Chapter 25: (Episode 22: Bakugo vs. Uraraka)
"Woohoo, let's go, Bakugo!" Tomura cheered as the episode started, Shota sitting back down in his seat beside Tsuyu. As the opening vocals came over the speakers, his excitement immediately went to boredom, groaning out, "Boo, get to the match already… Nobody likes this song."
"I'll have you fucking know- This is my favorite artist, so yeah, I like the fucking song."
"Sounds like ass." Tomura yawned while Hanta was two seconds away from dashing over there and punching the villain square in the face. He knew he deserved it.
"I wish Midoriya had punched you harder…"
"I think the more important thing we should be discussing is why Shigaraki has any interest in Bakugo…?" Denki reminded them of what Shota had said, Hanta and Eijiro giving him their attention as he explained, "I mean, he's a hero student, who's training to be a hero, who also defeated Kurogiri at USJ- What, about any of that, would make him interested in Bakugo?"
"Well, when you want to defeat the strongest guy, what better way of defeating him than making them go to your side…?"
"I'm pretty sure that's just in manga, Kirishma."
"Hey, Midoriya?" Denki called down to the greenet as he asked him, "Have you ever heard of a hero going to the other side?"
"The other side? Like, a hero becoming a villain?" Izuku questioned for clarification, getting a nod from Denki, which had him thinking as he hummed, rubbing his chin, "Um, n-none that I can think of… Usually, if a hero doesn't feel like working as a hero anymore, they just retire and find a different job…"
"I mean in the context of a hero becoming a villain because of a villain convincing them to join them so that they can become a stronger force and take down society as a team…!" Denki explained in further detail, and that context horrified Izuku, especially after what Tomura had been saying.
"Would you fucking shut up about all that crap?! I'm trying to think so I can win my fucking fight against Round Face!" Katsuki yelled out at the blond, Eijiro and Ochaco both wincing while Denki just gave him a questioning look in response.
"Don't underestimate your opponent, Bakugo. It may very well be your downfall…"
"Says you- Kaminari, just stay quiet."
"Okay…" Denki teared up at what Hanta said before he suddenly exclaimed at the top of his lungs, "But before that- GO URARAKA! BEAT HIS ASS, GIRL!"
"Yeah…!" Ochaco tried her best to sound just as confident as he was, but the waver in her voice made it sound as if she had already given up, weakly raising her fist to try and counter that.
"Good enough for me."
"SHUT UP!"
'I'll definitely become a hero and make money… and let my parents take it easy.'
Immediately starting off the episode with that, Ochaco began to panic, glancing left and right in a frenzy before she dropped her hands down into her lap, biting her lip as she hoped Tomura wouldn't use this information against her or her family.
Tomura… didn't care.
"You're amazing, Deku-kun. I keep seeing more and more amazing sides to you. During the cavalry battle, I thought it'd be easier to team up with friends, but now that I think about it, I might've been trying to rely on you. That's why, when Iida-kun said he'd challenge you, it actually made me feel a little embarrassed." Uraraka admitted to her friends, standing up with a weak smile on her face while Iida and Midoriya both looked at her with concern.
"Uraraka-san…"
"Everyone's facing the future and trying their hardest. That means we're all rivals, right? That's why…" Uraraka turned around to hold a thumbs up, giving her best smile as she challenged Iida and Midoriya before she left for her match, "Let's meet in the finals!"
Title screen 'Episode 22. Bakugo vs. Uraraka'
'It's time…' Ochaco gulped as she awaited it to start, Katsuki narrowing his eyes at the TV before it changed to their introductions, rolling his eyes as they repeated.
"The eighth and last match of the first round! He was kind of famous in middle school! This isn't the face of a regular person! From the hero course, it's Bakugo Katsuki! Versus…" Mic said his next words quietly over the audience's cheering before going back to his usual tone soon after, "She's the one I'm rooting for… From the hero course, it's Uraraka Ochaco!"
While the crowd cheered for the upcoming match, Bakugo had some last words to say to his opponent before they started, "You're the one that makes things float, right, Round Face?"
"Round…?" Uraraka raised an eyebrow at what he called her.
"If you're gonna withdraw, do it now. You won't get off with just an 'ouch'."
"This is killing me…!" Rikido hissed through his teeth, awkwardly shifting in his seat while Koji slapped his hands over his eyes.
"At least he gave her the option to withdraw…" Mashirao muttered under his breath, Mezo agreeing with a nod while Fumikage more so thought about from what they've seen so far, Ochaco wouldn't have withdrawn, despite it being offered. From just the short amount of time they interacted, he knew she wasn't the type to give up because of a difference in abilities.
"Midoriya-kun. What was the strategy you were going to tell Uraraka-kun earlier for her to use against Bakugo-kun?"
"LA LA LA LA LA- I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Ochaco suddenly screamed out, surprising everyone around her as they jumped while Tomura laughed at how pathetic and desperate she sounded.
"Kacchan's strong. In a real close combat fight, he has completely no openings, and the more he moves, the more he sweats, making his Explosion quirk stronger." Midoriya explained to Iida as he held his notebook in hand, thinking back to their second day of school when he fought Bakugo for the first time on even grounds.
Everyone visibly winced when rewatching Katsuki slam Izuku onto the floor, while those who hadn't seen it dropped their jaws at the brutality of it.
"What the hell…?" Hitoshi whispered under his breath as his eyes flickered across the screen.
"This was when Bakugo-kun was mad at Deku-kun when discovering he now had a quirk…" Ochaco provided context to the scene, tuning out the speakers as she faced Hitoshi, who looked even more disgusted by what he just watched.
"He looked like a damn villain…"
Izuku jolted when he heard that, narrowing his eyes down to the ground.
"-then she would have the upper hand."
