Life can be complex most of the times. But aren't we all just human beings, staring at the same sky, walking on the same land. So what makes us different from one another? They say the strong are the ones allowed to make decisions while the weak only follow blindly. But was it really?
Empathy, I wasn't taught of such thing when I was young. Sympathy was something I don't comprehend on a daily basis. When you're on top, you don't need to bother with those beneath you. Because, after all, I was one of those born with everything.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" I took the liberty of asking the question because I doubt Todoroki would speak any moment had I not ask him that.
"Hoshiko, I wasn't expecting it to be so soon. But fate is working in my favor, after all."
Fate, he said? Fate does not work in anyone's favor. It works on its own accord, annoying the hell out of people. You cannot tie down fate and make it work in your favor. Similarly, you cannot force someone to lose if you, yourself, isn't giving it your all, Todoroki.
"First it was Midoriya, who was somehow connected to All Might. And now, it's you, the daughter of the Pro Heroes my old man was acquainted with. I will beat you both, using only my mother's quirk. I wonder how infuriated that man will look."
I sighed. "Todoroki, do you really think you could win with half your power?"
The way he is rejecting his father was something beyond my comprehension. "Don't make me laugh. Besides, what you said wasn't even half funny."
My deadpanned expression was match by his glare. I was about to walk away, my stomach is protesting and I really wanted to eat that katsudon. But Todoroki speak again.
"I'm gonna beat you. You and Midoriya. I'll show you the difference between the two of us. I can reject him, rebel against him, because I'm not afraid. What about you? You can't even go against your parents' words, always doing what they tell you to."
His words struck so deep that for a second, I thought my heart would clench down to pieces. There are truths that one cannot accept. The truth that I'm like a puppet being controlled by my parents.
I turned around, facing him. I don't know if he managed to get a glimpse of my emotion, but I masked it quickly. "Todoroki, frankly I'm not interested in someone who doesn't give it their all. Use one hundred percent of your quirk and I might fight seriously. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to win."
I did not say win against me. Before we get to fight, he'll have to face Midoriya, assuming he'll win against Shinso. I know for sure, Todoroki wouldn't be able to beat Midoriya with only half his quirk. That's the kind of person Midoriya is.
"By the way, after the Sports Festival, Endeavor asked me to intern in his Agency. I accepted the offer."
I turned around before I could see his expression akin to surprise. "You said you will reject him, right? To reject something, you must first accept it. See you on the match, Todoroki."
I hope what I said pull some cords in his otherwise darkening thoughts. Humans can change quickly, after all.
_____
I was walking back from the cafeteria, when I saw that the bowl of katsudon was already gone, my hunger disappeared and now, I was walking aimlessly down the corridor towards the bench where Class 1-A was. However, as I turn a corner I stumbled upon Midoriya who instantly jumped in surprise as he mumble incoherent sentences.
He is nervous. That much I could tell.
I put my hand on his shoulder and I heard him squeak. "Calm down."
He took a deep breath and calmed down a bit. He is, as of now, the first person to ever calm down by being told to calm down.
"Your first match was with Shinso, right?" Midoriya nodded.
"Good luck. You can win, right?"
Midoriya gulped visibly. "O-of course, Hoshiko!"
"Just be careful, you might not want to speak once the match begins." I walked past him. If Midoriya were to lose in the first match, I wouldn't be able to see something interesting. His fight against Todoroki.
Once I got to where my classmates were, the match was about to begin. Cementoss was just about done with the stage.
"Okay, are you ready?!" Present Mic's voice boomed around the whole arena as the spectators cheered.
"The first match! From the Hero Course, Izuku Midoriya! Versus! From the General Studies, Hitoshi Shinso! The rules are simple! Fore your opponent out of bounds or immobilize them! You could also win by making your opponent say, 'I give up.'!"
As the first match begins, Shinso was quick to provoke Midoriya. After all, his quirk only works if someone were to answer his question or even speak. Brainwashing, was it? I gave Midoriya a hint a while ago, that once the match begins he might not want to speak. Ojiro might've given him some pointers. Actually, he might've warned Midoriya about Shinso's quirk since Ojiro experienced it firsthand during the Cavalry Battle.
