22. The Tournament Begins

"I would like to withdraw from the competition!" Mei called out as she approached Midnight right after the conclusion of the third round. The mic was still live, and the audience heard her; there was an audible gasp.

"That is your right, but may we ask why?" Midnight said.

"I came here to support my friends and team," Mei said as much to the crowd as Midnight. "I wanted to showcase my wares and help my friend achieve their dream of making it to the hero course, and I believe I have done that. I do not wish to jeopardize anyone's spot in the hero course; that is not where I want to be. So I hope everyone enjoyed the battle that Watsu and I put on for you all, and I would love the chance to meet all of you at my support booth tomorrow." Mei waved to the crowd as they applauded her.

Mei entered the tunnel to see her friends waiting. She hugged them all and wished them luck as she went to the locker room to get changed. Melissa, Momo, and Izuku smiled and went to the cafeteria to get food and rest before the tournament started.

They joined their teammates at the table, and a nervous energy surrounded them. They all wondered who would have to fight first. Shoto came and sat beside Izuku, fresh from the medical wing, just moments before the brackets were announced.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have our brackets; the Future Winners are going to have an extra hard road to live up to their name's sake today, ladies and gentlemen, as they will be fighting each other to get into the tournament properly." Present Mic's voice rang out. "In our first wild card round match, Katsuki Bakguo will take on Eijiro Kirishima. The second match will feature Tenya Ida Vs. Yuga Aoyama, Shoto Todoroki Vs. Mezo Shoji is in our third bout, and Denki Kaminari vs. Rikido Sato is in the fourth and final. All the action starts in thirty minutes, so ensure you are ready as the Future Winners take center stage."

Shoto stood up, walked over to Mezo, and extended his hand. "I look forward to sharing the stage with you."

Mezo looked at Shoto's hand. His mask made it hard to tell, but he smiled as he shook Shoto's hand, "I look forward to it."

Tenya smiled and followed suit, offering his hand to Yuga, who took it hesitantly before declaring that Tenya should remember to bring sunglasses lest Yuga's dazzle lead to blindness. This led to some laughs.

Denki playfully elbowed Sato, "I'll try to take it easy on you, big guy."

Sato laughed, "I'll make sure not to break anything permanently."

Eijior looked at Bakugo, but Bakugo said. "I DON'T FUCKING CARE WHO THEY PUT IN FRONT OF ME. I AM GOING TO SHOW ALL OF YOU AND THE WORLD THAT I AM THE FUTURE NUMBER ONE!" he slammed his fist on the table before storming out.

"And boom goes the dynamite," Eijiro sighed. "That guy needs to lean to relax just a bit."

"You think?" Kyoka called out, and they all started laughing.

A bit of the pressure was off, as everyone else had a first-round bye so that they could relax. Eijiro approached Izuku, "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute…in private?" Izuku tilted his head slightly before he got up and followed Eijiro down the hall to his locker room.

"I just have a couple of questions you can answer or not, but I would appreciate it if you told me as much as you are comfortable," Eijiro said as soon as the door was closed.

"I'll do my best," Izuku said, wondering if he was about to get into a fight.

"Were you always so strong?" Eijiro said as he turned around.

"No," Izuku said. I didn't get my quirk until super late; it took an accident to trigger."

"How long have you known Bakugo?" Eijiro took a seat, motioning for Izuku to do the same.

Once he sat down, "All my life."

"You wanted to be a hero, even when you didn't have your quirk, huh?" Eijrio wasn't looking at him; instead, he was staring at the floor, wringing his hands.

"I did," Izuku said calmly.

"I bet he was always good with his quirk."

"Everyone told him how amazing it was," Izuku said.

"Did he used to pick on kids with weaker quirks?" Eijiro said, finally looking up. "Did he bully you because you didn't even have one?"

Izuku took a deep breath, "Yes."

"Then you have your accident and unlock this super amazing quirk. Show up to U.A. and show out," Izuku nodded. "I bet that pissed him off…well, even more than he normally is."

