Chapter 37: Sports festival: finale, part 2.
Izuku got out of the rubble, All Might walking besides him.
"Are you okay?" All Might asked calmly.
He knew the power that Izuku holds, such an attack couldn't take him down.
"Yeah—" Izuku coughed from the dirt. "How about Shoto? Is he alright?"
"He got rushed back to Recovery Girl, he should be okay after a few hours."
"Are you sure? The recoil from that attack must have done a number on him."
"Yeah, he'll be fine."
"By the way, why are you staring at the ceiling?"
"... You're naked. Wear something..." All Might shook his head with a helpless sigh.
The heat from the explosion evaporated his clothes.
"Oh... Haha, my bad." Izuku directly used Blackwhip to cover himself in its shadows.
"We have to get out of here, thanks for catching me."
"So, when were you going to talk about... This?" All Might pointed at the dark tendrils covering his body.
"Oh..."
Izuku remembered that he hasn't told All Might about the past users.
He smiled mischievously. "Only when you tell mom about your secret identity, only then I'll tell you."
"... Listen, kid." All Might sighed, rubbing his eyebrows. "Once she knows who I am... She'll be dragged into my life. I learned from my sensei that you shouldn't involve others in your hero career."
"Don't worry, I'll protect her with you, you're not alone," Izuku chuckled, a soft smile on his face.
Having THE All Might as a bodyguard is such a relief.
It'll do for now. However, Izuku was certain that he'll unlock 100% and more of OFA in a few years so he's fated to surpass him.
Unfortunately, that man was hell bent on fucking with him.
"..." AllMight stared at him, his expression unreadable. "... Say... Are you really trying to be the next symbol of peace? Can you endure it?"
Izuku paused, his expression thoughtful.
Can he? Change the world for the better?
Why not? If a man did it before him, then why shouldn't he be able to? He'll fix this world and mold it into his own image of peace.
Reformation. That was the easiest way to control the huge amount of villains. But, how?
Villains are not easily controllable. Each and every one of them hold a valid point that they can make.
"Yeah. I can surpass you," Izuku stood still as he gazed at his eyes.
The two men stared at each other, a silent conversation between their gazes.
"... Very well. I'll tell the world about you, don't be surprised when I give you the samurai honor later, " All Might chuckled, imagining what will happen next.
Samurai honor or Bushido. It is the act of attacking your successor in front of a crowd of people to show his worthiness.
If he can tank the attacks, he's worthy to inherent the mantle of the strongest, if not...
He can still be a hero, just not the hero.
"Heh. Bring it on old man," Izuku walked out of the hole in the wall, All Might accompanying him slowly.
The crowd cheered with visible relief as they saw him without any injuries, only his clothes got torn.
This had an effect though, as Izuku's body was fully revealed except for his pants, spectators instantly noticed his incredibly compact muscles that told many stories about his commitment and self-control.
It was admirable and... Incredibly sexy! The women instantly took out their phones, shooting hundreds of photos at the V-shaped torso and the visible abs!
"Disgusting horndogs..." a man spat out with disdain, opening his phone to stare at boobs.
"..."
However, the men who had experience in the body and its anatomy were utterly confused. How can a kid this young reach such a body? It was as if it was sculpted to reach perfection. This should take a minimum of 10-20 years! How?
This was the effect of the minor healing potions, it gave him a body that should take years to achieve! While it simply recovered his exhausted body, it also healed his muscles! This gave him the ability to achieve so much in so little time.
Well, even if he didn't get the healing vials, he still has Recovery Girl and if he combined her with Stamina III, he'll never run out of energy for her to heal him, effectively making her an infinite healing potion.
Luckily, Recovery Girl couldn't hear his thoughts or she would be coughing blood for days.
"So, am I good to go?" Izuku asked with a pensive expression as recovery girl retracted her lips from his face.
"Go and for the love of whatever you love, stop sending patients my way!"
"Right, right, I'll try," Izuku nodded. "Now about that candy..."
"..."
Shameless. That was her one thought.
"Here, although you don't deserve it."
"How cruel!" Izuku snatched the candy jar, instead of the offered piece of candy.
"Thanks!" he skedaddle out.
