My Hero Academia: Aura Farming

[Valthorix]

I personally nearly cringed more than a few times

Click to shrink...

If you don't cringe at least once per chapter, are you really even aura farming?

 

[The Synonym]

I am just waiting for him on doing the standing on someone head technique really

Click to shrink...

Gotta be a baldy for the extra grip, so who could it be? Oh...

 

[UndeadLord22]

Deadass thought he'd come down like Garp with his arms crossed.

 

[The Radiance's Follower]

Piccolo would be proud.
Doing both the pull up technique and the sun kissed technique? just chef kiss.

Click to shrink...

I am waiting to see if he's going to use any of MJ's techniques.

 

[ForTheTiddies]

Just finished binging this fic and I gotta say, I loved it. The characters are all true to their canon self while still feeling different, the dialogue is smooth and flows well, every character has their own voice, the premise and quirk are well written, gah there's nothing I could say I hate about this fic other than THE FUCKING CLIFFHANGERS. I like the build up of Taka as a character, from chasing strength for the sake of strength to realizing that he could be using his strength in a meaningful way. That he's not farming aura because he's an aura farmer but he's an aura farmer because he farms aura. And regarding the power levels, as an author you got to do what you can to keep the story coherent.You don't want Taka to get OP fast and that's understandable. Eventually though he'll end up like Sung Dripwoo against Beru for most of his fights

 

[K5P26]

Gotta be a baldy for the extra grip, so who could it be? Oh...

Click to shrink...

My guy, if you fucking made him pose on AFO, I'm going nuts

 

[The Synonym]

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[Just this once]
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...

"Takahashi-san…" Midoriya stared at the scene below with a worried look.

For a moment, after that giant ice attack, he feared even someone as strong as Takahashi might have been done for. He hadn't even thought Todoroki was capable of that much power. They had seen him fight—but not to this extent.

But his fears turned out to be unfounded. The attack, while clearly powerful, had done nothing to Taka in the end.

It just went to prove once again the absurd gap that existed between Taka and everyone else.

"Why the hell are those two just talking now?" Kaminari asked, squinting at the two fighters standing calmly on opposite sides of the arena, speaking to each other. Soon he stood up, swinging his fist. "Boo, less talking, more fighting!"

To the side, Uraraka looked at the two wryly and let out a sigh. "The fight started so abruptly… seeing them just chat like that afterward, like nothing happened, feels super weird."

"To dare have a conversation in the middle of a fight broadcast to the whole world those two sure have guts," Sero commented with a wry smile.

Tokoyami closed his eyes, his tone heavy. "Is this what it means to be the strongest?"

Tsuyu put a finger to her mouth, looking at the arena curiously. "I wonder what those two are saying to each other right now."

"Looking at Todoroki's face… nothing good." Mina commented with a smirk.

Just like the class, the crowd was speculating just as much, staring at the brief ceasefire with confusion.

The fight had begun so forcefully—with an attack that would have put down anyone, maybe even some of the top-ranked heroes—yet had been completely disregarded by a mere student just like him.

Then, just when everyone expected a counter to come once Taka broke out from the ice unharmed, the two had strangely begun talking instead of fighting.

Which was why it all felt so out of place.

—Luckily, they didn't have to wonder about it for long.

—SSSSHHHHAAAAAA!—

Without warning, the exchange between the two ended—and a wave of ice surged violently toward Taka, forming a giant spire that struck him head-on.

—CRASH!—

Yet it shattered the instant it made contact, exploding into thousands of tiny glittering shards like a burst of snow.

Taka didn't even flinch. He began walking slowly in Todoroki's direction through the haze of ice fragments, his gaze fixed ahead.

But Todoroki's attacks didn't stop there. Without a moment's hesitation, he sent more and more ice spires surging toward him.

—CRASH!—

—CRASH!—

—CRASH!—

Yet no matter how many waves came, Taka's advance remained unchanged. Every attack ground to dust the instant it landed.

With each one that proved futile, Todoroki's face contorted further, desperation beginning to creep into his eyes.

If direct attacks weren't working…

"Hgh…!"

He struck the floor with both hands and changed his approach.

From his palms, a thick layer of ice began spreading across the ground like a coating. Before long, it reached Taka's feet and started creeping up them, locking them in place.

—For about half a milisecond.

Then Taka's foot tore through the encasement like it wasn't there, his walk completely unimpeded.

"…!"

Seeing even that come to nothing, Todoroki's teeth came together. He had no choice but to fall back—Taka was close enough now that he needed to rebuild some distance.

He retreated quickly, eyes never leaving Taka, and sent another ice wave ahead of himself to at least maintain the pressure.

—CRASH!—

The result, however, was unchanged. Taka walked straight through it with an impassive look.

Still, the distance had been rebuilt… but not everything was going well.

By that point, Todoroki's breathing had turned ragged, his whole body trembling with cold, his arms going numb.

He was hitting his threshold too quickly—the result of pushing his best attacks too hard and too fast.

At this rate, a few more attacks were all he'd be able to throw before the cold overtook him too much to continue using his ice.

He could manage for a little while longer. But even that might not be enough, given how easily Taka was brushing off everything thrown at him.

But despite knowing that, he wasn't going to give in.

Not with his old man watching. He couldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing him fail to prevail with ice alone.

He just couldn't. It would make everything he'd worked for until now feel useless.

With that resolution filling him, Todoroki readied himself to restart the barrage—but before he could—

"Hngh—?!"

A tendril of red aura shot from Taka, wrapped around his throat, and lifted him clean off the ground.

Without his feet on the ground, he couldn't generate any ice. He could only watch, helpless, as he was raised into the air and Taka slowly closed in.

Before long, his opponent stood mere meters away, eyeing him with a bored look.

He took in Todoroki's shivering frame, clearly feeling every bit of the cold he'd put himself through.

"Aren't you cold?"

"T—this is nothing." Todoroki answered through the telekinetic hold, his voice strained and his scowl stubborn.

Taka smirked. "Doesn't look like nothing to me."

Todoroki didn't answer. He knew putting on a front was useless.

Even he was aware that what he was doing was going nowhere. No matter how much ice he put out, it wouldn't be enough to beat Taka.

His fire was the only thing that might open even the smallest possibility… but he refused to use it. No matter what.

Even if it meant losing this fight, he'd pay that price.

His eyes shifted to the stands for a moment, finding his father's scorn-filled face.

'I won't.'

"Is that it, Todoroki?" Taka's voice cut through, pulling his attention back.

He found Taka's face looking back at him, expression flat with disappointment.

"So all that talk about wanting to be a hero was just something you told yourself to feel good?"

Todoroki's face shifted—confusion first, then outrage.

"No!"

Taka tilted his head, eyes dropping to the shiver running through him. "Then what is this you're doing?"

"What…?"

"Because, as far as I know, a hero doesn't risk lives and hold back just because of a tantrum."

Todoroki's face tightened. He didn't answer, but the anger in his eyes was plain.

Seeing that, Taka sighed.

"I asked you this already, but let me ask again. What will you do when you're a pro, and lives are depending on you? Will you still refuse to use your fire just because you want to upset your dad?"

"Shut up! What do you even know?"

Taka let out a mocking snort, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Quite enough, apparently. You rambled a lot, and so did your dad. Must run in the family."

Todoroki's eyes widened for a moment before his scowl deepened, now looking at Taka like he was truly his worst enemy.

"So in the end, he did buy you off—"

"He came to me, so I heard what he had to say," Taka cut him off with a scoff. "But like I said, there's little a mere second place can offer me. What I'm telling you now is my own choice, as your class representative and your opponent right now."

"…"

"You think doing this is getting back at your father… and maybe it actually is. He didn't look very pleased when he talked to me about your situation. But is this really the only way you can think of to get back at him? By halving your own potential? By half-assing a profession where lives are on the line? By letting your goal of becoming a hero take second place to the need to get back at him?"

"…"

"I'm not telling you to forgive him and forget your anger. I'm telling you to take this seriously."

With those words, he let go of Todoroki, letting him drop to the floor.

-Thud!-

Now with contact to the floor, Todoroki looked ready to press the attack for a moment—but hesitated as Taka stepped closer, and saw his eyes fall upon him with a questioning glare.

"... Is your dad really worth all that?"

"..."

Todoroki didn't answer, letting the silence of his own doubts hang over the platform.

Taka stayed equally quiet, giving him the space to think it through.

But when enough time had passed, Taka closed his eyes, his tone a little softer.

"Hey, Todoroki—have you thought that maybe your mom is watching this right now?"

"…!" Todoroki's look of confusion sharpened into something like shock.

"I don't know her. But judging from what you told me about her—do you think this is what she would have wanted for you?"

Todoroki's hand moved to the burn scar on his face.

"What do you know? I'm doing this for her. She hated my fire—she called it my unsightly side as she burned my face."

"I'm talking about your mother. Not the one who burned you."

"…?"

"The mother you remember. The one that makes you hold her so dear. What would she think of seeing you waste yourself like this—out of hatred for someone like your father?"

"…" Todoroki's eyes closed as he turned it over in his mind. Especially the moment he had first decided he wanted to become a hero.

She had been there with him. She was the reason he'd made it his choice.

But as he reached for that memory, others surfaced alongside it—her face, terrified, and the scowl of the man responsible for all of it.

He couldn't let go of it that easily. If he did, that bastard would get the satisfaction of seeing him play along with his desires, even after everything he'd done.

But as those thoughts started to crowd in, Taka's voice reached him once more.

"Forget about everyone here right now. This isn't about me, the people watching, or Endeavor. It's about you and what you really want."

Todoroki's eyes opened, and he found Taka standing there—no longer radiating that oppressive presence from before, just his classmate, looking at him with a calm expression.

"Do you want to be a hero?"

"I…!"

Todoroki's mouth opened, but the answer didn't come right away.

'What I really want.'

He wanted to see his father pay. He was sure of that.

But like Taka had said—was this really the way? By halving what he could be?

His mind returned to his mother.

She was the reason he hadn't wanted to use his fire—when she burned him, he had seen the hatred for his father in her eyes… but would she, the mother who had once pushed him toward becoming a hero, when everything was simpler, truly come to hate this side of him? Would she be glad to see the path he was taking?

Would his mother, right now, feel the same way?

He hadn't spoken to her in so long. He didn't know.

