Nemuri, who had been on the referee platform, hadn't needed to intervene in the previous matches since they had ended in just a few moves. However, the fight between Tetsutetsu and Bakugo promised a spectacle.
"Both ready!" Midnight said before giving the signal. "Begin!"
Bakugo didn't hesitate for even a second to attack Tetsutetsu—that was his personality. Propelled by an explosion, Bakugo reached Tetsutetsu and struck his chest.
"Die!"
An explosion engulfed them both. For a moment, no one knew what had happened.
"Tsk."
Bakugo's smile vanished as the smoke cleared.
Tetsutetsu wore a wide grin that showed his teeth. His skin had turned to metal, resisting the explosion.
"That barely tickled!"
Tetsutetsu punched Bakugo in the face. At the same time, Bakugo detonated another explosion right in Tetsutetsu's face, but once again, it did nothing. Instead, Bakugo spat blood.
"Not so tough now, honey badger?!"
"This is unexpected! Tetsutetsu's hardening seems to be a natural counter to Bakugo's explosions!" Present Mic couldn't help but shout excitedly.
In the stands, Itsuka grabbed her chin. "Unlike Todoroki, Bakugo has no way to restrain Tetsutetsu..."
"Does that mean he's going to lose?" Momo asked.
"Who knows," Toru replied while eating popcorn—where did she even get that?
"No."
Kirishima arrived at that moment.
"Oh, you're alive!" Toru exclaimed.
"That's obvious!"
Kirishima got annoyed. In the end, he had only been trapped in ice—it wasn't like he'd been injured, though he had felt really cold.
"Kirishima-kun, what do you mean?" Deku asked curiously.
Kirishima scratched his head before answering with irritation, "It's unpleasant sharing an identity, but my Quirk and Tetsutetsu's are variants of the same type. We have a terrifying defense, but outside of that, we're no different from any other person. Capturing us is the best way to stop us..."
"Then Bakugo will lose?" Iida asked.
"It's the best way, but not the only way. In the end, we have a limit to how long we can maintain our hardening... and if you want to do it the hard way, you could try to break through our defense by force... although so far, only Allen has been able to do that."
Everyone fell silent before turning their attention back to the fight.
"Kill me if you can!" Tetsutetsu shouted, punching Bakugo in the face once more. Even if he didn't possess super strength, his fist, covered in metallic skin, was like a baseball bat.
Bakugo bled but refused to back down, continuing to attack Tetsutetsu head-on.
His offensive power was incredible, surprising everyone—but it wasn't enough to overcome Tetsutetsu's defense. A Tetsutetsu who had taken several beatings from Allen and increased his durability. As a result, Bakugo received blows almost unilaterally until he inevitably couldn't withstand the damage and fell onto his back.
Nemuri prepared to announce the winner, but Bakugo refused to fall, grabbing Tetsutetsu's arm.
"Bakugo refuses to surrender!" Present Mic shouted. "He's really stubborn!"
"What?!" Tetsutetsu was surprised that Bakugo was still conscious after that beating.
"Thanks. My anger kept me from thinking clearly, but your punches cleared my head. Now I can see it."
Bakugo's red eyes lit up, making even Tetsutetsu uneasy. Before he could react, Bakugo grabbed him by the face.
"...!"
"I know. I just had to keep my distance long enough for your hardening to wear off. I also know taking your hits is stupid—but that's not my style!"
"...!" Tetsutetsu tried to break free, but Bakugo was stronger. So he punched Bakugo in the face several times, making him bleed, yet Bakugo didn't let go.
"I was wondering if you're as tough on the inside!"
Bakugo's words froze the audience. Everyone realized that if Bakugo wanted to, he could detonate an explosion inside Tetsutetsu through his mouth. A terrifying image crossed everyone's minds—including Tetsutetsu's, who stopped punching.
"Want to try it?" Bakugo asked.
Tetsutetsu raised his hands.
"The winner is Katsuki Bakugo!" Nemuri declared.
....
When Allen returned to the stands, it was just as Bakugo had grabbed Tetsutetsu. He was practically copying his move, which surprised him, since someone as proud as Bakugo wouldn't normally do that.
"..." Bakugo turned toward the stands and pointed at Allen without saying a word, but his intentions were clear—he was coming for his head.
"Interesting." Allen smiled.
At that moment, everyone noticed Allen had returned.
"Allen, where were you?!~"
Mina stood up and ran toward Allen with every intention of hugging him, but Itsuka grabbed her like a cat, preventing her from doing so.
"Lady Nagant-sensei caught me on the way to congratulate me," Allen shrugged before sitting down between Momo and Ochako.
Everyone could tell it was a lie. Most likely, the strict teacher had scolded him—and she had plenty of reasons to.
