Chapter 5: Atomic Animosity
"I don't think I'm gonna get over being taught by Pro Heroes."
Izuku looked up from where he had been staring absentmindedly into his food to find Uraraka standing over him with a cheery smile and a lunch tray. Still smiling, she took a seat across from him. Jolting out of his surprise, he smiled back with a confused grin of his own. She's sitting with me? It had been a long time since anyone had willingly sat with him. Not since the last year of elementary school, or maybe the first of middle school And only ever new students, before they learned who and what he was.
"Y-yeah," he finally stuttered out. "It's pretty surprising. It's almost like a weird dream. I had to pinch myself during Present Mic's English class to make sure I wasn't asleep. His teaching attitude is way different from his D.J. attitude, and yet somehow the same."
Uraraka laughed but then tilted her head, putting a finger to her cheek. "Though, y'know, it's kinda weird that we don't know who's teaching us next, especially since it's an important class like Heroics. Do you think it's another Underground Hero like Mr. Aizawa, and they don't want us to know who they are until we meet them?"
Before Izuku could even open his mouth to reply, Iida sidled up and answered for him. "I find that to be very likely! I cannot think of any other reason we would be left in the dark. Such is the way of prestigious U.A.!" Izuku bit his lip, thoughts turning inwards even as Uraraka laughed at Iida's rhyme and Iida defended himself unnecessarily. He hadn't realized All Might's message regarding his new job at U.A. was private, for his ears only. If All Might was willing to share stuff like that, then maybe he wasn't upset, and Izuku was blowing it out of proportion. He gave a shaky nod.
"Right."
Any further introspection was interrupted by the Hero on lunch duty, the aptly named Lunch Rush. He meandered up to the three's table and gave a thumbs up. "White rice is the perfect comfort food, isn't it?" Uraraka gave a cheery nod, her cheeks full of food, and Izuku returned the thumbs up with a starstruck look, all turmoil forgotten in the presence of one of Izuku's childhood Heroes. Of course, there were quite a few- All Might chief among them- but the smiles Lunch Rush's food brought made Izuku's opinion of him skyrocket very early on, and even more now that he had the opportunity to eat the delectable meals.
We're so lucky to be able to eat food made by Lunch Rush himself! His Quirk makes it so he can quickly make a lot of good food! Although, I have no idea how it works. It must have something to do with his mask; maybe he can exhale some substance that allows him to cook food quickly. Or maybe it's something as simple as lighting fires to cook with, and his food is so good based on natural talent. But then why would he brand as a food-based Hero? And that wouldn't explain the sheer speed at which he seems to produce it... And surely there would be better branding for a fire Quirk than that. It's probably directly food-related. Maybe he can turn ingredients into meals-
"Either way, I'm looking forward to Heroics! After all, it's why we're even here!" Uraraka's eager outburst distracted Izuku from his wandering thoughts.
Iida chopped a hand. "Whoever it is, we have much to learn from them."
-
Toshinori was not a smoker. He had never been one, and anytime he had even thought about trying it desperately to ease his constantly shot nerves, Mirai or Sorahiko or someone else beat some sense into him. "Smoking is bad for your image," or "Smoking will ruin your lung! You only have one, idiot," they would scold. Despite that, the stressful situation ahead had him longing for a smoke as he stood on the street corner, eyes closed and mouth in a tight line.
"Morning, Toshinori." Toshinori opened his eyes and looked over to see his friend on the police force pull a drag of the cigarette he was smoking, grinning in that familiar way that endeared him to Toshinori even upon their first few meetings. Toshinori nodded in greeting, longing even more for a cigarette at the sight of one. Maybe he'd caught too much secondhand smoke by hanging out with smokers.
"Hey, Naomasa. It's nice to see you in person after so long." He placed a hand on the detective's shoulder, who nodded and clasped his hand to Toshinori's opposite arm.
"That's way too corny. It hasn't been that long, big guy." Taking another long drag, he finally flicked away his cigarette, sighing as his cheery attitude fell away and left only a dour detective. "Alright, let's do this." Nodding, Toshinori bent down, retrieved the discarded cigarette butt, and put it in a proper receptacle. Naomasa apologized half-heartedly for littering. They crossed the street, making their way to the apartment complex there. He led Naomasa up a flight of stairs, and when they finally stopped in front of their destination, Toshinori rang the buzzer. A very familiar woman answered the door in short order.
"Mr. Yagi! Please come in." Inko stepped out of the way of the door, bowing slightly as the Hero and the detective entered. Toshinori nodded in return as he kicked off his shoes, placing them in their designated shoe spot as he slipped on some house slippers. Naomasa removed his hat as he entered, removed his shoes, and closed the door behind himself. When it clicked shut, he seemed to stand up straighter as he directed his attention to Inko.
"Ms. Midoriya, my name is Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. I'm a personal friend of Toshinori and one of the few people to know about One for All. We want to ask you some questions about Izuku's father."
Immediately, the mother's disposition changed. Like a robot, she took Naomasa's hat and both of their coats and hung them on a rack before heading to the kitchen, face blank and hard. She returned quickly with a set of cups and a teapot, the span of time indicating that it had already been brewed and the steam rising indicating it had finished brewing quite recently. She sat down on the middle cushion of the couch, back straight, and poured out glasses for the three of them. Toshinori hid the surprise from showing on his face, or he hoped he did. "I see," she finally responded, voice deadly serious. "Please, take a seat." Toshinori went to do just that, sitting in one of the chairs to the right of the couch- he remembered telling Inko about One for All while sitting in this seat- and Naomasa sat to her left in a chair he had pulled up from the dining table.
"Yes, well… before we start," Naomasa placed a hand over his heart, his voice soft but steady, "my Quirk is called Lie Detector. I'm essentially a living polygraph test. My Quirk automatically takes note of your heartbeat, and various other tells that it uses to gauge and determine whether or not you are lying. It does not work if one is particularly skilled at lying or convinced that they're telling the truth, and I don't get a conclusive answer either way when half-truths are told. With that explanation out of the way," he reached into the breast pocket of his suit and retrieved a notepad and pen, "allow us to begin."
Toshinori could only sit there in silence, ramrod straight, sweat beginning to run down his neck. He took a sip of his tea. It would pair well with a cigarette, he thought.
-
Naomasa started the interrogation- and yes, this was an interrogation, no matter how much Toshinori had tried to rationalize it to him as merely an investigation, a courtesy call at best- with basic questions to ascertain whether or not his Quirk would be effective. "Your name is Midoriya Inko, correct?"
"Yes," Mrs. Midoriya answered robotically.
"True," Naomasa muttered at the same time his Quirk told him True, writing in his notebook. Leaning forward slightly, he continued with, "Is Midoriya your maiden name?"
"Yes." Again her answer was simple, plain, and automatic. It was as if she knew what he would ask before he did. Perhaps she had already played this game at some point in time.
