Rise up

~20~

I hold a sharp glare walking onto the platform for our match. I've let all my anger towards everyone build-up for the day. All the times I've been called weak scratching at the back of my brain. 'If I beat Todoroki, the number 2 Hero's son, there will be no doubt in how strong I am. Even Esther will surely praise me.'

"Now for our first match of the semi-finals! Both relatives of Pro-Heroes in the top 3! What a show this will be! Shoto Todoroki vs. Y/N Takami!" Present Mic pauses only for a second, letting the crowd cheer, "Start!"

In sync, Todoroki sends out a wave of ice, and I light my wings, jumping in the air. 'I have to keep the fire going, or I won't be able to light them from being too cold like in our battle trials.' I pass over the shards of ice growing and dispersing on the ground below me, headed straight for Todoroki. As I close the distance between us, he creates an ice wall in front of him, blocking my path.

I make a sharp turn and barely graze by the side of the wall when I feel the edge of my wings graze the cold surface. Appearing around the block of ice Todoroki looks surprised that I didn't slam face-first into the barrier. In his state of shock, I tackle the boy to the ground, and we tumble for a few feet rolling on top of each other. Once we finally skied to a stop, I landed on top of him, instantly pinning his arms at his sides.

"I promised your dear old Dad that I would beat you. Is there any chance you'll just walk out of here willingly?" I smile down at Todoroki, tilting my head to the side in question.

He glares at me, taken back by my absurd request, "No, I will prove to him I can win with just my ice."

I feel the temperature around us drop as he creates ice around us. I jump back off of him, hovering above the ground. "Well, I think you could really stick it to him by forfeiting the fight. Man, could you imagine how pissed he would be if you didn't even try?"

The dual-haired boy seems to actually consider my proposal for a moment until he stomps his foot on the ground. I'm too close to dodge the rapidly approaching ice, so I bring my feet up in front of me, planting them on the ice. Bending my knees, I push off, flipping backward in the air before landing crouched on the ground. Another wave of ice rushes towards me, and I quickly jump back into the air.

I remain in the air, dancing around the continuous ice attacks that Todoroki keeps sending. A couple of times, he manages to strike me just barely, leaving a few stray bruises on my arms and legs. Our little game goes on for ages until I finally see a change in him. Todoroki begins shivering after a while, and his waves of ice travel at a slower speed than before.

"You're taking 'chill out' to a whole new level Todoroki. You're shivering in your boots over there." I laugh out as I begin gradually approaching the cold boy. Between each attack he sends, they grow slower, and I grow closer to him.

Once the distance between us is merely a few feet, the shards of ice are harder to avoid. A chunk of ice slices through the side of my uniform, cutting it open and scraping across my skin. I wince, losing my balance but keep moving forward till I'm arm's length away from Todoroki.

I drop to the floor in an instant and sweep my leg under Todoroki's feet. His reflexes are slower now, and I manage to disturb his balance by hooking one of his feet. While his weight is held in one foot, I still jump up, swinging upward toward his jaw. Todoroki stumbles to the side on his knees once my fist connects with his jaw.

The dual-haired boy turns his head spitting out blood. I bring my foot, ready to slam it into his back. I believed he was too distracted to stop the attack, but he managed to grab hold of my leg before it struck him. He jerks me towards him while on his knees with one hand and uses his free hand to jab at my side.