Chapter 37 - Midoriya VS Todoroki!? To be a Hero!?

The tension that could be felt throughout the arena was palpable, Tokoyami could feel it in the air. Two of the major players in Class 1-A were getting ready to duke it out in the arena, and he couldn't help but drink in the atmosphere, his hands folded as his eyes watched the pair step out onto the ring.

Midoriya had proven himself to be a powerful competitor during the Tournament, having won the Obstacle Race and survived the Cavalry Battle. He broke free of Shinso's mind control Quirk through sheer willpower and even as he stepped on to the ring, only a hint of nerves in his expression as he stepped up to face the competitor whom he had worried about back in the stands. With All Might watching, he could imagine Midoriya was under a horrible amount of pressure and he could only hope that Izuku would pull off a win.

But Todoroki wasn't a simple opponent to defeat. For sheer power, he was one of the strongest in the class, able to battle with the likes of Bakugou and win. Tokoyami had been on the receiving end of Todoroki's strategic mind during the Cavalry Battle and knew just as well as Uraraka, who was watching nervously as well, that Todoroki would not go own easily. His declaration of war against Izuku hanging in the air, they knew that regardless of what happened in the fight, Todoroki was gunning to take Izuku out.

"You think he can win?" Shouji asked, slinking a mouth over to the bird-headed boy.

Tokoyami was silent at that. That wasn't a question he thought he could answer, turning to look at Shouji with a somber expression, uncertainty dancing across his eyes.

"Deku's got this," Uraraka muttered beside them, turning to look at the pair with a smile. "It's like Bakugou told me, when you hang out with Deku, you always have a plan. So I bet he's got a plan for Todoroki."

"Midoriya is aware of Todoroki's Quirk. If anybody is able to create a counter, it is Midoriya." Iida's reply was full of confidence, the same confidence that Uraraka was now eliciting.

Tokoyami couldn't help but let out a light chuckle, leaning back in his seat. "Perhaps Midoriya can find a way."

"That's the spirit Fumikage!" A deep voice jeered, Dark Shadow forming around his shoulders quite suddenly, much to the surprise of Uraraka and Iida, though Shouji's lack of reaction wasn't surprising.

Having stayed at Shouji's home during their training period, the taller male was more used to Dark Shadow's tendencies, especially his ability to form at will whenever he wanted, assuming Fumikage wasn't intentionally holding him back.

"Alright, match start!"

That was all the warning they got, Todoroki lifting his arm up instantly, a large barrage of ice forcing it's way towards Midoriya in an instant. The ice sparkled in the sunlight, shards forming in milliseconds towards Midoriya's still form. The green haired boy was watching the ice with a scowl on his face, before raising one of his hands, pointing out a finger.

The sudden shock wave from Midoriya's sudden blast of power broke through the ice in an instant, sending a cold windy chill into the stands, Tokoyami's arms folding closer to his chest as he felt his feathers beginning to perk up.

Tokoyami's eyes were instantly on Midoriya's finger while everyone else was watching Todoroki for his reaction. So for a brief moment, Tokoyami and perhaps All Might and the faculty, were the only ones to notice the bloodied broken middle finger on Midoriya's right hand.

"Midoriya completely smashed through Todoroki's ice barrage!" Present Mic announced, followed by cheers from the crowd.

So that was the true power of One for All. Able to smash through Todoroki's attack like it was nothing, yet Tokoyami couldn't help but wonder how Midoriya was going to cope with the physical strain of his attacks. Breaking his bones was one thing, having them healed was another entirely.

Another ice barrage surged it's way towards Izuku, Todoroki taking a single step forward to cast the chilling wave, yet as with before, another explosion, another cold chill, it all washed through the air, the sound of ice crackling filling the stadium. Tokoyami couldn't help but stare as Midoriya lost another finger, small spurts of blood bursting out from the injury.

"His hand..." Uraraka muttered, hand over her mouth in shock. "I didn't get a good look during combat training. Is that..."

"That's what he did against Bakugou, except it was his whole hand," Shouji muttered from behind them, his eyes trained on the boy in the arena. "It's reckless, but it's his only option."

Tokoyami had to ponder that. His only option of surviving the fight, or his only option in an attempt to impress All Might in the Festival. He had a feeling Izuku's mind was on the former, but the latter was probably hanging over him like a bell that was tolling.

He could see Midoriya's face scrunch up in pain, but the boy was still staring straight at his opponent all the while. In that moment, an ice barrier began to rise behind Todoroki, between the boy and the edge of the ring.

"By creating an ice wall behind him, he is able to withstand Midoriya's attacks without falling out of the ring," Iida explained.

"A counter-strategy?" Tokoyami asked aloud.

