My Hero Academia: Lion of Courage
Chapter 33: The Fights Continue
Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia. All rights go to Kohei Horikoshi.
Raionhato didn't like the idea of leaving Yaoyorozu by herself when she was so upset, but he was up next for the Sports Tournament and he was up against an opponent he would undoubtedly struggle with. He'd be up against Mina Ashido, considered one of the strongest females in the Hero Course in terms of physical prowess and whose Quirk, Acid, could wreck Raionhato's weapons if he wasn't careful. Not only that, secreting her Quirk from her feet gave her great speed and mobility, which could prove yet another disadvantage for Raionhato.
However, there should be one advantage: Ashido struggled against human opponents due to the lethality of her Quirk if she wasn't careful. She'd probably use her Quirk solely to target Takeo's weapons and then get up close and personal when attacking him directly so as she doesn't risk dealing lethal damage. However, against her Acid, he suspected his shield would endure the most of it without suffering severe damage.
"Alright, Takeo," Nakano told her son after a training exercise at home a few days before the Festival and were now sitting in the living room. "Are you feeling ready for the Sports Festival?"
"I am," he replied. "Do you think Guardian will be watching?"
"A lot of Pro Heroes will be watching, honey," Nakano told him. "What you do during that Festival will be remembered for a long time, even when you compete next year. The Sports Festival is your chance to show Pro Heroes what you're capable of, what skills you possess. Even if you don't win 1st Place, as long as you make a good impression, some Pro Heroes are bound to develop an interest in you."
"Hopefully, Guardian will," Takeo spoke. "But will you be offering me an internship?"
"I will not," Lioness replied. "I believe it's necessary for you to work with Pro Heroes other than me so you can learn and develop more. Now, if you don't win any internship offers, there's usually at least a minimum of 50 Hero Agencies who'll take any internships. Oh, and one important piece of advice."
"Yes?"
"Look good for the young women in the crowd," Adcrocuta joked, letting out a hyena-like laugh. Lioness chuckled and shook her head.
"No, don't hold back against your opponents. Give it your all, no matter who it is." Adcrocuta walked up to Takeo and patted his head.
"We'll be watching you, Takeo. Do a good job out there."
He had prepared long and hard for the Sports Festival, determined to do his best and show the many Pro Heroes watching what he was capable of. He prayed that Guardian had been watching him during the Festival and would extend him an internship.
When it was time for him to start approaching the arena, he stood up from his chair and exited the room. He retained some anxiety about going up onto the arena with so much noise, but he thought of his training with his parents and Forge, remembering what they taught him as he approached.
"Alright, now we're moving onto the next match of the Tournament!" Present Mic announced, earning a loud cheer from the crowd.
"On the one side, we have the pink bug lady, a Hero Course student from Class 1-A, give it up for MINA ASHIDO!" Ashido walked onto the arena, stretching with a big smile on her face. She was confident about going up against Raionhato since she had the clear advantage.
"Next up, another student from Class 1-A, an arsenal of weaponry, let's hear it for TAKEO RAIONHATO!" Once again, the crowd cheered for him, which unfortunately caused some discomfort for him. Luckily, he focused on his training to keep himself focused for his fight against his classmate.
"Hey, no hard feelings if I beat you in front of Yaomomo, right?" Ashido asked.
"We're fighting in a competition," Takeo replied.
Yaomomo, having returned to sit with her class, had wiped her face clean of the tears she had shed for her humiliating defeat at Tokoyami's hands. Jiro and Kiyama sat close to her, sensing her aura of defeat and hugged her a bit to comfort her.
"Well, look on the bright side," Hagakure spoke. "If Mina wins, we get to scratch Raionhato's head all we want. It'll be purrs galore!"
"Well…I also purr when my head's scratched," Kaminari claimed and leaned his head towards the girls. "Go on, try it out."
"Oh, don't worry, we already know what makes you cute," Jiro teased. "Just short-circuit your brain and we'll be good." Kaminari's face dropped in response.
"Who are you rooting for, Zankoku?" Uraraka asked the scorpion.
"Who am I root for one classmate over the other?" Zankoku spoke.
"READY!? CLASH!"
