After leaving the infirmary, Minato and Iida move to the stands while Izuku goes to the prep room to get ready for his fight. After the tie breaking match ended, with Kirishima moving on, the next match was announced. Izuku and Todoroki entered the arena, facing each other. Katsuki and Uraraka get to their seats to watch it as well. As the match begins, Todoroki sends a massive wave of ice towards Izuku, who destroys it using his Delaware Smash, breaking his finger in the process. Both repeat their previous actions two more times, causing the same result on both. In the stands, most of Class 1-A looks at Izuku with a somewhat pained looks, while his friends carry serious expressions.
Katsuki:"That moron is taking his time with it."
Uraraka:"What do you mean, Bakugo-kun?"
Minato:"Izuku is analyzing Todoroki, though, it isn't easy. He doesn't really have noticeable weaknesses. I can only think of a possible one and even then, It's no more than a possibility. I can't be certain of him having it, if any."
Kirishima:"But man, both Bakugo and Todoroki can fire off those crazy-strong attacks as much as they want..."
Katsuki:"As many as we want? Don't be an idiot. Strain your muscles and you'll tear them. Run too much and you'll be out of breath. (Looks at his hand) Quirks are still physical abilities. Even that guy's gotta have some sort of limit."
Minato:"Indeed. There is no quirk that can be used constantly. Even mutation ones, though they cause permanent changes on our bodies, are still bound by several factors, like a person's stamina, endurance, etc..."
Meanwhile, in the arena, Todoroki throws another wave of ice, only to be destroyed once more by Izuku. As Izuku staggers for a moment due to the pain, Todoroki closes in and tries to go for a direct attack, which Izuku dodges by jumping back. Todoroki takes advantage of Izuku's jump and sends a wave of ice directly at him. Seeing his leg starting to get encased in ice, Izuku throws a full-powered punch, sending a massive blast of air in Todoroki's direction, sending him almost out of bounds. After recovering, Todoroki shoots another wave, convinced of his win, when suddenly it is destroyed by Izuku, who shot another Delaware Smash with his already broken finger.
Todoroki:"Why go that far?"
Izuku:"You're shivering...Todoroki. Quirks are still physical abilities. You must have a limit to how much cold you can bear! But then... you could always use your left side to heat yourself, right? Everyone's... giving it their all. To win... to achieve their goals... to make it to the top! And you're gonna win with only half your power!? You still... haven't put a scratch on me! Come at me with everything you got!"
Todoroki then starts running, although a bit slower. In the seats, Minato and Katsuki notice it.
Minato:"I knew it. His weakness is temperature."
Iida:"How so, Amamiya-kun?"
Katsuki:"Whenever he uses his ice, his left side starts getting covered in frost. That slows him and weakens him. He could even get hypothermic if he goes over his limit. It's barely noticeable if he manages the usage of his quirk, but after using it this much, anyone would be able to see it."
Minato:"Yeah. But with his left side there would be no weakness. He could shoot as much ice as he liked. The fact that he doesn't use it is the real weakness."
Back in the arena, Izuku notices Todoroki's slower and runs to him, punching him in the gut, without breaking his arm, sending Todoroki backwards, near the out-of-bounds zone. Izuku starts running towards Todoroki, when he sends a small wave of ice that is destroyed once more by Izuku, leaving Todoroki staggered, as he moves towards him, headbutting Todoroki in the torso. As his opponent takes the hit, stumbling back, Izuku closes in again, punching him once more, again without breaking his arm. As Todoroki recovers from the blow, Izuku shouts, running towards him.
Izuku:"Your quirk is your own! Not your father's! So use it!"
After the shout, Todoroki's left side starts heating up, melting the frost on his right side, while he is lost in thought. As Izuku approaches, he snaps out of it, stopping his left side and facing Izuku.
Todoroki:"You would never understand it! I won't use my left side!"
