Sakura POV
I was walking up the stairs to the spectator's seating area as I let out the biggest sigh ever.
'I can't believe I'm going against Shoto. I swear I have the best luck ever.'
I spotted my class sitting and cheering as the current match went on. I thought about going over to join them, but I just decided to stay back and chill alone for a little bit.
I leaned against the wall with my shoulder and saw Kirishima and Katsuki fighting. Kirishima was using his hardening quirk to throw punches that pushed Katsuki into defensive mode. My eyes widened at this sight. 'Katsuki on the defensive? Now, that's a first.'
I was watching their match when I felt a presence behind me. I slowly turned my head around and saw that it was no one other than the IcyHot himself.
"Hey Shoto," I smiled as I have him a small wave. I turned my body to face him fully.
"Sakura," he simply greeted with a nod.
He was now wearing a brand new gym uniform. He also must have gone to Recovery Girl because the scratches on his arms and face were now gone.
"Nice uniform," I grinned with amusement. "This one seems to actually cover your skin more."
He simply nodded. "Well, the other one didn't because it was burnt off, so.." He stated bluntly with a completely straight face.
I sweatdropped from his serious expression. Then I put my hand to my head and shook my head. 'This guy has no sense of humor at all...'
Shoto looked at me confused. "What?"
"Shoto, we need to work on lightening up a your mood a little more," I let out a small chuckle.
Shoto then looked a little offended. "I'm not that bad," he muttered.
I found his childish behavior really cute. 'Wait did I just say cute?'
Shoto then leaned against the other wall and looked down at the match that was still going on. "We are going against each other next."
I raised my eyebrows. "You aren't here to declare war on me again and say that we aren't friends anymore by any chance are you?"
I saw his face blush red from embarrassment. "N-no, I was just saying," he quickly said.
I giggled from his reaction. "Relax, I'm just teasing you. You are going have to deal with that a lot from now on," I smirked.
Shoto shrugged. "I don't mind," he simply stated. Then he stared at me intently and frowned. "Did you not go to Recovery Girl after your match? Your chin is pretty badly bruised," he pointed out.
I put a hand up to my jaw and felt that it was swollen. "Nah, it doesn't really hurt so I didn't bother to get it healed."
"Then what about your arm?" He pointed at the burn mark on my left arm. "I noticed it earlier. How did you get that?" He slightly tilted his head as he stared at me.
My eyes widened at his question. 'I can't tell him that his asshole of a father burnt me.'
"Oh this?" I raised my arm and nervously chuckled. "This is just from a unfortunate situation. I was being reckless," I said as cooly as possible.
Shoto raised his eyebrows and looked at me questionably. But, he decided to not to ask any more questions about my arm, which I was internally glad for. We watched the match in silence for a few minutes.
"I want you to go all out in our match against me. Don't hold back at all, Sakura."
I turned my head in surprise as I looked into his blue and grey eyes. Then, I felt a smile creep up to my lips. "I think I should be the one saying that, Shoto. Make sure you put up a better fight than the one we had during Villians vs. Heroes."
I saw Shoto let out a small smile before we heard the crowd erupt in cheers. 'Looks like it's over.'
I turned my head to see that Kirishima was knocked out and Katsuki was smiling like a crazy maniac.
"Kirishima is unable to fight. Bakugo goes onto the next round!" Midnight announced.
"Now the final second match is over, it is time for the two semifinals matches! Please pay attention to the screen!" I looked at the huge screen as the huge photos of the final four contestants popped up on the screen. "This is the final four of the last round of this year's Sports Festival!"
'Hey! I actually don't look that bad!' I thought as I saw my huge face on the screen.
"Well, I guess I'll see you down there," I said as I pushed myself off the wall and started to walk towards the stairs.
"Sakura."
I stopped in my tracks and saw Shoto standing at the same position. He was staring at the ground and his cheeks were blushing with pink. He muttered something, but it was so quiet that I couldn't make it out.
