Notes: Oh boy... finally here people. work was busy, and this was not a chapter i wanted to rush. and here we are. Enjoy!
Fate had a strange way of playing itself out for Katara, the waterbender tapping her foot anxiously in her waiting room. In her own world, she had faced someone who was determined to defeat her and her friends to prove something for his father. And now, she was about to battle her classmate Todoroki, who wanted to defeat her so he could prove something to his father. It seemed almost… poetic in a way for her; A little reminder to the home she had lost. But to say this is something she planned for was dead wrong.
She had to face off against the son of Endeavor, a man that seemed so power hungry that he didn't care about his own kid. It was much to like what Zuko had told her of his own father. But to compare him to the fire lord? No. She had never even met the fire lord herself, but it didn't take a genius to understand Endeavor was not the monster that was Ozai. He wasn't a murderer and did try to save others… but a parent was for certain not even on his radar of priorities. She clenched her fist in frustration that someone was so blind they couldn't even see what they did to their own family.
The sudden knock on the door caused her heart beat harder as she was signaled the start of her match. She took a deep breath before standing up, re strapping her canteen onto her waist as she walked over to the door. Every step she took through the hall seemed silent as her mind began to block out everything around her. Surprising even herself, her heart raced faster, but it wasn't from fear. It was something she only felt a few times in her time in her life, one of true focus and determination. Katara couldn't help but chuckle to herself when she realized what she was feeling, something she didn't realize until it was about to happen.
She wanted to face Todoroki.
"NOW PEOPLE, LETS HEAR THE NOISE AS WE GET THE SEMI FINALS CRACKING! WE ARE STARTING THIS FIRST MATCH UP WITH THE TWO THAT HAVE BEEN NECK AND NECK THIS ENTIRE DAY!"
The audience screamed in excitement as Present Mic readied them for perhaps the most anticipated match of the day for them. For most of the pro heroes attending, Todoroki was the one to watch when they came here. Being the son of the second ranked hero was already enough for attention, and he had displayed power that backed up the hype behind him. But there was something that none of them had expected show up at this festival, someone with enough talent to sweep in and steal some of the thunder away from the child of Endeavor.
Katara.
A girl who none of them had known of until she was chosen for the opening speech. Her words had struck many of them just as hard as the students below, and they all paid attention once she had taken first after the race. They were even more surprised when she and her team took victory in the team matches as well, retaking the points from Todoroki's team. And after two action packed matches, she was here once again to put on a show for all of them. Many could not wait to see what she had in store now against the one riding in her wake the entire time.
"FIRST, WE HAVE HER AGAIN PEOPLE, THE WATER GODDESS THAT IS WASHING AWAY THE OBSTACLES BLOCKING HER PATH! FROM THE HERO COURSE, KAIRI KATARA!"
Katara stared across the stage as her opponent made his way up the steps, his dual colored eyes locked onto her like a hungry wolf. She took another breath as they refused to break eye contact of one another, both ready for this. Even their classmates could feel the tension from the seats, all remaining silent as they stared down below.
"VERSUS… THIS GUY CAN PULL A GLACIER OUT OF HIS POCKET. FROM THE HERO COURSE, SHOTO TODOROKI!"
While the crowds cheers rang through the air, the two combatants drowned it out as they reached their spots on stage, Todoroki's fist clenching slightly as he looked down to the canteen on her side. "So the time has come, Katara." He calm but sternly said, Katara grunting in response.
"It seems so, doesn't it. You've been waiting for this haven't you." She shot back at him.
"Not a day has gone by since learning you who are… this is what I must do."
The teachers all eyed the pair on the stage beneath them with a curious eye. All Might especially was unsure how this was going to turn out. He had seen both in action through the weeks and especially today, and still couldn't tell who would take it. This was a battle of power versus versatility, brute force versus technique. It was for sure a coin toss for him.
"NOW PEOPLE, LET'S SEE WHAT THESE TWO ARE MADE OF!"
The crowds cries died down as Mic readied them for the show. Both combatants heard the call as well, bracing their bodies and readying their stances. Soon everything went silent, the only thing that could be heard was the rustling of the breeze.
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"START!"
