The Wildcard - Katsuki Bakugou

Thirty-Five

She grunted, throwing up a hand. A golden, spheric barrier slammed into his ice wall. It pushed back, creating a sound that reminded Costa of a car crash- screeching and whining. She cringed, sliding further around the perimeter of the arena as her shield held and then shattered all at once. The sound resembled imploding glass and Costa hissed, bearing its impact as if it'd actually hit her skin instead.

But as the ice wall continued its route, Costa swiftly avoided it.

She smiled to herself. Her shield wouldn't hold against Todoroki's ice, she hadn't strengthened it enough yet, which she mentally noted as another thing to work on. But nonetheless, the shield was more than strong enough to slow his ice down, and that it did.

She suddenly smacked her hand onto the dirt ground and her board skirted, bringing her almost level to the floor as she redirected herself. She pushed off the ground, going right for Todoroki. His eyes widened. She swung her right arm forward.

Glowing, yellow, light energy in the shape of a massive fist came tumbling toward him. He immediately dodged, swinging out of the way. He then alit his left arm in a sleeve of bright orange flames. Costa grinned at the warmth that hit her face, having not gone up against his fire yet. This should be interesting, she couldn't help but think.

Evading the swish of his arm toward her face and ducking out of the way, she grunted. His other hand came down fast, gripping her uniform collar and pulling hard. She yelped as he yanked her with such force and strength that she was thrown across the arena. Her breath hitched as she became airborne before she flung her legs down to catch herself. Then her back hit the rocky ground with an agonizing smack. The landing knocked the breath out of her and she toppled over. Sneakers digging into the dirt, she slid across the harsh ground. Her elbows and palms stung as they skinned against the large expanse of rocky dirt.

She flung out her available arm and a shield appeared just before the boundary line. She pushed her feet out, her soles colliding with the golden screen. She felt the collision deep in her bones as her feet slammed against the wall. Pain ricocheted all the way up her body.

She sucked in a sharp breath, blinking back the prickling sting that traveled up her legs. Good God, Todoroki had been training ridiculously hard. Maybe she SHOULD have given this match more preparation.

She let out a shuddering groan as she pushed herself up on her elbows, head tilting. Todoroki stalked across the arena, heading straight for her. She let out a string of curses under her breath, pushing herself up with more urgency. Then she heard a female voice yell her name loudly from somewhere in the stands.

"COME ON, COSTA! YOU GOTTA WIN THIS THING!"

Costa's head snapped up in the direction of where the voice had come from. She spotted Mina's pink-toned figure struggling to lean over the railing of the student section. She had her head wrapped in a tan bandage and cuts and bruises lined- well, everywhere on her body. Kirishima propped her up on her right side, acting as a crutch as she cupped her hands over her mouth.

Costa grinned at her friend that continued to support her while still suffering from the injuries inflicted upon her in the last match. A knot formed in her throat that she quickly swallowed down as she pushed herself onto her feet. Todoroki was ready with his left arm lit in flames.

She exhaled. She only had to be better than him. She could- she would be better than him. For the sake of her future, her mother's memory, and for her pink-haired friend that was counting on her. For her classmates. For herself, she'd be better.