I don't own My Hero Academia or Kill la Kill, please don't sue.
"Bring it on!" Ryuko Matoi declared while Todoroki's glare hardened.
This was gonna be awesome! Finally she and Senketsu would get to fight an actual opponent! He'd gotten into UA on recommendations and Ryuko had seen his power herself during the apprehension test, so she knew he was one of the class's strongest fighters. Not that he stood a chance though, her speed and power with Senketsu would make this a short fight.
"HA! NOW THAT'S THE SPIRIT YOUNG MATOI!" All Might said. "HOWEVER, TRY TO SHOW A LITTLE RESTRAINT! I DON'T WANT TO SEE A REPEAT OF WHAT YOUNG BAKUGO DID IN HIS MATCH, WHICH IS WHY I'M IMPLEMENTING A NEW RULE! DESTROYING OR CAUSING EXCESSIVE DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING, INTENTIONALLY OR NOT, WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISQUALIFICATION FOR YOUR TEAM! THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO YOUNG TODOROKI, AS WELL AS THE REST OF YOU! SO USE THIS AS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE! YOU WON'T ALWAYS HAVE THE LUXURY OF BEING ABLE TO GO ALL OUT WHEN YOU'RE PROS!"
"And I don't think another building is in UA's budget this year," he added under his breath.
Wait what? Sure, Ryuko admitted it made sense that gigantic attacks like Bakugo's gauntlet blast wouldn't be allowed, but not being able to destroy the building meant she wouldn't be able to use... really any of her normal fighting style. Restraint wasn't really her thing either, so this new restriction put her at a serious disadvantage.
The only bright side was that Todoroki had to follow the same rule. While the boy simply nodded, she could tell that he wasn't too happy about the new rule either. Or that was just his normal expression. He didn't seem like he was too happy about anything.
"WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, TEAM B AND TEAM I! FOLLOW ME!" All Might announced. "YOU'LL BOTH RECEIVE A ROLL OF CAPTURE TAPE AND A RADIO SET FOR EACH MEMBER AS WELL AS A FLOOR PLAN OF THE BUILDING! OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO USE A NEW BUILDING NOW, BUT THE LAYOUT IS THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS ONE! NOW, LET'S BLOW THIS JOINT!"
"Yes sir!" the four combatants said in unison.
At the fifth and top floor of Battle Building B, Ryuko set down the fake weapon. The first few floors were just mazes, like the one Midoriya fought Bakugo on. Not really ideal if she needed to defend the weapon. After the third floor, they all were identical to each other, so why not put it on the top? Ryuko adjusted the radio in her ear and tapped it a few times to make sure it was working. Now all that was left was to wait.
"So, do you really think that's all we have to do?" Mashirao Ojiro spoke up. Crap, she totally forgot about her partner! Embarrassingly, she actually kind of forgot he existed for a moment.
"Yeah, we set up the weapon and looked at the layout. What else is there?" she asked.
"Well, it just feels like we're not using our time efficiently. Shouldn't we try and lay some traps? Or fortify our defense? We don't even have a plan once the exercise starts!"
Ryuko rolled her eyes. None of that crap would matter, it wasn't like either of them had the ability to make traps and there wasn't much to defend the weapon with. Besides, what was there to plan? They'd come to the weapon and she'd beat the crap out of them, simple.
"You're worrying too much. If you want a plan, I have one: Stay here, and don't let anyone touch the weapon," she answered. Seeing that Ojiro wasn't satisfied, she added. "Neither of their quirks are suited for stealth. The second I see someone come through that doorway, I'll rush and capture them with Senketsu. Oh right!"
"Life Fiber Synchronize: Kamui Senketsu!"
Ryuko felt her blood flow into Senketsu, the sustenance providing him with the energy to access his true form. His fibers merged with her, becoming more like a second skin than a uniform. From an outside perspective, there was only brief flash of red light revealing Ryuko in all her scantily-clad glory. Ojiro blushed a little bit and looked away, obviously uncomfortable standing next to a half-naked girl.
"What?" Ryuko asked flatly.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just kind of weird knowing there's a naked girl standing by me."
Ryuko blushed. She wasn't naked! Well, she wasn't that naked, the important bits were still covered at least.
"LOOK ALIVE KIDS!" All Might's voice over the speaker system interrupted. "SHOW US YOU'RE THE EMBODIMENT OF GOOD! OR EVIL! LET'S GO!"
Not even ten seconds after the buzzer sounded, ice flooded the room, freezing everything it came into contact with. Senketsu kept her surprisingly warm, but the ice froze her feet to the ground, preventing her from moving. She didn't have it as bad as Ojiro though, whose bare feet were not enjoying being encased in ice.
Ryuko growled, the match had just begun and she was already caught off guard. She was expecting that Todoroki wouldn't be using any of his large scale ice attacks, but just freezing the building wasn't destroying it.
Using her scissor blade, she lightly tapped the ground with its tip, shattering the ice and freeing her. She was about to do the same to Ojiro when he walked in.
"Pry yourself up if you want, but it might be hard to fight me with no skin on the bottom of your feet," Todoroki said calmly as he walked into the room, his boots crushing the ice with each step. "It's not your fault," he continued monologuing, obviously not aware that both of his opponents were free from the ice. "We're just playing on different lev- wait, you're free?"
"Geez, you really are full of yourself aren't you?" Ryuko smirked. Did he really think she'd be taken out with a single attack? "Now let's see if you're more than just talk!" she yelled, charging in with her scissor blade.
UA High School: The Day of the Entrance Exam
Shoto Todoroki was bored. The entrance exam was comically easy, a simple obstacle course. He'd finished ahead of the other recommended candidates by a landslide, only losing by a hair to that obnoxious kid with the wind quirk.
Actually, that part made him pretty furious. While the kid had stormed off after the exam, forfeiting his acceptance to UA and leaving Todoroki in first, he was supposed to be the best with only his ice!
He could just hear the old bastard in his head, scolding him for not using his damned fire quirk. It made his blood boil, the mere thought that his monster of a father could ever be right.
That could wait for now though, he had other things to focus on. As a special reward, the four students who were accepted by recommendation would get to watch the general applicant's exam. Most of it wasn't worth watching in his opinion, just a bunch of untrained kids running around hitting robots with their quirks. Or failing to destroy robots, in the case of one scrawny kid with green hair. However, his fellow recommended students seemed to think otherwise.