The ice burst out from Todoroki's foot across the stage straight for Katara, the waterbender stepping back and shifting the incoming attack to the right. She spun the majority of the ice path out and bended off a large chunk, shifting it back to water and launching it back at him. Todoroki glared and formed an ice barrier in front of himself blocking it before another larger stream of ice burst out towards her. Katara ran forward and swiped her arm along the ice formed earlier pulling up a water whip and slashed it forward cutting through several of the incoming ice spikes. She spun her body around and threw another powerful slash out swiping into the center of the charging mass splitting it down the center, but it was immediately filled with more chasing ice coming towards her.
Gritting her teeth, Katara threw the water to her feet and skated out of the way before sliding forward and throwing a pair of ice spikes right at Todoroki. Leaning onto his right foot again, Todoroki created another wall of ice blocking the attacks, grunting and braced his body once again. "As I thought… something basic like that won't get you so easily." He said out loud.
Katara nodded in agreement and brought some of the water up to her shoulders. "I can't let it be too easy for you."
Glaring, Shoto's hand frosted over as he brought it in front of his face. "Then I won't be taking it easy any more."
The moment his hand touched the ground, Katara's eyes widened as a spike littered ice wall larger than the earlier ones barreled towards her. She used her bending and redirected the first section, but the chasing mass was coming too fast. She used her own water and pushed her body across the ground as the ice rushed passed where she was seconds earlier. She barely had a moment before another ice path burst straight at her, taking her water and forming her own ice barricade and launching it at it. To her shock her own ice wall broke from the force of his attack, bending whatever ice around her she could use to skate her way out of the ices path and rush towards him.
"You're ice is fast, but if it's water I can use it!" Katara yelled as she bended off a large section of the ice he just created and formed an ice spike over her arm. She leaped into the air towards him, but he swung his arm up at her summoning a column of ice straight up towards her. She she tried spinning her body to avoid the attack, but hissed out when her shoulder was clipped by the ice tearing through her shirt.
"OHH! TODOROKI LANDED THE FIRST BLOW OF THE MATCH! LET'S SEE WHERE THIS GOES NEXT!" Mic yelled out from his announcing booth.
She fell back to the ground and clutched her shoulder, wincing at the sharp pain running up her arm. She stepped back and gave him a smirk. "Not bad."
Shoto raised her eyebrow curiously at her. "You finding enjoyment in this?"
"No, but was a little surprised…" She said as she brought a hand full of water up to her shoulder. "I didn't think you would get me already."
The glow from Katara's hand caused Todoroki to clench his fist, watching as she pulled it away and saw the cut on her shoulder was gone now. "If you think healing yourself every time will help you, you are mistaken."
Katara smirked slightly at him. "You sure? You think you can last that long using your ice?"
Shoto's heart jumped slightly. His eyes glanced to his right hand and saw a small patch of ice forming on his thumb. His gaze shifted back up to her, exhaling through his nose in anger. "What are you trying to get at?"
Waving her hands, Katara bended several broken pieces of ice around her into water that floated up to her body. The water crawled up her body and covered her shoulders and arms. "You don't act like it, but I think you have a limit to your powers." she coyly said, earning an unheard tsk from Todoroki.
"I have plenty of energy left to deal with you." he grunted out and ran forward. The ground beneath him became enshrouded in frost as he was launched into the air on an ice path above his opponent before he thrust his right hand down and blasted a thick ice stream down towards her. Katara shot her water whips up and grabbed onto the incoming attack and pulled herself out of the way and flying straight towards him. She swung her arms forward once more and corkscrewed her whips towards him, only for Todoroki to expel a thick barrier of ice outward forcing her to stop her own attack. Katara kicked off the ice column near her and rappelled herself back to the ground with her water whips.
"He is strong…" Katara whispered to herself as Todoroki skated down his ice column and shot another wave from his right side. She swung her arms and redirected the attack outward from herself and shot it back towards him. Once again however, she watched as even more ice burst out from him shattering the ice she was bending. Katara glared and tried bending the ice back, waving her arms faster but the force kept coming, forcing her to leap out of the way.
Up in the class A section, Tenya leaned forward in his seat as he watched his friend battling Todoroki. The attacks continued back and forth against each other, ice and water shooting across the stage. His mind was spinning as he saw her battling, realizing just how talented she was. She was much more powerful than he had originally thought, but as she was backing up from the incoming attacks, he was growing concerned.
"She's being overpowered…" He whispered out loud.
"Wow, Todoroki sure is strong…" Ashido gripped her hair in worry. "Come on Katara, you got this!"