Immediately, Raionhato summoned Lion Mane and Ashido threw some acid at him, which was blocked by his shield. As he suspected, the acid did virtually nothing against Lion Mane, but she was also using her Quirk to slide across the arena at great speed. She slid towards him and tried to punch him, but he dodged in time and summoned his staff to attack. Ashido flipped over the polearm and dropped some acid on it, melting the weapon in half.
"Crap!" Raionhato exclaimed at his weapon being broken in half. He knew Ashido had good reflexes, but dodging his attack so quickly like that was something else. He'd have to be careful against her or else all of his weapons would end up broken or destroyed.
"Mina's got some reflexes," Hagakure pointed out. "She's probably got this fight in the bag."
Yaoyorozu didn't believe so. It did appear that Ashido had the clear advantage since her Acid could wreck any of his weapons, but the disadvantage was that she couldn't use her Quirk against Raionhato directly without potentially killing him. She'd have to get up close to deal any direct damage against him, using her Acid only for mobility and defense.
Ashido charged at him again, throwing some acid at his shield to distract him so she could race up to Raionhato and punch him straight in the stomach. It moved him back a bit, but it wasn't enough to bring him down. Instead, he had his right wire gauntlet summoned and threw wires out at Ashido, restraining her arms so her hands couldn't reach the binds. He then pulled her towards him, made her collide with his shield and throw her overheard to the ground.
As soon as she hit the ground, Takeo prepared to finish her off, but she caught on and spun her legs around. The holes in her boots secreted a wave of acid, forcing Raionhato to back away and melting the wires that kept Ashido's arms bound. Raionhato recalled his wire gauntlet before any acid could fall on it and damage it.
"Man, that Ashido's hot~" Onkyo smirked. "I think I may ask her out on a date after this. What do you think, Yonaka?" He was about to put his arm around him, but he teleported five seats away from him, right next to his classmate, Sen Kaibara.
"Who do you think's going to win?" Kaibara asked Yonaka.
"I hope Ashido wins," Kaze answered.
"You may be wrong, Yonaka," Chikao spoke. "I'm predicting a 72% chance that Raionhato will win. Ashido doesn't have the advantage over him that they think they do-"
"What do you know, Snorlax?" Onkyo insulted, earning a slap on the head from Kendo.
"What were you saying?" Kendo asked Chikao…who was already snoring and his eyes closed.
"He's not wrong," Tokage answered, who was sitting behind Kaze and leaned against him with a smirk. Like Chikao, Setsuna picked up on why Ashido didn't have as much of an advantage as some believed. As much as she knew Kaze disdained Takeo, she felt it was him who would win the match, not Ashido.
"Ka-bam!" Ashido cried out as she punched Raionhato square in the jaw. He stumbled back a few feet, but wasn't taken down by Ashido's punch.
"What are you made of, freaking steel!?" Ashido gasped, feeling as though none of her attacks were wearing him down.
"No, I'm made of skin, flesh and bones," Raionhato replied, not catching onto what Ashido meant.
The main obstacle for Ashido was Raionhato's shield, proving impervious to her acid. However…if she could disarm that shield, he'd be wide open. She once again rushed at him, prompting Raionhato to prepare for an attack and punch at her when she was close enough. He was caught by surprise when she instead jumped over his head and extended her hand towards his left arm. If she could drop a nonlethal acid painful enough to make Raionhato drop his shield, she could take him out.
Wham. Being in mid-air, it was hard for Ashido to dodge Raionhato's concussion gauntlet aiming for her stomach. She was sent tumbling on the ground from the force of Takeo's attack, flying several meters before she finally stopped. Ashido struggled to get back up, feeling like she was hit by a truck, but much to her surprise, Raionhato's weapons vanished into wind.
"Ashido is out of bounds! Raionhato moves onto the 2nd round!"
Ashido looked down and realized that she was out of bounds, handing victory over Raionhato. The crowd burst into cheer at Takeo winning against Ashido, which irritated Takeo's hypersensitivity again. Hoping to ignore it, he walked over to her and extended his hand to help Ashido onto her feet, making Midnight leap with joy.
"The beauty of good sportsmanship! Oh, how invigorating!" Takeo shook his head in annoyance at Midnight's swooning; all he did was help Ashido to her feet. He then turned around to walk away in the direction he came from while picking up the two pieces of his staff.