"Something like that," Izuku replied. "What is this about Eijiro?"

"I thought maybe he was going to calm down. After we fought together in the USJ, I thought that…I don't know that maybe he and I could be cool," Eijiro sighed. "I used to be afraid of stuff a lot. I kept my head down, didn't speak up, and wasn't hero-like. When I would imagine myself different, imagine myself better, I hate to say it, but I was kind of like Bakugo—the tough guy, you know." Eijiro looked at Izuku. "So I reinvented myself, tried to become the person I wanted to be, hit the gym, started doing things to improve." He sighed heavily.

"But I can't stand bullies; I hate the fact that I honestly don't think he knows our names despite all the bullshit. Not that he can't learn them or isn't smart enough, but because we are not worth his fucking time and effort." Izuku could hear the anger rising in Eijiro's voice. "I know I can't win this thing; if I manage to beat him, I couldn't beat you or Shoto, but I know that after that fight, you would respect me enough to shake my damn hand and say my fucking name."

"I sided with him during the team fight because I stupidly thought I had earned his respect," Eijiro was gripping his hands so tightly together they were shaking. "But I was wrong; even after that bullshit, he is still a fucking asshole," Eijiro took an intense breath. "Thank you, Izuku. You are a good guy, and I am sorry I wanted to be anything like that prick. I know what I am going to do now."

"What are you going to do?" Izuku said, getting to his feet to shake Eijiro's extended hand.

"I am going to make that mother fucker say my name," Eijiro sneered.

Class 1-B Locker Room

"If you had just listened to me, none of this would have happened?" Neito yelled at Setsuna, who was upset about the team battle's results.

"Yeah, if you all had just followed the plan!" Ojiro seconded. "Stupid 1-A. At least Ibarra and Juzo came to their senses.

"I did when I sided with Setsuna," Ibarra said, tossing her hair over her shoulder." I had already given my word to aid your team and would not back down."

"I thought you were all stupid from the beginning," Juzo sighed. "You got all crazy about them stealing glory and went to pick a fight. It sucks we lost, but maybe now you will get your heads out of your collective buttholes."

"If Set.." Neito yelled.

"OH SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Pony yelled, startling everyone. "You went and picked a fight for the entire class because they almost died! Look what happened, Neito; you were among the first to go down. WE…" she pointed to her team. "We followed Set because you're a fucking idiot!"

"If you hadn't run your damn mouth, some of us might have made it to the third round!" Setsuna yelled as she stepped in front of her team.

Neito stepped before her, "If you had just listened to your better…" he never finished that sentence as Niren stepped past Set and punched Neito in the mouth.

The room descended into chaos after that. Vlad was called in before more than a few dozen punches were thrown.

Eijiro vs. Bakugo

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let's make some noise for our first matchup of the wildcard round," Mic called out as the crowd roared its approval. "Coming to the stage, we have one of this year's favorites to win the Explosive King: Katsuki Bakugo!"

Katsuki emerged from the west tunnel, his hands shoved in the pockets of the U.A. athletic uniform. He didn't look towards the crowd or interact with them in any way; instead, he stomped towards the stage. He gave off an air that this whole thing was merely a formality and that he was annoyed for having to come out and fight his opponent. He only shot a glare toward where his class was sitting, locking eyes with Izuku and attempting to murder him with his mind.

"His opponent here to demonstrate his conviction, Bakugo's teammate in the team fight, the Stone Man: Eijiro Kirishima!"

Eijrio came out. He gave a nervous smile and waved to the crowd before he waved to his class. Then he locked eyes on Bakugo standing in the ring, not even looking at him. It was easy to see the shift on Eijiro's face. A mask of pure determination locked into place as he stepped onto the stage.

"Well, we are about to start our third round, and we have our first matchup. Both students are members of your 1-A hero course, Eraser Head. It must feel good to have every member of your class make it to the third round except the Majestic Melissa Shield, who, of course, is vying for that empty seat," Mic said. "Who do you think has the edge in this first matchup?"

