep pushing?!"
Kirishima nodded, "honestly, I'm questioning how someone like him got into the hero course at all."
"But that's the point," Sero says, "he did get into the hero course, at the top spot no less." His eyes narrowed, "it's like you guys have no faith in our teachers, you really think U.A. would give the top spot to some monster like you say? The guy's a dick, sure, but nobody can deny he was built for heroics."
Mina looked as many of the class nodded, and felt anger bubble within her chest. What the hell was happening?! Did they not see what she saw?! Just when she was about to continue, Mineta, of all people, piped up.
"Are you sure that you aren't just scared because you have to fight Bakugo next, Ashido?"
Just like that, Mina feels her anger fade, as cold fear sets in. She looks up at the bracket, as if hoping that Mineta was wrong, but sure enough, she saw her name right above Bakugo's, and felt her blood freeze.
"Oh god…he's right.I'm…i'm facing Bakugo next." Mina's breathing grew shallow, replaying the last fight in her head.
"If…if that's how far he goes against someone who can't fight back…then what is he going to do to me?"
Just as she feels her fear begin to spiral, she feels a warm hand on her back. She turns to see Kirishima staring at her, worry clear on his brow.
Then, she saw the subject of their discussion walk into the booth, hands casually fitted into his pockets. His eyes scanned around the booth, seeing all eyes on him, and he almost seemed to preen under the attention. Finally, his eyes settled on Mina, and his expression broke out with a smirk. There was no joy on his face…no…this felt like a shark staring down an injured fish.
A predator staring down its next meal.
Then, Mina felt her fear fade, and anger take its place. Instead of withering under his attention, she seemed to expand. Straightening out and meeting his hungry gaze with her own glare. This seems to catch Bakugo off guard, and his smirk fades into a grimace. Eventually, the standoff ends, and Bakugo moves to sit down at his side of the booth, kicking up his feet in boredom.
Mina turns as well, and moves to walk out of the booth, heading down to do warmups in the hall next to the waiting room.
"I'm not gonna let you scare me, Bakugo…I'm coming at you full force!" Her anger blazed within, driving her gait down into the winding tunnels, and her mind went back to the opening ceremony, to his opening 'speech'.
"If I have anything to say about it…you won't get to fulfil that promise."
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Todoroki sat on the bench in the waiting room, staring at the closed door. He didn't move a muscle, instead simply staring at nothing, and trying to quell his growing anger. Especially after his… conversation with his father.
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"You are embarrassing yourself, Shouto," his father barked out, "every moment you continue this childish rebellion, you waste both your time, and my own."
Shouto grit his teeth, fist clenched in rage as frost began to cool his right side. Of course, at the end of the day, it comes down to his time, his reputation.
His father continued, ignoring Shouto's rage, "when will you realise that all you are doing is making a fool out of yourself…out of me ?" Shouto remained silent, so Endeavor continued, "First, you team up with a quirkless child, and let him direct you? Then, you almost lose to a member of the General Studies course?! Your little rebellion almost cost you that fight without you even being able to attack!"
"Let me be clear, Shouto…" the larger man leaned in, "Next up, you will be fighting the quirkless boy, in his junkheap suit…do well not to embarrass me further."
Shouto still remained silent, but his mind was swirling with a storm of rage, he turned around without a word, and walked into the waiting room, locking the door behind him.
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The heterochromic boy shook his head, focusing his mind on his next fight. It wouldn't do to get distracted right now…not when he needed to keep his attention on his opponent.
Midoriya…every fight he has been in so far, he has dominated. From the sub 30 second win against Kirishima, to the absolute flooring he gave Yaoyorozu, Midoriya had won every fight without giving an inch. Todoroki noted that while his suit is impressive, Midoriya's real strength lies in preparation. He had won mostly because he had prior knowledge of his opponents and had prepared accordingly.
There is the obvious weakness of his quirklessness, however, Todoroki thinks that Midoriya's biggest strength, ironically, is also his greatest weakness. Intentionally or not, it seems that Midoriya used his quirklessness as a way to get his opponents to underestimate him. This, in turn, led to Midoriya being able to catch his opponents off guard, and control the flow of battle.
This was a mistake that Todoroki refused to make.
"Will the competitors please take to the field?!"
Present Mic's blaring voice sounded off, and Todoroki took a deep breath, before standing and walking out of the waiting room, turning to face the glow of the tunnel. Todoroki walked confidently out, entering the light of the arena to the cheers of the crowd. Taking his place, he waits for his opponent to appear opposite him.
