Chapter 42: The Prodigy and the Anomaly
The roar of the stadium was a physical thing, a tidal wave of sound that washed over the concrete arena as Izuku Midoriya was escorted to the infirmary. The brief, strange, and ultimately anticlimactic first match was over, and the crowd was hungry for a true spectacle. They did not have to wait long. The grounds crew worked with swift efficiency, repairing the minor damage to the stage, and a new, heavier sense of anticipation began to build, a palpable current in the air that silenced the idle chatter.
The giant screen above the field flickered, displaying the portraits of the next two combatants, and the hum of the crowd began to build into a roar once more.
"ALRIGHT, LISTENERS, DRY YOUR EYES AND GET READY TO SCREAM!" Present Mic's voice boomed, dripping with renewed energy. "BECAUSE THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR IS HERE! IT'S TIME FOR THE SECOND MATCH OF THE FINALS, AND IT'S A BATTLE BETWEEN TWO OF THE UNDISPUTED MONSTERS OF THE FIRST YEAR!"
The southern tunnel went dark for a moment before a figure emerged into the brilliant afternoon sun. "IN THE SOUTH CORNER! HE IS HERO COURSE ROYALTY! THE SON OF THE FLAME HERO ENDEAVOR, AND A PRODIGY WHOSE POWER CAN CHANGE THE VERY CLIMATE OF THE BATTLEFIELD! HE FROZE THE COMPETITION IN THE PRELIMINARIES AND SECURED HIS SPOT AT THE TOP WITHOUT BREAKING A SWEAT! FROM CLASS 1-A, GIVE IT UP FOR THE ICY PRINCE OF POWER, SHOOOOOTO TODOOOOROKI!"
Shoto Todoroki walked onto the stage with a cold, dispassionate grace. The roar of the crowd seemed to mean nothing to him; he was an island of perfect, chilling calm in a sea of chaotic noise. He did not acknowledge the cheers. He simply walked to his designated side of the arena, his heterochromatic eyes fixed on the empty space where his opponent would soon stand. A fine, almost invisible mist of cold air was already beginning to coalesce around his right foot, a silent, ominous promise of the power he held in reserve.
"AND HIS OPPONENT!" Present Mic's voice climbed an octave, filled with a genuine, almost fanatical excitement. "IN THE NORTH CORNER! HE IS THE STORY OF THE FESTIVAL, THE ULTIMATE DARK HORSE, THE GREEN COMET WHOSE SPIRIT BURNS BRIGHTER THAN ANY QUIRK! HE IS THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION OF THE FIRST TWO EVENTS, A BOY WHO PROVED TO THE WORLD THAT SHEER, UNBREAKABLE WILL CAN SHATTER ANY OBSTACLE! MAKE SOME NOISE FOR THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION, ROOOOOOCK LEEEEEEEE!"
A vibrant green blur jogged out of the northern tunnel. Rock Lee did not walk with a heavy tread, but with a light, energetic bounce, his body thrumming with a joyous, eager energy. He wore his simple green jumpsuit, a stark contrast to the intricate, high-tech costumes of his peers, and it felt like a statement. This was him, stripped of all artifice, ready to offer nothing but his own two hands. He smiled at the roaring, adoring crowd, a wide, brilliant, and utterly genuine smile, and gave them a deep, respectful bow. The cheer for him was deafening, a wave of pure affection for the passionate underdog who had captured their hearts.
In the commentary booth, Present Mic leaned towards his microphone. "WAIT A MINUTE, THOUGH! LEE ISN'T WEARING THE STANDARD U.A. GYM UNIFORM! HE'S IN HIS OWN CUSTOM JUMPSUIT! IS THAT EVEN ALLOWED, ERASER HEAD?!"
Before Aizawa could grunt a reply, Midnight's voice cut in from the judges' stage. "Contestant Lee filed a special request prior to the tournament," she announced, her voice amplified throughout the stadium. "His attire, while not standard issue, conforms to all regulations for athletic wear and provides no illegal support functions. He told me himself that he feels braver this way, that this is his true hero costume." A playful, admiring smile touched her lips. "And that is precisely the kind of passionate spirit I'm looking for! His request was approved!"
The crowd roared its approval. High in the stands, Sora Aokawa watched her student soak in the adoration of the world, a tense, proud knot forming in her stomach. Beside her, Mr. Tanaka simply smirked.
"He's in," Sora whispered, her voice barely audible.
On the field, the two combatants finally stood face to face, a vast expanse of grey concrete between them. The world fell away, leaving only the two of them in a bubble of profound, humming tension.
Lee's dark eyes scanned his opponent. He was not ignorant of who he was facing. Shoto Todoroki, his mind cataloged, his thoughts sharp and analytical. Son of the Number Two Hero, Endeavor. His Quirk allows him to generate ice from his right side, and fire from his left. The control he possesses over his ice is absolute, capable of creating structures on a massive scale in an instant. His fire… I have not seen it, but I can feel its potential. I can see the torment it causes him in his eyes. He is a genius, born with everything. This will be my greatest test.
Todoroki was the first to break the silence. He stood with his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his uniform, an act of supreme, almost arrogant confidence. "I've been wanting to fight someone with a powerful Quirk like yours, Rock Lee," he said, his voice a low, even monotone.
He slowly pulled his right hand from his pocket, the air around it visibly shimmering with cold. He bent down, placing the palm of his hand flat against the concrete floor of the stage. "To make this fight meaningful," he continued, his gaze locking with Lee's, "and to not waste anyone's time, you should use it from the very beginning. That power you used against the Nomu."
A deep, resonant gong sounded through the stadium, the official signal.
"BEGIN!!!" Present Mic screamed.
In the exact same instant, Todoroki acted. An enormous, monstrous wave of jagged ice erupted from the ground, a glacier born from concrete, screaming across the arena floor towards Lee. It was the same overwhelming, arena-ending attack he had used before, designed to instantly freeze and immobilize his opponent.
But his opponent was no longer there.
"Second Gate: Gate of Healing! Open!"
Kyūmon… KAI!
With a surge of revitalizing energy, Lee vanished. He moved a fraction of a second before the ice wave even formed, a ghost of motion that the human eye could not track. He reappeared in a flash of green at Todoroki's right side, his fist cocked back, ready to strike.
Todoroki's reaction speed was inhuman. Without even turning his head, his right hand, still on the ground, flexed. A brutal, secondary explosion of razor-sharp ice shards burst from the ground at his side, aimed directly at Lee.
"Slow," Todoroki stated, his voice a cold whisper.
But Lee was already gone again. He had used the motion of Todoroki's ice as a feint, disappearing once more to reappear on his opponent's completely unguarded left side. This time, there was no defense.
Lee's fist drove forward, the first direct, powerful blow of the match. It connected with Todoroki's side with a solid, meaty thud. The force of the impact lifted the prodigy off his feet, sending him crashing sideways into the wall of his own freshly-created ice mountain. The glacier cracked and groaned under the force of the collision.
The crowd exploded. "A HIT! A CLEAN HIT! ROCK LEE LANDS THE FIRST BLOW AGAINST TODOROKI!"
Todoroki pushed himself up, his expression one of pure, unadulterated shock. He stared at Lee, who now stood where the ice wave had begun, a calm, confident smile on his face.
The smile widened. "What do you mean by 'Quirk'?" Lee asked, his voice ringing out with a strange, genuine curiosity that cut through the roar of the crowd.
Todoroki's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Lee's smile remained, but his eyes were serious, and his next words fell like a hammer blow that silenced the entire, colossal stadium.
"I do not have a Quirk," he stated, his voice clear and absolute. "I haven't had one since the day I first set foot in this academy."