As fate would have it, Sero and I were the opening act. Present Mic made sure that it was known to the audience and those at home that Sero and I both had similar Quirks at the surface level.
To the audience, this opening act was insignificant. We were two nobodies, two unknowns. Most of the eyes were on Todoroki since his father was the highest-ranking hero behind All Might. I could feel their doubts, and I bet Sero could feel them too. Silently, we both agreed to give these fans a show far beyond their expectations, to prove that we belong on this stage just as much as those profiting off of nepotism.
"Begin!" Present Mic's voice thrust Sero and me forward. His tape was fast, maybe even faster than my webs, such that he'd wrapped them around one of my arms, dodging my webs in the process.
"Too slow!" he taunted, slacking the tape before pulling me toward the edge of the arena. However, it didn't matter how hard he pulled; I stood my ground. My classmates mentioned that scouts for agencies were watching, and I figured it best to show off every single aspect of my Quirk, even if it seemed as though I was flexing on my opponent.
Sero's eyes went wide as a grin was etched onto my face. I flexed my arm, holding the slack on his tape while keeping my feet planted.
"Your tape Quirk is fast, even faster than my webs, I'll give you that. But did you think my webs were all my Quirk had to offer? My Quirk isn't just webs, it's a spider Quirk, giving me all of the powers of a spider, not just webs. For example, making any part of my body stick to any surface like an adhesive, which I'm doing right now with my feet. It seems you don't possess the strength to make me budge!"
I pulled my clenched fist toward my chest, knocking Sero off balance. As he flew toward me, I reeled my fist back, prepared to end this fight with a single blow to the chest. "But me? I have the strength of one thousand of you!"
I threw my fist forward, aimed right for the 'A' on his gym uniform. I was shocked to find that my fist's pathway was blocked by a wall of tape, which Sero had created at the last possible moment, absorbing most of the impact. Using his momentum, he flipped over my head and fired a piece of tape at my other hand and landed behind me.
"If I can't pull you, I'll just tie you down!" he said, using everything he had to pull me to the ground. My back bent backward, and I could see Sero straining as he tried to ground me.
The more tape he attaches to me, the more control he has over me. Damn it, even though I'm stronger than he, his tape is similar in strength to my webs, which are practically unbreakable.
It was slightly underhanded, but I fired a web directly at his face, stunning him while also blocking his vision in one eye. Using the slack of his tape as I guide, I leaped backward and aimed a bicycle kick at his head, which he blocked with his forearm, attaching a piece of tape to my foot in the process.
By this point, three of my limbs were pinned down by him. For those with keen eyes, it may seem as though he was winning this fight, but from my point of view, we were in a checkmate scenario. He may have blocked my hits so far, but they still did damage to him. He tried to hide it, but the arm he'd blocked with was fractured, yet he fought through it.
He pulled his fractured elbow forward, yanking me toward him since I didn't have any ground to stand on. He reeled back his fist, then launched it toward my face, certain he would land his first hit.
Unfortunately for him, I still had more tricks up my sleeve.
Despite not having any ground to stand on, I shifted my body in the air. His fist cut the air beside my ear, missing my face entirely.
"That was a decent plan, but just like I said, there's more to me than meets the eye. I don't need solid ground to move my body; I can contort my body in mid-air just as well."
As I flipped over Sero, I had one last trick to show the scouts in the audience. I charged my fist with electricity, causing Sero's tape around me to snap as I pulled my fist back. I always pull my punches against real people so I don't accidentally kill them, but I added a little extra on this one since I knew he could take it.
My electric punch stung the back of his head, sending him face-first onto the stage. It goes without saying that he was out cold. The medical team was quick to take him backstage on a stretcher. I felt bad for the kid. He was a good fighter, making the best out of his Quirk that would work best in tandem with others. Had I not applied to U.A., perhaps my spot would have been his.
I glanced up at the crowd, finding Class 1-B looking back at me. I glared back at them before finding my friends sitting in the 1-A section. I raised my fist at them before walking off the stage.
I won't go into too much detail, but here's a quick rundown of what happened during the rest of the first round.
Kaminari and Asui were directly after me, and to my shock, no pun intended, Kaminari managed to pull off the win. Considering Asui has the anatomy of a frog, I guess it made sense that she could only take a single blast of electricity from Kaminari. It's unfortunate because Asui is the much better fighter in my opinion.
After that, Yaoyorozu went up against Tokoyami. I was cheering for her, but Tokoyami's dark shadow simply overwhelmed her. It's not like he beat her badly either; he simply pressured her to accidentally step off the stage.
Iida versus this girl named Mei Hatusune was interesting to say the least... In the same way that I demonstrated my powers for the scouts, she demonstrated her gadgets by humiliating Iida with them. In the end, she let Iida win after showing everything she had to offer. Though he was satisfied that he had won, I could tell that his pride had taken a hit.
Shoji and Midoriya were somewhat interesting. It involved Midoriya running around like a chicken with its head cut off until he flicked Shoji once using One for All, breaking his fingers but still sending Shoji flying off the stage.
Todoroki destroyed Ashido, that goes without saying. However, Ahsido took it like a champ and looked as though she enjoyed herself.
Tetstutetsu and Kirishima's fight was probably the most entertaining. Their Quirks were basically the same thing, both hardening their bodies to enhance their strength. It somehow resulted in a draw. To resolve it, they engaged in an arm wrestle, which Kaminari won.
Lastly, Ochaco was against Bakugo. It was brutal, and Bakugo didn't hold back. Still, Ochaco almost won by slamming debris from their fight onto his head. Most people thought Bakugo was being an asshole by beating the brakes off of her like that, but I understood why he went so hard against her. I've known the guy for quite some time, so I have a good grasp on how he operates. If he makes fun of you, berates you, he has no respect for you. However, when he's silent, poised, and serious, he views you as someone formidable. He went all out against her out of respect for her. Had he gone easy on her, he might've lost.
With that, the new bracket was formed.
[Miles Morales vs Denki Kaminari]
[Eijiro Kirishima vs Katsuki Bakugo]
[Tenya Iida vs Fumikage Tokoyami]
[Izuku Midoriya vs Shoto Todoroki]
Yet again, I found myself up against someone with similar powers to mine. After I beat Kaminari, I'd be up against Bakugo. After that, it's Todoroki or Midoriya. However, before all of that, I needed to focus on what was next. Kaminari already upset Asui, and if I wasn't careful, he might upset me as well.