MHA: Dark Matter

I watched the U.A. students celebrating as they competed in various sporting events with mild interest. I hadn't expected the girls from Midoriya's class to change into cheerleader outfits. Judging by Present Mic's comments and the angry glares from the Yaoyorozu heiress toward the electro boy and the little pervert, this hadn't been anticipated by everyone except those two sneaks. Where had they even gotten those costumes so quickly?

After admiring the beautiful sight of the girls and noting the humorous situation, I began recalling all the Quirks I had seen during the first two events. I had obtained lists with personal biographies of the entire first year hero course, but I needed to verify their actual capabilities. How a person uses their Quirk, the hidden weaknesses in its application, its potential.

It would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to study the abilities of future heroes, especially since the League of Villains had them in their sights. If their goal was to destroy hero society, then hero academies, as one of the pillars of that society, would be their targets.

The students of Class 1A had clearly become stronger and more inventive in their use of Quirks. Perhaps my lesson had helped them a little. Class 1B also had some interesting individuals, but most of them were too fixated on their desire to surpass Class 1A. This both helped them give their all and imposed certain limitations.

Among the other departments, the most interesting were my friend Mei Hatsume and a boy with disheveled indigo hair and dark circles under his eyes. I had no doubts about Hatsume. To secure contracts with large companies and get funding for her inventions, she would turn the stadium upside down, all while causing moral damage. But the boy caught my attention with his attempts to stay unnoticed and his strange cooperation with other students.

By the end of the second event, I was convinced he had a mind control Quirk. And it required conversation to activate. A very dangerous Quirk in skilled hands.

His fight against Midoriya, who almost lost, demonstrated this. I noted that pain or external stimuli could break the control. Mei's fight, on the other hand, made me burst out laughing. Turning the fight into a farce and an advertisement while humiliating her opponent was priceless. I could practically feel the indignation, helplessness, and a hint of childish resentment from her opponent. Her stepping out of bounds to hand the victory to her opponent nearly made him howl in frustration.

I had lost early on to guys from the business management department. I even chatted with them a bit, since analyzing heroes is one of their necessary skills. It was interesting to hear their perspective, even if it was mostly marketing oriented.

"Great fight, Mei! I think that guy will remember you for a long time."

I shouted to Mei as she approached, smiling slyly. At my words, she only smiled wider. She smiles a lot.

"Yes! I'm very grateful to Iida for helping me demonstrate my babies."

Remembering the bespectacled boy's face as he watched Mei walk away, I involuntarily chuckled. Sitting with Mei, we watched the remaining fights.

Midoriya's fight against Endeavor's son and the final itself were particularly colorful. Todoroki had finally decided to use his Quirk fully. An impressive display of fire and ice ensued. Izuku tried to close in for hand to hand combat, but due to inexperience, he couldn't get past his opponent, who could change the terrain with ice. And his fire attacks, when combined with the expanding air inside the remaining ice blocks, caused explosions that threw my friend back.

Clearly exhausted, the two decided to exchange final blows. It was incredibly beautiful and loud. Cementoss had to intervene to prevent serious injury. This battle involuntarily stirred a desire for battle within me. I had to calm down quickly, as the people sitting near me were starting to get nervous. It wasn't time yet.

Izuku won the fight with minor injuries across his body, though his right hand looked bad.

Then came the final. Two old friends clashed to settle old scores. Explosions and maneuverability met speed and physical strength, provided by All Might's Quirk. Bright flashes of explosions and quick strikes of green lightning covered limbs soon gave way to ordinary hand to hand combat, then devolved into something resembling a drunken brawl over a bottle of sake.

Then, with shouts of "Katsukiiii!" and "Midoriyaaa!" they struck each other. And fell unconscious.

The stunned stadium erupted in applause at the unexpected result. Present Mic couldn't calm down, judging by his excited voice. And I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen a similar scene in some shonen manga I occasionally read while listening to pleasant music. The feeling made me slightly uncomfortable.

- - -

*

*

*

[Shoto Todoroki's Pov ]

A rather tall teenager with fairly long hair, evenly split between white on the right and red on the left, leaned against a wall in an empty corridor of the U.A. stadium. Shoto's thoughts were in disarray. His fight with his classmate and his subsequent loss had brought old problems to the surface. Midoriya's words still echoed in his head.

*"Everyone… uses everything they've got!… They do it to get as close to victory as possible! They do it to become number one someday! And you think you can achieve the same using only half your power, but you didn't even scratch me the whole fight!"*

*Emerald eyes glared at him angrily.*

*"Everything's fine, Shoto."*

*A calm female voice said.*

It reminded him of his mother. Of sitting with her and watching news about All Might's exploits on TV. Of his childhood dream of becoming the number one hero. And of helplessness.

Looking at his left hand, the young Todoroki thought. He hated his father and everything associated with him. Especially his fire Quirk. He didn't want to be his father's tool. He wanted to become the best hero without using his father's Quirk. He wanted to see the disappointed look on his face.

"I achieved all of this without you."

But after the encounter with Ticci Micc, the villain in the black mask. After realizing his helplessness in the face of a villain who could have easily killed him and his entire class. From what his classmates who had stayed near the exit said, the villain had appeared near the fountain, withstood a blow from All Might, and then escaped.

A thought had hovered at the edge of his consciousness: could he have done something if he had used his father's Quirk? Shoto had dismissed it and immersed himself in training. Only the fight with Midoriya brought it back.

Now the teenager was troubled by two questions. What if someone died in the future because of his refusal to use his fire Quirk? And could he still call himself a hero after that?

[End Pov Shoto Todoroki]

- - -

*

*

*

Falling onto my bed after a walk with Mei that we decided to take after the award ceremony, I couldn't help but exhale. I could finally focus on reconnaissance and searching for Haijima.

That flash drive contained only information about the probable location of one of Haijima's complexes, as well as data on a few of the organization's employees. But one of them caught my attention.

I stood up and turned on my computer on the desk, entering the password. I found and opened a photo of one of the scientists. An elegant, black haired man in a suit looked at me from the screen. His eyes were attentive and calm.

A smile spread across my face.

I finally found you, Yoishi Miura. The man with the cold eyes.

********A/N*******

Want to read ahead?

Advanced chapters are available on P a t r e o n. co m/EvilPen

✦ 25+ Chapters Ahead