The crowd goes wild. Another one wins, and another one loses in minutes. Bakugou vs. Tokoyami. Shadow against blinding explosive light. Really just another lousy matchup.
Bakugou leans on the railing and looks out at the arena. The second he makes it back from his latest fight, he can feel her gaze on him. Even if she's not directly looking at him, she is always there, watching. Bakugou clasps his hands, trying to keep himself from squirming under what should be Uraraka's gaze.
"What's with the long face?" Kirishima claps Bakugou on the back with a big grin, causing Bakugou's arms to slip from the bars.
Bakugou glances an ineffective threatening glower at Kirishima and readjusts himself, saying nothing.
"Hey? You okay, man?" Kirishima asks, his smile turning into a frown.
"Yeah, of course I'm fine. Couldn't be better."
"Don't you want to be waiting in one of the rooms? The final is after this."
Bakugou watches closely as Todoroki steps into the arena with his opponent. Tenya Iida. The signal is given, and the match starts. Iida immediately runs forward, and Todoroki sends out small mountains of ice.
Bakugou tsks. Still starting off with the same old trick. He's fast, but Iida's faster. Plus, no doubt he's got some new move stored up. As long as Iida's keeping away from the ice, he's not losing.
Todoroki creates another wave of ice. Iida dodges just in time and Bakugou tsks again. You have an entire quirk just sitting there, and you don't even so much as twitch a finger in its direction—What a waste.
"Guess not," Kirishima mutters, turning his attention to the arena.
The fight drags on. Longer than it should be anyways.
That damn Todoroki.
But the outcome everyone is predicting is inevitable.
Soon. Todoroki wins. . . without using his flame.
Bakugou scoffs at the result and leaves, hands stuffed in his pockets. Thankfully, they give some time between the last two fights. He'll be damned if that stupid half and half doesn't fight him with all he's got.
"Hey, Icy Hot!" Bakugou yells down the hall at Todoroki walking his way, head down at the ground.
Todoroki looks up. "What?" He asks rather softly.
Bakugou growls, annoyed with how emotionless he acts. Like he doesn't care about anything. "Don't you dare come at me half-assed, you hear? Everyone else may be okay with it, but if I'm going to win, it's going to be because I beat everything that's up your sleeve. A win's not a win if someone's holding back."
"I'm sorry, I can't do that."
"What did you say, damn Icy-Hot? You think you can beat me at half your strength?"
"No."
"Then what is it, hu? Because you better not underestimate me! You've got two powerful quirks so use them!"
Todoroki raises his left hand, his face remaining plain and unreadable as he stares at it. "But I don't. I don't use my left side because I underestimate people like you think Bakugou. We've all got our own reasons for doing things. Just like you've got your reasons for being so close to the number one hero," he says, causing Bakugou to stiffen. "So no, I don't underestimate you. I see you being around All Might so much, which means you must be connected to him somehow. My father is the number two hero obsessed with becoming number one. So much that he passed it on to his children. If I can beat you—someone extremely close to the number one hero—without using my father's quirk. . ." Finally, a small smile shows. "It'll prove that I don't need him—or his damned quirk."
"Is that all?" Bakugou asks, then scoffs. "Damn, are you an idiot?"
"What do you—"
"Since when are our quirks our parents'? That's what that stupid nerd would say anyways," Bakugou says in a whisper. "Look, if you want to piss him off, then stop letting him control you. People hate what they can't control. It's that simple." Todoroki just looks at him with confusion and Bakugou sighs. "There's no use explaining it an idiot focused on revenge. I'm out of here."
Saying what Deku would have, it makes Bakugou want to vomit just by thinking about it. At least that's what he hopes that is what he would say.
When did all that change? Thinking about what he'd say or do instead of how to shake him off?
Oh yeah. . . right. That's when.
Bakugou turns back around and prepares for his fight.
One more. One more and he wins. One more and he'll bring Deku home where he belongs.
Bakugou steps into the arena once again. One. More
He glares at Todoroki making his way to his mark, counting down the seconds in his head.
Ten.
Nine.
Todoroki and Bakugou take their stances.
Eight.
Seven.
Six.
Bakugou lets his eyes wander a glance around the stands. Uraraka's face is nowhere to be seen among the rest of the class and there is no trace of Deku.
Three. . .
Two. . .
. . .
One.
The signal is given, and the two determined boys charge. Todoroki with his ice. Bakugou with his explosions.