"Ha! Look at that kid with the explosions! He just blew up three robots at the same time!" Setsuna Tokage exclaimed, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Well, that made one of them. She had a point though, that kid was pretty impressive, as well as a few others.
"Hmm, but destroying robots seems to be the only thing he cares about," Momo Yaoryorozu added. "Of course he doesn't know about rescue points, but neither do any of the other examinees and most of them are still willing to show basic decency to each other."
Also a fair point.
"Yeah, he doesn't seem to be the most stable individual," Setsuna noted, no doubt she was put off by the kid's maniacal grin. "But that girl with the slutty costume! Now that's power! Forget three, she just took out a whole street filled with robots!"
"Don't say things like that!" Momo scolded, while Setsuna just shrugged. "Her costume is revealing, but I'm sure she has a reason. You're right about her power though, she's just on another level. I don't think any of the other examinees, including us, could take her on in a fight."
Shoto rolled his eyes. They were giving her too much credit. Those robots were made to be easy to destroy, you could probably do it without a quirk if you had the patience. She probably just had some speed boosting quirk. His ice would be more than enough to take her out.
"Holy crap she just destroyed that giant robot with one hit!" Juzo Honenuki exclaimed.
Now that got Shoto's attention. He looked up at the screen and sure enough, the girl had cut the giant robot cleanly in two. As the bisected halves of the robot fell apart, she landed on the ground gracefully, not even breaking a sweat.
That- that should have been impossible! How could a mere first year applicant have such power? Forget being stronger than the other examinees, that girl must have been stronger than Endeavor, or even All Might himself! Fear crept into Shoto's mind, he couldn't become number one with someone like her in his class.
"That's right, you can't. Not unless you use your flames," Endeavor's voice said in his head, mocking him. His left side warmed up in agreement, begging him to unleash his fire.
No! He would never use his left side, even to beat that girl. Shoto rapidly cooled himself down with his right side, crushing the thought of using Endeavor's fire and stamping out every last ember.
Shoto didn't care how strong she was, he was still going to become the number one hero using only his ice!
Present Day
Instinct took over Shoto Todoroki and he blasted a wave of ice at Matoi to try and push her back. The attack only succeeded in slowing down her assault, as she spun her sword around like a helicopter to smash the ice as soon as it reached her.
So she was going to make him do this the hard way. The instant she finished destroying the first wave of ice, Shoto sent a larger one her way, this time with the goal of completely restraining her. Matoi was far too quick for his attack, dodging the ice with a simple sidestep.
"Uh, what should I do?" Mashirao Ojiro asked his partner. At the same time, Shoto felt someone tap his shoulder.
"Hey, you were taking a while so I came up to see if you needed any help," Mezo Shoji said. "So what's the plan?"
Shoto didn't have time for this, Matoi was the only thing that mattered to him. At this point Shoji would only be useful for distracting Ojiro, who wasn't a threat anyway. Honestly he would just be getting in his way.
"Stay back," Shoto and Matoi said at the same time to their respective partners.
Reluctantly, the two agreed. Once Shoji left the room, Shoto readied another blast of ice. Before he could even raise his right arm, he felt a swift punch in the gut, sending him flying across the room. The only thing that kept him from being sent out the window was a quickly made ice barrier to stop himself.
Matoi was still standing next to the weapon, as if she hadn't even moved. She looked tense, staring at Shoto for even the slightest movement, ready to pounce on him. Damnit! He couldn't even see her move! Was she really that fast?
It didn't matter, even if she was faster than him, he would eventually overwhelm her with his ice. Using the distance between them to his advantage, Shoto quickly fired off the largest amount of ice he could without damaging the building. A massive ice wall made its way to Matoi, only to be shattered into ice cubes with a single punch.
Shoto shivered as he cursed to himself, he was a fool to underestimate her power. Before he could form another thought, Matoi slammed the flat side of her blade into the side of his face. While it stung, it was nowhere near as powerful as her punch earlier. Shoto countered with another ice blast. While it didn't hit, it got Matoi off his back for a few seconds.
Why was that attack so weak? And why was she acting so defensively? She could have easily captured him by now, she was too fast for him to see and strong enough to break any amount of ice he could produce, but she was only counter attacking. Was she just holding back? She had to follow All Might's new rule after all, and her performance in the entrance exam showed that she was easily capable of breaking it.
Now Shoto understood, Matoi was too powerful! She probably wasn't used to holding back in a fight, so she had no idea how hard she could actually hit him. Shoto smirked, he could use this to his advantage. Matoi could let loose when it was only his ice, but she'd have to hold back if he was in the way.
He ran at Matoi, ready to precision-freeze her entire body. Shoto was fast, but he must have been moving in slow motion to Matoi, who easily dodged him and countered with an elbow to the head. He briefly stumbled, but quickly recovered.
Perfect.
If Matoi kept up her pattern, she'd be taking up a defensive stance now, ready for a counter attack. Predicting her movement, Shoto reached out with his right arm in attempt to grab her.
It was a long shot, but if he pulled it off he could end this fight now. Fate must have smiled on Shoto, as he gripped onto Matoi's left arm as tightly as he could. Ice crept onto her arm, making it all the way to her shoulder before she swept his legs with her blade, sending Shoto to the floor and forcing him to let go. It was too late though, that arm would be useless for the rest of the fight.
Matoi growled upon realizing her arm was frozen, even banging it against the weapon, but the ice didn't even crack. Shoto exhaled a frosty breath and smiled coldly. Fighting with the restriction was annoying, but at least his opponent was frustrated as well.
Ryuko Matoi was extremely frustrated.
All Might's restriction was just torture for her. She knew she could take Todoroki out with one good hit, but doing so would make her team lose. It would also probably kill him. It wasn't just her punches that she had to pull, but her speed as well. Even a light punch could be devastating at hypersonic speeds.
So she had to limit herself to mere love taps, most of which barely even stunned him. She got one good punch in at the beginning, but she wasn't able to replicate it yet. Todoroki had seemingly picked up on that, as he probably wouldn't have rans straight at her if he didn't. She had to give him some credit, using her unwillingness to seriously hurt him to his advantage was clever, but still a cheap trick.
