Chapter 89: Aftermath

On screen, Todoroki stood on a high ice pillar, his expression cold and resolute. "Alright, Kaminari," he muttered, "I won't hold back."

With a surge of power, a massive wave of ice exploded from Todoroki, creating a towering iceberg that surged forward like an unstoppable force.

"Stop!!"

Cementoss, the teacher responsible for overseeing the match, reacted immediately. He slammed his hands onto the ground, activating his Quirk. Thick cement walls rose up one after another between Todoroki's iceberg and Kaminari's "Thunder Aegis." In his rush, he created nearly ten stacked barriers to absorb the impact.

"Whoa… that's the power of a pro hero…" one student murmured, awed by Cementoss's quick thinking and strength.

On the big screen, viewers could only watch as Todoroki's ice crashed through wall after wall, advancing relentlessly toward the golden "Thunder Aegis." But then, as the ice met the electrified shield, the clash of extreme cold and intense heat produced a massive cloud of steam, engulfing the entire stadium in thick white mist.

"It's so… cold…"

"What a spectacle!"

Hundreds of thousands of spectators, along with the heroes in the stands, rose to their feet, trying to see through the fog that now filled the stadium. The whole scene looked like something out of a dream or a fairytale landscape.

"These three… they're all first-years?"

"That's insane. I don't think even many third-years could pull off moves like that!"

While the audience held their breath, the timer on the big screen continued to count down. Finally, when it hit 00:00, the screen displayed two bold letters:

TIME-UP

But Present Mic, who was supposed to announce the results, was unusually silent. Like everyone else, he was staring into the fog, eagerly awaiting a glimpse of the aftermath.

"What happened?"

"Did the 'Thunder Aegis' hold up?"

All around the world, viewers watching on TV or online shared the same thought. Kaminari's parents sat forward in their seats, anxiety etched across their faces. Todoroki's iceberg had been so massive that even those outside the stadium could see its peak rising above the walls.

As the minutes ticked by, the fog slowly started to dissipate, but the scene within was still unclear. Impatience spread through the crowd, and someone shouted, "Can't Cementoss do something to clear the mist?"

"Yeah, who won? We want to know!"

Just as the tension hit its peak, a gentle breeze seemed to arrive from nowhere, swirling through the stadium and helping to clear the lingering mist.

When visibility returned, the entire audience gasped at what they saw.

On the screen, the golden "Thunder Aegis" was gone. In its place lay fragments of metal scattered around Kaminari, Tetsutetsu, Momo, and Kyoka. Surrounding them on all sides were towering walls of ice, still radiating an intense chill even under the hot summer sun.

From above, the scene looked like a perfect circle—a small "valley" of safety amidst Todoroki's frozen wasteland.

"That was… close," Kaminari muttered, climbing down from Tetsutetsu's shoulders. He glanced around, taking in the near-disastrous scene. Then he looked toward Todoroki, who stood in the distance, eyes wide with surprise.

"If Cementoss hadn't put up those walls to absorb some of the impact… we might've been seriously hurt."

WHOA!!!

A deafening roar rose from the crowd, the combined cheers of 120,000 spectators echoing through the stadium. The overwhelming noise momentarily stunned Kaminari, Todoroki, Bakugo, and the others, leaving them with the odd sensation of being almost deafened.

Finally, Present Mic regained his composure, grabbed his mic, and let out an excited shout.

"EVERYBODY!"

"DID-YOU-SEE-THAT?!"

"Kaminari's 'Thunder Aegis' withstood Todoroki's 'Iceberg' attack!"

"He wasn't kidding! That move really is an 'absolute defense!' Not even some pro heroes could break it head-on!"

The crowd erupted into even louder cheers. Coming from a veteran hero like Present Mic, his endorsement of the "Thunder Aegis" left an impact on both the audience and the professionals watching.

In the stands, pro heroes from across Japan exchanged looks, nodding in agreement. None of them spoke up to disagree, they all knew the truth of what they had witnessed.

A few of the pros, already making mental notes, began to speak excitedly among themselves.

"We need to get him to intern with us!"

"When he graduates, we're offering him a job no question about it!"

They recognized the value of Kaminari's unique skill set. Not only could he bolster his team with support, but he also had an incredibly resilient defense. In the hero world, that kind of versatility was rare and highly prized.

Meanwhile, inside the stadium, Momo was still processing everything that had happened. She turned to Kaminari, a bit dazed. "We… won? Just like that?"

Kyoka nodded, sharing her bewilderment. "It feels like we didn't even have to do much…"

"Yeah!" Tetsutetsu grumbled with a laugh. "I didn't even get to show off my 'steel warhorse' durability! I just stood there like a statue!"

Kaminari glanced at them, shaking his head with a small smile. "Hey, a win's a win, right?"

But in his mind, he thought to himself, Was it really that easy? We almost didn't make it out of that…

As the crowd's cheers continued, Present Mic's voice rang out once more, announcing the final results.

"And now, the top four teams!"

"In first place, Team Kaminari!"

"Kaminari Denki has delivered on his promise! Flawless performance!"

"Second place goes to Team Bakugo!"

"Damn it!!" Bakugo, who had been sitting on the ground, pounded his fists against the floor in frustration, looking like he'd just lost a championship rather than placed second. Behind him, Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido exchanged helpless glances.

"Third place, Team Todoroki!"

Todoroki stared silently at Kaminari from across the arena, his expression unreadable. His left side, where his Quirk produced heat, began to melt the frost still clinging to his right. In the stands, Endeavor watched his son with a hard expression, his displeasure clear.

"And in fourth place… Team Shinso? Wait, when did they make it in?" Present Mic asked, sounding genuinely confused.

In the crowd, Shinso, a student from the General Studies department, just gave a quiet, confident smile. While Kaminari and the others had dominated the spotlight, Shinso had quietly been making moves of his own.

"Phew, we did it!" Midoriya sighed in relief, jumping off Tokoyami's shoulders. He celebrated with Uraraka and their teammates. Even if they hadn't reached the top four, they had done well, and that was something to be proud of.

"And now, folks, we'll be taking an hour-long lunch break!"

"Get ready, because this afternoon, it's time for the final showdown!"

As the announcer's voice faded, Mic turned to his partner, Aizawa, who had just settled back into his seat with his usual sleepy look.

"Hey, Eraser Head, wanna grab a bite together?"

Aizawa simply muttered, "Sleep…"

***

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