"Well, Kirishima is powerful in terms of defense. He has so far demonstrated very little in terms of offense capabilities. In contrast, the exact opposite can be said for his opponent:" Mic sat stunned at the torrent of words from his usually silent friend. "I think you will see Kirishima attempt to weather the offensive onslaught that Bakugo is no doubt about to unleash to see if he can close the distance to inflict some damage. The close range, though, will allow Bakugo to attack with more impact, so despite a good showing from Kirishima, I expect Bakugo to advance to the tournament."

"And Ms. Shields's presence here in the third round?" Mic said, still a bit stunned.

"I think it is very admirable that she has chosen to push and fight to enter the hero course; there would be some doubt as to her legitimacy if we hadn't witnessed her ability to fight not only as part of a team but one on one during the Castle Battle," Eraser Head was leaning forward looking at the stage. "I think that she has an amazing chance to not only make it to the podium at the end of the day, but depending on her opponents, she may be the one on top."

"By the sound of that, would you support her entry into the hero course?" Mic asked.

"Of course, as you and the world know, the measure of a person or a hero is more than their quirk or lack thereof," Eraser Head leaned back, signaling he was done talking.

"Well, I am glad that we have that on video for all time," Mic smiled. "Let's turn this over to our referee and MC for today; take it away at Midnight."

"Superb," Midnight cooed. "Listen up, everyone, this is a single elimination tournament. The win conditions are as follows: forcing your opponent out of the ring with both feet touching the grass, verbal submission, or if they cannot continue. You stop when I say stop; if both parties cannot continue, then both will be eliminated. Shake hands/Bow if you wish to do so; if not, go to the starting position and, on my mark, show the world what you are made of! Do you both understand?" Both nodded. Eijiro extended his hand, and Bakugo clicked his tongue and turned his back to go to the starting position. Boos rang out, seeming to annoy Bakugo even more; Eijiro stared at his hand for a moment before he balled it into a fist.

As he took his position, the sounds of the crowd seemed to fade away until there was silence. All he could hear was his muscles tensing under his skin, his heartbeat beginning to pound in his ears. All he could see was Bakugo, the small explosions flickering around his hands, and the utter look of dismissal on his face.

Midnight stepped back, her hand in the air, "BEGIN."

Bakugo slammed his wrists together and held his palms in front of him while spreading his fingers apart. He then released a two-handed explosion, hoping to end the fight in one shot. However, Eijiro was quick to dodge and charged towards Bakugo. Bakugo attempted to attack again while stepping back, but Eijiro jumped over the attack. Bakugo rolled back, holding the same position with a confident sneer, and fired again at the descending Eijiro. "Got you!" he growled.

Eijiro smiled, activating the quirks on his arms, head, and upper torso, using them as a shield to block the attack. His momentum continued as he came crashing into Bakugo, tackling him around the waist and taking him to the ground.

Bakugo quickly placed his palms on Eijiro's sides and fired, but there was no effect. Eijiro quickly landed an elbow on Bakugo's temple. With his quirk engaged, the jagged point created a gash across Bakugo's forehead and bounced his head off the pavement, stunning him. He managed to take his arm that was no longer pinned as another forearm shot fell to block the blow; he grunted in pain from the impact.

Bakugo got his legs free and trapped Eijiro's legs, keeping him from advancing his position, bringing his bruised arm up and around the back of Eijiro's head and pulling him down. He turned his face to the side, made sure to have the palm near Eijiro's head, and fired off an explosion; he telegraphed his attack in hopes that Eijiro wouldn't notice Bakugo's hand on his thigh; as soon as he fired the headshot, he fired the shot at Eijiro's thigh. Eijiro's grunt of pain was enough for Bakugo to get his legs underneath Eijiro and push him off. He scrambled to his feet, blood coming down his face, making it hard to see from one side.

