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Chapter 27: 3 Absolute Victories
🕑 Added 2024-06-28 14:14:16 +0000 UTCI do no know why, but the funniest thing happened today. Usually, when I walk places, I hear dogs bark at me as I go by, which makes sense; I'm a stranger, but this time, as I went, someone opened their gate, and the dog charged me…only to want to play. I was scared shitless, not like I get with things like rats(those little shits terrify me down to my soul), but because I know fighting off a dog that big won't be easy, and I don't want to needlessly hurt it.
When her owner came running towards me, worried about what might have happened, they saw this and me just crouching as I played with it, laughing my ass off as the woman asked what I did. I just smiled and went, 'I have no idea, but she's a wonderful dog, maybe she's not killing me cause I'm not your property.' Sure, I was late for something, but it was something that I didn't mind in the slightest.
Also, because I'll be busy in a few, it made sense to post a little early.
Chapter 27: 3 Absolute Victories
(Previously)
"I shall fight honorably, but I will not hold back." She met Iida outside their two booths. As she said that, the taller, spectacled boy nodded.
“Neither will I. See you on the field.” With that, the two turned to make their way over to the waiting room. It’ll take a minute or 2 for Cementoss to repair the damage that Dark Shadow had done to the field anyway.
Line Break
“And we are back, ladies and gentlemen! After that decisive jaw-dropping match, we have another clash between the hero classes set right up!” Present Mic announced as the bonfires lit up, illuminating the field as the two combatants entered it.
“From class B! She's a pretty rose, but remember that she has thorns and will leave you face down in the dirt! From the hero course, it's Shiozaki Ibara!” Shiozaki was straight-faced as she walked onto the field, serious but not overly so as Tokoyami had been. One could easily say she was even keeping a poker face. But she had garnered a lot of attention and support already as her team had the second-highest score from the first event and placed second once more in the previous chariot race thanks to no small part from her.
“And fighting for class A, he’s the epitome of the middle of the pack, but when it comes to speed, he’s your guy! From the hero course, it’s Iida Tenya!” Iida marched up the stairs, much more ridged as he went with a stern face. He had his supporters, but his team had the 3rd highest score from the first event, and thanks to his surprise move, they secured first place at the last second in the chariot race. Some supported him thanks to his last name; many in class B took offense to him as they could take him earning praise, but praising someone for their family name?
Shameful.
“Alright, you're fighting for your class prestige! Class A has already won 3 matches, so does Shiozaki even the playing field, or will Iida cement this round as class A? I can't wait to find out, so make this fight a flashy, action-packed battle!” Present Mic hyped things up, ready to see what these two could do. He wasn’t expecting something too gnarly, as these two were not the type, but maybe they could surprise him.
“Excuse me!” He found himself interrupted when he and Eraser looked at the field, and Shiozaki faced them with her hand raised and a worried look on her face. “Please pardon the interruption, but what did you mean by ‘leaving people in the dirt?’” She asked. “I assure you that I’m not competing to inflict senseless violence or, Lord forbid, to take the lives of my opponents."
“I-m sorry!” Present Mic apologised as Eraser turned his mic off, only for a second so he could say something to his fellow commentator.
“Moron.” The underground hero told him, as what was he expecting from a girl who was as rule-abiding as Iida but also was incredibly religious and didn't even like combat training?
"Also, I'm not invested in this apparent rivalry between our two classes as I entered U.A. to combat the wicked and sinful and bring salvation to others. I hope that my fellow classmates are the same.” Out of nowhere, the clouds parted, and the sun's light shone down on her as if she were a saint giving mass.
Iida fully agreed with her, loving that he had found another kindred soul. "That is correct, Shiozaki. I wish to become a hero to uphold the law and save people in need; the thought that I would do all this just to fight and harm others is ludicrous!” He chopped his hands at Present Mic while Midnight tried and failed to hide how much she was enjoying this little show.
