I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Here we all are, the semi-finals! Here, we shall witness which of our final four contestants are the best of the first years! So without further delay, let's get to the first match! Todoroki Shouto and Midoriya Izuku, take to the stage!" Present Mic announced.

Mineta watched as his friend walked out onto the field, each of his steps full of purpose. Todoroki as well, there was real weight behind each of his movements. The shorter boy swallowed the lump in his throat as he felt the pressure between the two. There was an immense, menacing energy stirring in the air. It was like two nemeses meeting again after several years of emotional turmoil.

"There's a thought… I wonder if that'll happen with me and Shinso…" Mineta muttered, momentarily distracting himself from the intensity of the current faceoff.

"This is shaping up to be quite the battle… Will Midoriya-kun be alright? He has the speed to avoid Todoroki-kun's attack… But even I got caught eventually." Iida asked.

"He'll be fine… I think…" Uraraka answered as sweat rolled down the sides of her face.

"What do you think Mineta-chan?" Tsuyu asked, turning to the shorter boy. He leaned back as Present Mic got through his usual introductions. Honestly, Mineta didn't care who won the match so long as Midoriya accomplished his current goal. But it would be nice if his partner won and had a chance for the finals. So with that, he turned to his friends and gave them a curious little shrug.

"Anything goes remember? Midoriya might pull it off, he might not. All we can do is cheer like he will and hope for the best. But personally, I think he can make it."

That seemed to have done the trick. There was still this pressure within Iida, Uraraka, and Tsuyu, but they were ready to fight against it. They then turned their eyes back to the field, eyes locked onto Midoriya as he readied a fighting stance. Mineta took a deep breath, a brief prayer passing through his thoughts, before turning to the field himself.

"Todoroki Shouto, are you ready!?"

"Ready." He answered, a cold mist flowing from his right half.

"Midoriya Izuku, are you ready!?"

"Yes!" He replied, body emitting a soft glow.

"Then begin!" The R18 Heroine shouted, whip cracking. Right away, spikes of ice raced out from Todoroki's right foot and crawled across the ground. Despite the speed of the attack, Midoriya simply hopped to the right of it. The dual colored boy shifted towards his opponent and let out another wave of frost. This time, the advancing wall of cold was covering a much wider arc.

Still, to the Full Cowl powered Midoriya, it wasn't enough. He leaped forward and rolled away before the ice reached his location. However, the distance between the green haired boy and the wall of ice was closer as well. Todoroki eyed the empty portions of field before shifting his body towards it. Right foot and hand hit the concrete, causing a wide expanse of frost to spread across the ground.

However, instead of running towards clear ground, the green haired boy hopped onto the ice that was already conjured. And despite the uneven footing, Midoriya was able to dig his heels in. He then snapped a sizeable chunk of ice from around him and hurled it. Mineta, recognizing the motions his partner had went through, began to cheer harder. All the time spent playing catch is really coming to head today.

"Midoriya can pitch!?" Kirishima asked, watching Todoroki put up a wall of ice to intercept the projectile.

"Not pitch, field." Mineta corrected, still focused on his partner. He couldn't turn away even for a minute, especially not when Midoriya began to take aim with his left hand. His pinky glowing brighter than the rest of his body…

A surging gust ripped through the stadium, cold and snowflakes blew all around. On the field, the ground in front of Midoriya was cleared and Todoroki had his back pressed against some ice. Before anyone could think anything, the green haired boy chucked another ice chunk at his opponent. Todoroki, surprised by Midoriya's speed, threw up another wall of ice to intercept.

However, the moment the wall went up, Midoriya ripped another chunk of ice and raced forward. He then leapt over a wave of ice sent from Todoroki's wall and over where he stood. Mineta could see it, the two's eyes had met before his partner hurled the ice in his hand. The dual colored boy quickly touched his wall and formed ice over him. It stopped the projectile. But it also left a serious web in the ice.

Todoroki quickly turned and sent ice towards Midoriya's landing. Only for his opponent to be already there, taking aim with his left hand. This time, his ring finger was glowing brightly. Another cold tempest buffeted the audience and sent the dual colored boy reeling. But because there was already a huge amount of ice behind Todoroki, he really didn't move.

This proved to be more of a problem when Midoriya dashed forward. And in as little as four steps, the green hair boy was in front of his opponent. He pulled his injured left fist back and threw it across Todoroki's face. An audible thud was heard, causing the audience to wince. Midoriya then grabbed Todoroki's jersey and threw him behind.

Not that this ended his offensive. As soon as he could, Midoriya turned and chased the tumbling Todoroki. And before the guy could come to a stop, the green haired boy managed to snag his jersey and slug him again with his right. He then threw Todoroki backwards again before giving chase. Todoroki didn't tumble much this time, so he threw out a wave of ice at the first opportunity.

Only to find his opponent coming from his left flank, earning him another fist.