The crowd was roaring at the intense start of the match. Eijiro heard nothing but himself and his opponent on the stage. Ejiro pushed off, stumbling from the damage to his leg, and tried to close the distance; Bakugo surprised everyone by placing his arms behind his back and launching to meet his attacker. Bakugo came in with a knee strike as Eijiro's face and arms hardened, ready to take the impact and maybe drop Bakugo. Bakugo fired off another explosion at the last second, this time straight down, sending him flipping over Eijiro's head. As he went over the top, he repositioned and fired a shot into Eijiro's lower back, sending him crashing down. A wicked grin crossed Bakugo's face, and he went at Eijiro; as he came down, he fired two blasts, one at the back of Eijiro's leg and the other at the back of his head.

"Kirishima is in trouble," Eraser Head said, leaning forward. "Bakugo has figured out he can't harden every part of his body."

"With his Strong Quirk, ruthless aggression, and ability to think on his feet, it's no wonder he is ranked so highly and is a favorite for this year's event," Mic added.

Bakugo continued his assault, firing again at two places, hoping to weaken Eijiro further. Eijiro yelled in pain and frustration as he swung an elbow back as hard as he could, catching Bakugo in the ribs; both boys heard a crack. As Bakugo fell off holding his side, Eijiro rolled and tried to push off, but he stumbled again, giving Bakugo a chance to recover. Eijiro hardened the skin around the injury on his leg as an improvised brace. He pushed forward, closing the distance; Bakugo let loose a large explosion, blowing off Eijiro's top and revealing his muscled chest to the crowd.

"That was such a huge explosion," Mic's voice called out. "It didn't do much damage."

"He did it to expose Eijiro's skin," Eraser Head said, his voice calm. "This way, he can see definitively where Eijiro is defending easier."

"That was smart," Mic said. "I think it is only a matter of time now.

Eijiro gritted his teeth and charged in. Bakugo sidestepped the attack, and instead of retaliating right away, he punched the solar plexus, followed by a palm explosion to Eijiro's face, driving him back. Bakugo advanced, landing a vicious leg kick, dropping Eijiro to one knee. Another blast to Eijiro's head, a kick to his ribs.

"YOU'RE DONE SHITTY HAIR," Bakugo roared.

"No, I am not," Eijiro responded. "You haven't said my name yet."

"FUCK OFF," Bakugo yelled and went to continue the assault. Eijiro's hardened hand shot out and grabbed the palm strike explosion, he grunted as the kick landed, but he came up and yanked Bakugo forward into a hardened head butt. Bakugo stumbled back, but Eijiro didn't release his grip.

"No, no, you don't get to run now, mother fucker," Eijiro growled. "WHAT IS MY FUCKING NAME?"

Bakugo fired off another explosion, hoping to break Eijiro's grip. They both heard the crack, but Eijiro didn't let go. Instead, he yanked Bakugo towards his hardened elbow across Bakugo's jaw. Bakugo saw stars; he landed a kick to Eijiro's knee, sending him down for a moment; he placed his other hand over where Eijiro was holding him and fired off both explosions. Still, the grip didn't break. Eijiro roared his challenge again, "WHAT IS MY NAME?"

While the battlefield was absent from the crowd for Eijiro, the class wasn't lacking in watching their classmates fight. The field mics picked up Eijiro's challenge. His class was stunned, but they started chanting for Bakugo to acknowledge Eijiro. Izuku was quiet, watching the battle unfold, his conversation with Eijiro playing in his head.

Eijiro didn't stop; he launched forward into Bakugo's side, spearing his opponent and driving him to the ground; it was Bakugo's turn to yell as Eijiro's attack hit him in the broken ribs. Eijiro drove his fist into those same ribs; Bakugo gritted his teeth and fired a double explosion again on the hand holding him. Eijiro screamed as his hand cracked violently. Still, he held fast.

