Chapter 26: (Episode 23: Todoroki Shoto: Origin)
"Endeavor's my old man. I'm sure you know that he's been stuck as the number two hero for forever." Todoroki told Midoriya as they stood in the dark hallway of the stadium, reminding him of a fact that was well known to those who paid attention to the hero billboards.
"Oh no… Starting from this conversation doesn't give me a good feeling about this…" Hanta tensed up while Denki began to bristle as Enji went on about Shoto's duty.
"If you have something from the number one hero, then I… have even more reason to beat you."
As Midoriya walked through halls after his conversation with Endeavor, the young boy thought to himself about his classmate and opponent's words, clenching his fists at his side.
'In my memories, my mother is always crying… 'Your left side is unsightly', my mother said as she poured boiling water on me.'
Yuga didn't need another reminder of that imagery and his question from yesterday, swallowing the lump in his throat as the scene played on.
The fire on stage roared to life once more, introducing its next contenders.
'Without using my damn old man's quirk… No… I'll reject him completely by winning first place without using it.'
Todoroki walked up the stairs to meet Midoriya on stage, the two rivals narrowing their eyes as they caught sight of the other with the former's statement ringing through the greenet's head.
'No matter what you are to All Might, I will rise above you with just my right side.'
"But I can't lose, either." Midoriya spoke, not backing down from Todoroki's challenge, with their hair blowing in the breeze once more as he declared, "I have to live up to the hopes of those who supported me."
"So damn dramatic… What are you kids, thirteen?"
"Excuse you-?! We're fifteen, I'll have you know…!"
"Uh, Sero, t-technically we're still fourteen…"
"And what age are you supposed to be, Shigaraki…? Eleven?" Hanta fired back at the light-haired villain, Tomura choosing to yawn as an excuse and not answering the question.
"Actually, how old is Shigaraki? We had that conversation earlier when the detective presumed that Shigaraki might be in his late twenties or early thirties."
"Ew, what…?! I'm not that fucking old…!" Tomura gagged at the thought of his early thirties, leaving Mashirao and others looking over to the villain as if waiting for an explanation.
"Then, how old are you?" Rikido asked when Tomura didn't answer.
"Dunno, don't care."
"You seemed to care a lot when we assumed you were thirty…"
"Wait, you really don't know your age?" Minoru leaned forward, a bit too far as he landed on the floor, recovering before he wondered next, "When's your birthday? Or what about the year you were born?"
"Like I said: Dunno, don't care."
"Wow, that's actually kind of sad… I don't know what I would do if I didn't know my birthday or age."
"Is it really that big of a fucking deal? Don't characters say all the time that 'age doesn't matter' or some weird bullshit like that?"
"That's… usually to refer to someone trying to date a person either a lot older than them or a lot younger than them…" Rikido cringed slightly at Tomura's lack of knowledge.
'I pride you students in trying to get information out of this villain; at least I think so, but do be careful with your words…!' Toshinori thought to himself, a little distressed as he listened to the teens talk casually with Tomura as if they didn't watch him almost kill him and plenty of others yesterday.
"Eh, whatever, shut up already, you annoying brats." Tomura dismissed the prying teenagers, shifting his body to bend his legs up and pull them close, before stretching them out on the couch and laying down against the headrest. He wasn't planning on sleeping, but the song was taking forever to end.
"Who's the oldest out of all of us, kero?" Tsuyu wondered, the previous conversation over, with the four girls on her row gazing at the greenette before they thought about it themselves.
"Out of all of us, or just us students?"
"Students, kero."
"When's your birthday, Tsuyu-chan?"
"February twelfth."
"Aw, you're so young, Tsuyu-chan…!" Toru cooed along with Mina, who stroked the girl's long hair as Tsuyu smiled at her affectionate touch.
The students soon grew quiet as they let the reminder of the song flow, sighing to themselves as they waited for the eventual match to begin. Izuku was busy doing breathing exercises with Toshinori and Ochaco while Shoto sat idly in his seat, patiently waiting for the start of their fight.
What they weren't expecting was the sound of crying. They all assumed that it was Izuku, who even he wondered if that were his sobs, before they were taken aback by more shock when Shoto, a young Shoto, showed up, weeping into his mother's chest.
How Shoto wished his mother could hold him and stroke his head like she used to.
"But you want to be a hero, don't you?"
At his mother's question, young Todoroki hiccuped as he brought his eyes up to look at her, catching her gentle smile and loving eyes, her pure white hair falling at her shoulders.
"It's okay for you to be one."
"Before I knew it, I had forgotten what happened after this…" Todoroki recalled that part of the memory to mind, but what came after was a mystery to him. Locked away in the past that he couldn't seem to forgive.
Shoto blinked at those words before he realized that it was true, that he didn't know what his mother said after that. It wasn't like it was a big deal, he was really young when she said it, but at the same time, it was something his mom had told him before she left. How could he have forgotten something as important as that?
"Shoto?"
"Fine." Shoto spat back to Shota's concern, ignoring it as the crowd's cheering filled the TV speakers. He had to focus on this match, whether he was fighting in it or not.
While the audience was oblivious to the teens' rivalry, the students in Class 1-A and the teachers up in the stands had a feeling this would be more personal than anything. As they observed their classmates in the arena, a few looked upon Midoriya and Todoroki with thoughtful and nervous expressions, aware of how huge this fight would be with their power scale. The staff were stone-faced as they awaited the call whereas Endeavor, in a lower deck, stood with his arms crossed against a wall, his flames flickering with impatience.
That tension only grew when Mic's announcement eventually came through, the crowd getting louder as he yelled, "The first match of the second match! At this year's sports festival, both have shown top class performances!"