“I said I'm sorry; let's move on if that's okay.” Present Mic wanted to move on, even if this was one of the few times he was sure Sour Puss Eraser was smiling; he didn't like that it came at the cost of him bumbling on national television! Hell, this was due to be aired internationally, and the last thing he wanted was for people in Mexico or South Africa to laugh at him.
Shiozaki didn't know anything, only smiling as the error had been corrected. "It is; again, I apologize for the interruption." She bowed to him before returning to the field, her gaze going blank once more as if that entire episode hadn't happened.
Line Break
Midoriya laughed at the entire scene, as he had been quirkier about returning after his match, having needed no rest or medical care. The same couldn't be said for Tokoyami, who was still in the med-bay. "Class A has someone like that. It looks like it's not just them having their own Tetsutetsu.”
“Yeah-wait, hey!” Tetsutetsu stopped mid-agreement, with Kirishima popping up from over the barrier, just as annoyed with that comparison.
“We’re not the same!” The two of them yelled at Midoriya before they realized that they had done that and groaned in unison.
"You're not helping your case, you two," Asui told Kirishima, who slumped back into his seat.
"Hey, you think we can get them to agree to a coffee date?" Komori asked Tokage, which Mina heard as she was the next to pop over the barrier.
“Do I hear shipping talk?” She asked, a glint in her eye as she could smell the potential. Iida was too much of a stick in the mud for most of the girls in their class, but if she could get him in a room with someone like him…
"Oh god, don't encourage her," Kaibara muttered into his hand, but it fell on deaf ears.
“Oh please, encourage me.” Tokage smiled, as this could prove interesting, but Midoriya stopped it, placing a hand on her shoulder and getting her to pout but back down.
“Later.” Kendo did the same on her head, and Mina plopped down in her seat but did not stop her scheming.
“A-anyway, start!” With Present Mic's call, the fight was over almost as fast as he began, as most missed the meat and potatoes. Still, it had been relatively simple, if a little anticlimactic for most of the students and heroes watching.
“Shiozaki is out of bonds! Iida moves onto the quarterfinals!” At Midnight’s call, Shiozaki blinked in surprise and confusion as she found herself well out of bonds, Iida still within them and bowing to her. Iida used his superior speed to get behind Shiozaki and push her out of the bounds.
“And Iida takes the victory with the fastest time of the tournament! Man, he really is a speedster!” Despite the loss of their class, Midoriya and several others still clapped for Iida's win, as it was a fair fight, and Iida even used a method that left Shiozaki unscratched. However, the fact that he could use the metaphorical kid gloves with her did sting.
"And we take the set; class A has four victories to class B's two!" Present Mic called out as the brackets reappeared on the screens. Tokoyami's name and picture had already been crossed out, with Shiozaki joining that list. That meant that come the quarterfinals, Iida's opponent would be Midoriya.
“And Tsunotori’s gonna face off against Bakugo in the next round. Hey, go easy on her, will you?” Kaminari nudged his classmate, but a certain someone took offense to that statement.
“Screw you! If he doesn’t fight to win, I’m cooking his ass!” Tsunotori yelled as she pocked over the wall, glaring at Kaminari for daring to imply she'd need a handicap.
“That’s our girl.” Tokage laughed, her head floating over the wall to see how freaked Kaminari got at that declaration.
Bakugo, in a rare moment, was calm as his red eyes only turned to face her. “Good, now I don’t need to worry about you bitching later about me beating you into the dirt.” He was blunt.
But that was just what Tsunotori wanted, as she gave him a smile that made class A wary, as it was a little too similar to one of Bakugo’s. “I’m going to enjoy giving you two black eyes, blasty.”
"How vulgar," Yaoyorozu muttered, as Kaminari might have been wrong to assume that Bakugo should pull his punches merely because of his opponent's gender, but did Tsunotori have to be so vulgar about her defense? Bakugo didn't seem to mind as he looked into her piercing blues and snarled back. Still, it was different from his normal ones, as while there was malice, there was also interest and maybe even anticipation to his look.
