CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
❛ the sports festival  ❜

THE FOUR OF you sat at the dinner table, plates filled with spicy curry and rice. As you began to dig in, the conversation continued. Your parents discussed Bakugo and his grades, as well as the strength of his quirk. Your father continued to ramble on about the sports festival— specifically your spar with the Bakugo. As he talked, you couldn't help but think back to that moment. At the time, that moment had solidified your hatred for the blonde. Who knew you'd grow to enjoy his company, and he'd one day be seated at the dinner table with your family.

☆彡

Bakugo stood across from you, his piercing red orbs glaring at you with a burning intensity. You glared back, refusing to let him intimidate you. You never cared for the blonde, his egotistical attitude being something that drove you away. The two of you barely spoke, yet you never got along, the simplest interactions leading to full blown arguments. He grinned as he pulled his hands out of his pockets, flexing his fingers. You had to admit, Bakugo was intimidating, but you wouldn't allow yourself to be discouraged.

"Don't underestimate me," You warned, readying your battle stance. He scoffed at your remark.

"I'll kill you." He said bluntly, his palms crackling in excitement. There was an excited glint in your eye that seemed to unnerve you. This wouldn't be an easy win— but you were prepared for anything.

"Ready?! Start!"

Katsuki wasted no time propelling himself forward using his explosive quirk, his hand glowing a bright orange with a ready-to-be set off blast. He detonated blast after blast, each of which you managed to evade. Escaping the dusty aftermath, you suddenly charged toward him, taking the entire audience by complete surprise. As the ash-blonde neared you, his palm began crackling violently.

"What?!! She's running straight toward Bakugo's attack?! What's she thinking?!"

"DIEEEE!!!!!"

He swung his exploding hand forward, detonating a large blast that tore through the floor of the arena. Smoke and ashes rose up from the destruction, blinding the audiences view of the stage. Murmuring erupted from the audience, many confused as to what had just happened.

"What's going on?! I can't see anything!!" Present Mic questioned, struggling to see through the thick smoke. "Was (L/n) wiped out by Bakugo's quirk?!"

The smoke gradually dispersed, revealing the two of you standing across from one another. But what had stunned the crowd was you, who after taking Bakugo's quirk head-on, consumed the fire as if it was edible. This was your first ever attempt at consuming someone else's quirk, and much to your surprise, your plan had worked! Katsuki froze as he gaped at the sight, struggling to grasp what had just occurred.

"EHHHH?! (L/N) HAS JUST EATEN BAKUGO'S QUIRK?!" Present Mic shot up from his seat, pressing his face up against the commentary window. "I've witnessed strange things in my commentary days, but this is an exciting never-before seen twist!! Is Bakugo's quirk is powerless against hers?!! Is this an indefinite win for (L/n)?!"

Katsuki's eyes widened at the pro-hero's comment, before he raced toward you. He was blinded by anger as he threw a handful of exploding fists. In a split second, you gripped Bakugo's arm mid-air, delivering a fiery uppercut that he failed to dodge. It collided roughly against his jaw, sending him backwards and sliding across the concrete, his skin suffering from multiple scrapes and brusies.

He groaned from the impact, but you didn't give him the luxury to recover, as you were already headed toward him, fist ablaze. He quickly rolled out of the line of fire, just barely missing your attack. The detonation tore straight through the arena floor. Bakugo quickly realized, if he was going to make it to the finals, he'd have to rely on his physical strength rather than his quirk. He concluded that the consumption of his quirk seemed to boost your strength, and he wouldn't let that happen.

You spent the next minute throwing a series of flaming punches, and surprisingly, Bakugo managed to evade them all. You noticed yourself becoming a bit exhausted— this wasn't good. Taking advantage of your exaustion, Bakugo began his assault, forcing you into the defensive as he attacked relentlessly. Releasing an aggravated yell, he threw one last punch, which you failed to dodge. The impact of his fist against your cheek sent you backwards, stumbling on your feet. The crowd began to boo Bakugo, clearly in favor of yourself. You huffed, not wanting to be pitied by anyone. You refused to be the crowd favorite simply because they pitied you.

Forming a funnel around your mouth, you inhaled deeply, before letting out a fiery roar. The onslaught of flames surrounded Bakugo, temporarily blinding him. Using this to your advantage, you rushed forward, gripping onto his forearm. Twisting it, you turned your body, flipping the blonde over your back. He let out a curse, his body slamming harshly against the concrete.

Katsuki's pained expression quickly twisted into one of anger. He used the opportunity to wrap his fingers around your ankle, tugging it harshly. Letting out a shriek, you fell to the ground with a loud thud. In seconds, he pulled you toward him by your ankle, his exploding fist colliding with your face once more. You were sent across the arena by his sudden attack, and over the boundaries, much to the audience's surprise. The spar was quick-paced, as well as violent. Unfortunately, your strength wasn't enough to compete with Bakugo. You sat up, staring blankly as the blonde, who glared daggers into your frame. He wiped the blood from his lip, before holding up a victorious fist, the crowd going wild with cheers.

"(L/n) is out of bounds! After a full-out brawl, Bakugo has managed to knock her out of bounds!"