The battlefield was chaos, but all of it seemed to fade as Todoroki's team carved their way through the madness, their eyes locked on one target—Izuku.
Todoroki stood as rider, icy mist curling around his frame. At his sides, Momo created insulated shields to counter blasts, Jōzō's arms stretched wide for mobility, and Kaminari crackled with sparks, ready to zap anyone who got too close. Together, they looked like a juggernaut carving a path straight through the storm.
"I won't hold back, Midoriya," Todoroki muttered as another glacier surged beneath their formation, propelling them forward like an avalanche.
Ibara's vines lashed out, wrapping around the oncoming ice to slow it. "Brace yourselves, friends!"
Ochaco's hand pressed down. "Release!"
The enormous glacier lost its weight, floating harmlessly into the air. Gasps rose from the crowd as Todoroki's own attack turned into a drifting iceberg overhead.
"Now, Mei!" Izuku barked.
Mei grinned, pulling the trigger on one of her babies— a small cluster drone zipped into the floating ice and detonated with a dazzling flash, scattering chunks like fireworks. The debris rained harmlessly down, but the spectacle drew cheers from the audience.
Yet Todoroki wasn't shaken. He slammed his hand down again. More ice surged forward, this time shaped into jagged spikes racing like lances.
Izuku blurred forward, fist glowing faintly. He smashed through the frost with a single punch, shards flying everywhere. The force carried him all the way up to Todoroki's formation, his eyes blazing green.
ZZZT!
Twin beams of heat vision shot forward, forcing Momo to instantly conjure a steel wall to shield the team. Sparks flew as the lasers seared against it.
"Tch—he's insane!" Kaminari shouted, unleashing a jolt of electricity toward Izuku.
But vines coiled in from the side, snaring his arm mid-strike. "Forgive me," Ibara whispered, yanking him off-balance.
Izuku closed the gap—his fist drew back, aimed directly at Todoroki. The impact never came.
Todoroki thrust his palm forward, ice exploding in a sharp, glacial wall between them. Izuku's fist slammed into it, cracks webbing instantly across the frozen barrier. Todoroki's eyes narrowed, his breath misting in the cold.
The two locked eyes over the breaking ice—green lightning in Izuku's gaze, frost-fire resolve in Todoroki's.
BWOOOOOOP!!
The buzzer blared. Time.
Both teams froze, the tension hanging heavier than the floating glacier above. Izuku's fist hovered against cracked ice. Todoroki's hand trembled slightly from the strain of holding the wall.
"TIME!!" Present Mic roared, his voice nearly breaking from excitement. "WHAT A SHOWDOWN! TEAM MIDORIYA HOLDS ONTO TEN MILLION, BUT TODOROKI'S TEAM CAME WITH THE HEAT—OR SHOULD I SAY THE COLD! THIS IS A RIVALRY TO WATCH, FOLKS!!"
The crowd exploded with cheers, stamping their feet, chanting both names.
Izuku exhaled slowly, lowering his fist. His grin was sharp. "…Close one."
Todoroki's eyes lingered on him, calm but cutting. "…Next time, Midoriya, you won't stop me."
The scoreboard flickered alive, listing results. Team Midoriya was still on top, but the narrow clash left everyone on edge.
The massive screen above the stadium flickered, numbers shuffling rapidly before finally freezing into place. The names of the top teams glowed in bold letters.
1st Place: Team Midoriya
2nd Place: Team Todoroki
3rd Place: Team Bakugo
4th Place: Team Shinso
The crowd erupted like thunder.
"Unbelievable! Midoriya kept the ten million all the way to the end!"
"He didn't just defend it, he dominated the field!"
"And Todoroki and Bakugo right behind him—what a lineup for the next stage!!"
Present Mic's voice was almost cracking with excitement. "AND THAT'S A WRAP ON THE CAVALRY BATTLE! ONLY FOUR TEAMS MOVE FORWARD, AND BOY, DID THEY EARN IT!! GIVE IT UP FOR OUR FINALISTS!!!"
The stadium shook with applause, chants of "MIDO-RI-YA! MIDO-RI-YA!" echoing through the stands.
Izuku stood tall in the center of his team, smiling faintly as Ochaco clapped her hands in joy. Mei punched the air, her gadgets buzzing and sparking like fireworks in celebration. Ibara, ever serene, bowed her head in thanks, her vines retreating quietly.
But not everyone was smiling.
"DEKUUUU!!!"
Bakugo's roar cut through the cheers. He stomped toward Izuku, smoke billowing from his hands, teeth clenched so tight it looked painful.
"You think you're hot shit, huh?! First the entrance, now this?! I'll blow that smug face right off your skull in the next round, you bastard!!"
Ochaco flinched, but Izuku only tilted his head, grinning with calm confidence. "Looking forward to it, Kacchan."
That only made Bakugo's palms spark hotter, his rage practically vibrating in the air.
Meanwhile, Todoroki simply turned away, his eyes cold, calculating. I'll crush him in the next round. This won't be a game.
The tension between the three frontrunners was palpable—lightning, ice, and explosions hanging thick in the air as the crowd chanted for more.
Midnight stepped forward, her whip cracking loudly. "That's enough! Save it for the next stage, you brats! And trust me, it's going to get even bloodier from here."
After that, Izuku went back to the waiting room for Class A as everything for the final event was being prepared. The muffled roar of the crowd outside still vibrated faintly through the walls, but in here, it was quiet. The air was thick with anticipation.
Izuku leaned back in his chair, arms folded, his mind wandering.
'It's been fun so far. What's the next arc again? Oh right—the hero internship. Wonder who I'll pick… If Mirko's available, I know who I'm taking.' He smirked slightly to himself, the thought enough to keep him relaxed while everyone else was drowning in nerves.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet. A cold draft swept in as Todoroki stepped inside. His mismatched eyes locked onto Izuku with the intensity of a predator eyeing its rival.
The whole class fell silent.
"I won't hold back just because we're classmates," Todoroki said flatly, his voice sharp as ice. "I just want to make that clear. I have more to gain from defeating you than you know."
The air felt heavier, frost beginning to form faintly on the doorknob behind him.
Izuku didn't flinch. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "If you plan on going all out, then make sure you use that fire power. Because if you don't…" His eyes gleamed with confidence, almost daring. "…not even a second will pass, and you'll be flat on the ground."
The room seemed to crackle with the tension.
Todoroki's jaw tightened, fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. He gave the smallest scoff, though it didn't mask the frustration in his glare.
"…We'll see." With that, he turned on his heel and walked out, the frost on the knob melting as the door closed behind him.
The silence lingered for a moment. Then Mina finally spoke, plopping down next to Izuku with wide eyes.
"Seriously, what did you do to that guy? He's acting like you stole his lunch money and burned his house down."
Izuku shrugged casually. "Couldn't tell ya."
Momo, who had been watching with a frown, crossed her arms. "Whatever it is, he's not letting it go. He's serious about this, Izuku."
Izuku tilted his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. "He really is."
Mina leaned closer with a mischievous grin. "Ooooh, it's a rivalry thing, huh? Like Goku and Vegeta! But you're kinda more like… Goku if he had a cheat code."
Izuku chuckled under his breath. "That's one way of putting it."
The tension eased slightly as the rest of Class A started entering. Everyone knew the one-on-one battles weren't going to be anything like the cavalry match.
They were going to be brutal.
TO BE CONTINUED