By now, more than half of the knockout matches had already concluded.
"It'll be your match soon, right?"
Masata leaned back in his seat beside Yaoyorozu Momo and Chacha, speaking casually.
"How are you feeling? Confident you can take down Tokoyami?"
Yaoyorozu let out a quiet sigh, her expression tense.
"You say that so easily… This kind of one-on-one ring battle really isn't my strong suit. Tokoyami isn't weak either. To be honest, I don't have much confidence."
"Don't underestimate yourself," Masata said lightly.
"Your greatest strength isn't your Quirk—it's your brain."
He reached out and flicked her forehead playfully, leaning in a bit too close. The faint scent of sweat and shampoo mixed together, and Yaoyorozu could even feel his breath near her ear.
"Hey! Get away!"
She shoved his forehead back with both hands, flustered.
"I'm already sweaty from earlier matches!"
Clearly, Masata's attempt at encouragement was not appreciated.
"Alright, I'm heading down to prepare," Yaoyorozu said, regaining her composure.
"And I still need to cheer for Chacha too. After my match, it'll be her turn."
With that, she turned and left the stands, her slender figure disappearing down the stairs.
"…Tch. I'll deal with you later," Masata muttered half-heartedly.
He'd been trying to ease her nerves, but ended up getting rejected instead. Emotionally wounded, he sighed.
"By the way, Chacha," Masata continued, shifting his attention.
"Your opponent's pretty tough. You're up against Bakugo, right? That's some luck you've got."
But Chacha hadn't raised her head once.
"Hm?" Masata leaned down, trying to look at her face.
"What's wrong?"
Then he saw it—her eyes wide, brows furrowed, frozen stiff.
He jumped back dramatically.
"Whoa! Chacha, what's with that expression?! Are you practicing face-changing techniques?! If you're trying to scare me, congratulations—you win!"
"Ah—sorry!"
Chacha snapped out of it, forcing an awkward smile.
"I'm just… really nervous."
Masata scratched his head.
"Relax. It's just a competition."
"And didn't I already say I'll recruit you into my future Hero office? You don't need to care about what anyone else thinks. Just do your best."
As he said it, Masata suddenly realized something.
…Am I turning into a worried old parent?
In just one day, he'd already given motivational speeches to way too many people.
At that moment, Present Mic's voice echoed across the stadium.
"Next match—Class A's Yaoyorozu Momo versus the master of shadow pursuit, Tokoyami Fumikage!"
Both Masata and Chacha turned their attention to the arena.
The instant the match began, Yaoyorozu leapt backward several times, widening the distance.
"From Tokoyami's usual performance, Dark Shadow has a limited effective range," she analyzed internally.
"I can't outrun it, so I need something that buys me time—something that delays his attack."
Her earlier conversation with Masata had clearly steadied her nerves. Her thoughts were calm, sharp, and focused.
Light flashed across her arm.
Several grenades appeared in her hands.
"If I can knock him straight out of the ring, even better."
She pulled the pins and hurled them toward Tokoyami, who was charging forward.
Boom!
The explosions produced a powerful shockwave, pushing Yaoyorozu further back.
But Tokoyami reacted instantly—Dark Shadow plunged into the ground, lifting and stabilizing his body to avoid the blast.
"As expected… not that easy."
Without hesitation, Yaoyorozu activated her Quirk again. More grenades formed, and she threw them forward.
"The same trick won't work twice!"
Dark Shadow wrapped around Tokoyami, forming a protective barrier—
—but there was no explosion.
"…Smoke bombs?!"
Thick smoke billowed across half the arena, instantly blocking all visibility.
"Incredible! Yaoyorozu Momo truly lives up to her reputation!"
"A walking weapons arsenal! Right now, only the two fighters can see what's happening inside that smoke!"
The cameras were completely blind, and the audience could only wait.
"My vision's blocked…" Tokoyami thought calmly.
"But in low visibility, Dark Shadow becomes stronger. I'll wait."
He chose a defensive stance, preparing to counterattack once the smoke cleared.
"Hurry—before it fades!"
Inside the smoke, Yaoyorozu was working at full speed. Light flashed repeatedly across her body.
From the length of the creation process alone, it was obvious—
—this was a big one.
"…Done."
The smoke dispersed quickly in the open arena.
Both fighters reappeared in full view.
"…What is that?"
The audience gasped.
Yaoyorozu was fully equipped—wearing a heat-resistant suit over her body, a protective mask on her face, a fuel tank strapped to her back—
—and holding a massive weapon in her hands.
"Not sure what it is," Tokoyami muttered,
"but let's find out."
Dark Shadow surged forward.
"Watch out!"
Yaoyorozu raised the weapon and pulled the trigger.
A torrent of flames erupted.
The arena was washed in red as heat surged violently outward.
"A flamethrower?!"
"The tank is fuel!"
Dark Shadow recoiled instantly, sweat practically forming on its shadowy face as it retreated beside Tokoyami.
In bright environments, Dark Shadow weakened.
Fire only made it worse.
Yaoyorozu had made the perfect choice.
Influenced by Masata, she'd become familiar with modern weapons—machine guns, explosives, even artillery. But heavy weapons required too much time and energy.
A flamethrower?
Perfect.
Holding the weapon steady, Yaoyorozu advanced step by step.
The flames left Tokoyami nowhere to dodge.
Forced back, he crossed the boundary line and exited the arena.
"Winner—Yaoyorozu Momo!"
"A complete victory through strategy and technology!"
As Present Mic announced the result, the crowd erupted.
In the contestants' tunnel, Chacha took a deep breath—
—and stepped forward toward the arena.
The final match was about to begin.