'Right hook!' Uraraka reminded herself as Bakugo threw his right fist at her. She guided his momentum a short way before supporting herself with her left foot, dodging his attack, and grabbing the entire arm. "Hyaaah!" Then using her right foot to pivot, she threw him over her shoulder, directing his back to the ground as she did so.

However, Bakugo caught on to this and aimed an open palm on the floor. "I don't think so!" His quirk fired and launched him up before his body could hit the cement. What he hadn't counted on was for him to keep flying erratically up. He should have figured Uraraka would have another sneaky strategy up her sleeve.

Grinning, Uraraka made a dash towards the open door of Bakugo's base. 'Just a little further…'

"Where do you think you're going?!" Bakugo bellowed and launched himself in an intersecting trajectory towards her. With the absence of gravity, his speed knew no limits, landing him right in front of her before she could reach the door. He held himself down with one hand and lifted the other to her face. But just before he could detonate his quirk, she helicopter-kicked the grounded hand, sending him floating upwards again. "Fuck!" Thinking quickly, he flipped his legs over his head and caught her waist between his knees.

"What?!" Uraraka gasped, finding her arms constricted by the boy's muscular lower limbs.

"I might not have any weight," Bakugo smirked, "But that doesn't mean shit when I've got the skills to back me up!"

Uraraka caught sight of the glowing hands he was about to shove her with and immediately connected her fingers behind her back. "Release!" Bakugo's face planted into the hard floor, his legs following suit as she freed herself from them and jumped back in time to avoid the explosions his palms conjured. 'That was close. I didn't expect him to use Zero Gravity like that.' Her gaze turned stringent. 'He really is a dangerous opponent.'

The smoke dissipated and Bakugo stood up. His brow was sheen and bloodied now but the wide, malevolent grin on his face showed he hardly cared. No. He looked absolutely ecstatic. "Is that all you've got, Ochaco?!" he cackled, "Because that isn't gonna be enough to beat me! I can still run circles around you, blindfolded!"

Uraraka calmed her labored heart. 'He's getting way too into playing the villain. It's kinda scary.' He lunged at her again and she tried to jump out of the way but got her leg caught in his grasp. "Kyaaah!" she screamed as he threw her down to the ground and pinned her hands over her head.

"Without your hands, you're useless," Bakugo huffed, "Just give up. I'd hate to send you to the infirmary with permanent injuries."

To his shock, Uraraka smirked back at him. "I don't think you're giving me enough credit here, Katsuki," she said.

"Huh?"

"After all, in all our times sparring, you always said that one crucial thing separated winners from losers."

There was a thump and suddenly a hot, piercing pain that traveled up and down Bakugo's abdomen and groin. "What the f-" He rolled off of Uraraka and curled like a pillbug, cradling his lower region in agony. "You...sneaky little…" he hissed at her. 'Did she actually just fucking kick my... What the hell?!'

Uraraka looked half apologetic and proud at what she'd done. Judging by the pure rage on Bakugo's face, she figured she'd lost some girlfriend brownie points with him but all was fair in All Might's final as far as she was concerned. And she had a feeling he knew this, too. She ran to the base again, smiling and shouting, "You do whatever it takes to win!"

"Fine!" Bakugo wobbled as he stood back up. "If we're going to fight that way…" He launched himself to the base's entrance, only, he made a slight miscalculation and ended up crashing into Uraraka instead. "Shit!" By reflex, he stuck his hands out to cushion their fall. When they landed, his fingers were clasping something soft yet firm. It felt pleasant but disconcerting at the same time. 'What the hell?'

Uraraka scrunched her eyebrows. "What are you…" She looked down at the tingly warmth on her chest, her face morphing from a battle-hardened look to that of absolute horror.

When Bakugo flexed his fingers to confirm what he was holding, his face paled. 'Oh, fuck…' He looked at Uraraka.

She was blushing. Brightly.

"What the heck?!" Uraraka shrieked, "Doing weird things in the middle of a fight! I never even… I haven't even… We haven't… I can't believe you!"

Bakugo immediately let go and skidded back as far away from her as he could but still cleverly towards the door as to keep her from pulling a fast one on him. "S-sorry!" He actually apologized. Damn, now he was blushing, too. "That was an accident, I swear!" He'd intended to trap her in a headlock or vice grip and possibly get a surrender from her that way, but now he was made out to be a low-stooping molester. Just great.

Uraraka turned her attention from the base's door to Bakugo. "I'm gonna get you back for that, Katsuki!" she cried and stampeded towards him.

Bakugo regrouped with himself in time to get a popping palm between him and the brunette. The cement ground exploded upon his touch, sending dust and debris flying in the air.

But Uraraka…

He looked up and saw her transition from a super high jump to a rapid flip. 'Gravity Heel Kick.' He slid out of the way and avoided, lo and behold, her heavy heel. Though it made no impressive explosion like his attacks did, it still reverberated a painful clack and managed to puncture the ground's surface. 'If that had landed a direct hit on a person, it sure as hell would still hurt.' "Hmph," he snickered, "Been practicing your ostrich kick, huh? You got a little better, I guess."

