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Abandoned: Humanity's Drift - Chapter 34 - shansome

Akari explained the eloquent and foolproof plan that she'd thought up last night to the three of them- which was just approaching Endeavor after training tomorrow, forcing him into the spar he'd been putting off, and then beating him down in front of his sidekicks. Simple and easy.

Natsuo's eyebrows climbed higher and higher the more she talked. 

"...I'm all for fucking with Endeavor and all, trust me, but there's gotta be a better way to do it than that. I mean, it's never gonna work."

Akari tilted her head. "Why not?"

"No offense, Midoriya, but as strong as you are you don't have a chance in hell of beating him. You might be the best student in your year, but Endeavor's been the Number Two Hero for longer than you've even been alive. And as much as I despise that bastard, even I have to admit that he's damn tough."

Akari opened her mouth and then closed it again. What could she even say to that? 'Wrong, I'm a demigod who has actually been around for a whole six times longer than your dad.' Of course Natsuo didn't believe that a student he had met less than ten minutes ago could take on the hero he'd known his entire life.

"No, Midoriya can do it," Todoroki interjected, firm and confident. He locked eyes with his brother. "Trust me."

A second passed. Natsuo blinked first. "...You're serious."

"And even if she can't, she won't be fighting him alone," Todoroki continued. " I will be there to face him as well. Losing to his intern is one thing, but a crushing defeat at the hands of his own weapon before I even graduate will strike the old man to his core." 

Akari grinned at him. Ah, the power of spite. 

"Haven't you- are you absolutely sure you want to fight him, Shouto?" Fuyumi asked, stunned. "You don't have to do this." Gray eyes flicked to Akari. " Neither of you has to do this."

"I know. But I want to," Todoroki told her. He glanced down at his left hand, unclenching and unclenching his fist. "I want to win with both sides of my quirk. I want to see just how much I've grown in these past five years without him. And Midoriya-"

"I want to punch him in the face," Akari repeated.

Her friend's mouth twitched the slightest bit, inching towards what could almost be a smile. "-wants to punch our sperm donor in the face."

Natsuo and Fuyumi exchanged a long glance, holding a conversation with their eyes that Akari couldn't follow. Then-

"Ignoring the whole issue of actually, well, fighting him, your plan's not bad," Natsuo mused. "There is nothing that he cares about more than his reputation- his record as a Pro Hero and his current standing with the public. So if you challenge the flaming dirtbag to a fight or something in front of his agency and manage to win, it'll definitely piss him off."

Akari nodded.

"But that's all that's gonna happen- his damn pride will take a hit and maybe you'll impress some heroes a little, yet no one's going to care about it tomorrow."

"His sidekicks will assume that he just let his intern win, or something similar," Fuyumi murmured.

"Exactly. And you guys want to achieve something more than that with this, right?"

Todoroki's eyes flicked between his siblings. "What should we do, then?"

"...We could make the whole fight public instead, then," Akari said. "Endeavor's reputation would really take a hit after losing in front of an audience- especially when we destroy him as thoroughly as possible. Even if some people think that he let us win-"

"-he's going to look absolutely pathetic in front of Japan," Natsuo finished with a grin. "He'd hate that."

"But how are you going to stage a public confrontation with him?" Fuyumi asked. "It's not as if Endeavor would broadcast a training spar or anything of the sort. That would be too 'inefficient' for him."

"I could just jump him in the middle of the street," Akari suggested. "I know where he lives and works."

Natsuo paused. "...I can't even tell if your kidding or not."

Akari tilted her head. Why would she be joking?

"No, don't do that! Think of all the property damage you'd cause!"

"I can be careful."

"No offensive, Midoriya, but I really doubt that-"

"Father told me about something a few weeks back," Todoroki suddenly stated. "He said that some charity called the 'Tenrou Commission' requested a partnership with his agency for some kind of public event."

"How did Endeavor respond?" Fuyumi questioned.

"He declined almost immediately."

"Of course he did," Natsuo muttered harshly. "Helping others outside of hero work would be pointless to him."

"But what if called them ourselves to set something up?" Todoroki said. "And then convinced Endeavor to reconsider afterward?"

