Chapter 22
1-A trained themselves to their absolute limits, all preparing for the finals. Uraraka, along with almost all of the girls, did as Izuku had advised and trained in both boxing and capoeira.
Kirishima honed his skills, and prepared his secret techniques for potential use. Meanwhile, Izuku himself was undergoing a change.
Tokugawa had urged him to not hold back for once, and a lot went into doing that. He needed to change his mentality, and dig up parts of a beast that he didn't want to be no more. He did it, but not for himself. He did it for those that he cared for, so that they wouldn't have to worry about him fighting so recklessly.
. . .
Class 1-A had been gathered for the final exams, but they were shocked when they heard what it would be about.
The students would fight against the teachers in a two on one battle, with the exception of Izuku of course.
Many students were starting to panic over what was about to go down, but there were a handful that weren't.
Rachel wasn't worried because she immediately realised that Aizawa had misunderstood her entirely when thinking that he would be a good matchup against her. Kirishima wasn't worried either, mostly because he was excited about fighting All Might.
Then there was Izuku, who had absolutely no reason to be worried. No one at UA could even hope to stand up against him, even if they all fought him at the same time. He only felt intrigued, because no one told him who he would be facing.
The teens prepared themselves, then the matches began. The first few were not that interesting, for they either showed the teachers winning or the students almost losing.
It wasn't until Rachel got to fight Aizawa that things got interesting, but that ended in typical Rachel fashion.
The match had to be called off for two reasons. One, Aizawa realised that Rachel didn't need her quirk to exploit his weaknesses. Two, the second he realised that he feared for his own wellbeing and surrendered.
Now it was time for the second to last match, Kirishima and Katsuki versus All Might. Izuku was calm and had observed the monitors quietly up until now, but that quiet would be disturbed when a few new figures entered the room.
"Champion, is it time?" One of them asked. Izuku didn't need to look to know that it was Tokugawa, as he said.
"Yes, it's finally time." With a somewhat excited voice. The room fell silent for a second, until an unfamiliar voice spoke up.
"Good, I was about to fall asleep with my boredom." It said.
This voice was unfamiliar to most, but Izuku recognised it. He turned around, only to be slightly shocked.
What he saw was a very skinny man with brown skin and black hair, whom he knew was from Mexico, wearing a fiery expression. Next to him was a man with brown skin, long brown hair, and a stoic expression.
Izuku knew both of these men, for he had faced them before. They were both boxers, but they had an additional martial art that built upon their style. The former used capoeira, while the latter used Muay Thai.
These men were none other than Carlos Medel and Gaolang Wongsawat, the two he asked to train the girls.
Izuku looked at them both in shock, which did not go unnoticed by Medel as he said.
"Hey, Champion, you look like you've seen a ghost." With a teasing voice. Izuku sighed upon hearing this, as he said.
"As skinny as you are, that wouldn't be too far off." With a calm voice. Medel grinned upon hearing this, as he grabbed Izuku by the collar and said.
"What was that?! You should learn to respect your elders, Niño!" With a little more anger in his voice. Izuku was unaffected by this, as he looked towards Gaolang and said.
"Hey Gaolang." Completely ignoring Medel. Gaolang looked as unamused as always, as he said.
"Hey Izuku, looks like you haven't changed a bit." With a stoic voice.
Izuku wanted to respond to Gaolang, but was interrupted when Medel shouted.
"Hey! Izuku!" Into his ear. The green-haired boy got annoyed, as he looked towards Medel and asked.
"What?" Quite annoyingly. Medel just grinned, as he said.
"Say goodbye to your Cojones!" Before kicking Izuku in the grapes. Everyone who witnessed this was stunned. Not only was Medel acting so aggressive towards Izuku, the green-haired boy didn't even care. He even kicked him in the balls, and Izuku still didn't care.
Medel was in disbelief. Izuku hadn't even reacted to his nut shot, he was even getting worried. He didn't get to think much more, however, until Rachel walked up and separated the two while saying.
"Sorry, but even if you actually managed to hit his jewels you wouldn't actually do any damage... I've made sure of that personally." With a satanic grin on her face. Both Izuku and Medel gulped at the sight of this, for Rachel truly lived up to her title: Spawn of Satan.
