Ember Sunblaze: Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! With family visiting during the month of December and then getting sick with Covid over the New Year, it took a quite while to get this chapter to get rolling. But I am pleased with how it came out :) This will be the last of the big "team building" chapters, before we start introducing villain drama. Again I would love to hear your thoughts on the chapter so please leave a review! ^^
Chapter 6: The Games Pt. 2
With "Rocking Thunder '' down for the count, the next set of teams took to the court to prep for their showdown against each other. On one side stood "Mighty Gravity", consisting of Midoriya and Uraraka. And on the opposite end stood "Invisible Explosion of Death to All", which consisted of Bakugo and Hagakure.
Team Mighty Gravity instantly huddled together, with Midoriya scratching out a plan of attack in the sand. Uraraka crouched beside him, smiling brightly as they conversed. Overall, the atmosphere was quite laxed, the two partners already used to engaging in team scenarios together. The opposite could be said of the opposing team, who at the moment stood apart in a frosty silence.
Hagakure observed Uraraka and Midoriya with wistfully longing, wishing she could be having as much fun as they seemed to be having. She shot a dirty glance at Bakugo, who was keen to strategize in silence and alone. Sighing in defeat, she decided to try to make the best of her situation in the only way she knew how…annoying him.
"You know…Bakugo." She began, arms raised to the sky as she stretched. "You should be feeling pretty lucky right now."
"And why should I?" He asked, not even bothering to turn her way.
"Cause I'm probably the cutest partner you'll ever be paired up with…like ever." She emphasized.
"You're freaking the hell can you even tell if you're cute or not?" Was his blunt reply that caused the visibly impaired teen to seeth.
"MEANIE!" She exclaimed, pointing an angry and totally not visible finger at him. "I'M FREAKING ADORABLE!"
"I'll believe it when I see it."
This comment only further her outrage. "Has anyone ever told you, you are literally impossible to deal with?"
"Since the day I was born."
She had no doubt that this was true. She gave a heavy sigh, looking to the heavens pitifully.
"This sucks. Why do I have to be partners with you? You're no fun at all!"
"We're not here to have fun!" Bakugo snapped. "We're here to win! So cut the crap and get serious! Cause there's no way in hell I'm losing against that damn Deku!"
Hagakure rolled her eyes. "You do realize this is just a game right? It's okay to lose every once in a while."
"I. Don't. Lose." Was Bakugo's simple response.
"I guess that's the winner of the sports festival for you." Hagakure could already tell there was no fighting this particular competitive streak. "Well if you can't beat them, join them!" She decided, clapping her hands together as she decided to get the team spirit going.
"Fine! Let's talk about our strategy!" She exclaimed brightly. "Get this! I strip and make myself totally invisible!" She started to untie her top. "They'll never see me coming!"
"Keep your damn clothes on." Bakugo replied, pulling his arm in front of him as he stretched out his shoulder muscles. "How in the world would you think becoming even more invisible will accomplish anything?"
Hagakure scoffed. "Well duh! The opponents won't be able to tell where I am! So just when they think they're about to get a point, I'll show up and WHAM!" She kicked sand in Bakugo's direction, much to his annoyance. "I'll hit it right back in their faces! They'll be too shocked to react!"
Now it was Bakugo's turn to roll his eyes. "You moron! How in the hell am I supposed to know where you are if you're invisible?"
A silence fell between them as Hagakure obviously didn't think that far ahead. Bakugo gave an annoyed sigh, red gaze serious as he turned in her direction.
"Listen you! Volleyball is one these idiotic sports where you, unfortunately, have to be able to see your partner. If you turn invisible, the most likely scenario would be both of us going for the same ball and ramming into each other by mistake. We're already at a disadvantage here since my peripheral vision can only catch the slightest glimpse of your bikini." He shot her with a heated glare. "Face it. Your quirk is useless here."
Hagakure felt herself bristling indignantly at the remark against her quirk. "It's not like yours is any better!"
"Don't you think I know that?!" She was surprised to hear him snap. "Who said I was planning on using it during the game? Unlike you, I don't solely depend on my quirk for everything."
"That's rich coming from someone who likes to blow up things on a whim!"
"I don't blow things up unless it pisses me off! Kind of like what you're doing now!" He turned away sharply, eyeing their opponents. "Look, all I'm saying is that a hero who relies too much on their quirk to get things done are doomed to fail."
"Hmph!" Was Hagakure's disgruntled reply.
Bakugo continued, not concerned about the girl's hurt pride. "Here's the plan. If the ball comes your way, just pop it up and I'll smash the crap out of it."
"Fine, whatever." Hagakure agreed, ready to get this game over with.