His fist tightened.

For a moment, his father's face surfaced again.

But as he looked at Taka—standing there not as an overwhelming wall, but as an opponent who genuinely wanted the best from him, just like everyone else giving everything they had at this festival—his father's face faded away.

Displaced by a single desire.

"Haaah…" Todoroki let out a slow breath.

Then—

—Fwoosh!—

Fire ignited from his right side.

He lifted his hand, stared at the flames covering it, and closed his eyes as the warmth seeped into his body, chasing away the cold that had settled into his bones.

Then his eyes opened again, locking onto Taka.

That desire...

That desire was to fight with everything he had, right here, right now.

"Just this once," He finally said, smiling faintly.

Taka smirked back.

Then, in but the blink of an eye, his figure blurred, suddenly jumping from Todoroki's spot, to the opposite end of the arena.

The instant both were at enough distance, aura from before began flaring around Taka again. Like a fire that was alive, dancing in earnest for battle.

"Then let's end this with a bang. This has been too much talk—don't you agree?"

"It's you who couldn't mind his own business." Todoroki said, the smile not leaving his face.

Even as he said it, his fire intensified—hot enough that the heat began reaching the crowd from afar.

And then, from his left side, ice started generating in enormous amounts.

On Taka's side, his smirk widened.

The aura around him shifted, pulling away from him in four tendrils, which slowly converged and began forming a sphere of pure crimson light before him.

—FWOOSH!—

Then, the next second, it no longer was light—but raw fire, concentrated into a single point. It was equal to, if not hotter than Todoroki's.

—Crackle, crackle!!!—

Only for arcs of electricity to then begin wrapping around it, sharp and violent.

—Bzzzzz!!!—

The sphere gave off a dangerous feeling, like the concept of destruction made physical.

As the two readied their attacks, they glared at each other one last time, smiles widening in equal lengths.

To go all out, without restraints anymore… truly felt good.

"Not this again, what's with these first years?!" Cementos snapped out of observant state, rushing toward the platform.

He had been attentive during all the fight so far, so he was close enough to reach it in an instant.

As he did, Cementos drove both hands into the platform, pushing up several thick concrete walls between the two.

But by then, it was already too late for that.

"Don't blame me for what happens next." Todoroki said, not particularly caring whether Taka could hear him from that distance, or with the walls separating them.

—SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHAAAAAA!—

Without further delay, the ice from his left side surged in enormous quantities—equal to, if not greater than the first wave he'd unleashed against Taka. A surge of ice so massive it swallowed the distance in mere milliseconds.

—BOOOOM!—

In an instant, the ice tore through the concrete walls Cementoss had made, rushing toward Taka.

But then—

"Try not to die," Taka said.

And snapped his fingers.

—BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!—

The sphere of fire and electricity exploded into a monstrous beam of both elements, letting out a sound resembling a mixture between screeches and howls, like hell itself brought to earth.

—SCREEEEECH!!!—

The beam soon clashed against the massive amount of advancing ice, letting out a sharp screech as it ate through it, evaporating all of it in mere instants, and quickly tearing through it in Todoroki's direction.

But that wasn't the end of Todoroki's attack.

In that brief moment where both attack clashed, even if not for long, Todoroki's right side moved.

He pointed his flaming hand forward.

"Takahashi—thank you."

And with those words—

—FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!—

A beam of pure fire shot forward, joining the clash.

The ice gave out not long after, but by then, the fire beam had arrived at the collision point.

—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!—

Both beams met with such force that the arena itself began crumbling from the energy radiating off them.

Heat and violent gusts of wind exploded outward in every direction.

Cementoss had no choice but to shield Midnight and himself instead of interfering, knowing this was beyond them, even as pros.

The sound that seemed to come from hell only intensified, followed by an amount of light coming from the clash that many had to cover their eyes.

It was like seeing the very sun being created.

'Should I step up?! At this rate, those two will destroy the entire stadium!' For a moment, even All Might looked ready to intervene, looking incredibly worried as he too covered his eyes from the light.

But before he could think how to disrupt such a destructive clash without causing a disaster, the stalemate between both attacks ended.

—FWOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!—

A second later, Taka's beam swallowed Todoroki's, absorbing it completely, and surged toward the wide-eyed teenager. So scorching and violent that, for a moment, Todoroki felt his own life nearing its end as he saw the beam advance toward him uninterrupted.

But before it could reach him—

"…?!"

The beam redirected upward, curving comically and shooting straight into the sky.

—BOOOOOOOOOM!!!—

As soon as it was high enough, it detonated with an intensity that sent a shockwave rolling across the entire surrounding area—the ground shaking like an earthquake from the sheer energy of it.

Todoroki stared at the result of their clash, completely dumbstruck.

So much so that he didn't notice the figure now standing directly behind him.

"This was a start. But next time, once you're past your restraints, I hope you'll give me a more proper fight."

"…?!" Todoroki's eyes snapped wide open and he spun around.

But by then it was too late. His collar was grabbed, and he was swung around like a ragdoll before being thrown out of bounds, completely unable to do anything in time.

-Thud!-

His body hit the grass. He caught himself before landing too wrongly, but it still hurt.

As his eyes shifted once again to the platform, he saw Taka, looking satisfied.

Todoroki let out a huff as his mouth curled into a small smile.

Thus, after a few more seconds of utterly baffled silence—

{"T-Todoroki is out of bounds—Takahashi advances to the next round!"}

The fight was finally declared over.

...

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-To Be Continued...-

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pḁtreon.com/TheSynonym (Change the a)

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(A/N: I wasn't too satisfied with how this chapter went when I first wrote it. But revisiting it, I think it was fine. If anything, maybe the two talked a bit too much, and the clash didn't quite have the feeling I'd hoped for.

But whatever.)

 

[MrOutsider]

Satisfying end to the battle.

 

[SiegfriedisPower]

Shame we couldn't have dessert to go with the meal.

 

[Despacitoleo]

Peak fight truly he is an aurafarmer

 

[Yohnos]

"An abusive father pet project can never defeat me."

 

[K5P26]

Did you just made Taka and Todoroki do a JJK reference

 

[The Synonym]

(A/N: Sorry for the wait, I keep thinking I've uploaded on all sites when I have in fact not.)
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[Following Fights]
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...

"It can't be…"

Endeavor couldn't believe what he was seeing.

When he saw Shoto finally shake off his shackles and use his fire, he had been ecstatic.

At last, his son had left his childish phase and embraced his glorious destiny.

At last, the countdown to surpassing All Might had begun ticking.

He felt so overjoyed that for a moment he almost made a scene—interrupting the fight to shout encouragement at his son for taking that big step toward becoming the next number one.

His flames even intensified for a moment.

But when the clash between the two youths unfolded, he saw something that stopped him cold.

Fire.

No—something similar. It looked like flames, crimson as hell itself. Hotter, more intense, and considerably more dangerous.

And they weren't his son's.

They were from his opponent.

'Wasn't his Quirk Telekinesis…?' Endeavor couldn't help but question, staring in disbelief at the blazing inferno condensed before Takahashi—a sphere of pure flames and electricity.

And what followed only cemented his fear.

His son threw his best at him. Both ice and fire.

But in the end, Takahashi's attack engulfed both like an insatiable inferno and advanced toward his son uninterrupted.

For a moment, he saw his son's imminent death, and moved to try and stop it somehow.

But at the last second, the attack curved beyond logic and launched itself into the air harmlessly—followed by his son being thrown out of bounds while he and many others had been focused on the catastrophic blast going off overhead.

Endeavor had already known Shoto wouldn't win.

But this way?

With his fire being completely outclassed?

His teeth ground together.

It could be argued that Shoto's mastery of his own power was primitive at best. His control over ice was exceptional, certainly, but without an equal command of his fire—and further still, without full control over the harmony of both sides to produce something greater—Shoto was far from his full potential.

But what about Takahashi? He was a teenager, the same age as Shoto, and was already capable of unleashing that kind of destructive power while barely, if at all, looking winded.

Who was to say this was his limit?

—Especially when a Quirk described as telekinesis had turned out like this. If it was capable of that, what else was it hiding?

"It can't be..."

At that moment, Endeavor felt the full weight of Takahashi's words in his bones.

The problem is, when he does, it'll be meaningless—because by then, I'll have already replaced the symbol of peace.

Before this fight, he had only known Takahashi by name, and some mentions during his arising fame after the USJ incident. He watched briefly the video, and came to the conclusion that Taka was a promising future hero without a doubt.

But that was all he was able to take from it.

Now that he had been able watch his prowess from up close, however, he realized Takahashi was more than that.

Perhaps, like he had said… it would all be meaningless.

Perhaps, the era of All Might was coming to an end.

"..."

Endeavor stared silently between Takahashi—standing on the platform with a victorious expression—and Shoto, who, despite having lost, looked strangely refreshed.

For a moment his flames burned brighter than before.

But after a while, he turned and left without a word.

He had a lot to think about.

...

°

°

°

| Upper rows of the stadium, VIP seats: |

...

"That kid sure is taking it far," Seiji muttered, smiling wryly as he watched Taka's figure still on the platform.

Beside him, Eri let out an awed hum, eyes wide as she stared down at the arena. "Taka is amazing."

But then she turned to Seiji.

"… But why did Taka enter the fight from up there instead of through the big doors like the others?" She pointed at the stadium's ceiling.

"... Huh?"

Seiji looked briefly startled, then let out a choked laugh.

"That kid just loves to show off. And today he has someone to aim all that toward, so he's going a bit further than usual."

"Someone?" Eri looked curious.

Seiji let out a small laugh and rubber her head. "You, of course, Eri. He's usually a bit more subtle about it, but he's going all out today. So humor him a little and act surprised, will you?"

"But I am surprised."

Seiji smile widened slightly and turned his eyes back to Taka down below. "Then that's fine."

As he did, he took in Taka's confident expression, and the way he was already walking away from the platform, victorious after what would have been an impossible and ridiculous fight last year.

"He's come a long way. He deserves it a little."

...

°

°

°

| Minutes later, Class 1-A's section: |

…

After a while, Taka arrived back at the section, drawing everyone's attention as he walked in like he owned the place.

Everyone stared at him speechlessly. Still a bit stricken by the display of raw power from the fight just now.

For some reason, they had the feeling that that last attack had been a lot more powerful than what he showed against the villain at the USJ.