"Okay, I will prepare for my loss before these two start their fight early." Ashido got up to leave, and her match was set to begin in a couple minutes.
“Come on, Ashido, you can find a way to beat me.” Kendo got up with her, but Ashido just gave the girl a look with a raised eyebrow.
"Not to be that bitch, but we all know there's a snowball's chance of hell of that happening. But that doesn't mean I will roll over; you want that W, then beat me." She stated as she turned to leave, Kirishima wishing her good luck as she went.
"I wouldn't want it anyway," Kendo chuckled as she turned and headed back towards the ring, class B listening to the conversation.
“She’s that strong?” Awase asked as Kendo seemed pretty good in the earlier stuff, but she didn't seem that strong.
“Like you wouldn’t believe. She’s probably the strongest person in class.” Sato replied, as Kendo had blown them all out of the water as early as the first day, only barely losing the top spot on Aizawa's quirk assessment, but after that-she was unrivaled. Seeing it happen was as unique as it was demoralizing, and now you are nowhere near that level.
“Like hell she is!” Bakugo yelled, and Jiro, having recently returned from her medical treatment, scoffed.
"Don't mind him; he's mad that she beat him in our first hero class." She pointed her thumb toward him, which only angered Bakugo all the more.
“She didn’t beat me!”
"Right, but her team managed to secure the bomb while she fought you to a standstill, preventing you from getting involved to, you know, protect the bomb?" Jiro prodded him further, with Bakugo almost yelling back but holding himself back, just barely since, for as much as he hated Ears' statement, it wasn't factually false. Man Hands had kept him busy, but she hadn't knocked him down or out! If not for that stupid bomb, he could have kept fighting, and he'll die on that hill.
"So she's stronger than Number 3? To be expected, but how much stronger I wonder? That speed during the obstacle race… was no joke, and I bet she could have pushed it further if she wanted." Midoriya mused aloud, ignoring how Bakugo yelled at him to eat shit after his number 3 comment. Instead, he thought back to that race and how he saw that glint in her eye, that raw power.
"Dude, that sounds more terrifying than good," Fukidashi stated, as he wasn't in the tournament. Still, he would have liked a weaker opponent, but the way they talked about Kendo, she might as well be a brick wall to their pellet guns.
Midoriya agreed with him on that but disagreed on its meaning. "The greater the obstacle, the greater the effort and consequent reward that comes from overcoming it. I saw it in her eyes; she's strong…stronger than you could imagine.” His smile shifted from an amused one to a hungry lion's, the boy licking his canines as he imagined the coming back. All he'll have to do is deal with the younger Iida, which, as much as he would never say it out loud, didn't seem like it would be all that troubling.
“That is if she can overcome whoever wins the last match of this round.” Honenuki reminded them that before she faced their class rep, she'd need to defeat whoever came out on top of the final match of the first round.
“If you say so.” Midoriya shrugged, as Yaoyorozu seemed capable and versatile fighter and student. Still, he felt that her versatility would mean little in the face of the raw power that Todoroki could bear.
Line Break
In the moments before the match started, Kenmikoto sipped on some wine she had been served. A perk of being a VIP. "All Might's disciple is next. I wonder if she'll be as impressive as I hope."
Her daughter turned to face her, as she hadn’t yet been told why her mother had such an interest in All Might, as she was never one for heroes before. But perhaps it had something to do with Midoriya being in the running. “If the number one hero has taken an interest in her, she must have some potential.”
Kenmikoto smiled but hid it with her drink, which she whirled, her eye watching the crimson liquid swirl in the glass. "Yes, that is one way of looking at it." When was the last time she had been this interested in the hero business? Was it 10 years ago? 20? Or was it when she watched Toshinori Yagi easily defeat his competition to take the gold in his first year at U.A?
She wondered if this was Kendo’s turn to do the same, as that girl reminded her of that man quite a lot.
Line Break
“We're going full steam ahead with the 7th match of the first round!” Present Mic sounded as the bonfires lit up again, the two competitors already on the field.
