Sussy Baka in MHA-Chapter 65: Humbling Beatdown

Receive advanced Chapters while helping me to make ends meet in:

patreon.com/TheSynonym

────────────────────────

...

["I-I can't believe it, Bakugo is down!!!"]

""...Eh?""

Present Mic's shocked narration brought the stunned crowd back to reality. The unexpected turn of events was hard to process.

Bakugo, who had charged in with the intent to overwhelm Suzaku in one blow, had instead been knocked flat with a single punch, and a nasty one at that.

The sound of the impact echoed through the whole stadium, sending shivers down the spines of those watching and making many involuntarily wince as the blow landed.

Now, all eyes were locked on Bakugo's unmoving form, wondering if he'd be able to get up from that or if this would be the end of this tournament.

"Uh... do we end the fight, Midnight?" Cementoss spoke through his earpiece, unsure about what to do in this situation.

In Todoroki and Iida's match, the result had been fairly obvious—Todoroki's ice had immobilized his opponent. But now? One punch wasn't the kind of definitive end anyone had expected, and there was still a slim chance Bakugo could recover.

From her post, Midnight sighed, sweatdropping as she pressed her finger to her earpiece. "Let's... wait a few more seconds. If he doesn't respond, we'll call it. As anti-climactic as it might be for the final match of the festival..."

"Hm." Cementoss gave a quiet nod, his gaze never leaving Bakugo's limp figure.

Meanwhile, in the arena, Suzaku stared down at his fallen opponent, a sneer curling his lips.

"If you had been a little bit less loud, I might have considered letting you fight for a bit more. Even I'm not heartless enough to consider humiliating you right off the bat when the whole country's watching."

After a shake of the head, Suzaku couldn't suppress a snort from coming out, kneeling, and then patting the guy's limp body on the shoulder.

"Too bad you couldn't fight with your mouth shut."

With that, he began to stand up, ready to walk away once he was announced as the victor.

"...!!"

However, in the next instant, something shocking happened.

"Hngh—!"

Before Suzaku could stand fully, Bakugo's eyes snapped open, fury igniting behind his still-dazed gaze. Without hesitation, he swung his arm at the seemingly unaware Suzaku as a blast began forming on the surface of his palm.

-Tap-

-Booom!-

But Suzaku was not as unaware as he might have seemed. Just before the explosion was released, he deflected Bakugo's arm with just enough force to send the explosion harmlessly into empty air.

The crowd gasped as the fight resumed out of nowhere, some teachers heaving relieved sighs seeing that this festival wouldn't end in such an anticlimactic manner.

Back to the fight, as the smoke from the deflected blast dissipated, the hand Suzaku had used to deflect the attack suddenly tightened its grip on Bakugo's arm and began twisting it behind his back to shove him to the ground again.

-Thunk!-

"Kgh—!"

Once Bakugo's face met the concrete again, Suzaku grinned faintly as he kept him pinned to the floor.

"You're more persistent than I expected."

However, Bakugo wasn't that quick to subdue.

-Boom!-

Using his still free hand, Bakugo set off an explosion on the floor, the recoil of it opposing Suzaku's downward force and allowing him to sit upright for a second.

"Hngh!"

With his face off the ground, Bakugo quickly moved his hand and aimed his palm over his shoulder, where Suzaku was sure to be hit if he didn't release his hold over Bakugo's arm.

"Hah."

So, with no more option but to retreat in the face of Bakugo's sudden maneuver, Suzaku laughed momentarily before jumping away.

-Boom!-

The next instant, an explosion tore through the spot where Suzaku had just stood, but by that time, he was already several meters away, watching the spiky blonde with a carefree smile.

"Haah...Haah..."

Now free, Bakugo scrambled to his feet while breathing haggardly, his face contorted in pain and frustration.

After recovering his balance, he quickly took a defensive stance, expecting Suzaku to rush him right away. But to his confusion, the redhead simply stood there, chill and relaxed, showing no intention of attacking.

While confusion flooded Bakugo's mind, Suzaku simply tilted his head as if genuinely impressed. "You actually got up, huh?"

And it wasn't without reason Suzaku had asked that. That punch of his had been a serious one. Unlike in previous fights, this time, he had struck with all his strength, and in a spot that should have sent Bakugo to sleep for a while. Yet, Bakugo had managed to regain consciousness and fight back. Suzaku couldn't help but acknowledge his tenacity.

"..."

Sadly, Bakugo didn't reply to Suzaku's remark. He couldn't. He wasn't in the condition to afford talking mid-fight.

His vision was still blurry, and the throbbing pain in his jaw made it hard to focus. The punch had left him reeling, and even now, his legs felt unsteady beneath him.

