Chapter 27: (Episode 24: Fight on, Iida)
Tomura was quiet. And that unsettled Katsuki a little as he turned back to face the front, but kept one eye on the light-haired villain.
"Shigaraki's strangely quiet…" Eijiro eventually took notice, whispering over to Hanta and Denki as they took a second to take in the unreadable expression that seemed foreign on Tomura's face.
"Yeah… I wonder why, though."
"Me too- I mean, I'm surprised he wasn't cheering…"
"Why would he do that?"
"Because Midoriya looked fucking dead, dude…!" Denki hissed through gritted teeth, the other three whipping their necks around to stare at the blond in disbelief.
Before he could explain himself, Shota called out that he was ready to continue, causing Tomura to come back to reality at his call. The short-haired villain blinked as he registered his surroundings before agreeing to continue as well, huffing as he slumped back in his seat.
"So, tell us when the fuck you thought Midoriya dead…?!"
Katsuki perked up to hear this bullshit as Denki tried to explain himself, "Okay, so when Shoto- Wait…"
His golden eyes strayed to the TV, causing the other three to follow as well to find the episode starting in the middle of Izuku and Shoto's fight. This is what Shota was worried about, which was why he asked for that short intervention before they continued on. He really didn't want the boy to relive those events again, nevermind having them all rewatch them again, squeezing the teen's shoulder in comfort.
"If it gets too much for you, let me know, kid…"
Shoto wanted to shake his hand off, but he couldn't bring it in himself to do so, finding himself nodding instead. What Shota had done for him had taken the two-toned teen by surprise, and he didn't know how to feel about it or what he should do. So he stayed quiet and did what he was told.
'-without using it.'
"You want to win with just half your strength…?! You haven't put a single scratch on me yet, you know!" Midoriya spat out, clenching his broken hand into a fist and pushing through the pain as he yelled, "COME AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!"
"Why are you going so far?" Todoroki wondered as he shakingly stood up.
"Because I want to live up to everyone's expectations…" Midoriya replied, with Todoroki glaring up at the greenet and watching as he came running back while saying, "I want to be able to smile…! And respond to them…! To be a cool hero…! That's what I want to be!"
When Enji flashed across the TV, Shoto tightened his fists as Shota gripped his shoulder harder, with the rest of the students also worried for what could show.
"Fuck you…" Denki hissed under his breath just as he was removed from screen.
"...my old man's power…"
"It's your power… ISN'T IT?!"
"I want… to be a hero, too…!" Todoroki declared his resolve as the flames burned from his left side, accepting the power he had been born with.
'Try to get close… and give him everything I've got!' Midoriya planned in his head, his shirt sleeve ripping apart with One for All coursing through his veins.
"Midoriya…" Todoroki said as cement blocks shot up in between them, their attacks clashing against the pillars and causing an explosion that erupted the entire stage, thanking his opponent before they were blown away, "Thanks."
His back hit the wall as Midoriya slowly began to lean too far to one side before he eventually collapsed.
"Midoriya-kun… is out of bounds…" Midnight managed to force out as Todoroki stared in surprise until she announced the end of the match, "Todoroki-kun advances to the third round!"
The opening theme commences.
"Wait, is he dead…?" Tomura sat up, not noticing Izuku's state the first time, with Denki overhearing and gesturing out to Hanta and Eijiro that he wasn't the only one.
"Okay, I can kind of see what you mean, but we know he's not dead."
"Well, duh, but I'm just saying- The way he fell, which had to have hurt, by the way, and also taking into account how injured he was…" Denki cringed at the points he was making, catching Hanta and Eijiro doing the same before he just shrugged, sighing, "Aizawa Sensei was right when he said that that couldn't be fixed in one healing session…"
"Yeah, no shit. Deku's a fucking idiot when it comes to his own needs."
While the two pointedly ignored Katsuki's statement, Eijiro nodded in agreement to it, slumping into his seat as he mumbled, "Probably thinks he has to save everyone… Especially now that he has the number one hero's quirk…"
Katsuki really wanted Eijiro to stop talking like he knew Izuku.
Hearing his loss again, the greenet lowered in his head in shame until Toshinori placed a hand to his shoulder, jolting Izuku as he slowly looked back up to his mentor.
"Young Midoriya."
"I… I'm s-sorry, All Might…"
"But you did nothing wrong."
"I… I lost…! I lost against Todo-Todoroki-kun- I… I don't even know if I even saved him- I just… I f-failed…"
"Young Midoriya." Toshinori gently called, running his hand up to his hair as he soothed while rubbing the top of his head, "You did everything you could. Do not think like that; you did your best and gave it your all. Just like you wanted Young Shoto to do in return. Do not think for a second that you failed. Yes, you may have lost, but it's because of my poor teaching methods-"
"It's not…!" Izuku exclaimed, throwing himself onto Toshinori, who blinked in surprise before he tried to decipher the boy's blubbering words, "It wasn't your fault- It's mine- I should have trained harder- I should have trained better- I'm sorry I couldn't be better- I just wanted to help Todoroki-kun- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Toshinori could feel tears forming as he listened to Izuku's pleas, holding them back as he held the boy close, with Ochaco reaching an arm across to run her hand through his hair.
"Young Midoriya…"
Shoto had been listening in as well to what the pair were saying after he heard his name, glancing over at the way Toshinori hugged Izuku. He then looked up to Shota, whose hand was still placed firmly on his shoulder, blinking at the red in his eyes and the wobble on his lips. Maybe the touch wasn't so bad after all.
"Midoriya was eliminated in the quarterfinals, huh?"
"He egged the other guy on only to be defeated…"
"You mean he didn't have a plan? He was just provoking him?"
"Did he want to beat Todoroki, or lose to him?"
"What the hell are some of these questions…?"
"I forget they can hear what's being said from the stage…"
"Is that what it looked like to them…? I'd thought that from his wording, it'd looked more like Midoriya was trying to help Todoroki…" Hitoshi didn't quite agree with what the audience thought, and he wasn't the only one, but then again, they saw things that weren't meant for their eyes.
"-battle, though…"
After watching a ferocious match like that, seeing just what Midoriya could be capable of against someone like Todoroki, it set alarms off in Bakugo's head, deepening his glare. Meanwhile, with the greenet injured and being carried away, his opponent walked back into the stadium halls only to stop at who he saw once again. Staring up at his father with an unreadable expression, Endeavor couldn't hold back the grin he wore, crossing his arms as he acknowledged his son.
"'You're in the way'. You're not going to say that?"
"That son of a bitch-" Denki was prepared to throw hands a third time.
