The crowd roared like a stormy sea as Present Mic practically screamed into the microphone, his voice echoing throughout the entire stadium.
"INCREDIBLE! IZUKU MIDORIYA DEFEATS HIS OPPONENT WITH A SINGLE, OVERWHELMING BLOW! BAKUGO WAS SENT FLYING OUT OF BOUNDS LIKE HE WAS NOTHING!"
"DEKU WON!" Uraraka shouted, leaping from her seat in the stands, arms raised high, her face glowing with joy.
Iida remained standing beside her, equally stunned by the outcome… though his eyes were fixed on Midoriya's injured arm, concern outweighing his shock.
"That was unexpected, ribbit," Tsuyu commented, blinking slowly.
"Totally," Jiro agreed, still staring at the arena.
Kaminari grimaced and handed over a few bills to Sero, who took them with a victorious grin.
"Damn it… I lost the bet."
"I warned you," Sero replied, satisfied.
"Man!" Kirishima exclaimed excitedly. "That was the same punch he used on that robot at the USJ!"
He frowned right after.
"But… why did his arm end up like that this time?"
"No idea," Ryo replied, his tone distant. "Feels almost like RNG."
Ryo's gaze slid toward Bakugo, who was still leaning against the outer wall of the stage, motionless, as if the world around him had come to a halt.
"I… lost?" Bakugo wondered, the thought sounding too absurd to be real. "I really lost… to Deku?"
His fingers clenched hard against the concrete.
"What was that…?"
The punch. The crushing pressure. The suffocating sensation.
"It was the same thing I felt against that emo…"
The memory of Takeda's blow flashed through his mind like lightning.
"No…" he growled through clenched teeth. "No way! I didn't feel fear back then… I didn't feel fear of that nerd!"
Medical robots rushed toward him.
"Please remain still. Are you injured?"
"SHUT UP, CLANKERS!" Bakugo yelled, shoving them aside as he stood up.
The robots tried to intervene again, but Bakugo pulled his hands back.
BOOM!
An explosion erupted, launching his body in a blazing dash across the arena.
"DEEKKUUU!" he screamed, his face twisted with rage. "THIS FIGHT ISN'T OVER YET! I WON'T ACCEPT LOSING TO TRASH LIKE YOU!"
Midoriya, who was being escorted by a medical robot, turned around in shock at the shout. His eyes widened when he saw Bakugo charging toward him, that murderous glare carved into his face.
But before Bakugo could cross even half the field…
A pink mist filled his vision.
"Huh…?" he muttered, his body suddenly giving out.
A crushing wave of drowsiness slammed into him like a hammer. Bakugo collapsed to the ground and rolled a few meters, groaning as he tried to get back up.
"Damn it… my body…" he forced out, his arms trembling.
The weight was unbearable.
He lifted his face with difficulty, staring at Midoriya in the distance.
"This… isn't over…" he murmured, his voice failing. "I'll never accept… losing to someone like yo—"
His body finally gave in.
Bakugo Katsuki fell unconscious, at last defeated by sleep.
Midnight let out a tired sigh, covering her shoulder and containing the remaining mist.
"Besides being a troublemaker… he's a terrible loser," she commented, shaking her head.
Then she turned to Midoriya.
"You. Go straight to the infirmary. That arm of yours needs immediate attention."
"Y-Yes!" Midoriya replied, startled as he snapped out of it.
Still dazed, he cast one last glance at the unconscious Bakugo before hurrying out of the arena, his heart racing… unsure whether he felt relief or fear of what was yet to come.
----------------------------------------
After a short—yet traumatic—session in the infirmary, Midoriya staggered out into the hallway, his arm wrapped in bandages and his soul even more bruised after receiving a kiss from the elderly woman.
"Next time, take better care of your body, young man!" Recovery Girl's voice echoed firmly behind him, as unwavering as ever.
"Y-yes…" he replied automatically.
He kept walking, his steps slow, his gaze fixed on the floor.
"I'm tired…"
It wasn't just physical pain. The confrontation with Bakugo had drained everything out of him—fear, adrenaline, old memories he would rather keep buried. Bakugo's face surfaced in his mind against his will.
"Did I… do something wrong by winning?"
The thought clenched his chest.
That was when he heard a familiar voice echoing from a side corridor.
"Takeda!"
Midoriya stopped in his tracks, his heart giving a small jolt. He recognized that voice.
Carefully, he approached the bend in the hallway and discreetly peeked around the corner.
Ryo was there, and in front of him… Thirteen.
"Sorry for arriving late," she said, subtly adjusting her posture. "I had a few issues to take care of at my agency."