'Think I'm that fucking weak, Deku…?! That I would allow something like that to get past me?!' Katsuki sneered at the image Izuku had in mind for Ochaco's win; the girl ducking under his attack and touching him so that he floated away.
"Come on, come on, Uraraka, let's do this thing…!" Denki yelled out, impatient like the others in the theater for the final match.
"-first thing Uraraka-san should do is…"
She took in one last deep breath, holding it in until Mic finally gave the announcement to begin, "Eighth match, START!"
Immediately on her feet, Uraraka charged for her opponent, her hands open at her side to make use of her power as best as possible when the eventual opening would come.
"...a swift attack!"
"Withdrawing isn't a choice!" Uraraka retorted back, with Midoriya and Iida grinning at her strategy.
"All right! That's good. Even if it's by accident, as long as she can touch him, she can make him float!"
"Bakugo-kun won't want Uraraka-kun to get close to him." Iida noted as well from her opponent's perspective, Midoriya nodding up to him before glancing back down to the arena in thought.
"That's why Kacchan won't want to evade. He'll want to counterattack!"
Ochaco tensed a little as she watched him raise his hand, but reminded herself that if Izuku could take a full on built-up blast from Katsuki, then she could take on his usual Explosions.
"Then, die!" Bakugo spat in return, slowly moving his right arm back as Uraraka continued advancing, keeping low to the ground.
'Kacchan… You usually start with a big right swing.'
'Remember that…!' Ochaco begged her future self to think like Izuku in order to win.
Spotting the intentions of that action, Uraraka gritted her teeth as she remembered Midoriya's words, 'Here! Here…! If I dodge here…!'
She ducked down as Bakugo's hand lit with sparks, but it was no use as he aimed his blast low to the ground, engulfing her in his Explosion and sending her backwards.
"BAKUGO?!"
"WHAT?!"
"What do you mean, 'WHAT'?! You fucking blasted her!"
"Yeah, and I'll do it again! Watch me!" Katsuki scoffed back at Denki, who looked one second away from throwing another punch in his direction.
"Guys, guys, calm down! I'm fine…! It's only thanks to Deku-kun that I even had the idea of what Bakugo-kun would do for his first attack!" Ochaco tried to settle the two down, but it was clear to Eijiro and Hanta that both blonds' were light years away from settling down.
"-take care of you." Bakugo spat, going on the defensive as the smoke screen covered his view, preparing himself for anything his opponent may throw at him. Emerging from his left, he immediately spotted the movement as he cried out, "Don't underestimate me!"
He pinned her down with another Explosion.
"I can't watch this…!" Toru squeaked before they all collectively gasped, revealing that it wasn't Ochaco herself, but just her jacket.
"Yes!" Ochaco brightened up at getting the upper hand on Katsuki so fast.
In his shock, Uraraka leapt out from the smoke behind Bakugo, with Mic hyping up the match as he observed, "Oh, she made her jacket float and sent it over there?! She did it in an instant, too!"
'If I make him float now…' Uraraka was inches away from touching him, but his reflexives were too fast for her, Bakugo spinning around in a second and sending her tumbling back once more. She shrieked as she helplessly rolled away before sliding her hand across the concrete, righting herself.
"He moved after he saw her?" Sero gaped at how impressive that was.
"With that reaction time, it doesn't matter if there's a smokescreen."
"With Uraraka not being able to activate her quirk unless she touches him, she's at a disadvantage with Bakugo's reflexes."
"And yet, she keeps coming…" Tomura chuckled, leaning in the armrest as he spoke loud enough for Katsuki, eyeing the red-eyed blond, "Finish her off, then, Bakugo…"
"Fuck off."
Hearing her squeal of panic as Katsuki continued to blast her away, the students were feeling awfully bad about this unfortunate match-up, Momo biting her lip as she now felt worse for crying about her loss. Ochaco gulped as the fight carried on, sinking into her seat while it showed a glimpse of Izuku and Tenya's horror struck faces.
"Come on…"
Circling around to get him from behind, Uraraka gave away her surprise attack when she yelled out with determination, "Take this!"
Her cry was responded with another Explosion to the face, the smoke covering more of the stage and blocking the view for the audience. But maybe that was a blessing in disguise.
"Ochaco-chan…"
"I can't watch!" Jiro covered her eyes as Asui beside her furrowed her brows while watching the match, Mineta behind them taking a deep thinking position and leaning his head forward.
"Bakugo, don't tell me… your tastes run in thatdirection…"
"GAY?!" Hanta and Eijiro suddenly shouted out, with Katsuki whipping his neck around to glare at the two while they looked back at Minoru, who held his hands up as if surrendering when he saw their wide-eyed expressions.
"What?! No! I was probably calling Bakugo a sadist or something- Wait a damn minute, where the hell did you get gay from…?!"
"Well, you said that direction, and usually thatdirection means…" Hanta trailed off as he caught sight of Katsuki's scowling expression, quickly trying to backtrack as he rapidly tried to explain, "I mean, nothing's wrong with being gay- I just didn't take you for being gay-"
"I'M NOT FUCKING GAY- WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT IDEA FROM, TAPE ARMS?!"
"Fucking Mineta's the one that said it!"
"Yeah, calling him a sadist, not gay!"
"Look, I interpreted it as that- Freaking Kirishima did, too!" Hanta poorly defended himself, dragging his friend down with him as Eijiro winced. He stopped when Denki suddenly walked by, the dark-haired boy watching him go before calling out, "Kaminari…?"
The blond glared at Katsuki as he headed for the second row, dropping himself into the seat beside Tenya, who gave him a look at seeing how angry he appeared to be. Figuring that it was how the match was playing out, he subtly offered his seat to his new friend, Denki agreeing to take it as he slid over and sat down next to Ochaco, taking her hand in his and squeezing it.