"Wait—" Recovery Girl watched as he disappeared from view, as if teleporting out.
".... BRAAAATTT!!!"
---
"I need 5 of them," AFO said as he gazed at the pods.
He was inside the lab, besides him was Garaki.
"Five? didn't you say three earlier?" Garaki raised an eyebrow, confused.
3 High-end Nomu for someone was an overkill, it'll alarm nearby nations of their existence.
Now he wants five?
"Three won't be able to cut it, I'll need more."
"But why? My precious Nomus are an incredibly powerful weapon, I have many ways to take down All Might using only two."
"Not for the big oaf. It's for the little gremlin. I watched his performance, his control over my brother's Quirk reached a high point, he will surpass All Might-o soon."
Izuku Midoriya. An Unforseen variable to his plans.
'Each and every one of them... Spending their puny lives away just to disturb mine... '
AFO wondered why the vestiges didn't just leave him alone, at first he didn't attack anyone they knew, leaving them to their devices but they still had to trouble him, preaching naive things about equality and righteousness.
Such concepts change with time, it wasn't his fault that he was born in an era that had different ideals.
As they kept on disturbing him, he was forced to kill them. Over and over and over again.
"Well... Even if you say so, five is an overkill for a little kid.."
"Garaki,"AFO's voice turned cold sharply. " Do as told, I don't care if the 9th dies, I can extract his Quirk from his corpse."
Simular to how he made Kurogiri, he can manipulate the Quirks of dead people, stealing, giving, or forcefully activating it.
This was his advantage, using this method, he stole countless Quirks throughout the years, going to cemeteries and seeing freshly dead corpses.
However, nowadays, he is disgusted of such actions and is not willing to degrade himself to such a degree anymore.
AFO is a prideful man.
Stealing from the dead was something that he frowned upon. He didn't wish to use it unless absolutely necessary.
However, stealing his brother's Quirk from the corpse of Izuku Midoriya was okay on his book.
Otherwise, Izuku Midoriya will be strong enough to kill him in no time.
"... Well, if you say so. But I must warn you about using too many Nomus, it'll alarm other nations of their threat. You don't want her to come to Japan, do you?"
"It... Doesn't matter. All I want is to get my brother back."
"You mean his Quirk?" Garaki raised an eyebrow.
AFO grinned sadistically, his teeth showing in a devious grin.
"Yes... Once I get my brother's Quirk... I'll be INVINCI—"
---
"Well, well, well... " Izuku cracked his shoulders, standing opposite of Bakugo.
Bakugo stared at his opponent with a stoic expression.
This will be a test. A test of everything that he ever achieved throughout his life.
A more than worthy opponent. Someone who he regrettably treated like a lesser person.
He treated him like a pebble in the past, a stepping stone that kept on growing from a pebble to a rock and then a bloody meteorite.
And now, his past is facing him, and it's not happy.
"To be honest with you, I first thought about breaking your leg for breaking Uraraka's leg but I decided not to since it was a fair fight. However, I have one thing to ask you," Izuku took a deep breath, relaxing his stance. "Why didn't you dodge her attack? Why did you retaliate against her, breaking her leg?"
"..." Bakugo frowned, thinking.
He could have dodged the last attack and avoided hurting her but he didn't. Reason? To win.
By not dodging her, he insured that she'll continue her attack, landing on his trap." I did it to win. I didn't dodge because I wanted to defeat her as fast as possible, my shoulder got hurt pretty badly." Bakugo stared at his eyes earnestly.
Nothing personal, it's just how it is. This festival was a showcase of their abilities and she displayed plenty of her abilities.
Now it's his turn.
"... Fine. You broke her leg to win, I got it," Izuku nodded in understanding, watching as the countdown was reaching zero.
'An eye for an eye.'
"I'll break your leg to win," his expression hardened. "And the worst part? I won't use my Quirk to do it, I'll humiliate you today."
'And I'll put some dirt in your eye.'
Time to display some of the martial arts that he perfected using his Sharingan.
His eyes slowly swirled, turning crimson red.
"Begin," Aizawa calmly announced the beginning of the last match.
The arena turned silent. Not because the crowd stopped roaring, no, it was because Izuku was so focused that he blocked out everything else.
