Here is the thirty-third chapter in this story released as soon as it was ready due to how long it's been since I last updated this story. After several intense and epic battles, three tough rounds, and a lot of pain the final of the U.A. Sports Festival is at last upon us. The dust has settled and only Asta and Bakugo remain to claim the gold but who will emerge victorious in this climactic conclusion to the Sports Festival? Well it's time to find out. Anyway, I'm sorry for how long it's taken to update this story, it's been a busy time period right now but that has finally lessoned and with my longest active story about to go on a forced hiatus in a week's time things should return to a bi-monthly upload schedule at the very least for the next few months. If y'all would rather the upload schedule be as soon as all three of my Black Trio stories are ready (so it could be shorter than ever 2 weeks or longer depending on IRL and other factors) do let me know but I will still be sticking to a mass upload of all three at the same time once they're ready as that ensures that I keep all of them up to date and progressing nicely. That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions to answer here there are three guest reviews that need a response, so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate. That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the thirty-third chapter in Black RWBY Academia.
To Guest (guest), thank you for your review and support. You can thank another reviewer for Vangeance subbing in, that was their suggestion and I rolled with it for the final two rounds as it worked and his connection to Langris helped with that joke. I would say poor Shoto for having to face first Midoriya and then Asta in battle but he needed both as first Midoriya broke through his walls and then Asta beat that into sense. The ships are under construction and at this point there is no turning back from what the three main pairings will be but as this is an action fic this will be a more slow burn/tsundere coming to terms with feelings and in Weiss's case sexuality rather than a focus on romance but it should be a fun journey. Everyone wanted Yuno to win the fight but I had always planned for him to lose to Bakugo to show both Bakugo's sheer determination to win and that for as good as Starforce is, there are still limitations and Yuno needs to learn that there will be those who can match or beat him right now so that he can properly grow stronger. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To Nathan Ramos (guest), thank you for your review, support, and suggestions. Asta got his 'chat' with Shoto and that should help going forward while Yuno learned that he can be beaten and that there are limitations to his Quirk though he did push Bakugo to the very edge. Asta will always be Yuno's primary rival but he now knows that there are others who can challenge him so he'll have to work harder to make up for that and only getting a bronze medal in the Sports Festival when Asta is guaranteed the silver at least will fuel him, along with a desire to avenge that loss to Bakugo. In terms of numbers, Jester won't be the 16th, there is only 200 not 500 years of history so he's going to be somewhere in the 8 to 11th range, probably closer to the front as Princia is the 4th in this story. I've read the provided backstory for Jester and I believe I can adapt it well and while I do think that one of his two friends can be the second OFA user, the third shouldn't be but rather should be a traitor for AFO who tries to crush the resistance and the Quirk Knights but fails leading to Jester's instability and desire to end AFO. It is that desire that fuels Jester into becoming the next Wizard King while the second user grows the resistance and meets the third knowing that when Jester becomes the Wizard King their forces will grow and Jester is brought into the fold about Yochi becoming one of the trusted confidents in the early stages. The rest would need to be sorted out but your suggestions on that front will help a lot and if I ever do a prequel series to address the past Wizard Kings we know about then this will be helpful for Jester's backstory and the ties between OFA and the Wizard Kings. I've already gotten some idea for how Mana Zone can work for a few awakened Quirks but I don't want to rely too much on awakened Quirks in this story. As of right now in the MHA canon there are only 5 truly awakened Quirks (Geten, Toga, Ochaco, Bakugo, and Koichi Haimawari) with Shigaraki's Decay debatable due to whether or not it was a mental block that prevented its full power. Of those awakened ones only two are currently awakened (Geten and Koichi) but the others will happen and as I've already confirmed that Winter's is awakened. I have plans for at least two more that won't replicate Mana Zone but there are two that work for a Mana Zone style awakening but all in good time. As for ki, it will remain the same though as I said what you suggested last chapter is good for a single person's Quirk, and I'll see how ki can be developed but other than seeing how zetten would work I won't make any promises. As for hero names, all that will be revealed, at least for Class 1-A, soon though I don't get the reason for Noelle's name choice but at least one is certainly helpful and I do like Ruby and Yuno's suggestions even if I don't use them but again wait and see why that will be the case. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To KGBeastboy (guest), thank you for your review and suggestions, I appreciate them all and having a range from multiple people helps see what may or may not work for hero names. Naturally I won't confirm whether or not you're right about how hero names work in the other branches but that will be answered soon given what is coming up. Certainly the names, like the others suggested, are interesting and some I do like even if I don't use them like Noelle's and Mimosa's is fitting though given my plans in my Black Bull Banishment story that could work for something there as well. All will be revealed in time so do keep reading and enjoying my work.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these three great franchises.
Chapter 33: Last One Standing
"So, who's got this?" Ojiro asked as Class 1-A looked down on the battlefield waiting for final to start as the buzz began to build in the stadium during this short break before Asta and Bakugo came out for the last time. "After that semifinal it's hard to say which of them has the edge here. I thought Yuno had it for sure but Bakugo really showed that he's not as invincible as we all thought."
