Alrighty then. On to the final match of the first round.
Todoroki Vs Uraraka!
I will not reveal anything about my plans for Todoroki in the authors notes. What you will know will come from the story.
So anyway, on to the chapter!
)=(
Shoto Todoroki stepped into the hallway that led to the fighting stage. Endeavor stood a few feet to his left, leaning against a wall. His flames flickered hungrily.
"Shoto... You cannot win this without my power."
Shoto locked eyes with his father.
"I don't need to use that power. I never will."
Todoroki took a step down the hallway. A clap rang out as his head snapped to one side. Endeavor had slapped his son.
"Shoto... YOU WILL USE THAT POWER!"
Shoto looked at his father. "I told you already. I will not use it, because I don't need it. I don't need you!"
Endeavor gritted his teeth and grabbed Shoto's right hand, twisting it and causing it to break. Shoto gave a grunt of pain.
"Let's see you use your ice now..."
The number two hero walked back to his seat. Shoto looked down at his hand.
"I... don't... NEED IT!"
Ice encased Shoto's hand, keeping it in place. With his hand stabilized, he walked down the hallway and emerged onto the field.
)=(
Izuka made it back to her seat and sat down. Hatsume smiled and went to talk to her, but Izuka shook her head. The scarred girl pulled out a notepad and scribbled on it furiously, before holding it up.
"Can't talk. Mandalay Quirk. Listening to us..."
Hatsume bit her lip and growled. Toga's eyes narrowed.
"I'll see if I can take care of it." Mirko stood up.
Izuka shook her head and scribbled again.
"It's fine. I just need to act like a goody two shoes... I'll fix it soon."
Mirko nodded. "Okay. Did you check to make sure everything was ready?"
Izuka nodded. "Everything's perfect. I also ran into Todoroki!"
"Did you now?" Toga smiled. "He's supposed to be the strongest in 1-A you know."
"Well... I think that Katsuki Bakugo might be his equal now." Izuka chuckled. "Look! There he is!"
Shoto Todoroki walked onto the stage. His face held an emotionless expression. His right arm was encased in ice.
Izuka's eyes narrowed as she saw the ice. "Something's wrong..."
"What do you-"
"Hatsume, use your quirk and zoom in on his hand..."
Hatsume nodded. Her pupils dilated and she stared at the boy.
"That's an odd angle. His hand is broken. He's keeping it stable by coating it in ice."
Izuka gritted her teeth. "He was fine when I saw him. Who-"
Her eyes snapped to a flickering figure that emerged from the stadium hallways.
'Endeavor...'
"IT'S TIME FOR THE FINAL MATCH OF THE FIRST ROUND! THESE TWO COMPETITORS ARE SURE TO GIVE YOU A SHOW! THE GIRL WHO DEFIES GRAVITY... LITERALLY! IT'S OCHACO URARAKA! AND HER OPPONENT IS THE COLD SON OF THE NUMBER TWO HERO... SHOTO TODOROKI!"
Izuka bit her lip. "I really hope you can pull this off..."
"READY?"
Midnight cracked her whip.
"BEGIN!"
A wave of ice swept outward from Shoto. Uraraka touched her hands together and leapt up, dodging the attack.
"AND SO IT BEGINS! TODOROKI STARTS OUT WITH A POWERFUL ICE ATTACK, ONLY FOR IT TO BE DODGED BY URARAKA!"
"She's got a good head on her. Probably trained like the rest of 'em..." Mirko muttered. "What's her quirk?"
Hatsume pulled out a camera and took a picture of Uraraka as she dropped down. "Ochaco Uraraka. Her quirk is 'Zero Gravity' She can take away the effect of gravity on any object she touches. It gives her some serious vertigo though... Her weight limit is around three tons, probably more by now..."
Uraraka landed and broke an icicle off of the ground, hurling it at Todoroki. The boy rolled to one side.
"Okay. The boy obviously has some sort of ice quirk." Mirko said.
"Shoto Todoroki. The youngest son of Endeavor." Izuka said. "His quirk is 'Half cold, Half Hot.' He can generate fire on his left side, and ice on his left."
