"If a man has a conscience, he will suffer for his mistake. That will be his punishment as well as his prison."
-CrimePunishment
~
"Todoroki-kun is out of bounds! Which means, Bakugou advances to the final round!" Midnight's dominant voice broke through the sea of gasps that left the audiences as a result of her sedating the young boy with her Quirk.
"Ka-kacchan is your next opponent, huh, Akano-san?" Midoriya gave a short stutter to the seated red haired girl, his deep green irises were practically shaking from the hesitancy of his inquiry.
One look at the unconscious ash blonde on stage who was hypnotized by Midnight after the abrupt end of his match was enough for them to feel a great sense of uneasiness. And it was for a good reason; Bakugou was now technically viewed to be the best of class-A, even if he didn't accept it this way.
"Yu-chan?"
Any other person might have felt intimidated in knowing that Bakugou was to fight them next, especially after his heightened outburst towards Todoroki at the end of their match, but Yumi found herself smiling a bit once she glanced down at the reporters and the constantly flashing cameras, knowing that her parents were watching on the other side of their television.
Yumi pushed all the mixed emotions she'd felt during the fight that Todoroki ended up giving up on, knowing all too well how the internal struggle within him was not as easily solved as he thought. Shouto had needed time to adjust to the power that he had cursed and refused for his whole life before he could truly accept it and utilize it as his own person. And that was something Yumi knew from experience.
'I promised to make my parents proud, so come at me, Bakugou.'
*
"Sorry for the wait, but it's finally the last battle of the U.A. High School sports festival! The top of the first years will be decided with this one match! The final, so to speak!"
The winds paused momentarily as if the wind itself was watching with a held breath along with everyone across Japan.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here comes our next two competitors! ARE YOU READY?!"
Epic crimson flames were automatically lit from the torches the moment Bakugou and Akano stepped onto the tournament stage simultaneously.
Yumi was standing on the stage where Bakugou stood on the other side. His expression was that of a battle-hungry wolf; the slight twitch of his hands only indicated his readiness for this battle. However, she didn't back down either and displayed a calm and calculating look.
"From the hero course, Bakugou Katsuki! Versus- From the general course, Akano Yumi! Who would have thought of this development?!"
The giant crowd was once again hyped up by the Voice hero as they anticipated the two competitors' appearance. The picture of Akano and Bakugou flashed before the big screen and numerous chatters interweaved in on the cheers.
"This year's first years are all amazing!"
"Yeah, that explosion boy's Quirk is so strong, it's no wonder he made it this far!"
"The girl, too! I underestimated her, but her Quirk is really powerful!"
"I thought she was all just looks at the beginning, but I think she may win this thing!"
People were practically fidgeting in their seats, whether it be in the stadium or within the comfort of their homes. It was a fight that was worth the watch. Akano Yumi, a beauty with both skill and grace that seemed to deserve the right to be within the same department as the rest of the novice heroes. And Bakugou Katsuki, a boy with a talent for severity, but with the vigilance and adeptness of a veteran. However from the murmurs emerging from the crowds, it seemed that she'd certainly left a stronger impression by overturning the mood, emerging from being unknown to ending up in the finals.
Bakugou's eyes were trained on Akano, unmoving but dangerously intense before he spoke.
"Yo, extra."
She returned the gaze with an aloof nature, perking her shapely brows at him as if silently asking him what he wanted.
The tension between the two was palpable to everyone present, especially to the ash blonde's classmates.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Kaminari asked, leaning in closer as if he could listen better.
Kirishima clenched his fist, excited to see the fight go down between his talented friend and the intrepid girl who'd justdefeated him. "They must be talking about all the hardship they endured to get to the finals. How manly!"
"How unlikely..." Jiro said with a deadpan.
Meanwhile, Midoriya stared down at the two contenders with slight apprehension. "Kacchan versus Akano-san..." The two never held a conversation before to his knowledge. So he wasn't sure how this match will go since his childhood friend was so determined to achieve an indisputable victory. And with how strong Akano was; the blonde was finally getting his chance now for a serious fight. Will it be Akano's win or Bakugou's?
No one could deny that both of them were strong and a lot more capable fighters than most, but being the over-analyzing fanboy that he was, he couldn't help but run the scenarios through his mind.
"You know, we had a talk about how amazing she is, but I'm still a little worried about Akano-chan," Kaminari said as he held in a shiver. "Bakugou's way too smart and he likes to go after people's weaknesses. That's just how he is."
