My Hero Academia: The Story of Twin Heroes

by Guy with a fanfic acount

[MHA AU Fic] "What if Izuku had a Twin Sister?" (This story will follow the main show.) After a Villain encounter, Izuku Midoriya meets All Might and learns the truth. Meanwhile his sister, Ami Midoriya, born with a dangerous quirk, tries to overcome her insecurities to become a hero. (Season 1 Done. S2 ongoing.) Reviews are needed & appreciated. :)3YR ANNIVERSARY! Eventual Romance

27. S2 Chapter 17: Ami's Final Fall!

"Even if I go against you. I won't lose." Ami's voice echoed inside her head. The memory from two weeks ago replayed itself. She focused on the end of the memory, staring at the back of Bakugo's head as he walked down the hall and disappeared. Those were the words she said to herself while watching him. Words that only popped into her head after she thought of another quote from her past.

"I want people to smile whenever they see me. I want them to know that I'll be there to make their world a little brighter whether they're young or old. But to reach that dream, I'll have to get better, do better. I'll have to climb my way to the top just like everyone else. I don't necessarily want to be the number one hero, but if I want to make my mark. Then I'll just have to act like I do." Ami declared. Just as the quote ended, Ami returned back to reality. She stared blankly at nothing and sighed.

"Act like I do." Ami repeated, doubting her words. She acted like it alright. She trained every day in the past two weeks to prepare her quirk for the Sports Festival. When the day had finally arrived, she proved herself capable of making it far. Her actions brought her closer to the top. She reached fourth place in the Obstacle Race, achieved victory by tieing fourth place in the Cavalry Battle with her team and Izuku's. And now, here she was in the Class 1-A stands, watching the fight that would determine who her fourth opponent in the Tournament would be. Despite the battle still waging down below, she had a disturbingly low amount of hope for the red haired fighter. The reason for her having no hope in him wasn't because of his skill. He was a tough opponent and a good fighter. No, the real reason was because the teen that he was fighting against was Bakugo. Ami watched with a steadily increasing amount of anxiety. Anxiety unintentionally placed into her by Sero's words from earlier.

"Well, depending on who wins this match. You could be fighting Bakugo next." Sero's voice repeated in her head. How could she have been so oblivious to that fact? How could she forget? She knew why. After everything that happened in the tournament, thinking about the chance of fighting Bakugo had slipped her mind. Even though she had considered the possibility of fighting Bakugo before. The memory of watching Bakugo leave the teacher's lounge came flooding back to her. He had just told Izuku that he was going to beat him even though he had All Might's quirk. That stubborn resolve inspired her. That's why when the Sports Festival came, she wanted to fight him, too.

"You better not lose either, Kacchan. Because I wanna fight you, too." Ami remembered. The events that had taken place between back then and the present had caused her to forget. She thought about his previous matches with Shoji and Ochaco and felt a sense of dread go through her. He decimated Shoji with his last explosion sending him flying out of bounds and into the stadium walls. Something Bakugo only did after Shoji had crushed his wrist. And for Ochaco. He didn't hold back at all on Ochaco. Ochaco was strong. Although Ami had more muscle to her thanks to the American Dream Plan, she wasn't all that different from Ochaco. Sure, she could probably keep him from using his explosions but if he manages to get close and blow her up, what then? Thinking of their match made her stomach churn. She shook her head and took a deep breath, watching the fight.

Kirishima advanced forward with fist raised and quirk ready. He gritted his teeth and growled, swinging his fist at Bakugo. Bakugo saw the incoming fist and quickly swerved left, nearly dodging the fist. A single knuckle from Kirishima's sharpened fist managed to make contact with Bakugo's face, cutting it a little. Bakugo grunted at the feeling and covered the pain from the cut with an angry expression. He raised his palm upward and brought it to Kirishima's side, igniting his arm in an explosive blast that partially destroyed the red head's uniform. The explosive attack sent a chill down the spectators spines, expecting Kirishima to suffer heavy damage from the close range explosion. To their amazement, however, Kirishima hardened the skin closest to the blast, shielding him from possible injuries.

"He countered!" Present Mic shouted through the speakers, receiving hyped responses from the audience.

"Hah! Nice try, but that's not gonna work on me, Explosion Boy." Kirishima proclaimed, pounding his fists together. His classmates all cheered from the stands in support. Bakugo stepped back and grunted at the stinging sensation on his right cheek. Shitty Hair managed to put a scratch on him after five minutes of fighting. He looked at Kirishima and glared at him, seething in frustration.

"He's still going strong. But how long can he keep his hardening up?" Bakugo thought, staring at Kirishima with an annoyed glare and a scowl.

"Kirishima! Go straight for his chin!" Tetsutetsu shouted, raising his fist and flexing his muscles.

"What you're rooting for him now, man?" Honenuki questioned, looking at Tetsutetsu. After watching their only representation lose to a red version of Tetsutetsu, he found it surprising that he was so willing to root for him now. On the other side of the barrier between classes, 1-A had heard the shouting from Tetsutetsu and nodded in agreement, cheering him on as well. Ami heard the shouts and glanced at the barrier.

"That sounded like Metal Brows." She thought, thinking back to her own encounter with the metal-browed student from Class 1-B. The loud supportive shouting from the metal student across the barrier distracted her only momentarily. She immediately caught a glimpse of another student sitting next to the barrier. She felt her lips curl into a sad frown upon seeing the cold teen, causing her to squeeze her gym uniform. Sitting a good distance from the rest of the class was Shoto Todoroki. She didn't know how to feel about him at the moment. Between Izuku's loss and now, she hadn't taken the time to ponder about Todoroki. She told Izuku about listening in on their conversation after the Cavalry Battle, leaving out Bakugo finding them first. Izuku had told her what went down during the battle. He told her how Todoroki had reminded him of her. That was what stuck with her. It aligned with her own thoughts when she first heard of his story.

"His life and his reasons are entirely different from mine, but… it's similar. We're the same, aren't we, Todoroki?" Ami recalled, thinking about her past thoughts. The conflict within her made her feel troubled. It's Todoroki's fault what happened to Izuku. He's the reason Izuku lost. He's the reason he wasn't able to live up to All Might's proclamation. He's the reason that Izuku wasn't there to see her win against Tokoyami. All that blame on Todoroki and yet she didn't have the strength to resent him for it. Because on the other hand, Izuku had lost on purpose. It was his frustration with him that stopped him from fighting. He could see Ami in him and that distracted him. Once Todoroki had reminded Izuku of his hatred towards his father, Endeavor, Izuku's strategy had changed. That was when the match was no longer about winning. It was about helping him. She darted her eyes away from Todoroki and stared at the ground, releasing the tight grip on her uniform. All Might's consoling words entered her mind.

"You got Todoroki to realize something very important about himself. It's true that the match didn't go how we wanted it to, but realizing where you went wrong won't change that. But, listen. Meddling where you don't technically have to, is the essence of being a hero." All Might said. Ami heard those words the first time and she agreed wholeheartedly with them. She still did. She even said so to Izuku when they were alone.

"What All Might said was right. You helped Todoroki realize something very important. I'm so proud of you." She remembered telling Izuku. She wasn't lying to him when she said that. Izuku's ability to sympathize with others was one of his best feats. Of course, Izuku would sympathize with Todoroki. Todoroki was similar to her in that they both rejected their fire. One out of fear and the other out of hatred. She saw their similarities the moment she heard about his past. It was no surprise Izuku would see it, too. Ami looked up at the battlefield and removed her frown, keeping a straight face.

She watched Bakugo fight with Kirishima and was surprised to see the match was still unfinished. Kirishima was putting up a good fight against Bakugo for all intents and purposes. She watched Kirishima swing his fists at Bakugo with rapid speed. Bakugo was leaping back each time, dodging each swing without even activating his quirk.

Ami narrowed her eyes and looked at Kirishima. She took notice of his arms and noticed they were getting slower. His hardening was getting weaker with every swing. Sweat was also starting to drip off his face. She frowned at his actions.. Now she knew what Bakugo was doing. He was letting Kirishima tire himself out and then igniting explosions in the hopes that one of the blasts might break through his hardening. Kirishima had durability, sure, but Bakugo's dodges were proving to everyone that he was the faster opponent.

"Kirishima's skin is tougher but he's slower than Shoji. That must be why Bakugo got so close to him in the first place." Ami thought, assuming his reasoning. She continued to watch the fight with narrowed eyes. As she watched Bakugo's quick actions and dodges, she couldn't stop thinking about what Izuku said. The thought of her listening in on Izuku and Todoroki's secret conversation was still fresh in her mind. But a new thought seeped into her mind. If Izuku had so easily seen the similarities between her and Todoroki, then what about Bakugo? Did he see it, too?

"Wha-huh? Bakugo is countering again!" Present Mic exclaimed, interrupting Ami's thoughts. She stared at the battlefield and gasped, watching as Bakugo hit Kirishima with another large explosion. Kirishima leapt back in reaction to the explosion, gritting his teeth.

"But what's this? It seems to be working this time!" Present Mic noticed. Ami saw Kirishima's reaction and felt her frown return.

"You've been straining to keep your body rock-hard this whole fight, right?" Bakugo asked, making eye contact with Kirishima. He gritted his teeth sadistically at Kirishima's condition. His hardened skin was tough to break, but the cracks on his skin were getting more apparent. Bakugo could tell he wasn't going to hold it up.

"But that means you're overusing your quirk. " He gritted. Kirishima stared at the sadistic smile on Bakugo's face and gritted his teeth. He could tell Bakugo was preparing to deliver another large blast to his armor, "And sooner or later, you'll fall apart!" Bakugo shouted, raising his palms outward.

Kirishima looked down at Bakugo's hands and tensed up his body in preparation. Within seconds, Kirishima was consumed by a wave of explosions impacting his body. He gritted his teeth and grunted in pain. Bakugo wasn't letting up in his explosions so the temperature around him was rapidly heating up. He felt his gym shirt burn up in the blasts and felt more of his skin get exposed. The sleeves in his clothes had completely ripped off,

"Too much." Kirishima strained, barely holding up his hard skin. He covered his face from the blasts with his hardened arm and could see the large cracks forming on his wrist. Bakugo could see the cracks in Shitty Hair's skin and smiled, ramming up his assault.

"The finishing blow! Die!" He roared, delivering one final large explosion on Kirishima's chest, sending flying back. His hardened skin could no longer hold up and softened. Kirishima hit the ground hard, breaking through the cement. His landing sent pebbles and smoke flying everywhere. Bakugo dropped his palms and panted heavily, staring at Kirishima's landing spot in exhaustion.

"Now I understand why you were trying to avoid a drawn-out match with me." He smiled, staring at the knocked out Kirishima on the floor.

"Kirishima has been knocked out. Bakugo is the winner!" Midnight announced, receiving cheers, claps, and whistles from the audience in congratulations. Many heroes in the audience still had some negative thoughts about Bakugo but they were impressed by how much explosive power Bakugo had inside of him. The rest of the heroes were just surprised Kirishima had held on for so long. Both students had delivered a satisfying match. But up in the student stands, Ami stared at Kirishima's unconscious body with a frown.

"I knew it." Ami winced, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists.

"Sorry, Kirishima." She thought, frowning. In the middle of her frown, she heard another loud outburst from beyond the barrier in Class 1-B.

"What are you doing, idiot? I thought you had more guts than that, Kirishima!" Tetsutetsu shouted.

"With that vicious carpet bombing, Bakugo advances to the third round!" Present Mic said, displaying the last four students on the jumbotron. The jumbotron flashed on and switched to a new slide, revealing the profiles of the last four students. Ami looked up at the jumbotron and felt the pressure in her rise.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, our final four!" Present Mic presented, showing off the final four on the giant screen. Ami stared at the screen and gulped. Displayed on the screen was a picture of Iida, Todoroki, Bakugo, and Ami. Everything was set in stone now. She had no other choice but to fight him. She stared at the floor and tuned out the noise around her.

"I'm fighting Kacchan, next." Ami repeated, contemplating the situation. She felt her body shake nervously and her legs squirmed a bit in anxiety. She gulped saliva down her throat and wrapped her arms around herself. She was worried. Concerned. The hesitation she felt before every fight was nothing compared to now.

"He already beat Shoji, Uraraka, and Kirishima. Opponents who are way tougher than me. What chance do I have?" Ami thought, doubting herself.

"The only edge I have is I can eat his explosions. But that won't matter if he gets into physical contact with me. I need to keep him as far away from me as possible. Maybe then I'd have a chance." Ami thought, planning it out inside her head.

"Oooh what am I gonna do." She panicked, rubbing her hair with both hands.

"Ami!" Izuku interjected, snapping Ami out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes and jumped, startled by Izuku's voice. Wait. Izuku? She raised her head up and twisted her neck around to see the staircase. Standing on the stairs a few rows above her was Izuku, causing her to gasp. She felt the frown on her face get replaced with a smile. Izuku looked down at her with a smile of his own.

"Izuku!" Ami exclaimed, jumping out of her seat. She rushed up the stairs and quickly reached him. Down on the battlefield, Bakugo was busy taking deep breaths in exhaustion. Kirishima lasted for a while which annoyed him. Luckily, he was able to outlast him and win. He felt a stinging sensation on his face and rubbed his cheek, seeing blood on his finger. He narrowed his eyes and glared at the blood in disgust.

"Damnit." He growled, knowing he'd have to go see Recovery Girl again. He listened to Present Mic's announcement and stared up at the Jumbotron. Once Present Mic had presented the final four on the giant screen, he focused his attention to the image of his next opponent.

"Finally." He growled, smiling sadistically. An ecstatic feeling rushed through him, feeling reinvigorated. It was finally happening. He was finally going to fight one of the twins. Unlike the combat training, there was no extra shit that would get in the way of the fight. No bomb to protect this time. It would be him and Habanero alone in an empty ring. It may not be Deku, but his opponent was just as good.

"Habanero." Bakugo smiled, looking at the stands. He stopped and immediately raised his eyes when he noticed Habanero wasn't in her seat. He glanced at the staircase and saw her running up the stairs heading towards Deku. Wait? Deku? He raised his eyebrow at the sight of Deku standing there and scoffed. Even from far away he could see the cast on his arm. He formed a scowl and shook his head in disapproval.

"Finally came back, you damn nerd?" He growled, watching the twins interact. He clenched his fists and smirked, "Good. Now you can watch me fight your stupid sister later on." He grinned, maliciously. In all honesty, He was getting way too excited for this match. He wasn't expecting to be looking forward to this match so much. It was Habanero after all. He could easily destroy her. He knew a lot about her quirk as well as her annoying personality. It was safe for him to say he was ready to win. But, of course, there was one more match left that needed to happen. He stared up at the jumbotron and saw the final four. Four Eyes was fighting IcyHot next. He debated on whether he wanted to see this fight or head to the waiting room, but decided on the former. He looked down at the exit tunnel and headed towards it, leaving without saying a word. Up in the stands, Ami had rushed over to Izuku's side and hugged him, squeezing him tightly. Izuku was taken aback by the hug and smiled as best he could. Her body was crushing the cast on his arm, causing him some minor discomfort.

"Izzy! You're back!" Ami exclaimed, hiding away the anxiety she had.

"Hey, Ami..." Izuku greeted, smiling in discomfort. Ami pulled away from Izuku and looked down at the cast on his arm. She followed the cast and came upon his hand, catching a glimpse of the extremely noticeable scar on his fingers. Her pupils shrank at the sight of it. She brought her hand up to her mouth and gasped in shock.

"Oh my God! Izuku, your hand!" Ami panicked, feeling her heart pulsating. She looked at Izuku's hand with worry and gently grabbed hold of it, causing Izuku to squirm. Ami noticed his squirming and promptly let go, looking back up at Izuku with concern.

"I'm not hurting you by touching this, aren't I?" Ami questioned, not wanting to add to his discomfort. Izuku made eye contact with her and promptly shook his head in denial.

"No, Ami. I'm fine. Really." He assured, waving off her concern with a light smile. Ami was a bit apprehensive on touching Izuku afterwards but his smile and assurance made her feel better. She looked back down at his hand and grabbed hold of it, burning the image of his scarred hand into her memory. This was one of her worst fears come true. Izuku received an irreversible injury. The scar on his hand would forever be a reminder of his fight against Todoroki. She frowned in sadness, feeling sorry for Izuku.

She gently placed her fingers atop the scar and traced it with her hand. The sight of it made her feel terrible. This was something that would take getting used to.

"I'm afraid it'll never be the same as it once was before." Recovery Girl said. Ami felt sympathy for Izuku and gently rubbed his hand, sniffling a bit.

"Are you okay?" Ami asked, causing the smile on Izuku's face to drop.

"I'm fine. What's done is done now." Izuku said, looking at the sad expression on her face.

"Ami. Don't blame yourself for this, okay? Please." Izuku asked, surprising Ami.

"How'd you know I was thinking that?" She inquired, feeling tears fall down her face.

"Because if our roles were reversed, I'd blame myself, too." Izuku replied, frowning. Ami bit her lip and held back her tears, smiling affectionately at him.

"I'm sorry." Ami apologized, hugging Izuku again. Izuku accepted the hug and felt no discomfort. Ami was actively trying to avoid hurting him. After a couple seconds of hugging, Ami pulled back again and felt her hair brush against her face. She brushed her hair aside and wiped away her tears. She stared back at Izuku's scarred hand and sighed, quickly changing the subject.

"Mom's going to freak when she sees this." Ami mentioned, thinking of the inevitable future freakout. The subject change only made Izuku's eyes widen a little in realization, only for him to drop his head lower.

"Yeah…" Izuku agreed, frowning at the thought of explaining that to her.

"Deku!" Ochaco said, gripping the staircase railing from her row.

"Hi, Midoriya. It looks like your surgery went okay." Tsu said, politely. Mineta gave her an incredulous look after that comment.

"That's okay to you?" Mineta whispered, getting elbowed by Shoji.

"Did you see Iida on the way?" Ochaco asked, curious about his whereabouts.

"Yeah, I was just talking with him before I came back." Izuku said, turning his head back to look at the entrance. As he turned his head back he caught a glimpse of the Jumbotron and stopped to look at it. He stared at the pictures of the final four on the jumbotron and gasped with eyes bulging out with awe.

"Oh, woah! Ami, you're in the top four!" Izuku exclaimed, amazed by this info. It had slipped his mind completely that Ami's previous match would place her in the semifinals. The sad emotions were quickly drowned out by his excitement and pride for his sister. Ami was surprised to see Izuku go into a complete 180° and was taken aback a little. She quickly got used to his excitement and grinned, nodding her head in response.

"Yeah. I made it. I never would have done it without you, though." Ami smiled, winking at him. Izuku's smile brightened upon hearing her. He felt sorry for missing out on seeing her match with Tokoyami but he was happy to see that she had won.

"That's amazing! I bet All Might must be super proud right now." Izuku happily exclaimed, cheering Ami up.

"Yeah." She nodded, giggling at the thought.

"Hey, wait. Kacchan's up there, too." Izuku pointed out, causing Ami's shoulders to tense up, "And Iida's fighting Todoroki, so...does that mean?" Izuku asked, his voice getting more panicked by the realization. Ami sighed and nodded, confirming his thoughts.

"Yup. I'm fighting Kacchan next, Izzy." Ami answered, leaving Izuku dumbfounded. His sister was going up against Kacchan now. The more he thought of it the more it seemed like fate. Instead of fighting him, it was his sister that was doing the fighting now. In the end, Bakugo is still getting what he wanted. To fight a Midoriya.

"I can't believe it. Are you ready to take him on? If you're unsure, I can still lend you my notebook and we can discuss strategies on how you ca-"

"Whoa. Hold it!" Ami said, putting her hand on his lips. Izuku stared at the finger shushing him in and went quiet. It was a success considering he was two seconds away from mumbling really fast.

"Of course I'm unsure, Izzy. This is Kacchan we're talking about here. We've seen how he fights, how he acts. You and I both know he's never backed down or held back on anybody." Ami said, getting a nod from Izuku.

"So you have a plan already?" Izuku asked, with a puzzled look. Ami winced at the mention of the word, "plan."

"No. Not really." Ami admitted, shyly. She placed her hands behind her back nervously while Izuku stood there dumbstruck.

"Ami. You gotta have a plan! It's Kacchan."

"I know…" Ami frowned, trembling nervously. She looked closely at Izuku and noticed he was starting to tire from standing.

"Izzy, you're tired. You should go back to your seat. Iida's match is going to be starting soon anyway." Ami said. Izuku stared at her solemnly and squinted his eyes. He knew Ami was just deflecting and looking for something to focus on. But he also knew she had a point. Recovery Girl's efforts tired him out tremendously.

"You're right. But, Ami. At least tell me you'll think of a plan during Iida's match, okay?" Izuku asked, worried for Ami's safety. Ami nodded and hugged him one last time.

"You know I will, Izzy. I'll come up with something. I can eat his explosions so I'll start from there." She said, assuring him that she would strategize. She pulled away from him and gently patted his shoulder, looking at him with a solemn expression.

"I promise I'll do my best and win." She said. Izuku stared at her and nodded, trusting in her completely.

"Okay." Izuku nodded, walking around Ami and heading towards his seat. Ochaco watched as he took a seat and noticed he was shaking a bit. Seeing how tired he looked made her wonder how much stamina Recovery Girl drained from him.

"Shouldn't you be taking it easy?" She asked, concerned for his health. Izuku shrugged and kept his solemn expression.

"I wanna watch these matches in person. Ami's especially. This is where everyone's efforts are finally gonna pay off." Izuku explained, staring intensely at the battlefield.

Ami watched Izuku take a seat and talked with Ochaco and relaxed, frowning slightly. She walked back to her own seat and plopped down, relaxing into the chair. She took a deep breath and rubbed her face, closing her eyes while doing so.

"What am I gonna do? I can eat his explosions, but he knows that already. He'll be expecting it. There's no way he'd use his explosions to reach me faster without risking his own chance of victory. He'll probably run straight at me, too. How am I going to stop him?" Ami feared, thinking of the possibilities.

"I could always light him on fire? But I don't want to hurt him that much. Even if being explosion-proof technically makes him fireproof." Ami thought, remembering Bakugo's close range explosions on his opponents. Seeing that memory play out caused her to think. She opened her eyes and stared at her hands in examination.

"Could I handle an explosion to the face like Shoji and Kirishima?" She questioned.

"My skin is naturally tougher than most others thanks to my fire resistance and I know I can deliver a strong punch. But I don't know how fast I can even swallow a huge explosion from close range. If I'm quick enough, maybe I could get a shot on him with my fireball while he's up close." Ami thought, nodding at that idea. She quickly slumped her shoulders after further thinking.

"But Kacchan's reflexes are really fast. He could just as easily use his explosions to keep his distance from me. I could eat his explosions but depending on the force of the blast, it could propel him far enough away to dodge my attacks."

"Besides, as much as I wish it were true, I'm not really sure my skin is strong enough to withstand an explosion to the face. I'm gonna have to hope the force of the explosion isn't enough to send me flying while I try to eat it." Ami thought, frowning wide.

"Ugh. This is hard." She groaned, squirming in her seat. She lightly stomped her feet against the concrete floor and sighed, rubbing her hands together.

"Find something else to feel bad about, Habanero?" Bakugo asked. Ami instantly recognized the voice and got startled, flinching in her seat.

"Kacchan!?" She exclaimed, turning her head to the right to see Bakugo staring down at her from the staircase, "You're here?" She stated, feeling slightly embarrassed from getting scared by him so easily. Bakugo heard her surprised reaction and gave her a puzzled look, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah? Of course I'm here. Why wouldn't I be? This is my damn seat and no way am I letting any of these extras take it. Quit playing dumb." He scoffed, getting strangely defensive. Ami scoffed back at him and narrowed her eyes, folding her arms in annoyance.