Todoroki unleashes the full power of his right side, sending a gargantuan wave of ice towards Izuku, who is too close to dodge it. After the attack finishes, everyone looks in awe at the boys. Izuku was trapped in a giant glaciar, in a manner similar to Sero, along with some of the crowd, while Todoroki, his right side almost completely frozen, was unresponsive, his body trembling from the cold. The teachers enter the arena, accompanied by Endeavor, who helped take care of the ice. Todoroki is declared the winner, as they carry the boys to the infirmary. After Izuku is taken, his friends, as well as Asui and Mineta go check on him. As they enter, they scare a skinny, blonde man, who Minato and Katsuki recognized as All Might, in his real form.
All Might:"That scared the heck out of me..."
Uraraka:"(Looking at All Might) Hello, nice to meet you..."
Izuku:"Guys... but... the next match..."
Iida:"The arena was mostly destroyed, so there's a break while it's being repaired."
Katsuki:"(Pissed off) The heck were you thinking, breaking yourself like that, huh, Deku!?"
Mineta:"That was scary as hell, Midoriya. No pro's gonna want to hire you."
Asui:"(Hitting Mineta with her tongue) Can't say I like your rubbing-salt-in-the-wound style."
Mineta:"You know I'm right though."
Minato:"(Punching Mineta) You did good, Izuku. That was a fight to remember."
Izuku:"I'm sorry. I couldn't do it... maybe if I had just shut up... but I had to try..."
Minato:"(Serious) So you really were trying to bring it out of him."
Izuku:"Right... Todoroki... it was just too sad... I thought maybe... I should just mind my own business... but... I had to... because at that point, I couldn't take it anymore... it was so frustrating. I forgot why I was there... I lost myself... I'm sorry..."
As All Might was about to start speaking, Minato interrupts him, making everyone in the room look at him.
Minato:"(Serious) How could we become heroes if we can't save one person. There's more to saving people than fighting villains or rescuing them from harm. They inspire others and help them, even if they don't want to. Todoroki is a victim of his grudge and even if you weren't able to release him from it, your words reached him. It's a start. (Smiling) Plus, you're not alone. We're here to help you!"
After finishing what he had to say, Minato leaves with the rest of the group to let Izuku rest. After the arena was rebuilt by Cementoss, the matches started again. Iida's was the first one, being short-lived, as he pushed Ibara out of bounds effortlessly, without giving her time to react. Minato's was next, as he went to the arena. Standing in the arena, Minato sees Tokoyami in front of him.
Tokoyami:"I know how strong you are and I don't intend to lose, Amamiya."
Minato:"(Smiling confidently) Sorry Tokoyami, but I can't lose this one. I've already decided to finish what my friend started."
Tokoyami became confused by Minato's words. As the battle begins, Tokoyami calls out his "Dark Shadow", sending it to attack Minato. As it closes in on him, it throws a punch that is caught with one hand by Minato.
Tokoyami:"(Surprised) But how!?"
Minato:"(Smirking) Shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Now let's see how far can your "Dark Shadow" extend from your body."
He then turns around and proceeds to pull it over his shoulder, pulling Tokoyami with it, sending him flying out of bounds. Minato is declared winner and moves to the next round. Next is Uraraka's turn, facing Kirishima in the arena. Somewhere in the stadium, Katsuki walks through the corridor, when he sees Momo going further down the hallway to his right. As he notices her, Katsuki calls her.
Katsuki:"Hey, Ponytail!"
Momo looks back, seeing Katsuki approach her, she becomes surprised that he's talking to her.
Katsuki:"What's up with you and Minato!? It's annoying to watch you morons constantly acting all awkward around each other!"
Momo:"(Scared) W-what are you talking about, Bakugo-kun? There's nothing happening between me and A-amamiya-kun."