"It's Gravity Heel Kick and you know it!" Uraraka flustered at Bakugo's ridiculous name choice for her attack move, "And yes, I've been practicing plenty!"

Bakugo rotated his shoulder. "Oh?"

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The speakers around Ground Beta emitted a static echo and from it bellowed All Might's voice, "OH-ho-ho-ho-ho! And we have our first winners— Hanta Sero and Hagakure Toru! Congratulations on your swift vic- Ack! Gah-kah!"

There were some rummaging and things falling over.

"I told you to let me handle the microphone," Aizawa could be heard reprimanding All Might, "Go sit down."

"So-sorry…" Another cough. "I really thought I could do it."

"Sit!"

"Okay."

And mute.

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Bakugo glared at the ceiling. 'Sero, that bastard…'

"Anyway…" Uraraka brought her hands to her hips. "My heart's been stirred up for a while now since finding out you're my opponent. This is a fight of redemption for me and I'm not giving up even if you blow me up into bits. I will beat you!"

"Less talk, more action, sweet-cheeks," Bakugo sneered and prepared to detonate his quirk.

Uraraka smirked and flew to Bakugo, hovering in front of him in a literal blink of an eye.

"What?!" His palms flashed and crackled.

"There!" Uraraka high-fived both just as the explosions set off.

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Midoriya kicked down another one of Todoroki's ice walls then flipped himself over and twisted into the second kick, smashing the ground into indiscernible and destabilizing Todoroki's footing. When the hybrid teen launched himself into the air with his flames, Midoriya ricocheted to his height and landed a kick in Todoroki's midsection, launching him back down to the ground in an ear-splitting crash. Midoriya smiled at his success as he landed on a fallen building.

Todoroki, dusty and scratched, sat up from the rubble he created and fixed his cuffs. "You heard that right?" he said.

Midoriya nodded. "Yeah. All the more reason I have to beat you and pass this final!" He bounced off the wall in a teal streak of light. "Arrrrggggh!"

"Don't underestimate me, Midoriya!" Todoroki raised his left arm and fired what looked like a thick flaming rope at the emerald glimmer headed his way. As he half expected, it swerved to avoid him and his left side ignited more intensely. "Hah!" In one swing, he spread the concentrated flames' radius tenfold, melting a good portion of the ice wall that protected his base but managing to catch Midoriya in its wake.

"Ahhhh!" Midoriya cried in pain as the powerful flames caught his suit and knocked him from the air. Remembering safety basics, he rolled around on the floor upon landing, snuffing the flames on his body out. The burns stung but from what he could see over his shoulder, it was a sacrifice well worth it. "That's it?" he forced a chortle, "I hardly felt anything!"

Todoroki looked Midoriya over, unable to help but notice the red blisters that had formed along the boy's arm and shoulder. "That's not what your body is saying." He pitched another firestorm at him, unflinching as the red-orange glow of his flames enveloped Midoriya. The vibrant colors grew and grew until finally, only a blinding yellow remained. The air was hot and putrid and he wondered for a moment if he should have held back on that attack. At least, he didn't think he put enough force in it to kill his former project partner. Doubts setting in, he gradually put out his flames, only to have his stomach flop at seeing a large puddle where his ice wall used to be and a wide open door past it. 'Crap!' He shook his right arm and created an ice path to his base for him to skate along on.

'Hurry, hurry, hurry!' Midoriya urged his sore legs to jump and carry him up the angular stairs the fastest they could. He still had quite a way to go before he could effectively wall-jump at Gran Torino's speed but he definitely improved in the last couple of months.

"Midoriya!"

Midoriya didn't have to turn around to know who that was. He kept his eyes straight ahead, swinging his arms wildly at each step he landed to propel himself forward.

Todoroki's right arm was beginning to crack and ache from the frantic speed he was blowing negative-degree air at. He gritted his teeth and skated faster. "That was a low move," he grunted, "But I'm going to put a stop to your lucky streak right...now!" He raised an icy ramp along with his path and flew up. In the short second his and Midoriya's figures aligned, he snap-froze the ground below, trapping Midoriya's soles in solid ice capsules.

"Whoa!" Midoriya fell on his stomach, breaking the ice on his feet when he hit the stairs. 'Get up, damn it! You're so close!' Despite the painful numbness he could only associate to frostbite, he pushed himself up from the metal steps and continued to make the long strides up. He could see the half-opened door peeping just a few more meters away.

"Damn!" Not something that he would have ever thought to do first but Todoroki thought back to how Bakugo would propel himself through midair. Possessing a similar but not perfect carbon copy quirk to the blonde, he had to improvise on this next bit. He formed an 'O' with his left palm and released his flames in one concentrated burst. It worked. The flames blew out from the back, thrusting him forward with Midoriya's green hood just inches within his reach. "Midoriya…!" He reached out to him with his misty right hand.

