Leave Your Mark | Various!BNHA x Reader

59: Losing Isn't Weakness

"Alright, it's time to kick off another round!" Present Mic announces. "There was a bit of a hold-up because one of our competitors is known to be too stubborn for his own good... but let's just get on with it, shall we? On one side, we have Bakugou Katsuki, who already made quite a name for himself during the first round. It's safe to say that he's not exactly a fan favorite, but when it comes to determination, he's second to none! As for Bakugou's opponent, he's currently the only one still in this tournament who's not from Class 1-A. As you already know, he's also the first-year representative, and he placed higher than anyone on the entrance exam! Give it up for Yoarashi Inasa!"

Stupid bastard.

Katsuki grits his teeth. No, he's not referring to Present Mic (although those words could just as easily apply to him), but rather, the asshole standing in front of him right now. Just look at him, with that infuriatingly carefree expression on his face. It's enough to drive Katsuki insane. But the worst part of all is Katsuki's reason for getting upset. Even now, he can still feel waves of heat rolling across his cheeks. The goddamn battle's about to begin, and yet, the only thing he can think about is how Inasa said he'd kiss you if he won. It's just so fucking embarrassing. It's humiliating, even.

Bakugou Katsuki has always wanted to win purely for the sake of winning, but right now, as frustrating as it is to admit... his thoughts are consumed with nothing but you.

But in the end, he supposes it doesn't change much. The outcome will be no different regardless.

As always, he's going to win.

"STAAAART!"

Katsuki doesn't waste any time. He goes charging ahead, right away, hoping for a preemptive strike. His explosion Quirk has always been a thing of envy. He has the power, technique, and agility to thrive in practically any combat situation. Few can compare to him in terms of sheer versatility. That being said, he was already humbled before, when he lost against Izuku during the Battle Trial. Not to mention that Inasa placed above him in the Obstacle Race.

He's not the same kind of person he used to be. He's not the same Bakugou Katsuki who takes his opponents lightly and allows his arrogance to blind him. Inasa isn't weak. That's exactly why he needs to hit him first, and hard.

But it doesn't work.

Katsuki ends up missing his mark. Inasa manipulated the air around him just in time, using it to propel himself to the other side of the arena. He remains low to the ground, not quite airborne, as he repositions himself with ease. Although it seems his Quirk doesn't allow him to outright fly, his speed is no joke either. And it's not like he can ever run out of air for his Quirk, because, well... it's air.

Katsuki clenches his jaw. As expected, Inasa isn't an easy target to hit. Still, he's somewhat limited in what he can do, because he can't propel himself as far or high up into the air as Katsuki can. With the right timing, he can be forced into a position where he's completely out of options. All Katsuki needs is a barrage of fierce, relentless attacks. He needs to overwhelm Inasa and give him no opportunities to recover.

"Nice dodge, bastard," Katsuki chuckles dryly, and that's the last thing he says for the remainder of their battle.

He knows he can't afford to let his guard down. Countless times, he closes the gap between him and Inasa, looking for any opportunities to land a clean hit. This unfortunately proves to be much easier said than done. Every time Katsuki gets close, Inasa is able to muster up enough wind to either push him back before his attack lands, or propel himself to safety again and regain his footing with less than a fraction of a second to spare. They may as well be playing a game of tag right now. Kirishima doesn't have a lot of speed, so he couldn't put up much of a fight against Inasa during their battle. Right now, Inasa hardly even has the chance to catch his breath. He can't prepare any attacks of his own because Katsuki keeps chasing after him, without even stopping to flinch.