"I want to tell them... I just can't bring myself to think about it like that..." Bulla said to herself as she sat along the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees.
"Hey, idiot." A familiar, grouchy voice said solemnly said.
"What do you want, idiot?" Bulla told Bakugo grumpily as she buried her face in knees.
Looking down on her pitiful figure, Bakugo put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. "What's with you?"
"Vhy oo you car...?" Bulla's muffled voice barely traveled through her legs as Bakugo scoffed.
"You damn copycat... The other day, you mentioned how I wouldn't know what it feels like to lose everything." Looking to the ceiling, moments passed before he finally looked back down to see Bulla. "Your family-"
"Why don't you just shut up!?" Bulla suddenly yelled, shooting up from her sitting position. She leaned forward and clenched her fists. "You want to know about my past, all of a sudden?! You expect me to think that just like that, you care?! None of you know anything about what I'm going through! I visited your homes and I saw your families! Every single one of them!"
Closing his eyes and turning away from Bulla's tear-stained face, Bakugo picked himself up from the wall. "I told you before. I want you to be a worthy rival. If you can't be that, then you can't help me get stronger."
"Oh, yeah right! It's all about strength! You're just like him! Even after decades of chasing strength, that still didn't-!" Before she could say something that she would regret, Bulla held both of her hands over her mouth and dropped to her knees, burying her face in her hands. I just wish I could see you... One last time...
"Alrightay! Will the next contenders please make their way to the arena?!" Present Mic suddenly announced.
"Tsk. Look, I want you to beat that Icy-Hot bastard." Bakugo suddenly said as he stepped away. Bulla pulled her face out of her hands, her confused gaze looking up to his back. "Show me how strong you are. That way, when I win in the final round, it'll mean I can beat the truth out of you."
"B-But, why?!" Bulla called out before Bakugo could walk away.
Only barely turning his head, but not looking back, he spoke. "Because you can't get any stronger when you're holding it all in. Keeping all that resent and depression inside, there'll be no room for growth."
Her eyes widened, and in a flash, Bulla could have sworn that she had seen the brief image of her father before Bakugo walked away.
"Welcome baack!" Present Mic's voice filled the stadium, drowning out the sound of the crowd as the competitors entered the arena. "We hope you're ready for another spectacular battle! Entering the arena now, we have Sero, who, at the cost of having some weird elbows, is able to shoot out a tape like substance for travel and traps!"
"Man, did he really have to go there?" Sero asked himself as he stretched his arms and cracked his knuckles.
"His opponent will be the hottest hothead to walk this stadium today, Bakugo!" As he entered the arena, his hands remained in his pocket.
"Since we were partners in combat training," he started as Present Mic sounded for the two to begin, "I know what your moves look like up close!" He yelled as he snapped his arms across his chest, shooting his tape out fast enough to wrap up Bakugo. In an instant, Sero was dragging Bakugo, curving him towards the arena's boundary.
"Woah! Sero makes the first move!" Present Mic yelled in excitement as all eyes watched closely.
"He's planning to take him out of bounds!" Midoriya said as Bulla returned to her class, rubbing her itchy red eyes.
"Are you okay, Class Rep. Ribbit." Asui asked as she turned to her friend.
"Yeah, I'm sorry for earlier." She said as she sat down and leaned back. Despite the roaring of the crowd, she couldn't help but feel exhausted after her earlier outburst. "What did I miss?" She asked, holding her head on her hand.
"Sero's made the first move, and he's trying to-" Before Kaminari could finish explaining, a large explosion erupted from the arena, and as everyone looked down past the gale of wind. Bakugo had launched himself into the air, spinning around as several flaming strands of tape floated to the ground, turning to ashes. As Bakugo blasted off towards his opponent, Sero shot his tape onto the stadium wall, pulling himself backward as Bakugo ripped apart the ground where he had just stood.
Firing from both elbows, Sero's tape stuck to either side of the ground beside Bakugo as he slung himself forward. Before he could land a flying kick, Bakugo blasted onto the ground below, shooting into the sky once again. "What an incredible display of mobility from both contenders!"