"Sorry, but I didn't hear a single thing you just said." I let out a giggle.
Then, he raised his head and his stare was so intense that it made me stop laughing and gulp nervously. "Good luck, Sakura."
My eyes widened from his words. Then, I felt my eyes fill with confidence as I grinned at him. "Good luck to you too, Shoto."
I turned and started to walk down the stairs to go prepare for my match.
'Watch out, Shoto Todoroki. I'm going to do my best to defeat you.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Sakura!"
I turned my head and saw Izuku and Ochaco waving their hands (well only Ochaco since poor Izuku's arms were in a cast) as they made their way down the tunnel. "Hey guys. What's up?"
"We wanted to wish you good luck before your match!" Ochaco said as they caught up to me. "Are you nervous?"
I thought about her question for a moment. Of course, I was nervous but at the same time I was really excited and pumped up to be going against the IcyHot boy.
"Yeah, I'm a little nervous," I admitted. "Shoto is a strong opponent and it definitely won't be easy to beat him."
"Don't worry Sakura-chan! I think you can beat him!" Izuku said with a beaming smile.
I smiled and I hugged both of them. "Thanks guys. You guys are good friends."
Ochaco laughed as she wrapped her arms around me in return, while Izuku stood motionless in my embrace. Then, I realized that he was in a cast and covered in bandages. I quickly dropped my arms and stepped back.
"Oh my god, Izuku. I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't hurt you," I apologized as I looked at his injuries worriedly.
Izuku shook his head but there was a tint of pink in his cheeks. "N-no, i-it's okay," he stuttered. "Do your best, Sakura-chan. Win for us!"
"I'll try my hardest," I smiled at my two friends. "By the way, where's Iida?" I questioned. I haven't seen the raven haired boy since my match. He had looked so down after he lost and I was a little worried. Iida was such a prideful guy.
"Oh, Iida said he had to make a important phone call, but he wished you good luck," Izuku replied.
"Can the next two contestants please make their way to the battle field. The match is about to begin!"
"Well, I should get going now. I'll see you guys later!" I waved them goodbye as I turned to walk down the hallway.
"Good luck Sakura!" I heard both of them yell behind me.
A few minutes of silence passed as I made my to the entrance of the stadium. My footsteps echoed through the tunnel. My head was full of battle strategies for my upcoming match against Shoto.
'This will be much different than our fight from the heroes vs. villains. This time, he has all the open space so his attacks will be much better. He has fast reflexes like Katsuki, but he isn't good at close combat as him. I just have to find a way to get close to him, but it will be hard to find a opening with his attacks. I will have to be really quick...'
I felt a little frustrated as my mind was thinking of hundreds of tactics to use. I took a deep breath and nervously started to tie my hair into a ponytail as I neared the entrance to the stadium.
'I just got to do what I usually go. I've got to trust my natural instincts.' I thought to myself as I stopped right before the light from the outside could hit me. 'I can't spend too much time thinking, or else this match will be over real quick.'
"Alright time for the semi finals to begin! Are you ready?!" Present Mic excitedly announced.
The crowd exploded with cheers, making my heart beat increase. I gripped onto my necklace and closed my eyes as I took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go."
I took a step forward into the light and opened my eyes to the blinding sun. I kept my gaze focused onto the battle field as I walked.
"The first match of the semi finals ladies and gentlemen!"
As I walked up the stairs up to the cement field, I saw a glimpse of red and white hair waving side to side as he made up the stairs too. His blue and grey eyes were filled with determination. 'We are both ready.'
He looked so confident as if he was not scared of a single thing in the world. His eyes looked so bright and clear in the sun. He has never looked more beautiful than now.
"I believe everyone is excited for this match! These two contestants have both showed incredible performances today. They both are top in their class," Present Mic dramatically introduced us. "Both are from the Hero course, but who will win this big match?! Our first contestant is the half cold/half hot boy with amazing skills, Shoto Todoroki!"
