Chapter 20 - Izuku Midoriya vs Katsuki Bakugo, Round Two!

"I've prepared all I can…" Izuku thought, "Now… It's time to put things into action."

Izuku said this as he walked down the hallway, on his path to the arena where he would clash with his childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugo. Approaching this confrontation, Izuku had an odd feeling in his chest, one of nervousness, obviously, but also one of subtle anticipation.

Katsuki Bakugo, on the other hand, was feeling similar things.

If not already obvious, Bakugo had massively changed from how he normally would be during the Sports Festival. And from his fight against Luffy, to Izuku fighting back against him while he was quirkless, to everything else that occurred at U.A… why would he be exactly the same? He had thought a lot about himself, and in this fight, he was going to put all that emotion into his fight against Deku.

As the pair walked out onto the arena's battlegrounds, the sound of a cheering crowd suddenly penetrated their senses. Due to their swift takedowns of their respective opponents in their last fight, as well as awe inspiring performances in both the first and second rounds of the Sports Festival, the confrontation between these two was one which the world couldn't help but want to see.

"COMING INTO THE TAIL-END OF THE SECOND ROUND, DON'T COUNT ON THAT LAST MATCH BEING THE MOST INTENSE!" Present Mic shouted, "BECAUSE THIS NEXT MATCH IS ONE BETWEEN TWO STUDENTS WHO CAME FROM THE SAME MIDDLE SCHOOL… WITH THEIR PASTS INTERTWINING TO MAKE THIS BATTLE A REALITY, LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR THE EXTRA-STRONG IZUKU MIDORIYA AND THE EXTRA-EXPLOSIVE KATSUKI BAKUGO!"

Even though neither Izuku nor Bakugo thought it possible, the cheers from the crowd picked up in intensity after their introductions, as they stepped up onto the pitch.

"Don't hold back, Deku." Bakugo said, greeting Izuku with the only words he believed he needed to be said; it was actions that would explain what the other thought in this fight.

"I could say the same to you." Izuku replied, as a smile unconsciously crept into his face, "I'll be trying my best to keep up."

A faint smile entered Bakugo's face at the sound of this, as Izuku understood from that smile that Bakugo had thought a lot about himself… and yet again, he noted that Bakugo had changed a lot.

"...Before, he always seemed so sad. The feeling I got off of him… it was always like he felt that he was scared of being lesser than everyone around him." Izuku thought, "But now… he's different. His confidence isn't forced anymore… it's natural."

"READY…" Present Mic shouted.

Bakugo and Izuku locked eyes with one another. Both tried at that moment to continue to predict what the other would do, and how they should begin this fight in contrast.

"START!" Present Mic shouted.

In the blink of an eye, the match between Izuku and Bakugo began. Kicking his feet rapidly off the ground, Izuku sped towards Bakugo with the Shave technique and 8% of One for All.

"USJ… SMASH!" Izuku yelled, as he aimed a kick at Bakugo, but the boy effortlessly blocked Izuku's attack.

Bringing down his right arm from blocking, Bakugo quickly attempted an explosive uppercut on Izuku, but the boy flipped backwards to dodge. The second Izuku touched the ground, he aimed an uppercut of his own at Bakugo. Utilizing the arm he had previously uppercutted with, Bakugo dodged this by firing an explosion to Izuku's left, then, he spun around Izuku and launched a kick with his heel at the back of Izuku's head. The midair Izuku foresaw this attack with Danger Sense however, and countered by outstretching his right leg to block, which he had to do since he was facing away from Bakugo. Bakugo then pushed his body forwards to fire an explosion at Izuku, which was a hit, but as Bakugo did that, Izuku did a flip, and hit Bakugo square on the head with his own leg while upside down.

"AND JUST LIKE THAT… IT SEEMS BOTH FIGHTERS HAVE GOTTEN THE FIRST HIT ON EACH OTHER!"

"Woah… they're fast!" a pro hero in the audience stated.

"No kidding… I could barely even keep up with them." another added.

"Bakugo and Deku…" Ochaco began.

"They both seem to be feeling the other out. Neither is going all out yet." Ida noted.

"Kero? You're telling me that's not all out?" Tsuyu questioned.

Both Izuku and Bakugo were knocked back by each other's blows. Bakugo was knocked onto one knee due to Izuku's overhead attack, and Izuku was sent barreling to the wall out of the arena's bounds.

"Can't lose just yet…" Izuku stated, beginning to spin around to accumulate momentum, "STRAW HAT… SMASH!"