"Being your partner has really inspired my movements! It's thanks to you that my movements are so smooth!" Sero called out as he shot his tape to the ground, reeling himself back to the arena before repeating his previous move, this time aiming much higher. As he launched himself towards his opponent, Bakugo shot himself further into the air as Sero passed, however, just as Sero passed underneath, he shot his tape towards Bakugo, wrapping it around his leg. His other elbow shot towards the ground and he reeled himself downward, hurling Bakugo and slamming him into the ground with a loud crash.
"And just like that, Bakugo has taken the first hit!" Present Mic announced as Sero shot his tape to the outer reaches of the stadium. Flying overhead, he latched onto Bakugo with his tape once more, plucking him from the broken tiles before hurling him towards the stands. Before he could build his momentum, another large explosion erupted from behind, blasting Sero away as Bakugo freed himself.
As he shot tape towards the ground to stabilize himself, Sero had no time to react before Bakugo closed the distance in the air, throwing a right hook downward and sending Sero crashing into the ground.
"Sero is out-of-bounds. Bakugo advances!" Midnight announced, cracking her whip towards the victor as the crowd roared.
"Although he seemed to have an early lead, Sero has just took a devastating hit!" Present Mic annoucned.
"Sero was one of the only people who could combat Bakugo's midair mobility. Unlike Bakugo, however, Sero's tape needs time to latch onto a structure in the opposite direction, Bakugo's explosions allow him to change directions on the drop of a coin. While Sero was smart to use momentum and gravity against his opponent by slinging him around, Bakugo's explosions carry enough power to nullify most strategies that he may have had." Aizawa continued, looking down at his student's profiles.
"Wow, Sero really held on there for a minute!" Ashido said, clenching her fists as her eyes glowed with excitement.
"Yeah, but Bakugo's Quirk is so ridiculously strong." Kirishima continued.
"Sero's mobility is incredible. It's as if he was swinging around like a spider..." Midoriya muttered as he jotted down notes.
"Well, it looks like we're next, Ashido." Kaminari said with a confident smile as the two got up.
"I can't wait to melt that grin off your face!" She responded as the two left the stands.
"So, Ashido vs. Kaminari? What do you think, Midoriya?" Iida asked as he held out a knife hand.
Midoriya rested his chin in between his finger and thumb, tapping his thumb against his chin. "Frankly I want to say Ashido may be more athletic, but Kaminari's electricity will fill the whole arena. It depends on if Ashido can avoid his waves of lightning until his brain overloads..."
"What do you think, Brief?" Uraraka asked as she turned to her friend.
"Hm..." Bulla closed her eyes and thought about the two. "Acid vs. Electricity... I feel like her acid wouldn't be able to penetrate the wall of electricity... And there's not really anywhere to go. I don't see much hope for Ashido..." Bulla thought as Bakugo joined the class, sitting in one of the empty seats towards the back. Looking back at him, his eyes remained angry, but not like before. His glare... It's...different...
To Bulla, however, that didn't change that he was glaring at her nonetheless, and glared back at him before turning away. Ugh! What's with him! Bulla thought to herself as she crossed her arms. Although she couldn't see, Bakugo's glare turned to a desperate expression as Bulla gave him the cold shoulder. Gritting his teeth, Bakugo got up and moved to the very edge of the seats provided for Class 1A.
As he sat alone, leaning back with his eyes closed, he could feel a sudden spatial presence. As he peered through the crack of one eye, he could see Bulla sitting next to him, her arms still crossed and her face remained contorted in an angry expression, despite the slight blush across her cheeks. "You did come after me earlier. So the least I can do is return the favor."
"Tsk. Yeah right, Copycat. Just don't annoy me!" He demanded, closing the eye that he had been peering through.
"Yeah, whatever. You're the real annoying one here." Bulla told him as a vein began to pop out of his forehead.
"What the hell did you say!?" He suddenly yelled.
"You heard what I said!" She retorted, clenching her fists.
"Class Rep or not, I'll kick your ass into next week, you damn Copycat!"
"Stop calling me that! You're the one who copied my moves!"
From below, Asui, Yaoyorozu, and Uraraka laughed at the display. "It's like they're an old married couple!" Yaoyorozu said, making sure not to let them hear.
"I honestly didn't know that Brief could be so feisty." Uraraka said, holding her cheeks in her palms.
"Only when she's protecting her friends. Ribbit. And when she fights with Bakugo." Asui chimed in as the girls shared a laugh once again, eagerly awaiting the next round.