Momo and I had finished our little talk by the time Sasha and Kirishima got back to the stands, as we all sat and watched the next fight.
"Think she has any chance?" Sasha asked as I took her hand again, "You'll see." Was all I said as the match started. Bakugo wasted no time gunning for Ochako as she ran around the platform, dodging as many explosions as she could.
Bakugo also had to be careful since Ochako only had to touch him once to get him out, thanks to her quirk. "This isn't manly at all," Kirishima muttered as the crowd started to get agitated. As more and more hits started to land, more people in the stands got angry at Bakugo until a random hero stood up.
"He should be disqualified! All he's doing is hurting this poor girl!" Hundreds more rallied behind him until Aizawa's voice rang out from the speakers. "Shut the hell up." Silence rang out as even Bakugo and Ochako froze.
"Bakugo has done nothing wrong. For nearly three weeks, their entire class had thrown themselves into training for this day. He knows how strong and dangerous she is. The fact that he isn't giving her preferential treatment for her gender is the highest respect he can give, since he's acknowledging her power and her strength.
If you call yourself a hero, and are too blind to see that. Hag up your cape, and go home."
"Watch this." I pointed up above Bakugo as the rest of the stadium finally saw what Aizawa saw, and what Bakugo finally noticed. "Release!" Ochako yelled as the rocks and chunks of concrete from Bakugo's explosion all rained down at once.
I faintly heard Bakugo let out a string of curses before dust engulfed the ring. When it finally cleared, Ochako looked like she was about to fall over, but she stayed standing. Just as Midnight was going to declare her the winner, another explosion rang out as Bakugo blew a slab of concrete off his body.
"Not bad, better than Deku at least." Was all Ochako heard before one final explosion threw her out of the ring. "Katsuki Bakugo wins!" Midnight declared triumphantly as Balugo limped over to the unconscious girl. He then picked her up and followed after the medics as Micah and Sash turned as one to stare down Izuku.
"W-what?" He choked out when he finally looked up from his notebook. "Better go get your girl before Bakugo takes her." He tried to sputter a response, but they chased him out as the next lineup appeared. "Poor Izuku. . ." Sasha sighed, seeing who he was up against as Micah left to go stretch for his own match.
Since the roster had shrunk for the quarter-final round, Cementoss made the ring slightly larger as Izuku and Shoto took the stage. Although everyone was cheering, both boys were laser-focused on each other as Sasha returned with Ochako in tow.
"I-i don't think I could do that. . ." She stammered, all red-faced as I looked up from my phone. "What did you do to her?" I asked as Sasha grinned. "Nothing, just girl talk." Momo snorted, as if she knew exactly what 'girl talk' was to Sasha.
Ignoring their antics, I turned to watch the match as Izuku broke more and more fingers, keeping Shoto's ice at bay. One key difference from the show? You can't hear what they're saying at all.
Between the screaming crowd, Sasha's teasing, and Mina's squeals, it's pretty hard to listen to the protagonists' heart-to-heart. Not that I'd want to, I'd rather talk to Sasha than listen to Izuku's pep-talk and Shoto's (Slightly) valid sob story.
One thing that was hard to miss was the murderous look Bakugo kept shooting the two in the ring, oh, and Endeavor was currently a pillar of fire up in the stands. Other than that, this wasn't much different from the Super Bowl, just with super-powered kids rather than linemen the size of three states.
That thought led me down a slight rabbit hole as I checked to see if the Super Bowl still existed before Sasha took my phone from me. "Hey, I was looking something up!" "Was it anything about me?" She asked, and I thought of the pics she'd sent me, "No." I admitted, and she nodded, and tucked my phone away.
"You would do well to focus on this match; he will be your opponent later," Momo added as I looked at her. "You sure are confident I'll beat both Fumikage AND Bakugo," I said as she nodded. "Very, I may be the most versatile of the class, but I can confidently say you are the most adaptable."
Sasha gave Momo a look, but I was too distracted to notice the gacha pinging.
[For the first genuine compliment from a canon character, one Random Bronze Ticket!]
Bruh. 'Go ahead and spin it.' I sighed as the gacha did its thing.
[Spinning, spinning, spinning, done!]
[Power Fist]
|Common Item|
Fallout - A pneumatic standard power fist that can help the average Joe put a crater on the wall with their fist. The power fist adds a static power boost to your punches to the level of a superhuman. But in the hands of someone who is already a superhuman, it is not too helpful.
'I'll bet if I showed this to Mei, she'd try and give me a real baby.' I thought wryly as I kept the power fist put away for now. It was useful, but it would be better off in the hands of someone like Mei, not me.
Before I could wonder about what mischief Mei could get up to with such a device, the air temperature suddenly rose sharply as Izuku and Shoto's final hit connected with Cementoss's wall.
"Still think I have a chance?" I asked Momo when the air finally cooled, and she thought for a moment before nodding, if a bit slower. "Yes, against Fumikage and Bakugo. Shoto might be a bit much."
As Ida and Ibara started their match, I went to get ready for my own and just like the first time, did basic stretches to warm up. When I was finally called for, I passed Ida on his way back in. "Good job." I gave him a thumbs up as I passed, and he nodded.