"Not sure." Izuku admitted as he thought on it wishing he could make, or even look at, his notes but unable to do so at the moment. "Asta's skilled and his Quirk is one of the hardest to face out there but there are two noticeable weaknesses to it that I've seen and one of those two is one that Kacchan can exploit providing that he's noticed it which I'm sure he has. The other weakness is one that Yuno would have been able to so either way it was going to be a challenge for him. Add in that Kacchan is determined and already had the toughest battle so far with his win over Yuno and I'd give it to him."
"So you're aware of the limitations to Asta's power." Noelle said looking over at the green haired boy. "Should have expected that from you Midoriya."
"Limitations?" Ojiro asked, a few others were concerned with that as well. "What do you mean? Asta's Quirk is one of the strongest in the class from what I've seen."
"No Quirk is absolute; they all have weaknesses and I've seen some in Anti-Quirk while studying it today." Izuku said. "As strong and useful as it is, and it really is one of the strongest, Asta showed in his fight with Todoroki that it will only suppress a person's Quirk if it hits their Quirk Factor. For his matches against Tetsutetsu, Vermillion Mimosa, and Todoroki it wasn't an issue, all of them have whole body Quirk Factors but that wasn't the case with Ida. In that match Asta very clearly went for his legs first and hit his engines showing that he has to his someone's Quirk Factor to nullify it. He's got a similar issue with Kacchan as the only place Kacchan can use his Quirk is his hands."
"He can only use his hands?" Weiss asked. "I mean it's obvious now that you say it, I just never realized it as we all hold back a bit. So it's like Nero or Uraraka."
"I need all fingertips." Ochaco said holding her hands up to show the pads on the tips of her fingers. "So it's even more specifically localized than my hands."
"And I can use my feet as well." Nero said. "But similar enough. In fact when we trained I spared with Asta for this purpose. I was under no delusions that I could win the Sports Festival, I'm good but when it comes to direct combat I'm not the best especially against a ranged Quirk that I can't seal anything of like Tokoyami. So while training I also made sure to do all I could to help Asta win this and get a good Quirk Knight Squad offer, I just hope I get an offer to the same Squad."
"And yet you still taught me a lot." Tokoyami said while Noelle tried not to let Nero's words affect her as she was only going to get one offer and while Asta would likely get it as well he'd get better ones because he was amazing and then she'd not be in a Squad with him, not that she wanted that of course. "As did Yuno, I thank you for that."
"I learned that in battle you have give your all and make sure your opponent is down from Asta and someone I knew before coming here." Nero said as Noelle's plight continued next to her. "But I am glad you got what I was going for. As for this match, this is something Noelle and I drilled Asta for."
"You did?" Ruby asked and at the reminder that she'd helped Asta get this far Noelle calmed down and quashed the conflicting and confusing feelings in her chest.
"Yes we did." Nero said and Noelle nodded. "Between the two of us we knew that Asta was the most likely to win the Sports Festival so we made sure to help him achieve that. The Wizard King won it when he was a student, as did his predecessor in fact, so it's kinda a big deal. Three of the four top candidates to succeed him also won it at least once, the fourth went to Shiketsu, so a win really helps Asta."
"Though this is his best chance because of my lack of control." Noelle pointed out trying to mitigate the fact that she really wanted Asta to win it as she didn't want to give any wrong impressions. "If there's one thing that I've learned from the Sports Festival it's that my control is something that does need even more work. I may not have lost to Ruby otherwise."
"Fat chance, I had that match." Ruby said with a grin. "My strategy was perfect for it."
"That you did, I never doubted that you'd beat Noelle." Weiss said backing her friend up. "But back to Asta's training, you trained for Bakugo?"
"Yup." Nero said while Noelle glared at Weiss but it wasn't negative as while their families had a rivalry the girls were becoming good friends it was just the utter lack of faith that Noelle stood a chance that got to her. "We figured that other than Asta the favorites would be Todoroki, Yuno, Bakugo, Ida, and Tokoyami. Couple of dark horses like Leo, Rose and Yaoyorozu as well but for the most part it was those who had the strongest direct combat related Quirks. Both Midoriya and Noelle would have been in the favorites had they had enough control but they didn't but we prepared for the former anyway. Bakugo and Ida were the tricky ones though."
"Localized Quirk Factors." Izuku said with a nod, Ida wasn't present as he'd gotten a call during the second semifinal and hadn't returned from it though they didn't yet know why and only Izuku and Ochaco would be informed of what was going on before Ida left but that wouldn't happen until after the finals. "That explains how Asta knew what to do to beat Ida. It was where I saw that limitation and now I get it."
"Well that was all his own tactic but in a sense yes." Nero said. "And as I have a localized factor myself we trained for facing those we know with localized factors. Course Sealing is nothing like Explosion but you get the point."
"And my Quirk Factor is in essence my brain due to the telekinetic nature of Hydromancy." Noelle said. "Which in a way is similar to Yuno's Starforce as it's all mental there but as Asta's proved a hit to my body with his sword will at least disrupt my Quirk and allow me to reset."