"I know that. I meant to say, I thought you'd be in the waiting room?" Ami asked, shrugging off his rude comment.

"Yeah, so I could miss out on hearing you complain?" He replied sarcastically. He quickly took a seat and continued talking, "And I could say the same to you, Habanero. Why the hell are you here and not in your waiting room?" He asked, putting emphasis on your.

"Because…" Ami replied, quickly closing her mouth. She cut herself off and froze, thinking about why she was here. She had a reason for being here still. She got caught up talking with Izuku and lost track of time. But now? An earlier thought rose in her head. The question she asked herself over and over repeated in her head once more.

"Did Bakugo see it, too?" Ami thought, her solemn face faltered a bit at the thought. At first, she was here to come up with a plan of attack against Bakugo, but now she had a second objective. She wanted to confirm her previous thoughts.

"I guess…I'm here to root for Iida." Ami said, stuttering a bit. Bakugo looked at her and raised an eyebrow at her. That was a lie. She was lying. He could tell she was lying. He narrowed his eyes and scoffed, not pushing deeper for the truth.

"Hmph. So, Four Eyes is going up against that IcyHot bastard next? He better hope his strategy is perfect or else he's gonna crash and burn." Bakugo said.

"As much as it'll piss me off if Four Eyes actually wins." Bakugo thought, shrugging it off.

"Crash and burn?" Ami repeated, wondering if that statement was intentional.

"Mhm." Bakugo nodded in response, "Now that your dumb brother made IcyHot use his flames, I want to see how he'll use them against someone who will actually fight back." Bakugo said.

"Ah. I see." She nodded in acknowledgement, "That's a good idea, Kacchan." She praised, causing him to glare at her.

"I know it was. It was my idea." Bakugo replied, puzzled by Habanero's behavior. Ami heard his narcissistic response and let out a small giggle.

"Alrighty then." She smiled. Bakugo had his eye raised at her the entire time. She was troubled by something. Her body language told him everything he needed to know. Something was bothering her for the umpteenth time again.

"Sorry for not coming back after Izuku and I talked." She apologized, snapping Bakugo out of his thoughts.

"...Hmm?" Bakugo replied, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"Yeah, so what? Am I supposed to care?" Bakugo replied, rolling his eyes and folding his arms. Ami raised her eye incredulously at him, recalling the expression on his face when she entered the battlefield earlier.

"His face from earlier would beg to differ." Ami thought, brushing her hair back. And he said she was easy to read. She felt a smile creep onto her lips and looked away in amusement. Bakugo watched her do this and rolled his eyes. He darted his eyes away from her and focused on the hero stands. Bakugo squinted his eyes and saw Endeavor standing with arms crossed. He glanced back at Habanero and then back at Endeavor, remembering hearing her mention their conversation.

"You never told me what Endeavor said to you?" Bakugo blurted out, catching Ami by surprise.

"Where'd that come from?" Ami thought.

"You said he wasn't very nice so was IcyHot right about him?" Bakugo asked.

"Hmph. It's questions like that that make me wonder why you pretend not to care, Kacchan." Ami thought to herself, smirking at him. She hid her smirk and cleared her throat, quickly talking back.

"Well. It's difficult to explain. He believes in Todoroki's abilities and expects him to win even without his flames. But at the same time, he was disappointed at the fact he wasn't using his flames."

"So he expects his son to win but he hates how he's doing it?" Bakugo summed up with little difficulty.

"Yeah. Basically." Ami nodded, receiving a scoff from Bakugo.

"Typical." Bakugo scoffed, "No wonder he's kept that pissed off look on his face this entire festival." He thought.

"What else did he tell you?" Bakugo asked. Ami stared at him and tapped her fingers in anxiety, remembering the exact words Endeavor said to her.

"My Shoto doesn't see it now, but he needs to know the limit of his ice. I've seen the power your flames have. There's no doubt in my mind, his ice stands no chance against you. So, as ironic as it sounds, you have the power to draw his flames out." Endeavor said, surprising Ami. She kept a neutral expression and hesitated answering. The long awkward silence that came afterwards confused and annoyed Bakugo.

"If you don't remember, just say so, damnit!" Bakugo roared, startling her.

"No. I do, really. It's just that… well it would probably piss you off." Ami admitted, catching Bakugo by surprise.

"It would?" Bakugo asked, raising his eyebrow at her.

"Well, basically…he said I was the only one who could get Todoroki to use his flames." She stammered, reluctantly answering. Bakugo narrowed his eyes at her, scanning her facial expressions for any hint of a lie. When he realized she was telling the truth, a vein bulged from his forehead in irritation. Ami noticed the vein and could already see the steam flying out of his ears.

"Uh oh." Ami thought, "But, hey, you know, it doesn't matter now. Izzy got Todoroki to use his flames after all." She laughed nervously. That only seemed to make it worse as Bakugo's eye began to twitch.

"Are you kidding me? The only one that could get IcyHot to use his fire? Out of everyone in this tournament, Endeavor picked Habanero?" He questioned, internally.

"So what? Does he think my explosions can't cut it against his sons stupid ice attacks? What a load of crap!" Bakugo thought, seething with frustration and anger. Did he really not consider him a threat against his son? Bakugo gritted his teeth and groaned while Ami watched with slight worry.

"Hell, no! I'll make him use his flames. No way am I letting that bastard hold back on me!" Bakugo thought, making his final decision. He glanced back at Habanero and gritted his teeth. "So you think Habanero had a better shot than me, huh? I'll prove why you're wrong when I crush her." Bakugo thought, staring at Endeavor from far away. He made his final decision in his mind and focused on calming down. Ami watched as his anger subsided with concern. The mere thought that the Number Two Hero didn't consider him to be a threat to his son really set him off. Ami could see in Bakugo's eyes that it angered him immensely. She considered herself lucky he didn't explode right then and there.

"Geez, Kacchan, relax. I didn't believe it very much when Endeavor said that, too, you know?" Ami replied, getting a peculiar look from Bakugo.

"...So?" He asked, wondering where she was going with this.

"So don't believe it either. Endeavor's clearly underestimating you, so prove him wrong." Ami smiled, raising her fist. Bakugo looked at her in confusion and lowered his eyes into a serious stare.

"...You know I can only do that if I kick your ass, right?" He pointed out, deflating Habanero's smile.

"...Oh, yeah." She said, realizing she might have gotten carried away. Bakugo watched her deflate upon pointing that out and couldn't resist cracking a smile and making a barely audible chuckling sound at her expense.

"Heh." Bakugo said, shaking his head at her. He leaned back into his seat and crossed his arms, looking back down at the battlefield. The rage he had growing inside him died down completely with Habanero's help, causing him to scoff. She had a point, Endeavor was underestimating him. Only an idiot would think he's not a threat. Goes to show why he'll never replace All Might as Number One. As he concluded his final thoughts, the pyrotechnics around the ring had finally gone off, releasing a long flow of fire into the air. The audience quickly got excited again, cheering loudly in anticipation. Bakugo listened to their excitement and got comfortable in his seat. For now, he'd have to wait and see how IcyHot deals with Four Eyes. Then he'd focus on his next match.

Ami did the same and got comfortable. The nervousness was slowly creeping back into her with every second passing. She stayed strong in an effort to keep up her calm appearance. She swallowed her fears and relaxed. For now, she, too, would wait and see how this match goes.

"We return with the first match of the semifinals! Both come from hero families, making this a battle of elites! From the Hero Course, Tenya Iida! Versus…His classmate, Shoto Todoroki!" Present Mic announced. Iida heard the cheers from the audience but kept his eyes focused on his opponent. He's already seen how Todoroki fights and how he deals with his opponents. For his plan to work, he'd have to be fast and have complete concentration and focus.

"I can't negate his attacks like Midoriya did. Plus, if he uses his flames now, he's even more dangerous." Iida thought, analyzing his opponent.

"Focus." He said, clenching his fists and revving his engines.

"Start!" Present Mic shouted. Todoroki quickly sprung into action, creating a path of ice surging towards Iida in seconds. Iida saw the ice barrage coming and dashed to the side, revving up his engines.

"He's not wasting any time." Iida thought, watching Todoroki very carefully. Todoroki followed Iida's running and bent down, placing his hand on the cement. He activated his quirk in the palm of his hand and launched another ice barrage in front of Iida's path. Iida saw the ice barrage and quickly stopped himself, swerving to the right with his engines. His quick maneuver stopped him from running straight into the ice. He kept his cool and stopped in the center of the ring, staring at the narrow-eyed Todoroki.

"Iida's been surrounded!" Present Mic exclaimed. The class gasped at the trap Todoroki had put Iida in. There wasn't anywhere else for Iida to run but straight ahead. Ami stared at Todoroki with an unsure look, examining the expression on his face.

"He's got Iida trapped. If he uses his flames, he'll win." Ami thought, wondering what Todoroki would do next. Iida stared at him and watched Todoroki bring his hand back down to the floor. He activated his quirk and launched a third ice barrage towards Iida, causing Ami to raise her eye at his action.

"He didn't use his fire. But it would have been perfect there." Ami thought, feeling confused. What was he doing? Why is he back to only using his ice?

"Todoroki's going in for the win already!" Present Mic exclaimed. Iida saw the incoming ice barrage and gritted his teeth. Iida crouched down on his knees and raised his arms up. He stood up with engines revved and made a huge jump upward, easily flying above the ice.

"Whoa! A standing long jump!" Ochaco exclaimed, surprised to see Iida jump past the ice barrage.

"Recipro..Burst!" Iida shouted, feeling the acceleration turn the flames in his engines blue. He boosted towards Todoroki with extreme speeds causing the cold teen's eyes to widen. Iida glared at him and kicked his leg towards him. Todoroki dodged the kick and grunted, crouching down so Iida would fly right over him.

"I have ten seconds before my engines stall!" Iida thought, gritting his teeth. He landed on the floor behind Todoroki with a thud.

"Which means I have to win this right now!" He said. Without wasting any time, Iida did a backflip and raised his leg. He kicked Todoroki right into the cement, causing several of their classmates to gasp.

"Look at that speed!" Present Mic pointed out.

"That was a heavy hit." Sero stated, in awe of the powerful kick.

"That was even harder than when he kicked Mineta." Kaminari said, causing Mineta to nod in agreement.

"Eight seconds left! I've got this." Iida said, grabbing onto the back of Todoroki's shirt. Ami and the rest of the class gasped at his action, realizing what Iida was trying to do.

"I see. He tried to disorient him so he'd have enough time to throw him out the ring." Ami assumed, nodding her head. Iida sped towards the rings border with Todoroki in his grip. She narrowed her eyes and continued watching with suspense.

"What's he going to do? Will he try to grab him? Light his arm on fire or something?" Ami thought. Down on the battlefield, Iida stared at the border of the ring as he made his fast approach. His plan was working so far. Although it was strange that Todoroki was still holding off on using his flames even though he just used them on Midoriya. It confused him greatly but he wasn't going to let that distract him. The border was right there. He kept his focus on winning and sped off.

"I'll throw him out of bounds before he can-" Iida stopped talking when he felt a strange sensation on his engines. An ice cold chill replaced the warm sensation on his legs, causing him to go wide eyed. He gasped and turned his head back to see what happened, coming to a complete stop. To his shock, he turned his head and saw his muffler was covered in ice.

"My muffler's blocked!" Iida exclaimed.

"When did you-" Iida was quickly interrupted by a hand grabbing onto his arm. Todoroki gripped Iida's arm and activated his quirk, quickly freezing Iida's arm.

"When you kicked me. I've only been showing off ranged attacks today. You forgot I could do precision moves, too, didn't you?" Todoroki asked, staring coldly at Iida's face. Iida stared back at Todoroki's cold eyes and watched in horror as his whole body was consumed in ice.

"I was trying to dodge your recipro. But it was too fast to avoid, even for me." Todoroki admitted, standing up and rubbing the back of his head.

"Iida has been immobilized. Todoroki advances!" Midnight announced, sending the stadium into a loud uproar.

"Todoroki advances to the finals without even using his flames again!" Present Mic exclaimed. Endeavor looked down at the battlefield with narrowed eyes and grumbled to himself. The last words his son said to him repeated in his head.

"Maybe I don't need you." Todoroki said, causing Endeavor to groan in frustration.

"Why are you holding back? Don't be a fool." He complained, feeling a large amount of disappointment in him. In the hero stands below Endeavor, Backdraft and Wyvern watched the end of the fight with confused looks.

"Back to using ice only?" Wyvern said, surprised by Todoroki's actions.

"It would seem so." Backdraft said, feeling a little disappointed that the boy had gone another match without using his fire. Wyvern stared at Iida's frozen body and folded his arms, frowning a little. The amount of effort Ingenium's younger brother put into making it this far proved that he had great potential. Still, it was a shame that this was how it would end for him. Down on the battlefield, Iida's face was the only part of his body that remained unfrozen. The ice cold temperatures made his body go numb and made his mouth jitter. He gritted his teeth and felt them clattering from the cold. He listened to the cheers and applause from the audience and frowned in disappointment. They weren't for him. They were for Todoroki. He lost and there was nothing he could do to change that.

"I'm sorry, brother." He strained, feeling ashamed at his failure. Up in the student stands, Ami watched the fight conclude with a surprised look on her face.

"He didn't use his flames again, but…why?" She questioned, feeling her jaw drop slightly. She remembered what Izuku had said about Todoroki and frowned in her seat.

"But after everything Izuku said to him? Was Izuku not enough?" Ami thought, worried that history was repeating itself in front of her own eyes. Her mind immediately answered her own question.

"No, of course not. It didn't take one day for me to change my mind about my quirk. Why would it take a day for Todoroki to change his mind?" Ami thought, closing her eyes and hearing Izuku's words enter her mind. She clenched her fists and shrugged, shaking her head and ignoring those past thoughts. She reopened her eyes and stared at Iida, feeling the utmost pity towards him. She watched him grit his teeth in an attempt to stop them from clattering and frowned. The emotions on his face were clear to see even from her vantage point.

"Poor, Iida." She thought. She heard groaning beside her and raised her head up, glancing to her right. She was quickly taken aback by the sight of Bakugo's face. He was annoyed, frustrated, and angry. The whole trifecta. She blinked a few times when she saw how angry he was getting. His anger was already worse than before. She could hear him mumbling under his breath and tried to listen, barely making out a few words.

"What the hell? Are you kidding me, IcyHot? You're still refusing to use your flames? What kind of idiot are you damnit?" Bakugo growled, clenching his fists. This was not how he expected the match to end. Why the hell didn't he use his flames? Why is he acting so stupid? It frustrated him to no end. He felt foolish for even thinking that Todoroki would use his flames. That idiot really was determined to win with only half his power. The thought of it all had pissed him off immensely. The thought opened up a sense of dejavu for him. He'd seen this before. It frustrated him to no end then and it was frustrating him now. He lowered his eyes and gritted his teeth. He was an idiot for holding back, but he's an even bigger idiot for continuing to hold back. The whole experience made him angry, but it also reminded him of before. He couldn't help but draw comparisons between the two of them in his head.

"You complete moron. You're even worse than H-" Bakugo thought, reaching his boiling point.

"Kacchan!" Habanero shouted, snapping Bakugo out of his frustrated trance. He raised his head up and returned to reality. He felt a hand shake him and immediately twisted his head to the left and looked at the hand on his shoulder and knew it was Habanero's. He looked back up at her and saw the concern in her eyes, causing him to growl in annoyance.

"Who gave you permission to touch me!" Bakugo roared, glaring harshly at her. His anger was deciding how he'd talk for him, but once he saw the nervous expression on her face he felt that strange feeling again. Habanero frowned and quickly removed her hand from his shoulder. Her sad expression upon doing so made Bakugo's senses return slightly. He continued to glare at her though his previous thoughts were still fresh in his mind. His scowl faltered a bit as he looked at Habanero, letting his thoughts become more clear.

"What do you want?" He asked, holding in the irritation in his voice. Ami was surprised to see how much the fight had struck a chord with him. It surprised her to see him this irritated and frowned.

"You zoned out." She explained. Bakugo continued to glare at her for a few seconds before relaxing his shoulders. He composed himself and quickly looked away from her without saying a word, causing Ami to raise her eyes questionably at him.

"What? No comment?" Ami questioned inside her head. She stared at Bakugo and continued to examine the solemn expression on his face. Her own thoughts ran through her head as she watched him. She had seen it clear as day. The rage inside Bakugo as soon as the fight had ended. Todoroki had pissed him off again.

The angry look on his face was strangely nostalgic to her. It was rage mixed with frustration, disappointment, and annoyance. It was a lot like how he'd look at her as kids. She looked down at the floor and remembered the young Bakugo. The memory of her and Izuku walking behind him in a forest played in her head. She remembered Izuku was giving praise to Bakugo's quirk at that moment, telling him he'd hope to have a quirk just as awesome as his.

"Whatever, Deku. No matter what quirk you end up with you'll never be able to beat me. Even if it's like, Flame Breath, over there." Bakugo stated. Ami remembered the jab at her and frowned.

"Even if it's like, Flame Breath's? Ami repeated, glancing at Bakugo's face. She gulped nervously at him and looked back down on the ground, thinking about his rage.

"That anger in his face. It was the same anger he had back then, too." Ami thought, furrowing her eyebrows in thought.

"I held back and used half of my power for the longest time. Bakugo knew that and it pissed him off, making me a target for his insults as well." Ami thought, remembering his insults.

"Bakugo never believed I could beat him. He never imagined I could become a hero with the way I treated my quirk. I always held back." Ami thought, feeling like her eyes were finally opening up.

"Of course. It was right there this whole time yet I didn't see it." Ami thought, thinking back to them eavesdropping on Izuku and Todoroki's conversation. She had watched his reaction to Todoroki's backstory. He was surprised as well, but when their conversation had ended she saw the anger in his face and the irritation in his voice.

Let's go." Bakugo said, walking back down the dark halls. Ami looked at him in confusion and nodded, quickly running up beside him in silence. She had wondered what pissed Bakugo off then and didn't see it, but now? It was clear as day as to what pissed him off. It wasn't just Todoroki himself that angered him, no. It was more than that. He saw what Izuku saw in him, too. Bakugo saw Ami in him and it pissed him off. She cursed herself for realizing that now after thinking so much about if Bakugo saw their similarities. It was right there and she didn't realize it. Ami flinched and nodded slowly in confirmation, feeling things become clearer in her head. The walk back to U.A. entered her mind. She remembered shuffling her feet on the ground as they walked back to U.A. together. It annoyed him, forcing him to talk.

"You're thinking about what he said to Deku, aren't you?" Bakugo asked.

"Yeah…" She remembered answering.

"Don't let it get to you." He said, surprising her.

"Huh?" She replied, wondering if this was some attempt to cheer her up.

"It's just a distraction. Nothing more." Bakugo said, confusing her greatly.

"What happened to him was bullshit, sure, but I'm not going to change what I think or do against him. He's still the enemy. To you, and me. One sob story isn't enough for me to hold back against that bastard and neither should your dumbass."

"Everything he said to me wasn't just to cheer me up. It was him telling himself how to act. The similarities I shared with Todoroki frustrated him and it distracted him." Ami thought, narrowing her eyes. She wrapped up her thoughts and nodded, clenching her fists. She took a deep breath and tensed up her whole body, feeling as if her mind was made up. The anger Bakugo displayed for Todoroki was all mostly from her. It had to be from her. She shook her head and narrowed her eyes at the jumbotron, watching as the screen changed from Iida and Todoroki to her and Bakugo.

"With that match over with, it's time for our next competitors to head for the waiting rooms while repairs get made!" Present Mic exclaimed.

"This is it. It's me against you, Kacchan." She said, feeling a boost of confidence swell up inside her. The nervousness in her was still present but there was also another emotion that was quickly rivaling it. She was determined to show Bakugo just how different she had become. She felt a bizarre feeling in her stomach. It didn't feel like sickness to her or feel like anxiety. She ignored the feeling and took deep breaths to calm herself down, making her feel calm and collected. Right now, her mind was concluded. She glanced at Bakugo and saw the frustration was still present in his eyes.

"Guess we should do what he says and head to our waiting rooms now that the fight is over." Ami suggested. Bakugo raised an eye at her voice and hesitated.

"...Yeah." He replied late, taking notice of her body language. It was obvious she was still nervous, but there was a drive in her that caught him by surprise. Like whatever she was thinking about had given her determination. He didn't bother thinking about it more and scoffed, getting out of his seat. Ami raised an eye at him in disappointment at his silence, expecting him to say something to her.

"Well, I guess I'll see you down there, Kacchan." Ami said, forcing a smile on her face. Bakugo heard the disappointment in her tone and stopped moving. He listened to the tone and could already visualize that stupid frown on her face that annoyed him. He narrowed his eyes and tensed his shoulders, flaring his nostrils.

"Habanero." Bakugo said, getting Ami's attention.

"What?" Ami asked, feeling a strange amount of excitement. She looked at the back of his head and gripped her seat, awaiting his reply.

"When we're down there, I'm not going to hold back. So don't think just because we know each other that I'll act any different than in my previous matches. I'll beat you with everything I got, so you better not-

"Hold back against you? I wouldn't dare. Promise." Ami replied, interrupting him.

"I may be a little nervous about this match, but I'm not letting that hold me back. I refuse to allow it. And I know you wouldn't stand for it, either. I remember what you said to me about Shoji. I told him not to hold back on you, so I'm not either! I'll show you everything my training has amounted to, Bakugo, and I'll beat you!" Ami proclaimed, standing up from her seat. Bakugo listened to her proclamation and was unexpectedly surprised. He lowered his head and thought it over, dropping his shoulders. He flared his nostrils and felt a small smile creep onto his lips. Maybe he didn't have to worry about her nervousness after all. He kept his back facing her and didn't turn around, taking in a fresh breath of air.

"Hmph. Good." He grinned, "One more thing, Habanero. You better not enter the ring with that stupid sad expression on your face, you hear? Save that for after I beat you, got it?" Bakugo ordered, causing the slight frown on her face to shift upwards. She felt her face turn red a bit at the fact he was able to tell she had a slight frown on her face. She flared her nostrils and nodded profusely.

"Sure thing, Kacchan." She smirked, clenching her fists. Bakugo heard the enthusiasm in her voice and rolled his eyes. That was better. He nodded lightly in acknowledgement of her and continued walking up the stairs. Ami watched him leave and clenched her fists even tighter, keeping a solemn expression on her face.

"So, it's really happening. I'm going up against you." Ami said, watching Bakugo leave up the stairs. She narrowed her eyes and stared at the back of his head as he reached the exit and disappeared into the stadium interior. Seeing him out of sight, she dropped her solemn expression and smiled, unclenching her fists.

"Right. This is it. This is the moment you've been waiting for, Ami." She thought, holding on to her determination. There was no way she was going to let her newfound confidence leave her so fast. Even though she was worried about the fight, she knew there was no going back. She's gotten so far already, there was no way she'd let herself cave in to fear. It wouldn't be fair to everyone who fought like hell to get here and it wouldn't be fair for Kacchan.

I won't back down now, I'll win." Ami said, hyping herself up. She looked up at the stairs and waved at her friends. Everyone around her had scooted closer to give her their support. They all saw Bakugo's fights and they knew what he was capable of. But they had also seen Ami's fights as well. They knew what she was capable of. She looked at her friends and nodded, smiling back at them with confidence. The exchanges were quick as they didn't want to cut into Ami's time, allowing her to walk up the stairs without pause.

"Ami, wait!" Izuku shouted, getting Ami's attention.

"Hmm? Izuku?" She questioned, turning her body around and looking down at the bottom front row. She was greeted by the sight of Izuku rushing up the stairs towards her.

"Ami!" Izuku exclaimed, running up the stairs. His already tired body caused him to start panting when he finally reached her, causing Ami to preemptively hover her hands above Izuku, ready to catch him if he fell. She looked at him with worry and let him compose himself.