Instead of using the attack offensively, Izuku utilized the attack to generate air pressure on the wall behind him, launching himself back into the arena.

"SHAVE!" Bakugo shouted, as he sped towards Deku with a boost from his explosions to make up for his inability to kick the ground as hard as someone who was superhuman.

Izuku was surprised by this, but with the help of Danger Sense, he was just barely able to dodge an Explosive jab from Bakugo by rolling the instant he touched the ground; the fight was nearly over right then and there.

"You were able to learn Shave?!" Izuku questioned, but Bakugo didn't seem intent on talking.

He merely utilized the technique again, rushing towards Izuku. The green haired boy attempted to dodge by jumping up into the air, but Bakugo saw this coming, propelling himself into the air with an Explosion while using the technique to shoot straight in front of Izuku, afterwards knocking him to the ground by slamming his fists on top of Izuku's head.

"You explained how to use it back at the Quirk Apprehension Test." Bakugo explained, maintaining his aerial position, "Don't think you're the only one who can analyze people."

Izuku smiled and scoffed, as he quickly bursted his power to 20% and leaped away from the part of the arena Bakugo had pushed him down to, and up towards his foe.

"W-what?!" Bakugo thought, as Izuku hit Bakugo square below the chin with a 20% USJ Smash, sending Bakugo rocketing upwards sky high, "Didn't want to admit it… but that nerd's firepower is superior to my own right now. Go head to head with him, and I'll lose… but in the air, it's a different story!"

Bakugo then shot Explosions behind himself, catching up to the slightly airborne Deku in no time at all. Now in front of him, Izuku attempted to hit Bakugo with a 8% Sabaody Smash, but Bakugo easily dodged by launching himself upwards with an explosion. Bakugo then landed on Izuku's back, and readied a powerful attack.

"AP MACHINE GUN!" Bakugo shouted, as he shot the lethal attack at Izuku, who was left with no way to dodge.

"He wasn't joking about not holding back… that thing might just kill me at 8%!" Izuku thought, having read the future with Danger Sense, as he was forced to increase his power to 20% in order to ensure Bakugo's explosive shots didn't fire right through his chest. Even despite Izuku's efforts, Bakugo's attack still did a good amount of damage to the boy, and it knocked him into the ground, destroying the arena around Izuku in the process. Ensuring that this couldn't be turned around on him, Bakugo utilized the force from his AP Machine Gun in order to propel himself into the air.

"Gotta get out of here… I'll be out of bounds otherwise!" Izuku thought. Turning around so he faced the sky, Izuku was careful to not get a face full of AP Shots, and was also careful to not find himself out of bounds before he unleashed his next attack, "Sabaody… SMASH!"

Izuku then utilized a Sabaody Smash upwards in order to temporarily dissipate all of Bakugo's AP Shots, and jumped out of the hole Bakugo had dug with his attacks, returning to 8% of his power when he touched the arena once more. Bakugo also returned down to the ground, standing in opposition to Izuku.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT! THIS BATTLE… BOTH FIGHTERS ARE ABSOLUTELY INSANE!" Present Mic shouted, "MY COMMENTARY CAN'T EVEN DO IT JUSTICE!"

"Have you got a feel for my power yet?" Izuku asked.

"Yeah… your moves are way too predictable." Bakugo bluntly remarked, "Almost like a kid who just got a handle on their power."

Izuku didn't question Bakugo anymore, as he understood all that Bakugo wanted to say.

"20%... it takes a decent toll on my body to use that." Izuku thought, "Bakugo can easily keep up with 8% in the air… only 20% can match him! But if I stay on the ground, Shave should give me more of an advantage than it'd give Bakugo!"

"That extra power… there's gotta be some reason he's not using it." Bakugo thought, "I'll keep hitting him with moves he has to block with all of his power… and since he's still not used to his own, I'll win in a durability contest, every time!"

"WHAT?! WHY ARE BOTH FIGHTERS JUST STANDING AROUND?!" Present Mic shouted.

"It's because both are playing this intelligently." Aizawa answered, as Present Mic turned his attention to his co-commentator, "Both know that if they make a rash move, the other will snuff it out in an instant. They're taking this time to form a plan of action, while waiting to try and counter what the other comes up with themselves… and it seems one of them has a plan."

"I'll have to be careful to conserve stamina if I'm going through with that plan… I'll have to force Deku to follow along with it as well." Bakugo thought, as he prepared explosions behind himself, sparking the attention of his opponent, "SHAVE!"

