Split Second

Battle of Boys

The man the trio were met with when the door swung open was not at all what Percy was expecting. In fact, it was a sight he was so unused to that he almost mistook the man for a monster and nearly drew Riptide. Thankfully, Riptide had followed him to this strange world.

The man was tall and bulky, with a broad chest and a burgundy beard that trailed down to his collarbone. That was on fire.

Doesn't that hurt?

"What are you bringing kids to my house for, Detective?" His voice rumbled.

"Endeavour, I'd like for you to meet Percy and Holly. Percy and Holly, this is the Number Two Pro Hero, Endeavour."

"Skip the pleasantries. What do you want?" Endeavour stood at his desk. Perhaps Percy would've been intimidated if he hadn't faced worse. Holly stood straight, determined not to show weakness in the face of what her senses told her could be a threat.

"These two need a place to stay. They're a... peculiar case. Details will be given to you if you accept to host them."

"No."

"Give it some thought at least, please. We've run out of places to send them."

"What're their Quirks?" Percy thought it to be strange that that was the first thing the man asked but said nothing of it.

"Holly appears to be Quirkless, but Percy has the ability to manipulate water."

"Water? Can the boy fight?" Holly didn't appreciate being called Quirkless, and Percy didn't appreciate being called boy and spoken about as if he wasn't in the room.

"I wouldn't know. I don't exactly go around attacking teenage boys." Tsukauchi said. He didn't like the direction this was taking.

"Follow." Endeavour said promptly. Taken aback, the trio followed the pro hero into an open yard. It was void of life except for a red and white haired boy firing ice out of his body.

"Shouto." The boy froze and spun around.

"Father." He said curtly.

"This is Percy. I'd like for you to test him." Endeavour gestured in Percy's direction. Given the conversation from a moment ago, Endeavour wanted Percy to fight this 'Shouto'.

"Test him?" Surely Todoroki hadn't heard correctly. No, this was his father. Of course he wanted him to fight.

"You know what I mean." Todoroki sighed.

"Percy-" Tsukauchi began but Percy had already stepped into the field, accepting the challenge.

"Weapons or no?" Percy asked, not breaking eye contact with Todoroki.

"Just Quirks." Endeavour said. Well that makes it a little harder.

Percy made the first move. He flicked his arm and a wave of water appeared and loomed over Todoroki. It was cresting over to crush the boy when a wall of ice curved under, the water crashing down either side. Todoroki was surprised to find cracks in his ice.

Had the water really been that strong?

While Todoroki was defending, Percy hadn't been idly standing by. He'd moved behind the red and white haired boy. Any falling water ran off him harmlessly. Todoroki had time to turn and face him before Percy kicked out his torso. The boy staggered to the side before retaliating with ice underfoot. Percy, caught off guard slipped. He hadn't faced a person with powers of ice that he couldn't just eliminate with Riptide before.

Shards of ice came flying at him. Percy raised an arm to his face and a water shield formed, stopping the ice from cutting him. It was hard, fighting with a fifteen year old's body. He'd had a growth spurt in the two years that followed and suddenly he was shorter and not as fit. The original fine control he had over his water had diminished. The more he used it though, the faster it came back to him.

Water pushed him upright and a spiral of water barrelled towards Todoroki. Again, he was forced to put up a defence. He let out a cry of mixed pain and surprise when his ice shattered and the water crashed into him.

Is this... ice?

Indeed it was. The tip of the water was forged into a hard tip of ice. More appeared around him, glinting in the sunlight. Both boys were breathing hard. It wasn't much of a fight, but Percy wasn't used to his regressed form and Todoroki had been knocked around a bit.

"Give up." Percy said.

"No." A blast of ice knocked back everything around him. Percy was flung back into a tree and ice formed around him. He couldn't move. Percy hadn't tried this since arriving here, but he focused the best he could on a water molecule free of the ice prison. He focused on reducing himself to a bundle of water molecules and reforming himself around the one he'd found. During this while process that took him a good couple of minutes, Percy hadn't been able to breathe. He took a gulp of air and dropped to his knees. Forgetting the rules of no weapons, Percy pulled out Riptide, uncapped it and threw it, straight at the place he sensed Todoroki was. Fortunately, Percy's aim was slightly off, and it only grazed past the boy's cheek. He jerked back, a thin line of blood appearing. Only after did Percy realise what he'd done.

"Oh, Styx, sorry. I-"

"Stop the fight. I've seen enough." Percy stopped his rambling and everyone turned to stare at Endeavour. "I don't want the girl. I'll take the boy."

"Hell no!"

"What!?" Percy and Holly exclaimed.

"Listen here, us two, we're a package deal. You want one you get two. No if's or but's. One, two. Me, her." Percy stated. He was, however, thankful nobody brought up the weapon he'd seemingly pulled from nowhere and disappeared to the same place. Maybe they'd even mistake Riptide as an odd spear of ice.

Endeavour really didn't want both children. But if this boy, Percy, could maybe force his son to use his fire with the water Quirk of his...

"Fine. I'll take the both of them."

~~~~

Updateeeeee. So looking at the picture above, I might or might not have a slightly problematic obsession...

Anyway, whataya think?

Peace

BTSWD
Borntosingwithdrama