"I figured but that's not the weakness that Yuno would have exploited." Izuku said surprising a few of them. "For him it's the multiple attacks from a seemingly infinite number of angles that he can unleash at the same time. Asta can only nullify Quirks and their effects if he can hit them with his swords, it's a close range power, but Yuno's stars can encircle you as he showed against Tokoyami and fire from any angle and a good bit of range as we saw in his other wins. That would have been hard for Asta to evade without some ability to sense that direction of the attack and I'm not sure how that could work."
"Huh, that is a weakness, one we didn't think about as there's really no one in the class who can do that at the moment." Nero noted. "I thought you were going to mention the fact that it's only Quirks that Asta's power works on so something like a displaced effect of a Quirk like how you weaponized air against Todoroki could bypass his Quirk as it's not actually a Quirk that he's facing. That was something I was able to realize watching you fight."
"I never thought of that." Izuku said realizing and wishing he could make a note on it but he couldn't right now. "That adds even more to this then."
"It does?" Ochaco asked. "How so?"
"I'm not sure, a lot will depend on the battle and how it plays out." Izuku said. "Both Asta and Kacchan can adapt on the fly and are skilled in battle tactics so that will play a role but it will likely come down to how Asta uses Anti-Quirk to counter Kacchan's explosions and what his plan is to hit Bakugo's Quirk Factor. That will be the key I think, especially because Kacchan will have thought this out ahead of time."
"He will?" Weiss asked. "I just saw him more as an angry brute who had the brains to use his Quirk efficiently and adapt to a battle, not someone who planned things out."
"Same." Noelle admitted.
"Not so." Izuku said shaking his head. "Kacchan knows he's got a strong Quirk that can overpower most people so he doesn't bother with those he sees as weaker than him, he'll just go in and win. He shows this by not using names unless he respects the person. If I had to guess, in our year the only people he sees as equals are Todoroki, Asta, and Yuno and with all three also making the semifinals that pretty much proved him right. He's probably neutral to Tokoyami because of Dark Shadow's raw power but now that he knows that he's a bad matchup for Dark Shadow who knows. He also likely has some respect for Uraraka now after what she did and he beat Rose quickly showing he took her seriously but in terms of actual threats, he'll have a plan and adapt from there, just watch."
All the others could do was nod at that unsure what else to say. The final was starting soon so they got ready to see who was going to win the U.A. Sports Festival for first years. Naturally they all had their favorite in the match though Noelle couldn't help but be nervous as she got ready to cheer for Asta because she really wanted him to win this and show the Quirk Knight Captains that he was the best out there for them. It would be hard though because Izuku was right, Bakugo had a plan.
Asta was sitting in waiting room number 2 doing just that, waiting. There was a bit of a break before the final, likely to build tension and allow for the finalist to get a little healing if needed, and he and Bakugo were supposed to be in the waiting rooms until it was time to get into position. He'd hoped that Yuno would be his opponent but alas Asta had watched as Bakugo had gone all out and shown that he had the power to defeat Yuno and thus advance to the final.
To say that it was impressive was an understatement to Asta. All his life he'd seen Yuno's strength and known that he'd get into U.A. and become a great Quirk Knight one day. It was that strength; that calm confidence Yuno had that Asta admired in his rival and it was what he used to fuel his own desire to surpass Yuno and become the next Wizard King of the Quirk Knights.
For the longest time that had seemed impossible as Asta was Quirkless as far as he knew and Yuno had an impressively powerful Quirk that he had great command and control of. That had all changed when Asta's own Quirk had manifested and it was just as strong as Yuno's, in his own mind at least, so he had a chance to truly match his rival and Yuno didn't back down from that challenge at all. Since that day their rivalry had really taken off and they'd made it all the way to U.A., the top Hero School in the country with it.
Naturally Yuno still held sway in it, at least at the start of the academic year by coming top of the entrance exam to Asta's third place in it and that had continued as Yuno effortlessly breezed through the Sports Festival with a second place in the Obstacle Race, first in the Cavalry Battle, and three wins in the final round that were so dominant he'd not moved in any of them. All that had fueled Asta to keep pace, to be at the same level and as the final neared, with Asta having the earlier matches in the draw, he was doing just that all the way through to the semifinals when it all changed.
For the first time in their lives Asta had been the one to surpass Yuno as he reached the final, albeit in a matchup he had a huge advantage in given how Todoroki's Quirk worked, and was waiting for Yuno to meet him there. However, there was one last obstacle to overcome and that obstacle was Katsuki Bakugo and in the end Yuno couldn't manage it.
In all honesty Asta wasn't too surprised by it. There weren't many with the power to match Yuno's but Bakugo was one of them and when that was coupled with his drive and the chip on his shoulder given how many times Yuno had beaten Bakugo already both in getting into U.A. and in their time here the match was always going to be close. In the end it came down to the fact that Bakugo had the speed and raw offensive power to press Yuno and obscure his vision which allowed for that final move to break through Yuno's constellation shield and win it though the power needed for that was unreal to Asta.