It wasn't until she walked away that Medel had the balls to speak again.
"Niño... I feel so sorry for you... " With a trembling voice. Izuku was surprised to hear this, for he expected Medel to act like a perv. He sighed before saying.
"At least you don't envy me... " With a relatively calm voice. Medel was silent after hearing this, not wanting to anger Rachel any more.
He knew that she had gotten between them for a reason. It was her way of telling them to stop acting like morons, because the match was about to begin.
"So it finally begins now." Tokugawa said, voice filled to the brim with anticipation.
"Oh, so we haven't missed the beginning of the match." Another voice then said. Izuku turned around, only to see that it was Jack, along with Hanayama, Doppo, Retsu, Shibukawa and Motobe.
The green-haired boy was surprised to see all of them, but that quickly died when he realised that Tokugawa must have invited them all.
He didn't get to think much more, however, as the match finally started.
Kirishima walked side by side with Katsuki, but it was clear from the first glance that they weren't on good terms with one another.
"Well, they certainly don't look happy to be working together." Medel commented, being observant. Izuku also saw this, and said.
"I never expected anything less from them, Katsuki resents me so much that he physically can't cooperate with Kirishima." With a calm voice.
Everyone in the monitor room agreed with Izuku, for they knew this to be true. Katsuki has one of the worst personalities ever, and he didn't even show any sign of changing. It's no surprise that he would refuse to cooperate, and they wouldn't blame Kirishima for not wanting to associate himself with Katsuki in any way.
"This will be their downfall. They have no hope of defeating All Might unless they cooperate." Iida then said, stating an obvious fact... except it was severely flawed, but it wasn't Izuku that pointed this out.
"Normally that would be the case, but none of these two are normal... Also, there's one single fact that can disprove anything that you say in favor of All Might during this match... " Rachel said, holding one finger up as if she was pointing this out physically. She then paused, before looking at Iida and saying.
"That fact is... All Might is afraid of a quirkless boy that is not even a third of his age." With a passive aggressive tone.
Iida was terrified by this. It wasn't just the fact that Izuku was far too powerful than he should be, it was Rachel. She spoke as if she had been offended by what he had said earlier. More specifically, she spoke as if what he said had offended Izuku and she then stepped in to defend her boyfriend.
The blue-haired boy remained silent after this, not wanting to annoy Rachel any more than she already was.
The match was pretty uneventful, until something finally happened. Kirishima and Katsuki looked to be arguing, until they were interrupted by a powerful gust of wind. The wind knocked up a smoke cloud that covered the entire street, effectively blinding the teens. Then they saw something that shook them down to their cores.
Cast onto the smoke cloud was a shadow, one that grew with every passing second. Eventually it took the shape of a buff man, one that they knew all too well.
"So you can't cooperate, can you? That's just too bad for you, heroes!" A loud and booming voice exclaimed, right before its source stepped through the smoke.
There he was, in all of his powerful glory. It was All Might, and he looked more menacing than ever. If his original figure wasn't enough, there was something else that made him even more terrifying. Or rather, the lack of something else.
Both Katsuki and Kirishima shook in horror, just like most of the students in the monitor room, until someone decided to speak up.
"H- He's not wearing any extra weights!" Ashido exclaimed in panic and horror. Izuku had noticed this long ago, as he said.
"If he can't defeat All Might at his full power he doesn't deserve to advance beyond this point. Sorry, but that's just how it is." With a cold voice. Ashido felt even more horrified after hearing this. Not only did Kirishima have to fight against a full powered All Might, Izuku didn't seem to care. His own master went as far as to say that if he didn't win this, he wouldn't be able to progress.
The pink-skinned girl trembled with tears in her eyes, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was none other than Retsu, wearing an expression of reassurance.
"Don't worry, your boyfriend will have no trouble defeating that blonde buffoon." He said, his voice being filled with reassurance.
Both Ashido and Izuku didn't expect to hear this from Retsu. At first they imagined that the Kaioh was praising Kirishima since he managed to defeat him, but Izuku realised something else.
