I Can't Lose You Again

Chapter 27: Grudge Vs. Goals

TW: PAST CHILD ABUSE AND TRAUMA, CHARACTER DEATH MENTION, INJURIES AND SCARS

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Getting the okay from Recovery Girl that he could go back up to the stands, Hitoshi saluted to the elderly short lady in goodbye before shutting the door and walking down the hallway. She had told him that she would let his injuries heal naturally, but to leave the gauze over his black eye on and to see him after the festival was over for her to examine it again.

'Man, if Bakugo wins against Todoroki...' Hitoshi hummed to himself as he made his way across the sections before stopping in front of his classmates, Uraraka being the first one to notice him. He waved out slowly to them, putting up a smile while thinking to himself, 'He'll win... Bakugo's stubborn like that... He'll win.'

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Stretching his legs and flexing his wrists in a rotating motion, Katsuki steadied his breathing, waiting for Mic's announcement for him and Todoroki to go on stage and fight it out in the final.

This is what he was waiting for. He had been waiting to fight his classmate. Waiting to fight him and show him that the power he possessed was his own. His and no one else's. He still thought it should be Deku to tell him, since they had similar feelings towards their quirks, but... as long as someone told him and showed him the way out of his misery, would it matter? Shinso was right about Todoroki; saying he'd get a lot of people hurt and killed if he continued to hold his grudge like that.

"Students, make your way to the stage."

'Hopefully I can find the right words to say as we fight...' Katsuki rolled his neck back before hearing a satisfying crack, heading for the blue door of the room and exiting his waiting room.

Katsuki zeroed in on his hand, curling and uncurling his fingers to massage the muscles, his total concentration on his hand until he smelt something... burning? Something burning ahead of him. He was close to rounding a corner at the middle of the hallway, deciding to take a quick glance over and see if anyone was in trouble, but before he reached the curving wall, the Flame Hero: Endeavor; Todoroki Shoto's father, stepped out and the blond suddenly realized the source of the burning smell.

Taking a slight stumble in his step, Katsuki had to move to not ram into the fiery bastard of a dad, the number two hero looking down to him with his fiery narrowed turquoise gaze, his own scarlet eyes glaring up at the 'hero'.

"What are you doing here, E-Endeavor...?" Katsuki forced his voice to sound surprised to find a pro hero here instead of in the stands, quickly blinking away his glaring gaze to look surprised at being confronted.

"Ah, just the student I was looking for." Endeavor ignored his question, taking a few steps closer to Katsuki while he took a few back until the bright red-haired adult pointed his gloved finger out to him, beginning to declare, "I paid close attention to your fights. As the first place winner for the first two events, I knew you would be big and quickly head to the top. Your little Explosion quirk is very useful and destructive, like firepower."

A nerve pulsed through Katsuki, his hand involuntiry clenching at his side at the wording of the hero's.

'What the hell is he trying to say...?!' Katsuki felt his eyes twitch faintly, turning his crimson eyes down to avoid the blazing glare of Endeavor's, excusing himself 'politely', "I-I don't know what you're trying to say. Excuse me, but I have a match to get to."

He quickly made his way around the tall pro hero, hurriedly to get out of his sight and away from the son of a bitch. He didn't deserve his hero title.

"It has always been my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might."