Regardless, the match really showed Asta that Yuno wasn't as unbeatable as he'd thought and that there were weaknesses to Yuno's power, well more than what Asta's could do it that is. Of course Asta expected Yuno to bounce back stronger than ever from this and learn from his loss but still it was a big loss and Asta was a little bummed that he'd not get to face his rival in the final.
All that meant was that he now had to really give his all to win it not just for him but for Yuno as well. Bakugo had beaten Yuno, Asta couldn't let that stand, he had to win as well and he fully intended to do so. That would put him on top and really get him noticed by the Quirk Knight Captains in attendance.
Naturally that wouldn't be easy, Asta knew that and he wasn't taking this lightly. Bakugo's Quirk was powerful and he had a localized Quirk factor so if Asta wanted to nullify that, which would win it for sure, he needed to hit Bakugo's palms. Thankfully he'd had the training in that from Nero, in fact Bakugo was the potential opponent they had in mind with that aspect of their training, so he knew what to do. Just because he knew what to do, however, didn't make it easy and Asta was using his time in the waiting room to think on a plan for it.
He was so deep in thought that he actually jumped when the door was suddenly kicked open and he turned to it to see Bakugo standing there blinking in surprise at seeing Asta at the table in the room his right foot still up from the kick. Asta certainly hadn't expected that.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing in my waiting room?" Bakugo asked as he lowered his foot glaring at Asta. "This is where I'm supposed to…crap this is waiting room number 2?"
"Er yeah, you're in room number 1." Asta said a bit confused.
"Don't condescend me, just because I made this mistake doesn't mean I won't be on top of my game for what's to come." Bakugo shouted. "So bring all you have to the final Loudmouth because I'm not holding back in the final. I beat that pretty boy friend of yours, you beat the Icy Hot bastard, so I expect the same level of intensity from you in it so that I can show everyone that I'm the best, that not even a Quirk like yours can beat me."
"Don't worry Bakugo, I fully intend to." Asta said seriously. "You beat my rival, you denied me that chance, I'm going to bring everything I've got to bear to beat you and prove that I'm the best in the year."
"Good, at least you've got focus and a backbone." Bakugo said grinning at that. "Better you than an Icy Hot that Deku got to. Deku has a way with people, he messes with them and I saw that in his fight with Todoroki and it might have affected him. I want there to be no question that I am the best and I've got the chance to do so when I beat you and that Quirk of yours. Don't you dare let me down or I'll kill you."
At that Bakugo turned and walked out grinning because he had his plan for Asta. He understood how Anti-Quirk worked, he'd watched it closely during the Sports Festival and after Asta's wins over Four Eyes and Icy Hot, Bakugo had sussed out a weakness in it that only applied to someone like him. Now he was going to show that not even a Quirk that could nullify other Quirks would stop him from winning.
For his part Asta just watched Bakugo go and then got up and closed the door to resume thinking on the upcoming final. He had a few more minutes to get ready and he intended to use all of them as he prepared for the final of the U.A. Sports Festival.
"It's time folks, welcome to the final battle of the U.A. Sports Festival for the First Years!" Present Mic said excitedly as the crowd cheered, the braziers on the corners of the lower portion of raised battlefield blazed with flames and around the nation and the world people tuned in to see who would win this year's Sports Festival, all while Asta and Bakugo walked out and towards the battlefield for the final time. "In a few moments we'll know which first year will come out on top! It all comes down to this! 52 advanced to the second round, 32 to the final round, and now only 2 remain to claim the title! This is a Hero Course Class 1-A showdown for the gold medal as Asta faces his classmate Katsuki Bakugo! Who will win!"
"Hard to say." Aizawa said his tone serious showing that he was fully focused on the battle to come. "This is a good matchup and challenge for both of them."
"Agreed." Oobleck said as the boys began to climb the stairs to the battlefield. "We have two strong boys with strong Quirks but there are weaknesses to both that will be on display in this final so whoever overcomes their weaknesses will come out on top."
"A good chance to go Plus Ultra then." Port said. "A shame no Huntsmen track student made it but oh well, it's Quirk Knight verses normal here but expect the other branches to be interested in both of these finalists."
"This will be interesting for sure and aggression will be key." Vangeance said as Asta and Bakugo reached the top level and walked onto the battlefield. "And there is no doubt that both these finalists have rougher personalities and aggressive styles but in the hero world, no matter the branch, that style has a place just as much as the likes of All Might and Julius do."
Asta and Bakugo just ignored the commentary as they came to a stop facing each other on the battlefield. They'd already said all they needed when Bakugo kicked Asta's waiting room door in so this was just a final stair down as both boys grinned in anticipation at what was to come.
It was time for the final of their first U.A. Sports Festival and to crown a champion of it thus immortalizing that boy forever as a U.A. Sports Festival winner. The boys knew it, their classmates knew it, the stadium knew it, and those watching knew it so there was no point in waiting any longer and Present Mic ensured that.
"Begin!"
"Die!" Bakugo roared as he exploded forward and towards Asta as hard and fast as he could to close the gap as swiftly as possible.
"No!" Asta roared back as he too charged forward a rend appearing in the air next to him and his smaller sword's hilt coming out his hand going to it as he ran. "I'm going to beat you!"
