Chapter 63 - [61] Ice and Water
The first wave of ice hit our outer wall, crystallizing against the reinforced barrier. Mei immediately activated her heat beam, targeting the base of the ice formation. Steam hissed into the air as the conflicting temperatures battled for dominance.
"It's working!" Mei shouted, adjusting the output. "But she's not stopping!"
She was right. Todoroki pushed forward, her right hand extended. Ice continued to flow, building higher and thicker despite Mei's countermeasures. The cold penetrated our defenses, frost patterns spreading across our inner walls.
"Tokoyami, north corner," I called out.
Dark Shadow surged toward the weak point, intercepting Ashido as she used her acid to melt through a section of ice-weakened wall. The shadowy entity wrapped around her, pulling her away from the breach.
"I've got her!" Tokoyami confirmed.
Uraraka floated above the battlefield, her zero-gravity allowing her to bypass our ground defenses entirely. She reached for the top of our fortress wall, fingers inches from purchase.
"Camie, now!" I shouted.
Mist poured from Camie's mouth, swirling upward to engulf Uraraka. Within the fog, illusory spikes appeared to jut from the wall. Uraraka jerked back instinctively, losing her trajectory and drifting off course.
"That won't hold her long," Camie warned, strain evident in her voice. "She'll figure out they're not real."
"Just need to buy time," I replied, eyes tracking Todoroki's approach.
She glided forward on her ice path, her heterochromatic gaze fixed on me. There was something calculating in those eyes—she wasn't just aiming for our flag. She wanted to test herself against me.
Fine by me.
I stepped through the breach in our outer wall, meeting her halfway. The crowd's noise swelled as we faced off.
"MIDORIYA STEPS OUT TO CONFRONT TODOROKI DIRECTLY!" Present Mic's voice boomed. "IS THIS CONFIDENCE OR RECKLESSNESS?"
Todoroki stopped ten meters away, ice crackling around her right side. "Bold move," she said, her voice cool as the air around her. "Coming out alone."
"Not alone," I replied, gesturing to our fortress where my teammates defended. "Just efficient."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "You've been holding back all day. I want to see what you're really capable of."
"This is a team event," I reminded her. "Not a showcase."
"It can be both." Ice shot toward me, jagged spears intended to pin me in place.
I sidestepped, letting the ice spears pass harmlessly by.
Todoroki frowned, sending another wave, this one wider and faster.
I shifted again, my body flowing like water around the attack. The ice crashed behind me, missing by centimeters but never touching me. The crowd gasped at the narrow escape.
"Stop dodging and fight," Todoroki said, frustration edging into her voice.
"What, you want me to just stand here and take it? That's some dumb shit."
Her response was another ice assault, this one from multiple angles. Sheets of ice erupted from the ground, walls forming to cage me in.
I moved through the closing gaps. Bang's training echoed in my mind: Be the water that flows around the rocks, not the rock that battles the current.
As I emerged from her ice cage unscathed, I caught a glimpse of something in Todoroki's eyes—surprise, yes, but also a spark of admiration.
"THREE MINUTES REMAINING!" Midnight announced.
Across the battlefield, chaos reigned. Bakugo's team had engaged with another fortress, explosions lighting up the arena. Several other teams had given up on offense entirely, focusing solely on defending whatever flags they'd managed to capture.
"Your teammates are struggling," Todoroki noted, nodding toward our fortress.
I glanced back. She wasn't wrong. Tokoyami was still containing Ashido, but Dark Shadow was shrinking from overuse. Camie's illusions had confused Uraraka temporarily, but the zero-gravity user had figured out the deception and was making another approach.
"They can handle it," I said, turning back to Todoroki. "The question is, can you?"
I stepped closer, entering the range where her ice would be harder to dodge. It was a calculated risk—limiting my escape options but forcing her to adjust her strategy.
She responded immediately, sending a wave of ice directly at my feet. Instead of dodging sideways, I leaped forward, over the attack, landing just outside her personal space.
Her eyes widened at my proximity. She backstepped, right hand raised defensively.
"You're good," she said, frost forming around her fingers. "But predictable."
"Am I?" I asked.
I shifted my weight, feinting left. She took the bait, sending ice in that direction—exactly as I'd anticipated. I changed direction mid-movement, executing a flawless Blitz to her right side.
The crowd roared as I seemingly vanished from one spot and appeared at another. It wasn't as fast as Flash Step, but it was quick enough to surprise her.
"What was that?" she demanded, spinning to face me.
"You being too slow," I replied.
That seemed to touch a nerve. Her jaw tightened, and the temperature around us dropped several degrees. Ice exploded from the ground, no longer in controlled waves but in jagged, emotional bursts.
I danced between them, my movements becoming more elaborate as her attacks grew more chaotic. This wasn't just about avoiding her ice now—it was about showing the difference between raw power and refined technique.
"TWO MINUTES LEFT! AND TEAM MIDORIYA STILL HOLDS THEIR FLAG!"
Todoroki's frustration was visible now. Her breathing had quickened, and frost coated her right side heavily. She was pushing herself, trying to break through my defenses with sheer force.
