Chapter 18
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" repeated Rin, over and over again as she continued to beat Shirou over the head with a pillow that she had found. Shirou meanwhile barely found the contact distracting as it belted over his crown time after time as he sat down at the table and focused on the small television that was in the waiting room. On the screen, Ojiro was successfully closing the distance between himself and Aoyama, the laser wielding student beginning to panic at the thought of the battle going into close combat.
That would be something that Shirou focused on when next the two of them came face to face.
"Just what were you thinking you idiot!" shouted Rin, charging the pillow with enough magical power that when she next connected with Shirou's head, the resulting blow nearly sent his forehead careening into the table. Shirou did manage to barely prevent himself from suffering more damage before calmly exhaling, sitting upright once more before turning to look at Rin.
"If you'll calm down, I'll tell you exactly what I'm thinking," said Shirou, gesturing for Rin to take a seat across from him. Rin held her ground for a handful of seconds before relenting and taking the offered chair, placing the pillow she had been using as a weapon on the aforementioned chair before seating herself. "Are you calm?"
"I will be if you pull a miracle out of your ass and give me a satisfying reason as to why you decided to play your ULTIMATE..."
"Calm down," ordered Shirou, his voice raising the slightest of amounts before Rin could begin her tirade once again.
"Fine," grumbled Rin, crossing her arms across her chest before falling silent, her mind already made up that nothing Shirou said would be acceptable as an excuse.
"What are you doing?"
"What am I doing?" Rin said, her voice leaking vengeful retaliation as she found her fist clenching.
"What are you doing?" repeated Shirou before elaborating. "This world isn't governed the same way ours is. We don't need to be cautious that any move we make will be monitored by Clock Tower or any other construct that would see our actions as breaking the secrecy of magecraft. All we need to do is say that it is simply our 'quirks' developing. I know you hate that word and referring to your magecraft as such but it is a gateway that allows you to be you without having to hide a part of you."
"I know you could have worded that better," stated Rin, getting mildly frustrated by Shirou's inability to state what he wanted to say clearly.
"Probably, but my point still remains," said Shirou. "We got thrown into this world without any warning. I've adapted. I'm enjoying teaching kids how to better themselves and their ability while they chase similar dreams to what I had growing up. Going out and doing what I want, this world is something I have found a place in. You haven't." Shirou paused momentarily as he watched the tension in Rin's body lacken ever so slightly. "You are still trying to control everything around you, myself included. Before you tell me otherwise, we've been together for over half a century, I know when you're playing some sort of game. What your end game was, I don't know but I do know this. It won't work, or at least it won't work in the way you think it will. That's simply because this world doesn't work the way you think it will. I'm going with the flow of the world around me while you are trying to take unfamiliar circumstances and force them to bend to your will."
Rin emitted something similar to a low growl as she waited for Shirou to continue, knowing that he had more to say. "Outside of whatever it is that you are playing, what is it that you want to do? Travel, relax, continue to study? Everything I felt you have done has been so centered about whatever you are chasing that the greater picture is obscured. I know you have had this on your mind for a long time and I could tell from the day when we got caught by the police. I know you Rin, you could have gotten us out of prison a dozen different ways that didn't include us breaking down the wall and painting a bigger target on our backs. Also, we fought for forty minutes before being defeated. That's all. I know you can go for far longer than that regardless of the opponent. You were going easy, you wanted us to get caught and seeing this, I went along with it. You really think that I would have taken that kick to the head normally?"
"Fine!" said Rin with authority, silencing Shirou before he said something else that got under her skin. She found her teeth grinding together as she actually tried to find something to argue against. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right, at least in parts. Rin knew she had been trying to manipulate things, for a long time. She had even been the one to tip off the police that the two of them were living in the same apartment without any supervision, which had simply been the start of the plan she had put into play.
The worst thing that she could do now would be to admit that she had been doing everything up to this point to help Shirou find a point and purpose to live and not chase the inevitable death he sought. To die atop a hill of swords. That was how she knew Shirou would one day die and she so desperately wanted to push him away from such a path. He had already spent a lifetime fighting wherever there had been conflict. She had just wanted him to stop.
It seemed that he had, at least partially. He was still in conflict, though to hear that Shirou found enjoyment in pushing children to break through their limit was something which surprised her, the conflict had simply changed. Rin tried to think back to the last time she had asked Shirou how one of his late night adventures had gone where he did his best to change what he could. She found it mildly irritating that for months he had gone out and fought before returning and she had not asked him how the night had gone. She simply looked up from whatever it was she was doing, saw that he was alright before returning to whatever task she had undertaken. Had she been that goal oriented that she hadn;t taken the time to work out what she wanted?
It was a terrifying thought, one that Shirou would never know that he had been correct in, but she didn't know what to do. What was it that she truly wanted to do? Not for Shirou, not for the betterment of magecraft, not for anybody but herself. Could she simply switch off; spend a couple months lying off a luxury island somewhere and get pampered from dusk to dawn without worry? Or perhaps delve into some texts that weren't based around thaumaturgical foundation and simply get lost in a novel?
Could she stop worrying about Shirou and focus on her own wellbeing?
Thankfully, it seemed as if Shirou wasn't expecting an answer, or at least he wasn't expecting one right at this moment. He had turned his attention back to the television where Bakugo was currently obliterating his pink skinned classmate. Maybe she didn't need to worry about him as much as she did and could actually focus on something for herself.
Still didn't mean that he would get away for making her get so worked up. Stupidity needed to be properly punished after all.
...
To say Yaoyorozu was disappointed in her performance against Todoroki was an understatement. She had been beaten...convincingly so. The blink of an eye was all it took between when the match had commenced and she had found herself encased in a prison of ice, not even enough time to craft anything that resembled a defence. Not that anything in her abilities would have been capable of defending her against such destructive power.
Sitting in the nurse's office, Momo found herself with her knees pressed to her chest as she found herself struggling to find her worth. She had entered the academy the same way that Todoroki had, through special recommendations. The skill level between however was mountains apart.
Ever the first lesson since she had taken in UA she had found her levels of self doubt forming. Ranking only eighth after having entered through such a prestigious manner had been the first blow to her ego, her confidence temporarily shattering when having to compete against Shirou in the first obstacle their teacher had thrown at them. She had recovered late into the events but by then the damage had already been done.
Suffering defeat in the first team battle had done nothing more to help her self esteem. Having tasted the bitter taste of defeat against the students who had struggled the most in the earlier assessment. Their tactics had been sound but they had been bested regardless, herself without even having encountered the most dangerous aspect on the team.
Then there had been the encounter against the villains who had brazenly attacked the facility. She, Jiro and Kaminari had been the only three who had been at the mercy of the villains who had attacked the students, their electricity wielding peer having been held hostage with them unable to do anything. It was only through the retreat of their leader did they find some manner of safety, the villain threatening them choosing to surrender than to face the strength of All Might.
Then after intense training, both in and outside the school, she had felt herself prepared for the events of today. She had found herself coming in seventeenth through the first event, almost not having made it into the top half of those who had made it into the second round. While she had played a role in the cavalry battle, the star well and truly was the person whom she was carrying into the next event. The one who had beaten her so quickly only an hour later.
What was she doing? Why was she here? Could she even become a hero?
Unfortunately, to these questions, Yaoyorozu had no answers.
...
Iida admired the atmosphere that surrounded him as he stepped on to the arena. All these people here who would witness just what he was capable of. He could not have asked for a greater platform on which to announce that the brother of the famed hero Ingenium was here for the world to see.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," said his opponent across the ring. Iida turned his head and looked at the person who he would shortly do battle with. Just because he was from the general studies course didn't mean that he should take him lightly.
"Of course, such an event comes around only so often and I may never get to be able to put on a good show in front of such an audience again," commented Iida. "Therefore, I must do my utmost best now in order to give myself the best chance of making a name for myself so early in my career."
