Chapter 35: An Inevitable Confrontation
The festive, almost carnival-like atmosphere that had filled the stadium during the lunch break slowly evaporated as the sixteen finalists were called back to the field. The recreational games for the eliminated students concluded, and a new, more serious energy descended upon the arena. The students who had been rivals and teammates were now simply competitors, sixteen individuals standing under the immense, watchful eye of the entire nation, waiting for their fates to be decided.
Midnight stood upon the central stage, her expression all business now. "Welcome back, everyone!" she announced, her voice echoing in the suddenly quiet stadium. "The final event that will determine our first-year champion is a one-on-one, single-elimination tournament! A true test of mettle, skill, and spirit!"
The giant screen behind her lit up, displaying the portraits of the sixteen finalists arranged in a circle. "We will now announce the matchup for the very first bout of the final round!"
A theatrical drumroll began to play over the loudspeakers, a tense, heart-pounding rhythm that seemed to sync with Izuku Midoriya's own frantic heartbeat. The portraits on the screen began to spin, blurring into a kaleidoscope of faces. One of the slots in the tournament bracket began to flash.
The spinning slowed, and locked into place. It was Midoriya's face, his expression a mixture of terror and determination.
"In this corner," Midnight declared, "the boy who shocked us all with his brilliant strategy and indomitable will! The first-place finisher of our preliminary rounds, from Class 1-A… IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
A massive cheer went up from the crowd, a wave of support for the unexpected underdog. Midoriya felt a hot blush creep up his neck, the pressure of their expectations a heavy weight.
"And his opponent…" Midnight continued, drawing out the suspense. The second slot spun. It slowed, locking into place on a face that was pale, with crimson hair, and utterly devoid of emotion.
The stadium's cheer hitched in its collective throat, morphing into a complex, buzzing murmur of awe, fascination, and a deep, underlying current of fear.
"A boy whose power and precision have left us all speechless! The silent supernova who completely dominated the second event! Also from Class 1-A… GAARA!"
Midoriya felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him. His blood ran cold. Him? Already? His mind, usually a whirlwind of analysis, went completely blank for a moment, replaced by a surge of pure, unadulterated panic. I have no data on him… His Quirk is a perfect defense… My power will just break my own bones against an unbreakable wall. How can I possibly win?
Gaara's reaction was, as always, imperceptible. He simply turned his head, his placid gaze falling upon the trembling, green-haired boy who was now his opponent. His face was a blank slate.
"Will our two combatants please proceed to your designated preparation rooms!" Midnight announced. "The first match will begin in fifteen minutes!"
In a quiet, concrete hallway beneath the stands, Midoriya paced back and forth, his mind a storm of frantic, hopeless analysis.
"An absolute defense… but there has to be a weakness… there's always a weakness… a limit to the amount of sand, maybe? But he has that gourd, and he used the ground itself, so the source is practically infinite… A time limit? A range limit? There's no data, no data at all, how am I supposed to fight someone I can't even touch…"
"You're overthinking it, young Midoriya."
Midoriya jumped, spinning around to see Toshinori Yagi leaning against the wall, his expression serious and calm.
"All Might!" he gasped. "What do I do? His Quirk… it feels like it was designed to be my perfect counter. I can't win with brute force."
"You are correct," Toshinori said, and the simple, blunt confirmation made Midoriya's heart sink. "A full-power Smash would be reckless and, in all likelihood, useless against a defense of that caliber. You cannot go into this battle trying to be me, my boy."
He pushed himself off the wall and placed a firm, comforting hand on his successor's shoulder. "Listen to me. You did not win the first event with your arms. You won it with your mind. You have a brilliant, analytical intellect, one of the sharpest I have ever seen in a young hero. That is your greatest weapon today. You must use it. Observe him. Test him. Look for a weakness, however small. A delay in his defense. A limit to his control. A flicker of emotion. Not every battle is won by the strongest punch. Sometimes, it is won by the smartest one."
Gaara, seeking a space away from the charged atmosphere of the main waiting room, had found his own brand of solitude. He walked down a long, empty service corridor, the distant roar of the crowd a muffled, ignorable hum. He needed a moment of silence to focus, to center himself before the test.
He turned a corner and stopped.
Leaning against the far wall, his arms crossed, his right side faintly steaming in the cool air of the corridor, was Shoto Todoroki. He had been waiting.
"That move you made in the cavalry battle," Todoroki began, his voice flat, analytical, and completely devoid of warmth. "It was… effective."
Gaara said nothing. He simply stood there, his teal eyes meeting Todoroki's mismatched gaze, and waited.
"Your power," Todoroki continued, his eyes scanning Gaara as if trying to dissect him, to understand the mechanics of his strength. "It is immense. Similar in scale to my own. But you use it without emotion. Like a machine."
"It is a tool," Gaara replied, his voice a quiet, even rasp.
"Midoriya will not be a challenge for you," Todoroki stated, as if it were a simple, inarguable fact. "His power is reckless and self-destructive. You will win this match." He pushed himself off the wall, taking a single, deliberate step closer. The air around him seemed to grow colder. "But when you are finished with him… I will be waiting for you in the finals. I want to see which is truly absolute. My ice…" he paused, a faint, visible wisp of frost escaping his lips, "…or your sand."
It was not a threat. It was a promise. A declaration of an inevitable confrontation between elemental titans.
Gaara held Todoroki's intense gaze for a long moment, processing the challenge. Then, he gave a single, almost imperceptible nod of acknowledgement. He turned and continued on his way down the corridor, leaving Todoroki alone in the silence.
He found a restroom, the cool water a balm against his skin. He centered himself, the conversation not having rattled him, but having simply provided a new, clear objective for the future. As he walked back out into the corridor, the world erupted in sound.
"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE! THE WAIT IS OVER! ARE YOU READY FOR OUR OPENING MATCH?!" Present Mic's voice boomed from the PA system, echoing through the concrete hallways with deafening force. "PUT YOUR HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST COMPETITOR! HE BLASTED THROUGH THE PRELIMS AND SHOWED US THE HEART OF A TRUE CHAMPION! FROM THE HERO COURSE, IIIIZUKU MIDORIYA!!!"
A massive, deafening roar washed through the corridor, the sound of pure, hopeful energy.
"AND HIS OPPONENT!" Mic's voice screamed, the hype reaching a fever pitch. "THE SILENT SUPERNOVA WHO RESHAPED THE BATTLEFIELD AND TOOK THE FESTIVAL BY STORM! ALSO FROM CLASS 1-A, GAAAAARA!!!"
Another roar, this one deeper, more complex, a sound of awe mixed with a chilling, primal fear.
Gaara looked up. At the far end of the long hallway, Midoriya was emerging from a different corridor. Their paths had converged, both now leading to a massive, brightly lit archway that marked the entrance to the arena.
At the other end of the archway, a second tunnel began. Midoriya was directed towards the South Gate, Gaara towards the North.
They were in their separate tunnels now, the concrete walls on either side of them, a world apart. Neither could see the other. But they could both hear the same, singular, deafening roar of the crowd. They could both see the same, singular, blindingly white light at the end of their respective paths.
Midoriya stood at his gate, taking a deep, shaky breath, remembering All Might's words.
Gaara stood at his, his face a mask of calm, remembering Todoroki's challenge.
They both took the first step forward, into the light, towards the roar, and towards each other.