"Hey…"
"Amamiya! Um, hello…"
Momo inwardly cursed her luck. After such a humiliating day, all she wanted was to be left alone. She had searched for a spot to get away from her classmates' attempts at consolation; they had the best intentions, but It's hard to tell sympathy from condescension when one is at their lowest. And now not only was she not alone, but a cruel universe with a twisted sense of humour had put her face to face with the last person she wanted to see.
An awkward silence lingered, and Ren regretted his lack of forethought as he struggled to come up with an icebreaker. "Are you okay?"
"Why, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"
"Uh… you're sitting here alone instead of with our class."
"I simply got lost on my way to the bathroom."
"Are you sure? If there's something—"
"I am sure, Amamiya, thank you. Isn't it about time for your match to start? I'd hate to keep you."
"I…" Ren thought twice before finishing his sentence. It wasn't his place to pry. "Yeah, I must get going. Pardon me."
He left without further comment, and Momo was relieved. Though it was blatantly transparent, the impromptu lie gave her the idea of finding actual privacy in the women's restroom.
She hurried over there, made sure that the place was empty, and turned on the tap to splash cold water on her face. Looking into the mirror, it was hard to recognise her own reflection. Red and puffy eyes, dry tear trails down her cheeks. She was hit with a wave of self-consciousness for letting Ren see her like this.
She brought water to her face once more and let the cold wash over her. It was an unsustainable plan—childish, even—to keep avoiding Amamiya and hope for the best. She was not proud about it, but the revelation of his vigilante past was nothing short of staggering. It was enough to make anyone feel vulnerable; realising how close you can get to someone without really knowing who they are. Not to mention what her parents would say if they knew she had been fraternising with a notorious outlaw, former or otherwise.
But none of that mattered either way, because he probably didn't want anything to do with her either. He stated as much during his quarrel with Todoroki.
… you were born with your life already sorted; an influential family name and a powerful quirk. All your life you've been told that you are better than everyone else, and you were naïve enough to believe it…
There really no way more apt to describe her. The one and only Momo Yaoyorozu was completely outmatched and defeated in the first round of the tournament. She couldn't even get one single hit in! No hero agency could possibly have any interest in her after such a disgraceful performance.
She could feel the torrent of tears threatening to well up again. It was then that a compassionate hand offered her a paper tissue.
Momo readily took it. "Thank—Haru?!"
"Hello, Yaomomo."
Momo could hardly believe her eyes, but sure enough, the universe had yet another unexpected reunion in store for her.
As members of the high society, the heiresses of the Yaoyorozu and Okumura families had coincided many times in the past at fundraising galas, balls, and other lavish events reserved for Japan's aristocratic elite. They were never the closest of friends, but it was easy to bond over their shared experiences and hardships. It was unfortunate they hadn't had the chance to catch up since they started classes at U.A., and whilst normally Momo would be delighted to see Haru, she never would have imagined they'd reunite under these circumstances.
"What are you doing here?" Momo asked.
"It's good to see you as well." Haru joked to ease the tension, but her expression soon changed into one of worry. "In all seriousness, I saw you rush in here and I thought I'd check on you."
Momo shook her head dismissively. "I appreciate your concern, Haru, but there is nothing to worry about. I assure you I'm totally fine."
"Is it because of the tournament?" Haru asked.
Momo then remembered it was futile trying to lie to Haru Okumura.
"Something like that..." She admitted.
Haru sighed deeply and looked down with a melancholic gaze. "I know how you feel. I too was sorely disappointed after losing, but I couldn't stay like that. Ren told me how much this tournament meant for Tokoyami. He has been training tirelessly for this day to prove himself. Seeing that level of dedication just inspires me to try even harder next time."
Momo suddenly realised how myopic her entire attitude was. Of course she wasn't the only one with something to prove during the Sports Festival. How would Tokoyami have reacted had she been the one to win the fight? In all honesty, she couldn't really picture him cooping up in the bathroom to cry and feel sorry for himself.
"Besides, I know that winning isn't everything. Ren also made me realise that if you give it your all, you can always make the right impression where it counts."
"You seem to have grown quite close to Amamiya recently."