However, the moment Shinso mentioned something that ticked of Midoriya, he charged straight ahead. "What did you say?!"
I didn't know what kind of things Shinso said for Midoriya to be like that. But the moment he speak, he was under Shinso's quirk. I didn't know how to get out of Shinso's brainwashing unless if he was the one to cancel his brainwashing.
The moment Midoriya's eyes clouded and his body frozen, I knew he was under Shinso's quirk.
"Midoriya! The match has just begun and he's completely frozen?!" Present Mic exclaimed.
Is this the endgame for you, Midoriya? What a shame. And here I was hoping that you could beat the irrational thoughts out of Todoroki. And yet, are you going to lose just like this? Without even putting up a fight?
"Midoriya's being so obedient?! Will the bottom really overthrow the top?!"
What's wrong? Giving up already? It's a shame how I got my hopes up high on Midoriya. He can't even withstand Shinso's brainwashing despite the fact that he knew all about it from the start. This is what people get for acting base on emotion. That's why I never let my emotion overpower my intellect.
I started to zone out from the match, closing my eyes as I put my mind to rest.
However, right when I started to rest a bit, I heard yells and shouts from the crowd.
Looks like I spoke too soon.
Midoriya managed to cancel Shinso's brainwashing by injuring himself? Wait, he injured himself? Or was it due to using his quirk?
"Midoriya has stopped!"
From here, I could hear Shinso. "What did you do?" He asked.
Midoriya, this time, knew better than to answer.
"You can produce that much power with just your fingers? Thanks to my quirk, I've been behind from the start."
I think I know where this is going. Shinso has a very powerful quirk. It can come in handy in the future. However, U.A's flaw was accepting only those with enhancer and combat-type quirks to enter the Hero Course, while disregarding the fact that there are some with non combat-type quirks who still dream of one day becoming a Hero. And one of them was Shinso.
"Someone who's been blessed like you can't understand, can you?" Shinso's words, despite being thrown towards Midoriya, somehow felt like it's being directed to me.
"Someone like you who was born with the ideal quirk. Someone who can reach their goal, can't simply understand!"
I stood up, surprising Uraraka and Iida who were beside me. I can't hear another word from Shinso. Not a single word.
I never knew how frustrating it was to hear the truth from someone you least expected it to come from.
I started to walk towards the waiting room to calm myself.
Someone born with the ideal quirk? Someone like me? I never asked to be born with this quirk. If only I could trade this to a quirkless person, then I would be more than happy to do so. Maybe Shinso's right, I couldn't possibly understand what it feels to be at the bottom when all my life, I've always been at the top.
As I walk down the corridor I could faintly hear Present Mic. "In the finals, the first person to advance to the second round is Izuku Midoriya of Class 1-A!"
So in the end, it all comes down to experience.
Before I could turn the corner I heard his voice. That voice lace with anger. That very cold menacing voice that I almost did not recognize.
"You're in my way," Todoroki said.
"You're acting disgracefully, Shōto." So he was talking to Endeavor.
"If you used your power on your left side, you would've had an overwhelming victory in the obstacle course and Cavalry Battle. Stop this childish rebellion already. You have a duty to surpass All Might, do you understand?"
"Is that all you can say, bastard?" Todoroki spat, his words were laced with so much hatred. "I will win and advance with just Mom's power. I will not use your power when I fight."
"Even if that works for now, you'll soon reach the limits of that power."
The limits? Quirks also has physical attributes in our bodies. Excessive use of physical quirks can take a heavy toll on our bodies. Todoroki, particularly, is a good example of that. His quirk, Half Cold, once he reach the limits of it, his whole body might end up being frozen. No, it'll start with his internal organs, freezing to the point that it will no longer function. Then his blood, it will cease its flow through his veins. His skin will end up with frostbites until it begins to crack.
The only thing that can stop such predicament is his other quirk. Half Hot.
But since Todoroki is so hellbent into rejecting that side of him, I guess the only thing he can bet into was the fact that he wouldn't overuse Half Cold. Otherwise, a frozen Todoroki is no fun.
When Todoroki was completely out of the hallway, I decided to walk out of the corner. I was met by Endeavor's glare which did not soften. That glare almost reminded me of Todoroki's.
"Yoru," he addressed me. "I am looking forward to your match with my son," he said before walking away.