"Well then," said the general studies student as Midnight announced the start of the match. "I wish you good luck then."
Iida couldn't help but return the well wishes in kind, only for him to suddenly find himself outside the ring, eliminated from the competition without even having thrown a strike at his opponent. Turning around in shock, Iida watched as Midnight announced his opponent the winner of the contest. He could do nothing but stand there, flabbergasted, wondering just what had happened. Across the rest of the arena and all those who had been watching on a nearby television, the answer was as plain as day.
...
"Brainwashing huh," said Shirou from his seat. "Triggered through a response in conversation. I take it he'll give up before the next round now that his ability is revealed to his next opponent."
"Yes," acknowledged Rin. "All he needed to do was get to this stage to show what he was capable of. Considering he is matched against Todoroki next round who likely won't even give him the chance to speak, he will just remove himself from the equation beforehand."
"Compared to your own hypnosis though I take it is nothing special. While powerful against those ill prepared he cannot count on them responding in the first place," analyzed Shirou. "I take it he hasn't taught himself anything else at this stage, no hand to hand combat skills of any nature to be able to engage regardless of whether his brainwashing works."
"It is something to consider, I might even put myself under his power momentarily before breaking out to show him that he needs to think outside his little box," added Rin. "What about your next opponent, the boy with the tail, will he forfeit? Surely he knows he cannot defeat you."
"He's aware of it," said Shirou. "He'll likely still come at me though, just to show that he is willing to throw himself at an opponent far stronger than him."
"That sounds awfully familiar of an annoying person I meant so long ago," mused Rin. "How he would throw himself against heroic spirits despite having no battle experience of his own."
"My, I wonder who that could have been," replied Shirou, the sarcasm practically dripping from his lips. As he pushed himself to a standing position, he rolled his neck from side to side. "I'd ask you to wish me luck but we both know that he needs it more than I do."
Rin crossed her arms over her chest, tossing her head to the side in mock disgust. "I'm offended you think so little of the luck I can impose upon someone."
"Yeah yeah," said Shirou, waving off Rin as he made his way to the door. As he gripped the handle however, his guard was let down enough that he didn't expect several blasts to crash into his back. Perhaps having turned his back to Rin who was likely still hating him after what he had done may not have been the best of ideas.
"See, why send your opponent luck when I can actually give them a handicap?" said Rin, clearly pleased with what she had done.
"Wonderful," said Shirou as he felt the curses that Rin had inflicted upon him settle into his system. Despite the illness that was spreading through his body, he knew that giving in would only further the smug look he knew was likely on across Rin's face. Stepping out the doorway, he found his bearing difficult to maintain, almost having to lean against the nearby wall to prevent himself from falling to the floor.
Worse than the feeling that was pulsing through him however were the final words he could hear from the waiting room behind him.
"Good luck."
...
Ojiro was nervous, rightfully so. Here he was, still mildly burned and damaged from his battle with Aoyama and now he had to fight the juggernaut that was easily the favourite to win the tournament. Win was too simple a word, perhaps saying that he was the favourite to obliterate the competition would be making it sound more realistic.
Here he was, a man with a tail, against someone who could make the entire audience shiver in fright by chanting some words and channeling his power. Ojiro knew that nobody would blame him were he to quit right here but now he couldn't bring himself to do it. He would go down, that was a guarantee. If he could land one hit in though, that would be something he could gloat to the world about...if he wanted to be reminded of the beat down he had received to land a single blow.
"Here he is!" shouted Present Mic, building up the crowd to the best of his ability. His words only caused Ojiro to find his nerves building even more, perspiration starting to form on his brow. "Ladies and gentlemen, the man who has bested both professional heroes and villains alike, the competitor we have all come here to see, I present to you Emiya Shirou!"
Ojiro braced himself to look at the imposing figure marching towards him, every step sentencing him to a painful fate. Only to find himself oddly surprised to find Shirou struggling with his walk to the ring. His steps were small, shaky almost. Had whatever he had done in the opening bout against his friend sapped away at his strength? If that was the case, it only made what he was trying to do slightly more terrifying.
Other than fear though, was an emotion that Ojiro had effectively given up on. Hope. If Shirou wasn't at his peak (and preferably around ten percent of his potential) then Ojiro found himself believing that he might very well have a chance.
It seemed he wasn't the only one that had noticed that Shirou wasn't at his peak. Midnight had approached him and Ojiro could just hear her asking him if he wished to continue. The approval Shirou gave for the fight to go ahead was defiant and Ojiro found himself bouncing on his toes. One strong blow to knock Shirou off balance would be enough to tip the advantage completely in his favor and he could potentially knock him out of bounds.
So lost in his thoughts, Ojiro nearly missed the start as Midnight signalled for the two of them to begin. Not giving Shirou the time to compose himself properly, Ojiro charged forward, crossing the distance between them in only a handful of seconds. Launching himself, Ojiro twisted and allowed his tail to turn at high velocity. Somewhat unexpectedly, the blow was dodged with Shirou stepping backwards to prevent the muscular limb from connecting with his ribs.
That was something of a sign for Ojiro. Shirou had dodged his attack. Not blocked, parried, countered or anything which led to immediate defeat. He had dodged it.
Carrying on the assault, Ojiro launched at Shirou with repetitive attacks, whilst mostly centred about his tail, the teenager included a random assortment of kicks and punches into the mix to try and catch Shirou off guard. Every blow however was dodged, barely in some cases which only served to spur Ojiro on more since he was slowly pushing Shirou closer to the edge.
Leaping up and twisting in midair, Ojiro tried to bring his tail crashing down atop Shirou's head only for the limb to strike, unfortunately it wasn't true. Shirou had raised his arms up to prevent the blow from doing any sort of real damage. If anything, Ojiro felt as if he had taken more damage in that exchange than Shirou had.
Leaping back to give himself some space, Ojiro looked at the state of his opponent. Shirou still looked worse for wear, as bad as Ojiro had ever seen him. HIs stance however had firmed if only a little and the teenager had to remind himself that the person in front of him had faced off and defeated enemies far stronger than he was.
Still though, he had to strike while he still had the chance to do so. Rushing forward, Ojiro lunged at Shirou in the hopes of tossing him over the edge of the arena and winning via a ring out. When he struck Shirou however, he found him to be immovable and a single thought swiftly rushed through Ojiro's mind.
His window of opportunity had just slammed shut.
Shiro crafted a weapon, one which Ojiro was more than familiar with though one which nobody in the arena would understand the fear of. Torashinai, the wooden training sword that Shirou had used to defeat him and his peers repetitively on a day to day basis. He could almost hear the anguish and despair from some of his classmates over the sound of the crowd.
"It seems as is Shirou has been toying with Ojiro, even now not even producing one of the more dangerous weapons we know he has at his disposal," announced Present Mic, though Ojiro saw it differently. If anything, Shirou opting to bring out that weapon from his arsenal as opposed to the hundreds that he himself had admitted to having at his beck and call meant that he saw this as nothing more than training.
Here, on this stage and even in the condition that he was in, Shirou was still trying to train Ojiro. The will to forfeit crept into Ojiro's mind but he couldn't bring himself to do it, not after having come this far. Steeling his nerves, he charged forward once more knowing the sensation of defeat he was soon to feel.
Chapter 19
Shirou's breaths were short and shallow, his grip on Torashinai firm despite the sheen of sweat that covered his body. His vision and hearing were hazy at best, Ojiro looking very little like the human Shirou knew him to be. Thankfully he was able to distinguish between him and the background which helped, epsecially as he ducked beneath the kick that had shot past where his head was only moments prior. From his crouching position, Shirou poured shaky strength into his legs, able to utilize the leap to avoid Ojiro's follow up strike. With the tail strike avoided and Ojiro's back open, Shirou lashed out with a thrust, striking Ojiro square in the back of his right shoulder.