"Full Cowling!" Midoriya cried and vanished in a flash of blue lightning.

Todoroki grasped the boy's after-image too late, his face pale and stunned by the sudden burst of inhuman speed Midoriya just exhibited. "What…"

Ground Beta's speakers turned on again, with Aizawa's gravelly announcement of, "Another mission completed by— Midoriya Izuku."

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"Way to go, Midoriya! Yea- Wh-whoa!" Kirishima hopscotched away from Iida's kick which instead cracked and broke the ground. "Take it easy, class rep! You could kill someone with that!"

"Concentrate, Kirishima!" Iida scolded and threw a punch only for it to be deflected by Kirishima's rock-hard body. "Everyone is doing their best and I don't want to be deprived of that same chance!"

Kirishima dodged another punch and returned one to Iida's side. His fist dented the armor but he could tell he hardly touched Iida with that. 'Harden one more degree.' His skin thickened. "Sorry, Iida, I know how you feel."

Iida raised a right arm over his left and bent his knees forward.

"I'll give you an honorable fight!" Kirishima was on the verge of manly tears, "In return, I only ask for you to do the same!"

Though confused by the waterworks, Iida lamely nodded and replied, "O...kay…?"

"Thank you for everything, class rep!" Kirishima wiped his tears, put on a determined smile, then suddenly banged his head against the ground. The impact released a tremor which threw off Iida's balance long enough for Kirishima to then sprint to him and catch his neck in his elbow. "Take...this!" He threw Iida down to the ground.

"Gah!" Iida choked on the air that abandoned his lungs. He bit back the pain in his shoulders and flipped Kirishima over with his metallic legs. The redhead was heavier than he expected but he still managed to throw him a good many feet away to get himself up to a defensive position again.

Kirishima punched the ground to stop himself from skidding. 'Another!' His muscles tightened and his skin grew thicker once more.

"Throwing me around won't get you anywhere, Kirishima." Iida's engines rattled and smoked.

"Yeah?" Kirishima bared his razor-sharp teeth. "How about you start worrying more about yourself? I can take anything you throw at me!"

Iida lowered his gaze, his hands and arms bent at an angle at his sides, ready to slice through the air resistance that was to come.

'One more!' Kirishima's skin grew edgier.

"Recipro Burst!" Iida commanded his quirk and shot off like a bullet.

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One beep steadily came after the other as the instructors minus Aizawa drank their second serving of tea. All Might prepared the automatic warmer for another batch just in case the final dragged on longer than they'd anticipated. Cementoss looked up from his cup and asked, "New winners?"

Aizawa nodded sleepily and rubbed his eyes. "A draw, actually."

"Oooh!" Midnight purred, "By who?"

"Iida Tenya and Kirishima Eijirou," Aizawa mumbled through his cup, "Resulted in three fallen buildings and a crevasse in the middle of Sector B."

Cementoss seemed appeased by his answer. "They're doing better than we expected. Didn't Kirishima also end his match in a draw with Tetsutetsu during the Sports Festival?"

"That kid does not like giving up!" Present Mic hollered, "I like it! A man's fiery passion knows no defeat! Speaking of..." He cringed slightly upon remembering his own loss from earlier. "Any news on the other class rep?"

Aizawa nodded. "Before that was Yaoyorozu Momo with her infamous flash bombs. Tokoyami put up as good a fight as he could but his Dark Shadow definitely needs more light-resistance training. He was a wide-open target for her once he had his hands up trying to shield himself from the bombs. You took a bathroom break at the time so I'm not surprised you missed it. Shame."

"Seriously..." Present Mic pouted.

Another beep.

"Ah." Aizawa checked on another screen and blinked slowly. Clearing his throat, he turned on the mic and calmly announced, "Congratulations on a successful rescue— Shoji Mezo." The other teachers clapped in appreciation after he disconnected.

"You could've been a little more enthusiastic than that," Present Mic gave his critique.

"No," Aizawa rejected immediately.

All Might took his seat and sipped his tea to soothe his throat. "Who's left in Battle Royale?"

What sounded like the high-pitched chirps of a million birds drew Aizawa's attention back to the screen. A low vibration and tremor followed it and he could already tell whose battle it was.

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"Jeezus!" Jiro shook behind a wall, covering her eyes to the bright flashes of yellow and white that passed by her. 'Of all the opponents to face, it had to be this guy…' She rolled her eyes and shouted, "You keep missing, Kaminari! Are you even trying?!"

Kaminari slumped against a broken pedestal. She was right— he wasn't trying. He knew better than anyone how much his quirk could hurt a person and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt Jiro. "We've been partners all this time…" he muttered, "How'd it turn out like this? I'm not even…"

Jiro connected her earjacks to her boots. "It's just a test!" she scolded, "Get it together!"

An enormous tremor suddenly erupted from below, its shockwaves easily overwhelming and knocking Kaminari off his feet. "Argh!" he flinched as his elbows and stomach met the floor. The cement cracked under him and he scrambled the fastest he could to get away only to be struck behind the head by a hard thwack of Jiro's forearm. He managed to catch himself this time, holding onto a sturdy post for balance.