"That's true," Sero piped after the electric boy with a thoughtful look, but his face scrunched slightly. "If you really think about it though... Doesn't Akano do the same thing? Y'know, because she's a mind reader?"
"You're not wrong..." The whole class realized.
'Good luck, Yu-chan! I'm rooting for you!' Ochako clenched her fists in a silent prayer.
Bakugou's glare at the silent girl intensified even further if it was possible. "You're from the general studies, right? I don't know how you got this far, but I'm not holding back." He growled, before moving to crackle his fingers. It was obvious that his pride was wounded after going all out in a fight with someone who basically forfeited with his actions. Todoroki refused to use his left side against him, and instead did it with Midoriya, as if acknowledging that damn nerd and giving Bakugou a huge middle finger to his face. Or at least that's how Bakugou took it.
"It's nothing personal, but I'm really frustrated right now." He added, smirking at the end.
Though that smirk was quickly replaced with displeasure when he realized that his opponent had her eyes closed, not even bothering to respond. "Oi, are you even listening, Extra?!"
A huff of frustration immediately left Yumi's lips, her green eyes meeting with his as if she was finally acknowledging his presence. "I'm soaking in the atmosphere of my final battle. Think you could quit flapping your gums?"
Indignation flashed in those crimson eyes, and he screamed between grinded teeth. "WHAT DID YA JUST SAY, YOU SHITTY WOMAN?!"
'Hint: he really is easy to rile up.' A smile didn't even have the time to draw on Yumi's lips as Present Mic abruptly spoke up.
"START!"
To everyone's disappointment, there was a moment of hesitation on both sides, neither rushing to make the first move.
'Not heading first, huh? Smart.' Yumi took a prepared stance, knees slightly flexing with her mind cleared out. He looked like he was observing her, analyzing her every move before making his. However, the moment her right hand suddenly began raising upwards, most likely making its way to her temple, Bakugou rushed towards her, alarmed by her ability to confuse her opponents.
Then the battle began in a blur.
Yumi almost flinched at his immense speed, not even giving her a chance to enter his head. Her mind began to sift rapidly through different thoughts as the two of them faced each other with a fair number of yards between. She wasn't scared, but her stomach was churning with long lost excitement.
'I really missed this-' she stopped her thoughts immediately and shifted to managing the situation. Bakugou was fast, he hit hard, and he was good at range. He was dangerous up close and further away. Her telepathy was slow to fire off and she knew that he knew that.
She had to stay a few steps ahead of him because that's what he was going to try to do with her. And with that notion, the reincarnated redhead abruptly extended her arm, focusing the psionic energy within her on the ash blonde boy. Her closed fist quickly turned into an outstretched palm as she began to blow Bakugou away -much to his surprise.
"Akano tries to deal a blow right away! Is she trying to avoid close combat with Bakugou? Will the winner be decided already?!" Present Mic shouted, watching as the boy suddenly lost control over his body as he was lifted and almost thrown out bounds.
"Damn it!" Bakugou, however, didn't take Akano's attack lying down but instead, he immediately ignited a huge explosion from both of his palms, propelling himself forwards.
Yumi's lips parted, her brows scrunching as she strained to push him out mid-air, but his blast was too powerful to resist. 'What the-'
"Th-this is...!" Present Mic's voice boomed at the unnatural sight of the boy floating above the air before he forcibly descending once again.
"NOT GONNA WORK ON ME, YOU EXTRA!" Bakugou growled, noticing that he was gradually regaining control over his body, and he didn't waste anytime to close the distance between them with another explosion before she could retaliate.
Triumph. That's what Bakugou was seeking. A whirlpool of emotions striking at eternity. All of his desire for dominance, his competitiveness, his hostility, all aimed straight at the target that was her.
Bakugou neared her and zeroed in on her torso with his arms out. 'You're wide open!'
Faces paled for Uraraka, Midoriya, and the majority of the students in the class A section. Even Shinsou, who was sitting amongst his classmates, literally on the edge of his seat as he clenched at the insides of his pocket.
A giant blast blew up before her and the impact didn't affect her body due to the force field she'd created in the last second, and black smoke littered with fiery orange sparks surrounded her, dissipating to show Bakugou's bewilderment.
"Wha-?!"