Yaoyorozu blew her whistle, signaling the start of the second game. "Okay teams! May I have the girls on each team come up to compete for the first serve with a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors?"
"What's with this girl crap?!" Bakugo demanded, watching angrily as Hagakure walked towards Uraraka.
"Because I'm worried if you and Midoriya play, someone's hand will come off." Was Yaoyorozu's truthful reply. Bakugo seethed.
"SHE'S FREAKING INVISIBLE! You can't even tell what her hands are doing?"
"Oh, yeah? I can give you a guess what my hand is doing right now?" Hagakure snapped, flashing him an invisible middle finger. Bakugo glared, clearly knowing what she meant. Yaoyorozu quickly stepped between the two.
"Now, now! Let's try to save the fighting for the actual game, shall we?" Yaoyorozu exclaimed with a strained smile. "Toru, would you be a dear and call out either rock, paper or scissor at my signal?"
"Sure." She replied, facing Uraraka.
"Okay! ROCK, PAPER, SCISSOR, GO!"
Uraraka's hand formed a rock. Both her and Yaoyorozu stared at Hagakure who had yet to say anything. "Umm..Hagakure? That was your que."
"Oopsie!" Hagakure exclaimed cheerfully. "My bad! I did scissors so I guess Uraraka wins!"
"YOU IDIOT!" Bakugo yelled furiously as Hagakure made her way back to their side. "YOU DID THAT SHIT ON PURPOSE!"
"Me?" Hagakure replied in a falsely shocked voice. "No, I would never!"
Uraraka also made her way back to her side, glancing back at their opponents worriedly as Bakugo's raging voice exploded at Hagakure. "I feel kind of bad for Hagakure. Do you think those two will be okay?"
"It's hard to say with Kacchan." Midoriya replied, with an uneasy look across the court. "But who knows, maybe Hagakure's cheerfulness will rub off on him?"
"Do you really believe that?" Uraraka asked with a chuckle, as she tossed the ball to him.
"No." Midoriya replied with a laugh of his own. Their playful banter was cut short as Bakugo's temper became directed at them.
"Don't think you've gained the upper hand just because you get first serve, Deku! I swear once that ball gets over here I'll plummet you to the ground so hard you'll be eating sand for weeks! Same for you Round Cheeks!" Midoriya and Uraraka shared an amused glance.
"Let's give them a run for their money!" Uraraka exclaimed, holding her fist out.
"Yeah!" Midoriya agreed, his fist connecting with hers.
"Come on Mighty Gravity!" Jiro cheered from the sidelines.
"Kick their ass, Invisible Explosion!" Kirishima, the ever faithful friend, cheered.
Deku took a deep breath, preparing himself for the first serve of the game. "Sorry Kacchan, but I'm not going to lose today. Not with Uraraka counting on me." He thought, throwing the ball into the air. "Serving 0-0!" He yelled, tossing the ball up and hitting it forward. It swung up, falling towards the middle of the opposite court.
"Got it!" Hagakure called out, popping it up. Instantly Bakugo came in, jumping up and slamming it downwards towards Uraraka.
"Try to get that!" He sneered, knowing good and well that a strike like that would be difficult for even a professional player to stop. His red eyes widened as a sly smile slipped across the brunette's face.
"FULL COWL 5%!"
In a flash, Midoriya zoomed in front of Uraraka, popping Bakugo's ball straight into the air above them. As it slowly fell, Uraraka reached up and the tips of both palms set the ball up once again. Both Hagakure and Bakugo watched as the ball became instantly weightless, lazily floating back up into the air. It rose high, higher than the largest palm tree on the beach, before Midoriya used his increased power to jump into the air after it. Red like veins covered his body, intense power surging through him. His hand came down hard, striking the ball with the intensity of a metal bat.
"Ahh!" Hagakure screamed, jumping out of the way as the ball plummeted into the ground, sand flying in all directions at the impact. Bakugo could only stare in shock as his team lost the first point of the game.
"I don't believe it…Deku and that damn gravity girl managed to score." Bakugo cursed silently, watching the two high five each other in a way that made him want to puke. In retrospect, he knew Deku would use at least a low level dose of his quirk to gain extra power for his shots. But he also knew that more power didn't technically mean an advantage. Like any ball sports, control is also a large factor.
"Which is where Ochako's quirk comes in." Just like Bakugo, Hagakure was also analyzing the opponent's play. "With Midoriya's increased strength, the probability of him accidentally hitting the ball out of bounds also increases. But with Ochako's quirk, she can make the ball float, allowing him to have time to better aim and control where the ball goes."
"Plus with Deku's increased speed, he can catch and set any receiving balls into the air for Round Cheeks to activate."
"It's the perfect three step plan!"
