The Lucky Ones | Todoroki Twin Story

Chapter 2

My hands shook at my sides, and my chest felt tingly and tight as I waited for the announcement for me to walk onto the field and start my second fight. I won easily against Kiri in the first round by encasing him in my strongest ice so that he couldn't escape. In the end, he was forced to give up. Part of me felt bad because Kiri is like my brother and I want him to succeed, but the part of me that fears what will happen if I lose is happy that Kiri couldn't break through the ice.

In round two, I have to fight against Bakugo. I'd love to say that the idea doesn't make me nervous, that I know I'll be able to win, but a seed of doubt keeps growing in my mind. It's a weed that I can't seem to squash completely. I've won against Bakugo before in training. He underestimated the power of my ice. But now he knows my weaknesses, and he will exploit them to win. It doesn't mean that I don't stand a chance as Endeavor said, but it does mean that I need to be a lot more clear-headed and less anxious than I feel right now if I want to win.

"Good luck," the arena manager said as my name was called and I ran out into the field.

I forced my hands to stop shaking, plastered a smile onto my face, and waved at the crowd. Likeability is half of the battle for heroes, especially ones in training, and I know that I beat Bakugo in that area at least. I don't mind putting on a face for the cameras; I've been doing it since I was born at events for Endeavor.

I just hope that it's enough to get me a good internship just in case I can't win this fight. Sho seems to think that Endeavor will offer both of us a spot, regardless of how we perform, but I think he's being unrealistic. Even if I win, I can almost guarantee that Endeavor would pick someone else over me. This is why I need to do the best that I can. I have to show the pros that are watching that I'm worth taking a chance on. I can't and don't want to rely on Endeavor to jump-start my career.

"Get ready to lose, Icy," Bakugo said, a smirk covering his features. Warmth and determination spread through me in the way that it always does when I fight Bakugo. He has a way of bringing out the most competitive side of me.

"You wish," I taunted. Bakugo let out a small laugh as Present Mic completed our introductions, and I felt a small smile fall over my face. Leave it to Bakugo to erase the anxiousness that clouded my mind on my walk to the field.

The buzzer sounded, pulling me from whatever trance I was in, and Bakugo was already running at me, explosions propelling him forward like a race car. I shot spears of ice his way immediately, making him dodge and slow his pace. He reached me sooner than I wanted him to and started with a right hook that I dodged before he kicked me to the ground instead. Not letting me breathe or think, he started throwing punches and explosions left and right at me. I quickly created an ice shield to block most of his attacks.

The shield would hold, I knew it would. But it wouldn't win me a battle. I needed to stop Bakugo from attacking me. I made a sheet of ice to cover the concrete arena floor, and Bakugo slipped, clearly not expecting it. This allowed me to get up and move away from him, getting the distance that I so clearly needed. Bakugo snarled and tried to run at me, but the slippery ice made it more difficult. I continued to berate him with spears and pillars of ice, trying to keep him at a safe distance from me. He managed to dodge a lot of it, but not everything.

He eventually grew tired of slipping and sliding around and jumped into the air, using his explosions to keep him from falling. My eyes widened in shock. I haven't seen him fly with the explosions very often before, but I know it's not good for me.

"Shit," I mumbled. I created an ice wall in front of me to stop him, but he barreled right through it, shooting shards of ice everywhere. I shot more ice spears at him, hitting him a couple of times, but it didn't stop him from tackling me to the ground. I fought him off as best as I could, trying to grapple for control, but hand-to-hand combat isn't my strong suit.