Chapter Thirty - Deku and Kacchan

The next two matches of the second round were over fairly quickly.

After winning the arm wrestling match against Tetsutetsu, Kirishima was up against Mina. From their teamwork during the Cavalry Battle, they both knew that her acid wouldn't do well against his hardening. Still, Mina tried her best to create as potent acid as she could, before finally being thrown out of contention after running around for a bit.

Next was Bakugo vs. Momo. The girl might have had a good chance at holding her own, if it wasn't for her lack of confidence, especially going up against someone as infamous and loud as Bakugo. While she was caught up in strategizing mid-match, the spiky-haired boy was able to get in close and take her out without taking a single hit the entire fight.

Thus the Sports Festival first year's stage had come down to their top four contenders.

"The medical staff has asked that the next match be briefly postponed, so for now we'll head on to the other semifinal match!"

Bakugo and Kirishima went out to face each other, the former seeming bored while the latter was excited.

"Now I can show you just how tough I really am, Bakugo," Kirishima spoke to him.

"You're just in my way," Bakugo had replied roughly.

"Man you're brutal… You won't break me easily though!"

Within the Nurse's station, Izuku gazed at the screen as he downed yet another large cup noodle. He sighed contently, feeling much better than he did when he previously woke up after his match.

"When this match is done, you can leave," Recovery Girl spoke with a bit of a sour tone.

"R-Right…!" Izuku chuckled nervously, knowing she was annoyed by the fact that his classmates continued to come and see him every few minutes to congratulate him and check up on him.

Kacchan… If he wins this then I'm only one match away from facing him!

He watched intensely, while squeezing hand-grips to help continue to regulate his blood circulation.

"START!"

Bakugo quickly rushed in with an explosive takeoff, getting up in Kirishima's face in an instant. He exploded a hand right in front of the redhead, but as the smoke cleared, Kirishima was standing firm with his arms crossed in front of himself, hardened.

"Heh, told ya," Kirishima spoke with a smirk.

"Tch… Let's see you hold up to this!" Bakugo suddenly began to barrage the red-haired boy with a flurry of explosions, thrusting his hands forward rapidly.

Kirishima let out grunts of effort as he was starting to be pushed back a bit from the constant attacks. However, he quickly noticed an opening as Bakugo slowed down for just a moment.

"I just have to survive long enough— To counter!"

Suddenly through the smoke, Kirishima delivered a hard right hook towards Bakugo's face, but he was able to sidestep the attack, a small cut being laid on his cheek from the sharp edge of Kirishima's hardened arm. Bakugo then brought a hand right towards Kirishima's stomach and sent an explosion right into him.

"A counter-attack! But… He didn't budge?!"

Kirishima was still standing in place, his hardened skin smoking a bit as he smirked widely and ran in towards Bakugo.

"I told you already explosion boy," Kirishima taunted as he went in, throwing several jabs at Bakugo, forcing him to retreat back and dodge the assaults."My hardening is tougher than your—"

Bakugo suddenly dodged a punch and swung his hand up from below, countering Kirishima again and blasting him from below. This time, the redhead was staggered, being forced to take a step back as he seemed shaken from the attack.

"If you keep attacking recklessly, then I'll just blow you away," Bakugo scowled at his opponent. "You're straining to keep your hardness up aren't you?"

He was right— Kirishima's hardening Quirk was wearing out from the attacks, and it was only a matter of time before he gave out completely.

Bakugo lurched forward, bringing his hand in to attack. Kirishima held his arms in front of himself defensively— But Bakugo came in at such an angle that his explosion would send Kirishima's arms upwards a bit, leaving just enough room to swing his other hand in for the final touch.

"And the finishing blow—!"

The blonde let off an explosion right up towards Kirishima's chin, sending the redhead blasting off and spinning through the air til he landed outside of the ring, his hardening wearing off as smoke rises up from his unconscious body.

"Bakugo's done it! He's moving on to the Finals match!"

Izuku gulped, initially surprised to see Bakugo on the defensive, but seeing him have an easy turnaround victory made the whole match look like a blowout. It was scary just how strong his childhood friend was.

Kacchan…

Ever since they were kids, Bakugo had teased and picked on Izuku, but he was the closest friend he ever had for the longest time. Perhaps it was because of his openness and strength that Izuku had always admired him, but now that they were more grown up and on their way to achieving their dreams and aspirations, he wasn't quite sure what to make of the boy.

At my best, Todoroki could had beaten me easily if he was using both of his Quirks, Izuku thought as he got out of the bed and began to do some stretches. My experience with combat is limited, while the Hero course does that kind of training a lot!

