Backstage, I ran into Shoto Todoroki, who was busy brooding in front of the locker room. He'd already beaten Iida with relative ease. He and I never really spoke, but there was something that I wanted to say to him before our fight.
"I heard about how you refuse to use your fire Quirk. Something about not wanting to use your dad's power. I just wanted to know if you planned on using it against me."
"I don't. I only used it against Midoriya because... I don't know, he does this thing where he brings something out of you. It was a mistake."
"And why's that?"
"Because I planned on showing my father that I can win without using his Quirk."
"Well, I have bad news for you. You aren't beating me without using your fire Quirk. And if you lose while using only your ice Quirk, you're basically just proving your father right."
Todoroki's eyes twitched. His icy glare found my eyes as he pushed himself off the wall.
"And if I win, then I'm still proving him right. It's a lose-lose scenario."
"Not necessarily. I heard the way your father talks about you. He wants you to be a hero his way. To use your Quirk his way. Do you wanna really piss him off?"
Todoroki said nothing as he continued to leer at me between strands of hair.
"Be the opposite of the kind of hero he is. Your dad wants you to be Endeavour 2.0. But just because you have similar powers doesn't mean you have to walk his path. Take Midoriya and All Might, for example. You've said it yourself, their Quirks are very similar. Yet Midoriya still uses it in his own way."
"Midoriya breaks every bone in his body."
"That's because he wants it more than anyone else in the world. He'd sacrifice an arm and a leg if it meant becoming a hero. Yet here you are, unwilling to even sacrifice something as invaluable as your pride, all to spite your father. It's your Quirk, Todoroki. It's yours. And if you don't plan on being here, then maybe you should switch spots with one of those kids in 1-B, they all seem to want it more than you."
Todoroki said nothing; in fact, he wasn't even looking at me at this point. Despite my best efforts, it looked as though I wasn't getting through to him. I started walking toward the arena, hoping to stop by and chat with Midoriya and the others before the final. However, Todoroki found the words he wanted to say.
"Why do you insist on helping me? Why not just win the match and have all the glory for yourself? You benefit nothing from it."
"You know how you said Midoriya has a special way of bringing something out of you? Whenever I see that guy, he somehow inspires me to be a better hero, sort of like All Might. When you faced off against him, he helped you realize that your Quirk is yours. I realized then that being a hero isn't just about saving people's lives, it's about doing whatever you can to help. You asked why I want to help you. It's because that's what heroes do."
I continued walking, only stopping to add one more thing. I smiled at Todoroki, though he was still staring blankly at the wall in front of him. "Besides, Bakugo would be pissed at me if I didn't make you go all out."
Todoroki turned his head toward me, and I swear I saw one percent of a smile on his face.
"Anyway, I'll see you out there, Todoroki."
As I was just a step away from turning the corner, I heard Todoroki's voice echo through the hall.
"Hey, Morales."
I stopped and turned toward him.
"You better use all of your Quirks, too."
I exhaled humorously at him.
"I will."
Half an hour passed, and the grand final was about to commence.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Present Mic's voice echoed through the silent crowd, all waiting in anticipation for the main event. "For our final match, we have Shoto Todoroki and Miles Morales, two of Class 1-A's own who both have multiple Quirks in their arsenal. Will Morales's spider-like strength and agility, sticky webs, and electricity be enough to extinguish Todoroki's flames and melt his ice!? There's only one way to find out! Let's begin!"
The match started, and Todoroki immediately threw his right arm forward, conjuring a wave of ice that you could see the apex of from outside the arena. The crowd let out a couple of oohs as I vanished beneath the ice.
"Could it be? Has Todoroki beaten Morales with just one attack?" I heard Present Mic shout.
However, he would be dead wrong. I slung a web onto one of the icy peaks and flung myself over the mountain of ice. The crowd erupted, seeing me emerge from the attack completely unscathed.
"It's gonna take a lot more than that if you're gonna beat me, Todoroki!" I yelled as I hurled myself toward him like a meteor, my fist swathed in lightning. Again, he threw a wave of ice at me, believing I wouldn't be able to dodge it. Instead, I twisted and contorted myself in mid air, allowing the wave to pass under me before kicking off of it to propel myself toward him.
