Chapter 8.- My will is stronger. My feelings are stronger. My determination is stronger. I wont give up.

To be clear, Izuku Midoriya was thinking that the school festival was one huge dumb thing. No, it wasn't he was nervous about the apparent betting going on over him. Of course not. That would be petty. Why would two people bet over him for starters?

"Just beat it out already!" Izuku sighed. Honestly, the sports festival wasn't bad.

It was just they did a mess beforehand.

The race should have been something nice and simple… well as simple as robots and minefields can make it. He had used One for All in his legs to get a really big lead, he almost won too! However, the problem of the beach happened again and he tripped close to the finish line. Which really wasn't that embarrassing, he even laughed it out.

Thing is, in the giant screen to show everyone the events closer, Kacchan blasted the floor behind him to push him towards the finishing line. Helping others was forbidden… so blasting the floor and send him forward as the first place wasn't cheating.

"Oh! So sorry Deku! My explosion pushed you forward! What a lucky thing right?" If Kacchan could lie the way she could express her loud feelings, no one would have been able to notice the obvious lie. And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, Kacchan got into the third-place because Yukiko came sliding forward in the ice to catch him so he didn't fall headfirst into the floor.

Earning quite the amount of "Awww" from everyone seeing the event.


Therefore, the first event ended up with him in the first place, Yukiko in second, and an extremely pissed Kacchan in third.

Mitsuki Bakugou had been whistling when she saw the race from the stands next to Inko Midoriya.

"Well, the girl is hell smooth, I mean, coming sliding in ice like some ninja princess and picking Izuku? Smooth as hell, who wouldn't feel swept with that?" Even though she spoke kindly, Inko noticed some underlying fear and worry.

"What's the problem?" The matron of the Midoriya household asked her closest friend who pointed to her daughter, held down by Midnight and Cementos together. Moreover, both were barely keeping her in down.

"That my rabid ass daughter is pissed! She better doesn't get disqualified!" Inko couldn't avoid giggling a bit, in a weird way, it was adorable how much Katsuki was seething in anger at the fact Yukiko saved Izuku of falling. Even though nothing would have happened.

"To be in love is so nice… right?" Inko asked Mitsuki who chuckled pointing to her daughter trapped in a cage of concrete.

"Let me out! She is the criminal stealing a married man! Homewrecker!" Everyone could hear the loud screams of Katsuki, some wondering what the hell was going on.

"Love is adorable, my daughter? She is as adorable as a rabid dog… really how can Izuku like her?" She wondered as a scream came forward.

"I heard you old hag! Where is your damn support!?" Inko was surprised. For a moment, she pictured Katsuki as a dog with the level of finesse in her ears.


The second event had been… quick.

"Hold me! As tight as you can!" "Don't worry, we got this." Those were the words of Katsuki and Yukiko respectively as both used their quirks during a cavalry battle that was simply a crater after a huge explosion was contained into a dome of ice.

Whatever team bands didn't turn into a crisp pass to the next round…

Loud.

And so Izuku was back in the present, fighting Ochako. A match that didn't favor him, Ochako just needed one touch to win, and he couldn't really approach… Izuku facepalmed. He could be so dumb at times.

Katsuki who was seeing the action as close as she was allowed too by Cementos and Midnight from her concrete jail, smiled. "Oh, he thought of something." Cementos who was keeping her in the cage got curious. "What do you mean?" Cementos asked as she smiled. "He is going to blow her away." Cementos didn't have much of a chance to ask as they hear two things.

A loud ass clap, and proclamation of "Ouch!"

Izuku focused his strength around his body; trying to make sure he wasn't putting too much strength into his arms and clapped. The strength managed to release air pressure that sends a surprised Ochako out of the arena without hurting her badly. But it did leave Izuku with reddened hands. Turns out, clapping really hard does hurt.

As Ochako had no way to secure herself to the arena she flew away with the air pressure. Midnight whip assuring the girl wouldn't fly too far.

Ochako sighed. She did expect something in the fight… just not that.