"Sorry about the staff!" Ashido apologized.
"It's fine," Takeo responded. "I'll get it fixed."
As he walked, he looked towards the bleachers and saw Nobu sitting, prompting him to stop. He silently hoped for a gesture of approval or anything from Nobu Yamashita, but all he got was a blank, empty stare before Nobu stood up and walk out of the bleachers. He let out a heavy sigh before continuing to walk out of the arena and into the hallways where he'd make his way to the waiting room to pick up his phone and make a call.
"Hey, Mom," Takeo greeted after dialing her number.
"Hey, Takeo," Nakano greeted. "I saw your match. Congratulations! Chairo's here too!"
"Hey, Takeo!" Chairo spoke. "You did good out there! Keep this up and Pro Heroes will develop an interest in you! You did good not holding back against Ashido. Are you ready to go up against Tokoyami?"
"I am," Takeo answered. He thought back to the Ignition Glove he received from Satoshi and thanked the Lord for the perfect timing. With the use of fire at his disposal, he'd be able to level the playing field against Tokoyami when he went up next. However, he had to be careful not let himself get overwhelmed like Yaoyorozu did.
"Thanks, you guys," Takeo replied. "I just wish Satoshi could've joined us."
"What happened to him?" Chairo asked.
"During the Cavalry Battle, the attacks from Onkyo and Kaminari shorted out his contacts. He didn't have time to repair them before the Tournament started, so he was forced to back out. He…um, took it pretty hard."
"I can imagine," Nakano replied solemnly. "Without his contacts, he's practically blind. I…I heard about his financial situation, so I've referenced them to a few Support Item companies who'd potentially be interested in hiring Satoshi's parents. I haven't heard back from them yet."
"Let's hope it goes well," Takeo responded.
Takeo didn't want Satoshi and his family to lose their home and have to move somewhere else. Satoshi had been one of his biggest supporters and aides for years, someone he didn't know how to proceed without. If he ended up having to drop out of U.A., then he'd potentially end up losing the closest friend he had, the only friend as of recent he could completely trust.
From Anzu's death, to his father's death, to the breakdown of his friendship with Kaze, Satoshi had been his closest friend through it all and he didn't want to lose him. He prayed that either one of the Support Item companies his mother contacted would show interest or one of the companies here would be impressed by Raionhato's gadgets.
"Mom…" Takeo spoke up.
"Yes, honey?"
"Uncle Nobu is here at the stadium…and…"
Both Nakano and Chairo were silent in response to this news. Takeo couldn't tell what they were thinking or doing, but he knew that the news must've hit hard. She knew better than anyone else what Nobu was going through, what he had suffered, how hollow and empty he felt for years.
"I tried talking to him, but…" Takeo sighed.
"Takeo, I've been trying to help him for years," Nakano spoke. "He's not going to change his mind over one talk. I'll try getting him to rehabilitation again. But don't focus on Nobu right now; you need to be ready for your next match. I'll see you then."
"Bye, Mom. Bye, Uncle Chairo."
"Chin up, Takeo. You'll do great."
"Love you too, Takeo."
Nakano then hung up. Takeo then walked over to his locker and placed the phone inside as instructed by the U.A. staff before the games started. Just as he walked out of the room, he felt something push him onto the ground and causing him to stumble onto the wall.
"What the-!?" Takeo called out as he was upside down against the wall. "What was that!?"
"Oh, sorry!" Okami apologized, helping Raionhato to his feet. "I didn't know you were in the waiting room. I'm not familiar with your scent. You alright?"
"I'm fine," Raionhato assured, dusting the dirt off his clothes. "I didn't even see you coming. Geez, you're fast."
"I'll have to be," Okami replied. "After seeing the way Kaminari's Quirk works, I'd need to be fast against him."
"You better get ready then," Takeo responded as he started to walk away. He wouldn't say it, but he hoped Okami would beat Kaminari in revenge for excluding Kiyama from the cheerleading prank earlier, even though he, Ojiro and Sato had already beaten him up along with Shiruku. It was wrong of them to have tricked the girls into wearing those cheerleading outfits…yes, definitely wrong, especially Yaomomo.