Mineta stared on, his partner attacking relentlessly from all angles. Watching as Todoroki couldn't even throw up a defense, his right half slowly becoming iced over. It honestly looked like a wasp performing a drive by on some poor passerby. However, this level of offense unsettled 1A. The shorter boy could hear comments on how they never thought his partner could act like this.

And it was understandable.

"Holy shit… He actually has Todoroki on the ropes…" Sero said, his voice shaky.

"Isn't… Isn't this a little much? Midoriya's not giving him a chance to breathe." Jirou asked, sweat rolling down her face.

"Just means Deku's not fucking around anymore. Still, didn't think the nerd had the spine to do that." Bakugou replied. Despite the modicum of respect he gave, his voice still had a harsh edge to it. But that wasn't Mineta's concern right now. He continued to focus on Midoriya's moves, getting the feeling of his actions. And the unspoken words that weighed each fist.

"Midoriya's not being aggressive to win… There's words that he NEEDS Todoroki to hear." Mineta said. He didn't care if that was to himself or out loud, it needed to be said. Naturally, he soon felt his classmates' eyes fall on him. Why would they were more concerned with him than this epic conflict was beyond him.

"What do you mean?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"It's like with Uraraka, Midoriya's showing us the kind of person he wants to be. And he's asking the same for Todoroki."

"When you put it that way, it makes this more like my fight and your fight with him" Kirishima replied with a smile, his eyes going to the field. Mineta could then feel the air cool around him. And that wasn't from Midoriya breaking his left middle finger to clear some ice. Class 1A had the same thought pass through them about the same person.

"Then… What is this saying about Todoroki-kun?" Uraraka asked. All their eyes went back to the field, this time with the focus on their dual colored classmate. And as they watched his body is gradually slow down from both frost and exhaustion, they begin to see something. It was here that Mineta broke away from his partner's fight to look at his classmates.

They were all on Todoroki. And they were all, even Bakugou, looking on with melancholic interest.

Layers of frost continued to creep out from their classmate, but it was slow and shallow. Not only that, his movements slowing as his body's shivering slowly became worse. Todoroki was putting his life on the line… All for a grudge against Endeavor.

"He's looking to prove something like us… But there's so much more spite in his actions… It really puts a new perspective on his prior battles…" Yaoyorozu said, entering a contemplative state.

"Guess that goes to show that even perfect people can still have problems… Wonder how Midoriya caught onto this before any of us did." Kaminari replied, leaning back into his seat.

"By deciding to stick his nose further in than necessary, that's how. Damn nerd doesn't know when to quit." Bakugou answered with a slight growl. There was something strange that Mineta found about that answer, though he doesn't know what that maybe. Still it was time to check back in on Midoriya. And looking upon the field, he delivered particularly devastating blow to Todoroki.

But there was something peculiar about it. That punch had a whole lot more weight to it than all the others, which were still very heavy mind you. And with unflinching glare in Midoriya's eye, Mineta finally understood the words his partner was saying.

"Everyone who stood here, they've been fighting to not only meet others' expectations… But also their own. Win or lose, anyone could see that they gave it their all. Here you are though, thinking your ice would be enough… Don't screw around! If you think half is enough to deny him of everything, then you'll never leave his shadow!"

Todoroki defiantly glared back at Midoriya, mustering up the will to use his Quirk. He couldn't however and was met with another punch. And the words laced in it were loud.

"Kirishima-kun, Uraraka-san, Mineta-kun, everyone… They've told all of Japan who they were. But we haven't learned anything about you yet. So stand up and show us who the real Todoroki Shouto is! What you like to do! Where you come from! Why you want to be a Hero! That's what it means when you say–"

"I AM HERE!" Midoriya screamed at the top of his lungs. It wasn't enough to pierce the roar of the audience, but Mineta heard it. 1A heard it. And, most importantly of all, Todoroki heard it. The hate that dwelled in his heterochromatic eyes had cleared. Now, there was a sad yearning as he gazed upon a ghost of something… Or someone.

It was this longing that sparked a great change. Winter soon became Spring.

A great inferno exploded from Todoroki, expelling all the cold air that plagued the stadium. Now, it was unbearably hot. Mineta squinted his eyes, focusing on the flame that swirled on the field. And there stood his dual colored classmate, the ice thawing from his right as his left burned brightly. But more importantly, Todoroki's face was now just as determined as Midoriya's.

"Todoroki-kun… He's using his fire…" Iida said, completely stunned at the spectacle.

"Damn that's hot!" Kaminari shouted. Before anyone else could get a word in, they heard a scream from the other end of the stadium. Amongst the Pro Heroes, there stood the Flame Hero Endeavor with an ecstatic look on his face.

