The air crackled with energy. The clash between hero and "villain" – a label that felt increasingly meaningless – was deafening. Each explosion from Bakugo's palms felt like a direct assault on my eardrums. The white flames I conjured were a stark contrast to his furious orange, yet just as deadly.
"Deku! You goddamn traitor!" Bakugo roared, spitting the words like venom. Each explosion sent debris flying, forcing me to weave and dodge. "You think you're some kind of savior? You're just a two-faced bastard, playing hero in the daylight and a villain at night! How long until your mom figures out who her precious boy really is?!"
His words hit a nerve, a raw spot that I usually kept carefully guarded. The color of my flames deepened, shifting from pure white to a blistering blue. My control teetered, fueled by a surge of anger that threatened to consume me. He knew how to get under my skin, the damn bastard.
"Shut your mouth, Bakugo!" I spat back, sending a wave of intense blue flames towards him. He barely managed to block with a powerful explosion, the force of it throwing him back a few feet.
Around us, the scene was a chaotic ballet of Quirks and fury. Shigaraki's decay was rapidly spreading across the street, forcing Iida to use his Recipro Burst to keep civilians away. Dabi and Shoto were locked in a dance of fire and ice, each trying to overwhelm the other with their respective element. Toga, cackling maniacally, was flitting around Uraraka, trying to get a drop of her blood. Twice, as always, was fighting on two fronts, his clones creating a whirlwind of confusion for Sero and Kaminari.
Shinso, always the strategist, was using his Brainwashing to disorient and incapacitate the lesser members of Bakugo's team. He moved with a quiet efficiency, a stark contrast to the explosive chaos around us.
I focused back on Bakugo, who was now breathing heavily, his eyes blazing with rage. "You think you can hide behind your little charade, Deku? Playing the businessman during the day and the big bad boss at night? It's pathetic!"
He lunged at me, a furious explosion propelling him forward. I sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the blast, and retaliated with a whip of dark purple flame. The heat was intense, almost unbearable, but Bakugo managed to deflect it with another explosion, though I saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He was starting to realize that this wasn't the same Deku he grew up with. This wasn't the Quirkless kid he used to bully. This was something far more dangerous.
"You want to know the difference between us, Kacchan?" I said, my voice dangerously low. "You play by the rules. You follow the hero commission's orders. You think you're saving people, but you're just a puppet. I actually get my hands dirty. I save people that the heroes ignore. I make sure the forgotten ones get a chance at life. Don't you dare stand here and tell me that I'm a traitor."
The flames around me intensified, turning an almost black color. The air crackled with a raw, untamed power. I could feel Shinso's gaze on me, a silent warning. I was letting my emotions take over, losing control.
Bakugo, despite his bravado, took a step back. He could sense the change in me, the shift in the very air around us. "You're a goddamn villain, Deku! You're just justifying your shitty actions!"
He launched another attack, a desperate, explosive barrage. I met him head-on, the dark flames clashing against his orange explosions. The force of the impact sent a shockwave through the street, shattering windows and sending debris scattering. We were locked in a brutal dance, a furious exchange of power and rage that threatened to tear everything around us apart.
Suddenly, a loud siren cut through the chaos. Reinforcements. The hero commission was finally arriving.
I knew we couldn't win a direct confrontation against the full force of the hero commission. We were outnumbered, outgunned. It was time to retreat.
"Dabi! Shigaraki! Fall back!" I yelled, my voice barely audible over the din of the battle.
Dabi nodded, launching a massive wave of blue flames to cover his retreat. Shigaraki, with a frustrated grunt, began to pull back, his decay spreading rapidly to create a barrier. Toga, with a disappointed pout, reluctantly disengaged from Uraraka. Twice, as always, was the last to retreat, his clones creating a distraction for the heroes.
I turned back to Bakugo, who was still standing defiantly amidst the chaos. "This isn't over, Kacchan," I said, my voice cold and hard. "This is just the beginning."
With a final burst of dark flames, I created a smokescreen and disappeared into the shadows, Shinso close behind me. We retreated into the labyrinthine network of alleys, the sounds of the sirens fading behind us.
As we regrouped in a secure location, I knew one thing for sure: the line between hero and villain had been irrevocably blurred. The world was about to change. And I, Izuku Midoriya, was going to be at the center of it all.