"Good match Deku!" She smiled, and Izuku returned the gesture. Cementos meanwhile looked at Katsuki.

"How come it doesn't anger you that she speaks to him?" Cementos was curious as she had seen the girl almost jumping over the Todoroki girl had he and Midnight didn't intervene.

"Eh? What do you mean, Ochako is my friend, our friend. Plus, she knows all the ground rules and follows them to perfection." Cementos was confused at that. "Ground rules?" Katsuki smirked. "Let me enlighten you on the ground rules for girls who want to be near Deku." Cementos had yet to hear them, and he was already feeling the regret of asking.


The matches between students were close to done. Only three students left.

Izuku, Katsuki, and Yukiko. The next match was between Izuku and Yukiko. Katsuki had fought Iida. And the winners of the next match would meet her in the finals. In order to avoid pressuring Izuku, Katsuki chose to let him alone so he could think. Needless to say, Ochako was feeling the pressure in her hand due to the grip of the explosive girl.

"What if he needs my support?! What if I should have said something and… why am I floating?" Ochako sighed, thankful for the release in her hand as she undid her quirk effects, allowing Katsuki to come back down quickly.

"You were too worried. It's fine, you know Deku will be fine…." Ochako didn't know how to follow that sentence which made Katsuki groan.

"Kacchan? Deku will be fine… I mean, you two need to fight in the finals right?" The explosive girl nodded but looked tense. "I am worried. If Deku loses. I will be facing Yukiko in the finals…" Ochako was surprised that Katsuki was afraid of someone. She couldn't believe it!

"I don't want to humiliate her in front of everyone, what if her mom is visiting? Or her far family? How would she live after the beating I could give her?" Ochako sighed in relief and laughed. Katsuki asking what was so funny.

Truly, Ochako was overthinking it. Katsuki Bakugou would never fear any fight, nor any opponent for that matter. In a way, it was adorable how her worry was of how her opponent would feel of losing.

Soon the stadium roared as Izuku and Yukiko met front to front.

"Izuku Midoriya! The strongman of 1-A! Against the prodigy of ice! Yukiko Todoroki!" The crowd roared in excitement, in the stands, Inko and Mitsuki were holding hands. Mitsuki the most worried.

"Come on kid… beat that girl…" She was worried, even if she wouldn't admit it, the girl quirk was strong… stronger than her own daughter. In a direct clash, it was more than likely that Katsuki would lose….

"Come on Izuku. Keep my daughter safe…" Inko heard her friend and gripped her hands harder, hoping to send her goodwill to her.

Soon, the match started, and everyone was surprised at how it wasn't Izuku who took the initiative. But Yukiko who went forward, her hand touching the floor the whole time as she let a wave of ice encompass the whole arena, Izuku was forced to jump, but to his surprise, the ice wasn't meant to encompass him. Only the arena.

As he came back from the small jump to avoid the ice, he was met with the layer of thin ice in the arena that made him slip. His eyes focused on the smiling Yukiko Todoroki, who was using her ice to make blades on her shoes, right hand working to make the blades and her left side slightly burning to keep her temperature in the place. Everyone was surprised at seeing her using both sides. But no one more than Katsuki who was grinding her teeth.

The fight had just started, and Yukiko already capitalized on the weakest point of Izuku. Footwork.

If you could remove Izuku from the ground, move his base, remove his footing, whatever you did that could remove him from solid ground, messed deeply with him. This was due to the nature of his power, too much power required rather solid footwork to work with. Boxing always emphasized how to stand properly to throw a hit. And Katsuki knew that the trick of clapping wouldn't work with Yukiko who could simply make a wall behind her or propel herself forward with fire…. She could right?

She hadn't seen much of the girl fire.

But she didn't need to. Not when she started skating towards Izuku. His eyes opened in surprise as he tried to stand only to fumble and force himself to roll away from Yukiko's right hand that was trying to freeze him. The fight was different from any other so far.