"It's fine," Ryo replied with a shrug. "You didn't even have to come. You could've watched it on TV while working."
"No way!" Thirteen shot back immediately. "I want to see the results of your training over the last few days in person."
She paused briefly, her tone softening.
"Besides… I needed to get away from work for a bit. But I really wanted to be here. Truly."
Ryo looked away for a moment.
"I understand… thanks for that."
Thirteen smiled behind her helmet. It wasn't visible, but Ryo knew she was smiling. Still, she noticed the distant look on the boy's face.
"Hey…" she called gently. "Did something happen?"
The boy remained silent.
"If it's because of that fight you won too quickly? Maybe—"
"It's not that," he cut in, his voice low.
Thirteen tilted her head slightly.
"Then what is it?"
"Nothing…"
She crossed her arms, sighing softly.
"You always say that when it's something."
Ryo frowned.
"It's not important."
"It is important to me as your mentor," she replied calmly. "And you know that."
Silence stretched on for a few seconds. Ryo clenched his teeth, clearly reluctant.
"I…" he started, then stopped. "I had an argument."
"An argument…?"
"Well… more like a fight," he corrected himself. "A verbal one."
She waited patiently.
"It was with Todoroki. He asked to talk… started speaking as if I were some kind of obstacle in his way." Ryo let out a humorless laugh. "Then he started dumping stuff about his father… and in the end basically said he'd defeat me to prove something he pulled out of his ass."
Thirteen took a deep breath.
"And you?"
"I… lost my temper." He looked away. "I said things I shouldn't have. I called him a coward."
She fell silent for a moment.
"Ryo…" she said calmly. "Have you ever thought about trying to make peace?"
"Ryo…?" Midoriya wondered, confused upon hearing Thirteen refer to Takeda by that name.
Ryo let out a short, bitter laugh.
"No. And I won't."
"Not even out of consideration?"
"No," he replied firmly.
Thirteen nodded slowly.
"Then… at least try to understand his side."
Ryo looked up, confused.
"I already do. His dad's trash. He wants to prove otherwise. Old story."
"No," she corrected gently. "That's how you see his problems."
She took a step forward.
"Try to understand how Todoroki sees his own problems."
Not with your pain. Not with your past. But through his eyes.
Ryo remained silent.
"Hurt people don't always make sense to our eyes," Thirteen continued. "We have the habit of comparing and measuring one person's problems against another's… but we rarely stop to understand those problems from their own perspectives."
She placed her gloved hand on his shoulder in a maternal gesture.
"You don't have to agree with him. Or forgive him right now… but try to understand him first, okay? That might keep his wounds from consuming you as well."
Ryo took a deep breath, his expression softening just a little.
"…I'll think about it."
Thirteen smiled behind her helmet.
"That's it! Now you need to go! This is more than enough for today."
On the other side of the hallway, Midoriya quietly stepped away, his heart heavy.
----------------------------------------
The stadium, which had been buzzing with excited shouts and commentary, fell into a heavy silence. It wasn't the silence of surprise, but one of restrained anticipation, as if everyone there knew they were about to witness the duel they had been waiting for the most.
"The atmosphere… has changed," murmured Dash, feeling a shiver run down his spine.
Kirishima appeared in a hurry shortly after, sitting beside him with a brusque movement.
"Sorry I'm late, bro!" he said, still catching his breath, before casting a serious glance at the arena. "Good luck, Takeda…"
Present Mic flashed a wide grin, sensing the electric tension in the air.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN… WHO WOULD HAVE IMAGINED WE'D SEE THIS DAY?!"
The crowd responded with a deafening roar.
"THE TWO CURRENT FAVORITES! TWO MONSTERS ON THE RISE!" he pointed toward the arena. "RITO TAKEDA! AND SHOTO TODOROKI!"
In the arena, Ryo and Todoroki remained motionless, separated by a good distance, exchanging sharp glances. Both seemed too aware of the weight of the moment to waste it on empty words.
Present Mic break the silence between them.
"READY?! START!"
Todoroki reacted instantly. The ground in front of him shattered as a massive pillar of ice erupted violently, charging straight toward Ryo like a moving wall.
Ryo was absurdly fast, too strong to face head-on. If he could control the space, limit the options, and force a mistake, he might have an advantage. If Ryo tried to run, the ice would create friction. If he attacked head-on, he'd be met by the ice.
It was solid.
Until it broke.
The ice pillar simply exploded, pulverized by a brutal force, accompanied by a gust so intense it swept through the entire stadium and hit Todoroki. He was thrown backward, the impact knocking the air from his lungs, and only managed to avoid being flung out by hastily raising ice behind him.