The others were watching with the same thoughts, seeing how much force was being unleashed with Todoroki's attacks. Midoriya and Momo also sat worried, but for some reason, the green haired teen looked down to Katara with a curious gaze as she dodged another barrage of ice. He was with her when the nomu attacked, and he saw how fast she could attack. If he didn't know any better, it seemed as if she wasn't going all out. In fact, it seemed like she was trying to make him use his quirk more.
Huffing out, Katara took several breaths as she stood back up. The stage was almost fully covered in a low hanging fog from the attack her and her opponent had been using against one another, the cold air over the concrete feeling like a freezer now. She wiped off some loose water from her brow and looked across the stage to Todoroki standing there, looking towards his right arm. She could see the patches of frost forming on his skin. Not only that, she noticed the slight movement he was trying to hide.
He was shivering.
Katara had been in this world for several months, and there was much she didn't know still. One thing she did learn in her studying with Tenya was that quirks had limitations. Even with training, there was only so much a body could take using their power. And the more Todoroki was using his ice, the more frost seemed to form on the left side of him. She then noticed his left was untouched… and unused. He was hurting himself by refusing to use that power. She then felt a tightness in her stomach, knowing why he was doing this to himself.
While she stared at him, Todoroki stepped forward and took another deep breath controlling his motions. "You've done pretty well so far, but this is ending now." he said towards her.
Katara furrowed her brow at the statement. "How so? You haven't been able to land anything since my shoulder."
"I may not know the extent to your quirk, but I doubt you will be able to keep this up. You do seem to have trouble stopping my larger attacks, however…" Shoto claimed as his right hand emitted more frost. "So it looks like your powers have limits."
"You may be right, but it looks like you do too."
Shoto's heart jumped slightly, but kept his composure not showing any emotion. Before he could say anything, he watched curiously as she unstrapped her full canteen from her body. "What do you think you are doing?"
"I don't think I will be needing this against you." She taunted him and tossed the water out of the ring. A mix of gasps came from the audience and the UA students to her action.
"What is she doing? That's her water." Momo questioned out loud. Midoriya however brought his hand to his chin.
"She hasn't used her own water once, and his ice his fuel for her quirk. She hasn't needed it." He responded.
"But she should keep it just as a reserve." Momo said again, wondering what was going through Katara's head for doing that.
Shoto glared towards the waterbender, clenching his fist at her move. "You trying to get under my skin won't help you. This match is over now."
Katara opened her hands and held them out in front of her body in her waterbenders stance. "I told you I wasn't going to make it easy for you."
Grunting, Todoroki blew out of his mouth a small frost cloud. "Either way, I've seen your power and know you can't stop this."
Katara watched as a stream of ice larger than anything he used against her yet burst forward and rushed her direction. She knew her normal bending methods couldn't stop it, the force was too much. Instead of jumping out of the way, however, she clenched her fists and braced her body. She planted her feet hard on the ground encasing them in ice and locking them in place. She tightened her core and held her arms strong, just like the training she watched her old friends do so many times.
She readied herself like a rock.
Yelling out, Katara threw her fist forward and slammed it into the ice coming towards her. The impact shattered the ice outward, cracking back and splitting the incoming attack into hundreds of pieces. Shoto's mouth fell open in shock from the new display. "What the hell was that?"
"WOAH! KATARA JUST SHATTERED THAT ATTACK OF TODOROKI'S! THAT'S A NEW ONE!" Mic yelled out in a mix of shock and excitement. His co host widened his eyes as well to the sudden change. Aizawa was no master, but he had trained in several different martial arts to recognize Katara's normal fighting style, and that wasn't hers.
The class A students were all in amazement as well, their eyes widened in disbelief from the match. Ojiro especially intrigued as his tail twitched. "Amazing…" he said out loud earning a nod from Tokoyami.
"Yes, that was amazing what she did and-
"Did you see her stance?" Ojiro grabbed his chin as he grinned. "I know several styles of fighting, and she just went from defensive to an offensive pose. Does that change how her quirk works?"
Midoriya overheard that and looked back to his friend below, his curiosity growing. He had heard Ojiro was a black belt in karate, so he knew what he was talking about. He had also seen Katara's style and noticed the change as well.
Even Bakugo was silent as he watched the match continue. His quirk was an emitter style like Todoroki's and knew there was a limit how much you could produce before hurting yourself. Katara however was a manipulator style, controlling things outside the body. It was known quirks like that usually did not effect the body as bad.
'So, looks like hair loops can keep going.' He sneered to himself and gabbed his chin, analyzing which would be his possible opponent in the finals.
