Stand Proud

Decisive Part 1

Eraserhead and Present Mic were in the announcer's booth, looking down at the stage as they began to prepare for the match. They had their microphones off so no one could hear them.

"Oi, I heard that they're pressuring Midnight into giving the victory to Bakugo. The higher-ups don't want the world to see a delinquent win the sport's festival, even if he is All-Might's kid."

"I heard. They say it will be a mockery to the hero society. In a school meant to raise heroes, if the best they could produce is some delinquent, U.A. would be seen as a joke, not to mention a lot of students already don't like him. But this all depends on Bakugo's skill. If he can't at least give a convincing performance then if Midnight gives him the victory, the sport's festival will lose its merit. Midoriya is too much of an enigma."

Izuku Midoriya and Katsuki Bakugo were standing in the ring. The crowd was roaring. Midnight glanced at both of them, staring at Midoriya a little bit more than usual. 'Who is he going to be, the gentle person that fought Todoroki or that brutal foe that wanted to end Iida. Although, no matter what I can't let him win this...' She hesitated but started the match, to the deafening cheers of the crowd.

"Here I come, Deku!" Kacchan didn't hesitate to blast towards him. The smoke trailed him like a tracer throughout the match. "I'll prove it in front of the world! I have always been better than you!"

"Kacchan, remember that day you fell into the river." Izuku had a calm expression with his shadowed eyes. He wasn't even attempting to strike a pose.

Those words caused him to trip up into a flashback, scraping the ground, before recovering, wiping his mouth. "What did you say?" Recalling the hand Deku reached out to him... But he refused to recall the walk back home.

"Kacchan, to me, you're still that kid." His fists weren't clenched, his body wasn't preparing for a fight.

"Fuck you, Deku! No matter how quiet you pretend to be, you always have something to say!" Speeding towards him. He instinctively punched out with his right hand. Just like when they were kids.

"I wanted to help you." Izuku also instinctively dodged it like always. It was the subtle start to their dance. He punched with his left arm, trying to get inside Kacchan's guard.

"I didn't need it!" Bakugo turned his wrist and exploded into a spin, easily dodging. He used his momentum and attempted to hit him with a back elbow. But just like always Izuku blocked it with his forearm.

"That's what you always say." Deku, getting irritated by Kacchan's usual headstrong attitude, punched but Kacchan caught it with his hand, attempting to explode it. Deku raised his knee into Kacchan's wrist breaking his hold. It was always in that moment where Izuku did his signature blow to the chest, launching Kacchan.

Before he crashed, he used his quirk to do an aerial recovery, launching himself back at Izuku. "Darn it, Deku!"

Like always.

The entire crowd was cheering Kacchan on. Momo glanced around, having sat with her class, she saw them all cheering for him as well. 'But that's to be expected, Bakugo is the best in our class and Izuku is well Izuku, who would root for him other than me in this class...'

Yet as she glanced around she saw someone in her class with a focused expression not cheering with them. She decided to move and sit with him, despite the protest of Kaminari who was sitting next to her, obviously trying to make a move. Unfortunately for him, Izuku saw him hitting on his Momo, but that distraction gave Bakugo a clean hit, blowing off apart of Izuku's shirt. Fortunately for Momo, the destroyed uniform revealed Izuku's abs. 'N-Never mind that. I should be cheering him on and join likewise people.' She nodded to herself as she made her way to her destination. She recomposed like usual and spoke to him.

"Todoroki, do you mind if I sit with you? I'm glad you're alright." To Momo, it actually looked like he was rooting for Izuku because every time he landed a hit, Todoroki got wide eyes and whenever he was hit, Todoroki's eyes narrowed.

"Not at all." Keeping his eyes on the match. "Yaoyorozu, you're close to Midoriya, right?" Never breaking contact with the flow of battle.

"Wh-What m-makes you say that? I mean I do know him and I call him by his name b-but who doesn't?" Even she knew that wasn't true, everyone else would be terrified of trying to do that. 'Oh, that was the perfect day...' Thinking of when they both started being close.

It happened the day after the USJ event. Momo herself was surprised because, as already known, in the morning as she looked for him, worried for his sake, yet, he was the one checking on her. Now that wasn't the surprising part of the day, the surprise was after school. On the front steps of school where she had introduced herself, he was waiting for her.

And ever since that day, he has taken her home.

He ruined her daydream memory with a straight face, still focused on the match, "Yaoyorozu, are you dumb?"

She shot back with shark eyes, "I'm flustered and enamored! Seriously you're as dense as ice!" After she calmed down she apologized for her outburst and then restructured her statement. "Actually Todoroki I do know Izuku, why do you ask?"

"Do you know if he has a bro?"

"That's what this is about!? And it's Shinso!"

"Please like they're even bros. I think I have a better chance. I should probably buy him flowers... Wait you know him, what does Midoriya like?"

"Don't you dare try to have a courtship with my Izuku!"

And again she apologized for her outburst, but now she was sure Todoroki was rooting for him. She herself went back to focusing on the match.

Deku and Kacchan both had received damage. They had locks hands, Bakugo's were closed with Midoriya clasping them, not letting him use his quirk. Both had their foreheads pressed together with gritted teeth.

Until Kacchan broke into a smirk. "Deku, I already know your weakness! It's your pathetic stamina, that's why you cut every fight as short as possible!"

"What?" Izuku was actually caught off guard by his statement.

He pulled back before slamming Deku's head with his own in a bloody headbutt, that everyone winced to. Kacchan ignored the pain, he used all of his focus to place both his palms on Izuku's torso.

"Die!"

He used a maximum attack, blasting Izuku away. The massive explosion engulfed the stage.

They had to wait for the smoke to clear. His body was on the ground. Midnight's arm was twitching, wanting to get this over with and declare Bakugo the winner. But she couldn't because his silhouette was raising through the smoke.

His uniform was smoking but never fell off, the only thing the tattered uniform did was exude his intimidating aura after taking a point-blank explosion.

The entire crowd was silent as it cleared because other than some blood and bruises, he was completely fine.

"Sorry, Kacchan, I let my guard down after you said that. It was too ridiculous." Izuku's eyes were hidden but he had a smirk.

"What did you say?" Bakugo was ready to explode. 'I used my strongest attack and he's still in the ring?! Impossible!'

Izuku's smirk returned to its stoic nature. His hard glare got the attention.

"I keep fights short because otherwise, they become too brutal..!"