Eijiro raised and punched Bakugo in the side of the head, bouncing it off the ground. Another two-handed explosion, the cracks raced up Eijiro's arm now, he screamed, his grip finally releasing. Eijiro's quirk faltered, and blood began pouring from his arm; Eijrio was no longer armored anywhere. Bakugo swung with an overhand right, and Eijiro dodged the swing and landed a counterblow. Bakugo reeled back from the punch before returning fire with a left-right combination that knocked Eijiro back. He wobbled but didn't fall; he moved forward with a clumsy right jab, and Bakugo slipped under, left to the ribs, right to the chin, spinning kick to the gut. Eijiro fell.

"YOU ARE DONE!" Bakugo yelled.

"I want to know if you remember my name," Eijiro demanded as he stood up. "You shouldn't underestimate us or dismiss us so easily." He took a wobbly step forward. "I'll make you acknowledge us, and by the way," he spat a glob of blood at Bakugo's feet. "You hit like a bitch; I bet Melissa punches harder than you; Izuku would have already beat me."

Bakugo's face twisted with anger, and he charged towards Eijiro. He managed to slip past Eijiro's defense and landed a solid left hook, which sent Eijiro staggering backward. Bakugo continued his attack and attempted a spinning back fist, putting all his rage into the swing. However, his punch hit a solid object that felt like a rock. Bakugo screamed in frustration and tried to retract his hand, but Eijiro's fist connected with the back of his head, causing him to stumble.

Eijiro took advantage of the situation and grabbed Bakugo around the waist. He then threw him over his head, causing Bakugo to crash into the ground. Eijiro then leaped into the air and hardened his arm, preparing to deliver the knockout blow. However, when he landed, he missed Bakugo and struck the concrete instead.

Bakugo dodged and struck Eijiro with a knee to the face, following up with a left-right combination. A double explosion impacted Eijiro's chest as he flew through the air.

As the crowd gasped, Bakugo stumbled back. He was bruised, battered, and had blood running down his face. He then ordered Midnight to call it. However, Midnight raised her hand but stopped as the crowd gasped again, this time seeing Eijiro pushing himself up to his feet.

He slowly pulled himself up by sheer will; his arm was dripping blood in a gnarled mess, his face was swollen, and burn marks littered his body. "You don't call shit off," he said to Midnight. "I am not done with him yet."

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?" Bakugo yelled.

"You are going to acknowledge me; you are going to acknowledge our class; you don't get to fucking stand there and not remember our names," he said. "You don't get to belittle us; you don't get to ignore us. Now, what is my name?" he roared, and with a sudden burst, maybe brought on by adrenaline, he sprang and landed a solid punch to Bakugo's face. Bakugo reeled and stumbled, taking a step back. "We almost died together, we fought together, we survived together, you will say MY FUCKING NAME!"

Bakugo's rage sparked his quirk; it sparked in his hand. Everyone watched as he closed his fist and swung back. For example, when Eijiro was fighting Tetsu in the team fight, there was no dodging or defense: you hit me, and I hit you. Let's see who is still standing. Eijiro returned fire. "Acknowledge me!" he roared. Bakugo gritted his teeth and punched back.

"FUCK YOU!" Bakugo yelled back.

"Acknowledge us," Eijiro swung; Bakugo just swung back. The crowd cheering went silent as the two boys, no quirks, just stood there toe to toe, putting all they could into every punch. Eijiro stumbled; Bakugo saw his opponent's eyes glaze, but he saw pure will bring Eijiro back. Again and again, he saw Eijiro about to stumble, only to swing back, his punches weakening.

Eijiro threw another punch that barely tapped Bakugo. "What is my name?" Eijiro slurred out.

He stumbled and was about to fall, but Bakugo caught him. "Eijiro Kirishima," Bakugo said as Eijiro's eyes closed. Bakugo looked to Midnight, "He is out." The crowd watched as he laid Eijiro down on the ground.

"Match!" Midnight yells. "Bakugo wins."

It wasn't cheers for Bakugo that rained down. Chants of "EIJIRO" rang all over the stadium and at home. Pro Heroes immediately went to their phones and sent out internship offers.