"You're just letting it all out, and it's dangerous." Endeavor noted about the flaws in his attack before spreading his arms out as his smirk widened, "But you have abandoned your childish tantrum and finally become a perfect upgrade of me."
"That is a goddamn, fucking, human being you are talking to…!"
"Stop acting like he's your damn toy…!"
Shoto only blinked at hearing what his father said before looking back down to the floor. While he wanted to throw shade at the words that were being said, for some reason, he was listening and no matter how hard he wanted to argue, he couldn't disagree. Enji was right about letting his quirk run wild with no control, but learning control was something he still refused to do. No amount of persuasion would change his mind.
Shota was also in a similar boat. On one hand, he found it absolutely disgusting how Enji was referring to his own child, causing once more to grasp the boy's shoulder in an attempt of comfort. But on the other hand, as much as he hated to agree too, the number two hero was right, and he had to acknowledge that. While he too wanted to give his own word of advice to Shoto, he understood his place and that it should be saved for another time. He would wait to see if the kid had anything to say back to his father.
"-lead you down the path of the mighty." Endeavor held his hand out to his son, grinning with pride that his years of training had finally paid off, waiting for him to accept this once in a lifetime offer.
Instead, Todoroki stayed quiet for a moment, raising his left hand to look at his palm in thought before he replied back to his father, "There's no way I can abandon anything. It's not something that can be so easily reversed. It's just… back then… For that one moment… I forgot about you."
Several students gasped along with Enji after hearing that, while a few, like Denki, grinned like crazy at what this could possibly mean for Shoto moving forward. Speaking of which, he wasn't sure how to feel about that, ducking his head as soft cheers lightened the room.
Meanwhile, Tomura wanted to know why that phrase affected him.
Walking past Endeavor, leaving him there to think about what he said, Todoroki looked straight ahead as he left his father behind, "Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing… Whether it is correct or not… I need to think about it."
"Thinking for yourself is good…" Shota muttered under his breath, gently patting Shoto before he rested his hand back at his side, the boy bringing his own hand up and placing it on his shoulder.
The moment was interrupted by cheering, Tenya sitting up in his seat as it showed the title episode to use his name, with Hitoshi leaning back so Izuku could shake his shoulder. Ochaco raised her arms over her head as she whooped and hollered, a few of the other students following along as well.
"Just do your best, Iida!"
Tenya smiled with pride at their callback from yesterday. That was until they saw the next scene.
Back at Recovery Girl's office in the stadium, the school nurse sighed while All Might, who was with her overlooking Midoriya, stood by his bedside while she stated, "The bones in your right arm were shattered… It'll never be the same as it was before. I need to remove the pieces of bone to make sure they don't stay in your joints. I'll heal you after that."
Hearing that, All Might feared the worst for his successor, Midoriya fading in and out of consciousness, while Recovery Girl lowered her head at how severe this had gotten. If only Midnight or Cementoss had stopped the fight sooner, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this bad in the end, but there was no way to know for certain.
"To push and light a fire under a child who would destroy his body this much for what he yearns for… I don't like it. You're going too far. You, and this boy. You can't praise him for this."
Toshinori understood that, sighing as well while pulling Izuku in an embrace, trying to help comfort the boy and his trembling body. While he would praise the child on his heroic desire to help Shoto, the way he went about it was definitely not the route he should have taken. He will acknowledge that his heart was in the right place, however.
Meanwhile, the students were nervous about what this meant moving forward for Izuku. Seeing the bruising on his leg and how his arms were wrapped up and bandaged, a shiver went up their spines as they thought of Shota. Speaking of, he was currently keeping his lips sealed, telling himself how he would lecture the kid later, along with Toshinori. Right now, he just wanted to make sure the boy was okay.
'What am I going to do with you, kid…?'
Before All Might could get too deep into his thoughts about what Recovery Girl said, the door suddenly slammed open, which caused him to spit out blood from the shock. Four of Midoriya's classmates and friends, Uraraka, Iida, Asui, and Mineta, bursted into the room to make sure the greenet was okay, since Todoroki had gotten off relatively uninjured.
At the cries of his name, All Might hunched over as he tried to steady his breathing, "You scared me…"
"Are you okay…?!" Uraraka came running up to check on him until she spotted All Might, not recognizing him in his shrunken form as she politely dipped her head to the man, "Oh, nice to meet you…"
"Yeah…"
"That reaction makes sense since we don't know."
"Yeah… Kirishima is probably still the closest person to finding out about All Might's true form, though, since we don't know his true form."
"And don't even get me started on how many slip-ups Midoriya's had on just One for All alone…" Kyoka huffed under her breath while Minoru spoke about how the pros wouldn't want a student whose body breaks when they use their quirk, which no one could argue with, but he didn't have to say so out loud.
"-don't like your style of rubbing salt into his wound." Asui uttered as she stuck her tongue in Mineta's ear to shut him up.
"But it's true!"
"Just because it is, doesn't mean you should say it… He probably already knows that-" Rikido paused when they heard what Chiyo said next for Izuku's treatment.
"SURGERY?!"
"Do you realize how serious surgery is?!"
"Would've just been better if he had died…" Tomura slumped in his seat as he spoke, but he didn't have much thought behind what he said either. The previous episode had him thinking about something that he had buried in the past.
Izuku flinched from both his friends' cries on screen and here, moving closer to Toshinori. He understood that there would be consequences to his actions as he watched his other self fight, but he hadn't realized just how much they cared for his sake.
"-to me!"
"Kero…" Asui's voice echoed as Recovery Girl closed the door again, with All Might watching them leave.
"I'm sorry…" Midoriya's apology caught him off guard, turning around to find the boy's face twisted in distress as he choked out while fighting to stay conscious, "I couldn't do what you asked…"
'I want you to tell the world 'I am here!'.'
"If only I hadn't said anything… It's because I said that to Todoroki-kun… that I…"
All Might understood the young man's frustrations as he softly spoke, "You were trying to get him to realize something…"
"It's true… Todoroki-kun looked so sad… that I meddled when I didn't need to… But that's not it." Midoriya hissed through gritted teeth, All Might's interest piquing as he heard his successor out, "More importantly, back then, I was just… frustrated. I couldn't see in front or around me… I'm sorry…"
Izuku squeezed his mentor's hand, sniffing while Toshinori softly whispered to his ear, pulling him closer, "It's all right, Young Midoriya…"
He was about to shake his head to deny it.