Even Todoroki, after using his fire—something that no one had expected would happen given his reticence to use it—ended up being overwhelmed completely regardless.

The more they saw about Taka, the more unfair they felt life was.

How does one come across such a powerful Quirk?

"You came back. Decided we were good enough for you, Sir Takahashi?"

As he sat down, Jiro mocked him with a smirk right away.

Taka briefly gave her a flat look."If you guys don't start again, then yes."

She snorted.

"By the way, what were you and Todoroki talking about so much? I swear you spent more time talking than fighting."

"Personal matters." Taka answered curtly, evidently not about to go into it much.

Midoriya muttered something from his corner. "That must be why Todoroki-kun used his fire…"

Taka's eyebrow twitched at his quick realization.

But well, it wasn't that hard to pick up on it.

Todoroki had refused to use his fire. Taka had talked to him about something. Todoroki used his fire.

The sequence of events couldn't make it clearer, could it?

As he thought amusedly about it, suddenly, he felt a gaze upon him.

He turned slightly and found Bakugo looking at him with a piercing gaze.

A little more and he would start shooting explosions from the eyes.

"What?" Taka asked, loud enough for him to hear.

"..."

Bakugo didn't answer. Instead, his frown only deepened.

"..."

"..."

For a moment their gazes clashed. With neither looking away for a whole minute.

But in the end, Bakugo looked away first.

As he did, however, Taka noticed something different. The guy was angry, yes, nothing new there—but in his gaze, he was also carrying something heavier than his usual explosiveness.

And the truth was, yes, he was.

If the previous games had been a direct showcase of Taka's superiority, that last clash had only driven it home further.

With each of Taka's turns to show off, Bakugo felt his own chances shrink a little more.

And now that their fight was just one obstacle away, the pressure was becoming genuinely hard to hold off.

Bakugo's fist trembled slightly.

Noticing it, his eyes widened for a moment, before he clicked his tongue and stood up.

Then, without saying anything, he walked off, leaving the class' section soon after.

As he left, eyes followed him out.

"One arrives, and another leaves."

"I wonder if we make people uncomfortable."

"He must just be nervous. If he wins this fight, he'll be Taka's next victim, after all."

"Yeah, I'd be terrified if I were him."

Taka stared at his departing back with an impassive look, whatever was on his mind known only to him.

After that, minutes passed while Cementoss worked through the damage he and Todoroki had left behind.

While that happened, Iida—who had been talking with Uraraka—suddenly received a call and stepped away to take it somewhere quieter.

And just at that same moment, Jiro, who had been scrolling her phone while they waited, suddenly flinched.

Taka glanced at her, then flinched himself.

She was checking a news site—specifically, breaking news about the near-hospitalization of Ingenium and the capture of the Hero Killer, all at the hands of a certain vigilante.

Quickly, and before she could finish reading, Taka looked away, feigning upmost ignorance to what she was reading.

Not long after, Iida returned, looking shaken but otherwise relieved.

"What happened, Iida-kun?" Midoriya asked, watching his classmate with worry.

Iida seemed to consider whether to speak for a moment, then nodded, his grave expression seeming to relieve for a second as he shared what was on his mind.

"My brother was attacked by the Hero Killer."

Everyone turned to him in disbelief.

"The Hero Killer?!"

"The one that's been on the news lately?!"

"Is he okay?!"

Iida nodded, still looking like his heart had nearly given out a minute ago. "A vigilante intervened just before things could escalate. Rockinesis. Thanks to him, the Hero Killer was captured, and my brother avoided the worst."

"Rockinesis? Whoa."

Uraraka looked at him worriedly. "Is your brother okay, then?"

"Yes, luckily, the Hero Killer wasn't able to do much to him before Rockinesis arrived." Iida nodded.

Gasps and surprised expressions emerged from the class. But since nothing seemed to have gone horribly wrong, Everyone began wishing the best for Iida and his brother, followed by a wave of comments about the Hero Killer and Rockinesis.

While that went on, Taka stared at the air in front of him with an expression carved from stone, as if it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen.

"…"

"…"

All while Jiro's gaze burned into the side of his head from right beside him.

"That's crazy, ain't it, Takahashi?"

"Hmm, yes. Criminals these days sure are bold."

"Not to mention the coincidence of the one saving Iida's brother being Rockinesis."

"Maybe he was passing by."

"..."

"..."

Luckily, it seemed he wouldn't have to feign ignorance for long.

{"The arena is repaired, everyone—shall we move on to the next fight?!"} Present Mic's announcement rang out suddenly, gathering everyone's attention back to the arena.

As usual, the screen changed and the next two contestants' pictures appeared.

Bakugo and Tokoyami.

The crowd cheered, and waited for them to step out.

They didn't disappoint.

Soon, Tokoyami stepped from the shadows and into the light, gaze locked ahead.

Then, without warning, Dark Shadow emerged from him, spread both arms wide behind him like a pair of enormous black wings, and slammed them into the ground with great force—

-Thud!-

—launching Tokoyami in a high arc through the air, all the way from the entrance to the platform.

He landed brusquely, but imposingly as well. Looking, in what would probably be his words, like a fallen angel that had descended to deliver judgement.

The crowd cheered in excitement.

But that wasn't the end of it.

—BOOM!—

An explosion cut through the noise, and every eye swung to the opposite side.

Bakugo stepped into the light, scowl sharp as ever.

Then, once he had the crowd's attention—

—BOOM!—

He snapped both hands down and launched himself into the sky like a rocket.

—BOOM!—

—BOOM!—

—BOOM!—

From up there, he let off a rapid chain of explosions, spinning his body wildly through the air as he descended.

Until he came crashing down one final time, sliding into a proper pose right at his spot.

The crowd went wild.

"Look what you started…" Jiro muttered, a bead of sweat on her forehead as she stared down at the two.

Taka watched the spectacle in silence for a moment before stifling a short laugh. "They're trying to get sponsorships, aren't they? A little showmanship won't hurt them."

Jiro looked like she was about to say something to that—then stopped, mouth hesitating.

Then she seemed to actually start thinking about it.

"… It's still too embarrassing," she said eventually, cringing at the notion of pulling something like that when her own fight came after this one.

"Only if you do it wrong." Taka refuted her.

"Not everyone has a hide as thick as yours."

Taka didn't answer. He just shrugged.

Jiro grumbled at his silence, then leaned forward to watch the fight already unfolding below.

Her mind, however, was somewhere else entirely.

As she turned her attention to it, so did Taka.

First, the two fighters sized each other up. Bakugo hadn't paid much attention to his classmates throughout the festival, and Tokoyami wanted to get a real feel for what he was dealing with.

After enough of that, both moved.

Bakugo launched himself with the clear intention of ending it fast.

While Tokoyami went in committed to going all out.

And so he did.

Dark Shadow, who had been floating at his side, suddenly did something unusual—something that shouldn't have been possible for months yet.

It wrapped itself around Tokoyami like armor.

His special move… Darksomething, had come in early.

That was also part of why Taka had pushed him to work on his hand-to-hand combat—not only to make better use of the numerical advantage of fighting as two, but to be able to get the most out of this new technique once it arrived.

The current Tokoyami was a much more rounded fighter.

—BOOOM!—

"Hngh—!"

Of course—that didn't guarantee him victory.

As much as he'd grown, this particular matchup was a genuinely bad draw for him.

Not only was the daylight already sapping Dark Shadow's strength, but Bakugo's explosions served as their own powerful light source—an additional, active counter to exactly the kind of power Dark Shadow needed to be at its most dangerous.

So he was fighting with his armor on, yes. But in its current state, and with his still-developing control over it, it wasn't enough.

And even less so against a Bakugo who was fighting with a target far bigger than Tokoyami in mind.

Before long—even with Tokoyami putting up a real fight and landing a few hits—Dark Shadow eventually gave out, and he was blasted out of bounds.

{"Tokoyami is out of bounds—Bakugo advances to the next round!"}

With that, Bakugo took the victory.

As he stood there, breathing hard and sweating, his gaze drifted up to the class section and locked onto Taka.

And he let out a faint smile.

He was ready.

His fight with Midoriya had left him more uncertain than he'd expected. And as his fight with Taka drew closer, the pressure had only mounted.

But now, after letting some steam out, the doubt had cleared.

He'd prepared everything he could, and he was in the best shape he'd be in.

He couldn't win. That much had become clear over the course of the day.

But there was one thing he wouldn't let go of.

He'd make Taka acknowledge Katsuki Bakugo as the peerless prodigy he had always been.

Taka didn't count as a peer. He had the feeling the guy wasn't human.

So he didn't count as a prodigy either—just a freak.

With that settled, and a new kind of resolve in place, he turned away with a sneer and walked off.

On Taka's side, he watched him go with a flat look, then snorted to himself.

If the guy was carrying that much confidence, he hoped he'd bring something worth seeing.

The arena reconstruction after that didn't take long. A few minutes later it was finished, and the next fight was about to start.

Jiro had already left for it, as had Uraraka.

Soon enough, both appeared at the field entrances.

Uraraka floated herself up to the platform, then struck an awkward pose. She'd clearly thought of a simple entrance but hadn't figured out what to do once she'd gotten there.

Jiro, on the other hand…

'The hell…?' Taka's eyebrow twitched.

She walked down to the arena with a boombox on her shoulder, letting out music.

Once there, she set the boombox aside, out of bounds, and crossed her arms in some kind of mic-drop pose.

Looking incredibly awkward through all of it.

'She might need some extra tutoring,' Taka thought, resisting the urge to facepalm.

Uraraka too, now that he thought about it.

It seemed he might have to help his classmates work on their presence, even after the festival wrapped up.

While he quietly dreaded the new responsibility being added to his list, the fight between the two didn't stay in the countdown for long.

{"Start!"}

The first thing that became clear once both clashed was that Jiro had the close-combat advantage. Not only had her training along the others to hit Taka helped in that regard, but her earlobes gave her reach and threat range that Uraraka simply couldn't match at that distance.

Uraraka tried to close in, but couldn't. Jiro was quicker on her feet, and good at keeping her out using physical strikes or her earlobes as stabbing tools.

But soon, that same advantage turned into a liability.

In one exchange, Uraraka nearly managed to touch her earlobes with her fingertips.