Unknown Apartment

"Oh god, yes, so much blood, yes, more, give me more," Toga moaned as she watched the battle. Magni sighed.

"I am going to get a drink. You better finish it by the time I get back!" Magni yelled, storming out.

"Oh, so many to love, such pretty red hair, such succulent blood," Toga moaned, her hand between her legs. "I will scream your name all night long!"

Peanut Gallery

"It would seem that there is something between that rage head Bakugo and Midoriya from that taunt during their match," Mirio said as he and All-Might watched the fight.

"Yes, indeed, but I am most impressed with young Kirishima. "That boy went into that battle seeking a different type of victory," All-Might rubbed his chin.

"I can only imagine the disrespect he must have felt to fight in such a manner," Mirio replied. "Mr. Aizawa's class has been…troubled this year, and I think I know who is at the heart of it all."

"Yes, it seems so; I fear I should have noticed more while I was with them," All-Might sighed. "I have failed them; if I had been more attentive, I might have foreseen the troubles with Mr. Freadom and Melissa. I should speak with the class after the festival; maybe my words can reach those still on the fence or dissuade Mr. Midoriya from polluting the class."

"If anyone can do it, I believe you can, All-Might," Mirio pumped his fist. "As much as I don't like him, I think you can even get Midoriya to pull his head out of his ass. Melissa is just confused. Maybe I can talk to her?"

"I knew I could count on you, Mirio," All-Might smiled.

Tenya vs. Yuga

The crowd was spent as the next match began; the brutality and emotion of the first match was a hard act to follow. The crowd didn't see it, but Izuku felt it; all the staff of the U.A. was suddenly on high alert. He immediately stiffened in his seat for a moment, catching the attention of his team seated around him; Mei, who had returned to watch the spectacle of the first match, just shook her head.

"If he wasn't him, he could have such a promising future," Mei sighed, watching Bakugo walk off.

"Izuku?" Momo whispered, her voice concerned.

Izuku quickly realized the focus was on the stage rather than somewhere around the arena. "It's okay; I just got an odd feeling for a moment," he said loud enough to put the others at ease. He then told Momo, Mei, and Melissa what he felt and had noticed. They turned their attention to the field, wondering what either of their classmates could have done to warrant such a response.

Tenya and Yuga both acknowledged the crowd as they entered; unlike the first fight, both boys bowed to each other at the start of the match.

As expected, Tenya's quirk roared to life as he rushed Yuga; the Frenchman turned and fired his navel laser to the side, pushing himself safely away from the attack; he even posed and winked as he did so. Tenya was forced to slide under the blast that had gone across his path like a trip wire. Tenya planted his hand, twisted his body, and went to re-engage, only to have to shift at the last possible moment to avoid a direct hit from Yuga. Instead, it hit him in the shoulder, spinning him like a top.

Yuga placed both hands on his hips and fired a more extended blast, targeting the ground in front of Tenya and moving up to catch the speedster. Tenya rolled and got to his feet as Yuga repositioned himself and his pose to fire off another quick shot, but as he did, he stumbled and grabbed his stomach.

His chronic stomach aches, Tenya thought.

Izuku leaned forward, studying Yuga, "Why does his quirk affect him like that?" he wondered.

"What do you mean?" Melissa said. "Most quirks have a drawback that has to be managed, like Momo and her calorie intake, Sato and sugar, etc." Mei nodded.

Momo paused. "But most of those consumption intake requirements—as far as I am aware, there isn't anything Yuga has to eat to use his quirk, but he requires the support gear constantly." Her voice trailed off a bit.

Izuku tilted his head back over the seat. "Kyoka," he said. The girl turned to him, her mouth full of popcorn, making her cheeks puff out. "I'll wait," he laughed. Kyoka blushed and took a big drink of her soda.

"Sup?" she said.

"When your quirk came in, how long did it take for you to get your hearing under control?" Izuku asked. I mean, I know you still have a problem with loud noises, but was it worse when you were a kid?"

