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[Aura vs Frost… and Punch]
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…
-Crunch, crunch, crunch-
Todoroki's heavy steps crushed the crystalline layer of ice coating the floor as he advanced through the mock building, swallowed by near-total darkness, save for the few occasions a window appeared amidst the multiple corridors.
Misty breath escaped his mouth with each exhale. With the ice now all around, the temperature in the whole building had dropped. However, he was resistant to cold—this level of temperature drop wasn't enough to faze him yet.
Such were the benefits of his Quirk.
No, this was but the result of his own progress.
Even freezing an entire building was effortless, and under normal circumstances, it would have been enough to deal with almost anyone.
Yet, even after such a grand display of power, Todoroki hadn't lowered his guard.
On the first day, he hadn't paid much attention to his classmates. U.A.'s prestige, aside from being the best school available to him, didn't impress him. So, he hadn't expected much of a challenge from them either.
He wasn't being arrogant. That mindset was simply the result of the relentless training he'd endured—training meant to ensure he wouldn't have to rely on that.
To become the number one hero and to prove his damn old man wrong, he had forced the ice side of his Quirk to stand on its own, to make it powerful enough to stand as a sole Quirk by itself. So when he rose as a hero, he would need only it, and not the other part.
And for a long time, he'd believed he had succeeded. His ice output dwarfed that of similar Quirks recorded throughout recent years.
But it was during the Quirk Assessment Test that he realized he'd miscalculated.
Someone posed an actual threat to his objective, someone with an absurdly powerful Quirk.
And that same someone was now his opponent.
Even after that initial wave of ice—fast and strong enough to catch almost anyone off guard—he wasn't certain it would have been enough to deal with him. Still, he hoped it could have accomplished something.
He didn't know the specifics of the other boy's ability, but from what he'd gathered, it was a telekinetic-type Quirk.
A frighteningly potent one.
But that meant the weak point was the user himself.
This ice attack should have caught him by surprise. It was just that fast.
It should have pinned his feet to the ground—at least momentarily.
The telekinesis was strong enough to pull him out for sure. He didn't have a doubt about that.
But as for protecting his feet from the damage that pulling them out from the burning cold ice would do? He wasn't so sure it'd be able to accomplish that.
So, either the boy was still trapped after realizing the damage he would inflict on himself by trying to escape… or he had already broken free, regardless of it all.
Todoroki wouldn't know until he reached the top floor.
But hopefully—
'Nevermind.' Todoroki scoffed.
The stairway to the next floor had just come into view when a figure appeared, descending calmly toward him. Not a speck of ice on it.
Shrouded in darkness, the figure looked like a vengeful ghost. The aggressive design of the costume and the mask, which hid most of his features, only worsened the effect.
The only proof that the figure was human was the eyes beneath the brim of his hat—eyes currently looking down at Todoroki as he finished descending the stairs. Each step echoed sharply through the ice-filled hallway.
Soon, they stood on the same level, meters apart, silently gauging each other's level.
At least—
"You aren't coming?"
Until the figure raised an arm and curled a finger toward himself
A blatant invitation to attack.
"..."
Todoroki didn't hesitate.
-Bang!-
He stomped the floor, and waves of ice surged forward in unison, completely flooding the hallway as they rushed toward his opponent, looking like a violent flood of raw ice.
Yet—
-Swish!-
—SHATTER!—
A single palm thrust from his opponent obliterated the oncoming ice before it could even reach him. The sheer wave of red telekinetic energy sent the shattered remains back past Todoroki, forcing the red-and-white-haired student to stumble a step as he shielded himself from the storm of frozen debris.
'He disregarded it so easily…!' Todoroki grit his teeth, squinting through the blizzard of his own ice as it flew back at him, refusing to lose sight of his opponent.
Finally, the shockwave died down after a few seconds, allowing Todoroki to steady himself and stand upright once more.
But when his eyes settled forward again… all he saw was another finger beckoning him.
'This guy…' His eyebrows furrowed.
Without hesitation, he attacked again.
This time, with less restraint.
—BOOOM!!!—
A massive surge of ice erupted outward, swallowing the hallway whole and tearing apart the surrounding walls.
The entire building trembled under the sheer force of it, the explosion of ice roaring as it expanded across the floor uncontrolled.
And this time, his opponent didn't block.
