Another explosion shook the building as jagged waves of ice tore through everything in their path. Akuma dodged by mere centimeters, then sprinted up the wall to leap over the frozen barricade. Todoroki was already waiting. With a sharp flick of his wrist, a crescent-shaped arc of ice roared toward Akuma's face.
He dropped like dead weight, contorting mid-fall to avoid the slicing frost. His body twisted like liquid muscle, bending inhumanly as he hit the floor and skidded under the attack. He didn't get time to breathe—Shoto was already in front of him, delivering a flurry of blows. Akuma blocked them all, barely.
But he didn't just defend.
He struck low, kicking Todoroki in the leg and forcing him to lose balance. Then Akuma lunged in and slammed a fist into Shoto's chest, aiming for a grapple.
But before he could finish the move, a wall of ice erupted from the ground and struck Akuma's leg. Pain flared. Before he could even cry out, another attack approached—he felt it. Instinctively, he spun threads around himself, weaving layer after layer into a cocoon. The ice pierced through the makeshift armor but failed to freeze him solid.
Then—snap. The cocoon detonated into a storm of threads, lashing out like a nest of angry vipers. The explosion struck everything nearby with terrifying precision.
"Sensei... shouldn't you be stopping this? Ribbit?"
Tsuyu Asui asked, watching through the control room monitors, wide-eyed at the chaos erupting between the two students.
All Might scratched his head, sweat beading on his brow. "Todoroki... needs this. Maybe this kind of battle will awaken his fire."
But that wasn't the part worrying him the most.
No, his eyes were locked on Akuma Matsumoto—a student who was, quite literally, laughing through the carnage.
Todoroki had tried to retreat, escaping through one of the corridors, but Akuma's threads chased him like a predator. They whipped out, slicing through the air, shattering walls and pulverizing every trace of Todoroki's ice defenses.
In retaliation, Todoroki released a glacier-level attack, flattening half the remaining structure. He turned, only to see Akuma already closing in, completely unphased.
Another ice wall surged upward. Akuma shattered it with a flying kick. His foot, reinforced by dense threads, cracked slightly but regenerated moments later.
Now, the fight was turning savage.
Akuma unleashed a barrage of strikes—punches, jabs, low kicks—forcing Todoroki onto the defensive. While both fighters were clearly trained, the difference was obvious.
Todoroki fought with precision, strategy, and calm. Every move was calculated—years of elite training shaped him.
But Akuma? Akuma fought like a demon with a twisted smile. His style was chaotic but flawless. A violent blend of dozens of martial arts. Improvised, unorthodox, and yet... every move hit with pinpoint accuracy.
"Wait—Matsumoto told me he never trained martial arts," Kirishima whispered.
"He said he was just... born with the ability to fight like that."
"He's a monster," Iida murmured, eyes glued to the screen.
A heavy blow knocked Akuma back. He landed in a cartwheel, never losing balance. He sensed another ice spike forming and flew across the room just as it exploded where he'd stood a heartbeat ago.
Todoroki's breath had grown visibly cold, frost building around his uniform.
"You know," Akuma teased, "maybe you should warm up, or you'll pass out from hypothermia."
"SHUT UP!"
Todoroki launched another spike, but Akuma shattered it with his knee, cut the distance instantly, and landed a sharp chop to Shoto's neck—then four lightning-fast punches to his stomach, one to the chin.
Even when Todoroki tried to guard, none of the hits were blocked.
Before he could react again, Akuma grabbed his arm, hooked a leg around Todoroki's thigh, and used his own center of gravity—Uchi Mata—to throw him hard to the ground.
Instinctively, Shoto countered with a massive ice blast—one so strong it nearly obliterated Akuma's torso.
Gasps filled the control room.
Akuma regenerated instantly.
And laughed.
"Let's go until the timer runs out, shall we?"
Todoroki didn't answer. He just stood up, quietly, preparing for the final assault.
---
Meanwhile, on the second floor...
