Ice-Zuko vs Suzaku

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…

After getting permission to bring the extensible staff to the fight, Suzaku returned to his spot in the arena while dragging his staff along the ground, its tip scraping with an eerie screech as he moved.

Once both contestants were in their positions, Present Mic's usual introduction didn't take long to follow.

["Very well folks, obviating Suzuki's obvious manipulation of our gullible referee, it's time for the final match of the semifinals!"]

The crowd erupted in cheers, their excitement peaking as they watched the tournament's top two contenders face off. Suzaku stood with his usual arrogant smirk, lazily twirling his staff, while Todoroki radiated focused determination, a faint mist of frost swirling around his right hand like waiting to be unleashed.

["The stakes couldn't be higher! The winner of this round will advance to face Bakugo in the finals to contend for the winning spot! Will it be Todoroki, someone whose Quirk has been leaving us awestruck from the start? Or will it be Suzuki, the top-ranking student in nearly every category—except academics, where he's too busy napping in my class to bother—"]

["Stick to the match."]

["Right, right… Ladies and gentlemen, are you READYYY?!"]

The crowd roared, their anticipation palpable as Present Mic began the countdown with his usual broken English.

["Three…"]

["Two…"]

["One…"]

…

The tension hit its peak, the arena falling into an almost deafening silence for a split second as everyone leaned forward in excitement.

Then, as the wait turned almost eternal, Present Mic finally delivered the word that everyone was waiting for.

["GO!!!"]

-Hooonk!-

The instant the round began, Suzaku exploded into motion, kicking off the ground with such speed that his figure became a blur. In an instant, he was barreling toward Todoroki, his staff ready to begin with the beat-up.

Todoroki's sharp eyes tracked Suzaku's movement, his icy aura intensifying as his voice turned raspier. "You've been annoying me since the beginning of this festival… This ends now."

-Swooosh!-

With a decisive motion, Todoroki swept his arm forward, releasing a massive surge of ice that grew bigger the more it advanced.

The crowd gasped as the jagged spires erupted from the ground, racing toward Suzaku with terrifying speed.

It was the same move that had crushed Iida in seconds.

But just as it seemed Suzaku would meet the same fate, the ice being just a few meters from reaching him—

"Hah!"

-Clang!-

—he vaulted into the air with his staff, clearing the ice and landing gracefully atop the spires as they continued their relentless advance behind him, stopping only a few meters from the crowd.

["What are my ears are seeing?! Suzuki dodged it!"]

With Present Mic's shocked voice in the background, Suzaku balanced effortlessly on the icy surface and leaned into the slide, using the slick terrain to propel himself toward Todoroki.

Todoroki's eyes followed Suzaku's movements, his expression darkening as the realization that he had somehow missed struck. 'That staff he brought… did he foresee I would start with that attack and bring it just to counter it?'

Frustration flickered across Todoroki's face as he proceeded to slam his foot down, summoning a tall and wide wall of ice to block Suzaku's relentless approach.

-Swooosh!-

-Clang!-

However, once again, Suzaku used his staff to vault over the rising wall, landing behind Todoroki with grace.

"...!"

Sensing the danger, Todoroki spun around and launched another attack in a hurry, but Suzaku was already prepared.

-Shatter!-

With a powerful swing of his staff, he shattered another incoming ice attack, leaving Todoroki wide open.

Suzaku wasted no time. Spinning with the momentum of his weapon, he swung his staff again, aiming to deliver a strike that could crush his opponent if it landed cleanly.

'No, you won't!'

In alarm, Todoroki reacted quickly, summoning an icy barrier just in time. A faint smile of confidence tugged at his lips as he anticipated the defense holding firm.

-Crack!-

'What?!'

That confidence shattered alongside the barrier. The ice wall absorbed some of the impact but ultimately cracked apart as the staff powered through, continuing its relentless path.

With only milliseconds to act, Todoroki raised his arms to block the blow.

-Bam!!-

"Hngh...!"

As a result, the staff connected with his forearms, and even though the ice barrier had cushioned some of the strike's force, the sheer power behind it still sent him stumbling backward. He gritted his teeth, clutching his arm in pain as the throbbing impact threatened to overwhelm him.

'I need to make distance now, he overpowers me in close comba—'

-Thud-

'What?!'

Todoroki's line of thoughts was cut short as his back hit something, stopping his struggling retreat.