Katsuki notices the scared look in her face, as well as her stuttering. He also remembered how she seems to avoid Minato lately, leaving with whatever excuse she came up with, avoiding to make eye contact, not even speaking to him unless he talked to her. He also remembered how, before the incident at USJ, those two seemed quite close, walking around together, having lunch together, spending their free time with each other. Then, after that, they were like total strangers. Yaoyorozu looking guilty when it came to Minato, while he looked depressed whenever he talked with or about her, or even looked her way. However, after knowing him for three years and living in the same house, Katsuki knew that Minato had a certain habit. Whenever he had something bugging him, Minato cracked his joints. He was aware of his habit, so whenever he tried to hide it, he limited himself to his fingers and knuckles. Even so, Katsuki noticed. He also noticed that, apart from when he's lost in thought, he has also been doing it when he looked at Yaoyorozu, or after talking to her. There was no anger though, so Katsuki was confused about the cause of it. Meanwhile Izuku stands near the public seats, watching the arena, as Minato and Iida appear next to him.
Minato:"Glad to see the surgery went well."
Iida:"Indeed!"
Izuku:"Thanks. So... how did your matches go?"
Iida:"Quite well!"
Minato:"We're both on the final four."
Izuku:"Right. By the way, has your brother been watching your performance, Iida-kun?"
Iida:"He called me earlier... but he was busy with work. (Smiling) I'm actually glad though. Even after coming this far, I still can't say I'm number one yet."
As the match begins, Kirishima hesitantly moves to strike, as Uraraka dodges easily, touching him and using her quirk, grabbing Kirishima's arm and throwing him out of bounds, before deactivating her quirk, making him fall. With Uraraka's win, the final four are decided, as Iida leaves his friends with a determined look on his face, moving to the arena, to begin his fight. Standing on the arena, Iida and Todoroki face each other. As the match begins, Iida jumps over the wave of ice Todoroki sends his way and tries to kick him with his Recipro Burst, being dodged by Todoroki ducking it, as Iida spins mid-air and goes for another kick, slamming Todoroki to the floor. As he lands, Iida grabs his opponent and runs to the out-of-bounds zone full speed to throw Todoroki out before his engines stop working, when he notices the exhaust pipes on his left leg clogged by ice. Todoroki then takes advantage of Iida grabbing him and encases him in ice, winning the match.
Back in the Class 1-A seats, Momo approaches Mina to talk.
Momo:"Ashido-san, could we talk?"
Mina:"(Cheerful) Sure! What do you wanna talk about?"
Momo:"Could we go somewhere... more private?"
Mina agrees and the two girls move to a more secluded part of the stadium, standing near the stairs.
Mina:"(Confused) So, what's up?"
Momo:"(Concerned) Ashido-san, forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries, but I must ask... what is your relationship with Amamiya-kun?"
Hearing the question, Mina gets an idea, and answers cheerfully.
Mina:"(Cheerful) Mi-kun's my boyfriend!"
Momo:"(Shocked) W-what!?"
Mina laughs loud, holding her stomach with both her hands.
Mina:"(Laughing) Sorry, sorry! I couldn't resist! (Calming down) Mi-kun and I are just friends. But he is kinda cute. Anyway, why are you asking... (Teasing) unless! Don't tell me you like him too, Yaomomo~!? (Cheerful) You better be ready. I'm not giving up Mi-kun without a fight!"
Momo's face immediately became red as a tomato, as the blushing girl starts refuting her classmate's claims, as the latter laughed some more. Meanwhile, Minato and Uraraka move to the arena, ready to fight.
Minato:"(Stretching) You better be ready, Ochako-chan. I'm not going to pull any punches."
Uraraka:"I am. And I'm not losing, Minato-kun!"
Minato:"(Faking sadness) Now I'm sad. I was hoping you'd call me big bro!"
Uraraka:"(Embarrassed) What!? Why would I do that!? And we're the same age!"
Minato laughed a bit, before getting in a battle stance, with a small smile and a killer look on his eyes.
Minato:"Don't forget. Always keep your wits."
Uraraka:"(Shaking off the embarrassment) Right!"
