Ticked Off [Boku No Hero Academia]

29: REVELATIONS

"Shinsou-kun," Izuku turned to his companion with a taunting grin, "think you can go for another round against me?"

"I think I can beat you," he shot back, a sharp smile on his face as they stepped onto the mat.

"I've heard you've been working on your Quirk. Try and use it on me when we fight." Izuku lowered his stance cautiously, barely blinking.

Shinsou huffed, but mirrored the pose. "That's not fair. You know my Quirk."

The boy merely tilted his head and shrugged with a sunny smile, taking the initiative to dart forwards and drop to his knees in a slide, getting behind his opponent and tugging on the back of his shirt before he even knew what was happening. Shinsou fell heavily but rolled over and avoided a punch, pressing a palm into the mat and swiping out his legs before hopping into a crouch, lifting his bandaged forearm to block a hit and letting out a pained hiss of air through his teeth. He shifted aside to avoid a punch aimed at his ribs, locking the outstretched arm with his own and reaching out to push at Izuku's back and shove him into the mat. The student bit back a wince as his shoulder was pulled at an odd angle, not quite enough to dislocate it, but certainly enough to hurt.

Izuku twisted onto his side, his free hand darting out to grab at his opponent's ankle, and he was quick to pull him off balance and escape his hold. He jumped up, making some distance between them as he rolled his shoulder, trying to soothe the burning sensation. Shinsou picked himself up, staring warily for a moment before his expression smoothed out and he bared his teeth in a grin, posture becoming distinctly more relaxed.

"This is fun. Are you even trying?" He inquired lazily.

His opponent squinted suspiciously. Izuku wasn't stupid enough to answer that question, yet the other boy seemed to think he was going to fall for it. He briefly glanced around, jaw clenched with apprehension as he tried to work out what he was missing. It must be something to do with Shinsou's Quirk, because there were no objects in the immediate vicinity to give him the advantage, and he wouldn't act so laid-back if he had thought of a good fighting strategy to win. Would he? Maybe he would... Izuku had been constantly reminding them that mind-games were invaluable in fights, which would compliment his Quirk nicely...

He shook his head minutely, realising that he was overthinking. Shinsou didn't seem to be moving any time soon, and even though he could be leaping right into a trap, Izuku darted forwards, raising both his arms in preparation for a succession of rapid jabs. His knuckles smarted against ribs and tough muscles, but he was driving the other boy back, landing lots of hits to wear him down until he won -

But... why wasn't Shinsou retaliating?

The answer came in the form of two hands slamming down on his strained shoulder, causing an involuntary cry of pain to spill from his mouth and -

Oh. Oh. That was smart.

A haze of Brainwashing descended over his mind and he stilled, numb to the pre-existing pain. Static flitted across his vision, blurring the gym and drowning his thoughts in a fog.

Shinsou, in perfect clarity, gingerly cupped his ribs. "Tell me you give up."

Izuku felt the words rise in his throat, unbidden, but the fog was already receding to a soft mist, and he ignited his Quirk, moving his arm just enough to cause a fresh spike of pain and jolt himself from his stupor. He raised his head to offer a sly smile, but then agony tore through his form and he collapsed on the spot, crumpling onto the mat. Panic flashed through his mind as he questioned whether he'd accidentally injured himself badly, but he was quick to realise that the pain was familiar and -