As he turned his head in a hurry, he realized what it was.

It was the same wall he had created earlier to block Suzaku's approach. Only now, it was he who was being blocked.

'Damnit!'

As he realized the danger of his situation, Todoroki turned back to look at his opponent, knowing that he couldn't lose concentration at any second, or it wouldn't be long before he got knocked out.

Suzaku, of course, gave him no room to breathe.

Soon, he stepped in, aiming the tip of his staff with precision and stabbing like a spear.

For a moment, Todoroki furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, Suzaku was too far, and there was no way his staff would reach—

-Bam!-

"Guh—!" Todoroki's breath hitched as the staff extended, slamming into his solar plexus with pinpoint accuracy. He doubled over, gasping as saliva involuntarily escaped his mouth due to the impact.

"Kgh!" However, even in pain, Todoroki's instincts kicked in. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the extended staff with both hands. 'You're not getting away!'

Soon, ice began creeping along the staff, racing toward Suzaku like a living thing.

However, in an instant, the staff retracted from Todoroki's grasp, halting the creeping ice midway.

"...!"

"...!"

Once the distance between the two returned to what it was, neither gave the other any room to breathe. Todoroki immediately summoned another wave of frost, aiming to force Suzaku into retreat.

-Swooosh!-

But Suzaku wasn't one to back down. The moment Todoroki moved, Suzaku swung his staff—now encased in ice and resembling a crude ice-mace.

-Crash!-

With a powerful strike, he shattered the incoming ice wave, the force of the blow also freeing his weapon from its ice coating it.

Then, not giving Todoroki a chance to recover, Suzaku shifted his weight and swung the staff low.

This time, Todoroki was unable to react on time.

-Crack!-

"Argh!"

The strike connected with Todoroki's legs along a bone-creaking sound, the combination of the staff's weight and Suzaku's raw strength forcing the prodigy of Class 1-A to his knees, clutching his leg in pain.

Following that, Suzaku wasted no time and raised his staff again, aiming a controlled blow at Todoroki's head—a strike that, hopefully, would not leave him paraplegic.

"I hope you've got a thick skull."

However, the pain seemed to ignite something in Todoroki. 

"You…!"

With a fierce glare, he waved his hand just as Suzaku's attack came down, causing the redhead's eyes to widen in shock.

"Shit...!"

-Swooosh!-

As a result, in the next instant, a massive ice spire shot upward, engulfing Suzaku before he could react.

As his figure disappeared along with the sudden rise of the ice formation, Present Mic exclaimed in shock.

["Suzuki got swallowed by Todoroki's overwhelming ice attack, would this be the end of the fight?!"]

"Hmph…" From the stands, Endeavor snorted dismissively.

"Aw, damn it. There's no way he dodged that…" Tetsutetsu muttered from Class 1-B's section, narrowing his eyes at the towering spire as a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"It's a shame. He almost had him," Juzo added with a disappointed sigh, the hopes he had for Suzaku to end the fight before something like this happened shattering as the ice spire continued rising into the sky.

"So this is Class 1-A's power…" 

"That guy's already more powerful than a lot of pro heroes… What kind of unfair competition is this…?"

"We had no chance from the beginning…"

The sheer scale of the attack left the Class 1-B students awestruck.

However, amidst the chaos, one person remained silent.

"..."

Itsuka stared at the arena, her gaze looking for something on the towering spire of ice as if she couldn't believe Suzaku would lose in such a sudden manner.

And her intuition proved correct when…

["How unfortunate, folks! It seems this is all for this round—"]

["Idiot, look closely."]

["Huh?"]

In response to Aizawa's berating voice, all eyes turned to the rising spire, where a faint figure could be seen clinging to its top.

Suzaku.

Riding the ice like a surfer on a rocket, he had somehow avoided being frozen solid.

["Whaaaaaat?!"]

"...?!" Endeavor's stoic expression cracked as his eyes widened.

"Haha! Suzaku's still in the fight!" Tetsutetsu shouted, standing up in excitement.

"Hmph, as expected, that guy's as persistent as a cockroach, there was no way such an attack would have been enough to beat him." Monoma scoffed from his seat, but even then, he couldn't help a small smile from tugging on his lips.

"..." Itsuka as well couldn't help but smile widely as she caught sight of the still-standing Suzaku. The crowd around gasped in surprise as they caught onto his small figure in the sky.