"True." With this one, he noted the peculiarity that she still used her maiden name, so he asked, "did your husband take your name when you married him?"
"Yes." This rang True as well, which concerned Naomasa's already high-strung brain. In modern times, it was becoming more and more common for the husband to take the wife's surname, but the legal and social implications remained as they had for what Naomasa presumed was a long time. For a husband to take his wife's name implied that he would rather be counted as part of his wife's family than part of his own. This otherwise benign fact was frightening in a case such as this, and he noted it as such.
"Alright..." Naomasa tapped his pen to the notepad thoughtfully, then pointed it at Inko, who was still staring at him blankly. "In that case, do you know what his name was before? To clarify, what was his surname?"
"No, I don't. He never told me, so I never asked." True- It was a true statement, indeed, but it was odd. How had they gotten married if this man didn't provide his surname? How had they been together long enough to bear and raise a child for five years without considering this blaringly important information? Naomasa chewed on his pen.
"Hm. Are you still married?"
"No," and this time she punctuated her single word with a sharp shake of her head.
"True." There was no record of their divorce as there was proof of their marriage, so Naomasa assumed they hadn't been legally separated. Perhaps she just considered them divorced or maybe the records had been destroyed or otherwise manipulated. Neither thought was appealing, and it further called into question the legitimacy of their marriage in the first place. "And are you aware of his Quirk?"
"I wasn't until Izuku was diagnosed Quirkless, but yes."
"True. For the record, could you tell me what you know about it?"
"He can give and take Quirks," she replied coolly, and at this point, Naomasa considered his previous thought true: that she had done this before or at least had prepared herself to do so. "He..." And here she stumbled, but only briefly, before continuing anew, "He tried to reason with me, argue that he only took Quirks that needed taking, and that he just as willingly gave Quirks. I believed him, but it repulsed me regardless." The entire statement rang True, and Naomasa gestured so at Toshinori. His face grew grim, seeming even gaunter than it already was.
Naomasa sighed heavily, sweeping his bangs from his eyes with the back of his hand. Inko slumped further forward, tears finally pouring from her eyes as she gripped tightly at her cardigan. It seemed that this was as far as her willpower could take her before her emotions got the better of her. Naomasa could not blame her.
"I don't know the full truth about him. I've only ever had suspicions. But... he's a Villain, isn't he? A bad one." Naomasa glanced at Toshinori sidelong, who coughed into his hand, drawing attention to himself.
"I have cause to believe that may be the case. If what you're saying is true, and all of our evidence stacks up... then Izuku's father is the same man who injured me so terribly. You knew him as Hisashi, but I faced the Demon known as All for One." He placed a delicate hand over the wound, his face scrunched up in pain as though he were experiencing it again. "I... God, I entrusted One for All to the son of its mortal enemy. How could I... of all the people I could have chosen..." Toshinori slumped forward as well, resting his elbows on his knees as he buried his face in his hands.
Inko scooted closer to him and placed a hand on his knee. "My Izuku isn't a Villain," she stated with such conviction as to astound Naomasa. Toshinori nodded slightly, smiling weakly, gripping her wrist like a lifeline. Naomasa almost smiled at that statement ringing True.
"Ma'am." Inko looked back over at Naomasa. Naomasa cleared his throat awkwardly, shuffling slightly in his seat. "You had suspicions that your husband was a Villain, but you never reported anything to the police?"
Inko looked at Naomasa seriously, sharply, eyes still wet with tears. "Suspicions were all they were. I had no proof, at least none substantial enough to stick. Either way, he was already out the door by the time he told me everything, and I don't know where he went. Is taking Quirks even considered a crime? It's so unfeasible, I'm not sure there's even a law regarding it."
There was, in fact, no law regarding the taking of Quirks; the regulations regarding the handling of victims of All for One were highly classified and would remain that way for a long time. To make a law regarding the taking of Quirks would imply the possibility of it happening. Deciding to leave it at that and move on, Naomasa tapped at his notepad. "That's fair enough. When was the last time you were in contact with him, then?"
Inko looked down at her hands. "Well, physically, the last time I saw him was when Izuku was first diagnosed Quirkless. But he still called every once in a while, mostly on birthdays and holidays, and he even sent a few gifts. Actually, those red shoes Izuku always wears are from him. Also, he's been sending money to us in the mail, just enough to pay rent. The day is coming up, this Saturday."
Naomasa leaned forward, interest piqued by the possible lead on the biggest threat to peace ever. "He's been sending rent every month? Even recently? How?"
"From an American post office. Cash, in the mail."
"True. Damn it all."
If it had been any other way if it had been checks or direct deposit, or if there had at least been something personalized- but money in an envelope was the most incognito way of sending money, especially from a post office in another country. "Ms. Midoriya, how likely is it that the cash comes from him directly? Is the writing on the envelope written or typed?"
"Written, in his handwriting." True. There was the possibility of forgery, but something in this Truth told Naomasa that such a thing wasn't the case. He almost prayed that it was.
"Inko, to imply that he lives..." Toshinori wrung his hands, sweat dripping down his brow. He ran his hands through his hair a couple of times in that way he did to destress, leaning back in his seat with a heavy breath. "I killed him. I crushed his head like a grape with my own two hands. The only life I took with my own bare hands."
"So I've heard," Inko whispered, her voice quiet and reserved again. Toshinori nodded, face a carefully constructed blank- his trembling hands betrayed him. All Might was scared.
"Off the record," Naomasa stated softly, pocketing his pen and notepad, "do you know if Izuku himself is in contact with his father- or anyone who claims to be his father- or a friend of his father? Has there been anything suspicious about Izuku at all recently that comes to mind?"
"No, my baby is as good and as honest as they come. He hasn't the faintest what he's done to wrong you, Yagi. You've been very distant lately, and he's definitely noticed." True.
Toshinori's face twisted further as if someone were twisting a blade in his gut. "Naomasa, was that true or false?" He looked desperate.
Naomasa grimaced at him, trying and failing to keep a straight face. "It was true." Toshinori ran his hands through his hair again, nodding rapidly. Naomasa downed the remainder of his tea, stood, and picked up his chair, returning it to its place at the dining room table. He looked back to see Toshinori holding onto Inko's hand, talking quietly with her. Not wanting to be rude, Naomasa stepped out of the door, and Toshinori walked out not a minute later. "Ready to go?"
Toshinori nodded. "...Yeah. I'll have to rush to get to class on time, but I'll be fine. And, Naomasa... all that stuff she said... do you think she could have been lying?"
Naomasa shook his head easily. "After all these years, I've gotten good at telling even when my Quirk doesn't know, and she wasn't. I think you can trust her, and I think you can trust Izuku, too."
Toshinori nodded again, buffing up into All Might and leaping off without so much as a goodbye. Naomasa rolled his eyes.
