PHOENIX: A Pro Hero Toya Todoroki AU

Chapter 16: Quirkless (September 9, 2118)

"Relying on only your Quirk is the biggest weakness one can have, especially when powers such as mine pose a threat," Eraserhead remarks as he circles me. As soon as we got back from patrol, he took me to the Agency's sparring room. The room was about a fourth of the size of the P.H.T.A. training arena, and the walls were thickly reinforced with steel beams. I stand in the dead center of the room inside a large marked circle while EraserHead paces along the circumference.

"Twenty percent of the population is deemed 'Quirkless'. That's roughly one point five billion Quirkless individuals. My Quirk Erasure allows me to mask the expression of the Quirk gene in a given person's body as long as they are within my line of sight. Now, you of all people should find training without your Quirk to be not only a relief but also a necessity. Considering your power harms your own body, if you didn't have the proper tools that you've been gifted, you'd be poorly matched in a fight of endurance. You're almost a third year, so you should have some combat training by now. Are you sure about not wanting me to hold back, kid?" He lectures before stopping in front of me. His eyes suddenly flash, and his hair stands on end. Instantly, I feel...normal...there's not an ounce of fire in my body. I take a deep breath and hop in place, shaking my arms and loosening my muscles.

"Yeah," I smile, and, before I can blink, he jumps up onto the nearby ledge out of my reach. The next thing I know, he slings his binding cloth, and it wraps me up in seconds, restraining me and holding me in place no matter how much I struggle against it. He whips his hand back sharply, jerking me towards him. He kicks me in the chest, knocking the wind out of me before he twirls me around and sends me hurtling toward the floor. I hit the ground and see stars; he has me pinned down on my stomach and grabs my arms, pulling them behind me.

"Shit," I cough as I gasp to catch my breath; EraserHead digs his knee into my back, pulling my arms back just enough to not seriously injure me.

"You'd be a dead man with two broken arms. You need to work on your speed and agility, Third-Degree," His voice echoes behind me.

"You need to be slower," I grunt as I limply lift my head, "Not my fault you have a weapon."

"Oh, is that what you're gonna say to the villain as he's slitting your throat? Real life isn't fair, Todoroki," Eraser says mockingly.

"Trust me. I know," I smart off, not bothering to hold my tongue.

"Cut it out," I barely hear him growl under his breath as he lets me up. I brush the dust off my suit before looking up at him.

"Sir?"
"I said. Cut. It. Out. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. That's your biggest weakness," Aizawa says coolly. I hear my heart thudding in my chest.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I scoff, cracking my knuckles as I circle him.

"Really? You think you're so hard to read? I've lived my whole life staring at people and observing their every movement...having to guess what they're thinking or what their next move may be. You can't fool me, Toya Todoroki. Now. Let's try this again."

"Ugh, can you at least drop your cloth?" I groan, and EraserHead laughs.

"What happens if a villain has one of these, kid? You gonna ask him to drop it?"

"Fine," I growl before running at him at full speed.

"I just have to be faster than his stupid scarf. Think like Keigo. What did he use to say before our drills again? 'Speed, I am speed.' Yeah, that's what he'd say," I think to myself as I twirl out of the way just in time to avoid his swinging binding cloth. Using my momentum, I spin on my heel and attempt to tornado kick Eraser in the face, only for him to jump out of the way. Before I can right myself as I stagger from the sudden loss of balance, I feel the binding cloth wrapping around me again, and I'm thrown to the ground. I growl angrily in frustration as I struggle to get free, but to no avail.