"SHOUTO! You've finally accepted it! The true power sealed within your blood! Now, with your full strength, you will surpass me! You will fulfill my ambitions!" He shouted, sounding a little more deranged with each word that left his mouth. However, despite this explosive declaration, the target of his words completely ignored him. Instead, Todoroki continued to stare down Midoriya and vice versa.

"… Quite the encouragement, don't you think so Eraser? Endeavor must be quite the doting Father." Present Mic said, his voice sounding a little stiff.

"That's not the voice of a doting parent." Jirou commented, warily eyeing the second best Hero.

"No. No it's not." Hagakure nodded.

Mineta let out an awkward chuckle before finally going back to the battle. Upon the field, the two fighters began preparing for what is clearly the final strike. Todoroki put his best foot forward, ice forming on his right as the flames burned on his left. Midoriya pulled his right foot back, a tempest swirling around him as his body's glow brightened.

The strange thing was, Mineta swore his partner's eyes were briefly emitting green sparks.

Then the next thought hit him, slowing the action before him. Both Todoroki and Midoriya's movement slowed, their eyes showing a 'do or die' kind of resolve. Looking over to Midnight and Cementoss, Mineta saw that they began moving to intervene. And judging from the pressure in this stadium… Things were about to get scary.

"We should–" Mineta began, lowering himself in his seat. Too late, it has begun. In an instant, a massive glacier shot across the field towards Midoriya. However, the green hair boy wasn't caught. Instead, he was flying towards Todoroki like a bullet. The dual colored boy then raised his inferno covered left hand and aimed it at his opponent. Midoriya pulled his fully intact right arm back and stared him down.

A punch was thrown. A jet of flame erupted. Concrete barriers were annihilated just as quickly as they were raised. And then…

Mineta felt himself literally get blown out of his seat. And he would've been carried away by the current had it not been for Shouji grabbing his leg and Tsuyu's tongue around his waist. Still, though in near blind panic, the shorter boy was able to gain some bearing about the stadium. From the general public to the Pro Heroes, everyone was trying to hold on.

Then, it stopped. The air finally settled as steam and dust obscured the field. Who was still standing? Was it Todoroki? Midoriya? Or were the two atomized by their own attacks? Things were beginning to settle, the answers just beyond the cloud.

The first to be seen was Todoroki Shouto. The entire left side of his jersey was burned off, but he was otherwise quite okay. At his back was a chunk of ice, most likely to stop him from going too far out of the ring. However, as more steam cleared, it was clear that it wasn't enough. He was standing a meter and a half out of the ring.

"T-Todoroki Shouto is out of bounds! But what about Midoriya Izuku!?" Present Mic shouted, eyes scanning around for the other fighter. The dust settled more and more but he still wasn't in sight. Mineta swallowed the lump in his throat as murmurs floated around the stadium. Midoriya wasn't… Dead was he?

"God… I don't care if Deku-kun wins or not… I just want him safe…" Uraraka prayed not so quietly.

"Midoriya-kun! Midoriya-kun! Where are you!?" Iida screamed.

And finally, along the wall of the field, a red sneaker was spotted. All eyes immediately locked onto it, the dust finally settling. There was Midoriya Izuku, arm and leg discolored and bloody, using the wall as support. He was barely moving. And was clutching his mangled arm with his relatively uninjured left hand. But he was there. He was still here…

"Midoriya Izuku's also out of bounds! What does this mean!? Who heads to the finals!?" Present Mic asked as the crowd began commenting amongst themselves about the match.

"That's for Recovery Girl to decide. But I feel Midoriya won't be the one moving to the finals. Those injuries are the proof of that." Aizawa said as medical bots began to take Midoriya away.

"Still, that was one Hell of a show. Really whets the palette for the next."

Mineta could care less about the next match. He needed to see his partner. He needed to know if he succeeded. Though based on how Todoroki fought…

It's maybe safe to say that Midoriya broke his curse.

And that has been Chapter 33.

AUs are an exploration of what would happen when a certain changes are made to the canon. However, my brother and I believe that certain events are too important to change. This is one of those moments. And though not much was different, I want to show a more contemplative side of the Class. Instead of just watching the fight, I want them to 'see' it and its meaning. But whether or not I have succeeded in that, I first needed to make this entertaining to read at the very least. So what did you think?

"It's kind of weird seeing OP pretty boy on the back foot. Any thoughts to that?"

Thinking about it, Midoriya is one of the slower ones without Full Cowl. But with it, he'd be faster than most of Class 1A. Which is why I had Todoroki use a lot of area of effect and area denial attacks. It's just like how he didn't move a lot during the fight with Stain.

"Makes sense. That's all the questions I got, seeing that other things will be addressed eventually."

You know it. Any how, I hope you all are staying safe during these trying times. I will continue with the twice a month updates to ensure your morale stays high. Next time, we have two classmates having a rare heart to heart before the final battle.

"Mr. Perfect talks philosophy with the Rat."

So with all that said...

Until Next Time. T1.