Retsu spoke as if he knew what Kirishima could do, as if he had been training with him. That is when he had another realisation. Kirishima may have been interning with Gran Torino, but he had been training with none other than Kaioh Retsu.
Everyone's expression returned to the monitors, for the fight had finally begun. Katsuki, with his short temper, was the first to charge in. Even though he was who he was, everyone had to give him some credit because he did manage to land a few good hits. Sadly, that was as far as he ever got before being thrown into a building and out of the picture entirely.
Now the street was left with just Kirishima and All Might, who stared each other down.
"I think that you've noticed by now, but I won't hold back. This is your last chance to surrender, hero." All Might said, voice sounding more ominous than ever. Kirishima just grinned upon hearing this. Yes, All Might was a terrifying figure, but he knew someone who was far more terrifying, someone with incredible strength that comes from an unnatural body. Compared to that, All Might isn't worth fearing.
"You won't hold back? Good, I've always wanted to face you at your full strength anyway." The redhead answered, sounding like a true warrior as he did.
Izuku couldn't hear their conversation, because the monitors didn't have any audio, but he could still pick up what they were saying. It wasn't just him either, the other martial artists in the room could all understand what All Might and Kirishima were saying... By reading their lips...
All Might grinned upon hearing what his student said, before charging in. Kirishima narrowly avoided the attack, charging twenty percent of One For All all over his body in order to do so.
Then Kirishima threw a punch towards All Might, only to have it avoided.
The two fighters continued their exchange like this for a long while, neither getting the upper hand. They both landed important hits, but it wasn't anything that decided the match.
Everyone carefully observed the match, all waiting for the moment that it would turn.
"Kirishima sure has improved since I last saw him." Motobe commented, almost being awestruck by what he was seeing. Retsu smiled upon hearing this, as he said.
"Of course, I've made sure of that personally." With a proud voice. Izuku, on the other hand, wasn't that impressed.
Yes, Kirishima had become smoother with his movement and better at maneuvering, but that's it. Is that seriously all that he learned from training with Retsu? Or is something else going on here?
Retsu could sense this question within Izuku, and he couldn't help but grin. He couldn't wait to see Izuku's face when Kirishima finally showed what he could do.
The battle raged on between the two fighters. Kirishima used his new style to push All Might back, while the blonde hero was using his brute strength to gain the upper hand.
They looked equal at first, but that quickly changed. After a misstep, All Might landed a powerful punch. The hit was so strong that it sent a powerful gust of wind, before launching Kirishima straight into a building.
The students in the monitor room were horrified. Kirishima was just punched into nothing, that might have seriously hurt him. Izuku and the other martial artists, however, were not affected by this.
They noticed that something was off with the impact, and they noticed something odd about All Might's fist. It was bleeding, as if it had crashed into something super durable.
Izuku continued to look skeptical, as he watched the smoke that covered Kirishima's crash site. From it he could see a shadow stand up, sending waves of relief through the room, but Izuku noticed something else about the shadow. It was rigid, far more rigid than he could ever imagine.
In the corner of his eye he could see Retsu's grin, as the rigid figure walked out of the smoke cloud. Izuku's eyes went wide as he witnessed this, for he had only seen it once before. It was when Kirishima had fought Retsu, when he lost control and turned into a monster, only this time it looked different. This time, it was controlled.
The redhead walked out of the cloud, his body creaking from being hardened to the absolute limit, before shouting.
"Red Riot: Unbreakable!" As the red sparks of One For All surged through him. All Might was stunned by this change, for he now understood why his hand had started to bleed. He didn't let it get to him, however, as he charged towards Kirishima.
The blonde hero threw one of his most powerful punches straight into Kirishima's face, creating another blast as he did, only to be horrified. The redhead hadn't moved an inch. He just stood there, completely unaffected, with All Might's fist in his face.
"Sorry, but you will never break my body." He then said, his voice being morphed to fit his almost monstrous state. All Might was now horrified, as Kirishima grabbed onto his wrist before throwing him into the nearby building. He didn't stop there, as he then proceeded to punch and toss All Might around like he was a ragdoll... All the while he could barely do anything about it.