Shirou landed, just capable of maintaining his footing as Ojiro struggled with the blow having knocked him forward. Turning around as quickly as he could, Ojiro raised his arms to block his face from the follow up strike that was coming. Or at least should have been coming. Slowly Ojiro lowered his guard, shocked that Shirou hadn't followed up on the clear opening that had been there for him. Instead, the swordsman had remained where he had stood, seemingly content to take those few extra seconds to try and recover from whatever was ailing him.
Realizing that he still had to make use of the advantage that was available to him, Ojiro moved forward once again, darting from side to side to try and gain some sort of surprise against Shirou. Darting to Shirou's left, Ojiro struck out at Shirou's exposed ribs only for Torashinai to be brought up and to strike the exposed limb, knocking it off target. Off balance once more, Ojiro could only flounder about and brace himself as Shirou's foot rocketed up and struck him in the arm with almost enough strength to knock him off of his feet.
The follow up blow was.
Ojiro bounced off the ground, quickly getting back to his feet and raising his guard to protect his face only for Torashinai's pommel to be driven into his abdomen. The air having been swiftly knocked out of him, Ojiro couldn't help but double over. "You...always guard your face," said Shirou softly, between heavy breaths. "You don't look...at where the blow...is going to land."
Ojiro could only respond with a groan of frustration as he took a couple of quick steps back to try and gain some kind of distance between himself and Shirou only to find the tip of Torashinai held against his neck. It was a position which was common in Shirou's training sessions, a symbolic motion that the student had been defeated and to take what they had learnt as they moved to the back of the line to prepare to try again. There was no line though, it was just the two of them, standing with the world watching.
It was a defiant move, one that would garner him quite a bit of attention due to pure grit and determination in the face of adversity. As Ojiro turned his head up to look at Shirou, his hand slowly came up and pushed the weapon away from his body.
He would not give up with so many people watching. True heroes didn't give up, no matter what challenge they were confronted them. Straightening himself to see the look of approval Shirou was sending him assured him that he had done the right thing. Even if the consequential beatdown would result in him somewhat humiliated in front of such a large audience, his heart and soul was in the right place.
...
Midoriya watched from his seat amongst his peers as Ojiro was stretchered out of the arena with Shirou having been announced the winner. There was little fanfare from those in attendance, having not really enjoyed having watched such a one sided affair, despite how much heart Ojiro had shown during the fight. While Ojiro had been fighting til the bitter end against all the odds, Shirou had been deliberately taking his time, the bout nearly taking the whole fifteen minutes of allotted time.
Midoriya had been taking notes, or as much as he could throughout the battle. Previous pages had far more details regarding the other battles that had taken place. There just really wasn't much that he could say about the fight that wasn't common knowledge at this point. Credit did have to be given to Ojiro though, his willpower to fight to the very end was admirable despite the fact that his chances of victory were minimal from the beginning.
The next bout would likely be more entertaining visually than the one sided affair that had just taken place. That being said, this fight would likely also be one sided, Bakugo having been merciless in his original bout against Ashido. The acid quirk wielding teenager had fought valiantly but there was just too much of a difference in destructive power. Now Bakugo would be competing against Kirishima. Despite the fact that the two of them had been on the same team during the cavalry battle, Midoriya knew that Kaa-chan wouldn't go easy against his former teammate.
That being said, Kirishima's sturdy body would be able to remain strong against Bakugo's explosive power. It was just a question of whether or not Kirishima's hardening quirk would be capable of withstanding the storm that was coming his way for long enough of a time to mount something of a comeback. They had learnt recently that Kirishima's defensive strength was not as great as he had once believed.
Shirou had been able to break such a formidable defence with only the wooden training sword that he had just defeated Ojiro with. Midoriya could not even bring himself to mention the name of the weapon that had bludgeoned the entirety of his class time and time again.
That was something that Midoriya had written in another book back at his house. One which he knew he couldn't fill with any other details considering how much there was still likely to come.
Shirou's weapons.
On every left page was the drawing, or in some cases multiple drawings of the weapons that Shirou had brought into reality through the use of his quirk. When he had mentioned names of certain weapons, it never sounded as if he had bestowed said weapons with the names himself. They had been named beforehand, by their original owner.
It was such a weird thing to think about.
To prove Shirou's quirk, not that he doubted him in the first place, Midoriya had looked through the National Museum's database and had found an image of one of Masamune's blades. More specifically, the identical katana that Shirou had crafted on the bus before the villain attack. He was able to garner a huge amount of details from the database to the point where that page was filled to brim with notes about the weapon itself.
Other weapons had produced far less information. The giant stone blade that Shirou had crafted in his battle against the older student who had battled naked (a sight Midoroya believed he would never be able to get out of his mind). Rough notes and mere speculation was all that Midoriya could conjure and the facts were likely far from what he had put down. While Shirou was able to utilize such a weapon in the way he had, the original user had to be at least a dozen feet in height and the strength to use such a heavy weapon cleanly meant their strength was incredible to put it lightly.
It was speculation. Nothing more than that but it was terrifying to imagine such a character utilizing the monstrous weapon with ease.
"Introducing first..."
Present Mic's voice booming across the arena snapped Midoriya back to reality as he watched his peers step onto the arena. The grip on his utensil tightened ever so slightly as he prepared to write down whatever he could. There was still so much he could learn from the upcoming fights. While the notes he took would be offered to those willing to take some manner of advice he was able to give, they were also to be used in his own rights. There would be battles moving forward and Midoriya wanted to know both how to fight against and with his peers in combat training.
There was still much ahead after all.
...
With cold water crashing against his face, Shirou took in deep breaths as he felt his inept magical energy purging the curses from his body. The damage that had been inflicted upon his system was slowly being repaired piece by piece. At least he could see properly again.
And one of the things in his waiting room that was quite easy to see was that Rin had left. When he had entered the room he had already been preparing to trace a plethora of weapons in order to shield himself against a number of spells that Run could have potentially sent his way. The fact that his longtime companion had opted to leave during his match wasn't surprising really. Even with the handicap in place she likely knew that he would still walk away victorious and had likely vanished to simply avoid further confrontation.
Taking a seat, Shirou rubbed at his eyes as he replayed what he had said to Rin. He had been as blunt as he was able, which was how he had needed to convey his message. If he had danced around the topic then Rin wouldn't have taken his words seriously and would have dismissed them with a flick of her hand.
Looking up at the small television, Shirou was glad to see that Kirishima was successfully holding his own against Bakugo, at least for now. Every second that passed by was another second that his body would work to reject the curses from his system. Kirishima just so happened to be an optimal candidate for buying time.
Bakugo would be an interesting challenge for Shirou, not so much in terms of difficulty but more so in teaching both him and the world that he wasn't the top dog that he made himself out to be. Back when he had defeated him with ease, Shirou had been able to stop Bakugo's tendencies if only for a moment. Whether or not he would be able to get the boy to submit as opposed to fighting til unconsciousness was the question. Ojiro had not had anything to lose, hence why he had refused to give in. In Shirou's eyes, Bakugo had a lot to lose.
Even watching him on the screen, Bakugo seemed to be doing his utmost to decimate his way through Kirishima's defence, ignoring any potential retaliation that could come his way. He wanted to prove a point to all those who were watching that he was not somebody to be overlooked and left in the shadows of anybody around him.
That being said, unless Bakugo was delusional in his self belief, he couldn't believe that he could successfully overcome the gap between the two of them. If he still had something to prove at the end of this bout, which unfortunately looked as if it was coming to an end, then it would be interesting to see how he approached his upcoming bout.
Shirou just hoped that the following contests would still allow him some manner of time to be in top condition once more, or at least as close to it as necessary.
...
