Authors note:
Speaking: "…"
Thinking: '…'
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Endeavor pov
One hour later
Endeavor's home
Opening the wooden double doors with rage in his eyes, the Flame Hero stormed into the front yard, his every step stomping the ground. Looking ahead, he saw two teenage boys leaving through the front door and stepping outside.
One had short, bi-colored hair, his right side white and his left red. His heterochromatic eyes were striking: the right was gray, while the left was turquoise and surrounded by a burn scar. He wore a simple gray sweater and black pants. This was Shoto Todoroki, Endeavor, also known as Enji Todoroki's, youngest son.
The other boy, however, was unfamiliar to Endeavor. He appeared to be around the same age as Shoto, with ash-blonde spiky hair and crimson-red eyes. He wore a black tank top and gray sweatpants, and had a tiger stripes tattoo all over his right arm, shoulder and even reaching to he chest.
‚Who the hell is that?' Endeavor thought before walking toward them, Shoto's expression cold and stoic as he stared at his father.
"Shoto, who the hell is that, and where are you going?" the Flame Hero demanded angrily, still agitated by his earlier encounter with All Might.
Looking at his father with an indifferent expression, Shoto answered coldly, "This is Katsuki Bakugo, my friend and sensei for martial arts. We're going to train."
This caused the certain blonde to bristle and yell something about not calling him a friend before they turned to leave.
Not having it, Endeavor reached out to grab Shoto's right hand, intending to drag him back inside. To his surprise, the boy's arm lit up in flames, forcing Endeavor to recoil and take a step back.
‚He's using his flames' the man thought in shock as Shoto turned his head slightly, locking eyes with him.
"So, does this mean you've finally accepted your purpose, and we can start training for real?" Endeavor asked, scoffing, though a hint of pride crept into his voice.
"I refuse," Shoto said bluntly as he turned away and continued walking.
Puzzled by this outcome, Endeavor stood frozen for a second before yelling, "Shoto! Come back here and tell me what this means!"
Stopping briefly, Shoto didn't turn around and simply replied, "I said I refuse. The only one teaching me is Bakugo. I haven't forgiven you for what you've done to Touya, Mom, and the rest of the family. I'll become a hero, but not because you tell me to, but because I want to. To do what you failed at: saving people. And I don't mean just physically."
With that, he continued on his path, closing the gate behind him.
Endeavor stood there, stunned, staring at the gates his son had just closed.
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Shoto's POV
Three months ago
Todoroki house
Shoto and his father were in the hero's office, with his father going through some documents. Without looking up, Endeavor spoke.
"Shoto, I'll be away from home for the next 10 days due to hero work. I've left a training regimen on your desk for you to follow while I'm away. When I return, we'll have a sparring session to see if you've improved. That's all. You're dismissed," he said stoically, his eyes still focused on the report in his hands.
"Yes, Father," Shoto answered in a cold tone before turning and leaving the room. On the outside, he appeared composed, but in truth, he was livid. This meant not seeing his detestable father for more than a week, an opportunity to ditch his training.
Walking to his room, he opened the door to find a familiar face lying on his bed, staring at him.
"Bakugo. I assume you heard what my old man just said," the heterochromatic boy asked neutrally, closing the door behind him.
"That's Master to you, Icy Hot. And yeah, I heard it. Prepare yourself, we'll be spending the duration of his absence in Aincrad training. I'll be here at 8 o'clock sharp. Miss it, and I'll forward time so you can see your dear old father sooner," the crimson-eyed teen stated. A floating pair of clock hands materialized from a silver and light blue aura before he vanished without a trace.
Shoto had first met Bakugo while training his ice control alone a month ago. Bakugo had simply appeared in his room and offered to train him. Over time, he revealed himself to be a leader of a secret group working from the shadows to defend society, often against the law. He explained that he and the group's other leader wanted Shoto to join their organization.
At first, Shoto was reluctant. But eventually, he saw the benefits of working with them, mainly to prevent others from experiencing pain similar to his own, but also as a small act of rebellion against his father.