The crowd erupted in more cheers from Shoto's name. I heard shrilling screams from girls, yelling his name.
I rolled my eyes and ignored the pain in my ears. 'Seems like he has a huge fan base and a fan girl club. What a huge shocker.'
I took my place on the battle field and I ran my fingers through my ponytail as I felt a smile slowly creeping up.
'I'm about to end those girls' annoying screams'
"Our second contestant is literally the definition of girl power! She shows no fear against anyone she goes against! The beautiful but deadly, Sakura Asano!"
Cheers exploded from the crowd. It might have been more louder than when Shoto was introduced, but I wasn't paying attention. All my focus was on the bi-colored hair boy.
"Say Eraserhead, who do you think might win this match?" Present Mic asked Aizawa.
"Hmm. These two students are both very highly skilled and they both think strategically before every attack. Whoever makes the less mistakes will be the winner," Aizawa said thoughtfully.
I walked towards the center of the field to meet Shoto. We both stood in front of each other. I could literally feel the intense aura surrounding us.
"Good luck, Shoto," I smiled as I stuck out my hand to him. "May the stronger one win."
Shoto took my hand shook it firmly. "Same goes to you, Sakura. Don't forget to come at me with everything you've got."
"Hey, that's my line," I smirked at him.
We both turned and walked back to our positions. I wiggled my fingers to wake them up. 'He's not going to waste anytime attacking first. I have to be on my toes at all times.'
I got back to my side of the field and turned around. I met eyes with him across the field. I opened my palms felt the familiar tingling sensation. 'I'm ready.'
"Let the first semi-final match...... begin!"
As expected, Shoto sent out his first ice attack. I felt the cold wind hit me as his ice barrage came straight at me. I immediately created two energy balls with each hand and threw it towards the ice.
The ice shattered and tiny shards of ice flew everywhere. I squinted to try to see through the smoke. Then I heard ice starting to form on the ground and traveled towards me. I raised my arms and hot fire spewed out of my hands and started to melt the ice. As I melted the ice, I heard the rest of the ice move past me.
I fought to keep my eyes open as steam hissed in the air. I started to cough as I inhaled the steam. 'His attacks are much bigger than the last time for sure.' I put my arms down when I saw the ice stopped moving forward.
I coughed again as I inhaled the fresh air in my lungs. I waved my hand to see through the steam. I breathed in and faced my opponent.
"Come on, Sakura," I heard him call out. "You can't beat me if you aren't even going to throw an attack."
I winced in annoyance from his words. "Oh, you want to see an attack? Don't worry, I'll give you one," I growled.
I opened both of my palms and created a energy ball in each hand. Todoroki saw this and stomped his right foot, sending a bigger and faster ice attack.
I sprinted to the side, barely dodging the sharp splinters of ice. As I was running, I saw a small opening and threw a energy ball at him. It hit him in the chest and sent him flying back towards the boundary line. But before he could be sent out, he created a ice barrier behind him, halting him right at the edge of the boundary line.
'Dammit. I need to get closer to him or otherwise he will just keep sending me those ice attacks or possibly his fire.' I thought to myself as I positioned myself to move again.
Shoto stood upright from the shield he leant against. His expression was neutral but there was look in his eyes that made me feel uneasy.
I lowered my body to the ground to start to a sprint again. 'Okay, it's now or never.'
Shoto sent out a ice attack and I sent out a blast of my chaos quirk. The ice shattered and sent the spikes of his ice back towards him. I saw him hesitate for a second as he created a ice shield to avoid his own ice. 'Now.'
I sprinted forward and jumped up, creating a gust of wind underneath me to give me a boost. I was sent flying above him and I twisted my body to face Shoto's back. I opened up my palms and threw two energy balls at his back.
I thought I was going to get him, but the night-colored hair boy had fast reflexes. He jerked his body around and dived to the side, just in time to dodge my attack. 'He's faster than I thought he was.' I don't know if I was annoyed or impressed or both.