Having his speed enhanced by both Shave and his own explosions, Bakugo approached Izuku. Instead of attempting to counter instantly, Izuku dodged the attack by rolling to the right, and then utilized Shave in order to land a clean shoulder bash on Bakugo's side.

"That technique of Midoriya's…" Aizawa commented, "Seems he's realized Bakugo can't keep up with it that easily… and he's using that to his advantage."

Bakugo was launched backwards and slightly into the air, but Izuku wasn't intent to give up on this advantage yet. Utilizing Shave, he leapt to Bakugo and attempted a USJ Smash, but Bakugo merely smirked.

"Too predictable." Bakugo stated, as he exploded himself up above Izuku, and concentrated an Explosion into his right hand, he thought, "Make this one stronger than all the rest!"

"He's got me!" Izuku thought, powering up to 20%, kicking against the air to propel himself backwards.

"CANNON IMPACT!" Bakugo shouted, as he unleashed a massive explosion which Deku couldn't help but be caught within the impact of, taking out a massive chunk of the arena in the process as well.

Bakugo was knocked high up into the air in the process of his attack as well. Izuku slid across the arena, and thought, "I need to get up there… he doesn't expect me to get into the air!"

Pushing his limits all the way up to 30%, even despite the massive toll this was to have on his body, Izuku launched himself all the way into the sky.

"Wha- how'd he get up here so fast?!" Bakugo thought once Izuku launched up to him, as he hadn't expected Izuku to push himself to 30%.

"Now Straw Hat…" Izuku shouted, having been spinning on his way into the air, as now, he unleashed his leg downwards onto Bakugo, "SMASH!"

"That blow… it'll knock me out… might even kill me if I get hit directly!" Bakugo thought, as when Deku forced his leg to Bakugo's face, Bakugo utilized an Explosion on said leg. This slowed Deku's leg and therefore the force of the impact, and allowed Bakugo to move down, avoiding the brunt of the kick's impact. Nonetheless, Bakugo was still hit by a part of the kick, and was sent rocketing down to the arena below due to that.

A massive crash was heard in the arena, as Bakugo fell down below. Shocked voices filled the arena.

"Is that boy alright?"

"He took quite the fall!"

"WOAH! BAKUGO JUST TOOK A FALL FROM TENS OF METERS IN THE AIR… DOES HE REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION?!" Present Mic shouted, a drop of sweat falling down his face.

"Don't count on it." Aizawa stated, as Present Mic looked over to him curiously, "Like Bakugo's AP Machine Gun, both fighters are throwing out moves that could potentially kill the other, because they know the other can counter. As a teacher, it's something I'll have to scold them for later, but as a fellow hero, it shows their capability to judge the other effortlessly."

Bakugo then got up, coughing mildly after the damage he took. He was bloodied and bruised from that last attack, but thankfully, he used his explosions to slow his fall and not take a brutal amount of damage from the impact.

"That Deku… is he insane?!" Bakugo thought, brushing himself off, "He's using even more power than ever before… and if that's hurting his body… will he be able to hold up?!"

Bakugo then looked up, and was shocked by what he saw.

"SUPREME SABAODY…" Izuku shouted, falling from the sky with his arm outstretched behind him.

"TOO FAST!" Bakugo thought, as he quickly began tapping his feet on the ground.

"SMASH!" Izuku shouted, as right before he hit the ground, Izuku unleashed his Smash attack, majorly dealing damage via air pressure. The arena was almost completely destroyed from the attack, as only about four more small pieces of land remained for the fighters to stand on… and on one of those pieces, Bakugo landed.

"Almost had me with that…" Bakugo thought, "If I hadn't used Shave, I'd be dead!"

Izuku then landed on a piece of the arena adjacent to Bakugo, as Bakugo noticed something odd about Izuku.

"My arm…" Izuku thought, clutching his newly broken right arm for a moment, "Even though I only used 30%... my body still couldn't take the force added on by gravity from that last blow!"

"Not a bad look for you, Deku." Bakugo taunted, as Izuku looked up at him, "Care to give up because of it?"

"Not a chance!" Izuku responded, ignoring Bakugo's taunt, "You're even more beaten up than me… you sure you don't want to take that offer yourself?"

"Not in a million years!" Bakugo said with a smile, "Cause here and now… I'm gonna prove that I'm better than that stupid ass past me!"

Izuku's smile only widened, "Then do your best!"