"Well, we should start getting ready..." Momo stood up and looked at Itsuka seriously.
"Right." Itsuka let go of Mina, who fell flat on her butt.
"Ouch! What's with treating me like that?!" Mina complained while rubbing herself, but neither girl paid her any attention.
Toru and Ochako felt intimidated by the tension between the two girls. They even wondered if they might start fighting, since there was a hint of hostility in the air.
....
Eve – Of course we know the reason...
"That's not true, I haven't done anything yet," Allen defended himself. Objectively speaking, he might have flirted with several girls, but he hadn't laid a hand on any of them yet, so he believed he was innocent.
Mirajane – My brother would be sad if he found out what kind of bastard his sister fell for.
Erza – If you dislike him so much, you're free to leave him...
Mirajane – Ara ara~ nice try, but it's not that easy to get rid of me.
"That's no way to speak to your future husband," Allen said indignantly. Maybe he was largely to blame for most of his relationships, but as far as he knew, he hadn't forced any girl to be with him, so they had no right to reproach him for being a womanizer at this point.
McDragon – The joke about dying stabbed is getting old, but you really should consider stopping, one of these days, you'll anger a truly dangerous woman.
"Hey, don't jinx me like that."
Allen stopped paying attention to his Chat and focused on the arena. While Momo and Itsuka went to prepare, another match was about to begin.
....
"The next match is between two girls, talented students from Class 1-B! Reiko Yanagi, whose Quirk Poltergeist grants her telekinesis, and Setsuna Tokage, who can split her body and control it separately—a very peculiar Quirk!"
The two girls were friends, but that didn't stop them from fighting seriously. After all, their futures were on the line.
Setsuna separated her arms from her body and attacked Reiko. In response, the girl waited until they were within reach, dodged, and touched both arms, allowing her to control them with her telekinesis.
"Since when can you control living objects?"
"I want to become stronger too..." the girl said with a determined look—something rare for her.
"I like that attitude!" Setsuna smiled and split her body into a dozen pieces, turning them into projectiles aimed at Reiko.
Reiko used Setsuna's arms to defend herself.
From the stands, Vlad King sighed. He had never agreed with the student exchange model, but he had to admit that the constant pressure placed on the Hero Course students was making them stronger.
"So that's it, Young Allen..."
All Might finally understood what Nezu was trying to do, and he recalled a phrase Allen had once mentioned to him.
– "Hard times create strong men, strong men create good times, good times create weak men, and weak men create hard times..." –
'Is it my fault?' All Might clenched his fists.
This peace he had worked so hard to achieve had created many weak heroes. It was true that in this era there were too many heroes, but most of them were filler. If they knew about the existence of All For One, many would likely abandon the profession.
Principal Nezu silently observed the matches. He was satisfied, as the pressure Allen exerted on his classmates was pushing them to grow faster.
"It will definitely be a golden generation. However, I hope we have enough time before that man makes his move..."
Nezu's gaze darkened. No matter how many possibilities he simulated in his head, the outcome of a confrontation against All For One was devastating.
"It's to be expected from someone who killed All Might's predecessors..."
....
The match ended with a victory for Setsuna, which was to be expected since there wasn't much in the ring that Reiko could use to attack.
The two girls exchanged a handshake.
"What an incredible display of respect!" shouted Present Mic. So far, this had been the most peaceful match between the competitors.
Reiko and Setsuna entered their respective tunnels, where Momo and Itsuka were already waiting.
Setsuna gave Itsuka a pat on the shoulder, wishing her luck. Reiko nodded to Momo politely before walking past her; however, she whispered something that made Momo look at her in surprise. Then Momo shook her head and walked toward the ring.
The two girls met at the center.
"There really aren't any hard feelings, right?" Momo asked, a drop of sweat running down her cheek.
"You tell me. Is there something you need to apologize for?" Itsuka replied with a smile.
Momo lowered her head but quickly raised it again. "You're right. There is something I owe you an apology for. I'm sorry."
"But even so, you don't plan on giving up?" Itsuka asked seriously as she took her fighting stance.
"I won't," Momo responded with the same seriousness as she created a staff.
"Then there's only one way to settle this!"
"Yes!"
The crowd was stunned by how serious both girls were, something Present Mic didn't fail to point out.
"Is this an old grudge?! Or a surprise rivalry?! Itsuka Kendo and Momo Yaoyorozu, two very strong girls from Class 1-A, are about to face off!"
Nemuri Kayama watched them with narrowed eyes. Her woman's intuition told her that perhaps this rivalry was about her Allen. If that was the case, Nemuri snorted—no matter who won, no one would take Allen without her permission.
"Ready… begin!"