“Is something going to come out of those horns? I have no idea, but I know you don't want to get splashed by her acid! From the hero course, it's Ashido Mina!” As he introduced her, Mina was doing a little stretching, though she had a bit of a nervous sweat.
"Why couldn't I have an easier fight?" Still, she kept a smile on her face, as while her odds were low, they weren't impossible low.
“Versus-She came first in the obstacle race and is in her element in the ring. Watch out for those hands! From the hero course, it's Kendo Itsuka!” Kendo, on the other hand, was much more confident of herself.
"Please don't talk like that; just think of me as you would anyone else." She told her classmate that, as she didn't want this to be a cakewalk, she tried to earn it with her hands to prove her training and that the regiment All Might put her through could stand with the best of them. Meanwhile, her class was divided on who to root for, as this was the first match that didn't pit them against class B.
“Who do we root for?” Jiro asked.
To which Asui shrugged. “I have no clue.”
“Ashido, get her!” The two and most of the class turned to Mineta, surprised to see him so invested in Mina's victory. “Melt her clothes off!” And there it was; they groaned as they should have seen that coming, Sero already wrapping up Mineta, starting with his mouth before he could reveal more of whatever perverted fantasies he had cooked up in that head of his. But the damage was done as class B heard that loud and clear, like the class on the other wall. Both groups looked in their direction with disgust.
“Does he have any control over his lust?” Shiozaki asked them, appalled that such a person was even allowed into U.A.
Iida immediately bowed to her while Sero dealt with Mineta. “My apologies! We’re still working on his unheroic tendencies!” Yaoyorozu did the same for class C, where Shinso rolled his eyes at their antics but remained quiet.
“I could help.” Midoriya offered, which garnered some surprise from class A.
“You would?” Sato asked, as it would be nice to get help since they had already tried to tell Mineta not to say stuff like that and punished him when he did, and so far, nothing had worked.
Midoriya’s smile set off alarm bells in his friends’ heads. "Oh yeah, I'm sure the master wouldn't mind me borrowing Ruby and Sapphire for a day. I'm sure he'll enjoy playing with them." Hearing that, Mineta somehow broke through some of the tape constricting him, already imagining what two babes named Ruby and Sapphire could look like; wait, were they like Midoriya? Did he offer to set him up with two smoking hot cat girls?
“Are they hot?” Of course, that was all Mineta could think about, missing how Midoriya's fangs flashed and a passing look of disgust in his eyes, which was washed away with amusement.
“They’re beautiful.”
“Dude, you gotta hook me up!” Mineta begged him. This could be his chance, and he couldn't waste it!
“Midoriya, you can’t feed him to your sensei’s tigers!” Shiozaki burst his bubble with that statement, as the image of two hot cat girls was now replaced by 300kg+ killing machines!
Midoriya didn't mind that she ruined the surprise; instead, he laughed it off. "Oh, but Shiozaki, I wasn't going to feed him to them. They're not savages. They'll just watch him for any ill behaviour. Should anything happen if he falls into bad habits, well," he waved his hand before shrugging his shoulders.
“That’s just the circle of life.” He finished, leaving Mineta pale as a ghost. Midoriya…was a monster.
"If he can't learn, remove him from the gene pool. That's science." Tsunotori only encouraged that mindset, with Mineta dreading when he saw that Jiro and Shoji were strangely silent…wait, they wouldn't,…right?
“Ready?” He was distracted from the prospect of his class handing him over to the crazy cat boy, for God knew what by Present Mic's question. The two combatants on the field nodded. “Start!” Kendo didn't wait, dashing towards Mina, her right hand growing in size till it was large enough for her to pick up a full-grown man.
Swiping at Ashido, the pink-skinned girl responded with evasion and counter, jumping back, acid shooting out of her specialized shoes; she slid back from Kendo while losing some acid at her. "I already told you you want that W? Come and take it."