I landed on the ground with a forward roll into a standing position. I immediately turned to face Shoto.
"Nice dodge," I said as I wiped the sweat off my face with my arm.
"That was pretty impressive, Sakura. But you are going to have to try harder than that," he was slightly panting.
"You haven't seen anything yet!" I yelled as I brought my hands together. 'Okay, let's try this again. I might not be able to send him out with this, but I sure can hell make him feel something.' I thought as I summoned my fire and wind at the same time like the previous match against Kaminari.
I saw Shoto's eyes widen as white sparks started to form in between my hands. He then twisted his right foot on the ground and sent a ice barrage towards me before I could attack.
But right when he sent it out, I felt electricity shock my body as the white lightning danced in my finger tips. 'You're too late, Shoto.' I smiled as I lunged forward with my right leg as I pushed my hands forward.
The lightning I had formed blasted through the ice, shattering it into a million pieces and went straight to Shoto. He immediately tried to create a shield, but it shattered in front of him and he was sent flying back a couple of feet and landed right on his back.
"Sakura just gave Todoroki the shock treatment! That has got to hurt!" Present Mic laughed in amusement.
I started to feel dizzy as I stumbled to keep my stance. That attack was much bigger than the one I used against Kaminari.
I looked towards Shoto's direction and saw that he groaned in pain as he sat up. There was steam coming from his body from when I electrocuted him. His once straight hair was all now messy and standing up.
I couldn't help but laugh aloud right there from the hilarious sight. "Loving the new hair, Shoto," I giggled as I put a hand to my forehead and ignored the minor headache I now had.
Shoto's expression was now clearly mad as he struggled to stand up. "You're going to pay for that, Sakura," he said as he stomped his right foot on the ground and sent a ice barrage. But this time it was much slower and smaller due to his condition.
'Just what I wanted," I smirked as I created a energy ball and threw at the ice, destroying it with ease. Then, I sprinted straight towards the IcyHot boy. 'This is my chance to fight him in close combat.'
I saw Shoto eyes narrow as I jumped in the air with a flying kick. He swiftly moved to the side just when my foot was about to make contact to his face. Then, I felt his hand grab my foot. 'Oh come on!'
He dragged me down by my leg and landed a punch straight to my jaw before I was slammed onto the cement floor. I felt the air get sucked out of me as my back met the ground. I gasped for air as I saw Shoto tried to throw another punch at me. I raised my legs and kicked him right in the chest, and sent him flying back. I quickly put my arms above my head and jumped back on my feet.
"These contestants are truly something else! They went from amazing long-distance battle to some gruel hand to hand combat!" Present Mic excitedly announce.
I was heavily panting and felt sweat dripping down my face. I gripped my jaw from the throbbing pain. 'Getting punched in the same place twice in one day. Now, I'm mad.'
I glared at Shoto who was standing a few meters away from me. I felt more annoyance rise up in my chest as I noticed there was slight frost formed on the right side of his body.
"I thought you said you weren't going to hold back," I growled as I nodded towards the frost on his body. "You haven't used your fire once in this battle."
I saw Shoto stiffen from my words. The confidence in his eyes were now faltering. I ignored the pain in my back as I took a step forward.
"You said you wanted to beat me, right? It's insulting to me that you think you can beat me by only using half your strength."
I know that he's still holding back inside. He has still not gotten over his fear on using his left side. That darkness from his past was still closed over his heart like a cold fist. And that pained me to see him like this.
I studied his expression. Everyone saw him as Todoroki; Endeavor's son who was cold, powerful, uncaring, and apathetic. But, I see him as Shoto, who is warm, kind-hearted, and someone who desperately needs a serious lesson on how to take a joke.
"I know you're scared, Shoto. And it's okay," I said so softly that it was almost a whisper.
He looked at me with his heterochromatic eyes. Those goddamn gorgeous eyes. Those eyes that I was once so lucky to see them sparkle with happiness even for a couple of seconds. But, right now they were clouded with sadness and uncertainty.
