He was waiting for me in the passageway back towards the prep rooms. Standing in my way.

"So, you're not gonna tell me to get out of your way this time?" he asked, sneering and folding his arms. "Without control over your flames, going all out is dangerous." He unfolded his arms and opened them, as if to embrace me. "But you've finally put aside your childish rebellion. You're ready to replace me. To surpass me, even!"He held out a hand to me. "Work at my side after your graduate! I will guide you down the path to supremacy!"

"I haven't put aside anything."

His face fell, like the air was let out of the balloon. I looked down at my left hand. "As if I could be turned that easily. It's just…in that moment, in that instant, I forgot all about you. Whether that's good, bad, or something in between, that's something I'll have to think about." He turned to let me pass as I headed to get a new jacket, because the fire had burned up half of mine.

what have I done…what can I do? What does all this mean? Those thoughts kicked around in my mind as I changed, as I tried to sit down, stay calm. Finally I left for the stadium stands.

I'd missed the next two matches. Iida had beaten Shiozaki and Tokoyami had beaten Ashido. The current match was between Kirishima and Bakugou. Surprisingly, they seemed to be evenly matched.

"HE COUNTERED! LOOKS LIKE BAKUGOU CAN'T LAND A HIT AGAINST KIRISHIMA'S FIERCE SWIPES!" announced Mic, as Kirishima kept absorbing Bakugou's explosions. But then -

"IT CONNECTED?" Cried Mic as Bakugou finally succeeded in landing a hit on him. Then kept on blasting like crazy, until Kirishima had finally passed out.

"AND BAKUGOU ADVANCES TO THE THIRD ROUND THROUGH A DOWNRIGHT NASTY CARPET BOMBING! WITH THIS THE TOP 4 HAVE ASSEMBLED!" called Mic.

My third match was next. I was to fight Iida.

Come at me with everything you've got! Your power is your own! Midoriya's words were still thundering in my head, but I didn't know…at the same time…You're ready to succeed me, that child's side looks unbearable…

"IT'S A BTTLE BETWEEN TWO WHO BOTH HAIL FROM ELITE HERO FAMILIES! IIDA TENYA VS SHOTO TODOROKI! START!"

I started with ice. The same as always. Iida jumped directly upwards, out of the way and towards me.

What do I do now -

He had activated the special move from the Cavalry battle. Recipro-burst. I barely duck out of the way in time - but then eh kicked me over the back, throwing me to the ground as I attempted to freeze him - giving me an opening to grab his calve and freeze his engines.

"WHOA! DAMN, THAT'S A FAST KICK! THAT LOOKED LIKE ONE HELL OF A HEAVY BLOW!" said Mic.

Enough momentum was still available for him to grab me and make as iff to throw me out of bounds.

His engines stalled out for him.

"When did you - "

"When you kicked me." I began freezing him into place. "With all the wide-range attacks I've been throwing out, you must not have realized Im capable of more delicate moves. I thought I was ready for that receptor burst, but I didn't dodge it. Nicely done," I told him as I stood up, leaving him fully frozen in place.

"IIDA IS UNABLE TO MOVE! AND WITHOUT EVEN USING HIS FLAMES, TODOROKI ADVANCES TO THE FINAL ROUND!" Mic concluded.

I looked at my hand, considering. No fire this time.

My opponent in the final would be decided in the match between Bakugou and Tokoyami.

"IT'S BAKUGOU VS TOKOYAMI, FOLKS. AND BAKUGOU'S RUSH JSUT WON'T END! UP TO THIS POINT TOKOYAMI HAS BEEN ABLE TO NET WIN AFTER WIN THROUGH HIS NEARLY INVINCIBLE QUIRK, BUT NOW HE'S PLAYING PURE DEFENSE! HE CAN'T LET HIM ANY CLOSER!" announced Mic, as we watched Bakugou continue his al-out attack.

Bakugou jumped up behind Tokoyami and used some giant blast of light towards Dark Shadow. It created an explosion that blocked everything out with smoke.

"I CAN'T SEE THROUGH ALL THE SMOKE! WHAT HAPPENED? WHO WON!?"

AS the smoke cleared, we saw Bakugou standing over Tokoyami and holding him down, while brandishing a handful of explosion like a weapon.

"TOKOYAMI THROWS IN THE TOWL! AND VICTORY GOES TO BAKUGOU! NAD NEXT, HTE FINALS WILL BE SETTLED WITH TODOROKI VS BAKUGOU!"

Bakugou turned to look at me as I stood in the stands. It was a real glare, almost a look of searing hatred. On Midoriya's account, perhaps.