"You know, he usually saves this kind of excitement for when it's the finale… If they're both top performers, wouldn't it have been better for them to have fought in different brackets?"
Katsuki growled at Hanta's legitimate question, swearing that he didn't care who won because he was going to beat both of them and be number one. That was his pledge and that was his vow.
'It'll be dangerous to let him use that power as he likes.' Todoroki narrowed his eyes at his opponent, taking his power and recklessness into account on ways that he would defeat Midoriya. Just as the greenet did the same.
"It's like two great rivals fighting against each other! Now…!"
'The instant we start…' Midoriya and Todoroki thought as they both prepared their first move.
"STARRRT!"
'Go!' Todoroki sent his first wave of ice, heading Midoriya's way to capture him like his last match.
'SMASH!' Midoriya powered his quirk into his middle finger before shooting out the blast of air, stopping the ice just before it could engulf him and breaking it apart, sending the shards back in Todoroki's direction while the cold wind rose, causing the audience to shiver.
"THAT'S IT, BABY! Just keep doing that until you can blow him away for good…!" Hanta jumped up out of his seat as he cheered on Izuku, who clenched his fists while Toshinori squeezed his shoulder.
"Shitty Deku can't just send the same attack over and over again, dumbass." Katsuki scoffed back at his cries, Hanta and a few others glancing over to the glaring eyes of the blond as he spat out next, "Were you watching this stupid fucking show with your eyes closed or something, Flat Face?"
Katsuki gestured to Izuku's broken and bruised finger on screen, stating, "The idiot breaks himself every time he uses his damn quirk. He'll blow his fucking finger off if he ain't careful."
"Can that even happen…?"
"All Might said that an unprepared body for One for All will 'cause the limbs to explode." Katsuki huffed, which caused them all to grow horrified by this information, immediately whipping their heads around to gap at either Toshinori or Izuku, with both men ducking their heads down just as fast.
"What the actual hell kind of power is this…?!" Hitoshi managed to choke out.
Enji listened to what the teenagers spoke about One for All, as well as seeing the evidence and being able to hear Toshinori's thoughts on screen. He gripped his bicep while narrowing his eyes in wonder on how Izuku had been able to survive the hero course this long with his broken ability.
'It's true that that was the only thing he could do against the ice attack… However!' All Might fretted for his successor, clenching his fist against his knee while attempting to drown out the cheers of the audience.
Todoroki attacked with more ice as Midoriya countered with another blast, 'SMAAASH!'
"He stopped it again!" Mic yelled as blood sprayed from Midoriya's hand, breaking another finger while Todoroki crossed his arms to block the icy wind.
'How long has he held this quirk…?' Enji spared a glare down to Toshinori and Izuku before glancing back up at the TV, disappointed in his son for his poor performance against someone that could barely control their own power.
"Damn…"
'From what I know of Todoroki-kun's fighting, he always attacks in an instant, so I don't have much data on him. Data… During this fight, I need to find an opening… The ice he's stuck behind him is probably how he plans to keep from being blown away. Which means, I was right to use my fingers. It's likely that it could even work against a hundred percent smash where I sacrifice my arm.' Midoriya strategically thought, his face twisted in pain as he held his broken hand while eyeing Todoroki, waiting for his next move. Thinking all the way back to his first time using One for All, he noted as well about his opponent's strengths and abilities as he gritted his teeth through the pulsing ache in his fingers, 'I've got to look carefully… Think… Find it… I've got six more chances…!'
"What a morbid way to think about fingers…" Denki muttered under his breath while Hanta cringed at what he had said before.
"Goddamn…"
Sending more glaciers his way, Midoriya braced himself for the incoming pain as he flicked another one of his fingers, blowing away the attack like before while grunting as his hand twitched, 'Five more chances!'
"Dude, take a chill pill…"
"It started?!" Kirishima gaped as he raced down the stairs, catching his friends' attention when they looked back, watching the redhead run down the stairs and stop on their row.
"Kirishima, good job making it to the second round."
"Yeah, I'll be up against you next, Bakugo. Let's have a good fight!" Kirishima grinned down to the ash-haired blond, Bakugo never taking his eyes off the match below.
"I'll kill you."
Eijiro slightly flinched as he heard that, though, he also kind of expected Katsuki to rebuttal like that, but Hanta still put his arm around his shoulder regardless. What the two black-haired boys' weren't expecting was to hear his cheeky laughter come through the speakers.
"You're just built different, Kirishima…"
'Something had to have happened during my third year…!' Eijiro really wanted to know what that was if it made him almost, maybe, sort of, kinda befriend Katsuki, and 'cause his quirk to grow stronger, or at least boost his confidence in his abilities.
"-you and Todoroki can both shoot off powerful attacks that cover a lot of ground. Like 'Bam'!"
"And you can do it with no time lag." Sero pointed out as well, adding to what Kirishima said while Bakugo continued to stare down with more interest in the fight than what his classmates were talking about.
"I'm not just shooting them off. Don't underestimate me."
"Huh?" Kirishima blinked at Bakugo's reply.
"If you overuse your muscles, the muscle fibers tear, and if you keep running, you'll run out of breath." Bakugo reminded the trio since they obviously weren't thinking logically, leaning forward as he looked down, holding his hand in front of him as he pondered, 'There's a limit to how much power I can produce, too. That's why I designed my costume so that I could fire blasts in excess of what my body allows without any risk.'