And now her frickin' arm was frozen! While Senketsu kept her from getting too cold, she couldn't move her frozen arm. And since the shoulder was frozen too, she couldn't even punch with it. Fortunately it wasn't her sword arm, which she was using to destroy Todoroki's ice.
"Ryuko, you're getting tense. You seem frustrated," Senketsu observed.
"Thanks for the commentary Captain Obvious, of course I'm mad! Every time I try to hit that guy he just blocks me with his stupid ice! And when I can hit him I have to hold back or I'll lose the match!"
"The ice. It's only coming from his right side."
Only from his right side? Now that she thought about it, Ryuko could see that Senketsu was right. Todoroki used his right arm for all of his attacks, while his left was completely covered by that awful costume. Seriously, did anyone here ever think to look in a mirror once in a while?
Todoroki prepared to fire another wave of ice, but was surprised when Ryuko immediately took off to his left. Unable to defend himself, he had no choice but to try and dodge. His movements were hilariously slow compared to hers, and Ryuko had no trouble slamming the hilt of her scissor blade into his chest in spite of his best efforts. Todoroki stumbled backwards, exhaling sharply. So she was still holding back too much. That was fine, she'd be able to get a lot more hits in now that she knew to stay to his left.
Todoroki caught himself using an ice barrier and blasted another one at Ryuko. However, the ice blast seemed slower than it was before. As soon as it made contact with her body it merely broke apart. So it was weaker too.
"He's slowing down Ryuko, look at his skin," Senketsu said. Sure enough, Todoroki's skin was covered in frost. "He's probably been using his quirk too much, his body can't handle the cold temperature anymore."
Huh, she guessed that made sense. Just because he could make ice didn't necessarily mean that he was immune to it. His power had to give out at some point, just like all quirks. Ryuko grinned, preparing for another assault. Time to finish this!
"TAKE CLOSE NOTE OF THEIR TECHNIQUES STUDENTS! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD DO IN THIS SITUATION!" All Might addressed his class.
Katsuki Bakugo stared at the screen in horror. How were they so strong? He knew Matoi was powerful, but that ice guy was giving her trouble. And if Matoi was stronger than him, then the ice guy was stronger than him too!
Damnit! That giant ice wave that flash-froze the building, he couldn't counter something like that! He'd just be frozen to the floor, helpless. There was no denying it, he would lose in a head-to-head fight. And both of them were holding back the entire time!
"Man, look at them go! Those guys are on a whole 'nother level than the rest of us!" the dumbass with the yellow hair remarked.
Katsuki gritted his teeth in anger and let out a growl. How could something like this happen to him? He was supposed to be the greatest! Number one! But those damn extras were showing him up, stealing his spotlight! He desperately wanted to tell the moron that he was wrong, that he was leagues superior to anyone at UA, but that would be a lie.
Because he had lost to Deku. A weakling, a useless nobody who shouldn't have even been here beat him. He thought Matoi looked down on him after the apprehension test, but that was nothing compared to the look she gave him after his fight with Deku. Pure scorn, like he was nothing but an insect to be crushed beneath her heel. The same exact way he looked at Deku.
Katsuki's blood practically boiled. She thought that she could look down on him? That he was a weakling? He was going to put her in her place and show her, Deku, and all those other idiots that he was going to be the greatest hero of all time!
Shoto Todoroki's body was on the verge of giving out. His plan had failed, merely freezing an arm didn't even slow Matoi down and he was running out of stamina, both for his quirk and his body. He figured he had two maybe three ice blasts left in him before he froze. Not that it would even come to that, as by his estimations there was barely a minute left on the clock.
Matoi was staying to his left side, preventing him from getting a good shot at her. How did she figure it out so quickly? She didn't seem like the type to make plans, preferring to rush headfirst into her opponents. While Shoto was busy thinking about how Matoi had figured him out, he received a sharp jab to the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel.
Damnit, that wasn't important right now! He had to turn this around somehow. How did Midoriya win his match against a stronger opponent? If Shoto was being honest, Midoriya didn't win at all. It was like Yaoyorozu said, he had to play to the exercise's rules, not thinking of it as a real fight.
That was it! He was so preoccupied with taking out Matoi that he forgot that it wasn't necessary at all! All he needed to do was touch the weapon, but Matoi was so fast that he'd never get the chance to. So finding a way to immobilize her was his top priority.
That wouldn't exactly be easy either. None of his ranged attacks had any effect on her and there was no way he'd get lucky enough for a second contact-freeze. The only way he could guarantee a hit would be freezing the entire room, but he was far too cold to do that. Unless...
No, what was he thinking? He'd never use his left side in combat! Not to defeat Matoi, not against anyone! He wouldn't let him win, he couldn't let him win! But the advantage it would give him was undeniable. It was probably his only chance of winning. Small embers emerged from his left side, once again begging for release. Shoto almost smiled, the warmth felt so good and he was ready to give into the flames.
Then he remembered her face. And the fearful eyes of the woman who was abused by his flames. "Unbearable" was what she called it, and Shoto agreed. Using his flames would make him just like Endeavor! Shoto lowered his left arm, ashamed and enraged at himself for having even considered using his flames.
And then Matoi punched him right in the face.
"What the hell are you doing, staring off into space like that?" Matoi shouted as he flew across the room, unable to stop himself with an ice wall. "This is a fight! Now are you gonna fight or not? Or am I just not worthy of your power Mr. Playing-on-different-levels?"
That did it! Shoto tried cooling himself down with his ice, but whatever self-control he had was instantly incinerated as his left side ignited. The ice on the left side of his costume exploded under the force of his flames, leaving it entirely bare.
Matoi, who was coming in for another hit, recoiled at the sight of the flames. After she got over her initial shock, she smiled wildly at him and Shoto found himself doing the same. Now the real fight would begin!
Shoto felt the frost melting off his body, freeing him up for another massive wave of ice, but he couldn't do that just yet. Matoi was still charging at him, ready to finish him. Shoto blasted a gout of fire towards her, but she powered through it, the only effect being that the ice on her arm melted.
Crap, he forgot about that. It didn't matter though, all he had to do was touch the floor and freeze-
"TIME'S UP! THE VILLAIN TEAM WINS!"
All Might's words hit Shoto like a truck. He... lost. Even with his flames. Shoto slumped over, but Matoi caught him, her costume now appearing as the black sailor uniform she wore in class. That transformation must have been her quirk. Was it the ability to make any article of clothing transform like that or just that specific sailor uniform?