"Midoriya'll still win though," Dark Shadow said in a know-it-all fashion, glancing back at Shouji who was watching with an expressionless look. "You think so to, right Shouji?"

Shouji turned his head slightly to look at Dark Shadow, his eyes meeting the Quirk's own for a moment. Tokoyami felt like he was missing out on some sort of context with this silent conversation going on, before Shouji muttered a quiet, "Of course."

Another wall of ice, another shockwave.

"Gah, they already started!" The voice of Kirishima called out as the red-head rushed in to the stands.

"Hey! Nice job getting to the second round, Kirishima!" Kaminari called out excitedly, while the others continued to watch.

"Thanks. I'm up against you next Bakugou!" Kirishima moved to sit down next to Sero as Bakugou roared an 'I'll kill you,' to which he replied with a jovial, "Ha, I'd like to see you try! But, man. You and that Todoroki... You can fire off as many of those crazy-strong attacks as you want..."

It was Bakugou's next reply that piqued Tokoyami's interest, the bird-headed boy shifting his head ever so slightly for a better way to listen.

"As many as we want? Don't be an idiot. Strain your muscles, and you'll tear them. Run too much, and you'll be out of breath. Quirks are still physical abilities. Even the hot and cold bastard has to have some kind of limit." Tokoyami was the only one who noticed Bakugou looking down at his hands as he said that, revealing to Tokoyami that even Bakugou had some sort of weakness.

Dark Shadow was limited by the amount of exposure he could take to light. Uraraka was limited by how much weight she could carry. Iida was limited by his own engines and how they had the ability to stall. Even Midoriya was limited in how much he could break his body before it became too much. So what weaknesses did Todoroki and Bakugou have?

"Yeah, I guess you're right..." Kirishima admitted. "So up against insta-kill man, Midoriya's trying to draw the match out."

"That's pretty clever of Midoriya," Tsuyu commented thoughtfully, her eyes watching the match eagerly.

"But I doubt Todoroki will be willing to let up," Shouji muttered gravely.

"Shouji?" Tokoyami turned his attention to his friend, who he noticed was looking tenser than he had before.

Shouji looked off, that was Tokoyami's first thought. But he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was.

"Todoroki is a powerful opponent. People believe that monsters have scary features or look abnormal, but a monstrous power is something else altogether." Shouji seemed to be talking more to himself than to anyone else, his eyes focused on the battle, rather than those who were listening to him.

Kouda looked at Shouji, frowning every so slightly before meeting Tokoyami's eyes with a silent question. Was Shouji okay?

Tokoyami didn't have an answer. But with those words, he had a feeling he knew what had set his friend off.

Thinking back, Shouji had constantly lost to Todoroki since they arrived at the school. Being overshadowed in all of their major events, perhaps that uselessness that he had wanted to prove wrong with the Festival was more of a concern than he'd first thought. His friend wanted nothing more than to help people, aware of his own motivation yet unable to prove himself when he needed to most, whereas Tokoyami felt he had the opposite problem.

He was able to prove himself in times of stress or need, winning the combat training, saving Mezou's life in the entrance exam, fighting with Kouda in the USJ and now here... He'd constantly been improving, yet aside from wanting to prove his parents wrong, he had no real long term motivations aside from wanting to be a Hero because it felt right.

Funny how things worked out...

"Midoriya!?" Uraraka cried out.

Tokoyami's eyes snapped back to the fight, surprised to see that Todoroki had charged at Midoriya, who had lost yet another finger, the icy hot boy looking to end the match in a quick smash. Todoroki's hand was slamming down towards the ground, Midoriya crying out as he used a massive shockwave to blast himself out of the way in the nick of time.

But Todoroki was close, Midoriya lifting his injured hand once more as Todoroki slammed another ice wall towards him. They collided, blasting both of the boys back to where they had started, frost and fog beginning to engulf the stage in a calm mist.

And through that, Tokoyami could only see one thing.

Both of Midoriya's hands completely shattered and bruised, blood dripping from the fingertips. The boy had used his good hand to blast himself away in the nick of time, leaving himself completely defenseless, and he had to admit he didn't like seeing Midoriya so beaten up.

"With both hands destroyed, you can't fight anymore." Todoroki's voice was calm, filling the stadium that had chilled itself to silence. "Let's end this."

"Todoroki continues his relentless assault! Could this next ice attack win it all?" Present Mic echoed, Tokoyami glancing between Todoroki and Midoriya, Dark Shadow even lifting his head up to watch the battle.

The ice sliced through the air towards Midoriya, Tokoyami waiting for the ring out, waiting for the match to end.

"Who says I'm done!?"