Sure enough, the thundering steel footsteps begin to echo out of the opposite tunnel, and Todoroki hears as the roars of the crowd silence, giving way to deafening muted ambience, only interrupted by heavy robotic footfalls. The hulking figure of the armoured suit gives way into the light, and Todoroki feels his eyes unconsciously narrow at the metallic figure, his mind going back to their conversation earlier that day.
Eventually, the hulking figure stands in the starting square, opposite him, and Todoroki takes a ready stance. Midoriya takes a similar stance, lowering his form and bending his knees.
Midoriya begins to speak. "Still refusing to go all out?"
Todoroki grits his teeth, "My resolve has not changed, nor will it ever."
To his surprise, Midoriya let out a small chuckle, the cuff on his right arm rotating into place, "Right…you have a 'promise' to keep." Todoroki felt a spike of anger, but Midoriya continued, "Fine by me…go ahead and hand me the win."
Midnight raised her whip, and with a crack, the match had begun.
And, in similar fashion to Todoroki's other matches, it opened with a massive glacier rocketing out towards Midoriya.
Chapter 17: Promise
Todoroki immediately feels a shallow drop in his body temperature, but he puts more power into it, trying to really show how capable he was, even without his father's fire. After a few moments, the glacier was complete, and Midnight sighed, ready to call the match, but then they heard it. A shallow, but sharp 'bang'.
Then the glacier began to crack.
Spiderweb cracks emanated from a point of origin, and Todoroki could do nothing but stare in shock, as the glacier cracked further and further, until the entire structure shattered, and there, standing in a circle of ice fragments, with a small metal ball at his feet, is Midoriya, rolling his shoulders and, notably, unfrozen.
"I told you before, Todoroki…that the day would come when your ice wouldn't be enough…" Izuku took a step forward, hoarfrost cracking and flaking off of his armour with the motion.
"Well…that day? It's right now!"
_________________________________________________________________________
Izuku braced for impact with the glacier, letting the magnetic rail on his left arm carry back. Once it was close enough, he slammed his fist into the rushing ice, and immediately felt the cold creeping of ice rushing up his arm. With a click, the rail shot forward, shattering the ice around him as it formed, making a small pocket in the glacier where his suit was untouched.
The nipping of the cold against his body was palpable, and despite the layers of fireproof fabric he was wearing, he felt his body temperature lower, and his body started to shiver. Quickly, he pulled a force grenade off of his bandolier, and activated it, waiting for the proper moment before throwing it at the ice wall in front of him. His timing works, and the grenade releases a shockwave directly in front of him, causing the glacier to start to crack.
Good…now the real fight can start.
_________________________________________________________________________
Todoroki was briefly stunned by the display, staring at his opponent as the particles of ice fell around him. Unfortunately for the heterochromic boy, Izuku capitalised on his visible shock, raising his left arm, and hitting Todoroki with a repulsor blast. Todoroki is squarely in the chest, knocking him down, and throwing him slightly back, though the scarred boy manages to gather himself enough to catch himself before he sails out of the arena.
Todoroki's gaze settled on his opponent in just enough time to see him fire another blast at him, and he dodged to the side, sending another wave of ice at the quirkless boy. He watches as the jackhammer spike rockets back, sparks flying, before the boy sends his fist rocketing forward, timing the spike to shoot back out at the same time. The spike connects with the ice wall, powered by the force of an exoskeleton-enhanced punch, and the glacier shatters in its infancy. Todoroki, however, does not relent, and sends another glacier right after.
"He won't have enough time to reset the spike…it's over." Todoroki feels his body shivering slightly, but his senses are still sharp. However, he watches as his opponent reaches to his waist, and pulls another metal sphere out from a bandolier, leaving only one in the holster. The armoured boy presses a button, and throws the ball, which after a short arc releases a shockwave. The shockwave, once again, stalls his glacier before it has the chance to build up strength.
Todoroki grit his teeth, frustration settling in, and that frustration is only amplified as the armoured boy extends his arms wide, as if gesturing to the world around them.
"So, that's the best that your ice can do?!" Izuku taunts, pointing a hand at his opponent, who's body had begun to coat in hoarfrost, "Because if that's the case, then maybe I overestimated you!"
Todoroki roared out with rage, sending a wave of ice to cover the ground. The ice began to creep up Izuku's legs and boots, but with a hiss, he watched as several spring structures along the leg harness expanded, cracking the fragile ice. Midoriya lifted his right arm, spinning the cuff, and began to run forward. Todoroki noted that a thin metal rod extended from the cuff, a small pilot light igniting.
Todoroki knew what that meant.
Ducking out of the way, Todoroki watched as a blast of fire shot out where he had stood. Todoroki tucked into a roll, falling forward and raising back up. He sees as Izuku begins to move his arm to carry the fire, but Todoroki rushes forward, ducking under the fire, and grabbing the metal rod of the flamethrower's pilot light. With a swift burst of ice, he extinguished the light, and snapped the pilot light off, making the flamethrower useless.