Kendo blocked the acid with her still-supersized hand, her increased durability making the burn more of a sting than anything else. "Don't think I forget," she replied as she gave chase. Her other hand increased to a similar size as she attacked Mina, trying to grab her, knock her over, and otherwise shove her out of bounds.
Mina, on her part, proved to be a slippery target. Using her acid in conjunction with her exceptional balance and dance skills, she evaded everything Kendo had, firing back acid where she could. To her frustration, despite the fact she managed to hit each time, Kendo's hands didn't burn even a little.
'I don't want to hurt her; she's my friend, but come on! How am I supposed to make an opening when her quirk is so busted?' Mina thought her average strategy couldn't apply here as Kendo was too fast to slip up. Her hands were durable enough to make no difference unless she used a stronger acid potency.
Hoping that she wouldn't regret this, Mina did just that. Just as she jumped over another swing, barely clearing Kendo's massive hand, she gathered a stronger blob of acid, pulled back her hand, and threw it. The blob nearly hit its mack, but Kendo saw it coming and blocked it. This time, she winced when she felt it burn her hand a little. Ashido took some pride in that, as she had worked on that blend to fight Kendo and Kirishima, who were tough nuts to crack.
Despite that success for her, Kendo's smile only made her gut sink. It wasn't like Bakugo's, cruel and aggressive, but it carried the same weight and assurance in victory, backed by power she couldn't hope to match.
"That was pretty good, Ashido. You must have been practicing. Maybe after this, we can spar together." Kendo suggested before, just for a moment, orange lightning started to flow off her. That was all Ashido saw before the next moment; she landed with a groan, her entire front feeling like Truck-kun had tried to send her to another world.
“Ashido is out of bonds! Kendo moves onto the quarter finals!” Midnight's announcement clarified Ashido as she slowly got up, seeing that she wasn't just out of bond but had landed in the grass area of the pitch. Seeing that she had taken it out before she could even react, she groaned and plopped back down. "Dammit."
"Hey," She looked up to see Kendo smiling at her as she offered her a hand. "That was a good fight."
"You took me out in a single attack I didn't even see coming." Ashido reminded her of her rather embarrassing loss, as she had at least hoped to last a minute or something, not be in the running for the shortest match.
Kendo shrugged, but the smile remained as solid and confident as ever. "Yes, but you made me work for it."
Ashido found herself laughing at that statement, as she did do that, didn’t she? Taking the offered hand, she got up and dusted herself off. Her front still felt sore, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t walk off. “Sometimes you’re too bright, big-sis."
Line Break
“Ashido is out of bonds! Kendo moves onto the quarter finals!” Midnight announced to the world that most of the audience was surprised at what they had seen or failed to see. Ashido seemed to have been hanging in there, not doing damage but managing to evade Kendo's attacks. But then the big-handed girl started to glow, and the next thing they knew, she was sending Ashido flying.
Of course, this wasn't the case for the trained or the hero students, as they had caught most of that. While Todoroki, Bakugo, and Midoriya remained silent as they analyzed and considered it, their classmates weren't.
“Arg, she was so close!” Kirishima bemoaned the loss of his friend, with Kaminari being more skeptical of it.
“Was she? Kendo looked like she had her in the bag for the entire fight.” Kaminari replied.
"There is a reason she's the strongest of us," Uraraka noted, with Iida nodding in agreement. At the same time, Bakugo barely stopped himself from yelling at her for that false statement. He needed to focus on winning this festival and proving it so his loser classmates could finally get it through their thick skulls.
"I can see why they have faith in her; that was impressive," Yanagi noted that, as she knew her class wasn't the power type, even Midoriya seemed more like a highly skilled Jack of all Trades person. Still, Kendo and Bakugo were nothing like that. It was all offense with them, overwhelming power.
“Does anyone have any clue what her quirk is? It looked like it was just focused around her hands, but then she pulled that human lightning bolt thing.” Fukidashi asked, his head displaying a question mark.
