"Is it still going? Did I miss the start?"
Iida turned at the sound of the familiar voice to find Ochaco standing there, her eyes still red and swollen from crying. Startled by her appearance, the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"Were your eyes gouged out?! We must get you to Recovery Girl at once!"
Ochaco shook her head. "No, I already went. This... this is different."
"I see... regardless, that was a tough loss," Iida said softly. He didn't know exactly what was going through her mind when she challenged Bakugo, but one thing was certain: she had fought with everything she had. Seeing her eliminated felt like a personal blow.
But Ochaco just gave him a small smile.
"Haha, it's okay! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated, but I've got a strong ally on my side. I'll just have to work harder next time! Next time, I'm definitely beating Bakugo!"
"I see. You truly are strong, Uraraka."
"No way. I've still got a long way to go."
"—Regardless, you should probably sit down, Uraraka."
Tokoyami, who had been sitting in silence, finally spoke up. It was a strange sight; usually, whenever Nico was around, Tokoyami wouldn't even come near Ochaco, let alone offer her a seat. Iida couldn't help but think, What is even happening right now?
Ochaco took the empty seat next to Tokoyami as he continued, "Now is a time to turn this battle into nourishment for your soul, rather than wallowing in regret."
"Yeah. You're right. I wonder how Nico is going to handle all that ice...?"
Agreeing with them, Iida turned his attention back to the arena. He wanted to witness the clash between the two strongest students in the festival.
***
『SORRY TO KEEP YOU WAITING, EVERYBODY!! The semifinals are finally here!! You all know why we're late—it's because Mr. Bakugo went absolutely wild with his hustle! YEAAAAAAH!!』
『That is a fact, but you could choose your words better,』 Aizawa sighed.
『He basically pulverized Uraraka!!』
『Don't make it sound worse than it was, you idiot.』
Feeling a bit of sympathy for the roasted Kacchan, I stepped out of the gate to a thunderous roar from the crowd. Across the ring, I saw the Peppermint Boy.
『The two top-ranking students of this festival! They've clashed in the Obstacle Course and the Cavalry Battle—a true match of destiny!! THE FIGHT BEGINS NOW!!』
I climbed into the ring, keeping my eyes on Todoroki. His expression was as dark as ever, but it wasn't just a "gloomy" dark. He was in that annoying state where he stayed perfectly calm while his brain ran at full speed. If he were just a depressed wreck, I'd have an opening... but life isn't that easy.
To be honest, I knew I couldn't beat him in a fair fight. My martial arts were slightly better, but his Quirk's base specs were off the charts. Power, range, speed—he beat me in everything.
I checked my metaphorical hand of cards as I stepped forward. Todoroki looked me in the eye.
"So, you're here."
He was radiating that "strongest fighter" aura. I just smiled and made a fox shape with my right hand, snapping its "mouth" at him. Todoroki stared at my hand for a moment before furrowing his brow in confusion.
"I'm sorry. I don't understand. Put it into words."
Fine. If I must.
"Don't look so smug, you over-glorified Peppermint. I'm gonna eat you alive, you jerk!" I said in a high-pitched, mocking voice.
"That was much meaner than I expected."
"Don't compliment me, I'll blush!"
"I promise you, I'm not complimenting you."
I was hoping he'd relax his guard, but no luck. His concentration was absolute. Well, if he were the type to be thrown off by that, I wouldn't be this worried.
"Phew. Alright, I guess the petty tricks end here. They don't seem to work on you anyway. Sorry, Peppermint, but you're gonna be the sacrifice for my summer vacation."
"I'll apologize in advance then," Todoroki replied. "Sorry for ruining your summer, Midoriya. Just accept the remedial classes and go to school."
"I'll take you up on that challenge!"
『ALRIGHT! THE TWO GIANTS STAND SIDE-BY-SIDE! AND... NOW!!』
Midnight-sensei raised her hand high at the Radio Geezer's shout.
『MIDORIYA VS. TODOROKI!!!!』
The stadium fell silent. The tension was suffocating. I could feel the pressure coming off Todoroki. I took a deep breath and waited. The fight starts at the first millisecond.
