Written by Aduubo, Buckichamp, and PikachuSpartan.
I OWN NOTHING. KILL LA KILL IS OWNED BY STUDIO TRIGGER AND KAZUKI NAKASHIMA. MHA IS OWNED BY TOHO ANIMATION AND KOHEI HORIKOSHI.
—
"Iida is out of bounds! Bakugo is the winner!" Midnight pointed her whip towards the victor.
"Then this means that the final match will be between the two hot blooded students! Matoi versus Bakugo! Now don't be afraid folks, because I totally am not!"
Aizawa only needed to lean over slightly to find that Present Mic was shaking in his britches.
'Why is HE afraid? He isn't even the one that's responsible for the two rabid dogs.'
Izuku swallowed hard and began trembling. He turned to look at Ryuko, his neck making a creaking metal sound in the process. He saw that she had a resting scowl that looked far nastier than her usual ones. That couldn't be a good sign.
On the one hand, Ryuko was absolutely thrilled about her final match for a variety of reasons; one being that she could absolutely clobber Katsuki without interruption, and that she would have the satisfaction of hearing him say uncle. It seemed like a dream come true after all the crap he put her and Izuku through, but she still wouldn't smile.
"Let's take a 15 minute break so that the finalists can get a breather before their match! After what we just saw in the semis, I'd say it's well deserved!" Hizashi announced.
Groups of people cleared out and walked to the restrooms. Not too long after, Iida appeared on the scene.
"Iida! Welcome back! That was an awesome fight! Wait, where's Bakugo?" Kirishima asked and leaned over to see if the blonde was behind Iida.
"Oh, umm, it looks like he chose not to return," Iida answered.
"He's probably sitting in the break room twiddling his thumbs over the next match," Sato guessed.
"Given that he's going to fight Matoi of all people, that makes sense," Shoji added.
Tenya took his seat next to his trio of friends, who then all scooted towards him with observing eyes.
"Great match, Iida!" Izuku cheered.
"It was cool seeing those moves, dude," Ryuko complimented and patted his back.
"Are you okay?" Ochako asked softly.
"Slow down, everyone. I appreciate the compliments and the concern, but I'm fine," Tenya chuckled and gently pushed them back.
"I may have lost, but Bakugo won fair and square. As the class president, it is ideal to show good sportsmanship and cheer him on going forward."
"You really shouldn't though," Both Ryuko and Ochako spoke, surprising the two boys. But, Izuku was the most shocked.
"Anyway, it's not the end of the world. There are other opportunities outside of the sports festival," Tenya smiled at his friends to reassure them.
"Yeah! I'm sure there are still agencies that will take us in!" Ochako chirped.
"You did an amazing job getting this far, Iida. I have no doubt that you'll be noticed by a pro out there," Izuku chuckled.
It was a good thing that Izuku and Ochako were there to help keep the vibe in their group at an all-time high. It definitely made things a lot easier since Ryuko was the only one that was still participating in the festival. She wouldn't have known what to say to help Tenya.
"Real quick, Iida! Can you tell me your techniques when fighting? You have so much speed, but you never seem to lose control!" Izuku beamed with energy and pulled his notebook out of thin air.
Tenya and Ochako stared at him for a moment before collectively chuckling. Izuku sat for a moment and realized that he was about to go on another writing tirade and began blushing.
"It's no problem, Midoriya. I'd be more than happy to help with your training," Iida offered before the greenette could tuck away his book.
-Bzzt-
Iida felt the vibration inside of his pocket, which turned out to be his cellphone.
'Mother? What could she be calling about?'
"Everything alright, dude?" Matoi asked as she and the other two looked on.
"Sorry to cut the lesson short, Midoriya. I'd better take the call. It's important," The speedster stood up immediately and walked towards the door.
"Oh, no problem, Iida. Hope it goes well!" Izuku waved.
"I'd better head to the waiting room. It's the last match and I wanna make sure Satsuki sees what I'm about to do to her when I face her again," Matoi stood up and bumped her fist into her palm.
"You want us to go with you? For moral support? You are facing someone who you aren't going to get along with as well as Midoriya," Jiro asked, Kaminari, Mineta and Uraraka all nodding with zeal.
"Ah, don't worry about it, guys! I've got this! I can do this on my own. Thanks though!" She smiled before darting off into the halls. Matoi was moved by how quick they were in wanting to support her. She was feeling more at home at UA every day she was here.
Midoriya felt uncomfortable as he watched his friend leave the stands. That look she had earlier was not a good sign. Who knows what could happen in her fight against Kacchan?
"I'll be right back."
The greenette left his seat and immediately headed towards the exit.
"Huh? Midoriya? Where are you-" Kaminari quickly trailed off.
"Aaaaand he's gone," Sero leaned over and peered into the hallway. "I don't even see him in the halls!"
"He's going after Matoi, isn't he?" Jiro said sarcastically, as if she wasn't surprised.
"Like a knight in shining armor!" Ashido said coyly and cupped her face in her hands.
"Seriously, HOW are those two not dating?" The purplette raised a brow.
Overhearing their comments, Ochako looked down at her knees and gripped at her pant legs.
..~~~HLK~~~..
Ryuko sat in the waiting room with her chin resting on her fists. She wasn't strategizing, but was pondering about something.
"What happened between you and Izuku?"
"He really hasn't said anything, huh? And here I thought you two were somehow close."
The girl sighed heavily and tightened her fists.
"Besides, it's none of your fucking business. That shitty nerd is doing fine now. He's here, isn't he?"
She was frustrated. What happened between Izuku and Katsuki?
"Something on your mind, Ryuko?" Senketsu spoke up.
"It's nothing, Senketsu," She responded blankly.
"Your blood's bitter taste begs to differ."