"Hey man, are you good?" Matoi asked as she helped him stand up, her rough personality having seemingly evaporated. "I have to admit, you really surprised me with that fire of yours. Why not use it more though?"
"That's none of your business," Shoto said, coming out a bit harsher than he intended. To his surprise, Matoi merely shrugged.
"Eh, I won't pry. Not my place to meddle and all that. I like the new costume though, you should keep it like that," she said half-jokingly.
Shoto tried to force out a chuckle, but it came out as more of a grimace. He used his flames. In a moment of weakness, he broke his one rule! The warmth his left side had produced was snuffed out by Shoto's icy hate for Endeavor. He may have won this time, but Shoto promised that it would never happen again.
Ryuko Matoi stood alongside Ojiro to All Might's left, while Todoroki and Shoji were at his right. The four combatants were back in the monitoring room, ready to hear their evaluations from both their classmates and All Might himself. Ryuko couldn't have been happier with herself. She protected the weapon and didn't cause any damage to the building. She might have been a bit too hard on Todoroki with that last comment of hers, but she was supposed to be the villain after all.
"NOW CLASS, WHO CAN TELL ME WHO THE MVP OF THIS EXERCISE WAS?"
Far more hands than last time shot up, several members of Class 1-A eager to give their analysis of the fight.
"It's totally Matoi! Didn't you see her smashing the ice apart? Todoroki couldn't even touch her!" Kirishima announced before anyone was even called.
"But she didn't have any strategy," Asui countered. "Sure Todoroki lost, but he had a solid plan going into the fight and managed to adapt well when it wasn't working. Except for not using his fire until the last minute. That was pretty dumb."
Todoroki visibly bristled at that last part.
Apparently Kirishima and Asui's exchange gave the rest of the class the go ahead to say whatever they wanted. The monitoring room was quickly filled with shouting from various sources, insisting that either Matoi or Todoroki should be MVP. Except for Aoyama, who was still posing with his cape, and Bakugo. The boy was uncharacteristically quiet, unable to look at her or Todoroki in the eye.
At least he was capable of feeling some shame. While she didn't focus on it during the fight, Ryuko hadn't forgotten the hatred she held for Bakugo or the choice words she had for him once class was over. For now, she had to hear her evaluation, which was currently little more than a shouting match.
"QUIET!" All Might demanded, his wish instantly being granted. "NOW, ALL OF YOU HAVE MADE SOME FINE POINTS, BUT... YOU'RE ALL WRONG!" All Might laughed boisterously, much to the confusion of his students.
"UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE TO DECLARE THAT NO ONE WAS THE MVP OF THIS MATCH! WHILE YOUNG MATOI AND YOUNG TODOROKI BOTH FOUGHT WELL, THEY MADE ONE CRUCIAL MISTAKE!"
A mistake? What was he talking about?
"YOU SEE, THIS WASN'T JUST A FIGHT, BUT A TEAM EXERCISE! AND WHAT DID YOUNG MATOI AND YOUNG TODOROKI SAY TO THEIR TEAMMATES?" All Might pulled out a remote control and pointed it at the monitor.
It was a recording of the beginning of her fight, right after Todoroki had found the weapon room. Ryuko was confused at first, until she remembered what she told Ojiro at that point.
"Stay back," the recording of her and Todoroki said in unison. Ryuko slapped her forehead in frustration, she forgot all about her teammate! Come to think of it, what was he doing that entire time?
"FORSAKING THE HELP OF A TEAMMATE IS NEVER A GOOD STRATEGY, EVEN IF YOU THINK THEY'RE OUT OF THEIR DEPTH!" All Might said, breaking Ryuko's train of thought. "AS FOR YOUNG SHOJI AND YOUNG OJIRO, NEVER LET ANYONE TELL YOU THAT YOU CAN'T HELP, NO MATTER HOW HOPELESS THE SITUATION MAY SEEM! REAL HEROES DON'T GIVE UP JUST BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A FAVORABLE MATCHUP!"
"Yes sir!" the four of them said together.
While she planned on following All Might's advice for the sake of doing well in class, Ryuko wasn't inclined to agree with the pro. She meant no offense to Ojiro, but what was he really supposed to do in that situation? Slip on ice and break his neck? No, there were some fights that it just wasn't worth making yourself a part of.
"NOW, ONTO THE NEXT FIGHT!"
The rest of the fights went off without any problems. Just two teams fighting over the weapon and then receiving an evaluation from All Might and the rest of the class. Nothing like the spectacle of the first two fights was repeated. In Ryuko's opinion, it was actually pretty boring.
She spent most of her time glaring at Bakugo, who had to have noticed her at this point. At first, she thought that her rage should have faded by now, that it was just a quick surge of anger, but it just wouldn't. What he did to Midoriya was unforgivable, even if he regretted it, which he most certainly did not.
Speaking of Midoriya, he still wasn't back from the nurse's office, and would probably have to stay there for the rest of the day. At least she'd get to properly introduce herself, he actually seemed like a pretty cool guy.
"THAT'S A WRAP!" All Might announced to his class, who were now standing at the entrance of Training Ground Beta. "SUPER WORK, YOU REALLY STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE! AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY MAJOR INJURIES, EXCEPT FOR MIDORIYA! YOU SHOULD BE PROUD, EXCELLENT FIRST DAY OF TRAINING ALL AROUND!"
Proud? Ryuko wasn't sure if a major injury at all was anything to be proud of. At least it was better than Honnouji though, where a lack of injury would be interpreted as students not trying hard enough. Bakugo also didn't display an ounce of pride, which still satisfied Ryuko to no end. Served that bastard right.
"It's nice to hear some encouraging words after our homeroom class," Asui said, triggering some very unpleasant memories of the previous day. "Mr. Aizawa was kind of a buzzkill."
"I'M HAPPY TO BRING SUCH STAGGERING POSITIVITY TO MY ALMA MATER!" All Might accepted the compliment with a pose. "THAT'S ALL FOR NOW FOLKS! I SHOULD GO CHECK ON YOUNG MIDORIYA'S PROGRESS! NOW WATCH HOW A PRO EXITS! LIKE HE'S GOT SOMEWHERE TO BE!"
All Might took off, leaving a trail of dust in his wake as he sprinted away. Somewhere to be? What was that all about? And why did he have to run so fast, almost as if he was trying to get away from them?