Jiro ejected her earjacks and walked over to him. "Listen to me, Kaminari!" she shouted, shaking him angrily by the collar, "Are you looking down on me? You think I'm not strong enough to be your opponent? Is that it?"

Kaminari grasped her hands and shook his head. "Th-that's not it! It's the opposite of how I-"

"Then fight me seriously, darn you!"

Kaminari was left speechless as Jiro leaned wholly against him. "Jiro…"

"You could hear it earlier, couldn't you?" she choked between frustration and anguish, "How loudly my heart was beating."

A faint blush decorated Kaminari's cheeks. "Are you confessing?" he halfheartedly teased her, "This is hardly the time for- Ow! Hey!"

As the blonde bent over to rub his belly, Jiro reeled back her fist. "I'm serious! My heart...it's telling me I want to fight you seriously, Kaminari. I'm...I'm happy to able to test my abilities against yours because…you're a freakishly strong human stun gun! There, I said it!"

A warm weightlessness embraced Kaminari as he heard this, unable to help but smile all too widely at having been praised by a close comrade in such earnest. He began to laugh. 'She finally thinks I'm capable! Oh my god, why am I so happy with just this?'

Jiro blushed at Kaminari's sudden change in mood but smiled knowing somehow, she had put him at ease. He was back to his usual self. "That's right," she said, "Laugh it up! You won't get another admittance like that out of me again so savor it while it lasts."

Kaminari's laughter gradually faded and he smiled back at her. "I was worried for nothing then. Only...I'm not too sure I'll be satisfied with hearing you praise me just once." His eyes lit up with hers. "I want to hear you say it again, Jiro."

"Good luck with that," Jiro laughed, "I'm no pushover, you know."

Golden sparks surrounded Kaminari's body as he replied, "I know."

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Bakugo could only watch dumbfoundedly as the tiny ignitions he emitted formed into...bubbles? Yes, orange-gold bubbles that still crackled and boomed ominously under his palms. He stepped back and continued to watch as they floated by him, about six total, some rising over his head and the others to his sides and down his legs. He tried waving at them to see if they would react but they just continued to hover peacefully. "What the hell did you do?" he questioned the wide-eyed Uraraka who landed some feet behind him, "My explosions...!"

Uraraka looked down at her own hands. They'd been burnt slightly but the sting hardly bothered her. 'I can't believe that actually worked!' she thought to herself and looked back at Bakugo. 'It really worked!' He turned a menacing glare on her and she backpedaled. "Um...I think...I just deprived your explosions the force they needed to make an impact. So...ha! All you can do is make pretty lights now. You're like Aoyama number two."

"Tch, don't count on it." Bakugo rubbed his palms until they began to glow again. "I'll just keep making more and more until you tire yourself out!" True to his promise, his hands began to flash and pop again.

'I hope my luck doesn't run out now.' Uraraka quickly pressed her fingers together. "Release!"

Instantaneously, the small bubbles of hazardous explosions detonated all around Bakugo, smothering him in flames and smoke. "Fuck!" he cursed, only for his voice to be muffled by the bangs and booms of his released quirk.

While he struggled with the explosions, Uraraka saved herself a pat on the back and dashed inside the base. She ignored the boy's furious howls and instead applied Zero Gravity on herself to float up to the second floor. 'Where…?' She landed and took out her digi-pad to regain her bearings. 'Not here! It's still-'

"Ochaco!" Bakugo's voice could be heard thundering from a whole floor below.

"Eeep!" Uraraka darted out the other exit at the end of the empty hall and floated up from there.

Bakugo, soot-stained and drenched in sweat, arrived just in time to see Uraraka's fluffy pink boots disappear behind the ceiling. "Like hell I'm letting you get away!" He took a giant leap forward and launched himself through the upper floors. One hand to blow ceiling after ceiling and the other propelling him rapidly upwards. In seemingly no time at all, he was at the second uppermost floor of his base where he knew his civilian was only one last floor above him. Not wanting to risk damaging the dummy, he ran the last flight of stairs up, catching Uraraka by the ankle as she tried zooming past him. Since there was no point trying to throw her down, he yanked her towards the stairwell in order to trap her under him. However, she grabbed the railing before he could pull her in the whole way and performed a swift tornado kick that landed one of her heels on his cheek and lip. "Shit!" he yelled and staggered back, unintentionally releasing her.

"Sorry!" Uraraka hastily pardoned her intrusion and moon-jumped up the remaining steps. She managed to get a hold of the door handle and saw the dummy civilian seated against the opposite wall in the room. "Hang on, ma'am, I'll-"

"You're not doing shit!" Bakugo pounced and knocked Uraraka to the ground, his knees pinning the back of hers as he locked one of her hands behind her back. He felt her struggle but he held on tight, making sure not to make the mistake of letting her legs free either.

"Let me go!" Uraraka grunted.