Izuku and Bakugo then rushed towards each other with the Shave technique, and both parties clashed their left arms against each other. Bakugo, utilizing his quirk, caused an explosion in his arm, but thankfully, this is what Izuku wanted, as he was propelled slightly up into the air.

"Damn… I really wish I had a ranged attack right about now… but I can't risk losing my other arm!" Izuku thought, "If I can land on top of Bakugo… he'll be declared out of bounds!"

Izuku then quickly used 15% on his legs, holding back slightly so as to not harm them unnecessarily, and launched towards Bakugo using the air as a platform. Bakugo backed up with Explosions, propelling himself upwards as well in order to not fall down. Izuku was then sent hurling down to the ground, as Bakugo landed on the platform behind him.

Izuku used 15% again in order to redirect his trajectory from the floor, and to propel himself towards Bakugo once more. At this moment, Bakugo saw an opportunity, as he noted that Izuku was getting sloppy without Shave. He blew up the platform underneath himself, and flew to another in order to destroy that as well.

"Wait… that's his game!" Izuku suddenly realized, his eyes widening. In an instant, Izuku rushed towards not Bakugo, but the nearest piece of arena so that he could regain his footing, "The destruction of the entire arena so that we had to fight in midair… was that his goal this entire time?!"

"Seems you've finally figured it out, Deku!" Bakugo shouted, as he destroyed the piece of arena he had previously propelled himself to, "You're right! You can't fight nearly as well in the air without your Shave technique! Plus, you'll have to expend tons of stamina in order to stay in the air too! It's my win!"

"No… not just yet!" Izuku thought, as he powered up once more to 20%, a challenge Bakugo noted and was prepared to take head on. Izuku landed on the only other piece of the arena that remained, preparing for his next move, "If that's Bakugo's game… then I have to end this with one final attack! SHAVE!"

Izuku kicked his feet off of the ground 10 times, as Bakugo quickly realized what Izuku was doing.

"He's… HE'S NOT GONNA HOLD BACK!" Bakugo thought, as he quickly tried to launch himself backwards with explosions.

"SABAODY…" Izuku stated, as his left arm surged with 100% of One for All's power, "SMASH!"

Izuku's attack launched, as the impact of it was even greater than Shoto's attack when he was fighting against Ryuko. In the attack's wake, a massive hole opened up right below the spectator stands of the Sports Festival, and a massive air pressure wave surrounded the entire arena, even catching a few spectators and sending them hurling into the air.

"Eeek! Help me!" one of them cried, as All Might got into his buff form quickly, catching them.

"Worry not! I am here!" All Might cheered, as he caught one of the flying spectators and set them down back in the spectator's lounge. Using incredible speed, he caught each and every one of the spectators, and set them down, "Kid… why are you hurting yourself so much in this fight?"

After the impact of his attack, both of Izuku's arms were completely shattered. Only one piece of the arena remained, which Izuku stood on stiffly. He breathed heavily, as he was sure he couldn't fight another second without passing out, but nonetheless, he was unsure what happened to Bakugo, as a cloud of dust had formed after his attack.

"W-WHAT HAPPENED TO BAKUGO?!" Present Mic questioned.

"That's enough!" Midnight shouted, having been thrown all the way to the spectator's lounge due to the impact of Izuku's attack, "I officially declare this match can-"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Bakugo shouted, as he revealed himself from behind the dust cloud which Izuku had created previously.

"H-how?!" Izuku thought, watching on at Bakugo, "I gave it all I had… and even now, he's still standing?! He… really is incredible."

"LET'S FINISH THIS… YOU DAMNED NERD!" Bakugo shouted, as suddenly, he spun around, and aimed an Explosion at Izuku.

"Have to dodge!" Izuku thought, as he jumped upwards with 15% of One for All… but in doing so, he gave Bakugo the satisfaction of seeing his plan completed, as he destroyed the last chunk of the arena.

"Now… go out of bounds, you freaking nerd!"

"W-WHAT IS THIS FIGHT?!" Present Mic shouted, Izuku's classmates sharing a similar line of thought, "BOTH OF THEM ARE GIVING IT ALL THEY HAVE… EVEN DESPITE BOTH OF THEM TAKING SO MUCH DAMAGE… JUST WHAT MOTIVATES THEM… DRIVES THEM TO TAKE IT THIS FAR?!"

"I won't lose that easily Kacchan!" Izuku shouted, as a spark of an unknown energy radiated off of him, as one nearby passerby was knocked out.

Izuku powered up to 30%, as he was pumped with adrenaline; the pain on his body didn't feel like pain to him. Izuku utilized 30% of his power to keep himself in the air, but it was useless… Bakugo was too fast with his explosions.

