Chương 36: [36] The Flame Ignites
Bakugo's arrival turned the battlefield into a warzone. Explosions rocked the ground as his team charged towards us, his eyes locked on the ten million points wrapped around my head.
"Deku, you bastard!" Bakugo roared. "Those points are mine!"
I grinned, adrenaline surging through my veins. "You want them, Kacchan? Come and get them!"
We burst into motion, Hatsume's gadgets propelling us away from Bakugo's onslaught. Momo created a dense foam that hardened upon contact with the air, forming a temporary barrier between us and the explosive blasts.
Todoroki's team was hot on our heels, ice creeping across the ground in an attempt to trap us. I channeled One For All through my body, using my enhanced strength to shatter the ice before it could encase our feet.
"FIVE MINUTES REMAINING!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the stadium. "CAN TEAM MIDORIYA HOLD ONTO THEIR LEAD, OR WILL ONE OF OUR CHALLENGERS SNATCH VICTORY FROM THE JAWS OF DEFEAT?"
"Not likely," I muttered, scanning the field for our next move.
Bakugo's team was relentless, Sero's tape and Mina's acid working in tandem with Bakugo's explosions to try and corner us. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow lashed out, intercepting the tape and allowing us to slip away.
Todoroki's ice was becoming more precise, forcing us into a deadly dance of evasion.
"We can't keep this up forever," Momo said, her brow furrowed as she created another barrier. "We need a plan."
Bakugo's straightforward aggression and Todoroki's calculated attacks were a dangerous combination. We needed to disrupt their teamwork, throw them off balance.
An idea formed, risky but potentially game-changing. "Tokoyami, Hatsume, get ready," I said, keeping my voice low. "Momo, on my signal, I need you to create the brightest flash bang you can manage."
Understanding dawned in their eyes. We'd have one shot at this.
Bakugo's team closed in, Kirishima's hardened fists leading the charge. Todoroki's ice surged forward, a frozen tidal wave threatening to swallow us whole.
"NOW!"
Momo's creation burst to life, a searing light that turned the world white. I heard Bakugo's curse, felt Todoroki's ice falter.
In that moment of blindness, we moved. Dark Shadow shot out, snagging one of Bakugo's headbands and tossing it to me. Hatsume's Booster Pads launched us skyward, over Todoroki's ice and away from the chaos.
"WHAT A MOVE!" Present Mic screamed. "TEAM MIDORIYA PULLS OFF A DARING ESCAPE, SNATCHING SOME POINTS IN THE PROCESS!"
"Indeed," Aizawa's voice cut in. "But the battle's not over yet."
He was right. No sooner had we landed than Todoroki's ice was on us again, colder and faster than before. Bakugo's explosions followed, the heat a stark contrast to the biting chill.
"THREE MINUTES LEFT! IT'S ANYONE'S GAME, FOLKS!"
We were running out of time and options. Momo's creations were becoming smaller, her quirk reaching its limit. Hatsume's gadgets were starting to sputter, overworked from constant use. Even Dark Shadow was slowing, the barrage of attacks taking its toll.
I needed to end this, and fast. But how?
Then I saw it. A flicker of movement on Todoroki's left side, a twitch of his fingers that didn't quite match the flow of his ice.
His fire. The part of his quirk he refused to use. If I could just push him a little further...
"Is that all you've got, Todoroki?" I called out, dodging another ice blast. "I thought you wanted to beat me!"
His eyes narrowed, but he didn't respond. Bakugo, on the other hand...
"Shut up, Deku!" he snarled, launching himself towards us. "I'll beat you!"
We evaded him narrowly, Momo's hastily created shield absorbing the worst of the blast. But Todoroki was closing in, his ice growing more erratic.
"Come on, Todoroki!" I goaded. "You're only using half your power! How do you expect to win like that?"
I saw something snap in his eyes, a flash of anger that broke through his icy composure. His left side twitched again, more noticeably this time.
Bakugo came at us from the side, Sero's tape wrapping around Momo's arm. She cried out, the sudden jerk nearly toppling our formation.
"Momo!" I yelled, ripping the tape away.
Todoroki was right behind Bakugo, his ice racing across the ground. But there was something else mixed in with the frost, a hint of steam that hadn't been there before.
"TWO MINUTES! THE TENSION IS REALLY RAMPING UP NOW, LISTENERS!"
I could feel the seconds ticking down, each one a lifetime in this frenzied dance. We were so close, the finish line in sight. I just needed to give one final push.