By the time the ice stopped rising, Suzaku had reached the highest point of the arena, giving him a panoramic view.

"Whew~... I should be more careful, almost threw the match there…"

Balancing on the icy peak, he took a moment to survey the scenery. "I think I can see my apartment from here… Nope, never mind. Looks similar, though."

Shaking off the distraction, he turned his attention downward, where Todoroki stood, clutching his injured leg and staring in disbelief.

"Good thing I reacted in time," Suzaku muttered, a wry smile playing on his lips. "And even better that I figured out how to ride that attack before I got swallowed by it… Good God, I am so good even I can't believe it."

Todoroki's ice attacks were, in a way, like a flood or an avalanche. If you oppose them, you get swallowed. However, if you move along it (Preferably at the same speed they advance) you'll be able to move with their flow, and if you're lucky enough, you'll even begin getting pushed by them instead of getting swallowed.

That's what happened now.

As the ice surged, Suzaku had leaped to the top and allowed its force to carry him skyward, avoiding the lower parts where ice was constantly being generated and where he'd likely get encased in ice in an instant.

"Now though… how the heck do I get down?" Suzaku scratched his head, glancing at the steep descent. "Better get back down quick, otherwise, who knows what kind of rules they have for being this kind of high?"

Not wanting to risk disqualification for being "out of bounds" or something, Suzaku didn't dwell much on the "how", and simply he began his descent without much thought. Jumping between stable points of ice and occasionally using his staff to slow himself, making steady progress downward.

Though, as he was descending, he came across another problem.

As he descended, his eyes narrowed at Todoroki, who was clearly preparing for another strike.

"When I get down, that guy's going to be ready to attack again," Suzaku muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

He closed his eyes, reviewing the weaknesses he'd noticed in Todoroki's technique.

'Let's see…'

First was his inability to erase the ice he created... Or at least, he wasn't able to do it quickly, seeing how it had taken a few seconds to melt the ice around those he had beaten at the end of their match.

The fact that he couldn't erase the ice he created in an instant, allowed for Suzaku to misguide Todoroki during their fight, and use the ice he left on the arena to his convenience, either to trap him or block his escape paths, much like he had earlier when he cornered Todoroki against his own ice wall.

The second weakness…

'All his ice attacks come from the right side.'

Suzaku had noticed it early in their battle—every ice attack Todoroki launched originated from his right side.

As for the left…

Suzaku's eyes narrowed, studying Todoroki's left side, where his white colored hair gave way to a crimson red, much like his own, and where a faint burn scar could be seen covering his left eye.

'I didn't think much of it until now… But being the son of that guy, wouldn't it be possible for him to have fire powers too…?'

Ice on one side, fire on the other—it fitted his appearance perfectly.

'Then why isn't he using—?' Suzaku's thoughts were cut short as his eyes flicked toward the stands, catching sight of Endeavor, his face twisted with a mix of frustration and anger.

'Ah, right… He said something earlier about only using his mother's Quirk to win.'

Arriving at the conclusion, Suzaku smirked faintly. If there were any additional weaknesses, they either eluded him or lurked in his subconscious, waiting to be exploited instinctively by his body rather than by his mind.

With his thoughts now organized, Suzaku dropped down to another steppable ledge on the towering ice spire.

Descending further, he finally positioned himself a few meters above the arena floor. Below, Todoroki's stance was ready—he'd attack the moment Suzaku landed, taking advantage of the limited mobility in midair.

'Very well. If that's how you want to play this…' Suzaku's lips curled into a confident smirk. '...I hope you don't mind if I take advantage of that.'

If Todoroki wanted to win while holding back, Suzaku was determined to show him it wouldn't be so simple.

From here on—

"Hup!"

["Suzuki jumped down! The fight is back on!"]

—he was going to turn this into a one-sided beatdown.

"This is the end!" Todoroki shouted, stomping the ground with force. A powerful wave of ice surged upward the moment he did that, barreling toward Suzaku as he fell.

-Swoosh!-

At his current speed, Suzaku was certain to collide with the icy wave, and this time, it was highly unlikely he'd be able to maneuver himself out of it like earlier.

The audience leaned forward, eyes widened as they expected the match was about to end any second now.

But Suzaku had other plans.

-Swish!-

-Crack!-

With a sharp swing, his staff struck the ice spire he had just leapt from, piercing its surface and slowing his descent.

