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Chapter 38: The End of Winter
🕑 Added 2024-09-10 15:03:29 +0000 UTCThe clash of elements, the bitter cold vs the scorching heat. Flames fueled by love and Ice powered by hate, all that and yet, it's lacking.
Chapter 38: The End of Winter
“So he’s been pushed that far.” Monoma mused when they saw Midoriya transform, his entire body shifting, including the fact his legs fused into a tail.
"This just adds another level of insanity to the match, as now he can go all out without needing to worry about regenerating between attacks," Honenuki stated, though he was worried that this could be overkill for a match.
"His stone body should also give him an advantage, it's similar to Tetsutetsu enough that the ice won't do as much damage as it was before." Kendo thought aloud, ignoring how the audience around them was floored by the transformation, floored and fearful.
“Still, is it just me, or did Hebimi not need to go this far?” She looked towards Tokage, the girl with a frown on her typically smirking face.
"What do you mean, Todoroki's attacks were pretty powerful," Kaibara asked, but she shook her head, her mind moving a mile a minute as she thought about everything she knew about Midoriya, his personality, and his quirk.
“Yeah, but he was handling them well enough. He could have found a way around them without shifting…so why?” Tokage asked, and now that she'd said it aloud, Kendo and Honenuki also thought it strange, Shiozaki frowning as she had been silent since she got back.
"Maybe he just wants to prove his flames as the stronger of the two, or just impress the pros watching," Shishida suggested, though if he was honest, he wasn’t sure that was the reason as Midoriya didn’t seem like a showboat type, and his performance thus far would have surely garnered him attention.
“Maybe.” Tokage didn’t agree with his suggestion, but she didn’t discount them either. All they could do was keep an eye on the match.
Line Break
On the field, Todoroki glared towards the infernal that stood before him. That form was nothing like a human's but a monster, the fact that he seemed to be covered in lava and green flames only made him dislike his opponent more. Looking into those eyes, and seeing flames staring back at him made his blood boil.
“My eyes remind you of Endeavour? You’ll never be bested by my ice? Now I’m angry!” Todoroki stomped his right foot down, sending out a blast of ice, even larger than the last but Midoriya didn't even move from his spot, curled up like he was, he merely raised his head and breathed out.
Such a simple move sent out a fireball just as big as his named ones in his human form, but this one burned even hotter as when it collided with the ice wave, it managed to melt its way in quite a bit before it exploded, shattering the ice and leaving Midoriya untouched.
Seeing Todoroki’s surprised face, he snarked back. “That makes two of us, did you really think that you could use the same trick twice?” He launched himself towards Todoroki, his serpentine body sliding over the floor like a lightning bolt, with Midoriya closing the distance much faster than most would have thought possible with his lack of legs.
Todoroki instinctively created an ice wall to protect himself, but that didn't slow Midoriya down, he pulled his hands in front of himself and dived into it like one would a pool, his heated fingers cutting into the ice, melting it partially before the rest of his weight crashed through, giving him a clear line of fire to Todoroki, who wasn't able to guard against the heavy punch to the gut which drove the air from his body, folding him like a chair.
Being launched back, he bounced a couple of times before rolling to a stop, but he was used to pain, all the years training with his father made sure of that, so where others would have remained down, or taken longer to get up, he was up like he wasn't tasting stomach bile. His training saved him as he was able to dodge a fireball that would have blown him well over the line.
Not skipping a beat, Midoriya continued on the offensive, zipping about around Todoroki, blasting fireballs and straight sustained blasts of fire, some of which were akin to him unleashing waves of the stuff, toward Todoroki, keeping him on the defensive, unable to predict when and how the next attack would come other than the sound of air being sucked in giving him just a couple seconds warning.
There was a pause, as after he created a wall to block a wave of searing hot flames, he didn’t hear another hiss of air being sucked into, he didn’t have time to wonder why as a stone clawed hand smashed through his melting ice wall, grabbing him by the face as pulling his entire body through it, tossing him like a rock. ‘He’s faster than before, stronger as well.’ Todoroki thought to himself as he twisted himself to land on his feet, placing his right hand onto the floor and creating a wave of ice against Midoriya.