"Good luck, Toshinori."
His heart panged as he said it aloud.
-
"It's pretty weird that we don't know who's teaching us this class." The electric boy, whose name Izuku still wasn't sure of, folded his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his chair with a contemplative look.
Mineta, sitting behind Izuku, nodded vigorously in agreement. "I heard rumors that All Might's teaching here this year. Do you think...?"
Izuku merely shrugged, idly dialing One for All up and down on his pointer finger. Suddenly, the presence of a very familiar Quirklight in the periphery of his senses made him jolt upright, earning him weird looks from the people sitting around him. An iridescent rainbow Quirklight was rushing towards the door of the classroom, carried by an even more boisterous man. Here it comes...
"I AM HERE-!" The door of the classroom shot open with a short crack, and there stood All Might in one of his signature poses- the one with his fists resting on his hips- before he walked normally up to the teacher's podium. "And I'm coming in like a normal person!" The class, save Izuku, visibly freaked out. Even Bakugou jolted in his seat, wide-eyed.
"A-All Might?! Mineta was serious?!" The electric blond shot out of his seat, slamming his hands down on his desk. Mineta had already fallen out of his seat in shock.
"This year's gonna be totally awesome...!" The red-haired boy with a hardening Quirk pumped a fist as he gave a very sharp-toothed grin.
"That's his Silver Age costume... looking at it gives me goosebumps, ribbit." The girl Izuku figured had a frog Quirk tilted her head and put a finger to her chin, her face an otherwise impassive blank, despite her words.
"It's so retro… it's inspiring to look at." The boy with the cyan Quirklight and tail Mutation clenched his fists as he looked at All Might with awe in his eyes. Meanwhile, Izuku was doing the opposite, doing his best to avoid eye contact with his mentor. Would he see disappointment there? Loathing? Indifference? Izuku didn't want to find out.
"Welcome to the Heroics class, U.A.'s great claim to fame. The first-year course is essentially Hero 101; we'll teach you everything you need to learn about being a Hero, from large-scale rescue efforts to filing reports in an office. But today, we're starting with-" He whipped a card from one of the shelves hidden in the podium, holding it forward with one big hand. "Battle training!"
Bakugou leaned forward, almost out of his seat, sporting a maniacal grin. "Fighting!"
Izuku swallowed thickly, directly opposing Bakugou's fire.
"Here's another quick lesson for you! What's an important aspect of being a good Hero?" Before anyone could even begin wondering if that question was rhetorical or not, All Might pointed to the wall. Out of the wall came several rows of mechanical shelves with a soft hiss, each lined with a numbered briefcase. "Why, looking good, of course! Heroes need their costumes, which is why you all get yours right away!" All Might shot a thumbs up to the class. "Alright, grab the case with your correlating numbers and get changed! After you're done, meet me at Arena B. It should only be a quick walk from the lockers, and you can't miss it. Don't keep me waiting!" And with that, he was gone, leaving skid marks and a breeze in his wake. Izuku picked up his backpack, forgoing the cases entirely; he gripped his bag tightly, a genuine smile stretching across his lips.
My Hero costume...
-
Izuku picked at the bandages on his fingers absentmindedly as he did some acclimation training by rapidly rotating his One for All dial from zero to ten and back. He did it to both arms and legs until they fell asleep, then his hands and feet, and then his fingers and toes.
"Izuku." Surprised by the sudden voice, Izuku almost jumped up with the dial still turned up in his toes; fortunately, he turned it back down, and the sudden pain and exhaustion made sure he couldn't jolt up even if he wanted to. Inko stood in the doorway, a strained smile pulling at her face with her arms tucked behind her back. "Can we talk?"
"O-of course! What's up?"
Inko sighed a little, shuffling in place as if she wanted to move closer but couldn't.
"It's just... I know I've been a little distant. And I know you're already worried about other, more important stuff. But there's just been a lot... no, there's no excuse. I didn't mean to grow distant. Not again. I promised I would support you wholeheartedly, and I intend to keep that promise. So…" She suddenly whipped her hands forward, presenting a green jumpsuit with a flourish.
"....Is that...?"
Inko shuffled again, looking a tad bit embarrassed.
"I hadn't meant to snoop! But, well, I walked in while you were asleep at your desk, and your notebook was still open to a sketch of a Hero costume… and one thing led to another." She sighed, eyes downcast. "I really am sorry, Izuku. I know I have a lot to make up for..." She was interrupted from whatever else she was going to say by Izuku picking her up in a bear hug. With a surprised half-yelp half-laugh, she hugged him back.
"It's perfect, Mom. Thank you. Thank you so much."
-
Izuku set his bag down on the bench, slipping out of his jacket and undoing his tie in quick succession. Undressing down to his boxers and socks, Izuku finally unzipped his backpack, pulling out the most essential part of the costume: the green jumpsuit.
It was colored deep green, almost as dark as his hair, and it had white lines accenting his arms and chest, culminating in an "H" shape on his back, standing for "Hero." He slipped into it easily; even though he had bulked up significantly, it hung a little loosely on his frame. He examined the padding on his chest and arms, relishing in the hard feeling of them. His mother had paid extra to get for that upgrade, but he had no idea where the funds had come from or where she could have even gotten it done.
Next, he pulled out the belt. It was red and had multiple capsules and pockets lining it. The buckle was also in the shape of an "H" and latched on simply with a clasp.
He pulled out the gloves, the real masterpieces. While everything else had been relatively cheap, his mother had commissioned arm guards for him from an actual Support company. Again, Izuku was left wondering where she got the money for it, but he was starting to get an idea. They were made with Shield tech, and there was only one Hero who could get stuff from Shield on such short notice. They were made of heavy white polyurethane and rode up to his elbow; they fit snugly to his arm, Shield's signature red poly-fiber criss-crossing along them in an "X" pattern. According to the manual that they came with, they were specially designed to up his One for All output, up to 20%.
Last were the simplest pieces of equipment, a filter mask wrapped around his head with plastic straps and his regular high-top sneakers. He thought they made the look, contrasting the dark green with the bright red. Comfortably geared up, he placed his regular clothes in his bag and stuffed that in a locker, rushing out to catch up with Iida. Izuku couldn't find him for a moment but finally realized that the futuristic knight-looking guy was who he was looking for. The arm chopping confirmed it.
Iida turned to him, still chopping his arms. "Midoriya! Your costume is very nice. It suits you well, although the hood is a little odd..." The hood in question was Izuku's modified balaclava, now an attached hood with protrusions sticking out of them.
Izuku scratched his cheek, blushing. "W-well, it's a little childish in practice, but I was kinda going for All Might's bangs... he's a huge, uh, a huge inspiration, y'know?"
Iida nodded concisely, punctuating it with an arm chop. "I see! I can understand your admiration. It makes even more sense for you to like him- that strength Quirk you have is very similar." Before Izuku could digress to that point, he realized they had already walked all the way to Arena B, with All Might's booming voice being their herald. It was an even shorter walk than implied.