He hears Midoriya curse under his breath, and levels a fist at Todoroki, but Todoroki meets that fist by grabbing one of the joints of the armour with his right hand, and beginning to freeze Izuku's body underneath the armour, frost creeping up his jumpsuit. A hiss of pain follows, but Midoriya pulls away, the tearing and cracking sound of the fabric of the suit tearing slightly along the amputee's left shoulder and chest. Todoroki can't capitalise on this, however, as the armoured boy completes the arc of his fist, slamming it into Todoroki's chest with debilitating force.
Todoroki stumbled back, but when he raised himself he was met with an open palm in front of his face, the centre of the hand glowing with a blue light. This was all the warning he received before a blast of energy hit Todoroki directly in the chest, causing him to fly backwards, his brain bouncing around in his skull. Todoroki hits the ground, but quickly rolls to the side as an armoured head slams into the ground where he once was.
Todoroki quickly rose to his feet, sending a wave of ice at Midoriya, hoping to catch the boy off guard. However, he failed to notice the whirring of an engine, as the turbine on Midoriya's back spooled up. Just before the glacier reaches the amputee, a deafening roar of a rocket fires, and Midoriya soars into the sky, nearly 50 metres above Todoroki. Todoroki, however, notes that the quirkless boy now begins his descent, and tries to predict the arc of his fall. Once he notes the angle of the fall, Todoroki sends a spike of ice directly up, straight towards Izuku, trying to get Midoriya to panic.
What he doesn't expect, however, is for Midoriya, instead, to shift his weight so he is facing down, and reel his fist back, the spike shooting back into the ready position. With another whirring of the engine, Midoriya is sent rocketing down, fist cocked back, and he meets the glacier ice to fist, the spike rocketing forward, and carrying the force of the rocket behind it.
The ice gave way under the weight of the mechanical monstrosity, shattering as his fist carried down, straight towards Todoroki.
The scarred boy barely had time to move before the Midoriya slammed straight into the ground, the cement of the arena cracking under the weight. The eruption of force from the impact clips Todoroki in the back, causing him to stumble and roll, falling away from the arena. His breathing was getting more laborious, and felt the familiar sting of frost as his body took a deep shiver. He slowly stood up, facing his opponent, and saw the mechanical figure rising from the crater. Dust and ice particles obscured the figure, save for a hulking outline, and the two glowing eyes of the faceplate.
When the dust started to settle, he noticed the leg apparatus was bent and crooked at odd angles, the harness seeming to have lost all function. When Midoriya turned his massive figure to face Todoroki, he noted that the boy was favouring his left leg, perhaps a sprain or shallow fracture.
"What's the matter, Todoroki?" Midoriya asked, though Todoroki noted the taunting tone, "you getting cold?"
"Why…why are you doing this?!" Todoroki shouted out, his throat hoarse with emotion and hypothermia, "why are you going so far?! Did my father put you up to this? Is that it?!"
There was a moment of silence, before he saw Midoriya's stance get more openly hostile. He barely has the energy to move before a blast of energy whizzes past his head.
"God, you're just like Bakugo!" the amputee shouts, catching Todoroki off guard, "everything that anyone does always has to be about you !" Todoroki clears some distance with a backstep, dodging another repulsor blast, and slams his right foot into the ground, sending a wave of ice forward. But again, Midoriya shatters the glacier with the spike mounted to his left arm.
"You ever think, maybe, that I am fighting so hard because, unlike you, I don't have another choice?!" Todoroki keeps backpedalling, sending small bursts of ice, none of which seem to affect Midoriya, who remains stationary. "Get over yourself! I couldn't give a damn about you oryour dad! I just want to prove that no matter what you throw at me, I can take it!" Izuku braced himself as a glacier hit him directly, grabbing a force grenade and launching it forward, crushing the glacier.
"Besides…you handed me the win the minute you told me about your fire…"
Todoroki watched as the rotator cuff clicked into place, before the plate at the top of the cuff rose up, revealing two small hoses feeding into a metal tube. He watched as a paddle flipped out, and Izuku put his left hand to the paddle, and slammed it back.
The sound of a powerful puff of compressed air was heard, and immediately after, the sound of something ceramic breaking was heard as well. Todoroki stumbled back as something whizzed towards him, impacting his chest. Immediately, he felt the pain of a high speed projectile breaking against his sternum, but the feeling was immediately followed by an inescapable feeling of cold . He heard the sound of something sizzling against his skin, feeling the popping of something impossibly frigid sucking the miniscule heat from his body, leaving him gasping for air and curled up into a foetal position on the ground, desperately trying to preserve what little warmth he still had.