Izuku was now stunned, for this was unexpected. He knew that this was technically possible, but he never imagined these results. He could tell that Kirishima was hardening to his utmost limit, while keeping One For All somewhere between sixty and seventy percent, and it was incredible.
This was a power that could help him close the gap between everyone, even help Kirishima defeat Izuku himself, but the green-haired boy noticed something about the technique.
He grinned at this realisation, as he muttered.
"That move... It looks like Titanium Body... "
This statement wasn't false, for it was exactly what Kirishima strived for. He wanted to imitate the power of Titanium Body, but he wanted to use his quirk. It wouldn't be as strong as Izuku's, but it would be his own.
Everyone watched in awe as Kirishima practically wiped the floor with All Might. The blonde hero couldn't do anything, that much was obvious, but why hadn't he surrendered yet?
Why did he put up with this if he couldn't win? Does he have a plan of some sorts?
Izuku was weary, carefully waiting for something to happen. That is when he saw it.
Kirishima threw a kick towards All Might, missing and hitting a wall instead. The collision created a smoke cloud, big enough so that he couldn't see All Might.
The redhead looked for the blonde hero, but couldn't find him. That is when he struck. All Might came in from nowhere and wrapped his arms around Kirishima, trapping him in the most deadly bear hug.
Everyone, including Izuku, were both shocked and horrified, but only the experienced ones knew what was happening.
All Might waited for the right moment, using the smoke cloud as cover. He knew that he was at a disadvantage, so he resorted to tricks in order to get the advantage.
Not only that, but he now held Kirishima in a deadly hold. Unbreakable was indeed what it's named after when facing strikes, but this isn't a strike. All Might was applying incredible pressure from all over Kirishima's body, and the redhead couldn't break free. Everyone watching knew one thing, it was only a matter of time before Kirishima breaks.
All Might didn't let go of Kirishima. Even as he squirmed and fought, it didn't help. All Might just tightened his grip more and more, eventually sending creaks throughout his opponent's body.
Kirishima struggled, but it was no use. All Might was stronger, nothing could stop that. If he wanted to get out of this he needed to use another of his secret techniques, but then everyone else would see it.
The redhead thought it over, but decided that he would gladly show his techniques if it meant victory.
It was at this moment that Izuku noticed a change. Kirishima's body wasn't just hardening itself anymore, it was pressing itself together. He was making himself smaller, which somehow let him slip out of All Might's grasp with the help of his sweat.
All Might noticed this and quickly advanced on Kirishima, a decision he would soon regret. The redhead looked strained, as he pressed himself together, until he finally unleashed.
Kirishima threw a punch towards All Might, and the collision almost created an explosion. The blast was so powerful that All Might flew backwards, crashing into a building. Kirishima remained in his spot, arm extended, and no longer hardened.
Everyone's jaws hit the floor upon witnessing this, especially Izuku's. Kirishima's usual style had been to relax before the second of impact. During that last second he would harden and increase One For All, but this technique was the opposite.
The redhead had hardened his entire body and pushed One For All to their limits, pressing all of his power into his core, before releasing it all in a single punch. This attack contained all of his power, and it was worthy of being called a god-killing technique.
Izuku could once again see the similarities between this technique and his own Unbreakable Cannon, but Kirishima had once again made it his own. It was also by pure coincidence that he uttered the technique's official name.
"The Blastcore... " He muttered, still in awe.
The teachers were frozen, but they quickly regained their senses and realised that All Might was out cold. Kirishima and Katsuki managed to pass the exam, even though Katsuki didn't do anything.
Ashido felt relief, as she cheered for Kirishima's victory. Everyone else followed her in those cheers, all except for Izuku.
He was happy for his student, but he saw something on the monitor. He could see Katsuki, he had been awake during the entire fight.
The blonde looked discouraged, conflicted, and angry with himself. He couldn't do anything, he was nothing but a liability.
For once, Izuku could feel pity for Katsuki, but he quickly showed it out of his head... For he was up next, against some mysterious opponent that he didn't know about.
. . .
After the match Kirishima and Bakugou were given some medical treatment, until the redhead decided to join the others. It would have probably been wiser to stay and rest, but he couldn't do that. He wanted to watch the next match, for he had a feeling that it would be good.