Shoto glared as his previous ice attack clattered to the ground in front of him. "You were holding back earlier, weren't you?" He accused her. Katara stayed silent for a few seconds before her eyes reached his arm, seeing the frost creeping up his skin and even forming on his face.
"you look cold, Todoroki."
Shoto's heart skipped a beat as his right side clenched to her words. He exhaled out and couldn't hide the frost coming out of his mouth.
"It seems you are using your right side too much. Wouldn't you feel better if you warmed yourself up?" She taunted him, bringing a furious glare to his face as she continued.
"You are hurting yourself doing this. I know you have more in you than this ice, so why are you holding back against me?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Shoto sneered out clenching his fist.
"You think you can beat me just using your ice? An element I can control?" Katara clenched her own fist and glared back. "You'll have to use something I cannot stop with my own power. If you don't, then this will be over for you."
"Damn you…" Shoto blood raced through his body, the words she was using sounding familiar to him. "Did my old man get to you and tell you this?"
"I don't care about what he thinks, but I will say this to you," Katara brought her hands up in front of her body once more. "Using half of your power will only hurt you. You have a gift that you are refusing to use!"
"I told you… I refuse to use that power!" Shoto slammed his right hand into the ground bursting out a jagged column of ice towards his opponent. Katara noticed however the attacks speed. It was slower than before.
She swiped her hands in front of her diverting the ice away and bending it into a thick stream of water before shooting it back towards him. Shoto's hand swiped forward and shot another ice wall forward colliding with her water stifling her attack. The two exchanged several more times, each attack bringing another chill to Todoroki's body. He didn't care, however. He would not break his promise.
"I will not allow that man to use me…" Shoto hissed as his hand shot a burst of ice outward. "I am not a test subject for him!"
Katara braced her body once more and slammed her fist into the attack breaking it like the one earlier. She stared back to him, but her glare had faded to a softer gaze. "Then don't be a prisoner to his control."
Todoroki eyes shot open to her statement, his breath catching in his throat before he clenched his teeth together. "He does not control me… he will not decide what I do with my life."
"Look at yourself now!" Katara yelled as she bended away another one of his attacks and shot a barrage of ice spikes towards him. "You said you were not holding back against me, and yet you are fighting with half of your power!"
"Shut up…" Todoroki hissed out and swiped his arm again creating an ice wall before skating across the ground with his quirk. "I will not use that side of his. Because of him… she is gone!"
Katara's breath caught in her chest to his words, her eyes widening in shock. She barely reacted in time as she jumped out of the way as more ice shot her way. She skated backwards on the existing ice on the stage before she ran out of room to go. While her body reacted on instinct bending away another attack, her mind was turning to what he had just said. He didn't say who 'she' was, but she knew who he was referring to.
"Because of him, she is gone. I can't remember the last time I saw her smile, and I haven't been able to face her since…" He looked back up to her, his eyes filled with pain and anger. "I haven't had my mother since I was a child. And its because of him." His right side continued to gather frost on his arm and leg but he didn't stop. His mind then pictured the image of his father watching him now, causing his hatred to rise even more. "She is gone because of what happened, that's why I will never use his power."
Tenya and the others could not hear what the combatants were saying to each other, but the look on both of their faces was something deep. Something… personal.
Katara yelped as some of the ice made it passed her bending and ripped through her shirt. She still didn't break her eye contact with Shoto, the pain he was feeling reaching into her own heart. She panted several times as she stood back up straight. "I know how you feel. I know what it's-
"Shut up…" Todoroki's eyes shot open in anger to her attempt of sympathy and lifted his right foot. "You have no idea what that I went through, and what I lost!"
His foot slammed back into the ground, Katara gasping in shock as another explosion of ice burst forth rivaling the attack used on Sero earlier. She thrust her hands forward to stop whatever she could, but she could tell it was far too much to stop. It took less than a second before she felt her body blasted back by the force of the glacier she could barely move before everything around her froze. Her legs locked in place before her stomach and arms couldn't move. She barely got in a breath before her face was locked in ice, the only thing she had left to move was her eyes staring down below.
The audience stared in shock to another mountain sized glacier formed on the stage, amazed by the power this student could unleash. He rivaled the strength of some of the upper ranked heroes, and for the second time he had ended the match in a powerful finale. But this time the one hit with the ice was fully encased inside this time, bringing a wave of concern to the victims safety.