He shot towards Izuku, firing an Explosion at him that the boy couldn't hope to dodge. Then Bakugo turned around, and fired another at Izuku's back, but Izuku would dodge this by flipping in the air.

"Stop this!" yelled a pro hero in the audience, "His arms are already shattered beyond repair! There's no reason to keep going!"

"Still have the power to dodge, then?!" Bakugo shouted, "Then it seems you're not dead yet, Deku!"

Izuku could only respond with a stern face, as Bakugo rocketed towards him once more.

"If only…" Izuku thought, "I wish… I had something to fight back with!"

With this desire in his heart, his power responded… as a fierce eruption of willpower began to leak out of him.

"URGH!" Izuku responded, his face tensing up as black tendrils began to pour out of him.

"Deku?!" Bakugo questioned, as this wasn't a power he had ever seen before from him.

"Kacchan…" Izuku stated, "RUN!"

Suddenly, the tendrils from Izuku's newfound power quickly rushed towards Bakugo, as Bakugo quickly dodged with an Explosion.

"WHAT'S THIS?! IT SEEMS THAT MIDORIYA'S UNLEASHED A BRAND NEW SUPER MOVE AT THE CLIMAX OF THE BATTLE! JUST WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?!" Present Mic shouted.

"That power…" Aizawa thought, looking at Midoriya's face, "It looks like the Color of Armament! Just what the hell is Midoriya hiding?!"

"Run?! You think that you can seriously beat me with just that new power?!" Bakugo questioned, as placing a pair of Explosions behind him, Bakugo shot towards Izuku without a doubt in his mind about his own power.

"No you idiot!" Izuku shouted at Bakugo, "I can't control this! Just get out of here!"

"Yeah?! Then why haven't you hit the spectators yet?! Why are you holding yourself up on top of the floor with it instead?!" Bakugo questioned, dodging an unpredictable black tendril which erupted from Izuku, "Your new power… don't think it's special!"

Izuku held himself, as he reconsidered Bakugo's words… that's right! Not a single spectator was attacked, and the power was doing exactly what he wanted earlier… he wanted the power to fight back against Kacchan, and he had it.

"Izuku!" Bakugo shouted, "Like me… your dream… it ain't just to be a regular old hero, right?! It's to be like All Might, the best of the best!"

Bakugo continued to propel himself towards Izuku. On the ground level below, Midnight quickly dodged a tendril, which had shot out so that Izuku's position could change.

"Cementoss! We should stop this fight!" Midnight noted.

"Don't stop it." Aizawa whispered through the intercom, surprising Midnight, "This fight… I want it to continue!"

"Huh?!" Midnight interjected, "We can't just do things based on your whims, Aizawa!"

"Just trust me!" Aizawa shouted back, "I need to see… just what Midoriya's hiding! I won't get another chance like this!"

"As much as I'd like to stop this as well…" All Might thought, now in his true form and back in the teacher's stand, "This power… it seems… controlled! Young Midoriya… I'll step in if you end up going too far!"

"This battle… it's totally crazy…" the awestruck Ryuko stated, looking on at Izuku's eruption of power, "I don't even know if Todoroki could stand up against something like that…"

"Izuku…" Chopper muttered, worried about his friend, as were all of his other classmates.

"Back when we were kids… you were quirkless! And I was jealous of your dream!" Bakugo shouted at Izuku, as tears started welling up in both of the boy's eyes, "You were standing head to head with me… it was like you were looking down on my own dream by shooting for yours!"

"One for All…" Izuku thought, clenching his teeth, "Listen to me!"

"But now I realize… that wasn't what was happening at all!" Bakugo shouted, "All that time… I've been looking down on you all that time like I feared you were doing to me! Your weakness… it became a strength for you, and you became better and better without me even noticing it, until you got even the Number One to notice you!"

"One for All." Izuku thought once more, "Listen to me!"

"I made fun of you, Izuku, pushed around your dreams, and you kept getting up every day and continuing as if nothing happened!" Bakugo shouted at his friend, "So don't you dare tell me that this is your limit! If I'm to prove that I'm stronger than my past self… it can't be like this! You have to be better than this!"

"One for All!" Izuku thought once more, "LISTEN TO ME!"

After that thought, all of Izuku's tendrils suddenly retracted back into himself. No longer was he wildly attacking everyone, and his pupils briefly turned white.

"MIDORIYA'S RETRACTED HIS TENDRILS! IS THIS THE END?!"

