Chapter 19 - A Step Back
Spoilers For:
- My Hero Academia: Chapter 336 / Episode 141
Having rushed away from the hustle and bustle of the U.A. Sports Festival earlier, a flamboyant student with blonde hair and sparkling eyes was now outside of a bar located within the Kamino Ward area. This student was none other than Yuga Aoyama, called here on the orders of the one he was forced to follow.
You could tell the boy was clearly terrified by his face, as well as by his trembling hand, hovering above the doorbell that he hesitantly rang.
After he did so, he was left with nothing but silence. He dreaded the next moment, but it still came nonetheless, as the door opened. The person who opened said door was a man with blue hair, pale skin, as well as hands plastered all around his face… It was the same man who had attacked USJ a couple weeks prior, Tomura Shigaraki.
"...The boss is waiting for you." Shigaraki growled.
"Y-yes." Aoyama nervously spluttered, as he entered inside the building.
Inside the building was a bar. Standing at a 90 degree clockwise angle away from the door was a counter, with several stools located directly in front of it. Behind the counter lay the warping villain, Kurogiri, who had previously assisted Shigaraki with his attack on the USJ.
"Ah, Yuga Aoyama." Kurogiri said, casually addressing the comparatively nervous boy, "You seem well. I take it you found yourself quite secure at the hiding spot back during our infiltration of the USJ?"
"A-ah… y-yes…" Aoyama managed to get out.
"I do hope you didn't mind the company I dropped there."
"N-n-not at all! It was a pleasure for Ida to be there…"
"Exquisite." Kurogiri interjected, interrupting Aoyama without even realizing it, "Now then, the master has been contacting us through television channels as of late… so that's how you'll be speaking to him. I'll put him on now."
Kurogiri clicked a button on a remote to connect them to a secure channel created by one of 'masters' many quirks. The television was positioned on a slight angle, as well as in opposition to the door, albeit moved slightly to the right of such a placement.
The television began to turn on… and while all that could be seen was static, the sinister voice that commanded Aoyama's attention painted a very clear picture in his mind that made up for his lack of vision.
"Ah… Aoyama. How nice to speak to you once again." the voice rang out, sending a chill down the boy's spine.
Aoyama responded merely with silence.
"I'll get to the point." the master asserted considerately, "I would like for you to recount the details you know about the powers of a certain boy… 'Izuku Midoriya'."
"M-Midoriya?" Aoyama questioned, "Why?"
"Don't you know it's rude to ask questions you don't need to know the answer to?" Shigaraki growled at Aoyama, causing panic to manifest in the boy. The master brushed off his pupil's remark.
"Not at all Tomura… the boy may be given the right to know." the master asserted, "My prior inquiry all pertains to Midoriya's quirk. You see, he has been granted it willingly by All Might himself… the direct opposition to me… and I wish to know Midoriya's abilities for future combat experiences."
Aoyama was completely and utterly shocked. All Might… and Izuku Midoriya… their relation to one another was the relationship of a master and student?! This relationship recontextualized everything that Aoyama knew about Izuku Midoriya… and what made his next betrayal harder was just how much more he respected him because of what he had just learnt.
"Midoriya…" Aoyama muttered, pausing after he said his first word.
"Well? Out with it, kid!" Shigaraki insisted.
Aoyama had no choice in this matter, and revealed the secrets of Izuku Midoriya to the one who was forced to be his master.
"Midoriya… he can't use powers on par with All Might without breaking his limbs, but he uses lower levels to avoid taking damage himself." Aoyama explained.
"Tch, we already know that and more." Shigaraki commented.
"Yuga…" the master vocalized, "Be more specific. You went to school with the boy, surely you must know more about him?"
"W-well… he has this one technique known as… 'Shave'? It allows him to move at speeds exceeding his limits! A-and… he also-"
"I'm sorry, did you say… 'Shave'?"
The master was shocked by this revelation, but once he heard it, his previously neutral expression burst into one of pure elation.
"Tomura… you stated earlier that All Might used some technique to move faster than usual as well, correct?" the master grinned.
"Y-yes master!"
"Ahh…"
After finishing this exclamation, the master began to cackle maniacally for an extended period of time. Due to this reaction, Aoyama feared that he had given his 'master' a pivotal piece of information to what he was planning, something he wished he didn't have to give.