"They say the clothes make the Pros, young ladies and gentlemen, and you are proof of that! Remember, as soon as you don these costumes, you are no longer ordinary students. You are Heroes-in-training! Jeez, and you all look so cool, too!" Izuku, still avoiding his gaze, looked around at his classmates.
The variety in their gear was incredible if nothing else. The tail guy wore a simple white keikogi and black obi, the implications of that rather obvious. Yayorozu wore a sports bra and shorts, with bracers and boots in a matching pattern, all covered by a long poncho. The invisible girl was... only wearing a pair of gloves and short boots? Is that legal? I guess she is invisible...
"Oh, Deku!" Izuku jolted to attention at the word, but the feminine voice wasn't hostile, and the speaker wasn't blond. It was Uraraka, walking up to Izuku in her own costume. "Do you mind if I call you that? Ah, sorry, is that rude of me...? I didn't mean to assume!"
Izuku, meanwhile, was too distracted by her costume to respond immediately. She had chunky, pink bracers that went up to her elbow and a similarly chunky pair of boots with large sections of padding on the soles and heel. The helmet she wore had rounded antenna-like projections from the earpieces, and the visor was black and opaque, bearing white eye-like motifs similar to Space Hero: Thirteen. She wore a puffy white bomber jacket, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and a pair of nikkapokka pants, like what construction workers wore. Her jacket was unzipped, revealing a skintight suit underneath, not unlike what astronauts wear underneath their space suits. All in all, a very space-inspired vibe, appropriate considering her Quirk.
"Uh, Midoriya? You good?" Izuku shook himself back to reality, nodding a little too quickly. I zoned out! Gah, I was totally staring like a creep!
"I-I'm good! I was just checking out your costume! And you can call me D-Deku! It sounds nice when you say it..." He rubbed the back of his head, picking at the straps of his filter mask. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mineta shoot him a thumbs up. His costume was simplistic- a purple jumpsuit and hood; a regular white pair of shorts, held up by a yellow belt with an "M" for the buckle; yellow gloves, boots, and a flowing yellow mantle. The only real decoration was the stem sticking out from his forehead, visually similar to a rhinoceros beetle. I guess he's going all the way with the grape motif... good old-school vibe.
Finally, Izuku calmed down enough to look Uraraka in the eye. "Y-Your costume is really cool! It's inspired by Thirteen, right? The aesthetic totally fits you, and your boots look super neat. They're to cushion your falls, I'm assuming. Is there a mechanism to absorb shock inside them as well? Is that why they're so chunky? And your gauntlets too, are they important, or just aesthetically pleasing?" He looked down at her, practically vibrating with wide eyes, his momentary nervousness all but forgotten.
Uraraka blinked a few times, likely in surprise. "Uh, yeah! Thirteen's one of my favorite Heroes! I want to be a Rescue Hero just like them. And the boots absorb shock, but my bracers and the, uh, neckpiece are to relieve stress on my pressure points. I get bad nausea when I use my Quirk on myself."
Izuku nodded easily. "That explains why I threw up after using it. Well, not considering the pain... Hey, do you think you could help me in training my version of it? I think my weight limit's lower than yours is."
Uraraka threw out a thumbs up, cheer regained. "You got it!"
"Alright, you zygotes, let's get into it!" Apparently fed up with waiting for the class to quiet down, All Might clapped to get their attention.
Before he could properly kick off the lesson, Iida raised his hand. "Sir, since this is one of the facilities where the Entrance Exam was taken, will we be doing city-wide fights against robots again?"
All Might shot him a thumbs up, although his smile weakened slightly. He probably didn't like getting the wind knocked out of his sails so much. "Good guess, but not quite, young Iida!" He put a closed fist to his chin, almost contemplatively. "You see, the Entrance Exam simulates a mass outbreak of weaker Villains, which is useful for testing a large group. However, it's an unrealistic scenario, further hampered by the simplistic A.I. used by the robots. In truth, the dastardliest Villains hide in the shadows, engaging in backroom deals and plotting in nefarious hideouts. A smart Villain is secretive, and a secretive Villain is dangerous! And so, for this lesson, you will be grouped together with a partner and compete against another two-person team in a Hero vs. Villain indoor showdown!"
The frog girl, dressed in a Hero costume consisting of a wetsuit, goggles, webbed gloves, and some kind of tank attached to the back of her belt, pressed a finger to her chin. "Isn't that a little complicated for a group of beginners?"
"It is!" All Might laughed, to the surprise of the class. "But that's on purpose. No matter how rough and tumble Eraserhead can be, he must see a lot of potential in all of you to not expel anyone. Therefore, this exercise is designed for a twofold purpose: to see where you stand in combat experience so that we know what to improve and to prove that he wasn't wrong about you lot!"
Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "Will you be deciding the winners yourself, sir?"
"No, not quite!"
Explosions crackled off of Bakugou's palms. "How much can we hurt the other team?
"I expect you to restrain yourselves, but it is a fight, after all!"
Uraraka nervously tapped her fingers together. "Will we be expelled if we do badly here?"
"Not at all! Mr. Aizawa only did that to scare you. He's the only one like that, I promise!"
Aoyama did a little twirl. "Isn't this cape très chic?"
"Looks good!" All Might laughed loudly, shaking his head. "I understand that you are all excited, but at least let me explain before you go shooting out questions like that." He cleared his throat, then continued, "Here is how this will play out: the Villains will be given a large dummy bomb to protect, and the Heroes must either obtain it or defeat the Villains to win. If the Villains protect the bomb for the duration of fifteen minutes or defeat both Heroes, then they win. Every participant is provided with a commlink and this capture tape." He pulled a roll of thin white cord out of... somewhere. His belt didn't have pouches, nor did his suit have pockets. "If any participant has this capture tape fully secured onto them, that counts as a detainment, and they are out. Every team gets a setup time of five minutes to plan their strategies. Finally, the teams will be decided by lots!"
Iida put a hand to his chin. "Isn't there a better way? That method leaves quite a lot up to chance."
"Think about it, Iida." Izuku put an index finger up, looking at the navy-haired boy. "When we're full-fledged Heroes, we don't always get to decide who we work with. This is an effective way to simulate that."
Iida nodded tersely at that response, then bowed towards All Might. "I see. I apologize for the interruption."
"There's no shame in enthusiasm! Now, come up here and draw your lots."
Izuku, tense and nervous, flowed with the crowd towards All Might, and he picked out a ball when he was close enough. He turned it over in his hand; stenciled on it was a capital English "A."