Honenuki tapped his chin. "Now that I think about it, when I saw her during the obstacle race, she also emitted orange lightning. Perhaps it enhances her physical power?"
Tokage turned to Midoriya. “So she’s like Midoriya? Someone with a quirk that has multiple facets to it.”
Komori turned to Midoriya. "That'll make her a tough shroom to beat. Be careful if you face her, class rep." Monoma did as well, though he knew Midoriya didn't have a quirk. Their class rep didn't respond with words, only humming in agreement.
"Pardon me, I have to get ready for my match." Yaoyorozu got up, dusting herself to ensure she was as presentable as possible. Todoroki also rose, but he left without a word.
“You got this, Yaomomo. Todoroki only goes for his ice, so make a flame-thrower, and you're good." Hagakure cheered her on, and the rest of her friends did the same, getting the posh girl to smile in return.
“Maybe something a little smaller would do.” She joked.
Line Break
Minutes later, Todoroki was walking down the hall towards his match. He didn't think it would take long, a thought not born from arrogance but from fact. It was true that Yaoyorozu had a much more versatile quirk, but it took time to make things, and she needed to expose parts of her body to do it.
He had no such restrictions, and as much as it pained him to think it, his training with his father had put him in a higher league than her, as proven during the USJ, where she, along with Kaminari and Jiro, had to bail out. He handled his villains by himself with ease, even being able to assist All Might near the end.
No, this was a foregone conclusion, but he didn't need to be cruel. Much like the last two matches, he could force her out of bonds or restrain her with his ice; that should do. His attention could then better be spent focusing on how he was going to defeat Kendo, as she had proven herself to be an obstacle he had yet to beat; even if this would be the first time they'll go head-to-head, her performance at the USJ had been even greater then his own, managing to fight that Nomu creature, albeit briefly while he could barely see it moving.
However, his mood only got foul when he turned the corner that led out to the field. "Out of the way." He was blunt, with little reverence in his demand. It didn't matter that the person he spoke to was an adult, a hero, or even his father; that last one was why he would sooner listen to Bakugo rave about how great he was than ever give this bastard any respect.
Endeavour didn't fall for the bait; he had long since gotten used to his youngest deciding to act like a fool with him. Instead, he remained leaning against the wall, his arms crossed. With his flames billowing around, he got to the point. "You're embarrassing yourself, Shoto. You're embarrassing me. You would have claimed first in the race if you used your full power." His son didn’t respond, choosing to walk right past him.
But Endeavour wasn't going to let the child go. No, he would try to talk some sense into him, even if he was proving to be his most stubborn child. "Even when in that chariot race, a perfect time for flames, you decided to carry on with this farce, and if not for the Iida boy, you wouldn't have taken first." Shoto reacted to that; he tried to hide it, but his father hadn't become the number 2 hero for anything.
More than that, he knew his son and knew when he was trying to hide his anger at him from him. But he could be furious for all Endeavour cared because he was telling him the truth. "And now there's that Midoriya boy; he comes from nothing, yet he and Kendo are outperforming you. Don't you feel any shame for that?" He asked him. Shoto was getting angrier as he walked past him, his face not hidden from him as he marched out to his fight.
"You must surpass All Might, but your foolishness ensures you can't beat them. That isn't what is meant to happen. You're not like your siblings; you are my masterpiece and should act like it!” Shoto didn't stop even as his father belittled him for not taking first. He didn't even pretend to be surprised as his father had never been someone that did anything but criticize; if they were closer, maybe that would hurt, but they weren't, and listening to him talk just pissed him off.
"That you got to say, bastard? I don't need you to remind me, I've determined to win this, to defeat anyone in my way, and I'll do it with just mom's power, you hear me?" He returned to him, his heart set on this goal and his methods, as he refused to be what his father wanted.
Endeavour's flames remained constant, and his son's refusal to see reason was annoying but hardly anything new. Instead, he looked away from the boy. "That might work now, but the time when your ice would be enough is running out." While his son's face was an icy rage, his father's burning gaze locked onto a memory of his talk with that strange woman, of discovering that All Might also has a chosen disciple.