"He knows one of the six powers… There's not a doubt in my mind both he and All Might have been to the Grand Line… and if that's the case… then it's only a matter of time before their curiosity kills them. The Marines will do all our work for us."
"ALRIGHT AUDIENCE! AFTER A STUNNING FIRST ROUND, WE'RE ONTO THE SECOND!" Present Mic announced with a shout, "AND THIS MATCH IS GIVING HOST TO NONE OTHER THAN THE GLAMOROUS MOMO YAOYOROZU, AND THE TRICKSTER HITOSHI SHINSO! WHO WILL WIN THIS NEXT ROUND?!"
"Heh. You got past the first round… but you struggled quite a lot. Sure you're prepared to be here?" Shinso questioned, but Momo remained silent, "You-"
"Jeez… I understand it's how you activate your quirk, but will you be silent?" Momo interjected, as Shinso looked at Momo with a surprised expression for a moment, but in the next one, he merely smirked. All this meant was that he couldn't hold back.
"READY…"
"Oh? Did you surmise it from that dumb pink chick or something?" Shinso said with a smile, which angered Momo unlike anything else.
"START!"
Momo quickly summoned a staff in her right hand, and whacked Shinso right in the side with it. Due to Momo not having superhuman strength, this attack damaged Shinso a decent amount, but not that heavily. Shinso was able to grab Momo's staff from this however, as Momo struggled to hang onto it.
"You're really struggling just to combat me?" Shinso asserted, "Wow… this, from someone in the hero course… you're almost as useless as the last one I fought."
Momo's fury continued, and in her anger, she lost a solid grip on the staff which she previously held, leaving it now in Shinso's hands.
"And now you're giving weapons to your opponents?"
Shinso then swung at Yaoyorozu, but she acted quickly, creating a shield and blocking Shinso's blow.
"He's trying to provoke me… I need to calm down somehow…" Momo thought momentarily, before coming up with her solution, "Oh, I can like that!"
Momo then began to create matryoshka dolls all around her.
"Awww… how adorable. Your mom made that for you when you were younger or something?!" Shinso taunted Momo with that, as he launched another attack on her with his staff, "You have to create things like that to keep up with my insults?! You're clearly not fit to be a hero, just like that pink haired girl… oh, and that useless purple haired one you defeated!"
"SHUT UP!" Momo yelled out of anger, but once she did, her creations suddenly ceased.
She was brainwashed.
"OH, AND IT SEEMS THAT YAOYOROZU HAS FROZEN, JUST LIKE ASHIDO BEFORE HER!" Present Mic noted, "HAS SHINSO's WIN CONDITION HAS BEEN ACHIEVED?!"
"Letting herself get brainwashed? That's not like Yaoyorozu…" Aizawa thought, "Wait… ah. I see."
"Now, turn around, and walk out of the ring." Shinso ordered, as Momo turned around and began to do just that.
Trekking onwards, Momo's pace was slow, but by no means did it make up for that with elegance… as clumsily, Momo tripped over one of the matryoshka dolls she had created.
"Huh?" Shinso questioned.
In an instant, Momo's mind snapped back into reality, as she quickly created a taser in her left hand. Propelling herself upwards with her hands, she rushed towards Shinso once she was up, and before he could react, she zapped him with her taser.
"You want to be a hero so badly?" Momo stated while doing so, "Then first and foremost, stop badmouthing other people!"
A few seconds later, Momo released the taser from Shinso's body, as he fell to the ground, having been knocked out.
"AND IN AN INCREDIBLE TURN… IT SEEMS THAT MOMO YAOYOROZU HAS OVERCOME SHINSO'S BRAINWASHING!" Present Mic announced, "SEEING AS SHINSO IS NOW KNOCKED OUT, IT SEEMS THAT YAOYOROZU MOVES ON TO THE THIRD ROUND!"
The crowd erupted in cheers for Yaoyorozu's performance, as through her ingenuity throughout her matches, she had ended up becoming a crowd favorite. Despite the loudness of her cheers, there was one classmate of Momo's whose thoughts weren't squarely on the victory of her friend.
"Damnnnn… Momo's just so cool." Mina thought, "She defeated that guy without a second thought… yet I lost to him like a fool!.. I… I need to get stronger!"
"Woah! Momo was really incredible in that match!" Ochaco stated, stars forming in her eyes, "Wouldn't you say so Deku?!"