Ryuko watched on from the stands where the first year students were duking it out. Many would have thought that with her being here watching these pupils instead of the third years was that she was scouting for a new apprentice. That being said she had seen quite a few students whom she could envision leading in the times ahead, that wasn't the reason why she was here.
Though she believed many of the professional heroes in attendance were here to watch the same student she was. Everything else was side value.
While his second bout hadn't shown them anything that they weren't aware of, the first fight had definitely shown everybody that Shirou was still hiding something. It wasn't surprising that he had been hiding something when combating the professional heroes, everybody had an ace up their sleeves. Being in the top ten heroes hadn't meant she had been immune to the feelings of intense pressure that had washed across the stadium. While many of her peers had prepared to either leap to combat or help those in attendance evacuate the arena to safety, she had remained transfixed on the two people in the centre of the ring.
Or more importantly, the person who had been standing across from Shirou as such powerful waves of energy blasted in all directions. Rin not only had been able to stand in such proximity without little more than a flinch, she had even retaliated. Ryuko theorized that not only had the young girl seen that part of Shirou's technique, she had witnessed it in its entirety.
While they had not been able to witness what she was capable of, Ryuko and likely a lot of people in attendance understood that Rin was strong. Terrifyingly so. When she had been fighting alongside Shirou, she had looked as if she was there simply in a supporting role. In those few moments however it seemed as if she was capable of more, so much more.
The fact though that she had chosen to enrol in the General Department of U.A as opposed to signing up to be a hero or perhaps finding her feet in another area. It was a waste of potential, one that she sincerely hoped that Rin would be able to find her way through. She still recalled how the girl had acted when she had been stuck in the hotel room with herself, Midnight and Uwabami. Her cold demeanour, which while it may have been brought on from having had to deal with Midnight for an extended period of time, would mean that it would be difficult for her to forge connections. She didn't seem like the kind of person to simply open herself up to anyone.
Ryuko wished the best for the girl, she truly did. Someone with that much potential to make a difference in the world should be given the best possibility to truly strive towards what she wanted to do in life. That however begged a curious question, one which likely tied in to why she had chosen to become a student in frankly one of the most boring courses U.A had to offer.
What did she want out of life? Did she know what she wanted out of life? Most troubling of all, did she need someone to show her what she wanted? If she went searching for someone to help guide her, someone who had nefarious plans in mind, would she follow them?
...
Endeavour watched on, his arms crossed over his chest as his disobedient son walked off of the arena floor after having easily dispatched his last opponent. Once more again only using his mother's half of his quirk.
Endeavour wasn't a fool to believe that his son would just open up to using all of his power. He needed to be pushed into such a situation. Thankfully, he seemed to be heading straight on a collision course where his ice wouldn't be enough to help him. From what Endeavour could figure, the brat with the explosive power had the strength necessary to force his son to use something other than his mother's quirk.
It was all just a question of whether or not the explosive kid would be able to confront his son in the finals. He would have to get past the sword crafting brat in the next bout. Endeavour needed the weaponsmith to fall in the next fight. It didn't matter what sword, spear or shield he brought to his side, nothing would be able to help unfreeze him from the tundra his son could craft in the blink of an eye.
His quirk just wouldn't be able to compete against his son. Such was the power of his child. He would be the one to surpass All Might. It was his destiny.
...
Bakugo could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he marched towards the ring. This contest was the one he was most looking forward to. He expected that everyone in the arena was also waiting on the edge of their seats to see him and Shirou clash.
He had a plan however, one which went against everything that he usually stood for. The sword crafting bastard needed to be knocked down a peg however and he would be the one to do it. Shirou didn't seem like the kind of guy to refuse a challenge. He simply needed to bait him and victory was his.
Bakugo recalled how when they had been confronted by the villains he had struck Shirou when his attack had been diverted by the shadow bastard. He hadn't pulled his punch in the slightest and his explosion had struck Shirou straight in the face and the bastard hadn't even seemed to have felt it. Since then he had been working at something new, something which would get Shirou to acknowledge him as a threat.
Ignoring the sound of the audience, Bakugo looked straight across at the bastard in front of him. He seemed weakened and the running theory was that the ultimate move he had been channeling had sapped him of his strength. Something which very well could work in his advantage.
Before Midnight could ask the two of them if they were ready to begin, Bakugo spoke up. "Oi sword bastard, let's do something different to what all these shitheads expect," he said, a venomous smile spreading across his face. "We each do one attack, one finishing blow and we determine the winner from that."
Bakugo knew that he needed Shirou to accept. In a standard contest he was beaten in strength, he wasn't a fool to think otherwise. The ace up his sleeve needed to be prepared beforehand and needed the person to be in close proximity. Thankfully his hands were already dripping in sweat from having planned this as soon as he had finished beating the shit out of the hard bastard.
Shirou seemed to ponder the thought for a while before nodding in acceptance.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're skipping the bout and heading straight into the final moments!" announced Present Mic. "Both competitors have agreed to just lay it all down with their ultimate attacks that they can muster!"
"You got no issue with me going first do you," said Bakugo, to which Shirou merely gestured for him to go ahead.
Bakugo took slow, purposeful steps until he was standing only a foot away from where Shirou was standing, ignoring the words that Present Mic was announcing over the speaker system. Placing his right hand in front of him, his left hand formed a fist with only the smallest of holes on his palm. The fist was only the smallest of distances away from Shirou's lower torso. Taking deep breaths, Bakugo could feel the buildup in his hands before he released it at point blank range.
"DIE! AP Shot!"
For those watching from behind where Shirou was standing, they could only gasp in horror as they saw a finger width beam of pure explosive energy emanate from out of his back. Bakugo couldn't help but allow the smile to fall from his face however. His attack had worked, there was no doubt of that. He had been working day in and day out to give it the greatest chance of being able to pierce through the strongest of targets. It did exactly what he had wanted it to do.
Except defeat his opponent.
Shirou still stood there, seemingly unfazed by the fact that he now had a clean hole through his abdomen. He didn't say anything but Shirou hadn't even flinched with the damage that had been done.
Now, Bakugo had to deal with whatever fate Shirou had in store for him.
Taking several calm steps backwards, Bakugo halted only to watch as Shirou's arm stretched out until it was shoulder height. A glow of light briefly lit up the area in Shirou's grip before a sword appeared into existence. It was long, really long. Bakugo assumed it was roughly five feet in length. Shirou altered his stance, his right leg coming back while his left leg bent at the knee. The hilt of the blade was brought up to the right side of Shirou's face where he gripped it in two hands with the tip of the blade pointed straight at Bakugo.
Bakugo couldn't help as his eyes went wide as Shirou struck, not once, not twice but thrice in the same instant. Three blows in a single moment sent Bakugo sprawling to the ground, unconsciousness swiftly coming to his being. His last thoughts before his mind shut down on him was of how Shirou had hit him with the flat of the blade.
That absolute bastard.
...
Rin watched the small television with disdain within the building she temporarily called home. It seemed that Shirou, in his stupidity which was something he had abundance of as of the moment, had chosen not to apply his reinforcement in taking Bakugo's head on attack. Likely the idiot had wanted to prove a point and this was the best way of going about it.
Shirou had taken worse before, much worse, and it would heal in given time. From the small view that Rin had been granted from the camera angles it looked as if Bakugo's attack had not hit any crucial organ but even if it had, Shirou would have kept that same stoic look on his face.
Turning away from the screen, the magus continued to pack her belongings away into the large bag laying in the centre of the living room.
Chapter 20
Shirou ignored the people scrambling about to find him. It was understandable that they were panicked for his health considering what had happened to him during his battle with Bakugo. The wound itself hurt, nothing that rendered him immobile by any imagination but there was still a manner of pain to be had. He was thankful that Bakugo hadn't struck any of his internal organs, likely on purpose. He was still trying to be a hero, and killing him in front of an audience would have resulted in much more than him being kicked out of the academy.
