"ATTENTION FOLKS! HERE IT IS! THE GRAND FINALE! THE FINAL BATTLE BETWEEN THE STRONGEST FIRST YEARS! CAN THEY TRIUMPH IN THIS SITUATION! CAN THEY STAND WHEN THEY ARE RUN DRY!? LETS SEE IF THEY HAVE THE SPIRIT!"

The crowd roared at the top of their lungs, and I stepped out, heading into the center of the arena. I already knew who my opponents were…call it a hunch.

The area looked pretty thrashed, good, more traction. I glanced at my opponents, hands in my pockets as I assessed them. Todoroki looked no worse for wear, though his slightly inclined posture would show a stomach injury. Bakugo looked fresh, but that might very well just be his adrenaline for the fight. He went pretty hard earlier if the shaking stadium was any indication.

"THE CHALLENGER, IKARI SENSHI, VS OUR FINALISTS! GIVE IT UP FOR OUR FINISHERS!"

I grimaced at that title, but ignored it, it was just adding to my temper. The crowd crackled with thousands of voices, and the Announcer continued to hype up the event.

"HERE WERE ARE, THE NUMBER ONE STUDENT VERSES-"

"SHUT UP!" I bellowed suddenly, a solid wave of air and sound bursting forward, prompting shock from the audience and my two opponents. The stands fell into dead silence, the earlier buzz of energy and hype strung up into a constant current of tension.

I growled lowly, a deadly rumble that resonated throughout the coliseum, and my biting voice snapped at everyones ears as I hissed out, "Your rankings are infuriating. Kids fight to be here already. Don't make this stupid school any more cutthroat than it has to be."

The silence continued, though I could feel the wave of uncertainty and angst press down on me, and I shouldered it, ignoring it and staring at my opponents. Anger rolled of me in waves, and my eyes glowed like collapsing stars as I beheld them both like a hungry mother wolf.

"It seems I will play the part of the Villain. Do your best…heroes." I bit out quietly, before I reared my head back and roared to the heavens, "IF YOU THINK YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES, THEN GIVE ME YOUR BEST SHOT!COME OOOOOOOOOOOON!"

The stadium seemed to ignite, and fire bloomed as the crowd cheered, energy reborn like bonfire as I screamed a battle cry.

Todoroki looked impassive as ever, whilst Bakugo looked a little unsettled, and definitely not happy about it.

They both suddenly swapped to a stance, ready to launch, and I closed my eyes. I cracked my neck to the side, before I let a cruel, near demented smile pull my cheeks away from my white teeth as I stared at them evilly. I grabbed my clothing over my left shoulder and with a tug, my right arm ripped my shirt free. I tossed it like a rag to the side, displaying my upper body to the crowd as I started diving into the act. I'll show them what they're pushing me towards!

"Don't go down too fast!" I grinned, hunching forward slightly as I spread my arms wide, each finger flexing as settled my feet into the rubble. Bakugo glared at me angrily, and he launched forward with a boom. He flew forward, arms by his sides like a missile. I snarled in glee as, instead of sidestepping, I kicked a leg up high, before I opened my arms out wide as if issuing a challenge. Bakugo came soaring in, his palms glowing red hot as he reared an arm back to blast me away, but I was faster. I brought my leg down in a blindingly fast axe-kick, slamming powerfully into the base of the concrete foundation. Dust and debris exploded upwards like a gyser, and Bakugo was forced to veer off course as the shockwaves buffeted his flight. The sound of rocks falling the ground peppered the air as my form appeared after the dust settled, and the arena…

It was broken in two, a long spiderweb crack running from one side to the other.

I rocked forward, before I took off like an Olympic sprinter straight for Todoroki. I saw his shoulders hunch as he himself got ready to fight, and the air chilled. Ice shot out from his foot, sliding across the ground at me, before erupting forward as a large wave. I felt heat peel off of my skin as I kicked it up a notch, and, instead of doing the simpler thing, like dodging left or right…or just clearly jumping over, I did the opposite of what everyone was expecting.

I tucked my arms in, before I thrust my shoulder forward, and rammed into the wave of ice head-on. The ice splintered like glass as I snapped it from its source. I swiped at it with a backhand, and it fractured to pieces as I kept running, quickly regaining what little speed I lost. The ice on the ground suddenly expanded outwards, coating the entire arena around to sabotage my footing.

Clever.

But it was too late.

But not because of me.

Bakugo came screaming in from the side, his palms red and hatred-screaming glare flying in for another run. I watched him swoop low, aiming for my right side, and I met his eyes for a second just as he was about to grab me.

And I grinned.

I vanished from his sight in a blur of black and shadow, the sun's rays covering my escape as I vaulted over him, chest to the sky as I smirked, and lashed out with my left hand. I felt my hand secure a grip around his leg as he passed under me, and I landed, hauling him back from his speed, feet firmly planted from my stomp. I swung him like a hammer as I dragged him high, before bringing him straight down to earth. The ground exploded, and I held on despite the shrapnel. I felt ice rush in, and I whipped Bakugo up and around, throwing him directly into the oncoming ice. It exploded again, and sent Bakugo flying back towards me. Interesting, he was using the shockwaves of his own explosions to nullify impacts, clever, but you can't take that many impacts at that close proximity, especially in opposite directions, and remain at the top of your game.