"Fat chance of that happening," Bakugo spat out the blood the trickled from his lip, "You already busted my balls more than I anticipated so I'm not taking any more chances with you."

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Static...then a screech.

"Ahem," Aizawa coughed, "Another student has just-"

"ASHIDO MINA!"

"I told you, Mic, hands off. I'm the one doing the announcements."

"But you're so boring… Monotone and dry."

"Hands. OFF."

"...Yeah, yeah! Whatever you say, Eraser. Go ahead then."

"Good."

A beep echoed back at them.

Aizawa rubbed the rough facial hair under his chin and spoke lowly, "Now, the student who just passed-"

"UP NEXT IN THE VICTORY LANE- ASUI TSUYU! YEAAAHHH!"

"Hooray for the adorable Froppy!" Midnight cheered along.

"Rrrrghhh…" Aizawa was about to berate his rowdy colleagues when suddenly, there was a flash of white light followed by a large explosion that emitted a high-pitched shriek, almost like nails along a chalkboard. The instructors' hands slapped over their ears as they bent over in pain.

"What is that?!" Midnight shouted from across the room.

Aizawa switched to Sector C's screen to find the camera feed in terrible shape, static dancing to and fro and glitching out now and then. He squinted through the smoke the best he could, trying to make out the figure that was stumbling towards his view. "Is that…?"

All Might stood from his seat. "Well, I'll be…"

Ectoplasm nodded approvingly. "They never fail to impress us, one way or another."

The silhouette had another figure in their arm, struggling to keep the two of them balanced as they made their approach.

"A narrow victory for the earjack hero— Jiro Kyoka!" Present Mic announced into Ground Beta's public microphone jubilantly, "It was a close one but she came, fought, and conquered! That's our girl!"

"It was to be expected since she'd been listening for her adversary before he even stepped into the ring," Aizawa deadpanned.

A few uncomfortable coughs followed.

"Must you be such a killjoy?" Present Mic mumbled.

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Uraraka's fingers twitched expectantly at the mention of her friends' names. 'I'm so close.' She glared at the dummy that sat just a bit of distance away from her. 'I don't want it to end like this. I won't...I won't...!'

"Give it up already!" Bakugo rebuked, "I've got the upper hand here!"

Uraraka smirked stubbornly up at him. "Do you really?"

"What…" Bakugo glared back.

Using her one free hand, Uraraka managed to connect her fingertips with Bakugo's shin. "Let me help you catch a lift, too!" she giggled as he began to float up and away from her, rendering her free and mobile again.

"I told you, that's not gonna work!" Like last time, Bakugo shot himself back towards Uraraka, hitting her like a hard ping pong ball against a paddle.

"Kyah!" Uraraka cried as she was knocked into a stray desk, hitting her side in the process. She winced at the raw pain. "Ahh…" Almost immediately, sickness began to set in her stomach, crawling up her chest and throat. "Release!" she commanded with a clap of her hands, fully dropping herself and Bakugo to the floor. She removed her helmet and panted, trying to get as much air in her lungs as she could manage to keep her nausea at bay. Her heart was racing, her face felt hot, and her hands were turning cold, but she had to keep it together. She was still in this fight and, true to her word, she absolutely would not lose. At least not without giving it her all.

Bakugo hopped back on his feet only to fall back down, his vision suddenly blurring. Gross. The urge to wretch nipped at him now. 'Damn, so this is why astronauts need all that training. My insides don't know up from down anymore.' He closed his eyes. 'I've got to put an end to this already...before I lose more than just my patience.' He held his stomach and bit his tongue as he, this time, slowly stood back up and relit his vision to Uraraka's presence. He managed a smirk. "Still not backing down, huh?"

Uraraka forced a laugh. "I didn't back down then and I'm not backing down now." She took on an offensive stance and tightened her fists. She was spent. Using Zero Gravity extensively more than she already had would mean a sure defeat but even by just comparing her contorted face to his, a part of her already knew who the victor of this fight would be.

Bakugo raised his hands and bent his body forward. "You ready?"

"Bring it on," Uraraka goaded.

There blew a sharp whistle, tuned by the soles of Bakugo's boots as he tore through the air, his palms detonating consecutive violent blasts behind him. "Raaaaarrrggghh!" he roared and aimed a blast downwards, somersaulting into a kick aimed at Uraraka.

She bent her knees for support and caught his kick with her right forearm, further cushioning the impact with her left. "Hah!" She pushed back, forcing Bakugo to break his form and land back on his feet. At his current stability and range, Uraraka knew he was at his most dangerous and therefore utilized one of the techniques she had been honing for months— dodging.

His left palm came from below which she deflected with a sharp chop of her right hand. He attempted to swerve around her defense but she elbowed his strike away and jabbed four straight fingers into his shoulder. He winced and retreated from the left and sent his right palm in next, managing to clap her on her left shoulder and landing a short fuse on it. She bit her lip to silence the pain and shoved his hand away with her left elbow. Once both of his arms were at their furthest distance from his sides, she dove in for a frontal attack. Bakugo saw this and drew his hands back in. "Fuck that!" he hissed while grabbing her wrists.