"She's so beautiful," Takeo whispered, blushing as he remembered seeing Yaomomo in her cheerleading outfit.
"Who was?" Tsukiba asked, his wolf hearing having heard Raionhato.
"Oh, uh, no one," Takeo hastily responded. "Anyway, I should get going. Good luck!" He then rushed off, embarrassed that Tsukiba had heard him saying that he found Yaomomo very beautiful.
As for Tsukiba, he made his way to the waiting room to wait for his match to be announced. After having seen Kaminari's Quirk in action, Tsukiba knew he'd have to be very fast to not get caught in his electric attacks since he had nothing to protect himself from the electric attacks. As long as he got in close, he'd finish him in a heartbeat.
"No doubt Monoma would brag if I won," Tsukiba groaned in annoyance.
The wolf had made sure to avoid Monoma on his way to the waiting room as he didn't want to hear his anti-Class 1-A ranting. Tsukiba agreed that Bakugo and Todoroki were arrogant jerks only concerned with themselves and needed a lesson in humility, but the rest of Class 1-A seemed rather decent, especially Raionhato.
Razor Shell decided to take a walk after his talk with Endeavor, filled with anger and frustration at the #2 Hero. Duty to surpass All Might, Himari being a distraction, his other children being failures…Razor Shell found it unbearable.
"How Shoto ever survived that hell, I can't even begin to imagine," Wanigame spoke to himself.
He and Sunstorm were two of the few people who knew the dark side of Endeavor, the cruelty and abuse he put his family through because of his jealousy towards All Might and vanity needed satisfaction. What made it worse was that there was nothing he could do to expose it; Endeavor had too many resources at his disposal and would shut down any potential scandal within a week. Even someone as powerful as Nezu, who had been informed of the truth, couldn't move on Endeavor without solid evidence.
Whether he liked it or not, Endeavor would be almost impossible to bring down. Despite his very unpleasant and unwelcoming personality, he was a very successful Pro Hero, having solved more cases than even All Might. He had one of the largest agencies in Japan, had mountains of resources at his disposal and had powerful connections, all of which made him nearly untouchable. He could do whatever he wanted and he could shut down anything harming his reputation within a day.
As he walked, Razor Shell saw a very familiar yet unwelcome face, a woman of about thirty with red hair, green eyes and holding a notebook and pen in her hands. She was none other than Hiretsuna Shita, a journalist and reporter from Pure News and the renowned 'Mutant Writer'.
"What the hell is that woman doing here?" he spoke with some spite before preparing to walk off, but much to his dislike, she noticed him.
"Razor Shell!" she called out, walking up to him.
"What're you doing here, witch?" he questioned with some hostility. "You have a lot of nerve being here after you wrote in the aftermath of the USJ Attack."
"I don't understand what you mean," Shita responded coyly. "I merely wrote what I believed was true."
"You slandered a student, describing her as 'incompetent'!" Razor Shell snarled. "You targeted her simply because she was a mutant!"
"Excuse me, but didn't Miss Ashido just lose to Raionhato?" Shita questioned. Unfortunately, Ashido had lost to Raionhato recently, but it was because she couldn't go all out with her Quirk against him, not because she was incompetent.
"Leave it to a racist witch like you to twist facts," Razor Shell insulted.
"I'm not twisting facts, Mr. Wanigame," Shita claimed. "Your students were attacked by Bloodmoon, yet Ashido was the only one who suffered serious injuries from it. As for you, you got off with only a few scratches while Thirteen and Eraser Head needed immediate-"
"Ashido was maimed by that monster," Razor Shell interrupted, his anger starting to show in his eyes shooting daggers and his fists clenching tight. "She should be praised for her bravery, not degraded because of 'incompetence'. As for me and why I wasn't as injured as my coworkers, I have a shell, you RACIST, STUPID-"
"Stop," Open Palm suddenly spoke, putting his hand on Razor Shell's arm to make his presence known and calm him down. Before Razor Shell could ask, Open Palm whispered to him.