With that Asta and Bakugo reached each other, mainly because the speed Bakugo was going at was such that the gap was closed in seconds, and Asta swung his sword at the airborne Bakugo just as Bakugo was bringing his arms around to blast Asta. However Asta wasn't going for a strike on Bakugo but rather a block as he swung the shorter, lighter, sword around as fast as he could and got it up edge wise facing Bakugo as Bakugo's hands raised, light glowing in his palms as he readied his explosions and then thrust it outwards as soon as he was sure he'd hit Bakugo's palms as he blasted Asta with explosions from them.
Asta's opening plan was simple, get the sword up into a block and then thrust it to nullify Bakugo's Quirk Factor, it was why he went for the lighter sword as his great sword was too slow for this. There was no point in going for a body blow, that wouldn't nullify Explosion and Bakugo's speed and reactions would still land his own hit on Asta, so Asta had to come up with something different and play off what he'd seen of Bakugo so far. That was where the block came in as it got him right where he needed to be to ensure that he could pull this off though with Bakugo's skills Asta could only pull this off with the lighter of his two swords.
In theory it was a good plan that would enable Asta to hit Bakugo's Quirk Factor right away as the instinctive reaction to what Asta was doing would be to intercept with your hands. Even if Bakugo proceeded with his explosions Asta would cut through them and hit him regardless. From there Asta would push back and then use his swords as blunt weapons like he did with Ida until he won.
It was a solid plan and against most others this would have worked but Bakugo had already deduced that Asta was going to go for his Quirk Factor before the battle started and the moment he saw the move it confirmed to Bakugo that that was Asta's plan. So, rather than act like you'd expect, Bakugo showed his own skills and determination by resisting his natural urge and raising his hands higher, above the blade and then unleashing his attack.
It was a calculated risk, one that gave Asta a massive opening but it was also needed to ensure that Bakugo didn't get his Quirk nullified and ensured that he landed the opening hit. Asta saw this and his eyes went wide in shock as his sword passed under Bakugo's arms, his own fully outstretched from the thrust, and the explosions rippled out. That said, Bakugo wasn't the only one who could resist natural urges to land a hit and try and win a fight. After all, neither boy would have made the final if they weren't able to do whatever it took to win no matter what happened to them in the process.
That was why the moment Asta realized that his initial plan had failed he gripped his sword hard and swung it with his arms extended. As such, and with roars from both boys, Asta swung his sword into Bakugo's chest with enough force to wind him and toss him back but that was it at the same time that Bakugo's explosions blasted out and into Asta's face blinding him and staggering him as he swung through his hit with all the force he could put into it.
"Bastard!" Bakugo roared as he flipped back and swung his arms behind him to blast forward as Asta spun.
Asta didn't say anything, his eyes were closed and he could feel the heat on his face from the explosion. His vision was gone for the moment but with Bakugo's explosions he could use his ears to track him. That was all Asta needed as he spun around, another rend appeared with the hilt of his great sword coming out of it and he grabbed it with his right hand to draw it and continue spinning as Bakugo charged him. It wasn't a moment too soon as a second later Bakugo unleashed another explosion at him trying to use Asta's temporary blindness to his advantage and avoid the swords.
This time around Bakugo's explosion didn't land and Asta cut through it, dispersing it as he spun and not even feeling the heat from it. That didn't deter Bakugo however as he landed on the ground after his second explosion, roared, and unleashed a flurry of explosions at Asta as Asta spun and sliced through them. Bakugo just kept the explosions up, alternating hands as he blast them while standing there but Asta didn't stop spinning. It was impressive, the loudmouth had his eyes closed and was spinning, yelling as he did, but he didn't lose his balance or move towards the edges as he spun.
Asta's defense was near impenetrable as both his swords were out and even if Bakugo moved to try for different angles from above or around Asta, the other boy would hear them and move his swords so it wasn't going to work. Bakugo was fine with that though as he finally stopped his explosions just as his wrists began to tingle from the recoil though he did use the last few more to propel himself backwards and give himself space rather than actually try to hit Asta with them.
So far Asta had show his mettle and a new plan was needed but Bakugo was more than ready for that as he had a bold idea that could change things in his favor. All he needed for it to work was to have Asta facing him so as soon as Bakugo had the distance he needed he stopped unleashing his explosions. The moment that happened Asta knew that something was up and stopped spinning.
All the explosions had come from the same direction so Asta was able to finish his spin facing said direction though he'd not really been able to tell the range of the explosions as he'd been solely focused on nullifying them. He'd done that though so soon as he came to a stop, Asta rested his swords on the ground and opened his eyes. It was a testament to his physical fitness, cardiovascular endurance, and strength that he was barely winded by it as he and Bakugo locked gazes.
So far they'd only really tested each other to show that they could keep pace and weren't holding back. Both had landed a hit with Bakugo's chest bruised and still sore from Asta's sword and Asta's face singed from the explosion but that was it as both attacks hadn't been as strong as the boys would have liked. Bakugo had pumped several explosions at Asta and he'd nullified all of them.