"I'm… here again…" Izuku thought, in a void filled with nothing but rubble and darkness, "This is the same place I met Shinomori right after USJ…"

"YOUUUUUUUUU!" a man in a biker outfit yelled at Izuku, shocking him as he turned around quickly, "You're distracted, spaced out! This power of yours… One for All! It ain't something you can be all distracted when utilizing, not anymore!"

"One of the previous wielders!" Izuku thought.

"PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!" the wielder shouted, "If you do… then you'll be just fine, heck, you might even win this match… if you even want that!"

"I have no mouth… I can't respond!"

"Yeah, I know you don't have a mouth! Don't sweat it!"

"Like with Shinomori… I can see him so clearly! These guys… they're clearly still alive in One for All!"

"Hm?" the wielder noted, as his body began disintegrating, "Seems like I'm short on time… but listen up kiddo! That power that appeared inside of you… that's my quirk!"

Izuku looked on with awe.

"Oh yeah… Shinomori didn't tell ya why you can use other quirks…" the wielder noted, "Well, all our quirks have been mixed into the Haki, or… the spirit of One for All, yeah? It's a source of power which has been accumulated together for generation after generation… and now, because of your Conqueror's Haki, that accumulated spirit finally has a leader to rally it!"

"Conqueror's Haki?!" Izuku questioned yet again, "What even is that?! And how… how did I awaken this quirk?"

"During this fight… you've been focused on defending against that friend of yours, yeah? Needing Ranged attacks, or a stable position... that's all you could think about?"

"Oh… yeah!"

"Just so happens that my Blackwhip is perfect for the job." the predecessor of One for All explained, "Basically, this quirk allows for my Color of Armament to be put into a solid form outside of your being… like in that tendril shape you summoned it in."

Terms which Izuku had never even heard of before were flying at him… but, he was beginning to understand what they meant. Color of Armament, Color of Observation, and Conqueror's Haki… each of them were related somehow.

"But understand this!" Blackwhip's quirk holder stated, "Without a tight grip on your Conqueror's Haki, you ain't gonna be able to control Blackwhip that easily, even with our help! No more than one strand at a time should be- ack!"

Suddenly, the spirit of the previous wielder of One for All seemed to be damaged. Izuku understood that he was nearing his time.

"Jeez, I'm vanishing… must be because I'm a spirit now… but… get a hold of your Conqueror's Haki quickly so I can stick around for longer in the future, 'kay?" the wielder requested, "Listen… When you use Haki from strong convictions, it'll really start working for you, so what matters is controlling your heart. It's okay to get so worked up about something, even something pointless like this… that can be a source of power. But in the meantime, you gotta start fine tuning your control!"

Izuku looked wistfully at the man who was vanishing right in front of him.

"One for All's quirks are crazy strong because your Conqueror's Haki's awakened pools of our own Haki. So be ready kiddo, and quit treating us like we're uncontrollable beasts! We're on your side… so just control your heart, and you'll make good use of us… we'll be right behind you."

Izuku continued to fall from the sky.

"OI, DEKU!" Bakugo shouted out at the boy, concerned for his well being.

"Kacchan…" Izuku whispered, and Bakugo heard, "You're right…"

Izuku's body then began to radiate the energy of One for All around it, and this time, he held no remorse in using his power to the fullest that he could handle. With 30%, Izuku quickly used his legs to rush towards Bakugo with all his might, causing a smile to arise on Bakugo's face that his rival was up yet again. Izuku returned the smile right back, and as he did, a small part of Blackwhip radiated out from his wrist.

"OH?! DESPITE NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL IT, IT SEEMS THAT MIDORIYA'S MANIFESTED A BIT OF THAT POWER FROM EARLIER!"

"And I'm sorry for this…"

Izuku began to stretch out that piece of Blackwhip so that he could still control his quirk, yet increase the range and power of it.

"Now… Gum Gum…" Izuku began, as Bakugo froze in place, and Izuku tilted his head downwards, and faced the crowds of people that watched on at him. He recalled the words of Luffy, All Might, Ochaco... even Bakugo; everyone who supported him… and now, he released it all.

"PISTOL!"

The part of Blackwhip then rebounded at speeds which even Bakugo could barely comprehend… but, he still could, albeit barely, but he didn't react; he had froze due to recalling Luffy's attack from the past. Hit directly in the stomach, Bakugo coughed up blood, and was launched backwards into the air.

"That attack…" Bakugo thought, "It was all stretchy… just like that Monkey bastards!"