"Any noise was a pain in the ass," Kyoka said, confused as to the questioning. "I had to wear noise canceling headphones just to not be in constant pain; then it was a gradual step down till I adapted to my quirk."

Tenya accelerated towards Yuga with a quick burst; when Yuga fired his navel laser as expected, Tenya saw him shifting to the right. He leaped and twisted himself over the beam, igniting his engine again, and landed a vicious kick that sent Yuga tumbling across the stage. Yuga pushed up, muttering some choice curses in French; quickly, he rolled to the side to avoid another kick. He sat up and fired a shot from a seated position; the shot wasn't as concentrated; instead, it spider-webbed out, striking Tenya and the stage; barriers courtesy of Cementos sprang up to keep the audience safe.

Izuku smiled, "Thank you, I understand now."

"Um…okay," she said, confused.

"He wasn't born with that quirk," Izuku said telepathically amongst the girls.

"What do you mean?" Mei responded. "We don't even know if you can bestow a quirk on someone."

"His body hasn't adapted yet," Momo said suddenly. "If he was born with it, his body should have adapted to it by now, so he shouldn't constantly suffer stomach troubles.

"That support gear was not designed at U.A.; he came in with it," Mei said. "It isn't expected to wear support gear for your quirk to work correctly constantly, but some people have to do so due to the backlash.

"He is tearing a hole every time he fires it," Izuku said, reading the energy coming from Yuga.

"That is some fucking dedication," Mei added. "I mean, he puts on a fantastic front to hide the pain if this quirk is tearing a hole through him every time, and he plays it off as stomach trouble…

"The question is, why do it? And who gave him the quirk?" Melissa said.

"I bet it isn't something good; with the way the faculty is paying attention to this match, I doubt that their focus is because of Tenya," Momo said, as the others agreed.

Tenya was knocked back, but he pressed forward. Yuga went to fire again. Ida went low and swept his legs out from under him. Yuga slammed face-first into the ground. Ida came to his feet, cartwheeled over Yuga, and activated his quirk. He launched to the poor boy halfway between the stage and the crowd. Yuga braced as best he could, but he bounced a few times.

"Match!" Midnight called out. "Winner, Tenya Ida!"

The crowd cheered. The match was entertaining but didn't have the high-stakes drama that the previous one had. Ida jogged out of the ring to check on his fallen classmate, which earned a rousing round of applause, especially when Ida put Yuga's arm over his shoulders and helped the boy walk out of the arena.

Shoto vs Mezo

"Make sure you leave no doubt in anyone's mind that you are going to win this thing," Endeavor said as Shoto walked out of his room. "Now that you have embraced your fire, the only threat is that Midoriya boy, who cannot even hold a candle to you."

"Izuku is my friend," Shoto said. I am going out there to show the world the type of hero I choose to be. I hope I meet him in the tournament, but disregarding the other's fighting ignores all their hard work and dedication to being here. I shall face every opponent with respect." Shoto walked away from his father.

"Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have another of the odds-on favorites, the son of Endeavor, the Duel Threat: Shoto Todoroki!" Mic said. "And his opponent is a definite underdog but ready to leave it all out on the field: the student with more arms than you shake a stick at Mezo Shoji!"

"How do you see this panning out?" Mic asked his colleague.

"Todoroki and Shoji have both been training hard; it is good to see Todoroki embracing his fireside more and trying to harness his quirk properly. Mezo Shoji, I feel, will put up some resistance, but the combination of Fire and Ice, I think, will be too much," Eraser replied.

Mic cut the mic briefly, "When did you become such a chatty Cathy?"

"Look, you asked the question. Those kids have been through hell and are still putting it all on the line; I can at least answer some questions about my students," Aizawa said back before flicking back on the microphones.

Shoto and Mezo bowed and took their starting positions. At Midnight's signal, they immediately began. A wave of ice raced at Mezo. He activated his quirk. Five arms sprang to action on his right side as he stepped forward and threw a straight right into the ice wave, making the attack fall short.

