The final match of the sports festival is here! So enjoy!


"Begin!"

The dual quirk-wielding teenager started off by placing his hand on the ground and launching a massive ice attack. Mob was surprised that he started off with such a large-scale attack for his first move and erected a barrier. However, the ice quickly began to surround him, and within no time at all, he was completely trapped, entombed by the ice. It was very similar to the attack he'd used against Sero, but this time, his attack was more controlled, and it wasn't done with the same anger as before.

"Todoroki starts with a crazy ice blast! Kageyama seems to have been completely buried!" Unfortunately for Shoto, this attack was not enough to dominate the esper, and with a single punch, the teenager managed to shatter the ice construct. The crowd fanatically cheered, while the students in the spectator stand expressed some astonishment.

"Man, it only took him a single punch to destroy Todoroki's attack!" Tsu said.

"That's power for you," Kirishima added.

The dual quirk-wielding teenager frowned: Kageyama had enough power to easily demolish even his strongest ice attacks. That single attack had managed to significantly lower the temperature of his body, and the breath he exhaled was already frozen. If he wanted to win against Shigeo, he'd have to try and play it much smarter if he wanted to get the edge in this fight.

Mob decided to counter by using his telekinesis to float all of the blocks of ice from Todoroki's attack, and sent several of the pieces flying at his opponent. Todoroki decided to take evasive actions and created a large wave of ice to surf on while keeping his distance from the esper. The psychic teenager then decided to take inspiration from Midoriya's battle with Todoroki and threw a punch which created a large shockwave and destroyed several more of the ice blocks. Though the punch didn't possess as much power as his finger flick at 100%, it was still very powerful and possessed enough force to send Todoroki flying back and forcing him to create an ice construct behind him to prevent himself from being thrown out of bounds.

However, things were not panning out as intensely as everyone was expecting. Though the attacks being shown thus far were powerful, they were far less impressive than the feats of strength displayed by them in earlier matches. They were too simple, something that Eraserhead was picking up on.

"Todoroki's managing to do well so far, but his attacks are too simple. It almost seems as though he's lost his spark from his match against Midoriya." His assessment was exactly correct, and the esper knew it. He and the rest of the students of Class 1-A noticed the frost beginning to spread across Todoroki's body. Once again, Todoroki was refusing to use his left side for this fight.

In the dual quirk-wielding teenager's mind, he was feeling great uncertainty over the large decision he was facing. Even the esper's supportive words to him weren't enough to eliminate these emotions churning inside of him. There were still so many memories of his past, memories of his mother, feelings of resentment toward his father, so many factors still at play inside the teenager's heart that he was unable to overcome. Part of him did indeed want to win this, give it everything, but his emotions inside were just too strong.

"Come on Todoroki, Kageyama!" In the spectator stand of Class 1-A, Izuku Midoriya shouted out to his two classmates, not wanting to see either of them hold anything back for this match. After all, this was the final match of the sports festival, and these two were incredible. "Don't give up! Do your best!"

Upon hearing the green-eyed teenager's passionate words, Todoroki's muscles tightened, and the figurative and literal fire inside of him was reignited. The frost on his right side began to disappear, and the flames began to envelop his left side like in his battle with Izuku. For Shigeo, he couldn't help but give a short look towards his friend in the stands and smile: that was him, the passionate teenager who was giving everything he had into being a hero.

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But as the dual quirk-wielding teenager began to use his flames once again, a new feeling inside him began to emerge. He noticed that very little had changed in his opponent's demeanor, and other than a momentary smile and a small twinkle in his eyes towards Midoriya, he still remained as expressionless as ever.

"You heard what he said, Kageyama!" Shoto shouted, "Give this match everything!" For some reason, the feeling that he was beginning to experience was... frustration. Even though the esper had gone out of his way to be there and give him words of support, he was still a rival, someone who had defeated him very badly in the battle trial. Furthermore, unlike Midoriya, for the entire sports festival, he had seen none of the passion and determination in Kageyama, and that was something that was starting to irk him.

"You said to become a person you can be proud of. Well, I've made my choice: I'm going to take pride in knowing that I gave this match 100%, and you should do the same!"

"This entire festival, I've barely seen your expression change! For all the matches, you've just seemed so... bored. You haven't been giving it your all, just like I wasn't. So stop screwing around and get serious!" Some of Midoriya's mentality had begun to rub off onto the teenager, and even though the feeling didn't run nearly as deeply as it did for Bakugo, he still wanted to defeat Shigeo, and the words spoken by Midoriya had made him realize he wanted to beat Shigeo at his best. Kageyama's words of support were also taking their effect, allowing him to come to better terms with the use of his left side, lessening the doubt that had been plaguing him. All three of his classmates had done their part to change Shoto.

The esper's lips began to pinch together, and he turned his head to the ground in guilt. "Todoroki, I haven't been bored by the sports festival. I'm trying to do my best, I just can't..." The esper momentarily closed his eyes. He simply couldn't... feel like other people. His emotions were just so dulled, and as he'd told his three friends before, he couldn't find any burning passion to be a hero like they could. So even though he wanted to give the same passion and dedication that Midoriya gave, it just wasn't possible for him.

81%

Todoroki could instantly sense that there was some sort of problem, an inner dilemma that Kageyama was experiencing inside himself, and he tried to give his opponent his personal wisdom on what to do with that problem in this moment. "Kageyama, listen. Whatever problem, fear, or concern you're having, just stop thinking about it, like I did during my fight with Midoriya. Just focus on the here and now, put everything into this fight. Because if you aren't fully in the moment, you'll lose this battle!"

84%

In the spectator stand of Class 1-A, many of the students were surprised by the sudden change in tone from Todoroki, the way he was now beginning to sound like Midoriya during their match. Even Bakugo began to lean forward in his chair, a burgeoning interest in the match beginning to form. Up in the high row, the number two hero was grinning at first, pleased to see that his son had ignited his flames and believing with his full power, he would be strong enough to take on Kageyama.