Instead of firing another precise shot, he threw out a wide, shotgun blast of ice, knowing that no matter what I did, I wouldn't be able to dodge it, and he was right. However, a little bit of ice wasn't enough to stop me! Instead of dodging, I shattered it all with my right fist. His ice wasn't the only victim of my punch; it also collided with Todoroki's chest, which sent him spinning out of control toward the edge.
At the last moment, Todoroki created a slope out of his ice, saving himself from falling off the stage. Seeing that his right hand was busy spewing ice, I fired a web at his left side, knowing he still refused to give me the fight I asked for. I yanked him toward me, pulling back my fist before punching him square in the chest, sending him rolling toward the center of the stage.
I was pulling my punches more than usual; I wouldn't be satisfied going all out until he used his flames at least once. As he got up, I could hear Midoriya shouting from the stands.
"Todoroki! You can do this! Use it!"
I laughed and shook my head. Midoriya, my closest friend, wasn't even rooting for me. Still, I think that just meant he had so much faith in me that he didn't think I needed any coaching.
"He's right, you know," I said. "Use it. Make it your own, Todoroki."
He retaliated by sending a wave of ice at me, which I was able to blast through with a well-timed punch. I attached a web to his chest as I charged my fist with lightning. Once more, I yanked him toward me and sent him rolling toward the opposite end of the field with an emphatic punch. Just like when he'd fought Midoirya, I could see that his right side was being frozen over from overusing his Quirk.
"Todoroki, this is it. Decide the type of hero that you want to be, right now. Will you go down as Endeavor's failure, proving him right by showing the world that you are nothing without his power? Or will you use YOUR Quirk to its fullest and show the world the kind of hero you really are? If you plan on ever breaking free from the shackles of your father, now is the time! Now is the time to set yourself free and proclaim to the world who you are!"
I wasn't sure what it was about my miniature speech that broke through to him, but I finally did it. His blue eye glimmered as the left side of his body lit ablaze, consuming half of the stage.
"He's doing it again, folks! He's using his fire Quirk!" I could barely hear Present Mic through the sounds of roaring flames.
"You and Midoriya are both crazy. Fine, if you want to be burned so badly, then so be it! I do want it! I want it more than anyone else in the world. I'll be a hero, even better than All Might. Even better than him." Todoroki eyed his father as the ice on his right side started to melt.
His flames were so intense up close, I nearly started to regret egging him on this far. But this is truly what I wanted. If I were going to win this thing, I wanted it to be a known fact that I was the strongest.
Todoroki threw an avalanche of ice first, followed by a surge of his red flames. I leaped in the air, avoiding the mountain of spikey ice chasing me toward the heavens. Simultaneously, I used my webs to redirect myself, dodging the flames that Todoroki launched at me from below.
Eventually, the whole stage was covered in ice, such that I could no longer see the ground. Instead, mountains of ice were being blasted through by Todoroki's flames as I used the ice caps as stepping stones and holds to attach my webs to.
It wasn't long before Todoroki figured out my plan; like Midoriya, I was trying to tire him out. Instead of attacking from the ground, Todoroki started creating paths using his ice, giving chase by skating behind me, wrapping around ice caps while hurling fireballs and tides of flames.
I glanced over at the teachers; neither of them had decided to step in yet, but I could tell that they were ready to intervene if things were to go south. Suddenly, I could feel my brain starting to buzz -- it was my Spider-Sense. I looked back toward where I'd last seen Todoroki, but he was gone. I quickly scanned my surroundings until I felt a shadow looming from above me. It was Todoroki, his palm gleaming like an exploding star.
"Don't look at them, look at me, Morales."
A swell of flames burst from his hand, completely blotting out the sun. The heat and glow were so intense, I had to cover my eyes as I hastily created a shield with my webs to protect my vitals. Like a meteor lighting ablaze in our atmosphere, I crashed into the Earth, causing the mountain of ice to shatter and melt before spewing throughout the entire arena. I felt my body slam into the ground, creating a crater so deep that a two-storey house could've fit inside it.
Though it hurt like hell, and I'd broken a few ribs, I was still conscious. Midnight rushed over and peered into the hole, seeing me miraculously peel myself up and onto my feet.
