Soon enough, the final minutes flew by.
The ground itself groaned as Cementoss completed his work, massive slabs of stone rising and shifting under his control. In seconds, the battlefield transformed—uneven terrain flattening into a wide, open concrete stage, thick walls rising around the perimeter like a sealed coliseum. The surface was solid, unforgiving, built to test raw power and control.
The stadium buzzed. No, it vibrated. The anticipation was so intense it felt like the air might crack.
Present Mic's voice exploded from the speakers, amplified to near-deafening levels.
"IT'S NOW TIME TO BEGIN THE FINAL ROUND!!"
The crowd erupted instantly.
"FROM HERE ON OUT—NO TEAMMATES! NO EXCUSES!" he continued, voice booming with excitement. "IT'S JUST YOU, YOUR QUIRK, AND YOUR OWN STRENGTH!! NOW—LET'S WELCOME OUR VERY FIRST MATCH!!"
He swung his mic dramatically toward the right side of the stage.
"ON THIS SIDE! THE KID WHO'S BEEN TREATING THIS WHOLE FESTIVAL LIKE A PLAYGROUND! THE STUDENT WITH MORE ABILITIES THAN WE CAN LEGALLY COUNT— IZUKU MIDORIYA, FROM THE HERO COURSE!!!"
The stadium detonated.
Stomping feet. Screaming fans. Flags waving wildly as chants of his name rolled like thunder across the stands.
"MIDO-RI-YA!"
"MIDO-RI-YA!"
Izuku stepped out onto the concrete with a casual, almost lazy stride, hands tucked comfortably into his pockets.
A small, confident smile rested on his face as if he were stepping onto a familiar training field rather than the most watched stage in the country.
His eyes swept across the sea of people—tens of thousands cheering, clapping, recording, screaming his name.
'I wish we did this more often,' he thought, genuinely enjoying the rush.
Present Mic barely gave the crowd time to breathe before snapping his mic to the opposite side.
"AND ON THE LEFT SIDE!! Well… uh—honestly, I didn't even know this kid was in the festival at first— BUT HE CLAWED HIS WAY TO THE MAIN STAGE ALL THE SAME!! FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT—HITOSHI SHINSO!!!"
A wave of polite applause followed, respectful but noticeably quieter than Izuku's reception.
Shinso stepped onto the stage with a sharp, calculating glare, shoulders tense, eyes locked onto Izuku like a hunter watching prey that refused to look afraid. His jaw was set tight, every movement controlled, restrained.
The difference in atmosphere was stark.
Midnight stepped forward, whip snapping sharply against the concrete to command attention.
"Here are the rules!" she announced clearly. "Knock your opponent out of bounds or render them unable to fight, and you win. Any attempt to kill will result in immediate disqualification."
Her gaze flicked between the two.
"Understood?"
Both boys nodded. Shinso didn't break eye contact. Izuku's smile never faded.
Midnight raised her arm high, the stadium falling into breathless silence.
"Ready…"
A beat passed.
"…FIGHT!!"
The match had begun.
Shinso wasted no time.
The moment Midnight's voice faded, he took a single step forward, posture relaxed but eyes sharp, his voice cutting cleanly through the tension.
"Before we begin," he said evenly, "I'd like to know—why do you even want to be a hero?"
The question echoed across the arena.
A few people in the stands leaned forward. Those familiar with Shinso's quirk sucked in quiet breaths. Class 1-A stiffened almost as one.
'He's fishing,' Aizawa thought from the sidelines. 'Don't answer—'
But Izuku just smiled, calmly "Because I want to," Izuku replied simply.
The instant the words left his mouth—
Something latched on.
An invisible pressure wrapped around Izuku's mind, cold and intrusive, like fingers gripping the inside of his skull. His body stalled mid-motion, muscles locking in place as if the signal from brain to body had been severed.
The stadium went deathly quiet.
Shinso's lips curled upward. A low chuckle slipped from his throat, eyes glinting with satisfaction as he straightened.
"Got you," he said, voice dark with triumph. "You fool. Guess you haven't heard, huh? You're caught in my—"
He never finished the sentence. Izuku's body flexed. The pressure shattered like glass.
The mental grip snapped apart as if it had never existed, the backlash sending a sharp spike through Shinso's head. His eyes widened a fraction—confusion flashing across his face.
And then—
Izuku vanished. The air cracked as he reappeared directly in front of Shinso, already mid-motion.
A single finger flicked forward.
BAM!
The impact detonated against Shinso's forehead like a gunshot.
His body was launched backward, feet leaving the ground as he flew across the arena. He slammed into the concrete wall with a bone-rattling.
CRASH!
The surface fracturing outward on impact. Dust exploded into the air, chunks of stone tumbling as his body slid limply to the ground.
The shockwave rippled through the stadium.
Gasps tore from thousands of throats at once. Then— Silence.
Just stunned disbelief.
Izuku stood where he was, casually lowering his hand as the dust settled.
He glanced toward the cratered wall, then hooked his thumb over his shoulder, pointing at Shinso's unconscious form with a relaxed grin.
"Get a load of this guy."
"MIDORIYA WINS!! HE MOVES ON TO THE SECOND ROUND!!"
Midnight's voice cracked through the stadium like a gunshot, finally breaking the stunned silence.
For half a second— Nothing. Then the arena erupted.
"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!"
