Bakugo's match against Uraraka started with, surprisingly, Uraraka charging at Bakugo.
The latter, obviously wanting to keep his distance from the girl, pushed her back with bursts of explosions.
The explosions grazed Uraraka, Bakugo obviously wouldn't aim an explosion directly at her face.
Uraraka didn't make it easy either, maintaining a low stance with every attempt to advance toward him, causing the explosions to destroy small parts of the arena in the process.
Above the arena, several pieces of debris caused by Bakugo's explosions against the ground floated in the air, out of his focus and that of most of the crowd, including pro heroes.
"That's a good move by Uraraka-chan!" Himiko leaned forward, cheering for her friend.
I nod in agreement, but I can't help but sigh.
Bakugo was being booed by the audience because of how aggressively he was fighting the girl, but coming from him, I could tell it was something closer to respect for his opponent, especially from the focused look he had on her every move, without his usual arrogant grin.
Uraraka, already quite injured, finally reveals her trump card, releasing the rocks and making them fall toward Bakugo.
At the same time, she advances stealthily once again, fighting through the pain of her bruises, but staying firm.
Bakugo just takes a deep breath and aims his arm upward, not noticing Uraraka's clumsy advance, and releases a massive explosion, destroying the debris all at once.
The girl was already too exhausted to keep fighting and collapses onto the arena floor.
"Victory: Katsuki Bakugo!"
─── ◆ ───
"You… are you okay?" Midoriya asks cautiously to the girl in front of him.
"Of course! I'm even surprised I'm this okay!" Uraraka replies with a somewhat forced smile, raising her fist.
"I need to keep moving forward…"
Before she can continue, the locker room door is suddenly flung open.
"Uraraka-chan!" Himiko practically flies from the doorway to the girl, grabbing her shoulders and checking for injuries.
"Himiko? Girls?" Uraraka looks confused at the girls entering the locker room.
"Sorry, kero, Himiko insisted we all had to come see you," Tsuyu smiles, approaching along with the others.
"Good job, Uraraka-chan!" they say in unison, making the girl's eyes start to water.
"I… I—" The girls don't let her continue, pulling her into a group hug.
Uraraka can't hold back anymore and starts crying, returning the embrace.
Midoriya smiles softly, then quietly leaves the locker room.
"The girls have gotten really close."
When he closes the door, he jumps in surprise at a sudden voice.
He looks to the side and sighs in relief when he sees it's Kaneki, leaning against the wall.
"You came too? Kaneki-san"
"Yeah, Himi dragged me along."
"Actually, she dragged all the girls too, something about uniting female forces."
"Err…" Midoriya scratches his head in confusion.
"Don't ask, I didn't get it either."
"Ah, right. Good luck in your next match, just… try not to break yourself too much, dude." Kaneki tilts his head slightly, genuinely concerned about his classmate, even if his expression doesn't show it.
"I… I'll try."
"Thanks, Kaneki-san."
"Good luck in your match too!"
Kaneki nods, and just as he's about to continue the conversation—
"GIRLS POWER!!!!!!" the girls shout from inside the locker room, making the door tremble slightly, with Uraraka's voice standing out.
The two boys look at each other and shrug.
─── ◆ ───
The next match begins: Fumikage Tokoyami vs Momo Yaoyorozu.
I had certain expectations for this fight.
Tokoyami is quite strong, and Momo is very intelligent, plus both have very versatile quirks.
Unfortunately, the match doesn't last long.
Tokoyami doesn't give Momo time to think and immediately starts pressuring her with his quirk: Dark Shadow.
Maybe Momo got nervous and couldn't use her quirk to create something more useful, ending up only making metal shields and melee weapons, which are far from a good idea against Dark Shadow.
She ends up being pushed out of the arena without even realizing it.
"Victory: Fumikage Tokoyami!"
Tokoyami bows to his opponent and leaves the arena.
The girls go to comfort Momo in the locker room just like they did with Uraraka, and similarly, her mood seems to improve a bit.
Having the support of reliable friends during tough moments helps a lot.
─── ◆ ───
Himiko POV
Tec
I was at the center of the arena, warming up and cracking my joints, a habit I picked up from living with Kaneki.
Mina was on the other side, also warming up. We smile when we exchange glances.
"Ready?" Midnight-sensei asks.
We both nod.
"Then… Begin!!"
Mina immediately starts sliding along the sides of the arena using her acid, gradually picking up speed.
I slowly walk toward the center, not taking my eyes off her.
Mina changes direction and comes at me.
I dodge her advance by jumping to the side.
She stops sliding, losing her momentum, then quickly spins her body, attempting a spinning kick.
I block the kick by crossing my arms.
I'm pushed back a bit, but I manage to regain my balance and stay standing.
"Urgh… what are you made of, Himiko-chan?" Mina grumbles.
I'm sure she'd be hopping around holding her leg if it weren't for the massive crowd watching.
"Hehe, nice kick by the way, Mina-chan." I smile softly, returning to my stance.
Mina sticks her tongue out at me before going back to sliding on her acid, building speed and charging at me again, this time without stopping or trying flashy moves.
I keep dodging Mina, and at one point, I manage to land a hit on her calf, throwing her off balance and making her lose her built-up momentum.
She manages to stay standing, but her expression clearly shows annoyance.
"Ouch…" I hear her murmur, and I barely manage to hold back a laugh.
I stick my tongue out at her and finally use my quirk.
After all, I haven't used it during the entire event, and I need to show something to impress the "amazing" pro heroes in the audience.
Mina's annoyed expression turns into one of terror as she sees me take on Kaneki's appearance, with the four Rinkaku tentacles writhing around me.
Mina swallows hard and starts using her acid again, sliding across the arena, but this time, I don't stay defensively in the center.
I leap across the arena with the help of my Kagune to intercept her midway.
I land right in front of Mina.
In desperation, she tries to use her momentum to hit me with a flying kick, but I grab her leg and throw her aside.
She manages to land on her feet, but loses her balance, ending up at the edge of the arena, almost falling.
Mina's body slowly tilts toward the outside of the arena.
She flails her arms awkwardly, trying to regain balance.
Just before she falls backward, I grab her hand and pull her back.
"Victory: Himiko Toga!"
Mina catches her breath and pouts, crossing her arms, a bit grumpy about losing.
But she quickly recovers and smiles, nodding at me.
We walk side by side toward the locker room, chatting a bit about the match.
Mina seems quite satisfied with her performance, I think I did well too.
"You know, it's kind of weird seeing Kaneki-kun's face talking with your mannerisms, Himiko-chan," Mina says when we finally enter the locker room.
"You think?" I reply in my normal voice, giving a wide smile, still using Kaneki's appearance.
"..."
"Okay, that's kind creep"
─── ◆ ───
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