A bullet hit Bakugo's leg.
The pain was unlike anything.
If he had even a moment to stop, he would grab that area and grunt in pain, finding it bruised blue and black.
But he couldn't stop.
Not with the rattling sound buzzing in his ears.
Gritting his teeth, Bakugo exploded his way left and right, now truly feeling the brunt of his fight with Todoroki.
He was getting slow.
When the first bullet had hit him across the chest, he should have accepted that fact. Or, he definitely should have done so when the second bullet had hit him in the back. Not ignoring the third wave of bullets on his sides, thighs, and hands would have been ideal as well.
But it had taken the tenth bullet to make him agree with the voice in his head.
The most unbelievable thing?
It was Momo Yaoyorozu who had pushed him so.
From the corner of his eye, he could see her.
Momo was holding the machine gun with both hands, swiveling the rotary barrels faster than he was turning midair, half in fear of losing him and half because of her obvious lack of proficiency.
Surprisingly, it was working!
Not only that, Momo was simultaneously creating more bullets, letting them pile up in a heap near her feet as they popped out from her exposed shoulders.
There was paleness on her face, but it was well hidden behind the smoke and determination.
Bakugo had never underestimated anyone.
It was especially so for Momo, who had survived against a Nomu by herself.
However, this… this was something else. This felt like looking at a completely different person. This was not something he could have prepared for in his wildest imagination.
Anger bubbled within Bakugo as he accepted all that.
The Battle Royale…
This was supposed to be his stage to declare himself to the world.
Ever since he had seen All Might pointing toward the camera and saying You Are Next, Bakugo had been waiting for a stage like this.
He didn't want to step into All Might's shoes, but… he did want to step up.
Yet, not only had he almost been defeated by two Class 2-B girls, but he had also failed to defeat Todoroki in time, despite using his Ultimate Moves one after another.
But that was Half-Half!
This was Momo!
"Arghhhhh!" Bakugo let out a beastly grunt.
Something snapped within him, veins throbbing on his forehead.
Instead of running away anymore, he shot up toward the ceiling, the bullets spreading out as they followed him.
However, Bakugo seemed to have no plans of staying up.
Because, just as he reached the distance where the concentrated fire had spread out the most, he turned around, his pupils letting out a blue shine.
Singularity —
Bakugo fell, explosions from his soles and palms propelling him forward like a rocket and making him spin like a drill.
— Howitzer —
Momo didn't even need to swivel the gun as he fell in a straight line.
However, before the rain of bullets could flatten his face, Bakugo's spinning arms exploded them to smithereens.
Loud, successive bangs rang out as he made a beeline toward Momo and her machine gun, annihilating all the bullets.
Then, the moment he reached right above the machine gun, Bakugo threw both his hands forward, creating the loudest explosion.
— Impact!
Booooooooooooom!
The rotary barrel of the electric-driven machine gun exploded.
Momo was sent flying backward, her figure rolling over the heap covered by a black cloth.
Bakugo, fuming from his palms and soles, landed on the ground, his eyes carrying nothing but pure anger… and tiredness.
The world watched in silence as he straightened himself and looked at Momo beyond the destroyed machine gun.
She was having trouble getting up. Her fall seemed to have made her pass out as she was lying face down, with no hint of motion, her hands hidden behind the covered pile.
Bakugo noticed that pile now, too.
"Do you take me for an idiot?!" he roared.
It was obvious that Momo was faking it while taking out more items from under the pile.
Bakugo wasn't a fool to fall for it, though. However, for her to even think that he would fall for it shot up his rage meter by miles, making him grind his teeth.
Deciding to end it once and for all, and fueled by anger, while burying the fact that he had truly been impressed by Momo's surprising performance, Bakugo pointed both his palms forward.
He was going to blast her right through the laser boundaries behind her!
Before he could do so, though… the world suddenly blurred in his eyes.
Bakugo blinked rapidly, but everything just twisted and turned.
Instinctively, he thought of creating an explosion, but it was like his hands didn't belong to him anymore.
Hell, forget about using his hands, he couldn't even move his fingers.
On the other side, Momo finally lifted her head, showing the mask on her face.
"Knew you would destroy those bullets, Bakugo," she said, pulling out her sniper rifle from under the black cover. "If you hadn't, they wouldn't have released the aerosolized Scopolamine I stored within them."
Bakugo, from the bottom of his heart, urged his body to move, using his Quirk.
All he got in return was a series of weak explosions that made him stumble and fall, disorienting him even more.
However, even then, as he tried to get up immediately, Bakugo realized a cruel fact.
So… he thought, his vision zooming in and out. … that's why… she was creating bullets while firing… to make me think… that the bullets she was firing… were ordinary…
Bakugo couldn't help but grin at his stupidity.
Then, for the second time today, he snapped, biting his lips to draw blood, gaining a momentary clarity.
Letting out a silent roar, Bakugo fired explosions through his soles, instantly shooting to the sky with a BOOM.
In response, Momo let out a breath and put the sniper rifle's butt against her shoulder, aiming.
The world gulped.
Bakugo hung midair, surrounded by smoke, sparks going off from his palms.
Then, a loud BANG rang out, and the winner of last year's Sports Festival fell…
… crashing loudly on the icy ground — completely knocked out!