"Hah!" Uraraka jilted her wrists back then shot them forward again, loosening Bakugo's grip on them enough for her to twist her hands around his knuckles and pull him down for her to land a hard knee on his gut.

"Ack!" Bakugo coughed out slivers of saliva, a choking pain wedged in the base of his throat.

Uraraka took in a deep breath and clenched her hands. "Haaaaaah!" she screamed and lunged forward, reaching for his neck.

Bakugo bit down on the corner of his lip, drawing blood, and tackled the gravity manipulator head-on.

They grappled each other and rolled onto the ground. Usage of their quirks had flown out the window. It was now fist to foot to teeth to cheek. Uraraka landed a few direct punches on Bakugo and earned a couple of rough shoves and kicks back for them but she kept up the barrage. Girl or boy, 'gender mercy' didn't exist anymore. In the end, the bruises still hurt all the same.

With her last ounce of strength, Uraraka picked up and shook Bakugo wildly by the collar then shoved him back down. Her arms ached and her nausea was worsening from the blows Bakugo landed on her abdomen. To make things worse, hot sweat had invaded her eyes, murking her vision and stinging the insides, forcing her to shut them tight. 'Move.' Her body would not. 'Move!' She felt so heavy...numb…dizzy.

Bakugo took the hiatus in Uraraka's combo to flip their positions over, one hand around her neck and the other crumpled to a smoldering fist that flew down at her. At the last millisecond he had to close the gap between his fist and her face, he stopped.

Uraraka smiled tiredly up at him and held up a peace sign. "Co...congratulations...Katsuki…" her voice faded.

Bakugo's shoulders slumped, a confusing mixture of guilt, relief, and woe washing over him. His usually smooth eggshell skin was bruised and cut in various places and so was Uraraka's own peachy complexion. "A-are...are you…" he rasped, just as breathless.

"What can I do?" Uraraka let a frustrated tear fall from the corner of her eye. "My body won't do what I tell it to anymore."

"You're still conscious."

"Heh... There's that at least, hm?"

"..."

"Go on," Uraraka gently urged him, "Declare your win already. I could really use a bandage or two right about now." She chuckled warmly, letting out a relieved sigh when she saw his eyes soften. In turn, hers began to water, growing hotter with each passing second. "Hurry!"

Bakugo hesitantly nodded before raising a single ashy fist to the air and bowing his head.

The announcement then came from the enthusiastic Present Mic:

"And the last protector just claimed victory— Bakugo Katsuki!"

Uraraka knew that fresh tears were streaming down her cheeks by now and felt awful that Bakugo had to see them. Yet she still managed a smile, gingerly untangling something she held in her fisted hand.

"What's that?" Bakugo asked as he crawled off Uraraka and helped her sit up.

"Heh, to be honest, I'm not too sad," she giggled, wiping away her tears. "Because technically, in a way, I still won this fight."

Bakugo frowned. "The fuck are you on about?" It wasn't until Uraraka held up the dirtied but still shiny item that his eyes widened and his lips parted.

"EXPLODE KILL KING"— his dog tag read.

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"That...was...brutal," Kirishima huffed and puffed his way to the next free bed he saw in Recovery Girl's infirmary. He eagerly jumped on it but winced at the stiff bedding that met his back, suddenly reminded of the tossing Cementoss and Iida had given him. "Ow…"

Bakugo took a seat on the bed across from him. "What are you whining about? That shit was nothing."

"Says you," Kirishima griped, "You faced off with Uraraka, huh?"

"Hmph."

"How'd that go?"

"How do you think?"

"...Messy?"

"You're a real Einstein alright."

Uraraka, Asui, Midoriya and Iida were the next to trail in, sharing excited murmurs about their experiences in the final and how they either won or lost against their adversaries. By instinct, Bakugo swiveled his head towards Uraraka who jumped slightly upon meeting his eyes. She smiled at him and he was about to reciprocate until he heard Kirishima snicker from the other bed. After throwing a hard pillow at him, Bakugo grumpily folded his arms and turned away. Though confused as to what suddenly soured the blonde's mood, Uraraka simply shrugged to herself and sat with the others in the waiting area who were all ears to Midoriya's story about how he out-sped Todoroki.

"I'll admit, I was caught off guard," Todoroki mused along, "It won't happen again."

"Aw, shucks!" Mina laughed, "No need to be so hard on yourself, Todoroki!"

"What about you, Uraraka?" Midoriya turned to the gravity manipulator. "How did your fight with Kacchan go? I'm sorry you lost…"

"Mm-mm!" Uraraka happily shook her head, puzzling the others. "I'm fine, really! I might have lost in terms of the final but...I also won in a way."

Bakugo's ear twitched with interest but he still refused to face her.

"That's right," Iida concurred, "As long as you treat your match as a learning experience and grow from it, you'll always be the victor. I admire your spirit, Uraraka!"

