Pulling The Strings

Chapter 14

*No One's POV*

Hope.

It's a fickle thing, isn't it?

It can be gained as easily as it can be lost.

It's a last minute gamble. A final grasp at normalcy.

All we ever do is hope.

Maybe for a little more time. Or to see that special person one last time. Even something as trivial as hoping for your train to be at the station after running late to work.

In one way or another. We have hoped.

And yet, it's as if Shoto Todoroki didn't have so much as an ounce when he walked into the arena.

His foes from before were mere cannon fodder compared to the opponent he was facing.

The one that just disappeared before his very eyes into the depths of his own shadow.

He could almost feel it.

The boys gaze locked apon him.

Even though he was currently no where to be seen, he could almost FEEL the stare that fell apon him.

Shoto was unnerved. He wasn't used to being watched like this. Even when being his father pawn, the man cared little for the boy himself. He was only the center of attention when he didn't want it.

So the boy learned to tread lightly.

In his own home, the boy had steps as quiet as a mouse, and interacting with others was the last thing he would do.

But here there was nowhere to hide.

So he was none the wiser when Izuku popped up from the ground and punched him in the face.

The his was hard, causing him to stumble back as Izuku made himself known. The green haired boy looked to be without worry. A calm and collected look on his face.

After regaining his senses, Shoto shot out a wave of ice. One that Midorya  easily evaded by using his tendrils made from shadows themselves.

Shoto faltered slightly, just barely letting it be caught by his opponent. Then threw out more ice.

Almost as if it was a strike of luck, while Izuku dodged one pillar of ice, another shot out in his path catching his foot.

Izuku stared boredly at the frost beginning to creep up his leg. And with a single kick, he was once again free.

"Do you really think you stand a chance against me using half of your strength?" Said Izuku as pitch black shadows started to bleed over his once pale skin.

A sadistic grin took over Izuku's face as his bat-like wings sprouted from his back.

Shoto said nothing as he stomped his foot with the intention to trap Izuku in a glacier, much like what he did to Sero.

Izuku countered the attack by giving a strong flap of his wings. The ice shattered into millions of pieces before Shoto's eyes before he was nearly blown away by another few strong gusts of wind.

He caught himself on a slope of ice before he was blown out of bounds. He stood before Izuku panting. Frost slowly creeping up his right side as he just barely trembled from the cold.

"Think logically Todoroki. You're only hindering yourself by using half of your power." Izuku reasoned while dodging another blast of ice.

"This type of rebellion won't work on him, and deep down, you know it." Izuku continued, trying to convince the boy who wouldn't listen.

"You have to show him that he can't control it and that he never has!" Izuku said, getting older with each word.

And as Shoto was about to launch another punishing wall of ice, Izuku struck him. But not with his fists.
With 4 simple words.

"ITS YOUR POWER TODOROKI!"

'I remember.'

"Who is that man mama?" A small child with red and white hair asked the woman that sat next to him.

"His name is All Might. He's a hero." She answered with a soft smile on her face.

"Like papa?" He asked hopefully.

The woman's smile fell slightly, before coming back as if it never happened.

"Shoto, can you promise me something?" She asked him with a sligh urgency in his voice.

"Yes mama?" Said the boy.

"Promise me that, you won't grow bitter because of what life throws at you. Even in the face of darkness, you must smile. Or you can forget who you are, who you want to be. And if that happens, you'll never flourish in the way I know you can." Rei says.

The small boy didn't exactly understand, but nodded with determination anyways. For he loved his mother and trusted her.

She smiles brightly.

"Smile my snowflake."

Shatter

Something inside the boy broke. And like a danm holding water back, Shoto's emotions tumbled out.

Along with a tsunami of fire.