The ice shattered just as it had before, Todoroki taking a solitary step back in surprise, the force of the wind slamming everyone back into their seats. Tokoyami's feathers were pushed back, he heard Uraraka squeak, Shouji having to catch Mineta as the smaller boy was thrown forcefully back towards the stands.

But as with before, Tokoyami's eyes knowingly went to Midoriya, where his breath caught in his throat.

The boy's already broken fingers were now an even darker shade of purple, clearly withered and spent, blood now crusting over the skin, like it was burnt. Midoriya's face was the true expression of pain, yet even then his eyes were still trained on the other.

"Why would you go that far, breaking your fingers?" Todoroki asked, caught off guard.

"You're shivering Todoroki."

In that moment, the temperature seemed to drop. Tokoyami glanced to Todoroki, finally noticing what he had yet to see. Flecks of ice stuck to his skin, his clothes... "That's his weakness..." He murmured.

"Quirks are still just physical abilities. You must have a limit to how much of that cold you can bear. But the, you could always use your left side to thaw yourself out, right?" Midoriya took a step forwards, his voice rising so that everybody in the stadium could hear. "Everyone's giving it their all! To win, to achieve their goals... To make it to the top!"

Midoriya glanced around the stadium, his eyes resting on Class 1-A, Tokoyami and everyone else watching silently. He couldn't help but feel like Midoriya's words were directed at him, yet one glance at the rest of the students told him they were feeling the same way. Midoriya really had a way of motivating the rest of the group, through the thick and the thin.

"And you're gonna win with half your power!?" Midoriya looked down to his hand, then back to Todoroki. "Todoroki, you haven't even put a scratch on me."

Todoroki's eyes widened for a second before reverting, yet the message was clear. Despite Midoriya's injuries, it had only just occurred to those watching that yes... Todoroki hadn't once hit Midoriya. And Tokoyami couldn't help but be impressed.

"Gimme everything you've got! Come at me Todoroki!"

Todoroki spoke lowly, just quietly enough so that nobody except Izuku could hear him, but the anger on his face and the sudden lunge forwards was undeniable. "You're pissing me off!"

"Doesn't take a genius to see that Izuku just baited him," Dark Shadow hummed, Tokoyami looking to his Quirk, then to the injured boy who had lunged forwards as well.

And as Todoroki lifted his left leg, Izuku struck, slamming into him with a savage punch that was clearly powered with One for All. Tokoyami could only wince as Todoroki flew backwards, completely shocked, while Izuku's hand began to burst at the seams, more blood pouring from his wound.

"He actually hit Todoroki?" Shouji muttered tersely from behind him.

"You had doubts?" Tokoyami said, looking back at his friend.

Shouji didn't reply.

"But can he be healed by Recovery Girl with those injuries?" Uraraka asked silently.

That caused Tokoyami to pause. Those wounds were severe and Recovery Girl wasn't a miracle working. Sure, she could heal injuries, but only through the use of a person's own energy. Would Midoriya have energy to spare if he went all out?

"Why're you going this far?" Todoroki called out angrily.

"Just trying to meet expectations!" Midoriya, trying to create a fist, couldn't do it. Tokoyami's heart dropped realizing Midoriya had no way of dodging another large attack. But when Izuku's thumb went to his mouth, he imagined the crack of the bone as Izuku forced his power to activate, slamming Todoroki backwards into a wall of ice he had conjured.

"A smiling, dependable, cool hero! That's what I wanna be!" Midoriya replied, speeding forwards, leaping into Todoroki, head first with a heabutt, sending the boy and his rapidly weakening ice attacks backwards once more. "That's why I'm giving it everything! For everyone! If you become number one without giving it your all... Then I don't really think you're serious about denying him everything!"

"Shut up!" Todoroki growled, the frost covered boy weakened and angry. He looked almost pitiful.

"That's why I have to win!" Midoriya screamed. And as Midoriya surged forwards, his fist ready for another strike, Tokoyami remembered Midoriya's words from before...

"I'm going to help Todoroki. I don't know how just yet, but I will. He's not his father and I'm not All Might." Midoriya turned to look at the disintegrating formation of ice in front of them, flecks of cold ice dripping down towards the stands. "But he's pretty strong huh. I probably won't be able to beat him without going full power."

"Does he even want your help though, Midoriya?" Tokoyami asked in a concerning tone.

Izuku shrugged, giving Tokoyami the faintest of smiles. "Being a Hero isn't about whether people want my help. Being a Hero is all about helping even when people don't ask. It's not like I want gratitude or anything, but if I can help Todoroki, then I want to."

"Izuku Midoriya is too pure for this world," Dark Shadow bawled next to the pair.

"Of course..." He muttered in a whisper. "He's trying to help Todoroki."

And in the ring, "I'll surpass you!" Midoriya's next punch connected, Todoroki flying backwards to the ground in a heap.