Everything was so slow and quite that Izuku could hear his heartbeat and his breathing.
Total concentration.
his body was thrumming with controlled fury. Across from him stood Bakugo, his usual explosive bravado replaced with something colder, sharper.
He heard it loud and clear, Izuku intended to not use his Quirk against him.
Such disrespect and disregard for him made him shake furiously.
This wasn't the reckless Bakugo who charged headfirst into battle. No, this Bakugo was hunting for something—an excuse, a reason to force Izuku's hand, to make him use it.
But Izuku wouldn't give him one.
Not after what he had done to Uraraka.
Bakugo moved first.
A blast rocketed from his palms, sending him soaring toward Izuku with blistering speed. A right hook, followed by an explosion meant to disrupt Izuku's footing.
Izuku didn't move.
His Sharingan spun. Every micro-movement, every twitch of Bakugo's muscles, played out in slow motion in his mind. He sidestepped, barely shifting, letting the explosion roar past him.
His fingers moved.
A precise strike to Bakugo's exposed wrist, sending jolts of electricity to his hand.
The blast in Bakugo's palm misfired wildly into the sky.
"... What..?" Bakugo stared at his shaking hand in shock.
He knew what this was, it was a nerve disruption attack.
But how? When? Why?
'How in tarnation does he know that?'
Bakugo blew an explosion onto his hand, the Shockwave dispelling the effects of the attack.
Izuku chuckled.
"You're not using it," Bakugo said, voice steady.
Izuku didn't answer.
Bakugo launched himself again, this time faking left before twisting mid-air and sending an explosion down to accelerate toward Izuku's back. But Izuku's eyes caught everything. The moment Bakugo's foot twitched, he knew where he'd land.
While the Sharingan gave him a glimpse at the future, it didn't enhance his basic speed to counter an attack.
This is where Speed III comes to play.
A flick of his wrist, redirecting Bakugo's strike. A sharp elbow into his exposed ribs. Followed by a sweep to knock him off balance.
Neji Hyuga.
Izuku was copying his style.
Bakugo barely caught himself with an explosion mid-fall, flipping back onto his feet.
"Are you trying to mock me? Is the distance between us... This large?" Bakugo's body shock with a mix of pain and anger.
"... Yeah. You're beneath me. You're outclassed in every category." Izuku chuckled with mirth. "In fact, YOU'RE WEAK!!" he gave him a savage grin.
Bakugo shot forward again. This time, he was faster. His explosions came in bursts, zigzagging, keeping Izuku from predicting his exact path.
Except Izuku wasn't predicting.
He was seeing.
Izuku dodged his attack, bending down and sending a palm strike to his chest, kicking the air out of his lungs.
"Gahck!" Bakugo coughed some phlegm, feeling as if his soul got kicked out of its body for a moment.
He created distance, clutching his chest as he breathed in heavily.
"So—" he coughed. "You won't use your Quirk, is that it?" Bakugo glared.
"Yeah." Izuku answered dismissively.
Why should a lion use his claws to hunt a rabbit? Just crush it using your weight, step on it.
"I'll make you fight me seriously."
Bakugo launched again, an explosion propelling him forward. Izuku slipped just under the blast radius, weaving through the smoke. His footwork was fluid, blending Bagua Zhang and Aikido, redirecting the force of Bakugo's momentum to the side.
Bakugo twisted midair, blasting himself into a somersault to reorient. But Izuku was already on him. A sharp Kyokushin Karate elbow slammed toward Bakugo's ribs. He barely crossed his arms in time, blocking, but the impact sent a shockwave through his bones.
This wasn't Izuku using any type of power, this is his pure physical power.
Every punch in his base form shook Bakugo's bones. This is a body sculpted through countless hours of pain.
Izuku didn't let up. He hooked his leg around Bakugo's and swept, dropping him toward the ground. But the moment Bakugo fell, his palm hit the arena floor—BOOM!—an explosion blasted him backward, flipping onto his feet.
"Come on, "Kacchan", you're making this easy," Izuku taunted, shaking his head.
Bakugo's eyes narrowed to a glare.
"... Don't call me that," he warned.