"He hasn't used any fire yet..." Mirko observed.
"His father's an ass. Probably some bad blood there..." Izuka said. "I hate to imagine his siblings..."
At the same time, Izuka scribbled on a notepad. After a minute, she held it up.
"Shoto's eldest brother is named Touya. He's thought to be dead. A quirk malfunction. In reality, he's part of our group... He goes by 'Dabi' But you'd know him as 'The Pyromancer.'"
Mirko nodded. "I'd like to meet some of his siblings. I wanna learn more about the number two hero and his family..."
)=(
Uraraka dodged another wave of Ice.
"Todoroki, why are you just going with floor attacks?"
Shoto only grunted and launched another wave. Uraraka noticed a glint on his right arm.
'Why is it frozen?'
"Todoroki... I WILL WIN THIS!"
Ochaco vaulted off of a spire of ice, launching herself at the son of Endeavor.
"ALL IT TAKES IS ONE TOUCH!"
Ochaco hit Todoroki in the chest, all five fingers fell on his body, and gravity left him.
"I've won..." Ochaco said.
"No... Not yet..." Shoto was still on the ground. His ice anchored him to the ring.
"WOW! TODOROKI USES HIS ICE AS AN ANCHOR! WHAT A CHILLING STRATEGY!"
Ochaco felt her legs grow cold. "Well then... I guess I lost."
The girl was encased in ice.
Midnight cracked her whip. "URARAKA IS UNABLE TO BATTLE. TODOROKI WINS THE MATCH!"
The crowd roared. Todoroki thawed the stadium. Ochaco smiled as she regained movement.
"Well now. You beat me..."
Todoroki only nodded. Pain spiked through his arm, but he ignored it. Ochaco's eyes widened.
"Your hand-"
"Shhhhh." Todoroki smiled. "It's okay. It just happened during the fight..."
Ochaco bit her lip. "I'll walk with you to the infirmary. Tell me there."
The two walked off of the field. Nobody realizing what Shoto was fighting with. Nobody, except Izuka's group...
"SO ENDS THE FIRST ROUND! WE'LL SEE YOU ALL IN A HALF HOUR! NOW... A WORD FROM OUR SPONSORS!"
"Let's go."
)=(
Izuka walked down the hallway. Her friends walked at her side.
"So, where are we going?" Mirko asked.
"Infirmary... Obviously." Izuka said. "Remember to-" "Keep quiet."
The group nodded, and walked into the medical room. Todoroki was sitting on the side of a hospital bed, talking to Ochaco. Recovery girl and Iryu weren't around. Izuka noticed that Todoroki's wrist was still broken.
"Ahem..."
The boy turned, and went wide eyed. "Oh. Yumi!"
Ochaco looked at the group, and looked away. "I-I should apologize for blowing up earlier... Mineta just got on my nerves."
Toga smiled. "That's why Yumi's here. To scare him!"
Izuka gave a fake smile and nodded, before walking to Todoroki's side and grabbing his arm. The boy winced in pain.
The injury was worse than Izuka thought. Endeavor hadn't just broken his wrist, he's burned it pretty badly.
"This is gonna scar..." Izuka said. "Was it him?"
Todoroki bit his lip and nodded.
"He wants you to use your fire right?"
Todoroki looked up with tears in his eyes. His expression was one of rage. "He wants me to use his power... That curse made him who he is. He took my mother away... He's not a hero, he's a villain!"
Izuka nodded, hiding the feeling of ironic joy in her mind. "He's an ass."
"Wait... Endeavor? But isn't he supposed to be-"
"He's consumed by his need to be great..." Shoto growled. "You've heard of quirk marriages yes? That's what he did. Multiple children, none with the perfect quirk... until me..."
"What happened to your siblings?" Mirko pondered.
"The first... Touya... He died. His quirk was too strong. Three times the power of Endeavors flames, but they burned him too. Once dad found out, he cast him aside. When I was born, Touya was still alive. He took care of us, and then his quirk malfunctioned, and destroyed him."
