[U.A. Development Studio - Kyosuke's POV]
"Hey, Hatsume."
Kyosuke glanced to the side. Upon doing so, he found Power Loader, who woke up just in time for the concert, holding a white T-shirt. The shirt had a big blue M in the center with two microphones on the sides.
"Could you get Miku to sign this for me?"
"I told you to call me Kyosuke."
The taller man hopped down from the table he was using as a seat before approaching Power Loader and taking the T-shirt from his hands.
"Why didn't you just ask her at Mei's birthday?"
"I didn't want any of the students realizing who she is."
Kyosuke raised an eyebrow as he folded the T-shirt in his hands.
"You're sure it's not because your social battery was already done for the day?"
Power Loader raised both hands for a moment.
"You got me, I'm not good when it comes to events like that."
Kyosuke put the folded shirt over his shoulder while chuckling.
'Well, I do owe him.'
"Alright, I'll get you that signature."
"I appreciate it."
"Thank you, Cementoss!"
Both men turned their heads to look at the small TV, which showed a newly made concrete platform made in the center of the field.
"Hey guys and gals! Are you reaaady?!"
The camera feedback switched towards the crowd, which seemed to be screaming at the top of their lungs.
"A lot has happened throughout this festival! From a giant robot getting its arm ripped off, the student body almost going blind, and lastly a famous idol showing up after years of silence!"
The image changed once again to focus on said idol, who was in the box seats beside Thirteen.
♫Popipo~!♫
"She seems to be enjoying herself."
"Tell me about it."
"But now it's time for the main event of the day! Courage, skill, knowledge, and wisdom! We'll see if the ones who made it so far have any of those qualities!"
"I'll be going to the teachers' seats. Do you want to come? Nezu wouldn't mind."
Kyosuke shook his head at Power Loader's offer.
"It's better if I'm not around my wife while she's wearing her costume, we both hate reporters with a passion."
The short man let out a snort as he made his way out of the workshop.
"Don't we all?"
'Nice guy, anyways, time to wake up the sleeping goblin.'
Kyosuke turned around and walked over to the futon Mei was sleeping on, then he poked the girl with his shoe.
"Mei, wake up."
Mei's only reaction was drooling all over herself.
'I almost feel bad for making Metal deal with this, almost.'
Kyosuke crouched down and grabbed Mei by the shoulders before shaking her.
"Mei, come o—"
Thwack!
"Ow!"
'"Don't cuss in front of the child, Kyosuke. It's a bad example." My ass.'
Mei's father let out a sigh as he rubbed the top of his head with one hand.
"The referees are in place! Contestants, please make your way to your exits. It's time to rumble!"
'Great.'
"Mei, you're going to miss Metal's match."
Kyosuke rubbed his eyelids with his fingers.
'I need more sleep...'
The man moved his hand away, making him able to see the empty futon.
"Can women just teleport, or what the FUCK is going on?"
---
[Sports Festival Stadium - Metal's POV]
The machine's lens glowed in the dark tunnel just in front of the exit leading to the stairs of the platform.
[Recalling Data...
Current Data Of Katsuki Bakugo:
Excellent Physical Condition...
Above Average Quirk Mastery...
Possible Combat Training...
Above Average Reflexes...
Air Mobility...
Quirk Specifications:
Emitter Type...
User Is Able To Produce Explosions On His Palms. The Size And Strength Of The Explosions Can Be Controlled At Will, Going From Small Sparks All The Way Up To Breaking Concrete.
Drawbacks: More Data Needed...
Possible Drawbacks/Weaknesses:
Dehydration Due To The Heat Caused By The Explosions...
Muscle Tearing Due To The Recoil...
Dry Eyes Due To The Smoke Produced By The Explosions...
Vulnerable Without His Hands...
---
Calculating Win-Rate Against Katsuki Bakugo...
Irrelevant.
Error: Calculation Stopped]
"It's time for a Death Battleeeeeeee!!!!!"
"Fatal attacks are banned, Mic."
The HUD displaying Bakugo's information disappeared from Metal's vision once he heard his teachers talking.
"There won't be physical death, but we can't guarantee it won't happen to the participants' feelings! Now let's start our first match! Which, let me tell you, is an explosive one!"
The screens around the stadium displayed the image of Bakugo and Metal standing side by side, the ash-blonde wasn't even looking at the camera while the robot stood straight with his right forearm crossed over his chest.
"He's been among the best since entering U.A., but I have a feeling that's not enough for him! You may want to wear headphones for this because entering is the explosive king: Katsuki Bakugo from the Hero Course!"