"Huh?" Izuku responded, having been spacing out a little bit, "Oh… yeah! Her usage of her quirk was really creative, and I really liked her speech she gave at the end."
"Huh? She gave a speech at the end?" Ochaco questioned, having not heard it herself due to how far away Momo was.
"Izuku… you sure you're alright? You seem to be spacing out a bit." Ryuko questioned Izuku, who then responded.
"Oh! Uh… well, I don't mean to worry you with it! I'll be fine!"
"Hm…" Ryuko thought, "You're worried about your fight against Bakugo, aren't you?"
"...It was that obvious, huh?"
"This next fight between you two… it's gonna take a lot from you, won't it?" Ryuko questioned.
"Yeah… we fought before at the Battle Trial, but this is different." Izuku noted, "Not only has he changed a lot, but the setting we're fighting in is so much different. This time, the only goal will be to fight against each other and win…"
Izuku's tone then suddenly shifted, as his face turned to a smile, "Still… It kind of excites me in a way as well! Kacchan's strong… and today, we'll be clashing against each other with all of our might… and I'm not gonna lose!"
"Seems you've got a positive attitude about this whole thing, kero." Tsuyu added, sitting beside Ochaco.
"Yup! There's no reason not to!" Izuku noted, as Ryuko began to get up, "Oh! Ryuko… are you going to start preparing for your fight with Todoroki?"
"Yeah." Ryuko then turned back to Izuku, "Unlike with your battle… I personally have pretty much no chance against my opponent…"
"Don't say that!" Ochaco remarked, "Think about just how far I was able to get against Ida in our fight! If I can do something like that… when you're so amazing… you could do so much more!"
"Well… not to rub salt in your wound… but you know the fight you're comparing mine to is one that you lost, right?" Ryuko remarked, causing Ochaco to flinch.
"Still… you don't know what'll happen." Izuku interjected, "Maybe Todoroki will hesitate for some reason… maybe you'll find that winning isn't the objective that you should be seeking. Whatever the case, just take advantage of the circumstances in front of you, and you'll be fine!"
Ryuko then flashed Izuku a smile, "Hah… try to find an objective that isn't winning? Seems even you can only tell me that I won't stand a chance in a fair fight… I'll try my best."
Ryuko then left the stadium, going to prepare for her match. While she did so, she wore a serious expression. She was going to give it her all… and she was hoping that Todoroki would do the same.
Ryuko walked the corridors of U.A.'s hallway to her preparation room. She smelled a scent of concrete in the air, and she felt ever so slightly tired due to Recovery Girl's healing earlier… but, she also smelt something peculiar… the smell of smoke.
"Hey." a voice called out from behind a corner, which revealed itself to be Shoto Todoroki's father and Japan's number two hero, Endeavor.
"You're Ryuko Matoi… the quirkless girl from Class 1-A, correct?" Endeavor asked.
"Yep, what's it to ya?"
"Forfeit your match."
Ryuko paused and raised her eyebrow in confusion at Endeavor's sudden request.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me: forfeit your match." Endeavor stated, "Shoto has no reason to fight someone useless like yourself. His true test will lie against that boy with the quirk just like All Might's."
Ryuko looked downwards because of Endeavor's words, clearly upset by them. Endeavor saw no need to console the girl, and turned around to leave.
"Wow… now I understand why Todoroki's so moody all the time." Ryuko stated, as Endeavor turned around, "Though to be honest, with a father who's such a big asshole like you, I'm surprised he didn't turn out worse."
"What did you-"
"You're not the one who decides what Todoroki thinks." Ryuko stated, walking past the alleged hero, "And better yet… you don't decide what the fuck I do myself."
Ryuko continued walking, and Endevaor watched as the girl did. At the very least, he admired the child's resolve… but, that wouldn't change the outcome of her next match.
The match between Tenya Ida and Ibara Shiozaki ended in a flash, with Ida utilizing his Recipro-Burst at a key moment in order to push Shiozaki out of bounds. With that match out of the way, the next which was to occur was one which would surely prove to be an upset.
"FOR OUR NEXT MATCH… WE HAVE A SPECIAL ONE!" Present Mic announced.
Ryuko breathed in, as she jumped up and down to pump herself up, and then readied a stern 'game face', walking into the arena as she did so.