Both had already handily won their matches; he could tell neither had broken a sweat. He could also tell that there was more to them than met the eye. If his youngest didn't shape up and forget this idiotic rebellion, he could easily find himself defeated by either of those two.
Line Break
“Tokoyami, you’re back!” Tokoyami, returning from his time in the nurse's office, looked at his classmates, who were most happy to see him.
“Are you feeling better?” Jiro asked, as while she had taken a beating, she was at least still awake and aware when she lost.
"My injuries appeared worse than they were, though I'm a bit drowsy at the moment," Tokoyami replied as he took his seat, folding his arms.
He felt a tap on his side and saw Hagakure holding a picture of a crudely drawn thumbs-up. "Hey, you did great out there," she told him, which made his loss a little more bearable, as he nodded a thanks her way.
“I appreciate your kind words, but I was bested, proficiently at that.” He sighed, as he would be lying if he said he wasn’t upset about his loss.
“If it makes you feel better, our class got the most wins.” Sero pointed to the scoreboard, which had class 2 take 4 wins to class B's 2. At that moment, it shifted to showcase the names and faces of the two who would fight in the final match of the first round.
“And we’ve made it, after 7 glorious battles, we’ve made it to the last but far from least of the first-round bouts! So, clap your hands for these two as they're the crème of the crop, both being recommendation students and their skills are certified!” The two were already on the field, same as before. Immediately, there was a difference in them as Yaoyorozu didn't falter. Still, one could tell she was a little shy about being in the spotlight and against such a solid foe to boot.
But Todoroki was stiff. No, a careful and observant eye could tell he was shaking, but unlike Yaoyorozu's, it didn't seem like nerves.
“He took 3rd in the prelims and 1st in the chariot race; you don't need to be a ship to fear this iceberg! From the hero course, it's Todoroki Shoto!” He didn't react to his introduction, acting more like a volcano about to erupt. Midoriya thought it was more appropriate to say an iceberg about to break away and enter the open water.
“Versus-All purpose creation, if you can think it, she can make it! Brains and beauty in a single package! From the hero course, it’s Yaoyorozu Momo!” Yaoyorozu got a little confident as she faced her foe. She knew it would be a challenge, but she reasoned that should she defeat him, that's one less powerful threat to worry about.
“A battle of privilege.” Monoma mused, very interested in this fight.
"Different types, though, Todoroki's Endeavour's kid, while Yaoyorozu's family has little to do with the hero business." Tokage reminded him. The Yaoyorozu family, as far as she knew, made their wealth in travel, banking, investment, manufacturing, and real estate.
"I'm pretty sure she comes from more money, but Todoroki most definitely received training from his old man since he was young. Who better than the number 2 hero to coach you?" Awase replied. A quick internet search revealed that the Yaoyorozu family business was among the top 5 most successful and profitable conglomerates in Japan. That girl probably got more money as an allowance than his parents made in a month.
“There’s…something off with him, but I can’t tell what.” Midoriya cut the chatter, his eyes narrowing on Todoroki as his instincts told him that something was wrong, something terrible was about to happen.
'He's not wrong; Todoroki has always been cold, but looking at him now…it's like he's a walking blizzard? Is he that eager to fight? No, that doesn't match him, but what could have got him into such a mood?' Kendo agreed with him, but she couldn't make any assessment without proper clues or a chance to talk with him. All she could do was hope for the best and for both sides to get an opportunity to show off. "She needs to end this quickly. She can't match his power, but if she can dodge or counter his opening attack, she can counter."
“Wouldn’t Todoroki, like, know that too?” Hagakure asked, Ojiro nodding.
“Just because he understands it doesn’t mean he can stop it. but that only gives Yaoyorozu a smaller time frame.” Shoji replied; meanwhile, Yaoyorozu thought the same thing back in the field.