"Fight me seriously!" she shouted, sending her largest ice attack yet—a massive wave that threatened to engulf the entire area between us.
I executed another Blitz, moving to her blind spot. As I reappeared, I spoke quietly: "I am. You just can't see it yet."
My proximity startled her. She spun around, right hand swinging toward me instinctively. Ice formed at her fingertips—but something else happened too.
A small flame flickered to life on her left side.
It lasted only a second, barely visible, but unmistakable. Fire. From her left side—the side she never used.
The moment the flame appeared, she gasped and clenched her left hand into a fist, extinguishing it immediately. Horror flashed across her face, followed by something like shame.
I Blitzed backward, putting distance between us, my eyes fixed on her left hand. "Oh? Now what was that all about?"
The color drained from her face. She looked down at her left hand as if it had betrayed her, then back at me with a mixture of anger and fear.
"That was nothing," she said, voice tight.
"Didn't look like nothing."
Her heterochromatic eyes blazed. "Don't pretend you know anything about me."
"I know you're holding back," I said. "Just like I am."
For a moment, something vulnerable flashed across her face—so brief I almost missed it. Then her expression hardened again, ice crystallizing around her right arm with renewed intensity.
"ONE MINUTE REMAINING!" Midnight announced.
Todoroki glanced toward our fortress, clearly reassessing her strategy. Ashido had broken free from Dark Shadow and was using her acid to create an entry point in our wall. Uraraka had nearly reached the top, Camie's illusions no longer effective against her.
"Your team is about to lose," Todoroki said, confidence returning to her voice.
I smiled. "Are you sure about that?"
Before she could respond, Manga's voice boomed from inside the fortress: "WOOSH!"
A force slammed into both Ashido and Uraraka simultaneously. They flew backward, knocked off the fortress walls by the physical force of Manga's quirk.
"You were saying?" I asked.
Frustration flashed across Todoroki's face. She raised her right hand, preparing for one final, massive attack.
"All or nothing," she said.
The ice that formed was different this time—more focused, more controlled. Instead of spreading outward, it concentrated into a single path, building a direct bridge toward our flag.
I could have stopped it. A well-placed strike at the ice's foundation would have shattered her attack. But I held back, curious to see her strategy play out.
The ice bridge extended rapidly, reaching our fortress wall in seconds. Todoroki leaped onto it, sliding toward our flag with surprising speed.
"THIRTY SECONDS!" Midnight called.
"Guys, incoming!" I shouted to my team.
Tokoyami's Dark Shadow rose to intercept, but had shrunk considerably from overuse. Camie's illusions flickered weakly, her stamina nearly depleted. Manga had one good shout left at most.
Todoroki was going to reach our flag.
I executed another Blitz, appearing at the base of her ice bridge. One solid strike would bring the whole structure down, along with Todoroki herself.
But I hesitated.
There was something in the way she moved—determined yet desperate. This wasn't just about winning the event. She was trying to prove something to herself, maybe even to someone else.
Instead of destroying her bridge, I leaped onto it, racing up the ice toward her.
Her eyes widened when she saw me approaching. "Get out of my way," she said through gritted teeth.
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"Make me," I replied.
She sent ice spikes erupting from the bridge surface. I weaved between them, never breaking stride. We were on a collision course now, meeting in the middle of her ice bridge, suspended above the arena.
"TEN SECONDS!"
Time seemed to slow as we faced off, balanced precariously on the narrow ice path. Her right side was covered in frost, reaching up her neck and across her face. Her left side remained stubbornly dormant, though I noticed her fingers twitching as if fighting some internal battle.
"Five seconds," I said quietly. "Not enough time to get past me and reach the flag."
Anger flashed in her eyes. "I don't need to."
Her right hand pressed against the ice bridge. Cracks spread beneath our feet as the structure began to collapse.
"You'll fall too," I pointed out.
"I know." There was grim satisfaction in her voice.
The bridge shattered. We both plummeted toward the ground, ice fragments raining around us. The crowd gasped collectively.
I twisted in mid-air, adjusting my position for a safe landing. Todoroki did the same, though the frost on her right side clearly hampered her movement.
We landed simultaneously, crouching to absorb the impact. When we straightened, we were face to face, closer than before.
"TIME'S UP!" Midnight announced, cracking her whip for emphasis. "THE FORTRESS CHALLENGE IS OVER!THE RESULTS OF THE FORTRESS CHALLENGE WILL NOW BE DISPLAYED!"
The giant screen lit up, showing the final standings.
TEAM MIDORIYA
TEAM TODOROKI
TEAM BAKUGO
TEAM KENDO
"THE TOP FOUR TEAMS WILL ADVANCE ALL MEMBERS TO THE FINAL TOURNAMENT!" Midnight announced. "ADDITIONALLY, IF YOUR TEAM DID NOT MAKE THE STANDINGS, THERE ARE THREE SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR THE TOURNAMENT WHICH WILL BE SHOWN AFTER!"
"THAT GIVES US OUR TOP CANDIDATES FOR THE TOURNAMENT!" Present Mic shouted. "WE'LL HAVE A ONE-HOUR BREAK FOR LUNCH BEFORE THE BRACKET DRAWING!"