"It's true that it is a regrettable result. Saying what you did was foolish won't change that." All Might wondered for a moment what Todoroki could possibly be thinking after an intense battle like that before he told his successor, "But, you know, meddling when you don't need to… is the essence of being a hero."
Midoriya took those words to heart, but for now, all he could do was sit in his frustration as he began to cry.
"I understand how you feel, Young Midoriya, but that frustration and compassion is what will make you an amazing hero…" Toshinori ran his hand up and down the boy's arm as he whimpered, slowly turning his neck to get a glimpse of Ochaco as he reached for her touch as well, grabbing her attention as he smiled, "You both will make fine heroes…"
Ochaco didn't know what was being said before, but just by those simple words, she remembered her own conversation with her father and almost broke out into tears again.
"I still think Midoriya did the right thing…" Denki said after the initial shock of the volume, catching Hanta and Eijiro's attention as he explained, "Yeah, he got severely hurt as a result and that's pretty bad, but at the same time, he was able to help Shoto. In some form because, and it might have been just me, but I think Shoto's eyes were just a bit brighter than they were before…"
"And as heroes, we can't hold ourselves back…" Eijiro hummed, clenching his fists as he narrowed his eyes when he stated, "We have to give our all if we're going to make it in this career."
"Or else someone will die by our mistake… Man, talk about pressure."
"If you can't handle it, then you shouldn't be here." Katsuki scoffed in retort to Hanta's sigh, which in turn irritated the raven-haired boy.
"Like you're one to talk- I bet you'd have just told Shoto to shut up and get over himself."
"Damn right."
"You're infuriating to talk to, you know that…?!" Hanta spat, but Katsuki showed that he didn't care what he thought.
Zoning out and thinking to himself after Izuku and Toshinori's conversation, Shoto didn't know how to feel about all this. On one hand, it was none of his business to meddle his way into his life, nor was it his place to say all those things to him. But on the other hand, it might not have ever remembered what his mother had said all those years ago if the greenet had stayed silent instead. Maybe it was too early to know what he should do moving forward since this wasn't actually him, but he also couldn't ignore what was said on that stage.
"It's really just speedrunning the rest of the matches now…" Mina huffed as she watched herself lose against Fumikage while a few students previously had cheered for Tenya on his victory against Ibara.
"Probably because Midoriya-chan lost his."
"Not fair!"
"Tokoyami-kun wins!" Midnight called as the crowd went wild, getting closer to the quarter-finals now.
"He won in an instant, too?"
"Tokoyami-chan's Dark Shadow is amazing."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Tsuyu-chan…"
"I say what comes to mind, kero."
"She said she had to do surgery…" Uraraka fretted over Midoriya, almost getting lost in her worries until Asui's voice broke her out of her thoughts and back to the arena.
"Recovery Girl's taking care of it, so you've got nothing to worry about!"
"He's right."
"Yeah." Uraraka tried to sound believable to her friends, but her concerns for Midoriya wouldn't go away that easily. But as Mineta said, he was in the hands of Recovery Girl, who they could trust, so he would be fine.
"Kiss…!" Recovery Girl sighed after using her quirk, glad that his surgery was a success. Midoriya breathed heavily as he tried to hold onto the stamina he had left while the old woman began to advise for a smooth recovery, "I've healed you enough to allow you to walk for now."
"Thank you very much…" Midoriya dipped his head as sweat ran down his face. Then he caught sight of his right hand.
His fingers were jagged from continuously breaking them, and there was a visible line that ran across the back of his hand. Midoriya was taken aback to see it since Recovery Girl's quirk was meant to heal injuries, not leave scars. But he found out soon enough why his hand was left the way that it was.
"That's what you get for overusing it so much in a short period of time. You should think of that croaked hand as a warning. In addition, I will not heal injuries like this anymore."
"WHAT?!"
"She can't just say something like that- Her job is literally to heal us!"
"What Recovery Girl means to say is that she wants All Might to help Midoriya find another way to use One for All." Yuga retold after Hanta's outburst, listening closer to what Chiyo wanted as a few students looked up to the blond when he stated, "Some way where he isn't constantly hurting himself. We've all been there…"
"Do you think the way is whatever Midoriya was doing at the start of the first episode…?"
"Maybe…"
'Fucking analyzes quirks all the damn time, but he can't figure it out when it comes to his own…?' Katsuki questioned Izuku's intellect as he rolled his eyes, listening to this bullshit.
While his peers pondered on new strategies for him, Izuku was busy getting lost in his thoughts while he stared down at his right hand, where the scar would be. All throughout their school years, Katsuki had never left any burns or bruises that would last more than a week, he somehow always made sure of that. Because of this, the greenet thought he deserved this scar.
"You originally became a teacher at U.A. to find a successor, right?"
"Yeah."
After hearing his confirmation, Midoriya thought of how everyone was giving it their all during this Sports Festival, saying so to All Might as he stated, "Putting everything I had into the U.A. Sports Festival, I could physically feel everyone's strong emotions of not wanting to give in. So I…"
"...think that someone else should be my successor?" All Might guessed that was on Midoriya's mind, watching the boy carefully as his shoulders tensed up, sharply inhaling until he then relaxed, hanging his head as he nodded.
"Yes."
"Pause-" Hitoshi requested, then turned on Izuku, who glanced up at the purplenet as he asked, "Why?"
"...what?"
"Why would you want to give this up so quickly?" Hitoshi asked, which in turn caused the green-haired boy to be unsure on how to answer, Izuku hanging his head as the other grew frustrated at this, stating, "I know I came in here acting like a jerk, but you can't be serious. Midoriya, you are quite literally the perfect candidate for this power because you have no power- Why are you surprised that you can hardly use- Don't you think we've all hurt ourselves at one point using our quirks?"
"I… couldn't help Todo… roki-kun…"
"The hell with that- Did you not see what he told his bastard father at the start of the episode? Midoriya-" Hitoshi stopped when he caught sight of Toshinori's hand, his hollow eyes staring into his frantic lavender before he placed his hand back down, resting on Izuku's knee.
"Young Midoriya, look at me." Toshinori soothed, urging the kid to listen. When Izuku eventually looked up to his mentor, his azure eyes softened as he told his chosen successor, "Listen."
Izuku thought that the hero would tell him he was wrong, so he was confused when Toshinori stayed quiet.
"It's true that this place is filled with wonderful potential heroes. One for All is the crystallization of power. For those who have quirks… For example, if Young Todoroki were to inherit it, then with the super strength on top of his Half-Cold, Half-Hot, he would probably become a superhero."