Several pro heroes in the stands watched as the fight went on, noticing how severely one-sided it was as looks of disgust and pity looked down at the arena.
"Her substitution earlier didn't work, so she's getting desperate."
Up in their section, Monoma sighed to himself before getting some of his classmates' attention as he smirked, "What an idiot."
"Bastard…" Denki spat under his breath, running his thumb across the back of her hand in comfort, and when Ochaco squeezed his back, he felt a bit lighter.
"Hey, shouldn't you stop this?"
"Isn't he going too far?"
A few people on the front row tried to grab Cementoss' attention, but the pro hero rightfully ignored their pleas, continuing to watch the fight in case he needed to stop it.
Uraraka stayed on the ground for a moment, trying to catch her breath, while Bakugo menacingly waited for her to strike first, his silhouette illuminating a merciless aura in the smoke. When she eventually picked herself back up again and went for another attack, getting blasted away once more, someone from the crowd had enough.
"I can't watch…" a hero muttered under his breath before standing up, shouting down to the boy, "Hey! How can you say you want to be a hero like that?! If there's such a huge difference in your abilities, then hurry up and send her out of bounds! Stop bullying and playing with the poor girl!"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
'I mean, totally agree, but you didn't have to call Uraraka that… Could've just kept it in your head 'cause, one day, maybe she or Bakugo might have to work with you once we graduate…' Denki huffed as he turned his eyes over to Ochaco for a moment, catching her concentrated and trained expression on the TV, watching it thoughtful as she slipped the tip of her finger between her teeth. He turned his gaze back to the front when booing echoed from the crowd.
"The hell are they booing for…?" Tomura scoffed, leaning his back against the couch again while he let his head roll to the side.
"There's booing from part of the crowd… But honestly, I also feel the sa-" Mic nodded along to that portion of the audience before Aizawa butted him in the face, cutting his friend off as he rubbed his cheek, "An elbow?! What're ya doin'?!"
"Was that a pro saying he's playing around? How many years have you been a pro?"
"Huh?" Mic was surprised by what he said, also with the crowd's sudden silence as Aizawa went to tell the people booing just what he thought of it, "If you're saying that with a straight face, there's no point in you watching anymore, so go home! Go home, and look into changing courses."
Blinking up at the announcer's booth, Midoriya and Iida looked stunned to hear this from their teacher as the greenet murmured, "Aizawa Sensei…?"
"Bakugo is being careful because he's acknowledged the strength of his opponent who has made it this far. It's because he's doing everything he can to win that he can't go easy on her or let his guard down."
"Pause." Shota sighed, standing up as all the students looked over to him, glad he had their attention as he addressed all of them, "I've overheard a few of your comments throughout this fight, and based on what I have heard, I believe it is logical to address them now rather than later."
"Or you could just shut up and let Bakugo win already…" Tomura grunted under his breath and was very much ignored.
"First off, a question for you male students; if you suddenly find yourself in a fight with a villain and you discover that their gender is female, what will you do?"
"Kill 'em." Katsuki answered with zero hesitation.
"Uh, well, they're still a villain, so defeat them and arrest them, right…? Just because she's female, doesn't make a difference because a villain is a villain." Denki gave a more mature, better response to the question, which Shota appreciated.
"Correct. So what is Bakugo doing right now in his match against Uraraka?"
"Well- That's different."
"How, exactly?" Shota asked, and it appeared that Denki didn't have an answer for that.
"Aizawa-kun is right. There is no difference in Young Bakugo's actions against Young Uraraka because, as Aizawa-kun stated within the episode, he is doing everything he can to defeat Young Uraraka, recognizing her abilities and strength in order to best her."
"Okay, yeah, that makes a little bit of sense, I guess, but what about Tokoyami's fight against Yaoyorozu? Wasn't he doing everything in his power to beat her, but also not hurt her?" Hanta recalled from the previous episode, reminding Momo of her poor performance while others also remembered what Mashirao had said.
"It was because I used Dark Shadow accordingly to push her out of bounds." Fumikage countered his point, showing his interpretation of the match as he explained, "I doubt that I was purposefully trying not to harm her, more so I might have realized that it takes time for Yaoyorozu to create objects, so just as Midoriya said, I quickly made the first move to set her off balance and win the match."
'Yes, I suppose that makes sense based on how I was bested… Judging my thoughts presented from the fight.' Momo noted about the things she had said while she struggled to defeat her opponent.
"Your fight demonstrates a good example of what I am trying to get you all to understand. Villains are villains, regardless of their gender."
"Rather than thinking about what your opponent's gender is, what you should be thinking about is the best strategy to defeat them." Enji huffed, sending a chill down some of the students' spines while he moved to address Shota as he grumbled, "Now, would you mind wrapping up this lesson? If these students of yours can't understand something so simple, they don't deserve to be heroes."
"I hate to say I agree with him…" Tomura chuckled, finding it silly that the kids were worried about something so trivial as beating up a girl. He's killed plenty of people and he didn't give a damn about gender.
"They're not my students, first of all, and secondly, I just want to make sure they understand what I am implying." Shota gave the group a once over, receiving slow nods before he turned back around and sat down again.
"I get Aizawa Sensei's logic, but it's so not fair how one-sided this fight is…" Denki muttered under his breath, squeezing Ochaco's hand once more as the brunette glanced to the blond with a small smile.
"Hey, I'm still holding my own against him… The fight's not over yet…!" Ochaco didn't know if she was trying to convince Denki of that or herself.
'Not yet… She's still…' Bakugo lowered his head as the smoke cleared, revealing Uraraka to still be standing, beat up, but still conscious and ready to fight. Wiping sweat from her cheek, he scoffed at the determination still lit in her narrowed brown eyes, spitting as he thought, '...not dead!'