"Not bad, you're making this interesting." Bakugo said still grinning. "But you're not going to hit my hands."
"So, you figured it out." Asta said as he raised his swords off the ground and took a defensive stance. "What I was going for that is."
"Wasn't hard." Bakugo said as if it was obvious. "You've faced a few who have whole body Quirk Factors so it might have confused me but you gave it away against Four Eyes. Right at the start you went for his his legs where those engines are and when you hit one it cut out so I knew you had to hit the Quirk Factor to negate someone's Quirk directly and not just the effects of it. Makes it harder for you against a localized factor."
"Got it in one." Asta said unable to deny it. "But if you think that that's enough for you to win then you've got another thing coming. I may have missed your Quirk Factor but I can still win without hitting it if need be."
"Oh I know that you've got some tricks up your sleeve." Bakugo said raising his left hand and bracing his wrist with his right hand just liked he'd done against Round Cheeks surprise attack from above. "How about you show me that, Asta."
At that Bakugo suddenly unleashed a massive explosion that he'd been building up as he got hotter and sweated more from this battle. For scale it was an explosion that exceeded even the one he'd used on Uraraka in the last 16 and his wrist almost broke from the explosion but Bakugo just grinned as he set it out and across the battlefield with enough force to blacken and churn up some of the concrete on the ground and right at Asta.
"That's not a problem for me!" Asta roared as he dropped his smaller sword, grabbed his great sword in both hands and choked up on it like a baseball bat, and swing it flat of the blade at the explosion that had been blasted at him with a roar. "Have a taste of your own Quirk, Bakugo!"
The whole explosion covered the battlefield but Asta still slammed the flat of his sword into the explosion so that the portion that was around him hit it with a clang and was reflected back at Bakugo with twice the force it had been sent at him while not affecting Asta at all. With all the explosions around him there was now a full on bombing fest as the reflect mixed with the original but Asta didn't care as he yelled over it and sent part of Bakugo's Quirk right back at Bakugo who was the only one currently visible due to the direction and intensity of the explosion. However, Bakugo just grinned as that was exactly what he wanted.
That was because this wasn't like when the copycat bastard had copied Explosion and used it on him in the Cavalry Battle, this was his own explosion and even though Asta had blasted it back at him it was still his and as such he was immune to it which was exactly what Bakugo was going for. Without a word he blasted forward and through the reflected explosion right at the unaffected Asta, the explosions around him masking his own explosions and the only results being his clothes getting singed and ripped in places.
"That trick won't work on me!" Bakugo shouted as he burst through the explosions and right at Asta, the distance too close for Asta to move but only stair wide eyed as Bakugo raised his hands and blasted explosions from both right into Asta's chest and bypassing his great sword that was to his side following the reflection with the explosions also arresting his momentum and allowing Bakugo to come to a stop. "Die!"
Asta let out a roar of pain as he was blasted back, the front of his shirt singed away and his bare chest being burned as he flew through the air and towards the edge with a backflip. Bakugo's blows may have been slightly weaker as he was using both hands, and his left wrist was really stinging now, but it was still enough force to blast Asta out of the back of the battlefield.
Well, it would be if Asta didn't twist in the air and slam the tip of his sword into the concrete and burry it a good few inches in it so that it created the needed friction to slow him down and bring him to a stop well before the back line with just a gouge in the concrete from it. As soon as it did Asta flopped down and landed on his feet bent over and panting from the blow he'd taken but he kept his head up and eyes locked on Bakugo so that he could see any attack that might be coming for him.
However, that gouge alone told Bakugo something and gave him a new idea to test with Asta's Quirk that he'd not thought of before this battle and would be taking a leaf out of one of Bakugo's opponent's books. This was going to get interesting but before then Asta was already shouting.
"What the hell!" Asta yelled as he stood up and ripped his ruined shirt off so he was fully shirtless before an uninjured Bakugo with a good portion of his broad chest burned now. "You aren't affected by that?"
Bakugo didn't respond, he just grinned and Asta realized what was going on. He wasn't as sharp with Quirks as people like Midoriya or Bakugo or Nero were but he understood enough to pick things up that he saw in battle and he'd seen one of those things now that it was on display for the first time. There was more to Bakugo's strength then just his powerful Quirk and sharp mind. That alone wouldn't be enough to maximize a power like that because with the nature and destructive damage of Bakugo's explosions they should be an issue for him, unless of course they didn't affect him.
"You're immune to your own Quirk." Asta said as he tensed his knees and then pushed off the ground and charged Bakugo ripping his great sword out of the ground in the process and cocking it back and to the side. "Well that won't stop me!"
"You're smarter than you look in battle." Bakugo said as he raised his right hand and blasted off an explosion that Asta cut through, which was the point as it was just a distraction so the he could use his left hand to blast himself up and over Asta, twisting and flipping in the air before sending an explosion at Asta's back for good measure. "This is getting real good. Keep it up, it will really show that I'm number 1 when I beat you."
"Still not enough!" Asta roared turning and cutting through the second explosion the moment he heard it as Bakugo got his arms up and blasted two more, one after another from his hands, to blast backwards and keep Asta busy as he cut through them as well. "I won't lose!"