Midoriya's lip tightened at that, deciding to just say it instead of beating around the bush, "Then-"
"But you know-" All Might cut him off as he placed a hand on his hip, pointing to himself as he revealed, "-I was quirkless, too."
"We already know this."
"There's more…" Toshinori told himself, as he had been thinking of what he could say if something like this were to happen again, so he awaited to see what his future self might tell Izuku.
Midoriya whipped around in shock, processing this information as he stared wide-eyed at All Might, muttering out when he caught the smile his mentor wore, "Quirkless…? You were…?"
"It wasn't as rare for your generation, but it was still uncommon. My master had a quirk, but even so, my master believed in me and gave One for All to me, and raised me to become a hero." Toshinori explained, recalling the striking image of her, with her white cape blowing in the wind, and her dark black hair.
At the sight of Nana, Toshinori squeezed his successor's shoulder and briefly thought for a second if she could see him now. What would she think of Izuku, if they were given the opportunity to meet, and would she say that he made the right choice.
Meanwhile, Tomura wondered why that hero looked familiar.
"You never told me tha-"
"Because you never asked." All Might countered, laughing it off as he held a thumbs up while saying, "Even though I thought you would."
"All Might… you were quirkless, too…?"
"Yeah!" All Might chuckled, looking into the aspiring eyes of his successor, the boy he chose to inherit this grand power in order to accomplish his hopes and dreams, telling this child as Midoriya looked up to him like he hung the stars, "At first, I saw the old me in you. But you have gone beyond what I imagined, time and time again. In my heart of hearts, I believe there is something special in you and you alone."
Rubbing the boy's back as Izuku began to tear up from his words, Toshinori hoped that the young man would take those words to heart and never, ever, doubt his decision. He may have made a lot of foolish mistakes in the past, but he has never thought of any regret in choosing to pass One for All onto the greenet while watching this show. His attention was stolen when someone tapped on his shoulder, looking back to Ochaco, who rose in her seat to whisper in his ear.
"If you saw yourself in Deku-kun, why did you tell him no…?"
"Context, Young Uraraka. I told Young Midoriya that he could not be a hero without a quirk, which I still believe to be true." Toshinori explained, and while the brunette didn't like that, she allowed the hero to finish his thoughts, "And while I can not say for certain that I saw myself in him at that time, I will say that I had thought about it."
"About what…?"
"Giving Young Midoriya One for All… It is something that I shall never regret." Toshinori replied, with his answer satisfying Ochaco as she sat back down in her seat properly.
After his match, patiently waiting in one of the rooms as his phone rang, Iida perked up as he went to answer, "Hello, brother? It's me, Tenya…"
"I am currently on a mission and cannot answer the phone."
'How dare I foolishly attempt to call my brother while he is hard at work…!' Tenya clenched his fists in shame as they shook. Nevertheless, he wished Tensei well on his mission.
Ending the call, Iida sighed as he stared down at his phone, imagining his brother working hard while he spoke, "Brother… Do your best."
"Episode callback…!"
"Just do your best, Iida-Ingenium!"
Tenya's heart soared at being able to see Tensei in action, along with his peers' support toward his brother.
"-the west side!"
"Squad A, roger!"
"Squad B, roger!"
As police sirens rang through the city, Iida's older brother, the hero Ingenium, ran through the streets until he caught something in the depths of an alleyway. Taking a detour on his route, he came to a startling halt and turned back around to double check on what he had seen.
"What's that?" Ingenium muttered as he extended his arms, activating his quirk to help him scale up the side of two buildings, reaching the rooftop as he narrowed his eyes, declaring, "There's no doubt about it. It's him!"
'Brother…!' Tenya was always excited when it came to watching his brother retell his missions or see what the people had to say about it on TV, but it was a whole nother story to watch it happen in real time. At least during this timeline, but he couldn't wait to see how Tensei would defeat the villain he was pursuing.
Dropping back down, Ingenium only took a moment to stick his landing before he spun around and faced his target, holding his fists out as he reported back to his squadrons, "I've found him! The Hero Killer!"
The villain's crimson glare shone with bloodlust intent.
"Go, brother!"
"Yeah, Ingenium!"
Tenya and Ochaco cheered for the pro hero while Shota silently prayed for Chizome's arrest and for his friend's mission to be a success. Meanwhile, Enji was spitting fire at seeing someone else potentially catching the villain he's been trying to track down for years.
However, when the episode went back to the Sports Festival, Tenya slumped back down in his seat as he mumbled, "I wanted to watch Brother's fight…"
"Maybe it'll go back to it afterwards… I mean, the episode could be about both you and Ingenium." Hitoshi whispered in reply, which had Tenya's posture up again, hoping that it was so.
"FUCKING LET'S GO, KIRISHIMA!" Hanta was becoming his number one fan at this point, and Eijiro was too embarrassed to tell his friend to stop, covering his red face as Denki joined in.
'He's not budging… There's more to him than Hardening.' Bakugo thought as blood dripped from where Kirishima managed to nick him, narrowing his eyes on the enthusiastic redhead.
"Kirishima, get his chin! His chin! His chin!"
"Yesterday's enemy is today's friend." one of Tetsutetsu's classmates raised a brow as they watched their gray-haired friend cheer for the other class.
"I kind of like this guy now."
"Kirishima approved."
'What the hell is up with these guys…?!' Eijiro wished the floor would open up and save him from his fan club.
"So it speeds through the other matches, but of course it has to show Bakugo's…"
"Probably because that's when Midoriya-chan came back to watch them, kero." Tsuyu pointed out to Mina after her complaints, seeing the greenet find a place to stand so he could view the rest of the fight.
Mina was not amused.
'-knew it… I wish I could've seen it.' Midoriya sighed with disappointment at missing his classmates' other matches, hoping that he'd be able to see them later once he arrived back home.
Kirishima continued to drive Bakugo back, with the ash blond dodging each of his swings while Mic commentated, "Bakugo's having a hard time fighting back against Kirishima's fierce attack!"
"Kacchan's on the defensive?" Midoriya was faintly surprised to see that as he began to mutter out loud, "Kirishima-kun's quirk is simple, but that's what makes it strong."
"Midoriya-kun!"
"Ah, thank fuck!" Katsuki spat, relieved that they didn't have to hear another session of Izuku's muttering.
"-surgery went well. I'm glad!"
"Yeah, thanks. And congrats, Iida-kun." Midoriya replied back in greeting to his friend as Iida walked over to stand next him, watching the match together.
After a moment of silence, Iida picked up the conversation again once he finished looking over the leaderboard, "I made it to the semifinals. I'm going to use your fight against Todoroki-kun and learn from it."