"It's about time… I think…" Uraraka grunted out suddenly, the ominous sentence putting Bakugo on edge as she rasped, "Thanks, Bakugo-kun… for not letting your guard down…"
"Huh?"
"It can't be helped from where Bakugo-kun is, but it's embarrassing for a pro in the stands to start booing without noticing." Monoma smirked as he glanced up at the sky, lowering his head soon after as he recalled Uraraka's earlier attempts of floating Bakugo.
Hearing all this, especially from Neito of all people, got everyone curious as to what Ochaco had been planning off screen, a few excited to see what kind of plan she had in mind. The brunette specifically, because her whole thought process revolved around touching Katsuki to float him out of bounds.
"You know what you're thinking…?"
"No…" Ochaco whispered back to Denki, who hummed in reply and backed off.
"-concentrating Bakugo-kun's attacks on the ground, storing up weapons. And then, she narrowed his field of vision with relentless attacks to keep him from noticing." Monoma gestured back up to where he was looking before, his classmates gazing up to find several rocks hovering above, both big and small, just waiting to be brought back down to Earth.
"I'M GONNA WIN!" Uraraka cried out as she slammed her hands together, deactivating her quirk and creating a meteor shower as the rocks came raining down.
'I'm sorry…!' Ochaco flinched as the audience was shown, hoping none of the rubble hit them.
'For a tournament match, it's not a bad plan, but she needs to improve on her spatial awareness.' Shota decided that was the mistake she could learn from this.
"A meteor shower?!" Mic gaped as they continued raining down.
"You should've noticed."
"She had a desperate plan like that up her sleeve…?!" Midoriya jumped out of his seat at this revelation, not seeing Uraraka as the kind of person to pull this kind of self-sacrificing move.
Calmly raising his arm up, Bakugo eyed and acknowledged his opponent's attack, with Uraraka immediately back on her feet as she dashed quickly over to where he stood.
'With this much debris, whether he's evading or counterattacking, there will definitely be an opening! In that moment, I'll get close to him with my secret move!' Uraraka declared, placing her fingers together as Bakugo held his arm straight up while she took her gravity away, giving herself extra speed to run forward with her arm stretched out, 'I'll win! I'll win and be like Deku-kun, too!'
"YEAAAAAH!" Ochaco screamed out, jumping from her seat and pulling Denki along with her as he cried out in return, hugging her close while the other students yelled out with all their might in support.
"Too loud…" Tomura spat just as an explosion cut them off.
A blast like no other erupted from Bakugo's palms, causing Uraraka to grit her teeth as she was sent back for a final time, flying through the air until she canceled her quirk. This one Explosion blew away all the rubble she had been building up, also causing the air to rush up the stands from the impact of his raw power. Smoke covered the entire stage, with a few slabs of rock hitting the glass on top of the stadium as they skipped off the ledge.
Her entire plan was ripped apart in a second. In complete shambles, Ochaco realized as she stepped back before falling onto the couch, with Denki right at her side. He hated the haunted look that came across her expression after what they had seen, but he honestly couldn't blame her for what she was feeling. It was frustrating, losing to someone after giving it your everything.
What could she do now?
Laying across the stage as pieces of concrete littered around her, Uraraka eventually attempted to sit herself upright, trembling as her body was worn almost thin from her fight. Seeing his silhouette as the fog began to clear, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread bubble up in her stomach.
"Since you're friends with Deku… I thought you'd be up to something…" Bakugo scoffed, his hand still smoking while Uraraka took in this realization, that same dreadful feeling showing on her face.
"In one shot…"
"B-Bakugo delivers a satisfying explosion! He blasts boldly through Uraraka's secret plan!" Mic was just as shocked as the crowd, their classmates gaping with their jaws wide open while Bakugo brought his arm back down.
Taking in a breath after that display, his hand twitched slightly as Bakugo noted to himself, 'That was close…'
Watching this, Katsuki widened his eyes just a smidge, suddenly leaning forward in his seat as Eijiro leaned back, startling him as the ash blond placed a hand over his lips. Ochaco was already at her limit, maybe even passed it, but still, anything could happen in these final moments.
'I did as much as I could…! But he wasn't fazed at all…' Uraraka was shaking as that thought came to mind, horrified that this was the best she could do against an opponent like Bakugo. Meaning that she never stood a chance to begin with.
'Uraraka-san…' Midoriya bit his lip, preparing for her loss until he blinked, watching Uraraka persist by stubbornly getting back on her feet once more, swaying as she stood with her back to the enemy,
'Even so…' Uraraka wasn't ready to call it quits.
"All right, let's get serious then… Uraraka!" Bakugo came running this time, his hand out as he dashed to his weakened opponent.
'If it were Deku-kun…' Uraraka trembled as she tried to close her fist before spinning back around, showing her determination to continue fighting while pushing herself forward, '...he wouldn't give up-'
Her legs gave out from under her, Bakugo losing his grin as he blinked when he saw her expression, twisted and exhausted, but still dead set on winning. She fell, her head hitting the concrete while he paused, waiting to see what would happen next, if she would get up or stay down.
"Uraraka's down!"
Her breathing was coming in rasps, Uraraka's entire body shaking as she thought in gasps, 'My… body… won't do… what I want…'
"Please… please get up, Uraraka…" Denki didn't want to see her go out like this, looking between the girl on screen and Ochaco here, seeing how the brunette had become completely still as the painful scene continued.
"-limit a long time ago…"
Trying to get up hurt more than it had before, attempting to crawl to her opponent as she hissed in pain, "I-I also… also…"
Seeing her feeble act, Bakugo went on the defensive just in case she managed to pick herself up again, holding his arm in front while his other hand was wide open.
"...can still…!"
'When I get big, I'll help you and Mommy!'
Ochaco could feel tears forming, but she refused to cry now. Not when the match hadn't been called just yet. Not when there could still be an attempt. It wasn't over yet.
