"Don't lose your cool, Bakugo!"
All Might shouted internally. As a close-range fighter himself, he knew better than anyone that Arthur's hand-to-hand skills were way above any other student in the class.
"Way too predictable."
Arthur shifted his body slightly, dodging Bakugo's grabbing right hand by the smallest possible margin.
The next moment, his elbow hit Bakugo's arm, and he grabbed the collar of Bakugo's tracksuit.
He flipped him over and slammed him down.
"Over-the-shoulder throw!"
Mezo Shoji and the others were surprised.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Katsuki Bakugo yelled in rage. Right as he was about to hit the ground, his left hand pressed against the floor a split second faster.
Boom!!
The blast from the explosion pushed Bakugo's body back into the air. He flipped and landed safely on his feet.
"His reflexes are insane. Even Yoarashi and Todoroki can't keep up, right?"
Eijiro Kirishima, who'd fought Denki Kaminari to a draw, had also come back by now. He'd spent the most time with Bakugo, and even he was impressed.
"But... did you notice Arthur didn't even summon his Stand?"
Denki Kaminari pointed.
Everyone looked again.
Bakugo had his palms facing backward, blasting air to launch himself forward like a rocket.
That was his "Blast Speed Vortex."
Arthur narrowed his eyes and threw a kick.
Bakugo moved his left hand to the side.
Boom!
The explosion's shockwave pushed Bakugo's body to the right, dodging Arthur's kick.
"Grenade impact!!"
Spinning wildly in mid-air, Bakugo charged like a fire wheel about a meter and a half off the ground.
"Pathetic."
Arthur mocked him loudly, hooking his right foot and hitting Bakugo's ankle just before the explosion could land.
Bakugo lost his balance instantly.
"Disappear."
Arthur sneered.
He spun around and threw a punch. His fist wasn't as ridiculously huge as All Might's, but it was still solid and strong, slamming into Bakugo's ribs.
Thump!!!
Was that the sound of air exploding? Or Bakugo's ribs cracking?
Didn't matter.
"Ugh!!"
Katsuki Bakugo skidded more than ten meters across the ground before finally stopping.
His blue tracksuit was covered in dust.
"Damn... that's insane."
"His physical strength is on another level."
"Bakugo looks like a kid next to him."
The audience erupted in shocked gasps. A lot of people who already didn't like Bakugo, especially Class B students, felt like they'd just eaten ice cream on a hot day.
They were loving every second.
"He's outmatched," Shoto Todoroki said, narrowing his eyes. His voice had a hint of disappointment in Bakugo.
He'd thought Bakugo could at least force Arthur to use that secret power.
But now it looked like Bakugo didn't even have the qualifications to make Arthur release his Stand.
"Raaah!!!"
Katsuki Bakugo scrambled up from the ground, his hands blasting explosions to launch himself forward again.
"Heh."
Arthur shifted his body slightly, dodging Bakugo's charge with no effort.
"We're not done yet, you bastard!"
Bakugo kept throwing explosive punches.
But Arthur moved like a martial arts master from an old movie. He just tapped Bakugo's wrist lightly, redirecting every single blast.
"He's just playing with Kacchan, ribbit," Tsuyu Asui said with her usual verbal tic.
She didn't really like Bakugo, but seeing him like this, unable to even touch his opponent, she almost felt bad for him.
"No, that's not right."
Izuku Midoriya spoke up, and everyone in Class A turned to look at him.
Izuku frowned, watching Bakugo who seemed to be making useless moves in the arena. "Kacchan isn't that weak. His real speed and strength are way above what he's showing right now. He definitely has a plan."
Momo Yaoyorozu raised an eyebrow. "How do you know, Midoriya?"
"No doubt about it."
Izuku nodded confidently.
He couldn't really explain why. He just knew.
But Arthur, who completely underestimated Bakugo's actual strength, couldn't hear Izuku's words.
Finding an opening in Bakugo's attacks, he kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying.
Parts of Bakugo's tracksuit were torn from the concrete ground, and blood was seeping through.
'The gap in strength is too big.'
"He's just getting toyed with."
"Durian head, just give up. I'm starting to feel bad for you."
"It's not your fault. The other guy's just too strong. Surrender already."
For a moment, the whole arena echoed with people telling Bakugo to forfeit.
"Hey, Eraserhead, this isn't good. It's turning into a beatdown," Present Mic said to Shota Aizawa.
"Idiots," Aizawa said coldly. "Look at Bakugo's eyes. Do those look like the eyes of someone who's giving up?"
"Huh?" Present Mic turned to look. Bakugo was getting up again, his determined red eyes showing pure excitement.
The corners of his mouth curled up. Far from giving up, he looked like he'd already won.
The spectators were confused too.
Yoarashi Inasa couldn't believe it. "What's wrong with Bakugo? Even like this, he can still smile?"
"Thanks a lot, you arrogant twin bastard!"
Katsuki Bakugo wiped the bruise at the corner of his mouth, raised his head, and yelled. "Take a good look around you, idiot!"
Hearing that, Arthur's eyes shifted slightly. He looked down at his feet.
Dense water stains shimmered under the sunlight.
Thanks to the high-def cameras, everyone else saw it too.
"What is that?" Tokoyami asked, confused.
"My sweat," Katsuki Bakugo sneered. "Just think of it as something like nitroglycerin."
"Continuous explosion trap?" Arthur said with a smile.
Bakugo's face twisted into a fierce scowl, and he roared.
"Take this, you bastard! A continuous grenade explosion with a 20-meter diameter!!!"
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
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