Chances were he would still be reprimanded pretty heavily for his actions, an attack of that calibre could very well have killed anybody other than himself. His return strike very well could have as well, even if he hadn't slowed it down exponentially. With the speed at which the original attack was made, even with the flat of the blade he could have easily broken Bakugo's neck so he had had to be sure to pull enough out of the attack to ensure the boy's long term safety.
Another person ran past looking for him, having not been able to see him despite having been in such close proximity. Such was the wonders of the cap that adorned his crown, keeping him hidden from sight. He wasn't going to let anybody see him and try to prevent him from competing against Todoroki in the final.
After all, he still had one last lesson to teach today.
...
Midoriya couldn't help but feel shaken from the display he had just seen. Taking a quick moment to look at the faces of his peers, he knew that they all had similar feelings of unease coursing through their bodies. After all, they had just watched one of their classmates take a would that would have crippled any of them without so much of a wince.
The level of tolerance to simply ignore such damage was incredible. Midoriya knew that if he taken such a hit he would have been on the ground completely incapacitated and vulnerable to any sort of follow up. The idea of unleashing any sort of attack afterwards would have not existed in the slightest. He doubted any of those sitting beside him would have been able to bring forth some sort of retaliation after an attack like that.
This did bring up a couple of key points that Midoriya knew had to be addressed. First and foremost was what kind of condition would Shirou be in for the final against Todoroki who had yet to take a single shred of damage in his cumulative matches. It had also become a bit of folklore around their class how during the first batch of teamfights, Shirou had chosen not to clash head on with Todoroki choosing a different route to victory by having taken one of his teammates hostage. Shirou clearly held Todoroki on another level above them and having watched him systematically destroy his opponents in this tournament it was clear to see why.
The second thing that came to mind was how much time and effort Kacchan had clearly put in on the side in order to improve himself. He had developed a technique in his own time that would render so many that crossed his path incapable of retaliating. It was an attack meant to finish a fight and render him victorious. While it may not have worked on Shirou, that was mostly because Shirou in and of himself was ridiculously overpowered.
Had the gap between himself and Kacchan grown ever larger? It was a daunting thought, one that made him bring his hand up in front of his face in thought. He could barely maintain five percent of his potential. He needed to get stronger. He had to.
...
Midnight looked at the arena floor where one opponent was currently standing, waiting to see whether or not his opposition would be capable of combating against him. The professional hero silently hoped that Shirou wouldn't arrive. He may have been putting on a brave face during that last battle but there was no way that he wasn't in some manner of pain. There was no way that Recovery Girl would give him the all clear to fight and unfortunately, she had the belief that Shirou knew that and subsequently wouldn't have sought medical assistance. For all she knew he was currently collapsed against a wall somewhere doing his best to maintain consciousness.
Since she had yet to hear anything saying otherwise she couldn't help but fear such an outcome.
Her gaze shifted to the commentators box where Present Mic met her gaze to only shrug his shoulders. Allowing a sigh to escape her lips, one that she was certain was more out of relief than anything else, she raised her hand into the air and prepared to make her call. She only prevented herself from doing so because of the almost screeching sound coming from the entryway that Shirou was set to come from.
It was the sound of steel on steel.
From the darkness of the corridor this sound rang forth, time and time again. If it was meant to be an intimidation tactic, Midnight felt like it was working. Were she to hear such a sound coming from behind her she would be unleashing her quirk and trying to render anybody in the vicinity to fall victim to her power. It was sending chills down her spine and she was a professional hero. The silence from the rest of the stadium told her that the civilians in attendance were likely being affected in a far greater manner than she was.
She didn't blame them, they knew what was coming. They had witnessed this student unleash a power which had many of them quivering in their seats before his last round where he took a devastating blow and shrugged it off as if it was nothing. Then there had been the final weapon that he had brought to his side.
When she had seen it, Midnight had immediately felt as if she needed to end the fight right there and then. That was a lethal weapon if she had even seen one and in the wrong hands it very well could have ended the life of Bakugo right there and then. To have been able to do what he had just went to show how much training Shirou had gone through. The confidence to do so as well was another thing as well. He had kept such composure that he could execute such a powerful technique without fear of accidentally maiming or perhaps even killing his opponent.
The sounds started to ring closer and closer as Shirou stepped into view, nobody in the crowd cheering as they watched on in mild shock. In his hands he held dual rapiers, the tips of the weapons cleanly slicing through the concrete beside his feet with little resistance. It was a statement if she had ever seen one. For the first time it looked as if Shirou was taking a fight seriously and it was a terrifying look.
"Come back here!"
Midnight returned her glance to the entryway where Recovery Girl was marching forward with purpose in her steps, flanked by Hound Dog and Power Loader. "That man is not medically cleared to compete!" shouted Recovery Girl pointing her cane at Shirou's back. "Do not let him fight!"
Before either of the two teachers standing by her side, their path was blocked as no fewer than a dozen swords penetrated the ground before them. "Do you really want to stop me?" asked Shirou, his back still turned to them. The message was clear, he needed this fight and nobody would stop him.
The growling of Hound Dog eliminated through the arena as the bestial teacher prepared to lunge forward. Recovery Girl's cane swung to the side and stopped him temporarily, her mind running through several possible scenarios, including the one which would cause Shirou's wounds to become further damaged. The boy wouldn't give up easily and considering his past he wasn't go down without a fight. Unfortunately it seemed as if there would be some compromising to be had.
"You will receive treatment the minute after this is finished you hear and if you miss the medal ceremony so be it," ordered Recovery Girl. Instead of answering verbally, Shirou did so by allowing the swords he had crafted, both in his hands and the ones cemented into the ground to vanish leaving only the damage they had caused carved into the surface.
Midnight couldn't help but feel uncertain about the whole situation, especially as Shirou stepped on to the arena floor to stare at Todoroki. She mildly wished that Todoroki was capable of ending the fight as quickly as every other bout. With Shirou being his opponent however, she sincerely doubted that it would be that simple.
Reluctantly, Midnight started the match.
...
The explosion of ice burst forward with about any hesitation, the coldness sweeping around the arena at a blistering pace. For those who thought the match had come to an end like many others they were proven wrong with huge chunks of ice evaporating instantaneously. The corresponding steam hid Shirou from view momentarily but Todoroki was already preparing for retaliation. A thick wall of ice forming in front of him which shielded him from an assortment of weapons which crashed into his defence, some completely piercing through but thankfully missing him by the barest of margins. The wall shattered apart in a dazzling display as the weapons dematerialized. The remaining steam dispersed to show Shirou standing there unharmed, a flaming sword with a golden pommel held in his hand.
Seven seconds was all the time that had passed.
Everyone in the audience waited with baited breath for the next moment, wondering which of the two combatants would be the first to strike. Todoroki would be the first to launch, sharp stalagmites of ice shooting up out of the ground, growing ever closer to their target. To retort, Shirou stuck the flaming sword he held into the ground. The ice, unable to compete with the heat emanating from the weapon made it impossible to breach a eight foot radius around it.
"Now what will you do?"
Shirou's question almost echoed about the stadium. Todorkoi, clearly infuriated, sent another blast of ice outwards similar to his original attack. While it was successful in covering a majority of the arena's surface in the frozen tundra he was capable of producing, it was evident that there was one area that hadn't been touched.
The arrow that shot through the wall of ice struck the wall behind Todoroki at a speed which he was unable to see. The trickle of blood that was running down from the fresh cut on his cheek was a sure fire reminder that the person he was combatting was unlike anybody he had faced before.
"You're struggling."
Todoroki couldn't help the chill that spread over his body and unfortunately it wasn't from the ice that was surrounding him. The voice was ominous and sounded as if it was resonating from all directions. The fact that it wasn't wrong didn't help in the slightest.