"Ami." Izuku repeated, making eye contact with her.

"Take it easy, Izzy. Don't worry about me, okay? I've got a plan in mind." Ami assured him, lifting some of the worry off of him, but not all of it.

"You sure?" He asked, wanting to be certain. He received a nod in confirmation and breathed through his nose, relaxing.

"That's great, Ami." Izuku sighed in relief. He lowered his eyes and tapped his fingers nervously, trying to find the right words. Ami noticed his nervousness and felt her curiosity and concern rise.

"But, um…that isn't all I wanted to talk to you about..." He clarified, getting Ami's curiosity. She was about to ask why, but Izuku was quick to reply.

"Listen. About your fight against Kacchan. I know it'll be hard going up against him. Especially for us. We've known him all our lives. And he's known us all his life, too. Ever since we got into U.A., Kacchan's been waiting for a chance to fight one of us in whatever form it took. So, do your best and show him why we're at U.A." Izuku stated, confidently. Ami took in Izuku's words of encouragement and flared her nostrils, smiling warmly.

"You're right. Thanks, Izzy." Ami said, pulling Izuku into a hug, "I'll do it. I'll show him why we made it to U.A. You can count on me, Izzy!" Ami said, making sure she wasn't causing Izuku discomfort through their hug.

"I know you can, Sis. I believe in you, everyone does. I'll be up here supporting you, alright?" Izuku smiled, getting a nod from Ami.

"Right." Ami said, pulling away from the hug. The twins stared at each other for a couple seconds and nodded in unison. Ami turned her back on Izuku and continued heading up the stairs. Izuku stared at the back of her head and watched her leave, smiling confidently at her. The determination she exude gave him a boost of morale. He might not have known what plan she had in mind, but he knew whatever it was would go beyond.

"When I left Izuku, his words stayed with me. But I knew deep down what he meant. What he intended to say." Ami narrated.

"We've known Bakugo for most of our lives. We followed him even though he didn't want us to. We hung out with him even though he would act rude to us. No matter what happened, we always knew he'd be an amazing hero someday. And when me and Izzy's lives forever changed, we still had our own reasons to look up to Bakugo. But through all of that, we never wanted to fight him. All we wanted was to be friends with him."

"But things changed again. I actually wanted this. I wanted to fight him. Not because I hated him, but because I wanted to be his friend. I wanted to show him everything I've learned from All Might. Everything I learned from U.A. Everything I learned from the Sports Festival. And… everything I learned from the USJ."

"That's when I realized what this fight meant to me. I wasn't going to just do my best. No. I needed to do more. I needed him to know."

Ami walked down the long hallway in silence, staring up at the ceiling with narrowed eyes. She showed confidence with every step she made towards the exit tunnel. There was no turning back now. As she looked at the hall that led to the exit tunnel, the last of her nervousness came rising up. She felt her body shake a little in realization that she was about to fight Bakugo. She closed her eyes and scoffed, shaking her head and shrugging away her worry. There was no room for worry in her now. She took a deep breath and gulped, composing herself and standing firm.

"I'll show him. I'll show him that I'm not holding back anymore. I'm going to prove it to him and win. I'll show him what I'm willing to do as a hero." Ami declared, sparking an old memory to flash through her head.

Years ago

"Hahaha!" Bakugo laughed, holding onto his stomach. A tear fell out of his eye as soon as he heard what she said. It was so ridiculous, he couldn't stop laughing.

The little girl in front of him stared at him with sad eyes that quickly morphed into an annoyed glare. She watched Bakugo start laughing hard at what she said and felt her lips form a frown underneath her puffy jacket. It wasn't like she didn't see this coming. In fact, she knew Bakugo wouldn't take her seriously, yet to see it in real time frustrated her to no end.

"A hero? You? Pfft..hahahahaha." Bakugo laughed, struggling to hold back. Ami winced at his rudeness. The glare in her eyes increased in anger, making her clench her fists and form a pout on her lips. She held in her sadness and gritted her teeth, looking back at Bakugo with a hard glare.

"Don't laugh! I'm serious!" Ami shouted, getting Bakugo to pause. He stopped laughing and stared down at her, sporting a mischievous grin.

"You wanna be a hero, Habanero?" He questioned, an amused smile forming on his face. He crossed his arms and raised his eyebrow in response. Ami looked at him apprehensively and replied.

"Mhm." Ami hummed, nodding in confirmation. She hoped Bakugo would stop laughing, but spoke too soon. A chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head in denial.

"Oh, come on. Get real. You can't even set your own shadow on fire." Bakugo pointed out, shaking his head at her. Ami's glare lessened at his statement. He was right, she didn't want to breathe fire. She couldn't.

"What're you gonna do against a villain, huh? Cry till they surrender?" Bakugo joked, laughing at her expense. Ami snapped out of her doubts and continued to glare at him, shaking her head in denial.

"I don't wanna fight villains, I'll be a rescue hero! I'll use my quirk to eat fires." Ami stated, clarifying the type of hero she wanted to be. Bakugo looked at her and scoffed.

"Don't want to fight villains? That's what heroes do, stupid." Bakugo thought, shaking his head at her in annoyance.

"Oh? Then what about the villain that starts the fire? What're you gonna do about him? I heard villains love seeing their handywork, so he'll definitely be hanging around still. So, what are you going to do against him?" Bakugo said, succeeding in making Ami worried.

"What am I going...to do?" Ami repeated. She wasn't expecting that question. She didn't think about that part at all. What would she do if the villain was still around?

"Uh- I'll, uh-" Ami stuttered, darting her eyes everywhere. Bakugo saw the doubt in her face and took advantage of it, smiling mischievously.

"If you can't fight, then how do you expect to ever cut it as a hero?" Bakugo grinned, pointing at her and chuckling. Ami stared at his finger as he laughed at her and felt worse. She looked down at the ground and glanced at the puffy jacket covering her mouth. She wiggled her neck and let the jacket drop down her neck, revealing her frown to the world. Bakugo watched the jacket fall and reveal her sad frown and stopped. He was more used to seeing sadness through her eyes, not her mouth.

"Oh, yeah? Then what would you do?" She stuttered, snapping Bakugo out of his distraction.

"Huh?" He asked, before remembering what she said. He closed his eyes and flared his nostrils.

"Duh. I'd punch the villain right in the jaw and blow him up with a big explosion. An explosion so big it'll send him flying straight into space." He said, confidently. Ami was slightly thrown off by his imaginative description and smiled a bit. The thought was amusing at least, but her anger still stayed with her. Her smile turned back into a frown as she glared at him, throwing the questions back at him.

"You'll send him flying into space? Then what? What about the fire he caused? What are you gonna do about it? Blow the fire up?"

"Of course not, Stupid! I'm not gonna bother trying to get rid of the fire. I'll defeat the stupid villain and let someone else deal with it." Bakugo yelled, making Ami mad.

"What kinda hero does that? What about the building he set on fire? What are you gonna do about the civilians? Let them stay in the burning building?" Ami questioned him, irritating Bakugo. He gritted his teeth and growled at Habanero's questioning. He quickly realized he hadn't given that part much thought.

"No, of course not! I'll break through the walls and let them escape themselves." Bakugo answered, receiving an eye roll from Habanero.

"Oh, yeah, sure, blow up the burning building, Kacchan! That's really smart." Ami criticized, making Bakugo mad. He started growling at her in frustration, reaching past his boiling point.

"Grrr! Fine! If you want to put fires out all day then why don't you deal with the burning building!" Bakugo shouted, squeezing his fists tightly.

"Wait. What?" Ami replied, dumbfounded.

"Huh?" Bakugo asked, realizing what he said.

"Crap!" Bakugo thought. He couldn't believe he'd slip up like that.

"Why don't I deal with it? You mean…you'd let me be your sidekick?" Ami questioned, feeling awfully confused but excited at the prospect.

"Oh, heck no!" Bakugo thought, immediately shaking his head in protest.

"Pfft. Yeah, right? You? My sidekick? All Might doesn't need a sidekick and neither do I." Bakugo denied, profusely denying her sidekick application. Ami looked at him in confusion and raised her finger up with a question.

"But what about Night-

"He doesn't count!" He shouted.

"Besides, like I'd ever let someone like you be my sidekick." He sneered, making Habanero frown. He looked at the frown on her face and groaned, turning his back on her. He had enough of looking at it.

"You're not going to be a hero anyway with a quirk as stupid as yours." He said, walking away from her. Ami watched him leave and gathered up everything he said. She didn't like that answer.

"Oh, yeah? I will be a hero, Kacchan! I'll show you! Even if you think it'll never happen, I'll do it!" Ami shouted, causing Bakugo to scoff.

"Tsk. I'll believe it when I see it, Habanero." He replied, rolling his eyes and walking away.

"Like that's ever gonna happen." He mumbled. Ami watched him continue to walk away and flared her nostrils in defiance. He'd prove him wrong someday. She didn't need to hurt people to be a hero. She will never use her flames on people. Never. She was gonna be a rescue hero that eats flames and saves lives. She'll show him.

"Do you remember that day, Kacchan? The day I told you I wanted to be a hero?" Ami thought, snapping out of that memory. She took another deep breath and entered the exit tunnel, listening to the loud cheers from the stadium. She squinted her eyes and held a hand over her forehead, allowing her eyes time to adjust to the bright sunny day. She looked at the light coming from the outside and peeked out at the battlefield in front of her. She glanced at the exit tunnel on the opposite side of the ring and focused on it. The darkness of the tunnel prevented her from seeing any detail. If Bakugo was in the tunnel waiting for the match to start, she had no idea.

The repairs to the battlefield were complete, now it was just a wait for Present Mic to start introducing them onto the field. She sighed and folded her arms together, leaning on the wall in anticipation. She felt the back of her head touch the wall softly and relaxed, closing her eyes and listening to her breathing. Who was she kidding, her heart was beating. The determination she had for this moment stayed strong but not even she could deny the anticipation was making her heart race.

This was the semifinals. Whatever happens in this match, one of them would be taking on Todoroki next. She didn't let herself think that far ahead. Her focus was entirely on Bakugo, a fight with him deserved nothing else but her full attention. She gulped again and swallowed her nervousness away.

"Try not to look so nervous, young Ami." All Might called out to her, getting Ami's attention. She instantly opened her eyes wide and faced the entrance to the stadium interiors, watching as All Might stepped out of the shadows with a smile and a wave.

"All Might!?" Ami said, surprised by the visit. She raised herself away from the wall and rushed over to All Might. She embraced All Might in his deflated form and hugged him, throwing him off a bit.

"Whoa! Greetings, young Ami. I came here to see you off." He explained, patting her on the head.

"Been a while since we talked, hasn't it?" All Might asked, not counting their exchange at Recovery Girl's office.

"Mhm." Ami nodded.

"You're up against young Bakugo this round, aren't you?" All Might asked, watching her smile slightly falter, "How are you feeling?" He asked. Ami pulled away from him and tilted her head. She put a hand on her chin and stared at the floor, thinking about how to answer him.

"How am I feeling? I don't know… At first, I was scared when I realized I was fighting Kacchan next. But now? Now, I'm not entirely sure how I feel?" Ami answered, unsure about her feelings.

"Hm. That confusing, huh?" All Might asked, raising his eyes.

"You bet." Ami said, forming an awkward smile.

"I feel nervous, don't get me wrong, but I'm feeling more determined than anything. I told Kacchan already that I knew better than to hold back against him. So that's what I'm going to do. Fight him as best as I can, with everything I've learned from my training."

"Well said, Ami. Sometimes the only push we need is our own determination to complete our goals. But to tell you the truth I'd say you're perfectly justified feeling nervous for the fight. This is the last round of the semifinals after all." All Might pointed out.

"I know…" Ami said, clasping her hands together. She thought about the nervous feeling in her stomach and pictured All Might's smile to dissuade it. All Might was brave and always fighting with a smile on his face. It made her feel safe thinking about it. While doing so she grew curious about All Might and looked up at him.

"Hey, All Might. Have you ever been nervous before a fight?" She asked, causing him to raise his eyebrow.

"Plenty of times, Ami. Plenty of times." All Might answered, truthfully. Ami made a tiny gasp at his answer, surprised by All Mights admittal.

"Really?" She asked, receiving a nod from the deflated man.

"Yup. I wasn't always as experienced as I am now. I started out young like you, training everyday to become a hero. I've even taken part in this festival when I was here." All Might said, receiving a look of awe from Ami.

"Really? How'd you do?" She asked, clasping her hands together with excited curiosity.

"I won, of course." All Might laughed.

"Oh." Ami replied, nodding her head. That made sense.

"But it wasn't easy. I was nervous and a little scared along the way. There were a lot of close calls even for me, but I always managed to pull through in the end." All Might said, triumphantly. A bit of pride swept through him as he remembered the old days.

"Wow, that's amazing! It's hard to picture you being young in my head, though." Ami said obliviously, crushing All Might's spirit.

"Oh." All Might said, feeling his smile falter. He slumped forward a bit from the impact. That hurt to hear more than he thought it would.

"Well, anyway. Do you have a plan for taking on young Bakugo?" All Might asked, brushing aside her unintentional roasting.

"Of course, I have a plan." Ami nodded, replacing her smile with a solemn expression.

"I've had all this time to think of one." Ami said with focus.

"Well, that's a relief. Looks like the match will be starting soon. I better get going." All Might said, stretching his limbs.

"Actually, All Might. Before you leave, can I ask you a question?" Ami said, stopping All Might in his tracks. He turned his head back and looked at her curiously.

"A question? About the match?" He asked, receiving a head shake.

"No. It's something else." Ami said, sparking All Might's curiosity even more. He squinted his eyes and examined her serious expression. He checked the time on his watch and shrugged, deciding to hear her out.

"Hmm, well. Lay it on me, I guess." All Might replied.

"When Izuku had his vision. He said he saw someone that had my hairstyle. But, it wasn't actually me. But then you explained that what he saw was the previous holders of One For All. So, it got me thinking about what you said to me at the beach." Ami said, catching All Might by surprise.

"What I said?" All Might repeated, folding his arms together in thought. He placed a hand beneath his chin and remembered the past. He raised his eyes almost immediately as he remembered what he told Ami long ago.

"A wise woman once told me that real heroes don't just save lives, they save their hearts, too. No matter how scared you are, you should smile to show that things are okay. And that in this world, the ones always smiling are the strongest." All Might quoted, looking at Ami with a warm smile.

"Wow. She sounds really cool." Ami said, amazed by the quote. All Might laughed and nodded peacefully.

"She was. In a way, you remind me of her." All Might smiled, looking up at the sky.

"Really? How so?" Ami asked, excitedly. All Might smiled and put his hands on each side of his face to mimic her hair.

"Same hairstyle." All Might said, smiling. All Might returned to reality and cracked a smile at the memory.

"Ah! I see. Hehe. Connected the dots, haven't you, young lady?" All Might complimented, receiving an excited nod from Ami.

"So, you understand what I'm trying to say?" Ami asked, running up to All Might in excitement. All Might stepped back and nodded.

"Mhm. Indeed so. The woman I told you about and the woman Izuku saw in his vision are one and the same." All Might confirmed, nodding his head.

"Really?" Ami said, feeling giddy. She celebrated internally from All Might's answer and felt wonderful. She thought about Bakugo and smiled.

"Thanks, Bakugo." Ami thought, knowing their conversation from earlier was what led her to thinking this.

"So then that means…I reminded you of a previous user of One For All?" Ami wondered, feeling extremely honored.

"Yup. In fact, she was the one who gave me One For All long ago." All Might explained, smiling at Ami's excitement.

"That's so cool!" She exclaimed, shaking in excitement. She got closer to All Might and raised her fists up.

"I can't believe it. Does Izuku know? Did you mention her to him? Is she cool? Who is she? What's her hero name?" Ami questioned, rapidly. All Might was instantly overwhelmed by her questioning and raised his hands up to calm her down.

"Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Hold on now, young lady. There's a time and place for questions like that, don't you think? Besides, it's not good to be distracted before your fight." All Might said, reminding Ami of her fight.

"Sorry. Sorry. You're right." She apologized, calming down.

"But after this, you'll tell me, right?" She asked, clasping her hands together. All Might looked at the sparkle in her eyes and chuckled.

"We'll see. But only if you win your match, alright?" All Might smirked, folding his hands back together. Ami nodded in understanding and turned around, facing the light of the tunnel.

"Sure thing. Wish me luck." She said, getting another amused chuckle from All Might.

"Heh. Don't need to." All Might replied, getting Ami to twist her head around slightly. She glanced at All Might in her peripheral vision in confusion.

"How come?" She asked.

"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck. It isn't something you should rely upon nor is it something you need." All Might answered. Ami raised her eyebrow at him in slight confusion but nodded with a smile.

"Okay. Got it. Then I'll do my best!" She replied, nodding her head. All Might formed a satisfied grin upon hearing her say those words.

"That's what I want to hear, Ami. Now go out there with a smile and show him not to mess with you." All Might exclaimed, raising his fist upward in front of him.

"No such thing as luck, huh?" Ami thought, clenching her fists. She took a deep breath and shrugged, "Okay then." She said, walking away. All Might watched her walk ahead and smiled proudly at Ami. He quickly relaxed and slumped his shoulders, exhaling air. The smile on his face faltered slightly as he thought of his former master.

"Me and my mouth." He mumbled, quietly. Now that Ami knew about her it was only a matter of time until Izuku would find out. If the both of them come to him asking questions, then he'll have no choice but to tell them. Tell them what happened to her.

UA Stadium - Battlefield

"It's finally time for the last match of the semifinals, folks!" Present Mic shouted, putting emphasis on finally.

"It's been a long wait for both contestants so let's cut to the chase and introduce them! On this side, his explosions have been a real knockout: it's Katsuki Bakugo!" Present Mic introduced.

"And on the opposite side, we have a rival classmate from Class 1-A avenging her fallen twin. She's the only girl capable of eating our pyrotechnics: it's Ami Midoriya!" Present Mic introduced. Ami exited the tunnel and waved at the audience with a smile. She walked towards the ring with a confident stride to her step. A look of determination filled her eyes, keeping her from feeling nervous. Something Ami was thankful for considering her opponent. She brought her hands back down to her waist and listened to Present Mic's narration.

"She's made it far on her side of the bracket, but let's see how she fares against Bakugo's powerful blasts. Will this be the end of Ami? Or will Bakugo's downfall start here?" Present Mic questioned, causing Bakugo to roll his eyes and shake his head.

"Heh. As if." He scoffed, already annoyed by Present Mic. Bakugo entered the ring without hesitation. If there was nervousness inside him it was currently being held at gunpoint by Bakugo's determination and rage. As he entered the ring his eyes made contact with Habanero's. He stared at her and grinned maliciously, signaling Habanero's demise. Ami recognized that grin. It was the same grin he had on his face when he attempted to blow up Izuku with his gauntlets. The grin succeeded in unnerving her but she remained strong. She scoffed and grinned maliciously back at him. Neither of them were backing down. A mix of satisfaction and annoyance entered Bakugo's mind upon seeing her grin. The grin meant two things to him. She wasn't afraid of getting her ass kicked and whatever doubt he saw in her before had been promptly thrown out the door. This match might not end as fast as he predicted.

Up in the Hero stands, several opinions were exchanged by the heroes. Although there were some heroes that worried Bakugo would decimate her, there were some that made note of her power. Of all his tough opponents, none were like Ami. Her Flame Catcher was a huge counter to his explosions. If Ami could eat them all then maybe she'd be the one to take Bakugo down. Of course, a small minority of them hoped Bakugo would go easy on her but Aizawa's scolding had caused them to stay quiet. They had learned their lesson after Ochaco's match. Amidst the clapping and cheers from the hero stands, Wyvern sat in his seat with a stoic grin on his face. He clapped along with the other heroes in anticipation for the match to start.

"Gotta hand it to her, I underestimated Ami. Didn't think she'd make it this far." Wyvern admitted, finding himself to be continually surprised by today's events. He never would've thought going to these would be so exciting. Ami's quirk had gotten her far and her quirks ability had captured his attention.

"Everytime I think she's in trouble she seems to get herself out of it. But with this guy?" Wyvern thought, looking at the malicious grin on her opponent's face. Bakugo was another student he was interested in. His ability to produce explosions on his hands had allowed him to take down two figurative tanks in his class.

"So far he's been acting like an unstoppable force in this festival. He's proven himself again and again to be a capable fighter. But is Ami's quirk enough to stop him?" Wyvern questioned internally. The flame on his shoulder kicked up as he finished thinking. He glanced at the fire that lifted up the extra fabric on his costume and nodded. He raised his eyes and glanced at the firefighting hero seated next to him.

"Hey, Backdraft, what do you think? Hate to say it, but as much as you've got me rooting for the green girl, I don't think she stands much chance against Bakugo." Wyvern asked, receiving no reply. He turned his head towards Backdraft and noticed he was deep in thought based on his body language.

"Backdraft?" Wyvern said, calling out his name. Backdraft snapped out of his thoughts with a slight flinch and quickly nodded, adjusting his seating position.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I'm not too sure myself how this fight'll turn out." Backdraft admitted, honestly. Wyvern was surprised by his answer and folded his arms, "So, he was listening." He thought. He then focused on his honest answer and was caught by surprise.

"Really? You're not too sure? That's surprising. You were on her side this whole time, Backdraft. Think her chances are that low?" Wyvern asked, getting a shrug from Backdraft.

"It's not that I think her chances are low, it's just who she's up against. The history these two have might change the outcome." Backdraft mentioned, thinking about what he's seen of them through the festival. Wyvern could only raise his eyebrow so high in confusion.

"History?" He repeated.

"Remember what I said about knowing them?" Backdraft asked, making Wyvern think.

"Wait. The Sludge Villain. That's right. This girl and her brother tried to save his life. That's what you mean?" Wyvern questioned, receiving a nod in confirmation.

"Yes, that's part of it." Backdraft nodded, clinking his pipe arm under his chin. "But, from what I've seen from watching Ami, the two seem to have some sort of past." He noted, recalling his actions towards her in the past.

"So, they're friends?" Wyvern questioned.

"No. They seem to have a rivalry of some kind. They act like enemies but they still interact with each other." Backdraft thought, thinking back to every moment he's seen with Ami on screen. The cameras had captured a short exchange between Ami and the blonde just after Todoroki had knocked over the zero pointers. Then at the very end of the obstacle race, she had eaten the explosions off his hands before he could launch himself. It allowed her to catch up with him but the look on his face showed his shock and rage perfectly. Then he chased after her when the race ended only to be stopped by two other classmates. Then when they started forming teams for the Cavalry Battle, it almost looked like the blond was inviting her to his team. But the way she responded to him was strange. Her body language showed she was either nervous or afraid of something. Either way, the two didn't join up for the Cavalry Battle. And the blonde ended up going after Izuku a lot before getting distracted by another group. His aggression towards the twins was strange and suggested a deep anger towards them. Something about them rubbed him the wrong way, but most of his anger seemed to be aimed toward Izuku. He wondered what it was about him that made him act like this towards him and his sister.

"Frenemies, huh? Think this'll get personal, then?" Wyvern asked.

"It might be." Backdraft replied.

"In that case." Wyvern said, adjusting himself in his seat, "This fight might end up as good as her brother's match." He said, showing more interest in the fight than before.

"Hmph." Backdraft mumbled in slight amusement.

Ami stared at Bakugo with a serious expression full of confidence. The determination she felt overruled all of her nervousness. She made eye contact with him and saw the malicious smile on his face. Seeing it had only caused her to smile maliciously back at him.

"I never thought I'd be fighting you, Kacchan." Ami smirked, clenching her fists. Bakugo raised an eyebrow at her and scoffed.

"What's the matter? Scared I'm gonna kick your ass on live TV, Habanero?" He asked, receiving a scoff from Habanero.