"...W…what…" Todoroki coughed weakly, "what did…you…do to…me?"
"What did I do?" Midoriya responded, "I just won the match."
_________________________________________________________________________
"I built this compressed air cannon with Bakugo in mind…and it could still function for him as well…but when building it originally, I ignored a possibility that would have been great to have explored."
Izuku looked down at the ceramic ball that sat on a small pedestal, about the size of a baseball. The television was playing in the back of the work space, displaying the Ashido and Shiozaki match in all its glory. However, he found it difficult to watch the battle, instead, carefully lifting the liquid nitrogen up to eye level.
"A device like this is impossibly versatile. Powered only by compressed air, the cannon isn't incredibly powerful, but it should be strong enough to launch the payload at high enough speeds for it to shatter on impact." He carefully poured the liquid nitrogen into a funnel, feeding into the ceramic ball, and tried to gauge the level for the round.
"I need to leave a small amount of air, or else the round might not have enough internal force to aid in the shattering of the ceramic shell." Briefly, Izuku looks up at the corkboard, straight at the picture of Shouto Todoroki.
"Todoroki is clearly not immune to the effects of extreme cold…so all I need to do is outlast his initial bursts of ice. If I can do that, then hopefully he will have hit the drop off point, where his body temperature can no longer keep up with his quirk." Izuku removes the funnel, staring down at the ceramic payload, and nodding to himself.
"If he truly doesn't use his fire, then he won't be using it to regulate his body temperature either…then this should cause his body to go into thermal shock…"
"...and after that? It's all over."
_________________________________________________________________________
Todoroki tried to move, but the extreme cold had paralysed him. His body had stopped shivering, and he felt his skin growing dangerously numb. He couldn't even look up, his vision had clouded and his breathing had grown shallow. This…this was what the cold truly felt like.
"I can't…I can't lose here…" Todoroki tries to will his body to release another blast of cold, but even the thought of worsening his condition almost causes him to throw up. His body began to feel dangerously warm, the extreme cold giving way to an almost pleasant numbness.
A dangerous sign that frostbite was inching closer and closer to irreparable.
"I can't…move…but this can't be…the end…" He hears the uneven slamming of feet as his opponent limps towards him, ever closer to the heterochromic boy's defeat. Todoroki sees his situation, and knows it's hopeless.
"I told you before, Todoroki…that the day would come when your ice wouldn't be enough…"
"He was right…"
"My ice…isn't enough."
Todoroki feels his resolve crumble under the sheer weight of the cold, and then feels his left side begin to warm, as small bursts of fire erupt from his left side.
"...I'm sorry, mother."
And the world erupts into an inferno.
_________________________________________________________________________
Endeavor watches as his creation curls up on the ground, freezing himself into an early grave, with nothing but frustration and disappointment. This entire fight had been an embarrassment. From the first moment, the quirkless boy had been able to counter his son's ice. Sure, Shouto had gotten some hits in, but the fight had been close. It shouldn't have been close.
…and it shouldn't have been a loss either!
With a huff, Endeavor turns around, preparing to go home, before the familiar feeling of warmth touches his back. Quickly, he turns around, and sees an inferno erupt around Shouto, as the boy stands up, his uniform top beginning to burn up.
Endeavor feels elation, looking at his creation, ceasing his childish rebellion, and finally living up to his potential.
"Good, now you can live up to your purpose…my magnum opus…"
_________________________________________________________________________
Todoroki is confused by the feeling of freedom that the flames dancing across his body give him. He feels the fire emanate from his chest, filling his previously frostbitten heart with a nearly forgotten warmth of the inferno within. However, his attention was focused solely on the armoured student in front of him, who seemed to be frozen in place.
Todoroki capitalised on this by reaching his left hand outward, launching a massive stream of fire forward, pressurised and popping in the air as the supercooled air was instantly heated to dangerous heights. Izuku seemed to snap out of it, and crouch his body down, putting his arms in front of his body and lowering his centre of mass, seeing no option but to face the blaze head on. When the fire met the quirkless boy, at first he felt the blaze but felt mostly unharmed. Then, he felt an incredible burning on his left shoulder, followed by blistering pain rushing down his chest.
He cried out in pain, turning his body to protect the now raw burn. He remembered during his initial melee with Todoroki, he had ripped the fireproof jumpsuit, exposing Izuku's body fairly unimpeded to the flame where the tear was made. Still, Izuku held firm through the blaze, crying out as he heard the sizzling and popping of the epoxy coating on the plates starting to melt off. The plates began to glow, his heat metre was going dangerously high, and Izuku felt himself begin to cook within the suit, his invention slowly turning into his coffin.