Afternoon classes went by like a blur to Ryuko. They were still part of the hero curriculum, like all afternoon classes, but were more focused on the logistics of being a hero. Hero laws, support companies, and all that boring stuff. Not much different than regular classes to Ryuko.
Once the day was over, they all went back to their homeroom class where Aizawa officially dismissed them, though everyone chose to stay behind to discuss their fights more while they waited for Midoriya's release from the nurse's office. Everyone except one that was. Ryuko waited a few seconds to make sure that Aizawa was really gone, she didn't want any teachers to interfere with what she was about to do.
Bakugo slung his bag over his shoulders and made his way to leave the room. Ryuko knew that he'd do something like that, but it still made her furious. That asshole didn't even care if Midoriya was okay! He could have been killed for fuck's sake!
With her anger renewed and fresh in her mind, Ryuko called out to Bakugo.
"Hey!"
Bakugo kept walking. There was no way he didn't hear her, he was ignoring her on purpose. Ryuko's fists clenched, so she was gonna have to do this the hard way then.
"Hey! When someone talks to you, you listen!" she hissed. Now that got his attention. Along with everyone else, who all dropped their conversations to see how the confrontation would play out.
Bakugo slowly turned his head, showing her his hateful glare for the first time since he lost to Midoriya. Ryuko returned with her own glare, not breaking eye contact as she got down from her desk and walked right up to his face.
"What do you want?" Bakugo asked irritatedly. "I don't have time to deal with you extras."
Ryuko resisted the urge to punch him in the face right then and there. "Now I'm gonna ask you this one time: Why the fuck did you do that?"
"What are you talking about?" Bakugo sneered.
"You know what I'm fucking talking about!" Ryuko roared, her rage slipping from her control. "Why did you do that to Midoriya?"
The second she mentioned his name, Bakugo's glare intensified tenfold. If looks could kill, Ryuko would be catching up with her parents right about now. "You think I wanted to lose to Deku?" he shouted. "That I'm a worthless weakling like him? It's already bad enough that I lost to Deku of all people, I don't need an arrogant bitch like you rubbing it in my face!"
Way to call the kettle black, pot. Still, Bakugo's response left Ryuko reeling. Was that really what he thought she was thinking? He almost killed a kid and the only thing he was concerned about was that his precious ego was bruised?
Kirishima stepped between the two hot-blooded students, trying to force them apart, but neither would budge. "Ok, let's take it easy guys. It's been a long day-"
"Stay out of this Dumb-Hair!" Bakugo shouted. Ryuko hated to agree with him, but she nodded and gently pushed Kirishima away. He walked back to the group of spectators, grumbling something about Bakugo's hair being similar to his.
"You're a fucking idiot," Ryuko spat. "You think I give a shit about your moronic competition to be 'better' than everyone else? I'm pissed because you almost killed Midoriya! You weren't trying to win, you just liked to throw your weight around! You're nothing but a petty bully."
"Why do you care so much about what happens to that damn nerd?" Bakugo snarled venomously. "He's weak, useless, can't do anything! I've been telling him that for eleven fucking years! He didn't even have a quirk yet he pretends that he can be a hero, acting like there's a chance in the world that he'll amount to anything in life! So go ahead! Cry over every loser that doesn't have what it takes! Because while you're busy bleeding your heart dry, I'm gonna be the number one hero! And no self-righteous bitch, useless nerd, or half-and-half bastard is gonna stop me!"
Bakugo turned his back to her, ready to storm out of the classroom. Ryuko's fists clenched and she tuned out the nagging voice in her head that told her this was a bad idea. Or maybe it was just Senketsu.
"Hey," she called out to Bakugo one last time.
"Huh?" Bakugo answered obnoxiously, making the mistake of turning to face her.
Ryuko slugged him in the face.
Six Years Ago
Ryuko Matoi sat down on the wooden bench, setting the drawing she made in art class aside and opened her lunch. They were serving croquettes in the cafeteria today, which was her favorite. It almost made up for having outdoor lunch today, which meant she would be sitting by herself again. Ryuko greedily devoured each delicious morsel, licking the grease and crumbs off her fingers when she was done.
"Look Zankoku! I didn't know we had pigs at school!" a girl pointed at her, showing off to her two friends.
Ryuko looked down in shame. She hoped that they would leave her alone today. Apparently that was asking for too much.
"You can't exactly blame her," their leader, Zankoku Chikushou said. "After all, the little street rat needs all the food she can get. Especially since she and her nutjob daddy live in a filthy shack in the middle of the woods!"
"He's a scientist and we live in a mansion!" Ryuko protested, but her meek voice was drowned out by Zankoku and her cronies' laughter.
"Aww, she's about to cry!" Zankoku said with mock sympathy. "I'll tell you what, I'm feeling rather generous today. So how about you be my little pet for the rest of the day and I'll give you my leftovers in a doggy bag!"
Ryuko covered her ears and closed her eyes to try and pretend like this wasn't happening to her, but all it did was stop her from noticing one of Zankoku's minions grabbing her drawing and handing it to her.
"No! That's mine!" Ryuko tried snatching the drawing back, but Zankoku was too fast.
"Now what do we have here?" she said as she unfurled the drawing. "No way! I think this is supposed to be her mom!"
Zankoku's minions craned their necks to look at the drawing and all three of them burst into laughter. Ryuko wanted nothing more than to just melt into the bench out of shame, but Zankoku wasn't done with her yet.
"Is this who you think your mom is?" Zankoku asked incredulously, showing Ryuko the admittedly terrible drawing. "A supermodel scientist with... rainbows for hair?" Zankoku and her minions laughed again at that last part, making Ryuko blush.
"Well, I know she's gone, but there's still a chance-"
"Look Ryuko," Zankoku cut her off, forcefully slapping her shoulder while one of her minions incinerated the drawing. "Your mom is dead. And she was probably nothing more than a filthy whore who died of trigger overdose. Just like how you'll turn out."
"Wha- what are you talking about?" Ryuko asked.
"What I mean is that you're a loser Ryuko!" Zankoku said like it was obvious. "I mean come on! You're at the very bottom in every class you're in, you suck at sports, you're obviously no artist, and to top it all off, you're the ugliest little goblin I've had the misfortune to look at! In fact, you really can't do anything! You don't even have a quirk!"