"You told me you wanted to be a hero. Well, a great hero wouldn't hold back at all! If you truly want to be a hero, then stop half-assing your quirk!"
Shoto eyes widened at my words and his cold expression start to crack.
"I want to beat you when you're using your full strength! So stop being so goddamn selfish and just let go!"
I was so frustrated that the palms of my hands began to glow red. Without any thought, I threw two energy balls at him. This snapped him out of his thoughts and he dived to the ground to dodge my attack. Then, I ran straight at him while he was still on the ground. Just when I was about to throw a punch, I saw a flicker of light coming from his left side. 'He's going to use his fire.'
I immediately jumped back as a explosion of flames erupted from his left side. The heat of his flames was so immense that my skin started to burn.
I smiled as I admired the beautiful flames. 'His fire is truly is something else.'
"Oh?! Todoroki has used his left side! Will this turn the match around for him?!"
Shoto gave me a small smile. "You asked for it, Sakura." He then raised his left arm and opened up his palm.
I smirked as I positioned myself to a fighting stance. "Do your worst, Shoto."
Shoto then released a tunnel of flames towards me, his fire blasting through the air like a crazy wildlife. I slid my left foot behind me and swiftly poisoned my body to a defensive stance. I swept up my hands in front of me and a wall of water appeared up. I heard the fire hit contact with the water and hiss against the water, putting itself out.
As I felt the fire stop, I heard ice starting to form. 'He's using two of his sides now. I just had to make this match harder for me,' I let out a small chuckle as I threw energy attack at the ice barrage and shattering it.
For a couple of minutes, I was getting attacked by Shoto's alternating attacks of ice and fire. I was too busy raising shields from the scorching fire or blasting through the ice that I didn't have time to attack back. I was officially on the defense now.
My eyes twitched in annoyance. I felt like I was being pushed around and I hated that. 'I need to find a way to attack him, but how? I'm too busy trying to defend myself. Come on, think!"
I was too distracted with my thoughts that I lost my concentration on my shield against Shoto's ice. I felt my shield shatter and I was sent flying back a couple of feet. "Agh!" I landed right on my back.
"Is that all you got, Sakura?" I saw Shoto take a step towards me as he raised his left hand. "I'm giving you my all right now because you asked for it. But, it seems like you can't even handle it."
I crossed my arms and created a dome of water over me to protect me from his flames as I was still sitting on the floor.
"You were right about me being scared. I was scared of becoming like my hateful father. But now I see that I'm nothing like him and I have nothing to be scared of anymore," his voice became louder as I felt the heat of his flames become hotter.
I clenched my teeth as I continued to keep my water shield up. I felt blood trickle down from my nose.
"You told me to fight you with my full strength. That's exactly what I'm doing right now. But it seems like you're not doing the same. I want to beat you at your full strength too, so fight back!"
My head started to feel dizzy as the heat of the flames even got more hotter. I turned my head slowly and saw I was only a couple of feet away from the boundary line. 'Dammit! I need to do something quick!"
"Why are you holding back, Sakura?" He took another step forward as I saw sweat starting to form on his forehead. "You're the one who's now being scared of realizing your full potential. Stop being scared and let go!"
My eyes widened as I felt something almost snap inside of me. 'No. I-I can't. Control it, Sakura.' I felt my eyes sting with tears but I wasn't sure if it from the scorching heat or from Shoto's words.
"Get up and fight me, Sakura. Give me everything you've got!"
I felt energy soaring inside through my body. Every inch of my body felt like it was on fire. I saw my hands start to glow red and felt my body tremble. It started to rise and rise until I couldn't hold it back anymore.
"Enough!"
I felt all the energy explode release as I saw red energy waves shoot out of my body. I saw it hit Shoto and sent him flying back and the fire dispersed. The stadium lit up with red and sent shockwaves all the way up to the top of the stadium. I heard the crowd gasp from my sudden outburst.