But, just when he felt the air growing thin around him, the blaze stopped, and he looked up to see Todoroki staring at him, flames flickering off of his left side. Izuku stood up, covering his right side somewhat to hide his burn, and faced Todoroki, armour glowing a soft orange after the inferno that enveloped him. He sees Todoroki reel his left arm back, ready to continue the infernal assault, and Izuku knows he has to make a split second decision. At that moment, he calls out to the heterochromic teen.
"So much for that promise of yours then, huh?! Guess your word means nothing in the end!"
Immediately, he sees Todoroki's eyes widen, and the boy shrinks back, flames dying down. His words had clearly hit the heterochromic boy where it hurts.
Was that a low blow? Definitely.
Did he care at the moment?
Not in the slightest.
While Todoroki was distracted by his guilt, Izuku lifted his right arm, the cuff rotating into place, and pressed the trigger. Two prongs fired out of the cuff, embedding into Todoroki's exposed chest, and unleashing a torrent of voltage directly into the heterochromic boy's body. Todoroki grunted and his body began to spasm, before falling over, lying still save for the occasional twitching. With his leg still injured, Izuku limped over to where Todoroki lay, and picked him up with one hand, throwing him out of the arena.
There was a moment where everything went silent, before Midnight called out. "T…todoroki is out of bounds! Izuku Midoriya is the winner!"
There was no cheering for him as he turned and limped back to the tunnel entrance, looking down at his battered and abused suit. However, waiting for him in the mouth of the tunnel, is Maijima, a wide smile on his face.
"I gotta say, Midoriya…that was truly something else."
Against his will, Izuku felt himself smile under his teacher's praise, before his mind immediately went to something more urgent.
"...where's Hatsume?"
Maijima's smile dipped slightly. "She's in the Recovery Girl's office. Physically she is healed, but she hasn't woken up yet."
There was a moment of silence, before Izuku piped up, "...can you take me to her? After I get out of the suit for a bit."
Maijima's smile came back in full force, and he offered a stunted nod. "Of course, you probably need to see Recovery Girl anyways."
Izuku shook his head, "I'm fine…I don't need her to look me over."
Maijima looked like he wanted to press the issue, but sighed. "...alright…I won't force you." He chuckled, "...but Recovery Girl might…don't let her sweet old lady schtick fool you, she has a legendary temper."
The pair walk off toward the locker room, with Maijima excitedly chatting with him about the suit's capabilities. Izuku tries to keep up, despite how much the burn on his shoulder hurts, but finds that the pain is somewhat dulled by the presence of his teacher. For the first time in a long time, Midoriya finds himself truly enjoying someone else's company.
…and he thinks he likes the feeling.
_________________________________________________________________________
Mina breathed deeply, continuing to stretch her joints in the tunnel. Her match had been delayed by the damage caused by the last one, and the whole arena still needed to be repaired. She had been watching the match from the base of the tunnel, and had felt the extreme waves of cold and heat. Watching the match was almost like watching two titans clash fist to fist, crushing the world around them and refusing to give an inch.
She had to admit, they were impressive.
Todoroki without a doubt, he had always been top of the class. It makes sense that his prowess in combat was so stunning. His impressive spectacle was sure to catch any eyes that his name did not. But to Mina, the far more impressive spectacle was the quirkless boy in the mech suit. Sure, he wasn't as flashy, or as outright eye-catching as Todoroki. In fact, Midoriya's style was very simple, and blunt. He fought efficiently, and brutally, with a unique intelligence backing his actions.
The suit itself almost seemed to reflect this. Despite how impressive the engineering was, the suit was very dull. It had no colour, no stand out features, and its design was strictly utilitarian, with every piece having a purpose, and no material wasted on fashion. This fact, instead of detracting from its amazement, actually made Mina appreciate it more.
It made her wonder what Midoriya could build if he actually wanted to impress people.
However, Mina had more on her mind than the last fight. Her eyes narrowed as she thought about her opponent. Bakugo is cruel, and an asshole…but she would be an idiot to pretend he isn't strong. In fact, his attitude only seemed to bolster his combat prowess. If Mina was going to have a chance here, she would have to play it safe, and keep her distance.
Luckily, Mina was agile, and with enough effort, maybe she could keep a fair distance between Bakugo? …Maybe not…Bakugo was fast too, and he could use his explosions to maneuver incredibly well. So trying to keep distance would be difficult. She can't fight close up either, that's where Bakugo shines.
" So…if I keep my distance, he can close the gap. But, if I fight close up, he will win…this is bad."
Mina would have an uphill battle ahead of her. She didn't have a plan, not even the beginnings of one. She smacks her head with her palm, as if trying to rattle a strategy out of her head.