"One that takes full advantage of both their quirks."
"In other words…"
"THEY'RE THE PERFECT TEAM!" Both Bakugo and Hagakure concluded at the same time. Bakugo with fury and Hagakure with envy.
Hagakure turned to Bakugo, sounding slightly anxious as she asked. "Uh, Bakugo, we wouldn't happen to have a plan B, now would we?"
Bakugo glowered, gaze not leaving Deku as he prepared to serve again. "Nothing changes. If the ball comes to you, just set it up. Don't even dare to try to hit it back over. I'll take care of the rest."
"Are you kidding?!" Hagakure replied. "Set it? Did you see how fast that ball came down? I'm going to end up with a flat face if I get anywhere near those strikes!"
"Who gives a crap about your face! You're freaking in…."
"Say INVISIBLE one more time and I swear I'll purposely whack the ball straight into the ocean!" Hagakure hissed, the two teens coming nose to nose with each other.
"Ummm guys?"
"WHAT?!" Both Hagakure and Bakugo yelled, both turning their heads to glare at Midoriya on the other side of the net.
"Uhhh…I was just going to ask if you guys were ready for us to serve yet?" Midoriya asked, scratching his chin uneasily at the sight of the arguing pair.
"Just serve the ball you damn nerd!" Bakugo replied, stomping towards the back of the court as Hagakure stuck out her invisible…ahem….inconspicuous tongue out at him.
"1 Serving 0!" Deku yelled, serving the ball over. This time Bakugo hit it forward, again aiming it at Uraraka. And once again, Deku rushed forward, following the same pattern as the last play. The ball slowly zoomed upwards after Uraraka's set and Deku jumped, striking it down hard towards the invisible girl.
"Got it! Got it! Got it!" Hagakure chanted to herself, trying to swell the fear that was building inside of her as Midoriya jumped up to hit the ball. She barely blinked before his hand came down hard on it, the ball flying towards her like a comet. She gasped, trying to rush backwards to get her arms in a position to hit it up. In her haste, she lost her balance and fell on her bottom. She only had time to cover her head to prepare for the painful impact that was sure to come.
Except it never came. Instead, she heard a loud smack as the ball made contact and was hit back to the other side of the net. A surprised Uraraka had no time to stop it before it hit the ground, gaining team "Invisible Explosion" their first point.
Hagakure popped open one eye and found Bakugo standing over her, his arms outstretched and red from where he had struck the ball. He glared down at her coldly.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"What does it look like?" Hagakure snapped. "I fell down trying to get that ball!" He gave an annoyed tch, crouching down and holding his hand out. Hagakure stared at it. "Is he actually trying to help me?" Shocked, she reached out to grab it, but just as her fingertips grazed him, he quickly pulled away.
"Moron!" Bakugo snapped as his hand moved to her forehead, giving it a good, hard flick. "If the ball is in a position where you have to run backwards, don't even go for it! You'll just wind up on your ass, like an idiot!"
"You're….YOU'RE THE ONE WHO TOLD ME TO SET THE BALL!" Hagakure argued, rubbing the spot he flicked angrily.
"Yeah, if you're in position!" Bakugo replied, grabbing her arm and pulling her up. "If the ball goes over your head, it's mine!" He growled, letting her go and jerking his thumb to his chest.
She felt herself burning with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance and was grateful for once her skin was noticeable. Before she could think of a jab to throw back, Uraraka threw the ball over the net and Bakugo caught it. As he moved towards the back to serve, he quickly growled out instructions.
"Here's the deal, because that damn nerd knows I can take his hits, he'll probably continue to target you. Stay in the front near the net and I'll take the back of the court. If Deku hits any hard balls, I'll be able to cover behind you. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah." Hagakure replied grouchily, dusting sand off the bottom of her bikini. She rubbed her arm, her skin feeling prickly where he had touched. "He sure does like to boss people around. Always acting like such a know it all!" She moved to her position near the net, where she could see Uraraka was returning back to Midoriya.
The brunette was looking slightly embarrassed as she apologized to her teammate about the lost point. "Sorry about that! I really wasn't expecting Bakugo to make it to the ball that quick!"
Midoriya just brushed it off, lightly commenting, "That's Kacchan for you. No worries, we'll definitely be able to move ahead again. Your zero gravity quirk is amazing for games like this!"
"Aww! Thanks!" Uraraka replied, beaming at the compliment.
"Ahhh, their comradery is blinding!" Hagakure cursed, shielding her eyes from the display. "Wish Bakugo was a little bit more like Midoriya." Despite her frustration, she couldn't shake off the feeling of relief she had felt when Bakugo had saved her from that ball. "Well, I guess that was sort of nice. Damn it! Guess I should probably thank him…." That thought didn't please her.