"WE FIRST HAVE SHOTO TODOROKI, THE STUDENT WHO'S MADE WAVES IN THE SPORTS FESTIVAL WITH HIS ASTOUNDING QUIRK!" Present Mic shouted, "GOING UP AGAINST HIM IS NONE OTHER THAN RYUKO MATOI, THE QUIRKLESS WONDER HERSELF! DON'T COUNT HER OUT JUST YET THOUGH, AS SHE'S IN U.A. FOR A REASON!"
"Kid…" Aizawa thought to himself, looking down at his student who he had personally trained for weeks at this point, "Good luck."
Ryuko made her way into the stadium, as did Todoroki. Both stood directly opposed to one another, as if they were two sides of the same coin.
"I talked to your father earlier." Ryuko revealed, shocking Todoroki, "He told me to forfeit the match earlier cuz I wasn't worth your time."
Todoroki clenched his fist after hearing that… his old man was interfering with his life.
"Anyways, he was bein' an ass, so I told him off…" Ryuko declared, "But, just so that you know, I'm intent to win this match to show him that he's a dumbass."
Todoroki smirked.
"READY…" Present Mic announced.
"At least we're on the same page about that…" Todoroki muttered.
Ryuko was confused by this response, but didn't have much time to think on it, as Present Mic then shouted,
"START!"
The second the match started, a wall of ice instantly rocketed towards Ryuko at astonishing speeds. Quite frankly, she wasn't sure she could block this… but she had to try!
"Scissor Blade… Decapitation Mode." Ryuko calmly stated, as her blade changed forms. Ryuko, with the look of a wild beast in her eyes, then swung with all of her might, "Faibāsuraisā!"
Swinging her blade upwards, Ryuko made her first dent in Todoroki's ice, and then, she continued. A flurry of slashes, done so fast that nothing but a blur seemed to remain… and when the dust settled… Ryuko was still standing.
"I-INCREDIBLE! WITH HER BLADE ALONE… SHE'S BROKEN THROUGH TODOROKI'S ICE ATTACK!"
The crowd erupted into cheers, as Ryuko's presence as a quirkless person fighting back against someone as incredible as Todoroki demanded such.
Ryuko's Scissor Blade then retracted into its regular form, as Ryuko smirked.
"You're gonna have to do better than that to beat me." Ryuko stated, as she began running towards Todoroki.
"AND IT SEEMS THAT RYUKO'S GONE ON THE OFFENSIVE, RUSHING TOWARDS TODOROKI! WHAT WILL HE DO TO COUNTER?!"
In an effort to counter, Todoroki set up an ice pillar which was to expand below Ryuko and hit her in the chest, sending her sky high.
"I told you…" Ryuko stated, as she spun around at a full 360 degrees, cutting Todoroki's ascending ice pillar in half in the process, "You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna beat me!"
Todoroki froze in place momentarily, as Ryuko was heading towards him with a certain ferocity in her eyes.
"Tch… fine." Todoroki scoffed, "I'll stop holding back."
In an instant, Todoroki formed a Heaven's Piercing Ice Wall, the very same he utilized against Mei Hatsume earlier. The tip of this forming wall hit Ryuko right in the stomach, which sent her flying along with it, seemingly out of the arena.
"W-WHAT?!" Present Mic shouted, "IT SEEMS THAT RYUKO MATOI HAS BEEN LAUNCHED OUT OF THE ARENA… WHAT… UH…"
"It seems that Ryuko Matoi is out of bounds!" Midnight began.
"Thank you for telling off my old man, Ryuko." Todoroki thought, "But… I still can't lose this fight. I have to prove him wrong."
"Wait a second!" someone in the audience yelled, which instantly brought Todoroki back to reality, and stopped Midnight's speech, "That girl… she's on the ice, running back to the arena!"
"What?!" Todoroki thought, as he looked up the pillar to see Ryuko Matoi, running down towards him.
"SHOTO TODOROKI!" Ryuko yelled, as Todoroki was shocked by Ryuko's sudden reappearance.
"Do you ever give up?! I tried to give you an easy out!" Todoroki noted, as he created an ice path beneath himself, riding on it to try and match Ryuko's height.
"Easy out?! Hah! Seems you underestimated me a whole lot!" Ryuko said, smirking.
