"Is this how you planned it all to be, Deku!!!"
Bakugo's voice thundered through the vast emptiness of the warehouse a cavernous relic of steel and dust, about half the size of a football pitch. The echoes of his shout ricocheted off the rusting rafters and fractured skylights. Beams of moonlight filtered through broken panels, streaking the concrete floor with ghostly silver.
Across the warehouse stood a lone figure cloaked in shadows. He wore black pants and a dark hoodie that swallowed most of his features. Only tufts of unmistakable green hair peeked from under the hood. His stance was relaxed too relaxed.
"Midoriya, stop this madness and come back!" Bakugo's voice cracked with anger and something more. Desperation.
Midoriya's voice rang out, detached and dry.
"Trust me, meeting you here was no plan of mine, Katsuki Bakugo."
Bakugo's fists clenched as he took a half-step forward.
"You got me here with that fake letter you wanted me to come", Midoriya said with sigh.
Midoriya chuckled darkly, slipping his hands into his pockets. There was a lazy ease in his tone, one that crawled under Bakugo's skin.
"And you came, didn't you? Curious to hear what your former comrade might say!", Bakugo yelled out
This wasn't the same jittery, trembling boy who once cried his way through battle. This version of Midoriya was cold. Calculated. Alien.
"You've changed... What happened to you?!" Bakugo's voice cracked like a whip, but Midoriya's answer came sharp and venomous.
"Don't preach to me, Bakugo. People change. Even you remember when all you had was rage? Then you got softer, started caring about others. So why is it so hard to believe I've changed too?"
The words hit hard, louder than any explosion. The tension hung thick between them.
Midoriya turned, his back to Bakugo.
"I see you're just here to lecture. I'll be going now. Could really use some sleep."
Bakugo lowered his gaze, voice shaking.
"I just wanted to know... Did you do it willingly? Betray your friends? All Might? The people who trusted you? Was it all your choice?"
Midoriya didn't hesitate.
"Yes. Every moment. I'd do it again in a heartbeat."
He laughed. A raw, unhinged laugh that came from deep in his gut. It echoed through the warehouse, bouncing off steel walls like the cackle of a villain.
"Did you think you could save me?" Midoriya spat. "You poor, foolish Bakugo."
Bakugo snapped.
"Damn you, Deku!!!"
BOOM!
The roar of an explosion shook the ground. In a blur of smoke and fury, Bakugo rocketed forward, closing the gap in a heartbeat, hand outstretched to grab Midoriya.
But Midoriya leaned effortlessly to the side, letting Bakugo's momentum carry him past.
Bakugo cursed under his breath, twisted mid-air, and used a blast to anchor himself. Spinning, he launched a kick aimed at Midoriya's head.
Without even turning around, Midoriya ducked low.
"Still as fast as ever, Explosion God Murder hahahaha."
Bakugo's patience wore thin. He raised both hands and unleashed a barrage of explosions.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The warehouse shook with each blast. Dust and rubble flew in every direction. Midoriya danced through the destruction, still with his hands in his pockets.
"You know, it was painful," Bakugo shouted over the din, "listening to Aunt Inko cry herself to sleep because of you!"
Midoriya froze.
Then, his voice turned cold as death.
"Shut the fuck up, Bakugo. Don't. Talk. About. Her."
Bakugo roared,
"You left her, you bastard! You abandoned your own mother!"
Something inside Midoriya snapped. His hands came out of his pockets. He pulled his hoodie down, revealing eyes brimming with fury.
He whispered:
"One for One."
Suddenly, the air changed. Black lightning crackled around him. The atmosphere thickened, electric and heavy. His hair lifted as static surged through the space.
"Lightning Step."
KRAK!
A thunderclap. In the blink of an eye, Midoriya vanished.
Bakugo's world went white.
Then WHAM!
Pain exploded in his gut as Midoriya's knee drove into him with bone-breaking force. Bakugo was launched across the warehouse, crashing into the floor. Dust filled the air.
Midoriya stepped forward for the follow-up strike but Bakugo was already moving, launching himself upright with an explosion that barely dodged the incoming kick.
"AP SHOT!"
From mid-air, Bakugo condensed his blasts into burning projectiles. He fired fast.
Midoriya ran, barely ahead of the detonating orbs. One struck him in the back he winced, staggering forward.
Midoriya's thoughts raced. I can't win in the air... not against him.
He leapt, concentrating power into his legs, shattering the concrete beneath. As he soared past Bakugo
"Whirlwind Slash!"
With a swipe of his hand, a slicing vortex of compressed air slammed into Bakugo. He crashed into the ground below.
Midoriya landed softly, watching Bakugo claw his way out of the rubble.
"You ever give up?" he asked, smiling faintly.
"Never."
Bakugo launched himself again, fist first. Midoriya caught the punch and drove his own into Bakugo's gut. Bakugo coughed, then retaliated with an explosion point-blank to Midoriya's chest. Midoriya staggered, releasing his grip.
Bakugo followed up with a volley of blasts, forcing Midoriya back.
"I guess I have no choice..."
Midoriya stood, breathing hard, feeling the burns scorch across his side.
Bakugo, sensing something ominous, surged forward.
Too late.
Midoriya whispered:
"Mountain Crusher Smash."
He slammed his fist into the earth.
A shockwave ripped through the warehouse. Concrete buckled. Metal twisted. The entire building collapsed inward, dust and steel raining down. Bakugo was flung out of sight.
Timeskip
The night air was thick with dust and the smell of burning insulation. Sirens screamed in the distance.
From the wreckage, Midoriya emerged, panting, bruised, his hoodie tattered.
He found Bakugo beneath a slab of broken wall, unconscious but alive.
Midoriya stared at him for a long time.
"I have to leave before the heroes get here..." he muttered.
He crouched, looking over Bakugo one last time.
"Next time, we won't be pulling punches."
He took one step.
KRAK!
A flash of lightning.
And he was gone.
Only rubble, silence, and the sound of sirens remained.