"Neither will I!" Bakugo shouted back as he landed in a crouch on the ground and slid on the soles of his boots backwards until he came to a stop most of the way down the gouge Asta had made in the ground and picking up some concrete chips in his right hand for his next attack. "This is just the battle I need to win to show that I am the best! Let's see that Quirk of yours stop this."
At that Bakugo raised his hand and blasted another explosion at Asta only this time he had the concrete chips in his hand allowing him to turn them into improvised shrapnel that he sent out and at Asta with the explosion. If this worked then Bakugo was sure he had the match and the full understanding of how Anti-Quirk worked.
Asta didn't notice that as the explosion hid the shrapnel so he just cut through the it like before but as he did he heard the dings of concrete on metal as some of the chips hit his sword just before he felt a series of sharp, stinging pains in his chest, shoulders and face. As the explosion died down he raised his hand to his jaw were he felt a line of pain along it and pulled it away to see blood on his fingers.
That shocked Asta and that shock continued as he moved his hand to his chest and pulled out a bit of concrete that had imbedded in his pec. Finally he notices that there were a few more in his chest, abdomen, and shoulders as small rivulets of blood ran down his neck, chest, and arms.
"You used the concrete I churned up?" Asta asked looking at Bakugo who was now grinning madly as his theory was correct. "Just like Uraraka did against you."
"She did something different but that was impressive so I adapted it to my needs in this battle as I realized when your sword hit the concrete that it didn't get rid of it." Bakugo said as he slammed his now glowing hands down on the ground and built his next explosion. "Even though it was placed here with a Quirk, and I bet it can't be controlled at the moment thanks to your sword gouging it, it's still a solid substance not made by a Quirk and that means that your swords can't deal with physical objects. I've won this!"
With that Bakugo roared and blasted his explosions with as much force as he could manage without doing more damage to his already sore wrists into the concrete. The area around Bakugo glowed with a bright light before the explosion ripped out of the ground and blasted concrete all around Bakugo though the majority of it was blasted in front of him. that meant that a good portion of it was blasted into the air there and Bakugo stood with it, hand up, and sent off another pair of powerful blasts into the concrete to send it at Asta. Of course Asta wasn't going to just take this.
"I'm not done yet!" Asta roared as he charged forward, dismissing his sword as he did and ran for Bakugo without a weapon. "I'm going to be the Wizard King so I've got to beat you!"
The sword would only slow him down for the moment and Asta didn't care about the damage he'd take because if he was going to win in the field he'd have to do so injured at times so he'd show that he could do it now as he ran at Bakugo as Bakugo blasted the rubble at him. It hurt and scored several hits on Asta's body making him bleed more but he yelled as he pushed through it, staggering slightly but his drive and momentum kept him charging forward as he resummoned his great sword, a rend appearing and grabbing the handle of the sword to pull and swing at the same time.
"My Quirk is never giving up!" Asta roared as he swung.
For the first time all day Bakugo was surprised, and pissed as this was just the kinda shit that Deku would pull, as Asta pushed through the shrapnel and got close enough to use his longer sword and go for Bakugo's hands once again as he'd left them up following his blast just in case he needed another one. That was something that Bakugo couldn't allow but Asta had gotten to him faster than expected and he had not time to use another explosion so all he could do was raise his hands out of the way and take the heavy sword that Asta swung with all his strength in the left side of his chest.
There was a cracking sound that was Bakugo's ribs as Asta broke several of them with his sword and the fractured rips punctured Bakugo's left lung as he was blasted to the side, his jaw clenched to avoid yelling at the pain that exploded in his chest. Asta wasn't quiet as he roared through the hit and sent Bakugo flying to the edge of the battlefield.
Despite this, Bakugo too wasn't done and he pushed through the pain in his chest and get his arms under him to blast downwards and rocked himself up into the air angling himself so that he was over the battlefield before blasting for a second time to increase his altitude. As he did he coughed and blood spewed from his mouth confirming what Bakugo thought about his left lung.
Even with all the pain he was in Bakugo grinned as he blasted yet again and got even higher into the air, blood running down his chin, and looked down at Asta as the other boy stood there looking up at him with his great sword still in his hands. This was just the final he wanted, a slug fest with a strong opponent who not only pushed him to go beyond but forced him to think and adapt in the battle as well. Winning this, especially after beating Yuno, would really solidify that that entrance exam was an anomaly and Bakugo was the true top student in the first year Hero Course.
That meant that it was time for this move once again only this time it was going to be even more powerful as Bakugo blasted down once more to reach the top level of seats before flipping his legs behind him. As he did Bakugo crossed his arms and began to unleashed more explosions that spun him in a tornado and down right at Asta.
Asta saw this and knew exactly what it was, it was the same move that Bakugo used to beat Yuno. That was a good sign in a way as it showed that Bakugo was taking Asta as seriously as he took Yuno but it also wasn't a good one as the force if generated would really do damage. To add to it, intercepting it with the flat or edge of his blade would be hard, same for intercepting Bakugo as he dove with a speed greater than any he'd shown so far in the Sports Festival.
