MHA: Horizon

Chapter 34: (Nezu's Bet)

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CHAPTER START---

Walking to the designated building Ojiro and Horizon are side by side in the middle of the street, only two hundred meters away from the control room.

Arriving in front of the six-story building Horizon enters without saying a world while Ojiro is still looking at the map in his hand.

"Do you know where you're going?" Ojiro asks.

"Ofcourse."

"But I'm the one with the map," he says as they effortlessly find the stairs.

"I took a look at it, so I'm fine without it."

"Oh...ok. Do you have a plan? Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are recommended students so we should be ready for anything."

Horizon stops as they reach the third floor, slowly turns and looks Ojiro up and down, then shakes his head and continues walking up the stairs.

"Uh---"

"Why are you barefoot?" Horizon asks.

"Well, this is traditional," Ojiro pats his Karate Gi. "I'm aiming to be a martial arts hero, so I figured---"

"That you'd fight villains with no protection as a melee fighter, with a Quirk that's basically having a stick attached to your back...genius," he rolls his eyes beneath the visor.

"Hey, it's prehensile too, so I can grab stuff."

"The only thing you're gonna grab is some frostbite when Todoroki decides to ice the building, if you can avoid that then just make yourself useful somehow," Horizon sighs as they reach the top floor with the bomb. "Honestly a quirkless guy with a bat is better than you in this situation, assuming he's wearing shoes."

Ojiro suddenly looks like a kicked puppy as they enter the bomb room.

Seeing the bomb in the middle of the room and a few crates scattered about Horizon just moves one of the empty crates in front of the bomb and takes a seat, leaning back against the bomb and waiting for All Might.

"The five-minute timer starts now, use this time to carefully prepare!" All MIght announces in their ears.

"Uh, so should we---"

"Figure out the ice problem then talk to me..."

A moment later Ojiro sees Horizon wave at a blank wall, but decides not to question it. Turning his back to Horizon and taking a ready stance facing the door to this room.

---Minutes Earlier...

Moments after the last four students left the room four people entered.

"Deku!" Uraraka cheered as she saw her friend, with his arm in a sling and bandages all over his body. Accompanied by Aizawa, Recover Girl, and on Aizawa's shoulder, Principal Nezu.

"Hello students," Nezu happily greets them with an adorable wave as Deku moves to join Uraraka.

Everyone is surprised by the new additions but gladly welcomes them.

"So, All Might, what have I missed?" Nezu asks.

"They just left the room, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are the heroes with Horizon and Ojiro as the villains, just as you requested."

"REQUESTED?!" all the students yell in surprise.

"Right, well I suppose I should explain," Nezu makes the 'pick up' motion and All Might lifts him onto his left shoulder. "While all the other matches were random, I had this one planned out from the beginning, All Might was against this dishonest tactic but I persuaded him." ʀἈɴȏΒËŚ

Nezu taps All Might's head, and the man simply takes out his earpiece and hands it to Nezu, who seemingly attaches it to his phone and amplifies the volume of it for all to hear, everyone then turns to look at the screen as he continues.

"Before I explain, I should say that I owe all of you an apology, the students I mean. So I'm sorry for any awful thing Horizon has said to you, and I take full responsibility for them," these words cause everyone to stare in surprise, this was the last thing they expected.

"I brought Horizon to UA knowing fully well that he would be like this, he is someone who only respects merit, and he isn't afraid to speak his mind when anyone doesn't meet his standard, the same standard he holds himself to.

This attitude isn't uncommon at all, especially not among pro heroes, that's why many pros will only work with people of a certain rank. But because of that, it's hardly ever as apparent as Horizon's. This is mainly because he is someone that has proven himself capable enough to be among Japan's top ten pro heroes," everyone, including All Might, looks both amazed and horrified at that revelation.

And Bakugo feels like the earth would open and swallow him at any moment, because how else could he sink any lower than this?

"A top ten pro?!" a dozen people yell out.

Nezu nods politely, "yes, he entered UA based on his own merit. Not only is he a licensed doctor, likely the best in the world, but he's also a top-level combatant. Horizon is exceptional, even among the current pros, but due to the laws he has to graduate a hero course to get his license," he says.

It takes a moment for everyone, including the teachers to process exactly what he just said, even All Might didn't know any more than him being a miracle doctor until today.

"But what does that have to do with this match?" Eraser asks, as everyone else was just staring at the screen and listening to Horizon and Ojiro talk while walking up the stairs, trying to make sense of all this.

"That's actually Quite simple, I need Yaoyorozu to realize that Todoroki isn't invincible like she imagines. She, like most of the student body, views recommended students above everyone else. But not herself, only Todoroki as he is at the top of this year's recommended students. If she sees that he too can make mistakes then suddenly what she imagines as an impossible distance between them won't be such a hindrance anymore.

For Todoroki, I need him to realize that he isn't invincible, he needs to be humbled before a villain does it instead.

For Ojiro, I need him to realize that he cannot just accept himself as he is now. He must try to be more than he already is, or he'll never improve, and he is also a test for Horizon."

