Red in Different Shades

11. The Finals

. .

Edited 14.03.2022

. .

"It's finally the last battle of the U.A High School Sports Festival! The top of the first years will be decided with this one match! The Final, so to speak." Present Mic's ever-faithful commentary hyped up the crowd while Niwa stood staring across the arena.

Finally, she had made it here.

Her body twitched here and there, and her brain was still going nuts. But she was finally stood in the one place where this wonderfully stubborn asshole would give her the most attention. The final match, oh she knew how badly he wanted to win. He craved that top spot like she had craved this fight.

Niwa and Bakugou had been given five minutes to prepare for the final round and in that time, Niwa had hidden from every one of her classmates. She knew there was something going wrong upstairs. Her brain felt like some feline high on catnip and somehow still perfectly aware of everything going on around her.

Her body was a little heavy, she had been moving around for a while now. Sure, she didn't have that cursed fucking suit weighed down on her body, but Niwa hadn't exactly been using her Quirk on a high level for very long. Paired with the individual attacks she had received, no matter how minor, Niwa had easily begun to feel tired.

But... Even though her body craved rest, her mind was going absolutely ballistic.

The world remained sharp while she stared at her opponent. The slit pupils of her eyes could pick out details on the seemingly pristine concrete he stood on, details her eyes could have never spotted before. Distance was much easier to perceive and everything but her opponent was slightly out of focus.

Niwa blinked, taking in the boy's posture. Bakugou stared her down with a menacing grin warped across his face. Palms out and ready to attack.

"You know them already!! From the hero course, it's Niwa!" Present Mic announced. Niwa shifted, she felt so damn giddy. "Versus--! Also from the hero course, Bakugou Katsuki!"

Niwa's attention sunk into everything that this guy was. She didn't hear Present Mic's commentary, she didn't need to hear the words or the crowd or anything else. Bakugou moved towards her, and that was the only indicator she needed.

Niwa kicked off the ground and launched herself towards the blonde boy. Bakugou's explosions propelled him towards her almost simultaneously, both looking to close the distance and get right into the hard part of the fight. Niwa knew Bakugou preferred to fight close-to-mid range. That worked out perfectly for her.

Niwa swung out a kick in her opponent's direction. Bakugou swiftly avoided her attack with a small-scale explosion propelling him above her attack. Her eyes followed him, her momentum carrying her through with no breaks as he vaulted through the air over her head. One hand aimed at her back was her only warning, Niwa wasted no time in thinking on anything. Not on the pain she knew she should feel from the explosion ripping at her back, not about how she loved seeing that fire in his eyes, not about seeing it aimed for her with nothing held back. She simply moved; her body twisted inward just as the explosion pushed at her back with an unrelentless force, Niwa tucked her head under and threw her left leg over her right. Her fingers raked at the concrete, leaving about meters worth of scarring on the arena floor.

Bakugou had turned, he was watching. No doubt, it had been his plan to try and blow her out of the arena hard and fast. Her head tilted curiously, eyes latching on to his right arm clenched tight. Even though his muscles must be ripping at themselves from the force of his own explosion, Bakugou was the type to shatter the bones and burn off his skin if it meant his victory.