Izuku glanced around, looking for his teammate. She found him faster, however, and bounded up to him, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. Izuku idly examined her costume: an oddly-patterned teal and purple jumpsuit with a high neck; a pair of white, purple-tinted goggles; a mid-sleeved beige jacket with fur on the collar, unbuttoned; and a matching set of gloves and boots, both magenta with beige highlights and furred at the wrists and ankles, respectively. The gloves were fingerless, and the shoes had holes in the soles. All in all, a very wild setup, but not unpleasantly so.
"Hey, Midoriya, right? I'm Ashido Mina! You're the one with the crazy strong Quirk, right? What can you do?! Can you jump really far? Run really fast?" Izuku flushed red, surprised at the energetic girl poking him with questions. Before he could answer, All Might held up two balls, one with the letter "A" and the other labeled "D."
"Team Alpha will act as the Heroes, and Team Delta is the Villain team!" Team Delta... who did Izuku see pull out a ball with "D"...? His eyes widened, and they zipped over to find Bakugou almost growling at him, a stern scowl etching his features. Izuku almost blanched but held firm, returning the glare with a solid one of his own. This would be a good opportunity to show Bakugou how much stronger he'd gotten training with Toshinori. Finally, after another tense moment, Bakugou gritted his teeth and looked away.
Uraraka walked up to him with a placating smile. "Sorry Deku, but we're going all out, got it?"
Izuku nodded, smiling warmly. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Just a heads up, Kacchan's gonna be coming after me. He's pretty pissed off at me right now."
She gave Izuku a worried look before nodding and sticking out a fist. "Good luck."
Izuku's smile softened as he bumped her fist. "Thank you." She seemed to hesitate before walking back to join her volatile partner.
"Alright, Villain team, head inside and make your way to the bomb!" All Might handed a scrap of paper to Uraraka, along with commlinks and rolls of capture tape to both. "Hero team," he handed them both the commlinks and capture tape as well, along with a paper that turned out to be a layout map of the building. "You'll be given five minutes to plan out your strategy. Use your time wisely." Izuku nodded slightly, still doing his best to avoid eye contact. It was irrational at this point, he knew it, and he was being really rude. But God, what a scary thought. All Might placed a hand on his shoulder, and he finally mustered up the courage to look at him, and all he saw there was understanding. "Good luck, you two." Smiling, eyes brimming with tears, Izuku nodded more enthusiastically.
Turning around quickly, All Might clapped his hands. "Alright! Everyone else, with me to the observation deck! Heroes, away!" He marched ahead of the pack, leading them away from the main arena setting to... somewhere else. Izuku had no idea where the observation room was.
"So, Midoriya." Izuku turned back to his pink-skinned partner, who was rocking back and forth on her heels, her arms tucked behind her back. "You know our opponents, so that puts us at an advantage. What do we do?" Izuku clenched his fist, looking down at it.
"Well, Kac-" He stopped himself, taking a deep breath. "Bakugou is a very heavy-handed fighter. He's all big swings and firepower, but his Quirk allows him to throw haymakers around with extreme mobility. He's definitely going to be playing front guard, as he's the faster of the two. He'll focus on me." He pulled away his mask and examined his map. "I don't mean to be rude, but because of that, I think it's for the best if I take him on alone."
Ashido laughed easily, bubbly and light, and she waved a hand dismissively. "Sounds to me like you have your own thing going on. A fated duel between rivals, huh? It's almost romantic."
"No," Izuku grimaced. "I hate his guts."
Ashido seemed worried at the tone Izuku had taken, her cheery expression falling into a frown. "Uh, I was only joking. Sorry."
Shaking his head, Izuku laughed a little. "Don't worry about it. I didn't mean to say it so bluntly. I want to beat him, is all. Also, your Quirk and his are a dangerous matchup. His sweat is a nitroglycerin-like substance, which reacts violently with acids. You could inadvertently make him more dangerous or end up hurting each other worse than necessary."
Ashido nodded slightly, though there was something like pity in her eyes. "Alright, that does make sense. I'll let you have your one-on-one. Tell me about my opponent, then."
Izuku hummed at that, gripping his bottom lip between thumb and forefinger as he thought. "I don't know a lot about how she fights, but she's tough, and she's definitely going to try to use her Quirk. As long as she can get a grip on you or smack you with all five fingers on her hand, your gravity will be negated, so you'll lose all mobility if she touches you. Actually, just to be clear, your Quirk is to produce acid, right? Or is it just an acidic liquid, or basic?"
"Oh, I can produce different acids and bases from anywhere on my body, almost like sweat," Ashido said, acid dripping from an extended hand and hissing on the asphalt, "and I can completely control the viscosity and pH of it."
"That's an impressive Quirk! I guess that's what the holes on your gloves and shoes are for. Do you make a more basic liquid to glide around on? Can you make acidic compounds? Can you make solids or gases? What's your highest tolerance level? Is that why your skin's pink?" Ashido just nodded mutely, not sure how to answer all of the questions. Izuku stuck his hand back under his chin. "Uraraka's downside is that agility isn't her strong suit. She can't move well if she uses her Quirk on herself, and her costume is a bit clunky. Just avoid her hands, and you shouldn't have a problem beating her."
Ashido pumped a fist, a grin overtaking her face."It's simple, but it's solid! Thanks, Midori!"
Izuku spluttered, not expecting the casual nickname. "U-uh, so, um- I think that they're not going to move the bomb from where it's originally placed. Honestly, even considering Uraraka's Quirk, there's probably not a lot of room to move it. All Might said it was kinda large. I think the default spot is somewhere in the middle of the building and halfway up, where the building itself can guard it easily. I should be able to jump up there with no difficulty, but I think it might be better to start on a floor down, to split up the Villain team." Ashido nodded once more, and finally, All Might called to start.
"Alright, that's five minutes! Heroes, you may now infiltrate the building."
Izuku crouched down, his palms flush on the ground. Ashido stood there for a moment in confusion before he gestured at his back with a nod of his head. Getting the hint, she climbed onto Izuku's back, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Ignoring the mental image of Mineta's seething behind the camera lens right above the main entrance, Izuku charged 5% of One for All into his legs and leaped, charging a trickle of 2% into his hands. As soon as they were close enough to the window he had leaped at, Izuku jammed his hands into the wall, thoroughly sticking them into the thick material. He hissed as the concrete made an unpleasant noise against his gloves. Yanking free a hand and kicking his feet onto the window sill, Izuku flung the window open and hopped in, crouching to let his passenger disembark.
Ashido shook her hands out, jumping on the balls of her feet again. "That was so cool!"
"Thanks," Izuku whispered, "but we should probably be quiet. Bakugou is definitely after us already."
Ashido came to a standstill, clamping her hands over her mouth. After a moment, she nodded, a sly grin on her face. "Let's win this."
-
"Tell me, Round Cheeks," Uraraka stiffened and immediately started mad-dogging Katsuki as he finally deigned to speak to her. Like he gave a shit. He scoffed and glared right back with a frown, sparks popping in his palms. "Does that bastard Deku actually have a Quirk?"
