"FIRST QUARTERFINAL MATCH!" Present Mic's voice shook the stadium. "IZUKU MIDORIYA VERSUS SHOTO TODOROKI! THIS IS GOING TO BE EXPLOSIVE!"
"Or frozen," Kaminari muttered. "Todoroki's going to ice him in five seconds."
"Don't underestimate Midoriya," Arthur said quietly. "He has more than just power."
"Yeah, he's got like... determination?" Kaminari shrugged. "Against Todoroki's ice? That's not going to cut it."
Arthur didn't respond, just watched as both competitors entered the arena. Midoriya looked nervous but focused. Todoroki looked cold, distant, like he was preparing for something more than just a fight.
This won't be about winning, Arthur realized. This is about something else entirely.
"BEGIN!"
Todoroki didn't hesitate. Ice erupted from his right foot, a massive wave that consumed half the arena in seconds. The temperature dropped so fast Arthur could see his breath from the viewing platform.
Midoriya should have been frozen solid.
Instead, green lightning crackled around his finger, and he flicked.
The shockwave was enormous, a wall of compressed air that shattered Todoroki's ice completely, sending frozen shards flying in every direction. But Midoriya's finger was already purple, swelling, broken from the recoil.
He's using his quirk at minimal output, Arthur observed. Breaking one finger at a time to generate counters.
Todoroki sent another wave of ice, and Midoriya destroyed it with another flick. His second finger broke.
"He's going to run out of fingers!" Ashido gasped.
"No," Yaoyorozu said, eyes wide. "He's doing something else. Look at Todoroki."
Arthur was already looking. The dual-quirked student was covered in frost, his right side freezing over from overuse. The massive ice attacks were taking their toll, and Todoroki refused to use his left side, refused to use his fire to regulate his temperature.
He's handicapping himself to death.
Midoriya charged forward, using his broken fingers to propel himself through Todoroki's ice walls, each impact shattering more of his bones but getting him closer. The green-haired boy was screaming something, but Arthur couldn't make it out over the crowd noise.
Then Midoriya grabbed Todoroki's shirt, pulled him close, and whatever he said made the ice user's eyes widen.
Todoroki's left side ignited.
Flames erupted from his body, melting the frost instantly, burning away the cold. For the first time in the entire tournament, Shoto Todoroki was using both quirks simultaneously, and the raw power was staggering.
The temperature in the arena swung wildly, ice meeting fire, creating massive steam clouds. Through it all, Midoriya kept coming, kept pushing, fingers broken, arm shattered, but refusing to quit.
"IT'S HIS POWER!" Midoriya's voice finally carried over the chaos. "NOT HIS! YOURS!"
Todoroki's flames intensified, his eyes showing something that hadn't been there before. Not just power, but emotion, conflict, something breaking inside him.
He gathered fire and ice together, both quirks at maximum, and unleashed everything.
The explosion was cataclysmic. Fire and ice colliding, creating a shockwave that rattled the entire stadium. The arena floor cracked, the walls shuddered, and when the smoke cleared...
Midoriya was out of bounds, unconscious, arm completely destroyed.
Todoroki stood in the center of the crater, left side still burning, looking at his hand like he'd never seen it before.
"TODOROKI WINS!" Midnight's voice was shaky. "Medics to the arena NOW!"
The crowd was on their feet, screaming, but Arthur barely heard them. He was watching Todoroki's face, seeing the realization, the conflict, the beginning of something changing.
Midoriya just did something more important than winning, Arthur thought. He gave Todoroki permission to be whole.
Endeavor was screaming from the stands, something about finally using his left side, about fulfilling his purpose. Todoroki looked up at his father, and even from this distance, Arthur could see the defiance in his eyes.
He used his fire. But not for Endeavor. For himself.
As medics carried Midoriya away on a stretcher, Recovery Girl already examining the damage, Arthur felt a strange respect for the green-haired boy. He'd lost the fight but won something more important.
"That was insane," Kirishima breathed. "Midoriya basically destroyed himself just to make Todoroki use his fire."
"Not just to make him use it," Arthur corrected. "To make him choose to use it. There's a difference."