The dual quirk-wielding teenager resumed the fight and unleashed a large stream of fire against his opponent. The esper avoided the stream of fire, and was met with another large ice attack. With Shoto using both sides now, he'd be able to unleash the fullest extent of both elements without having to worry about overexerting himself, as both sides balanced each other out. The esper punched the ice structure, destroying it with ease and sending another burst of air pressure towards Todoroki, though the student was able to erect protective ice pillars behind him.

The red and white-haired student took inspiration from Bakugo and decided to propel himself at high speed with his flames. He placed his palm behind him, and released a huge burst of flames. The force shot him forward at incredible speed, taking the esper by surprise and allowing Todoroki to land a short-range ice attack on his opponent. The esper was sent flying through the air, and the audience cheered loudly.

"And Todoroki lands a power ice blast at a short-range!" said Present Mic, "That's gotta pack a punch!"

The flame hero's grin widened: now that was the way to do it! He'd figured out a way to use his flames to increase his speed and catch Kageyama off-guard! If he continued to find ways to use his flames in such a creative fashion, combined with his ice, he'd definitely be able to overpower his opponent.

"Todoroki appears to have taken some inspiration from Kageyama's previous fight with Bakugo and propelled himself in a similar fashion," Aizawa remarked, "With his flames, he has both greater offensive capabilities and mobility. We'll have to wait and see how he uses it."

The esper used his telekinesis to stop his midair flight, and decided to send a telekinetic blast at Todoroki. The ice and fire-wielding teenager stopped himself yet again with ice constructs form behind him, though he was met with more shards of ice from his previous attacks being thrown at him once again. Todoroki retaliated with a burst of fire which evaporated the ice blocks thrown at him and forced Kageyama to dodge again.

While the teenager was using both sides of his quirk, he took note of how the esper's expression had still not changed much. If anything, it only made him even more uncertain. Perhaps it was just something that was difficult for him to overcome, and no matter what he said, Kageyama still wouldn't be able to give it his best. That was something that he understood himself, that he was very nearly prepared to do if it hadn't been for Midoriya's encouragement and the reassurance given to him with Kageyama's words earlier. Even so, Todoroki felt that he couldn't just stop using both sides now: he'd already entered the heat of the battle, and he refused to escape it.

Still, he needed a good plan to fight against Kageyama. He had to think of everything he knew about Kageyama's quirk, everything he'd seen from his previous battles what he could do with his flames. The only battle he saw where Kageyama was slightly struggling was against Bakugo, who'd managed to find out that he couldn't attack and defend simultaneously with his powers. Perhaps he could find a way to exploit that weakness too. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

The red and white-haired teenager's left side began to ignite, growing to larger size, and he then unleashed a massive firestorm onto his opponent, which enveloped the entire ring. The esper put up a barrier to defend himself, but before he knew it, he was surrounded on all sides by these flames. At first, many people gasped, believing Kageyama to have been seriously burned, but they could see the fire parting in a circular manner, meaning that his barrier was still holding.

"WHOA! Todoroki unleashes a crazy large fire attack on Kageyama! Kageyama is now bathed in flames, protecting himself with his barriers!"

"I'm only doing this because I know how durable your barriers are!" Todoroki shouted, "But as Bakugo said before, you can't attack and defend with your psychic powers, so if you want to attack, you'll have to drop your barrier, and you'll be burned! But if you keep your barriers up, the air's going to keep on heating up, making it so you won't be able to breathe! So that means your stuck! Obviously, I don't want to burn you alive, and I don't want you to burn your lungs either, so just shout out your surrender, and I'll stop the flame attack!"

The entire stadium was filled with shock: they were all extremely surprised by the way Todoroki had managed to trap Kageyama. The number two hero was brimming with pride and eagerness: his son had developed a very useful strategy with his flames and was actually able to put his opponent on the ropes. Excellent! Furthermore, while Endeavor would be unable to replicate such a strategy for long due to the burden of his quirk overheating his body from prolonged usage, his son would be able to use his right side to keep himself cool and keep up his flames for a much longer period of time. In the ring, his son realized this as well. Using both sides wasn't something he was used to, and it slowed his movements down, but in this case, it didn't make a difference, since he was staying in the same place.

"Todoroki's done his homework and actually managed to figure out a way to corner Kageyama," Aizawa said, "Impressive. I'm wondering how Kageyama's going to get out of this, if he can."

The students of Class 1-A felt their jaws drop. "Todoroki's actually able to overpower Kageyama?" Mineta said, "No way."

"Will Kageyama be able to overcome this?" Yaoyorozu said, "Or will he be forced to surrender?"

"I don't know..." The green-haired fanboy was beginning to grow quite worried. This was a very good strategy on Todoroki's part that was playing very well against Kageyama's weaknesses. This was the power Todoroki possessed using both sides, and a part of him was starting to feel guilty that he'd urged him to use both sides a few moments ago. Now his friend was in a fiery inferno, with no visible way out. In the teacher's stand, All Might was thinking the same thing, sweat beads falling down his face and his hands balling into fists. Kageyama was trapped...

Maintaining his barrier inside this inferno, the esper was feeling the immense heat and pressure of Todoroki's flames around him. He now had a better understanding of why Endeavor wanted his son to use his left side: these flames were no joke. Though they weren't nearly as intense as Suzuki's flames had been, they were still impressive in their own sense, and Kageyama couldn't overcome them easily. As Todoroki said, the air inside the barrier was beginning to grow hot, as though he was in an intense sauna. But if he released the barrier, it was likely he would get serious burns, for he did not have a very good resistance towards heat, at least not unless he was at full power.

As he was being bombarded by these flames, he remembered that Hanazawa had gone through something similar during their raid of Claw's Seventh Division. Though he hadn't seen it himself, Hanazawa had told him about his experience with the pyrokinetic esper, Miyagawa. Hanazawa had managed to get out of that situation by slowly turning his barrier against Miyagawa and putting it around the source of the flames, severely burning his opponent. But there was no way Kageyama would replicate such a strategy against Todoroki, so what options did he have then? Was he truly going to be forced to surrender?