The ice surged forward unabated—and, eventually, swallowed him whole.
The dark figure vanished beneath layers of ice, completely encased.
"...!"
For a fleeting moment, a glint of regret flashed through Todoroki's eyes.
Was his telekinetic ability perhaps limited by a cooldown or something else that hadn't allowed him to block?
Had he actually gravely injured one of his classmates because he got too into it?
Those thoughts crept into his mind as he stared at the motionless, frozen figure—
—until a sound reached him.
-Crack-
The sound of ice parting. And soon, it was not only that.
His eyes followed each crack, each fissure.
Until he realized it.
They all came from the guy at the center of it all.
—SHATTER!—
In an instant, most of the ice that had engulfed the hallway—and shattered the walls in the process—exploded outward, blasting chunks of frozen debris clean off the building. Somehow, all missing Todoroki in the process.
And there, amidst the falling shards—reflecting the surroundings like fragments of shattered reality—stood his opponent.
Unshaken and clearly unbothered by such a move.
And he made it clear by raising a single finger.
"You get one more try."
His voice echoed through the now-widened hallway, commanding, despite the clear taunt.
Todoroki's teeth ground together, frustration boiling beneath the surface.
He hadn't come this far for his efforts to hit a wall on the second day of classes.
He couldn't lose.
If he did, then he'd be proving that bastard of a father right. That, without his fire, there was little he could accomplish.
And that—he couldn't allow.
Focusing back on his opponent, anger surged in the depths of his being.
So, Todoroki abandoned all restraint. This opponent was clearly stronger than him.
There was only one answer for this.
He had to go all out.
To prove he didn't need his father.
To prove to himself that his efforts hadn't been in vain.
To prove to everyone that his ice was all he could ever need… to reach the top.
"You want an attack?" he muttered, his usual composure cracking as raw frustration twisted his expression. "Then how about this?!"
He dropped to one knee, both hands slamming against the floor.
-Thud!-
And then, it happened in an instant—
—TSSSSSS!!!—
An ice explosion.
Not one meant to merely coat walls or freeze surfaces.
This was ice meant to consume everything.
The expansion was terrifying—erupting from Todoroki's position and swallowing most of the floor in less than a blink, with no intention of stopping there. The entire building was about to be entombed in sheer frost.
That's what should have happened—
—BANG!—
But the monstrous wave of ice didn't make it far beyond the floor.
As if seized by an invisible force field, the advancing mass slammed into something mid-air—and simply stopped.
The ice groaned like a roaring beast, pushing and agonizing to grow beyond that, but failing completely.
Todoroki's eyes widened, confusion flooding his mind at the sudden halt.
Then, it became even worse.
Like a chain reaction, the compressed ice—straining to expand but denied by the unseen force—began to crack. The sound of what had once been a mighty attack collapsing from inside filled the entire vicinity.
Crkcrkrkckrk—
His head whipped around, watching the ice formation all around become filled with fissures.
One of his most powerful attacks—stopped, and destroyed, just like that?
Then, as if to confirm his disbelief—
—SHATTER!—
—It finally collapsed, breaking apart into several fragments.
But they didn't fall.
Under Todoroki's stunned gaze, tons upon tons of frozen debris hung suspended in the air. Almost mystically.
Then, slowly—
They began to circle around him, forming a swirling storm of ice.
He glanced around, startled by what was happening, danger alarms screaming in his mind.
What was his opponent trying to do?
Was he about to turn all that ice against him?
He had to react—maybe erect an ice wall before he could—
"That was your last try. Time's up."
The voice came from behind him.
Todoroki's eyes widened.
In a flash, he spun around and lashed out, sending a wave of ice forward.
-CRASH!-
The ice barely traveled a few centimeters before shattering in place.
But he didn't stop.
More ice surged forth under Todoroki's relentless lash out as he took his distance.
Each wave… weaker than the last.
And each one was effortlessly crushed by the unseen force before it could even come close to its target, who calmly walked after him.
Todoroki's breathing grew ragged, his muscles trembling as the cold gnawed at him.
He was reaching his limit.
Without using his fire to regulate his body temperature, pushing any further meant crossing into dangerous territory.
'I can't… I must not—!'
He swung his arm once more.
-Tack!-
Only for his wrist to be caught mid-motion.