They both go after it with everything they've got, exchanging blows like a dog fight. When one of them gains ground, the other pushes back with more than what is given to them. Even with Bakugou's arms trembling in pain and Todoroki getting more and more coated in his own ice. There are no such things as limits. Not today.
Bakugou stops and stares at Todoroki, both panting. Relieving his arm of ice Todoroki just froze moments ago with small explosions, he scoffs. "One more," he says and charges forward again, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Face me, coward! Give it everything you've got. One more attack, you got that! Don't hold back, or you're dead!"
Quickly, Todoroki builds up an ice wall behind him despite his right side growing colder with protest.
Bakugou propels himself in the air, a large smile on his face as he puts everything he's got into this last attack. As he gets closer, Todoroki brings up his left side and fire engulfs his arm. Whether it was by accident or not, Bakugou didn't really care because a moment later, it was gone. Snuffed out and unwanted in this fight.
Todoroki turns to his ice to attack but it's too late.
Bakugou has been storing up his blast, gritting past the shooting pain in his arm and fighting the dizziness in his head. He's putting everything every last bit of his strength into one giant explosion.
When he releases it, the entire arena in front of him, along with Todoroki, is swallowed by his quirk. Bakugou falls with a heavy thud on his feet, holding his arm steady as he waits for everything to clear up.
Then he sees it. Midnight raises her arm and declares the winner.
Finally. It's over. He can barely stand, but it's over. He's won. He beat Todoroki.
The cheers of the crowd resonate throughout the stadium.
You see that, you damn nerd? I got first place.
Bakugou sways from exhaustion, taking an unsteady step forward to keep himself from falling. But as the paramedics run across the arena, his legs give out and he falls to his hands and knees.
He never got Todoroki to use the other half of his quirk. That damn Icy-hot is just too damn stubborn. Of course, the way he won irks him. But he still won. He's the one being evaluated and tested. As long as he wins, he passes.
Bakugou smirks.
There's still time.
But the victory is short lived. The cheers turn to screams of terror as a small portion of the stands catch fire. Then the fire grows immensely and swirls. Almost as quickly as it had appeared, the ball of fire shrinks into nothing, as if it has simply been blown out.
No one has time to react. An explosion takes its place, blinding even the people below in the center. There's no telling how many people got caught up in the attack. How many people are injured or lost their lives.
Another one shakes the ground immediately from inside the first explosion, followed by a figure flying across the stands just like Bakugou does but without his quirk.
Bakugou follows them with his eyes, squinting to see through the blinding sun.
They fall right into the arena, fire sprawling out like a cloud cushioning their fall.
Everything goes dead silent.
Midnight and All Might rush in first, followed by Endeavor catapulting himself from the stands along with several others.
"Well, well," Deku says with a wicked smile as he claps slowly. "Congratulations, Kacchan."
The heroes step between Bakugou and Deku, on high alert and ready to attack at the slightest movement.
"Who are you?" Midnight asks.
"I knew there was something off about you," Endeavor says, his Hellfire surging.
"Yes, yes. Too bad you were too much of a coward to do anything. Otherwise, those people up there might still be alive," Deku scolds.
Endeavor growls and steps forward.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Deku points up to class 1A in the stands, "unless you don't want to see one of your precious hero course students ever again."
All eyes turn to Bakugou's class, and his classmates realize Uraraka's nowhere to be found.
Bakugou narrows his eyes and scoffs. Toga.
"Where is she?!" All Might yells, his face dark and frowning in anger.
"Somewhere safe. For now."
"You're outnumbered. Surrender now while you have the chance."
"Are you? You never know what's hiding in the shadows. How many of the League is watching us from the stands, surrounded by countless innocent civilians? The way I see it, the numbers are in my favor."
"Your lies won't work. We know you came here with your own agenda. The League probably didn't even know you were coming here," Endeavor says.
Deku shrugs with a smile as he rubs his neck. "Maybe."
They knew? But how? Bakugou never told anyone. Deku made it clear what would happen if he did. Then he sees the guilty look on All Might's face.
In the woods. . . he was listening.
Bakugou growls, his fists bunching. "I trusted you! I—" it suddenly becomes nearly impossible to keep his eyes open and realization strikes. Midnight, hanging back behind the other heroes, hides a torn section of her outfit from Deku.
"She's—" Bakugou tries to warn Deku, but the drowsiness is too overpowering. He falls into All Might's giant arms, unable to do anything.
Deku sways, realizing too late. "Damn," he curses under his breath as he too succumbs to Midnight's quirk.