If he lost focus, he'd be knocked out any second now.

But worse than the physical pain was the blow to his pride.

He had been taken down in a single strike. All the confidence he'd carried into this fight over the past few weeks—no, over his entire life ever since he received his Quirk—it all had crumbled in an instant.

It was like facing the sludge villain all over again, all that helplessness resurfacing in him—only this time, he didn't have the consolation that his opponent was a vicious and dangerous villain who could put the lives of even the Pros at risk.

This time, it was a fellow student, someone who by all means should have been an opponent he could defeat. Someone who should have been on a similar level to him.

And yet, it was that same someone who had almost knocked him out with a single punch.

What was worse, it had taken a huge load of willpower and luck out of him to wake up, and even though he had managed to do so, it didn't come without consequences.

Right now he was in no state to fight, not after taking that punch, and it didn't take a genius to know that if Suzaku wanted to finish what he had started, all he had to do was rush at him again and give him a good smack.

However, the redhead was instead standing there, wasting time instead of coming to finish him off. It was as if he didn't care about using all the advantage he had right now to win.

It was as if he didn't consider Bakugo a threat.

"Dammit..." The spiky blonde muttered under his breath, pushing through the pain in his face just to say that, frustration burned fiercely in his chest.

However, if there was one thing he was good at, it was maintaining his bravado.

So, shaking his head, Bakugo shrugged his insecurity aside and sent a glare full of anger and provocation. Almost inviting Suzaku to come at him.

Suzaku's smirk widened as he saw the look in Bakugo's eyes.

"Alright, since you're so eager, I suppose I'll give you a proper fight," he said, raising his fists into a relaxed boxing stance. "Though, don't regret later that this didn't end in that one last strike."

With those words, Suzaku began approaching with steady and confident steps, sending Bakugo into a tense stance as he carefully began measuring the distance between the two, alert and ready to attack the moment Suzaku got near.

-Bam!-

Then, without warning, Suzaku kicked off the ground, lunging toward Bakugo with startling speed.

"...!"

Reacting instinctively, Bakugo thrust his palm forward, preparing to unleash an explosion to halt Suzaku's advance.

But he was too slow.

-Whack!-

-Boom!-

"...?!"

Before the blast could fully form, Suzaku closed the distance and swatted his hand aside with a swift motion, leaving Bakugo wide open.

"...!"

By the time the blond kid realized the threat, it was too late. Although he tried to retaliate by sending an explosion with his other hand, by that time Suzaku had already slipped behind him in a blur.

-Bam!-

"Gh—!"

The next second, a solid strike to the ribs stole Bakugo's breath, pain radiating through his side and making him stagger for a moment.

"Hrngh... You—!" Gritting his teeth, he tried to whip around and blast Suzaku away, but once again—

-Smack!-

-Thud!-

"—Uhp...!"

Suzaku intercepted his attack effortlessly, swatting his hand aside like it was merely a bug, before following with a clean punch to Bakugo's gut, forcing the blonde back several steps while his eyes widened in pain.

-Bam!-

Sadly for him, Suzaku didn't give him a moment to recover. Closing in once more, he delivered a high kick aimed directly at Bakugo's chin, snapping his head back and forcing him to stagger even further.

Despite the brutal blow, however, Bakugo managed to stay on his feet, swaying slightly as he forced his head down, his pupils glaring ahead through blurred vision.

But just as his eyes refocused, he saw Suzaku rushing in again.

'Shit...'

What came after was the same story as with Midoriya.

Blow after blow rained down on Bakugo, a relentless onslaught that left him battered and breathless. He tried to retaliate with explosions, but Suzaku either deflected them with precision or used their force to maneuver and deliver yet another punishing strike, almost like he was using Bakugo's Quirk as his own.

His ribs, his face, his gut—Suzaku's attacks landed everywhere; there was no part spared from the brutal beatdown.

But what was worse was that Bakugo could feel Suzaku holding his punches.

The punch that had almost knocked him out proved it; Suzaku was not hitting as hard as he could. That way, he was allowing Bakugo to continue staying on foot, to continue trying to muster a defense against his relentless onslaught; it was all to extend the fight.

Even when he could end it right there.

"Damn." A voice rose amidst the crowd.

In the stands, the tension among the spectators was palpable.

"Not this again..." someone muttered. "I thought the final would be epic, but it's just another one-sided beatdown."

"At this rate, that match between the red-headed kid and Endeavor's son might as well have been the real final," another added, shaking their head in slight disappointment.

"This is sad to watch."

"Just what kind of Quirk does that kid have to overwhelm his peers like that?"