"I have a quirk!" Ryuko protested. "I mean I don't know what it is yet, but the doctor says that my hair is related to-"
"Blah blah blah!" Zankoku interrupted. "Let's get out of here girls, I can feel myself being contaminated with loser."
Ryuko looked down, trying her hardest not to cry, but it was pointless. The warm tears streamed down her face, reminding Ryuko of one more thing she was a failure at. But at least she could make sure Zankoku would never mess with her again.
"Hey!" she called out to Zankoku.
The second she turned around, Ryuko punched her in the face as hard as she could, knocking the bully to the ground. Zankoku got up immediately though and wiped away the blood dribbling from her mouth and nose. Ryuko felt a pit growing in her stomach
"Well well well, look who finally decided to grow a spine," Zankoku snarled. "Grab her."
Her two minions rushed at Ryuko, each of them grabbing one of her arms. Ryuko kicked and screamed but the bullies only held on tighter. Zankoku walked up to her, her hands balled into fists. Ryuko kept flailing only to stop when Zankoku knocked the wind out of her with a punch to the gut.
Ryuko wanted to scream in pain, but she didn't have any breath left. Zankoku's strength quirk might not have been the most powerful, but it was more than sufficient to win her any playground brawl. Ryuko didn't have time to brace herself for the next punch, which made her lose a bit more than just her breath.
"Hmm, I guess you've learned your lesson now," Zankoku said. "Only, I feel so bad taking away your lunch like that. Why don't I give it back to you?"
Ryuko's eyes widened in fear as Zankoku drove her face into the ground, smearing it with her own vomit. Ryuko had long since given up fighting, both against Zankoku and the tears that were now flowing freely down her face, mixing with the contents of her stomach.
"Now listen closely!" she snarled, lifting up Ryuko's face so she could look into it. "I want you to remember this moment the next time you think you'll amount to anything in life! You're nothing but a friendless, quirkless loser and that's all you'll ever be!" As she finished, she slammed Ryuko's face into the ground one last time.
Watching Zankoku walk away laughing like a hyena while her cronies dragged her limp body around awoke something inside Ryuko. For some reason, she didn't feel like crying anymore, but it wasn't because she was happy. It was something else, something that made her want to hurt, no destroy whatever was making her feel that way. Ryuko was angry.
With renewed vigor and the strength of ten men she yanked down with both of her arms, smashing the bullies' skulls together. Once they were off her she yelled with rage as she tackled Zankoku to the ground, flipping her front side up so she could punch her face. Zankoku tried defending herself, but Ryuko grabbed both her wrists and twisted them as hard as she could, making a sickening crack.
Zankoku's face was so bloody that there wasn't any point in punching it anymore, but Ryuko wasn't done yet. Standing up, she lifted her foot up and brought it down on her ribcage. And then her windpipe.
She screamed in pain, but Ryuko wouldn't stop stomping. Why would she? It felt amazing to destroy someone who pissed her off! Even when a teacher tried to stop her she tossed aside the grown adult like a rag doll.
Zankoku kept screaming and screaming, but Ryuko kept stomping and stomping.
Until the screaming stopped.
Present Day
Katsuki Bakugo must have been in the air for a whole two seconds before he landed on the ground face first. He slowly managed to stand himself back up, rubbing his stinging cheek. Looking down at his hand, he could see two distinct streams of blood. One from his mouth and the other from his nose. It took Katsuki a while to recover from the pure shock of the revelation that someone had just punched him, but afterwards his thoughts were clear.
That... that fucking bitch! It was time for her to die! She was already pissing him off by having the nerve to look down on him, but now she actually hit him? This was unacceptable to Katsuki, it was time to show her just how much better he was! The blood on his hand evaporated under the intense heat from the small sparks he made to prepare for his largest blast.
Matoi continued to stare at him, as unmoving as a stone wall. Katsuki could feel her eyes piercing into his soul, but it would take more than a mean look to get him to back down!
"Alright bitch!" Katsuki roared. "You asked for it!"
Katsuki began priming the largest explosion he could. While he didn't have his gauntlets with him right now, the sweat he had right now would produce a suitable blast. The only problem was that he'd feel the whole recoil of the explosion, but that was a price he was more than willing to pay. To his surprise, Matoi didn't try dodging or even defending herself, she was just standing in place staring at him. Well, it wouldn't be his fault for what happened next.
"DIE!"
The shock wave of the explosion pushed his classmates to the edge of the room. Desks were sent flying up into the air while papers and pens were completely incinerated. The few school supplies that weren't vaporized swirled around the center of the explosion like a miniature tornado. Smoke filled the room, obscuring Matoi, but Katsuki was still pleased. That would teach her and the other idiots not to mess with him.
And then the smoke cleared.
Matoi wasn't dead, she wasn't lying on the ground in pain, or groveling at his feet for mercy. She was standing up straight in the exact same position she was before, not a hair out of place.
How was that possible? That was the biggest explosion he'd ever made without his gauntlets and it didn't even move Matoi a millimeter! Still stunned with disbelief, Katsuki readied himself for another explosion, confident that it would work this time. He never got the chance though, as before he could move, Four-Eyes grabbed him from behind while Rich-Girl did the same to Matoi.
"Let go of me damnit!" Katsuki tried freeing himself, but Four-Eyes was bigger than him and a lot stronger than he looked. "She's not dead yet!"
"That's why I'm restraining you! You can't let off an explosion like that in the classroom! Even if Matoi wasn't hurt, the rest of us could have been!"
Matoi received a similar scolding from Rich-Girl, but she cooperated and was released. Not that she could restrain her anyway. Katsuki kept flailing though, which only made Four-Eyes hold onto him tighter until Katsuki used a small blast to make him let go.
"What the hell are you looking at?" Katsuki demanded. The rest of the idiots were staring at him with horror, but also disgust. Like he was some kind of rabid beast trapped in a cage. They were all... looking down on him!
"Forget it! I don't care what you idiots think!"
Katsuki ran out of the classroom and ran down the stairs, eager to get away from the hell that was his class. He tried to obscure his face as best as he could, making sure that no one could see the tears on his face.
"That's all for today's treatment! Come back tomorrow, okay?"
Recovery Girl's words echoed in Izuku Midoriya's head as he walked back to his homeroom class, sighing in disappointment. He'd missed all his afternoon classes and the treatment wasn't even done yet. All so he could win a single fight. Mr. Aizawa would probably choke him with his scarf!