87%

More than fifteen seconds had passed, and the esper was beginning to feel the effects of the heat, every breath stinging his throat. The psychic grimaced and closed his eyes in shame. Was this truly how it was going to end? Was he going to have to give up and concede victory to Todoroki, letting All Might and Midoriya down? No! There had to be some sort of way to win this! He had to overcome this! But as the esper continued to maintain the barrier, Todoroki's words rang in his mind.

"Whatever problem, fear, or concern you're having, just stop thinking about it, like I did during my fight with Midoriya. Just focus on the here and now, put everything into this fight. Because if you aren't fully in the moment, you'll lose this battle!"

Todoroki was right: he hadn't been putting in his full effort for the festival. He hadn't been giving it his all. That was why he had to put everything he had into the here and now, to focus only on the battle, and nothing else. That was the only way to finish this fight, to truly make Midoriya and All Might proud, and to give Todoroki the fight he wanted. He had to honor this festival and everyone else who'd given it everything by doing the same. Besides, Todoroki was strong: he could handle himself in a fight. Even so, he still had to find a way to do something. He had to think of something he could still do inside his barrier. What else did he have besides his psychic power? That's when it came to him: he had his physical strength!

"Come on, Kageyama!" Todoroki shouted, "Just give up! I don't want to seriously hurt you!" But the dual quirk-wielding was about to find that it wasn't Kageyama who needed to worry about getting hurt. From inside the barrier, Kageyama lifted his foot, and with his enhanced strength, stomped the ground. The force created from this stomp was incredible, the vibrations being felt throughout the entire stadium. The ring began to shatter: the floor was quickly becoming unstable, and Todoroki lost his footing, stopping the flaming inferno. Todoroki took quick action to recreate a stable footing, and from underneath his right foot, the entire ring was now replaced with ice. But during that brief lapse, Kageyama unleashed another basic blast of energy from his eyes, and the teenager erected a large wall of ice in front of him to defend himself, but the ice was broken through, and the air pressure from the collision sent Todoroki flying back a few meters. The audience roared, the excitement and anticipation continuing to build.

"And Kageyama manages to break free of Todoroki's flame trap with a strong stomp! I'm sure everyone in the stadium could feel that kick, cuz I know I did!"

The dual quirk-wielding teenager looked at his opponent, and as soon as he did, he could immediately tell that something in Kageyama had changed. His dull eyes were now beginning to stir, his hair standing up and his aura beginning to shimmer around him. It seemed as though his words had managed to kick something up inside of Kageyama after all, and the dual quirk-wielding teenager couldn't help but smile. Now things could really start getting serious.

The two of them rushed toward each other at blazing speed, with Todoroki propelling himself with his flames like he did before. Kageyama had stretched his arm out in an attempt to grab him similar to the way he'd done with Bakugo. Todoroki predicted this thanks to his impressive mind and analytical skills, and despite Kageyama's superior speed, was able to narrowly avoid the esper's hand and place his right hand on Kageyama's body. He then proceeded to freeze his opponent in-place with a large pillar of ice, not as large as against Sero, but still an impressive size. Alas, the esper was able to easily break free thanks to his physical strength, forcing the red and white-haired student to jump back several meters.

It was then that Shoto began to notice something else change with Kageyama, doing something that he didn't see Kageyama do that often: he began to smile. This couldn't help but cause Todoroki to smile as well, for it meant that both of them were fully in this battle. In the spectator stands, both Midoriya and All Might took notice of this, and beamed. In their eyes, it was proof of how Shigeo was taking it seriously, giving it his all and smiling in the heat of the battle, just like All Might. They didn't realize that Kageyama's smile was being driven by a more... primal emotion. It was a feeling that he'd experienced once before, a rush unlike any other.

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Todoroki attempted to employ a new strategy in an attempt to catch Kageyama off-guard. He took advantage of the ice floor that he'd created across the ring and placed his left hand on the ice, unleashing a heat wave across the entire ring. Kageyama made sure to float to avoid the heat, but before he knew it, the ice around the ring began to evaporate, creating a thick cloud of steam that began to envelop the entire ring. The crowd awed in fascination, and many of them, including the students of Class 1-A and the number two hero, were impressed by the way Todoroki was able to use his powers, blocking the esper's field of vision. Todoroki momentarily lost his footing again, since the ice made way for the fractured rock, though he was quickly about to see that a smokescreen wouldn't be enough.

The esper moved his arms slightly and clapped his hands together, this casual clap retaining enough force to instantly dispel the thick steam that had built up and fanning it all across the stadium, giving the spectators a momentary flush in their faces from the steam. Todoroki decided to repeat his previous freezing move and once again froze the ring to give himself better maneuverability, but this time, Kageyama went on the offensive with a mid-air punch that created another burst of air pressure. Todoroki used his flames to propel himself to the right and dodge.

"Todoroki used the ice he'd spread across the ring as a makeshift smokescreen by melting it with his left side," said Eraserhead, "A clever strategy, but Kageyama was able to use his physical strength to create a burst of air pressure that dispelled the smoke."

The two proceeded to engage in a fierce clash, Todoroki launching more large-scale ice attacks, larger than the attacks used against Midoriya, and Kageyama breaking them all with bursts of air pressure with finger flicks, while the dual quirk-wielding teenager kept himself in-bounds with ice from behind him. As the battle went on, Todoroki was taking note of how Kageyama's smile was getting wider, the look in his eyes more lively. It was looking rather similar to Bakugo's expression when, and for some reason, Todoroki didn't like it. It wasn't an expression that suited Shigeo. Todoroki was the only one who could see the look in his eyes up-close, so he was the only one who was uneasy with it.

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After a few repetitions of this, Kageyama decided to take action and rushed Todoroki at speeds that only All Might was able to perceive. The psychic grabbed Todoroki and attempted to throw him out similar to what he tried with Bakugo, but Todoroki ignited his flames, forcing Kageyama back. The esper then used his telekinesis to grab Shoto and throw him out of bounds, though Todoroki was able to keep himself in-bounds using his flames to propel himself forward. Kageyama attempted another flinger flick, though Todoroki evaded the attack by flying into the air using his flames. However, since his flames were only on his left side, he could not properly balance his body, and his inexperience with his flames only made it worse. His wobbly flight was obvious to everyone, and from behind him, Kageyama appeared and flicked his finger. Though Kageyama's finger didn't actually make contact with his body, the close-range force was still very powerful, and Todoroki got to experience it up-close as he was sent crashing onto the icy ground, forming more ice structures behind him and wincing in pain as his body crashed through a few of the ice structures.

