Inquisitor

- Chapter: 51 -

"MIDORIYA

VERSUS

TODOROKI

STAAAAAAAARRRTTTTT!!!!"

When Present Mic announced the round's start, wasting no time Todoroki used his quirk to create a wave of ice to entrap Izumi.

Izumi immediately used her quirk to create a gust of wind to destroy Todoroki's ice.

The two quirks met in the middle of the field, then Todoroki's ice was shattered, with Izumi's attack gaining a second wind, whipping by Todoroki and slamming him against the ice wall he had put behind himself for protection.

Izumi began moving for the opening before it was even created and ran towards Todoroki. Todoroki shook off the blow and saw Izumi running at him. He quickly fired off another wave of Ice at Izumi, who shot another air blast that yet again seemed to have two waves of power.

This time however, Todoroki was expecting the second blast and wasn't knocked off balance. Seeing that Izumi wasn't slowing down from his ice waves he opted for a different strategy. He used his quirk and sent a wave of cold not at Izumi, but into the ground, causing a sheet of ice to appear over the ground.

Izumi slipped on the ice due to how suddenly it appeared, and it became Todoroki's turn to move. He ran at her, moving over the ice naturally and when he was three steps away jumped with his left foot to the right, causing Izumi to miss her attempt at a close range strike. When he was at the pinnacle of his jump, his right foot shot ice out from under it creating a stool for him to jump further up.

Izumi whipped her head around at Todoroki who had moved behind her thanks to his self created double jump and watched him use his right arm to create a second pillar of ice that he jumped off with his left foot.

Izumi saw Todoroki's body tense up in a way she recognized and she moved to protect herself using her arms to shield herself. Todoroki's right leg flew around and was aimed straight at Izumi. Before it hit her, a cold aura reached Izumi, causing her arm to freeze slightly at the point of impact. When Todoroki's leg connected a wave of pain flew through Izumi's body as the ice, and possibly her arm, shattered. She threw Todoroki, using her quirk to increase her strength, and threw him away from her sending him flying.

Todoroki spun in the air slightly and landed in a roll, preventing him from getting hurt too badly. He rolled to the side to avoid another one of Izumi's air blasts. Every breath he took was visible from the frost and he felt his right side with the familiar ache of the cold.

'She's trying to draw the fight out. I have to end this quickly or else she'll out last me.' With that thought, Todoroki slammed his right foot down and sent out the largest ice wave he could muster. While smaller than the one used against Sero it's size was still quite impressive.

Izumi reared back her fist and threw out a massive punch as the ice approached, her left arm shattering. The ice shattered and broke into pieces as the full powered blast shot forward at Todoroki. Todoroki used strength he shouldn't have to make a wall behind him to not be thrown out of bounds.

Izumi looked at Todoroki, his right side was almost entirely coated in frost, his breaths, quick and ragged, fully visible from the cold around him. Izumi sighed and said, "It's over Todoroki. You can't win anymore." She started walking forward. "You can barely move with all that frost on your right side, correct?" When she was three meters away from him she stopped. "Just surrender now, it'll be easier for the both of us."

Todoroki looked at Izumi, his eyes swirling with anger, disdain, and a pain he tried to keep hidden. "No. I... I have to win. I have... have to become the number one and... prove that old bastard wrong! I need... to show him! I... I HAVE TO SHOW HIM HE'S WRONG!" Todoroki slid his foot forward and shot a wave of ice at Izumi. It didn't even reach a meter away from him before it stopped.

"See? You can't even swing at me without falling over."

"No... NO!" Todoroki walked forward, his steps shaky. "I'll become the number one without his power!" He swung his right arm at Izumi, who stepped to the side and avoided it. "I'll show him!

Izumi watched as he fell over from the swing. She watched him slowly rise up again, struggling with every movement. "You can't win. You won't be number one."

"Yes I can, I'll show him!"

"No, you can't. You can't beat me in that state. Look at yourself, you're shivering so much you might fall over from just that alone, nevermind fighting me."

"No, I... I'll show him."

"If you want to win you'll have to use your fire to warm yourself. You can't win with half your power, not when everyone else is using everything they can."

Todoroki looked at Izumi, the anger in his eyes swirling and expanding into unbridled hatred. "Did he put you up to this? Is he paying you?!"

"No, I put myself up to this. If you want to beat me then you'll have to use all of your power."

Todoroki charged at Izumi, throwing another punch that she sidestepped like last time, this time also adding in a punch to the stomach. He fell over holding his stomach. He stood up again, shaking and shivering. An arm still on his stomach "I'll show him I can do this without him... without his power!"

Izumi tilted her head to the side. "Your fire isn't his."

Todoroki looked at Izumi.

"It's your power, not his."

Todoroki remembered something he had long forgotten. He remembered something from before his mother burned him. Before she hated him. A few flames flickered from his left side. He remembered sitting on the couch, in his mother's lap. Just the two of them. They were watching a TV program with All Might in it. He remembered what his mom said to him.

"But you want to be a hero, right? That's fine. You're not bound by his blood. You decide who you want to become."

The few flames flickering on Todoroki's left side disappeared, they disappeared into the eruption of fire bursting from it. The frost on his right side was soon gone, as if it had been nothing but a bad dream.

Izumi smiled under her mask.

Todoroki looked at Izumi. "You really don't make any sense. If you wanted to win why help me? With your arm like that you have one more good attack. Well, it's not my problem what happens to you now."

Todoroki slid his right leg forward and created a massive amount of ice. Izumi fixed her stance and readied her right arm for another full power smash. Todoroki's left arm created an inferno that shot out over the ice, vaporizing it instantly and creating a massive steam explosion. Izumi let her fist fly, creating a burst of wind even more powerful than her last full powered attack.

Concrete slabs rose in between them, Cememtoss's attempt to protect them.

The two attacks broke through the concrete, and met in the middle. A gigantic wave of wind spun around the stadium, powerful enough to reach the spectators.

The steam from Todoroki's attack coated the field, preventing anyone from seeing what was on it. It slowly dissipated, until it revealed the two contestants. The one still on the field who won, with the other having been blown completely away from the other's power.

Present Mic looked at the arena and was the first to see who the victor was.

"THE WINNER OF THIS MATCH, AND THE STUDENT MOVING ON TO THE THIRD ROUND IS..."