Cubicity

Chapter 6: The Comforts of His Home

Hagakure was quick to slightly raise his left arm with her hand. She then bluntly said, "This." And judging from her other sleeve's movement, she pointed between his leg and slung arm and continued by saying, "All of this. I thought you said you could control your quirk now. So why did all of this happen?" The tone of her voice was a mixture of disappointment and confusion, even a hint of anger. Her words stung the boy, but he couldn't fault her for his behavior.

Izuku thought back to the start of the Hero Festival. In the first event, a race through an obstacle course, with just his wits and using only his base strength plus speed he was able to place first. This was an immense accomplishment to the boy, as it proved to himself that he was hero material even without One for All. In the second event, the Kibasen, or Japanese cavalry battle, he and his three teammates were barely able to make the cut to the next event by placing in fourth. Here Midoriya was able to use his quirk against Shoto's team without injuring himself or his opponent, as he swatted the air instead of making physical contact with Todoroki. His training had paid off, and even though they barely passed, the usage of his quirk without injury in the heat of battle made Izuku overjoyed.

In the first round of the final event, which was a tournament, was against the brainwasher, Hitoshi Shinso. Izuku, however, had failed in taking Mashirao's advice against the student from class 1-C. Ojiro had previously experienced the effects of Hitoshi's quirk and told Izuku to not verbally respond to the boy as it was how his quirk was activated. Because of being used against his will by the said quirk in the cavalry battle, the tailed hero dropped out of the final event, along with Nirengeki Shoda from class 1-B, because of pride, a noble thing to do Izuku felt. Unfortunately, Midoriya had allowed his opponent to egg him on. After Hitoshi called Mashirao a "monkey" and dismissing his drop out as an act of saving one's pride, Izuku spoke out. This was all that was needed for Shinso to activate his mind control quirk and force Midoriya to walk outside of the ring. Only by activating One for All to break two of his fingers, was Izuku able to cut off from the mind control just before stepping out of the arena. And after a quick scuffle Midoriya was able to throw Shinso out of the ring and advance to the next round.

However, something odd had happened before the successor of All Might was able to gain control again. It's as if he felt the presence of others from within himself. All Might claimed, after the Midoriya's surgery, that it was the previous holders' of One for All that the boy had felt and that it was a sign that he was becoming accustomed to the quirk. However, it worried the green haired teen that he felt his mentor's presence was among them and that his mentor dismissed it as the reason why his student was able to break the mind control.

But it was all for not. In the second round, against Shoto, Izuku blew his chances of advancing in the tournament any further. After hearing of his opponent's terrible past both before and during the match, it made him forget about his promise to All Might. Midoriya thought he had a troubled life when growing up, but it felt like nothing to what Todoroki had been through. The forced quirk marriage between Shoto's parents all so his father could raise a hero to beat his mentor in hero rank, the fractured relationship he had with his mother once she burned his face on accident, the hardships his father had forced his son to endure in order to be the best he could. It made Izuku's troubles seem petty in comparison and this changed something inside the successor to All Might. Midoriya didn't care to win anymore; he wanted to save Shoto from himself. Todoroki wasn't looking at his quirks as his own, but as belonging to his parents. Izuku believed if his troubled classmate could appreciate both of his powers and see them as belonging to him and him only, he could overcome his revenge he had for his father and stop denying the fire quirk he inherited from him. But in doing this the green haired teen almost entirely ignored his previous training. He did this by using One for All at full power to stop Shoto's ice attacks. Izuku only held back when he got a punch in on his opponent's abdomen, which he tried to apply his training since it was making contact with someone. And it worked, he had minimized the damage he inflicted on Todoroki but still injured his hand in the process as if he went a hundred percent. It was something, but it was just another chance of victory Midoriya let slip away. He could have ended it right there. Izuku could have not held back as much as he did and sent his opponent flying out of the ring, but no, he wanted to force Shoto into using his fire quirk, even if it would ensure his loss. And eventually, Midoriya was able to make Todoroki do so but was hastily defeated afterward.