Kirishima entered the monitor room, and immediately the attention was cast onto him. Everyone looked at him in silence, until they all broke out in cheers.
The redhead was confused by this, and therefore didn't really know how to react to this. That is when Retsu walked up to him and said.
"Well done, Kirishima! That training paid off!" With a proud voice. The redhead smiled at Retsu, as he said.
"Yeah, all thanks to you Retsu!"
The Kaioh smiled back at his redheaded companion, until Jack walked up to them. The pitfighter wore an almost maniacal smile, as he said.
"That was incredible, Kirishima. I can't wait to experience it for myself." With a voice that showed nothing but pure, monstrous, excitement. Kirishima returned Jack's smile with a grin of his own, showing that he was ready for their inevitable rematch.
The two fighters stared at each other, more or less pumping each other up, until they were interrupted. It was Ashido, and she simply walked up to Kirishima. She didn't say a word, she just looked at him with a gentle smile.
Kirishima looked back at her with a smile of his own, as she said.
"So... Now you're also stronger than All Might... " With a gentle voice. Kirishima just grinned, as he said.
"Yeah, I guess so."
The two looked at each other in silence, sharing a beautiful moment, until Rachel interrupted them without shame.
"I'd love to see you guys go all lovey dovey, but it's time that we watch my boyfriend kick the ass of some fighter that was unfortunate enough to challenge him." She said, her voice sounding like it was innocent.
"Rachel is right. Izuku's match is about to start, so we should keep our eyes peeled and stay focused." Tokugawa then said, as he bashed his cane into the ground. This declaration was then followed by all of the fighters walking up, before simultaneously saying.
"Agreed."
The students and teachers were all shocked to see this. The fighters stood in a formal lineup, dead silent, as if the emperor of Japan was about to enter the room. This made them all realise just how respected and admired Izuku was, but Aizawa and Ojiro noticed something else.
The fighters weren't just showing their respect to Izuku, they intended to observe him. They intend to analyse him and gather information, so that they one day may defeat him.
Everyone was knocked out of their shock, as the fighters suddenly stomped the ground in perfect synchronization. They wondered what it was, until they turned to the monitors. They stomped the ground the moment that Izuku entered the fake city, it was their way of wishing him good luck.
Izuku walked his way through the street, not caring of what was around him, until he stopped in the middle of it. Everyone knew Izuku well enough to know what he was doing.
The green-haired boy was waiting for his opponent. He is the stronger one, he is the one that's being challenged, so he shouldn't need to look for his opponent.
Izuku waited patiently, and eventually his opponent showed himself. The green-haired boy wore a strange expression upon witnessing him. It wasn't that he thought he was weak, he just felt that he somehow recognised this stranger from somewhere.
The fighters in the monitor room were all wide eyed upon seeing the challenger, for they couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was a regular looking man, wearing a karate robe, with black hair that was combed back to look like a sharp point behind his head.
The fighters trembled, for there was no doubt about it. This was the man that they thought it was.
"No way... Seishu Akoya?!" Tokugawa uttered, sweating in terror. The others wanted to ask who this was, but they were stopped when Kirishima exclaimed.
"Dad?!" In total shock.
Everyone turned their expressions towards Kirishima, all ready to shout the exact same thing. Seishu Akoya is your father?!
But they didn't get to say anything, until another figure entered the room.
"So it's about to begin." It said, voice being feminine. Everyone turned towards it, and saw a young lady with black hair and yellow eyes, wearing a kimono. Everyone was silent, until Rachel spoke up.
"Shunka Hiyama." She said, her voice holding venom behind it. The woman looked towards Rachel, but then her expression landed on Kirishima who said.
"Mom, why are you here?" With a tone of confusion. Hiyama looked at her son, then said.
"I'm here to watch your father defeat this green-haired brat." As if it was obvious. None of the fighters reacted in a good way to this, but it was Rachel who spoke up.
"In your dreams! Akoya won't be able to put a single finger on Izuku, and your cheats won't work anymore." She shouted, clearly angry. Hiyama looked unamused, as she said.
