It's been AGES, but too be fair...it's because I have no time to post. Wake up super early and then I go to work just to come home late and help look after my family. But hey, the things we do as we get older!
After the first rounds of matches were finished, Shoto and Midoriya were going to face off to kick off the second round. When Shoto got up to leave, I could feel not just his eyes on the back of my head, but also the rest of the class. Everyone in this class were so obvious with their moves that I didn't even need to look around to know that they were all looking at me and whispering to each other.
"Pay attention to the next match!" I scolded them.
"Yes!" The agreed and I could feel them all look at the stage in front of us. I waited patiently for Shoto's next match.
"The first match of the second round!" Present Mic announced. "At this year's sports festival, both have shown top class performances! Midoriya! Versus, Todoroki! It's like two great rivals fighting against each other! Now, start!"
Shoto didn't waste any time to build his ice. It came flying from his right foot and towards Midoriya in jagged spikes form the ground. Midoriya put out his right hand and snapped his middle finger as he yelled,
"Smash!" His Quirk's ability was so strong that it stopped Shoto's ice attack in its tracks and broke it a part. The wind flew through Shoto's ice and towards Shoto. Luckily, Shoto had an ice barrier behind him to keep him from moving. The wind moved upwards towards the audience and it smacked up like a ton of bricks.
"It's so cold!" Kaminari's yell could be heard over the wind. Once it settled we all looked back at the field.
"Wow! Midoriya stopped Todoroki's attack!" Present Mic yelled.
"But he broke his finger to do so." I said out loud. Shoto sent another ice attack towards Midoriya, but he broke his index finger when he snapped it to stopped Shoto's attack again.
"You're…" Shoto began to speak, but he stopped once he sent out another ice attack. Midoriya broke his ring finger in order to stop that one.
"Is he planning on breaking all of his fingers just for this match?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Is he forgetting that he'll run out of fingers?" I questioned.
"An endurance match, huh? I'll end this quickly." Shoto said as he sent off another ice attack towards Midoriya. Midoriya broke his pinkie finger blocking Shoto's attack.
"Todoroki doesn't recoil from Midoriya's power and gets in close!" Present Mic commentated as Shoto made an ice path for him to run up, so he could get closer to Midoriya. Midoriya used the middle finger on his left hand to break Shoto's ice, but Shoto jumped over it and went to land on top of Midoriya. Midoriya quickly moved backwards, so when Shoto's punch landed, it created ice on the ground instead of Midoriya's head. Shoto looked towards Midoriya and sent the ice his way. It managed to grab hold of Midoriya's ankle while he was still in the air. Shoto quickly made another ice barrier behind him – preparing for Midoriya to use his Quirk again.
"Come on." I said to myself. Midoriya was about to use his finger to smash the ice away from him, but he changed his mind and used his left arm. He made a fist and punched at the ice. The ice wind came rushing at us again, so we all brought our arms up, so we could cover our eyes. I felt the wind push me deeper into the back of my seat.
"That's a lot more powerful than before." Shoto said. I looked back at the field and saw that he was being supported by another ice barrier. Which means he was pushed away even by that gust of wind as well. "Are you trying to tell me…to stay away?" Shoto stood back up. I heard a gasp from beside me, so I looked over to see Uraraka staring at Midoriya. Her eyes were wide as she looked at her classmate. I looked back and saw that Midoriya broke his entire left arm just to save himself.
"Now what's he going to do?" I asked myself. I saw the frost beginning to build on Shoto's exposed skin. He needed to end this quickly or he would be in trouble of getting frostbite. If he was able to use his left side then he would've been able to slow down the process of frostbite, but he never uses it, so I wasn't expecting him to then either.
"What? You're that beat up just by defending and running away?" Shoto asked. The next words to come out of his mouth were too quiet for the microphone's to pick up. "With your arms like that, you can't fight anymore, can you? Let's finish this." While standing still, Shoto made jagged ice pieces head towards Midoriya again.
"Todoroki keeps attacking with overwhelming power!" Present Mic yelled. "Here comes the finishing ice attack!"
"Where are you looking?" Modoriya yelled before another gust of wind hit us. My eyes closed from the pressure and I waited until I could open them up and look at the field. Once I did, I felt my eyes widen due to surprise. Shoto had been pushed almost out of bounds, but was saved by another ice barrier.
"He…he used a broken finger?" Yaoyorozu was just as confused as the rest of us.
"What kind of pain tolerance does this boy actually have?" I questioned.
"You're trembling, Todoroki." Midoriya spoke. "Quirks are physical abilities too. There's a limit to how much cold your body can take, isn't there? And isn't that something you could solve by using the heat from your left side?" Midoriya tried to bring his right arm up towards him as he continued to speak. "Everyone's fighting with everything they've got. To win and to get closer to their dream." Midoriya's movements were so slow and painful that it made the whole stadium silent. How could he do this to himself? "To become number one. You want to win with just half your strength?! You haven't put a single scratch on me yet, you know?" Midoriya made a fist with his right hand. "Come at me with everything you've got!"
"Midoriya, what are you planning? Everything I've got? Did my damn old man buy you off or something? Now I'm angry!" Shoto took off in a sprint towards Midoriya, but I noticed how much slower his movements became.