Midoriya didn't destroy this attack like others, but instead, he jumped over it, clearing its tail and all, before landing on its peak and bolting down it like he was sliding down an icy hill. Todoroki narrowed his gaze as he tried to add to it, but Midoriya sent a fireball before the ice had even finished forming, allowing the fireball, though diminished to break through and nearly hit him, forcing him to duck.
That moment where his attention wasn't on his opponent cost him as Midoriya didn't punch him as he swatted him aside with his tail, the hard, hot stone that made up his tail knocking a tooth or two loose.
‘The only benefit to this is all the heat is helping keep my body warm, as painful as that is to accept.’ Todoroki thought to himself, feeling his sore jaw from that attack, and wondering if Midoriya chose to use his tail before it was the better appendage, or because he wanted to disrespect him as if they shared one thing, it was a mutual disdain for the other's element. He was forced out of his thoughts when he heard that hiss of air being vacuumed into the void that was Midoriya’s mouth.
Not even a second later, he sent out a fireball, but instead of targeting him, he fired straight up before bursting like a firework, leaving 2 dozen smaller fireballs to rain down. Todoroki cursed as he was forced to skate along, creating roofs of ice where he could absorb the blows that came down.
Midoriya didn't need to worry about such as he chased after him, his attacks striking him when he didn't take the time to redirect them, but the flames crashed and flowed off his body like water on skin.
Catching up with Todoroki, the ice user blasted out the largest blast of ice he could at the moment, but Midoriya's tail came round and pierced through it, ice rapidly crept up it towards his body, but Midoriya swung the tail, which was still encased in case, shattering it before he lunged at Todoroki, grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the ground hard enough that Todoroki was left dazed.
Midoriya seemed to be preparing to strike him point black but ceased at the last second before tossing Todoroki to the side again. This overwhelming display of power didn't go unnoticed as everyone watching could tell who was fighting with the bigger stick.
“What the hell is happening? Todoroki’s getting his shit ran.” Kaminari uttered in disbelief as Todoroki was sent flying through one of his few remaining ice barriers, his body painfully rolling as he forced himself back up, but that seemed like the only thing he could do.
"To be able to command such firepower, it's like he's a living volcano." Tokoyami's eyes remained wide since the boy's transformed, even from where they sat, he could feel the heat that Midoriya was putting out, and with how bright those attacks were, he just knew that he would have never stood a chance.
"It's like he's on a completely different level than us," Yaoyorozu commented as Midoriya let out a roar that shook her to her bones, before he unleashed a cascading wave of flames in all directions, obligating Todoroki's attempt to strike him from all sides, but also melting whatever leftover ice there was.
A moment later, they were all hit with the blast of hot air and the smell of sulfur, ash, and iron. "Dammit, that's hot!" Ashido complained as she had to cover her face, the same with most of them. Bakugo remained silent, the heat hardly bothering him, but what did was the fact that the pyromaniac wasn't just winning, but dominating that ice moron like it was nothing, not even Bakugo could do that.
He didn’t know when or how, but he knew that whatever happened, that bastard got stronger, much stronger than he ever thought his fire-loving crazy ass could ever get.
Line Break
“Was that all you have? Was that all your ice could do?” Midoriya felt disappointed, this entire match, this showdown of the elements had been nothing like he wanted, what he expected from someone so powerful. Oh sure, before he transformed, Todoroki had a fighting chance, but after? He was so disenchanted he wished he could fight the monster from the USJ again, even if it ripped him in two a second time.
Slithering over to Todoroki, the guy was sweaty, covered with bruises, and still glaring at him, but down on his knee. “Well, don’t you have anything to say?” Midoriya's jaw remained open as he spoke, no tongue or movement to be seen. "Pathetic, I didn't like you before, but I can admit that was just because I don't like ice, but after what Endeavour told me, I finding it hard to like anything about you."