"Hey! I'M SERVING NOW SO PAY ATTENTION!" Bakugo yelled, gaining the attention of literally everyone on the beach.
"Ummm…all you have to do is say what the score is." Yaoyorozu kindly reminded him.
"Yeah Kacchan, the score is 1-1…."
"SHUT UP!" Bakugo shouted, pointing a threatening finger at the opposing team as Hagakure just shook her head at his insanity. "I refuse to acknowledge any score that's tied with you extras!" He threw the ball up, screaming, "NOW DIE!"
Hands slamming the ball, it zoomed over the net and right at Deku. Eyes glowing an illuminated green, Deku crouched low and caught the ball with his fists. The force angled the ball straight to the other side. Bakugo was under it, popping it back over in a flash, where Deku received it and hit it right back. Both girls on the teams and the audience watched in awe as the boys duked it out between each other.
Hagakure stood firm in her position up front, staying out of the angry blonde's way as he sprinted from side to side, not missing a beat as Midoriya kept the ball coming. Their classmates cheered them on from the sidelines, enjoying the showdown between the two well known rivals.
Hagakure yawned, fanning herself as the sun's warm rays blazed down. "Geez, how long can these guys keep the ball going?" She glanced at her partner, who showed no signs of slowing down even as sweat dripped down along his well worked out body. Hagakure scoffed internally. "I hate to admit it, but he really is impressive. While Midoriya is using his quirk to increase his speed and strength, Bakugo is only using his natural athletic abilities to keep up."
"But still, I doubt he can keep this up for long." Just as these words passed through her lips, something unusual caught her eye. The smallest of nods passed between Midoriya and Uraraka, just as Bakugo launched another ball over the net. As he did so, he inched back, readying himself for another massive strike from Midoriya. Hagakure swiveled around, shouting just as Midoriya moved under the ball. "Bakugo, wait! It's a trap!"
She was right. Instead of a full on hit, Midoriya's quirk suddenly deactivated, allowing him to gently pop the ball up. Uraraka was ready. With one graceful swoop, she came under it and carefully used both hands to pop the ball right over the very edge of the net. With Bakugo being on the far edge of the court, where he had expected the ball to strike, it was impossible for him to get there in time.
"But not for me!" Hagakure, who had dutifully stayed near the net, was ready for it. She jumped, popping the ball straight up into the air and over the other side. "YES! I DID IT! I…."
In her excitement, she had actually hit the ball a little too hard causing it to fall right on the border line and out of bounds. Yaoyorozu blew her whistle. "Point to team "Mighty Gravity!"
"...Did it?" Hagakure finished flatly, disappointment sinking in. Uraraka smiled sympathetically from across the net.
"Aww, it's okay Toru! That was still a good hit!"
"Thanks, Ochak…" Before she could finish, she saw a flash of fear flash on Uraraka's face as she quickly backed away. A dark chill ran through Hagakure as Bakugo's enraged self suddenly appeared behind her. She could only "Eep!" in dread as his whole hand grasped the top of her head.
"He's going to kill me!" Her internal thoughts wailed, images of her face exploding filling her mind.
"That was a good call back there."
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO…wait what?" Hagakure blinked, confused. "Was that a…compliment?"
Bakugo continued, not even noticing his partner's bewilderment as he angrily clasped the netting. "If those scheming beach rats think they're going to pull a fast one on us, they are sorely mistaken! YOU HEAR THAT DEKU? ENJOY YOUR DAMN POINT CAUSE IT'LL BE YOUR LAST!"
With Bakugo's hand still painfully grasping her head, Hagakure felt she should contribute while he still felt unwilling to murder her for her blunder. "Uhh! Yeah! Go eat your crappy point!"
"What she said!" Bakugo agreed, nodding in approval and releasing Hagakure from his vice. Turning to her, he added. "Make sure to keep a sharp eye on those two and call out any of their tricks!"
"Aye…Aye…" Hagakure answered weakly, sinking down to the sand in relief. "Whew! So happy my face is still intact!" She glanced back at her partner, who had returned to his position, knees bent and ready for action. Despite his aggressive attitude, it seemed like Bakugo was a decent partner to have. "He yells a lot but most of the stuff he screams is actually pretty good advice." Hagakure quietly realized. "Even though I lost that point, he didn't lash out at me." She smiled to herself, feeling her mood brighten. "Maybe we can make a good team! I'm sure even Bakugo has a decent side to him!"
"Hey, No Face! Get your invisible ass out of the sand and focus! We have a game to win!"
"IT'S HAGAKURE!" She replied angrily, jumping back up quickly. From the other side of the net, Uraraka watched the exchange with slight amusement.