Todoroki tried to create another, smaller Heaven's Piercing Ice Wall to hit Ryuko, but this didn't work. Ryuko simply jumped off of the current wall she was standing on, jabbing her blade into the side of it to completely dodge Todoroki's attempted attack. She then quickly used her scissor blade to launch herself onto the smaller Heaven's Piercing Ice Wall Todoroki had created.
"CAN YOU BELIEVE IT FOLKS?! THE INCREDIBLE TENACITY OF THESE TWO FIGHTERS IS HEATING UP THE BATTLEFIELD AS WE SPEAK, EVEN DESPITE TODOROKI'S ICE QUIRK!" Present Mic announced, making comedy of the situation.
"You've already used your quirk a lot, Todoroki!" Ryuko said with a smile, "I noticed it at the USJ, but you tend to freeze over and get a lot slower when you use your quirk too much, don't you?!"
"Shut up!" Todoroki stated, as he then turned his ice path straight towards Ryuko.
The girl was shocked, as Todoroki butted his shoulder right into her, knocking her down from where she was standing, down onto the stands of the arena below, "Ryuko… then even you think I'd be better off using my old man's power…"
Todoroki then began to make his way back down to the arena below, confused as to just why the match hadn't been called yet, until he heard a pair of screams from above him.
"DON'T THINK YOU CAN GET RID OF ME THAT EASY!" Ryuko Matoi shouted from the spectator stands.
"WOW! INCREDIBLE! EVEN DESPITE BEING IN THE SPECTATOR STANDS, RYUKO'S LEAPING OFF HER SCISSOR BLADE TO PREVENT HERSELF FROM TOUCHING THE FLOOR AND BEING DECLARED OUT OF BOUNDS!" Present Mic shouted, even awestruck himself by Ryuko's versatility.
Ryuko's method was simple. First, she stood on her Scissor Blade with an extraordinary sense of balance, then, she leapt off of it with all of her might. Third, she grabbed her Scissor Blade while in midair. Then finally, she stuck the Scissor Blade in the ground and landed on it, before repeating the process.
Making her way back to the arena, she jammed her Scissor Blade into the side of the arena, sliding down, and then jumped off it one final time, making her way back into the arena. Todoroki didn't attempt to counter, as he simply stood there, awestruck.
"You…" Todoroki stated.
"You can't get rid of me that easily!" Ryuko said with a smirk, "You're avoiding it, but you'll have to knock me out if you want to win!"
Todoroki was enraged, and didn't listen to Ryuko, as without warning, he fired off another Heaven's Piercing Ice Wall. This time, it trapped Ryuko inside of it.
"ANOTHER STRONG ICE WALL CAUSES RYUKO TO BECOME TRAPPED… IS THIS THE END?!" Present Mic shouted.
"NO WAY IN HELL!" Ryuko shouted back, as with her Scissor Blade which she had in hand, as well as a bit of superhuman strength from an unknown source, she cut through the ice that she remained in, setting herself free.
While she did so, Todoroki began to cough furiously. He was pushing his limits after that last attack, as three Heaven's Piercing Ice Walls, plus all his extra attacks, made his body extremely cold.
To be fair, Ryuko wasn't looking so hot herself, despite what one may think. She had no visible injuries, but her entire body ached from Todoroki's onslaught of attacks. From falling tens of meters after Todoroki shoved her off his ice wall, to when he hit her with the Heaven's Piercing Ice Wall as well… she had sustained her fair share of damage in this battle. Todoroki, however, was still shocked by the confident stance Ryuko took.
"How… how are you still standing like that?!"
"I told you earlier!" Ryuko shouted, "I'm giving it my all to win this match… I only wish I could say the same about my opponent!"
"My fire…" Todoroki stated, "I can't use it!"
"It's not just that!" Ryuko retorted, "You were holding back against me as well cuz I'm quirkless! You can't even respect me as a fellow hero in training, and you think you have the right to complain to me?!"
"It's not that…" Todoroki replied, his face looking sternly at the floor.
"Then what is it?!" Ryuko shouted back, "Fight back, give it all you got, and don't give a damn about what anyone else thinks! That's the only way to live life with no regrets!"
"...Ryuko."
That was all Todoroki could muster, as he stood back up on his two legs, fighting back against the cold that beat down upon him.
"The reason I held back against you… it wasn't because I didn't respect you… in fact, it's the opposite." Todoroki revealed, as Ryuko looked sternly at Todoroki, waiting for his explanation, to which he continued, "Your confidence in yourself and your ability to throw yourself into danger without thinking of anything else but those you could save… it's something I firmly lack, which is why I've been continuing to avoid you as of late. I don't want to rely on that pride of yours, nor do I want to harm it-"
"You'd rather I keep false hope?"