Dropping that name so causally made Todoroki jumpy, as he worked himself to his feet, frost forming on his right side as he cooled himself. “E-endeavour? What does that bastard have to do with this…?” Wait a damn minute, if his old man was able to find him before his match, could that mean he also found Midoriya. Of course, it all made sense as he bit back. “Don’t tell me he paid you off-!”
At least, he tried to bite back, but Midoriya zipped forward and punched him in the gut once more, this time he coughed out his lunch onto the floor. Not done with him, with the world watching, he wrapped his tail around Todoroki's neck and picked him up.
"He didn't give me anything other than the knowledge that you're disrespecting everything heroes stand for, your eyes burn like his, but there's no love in them. How could they be when you're using just half your power?" Midoriya’s face lacked the muscles and features necessary to convey emotion, but Todoroki could still see how enraged his opponent was.
“I’ll never use his power!” He managed to get out as Midoriya growled in confusion.
“His power, what are you talking about? He’s not in the ring, he’s not helping you. The only power you have is your own,” He didn't hear the man yelling for his son to win, even with the crowds silent as they watched what had been a crowd favorite to win get manhandled like a child. “And it’s not enough.” Midoriya threw him aside, as he had done many times during the match.
Those had not been accidents, he had been trying, so very hard to force Todoroki to use his fire, to push him to the point where no matter how stubborn he was with this rebellion against his father for whatever reasons he might have, he'd abandon them to win. He even chose to not eat his flames should he use them to give him a fighting chance, but not once had he even seen a spark from Todoroki.
It was ice attack this, ice blast there, ice barrier, and ice wave-it was nothing but ice! Ice that he should be able to see wasn't enough to beat him, his ice couldn't even phrase him. But his patience had worn thin. "I wanted to beat you are your best, I wanted to prove that I can be a hero that can save people, but if you can't do the same, then I don't want to fight with you anymore!"
Midoriya held up his hands as they started to shake and crack, before his hands exploded, sending bits of rock and lava flying all over the field, leaving stomps that bleed magma. Midnight and Cementoss were just as surprised as everyone else, was he that angry that he couldn’t contain his heat?
But that wasn't it, as just one person in the audience could figure out what he was doing, watching as his stone limbs cracked, burst, and shifted as the stomps become the business ends of the barrels made from rock that extended outwards half the length of his arms, secondary explosions according on his shoulders, before the holes formed into vents with hardened stone-like fans which started to spin, sucking in air.
Letting his jaw fall open, his mouth did the same, consuming air and sending it right down to his burning core, where it fuelled a flame that burned hotter than anything he had used yet. Todoroki, despite being humiliated thus far in the match, wouldn’t let this be the end as he placed his hand on the floor, and threw all he had into his ice, planning to use a much more targeted version of what he tried to use in his previous match.
Unlike Midoriya, that didn’t mean he needed nearly as much time to attack as he sent an avalanche's worth of ice toward Midoriya, aiming to bury him so deep that not even he could melt his way out.
Midoriya did take longer to set things up, but he had started first as he swung his arm cannons to his front, his mouth remained open as one could see within the barrels and his maw, that a bright, brilliant green flame was set to be released.
“Hado flame!" Midoriya fired off the triple attack, the flames firing out from him hot enough that the concrete beneath its path melted, forming a ditch as the two streams of emerald flames joined together into a spiral, just like the quirk of his favorite sempai and when the two attacks collided, the result was devastating.
In the clash of heat and frost, the blast wave shook the entire stadium, enough that Recovery Girl in the nurse’s office could feel it and asked what the hell was happening up top. That same blast barrelled through the arena, sending Midnight flying as Cementoss had to anchor himself to his seat, the audience wasn't in as much danger, but the stream from the ice evaporating nearly instantly, along with the heat and smell of sulfur and iron still battered them.
Kendo enlarged her hands to both protect her and others from the worst of it and hold onto some that seemed like they'd be sent flying out of their seats, Kamakiri made blades to hook himself in place while Tetsutetsu shifted his hands to steel and grabbed the seat, his fingers digging in. "What the hell is that?"
“Just hold on!” Shiozaki told them all, using her vines to help anchor herself and others.