"Here's the ball, Uraraka!" Midoriya called out.
Turning away, she caught the ball he tossed her. As she moved towards the back of the court to serve, she quickly whispered as she passed, "I think those two are sorta warming up to each other!"
"Oh…." Deku replied, taking a quick glance just in time to see Hagakure hashing it out at Bakugo for calling her a ridiculous nickname. "You think so?"
Uraraka nodded, confident in her observation. "Definitely! Just call it a girl's intuition!"
"I'll take your word on that." Deku said with a laugh. "Speaking of intuition, I think at this point Bakugo is on to our strategy."
"Yeah and Hagakure was able to tell when we tried switching the ball position." Uraraka added. "Should we try to do something different?"
"No, I don't think that's necessary. Even if they know our technique, our quirks still give us a slight advantage. In my opinion, we should still do what we've been doing by using your zero gravity quirk to slow the ball and my quirk to do power strikes. We also need to come up with different signals to show the best moment to go for net shots."
"I'm surprised that Bakugo hasn't used his quirk yet." Uraraka wondered aloud, glancing back at their opponents. "Knowing his personality, I thought for sure he would use his explosions to zip around the court or something extreme like that."
"Kacchan's a showoff but he's not dumb." Deku explained. "It's true using his quirk would get him around faster, but the movement is less controlled so it'll be easier to accidentally hit the ball off the mark or even damage the ball with the heat that escapes from his palms." Deku hesitated before also adding. "I also have a hunch that he also doesn't want to unintentionally hurt his partner. With the small court dimension and Hagakure's low visibility, it would be pretty easy to accidentally burn her."
"You think Bakugo actually puts that much thought into the people around him?" Uraraka asked, feeling skeptical.
"I know so." Deku said with a conviction that surprised Uraraka.
"I guess you would know better." Uraraka agreed, fists coming together determinedly as an evil grin appeared on her face. "Too bad for him. I guess he won't have his super awesome quirk to save him from me this time. Today is the day I take my revenge from the sports festival and beat Bakugo! Teehee!" She turned to Deku with fire in her eyes. "This is our chance to beat him!"
Her fighting spirit slumped slightly as watched Deku cover his mouth, holding back laughter. He wiped a tear of mirth from his eye. "Sorry! I don't mean to laugh, Uraraka! I'm just not used to your competitive side." He flashed her a smile, green eyes shining as he said. "It's really cute!"
Uraraka's face turned red, steam puffing from her ears. She quickly held the volleyball up, blocking her embarrassment from view. "Well…I'm going to go ahead and serve now! PLUS ULTRA!" She added in an overly loud voice as she quickly backed away.
"Darn it Deku! I can't handle those sneak attacks!" Uraraka mumbled internally, trying to ease her racing heart. She quickly served the ball over, and allowed the match to resume.
For the most part, the match continued at a similar pace as the first two set ups, with Uraraka and Deku using their quirks to take control of the ball's position. This allowed them to gain a steady lead, but not without a fight. Bakugo, true to his nature, was fighting with teeth and claws to keep their team going. Even without using his quirk, he was a force to be reckoned with, managing to face Deku's quirk filled power hits heads on. Even Hagakure had been contributing to their team's efforts. What she lacked in skill, she made up for with keen observation of their opponents. Despite their best attempts at coming with low key signals, Hagakure had always been able to tell when Deku and Uraraka were going to go for shorter shots. Her call outs were never questioned by Bakugo, who instantly heeded her warning.
"Guess they finally found a flow that works for them." Uraraka observed, glad her friend was finally enjoying herself. She watched as Deku and Bakugo continued a long round of passes to each other. She tried to keep one eye on the ball and the other on Deku, waiting for any signals from her partner for her to interfere. "If Deku shows signs of wear, I'll jump in and stop the ball with my quirk." The only problem was finding that moment. Suddenly a small movement directed her attention to the other side of the net. Bakugo had just jumped up, and a small sphere had fallen from the pocket of his swim trunks. A flash of a pink bikini showed Hagakure had also noticed the item. She curiously moved towards it just as a shocked Uraraka realized what it was.
"TORU!" Uraraka screamed, completely ignoring the game. "Don't touch that!"
On the sidelines, the other teams sat watching the game play out with keen interest, each for various reasons. For some, it was seeing the different tactics the players used to score points using their quirks. For others, it was watching the chemistry between the players. Whether it was Bakugo and Hagakure's arguing, Deku and Bakugo's ever building up play offs against each other, or the sweet blushes passed between Midoriya and Uraraka, there was no denying there was never a dull moment between these players. But for most, the best part of this particular game was the chance to see Bakugo actually be a disadvantage. For those who have to deal with him the most, this was a monumental occasion.