The tendril which had previously made its way into Bakugo's chest suddenly rebounded into Izuku's wrist, and shortly afterwards Bakugo began falling downwards yet again, as he met Izuku's eyes.

"I'm going to surpass you…" Izuku stated, smiling at Bakugo, "And become the world's greatest hero!"

As all of this was going on, the crowd erupted with cheers and applause… but among all that praise, one man looked different from everyone else… Shota Aizawa.

"Mic… take over, I'm gonna go get some air." he muttered, as Present Mic was surprised by Aizawa, who left quickly.

"...Best not to question what he's thinking." Mic thought, as he returned to commentate the match.

Aizawa walked down and outside the commentary box, and began to walk to the spectators booth.

"I passed it off as coincidence when he used Shave…" Aizawa thought, "But after talking of pirates with Chopper, utilizing Armament Haki without a second thought, and now, copying the signature move of Straw Hat Luffy… there's not a doubt in my mind. Izuku Midoriya has been to the Grand Line… and perhaps, he's even a Pirate."

After Izuku's declaration to Bakugo, both boys could only smile at each other, as suddenly… a fierce clash of their spirits occurred. Rebounding off of each other, once more, a sudden burst of energy caused thousands of spectators in the arena to begin to pass out. Izuku briefly turned his attention to them, but Bakugo returned Izuku's attention to him.

"Greatest hero, eh?" Bakugo questioned, "THEN PROVE IT HERE AND NOW!"

The tendril from Blackwhip then exploded yet again on Izuku's right wrist, as with his left hand, Izuku then mimicked one of his heroes yet again, as he shot his mouth forwards and put his left thumb into his mouth, and began blowing it like a pump on a balloon. This caused the tendril of Blackwhip to grow and expand like a balloon… in actuality, Izuku had just layered many layers of Blackwhip to create a much larger form; this was the greatest attack he could muster to counter any attack Bakugo would throw at him.

"NOW… THIRD GEAR!" Izuku shouted, as Bakugo smirked, backed up, and began to spin around quickly.

"HOWITZER…"

"GUM GUM…"

Both boys intended to end this fight here and now, and seeing as Cementoss had been knocked out by Izuku and Bakugo's earlier clash of Conqueror's Haki, there was no one left to stop the final clash of this battle.

"IMPACT!"

"GIGANT PISTOL!"

Izuku propelled his attack forwards, attempting to attack Bakugo, as Bakugo unleashed a devastatingly massive explosion. The resulting blast caused a massive stir, just like Izuku's prior 100% Sabaody Smash.

Explosive material filled the air, and contesting its presence was a powerful gust of wind. People were sent flying everywhere… but, even after such a great attack, one boy came out on top… quite literally.

"OH?! IT SEEMS THAT BAKUGO USED THE RECOIL FROM HIS HOWITZER IMPACT TO DODGE IZUKU'S ATTACK!" Present Mic announced, as Bakugo popped up from above the smokescreen. As mentioned, he used the recoil from his Howitzer Impact to shoot himself up above the clash below, dodging Izuku's Sabaody Smash.

Looking downwards, the Smokescreen quickly dissipated, revealing that Izuku Midoriya was completely knocked out… and now falling down onto the ground below.

"Oh no you don't!" Bakugo stated, as he quickly propelled himself to catch up to Izuku.

Bakugo could only muster a lone statement of praise once he did, "Not bad… Deku."

He then caught Izuku, and utilizing a massive explosion underneath his feet, stopped himself right before he hit the ground… dropping Izuku onto it, and then himself.

"A-AND IT SEEMS THAT KATSUKI BAKUGO HAS TAKEN OUT IZUKU MIDORIYA! THAT MEANS… THAT MEANS THAT KATSUKI BAKUGO MOVES ON TO THE THIRD ROUND!"

Even despite the frazzled state of the crowd due to the fact that they had been blown around by the pair's last attack, the crowd burst into cheers.

And even despite all the applause from the crowds above, Katsuki Bakugo didn't focus on it at all; after all, it didn't matter what extras thought of him.

"Shall I?" a groggy Midnight commented, walking up to Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya, motioning that she would take Izuku.

"Yeah." Bakugo replied… the fight was over.

"Both of his arms are shattered, yet again." Recovery Girl stated, currently still in her temporary office, "This won't be easy to set back to normal… First, I'll have to remove the bone splinters from his joints… healing will have to come after. I swear… this boy needs to learn to value himself."

"I'm sorry…" All Might, currently in his true form, replied, "As his teacher… I know I need to do better."