I saw him flying towards me, stretching my arm back for the mother of all wallops. I wouldn't hit him too hard, I needed him awake and in the fight if I was going to keep my mission. I saw him spin one more time, before I stepped in to swing.

Bakugo's eyes suddenly snapped open with a victorious glint.

Both arms snapped forward, and let off another explosion. Orange hot heat slapped me in the face and chest as I was pushed back, but I didn't lose my footing. My feet dragged through the ground, digging two small trenches through the rubble until I hooked into the long crack that I made earlier, and stopped. The air around me was a practical smokescreen, and I took that moment to assess the damage. I felt the pain first, I was burned. My chest took the brunt of it, my other hand blocking my face in time to prevent any sensory damage.

I felt a little wet slide down my chest, and I noticed a small cut on my collarbone, a gash, where a piece of rubble had actually managed to scratch me.

"A CLEAN HIT! IT LOOKED A LITTLE DICEY BEFORE, BUT THE HEROES HAVE TEAMED UP AND GOTTEN A GOOD SHOT IN! IS THIS A COMEBACK!?"

Of course the announcers would hop on this, it's the first time they've seen the side their rooting for actually do something other than get kicked around…whatever.

The smoke cleared with another, smaller explosion from Bakugo, his impatience showing, and I simply stood in place and waited for the vision to clear.

It was perfect, in a single instant, I got to observe Todoroki's shocked expression, and Bakugo's pure frustration…side by side.

"Not bad…" I said casually, before my skin grew redder, and heat started to pour off of me as I fell to all fours, my hands grabbing the ground as if they had claws.

"Stay Alive."

I blitzed forward faster than they could move, and I was in Todoroki's face before he could even raise his arms. Ice shot up in front and behind him as if to cage himself in, but it was no use. It was nowhere near enough time to make it strong. I raced forward like an angry bull, and shattered his wall as if it wasn't even there. I caught him straight in the torso, and slammed him through the wall behind him. I heard his pained gasp as air left his lungs, and I slammed on the breaks, letting him tumble, before pivoting and sweeping my leg high in the air as a crescent. Bakugo's angry face could barely morph into shock as I caught him in the jaw from above, sending him careening off through the air. He spiraled into the wall out of the ring, but stabilized himself against the wall with a large explosion. Lights flickered as the ground shook, and Bakugo was in the air again, high up as he rocketed upwards, before he freefell like a nuclear missie, his hands outreached before him as they practically shined like the sun.

"You PIECE OF SHIT!-"

He streaked downwards, and I only had a few seconds. I crouched, grabbing half of the split arena, and I growled as my muscles bulged. I let out a scream, and the audience went silent with shock as suddenly, the arena shifted. the half of the arena I was standing on cracked, but I forced through it. With a heave, I threw the edge upwards, and it leaned back like a tidal wave, eerily silent.

"DIIIEE!" Bakugo screeched, and he reached forward.

I moved.

I flashed faster than his eyes could track, my skin turning to an even deeper shade of red…almost purple, , and I grabbed his wrist, before hurling him into the opening beneath the stage I had created. I heard his chocked shock as his bomb was about to detonate, and a several ton block of concrete was on its way down. He snarled at em, before his eyes lit with fire as he screamed.

"BASTARD!"

He detonated, a wave of fire and force surging up like a volcanic eruption, and smoke billowed like the earth itself. The concrete shattered, debris falling around, but not too far as it was just too heavy to fly. It shook and tore up the turf as they landed like meteors, and Bakugo was revealed, laying on his back on the ground, panting, but definitely not ready to hand the towel in.

"WHAT AN UPSET! THE STAGE ITSELF WAS USED AS A SHIELD! IS OUR NUM- KATSUKI BAKUGO OUT?!"

"He's Out of Bounds!" I heard Midnight shout into her megaphone, and the crowd went wild.

"OH NO! KATUSKI BAKUGO IS OUT FOR THE COUNT! WHAT AM IMPRESSIVE SHOWING OF STRENGTH!"

I snorted, turning my back on the crevice, and I saw a team of heroes move in to collect him. Smart, it was more than just one. That kid was going to pick a fight over it.

I tilted my head to the side, eyeing Todoroki with a burning hatred in my eyes, "Chose to let him do all the work huh? Coward." I said bitingly.

"I chose not to rush in, the correct call." He said tonelessly, before the air rapidly chilled.

"The Right Choice was to take me out when you had the CHANCE!" I roared, and I lunged, coming low and stomping footholds in the ice as I ran. Todoroki let out a puff of icy breath, and I felt my instincts lurch. I fell to my hands, before springing off of them forward, my form planked out as icy spikes riped forward at an angle, aiming to subdue and halt my movement. I slid right through them, the ice above grazing my nose as it steamed. I landed with a crunch, two legs and a hand grabbing the iced over floor, and watching Todoroki angrily.

