Chapter 34: Reaction and a Broken Ego
The moment Harue's feet touched the arena floor, still smoldering with the residual heat of his Phoenix form, the Class 1-A bleachers erupted.
"Did you see that?!" Kaminari shouted, practically bouncing out of his seat. "He turned into a freaking bird of fire! That was like—some mythical boss fight level stuff!"
"That was beyond plus ultra," Sero added, eyes wide. "I didn't even think fire could move like that."
"I felt the heat from all the way up here," Jirou muttered, pulling her ear jacks from the railing. "It was like a volcano exploding in slow motion."
"Harue was amazing," Ochaco said with a soft smile. "But… Todoroki really gave it his all too."
Mina beamed, leaning forward with her arms on the railing, eyes locked on her boyfriend down below. "He did amazing," she said proudly, cheeks pink. "I knew he had something up his sleeve. That was incredible!!."
From the nearby Class 1-B section, the energy was far less celebratory.
"This is absurd," Monoma seethed, gripping the railing tight enough for his knuckles to whiten. "Did you see that?! Wings of fire?! Todoroki turning the whole arena into an ice field?! That's not a school-level fight — that's pro-tier chaos!"
His eyes twitched as he stared at the arena, then back at 1-A. "It's always 1-A. Glory hogs, the lot of them! Getting all the attention, the best villains, the spotlight—!"
THWACK!
Kendo's massive hand came down on his head like a hammer, dropping him mid-rant into a dazed slump.
"Enough," she said, her tone sharp — but her own wide eyes stayed fixed on the arena, the awe creeping into her voice. "Even you have to admit… those two are incredible."
Monoma groaned on the floor, muttering something unintelligible about favoritism and firebirds.
Back in the 1-A section, as the others continued chattering and buzzing about the match, Bakugo stood silent near the back, his fist clenched so tightly they were turning white.
His eyes were locked on the arena, unmoving, his expression unreadable as smoke still curled from the scorched field.
He couldn't look away.
Todoroki's ice had nearly swallowed the entire stadium. A glacier had erupted beneath his feet. And then—then—Harue had burned through it. Like it was nothing.
And that final move… that Phoenix.
That wasn't just a cool move. It was powerful.
Too powerful.
Bakugo felt it. Everyone did. His palms itched, his jaw clenched so tight it hurt.
The damn crowd was still cheering like it was the end of a movie. "Best fight yet," they were yelling. "Top two students, no doubt!" And in the seats behind him, he could hear Kaminari's dumb voice going on about how insane Harue looked in the sky, how Todoroki finally unleashed it all.
Like they'd already chosen.
Like that was the peak.
"Tch…" he hissed under his breath, but it wasn't enough to get the pressure off his chest.
He hated it.
He hated it.
The praise. The admiration. The awe. It should've been his.
His fists were clenched so hard his nails bit into his palms. His teeth ground together. He'd trained every day. Fought every battle like it meant life or death. And still… they were ahead.
That firebird… that freak… Harue didn't even break a sweat.
It was like they were miles ahead.
No, he snapped internally. No they're not. I'm not losing to some hotshot with flashy wings and a frozen bastard who only now figured himself out.
But even so, the memory of that last explosion of flame — the way it lit the sky in gold and red and how even he flinched for half a second — wouldn't leave him.
He didn't get scared. Ever.
But that moment? It was close.
Too close.
"Bakugo?"
He didn't move.
"Are you… okay?" Midoriya's quiet voice came from beside him, hesitant, his eyes glancing at the bloodless fists and locked jaw.
The tension in Bakugo snapped like a whip.
"Fuck off, Deku," he barked, voice raw, eyes still locked on the charred battlefield. "Don't act like you know anything."
Midoriya flinched but didn't respond. He just gave a small nod and stepped back, letting Bakugo stew in the rising storm inside him.
Bakugo finally tore his eyes away from the smoke. He didn't need comfort. He didn't need sympathy. What he needed was to win. To dominate. To remind everyone that he was still in this — and better than all of them.
Without another word, he stormed off down the stairs, boots slamming heavy with every step.
Tokoyami was waiting in the ring.
Let's see if a shadow could withstand a fucking explosion.
———( Deku's POV )———
Izuku stood in silence, watching Bakugo's back grow smaller as he stormed down the stairs toward the preparation tunnel, fury radiating from every movement. His clenched fists. His stiff shoulders. The heat of frustration trailing behind him like smoke.
Izuku knew that look. He knew that feeling.
Because he felt it too.
That fight — Todoroki and Harue — it had shaken him.
It wasn't just the scale of the power. It was the sheer weight of it. The arena had become something straight out of a war zone. Ice that split the ground open. Flames that melted through it like butter. And Harue's final transformation… that phoenix… it hadn't felt like watching two students fight.
It had felt like watching two titans clash.
And Izuku… wasn't one of them.
Not yet.
He clenched the fabric of his gym uniform over his chest, his heartbeat loud in his ears. He still remembered the way Harue danced through fire like it loved him. How Todoroki's ice towered above the stadium walls.
And all he could think about was how far behind he still was.
Even with One for All. Even with All Might's trust.
That power — that gift — felt like it should've been enough.
But watching that fight? It reminded him that inheriting greatness wasn't the same as living up to it.
His throat tightened. His eyes burned.
He felt it… the same thing Bakugo must have.
That gap. That yawning distance between where they were… and where he was.
Izuku blinked quickly, trying to stop the tears from slipping out. He didn't want anyone to see. Not now.
But the truth settled deep in his chest like a weight: even with the greatest power in history, he still wasn't enough yet.
But I will be.
The thought came sharp and clear through the haze of doubt.
I have to be.
Because All Might had chosen him. Believed in him. Because he wanted to be the Symbol of Peace someday.
And because even if he couldn't match them now… he would catch up.
No matter how long it took.
No matter how many bones he had to break, how many hours he had to train, how many times he had to fall before he stood again—
He would close that gap.
Izuku wiped the corner of his eye with the back of his hand and let out a shaky breath. He stared down at the field, now blackened and steaming from the clash of titans.
Then, quietly, with a whisper only he could hear, he said, "Just wait… I'll be up there with you."
And with his heart still pounding but his resolve sharpened like steel, Izuku turned back toward the stands, ready to keep watching — ready to keep learning — until it was his turn.
—————-
In the designated setting for the student's parents.
A amusing scene played out, as a orange haired woman and a woman with white hair and pink skin. Were hugging each other and jumping up and down.
"Did you see that Himiko? My baby boy is going to the finals!!!" She squealed in amazement, hugging the equally excited woman.
Their husbands watch in amusement, as Mina's dad Ken turned to Akio ( harues dad ).
"Your boy sure is powerful Akio, wonder where he got it from,seeing as you're just a walking light bulb" he teased the black haired man.
"Piss off ken it's obviously my excelle-" he was cut off as he felt Reinas glare on his neck.
"Our excellent genes that made Harue so powerful!"
Ken was about to laugh at his misfortune, but quickly shut up because he also felt burning glare behind him.
As the amusing scene played out to the other spectators, the next match started and ended just as quickly.
With bakugo dominating Tokoyami and knocking out the Bird-headed boy with his bright and powerful explosions.
The finals were here as they waited in anticipation of the end of this exciting years tournament.
End of The Chapter.