"Or what? Gonna blast me? Come on then, fight me!"
Bakugo dove forward, explosions bursting from his palms in rapid succession. But Izuku danced through the chaos, twisting his upper body like a snake, his steps fluid. Jeet Kune Do footwork kept him one step ahead, every move deliberate, precise.
Izuku charged, a brutal Muay Thai knee to Bakugo's stomach—he gasped. Elbow strike to the jaw—his head snapped sideways. Bakugo snarled and retaliated, swinging an explosive haymaker, but Izuku ducked low, grabbed his wrist, and—
Judo throw.
Bakugo slammed into the ground, hard. The crowd gasped.
Aizawa's eyes were analytical, admiring the techniques that he was witnessing.
Only a man who trained in martial arts could understand how many moves Izuku Midoriya used in this fight.
Bakugo screeched, flipping to his feet, his palms blazing.
"YOU—"
BOOM!
He rocketed toward Izuku, this time twisting his entire body midair. A devastating spinning explosion came down like a meteor—but Izuku met him head-on.
Enough dodging.
He planted his feet and threw up his arms in an X-block, absorbing the force.
This shouldn't be possible but Protection III allowed him to do it without harm.
The moment Bakugo landed, Izuku countered—a devastating Wing Chun chain punch series hammered into his guard, forcing him back.
Izuku sidestepped an incoming explosion, closing the gap with terrifying speed. His hand shot forward—claw grip strike to the throat—but at the last second, he stopped just short, tapping Bakugo's neck instead.
Bakugo froze.
He knew.
That would've been lethal.
He swallowed.
The crowd watched with fear, clutching their own throat and swallowing.
Izuku grinned. "Boom boy, you're getting slow."
"SHUT UP!" Bakugo threw a desperate explosion, but Izuku anticipated it. He weaved through, caught Bakugo's wrist, and dislocated his shoulder with a brutal armlock.
Bakugo screamed in pain. The crowd went silent as they observed the fight.
But Izuku wasn't done.
A blinding-fast Taekwondo spinning heel kick smashed into Bakugo's jaw, sending him sprawling.
Bakugo's head moved aimlessly, his brain rattled by the impact.
Deciding to end it, Izuku directly delivered the final hit, a muai thai low shin kick to his leg, directly breaking his bone upon impact.
"Guhk—Aaaaahh!!?" Bakugo clutched his leg and roared in pain, the skin of his leg began to swell rapidly, turning dark purple.
He had high pain tolerance but he wasn't on the level of Izuku Midoriya, he couldn't willingly break his bones like him.
No one was.
"You're lucky I didn't use Krav Maga."
Izuku directly punched the screaming Bakugo, knocking him out and throwing him outside the ring with a cold expression.
Silent. So silent you could hear a pen drop.
He muscular chest heaved, hands clenching into fists as he stood in strength, looking at the announcer, the crimson eyes dispersed, leaving behind an ominous glowing green eyes.
The crowd stared in shock at the scene, disbelief coloring their expression.
The last fight wasn't an intense ultimate showdown of the strongest Quirks, no. It wasn't even about Quirks. It was a one-sided beat down.
One side could predict everything, counter with ease, easily handle the other side's Quirk and possessing countless martial arts froms.
The other was a disliked kid for his attitude but powerful nonetheless, strong Quirk, strong body, strong mouth.
However, no matter how much the crowd hated Bakugo's personality, they all sympathized with him, feeling sorry for what happened to him.
Present mic awoke from his stupor, he rushed in. "Bakugo is unable to continue! The winner is—Midoriya Izuku!"
He clicked a button, closing the mic. "Aizawa... Your students are scary..."
"... For once, I agree. That kid's a problem," Aizawa felt a nervous drop of sweat fall from his forehead.
No Quirk. Defeating one of the strongest students without even using his Quirk.
Even he, a pro hero couldn't do that.
'This is beyond being the best, this is an undisputed monster.'
Izuku raised his hands and jumped cheerfully, his cold expression changed to a warm exhilarated smile as he faced the crowd.
Personality shift, mode: Luffy.
'A smart monster.'
The stadium erupted with powerful cheers, marking the end of the sports festival.