Izuku recalled the Entrance Exams, when he had managed to counterattack Paper Mache and send him away. Then when Izuku needed to pull through, he rushed in blindly and had to be saved by him when Kurogiri attacked him. It was at that point that Izuku knew he needed more combat experience to be a Hero, but studying it and practicing it were two very different beasts. During Miss Negative's assault, he was able to practice a bit by fighting off her clones.

Remembering what that it felt like to experience a close encounter with certain doom, Izuku knew he needed more focus and calm to fight a more serious opponent.

That kind of thing is tough for me right now… But those in the Hero class are past any hesitation, he thought as he headed out from the Nurse's station. I, too, have the experience now, but it's actually expected of them.

Thanks to his in-depth studies of aerodynamics and practicing with his Flow, Izuku had become well coordinated in the air, able to twist his body and attack and defend pretty well. On the ground however, there was a bit of a struggle, especially when facing off against powerful Quirks.

When Todoroki froze my arm, I thought that was it… He held his left arm, remembering the feeling as it had been frozen solid. In the heat of the moment I was able to land some strong blows… But can I replicate that…? Kacchan is a fucking chad.

Izuku's mind was wandering as he neared the locker room where he had all of his equipment. There, Midnight suddenly appeared, walking in front of him and interrupting his thoughts.

"Midoriya! There's been a change in the final round," the woman spoke.

"A-A change…?"

The sensual woman nodded and looked slightly reluctant as she continued on, stating, "Yes… Your opponent, Tenya Iida, has forfeited the match."

Izuku was shocked by this. Imagining the very kind and stern Iida doing such a thing seemed impossible.

"But… why?"

"It's unfortunate, but he had personal matters to attend to," Midnight explained. She sighed. "I have to admire the youth of that boy.. He's very proud and innocent, believing that if his heart wasn't in it, there was no reason to participte further."

Whatever happened, it must've been bad, Izuku thought. He thought for a moment, then asked: "Then what will happen now?"

Midnight smirked and suddenly whipped the air, making Izuku jump in surprise.

"We have decided that the finals shall begin now!"

"Now?!"

Izuku's jaw dropped and his hands began to tremble a bit. He wasn't ready at all to move right in to a final match, the threat of his old friend Bakugo hanging over him.

"Yes, we will be able to stall for maybe ten minutes at the maximum for you to prepare," Midnight told him. "Then you will both be expected to enter the stage."

Izuku didn't know what to say, watching as the woman walked past him.

"Make sure you bring your youthful and bright spirit," she exclaimed back at him before leaving completely.

Taking a seat, Izuku needed a moment to breathe and take it all in. So far, the Sports Festival had been more wild than he could have ever imagined. Somehow he had maintained victory up to this point, and now it was all coming down to this.

I prepared for this… So why am I so nervous?

He headed over to the locker he was using and opened it up. Inside was his Flow unit, which had been damaged from the previous battle. He had asked Mei to put it there and leave it as it was, having already made up his mind about what he was going to do.

Just like with Shinso, I have to go head-on and fight against his Quirk, Izuku thought as he took out a metal box and opened it.

Within were the devices Mei had created for him, which he called 'Firestoppers' for lack of a better name. There were four in total, and looked like small black spherical objects with a dial on top, the size of the device just big enough to be grasped comfortably in one hand. The dial could be used to set a delay before detonation, while pressing it in begins the detonation sequence.

These will go off and emit a substance similar to that sludge villain to stop his Quirk for a bit, giving me the opportunity I need to fight Kacchan head on!

Izuku slipped on the belt he had created to holster the four bombs and closed and locked the locker. The door to the room opened, and he turned to see his friends coming in.

"Midoriya! I just know you're gonna beat that guy," Shiro exclaimed, running up to him and jumping on him.

"A-Ahh, I hope so…" Izuku smiled, while also nervously pushing the short girl off of him.

"You did the unthinkable before, wouldn't be surprised," Ken stated as he approached, his hands in his pockets. He shrugged. "You tend to do crazy stuff like that so…"

Yuki seemed reluctant to say anything, his arms crossed. Izuku looked to him worriedly, and Ken thumbed back to the tall boy.

"Yuki's been worrying up a storm over this one," Ken stated.

"Yuki… Is there something I should know?" Izuku looked to him, and it took a moment for Yuki to look back at him.

"Are you really just going to stop his explosions, instead of using something like the Flow?"

Izuku nodded, so Yuki continued on:

"I don't think that is wise… Bakugo's battle prowess is amazing," Yuki explained, shaking his head solemnly. "I've been watching him a lot since the Cavalry battle… I can't see any of the first year students actually defeating him."

To his surprise, Izuku smiled, nodding as if to agree with him.