Fumikage was already waiting for me on the platform with Dark Shadow looking right at me. "The abyss has come for you." He said menacingly, but I could see Dark Shadow's form writhing in the sunlight.
"START!" My wings snapped open as I took to the air, Dark Shadow barely missing me as it slammed the ground where I had been. Fumikage rolled away from the wave of fire that fell from the sky as I stayed out of reach.
Dark Shadow was still in this, though, it rushed me again as Fumikage got closer as well. 'Hmm. Dark Shadow can't get too far from Fumikage; they seem to be attached physically.' I observed how Fumikage would follow behind Dark Shadow, yet Dark Shadow still seemed to strain against the shadows binding it to the boy.
Another wave of flames rained down as the pair did their best not to be burned. Time was starting to run out for Fumikage, making him more sloppy until he suddenly recalled Dark Shadow. "Black Abyss!" He declared as the shadows wrapped around him like a set of armor.
'That's so freaking cool!' I tried not to smile as Fumikage lunged at me. His claws got slapped aside by my own as flaming claws formed around my hands. As one, we tore into each other as I was able to tank more blows with my wings.
Fumikage was strong, but at a disadvantage because of the heat and light pouring off the flames. I could tell because he was slowly losing the boost he'd gotten from wrapping Dark Shadow around him as I pressed the advantage.
Finally, he could take no more. "I yield!" He said as Dark Shadow collapsed back into him, and Fumikage kneeled panting on the ring. Midnight declared me the winner as I extended my hand, "Not mad, man. The darkness was strong, but the light prevailed." Fumikage snorted at that but took my hand as we walked back to the stands.
The final match for the quarter-final round was between Sasha and Bakugo. As much as I adore Sasha, she didn't stand a chance. She was by no means a pushover, but Bakugo had learned his lesson after fighting Ochako.
He didn't let up once against Sasha. After Yaoyorozu, he considered her the most dangerous, but even Ochako was on his list after her trap with the rubble. Sasha didn't go down easy, though, as Bakugo won the match with several new scars and a new haircut.
I couldn't help but cackle at Bakugo's messed-up hair. He glared at me but kept his eyes on Shoto and Ida's fight as Sasha smacked my arm. "Don't laugh too much, you might get a new cut next." I didn't want to risk her being serious, so I kept my mouth shut until it was time for my match.
I was fired up by the time I was called out. I was ready on the platform before Bakugo, which was strange since it had been the other way around for all our prior matches. Once he finally took his spot, neither of us said a word.
Until now, Bakugo and I have had a cold yet civil relationship. He doesn't bother me, I don't bother him. At most, we had a sense of teamwork after facing Tomura, Kurogiri, and the Nomu alongside Shoto.
"I've been watching you, fly boy. You've been holding back." Bakugo's eyes bored into mine, but I didn't back down. "You better not pull that shit here, or I'll murder you." He hissed as Midnight raised her whip, "Are you both ready?" We nodded as the match started.
No time was wasted as the two boys rushed each other. Bakugo was on high alert, not only because he'd learned not to underestimate anyone after almost losing to Ochako, but because he knew how strong Micah was.
Explosions lit up the arena as he tried his best to end the match before Micah could plan anything, but when the smoke cleared, he wasn't very surprised when he saw the boy unscathed. "The more smoke there is, the less damage you caused." That was all Micah said before he began his attack.
Bakugo took to the skies, hovering in the air to avoid the sea of flames writhing below him before ducking as Micah closed the distance. The battle raged on in the air as their classmates remembered something crucial; despite both normally attacking from range, Bakugo and Micah were close combat fighters.
As the flames in the arena subsided, Micah and Bakugo landed and kept on brawling as they traded blow after blow. Bakugo held the advantage in strength, each strike being felt as Micah knew he'd be waking up with bruises. He didn't let it slow him down.
Although he couldn't compete with Bakugo in raw strength, what he could do was be unpredictable. With frequent spars with both Shoto and Sasha, he'd been forced to be unpredictable to not give them a rhythm to exploit. So while his blows didn't land with the power that Bakugo's did, he still got in hits that left his opponent aching and very angry.
Finally fed up with the brawl, Bakugo used his quirk to blow Micah away before taking to the air and climbing as high as he could. Already knowing what was coming, Micah didn't try to stop him as he gathered the scattered flames around him, as Bakugo rocketed back down.
Seeing the spinning form of Bakugo get closer to the motionless Micah, Sasha felt a pang of fear before remembering the new move he'd developed just for this and relaxed. Just as Bakugo was about to reach him, Micah released the flames around him as they formed a thick, sturdy dome around him.
The entire stadium seemed to shake as dust and pieces of the platform filled the air. The stadium was silent as Midnight and a few others cleared the dust from the air to reveal Micah.
He looked barely alive, but he was. He sat in the middle of the destruction, kneeling next to the crumpled form of Bakugo. He slowly stood up, his bones protesting in pain as he stared down at the barely conscious Bakugo. "Good fight." He said, offering his hand as he was declared the winner.
Bakugo groaned and let his body slump as he succumbed to sleep. After watching him get taken away, Micah went to the nurse's office, where Recovery Girl was waiting for him. "You always seem to end up in here, must be your proximity to him." She pointed at Bakugo before giving him a kiss and sending him on his way.