36 Chapter 35
In the wake of his match with Yaoyorozu, Izuku apologized for not being able to hold back against her before the two accompanied one another to the Class 1-A viewing area. The next match was between Ochaco and a boy whose Quirk allowed him to transform into a golem-like creature, but while his power was nothing to scoff at, his speed was horrendous.
By merely dodging her opponent's initial attack and touching him with the pads on her fingers, Ochaco was able to secure a technical victory when the boy floated in the air, unable to do anything but flail helplessly. If not for Midnight calling the match in Ochaco's favor, he might have continued floating off into space.
Following Ochaco's one-sided victory, Tsuyu, having drawn the shortest possible stick, appeared in the arena alongside Todoroki. He was already a bad matchup for Tsuyu due to her intolerance to cold, but things were even worse for her since Endeavor had appeared before Todoroki to give him a 'pep talk' before the match. As a result, when Midnight signaled to begin the match, the visibly pissed-off Todoroki unleashed a wave of cold that froze the entire arena.
Though it wasn't as impressive as his feat of creating a stadium-dwarfing iceberg in the anime, Todoroki's attack was too overwhelming for Tsuyu to endure. She attempted dodging in the air to escape the initial avalanche-like rush of frigid energy, but doing so left her completely defenseless as Todoroki unleashed a second wave while she was still airborne. She could have tried using her tongue to latch on to one of the many icy stalagmites that had abruptly formed within the arena, but she was afraid it might get stuck like a kid licking a pole in Winter...
With Todoroki freezing the entire arena, the fourth match was delayed until Endeavor, alongside a few other Pros, could clear away the ice. After that, Kaminari and Sero made their way onto the battlefield. However, as the latter had no way to counteract Kaminari's Electrification Quirk, it was another one-sided battle.
Fortunately, just as the crowd was starting to get a little agitated, Ida and Tokoyami entered the arena. The former should have had the advantage in terms of speed, but thanks to a casual remark Izuku made to Tokoyami when they were discussing training methods, the latter had already begun experimenting with wearing his Dark Shadow and using it to fly. Doing so required him to sacrifice a bit of range, but it allowed him to keep up with Ida's speed and escape to the sky when things got dicey.
Though Izuku expected Tokoyami to have an absolute advantage in the match, the primary reason for Ida's defeat was his engines stalling. His Strength, Agility, and Dexterity were amplified quite a bit while his Quirk was in use, so his perception and reaction time were simply better than Tokoyami's. If not for the versatility of the latter's Quirk, it may not have been a match at all. That's how absolutely broken Speedsters, even those who could only run a few hundred kilometers per hour, were.
In the wake of Ida's and Tokoyami's match, Bakugo and, somewhat curiously, Kirishima entered the arena. The two had been good friends in the anime and manga, but because of Izuku, they hardly knew each other beyond initial greetings. Bakugo didn't even remember Kirishima's name, referring to him as a 'dumb-haired bastard' when the former expressed his interest in having a manly showdown.
When the match between Bakugo and Kirishima began, Mr. Sparky Sparky Boom Man wasted no time in closing the distance, propelling himself with explosions from his palms. Kirishima crossed his arms and hardened his body to be as tough as granite but found himself utterly overwhelmed by Bakugo's explosion-enhanced martial arts.
Curiously, at least from Izuku's point of view, Bakugo never aimed his explosions at Kirishima directly. Instead, he used primarily used them to enhance the strength of his attacks while performing acrobatic, difficult-to-adapt-to maneuvers. Kirishima could have inflicted some real damage if he could land a blow, but Bakugo didn't afford him a single opportunity from start to finish.
("He's grown a lot this past month...") thought Izuku. And because of the recent fluctuations in his emotions, he actually empathized with Bakugo since Emission-type Quirks seemed to make their wielders unstable and needlessly 'expressive'...
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Name: [Katsuki Bakugo]
Quirk: Explosion
Current Level: 25
Effective Level: 50
[Attributes]
Strength: 53
Agility: 48
Vitality: 153
Intelligence: 81
Dexterity: 88
Luck: 78
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Though his base Level was higher than Bakugo's, Izuku couldn't deny the explosive youth was monstrously talented. His and Todoroki's base Levels were both 25, but the latter had a Luck attribute of 161, while Bakugo had a comparably modest 78. Both were Level 22 at the start of the term, so it was a real testament to Bakugo's perseverance, or perhaps stubbornness, that he could keep up with someone far more 'talented.'
("I just wonder who he's going to replace...?") thought Izuku, three figures immediately appearing in his mind. Most would believe the obvious choice to be Mineta, but if he had a choice, Izuku would expel Koda, the boy who could converse with animals, or Aoyama, the french parody that could fire a suspiciously 'liquidy' laser from his navel. The former, at least in Izuku's opinion, lacked the temperament of a Hero. As for the latter...well, he was just way too suspicious...
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Name: [Yuga Aoyama]
Quirk: Navel Laser(Vestige)
Current Level: 15
Effective Level: 17
[Attributes]
Strength: 13
Agility: 18
Vitality: 84
Intelligence: 30
Dexterity: 16
Luck: 12
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Not only did Aoyama have some of the worst attributes in the Class, but his Quirk, Navel Laser, had the 'Vestige' suffix attached. In other words, it wasn't his original Quirk, but one he had 'received' from someone. Izuku had already informed the Principal and Toshinori about this, but they had yet to take action since they were still investigating the matter. Aoyama's parents came from exceptionally wealthy backgrounds and were staunch contributors to the Hero's Association, so Nezu couldn't expel him without cause.