"I was about to comment on how weird Bakugo is when he's calm, but then it showed something like that, and… yeah." Denki grumbled, referring to how the episode gave a quick flashback to their battle training from yesterday. Leaning toward Hitoshi's ear, he provided context on why Katsuki had sent such a large explosion from his gauntlet, "Yeah, that was when Bakugo almost killed Midoriya…"
And if Hitoshi wasn't already simmering with pent-up anger toward the blond.
"-against the instant-killer Todoroki, Midoriya wants…"
'...and endurance match, huh?' Todoroki narrowed his eyes when he figured it out, crouching down lower as he sent another wave of ice toward his opponent, declaring, "I'll end this quickly."
'SMAAASH!' Midoriya readied his pinky finger with One for All before shooting again, pushing back the ice successfully, but not without slipping back himself, realizing with a painful thought as blood sprayed out, 'I've used up all the fingers on my right hand!'
"This is worse."
"Worse than what?" Mina questioned after what she heard, the other girls and Shota looking over at Tsuyu, whose expression wasn't so blank anymore.
"Worse than Ochaco-chan's match with Bakugo-chan."
"Oh…" Toru couldn't find it in herself to disagree or agree with that.
"Heroics is a brutal career. Midoriya's doing everything he can to win right now, just as everyone else is."
"He shouldn't have to hurt himself in order to win, kero."
"You're first-years, Asui. Technically still in junior high, and still learning." Shota stated, those words sinking in for the girls and those on behind them listening to the seasoned hero as he explained, "While I agree with you, this is also the best that Midoriya can perform in order not to lose against Shoto."
Hearing that, Izuku tightened his fists as he lowered his head, thinking it over while he bit his lip in concentration. He knew that Shota wasn't wrong, right in fact, along with Tsuyu, but it was just complicated to think about. He had this great power for only a short few months and what little control he did have was trivial compared to Shoto's years of training.
'I don't want to think about how many years Todoroki-kun has been training…' Izuku gulped, not sure if it was from the little information they had been shown on Enji's training methods or anxious at how much better his opponent's abilities were compared to his.
Izuku's thought process was shattered at the cry of pain that echoed from the speakers, sending shivers down everyone's spine.
Narrowing his eyes at the TV after watching Izuku use One for All throughout his arm to send his opponent back, Shoto having closed the distance between them, Enji brought his hand up to run down his chin as he sneered, 'That boy is too reckless to become a hero…'
As he was sent backwards from his opponent's defensive attack, protecting his face from the harsh winds while gliding across his ice, Todoroki tried to generate an ice block strong enough to keep him on stage. Through the icy fog, it was difficult for Midoirya to locate where his rival stood, gritting his teeth as he pushed through the pain while putting his focus into this fight, his entire left sleeve tore apart.
"That's a lot more powerful than before." Todoroki's voice echoed, horror crossing Midoriya's expression as the fog cleared, finding his opponent in a heap of his ice, which meant he was still in the ring. He moved the glacier while asking his rival, "Are you trying to tell me… to stay away…?"
With Todoroki standing up again as if nothing had happened, Midoriya realized with a twisted expression as his broken arm hung at his side, 'It's not just his quirk. His judgment, application skills, mobility… All of his abilities… are strong!'
Izuku was already figuring this out, well aware of the fact that Shoto was so far ahead of him, better than him in every aspect of power. How he was still standing against the boy was a mystery to the greenet, but he couldn't dwindle on it long enough before someone knocked against his knee.
"Deku-kun, don't start despairing now…! You were so close before, so keep going! You can totally win this!" Ochaco, who seemed to be exactly what he needed to hear in order for his thoughts to cease, held her fist out towards him as she gently smiled.
Taking a second to glance up at the TV before looking back to his friend, Izuku couldn't bring himself to return her smile, her words unbelievable to him, but he was able to reciprocate her fist bump, which satisfied Ochaco enough. Toshinori was having similar thoughts to what his successor was thinking before, however, in a more practical viewpoint, as he wondered if there was anything different he could have done for the boy in preparing for One for All.
'Most of my training came through learning on my own, with my Master's advice every now and then, and Gran Torino's… brutal training, every now and then. Young Midoriya is quite the contrary, however, meaning his training should be different from what I was trained to be… I wish the show would have provided more information on Young Midoriya's training, just to give me an idea.'
"What, you're that beat up just from defending and running away?" Todoroki mocked as Midoriya's entire body shook, glaring over to his opponent until he noticed something odd about him.
It wasn't obvious to the naked eye, but Midoriya saw it by taking a close look at the right side of Todoroki's body, taking note of the frost covering part of his arm and around his uniform. But what really threw him off was the fact that he was shivering, just barely.
'He's trembling…?' Midoriya gaped, meaning that Todoroki was purposefully harming himself.
"That should be impossible, with a power like his…" Tomura mumbled under his breath as Katsuki grumbled at this fact, cursing Shoto's name for holding back and limiting himself like that, which in turn caused harm to his own body.
"Wait, frostbite can be harmful to someone if it's too cold for a long time… And… frostbite can lead to sometimes your limbs needing to be amputated… right?" Hanta softly wondered, holding his hand up to his chin as he thought about it, with Eijiro trying to remember if that was right or not.
"Pause, kero." Tsuyu suddenly announced, bringing everyone's attention to the front as she turned a blank stare down to Shoto, who didn't pay her any attention, even when she asked, "Why are you doing this to yourself, Shoto-chan?"
Choosing to ignore her, it prompted Tsuyu to explain her question instead of letting it go, "You're limiting yourself, and it's hurting you, which is something you can easily cancel out with the other half of your quirk-"
"SHUT up. I don't care."
"I care, kero."
"I don't, so stop talking to me."