"Do you think he'll actually pull through?" Kirishima wondered aloud, pupils following the ball as it was passed back and forth between Midoriya and Bakugo.
"Definitely not!" Kaminari exclaimed. "The dude will run himself ragged before they even make it to 15 points!"
"Yeah, but this is Bakugo we're talking about. The guy literally took on All Might during our midterm exams last year!" Kirisjima argued. "He's not short of endurance."
"But Midoriya has that super awesome quirk on his side, there's no way Bakugo can catch up!" Kaminari shot back.
"I wouldn't call a quirk that breaks all your bones, awesome." Jiro commented dryly. Kaminari seemed to shrink at her cold tone.
"Midoriya also has Uraraka on his team!" Ashido piped in, with a cat-like smirk. "Their chemistry's been really smoking during this game!"
Todoroki's eyes widened at this comment. "Smoking? Wouldn't that mean they are overheated? We should probably call a timeout…."
"No! No! No! We want them smoking! In fact, we want them on fire!" Ashido explained in her not so simple way that left Todoroki both confused and deeply concerned.
"I…don't think that would benefit them in the slightest."
"Hey guys…, isn't that one of Bakugo's grenade things?" Kaminari's off hand comment halted any other conversations going on. All eyes instantly focused on a round, green grenade that sat delicately in the sand.
"Oh, that's not good." Kirishima said, stating the obvious.
"What in the world is Bakugo doing with one of his hero weapons at the beach?!" Jiro asked in bewilderment.
"Well it is Bakugo…" Kaminari answered. "Bakugo kinda does whatever he wants."
"This will not end well. I better let Yaoyorozu know." Kirishima made an attempt to stand, but was instantly stopped by Ashido.
"No wait! Let's just….see how this plays out!" She eagerly suggested. So at her request the group kept silent, fully enraptured as the next chain of events unfolded before them. Starting with Uraraka's cry of distress as Hagakure curiously picked up the powerful weapon.
"Hmmm, is this Bakugo's?" Hagakure wondered aloud.
"TORU! DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Uraraka yelled, clutching the netting.
Uraraka's loud outcry instantly caught Midoriya and Bakugo's attention. In alarm, Midoriya looked down in distress from his mid jump position, worried something bad had happened. This mere action cost him greatly as the ball Bakugo had hit just a moment ago came at him hard and quick, knocking the young teen right in the face.
"OHHHH! OUCH! The crowd gasped from below, both Jiro and Ashido covering their eyes while the boys cringed at the impact.
Bakugo completely missed his moment of glory for as soon as he had made contact with the ball, his gaze had fallen on Hagakure and her invisible hands clutching one of his mini hand grenades. The blonde's eyes widened in alarm. "What the hell are you doing with that!?" Without hesitating, his palms exploded as he used his quirk to charge straight at her.
"Eh?" Hagakure turned, just as she felt Bakugo slam into her. The grenade slipped from her grasp, sailing up into the air above them.
Meanwhile, the volleyball that had slammed into Midoriya's face had crocheted back to the opposite court. Slowly, falling towards the ground….
The bystanders watched, mouths agape, as the two items met midway, right above team "Invisible Explosion". Causing an explosion that, to the enjoyment of those not involved, was not invisible.
BOOM!
As the smoke settled, the Yaoyorozu and the rest of the class found both sides of the court in a state of disarray. On team "Mighty Gravity", a worried Uraraka was kneeling down next to a sitting Midoriya. One hand was rubbing the back of his head awkwardly as he used his free hand to clutch at his bleeding nose.
"Deku!" Uraraka asked, brows furrowed in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry." Midoriya replied lightly, shooting her a lopsided grin that instantly made her relax. "Coming from Kacchan, this was actually pretty light. I'm just glad you're okay. I got pretty worried when I heard you yell out like that. What exactly happened?"
Uraraka's lips twitched as her gaze wandered to the opposite court. "Well…about that…"
On the other court, for the second time that day, Bakugo found his hair sticking up and charred as both him and Hagakure sat in the sand, blinking dubiously at what just occurred. The floating corpse of what used to be a volleyball gently floated down, landing in between the two teens. A loudwhistle sounded through the air.
"Since the volleyball was destroyed by Bakugo's grenade, team "Mighty Gravity" automatically wins by devault!" Yaoyorozu declared.
"We won? Yay!" Uraraka cheered, hands raising in celebration and unintentionally knocking against Midoriya's already bleeding face.
"Ow!" He yelped, eyes watering as he fell back to the sand. Uraraka paled, once again kneeling down and letting out a series of apologies, which were drowned out by the loud outburst of a seething Bakugo.