Uraraka clenched her hand. "Umm...sure? That's one way to look at it." She looked across the room. "Right, Bakugo?"

Bakugo secretly trailed a finger over the upper area of his chest, frowning at the absence of a certain accessory that used to always lay there. "Whatever." His classmates laughed in response but instead of getting angry like he normally would, he felt warm inside. Oddly...satisfied.

"Alright, everyone," Recovery Girl announced as she entered the infirmary, "Please separate yourselves; badly injured to little cuts and scrapes. Quickly now." Because repeatedly using her quirk to heal a large number of people would wear her out, the traditional way of letting the body heal was decided for the less-severely injured. The others, she'd kiss back to prim and perfect health.

After receiving a band-aid for her elbow and cheek, Uraraka thanked Recovery Girl and exited the room to follow after Bakugo. She didn't need to look for long because he stood not that far away from the door with his arms crossed over his chest and one foot propped against the wall. "Hey, you," she smiled at him as she approached, "You doing okay?"

Bakugo looked up at her. "I should be asking you that," he grinned slightly, "First the race and now this. You've come a pretty damn long way."

"I couldn't have done any of it without you," Uraraka quietly admitted as she leaned next to him. She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out the dog tag necklace she'd taken, smiling wider at seeing him shake his head.

"Yeah, yeah. Just put it back on me, will ya?" Bakugo closed his eyes and lowered his head for her.

Nodding, Uraraka carefully put the trinket on him, having to untangle the loop from a couple of his spikes as it descended around his neck then pulling the tag to center front for the finish. "There!" she chirped and stepped back for a better look. She blushed lightly at seeing him smile up at her, still not completely jaded to its novelty just yet. She wasn't sure if she ever would be.

"Thanks," Bakugo muttered and straightened himself up. The space between his eyebrows scrunched together as he cradled his chin between his thumb and index finger. Before Uraraka could ask what was on his mind, he gave voice to a part of it with, "I have to even this out somehow."

Uraraka blinked cluelessly back. "...What?"

"Hurry, you two!" Iida called and waved from down the hallway, catching both Bakugo and Uraraka's attention. "We still have to meet with Mr. Aizawa back in the classroom!"

"We know!" Bakugo groaned. "Geez...one naggy nerd to another..."

"Aw, don't grumble and let's go!" Uraraka began giddily pulling him along.

"Hmph," Bakugo grumbled anyway and grudgingly followed after her.

Class 1-A returned to their classroom to find the door blocked by a mob of third-years, oddly enough. Each person was hopping over the other to get a better look at something and some others were whispering and scouting the area.

"What the…" Mina started as they arrived.

"There they are!" one of the older students excitedly pointed at the approaching class.

"That was awesome!" the rest cheered in unison and ran over to the baffled first-year class of twenty.

"Wh-what's going on?" Kirishima asked Sero who looked just as stunned.

"An ambush?!" Hagakure waved her sleeves.

Shoji and Ojiro surrounded who they could in their class with their superhuman limbs. "Not quite," said Ojiro, "They seem to be congratulating us for something."

Jiro slipped back and asked, "What are they all doing here?"

"Since we're third-years, we're dismissed earlier than the other classes," an older girl with a mushroom-looking silver bob coolly replied, "After witnessing the broadcast, we all agreed to come and congratulate you guys."

"For first years, you all did pretty awesomely with your quirks!" one of the seniors spazzed, "Kirishima's fight with Iida was cool! And Yaoyorozu...oh man..."

"Forget them against each other!" a third-year boy with large insect wings and spiked arms trumpeted in, "Did you see their tag team battles against the teachers?! I hate to admit it but those were epic!"

"Kaminari's quirk is so strong!" a third-year girl resembling a fawn sighed dreamily.

"Th-thank you…" Kaminari gulped and blushed.

The other students roared their appreciation again, staggering Uraraka back and causing her to trip over someone's foot. "Ah!" Before she could activate Zero Gravity, she was caught by Bakugo who helped her regain her balance. "Th-thanks…"

Bakugo pulled her closer and grumbled, "These asshats are just making things more difficult for us. Oy! Side characters! Go back to your own damn classrooms!"

"What'd you say?!" the older students retaliated, "You need to fix that part about you, Bakugo! You're so dislikable!"

"Like hell if I care!" Bakugo roared back. He spotted a pair of all-too-familiar faces coming their way and grimaced.

"Kajiwara!" Uraraka beamed, "You're part of all this?" She noticed the grumpy Seiko next to him and attempted to greet the girl but was met with a silent nod.

"Good job on your guys' final," Kajiwara complimented both but clapped only Uraraka on her shoulder. "It was really enjoyable to watch. Right, Seiko?"

Seiko puffed out her cheek and mumbled, "It was alright."

"Watch?" Bakugo's eyebrow twitched. "What the hell do you mean...watch? Were you spying on us?"