"Ha! No. I was kinda hoping Kirishima would knock you out." Ami replied, making Bakugo snort in amusement.

"Like hell I was gonna let that happen. Now you're stuck with me." He said, pounding his fists together followed by small explosive pops from his hands.

"How about we make this quick and let me knock you out?" Bakugo said, making Habanero scoff. She shook her head in denial and shrugged.

"As if. I'm not going down easy, Kacchan." Ami denied, pleasing Bakugo.

"Hmph. Good. Ready to die?" Bakugo asked, feeling his excitement growing. Ami narrowed her eyes and smirked, taking on a fighting stance. She raised her fists up and glared at him.

"Bring it." She said, enticing him. She thought about her plan and started thinking about what he would do.

"He's going to try and get close to me so he can blast me. But thanks to my quirk: Flame Catcher, I can keep him far away. There's no way he'd willingly let me eat his explosions. So he'll probably start running instead. In that case, setting the floor on fire should be a good start." Ami thought, activating her quirk. She continued to smile maliciously at Bakugo as the flames in her organ reached its way to her mouth. Smoke immediately emitted through her teeth, causing Bakugo's eyes to narrow. The excitement on his face seemed to double.

"So then, what's your plan, Kacchan? How are you going to reach me without your explosions?" Ami thought, waiting for the match to start with anticipation. Bakugo looked at her determined smile and felt his endorphins rise. She was ready for him. His own smile formed in his lips in response. This is it. He's been waiting for this moment ever since the brackets were revealed. He was finally fighting Habanero. It may not be Deku, but it's still a Midoriya. And he was going to absolutely destroy her.

"Fighters, ready? Present Mic questioned, getting their attention. They both focused up and waited for the go ahead with anticipation.

"Begin!" Present Mic shouted, sending the students into fight mode.

Ami stared at the ground between them and started to exhale, wasting no time setting up her plan. Flames exited her mouth in an instant, impacting the cement and heating it up. The fire's temperature melted the cement, creating small plumes of smoke in areas. Bakugo watched as she blasted the cement in front of her with her fire breathing and narrowed his eyes, scowling at her.

"Ami starts the fight off by immediately setting the ring on fire! How's Bakugo gonna get to her now?" Present Mic questioned, commentating over the fight. Bakugo ignored the commentary and scoffed, letting out a small chuckle at Habanero's stupidity. Ami finished using her flamethrower on the battlefield and grinned at her work.

"That's step one complete." Ami commented, wiping off the leftover flames burning on her lips with her arm. The leftover fire attached itself to her hand as she wiped her lips. She looked down at the floor and stared at her legs. More specifically, her gym pants.

"Probably should've rolled them up before." She thought, planning to run straight into the flames. She shook her head and shrugged, leaning forward a bit into a running position.

"If I'm fast enough, I should be able to run by without burning them." Ami thought, recalling her last successful attempt. She ran through the flames she made from her fireball in the tunnel at the start of the obstacle race. She raised her head up and stared across the ring at Bakugo, squinting her eyes to get a clear view of his position through the fire and smoke. Once she spotted Bakugo she tightened her stance and readied herself, however, his glare quickly made eye contact with her eyes. Ami stared at Bakugo for a few seconds with both of them not moving, throwing her off.

"What's he doing just standing there?" She thought, confused by his actions. Bakugo glared at her through the fire, never losing sight of her in the flames. He raised both of his hands up and glanced at them. He raised them high above his head and cracked his knuckles, flaring his nostrils like a bull. He activated his quirk on both open hands and began setting off multiple explosions in his hands. Ami quickly raised her eyes at him in bewilderment, raising her head back.

"What?" Ami questioned, watching Bakugo continue to consecutively explode the air above his head. Aizawa watched Bakugo carefully from the announcer room and narrowed his eyes in investigation. The audience was also taken aback by his unusual actions.

"What's he doing down there?" Ochaco questioned, glancing at Izuku. She was immediately greeted by Izuku's serious expression. He was staring intently at Bakugo's explosions and felt his smile falter upon analyzing his actions. Bakugo would never waste his explosions like that unless it was for intimidation, but he knew full well it wouldn't work on Ami.

"He's making explosions with his hands while standing perfectly still. This isn't intimidation." Izuku stated, watching Bakugo carefully, "What are you doing, Kacchan?" Izuku muttered. Bakugo felt his arms tire and grunted with each passing explosion. The explosions weren't powerful but they were annoying. There was barely any force to them, but they were big enough for everyone to see. Izuku looked at the explosions and then back at Ami for a few seconds. Ami continued to watch him with narrowed eyes, ready for him to make a move. Izuku looked back at Bakugo and then looked at the smoke from the burning cement and gasped in realization.

"Oh, no…" Izuku muttered, getting Ochaco's attention.

"What is it, Deku?" Ochaco asked with concern. Down on the battlefield, as Bakugo's explosions piled up, Ami's sight began to dwindle. She clenched her fists and squinted her eyes through the increasing smoke between them. With each passing second going by it quickly became apparent what Bakugo was doing. His explosions were on purpose and by the time Ami knew, it was too late.

"He's not blowing the air up for no reason. He's been adding fuel to the fire this whole time." Izuku explained. Bakugo set off two simultaneous explosions with both hands and felt the wind kick up afterwards, the wind reached the burning cement and mixed itself with it, increasing the size of the smoke cloud. Ami stared at the dense smoke cloud and gasped in surprise.

She raised her eyes at the smoke and grunted in annoyance. Bakugo made her plan backfire with ease. She opened her mouth and inhaled the flames on the ground. The fire quickly flew back into her mouth, leaving behind the massive cloud of smoke in front of her. She stared at the smoke with her jaw wide open.

"Dang it. How could I have been so blind? The smoke from his explosions combined with my own. I practically made it hard for myself." She whined, internally. She stared at the smoke and grimaced.

"He knows I can't eat smoke. He knew I'd light the ring on fire and used my flames against me!" Ami thought, frowning in disappointment.

"Habanero!" Bakugo roared through the smoke with a voice full of rage. Two blasts created light within the smoke, making Ami jump in her spot. She took several steps back and gulped. She shrugged off her small bout of fear and opened her mouth, inhaling flames through the smoke. The fire quickly came flying into her mouth adding its power to her own. However, the trajectory the flames came in from within the smoke had caused her eyes to widen. She shut her mouth and was seconds from gulping before a figure came flying towards her with extreme speeds.

"Die!" Bakugo roared. Ami saw his whole body pop out of the smoke and fly towards her like a heat seeking missile and gasped, feeling goosebumps and the sense of impending danger. In a split second, time slowed between them as Ami realized Bakugo's true intentions. He used her flames as a smokescreen so that he could fly towards her in an instant. And it worked flawlessly. Ami watched him as he flew towards her and saw him clench his right fist.

"He always starts with a right hook." She thought, forcing her quirk to react. Flames rose back into her mouth as Bakugo clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

BAM

Ami's eyes bulged out of their sockets as the fist made contact with her chest. The force of the punch was huge and its effects were tremendous. Her organ recoiled inside her body as soon as the punch was made. Her jaw dropped and a breathless gasp of agony came out of her mouth.

Pain traveled all throughout her body as the repercussions of the punch made itself known. Following her agonized gasp came the flames from her still activated quirk. They spat out of her mouth like a shotgun blast, scattering across the floor. Small bits of flames made contact with Bakugo's skin, forcing him to grind on his teeth with an uncomfortable grunt. He kept his fist glued to her chest and ignored the pained expression on her face, not wanting to look at her. He tensed his right arm muscles and held his breath, holding up her entire body with one fist. Ami's pupils dilated as she felt her feet rise off the ground. Her thoughts were so full of reactions to the pain she was experiencing from Bakugo's punch that it distracted her from fully realizing his next attack. As soon as he felt the weight of Habanero's entire body on his right arm, he felt his veins bulge and activated his quirk.

BANG

A small explosion detonated in her chest, making Ami wince as the vibration reverberated throughout her body. The blast sent her flying far backwards, getting serious air time. The vibration had caused her ears to pop, making her hear nothing but a ringing sound. The audience gasped, recoiled, and covered their mouths in shock. Tears escaped her eyes as she flew, ears ringing. She crashed hard on her backside and winced on the cement. In the hero stands, Backdraft, Wyvern, and even Endeavor, stared at Bakugo with wide eyes. The student stands weren't any different. Izuku watched the whole close encounter with a horrified shock, instantly jumping out of his seat and gripping the rail despite the pain shooting through his own recovering limbs.

"AMI!" Izuku screamed, unable to get through Ami's ringing ears. Ami gagged and coughed on the floor as fireballs of random sizes flew out of her mouth. An unimaginable amount of pain was shooting through her entire body, making her writhe in agony. An intense heat was burning inside her in the spot where Bakugo's punch had landed, making her grit her teeth and clench her fists. She desperately tried to focus with the intense pain.

"Damnit." She gritted, gripping her stomach tightly and rolling to her side.

"It hurts. It hurts so much." Ami thought, writhing on the floor. The more she rolled over and groaned, the more senses started to return to her. Her brain was in overdrive as it tried to work through the pain and achieve rational thinking. It was only after a few seconds of writhing on the cement that Ami's brain finally caught up, allowing her to think through her painful experience.

"So this is what he meant by not holding back." Ami thought, reflecting on the past. Her eyes turned red from the intense pain as she tried to readjust herself on the floor. She felt completely sick to her stomach from the punch. Bakugo had hit her right where it hurts. Her flame organ. The tears streaming down her face evaporated from the heat of her flames inside her mouth.

Ami rolled around in agony as Bakugo watched, panting lightly. The expression on her face made him lessen his glare. He looked at her pained expression despite not wanting to and gulped. He quickly turned away and looked down at the fist that caused her torment. He raised his eyes a bit when he noticed how much it was shaking. He unclenched it and let his hands drop to his sides, allowing him to catch his breath. He sniffed the air and glanced at his right shoulder, seeing a small flame burn his sleeve. He quickly brushed the fire away and took a deep breath, looking back down at Habanero. He narrowed his eyes and looked at where she landed. She was inches away from crossing the out of bounds area, making him groan.

"Damnit." He mumbled, clenching his fists again. She wasn't out of bounds yet. This fight wasn't over. He scoffed and took a deep breath.

"Holy crap! Bakugo dishes out a devastating punch to Ami's stomach and then followed it up with an explosion with his fist still on her! Could this fight be over already?" Present Mic exclaimed. Up in the announcer room, Aizawa stared down at Ami and felt a twinge of sympathy for her. The combo attack was strong, powerful, and effective. Most of all, well aimed. He could see the punch had done a terrible amount of damage to her already. Even from up in the announcer room he could tell Bakugo knew exactly where to hit her.

"That punch didn't hit her stomach." He mumbled, focusing on her facial expressions.

After a couple painful seconds, Ami felt her hearing return to normal. The muffled sounds of the audience became loud again and the thoughts in her head became clearer. She laid on the ground gritting her teeth as tightly as possible. The pain going through her at the moment was horrific. Her organ had taken the full force of Bakugo's fast, powerful punch. She winced as she felt her flames kick up inside her, demanding she let them out. The punch had affected her quirk, feeling her organ swell up with flames inside it. The intense heat from where she received the punch clued her into the internal damage. The organ was pulsating inside her body, swelling up from the hit in an attempt to heal itself. This pulsating feeling sent vibrations above her stomach and other body parts, making her feel even more uncomfortable than before. She tried to swallow her flames but her organ was working overtime on protecting itself. The flame organ's vibrations were actively pushing more flames into her mouth than she wanted, causing her to gag. She raised her head up and coughed out even more flames around her, making the audience cringe. Amidst her coughing fit, Ami closed her eyes and winced as she felt another painful sensation around her stomach. This time, however, the pain wasn't from internal damage.

A strong burning sensation stung her chest, right where she had received Bakugo's attack. She frowned and quivered in reaction to the additional pain. She struggled to open her eyes and held her breath, giving herself enough time to look down at her chest and investigate the damage. She squinted her eyes and froze upon seeing a tiny trail of smoke coming off of her stomach area. She could hear a sizzling sound coming from her wound and panicked.

"Oh, no." She squeaked, ready to see the damage. She instantly widened her eyes and gasped in horror as she noticed a hole in her uniform, revealing a human fist-sized opening that exposed the area of skin above her stomach. The fireproof adaptations to her body had thankfully protected her from any severe skin damage. However, her skin had gotten somewhat burnt, turning it red. She raised her hand towards the hole and quickly tapped her skin with her finger. She gasped and immediately pulled back in irritation. The stinging sensation on her body made her yelp.

"Gah!" She yelped, letting her hand drop to the floor. She clenched her other fist and brought it up to her mouth. Desperately trying to ignore the sting as it went away.

"Tokoyami's hit wasn't anywhere near this bad." Ami thought, spitting out a small bit of blood in her mouth. Her own blood left a smoke trail on the ground as it was heated from the flames in her mouth.

"This wouldn't be as bad either if my quirk wasn't activated when he hit me." Ami thought, breathing hard and fast.

"I told you, Habanero." Bakugo said, getting Ami's attention. His voice made her flinch and stop moving.

"I said I wouldn't hold back on you." Bakugo said, receiving a weak groan in acknowledgement from Habanero. She glanced at him with adrenaline shooting through her body. The feeling of rage was slowly building up inside her. The punch was a little too far in her eyes, making her emotions turn mad.

"K-Kacchan. You weren't aiming for- my stomach, w-weren't you?" She struggled, finding it hard to breathe with her quirk still activated. She swallowed her flames and deactivated her quirk with a whimper, feeling her unrestricted tears creep out of her eyes.

"Of course not. I've been watching, Habanero. Every fight you've been in. I've known you long enough to know how your quirk works. I figured it out way before birdman did. I aimed for that organ above your stomach. Your flame organ." Bakugo clarified, causing Ami to shake her head. She remembered explaining the anatomy of her quirk to Kirishima, Sero, and Kaminari at lunch. Bakugo was there to hear it as well. She immediately disregarded that fact as her mind became clearer. Bakugo's knowledge of her was far older than that.

"No. He's always known." Ami thought, nodding in confirmation.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Bakugo asked, snapping Ami out of her thoughts. She glanced up at him and made eye contact. There was anger in his glare but there was also something else. A small glint of pity aimed at her. Did he actually feel bad for doing this? Why even hit me with a combo like that? Was he hoping I'd get knocked unconscious? Ami didn't have much time to ponder on either question as the stinging sensation quickly interrupted her train of thought.

Bakugo stood his ground as he watched Habanero struggle. He stared at her and noticed the tears falling down her face and gritted his teeth, feeling his eyes soften a little. That strange feeling went through the back of his head again, causing him to flare his nostrils in realization. He raised his shoulders and straightened his back, shaking his head and taking it off his mind.

"Not now." Bakugo thought, denying the stupid conflict in his head. He found it difficult to keep his glare up and growled in irritation, "Pull it together. No time for that stupid regretful crap." He thought, swallowing down his emotions. This was a fight. It was him or her. He didn't need this right now. He closed his eyes and growled, taking a deep breath and tightening his glare.

"Stay down and shut up, Habanero. It's over. I won." He ordered, opening his eyes and intensifying his glare. Ami looked at the intense glare and bit her lip, frowning at him with quivering lips. Dejavu shot through her as glimpses of the last match appeared in her head. This exchange was almost exactly what Tokoyami told her. But unlike last time there wasn't much choice for her. The pain and exhaustion she could feel throughout her body made it clear that she was already losing. The determination and confidence she had at the beginning had faded extremely fast as she laid there on the floor. The reality of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks. This was exactly what she feared would happen. She'd already lost.

"He's right. Who was I trying to fool thinking I could last long in a fight against you? After everything I did to get here. I can't do it." Ami thought, feeling her mood drop. She glanced back at Bakugo and then back at the floor, panting lightly.

"You're so much stronger than me. You've always been stronger. That's what made you so cool, Kacchan. To me and Izzy. You're unbeatable. Even if you act like a jerk." She frowned, gently banging her head on the floor in shame. She closed her eyes and flared her nostrils, sinking into her sad thoughts. While doing so, a memory popped itself back into her head. The image of a younger her and a younger Bakugo appeared.

"What're you gonna do against a villain, huh? Cry till they surrender?" Bakugo joked, laughing at her expense.

"I don't wanna fight villains, I'll be a rescue hero! I'll use my quirk to eat fires." Ami stated. Bakugo looked at her and scoffed.

"If you can't fight, then how can you expect to ever cut it as a hero?" The young Bakugo's voice echoed through her head.

"He's right. How could I?" Ami winced, falling into that mindset. She closed her eyes and frowned, feeling her mind slip back into another memory. Images of the Fire Zone flooded her mind, forcing her to clench her hand.

"No. He's wrong. I have fought villains before." Ami thought, gritting her teeth. She tensed up her whole body and felt her adrenaline shoot through her veins. The vibrations coming from her flame organ slowed down. Her memory of past events reminded her of the Obsidian Villains last words.

"I'm gonna enjoy this you son of a bi-" The Obsidian Villain said, echoing through her head. Her blast afterwards sent him flying straight into a building. She had done that. Not Ojiro, but her.

"Before we leave. Let's make sure the Symbol of Peace is broken. Let's wreck his pride." Shigaraki said, speeding up to her and reaching his hand out towards her face. There wasn't any chance for her to react. By the time she had moved an inch, he had already placed his pale hand on her face. Aizawa had saved her life. His quirk prevented the villain's hand from turning her face into dust, giving her quirk enough time to activate and burn the villain's hand herself.

"I fought villains and survived." Ami thought, sniffling. Her own words echoed through her head.

"I'll have to climb my way to the top just like everyone else. I don't necessarily want to be the number one hero, but if I want to make my mark. Then I'll just have to act like I do."

"You better not lose either, Kacchan. Because I wanna fight you, too." She said to herself. She squirmed around on the ground and frowned.

"Hold back against you? I wouldn't dare. Promise." Ami replied, interrupting Bakugo, "I may be a little nervous about this match, but I'm not letting that hold me back. I refuse to allow it. And I know you wouldn't stand for it, either. I remember what you said to me about Shoji. I told him not to hold back on you, so I'm not either! I'll show you everything my training has amounted to, Bakugo, and I'll beat you!" She exclaimed.

"I'm ridiculous. I'm near defeat and all I do is fall back into that old mindset of mine? Am I just all talk?" She thought.

"A wise woman once told me that real heroes don't just save lives, they save their hearts, too. No matter how scared you are, you should smile to show that things are okay. And that in this world, the ones always smiling are the strongest. In a way, you remind me of her." All Might's voice repeated inside her head. All Might's words and the warm smile on his face made her adrenaline rise.

"No. No, I'm not." Ami denied, shaking her head lightly.

"What happened to him was bullshit, sure, but I'm not going to change what I think or do against him. He's still the enemy. To you, and me. One sob story isn't enough for me to hold back against that bastard and neither should your dumbass." Bakugo said.

"Just like Todoroki. I'm probably just a sob story to him. He never holds back on sob stories." Ami thought, feeling her anger begin to rise.

"You're not going to be a hero anyway with a quirk as stupid as yours." Young Bakugo said, walking away from her.

"Oh, yeah? I will be a hero, Kacchan! I'll show you! Even if you think it'll never happen, I'll do it!" Ami shouted, causing Bakugo to scoff.

"Tsk. I'll believe it when I see it, Habanero." He replied, rolling his eyes and walking away.

"I'm not who he thinks I am. I'm never going to shut up and accept defeat. If I give up now, it'll only make everything I've done mean nothing. I'm not a sob story anymore. I'll never stop fighting! I'll be…A Hero!" She shouted, internally. She opened her eyes and raised her head up at Bakugo with lightning fast speeds. Flames shot up through her body and entered her mouth, creating an orange glow through her neck.

"DIIIIEEEEE!" Ami roared back, unleashing a large blast of fire towards Bakugo. Bakugo raised his eyes at the barrage of flame and gritted his teeth, sending goosebumps down his spine. He raised his hands downward and blasted the floor beneath him, flinging himself into the air.

"Damnit. I thought it was over and I let myself get wide open." Bakugo thought, flaring his nostrils. He looked down at the massive flames and watched as they quickly retracted back into Habanero's mouth. He landed back on the ground and glared back at her, surprised that she was still capable of spewing out flames. Ami panted heavily on the floor and dropped her hands onto the ground. She winced and got on all fours, raising her head up again. She glared at Bakugo and saw the surprised look on his face, grinning maliciously at him. She clenched her fists and raised her leg up, forcing herself to stand.

"She's standing up!" Present Mic exclaimed. The audience watched her stand back up and cheered, shouting and screaming in excitement. Izuku watched Ami stand up and felt his smile grow wide.

"Heheh, nice." Wyvern grinned, watching Ami stand back up. Bakugo heard the excited cheers from the audience and felt a vein pop in his forehead. He growled in frustration at her surprise attack. While doing so, a light chuckle came out of Ami's mouth.

"Ha- hah. Did you seriously think you could defeat me with just one punch?" Ami shouted, letting out a weak laugh. She stared directly at him with a crazy look of her own that brought a sadistic grin to his face.

"C'mon, Kacchan, I thought you were smarter than that?" She yelled, causing him to clench his fists at her.

"I've known you for a long time, too, Bakugo. I know all about how your stupid explosions work! I'm just getting started, you hear! It'll take more than that to beat me!" Ami shouted, giving Bakugo dejavu. Those were the words he said to Deku after school. He let out a small chuckle at the realization that she was spying on their conversation.

"So, that's how you want to play it, Habanero?" Bakugo asked, feeling his excitement begin to increase. He could hear in her voice that she was getting revved up, making him all the more excited, "Alright, then! You asked for it. So, die!" He shouted.

"After you!" She shouted back.

"Yes, Ami! You got this!" Izuku exclaimed, bouncing upwards with his hand still touching the railing. Cementoss watched the two run towards each other and narrowed his eyes at them, squirming a bit in his seat. He raised his right hand towards his ear and signaled Midnight through a microphone.

"Midnight, be prepared. If this fight goes too far, I won't let her repeat the same mistakes as her brother." Cementoss warned.

"Understood." Midnight nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with him. As much as she loved watching an intense fight, she wasn't going to let it end the same way her brother did. Bakugo roared and charged forward, igniting explosions in his hands to propel him forward. Ami screamed and charged after him, glaring intensely at him.

"I know you, Bakugo. You'll start off with a right hook. Therefore…" Ami thought, counting her steps.

"If I time this right…" She thought, tensing up her body. Bakugo was fast approaching her with his right arm raised upwards. She focused on the right fist and gritted her teeth. With only three feet apart from each other, she came to a complete stop. She quickly spun around and faced her back towards Bakugo, surprising him with her actions. She activated her quirk and felt the warmth of her flames return to her mouth. She blasted the cement behind her and lifted her body off the ground, propelling herself towards Bakugo. Bakugo stared at her back and growled. In midair, she narrowed her eyes and stopped breathing fire. She looked back at Bakugo and raised her right elbow. Letting the momentum of her blast carry her, her elbow quickly made contact with the side of Bakugo's face.

SMACK

Bakugo unclenched his teeth and gasped, spit flying out of his mouth. Ami's right elbow smacked Bakugo's left cheek, knocking him backwards. His eyes bulged out in surprise and shock, not expecting an attack like that. Ami stared at him and felt reinvigorated by her successful attack. She felt an intense satisfaction from the hit, making her laugh in his face.

"You wanna talk about knowing all about my quirk? You just tried to hit me twice with that famous right hook of yours, you idiot!" Ami screamed, landing back on the ground. She glared at him as Bakugo fell to the floor.

"Oooh." Backdraft winced.

"Damn!" Wyvern exclaimed, squeezing his pockets.

"She hit him!" Kirishima exclaimed.

"Incredible." Tokoyami stated.

"Alright. Ribbit." Tsu said, clapping.

