Sam sat at the edge of his seat, anxiously watching the coming battle.
The moment it began, Shoto sent a massive iceberg hurtling toward Izuku. Izuku sacrificed a finger, firing a tremendous blast that obliterated the ice and sent Shoto flying. At the last second, Shoto raised an ice pillar to stop himself.
'Holy shit. He sent those ice shards flying! If one of those hit anyone at that speed, that would be the end! What is this school thinking?!?'
Sam's internal dialogue stood in sharp contrast to his stone-cold expression. Even as frigid winds washed over him, he kept watching.
'What are you going to do, Izuku?'
Kirishima suddenly spoke up behind him.
"You and Todoroki are amazing, being able to blast through the whole stadium, Bakugo."
"Like Scarface said earlier, all quirks have a weakness," Bakugo replied calmly. "That's why I made my costume the way it is. To go beyond my limits."
'This kid is more than just a Chihuahua,' Sam thought. 'Maybe he really is a Pomeranian, like Mic said.'
Sam usually ignored Present Mic—he found him annoying—but the comparison still made him snort internally.
He refocused on the match.
Midoriya sacrificed another finger to stop Shoto from freezing him.
'What the hell are you doing, kid?'
Sam could tell—Izuku had a plan.
Shoto created an ice pillar and rushed in, trying to close the distance, but Izuku shattered the platform with another Smash. Shoto dodged and nearly froze Izuku at close range, only for Izuku to fire off a full arm Smash at the last second.
Shoto once again saved himself by erecting a barrier before he could be blown out of bounds.
'He's shivering…' Sam noted. 'This brat is really willing to go this far just to spite that flaming pile of garbage?'
He scowled. 'Not that I'm much better.'
Izuku's fingers were ruined—every single one. Yet the fire in him hadn't dimmed.
He's running on pure adrenaline.
Shoto seemed to realize Izuku shouldn't be able to keep fighting—but the moment Shoto launched another wave of ice, Izuku used one of his already broken fingers again.
'Is he trying to cripple himself? No. He's not dumb. He has a plan.'
Even through the roaring cheers of the crowd, Sam stayed hyper-focused, dissecting Izuku's intent.
Then Izuku shouted:
"Everyone is giving their all, except you! Look! You haven't hurt me once! Use your full strength!"
Sam gasped.
Is he…
Bakugo muttered something about stamina running low, but Sam barely heard it.
Is he really willing to go this far… just to help him?
Sam was stunned. He had never met someone so genuinely compassionate.
The fight intensified. Izuku began landing hits. He even used his cheek—placing a finger against it and flicking it forward.
Shoto was overwhelmed.
"Did he put you up to this? To make me use his quirk?!"
"IT'S YOURS, NOT HIS! IT'S YOURS!!!"
The stadium fell silent.
Flames erupted.
Shoto stood there, smiling—relieved.
He really got through to him.
"SHOTO!!! HAVE YOU FINALLY EMBRACED YOUR—"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU BURNING SACK OF SHIT! I'M TIRED OF YOU, GODDAMN IT!!"
Sam shouted it without thinking.
The stands froze.
His classmates stared in horror—this wasn't Sam being dry or distant. He was furious.
Endeavor turned, locking eyes with him. The malice between them was palpable.
Endeavor's glare screamed:
'I'll turn you to ashes, you useless brat.'
Sam's answered back just as clearly:
'Want me to come down there and beat your ass on a stage this time?'
The tension was suffocating.
Thankfully, Midoriya and Shoto were too focused on their match to notice the confrontation.
They charged one last time.
Midnight and Cementoss moved to intervene—but it was too late.
Boom.
Even Sam was shaken by the sheer devastation.
When the dust settled, only one person remained standing.
Shoto Todoroki.
The arena fell completely silent.