Ochaco gasped.
'Hello Mandalay... I know you heard all of that.' Izuka thought. A few second later, a voice spoke in her mind.
'How did you-'
'You never really did trust me. I notice a lot of things you don't. I'm a little disappointed that you used your quirk on me.'
'I'm sure you understand why...'
'I don't care. I have nothing to hide. Keep this a secret for now.'
'Okay.'
"My other siblings, well they didn't get super powerful quirks. Very useful, sure. But dad forbid them to train... They weren't allowed to be heroes. And now there's me... The perfect child. Training beaten into me... My mother, he drove her crazy. She lost control and poured boiling water on my left side, scarring me forever. It was all his fault...I won't use his cursed power!"
Izuka placed her hand on Shoto's shoulder.
"You- may not agree with me... But what you've been given isn't a curse... it's a gift."
Shoto growled. "How would you know? YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"
The room grew cold. A bit of frost crept up Izuka's arm.
Izuka nodded. "It's true. I don't know. I don't have your experiences. I only have my own. I'm an only child. Now an orphan, my mom died a few years ago, my dad couldn't give a damn because I'm quirkless. I used to think just like you." Izuka smiled sadly. "It's a curse... No power that I lucked into. Treated as less every day... So I decided to ignore everybody, and just be my own person."
Ochaco shuddered.
'Why does she sound... so sad? Empty...'
Todoroki shivered as Izuka ran a finger down his scar. "So when I first met you... I said that I wasn't the same. Because I don't have what you have. No family... No power... No real father to call my own... Do you want to know how I really got my scar?"
Todoroki nodded slowly. "How..."
"I gave up... I began seeing myself as nothing but a waste of space. I attempted to set off an explosion and kill myself..."
Mandalay gasped in Izuka's mind.
Todoroki was visibly shaken. "H-how did you survive, with just that scar?"
Izuka gave sadly smiled. "I turned away at the last minute... I managed to get far enough away before the explosion happened..."
Uraraka held her head in her hands, her eyes wide.
'She knows. And I was one of the people to yell at her... She's seen the real world... Forget seen- She's already ingrained in that world...'
Izuka stroked Todoroki's cheek with her thumb.
"Shoto... Your fire... it isn't a curse. It's a gift... Remember that."
Izuka stood up as the door to the infirmary burst open. An angry Endeavor stood in the doorway.
"Finally found you..." He growled.
"Go away..." Shoto said weakly.
"Ah! Yumi Shoudai... Have you considered my offer?" Endeavor made a grand display as he walked to the center of the room.
Izuka stood up, her face dark. She stalked towards the large man.
"Yumi... What are-" Shoto reached out. Toga grabbed his hand and shook her head. "Let her handle it."
Izuka stood in front of Endeavor.
"Endeavor."
The flame hero smiled. "Hm? Have you finally-"
'Mandalay.'
'Yes?'
'Keep this a secret too.'
Izuka punched Endeavor in the stomach, making him double over.
"You are the worst scum I've ever come across. You're the reason that people like the Hero Killer Stain exist. They want to purge the world of fake heroes... And if I were like them you'd be dead already."
"You... *Cough* Dare..."
Izuka punched the man in the face, before grabbing his hair.
"You broke your son's wrist because you are a control freak. I shudder to think how many people you threatened to get to the number two spot."
Endeavor snarled as his flames raged on his shoulders. "How dare you... This is illegal..."
Todoroki watched with wide eyes as the quirkless girl overpowered his father in two quick moves.
"You will find out very soon that I can lash out in self defense." Izukas lips curled into a sadistic smile. "I don't have a quirk, so I'm not breaking any self defense laws..."
Endeavor grabbed Izukas arm with his right hand and channeled some heat into it. Flames flicked across Izukas arm.
"Huh. That tickles." Izuka grabbed the hero's wrist and squeezed as hard as she could, shattering the heroes wrist. Endeavor grunted in pain. "Oh look. You match."
