Chapter 18: Todo Vs Shoji
The concrete hallway beneath the stadium was cool and dim, a stark contrast to the blinding sunlight of the arena. But as Shoto Todoroki walked toward the entrance, the air temperature began to rise unnaturally. It wasn't the warmth of the sun; it was a dry, suffocating heat that tasted of ash and ambition.
Shoto stopped. Standing in his path, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, was the Flame Hero, Endeavor. The fire masking his face flickered rhythmically, casting long, dancing shadows against the gray concrete.
"You are in my way," Shoto said cold, his heterochromatic eyes narrowing.
"I watched your performance in the Cavalry Battle," Endeavor's voice was deep, resonating in his chest like a idling engine. "You relied on the ice again. And you took second place because of it."
Shoto moved to step around him, but Endeavor's large frame shifted, blocking the path.
"The Kuzan family," Endeavor said suddenly.
Shoto paused. He didn't look up.
"They are an ancient line. Old money. Logistics. Cryogenics," Endeavor continued, looking down at his son with a critical, appraising eye. "They have no history of heroism. They were merchants and scholars. Years ago, before I found your mother... I considered a union with the Kuzan family."
Shoto's head snapped up, his eyes widening in disgust.
"However," Endeavor mused, ignoring his son's reaction, "they had no daughters of eligible age at the time. A pity. Their genetic quirk factor—the ability to become the element rather than just produce it—is potent."
"You..." Shoto's voice trembled with suppressed rage. "You talk about eugenics like you're buying racehorses. You're pouring acid on a wound that hasn't healed. What do you want?"
Endeavor pointed a massive finger at Shoto's left side—the side covered by his shirt, the side of the fire.
"I am telling you this for a reason, Shoto. That boy... Aokiji Kuzan. He is a pure-blooded ice human. His body is the cold. Your ice... it is merely a production. A byproduct of your right side."
Endeavor leaned in, the heat from his beard singing the air.
"Your ice will never surpass his. You cannot beat a glacier with snowballs. But... if you unleash your left side... if you use my fire... you can melt him. You can evaporate him. You are the only one who can defeat the Kuzan heir."
Shoto gritted his teeth so hard his jaw ached. The sheer arrogance. The dismissal of his own strength.
"I will deny you everything," Shoto whispered venomously. "I will win this tournament. And I will do it without your cursed fire. I will sweep him away with ice alone."
Shoto shoved past his father, walking briskly toward the light of the arena.
"Stop this childish rebellion, Shoto!" Endeavor roared from behind him, his voice echoing off the walls. "Do not let the Kuzan family rise on your back! Show them who Todoroki Shoto is! If you hold back against him, you will be humiliated!"
Shoto didn't look back. His eyes, usually cold and detached, were now burning with a quiet, frantic fury. The frost began to creep out from his right foot with every step, leaving frozen boot prints on the concrete.
The Present. The Arena.
"AND NOW! THE THIRD MATCH!" Present Mic screamed, his voice vibrating through the stadium speakers. "HE'S THE MAN WITH THE PLAN AND THE HANDS! FROM THE HERO COURSE, MEZO SHOJI! VERSUS! THE ELITE PRODIGY! SHOTO TODOROKI!"
The crowd roared. The sun was high in the sky, gleaming off the polished concrete of the ring.
Shoji walked out, his posture low and defensive. He had six arms, and he had transformed two of them into duplicates of his mouth and eyes to increase his sensory awareness. He knew the odds. He knew Todoroki was a powerhouse.
I cannot let him keep his distance, Shoji thought, his muscles tensing. I have to close the gap immediately. If I can grapple him, I can stop the ice.
On the other side, Shoto Todoroki walked to his starting line. He looked... wrong.
Usually, Todoroki was calm. Aloof. But today, his head was lowered. His bangs shadowed his eyes. His fists were clenched at his sides, and even from the stands, one could see the tension in his shoulders. He wasn't looking at Shoji. He was staring at the ground, seeing his father's face in the concrete.
I will reject him, Todoroki thought, the mantra repeating in his mind like a broken record. I will win with my mother's power. Only hers.
"READY?" Midnight raised her whip. "START!"
"Here I come!" Shoji shouted. He charged forward, his multiple arms spread wide to tackle Todoroki.
Todoroki didn't take a stance. He didn't assess his opponent. He simply vented his frustration.
He stomped his right foot.
KRACK.
It wasn't a sound of freezing. It was the sound of the earth screaming.
From Todoroki's foot, a wave of ice erupted. But this wasn't the smooth, controlled sheet Aokiji had used to freeze the stadium floor. This was violent.
Massive, jagged spikes of ice, some as thick as tree trunks, others as sharp as spears, exploded outward. They surged forward at a speed that defied physics, growing larger and larger as they traveled.
The ground shook. A tremor ran through the entire stadium structure.
