After some alone time, Sam cleaned his face, not wanting to show his red and swollen eyes to his classmates.
He walked up the stands to the student seating and found his class, "Sam! Where were you? You missed all of the fights!"
"Sorry. I had something I needed to do. Anyway, I really missed all the matches?" He asks Uraraka who was worried about Sam.
"Well not all of the matches. The last one is about to begin. Are you going to watch with us?"
Sam looked at Uraraka and the rest of class 1-A. He could see the slight worry in their eyes.
He gave them a slight smirk. "Of course. My favorite pooch is fighting my biggest fan, Endeavor's kid." Sam tried to lighten up.
She is not really convinced but nods her head. Finally, the final match begins. Todoroki vs Bakugo.
"Sam, who do you think is going to win?" Kirishima asks and the others listen. "Bakugo, no question."
His answer shocked everyone as they all knew Sam was not a fan of Bakugo.
"However…if Todoroki accepts his fire powers and goes all out, then it would be difficult to say. But that's highly unlikely. He is lost in his thoughts, unsure about whether he should keep up his temper tantrum or accept his fire."
"That sounds reasonable." Momo says as she thinks about it. So do the others.
"By the way, where is Iida?"
Uraraka and Izuku tense at the question.
Sam notices but doesn't push. "I think he had a family emergency." Tsuyu says.
Before the conversation can continue, both competitors take the stage.
"AND NOW! THE FINAL MATCH! FIRST, WE HAVE CLASS 1-A's SHOTO TODOROKI! AND FINALLY, WE HAVE, ALSO FROM 1-A, KATSUKI BAKUGO!"
The crowd erupts. Both contestants stare at each other, ready to begin.
Midnight waves down her whip and starts the match.
Immediately Todoroki throws out another iceberg, but more controlled. Bakugo blasts through it though.
'He just tunneled through. His adaptability is something praiseworthy — it reminds me of one mission that started as espionage but turned into a full-blown gun battle.' Sam shakes his head, not wanting to remember his past right now.
Bakugo dodges another ice attack and ends up grabbing Todoroki by his left side, then throwing him.
Shoto creates an ice wave he uses to surf away from the boundaries. He literally surfs.
'Interesting. His ice powers truly are praiseworthy. Both of them are definitely talented, but both are crippling themselves. Todoroki is allowing his resentment of Endeavor to make him reject his flames. As for Bakugo, his ego is massive. He probably kept getting compliment after compliment in his childhood, leading him to become the egomaniac he is.'
"Aren't you going to use your flames Icy-Hot?! You better show me everything!! Show me why you think you belong in this school!!!"
Todoroki meanwhile is just too lost. He contemplates Bakugo's words but he just can't.
'I'm sorry, Bakugo…' Shoto internally apologizes
"Don't give up, Todoroki! Do your best!" Izuku shouts, encouraging him to use his fire.
That seems to do it since Shoto lights up his flames.
Bakugo is finally excited and gets ready to use his special move. Shoto also prepares his next attack.
"HOWITZER IMPACT!!!"
Shoto then prepares to counter Bakugo, but once again, his engine runs out of fuel as he thinks about his parents.
Boom!
'Jesus Christ!' Sam is terrified by this devastating explosion. 'This should not be allowed at a children's sports event.'
10 kids are suddenly forced into Sam's mind. Along with a voice he hasn't heard in a while.
'*I'm so sorry, Sam.*'
Suddenly, he felt a chill—not from Todoroki's ice. Something older. Thicker. Heavy with iron and blood.
Sam recognized it—and loathed it.
'No.'
The overlap was wrong. Too similar.
'Is this what you wanted Nezu? To see them rip each other apart? Is this how you wanted this to go, Rat?!?'
Sam clenched his fists so hard he broke skin with his nails.
'I should have never watched this. It's too similar to THAT.'
As Sam is lost in his thoughts, the result becomes clear. Bakugo is standing, and Todoroki is out.
"You didn't use your fire! Damn it!" Bakugo runs up to the unconscious Todoroki and grabs him by the shirt.
"Get back up! I can't prove I'm number 1 if I can't kill you at your best!"
Suddenly he feels tired and passes out. Behind him, Midnight tears a hole in her outfit allowing her sleeping gas to knock him out.
Sam sighs after seeing this. 'He's going to throw the mother of all hissy fits.' Sam can't even joke too much. He is just too mentally exhausted.
'At least it's over.'