"Yeah, there's nothing to learn from Sero's match against him…" Hitoshi noted and soon shot a grin back at the black-haired boy when he heard an offending gasp from behind, "Hope you don't mind me saying that."
"Oh, you little shit." Hanta's eye twitched while Katsuki barked out a laugh.
"I called him earlier, but he was working." Iida stated when Midoriya wondered if his older brother had been watching, which the greenet was a little disappointed to hear.
"Oh, so you called him."
"But I think that was for the best. Now that I've made it this far, I need to be able to tell him I'm number one." Iida smiled with pride, hoping to make his brother and family proud as Midoriya looked into his shimmering eyes, sharing that same expression.
'He is a likable hero who honors the rules and leads people. I set my sights on being a hero because I want to be like my brother.'
Mic's shriek caught Midoriya and Iida's attention again as they focused back on the match, hearing their teacher say as they watched it happen, "Bakugo counters again! What's this? Unlike before, it's working?!"
"You've been straining to keep your whole body rock-hard this whole time, right?" Bakugo grinned after successfully landing a blow to the redhead's side, burning his shirt and scorching his skin, while Kirishima's eyes grew wide with horror as the blond read right through his moves, "If you attack quickly in that state, sooner or later, it'll start coming apart!"
An Explosion erupted from Bakugo's hands, smoke covering Kirishima. With his hardened arm raised to block the attack, his eyes soon widened as his opponent quickly came to aim another blast at him, not having enough speed to counter it like before. At his relentless attacks, the redhead was becoming overwhelmed, his clothing ripping apart at the heat and his skin soon getting burnt by each hit.
"You little-"
'The finishing blow!' Bakugo didn't give Kirishima any sort of opening, sending out one last Explosion to end this match as he cried, "DIE…!"
With smoke coming off his skin from the countless burns that decorated his body, feeling exhausted slowly creeping in from the brutal attacks of Bakugo, there wasn't much Kirishima could do to win. His opponent was well aware of this as well.
"Well, I understand why you wouldn't want a drawn-out match with me, though."
When Kirishima hit the ground and didn't get back up, Midnight called the match as she flashed her whip, "Kirishima-kun fainted! Bakugo-kun wins!"
"Dammit…" Hanta huffed, feeling sorry for his twin as he went to pat Eijiro on the back while saying, "We'll just have to try again this time, huh, Kiri-"
He stopped when he caught the look of awe in his scarlet eyes.
"Uh… Kirishima?"
"Huh…?!" Eijiro jolted, turning to look at Hanta's questioning eyes.
"Why did you look so happy just then? You lost…"
"Yeah, I know, but, um… I've… It's great seeing how much I've improved on my quirk… So I was excited watching this fight…" Eijiro nervously rubbed his neck, chuckling as he admitted that to his friend, while both Hanta and Denki gave each other a glance before breaking out into a smile as well.
"So I guess we were right to say that Kirishima and Bakugo's match was a bit more evenly matched…?"
"Well, I don't know if we can say that for sure since we didn't get to see all of it." Yuga hummed while rubbing his chin as he replied back to Rikido, who gave the shimmering blond a glance over before focusing back to the front.
"-to properly watch… the efforts of everyone who wants to become a hero."
"The first match of the semifinals! With both of them from hero families, it's a battle of the elites!" Mic announced as the crowd roared with excitement while he introduced the two soon-to-be opponents, "From the hero course, it's Iida Tenya! Versus- Also from the hero course, Todoroki Shoto!"
Narrowing his eyes and waiting for the fight to begin, Iida thought to himself as he watched Todoroki, 'I can't negate the attacks like Midoriya-kun did! If he can use his flames now, then he has more options. In that case…'
"START!"
Todoroki sent out his first wave of ice, with Iida sprinting to the left in order to avoid it while he thought, 'He's not planning on giving me any time, huh?'
As if reading his thoughts, Todoroki tried to keep his eye on Iida while he bent down, and placed his hand on the ground to create another ice attack and send it at his opponent, trying to keep distance. Skidding to a rough halt, Iida made a quick dash back where he came before the glacier could hit him.
"Iida, come on, you just blocked yourself in!"
"Fight on, Iida! FIGHT ON!"
Tenya really hoped his other self had a plan because making a rookie mistake like that would have his brother laughing at him.
"Todoroki's going in for the win right away!" Mic thought that to be so before suddenly, Iida managed to jump clean over the wall of ice, soaring across the stage to make it towards Todoroki.
"Wow, a standing long jump!"
"That's so damn impressive…"
"Thank you, Shinso-kun." Tenya quickly replied before he could forget later, his nerves kicking in, while Hitoshi was taken aback by his swift reply. He didn't realize he had said that out loud.
Iida's engines fired up, much like before during the cavalry battle, preparing his special move as he went for a kick, "...BURST!"
Somehow, his opponent was able to dodge the attack, Iida widening his eyes in faint surprise.
'I have about ten seconds before my engines stall! I have to win it in that time!' Iida landed back down to earth before immediately spinning on his foot, aiming another kick. This time, he was able to deliver a direct hit, knocking Todoroki down.
A few of the students hissed as they wondered if that was as painful as it looked, while others cheered for Tenya, who prayed that he would have enough time.
"A direct hit!"
"He got a pretty heavy hit in!" Sero gaped in shock at this phenomenon, along with the rest of their classmates as their mouths hung open in awe.
"That kick was way too fast!"
Endeavor wasn't impressed.
Still remaining conscious, Todoroki tried to ice down his opponent, but Iida wasted no time as he leaped over, grabbed his opponent, and made a mad dash for the boundary.
'Eight seconds left! I can do it! I'll throw him out of bounds like thi-' Iida paused when he suddenly couldn't move, turning his head around to see ice spiking out from his engines, horrified as he gaped, "My muffler's plugged…?! When did that happen?!"
Ice crawled up Iida's skin as Todoroki answered his question, "During the kick… Since I was only showing attacks with range, you forgot that I could do little tricks like this, too, didn't you? I was trying to be careful of your Recipro, though. But I still couldn't dodge it."
"Iida-kun is immobilized! Todoroki-kun wins!"
"Dammit…"
"I feel like that sort of kick should have knocked him out…" Hitoshi hummed under his breath before patting Tenya's shoulder in a form of consolation, reassuring, "You'll get another shot, hopefully."
"Yes, I do hope so…"
"You did good."
"Someone get some cleaner and wipes- Gotta wash the stubborn stain off the screen." Denki spat under his breath when Enji showed up while Hanta and Eijiro stared over the blond, hoping that the flaming hero didn't hear him.