"Deep," Kaminari said. "But also, ow. Did you see his arm?"
They watched as Todoroki left the arena, not celebrating, just walking, processing whatever had just happened.
"NEXT MATCH!" Present Mic announced after a brief break for arena repairs. "IBARA SHIOZAKI VERSUS TENYA IIDA!"
"This should be interesting," Yaoyorozu said. "Speed versus control."
Arthur watched as both competitors took their positions. Shiozaki looked serene, hands folded like she was preparing for prayer. Iida was all business, engines already revving.
"BEGIN!"
Iida shot forward instantly, his recipro burst creating a sonic boom. His strategy was clear: end it before Shiozaki could establish battlefield control.
But Shiozaki was faster than she looked.
Her vines erupted from her hair, forming a barrier between her and Iida's charge. The speedster hit the wall at full velocity and had to pivot hard, engines screaming as he changed direction.
"Impressive reaction time," Tokoyami observed. "She predicted his approach vector."
Shiozaki's vines spread across the arena floor like living serpents, creating a network that would tangle anything that touched it. Iida was forced to stay airborne, using his engines for both propulsion and altitude.
But engines produced heat, and heat required cooldown. Arthur could see Iida's exhausts glowing orange, see the steam rising from his leg vents.
He can't maintain maximum output indefinitely. Shiozaki knows this. She's playing defensive, waiting for him to burn out.
Iida tried to break through multiple times, using his speed to create openings, but Shiozaki's vine control was too sophisticated. Every gap he found closed before he could exploit it, every approach was countered by new barriers.
"Come on, Iida!" Uraraka shouted from nearby. "You can do it!"
But Arthur could see the reality. Iida's engines were overheating, his movements getting fractionally slower. Shiozaki hadn't even broken a sweat yet, her vines still fresh, still multiplying.
The speedster made one final desperate charge, burning everything he had, trying to punch through Shiozaki's defenses through pure speed.
Shiozaki's vines caught him mid-flight, wrapped around his legs, his arms, his entire body. The momentum carried them both backward, but when they stopped, Iida was completely bound, unable to move.
"IIDA IS IMMOBILIZED!" Midnight announced. "SHIOZAKI WINS!"
"Damn," Sero muttered. "Speed's useless if you can't actually hit anything."
"It's a bad matchup," Arthur said. "Iida's engines are powerful but have obvious cooldown limitations. Shiozaki exploited that perfectly."
They watched as Shiozaki gently lowered Iida to the ground, her vines releasing him carefully. She bowed respectfully before leaving the arena, and Iida returned the gesture despite his frustration.
"THIRD QUARTERFINAL!" Present Mic continued. "FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI VERSUS MINA ASHIDO!"
"Go Ashido!" Hagakure cheered, her invisible form bouncing in her seat.
Arthur leaned forward slightly, interested in this matchup. Tokoyami's Dark Shadow was formidable, but Ashido's acid had interesting properties.
"BEGIN!"
Ashido immediately started skating around the arena on acid-smoothed ground, creating mobility while testing Dark Shadow's range with acid projectiles.
"Clever," Arthur muttered. "She's mapping his attack patterns."
Tokoyami stood still, letting Dark Shadow defend, the sentient quirk batting away acid globs with casual ease. But Arthur noticed something.
Dark Shadow is slightly slower than in previous matches. The arena lighting from the previous fights is still bright.
Ashido noticed too. She started targeting the lights directly, splashing acid on the fixtures, trying to create darkness to strengthen Dark Shadow.
"Wait," Kaminari said, confused. "Isn't she making it easier for him?"
"No," Yaoyorozu breathed. "She's making it harder for herself on purpose. Creating a challenge that makes her victory more impressive if she wins."
"Or she's just being dumb," Bakugo growled from nearby.
But Arthur understood the strategy. Ashido was thinking ahead. If she could beat Dark Shadow even when it was strengthened by darkness, she'd prove her acid could counter it completely.
The problem was execution.
As the arena lights dimmed from acid damage, Dark Shadow grew larger, faster, more aggressive. Ashido's skating helped her dodge, but she couldn't dodge forever.