"First, I must correct you. We're called Kirishima now, due to a vigilante chasing after us. Second, Seishu doesn't need my help. He can do what we accomplished together, all on his own." With a calm voice.
Everyone gritted their teeth in frustration. They understood that they must have changed their names at some point, Kirishima would be called Akoya otherwise, but it was their reason that made both Tokugawa and Rachel confused.
They knew Seishu from when he fought in the underground arena, and he was brutal. When he didn't cheat, with Hiyama using her quirk to tell him how and when to attack, he was even more of a savage than Jack Hanma. He would torture his opponents, and he wouldn't stop until they were dead. He is the only fighter that Tokugawa had to ban from the arena, because his brutality was even comparable to that man.
Kirishima was confused by everyone's reaction, for he only knew his father as a police officer with a license to use his quirk. It was Hanayama who sensed his confusion, so he placed his hand on Kirishima's shoulder before saying.
"Kirishima, it is now extra important for you to carefully observe this fight. Because no matter how strong you get... you never want to end up like your father." With a voice that showed clear signs of resentment.
Kirishima could sense this, but he didn't know why. The reason was that Hanayama once lost to Seishu, in a match where he and Shunka cheated. Not only that, he then observed the fight that got him banned... and he was horrified. Seishu cheated in his win against him, but he would have won even if he didn't cheat. Hanayama resented him for that, because Seishu had trampled over his honor...
Everyone was focused on each other, but they quickly turned their attention back to the monitor. Izuku and Seishu had taken their stances, and they stared at each other with such intent and hatred that they looked like they wanted to kill each other.
Rachel and Tokugawa sensed this, and they wondered why that was. Izuku had taken an orthodox stance, with one fist in front of the other, while Seishu had taken a peculiar stance. Rachel and her grandfather were horrified, for they finally figured it out. Not just why Izuku looked at Seishu the way he did, when he himself hadn't ever faced him in the underground arena, but also what Shunka meant when she told them why they changed their name.
Seishu's stance made him look like a riot policeman. His left hand was held up like a shield, while his right hand was down as if it was holding a baton. They have seen this stance once before, but it wasn't in the underground arena.
There are things that the public, not even All Might, knew about The Guardian. The vigilante crossed paths with many other vigilantes, and he clashed with them all. Stendhal was the most memorable for his conviction, but there was another one that he refused to forget.
It was a vigilante that wore a full body suit, similar to The Guardian, and he killed people. He killed anyone he deemed to be evil, and he was terrifying. This vigilante was called The Executioner, and this and he used this stance sometimes.
Izuku recognised Seishu from those times. They both seemed to recognise each other as a vigilante. One was The Executioner, and the other was The Guardian. Izuku hated this man more than any other, for one simple reason... He was the one that carved The Warpaint into his back.
Rachel and Tokugawa made this realisation in silence, just as Shunka did. They were all worried, because this fight would not be pretty.
Izuku and Seishu stared each other down, until they finally charged. Izuku threw many punches, using Unbreakable Cannon to deal as much damage as possible, but Seishu blocked it all. It turns out that Kirishima inherited his quirk from his father, because Seishu was using hardening in his own unique way.
The green-haired boy kept throwing his punches, until he was forced to back off. Seishu had brought his imaginary baton down towards Izuku, and it collided. It didn't break anything, thanks to Izuku negating the damage with Titanium Body, but it still hurt.
The green-haired boy didn't let this affect him, however, as he threw a sideways arching kick towards Seishu's thigh. It collided, but most of the damage was negated by hardening.
"The Halberd-kick, a technique that allows the user to attack with such power that it mimics a Halberd." Motobe said, explaining Izuku's technique.
Tokugawa smiled upon hearing this. The Halberd-kick was a technique that Izuku used as The Guardian, so this could only mean one thing. The green-haired boy was finally getting serious.
The fight raged on, and it looked like Izuku was gaining the upper hand. With Unbreakable Cannon and The Halberd-kick he had an incredible offence, coupled with the defence that Titanium Body gave him and Seishu wouldn't stand a chance.