"But what if this uh, 'Tenrou Commission' doesn't hear us out?" Akari couldn't help but ask. "I mean, we're just teenagers, and it sounds like they're pretty big. They have no reason to believe us and put all that yen into something that doesn't even sound real."

"The thing is, the two of you aren't just teenagers," Fuyumi told her, her voice full of growing excitement. "Thanks to the Sports Festival, the names 'Midoriya Akari' and 'Todoroki Shouto' are now known practically everywhere throughout Japan- even my preschool kids were all talking about how awesome you two were this morning!"

"And even before the festival, anybody worth anything could recognize our surname," Natsuo added. "Tenrou does stuff with heroes all the time anyway, especially after the Drift. It won't be hard to convince them."

"The real issue, though, is going to be getting that asshole to hear you out."

Akari and Todoroki exchanged a glance. Then Todoroki nodded.

"We can handle that."

They waited until their internship was over the next day, until their boss was finally satisfied with the amount of training they'd done- when he'd be most 'open to suggestions'. Then Todoroki straightened himself up to meet Endeavor's cold stare, wavering the slightest bit in his body's exhaustion.

"I have something to report, Father."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Yesterday, Akari and I encountered a representative of the Tenrou Foundation," Todoroki lied. "She recognized us from our recent patrols in the area and our performance in the Sports Festival, and gave us an offer to pass on to you."

Endeavor narrowed his eyes. "Them again? What do they want this time?"

"In short, they wish to partner with Endeavor Agency to conduct a large-scale hero event. We'll showcase our agency's strength in a series of battles, charge admission to civilians, and broadcast it all to the public. The proceeds will go to charity-"

Endeavor cut his son off with a harsh scoff. "So another publicity stunt, then? What a pointless waste of time, money, and resources! Us heroes have no need for such antics, Shouto."

Akari shrugged. "Maybe so. But according to your own analysts, that kinda thing is exactly what your agency needs. It hasn't even been a year since the Drift happened, and civilian fear of monsters and empowered villains is still incredibly high. Some people have almost completely forgotten about the existence of heroes. This event would do wonders towards fixing all of that, wouldn't it?"

Endeavor finally seemed thoughtful- likely realizing just how much this would boost his public approval. "You've spoken to my agency's analysts, hm? That is certainly true- after so much time without our presence, the weak and powerless masses need to witness our strength in full to feel safe once again."

Todoroki hesitated a beat, then laid out their final piece of bait. "I agree. That's why I requested that the highlight of the event be a fight between the three of us- Akari and I versus you. Not only would it showcase our agency's main strength, but the match would also be an excellent way to test my growing capabilities."

The last few words were spoken through gritted teeth. His sperm donor didn't notice. 

Endeavor stroked his flaming beard and then finally nodded, his gaze still firmly fixed on Todoroki. 

"...Perhaps this offer holds some merit after all."

It only took two days for the combined power of the Tenrou Commission and the Number Two Hero's agency to set up the glorified Hero showcase- fancily named 'The Flaming Festival'. Akari had no idea how they'd even managed to rent out a small stadium in time, much less get the word out to Hosu and sell all of their tickets, but the details didn't really matter much to her.

Akari and Todoroki now had the perfect stage to beat up Endeavor.

The two of them were currently stuck in an isolated waiting room, watching the 'opening events' go by on a small television screen. Two of Endeavor's sidekicks went head to head in each displayed fight, showing off powerful fire quirks and flashy offensive abilities. All of them essentially fought the exact same way.

Akari glanced over at Todoroki, who was intently watching the current fight. He was probably trying to soak up all of the tricks and techniques of the pyrokinesis on display he could- all those years spent suppressing his left side and now, he needed it more than ever. Last minute studying before he faced literal trial by fire.

"How're you feeling, Todoroki?"

"Fine," Todoroki responded, voice as unreadable as ever. "...Afraid."

Akari straightened in her seat.

"Of Endeavor?"

Todoroki shook his head. "No, not at all. I have fought against my father's full power many times before."

Akari winced at that. Todoroki didn't notice, his mismatched eyes still focused on the screen.