The sentimental music said otherwise, a few of the students in the room crying already.
Rubbing the top of his young daughter's head, Uraraka's father softly told her as he and her mother smiled down to their child with pride, "I appreciate the thought, Ochaco. But as your dad, I'd be even happier if you could achieve your dream. When that happens, you can take us to Hawaii!"
As her vision slowly started to deteriorate, Bakugo becoming nothing more than a blur of colors, Uraraka was still attempting to try as she groaned out, "I'll become… a hero…!"
It was then that Midnight stepped in, signaling Bakugo to stay where he was as he relaxed, the teacher crouching down to rest her hand on Uraraka's back. The young girl's eyes were out of focus, trying to hold onto what little consciousness she had left in her to fight. But the pro hero could clearly tell there was no way she was getting back up on her own.
"Daddy…"
Closing her eyes with a quick sigh, Midnight called the final match of the first round, "Uraraka-san's out of commission. Bakugo-kun advances to the second round!"
The crowd, despite earlier convicts, cheered for the ash blond.
Tomura was the only one cheering for Katsuki here. All Ochaco could do was bow her head as she willed herself not to cry, disappointed that it ended this way. Denki rubbed her back while he glanced over to Tenya, who furrowed his brows while looking down to her, sighing as he looked to Izuku next, the greenet appearing just as frustrated as their friend.
"Don't know why the crowd is cheering… They were booing him not five minutes ago…" Hitoshi huffed under his breath, but he also couldn't disagree with what they had been yelling.
"I'm surprised they didn't shout 'Don't mind' like they did for Sero-chan, kero."
"Hey now!" Hanta snapped out of his sorrow mood to shout down at Tsuyu before turning around to question Katsuki, as the blond was radio silent, "And why the hell are you not jumping for joy…?!"
"Haven't won yet."
"Figured you say that." Hanta rolled his eyes while Eijiro thought it was considerate, given how the episode centered around Ochaco more than Katsuki.
"If you're gonna do it, do it properly."
"Now, let's pull ourselves together!" Mic's voice wavered before picking up volume as Cementoss refilled the stage.
"You're really letting your personal feelings take over…" Aizawa sighed into his microphone, disappointed in his friend too.
"The first round is all done!"
"Uh, we still have Kirishima's match to do…!"
"Stop that, Sero! I don't wanna see that…!"
Walking to one of the waiting rooms to prepare for his fight, Midoriya had his head down, with his mind replaying the words Uraraka had told him before she left for her match.
'Let's meet in the finals!'
Ochaco dryly laughed at how confident she sounded back then, a stray tear falling onto her leg before she quickly brushed it away.
'Uraraka-san…' Midoriya thought with frustration, showing his teeth as sweat rolled down his cheek. Until he noticed Bakugo walking up the same stairs of the hallway he was heading down, jolting as he stopped dead in his tracks, "Whoa, Kacchan?"
"What the- What the hell do you want?! Die, scum!"
"Never gets old…" Tomura was really liking this kid, more than he thought he would for someone that was aiming to be a hero, aka, the thing he wanted to destroy the most. A shame.
"I was going to get ready in the waiting room… Also, congrats on winning the first round… Later…" Midoriya tried to make his getaway as quickly as possible, stiffly moving from the shock of running into the blond.
"That was your idea, wasn't it?" Bakugo accused, making the greenet pause as he stayed to listen to his old friend spit out his annoyance, "That damned desperate plan. You just have to be annoying, don't you? What the hell-"
"It wasn't." Midoriya cut him off, taking Bakugo by surprise as the other turned to face him, defending his friend as he spat back, "All of it… Uraraka-san planned it all thinking about how she could beat you. If you thought that was annoying, that was because… Uraraka-san was leading you around by your nose!"
'ARE YOU TRYING TO GET ME KILLED?!' Izuku would appreciate warnings before he watched his future self tell off Katsuki, so that he could hide in time and out of range of his blasts. He soon caught Denki in the corner of his vision, calming the panic attack he could feel coming as he paid his sights to the blond only to see his friend sending him thumbs up, radiating with glee.
'Good job putting Bakugo in his place…!' Denki was happy to see Izuku standing up to Katsuki more and more as they continued through the show, however, the greenet did not feel the same.
"Hey, Bakugo!" Sero called when he was standing around the corner, grinning back to the blond as he chuckled, "That was tough, huh? Playing the bad guy."
"Even if it was because of the match-up, you played an amazing villain, Bakugo-chan."
"He did, didn't he…?" Tomura cackled, imagining the thought of Katsuki as a villain, and fighting on his side, and playing video games together after they destroyed everything. Well, almost everything, cause he still needed the console and controllers to play.
"Would everyone stop calling Kacchan a villain…" Izuku muttered under his breath, clenching his fists and narrowing his eyes to the carpet, with Hitoshi glancing over to the anger simmering in his emerald eyes.
'I would say that he was kind of acting like a villain, but I don't think I have any room to talk… But should probably make a note to myself to never have Midoriya's anger directed toward me.'
"-I can't believe you were able to aim such a huge blast at a frail girl. I couldn't help but hold back." Kaminari shook his head at Bakugo, with Sero side-eyeing his seatmate as he raised a brow at what he was saying.
"She completely sealed you off, Kaminari-chan." Asui contradicted her classmate's interpretation of the match, with Kaminari narrowing his eyes over to the greenette as he pouted.
"Y-You know what, Tsuyu-chan…"
Ignoring what the greenette said, Denki was agreeing with what he himself said about Katsuki's match, nodding his head to it. However, when he opened his eyes to look back at the screen, he was suddenly met with everyone else's gazes on him, questionable looks that made him quickly shake his head instead.
"What part of her was frail?" Bakugo rhetorically asked, acknowledging his opponent when others didn't.
