Latibule

22 - ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪɴᴀʟ ᴍᴀᴛᴄʜ

Previously on Latibule:

I directed my attention to the screens, as did Midoriya.

"I wonder what this match will be like," he started and I went to answer but he took the words right out of my mouth. "Besides intense."

I nodded in agreement even though he couldn't see it. There really was no better word to describe what was to come.

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Latibule — Chapter 22///The Final Match

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As the match progressed, I felt my own worry shadowing everyone else's emotions. It was odd as it hadn't really happened since I got my quirk which was, well, a long long time ago. Or, at least, it seemed so far in the past.

As weird as it was to admit it, Bakugou had really grown on me even though I couldn't exactly tell if we were friends. I wished we could be but 80% of the time Bakugou acted like he wished the opposite.

Nevertheless, I was worried for Bakugou and there was no way I could deny it. Not while I was so convinced the worry was my own and not anyone else's.

Bakugou landed far from Todoroki and my worry subdued for a moment, letting me take in everyone else's emotions. Bakugou was getting irritated and, though I couldn't hear the two fighters talking, I figured it was because Todoroki hadn't used his flames yet. Bakugou didn't seem the type to take it well when someone didn't give it their all in a fight with him.

Bakugou's rage and disappointment — unsurprisingly enough — only intensified when he charged again, not going easy on Todoroki and expecting the latter to return the favor.

Midoriya stood up, shouting encouraging words to Todoroki over the crowd that was silent with anticipation. That sparked a flame — both figuratively and literally — and Todoroki started to attack. But then it just... died down. The great wave of sadness and grief that rolled off of the dual-haired boy overpowered every other emotion in the air and I felt myself be numbed by the feeling.

The feeling was so complicated that at first I couldn't even pinpoint what it was. My stomach seemed hollow, as did my heart, and my head was just blank. It was almost peaceful, in a way, if not for the slight ache at the very core of the emotion.

Bakugou released a blast so strong it broke most of the ice. That's when the storm in my heart died down. Therefore, I knew that Todoroki had passed out before anyone else did.

Sinking into my seat, I watched the climax of the match. Midnight had to use her quirk to knock Bakugou out after the boy went to attack his unconscious opponent.

I wanted to comfort them both, I did. But two things held me back. Firstly, I didn't know for sure where to find them or if they wanted to see me or if it was my place to comfort them. Secondly, I felt as if I couldn't even comfort myself at the moment.

One could say my social battery had run out but I was sure it wasn't that at the moment. There was just this feeling — this tension — in the air that left me void of feeling even though there were so many emotions buzzing in the air around me. It was so overpowering that it seemed to be the only thing in the world.

"Hey, you alright?" Kirishima asked, jabbing an elbow at my side.

"Yeah," I nodded, my answer rather automatic. "Just dealing with the... whole thing."

"Yeah, pretty crazy, right?" Kirishima hummed along, either not noticing my demeanor or deciding not to mention it. "Those two are pretty strong."

My eyes followed the people cleaning up the arena as I answered, my thoughts already somewhere else. "That they are."