Seishu was being pushed back, and he looked frustrated. Eventually he hardened his entire body, in what seemed to be a desperate attempt at defending himself. Izuku didn't let him breathe and threw attack after attack. Then he went for the finishing blow... which was a mistake.
Seishu hardened himself beyond limits, before he launched his baton. In a loud and powerful blast his fist crashed into Izuku's shoulder, breaking it.
Everyone was shocked by what they saw, but it was Kirishima that managed to say what everyone was thinking.
"No way... That's my Blastcore." He said, voice trembling.
No one understood what was going on. Kirishima had invented that as an original technique, and he based it on Izuku, so how did Seishu know it? He hadn't even seen the fight between Kirishima and All Might.
Everyone was silent, while Rachel, Tokugawa and Motobe tried to figure out what was happening.
Seishu didn't let Izuku rest, as he began to beat on the green-haired boy. Not only was Izuku's left arm unusable with a broken shoulder, Seishu was also much faster than him. He had a reaction time that was way lower than his opponent's, so Izuku's only hope was to avoid damage with Titanium Body... But even that had its limits.
Titanium Body was much like the quirk called hardening. I allowed the body to harden and almost become unbreakable, but there was a limit. Both hardening and tensing the muscles drains a lot of energy, especially when taking damage. So if Izuku doesn't do something he will lose.
Rachel almost didn't want to watch anymore. Izuku was being beaten and battered, and he couldn't do anything. He was helpless, even though he had taken the fight seriously. She wanted to close her eyes and wait for it to be over, but a small detail made her not do that.
The look in Izuku's eyes was the thing she saw. He was determined, and he refused to lose. He was going to defeat Seishu, even if he had to do it with a broken shoulder.
Rachel clenched her fists hard, praying for Izuku's well being.
The onslaught didn't stop on Seishu's part, as he was raining it down upon Izuku. The green-haired boy would fall at any moment, so it was time to finish it off.
He hardened himself over his entire body, pressing all the power inwards. Everyone watching knew what was coming, Seishu was going to unleash The Blastcore again.
He swung his fist, this time towards Izuku's face, then a blast was heard upon collision.
Everyone in the monitor room knew that the technique had more than enough power to break someone's skull open, so Izuku should be in critical condition. But what they saw stunned them all.
Izuku hadn't just avoided the attack, he caught it with his functioning hand. Not only that, he turned the power in towards Seishu's wrist, shattering it like glass.
Motobe was even more shocked than everyone, for he realised what this implied. Izuku had noticed that Seishu relaxed at the moment of collision when using that technique, so he took advantage and turned the power on him when he was the most vulnerable. This didn't come without a cost, however.
Izuku's right hand took the full brunt of that attack, so it was just as shattered as Seishu's wrist. He had nothing left to attack with, meanwhile Seishu still could use his other hand.
The policeman threw his punch towards Izuku, hellbent on finishing him, but was stopped by a punch to the gut.
Now everyone was even more shocked than before. Izuku had thrown a punch with his left hand, the same hand that was attached to his broken shoulder.
Everone then watched, as Izuku's right hand began to move itself. The muscles in the hand started to harden themselves, making a fist despite the broken bones within. This was a technique that allowed the user to bind his broken bones together with the help of his muscle control.
"Bone Binding..." Motobe muttered, not explaining the technique due to being awestruck.
Izuku had recovered his hands once more, but Seishu wasn't finished. He looked furious, taking a lowered and offensive stance, as he hardened his entire body.
Rachel and Tokugawa finally understood from where Seishu had been learning his techniques. Kirishima had imitated Izuku, and Seishu had been doing something similar. This stance looked awfully similar to something else, the thing he had been imitating.... The Guardian....
Seishu was crazed, holding his Guardian-like stance in his own Unbreakable. He was a wild animal, ready to unleash, as he charged towards Izuku.
The crazed man fought like a savage beast, clawing, biting and mauling his opponent. Izuku didn't let him do that however, as he responded by using Titanium Body all over himself.
Both fighters were now near indestructible, as they began fighting more up close and personal. It looked like wrestling, with clinches, bashes and attempts at throwing the opponent to the ground. It almost resembled sumo, but with many illegal moves.