"He didn't even give Shinso a chance!"
"That speed—was he even visible?!"
"Did he just break mind control with brute force?!"
The roar surged like a tidal wave, shaking the stands, rattling the lights, vibrating straight through the concrete beneath the arena floor.
Camera drones scrambled to replay the moment, slowing it down frame by frame—yet even then, most viewers could barely track Izuku's movement.
On the battlefield itself, Izuku stood calmly, hands back in his pockets, glancing once toward Shinso to make sure medics were already rushing in. Satisfied, he turned and began walking toward the exit as if he'd just finished a routine spar.
Just quiet certainty.
But while the crowd was losing its collective mind—
The pro hero stands were far more restrained.
And far more dangerous.
Endeavor leaned forward slightly, arms crossed, eyes locked onto the arena with predatory focus. The flames around his beard flickered, reacting to his growing interest.
"…He's fast," Endeavor muttered. Not impressed—evaluating. "Too fast. That wasn't just training."
A few heroes nearby nodded grimly.
Nezu sat beside him, paws folded neatly on the railing, eyes gleaming with unmistakable curiosity.
" Does he even have a limit. I think he rivals Torino with that speed" He tilted his head slightly.
"Strength. Speed. Endurance. Reflexes. Every physical limiter shattered."
Endeavor's flames flared hotter for a brief moment, his smirk widening as his gaze sharpened.
"That's quite the quirk," he said.
Nezu smirked ' If only you knew' he thought.
Endeavor continued, more quietly—dangerously— "But I wonder…"
His eyes shifted to the far end of the arena, where Shoto stood watching the screen replay on loop, his expression unreadable.
"…how he'll fare against Shoto."
The thought clearly excited him.
Endeavor stood up, heat rolling off him in waves, nearby heroes subtly shifting away from the sudden temperature spike. His attention never left Izuku's retreating figure.
'I should go talk to him,' he thought.
Below, Izuku stepped through the tunnel leading back toward the waiting area, the deafening roar of the stadium dulling into a distant echo behind thick concrete walls. Each step carried him farther from the spotlight, but the weight of what had just happened still lingered in the air.
The tournament had only just begun.
And already—
The balance was shifting.
The fluorescent lights overhead hummed softly as Izuku walked, hands still tucked casually into his pockets, posture loose. He looked completely unbothered, as if he hadn't just dismantled one of the most dangerous quirks in the tournament in a single motion.
Then—
The air changed.
The temperature spiked abruptly, heat rolling through the corridor like a sudden summer blaze. Izuku felt it lick against his skin, heavy and oppressive, warping the air itself.
His footsteps slowed. A long, distorted shadow stretched across the floor in front of him, flickering as if alive.
He stopped.
Slowly, he pivoted on his heel.
Towering over him stood Endeavor.
Flames smoldered faintly along the man's shoulders and hair, casting dancing orange light against the concrete walls. His presence alone made the corridor feel smaller, tighter—like the space itself was bending around his will. His sharp, predatory gaze locked onto Izuku, dissecting him piece by piece.
"That's quite the quirk you've got there," Endeavor said, his voice a low growl that reverberated through Izuku's chest. "It reminds me of a certain hero… but that's a conversation for another time."
He took a step forward.
The heat intensified instantly, the air shimmering as if reality itself were sweating.
"My boy—Shoto," Endeavor continued, eyes burning with expectation. "When you face him, I expect you to give it your all. Show him no mercy."
Izuku blinked once.
Unfazed.
"Oh," he said flatly. "Okay."
Then he turned back around and started walking away.
For a brief moment, the corridor went silent.
Endeavor stopped.
Then his voice followed, sharper now, edged with obsession.
"Yes… it will serve as the perfect test for him," Endeavor said, flames flickering higher as pride bled into his tone. "If Shoto can defeat you, then I'll know—he'll be able to surpass even All Might."
Izuku stopped mid-step.
The faint hum of the lights seemed suddenly loud.
He glanced over his shoulder, a smirk curling slowly onto his lips, eyes glinting with something dangerous.
"Is it because you failed to do that?"
The words landed like a blade to the chest.
For an instant—
BOOM.
A violent surge of heat exploded outward. Flames roared up Endeavor's body, his hair igniting fully as his entire frame was engulfed in fire. The corridor turned into a furnace, metal groaning, sweat instantly forming on the walls as the temperature skyrocketed.
Endeavor's eyes narrowed, burning with fury sharp enough to pierce steel.
Then—
Unexpectedly—
He laughed.
A low, rumbling chuckle rolled from his chest as the flames slowly dimmed, though the heat lingered like an aftershock.
"You've got a sharp tongue, kid," Endeavor said, smirking. "I like that."
He leaned in just slightly, presence still overwhelming.
"After this is over, come by my agency," he continued. "I'd like to have a nice… friendly spar with you."
With that, Endeavor turned and walked past him, each step leaving faint scorch marks along the floor tiles. The heat gradually faded as he disappeared down the corridor, the air finally beginning to cool.
Izuku stood there for a moment, watching him go.
Then he exhaled slowly, his shoulders dropping just a fraction.
"…Man," he muttered under his breath. "Parents."
A small smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head.
'I'm lucky I got a nice mom like Inko.'
With that thought grounding him, Izuku reached forward, pushed open the waiting room door and stepped back into the calm before his next storm.
TO BE CONTINUED