I won.
With a slight grin, he shook the smoke off his hands and then nodded to the shocked Todoroki, who was almost embedded in the broken ice.
He clearly didn't expect to lose so quickly. The quirk was strong, and there was more than one, but his ability to control it wasn't particularly impressive. And I was an opponent... Probably, after receiving a shot in the shoulder from me, he completely stiffened up and it cost him a chance. In a real fight it would have been more difficult, but I would have won anyway, because he didn't attack back. If his fire had been even half as strong as Prospector's, I would have had to retreat.
Well, a predictable result. Although, I hoped that he would perform better.
- What a great victory! He didn't even give him time to think and drove him into a corner! Koji Bakugo showed the full power of his quirk! What explosions! - Mick shouted, declaring the winner. Well, I calmly walked back to the guys, leaving Todoroki alone.
His plans to prove something to his father failed halfway through...
- Wow! What a fight!
- Koji, you're awesome!
I'm already starting to get irritated by such shouts directed at me.
And then...
- Hey! You!
- Hm?
Katsuki came up to me and curled his lips:
- See you in the finals, bastard!
I chuckled in response:
- With pleasure, you little idiot!
Having exchanged brotherly pleasantries, we went our separate ways.
"Are you always like this?" Momo asked, slightly embarrassed.
I shrugged:
- From time to time. Today I didn't give him a belt, that's why he's mad.
- Pff-f... - Momo burst out laughing and seemed to come to life. Pressing her chest against me, she said with a smile:
- You're doing well. I think you'll really win... Your mastery of the quirk is truly amazing. Even though you're also a student, it seems like we're lagging far behind you...
I didn't even have time to answer when I suddenly heard next to me:
"Did you notice that too? Koji-kun seemed to have been training a lot," Asui spoke up, unexpectedly for both of us.
"Well, it was already noticeable during the qualifying rounds," Kirishima said.
I didn't join in on the conversation. I liked the praise, of course, but not for that reason. First of all, I used a quirk of strengthening and destruction against a schoolboy who had intentionally weakened himself. As for the rest, it was nothing more than training that others could have gone through, but for some reason most didn't. At the same time, there were hundreds of reference materials on the Internet about the work of heroes and even about various tests of UA over the past years. It wasn't even about my memories. Anyone could turn on their brain and familiarize themselves with what was required of a hero in different situations.
Well, let's not talk about that...
What do we have next?
The battles continued. Iida succeeded in his fight with Shiozaki, which means he will soon meet me. Tokoyami defeated Ashido and advanced to the next round.
But then something happened that amazed even me...
— THANK YOU! DIE!
— KATZAAAAAN!
*BOOM!*
"Wow..." I followed my brother with interest.
All the stands fell silent, as did my class.
"What's going on there?! What a blow!" Mick shouted.
- Who won?!
The dust slowly settled, but I already knew the outcome, especially considering how far and in which direction this "cloud" stretched...
Once the dust cleared, it became clear that Katsuki had been slammed into the wall.
Midoriya won.
I was really surprised...
Midoriya was able to control All Might's quirk? No... It's an air wave... Katsuki was stupid and turned the battle into chasing a rabbit, and the rabbit got to the edge of the arena, was able to maneuver and throw out one sure attack.
Cunning... Midoriya knew how to use his brain. When he needed a victory, he went beyond the limits. As for my brother... He clearly succumbed to emotions, but not only. He looked down on this weakling and finally paid the price. It would have happened earlier if not for me. My influence made Katsuki stronger and in team battles he cruelly stepped over Midoriya, but now, One For All has begun to show himself.
Problematic... If he had lost earlier, it would have hurt his pride, but not so seriously. But to screw up here, in front of everyone, and even trying to reach me in the final. Katsuki didn't even doubt himself, and then he tripped over a random stone on the side of the road...
How funny this is.
This will be a good lesson and will make him stronger and more restrained. Sooner or later, Midoriya would have shown his strength. It is possible that I even accelerated his growth and thus accelerated my brother's growth.
Well, let's see if Midoriya can pull off some trick on me...
- AAAAAARGH! DEKU! I'LL KILL YOU!
Oh yeah... If he can escape from the enraged Katsuki...
What a day. Well, I never imagined that everything would go according to this scenario. For some reason, it caused a pleasant excitement...
My brother had to be isolated until the end of the Festival. He was furious, wanted to find Midoriya and take revenge. Oh well, it will calm down with time...
All of our guys were amazed by this "plot" and talked about nothing else. Well, I was just enjoying Momo's company until Todoroki suddenly showed up...
- Hm? - I looked up boredly.
Shoto stared piercingly until he suddenly spoke:
- You won. Congratulations.
- What's wrong with you all of a sudden?
His gaze flashed:
- But I won't lose again. This Festival is nothing.
I narrowed my eyes with a laugh:
- You think you can win by relying only on ice? Wake up, smart guy, you're in no position to hold back. Until you accept yourself, your quirk, you'll never be able to catch up to those ahead of you.
I don't even know why I said that. But maybe it wouldn't hurt. He is the son of the Prospector after all... If he gets stronger, he might be useful or at least amuse me.
- Look at Midoriya. He beat my cocky brother, who could have easily beaten you. His quirk is crippling him, but he still keeps going. How long until he surpasses you while you're trying to prove something to someone? How long until you or those you care about die because you're holding back?
Shoto shuddered and remained silent. But then his eyes flashed again:
- I understand you.
And he left...
Hmm... Funny guy. He should hang out with Midoriya, not me.
Momo looked at me with a smile:
- I think you said it right. I'm sure it's unpleasant to fight someone who holds back...
I stroked this cutie with a smile.
It's not even about that... I didn't care what was dear to him there and what he would achieve. Todoroki was ready to expose himself because of "his father's quirk", and that's too boring. If he were less emotional, I would have been able to fight normally today... That's what's important.
But what a disappointment...