She missed—but it was enough. Jiro had felt how close that was, and the alarm it sent through her shifted her thinking.

So she switched to the next option and drove her earlobes into the floor, trying to throw Uraraka off with her new technique.

—BZZZZ!—

That's when the second disadvantage showed itself.

The moment the soundwave struck the ground, Uraraka went zero gravity, cleared the tremor entirely with ease by just hovering over it, and dropped straight down onto Jiro.

The result followed naturally. Between the shaking from the quake and the drop coming from above, Jiro couldn't dodge cleanly in time—and even though she nearly managed it, Uraraka grazed her fingertips across her.

Which was all it took. Unable to do anything, Jiro went floating, and the fight was over. Declared as her being unable to continue fighting.

It was a tough draw—much like Tokoyami, she'd been in a matchup where close combat was risky and her strongest move had been completely nullified.

After the fight wrapped up, both made their way back to the section.

Uraraka looked like she was floating without her Quirk. Jiro, on the other hand, wore an expression that said she might snap at the first thing Taka said to her.

So he said nothing. Just gave her a small smile.

"..."

"..."

Eventually she let out a long sigh and let some of the frown ease off her face—though she still wasn't looking anywhere near satisfied.

Taka figured something else later would do more for her mood than anything he could offer right now, so he let her drift into her own thoughts.

'We'll see if she can stay upset after what's coming.'

With the fight done, and since Jiro's technique had done a number on the platform, the over-exploited Cementoss had to deal with repairs again.

It didn't take long, since the damage was concentrated in one area. Once it was done—as was Cementoss—the last fight of the stage got underway.

Ojiro versus Iida.

A clash of close-quarters fighters.

Taka leaned back for this one.

Ojiro had sharpened his fighting skills over the past week, but so had Iida. And Iida's Quirk made for a genuinely troublesome problem for someone whose power was as straightforward as Ojiro's.

And just as predicted—though the fight was scrappy, given that both were solid in close combat—Iida's speed-driven strikes eventually did the job and put Ojiro out.

And with that, the second stage of the tournament came to a close.

Three fights remained before the final.

Bakugo against Taka. Uraraka against Iida. And then whatever followed for the final.

As everything settled for the incoming stage, Taka smiled faintly and opened his status.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: (181 Base) 1500

▸ Defense: (362 Base) 3000

▸ Aura Projection: 37,000

─────────────

Total Aura: 88,266 → 45,993 (52%)

1st Clone's aura: 12,273 (14%)

2nd Clone's aura: 5,000 (6%)

3rd Clone's aura: 5,000 (6%)

4th Clone's aura: 5,000 (6%)

...

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

'This sure is growing fast.'

This festival was turning out to be far more than he had expected, and even more than that.

And there was still more to come.

Smiling at that, he quickly allocated what he'd gained so far, then turned his attention back to the arena.

His fight against Bakugo was right around the corner.

Better prepare for yet another grand entrance.

...

────────────────────────

-To Be Continued…-

────────────────────────

Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters, and you'll help me make ends meet while doing so.

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──────

(A/N: What are you guys thinking about the growth speed? Is it being satisfactory? Originally it was tamer, but my patreons felt it was too little, so I boosted it a bit.)

 

[The Synonym]

────────────────────────
[Out Of The Bag]
────────────────────────

| Kamino's bar: |

...

"That brat…"

Shigaraki stared at the screen before him with wide eyes, lips trembling with anger.

In it, the footage of Taka's victory over Todoroki was still playing—him standing over the arena, looking down at his defeated opponent.

"You are still watching that, Shigaraki Tomura?" Kurogiri asked, closing the door behind him and looking at Shigaraki, who sat at the counter, watching the small television in the corner. In it, the Sports Festival played on.

"… Kurogiri, my day just keeps getting worse, so don't start."

The foggy villain let out a sigh, then walked behind the counter, picked up a glass, cleaned it with a rag, and poured a drink for both Shigaraki and himself.

"I've just finished talking with the master about our failure in recruiting the Hero Killer."

"…" Shigaraki grimaced.

Once again, he had failed at something that should have been simple, and disappointed his master's expectations.

How was it that the moment he started trying to build his name, everything began going wrong?

His eyes drifted back to the screen. To Taka.

First, it was him. An unknown variable—a sub-boss who appeared out of nowhere during his raid and happened to counter every preparation he'd stored to deal with the final boss.

Then, footage of his failure spread all over the country, making him a joke to every criminal out there—at least until he started turning some of them to dust. Their ridicule lessened after that.

But then something else had to happen, because of course it did. That vigilante. One whose name he'd heard some months ago but hadn't given much thought to.

Rockinesis.

Just when they were about to make contact with the Hero Killer, the bastard had to go and get himself captured by the vigilante.

Failure after failure after failure.

And now, his master had heard of the last one.

"What did he say about it?" He asked, his tone grim—clearly not wanting to hear the answer, but having to anyway.

There was a small pause, then Kurogiri spoke.

"He… wants to talk."

{"Indeed, Tomura."}

The familiar voice of his master echoed from the small black screen mounted on the wall near them.

After a few seconds of hesitation, Shigaraki spoke up.

"... Master, I'm sorry."

Surprisingly, however, what followed wasn't a beration—but a chuckle.

{"Don't be, Tomura. You may have failed at your most recent objective, but I may have found a reason for your recent streaks of bad luck. Something utterly unexpected—and just as interesting—and it's right there on the festival you're watching."}

A frown crossed Shigaraki's face before he glanced back at the television with a baffled look.

The only thing his master would mean by that was…

"The brat?" He asked.

Sure, he'd thwarted the raid on U.A., but how did that connect to the failure at recruiting Stain? The Hero Killer had been captured less than an hour ago, and the kid had been at the festival through all of it.

The footage of the fight had also been released by an unknown party who had been hiding in the shadows like a rat.

Did he misunderstand or something?

{"Takahashi-kun, yes."}

Apparently not.

{"After your failure at U.A., I took it upon myself to investigate him thoroughly. Such potential in such a young mind, yet unknown for so long. It was a disconcerting case… and what I found certainly didn't disappoint."}

Shigaraki tensed. So the brat was more special than he'd thought?

{"Are you familiar with the Quirk of the famous hero, Nighteye?"}

Shigaraki shook his head. The only enemy worth considering had been All Might, and the ones who might have proved an obstacle when he raided U.A.

Beyond those, he hadn't much cared about the rest of the heroes across the rankings.

All For One didn't seem surprised.

{"He possesses a very powerful and rare Quirk... The power to see the future. Although with a few limitations and weaknesses."}

"…!" Shigaraki's eyes widened at the implication. "Are you saying that brat has—?"

{"Perhaps, Tomura. It's just as possible that he has something of a similar nature, or, on the other hand, something that merely makes it appear that way. Regardless of what the answer is, it has been difficult not to arrive at such a conclusion, given our recent problems."}

"But in the records it's stated that his Quirk is telekinesis! And I don't see how he could have caused all the rest of our problems—he was only at the raid to stop Nomu." Shigaraki pressed, baffled and outraged at the possibility that, on top of unbelievable power, the brat might also have future sight.

{"And who else possesses a telekinetic Quirk, and has coincidentally interfered with our plans, Tomura?"}

A spark of recognition crossed Shigaraki's eyes.

"Rockinesis… But the brat was at the festival when Rockinesis—"

{"Time and place are not variables that disprove his identity in this case. With cloning in his arsenal, he could be anywhere, at any time… And besides, both seem to be acquainted in some way with a certain hero, quite a coincidence, don't you think?"}

"A certain hero?"

{"Super Monkey. One of the best-ranked heroes in the city of Shizuoka. The guardian of young Takahashi, and, in the case of the vigilante, the first one to contend with him properly, and from what our informants have told us, also the one Rockinesis warned about the raid to the Shie Hassaikai just minutes before it happened. Although the connections aren't very strong, the fact that they are there might mean something."}

Shigaraki went still, taking a few seconds to absorb the revelation.

If that were true… then that'd make the one responsible for all his misfortune… one single person.

As that thought dawned, rage surged within Shigaraki.

But as it did, another thing dawned on him, making the anger dwell momentarily.

"But if that were the case… how many different Quirks would it mean that brat has?"

Now that it had landed, Shigaraki recalled the bizarre range of abilities the brat had displayed during the Nomu fight, and what he'd shown today with the flaming skeleton on national TV. None of it looked very plausible from telekinesis alone.

But now, if what his master was saying was true, Rockinesis' abilities would also fall under the same kit.

Cloning, energy blasts—and the superhuman physique that both clearly shared.

Plus the future sight his master was theorizing he possessed.

It was impossible it all came from just one. So, just how many Quirks would that amount to?

As he thought of that last ability, however, something else occurred to him.

"But why do you think he can see the future, master?"

All For One sounded pleased with his question. {"There are multiple reasons. One is the rate at which he, as a vigilante, tended to appear right before or at the exact moment crimes were being committed—almost as if he knew about them in advance."}

That, Shigaraki hadn't known about.

Kurogiri, at his side, also looked faintly surprised.

{"The others are somewhat more circumstantial, but equally incriminating. When Machia returned months ago, having failed the task I sent him on after his encounter with the vigilante, he said he only retreated because he heard my voice order him to. If we assume it was the vigilante who was responsible for it, it would mean he already knew of me—despite us having erased most of our tracks over the past years."}

"Machia?"

Shigaraki sounded confused for a moment.

{"A precious subordinate of mine. He shall serve you in due time, when you are ready."}

Shigaraki nodded, looking a bit confused but accepting it regardless.

All For One continued with his explanation. {"Then there's his broader track record so far. According to our mole, he commissioned and brought a weapon to a class exercise right before your strike on U.A."}

'The blade.' Shigaraki's mind made the connection instantly to the blade Taka had used to cut Nomu apart repeatedly.

{"Beyond that, there are the multiple unfortunate events that have prevented our plans from progressing smoothly, all perpetrated by individuals of unknown identity, and the vigilante—allegedly, all the same person… As though he had known in advance of our moves, despite all of it being highly secretive, with no plausible way for a mere student or vigilante without resources to have known."}

His two listeners fell silent at the weight of it.

{"Of course, solid evidence remains lacking—much of this is still speculation and coincidence, as is the case for the claim that the vigilante and the student are one and the same. However, if I'm right, then he already has his sights on us. And on this place."}

"…!" Shigaraki's eyes widened.

