Chapter 13: Kuma Vs Todoroki.
The dust in the monitor room slowly settled, but the echo of the battle between Midoriya and Bakugo still resonated in the students' minds. The screens displayed the devastation—the shattered ceilings, the scorched walls—and the heavy silence of the aftermath.
The door to the monitor room opened, and medical robots floated in, carrying Midoriya Izuku on a stretcher. The boy was in a pitiable state. His right arm was twisted at a sickening angle, the skin bruised a deep purple, while his face was covered in soot and burns. He was moaning softly, his half-closed eyes searching for something amidst the crowd.
"Kuma-kun..." Midoriya whispered hoarsely, spotting the giant standing in the back.
The medical droids paused for a moment. Kuma approached slowly, his shadow casting a long silhouette over the stretcher. He looked down at the shattered arm. It wasn't just a broken finger this time; the entire limb had been decimated from the inside by the raw power of "One For All."
"Please..." Midoriya's eyes watered from the agony that made him tremble like a leaf in the wind. "The pain... I can't focus... It's so much worse than last time..."
Kuma froze.
Under his heavy coat, a cold shiver ran down his spine. The memory of that night—about a week ago—hit him like a whip. He remembered how his lungs had seized, how his vision had blurred, and how that single drop of dark blood had fallen from his nose just from extracting the pain of one finger.
Now, the suffering before him was amplified tenfold. A completely shattered arm.
If I extract this, Kuma thought, his jaw muscles tightening imperceptibly, the recoil will be catastrophic.
But he looked into Midoriya's eyes. The innocent pleading, the blind trust that his "friend" would help him.
He couldn't refuse. It wasn't in his nature to turn his back on suffering he had the power to erase.
"Very well," Kuma said, his deep voice masking any trace of hesitation.
He extended his right hand. The pink paw pad glowed with a faint, ethereal light. He touched Midoriya's uninjured shoulder with extreme gentleness.
"Extract."
Midoriya gasped, his body instantly relaxing onto the stretcher as if his soul had been returned to him. The brutal agony vanished, replaced by a dull numbness.
"Thank you..." Midoriya whispered before passing out from sheer exhaustion.
Kuma pulled his hand back. This time, the bubble wasn't small. A dense, viscous red substance leaked from Midoriya's form, condensing and gathering until it formed a sphere the size of a soccer ball. It pulsed with a sinister crimson light, rotating with a low, humming sound that only Kuma could hear.
The orb floated up and settled over Kuma's right shoulder—larger, heavier, and far more dangerous than the previous one.
The robots carried Midoriya away, while the students stared at Kuma and the massive red ball following him.
"Holy crap..." Kirishima muttered, eyes wide. "That thing looks terrifying... It's huge."
Kuma adjusted his beanie, ignoring the stares, though the metaphysical weight of the orb pressed down on his shoulder more than any physical burden.
Match Two: Cold as Death
"Match Number Two!" All Might announced, his voice booming to break the tension. "Hero Team (Kuma & Kaminari) vs. Villain Team (Todoroki & Hagakure)!"
Inside the battle building, on the Third Floor, the air was already turning frigid.
Todoroki Shoto stood near the paper mache nuclear weapon. He looked calm, almost bored. Beside him, a pair of floating gloves (Hagakure) waved frantically.
"So, Todoroki-kun, what's the plan?" Hagakure asked nervously. "Should we barricade the door? Or maybe ambush them?"
Todoroki didn't look at her. He walked to the door of the room, placing his hand against the wall.
"The plan is simple," Todoroki said coldly. "Just step back."
"Eh?"
"Freeze."
Frost exploded from his hand.
First Floor Entrance.
Kuma and Kaminari had just stepped into the building. Kuma's heavy boots clicked against the concrete floor.
"Okay, big guy," Kaminari said, stretching his arms. "Let's find the stairs and—"
CRACK!
He didn't finish the sentence.
A wave of sub-zero ice surged through the hallways, covering the floors, walls, and ceiling in a heartbeat. The entire building groaned as it was transformed into a white, frozen fortress.
The ice reached them instantly, encasing their feet and freezing them to the floor.
"Whoa!!" Kaminari yelped, shivering immediately. "It's freezing! He iced the whole building instantly?! Is this guy really a high schooler?!"
Kuma remained calm. His breath puffed out in a white cloud. The red orb hovering over his shoulder was the only source of heat and color in this monochrome world. He looked down at his boots, which were cemented in thick ice. Fortunately, the ice had only covered the footwear, not touching their skin.
"Kaminari," Kuma said calmly. "Discharge electricity into the floor. Break the hold."
"R-Right!"
Zzzzt!
Kaminari stomped, sending a sharp jolt of yellow electricity downwards. The ice around their boots shattered into crystals. They pulled their feet free.
"Let us proceed," Kuma said, stepping onto the slippery surface.
They met on the Second Floor.
Kuma and Kaminari were ascending the stairs, while Todoroki and Hagakure were descending. They stood at opposite ends of the wide main hallway.
Todoroki stood tall, his right side covered in a layer of frost. He looked down at them with indifferent, heterochromatic eyes.
"You broke free," Todoroki observed, his voice devoid of emotion. "Impressive."
"We're not going down that easily, pretty boy!" Kaminari shouted, sparks dancing around his cheeks.