She didn't even bother to make a snappy remark to that. Ryuko was so dead set on why Katsuki wasn't willing to talk about what happened.
"Ryuko?"
The girl immediately perked up and was snapped out of her stupor. It was Izuku, who stood in the doorway.
"Izuku?" She turned around in her chair to face him.
"Hey. I just came to check up on you before your match against Kacchan," Izuku took a seat beside Ryuko.
"Oh yeah, well, I was just strategizing. You don't need to worry too much about me," Ryuko shrugged and let out a fake chuckle.
"You're sure? You know you're going up against Kacchan, right?" The boy asked with a raised brow, understandably suspicious of her.
"C'mon! It'll be a piece of cake! I promise!" She winked and gave a thumbs up.
Something felt off. Izuku had suspicions, but couldn't put his finger on it. He felt that it wasn't in his place to pry for it. But, he knew he had to do something.
"Ryuko. If something's bothering you, you can talk to me. Okay?"
Ryuko turned away and looked straight forward. She didn't know what to say.
'Look at me. Just days ago I was the one trying to help him. Now, he's the one trying to help me. We both have a lot of issues, huh?'
Maybe this was the moment she was looking for, to finally settle the issue that had been bothering her.
"Thanks, Izuku. I… um, I just have a bit going on in my mind right now. I'll tell you when we have our talk after the Sports Festival, alright? I still need to focus on the fight."
Oh, right. The talk. Izuku remembered she brought that up earlier. Whatever it could be about, he was sure it was going to be another emotional roller coaster. But he had to be strong. If it's going to help Ryuko in any way, he'd gladly push forward.
"Okay. Festival first, then talk later. We can head to the beach," He smiled softly at her, and she returned the expression. They were finally getting somewhere.
"Just be careful out there, alright? Don't kick Kacchan's butt too much," He laughed a little.
Ryuko snickered before said snickering turned into a giggle. He always knew what to say, huh?
"Right, right. No promises on that though."
"Fighters! You have five minutes before the final match starts! Please head to the stage immediately!
"Welp, that's my cue," The girl pushed her chair in and held the door open so that she and Izuku could get out.
They both walked down the hallway for a few seconds before reaching a split from the arena and the stands. The duo stopped and made one last glance before separating.
"You can do it, Ryuko. Win this," Izuku said with full optimism, not one stutter leaving his lips. He then raised his fist up to her.
Ryuko smiled and bumped her fist against his and nodded.
"I promise."
..~~~HLK~~~..
"ARREEEEEEEE YOU LOVING THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSS?!"
Rows upon rows of the hundreds of people within the giant stadium rose to their feet. It was very loud, but somehow not quite as loud as when Ryuko and Izuku were facing off against one another. The girl recognized this and smirked.
'Sorry guys, but I think Izuku and I stole the show here.'
"In one corner we have the gal of the hour since the beginning! From the hero course, Ryukooooooo Matoi! Facing her is the one whose personality is as bombastic as hers! From the hero course, Katsukiiiiiiii Bakugo!"
The two fighters stood on their respective ends of the arena and faced each other. Katsuki tightened his arms, legs, but his hands remained open. His body language created the look of a wild gremlin. His angry mug never broke contact with Ryuko, who had a smug grin on her face and a slouched posture.
"This match will be where I show everyone what I'm capable of. We're skipping the warmup. Don't hold anything back," The blonde snarled, widening his smile and further furrowing his brows.
"Pfft, sure thing," The Kamui Wielder snickered halfway through her response. She didn't even pull out her scissor blade or Sync up.
A vein popped on the side of Katsuki's face when he saw that she refused his demand.
'This bitch is DEAD!'
"Let's not delay this any further! Let the final match of the first-year sports festival BEGIN!"
-BOOM!-
"RRRAGH!" Katsuki launched himself off the ground with his explosions, torpedoing towards her. Ryuko puffed a breath of air to blow some of her bangs out of her eyes before getting into a stance.
"YOU BETTER START TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY!" He pushed his hands downward and propelled himself up and over Ryuko. Katsuki extended his other hand, preparing to turn her back into a charred surface.
'Oh, it's that trick he likes to do.'
She jumped to the side, easily avoiding the explosion that lit up part of the stadium. Ryuko caught sight of his hand in the corner of her eye, which was aiming to blast her face. She tumbled underneath the blast and stood a few meters from the walking time bomb.
"Ho-Ho yeah! I see that you still have quite the temper!" The girl smirked.
"HRAGH!" Bakugo launched himself towards Matoi once again and turned his body to kick her, which she dodged immediately. Now in close quarters, the blonde threw jabs at her. She bobbed and weaved, dodging hits while blocking the others with her hands.
"Good! 'Bout time you brought in some excitement!"
Much like the fight between Izuku and Ryuko, she and Bakugo were engaged in hand to hand combat. She threw the back end of her forearm towards Katsuki, which he blocked with his hands. But it was a diversion as her other hand formed into a fist and collided with the side of his cheek.
"Agh!" The blonde was pushed back a few inches from Matoi. His face stung from the punch, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle.
"That's 4-0 now, bitch! C'mon! Step it up, Kacchan!"
Ryuko stepped in to take another shot at him with a right hook. But her punch was blocked by his forearm, which he followed up with a punch straight to her gut.
"GUH!" The girl coughed.
Katsuki went with an explosive hook, hoping to strike her in the face again. She shielded herself with her arms and was pushed back a bit. There were some burns on them, but she'd gone through worse.
"Puh! Fine. You get that one," The girl spat to the side.
"There's more where that came from," The boy growled and crouched into another fighting stance.
"Bring it!" The girl dashed towards him.
"Both fighters look pumped up! This is starting to get good!"
"Just like earlier, Matoi's recklessness gave Bakugo the opportunity to land a hit. She better stop acting like an idiot or it'll cost her the match," Aizawa said rather coldly on the microphone, which made Ryuko shudder.