He already knew where they were?!

"But then—why hasn't he attacked us? He looked eager to kill me back at U.A.!" He shouted, alarmed at the sudden feeling of danger rising through his skin.

{"Or he made it appear that way."}

Shigaraki paused, frowning.

He recalled that day.

While he couldn't say for sure the kid had been trying to kill him—he sure had taken his time in it. He could have cut or burnt the Nomu from the start, yet he first engaged in a fist fight, before slowly moving through his other abilities.

Almost like a play.

"...!"

So it had all been an act?

He had let him go on purpose?

"... Why?" Shigaraki managed to ask through the feeling of humiliation.

A sigh came from the monitor.

{"The reason, I'm afraid I can't decipher. Just like his abilities, his actions have been erratic and hard to follow—as should be expected of someone who knows the future, or a version of it, given that he has been actively interfering. We still don't know the full details, so the details of this alleged ability might turn out to be very different… But as to why he hasn't struck at us yet, I believe I do know the reason. And it's quite worrying, Tomura."}

A pause followed.

Then he dropped it.

{"That reason is power. As he is now, he cannot beat me."}

"... So he's scared. What's so worrying about that, master?"

{"He cannot beat me… yet. He is growing—growing stronger. The doctor ran an analysis of his strength output, energy release, and overall stats using footage from his first appearance to his most recent, assuming the student and the vigilante are the same. The conclusion was clear. He is growing very fast. There is also a possibility that the number of abilities he displays is tied to the progression of his strength as well. Takahashi-kun had shown no Quirk for most of his life, seemingly producing one out of nowhere a year ago—a disappointing one, to say the least. And yet, now he is on the verge of winning U.A.'s Sports Festival. Quite a remarkable rate of growth, isn't it?"}

Shigaraki looked shaken. "He cannot beat you… yet? Are you saying he will eventually be able to defeat you, master?"

{"The doctor ran a rough estimation using the speed of growth he's shown until now, and I'm afraid—yes. If his calculations are right, he'll gain enough power to contend with me in about a year or two. Because of that, and the sketch of his personality provided by our mole, I believe he knows it, and that's why he hasn't contacted the association or the top heroes yet. In an arrogant move, he intends to defeat me on his own—of course, this is all if our conjectures are right. If not, we might just be dealing with a kid with a terrifying potential."}

Shigaraki swallowed. Even if they were being a bit paranoid here, what if they weren't?

What if that brat was just waiting until he was strong enough to wipe them out for good? And one day, without warning, everything they had built collapsed like a card castle?

Which meant… they were on a ticking clock.

"Master, what should we do…?" He asked, worry creeping into his voice, his hands slowly moving up to scratch his neck.

{"First, we relocate."} Came All For One's voice. No longer alarming, but calm, like the worrying part was over, and now it was time for the action.

A second later, Kurogiri opened a portal right beside Shigaraki.

While that happened, All For One continued explaining, {If the future that he sees is fixed, and we move without his knowledge, he shouldn't know our new location. If we move and he does know—then we'll have learned something more about its scope and how it works."}

Shigaraki stared at the portal with a hard expression.

With a nod, he picked up his father's hand he had left aside to drink at the counter earlier, and put it back over his face.

Then he turned toward the portal and stepped through.

{"Second, my plans may need to change to account for this new variable…"}

Kurogiri followed after, stepping through the portal and leaving the bar empty behind him.

Yet, even without them there, All For One's voice continued from the screen.

{"I won't make the same mistake a second time. I won't allow a second All Might."}

...

°

°

°

| Back to the stadium: |

...

-Step, step, step-

Bakugo walked slowly up the stairs toward the platform, his expression set with determination, his gaze so focused it could have bored holes in the concrete ahead.

He'd have liked to pull off an entrance like before, not wanting to lose to Taka even in that. But this wasn't a fight he could afford to waste any energy on.

He'd need everything he had if he wanted to achieve his goal for this fight. So he just skipped the theatrics.

"..."

Not long after, he reached his spot and settled in, ready, waiting for his opponent.

He took a deep breath, nervousness trying to get itself invited in.

But Bakugo wasn't having it. With a clench of his fist, he shrugged it off. Then glanced at the entrance Taka was supposed to step out from—eager for all this to at last begin.

And as luck would have it—he didn't have to wait long.

—Thunk!—

Suddenly, a hand appeared from the gate Taka was supposed to emerge from, moving out, and grabbed the frame of the gate.

A large hand.

And skeletal.

Then, it pushed against the frame, the way something might crawl through a gap too small for it.

And something did crawl through.

"That bastard…" Bakugo's eyes squinted, his scowl deepening as he saw what emerged from there. "He did it again."

The same skeleton from before.

—Thunk!—

—Thunk!—

—Thunk!—

It hauled itself out of the entrance like a creature making its first appearance in the world, then began dragging its enormous flaming frame all the way to the platform—its great hands cracking into the ground with every pull.

Before long, it reached its spot, then pushed itself upright and tilted its face toward the sky.

—ROAAAAAAAR!!!—

A roar tore through the stadium, shaking it to its foundations.

And then—the flaming skeleton simply went out like a flame snuffed in a closed fist.

Revealing Taka standing at its core, arms crossed, eyes already on Bakugo.

Bakugo snarl twisted into something similar to a grin.

"Damn attention whore."

Taka smirked.

"It's called showmanship. You could use some."

...

────────────────────────

-To Be Continued…-

────────────────────────

Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters, and you'll help me make ends meet while doing so.

pḁtreon.com/TheSynonym (Change the a)

──────

(A/N: And so, things start spiraling. Out of control? Maybe, maybe not. Only time will tell.)

 

[shadyshadow_1776]

Oh God AFO is reacting this is probably gonna be really bad for the class hope not to terrible happens

 

[Insertcatchyusername]

Whelp, time for the cheese man to die

 

[Sceonn]

{"That reason is power. As he is now, he cannot beat me."}

Click to shrink...

Right track, wrong conclusion. Taka is now able to deal with an injured AFO. Hell he could likely contend with a boosted AFO with help.

"Damn attention whore."

Click to shrink...

Truer words were never spoken!

 

[EMP782]

To be honest I'm relieved that AFO figured it out since the fic was getting too boring with just mc aura with no further growth in his character.He genuinely needs to learn a lesson as to never do things half heartedly.

So far he has faced no actual threats that he couldn't have atleast escaped from. It'd be fun to see how much the fic changes.

 

[K5P26]

To be honest I'm relieved that AFO figured it out since the fic was getting too boring with just mc aura with no further growth in his character.He genuinely needs to learn a lesson as to never do things half heartedly.

So far he has faced no actual threats that he couldn't have atleast escaped from. It'd be fun to see how much the fic changes.

Click to shrink...

He did not live that long without being a cautious rat, Villains act and plan all the time, its just that they always fumble at the last leg of the journey.

 

[brokenBillairds]

To be honest I'm relieved that AFO figured it out since the fic was getting too boring with just mc aura with no further growth in his character.He genuinely needs to learn a lesson as to never do things half heartedly.

So far he has faced no actual threats that he couldn't have atleast escaped from. It'd be fun to see how much the fic changes.

Click to shrink...

its unexpected, but it does make things much more interesting

 

[The Synonym]

────────────────────────
[Climax]
────────────────────────

...

The fight started with as little subtlety as could have been expected.

The instant Present Mic gave the start, both students rushed at each other. Bakugo released an all-out explosion the moment the two met, while Taka aimed a fire-and-electricity charged blast directly at Bakugo.

—BOOOOOOM!—

The follow-up was as catastrophic as anyone could have predicted.

The platform cracked and exploded as Bakugo's blast went off, making everyone's ears ring from the sheer violence of it. But as the smoke cleared, it revealed Taka standing unbothered, an arm seemingly having absorbed all that force without a single scratch.

Bakugo had done something similar with Taka's attack—with his other hand, he'd released an explosion to offset the incoming blast.

In comparison, however, he hadn't been as successful. There were plenty of burns on his arm, the skin along them an angry red.

As soon as the two became visible again, neither gave the other a moment's rest.

But of course, one was faster.

—BAM!—

"Ack—!"

A kick moved fast, striking Bakugo's chest before he could even react. His body folded the instant it hit, and his figure was sent flying backward like a bullet.

He managed to snap out of it before he could reach the border of the platform, however.

—Booom!—

Using his own explosions, he killed his momentum, sending himself into a chaotic spin before killing that too with another burst.

Seconds later, from the sky, he was finally able to lock onto Taka.

He was—

"You look a little lost."

Right in front of him.

Before he could react, his head was grabbed like a ball, and with a violent throw, Taka sent him back down to the platform.

-Thud!-

Bakugo's back arched as he hit the ground, eyes widening as the air left his lungs.

But he didn't have time to linger on it—he saw Taka descending on him like a meteor.

—Boom!—

In a hurried move, he used an explosion to get out of the way at the last second, just as a knee had been about to smash his face.

As he dodged, dust rose from the impact point, the entire platform splitting into several cracks.

Bakugo stared at Taka's figure emerging from the dust with wide eyes.

But he didn't hesitate for long.

Without hesitation, and letting out a guttural growl, he lunged back at him, both palms aimed directly.

From them—

—BOOOOOM!—

A giant explosion engulfed a great stretch of the platform, and Taka with it.

Smoke billowed out in thick clouds, swallowing the hit area... And from it, a figure cut through, shooting backward at high speed.

Taka had been sent reeling from the recoil of that explosion—and yet, even moving backward, he was still standing straight with both arms crossed, feet sliding through the concrete and leaving a trail of dust, as though his movement were entirely secondary to him.

Then, just as he was nearing the border, his feet dug into the concrete and brought him to an abrupt halt.

"DIEEE!!!"

The next instant, Bakugo emerged from the dust, shooting straight at him.

—BOOOM!—

—BOOOM!—

—BOOOM!—

—BOOOM!—

What followed was a barrage of explosions that Bakugo unleashed without restraint, whipping his arms back and forth relentlessly as Taka became engulfed in the flames, smoke, and dust created.

Most of the crowd had to cover their ears at the deafening barrage.

It went on for at least twenty seconds before Bakugo finally seemed to tire out, breathing heavily and taking a few shaky steps back from exhaustion.

"… How was that, you bastard?" He asked at the cloud of smoke now present before him.