No, the only thing Asta could do was leap back from where Bakugo was diving so that he wasn't touched by it and draw his other sword that had dismissed itself while Asta was reflecting Bakugo's massive explosion early, before moving them so that he had one in each hand and slamming them into the ground as deep as he could manage to hold him in place and thus ride out the attack before using the aftermath to win. Asta was able to manage this just in time because of how far Bakugo was diving and he yelled as he did and Bakugo reached the ground right where Asta had been standing just as Asta set himself.
"Howitzer Impact!" Bakugo roared as he slammed his right hand down right in front of where Asta had been standing as he'd never been aiming for Asta the entire time but the concrete battlefield.
As soon as Bakugo's hand was on the ground he unleashed the most powerful explosion he'd ever released in his life, stronger than the one that he'd blasted at Asta earlier in the final and enhanced by the nature of his Howitzer Impact move. The force of the blast was such that Bakugo's right wrist broke with a loud crack the moment he unleashed it but that wasn't heard over the force of the explosion that rocked the whole stadium as it blew up all around him.
The only thing that day that exceeded Bakugo's explosion was the one end of Midoriya and Todoroki's battle but that was only just a bit more as Bakugo blew apart the entire battlefield with the force of his explosion as the stadium rocked and smoke covered the entire area up to the second level of the stands. Even with his swords in the concrete there was no way that Asta could withstand it as the concrete was destroyed around him thus dislodging them from the concrete and while the parts of the explosion that hit the swords was nullified, the whole shockwave of it wasn't actually part of the Quirk and Asta couldn't nullify that.
As such he was blasted backwards and away from the explosion with a yell that no one could hear while still holding his swords. The smoke and debris was such that Asta couldn't see but he knew he was done as he was blasted back, there was no way he'd survive this and that was all but confirmed as he suddenly slammed back first into something hard and vertical, his head snapping back and into it with a sickening crack that only Asta heard.
That was the last thing he heard in the final though as it knocked him clean out and his world went black. As such he wasn't aware of anything else as he fell forward off the outer wall of the battlefield for that was what he'd slammed into and towards the grass surrounding the raised battlefield.
Asta wasn't the only one who was blasted back, Midnight was also blasted off her platform and hit the ground hard, rolling on it from experience while Cementoss braced himself in his chair as he rode out the explosion there. The entire time Present Mic was commentating on how he couldn't see and was wondering what was going on until finally the smoke cleared as the last bits of concrete debris rained down on the battlefield revealing the end of Bakugo's attack.
Bakugo was laying on his chest in the middle of the battlefield and in the center of a crater he'd made, his left hand under him and right before him, wrist clearly broken but somehow he was still conscious though he was fighting to remain so. The same couldn't be said for Asta who was spreadeagled on his chest on the grass at the base of the wall where he'd been blasted, swords in his hands for a moment before they vanished showing that he was clearly unconscious with blood caking the back of his head.
With a grin, blood still running down his chin, Bakugo used his left hand to push himself up enough to confirm that Asta was out. He'd done it and he'd done it with all his power against someone who'd given him a truly worthy final. There was no doubt in his mind, he was the best in their year and the world knew it with this win over an opponent who truly pushed Bakugo past his limits to secure this victory.
"Asta is out of bounds." Midnight said as she picked herself up and off the ground, her flail no longer in her hand so she just raised it to the air to signal it. "Bakugo is the winner!"
"Folks there it is!" Present Mic said as the crowd roared and the jumbotron changed to show Bakugo's picture and the proclamation above it that Present Mic made a moment later. "The winner of the first year's Sports Festival is Katsuki Bakugo!"
"That was a good match but I still beat you." Bakugo said as he coughed out more blood that splattered the broken concrete before him as felt his conscious fade but he managed one more word before his body pitched forward. "Asta."
With that Bakugo passed out in the crater he'd made but that didn't matter as the crowd roared because he'd won a thrilling battle that was the culmination of yet another great U.A. Sports Festival. Bakugo was still smiling as the robots hurried out to take him and Asta to the Nurse's Office to get healed up before the closing ceremony for the first years. With that, the U.A. Sports Festival for the first years, one that would be talked about for years to come, finally came to an end.
Well there it is, the Sports Festival is over and the winner of the first years is Katsuki Bakugo! I know some of you were hoping he'd lose be it to Ruby, Yuno or Asta but Bakugo's determination and drive showed that he can beat all of them though the last two pushed him to the edge and unlike in MHA he won the Sports Festival fair and square without any dishonorable bs from Todoroki. Course how that affects him is still to be seen as the finalists get healed up and then it's off to the medal ceremony and the aftermath of the Sports Festival in the coming chapters. Plenty to look forward to and the efforts of some in the Sports Festival will start to bear fruit as Class 1-A progresses forward in their goals of becoming heroes no matter the track. That is all that I have for y'all so I will leave this chapter off here. If you like this story please follow, favorite (this story and me) to keep up with it and leave a review or PM, your support is what helps motivate me to keep up this work and any questions posed before the next chapter is uploaded I will try to answer. Until next time.
Stringdog
