2,121Howdy folks, how's it going?
Sooooooooooo… this probably comes as a bit of a surprise, doesn't it?
Well, the fact of the matter is, that after a lot of thinking and considering and pondering and many other similar verbs, I have good news and bad news.
The bad news is that, well… bluntly put? Despite how much it saddens me to do it, as of today, my RWBY related stories are being put on Hiatus. I have tried, I really have, but the simple truth of it is, that despite my best efforts, a variety of factors, not the least of each the steep decline in my consideration for the series itself, has made it more and more difficult for me to actually create chapters that I feel good about. Every update I find myself struggling more and more, and frankly, when it has long since reached the point where it felt like a chore rather than something I did for fun, perhaps the most surprising thing is that it took me this long to reach this point. I did not want to do this, I tried very hard for a very long time not to get to this point, but I am afraid that I… simply can't anymore. That is not to say that I am completely abandoning them, mind you. Perhaps a little break and some time away is what I need, and later on I can find some fresh inspiration to continue those tales. Perhaps.
But on the bright side, the good news is that this leaves my schedule wide open to focus on the one tale I still have fun writing, so yeah, for the foreseeable future, updates to this story are gonna be a whole lot more frequent.
So, with that bit of news out of the way, as always, a huge shout out to Chaos Productions for his continued assistance, aid, and patience.
And as always, I own neither BNHA nor WH 40K.
Now, without further ado, enjoy!
/
"Well… damn," Kaina said, finally breaking the silence that had settled over the booth, and the stadium in general, after Midnight's calling of the fight. "I'm not sure if I am the best person to judge this, but I kinda get the feeling that might go down in history as the shortest final of the U.A Sports Festival, ever."
"My son does have the tendency to break a lot of the school's records, or so I have been told by the Principal in my time working here." Inko replied, calmly reaching for a tissue and dabbing it at the corner of her eye, which had started glistening. "I am so proud."
"Not quite the approach I would have used to take advantage of an opponent's surprise, but I suppose I cannot argue with the result…" Toshinori commented with a weary sigh and a light cough, as he got up from his seat. "Also, I must apologize, Midoriya-san, but I'm afraid that with the end of the tournament, there are several logistic issues that I and the rest of the staff must see through, so I must take my leave. Have to get in touch with All Might to handle handing out the medals and all that. Do give the boy my congratulations when you can, please?"
"Of course, don't worry, Yagi-san, I will." The woman replied with that indulgent little smile of hers. "Off you go, then."
"Much appreciated. Oh, and before I go, Tsutsumi-kun," The emaciated man said, turning his attention to the heroine. "Have you given it some thought?"
Kaina couldn't help but snort at the question, giving the man a dryly amused look.
"Yeah, yeah, you can tell the big guy I see what he was getting at. I will see about filing for an offer to the kid. If nothing else, it might help me figure out why he feels so bloody familiar if he accepts it…"
That last bit was more muttered to herself than it was meant for him, but it still earned her a raised eyebrow before Toshinori nodded and once again excused himself, leaving the two women alone in the booth.
"By the way, Midoriya-san, you sure you don't wanna go see your kid?" The heroine took the opportunity to inquire, curious despite herself when the senior Midoriya shook her head.
"Not just yet. You heard Yagi-san, just because the fighting's done doesn't mean there's not still a lot of thing that need to happen before this is all wrapped up. There'll be time to show him how proud I am later. And besides," She explained, glancing down at the stadium beneath. "I get the feeling he too has more to do before it's all said and done."
/
The first thing he noticed upon returning to consciousness was the soreness on two distinct parts of his body. Blearily, Shouto opened his eyes, and it didn't take him long to realize that he was lying in a bed in the infirmary. After that, it took even less for him to recall the exact string of events that had led him to be here, which needless to say, made him feel even worse than the soreness.
He had lost. He had been beaten. And logically speaking, there probably were more painful and humiliating ways in which it might have happened, but right now, Shouto found himself struggling to come up with any.
He had tried so hard. He had wanted so badly to show his father that he didn't need his damned flames… And in the end it was all for nothing, undone at the hands of the one he had singled out as the target to overcome.
And so the boy just lied there, staring blankly at the ceiling, stewing in his own failure. Recovery Girl was nowhere in sight, and frankly, part of him found that to be a small mercy, not really wanting to hear a medical report given his current circumstances…
However, he didn't lie alone for long, the noise of a door opening and closing heralding as much.