"She's trying to bait you; let me handle this." He then turned to the Pure News reporter with a calm smile. He knew Hiretsuna Shita would do whatever it takes to slander mutants of any kind, regardless of who they were. Given Razor Shell's feelings of anger, she could've goaded him into attacking her, undoubtedly giving her grounds to slander him.
"Please forgive my colleague's anger. He's simply very angry that our students were caught up in that attack, as were many of us." Shita's face showed sympathy, but Razor Shell immediately saw through it and Open Palm immediately sensed her false empathy towards the students, especially the mutant ones.
"Of course," she replied, her voice filled with mocking sympathy. "The attack on the USJ was a horrible tragedy that we're all recovering from. I thank you, Open Palm, for I wonder what would've happened to me had you not shown up to…restrain Razor Shell."
Whatever anger Razor Shell held towards Endeavor was immediately replaced by his disdain for Hiretsuna Shita. As a mutant, he himself was the target of some of her articles, painting him as a lousy teacher and a potential danger to the students. Now she had the gall to behave as though she would've been mauled had Open Palm not showed up. The woman was insufferable.
"Oh, you wouldn't have been in any danger," Open Palm assured with a smile. "Razor Shell is one of our most disciplined teachers. He's merely in an emotional state right now…but I'm certain you're not disappointed."
"What do you mean?" Hiretsuna questioned.
"If Razor Shell had 'been unrestrained' and attacked you, it would've been a great story for you, I imagine," the master martial artist spoke. "Especially at a public event like this and without having said anything to warrant the use of force. Though I'm certain an intelligent woman like you just thought of that and didn't plan it, correct? Because if you wrote that story now, it'd be fabrication and who knows how it'd affect your fanbase."
Hiretsuna's mock sympathy quickly changed to a weak smile in response to Open Palm's claim. As stated, it would've made a great story while presenting an opportunity to slander a mutant Pro Hero. Razor Shell wouldn't have done anything to severely harm her; the most he would've done was forcefully throw her out had she provoked him. But since that didn't happen and Razor Shell hadn't laid a finger on her, she had no story to give.
"…Right," she spoke. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an event to journal." She then walked off, leaving Open Palm and Razor Shell by themselves.
"Shit-eating witch," Razor Shell snarled under his breath. "I hate that woman."
"You and every other mutant out there," Open Palm acknowledged. "Unfortunately, she writes her articles in a way that doesn't 'openly encourage discrimination'. Besides, you know what could've happened had you done something. Your name would've been dragged through the mud."
"I'm honestly debating if it would've been worth it," Razor Shell growled bitterly. Open Palm felt the intense anger coming from his colleague, making him believe that Razor Shell may've done something to Shita had he not intervened.
"You're usually not this temperamental," the martial arts master brought up. "You alright?"
"I'm just angrier than I'd like to be," the turtle answered. "Already spoken to two people I despise."
"Endeavor?" Open Palm asked, knowing no one else besides Shita could make his colleague truly angry. Razor Shell didn't respond and walked to find somewhere to watch Kaminari and Okami's match.
"From Hero Course Class 1-A, it's Denki Kaminari!" Present Mic announced to the crowd as Kaminari walked onto the arena. Across from him came his opponent, the wolf of Class 1-B.
"From Hero Course Class 1-B, it's the big bad wolf, it's Tsukiba Okami!" The crowd cheered at the two combatants standing on the arena.
"Ready…CLASH!"
"This'll be over in a second!" Kaminari declared. "Indiscriminate-!" Before Kaminari knew it, Okami had run up in front of him and punched him square in the stomach. Many of the people watching were amazed at Okami's raw speed and strength, running so fast he almost looked like an illusion. Okami then delivered a roundhouse kick to Kaminari's face and knocking him clear out of bounds.
"Wow, that was so one-sided!" Present Mic spoke. "Kaminari didn't even get to attack."
"Kaminari is out of bounds!" Midnight announced. "Okami moves onto the next round!" Tsukiba let out a fierce howl of victory at easily beating his opponent. His strategy worked; by rushing in to close the distance and overwhelming Kaminari with sheer speed, he easily beat him without giving Kaminari a chance to use his Quirk.
"Did you see that speed!?" Ojiro gasped. "He's almost as fast as Iida!"