"I HAVE MONEY ON YOU, KID!"
"YOU'RE HANDSOME, SO YOU HAVE TO WIN!"
"GIVE US ANOTHER GOOD SHOW! THESE SEATS ARE EXPENSIVE!"
Even from his position, Metal was able to filter out some of the comments being thrown at Bakugo as the boy entered the arena with his hands inside his pockets until finally reaching his spot on the opposite side.
"Now let's welcome his opponent!"
Metal stepped out of the dark tunnel, the sunrays reflected against the quills on the back of his head, making the blue paint shine brightly.
"Entering the arena, we have Metal Ha—"
...
"Uhh...how did you open the door?"
"I gave her a keycard. Remember the rules I told you about, I'll go to sleep now..."
Everyone looked up at the commentators' booth in confusion as the mummy stood up and walked away from the glass panel; to the shock of those watching, a teenage girl took the empty seat before adjusting the mic.
"Well...This is happening, I take it you want to do Metal's presentation?"
"Obviously!"
Metal shook his head before resuming his path up the stairs of the platform.
"All living things kneel before my baby! He's the face of Hatsume Industries and my greatest creation! The first fully automated machine to enter a Hero Course in history! His name is: Metal Hatsume!"
"Machine?"
"Ha! As if U.A. would allow that!"
"They did use robots for the race..."
A wave of murmurs and comments swept through the stands, most took it as a joke made by a kid, though a few did lean forward in their seats to look more closely at Metal.
"Why does no one believe things when I say them?! Back me up, radio-dude! This is bad for my businesses!"
"Ahem, my new co-commentator is not lying, Metal is a full-on robot! A strong one at that!"
...
...
"They're actually serious?!"
"U.A. replaced a human student for a robot?! Unbelievable!"
"What are they thinking?!"
A Hero whose costume consisted of an armour made of various types of bones stood up and directed his attention to the glass panel surrounding the commentators' booth.
"Heroes already have to compete among themselves to put food on the table! Now U.A. wants to replace us with machines?!"
"How can we even trust it? It could get hacked at any moment!"
"He's right! Get that thing out of here, let the real student win!"
More and more Heroes joined in their protest against Metal, most of them just asking for the robot to be disqualified; one of the spectators even threw a bottle at Metal, though it was reflected back to them by a floating musical note.
Boom!
"Shut your traps, side-characters!"
The stadium went silent as the audience focused on the boy standing on the left side of the platform, the cloud of black smoke hovering over Bakugo's head slowly dispersed as he put his arm back down and looked at the Heroes on the stands.
"If you're so afraid of the Wall-E rip-off taking your job, then that's because you're fucking weaklings! Now quit your bitching and let me have my fight!"
"You brat! Who do you th—"
Whip!
"Hunt Master, right? Please stop causing a commotion, I would hate having to remove a fellow Hero, but we don't have all day."
The Hero clicked his tongue at Midnight's words, though he did sit back down, the crowd, seeing the head of their improvised protest submitting, decided to follow the example and calmed down.
...
Bakugo raised his sparking palms in front of his chest.
"You grew a few inches and now you think you're hot shit?"
"The rules are simple! Force your opponent to step out of the ring or immobilize them! Don't worry, you can hurt each other! We have Recovery Girl on standby!"
"And me on Metal's case!"
"You also win if your opponent gives up, but I think we can assume that won't happen in this match!"
"I'll step in if things get too out of hand."
Cementoss said from his concrete seat beside the platform.
"Katsuki Bakugo, are you ready?"
Bakugo aimed his palms backwards and crouched slightly.
"Fuck yeah!"
Midnight's head turned to look at Metal.
"Metal Hatsume, are you ready?"
[Activating Back Thruster]
The black cloth of Metal's waist-cape moved on its own and warped around the black belt it was connected to.
Whirrr!
[Back Thruster: Ready For Burst]
"Start!"
Fwoosh!
"You fell for it!"
The instant Metal shot forward, Bakugo moved his hands again and aimed his palms in front of him.
BOOM!
Seeing the roaring explosion heading straight towards him, the machine slammed both feet into the concrete to stop his momentum, then Metal's screen went completely black as a translucent black crystal made out of his own energy appeared in front of him.
Crack!
[Good.]
---
[Bakugo's POV]
"AN EXPLOSIVE START! Is Metal Hatsume going to get blown away so soon?!"
'You wish.'
...
...
The smoke slowly cleared, revealing Metal in the center of the platform with his left arm held diagonally in front of him; the blue paint previously coating the limb was completely erased, leaving the hot red materials exposed.
