The final matches of the UA Sports Festival were underway. With his victory over Iida, Todoroki had successfully secured his spot in the finals. Now it was time to decide who would stand against him: (F/N) (L/N) or Katsuki Bakugou. Small firecrackers popped in Bakugou's hands as he ascended the stairs to the arena, ready and eager to start the match, a stark contrast to (L/N)'s entrance. His footsteps were heavy, almost sluggish, and his skin shone a sickly pale beneath the light of the sun. Quite frankly, it looked like he was just one strong gust of wind away from being knocked unconscious.

"Are you ready sports fans?" Present Mic's voice boomed from the many speakers around the stadium. "We're just about to press play on the final song of this chart-toppin' album, but first we gotta see which one of these two DJ's is gonna be sharin' the lead in the next match. He's climbed his way to the semifinals with his explosive determination, from Class 1A's hero course, it's Katuski Bakugou!"

"Listen up blindfold!" Bakugou shouted menacingly. "I know you've been holdin' back this entire time, and everyone else knows it too. I want you to show everyone what you can really do. That way when I beat you, no one will question whether or not I'm stronger! You got that? You better not hold back!"  

"And also from Class 1A, he's astounded everyone with his incredible shows of power, and now he's back to dazzle you again with another legendary light show, it's (F/N) (L/N)!"

"Contestants ready?" Midnight asked from her podium, looking between the two students.

Bakugou was itching to start. If that damned teacher would just lift her stupid hand already and cut them loose.

"Start!"

No sooner had the word passed her lips did he jump into action, launching himself forwards with an earsplitting explosion. The audience must think him a fool, rushing someone like (L/N) head on. But he would show them just how powerful he was. He kept his eyes peeled for the slightest of disturbances, and sure enough he spotted it. Like a feint heat mirage, the air distorting in front of him. Aiming one of his hands at the ground, he launched himself over the barrier, maneuvering himself so he was now looking at (L/N)'s back. Another shield, this one too close to dodge but it didn't matter. Adding some heat to his punch, his fist shattered through the barrier like punching through a glass window and his knuckles collided with (L/N)'s jaw.

"What an explosive first blow!"

Bakugou angrily stared down (L/N) as he got back on his feet. Aiming his hands backwards, he once again used his quirk to quickly cover the distance between them. Another barrier popped up between them, and Bakugou once again used his quirk to change direction. The process repeated itself, (L/N) erecting walls between them while Bakugou either avoided them or broke them to pieces. It wasn't much, but the small amount of time it took for Katsuki to smash through one of the constructs gave (L/N) the opportunity to maneuver out of the way of the following attack. And on it went, (L/N) just barely managing to keep one step as Bakugou flew circles around him.

Katsuki Bakugou was hotheaded, yes. Arrogant and overconfident and perhaps even a bit conceited. But he wasn't so egotistical that he couldn't recognize his opponent's strength. He didn't know exactly how powerful (L/N) was, but he knew the strength and versatility of his quirk far surpassed his own. That didn't scare Bakugou though. No, to Bakugou it just meant that it would be all the more fun to put him down. He had been looking forward to a challenge. To see what this blind bastard could do. But it was just wall after wall, each one as flimsy as tissue paper. This was not what he wanted. This was not a challenge.

"Stop screwing around!" He shouted as he punched through another construct with the sound of shattering glass.

The way (L/N) lazily avoided his attack with a simple sidestep infuriated him. Any openings Bakugou managed to find were quickly closed by his damned quirk and any chance to attack was snuffed out, all the while (L/N) did nothing more than place one feeble blockade between them. He was starting to get angry. Was this constant cat and mouse a strategy given to him by that damn nerd, or was (L/N) simply mocking him? Perhaps he thought he wasn't worthy of any real effort. He would soon prove him wrong. He would make him use his full power, even if he had to beat it out of him.

[My Hero Academia]

He was fast. No, he was faster than fast. (L/N) could barely keep up with his speed and mobility. It was all he could do to erect a single fragile barrier before Bakugou broke through it with his explosive power. Quite frankly he was astonished that the match wasn't over. He was barely keeping up as it was.

The thunderous explosion that accompanied every use of his opponent's quirk hammered away at his eardrums and ate away at his focus. Aizawa's earlier description of Bakugou had been spot on. His tenacity and determination was overwhelming. His never-ending onslaught took away any time (L/N) had to think.