“All this from a single clash? That’s insane!” Rin yelled over the hot winds bashing into this but mercifully, the winds died down as the blast dissipated. Leaving the field covered in a thick cloud that made it impossible to see anything, not the fighters, not the two pros, not even the arena was visible.
“What the heck was that all about?” Present Mic, having fallen over from the shock of seeing that clash of elemental powers.
Vlad, who remained seated, was quick to offer up an explanation. “Todoroki's instant creation of that much ice rapidly cooled the air, air which was then superheated by Midoriya's fire which caused it to expand and rise.”
“A steam explosion?” Present Mic picked himself up, as he had seen stuff like kettles boiling over, even improvised pot bombs used by villains, not nothing on this scale. “Hey, I can’t see a thing, what’s happening on the field?” Midnight thought that was a good question as she picked herself up, wincing from how she had landed, even with her training which kept her from landing on her head.
'Those two, they get along as well as water and oil.' That much had been clear from the start, as while neither was openly antagonistic, especially with Midoriya, when they stepped into the ring, all bets were off as Midoriya fought like a completely different person. ‘Still, what could have made them pull out such powerful moves?’
Looking at the field, she managed to spot a stone figure, which confirmed that he seemed to still be up. As more of the smoke cleared, she could make out that Midoriya was still in play, his tail having been punched half a meter into the floor to ground him locked in place from the place.
When she looked to where Todoroki had been before all that, she didn’t see him. It took a few more moments for her to spot him, slumped against the wall of the arena, well out of bonds and covered with burns.
“T-todoroki is out of bounds…” Midnight called it before she snapped her hand towards Midoriya. “Midoriya advances to the semi-finals!” With her declaration, the crowds started to cheer, the awe of the exchange giving way to applause and screams of joy. Midoriya didn’t seem to hear any of it, his eyes locked on his defeated foe, no taste of victory to be found, just bitter survival.
Line Break
With the match over, the people in the stands talked to talk about it, watching as Todoroki was taken off the field by medical bots while Midoriya remained still in the center of the field, a golem of rock and fire. "Man, I never thought Endeavour's kid would be eliminated in the quarter-finals."
“It was ironic it was to Midoriya, that kid’s affinity to fire is close to Endeavours.” Another pointed out, as this was quite the upset.
“I would say above it, as Endeavour doesn’t have a second stronger form.” Someone else added as Midoriya finally turned and slithered off the field.
“To think they’re both still students, makes you wonder what they’ll be capable of in just a couple years.” A pro marveled at their performance, but also felt a little nervous as he knew he couldn't stand up to either of them in the present, but in the future, they were definitely top 10 material to be sure.
"The kid's actions did seem odd though, he grabbed Todoroki at least 3 times, and instead of trying to restrain or knock him out, even toss him out of bounds, he kept him within the boundary line." Another hero pointed out, that while brutal, there were ways the fight could have ended sooner if Midoriya had taken it.
“Maybe he’s not strong enough to make the throw?” A pro seated next to the first suggested, but that only got a frown from the former speaker.
"Maybe, but one of those times, they were close to it, yet Midoriya threw him further into the ring." That match had moved across the ring, mainly due to Todoroki dodging and running from Midoriya's fiery advances, what were the odds that Midoriya didn't notice that they were close to the ring's edge with that throw and that he would aim away from it?
"Maybe he wants to show off more. Not the best attitude to bring to hero work." Someone shrugged as the festival was meant to be a showcase.
An older pro grunted in disapproval at such a thing. "He got the job done, but that isn't something that should take too long. Cautious or not, he had the upper hand and could have pressed things."
"It's not just his actions, but his quirk he needs to be wary of, I could feel the heat from here, if that's what he's like when unrestrained, he should look for ways to fight while under some limits before he gives someone heatstroke." One other pro said, as the field looked like a mess, the ice having completely been melted during the match, but instead, it was covered with scorch marks, craters, and ditches formed from flames melting the cement.
As people continued to talk about the match, Midoriya walked into the shadowy path, only to meet someone there who had been waiting for him.