Yumi stood tall and unharmed behind the invisible wall she generated that protected her from the boy's attack. 'Finely tuned bodily control and an obsession with victory.' She watched him click his tongue with scrutiny, noticing the disgruntled expression that took permanent residence on his face.
"I'm only getting started!" He screamed before attacking once more, but all of his explosions were nullified by the invisible, rippling field of protection. Meanwhile, Akano looked aloof, her eyes distant... 'Just like that half and half bastard. She's pissing me off!'
"Things are heating up!" The audience had to agree as they kept watching with intrigue.
The sound of explosions was ever-present as the battle drew out between the two competitors on stage. Bakugou was relentless with his attacks, but Akano didn't showed any weakness against his explosions as she carried out her own defenses with her durable force fields that rendered his blasts null.
'I knew it... She can't do her mind tricks while utilizing her telekinesis at the same time!'
The light from his palms glowed brightly, mesmerizing even, but they didn't ease Yumi's inevitable exhaustion that grew as he kept attacking her force field.
"What do you think, Eraser?" It was one of those rare moments where Hizashi didn't speak directly into the microphone as he pouted, searching for any kind of expression from his friend.
In all honesty, the rowdy blonde teacher was concerned for the girl. It wasn't as if he viewed her as weak, but it was more of the fact that Bakugou Katsuki was too ruthless. He feared that it would end up as another unfortunate match-up. And with Akano being the dark horse of the event, like many others, he couldn't help but root for her.
The battle had gone on for a few good minutes with Bakugou and Akano in close-range combat. Katsuki once again made the ring look like a hazard zone with cloudy smoke with his explosions, but he was being extra careful. And Yumi was getting away with no damage as she looked to be accustomed to his moves while still learning new ones on the way as she blocked all of his attacks with her telekinesis.
The Erasure Hero watched in silence. The girl seemed to be testing the blonde out. Her every move was calculated and he had no doubt she had some sort of plan in mind. Aizawa then glanced at Present Mic again, whose frown grew deeper due to the lack of reply, and faced forward again only muttering, "Just keep watching." And his illusive commentary seemed to work.
Bakugou gasped, brow cinched and perspiration glistening along the side of his face. 'She's...totally unfazed.' His upper limbs hurt from the furious swinging at her impenetrable field of protection, but that was nothing in comparison to the burning ache threatening to form within his wrists.
"Kacchan stopped attacking?"
"You can't be serious now... She actually delayed Bakugou's attacks? He's not invincible after all," Kaminari blanched. He was half admiring the girl and half fearing for her life. The look on Bakugou's face was deadlier than anything he's seen yet.
Uraraka was about to comment something as well when she turned towards Midoriya and found him mumbling wildly to himself. Watching the intense combat battle between the two below really got his mind turning for future references. "Deku-kun is fired up!" She chuckled.
The second he'd stopped attacking with his explosions, Yumi put down her wall and swung her right arm up, flexing her digits as she pushed him back with a concussive force. Her green irises akin to those of a raptor, like she'd been waiting for this moment. 'It's not like I'm the only one with an agenda here. He keeps on attacking as if he knows I can't use my telepathy and telekinesis at the same time... However-'
Even through his shock, Bakugou was able to land on his feet a few meters away, his vermilion eyes were bloodshot from the fury of her strike. 'You bitch...!'
Yumi raised both of her arms up slowly as she spoke. "Just because I kept using my powers on people doesn't mean I can't use it on objects."
Following her own remark, she looked to the ground and smirked. Dozens of blown up pieces of cement that were lying on the ground now suddenly levitated and were suspended in the air. It was painfully obvious to her that she was out of practice, and she fully regretted it once she realized that much like an unused muscle, she was straining to utilize her atrophied power. But it was always easier to manipulate objects than people who resisted her psychokinesis.
"I'm borrowing your idea, Ochako!" Just like Uraraka, Yumi was intent on using Bakugou's explosive properties as weapons against him. Said girl-like everyone else in the audience and Bakugou- was taken aback at the sight.
The enormous amount of rocks floating under the redhead's control were a sight to behold. But this time, those 'weapons' weren't falling randomly like a meteor shower, but at Yumi's signal, all began surging forwards towards Bakugou with a flick of her wrist at an enormous speed.
"DAMN IT!" Bakugou looked straight ahead at the surging shower of debris and raised his left palm up while bracing it with his right. He let out a deep breath and focused all his energy on his one palm. There was barely enough sweat gathered from continuously heating up his hands to evade and counter the girl's relentless attacks for him to pull this off.