As this battle continued, it was becoming more and more apparent that Todoroki was beginning to lose ground. His strongest attacks were being destroyed with ease, and Kageyama's speed and power were beginning to show. Furthermore, several of the classmates could tell that Kageyama had changed his tactics.

"Kageyama's fighting style's changed," Midoriya remarked, "He's going more on the offensive, more determined than ever to take the lead."

Watching from his corner, Bakugo couldn't help but be shocked at this newfound tenacity that Kageyama was displaying. He was giving this everything, just like he'd done near the end of their fight, and once again, Kageyama was proving how powerful he was, so-much-so that even using both sides, Todoroki just couldn't get the advantage. Watching alone, the number two hero was frowning, his muscles tensing up with frustration. His son was doing very well, and yet even using the fullest extent of his power and finding useful ways to use his left side, Kageyama was still proving to be too much. As much as he hated to admit this to himself, his son wasn't going to win this fight.

As the dual quirk-wielding teenager got up from his feet, he grunted in anger and replicated his large-scale flame blast he'd used to trap Kageyama before. But this time, Kageyama wasn't going to just be meek and defend himself with a barrier. With the passion and thrill running through him, the teenager held nothing back and met the flames on with a full punch, his body mere inches away from the flames, and as he prepared his punch, he opened his mouth and let out a maniacal laugh.

99% Ecstasy

The force of Kageyama's punch was incredible, far greater than his finger flicks, completely dispelling the flames and creating a very loud boom, preventing the audience from properly hearing his laughter. Only Todoroki was close enough to hear the laughter, the way he was enjoying the thrill of the battle, and hearing it sent a chill through his spine. The increased burst of air pressure sent Todoroki flying back at much greater speed, forcing him to put up larger ice pillars behind him, but even then, the force of the punch was enough to send Todoroki crashing through at least four of these pillars until he was less than a foot away from the edge of the ring. Not only that, but his stamina was beginning to fade. Using both sides to this extent was very taxing for him, even if he could negate the effects of overusing one side with the other, and his body had been sent crashing through too many blocks of ice at too high speeds. So he staggered, his body falling to the ground as he struggled to get up.

To everyone in the arena, including Endeavor, it seemed abundantly clear that Kageyama was going to take the victory, that the esper was going to be the champion of the sports festival. But they didn't understand that something had happened to Shigeo.

The esper stood in the center of the ring, his entire body stiff, his blood cold. As soon as he heard that laugh coming out of his mouth, an instant trigger had been pulled inside of him. It brought back the memory of his last experience with this feeling, during his fight with Suzuki. He thought he'd overcome that part of himself, that he wouldn't let this side of him control him, but then it had crept up on him. When he'd decided to think of nothing else but the battle, he'd begun to let loose on all his restraints, until this rush began to fill him once again. Though his laughter wasn't as loud or as unhinged as with Suzuki, and the euphoria wasn't as pronounced, the feeling was still there, and it had come very close to consuming him.

"What have I..." Overwhelming feelings began to fill his heart, feelings of shame that he'd nearly allowed himself to lose control again, feelings of guilt at the way he'd hurt Todoroki, the way he was struggling to get up, and feelings of fear, fear that if this battle went on any longer, that if there was the chance that he'd completely lose control, Todoroki and potentially the spectators would be seriously hurt. It was why he remained frozen in place, why he did nothing while he waited for Todoroki to get back on his feet, causing everyone in the stadium to look at each other in confusion. Even Endeavor's eyebrows were raised in confusion, not comprehending why Kageyama just end the fight now.

"What's Kageyama doing," muttered Izuku.

Todoroki was still getting up on his feet, and basically acted on impulse, placed his right hand on the ground and unleashed another large-scale ice attack. But as he looked back up, for a brief second, the two of them met eyes, and in the esper's eyes, Todoroki saw only fear and guilt, the brief moment before his face twisted with shame.

The spectators were waiting for Kageyama to erect another barrier, to fire off another finger flick and try to finish the fight off as quickly as possible before Shoto could get back up, but in a move that shocked every single person in the stadium, Kageyama did absolutely nothing. He let the ice attack strike him, the force of the ice attack propelling him backwards at high speeds and sending him crashing into the stadium wall, his body being dug in a few feet deep.

100% Shame

For a second, the stadium was absolutely still and silent. They were having trouble processing what had just happened, how this match could end like this after building up so much momentum. Being the first to compose herself and get over the shock, Midnight drew her hand into the air.

"Kageyama is out of bounds, which means... Todoroki is the winner!" The rest of the audience quickly got over the shock and began to applaud vigorously. However, there were several more people in the stadium that were still having a hard time processing this, several of those people being the students of Class 1-A.

"Man, what an anti-climactic ending to such a climactic battle," Present Mic remarked.

"Kageyama just... gave up," said Tsu.

"Why would he do such a thing?" said Yaoyorozu.

The green-haired teenager's mouth was opened, and his eyebrows were raised up. Midoriya didn't understand it whatsoever: what would compel Kageyama to just surrender, to give Todoroki the win like that? He had been determined to win this festival for All Might, so why a sudden change of heart? Bakugo was equally confused by this sudden turn of events, beginning to feel partially enraged that the esper would just hand Todoroki the win like that after making it this far.

Even the number two hero was not ecstatic with his son's victory. Contrary to that, he was feeling confused: Kageyama's decision stood contrary to everything he'd based his life on. Kageyama had the advantage, the superior strength, and he had the opportunity to display this superiority to the entire world by taking the victory and winning the sports festival, and yet, he chose not to. But why?

Todoroki was thinking the same things as his father, and even though the crowd was cheering for his victory, even though his name and face were on the large monitor, he did not feel truly happy or proud with his victory. It seemed as though Kageyama had struggled with his own internal dilemma, his own feelings, during this match. The moment that laughter escaped from his lips, that seemed to have triggered some sort of fear, trauma from inside of him, as he could vividly see when they momentarily exchanged glances. Was he... afraid of feeling the thrill of battle?