Todoroki raised a hand. "I will give you a chance to retreat. Step away, or become ice statues."
Kuma adjusted his glasses, the red orb pulsing rhythmically beside his ear.
"I appreciate your generosity," Kuma replied, his tone polite but firm. "However, I do not believe we will be retreating today."
Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "A foolish choice."
"Kaminari," Kuma whispered without turning his head. "Do not focus only on him. The invisible girl is here. Watch your surroundings."
"Got it," Kaminari whispered back.
The tension in the hallway spiked. Kuma took a step forward, drawing Todoroki's attention.
He's looking at Kuma, Kaminari thought. This is my chance!
"I'm going for the weapon!" Kaminari yelled.
Instead of fighting, Kaminari dashed to the side, sprinting toward the side corridor that led to the weapon room, hoping to flank the enemy.
Todoroki didn't even turn his body. He simply shifted his gaze.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Todoroki slammed his right hand onto the floor.
BOOM!
A massive glacier of jagged ice erupted from the ground, chasing Kaminari. It wasn't just a freeze; it was a physical explosion of ice spikes.
"Wha—?!" Kaminari's eyes widened in terror.
The wave of ice hit him from the side.
CRASH!
The force was immense. Kaminari was blasted off his feet, thrown through the concrete wall of the building, and launched out into the open air of the training grounds.
"AAAAAAAAH!" Kaminari screamed as he fell from the second story.
Mid-air, he panicked. "Shock absorption!"
ZZZZZT!
He discharged a massive amount of electricity toward the ground just before impact, creating a magnetic cushion that softened his landing. He rolled onto the asphalt outside, groaning, smoke rising from his uniform.
Monitor Room
"He threw him out of the building?!" Sero shouted, gripping his head. "That power is insane!"
"Todoroki didn't even flinch," Yaoyorozu noted, her face serious. "He separated them instantly."
All Might watched the screen closely. Young Todoroki... his power is overwhelming, but his focus is narrow.
Back in the Hallway
Kuma stood alone. To his right, there was a gaping hole in the wall where Kaminari used to be. The floor was a mess of jagged ice peaks.
Todoroki turned his full attention back to Kuma.
"Now you are alone," Todoroki said. "It ends here."
He stomped his foot again.
A tsunami of ice surged toward Kuma, filling the entire hallway, sharp spikes aiming to impale and freeze him.
Kuma didn't move his feet. He raised his open palms.
"Pad Ho."
DOOM!
He thrust his hands forward. A visible sphere of pressurized air blasted out.
It didn't just stop the ice; it pulverized it. The shockwave carved a tunnel through the glacier, shattering the ice into millions of glittering diamond-dust particles. The entire building shook from the impact.
Todoroki shielded his face from the wind. He repelled the ice? Ranged attacks won't work against that defense.
"So be it," Todoroki muttered.
He moved.
He was fast. Sliding on the ice trails he created, Todoroki closed the distance like a professional skater. He ducked under another air blast and surged forward, his right hand glowing with intense cold.
I'll freeze his head, Todoroki calculated. Instant incapacitation.
He lunged.
Kuma saw him coming. But Todoroki was faster than expected on this terrain.
TSHHHK!
Todoroki's hand made contact with Kuma's face.
Thick, jagged ice instantly spread, encasing Kuma's beanie, his glasses, and the upper half of his face in a solid block of frost.
"Got him!" Hagakure squealed from a corner.
But Kuma didn't fall. He didn't stumble.
From beneath the layer of ice covering his glasses, Kuma's eyes opened. He felt no cold.
Todoroki's eyes widened. He tried to pull back, but he was too close.
Kuma extended his right hand. It wasn't a punch. It was a gentle placement. He pressed his soft, pink paw pad directly against the center of Todoroki's chest.
"Be gone," Kuma said, his voice deep and final.
POW!
It wasn't a push. It was instant acceleration.
Todoroki vanished.
His body became a blur. He was launched backward at the speed of a bullet train. The air around him screamed as his body displaced it.
He flew past the stairs. Past the debris.
CRAAAAASH!
Todoroki slammed into the reinforced concrete wall at the far end of the hallway, fifty meters away.
The wall spider-webbed with cracks. Dust and rubble rained down.
Todoroki slumped to the floor like a broken marionette. His eyes had rolled back into his head, completely white. He was out cold instantly from the sheer G-force and impact.
Silence descended on the frozen hallway.
Kuma reached up and crushed the ice on his face with one hand, brushing the shards off his shoulder. The red orb of pain hovered beside him, untouched, pulsing softly.
He turned his head slowly toward the empty corner where the floating gloves were shivering violently.
"Your partner is incapacitated," Kuma stated calmly. "Do you wish to continue?"
Hagakure looked at the unconscious powerhouse that was Todoroki, then at the cracked wall, and finally at the giant who didn't even have a scratch.
She threw her floating hands in the air.
"I SURRENDER! I SURRENDER! Please don't launch me into the wall!" she screamed.
A buzzer sounded over the speakers.
"VILLAIN TEAM... INCAPACITATED AND SURRENDERED! HERO TEAM WINS!"
Moments later, Kaminari came running back up the stairs, panting and covered in soot. He stopped, staring at the destruction. He looked at Todoroki passed out in the rubble.
"Dude..." Kaminari swallowed hard. "You wiped the floor with him... with one touch. Remind me never to make you angry."
.
.