A radiant surge of light rippled from his body and caught Bakugou off guard. Had it not been for his incredible control over both his body and quirk, it very well may have pushed him out of the ring. The annoyance in Bakugou's malicious grin was replaced now by excitement. It was what he had been waiting for, after all. A real fight. In truth, the attack had been unintentional. (L/N) had not consciously willed it to happen, but he just needed some time to breathe.

The crowd gasped and cheered at the change of pace, eager to see a proper fight. To them, the attack signaled the beginning of that. To (L/N), that brief loss of control had been disgraceful. The whole point of him competing in the Sports Festival, the reason why he even bothered putting forth any modicum of effort in his last two matches was to prove that he had gained some level of control. But reality did not share in his goals. Reality proved to be a devastating realization that despite his best efforts, it still wasn't enough. It would never be enough. He had tried to control it in the past, and he had failed. He was a fool for thinking this time would be any different.

"See, you're getting better already."

Kendo had always admired his quirk. Even though he couldn't fully control it, he had obliged her request to demonstrate what he could do when they first talked about their powers. Nothing big, and certainly nothing dangerous. But he created small spheres of light in his hand, shot off tiny multicolored fireworks for her amusement. She always said she thought his quirk was amazing. One time she even called it beautiful. And despite how terrified he was of his own ability, Kendo's awe and admiration never failed to overpower his fear.

They were once again sitting on his bed, he and Kendo. Since last they talked about her desire to become a hero, she had become dead set on insisting he become one too. That the two of them go to UA together, and that after they graduate, they work together to help people. A future, she promised him, where they would always be together. To say he didn't want that would be a lie (not the part about becoming a hero, that still seemed foolish to him). She had stayed with him these past three years. It was longer than even his own grandparents had done. But for Kendo to become a hero she would eventually have to leave him. He knew she would. Whether or not she was adopted sometime before then, UA called to her, and he knew that becoming a hero was her destiny. He also knew that unless he joined her on this path, he would lose her. Lose the only friend, the only kindness he'd ever known. He was willing to do anything to ensure that never happened. And so, he practiced controlling his quirk.

It was more than he'd ever used his power before, and the thought of something going wrong terrified him to his very core. But they only had two years before the time would come to apply to UA. Time was of the essence.

So far, he seemed to be having some amount of success. He was hovering an assortment of different items in the air while she sat beside him. She would encourage him and sometimes pass on some of the things Ms. Sasaki had told the other children during their quirk counseling classes, but most importantly, she was a reassuring presence.

It was with her help that he managed to build his understanding of his quirk. He learned to solidify light and even to give them shapes. At night they would sneak outside, and he would practice firing his quirk at the start-dotted sky, and during the weekends she would try to break through his shields with her enlarged fists. They created a game to help him practice his illusions. She would name anything she could think of, and he would try to give it life. A gorilla in a tutu, a princess dinosaur, a car that flew through space. Whether or not he was successful, it always made them laugh.

And for a while, things were good. Despite his quirk, she was the one who truly brought light into the world. It seemed though, that he brought only darkness to hers. Her association with him did not go unnoticed by the other children. Despite their warnings, she had decided to ignore them and make friends with the blindfolded recluse that slept in the basement.

They tried to convince her that she should keep her distance. That he was dangerous and that she should sever all ties with him. But it seemed that more and more of her time she spent with him. It made them angry. A mixture of fear for the young man and, in the case of the boys, a sense of resentment and jealousy to find that the sweet girl seemed to prefer the freak's company to their own.

They would talk darkly behind their backs. The boy's mysterious aura kept them too afraid to do anything other than talk. They spread nasty rumors and told insidious lies until no one could any longer discern fact from fiction.

As time passed, some of the older boys decided it was time to teach them a lesson. (L/N) may have still scared them even in their teenaged years, but they had since outgrown the nightmares that once held them at bay. Besides, they too had their powers, and they outnumbered him by a considerable amount. They wouldn't hurt Kendo, they agreed, but (L/N) needed to be put in his place. He was an aberration. A freak that would always be alone until the day he died and it was time he was reminded of that.

Despite their talk, which was done largely to impress the girls of the house, none of them were brave enough to venture down into the boiler room to confront the boy. They rarely saw him during the day, and when they did, Ms. Sasaki or Mr. Nakamura were always close by. They decided that they would have to lure him out. But how to do so?