"You won't win a battle of attrition."

"I recall you having a timer." He said stonily, and I stared at him, before I laughed uproariously. "A Timer! Dumbass, I certainly do not."

I lunged forward again, and Todoroki took to the skies, a giant wave of ice scooping him up and carrying him aside. I gave chase, laughing at the futility of his stall. My instincts flared again, and I jumped back, just as a wall of ice attempted to slap me…out of bounds?

Is he trying to win by DQ?

Smart.

I let out a chuckle, before I let a stage go. My skin shifted, and my pulse slowed as I stopped running and just sloughed off the extra rage with practiced conditioning. I stared at him impassively, before an eyebrow quirked.

I spoke dryly, "oh no. my timer ran out. Im completely powerless now…whatever will I do."

Todoroki looked at me flatly, clearly not appreciating the remark to his earlier point, but making a move. Ice exploded from all around the arena, shifting the ground and throwing off everything on top of it. I I kept my footing, before I looked down.

Realization.

He had been moving me to the empty section of the platform.

I felt a wave of Ice surge behind me, and it secured my ankles together with a crackle.

I stared forward at Todoroki with a small bit of respect, "You may be weak, but you got brains, I'll give you that."

"Heroes triumph" Todoroki said, and I stared at him, before a small smile crept onto my features, "Maybe your wrong…maybe your right."

The stage was silent, the crowd nothing but a collection of hushed murmurs and bated breath. I wondered if they could still hear me, it was a coliseum after all.

Maybe I should do him one last favor, and let him win. Should be easy to drop out after that.

I tilted my head to the side, my smile a little wider, and I whispered. "Well, go on. You want to win don't you?"

Todoroki stared at me suddenly in shock, confusion clear as his first reaction, and I relaxed. "All it is, is a push. Win."

Todoroki examined me, he held up a hand in front of my chest, and ice started to form on it, "Thank you…this will be quick."

I was just…done. Why do I have to put on a show? Why do I have to dance to their tune? Why do I have to be the one to demonstrate other peoples skills? What good is any of this for me?

It wasn't.

It's clear that this school was the wrong choice for me.

I will track her down on my own.

I snorted, and I closed my eyes.

"AKI! DON'T GIVE UP!"

I felt my heart drop, and my eyes whirled over in shock and recognition as I saw a familiar figure at the very edge of the stadium, practically hanging off of the barrier as she screamed at me…that auburn hair, those green eyes!

Amanda?!

Todoroki's and touched my chest, and I felt the ice begin to bloom…

"Todoroki…sorry."

He let out a small hum in question, before the frozen shackles exploded. Bronze-red skin glistened as steam rippled off of my chest, and I jumped up high, seeing his ice form around him as a massive fist.

"BUT I CANT LOSE NOW!" I called from above, and I floored it. My skin quickly darkened, red and purple mixed as the idea of losing in front of her egged me on, and I came flying down like a meteor. Glowing red eyes loomed in the shadow of the sun as my fists extended above my head, and I came down with the mother of all hammer-fists.

"I've only got one person cheering for me! I REFUSE TO FALL!"

I saw Cementoss throw high walls between me and the stands, before forming a barrier between me and Todoroki's attack as if to stop us as I came down, and I just howled.

"YOU LOSE!"

The area exploded with light suddenly as golden yellow flamed shattered the concrete from the other side, and I plunged right through it, screaming all the way down, and slamming the ground right in front of Todoroki's feet.

The ground rippled.

The stadium shattered, the ground caving before shooting back up from the force as if to rebound. Winds howled as the flames were snuffed out from the dust. The smokescreen was thick, and I remained motionless, my body steaming as my own healing tried to prevent infections as my skin sizzled like bacon. I could feel my chest sweat profusely as my body rapidly cooled off, and I stood up shakily.

the fog began to lift, and I felt my hands go numb as blood dripped of them. I coughed lightly, and I rose to full height, and resumed my imposing stance. This healing was sapping a lot of my stamina, I could go on, but I was pushing the chances of falling into a Rage.

The dust cleared…and Todoroki was gone.

Huh.

I felt a stillness just descend upon the crowd, the concrete wall falling away as Cementoss broke down the barrier to aid the crew to retrieve Todoroki…I don't know where he went.

But the arena hardly existed except for the scattered debree…and perhaps the crater I was standing in.

"Aki!"

I turned slowly…strange, she sounded close, yet so far away.

A muddled roar filled my ears as the crowd seemed to move on mute, and I blinked…my hearing must be shot.

I saw her running straight for me, busting right the through the pro heroes that were trying to stop her. I extending a hand towards her as she ran. It was like time had slowed down.

I felt my stance shift, and I gave her a thumbs up with a big cheerful grin.

"Hey Amanda…glad you're here."