"He has a death wish…"
Gritting his chattering teeth against the cold, Iida squeezed his eyes shut as he wondered what his hero would think, "Brother…"
In the alleyway where Ingenium had been fighting, the villain's voice echoed through the darkness as the hero laid in a pool of his own blood.
Tenya's disappointment turned to fear as the scene continued, Hitoshi's hand hovering above his shoulder in horror.
"Fame… Money… They're all calling themselves heroes…"
Breathing heavily, the villain stood over the unconscious body of Ingenium before slamming his foot down on his lit cellphone, displaying a missed call from his younger brother.
"But you bastards aren't heroes… Just him… The only one I'll let kill me…"
Blood trailed down his dual katanas, the metal glimmering in the dim sunlight as his bloodlust eyes narrowed down on the downed form.
"...is All Might!"
His reign was a threat to every pro hero.
At the start of the scene, Tenya had slowly begun to hyperventilate, which soon turned into a panic attack that Hitoshi tried to help him out of. Until it hit him.
"Pause-"
And Tenya screamed as the horror set in.
"Iida, this isn't real- Ingenium's okay-"
"BROTHER- TENSEI!"
Hitoshi didn't try stopping him again, turning away and allowing Tenya to let it out. Everyone was too stunned to oppose this, chills running up their spines as they listened to their friend scream to no end.
For Enji and Toshinori, they lost a fellow hero, the latter bowing his head in respect while the former swore to avenge Tensei and capture Chizome. But for Shota, he lost a friend that was dear to him, covering his mouth as tears resurfaced.
"Tensei…"
Unable to take it anymore, Ochaco stood up from her seat and attempted to hug Tenya, letting him know that he didn't have to suffer alone. But as she went to wrap her arms around his body, he suddenly reacted by pushing her away, causing her to land on her butt as he ran away from them and toward his room. The slamming of his door woke everyone from their shock, the dead silence uncomfortable.
"So this is the Hero Killer…" Tomura hummed to himself, rubbing his chin while Hitoshi helped Ochaco off the floor.
"Are you okay…?"
"Yeah… I wish I could have helped Iida-kun, though…"
"Yeah…" Hitoshi sighed before glancing over to the assortment of doors.
"We should give him a moment." Shota stood up, grabbing their attention as he said after, "Give him some time to collect himself and properly mourn…"
"Kero. We can't continue watching anyway without Iida-chan." Tsuyu stated as well, and upon taking a look up to the television screen, they found that to be indeed true.
(Will not proceed until everyone is out of their rooms)
"So I'm just assuming that the bathroom does not count…"
"Eraser, you okay…?" Hitoshi could tell when someone was trying to hold back tears, with his question faintly surprising the pro hero.
"Don't worry about me… And call me Aizawa."
Hitoshi was taken aback by his request, turning his eyes away from Shota as he muttered in reply, "Okay…"
"So, what should we do until Iida comes back out…?"
"I… still have my Pokémon cards."
"You guys sound insensitive." Hitoshi narrowed his eyes up to the duo.
"What else are we supposed to do, man…?!"
"I think I have to agree with them, Shinso-kun…" Ochaco admitted as she went to pat the boy on the shoulder, Hitoshi looking down at the strained smile she tried to uphold while she sighed, "But it's nice of you to be polite towards Iida-kun's feelings, too…"
"Uh, thanks… I guess- Don't mention it."
"What the hell is this guy's deal…?" Katsuki scoffed under his breath, sitting back in his seat as Eijiro looked over, giving the blond his attention as he wondered next, "If he's a 'Hero Killer', why is All Might the only exception…?"
"I've never heard of a Hero Killer until now… Actually, now that I think about it, doesn't he kind of look like the guy we saw last night…? After the last episode?"
"Yeah, no shit, that's because he is-" Katsuki spat back, pushing himself out of his seat and leaving Eijiro as he called down to Shota and Toshinori, "Hey, Teach, All Might, the fuck is up with this guy, huh? Do you know anything about this villain?"
"My agency and I have been tracking his movement for some time. He both kills and severely injures heroes to where they have no choice but to retire."
"No one asked." Denki glared back at Enji, who stared evenly back down to the blond while Hanta quickly turned his friend around.
"No matter how much we hate him, Kaminari, we have to acknowledge that he's still a hero. Therefore, he might know some things about the Hero Killer, too, all right?"
While those two bickered, Toshinori and Shota gave one another a look before the former spoke first, providing a little bit of information, "I am aware of his presence, but I do not know much past that."
"Hero Killer: Stain has murdered countless heroes and a few occasional villains from what the reports on him have to say. Along with All Might, that's about all the information we have on him. He's a hard villain to track down and any hero that does get near him is killed, or like Endeavor said, injured to the point where they have to retire. But even that is far and few between."
"Doesn't sound like much of a 'Hero Killer' if you ask me…" Tomura huffed under his breath, but no one paid him any attention as when listening to Shota's description, it made the group of students fearful by just hearing the horrors of what this criminal was capable of.
Looking to his right when he finished, Shota eyed the door Tenya had disappeared to while muttering under his breath, "Which is why I think someone should talk to Iida now-"
"Wait one moment, Aizawa-kun." Toshinori leaned over the back of the couch as he whispered over to the other responsible adult in the room, wondering, "Are you hoping that this is one of those instances…? I don't want to give Young Iida false hope-"
"Look after Shoto and the other students. I'll have a talk with Iida." Shota understood what he was trying to say, but he wanted to believe that Tensei was still alive. If he could prevent this future, he would fight hell and back to save his friend and let him see another day with his family.
But for now, Shota needed to help convince Tenya of that for right now.
Knocking against the boy's door, he waited a moment to see if he would open the door before Shota allowed himself in, gently shutting it behind him. He looked over to the bed where Tenya laid, his face buried in the pillows, curled up in a fetus position with Tensei's image in his hand. The pro hero felt sorry for the kid, but he hoped he could get through to him as well.
"Iida, did you hear me knock…?"
The students had come to Shota earlier in the day talking about how they couldn't hear activities in the theater once they were in their rooms. He'd been wanting to test that theory out sometime, but right now was not the appropriate time for that. Either way, Tenya remained unresponsive, not acknowledging the new presence in his bedroom.
"Iida…? Can you give me a sign that you're listening?" Shota heard the boy shift, catching his teary blue eyes looking at him through his foggy glasses, crouching to Tenya's eye level as he started, "All right. Iida, I understand how this must look to you. But remember why we are here. I know you won't be able to save your older brother because you will be in school, but you and I can warn him together when that time comes. I promise you, from the bottom of my heart, that we will prevent Tensei's death. Together."