"The balls, Ami! Kick him in the balls!" Mineta shouted. Bakugo landed on the cement with a thud, wincing at the stinging sensation on his left cheek. He raised his hand and gripped his jaw, feeling a pop as he moved.

"Grrr!" Bakugo growled, grabbing his cheek.

"Worse than that slap I gave you, huh?" Ami asked, making Bakugo twitch. He felt a phantom pain on his face as he remembered Habanero slapping him. He snapped out of that memory and shrugged, turning his head back and glaring at her. How dare she bring that up?

"Heh. That hit was a freebie, Habanero." He grinned, impressed by the elbow punch, "But it's gonna cost your life!"

"Rah!" Bakugo roared, sprinting towards her with his palms wide open. Ami narrowed her eyes and readied herself for his attack.

"He's charging at me. He charged at Izuku before during combat training." Ami thought, swirling the flames in her mouth with her tongue. She spit out a fireball at Bakugo and watched as he dodged the blast by moving to the left.

"There." Ami thought, releasing her flamethrower at him. Bakugo saw the flames and blasted the floor behind him, propelling himself through her fire. The speed from his blast sent him through Habanero's flames without getting burned, allowing him to quickly grab onto her. He gripped her mouth and forced her mouth shut, making Ami groan in discomfort. He flung his other arm back and made small explosions behind him, propelling his body behind Habanero's.

"You're using your flames on me, Habanero? Finally realize how much of an idiot you were for holding out for so long?" Bakugo questioned, grinning sadistically at her.

"Mhm." Ami moaned, stepping on his foot as hard as she could. He groaned at the pain in his foot and felt the grip he had on her mouth loosen. She opened her mouth and breathed fire, propelling her head backwards.

THUD

Bakugo stumbled back in bewilderment as Habanero headbutted the front of his head with the back of her head. The heat from her flames had slightly burned the tips of his fingers closest to her mouth, making him wince. He quickly pushed her away with his other hand, igniting an explosion on her back.

"Gah!" Ami yelped, falling face first onto the cement. She hit the cement and caught herself from hitting it face first with her hands. She glared and gritted her teeth, turning her head back at him. She watched Bakugo stumble back in bewilderment and raised his palm towards her.

"Grrr! Die!" Bakugo yelled, firing off a large explosion. He wasn't thinking clearly when he fired off the large explosion. Ami braced herself on the cement and opened her mouth. The audience gasped as the huge explosion was almost instantly swallowed up into Ami's mouth, leaving behind a plume of smoke into the air. Bakugo watched as Habanero consumed the large explosion and felt his jaw drop.

"Shit." Bakugo thought, realizing his mistake. He stared at her mouth and watched her smile maliciously at him.

"Want it back?" Ami asked, causing Bakugo to raise his eyes. She opened her mouth and unleashed her powered up flamethrower. Bakugo leaned back and narrowly avoided getting his face caught in the blast. He turned his back on her and shot off smaller blasts on his hands, flinging himself far from her flames. Ami stood up and kept her eyes open, watching Bakugo retreat from her blast. His huge explosion had doubled her range, easily reaching past the border.

"He's got him on the run!" Present Mic exclaimed. Bakugo heard Present Mic's voice and groaned in frustration.

"Daaaaaaamnit…." He growled, glaring angrily at the flames. As he fired off another blast of his explosions, he felt his explosions fly away from his hands, making him lose his balance. He hit the cement with a thud and groaned. He stood up off the ground and wiped away the dirt on his arms. He glared up at Habanero and saw her glaring back at him, panting lightly.

"So, you really aren't holding back, Habanero." He scoffed, smiling at her in amusement.

"You just now figured that out?" Ami smirked, squinting her eyes at him. Bakugo chuckled in response, shaking his head at her cocky attitude.

"Hehe. Finally. This is what I've been waiting for. I'm gonna enjoy destroying you!" He snapped, clenching his fists in preparation. Ami flared her nostrils and scoffed, rolling her eyes at him.

"Once I'm done with you, I'll take down that IcyHot bastard next!" Bakugo exclaimed, charging straight ahead at her. Ami gritted her teeth and flashed them at Bakugo with narrowed eyes.

"He's bringing up Todoroki now?" Ami thought. She rolled his eyes at him and formed a devious grin.

"Hey, I don't recall Endeavor telling you to bring out Todoroki's flames." Ami replied with a mischievous grin. Bakugo heard the reply and growled, feeling a vein pop in annoyance.

"Oh, screw you!" Bakugo shouted, making a small explosion to push himself closer to Habanero. He switched hands and raised his left fist towards her, but Ami quickly smacked the hand away. She grabbed his shoulder and pulled her hand back, bringing her body around him. She then smacked the back of his neck while he blasted her with another close range explosion. The blast knocked her to the ground but she quickly stood up before Bakugo could unleash a two handed explosion. She opened her mouth and consumed the large explosion for a second time, pissing off Bakugo.

"I can't let her breathe in my explosions. I'll have to time my blasts carefully." He thought, rolling away from her. He looked at the glowing orange smirk on her face and watched her unleash a wave of fire towards his direction. He immediately turned away and ran from the flames. Ami continued using her flamethrower move until more smoke came out of her mouth, expelling the power Bakugo's explosions gave her. She stopped her fire breathing attack and sighed, taking small gasps of air. Bakugo saw her stop fire breathing and instantly turned around and ran straight towards her. He let off another explosion and boosted himself towards Habanero, getting the jump on her. She stared at him and gasped as he raised both his hands towards her. He activated his quirk and fired both hands, blasting Ami in a powerful explosion.

Ami took in the two explosions and shot out of the smoke cloud, hitting the ground again with a thud. Her hair was a mess and there were scratches and dirt marks present on her arms. Ami raised her head off the ground and gritted her teeth, scoffing at his action.

"He waited for me to catch my breath so I wouldn't have time to inhale his explosions. Damnit, Kacchan." Ami grunted in a low voice, cursing Bakugo's intelligence.

"I need something to distract him with. I'm only wearing the gym uniform so I can't use Ochaco's shirt trick on him. Maybe my fireballs? Yeah, that's it." Ami thought, forming up a new strategy in her head.

Bakugo walked out of the smoke cloud just in time to see Habanero stand up. He fired off another explosion below him and flew in the air towards her. Ami saw him coming and swirled around the flames in her mouth. She watched as Bakugo came closer and closer, waiting for the right time.

Once he was only three feet away from her did she finally strike, spitting out a fireball at near point blank range. Bakugo saw the fireball and raised his eyes in surprise. He raised both his hands up and fired off an explosion to meet the fireball. The fireball collided with his explosions and provided even more force to the blast than Bakugo predicted. The force sent him crashing into the floor on his belly, making him growl.

He raised his chest off the floor and punched the ground in frustration. Raising his head up, he was quickly greeted with Habanero's fist. Before it could hit him in the face, however, he immediately leaned back and reached his hand out, grabbing her wrist. Ami gasped before Bakugo quickly pulled her towards him, throwing off her balance. He quickly jutted his leg out and felt her foot trip on his leg, completely knocking away her balance and sending her falling to the cement on her stomach. The fall caused flames to spew out of her mouth again as her chest injury took in the damage. Her adrenaline kept her stable, forcing her to bear through the pain. She could hear Bakugo behind her and turned her head back and spat out another fireball. Bakugo dodged the fireball and lunged towards her. She quickly rolled out of his way and watched as his fists exploded the ground where she once was. Pieces of rubble flew towards her as the ground shook. Glancing at the debris she formed a new idea and grabbed it. Bakugo rushed towards her again with a determined glare. He clenched his fists and readied a punch before Habanero roared at him. She threw debris right at his face, forcing him to flinch and close his eyes. Ami quickly took her chance and rushed towards him, landing a punch to his face. Bakugo growled in pain while Ami grabbed onto his chest and pummeled him to the ground.

The two fighters quickly fell to the floor with Ami laying on top of him. Bakugo gritted his teeth as Ami grabbed his collar. She pulled back her right fist and prepared another punch. Bakugo watched her right fist come at him and quickly grabbed hold of her fist with his left hand. She growled and let go of his collar and raised her left fist at him, attempting to punch him again. But Bakugo had just as easily grabbed hold of her left fist with his right hand. With both of their hands locked together, Ami bared her teeth in front of him and grinned, an orange glow lighting up her teeth. Bakugo saw the orange glow and glared at her.

"You wouldn't dare." Bakugo growled, narrowing his eyes at her. Ami's smile faltered a bit at his comment, forcing her to realize what she was doing. Wait, am I about to light him on fire? She questioned, feeling her eyes shrink at the implications. Seeing she was distracted, Bakugo quickly let go of her fists and threw her off of him. Ami grunted as she landed on the floor while Bakugo fired off another blast on her. She cried out as the explosion sent her flying backwards, landing a good distance away from Bakugo's position. Bakugo quickly stood up and started panting lightly.

"You dumbass! You were actually going to breathe fire on me, weren't you? What? Did I piss you off that much?" Bakugo asked, glaring harshly at her. Ami frowned at his harsh glare and felt a twinge of regret enter her mind. She shook her head firmly in denial.

"No. I got carried away. I just really want to win. And I wasn't going to ask you to forfeit. I wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't know how much you hate surrendering." Ami smiled, receiving a glare from Bakugo. He scoffed and flared his nostrils, shaking his head in amusement.

"Heh. Still pretending to be my friend, huh?" He scoffed, shrugging at her. Ami raised her eyebrow at him and crossed her arms in annoyance.

"Still pretending you don't care, huh?" She replied, angering Bakugo.

"Oh, shut up with that." He yelled.

"After you admit it."

"There's nothing to admit, Habanero. I don't care about anyone. Why the hell would I?" Bakugo questioned. Ami narrowed her eyes and frowned in disappointment. His past actions all said differently in her eyes. The fact he was stubbornly refusing to acknowledge it was frustrating her.

"Like you didn't care about Todoroki's past?" She blurted out, making Bakugo flinch.

"His past? Listen, Habanero. I don't give a damn about what happened to him in the past. I told you it's just a distraction." He answered. Ami shook her head at his answer, thinking intently.

"A distraction? No, he may act like he doesn't care, but I know better. I know what he really sees in him." Ami thought. The two fighters kept their distance from each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Ami counted the distance between them and sighed. There was no better chance to talk now than before.

"You know, Kacchan. I've been thinking about how you've acted towards him a lot lately. I wondered what it was about him that pissed you off so much until I finally realized what it was."

"Oh? And that is?" Bakugo growled, scowling at her.

"It's because of me." She stated bluntly. Bakugo heard the answer and immediately stopped scowling. He leaned his head back and raised his eyebrow questionably at her.

"What?" He blurted out.

"It's me, isn't it?"

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." He denied, pretending not to understand.

"I think you do know, Kacchan." Ami said, making him grunt in annoyance. He knew exactly what she meant.

"It took a while for me to realize it, but the more I thought about it. The more sense it made to me. Every time I brought up Todoroki, you'd get annoyed, frustrated, even angry." Ami pointed out. Bakugo heard her comments and took several breaths to calm down.

"Yeah? So, what?" He questioned.

"The way you look at him, the way you acted towards his past, and every time we talked about him. He reminds you of my past self. I know you see it, too." Ami said, making Bakugo scoff.

"You don't know what I see, Habanero." He said, continuing to deny her suspicions. Ami stayed patient and continued to talk, focusing on their similarities.

"He's always quiet. He always looks sad. The way he acts towards his flames. It's almost like how I used to be." Ami compared, making Bakugo scoff.

"Tsk." He said, lowering his head. His thoughts were filled with past memories of Habanero. Seeing them all flash by his brain frustrated him. It annoyed him how easy he saw the comparisons.

"Izuku saw it, too, Kacchan." Ami blurted out, snapping Bakugo back to reality. He did a double take upon hearing her and looked up at her in surprise.

"..." Bakugo stayed silent. Ami saw the confusion on his face and squirmed, rubbing her hands together.

"He told me how he felt about my old self in Recovery Girl's Office. That's what he wanted to talk to me alone for." Ami explained.

"He did?" Bakugo asked.

"Yeah." Ami replied, nodding her head in confirmation. Bakugo formed a scowl and flared his nostrils, thinking about Deku.

"So that nerd really did see it? And he told her? He's such a moron." He thought, shaking his head in disapproval.

"So I know you're only acting like you don't understand what I'm talking about. If Izuku can see it, then so can you." Ami said, knowing his intelligence. Bakugo flared his nostrils and rolled his eyes.

"Hmph. Yeah, fine. So you and Icyhot share a similar sob story. Happy?" Bakugo acknowledged, raising his voice at the end.

"When did you first realize?" Ami asked, annoying him.

"After we overheard their secret conversation." Bakugo answered, crossing his arms, "You tell Deku about that, too?" Bakugo questioned.

"I didn't mention you." Ami said, confirming his thoughts.

"Good." He stated.

"So it's finally been said. Is that what you wanted? For me to admit that the both of you are the same type of idiot?"

"Hmph. I guess Me and Todoroki are the same type of idiot. We're just holding ourselves back, when it's all said and done. But, unlike him, I realized early that what I was doing to myself was wrong, even if it took years for me to change." Ami frowned in self reflection. Bakugo saw the frown on her face and flared his nostrils.

"Not that sad shit again." He thought, groaning silently.

"Oh, yeah? And what made you realize that, Habanero?" He asked. Ami heard the question and stopped frowning. She looked up at him and felt hesitation.

"Stand the hell up, Habanero." Bakugo's past words echoed through her head. That dark hallway entered her mind again. Bakugo was glaring at her with eyes that pierced through her soul. That was the moment she knew the difference between her and Todoroki.

"You did, Kacchan!" She admitted, confusing Bakugo. He froze at her outburst, feeling his mouth slip open in bewilderment.

"Huh?" He stated in a loss of words.

"Don't you get it, Kacchan? It was you! It was always you!" Ami said, swallowing her anxiety.

"What?" Bakugo asked, even more confused than before.

"It was me? Always me?" He repeated inside his head. He tried to make sense of her words but the meaning of them wasn't clicking inside his brain. Ami stared at the confused expression on Bakugo's face and clenched her fists. She took a deep breath and summed up the courage to continue.

"You're the reason I'm not afraid of my quirk anymore. You, your stupid quirk, and your stupid explosions." She stated, surprising him. He raised his head back in confusion, unable to quickly reply.

"You made me the person I am today. Without you, my life would've been completely different. And it wasn't just me, either! You made Izuku who he is today, too!" Ami admitted.

"Before All Might, before the Sludge Villain, do you know what got Izuku up everyday? What kept him going? He was quirkless and no one believed in him. You let him believe that. But he didn't give up, he didn't let anyone stop him from trying to become a hero. He wanted to prove everyone wrong. You were the person Izuku wanted to prove wrong the most. And for me? You're the reason I wanted to practice eating flames." Ami vented, letting out her emotions. Bakugo was unable to process what he had just heard.

"What the hell are you talking about? What does Deku have to do with all of this?" He questioned, not fully understanding her words.

"Can't you see, Kacchan? Izuku never looked down on you. I never looked down on you. I looked up to you! We looked up to you! It was always you, Kacchan. That aggressive personality, your stubbornness and pride, your confidence everyday. Your actions are what made us who we are!"

"Maybe that's what Todoroki needed most in his life! Maybe that's the difference between me and him. He just didn't have a friend like you!" Ami exclaimed. Bakugo finally processed everything she shouted at him and shook his head in denial. No. There was no way she was being honest. He stared back at her and gritted his teeth, the anger within him was rising higher than before.

"Shut the hell up, Habanero! I'm not your fri-" He blurted out before quickly getting interrupted.

"Yeah, I know. We're not your friends!" Ami said, shaking her head at him in frustration. She flared her nostrils and wondered what it would take to get through to him.

"But I still think of you as one! Izuku still thinks of you as one! And I know you do, too! You keep lying to yourself for some reason even though we've known each other our whole lives. You were the first kid we ever talked to!" Ami exclaimed. Bakugo glared at her and tensed up his whole body, preparing to attack. He looked at her facial expressions for any sign of deception and saw nothing but sincerity. Her honesty only served to boost his anger and denial. She had to be lying somewhere in her stupid confession.

"Shut up." He said, raising his voice. Ami glared back at him with a look of disapproval and shook her head.

"No, I won't shut up! Not anymore. Because you know I'm right. You act like we were never friends, but I know you're lying to yourself! If you really thought nothing of me, then you would have never pulled me away from that Sludge Monster!" Ami shouted, pointing at him. Bakugo glare lessened upon hearing her retort. The memory of seeing that dumb villain appear behind her entered his mind. He also remembered pulling her away from danger. He quickly shook off the memory and flared his nostrils, returning to his normal glare.

"I said shut up." He gritted, grinding his teeth.

"You wouldn't have helped me stand at the USJ! You wouldn't have waited for us to leave school just to give me my helmet back!"

"Habanero…" He growled.

"You would've never asked how I was feeling walking around with that dumb cane! You would have never listened to anything I said. You would've never let me sit near you at lunchtime!" She continued to shout, adding fuel to Bakugo's anger.

"I mean it." He seethed, feeling his anger reach far beyond his boiling point.

"And, if you really never cared about me, you would've never approached me to join your Cavalry Team. I'm right, aren't I?" She shouted, venting out her frustrations.

"That's why I'm still fighting, Kacchan! Because you're the reason why we're brave! Remember what I said to you before the Sludge Monster showed up?" Ami asked, tensing the muscles in her legs. Bakugo looked down at the floor with fists raised. He remembered what she said to him at that moment. It was surprising to hear from her then.

"He's an inspiration, Kacchan. And a hero always inspires others. So, guess what, Kacchan?" She raised her voice.

"Izuku's already a better hero than you'll ever be!" Ami's voice shouted. Bakugo clenched his fists tightly, filled with rage. The memory of what she said pissed him off even more than before. When he first heard those words, he was baffled by her words. He thought she was being crazy. As if Deku could ever be a hero when he's quirkless. Even when she shouted at him, he knew there was conflict in her. He assumed it meant she was lying about Deku. That she still secretly believed he couldn't be a hero. But, as it turned out, it was far from what she was truly lying about then.

"I lied to you! You are a hero, Bakugo! Because you were our biggest inspiration!" Ami shouted, charging towards Bakugo with smoke rising out of her mouth.

"SHUT UP!" He roared, launching himself towards her with two massive explosions.

BANG

Ami braced herself and opened her mouth, firing off another blast of fire towards the blonde. Bakugo dodged the blast and threw himself behind her. Ami tried to turn around and catch him, but he fired off another huge explosion at close range. The blast sent her flying far back. Her body flew out of the smoke covered in rips and tears in her uniform.

"Your biggest inspiration? Stop messing with me, damnit! I'm not falling for your bullshit." Bakugo roared, too angry to notice the damage. Ami coughed on the floor and slowly raised her head off the cement. She slowly turned her head back and looked at him tiringly.

"It's not a lie, Kacchan. I'm not bullshitting you, either. I'm telling you the truth." She said, truthfully. Bakugo heard the truth in her voice and only felt even more frustrated. There was no way.

"No. You're just trying to distract me from kicking your ass, so that you can come out on top. Well I'm not letting you beat me!" He roared, firing off another blast in a blind rage. The explosion barely did any damage as it was quickly consumed by Ami's quirk. She immediately spat it back out and launched a fireball at him. He swung back and narrowly avoided the ball. Ami then fired off two more fireballs and bolted away, gaining some distance away from him. His words were still fresh in her mind, making her groan. Once she was far enough away she continued to yell at him.

"This isn't a distraction, damnit! Why do you have to be so difficult with everything!" She yelled. Bakugo finished dodging the two extra fireballs and glared back at her.

"Why do you have to be so damn annoying!" He shouted back.

"Because I care!" Ami exclaimed.

"Oh, sure, Habanero. You really wanna know what I think about you? How about I start with your damn trauma!" Bakugo asked, stopping Ami in her tracks. Curiosity filled her head, stopping her from firing off another fireball.

"Well? Tell me!" She exclaimed, letting smoke fly out of her mouth.

"I hated it! I hated every damn thing about it! It was so frustrating how stupid you were treating yourself!" He ranted, surprising her. Ami's glare lightened as she listened to his rant. The way he worded it sounded off to her in a way she didn't fully understand.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ami questioned, wanting to know more.

"The day you got your quirk. The way you freaked out and had a breakdown afterwards. It annoyed the hell out of me. So you set my desk and some other extra's desks on fire? Bi-ig deal! You didn't even hurt anyone! Things could've been a lot worse if I didn't turn the damn sprinklers on." Bakugo pointed out.

"But you didn't even consider the positives! You completely changed and started acting like everyone hated you. It was so stupid. All that potential and you ruined it by listening to some stupid kids! I thought you were pathetic." Bakugo stated, making Ami feel bad about herself. Coming from him made it feel worse than she expected. Bakugo saw the sadness in her eyes and hesitated for a split second. He gulped and shrugged it off, continuing his rant.

"And that damn jacket, I wanted to light that thing on fire every time I looked at you!" Bakugo ranted.

"He hated the jacket, too?" Ami thought, reminded of Izuku's opinion of her old jacket.

"It was annoying seeing you act so scared. All because you had one accident with your damn quirk! One!" Bakugo shouted.

"Then what should I have done then, huh?" Ami shouted back, questioning him.

"What you should have done? You should've ignored them. Like I did!" Bakugo replied, confusing her. Ami leaned her head back and narrowed her eyes at him in denial.

"Like you did? Everyone worshiped you in our class." She pointed out.

"Not that first week, Habanero. When my quirk manifested and the excitement died down, that was when the realization hit them."

"Ooooo, Bakugo had explosion hands, he could blow you up. He could blow the whole school up." Bakugo repeated, talking in a light voice, "And like idiots they believed I actually would." He finished with a normal voice. Ami was taken aback by this news. She squinted her eyes in deep thought, thinking about the past.

"They did? But, I thought everyone thought he was super cool?" She thought, not sure what to believe.

"Kacchan, I'm sorry I-I didn't know-" Ami apologized, irritating Bakugo.

"Don't give me pity, Habanero! You didn't know because I shutted that shit down in a day! I made it clear exactly who I was going to be to those idiots. A hero. But not just any hero, a hero that never loses. I was going to be the next All Might! Me! I didn't give a damn what those extras thought of me. I pushed past all of them and kept going. Which is what you should've done from the beginning!" Bakugo shouted.

"But, nooo! You gave in and let that pathetic mindset affect your life! As if that twin hero crap your stupid brother kept going on about didn't matter anymore." He said, ranting. Ami frowned at his harsh words.

"That was low, but I know you're right. I am pathetic. I held myself back for years because I was afraid of hurting people. Afraid of hurting, Izzy…But you? You were never afraid of your own quirk. You were never afraid of using it. Because of you, I looked at my own power and started practicing with my lighter." Ami admitted.

"There are millions of kids out there who have quirks like ours. Dangerous ones. Some of them even more so. There are only two types of people that separate them. The ones who are afraid. And the ones who aren't. I was in the first crowd, and you were that second crowd. I was afraid, but you weren't. Watching you made me feel like I had nothing to be afraid of. I started believing that I really could be a hero again." Ami said, causing Bakugo to raise his eyes at her.

"Remember that? When I told you I wanted to be a hero, Kacchan?" Ami asked, getting a puzzled look from Bakugo. Bakugo paused and took his time on that question, remembering the past.

"...Yeah. I do. Heh. I told you I'd believe it when I see it, Habanero." Bakugo grinned. Ami's head drooped down upon hearing that. A strange feeling of happiness flowed through her, bringing a smile to her lips. Her mind couldn't help but get caught up in the fact he remembered that conversation. She raised her head up at him and felt her energy climb back up, ready to fight again.