"I'm trying to get you to understand that this method of rebelling against Endeavor isn't the right way. It's hurting you, and that's not a good thing, kero."
"Maybe that's why Endeavor did the whole quirk marriage and picked a spouse with a powerful ice quirk…"
Shoto was getting more and more pissed off at how everyone was trying to butt their way into his life when, just yesterday, he was nothing more than somebody else in the crowd, angrily glaring back at Tsuyu as he spat out, "Stop talking about it. You were never supposed to know about that."
"Then why tell Midoriya-chan?"
It was a genuine question, one that even Shoto wasn't completely sure on how to answer, but thought instead on why he decided to tell Izuku, who gulped at being shoved into the conversation now. It made him feel as if he had to say something too now, but he wasn't sure what or how he should go about saying it.
"I think it could be that Todoroki felt like he owed Midoriya." Hitoshi suddenly spoke up, gaining their attention. The purple-haired teen didn't seem to noticed, and if he did, he didn't show it as he went to explain while looking at the TV, "Todoroki figured out Midoriya's connection to All Might, so to complete their rivalry or his challenge, Todoroki chose to tell Midoriya about Endeavor. Maybe to see what the difference was between them."
"Maybe…"
"Anyway, this has been bothering me since we learned about all that, but why aren't you furious about him holding back?" Hitoshi glanced over to Izuku, who jolted in surprise at the question.
"H-Huh? Why-Why should I…?"
"Because it's like a slap in the face, right? Someone with two different types of power limiting himself to one when you had to work your ass off just to hold one yourself, but even here, you don't seem triggered or anything. You have no power, and are fighting someone who has two, but only uses one due to personal grudges."
'Like the shitty nerd would be 'furious' about anything…' Katsuki huffed, rolling his eyes at the stupidity of Hitoshi's serious question to Izuku, who appeared to have never even thought about that before.
"Um… I-I'm not… mad or, uh, anything… If- If anything, I just… I just want to help T-Todoroki-kun…"
"Same here, Midoriya…! I'm glad we got the same idea!" Denki grinned at the greenet's answers, glad to know he wasn't the only one, while Tenya glanced back down to Shoto, who sneered at Izuku's response before turning back in his seat, not saying a word to that.
"I don't know about you, but Midoriya looks pretty mad to me…"
Tomura barked out a laugh at the boy's naive way of thinking, "Kid thinks he can just save everyone, huh? What a fucking delusion."
"Idiot…" Katsuki also muttered under his breath.
'Without using my damn old man's quirk… No… I'll reject him completely by winning first place without using it.'
"With your arms like that, you can't fight anymore, can you? Let's finish this." Todoroki decided the match was over, observing Midoriya's broken state before he sent one last wave of ice his way, putting his opponent out of his misery. He had already played his part in helping piss off his father, so there was no need to draw this fight out anymore than necessary.
"Todoroki keeps attacking with overwhelming power…! Here comes the finishing attack!" Mic cried out, All Might gritting his teeth in worry for his successor as he began to sweat profusely, watching in horror as the ice kept coming.
"Where are you looking?"
Everyone froze up at the cold look in Izuku's eyes. Even the greenet himself was a little shocked by how angry he appeared to be, but at the same time, he couldn't blame his future self. He just wanted to help Shoto.
Todoroki gasped when in the next instant, his opponent had somehow blown his attack completely away, the ice shattering on impact with the wind sending him back. This bold offensive move took the audience by complete surprise, wondering just how on earth he was able to pull that off. With his bruised fingers and broken arm, there was no possible way Midoriya could create a shock wave such as that.
Trying to keep himself in the ring didn't come easy this time, almost falling past the boundary line until eventually, Todoroki was finally able to catch himself with his quirk, shakingly standing up from that gust of wind. As the cool air wafted around the two rivals, both far on opposite sides of the arena, the dual-haired teen took note of the greenet's condition, realizing just what he did to counter his attack.
"Bastard… With your broken finger…?"
"Oh… my god…" Hitoshi officially deemed Izuku a crazy person. He was friends with a crazy person. The first friends he made, and one of them was a crazy person.
Tomura found this realization to be hilarious, imagining a scenario where, eventually, Izuku would blow his own fingers off if he kept going like this.
"Young Midoriya, I would strongly-"
"You're trembling, Todoroki-kun."
It was obvious, plain as the eye could see, but for some reason, hearing how Izuku pointed that out once more quieted the theater, Tomura's laughter coming to a manic chuckle as he grinned. The curly-haired boy hadn't been listening to Toshinori anyway, fascinated by the adrenaline and pain tolerance levels he was displaying.
'That boy…' Enji placed a hand over his lips, knowing that the kid would have some scarring injuries if the fight continued this way. Izuku should never become a hero.
Frost creeped up Todoroki's cheek, letting out an icy gasp as Midoriya trembled himself, raising his broken hand as he preached, "Quirks are physical abilities, too. There's a limit to how much cold your body can take, isn't there? And isn't that something you could solve using the heat from your left side?"
Shoto didn't like where this was leading to, glaring at the TV as he spat under his breath, while Tsuyu was glad that Izuku realized this as well. Someone had to knock some sense into him somehow.
The bone crunching sounds that echoed through the speakers hurt everyone, causing them to shiver as they tried to shake that feeling away.
"Everyone's fighting with everything they've got… To win and get closer to their dream… To become number one… You want to win with just half your strength…?! You haven't put a single scratch on me yet, you know!" Midoriya spat out at Todoroki, as if challenging his opponent to do his worst when he clenched his broken hand into a fist, pushing through the pain to yell these final words, "COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"
"Oh hell yeah…"
"Uh, oh hell NO- Whatcha ya mean 'hell yeah'?"
