Crimson Empress (FemDekuxToga)

53 - Bakugo vs Ochaco

"Thanks for staying with me Izu, I know you'd prefer to be watching the matches as close as you can."

"No I'd rather be with you right now Himi!"

Izumi sat beside Toga in Recovery Girl's office with a worried expression. While she had more or less predicted Toga's loss considering the conditions of the match she had not anticipated Momona to be so ruthless. Watching Toga slam into the wall as the noises of the arena faded into silence had left a wound on the silver haired girl's heart.

In some corner of her mind Izumi understood why Momona had been so violent, it was the same reason Bakugo and even herself fought the way they did. If there was a threat then it made sense to neutralize that threat to minimize damages and casualties that could arise. It was a sentiment the public often looked down upon as unbecoming of a hero and even heroes themselves were divided on the subject. Underground Heroes, like Aizawa, who often dealt with the darker aspects of criminal activity were big advocates for this method. While most Heroes who were in the spotlight opted for flashy displays against criminals and villains to garner better reputation with the public.

Regardless of the justifications and rationalizations there was still a swirling mess of emotions within Izumi. She wanted to respect her girlfriend's strength and abilities but she also wanted to shelter her from any form of harm.

"Well how about we watch the matches together from here then?"

Izumi nodded silently and pulled out her phone to abide by Toga's request. She climbed into the infirmary bed and leaned her head onto Toga's shoulder, enjoying the warmth as the next match began.

---------

Bakugo had been feeling a strange sense of unease since earlier that day. Both Pikachu and Kirby had been uncharacteristically quiet and focused since a few days ago. Not only that but they seemed to be giving him hostile glared every few minutes. It wasn't the usual irate glare from friendly name calling but something akin to cursing someone or wishing them harm. Even now as the two stood across from each other listening to Present Mic announce the beginning of the match Bakugo was met with brown eyes filled with malice. However regardless of the reason he still needed to focus on the match ahead.

In terms of raw power and combat ability Bakugo without a doubt had the upper hand. However Ochaco's quirk was troublesome for someone who focused on close combat. A single touch was all she needed to essentially remove someone from a fight. However keeping her at a distance was also a risky move. While he had been working on creating more concentrated explosions it wasn't quite ready to use outside of practice. His normal explosions didn't have much reach and anything stronger would just create rubble for the brunette to use as impromptu weapons.

The only option Bakugo could think of in the moment was a combination of Internal Combustion and a vague idea he had gotten from reading Shinso's notebooks on quirk analysis. It wasn't certain but Bakugo surmised that he may be able to create an explosion from even the slightest impact or friction. If he was able to combine it with Internal Combustion then it solved the damage he would sustain while using it. If he was able to create weaker explosions from small amounts of friction or impacts then he could not only use Internal Combustion near infinitely Bakugo would also be able to explode anything that so much as touched his body. However it only stood as theory, but what better opportunity to turn it into reality than the sports festival.

"You don't deserve to be here. I honestly can't fathom why she would keep you here."

Ochaco sighed as she steeled her resolve for the match ahead.

"What the hell are you talking about Kirby?"

Bakugo was genuinely confused at Ochaco's sudden outburst but nonetheless followed suite in adopting a combative stance.

"LET THE MATCH BEGIN!!!!!"

Without an ounce of hesitation in her movements Ochaco rushed forward in an attempt to grapple Bakugo. However when the ash blonde boy jumped back he couldn't help but feel strangely sluggish. He was barely able to twist out of the way of Ochaco's grasp.

A high stakes game of tag ensued with Bakugo attempting to minimize the collateral damage from his quirk while Ochaco kept trying to touch him even slightly.

After a few minutes of chasing each other across the arena Bakugo and Ochaco once again stood at opposite ends out of breath and glaring at each other. A quick glance around and Bakugo was rather pleased with the lack of damage henhad done to the arena. There was still places where a few pieces of rubble had been created from the destruction of his explosions. However Ochaco's condition wasn't quite what he was expecting, she was already drenched in sweat and her complexion was incredibly pale. Yet despite her condition a small smirk had crept onto her face.

"Did her pupils always have that weird pink glow?"

"I think I get it just a bit after being your classmate all this time. The reason she kept you around and believed in you all this time."

"What the hell have you been going on about Kirby?"

"It's respect and admiration. She respects your unflinching resolve and she admires your strength Bakugo. Even I can't help but feel that way despite everything you've done. So show her Bakugo. Show her that she isn't wrong!"

"Meteor Rain!"

Bakugo grit his teeth and clicked his tongue in annoyance at Ochaco's dialogue as he realized he had been tricked. However despite the question of how Ochaco had managed to set up the canopy of debris that was currently raining down upon him, he still needed to get out of danger first.

"Bring it on!"

Bakugo could feel the tremendous amount of heat building up inside of himself as he began to set off as many explosions as he could manage. If he didn't suppress the heat then he would eventually begin to rapid cause small explosions within himself. Even if it would give him the edge in raw power and speed the damage would be too much of a risk in the current situation. Bakugo could feel it continuing swelling up inside of him and a small amount of panic began to creep into his mind. But at the same time a small reckless thought had appeared in his mind.

"What if I didn't suppress it?"

Given the situation the worst that could happen was him ending up in Recovery Girl's office so he didn't see why not.

It was a strange sensation, letting the heat swelling up within himself to run rampant as it pleased. It was like something had cleared a blockage Bakugo didn't even know he had. He could feel the heat run through every fiber of his being but it defied his expectations of a painful explosion and instead felt like a invigorating warmth. Each minute movement felt like a burst of power and with every breathe even more energy circulated within himself.

-----

"He managed to complete it with the hint I gave Shinso."

Toga was unable to see Izumi's expression from the angle she was laying at. However her girlfriend's voice held pride and a hint of sadness. She herself had some vague understanding of why Izumi was the way she was but the depths of the silver haired girl's mind were still a mystery.

Izumi was kind by nature, kind to the extent that she often ignored herself in favor of taking care of others. Toga herself knew this best, all those night she had nightmares Izumi was always at her side. Every night her thirst would run its course Izumi would always be there to help satiate the desire. Yet even when Izumi herself would wake up crying and screaming she never once asked for comfort. Those nights she would be tormented by antagonizing pain she would pretend as if nothing was wrong. Perhaps it was the result of not having someone to lean on for so many years, the cumulative experience of having to suppress every part of yourself until it broke you.

Yet perhaps what Toga found the most alluring and mysterious were those crimson eyes. They held pain, admiration, joy, and hope. They saw and believed in the good of others despite their cold and often menacing gaze. What did it take to have those kinds of eyes?