"Then you know why I'm not giving up. You can blast me. Beat me. Knock me down as hard as you can. But I'm not gonna stop. You want me to give up so bad? Then you better hope your next attack throws me out of the ring next time! Because I'm not going anywhere." Ami stated with renewed confidence and a determined look. Bakugo looked at her incredulously. He was amazed she was still standing after everything he'd done to her already. Looking at her determination and watching as her neck glowed orange gave him excitement.

"Heh. You really are crazy, Habanero." Bakugo said, returning her smile with a smile of his own.

"Alright, then. Let's continue this!" Bakugo shouted, charging at her with fists at the ready. He knew the second he let out another explosion Habanero would eat it. So, he'd have to rely on physical combat. Ami took a couple deep breaths and charged towards him with fists raised.

"I'll fight. For however long it takes, I'll keep on fighting you!" Ami thought, gritting her teeth.

The audience watched in awe as the two fighters collided, dealing blows and dodging each other's punches. Up in the announcer room, Present Mic and Aizawa watched their fight continue with suspense.

"He started off the fight with a bunch of flashy explosions but now he's getting up close and personal down there. And he's really toned down the explosions, too. Could it be that Bakugo is actually going easy for once?" Present Mic questioned, getting Aizawa's attention.

"That's not it at all." He stated, rolling his eyes at his co host.

"Oh, yeah? Enlighten us, Eraser Head!" Present Mic exclaimed, ready to hear Aizawa's analysis.

"Did you forget Ami's been eating his explosions when given the chance? Bakugo is simply using less and less of his quirk so Ami doesn't get a chance to boost her own quirk's power. He's minimized the power in his explosions as well so that Ami would only be consuming the bare minimum. He's being very careful with how he fights her. But they're not just fighting down there. They're talking, too." Aizawa examined, squinting his eyes at Ami.

"I've seen how Bakugo's interacted with the Midoriya Twins. It's obvious they've known each other for years." Aizawa thought, recalling their arguments between each other in and outside of class.

"And that there's a lot of bad blood between them. This fight isn't just about winning for them. This is something they've both been needing for a very long time." He thought, watching the fight continue.

Bakugo delivered a swift punch to her shoulder that made her wince in pain. In the midst of their close combat he was genuinely surprised by her physical strength. She was punching him with all of her strength and it showed with every successful hit.

"Why the hell do her punches hurt so much? Was this All Might's help as well?" Bakugo thought, grunting as Habanero landed a kick to his leg. She quickly spun around and elbowed him in the chest, knocking him back a few steps. He shrugged off the painful blows and grabbed her arm, squeezing tightly on it with his hand. He activated his quirk and blasted her arm in his grip, making her groan. Not wanting to be the only one hit with a quirk, she quickly retaliated by spitting fire on her hand and proceeding to punch his chest with her flaming fist. He visibly recoiled from the hit and let go of her arm, pushing her away from him.

"Grrr." Bakugo growled, seething from the pain.

"Hey, Kacchan. Look. Now we're the same." Ami laughed, pointing at her chest. Bakugo stared at her chest in confusion before looking down at his own. He then noticed a small fist sized hole in his shirt, pissing him off.

"You've gotta be kidding me." He muttered, growling at her. Ami stopped laughing and held her breath, anticipating his next attack.

Bakugo lunged towards her again with rage. Ami was prepared and rolled to the right, avoiding him. Bakugo saw her dodge coming and countered it. He raised his hand out and shot off an explosion on his right side. The force of the explosion pushed him to the left, knocking him straight into her. Ami hit the ground first before Bakugo landed on top of her. She let out a yelp as he landed on her and quickly wrapped her legs around his neck in an attempt to constrict him. Bakugo rose up from the ground with Ami on his shoulders, slapping the back of his head with her hands. He winced at the annoying slaps and grabbed onto both of her legs. He squeezed her legs and held onto them and then purposely dropped himself. Ami saw him fall and gasped, bracing herself for the landing. She fell back onto the cement with a yelp as she landed hard on her shoulder, feeling intense pain through it. Bakugo recovered from the fall and threw her legs away from his neck, freeing him from her grip. He then skidded backwards away from Habanero and fired off another small blast. Ami also recovered fast enough to shoot a fireball at him, setting off a chain reaction with his quirk. His hands exploded in a huge blast that sent them both flying backwards in the air. Bakugo hit the ground and gasped, panting in exhaustion.

"Crap." Bakugo grunted weakly, feeling both of his hands throbbing. He lifted his body off the ground and stared at his hands. They were red and smoking, making him groan. He slowly stood back up and stared at the smoke cloud in the middle of the ring.

"Still alive, Habanero?" Bakugo asked, staring at the smoke. As he looked at the smoke, a fireball flew out of it straight towards him. He quickly ducked out of the way and avoided the fireball. He heard it land on the ground and rose back up, glaring at the smoke.

"I'll take that as a yes." Bakugo replied, no longer needing an answer. He took several tired breaths and watched as the smoke cleared up. When the smoke subsided, the two fighters had walked to the center of their side of the ring, staring each other down.

He put an end to his tired breathing and hid it from her, refusing to let her see his exhaustion. However, unlike him Habanero was still showing signs of exhaustion. He glared at her and watched her pant lightly in amusement.

"You're getting tired." He thought, watching her breathing.

"With all the explosions you've stolen from me, Habanero, I figured you'd be shooting lasers by now." Bakugo stated, getting Habanero's attention.

"I-I used up your explosions as I…r-received them." Ami explained, trying to control her breathing.

"So, you haven't been keeping them?" Bakugo asked, squinting his eyes at her to determine if she was lying.

"N-not as…much as I'd like to." She muttered, standing straight up. She formed a determined glare at Bakugo and struck a fighting pose. He saw the determination in her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. He flared his nostrils and internally shook his head at her pose.

"Still gonna fight me, huh?" Bakugo thought, clenching his fists. He felt his knuckles crack as he tightened his fists. Ami stared at Bakugo's fists and felt her heartbeat go faster. The pain circulating through her body was starting to weigh her down as the last of her adrenaline reserves began plummeting. She narrowed her eyes and thought about the predicament she was in.

"What do I do? I'm getting tired yet I'm not seeing any hint of exhaustion in Kacchan. He has to be getting tired. He's just hiding it right now. In which case. I need to end this. Somehow." Ami concluded.

"Raaah!" Ami yelled, swinging her fists at Bakugo. Bakugo saw each fist coming and leaned back to avoid the hit. She swung at his right and then at his left, trying desperately to hit him. But Bakugo was faster than her, swerving and dodging each hit. She grunted and held her breath, thinking of the past.

"I'll channel every negative thought. Every insult, every threat, everything you've ever said and done, I'll add it to my rage and fight you with it!" Ami thought, letting her rage do the thinking for her. She shot a fireball on the ground next to Bakugo's left foot, causing him to break his concentration. He glanced at the fireball for a split second before realizing it was a trap. Ami screamed and slammed her fist into the side of his face as hard as she could muster, knocking him several feet back and onto the floor.

"Ugh!" Bakugo groaned, rubbing the side of his face. He felt his cheek turn red from the punch and growled.

"Bakugo!" Habanero shouted. Bakugo looked over at her and raised his eyes at her, noticing the rage in them. Ami stepped forward and flashed her teeth at him, letting him see the flames burning inside her mouth.

"Hey, Fire Breath. You set my desk on fire!"

"You ate my explosion, Flame Breath."

"Whatever, Deku. No matter what power you end up with you'll never be able to beat me. Even if it's like, Flame Breath, over there."

"Just when I thought your brother couldn't get any more worthless, he's quirkless."

"What are you apologizing for? Crying because of that? Did you seriously think you could hurt me with that weak little flame? This is why you're so pathetic, Habanero."

"Suck it up already, Habanero. Don't be so weak."

Besides, like I'd ever let someone like you be my sidekick."

"You're not going to be a hero anyway with a quirk as stupid as yours."

"I'll think of every time I wanted to use my flames on you, but didn't. I'll let you see how wrong it was to call my quirk stupid!" Ami thought. She glared at Bakugo and opened her mouth wide open, unleashing a large fire blast towards him. Bakugo saw the huge plume of fire heading towards him and felt the heat. He raised his hands and blasted the floor beneath him, lifting his entire body off the ground. Ami saw his explosions and stopped breathing fire, quickly inhaling the fire. Bakugo watched as the explosions flew off his hands high in the air and went wide eyed. With no way to keep himself in the air, he immediately nosedived back into the ground. He stretched his hands out and braced for impact, hitting the ground hard. Ami didn't relent and returned to using her flame thrower.

Bakugo winced at how warm the cement had gotten. It was unbearably hot to the touch, even for his hands. He heard a fizzling sound and looked to his left, seeing another plume of fire heading straight towards him. His eyes widened again and he raised his palm at the flame. He tried to activate his quirk and fly away but the fast moving flames had reached his hand the second an explosion formed, burning it instantly.

"Gahh!" Bakugo roared, rolling three times across the cement. He winced at the pain going through his hand and looked at it. It was sizzling, much like the injury he had given Habanero. He cringed at the stinging sensation and glared at the flames that surrounded him. He stood up and looked at the battlefield. The ring was covered in nothing but fire and smoke. He took a couple deep breaths and covered his mouth with his arm. He looked around the smoke-filled fires for any sign of Habanero and growled. He couldn't see anything through the smoke. Much like his trick from earlier, the tables had now turned.

"Clever move, Habanero. I'll give you that." Bakugo growled, looking around. He heard the flames kick up and watched as the flames lifted off the ground and flew east, giving Bakugo a sense of her location. He acted like he was none the wiser and blasted smaller scale explosions to his left, roaring like was achieving something. He turned his back on her general direction and waited till she took the bait.

"Ahhh!" Ami cried, jumping out of the smoke. Bakugo heard her battle cry and smirked, turning back around. Ami watched as his hands glowed a brilliant orange, signaling to her that he was about to unleash a very large explosion.

She raised her eyes at him and tried to come to a stop, but it was already too late. She knew she stood no chance taking a blast equal to the power used to beat Shoji and saw no other alternative but to inhale. Even if it was at point blank range, if she could inhale it fast enough the force would be the only thing she'd have to worry about.

She felt her whole body tense up and opened her mouth, ready to inhale. Bakugo fired off two large explosions into the ring with both hands, striking Ami in the air. A shockwave rippled across the ring and quickly reached the audience, causing them to gasp. The force of the blast pushed Bakugo even further back, almost hitting the out of bounds.

The blast quickly enveloped the entire ring, creating a mushroom cloud of fire. The hero's jaws dropped at the size of the blast. It nearly rivaled the one created by Izuku and Todoroki's match. In the corners of the battlefield, Midnight and Cementoss watched the mushroom cloud in awe. Cementoss quickly snapped out of it and stared at the ring, fearing the worst.

"Midnight, stop the match!" Cementoss shouted, getting out of his seat.

"No! Wait!" Midnight shouted, getting Cementoss's attention.

"Huh?" Cementoss stated, looking up at the ring. His eyes widened again at what he saw next. A small figure standing in the smoke, screaming into the air. The fire stored inside the mushroom cloud collapsed in on itself, flying back into the ring. The heroes stared at the mushroom cloud and gasped.

"The fire! It's coming back!" A hero shouted. Backdraft and Wyvern stared at the ring in shock. Endeavor looked at the mushroom cloud and was blown away by the explosive power the boy possessed. He had truly one upped himself in a way that he had never expected. As he stared at the mushroom cloud, the flames on his body reacted instantly, surprising him.

"Huh? What the-" He stated, feeling his flames get pulled off him. Endeavor watched as all the fire on his body flew right off him and down the hero stands. Several heroes panicked and jumped out of their seats when they saw the fire fly right above their heads.

"Whoa!" A hero said.

"What the heck?" Another hero said.

"Was that Endeavor's flames?" A hero questioned.

"They just flew off him and onto the field!" Another one pointed out, staring at the cloud.

"Incredible. You were able to consume the flames of my costume from all the way up here." Endeavor said, baffled.

Bakugo grunted as he opened his eyes. Smoke was all around him, making it hard to breathe. He took a deep breath and inhaled some smoke, causing him to gag. He lifted his head off the floor and covered his mouth, coughing into his hand.

"Damnit." He growled, coughing profusely. The adrenaline inside him calmed down, causing him to feel his body ache. He winced at pain he didn't feel before, grunting in frustration. Once he could finally breathe normally again, he took several deep breaths and felt extremely tired.

"Damn this sucks." Bakugo thought, laying on the ground contemplating his situation. As he laid there, a scream startled him from inside the smoke. He looked up at the smoke and gasped, instantly standing up. That scream was from Habanero. A chill went down his spine when he heard it. He looked at the smoke and for some odd reason felt intense worrying.

"Habanero!" He shouted, calling out her nickname towards the smoke.

"Whoa. Endeavor's flames just flew into the field. Was that a wardrobe malfunction or something?" Present Mic asked, unsure what that was about.

"Oh, no." Aizawa openly blurted out, already knowing what was happening. He'd seen it before.

Bakugo watched as the mushroom cloud slowly faded away, making the ring visible again. He squinted his eyes and looked inside the ring, widening them once more when he saw Habanero. She was lying on the ground on her knees, surrounded by blue flames. Her clothes were no longer blue and white but charcoal black. Her spot in the middle was the only part of the cement that wasn't on fire. Bakugo stared at the blue flames and felt his jaw drop for a third time. She just inhaled the largest explosions he had ever made.

Ami sat on her knees, gripping onto her stomach with a tight grip. Sparks of plasma flew out of her mouth as she laid there. The feeling she had after eating Aoyama's lasers had returned. Only this time, it was more painful. There was a loud hum inside her mouth that made her jaw vibrate. The vibrations in her body sent her into a coughing frenzy as it triggered her gag reflex. This was worse than Aoyama's laser. So much worse. It was almost comparable to the Fire Zone.

"No. Please." Ami squeaked, feeling her whole face turn red. On a scale of 1 to 10. 4 being Aoyama's laser, to a 10 being her eating the Fire Zone and the villain's flames, this had to be a 8. It was so much worse than she was prepared to handle. Going from 4 to 8 was a big leap. Too much of a leap. Energy was building up inside her, weighing her body down. She felt like she literally could not move without upsetting her flame organ. She squirmed a bit on the floor, coughing out another blue fireball. The vibrations inside her flame organ caused the energy inside her to shoot up to her mouth, causing her to cover her mouth. Her eyes widened in horror. This was it.

"Ami, the sky!" Ojiro shouted, jumping out of his seat, "Aim for the sky!" He shouted, jumping down row after row to get to the last row. He ran to the railing and stopped there, gripping on to it tightly. Everyone in Class 1-A heard Ojiro's warning and the urgency in his voice, quickly picking up on something that he could see. Izuku, Tsu, and Mineta looked at Ojiro and felt goosebumps. They were immediately reminded of the USJ. The beam of orange that shot through the roof of the Fire Zone and then the roof of the USJ entered their minds.

"Ami! Aim for the sky!" Izuku shouted, jumping out of his seat and gripping the rail again with one hand.

"The sky, Ami!" Iida shouted, standing up.

"Aim for the sky!" Ochaco shouted, standing beside Izuku.

Ami heard their shouts and hesitated, trying her hardest to swallow the flames. The humming sound in her mouth was only getting louder the more she resisted, making her fear increase. If she had more strength, she might've been able to swallow this plasma. But after fighting Bakugo for who knows how long it was practically a miracle she didn't instantly vomit out the plasma. She winced at the zaps as their frequency increased, warning her of imminent danger.

"Habanero!" Bakugo shouted, getting her attention. She glanced at him and thought she had concern on his face. His eyes quickly shifted to a glare as he raised his voice at her.

"Look up already!" He shouted. Ami squinted her eyes at him and nodded, removing her hand from her mouth. She slowly tilted her head upwards and squirmed, clenching her fists. Staring straight up at the blue sky, she closed her eyes and relaxed. The plasma quickly reacted to her relaxation, shooting everything she had up to her mouth.

BOOM

Ami screamed and let all of it out, releasing a brilliant orange beam of light into the sky in seconds. The audience stared at the brilliant orange light and squinted their eyes, putting their arms over their eyes in order to look at it. Heroes were in awe of the beam of light shooting high up into the sky. They watched the orange light shoot high up into the sky with silent fascination.

"What the hell?" Wyvern said, squinting his eyes.

"Is this what put that hole in the USJ?" Backdraft questioned, watching the beam in astonishment. Outside the stadium, Kamui Woods and Death Arms immediately stopped working and looked up at the orange beam in the sky with shocked expressions.

"What is up with these kids…" Death Arms questioned. Back inside the stadium, Todoroki looked down at Ami in silence with a stoic expression.

"So, that's what it looks like up close." He thought. The rest of class 1-A had the same reaction. They recognized the orange beam of light from the USJ although it was significantly smaller. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were in awe seeing it for the very first time. Izuku stared at the beam of orange light with fear in his eyes. Ami's screams could barely be heard over the roaring sound from the orange beam of light. But he could hear them and so could Bakugo. Bakugo stared at the orange light with his mouth hanging open. He wasn't bothered by the brightness of the orange beam and continued to stare at it with regret. He caused that. He remembered seeing the bigger version in the USJ when he and Kirishima were in the Ruin Zone. He stared at Habanero and felt his glare vanish, his fists unclenching. Up in the announcer room, Aizawa and Present Mic were in awe along with everyone else. Present Mic glanced up at the orange light and tried to measure how high it was. Not being very good at it, he quickly gave up trying.

"Well, at least we're a No-Fly Zone." Present Mic stated, not having to worry about the beam knocking a plane down.

Ami kept her eyes shut while she unleashed her plasma beam, feeling all the fire in her body leave for real this time. Slowly, but surely, the beam died down, eventually turning back into a blue flame. The blue flamethrower resembled the battlefield's pyrotechnics. Once that had died down, the flames turned back into its normal color. Seconds afterwards, the flames around her dissipated and extinguished themselves, no longer trapping her within a ring of blue flame. The last of her flames stopped spewing out of her mouth, replacing itself with billowing smoke right after.

Ami stopped screaming her lungs out and started hyperventilating, feeling air enter and exit her lungs. Her quirk deactivated itself due to lack of flame and exhaustion. There was nothing left inside of her to produce flames, she was an empty shell. The effects of her quirk dried up her whole body, dehydrating her. Bakugo stared at her with a worried look, feeling worse than he'd ever felt before. He couldn't believe it, nor could he explain it.

"Is this over? Is she done?" Bakugo asked himself, internally. He continued to stare at Habanero and waited for her to fall. However, she didn't fall. Instead she chose to do something out of the ordinary. Bakugo's eyes raised when he watched her raise her leg up. She laid on the cement half kneeling with one leg off the ground. Slowly, she raised the other leg up and started straining herself in order to stand.

Bakugo stared at her with wide eyes. There's just no way. No way she could possibly want to fight him after going through that. Ami controlled her breathing and struggled to stand, feeling her legs wobble intensely. Her whole body was aching, but she stayed strong nonetheless.

She took another deep breath and flared her nostrils, slowly raising her head up. She made eye contact with Bakugo and saw the expression on his face. Shock mixed with worry. Worry. Now that's something. Ami saw his expression and let out a barely audible giggle, surprising Bakugo. Bakugo saw the giggle and was taken aback by it.

"Laughter? After looking at me? Is she serious?" Bakugo thought, getting distracted. Ami looked at him for a few seconds, barely making any moves until finally taking a step. Bakugo returned to reality and watched Habanero take one step towards him, shocking him. He saw her walking towards him and frowned.

"Why? Why are you walking towards me?" Bakugo thought, glaring at her and clenching his fists in confusion. Cementoss stared at her incredulously and clenched his fists, shaking his head.

"Midnight." Cementoss said, placing his hands on the cement.

"No, Cementoss. Wait." Midnight said, making Cementoss hesitate.

"But, Midnight. He'll destroy her." He protested.

"Trust me." Midnight said, watching Ami wobble.

"K-kacchan." Ami called out, in a low voice. Bakugo could barely hear her voice but answered her.

"What is it?" He asked, staring at her barely standing body. Ami panted heavily and controlled her breathing.

"...Y-you wanna know…how I know that you care..?"

"...W-what?" Bakugo stated, caught off guard by the question.

"It's because…of Izuku." Ami explained.

"Despite figuring out the truth behind Izzy's quirk…You're still keeping it a secret."

"You've had every chance to tell people. But, you haven't. When I told you the truth, you were mad. But you trusted me when I said I'd explain it to you. And I did… I'm so grateful for you keeping it a secret. And…I'm so happy that it was you who found out first." Ami admitted, panting heavily. Her weak, low voice prevented Midnight and Cementoss from hearing her.

Bakugo listened to her words and froze. She was right, undeniably right. He may be annoyed by Deku but his respect for All Might outweighed that. Why would he tell others about a secret like that? He frowned a bit and felt his glare lighten more. He took a deep breath and looked back up at her, however, upon looking at her, his breathing stopped. He looked at her and saw the condition she was in. Her clothes had rips and tears. Her legs were trembling. Her arms were cut and showing blood. The hole on her shirt exposed her bruised skin. Her face had damage to it as well. Her eyes were squinted and tired. Blood was trickling out of her nose and there was a cut on her bottom lip. And her hair was all messed up. Bakugo froze at the sight of her. His eyes widened and his jaw slightly opened, letting air in through his mouth. She looked so tired. Weak. Beaten. He looked at all the damage on her in surprise. A single question raised inside his head.

Did he do all that? Wait? Why did he ask that? Of course he did that. He was responsible for doing this to her. Why did he care? Why was it always her? Bakugo's mind was conflicted just looking at her. Seeing her legs tremble like that reminded him of the USJ. Bakugo had seen all of Ami's emotions throughout the Sports Festival. He saw fear, sadness, anger, rage, frustration, but through all that she always moved on with a smile on her face. He saw happiness, hope, determination, excitement, joy, laughter. And now here she was, still standing with a barely functioning smile on her lips. He scoffed at her comments, hiding his face and staring down at the ground. Just like after the combat training, he once again found himself unable to respond to her.

"Habanero...Look at yourself...Telling me all of this when you can barely stand...Yet…you're smiling at me? Why?" Bakugo questioned, looking up at her. Ami listened to his question and hesitated for a second. She continued to smile and made a small laugh at the question.

"Heh...Well, you see… remember that wise woman All Might told me I reminded him of?" She asked, receiving a silent nod from Bakugo.

"There's these words she once said to him that I didn't tell you about before. She said to him that real heroes don't just save lives, they save their hearts, too….No matter how scared you are, you should smile to show that things are okay...And that... in this world, the ones always smiling are the strongest…" Ami answered weakly, forcing a wider smile to appear on her face.

"I didn't...think much of it then… But, I really like it… I feel like it resonates with me. It reminds me of the version of myself that I want people to see. To give them comfort. To let them know everything's going to be okay…" Ami stuttered, trying to find the strength to speak.

"And...you wanna know something else, Kacchan? I can see it in you, too." Ami admitted, causing Bakugo to reel his head back. He raised a confused eyebrow at her, staring questionably at her.

"When we were kids, you always had a smile on your face…And when you got your quirk, you never looked scared. You always showed it off whenever you wanted. And you always had that big stupid smile on your face everytime…Even now, you smile everytime you fight whether it's practice or against a villain. Whether or not it's a genuine smile or a sadistic one. It's always made me feel better. It's exactly what I wanted most. I wanted to smile with my quirk. But, like you said, I was pathetic."

"But...I'm not anymore. That's...why I said all those things to you. That's why I'm smiling, Kacchan. Because...I…I wanted to be like you…" Ami finished, unclenching her fists. She lowered her hands and closed her eyes. The weak smile on her face struggled to hold up. Bakugo looked at her in utter shock. Ami moved a tiny bit forward as if she was still willing to fight on. Bakugo stared at her limping body and froze. She stared at the ground and never looked up, walking with a heavy breath. Once she saw his shoes in her vision, she stopped. Bakugo didn't even react to her being a foot away from him. He watched as she struggled to raise her left fist into the air and attempt to punch him. He watched the fist slowly come towards him, yet he didn't move. For some unknown reason, he felt paralyzed. Once the fist had reached his chest, it didn't even make a sound. By the time it touched him, the fist had turned into a light tap. Bakugo looked at the trembling fist slide off his body in silence. He could hear a tiny fraction of a laugh escape her lips, causing him to notice the expression on her face. A smile. A smile that caused a wave of emotion to fly through him.