He walked to the edge of the stadium and saw the esper getting himself out of the concrete, his head facing the ground and his hair still spiked up. He quickly went to the exit, but for a split second, he could see some tears dripping down his face, and Todoroki lightly gasped. The son of Endeavor didn't think that enjoying the thrill of the battle would trigger such an emotional response for Kageyama. He began to feel bad for the esper, and also felt as though he was partly to blame. He'd been too pushy with him, he wasn't trying to understand Shigeo's pain the way his classmate had tried to understand Todoroki's pain.

"And with that, the final match is officially over!" Present Mic yelled, "The first-year champion of the U.A. Sports Festival is Shoto Todoroki from Class 1-A!"


After the final match of the sports festival had concluded, the cement ring was cleared out by Cementoss, and the ice was melted by Todoroki. All of the students participating in the sports festival made their way to the arena, while a small steel fence was put up, with multiple cameramen taking snapshots, waiting for the awards ceremony to commence.

In the sky, several fireworks and light displays were being shot off, befitting the celebrating nature of the awards ceremony. As the students of Class 1-A all stood there, many of them were waiting to see the three winners of the sports festival come up. Many of them, in particular, were waiting to see how Kageyama was faring after his loss. Though no one else besides Todoroki had seen the brief hint of tears, it was quite obvious to them that this must have been an unfortunate loss for Kageyama.

Standing in the grass, Midnight acted as the announcer for this awards ceremony. "The first-year students have completed all the events for the U.A. Sports Festival. Now it's time to relax and enjoy the awards ceremony!"

White smoke and confetti shot out into the air, acting as a dramatic reveal for the podiums that rose out of the ground, revealing the three winners. As the smoke cleared and the three students of Class 1-A were shown, many of them looked at the esper, and it was just as they suspected. His eyes were facing the ground, and his stance was defeated. After the battle had concluded, and Kageyama was shown the way to the podium where he'd rise up to the arena, the psychic had been flooded with more overwhelming feelings of guilt and failure. Not only did he feel guilty for nearly allowing himself to lose control of his psychic powers, but he also felt like a complete failure for not being able to live up to the promise he made to All Might that he'd win. The number one hero had even said himself, the next time that he'd see him, it would be when he gave him the first-place medal. Kageyama wasn't even sure if he could face All Might now.

"Tenya Iida actually shares the third-place award with Tokoyami, but unfortunately, he had to leave for familial reasons." This statement brought Kageyama's eyes up from the floor. Iida had to leave? So there was a serious family problem? What had happened?

Before he could properly stew on this question, Midnight continued speaking. "Now, let's bring out the hardware! Of course, there's only one person worthy of distributing these medals!"

From the top of the stadium, the number one hero appeared, his signature laughter reverberating all across the stadium. Kageyama's eyes immediately went back to the ground, and his body tensed up. All Might was going to be giving the awards? How was he going to explain to him what had happened in the final match?

All Might jumped on the ground while giving his signature catchphrase, though Midnight's voice overlapped with his, ruining the entrance for him. Midnight then held out the three medals for All Might to give, and he started with Tokoyami, placing the bronze medal around his neck and actually embracing him while giving him words of encouragement and advice for the future, though the teenager did not return the embrace out of slight embarrassment and respect for All Might.

Then came Shigeo Kageyama. The teenager's eyes continued to stare at the ground as he heard the number one hero approach him. From the other two podiums, Todoroki and Tokoyami peered over to see the esper's reaction.

"Young Kageyama." The esper knew he couldn't hide from this shame and decided to meet All Might's gaze. "Congratulations. You showed real heart, strength, and determination out there." The number one hero placed the silver medal around the esper's neck, but as he was doing this, Kageyama's chin began to quiver, and his eyes were beginning to gloss with water.

6%

"All Might, I-" The number one hero stopped the esper's sentence by embracing him. Unlike Tokoyami, the esper reciprocated the embrace and wrapped his arms around All Might. Though as the two of them remained there, All Might whispered into his ear.

"Meet me in the teacher's lounge, and we'll talk about what happened."

10%

The esper heeded the number one hero's words, and felt that he had to get a hold of himself, to not bawl like a baby in front of the world. He could do that later on, try to explain to All Might why he gave up, but for now, he had to get a grip of himself.

Then, for the first-place award, there was Todoroki. "And finally, young Todoroki. Congratulations." The number one hero took note of his conflicted look, a look that one wouldn't expect to see on the face of the winner of the sports festival. "I've never seen this kind of look on your face before."

Despite having won, Todoroki still had several conflicting feelings battling in his soul. The pain of his past and the memories of his mother were still fresh, and using both sides during his fight with Kageyama hadn't done anything to change that. Furthermore, he was still feeling a sense of pity and sympathy for Kageyama, who'd given up his chance to be on the first-place podium, and decided to express some of these feelings to All Might.

"Midoriya opened my eyes during our match. I was beginning to doubt myself, but then, Kageyama was there for me. To understand my pain and help me through my problems. If it hadn't been for those two, I wouldn't be standing on this podium right now. I think I get why you're so interested in both of them. Still... I don't feel right receiving this medal. Kageyama's the one who should be up here."

The young esper overheard Todoroki's words, and his heart fluttered for a brief second, appreciative of the way Todoroki acknowledged him and what he had done to help the dual quirk-wielding teenager.

"He made his choice, just as you made yours."

The first-place winner's eyes slightly lowered. "I want to be the kind of hero you are, but even now, my path isn't as clear as I thought it was. I have a lot to think about, and there's still some things I need to settle with someone, very soon."

All Might nodded and embraced the first-place winner just as he did the other two. "I won't ask for details, but trust yourself. I'm sure you'll work things out."

"Right."

With all three medals given, the number one hero looked back at the remaining students. "And here they are! The winners of this year's sports festival! But listen closely! Any of you first-years could have ended up standing on these podiums! Think about what you've done today! You've challenged each other, learned, and climbed even closer to your goal of being pros. I think the next generation of heroes is proving to be the most promising one yet! So I have one more thing to say! I want to hear everyone yell it with me! You know what it is!"