Sighing, Shoto went to the kitchen to eat dinner with his older sister and brother. His father was too busy to join, as usual, though his older sister, Fuyumi, had tried to convince him otherwise. It was better this way, Shoto thought.
After finishing his meal, he brushed his teeth and read a book about Norse mythology that his mother had gifted him before Endeavor sent her away. Setting an alarm, he went to bed.
The next morning came quickly, and, as promised, at exactly 8 o'clock, Bakugo appeared in his room with the other leader, Midoriya a teen with green hair and emerald eyes, whom Shoto had also met recently. Midoriya and Bakugo shared a close bond.
Both teens placed a hand on the green-haired boy, and the duo entered Aincrad to begin their week of training.
Arriving in Aincrad, the now silver-haired Bakugo brought them to Floor 36, where the Rukari lived. Shoto had yet to clear any floors beyond the 20th, but with the Time User by his side, they could practically go anywhere except the 25th floor and those between the 74th and 100th. As Midoriya and Bakugo were currently on that floor.
And so, they began their 10 days of training, or so Shoto thought...
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Unknown Amount of Time Later
Aincrad Floor 36 – The Silver Forest
Rukari Coliseum
Shoto was currently sparring with his master, switching between a spear and a bow as his main weapons. The bow and quiver of arrows were strapped to his lower back, while the spear was in his hands. It was a standardized Rukari spear, though for the Rukari, it was probably considered small. The spear had a brown shaft wrapped in leather bandages and a silver blade at the tip.
Infusing the spear with his aura, the weapon began glowing with a dark blue glimmer. Shoto twirled it in his hands, deflecting the strikes from Bakugo's aura-infused tree branch, which he had picked up for the training. Shoto waited patiently for an opening in his teacher's defense.
Seeing what he believed to be an opportunity, he unleashed a barrage of spear thrusts with the force of a gunshot behind each strike. Bakugo easily dodged them without moving far from his spot, which was expected by the spear wielder. As Shoto finished his onslaught, he fixed the spear onto his back and backflipped into the air, pulling out his bow and an arrow.
Strengthening the arrow with his aura, he simultaneously summoned a figure made from dark blue aura behind Bakugo. The figure resembled a 25-year-old man with spiky short hair, wearing a short-sleeved coat that reached his knees, where it appeared torn. Its form lacked any color other than the dark blue aura it was made from.
The aura figure held what looked like a dark blue flame in its hand, ready to attack. Both Shoto and the figure launched their attacks simultaneously, Shoto released his arrow, and the aura figure hurled its flames, both aimed straight at Bakugo.
The branch wielder grinned, catching the arrow with his bare hand. Then, with a light swing of his branch, he created a crescent blade of light blue energy. The blade effortlessly sliced through both the flames and the aura figure, dispelling the latter entirely.
Landing on the ground, Shoto panted heavily from exhaustion, unable to react as Bakugo appeared in front of him, holding the branch to his neck.
"You lose. Again," Bakugo said, a smug grin on his face. "You think I didn't sense your manifestation sneaking up behind me? You're still ten years too young to try and conceal your aura from me. Though, I guess you deserve a little praise for actually making me use my aura in that last attack."
The blue-eyed man tossed the branch to the ground and turned to leave. As he walked away, he called over his shoulder, "Come on, let's go, Icy Hot. Your nine days of training in Aincrad are over."
At this, Shoto perked up and began following his sensei. "Wait, that was only nine days? That felt more like a couple of months," he said calmly, though his expression showed he was deep in thought.
"That's because I used my sword to play around with the World Clock a bit. On the outside, nine days passed. In here, seven months did," Bakugo explained, continuing to walk without bothering to look back.
Shoto froze in his tracks, his eyes wide with disbelief as he stared after his master.
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A Bit Later
Todoroki House – Training Room
"Alright, let's quickly wrap this list up, and then I'm hitting the sack," Bakugo stated, flipping through a stack of papers in his hands. "Damn, your old man is tough. Even bathroom breaks are scheduled. But I gotta say, this is the most shitty training regimen I've ever seen. The only thing on here is training to use your flame side better. Well, doesn't matter, let's just get it over with."