『STAAAAART!!!!』
The ground beneath his feet froze instantly. A second later, a massive wave of ice pillars lunged toward me. I responded by blasting out a vortex of fire.
I'd bet on him saving his big moves for the finals, and my gamble paid off. It was a mid-scale attack. The heat from my flames shattered the ice and melted the shards. Todoroki didn't even flinch; like me, he'd expected his first move to be countered.
"Don't get cocky, you brat...!" I muttered.
Todoroki fired another wave of ice. This time, I didn't meet it head-on. I used a wide-range burst of fire as a smoke screen, then used my "Pull" Quirk to launch myself. I targeted the thickest, sturdiest ice pillar near him.
I burst through the wall of flame and saw Todoroki's eyes widen as I closed the gap. He raised his right hand to defend, but I wouldn't let him. I used my Quirk to yank his arm down, forcing his guard open.
"Hah! TAKE THIS!!"
I slipped past his defense and delivered a devastating Lariat with my right arm. It hit, but the sensation was wrong. I looked down to see that he'd managed to catch my arm with his left hand. His stance was broken, but the damage wasn't deep.
Fine. Speed it up.
I yanked my arm back using the impact, using the momentum to spin my body. Sharp, compact, fast. I channeled the centrifugal force into a back-fist to his jaw.
His head snapped back with a dull thud. But at the same moment, I felt a chill at my feet. I knew what was coming. I couldn't dodge from this distance. If it was a contest of strength, so be it!
Spikes of ice erupted from the ground like a bed of needles. It was a bigger scale than before, but we were too close. Before the ice could fully form, my flames were still strong enough to melt it. I unleashed every bit of fire I had downward.
A storm of heat and cold collided. My flames fought his ice for dominance. His ice was powerful—he could cover the stadium in a second—but it lacked staying power. If I suppressed the source and kept the fire coming, I could hold it!
『IT'S A FIRST!! TODOROKI'S ICE HAS BEEN STOPPED HEAD-ON!! WHAT A SHOW, MIDORIYA-GIRL!!』
The Radio Geezer's annoying voice actually helped clear my head. I was gasping for air, my vision swimming. I'd stopped the ice, but I couldn't move yet. Todoroki, on the other hand, was just exhaling a cloud of white mist. He immediately recovered and charged me.
...Melee?
『Todoroki is going on the offensive!! He's attacking the sluggish Midoriya!!』
Something felt wrong. It was a smart move to attack me while I was catching my breath, but only if he had no other options. With his Quirk, the safest bet was to stay at range and spam ice. I'd stopped one wave, but his range was still his greatest weapon.
So why stop? Why close the distance for a brawl?
Todoroki's hand reached for me. I managed to suck in a lungful of oxygen and twisted my body to dodge his palm. There it was again—that feeling of "wrongness." Todoroki has great physical specs, yet I, in my weakened state, was able to dodge him.
Then, I saw it. His arm was starting to turn a faint shade of blue.
I threw a burst of fire to block his vision and leaped back to gain distance. I understood now.
Why he was rushing the fight.
Why he wasn't using his Quirk.
The weakness of his ice.
He was fighting in such a flashy, aggressive way because he had to. Given his calm personality, that "all-or-nothing" gamble at the start was out of character. Why rush when you have such a powerful Quirk? If you have the advantage, you take your time.
But he didn't have the advantage. He didn't have time.
The weakness of the ice is—
"I found it."
To confirm my theory, I lunged back into close combat. Todoroki tried to fire more ice, but the power was weak. A small burst of fire was enough to shatter it.
"Tsk!" he clicked his tongue. He hated me being close. Got it. Let's keep it that way.
I used my Quirk to yank him toward me while launching myself forward at the same time. We collided in mid-air, and I buried a Right Straight into his stomach. He tried to block with his left, but I used my Quirk to yank his arm out of the way again. It was a clean hit.
Todoroki groaned.
Just before we hit the ground, I felt the cold rising again. I targeted a distant ice pillar and "Pulled" myself away. A split second later, a massive glacier erupted where I had just been. He really was trying to kill me!
