Perfectly Imperfect (Shoto Todoroki x Reader)

Chapter twenty-two

"IT'S TIME FOR THE LAST SEMI-FINALS BATTLE, AND BOY, AM I HYPED FOR THIS ONE!!" President Mic's voice roared over the screaming of the crowd. I held up a hand, shielding the sun from my eyes as I stepped out onto the field.

"Hold onto your butts, sports fans, because this fight's gonna be a doozy!!"

"Is it, though?" I heard someone snark, somewhere to my right.

"I know she did well with her last two fights, but she doesn't seem all that different from the gravity girl from a few rounds ago. It's like lambs to the slaughter."

I pursed my lips and reminded myself that it would look really bad to threaten an audience member as I walked up to the stairs to the arena, standing face-to-face with a confident looking Bakugou.

"Sorry, Pockets, but this matchup isn't exactly in your favor." He sighed, cracking his knuckles. I narrowed my eyes. 

"Don't count me out yet, Bakugou."

We locked gazes, both our expressions pulling up into a smirk.

"BEGIN!!"

Unarmed, I charged forward, hands open and at the ready. Adrenaline flowed through my veins, waking me up, pushing me forward. Bakugou smirked, guessing at my strategy and letting me get close.

He knew I was a short ranged fighter, just like Ochaco. It wasn't possible for me to get close to him- it was stupid to try.

His hand whipped forward, aiming at my chest.

It was now or never.

"Sorry." Bakugo mumbled. "But this ends here."

I dug my heels into the ground, holding out my arm.

Within an instant, a massive burst of heat and flame erupted from his hand.

Within an instant, it vanished, as I slipped the pure, fiery energy into Hammerspace.

The feeling was... odd. A fire erupted around my neck and shoulders as the timeless void of my inventory stopped the explosion from completing. It felt like Shoto's touch- like heat from a fire.

"YESSSS!!" I laughed.

"WHAT!?!"

Bakugou shrieked, then lunged backward as I made a swipe for him. 

I wound back my hand, opening my drop down menu and selecting Bakugou's explosion, laughing as the raw energy shot forth from my fingers.

President Mic was screaming, people were yelling, but I didn't care, couldn't hear, I was thrilled. 

Bakugou, in a panic, fired off another explosion, which I caught immediately and blasted right back at him, howling with joy. Bakugou was shot backwards by the impact, grinding his teeth as he dodged another one of my attacks.

"DAMMIT, HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!" He screeched, aiming a punch at my nose. I dodged easily and made another grab for his arm, with he evaded.

"Come here and find out!" I call back, dancing around yet another punch. I did notice that my wrists were starting to hurt- probably a drawback from his explosions.

He aimed a punch at my stomach, which I blocked, pulling down my drop-down menu and selecting a baseball bat.

Bakugou's eyes widened as he narrowly dodged a swipe at his head. I leapt back, barely avoiding his counter attack.

I needed to get him out of bounds, or knock him out.

He dodged another attack with the bat, and finally landed a hit on me. I put the bat away. This was gonna be hard.

Bakugou ducked as I sent a silver ball whizzing past his head, then threw himself backwards as I made another swipe for his arm.

There was my chance.

With Bakugou flat on his back, I grabbed his hands, cutting off his ability to set of an explosion without giving me a weapon instantly. One of my knees were placed on his chest, the other firmly pinning both of his legs on the ground.

Bakugou screamed and thrashed, before vanishing completely.

I stood up, laughing, and lifted one fist in the air.

"Bakugou has been immobilized!" Midnight announced, a hint of glee in her voice. "L/n advances to the finals!!"

Gasping, I sat right down in the dirt, releasing Bakugou and taking in the realization that I. Was. In. The. Finals.

 I was in the finals.

I was in the finals!!

I was-

"POCKETS! JEEZUS CHRIST WILL YOU PAY ATTENTION!?" 

I was, quite literally, yanked out of my euphoria by Bakugou grabbing me by the back of my shirt and pulling me to my feet.

I blinked at him as he crossed his arms.

"Ugh... just- frickin- good match or whatever. You fought pretty okay."

He stormed off, leaving me stunned but extremely happy.

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It's odd, how time seems to move quicker the more you dread something.

The ten minutes of preparation given to Shoto and I were brutal. Every moment, every second ticking by was a reminder of the weight this fight carried. But then, even if I did fail, if I lost this fight, that was okay. Because I had already come so far, proved myself so much, lived up to what I wanted to be, and what I wanted to accomplish.

I was made of pure energy as stepped out onto the field for the last time.

"Welcome to the final battle of the UA High School Sports Festival!! In just a moment we'll see which first years come out on top! Yes, it all comes down to this, folks!!"

It was exhilarating, hearing the screams of the crowd rise louder than ever before, knowing why they were cheering, who they were cheering for.

Maybe Mom was watching from work.

"From the hero course, Shoto Todoroki, versus his classmate, Y/n L/n!"

I was ready- I was. I was.

Well, I guess it doesn't matter.

Ready or not, here I come.

"BEGIN!!"