Aokiji was lying on the waiting room, his arm thrown over his eyes, finally drifting into a light doze.
Rumble.
The ground vibrated. The coffee cup on the table rattled and fell off, splashing onto the floor. Dust drifted down from the ceiling tiles.
Aokiji's eyes snapped open. The sleeping mask slid down to his nose.
"Are you kidding me?" Aokiji groaned, sitting up. The vibrations were getting stronger, like an earthquake. "I just closed my eyes. Can't these guys play nicely for five minutes?"
He stood up, sighing deeply, and walked toward the door, shoving his hands into his pockets. "So much for the nap. Let's see who broke the building."
The Infirmary.
Midoriya Izuku was sitting on the bed, watching Recovery Girl wrap his broken finger. All Might, in his deflated, skeletal form, sat in a chair nearby.
Suddenly, the room shook. The medicine bottles in the cabinet clinked together.
"W-What was that?!" Midoriya gasped, jumping up. His eyes widened with panic. "Is it a villain attack?! Like the USJ?!"
"No it's not.." All Might said, raising his head.
The Arena.
The silence was absolute.
The crowd didn't cheer. They couldn't. They were too busy staring with their mouths hanging open.
Half of the stadium was gone. Or rather, it was buried.
A massive glacier, rising higher than the stadium walls, had engulfed the ring. It towered over the audience, jagged spikes gleaming ominously in the sunlight. It looked like a natural disaster had been teleported into the facility.
Buried somewhere deep inside that mountain of ice was Mezo Shoji.
Shoto Todoroki stood at the base of the glacier. Half of his body was covered in a thick crust of frost. His breath came out in ragged, visible clouds. He looked small against the backdrop of the destruction he had created.
"Too much..." Bakugo whispered from the stands. He was gripping the railing, his red eyes wide. He wasn't angry; he was stunned. "That bastard... he was hiding this much power?"
"That's... that's terrifying," Kaminari gulped. "Is Shoji even alive?"
"S-Shoji is immobilized!" Midnight announced, her voice trembling slightly as she checked her monitor to ensure the student inside wasn't crushed. "Todoroki wins!"
Aokiji emerged from the tunnel into the stands. He walked slowly, looking up at the towering ice structure. The cold air hit his face, familiar and comforting, but the vibe was different.
This ice is angry, Aokiji thought, leaning against the back wall of the viewing deck. It's sharp. Brittle. Disorganized.
Down in the ring, the adrenaline faded from Todoroki. He blinked, looking up at the mountain he had created. He realized what he had done.
He walked forward, placing his left hand—the fire hand—onto the ice. Steam hissed as he began to melt a tunnel.
"Sorry," Todoroki muttered, his voice hollow. "I went too far. I was... angry."
He melted Shoji out. The multi-armed boy was shivering, his lips blue, looking traumatized but physically intact.
Todoroki turned to walk away. As he did, he looked up at the stands. His eyes locked onto the flaming figure of his father.
Endeavor stood with his arms crossed. He didn't look proud. He looked annoyed. His expression said clearly: You used the ice again. You are stubborn.
Todoroki looked away, the frost on his right side still clinging to his skin like a second skin.
Up in the stands, Class 1-B was watching.
Itsuka Kendo, the class representative of 1-B, sat with her hands in her lap. She had been confident earlier. She believed that with strategy, Class B could rival Class A.
But now...
She looked at the melting glacier. Then, her eyes drifted to the figure standing alone at the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall.
Aokiji Kuzan.
He was watching Todoroki with a look of calm, analytical boredom.
We haven't even reached this level, Kendo thought, a cold sweat forming on her neck. Todoroki can create a mountain in a second. Bakugo creates explosions that shake the hearts. And that guy... Kuzan... he fought the Nomu head-on and treated Midoriya like a child.
She watched Aokiji look at his own hand, flexing his fingers.
Are the gap between us really this big? Kendo wondered, feeling a pit in her stomach. It feels like Class 1-A isn't just a different class. They are a different species.
Aokiji watched Todoroki walk into the tunnel.
He has a fiery will in a body of ice, Aokiji mused. It's a contradiction. Ice is supposed to be patient. Persistent. It endures.
Aokiji lifted his hand, letting a small snowflake form on his fingertip. It was perfect, symmetrical, and calm.
He uses ice like a hammer. I use it like water. If we fight... it's going to be messy.
"ALRIGHT, FOLKS!" Present Mic shouted, trying to bring the energy back after the terrifying display. "WHILE THE BOT SQUAD CLEARS THE FIELD... LET'S GET READY FOR THE NEXT MATCH! THE MARTIAL ARTS MASTER, MASHIRAO OJIRO! VS! THE SPEED ENGINE, TENYA IIDA!"
Aokiji pushed himself off the wall.
"Well," he murmured to the empty air. "At least the temperature in here is finally pleasant."
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[ A/N ]
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