"It's about what happens after that worries me- if we lose, then we've lost our greatest chance to ever ruin Endeavor's reputation. And moreover, it'd mean that the past five years I spent desperately trying to become stronger than him were all for nothing ."

"But if we win- if I manage to defeat my father using both sides of my quirk with your help- then aren't I just achieving exactly what the bastard wants? I would have proven myself to be the perfect weapon he always dreamed of creating, the perfect hero to surpass him..."

Akari hummed.

"You want to know what I think?"

"Yes."

"Well, first of all, there's no way we're losing this." 

"But what if-"

"Nope. Secondly, it doesn't fucking matter what he wants, Todoroki," Akari told him. "It's your life. You want to surpass and beat the shit out of him because you want to, right?"

A nod.

"Then you don't have to care in the slightest about accidentally fulfilling whatever dumb goal he made for you along the way."

He mulled that over for a few seconds, thoughtful. Then-

"...Shouto."

"Hmm?" 

"Call me 'Shouto'. I despise going by his name and, well- we're friends, right?"

Akari smiled. "Only if you call me 'Akari'."

They stepped out together into the spotlight, into the cheering of hundreds and the booming voice of an announcer. The arena floor around them was already burned and damaged in several places from previous fights(not everyone could have Cementoss on their payroll) and nearly every seat in the stadium was packed tight.

It was almost like she was back at the U.A. Sports Festival again, ready to face an opponent in full view of a huge crowd- but whereas the fights there had been idly fun and otherwise meaningless to her, this one was personal.

Akari stretched up casually, her interlocked hands pressing up into the sky before she let her arms fall. Her cloak rustled with the movement, green cloth brushing against her hair. 

"Y'know, we probably should've come up with a plan or something."

Shouto snorted from next to her. "A bit too late for that now, isn't it?"

"Yep-"

"And from the right, we have the hero you've all been waiting for! The Number Two, the second strongest man in the country- the fierce and fiery ENDEAVOR!"

Endeavor's entrance was greeted with a much louder response than theirs, the crowd's cheers and shouts turning deafening. An obnoxious theme song played from the arena speakers for a few seconds before coming to an abrupt halt. 

"Can our promising young interns hold a candle to the might of Endeavor himself? Or will they get burned to a crisp? Let's find out!"

Funnily enough, no one seemed more annoyed about all the fuss than Endeavor himself, the ever-present frown on his flaming face deepening further the longer the announcer spoke. The man really did despise the public.

"START!"

Just as she'd been expecting, Shouto attacked first- covering the ruined arena floor with a sheet of white that suddenly rose up into sharp spikes. The move was big enough to tower over Endeavor's impressive height and cut off all possibilities of escape.

Yet Endeavor burned it all away with a careless wave of his hand, one flaming eyebrow raised up. "...Is that all you have to offer me, Shouto?"

Shouto answered with a second line of spikes. Endeavor vaporized them once again-

Only to get caught right between the eyes by the fist-sized fireball ever so carefully hidden behind the ice. It didn't hurt him, or even really do any damage at all, but the shock of a sudden sucker punch left him stunned for a single second.

More than enough time for Akari to finally get her wish.

She crossed the field before Endeavor could even react, blitzing him just like she'd done to Shouto all those weeks ago. Her mana-covered fist connected solidly with his fiery face with an incredibly satisfying amount of impact and threw him flying backward into the stadium wall.

The arena fell into hushed silence. 

Endeavor tore himself free of the rubble moments later, the flames on his body doubling in height as he literally burned the concrete off him. He wiped a drop of blood off his nose with the back of his hand. Icy blue eyes narrowed on the two of them.

The hero still stood tall and relatively unharmed- yet the damage had already been done. Two teenagers had just knocked down and drawn blood from the Number Two Hero in under ten seconds.

"...I see that I've slightly underestimated you two."

Akari nodded her head. "Yep."

"We're going to beat you into the ground, Father," Shouto informed him calmly.

Endeavor scoffed at that. "So much confidence over a lucky shot. But can you back up those words?"