"Deku-kun, maybe you shouldn't ask Todoroki-kun to give it everything he's got. He might seriously injure you." Ochaco leaned across Toshinori, her worried brown eyes looking over to Izuku, who didn't seem to hear her, his green gaze glued to the TV screen while Hitoshi puffed his cheeks out.
'Injure him? Yeah, sure, he'll be lucky to make it out of that match ALIVE.'
"Midoriya… What are you planning? Everything I've got? Did my damn old man buy you off or something?" Todoroki hated the way his opponent appeared to have the advantage, dashing toward Midoriya this time as he sneered, "Now I'm angry!"
"He wasn't before!" Hanta gaped, Eijiro sympathetically rubbing his back while Katsuki placed a hand over his lips in thought as the match continued.
Noticing the way Todoroki was moving, Midoriya broadened his gaze as he thought, 'His movements are…'
'...slow!' Bakugo realized the same thing, leaning forward slightly as he placed a hand over his lips while he continued to watch the fight in thought, 'It's because frost fell on his body… Unlike the limit to my power, it's probably like the MP in a game… Was the scale during his fight with Flat Face the upper limit?'
'Does everyone in this room believe that heroism is a game to them?' Tenya was starting to wonder if his friends and prophesied classmates were actually prepared for this career.
While Tomura cackled at the quick reminder of Shoto's first match, Hanta glared over to Katsuki as he muttered under his breath, "You just had to bring that back up again, didn't you, Bakugo…?"
"God, I love this kid." Tomura wiped a tear from his eye as the ash blond was growing on him now.
Toshinori didn't like the implication of those words.
As soon as his right foot was let off the ground, Todoroki gasped when Midoriya suddenly moved, realizing as ice now covered half of his uniform, 'The instant I lifted my right foot… This guy…!'
"Imagine… the microwave…"
"Huh…?"
"Pause for a sec-" Hitoshi mumbled, but blinked when the TV suddenly stopped, only to remember what the voice said before about saying that word. So, with the opportunity presenting itself, he turned to Izuku and Toshinori and quietly wondered, "What about a microwave…?"
"Oh, after Young Midoriya was shown using One for All for the first time, we had a discussion where I asked him to describe the feeling he felt when using his quirk for the first time. The description he came up with was heating an egg into a microwave. So I advised him to imagine lowering the wattage or shortening the cook time to give him a better mindset."
"Interesting… Carry on, then." Hitoshi nodded in dismissal as soft laughter echoed around the room.
'It won't explode… It won't… It won't…! It won't! IT WON'T!' Midoriya declared, rearing his fist back before he threw it at Todoroki's gut.
"A solid hit! We've got some action!"
He luckily didn't break any bones from his attack, but his opponent managed to ice down his other arm, causing Midoriya to cry out in pain as blood oozed from his broken limbs, while Todoroki was flung backwards.
"I don't think this is something to cheer about… I mean, I don't think I've seen a Sports Festival match this intense…"
"I think it's just the use of dramatic effects, you know? 'Cause we're aware of where Todoroki and Midoriya are coming from, so that's probably why it's intense than the ones we've seen before." Hanta quietly replied back to his seatmate's claim, Eijiro rubbing his arms at the goosebumps appearing on his skin.
Creating more ice his way, Midoriya noticed as he was able to dodge the glacier's this time around, 'The ice isn't coming as fast…'
Getting back on his feet, the greenet focused his sights back to his opponent before bringing his injured hand up at Todoroki's approach, shakingly moving his index finger against his broken thumb. As he continued to try and capture Midoriya in his quirk, the boy only kept on pushing him back by his own strong winds, staying in the ring thanks to his ice.
Still unbothered by the state of pain he was in, Midoriya went to prepare another attack while Cementoss grew worried, saying into his mic, "Should I stop it, Midnight?"
"Is that even a question…?!"
"Let 'em kill each other- It's more entertaining this way." Tomura cracked his back, stretching his arms before grinning back over to the three, "But not as entertaining as Bakugo's, though…!"
"There's no way Recovery Girl could heal Midoriya without him passing out at this point…"
"What is her quirk?" Minoru knew it was healing since she was the school nurse, but hearing Yuga say that after what Ken told Nemuri, had him worried for Izuku.
"Recovery Girl can only heal you based on how much stamina you possess… And from a fight such as this, Midoriya won't have much."
Now others were just as worried.
"It doesn't make sense how the crowd was telling Cementoss to stop the fight between Bakugo-kun and Uraraka-san, but they're quiet watching Midoriya-kun repeatedly hurt himself…" Mashirao pointed out as well, with Fumikage and Mezo nodding slowly to agree.
'-can't control your quirk.'
Aizawa lowered his gaze when he thought of what he told Midoriya around a month ago, thinking to himself as he watched his students' fight, 'His power's gone down, but he's gained some control. He's not just fighting recklessly. This is the best he can do to win at this point in time. But man… Even if it can be healed, to be able to jump into intense pain like that requires a lot of resolve. What is stirring him up?'
The students cringed as it reminded them of the hero's own broken arms, with Shota bringing his hand up to cover his lips, anxious for the rest of this fight if his ominous thoughts had anything to do with that.
"I really hope Deku-kun's high pain tolerance didn't stem from junior high…" Ochaco muttered under her breath as she rubbed her arms, with Toshinori worrying for that as well, even though neither of them knew how ruthless Izuku's peers could be.