Seishu didn't stop, as he sank his teeth into Izuku's shoulder. The green-haired boy flinched, for Seishu had actually managed to pierce his muscles.
Izuku didn't let the pain get to him, as he responded with a piercing attack of his own. He hardened the muscles around his thumb like never before, before shoving it into Seishu's shoulder.
It managed to pierce through his hardened skin, like an Unbreakable Lance, forcing Seishu to back off.
Now they had some distance from another, both looking tired and ready to drop. Everyone knew one thing, whatever happened next would decide the battle.
Seishu stared at Izuku, until he bellowed. He then charged at the green-haired boy, making it obvious that he was going to use The Blastcore, as he pushed his hardening to its limits. Izuku responded by staying guard, and relaxed his muscles for some reason.
No one understood what Izuku was doing. Seishu could break him even when he was blocking with his muscles, so if he was hit while relaxing he could potentially die!
Seishu closed in on Izuku, until he launched his attack. A blast was heard, and a smoke cloud filled the monitor. Everyone panicked, thinking that Izuku had been hurt, so the teachers quickly sent help onto the scene.
The smoke then cleared, revealing something that no one could understand.
Izuku stood as if he had thrown a punch, looking like he hadn't taken any damage from Seishu's latest attack. Not only that, but the one that was unconscious and in a pile of rubble was none other than Seishu.
Motobe tried to figure out what this was, but he almost didn't want to believe it when he realised what it was.
"N- No way!... T- That's The Demonsbane!!!" He shouted, voice trembling from shock. Everyone looked at him in confusion, so he explained.
"It's a formless counter that uses the power of your opponent. It involves accepting the power, going limp to let it flow through you, fixing your position, and then sending it back with an attack and hardens the muscles. If any of these steps fail the power will destroy the user from the inside, and Izuku just used it flawlessly... " With a voice that showed how shocked he was.
Everyone was even more awestruck now. Izuku was physically tough, so much that he could tank anything. Not only that, but he could also send an opponent's attack right back at them. This is why Izuku doesn't get serious... If he's serious, no one can even touch him...
. . .
What followed was medical treatment for both Izuku and Seishu, but they were placed in different rooms for safety's sake. 1-A would then be informed about a training camp, and that everyone would attend regardless if they failed the exam or not. They also concluded that Katsuki failed the exam, since Kirishima did all of the work.
Izuku recovered peacefully, while discussing what he knew about Seishu to Rachel, Tokugawa and All Might. Kirishima was at a loss, because he just witnessed his father go complete physco in front of everyone.
Seishu himself was alone with his wife, Shunka, and he was overjoyed. Because the person that would help him cleanse society of evil was alive and well.
Katsuki had seen the match between Izuku and Seishu, and he was now certain. He was certain that Izuku had a connection to The Guardian, which only solidified his theory about Izuku being The Brawler.
. . .
Izuku was now alone with Toshinori in Recovery Girl's office. Rachel and Tokugawa had gone home to get some rest, so Toshinori had decided to keep him company.
They were silent for a long while, until the skeletal man decided to speak up.
"Young Midoriya, I want to ask you something." He said, sounding relatively calm. Izuku looked at the blonde man, prompting him to speak.
"Would you like to go to I-Island with me?" He asked, voice being calm. Izuku was shocked to hear this, for he had expected it to be vigilante business, but turns out it was about a vacation.
"Don't worry, you won't miss the training camp. I made sure that they gave you some more time until then." Toshinori then said, clearing that obstacle out of the way.
Izuku just smiled upon hearing this. If he wouldn't miss the training camp it meant that there wasn't anything stopping him.
"Alright, I'll go with you. Should I go with my hero costume or as The Brawler?" He said, hoping to get an answer for his question at the end. Toshinori just smiled as he said.
"Wear your hero costume, we don't want to cause a scene now." With a joking tone. Izuku smiled at this, as they both joked with each other.
The final exams were behind them, next up was I-Island and then the training camp. He did have to encounter a ghost of his past during the exam, but that didn't matter. What mattered was moving on, and hopefully Seishu Akoya... No, Seishu Kirishima, would leave him be... for once...