"Sometimes…I wish I was smarter." Mina sighs to herself, "I wish that I could just think up a plan and know it would work…but every time I try it's like my thoughts all get jumbled up! C'mon brain, work!"
Mina ruffled her hair, leaning up against the side of the wall.
"No…I shouldn't kid myself…It's not just my brain…I'm scared," Mina sighed, letting her hands tremble slightly, "what he did to that support course girl…that was cruel. I don't know what she did to him, or if she did anything at all…but he hates me…he wants to hurt me…"
"Dammit, why can't I control myself?! I'm supposed to be a hero!" Mina shook her head "Why am I freezing up?! Why am I so scared?!"
"...ina?"
Mina shot straight, turning to the sound, and seeing Kirishima standing to the side of her, with a concerned expression.
"Oh…Kirishima!" Mina immediately tries to mask her fear, putting on a wide smile, "what uh…what brings you here?"
Kirishima rubs the back of his neck, "well, I wanted to wish you luck in your next match…this could be a tough one."
Mina flinches a bit, but keeps smiling, "oh, don't worry about that! I'm not worried!"
Kirishima fixes her with a scrutinising gaze, before he frowns, and Mina feels herself wilt.
"I always have sucked at lying, haven't I?"
"Mina," Kirishima approaches her, and puts a hand on her shoulder, "you don't have to put on a brave face for me, or anyone else."
"W-what brave face? I'm…" she feels her body start fully trembling now, "...i'm not scared…"
"Yes, you are," Kirishima leans closer, his expression one of gentle concern. Kirishima racks his brain, trying to find the right words to help Mina, but eventually, he steels his eyes, and thinks back to his idol.
"...Everyone…is scared of dying, shit! Uh, wait!" Kirishima fumbles his words, stumbling over himself, "it's ok to be dying-crap! I'm not good at this." He slumps forward, breaking his gaze with Mina, but then he hears an unusual sound.
"...Pfft, Haha!" Mina snorts loudly, and then begins to laugh. "That…that's so-haha!-so you! Forgetting your favourite quote!" She continues to laugh, leaning against the wall.
"I-I didn't forget !" Kirishima huffs, indignantly, "I just…I couldn't say the right thing!"
"Kirishima, you are a lot of things!" Mina huffs out, still doubled over from laughing, "but you are not a smooth talker!"
Kirishima crosses his arms, pouting. But his pout morphs into a small smile after a moment.
"Well," he thinks, "at least she seems happier. She always looks better smiling.
After another minute of soft chuckles, Kirishima turns to leave, but then both of them look to see Bakugo walking down the hall, heading towards the other tunnel on the opposite side.
Bakugo's eyes find their visages, and light up in anger. He slowly turns to walk towards the pair. Kirishima moves to intercept, but Mina puts a hand out, stopping him, and facing Bakugo head on as he squares up with her.
As they stand across from each other, Mina hears Bakugo chuckle, a sadistic smirk on his face.
"So, you were actually stupid enough to show up?" He rolls his shoulders, and takes a ready stance.
"Oh well…it's your funeral."
Mina's eyes narrow, but the feeling of fear in her heart only grows. Bakugo turns around and walks off, chest out, and pride in his step. She feels her fists begin to tremble again, but Kirishima puts a hand onto her shoulder again, a silent show of support, and the feeling subsides.
"I may be scared…I may not have a plan…but if you think I'm going to just give up…you're dead wrong!"
_________________________________________________________________________
Maijima knocks on the nurse's office door, with Izuku standing beside him. His eyes can't help but lock onto Izuku's covered left shoulder, knowing the burn that lies beneath, as well as the slight limp in his gait. However, when Izuku notices the teacher staring, he shifts his body to block Maijima's line of sight. Maijima sighs, seeming a bit irritated.
"So, you sure you aren't going to tell Recovery Girl?"
Izuku shakes his head, but doesn't meet his teacher's eyes. "I already told you, I don't need her help." The amputee sighs, "plus, her quirk uses biological processes already present in the body, and just speeds them up to an astronomical degree…If I have her heal the burn, it could sap my energy. I need to keep my head clear for the final."
Maijima looked ready to argue, but before he could, the door in front of them opened, and Recovery Girl answered, looking up at the pair.
"Hi, Recovery Girl," Maijima began, "Midoriya here was just wondering if you could look a-"
"-is Hatsume awake?" Izuku cuts his teacher off, preventing him from telling Recovery Girl of his wounds. He gives his teacher a side glare, who simply looks ahead, entirely unapologetic.
"Oh, you mean the poor girl with the pink hair?" Recovery Girl gestures to one of the cots, though her face portrays worry, "she's right over there…she woke up a few minutes ago."