Izuku opened the door, ready to be chewed out by his teacher, only to see that another student was already being scolded. Mr. Aizawa was gone though, so it was actually Iida and Yaoryorozu practically screaming at Matoi, who was simply rolling her eyes through it all.
"Hey it's Midoriya!" Kirishima exclaimed, directing all attention onto him. "Good to see you back super!"
A small crowd formed around Izuku, making him more than a little nervous.
"Man, I don't know what you were saying during that match, but you were all fired up!" Kirishima continued.
"I can't believe you held your own against Bakugo! He's super strong!" Sero said.
"Not that strong though," Mina snickered, causing her classmates to do the same. "Still, you did a great job dodging!"
"You guys really turned up in the first match, so none of us held back in our rounds either!" Sato exclaimed.
"You were far from elegant, but I suppose-" Aoyama said before being interrupted by Mina.
"Your dodging was like whoo!"
Izuku had to take a few steps back. Were these people... praising him? The only time this many people talked to him at once at his old school was just to make fun of him! But here he was in the most prestigious hero school in the country and people wanted to be his friend!
"Hey, I'm Ejiro Kirishima!" the boy formally introduced himself. "We've been going over training while you were in recovery."
"Hi! I'm Hanta Sero"
"More importantly I'm-"
"I'm Mina Ashido!" the pink girl interrupted. "And I just gotta say your dodging was awesome!"
"Tsuyu Asui, but please call be Tsuyu."
"Hey, I'm Sato."
"My name is Mineta!" a short boy with purple spheres on his head jumped up.
"And my name is Ryuko Matoi," a girl with short black hair and a single red streak introduced herself. The crowd that formed around Izuku parted to make way for her. Oh right, she was like Kacchan's best friend! "Pleasure to meet you."
Izuku was a little bit wary of the girl who spent most of her time with Kacchan, but she seemed friendly enough. Her smile was confident, but not overly cocky like Kacchan's. Her pale blue eyes looked dangerous, but for now they were dormant and almost docile, like a large cat's after a long day of hunting. Looking closely, Izuku could see that her pupils actually had "teeth" around them, much like gears.
"Um, Izuku Midoriya," he said, shaking Ryuko's hand.
"Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," Ryuko said. Now that took Izuku by surprise. What on Earth did she have to be sorry for?
"I should have never been friends with that bastard," Ryuko spat that last word out. "Uraraka told me about what he did to you as kids, but I didn't listen. Look, if he ever tries messing with you again, just say the word and I'll make him wish he was never born!"
Wait, was she talking about Kacchan? Did something happen between them?
"Oh, well you don't have to be sorry about anything, it's not like you did anything! And you don't have to worry about Kacchan, he's actually been taking it pretty easy on me up until our fight!"
Ryuko still didn't look satisfied and was about to respond, but she was cut off by the door opening once more.
"So anyway," Kaminari chatted with Uraraka. "Wanna grab a bite sometime? What kind of stuff do ya like?"
"Anything sweet," Uraraka answered before she noticed Izuku, running towards him and leaving Kaminari alone. "Hey, Deku! Why didn't you heal your injuries?"
"Oh, well it has to do with how much stamina I'm using," he answered. Izuku looked around the room for Kacchan, wanting to at least provide him with some explanation, but he was nowhere to be found. In fact, his desk was completely cleared out.
"Um, Uraraka? Where's Kacchan?" he asked.
"Oh that's right, you missed it!" Kirishima butted in. "He was talking shit about how he was better than everyone else and you were a loser. Then Matoi beat the snot out of him and he ran away like a baby!" Ryuko blushed, like Kirishima was just flattering her.
They had a fight? Over him? More shocking to Izuku was that Kacchan actually ran away from a fight. He just didn't think that was possible, though it did explain why everyone laughed when Mina said he wasn't that strong.
"We tried to stop him from leaving," Uraraka said. "But he wouldn't listen! You just missed him."
Izuku thanked Uraraka and was about to take off and try to catch up with Kacchan, but Ryuko's voice stopped him.
"Hey, why do you want to see him so badly?" she asked. "From what I've heard, he's been nothing but a jerk to you since as long as you've known the guy. If I were you I'd want nothing to do with him ever again."
"Well, it's just that we used to be really close as kids. And I think he deserves an explanation as to what happened."
"If you're asking me, you don't owe him shit," Ryuko snorted. "Besides, what is there that you could possibly explain? That you were awesome and kicked his ass?"
"Wait, you think I'm awesome?" Izuku asked incredulously. Why did so many people think what he did was cool? All he did was get kicked around by Kacchan and then break his arm.
"Well, yeah!" Ryuko said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean you were dodging him like a pro! It was almost like you'd done this thing a million times before! Hell, you were holding your own against him without even using your quirk! Even when you were afraid, you kept fighting. If that's not awesome, I don't know what is."
Izuku smiled as his classmates nodded in agreement with Ryuko. Still, he felt that he owed Bakugo something. He wouldn't tell him about One For All, just that he wasn't lying about not having a quirk.
"Thanks, but I still need to find him."
Ryuko Matoi watched as Midoriya ran off, trying to catch up to the guy who had tormented him for over a decade. Why Midoriya felt he owed Bakugo anything was truly beyond her, but it was his choice to make. It was also her choice to watch the scene unfold from the classroom window, ready to leap out the window and punch Bakugo if things got too out of hand.
Uraraka was also watching, apparently she was really invested in the "fated battle between rivals" as she put it. Well, Ryuko wouldn't get another chance like this, so she lightly tapped Uraraka's shoulder to get her attention.
"Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what happened this morning," Ryuko apologized. "I... I should have listened to you but I didn't! I was such an idiot! Anyway, I hope we can be friends again."
Uraraka smiled. "Thank you for the apology, but it's not like we ever stopped being friends!" Ryuko looked up at her, confused. "I mean, we had like one fight! That doesn't mean we're not friends anymore! Friends fight sometimes, that's just how it is."
"Well, I only had one fight with Bakugo, do you think we're still friends?" Ryuko joked.
Uraraka chuckled. "Ok, that friendship is probably over. You can do way better than that guy though and in my opinion, you two were never really compatible in the first place. Just promise me you won't do what you did to him again. You can be really scary!"
