Family Business

Chapter 39 - Tournament Arc part 3

All the teams had gotten together, waiting for the word to start this cavalry battle. Up in the stands the villains and yakuza silently approved of their kids' choice for partners, eager to see their plans unfold.

"Begin!" came Present Mic's loud yell, getting the teams racing across the field below.

While Izumi's team kept the others at bay, Ochako's gravity quirk keeping them light to boost movement while Shouto guarded their front and sides and that bird-headed boy covered his blind spot at their back with his shadow quirk, Himiko's team was avoiding the drama there. Hitoshi was acting as front horse, carrying the shapeshifting eldritch teen guarding their headband while a pair of identical blonde boys flanked their back. Himiko had clearly taken the form of their other teammate, confusing those around them and the spectators alike.

What made things more confusing was that the group, which seemed to be enjoying picking off the teams of 1A students they caught with gleeful fervor, was completely unable to have their band stolen by any ballsy enough to try. Anyone who responded to Hitoshi or either blonde found themselves brainwashed and passing out, any aiming to swipe the band from Akumu would end up either contending with the horns they'd grown to make removal harder, too creeped out by the teen's ever shifting cloud-like features that they'd made as visually unsettling as possible to try, or (in the case of those gutsy enough to ignore both and try anyways) getting a puff of fear cloud in their face and ending up trapped in a waking nightmare.

As it continued being impossible for even her friends and students in the battle to tell which of the copycat blondes was Himiko and which was the boy himself the yakuza and villains turned to Setsuno pointedly for answers. The blonde chuckled at seeing his coworkers so stumped but explained "While I was training her Himiko and I found out a useful little skill of her quirk, depending on how well she knows her donor and how much she cares for them emotionally she can actually use some of or even all of their quirk while transformed into them."

Smiling when he sees the others' shock, especially in those who'd trained the vampiric girl, the swordsman adds "Also, i'm pretty sure that Monoma kid's her little brother. She said he had a copy quirk when I asked her about her old family."

"Huh... Interesting." Kai muttered, returning his gaze to his fiance.

-----

Elsewhere in the stands a certain flame hero was stewing.

His perfect creation was acting as a support to the weakest student there when he should be showing off the full force of his power as a strong leader. The others on his team were just as disappointing, a plain brunette girl with no visible quirk displays of any kind and some mutant boy with a living shadow... Pathetic.

And to make things worse two of his failures were sitting in the stands cheering Shouto on despite his orders for them not to mess with his focus on training. Natsuo he could see acting so defiant, he's been doing that since failure number one left years ago as often as he could, but Enji expected better of Fuyumi; she's usually so meek and compliant. His elder children's chuminess with the freakshows sitting in the same section as them only infuriated the number 2 hero further.

It seems that once this event was over, once the first break finally begins for Shouto and at home for Fuyumi and Natsuo, Endeavor will have to go remind his children just how much he enjoys them acting so freely against his orders.

-----

Fuyumi felt a chill travel up her spine, her grey eyes snapping to the imposing figure of her father on the other side of the arena due to a well honed sense of paranoia. Judging by the wildness of his flames and sourer face than usual she knew his mood was going to be all the worse by the end of the day. Shuddering at the thought of whatever training he'll no doubt have planned for Shouto when they return to the estate the white haired woman is surprised when the blonde next to her, Setsuno, nudges her gently and asks "You okay? You were shivering."

Smiling at the man, who'd vaulted the empty seat next to her so he can better cheer his daughter and talk without leaning over the seat in question while the teams were forming, the lone Todoroki daughter waved her hand dismissively. "I'm fine. I just got a bad feeling is all, our father doesn't look all that happy with how Shouto's doing right now."

The entire group glanced at the flame hero, Natsuo and Dabi looking particularly upset by what they see. "Maybe I should drop by the house tonight for a visit, it's been a while since we last ate together." The eldest suggested, earning nostalgic smiles from his white haired siblings. Natsuo craned his head back to smirk at the now raven haired Todoroki son cheekily "Only if you bring your boyfriend, it's about time you introduced the old bastard to his future son-in-law Touya-nii."

From his seat next to the burnt man Tomura let out a chuckle "Why not, sounds like it'll be fun."

As their boys worked out their plans for the evening Inko and Hisashi stared at the Flame Hero with narrowed eyes. Enji had better watch himself, because if he so much as looks at Tomura, Dabi, or any of his children wrong after this they'll be ready to retaliate. He may be the kingpin of the dark but All for One is and always has been someone who despises child abuse. Children are precious gifts, not objects or extensions of one's self. The fact that he still sees the same kinds of familial abuse at his age despite the world at large being "far better and more accepting than it used to be" will always be one of his biggest peeves with the supposed utopia of hero society.

Green eyes returned to the field, where they softened upon seeing how well Izumi and her team were doing defending themselves. Between the Tokoyami boy guarding their back and Todoroki guarding their front and sides under the ever efficient order of his daughter it was clear that no one could touch the lead group. When even the powerhouse teams of Bakugou and Yaoyorozu gave up to try their hands at much easier targets the super villain beamed with pride.

"That's my girl."