Firecracker-like sparks traveled up his entire arm before an enormous explosion blasted from his palm up towards the debris, the force and extent of the blow immediately obliterated the large rocks into smithereens.
"You shitty woman, it didn't work before, it ain't gonna work now!" He said as the black fog cleared slowly to reveal his smoking hand. Internally, he winced from the pain shooting up his palm.
'Bingo' She thought as she pinpointed Bakugou's location. Using the smoke screen along with her telepathy as an opportunity to conceal her body, she quickly got into action.
"Don't underestimate me!" Bakugou shouted as he swung his right hand towards the emerging figure within the smoke, until he abruptly paused. 'She disappeared?!'
"What's with you, Bakugou?! She's right there in front of you!" Kirishima argued from his seat, passionate enough as if his friend could hear him.
"A DIRECT HIT!" Present Mic had exclaimed, his undertone displaying a little too much glee after Yumi landed a high kick on Bakugou's face that knocked him him back. Akano had utilized her telekinesis, and the air around her had shifted before she propelled forward and created a massive slash.
Drip.
Katsuki's eyes widened when he realized what just happened. That extra. That no-name class nobody just landed a hit on him that made blood seep through his nostrils. How dare she-
"You bitch... You'll pay for that!" Shouted an indignant Bakugou with a look that promised imminent retribution. Vermilion eyes squeezing themselves shut and his hands twitching sporadically.
They both collectively let out a pent up sigh at the same time, but Yumi could tell as she stared at him that her opponent was far more tired than she was, as per her plan. Her, on the other hand, it was as if there was a correlation between the amount of power she used and the angst accumulating and lashing out from her guilt. But she chose to ignore that.
Bakugou gritted his teeth, clamping his palm down on his forearm like a vice. It was seizing up much more intently now.
"Is your wrist okay?" Yumi asked in an uncharacteristically chirpy tone, purposefully taunting him. "Is it the recoil from too much large scale use?"
Bakugou's bloodshot eyes peeled back open.
It finally made sense.
She was aiming at making him overuse his explosions so he'd delay his attacks long enough for her to have time to enter his head and play her mind tricks on him.
"So that's what you were going with..." A muscle popped in Bakugou's locked jaw and his stare was a mix of rage and astonishment. "DON'T YOU UNDERESTIMATE ME, YOU EXTRA!"
"You say that constantly, but you're the one who underestimated me from the beginning." Yumi pointed out, her features scrunched up as she almost shook her head in disapproval.
She could tell that all this time he was lunging at her, seeking victory, all he was looking at was Todoroki and figuring out a way to exact his revenge on him for throwing their fight. "Using this fight to vent your frustrations, cut the bullshit."
With a low grumble, Bakugou looked down at the stage floor, biting the inside of his cheeks enough to draw blood. "You're right..." He said in a sotto voce. 'Not only does her quirk allow her raw strength and resistance to my attacks, she's also very able-minded and fast at changing strategies.' It was like something flipped inside of him, and then an almost amused snarl stretched his lips.
"Then how about this-" Bakugou got back into battle stance at her willpower and started running towards her. Another snapping pop filled the air as he smirked widely. "DIE!"
"Die?"
Yumi noticed quickly the ball of light he was beginning to form in his hands as he slowly outstretched them. "Shit." She cursed lowly.
"STUN GRENADE!"
Bakugou fired off the Stun Grenade and at the last second Akano forced her hands forward in front of her. She knew he was quickly closing the distance between them now as she focused on blocking the Stun Grenade he'd fired at her.
In that moment of distraction, Yumi had pulled the barrier down and, being as ruthless as he was, Bakugou swiftly prepared a brunt attack.
"You're going down now!" He howled, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Shaking, Akano did her best to push herself back and out of the way as he swiped at her with hard punches and mini explosions. It was evident that her earlier tactic had really pissed him off.
An abrupt soft crackling sound came from behind her, but she was unable to turn and find the source with his painful, explosive grip on her arm keeping her locked in place.
"Too slow!" Bakugou growled before dealing another explosion her way. He then proceeded to come up at her from the other side. "Take this!"
BOOM!
One more eruption. And another. He was so fast and aggressive that there was no given commentary, the audience and crowds were as silent as a crypt as they watched the girl who was favored to win get attacked by a barrage of angry explosions.
