// Sorry for the bad uploads. Every time I think I'm done with an assignment, there's another one waiting to ambush me.
Bakugo's arm snapped outward, only to be slapped aside by Renji's forearm. The impact cracked through the air.
Before Bakugo could twist his wrist for a counterattack, Renji stepped in and slammed a palm into his chest. The blow compressed the air between them with a dull thud, launching Bakugo backward.
He spun midair, an explosion snapping from his palm to kill the momentum. He landed in a crouch, boots grinding across the cracked tiles, eyes snapping up back to his opponent.
Just in the nick of time as he noticed Renji's figure disappear.
Bakugo fired a quick burst, the blast's recoil throwing him sideways just as a concussive shockwave roared through the spot he'd been standing in.
The ground split open, dust fanning in all directions.
He shot upward, twisting his body in a wide arc. Renji pivoted beneath him, sliding back a step and admiring the firework display above.
Bakugo dove, explosions strobing like gunfire. But Renji simply ducked under the barrage, slipping past the blasts and driving a knee toward Bakugo's ribs.
Bakugo blocked with a forearm, sparks flaring between them, then blasted off again to create distance.
For a heartbeat, both students stood apart, the air between them rippling from the heat and pressure. Then Bakugo lunged forward, palms igniting once more.
Each blast cracked the air, each lunge fueled by pure fury.
Renji didn't retreat. He pivoted, one step to the side.
Bakugo's right hook sliced through the air, only to suddenly feel a hand brush against his wrist.
Shit!
Renji twisted, using Bakugo's own momentum to turn him off balance. Bakugo immediately caught himself mid spin with an explosion, scorching the ground beneath his boots.
He dropped low and fired another blast from point blank range. The explosion swallowed Renji in a roar of fire and debris.
Bakugo's breath came ragged, smoke coiling around him as he straightened and peered through. His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
But through the haze, Renji stepped out again. Barely touched.
Bakugo's jaw clenched. His palms flared brighter. How the hell—
He launched himself again, faster this time, each detonation chaining into the next as he pushed beyond his limits.
But Renji weaved through it all like he'd already mapped every angle. A slight tilt of his head, a lean to the left. It was almost… mocking.
Bakugo's explosions grew even wilder at the silent provocation.
One blast barely missed Renji's shoulder. Another scorched the floor beside him, heat rolling in waves. Bakugo didn't stop. His lungs burned, smoke filling his chest with every inhale.
He feinted left—then rocketed in from above, palms screaming with heat.
Renji looked up at the last instant, eyes flashing. His hand shot out, slapping against the fiery palm in a high five that left Bakugo speechless.
The blast detonated between them, throwing a large smoke cloud into the air.
The smoke boiled upward, swallowing everything.
Bakugo's ears rang. His arm felt like it had been struck with a hammer.
He stumbled back, coughing through the haze. His eyes darted everywhere, palms still glowing orange. But there was no sign of Renji. No shadow, no sound.
Then—the pressure. A chill up his spine.
He spun and fired on instinct. The explosion tore the smoke apart in a single pulse of light.
Renji wasn't there.
Where—
A blur flickered at the edge of his vision. Bakugo twisted just in time to catch a wild kick across his ribs. The hit folded him sideways as the air was knocked out of his lungs.
He grunted, throwing a desperate elbow back. But nothing connected, Renji was already gone again.
Bakugo stumbled, catching himself with one hand against the tiles. His ribs screamed with every breath. The world felt like it was tilting sideways, heat waves and smoke distorting Renji's shape ahead.
He snarled, forcing himself upright.
Don't stop. Don't you dare stop.
The words echoed, his own voice, but younger.
"Don't fall behind, extras! If you can't keep up, get out of my way!"
He blinked, and for a split second, the haze came not from the smoke, but the memory.
A training field, his teammates panting in the dust. Standing over them with a wide grin, explosions flickering from his palms.
He'd felt unstoppable back then. Untouchable.
He remembered the way they looked at him—tired, eyes full of something he'd never cared to understand.
Now, with Renji gliding past his every strike, a strange feeling dug under his skin.
That cold, helpless frustration.
Is this what they felt?
Renji's outline steadied through the smoke, watching him flail.
Bakugo's jaw locked, lungs burning. The thought only fanned the fire in his chest.
No. I'm not the one who gets looked down on.
He roared, igniting his palms again. Explosions flashed white across the broken floor as he hurled himself back into the fight.
—
Midoriya clung to the railing as another shockwave blasted through the arena, cheers echoing from all sides.
Smoke and debris covered the combatants like a storm, but he could see it—the way Bakugo's movements had lost their usual precision.
He fired off explosions in frantic bursts, his breathing ragged. Midoriya's stomach twisted. He's no match.
Renji moved like a deadly shadow, not even a bead of sweat on his forehead. Each dodge, every subtle shift of weight made it clear.
"He's in control." Iida remarked from the sidelines, watching Renji dance around his opponent. "Maybe he always has been."
Midoriya swallowed hard. Kacchan is losing rhythm. He's burning through everything he has just to land one hit.
Renji closed the gap again impossibly fast. His hand cut through the smoke as his palm slammed against Bakugo's forearm.
He rolled across the arena this time, a weak explosion helping him back up.
Midoriya's fingers gripped the railing tighter.
"His output's dropping," he muttered under his breath.
Iida shot him a look. "So he's reaching his limit?"
Midoriya nodded faintly. But he'll never admit it.
Bakugo roared again, a raw, furious sound that cut through the stadium.
He ran at Renji, shorter explosions echoing from his palms. The heat shimmered around him, an angry look in his eye.
"Don't screw with me!" he shouted, voice cracking under the strain.
Renji watched Bakugo come slowly, eking out every bit of energy in his body to keep fighting.
Each step he took shook the cracked tiles beneath him. His explosions sputtered like a dying flame. Sweat streamed down his face, lungs heaving with every desparate breath.
Renji sidestepped calmly, as if Bakugo's final charge was nothing more than a gentle wind.
"Not… yet…" Bakugo growled, forcing another explosion from his palm.
Then—his foot caught the uneveen edge of a cracked tile.
Time seemed to stretch. Midair, Bakugo flailed, arms trying to stabilize, trying to stay upright.
He hit the ground hard.
A sharp crack echoed through the arena, followed by silence as dust rose around him.
His palms still glowed faintly, but they were dimming now. His chest rose and fell shallowly.
The audience gasped, murmurs rippling across the stands.
Midnight's sharp voice cut through the chaos, commanding attention.
"Bakugo Katsuki is unable to continue! The match goes to Kanzaki Renji!"
Renji stepped back as the referees moved in. The sun highlighted Bakugo's prone figure, chest heaving unevenly.
Midoriya stared in shock, unable to peel his eyes away. The pride, the fury, the defiance—it all collapsed into one exhausted heap.
Iida muttered under his breath, "He gave it his all."
The crowd erupted into a mixture of cheers and murmurs, but the focus had shifted.
Renji's expression remained unreadable as he lowered his gaze to the fallen opponent.
The bell rang once, signaling the match's official end.