The arena buzzed with countless comments as the fight dragged on. Uneasy glances were exchanged among the pro heroes in attendance.

Suzaku's relentless barrage wasn't just brutal—it was excessive. His lack of finesse and restraint made many reconsider whether offering him an internship after the festival was a good idea. It was hard to think of him as a proper hero when he was beating his opponent into a bloody pulp.

Even Midnight and Cementoss exchanged hesitant glances, silently debating whether they should intervene despite Bakugo still standing. Prolonging this would be simply allowing for this beating to continue.

And Bakugo knew it.

"Damn it..." he hissed under his breath, his eyes darting back and forth, desperately trying to predict where Suzaku's next strike would come from.

-Bam!-

-Crack-

A blow landed on his ribs, making him wince in pain. He instinctively sent an explosion toward Suzaku, but like before, Suzaku deflected his arm effortlessly and countered with another punishing strike.

-Thud!-

"Kgh—!" Bakugo staggered, his breath labored, every muscle in his body screaming from the repeated hits. Through the haze of pain, his gaze momentarily flicked to the stands.

"...!"

Then, he saw them—the faces of pity. People looking at him not as a hero, not as a prodigy, but as someone who needed saving. That look—Izuku had given him that same look once, and it had enraged him beyond belief. Now, those people—those extras who should have been admiring him, looking up to him—were looking down on him.

'Damn it... Damn it!!'

The realization snapped something within Bakugo.

"Here comes the plane, open wid—Oh?" Suzaku's mocking tone was cut short as he noticed something unusual. As a result, he quickly leaped back just as—

-BOOOM!-

—An explosion erupted from the ground around Bakugo, sending a tremor to the entire arena.

A second later, Suzaku landed at a safe distance away, watching with a wry smile as a smoke cloud covered the area after the explosion.

"Crazy guy."

Then, from within the smoke, a figure shot upward, propelled high into the air by the force of his own explosion.

It was Bakugo. He had risked injuring himself with his blast just to create distance from Suzaku. Soaring into the only place Suzaku couldn't reach him.

The sky.

At the peak of his ascent, Bakugo twisted in midair, aiming his palms downward. With a deafening -Boom!-, he blasted the air, propelling himself sideways.

-Boom!-

-Boom!-

-Boom!-

Again and again, Bakugo ricocheted through the sky, moving at blinding speeds. His figure became a blur, darting unpredictably in every direction.

Then, without warning, he shot straight toward Suzaku.

"Dieeeee!!!" Bakugo roared.

Suzaku tensed, bracing for impact.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freeweɓnøvel.com.

-Boom!-

But just before reaching him, Bakugo shifted his angle, blasting himself away in another direction.

Then, he continued zigzagging around Suzaku, his erratic pattern making it nearly impossible to predict his next move.

-Boom!-

-Boom!-

-Boom!-

Sometimes, he passed by Suzaku; other times, he appeared directly in front of him, only to retreat again in an instant. His movements were chaotic yet controlled, keeping Suzaku in constant alert, not knowing when Bakugo would strike for real.

However, despite the whirlwind of explosions and the seemingly random attacks, Suzaku remained calm, his sharp eyes tracking Bakugo's blurred figure through his glasses.

Then, it happened.

An explosion struck Suzaku's back, forcing him a step forward. He winced as the force rocked him, but before he could fully recover, another explosion hit him from the side. Suzaku raised his forearm to shield himself, but the damage was visible.

"Pretty good." He smiled, unfazed by the pain.

For the first time, Bakugo was fighting back—and it was working. Each explosion was carefully aimed, either landing direct hits or creating openings to exploit. Bakugo had turned the tide, using his aerial mobility to keep Suzaku on the defensive.

"Haha... This guy is actually learning to fight better." Suzaku's smirk widened as he observed Bakugo's strategy. "Good. I didn't want to go through the cliché of coaching my opponent mid-fight. If he couldn't figure it out himself, he wouldn't have been worth much."

As he spoke, Suzaku's demeanor changed. His hand tightened into a wide position, as if ready to grab something at any second.

"Too bad he's still such an amateur. This could've been more interesting otherwise."

Just then, another explosion hit Suzaku's side.

-Boom!-

Smoke billowed around him, momentarily obscuring his figure. Bakugo, preparing to launch himself away again, narrowed his eyes in anticipation.

But before he could react—

-Tack!-

"What—?!"

A hand shot out from the smoke, faster than Bakugo could process.

In an instant, Suzaku's iron grip closed around his throat.

"Really too bad."

Thus, with Bakugo in his clutch once again, Suzaku began his movement.