Ochaco gasped when she heard that, whipping her head up to catch the offending look Katsuki wore after hearing Denki say that. She lost, but had gained his respect.
"Woah… I think that's the nicest thing you've said…"
"Shut up." Katsuki spat back at Hanta's surprise, with Eijiro fighting back a smile at the implication of those words.
"Man, I lost…" Uraraka awkwardly laughed while she sat in the waiting room, rubbing the back of her head with a smile.
Upon entering, Midoriya froze up at her sudden change in emotion as he choked out, "Huh…?"
"I got carried away at the end thinking I could do it, dang it."
"Uraraka-san, what about your injuries? Are you okay?" Midoriya asked after he closed the door, walking over with concern dripping from his voice.
"Yeah, Recovery Girl took care of me! It was only moderate healing so it wouldn't drain my stamina, so I've still got scratches and stuff, though." Uraraka gestured to the bandage on her cheek before turning her smile back to Midoriya, releasing some of her frustration playfully as she clenched her fist, groaning, "Man, but that Bakugo-kun was really strong! He totally got me. I need to work harder, too!"
She stopped only when she took notice of how worried Midoriya looked.
"Definitely masking…" Hitoshi murmured, knowing that the brunette here wasn't as bright.
"What's masking…?"
"When you hide your true feelings and put on a facade."
"Oh…" Ochaco didn't expect the definition to sound so depressing, having the sudden urge to latch onto Hitoshi as she was now worried about how he knew such a word.
"Hey, Uraraka-" Denki bumped his shoulder with Ochaco's, who turned her brown eyes to him as he gently smiled while entwining their fingers again, "-don't keep those feelings bottled up like that, okay? No more masking, and be more honest about how you feel. Like- I feel bad for what my stupid self said about your being 'frail', which you're totally not, by the way. I think you're the most badass- No, themost badass girl I know…!"
Ochaco softly giggled as he rambled, squeezing his pinky in gratitude as she sighed, "Thanks, Kaminari-kun…"
"YEAH, GO KIRISHIMA!" Hanta cheered out as he jumped out of his seat, his yell followed by a few other student's calling Eijiro's name as the black-haired boy ducked his head, a little embarrassed. That feeling gave away soon to surprise as his friend enwrapped him in a hug, pumping his fist up as he screamed at the top of his lungs, "LOOK AT THAT- YOU FUCKING WON, KIRISHIMA! I told you you were better than that Tetsutetsu guy!"
"I-I-I still don't see this as a win…"
"Kirishima's going up against Bakugo, right…?" Rikido softly spoke, with Koji nodding slowly in reply as the brunet hummed, rubbing his chin, "I can see either of them winning, honestly… It's a more balanced fight than what we saw with Uraraka fighting Bakugo."
"Oui." Yuga agreed completely.
"S-So youthful!" Midnight blushed silly as she watched Kirishima and Tetsutetsu act like good sportsmen, hugging her body while it swayed to her desires.
"Now we've got everyone who's advancing to the second round! So, let's get started!"
"A-Already?" Midoriya was a little surprised by this, but U.A. was one to do things right away, so he turned back around while shooting Uraraka a dismissive smirk, "Later…"
"Oh, sorry Deku-kun! You weren't able to prepare at all since I was here…"
"No, I'm fine." Midoriya shook his head, reassuring the brunette as his friend smiled back, holding her hand out before he left.
"I'll be watching, 'kay? Good luck."
"Try not to hurt yourself too badly, Deku-kun…" Ochaco added with a soft chuckle while Izuku looked over to her, dumbfounded at how positive she was presenting herself here too. He was worried for her.
"I think you'll find yourself being disappointed, Uraraka." Denki laughed along with her, not noticing how quiet the speakers had become and the heaviness in the air.
After Midoriya exited the room, leaving her alone once more, Uraraka's smile dropped as she pulled her phone back out, flipping it open to dial a number. She waited patiently as it rang, standing by the table where her new jacket was wrapped in plastic, her old one laying across the chair beside her. Eventually, the other person picked up.
"Sorry about not picking up earlier, Daddy."
'Oh no…' Ochaco could already feel her tears resurfacing, wishing the show would have just followed Izuku again.
"It's fine, sorry for calling when you're busy. Your mom and I watched you on TV. You were so close! But you were amazing!" her dad's praise came from the other line, causing Uraraka to clench her fist as it rested on the table.
"It wasn't that close. And I wasn't amazing. I rushed too much in the end, too. I didn't have a plan for what to do after that, either." Uraraka sighed into the phone as her hand ran down the table before laying back at her side, furrowing her brows as she dejected, "I was completely beaten."
"Uraraka…?"
'Please, just move on…!' Ochaco didn't want to hear her father's reply because she knew it was going to make her cry.
"Is that so? I don't understand complicated things, but just because you lost doesn't mean your path's been closed off, right? There's always next year, right?" her father comforted his daughter as Uraraka's shoulders began to tremble.
"The further you advance, the more you can show how well you do against different types. The scouts can't tell with just one match."
"What're you in such a hurry for?" he gently chuckled, with her breath hitching as she brought her hand up to her eyes.
"I mean… I want to hurry and help you guys…!"
Hearing her voice crack broke a few of their hearts, with Ochaco soon beginning to break too as tears rolled down her face, hiccuping as she shook when hugging herself. Denki immediately moved to rest an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for an awkward form of a hug as Tenya rubbed his hand along her knee, Hitoshi gesturing for Izuku to take his place.
"Ochaco, it's fine even if you don't rush."
Her tears fell onto the table at his words, her lip quivering as she listened to her father while trying to hold herself together.
"You feeling that way shows you're kind, so I know you'll be a great hero."