"How right he was!" Monoma bragged above the wall barrier separating the class's seats. "It was over in a second…for HIM! I look forward to seeing the rest of your class fail! It'll be so karmic for you to lose after your classmate, Bakugo, made such a condescending remark!" He then laughed mockingly before being karate chopped in the neck by Itsuka Kendo.
"Sorry about him," Kendo apologized.
"Why apologize?" Kaze was heard saying. "He's right; Bakugo did condescend to all of us. But then again, he's not wrong towards one of his classmates." Some of the members of Class 1-A were confused by Kaze's words, but Ojiro and Yaoyorozu immediately knew that he was talking about Raionhato. He was tempted to say something in retaliation, but Ojiro stopped him. They heard a smack and a quiet grunt of pain, having been Tokage smacking Yonaka on the back of the head.
"Hey," Hagakure spoke. "Has anyone seen Yukine?"
"What do you mean I've been fired!?" Yukine barked on her cell phone in a secluded place in the stadium hallways. "I'm sorry for raising my voice, but why would you fire me?"
"I…I didn't have a choice," her former manager replied with regret in his tone. "We…we were approached by someone representing your parents, a butler I think. He requested that I cut you loose, but I said no. Then…then he handed me a letter, saying your parents would sue me for malpractice if I didn't do it."
Yukine clenched her fists tightly in a controlled rage. She had her own inkeep, her own way of providing for herself…and now, her parents took it away from her. Most likely, they found the idea of their daughter working at a clothing store 'unbecoming' of the Kuraokami heir. With her job gone, she'd either need to find another one or she'd be kicked out of her motel room.
"I'm sorry, Yukine," the manager apologized. "If they close the store, everyone will lose their jobs. I can't do that to them."
"No, no, I understand," Yukine assured with frustration. "I can't believe those…" She groaned.
"I'll have your severance package waiting for you here," the manager informed. "Again…I'm sorry. I hope things get better for you." He then hung up.
Yukine breathed heavily for several moments, taking in the immense anger she felt at her parents for getting her fired from the clothing store. Unless she could find another job soon, she'd have to find another place to stay and she was determined NOT to stay in the suite her parents provided for her away from Hokkaido. But no matter what she did, they found some way to butt in and take away her right to choose.
"Why is it…that no matter what I do…" Yukine's eyes closed, unaware that she was unintentionally creating a growing whirlwind of snow and cold around her body.
"You are the heiress to the Kuraokami family and you will behave as such!"
"Yukine."
"You will not disgrace the Kuraokami name, you ignorant, ungrateful brat!"
"Yukine."
"Do you wish to be a failure like your sister, Kori!? You are MY daughter, MY heir, and you will not behave in such a way that slanders our family name!"
Yukine let out a shriek of rage, unintentionally causing all the snow around her to fly in violent bursts down the halls. Everything in her area was covered in cold and frost from her outburst…including Izuku Midoriya and Tenya Iida, who were covered entirely in the white winter. But the Snowstorm user was unaware of this for several moments as she breathed angrily.
"Uh, Yukine?" Midoriya addressed again as he shook the snow off.
"What-?" Yukine responded angrily before realizing what she had done. In her anger, she didn't realize that she had built up a lot of snow and sent it flying in all directions when she yelled in rage. She shook her head in annoyance at having lost control of her Quirk.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I, um…I got an unpleasant call from my manager. I've been fired."
"What?" Iida asked with concern. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"If you ever wonder why I hid my family name, this is why," Yukine informed.
"Because your parents have too heavy of expectations for you?" Iida asked. Yukine shook her head and scoffed. She could hardly call them 'expectations', more like 'absolute control with no regard for her choices'.
"Because I don't want to be known for my worthless family name," Yukine answered with contempt. "My parents don't care about me as a person, only that I be the 'perfect child'. Unfortunately, working in a clothing store and living in a motel room rather than some fancy suite is 'unbecoming' of the Kuraokami heir."
"So they're the reason you're fired?" Iida questioned. "Do they even-?"
"They don't care," Yukine interrupted. "Now I need to find another job or I'll get kicked out of my motel room. I'm NOT staying at the suite they booked for me. Especially not after…" She stopped and paused before turning and walking away.
"That…was eventful," Iida remarked. "We'll have to inform someone about this snow after we check on Uraraka."