The next instant, Bakugo was slammed into the ground with a bone-jarring impact.

-Bang!-

"Oof—!" Bakugo gasped as the air was forced from his lungs.

Nevertheless, pain was just that, pain. Once he managed to snap out of it, he tried to use his explosions again to push Suzaku away.

Sadly, before he could, Suzaku effortlessly swatted his arms aside.

-Bam!!!-

"Ack—!"

Then, without hesitation, Suzaku drove his knee into Bakugo's solar plexus, folding him in half from the sheer force.

Suzaku's knee didn't budge after striking Bakugo—it stayed firmly pressed against him, pinning him to the ground and making it difficult for him to breathe.

Bakugo gritted his teeth, raising his hands to aim at Suzaku despite the dizziness clouding his vision. But before he could fire, a heavy punch connected with his face.

-Bam!-

The impact rang in his head like a bell, leaving his vision spinning and his senses dulled. The world tilted, and for a moment, Bakugo felt the inevitable creeping in.

This time, he could feel it—his body wasn't holding out.

Any second now, he'd be knocked out.

"You...!"

With sheer rage and determination driving him forward, Bakugo raised both arms. Even though his eyes could barely focus on Suzaku's figure, he aimed blindly at where he thought Suzaku was.

"Die!!"

-Boom!!!-

As a result, explosions erupted from his palms, and for a fleeting moment, relief washed over him. He saw Suzaku take the blast head-on. Maybe... maybe this time, he had done enough.

But as the smoke cleared, that brief glimmer of hope turned to despair.

Suzaku stood there, damaged but unshaken, his expression as calm as ever. Before Bakugo could process what had happened, Suzaku's remaining free hand grabbed and twisted one of Bakugo's wrists, before pinning the other hand to the ground with brutal force.

"Aaargh!" Bakugo cried out in pain.

"Funny guy," Suzaku said, brushing some dust off his face, his tone mocking yet amused. "That actually hurt a little." He glanced down at Bakugo's twisted hand, his sneer growing. "Sadly, it looks like this is as far as you go."

Bakugo panted heavily. Despite the great amount of physical force he had been exerting so far, there was no sweat left on his palms; all of it had most likely evaporated due to his own Quirk.

That last attack had been the last drops of sweat he had left, and even those hadn't been able to create enough firepower to damage Suzaku seriously.

"...!" As that fact dawned on Bakugo, his eyes widened in realization.

He was completely spent. His Quirk was out of fuel. His body was failing. Suzaku had him pinned, barely allowing him to breathe.

This was defeat. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't win.

But even so, Bakugo refused to accept it just like that.

Despite his hand having gotten twisted in a nasty way, he pushed through the pain and threw a punch with it. It was weak—barely enough to push Suzaku's cheek—but it connected.

Suzaku blinked, surprised for a moment before a grin slowly spread across his face.

"Well, they say you really get to know someone by beating the crap out of him..." He chuckled softly, keeping his gaze locked on Bakugo's defiant eyes. "I guess I misjudged you—just a little."

Suzaku leaned back slightly, still smiling. Bakugo's trembling fist remained pressed weakly against his face.

"Next time, I hope you'll have improved a bit. Maybe then you'll learn to shut the hell up and just fight."

With those words, Suzaku tightened his fist to its absolute limit, pulling it back for one final strike.

"See you around, loudmouth."

Once those last words left Suzaku's mouth, the match was decided.

—Bam!—

The sound of a gruesome punch echoed across the arena. Blood, spit, and even a few teeth flew through the air as Bakugo's head snapped to the side. The fiery determination in his eyes flickered one last time before finally going out. His body went limp, and his hand fell weakly to the ground.

Bakugo had fainted.

"Whew..." With that over, Suzaku exhaled, finally standing up and dusting off his clothes.

Then, without sparing another glance at Bakugo's unconscious body, he turned and began walking away.

For a moment, the arena was silent, stunned by the sheer brutality of the match.

Then, the long-awaited announcement finally came.

["Bakugo can't fight anymore... The winner of this match, and the 1st year stage of the Sports Festival, Suzaku Suzuki!!!"]

...

────────────────────────

-To be Continued...-

────────────────────────

(A/N: My family got a new dog, and it's quite the horny bastard. The guy can't stop bothering my female dogs... Even though one could easily rip his head out, let's just hope she will not.

But well, he's gotta learn one way or another.

On other news, I'm going back to the city, so the wifi should be better, and I should have access to my precious chair, which means I can finally stop writing from the bed.

My back hurts.

As the last pieces of news, University is resuming in a week or so, so let's hope I don't screw up this year.)

->