"...If you really wish for me to not hold back, then I'll honor your request." Todoroki said, getting into a fighting stance he developed alongside his mother, "Just don't blame me for what happens next."
The instant that Todoroki said this, a wall of ice erupted behind himself, propelling him forwards towards Ryuko at a rate which she was surprised Todoroki could still muster… but slow enough that she could dodge.
"Even now… you're still not giving it your all!" Ryuko shouted at Shoto Todoroki, who attempted to shoot a wave of ice at Ryuko, which she dodged as well, "Everyone else is using their full power… and you wanna win with half of it?!"
"What?! Did Endeavor bribe you or something, why are you going this far?!" Shoto Todoroki shouted, as he turned the entire arena into ice, hoping to catch Ryuko off guard.
"Bribe- what the fuck are you talking about?" Ryuko questioned, jumping up to avoid Shoto Todoroki's ice, "You're talking like that asshole father of yours is the one with your quirk!"
Shoto Todoroki then finally hit Ryuko with a solid blow after launching a surprise ice pillar from above Ryuko, utilizing one of the Heaven's Piercing Ice Walls he had created earlier as the basis for its creation.
"Nowhere near as strong as before…" Ryuko thought, as she threw her Scissor Blade above herself, cutting the ice and leaving her able to get free herself, "Guess what! It's not his quirk! Every bit of that power of yours is just that: YOURS!"
Years ago, at a time that Shoto Todoroki had previously forgotten, he was watching television with his mother. On it was an interview with Japan's Number One Hero, All Might!
"Yes… quirks are naturally passed from mother to child, but…" All Might began, "Blood ties aren't the only thing that matters… instead, one must appreciate their own abilities for how they themselves use them! That's what I mean when I say, 'I am here!'"
"You want to be a hero… right Shoto?" his mother questioned him, "That's fine… because you are not him. You're the only one who gets to decide who you want to become."
"When… Did I forget that?"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a pillar of flames erupted from Shoto.
"WHAT'S THIS?!" Present Mic questioned.
Sparks flew across the battlefield from the strength and heat of Shoto's flames. It was a sight that Ryuko had never seen before, but one sight stood out from everything else: Shoto no longer had a look of sadness on his face… instead, a giant grin remained.
"I thought you wanted to win… dammit. Which one of us isn't giving it all they've got now?!" Shoto taunted, as Ryuko watched on at the pillar of fire that erupted off of Shoto, as she saw his ice melting off of him, "I wanna be… a hero, too!"
Ryuko smiled at Shoto nervously, forcing out a laugh at just how screwed she realized she was. Shoto returned the smile himself.
"Gotta admit…" Ryuko admitted (no duh), "I didn't think you had it in you!"
"SHOTOOOOOOOOO!" Endeavor shouted down at his son, "So you've finally accepted it! Excellent! It all starts now for you… with my blood pumping through your veins, you will fulfill my ambition!"
Endeavor looked down at his son, but to the Todoroki's surprise, Shoto didn't even look back at him.
"He used it…" Chopper noted.
"Why only now?" Tsuyu questioned confusedly.
"One's powers… sometimes, people hide them because they think they're a monster because of them…" Chopper stated, recalling his own past on Drum Island, "But… something Ryuko said! Maybe that changed him!"
"So… what do you plan to do against this?!" Shoto questioned.
"Heh. No idea." Ryuko plainly admitted, "I'll just have to pull something out of my ass!"
"You sound confident…" Shoto noted, "Let's finish this!"
"Right!" Ryuko shouted, as she tilted her Scissor Blade behind herself, "Scissor Blade: Decapitation Mode!"
"Midnight!" Cementoss, the teacher responsible for creating the arena shouted, "If they take this any further, one of them may die!"
Shoto created a massive Heaven's Piercing Ice Wall, aimed straight towards Ryuko. She swiftly dodged by leaping upwards with superhuman ability, and then launched herself at Shoto.
Utilizing his left side, Shoto launched his flames forwards, blocking Ryuko's method of approach. Reacting in an instant, Ryuko slid off of the ice she was running on, dodging Shoto's flames in the process.