Uraraka folded her arms. "You saw him throw that ball. Apparently, he only used 10% of his full power to throw it that far. Then there was him fighting the zero-pointer and defeating it with one punch..." Uraraka put a finger on her chin and a hand on her hip, exaggerating a contemplative pose. Katsuki gritted his teeth, and he could feel his face getting red.
When you were the one who wanted us to be Hero partners...
"Like I'd need help from a useless loser like you!"
"Alright, that's five minutes! Heroes, you may now infiltrate the building."
Katsuki burst forward with an explosive salvo, ignoring the cry of surprise from the extra. Another burst of explosions gave him enough force to easily kick through the door, and he gritted his teeth harder.
Did you enjoy it? Making me angry, holding your ideals over my head? Did you finally decide to prove once and for all how much more Heroic you are?
The distinct sound of a thump against a wall, along with the sound of a window opening, alerted Katsuki to the presence of the bastards that he was fighting. He burst around a corner right as the bastard Deku and his extra of a partner walked calmly around the corner at the opposite end of the hall. Katsuki rushed forward once more, a feral expression overtaking his already angry face.
"DEKU!"
-
Izuku reacted faster than he could think- he grabbed Ashido in a bridal carry and jumped out of the way with One for All, completely dodging the attack. "Ashido," he muttered, trying to stay calm and calculating. "As soon as I make an opening, run past him and go down where he came from. Remember, be careful of Uraraka's hands or anything else that she's made float." Setting Ashido back on her feet, Izuku took up a balanced, high combat stance, left leg held slightly forward. Bakugou swiped at the smoke he had created, and Izuku noted the massive fucking crater he had gouged into the wall.
"Come now, Deku. Don't dodge." Bakugou's voice had an icy quality of calmness to it, but his bloodshot eyes betrayed his inner turmoil. Suddenly dropping into his low stance, Bakugou darted forward, left arm held in front of him. "I won't hurt you so bad that All Might has to end it, but I'll get damn close!"
Izuku narrowed his eyes, analyzing Bakugou; if he was holding his left arm forward, then he would start like he always did: with a big right hook. Izuku lowered slightly, steadying both of his feet in what was a more traditional boxer's stance. Ashido watched on, wide-eyed, almost like a deer caught in headlights. Bakugou often had that effect. Suddenly swinging around with a massive explosion, Bakugou's right fist flew forward in what he probably thought was a finisher. Izuku easily slipped under the sloppy swing and threw a harsh right hook into Bakugou's wide-open stomach. His fist connected with hard muscle, and Bakugou gasped as he was flung back by the powerful blow.
Well, relatively powerful, since Izuku only used 5% to hit him.
When I was young, I learned an important lesson: not all men are created equal.
"Kacchan." Bakugou wiped his mouth of spittle as he stood up on slightly shaky legs. Izuku dropped his stance and held his clenched hands at his sides, eyes beginning to brim with tears. Dammit, stop crying...!"I'm not a useless Deku anymore. I've changed, dammit!" He put his hands back up, his eyes blazing with tears and furious passion.
It sounds like 'I can do it' where I'm from, y'know.
"I'm the Deku that never gives up! And I'm not gonna lose to you anymore!"
Bakugou swiped at his nose with his thumb, glaring. "You're holding back."
"...Huh?"
"I heard about what you did to that robot. And that you only used 10% of your awesome power to throw the softball the other day. How much are you holding back?"
Izuku blinked, surprised. This was not going how he had imagined it would.
"I, uh... not a lot? Well, uh, that was 5% just then, which is about half-"
"5 fucking percent?!" Bakugou growled, his palms sparkling with increasingly larger explosions. "Do you think I'm weak or something, bastard? You're supposed to be the weak one, ya hear me?! Stop fucking looking down on me!" He clenched and unclenched his hands, his eye twitching as his explosions grew even bigger, responding to his frustration. "You've always taunted me! You've always acted so much better than me! And I've always hated you...!" Bakugou suddenly threw his hands back, rushing forward with a huge explosion. Izuku's eyes widened as Bakugou twisted his hips in midair, and he held both arms up to block the surprise kick to the head. He managed to hold his ground, sliding slightly from the sheer force of the assault.
"Ashido, move!" The pink girl jolted out of her stupor and was gone in an instant, basic foam shooting out of her boots as she glided around the corner. Izuku gritted his teeth as Bakugou twisted again and swung low with his left hand, his palm sizzling and making the air wave in response to the heat. Izuku dropped down and jumped away on all fours, borrowing a move from that frog girl, and he skidded back onto his feet at the opposite end of the hall from Bakugou. He led with a kick that time... he never kicks. Is he trying to stop me from predicting his moves?Bakugou put his hands behind him once more, but before he could ignite an explosion and take off, Izuku sidestepped to the right, rushing into an open corridor.
If he's switching it up, then close combat will be even riskier. I know his normal attacks like the back of my hand, but if he's gonna fight differently, I'm at the disadvantage. No matter how much stronger I've gotten, I've only been training for months. He's been training for years.
"Motherfucker!" Izuku whirled around, expecting to see his opponent, but he quickly realized that his voice had echoed. Bakugou was yelling from somewhere else. Izuku let himself breathe a sigh of relief. "You've acted weak for so long, but you're actually strong, aren't you?! C'mon, use that power on me! Fight me!"
Izuku shook his head despite knowing Bakugou couldn't see him, wiping at the tears forming at the corners of his eyes as he clambered down a staircase. You fucking idiot...
-
Mina skated into yet another empty room, her frustration mounting. Though Bakugou's initial salvo rush had made an obvious enough trail of residue before, the smoke and ash were starting to settle, making misleading paths. She gripped her jacket sleeve, adjusting it in an attempt to alleviate some of her tension. It was true that her frustration was partially from not being able to locate the bomb, but another part of it entirely had cropped up as they entered the building. The way Bakugou talked to Midori was... and Midori said he hated that guy's guts. What's going on there?
Her musing was interrupted by the commlink in her ear suddenly buzzing. "Ashido," Midoriya's voice came through, breathlessly panting. Mina's heart fluttered, his voice reminding her of how it felt to be carried by him. She was a romantic at her core, after all. "What's your status?" Taking a moment to collect herself, Mina pressed the button on the device to activate the microphone.
"I haven't found the bomb yet, but I'm on the trail. Our resident Bomberman left a lot of residual ash and smoke- he wasn't trying to hide his presence at all." Mina pumped more acid through her boots, skating down the hallway and turning the corner when she reached the end of it. She froze at the sight of already-open doors, the sunlight coming through them lighting up a small portion of the hallway. "Actually, hold on."
She stepped out of her own pooling acid, tiptoeing towards the doors. She peeked her head past the doorframe, grinning as she caught sight of the bomb and Uraraka beside it.