"Oh, I forgot he is in your class, isn't he? Yes, Ren helped me a lot lately. If people were willing to see past the rumours, they would see what a kind and dependable person he is." Haru said. "You should get to know him, Yaomomo! I think you two would be really good friends."
Momo averted her gaze and nodded slowly. "Yes… I think so too…"
"At long last, the moment we've all been waiting for, is upon us. The epic conclusion to this magnificent tournament!" The stadium was boiling with excitement as the announcement rang. "The winner of this match will be crowned the ultimate champion. This is the best of the best our newest generation of hero students has to offer. A round of applause for our contestants: From class 1-A, it's Katsuki Bakugo and Ren Amamiya!"
Aching for the final showdown, Bakugo marched up to the plate and stared his adversary down.
"I don't give a damn who you are or what you've done—you could be All For One for all I care—I will crush you no matter what."
He spoke without grandeur—as if simply stating a fact. Ren regarded Bakugo with caution. Underneath the young offender façade hid a cunning instinct that was not to be underestimated.
"Ready… begin!"
The starting signal was given, but the two combatants remained static in place. Confusion spread through the spectators; tension was building up, each passing second felt longer than the last, but even still, not even the slightest twitch was registered in the battlefield.
Normally, the value of a first strike could not be overstated, but both Bakugo and Ren knew this wasn't a normal fight. In a duel of wits, revealing one's hand too early could lead to harsh punishment.
Ren weighted his options. If he wanted to win, he'd have to think outside the box. Not wanting to commit a Persona so early in the fight, he decided to use his more energy-efficient pistol to test the waters. He summoned his gun from the realm of cognition and promptly opened fire.
Bakugo zig-zagged to evade, but even his explosive speed couldn't surpass that of a bullet and Ren's keen aim. A concussive round hit him on the shoulder and sent him tumbling. Though he quickly regained footing, he had to get rid of that annoying suppressing fire somehow.
His hand sparked, and he punched an explosion into the ground, bursting the concrete below his feet and scattering its fragments through the air.
The newly-formed curtain of debris prevented Ren from finding his target clearly, so he moved on to plan B.
"Captain Kidd! Rampage!"
In a cloud of azure fire, the skeletal buccaneer appeared to wreak havoc. Its cannon fire swept the arena, but Bakugo managed to swerve around the barrage. His omni-directional propulsion allowed him to traverse the area with surgical precision. Holding absolute control over the space, he manoeuvred around thunder and lightning; trying to land a hit with the Persona was like trying to swat an elusive and very irascible fly.
With sporadic hit-and-run attacks, he started to wear down Ren, who took a step back to rethink his strategy, but Bakugo had no intention of allowing it.
The intense scuffling left them both drenched in sweat, and with the excess perspiration, Bakugo began spinning at increasing velocity, channelling an explosion in each of his hands.
The imminent strike elicited a panicked reaction from Ren.
"Milady! Makarakarn!"
He erected a barrier and braced for impact, but at the last second, Bakugo redirected the explosion behind him, propelling himself like a homing missile with his fist forward. The physical attack passed right through the magic shield with no impediment, and the rocket-powered punch connected with his jaw, transmitting the full power of the gigantic blast. With that one hit, Ren was knocked down.
"Your pathetic tricks are not enough to beat me." Bakugo said. "You're done, Tuxedo Mask."
Ren laid on the ground in a state of semiconsciousness. Seeing stars in the clear midday sky, and the metallic taste of blood tainting his tongue. He had spent too much energy in an ultimately unsuccessful gambit, and now the mere act of moving a limb felt like a Sisyphean task. Pain rippled through his body and clouded his thoughts, and he was just so tired. Surrender had never seemed as tempting as in that very moment.
Losing to Bakugo wouldn't be so bad, right? There was no shame in defeat at the hands of a formidable opponent, or at least so he'd like to believe. He played his hand and lost; he could always try again next year.
"It sure would've been nice to prove everyone wrong…"
Ren sighed a breath of resignation and closed his eyes, ready to throw in the towel. "I give—"
"You can't give up, Ren! You have to keep fighting!"
Confounded, he looked up to see Izuku leaning over the railing and shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Come on, Ren. You can do it!"
"Go get'm, Ren!"
"Kick his ass, Renren!"
