Chapter 35: A Goal Worth Chasing
Maybe it was a form of reliance.
Shoto Todoroki was not the type to depend on others, but the weight he carried inside himself was heavy—far heavier than most people realized. Even someone like him needed a moment of relief now and then.
And right now, Akio Tatsuma was standing in front of him like a shield.
The feeling was strange.
But it was real.
"…Thanks," Todoroki said at last.
He still wasn't good at expressing himself. They weren't close enough for easy conversation, and he wasn't used to saying things like that.
Akio gave him a quick smile.
"No need to be polite."
Then his expression sharpened.
"How bad is it?"
Todoroki glanced at his left arm and clenched his jaw.
"It's useless right now. I won't be able to use it again until I get proper treatment."
His voice remained calm, but the strain was obvious.
"That thing is strong. My combat ability's been cut in half. I probably won't be much help."
Akio didn't waste time responding. He pulled a small red device from his pocket and held it out.
"Take a pull."
Todoroki looked at it with clear confusion. In the middle of a fight, Akio was suddenly handing him something that looked like an inhaler.
Still, he trusted him.
He took one inhale.
The result was immediate.
A warm current spread through his body. Within seconds, sensation returned to his arm. The numbness vanished, the pain faded, and after a few more breaths, his arm was moving again.
Todoroki's eyes widened.
"This is way too valuable to be wasting—"
Akio cut him off.
"If it works, it isn't wasted."
Then he added, "Focus on the villain."
A system notification flickered through his mind.
Save Points +50Saved Person: Shoto Todoroki
Akio smiled inwardly.
Todoroki really is easier to deal with than he looks.
A deep roar shook the ground.
The green four-armed Nomu had recovered and was moving again.
Akio studied it carefully.
This one clearly wasn't built like the winged Nomu he had just killed. The winged one had relied on speed and aerial mobility, but its raw power had been comparatively lower.
This one was different.
Its build screamed brute force.
It felt much closer to the black Nomu than the other one had.
Todoroki took a breath and handed the Quirk Supplement back to Akio.
He had no idea how many uses the thing had, but there was a good chance he had just consumed the last one.
Akio slipped it away without comment.
Then he stepped forward.
"Todoroki. I'm going in."
He brought his hands together and pulled them apart.
A sphere of blue-white lightning formed between his palms, growing larger and brighter until it looked like a miniature sun.
Todoroki immediately understood.
The technique needed time.
He had to create the opening.
Without hesitation, he thrust both hands forward. Two waves of ice surged out at the Nomu.
The monster smashed through both of them with all four arms.
But Todoroki didn't stop there.
A much larger burst of ice erupted and encased the Nomu completely, freezing it into a massive sculpture.
"Little Raikage!"
Akio drove his right hand downward.
The massive sphere of lightning hanging over his head dropped like a falling truck.
His larger lightning techniques still took too long to build, but the compression made them far stronger than his usual attacks.
In front of Todoroki, he could only rely on lightning. If he used Air Manipulation openly here, Todoroki would notice.
The frozen Nomu twisted violently inside the ice, trying to break free.
Akio's eyes narrowed.
He couldn't let it escape.
His left hand clenched.
The air around the Nomu tightened instantly, locking around its lower body and dragging at its footing. The resistance came back through Akio's own body at once. The strain hit his breathing hard.
Todoroki noticed immediately.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine," Akio said through gritted teeth. "This one still isn't the biggest threat. The black Nomu is still at the center with Aizawa. We need to end this fast."
The lightning sphere hit.
For an instant, the entire landslide zone turned white.
Todoroki lifted his arm over his eyes, unable to look directly at the blast.
The thunder crash rolled out across the zone like an earthquake.
Akio moved at the same moment.
Using the blinding flash as cover, he shot forward and planted himself in front of the half-shattered Nomu.
He dropped into a stable stance and drove both fists into its chest with everything he had left.
"Air Pressure Crush — Maximum."
The air around them collapsed inward.
A deep, violent impact burst from the point of contact.
Nomu's upper torso caved in instantly. The blast shattered what remained of its chest cavity, and the lightning explosion finished the rest, tearing its head apart.
When the light faded, Akio dropped to one knee.
The attack had taken almost everything.
By the time Todoroki lowered his arm, the scene was already over.
Akio was kneeling in the debris.
And in front of him, the Nomu lay completely destroyed.
Its head was gone.
Its upper body had collapsed inward as if something had hollowed it out from the inside.
It was dead.
Truly dead.
Todoroki stared at the result in silence.
He had helped, yes.
But only as support.
The one who had actually killed the Nomu was Akio.
And the method…
That wasn't something he associated with a student.
Could pro heroes do this?
Some of them, maybe.
But Akio was still just a first-year student—and already stronger than many adults.
How had he reached this level?
How had he trained himself into something like this?
Todoroki stepped over to him.
"Can you still move?"
Akio lowered himself into a seated position and crossed his legs.
"I need a minute."
Then he closed his eyes.
"Keep watch for me."
He immediately began his recovery routine, steadying his breathing and drawing in energy to rebuild his stamina.
As long as his physical strength recovered, his Quirks would recover too. It would take time, but it would work.
Todoroki looked at him for a moment, then raised walls of ice around them to guard against any sudden attack.
After that, he sat down as well.
His own body was drained from the large-scale ice attacks, and now that the immediate threat was gone, he could feel the fatigue catching up to him.
Still, he kept glancing at Akio.
There was something strange about him.
The cross-legged posture, the closed eyes, the steady breathing—it felt oddly out of place, like something from an old action film rather than real life.
But that was impossible.
In this world, power came from Quirks.
That was the truth everyone accepted.
And yet, sitting there in silence, Akio felt different.
Todoroki looked down at his own hand.
Then, slowly, he made up his mind.
He had to get stronger.
Because right now, the person standing ahead of him—the one he needed to catch—
was Akio Tatsuma.
Only that kind of strength felt worthy of being called a true hero.
✨Enjoying the story? You can support me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/MizuSan
✨ Patreon members get early chapter access, bonus content! 🥰
🎉 Plus, I'll release 1 for every 50 Power Stones you send my way! 🥳
🌊 Let's reach 80 Patreon members to unlock 5 extra chapters together
Join Patreon ,there is ongoing discount that will last for 3 days❤️