Switcheroo \BnHA Various x Reincarnated!OC\

33 - Fire... Or Not

"When eating... Your mind should be on the food," the shallow smile on Shouto's face is blinding.

When Renka's mind finally converges, she tries to step back and... fails. The boy already has a solid grip on her hand which holds his collar. She mobilises the prepared petals but his finger twitches and they go up in flames.

Donuts! This is unscrupulous! Renka grinds her teeth, body solidly frozen from their joined hands. Good looks are dangerous! She needs to add immune building to her training menu, time to look at celebrity photos, yup.

"Todoroki advances to the finals!"

Renka's eyes flit to the elevated area Aizawa should be. Is this enough? To stay in U.A.?

She throws a light punch at Shouto, "Good game".

"Likewise," his hand squeezes hers and the biting cold recedes, warmed by lively flames just hot enough to melt the frost. Strangely, it isn't only her body—her heart is all toasty and warm. And when her eyes amble to his, they each catch the smile on the other.

※※※

"STUN GRENADE!" Katsuki yells, his muscles drawn taut as a massive blast explodes from his palm.

Tokoyami shuts his eyes by reflex and that happens to be his last move in the match. When his eyes fly open the next second, the winner has already been determined. His partner Dark Shadow is whimpering, weakened by the light flashes from their opponent's constant discharge of small explosions. Tokoyami himself is pushed to the ground and has his beak held down by Katsuki.

Dark Shadow squints, "Sorry, Fumi..."

Tokoyami shoots the dark entity a look that only he can read and says aloud: "I give."

And that is how the finalists Todoroki Shouto and Bakugou Katsuki arrive to stand at the arena after break time.

"Fucking pedo, are you into kids?" Katsuki's lip curls as they trade blows.

"If you're talking about Senshiro, we're the same age," Shouto conjures an ice wall to block the blond's tackle, "I'm not sure what you mean but you're awfully concerned for just a friend."

The smile on Katsuki's face drops as he blasts through the ice and charges at Shouto again.

Yeah, why am I so fucking pissed?

The temperature rises when Shouto summons fire but Katsuki is used to the heat of his own blasts so this much is nothing. The red-hot flames lick at him, provoking yet eluding. Katsuki clicks his tongue.

Shouto and the dwarf's little moment on the stage gave Katsuki a huge urge to destroy. The goal of showing the shitty nerd and these extras who's king hasn't been forgotten but he's now working on the cherry on top. Who better to lay waste to than the guy getting on his nerves?

Crimson eyes meet heterochromatic ones as explosion meets fire.

Shouto decided to put his all into the finals, even if it smarts to use the garbage old man's ability. No... Midoriya was right. It was his, Shouto's ability and here is an adversary he can't beat without pulling out all the stops.

I'll give it everything I've got!

Ice and fire shadow Katsuki and he changes direction midair with a blast, careful to avoid getting herded to the edge. He hates to admit it but the half-half bastard is strong... But that just makes him a better stepping stone to the top!

"I'M TAKING THE FIRST TO END ALL FIRSTS!"

Katsuki spins in the air like a malignant torpedo which aim is to off its target. The more he sweats, the stronger his explosions. The next blast will send this bastard to kingdom come! "HOWITZER IMP—!"

Katsuki's lunch comes up when a pillar of ice shoots up from the ground, ramming his abdomen. He can't even take a breath before the hit sends him into the waiting jaws of a massive inferno. Red-hot and blaring, the arena seems to have been eaten whole by the flames... and its next prey is close.

But even cornered rats fight back, let alone a lion. Katsuki roars, explosions buoying him out of the fire's reach. Except that was a move his opponent steered him to make. The next second, Katsuki is rammed out of bounds, narrowly avoiding a faceplant thanks to quick reflexes. The fire was a distraction and ice made up the actual attack. Midoriya had changed Shouto's fuel and Senshiro had ignited his engines but his obstinacy of many years couldn't vanish overnight.

He may have used fire but the tournament will be won with his mother's Quirk!