"He's slower." I heard Bakugo say from behind me. Once Shoto got closer to Midoriya, he lifted off of his right foot and Midoriya used his right arm and swung a punch straight into Shoto's stomach. Shoto managed to place some ice onto Midoriya's left arm before flying backwards. My hands balled into fists as I grabbed the material of my pants. "Shoto." There was blood on the ground where Midoriya was standing. It came from his broken limbs. When Shoto sent another ice attack Midoriya's way, he jumped to the side instead of using his Quirk. Shoto quickly ran over to him and began to make more ice around Midoriya, but he re-broke another finger into order to push him back.
Shoto continued to make more ice towards Midoriya, but it kept being broken due to Midoriya's Quirk. When they managed to get closer, Midoriya tried to punch Shoto again, but Shoto would move out of the way. Both opponents' powers had depleted and watching them fight became hard to watch. Another ice attack went towards Midoriya and instead of making a fist; he placed his thumb in his mouth and made it flick with his cheek.
"Why are you going so far?" Shoto asked.
"Because I want to live up to everyone's expectations." Midoriya began to run towards Shoto. "I want to be able to smile and respond to them, to be a cool hero. That's what I want to be!" Midoriya head-butted Shoto in the gut and sent him backwards again. "Everyone's giving it their all! There's no way I can know all of your circumstances or your resolve. But for you to become number one without giving it your all, to completely reject your father. Right now, I think you should stop screwing around!" Midoriya got closer to Shoto again and brought his right arm back, ready for another punch. "That's why…I will win!" He punched Shoto again and sent him flying back. I stood up from my seat and gripped the bar in front of me. Shoto's body looked so lifeless as it fell backwards. He landed on the ground and slowly stood back up again. My grip against the bar tightened as I watched his slow movements.
"It's yourpower, isn't it?" Midoriya yelled. My breath got caught in my throat. Did he know why Shoto wasn't using his left side? Shoto's head snapped upwards as he looked at Midoriya. I felt my bottom lip begin to tremble as I stared at Shoto. I felt my eyes begin to water as I continued to look at him. Was he finally going to see what I've always seen? There's no part of him that is his father. Not even his left side is his father. He was 100% Shoto Todoroki. It happened to fast. The fire that erupted from Shoto's left side burned and flew upwards in a twisted spiral.
"Th-This is!" Present Mic couldn't find the words.
"This is Shoto." I said as the heat from the fire slapped my face, but I couldn't look away. This was a sight I never thought I would see. The fire began to clear and Shoto's right side was no longer covered in frost from his frostbite.
"I want to be a hero too!" Shoto yelled. It was the way it came out of his voice. I hadn't heard him say it was such passion since we were kids – when he first decided he wanted to be a hero. The smile on his face solidified my feelings. I felt the tears begin to fall as I smiled at the boy on the field.
"Kimura?" I heard Yaoyorozu call my name. I never looked away from the field as I said,
"He's okay." I could feel the confused looks on my classmates' faces as they looked at me. None of then would understand why I had tears running down my face or why I was smiling at the field. They didn't know that I was watching the boy, that I have known all my life, who has always hated half of him when I've always loved all of him, finally believe that he could accept himself as a whole.
"Shoto!" I looked over and saw Endeavour walking towards the edge of the audience towards the pole. "Have you finally accepted yourself?! That's it! Good! It all starts from here for you! With my blood, you will surpass me! You will fulfill my desire!"
"Shut up, you piece of shit." I said aloud, but the only people who could here me were my classmates.
"Endeavour suddenly shouts encouragement? Such a doting father." Present Mic didn't know how to explain this to the audience. I scoffed at Present Mic's statement and looked back at the field. Endeavour didn't matter right now. Shoto did. I watched as Shoto created ice around his right foot and the flames flew from his left arm. The overwhelming sense of power that was radiating off of him could be felt throughout the whole stadium. Goosebumps rose on my arms, not from the confusing temperature, but from the excitement I felt. My heart swelled with happiness as I saw the smile on Shoto's face as he sent ice towards Midoriya, but he managed to jump over it and towards Shoto. I then witnessed the most amazing thing to have ever happened.
Shoto outstretched his arms and his fire and ice mixed together. His fire shot out from his entire back while his ice began to surround it like a tunnel. The air pushed us back, but my eyes were glued to the sight in front of me. Shoto raised his left hand up while Midoriya came flying towards him with his arm. Both attacks were stopped by cement walls that popped up in the middle of the field, but they broke once the attacks hit them form each side. Pieces of cement went flying into the audience as the wind blew us all back. The air pushed me from the pole and onto the ground.
"Kimura!" I felt Yaoyorozu grab hold of my bicep in concern. I closed my eyes from the dust that was being flown in my face. Once the wind stopped, I quickly stood back up and stared at the field. The smoke and dust began to clear as we all waited for the winner to emerge.
"What was that just now?" Present Mic asked what we were all thinking. "What the heck is up with your class?" He asked Mr. Aizawa, who was commentating with him today.
"The air that had been cooled thoroughly had been suddenly heated up and expanded." Mr. Aizawa explained.
"That's what created that explosion?" Present Mic asked. "Just how hot was that? Jeez, I can't see a thing! Hey, who won the match?" A gasp was heard from the audience once we saw the sight. Midoriya was up against the wall and fell over in a slump.
"M-Midoriya is out of bounds." Shoto stood in the middle of the field with half of his gym uniform ripped off of him. It had been burnt from the fire that his body produced. "Todoroki advances to the third round!"
Longer chapter today! It's always nice to see how things play out in someone else's eyes!