'-like him. In order to do that, I have to be strong enough to become number one. My motivation might seem trivial compared to yours…'
Todoroki gritted his teeth before sending another ice wave in his opponent's direction, the frost covering more of his body. Stubbornly, Midoriya grunted as his bruised fingers protested, powering his quirk through his thumb instead, improvising his defensive move.
'I can't make a fist…!' Midoriya realized, shoving his thumb inside his mouth, with Todoroki gaping in shock as he watched his rival shoot a blast by using the skin of his cheek, 'SMAAASH!'
"What the fuck-"
"I don't know which fight is worse- This, or Bakugo's…"
"I'd definitely say this." Minoru shivered as he clung onto Yuga, who prayed for Izuku's sake injury wise, and Shoto's for frostbite. Even though that would never happen if the boy acknowledged his other given power.
"-are you going so far?"
"Because I want to live up to everyone's expectations…" Midoriya's answer was something he hadn't been expecting, Todoroki glaring up at the greenet, watching as he came running back while screaming out, "I want to be able to smile…! And respond to them…! To be a cool hero…! That's what I want to be!"
His reply triggered something in Todoroki's memory, thinking back to a time when he was younger, happier, as his mother's gentle voice called his name, "Shoto…"
He froze up at his mother's voice, Shota taking a moment to glance over to Shoto, trying to get a read on the kid's expression and body language.
"If this wasn't centered around Todoroki before, it sure is now…"
"What was the name of the episode again…?"
"Uh…" Hitoshi tried to recall, but now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember as he replied back to Denki, "I don't actually think it said…"
"Really? That's a first."
"There's no way I can know all of your circumstances, or your resolve. But for you to become number one without giving it your all, to completely reject your father…"
Todoroki widened his eyes as he remembered crying.
"Right now, I think you should stop screwing around!"
He remembered how he used to cry into his mother's chest on days when it got bad. He remembered her smile. He was only just beginning to remember as he was suddenly thrusted into the past.
Ten years ago, he remembered the first time his father began to train him, Endeavor towering over him after he had just thrown up on the wooden floors. The hero's clenched fist held out in front of him while Todoroki coughed his guts out after the first punch. He was just a little boy.
"Stand up! If you're downed by something like this, forget beating All Might, you won't even be able to take the small fry villains-"
"Please, stop!" Todoroki's mother immediately tried to interfere, running up beside her youngest son as she rubbed his back while pleading to her husband, "He's only five!"
"He's already five! Get out of the way!"
The sound of a hard smack, followed by Rei's cry, horrified the students and heroes, Enji only huffing at how weak-willed his wife had been. The three students sitting on the fifth row didn't feel so safe being so close to the number two hero. Tomura wasn't finding it funny anymore.
"Mom…!" Todoroki stared up in fear at what his father had done.
Frost began to consume the right side of his body, with Todoroki's hand twitching at his side as he spat back at Midoriya, "Shut up."
Ten years ago, he remembered sobbing into his mother's chest on a day when it had gotten bad, hiccuping as Todoroki cried to her, "I don't wanna, Mom… I… I… I don't want to be like Dad! I don't want to become someone who bullies you, Mom…!"
No child should ever have to utter those words. Especially to their own mother.
"But you want to be a hero, don't you?" his mother soothed while she stroked his head. Todoroki lifted his eyes up from burying his face in her chest, seeing her gentle smile as she said, "It's okay for you to be one. As long as you have a future you feel strongly about."
"That's why… I will win!" Midoriya declared, punching Todoroki right in the gut as chips of ice fell from his skin, sending his rival flying through the air as he cried out, "I'll surpass you!"
Todoroki didn't know what to do or say to that. He was too stuck in the past to think.
Because ten years ago, he remembered watching his siblings play together from the balcony, on the second floor of their home, their grandmother looking over them. As Endeavor passed by, Todoroki enchanted by what the three white-haired children were playing, his father suddenly grabbed him by the wrist and began to lead him away.
"Don't look at that, Shoto. They're from a different world than you."
Todoroki slowly began to fall as he remembered the day he lost his mother.
Ten years ago, he remembered the moment he got his first scar.
"Mom, I'm going crazy…"
As he turned to the corner to enter the kitchen, yawning into his hand before rubbing at his eyes, Todoroki paused when he overheard his mother talking urgently into the phone.
"I can't take it anymore. Every day, the children seem to become more and more like him… Shoto's… That child's left side sometimes looks very unsightly to me…"
"No- Shit, shit, shit, shit-" Denki, just like everyone else in the room, began to panic as they remembered that phrase, the simmering kettle on the stove being a heavy reminder of what they were about to see.
This was the last thing Shoto wanted them to see, clutching the left side of his face as Denki hurried over to crouch behind him. Others braced themselves for what they were about to watch, while a few didn't know if they could take anymore of this, tears silently flowing. Shota felt like a failure, unable to help this child as he sat here and could only watch, same as Toshinori, who squeezed Izuku and Ochaco's shoulders while they wept.
"-raise him anymore… I feel like I shouldn't…"
"M… Mom…?"
The kettle whistled as Todoroki's mother shakingly turned around, fear written over her expression as the pot shrieked.
'I…' Todoroki remembered that horrific moment from his childhood, remembering the pain that came with it.
Ten years ago, with bandages wrapped around his left eye, Todoroki remembered standing against the wall while his father grumbled to himself closeby, "Good grief, this is an important time, too…"
"Where's Mom?"
"Huh? Ah, she injured you, so I put her in a hospital." Endeavor answered, with Todoroki shaking after he heard that.
"It's your fault." Todoroki uttered, his father turning around to question his son as tears of anger rolled down his cheek, his gray eye glaring up at the man who ruined his life as he whimpered, "You're the one who made Mom…"
Endeavor held no remorse as he watched the little boy cry.