For a brief moment, silence fell between the two contenders.
Todoroki was too exhausted—and too cold—to say anything.
And the boy in front of him seemed to pause, as if lost in thought.
Then, just as the moment stretched—
The boy in black tilted his head.
"You thought you could half-ass this?"
The words struck something deep.
"What?" Todoroki snapped, despite his weary condition.
For a moment, silence fell again, the boy's eyes locking with Todoroki's in a sharp gaze. "You're aiming for the top, aren't you?"
Todoroki didn't answer, whether from disbelief or simple refusal, only known to him
Regardless, the boy took the silence as agreement.
And so, he let out a mocking snort.
"You didn't think you'd reach it by half-assing your way through it, did you?"
"What do you even—!"
"An incomplete person can never hope to defeat me."
"...!"
As if Todoroki's response no longer mattered, the boy released him.
Then—
-Wham!-
A surge of telekinetic force slammed Todoroki into a nearby, untouched wall.
Before he could recover, a binding wrapped tightly around his wrist—the one they'd been given for the exercise. His eyes snapped to the binding in bafflement.
Just like that, Todoroki had been disqualified.
Huffing softly, the boy turned away, shoving both hands into his pockets as he began to walk off.
His business here was finished.
Or so it seemed—
"Wait."
Todoroki's voice stopped him.
The boy turned, casting a sideways glance.
"Your name," Todoroki said, forcing the words out. "... What was it?"
"..."
Silence stretched between them once more.
Then—
"Takahashi. Or Taka. Pick whichever you like."
And with that, he turned his back again, heading toward the stairwell leading down.
In search of his next prey.
…
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| Taka's POV: |
…
'That fucker didn't even bother learning my name?'
I clicked my tongue as I descended another flight of stairs, briefly wondering if I should've gone harder on him.
He'd earned a couple more whacks to the head.
'Forget it. He got humiliated more than enough for today.'
Rolling my eyes, I set my irritation aside and focused instead on the seeds I'd planted.
'I wonder if that worked?'
My thoughts drifted back to the last words I'd thrown Todoroki's way. I'd kinda copie—ahem, I mean, gotten inspired by Midoriya's future talk-no-jutsu—the one that finally got Todoroki to stop caring about his old man and start using his fire.
Of course, mine had been far cruder, shorter, and way more condescending than anything the greenhead would ever say.
But hey, I wasn't about to sit him down and give him a heartfelt pep talk about self-acceptance and daddy issues. That wasn't part of my act—or who I was.
Sure, I could try to improvise something convincing. With True Voice and all, it'd probably sound decent.
But it'd just be random fluff without real meaning.
So I went the competitive route.
Either he stops holding back—Or he never beats me.
My main objective was to get him to drop his limiter fast, so he could start climbing in strength right away.
Why?
Because the stronger he gets, the stronger I look in comparison.
Maybe it was a crude method.
But if it worked, it worked.
'That… or he becomes Endeavor 2.0, and I end up being his All Might.'
…
'On second thought, maybe I shouldn't have done that.'
Maybe this was how villain Todoroki started.
'…Yeah. Maybe I should deploy Midoriya to do his magic, just to be safe.'
I was still mulling that over when I reached the next lower floor—and ran into an unexpected sight.
There he was.
Rikido Sato.
Mr. Diabetes Is My Superpower himself.
The moment he saw me, his expression went flat, followed immediately by a nervous sweatdrop.
"I figured something was going on up there…" he said cautiously. "... But given the scale of it, I didn't dare step in. So… you beat Todoroki, huh?"
I nodded. No point lying about his partner's unfortunate fate.
He grimaced and let out a heavy sigh. "Haaah… then just finish me off. I won't even be able to reach you before you blow me away anyway."
I hummed.
That was indeedfully true, but…
I checked the timer on my phone.
"Five minutes," I muttered.
"Huh?" he asked, confused.
I raised my hand, palm forward, all five fingers extended. "How about this? For the next five minutes, I won't use my telekinesis. Until then, you can show the teacher everything you've got."
I'd let Todoroki attack me three times—not just because of the massive aura gains that tanking all his attacks like nothing would get me, but because this was an exercise.
All Might was supposed to point out flaws, give feedback, all that educational stuff, after this.
One-shotting everyone without letting them show anything would've been kinda mean.