Kyoka Jiro dangled upside down, still caught in the web Akuma had wrapped her in. Glimpses of ice cracked through the floor below her—she didn't want to imagine what was happening down there.
She'd already given up trying to break the thread. She recognized the Tension Cord around her toe—it was exactly what Akuma had described. Too strong to snap.
Her stomach twisted from the position, her head throbbing.
But worse than the discomfort was the memory.
That moment when Akuma lunged at her... She'd been scared. Not just startled—terrified. For a second, she forgot he was a classmate. The mask. The voice. The silence. Everything screamed villain.
And yet... this was the same guy who helped her when she needed it. Who was friendly. Funny. Even... sweet?
So how could someone like that be so damn frightening?
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Akuma's chin was clipped again, but he retaliated with a spinning kick to create space. Both boys were panting. The timer was ticking down. His thread reserves were nearly gone. Todoroki was close to freezing over.
In his mind, Todoroki panicked:
"He's my equal... Maybe stronger. I can't win with ice. But fire? His fire? No. I'd rather lose a thousand times than use that... I can't beat him. And Jiro's still missing... I can't just retreat either. Damn it... how!?"
Their eyes met.
The ice around Todoroki's suit began to melt rapidly. Smoke rose from his back.
Akuma's grin widened—unnaturally, almost disturbingly.
He leapt forward.
Todoroki slowly raised his left hand.
Then—
BRRRRRRRRRRIIIIINNNGGGGG!
All Might's voice echoed through the building:
"OVER! THE FIGHT IS OVER! I REPEAT—EXERCISE COMPLETE! VILLAINS WIN!"
Both boys froze, then turned away silently. They walked toward the exit, the remains of the battlefield steaming and crackling behind them.
Akuma stopped 20 meters from the door. Todoroki gave him a confused look as Akuma raised both hands.
Suddenly—
"W-WHOA—WHOAAAAA!!"
Kyoka Jiro fell into Akuma's arms.
He caught her like a princess.
Then she punched him in the face.
"H-HEY! Put me down! Put me down—NOW!"
Akuma chuckled as he set her down gently.
Kyoka, blushing and furious, stumbled from being upside down so long.
"Should I carry you, dear?" he asked sarcastically.
"Creep! Jerk! You jerk!!"
She smacked him again with her earphones.
"Let me help you," Todoroki said softly, offering his shoulder. Kyoka reluctantly leaned on him, and the two walked out in silence.
Akuma waited for Shoji, who stepped out of the rubble, dazed.
"I told you I could beat them," Akuma said.
"I mean... I don't think this was my victory at all, man. You did everything."
Shoji looked behind them. The building was wrecked. Ice everywhere. Cracked walls. Strands of thread fluttering in the wind like spiderwebs.
"You followed orders. That's enough. You'll get your moment to shine, don't worry."
Together, they walked to the waiting room. The next match was being announced.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I sat cross-legged on the control room floor, helmet beside me. The final match ended with a whimper, nothing worth writing about.
Though I will say, Midoriya and Uraraka vs. Bakugo and Iida ended the same way as the show. No surprise. The protagonist always wins.
Afterward, All Might gave us hell. Said we were too comfortable fighting, destroyed school property, and I got singled out for endangering a classmate.
Fair enough.
As I walked out, three familiar faces rushed me.
Mina. Kirishima. Kaminari.
"DUDE—you gotta teach us how to fight!"
"Yeah! That style was awesome, man!"
"Let's spar! C'mon, you owe us!"
"I can make time after class. Ask Aizawa-sensei if we can borrow a training room."
"YESSSS!"
They vanished in excitement. I stood there a second longer, thinking.
In my past life, I was obsessed with martial arts. Five years boxing. Three in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. My dream was to go pro.
But then... my father said they'd cut me off if I didn't become an engineer.
"Ugh. I need to stop thinking about that crap..."
"M-Matsumoto-kun? Is now a bad time?"
I turned around.
Uraraka stood there, fidgeting nervously.
"Um... could you teach me to fight too?"