"That's right, Kacchan is strong," he admitted, looking down with a look of reminiscence. "Out of everybody— You guys, Mei, Todoroki, even All Might… He's always been my motivation."

"But why? He seems like such a big jerk," Shiro commented.

"He's loud and proud, that's for sure," Ken added, yawning. "I hate those kinds of people."

Shiro glared up at him. "Why'd you look at me when you said that?"

Izuku chuckled. Yuki approached him and extended his hand.

"You avenged me in the end," Yuki told him with a small smile. "So I'll put all of my faith in you, Midoriya."

"Thank you, Yuki… Thank you all!" He looked to all of them, smiling proudly as he felt extremely lucky to have such supportive friends.

"You won't forget about us right…?" Shiro seemed worried as she spoke. "If you make it into the Hero class?"

"Never!" Izuku patted her head like a child. Shiro didn't mind, beaming from the small affections "In fact, I already thought of my Hero name… Can I ask what you all think?"

The three of them all nodded, incredibly curious, so Izuku leaned in to whisper as if it were quite the secret.

"Well, I think my Hero name should be…"

~Mid Chapter Interruption~

"The Hero Killer, known as 'Stain', has claimed yet another prominent victim— This time it is the Turbo Hero: Ingenium. He was found with extreme injuries, and the damage to his Quirk seems to imply that—"

Click. Iida turned off the television. In his right hand was his cellphone, which he gripped tightly, having just confirmed what he had heard from his family.

Brother…

Iida stormed off and left the stadium, having already informed them that his mind was made up, and that he could no longer participate. No matter what happened, there was no way he could participate with his current state of mind.

Thus began the festering and conflicted path of Tenya Iida...

When Shoto Todoroki finally rejoined his classmates to watch the final match, everyone was a bit uneasy, unsure of what was going on in his head. Finally, Momo Yaoyorozu managed to say something.

"You did us proud, Todoroki," the girl spoke confidently. "We couldn't have asked for more—"

"I don't need confirmation or anything," the boy responded simply.

"R-Right…" Momo smiled nervously and turned back around, shrugging to the others.

Todoroki had taken a little bit of time to reflect on everything. While he didn't have all of the answers to what he needed yet, there was a sense of calm within himself that he hadn't felt for a long time.

Midoriya, thank you— I won't soon forget about this, Todoroki thought. I hope my old man is seething til the end of time.

Looking up at the clear sky above, a small smile appeared on his face as a breeze rolled over him, only for a moment…

The crowd was erupting as the final round was set to begin. As Izuku and Bakugo entered the arena, they both looked very renewed and ready to go.

"The final match of the U.A Sports Festival first year stage is here! Despite a few oddities, the two competitors who have gone beyond everybody else have finally crossed paths!"

Izuku had been a bit nervous facing off against Todoroki, but this stemmed from being unfamiliar with him. The icy-hot boy was a new roadblock in his path with an odd disdain for him that he didn't quite understand until they fought— But Bakugo was just as he had always been:

A friend. But one whom Izuku needed to fight to confirm his mixed feelings.

"The tournaments at its peak! The blood is boiling in these two who hail from the same hometown and same Middle Schools!"

This visibly ticked off Bakugo, who felt his whole idea of his future cracking with every passing moment. This was supposed to be his school, his path towards becoming the #1 Hero ever. Yet here was this Quirkless boy whom he had tried to break for years now, standing and trying to act like his equal.

"Deku… You should've just jumped out a fuckin' moving car or something," Bakugo scowled. "Then I wouldn't have to waste time on you!"

This kind of threat was nothing new, but the context was everything now. There was a chance that Izuku could win, and they both knew it at this point, even though Bakugo would absolutely never let such an idea pass through his mind.

"Kacchan… I've never even thought about attacking you, despite everything you've ever done or said to me," Izuku stated calmly. "Not just because I felt like I couldn't, but… It felt like I would just confirm every bad thing people have said if I did."

Bakugo was surprised by these words, coming from the once weak and scrawny kid that always followed him around, giving him praise even when knocked down.

"I know you won't listen though, so I'll speak to you now the only way you know how," Izuku finished, raising a fist to his childhood friend. "I'm going to… punch you!"

The image that Bakugo had of the weak little kid that he used to push around slowly fell to shambles. A wicked smirk slowly rose on his lips, his expression dark as he gazed forward at the confident boy before him.

"You think trash like you can look at me eye to eye? Fine then," Bakugo spoke softly at first, his voice slowly rising. "You'll get it through that thick skull when you're face-down in the cement and bleeding out!"

"Without any more delay, we're gonna kick this show into overdrive! Everybody with me now!"

"3…!"

"2…!"

"1…!"

"START!"

To Be Continued

Next Chapter: DISTANCE: Izuku vs. Bakugo