At Present Mic's signal, Todoroki extended his arm in a swift motion, causing a wave of ice to shoot toward Momo. At the same time, the temperature plummeted and the ground cracked, prompting the beautiful aspiring Hero to move at high speed to the side, dodging the attack.
Simultaneously, as she dodged, what appeared to be plates of bright red metal began emerging from Momo's exposed skin. These plates started unfolding, taking the shape of her body, with the torso section appearing from her back and quickly covering her chest, seamlessly attaching to the protective pieces on her arms and legs with a soft metallic click.
In a matter of seconds, Momo was fully equipped with an impressive, futuristic-looking suit of armor. Its base color was a metallic red, with golden plates around the chest, hips, and limbs, fitting perfectly around her curvy figure. Suddenly, a pale blue light flashed at each joint, signaling that the armor was ready for combat.
With a single thought, Momo activated the repulsors in the soles of her armor, propelling herself forward at high speed toward Todoroki. He attempted another attack, sending another wave of ice in her direction. In that instant, Momo increased the thrust from the repulsors on her feet while using the repulsors on her hands to maneuver in midair—performing an acrobatic flip to evade the surge of ice—landing right behind her opponent.
Using the repulsors on her hands, Momo spun in midair, building momentum before delivering a powerful kick to Todoroki's side, sending the young man flying at great speed with a pained expression. Still, he managed to use his ice to avoid falling off the platform just as Momo landed gracefully on the ground.
"You most likely have a couple of broken ribs, Todoroki-san." Momo remarked in a serious tone, looking at Todoroki, who was clutching the side she had kicked, gritting his teeth hard.
"This is nothing!"
Refusing to give up, Todoroki forced out the words through his pain while placing his free hand on the ground, sending out a colossal wave of ice that covered the entire platform. Momo couldn't help sighing in disappointment as she raised her right fist toward the incoming ice.
Quickly, the armor around Momo's extended arm retracted, exposing her skin once again. From it emerged some kind of miniature missile, which shot at high speed toward the massive wave of ice. The moment it struck, it produced a powerful explosion that shook the air and made the ground tremble.
When the smoke cleared, the sight was astounding: the once-imposing tide of ice had practically vanished due to the explosion. Todoroki was left speechless, managing only to clench his teeth as he felt his body freezing from the extreme drop in temperature.
"You know, Todoroki-san, it's really hard to understand you. Why do you refuse to use your power?" Momo asked, her tone somewhat curious as she walked across the partly ruined platform, regarding Todoroki. He responded in a dark tone after biting down on his lower lip in anger.
"… Because I refuse to be my damn father's tool. I'll prove to him I can be number one without needing his quirk!!"
"… You know… I imagine there's a story behind all that. But if what you really want is not to be his 'tool', then what's the point of being a Hero? You could just as well be a firefighter, a lawyer, an accountant, or anything else. It's not like the Hero career is the only one in existence. Besides, I'm sure that'd be a much better 'revenge' than trying to become number one by using only half your power—if you can even pull that off in the first place."
Standing just a few meters away from Todoroki, Momo crossed her arms and commented, looking genuinely confused, which seemed to deeply affect the dual-haired young man. He stared at the beautiful girl in armor before him with disbelief, prompting her to ask, somewhat surprised.
"Don't tell me you've never even considered it…?"
"…"
Hearing Momo's words, Todoroki could only remain silent, lowering his head. That was when the beautiful aspiring Heroine spoke in a serious tone.
"Todoroki-san, why do you want to be a Hero?"
Momo's question brought to Todoroki's mind the image of his mother—her gentle voice, her maternal love, her warmth as she held him and watched the feats of the one true Hero, the great symbol of peace. He remembered how that Hero was praised, loved, and how he could save everyone with a huge smile that gave people peace and security. But the beautiful girl continued speaking.
"Do you really want to save people, Todoroki-san? Do you truly want to leave your mark on this world as a Hero? If so, answer me this question: What will you do if you need to use your fire to save someone? If there's a villain you can't defeat using only your ice, will you let him go, risking innocent lives?"
Momo's words struck Todoroki's heart like daggers. He gritted his teeth, filled with frustration. But just as he was about to argue, the black-haired girl didn't let him speak and added in a serious, solemn tone.
"Tell me, Todoroki-san, what will happen the day your attitude costs an innocent person their life? Will you be able to live with yourself after that? Will you be able to live knowing you could've prevented a tragedy if you had done everything in your power?"
Momo's tone shifted and became much harsher and more aggressive as she went on.
"The reason you can stand among the elites is because of the training and resources you've had since childhood! Who gave you that, Todoroki?! Are you going to stop using that too, just because it came from him?!! Where do you draw the line?! The training is fine, the education is fine, the damn clothes you wear are fine—but the flames aren't?!!
"Being a Hero is not a game! You can't do it half-heartedly! If you really want to be a Hero who can save the world and leave a mark on it, then do everything possible!! Your fire is part of you, just like your arms or your legs!! Or are you planning to stop using those too because they also come from your father?!! Is that the kind of 'Hero' you want to be—someone who can't even face his own identity?!"
