Sorry for not finishing the chapter yesterday. Something urgent came up, and I had to take care of it and couldn't leave without posting. Anyway, here is the continuation.
Enjoy.
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I smirked at his blunt praise, five tails flicking behind me before I could stop them."Heh. Keep talking like that, mortal. I'm starting to like you."
Smack.
A sharp pain exploded at the back of my head."Ow—hey! What was that for?!" I groaned, rubbing the spot.
"Sorry," Nozomi said flatly, hand already back at her side. "My hand slipped."
She turned to Kaminari, eyes sharp now. "And just so you know—we're not invincible. If everyone here came at us at full power, yeah… we'd struggle. We wouldn't walk away clean."
The room went dead silent.
Koda tilted his head. "So… you're saying it would take the whole class to beat you?"
Nozomi's lips curled into a confident grin. "No. I'm saying you'd be a challenge."Then she added casually, "And that's assuming we're not fighting together."
Bakugo clicked his tongue, sparks snapping in his palms. "Tch. Don't get cocky just because you've got multiple quirks. I don't need backup to wipe the floor with you two, so quit running your mouths."
I couldn't help it—I grinned wider, enjoying the murderous look he was giving us."Hey, you're welcome to prove it," I said lightly. "That's what the tournament's for. Just don't cry when you lose."
Bakugo's face twisted, fury ready to detonate—
"YOOOOOO, HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Present Mic's voice blasted through the stadium, drowning everything else out.
"WELCOME BACK, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, TO THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAAAAAL! WE'RE MOVING INTO ROUND TWO OF THE ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES! LET'S HEAR IT FOR OUR NEXT FIGHTERS—FROM CLASS 1-A, THE SYMBOL-IN-THE-MAKING, IZUKU MIDORIYAAAAAA! AND CHALLENGING HIM—THE VINE PRINCESS HERSELF, IBARAAAA NARUSEEEEE!"
The stadium erupted, the cheers shaking the air like an earthquake.
I glanced at Izuku and gave him a small smile."Good luck. Don't hold back."
(-----scene change------)
The arena felt different as Midoriya stepped out.
Gone was the stiff, hesitant boy from weeks ago. His posture was lower now, centered. Green lightning flickered faintly along his arms and legs, wrapping his body in controlled pulses of power.
Across from him, Ibara Naruse stood calmly, vines gently shifting beneath her bare feet. Her hands were clasped in prayer, eyes closed.
"The Lord watches over this match," she said softly.
Midoriya swallowed and nodded. "I—I'll give it everything I've got."
Midnight cracked her whip."Begin!"
The ground erupted instantly.
Vines burst upward, spreading like a living web across the arena. They lashed toward Midoriya from multiple angles, fast and precise.
But Midoriya was already moving.
His foot slammed into the ground—Full Cowling, 10%—and he vanished in a blur of green light. The vines snapped shut on empty air.
"He dodged?!" someone shouted from the stands.
Midoriya reappeared midair, twisting as he kicked off a vine with perfect timing, using it as a springboard. He flipped, landed lightly, and skidded backward—never stopping his momentum.
'They're fast,' he thought. 'But not faster than me.'
Ibara opened her eyes.
"So you wield power without arrogance," she said. "Then I must respond in kind."
Her hair rose.
Thick vines exploded outward—not wild, but disciplined, forming walls, spears, and grasping hands that closed off Midoriya's escape routes. The arena shrank rapidly, turning into a green maze.
Midoriya clenched his fists. Electricity flared brighter.
"Okay… straight through won't work."
A vine lunged for his ankle.
He spun, delivering a controlled kick that snapped it cleanly in half. Another wrapped toward his arm—he ducked, rolled, and countered with a palm strike that sent a shockwave through the ground, uprooting several vines at once.
The crowd roared.
"He's not breaking his bones!" Vlad muttered, remembering the same boy in the entrance exam. "He's actually controlling it."
Ibara's expression tightened—not fear, but resolve.
"Then endure," she whispered.
The vines surged all at once.
They wrapped around Midoriya's torso, arms, legs—tightening fast. He grunted as pressure crushed in from every side, the earth anchoring the vines solidly.
"Gah—!"
Electricity crackled violently across his body, but the vines grounded most of it away.
'Think. Think! She absorbs power through the earth—so don't give it time.'
Midoriya inhaled sharply.
"Full Cowling—10%… burst!"
He didn't explode outward.
He twisted.
Using rotational force, he spun at high speed, electricity flaring like a green cyclone. The sudden change in direction ripped the vines loose—not by overpowering them, but by throwing off their balance.
Midoriya broke free, skidding backward, breathing hard.
Ibara stepped forward, vines reforming instantly.
"You fight with wisdom," she said. "But conviction alone—"
Midoriya leaned forward, eyes burning.
"—isn't enough!"
He sprinted.
Not straight at her.
