A sharp, stinging, burning pain shot through Kirishima's back when Mei's palm left a mark on his flesh. The boy couldn't help but arch his back and clench his teeth, a tear welling up in his tightly closed eye.
—Hnngh!— the redhead groaned.
Mei, feeling a little pain in her hand, ignored it and continued to whip Kirishima. Following the Ogre's teachings, she lashed her limbs like a whip along the smoothest surfaces of Kirishima's body, forcing the boy to step back.
—Did you see that!? Faced with the lack of strength to break such a tough defense, Terumi Mei has chosen an alternative, painful, cruel, yet effective route!!— Present Mic jumped out of his seat, dumbfounded by the strange tactic.
Midnight smirked, giving a thumbs-up for her student's intelligence.
—Well, it makes sense. Before the appearance of Quirks, women used to be weaker than men, given their physical and biological attributes. Slaps are more effective for them than trying to punch a more robust and muscular body— Aizawa explained clinically.
In the arena, Kirishima was tense, his mind dulled by the burning pain. But he couldn't stay still or he would just receive more punishment.
—ORAAAAAA!!— he shouted strangely, advancing toward the girl instead of retreating. If he could trap her in his iron grip, the match would be settled.
Kirishima lowered his stance and lunged at the kunoichi's midsection, but Mei didn't evade him. To everyone's astonishment, she slipped through his grasp, wrapping her right arm around Kirishima's neck, and her legs around his torso, slamming the boy face-first into the arena floor.
And the pressure came.
—Terumi Mei has trapped her opponent in an Arm Triangle!!
Chakra mobilized furiously throughout Mei's body, giving her more power and generating immense pressure on Kirishima's trapped body.
He tried to crawl, hitting her ribs even in that awkward position, but Mei wouldn't let go.
The pain caused by the lashings made Kirishima unable to think clearly, and he lunged at the girl, thinking his strength was superior to hers. It wasn't.
He was simply harder, so Mei's blunt impacts didn't have much effect. That didn't mean she was weaker than him in brute strength.
And Mei didn't hit him that hard either. She could have sent him flying, since despite his hardness, his weight was something Mei could handle with ease. Just like Tetsumaru, she didn't want to ridicule her classmate without giving him a chance to show a bit of his abilities.
At that moment, Kirishima dug his hands into the ground and slowly began to lift himself up, despite the pressure that was almost beginning to break his defenses.
—I'm... not... done... yet!— he growled with determination.
—Fufufu, it's good to hear that, Kirishima— Mei expressed.
Kirishima extended his arms to the sides, his fists aiming at Mei's ribs and about to close like pincers. At that instant, Mei let go of the boy and kicked his abdomen while still holding onto his head.
Her body traced an arc upwards, avoiding Kirishima's fists and ending up in a perfect vertical posture, with her outstretched hands gripping the boy's red hair.
Mei lifted herself with her hands and spun in the air, wrapping her legs around the back of Kirishima's neck as her own torso continued to fall.
Using the momentum and Kirishima's bad posture, she dragged him backward, slamming him headfirst into the arena floor.
—REVERSE FRANKENSTEINER!!— Present Mic howled and the crowd roared at the spectacle.
Midnight quickly approached and inspected the stunned Kirishima. He hadn't lost consciousness, but his head was spinning, his brain shaken by the abrupt movement.
Once again, external hardness doesn't mean his inside is protected from the kinetic energy of the blows.
—Terumi Mei advances to the next round!— Midnight exclaimed.
****************
The rage inside Bakugo threatened to cause an atomic explosion. Now that Kirishima had lost, his next opponent would be the copper-haired bitch.
A phantom pain ran through his body. Memories of a humiliation suffered at the hands of that same girl, when he had tried to annoy her for not letting Tetsumaru play with them in kindergarten.
For Bakugo, the presence of Tetsumaru and Mei was not as inconsequential as the others'. Unlike the crybaby Deku, those two always felt superior to him. Smarter, better character, and from what he's seen so far, their abilities are nothing to scoff at.
Worse still, he is not aware of Mei's true capabilities! The bitch hasn't used her Quirk even once in the whole festival, and that has him even more irritated and, deep down, worried.
—What if the same thing happens again? What if he's thrown on the ground, curled up, with aching testicles and the girl's contemptuous gaze? That look... He would never forget it.
That look, like someone seeing something disgusting on the street. Her emerald eyes openly despising him, as if challenging him to retort. Those beautiful, light-red lips giving him that smile that could move the hearts of...
—Enough, dammit!— he growled at no one in particular, slapping his face hard and startling Jiro, who was sitting next to him.
For now, he would concentrate on that Urakaka girl, his first obstacle. Bakugo didn't pay her too much attention. He couldn't even properly remember her name.
He stood up and went down the stairs, his mind repressing any thoughts, good or bad, directed at the green-eyed bitch. When the time came, he would explode that damn smile with a detonation the world would never forget.
His sinister thoughts and denial of his own feelings paralyzed him when the object of his tumultuous emotions walked in his direction.
His eyes narrowed at the sight. Terumi Mei, wearing only a black sleeveless shirt, her flirtatious smile omnipresent, her hands on her hair, braiding a ponytail. He couldn't help but notice the toned but not excessive muscles of her biceps, her pale neck wrapped in bandages for some reason.
He noticed the amused glint in her eyes. Her breathing was calm, despite the tough fight she had just had. He noticed the dirt marks on her uniform, understanding why she had taken off the sports shirt.
He noticed every delicate movement as she braided her beautiful hair, mesmerized by the drops of sweat running down her forehead, her cheeks, and her armpits, getting lost between the bandages and her shirt.
—Shit— Bakugo thought without realizing it. But his expression soured when Mei fixed her gaze on him, smiling no longer politely and flirtatiously, but with sarcasm and mockery.
Mocking him.
—Fufufu, if you win, we'll meet in the next round. I'm looking forward to it— she said as she walked past him, the scent of the perfume she was wearing, the shampoo in her hair, and the sweat on her body hypnotizing Bakugo again, preventing him from answering.
After a few seconds, he slammed his face into the wall with a growl.
—Control yourself, damn it!— he reprimanded himself.