It was like he was right over her shoulder, scolding her. A grin settled on Satsuki's face as she listened to the speaker.
"Tch! Bite me, teach! I can get by just fine wiping the floor with this loser!"
The two combatants collided with their elbows and traded a barrage of punches and kicks once again. Both of them wound their arms back for probably the most painful trade that the entire world had ever seen. If both ends actually connected.
Ryuko's fist barely missed Katsuki's face, her knuckle cutting his skin in the process. But he landed an explosion directly to her face. The scale of it was large enough to send the girl tumbling on the ground.
"You'd better stop underestimating me! Hurry up and transform!" He whipped his hand back and waited for Matoi to stand.
"Oww… Damn it," Ryuko murmured as she got back on her feet, stumbling a bit while doing so. She felt her face and saw some ash stuck on her fingers. Part of her hair was completely singed, but her red highlight remained untouched.
Katsuki was landing more hits on her than she wanted, maybe she should start taking this match seriously.
But, she saw that the pomeranian was fuming, probably because she was still up and kicking without serious injury. This was an opportunity to keep making fun of him, and with an entire audience watching. Maybe she could drag this on for a bit longer. She couldn't possibly pass this up.
"Seriously 'Kacchan', you've always been a huge dick. Even when we were kids, you always looked like you were wanting to throw a fit. Don't you have a mom and dad to cry to?"
"That's rich coming from you! Don't you have a dad to disappoint, you HeroFans reject?!"
Ryuko immediately stopped her tirade, her mouth clamping shut. There was no way on this earth Katsuki said that.
"The fuck did you say?"
Bakugo wiped the bits of blood from his mouth, widening his stance to prepare for a counter-attack.
"I remember your pops, slouched up with that stupid eyepatch. I bet you top dollar he's embarrassed as shit right now with that stupid get-up you're wearing."
"S-S…Shut up," Ryuko growled through clenched teeth.
"I always had this thought of, 'Man! So this is what a Quirkless punk would look like as an adult.' Looking like he belonged in a damn registry."
"I said shut up!"
"Honestly, looking back now I can see it. If he didn't get that dumb Quirk, Deku would've ended up like him. WALKING ROADKILL!"
Matoi's world stopped in its tracks. Her mind went completely blank after hearing what Katsuki had to say. Comparing her father to roadkill, roadkill she helped make.
And Izuku… Izuku…
..~~~HLK~~~..
Ryuko was back at Isshin's mansion, down in his laboratory. Everything was the same as when she first found her father. All except one thing.
Instead of her father bleeding on the ground, it was Izuku. He clutched at his stomach as blood leaked from the gaping stab wound. His eyes peered into Matoi's, the clouded, dead pupils staring into the girl's soul.
"I-I-Izuku!"
"Why… Ryuko, why?"
"I-I… I should've-"
Suddenly Izuku shook violently before Isshin's face morphed into the right side of his head, staring at Ryuko with equally dead eyes.
"Why… Did you leave me here?"
..~~~HLK~~~..
Silence. Ringing silence was all Ryuko could hear.
"What's wrong?" Bakugo sneered, but his words sounded muffled from Matoi's perspective. "Where's that fire from earlier?"
'That's what happened.'
Everything fell into place.
The world turned red. There were no spectators, no sky, nothing except her and Katsuki. And all he did was sneer.
-SNAP-
And like that, the floodgates opened and hell descended upon the ring.
"I'M GONNA FUCKING KILLLL YOUUU! YOU MONSTER!"
She was in full sync mode, but something was different; The red highlights in her suit were glowing sporadically. Steam was emanating from her at an alarming rate.
"Ryuko!" Senketsu tried to snap her out of it as she bolted at a blazing speed, catching Katsuki and everyone else by surprise.
"What the hell!?"
Katsuki weaved out of the way, but Matoi's gaze was fixed directly on him like an auto lock-on cannon.
'She's gone crazy! But her attacks are losing focus.'
He dodged another one of her wide swings and thrusted his arm forward with another blast waiting to hit her abdomen. To his surprise, Ryuko caught his forearm under hers and held on tight, not letting him go.
As he struggled to free himself, Ryuko raised her elbow right over his arm. His pupils shrunk as he watched it angle up with the sun above them.
-CRUNCH-
The scene in the ring caused everyone to gasp as Katsuki stumbled onto his knees. His left arm was twisted around a bit and throbbing, as Katsuki's eyes watered, his expression contorted and twisted as he let out a crucifying scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
This was the worst pain he'd ever felt. Nothing else came close.
"Ryuko?" Izuku's voice wavered from above. She was losing it.
"I have to stop this! RYUKO ST-"
"Not so fast, big guy!" Kirishima grabbed hold as Midoriya's foot stepped onto the ledge.
"Let go, Kirishima! Please!" Izuku begged, only for both of them to be bound by Sero's tape.
"Midoriya, we know something's wrong!" Sero tried to reason. "But we can't get involved with this. Midnight and Cementoss can stop the fight. There's no reason for you to jump in now!"
"B-but…"
Izuku trailed off as his body went lax, with his momentum shifting backward and Kirishima falling into the open seat with Izuku still wrapped with him.
"Don't worry, Izuku," Ochako attempted to console him with a hand on his shoulder. "Like Sero said, the teachers have this under control…"
The greenette could only sit and watch, the fight still hadn't been called. Both teachers on the ground were stunned silent.
"I hope…"
Unfortunately, that hope went to waste. Even with a broken arm, Bakugo kept fighting back. Thanks to Matoi running rampant on him, he was able to telegraph her moves more clearly. He blasted her multiple times, ragdolling her around the arena. Being fueled only by her anger, she kept getting up, again and again.