His core temperature was lowering rapidly and he didn't have the chance to regulate to a reasonable number while this conflict was still occuring. He only needed to break past Shirou's defence. Just one pure blast of...
"It won't work. No cold will come to the wielder of this blade."
Was that true? Was Shirou just messing with him? Did he have enough time to come to a conclusion? The sound of something whistling through the air but this time it sounded as if it was coming from the left. No, to the right? Todoroki simply acted, a dome of ice surrounding his person just in time as a dozen weapons crashed around him from all angles.
"Just so you know, I could have sent those weapons faster than you could have heard."
Was Shirou mocking him? Toying with him?
Again, no time was given for Todoroki to process this intel as the barrier protecting him was shattered, not by a weapon of any sort but a fist. Todoroki couldn't help as his eyes widened as the visage of Shirou appeared in front of him, a cold look spread across his face. He tried to leap backwards only for the collar of his jumpsuit to be gripped and pulled forward, his face coming only mere inches away from Shirou.
Todoroki's right hand came up, only for Shirou to knock it to the side before thrusting him down, his body crashing off the ground. Before Todoroki had the chance to recover he found his arm pinned to the ground as swords of every shape and style drove into the ground. The mere thought of trying to move his arm from it's position spoke of terrifying consequences.
He couldn't help the lump that formed in his throat, his strength had been taken from him and his body temperature was well below dangerous levels. Shirou stood up, looking down at the foe unable to rise up from his position with his primary weapon out of action.
His secondary option however was still available.
No, he couldn't. It wasn't even an option. He had been bested. He should just...
"If you even think of giving up you need to leave this academy," said Shirou. "Every person who has stepped in this ring today has put in all of their effort, even in losing battles. They didn't exhaust a single resource at their disposal. You haven't even used half of yours."
"You don't..."
"Whatever it is you have to say, I don't care," said Shirou, cutting off Todoroki before he was able to get started. "You've suffered some trauma or have some sort of background issue about using the other half of your power. I don't care about that. What I care about, is the day when you need to save someone and this isn't enough." To emphasize his point, Shirou did a sweeping movement over the top of Todoroki's right side.
"It's more than enough to..."
"Really, more than enough," repeated Shirou. "You know what you are? A coward. A coward who is too afraid to even think about using what he has at his disposal. Look at Midoriya, if he doesn't properly control his power then he breaks his bones yet he is still here willing to give his all. You don't even put in the effort."
"Shut up!"
"Touch a nerve did I? I don't care. To live as a hero means you have to live with suffering, not just your own but of those you were unable to protect, unable to save. How many will die because you didn't think that someone stronger than you was worth putting your all against?"
"Shut Up!"
Shirou allowed the swords surrounding Todoroki to vanish from existence, the sword crafter turning his back to the foe on the ground. "You have been bested, beaten and disgraced for the whole world to see, all because you thought you could waltz through life without even lifting your left hand. Pathetic!"
"SHUT UP!"
The temperature in the arena skyrocketed from the frosty feeling that had crept through the stands as a torrent of flames exploded upwards. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, Shirou was able to see that Todoroki was forcing himself up to his feet, the inferno rippling off of his entire left torso. "I will be a hero!" he proclaimed, his voice carrying to every corner of the stadium.
"SHOTOOOOO! So you've finally accepted yourself have you? Good! Excellent! Now this is your true beginning! You who holds my blood..."
Shirou didn't particularly care about who was shouting out in the peanut gallery, launching a dagger at breathtaking speeds that whizzed past their heads and drove itself into the concrete stairs. "What a bold move that was completely uncalled for!" shouted Present Mic, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. "Your student is toast, do you hear me, toast!"
Aizawa, for all intents and purposes, wanted to rub at his eyes but he knew the next few moments here would be etched into history. For better or for worse. Whatever was said would be the talk of the country for weeks to come.
"Be quiet up there, the lesson isn't over yet."
Definitely for worse.
Todoroki couldn't help the stunned look that had come over his face as he looked at the back of Shirou, openly gobsmacked that someone had spoken back to the number two hero in such a fashion! Had spoken to his father in such a fashion!
"Congratulations Todoroki, you've finally decided that you want to take this seriously," said Shirou, turning to face the burning student.
"This is what you wanted," accused Todoroki, knowing that his words were true. "Now, be prepared to deal with the consequences."
"Please, I have dealt with far worse heats than this," scoffed Shirou. "Plus you're inexperienced with it. You can't even think now that you've decided to actually embrace this power that you have given yourself an advantage? I had a counter move for your ice, do you even believe that I wouldn't have a counter for fire?"
Todoroki paused as he listened to what was being said. Did Shirou have a weapon able to counter fire? He wouldn't have even contemplated such a thing if he hadn't seen him produce a weapon that would shield him from heat. How could a weapon shield someone from ice in the first place? Thoughts for another time as Shirou lifted his hand into the air, only for what seemed to be his favorite weapon of choice to appear in his hand.
"Now, in the coming days you will join the rest of your peers in my class," instructed Shirou. "I will be treating you no differently than them because like them you are nothing special. I will break you down and make you rethink your entire fighting style."
"What makes you think that I need your help?" asked Todoroki.
Instead of answering verbally, Shirou charged forward. Todoroki reacted, his left arm stretching forward sending a plume of flames at Shirou. In an amazing display of evasion, Shirou dropped to the ground, sliding on his knees as he arched his back to avoid the dangerous flames mere inches from his face. His first blow struck Todoroki's leg, enough strength in the blow to drop him to a knee and temporarily prevent him from conjuring his flames. In swift movement, Shirou was able to spring up and turn in a single motion, striking Todoroki again but this time across the side of the head.
If the initial blow wasn't enough to knock out Todoroki, his head bouncing off the floor was more than enough for darkness to overcome his being. A handful of seconds ticked by before Midnight reacted, raising her hand high up in the air. Shirou didn't pay any attention to his name being called out, nor did he care as the crowd applauded him.
There was an angry woman on the sidelines wanting him to get his wounds taken care of. From experience, he knew better than to keep them waiting.
...
All Might found himself in a precarious situation at the award ceremony. What should have been a prestigious occasion felt rather bleak. Of the three people capable of receiving medals for their efforts in today's events, only the third place getter was capable of being there. Todoroki was still unable to attend due to not having regained consciousness and Shirou was in the care of Recovery Girl who essentially refused to allow him to come out until she deemed him fit to walk again. From experience, he knew that may be a substantial amount of time.
That left Bakugo in third position, the student who had faced Todoroki uncomfortable with even thinking about claiming the third place form himself having been defeated in a manner of seconds. Despite having claimed third place in the competition, he looked dejected and dispirited, as if having only gotten third place amongst all of his peers was only as good as having come last.
Yeah...this really wasn't what he was expecting at the start of the day.
...
Cleansing the blade of the blood spilt across it, the villain sat upon the rooftop overlooking the city. Whether his latest victim lived or died, he cared not. He was not the one who would stop him.
There was only one Hero who could bring him to justice. The one currently being treated down in the streets by the paramedics was not the one. "You bastards don't just get it," he grumbled. "Veiled in vanity and hypocrisy, your society is twisted. Distorted. You want to call yourselves heroes? I will make you face reality!"
"I've been looking for you Hero Slayer, or should I say Stain?"
His katana was swiftly unsheathed and pointed at the shadowy figure who had approached him from behind. He didn't like being surprised, let alone by somebody who was actually looking for him.
"Hold your blade," the shadowy figure said without moving from the weapon now pointed at their very being. "We share similar interests. I had been wanting to meet someone of your notoriety. Would you grace me with but a moment of your time?"
Stain looked at the person before him and the portal that emanated behind him. Even if it was a trap, he was more than confident in his skills to be able to fend off whatever was thrown his way. Unless he was on the other side. The one he wanted to meet. The one he wanted to clash blades with. The one who had to fall by his hands.