Momo's fierce scolding seemed to break something inside Todoroki. A powerful flame burst from the left side of his body, melting the ice covering his right side. At the same time, he spoke with a daring smile on his face.
"You're really ruthless with your words, Rep…"
"Fufufu, well, I have a fool at home who, when he gets stubborn, only understands the hard way, so I've got some practice." Momo replied gracefully as she uncrossed her arms and assumed a fighting stance, making Todoroki chuckle.
"I can imagine."
"Hahahaha!!! That's it! Accept yourself! That's the path to fulfilling my ambition!!"
Along with Todoroki's words, a thunderous laugh echoed from the stands, followed by an almost deranged shout. That made the young half-and-half haired man's expression darken, but at that same moment, a powerful pressure flooded the stadium, accompanied by an arrogant, mocking voice.
"Will someone please remove the toxic trash with narcissistic projection issues from aisle 3?"
The voice immediately drew the attention of everyone in the stadium, including Momo and Todoroki, who both turned to see a blue-eyed young man, arms crossed, sitting back in the Class 1-A stands with a relaxed attitude. For some reason, Todoroki found this extremely amusing.
"Hahaha, that guy's really something."
"Well, that's my Kai—he's the best, fufufu." Momo added in a playful tone before her expression quickly turned defiant as she turned back to Todoroki, speaking in a firm voice.
"But now it's time for round two, Todoroki-san."
"You're right!"
With that exclamation, Todoroki unleashed his ice with all his might, causing large icicles to form at his feet. However, thanks to the raging flames on his left side, they began melting, sending up thick clouds of steam. Then came colossal pillars of ice shooting toward Momo.
Swiftly, Momo brought her feet together and moved her hands near her hips, aiming her palms toward the ground as she activated her armor's repulsors at full power. This allowed her to ascend quickly into the air, dodging the first strike. More colossal pillars of ice followed, attempting to hit her in midair, but she avoided them by darting around erratically at high speed, making full use of her armor's superb mobility.
Seeing his attack fail, Todoroki suddenly cranked up his fire to the maximum, drastically changing the temperature. Then, he swung his arm in Momo's general direction, releasing a brutal shockwave toward the airborne young woman without worrying about the consequences—after all, the Symbol of Peace was present, capable of saving anyone.
Noticing the savage strike Todoroki was about to unleash, Momo immediately retracted the armor on her forearms, bringing her arms together in a defensive posture in front of her. She kept herself airborne using only the repulsors on her feet. At that moment, two large plates emerged from the exposed skin on her arms, unfolding together and connecting into a massive shield with powerful repulsors on the back.
When the shockwave arrived, it slammed head-on into the shield—larger than Momo herself—whereupon the shield's repulsors lit up with a fierce blue glow, generating an opposite force to counter the shockwave's impact. Momo held her position firmly, the shield's intensity dynamically adjusting thanks to the powerful AI it was equipped with.
Due to the powerful explosion caused by the violent expansion of air, the platform was engulfed in thick smoke that obscured everything. However, this didn't affect Momo in the slightest, thanks to the cutting-edge technology visors now on her face, which allowed her to quickly identify Todoroki's position.
With a swift motion, Momo detached the shield from her arms just as the armor on her forearms reassembled and the repulsors on her feet powered down, letting her drop. She reactivated them just before reaching the ground, at which point a miniaturized missile launcher emerged from her left shoulder. It fired a small projectile toward the unsuspecting Todoroki.
The moment the projectile hit Todoroki's neck, a powerful electric current surged through his body, leaving him unconscious. So, when the thick smoke finally dispersed, the crowd could see a victorious Momo standing on the combat platform in her heroic armor, while Todoroki lay unconscious on the ground.
"Winner, Yaoyorozu Momo!!!"
"Are the guys from Class A even human? This is insane!! What an impressive display of raw power by Todoroki, but it seems like nothing can catch Yaoyorozu off guard—she's practically an invincible Iron Maiden!!!"
With Midnight's announcement, the crowd broke into a frenzy of cheers. Present Mic's excited commentary echoed across the stadium as the shield in midair dissolved into dust and Momo started walking off the platform, still wearing her armor. She didn't forget to return Nemuri's proud smile of congratulations.
Walking toward the stadium exit amid the roaring applause, Momo couldn't help smiling, feeling a joyful sensation in her chest. She was certain she had accomplished her goal of helping her classmate, though she was fully aware that Todoroki's problems wouldn't be solved by just one "scolding". Still, that fight had been an important first step for him.
Ever since she was chosen as class representative, Momo felt that, since her classmates had elected her leader, her first duty as a Hero was to help them in every way possible. So they could become the best versions of themselves. Although it hadn't been an easy task until now, seeing them grow stronger and flourish with her aid filled her with excitement and happiness, convincing her even more that being a Hero truly was her calling.
Watching all her effort and dedication reflected in her classmates' strength—and above all, knowing she had left a positive and indelible mark on their lives, something that would make them remember her forever—was truly an incomparable feeling. It validated her identity and her worth, showing that her birth had been something good for the world, even if a certain man hadn't thought so.
***
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