"I will reject…" Todoroki trembled as he tried to stand back up, one hand on his knee while he pushed himself up with his other, grunting out through the strain, "...my old man's power…"
Midoriya gritted his teeth, angry that Todoroki still wasn't getting it, before he yelled out with the need for him to understand, "It's your power… ISN'T IT?!"
Todoroki still didn't understand. But, he remembered.
Ten years ago, he remembered sitting with his mother, before she was driven to insanity and before his training had even begun. They were on the family sofa together, watching an interview on All Might.
"Yes, that's right!"
Toshinori almost broke down at the sound of his own voice, especially after seeing just how determined Enji was to surpass him. The smile shown on young Shoto's face killed him to see; Denki reaching out to squeeze the boy's shoulders until he visibly flinched away. Enji scoffed under his breath, knowing he had raised his son better than this.
"Children inherit quirks from their parents. But the really important thing is not that connection, but recognizing your own flesh and blood… recognizing yourself. That's what I mean when I say: 'I am here!'. You see?"
With the stars in his eyes as he smiled at the TV, Todoroki's mother rested her hand on the top of his head, with him leaning into her touch as she asked once more, "But you want to be a hero, don't you? It's okay for you to be one."
"Before I knew it, I had forgotten…"
Shoto's eyes widened as his body soon became warm. He remembered now; what his mother had said after that. How could he have forgotten it, it was as clear as day. He couldn't believe he had forgotten.
"You don't have to be a prisoner of your blood. It's okay for you to become who you want to be."
Those words were like a shackle that had finally broken as fire exploded from Todoroki, leaving the audience stunned at the blazing heat while Midoriya gaped at the inferno that had been unleashed.
"Th-This is…!"
"The fire's here…" Uraraka squinted her eyes at the rush of heat while Iida couldn't help but think back to what his classmate had said before the cavalry battle, widening his eyes.
'In battle, I will never use my left.'
Todoroki must have gotten over his declaration or Midoriya had convinced him otherwise, but either way, Iida was beyond amazed as he spoke under his breath, his hair blowing in the air, "He used it…"
'You made him use his left side… Young Midoriya, don't tell me you're trying to save Young Todoroki…?' All Might narrowed his gaze, thoughtful but worried for his successor and what he was trying to accomplish in this match.
"Even though you want to win… Damn it… To help your enemy… Which one of us is screwing around now?" Todoroki wondered as the other could only gasp at what he saw, watching the ice melt away from his opponent's right side as Midoriya stared in awe before the boy declared with a new found resolve, "I want… to be a hero, too…!"
The fire continued to blaze, telling Midoriya that Todoroki was now taking this seriously. Despite his position, the bruised and injured greenet couldn't help but smile, that determination in his eyes matching his opponent's as they both strive to win, but now, by using all the power they had. No one was holding back anymore, and Endeavor couldn't be more proud.
"SHOTOOOOO!"
"Oh hell no-" Denki immediately whipped back around, breaking away from the captivating moment, as he suddenly hopped over the sofas until Mezo interfered, stopping the blond just before he could reach Enji as he began to shout, "LET ME GO, SHOJI! FUCKING LET ME GO SO I CAN GIVE HIM A PIECE OF MY DAMN MIND!"
"It won't be worth it, Kaminari…" Mezo took the hits that Denki struck at his back in an attempt to release him, the gray-haired teen hanging on tightly to the boy as he tried his best not to let the tears fall.
"THE HELL IT WON'T BE- JUST LET ME FUCKING GO AND I'LL SHOW YOU HOW FUCKING WORTH IT IT'LL FUCKING BE!"
"Young Kaminari, please." Toshinori, just like everyone else in this theater, was just as furious by the situation, but unlike Denki, he understood that there was a time and a place to get angry.
"That boy should learn some manners."
Suddenly, it seemed like a good time to be angry.
"Endeavor, I respected you as a hero, and commended the work you did. I can not ignore what you have done for this country, but having said that, after what we have just witnessed, I have no respect left for you. To see nothing wrong with how you trained Young Shoto-"
"Heroics is a dangerous career, All Might." Enji stated, sitting up in his seat as he huffed back at Toshinori, "That is what I prepared Shoto for. I don't care what you think of them because the results show when you compare my son to your chosen successor. To continuously break his own body like that is going to get him killed."
"That is why we are here-"
"That is something he should already be aware of. What you should have already taught him. If he needs a future vision to tell him something as simple as that, he should never have been given a chance to become a hero."
"You fucking piece of shit-"
"Dude…" Hanta reached over and tapped his hand against Denki, who turned his glaring expression onto his friend before blinking at the look in his eyes.
While they had been talking with Enji, the show had gone on, meaning the match was about to be settled, from what Denki could see when he turned around with Mezo. Something must have happened, though, to watch Nemuri use her quirk so suddenly.
Without holding back, and his fire burning from his left side, Todoroki unleashed the strongest move he could manage with his ice power, creating a wall behind him as he sent pillars of glaciers toward his opponent. With One for All, Midoriya was able to just narrowly miss the onslaught of crystals, leaping over the attack as he soared through the air.
'Try to get close… and give him everything I've got!' Midoriya planned in his head as the ice crashed against the stadium walls.
'COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!'
Todoroki thought of what Midoriya had said while he brought his left hand down, melting the ice that was behind him as a shield as his fire burned. The fire that he had resented for so long, it was almost freeing to use it without thinking of the person who he had inherited from. Because now, he was going to give it everything he had. That's what being a hero meant.