"Did I ruin your little paintjob?"
Bakugo watched as the robot shook his smoking limb as the red color slowly dissipated.
"Is that so?!"
Boom!
Seeing the explosive student shooting straight towards him, Metal moved his right arm forward with his palm wide open for a grab, but Bakugo's reflexes proved to be top-notch as the boy quickly reacted by using his explosions to push himself out of the way, circling Metal's right side until he was behind the robot.
"Let's see how you replace this!"
Two palms were aimed straight at Metal's back with the intention of destroying his thruster.
'Shit!'
Boom!
Bakugo was forced to use another explosion to jump over Metal's arms as the robot's torso did a full 360° rotation with his arms sticking out; then a gentle yellow glow appeared on the mechanical student's red shoes.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three explosions shot towards Metal's back, but he managed to evade them by leaping forward before quickly turning around and leaping towards the airborne Bakugo.
"Pay attention, support companies! Those are Electromagnetic Soles! They improve my baby's mobility! Like most of my baby's functions, I can replicate them for humans!"
Squeeze!
Metal's right hand managed to get a hold of Bakugo's shirt.
Boom, Boom!
Clang!
'As if I'd let that thing get a hold of me.'
The remaining fabric clinging to Bakugo's back slowly fell down as the boy straightened his posture; meanwhile, Metal tossed aside the missing piece in his hand.
'Just like that nerd.'
Bakugo scoffed while rolling his shoulders.
"You can shove that data up your ass, do you think I spent these two weeks watching romcoms?"
Boom!
Fwoosh!
Both students met at the center of the platform. Bakugo used his explosions to propel himself in an arc over the robot's head, but Metal grabbed the flying boy by the ankles.
"Agh!"
Spit flew from the ash-blonde's mouth as his back was slammed against the concrete with enough strength to make a small crater.
Krrrrzt!
"NGGHH!"
Bakugo squirmed against the floor as he tried to break free from Metal's grasp, but all he got for his efforts was more electricity traveling through his body.
"GET OFF ME!"
With great effort, Bakugo raised his trembling arms and aimed straight at the machine's face; sadly, it turned out to be useless as Metal simply let go of Bakugo's right ankle and swatted his hands away before securing his hold once again.
...
...
"KATSUKI!"
At the sound of the familiar voice calling out to him, Bakugo turned his head to look towards the stands, where a woman who looked way too similar to him was gripping the safety railing.
'That hag is here?!'
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!"
Bakugo glanced a bit to the left, finding a chubby woman with dark green hair whose expression was the definition of worry.
'She brought auntie?!'
---
[4 Days Before The Festival - Bakugo's POV]
Bakugo stood beside his mother in the backyard of their house; an inflatable pool filled with steaming water was right in the middle of the grass.
"The fuck is this, hag?"
Thwack!
"FUCK!"
Thwack!
"Watch your fucking language, brat!"
The young boy gritted his teeth but wisely chose to remain quiet, though he did glare at his mother, but it seemed like the woman couldn't give two fucks about it.
"Brat, do you know how your Quirk works?"
"Yeah, it blows shit u—"
Mitsuki raised her hand.
"...My sweat is like nitroglycerin, and I can make it explode on command."
The older woman nodded her head before crossing her arms.
"That's correct, so answer me this: Why do you only use your hands?"
"What kind of fuckass question is that? The fuck am I supposed to do? Make my ass explode?"
Thwack!
"I'm trying to help you here, you ungrateful shit!"
"Grrr...It just feels natural, and it works."
Mitsuki rolled her red eyes at the simple answer.
"Well, that ends today. Get into the pool, and don't you dare come inside until you manage to produce a spark from anywhere other than your hands."
"Fuck off, I don't need this."
Bakugo turned around and started walking back towards the house.
"You saw something that day, didn't you?"
The boy paused and looked at his mother over his shoulder.
"Act tough all you want, but I gave birth to you, I can tell when there's something going on in that hot head of yours."
"Your age is causing you dementia, hag. I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then why do you keep training so hard? You've been staying at U.A. for hours after classes, and then you train even more when you get home. The Katsuki I know would train, yes, but you seem almost desperate."
Bakugo's hands turned into fists as he clenched them tightly.
"For the first time in your life, you're doubting your strength, aren't you?"
"I want to beat you and surpass you, idiot!"
"He froze the whole building! What's up with that Quirk?!"
"You have talent, but stop acting like a kid, you're wasting it."