The one called Archer.
Chapter 21-
"I'd tell you to take better care of yourself but I feel you'd ignore my words regardless," said Recovery Girl as Shirou sat up, his wounds stitched together. "You could take some time to rest and recover but I know you won't. If you tear these wounds, know that I will not be the one to heal you."
"I expect no less," said Shirou, stretching his shoulders.
"I will make the bold assumption that Eraser Head will allow your class a couple days of rest, he's probably proud of all your performances but won't say anything," said Recovery Girl as Shirou got to his feet. "He's stubborn like that, like somebody else whose name I won't mention."
Shirou chuckled lightly as he made his way to the door. "I'll try to stay away from here."
"Make sure that you do!"
Shirou exited the infirmary, or at least tried to as he pushed the door open to find himself completely surrounded by members of the media who seemed to be waiting with baited breath. Slowly, Shirou closed the door, locking himself back in the infirmary with Recovery Girl. "Have they been waiting there the whole time?" he asked of the elderly nurse.
"Of course they have, they want to hear from the winner of the tournament regardless of what condition he is in. Do you think you're the only one who doesn't care about your wellbeing?" scoffed Recovery Girl. "They're ravenous, don't think you can get out of here without giving a statement."
"Right," said Shirou slowly before bringing in an intake of breath. Having spent as much time as he had in having kept to the shadows hidden from society, it felt odd that the press were right in his face ready to ask him questions. It was bizarre because he didn't have to hide anything really so long as he used their terminology.
Was it the right thing to do however? He contemplated thinking about what Rin would have him do in this situation but considering what he had said to her earlier, he felt as if it was his time to shake things up a little more.
Opening the door, Shirou stepped through before closing the door, separating him from his immediate way out. Thankfully the media were giving him a wide berth despite how large in number they were. "Now, I am willing to answer a couple of questions..."
The noise hit him hard and fast, almost impossible to distinguish who was saying what. Raising a single hand, he ushered for them to be quiet. It took a small amount of time but the message eventually was received and there was silence through the hall once more. As opposed to allowing them to bombard him with a cacophony of noise once more, Shirou merely indicated for a young female journalist in front of him to speak. "How much pain were you in going into the final bout?"
"Nothing I haven't dealt with before," said Shirou with a shrug. That was about as honest as he could be on the topic. He had fought through with a lot worse injuries than a hole through the stomach. He turned his eyes to another reporter and indicated for them to ask.
"Do you believe that you've sent a bad message to young children aspiring to be heroes by having fought in the final round without having received medical attention for your injuries?"
"I like to think that I may have shown a glimpse of what isn't widely publicized about being a hero," said Shirou. "No matter the damage they take, true heroes will do what is best for the people around them. Yet when they go home, when they are out of the public spotlight is when they are finally free to let it all go. Their pain, anguish, despair; all emotions which would tarnish their public image. Nobody truly knows how they act behind closed doors. Perhaps they bury their pain under large amounts of pain medication washed down with vodka? If you can prove me wrong then by all means do so."
The squeamish looks he was receiving told Shirou that he was dancing on a very delicate topic. Of course he was. The people of this world worshipped the vast number of heroes who made their lives safer. To paint them as mere humans was almost blasphemous. It was true though, after all the power and all the bravado, they were people no different than anybody else.
Quickly checking the time, Shirou spoke and broke the eerie silence that had swept over the reporters. "While I'm sure there are many more things that you would like to ask, I must get to class."
"But school is just about finished for the day..."
"I still have to teach my class before the day is done," stated Shirou. The look of confusion sent his way forced Shirou to continue. "I teach my peers one on one combat training on the side."
"So you're going to continue fighting despite the condition you are in?"
"If I was all that stood between yourself and a villain, would you want me to stop because of an injury?"
His words hung in the air as he made his way through the crowd, the flashing lights from cameras crashing against his face. He paid them no mind though. The fact there were likely more lessons to be taught before the day was done was his current priority.
...
As the final bell for the day sounded, the Class of 1-A took a moment to let the whole situation of the day sink in. The entire experience had seemed to go by so quickly that it was difficult for them to process everything that had happened. It also didn't help that one of their peers had had to go due to a family emergency, something which left a sour taste in the rest of the class.
The first to move from their seat just so happened to be the runner up of the tournament and the only person who had actually been able to receive their medal. To say that some of the class were surprised to see Todoroki actually walk to the front of the class and turn to face his peers. "Where does Shirou hold his class?"
The words seemed to weigh some manner of confusion amongst the other members of class. For the first few seconds, many of them wished to state that there was no chance that Shirou would conceivably be holding his lessons today. Then they had to remind themselves that this was Shirou that they were talking about. The man who had deliberately avoided medical assistance in order to combat Todoroki in the final. The odds of Shirou not waiting for them were unlikely and the punishment for opting not to go likely would put whatever suffering they went through today to shame.
"You guys aren't really thinking about going are you?" shouted Mineta, slamming his hands on the table. "We just had to go through so many hellish trials in front of the world and now you want to all go suffer some more? We deserve a break!"
Surprisingly, it was their homeroom teacher to speak in Mineta's defence. "You make a good point, and you all should know what your limits are. There will be times however when your limits will be pushed, they will be put to breaking point. Your mettle as a hero will be measured by how well you respond in situations that make you unable to perform at your peak. Some heroes are physically unable to handle certain situations; Kamui Woods for example cannot handle any situation where fire is involved without putting his own life at severe risk. Mount Lady can only be effective in wide open spaces. These are times when the help of other heroes are necessary."
"Then there are the times where all that is needed is your own determination to see it through," continued Aizawa. "Snipe for instance is a long range specialist, however he pushed himself to be capable of conflict at small distances in order to reduce his weaknesses. Every hero knows what they are and are not able to do. That doesn't mean that they are unable to better themselves in order to have the chance to save one more person."
With his piece being said, Aizawa made his exit, his words hanging over the class. Once the sound of footsteps had vanished, the class came to a single unanimous conclusion. It wasn't a difficult one, but it was one that would ensure an incredible amount of suffering.
...
"Remember, no quirks," declared Shirou, pacing between the pairs. "We are working on basics."
True to what Recovery Girl wished for him, Shirou was taking it easy, at least for this opening part of the session. At the moment there were three fights happening around him and the students were understandably nervous about having to combat one another without the use of their abilities. That being said though, none of them were going to question Shirou's methods.
Midoriya found himself panting as his opponent bounced off the floor. Understandably, Sero was more of a long range capture fighter, so getting up close and personal was something he was relatively unfamiliar with. It had been an unfair matchup from the get go but Shirou had done so deliberately. Both the other matches were set up in such a way with Asui struggling against Ashido and Sato manhandling Aoyama, the laser shooting student trying desperately to remain out of grasp.
"Sero, out. Kaminari, in," ordered Shirou, the students doing as instructed, with Midoriya bracing himself to face his new opponent. He continued to watch the combat around him play out, Ashido overexerting herself in what should have been a finishing blow and leaving herself open for a counter. Sato meanwhile had caught his slippery opponent and Aoyama was begging for his peer to strike him anywhere but the face.
Sato obliged and struck him in the sternum.
"Aoyama, out. Koda, in."
On and on, Shirou swapped the students in and out trying to make the contests as unfair as possible. When the victors started getting tired, he'd push in one of the stronger competitors to keep the contest as viciously one sided as possible. Life was unfair and he was pushing that thought right into the minds of his opponents.
It was in these unfair situations that upsets occur.
There was almost a collective gasp as Bakugo hit the ground, Tokoyami standing over him. "Now, what have learnt today?" asked Shirou of those watching, Bakugo wiping at his chin with the back of his hand.
"That we get tired you shit stain!"