A match with Todoroki, huh? How unfortunate.
I went straight inside the waiting room since after Todoroki's match, I am next. From here, I could hear Present Mic.
"He's good! He's good, but what's with the plainness he can't get rid of? From the Hero Course, it's Hanta Sero! Versus! Taking second, then first in the prelims, you're way too strong kid! He wasn't recommended for admission for nothing. Also from the Hero Course, it's Shoto Todoroki!"
Shouts and cheers can be heard even from here. I inhaled sharply and exhaled. I could hide inside my portal for the time being. But I wouldn't know how long the match would take, or how short.
"And now for the second match in the finals! Ready... Start!"
As soon as Present Mic said the word start, suddenly the whole building vibrated as if there was an earthquake. The temperature instantly dropped down.
What in the world was that?
No, I know all too well what just happened. Todoroki, you seriously–
"Seriously starting to make me want to beat you, too."
I felt something prickling behind me. I couldn't control my breath as the feeling begin to intensify by the second. The urge I felt during the Cavalry Battle, multiply it by a hundred times and that's exactly what I'm feeling right now.
I looked behind me and saw it.
"Calm down," I told myself. I have to calm my nerves. Just relax. I don't want anyone to see it. They'll be scared. Even I, too, was a bit scared seeing it up close.
"Calm down," I repeated. Otherwise, this whole room will be swallowed by my Portal.
This is what my grandfather was talking about. The quirk that my great grandfather did everything just to see it comes back to our family. The quirk my family was obsessed with.
Portal: Swallowing Dead Stars.
I think that is what it was called. I don't need to touch anything or anyone to bring them inside my Portal. Because the Portal is so massive it can swallow everything around. My Grandfather told me someone managed to open a Portal and swallow a place the size of a whole arena. When I asked him what happened right after, he told me that once the Portal closed, it left nothing but destruction in its wake. Like a black hole. That's why when Thirteen was explaining about their quirk during the training in USJ, I thought our quirks were almost the same. But mine was something menacing.
The size of the Portal wasn't even half close compared to what mu Grandfather told me. The size was only half of the waiting room. But even so, it was truly frightening.
I could see nothing but black void with stars. Or were they dead stars?
When I managed to finally calm down, I stood up and walked towards the arena. My heart was still racing. Now, let's end this quick.
"Everybody sorry for the long wait, the stage that was frozen during the second match is finally dry. Now on to the next match!"
I walked through the tunnel that would lead me towards the arena. Fortunately my parents aren't waiting, unlike Endeavor. Such a doting parent he was.
"As a student, she is considered an elite! The girl with the blood of Pro Heroes running through her veins! From the Hero Course, Yoru Hoshiko! Versus! Sparking Killing Boy! From the Hero Course, Denki Kaminari!"
The spectators begin to cheer. While my eyes are glued to my opponent.
"Hoshiko, you're a cute girl. But I wouldn't go easy on you. Hopefully, Todoroki wouldn't be mad at me."
Huh? What is he talking about?
"Kaminari, right? You're strong–"
He smirked and looked smugly.
"However, I'm stronger."
He has a very powerful quirk. It can become very dangerous if handled right. But Kaminari is too simple. He wanted to end this right here, a flashy battle.
So before he could charge his electricity, I opened a portal and slipped in.
"Indiscriminate Shock! 1.3 million volts!"
I heard right after I slipped inside my portal. 1.3 million volts? That could seriously deal a fatal damage. However, quirks such as that can take a heavy toll in his body.
In his case, it's his brain. The moment I slipped outside I saw Kaminari walking around like an idiot. Heavy discharge of electricity and his brain would cease to function the right way for some time.
I slipped inside my portal again then slipped out to take Kaminari. I opened a portal right at the edge of the stage and pushed Kaminari out as I stepped outside the portal.
"Kaminari is out of bounds. Hoshiko advances to the next round!" Midnight declared.
Everyone in the arena, even my classmates and those in the Hero Course, were surprise. Asking about what kind of quirk was that?
Now they know, the difference between them and us. Them who were born with mediocre quirks and us who were born with everything.
It's quite nice to show the difference sometimes. The girl and the boy born with everything. Let's see who between us will advance to the third round.