He rested one hand on his chest, bringing his other to wipe at his eyes when blinking the tears away wasn't working.
"You promise…?"
Shota paused at Tenya's choked question before replying with determination, "Yes. I promise, Tenya."
He wasn't expecting a hug to come after what he said, but Shota decided to embrace it, for Tenya's sake. He reassured the boy and softly soothed that things would be all right and that he can let it out here and now. Once he figured that it would be fine to say, the pro hero eventually asked the kid if he was ready to go back outside.
"You can head to the bathroom if you need to and I'll stay by your side if you want me to." Shota promised, pulling himself away from the hug as he stood up, holding his hand out to help Tenya while he continued, "Hopefully there will be more insight on what happened once we get out there."
"Yeah… Yes… That… would be preferred…" Tenya sniffed as he took his hand, getting back on his feet.
Shota waited inside his room as Tenya went to his bathroom, blowing his nose before drying his eyes, then washing his face. He tried not to cry as he thought of Tensei, his lip quivering as he held back his tears. They made a promise to protect his brother, he could prevent this. They had a year before any of this happened, more than a year, which should give all three heroes present enough time to capture Chizome before this event.
Tenya squeezed the edge of his sink, feeling his sorrow and grief fade and soon be replaced with anger. He kept it quiet as he exited the room with Shota, feeling nothing but thoughts of defeating Chizome in his brother's place. Doing unspeakable things to him. Things that he didn't think he was capable of doing.
"Iida-kun…!" Ochaco exclaimed as soon as she heard the door click open, her and Izuku both perking up before they deflated as they watched Tenya stay behind Shota, who glanced once behind him before sighing.
"We may resume. Get back to your seats so we can finish this for today."
Izuku and Ochaco were a little dejected to know that Tenya didn't want to talk to them, but they both understood why, sitting back down beside Hitoshi. Toshinori stayed standing for a moment more before moving to sit next to Ochaco at the end of the row.
"All Might, sit with Shoto for me."
The boy blinked at his name, looking over just as Toshinori was heading toward him, sitting in the empty space next to him before flashing him a quick smile. Enji grumbled in the back of the room, but Shoto felt safe as he stared up at his hero.
"I don't want One for All…" Shoto suddenly blurted out, which in turn caused Toshinori to blink in slight surprise until he remembered what he had told Izuku earlier in the episode.
"Oh, do not worry about that, Young Shoto. It was simply an example for Young Midoriya."
"I know. I just wanted to tell you that I don't want One for All."
Toshinori chuckled at his bluntness, placing an arm around the boy to ruffle his hair as he smiled, "Okay, Young Shoto. I'll make sure Young Midoriya gets One for All. In the meantime, would you so kindly help me convince Young Midoriya that he is deserving of this power?"
Shoto subconsciously leaned into his touch, finding himself nodding to his question. Meanwhile, Izuku and the other two with him had overheard the conversation, with Ochaco seeing this as Shoto becoming a potential new friend while Hitoshi wondered if he should play the same role. But that was a thought for another time.
'Brother…' Tenya tightened his grip on Shota's shoulder as it played Fumikage's fight against Katsuki, hardly paying attention to the match and wishing it could go back to Tensei.
"Tokoyami, what's going on? You attacked so much when you were up against us!" Ashido flailed her fists in frustration while watching the bird-headed boy play defense against Bakugo, Yaoyorozu beside her wondering why that was, a hand to her chin.
"There must be a reason…"
"Dark Shadow can't switch to the offensive with the light from the explosions… It's the worst match-up…" Uraraka worried for their past teammate, her and Midoriya both showing their concern.
"The weakness he shared with us… If Kacchan doesn't know about it yet, then he still has a chance."
"A big fat chance." Tomura spat, with a shit-eating grin rising up his lips.
"Don't fucking underestimate me, you damn Bird Brain!" Katsuki yelled over to Fumikage on the other end of the row, the jet-black raven in deep thought while the trio next to the ash blond flinched away.
'If I run out of darkness, it'll be over!' Tokoyami thought in fear as he held his quirk together just as Bakugo sent himself into the air, putting him on guard as he wondered what his opponent could be planning, 'Is he trying to wear me down? He's getting faster and faster!'
'Midoriya stated that Bakugo's quirk becomes stronger when he moves around as it allows for him to sweat more, therefore, creating greater explosions…' Fumikage worried that this would mean his immediate loss as his quirk was already wearing down while Katsuki's was getting better.
Dark Shadow raced up to meet the blond in midair, but she shied away from an explosion right to the face.
"Grab him, Dark Shadow!"
Already in motion, Bakugo quickly blasted himself away from the quirk's shadow hand, flipping around to land behind Tokoyami.
"Wow, Bakugo gets behind Tokoyami!"
Crouching with both his hands spread out, Bakugo went to deliver the finishing move just as Dark Shadow made one last attempt to grab him and win this for Tokoyami. But the other was faster, with sparks popping from his palms just before he produced a light that blinded his foes.
"Stun Grenade!"
An explosion soon ripped from his hands, with smoke covering the stage much like his fight against Uraraka as Mic grumbled out, annoyed, "Hey, everything's covered in smoke! What happened?"
With the fog beginning to clear, Bakugo's hand on his beak while the other illuminated light, Tokoyami asked his opponent with his eyes squinted against the harsh rays, "Did you know… Dark Shadow's weakness…?"
"I figured it out after attacking over and over, moron. Well, it was a bad match-up. I feel bad for you."
"That face says otherwise…" Denki hummed at the vicious grin Katsuki was wearing as he stood over Fumikage.
With no other moves to counter Bakugo, Tokoyami closed his eyes and while gritting his teeth, ended the match, "I give up."
"Tokoyami-kun gives up! Bakugo-kun wins!"
While the crowd cheered after the announcement, with Bakugo rubbing his wrist as he stood back up and let Tokoyami up, his crimson eyes scanned around the stadium until they locked onto his next opponent. The final match of the Sports Festival, to determine which first-year student would win, would be number one.
"With this, the final match will be between Todoroki and Bakugo!"
Talent versus hard work. The boy born with everything versus the boy who wanted everything.
"It's too bad about Tokoyami-kun…"
"I thought Tokoyami would win." Sero agreed with Uraraka, turning over to Kaminari as he voiced his opinion with his electric friend nodding back.
"I guess this means he isn't invincible."