"Ah, there ya iz."
…Looking to the side, Shouto saw none other than Midoriya, standing there. The green-haired boy seemed… distinctly uncomfortable. Not in the sense that he seemed to feel any kind of awkwardness about their current situation, but rather like he seemed nervous about their current location. But then, Shouto was forced to concede, that would hardly be the first oddity about the guy, and far from the weirdest.
And Shouto, Shouto wanted to be angry. Wanted to be furious. Wanted to hate Midoriya, to be outraged that he'd so casually show his face after what he'd done, to demand that he get out and leave him be… but he just couldn't find the will to do any of that.
…
…
…
"How long have I been out?" And so he opted to ask instead, for lack of anything better to say.
"Not much, dey'z just cleanin' up yer mess and settin' up dah podium tah hand out dah medals. Ya shuld be gettin' someone comin' by soon tah see if yer up tah getting' yerz." Midoriya replied, with a slight shrug.
Oh, yeah, he supposed he was technically still second place, but the realization didn't bring him any sort of satisfaction, nor any inclination to actually participate, which in fairness, with all the soreness, he probably really couldn't anyway…
Midoriya didn't say anything else, and the silence dragged on. And on, and on, and on… Until finally Shouto found himself forced to sigh in defeat.
"Why are you here, Midoriya?" He asked tiredly. "Have you come to rub it in, to gloat?"
"Well, a spot'a gloatin'z always gud fun." The green-haired boy replied, as if he was genuinely pondering the sarcastic remark. "But nah, I'z here cuz I wanted tah check somethin'."
"That being?" Shouto replied, in that tone of someone who would really rather not, but who simply had no energy to resist.
"Mah says dat sumtimes people dun get wot'z tryin' tah say, so I wanted tah check if ya finally got yer head outta yer own arse and listened."
"…So you're still trying to convince me to use his fire." The dual-haired boy replied, with a mirthless chuckle. "Even after everything I told you?"
"Dis ain't about yer bogus thinkin' about yer powah somehow bein' someone else'z. It ain't about wot yer lot wuz eithah. Those be problemz yer gonna have to deal with yerself, like it or not, with or without help, and I ain't dah one tah be messin' with dat." Midoriya replied, his red-eyed stare turning stern. "Dis is about you usin' all'o dat as an excuse. Do ya really think you'ze dah only git in dah whole wide world tah be havin' it ruff? Yer not. And even if ya were, you'ze trying tah bring all dat into a line'o work were dere'll be people dependin' on ya, who will be hurt if you'ze not puttin' yer all into it. Juzt as there'll be people dat'll use yer hang ups against ya without hesitatin'."
Silence once again fell in the infirmary, as Shouto considered the other boy's words, the anger and frustration at his current situation not loud enough to pierce through his exhaustion to keep him from hearing them. After all, the fact that he was here at all made the point perfectly clear…
"…Why must it be this way?" He finally asked, his tone weary, sad, defeated, vulnerable in a way he hadn't allowed himself to be in a very long time. "Why must it all matter so little…?"
"Perhaps dah queshtoon ya should be askin' yerself is, if it really matters dat much, why still do all'a dis." Midoriya replied simply. "Why be a hero?"
…
…
…
Seeing that no answer was forthcoming, Midoriya gave Shouto a nod, and walked off without another word. Once again leaving the son of the number 2 hero alone with his thoughts. Thoughts that, despite himself, kept circling back around to that final question.
Why be a hero…?
Memories came unbidden to his mind. Of his mother, of that fateful day when he saw her last, on the day he was branded with this scar… Only, for the first time that he could recall, for that memory to fade and give place to other, previous memories. Warm memories of a simpler, happier time, when she wasn't broken, when an innocent child asked a simple question…
Oh… that's right, because she believed I could…
Slowly, Shouto lifted his left hand and stared at it. He had enough presence of mind to know better than to try to fully activate the quirk in his current surroundings, but still, he allowed that hand to grow warmer. And imagined it to be a warmth he hadn't felt if a long, long time.
/
While the tournament was over, and Izuku had clearly and unambiguously taken the first place, the results for the second and third place were left a bit more muddled, mainly because their respective claimants, Todoroki and Hatsume, who actually fought their fights despite losing, were too injured to properly attend, and so that ball was passed further down the road.