"How dare you make an embarrassment of the Kuraokami name, just like your sister did!"
Her father said that after she had lost the Obstacle Course. Clearly, they had watched the Sports Festival and were deeply unimpressed by Yukine not passing the 1st event. However, it wasn't bringing up her loss that angered her, it was the fact that they called her sister a failure. Despite her disappearance years ago, they had continued to revile her as some worthless embarrassment.
"My sister was NOT a failure!" Yukine growled.
Only a few minutes remained before the final match of the 1st rounds, pitting Ochaco Uraraka against Katsuki Bakugo. Many of Class 1-A's students were rather nervous about the match, knowing that Bakugo was not one to hold back against anyone. He was a ferocious fighter who never showed any hesitation, any restraint, any mercy. Several of the girls of Class 1-A were rather worried for Uraraka.
"I don't know if I could watch," Hagakure spoke. "I mean, Bakugo's…"
"If you're afraid he'd go overboard, please don't," Yaoyorozu spoke. "Bakugo knows he'll be expelled if he repeats what he did during the Combat Training. But Uraraka knows who she's up against."
"But still, Bakugo doesn't hold back at all," Tsuyu stated.
"You're speaking as if Uraraka's some fragile piece of glass," Zankoku spoke up. "Come on, if she really were too fragile to go up against Bakugo, she wouldn't be here. Imagine if she heard you all saying how Bakugo should go easy on her…it may come across like you're underestimating her."
"That's not what we mean!" Jiro argued. "We just know how violent Bakugo can be-"
"So what?" Zankoku interrupted. "If you think Uraraka is too fragile to go up against him, why don't you go down and tell her yourself, see what she thinks?"
"You ready!?" Present Mic announced as Uraraka and Bakugo walked onto the arena.
"Too late," Zankoku spoke.
He couldn't stand to listen to his classmates speaking of how worried they were for Uraraka going up against Bakugo. Yes, he was aggressive and ferocious on the battlefield, but if Uraraka was incapable of going up against him, she would've forfeit the match. All their worrying made it sound as though they viewed her as being incapable of holding her ground. Maybe she could, maybe she couldn't…this match would tell.
"Hey, Round Cheeks," Bakugo addressed in his usual rude tone. "You're the girl who can make stuff float, right?" Uraraka gazed at Bakugo, not answering his question.
"Ready!? CLASH!"
Uraraka ran towards Bakugo leaning forward, so Bakugo retaliated with a low-handed explosion. He missed and saw his opponent running towards him, so he attacked with yet another low-hand explosion, but missed again.
He couldn't afford to let her anywhere near him; he didn't care about her name, but he remembered that if she touched him, he'd be weightless and she could be able to knock him out. He had to keep her at bay if he was to win this match, but she kept dodging his explosions.
"Don't underestimate me!" he shouted as he attacked once more. He thought he got her…but as the smoke from his explosions cleared, he discovered that he only got her gym jacket.
"I need to get him!" Uraraka spoke as she appeared behind him and reached out to touch his back.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Bakugo barked, immediately retaliating with an explosion to knock Uraraka away.
Uraraka kept rushing towards Bakugo, using the smoke from his explosions to mask her movements so she could use her Quirk on him. However, his reflexes were too fast and several times, she wasn't able to get out of the way and got caught in his blasts.
"You've been a bit quiet, Raionhato," Zankoku spoke, poking him with his tail as the match continued. "Hoping Bakugo will lose?"
"Yes, I do," he answered bluntly. He wanted to see Uraraka win, to see Bakugo's pride shattered to pieces after having mistreated their class so much. Even though he had promised Momo to stop degrading him like an animal, it didn't change how he disdained him nor his desire to see his ego bruised beyond repair.
"Anytime you talk about him, it's to degrade him…and you dehumanizing him honestly disturbs me."
"Did…did Momo really view me like that?" Raionhato whispered to himself. He was broken out of his thoughts when he heard booing from the crowd.
"Listen, you arrogant delinquent!" someone from the crowd shouted, dressed like a Pro Hero. "Stop bullying her like this and just knock her out of bounds! Have you no decency!?" The boos only grew louder from the crowd, directed at Bakugo.