"I felt something," The answer came faster than he could have liked.

The smoke cleared in a single burst from within, revealing Taka—once again—looking unbothered.

Bakugo grimaced, still too busy catching his breath to bother with a curse.

After a deep breath, however, his wavering focus snapped back together, ready for a second go.

So he did.

—BOOOM!—

Bakugo's figure shot violently toward Taka, who smiled and lifted both arms lazily, as if welcoming him in.

Seconds later, the two went at it again. Some explosions missed, others struck point-blank—and through all of them, Taka remained unaffected.

At the stands, in Class 1-A's section, the entire class could only watch in amazement at the ferocity of one fighter and the sheer calm with which the other was handling it—making it look more like a game than an actual fight.

"I can't believe it. Bakugo's getting played around," Kaminari muttered, eyeing the fight below with wide eyes.

Mina looked at him with a deadpan. "What do you mean you can't believe it? Everyone here already saw this coming."

"It was just an expression. It's just surprising to see the high and mighty Bakugo getting played like that. I did expect it, though—Taka is just…"

"On another level." Todoroki finished his sentence.

He had already recovered from his fight with Taka and returned to the section to watch the remaining fights with everyone.

At his words, a nod rippled through the group, who very much agreed.

Taka was an irregular in their class—a blazing flame burning amidst sparking embers just beginning to light up.

If anyone had genuinely believed Bakugo could win, they had to be delusional.

'Kacchan…'

And of course, there was one right among them.

Midoriya stared at Bakugo fruitlessly unleashing everything he had against Taka, his grip tightening on the notebook in his hand.

His frown deepened as he studied the movements. An all-out rampage, hoping it would be enough to tear down Taka's defenses.

But he knew it wouldn't be enough.

He had told Kacchan that, right before the fight.

He had nothing against Taka, of course. But given the difference in power, it was only natural he wanted to give Bakugo as equal a chance as he could.

Ever since he'd started studying Taka's Quirk, he'd been scribbling down details, trying to make sense of it.

He'd failed, for the most part. It was a Quirk too bizarre, too chaotic to properly understand.

But that didn't mean everything he'd written down was pure nonsense.

He'd discovered patterns, momentary weaknesses or openings, Taka's own behavioral tendencies, and had sketched out some of the rules the Quirk might follow that Taka had never explained.

As the strongest in the class, he'd wanted to learn as much from him as he could—and their shared training had given him a lot to work with.

Which was what he'd tried to pass along to Bakugo before his fight started.

He'd shared as much as he could when he caught him right at the door of the waiting room—but clearly, his childhood friend hadn't listened.

If he had, he wouldn't be fighting so powerlessly now.

'Damn it.' Midoriya thought as his fist on his knee tightened.

He recalled what Bakugo had said to him during their own fight.

His friend—the one he'd admired most of his life—believed he'd deliberately hidden his Quirk from him. That he'd been laughed at for it.

Was that why he wasn't listening?

Should he have told him about One For All, even if not everything?

No—even then, he doubted Bakugo would have listened. He simply wouldn't want to win with someone else's help. That was all.

'But as he is…'

His eyes settled on Bakugo, whose breathing sped up with each explosion that went off on Taka's face—but did literally nothing.

'...He can't win!'

And just like Midoriya was thinking—

"Just… DIE ALREADY!"

Bakugo sent off his last explosion with what remained of his strength, his arm dragging like a barely thrown punch.

-Boom!-

It went off.

But as the smoke cleared, it showed Taka's hand covering Bakugo's palm—having completely absorbed the explosion.

And from the looks of it, without the slightest scratch.

"Seeing as your explosions are losing more and more power—I guess this is about as far as you can go, right?"

—WHAM!—

Without letting him answer, Taka drove a kick into Bakugo's side.

The blow was brutal. Bakugo's body folded, sent flying for a moment before rolling uncontrolled across the floor, closing in on the border.

-Boom!-

A small explosion at the last moment killed his momentum, letting him stop right at the line.

As quickly as someone running on empty could, Bakugo pushed himself to his knees, breathing hard.

As he did, Taka approached, stopping a few steps away, looking down at him with something close to pity.

"I guess I don't need to drag this out, do I?"

With those words, he aimed his palm at Bakugo.

And in tandem, his aura began flaring—

—Booom!—

"DIEEEEE!"

But just then, an explosion went off under Bakugo's palms, sending him straight at Taka.

Before anyone could process what happened in that instant, Bakugo brought both palms together, aiming at Taka.

And thus—

—BOOOOOOOOOOM!—

He released the biggest explosion he had managed yet.

Even he suffered recoil from it—blown backward, and when he caught himself, stumbling several steps.

The dust covered nearly the whole arena. The crowd went silent, their breath caught.

In Class 1-A's section, Midoriya nearly stood up from the shock, eyes widening.

'He listened!'

Through the months he'd spent around Taka, there was one thing he'd always noticed.

Whenever Taka was about to use his telekinesis, the red aura around him would flare up first.

Like he was charging himself.

According to Taka, his telekinesis was a direct conversion of his physical strength—which was itself boosted by his Quirk.

But with that description, Midoriya had noticed something.

Just like a sprinter in a race, or a weightlifter at the bar, no one could go from zero to full output in an instant. Whether because it was physically impossible, or because doing so would tear their own body apart, even if they could theoretically handle that level of force after enough build-up.

Considering Taka's body directly affected his telekinesis—the time he took to charge, and the intensity the aura reached before he acted—Midoriya had theorized there might be a charge dynamic at work.

Maybe Taka's body needed time to adapt to the output. Or maybe he simply couldn't access everything from the start.

Whatever the answer, the fact that Taka had to pause to charge remained.

And thus, an opportunity to strike.

Perhaps even a moment of vulnerability.

He swallowed nervously as saw Bakugo finally catch himself and stare hard into the cloud of smoke covering everything.

The silence was deafening, and the vexing slowness that the smoke was taking in dissipating was making both of them anxious.

But eventually, as nothing seemed to happen, both had the same thought.

'Did it work?'

And for a moment, it seemed so.

No movement could be seen through the smoke, and pure silence fell over the stadium.

It wasn't only them who had caught their breath in anxiousness. Everyone else did so too.

Everyone wanted to know whether the unstoppable star had finally been brought down.

—Unfortunately, their hopes were shut down pretty quickly.

-Swooooosh!-

Suddenly, the wind changed.

And not in a natural way.

"Crap." Bakugo clicked his tongue, readying himself.

The smoke around him began siphoning forward, like a hurricane forming.

Then—

"…!"

Bakugo's palms detonated and launched him into the air, letting him dodge at the last second as something shot out from the smoke and struck exactly where he'd been standing.

Looking down, he saw a hand. Large, crimson, flaming, and skeletal.

"Shit!"

And following his curse—

—FWOOOSH!—

All the smoke exploded outward, finally revealing what had been hidden inside.

—ROAAAAR!—

Taka's flaming skeleton.

"You were acting exhausted so I could lower my guard, weren't you?!" Suddenly, Taka's shout rang out from within the skeleton.

As Bakugo squinted through the flaming light composing the skeleton's body, he caught sight of him.

He was grinning widely. A small burn marked his cheek.

"…!" Bakugo's eyes widened.

His earlier attack had worked. He had hurt him.

He had reached him.

'So that was it.'

Bakugo began grinning too.

The road that had seemed endless, with the goal that had seemed unreachable… had both lost their mystery.

He had damaged him.

And if he could damage him…

—he could WIN!

With a wide grin, he began diving back down, straight at the skeleton.

"I broke through this thing before, and I'll do it again!"

"Did you?! I thought that was the whole rest of the school plus you!"

"Shut up!"

Both traded words as they prepared to clash.

Soon, the skeleton began striking at Bakugo, who used his explosions to skid left and right through the air, dodging its blows and delivering bursts of his own whenever an opening appeared.

"You're just a bigger target on this thing!"

"And you're just a fly buzzing around!"

Bakugo's explosion struck the skeleton one last time, and the recoil sent him straight up—several small explosions propelling him further like a rocket.

"Let's see if this is enough for a fly, then!"

Once he was high enough, he twisted and aimed himself downward, diving straight at his target.

As he fell, he crossed both arms and began releasing small controlled explosions, each one spinning his body faster and faster.

Until, eventually, a vortex began forming around him, condensing the oxygen around him and fueling his explosions—until, at last—

"HOWITZER—"

—he reached the skeleton.

"IMPACT!!!"

—BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!—

The next instant, an explosion engulfed the entire flaming skeleton—and a great stretch of the arena beyond it as it reached the ground and kept expanding.

Cementoss had to shield both himself and Midnight as the blast pushed past the platform entirely.

Bakugo, for his part, was sent spinning upward from the sheer repulsion force—dazed from the violence of it and from the blast catching him too.

He managed to catch himself before hitting the ground, an explosion from his palms slowing his descent as he dropped into the remaining smoke.

He got to his feet with shaky steps, eyes narrowed against the sting of the smoke.

As he looked around, he lifted a hand and stared at his palm for a moment, a wince crossing his face.

His reserves were running dry.

That last attack had been just about his maximum output, and it had left him with very little left in the tank.

If Taka hadn't gone down here…

'He must at least be injured.' Bakugo refused to accept otherwise, scanning around through the dark cloud that covered the whole area.

Luckily, it didn't take long to find him.

Soon, the skeleton began dissolving. Its outline was plain enough, given the light it gave off, even as it faded.

And in the center of its ribcage, two red eyes could be seen.

Bakugo didn't hesitate.

He had to strike while the iron was hot.

—Boom!—

Ignoring the pain in his hands and his body's protests, he shot toward Taka.

—BOOOM!—

Only—as the explosion tore through the spot where he thought his opponent would be—all he found were two red orbs of light hovering there like eyes.

"You fell for the not-oldest trick in the book."

The voice came from behind him.

He snapped around—and saw Taka, aura beginning to seep off him.

—BOOOM!—

Without thinking twice, he shot at him, ready to deliver the final blow while he was vulnerable.

He wound up his arms, face twisting into a wide grin.

But as he closed in on Taka—

"In a hurry?"

"…?!"

All his momentum died.

He stopped completely, right in the middle of the air, and found he couldn't move.

Almost as if he… had been caught in his telekinesis?

"How?"