Izuku makes a stride forward, but hesitates for a moment.
"Why am I even doing this?" He thinks to himself, "we're not friends…I barely know her! I should be preparing for the final match with Bakugo right now! I don't have much time between matches, and the suit needs repairs!"
He thinks back to Mei's match, watching helplessly through a screen.
"...so then…why does ignoring her seem so wrong ?"
He sees her, curled up on the ground, begging for the pain to stop. Her hands scraping at the cement as Bakugo bares down on her, relentless in his assault. The silent cries of pain as he broke her wrist…
He walks forward, into the nurses office.
Mei was bandaged up on the cot. Physically, despite some bandages on her wrist, and abdomen, she seems unharmed, and briefly he has to admire how effective Recovery Girl's quirk is. However, that admiration leaves his mind when he sees Hatsume's face.
Despite the lack of scarring, Izuku recognizes the lost, sad look in her eyes. Her once animated vibrant yellow eyes seemed almost duller, withdrawn into her mind. He recognized that look well. He knew exactly what was going through her head right now.
"Tears began to flow openly as Izuku stared down at what remained of his right arm. He didn't sob, too lost in his own mind to do anything but stare and let the tears flow."
Yes…he knew that feeling all too well.
"H-hey Hatsume," Maijima tried to speak gently, but he couldn't help but notice how withdrawn she seemed. A far cry from her normal animated self. "Are…are you feeling okay?"
Hatsume didn't speak, she simply whimpered and curled into herself on the cot. Izuku stared silently down at her form, watching the unshed tears build in her eyes.
"He futilely tried to flex his fingertips, move his bicep, anything, only for nothing to change. His head fell back down onto the bed, his throat clenching, and finally he began to sob, curling into himself, and simply letting his anguish wash over him."
Izuku moved forward, past Maijima, and approached Hatsume's form, still curled on the cot. He moved slowly, so as to not cause her panic, and gently sat down in the chair next to the bed. Mei's crosshair eyes locked onto his face, but she made no further action.
"...It hurts…doesn't it?"
She still remains silent, curling further into herself. Izuku sees Maijima move over to interrupt him, so he continues.
"...not the wounds…those hurt too…but what hurts more is that feeling in your heart."
Maijima stops, freezing up at Izuku's words. Izuku notices some acknowledgement in Hatsume's eyes. He takes a deep breath, and continues.
"It isn't the fact that you got hurt that causes you pain…no, not this time." His hands begin to tremble, but he continues, "No…what hurts more is that feeling of helplessness…of having your safety…your well- being ...so thoroughly violated right before your eyes…and being unable to do anything to stop it."
His voice starts to crack, but he pushes on. "But helplessness is only a part of it…isn't it?" His throat begins to close up, "The helplessness hurts…but the feeling of anger hurts more…the anger at the situation…at the one who hurt you…"
"...at the fact that you can't do anything about it…"
"But worst of all," Izuku stops, holding his emotion back, trying to finish his statement, "...worst of all…it's the bitter feeling of acceptance …at the fact that you know there is nothing you can do to take that feeling away!" He was shouting now, letting his emotions fully escape him, but at this point he didn't care.
" That's why it hurts so much! Because no matter what you do…" His emotions leave him, and his entire body slumps forward.
"...no matter what you do…you wonder if that feeling of safety you used to have…is gone forever."
Izuku lets his eyes rise from his lap. He sees Maijima and Recovery Girl staring at him with concerned expressions. But, he is focused on Mei, who has not moved, but her eyes seem slightly more alive than before, as if just knowing that he understands her pain is enough to bring her some small comfort.
There is a silence between them, one minute, then two. Maijima and Recovery Girl both nod, and Maijima gets up to leave, having duties to attend to in the teacher's booth.
"Dammit…I don't know what else to say…" Izuku tries not to let his frustration show, "I'm not cut out for comforting people."
Izuku chose to take the initiative, and undo the front of his jumpsuit, letting the garment drop and reveal his upper body. He hears Recovery Girl gasp at the burn on his body, but ignores her.
"Comfort won't do much right now anyways. Empathy helped…but it's not enough." Izuku thinks to himself, slowly lowering the sleeve on his right arm, "she needs a distraction…something to pull her attention away from what happened to her."
Slowly, he leans over, revealing his mechanical arm to her. He sees her eyes light up a bit, though still far duller than what he knew from before. Pressing a small hidden notch, he opens the panel on the arm, revealing the hidden components within.
"...There were a lot of difficulties when I was designing the prosthetic," He began, "the first hurdle was space." He pointed at the central pillar of the prosthetic, and he sees Hatsume's irises spin, zooming in her vision, "originally I wanted to run the wires down the central hydraulic mechanism, but then th-"
"...the wires would not have had enough spacing to avoid short circuits?"
