MHA: KEN 10

21. The Successors of Legendary Heroes

Shoto slowly opens his eyes to find a destroyed fighting arena. "What the...?"

Shoto then looks around and realizes that he's out of bounds. He...lost. "Even after all that...I still couldn't beat him..."

"Yo." a voice called out making Shoto look up to a Ken who offered his hand. Shoto accepts his classmate's help and stands back up. "You feeling okay? Sorry, I went overboard."

"Yeah...I'm...I'm fine." Shoto replied. "Looks like I lost to you even after I used my full power. I came at you with everything I had. I even used my left side. But it still wasn't enough."

"Just try harder next time!" Ken simply replied.

"You bet I will. And thanks, you know, for saving me from myself."

"Nah, that was all you." Ken replied. "All I did was show you the truth. You were the one who chose to accept it."

"You were right, it's my quirk not his. Even if I choose to use my flames, I'm Shoto Todoroki not Endeavor." Shoto said as he looked at his left hand.

"I'm glad you see it that way." Ken replied with a smile. "I hope you you'll start using your fire more."

"I will. I'll get stronger. And one day, I'll fight you like a real rival."

"I'll be waiting."

"Good luck in the finals, Ken. Midoriya won't be an easy opponent." Shoto said as he walked away.

Shoto started to head towards the locker room only to be treated with Endeavor standing in his way.

" 'You're in my way.' You not going to say that now?" Endeavor asked with an evil smile on his face. "You've finally become the perfect upgrade of me. However, you're control over my flames is still dangerously less. Once you graduate, come work for me. I'll walk you down the path of the mighty."

"MY flames. I may have inherited these flames from you but they're MINE. And I have no intention to walk down whatever stupid twisted path you've planned for me." Shoto firmly replied. "You know when I unleashed my flames, I forgot about you."

This statement surprises Endeavor as he continues to listen to his son.

"For the longest time, I hated my fire. Because of you. I was afraid that if I ever used them, I'd turn out exactly like you." Shoto continued. "But Ken changed my viewpoint on my quirk completely."

"Just because you decide to use it doesn't mean you'll become Endeavor!! You'll still be Shoto Todoroki!!" 

"I will use my flames from now on. But that doesn't mean I'll be the next Endeavor. I'll be the first Shoto Todoroki." Shoto finished as he walked away from his father leaving him speechless.

[With 1-A]

Ken returns to the 1-A seating area and is immediately swarmed by his friends. Most of them congratulating him on making it to the tournament finals which would be starting after an hour.

Ken and Izuku share a gaze before smiling and nodding to each other, basically saying 'I won't lose!'

Eventually Shoto also joins them. Amidst all the celebration, Iida gets a phone call. Tokio who stood beside the boy notices Iida standing with an expression of shock and disbelief before the speedster suddenly takes off.

50 minutes pass as it's time for the two finalists to leave.

[Izuku's waiting room]

"You can become a hero!"

"I want you to tell the world 'I AM HERE!'"

All Might's words echoed in Izuku's mind as he reflects on his journey up to this point. Him meeting his idol, receiving his power and eventually learning how to control it with Ken and Ben's help. All of his hard work that he had put in was finally going to shine here. Izuku was going to win. He's going show thew world HE IS HERE!