This fight wasn't one of the full power explosion. It was an extremely elegant technique. Yukiko skating around forced Izuku to move away as best as he could, and Katsuki noticed that the girl was using her quirk to encompass a circle around. Yukiko wasn't just skating to catch Izuku, she was acting like a shepherd dog, closing the area where Izuku could move and guiding him towards where she wanted him.

The casters of the fight were impressed at the show of technique.

"It really shows she really thought of this matchup, if Midoriya can't stand up, his strength is not going to work." Aizawa spoke as his co caster, Mic hummed.

"Wouldn't breaking the ice be good though?" And Katsuki agreed. Breaking the ice would be a good solution, except for a problem.

Each time Izuku punched the arena to break the ice, Yukiko would just freeze the arena again and use her left side to avoid frostbite of getting her due to constant use of her right side. Yukiko was showing her quirk to the max, Izuku was fighting a different problem. Ironically, the old problem Yukiko had.

Frostbite. Each time he was hitting the ice to break it, a bit of it would remain on his skin, and Yukiko would make the ice slightly thicker each time. So slightly that it would be hard to notice it unless you were calmly measuring it. But in a fight? That was rather hard to do. Especially when she kept closing as a hawk over him.

Izuku was getting desperate, this fight was showing Yukiko skill, and while he was managing to pull his balance, he wasn't able to really get a hit on her. Each intent on actually getting a hit when she came close was met with her avoiding it by skating away. She had managed to make the arena her battlefield, capitalize on his weakness, and contribute to her strengths. This wasn't done on a whim. Nor a decision on the battlefield, Yukiko had been thinking for long how to fight Izuku and Katsuki. She wanted to win, she knew the two of them were the biggest obstacles, so she truly considered how to fight the people she respected.

Katsuki could maneuver in the air, blast her away, and in general just blow away anything in her path. Izuku had strength superior to both her and Katsuki. But he needed proper footing, she also knew that one punch was all Izuku needed to end the fight. So she would fight Izuku with precision and grace. Avoid contact and make the fight last longer.

And the plan was working. Izuku was becoming more sluggish in his moves. She almost felt the need to hug him and stop him from freezing, but she decided against it.

Yukiko was so focused in the fight she never noticed her father screaming for her to use her fire more. She didn't hear the casters. She was focused only on Izuku and his movements. She knew he only needed one move to change all. And she was getting ready as she saw him raise both of his hands to punch the arena.

"I… I can't give up…" Izuku spoke shuddering as he was readying his strength.

But the punch would never come as he suddenly fell unconscious.

"Fight is over! Quick! Medics!" Midnight screamed as Izuku fell asleep in the arena, but Yukiko had been faster.


Ochako was seeing as Katsuki did her best to stay in place as she saw Yukiko Todoroki hugging Izuku while seemingly eliminating the more urgent need to warm him. Ochako thought Katsuki was angry at how Yukiko managed to defeat Izuku. But that wasn't the case. It was a case of something more personal, deeper.

Her nature. Her quirk would never let her do something like Yukiko was doing. But as she wondered of it. A memory came to her. A memory of when Izuku said her quirk was great.

You are thinking too much about it… focus. You will be facing her next.

"Ochako." Katsuki's voice broke the other girl from her thoughts on her friend as she looked at her serious expression.

"Check on Deku for me in the infirmary. I have to focus to fight her." Katsuki's voice was full of steel and conviction. But there was no anger. In a way, it seemed respect was the more appropriate term.

As Katsuki went down without waiting for Ochako's answer she was walking with conviction.

"Okay, cold hands… no, Yukiko, you showed everyone what you could do when serious. Now let me show you what happens when you mess with the one person, I care the most in this world." Katsuki grinned ferally making her way towards the waiting room. They would soon call her.

And she would give Yukiko the fight of her life.


Not going to bother you with the details of life. We all been hit rough this year, haven't we? I hope you all stay well.

I am ashamed of doing this self-promotion. But times hit hard. I opened up and if anyone interested. / ark19 every dollar helps survive, and I am sorry again. Though, or not, I am back to writing.

Is good to be back. I missed this trio of dorks.