He zigzagged—using short, unpredictable bursts of speed, bouncing off broken vines, pillars of earth, even the arena walls. Each movement was calculated, reducing strain while building momentum.
Ibara reacted quickly, sending vines upward—
Too late.
Midoriya launched himself skyward.
"St. Louis Smash"
He came down like a meteor, fist glowing, not aiming for Ibara herself—but the ground beneath her.
The impact shattered the arena floor.
The shockwave blasted outward, uprooting every vine at once, severing their connection to the earth. Ibara was thrown backward, tumbling across the dirt.
She tried to rise—but her vines lay scattered, limp, unable to re-anchor fast enough.
Midoriya landed roughly, skidding to a stop, chest heaving, but still standing.
Silence.
Then Midnight raised her whip.
"Winner—IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
The stadium exploded with cheers.
Ibara slowly pushed herself upright, then bowed deeply.
"You have my respect," she said calmly. "Your power is guided by humility. That is rare."
Midoriya bowed back, exhausted but smiling. "Th-thank you."
As he left the arena, green sparks fading from his body, one thing was clear to everyone watching:
This wasn't the same Midoriya anymore.
I watched him head back to the stands, eyes bright, practically buzzing."Honestly… that wasn't so bad," he said, scratching his cheek.
Uraraka spun toward him, practically glowing. "Are you kidding?! You were amazing!"
Midoriya froze, ears turning red as he rubbed the back of his head. "Ah—n-no, I mean—"
"Oh, come on," I yelled from across the seats. "Just get a room already!"
Both of them lit up like warning lights as the class burst into laughter.
"QUIET DOWN, YOU LOVE-STRUCK FUTURE HEROES!" Present Mic boomed. "BECAUSE WHAT'S COMING UP NEXT IS A CLASH OF PURE, UNFILTERED MANLINESS!"
The massive screen above us flickered, the brackets rearranging themselves.
KIRIGAYA HIRO vs EIJIRO KIRISHIMA
I turned toward Kirishima, tying my hair back into a ponytail, tails swaying as a grin spread across my face."Alright, Red Riot," I said. "Let's see who's really the manliest."
Kirishima cracked his knuckles, flashing that fearless smile. "HELL YEAH! I was hoping you'd say that!"
We stepped down into the arena, dust crunching beneath our boots, taking our places on opposite sides.
The crowd roared.
Raw power.No tricks.No holding back.
This one was going to hurt—and that's exactly how we liked it.
"Begin!"
Midnight's whip cracked through the air.
We moved at the same time.
Our fists collided dead center—BOOM—the shockwave ripping outward, air warping as the ground beneath us cracked. We pulled back simultaneously, eyes locked.
Kirishima's skin hardened instantly, red armor spreading across his body.I felt it and answered in kind, pouring more power into my next strike.
Punch.Pull back.Punch again.
Neither of us gave an inch.
The arena echoed with the sound of impact after impact as we traded blows head-on, raw strength against raw strength. No technique. No tricks. Just who could hit harder?
After a few seconds, I slipped past one of his swings and jumped back, boots skidding across the arena floor. I grinned.
"How about we stop holding back?"
Kirishima didn't hesitate."RED RIOT: UNBREAKABLE!"
His body transformed—hardening deeper, jagged edges forming as he pushed his quirk to the limit. He looked less like a hero now and more like a living weapon.
My smirk widened.
"Fangs of Ragnarok."
Silver, translucent claws formed over my hands, humming with power.
I vanished.
In the blink of an eye, I reappeared right in front of him.
Kirishima crossed his arms just in time as I unleashed a flurry of punches, each one hammering him backward, the ground tearing apart beneath his feet. He endured it—teeth clenched, boots digging in.
I stopped.
That instant was all he needed.
He swung for my head.
I ducked low, swept his legs clean out from under him, and before he could recover—
I drove everything I had straight into his stomach.
The impact folded him in half.
Spit—and blood—burst from his mouth as his body was launched across the arena, slamming into the wall with a sound that cracked the stadium itself.
KRAAAAAAKOOOM!
Dust filled the air.
When it cleared, a massive spiderweb of fractures spread across the wall. Kirishima was sitting at the center of it, arms crossed over the impact point—still hardened.
He'd blocked it.
Barely.
He was breathing hard, eyes unfocused, but still conscious.
Silence.
Then—
CRACK.
"W-Winner…" Midnight announced, voice shaky with awe."KIRIGAYA HIRO."
The stadium exploded.
"DID YOU SEE THAT?!""HOW IS HE STILL STANDING?!""THAT WAS ALL POWER—NO GIMMICKS!"
I walked over as the medics rushed in. Kirishima looked up at me, grinning despite everything.
"Didn't think you'd still be awake," I said, offering my hand.
He laughed softly and took it. "All thanks to your training."
He stood, legs shaky but firm. "Next time… I'm winning."
I smiled as I helped him toward the exit.
"Looking forward to it."
I walked back to my seat next to Nozomi after Kirishima was taken off to get treated. "That was fun to watch." She said the moment I slipped into my seat.