"It's funny… I thought I had channeled all of my hate in this fight…but, it didn't work…No matter…w-what I do, I can't seem to…hate you." She laughed, weakly.

Her head lowered to the point her expression became hidden. Bakugo looked at her messed up hair and watched as her body started to lean forward. He looked at her with confusion before his eyes widened upon realization. She had lost consciousness. Bakugo saw her unconscious state and quickly reacted, grabbing hold of her body so she wouldn't fall. Her head fell onto his shoulder, allowing her to remain somewhat standing. All he could hear from her was her slow and steady breathing. His facial expression snapped back to reality. He regained his senses and gritted his teeth, still keeping her from falling. He glared at her unconscious face and growled. But upon further examination of her face, his growling faded away as he noticed the smile still on her face. That damn smile of hers was still there. He couldn't believe she was smiling even though she was unconscious. Despite all that damage from their fight, she still had the strength to smile even while knocked out. He glared at her in silence for a couple seconds and contemplated just letting her fall to the ground. However, something inside him prevented him from doing so.

"Damnit." He thought, wincing at his emotions. He felt them again. That annoying feeling in the back of his head. He was starting to care again. He was feeling pity. To fight so hard at him only to lose and fall onto hard concrete? No. He tensed his left arm and felt it holding onto her back. He got a grip of her back and her left elbow and slowly pulled her face away from his shoulder. He looked at her unconscious smile and felt his glare falter. For some reason his anger had slipped away, as if he couldn't stay mad at her. What the hell was going on?

"Ugh." He grunted, annoyingly. He held onto her unconscious body and slowly crouched down, watching as her legs moved forward. He made sure not to bend them so that she could lay flat against the ground. An unprecedented move from him. The students were stunned to see him act this way. Izuku was stunned the most. Tears were streaming down his face as he watched the fight go on and on. It was a fight he had been dreading since he returned to the stands. But he never imagined it would turn out like this.

"Kacchan." Izuku whispered, watching Bakugo carefully drop Ami to the ground.

Midnight watched what happened in stunned silence. Forgetting she had to announce the winner. She snapped out of her confusion and shook her head and focused, returning to her role.

"Mm. Mm." Midnight coughed, clearing her throat. She gripped her flag and raised it high into the air, speaking up in a professional voice.

"Ami Midoriya has been knocked unconscious! Katsuki Bakugo is the winner!" Midnight shouted, causing the crowd to erupt into congratulatory cheers and applause.

"Wow, that was incredible!"

"That girl's power was amazing!"

"I couldn't even see the end of the beam! How high do you think it got?"

"Man does it suck to be right, sometimes." Wyvern said, reclining into his seat. He stared down at the battlefield and stared at Ami.

"Poor girl." Wyvern frowned, feeling sorry for her. He turned his head and looked at Backdraft who was taking it pretty hard.

"Well done, Ami. You were fantastic." Backdraft commended, clapping his pipe arms together.

"You've come a long way since I met you, Ami." Backdraft whimpered, holding back a tear. Wyvern looked at him and nodded, hiding his frown.

"Hmph. That was a damn good effort, kid. Well done." Wyvern thought, clapping at the results of the battle.

"What a match." Present Mic commented. Down on the battlefield, Bakugo panted heavily. He stared down at the unconscious green haired girl on the floor beneath him with a mix of confusion, frustration, and sympathy. She laid on the concrete floor with a smile and with arms to her sides. He didn't know what to do now. He contemplated trying to wake her up or just walking away with a triumphant smile. He did exactly what he said he'd do. He kicked her ass and won. Yet, he wasn't satisfied. He wasn't even happy. Why? Everything that she said to him during their fight had pissed him off. He was the twins' biggest inspiration? She wanted to be like him? That wasn't right. That couldn't be right. He read the expression on her face as well as her body language after every word she said to him. He could always tell when Habanero was lying. It was always easier to tell with her. Yet, he knew she wasn't lying then. And unless she had become a master of deception in a matter of months, everything she had said to him was true.

"No matter…w-what I do, I can't seem to…hate you." Ami's words echoed through his head. Bakugo felt his lips quiver upon hearing that. A mix of emotions ran through him. Words from the past returned to his mind after hearing her.

"You want the truth, Bakugo? Even though you've done nothing but make fun of us for years, we still think of you as a friend. We had our own reasons to look up to you, Bakugo. So, I don't care if you hate us, but you're still our friend." Habanero admitted, creating more conflict within Bakugo's mind.

"What the hell? Why? Why are you like this?" Bakugo thought, gritting his teeth.

His legs started to shake from his crouched position. He brushed aside his confused feelings and quickly attempted to stand. Incredibly, it was easier said than done for him. He attempted to stand up straight and realized he barely could. His body was hurting, he was tired. He felt his body ache from standing up, but he ignored the pain. He kept his head down and watched Habanero with a silent but conflicted look, unsure of what to do as she laid there. His thoughts were everywhere. The more he seemed to stare at her, the more he noticed how peaceful she looked with that stupid smile on her face. After that thought appeared, his eyes widened. He frowned and shook his head in confusion. What the hell is he thinking? Why the hell was this happening to him? Those questions were all Bakugo was thinking about as he stood there, emotionless. Around the two fighters, the concrete rose up and consumed the flames still burning on the ground. Bakugo stood his ground as Cementoss used his quirk to liquify the cement and extinguish the flames surrounding them. Bakugo quickly balanced himself amidst the light shaking, looking at the ground with a glare.

Then a cough got his attention. Bakugo's eyes widened at the sound of coughing, causing him to look up. He immediately noticed Habanero coughing out smoke from her mouth, fully conscious again. Preoccupied with her coughing fit, she didn't notice the surprise on Bakugo's face. Before she could see it, however, Bakugo quickly changed expressions and hid his emotions.

"K-kacchan. W-what happened? How did I…get on the floor?" Ami questioned, struggling to move. She panted heavily and felt a throbbing sensation in her head, wincing at her newly formed headache. Bakugo listened to her heavy breathing and felt his body tense up from it. He concentrated and acted calm.

"You lost." He stated.

"Oh. I see." Ami said, coughing a little. She glanced up at Bakugo and looked at him questionably.

"Be...Honest w-with me, Kacchan." Ami asked, panting in exhaustion.

"I-I almost...got you, did I?" Ami grunted, exhaustively. Ami laid there on the floor and felt her chest rising up and down. Her heartbeat was beating incredibly fast. Bakugo heard Ami's words and thought about what to say.

"Hmph. Of course not." Bakugo scoffed, covering up his tired voice. He looked off in a random direction and crossed his arms. Ami cringed at his words. After all she did, he still beat her with strength left to spare? She sighed and attempted to move her body, only to realize she was completely drained of her energy. She then looked up using only her head and stared at Bakugo. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. His shirt was torn to pieces, revealing his muscles to the world. Ami looked at his chest and quickly took notice of his ragged breathing. He looked just as tired as she was. Except. He was still standing. Ami stared at Bakugo for a while before she let out a laugh despite the exhaustion she felt inside. Bakugo heard Ami's laughter and turned around, glancing back down at her with a puzzled look.

Bakugo made eye contact with Ami and stared at her horrifically tired smile and felt his own heart stop beating. He stared at her in silence, unable to respond to her surprise laughter. He started to think she might have gone insane. That was until she finally spoke up.

"Liar." Ami said, cracking a grin. Bakugo heard the word that came out of her mouth and did a double take. Somehow Habanero continued to surprise him. He stared down at her with an incredulous look and looked into her eyes.

"You must have really lost your mind, Habanero. To call me a liar after I just kicked your ass." Bakugo replied, staring down at Ami with a strange smile. There was no malice in it. It was like he was impressed to hear her say that.

"I'm sorry. I can't help it. After all of that talk about me and Izzy being bad liars.

Here you are doing it, too." Ami said, laughing weakly. Bakugo watched her laughing and didn't bother talking back. She stopped herself a few seconds later and relaxed into the concrete.

"Don't lie to me this time. I can see you struggling to stand, Kacchan." Ami said. Bakugo glare lessened after hearing her words. She saw right through him. There was no pretending now.

"...Shit." Bakugo mentally cursed himself. He didn't realize how obvious his real condition was to her.

"Alright, fine. I'll admit it, Habanero. You almost got me." Bakugo admitted, making Ami smile. She stared at him and squinted her eyes emotionally.

"Thank you, Kacchan. Thank you for fighting me and not holding back." Ami praised, appreciating their battle.

"Sure, Habanero. Don't act like this is the end, we're not done here." Bakugo said.

"Y-you're right. I'll fight you again. Someday…and next time for sure…I'll win." Ami said, looking at him with a new set of determination. Bakugo stared at the determination in her eyes and lightened up, cracking a small chuckle at her in amusement.

"Heh. I'll believe it when I see it, Habanero." Bakugo replied, making Ami grin. For a split second she saw the younger Bakugo looking down at her, making her laugh weakly in nostalgia.

"Beep! Beep! Medical Bots!" A droid said, approaching the two fighters.

"For your safety, please stand back." The droid ordered, getting in front of Bakugo. The droid blocked Bakugo from seeing Ami's face, slightly pissing him off a little. He stared at the droid and glared at it, flaring his nostrils weakly.

"Yeah, whatever." Bakugo said, taking a step back with a slight limp. The droid noticed Bakugo's limp and tilted its head in confusion.

"Are you well? Do you need help?" The droid asked, rolling over to Bakugo's side. Bakugo glared at the droid and scoffed.

"I'm fine. I'll walk by my own damn self." Bakugo growled, taking another step and wincing in pain.

Bakugo listened to the noises behind him and heard the treads from the robot's body. He stopped and turned his head back, watching as two more droids appeared on the field from the tunnel entrance on Habanero's side. He watched the robots enter the ring holding onto a stretcher for Habanero to lay on. He heard Habanero take deep breaths on the ground and thought back to what she said.

"She said to him that real heroes don't just save lives, they save their hearts, too….No matter how scared you are, you should smile to show that things are okay...And that... in this world, the ones always smiling are the strongest…" Habanero quoted, smiling weakly. The image of her weak and tired smile burned into Bakugo's memory. His mind returned to reality after that memory went through him. He watched the droids drop the stretcher and touch her, making her wince a little. Bakugo watched them and narrowed his eyes. A thought had occurred to him at that moment, causing him to clench his fists and turn around, glaring at Habanero with a scowl.

"No." Bakugo blurted out. The droid leader turned around and looked at Bakugo, watching him speed towards him with a limp. Ami looked up at Bakugo and raised her eyebrow at his sudden outburst, watching him push past the droid leader with ease. The other two medical droids ceased their operations and let go of Ami, staring at Bakugo in confusion.

"W-what? Kacchan?" Ami stuttered in confusion, staring at Bakugo's glare. Bakugo got a good look at her injuries and held his breath, raising his hand and pointing at her.

"Get up. Get up, right now, Habanero." Bakugo said, with a strange intensity that unsettled Ami. Ami squinted her eyes and clenched her fists in confusion.

"Huh? B-but, Kacchan. I don't think I ca-"

"Shut up!" Bakugo interrupted, holding back his emotions.

"Don't tell me you can't after everything you just said!" He shouted, getting Midnight and Cementoss's attention. The two heroes glanced at each other in silence, unsure of how to proceed.

"You want me to believe you can save people with that pathetic attitude of yours? You said the ones always smiling are the strongest, right? Prove it! Get up, and prove to me you're strong with that stupid smile of yours!" Bakugo shouted, pointing at her angrily. The droid leader rolled towards him from his left, getting his attention. He extended his hand out and held back the droid leader and the robots carrying the stretcher for her. Ami looked at him in silence, her jaw dropping. A single thought went through her head after hearing him.

"Did I get through to him? Does he finally get it now?" Ami thought, thinking that maybe Bakugo could see her and Izuku as friends. A deeper feeling went through her after her first thought. It was bizarre. It was an emotion she hadn't felt before. Feeling it caused her to second guess herself. Did she not want Bakugo to be her friend? Of course, she did. But what was this feeling? The whole time she contemplated her thoughts about Bakugo, she didn't realize her face was starting to blush. Bakugo noticed her red face and raised an eyebrow. He quickly assumed she needed more encouragement and gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Look at me, Habanero!" Bakugo said, interrupting Ami's thoughts. Bakugo glared at her like normal and tightened his fists, "Get up. Right now." Bakugo said calmly, choosing not to yell that last sentence.

Ami stared at him and felt her blush get bigger from his encouragement. She didn't know how to respond to him, feeling a strange mix of emotions swirl around in her head. She didn't understand why she was hesitating so much. Bakugo's looked at her with serious eyes before, why was this different? Was it because he was doing this for her? She was reluctant to move, not wanting to go through more pain. She quickly darted her eyes away from his face and looked at the stadium walls. Staring at the stadium made her notice the quietness. She glanced up at the stadium and heard not a single peep out of the audience. They were completely silent.

"Wait. Did they hear that? Were they listening?" Ami thought, feeling embarrassed. She glanced back down at Bakugo and looked at his face. There was not an ounce of malice or evil intent on him. He was serious about this. He really wanted her to stand up. She gulped and waited for her blush to fade, letting herself calm down.

She ignored the silent stadium and listened to her own breathing. Her heart was beating fast, causing her to take deep breaths to control it. She was tired. Frail. Weak. Every part of her told her to not move. But Bakugo's words struck a chord with her. He was testing her. This was her final moment to show to him that she was serious. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. She opened her mouth and took in as much air as possible. Then she concentrated, feeling her muscles work overtime.

"Get up, Ami. Get up, Ami." Ami psyched herself up, gathering all of her strength together. She was going to do it. She was going to stand.

"He wants me to prove it. So, I'll prove it." Ami thought, moving her arms back. She gritted her teeth and slowly lifted her head off the ground. The audience gasped at her actions, watching with amazement as she slowly moved.

I'll show him. I'll show everyone. No matter how bad the situation is. No matter how hard I get hit. I'll keep standing!" Ami thought, putting all her strength in her legs. She put her hands on the floor and pulled, lifting her body up. She winced at the pain shooting through her aching body and continued, putting everything in achieving her goal. She put one leg down and gritted her teeth, rising upward. The stadium watched in awe as Ami slowly stood up. Bakugo couldn't believe what he was seeing. With one final deep breath, Ami stood up, standing tall with a smile on her face.

"Yes!" Izuku shouted, being the first to start celebrating. The silent stadium quickly changed to a chorus of cheers and claps as Ami stood up to full height. Everyone watched her stand with amazement, getting up out of their seats to clap.

"She did it…She actually did it." Bakugo thought, baffled by her success. Even with all the injuries present, she had done what he had told her to do. His jaw dropped as he looked at her, feeling his heart skip a beat. Ami saw the baffled look on his face and grinned in accomplishment.

"Kacchan…I-I stood up." Ami smiled, laughing a little. She hid the pain coming from her wobbling legs and smiled. The droid picked up on her trembling and quickly sprung into action. The droid rushed to her side and grabbed hold of her arm, keeping her up.

"Way to go, young Ami." All Might congratulated, feeling tears fall down his eyes. He felt immense pride watching her from the faculty stands.

"Even if I've lost. I won't fall. I'll never fall again." Ami stated, taking a firm stance. Bakugo listened to her and nodded, smiling back impressed.

"I..I wanted to be like you…" Ami's words echoed through his mind. Why did her words bother him so much? His thoughts on the matter were hard to understand, even for him. He thought about her words and grumbled, frowning.

"Habanero. What you said before. Was all of it true?" Bakugo asked, frowning. He didn't know why he was asking her that. Ami was confused by his question and inferred it to be about her comments during the fight. She smiled and nodded her head in confirmation.

"Yes…I meant every word I said, Kacchan. All of it." Ami answered, causing Bakugo to wince.

"All of it?" Bakugo repeated, turning around. He looked at the burnt cement beneath him and frowned, feeling his emotions well up within. She wasn't lying to him. Not at all. He didn't know how to take that. He couldn't even decide if he was mad or relieved.

"You're really weird, you know that?" Bakugo croaked, in a low raspy voice. He clenched his fists and held in his tears. He wasn't going to let a single one fall. Not with cameras around and everyone watching.

"Your temperature is rising. We should head out." The droid leader advised, gently tugging on her burnt sleeve.

"Alright…" Ami nodded, apprehensively. She slowly twisted her body around and stared at the tunnel she came from. It looked farther away than she remembered. She shrugged and slowly stumbled towards it, assisted by the droid leader. She knew her mind was just playing tricks on her. The effects of her dehydration were still going on. After a rough 10 seconds, she finally reached the border of the ring. She paused and looked down at the border. The match was over and already decided. So, why was it so hard for her to cross it?

"Wait! Habanero…" Bakugo called out, startling her. She lifted her head up and hid her frown, slowly turning her head back and staring at Bakugo. Well, staring at the back of his head.

"Yes, Kacchan?" Ami replied, curiously. Bakugo heard her reply and gulped, hesitating for a second. He gritted his teeth and flared his nostrils, finding enough courage to speak.

"...Don't be like me…Just keep being you. Got that?" He stated in a low voice and soft tone, holding in his breath. Ami stared at the back of his head for a couple of seconds, completely dumbfounded.

"Just keep being you?" Ami repeated, feeling her brain short circuit. She listened to those words repeat inside her head, feeling air escape her lungs again.

"..." She stuttered, hesitantly. Suddenly finding it difficult to say anything to him. She felt her face warm up instantly. She was positive she was blushing again. She was relieved Bakugo had his back facing her so he couldn't see her face. Almost on cue, Bakugo turned around and stared at her, making her heart skip a beat.

"Crap, I hesitated too long." Ami thought, getting flustered. She felt embarrassed how much she was freaking out all of a sudden.

"What? Did you go deaf on me?" Bakugo asked, looking straight into her eyes with his usual glare. However, something was different about the way he glared at her. It was lighter. The emotion in his eyes were more clearly visible, like she could peer into them. She cleared her head and nodded, cracking a warm smile at him.

"Sure thing, Kacchan. I'll keep being me." Ami said with a sincere smile. Bakugo looked at her smile and nodded, turning his head back in acknowledgement.

"Good. Now...get better. You look like a zombie." He said, getting a giggle out of Ami. She turned her head back and composed herself. Looking back down on the border, she took a deep breath and crossed it. She stumbled a bit as she crossed the border, receiving a supportive tug from the droid leader.

"Careful now." The droid leader said, holding Ami up. Ami appreciated the support, walking steadily towards the exit tunnel. She could see the exit get closer and closer, making her sigh in relief.

"Aamiii!" Izuku shouted, getting her attention. She paused and turned her head towards the stadium. She looked up at the student stands and saw Izuku waving at her with a bright, cheerful smile.

"You were amazing!" Izuku shouted, wholeheartedly. Ami heard her brother's shouts and smiled back at him. Part of her wondered how much they heard up there.

She brushed that thought aside and laughed, waving back at Izuku with a warm smile.

Bakugo limped towards the exit tunnel on his side and heard Deku's shouts, coming to a complete stop. He listened to him and turned his head slightly, getting a glimpse of Deku in his peripheral vision. He saw him waving at Habanero acting as happy as can be and scoffed.

"Nerd." He mumbled, smiling a little. He didn't have the strength to curse at the moment, choosing instead to keep walking towards the exit.

"People told me I lost against Bakugo in that match. But we didn't see it that way. In our eyes, that fight had no ending. Our fight wasn't over. There'd be plenty more to come. Everything else was just a break in between. Even if I lost. I didn't feel that way about it. I felt like I won something. Something I'd been wanting to hear from Bakugo for a very long time. An acknowledgement of the friendship he so strongly denied. I knew for a fact now that Bakugo saw me and Izuku as his friends. His closest friends. But for some odd reason, a part of me wasn't satisfied with Bakugo's feelings. It was strange and hard to put into words how I felt, but I knew deep down that whatever these feelings were. They would completely change how I feel about him." Ami narrated.

Inside the tunnel, Bakugo continued to limp. He breathed deeply in exhaustion, placing his right arm on the wall to keep his balance. He grunted and gritted his teeth, clenching his fist tightly. Perhaps, Habanero had done more damage than he thought. Either way, he didn't let his injuries slow him down. He didn't want to fall. He refused to fall. He focused as best he could and thought about something else. Anything to distract him from the pain. Concentrating hard, his mind quickly thought up the first image that popped up in his head. When he saw what his thoughts had come up with, he visibly scoffed. Really? That's what his brain came up with? He flared his nostrils and cracked a grin, gently shaking his head. Whatever. He opened his eyes and continued walking, letting the image in his head keep him standing. He could live with seeing her stupid smile in his head again.

---

Author's Notes: Extremely Important

Hello, everyone! It has unfortunately been a while since I've posted a chapter again. If you've been keeping track of my updates in my profile page then you already know about what happened to me. I got really sick last week. It couldn't have come at a worse time as this was the same week as midterms and I had just finished writing the first half of the chapter. It was a horrible experience as I could not eat anything without throwing up. I don't know if I lost weight but I spent 2 days without eating and all I could keep in my stomach was water. Once I was out of that sickness, I had to immediately get back to work and focus on midterms which took away a lot of my time. But, after taking them, I finally had time to write this chapter. And boy did I write! This is the biggest chapter I've ever written. When I was sick, the chapter's word length was already hitting 19,000. Once I completed the final fight, the chapter had reached a whopping 33,000 words!

I don't think I will ever write a chapter this long again. I don't know how I managed to write so much. So much has happened since the last chapter on February 1st. All my assignments, tests, quizzes, and zoom meetings took a lot of my time. I had tons of setbacks that impacted the freetime I had to write this chapter which caused me to cut the chapter in half. Yes, that's right. This chapter was cut in half. Which is why I'm shocked I wrote 33,000 words. I wrote so much I debated cutting it in half again but I knew that would've completely ruined the flow I had built up in the chapter. At the moment, I think the 33k words are justified but a chapter this long is something I will never try again. Especially since the sickness really took a toll on this chapter.

But enough with the explanation of delays. There's so much that needs to be said about this chapter. First being the announcement you've all been waiting for.

When I first started this fanfic, I just wanted to write a cool alternate universe story. Back then I didn't think my story would get noticed by anyone. But to my surprise, people saw it and followed it, favorited it, and reviewed it. I chose to write a story about My Hero Academia because it was a series I have a lot of respect for. It's my favorite anime and it's the first shonen anime I've ever watched.

I am a 2001 child raised in Good Ole Murica, so the media I had available to me was whatever was on Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. The only childhood anime I watched was Pokemon, Yugioh, and the Digimon Movie. (I had no idea what channel Digimon was on so I've only seen the movie. Yes, even today I've never watched a single episode.) I've seen clips on YouTube whenever they show up in my recommendations so I guess I've seen some bits and pieces. I grew up on Spongebob, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Ben 10, and Generator Rex. I didn't actually like 10 year old Ben 10 but I loved Teenage Ben. Alien Force, I think, was probably my first experience with the anime-ish artstyle. I also never watched Adult Swim, so I never watched anime until My Hero Academia came out.

The biggest change from canon has finally occurred. All the way back in the Author's Notes of Chapter 3, I answered a question in my reviews about whether Ami would develop a crush or be crushed on. I said I was undecided about it and I acknowledged the fact that following through with a romance would mean I could never turn back. So I left it up in the air and asked for you guys to decide. It wasn't till chapter 7 that the topic of romance came back up in my Author's Notes.