"Tch…!" he grunted.
When the dust settled, Todoroki lifted his gaze forward.
Ryo was there, practically in the same spot, his right fist raised, steam rising from him as if the air around him were being heated by force. His expression was indifferent, devoid of any emotion.
"Is that it?" he asked.
Todoroki clenched his teeth tightly.
"No!"
He slammed his hand onto the ground, freezing the entire arena in seconds. Ryo's legs were quickly encased, pinning him in place, while another pillar rose toward him, ready to consume him.
But Ryo ignored it, lowering his gaze to see the ice trapping his legs.
Then, with no apparent effort, he lifted them. The ice cracked with a dry snap, and in the next instant, he stomped on the ground with enough force to shake the entire arena.
The ice on the floor shattered into fragments, the pillar was pulverized, and a web of cracks spread throughout the arena, accompanied by a tremor that rippled through the stadium.
Todoroki lost his balance, struggling to stay upright on the ruined terrain. His heart raced as he raised his gaze again.
Ryo was already in front of him.
The punch coming toward him—
"I have to dodge—"
Todoroki pushed his body beyond its limits, leaning back with everything he had. A sharp snap ran through his spine as he managed to evade by mere inches, the pain ripping through his back.
The blow passed him, but didn't leave unscathed.
"He broke his back just to dodge?"
Before he could react, a colossal pillar of ice erupted from the ground, engulfing him completely and casting a massive shadow over the stadium.
Todoroki fell on his back, his body trembling.
"Haa… hha…" he groaned, trying to rise despite the pain in his back.
With difficulty, he lifted his gaze toward the enormous block of ice in front of him.
"Did… I make it?"
"RITO TAKEDA HAS BEEN COMPLETELY SWALLOWED BY TODOROKI'S ICE PILLAR!" Present Mic's voice echoed throughout the stadium. "IS THIS THE END?!"
The silence that followed lasted only a few seconds before being replaced by a growing murmur from the crowd. Pro heroes exchanged stunned looks—some leaning forward in their seats, others openly commenting on what they had just witnessed.
"These kids are absurdly strong…" muttered a veteran hero, arms crossed.
"Yeah, they've already surpassed many pro heroes from the older generation."
"It was the bare minimum expected of Endeavor's son," a third added, his tone colder, almost indifferent.
In the arena, Todoroki struggled to breathe as he forced his body to remain standing. His legs trembled slightly, and the pain in his back still throbbed, but he kept his gaze fixed on the massive pillar of ice before him.
"Looks like… it's over," he murmured to himself, trying to believe it.
But a green glow began to seep into the ice—faint at first, almost imperceptible, yet rapidly growing in intensity.
Todoroki's eyes widened.
Without hesitation, he raised an ice wall in front of himself—and the explosion followed immediately.
A blast erupted from within the pillar, shattering it completely. Shards of ice were hurled in every direction, accompanied by a brutal gust of wind that swept across the arena like a concentrated storm.
Todoroki's ice wall began to crack under the relentless impact, forcing him to recreate it over and over again, his arms trembling with each reinforcement.
When everything finally settled, the white mist from the shattered ice still lingered in the air.
From amidst the debris, a silhouette emerged.
Ryo stood tall, his body enveloped in a pulsing green aura, his hands engulfed by that living energy that seemed to warp the air around them. Steam rose from his skin, and his gaze remained steady amid the surrounding chaos.
Todoroki braced himself against the side of the ice wall, his heart pounding.
"Hey!" he shouted, irritation spilling over. "You've been holding back against me… this whole time?!"
His voice carried more than anger.
"Do you still think I'm just a joke?!"
Driven by impulse, Todoroki created a new massive pillar of ice aimed straight at Ryo. His right side began to freeze along with it, the cold spreading through his body as he poured everything into that attack.
Ryo, however, simply extended both hands.
The green aura intensified around them, the glow from his palms bright enough to blind for an instant.
—Gamma Blast
A green explosion burst forth. The icy advance was completely annihilated, the impact tearing through the arena and launching Todoroki backward. He barely had time to react before his back slammed into an improvised ice wall he created at the last second to keep from being thrown out of bounds.
"Ngh…!" A groan escaped his lips as he struggled to stay conscious.
"You're not giving it your all either," Ryo's voice reached him—far too calm for the scene unfolding.
Todoroki clenched his teeth.
"So what…?!"
Ryo continued, unwavering.
"If you don't want to use your full potential…" he took a step forward. "Why should I?"
Todoroki looked away, fists clenched.
"It's because… it's because…"
The words simply wouldn't come.