Dark Shadow's claw caught her mid-slide, sent her tumbling toward the boundary. She recovered with a backflip, sprayed acid in a defensive wall, but Dark Shadow simply punched through it.
"She's on the defensive now," Arthur observed. "Lost the initiative."
Ashido tried to regain control, creating acid pools to limit Tokoyami's movement, but Dark Shadow could simply fly over them. Her mobility advantage was meaningless against an opponent that didn't need to touch the ground.
Dark Shadow's final strike was almost gentle, catching Ashido around the waist and depositing her outside the boundary.
"TOKOYAMI WINS!"
Ashido looked frustrated but not defeated. She'd fought well, just been outmatched by quirk type advantage.
"Three matches down," Kirishima said. "That means..."
"Bakugo versus Himura is next," Yaoyorozu finished.
Everyone turned to look at them.
Arthur stood, checked his energy levels, his physical state. Everything was optimal.
Bakugo was already standing, explosions popping from his palms like impatient heartbeats. The blonde's crimson eyes locked onto Arthur, killing intent palpable.
"No holding back," Bakugo said, voice low and dangerous. "No playing around like in training. I'm going to destroy you."
"Good," Arthur replied, manifesting his blade. The golden energy crackled to life. "I wouldn't want it any other way."
They walked toward the arena entrance together, the crowd's energy shifting. After Todoroki's overwhelming display and the other matches, everyone wanted to see how Arthur would perform.
Time to show them, Arthur thought. Time to show them the difference between talent and experience.
Midnight raised her whip as both competitors took their positions. Arthur stood relaxed, blade humming at his side. Bakugo was coiled tension, ready to explode.
"FINAL QUARTERFINAL MATCH!" Present Mic's voice boomed. "ARTHUR HIMURA VERSUS KATSUKI BAKUGO! THIS IS THE REMATCH EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR SINCE THE CAVALRY BATTLE!"
The crowd roared.
"BEGIN!"
Bakugo moved first. He launched himself into the air with a controlled explosion, angled his trajectory mid-flight with secondary blasts, and came at Arthur from above with his right hand cocked back.
He learned, Arthur noted with approval. No more predictable ground charges.
Arthur didn't move until the last possible moment. His Instinct read the attack trajectory, the angle of descent, the timing of Bakugo's next explosion. At the last second, he sidestepped, and Bakugo's explosive punch cratered the concrete where Arthur had been standing.
Before Bakugo could recover, Arthur's blade was at his throat.
"First touch," Arthur said calmly, and withdrew.
"WHAT?!" Bakugo spun, explosions already building. "WE'RE NOT DOING TOUCHES, THIS IS REAL COMBAT!"
"I know." Arthur manifested a second blade. "I'm showing you the gap."
Bakugo's face went crimson with rage and he attacked, properly this time. A barrage of explosions, left-right combinations, using his blasts for mobility and offense simultaneously. It was impressive, exactly what Arthur had tried to teach him about controlled aggression.
Against any other student, it would have been devastating.
Arthur wove through the attacks like smoke. His blades never moved frantically, never rushed. Each movement was minimal, precise, centuries of sword work distilled into pure efficiency. He read Bakugo's patterns not through analysis but through experience, through having fought thousands of battles against thousands of opponents.
His blade tapped Bakugo's shoulder. "Second touch."
"STOP DOING THAT!"
Bakugo unleashed a massive explosion, point-blank, desperate to catch Arthur in the blast radius.
Arthur was already gone, having seen the windup, the tells in Bakugo's stance. He appeared behind the blonde, blade gentle against his back.
"Third touch."
The crowd was murmuring now, confused. This wasn't the explosive back-and-forth they'd expected. This was something else entirely.
"You've improved," Arthur acknowledged, still calm, not even breathing hard. "Your control is better. Your tactics are sound. Against most opponents, you'd dominate."
"SHUT UP!" Bakugo's explosions intensified, sweat building on his palms. "STOP PATRONIZING ME!"
"I'm not patronizing you. I'm stating facts." Arthur's blades hummed with energy. "But you're not fighting most opponents. You're fighting me."