Now in the podium, the green-haired boy stood tall in the number 1 spot, oddly quiet and calm in the face of all the commotion. If anything, he seemed to be frowning slightly, almost like he didn't really want to be here. By his side, on the second place, Tokage stood, the last of the contestants that reached the semi-finals, waving back to the crowd with wide toothy grin, if one that looked slightly awkward if one looked closely enough.
Third place was, if anything, even harder to determine, and in fact doing so took most of the prep time for the ceremony. All the potential substitute candidates were approached, and things were discussed, most of them deciding they did not wish the position for one reason or another. Shiozaki had no wish for the spotlight, Shishida was too polite to claim it, and Yaoyoruzu did not feel like she had done anything to truly earn it. And, in the end, it ended up being a thoroughly mystified Shinso that found himself occupying the lowest place, looking torn between wide-eyed surprise at even being here, and nervous uncomfortableness, which may or may not have had something to do with the occasional glares from above that the number one spot was throwing in his general direction.
And it was to this, that, with a roaring of the crowd reaching its peak, the number one hero landed on the field from above.
"I AM HERE," All Might declared with his ever present grin. "TO DELIVER THE MEDALS TO THE AMAZING WINNERS OF THE FESTIVAL!"
With that, almost as if by command, the crowd fell silent, and all three of the teenagers found their attention solely on the approaching Symbol of Peace.
"You have surprised people today, young Shinsou." He said, addressing the third place, even as he placed the bronze medal around the boy's neck. "It's been a long time since a student not from the hero course has made it into this podium. You should be proud!"
"…I am only here because someone else couldn't be." Despite looking like a deer caught in headlights, the purple-haired boy couldn't help but let slip before his mind caught up to him to remind him to keep his bitterness in check.
"That may be, but you shouldn't consider this to be a hand-out. You have made enough of a mark to be noticed. Now you simply need to keep pushing forward." The hero replied encouragingly as he patted the boy on the shoulder and gave him a hug, taking the chance to more quietly add. "Preferably without needlessly antagonizing other people, young Shinsou. Don't fall into the trap of acting first for fear of what others might do. That'll just guarantee you'll stand alone when you need help the most."
The boy couldn't really find the words to reply to that, his mind too overwhelmed between the genuine praise and the honest advice to do more than nod stiffly, as the hero let go and turn his attention elsewhere.
"As for you, young Tokage, throughout this tournament," He said, as he gave the girl her own medal and congratulatory hug. "You have displayed the same keen mind and solid strategizing that earned you your recommendation into this school. Some might hold your forfeit against you, but knowing when not to fight is sometimes, one of the hardest things for a hero to do, a situation that can only be measured case by case. In this one, you made the right call, just make sure you can keep making it even when the circumstances are different."
"Thank you, All-Might-sensei." The girl replied humbly, her usual carefree demeanour restrained by the seriousness of the moment.
And lastly, the man turned to the first place. All traces of grim annoyance had left the boy's face, those deep red eyes now beholding the hero with almost puppy-like excitement.
"Didja see dat, All Moigt?" The boy said eagerly. "I won dah whole thing!"
And despite himself, All Might couldn't help but laugh at such pure excitement.
"Indeed, young Midoriya," He simply said, as he repeated the process on third and final time. "Yes, you did."
/
Elsewhere, far from the crowded stadium, a TV was broadcasting the ongoing event, to an audience far less enthused than the one on site.
"I don't get it." A raspy voice stated, thick with contempt and frustration.
"And what in particular seems to be frustrating you about this, young Tomura?" The voice from the TV replied patiently.
"This, all of this, all this farce." The villain replied, getting so worked up as he spoke that he started scratching at his neck, dry, flakey skin swiftly turning raw. "Look at them, all of the sheeple eating this shit up, singing All Might's praises and joining him in cheering for the little brats. Especially that green-haired little shit! How can they be cheering for him!? How can they not see that nothing he did even looked like the heroic slop this society keep getting fed?! Look at the way he fought, look at the way he acted! None of that was heroic, he looked more like-"
Suddenly, the ranting stopped, and so did the scratching.
"…Like one of us." Came the raspy, pondering whisper. "One of us…"
As the seeds of an idea begun taking root on his young charge, the man behind the voice in the TV could only grin.
/
It took me longer than I care to admit to work out how to handle who got medals in this very changed tournament roster.
And thus the Festival ends. Now for a brief rest period before things pick up again.
Man, it's gonna take me a while to get used to not having to do my usual "next up is x" spiel.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll be back in a couple of weeks.
Cya all on the next one, stay safe and take care.