“That was a good match.” Ryukyu started, her face giving nothing away, same as Midoriya’s as he remained transformed, which made him larger than her, though in the moment, he didn’t feel all that big, he didn’t feel much other than just numb disappointment.
“It wasn’t an enjoyable one.” Midoriya's voice didn't have that same rumbling strength it typically had in this form his lava wasn't nearly as hot as his eyes looked at the floor. "I tried to get him to take me seriously but…not even in the end, not a single hint of flames from him."
Ryukyu hummed, as she suspected that someone was off with the match, it would seem that she was right. Approaching him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but they can’t force it to drink. People are the same, Midoriya. It takes admitting one has a problem and making the choice to correct them before anything else.”
He knew that, but that didn’t mean he felt any better, if anything he felt worse and he didn’t even know why. “It’s just…it made me so mad, knowing that he has this amazing quirk, that he could have done better if he had used it.” He looked at his hands, clenching them shut, the stone crackling and crunching as he did so.
“Come on, you can’t remain in that form forever, so let’s find you can change of clothes.” Ryukyu turned to lead him to the nurses’ office, hoping that she had spare clothes.
Line Break
Recovery Girl did in fact have spare clothes, so with the curtain pulled, Midoriya was able to shift back to normal and put them on, though he would go without shoes for the rest of the day as he had burned those to ash. When he finished, he stepped out and couldn’t help but look towards his foe, who remained peacefully asleep, though he had bandages covering most of his body and face.
“Will he be okay?” He asked, worming his hands together as he didn’t want to hurt him, even if he didn’t like Todoroki and what he was doing to himself.
Recovery Girl looked away from her quiet conversation with Ryukyu. “His burns weren’t as bad as they looked, they’ll heal without scars.”
“That’s…that’s good.” Midoriya didn't know what to say to that, his mind of two opinions of burns. What he felt, and what he had worked through with his therapist. But he was aware enough to know that he wouldn't do much good if he stayed, so he meekly turned to leave. “I…I should go.”
Recovery Girl stopped him. "Midoriya, as much as I'm against the idea of students beating the stuffing out of each other, you can't be blamed for this. Todoroki's as stubborn as his father, not much someone can say to get through the thick head of a Todoroki." She told him, as the staff had been aware that Todoroki had this self-imposed rule about his flames, as not even during his entrance exam had he used it. They had hoped that he'd break it as the semester went on, as his classmates would force him to accept he couldn't progress if he didn't but…well, they saw how that blew up in their faces.
Midoriya frowned, biting his lip as he turned towards Todoroki again before he looked away. He recalled their fight, and something about it that no one else could have seen, it was right as their two attacks met, and he overpowered Todoroki's ice. That face…those eyes thawed. “Still, in that final moment…he seemed sad.”
Midoriya only now realized why he hated the result of their match, why he hated Todoroki for holding back. That sadness was what he used to see on his face every time he looked in the mirror when he would suppress himself to fit in. That inability to be one's true self, to express all that there was to them and take pride in that, to be loved not despite that, but because of it.
But Todoroki wasn't expressing himself, but willingly keeping his flames under lock and key. It made Izuku wonder if part of that hate he had seen, and the sadness, was directed towards Shoto himself.
Recovery Girl frowned but smiled as she saw something in the boy, a reminder that he was similar to her best students. “Well, maybe this experience will help him figure out why he’s sad so he can start smiling again. Now you should along, the next match will start soon and I imagine you want to support your classmate, yes?”
“I do…thank you, Recovery Girl.” He bowed his head to her before Ryukyu placed a hand on his shoulder and led him through the door.
Line Break
Have to admit, have a bit of an issue writing this, as how things played out, they weren’t what I wanted, but with how things are, they couldn’t go many other ways which also meant that this chapter was shorter than I typically aim for. But I'm hoping that with how things are planned for the future, this hitch-up of a chapter helps to prove a point and set things up later on.
I have good news, I got my first commission! After a year of having this up, someone's reached out with a story request for me, which is pretty exciting. But because of that, I want to give the commission the time it needs for planning and writing, so there won't be any updates next week as I sort that out.