"You live surrounded by frustrations," Ryo went on, his voice low. "You say you want to change, but you keep being their reflection. Beneath that mask you call vengeance… I see your disappointments. Your fears. The desperation that still chases you every second."
"Shut up!" Todoroki snapped, lifting his glare in fury. "What do you know about me?! What do you understand that I don't already know?!"
Ryo didn't back down.
"Because I've been through something similar."
He paused briefly.
"Twice."
"Once when I lost everything I thought defined me," he continued. "And again when I realized that running from the past only delayed me even more."
Todoroki ground his teeth. The ice around his feet cracked, reacting to the slow shift in temperature.
"You don't know anything about what I went through!" he yelled, raising his right arm. "You don't know what it's like to grow up being shaped as a tool!"
"I do," Ryo replied, taking another step forward. "Because you still let the past decide for you."
Ryo took another step forward.
"This is your life, isn't it?"
Todoroki clenched his teeth, his gaze trembling for a moment.
"So it's up to you alone to decide what to do with it," Ryo continued. "Stop comparing yourself to your father. Stop fighting as if every blow is aimed at him. You are not him—and he will never be you."
The ice near Todoroki began to melt, steam rising around him. Small, unstable flames danced along his left arm, as if testing his permission to exist.
Todoroki stared at his own fist in shock.
"I…" His voice faltered.
"That decision is yours," Ryo said, pointing a finger at him. "Not your father's. Not mine. Yours."
For an eternal moment, the entire stadium fell into absolute silence.
Then Todoroki lifted his head. His eyes were no longer bound to the past—nor completely free of it—but determined to try to be someone different.
"Don't think…" he said, fire and ice balancing around his body, "that this means I've forgiven you for calling me a pussy."
Ryo gave a faint smile.
"I never expected that."
The flames erupted at full force, merging with the remaining ice in a violent storm of steam, fire, and shattering fragments.
The arena erupted in excitement. In the stands, Class 1-A gaped at what they were witnessing.
"HE USED THE FLAMES!" Kirishima's eyes widened, almost popping out of their sockets.
Dash narrowed his eyes, placing a hand in front of his face.
"Hot… so hot…" he murmured, feeling the heat reverberate even from a distance.
From the upper seats, a roar of pride echoed.
"SHOOOOOTTOOO!" Endeavor shouted, his eyes blazing with intensity. "THAT'S IT! SHOW THEM THE IMAGE OF YOUR FATHER'S NEW GENERATION! SHOW THEM THE POWER YOU INHERITED FROM ME!"
But Todoroki didn't hear him. His gaze remained fixed solely on Ryo.
"Thank you," he said, his voice heavy with silent gratitude.
Then, the ground beneath his feet froze instantly, launching a colossal pillar of ice toward Ryo like an avalanche. But with a single punch, Ryo obliterated the frost, shattering it into fragments that flew in all directions.
"Since he's going all out… I'll warm up a little too."
The green aura surrounding Ryo grew exponentially, sparking electricity and releasing small discharges that ran across his body. He raised his hands forward, focusing his power with precision. The bursts, once just explosions of various types of radiation all at once, were now refined, controlled, devastatingly precise—shaped into true Gamma rays, all thanks to the lessons he had learned from Thirteen in their private sessions.
Cementoss and Midnight immediately realized the fight had crossed all limits.
"We need to stop this now!" exclaimed Cementoss, raising concrete barriers in a desperate attempt to halt the students' attacks.
Midnight released her sleep-inducing mist, trying to restrain the two before the chaos became irreversible.
But Todoroki gathered everything he had. The flames from his left hand flared with intensity, forming a colossal jet of fire that lit the arena with an almost blinding light.
At the same time, Ryo unleashed his concentrated Gamma Blast at 0,000001%, each burst of green energy reaching its peak controlled intensity, piercing the air like a cannon.
The attacks collided with a deafening crash. Concrete barriers disintegrated like paper, and an explosive wave swept through the stadium, lifting debris, dust, and a gust of wind capable of nearly knocking spectators from their seats.
For a few moments, everything fell silent, as if the world had paused to breathe. Gradually, visibility returned.
At the center of the arena, Ryo stood unscathed, not having taken a single step. His shirt was singed halfway, his pants showed minor burns, but his eyes held the same intense focus from the start.
On the other side, leaning against the stadium wall, out of bounds, Todoroki remained standing… only for an instant. Strength abandoned him, and he collapsed unconscious, unable to continue.
Silence fell over the stadium.
Until Present Mic cleared his throat and shouted:
"RITOOOO TAKEDAAAAAA IS THE WINNER!!!"