"Since we knew about Tokoyami's weakness beforehand, I couldn't really see him winning… It would have been nice if he did, though. Knock Bakugo down a few pegs, you know?" Denki looked back over to Hanta and Eijiro, with both of his friends agreeing as they nodded.
"-he was just lucky his quirk was so good against his opponent."
"It ended up being a Class A paradise, huh? Damn it." Tetsutetsu grumbled under his breath at the finalists for this Sports Festival, swearing that they would all have to do better next year.
"Don't forget a man's paradise, too… Ashido and Shiozaki were the only girls to stand a chance…"
"I mean, Hatsume-san kind of led Iida-kun around by his nose… She only 'lost' because she stepped out of the ring." Toru argued with the purplenette's claim, Kyoka sighing in response while Momo glanced back to where Tenya stood with Shota, furrowing her brows at his blank expression.
"Iida-kun!" Midoriya called as his friend walked down the stairs towards him and Uraraka.
Looking up to their class rep, Iida sent each of them a knowing smile that they both understood the implication of, nodding as they matched his grin. They may have lost this year, but it was as Aizawa said; they still had two more years to try and aim for number one again. This wasn't the end, it was only the starting line.
Then Iida suddenly started shaking, which in turn freaked them out.
"Whoa, what is that?!"
"My phone."
"His phone, huh?" Midoriya and Uraraka both sighed as their friend pulled the device out to check who it was.
"Iida-kun doesn't know yet…"
"Huh?" Ochaco was confused by what Izuku said before she remembered, biting her lip as she fretted, "Right… then that most likely means…"
"He's about to find out…" Hitoshi ominously finished as Izuku and Ochaco swallowed. They didn't want to hear Tenya's scream again, it was already painful the first time.
"I was weak…"
"No, it's not about that!" Iida's mother cried from the phone before apologizing, "Oh, sorry. Tenya, please listen calmly."
Iida was terrified.
"Tensei… your brother…"
Iida had never been so scared before in his life.
"A villain got him!"
He felt his entire world come crashing down at those words.
Tenya wanted to cry again, but all he could feel was anger when Chizome appeared next. Everyone grew quiet out of fear, with a few souls casting their eyes over to the single door on the other side of the theater.
"Gross." Tsuyu uttered as they watched Chizome lick the blood off his sword.
"You guys haven't even noticed…"
Police cars parked just outside of the alleyway where Ingenium was currently, caution taped set up with worried civilians crowding the area as officers went to investigate.
"...this warped society covered with hypocrisy and vanity."
The villain was overlooking the scene from up high, crouching on a water tower with his thin scarves waving in the slight breeze.
"To all who are called heroes… I will make you notice."
Suddenly whipping out his katana, he felt a presence behind him, one of Kurogiri's portals swallowing a part of the weapon just as he came to reassure the other, "Please stay calm. We are of the same mind. I have been looking for you, Hero Killer Stain. I have heard of your notoriety and wanted to meet you. May I have a moment of your time?"
Stain didn't trust this as his blood red eyes narrowed.
In his room with the computer screen as his source of light, Shigaraki's attention fixated on a new interest, staring at the single, blurry photo captured of the villain he was intrigued by.
"Hero Killer… Stain."
The ending theme commences.
"Not a very fitting moment…"
'If the Hero Killer and Shigaraki join forces… Dammit, this could be bad…' Shota narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth before he felt Tenya move from behind him, glancing back to catch the kid leaning his forehead against his back. Sighing as he awkwardly reached around to pat his back, he softly tried to soothe him, "Everything's going to be okay, Iida, I promise. We're going to help save your brother when we return home. It's going to hurt for a little bit, but just remember that Tensei is okay. He's probably fast asleep in bed, okay?"
While Shota was helping Tenya, with Izuku and Ochaco watching from afar, Toshinori and Enji were in the same boat on what to do about this situation. If Chizome were to join the League of Villains, that would make them more than just a group that recklessly attacked the country's top hero school. The Hero Killer was a well-known villain among hero society and that status could mean various things, both good and bad.
"Shit…"
"This is bad, right?" Shoto wondered after hearing Toshinori swear, causing the number one hero to faintly jump.
"My apologies, Young Shoto… I must have been deep in my thoughts and forgot where I was."
"It's okay. But this is bad, right?"
"Well…" Toshinori didn't want to worry the child since it was only a possibility, and with Chizome not showing up, that meant Tomura wouldn't have a head start either. Deciding to be vague about his response, he replied to Shoto with a strained smile, "Well, it wouldn't be good if the Hero Killer joined the League of Villains, yes, but for now, there is not a reason to worry. For Stain will not arrive, for both our sake and Young Iida's…"
At the mention of Tenya, Shoto leaned back against the seat to try and spot the blue-haired teen, but it was obvious he was trying to hide behind Shota, away from prying eyes. He felt bad for his peer.
"Hey Midoriya, what do you think a fight between Bakugo and Todoroki would look like?" Hitoshi's question caught Shoto's attention, blinking to look at the purplenet before his eyes strayed over to Izuku, who jolted in his seat from what he was being asked.
"Oh, um, well…"
"I think it would be obvious that Shoto-kun would win…!"
"Not exactly…" Izuku hummed, placing a hand to his chin as he softly began to mutter with Ochaco and Hitoshi's full attention on him, "Todoroki-kun has started all his matches with the same move on various scales, so Kacchan would probably already have a plan in mind on how to counter it… With his quirk, he could easily blow away the ice or melt it if he needed to, and if Todoroki-kun used his flames-"
"HE FUCKING BETTER!" Katsuki's outburst took them all by surprise, turning their eyes onto the ash blond as he jumped out of his seat and pointed an accusing finger down to Shoto while yelling, "Listen here, Half n' Half, I don't give a damn about your family issues or problems; you better use your fucking fire when fighting ME! If you hold back, I'll kill you, ya hear me?!"
Shoto stayed quiet as he listened to Katsuki's rant, narrowing his heterochromatic eyes to him before turning them back to the ground, thinking of what Toshinori said instead. This pissed off Katsuki, however.
"You fucking piece of shit-"
"Hey- The episode's about over! You can worry about Shoto using his flames later, okay…?! After you've watched the match first, all right?" Hanta exclaimed over him, with Katsuki turning his glare to the raven-haired boy as he heard him huff under his breath, "Leave the guy alone…"
"Shut the hell up, Tape Arms."
As the ash blond sat back down in his seat, Tomura was grinning with glee after what he had just watched. He didn't care about anything right now except for two things at that moment: Katsuki winning and Chizome joining their organization.
"This is getting really good…!"