Blossoms of the Dark

CV Selene: Passion

Announcement: Not that anyone asked, but Selene's Hogwarts House is Slytherin, followed by Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor. This is obvious from her personality, but stating this detail might put things into perspective, especially about her comment of Gryffindors. No offense to any Gryffindors, however. Shouto has always struck as me as a Slytherin, followed by Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff. I don't think characters or people can be clearly defined by just one House, so I view them as a list: primary House, secondary House, and so on.

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Todoroki-kun made it up to me by buying ice cream.

And he promptly ruined it when he commented that I would get diabetes at this rate.

We snacked on a few other dishes before returning to the stadium.

But when we got there, his jovial mood dropped into solemnity.

He despondently gave his farewell before preparing for the next round. After all, his match against Midoriya-san is the first of the second round. Their mutual declaration of war echoes in my head, and I scrutinize this match more than usual. I even amplify my hearing to eavesdrop on the dialogue that is bound to occur.

When it comes down to it, it's just two male egos fighting. It is tiresome and vapid most of the time, but I feel that this instance will be different. From what I've seen of the two of them, Todoroki-kun will attack first, presumably with his ice spear wall. Midoriya-san will counter with an immense pressure blast, and break a bone or two in the process.

And that is exactly what happens. There are only two things that surprise me. The first is when the dust dissipates, and I see that Midoriya-san has only broken one finger. I'll give him this much: although he is still a novice with his quirk, he is learning fast. Some precision is better than no precision. However, If Todoroki-kun's "I expected as much" are any indication, then he is not fazed. The second is that Todorok-kun has constructed a much smaller ice wall behind him, a barrier of sorts to prevent himself from being pushed out of bounds.

The same scene unfolds again and again: Todoroki-kun's ice and Midoriya-san's blast. He breaks two more fingers. For someone whose modus operandi is to finish a battle quickly and efficiently, Todoroki-kun is understandably frustrated. At the same time, he's puzzled as to how Midoriya-san is holding out his own for so long against him.

A new voice distracts me from my observations: Kirishima-san's. He is excited to be facing Bakugou-san in his next match, while Bakugou-san is simply irritated. When he looks at the ongoing match, he sighs, "Both you and Todoroki can send out a whole bunch of really strong attacks rapid-fire without breaking a sweat, huh?"

This irritates Bakugou-san further. "We don't just shoot them rapid-fire, idiot. Strain your muscles, and you'll tear them. Run too much, and you'll be out of breath. Quirks are still physical abilities. Even this guy's gotta have some kind of limit," he counters. The conviction in his voice ... It's evident that he is speaking from experience. And I cannot argue with that logic. There's the way Iida-san waited until the last moment to use his superspeed trick, there's the way Kirishima-san and Tetsutetsu-san became exhausted quickly during their matches, there's the way Midoriya-san damages his bones, and of course there is me. Kirishima-san concedes, too.

"Are you trying to make this an endurance match? Then I'll just end it right now," Todoroki-kun's voice returns my attention to the battle. The scene repeats for a fourth time. However, Todoroki-kun runs over the wall and leaps at Midoriya-san. Just as he lands, Midoriya-san prepares to defend himself. But he unleashes another ice wall, and Midoriya-san has to use more than a finger to block that attack. The dust takes longer to dissipate. Now, all his fingers, both hands, and both arms are badly damaged. Todoroki-kun hasn't escaped unharmed either - patches of frost dot his right arm. "That was a lot of power you showed just now. Was it because I got closer to you?" he analyzes. He approaches Midoriya-san. "Even though all you've done is defend and run away, you've reached your limit, haven't you?" It is a confident move, but a disguise to hide his subtle shivers.