Once More (My Hero Academia)

24: The Final Round

Katsuki looked away from the crack in the ground that he was staring at for the last twenty minutes and closed his eyes with a sigh. He was leaning on the hard, cold wall of the stadium entrance, and he could hear the spectators complaining about the lengthy delay caused by Deku's sudden collapse.

However, Katsuki kept on waiting patiently, because he knew that Deku was gonna show up no matter what. Even if that meant waiting another half an hour, or hour, or even another day. That crazy nerd always found a way to crawl out of the holes he dug for himself.

During this wait, Katsuki had thought about his losses to Deku ever since the day that the acceptance letters arrived. The entrance exam. The mock battle training. The obstacle race.

After all of those losses, Katsuki had been overwhelmed by fury and denial. Heck, only an hour ago, he was still furious about the obstacle race. But waiting here, staring at the crack in the ground and hearing the wind whistle in the hallway... It occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, the Deku who won over him wasn't someone who gained extraordinary strength right before the entrance exam.

Maybe the Deku who won over him had been there all along, and the image of the crying follower, the image of a useless "Deku," was merely what Katsuki wanted himself to see.

The thought was infuriating.

The blond boy was suddenly pulled back to reality when the bored chatter of the audience turned into cheers of excitement. He stood up from his leaning position and looked across the field.

"LOOK WHO'S BACK!!" Mic's voice boomed from the speakers, "Thank you, everybody, for waiting patiently for our finalist! Now, without further ado, may the contestants for the final round of the first-year stage of the U.A. sports festival enter the arena!!"

Katsuki took his hands out of his pockets and stepped out onto the field, squinting slightly when bright sunlight replaced the shadows of the hallway.

From across the field, the boy with green hair strode towards the elevated battle arena. His wide emerald eyes showed no fear, and Katsuki accepted that they will never be the same panicked eyes of their childhood ever again.

"Sorry for the wait," Deku said, his gaze steady.

Yeah, the little boy with teary eyes and trembling fists that followed Katsuki around was long gone.

"Listen, Deku -- don't you dare hold back," Katsuki growled.

"...I don't really have a choice," Deku looked at the stadium around them, "I need to give everyone watching someone to trust in the future."

"Yeah, sure, they'll trust in a liar," Katsuki spat.

Deku's unwavering gaze suddenly faltered.

"Kacchan, I..."

"CONTESTANTS READY-- THREE, TWO, ONE, START!!"

Not wasting a second, Katsuki sprinted full speed towards Deku with his arm pulled back, a charge building up. Deku lowered his stance and activated his quirk. Raw power visibly surged through him, lighting up his veins and sending green electricity crackling through the air. When Katsuki neared him, he couldn't help but shudder at the sudden pressure change in the atmosphere. Not just because of the pure power surrounding Deku, but also because of the boy's unwavering and calculating gaze.

Instantly, Katsuki knew that Deku saw through his move. Heck, the nerd probably already predicted his next series of moves.

Katsuki gritted his teeth. Change of plans.

The explosion he had built up in his right hand suddenly changed direction, and instead of shooting directly at Deku as he planned, his attack blasted at the ground, sending bits of shattered concrete flying and forcing Deku to leap back in alarm.