"Thank you for your hard work!"

"Plus Ultra!"

The audience immediately started booing All Might for not saying U.A.'s logo at the perfect time, with All Might meekly trying to defend himself, and several of the students getting in a few laughs of amusement. Shigeo, however, paid no attention or took no interest in this moment, for he was too wrapped up in his own emotions to think about anything else. He needed to apologize to All Might and lay out his emotions straight away.


After the awards ceremony, Kageyama quickly rushed off before anyone had the chance to give him their sympathy for his loss or try to make him feel better, as many of the students of Class 1-A wanted to try and console him after seeing his saddened look on the podium. Instead, he quickly got changed in the locker room and made his way to the teacher's lounge, which was empty. As he sat on the couch and waited for All Might, he held his silver medal in his hand and looked at it as though it was a scar, a visible representation of his failure.

After a few minutes, the number one hero entered the teacher's lounge, and frowned when he saw the way Shigeo was holding the silver medal, looking at it with guilt. Shigeo quickly looked up at All Might when he heard him enter.

"All Might-"

"Kageyama, before you say anything, I want you to know that I'm not mad at you for giving up in the final match, if that's what you've been thinking." The blonde hero walked over and sat next to the esper on the couch. "I mean, I was obviously shocked by your decision to surrender, but I know you wouldn't just give up if you didn't have a good reason. All I want to do is find out why you chose to forfeit the match to Todoroki. If anything, you looked more lively than I've ever seen you."

The esper closed his hands inward and bit his lip. "That was why I had to give up. I was... enjoying the battle too much."

This statement caught All Might off-guard for a second. Was that truly the only reason he gave up? "Enjoying the thrill of the battle isn't necessarily a bad thing. Battle can be exhilarating, a time where-"

"You don't understand, All Might." The bowl-haired teenager dropped his chin to his chest, his shoulders hunched with shame. "I experienced that pleasure for battle once before, during my fight with Suzuki in the sky. It was the first time I was able to use my powers so openly, where I didn't have to hold anything back, and... I loved it. I got fully absorbed into the heat of the battle. But I let it control me, let the pleasure of the battle completely dictate my actions. If it hadn't been for the look of shock and fear on my little brother's face, I'm not sure I would have been able to snap out of it myself. I don't know how far I would've gone, how much of the city I would've destroyed or what I would've done before I came back to reality.

"And that's what I was afraid was going to happen during my fight with Todoroki. I did just as he said, only thought of the battle, focused on the here and now, and that feeling began to creep up on me again without me even realizing it. And if I'd gone on any longer, if I'd just let the thrill of battle consume me again, I was afraid I wouldn't hold anything back, seriously hurting Todoroki and even the spectators." The esper's head fell to his lap, with his arms resting in between his head and his lap.

"Still, that doesn't change the fact that I lost. If only I had more control of my emotions, that wouldn't have even been a problem, and I could've fulfilled the expectations you had for me. You could've put that first place medal around me just like you wanted, but I ruined that. I've failed you."

21%

Tears began to form yet again in the esper's eyes, and his body began to shake. All Might watched and listened with silent shock. He never knew that Kageyama had gone through such emotions, that he'd experienced such an intense pleasure for battle. It seemed to have been a truly traumatic experience for him, one that weighed heavily on his soul.

The hero put his arm around the student's shoulder and let out a soft sigh. "Kageyama, don't beat yourself up about this. Sometimes, I forget that your powers can be as big a burden as they are a gift, and how much more of a task it is for you to keep control of yourself and your psychic abilities.

"Even if you didn't win, you still showed the world what you could do, the power that you wield, and your kind heart. Todoroki also told me something. He told me of how you came to him after his match with Midoriya, to extend your sympathy for his problems and to be there for him when he was starting to doubt himself."

Kageyama slowly nodded his head. "It seems as though your words of support had an equally large impact on him as Midoriya's words has been. Your compassion showed itself again, not just towards Todoroki, but for your opponents on the battlefield, and for that, I'm proud of you."

25%

The esper looked back up towards the hero, relieved to know that All Might wasn't mad at him and that despite losing, he was still proud of what he'd done in the sports festival, both in and out-of-battle.

"Well, at least I managed to help Todoroki, even if it was only a little," he said, deciding to try and look on the bright side.

"Exactly."

The number one hero patted the esper on the back. Mob wiped the tears from his eyes and straightened out his body. Now that Shigeo had vented his emotions to All Might, he wanted to tell him about the extremely important thing he'd discussed with Recovery Girl. "Actually, All Might, can you show me your scar?"

This random change of topic made All Might's eyebrows furrow up in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"I was talking with Recovery Girl during the sports festival, and I thought of a possible way I could use my powers to help you. If I could use my psychic powers to send signals to your body, I could command it to regrow your stomach and fix your respiratory system."

All Might gasped. "Really?"

The moody, downer attitude shown before was being quickly replaced by a sense of excitement for helping the number one hero. "If I could do that, then you wouldn't have a time limit for your muscle form, you could go back to the way you were, and you could stay the symbol of peace for much longer!"

This was quite an unexpected revelation from the esper. The idea that his body could be fixed had long passed in All Might's mind, but if it was truly possible, that would be fantastic. He'd finally be able to eat and breathe like a normal person again, and it would give Midoriya much more time to master One For All before he took the hero's place.

"So let me try it out on you right now!"

"Okay then." The hero nodded and proceeded to show the teenager his scar. Mob grimaced upon seeing the scar again: it was a truly grisly injury, and he was sure that any normal person would've likely died by now. It was why he had to do something about it right now!.The teenager placed his hands on the scar and closed his eyes.

Shigeo's hands began to glow rainbow, transferring his energy while he was repeating the order in his mind to heal All Might's stomach. The hero could feel the energy flowing through him, he wasable to feel something happening inside the place where his stomach where he used to be. He was waiting to see and feel his body fix itself, to feel the empty hole where his stomach used to be getting filled up again, but the hero could feel no substantial change occurring inside of him.