"Hey if you two are done, how about some quiet?" Mina said. "It's getting really intense down there!"
Ryuko and Uraraka both laughed, then continued to watch the fated battle between rivals.
Izuku took off as fast as he could hoping to catch up to Kacchan before he left school. He made it all the way to the school's main entrance before he saw Kacchan walking home. Izuku racked his brain for what he would say, but his instinct took over.
"Kacchan!" he called out to his childhood friend. "Wait up!"
Kacchan stopped in his tracks before turning to face him, revealing that his face was covered in half-dried blood. "What?" he growled.
Izuku froze, he should have thought of something to say! No one knew his secret, not even his own mom. But if anyone deserved to know the truth, it was Kacchan. His lips trembled for a moment, and then he spoke.
"I have to tell you something. Maybe then you'll understand what's been going on," he said meekly. "I wasn't hiding my quirk from you. It was given to me by someone else, recently. But I can't tell you who I got it from so don't ask! It sounds crazy I know, it's like something out of a manga, only it's real. The thing is, I don't really have any control over this power yet. I haven't figured out how to make it my own, but I'm trying."
Kacchan was shaking with rage, but Izuku was so wrapped up in what he was saying that he didn't notice.
"That's why I didn't want to use it against you in the exercise. But in the end it was the only way I had a chance of winning! I've still got a lot to learn, I know that! That's why I'm here! You'll see, I'll work until I have full control of this borrowed quirk! And I'll finally beat you with my own power!"
Oh crap that was apparently the wrong thing to say! Not only did he say more than he needed to, but it also just made Kacchan even angrier! Kacchan shivered with rage before bringing it under control.
"How dumb do you think I am?" he spat with venom. "Borrowed power? Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot! I've already been a fool of twice today. First you beat me in that damn training exercise, then Matoi punches me in the face and I couldn't do anything about it! Did you come here to rub it in? I lost! And to make matters worse it was to you!"
Kacchan was shaking again, but not with rage.
"I couldn't even get first in that stupid entrance exam! Matoi completely trashed my score! And when she fought that ice guy, I realized I couldn't beat him in a head-to-head fight either! Crap! I even agree with what that girl said! My attack was so stupid! And it didn't even make Matoi flinch! I would've been completely helpless if we fought for real!"
Kacchan stopped covering his face, showing Izuku the tears streaming down his face and mixing with the blood.
"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Enjoy that win Deku! You won't get another! I'm just getting started! Got that? I'm gonna end up the number one hero no matter what!"
Izuku stared blankly at his rival, then looked him in the eyes with determination. Unable to stand being seen crying anymore, Kacchan turned his back to Deku and continued walking away.
"You'll never beat me again you bastard," Bakugo said as he wiped his tears. "Don't even try!"
Izuku gulped and then sighed with relief. Thank goodness that was finally over. Izuku was about to go back inside to change out of his costume when a red blur ran by him.
"THERE YOU ARE!" All Might cried. "BAKU! GO! I FOUND YOU!" the number one hero said as he put his hands on Kacchan's shoulders. Izuku signaled to All Might that this really wasn't the best time to give an inspirational speech, but the pro hero didn't notice him.
"JUST SO YOU KNOW, PRIDE IS AN IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTE TO HAVE!" All Might lectured. "BUT WHILE YOU CERTAINLY HAVE THE ABILITIES TO BECOME A PRO HERO, THERE'S STILL PLENTY YOU HAVE TO LEARN!"
"Let go of me All Might," Kacchan softly demanded. "Right now. Save your speeches. I'll be more famous than you and I'll do it without your help!" he snarled.
"UH, RIGHT," All Might released Kacchan, clearly confused that someone just rejected his help.
All Might probably thought that Kacchan was over it already, but Izuku knew better. This wasn't over, not by a long shot. Kacchan's fuse had been lit, there was a fire under him that wasn't present before. But no matter how hard he worked, Izuku would work even harder! He'd keep chasing after him, until he finally surpassed him.
"MIDORIYA!" All Might called to him, breaking him out of his trance. "WHAT WERE YOU SAYING TO BAKUGO BEFORE I ARRIVED SO HEROICALLY?"
Izuku grinned sheepishly, then told All Might what he said to Kacchan.
"YOU DID WHAT?"
A/N: Well now that finals are over, I've finally had enough time to finish this chapter in time for the new year! Of all the chapters I've wrote so far, this one is by far my favorite. I legitimately felt angry myself writing some of those sections from Ryuko and Bakugo's POV. The one thing i have a problem with was that I think I went too overboard with Ryuko's bullies, but I needed to keep her sympathetic while still having her beat the shit out of a little girl. I hope you liked this one as much as I did, because the next chapter's gonna be... electing a class rep. Exciting.
And before the Bakugo stans jump me for demonizing their favorite character, I want to make something clear. Just because most of the story takes place from Ryuko's POV does not mean that she's always right. I love her, but she's flawed as a person and there will be times where she's wrong and Bakugo's right. I personally don't really like Bakugo, but I want to treat him fairly. There's just too many stories where an OC or a crossover character makes Bakugo look worse than he really is and I don't want to fall into that trap.
Since this is the first chapter with a non-canon fight scene, I've decided that I'd give my own analysis as to who would actually win in a fight! Keep in mind that while I try to be as well-informed as possible, these are entirely my own opinion. I'm not exactly Death Battle. It's also worth noting that while this is what I think would happen, what actually happens in the story might be completely different. With that out of the way, welcome to the first...
Battle Breakdown: Ryuko Matoi vs. Shoto Todoroki!
Now if I'm being honest with this one, this was a stomp for Ryuko. Like not even close. The only thing that kept Todoroki from getting taken out before he could process what was happening was because Ryuko had to hold back the entire time. Todoroki's physical body is rather weak, even by MHA standards, which is a huge disadvantage in a fight with someone like Ryuko, who's stronger, faster, and more durable. His one advantage, range, is almost completely negated by Ryuko's speed and the tight quarters they were fighting in. Even his largest icebergs wouldn't scratch Senketsu, who withstood an All Might level punch from Mako without even synchronizing. Finally, Todoroki clearly has a limit on how much ice he can produce, while Ryuko has no such limit with Senketsu now that she's unashamed of her body. Overall, there really was no way for Todoroki to win outside of plot armor. Ryuko wins 10/10.