In chapter 7, I said that if Ami were to fall in love with any of the students in Class 1-A, the choice would have to be logical and it needed to make sense. I then said I'd focus only on Ami's romance. The most important part of that Author's Notes was that I said I'd lay the groundwork in season 2 since I didn't do much romance in season 1 and that I was open to suggestions, but not Mineta. It wasn't until Chapter 10 and Season 2 Chapter 1 that I said I fully accepted the idea of adding a relationship to the story. After I finished season 1 I had already received tons of suggestions in my DMs and it doubled after the first chapter for season 2 was posted.

Because of popular demand, I decided to give Ami a romance. I also said that It wouldn't happen in one season. So, for now, Ami's relationship will not start in this season. I'm saving that for season 3. What is happening in this chapter is simply the seeds of a future relationship. I'm sure you all can guess who it is Ami will enter a romance with based on this chapter alone. But it wasn't like this was out of left field, I laid many hints throughout this whole season of who Ami will romance. Some of you picked up on it and asked me directly in my DMs. Before I go into it, I'd like to acknowledge all of my readers who knew who Ami would be romanced with and stayed silent. This really was a long time in the making and I'm excited for what sort of feedback I'll receive.

Now when season 2 first started back in 2021, many of you messaged me privately with who you believed Ami should be romanced with in the story. I received a ton of private messages. A ton. With just that alone, I decided to write hints in my story over the course of Season 2 chapter 2 and now. I did this while still letting you guys vote for who you wanted and with every chapter posted, none of your choices changed. With this chapter finally posted, I can safely admit that Ami will have a relationship with Bakugo.

This decision came with near unanimous support from a lot of readers. It was honestly a complete surprise how many of you voted for Bakugo. I was expecting a lot more mixed results but Bakugo completely blew all other choices out of the water. It was even more surprising to me that Todoroki didn't even come up once in any of your DMs. Todoroki got maybe at least two people voting for him, but even then the same people also voted for Bakugo as well.

Besides Bakugo, the only other suggestions I received were for Iida, Sero, and Tokoyami. Both Iida and Sero were suggested in DMs all the way back in season 1 when I was still debating on giving Ami a romance. Tokoyami was suggested later. But with every 1 vote towards these three, Bakugo would get like 5 more votes. To my readers that voted for Iida, Sero, or Tokoyami, you have my condolences and respect. I'm really sorry that your choices didn't win and I hope you can forgive me for going forward with Bakugo.

Going back to Todoroki, I wasn't expecting for him to get basically zero votes. But honestly, full transparency here, I'm relieved that Todoroki was never voted for. I was relieved because one of the reasons I was dreading adding a romance to the story was because I believed Todoroki would be voted the most. I'm not against shipping Todoroki with anyone, but before the romance aspect came into question. I did have a plan for Ami and Todoroki that wouldn't end in them being together. So if the majority voted for Todoroki I would have to change a lot of stuff going forward and I'd have to try and force Todoroki and Ami to have more interaction. But, thankfully, it didn't happen. Instead it was Bakugo who got voted on the most. I'm also very happy that the votes were so one sided. If Bakugo had managed to tie with any other character, I might have abandoned the idea of adding romance all together.

I have no plans on writing a love triangle or creating unnecessary drama. Like cheating scandals, betrayals, jealousy, all that stuff. It's not something I'm a big fan of in romance stories, so I know I wouldn't be a fan of writing it in this story.

Once again, thank you all for the votes I received through DMs. You all did a very good job keeping it out of the review section to avoid spoilers. And now that this chapter is out it's gonna be very hard to avoid talking about the romance in reviews. Because I absolutely need all hands on deck here. Please, if you've reviewed it before, please write a review about this chapter. I need it more than ever now that I'm going to be writing a romance subplot for Ami. I even took the liberty of adding eventual romance in the description of the story now, so new readers have a heads up and come here expecting no romance.

Now to address all of the readers that voted for Bakugo. When I first brought up romance, I said the choice had to be logical and make sense. And, yeah, I'd say Bakugo is the logical choice and does make sense. But I didn't expect anyone would actually vote for him. I'm happy so many of you support Ami and Bakugo being together. Even before I wrote all of these chapters, it was heavily supported by all of you. That's why I couldn't just let their feelings for each other just appear out of thin air. I needed both Ami and Bakugo to have a reason to justify having these feelings. I think I achieved that with all of the hints I laid in previous chapters.

But I already know I'm going to be asked this later. If you're wondering if Ami and Bakugo's interactions in previous chapters were created with the intent of this romance, you are both right and wrong. While true their interactions were adding to the hints, Season 1 was entirely non romantic. If I didn't follow through with romance, their interactions in season 2 would mostly stay the same except for what happened in this chapter. I don't know if I'm explaining this the right way, but Ami was always going to force Bakugo to realize the twins were his friends. With or without romance, Bakugo was going to change.

I was perfectly fine with Ami getting with no one. But right at the end of season 1, all your votes for Bakugo made me change my mind. I received, quite literally, an explosion of support for the ship through DM's. That was when I knew who it was Ami had to be with.

But, because of that, I had to lie a lot in my DM's regarding Ami's love interest. There were some people who didn't vote and instead simply asked who Ami would be with. I usually replied with, "I don't know." in order to keep it a secret. I send my full apologies for doing so but I had to keep the choice a secret until this chapter got posted.

This chapter is extremely important for Bakugo and Ami's relationship and the divergence of canon this will cause with Bakugo's development. Ami's inclusion in the universe caused Bakugo to change his perception of Izuku. This was first seen in season 1 with Ami inadvertently leading Bakugo to uncover the truth about One For All early. Bakugo did his research and confronted Ami about it shortly before the USJ. That interaction laid the groundwork for what we see now.

With Bakugo knowing about OFA early and keeping it a secret, it led Ami to interact more with Bakugo in order to make sure he kept it hidden. Eventually, it led to Ami wanting to just hangout with Bakugo's group. Sero pointed this out in Season 2 Chapter 14. This led to Ami and Bakugo interacting more and more, leading up to this very fight.

Izuku by himself wasn't enough to convince Bakugo that he just really wanted to be friends again. So, if you add a twin sister into the mix, it makes sense that Bakugo would be more easily convinced that Izuku's praise of him is genuine and that he's not looking down on him. He may end up seeing things differently now. Though, he will still stay the same Bakugo but with more conflicted feelings and maybe possibly less harsh.

The biggest challenge was writing a convincing explanation for how Bakugo and Ami could realistically fall in love at the same time. I hope I made a good case for it with how the chapter turned out in the end. More realization and acceptance of these new feelings will come in later chapters.

Now that I'm fully moving forward with this relationship, there will be nothing else. No other characters will get romantic feelings for each other. Bakugo and Ami's romance is the only exception I am making. There is always the chance I might change my mind and make Izuku and Ochaco get together, but I think I'll stick to canon and see what happens later on. The series will still follow the basic path of the original canon.

Now onto actually discussing the chapter. To be honest, It's kinda hard writing what I want to say about this chapter. I never thought I'd reach 33,000 words in a chapter that was originally cut in half so I'd finish faster. We all know how that turned out. After everything I've written and edited, I'm a little drained of writing so I will do my best discussing the chapter. I'm also a little loopy from this chapter. I didn't actually remember much of the first half thanks to my sickness until I started editing. So, I hope it's not easy to tell that I spent multiple weeks writing parts of the chapter.

Anyways, the beginning of this chapter was meant to show the doubts Ami was having about fighting Bakugo. And, honestly, who wouldn't be nervous about fighting Bakugo? He destroyed Shoji and Kirishima, and he absolutely decimated Ochaco. There's a lot of flashbacks and repeating quotes in the beginning because I wanted to capture the stress, doubts, and worries, Ami had. It also served as a mini recap to remind you all of past events related to Ami, Bakugo, and Todoroki.

It was Ami mostly coming to terms with everything while Bakugo and Kirishima were fighting. That's why she thought a lot about Izuku and Todoroki's conversation. It led her to wondering if Bakugo had also seen what Izuku saw in Todoroki. And as we all know, he did. Naturally Bakugo won his fight with Kirishima just like in canon which made Ami even more concerned knowing that their fight was set in stone now. But, thankfully, Izuku arrived just in time to cheer her up. Bakugo was also getting in touch with his sadistic side after the match, which was why he was excited to destroy her.

Ami and Izuku's conversation was something I needed to happen. For one, it was meant to show that Ami was nervous. Two, Izuku needed to let Ami know that the scar on his hand wasn't her fault. Three, to follow canon since I skipped Izuku and All Might talking in the hallway and I skipped Izuku's conversation with Iida. And four, I needed Ami to be encouraged and make her start planning.

After her talk with Izuku, she was left alone to come up with a plan to fight Bakugo. Soon afterwards, Bakugo returns to his seat and interrupts Ami's planning. This conversation exists because I didn't want Ami and Bakugo's last conversation to have been about going to see Izuku in Recovery Girl's office.

There were a lot of things that needed to be said before I was content with moving on with the story. One, Ami needed to tell Bakugo about why she didn't come back to her seat after talking with Izuku. Two, Ami still had to explain what happened with Endeavor. Three, Ami needed to confirm what Bakugo was feeling about Todoroki. And lastly, the conversation was meant to show that Bakugo cares even if it's just a little.

This conversation also served to set up the conflict in their fight. A lot happened in the conversation and I kinda feel like I rushed through it a little too much. But basically hearing Ami tell him what Endeavor said to her gave him the idea that Endeavor thought he wasn't a threat against his son. Once Iida and Todoroki's fight ended, it only made him angrier that Todoroki wasn't using his flames again. That rage he felt towards Todoroki using half his power is what Ami needed to confirm that she was right about Bakugo seeing the similarities she had with Todoroki. That's what led her to point it out in their match. Ultimately serving to have Ami's mind settled and concluded. This allowed her to become focused on the fight.

Now Ami and Izuku's final conversation is another important thing I wanted to include. Its purpose was to remind Ami that he would be watching from up in the stands. That everyone would be showing their support for her in the battle. This helped build her confidence and it also helped assure Izuku that she did have a plan going into this fight. This train of thought led Ami to start thinking about her admiration towards Bakugo. Her thoughts just before the flashback were meant to show that Ami did indeed want this fight. She wanted to fight him to prove that she had changed.

Now onto the flashback, The flashback with Ami and Bakugo is actually one I've been saving for a while. I had this written in December, but I just needed to find a way to include it at a point where it would make sense.

It was an important moment in their lives as this was when Ami told Bakugo that she still wanted to be a hero. I had foreshadowed this interaction before in the past. I think somewhere in season one I alluded to a conversation Ami had with Bakugo about wanting to be a hero. The conversation was meant to show what kind of heroes they were going to be. It also highlighted her old feelings about her quirk in regards to how she feels about it now. The flashback also added to Ami's determination in wanting to beat him. I was originally going to mention Izuku in this conversation but I decided to cut it as it didn't serve any purpose. Plus it would have taken away from the scene in my eyes.

The next important scene in this chapter is with Ami and All Might. The start of their talks was intended to be nice and to act as a light hearted break between the first and second half of the chapter. I also wanted Ami to have an interaction with All Might that wasn't about Izuku. The final part of their conversation also sets up the next break in canon that this story will go down. Now that Ami knows she reminds All Might of a previous holder of One For All, it's only natural that the next course of action would be to tell her and Izuku later on. All Might will tell them about Nana Shimura in a future chapter. Unfortunately, as an anime only watcher. There isn't much information to go around with Nana Shimura. As of March 18th 2022, I'm not sure if her hero name was even revealed in the manga yet.

Another thing I'd like to add about the conversation is that there is a movie quote in there. If you can guess it in the reviews, then you have my undying respect.

Now with all of that settled we can finally discuss the most important fight in the series. Ami Midoriya vs Katsuki Bakugo is perhaps the most difficult fight I've ever written. I'm sure future fights won't be able to hold a candle to this one. I actually had this fight planned out for a very long time. Going all the way back to July of last year. Back then I was under the impression I'd have the sports festival complete in a couple months, however, tragedy and setback after setback delayed those plans. But finally we made it to the fight I've been waiting to write about for a long time.

Now in summary, this fight took my sanity several times. I think I lost my mind about a hundred times writing this chapter. It didn't help that I got sick last week, either.

Harkening back to what I said above, everything that was said in the first half of the chapter was all written with the intent of building up to this fight. Ami's inclusion in the universe caused Bakugo to finally realize just how much respect and admiration the twins had for him. That they really did look up to him. But the only way I believed Bakugo could realize this at this point in the canon was through violence. And compared to Izuku, Ami is a lot more physically direct than emotionally direct. Ami's fierce determination and her strong desire to keep fighting him forced Bakugo to come face-to-face with the fact that part of him did care about the twins and that he did see them as friends.

Now let's get into the fight. Firstly, Wyvern and Backdraft's conversation at the start of the fight. This little conversation was meant to highlight the interactions Ami and Bakugo had from the perspective of the audience.

Second, Ami's plan backfired tremendously. What was her plan, you ask? It only semi came true in the end, when Ami had successfully lit the whole ring on fire. Her original plan involved luring Bakugo into corners trapped between fire. The only way he'd be able to escape these corners was if he used his quirk to fly in the air. Ami would then be able to eat the explosions and build up her power, eventually letting it culminate into a plasma attack. However, fate had other plans as Bakugo immediately used her flames against her. When I was planning out this fight last year, the idea of punching her in the flame organ was the first thing I thought of. It was the first scene of the fight that I had come up with. I then wrote stuff around that idea, eventually becoming the fight you see now. This was also a little nod to the fact Bakugo was familiar with the location of her flame organ having known her since childhood. So, yes, Bakugo did in fact always know where her flame organ was. Another subtle indication he cared.

Originally, the punch was going to stop there but then I had the idea of Bakugo using an explosion on her stomach in order to disrupt her power. I liked the idea and decided to include it.

Third, if Bakugo wanted this fight to happen for so long, why did he want to end it quickly with a punch to her chest? That is simple. He didn't actually want to fight her. I had laid hints before the fight and in previous chapters of Bakugo's changing feelings toward Ami. Last chapter especially showed that he had a strong dislike towards Ami's sad face. That's also why he told her in his warning that she better not show up to the fight with a frown on her face. He wanted the fight done so he wouldn't have to see her in pain. However, Ami's training had done its job and allowed her to stay conscious. That's why once he had done what he did and realized she was still conscious, he immediately regretted it and knew he'd have to do more to win. Which led to his anger rising. But even though he wanted the fight to end quickly, Ami's determination and the heat of the moment had raised his excitement levels. He wasn't holding back and he was actually enjoying the fight.

I also took a few liberties with canon. Bakugo mentions that in the first week of getting his quirk, some kids actually were scared of him. This was done to highlight the differences with how Ami and Bakugo reacted to their quirks. Rather than give in to the fear of others Bakugo didn't let a few kids' thoughts persuade him. Unlike Ami, who spent her life believing her classmates were all scared of her. On a more personal note, I included that line about kids being scared by him because, in my opinion, there's no way all of his classmates looked at his explosion quirk and didn't immediately think that's a villain quirk. Although, unlike Ami, he did something about it and had convinced them otherwise.

Another thing I know will be asked a lot is why Ami lost her confidence after one punch. Well, if she didn't have her quirk activated while Bakugo punched her, she would have handled the punch a lot better. But since it was activated, the damage she received from his punch had a quadruple pain effect. What really saved her from giving into pain and surrendering was her previous experiences. Which leads into the set of flashbacks in the fight that I will discuss.

I hope I didn't go overboard with the flashbacks in this chapter. All of them served a purpose and I ended up deleting a lot more than I kept. Anyways, while Ami is writhing in agony on the floor, she's nearly persuaded to give up. However, she remembered the past hardships she went through to get to this point and felt her adrenaline rising. What also brought her back from the brink of defeat was Bakugo's own words. She knew losing now would only confirm to Bakugo that she was indeed nothing but a sob story. But if she could rise past that then she could become something more. Once she stood up, Ami fought Bakugo with a rejuvenated spirit and a passion for victory, getting off a few hits on him.

Ami bringing up Todoroki was always planned. She was always going to confront him with this during the battle. Once she did, he started getting angry. That confrontation led to Bakugo telling Ami exactly how he felt about her trauma. When I was writing about how Bakugo felt about her quirk I had based his complaints off criticism I received long ago for chapter 1. Thank you for writing your criticism for chapter 1, I couldn't have written this part without you.

If you didn't notice, after Ami stood back up and continued the fight I mentioned Ami having a crazed look in her eyes. The crazed look was the exact same one she had when facing Todoroki in the Cavalry Battle. That's why she was taunting him as well.

After an intermission with Aizawa's thoughts. We lead into the next set of flashbacks. Ami channels all of her negative emotions and remembers all of her bad experiences with Bakugo. The kind that angered her. I didn't go into detail with the flashbacks, choosing to only focus on the quotes. I also only focused on childhood flashbacks so that I wouldn't go overboard by including every negative quote.

Unfortunately, Bakugo proved to be the stronger opponent which leads into the next important scene. In this part, Ami's plasma beam makes its third appearance in the series. But why was this one stronger than the one made by Aoyama's laser? Well, I based it off the power inside Bakugo's explosions. He fired two massive building sized explosions at Ami that forced her to inhale it quickly in order to survive. If she didn't inhale the explosion, she might've gotten super injured. Her already exhausted state was also why she wasn't able to control it. This whole scene was meant to callback to the scene in the USJ but this time at the Sports Festival. Although significantly weaker than the USJ version, it was still way too powerful for her to handle at once. As I also explained in the past, Ami needs to inhale flames gradually, not instantly. Gradually leads to better control of her plasma beam, whereas instantly leads to what happens here.

Once that had ended, we reached the final part of the fight. The moment where Ami continues to stand and talks to Bakugo. She surprises him with the final evidence she has towards him caring about his friends and then admits to his face that she wanted to be like him, sending him into a wave of emotions.

Even though she had channeled all her negative thoughts towards him in order to fight, they didn't work because no matter what she did, she couldn't hate him. Why couldn't she hate Bakugo? I explained my reasoning in the Author's Notes for chapter 4? 5? I don't remember, but I said that Ami and Izuku don't hate him because they think he's awesome. In canon, Izuku praised him and based a lot of his moves on Bakugo. He saw Bakugo as inspiration and wanted to show him that he could be a hero. As for Ami, watching him act the way he did towards his quirk was what inspired her to practice with her lighter. It's been a while since I've mentioned the lighter because Ami can't use it during the sports festival. But outside the festival, Ami goes everywhere with her lighter and eats flames right off it in order to practice her flame catching.

So now, why didn't Bakugo let her fall? Letting her fall would go against the feelings he had in his head. At that point Bakugo realized how much Ami cared for him as a friend and that compromised his own emotions. Watching her slow walk towards him just to tell him she didn't have the strength to hate him had also gotten through to him. The peaceful smile she had on her face also sealed the deal for him. That's why Bakugo held onto her and laid her down gently.

Ami wanted to be like Bakugo in the sense that she wished she had the same confidence he had growing up. I was a lot more specific in Ami's feelings than I was about Bakugo's but this fight was the start of their future feelings. Now I just did the bare minimum summarizing these scenes but I honestly feel that what I've written is pretty self explanatory. I think I got the point across with the way I presented it in the story.

My last thing I will talk about is why Bakugo told her to stand up. The reason Bakugo told her to stand up is because he wanted to see her put her words into action. If she really believed those who smiled were the strongest, then what better way to prove it than to get up and smile after defeat. Once she stood up, that was when Bakugo truly realized her words were real. Ami may have lost the battle, but she had won him over.

There's a lot that happened in this chapter that I hadn't anticipated writing. So much so that I don't think I'm able to answer them all. Even now my brain is so drained from editing all of this that I'm finding it very hard to think about my own writing. I think I'll wait to see what all of you have to think about the chapter once I post this.

Now onto reviews and questions. Now that I've got nothing to hide now, I can add onto the answer I gave to a question last chapter. In the last chapter, I was asked what if Ami's quirk manifested later?

The true answer to that is Ami would be more confident with her quirk than she is now. She likely would've done more to help Izuku and prevented Bakugo from going too far on him. Now the reason I didn't answer this question completely in the last chapter was because of romance. I think in this alternate timeline Ami and Bakugo probably would've gotten together before even the Sludge Villain incident. A more confident Ami would've caused Bakugo's feelings towards her to advance a lot faster. Now that that's out of the way, I can answer the questions I received in the last chapter.

Now one of my readers that kept the Ami romance a secret asked me a question about "how far things will go" down the line. Basically, will this story go from rated T to M? The answer is no. If the story goes from rated T to M it won't be because of a "love scene". I'm not that kind of author. I'm not comfortable writing Ami in that kind of situation. The romance is still a subplot. The main focus is still following the show canon. So when the Ami ship finally goes official in the future, there won't be a love scene. Best I can do is hugs and kisses. But that's way ahead of myself and where we're at currently.

Last chapter ended with Ingenium getting stepped on by Ravage. Don't worry, he's really not dead. A lot of you were surprised that Ravage appeared and asked me what that was about. Ingenium seeing Ravage is going to be very important for the next arc. As for why Ravage is following Stain, you'll learn why in the next chapter.

Ami's emotional breakdowns in fights have certainly weighed her down, but she will get past them. This fight especially was very important in that regard.

As for Mineta vs Iida. Yeah, that sounds better than how I wrote it. I like your idea of Mineta using his balls as a trampoline. But I needed him to lose his fight. I needed it so Iida could still fight Todoroki. And I needed Ami to watch Iida lose to Todoroki so she could see how Bakugo reacted. But, also Iida vs Todoroki was meant to foreshadow the start of Ami and Bakugo's fight.

Thanks for the review and thanks to everyone who messaged me in my DMs. I have a very important thing to say. More like a repeat of a very important thing I said. Please, write a review for this chapter. If you've written a review for me before, then I'd love to know what you think about this chapter. If you've never written a review before please do so for this chapter. It's very important that I know what everyone thinks about this chapter so please everyone write a review.

Another thing I'd like to mention that is important. A couple months back I got asked by a reader on Archive of Our Own if it was okay to translate my work and post it. I said I was completely okay with anyone translating my work so long as nothing was added on to it that doesn't exist in my story. I don't want people reading in their language to get confused when the author of the translation adds something to the story that doesn't exist in my version. Anyways, I am 100% okay with anyone who wants to translate my work into whatever language they want.

The only requirement I have is that the story stays the exact same. No addons, no changes, just the same story in a different language. I just don't want readers getting confused. Most of all you absolutely cannot under any circumstances spoil Ami x Bakugo in the description of your story. That will just confuse even more readers. Of course I also ask that you credit me and provide a link to the original story anywhere you choose. But, last important disclaimer, I will edit my previous chapters from time-to-time, so be prepared to make changes to your own translations when the time comes. I'll try and give you a heads up before I finish the edits.

Now I don't really expect anyone to do this but if you want to write a story featuring Ami you have my permission to do so. Just don't spoil her romance if you do and don't forget to credit me and stuff.

(Just to clarify. If you want to write about Ami x Bakugo. You can't spoil it in your description. Just say this story has romance. If you do write romance, then the chapter must start with a disclaimer that the reader must have read this series up to this point: Season 2 Chapter 17.)

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story. Now that the secret is out, be sure to give me feedback and write a review about the chapter. If there are any problems with it please tell me. I will work quickly to address them. Once again, please write as much as you can about the chapter. It's very important that I hear your input on this. Be specific, and be detailed, it'll be a massive help. Before I begin work on the next chapter, I will finally work on completing the re-edit of chapter 2. More info will be posted in my profile page. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Stay safe, be happy, thanks for reading and have a good day!

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NEXT CHAPTER:

Next chapter will see the end of the Sports Festival. The events of this chapter will be dealt with in this one. Bakugo moves on to fight Todoroki while Ami watches. There will also be some more setup for the next arc. Before all that, the next chapter will start a little differently than what you might expect.