"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY!" Bakugo jumped up, rage filling his entire being. But before he could argue with the verdict, a stern voice cut through the air, halting him.
"HEY!" Aizawa called out from afar. "Bakugo! What did I say about exploding things?!" Before the blonde could make a retort, the teacher continued sternly. "Here's a hint….DON'T!" With that said, he sat back down in his beach chair, grumbling to himself about irrational teens.
"This is complete garbage!" An indignant Bakugo roared, turning back to Yaoyorozu. "My quirk didn't destroy anything!"
"No but your weapon did." Yaoyorozu replied patiently, nodding towards the remains of the smoking grenade in the sand.
"That's because this idiot here decided it was a good idea to pick it up!" Bakugo replied, pointing an accusing finger at Hagakure who gasped indignantly.
"It fell out of your pocket!" Hagakure defended herself heatedly. "Besides! What sort of lunatic brings a grenade! I repeat: A GRENADE! To the beach?!"
"One who knows we are on mission and wants to be prepared for anything!" Bakugo argued back. Hagakure scoffed.
"We literally found out we were going on a mission on the bus in the beach parking lot!"
"What's your damn point?" Bakugo replied back. "Once we found out, I took them out of my bag and brought them here!"
"Why do you even carry exploding things around in your bag?!" Hagakure asked, arms waving in aggravation. "You can literally make things explode with your hands!"
"Like I said before. I don't just rely on my quirk in battles! Any good hero knows it's important to have an ace up your sleeve!" Bakugo explained, eyes narrowing as the two arguing partners came head to head with each other. "And I don't explode things with my hands! It's with my sweat! Get your damn facts straight!" The two gave feral-like growls, almost on the verge of going into battle with one another.
"Huhhh, Kacchan? Hagakure?" Midoriya's timid voice cut in between the two. "Uraraka and I don't mind just doing a rematch. Right Uraraka?" He turned to his partner, who had her arms crossed and cheeks puffed up in a pout.
"Yeah, I guess." She responded in a way similar to that of a reluctant two year old.
But their generous offer fell on deaf ears. Bakugo reared away from Hagakure, shooting his anger at them. "Save your pitious offer for someone who cares! Besides, there's no way in hell I'm playing anything if I have to be stuck with an idiotic partner like her!"
"Same here!" Hagakure agreed. The two took a moment to give one last glare at each other before turning and stalking away in opposite directions.
Midoriya watched the two depart, giving a weary sigh. "That didn't go very well. I have to admit, I feel kind of bad winning in this way."
"Yeah… me too." Uraraka replied with a big grin, pink eyes sparkling happily.
"Uh…Uraraka. Your words and actions aren't exactly matching up." Midoriya pointed out, amused.
In response she did a small skip in the air, her excitement bubbling over. "Sorry! I'm just so happy we won! Take that Bakugo!" Uraraka exclaimed, giving the air a few celebratory jabs with her fists. She turned to Midoriya, passing him a warm smile that instantly made his insides flutter. "You know, we really made a great team didn't we?"
"Uhhh yeah…I mean if you think so..." Midoriya covered his face with his hand, both trying to conceal his blush and to stop the flow of blood that seemed to suddenly increase. "Sorry! Guess it's worse than I thought!" He hastily said, in response to her worried frown.
On the sidelines, Ashido gave a sigh of content as she watched the exchange from the couple from afar. "Oh my god, school trips are the best! This drama is to die for! I knew making the girls and boys pair up was a great idea!" She puffed out her chest proudly at her genius idea. Beside her, Kirishima grinned.
"I'm not sure I understand, but I'm glad you're having fun." It had been a pleasant surprise to be paired with Ashido for the games. She brought an energy to the court that was uniquely her own. He found being with her was both relaxing but also made him want to do his best. "She really is something else." His gaze absently lowered, falling down to her, now famous, leopard print bikini. He quickly turned his head away, praying his face wasn't matching his hair color.
On the court he had been so focused on the game that he really had no time to take notice of Ashido's attire. But that had become a lot more difficult with her sitting right next to him on the sand, their skin slightly grazing each other and causing Kirishima's heart to pound uncomfortably each time. Even while cheering on the next set of players, Kirishima often found himself taking quick sideways glances at Ashido, her swim wear barely concealing parts of the body he knew where every man often dreamed of going.
"Damn it Kirishima! Focus! A man doesn't lose his cool over some piece of fabric!" Kirishima growled internally, wanting to punch himself in the face.
"Hey Todoroki, you and Yaoyorozu are next up!" Ashido commented, casually leaning over Kirishima to speak to Todoroki, who sat on Kirishima's other side. With her whole upper body brushing against him, this position did nothing to quell Kirishima's internal struggles. "Are you excited?"