"KATARA'S BEEN FROZEN FULLY IN ICE! SHE DOESN'T HAVE ANY AIR!" Mic shouted out to the scary situation.
"Katara!" Tenya yelled out in fear as he leaned over the railing.
Momo covered her mouth in shock as well. "No… it's over for her now."
Shoto panted on the ground with more ice over his body, his eyes widening in fear as well. He was angry, but he did not mean to encase even her face inside ice. Midnight was thinking the same thing as she ran along the edge of the arena towards the glacier and looked to Katara suspended fully inside the ice. She gritted her teeth and turned back towards the one who froze her. "Todoroki, thaw her out of there now!"
"R-right…" Shoto panted and stood back up and hobbled over towards the glacier. He reached his left hand up to touch the ice when he looked to Katara, the bubbles flowing around her head and-
"What?" both Todoroki and Midnight stopped moving when they saw the stream of bubbles exiting Katara's nose, the ice around her face melting into water. The pocket of water expanded inside the glacier to her arms, the limbs immediately crossing her body before thrusting out, the force bursting out and shattering the ice around her. Shoto watched in disbelief as Katara dropped back to the ground, the waterbender panting out with a stern glare on her face.
"WOW! KATARA BROKE HERSELF OUT! IS THERE NOTHING THAT CAN STOP THIS GIRL!?" Mic shouted out once again in amazement.
Midnight's mouth hung open in shock before she shook her head clear and raised her hand. "K-Katara is freed, therefore the match continues!"
Everyone else in the audience were left in a state of utter silence from the power displayed. The students all stared in amazement to the power Todoroki had, and how many things Katara could do. Both of these teens rivaled the abilities of those in the top forty ranked heroes, and they were still this young. The pros in the stands began mumbling to the talent of this girl, many already thinking what a girl like this could do at their agency.
A certain flame hero however only gripped his crossed arms tighter, the frustration inside growing to the match he was watching. "How the hell…" Endeavor mumbled out under his breath, "This damn girl won't quit."
Shoto was in disbelief as he stared at Katara there, broken free from his most powerful ice attack. "What the hell did you do there? You couldn't move." he questioned her.
Katara continued panting as water dripped down her face, her gaze never leaving his. She gripped her torn gym uniform and ripped the shirt off, leaving her sleeveless gray tank top underneath. Even now, she was not angry towards him. Her glare was to the thoughts that were inside her head, the reasoning to his pain. While he didn't want to hear anything, she could feel the torment inside of his mind. It was something she was all too familiar with. Not just with her friend, but within herself.
"I know how you feel, Todoroki."
Shoto's eyes widened even once again at the same statement she said to him earlier. "What are you talking about? What do you about my pain?"
"I understand more than you could ever know." she said as she raised her hands up, the fog over the stage parting and revealing the ice covered stage. Nearly half of the arenas ice shifted into water, the massive pool dropped down encircling her body while her arms were enshrouded in long water whips. "I know what it feels like to lose someone!"
Katara was the one bursting forward now, a thick wave of water following her as she rushed Todoroki. He shot a stream of ice towards her, but her water carried her out of the way faster than his attack moved. Shoto attempted to create a barrier to protect himself, but one of her whips collided into his chest sending him bouncing across the stage. He panted as he crawled back to his knees seeing her surfing towards him.
"I know what it feels like to feel angry to someone who hurt you, who caused you pain." She yelled as she shot her whips at him again, barely missing as he rolled out of the way. "I know what it feels like to feel enraged to what happened as a child, unable to do anything."
Shoto slammed his hand into the stage again, but the frost on his arm was beginning to cause him pain. He winced out as the ice continued to slow, not able to rise fast enough before another surge of water collided into him sending him flying back again. His feet touched the ground and immediately created ice behind him stopping his movements. His body however was the least of his worries, for his mind was becoming scrambled to the words she continued yelling at him.
"I know the pain you have, and more than you can imagine…" Katra's own eyes were now giving off the pain and anger he had recognized so many times in himself, unable to block another blast of water slamming him into the ice behind him. "Don't act like you are the only one who has been hurt. I know what it feels to lose that person you love… I know what it feels like to lose my mother!"
The air fell silent to Shoto when those words reached him, unable to move as another blast of water collided into his chest breaking him through the ice and skidding across the ground. He winced in pain and slowly crawled back up, but his eyes stared blankly to the ground. "She… lost her mother?"
