Operation Ice Prince: Todoroki's Hero Smackdown (UA War Game)

Final Stand

The training city was in ruins.

Ice towers loomed like sentinels, cracked and fractured from the relentless battle. Fires smoldered in the streets, casting a dim, eerie glow over the debris. The remnants of the hero squads—battered, limping, and bruised—had regrouped for one final push. But they were running on fumes, and everyone knew it.

They keep coming. 

Even though they know they can't win.

I stood in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by a fortress of my own making. Walls of ice, jagged and impenetrable, rose around me, with fiery traps set at every weak point. Bakugo and his squad were the only ones left standing, but even they were faltering.

Their faces were pale, sweat mixing with dirt, and exhaustion tugged at their bodies like anchors. But their eyes... they still had that spark. That stubborn will to win, no matter what.

 Stubborn. 

Like him.

Bakugo, Mina, Tokoyami, Jiro, and Sato moved in slowly, their formation tight. These were the only one remaining, not injured by my ice or stuck in it ....or hurt by fire and gotten eliminated by Aizawa....They were trying to close the distance, knowing that getting close was their only hope of taking me down.

Bakugo (yelling): You're not unbeatable, Todoroki! You hear me?! We'll tear you down, ice block by ice block!

His voice echoed through the empty streets, but it lacked the usual bite. His explosions had grown weaker, and even his trademark arrogance was starting to fade. They were done. They just didn't know it yet.

I raised my hand, summoning a wave of fire from the ground. The flames rushed forward, scorching the pavement as they raced toward them. Mina countered with her acid, the green liquid splattering and hissing as it met the flames. But it wasn't enough.

Time to end this.

With a flick of my wrist, I sent a wave of ice crashing down on them, thick and relentless. It surged like a tidal wave, blocking off every possible escape route. Bakugo and the others tried to dodge, but the sheer size and speed of the attack were too much.

Mina screamed as the ice knocked her off her feet, sending her sprawling. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow attempted to block the assault, but even it couldn't withstand the cold. Jiro was next, her sonic waves barely putting a dent in the ice before she was overwhelmed. Sato tried to punch his way through, but his strength was fading, and he collapsed under the pressure.

Bakugo, though, was still standing. Barely.

Bakugo (gritting his teeth): You think... this is enough to stop me?

He launched himself at me, his hands crackling with one final explosion. I felt the heat rush toward me, but I wasn't fazed. Not anymore.

With a deep breath, I summoned both fire and ice, releasing them in tandem. A massive inferno roared to life, swirling around me like a living beast, while ice erupted from the ground, sharp as spears. The combination was devastating. Bakugo's explosion met my fire, but it was swallowed whole, disappearing into the flames. The ice followed, shooting toward him like a barrage of arrows.

This is it.

Bakugo barely managed to dodge the first spear, his body twisting in mid-air, but the second one grazed his arm, drawing blood. He let out a pained yell but didn't stop. He never did.

I sent more ice his way, relentless, unforgiving. Each spike came faster than the last, pushing him further back, pinning him down. His squad was already out, barely conscious on the ground, and Bakugo was running on pure adrenaline.

 Why do you keep fighting?

But I knew the answer. Because that's who he was. Bakugo never gave up, even when it was hopeless. Even when he knew he couldn't win.

The final spear of ice shot forward, aimed straight at his chest. Bakugo saw it coming, his eyes widening in that split second. He raised his hands, ready to blast it away, but his reaction was too slow. The ice grazed his side, tearing through his uniform, and he crumpled to the ground.

For a moment, the city was silent. The only sound was the crackling of fire and the faint groans of the fallen heroes.

I stood there, my chest heaving, my body drenched in sweat. I'd done it. I'd won. But the victory felt... hollow.

 They're all down. It's over.

I looked down at Bakugo. He was still conscious, barely, but his body refused to move. His eyes, though—they were still defiant. Even now, after everything, he refused to admit defeat.

Why does it feel like I've lost?

I turned away from him, surveying the battlefield. The heroes were scattered across the ground, some unconscious, others groaning in pain. The simulation city was completely destroyed, reduced to rubble by my ice and fire.

And there, in the distance, I caught a glimpse of Izuku, standing on the sidelines. He looked pale, still sick, but his eyes were locked on me, filled with something I couldn't quite place.

 Disappointment? 

No... understanding.

Suddenly, the weight of it all crashed down on me. The role I'd played, the power I'd used, the classmates I'd hurt. I hadn't held back. Not even when I should have.

But that was the point, wasn't it? To test my limits. To prove I could handle it. That I could be both ice and fire. But at what cost?

I've always been alone in my fights. 

Always thought it was easier that way.

I looked down at Bakugo one last time. He hadn't moved. His chest was rising and falling slowly, but he wasn't out of the game yet. Not in spirit, at least.

I raised my hand, ready to create one last ice wall to signal the end of the match, but I hesitated. My fingers twitched, but they wouldn't obey me. The fire and ice flickered at my command but refused to strike.

What am I doing?

For a brief second, I thought about everything—my father, this exercise, my need to prove myself. I thought about how much I'd tried to control my power, and how it had controlled me instead.

Finally, I let my hands fall to my sides, the fire extinguishing, the ice melting. It was over.

Aizawa (over speaker): Match over. The villain wins.

The words echoed through the training ground, but they felt distant, hollow. I'd won. But it didn't feel like a victory.

I turned, walking away from the battlefield, leaving the shattered remains of the hero teams behind. They would recover. But I wasn't sure if I would.

 What have I become?