His classmates joined in; even Haru from her own class' section. The clamouring grew increasingly louder, and then, he heard the voice he least expected to hear.
"Get up, Amamiya. This isn't over yet!"
Yaoyorozu had jumped from her seat to add her voice to the chorus of encouragement. All of his friends, pleading him in unison to carry on.
The people he had met in his short time at U.A. had come to mean so much to Ren. They were all there to support him—to see him give his best—he couldn't disappoint them. They were there to pick him up when in his darkest hour; they had given him strength, in more ways than one.
He finally understood the flaw in his approach. The bonds he forged strengthened his Personas. Because Personas were not merely cognitive weapons, but an intrinsic part of himself—an extension of his own being.
"You're right, Bakugo…" Ren slowly rose back to his feet and raised his fists. "No more tricks."
With scarce energy left, he reached beyond his limit to call upon his oldest companion.
"Arsène!"
Bakugo gladly accepted the challenge and charged at him, but Ren stood his ground firmly, as his mind flashed back to a not too distant memory…
"Keep your shoulders up. Protect your head."
"Yes, sensei!"
"Don't call me sensei. You're making this weird, Izuku."
Heavy breath and exerted grunts echoed in the U.A. gym. Ren and Izuku were the only ones left during the last hours of sunshine. With the Sports Festival only a few days away, they decided to have a friendly spar without Quirks to train the rudiments of hand-to-hand combat.
Ren was going easy on his much less experienced friend, that is why he wasn't prepared for Izuku's punch coming from the right-side.
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Ren."
"Don't worry, I'm fine." He said, not entirely honest. I hurt a lot more than he felt comfortable admitting. "That was a mean hook. Where did you learn that?"
"Oh, that… I was actually trying to copy Kacchan."
"Seriously?"
Izuku laughed nervously. "I've had the, uh, opportunity to see his fighting style from up-close." He said. "His explosions give him range, but he prefers to use them for closing distances and attacking directly."
"I'd definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of that. Bakugo looks very strong."
"He is strong, but he is no martial artist; most of the time he just lets his Quirk do the heavy lifting."
"hmm…" Ren's curiosity was piqued. Bakugo did seem like an interesting fighter. He wondered what it would be like to face him. "Hey, don't get distracted. Show me your left hook now."
"Sorry, sensei."
As foretold by Izuku, Bakugo opened with a right hook that Ren had no problem dodging, as well as delivering a hook of his own in the process. Bakugo was caught off-guard; he turned to retaliate, but instead he punched the empty space Ren had been occupying just a fraction of a second ago. A dark blur sneaked into his peripheral vision, and before he could react, he was struck by the backside of a clawed hand.
The Incessant strafe kept Bakugo grounded. His own arms started to hurt as the repeated use of his Quirk took its toll. With his mobility compromised, his only resort was to play Ren at his own game, but that proved more difficult than presumed.
Forced to split his attention and fight a battle on separate fronts, Bakugo was helpless against the tag-team assault of the Trickster and the Pillager of Twilight. The duo moved in perfect harmony, like two halves of a single whole, and without even using Arsène's dark magic, they succeeded in overwhelming their opponent.
Another quick-fire combination cornered Bakugo at the edge of the stage. He tried a desperate short-range explosion, but Arsène deflected his arm with a flap of its wings. Ren lanced forward, and together they landed the final blow; Bakugo was pushed out of bounds; the match was over.
"Bakugo is out of bounds! The winner of the first-year stage of the U.A. Sports Festival is Ren Amamiya!"
The staff wasted no time setting up the award ceremony right after the finals.
Joined by Tokoyami and Todoroki, Bakugo and Ren took to the winners podium. They were received by confetti and pyrotechnics, and as befitting of this momentous occasion, the number one hero himself was there to hand out the medals.
All Might approached the victors, starting with Tokoyami.
"Young Tokoyami, your performance perfectly encapsulates the spirit of this event. Never stop striving to improve yourself. I'm eager to see how far you'll come next year."
"You're too kind, sir. Rest assured, I have no intention of resting on my laurels." Tokoyami said.
The teacher then turned to the other semi-finalist.
"Congratulations, young Todoroki. Sometimes the biggest obstacle we must face is ourselves; you showed great bravery today."