The change in speed caused Todoroki's attack to miss, slamming into the ice spire instead.

"You won't get away so easily!"

Immediately upon realizing his failure, Todoroki wasted no time. He launched another ice attack toward Suzaku, who now dangled from his staff with one hand.

But Suzaku was ready. Twisting his body around the staff, he kicked off the ice spire, dislodging his weapon and sending himself flying through the air.

-Swoosh!-

The second attack missed entirely as Suzaku vaulted over Todoroki, landing right behind him.

And just like before, Todoroki found himself cornered, his retreat blocked by the towering ice formations around them.

'Damnit!' Todoroki cursed internally his eyes caught sight of Suzaku swinging his staff once again at him.

In a desperate measure, he opted for creating a much thicker ice wall. One that surrounded him completely, blocking attacks from all directions.

-Smash!-

And thankfully, the wall did its job—barely. It held against the first strike but was just one attack away from crumbling apart.

But before Suzaku could deliver the final blow, Todoroki moved in the only direction left: up.

Ice began forming under one foot, propelling him skyward until he landed atop one of the massive ice formations surrounding the arena.

From this new vantage point, Todoroki smirked faintly, believing he could bombard Suzaku with waves of ice before he had the chance to close the distance.

However, he had underestimated Suzaku's sheer athleticism.

By the time Todoroki turned to check on his opponent, all he caught was a blur in motion. Suzaku was already leaping from one spire to another, performing fluid, acrobatic pirouettes through the air like a professional gymnastic.

As a result, before Todoroki could react, Suzaku landed directly a flying kick, his momentum driving his foot onto Todoroki's chest, and pushing him to the ground in a forceful manner.

"Ack—!"

Then, as Todoroki hit the icy floor hard, gasping from the impact, Suzaku didn't give him a second to recover. 

Before Todoroki could even think what had hit him, the staff came down hard on his left leg.

-Bam!-

"Aaaaargh!"

As the staff hit, Todoroki let out a guttural scream. His body jerked instinctively, trying to clutch at his injured leg, but Suzaku's foot kept him pinned to the ground.

Desperate, Todoroki reached out with his right hand, hoping to summon another ice attack to keep Suzaku away, but the moment his palm touched the floor, his body betrayed him and only some icy mist left his hand. 

When he turned to look shocked at what was happening, he noticed his body was trembling uncontrollably. Not only that, a layer of frost had formed on his skin, and even his movements lacked fluidity.

The temperature drop was taking its toll, his body and Quirk were nearing their limit.

Unless he used his fire, there was no way to balance the cold.

'No, I won't... I won't use it!'

Despite his body's desperate cries for warmth, Todoroki gritted his teeth and tried to push his body to shoot another wave of ice toward Suzaku, regardless of how affected his body was at the moment.

-Blam!-

"Argh—!"

And he almost did it. However, The moment the attack began materializing, Suzaku slammed his staff onto Todoroki's hand, pinning it to the ground.

"Where do you think you're going?" Suzaku said, smiling mockingly as Todoroki writhed in pain.

Keeping his foot pressed firmly on Todoroki's chest, Suzaku leaned down and patted his opponent on the shoulder. "Stand proud—wait, you can't do that right now. Uh... lie down proud, I guess. You're strong. If I wasn't as good as I am, you might've actually had a chance."

Todoroki glared at him, teeth grinding in frustration. "This is not over!"

"It has been for a while now," Suzaku replied, pressing down his foot harder on Todoroki's chest. "The moment you decided to half-ass this, you lost by default."

"Urgh—Half-ass...?" Todoroki repeated, his voice a mix of pain and confusion.

"Yup, you didn't really think you could beat me by holding back, right? That's quite insulting… Pathetic even I'd say."

Todoroki's eyes burned with anger. "You—what the hell are you saying?!"

"What do you think I'm saying?" Suzaku replied with a smirk. "The moment you decided to do something so arrogant as holding back half your Quirk, thinking that'd be enough to win, is the moment you lost."

Todoroki scowled, his teeth grinding. "What, did my shitty old man buy you off?! You don't know what you're talking about! You don't understand anything! I won't use his Quirk—I won't give him the satisfaction of—"

"Ah yes, your daddy," Suzaku cut in. "Quite the annoying piece of shit. I almost made him take a nice, long nap on the floor during our chat earlier because of how annoying he was. But, now that I think about it, you two aren't that different."