"No! Not at all!" Kirishima said loudly, causing the party to glance at him strangely.
Ashido blinked. "Um, I was actually talking to Todoroki."
"Oh yeah…my bad." Kirishima replied with an awkward chuckle.
Todoroki's blank stare turned away from him, back to Ashido as he answered simply. "I guess so. I'm not quite sure how much I've learned from these last two games." He held his chin thoughtfully. "Uraraka didn't mention this to me but from what I observed so far it seems that tackling your partner at the end of a round seems to lead to defeat for that pair. I'm I correct for assuming this?"
"Yeah, I wouldn't…" Kirishima felt his mouth get covered by Ashido who's face once again held a cheshire smirk.
"No! No! Those were just coincidences." Ashido explained. "Just…do what comes naturally to you with Yaoyorozu! If you want to tackle her, go for it!"
"I'll be sure to remember that….if I get the urge to." Todoroki replied in a serious tone. He got up and went to speak to Yaoyorozu, who was in the midst of producing a new volleyball from her navel area using her creation quirk.
As soon as his back was turned, Ashido let out a series of giggles. "Oh, the next game is going to be so much fun!"
Kirishima shook his head, amused at her antics. "You really like to stir things up don't you?"
"That's the best way to make high school memories!" Ashido explained, her raccoon-like eyes narrowed and sparkling up at him. "And I for one want to make sure our class makes a ton of fun memories on this trip!"
Kirishima felt his mouth go dry, his whole body seeming to heat up uncomfortably. "Yeah…that would be nice." Was the only thing he could manage to say in his frazzled condition. Luckily for him, Ashido seemed unaware of his torment. She stood up, absently wiping the sand off her legs. Once done, she eagerly held out her hand to him.
"Ready to start warming up?"
Excitement sparked through Kirishima. "Yes! Action time! With the game going on I can actually focus and enjoy being with Ashido!" His excitement was very short-lived. For just as he reached his hand out, he felt an iron like grip forcefully clutch his head, blacking out his view of Ashido.
"Break time is over!" Bakugo barked, forcefully pulling Kirishima through the sand away from the court and towards the shoreline. In his other hand, he held on to a struggling Kaminari.
"Hey! What gives? We were about to play!" Ashido called out, her foot stomping down angrily. "Just because your team lost doesn't mean you can take away my partner!"
"Mind your damn business Pinky!" Bakugo snapped, not slowing his pace. "These guys were my extras way before they were your's!"
Ashido gave an annoyed huff. "Geez! What a jerk! Now my team has to forfeit!"
Jiro sat unmoving, watching sand fall from her hand in an unconcerned manner. "Hmph! In my case, Bakugo did me a big favor snatching up that perv." It was clear she was still mad with Kaminari. It was at that moment, Uraraka, Midoriya, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu appeared, glancing around in confusion.
"Todoroki and I came to see if you were ready for our match." Yaoyorozu explained, looking around. "But where is Kirishima?"
"Bakugo was having a hissy fit because he lost so he abducted Kirishima and Kaminari." Ashido explained matter-of-factly.
"That sounds about right." Midoriya commented, remembering childhood memories that involved Bakugo being a sore loser.
"This is unfortunate." Yaoyorozu stated, brow furrowed in concern. "I wonder how we should proceed now that two of the teams have become disbanded? Shall we just move on to a different activity?"
"No way!" Ashido quickly spoke, hands waving frantically. "You and Todoroki should definitely still play your match! Jiro and I don't mind just staying and cheering!"
Jiro nodded. "Yeah, don't mind us."
But even with their prodding, Yaoyorozu still seemed hesitant. "But surely, Midoriya and Uraraka would rather take a break?"
"You really don't have to worry about us!" Uraraka replied cheerfully. "Midoriya and I would be pumped to play against you both!"
"But your injuries…"
"I'm fine." Midoriya replied. "My nose has already stopped bleeding." He looked at Todoroki earnestly. "Besides, Todoroki hasn't had a chance to play beach volleyball yet. It'll be a shame to waste this opportunity!"
Todoroki smiled gratefully at Midoriya before turning to Yaoyorozu, who instantly flushed at his intense gaze. "Yaoyorozu, it would be rude for us to turn down their very kind gesture."
"Yes, you are correct. It would be rude." Yaoyorozu receded, but added in a stern tone "But if you feel light headed at all or if the bleeding continues let us know immediately! Is that understood?"
"Yes ma'am" Midoriya replied, getting a similar feeling of speaking to his mother. He heard Uraraka giggling beside him.
"Very well." Yaoyorozu conceded, feeling satisfied with his answer. "Then let us commence with the final game! Team "Mighty Gravity" vs team "Chilly Creations!"