Mob could similarly tell that very little was happening. The esper grunted, pouring more of his energy into the hero's wounds and straining himself for several seconds, but he could see that this wasn't going to work, no matter how much energy he poured into it. He dropped his hands down, the somber expression from before returning.

"I wasn't able to do it," said Mob with a sour tone.

"It wouldn't make sense for it to work on the first try," assured All Might, not wanting the esper to put any sort of guilt on himself for this. "After all, this is an entirely new and complicated ability you're trying to create. But I could definitely feel something happening inside my body. With time and training, I'm sure you'll be able to master this ability and heal my injuries."

"But how do I hone this ability?"

"Maybe ask Recovery Girl, since she's a doctor and has experience healing others with her quirk. She might have some good pointers for you."

"Yea," replied Mob. He had to remain hopeful, remain committed in this mission of his to master this healing power. After all, All Might was now counting on him to do this, and he would not fail him a second time.


With the two of them having finished their discussion, the esper decided to leave and return to his classroom, where several more of his classmates were filing in after getting changed. Upon entering, several of them, such as Yaoyorozu, Mineta, Tsu, Uraraka, and Midoriya approached him and gave him their sympathy, congratulating him for his second-place victory while choosing not to pry into the reason why he decided to give up at the last second. Kageyama appreciated their sentimentality and how much they were trying to comfort him after his loss. As the rest of the class finished coming in, Kageyama and Midoriya took note of the sullen, lifeless face of Bakugo. Even now, that loss was still weighing heavily in his heart. Shigeo also took note of Iida's absence, and continued to wonder what family problem would've been grave enough to make Iida leave the sports festival. Whatever it was, it must've been serious.

After the rest of the students came in, Mr. Aizawa came in, telling the students of the two-day break they'd get after the sports festival, as well as the drafts that the pro heroes would send, which they'd be going over once they returned to school. The students quickly packed up their things and headed home. As usual, Kageyama walked home with Midoriya and Uraraka, and while they walked together, the bowl-haired teenager asked them if they knew why Iida had left before the awards ceremony.

"His older brother, Ingenium, got hurt by a villain," Midoriya said with a somber voice.

The esper gasped, and his eyes bulged open. "Ingenium is hurt? How bad is it?"

"They don't know. That's why Iida left immediately," added Uraraka with an equally somber note.

"Ingenium..." The esper remembered the utter praise and devotion Iida spoke of his brother, how similar it was to his own admiration for Ritsu. Any sort of injury to him would undoubtedly be difficult for Iida to see. "I hope that he's able to recover, that it's nothing serious."

27%

"Us too..." The three friends lowered their heads in concern, and for a minute or two, they remained in this silence and sadness for their friend's suffering. After this silence, however, the green-eyed student decided to break it and switch it to another topic.

"You know, I saw how Bakugo was acting after his loss against you, Kageyama, and it was really bad," Midoriya said.

"I know, right?" Uraraka said, " I haven't seen that sort of look on his face since he lost against you in the battle trial, Deku."

The esper remembered that despondent look very well, and while he did not enjoy anyone going through that sort of emotional pain, was not sure of anything he could do to try and change that part of him. "It's unfortunate that he had to experience that kind of pain in losing, and maybe I went too far at the end of the match, giving him that disapproving look, but I'm still displeased at how he hasn't changed at all, the way he insulted you and everything you've done to get here."

"Actually, I disagree." Even though what Kageyama was saying about Bakugo's attitude was partially true, Izuku felt as though his friend wasn't giving Bakugo enough credit. "It may not look like it, but he actually has changed from the way he was back in middle school."

"He has?" Instead of being ready to disagree with his friend and counter with arguments of everything he'd seen from Bakugo so far, he actually grew curious, wondering if there was indeed something in Bakugo that had changed.

"The old Kacchan used to be way more self-righteous and arrogant than before, and would usually go way more out of his way to try and make fun of me. But ever since the sludge villain attack, ever since I jumped in to try and save him, he hasn't been nearly as mean to me. Even during your fight, when he was mocking me, a part of me thinks that he was only saying those things just to get you to use your full power. The old Kacchan would've been way more vicious against me and would've slid my name in the dirt even more than that.

"And I also think that he's lost his overconfidence. Though he doesn't speak nicely to others, like with the students who came to see us after the villain attack, I think that it's more him trying to push himself to become better, to prove himself the best. I'm only able to tell these changes because I've known him for so long, but make no mistake, he's changed."

Mob was visibly startled by the explanation his friend had just given him. He was not able to detect any of these sorts of changes in Bakugo, could not see any of the ways he'd lost his overconfidence, and he felt as though he should have. Even if Midoriya had known him longer, the esper still believed he would've been able to see a change in Bakugo's behavior. But why couldn't he? This revelation began to make a pit of guilt grow in his stomach: what he'd said to Bakugo in the ring had been harsh, and if it really was false, then that only made Kageyama guilty of misjudging Bakugo.

Midoriya could see an instant change in Kageyama's expression. "Don't get me wrong: Kacchan can be a real jerk sometimes, something that I also hate, and like you said, the fact that he doesn't even remember the names of his classmates shows the way he isn't thinking of them. All I'm saying is that labelling as a complete jerk isn't accurate."

"Yea..."

The bob-haired girl could see the dampening mood, and tried to liven it up with her jubilant, positive attitude. "I'm sure that you'll become friends again with enough time."

The two male teenagers were brightened by their friend's jolly demeanor, and smiled in response. Hopefully, Uraraka was right, and that the hot-headed teenager would eventually warm up to the idea of rekindling their old friendship and accepting new friendships.


The day after the sports festival, many of the students were at home, taking it easy and relaxing after all the hard effort they'd put in preparation for the event. However, there was one student who was walking in the street, on his way to meet someone very important to him. That person was Shoto Todoroki, and he was on his way to meet his mother.

For ten years, Shoto had avoided this fateful encounter, avoided thinking about his mother in general. So much had happened after she'd burned his face. All this time, he'd believed that his left side would only bring her pain and misery, and for ten years, he'd never reunited with her. But he could no longer allow that to be the case. They were connected by blood, by the past they had with Endeavor, and that was something that he couldn't ignore anymore. If he wanted to go forward in his life, if he wanted to get a better understanding of himself and the path he was forging, he had to meet with her again.