"The crowd's turned on Bakugo and are now booing him!" Present Mic stated. "But I gotta admit I agree- OW! What the hell, Eraser!?"
"Who started this uproar?" Aizawa questioned. "Are you a Pro? If you are, then you should get out of the stadium. Better yet, turn in your license and find another career." The booing died down after that, but a sense of confusion replaced it, wondering why Eraser spoke so harshly towards the Pro.
"Bakugo has acknowledged his opponent's strength and is taking this fight seriously," Eraser continued. "If Uraraka wasn't able to handle this kind of fight, do you honestly think I would've kept her in the Hero Course? She has chosen to fight him because she knows she can handle him and he has acknowledged her willingness to do so. So the next person who starts booing, I'm kicking them out myself."
The match continued and Bakugo kept Uraraka at bay. Sooner or later, she'd have to get tired and pass out from his attacks, which were undoubtedly wearing her out. He assumed she didn't have a resistance to impacts like him or some of their other classmates, considering how her Quirk worked, but she was lasting longer than he expected.
"That idiot Pro Hero," Monoma groaned. "If he had watched closely to see what Uraraka was doing, he would've kept his mouth shut."
"What do you mean?" Hironaka asked. "I mean, Bakugo's really not all that nice."
"Hironaka, we are Hero Course students," Okami informed. "Injuries are inevitable in what we're training for. You heard what Eraser Head said; if Uraraka can't handle injury, she wouldn't be here."
"Not the point," Monoma replied. "Bakugo's been so busy focusing on her, he hasn't checked anywhere else." Monoma's classmates were confused by this…until a few of them looked above the arena.
"You're tougher than I thought," Bakugo complimented. "But I'm not letting you win."
"I just need to say thank you, Bakugo," Uraraka replied, her face filled with determination. "For keeping your eyes on me."
Bakugo was confused by this. Was she about to enact a plan he hadn't seen coming? As he looked around at the ground, it clicked; he had practically destroyed quite a bit of the arena's stone ground with his explosions, leaving lots of rocks and stones around. He then looked up at the sky and saw hundreds of rocks floating directly above him.
"Whoa," Takeo gasped, looking at the floating rocks.
"Nice, Uraraka," Jiro commented.
"RELEASE!" Uraraka cried out, putting her fingertips together. The rocks started falling towards Bakugo, plummeting like a meteor shower right directed right at him. She ran towards him, her mind and body filled with the determination to win, to be just like Deku. All she had to do was touch Bakugo and victory would be hers.
BOOOOMMM!
Bakugo raised both of his hands and unleashed a monstrous explosion, destroying all the rubble and sending Uraraka flying back. His face shriveled in discomfort and pain as his hands shook terribly. Having to use an explosion of that magnitude was risky, but if he hadn't, he would've either been knocked unconscious by the attack or touched by Uraraka; either way, he would've been defeated.
"Damn," he groaned. He felt stupid for not realizing Uraraka's strategy earlier, having goaded him into using his explosions to create debris and then use the smoke from his Quirk to hide it. But he had to admit that it was a deeply impressive strategy, one that caught him by surprise. As for Uraraka, she struggled to get back, the force of Bakugo's attacks finally catching up to her as she found it difficult to stand.
"That was one hell of a strategy," Bakugo spoke with a smile. "Alright, you want to go all out, let's go all out…Uraraka!" He then charged towards his opponent, but before he could get close, she fell to the ground. Midnight halted the match and walked over to check on Uraraka to see if she was okay, confirming she was only unconscious.
"Uraraka is unable to move on!" Midnight announced. "Victory goes to Bakugo!"
Bakugo looked at Uraraka for a few moments before turning to walk off the arena. He had to hand it to her, she was much tougher and smarter than he expected. If Uraraka hadn't been hurt by that attack he used to destroy the rubble, she could've finished him as he was left momentarily vulnerable. That was a close match, one that he felt he was dangerously close to losing.
"Oh, man, I was really hoping Uraraka would beat him," Present Mic groaned over the intercom. "Oh, right, Bakugo's moving on."
"You're supposed to be unbiased, remember?"
"Well, let's take thirty minutes and forget about that disappointment, huh? Ow!"