All Might raises a brow at that, "how is his teammate a test for him?"

"Because, as capable as Horizon is, his mind is also terrifyingly bright, by human standards at least," he chuckles grimly. "I know he will be a great leader of heroes in the future, and this is his first test into that, and if during his time at UA his spirit becomes more heroic, then I would have been right to bet on him, All Might, to replace you..."

"What?" Eraser asks, not believing what he's hearing, after all, he's met Horizon. "You think he can be---"

"Yes!" Nezu says excitedly. "If all goes well, he will be out next Symbol Of Peace!"

All Might tries to keep a smile on, but from the corner of his eye he sees Deku one step away from breaking into a full sobbing mess. Hearing Nezu, one of the few people who knows about One For All declare someone else as the next All Might completely broke his heart, and All Might would need to have a talk with Nezu about this later.

And in the far back of the room, Bakugo's entire mind went blank, staring into nothing as the world seemed to get blurred. Heart pounding in his ears, breathing becoming shallow, mouth drying up. For a moment he felt rage building up, his palm aching to blast something, anything, until all the fight drained out of him and they just hung limply at his sides, staring at the screen with all the fight knocked out of him, just like Deku was.

The other students had no delusions about their futures, they smiled and happily chattered for a moment, excited and amazed to have someone like that in their class. And some -mainly Kirishima and Sato- were excited to train with Horizon.

"That explains why you're playing favorites," Eraser says.

"I'm doing no such thing," Nezu says, and All Might, Eraser, and Recovery girl just shake their heads at the bold lie. "In fact, this matchup is tailored to be the most difficult possible for him, from the students present at their current level that is."

"Hmm," Eraser thinks for a moment. "Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are versatile and powerful, plus they have more training than anyone other than Horizon...but if he's as good as you claim, he's probably best in the school, by a pretty large margin..."

"He is," Nezu says confidently, causing Deku and Bakugo to feel a pit in their stomachs. "And honestly, I'm basing all of this on the information I have, I still don't even know what his Quirk actually does," Nezu cackles wildly at the idea.

"What?!" Eraser is equal parts horrified and pissed at the confession. "What if it's dangerous."

"Oh yes, the only abilities I know about are his Healing, Warping, and some strange ghost bullets..."

'Ghost bullets!' all the students imagined a gun firing little bedsheet ghosts at people, some suppressing a chuckle at the idea and others feeling creeped out.

"Look at this," Nezu says, then waves at the screen. And on the screen, Horizon turns his head toward their direction, staring at a blank wall, and waves back. "See, I don't even know how that works."

"That's still creepy," All Might says.

Everyone nods in agreement.

"I'm hoping that this matchup can draw out some of the abilities he's been hiding from me," Nezu says. "They have the highest chance of giving him a challenge, so this is the best bet...for now. It won't take long until all of you are capable of fighting with the best of them," he gestures to the other students, earning wide grins from them.

"This is gonna be awesome!" Mina cheers loudly, immediately joined by Uraraka, all swept up in the excitement as Deku and Bakugo just stand at the back of the crowd, feeling the immense pressure of a new rival.

Everyone begins theorizing what his Quirk is and how the battle will go, meanwhile two of the unsuspecting pawns approach the battlefield...

A moment later Todoroki and Momo are standing at the entrance, and Nezu turns the volume all the way up so everyone in the room can clearly hear.

"For your own safety, wait outside," Todoroki says, and places a single hand on the outside of the building.

A thick layer of ice begins spreading out, moving around the outside and inside of the building, creeping up floor by floor all the way to the top.

Todoroki exhales and it comes out as frost mist, and Yaoyorozu takes a few steps back in amazement.

As Todoroki enters the building the entire control room is silent, surprised by this display of power. If not for what Nezu said earlier, they were sure this would be the strongest student in their class.

Deku and Bakugo felt nothing, already numb to the sensation of being outclassed for today, now they were just watching with blank stares.

"Well, I guess that's that," Momo sighs, not surprised by how capable her fellow recommended student was, but a bit sad that she didn't get to do anything.

"He froze them to the building!" Sato yells, noticing Ojiro trying to move his feet, and Horizon now standing in front of the bomb with his feet also frozen to the floor.

"Is it over already?" Hagakure asks, not seeing Horizon or Ojiro breaking out.

"If you move your feet it'll rip off your skin," Horizon tells Ojiro, and the students listening in wince as he stops moving immediately. "This is why you need shoes, moron."

CRACK!

He uses the scabbard of his sword to shatter the ice and free himself, taking a step back to sit on the crate and simply wait for Shoto.

BOOSTER SHOT!

Beneath his pants and shoes, even beneath his body glove, the near-frozen skin is immediately healed.

'Cold, as expected... and he perfectly froze the building, not bad,' Horizon thinks as he sees Ojiro trying to keep his balance.

"Horizon broke out!" Kirishima cheers, clenching a fist in excitement, but quickly gets confused as he sees Horizon just return to his seat. "Hey! Why isn't he helping his teammate?!"

"Because he doesn't care," Eraser explains, glaring daggers at the screen, a deep scowl on his face. "He views Ojiro as useless in this situation, not surprising considering how he spoke earlier...too selfish to be a hero."