"TODOROKI!" I roared, pouring every ounce of challenge into my voice. "IS THIS WHAT YOU CALL YOUR BEST?"
For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. Todoroki's eyes met mine, a storm of emotion raging in their depths. His left side was trembling, steam definitely rising from his skin now.
Then, in a burst of heat and light, his fire erupted.
Flames licked up his arm as he thrust his hand forward, a wave of searing heat colliding with his own ice. The sudden temperature change shattered the frozen ground, sending a cascade of razor-sharp shards flying in every direction.
"Tokoyami!" I ordered, understanding passing between us in an instant.
Dark Shadow surged outwards, forming a protective dome around our team. The ice shards pinged off the shadowy barrier, Todoroki's flames swirling harmlessly around us.
In the stands, I heard the crowd gasp at the awe-inspiring display. Even Present Mic was momentarily speechless, the first time I could recall that happening.
Across the field, I saw Todoroki staring at his own hand, his expression a mix of shock and something else I couldn't quite name. Realization, perhaps? Or maybe even a hint of relief?
I didn't have time to ponder it further. Bakugo, who'd been blown back by the sudden explosion of fire and ice, was already recovering. His eyes locked onto me, a snarl twisting his features.
"DEKU! DON'T YOU DARE IGNORE ME!"
He launched himself at us, propelled by the biggest explosion yet. There was no time to think, only to act.
"HATSUME, NOW!"
She grinned maniacally, slamming her hand down on a button on her belt. Instantly, a thick, viscous substance sprayed out from nozzles hidden in our formation, coating the ground around us.
Bakugo, unable to adjust his trajectory, hit the goop at full speed. The substance caught him like a fly in amber, his momentum carrying him face first into the sticky trap. He struggled, cursing violently, but the more he struggled, the more ensnared he became.
"Hatsume...what is this stuff?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Oh, just a little baby I whipped up in the lab!" she chirped, far too gleeful about trapping her schoolmate. "Super adhesive, highly elastic, and completely resistant to heat and corrosion! I call it the Hatsume Capture Goop, patent pending!"
I shook my head, marveling at her chaotic genius. With Bakugo immobilized and Todoroki still reeling from his own fiery outburst, we finally had some breathing room.
"ONE MINUTE REMAINING! TEAM MIDORIYA HAS HELD ONTO THEIR LEAD, BUT IT'S STILL ANYONE'S GAME! WHO WILL BE STANDING TALL WHEN THE BUZZER SOUNDS?"
The final countdown began, each second stretched to an eternity by the pounding of my heart. Even with two of our fiercest competitors out of commission, we just had to stay out of reach for a little longer.
We moved quickly back, putting some distance between us and the sticky trap that still held Bakugo. Todoroki seemed to have regained his composure, but his attacks had lost some of their previous intensity. Whether it was due to a strategic choice or simply distraction from his fire's emergence, I couldn't say.
Other teams, scenting weakness, tried to make a play for our points. But between Momo's shields, Tokoyami's offense, and Hatsume's seemingly bottomless bag of gadget tricks, we held them off.
Thirty seconds. The crowd chanted along with Present Mic, their voices rising to a fever pitch. My team was breathing hard, quirks pushed to their limits, but I saw the same determined fire in all of their eyes.
Ten seconds. Todoroki made one final push, a combined blast of ice that Momo blocked with a wall of her own unique ceramic material. Bakugo roared his fury, explosions ripping through the goop but failing to free him completely.
Five. I met Momo's gaze, saw exhaustion warring with pride in her eyes. Tokoyami nodded, Dark Shadow standing at attention. Mei grinned and gave me a thumbs up, looking for all the world like she was having the time of her life.
Four. My heart felt like it might beat out of my chest. What would come next, after the final bell? Was it arrogant to think victory was assured?
Three. The world narrowed down to the headbands around my neck, those precious points that represented all of our hard work, all of our struggle. We'd come too far to lose them now.
Two. My quirk hummed through my body, One For All flickering just below the surface. A part of me longed to let it loose, to blast through the final moments with raw, unbridled power. But that wasn't the plan, not now.
One. I took a breath, held it. My team tensed, preparing for any last second assault.
Then, with a burst of sound that shook the stadium, the buzzer rang out.
"THAT'S IT! TIME'S UP! THE CAVALRY BATTLE IS OVER! IN AN ASTOUNDING DISPLAY OF SKILL, STRATEGY, AND SHEER GRIT, TEAM MIDORIYA HAS HELD ONTO THEIR TEN MILLION POINTS! THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, WE HAVE OUR WINNERS!"
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