'Present Mic is right; Todoroki is perhaps the most dangerous regarding range combat, and he's got exceptional observational and judgment. My best bet is to approach from his left side, which appears to be his fireside, which he doesn't use in combat; perhaps he can't?' She tried to parse out more about Todoroki's plan, but he was acting strange on edge even.
He wasn't the same calm and collected person he had been, even during the USJ attack. She thought she could use that; if he was emotional at the moment, she could exploit that as it meant he would most likely be sloppy and make mistakes that he otherwise wouldn't. 'So I need to trick him, I can’t make anything too big, but an incendiary grenade should handle his first attack.
“Eighth match, start!" Present Mic's call startled her, but she quickly recovered as she started to create the grenade she'd need while shifting to dash for Todoroki's right side, as indeed he wouldn't expect her to do that. But her plans proved fruitless as Todoroki finally looked at her, and her heart froze at the sight of the cold, brutal, and unforgiving rage he had on his face.
Ice rapidly forced From his right foot, but this was faster, stronger, and greater than she could have predicted; Yaoyorozu did not even have time to grasp before a glacier consumed her. That glacier didn't stop with her, as the tons of ice kept coming as if Todoroki was firing an entire winter's arctic ice her way, as it quickly cleared the boundary line and would have hit the section of the stadium where the students were, along with hundreds of spectators if not for the shield generators, as the honeycomb lattice defended them even as the ice crashed into it with the force of a speeding train.
That didn't stop the ice from moving upwards, bending, and breaking as it was forced higher and higher by the near transparent wall. Soon, it joined the ice that had climbed above the stands, above even the roof of the place, and pieced into the sky like an army of frozen spears directed to the heavens.
The result was silence. Present Mic and Eraser were speechless, neither being able to understand what they had just seen, as they knew the boy as strong. They knew he had the potential, but it was one thing to suspect and another to see him create such a massive glacier out of nothing in less than 3 seconds. The students were even worse off as they gasped at the sight, their jaws open in stunned awe. Midoriya, Bakugo, and Kendo were eyed at the demonstration of the power that Todoroki could bring to bear.
At that moment, Todoroki had done something that no other match or finalist had managed. He had silenced everyone, heroes, students, civilians, and even viewers watching at home. He alone had done this.
On the field, Todoroki was partially covered in a thin layer of frost but still standing and ready for more; letting out a breath, what came out was akin to the wind one felt in the winter tundra of Siberia. On the other hand, his opponent was frozen, nearly buried in the ice with only her head sticking out, shivering from the extreme cold she had been subjected to. "S-s-such p-ow-er…exc-ex-excess-ive.” Yaoyorozu could barely get a solid word out.
Off to the side, she wasn't the only victim of the brutal attack, as Midnight, despite not even being in the ring, was half frozen as the ice had climbed up on her leg and went all the way to her head and even her hair. The half that wasn't frozen was shivering something fierce. "Yaoyorozu, can you move?" She managed to ask, more than irritated to be collateral.
“N-no…” Yaoyorozu replied, despite how much pain she was in and how it hurt to concede defeat after being dominated so brutally. She didn't stand a chance, and it was like Todoroki wanted to make that clear.
“Yaoyorozu has been immobilized! Todoroki advances to the quarterfinals!" She declared, but not a single person cheered; they didn't even make a sound till someone in the crowd started to chant, 'Don't worry about it.' Soon the entire place was chanting, not for Todoroki's win, but for his defeated foe. Even Todoroki seemed to be against himself as he shamefully walked up to Yaoyorozu, his head down.
"Sorry, that was…excessive," He apologized as he placed his right hand on her chest and started to melt the ice that had trapped her. "I was mad."
Line Break
And that's that; the first round is over! I also got the chance to display how the shield generators work. While Todoroki still had the frame of mind to limit himself, the ice still got uncomfortable close to the students and crowd. In the next chapter, we have Bakugo vs. Tsunotori, and with how I've characterized her, that will be a fun slug feast as she's basically if Uraraka had her Gunhead martial arts early.