"Agreed," Nezu says, still beaming with pride much to the annoyance of Eraser. "That's why he's in UA, to build his heroic spirit, and I'm sure as everyone grows he will see their capabilities and grow to respect them all."

As Shoto begins climbing the stairs Eraser continues, "heroes should at least have a base level of compassion for people, especially their teammates, BEFORE they're allowed entry into UA," he says with a touch of venom in his voice.

All Might and everyone else nods in agreement, but Nezu just chuckles. "I agree, but while UA only accepts people who can largely be considered prodigies, that includes all of you," he sees some students looking up at him with stars in their eyes. "We also realize that sometimes heroes aren't born, they have to be built, and that is what UA is best at, right All Might?"

All Might stiffens at that, and Deku swallows dryly, obviously knowing what Nezu was referring to, their inherited Quirk. "Right, I completely agree," All Might says. "It's not about where you are now, it's about where you can be if given the chance, and at UA, you've got until graduation to become your best self and enter the world."

"Look it's happening!" Kaminari excitedly points at the screen, causing Eraser and Nezu to get quiet for a moment.

Shoto enters the frozen room, glancing around with an indifferent expression, he sees Ojiro frozen to the floor, as expected, but he turns to fully face Horizon, seeing him sitting on a crate as if this wasn't a battle, perfectly relaxed.

Glancing down he notices the broken ice, "you broke the ice, but if you don't want to get frozen again, just get out of the way."

"Really?" Horizon casually takes out one of his throwing cards, playing with it between the fingers of his left hand, sword in his right.

Shoto takes a battle stance, right foot forward and ready to unleash more ice. "Don't do anything, just surrender."

Horizon chuckles, "oh, this is gonna be fun, go ahead, try it..."

CRCHHH!

A sudden torrent of ice fires at Horizon, Shoto took no chances at all, thick blue ice freezing half the room into a massive ice cube and causing a layer of thin mist to block their vision for a moment.

"Huh?" Shoto and everyone else look completely confused and horrified at what they see, frozen in Horizon's place is Momo, already hugging herself, exposed costume providing no protection, skin already becoming pale and frozen, almost up to her chest stuck in ice, and the bomb behind her completely untouched.

"T-Todoroki?" she asks through shivering lips, completely bewildered.

"He can warp people," Todoroki says, instantly realizing that Horizon was more dangerous than he realized.

SHAMBLES!

Momo disappears, collapsing to the ground on the road outside. In her place, the simple throwing card.

'Now is my chance!' Todoroki rushes forward, and before he can even take one step.

SHAMBLES!

He's suddenly standing beside Momo, looking around frantically for any surprise attacks.

"His Warping is instant and irresistible, I didn't even feel anything," he properly assesses. "Keep your eyes peeled for him to appear behind us."

Standing back in the bomb room Horizon collects his card by warping it back into his hand, then draws his sword.

Without turning his head he aims down to his right side.

INJECTION SHOT!

"Argh!" Todoroki screams in agony as he feels five bullets hit him, ripping through the building, his clothes, and the street below him, one in each limb and another in his left shoulder.

Ojiro looks both confused and terrified as he sees the bullet holes appear in the floor.

"Todoroki!" Momo forces herself up, limbs still numb as she looks down at Shoto. "He...he shot you?" she asks confused. Seeing the holes on both sides of his uniform and in the road, but his skin was untouched. "I don't understand..."

Back in the bomb room Horizon turns and begins walking to the far wall, toward the street. And with a wide swing of his sword.

AMPUTATE!

CRASH!

The entire building is divided diagonally, with the face of it being cut off and sliding down toward the street.

"Move!" Shoto grits out to Momo, seeing the face of the building, three stories of concrete sliding down toward them, and a massive slash mark in the road just in front of them.

Horizon raises a single finger and flicks it upward to point at the sky.

TAKT!

The falling section suddenly begins floating, causing everyone to stare in surprise. These last two abilities were news even to Nezu, something that nobody missed with the way his mouth was agape.

Horizon puts his sword away and walks to the edge of the building, the newly made balcony as it would seem, all while the cut-off section was now floating a few meters above the roof, directly above Shoto and Momo.

Horizon looks down at them, and they could feel the judgment behind his visor, "so...surrender? Or I could drop it," he gestures to the building hovering above them.

Shoto glares daggers at him, but Momo doesn't hesitate to take the initiative, "we surrender!" she doesn't even put up a fight, something that would haunt her for quite a while.

"The villain team wins!" All Might announces stiffly.

"Well...those abilities are new," Nezu chuckles darkly, earning another set of glares from Eraser while everyone just takes in the destruction on screen.

The top recommended student was crushed, the second place left helpless, and a large section of the building was held aloft in the air by nothing...

'Tch, damn it Nezu,' All Might feels conflicted at what this means, thankful to have Horizon, but certainly not expecting his doctor to be such intense competition for his chosen successor, 'this was supposed to be Izuku's year...where the hell did you find this thing!'

MHA: Horizon

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