"""WAAAHHHH!!!"""
Like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon,
a white-haired, red-eyed cat stepped out from the binding tape, a feral grin stretching across its face.
"It'd be more accurate to call yourself a Pokémon rather than a Demon Lord," Hanta muttered weakly as he witnessed the dramatic transformation.
Slowly, he raised both hands.
"I surrender."
"Winner — Nekoyama Nora!!" Midnight declared, announcing the victor of the round.
***
"I've returned victorious!" Nora proclaimed as he strutted back toward the special seating area.
"Do you really have to say that right in front of me?" Hanta shot back as they walked side by side.
"Haha, it was just a friendly match, wasn't it?"
"Haa…" Hanta exhaled deeply. He truly believed he had a chance.
"But still, Sero — what a strategist. I fell straight into your trap without even realizing it."
"Does that look like someone who was helpless? …Sigh." He sighed again.
"Hahaha! A certain philosophical man once said: always conceal your true strength," Nora declared as if delivering a sermon.
"A certain philosophical man?" Midoriya joined them, his eyes sparkling after witnessing such a spectacular fight.
"Indeed. A wise man," Nora replied smugly.
"..."
Silence descended upon Class 1-A.
"By the way, Nora… are you going to stay like that?" Hagakure quickly changed the topic. After all, Nora was still entirely white.
"White suits him," Yaoyorozu commented as she stepped closer, her hand twitching as if she wanted to reach for his tail. Uraraka stood beside her, clearly sharing the same urge.
Behind them, Mineta looked utterly devastated that he hadn't been blessed with such an adorable transformation.
"It's too much trouble to keep switching," Nora brushed it off casually, but—
"He probably can't," Bakugo suddenly cut in.
"Huh?" His blunt remark drew everyone's attention.
"Why would you think that?" Nora asked, a smile curling on his lips — though it carried no warmth.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The air grew heavier, tension pressing down on the group.
"The reason you don't use that form often… the reason you're still in it now," Bakugo continued, his sharp gaze locked onto Nora, "is because it's not something you can activate freely. Either it has strict conditions — or once you release it, the backlash is severe."
He finished his analysis without breaking eye contact.
"That's the answer, isn't it?"
It felt as though a fistfight could erupt between them at any second.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed audibly.
"Ping pong! Ping pong! Correct! One hundred points for Bakugo! You've been watching me closely, huh?"
If Nora had a party popper in hand, he would have set off two or three already.
"Tch." Bakugo clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied that he didn't get the reaction he was aiming for. Still… at least he had learned something new about his self-proclaimed rival.
Suddenly, Nora stepped forward, grabbed Bakugo's hand, and slipped something into his palm.
"Here. A candy for your prize."
"I DON'T NEED IT!!" Bakugo roared, hurling it as far as he could.
"""Hahaha!"""
His explosive reaction shattered the tension completely, leaving nothing behind but laughter.
"The next match is about to begin," Iida announced crisply.
As expected of Iida.
Everyone shared the same thought.
Todoroki vs. Aoyama.
The next round.
"Is Aoyama going to be alright?" Hagakure asked anxiously. After all, they all knew what kind of person he was.
"He might stand a chance," Bakugo said, having quietly retrieved the candy he'd thrown away — littering was unacceptable, after all.
"Yeah," Nora and Midoriya replied in unison.
Bakugo shot Midoriya an irritated glare but remained silent.
"Todoroki-san tends to stay stationary and overwhelm his opponents with sheer ice output," Midoriya began analyzing, slipping naturally into his strategist mode. "Because of his powerful quirk, he doesn't move around much. Against someone like Aoyama, who relies purely on firepower and lacks mobility, this could actually be a favorable matchup."
And as if to prove their point—
The match began.
Aoyama immediately fired his Navel Laser the moment the signal was given. In response, Todoroki erected a thick wall of ice between them.
The barrier held for a brief second — but the laser's intense heat began melting through it almost instantly.
Anticipating exactly that, Todoroki leapt sideways and swept his arm forward.
Like claws rising from the depths of hell, jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground.
Aoyama was caught before he could react.
""…""
"I guess we overestimated Aoyama."
No one agreed.
No one disagreed.
There was only silent acceptance.
"Winner — Todoroki Shoto!!"
***
The matches continued one after another.
Nora watched leisurely from the stands, popcorn in hand. Each time someone's name was called, they would head down to the arena and return shortly after — victorious or defeated.
Except for those who were injured.
In a way, the bond among Class 1-A was genuinely strong. There were rivalries, yes — but no bitterness lingered.
After several more rounds, the second stage of the tournament finally began.
The first match:
Todoroki vs. Midoriya.
All they could do was sit back and munch on their popcorn as the battle unfolded — and from the very start, it was clear this was no ordinary student-level fight.
"...It's destroyed!" Mineta stammered, his voice trembling.
The violent clash between Todoroki and Midoriya reduced parts of the arena to rubble. Ice erupted, shockwaves rippled, and the sheer force of their attacks tore through the stage. Even the teachers were forced to intervene to prevent things from escalating further.
"Wow… who knew Midoriya was this strong?" Kaminari muttered, staring in disbelief.
The others were no different. They knew Midoriya possessed a powerful quirk — one he could barely control — but no one, except Uraraka, had believed it was this overwhelming.
For reference, Uraraka was currently resting in the infirmary after her brutal match against Bakugo.
Once the teachers repaired the arena, the next match was announced.
Nekoyama vs. Iida.
"Nekoyama, I will give this my all," Iida declared with unwavering conviction.
"Yeah. Me too," Nora replied calmly.
Like Nora, Iida's quirk was straightforward. And straightforward meant fewer tricks, fewer openings to exploit. A battle of simplicity often became a contest of pure ability.
Even so, Nora didn't feel even the slightest doubt that he would win.
Iida's strength lay in speed — explosive acceleration and linear momentum. But that was precisely an area where Nora refused to concede. In a long-distance race, perhaps Iida would dominate.
But in short bursts?
Nora was superior.
"Recipro… Burst!"
Iida launched forward, accelerating from zero to full speed in an instant.
But that "instant" was more than enough.
Nora's eyes caught it.
With the smallest shift of his footing, he evaded Iida's axe kick by mere inches. At the same time, he propelled himself forward, adding his own burst of speed into the counter-movement.
Piiiiii!!
"Iida — out of bounds. Winner: Nekoyama!" Midnight announced without mercy.
Iida froze. His foot had landed just beyond the boundary line.
"I… I see. I am still lacking," he said, forcing composure into his voice.
But his expression betrayed him. Acceptance had not yet reached his heart.
Nora remained silent.
There was nothing he could say right now that would ease that sting.
Without another word, he turned and walked back to his seat.