"Stay down, you crazy bitch!" Katsuki snarled.
Bakugo's arm would pulsate with immense pain the more he moved, hindering his evasion. This allowed Matoi to get a few punches in on him. Her fist struck deep into his ribs, before another swung right at his cheek. This was the total opposite of her match prior. This wasn't a fight, this was a beatdown.
"Why is he still fighting?! K-Kacchan needs to stop! She'll kill him!" Izuku cried out and tightened his grip on the railing. He wanted to move, but knew it wouldn't work since Ochako was glued to him.
"I knew Matoi would get angry, but I didn't think it'd get this intense," Inamuta watched in a bit of shock. He wasn't even typing on his datapad.
"It seems that Matoi has more connections with the people of Musutafu than I expected. Very interesting," Kiryuin turned her head to Midoriya, and then shifted her gaze towards Bakugo. Her curiosity wondered what the connection to these two were.
"Huh? Hold on, something's different."
Kiryuin looked back at Inamuta, who resumed typing in his data pad.
"Wait… His explosions," The greenette leaned in and squinted his eyes. "They're a lot bigger than before."
"What? Is something wrong, Midoriya?" Kirishima asked.
Matoi threw another wild hook, which Bakugo picked up perfectly. He dodged to the left and brought his arm up from below hers, bringing an explosive uppercut to her abdomen. She cried out in pain as she was launched into the air and then tumbled on the ground, laying on her side.
"From my analysis on his earlier matches, Katsuki Bakugo usually requires a short wind up time to prepare his more powerful attacks. But here, he's blasting Matoi left and right with them. How is that possible?" Houka wondered.
Now that he brought it up, Satsuki was intrigued. The boy was severely handicapped with his broken arm becoming a liability, but his attacks were stronger than ever before. A few moments later, she noticed one crucial detail, specifically from his hands.
"Inamuta."
"Yes, Lady Satsuki?"
"Tell me, what happens to the human body when it sustains an injury?" She asked him while facing straight ahead.
"Well, since his arm is broken, it would affect his autonomic nervous system. Which means…"
"...he'd either have muscle spasms, tightness in the joints, or… Oh no," Izuku felt a cold sweat run down his cheek when he came to a realization.
"...Excessive sweating."
"Excessive sweating."
"GAH!" Ryuko attempted to block the next attack by crossing her arms, but the explosion proved to be too much and broke her guard. Seeing that she was dazed, Katsuki took advantage of this by launching himself at Ryuko once again. This was similar to what he did earlier, but his trajectory was much faster. Too fast for her to track in her current state.
Before she could blink, Katsuki's boot collided with her cheek from a roundhouse kick. It sent her down onto the ground gasping for air. Ryuko attempted to feel her cheek, but immediately winced from the throbbing sore when her fingers made contact.
Something was off. She was able to take his explosions before, but now he was packing way more of a punch than at the start of the match.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the blonde clamped her face down with a bear grip, making her scream in agony since he was applying pressure to her bruised cheek. His boot stomped on her forearm while his knee pinned down her chest.
"What you did to my arm was really damn annoying. You better hope this ends quickly or I'll have to mess up that pretty face of yours."
His palm ignited a few sparks onto her face as a warning, bringing out pained shouts from the girl.
Suddenly, he felt a force pushing against his palm. Katsuki tried to push back and lock his feet down, but Ryuko's strength was overwhelming him. Between his fingers he saw her eye that was filled with pure rage, staring back at him. He could hear her snarling under his palm, she was like a wild animal.
She grabbed his collar with both of her hands, slipped through his grapple and added a broken nose to his list of misfortune as she headbutted him.
When she finally got out of his clutches, Ryuko boot kicked him right in the ribs which sent him rolling on the ground.
Ryuko stood up from her side of the arena, body smoking and charred from the multiple blasts Katsuki unleashed on her.
"Ryuko, you need to stop! Your blood is boiling right now! You need to calm down! At this rate, you could ki-"
"I DON'T CARE!" Ryuko screamed at her Kamui, instantly causing her partner to clamp up.
She lunged at Katsuki with her fist ready to add another point to her streak. The blonde jumped swiftly to the side and raised his hand for an overhead strike to her scalp followed by a massive explosion. The force slammed the girl face down into the hard concrete, briefly incapacitating her as he took a few steps back to catch his bearings.
'Damn it. She's not stopping. If this goes any longer, I'm shit out of luck. I need to finish this now. Time to blow this bitch away.'
Katsuki glanced at his injury before looking back to see that Ryuko was slowly recovering from his attack.
"You won't beat me, Matoi."
He gritted his teeth to hold back the screams of pain to get some movement in his broken arm.
"AGH! DAMN IT! C'MON!" Finally, there was feeling in his left arm again as his forearm could move, albeit with immense strain.
Ryuko groaned as she was pushing herself off of the ground. She could hear white noise in her head, and saw blood dripping from her nose through her blurry vision. Soon her head stopped spinning as she got a clear view of Katsuki in front of her. Sparks were beginning to light in his hand that she struck, followed up with a wicked smile on his face. A smile that she hated oh so much.
"GET READY, MATOI! You're about to get turned into minced meat!" Katsuki shouted at the top of his lungs before shooting up into the air. His arm hurt like crazy, like a box of needles were sewn into it, but there was no way in hell he was going to let an injury like that stop him.
He shot small explosions from his hands to propel himself into a spinning motion, creating a makeshift cyclone that headed straight for Ryuko.
"You're dead Katsuki… You hear me?" She slowly stood up and tightened her fists.
Her foot pressed hard into the ground, completely combusting it as she bolted towards the blonde. She pulled back the fist that had Katsuki's blood on it, preparing to add more to it.
"YOOOUUUU'REEE DEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!"
Katsuki reared back his good arm as his palm began to glow a bright orange. This was the final push, and he was going to put his ALL into it."