His eyes caught a faint crimson hue around himself—a sign he was under Taka's aura's control.

He had been caught.

He looked back at Taka, shock written across his face.

"You… how are you…?"

Hadn't he needed time to charge?

He himself and the nerd had noticed it.

He always did so.

So how come not now?!

Had he charged himself while he was hidden in the smoke?

Luckily to Bakugo's confusion, Taka soon answered his questions, even if he didn't voice them.

"Seeing your shocked face, I can assume you thought I needed time to charge or something like that. The thing is, that was only for dramatic effect."

Then, Taka lifted his hand, pointing his palm at him.

"As was pointing my hand at you."

"…!" Bakugo's face twisted in disbelief.

The bastard in front of him—didn't even need to lift his hand to control his telekinesis.

All of it… had been his mere antics?!

Had there never been any weakness at all?

"Now, that was fun—but I doubt you have much left in you, right?" Taka asked, his smirk settling into something quieter, almost like the fun was winding down. "Then I suppose I truly don't need to drag this out. You were fun to fight—you can be proud of that."

Then, swinging his arm.

"But this has gone for long enough."

"You damn attention who—"

Before he could say anything in protest, Bakugo was sent flying, cutting through the smoke and becoming visible to the whole stadium.

He crashed into the outer wall, well out of bounds.

It didn't take long for the teachers to confirm it.

Following that, the air on the platform shifted again, and the smoke began swirling before exploding outward in every direction and dispersing.

—Revealing Taka, with no visible injury, only some singes on his clothes and a hair or two out of place.

A second or two of sheer disbelief passed before Present Mic caught up.

{"B-Bakugo is out of bounds—Takahashi advances to the final round!"}

Thus, bringing an end to the third to last combat of the tournament.

...

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-To Be Continued…-

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[SpeedBlitzing]
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…

Taka let out a huff as the fight was finally over.

Turns out, Bakugo had made him try harder than he'd expected. Today was full of surprises.

He hadn't actually expected him to strike during his dramatic aura power-up—after all, it was practically an unwritten rule never to attack during such times.

At least in fair fights.

But he couldn't really blame him for it, even though it had taken him by surprise and managed to injure him a little, breaching past the aura he had allocated in his defense stat. The blonde had needed to use everything he had to win, and it was his own lack of preparation that cost him there.

Plus, he was Bakugo. He should have expected it coming from him.

Then there was also the fact that the blonde had also managed to destroy his Susanoo rip-off in that last explosion—something he hadn't expected either.

The blonde had more firepower than he'd given him credit for.

However, there was also the fact that he was currently fighting at about half his power. The other half was with the clones, doing whatever they were doing right now.

'Well, my total aura probably increased throughout the fight, so my allocated stats are probably even less than half.'

Regardless, if it had been him at full power, he had no doubt he'd have shrugged off any of Bakugo's attacks, surprise factor or not.

'Well, it's not right to make excuses. It's my fault I got surprised because of overconfidence—again.'

He suppressed the urge to massage his temple.

Whether it was in his clones or in himself, it seemed to be a recurring issue.

He might need to address that after the festival.

'That, and other stuff.'

-Sigh…-

'… So much stuff on my list all of a sudden…'

With a bleak look, he turned around and prepared to walk off.

"Wait…"

However, a weak voice from the spot he'd sent Bakugo flying to stopped him.

He turned his head and found Bakugo there—clearly exhausted and worn down, sitting against the wall he'd hit earlier, not having moved since.

"What?" Taka asked, raising an eyebrow, having expected Bakugo to be unable to speak to him, either from pride, or from whatever breakdown he might be having over losing.

Surprisingly, however, it seemed he'd misjudged the blonde.

"Before, you said I was a weakling…" Bakugo's eyes finally lifted, staring directly at Taka. "Am I… strong now?"

Taka's brows furrowed.

'So that was it?'

Turns out, it hadn't been the fact that he'd lost what bothered him.

No, losing probably bothered him too. But that comment he threw at him weeks ago was probably his main focus right now.

"..."

Taka took a moment to consider it.

In the grand scheme of things, he was still far from the top hitters out there, and quite far from canon Bakugo and the heights he'd reach during his final fight against AFO.

But right now, was he a weakling?

Taka closed his eyes for a moment. Meditating over it.

Bakugo stared silently, too tired to hurry him, or say anything.

But then, Taka opened his eyes again.

Only to turn around instead of facing him.

Seeing him leaving, Bakugo's last reserves of anger sprung out.

"What about my answer, asshole?!"

Taka stopped for a second and tilted his head just a little. "I don't know, you tell me. Are you strong?"

And so, not waiting for an answer, he began walking away again.

Bakugo stared at his departing back with a bleak look.

"…"

In the end, he didn't get his answer.

For a moment, his teeth gritted in anger.

He wanted to shout, to grab him and demand an answer—but he simply didn't have the energy to do it.

But then the tension drained out of him, and he repeated the question Taka had left him in his mind.

'Am I strong?'

He had wanted Taka to acknowledge him as the prodigy he'd always been. His strength, everything he'd built up. He wanted the concept of Bakugo Katsuki to stay exactly as high as it had been until that guy showed up.

But if it came down to answering it himself…

I don't know, you tell me.

—then, could he say he was strong?

Bakugo didn't even take a second to reach the answer.

No.

He didn't even need Taka to tell him. Rather, he now understood why he'd gotten a question back instead of an answer.

Was he satisfied with what he'd accomplished today? Had this been his best? Could he actually call himself strong now?

Or was there more ahead?

More he could tap into, more potential still waiting, more Katsuki Bakugo could become—to one day become truly strong and not need to go asking such questions, like a needy bitch.

"Keh…" He scoffed, the corner of his mouth curling faintly upward. "In the end, you're as corny as the other extras…"

-Thud-

Then—he collapsed to the side, unconscious.

Soon after, he was carried away by the school staff to the infirmary.

Meanwhile, Taka disappeared into the gate under everyone's watchful eye without looking back. Cementoss, standing beside Midnight, let out a sigh as both finally left.

"This year's fights sure are above our pay grade."

Midnight nodded. "Where do kids like these come from?"

{"Excuse me, Cementoss, please begin reconstruction of the platform right away, OH YEAH!"}

"I'm asking Nezu for a raise after this." Cementoss said, letting out a sigh, and dragging his feet off to fulfill his purpose.

Minutes later, Taka returned to the class's section once again.

Upon arrival, many just smiled wryly at him, as if his victorious return had been a given, even if the way it had ended was still a bit baffling.

Midoriya, in particular, wore a mixture of conflicted and awed expressions.

Once again, Taka had proven himself the pinnacle of their class. Even Bakugo, the person he admired most, had been completely unable to defeat him.

Though…

'He managed to reach him.' His eyes narrowed, just briefly, as he caught the small red mark on Taka's cheek—one he recognized as the result of Bakugo's surprise attack during Taka's telekinesis charge, the one moment he'd theorized could be a chance to breach his usual unbreakable defenses.

It wasn't much—but it was something. Somehow, it made Taka feel more grounded.

It made reaching him feel more possible, even if still bleak and difficult.

'This year, I wasn't even capable of fighting him, and I doubt I could have won even if I had… but next year, it'll be different.'

He would put his soul and body into making sure he wouldn't disappoint All Might or Takahashi again.

With that determination settling in, Midoriya glanced at Taka and clenched his fist, feeling the shonen spirit of rivalry sweep into him.

While Midoriya continued with his antics, Taka leaned forward to watch the next fight, which would decide who his final opponent would be for the first years' part of the festival's closure.

Uraraka against Iida.

"Pfft," Taka let out a small chuckle at the situation.

He found it a bit funny that, instead of Midoriya being there, it was his two friends who'd ended up reaching the finals.

'Although, didn't basically the same thing happen in the show, just with Uraraka losing a bit earlier?'

Taka's smile dropped, and he scratched the back of his head with an odd look.

'In the end, things didn't diverge all that much.'

The only difference was that all the heavy hitters of the class were down already—so Iida wouldn't have to face Todoroki of all people, nor would Uraraka have to face Bakugo.

Whoever won would have to face him, though.

Now, which of the protagonist's two main friends would win? He was curious to see.

...

°

°

°

| Minutes later… |

...

After a while more, the arena was repaired, and the second-to-last fight of the tournament began.

Surprisingly, it was more hard-fought than he'd been expecting.

Sure, Iida was fast, while Uraraka was otherwise fairly average in raw stats by comparison.

But since the fight had to happen up close, Uraraka's Quirk made her quite the problem.

One touch from her would send Iida flying, with nowhere to use his speed—he was a runner, not a flyer.

Maybe he could try using his engines as propellers to maneuver mid-air, but that was easier said than done.

So most of the fight was spent with Iida trying to sneak up on her, strike at blind spots, or create openings, while Uraraka stayed on the defensive.

It wasn't the sort of epic battle everyone had been expecting for the finals. The previous fights had raised the bar a bit too high for two people with fairly ordinary Quirks by comparison.

But it still did the job of being entertaining enough.

It even got to the point where Iida got so frustrated that he nearly lost—trying to throw her off fast enough that, even if she activated her Quirk on him, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from crossing the bounds.

Ultimately, she saved herself by making herself float before she hit the ground. In the process, however, she released Iida from her Quirk's effect, and nearly sent him out of bounds himself.

With his engines, he managed to redirect his fall at the last second, saving him from the close call as well.

So, in the end, it all came down to one last desperate move.

Iida went full barbarian, figuratively speaking, and decided that if he couldn't fight up close, he'd fight even closer instead.

So, after a few moments of dashing around to mess with her head, he went in for a full-body tackle at high speed, aiming to push her out of bounds.

She, of course, activated her Quirk the instant she got hold of him.

Gravity, of course, let go of him. But it didn't do much—his tackle had already connected, so their momentum didn't die.

Instead, the two began drifting toward the bounds.

So Uraraka had to make herself float as well. With that, both began rising, clear of the danger of losing.

At least, until Iida pulled out his last desperate move.

Using his Recipro Burst, Iida put an end to their ascent by aiming his engines upward, and instead drove both of them back down—toward the edge of the platform.

And with Uraraka being the one facing the ground, the victor was decided.

Iida won.

Albeit with plenty of bruises on his face, the product of Uraraka desperately trying to pull him off her in those last seconds.