…Even though that was exactly what Todoroki did to the team he fought in the show.
But I was better than him, wasn't I?
So I'd give this guy the same chance.
Let the guy show his stuff, then let All Might handle the critique.
And while I was at it, I could aura farm by proving I wasn't just amazing because of my Quirk.
'Powerful and responsible… Truly, I am an exemplary aura farmer.'
'But no one can. Let me be. This aura farming crap is exhausting—I should at least be allowed to relax in my own head.'
"For real?" Sato's voice snapped me back to reality.
I cleared my throat.
"Yeah."
Saying so, I took off my coat and tossed it aside.
—Clang!—
The instant it hit the metal floor, the surface bent slightly under the impact.
Sato's eyes widened like saucers.
"T-that's weighted clothing?!"
"Indeed."
It wasn't.
I'd just used my aura to force the coat down and slam it into the floor.
But he didn't need to know that.
"I guess even without your Quirk, you're no pushover, huh? Just my luck." Sato smirked nervously, but he didn't back away from the challenge. Instead, he pulled a packet of sugar from the belt of his hero suit and swallowed it without hesitation.
His body swelled, muscles bulging as his strength skyrocketed.
Good.
"Come," I beckoned.
And he did.
"Aaaargh!" he roared as he charged.
His lunge was fast—powered more by brute strength than technique—but compared to Seiji, who had both power and agility, this was easy.
A fist nearly touched my nose by mere centimeters as I took a single step back, already knowing it wouldn't reach.
Another punch followed. I weaved past it, slipped under his guard, and ended up right behind him.
He reacted quickly, throwing a blind punch backward. I dodged by leaning back into a limbo, the blow passing just inches from my nose.
He turned around and threw—
…another punch.
Weave.
Then another.
Weave.
And then another—right, yeah. I'd momentarily forgotten the side effect of his Quirk.
I weaved again and—
—Wham!—
I planted a punch of my own into him, knocking him back a few steps.
As he staggered in surprise, I spoke.
"Snap out of it," I commanded, my voice low and firm. "If you don't think while fighting, you're gonna get folded by the first random villain you find."
Despite being in his dulled state, my words seemed to get through. He scrunched his face, visibly struggling to process them and apply them.
Seeing that, I beckoned again.
So he charged.
Punch. Punch. Punch—
—no, that was a headbutt.
I still dodged it, though it caught me off guard.
'That's an improvement, I guess.'
Another punch. Then another, and again another.
He sure was struggling with thinking in that state.
As the repetition continued, I started punishing him harder for it.
Another punch? I dodged and countered with a strike of my own.
Another? I kicked him before he could even reach me.
Another, and this time I redirected his arm and landed a clean gut punch.
The fight went on like that for a while. Eventually, new attacks started to appear.
He was learning—slowly—but there was progress.
Which made sense, given he was trying to learn how to fight while stuck in a cognitively dulled state.
Still, when I checked the time, I squinted.
Only one minute left. Then, we'd win automatically.
But...
'Winning by default is kinda lame, right?' I thought, noticing something on the current floor that made me decide on how to end this combat properly.
With my decision made, Sato lunged in with an uppercut, and I slipped behind him.
He tried to turn—and to his credit, he did.
But before he could react, I thrust my palm into his chest, this time putting a bit more force into it.
That sent him skidding several steps back until he finally forced himself to a stop.
For a moment, he looked ready to keep fighting—but just as he moved to charge again—
-Click-
The sound of binding bands snapping shut echoed through the room.
"Eeeeeeh?!" Sato yelped, staring at his now immobilized wrists. "You lied! You said you wouldn't use your telekinesis!"
I snorted.
"That wasn't me."
"Huh?"
"Hehehe, it was I, Toru! You forgot I was here, didn't you?!" a voice rang out from midair, near him.
Sato's jaw dropped. "N-NO WAY!"
While Hagakure reveled in her sneak attack and Sato realized how thoroughly he'd been played, I bent down, picked up my coat, and slipped it back on, letting it flap in the process for extra coolness.
The dust it had picked off disappeared instantly.
And just as I finished—
{"V-villain team wins!!!"} All Might's slightly baffled voice came to our earpieces.
I broke into a smile from behind my mask.
'That's what I'm talking about, baby.'
…
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: Almost there, just one assignment more and I'll be free.)