"HOWITZER! IMPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACT!"
Time came to a grinding halt as they were just inches away from each other. Once again, the audience braced themselves for impact. There was no way the match would continue after this exchange.
Wind. Explosions. Cracked tile flying everywhere. The ring was clouded in a state of pure carnage while the whiplash reached the stands, sending folks ducking for cover.
Out of the smoke, two objects were launched to opposing walls of the arena, with loud yelps and cries of pain clearly heard before being silenced.
Midnight and Cementoss were finally able to observe what happened.
Ryuko and Katsuki were both knocked out of the ring, landing on opposing walls and out cold.
"Do… do you guys need the replay?" Present Mic called down to Midnight through his earpiece.
"Yes, we do," Midnight answered back in a hushed tone over the private channel. "Though don't screen mirror until I can see whether it's appropriate for the audience to view what happened."
With that matter settled, Midnight made the formal request to summon for the instant replay equipment over the intercom. With everything in place, Midnight played the video back for only her to see initially.
"What's going on?" Izuku wondered. Why weren't they showing everyone what happened?
"Alright. Throw the video up onto the scoreboard," Midnight confirmed, as the audience finally had a look at what was happening.
The screen was split into dual monitor videos. Ryuko and Katsuki both landed out at the same time and in a very rough fashion. It wasn't pretty, but some fears were alleviated after the video wasn't initially displayed.
Midnight kept rewinding and zooming in on different spots and then zooming back out. This continued for several minutes, with much consternation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, here's the verdict upon review," Midnight called out solemnly.
"Ryuko Matoi and Katsuki Bakugo both landed out of bounds. Matoi's head and Bakugo's back hit the walls at the exact same time. We reviewed every angle available and found no discernable way to tell who's body landed out first since the knockouts were simultaneous."
"What?" Ochako gasped, as the others were shocked as well.
"Given the injuries sustained and all other factors, we are calling the finals a draw! There will be no tiebreaker contest. Ryuko Matoi and Katsuki Bakugo have both earned the right to first place in the UA First-Years Sports Festival!"
There were a few boos, but the vast majority of the audience were stunned. What had been a marvelous day quickly went south. No one was standing victorious in the ring, as both fighters were being carted off to Recovery Girl for treatment.
"Ryuko…" Izuku's lips quivered. He couldn't bear seeing his close friend being so injured. For whatever reason, he felt responsible for it. Ochako expressed the same worry before meeting with Izuku's eyes. After exchanging glances, the duo nodded, knowing what they wanted to do next.
..~~~HLK~~~..
It was quiet. Ryuko felt as if she was floating in a deep space before her senses began to kick in; she could feel the cloth of the bed under her palm and the softness of the pillow she rested on. She sat up and opened her eyes, only to have blurry vision while she scanned her surroundings. Ryuko groaned lowly and rubbed them, but her head was still fuzzy from the beatdown she just endured.
There was an object in her view that she couldn't identify. What was it? It was curved, but she still couldn't make it out. Whatever it was- Wait, it was coming closer-
-BONK-
"AHH!" Ryuko cried out and held the sore spot on her cranium.
"Second time here! Are you and Midoriya trying to see who can get sent in here the most?! I was hoping that Midoriya found a girlfriend that could be more responsible than him!" An elderly voice shouted in a fit of rage.
'Oh, it's just Recovery girl.'
-BONK- -BONK- -BONK-
"Ow! Ow! Okay! Okay! Take it easy, Granny!"
Recovery girl stopped before deeply sighing and set her cane down.
"What happened out there, Matoi? I knew you were aggressive, but I never took you to be someone that'd purposely break another person's arm," She gestured to the left of Matoi, showing a bed that was occupied by Katsuki.
Seeing him immediately made Ryuko frown and turn away. Chiyo caught onto her behavior as she originally would have just made a snappy comeback, but all Ryuko gave her was silence. This was a lot more personal than she thought. She chose not to intrude on the matter.
"His right arm is badly damaged from the injury and the continued use of his quirk, but it's nothing I can't heal. I'll be right back to talk to Eraser about both of your conditions. They're hoping to get you both out to the awards ceremony."
Chiyo cleaned up her tools and took a moment to glance over Matoi. She sulked in her bed, not looking her in the eyes and remaining silent.
"Listen, I won't ask about what happened out there. But," Chiyo gently wrapped her hand around Ryuko's shoulder. The girl looked up to meet the woman's eyes.
"I know you're a good girl, Ryuko. Whatever happened, I hope you can get it sorted out, alright? You have friends that care about you. Reach out to them."
Chiyo expressed kindness that shook Ryuko. Sure, she'd seen a lot of those that help bring up her spirit, but it was still something she was getting used to. It was especially hard-hitting since she didn't have that many motherly figures looking out for her.
Ryuko swallowed hard, trying to muster up something to say.
"Thank you," She whispered.
A smile dawned on Chiyo's face. Her words got through to Ryuko. Even though she still showed resistance, Chiyo had faith that Ryuko would get the help she needed in due time. She left the room afterward to speak with Shouta.
The Kamui wielder was left alone to collect her thoughts. She glanced at Katsuki's casted arm. She was absolutely disgusted with how much she disfigured it, but she did not feel guilty in the slightest with what happened to him.
She hoped that he damn-well learned his lesson. On the other hand, she wished that she never got that worked up in the first place. Senketsu got dragged into the fire with her because of it.
"Are you alright, Ryuko?"
Speak of the devil.
After all of that, Senketsu's main priority was keeping her well-being in check. It made her happy, but further cemented her guilt. A small "mhm" escaped from her lips in response, as she didn't want to speak while alone with Katsuki in the room.
"Ryuko!" Izuku called out once he found her in the hospital bed.