"I was unable to do anything to help her, I was helpless. And now I have to live with that…" Katara's voice almost cracked as she remembered that fateful day, glaring back to the teen crawling up. "That's why I trained to be stronger, to use my powers to keep those I love safe. Tell me, why are you here if you won't use your powers to help others?"
Shoto wheezed out through the cold in his chest and glared back to her. "I will not use that bastards power…" He struggled to his feet, panting and clenching his fist. "I won't let him win."
"You are letting him win by hurting yourself!" Katara landed on the ground and waved her arms around her body, the wave of water rushing out encircling both her and Todoroki. The rotating ring began closing in tighter. "You are being a prisoner to your own anger!"
"I said shut up!" Shoto slammed his hand into the stage once more, ice erupting outward guarding his body. He gripped his right arm as the ice crept up more, his body unable to stop shivering. The ice in front of him suddenly shifted into water and split, his eyes going wide as Katara came charging in with a water whip shooting out and striking him in the chest and breaking through both the ice and her wall of water. He collided onto the stage, barely able to crawl to his feet. "I refuse to be like him…"
"Then don't be like him! You are your own person!"
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'Shoto… you want to be a hero, don't you?'
Shoto's eyes widened when he heard that voice in his head, one he had forgotten what it sounded like. "Mother?" he stuttered out.
Those words Katara said to him, they reminded him of that person who he had lost. Even as she shot forth another water whip striking his stomach, he didn't react, his mind too focused on the image inside of his head. 'Why… why are these thoughts coming to me?'
He began remembering everything; the pain he received from his father. The hours of grueling training causing his body to ache. The tears he poured out hating every minute spent with that man. The sight of him hurting his mother who tried to help her son. But then he remembered the warm feeling he had forgotten about, one he didn't know he still had. The warmth of her holding him close, ignoring the pain on her face to give him the comfort every child needed.
'I-I don't want to be someone who hurts you. I… I don't want to be like dad!'
'But you want to be a hero, don't you?' the warm voice his mother said to him as she stroked his head.
Shoto hobbled to his feet in pain as the frost nearly encased his right side, his eyes locked onto the ground. "I will be my own person, w-without his p-power."
Katara took another deep breath as she stepped forward, her eyes almost pleading for him to listen. "That's your power, yours to choose who you are! If you cannot accept yourself, you'll always be his prisoner!"
Those words.
Shoto's heart clenched to those final words, his mind thinking back to the time he was cradled next to his mother. His face covered in a warm smile as he watched All might on screen talking to the audience.
"Remember, only you can decide to become a hero, no one else. Take this to heart kids! You got this!"
"I Remember now…" Shoto whispered out, "How much I had forgotten." The warm words of his mother reaching his heart once more, the cold on his skin fading away.
"You are not a prisoner of your lineage. It's okay to use your power, Shoto. To become who you want to be."
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...
Katara's eyes went wide from the sudden burst of flames engulfing Todoroki's body, the wave of heat blasting her hair out behind her. She brought her arm up to block some of the intense flare, staring in awe to the eruption of fire dancing in front of her.
"WHAT'S THIS!?" Mic shouted out in amazement to the towering flames rising from the stage.
The class A students all gasped as they felt their hair blown back from the hot air. Tenya particularly sat in shock as the heat was felt from his chair, remembering what Todoroki said during the calvary battle. "He used his left."
Katara lowered her arm as she gazed to the burning left side of him, seeing the flames pulsing out from the very surface of his skin. She then noticed the ice dissolving off across his right, the heat balancing his body back to normal.
"You are crazy, Katara… you could have knocked me out earlier, and yet you pushed me to this." Shoto whispered out for her to hear, the ice melting off of his face. He looked back up to her, his eyes no longer bearing the anger they had before, but relief. "And yet you are right… I won't be like him. I want to be a hero!"
The look he gave was one Katara had never seen displayed on him. It was one showing he was freed from the chains that had held him down for so many years, now finally able to be who he wanted to be. She couldn't help but return the look that he gave to her.
They were smiling at each other for the first time.
"YES SHOTO!"
The audience turned in confusion to the booming voice that wasn't the announcer, seeing Endeavor stomping down the steps, his face twisted in a malicious grin. "You've finally accepted who you are! Now, you will finally surpass me and fulfill my ambitions! This is the day I have been waiting to see!"