Simply put, Aoyama's inclusion in the Hero Course was largely the result of nepotism and Nezu's desire to keep Izuku's Quirk a secret. The latter was fully aware of this and trusted Nezu's judgment, so unless Aoyama exposed himself, there was little he could do but keep tabs on the ever-sparkling Frenchling...
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With the seventh round ending with Mina's victory over a random kid from the General Course, Izuku was sitting in the waiting room, patiently awaiting his match against Ochaco while observing Toru fight a boy with the ability to manipulate water. Unfortunately, while water manipulation was typically a powerful ability, the blue-haired teen could not produce it on his own.
As only students of the Support Course were authorized to use Support items, including a simple water bottle, the blue-haired youth's only option was to fight Toru in hand-to-hand combat. However, with the latter taking off her clothes as soon as the match began, even that wasn't an option as he couldn't see her. It was kind of hard to watch as Toru just kept shoving the boy at random to avoid being grabbed while she was naked...
*tok* *tok* *tok*
Interrupting Izuku's focus on the monitor depicting Toru's match, a knock sounded from the entrance of the waiting room.
"It's open," called out Izuku, rising to his feet just in case his visitor wasn't an ally. While that was ultimately the case, he did not attempt to attack the person who had entered his room, a towering figure with a muscular build, metal pauldrons, metal armguards, and a blue bodysuit wreathed in flames. Similar flames covered his eyes and protruded from his face like a beard and mustache, so it wasn't difficult to guess the man's identity, the No. 2 Hero, Endeavor.
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Name: [Enji Todoroki]
Quirk: Hellflame
Current Level: 103
Effective Level: 549
[Attributes]
Strength: 299
Agility: 165
Vitality: 4,753
Intelligence: 85
Dexterity: 240
Luck: 152
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Though 'Enji' clearly had his Quirk active, Izuku was still surprised by the man's stats. It wasn't for no reason he had been the No. 2 Hero for literal decades. He also had the highest tally of reported case resolutions, so it wasn't an exaggeration to say the man had been grinding that entire time.
Interpreting Izuku's reaction as the same response most would give when meeting him for the first time, Endeavor adopted a notably practiced smile as he said, "I observed your victory in the previous match and witnessed your performance during the first and second events of the Festival. You have a promising future as a Hero, young man."
Before Izuku could pretend to be thankful for Endeavor's 'praise,' the man revealed his true nature, adding, "Unfortunately, it is my Shoto's destiny to surpass All Might and become the No. 1 Hero. To that end, I expect you to do your best as a stepping stone for his future. If you can pressure him into using his flames, I will have a reward for you should you intern at my agency."
"..."
Furrowing his brows, Izuku caught Endeavor off guard by stating, "You're even more of a douche-canoe than I expected. I mean, what even is the point of raising your son to 'surpass' All Might when the latter is basically on the cusp of retirement? You should have focused on–no, forget it. I'm not going to waste my time trying to reason with you. The simple truth is that Todoroki-kun will 'never' surpass All Might when he has someone like you holding him back. Your fantasy of living vicariously through your son's success will forever remain the delusion of a man who failed to overcome his own ego, obsessed with a rank that means nothing in the face of true Heroism..."
"You..." muttered Endeavor, regaining the perennial scowl he was best known for. "You've got a smart mouth on you, boy. Did your father never teach you to respect your betters?"
Suppressing the rage welling within him behind a smile, Izuku retorted, "Did yours never explain the concepts of dignity and setting an example for others to follow? Or do you think it 'normal' for a Pro Hero to enter the waiting room of someone aspiring to become one, calling someone thirty years his junior a stepping stone before promising a reward in exchange for getting his son to use a power he should have felt comfortable using his entire life? If you had been a better father, Todoroki-kun might very well be on the path to becoming No. 1. Now, he'll be lucky to take 'second' in even a single Sports Festival before our graduation."
Though his expression didn't change in the slightest, Endeavor's flames became much hotter, causing the interior of the waiting room to become like a sauna. He had anticipated Izuku taking offense to being referred to as a stepping stone. In fact, that's the entire reason he came over. To get the boy 'motivated' so that he might draw out Shoto's true potential. Had he known he was going to be lectured by some random brat, he wouldn't have wasted his time.
Instead of lashing out or attempting to threaten Izuku, Endeavor turned away, his grasp on the waiting room's door handle causing it to become red hot as he asserted, "As sure as the Sun rises in the East, my Shoto will be the No. 1 Hero. You may come out ahead in this tournament, but all of your efforts will amount to nothing when he realizes his full potential and accepts his destiny..."
Waiting until Endeavor was stepping out of the room, Izuku pointedly remarked, "You should start wearing a helmet from now on. I don't want you to lose what little mental capacity you have left once you fall off that ridiculously high horse of yours."
Stopping midway through the door, Endeavor took one last look at Izuku over his shoulder, committing the boy's 'smug' face to memory as he said, "We'll see who falls..." before slamming the half-melted door on his way out...
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(A/N: Izuku may wish to start wearing flame-retardant clothes in the future...)