Ryuko perked up once she saw Izuku and Ochako waltz in. First Senketsu, and now them? It definitely brought some life back into her, but not enough to bring her back to her usual self. Seeing Izuku in particular just added to her dismay.
"You feeling okay? That fight got really heavy," Ochako asked, to which Ryuko responded by only nodding.
Izuku was troubled by how long she continued to remain silent. In the corner of his eye, he saw Kacchan in the other bed. The blonde however, was facing away from everyone, not saying a word.
There was so much tension in the room, but Izuku was still adamant on giving Ryuko a sense of comfort.
"You don't have to say anything now, Ryuko. But whenever you're ready, you can talk to us. We're your friends. We'll help however we can."
He spoke with a focused gaze and a soft demeanor, wanting to approach this as delicately as possible. Ochako nodded her head in agreement.
Hearing that only made Ryuko tense up and look away from the two, which set off a red flag for them. Before they could ask more questions…
"I AM HERE! SLIDING INTO THE ROOM WITH STYLE!"
All Might burst onto the scene, crouched with his arms angled upwards. He just had to make a pose every time he appeared, huh?
"Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you are all doing well. This year's Sports Festival was truly a marvel to behold! I'm proud of every one of you."
"Thank you, All Might!" Ochako responded with a smile.
"T-Thanks, All Might…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head bashfully. Even though he was familiar with All Might's presence, he still hadn't gotten used to receiving compliments from his idol.
Both Ryuko and Katsuki remained silent.
"You are very welcome. If I may interrupt your visit, I'd like to discuss something with Young Matoi and Young Bakugo in private. It won't be too long, I promise!" All Might assured them.
Both Izuku and Ochako looked to Ryuko once more before they both nodded and made their way outside of the medical room, closing the door on their way out.
"Young Bakugo, Young Matoi. You both have made an outstanding performance throughout the festival. Unfortunately, we did not plan to hand out two golden medals. But, we have come to a compromise!"
"I don't want it."
All Might stopped in his tracks, shocked by what Bakugo said. Even Matoi's eyes rose past her bangs to glance at the blonde.
"Give it to Matoi. I told everyone that I would become the undisputable champion. This win means nothing. I'd rather be in second place instead of sharing first because this fucking school decided to gift wrap it to me," Bakugo scoffed and faced away from everyone.
"It's just another way to lie."
Silence befell the entire room as All Might was stunted for words. It didn't help that Matoi had refrained from saying anything either. This was super awkward. Midoriya made it look so easy every other time.
"Young Bakugo, I can assure you that nobody intends to lie," All Might gently placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"You truly do deserve all the praise for your excellent performance today. Your declaration still holds merit to everyone. But, I will accept your decision. Just know that your achievements today are nothing to brush off. I am eager to see how much stronger you will become moving forward."
Bakugo sat for a few seconds before he merely scoffed and brushed the hero's hand off of his shoulder. He acted like he didn't care, but Matoi recognized that he didn't react right away. Katsuki really did take a moment to let All Might's words sink in.
"Now Young Matoi, congratulations on your victory. Your standing as a representation for the Quirkless has been truly inspiring. That's what it takes to be a hero. You've grown a lot since the very first Battle Trial. Be proud of your accomplishment."
Ryuko didn't speak, let alone look at All Might directly. What he said about her, all that mumbo jumbo of what makes a hero, was dead wrong. She wasn't a hero. She was a hypocrite. A hypocrite that lost her cool in front of everyone. Ryuko cursed the fact that all it took was Katsuki spewing back insults that she was saying to him. She was nothing but a bully.
'These two are going to have to work things out at some point,' Toshinori thought. 'But for now, I'd better try to get them up and moving.'
"We'd better get going. The ceremonies are about to start. Chin up, everyone," All Might instructed. Matoi and Bakugo soon got out of their beds and went down the tunnels in silence.
As they walked down the halls, Bakugo trailed behind Matoi and All Might. Something was on his mind, like a pulsating headache that wouldn't stop. The tie between him and Matoi wasn't the annoyance he was dealing with. It was something else.
'God damn it. I couldn't beat her. It was only a tie. She didn't even take me seriously until she got pissed.'
The boy gritted his teeth and clenched a fist in his casted arm. It hurt like hell. But, not as much as the one thought.
'But Deku nearly beat her.'
..~~~HLK~~~..
Ryuko stood solemnly on the first place pedestal while Bakugo stared blankly ahead on his spot.
All the while, Izuku felt a bit excited but the mood was not how he expected it. The final match put a damper on the proceedings, and it was a more reserved crowd.
Midnight didn't like the vibe at all, as she stepped in to get things rolling.
"All of the first year events have been concluded! Now sit back and enjoy the awards ceremony!"
Fireworks that were set up around the stadium started flying into the air and bursting into marvelous colors, eliciting cheers from the fans. Now this was a bit better!
"I know that last match was intense, but I didn't expect Bakugo to be so restrained," Jiro raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. I think we're all kinda shocked by that," Sero agreed.
"Matoi got first place though! YOU ROCK GIRL!" Ashido yelled out, but Ryuko didn't budge.
"Uh oh, this isn't good," she murmured.
"Tenya Iida actually shares the third-place award with Izuku Midoriya, but unfortunately he had to leave for family reasons," Midnight clarified to the crowd.
'Poor Iida,' Izuku thought. His brother was in the hospital, and now he was on his way over to Hosu. He hoped everything was okay. Midoriya knew how much Ingenium meant to the speedster.
"Now it's time to distribute the medals! And only one person can do that properly!"
"AHAHAHAHAHA!"
Everyone looked up to the top of the venue above the main video board.
"No way!" Several fans gawked while many others fawned and smiled.
"IT'S ALL MIGHT!" Several shouted as he made the leap over the crowd.