Uraraka then proceeds to enter a stance of her own. As the battle begins, Uraraka moves to hit Minato with her quirk. As she gets close, Uraraka tries to touch him, only for Minato to sidestep it, grabbing her right arm, by the wrist, and holding it behind her back. As she tries to touch him with her left hand, Minato grabs her left wrist and pulls her hand towards her hip, making Uraraka use her quirk on herself. As she floated, Minato held both her wrists behind her back and took her the limits of the arena, making Uraraka float over the out-of-bounds zone. As they reach it, Minato pulls Uraraka to the ground, putting her officially out of bounds. As Minato is declared the winner, he lets go of Uraraka.
Uraraka:"(Frustrated) Oh man! I didn't stand a chance!"
Minato:"(Chuckling) You still made it to the final four. (Patting her head) You just need more battle experience."
The crowd cheered at both at the heart-warming sight and the two left the arena, Minato already getting ready for the final round. In the prep room, Minato was thinking of everything he knew of Todoroki. His father's abuse, the loss of his mother and the way he saw his quirk. As he's called, Minato proceeds to move for the arena, when he is faced by a familiar face.
Minato:"(Looking threateningly) What do you want?"
Endeavor:"I've seen how well you fought out there. I don't know your quirk but it is clear you have more experience when it comes to battle then anyone else participating."
Minato:"So? What's your point?"
Endeavor:"The reason for Shoto's existence is to surpass All Might. With your skill, you can force him to go all out. I want you to do so. That's all. I apologize for delaying you."
Endeavor starts leaving, their backs facing eachother.
Minato:"Hehe... hahahahaha!"
Minato starts laughing loud, making Endeavor look back. As the boy stops, he starts talking again.
Minato:"You really think after everything you've done, you have any right to call yourself a hero, let alone ask for favors?"
Endeavor:"(Turns around confused) What are you talking about?"
Minato:"I'm talking about how you're nothing but a miserable loser who's trying to live his dream through his son. A failure of a person who put his family through great suffering just because he feels inferior, when compared to a true hero."
Endeavor starts getting furious at the boy's words, moving towards him.
Endeavor:"(Furious) What did you just say, you runt!? You think a child like you has any ri-"
Endeavor stops talking and walking as he looks at Minato, who turned to face him, sending him a murderous glare that sent a chill down the hero's spine.
Minato:"You'll never be more than a failure. A man like you, who abused and neglected his family, who drove his wife to insanity and his oldest son to suicide can never be a true hero. (Turns back) So just watch. Watch as I'll save Shoto from his grudge. As I free him from you."
With that, Minato starts walking to the arena, as Endeavor looks at the boy, feeling a deep shame, brought by his past, and also... a slight fear, after the boy's murderous aura caught him by surprise. As they reach the arena, Minato and Todoroki gaze at eachother's eyes with determination.
Minato:"I guess you still won't use your left side."
Todoroki:"I... I won't use it."
Minato:"(Sighs) Then I guess it's up to me to free you."
Todoroki became surprised at Minato's words. As the match began, Todoroki makes a mountain of ice, covering everything in front of him. As he thinks he has won, Todoroki is met with an axe kick on the left shoulder. As he looks to his left, he sees Minato.
Todoroki:"(Surprised) But how?"
Minato simply points up, as Todoroki realizes he jumped over the ice. Standing back up, Todoroki sends a smaller wave towards Minato, that he jumps over to the huge ice formation. As Todoroki prepares to attack, Minato interrupts him.
Minato:"You know, if you start making more ice, it'll be impossible to see if we're out of bounds or not."
Heeding his opponent's words, Todoroki proceeds to melt the ice formation. After doing so, the two boys stand at opposite sides of the arena. Minato then lunges to Todoroki's left, as he was sending a wave of ice to where Minato stood. Before he could react, Minato kicks his left arm, along with his torso, sending Todoroki to the ground, almost out of bounds. As he gets up, Todoroki starts speaking.
Todoroki:"Why didn't you send me out?"
Minato:"Huh?"
Todoroki:"Stop playing dumb. We both know you're stronger than that. You could've finished this already, so why didn't you?"
Minato:"So you got me, huh? To answer your question, it's because I want you to use your left side."