Todoroki the praise with a polite bow. "Thank you, but my journey is just beginning. I still have a lot left to do."
"Well, no matter what that may be, I know you will succeed if you face it with determination." All Might said before moving onto the next student.
"Now then, young Bakugo. You couldn't fulfil your promise of placing first in the tournament, but I'm sure someone as driven as you won't let a minor hiccup bring him down. You must—"
Bakugo interrupted him by yanking the silver medal off his hands without saying a word. All Might disapproved, but did not dwell on it.
"And last but not least, young Amamiya. I'm not too surprised to see you here. That isn't to say you haven't worked hard. Your path has been an unusual one, but you made it in the end. You are where you belong, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
All Might turned around and raised his voice to address the audience.
"Let us all remember why we're here today. The public rankings and comparisons paint a picture of what the ideal Hero should look like, but the truth is, there is no such ideal. Today we've seen students from widely different courses, all with widely different quirks, but not one is more heroic than the others. All it takes is a courageous heart and the will to help those in need. Anyone can be a Hero; a true Hero can come from anywhere. And it is our duty to foster and nurture the new generation of Heroes!"
With a golden medal around his neck, Ren was showered with deafening cheers from the public. Finding himself as the centre of attention drew an uncharacteristic, bashful blush out of him, but the feeling wasn't entirely unwelcome.
They stepped down from the podium, and the rest of 1-A rushed to congratulate them.
From the corner of his eye, Ren saw Bakugo leaving. He had been acting strange since their fight. Silently sulking was not at all the reaction he expected from him in response to losing the finals. It didn't feel right, so he ran over to him.
"Hey, Bakugo. Wait." Ren said. "I just wanted to say well fought. That was really close; seriously, if it hadn't been for my friends, I totally would've lost".
Bakugo scowled. "You can shove your pity up your—"
"That's not my intention! Not at all. I just meant to say that… I think you are incredibly talented, and I think we could learn a lot from each other. I know that's not your style, but no man is an island—even All Might had sidekicks at one point. "
Bakugo stared at him like he had two heads.
"If you ever want to train together, or even just hang out, hit me up."
Sensing another insult coming, Ren returned to his friends.
"So, what's next?" Ochaco asked.
"We should go celebrate!" Toru said.
"I know just the place." Ren said. He then sought Momo with his gaze, who had shyly remained at the edge of the circle. "Would you like to join us?"
She let slip a genuine smile. "I'd love to."
Ren reciprocated, and then turned to Todoroki. "How about you, Todoroki?"
"Sorry, but I must decline. There is someone I need to see first."
"I understand" After a shake of hands, they parted ways.
Bakugo saw the group depart, thinking to himself how ridiculous Amamiya was. Saying all that dumb sentimental crap with a straight face; that guy must watch way too much anime. He made to leave too when someone called for him. He turned around to find Kirishima, with Ashido and Sero in tow.
"What do you want, Hedgehog Hair?"
"Well, you see… since we did pretty good at the festival, we were thinking of treating ourselves to some ice cream. And… we were wondering if you'd wanna come with?"
"Why would I—"
He was about to tell him to get lost when an intrusive thought crossed his mind. After a brief pause, Bakugo finally continued.
"You're paying. And I want a double scoop."
"Really?!—I mean, yeah sure. Let's go!"
The concentration of students dissipated, and the stadium began clearing out. Eraserhead left the announcer's booth, where he found Sae was waiting for him.
"Was the show up to your expectations, miss Nijima?"
"It was rather captivating." She hummed. "Your class dominated the festival; you might be a better teacher than pro Hero."
"And you are a better prosecutor than you are a gambler."
Sae frowned at the retort and reluctantly pulled out a folded 10 thousand yen note from her jacket, which Aizawa took from her hands, only giving her a smug grin in exchange. He was far from a materialistic person, but a chance to bruise the prosecutor's ego was worth more than all the money in the world.
"Don't get cocky. Amamiya may have gotten lucky this time, but that doesn't mean anything."
"Let's make another wager if you're so sure, because I'll bet on my students every time..." He said. "Always a pleasure, Nijima. Take care."
Eraserhead took his leave and perused the bounty in his hand; he had a pretty good idea of what to do with it.