"It's not technically spying if the whole thing was broadcasted live on the school newsfeed," Seiko winked at him, "Courtesy of yours truly— president of the Journalism Club. Don't worry. Everything recorded will remain on campus only and are to be used strictly for educational or research purposes. I have the contract to prove it."

"Not to mention you're one of only three members of that so-called snoop club…" Kajiwara coughed.

Seiko shot him a glare. "Shut up."

"But how did you manage to record everything without us knowing?" Uraraka intervened, "I don't remember Mr. Aizawa mentioning anything about being filmed."

"Sorry, since the word spread around school about your guys' final, I just had to catch this last epic scoop! Plus, Aizawa felt that knowledge would be too distracting for your guys' final." Seiko confidently swept her hair over her shoulder. "Believe me, I asked for permission. All Might seemed to agree with Aizawa so they permitted me to record the final as long as I kept quiet about it until the end. Oh, and look! It's the end. Now you know!"

Bakugo rolled his eyes and took Uraraka's hand. "Come on, let's go," he hurried her along, "We're wasting time here."

Kajiwara smiled somewhat sadly down at Uraraka and Bakugo. "So it's true, huh?"

"What is?" Uraraka asked back.

"You two...dating," Seiko mumbled, "Just like your final, the news spread around school like wildfire."

"Err..." Uraraka blushed brightly, "Well, yes, Katsuki and I-"

Bakugo's eyes immediately darkened. "What's it to you?" he demanded of their seniors.

Kajiwara laughed at their expected responses. "Nothing, just...we're happy for you guys. I kind of suspected something when we first met but to think Uraraka would prefer your type, Bakugo…" He frowned for a quick second then smiled again. "I...I think it's great. Congratulations."

"...Congratulations," Seiko humbly bowed, "I... We wish you both all the best."

Uraraka happily bowed back. "Thank you!" She nudged Bakugo in the elbow who, though refusing to bow to the older students, nodded slightly. "You should go back and visit home once in a while," she mentioned, turning to Kajiwara again, "Hikaru's been feeling pretty lonely these days."

Kajiwara softened his gaze. "I'll be sure to do that soon then."

"Hah?" Bakugou scowled, "This guy knows cheesehead?!"

Uraraka nodded. "Yeah! Back in the day, he'd take us and some of my friends out to eat after school. Since he was older and helped out at his parents' bakery shop part time, he always paid for us. I still owe you by the way!"

"Don't mention it," Kajiwara laughed and waved her away, "You don't owe me anything. It was always my pleasure."

Bakugo silently looked from him to Uraraka and frowned.

"Alright, clear out," a sleep-deprived Aizawa growled from the opposite end of the hallway then effortlessly dispersed the crowd while trudging towards the classroom door. "You're all just a safety hazard at this point. Go home if you've got nothing else better to do."

"Aw…" the older students moaned.

"Mr. Aizawa!" Class 1-A cheered, clearly relieved to see him.

"At ease," he sighed at their clamoring, "I'll explain everything once we're inside."

Class 1-A looked at one another, shrugged, and followed Aizawa in. After they took their seats, he closed the door on the commotion outside. "Next week will run on an unconventional schedule," he announced as he turned to his students, "All Might has been organizing something for all of you for when you finished his final. In fact, he's working on completing the paperwork as we speak. Present Mic and I are working with him on the sidelines on it and I just happened to be given the task of relaying this to all of you."

"A party?!" Mina bounced in her seat.

"No, maybe it's a free movie," Sero suggested.

"A trip into town with everyone sounds enjoyable," Yaoyorozu added.

As the ruckus and speculations went on, Bakugo took this chance to scoot closer to Uraraka and wave for her attention. She immediately took notice and lent him her ear. "What's up?"

"Listen," Bakugo whispered, "I'll get a part-time job and provide the money we need so you don't need to worry."

Uraraka couldn't fight back the smile that emerged on her lips at hearing his random statement. "Okay…?" she giggled softly, "Where did that come from?"

"I'm just saying," Bakugo grunted and turned away. "I'll work hard. With my own hands...I'll make it all work out like I promised your dad."

It was then that Uraraka understood what he was trying to convey— financial independence. It never went ignored that he lived on the allowance his parents gave him up to this point. Her situation was no different from his aside from the significantly lower financial bracket that was set for her. She smiled at his growing maturity, knowing he would only evolve for the better from here on. "You shouldn't worry either," she whispered back, "I'll also work hard. For me...and you."

Bakugo looked up at her with wide crimson eyes, mouth hung slightly open in disbelief.

Iida abruptly raised his hand and finally asked for everyone, "What kind of organized event is this, sir?"

Before Aizawa could reply, the door flew wide open to reveal a tall and muscular All Might who happily announced, "Your class trip destination...is here!"

"A very normal high school activity!" the rest of the class cheered.

"A class trip!" Kirishima joyously repeated, turning to Bakugo for affirmation. "Isn't this great, Bakugo?"

Bakugo bowed his head to hide a growing grin behind his palm. "Yeah…" he mumbled, "It is."

NOTE: And that's the end, folks! Thank you again for all your support and reviews.

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