I awaited the final in Prep Room #2. All alone. Trying to sort through all my tangled thoughts, which came flooding back in as soon as I had a moment of leisure.

Your power is your own…that child's left side…

Before my fight with him, I never thought about it. Mother… I -

The door slammed open, kicked inside by a familiar pair of red lined boots.

Bakugou stood in the door frame, staring at me slightly slack-jawed.

"Huh? What're you doing he - crap, this is Waiting Room #2?!" he snarled at me.

Wrong room, then…I turned away. But he didn't seem to like that, because he stormed over towards me.

"Hey, I mean, I get that I walked into the wrong room. But giving your final opponent the cold shoulder? What's the big idea?!" He slammed his hand down on the table in front of me and screamed "Where are you looking, IcyHot!?"

Where are you looking…

"That….Midoriya said the same thing to me. He went out of his way to smash what was holding me back." I looked down at my hand. Same words from both of their mouths…they're more alike then the realize. Because they were, well… "You guys were childhood friends, right? Has he always been like that? Midoriya?"

Bakugou's eye started twitching in pure fury. He clenched a fist and kicked over the table. "WHO THE HELL CARES?! ALL HIS STUPID SPEECHES, AND YOU? YOUR FAMILY? YOUR DAMN FEELINGS?"

My family…did Midoriya tell you everything?

"WHO CARES?" he yelled again. "COME AT ME WITH YOUR LEFT SIDE! I'LL CRUSH THOSE FLAMES LIKE I DO EVERYTHING ELSE." And with that, he stormed out, leaving me alone.

Give it everything. Midoriya and Bakugou had said the same thing. Use your fire. But still…would it be the right thing? The moral thing to do? Just do what you did with Iida. Just win without it. Use the ice. That'll do it right?

As I stood in the ring, facing off with Bakugou - an incensed Bakugou - I still didn't understand.

"THE TIME HAS COME! THE LAST BATTLE! THE TOP CONTENDER FROM UA'S FRESHMEN WILL BE DECIDED HERE! FINAL MATCH: TODOROKI VS BAKUGOU! READY! START!"

All my ice. Everything I could possibly muster all at once into a single offense the minute the gong rang, right at Bakugou. Freeze him solid. Take him out now before you have to - before you have to do anything.

"RIGHT OUT OF HTE GATE WITH THAT! IS HE PUT OFF BY THE IDEA OF A CLOSE FIGHT WITH BAKUGOU? WILL THE CHAMPION BE DECIDED THAT QUICKLY?!" came the commentary.

From inside the iceberg came a series of thunk - thunk - thunk noises. And with a blast, Bakugou blew his way straight through my big attack.

"HE MIGHT'VE FENDED OFF TEH GLACIER WITH AN EXPLOSION AND DUG HIS WAY OUT LIKE SOME KINDA MOLE! DAMN, TALK ABOUT STRANGE SKILLS!"

More ice - more -

Bakugou blasted over my head before I could even begin to use my ice. He grabbed my shoulder and head and threw me across the ring.

"YOU LOOKING DOWN ON ME, MORON?" he screamed as I flew through the air.

I surfed my ice, stopgap to keep me from being thrown out of bounds.

"HE AVOIDED A RINGOUT WITH A WALL OF ICE! LOOKS LIKE FUN!"

Bakugou came blasting at me again - and I reflexively reached up and grabbed his arm with my left hand to stop him from blasting me backwards.

"USE IT!"

My damned old man. use it use it no no

I threw Bakugou away from me. He said along the ring and looked up at me in pure, unbridled fury.

"I ain't good enough for that?" he snarled. "You'll regret making a fool outta me! I'll freaking kill you! I'm taking the first to end all firsts! There's no point in winning against some half-assed punk! No point if I can't do better than Deku! So if you're not trying to win, get the hell outta my face! Why are you even here, you bastard?"

Because I want to be a hero…I'm sorry, Bakugou. Since I fought Midoriya, I just don't know. What I should do. Whether or not what I'm doing is right. I'd said, what had I said to the old man? 'For that moment I forgot all about you'. I'm not sure about anything anymore…

Bakugou had blasted over my head again and was moving like a raging half-animal.

"TODOROKI!" came a voice from the crowd, a voice I knew quite well. "DON'T LOSE! COME ON!"

Don't lose. Do your best. Fight to win. Don't you dare hold back. Both of their voices, raised at me, the same ideas, the same words. Do it.

I raised my left hand and activated the fire. Bakugou was coming at me with some sort of large attack, spiraling through the air and smiling, rather manically.

you're reading to replace me that child's left side

The flames flickered to a stop, and in the resulting explosion, I was thrown back, and everything went black.