"...What?" Todoroki's eyes widened.

"Think about it. He doesn't think I'm good enough to teach his rebellious son a lesson, claiming my skills are far from enough. And you? You think you can half-ass your fight and still win. See the similarities?"

"I'm nothing like him! I'm—"

"An arrogant prick."

"Shut up! You don't know anything! I'll never use his Quirk—never!"

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "But it's not his Quirk, though."

"What…?"

"Come on, man. I get where you're coming from, but your Quirk isn't the same as his. Yours is half ice and half fire, the two in one. His Quirk is pure fire, nothing else. Yours is totally different. And, let's be real, fire isn't evil. You're just throwing a tantrum over nothing."

"You—"

"But whatever," Suzaku interrupted, lifting his staff high. "I don't even know why I'm bothering with giving you a motivational speech. I'm not even good at them."

He shifted his stance, preparing to strike. "Even if you try to shoot ice right now, you won't stop me from knocking you out. So... it's your choice."

Todoroki tried to summon ice again, but Suzaku slammed down the staff on his hand again, using the pain to hold Todoroki.

"You either use your fire and fight me properly, or you keep to your promise and lose here. Either way, you're the one getting smacked."

"I—"

Todoroki tried to speak, but Suzaku had already made up his mind. The staff swung down, aimed directly at Todoroki's head.

Todoroki's eyes widened in panic, indecision paralyzing him, until... his body made the choice he couldn't.

-Fwoom!-

A pillar of flames erupted around him, fierce and blinding.

At that instant, Suzaku landed several meters away, having jumped away just at the exact moment. Although, his nose was singed, and a few strands of his hair were now crispy and smoking.

"Fucker, I actually didn't think he was gonna do it…" Suzaku muttered, brushing at his charred bangs. 

However, despite the annoyance in his tone, a faint smile crossed his face.

He looked toward Todoroki, who was struggling to his feet. His movements were shaky, his legs still battered from Suzaku's earlier strikes. But now, fire blazed from his left side, balancing the icy mist on his right.

"What did I—?" Todoroki stared at the flames in disbelief, his expression a mix of horror, confusion, and anger.

"So," Suzaku said, placing his staff over his shoulder, "you're finally fighting for real?"

"No—I said I wouldn't—I—" Todoroki stammered, glaring at the fire surrounding him.

-Clang!-

A sharp slam of the staff into the ice napped his focus back to Suzaku.

"What are you, a kid?" Suzaku sneered. "Why are you even blaming your fire for Mr. Second-Place being an ass of a dad? Seems to me like you're just misplacing your anger."

"You don't know me! You don't know—"

"Enough with the excuses!" Suzaku barked, his voice harsh. "If you're gonna use your fire, then do it. If not, I'm breaking every limb you've got before knocking you out. And don't think your ice will save you—it hasn't so far, has it?"

"...!"

Todoroki froze, Suzaku's words cutting deep. His gaze shifted again to the flames surrounding him, then to Endeavor in the stands, where fire swirled around the hero's suit.

That fire he abhorred...

But the fire surrounding him now—his flames—felt different after hearing Suzaku.

His opponent's voice echoed in his mind. Was he wrong in calling the fire part of his Quirk as his father's? Was he just misdirecting his anger?

Todoroki gritted his teeth, his mind racing.

Finally, he shook his head and took a deep breath.

"Fine," he said.

The fire around him flared brighter, merging with the icy mist to form a perfect, balanced harmony. Now, Todoroki's danger level had spiked.

As for whether Suzaku was right or not… That would have to wait until after the match.

Right now, Todoroki needed to survive the psychotic redhead who had just threatened to break all his limbs with a straight face.

Suzaku smirked, spinning his staff effortlessly. "Took you long enough to turn on the heat. My balls were freezing over here."

"..." 

Somehow, there couldn't be a single serious moment around Suzaku.

…

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-To be Continued…-

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(A/N: I liked how the first half of the fight turned out, though I'm not so sure about that whole conversation with Todoroki, I tried to keep Suzaku in character, but maybe I slipped somewhere, idk.

Anyways, I hope you liked it. There's a small chance I might upload another chapter midweek, but don't get too excited, I'm going on a small trip with my pals, so I may find it hard to write at where we're going.

Who knows, though.)

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