Izuku hesitated to hug her, panicking slightly as her cries became louder and his hesitation grew further. But Ochaco was in pain, and he couldn't stand to see her break like this; always so cheery and so strong. He wanted to be there for her just as she had been for him.
Rather quickly, Izuku wrapped his arms around Ochaco's neck, burying his face at how awkward this felt to him. He thought about saying something as well, even if he didn't know what, but he figured he should say at least something since they talked before and they weren't able to properly finish.
"Th-Thank you…"
Just as he wanted to take the words back, cringing at his stutter, Ochaco suddenly whipped around and buried her face in his chest, clinging to his shirt as she sobbed while Izuku gulped at how close she was. Denki and Tenya both watched the exchange, then reached over to rub the girl's back in comfort.
"It's so- so… frus-frustrating…!"
"I-I know…" Izuku choked out, silent tears rolling down his freckled cheeks as her grip tightened.
'Isn't it obvious? There's no way she's not frustrated. Even so, I can't believe I said that I could help… I couldn't do anything for her… Instead…' Midoriya's lip tightened as he walked down the hallway to his gate, feeling tears form in his eyes when he thought of Uraraka's departing smile.
'I'll be watching, 'kay? Good luck.'
'She encouraged me again…' Midoriya wiped at his eyes when he realized this, sniffing as he strove to appear just as strong as she was to him, taking that with him into his next match.
That was until someone came around the corner he was about to walk past.
Shota and Toshinori both stiffened in their places, the latter reaching out to grab a hold of Izuku's shoulder as the blond hero gritted his teeth with caged anger, 'If he hurts Young Midoriya…'
"Flaming piece of shitty ass trash that doesn't deserve the air he breathes…" Denki huffed under his breath, and while Tenya wanted to tell the boy off for that, he didn't have the heart to, instead glancing over to Izuku to make sure the greenet was all right.
"Endeavor… Wh-What are you doing here…?" Midoriya uttered out through his shock as the number two hero approached him, taking a couple steps back before the man indicated for him to stay.
"I watched your fight. You have a wonderful quirk. You created so much wind pressure just by flicking your fingers. If we're talking about power alone, yours is comparable to All Might's."
"Shit-"
"Endeavor already knows here that Midoriya-chan's power came from All Might, so it's not that much of a big deal to see him guessing it right there, kero."
"Yeah, true, but, uh, it's still a bad thing for him to guess…"
'-doesn't know. Anyway, this is the one person I can't let find out.' Midoriya thought while he calmed down from his initial panic, knowing that Endeavor should never know of One for All's existence.
"It is my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might." Endeavor stated, which caused Midoriya to stop, feeling this immense pressure coming from the hero as he listened to what his classmate's father had to say about him and his son's fight, "His match with you will be a very instructive test bed. Please don't disgrace yourself in it."
It was like the sharp prick of a needle digging into his neck with how fierce the man's glare burned into his skull, pressure like no other as he was reminded of what Todoroki had told him not too long ago.
'Without using my damn old man's quirk… No… I'll reject him completely by winning first place without using it.'
Eventually, Endeavor went to end the conversation as he had enough of Midoriya's presence, "That was all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you right before your match."
"Bitch- No you're not, pussy."
"Kaminari-kun…?!"
Shoto was curious to hear what Izuku wanted to tell his father, Enji narrowing his eyes at the screen with interest.
"-am not All Might."
Turning back around to look at Midoriya, Endeavor raised his brow at the boy as he scoffed, "That's obviou-"
"That's obvious, right?" Midoriya agreed, looking back to challenge the hero's glare as he stated with certainty, "Todoroki-kun isn't you, either."
Shoto, like others in the theater, were shocked to hear Izuku tell Enji that, and right to his face. But his surprise stemmed from a different emotion, slowly narrowing his eyes before turning his eyes to the floor as Shota looked over to him.
"HAHA- YEAH, you fucking said it, Midoriya- That was freaking awesome…! You rule, my dude!" Denki tried to get a high five from Izuku, but the teen was too caught up in his thoughts and preparing a second funeral for himself.
'I really am trying to get myself killed… Thanks, future me.'
"Don't- Don't worry about that crap, Dek-Deku-kun."
"Uraraka-san…?!" Izuku perked up at hearing her voice, if a little hoarse as she sat up, rubbing her red eyes.
"Uraraka, you okay?"
"Yeah… I'll be all right…" Ochaco sniffed, sitting upright in her seat again while she took in a deep breath until she felt a tap on her shoulder, glancing over to see Toshinori's gentle smile.
"Young Uraraka, I just wanted to say that I think you handled your loss extremely well. When a hero loses a fight against a villain, it can be one of the hardest emotions to process in this field, but because you were able to recognize where you went wrong in your fight, and thanks to this extraordinary opportunity, you will be able to try again. That is what being a hero means."
Both Ochaco and Izuku could feel tears in their eyes while they listened until the two of them came rushing over to hug the hero, which took Toshinori by surprise. While those three shared a bonding moment, Hitoshi had quickly moved out of the way before he could get squashed, sitting in the brunette's original seat next to Denki.
"Guess I can chill with you guys…?" Hitoshi raised a brow to the two men, who nodded in reply before he looked back to the front.
Iida and Tokoyami sat in the stands, patiently waiting for the match to begin, before they heard someone call out to them, "Those two haven't started yet?"
"Ura-" Iida recognized the voice and turned over to where he heard it before gasping as he caught a look of her puffy red eyes and sour lip, squinting as she walked across the row to them.
"I've gotta watch."
"Were your eyes hurt?! You must hurry to Recovery Girl-"
"I already went. This is, you know… it's different." Uraraka quickly reassured her friend, rubbing her eyes while she sat down in the empty seat between them.
"It's different?" Iida made sure before he spoke his next words, "If that's the case, then you must've been really frustrated earlier."