"I am here with the medals!" His voice boomed over the intercom system while Midnight smiled. This should definitely help morale.
With a mighty -THWOOM!-, The Symbol of Peace landed, kneeling with his head bowed.
The crowd roared. All Might was there and that's all that mattered to them.
"These first years are so lucky!" One crowd member mused.
"I can't believe they have the best hero in the world teaching them!" Another fawned.
"If he's so great, then why did that happen?"
The other crowd members within the vicinity turned to the person who made that last comment.
"What is all that violence good for? Is he really going to prepare the next generation of heroes?"
No one dared say anything. A fighting match in the stands was the last thing people needed. But a particular heiress took note of the exchange.
'This is quite peculiar,' Satsuki mulled. 'Are people losing their faith?'
Down in the pit, Midnight handed over the three medals to All Might: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
Taking them with care, All Might stepped up to the first, and maybe most important person, he knew.
He beamed with pride, though no one could tell the difference through his smile, as he approached Midoriya. The boy tensed up as he looked up into his mentor's eyes.
"Young Midoriya, congratulations," All Might started as he gently laid the medal around Midoriya's neck.
'I can't believe this is real!' Izuku's eyes watered as All Might continued to talk.
"You went from breaking your bones to surprising everyone today. You've made such a drastic leap and showed the world who you are."
This praise was almost too much. Izuku was happy as could be. But then All Might leaned down to pull him into a gentle hug and patted his back.
"You really were amazing, kid," Toshinori spoke in a lower tone. Words meant only for his successor. "I'm so proud of you! But we both know this is only the first of many steps along your journey. Still, celebrate your success tonight and we'll talk soon, I'm sure."
"Yeah," Izuku sniffled, holding himself together. Barely.
All Might rested his right palm on Izuku's shoulder for a brief moment before moving over to Katsuki.
"Young Bakugo, congratulations."
Bakugo stuck to being silent as All Might hung the medal around his neck. He never even made eye contact with the hero.
"What I said back there was true. You have shown great strength and prowess today, as well as willpower. Even when backed against the wall, you found a way to take advantage of whatever opening was present."
All Might leaned forward to embrace him.
"But you must control that temper of yours. You may not have been the most aggressive, but you still instigated what happened in the match."
All Might stepped over towards Ryuko and was met with a similar demeanor as Katsuki's.
"Congratulations on your first place victory, Young Matoi. You have been an all-star performer throughout the entire Festival. Your strength, passion, and energy have really resonated with everyone watching today. I have no doubt that pros will be scouting for you during the internships."
The hero wrapped the golden medal around Ryuko's neck. She could feel the weight of it, but it felt more like it was suffocating her. This was her moment. She was supposed to celebrate. Ryuko could practically feel the gold shining from the sun. But, all she did was turn her head away from it.
All Might soon wrapped her in an embrace.
"I know Bakugo started this feud between the both of you, but you let your anger take over the most. Rage is like a monster that will destroy you from within. It may be a source behind your power, but you must find a way to control it. I won't ask for details, but I trust you'll be able to figure this out."
He soon released her and marched down the stairs to give them all some room. Before he got any further down…
"Thank you."
All Might stopped for a moment, turning his head to see that it came from Ryuko. He took a few seconds to acknowledge her thanks and nodded with a small chuckle before continuing.
"HERE THEY ARE! THE WINNERS OF THIS YEAR'S SPORTS FESTIVAL!"
Izuku looked around the venue as everyone gave a round of applause but something still worried him.
'This crowd. At the end, something shifted. It may have been small at the time, but it would be the start of a monumental wave in the future.'
..~~~HLK~~~..
"That's it for today. Good job with the festival everyone," Aizawa spoke from the teacher's podium back in class.
"You'll have the rest of today and the next two days out of class. Enjoy the time off to recuperate and do whatever it is you kids do these days. Class is dismissed."
"Yes sir!" Everyone responded back.
With Aizawa making his exit, everyone started grabbing their stuff to shuffle towards the door.
"EVERYONE WAIT A SECOND!"
It was Mina, who quickly rushed to impede the way out.
"Uh, Ashido? What's this about?" Kirishima asked.
"All the girls stay here! We have something important to discuss. All the boys can leave!"
"Huh?" The other girls looked at one another and began to chat amongst each other. Before the guys decided to leave, Ryuko was the first to stand and walked towards the door.
"Ryuko?" Izuku called out softly.
The girl walked until she stopped in front of Ashido since she was blocking the door.
"Ashido. Move."
Matoi's voice was low and heavy, and her head was lowered. This was a red flag to anyone that knew how her temper was. Ashido's lip quivered as she was immediately intimidated, but she still wanted Matoi to stay.
"U-Umm, Wait, Matoi! Don't you want to hear about the news I have? It's going to be so coo-"
"I'm not interested," Matoi interrupted, which silenced Ashido with a squeak.
"Are you sure?" The pinkette asked one last time.
"Yeah," Matoi answered quickly.
The entire room was completely silent, all eyes were fixated on Ryuko. Mina attempted to speak up once more, but knew that it'd only set the girl off. She sighed and stepped to the side, letting Ryuko leave.
"Ryuko…" Izuku murmured as he watched her walk off. His eyes stared at the door for a moment longer before looking over at Tenya's empty seat. First him, and now Ryuko.
The Sports Festival was the event of a lifetime for them. They should be excited. They should be celebrating. But it all felt wrong. The atmosphere for the school was starting to change. Izuku began to worry about what could happen later down the line for his two friends.
Mina peeked outside to check if Ryuko was gone. And sure enough, she was completely out of sight. She faced her classmates and tried to smile again so that she could deliver the news, but it looked melancholy.
"Umm, so…yeah. Guys still need to go first. Us girls will stay here."