Todoroki:"(Furious) You too. Just like Midoriya. So you really are working for my fath-"
Todoroki is interrupted as Minato zooms towards him and sends a right hook to his face, sending him flying to the other side of the arena. As Todoroki lies on the floor, he looks at Minato dumbfounded.
Minato:"I'll forgive this one. It makes sense you'd think that, after all. (Looking threateningly) However, if you insult me or Izuku like that again, I'll beat you up, got that!? I'd never work for a bastard like him."
Minato then goes to Todoroki, stopping next to him, and reaches out his hand for him to grab.
Minato:"(Smiling) Come on. We'll go all out now, okay?"
As Todoroki takes his hand, Minato's body is immediately encased in ice, apart from his head. Todoroki then gets up and walks to his side of the arena, to exit it, as Minato tries to get free.
Todoroki:"I don't know why you're trying to make me use my left side, but it won't work. It's over now."
Midnight:"Amamiya is incapacitated! Todoro-"
As Midnight was about to declare Todoroki the winner, the ice encasing Minato suddenly cracks. Todoroki turns around and looks, as well as everyone in the arena, as Minato struggles in the ice, making more and more cracks.
Minato:"You really are hard to talk to. But I get it. More than anyone else, I get it. Because... (Breaks free from the ice) I'm like you."
Everyone looks in amazement at Minato, after that amazing show of strength. Todoroki gets ready for battle, trying to stop his shivering, as Minato notices the frost covering his body.
Minato:"(Determined) Right now, you have two choices: Use your left side and stand a chance, or don't and lose."
Minato zooms in to Todoroki and knees him in the gut.
Minato:"(Determined) I know how much you hate your left side..."
Minato then punches Todoroki in the face.
Minato:"(Determined) How much you suffered at the hands of your father...
He then kicks Todoroki in his right side, hitting his arm.
Minato:"(Determined) How much it hurt to lose your mother..."
Followed by an uppercut to his chin.
Minato:"(Determined) How you're afraid of becoming like him if you use it..."
Minato headbutts Todoroki, sending him stumbling back.
Minato:"(Determined) But doing this won't solve anything... forsaking your left side just shows that you're a slave to your father's will, to your grudge for him! So move on, Shoto! Those flames are yours! That quirk is yours! So use it! To show your father that you'll follow a path of your own! To show your mother you are different from him! Use your quirk... and become a hero capable of saving those like her!"
Hearing those words Todoroki thought of every time his mother encouraged him to become a hero. Every time he wished he could protect her, that he could save her. Remembering all those times, his left side starts burning, as Minato smiles at the sight.
Minato:"(Smiling) You finally embraced it."
Todoroki:"(Smiling) You and Midoriya really are strange. Even though you want to win, you still go out of your way to help me."
Minato:"(Smiling) That's what heroes do."
Todoroki chuckles and thanks Minato, before sending a massive wave of flames towards Minato, as he lunges toward him. Brightness fills the arena followed by smoke. As everyone tries to understand what happened, the smoke clears, everyone looks in amazement and disbelief to see Todoroki inside an ice-covered hole in the stadium wall, as Minato stands by the arena limits, in Todoroki's side of the arena, his right side, from his waist to his lower face, covered in serious burns, that seemed to be healing at an amazingly fast pace, for injuries of such a degree.
Midnight:"(Dumbfounded) T-todoroki is out of bounds! Amamiya is the winner! That concludes our tournament! The first-year winner of UA's sports festival is... Minato Amamiya from Class 1-A!"
Everyone starts cheering and clapping. Meanwhile, Minato and Todoroki are sent to the infirmary, with the rest of Minato's friends going there, soon after. As they reach it, Todoroki lies down on a bed, letting Recovery Girl take care of his injuries, while Minato stands in the middle of the room, stubbornly trying to explain to her that he doesn't need treatment, the rest of the group in a corner, watching them. Suddenly, the infirmary door opens and Momo walks in, surprised to see him. Minato's mind immediately starts racing, thinking about what to say to her, or if he even should say something to her, taking in account the effort she put into avoiding him as much as she could. Minato looked as she approached the two boys, looking down at the floor, as she stands in front of Minato.