"Rather than feeling regretful right now, you should use this next match as a source of encouragement."
"Yeah…!" Uraraka totally agreed with Tokoyami, while Iida appeared to be dejected after hearing that.
"That's true."
The fire on stage roared to life once more, firing up the audience as Mic hyped everyone up again, "Thanks for waiting, everybody! The first match of the second round is a big match! The man who won a huge victory in the first round and literally left the audience frozen…! From the hero course, it's Todoroki Shoto!"
"Hey, left me frozen solid too, Mic." Hanta scoffed as Katsuki chuckled at the reminder of that, drowned out by Tomura's excessive laughter.
"God, I hope the same thing happens to greenie, but it actually kills him…!"
Shoto narrowed his eyes as his opponent was introduced on stage, Izuku swallowing the lump in his throat after what he just heard, and also because of nerves.
"-it's Midoriya Izuku!"
Facing each other on stage, as if this was fate, Todoroki narrowed his eyes at Midoriya while he spat, "So you're here."
"Todoroki-kun…" Midoriya greeted in return with faint hostility.
Meanwhile in the stands, Bakugo glared down at his two rivals, wondering to himself about who would win and who he would want to face in the finals.
"Tokoyami-kun, what do you think of this match?"
"It depends on whether or not Midoriya jumps in close to Todoroki."
"Yeah. What is Deku-kun going to do about that ice?" Uraraka wondered out loud after their friend gave his answer to Iida's question, the three looking back down to the arena while they waited for Mic's call.
With the anticipation of this match to then showing the two as dots in the arena, it caught a few off guard as they broke into soft laughter, with Hanta slapping his knee as he wheezed, "Gosh, this show and its dramatics…! You can't just pull off something like that…?!"
"Like silly, little pests…" Tomura gleamed, unsure who he wanted to win, but more so thinking of who he wanted Katsuki to kill off more.
A quick shot of Inko came over, the apartment littered with tissues, and Izuku couldn't help but feel bad for how his mother was possibly thinking as this festival went on. He was definitely going to be using One for All during his fight with Shoto, so he had to come up with a pretty good explanation as to why he has a quirk now.
"Those two tried to save you, didn't they?"
"Yeah." All Might confirmed in answer to Thirteen, thinking back to USJ as he added along with that thought, "It's just a feeling, but I think those two… give off the same vibe."
"What the hell was that…?!" Hitoshi hissed through gritted teeth at seeing the quick shot of Nomu.
"Oh, that's a Nomu… They were created to kill All Might, apparently, but that's all we know about them… And I don't think we're getting answers any time soon." Denki explained to Hitoshi, who decided that he really didn't want to face a villain like that guy. Especially if they were made to kill the Symbol of Peace.
"Now… Midoriya versus Todoroki!" Mic yelled through the speakers as Midoriya gritted his teeth while gripping his wrist. Todoroki then lowered his back and slid his right foot forward just as the pro hero screamed into the mic, "STARRRRRRT!"
The ending theme commences.
"It really had to do us like that, didn't it…?"
"To be fair, the episode is called 'Uraraka vs. Bakugo', so it wouldn't really be 'Uraraka vs. Bakugo' if they started Todoroki and Midoriya's match."
"I bet you feel super relieved, huh, Deku-kun…?" Ochaco glanced over Toshinori, remembering the relief she felt from last episode as she looked to see Izuku's expression.
The greenet appeared to be in his own sense of mind, staring blankly at the TV as the song progressed. Until he remembered something, breaking from his thoughts when he blinked.
"All Might?"
"Yes, Young Midoriya?"
"What did you mean when you said that Todoroki-kun and I 'give off the same vibe'...?" Izuku tilted his head when he asked, Shoto's ears perking as he listened in, angling his head to hear his answer clearly as Toshinori rubbed his chin while thinking about it.
"Well, I can not speak for my future self completely as he knows more information on you students than I, but if I had to think of one answer I could confidently say now, then it would be that the reason why I believe you and Young Shoto have the same vibe is due to your power scale." Toshinori began to explain, his answer taking Izuku by surprise while he went on to say, "Both you and Young Shoto have the power and capability of reaching great lengths and becoming top heroes, which is no surprise."
"What about them holding back?" Tsuyu wondered, with Toshinori looking over to the greenette while Shoto tensed up in his seat as she noted further similarities, "Is that also a way that they give off the same vibe?"
"I… I suppose, yes, Young Asui."
"Midoriya's case is understandable since he's still getting used to One for All, and also because he doesn't want to kill anyone with how little control he has." Denki added onto her point before he gasped, leaning past Hitoshi to grin at Izuku, "Hey, just like me…!"
"Correct."
"I have a sense that this battle is going to be super personal…" Hitoshi hummed under his breath.
"Like yours?"
"It wasn't that personal."
"If the boy has no control with his quirk, then he shouldn't be a hero. You would think that choosing a successor would mean someone who already understands how to wield it." Enji spat as he glared down at Toshinori and Izuku, who flinched from hearing his tone while the number one hero narrowed his eyes back up at the man.
"No one gives a crap about your opinion…!"
"Kaminari." Shota strictly called the boy's name, watching him sit back down before he looked over to Shoto, catching the teen trembling in his seat.
"For now, all I will say to you, Young Midoriya, is do the best you can." Toshinori gently encouraged his student, resting his hand on Izuku's shoulder as he squeezed it softly. Like Hitoshi had said before and knowing how his first match went, the older man knew that this could possibly be a hard fight for his successor once more.
The song came to an end with the voice's repeated question echoing, "Would you like to continue to the next episode?"
"Hell yeah…!" Tomura found himself excited for the match, a little more hyped for it than when he was for Katsuki's fight against Ochaco, but then again, he already knew the blond would win. Now it was a matter of if Shoto could kill Izuku or not.