Itsuka attacked first, closing the distance. Once she reached Momo, she threw a kick that Momo blocked with her staff and immediately counterattacked, thrusting the tip of the staff toward Itsuka's face.
Itsuka leaned back to dodge, performed a flip, and landed smoothly. Then she launched a series of punches that Momo blocked one by one.
"What an evenly matched fight!" shouted Present Mic.
Itsuka stepped back, enlarged her fist, and struck Momo. Momo created a shield over her abdomen and took the blow.
Both girls fought with strength and skill. Their power was similar, so the fight was decided by a single mistake—Itsuka stumbled while retreating.
Momo seized the opportunity and placed her staff against Itsuka's throat.
"Incredible! After a great display of skill, Momo Yaoyorozu wins!" Present Mic announced.
At his shout, the entire audience erupted in excitement. But in the center of the ring, Momo and Itsuka remained silent.
Itsuka looked at Momo before sighing. "I'll give you this victory, but in the end, I'll be the one who wins."
"I…" Momo couldn't reply, which made Itsuka laugh as she leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"If you can't even express what you feel, this won't even be a real fight~"
"Shut up!" Momo shouted, blushing. Her cute reaction only made Itsuka tease her more.
From the stands, Allen was happy that they had resolved things. He wouldn't have liked their friendship to end because of him.
'Host… never mind.'
....
In contrast to Itsuka and Momo's fight, Mei's match against Iida left everyone speechless—but for a different reason.
Allen watched as Iida entered the arena wearing equipment that consisted of two rods extending diagonally from his back, each fitted with small turbines, along with additional gear attached to his legs.
Nemuri didn't want to allow it, but when Iida explained that Mei had given him the equipment to help him and that he had accepted her goodwill, moved by her gesture, Nemuri permitted the use of support items.
According to Mei's enthusiastic explanation, it was a device that automatically maintained balance and a kind of exoskeleton that reduced the effort required for running. The explanation sounded impressive, but to demonstrate it, she spent the time having Iida chase her—only to make him trip several times.
That was only the beginning. Mei humiliated Iida by testing many of her inventions on him, and when she finished, she surrendered.
The girl stepped down from the stage with a satisfied smile, having gained the attention of several support companies, including the renowned and well-connected David Shield, who even considered hiring her.
Meanwhile, the entire class, the teachers, and even Allen looked at Iida with pity. He was kneeling on the stage; despite technically winning, his spirit had been crushed.
"Don't worry!" said a heroine wearing a flower tiara from the audience.
This triggered a chain reaction, and soon the entire stadium was cheering for Iida. Instead of helping, it only made him feel more miserable.
"Idiot," muttered Bakugo, but no one argued. Iida was naïve, and it had cost him.
...
The match between Tokoyami and Sero was quick. As soon as it began, Sero used his tape to bind Tokoyami and try to throw him off the platform, but Dark Shadow prevented it by breaking the tape and attacking Sero, who, despite trying to defend himself, was defeated with a single blow.
"Well, that was to be expected," Allen said.
"Poor Sero-kun, he had to go up against someone in the top five," Ochako murmured. She was nervous because her fight would be next—the last of the first round.
"You'll do great," Allen said, placing his hand on Ochako's shoulder.
"..." Ochako blushed and looked away. "Thank you."
"Hey, that's not fair!" Toru grabbed Allen's arm with a pout.
Allen patted her head. "Sorry. You've become strong too."
"So you're on my side?!~"
"I'm not on anyone's side. Whoever wins will make me happy."
"Mmm."
"..."
Both Toru and Ochako looked at Allen with dissatisfaction, and he chuckled under his breath.
"So how about this—whoever wins gets a reward?"
Both girls' eyes lit up, and soon determination burned within them. They walked off, leaving Allen laughing, while the rest of the students stared at him in silence.
"I've been thinking for a while, but Allen, you're really good at dealing with women, aren't you?" Tokoyami said.
Allen shrugged. "I'm just kind."
"Curiously, you tend to be that way only with certain girls," Jiro murmured.
"If you want, I can be that way with you too."
"No thanks." Jiro looked away nervously; she didn't want to become another one of his targets.
....
In the ring, Nemuri welcomed the final pair of the first round.
"Are you ready, girls?"
"Yes!" Toru exclaimed.
"Me too!" Ochako said.
Nemuri smiled as she raised her hand to the sky, and the audience grew excited once more. The matches would only become more intense as each fight progressed.
It was a festive day.
It was an exciting day.
Nothing could go wrong…... until the sky grew cloudy.
Everyone was puzzled by the sudden change.
"..." Allen looked up at the sky, which was slowly losing its color as storm clouds rolled in. It was strange—today was supposed to be clear. The sight made him frown.
====
A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, I'm still cooking something up. 👀
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