"Shouji, he's trying to help him," Tokoyami stated, turning to his friend. "Like he said before."

Shouji was silent, but after a moment... "I called Todoroki a monster. But if Midoriya can help him, can show him the good inside himself, that's enough for me."

"Shouji..." Tokoyami muttered, wishing he could just smile at his friend, but the fight came first.

Midoriya stood on one side of the field, battered and bruised. All of his injuries self-inflicted, his face filled with determination and his body pumping adrenaline to keep him going through the pain. Tokoyami could only imagine how Izuku's mother would be reacting to this right now. Would she be proud of her son? Would she be scared for her son?

While Todoroki had no parent to call his own. He had denounced Endeavor and nobody knew anything about his home life. But there he was, pushing himself back up to his feet, trembling and shivering from the cold, having been beaten down by Midoriya while the boy kept reaching out to him, giving him a lifeline. This next attempt would probably be the last.

Tokoyami drew his arms closer to his chest, the cold becoming more noticeable as Midoriya prepared one last attempt to help Todoroki.

"It's your power, isn't it!"

It didn't happen instantly, but Tokoyami noticed the silence, Todoroki shaking. Midoriya's words had fallen on deaf ears, he had thought...

Suddenly, an extreme explosion of flame burst into view, orange, yellow and red flames soaring high up into the sky, engulfing Todoroki's form in an explosive wave of energy. And as the flames soared higher, Midoriya was smiling all the way through it, excitement on his face.

"I... I want to be a Hero too!" Todoroki cried out, the flames subsiding downwards towards his side. And as his face lit up, everyone saw the smile on Todoroki's face.

"He did it..." Tokoyami muttered to himself. "He saved Todoroki from himself."

And down on the battlefield, Todoroki asked a very fair question. "Why are you smiling?" For they were both beaming at each other confidently. "With those injuries... In this situation... You're crazy."

The pair's smiles lowered, turning to determined glares, as Todoroki said, "Don't blame me for what happens next."

And all this time Tokoyami could only wonder just how crazy Midoriya was. But more so than that, he was learning. Learning about motivation and what it meant to them to be a Hero. Midoriya just wanted to be a cool hero who could smile and save people who needed help... That was who he wanted to be, someone that could be counted upon to help the innocent.

Tokoyami wanted to help people. And for the first time he actually believed in that goal.

Todoroki's ice suddenly began to cover the field, his flames roaring. Midoriya's form was powering up, ready for a final attack, but as this happened, Tokoyami eyes noticed Cementoss leaning down to summon cement. Midnight was running in.

They were going to stop the match.

But Midoriya was too fast, speeding forwards as Todoroki's ice burst around them, rekindled by his left side, his powers raised back to full, Midoriya leaped over the ice at the speed of sound, too fast too see! Tokoyami raised his arm, flames engulfing the pair of them, Tokoyami trying his best to see what was happening when...

Walls raised, the students's attacks slammed into the walls, shattering them in an instant, Todoroki's flames causing an intense explosion, light bursting from every crevice as the cooled air of the stadium heated up in an instant, causing everything to be engulfed in an explosion of blue and yellow.

Then came the final shockwave, the most powerful of the lot. Tokoyami bared the full brunt of it, trying his best to stay unfazed though he could feel his feathers being pushed backwards painfully so. Shouji had once again latched on to Mineta who had almost slammed into the wall.

Cement and rocks were falling to the ground of the stadium where the explosion had taken place, leaving a dust cloud across the whole field.

"What happened?" Momo called out.

And as they all looked down, the dust began to clear away. And all they could see was a shoe, everyone in the crowds letting out a cry of confusion. Who was it? Who was ringed out? Did Midoriya pull through and take down Todoroki, or had the fires been too hot for his friend.

And there on the side of the ring, against the wall...

Tokoyami felt his energy drop, Dark Shadow also looking at the sight in shock along with him. Midoriya stood against the side of the wall, injured, bruised, unmoving and... "Out of bounds..." He stated. Midoriya's limp body fell from his position with a dull thud, nobody knowing how to react.

"M-Midoriya..." Midnight muttered. "Is out of bounds! Todoroki advances to the third round!"

Two updates in two days? What's gotten into me? I guess I'm just feeling the heat, and so is Todoroki! Hopefully I was able to convey the battle well from the spectator's point of view. I got a lot of extra character depth I hadn't initially planned with Shouji and Toko, so I'm happy!

For those curious (I frame my chapter titles like awful anime episode translations) - The "To be a Hero" is both a reference to Todoroki's whole origin moment, as well as Tokoyami's realization that he genuinely wants to help people. The Tokoyami in this fic still doesn't know what his motivation is, but leave it to good old Midoriya to give him some clarity and help.