I suddenly felt my body start to lift up from the ground. I looked down and saw that my whole body was glowing red. I was now floating in the air and felt my hair started to lift up. The pain and tiredness I felt in my muscles completely disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with immense power and energy. I felt completely free. Like nothing could bother me. I smiled as I enjoyed this new feeling. 'So this is the true strength of my chaos magic huh?'
I saw a movement in the corner of my eye and saw that it was Shoto. He was struggling to get up as he looked at me with shocked eyes.
"THIS MATCH JUST GOT MORE INTERESTING! THESE KIDS ARE TRULY AMAZING!"
I slowly touched the ground with my feet. "You have regret written all over your face, Shoto. Don't tell me that you are actually scared to go against me now," I smirked.
Shoto flinched at my teasing words. Then, his eyes shone as he raised his left hand up. "Not at all, Sakura."
A huge tunnel of fire exploded from his hand. I raised my own hand and released a beam of my chaos magic. His fire clashed with my energy beam at the center of the field. The impact was so strong that both of us started to skid back against the cement. 'Come on! Just a little more!'
"Holy smokes! A head on head long distance attack!" I heard Present Mic announced excitedly.
"They both have almost reached their limit. This will determine the winner of this match," Aizawa mumbled.
The temperature in the stadium started to rise as both of our attacks got bigger. I clenched my teeth as I started to feel the energy start to drain. 'I will win.' I swung back my other hand and pushed forward as I cried out in frustration. Another beam of energy shot out and erupted an explosion.
The impact of the explosion hit me and sent my flying back. Quickly, I created a shield behind me to prevent me from crossing the boundary line. The entire battle field was engulfed in smoke so I couldn't see anything around me.
"What is going on?! I can't see a thing! Who won this match?!" I heard Present Mic's voice somewhere.
I coughed as I tried to wave my hands through the thick smoke to try to spot red and white hair. 'Where is he? Is he okay?' Worried thoughts soared inside my head. That explosion was pretty big when I sent another attack at him.
Finally, the smoke started to clear and my eyes narrowed when I saw Shoto. He was standing up slowly from the crouching position. 'He's still standing after that?!'
Shoto stared right at me as he dug his right foot onto to the cement. I clenched my teeth as I positioned into a defense stance, expecting an ice barrage to come at me. But before either one of us could send an attack, we were interrupted by a whipping sound.
"Todoroki is out of bounds! Sakura moves onto the final round!" Midnight yelled.
'Wait what?!' Then I looked more closer at Shoto's feet and my eyes widened. His left foot was over the boundary line.
"Todoroki passed the boundary line just by a foot! Sakura is the winner of this incredible match!"
The stadium erupted with applause and cheers. 'I-I won?' I heard my name being yelled out my the crowd. But, all I looked at was Shoto.
He was looking down at his left foot with a shocked expression. Then he slowly raised his head to meet my eyes. I slowly made my way over to him, not even knowing what to say.
When I stood in front of him, I stuck out my hand. "Good match, Shoto," I nervously smiled.
He blinked at the sight of my hand and slowly shook it. "Congrats, Sakura," he calmly said as he gave me a small smile.
But I could see the disappointment in his eyes.
"I'm going to go ahead, but you should enjoy this moment," he stated. I raised my hand and opened my mouth to say that we could walk out together, but he had already started to walk away. I closed my lips tightly together with guilt. 'He's trying to act like he's okay, but he's clearly disappointed. Dammit! Now he's probably going to hate me..'
I tilted my head up towards the sky. I closed my eyes as I tried to drown all the noise from the stadium and felt the warm sunshine on my face.
'This has got to be the longest day ever. And I have feeling it's far from over.'
I took a deep breath and started to walk towards the exit.
A/N: sorry if this fight was shitty. anyways shoto and sakura finally fight. Next up: Sakura has a convo with Endeavor and everything falls down for her.