"...I swear, you're both far too much alike."

Suddenly, the door to Recovery Girl's office was thrown open, as All Might, who wasn't typically used to people seeing him in his true form, was extremely startled.

"DEKU / MIDORIYA!" the group shouted.

"G-guys…" Izuku muttered, currently resting on a bed with his arms in a cast, "B-but… the next match…"

"Izuku!" Chopper stated, rushing towards the boy and hugging him, "I was so worried! I told you never to hurt yourself like that again! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"Haha… I'm sorry Chopper…" Izuku whispered with a smile as the reindeer hugged him somewhat angrily.

"Don't worry about us missing the next match, Midoriya." Ida stated, "You and Bakugo completely destroyed the arena back there… so it's being repaired before the next match."

"R-really?" Izuku questioned, as he laid his head back down with Chopper's tears falling on his chest, "Glad you guys aren't missing it coming to just talk to me…"

"That fight was really intense though!" Ochaco chimed in, "I don't know why you fought so hard… but I bet you had a good reason!"

"All of you, pipe down!" Recovery Girl interjected, waving her arms in front of the crowd, "The boy's about to have surgery, give him some space!"

"SURGERY?!" the group shouted.

"I-I'm sorry…" Izuku whispered up to his idol, All Might, who was standing beside him, "I couldn't… do what you asked of me."

All Might looked down at Izuku, a sense of dismay washing over him… the boy was only a teen, yet he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders at all times.

"Maybe I could have… if I wasn't thinking so hard…" Izuku muttered, "But… I had to… make sure Kacchan was alright."

"...You were trying to make sure Young Bakugo developed smoothly." All Might inferred.

"Right… I thought that maybe, I should just mind my own business…" Izuku began, "But… I couldn't get it off my mind… his face back then (referring to the Battle Trial)... I couldn't help but play by his rules… it was just so frustrating."

"Don't strain yourself." Chopper ordered Izuku, still in the room with him, "Take a break if you need to… I'm sure Toshi understands."

Izuku paused for a moment, before breathing in, and deciding to continue.

"Thank you Chopper…" Izuku stated, "And All Might… I'm sorry… I lost myself, and forgot why I was there."

Recovery Girl firmly shut the door behind Izuku's classmates who had left the room smiling at their friend, wishing for his successful recovery.

"Are you kidding kid?" All Might said with a smile, "Sure, you lost. Sure, you broke both of your arms… sure, you played by Young Bakugo's rules… but…"

At a loss for words, Chopper then took over for All Might, "Out there… from both you and Bakugo, you showed us a world unlike any other… in a way, it even reminded me of my Captain."

"Right." All Might added, "Seeing Young Bakugo's struggle… you couldn't help but aid him… that sounds like something a hero would do. And as Chopper said, you went beyond that as well, and showed the world a strength unlike any other. Izuku Midoriya… you did not fail, don't ever forget that."

Hearing those words, tears began to formulate within Izuku's eyes. In the past, he was an outcast. Every day, he was forced to bear with a crippling loneliness, escaping into the world of heroes every night… but now… things were different. Those days of struggle had finally paid off… the words from his idol made it so.

Izuku Midoriya finished in the Top 8.

AUTHORS NOTE

Alright... Deku vs Kacchan - Round 2. As I'm sure I mentioned earlier, this part of the story is what I believe to be my 'magnum opus' up to now. Every minor change in the story thus far has culminated in a massive battle between Izuku and Bakugo. Haki is expanded upon, Aizawa's suspicions are capitalized on, as he now believes Izuku may be a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, and... it's just a cool fight, okay?

This intense battle is also where stuff starts to get real. I won't spoil anything, but... be prepared for some pretty big changes, okay?

Just to be clear on the details of Izuku and Bakugo's fight, Izuku did NOT hold back against Bakugo as per his orders. However, that is why Izuku wasn't going all out by technicality.

Izuku's main goal in his fight against Bakugo was to help him finish his development into a full-blown hero, rather than a teenage wannabe. As such, Izuku had no problems continuously breaking his limbs and continuously harming his long term performance if it 'felt right' for him to do so.

This does NOT mean that Izuku would have won against Bakugo if he played smarter rather than harder, just that Izuku wouldn't be mid-diffed by Bakugo if he did.

The point of Izuku trying to help Bakugo finish his development is to show just how far beyond the Bakugo in the original story the version of Bakugo in this one is; to help Bakugo prove to himself that he's 'better than that stupid ass past me'.