She panted heavily trying to calm her heart rate down, Almost not catching enough oxygen. Akano could feel Bakugou's explosions getting more and more destructive after each fire.
'He's not stopping...!' Yumi began to internally panic, her eyes slamming shut underneath her furrowed brow. Bakugou moved with ease. He had the technical expertise of a highly skilled veteran and the ongoing energy rush of a ten-year old snorting sugar. 'I have to win...!'
She was having a difficulty pulling herself back together, not even having time to put up any sort of distance between them to manage the situation. It wasn't like she was too weak to face him, because Jean was pretty damn powerful when she needed to be. But she's been trained for so long by Xavier to hold back that it has become second nature for her to do so.
And then something just clicked within her.
"Is that all ya got, huh?!" Bakugou hissed, his jaw locking in place as he barred his teeth in a snarl, flashing her a glimpse of his anger before a fleeting look of trepidation passed over his face when his eyes met with hers.
Stillness. This is what she radiated more than anything else. The stillness of night. That foreboding aura of hers was all the warning Bakugou received of the imminent threat of her oncoming attack.
"Bakugou is suddenly thrown across the stage with too much force for him to retaliate?!"
Yumi said nothing after she flung the ash blonde meters away from her, her burnt right arm falling limply by her as she watched him jump up in alarm.
"What did you-?!" He stopped mid-speech, feeling as if the gravitational force was increasing around him, the ground shook beneath his feat almost tripping him over.
As he eyed her closely. He could see it. The coldness that surrounded her form. And her eyes were glassed over with a numb harshness that he was too proud to say intimidated him.
'It's like she's a different person'
"What the hell is going on?" The spectators wondered with peak curiosity once they noticed the floor of the tournament stage and the area surrounding it cracking as if under the pressure of an earthquake.
"The platform's falling apart!" Present Mic spoke up with a slack jaw. "Akano is about to completely turn the match around again! To think she is undoing Cementoss' hard work on the ring! How exciting!"
Bakugou, however, didn't wait around for her to make another move and made a big swoop, but he was forced to stop once he glimpsed from his periphery something heading at him from the left.
CRASH!
"What the- is that a TV screen?!" Bakugou was dumbfounded for a second there as he watched one of the gigantic screen that was once on top of the stadium now completely shattered a few feet from him.
It didn't stop at that, though. Once he got a good look around him, he held back a shiver once he saw a myriad of objects suspended above him. Rubble, the other screens, billboards hung up from the sponsoring support companies, practically anything that wasn't bolted down was now ought to get him.
"Hey, be careful with those, they're expensive!"
"That's way too much!"
"Is that even allowed?!" One of the Pro Heroes expressed his surprise all too loud, but his inquiry was quickly answered by the refs.
"It's allowed!"
The oohs and ahhs from the audience were left unheard by the deadly silent redhead as she lifted her other arm and commanded the debris to shoot towards Bakugou, his face akin to a dear caught in the headlights at the moment.
WHOOSH!
BAM!
CRASH!
The multitude of objects kept crashing at Bakugou and he countered them with his explosions that were already weakening from overuse. 'I need to get to her!' He struggled to get closer, knowing that if he were to manhandle her, she wouldn't be able to attack him.
"DAMN IT!"
Glass shrapnels managed to evade the boy's bombing and headed towards him causing multiple cuts. While the pieces of rubble that he did shatter with his explosion ended up lifting back up, the smaller pieces reforming to make larger ones that kept on charging at him incessantly.
With how viciously Yumi was attacking Katsuki right now, it almost seemed like she didn't care if he got seriously injured or not. It was as if her body had dissociated from her empathetic mind, that powerful subconscious of hers taking full charge of her actions.
Akano swept her arm at the incoming boy once more as he relentlessly got up after every one of her projectiles to try again. Her sharp eyes were intently tracking his every movement as she sent more debris down his way. It eventually became too much for Bakugou to blow up and one of the large pieces of rubble caught up to him, crashing onto his side, the force causing him to recoil back, most probably fracturing a few ribs.
"Akano Yumi from the general studies has gotten the better of Bakugo Katsuki from the hero course! Who would've imagined this?! Will the bottom really overthrow the top?!"
"That Bakugou-"
Class A were more than shocked at what just happened, not just at Akano's great strength but the fact that-
"Kacchan is down...?" Midoriya openly gaped, standing up to get a closer look. He was still conscious and moving, albeit only his digits were flinching.