"You bitch... I'll make sure that you become mine, and I'll force you to make a new generation with Shoto. With my power, they'll-"
"Shut up." Izuka punched Endeavor in the face, dislocating his jaw. "You think, that you can monologue about your plans that literally add up to sex trafficking?"
Endeavor fixed his jaw. "Nobody will care... You're quirkless..."
Izuka's pupils shrank and she punched the flame hero again. "You are scum. Shoto's power is his, not yours. He's a decent human being. Unlike you."
The flame hero gave a harsh laugh. "Who are you to call me scum quirkless? You're less. You always will be."
"I've had enough. I know I'm less. I always have been."
Izuka's skin glowed dully for a moment. Her hair seemed to rise just a bit.
"Which is why I'm destined to become more."
Izuka pulled Endeavor up to his feet and kicked him right in the crotch. The flame hero sailed out of the infirmary and crashed into the outside wall, unconscious. Recovery girl and Iryu rushed in.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?"
Izuka stretched. "Sorry. Just making sure that the animal isn't allowed to have any more children, seeing as he abuses them..."
Recovery girl went to knock Izuka on the head, but the girl caught her cane. "Listen. Todoroki needs medical assistance. Endeavor crushed his wrist before the fight."
Chiyo's eyes widened. "He did what?"
Mirko coughed. "I can confirm. He also talked about forcing Yumi into making a new generation of heroes."
Everybody else nodded silently.
"I didn't see you there Mirko... Now that I'm hearing about it. It makes sense why you beat him up. I will have to heal him though..."
Everybody nodded. Mirko rolled her eyes.
'Am I invisible? Why do people keep forgetting about me?'
"Let me see Shoto." Recovery girl walked over to the boy and took a look at his wrist. "My goodness. This is uncalled for. He should have his license revoked!"
Todoroki shook his head. "Please don't. He'll kill me..."
Recovery girl looked the boy in the eyes. "Don't you worry. We'll make sure he can't hurt you." She turned around in her chair. "Iryu, Yumi, Mirko. Bring Enji in here. I'll heal Todoroki."
Iryu nodded, while Mirko and Izuka rolled their eyes. They went and dragged Endeavor into the room. Chiyo kissed Todoroki's hand, and his wrist healed.
"Take some gummies. I'm sorry, but you'll have some scarring on your wrist from the burn."
Todoroki bit his lip and nodded, before looking at Endeavor.
"Really? No hospital bed? There should be one big enough-" Recovery girl started.
"He doesn't deserve it."
Recovery girl nodded. "Iryu, you help me. You all should get back to the festival. I know that your match is coming up next Yumi."
Izuka nodded and walked to the doorway. "Shoto. When you fight me. I want to see you use your power."
Shoto nodded. "I will. I promise."
"Then win your next match." Izuka bowed. "Thank you for allowing me to explain myself Recovery Girl."
The nurse smiled. "No problem. You should go. The second round starts in ten minutes."
Izuka walked out of the infirmary towards the waiting room.
'Mandalay... Do you mind? Also Ragdoll. I'll let you redo your quirks after my fight.'
'Fine...'
Izuka felt the quirks lift from her.
'That's better... Now to beat Ashido...'
)=(
Todoroki and Uraraka walked back to the seats together. Hatsume had said that 'Yumi' would find them after her battle.
"Todoroki... Are you sure that you're okay?" Ochaco asked. "I just... You've been through a lot."
"And That girl has been through a lot more... She doesn't have a quirk. She doesn't have this power... She was right, it isn't a curse. I'll use it. I'll use it to become a hero."
Ochaco smiled and gave Todoroki a quick peck on the cheek. The boy blushed.
"Wha-what was that for?"
Ochaco smiled. "You just sounded... really cool. Did you like it?"
Todoroki gave Uraraka a peck back. "I think... I did."
The two walked back to their seats, eager to witness the next battle.
)=(
Alright. Uraraka and Todoroki!
But you're all probably focused on the humbling of Endeavor. Oh don't worry. There will be more fun to come.
So yeah. No more spoilers from me, as I said. I mean... I gave you the entire vanguard list! If that isn't enough, I don't know what is!
Until next time,
Sushi Out!