"My role is separating you and killing you slowly!"
A hand landed on Bakugo's shoulder, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.
"I won't force you to tell me what is going on, but at least take my advice: pride is a double-edged sword, it can give you the strength to push forward or keep you trapped in a cage forever, don't let yourself be caught in that cage."
Mitsuki gave her son a pat on the back before stepping inside the house.
...
...
...
Katsuki Bakugo turned around.
---
[Present Time - Bakugo's POV]
"GET UP, KATSUKI! OR I SWEAR I'LL JUMP DOWN THERE AND BEAT YOUR ASS MYSELF!"
"GRRR!"
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Metal stared in confusion at the sound coming from inside Bakugo's boots before realizing what it meant.
BOOM!!
A rush of hot air swept around the platform, making Midnight and Cementoss cover themselves with their arms.
"Ah...ah...grnh."
Bakugo slowly got onto his feet with his entire body shaking. The boy's boots had been turned into nothing by the explosion, alongside his uniform all the way up to his knees.
"What was that?! Is Katsuki Bakugo just a bomb in human skin?!"
The ash-blonde stared with unblinking eyes at the dark cloud that his explosion had caused until finally finding two flickering yellow lights focused on him.
Krrrzt!
A bolt of electricity cut through the smoke, forcing Bakugo to dodge to the right by creating another explosion on the soles of his feet.
Fwoosh!
Smoke cleared as Metal shot forward. The robot's screen was cracked in the middle, making it release sparks every few seconds. The paint covering the front of his torso and head had also peeled off, showing the exposed silver color of the machine's body, which had some dents in various places.
Boom! Boom!
An explosion coming from Bakugo's soles pushed him backwards out of the reach of the fist aiming for his face. Not being one to waste an opportunity, the boy aimed his hands at Metal's head and fired two more explosions.
Vshoom!
"GAH!"
The skin on Bakugo's stomach turned red as he was pushed back by a yellow beam coming out of the hole on Metal's torso. The energy dissipated after a few seconds, leaving behind a trembling boy who managed to stay on his feet for a moment before falling on one knee.
"Kgh! Puagh!"
Blood came out of Bakugo's mouth, forming a small puddle below him as he tried to catch his breath.
'The fucking clanker let me hit him so I wouldn't see what he was doing...'
Bzzzzt! Puff...
Bakugo lifted his head to find Metal looking down at his torso and arms, which released dark smoke and sparks.
"Ha!"
The ash-blonde stood up on shaky legs while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Did I break something? 'Cause I ain't paying for shit!"
Metal's lens focused on Bakugo as steam came out of the robot's body.
"So that means you're going to blow up again?"
Pop! Pop! Pop!
"Then let me do you a favor!"
Boom!
Bakugo's body shot high into the air.
'I won't lose to anyone!'
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosion after explosion came from Bakugo's palms and soles as he propelled himself towards Metal in a circular motion, creating a tornado that engulfed his whole body.
'Nor anything!'
"Howitzer!"
Vrm!
Vrm!
Vrm!
Watching the living missile heading his way, Metal's yellow lens went out as three black crystal panels appeared right in front of him, then the robot covered his chest with both arms.
Bakugo's palm made contact with the first barrier.
"IMPACT!"
KABOOOM!
SWOOSH!
An explosion unlike any of the previous ones consumed half of the platform, forcing everyone around the arena to cover themselves as debris flew in every direction. The shockwave knocked back those who were standing recording on their phones.
"What the hell?! He added impulse and rotation to his own explosion! Has Katsuki Bakugo ended Metal Hatsume's winning streak?!"
"Oh please..."
...
...
"Nnngh!"
"As if my baby could lose."
The crowd gasped as the smoke curtain disappeared, letting them see Bakugo with a clawed hand around his neck belonging to a headless robot.
'Bastard never planned to cover himself, all this fucker wanted was to get a hold of me.'
Bakugo's limbs trembled in the air as he tried to move them to no avail.
'My body is all numb...'
Metal's sinister voice came from the head on the floor a meter behind the main body. The flickering yellow lens stared right at Bakugo, as if being separated from his body meant nothing.
'It almost got out of bounds!'
"COME ON, KATSUKI! YOU'RE STILL AWAKE SO MOVE!"
Bakugo's trembling hands slowly started raising.
The boy finally managed to turn his hands so his palms would face Metal.
"DIE, YOU FR—"
KRRRZZZT!
Thud.
Bakugo fell on his back as black spots appeared in his vision.
"KATSUKI!"
'Fuck you too.'
...
...