Still, he bore his victory with a proud face—a bit sullen, but proud otherwise.

And so, the final stage of the tournament arrived.

First, there was a small break for the finalists to prepare and rest before their final fight. Iida went for a quick check-up with Recovery Girl, while Taka remained at the class's section, holding his usual meditative pose, or chatting with Jiro whenever he got bored of looking focused.

But before long, the break ended, and the two stood facing each other on opposite sides of the platform, each giving the other the kind of look one gives an opponent in a match about to start.

Which they were.

"I hope to learn a lot from this encounter, Takahashi-san!" Iida bowed deeply.

"Likewise," Taka answered lightly, with a faint nod.

{"ALRIGHT EVERYONE, HERE IT IS, THE MOMENT EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR… THE FINAAAAALS!"}

The crowd roared, albeit a bit less intensely than in previous matches.

While Iida wasn't weak, he was clearly lacking in firepower compared to most of Taka's previous opponents. So with this matchup, and for the final fight no less, it was hard to imagine a clash where both sides put their souls and bodies on the line.

{"On one side, we have the kid who's been kicking ass and making sure everyone gets a good look of it, rising star of the hero course—TAKAHASHI FUKUMOTO!"}

The crowd roared his name, already a favorite of many.

{"On the other side, we have the kid who blitzes through his opponents at lightspeed, the fastest and most uptight kid in his generation—TENYA IIDA!"}

The crowd roared again, although not quite as enthusiastically.

But Iida didn't seem to care. He just stared at Taka with unwavering focus.

{"NOW THEN… ARE YOU READYYY, CONTESTANTS?!"}

Both gave a small nod.

{"ARE YOU READY, CROWD?!"}

The crowd shrieked in desperation, worn down from all the build-up.

{"THEN LET'S GET GOING... READY—?!"}

"Takahashi-kun, please don't go easy on me in this fight," Iida suddenly said, earning a raised eyebrow from Taka.

He shrugged, giving him a nod. "Sure. But are you prepared for what that implies?"

"… Maybe," Iida answered, not looking quite convinced by his own request.

Regardless, Taka simply shrugged. "Very well."

{"SET—!"}

"If so, I want to apologize in advance."

Iida looked confused for a second. "For what reason?"

A small smirk appeared on Taka's face, giving Iida goosebumps.

"I'm stealing your gimmick for now."

{"STAAAAAART!"}

The instant the start was given, Iida shot forward without hesitation, using his full speed from the get-go, deciding not to dwell too much on Taka's words.

As he approached, the flames in his engines flared up, turning blue from the intensity.

"Recipro—!"

He jumped, one leg sweeping horizontally, like a sword, aiming, of course, at his one target.

Taka.

"—Burst!"

—THUD!—

The propelled kick hit its target cleanly, creating a small shockwave from the force and making both his and Taka's clothes and hair flutter.

However, as Iida recovered from his own attack, his brow twitched into a brief frown as he found his leg had been stopped easily by Taka's forearm.

Even as the engine kept spewing fire, the arm didn't budge an inch.

Deep down, though, he'd already expected something like that.

So, just as quickly, he kicked Taka's chest with his other leg and, using it as a foothold, jumped away, his engines putting more distance between them.

He looked ready to go at it again, but as his eyes settled on Taka, he flinched.

There it was.

The crimson hue surrounding him. It meant Taka wouldn't be staying passive for much longer.

Iida was torn between attacking again or putting even more distance between them.

Sadly, it seemed that was never up to him.

"…!"

Suddenly, the figure of Taka vanished.

—Not.

Iida's eyes widened as he caught sight of a trail of crimson silhouettes frozen mid-stride, like a trail of light left behind by something that moved too fast.

They disappeared almost instantly, not even a second after he caught sight of them, but he was quick enough to track them.

They led… behind him.

"You caught on pretty quickly, huh?"

His eyes widened, and he jumped back as he turned around, facing Taka yet again—who had somehow moved fast enough to vanish from his sight completely.

He was there, standing with both hands relaxed in his pockets.

Suddenly, he dropped into a slight crouch, like a spring ready to release, all while still talking to Iida. "I know I agreed to fight seriously, but if we did that, there wouldn't be much fight for the crowd to enjoy. So, let's do it like this."

The aura around him began flaring again—this time, however, it was different. Not like flames, but electricity, crackling around him like a sharp charge.

"I'll drain my strength down to a basic level…"

-Swooosh!-

Suddenly, he vanished again, the trail of silhouettes making it easier for Iida to track where he was.

He turned around again, his face tight with worry. There Taka was, smirking faintly.

"And in exchange, I'll pour everything into speed."

A faint flash of worry crept up Iida's back.

But soon, he shrugged it off with a shake of head, smiling nervously.

"Do as you like, Takahashi-kun. I won't give up, no matter what."

"Then let's see if you can keep up, shall we?"

The instant those words left his mouth—

—BAM!—

The concrete beneath his feet exploded, and his figure blurred, disappearing from the spot.

Iida looked around quickly, searching for him.

He followed the trail, but it was longer than before, and disappearing faster than he could track it.

Then it got worse. As one trail vanished, another covered it.

Then more appeared, around the same spot.

Taka was moving fast. Too fast.

Iida's teeth ground together, and seeing no hope in tracking him directly, he changed plans.

His engines roared to life, and without further delay, he too began running circles around the platform.

The elusive figure of Taka remained invisible, even as Iida moved at high speed, hoping that would do something.

But the next second, he realized it didn't.

—Thud!—

His mind blanked for a moment as something struck him in the face.

He managed to keep his footing before losing control of his speed entirely, but when he looked back at what had hit him, he found nothing.

—Bam!—

Then another blow landed.

This time he braced through it and quickly snapped his head toward where it had come from.

But all he saw was a trail of crimson silhouettes in its place.

—Whack!—

Then another blow came.

And another, then another, and another again.

Iida found himself pummeled by a barrage of fists from a figure too fast to even be seen delivering them.

What was worse, they were heavy. Not as heavy as a Taka at full power would hit, judging by what he'd seen him do—but still powerful like those from a professional boxer or worse.

'How is this basic level?!'

Iida's brow knitted into a frown, and he kept up his sprint, hoping it would at least make it harder for Taka to land hits.

But even as he ran, he felt blow after blow connect. He pushed through them, doing his best not to slow down.

—BAM!—

Until one caught him square in the face, snapping his head back against his own momentum.

He went down hard, his back hitting the ground. It felt like his face had run straight into a wall.

It was enough to leave him dazed for a few seconds.

But as he lay there staring at the sky, he caught sight of something else.

The screen—the one the audience used to see things properly from so far away.

It spanned the whole platform, and on it, he could see Taka's figure.

It was fast… Horrendously fast.

If not for how wide the footage was, even there Taka's figure would have been impossible to follow, it was that fast.

In comparison, even his Recipro Burst paled considerably.

Could he even do anything against that speed? He couldn't track him, see him, or even dodge him.

He was utterly outmatched, even in what he was most confident in. His speed.

He wiped his wrist across his nose, clearing the nosebleed there.

Then he stood up.

He had to try.

His eyes stayed on the screen, scanning for anything helpful.

Patterns. A rough read on his location, when he'd strike. Any weakness—

And then he saw it, even if only briefly—Taka's curve was shorter than normal, just before he dove straight at him.

He wasn't able to react in time.

But he saw it.

—THUD!—

The blow sent him rolling across the concrete.

He caught himself after a moment and quickly pushed back to his feet.

But then, before he could check the screen—

—Bam!—

Another blow arrived, this time to his solar plexus.

He fell to his knees, the air leaving him.

But as he knelt there—

—Bam!—

Another blow hit, knocking him fully to the ground.

Yet, despite it, he still tried to get up.

Only for a kick to land, sending him rolling across the platform.

Every time, closer to the bounds. Closer to defeat.

Until something snapped in Iida.

Something came to mind—something borrowed from his very opponent.

Putting both hands on the ground, his engines roared.

And just as he felt Taka approaching—more out of instinct than actually knowing he was there—

"Raaah!"

He spun around, moving impossibly fast as his engines propelled him.

Like breakdancing.

And amid all that spinning, he caught a glimpse—Taka, come to a full stop right in front of him.

"Nice one," Taka said.

But just as Iida was beginning to feel the joy of having gained the upper hand in all that beating—

-Tack!-

His leg was grabbed mid-spin.

"But you need to rotate the waist more."

And he was thrown.

"Aaaah!"

He ended up still spinning through the air.

And eventually, landed on his face. Out of bounds.

Thus, marking the end of the fight, just like that.

"It was a good play, but not near fast enough. Sorry, Iida." Taka said out loud, walking to the border of the platform.

Iida breathed hard as he lay on the grass below. "N-no need to apologize. This is just my own lackings as a fighter showing. It seems I still lack training."

Taka smiled, and walked back to the center.

As he did, the crowd didn't roar in emotion, but there were some cheers anyway.

And soon—

{"Iida is out of bounds, Takahashi Fukumoto—WIIINS!!!"} Present Mic declared the result.

And with that, at last, the tournament came to an end.

Seeing the cheering crowd, Taka let out a small huff through his nose in relief that everything was finally ending, smiling faintly. "Not a big finale, but I guess it works."

Instantly after, his eyes drifted to the side, checking his status page for the final result achieved now that the sports festival was at last coming to an end.

Not that his aura would stop growing just because the festival ended. There was probably many days of continuous growth incoming.

And, of course, the very probable permanent boost to his passive earnings from now on.

Smiling at the future awaiting him, Taka focused back on what the final result was.

· ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: 181

▸ Defense: 362

▸ Aura Projection: 50,000

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Total Aura: 103,322 → 61,049 (54%)

1st Clone's aura: 12,273 (12%)

2nd Clone's aura: 5,000 (5%)

3rd Clone's aura: 5,000 (5%)

4th Clone's aura: 5,000 (5%)

...

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Finally past the 100k.

All in all, around 50k of gains in just some hours.

And more to come.

'This day just turns better and better, doesn't it?'

With his smile widening, his eyes drifted to the vip section of the crowd.

'Now, all that rests, is that.'

…

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-To Be Continued...-

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(A/N: And so, at last the festival is over, took a while, huh? And it has brought a great power boost with it. Now Taka is ready for whatever comes his way... or is he?

Discover it in the next chapters.)