Akari threw her palms forward to shoot out two beams of light. The hero reacted instantly this time, his fire-covered bracers absorbing the attack almost effortlessly. Then he spread his arms wide to launch two huge jets of searing flame back at her.

Ice rose up in front of her face like a shield to stop the fire in its tracks, melting slightly but standing firm. She blinked at it, then glanced over to see Shouto rush past her on an ice slide. The entire left side of his body was burning.

"Thanks!"

Her friend surfed sharply to the right to dodge another burst of fire, not even flinching as the ice behind him melted into nothing. He countered with his own blaze only for his flames to fizzle out as soon as they met Endeavor's palm. 

No matter how hard he'd trained the past few weeks, there was no erasing the difference in fire control between him and his father.

But Shouto didn't need to.

A second blaze flew towards Endeavor- yet this time it was accompanied by the ice wave Shouto had spent the past few seconds growing. The wave rose up steadily towards Endeavor, growing taller and taller as it traveled until it was a glacier of white over a dozen times the hero's height. The massive move was on a completely different scale from Shouto's previous attacks.

"Flashfreeze..."

And then just before his ice made contact, the blaze struck it igniting the entire structure in brilliant orange. The sudden temperature difference superheated the glacier and the air around it to cause a- 

Endeavor's eyes widened as he emitted more flames than ever before to defend himself-

"...HEATWAVE!"

Akari shut her eyes tight as a massive explosion engulfed the entire other half of the arena, shaking the stadium with a loud boom. The ice shield in front of Akari protected her from as much heat as it could before melting away under intense pressure. The familiar orange and yellow pressed against her eyelids before fading away with the blast.

Damn. Bakugou's explosions had nothing on that.

The dust cleared after a minute to reveal Endeavor- his fireproof costume now visibly damaged in several places. He was breathing heavily, the beads of sweat evaporating off his face before they could fully form. 

The hero's face twisted into something fierce as he took a step forward in the now completely ruined arena. His fist glowed brighter and brighter as it flickered from red to orange to a blinding white. 

"Flashfire Fist: Jet BURN!"

The mighty blast scorched through the air toward Shouto at blazing speeds. Shouto sluggishly raised an ice wall to block, still recovering after launching such a huge move, and the white flames tore through his hasty defense like paper-

Only to crash against the shield of light now hovering in front of Shouto's face. Akari made the projection as tall as Shouto and then curved it so that the attack struck her shield only to flow harmlessly off its edges as if she were splitting a river of raging magma. A large crack formed in the center of the shield as it held up under the blast.

"...Thanks," Shouto murmured, his soft voice just barely audible over the flames. Akari smiled.

That white fire was dangerous, almost powerful enough to punch through Akari's magic and hot enough to prick her skin from several meters away.

Maybe this would be more fun than she thought.

A flick of Akari's wrist and her damaged shield shot at Endeavor like a spinning disk, forcing him to dodge to the side. Then she formed another light projection, then another, and then another, yeeting everything she could at the man. Gleaming swords, axes, shields, and spears materialized into the air and rained down on him with nothing held back.

"Flashfire Fist: Hell Spider!"

Endeavor responded with yet another super move, lashing out with dozens and dozens of fire tendrils. They curled inward then flexed out in a wide circle to slash right through every one of her weapons. 

Then he thrust his hands forward and the white tendrils shot back at her. 

Akari could've dodged them easily. Instead, she flashed a bright grin and met it all head-on.

Her light chains collided with his flames in the center of the arena, tangling together and struggling for dominance in the space between them.

"You seek a contest of power, then? A foolish mistake!" Endeavor roared.

His weird tendrils were already steadily slicing through her chains, bit by bit- literally burning right through her mana projections. As much as Akari hated to admit it, her light magic alone simply wasn't enough to overpower him.

Good thing that wasn't the only thing she knew.

"Your hubris is the reason you will lose this battle-"

And then her chains suddenly burst through all of Endeavor's fire, overwhelming everything he had in a blink. They struck him in the gut with no resistance and then wrapped around him tight, trapping him in place with his arms held fast against his chest.

The Number Two Hero's eyes went wide.

Akari hummed. "Hubris, huh?" 