"As Bakugo has kindly pointed out, yes, we all get exhausted whether it is after one fight or Midoriya's fourteen fight streak," said Shirou, the boy in question mildly blushing from the praise sent his way. "Stamina is not something which appears overnight, it takes months upon months of consistent effort in order to better yourself. Many of you before today may not have even been hit in such a long time."
A few people couldn't help but send a not so subtle glance at Todoroki, a bruise having formed on his cheek from where Shoji had struck him earlier. Shirou started pacing in front of everyone, his arms held behind his back. "You don't know what situations you are going to find yourself in, what condition you will have to keep going in. The tournament is one example of when you have to pick yourself up in whatever condition you were in to keep on fighting, regardless of what condition your opponent is in. You also have to consider that anything you show will be seen by everybody who is paying attention."
"Even if you aren't aware they are there."
With his final words said, Shirou looked upwards to where two people were standing in the support beams. While they may have looked momentarily shocked by having been discovered in the first place, it was nothing to the horror that some of the students had on their face at having their private lesson viewed. That was until they recognized the two people who had been watching.
The first one was easily recognizable as the upperclassmen, the only female member of the Big Three who had made themselves known when Shirou had fought against Mirio. The other was someone a little more famous, one whom Midoriya immediately recognized to the point his jaw literally dropped.
With their presence having been revealed, Nejire and her mentor Ryuko dropped to the floor safely with the assistance of Nejire's quirk. "I'm surprised you noticed we were here," she said as she walked towards Shirou, the rest of the first year students who had been on the floor battling one another moving to join their peers on the sidelines. Whatever conflict that came forward they wanted no part of it.
Why did they know there would be conflict? The answer was simple. Shirou was standing against one of the top ten heroes in the country. How could there not be a battle brewing?
"Regardless if I noticed you or not, this is a closed session for training practices and unless you have something valuable to teach then I will have to ask you to leave," said Shirou.
Ryuko shifted her gaze from where Shirou was standing to where the rest of his peers were lined up, Nejire having bounced over to join them. "You think that you can teach them more than I can?" she asked. Though she had never taught officially, taking care of Nejire at times couldn't be too dissimilar to trying to control an entire class. "I have far more real world experience than you have and could tell them of some of the issues they may confront in the day to day activities of a hero."
This was a game of bravado, it was clear to see. "Real world experience," repeated Shirou, scratching at his chin. In his current form, there was no way that Ryuko was little more than a decade older than him, if that. He had lived a lifetime in conflict and battle, doing his best to save as many as he could. He couldn't explain to her the wars he had walked through but he knew they had been far worse than anything she had ever suffered.
So, he did as he did and stepped on to the middle of the makeshift arena.
Ryuko turned to face him before chuckling. It was a simple play he made and one that she had to respond to. "I will not fight you," she said as she sauntered forward to stand opposite him. "You might have performed admirably, if not foolishly, in the competitions today but let me tell you; you are no match for me."
"Well then, you will grant me a single shot then, no swords or fancy weapons, just one punch is all," gauded Shirou. "Then if you think me worthy of retaliation or need to simply get some manner of feedback, I will take any blow you send my way."
Ryuko thought about it for a few moments, sending a single glance towards those watching. Were she to simply say no it would display some manner of weakness, that she was afraid to take a blow from somebody who shouldn't have actually competed in the final due to health reasons. Best case scenario, she simply stand her ground, take the blow and then give him a playful slap in the shoulder to show the difference in class.
So she accepted.
Then the next thing she knew her back was on the floor and she was gasping for air.
"That is what happens when you underestimate an opponent," said Shirou, addressing the other students who seemed to be at a loss of what had happened. He didn't blame them. As far as they were aware, he was somebody who had strength enough to wield around the weapons that he crafted with his quirk. The strength to launch a body across a surface, bouncing twice across the ground before was something that seemed impossible for someone with his ability.
He really needed to break them out of the stupor they found themselves in every time he did something unbelievable.
"Real world experiences," continued Shirou as he started to pace back and forth. "They are invaluable and something that cannot be constructed in this environment. In this academy they can try to simulate as many experiences as possible but that is all they are. Simulations. You need to take every opportunity to gaze at the real world and question what's happening beyond the limelight. The hero walks out on top, at what cost? Have they sustained injuries, are they having trouble breathing, do they need to seek immediate medical assistance? Do they even have the luxury to do so? Has another crisis arisen or have they yet to finish what it was they had started? These are questions that rarely get asked. You watch the hero walk out successfully and praise them for a job well done and that's all."
He let his words hang in the air as he turned his attention back to Ryuko, the member of the top ten whom he had fell with a single strike. He needed to break his peers' ideology of worship, the idea that people at the top were invincible. Nobody was unbeatable. He had watched true heroes from different etches of legend clash and there always had to be a victor, and there always had to be a loser. Watching somebody whose name was written in the very core of history, whose names would be remembered until the end of time, fall in battle was a terrifying thing to come to terms with.
Nobody was invincible.
Nobody.
Now he had to do something which he knew would cause more trouble than it was worth but he could already see some worship come his way and he needed to show that even he was not invincible. Taking off his shirt, for a few seconds he could see some looks of curiosity but he cared not.
The one thing about having been brought back into this point of life, this body that he had found himself in was that it wasn't the same as he had had at the age. He hadn't simply become a teenager again, he had found his body simply regress in age. Which meant that all of his battle wounds had come back with him.
All of them.
From the corner of his vision he could see Ryuko raise a hand to her mouth to cover the shock that was now very apparent on her face. Mineta had seemingly gone into shock, Midoriya had fallen backwards and Aoyama looked as if he was to expel whatever it was he had eaten for lunch. Nobody was unaffected by the wounds that he carried on his skin.
He imagined that many of them were gaping at the wound which he had first received, the first time he had come into conflict with a true hero. The wound which had pierced straight through his heart.
"Real life experiences," said Shirou slowly as one of his classmates successfully emptied their stomach, painting the gymnasium floor with bile. "In this profession you will suffer and suffer greatly, of that there is no doubt. Compared to this, I pray that each and every one of you never have to deal with what I have gone through."
Shirou felt that this was as good a time as any to call the lesson over for the day, making his way towards the exit, putting his shirt back on as he walked. He knew he had left them in shock and they would never verbally thank him for the lesson he had just taught them. It was a lesson that the academy likely never would have taught them despite the very obvious danger that the occupation brought with it.
As he exited the gymnasium, leaving all of his peers behind him, his phone started ringing. Pulling it out of his pocket and bringing it to his ear, he answered casually. "Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, Shirou, it's...it's Charming Clover," said the voice on the other side of the line.
It took him several seconds before he recalled the name as a member of the agency that he had gone to back before school had even begun. "Okay, Charming Clover, what's this about?" asked Shirou, wondering why she was calling him.
"It's Ingenium," started Charming Clover, taking a deep breath. "We need your help."
"Help?" repeated Shirou.
"Ingenium's in hospital, he's in a bad way," replied Charming Clover, sounding as if she was openly sobbing over the other side of the line.
"So what do you want me to do about it?" asked Shirou.
"This is...this is completely off any sort of record," said Charming Clover, desperation riddled within her voice. There was an off pause and Shirou could feel that what was going to be said next was something which wasn't being said lightly.
"We...we want you to kill Stain."
Shirou paused in his step, wondering if he had heard that correctly. When nothing was said that corrected him otherwise he took in a slow breath. This was clearly an act that had to go under the radar. He may have only been in this world for so long but criminals always had to be brought to justice and taken to prison as far as he could tell. The idea of the heroes of this world actively wishing death upon a villain was something he couldn't quite get his head around. Chances were that this was an overreaction to the fact something had happened to the head of the agency that they worked for. If he was to give them a day or two to cool their heads the request may very well be completely different.
There was one other thing on his mind though.
"Who's Stain?"