Minato:"(Depressed) Hey, Momo."
Momo:"H-hello, Amamiya-kun."
Minato:"(Depressed) I'm sorry for your match. I didn't get to watch it. It's a shame you lost."
Momo:"(Nervous) T-thank you. Congratulations on getting the first place, A-amamiya-kun. To you as well, Todoroki-kun. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must leave."
Momo then left without another word, as Minato watched her go. Uraraka tries to lighten the mood, failing, as the rest of the people in the room notice Minato's state. Katsuki, however, was livid at what he just saw. He noticed Minato's hands twitching slightly, in an effort to not start cracking his fingers and knuckles, clearly showing that he was uncomfortable, while Momo hadn't even tried to make an effort.
(Timeskip brough to you by Chibi Minato helping Chibi Todoroki out of the hole)
The awards ceremony begins, as the rest of the first-years stand in front of the podium. Minato, Todoroki and Uraraka stand at first, second and third places, as Midnight informs that, although Iida is also at third place, he had to leave due to family issues. His friends become worried, since he had informed them that his brother had been attacked by a villain. Meanwhile, Present Mic started the delivery of the medals.
Present Mic:"Now for the medals! Presenting them this year is... you know who!"
"I am..."
A figure jumps from the top of the stadium, landing close to the podium.
All Might:"... here with the medals!"
All Might then walked to the podium and proceeded to deliver Uraraka the bronze medal.
All Might:" Congrats, Young Uraraka! You've showed a great deal of talent! Keep working on your fighting skills!"
Uraraka:"(Cheerful) Thank you! I will!"
He then delivers Todoroki the silver.
All Might:"Young Todoroki, congratulations. I've noticed you seemed to be using your left side against your will. Is there a reason why?"
Todoroki:"I hated my left side... and even now, I'm still unsure about it...(Looking at Izuku and Minato) but I've realized that it's a part of me and me alone. So I'll try to use it... to become a hero."
All Might looked at Todoroki's face, who sported a peaceful expression on his face. He then moved on to deliver Minato the gold medal.
All Might:"Well done, Young Amamiya! Once again, you came out on top! (Looks at Todoroki) And I see you also chose to help someone in need."
Minato:"Thank you, All Might. And I just finished what Izuku started. I might have not even been able, if not for him."
With that, All Might turned around and gave a speech about the potential of all the students present and how they should push each other forward to become the heroes of tomorrow. As the students leave, Minato, Izuku, Katsuki and Uraraka start moving to the school gates, when they meet with Todoroki.
Todoroki:"Can we talk, Amamiya?"
Katsuki:"(Annoyed) What do you wa-"
Minato karate chops Katsuki.
Minato:"Sure. Guys, can you go on ahead? (After his friends left) What do you want to talk about?"
Todoroki:"I want to understand why you helped me. I know Midoriya just wanted to help, but you knew about me. You said you understood and even called me by my first name. I know you only do that with your friends, so I want to know... why?"
Minato:"Back when you said you would beat Izuku, I looked up on you and after finding out about your past, well... I guess I saw myself a bit in you. I have some issues with my quirk too, for my own reasons. So I wanted to save you... from becoming like me."
Todoroki:"I see..."
Minato:"(Smiling) Though I would like for us to become friends."
Todoroki:"(Smiling slightly) I'd like that too. You can call me by my first name if you want. I don't really mind."
Minato:"Okay then. I'd say the same, but I'm guessing that's not your style. Anyways, let's go. Knowing the rest, they're probably waiting outside the stadium."
Todoroki:"Very well."
The boys then went to meet with the rest of the group. Meanwhile, in a dark room somewhere, a man could be seen, his upper face shrouded by darkness, as he watched the screens in front of him.
"Finally, you show yourself. It has been quite a while, hasn't it, Minato? Hehehehe... hahahahahaha!"
The man kept going his terrifying laughter as he looked to the footage of the young hero-in-training.