Shoto then created a path of ice beneath his feet to trap Ryuko, while using his fire to cover the sky; he prevented her from dodging on the ground or in the air. Nonetheless, through incredible acrobatics, Ryuko was able to squeeze through the gap between Shoto's ice and fire... and at that point, she was close enough to attack.
"FINISHING MOVE!" Ryuko shouted out, as she unleashed a massive slash once she got close enough to Shoto, "Sen'i Sōshitsu!"
Shoto, on the other hand, readied his fire to counter Ryuko's blow.
"Matoi…" Shoto muttered under his breath, extending his left hand forwards, "Thank you."
And then... an explosion.
A massive collision of two powerful blows hit one another, Ryuko's Scissor Blade, and Shoto's Flashfreeze Heatwave. The power of said blows unleashed a massive explosion, the likes of which put most Third-Year classes, nay, pro heroes to shame. Everyone in the arena was blown back from the impact, the likes of which everyone was sure would never be replicated in this event.
"I don't believe that bigger is better…" Cementoss muttered, "But that was something else…"
"WHAT- what's with your class, Eraserhead?!" Present Mic questioned his co-commentator.
"Seems all that chilled air was heated in an instant, making it expand and causing that huge explosion." Aizawa muttered.
"WHAT A BLAST… AND THAT HEAT! I CAN'T SEE A THING… JUST WHAT HAPPENED?!"
As the air slowly dissipated, only one person was left standing. While Ryuko Matoi was on the ground and out of bounds, slumped over and completely knocked out due to the blow, Shoto was standing tall… having not taken so much as a piece of damage in that fight, and yet despite that, Ryuko's fight against him was one that pushed him to exceed his limits.
"Ryuko Matoi is knocked out, and out of bounds!" Midnight announced, "That means, Shoto Todoroki moves on to the third round!"
"So, you're not gonna tell me to get out of your way this time?" An intimidating voice questioned, now in front of his son, Shoto Todoroki, "Without control over your flames, going all out is dangerous… but, I couldn't be more glad that you've finally put aside your childish rebellion, and are ready to replace and surpass even me! Work at my side after you graduate, I will guide you down a path to supremacy-"
"I haven't put aside anything yet." Shoto Todoroki stated, surprising his father, "As if my conviction could be swayed that easily…"
Endeavor glared at his son, not understanding what he was saying.
"It's just that at that moment… that instant, I forgot all about you."
A look of pure shock entered Endeavor's face, unable to accept his son's words, though they still penetrated him like spears of ice nonetheless.
"Whether that's good, bad, or something in between…" Shoto Todoroki stated, "That's something I'll have to think about."
"Crap… crap... crap! Everything hurts!" Ryuko cried from in her bed, Recovery Girl right beside her.
"You should be grateful you don't have even more injuries!" Recovery Girl interjected, "After such a stunt like that… you should be injured beyond belief! But… thanks to some miracle, it seems you'll be fine after just a dose of my quirk!"
"Sorry ma'am... but this was something I had to do." Ryuko stated.
"One of these days, you need to learn your lesson!" Recovery Girl stated, before giving Ryuko a peck on the cheek in order to heal her.
"I can never get used to that." Ryuko stated, as the door to her recovery room bursted open.
"Hey Ryuko!" the bubbly Ochaco spoke, "We came to check on you… 'cause the entire arena was destroyed with that last attack! Are you alright?"
"Yup!" Ryuko stated, as she got on her back and then propelled herself upwards, jumping out of bed.
"Take it easy!" Recovery Girl yelled at Ryuko, but the girl ignored her.
"You took quite the hit from Todoroki that last match, even if Cementoss blocked the brunt of the impact…" Ida noted, "Are you really sure you're alright?"
"Of course I'm sure!" Ryuko stated, "Now let's get back to the stadium! The next match… Bakugo versus Izuku… we've gotta be there to watch that one!"
"We have time… they have to recreate the entire arena because of your last match." Chopper noted, "Recovery Girl! Are you sure Ryuko doesn't need any extra medical attention?"
Recovery Girl could only muster a sigh, "It's possible, but with her energy, I doubt even you would even be able to heal her."
"Heh. You know me so well." Ryuko smirked at Recovery Girl, as the latter of which simply sighed in return.
She had learnt a lot during the Sports Festival, but this was her finish line.
Ryuko Matoi finished in the Top 8.