Mina pressed a hand back to the commlink. "Scratch that, I've found the bomb. Uraraka's patrolling- I'll let you know if I need help. Ashido out!" She took her hand away from the communication device, stepping into the room as Uraraka turned away. She rolled behind a table that was randomly scattered by a massive concrete pillar. Carefully, she glanced over the top of it.
She immediately ducked back down as Uraraka threw a globe directly at her. The globe clattered on the ground in front of her. "Geez, that's some impressive timing."
Uraraka giggled. "Same to you." Taking a breath, Mina placed her hand on top of the table and jumped over it, skating directly toward her opponent and the objective. Smiling in a surprisingly cute way, Uraraka picked up a table with ease that someone with a strength Quirk might have. The improvised weapon flashed pink as Uraraka's hands made contact with it. Well, Midori didn't give me bad info, at least. She flung acid in a sort of liquid wall as the table flew from Uraraka's grip towards her. The table, made of cheap wood and soft metal, melted easily enough at pH 2. Mina's hands stung from the intensity of the acid, but she smiled through it.
"There any chance that you'll let me win?" she asked.
Uraraka put her fists up in a boxing stance. "You'll have to get through me."
"Thought so..." Mina dashed forward, a pH 9 base dripping from her hands. Uraraka shouted as she ran to meet her in the middle, reaching for a grab. Putting her athletic frame and dancing skills to work, Mina twisted on her slick hands and jumped over the brunette. However, as Mina landed, Uraraka spun around and swung her leg at Mina's ankles, tripping her up. Rolling, Mina collided with a different concrete pillar, not much closer to the bomb. "Shit!"
Her commlink suddenly buzzed, the static quickly giving way to a voice. "Ashido," Midoriya said, "Bakugou's tougher than I expected. How are you holding up?" Mina pressed her hand to the device, starting to pant as she jumped to her feet and twirled around another attempt at a grab.
"Hey Midori, I'm-" She grunted as she blocked a punch, rapidly backstepping as it turned into a grab. "I'm fighting Uraraka right now. For such a cute girl, she's pretty fierce when she's fighting. I can see why you like her." Uraraka let out a cry of surprise, blushing crimson. Mina stuck out her tongue.
"Got it. Do you know where you are, exactly?"
"Middle of the fifth floor, just like you thought. But seriously, I'm in the middle of something."
Mina flinched as explosions went off on the other side of the line. "I'll let you get back to it."
"Thanks, Midori! Good-" She dropped underneath a swing, releasing the button. "Luck."
-
Izuku crouched down against a wall, starting to pant from exertion. After a moment of catching his breath, he pressed the button on the commlink to open the mic. "Ashido, what's your status?" The line crackled for a moment, but finally, a voice came through.
"I haven't found the bomb yet, but I'm on the trail. Our resident Bomberman left a lot of residual ash and smoke- he wasn't trying to hide his presence. Actually, hold on-" The line died for a minute or two, giving Izuku more opportunity to catch his breath. "Scratch that," Ashido finally whispered, "I've found the bomb. Uraraka's patrolling- I'll let you know if I need help. Ashido out!" With another crackle, the line went dead again. Sighing, Izuku rested his head against the wall.
"Kacchan... should I have told him about my Quirk? I thought he had been almost friendly recently. I thought we had a chance to be friends again. God, should I have told him? Would he have gotten angry anyway? Can I fix this? Can I help him understand...?" He shook out his hands, jumping to his feet to continue running. "Damn it. I don't have room to think about him! If he cares so damn much, then he can-!"
"I can what, Deku?" The soft, practically nonexistent rumble of Bakugou's voice brought Izuku back to his senses, sending a jolt up his spine. He whipped around.
"K-Kacchan!" Izuku lowered his stance, bringing his fists up. He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, examining every square inch of Bakugou's body in preparation for that split-second warning.
Bakugou's hands lowered to his sides, but he didn't so much as twitch. "I'm serious, Deku. If you're really so strong, prove it." And then he lunged forward, propelling himself with both hands. He twisted at the waist again, aiming a downward kick directly at Izuku's head. Izuku grabbed hold of the leg, intending to throw his attacker, but as soon as he caught it, Bakugou ignited his left hand, using his failed attack as a source of momentum to propel himself over Izuku's head.
His right palm ignited, and Izuku's back was ablaze in stinging agony. He threw Bakugou off clumsily, moving in the opposite direction of Bakugou's momentum. Bakugou landed in a backward roll, already launching himself forward. Izuku crouched low, planting his hands firmly on the ground. He twisted upwards, weaving around Bakugou's two-handed explosion and slamming his foot into his opponent's chin. Bakugou's head rolled up, and he staggered back.
Taking the opportunity as it presented itself, Izuku bounded away from the combat, opening comms as he went. "Ashido, Bakugou's tougher than I expected. How are you holding up?" Once again, a few moments of silence preceded the reply. Izuku rounded the corner, practically leaping off of the wall as he moved.
"Hey Midori, I'm-" A grunt of exertion interrupted her, and Izuku figured she had been found and subsequently attacked. "I'm fighting Uraraka right now. For such a cute girl, she's pretty fierce when she's fighting. I can see why you like her." Izuku snorted through his nose. He could imagine how flustered that comment would make Uraraka. He shook his head in an attempt to focus himself forcefully.
"Got it. Do you know where you are, exactly?" More silence, then-
"Middle of the fifth floor, just like you thought. But seriously, I'm in the middle of something." Explosions went off behind him. He gulped down his nervousness.
"I'll let you get back to it."
"Thanks, Midori! Good-!" With a crackle, the line died. Izuku almost laughed, finding it morbidly humorous that his good luck had been interrupted, but a sudden beeping sound behind him made him turn sharply. Bakugou stood there, expression icy calm as he examined his right bracer. The device glowed orange between the green plates throughout. Ah, shit.
"It's full." He silently stared at Izuku, like a wolf staring down a rabbit. They stood there, both tauter than a bowstring, for what felt like an hour but what was really mere seconds.
"This entire time," Bakugou finally continued, voice painfully soft, "you've acted so weak and helpless." He clenched his fist, raw anger becoming more obvious again. "But you've been lying to me this whole time. You are strong! Did you suddenly decide that I wasn't worth anything more than your pity?" He aimed his gauntlet toward Izuku, pulling back the safety on the handle and gripping the pin. "Well, I don't want your goddamn pity! I don't want you to look at me with those puppy dog eyes and innocently call me 'Kacchan' as if everything's the same as it used to be! I want you fucking dead...!"
He pulled the pin, and an inferno burst forth.