The ash blonde tried to get up, but the moment he did, a thick crimson fluid spouted from his mouth in a gush, the scene doing something to the girl standing before him.
'Is he... Is that blood?'
With a snap, Yumi realized what she's done. It was at this moment that she finally took in Bakugou's battered form like she was seeing it for the first time.
"W-what..." She stuttered, her hand moving to cover her quivering lips.
Then, all at once the dam she had built around herself was cracked at the heart, drowning her in her pent up feeling. It felt as though all her emotions had come crashing down against her in one single action. Her body surging with anxiety, fear, rage. All those negative emotions were collectively welling up within her.
A sharp pain shattered through Yumi's skull, like a shard of glass penetrating through it and reaching into her brain. She shuddered, white spots appearing in her vision and her face scrunched at the spiking ache.
Yumi released a short breath, feeling a familiar heat rising in her head and replacing the throbbing pain.
"Oi, oi, look alive, Akano! The fight's not over yet!"
The Master of Ceremonies shouted out to the girl, but she heard none of it because all that filled her ears was the sound of people, people she hurt around her screaming and whimpering. Her eyes clenched shut as both her mother's and Raven's death played on repeat in her pounding head. Her hands ran through the roots of her tangled hair, and her fingers roughly clenched them. Her nails scraped painfully against her scalp, but the emotional pain she was feeling was flawlessly outweighing the physical. Either way, pain was unavoidable.
"Yu-chan?"
"Is that a drawback from her Quirk?"
Witnesses and spectators stared in both shock and confusion at what was happening.
Yumi's mind whimpered as pain drove through her head. Every thought she had became confused, the guilt manifested itself into physical pain that filled her body. And a sob threatened to escape her lips.
'Akano...' Todoroki had watched the entire battle even after the injuries he sustained in his earlier fight. In the beginning, he was both surprised and impressed at what the red haired girl could do, but now as his heterochromatic eyes flickered on her form, he felt a pang in his chest. The look on her face was something he painfully recognized. Shouto could practically see the burden of her past weighing down on her hunched shoulders right now, however, not fully understand what it was that drove her to this state. And he bit on his lower lip as he silently wondered to himself.
"You little..." Bakugou struggled to get back on his feet, feeling like they were heavier than ever as he shuffled, heading for her. "Oi!" He called out to her but to no avail.
The flash of anger on Bakugou's face morphed back into excitement. 'Heh...' He concentrated his power in his cramping palms. Uraraka and Todoroki may have come close to testing his limit, but Akano had done it. 'This... This is what I wanted-!'
The girl in question though, didn't even note that he was fast approaching, suddenly feeling lightheaded and her legs turned to jelly. In that moment, it didn't take long for Akano to realize; she had failed to change. She'd lost control. She harmed another person because of her psychic powers.
The feeling that she would never be able to conquer herself...
The myriad of emotions that passed on her face from shock to confusion to a hint of fear was not missed by the ash blonde, but he was reluctant to care as he charged at her once more.
"Listen here! Until you've completely subdued your enemy, you shouldn't stop attacking!" Bakugou growled, igniting a huge explosion from both of his palms dedicated to the distracted girl. His voice was still as gruff as ever, even going a few decibels louder as he refused to succumb to his injuries.
A giant blast blew up before Yumi, but the impact didn't affect her body due to the force field she'd created last minute.
This was Yumi's meager attempt at resistance towards herself.
He screamed before attacking once more, but all of his explosions were nullified by the invisible, rippling field of protection.
She gasped, brow cinched and perspiration glistening along the side of her face, her head no longer in the game anymore.
"U-Unbelievable! They're still continuing the match!"
The sound of explosions persisted as the battle drew out between the two competitors on stage. Bakugou was relentless with his attacks, despite his major injuries, going as far as backing Yumi to a corner.
"What wrong, huh? Are you running away?!" Bakugou shouted through another one of his explosions and jumped out from the black smoke that it caused straight to Yumi with his other palm popping. "Get serious and come at me!"
Akano dodged his incoming blow and tried to kick him away, but he jumped back to avoid the impact. She didn't know where to direct her emotions. She was overwhelmed, her powerlessness born from contradictions. Reliving the truth only increased her fear of her overpowered abilities and added more fuel to the inferno swirling inside of her.
"He hits again, and again, and yet again! He's not going to stop!"