"Midoriya…" Todoroki knew the other boy couldn't hear him, but he felt he had to say these words to him anyway as he brought his blazing hand up to use the power he had been born with, "Thanks."
With his arm powered with One for All, Midoriya ignored the cement blocks that shot up as he and Todoroki's attacks broke them apart, causing the entire arena to explode in an insane display of power.
"HEY!" Midnight gasped as the wind threw her off the podium, flying through the air with the audience ducking down to keep themselves in their seats.
"What the heck?!" Mineta waved his arms through the air, trying not to get blown away while Shoji held him by his ankle, shielding his eyes.
"Man, seriously?!"
"What happened?"
Everyone held on with all their might, bringing their arms up to block the wind as it picked up dirt and cement. They waited it out until it eventually thinned, the fog dispersing with Death Arms and Kamui Woods gaping at what they just saw. How two first-years could accomplish a feat like that was beyond any of them.
"Just because something is powerful doesn't mean it's good…" Cementoss muttered as he slowly stood up, looking across the stage before he sighed, "...but this is amazing…"
"What was that… just now…? What the heck is up with your class?"
"The air that had been cooled thoroughly was suddenly heated up and expanded."
"That's what created the explosion…? Just how hot was that…?!" Mic gaped after his friend's quick explanation, sitting back up in his chair before he hollered down to the two teachers on stage, "Jeez, I can't see a thing! Hey, who won the match?"
Rubbing her head from the whiplash she most likely just received, Midnight shakingly stood up as well, scanning the area before she gaped, blinking at what she caught.
"There's no way-" Hitoshi, and everyone else in the theater, gasped in awe at seeing Izuku somehow still in bounds. Or, at least, what it was being perceived as.
With his back to the wall and his head hanging low, Midoriya had steam coming off his body as he slowly started to lean to one side before he eventually fell over, slipping into unconsciousness.
"M-Midoriya-kun… is out of bounds…" Midnight managed to force out, in shock, while Todoroki could only gap in surprise, with sweat rolling down his cheek. Taking up her position again, she quickly flashed her whip before announcing the winner and ending the match, "Todoroki-kun advances to the third round!"
Breathing heavily, the crowd's cheering was nothing but white noise to Todoroki's ears.
'Episode 23. Todoroki Shoto: Origin'
The ending theme commences.
Nobody could say or do anything as they sat there, completely blown away by what they had just watched, letting the music roll as their thoughts spoke volume. That was until eventually, Shota moved, slowly standing up and holding his arm out to Shoto, who blinked his stunned gaze up to the pro hero.
"Never come near this child again." Shota's voice was soft, but it carried to the person who he wanted to say it to, Enji narrowing his eyes at the sharp glare he was receiving.
"You have no right to keep that thing away from me-"
"And YOU HAVE NO RIGHT-" Shota suddenly yelled, causing everyone to flinch at his volume as his voice shook, "-TO TREAT YOUR OWN SON! LIKE THAT!"
Shota was the last person they expected to yell like that. The room was silent as they processed this, with the pro hero and Enji glaring up at each other with a death stare.
"If you ever come near Shoto again, so HELP me…"
"You think you can keep my own child away from me?"
"For as long as we are here, he will never set another foot near you without All Might and I right there. How no one else has figured out the abuse you put this boy through is beyond me, but while we are here, there is no way in hell I am letting him get close to you."
"You have no right to do such a thing-"
"AS LONG AS WE ARE HERE, YOU WILL STAY AWAY FROM THIS CHILD!" Shota yelled, with his volume once again terrifying the students as they flinched.
Enji, having enough of this back and forth, stood up, but he was immediately blocked by Toshinori's towering muscular form, his smile once more none existent. His bright eyes were now dim as he glared at his rival, the number two hero's own azure gaze narrowing.
"Get out of my way, All Might."
"I will stand by what Aizawa-kun has said. And the same goes for the other young students as well."
"Training-"
"-will be overlooked by Aizawa-kun and I from now on. But I'm certain Young Shoto knows how to train on his own by now; there is no need for you to overlook it."
"You don't get to say that-"
"Sit down, Endeavor." Toshinori ordered the man, with Enji blinking at that before the hero turned away from him, deflating and coughing into his hand until waving away Yuga's offered handkerchief, "I am all right, Young Aoyama."
Mezo was able to settle Denki back down, placing him back down, with the sparked blond sending Enji one last glare before he joined back with Hanta and Eijiro. Mashirao went to sit on the second row as Fumikage moved for the third with his six-armed friend, isolating the number two hero. As Toshinori went to sit back down with Ochaco and Izuku, he noticed his successor's downed expression.
"Young Midoriya, is everything all right?"
"I… just realized that I…" Izuku sniffed, holding back tears while he wiped at his nose before choking out, "...that I lost…!"
'Oh, Young Midoriya…' Toshinori furrowed his brows as he reached over to bring Izuku in for a hug, rubbing his back as he sobbed into his chest.
It was quiet for the last few seconds, some trying not to cry as they listened to Izuku while others tried to drown out their thoughts or anger in the music. They expected a sweet release when the voice eventually came through and asked for their continuation.
"No- Just…" Shota groaned out, stopping the students from answering as he held his head in his hand, placing his other on Shoto, sighing, "...give me a minute…"
Respecting his wishes, they went back to silence, with Izuku slowly recovering himself as he hiccuped, wiping at his eyes with Toshinori's gentle comfort. Turning his eyes over to the other side of the theater with curiosity, Katsuki had been expecting a certain someone to protest or complain against Shota's request. What he found kind of surprised him, faintly widening his eyes at his blank expression.
Tomura was quiet.