As the atomic blast enclosed the hallway and roared forward, Izuku glared. He wanted to scream. He wanted to rage. For just a split second, and only that long, he wanted to pull on 100% and show Bakugou his true power. But common sense got the better of him. He reared back a fist, letting 20% into his arm as he did; with a shout, he threw a straight punch directly into the heart of the blaze, and the sheer wind pressure that was kicked up was enough to blow it away. Bakugou held his arms up, his feet skidding on the floor as he blocked both the wind and the flame it carried back with it.
The two boys just stared at each other in stunned silence, one shocked to have failed and the other shocked to have succeeded. Then Bakugou held up the other gauntlet, pulling back the safety. In a rush of speed afforded by 10%, Izuku shot forward and uppercut the device with a simple Detroit Smash, shattering the thing into pieces and spreading the saved-up sweat everywhere.
"Gh... Goddammit!" With a visceral yell, Bakugou loosed a regular Explosion, and Izuku's eyes widened as the sweat scattered from the gauntlet ignited.
-
"-Izuku! Izuku, are you okay?!" Izuku wiped the settling dust from his face, waiting for the ringing in his ears to fade and for the burns covering his upper half to start hurting. He placed a ginger hand on his commlink, staring back at the open skyline the explosion had exposed in the wall. The wall was decimated, the concrete barely held on by melted support beams, if at all.
"It's fine," he lied. "I can keep going."
All Might's voice took a second to come through, but he finally conceded. "If you're sure, then resume the match. Bakugou, I insist that you use more caution. If you do something like that again, your team will be disqualified." Looking again at Bakugou, Izuku grimaced at the disgruntled expression he bore. Then, feeling sick to his stomach, he realized that Bakugou wasn't wearing his commlink. He couldn't hear All Might.
Izuku gripped his palms. Shit.
Bakugou hissed in pain as he examined his burnt arms before he leveled a fierce grin at Izuku. "That wasn't enough for you?"
"Young Bakugou? Young Bakugou!"
Bakugou dashed forward, only for his semi-flight to be interrupted by a sudden lack of ignition. Visibly surprised, Bakugou still managed to tuck into a roll to soften his landing, but that ended up working against him; as soon as his face was at around waist level, a bright red shoe, crackling with power, smacked him across the face and sent him flying.
"You didn't notice before, did you? I'm a lot more than just strong, y'know."
Bakugou spluttered on the ground, blinking stars out of his eyes. He tilted up his head to glare at Izuku, eyes so full of venom they could kill a rattlesnake in a second. Izuku blinked to remoisturize his now bloodshot eyes, and Bakugou's eyes widened in recognition.
Izuku tilted his head in return, grimacing. "Now that I mention it, you might want to get your eyes checked. You seem to not notice a lot of things." He wiped away the hot tears that threatened to spill outwards, more angry than sad. Of course, crying is my first reaction. Fuck...! "Laughing at you? Looking down at you?! You inspired me, you bastard! I looked up to you! We were friends...!"
"I'll-" Bakugou spit blood onto the ground, forcing himself up on rocky legs. "I'll fucking kill you!"
"Then come and fucking do it!"
Izuku grinned as Bakugou took the bait, running without the aid of his Quirk, pulling back his arm for another killer right hook. Izuku sidestepped it easily, twisting and kicking at Bakugou's midsection. Bakugou just barely jetted backward with his Explosions to dodge, stumbling slightly when he landed. Though he hadn't taken many hits compared to Izuku, most of the ones he had taken were headshots, so he was probably well on his way to a concussion.
Bakugou stared at Izuku, stance guarded, his expression calming ever-so-slightly. "Your Quirk... is to borrow Quirks. Did you think... were you worried about what I would say?" His face twisted into something foreign, something unpleasant. Despite that, Izuku snarled in frustration.
"You self-centered prick." Izuku shot out his Quirklight, morphing it into the same jagged orange light as his opponent's. Grinning furtively, he held his hands out palms up, fire crackling on their surface. Bakugou's eyes widened. "Who's looking down on who here? I don't fucking care what you think about my Quirk," he lied.
With a guttural shout, Bakugou charged once more. "You son of a bitch, don't you dare-!" Izuku, entirely on instinct, morphed his Quirklight again, keeping the volatile edge of Bakugou's Explosion but adding the glowing red of Erasure. He widened his eyes, and the blond's Explosions died in his palm. Izuku held out his hands, igniting the nitroglycerin-like substance his sweat had morphed into. With a cry, Bakugou tumbled back, clutching his singed face. Izuku blinked the pain away, looking at his hands in legitimate awe.
Bakugou bum-rushed him again, this time coming in low. Izuku swung his leg, aiming to catch him in the face again. Bakugou dropped underneath the attack, placed both hands on the ground, and ignited his palms. The explosion generated smoke from the torn-up flooring, and Izuku widened his eyes. A smokescreen! A hand cut through the smoke, grabbing his face. No explosion went off; instead, Bakugou pulled Izuku into the smoke. Coughing at the pervasive air and blinking away tears, Izuku twirled around. He's trying to prevent me from erasing his Quirk...
"Hey, Deku!" Before Izuku could turn to seek out the source of the voice, something solid collided with his right arm. He cried out in pain. "HERE'S MY PREDICTABLE RIGHT SWING!" Izuku didn't have enough time to react before Bakugou grabbed his arm, twisting around and using Explosion to enhance the already devastating throw. The air rushed out of Izuku's lungs as Bakugou slammed him into the ground. Izuku bounced upwards, gasping like a fish out of water before hitting the ground and lying immobile. He clutched his chest, desperately trying to catch his breath. Bakugou scoffed, pulling out his capture tape. "What happened to all that cockiness? For someone supposedly so strong, you went down easy as hell."
"All I ever wanted," Izuku's intoned quietly, still out of breath, desperate to hold in the tears that had been on the verge of falling for almost the whole match. "All I ever wanted was to be cool like you. To be strong like you." Izuku squeezed his eyes shut, causing the tears to fall finally. "You hypocrite. You're the one who's always looked down on me." He held a hand directly above him, tensing his middle finger and thumb in preparation to flick. He braced himself by grabbing his wrist with the other hand. 20% let me shoot off air pressure, but not enough...! If I use my fingers... then maybe 100% wouldn't be so bad...?
"If it'll get you to shut up, I'll show you! Ashido, brace yourself!"
Improvised Special Move: Delaware Smash!
Bakugou took a step closer. "What do you think you're-?!"
With a painful surge of 100% into his thumb and middle finger, Izuku flicked directly at the ceiling. Without any more warning than a harsh woosh, a blast of air rocketed upwards, obliterating the ceiling he had flicked at and every subsequent one. The force slammed Izuku into the ground even harder. He hissed in pain, gripping his wrist with enough force to bruise it. His fingers were shattered, and his glove was tattered from the wrist down. The sleeve of his jumpsuit had also been torn. I didn't tell Ashido the plan. If she doesn't react quickly enough, then...
Thankfully, his fears proved unnecessary, the announcement coming through as he stood up on weak legs.
"The Hero team... wins!"