It was one of the girls who proposed the idea. Jealous of the attention all the boys gave Kendo, she suggested that if something were to happen to her, then (L/N) would surely come running. And so, the trap was set.

The girls lead Kendo astray one night under the guise of sneaking outside to play while one of them stationed themselves in the hallways leading to the adults' quarters, using her quirk to silence all noise. Once in the yard, one of the boys grabbed Kendo by the arms and twisted them painfully, pinning them to her back. She yelped in pain, tears forming in her eyes as fear of what was to come gripped at her chest. The boys apologetically said they had warned her to stay away while the girls sneered and taunted her. They jabbed her in the ribs and pulled on her hair, one of them even going so far as to slap her across the face.

They had planned it out so they stood on the exterior of the wall that adjoined the boiler room. Their taunting and Kendo's cries drifted in through the small window in the foundation where surely they would fall upon (L/N)'s ears. Sure enough, their bait lured out the prey they desired.

The same girl that had devised the plan was just about to smack Kendo again when the sound of his voice calling across the field caused her to stop.

"Leave her alone."

The boy holding Kendo threw her aside and he and the others stepped forward, separating (L/N) from Kendo.

"Funny." The ringleader said. "I was just about to say the same thing to you."

(L/N)'s brow furrowed. "What do you want?"

"It's simple really. We think you need to stop being so chummy with little Kendo, here."

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're a freak." The ringleader stated simply. "And freaks like you don't have friends. You're going to spend your entire life alone. Unwanted and unloved. We just think you should get used to it now. Oh, and don't worry about Kendo, we'll look out for her."

"Is that what you think you're doing?" (L/N) asked. "Looking out for her?"

"It's what friends do."

"You're not her friends."

The ringleader laughed. "And you think you are?"

"I am her friend." (L/N) said with a small smile, recalling Kendo's first words to him.

"What are you smiling for?"

"Because" (L/N) said, admitting it for the first time, even to himself, "she... is my friend. Now let her go."

He didn't expect them to listen. He knew the things they said about them, how they wanted to 'teach him a lesson' as it were. Given the situation, it came as no surprise when they circled him. He shielded himself in a sphere of hardened light, their attacks harmlessly bouncing off as he made his way forward. Still, unpracticed as he was, he couldn't fend them off forever. His barrier shattered which gave them a boost to their morale. A large boy ran towards him, arms outstretched as he prepared to tackle him to the ground. (L/N) pivoted on his foot so he harmlessly passed him by, tripping over the leg (L/N) had outstretched and faceplanting in the dirt.

From where the girls had her trapped, Kendo watched with a teary-eyed smile as her friend fended off their assailants. Her fear was gone, replaced by a sense of wonder and astonishment. She was so happy, and so very proud of her friend. The things she said to him, the words of encouragement and reassurance she had provided over the last three years had reached him. This was proof of it. Proof that everything she had ever told him, everything she had ever believed about him was true. He didn't have to be afraid of his quirk. He could use it to help people. He could be a hero.

Alas, it all ended in tragedy. One of their fists made contact with his stomach, then another to his face. They knocked him on the ground and kicked his curled-up body. In the light of the moon Kendo saw blood shining on his arms and forehead. The boys stepped aside as the ringleader approached, cracking his knuckles.

"Consider this another of your private lessons." He said. "Today we'll be seeing how much cold human flesh can handle before being permanently damaged by frostbi..."

The rest of his sentence was cut short as a hand chopped down hard on the back of his neck. In the background the girls were groaning in pain as they lay on the ground, arms wrapped around wherever Kendo's enlarged hand had struck.

"Get away from him!" She shouted, standing protectively in front of him as he lay bleeding on the ground. "Don't you touch him!"

They backed away slowly at her words, eyes focused wearily on her giant fists. When she was satisfied that they would come no closer, she took the chance to kneel down and check on (L/N), placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. But he was not fully conscious. He couldn't register what had just happened. Lying on the ground, the only touch he knew was pain. So when she touched him, all he expected was pain. He lashed out.

He hurt her. Another person he cared about, the only person he'd cared about, and the only person that cared about him. It seemed all he ever did was hurt people. He was a fool for thinking he would ever amount to anything more. This tournament. This... game. He was done playing.

"I yield."