The ash-blond teen used his aura to disintegrate the papers before holding one hand out in front of him in a provocative come here gesture.
"Go on, attack me with the full power of your quirk," Bakugo taunted.
Shoto planted his right foot, freezing all the walls of the room before sending a large ice barrage at his opponent. Predictably, the ice shattered on contact with Bakugo's fist, posing no real obstacle.
Sliding around the room, Shoto repeatedly sent waves of ice at the time user, but each one met the same fate, destroyed effortlessly by Bakugo.
As Shoto prepared another attack, his opponent began walking slowly in a circle around him. As he moved, copies of Bakugo started appearing, surrounding Shoto until it looked like a dozen versions of him were walking in a ring.
‚What in Odin's name did he do?'Shoto thought, looking around frantically, trying to make sense of the situation. ‚It's no use, they all look the same.'
Deciding to gamble, he released ice shards in all directions, hoping to hit the real Bakugo.
To his dismay, but not his surprise, the shards shattered uselessly.
"I told you before, didn't I? Attack me with the full power of your quirk," Bakugo's voice echoed through the room, coming from no clear direction.
"I am attacking with the full power of my quirk!" Shoto shouted back, sending another wave of ice at the copies.
"Then where's your fire? Use it," Bakugo's calm voice echoed again.
"I'll never use his power in comb—" Shoto started to say, but his sentence was cut short as Bakugo's fist connected with his stomach, forcing him to spit out saliva.
"Don't give me excuses. I know about your family. I know what your father did, what happened to your eldest brother, and your mother. That's why I know why your aura manifestation has taken an oddly humanoid shape," Bakugo sneered, watching as Shoto fell to his knees.
"You wanna be a goddamn hero, don't ya, Icy Hot? When you're a hero, how do you think civilians will react if their loved ones die because you refused to use your flames? As a hero, the lives of civilians are your responsibility. You can't just say, 'Nah, I'm not gonna use my fire to save your son because I WANT TO REBEL against my old man,' can you? A hero should always be ready and capable of using their power at full force if necessary!" Bakugo shouted, circling Shoto with his illusionary technique.
"Never... I'll never be what he wants me to be," Shoto stuttered, still on his knees.
"You don't get it, do you? YOU'RE NOT YOUR FATHER, AND YOU DON'T HAVE HIS POWER! IT'S YOUR GODDAMN POWER, YOU IDIOT! You decide what to use it for, not him. He can't do shit about what you choose to be. Now... use those goddamn flames!" Bakugo bellowed from all directions.
"N-never..." Shoto weakly muttered.
Annoyed, Bakugo stopped his technique and stood directly in front of him, his expression exasperated. "Ugh, I don't have the patience for your stubbornness. So we're gonna do this my way."
Placing a finger to his ear, he called out, "Izuku, get me Gungnir and my sword. Now!"
An ethereal black and green mist portal appeared in front of him, and two objects emerged: an ornate golden spear with northern runes etched into the shaft, and a sheathed greatsword with an intricate guard. Catching both, Bakugo rammed the spear into the ground and unsheathed the sword, pointing it at Shoto.
"All right. Release... Recollection," he declared.
Multiple tech-like magic circles appeared on the blade, displaying a clock. Then, touching the floor with the tip of the sword, a sphere of energy expanded from the point of contact, enveloping the entire house. The walls took on a slightly blue tint as the energy settled.
Sheathing the sword, Bakugo turned to the door as Shoto suddenly stood upright again, his injuries vanishing as if they had never happened.
"Listen up, Icy Hot, because I'm only going to explain this once. I've created a temporal void in your house. Once I step outside, time in here will slow down so drastically that even if a year passes inside, only a few seconds will pass out there. Everything in here is also stuck in a temporal loop. That means no matter what you do, everything will revert back to how it is now. That includes you. No injuries, no hunger, no bathroom breaks, no sleep.
"You won't be able to leave unless you use that spear over there. Good luck. Let's see how long you can keep that stubbornness up," Bakugo explained.
With that, he vanished, leaving behind the faint blue glow of the walls and a loud click echoing through the house.