The flame hero's son didn't even turn to acknowledge the call towards him, his eyes locked onto the one that truly made him see the light. He didn't even feel the tear of relief falling down his cheek.
Katara couldn't help but chuckle as she looked towards Endeavor in the stands. "He still thinks he is the one calling your shots, yet he doesn't control your destiny."
"Don't be worrying about me, Katara. You lost your advantage in this fight now," Shoto's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward. "Don't blame me for what happens next."
Shoto slammed his right foot into the floor once more, ice erupting out to the side as his flames burst higher on his left. Katara brought her arms in front of herself summoning two giant streams of water encircling her body. "I told you I won't make this easy for you."
A column of fire burst out from Todoroki racing towards Katara, the waterbender launching her own stream of water colliding with the flames. The attacks collided in a loud hiss as they canceled each other out, steam blasted into the sky as they attacked once more the same way. Todoroki then turned and slammed his right foot again and unleashed another mountain sized ice wall out. Katara ran forward and shot another water whip up and connected to the ice. She pulled herself up and flew along the side of its face, landing her feet onto the ice and skating down the glacier.
"You can use your power for yourself and not him…" she yelled as she dragged her hand behind her bending more of the ice into water. The new water immediately followed her forming into a large wave rushing down the ice with her. "You are who you choose to be!"
Shoto swung his left arm to the side unleashing a powerful wave of flames melting the ice around him, his glowing hand raising up to face the incoming wave of water. His mind however, was not worried to whatever happened. He finally felt at peace.
"I can finally see myself with open eyes, Katara..." he whispered timself hand became enshrouded in flames as it raised, Katara's own arms thrusting forward and unleashing all the water she could at him, the powerful current rushing at him as his hand glowed brighter.
"… Thank you."
The explosion of fire rushed out from Todoroki colliding with the wall of water in a blinding wall of steam rushing out through the crowd. The crowd gasped out as the hot mist blew through the arena, the bright flashes of flames shining through the gray haze and crashing of ice showing the fight was still happening despite no one able to see it. And then… everything went silent.
"Holy shit, these two are crazy!" Kirishima yelled out shielding his eyes.
"What the hell is going on down there?" Momo gasped out in shock as the surge of steam finally stopped blowing her hair back. Tenya and the others stared in utter amazement to the battle below.
Even the class B students were silenced as they stared down into the thick cloud on the stage. Some were in disbelief just how powerful the two below were. Shiozake swallowed the lump in her throat realizing the true difference in strength of herself and the girl below, feeling lucky she even lasted as long as she did against Katara. Suddenly, the mist began to clear, giving a view for the crowd.
"WHAT'S THIS!? WE HAVE A VIEW OF THE STAGE! WHAT HAPPENED DOWN THERE!?" Mic shouted out in anticipation as he stared intently to the arena below.
The audience and the students all sat in silence waiting for the view to finally open. Endeavor clenched the railing in excitement waiting to see his prize alone in the ring, the power of the fire he felt should have easily pushed her out. His smile faltered though when he saw what was below.
In the clearing air, both combatants were standing in the arena facing each other. Todoroki's left side of his gym outfit was burned off, his face evaporating whatever water off his face as he panted hard. He struggled to keep his balance as he kept his gaze onto the girl in front of him. Katara was also littered with burns across her clothes, her face littered with char marks from the scorching flames. Her hair was broken free from her braid and hung loose down her face and back. Her arm shook from the sear running up her left arm, too exhausted gather any water to try and heal it. The only thing she could was smile his way.
"Now… that…" She wheezed out between ragged breaths. "is accepting… who you are."
With those words, Katara's vision went blank as the last of her strength faded away. She fell down to her knees and collapsed onto the ground, exhaustion taking hold of her as she slipped into unconsciousness.
Midnight sat in silence to the match she just watched before she remembered what she was there for. "K-Katara is out of commision. Todoroki wins!"
Even as the crowd erupted into powerful screams and cheers, Shoto kept his eyes onto the girl on the ground before him. Even with her passed out on the ground, he could see the small smile on her face. Even in defeat, she somehow was able to feel good about what had happened just now, and for some reason, he had a feeling of relief to what had just happened. It was something he had never expected from when he saw her picture and when she happened to be sitting next to him in class.
Because of her, he felt free for the first time in his life.
notes: woo hoo! this was a hard but fun chapter to write! i hope this was as good as i wanted it to be.
I wanted 2020 to go out with a bang. let me hear your thoughts to this fight!
Till next time!