All of the guys agreed and made their way outside. Izuku was the last one out before Mina stopped him by lightly tugging on his sleeve.
"Midoriya. Umm, can you stay?"
"Huh?" The greenette questioned.
"Listen, this was originally going to be just between us girls, but Matoi isn't in a good mood right now. It'd be really cool if she still came with us. So… Can you stay here and listen? You're the only one I think who can tell her about this. Can you do that?"
Ashido looked at him with a soft, and yet firm gaze. She didn't want to pressure him, but she needed him to know that this was serious. Midoriya looked away and pondered. Knowing Mina, she was the definite party girl of the class. Whatever she might suggest may help Ryuko.
"Yeah, I can do that," Midoriya nodded.
With all the boys except Midoriya out, Ashido finally had her chance to talk. She smiled now that there was hope that Matoi might join them.
She clapped her cheeks with her hands and took a deep breath. She needed to get pumped up. This announcement needed that good ol' Ashido energy.
"I got us some backstage passes to meet Ichiro Tanaka! He's that new, dreamy model that hit the scene a little while back and I won a raffle for us to go see him at the Tokyo Fashion Show!"
"OH MY GOSH!" Hagukure squealed. "For REAL?!"
"Yes!' Ashido stressed. "I was gonna tell you guys before the festival started, but Iida cut me off and I figured now was the only time to tell you. It's a girls bonding night!"
"Oh, I get it now. Ryuko could probably use that time to do something different," Midoriya noted.
It didn't sound like a terrible idea. Ochako wasn't quite as enthused, and Momo was mulling it over.
"And what about-"
"Midnight." Momo was cut off. "I was talking to her before the one-on-one fights and she agreed to go with us as the chaperone!"
"Oh yeah. I remember that now," Midoriya recalled. "You were chatting it up with her before anyone else returned from lunch."
The pinkette spun in a circle for a moment, her smile wide.
"I'm not letting anyone leave this room until they say yes. C'mon! It'll be fun!"
The girls didn't have a lot of opportunities to do things together without the guys, and it at least would be a change of pace for everyone.
"We also get to take a limo with snacks."
"I'm in!" Ochako agreed.
Midoriya thought it all over. It wasn't exactly her style, but maybe Ryuko needed a change of scenery to take the edge off.
"I'll see what I can do. Either Ryuko or I will send Ochako a text on what's going on. Sound good?"
The pinkette gave off a softer vibe as she looked at the greenette.
"Thanks Midoriya. Sorry to put this on ya, but I really hope she'll come."
Turning to the other girls, she raised her fist with a vibrant smile.
"We'll meet out in front of the school at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow and the Limo will take us to Tokyo!"
Turning back to Midoriya, she sported a pouty face.
"And gimme Matoi's phone number too! It's not fair that you and Uraraka are the only ones that get to hang out with the cool gal!"
Kyouka snickered in the back, catching Mina's attention.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing," Jirou replied.
'Except me and Iida also have her number.'
..~~~HLK~~~..
Once Mina's announcement was finished, Izuku darted out of the classroom immediately and jogged down the hall. His next stop: Ryuko's apartment. Thankfully, Mako could be supportive to her for the time being. He really hoped that she was doing okay.
"Deku."
Izuku immediately stopped in his tracks so hard that it sounded like tires scraping by on the road. He sucked in air through his nose and exhaled very deeply. His knees locked and his spine started to shudder. Ochako now addressed him by his first name, so that left only one other person that called him by that name.
Katsuki stepped out of the hallway and faced Izuku. His eyes weren't the usual wild angry look that he was known for, but were now low and focused. He was serious. The hallway's narrow path centered around the two in either direction, making sure that the greenette only saw him and nothing else.
"Matoi. What did you tell her?"
"What do you mean?" Izuku asked.
"Don't fucking act like you don't know what I'm talking about."
Izuku mostly avoided the blonde during the end of the Sports Festival to avoid any more drama, but now he couldn't keep his eyes off of the elephant in the room: Kacchan's arm in a cast.
The arm that Ryuko broke.
"You're looking at it. You know exactly what I mean. I know she hated me, but nobody would lose their shit like that during the Sports Festival. You obviously told her about what happened, didn't you?"
"No."
Katsuki gasped inwardly. Izuku's quick response time caught him off guard.
"I didn't tell her. I didn't tell her anything that she doesn't already know. Whatever set her off…"
Izuku looked Katsuki dead in the eyes with a soul-piercing glare.
"...It's all on you."
Ryuko may have gone off the rails, but he knew it was within reason. And it made him angry too.
"Maybe now you'll know that the things you say can hurt people."
Izuku began walking and brushed past Katsuki, who was too stunned to form words.
"Like when you told me to kill myself."
To Be Continued…
Buckichamp A/N: We are TFS. LMAO! /9HMsyNpw400?t=225 (3:45-4:20)
If FFN is being difficult, just watch Dragon Ball Z KAI Abridged Parody: Episode 2.9 (April Fools 2019) from 3:45 to 4:20. It's a perfect summary of our dynamic.
Buckichamp as KaiserNeko
Aduubo as Takahata101
PKSpartan as Lanipator
Anyway, you really expected us to just hand one of these two the damn medal and people go home happy?
Nonsense! If you've been following the whole arc since the beginning (See Chapter 5 and ESPECIALLY since Chapter 18), you'd have seen this coming. Also seeing how many people would be wrong here about certain characters was shocking, yet not surprising with the route we chose to go.
I yield some of my remaining word space to my co-writers.
Also yeah. We're back.
Aduubo A/N: If you guys really think about it, this is basically our one year anniversary of HLK. Er Technically we started writing the very first chapter on August 4th, 2021. But it still counts!
Also a new IzuOcha dub is going to be up on soon! Check it out on my p. a t. ro n if you want to see it early! hehe