He looks at Hatsume in shock, but she continues to stare at his open arm.
"...Y-yeah…that's exactly right." He clears his throat and continues, "So instead, I designed this wire cage, so that…"
The two spoke for some time, and he noticed that Mei seemed to relax more and more as their conversation went on. Eventually, he stopped talking, seeing that her eyes had closed, and she had gone to sleep. He sits in silence for a bit, looking over her wounds, before leaning back in his chair, and trying to relax.
"Maybe…maybe taking a break for a minute won't hurt."
_________________________________________________________________________
Vlad King walked down the halls of the stadium, heading towards the nurses office. He knows it's stupid, and Hatsume is probably fine, but something about his prior conversation with Maijima rubbed him the wrong way.
"...do none of you care about the injuries she suffered?!"
He sighed to himself. He did care about his students, dammit! Maijima just wasn't looking at everything objectively. He was too close to Hatsume, and was letting his mind get clouded!
…even still…checking up on her condition wouldn't hurt. Plus, it might take his mind off his last phone call.
_________________________________________________________________________
Vlad looked down at the caller id, and sighed. He knew this was going to be a long conversation. Answering the phone, he let his features school, hoping they would reflect in the emotions of his voice.
"Madame President," he began, "I believe I know why you are calling."
"Oh, you do?" The president began, "that's great, then let me ask you a question…"
"...why the hell is Izuku Midoriya still in the tournament?"
Vlad stiffened, but did not speak. He knew the question was rhetorical.
"I believe when we last spoke, you assured me that Izuku Midoriya would not make it to the final. Not only did he do just that. Not only did he defeat three hero course students on the way, but he did so by humiliating the hero course!"
Vlad tried to placate the woman, "I understand tha-"
"No," she interrupts him, "you clearly don't! Tell me, where exactly is the line, King? Was it when he annihilated a hero course student in one hit? Or what about when he humiliated the heiress of the Yaoyorozu Conglomerate live on television?!"
"Madame Pre-"
"Because I know where my line is, Vlad King…it was when he defeated the son of the number two hero…with a taser !"
Kan sighed, "I understand, Madame President…I didn't expect the boy to make it this far…especially not to beat Todoroki."
"I don't really care what you expected to happen, King," Madame President sighed, "I care that he is making a mockery of the next generation of heroes! That he is boldly, and unabashedly, attacking our way of life!" The president sighed.
"Vlad…I came to you with this because you have always been loyal…you have always done what is necessary. But now I am starting to question if you still have what it takes…"
Kan stiffened, "of course I do, Madame President…nothing has changed."
"Pretty words, King…but your actions speak louder." The president sighs, "I am not going to say it again. Midoirya needs to be eliminated from the competition. I don't care how, or why. Just get him out of it, and do it now !"
Kan feels his blood go cold. He knows what that means…
"And King…don't forget who pulled you out of that gutter."
The phone clicks, and Kan is left on his own, in the silence of the hallway.
_________________________________________________________________________
Vlad shakes himself out of his mind. He tries not to think about her order as best he can…but he knows he is simply running from it.
It feels…wrong. Her order. He had never questioned her before…but now…
Vlad rounded the corner, seeing the door to the nurses office opened, and approached, but was stopped when he heard two distinct voices.
"So, now that she's asleep, we need to talk about that burn of yours."
He recognized the first voice as Recovery Girl, nothing out of the ordinary.
"I'll tell you what I told Maijima. I'm fine."
The second voice…Midoriya.
Kan pressed his back to the wall, hiding himself behind the door.
"You can say you're fine all you want, you idiot boy," Recovery Girl chides, "but I have seen more wounds in one year than days you have lived in your life! Don't think I didn't see that limp either!"
"It looks worse than it is…I'll be fine!"
"Fine? Yeah right. If you hadn't had your suit during that fight, you would be dead."
"If I didn't have the suit, I wouldn't have made it here at all!"
A silence permeates the two, and it's broken by Midoriya.
"I get it, okay? I messed up. I got hurt. But the suit still works! I just need to perform a few repairs, and I'll have it for the final round of the tournament…" Kan hears the quirkless boy take a shaky breath.
"As long as I have that, I can still fight…I can still win."
"...and if you don't?"
Midoriya doesn't respond, but Kan's mind is swimming, processing what he just heard.
"If I didn't have the suit, I wouldn't have made it here at all!"
Kan begins walking away from the nurses office, his eyes flaring with cold determination.
"...As long as I have that, I can still fight…I can still win."
"...and if you don't?"
He rounds the corner, closing his heart, and feeling his mind cement his plan.
But first? He needed some scapegoats.