"Glad I am entertaining," I replied in an amused tone.
"That fight gave me shivers, man," Kaminari said as he put an arm over my shoulder. "You have to teach me to hit like that."
I turned to him with a sadistic grin. "You sure? It's gruesome."
Before he could reply, Present mic's voice cut through. "NOW THAT WAS A UA FIGHT!!"
The stadium lights then flared brighter as the next match was announced.
Present Mic leaned over his booth, microphone already vibrating with excitement.
"ALRIIIIGHT, LAAADIIIES AND GENTLEMEN—THIS ONE'S A CLASS 1-A CIVIL WAAAAR!"
The crowd erupted.
"We've got Class 1-A's representatives against each other! The question on everyone's mind—WHO IS THE BETTER LEADER?!"
Iida and Momo stepped out from opposite gates.
"On the riiiiight—Class 1-A's very own class preeeez—ENGINES FOR DAYS—TAAAANIYAAAAA—IIIIIDAAAAAAA!"
Iida stiffened instantly, chopping the air with his arms. "P-Present Mic! Please refrain from exagger—!"
"And on the leeeeft—THE STRATEGIC QUEEN—THE BRAIN BEHIND THE CLASS—VICE PREZ—YAAAOYOROZUUU—MOOOOOMOOOOOO!"
Momo blinked, flustered. "…That is far too loud."
The whip cracked.
"BEGIN!"
Iida moved immediately.
Engines roared as he rocketed forward, dust exploding behind him. His speed forced the crowd into stunned silence.
Momo reacted instantly.
'Too fast for setup,' she thought.
Metal erupted from her arms—deployable shields, slamming into place just as Iida's kick struck. The impact boomed across the stadium, sending Momo skidding backward, boots digging deep lines into the dirt.
"Iida's on the offensive right out the gate!" Present Mic shouted.
"Forgive me, Yaoyorozu!" Iida called, already repositioning. "But I will not hesitate!"
He vanished again—circling, accelerating, testing her reaction time.
Momo inhaled sharply and extended her hands."Carbon-steel caltrops!"
Small, sharp obstacles are scattered across the arena floor in a wide arc. Iida skidded, narrowly avoiding them, adjusting his path mid-sprint.
'She's shaping the battlefield,' he realized.
Iida changed tactics.
Instead of charging straight in, he feinted—bursting forward, then cutting hard to the side. Momo tracked him carefully, producing cable launchers that fired toward where she predicted he'd be.
Too slow.
Iida appeared beside her, arm raised—
—but stopped inches from her shoulder.
A net cannon erupted point-blank.
The net wrapped around Iida's torso and legs, slamming him into the ground with a heavy thud.
The crowd exploded.
"STRATEGIC CAPTURE!" Present Mic yelled. "THE VICE PREZ STRIKES FIRST!"
Momo didn't relax. She knew better.
Iida's engines flared violently.
"Recipro Burst!"
The net tore apart as Iida blasted free, flipping backward and landing in a crouch, steam pouring from his legs.
"…Incredible restraint," he said honestly. "You didn't aim to incapacitate."
Momo straightened, breathing hard. "Neither are you. You're pulling your kicks."
Iida adjusted his glasses.
"A leader must consider consequences."
They charged at the same time.
Speed met strategy.
Iida slammed through barriers Momo created—shields cracking, pillars shattering—while Momo continuously adapted, switching tools faster than most students could think.
Smoke filled the arena.
For a moment, neither could see the other.
Then—
Iida burst through the haze.
Momo reacted instantly, forming a staff and pivoting, using his momentum against him. The two clashed—her staff braced against his leg, engines screaming as he barely stayed upright.
Both froze.
Locked.
Sweat dripped. The crowd was dead silent.
"…You've grown," Iida said quietly.
"So have you," Momo replied.
They broke apart at the same time.
Midnight cracked her whip.
"Time!"
The arena buzzed with confusion.
After a tense pause, Midnight raised her arm.
"After reviewing control, impact, and tactical execution—the winner is—"
She smiled.
"—TENYA IIDA!"
The crowd erupted, some in confusion and some in cheers.
Momo exhaled and smiled softly, bowing her head. "Congratulations, Iida."
Iida bowed back deeply—too deeply—and nearly fell over.
"No—thank you, Yaoyorozu! This was a most enlightening exchange of leadership philosophies!"
From the stands, Kaminari laughed. "Why does that sound like a meeting?"
Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Nerds."
Present Mic leaned into the mic one last time.
"FOLKS, THAT WASN'T JUST A FIGHT—THAT WAS A BOARDROOM BATTLE!"
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If some of you are wondering about the time thing, there was actually a timer in the sports festival. Not a stopwatch thing, just, if the fight dragged on too long, the heroes would call time. And I also wanted to show that though Ida was fast, Momo's strategy could counter.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review to help me write my book better, and don't forget to drop the power stones.
Peace out.