He made it to the hospital his mother was staying, and after some shocked receptionists gave him her room, he walked up to the third floor and stood in front of her door. He made a motion toward the handle, but for a moment, he hesitated, still fearful of what might happen if her mother saw him again. But he took a deep breath, and exhaled: if he ever wanted to use this body and his powers, to become the hero he wanted to be, he had to talk with her again.

So he grabbed the handle and proceeded to open t he door, where he saw his mother looking out the window, wearing hospital clothing. His heart skipped upon seeing her, and his voice was nearly lost for a second, but he maintained his composure and found his voice.

"Hi, mom."

His mother, Rei, felt her heart stop when she heard that voice. It was deeper than she remembered, but there was no doubt who it could be. After ten years, could it really be him? Her little boy? She turned around, and sure enough, it was Shoto, all grown up.

"Shoto, it's you..."

"It's been a while..." The first thing that the teenager had to get out of the way was his guilt, the guilt he carried of avoiding her mother for so many years. "Mom, I'm sorry it took so long for me to come see you."

Rei's eyes instantly began to water, and before she knew it, tears began to flow down her face. "Oh Shoto, you don't have to apologize. I'm the one who has to apologize, for the horrible way I scarred you ten years ago." The guilt she felt far outweighed Shoto's guilt, and her tender, compassionate heart allowed her to easily forgive her son for not coming to see her all these years. This forgiveness greatly surprised the teenager, who was not expecting her mother to be so understanding.

"It's alright, mom," said Shoto with a small smile of reassurance on his face, "I know that wasn't really you, that you'd never hurt me on purpose."

The tears only increased in size, dripping down onto the wooden floor as Rei wiped her tears away, her own smile forming on her face. "Oh Shoto..."

The mother rushed toward her son and firmly embraced him, something which the teenager reciprocated. It felt so nice for Shoto to hug his mother again, to experience this warm, loving tenderness. It was something that he'd come to miss, a feeling he'd also forgotten after so many years of harsh training from his father and no genuine love from him. They stayed like this for a few moments, before Shoto broke the embrace and looked at her mother's eyes.

"There's so much we need to catch up on..." The dual quirk-wielding teenager took a seat next to her mother on the bed, where he began from shortly after her mother had burned his left side. He told her about the time he spent with Endeavor, the continued training he was subjected to, the years of focus put on enhancing his quirks to their fullest capacities and increasing his physical strength as well. He told her about the way he'd only developed his right side and held off using his left side for many years due to the animosity he held towards Endeavor, but he also told her about how he'd broken that promise during the sports festival, though he didn't specify about Izuku or Shigeo's involvement.

"Even after using both sides, I'm still so uncertain about so many things," the teenager muttered, "And I realized that I had to see you, that there were so many things we needed to catch up on, to try and make up for all the time that I chose not to visit you, to try and make up for the fact that you're even here in the first place."

"I see..." The mother rested her hands on her lap, absorbing this information. "It seems the time you've spent with your father was very harsh, just as I'd imagined and feared. I understand why you would decide not to use his power, the fact that you don't want to follow the path that Enji's laid out for you, and the uncertainty that you're facing. But remember: your destiny is still your own. Nothing his holding you back from following the path of what kind of hero you want to be. The thing that would make me the happiest, that would give me salvation, is knowing you become the best hero you could be, to become a hero you can be proud of."

The teenager lightly gasped. "That sounds similar to what Kageyama was saying..."

Rei tilted her head in curiosity. "Who?"

Shoto's mind went back to those moments when he was speaking with Izuku and Shigeo. "There're two classmates of mine, Izuku Midoriya and Shigeo Kageyama. Both of them helped me to come to terms with my left side and use it in-battle. It was during the sports festival, the annual event that U.A. High School holds, and one of the events was one-on-one combat. I'd told both of them about my decision not to use my left side, but Midoriya, instead of choosing to try and win the match himself, urged me to use my full power and to accept my left side, which I did."

The white-haired mother's lips curled up, and her face beamed. "How very special of him, to try and help you come to terms with your left side."

"It was pretty special. But Kageyama's words... I think they were even more impactful." This caught Rei's attention, and her eyebrow once again lifted up.

"Kageyama's... unlike anyone I've ever seen. He has unbelievable power, power which already puts him at a level close to All Might, and yet, he never gloats about it. Quite the opposite, he's openly stated how he doesn't view himself as better than others because of his psychic powers. He's always doing what he can to support others, ensure better cooperation with classmates, and because of that, he's been able to unite the class. But I think what's most remarkable about him is his kindness. Despite the fact that I've been cold to him, that I declared war on him during the sports festival multiple times, he still went out of his way to be there for me, to help me through my struggles.

"After my fight with Midoriya, I was beginning to doubt myself, whether or not I made the right choice. Then Kageyama came to see me: he understood the struggle I was going through, the pain of my past, and was extremely considerate of my emotions. So considerate, that he even told me I didn't have to use my left side if I didn't want to. He told me that I was the protagonist of my own story that was written only by me, that I could make choices for myself, but to make sure they were choices I could be proud of. If it hadn't been for him, I don't think I would've been able to use my flames again in the final round. His words... they reminded me so much of you, mom. "

Rei's reaction to this was much more significant: her grey eyes began to shine with a bright luster with some tears building up again, and her mouth momentarily gaped open before splitting into an even wider smile than before. "How very compassionate of him, and what powerful words he spoke. I'm glad that he was able to be there for you, to give you emotional support when I couldn't. It's very pleasing to hear that someone with that kind of remarkable strength has such a gentle heart. You've made quite the amazing friend."

The teenager nodded his head in agreement. Shigeo's words had been a very important part of his change, and thanks to his mother's words of encouragement that echoed his classmate's sentimentality, he knew that he would follow the path he carved for himself without looking back, using his left side not in order to walk down his father's path, but to follow his own, and nothing would stop him now.


With the sports festival out of the way, things can move on to the hero internships, and we'll see just how things play out for the esper and what kind of things he'll learn! Until Chapter 22!