"Morales! Are you okay?!" she asked me. I was too in pain to speak, so I gave her a thumbs-up.
Man, I didn't know my body was so durable. Something's definitely broken, but I can still fight. This is the first time anyone's really bypassed my Spider-Sense. What was up with that? Was it because I was distracted?
I used two webs to slingshot myself back onto the surface, where I found Todoroki waiting for me, his body still shrouded in flame on one side. I could tell by looking at him that he was gassed; he must've put everything he had into that attack.
"How..." he muttered, staring at me like a ghost.
"Super agility, super strength, and super durability. It's all part of the package." I said breathlessly. "I didn't think I could take such a big explosion, though. Good to know."
"I can't believe it," Present Mic said, his voice echoing through the stunned arena. "Morales just... He just took that explosion like it was nothing. I can't even see the bottom of the crater it created!"
"You look tired, Todoroki," I teased. His eyes were halfway shut, and his pupils moved side to side as if he were following my movements; however, I was standing completely still.
"You don't look so good, either," he told me, conjuring ice with his right side.
I took off toward him, gathering enough electricity to cocoon my entire arm. He aimed his right palm toward me, wobbling where he stood. I was focused on him, yet my Spider-Sense didn't go off. A blast of ice whiffed past me, veering off stage. Meanwhile, Todoroki's arms went limp, and he fell forward like a chopped tree.
I unclenched my fist and caught him before he could hit the ground. The left side of his body was hot to the touch, such that I had to quickly let go and hold him with his right side only. Midnight rushed over and examined him; he was completely out cold.
"Looks like he overused his Quirk when he hit you with that attack. Considering he never uses his flames, his body must've overheated. Geez, you 1-A kids this year are gonna kill yourselves if you keep pulling stuff like this."
I set Todoroki on the ground and allowed the medical staff to take a look at him. Meanwhile, Midnight grabbed me by the wrist and lifted my arm. "Miles Morales is our winner via knockout!"
The crowd erupted, though I didn't really feel satisfied. Sure, I won and Todoroki went all out, but I didn't really do anything. Thinking back on it, none of those fights left me satisfied. I won thanks to my Quirk, not because of how well I used it. All of these fights were won based on pure genetics.
I was handed a microphone; I wasn't even aware the winner was going to have to give a speech. Awkwardly, I said the first words that came to mind.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Miles Morales... I guess you already knew that. There have been people in other classes who said that the students in class 1-A didn't earn their spots or that some of us stole spots from others who were more deserving than us. I hope watching us at our best proved to everyone out there that we deserve to be a part of our class. That's not to say class 1-B wasn't impressive. I respect you guys, and I know how it feels to be the underdog. In fact, I felt like the underdog throughout this whole tournament before winding up at the top. Up until now, I've had this feeling of imposter syndrome -- like I didn't belong in class 1-A. Rather than mope about, I worked hard and continued to strive for my goals. All of this is to say that you should never give up on your dreams. For any kids watching at home, it doesn't matter what your classmates, your parents, or anyone says. Anyone can be a hero. You can be a hero."
I caught a glimpse of All Might standing at the top row of the stadium. His smile was as radiant as ever, and I realized then that my speech sounded a lot like one of his. I wondered if I inspired any children out there in the same way he'd inspired me.
Once Todoroki had recovered, we had an award ceremony. Bakugo got third place; he would've shared it with Iida, but he had a family emergency. Bakugo thought the third-place prize was an embarrassment, so he refused to accept it. However, the teachers tied him up to the podium and forced him to participate anyway; they also covered his mouth in a muzzle so he would stop cursing everyone out. Of course, Todoroki got second place. He didn't say it, but I could tell that he didn't want to be there either. Lastly, I received my first-place reward and a few kind words from All Might.
"Great work out there, Young Morales. Your future looks bright, young man, but don't let this get to your head. In the blink of an eye, you may find yourself standing on the second-place podium next time. Stay humble and continue to thrive."
"Yes, sir."
And that was that. I returned home that day to a warm welcome from my mom. She hugged me tightly as if I'd just come back from war. I didn't consider that she was watching the whole thing at home; she must've had a heart attack when Todoroki hit me with that big explosion.
Regardless, she was happy that I was safe and I was glad to finally feel as though she was proud of me.