Even hotter flames immediately blazed out from around him in a ridiculous feat of power- to absolutely no avail. Her reinforced chains didn't crack or even budge an inch.

The longer the Number Two Hero struggled in her hold, the more and more his stoic expression morphed into a sort of puzzled stare.

"I'd rather call it confidence, thank you very much."

"...Who are you?" Endeavor wondered. "How did I miss the birth of such an amazingly powerful quirk?"

The way he said the word made her stomach twist. 

"Though I suppose it doesn't matter now, does it?"

With that Endeavor blasted up into the air, powerful flame jets shooting out from his feet. She lost grip on her reinforcement the higher up he got until he was finally able to break free of her chains completely. The hero gazed down at her from above as his flames burned brighter and brighter than ever to cover his entire body.

It was as if she was staring up at a white sun.

"You both have proven yourselves worthy of facing my true might! Flashfire Fist: PROMINENCE BU-"

Endeavor never got to finish his move, or even finish his sentence before a mountain of ice crashed into him and the air above the arena, freezing him solid within a single second. He was left trapped and helpless once again- this time dozens of meters above the ground. 

Standing on top of the freakishly huge frozen structure was Shouto, his misty breaths visible from down where Akari was. The heterochromatic boy looked down on his father with an expression that was way too harsh to be considered emotionless.

"Nobody gives a fuck about your 'true might', Father ."

Shouto's left fist grew blindingly bright as he used his father's signature move, his flames flickering to that same white-hot temperature. There wasn't much control there, not yet, but right now his fire had more than enough power to match.

"And this is not a 'birthright'," Shouto told him. "This is not your quirk. It's mine, and I'm going to punch you in the face with it."

"Sho-"

Shouto swung down his blazing fist.

The blow crashed into Endeavor with the weight of years of emotion and spite to smash his head back into the ice- and then continued on to force the man further and further down into the frozen structure as it crumbled under the incredible impact and heat. 

The Number Two Hero dropped through it like a stone until he finally slammed down into the arena floor like a fiery comet, flat on his back and unmoving as the last of the ice melted around him. The ever-present flames on his face finally fizzled out to reveal aging features and normal red hair.

Akari caught a falling Shouto in her arms and braced him to his feet, letting him lean against her to stay steady. He felt too hot and too cold at the same time, and was probably dehydrated as well from all the sweat pouring off him- but in the end, he was standing victorious and Endeavor wasn't. 

And seeing the blank and emotionless Todoroki Shouto smirk at that fact made it all more than worth it.

Despite all of their noise at the start of the fight and even during it, the crowd around them was now completely stunned speechless. There were no hushed whispers or muttered comments or even shouts, just an entire stadium of silent stares.

Hundreds of people watching in person and hundreds of thousands of people watching live witnessed Endeavor laid out unconscious on the ground, his fire long gone and his nose now very much broken. They watched as he didn't get up and two relatively unharmed high-school interns walked away from him as if the hero had barely been an inconvenience, happily talking about soba of all things as they left.

"...The winners are Akari and Shouto? Huh? What the-what the hell did I just watch?!"

Notes:

Sorry for the very, very long wait for this chapter! I really don't have any excuse there- I'll try to update quicker in the future.

Akari and Shouto versus Endeavor was interesting to write, especially since I was doing my best to make it a one-sided beatdown without actually being a one-sided beatdown. While Akari does vastly outspeed him, he is most definitely the Number Two Hero for a reason and genuinely does have a ridiculous amount of skill and firepower. There is just no way someone as hardworking and driven as Endeavor would waste five whole years of special training time without becoming much stronger like Shouto did.

That said, Akari and Shouto's entire goal was to humiliate him as much as possible. The first thing I thought of would be forcing Endeavor to reach his quirk's weakness- the limits of his heat tolerance- as the Flame Hero losing to fire would be hilarious. Unfortunately, Shouto doesn't have nearly enough skill to pull something like that off and it'd likely take the two of them hours to make Endeavor hit his limits. So instead, I settled on completely overpowering him and destroying his pride on live television.

What kind of fallout is this gonna cause?