"Not enough!" Bakugou begrudgingly said whilst attacking with a raging flurry of blows. "I'm still not done!"
The ash blonde's comeback only served to hype up the crowds further, they were now practically on their feet, cheering for them to go for the championship.
"That's it!"
"Fight more!"
"Finish this!"
A loud buzzer suddenly interrupted their combat, it had erupted the moment Midnight crossed her arms in an 'X' shape before speaking.
"Akano-san..." Midnight started the call.
Everyone then shot their eyes towards Bakugou, who was covered by dust of rubble he'd disintegrated during her previous attacks. He wiped away the sweat mixed with a bit of blood from the cut on his face with the back of his hand. No one could see his hands tremble but himself.
Meanwhile, leaning against a pile of broken cement to keep herself standing, Yumi was breathing hard. She had managed to escape the final explosion at the last second by stepping back, her feet inches past the or of bounds line.
"...Is out of bounds, so Bakugou-kun wins!"
"Huh?" The boy uttered under his breath, his eyes blown wide when he looked for himself and confirmed that Akano was indeed out of bounds.
"Bakugou Katsuki emerges as the victor! What a truly anticlimactic end to a thrilling fight!"
The stadium began shaking as the final victor was announced from the last match. And with that, the sports festival was thus concluded.
It was a good thing that all the screens were utilized and shattered by Yumi during their combat, otherwise everyone in the stadium would have gotten a closer look to Bakugou's, displeased, scowling face.
"Like I give a shit about that! I'm still not done!" He gruffly said, his sore arm pointing back and forth between Akano and Midnight. "Another round!"
"That's enough, Bakugou-kun!" The first year's Umpire disciplined, swinging her whip before she descended down the stairs to reach the two of them.
"And now, all of the events have been completed! The winner of this year's
first-year U.A. sports festival is from Class A, Bakugou Katsuki!"
"Hey, the winner is more beat up than the one who lost."
"That doesn't make any sense..."
Hearing people commenting on the end of their battle, Yumi blinked a few times once she realized, 'I lost...'
She held back a bitter chuckle, moving to scratch her itchy nose and paused to inspect her finger after she did. 'My nose is bleeding?' Her eyes widened, wiping the rest of the blood trickling from her nose.
"Maybe because I haven't used my Quirk to this extent before..." She mumbled, and hearing her words, Bakugou flinched.
'Serves me right.' The redhead scrutinized herself, her eyes draping half-closed as she let her lips press lightly together. She had no right to feel bad about losing. After all, she must've had the lower amount of true resolve than anyone else in this tournament, constantly doubting herself and always backing down when it mattered. If she had properly trained herself before the sports festival, she might not have lost control mid-way, and she could have won without breaking down on live television. Alas, this was the result of her actions.
In Mr. Spock's words, it was the logical outcome.
Katsuki watched her keenly like a hawk, eyes burning into her very soul. He resisted the medical bots that tried to take him away to Recovery Girl, almost crashing them against each other in anger.
Akano didn't just feel bad about herself, she also felt worse about the opponent she was up against, which is why she actually stopped on the middle platform of the staircase when she heard him call her name. Well, not actually by name-
"OI! YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Bakugou's voice hued with menace, his breathing sharp as he clenched his fists.
She looked back to him, her eyebrows perking. "Now, that's rude."
"What..." He gritted his teeth. The outcome of this battle was nowhere near satisfactory, but that wasn't what made his blood boil. This Akano. She was strong. Her quirk was really strong. She almost beat him. But she somehow ended up in some no-name class?
"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING ALL THIS TIME?!" With that piercing contempt, his voice was digging into her ears very cruelly, causing a pang of shame to infiltrate her chest. She looked down, unable to answer him, and that seemed to piss him off even further.
"Now, now, Bakugou-kun, settle down or I'll end up putting you down again." Midnight cooed, but her words held a threatening gleam.
"Huh?! Don't you dare do that again!"
'Put him down... What is he, a wild hound?' The redhead sweat dropped before heading back inside, her head hanging low.
"All right! We'll be back soon after our champion gets all healed up, so stay tuned for the Award Ceremony!"
A/N:-
Hey guys! Long time no see For those of you who don't know, I've been on hiatus due to the electricity crisis that my country has been going through. And even though it's not completely sorted out, I've decided to try my best to bring out as many updates as I can for the time being.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, it was long overdue