Bakugo came at him again, and this time there was genuine desperation in his attacks.
Arthur's blade moved once, a single precise strike that deflected the explosion upward. The blast carved into the stadium sky but missed Arthur completely. Before Bakugo could recover, Arthur was inside his guard, blade at his chest.
"Fourth touch."
"GODDAMMIT!" Bakugo's voice cracked with frustration. "WHY CAN'T I HIT YOU?!"
Bakugo was talented, perhaps the most naturally gifted fighter in their class, but talent alone couldn't bridge years of experience.
"One more," Arthur said quietly. "Give me everything you have. No holding back, no hesitation. Show me what you've learned."
Bakugo's eyes widened, then narrowed. The blonde understood. This was his chance to land a single meaningful hit, to prove he belonged in the same arena.
The explosions that built up around Bakugo's hands were the largest yet. His costume was smoking, his palms raw from overuse, but he poured everything into this final attack.
"HOWITZER IMPACT!"
The explosion was massive, all that destructive force compressed into a sphere aimed directly at Arthur. The heat distorted the air, the sound was deafening, and the blast crater it would create would dwarf everything else in the destroyed arena.
Arthur's Instinct had read the attack the moment Bakugo started building power. He'd seen the stance, the grip, the way the blonde positioned his body.
He knew exactly where the explosion would go and when.
Arthur sidestepped.
The Howitzer Impact missed him by inches, close enough that heat singed his uniform, but it missed. The explosion carved into the arena floor behind him, creating a crater ten feet deep.
Before the smoke cleared, Arthur was moving. Not striking for a fifth touch. Instead, his blade came down flat against Bakugo's back, and a controlled burst of lightning surged through it.
Not enough to seriously hurt, just enough to overload the nervous system, induce temporary paralysis.
Bakugo collapsed, muscles seizing, completely unable to continue.
"BAKUGO IS UNABLE TO CONTINUE!" Midnight's voice carried shock. "HIMURA WINS!"
The stadium was silent for a moment, processing what they'd witnessed. Then half erupted into cheers while the other half protested the apparent mismatch.
Arthur dismissed his blades, feeling barely winded. The fight had cost him minimal energy, minimal effort. He'd been in complete control from start to finish.
Medical personnel rushed to Bakugo, checking his vitals, confirming the paralysis was temporary. Arthur walked over, crouched beside the blonde whose eyes were furious and humiliated.
"You fought well," Arthur said quietly, so only Bakugo could hear. You've grown.
"Don't..." Bakugo's voice was strained, barely functional. "Don't... pity me..."
"I don't. Pity is for the weak. You're not weak, Bakugo. You're just not experienced." Arthur stood. "Keep training. Keep growing. In a few years, this fight might actually be competitive."
He walked away, leaving Bakugo with the medical staff. The crowd's reaction was mixed; some appreciating the display of skill, while others were disappointed by the one-sided nature.
Back in the viewing area, his classmates had varying reactions.
"That was..." Kirishima struggled for words. "I mean, it was impressive, but—"
"It wasn't even close," Kaminari finished. "Bakugo couldn't touch him."
"Arthur was toying with him," Yaoyorozu said quietly. "The 'touches' system. He was demonstrating the gap in skill."
"That's harsh," Ashido said. "Bakugo's going to be so pissed."
"He already is," Midoriya said from a wheelchair, arm completely wrapped in bandages. Recovery Girl had partially healed him but forbidden further quirk use. "But Arthur's right. Kacchan has the talent, but Arthur has something else. Something none of us have."
Arthur said nothing, just took a seat and accepted water from a medical assistant.
The semifinals were set: Todoroki versus Shiozaki, Arthur versus Tokoyami.
"You didn't even break a sweat," Tokoyami observed from nearby. "That was a masterclass in combat efficiency."
"Bakugo's talented," Arthur replied. "But talent needs time to mature into skill."
"And when we face each other?"
"You'll see for yourself."
Arthur closed his eyes, In a few years, some of them will be formidable. Bakugo, Todoroki, Midoriya. They have the potential.
But for now, they're still children playing at war.
And I've already died in one.
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