Endless Bounds

Chapter 9 (Bakugou)

Bakugou peels his glare away and continues back down the tunnel with his fists bunched, ignoring All Might's gaze boring into his back.

The moment he steps on the other side, his eyes divert from all the students gathered in the center to the stadium seats surrounding them. If he is here, if he somehow made it through all the heroes, that's where he'll be, watching and waiting.

"Are you okay?" Uraraka asks from beside the arena entrance, her eyes wide and finger laced. "What happened?"

"I'm fine," Bakugou snaps. "What are you doing over here? Aren't you supposed to be with the others?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You were late, I was getting worried."

Bakugou turns around with a scoffs and rolls his eyes. Whatever.

"Bakugou!" Kirishima runs over, his hand high in the air. "Bout time you show up."

"About time is right," Iida comes up too, but instead of a friendly waive Bakugou is met with a scolding. It's always scolding. Either with his creative choice of words when it comes to speaking to others or his every day life. Iida always find a way to drill into him. "As the student with the highest score in the entrance exam it is your duty to represent Class-1A in the games and speak on our behalf. That includes showing up on time."

Bakugou grits his teeth. Do this, do that. Be this, be that. "I didn't ask to represent a group full of lazy extras. You want it so damn bad, do it yourself!"

Midnight, standing in a rather revealing costume for a high school event, calls for everyone's attention. Then like a dog to it's master, he's called to the stage. Turning around with a tsk, he pushes roughly through mass of students and onto the stand, leaning into the mic in the center. "I'm going to win." His short speech echoes from the speakers and all around.

Every person behind him erupts in protests and yells while the crowds in the stadiums just stare at him in confusion. His classmates expect no less of him but that doesn't mean they aren't mad either. But what do they know? It doesn't matter what they think—they can believe what they want. If people are mad than fine. That's never stopped him before.

He's going to win.

He's going to prove that he's strong. He's going to prove he deserves to be taken seriously, that he's strong.

He's going to win for Deku.

They don't need to know that. No one does. This is between him and Deku.

Bakugou steps down from the podium and Midnight takes over. A large wheel spins behind her to decide the first round. It stops and the starting fight is announced. An obstacle course.

The signal goes off and just like that, the games begin.

People immediately begin to push and shove, a tall, narrow tunnel standing between them and first place. And he's right in the middle of it.

So this is the first obstacle. They want to know how we'll react to something as simple as this.

It's a devilishly stupid idea which is what makes it so brilliant. What is their first reaction going to be? How fast and logically can they act in even the simplest of problems they face? That's what they are looking for. Well, that and the fact that the first person to make it through here will gain the greatest lead.

Bakugou huffs and growls. That's when he notices. It's cold for a hundred heated bodies smashed together in a small area. Too cold. He releases a heavy exhale and watches as his breath materializes in a cool fog in front of him and disappear as it rises.