『She's hopping and skipping all over the place! I thought she was a Tiger-Girl because of her name, but is she actually a Rabbit-Girl?!』
『Tigers can jump, you idiot,』 Aizawa muttered.
『Then Tiger-Girl it is!!』
Shut up. I'm an Angel-Girl.
"Midoriya... you really are strong," Todoroki said.
I was busy glaring at the announcers, but I turned back to him. "Duh. Because I'm me. From now on, you can address me as 'Goddess Nico'."
"You seem to be having a lot of fun."
I'm not! I'm at my literal limit here!
"You, on the other hand, look like you're suffering. Want me to warm you up?"
"---Hmph. You're observant. I knew you'd notice, but I didn't think it would be this fast."
"That's what happens when you spam a move that takes a long time to recover from. Though, I guess if Kacchan hadn't worn you down during the Cavalry Battle, I'd be in more trouble."
All those matches were taking their toll. The massive attack he used against Sero, the fight with Momo. He'd recovered some during lunch, but the drawback was hitting his body fast. If we kept this up, I would win by attrition.
But there was one thing that was bugging me.
"Why aren't you using your left?"
"..."
"If you use it, it won't fix everything, but at least you could stop shivering and move properly, right?"
The moment I brought it up, his face went dark. The excitement from a moment ago vanished.
"I'm not using it."
"I see."
I wasn't going to lecture him. If he didn't want to use it, I'd just win.
"Don't go regretting it later!!"
"Wait—what?!"
Todoroki fired more ice. It surged toward me like a frozen tidal wave. Given the scale, I decided to meet it with my maximum fire output.
"I won't regret anything!!"
I felt his resolve. But the ice had no weight behind it.
"I'm going to win with my right side!! I'll show that man...!"
I didn't know why he was sealing his left. I didn't care enough to ask, so unless he told me, I'd never know.
"I'm going to surpass him!! With just my right!! With my mother's power, I'll become a hero—!!"
Despite his words, the cold coming off him was getting weaker and weaker. I unleashed the hottest fire I could manage against his failing ice.
The ice shattered.
The fire roared.
The twin impacts sent Todoroki flying. He didn't fall, but he dropped to one knee, gasping. He looked terrible. To anyone else, he might have looked like a tragic, hard-working student. But to me? I was absolutely livid.
"I won't lose... I'm going to win... and become a hero!"
"No, you won't."
The words left my mouth before I could stop them.
"What... Midoriya, what did you just say?"
"I said you won't! You absolute moron!! Do I need to punch that annoying, handsome face of yours until it's unrecognizable?! Huh?!"
"Wha—?! You...!"
As he tried to snap back, I used my Quirk to yank his feet out from under him. He hit the ground on his butt, staring up at me with eyes full of shock. I glared right back at him.
"I once told a certain hero that his smile was gross. He always smiled like an idiot, and I hated it. But then I learned there was a reason for that grossness, and it became a little less gross... No, wait, it's still gross. Very gross."
I felt a disturbance in the Force, like a certain Gachimuchi had just been hurt, but I ignored it.
"But you? You're worse than that. Have you looked in a mirror lately? You look pathetic right now."
Todoroki reflexively touched his face.
"I know I'm the last person who should be talking about what makes a hero, but I'm gonna say it anyway. How do you plan on being a hero with a face like that? What even is a 'hero' to you?"
Todoroki slowly stood up, but I couldn't see his expression. He was shielding his face with his hand. I didn't care.
"I can forgive you for saying you'd beat me. I can even accept you holding back your Quirk. But I will neverforgive you for making a mockery of what it means to be a hero."
Shinso faced everyone's judgment, took the insults, and kept getting back up. Ochaco was terrified, yet she fought until she literally lost consciousness. Everyone else is the same.
I don't care what you're carrying. I don't care about your family drama. I don't care how 'meaningful' your choice is.
Honestly? Screw you.
"Don't you dare mock people's dreams!!"
I used my "Pull" Quirk to yank him forward with everything I had and slammed my right fist directly into his face.
There was a heavy thud. Todoroki was lifted off his feet. Unable to find his balance, he slammed into the stone floor. He lay there, a pained expression on his face, staring up at the empty sky.
***
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