Mezo smiled behind his mask. He knew Todoroki could have frozen the entire arena, but he wasn't trying to humiliate Mezo. Mezo leaped over the ice before him to land multiple left hooks as the extra arms on that side fused into a giant fist. Shoto ducked under the attack, moving behind Mezo as his fireside erupted. It made Mezo flinch from the flames being so close; he didn't see Shoto fire off another Ice attack until it trapped his legs and lower body. Mezo looked up, and Shoto's hand was extended and wrapped in flames. Mezo sighed, "I yield!"

"Match! Winner Shoto Todoroki!"

Shoto stepped forward and put his hand on the ice, starting to melt it, "I will have you free quickly," he said.

"Your Ice alone is scary, but factor in your fire," Mezo shivered. "It is unfair as hell."

"This contest is skewered towards those with powerful or offensive quirks," Shoto said. "Do not take this loss to heart; you will be a fine hero."

"Thanks, Shoto," Mezo said, finally free.

"I will buy you a hot beverage to help you warm up," Shoto said with a smile.

Denki Vs. Sato

Denki and Sato took to the arena, ready to do their best. "BEGIN!"

Sato jumped back as he poured a sugar packet down his throat, activating his quirk. He saw Denki charge him. "Electro Shock!" Denki yelled as electricity fired wildly from his fingertips. Sato tried to dodge the best he could, but the random nature of the attack made an escape path unpredictable.

Unfortunately, one of the attacks struck him in the leg, making him trip and roll to the ground. Denki went airborne, diving at Sato "1.5." He began to yell out, only to be silenced by Sato, pushing off the ground and slamming Denki's mouth shut with a leaping uppercut that stopped Denki in midair and sent him flying backward, to the reaction of the crowd and the cringes in pain of his classmates.

Denki fell crashing to the ground and rolled but stopped short of going out of the ring. Still conscious, he stumbled to his feet. " Ow, you brot my haw!" he said.

"Sorry, not sorry," Sato yelled as he landed and rushed Denki. Though internally, Sato did feel a bit bad about breaking his classmate's jaw, as he rapidly closed the distance, he went for the shove out instead of another hit. Denki dropped into a ball at the very last second. "1.5 fill on dolt hock!"

Sato tried to stop or jump back, but it was too late; as the electricity racked through him, he felt himself go airborne and then nothing; he was unconscious before he hit the ground. Denki looked up at Midnight as he lay half on the stage and half on the grass. His lower half, still on the stage, gave her a thumbs up. "WHEY!" he said with a most unflattering look on his face, which was captured by the world. Laughter and cheers erupted from the stadium; it could even be heard in Midnight's voice.

"Match, Winner Denki Kaminari!" Midnight, waited until the boys were collected and removed from the stage. "Now, everyone, we will have a 15-minute break before the tournament officially begins. It's not that we have our final four seeds, but let us look at the match-up. Take it away, Present Mic!"

"Booya Ladies and Gentlemen, First on the northwest bracket, we have Itsuka Kendo Vs. Tsuyu Asui, followed by Ochaco Uraraka Vs. Katsuki Bakugo." Class 1-A eagerly stared at the screen; the crowd ohed and awed with each announcement. Ochaco took a deep breath. She had to fight Bakugo, and she knew that he wasn't about to take it easy on her, but she wouldn't let her family or Eijiro down. She had worked her entire life to get her; at the very least, she deserved to be respected enough to call her by her name.

"In the South West, Kyoka Jiro vs. Hitoshi Shinso and Tenya Ida Vs. Melissa Shield!"

"WELL FUCK!" Kyoka and Hitoshi both said in unison. "You better not hold back!" Kyoka yelled.

"I would appreciate it if you did," Hitoshi countered, getting some laughs.

Melissa and Tenya just exchanged smiles and nodded at each other.

"In the northeast, we have Mina Ashido Vs. Shoto Todoroki, and Izuku Midoriya Vs. Toru Hagakure."

"Please be gentle Izuku," Toru said. "This is some bullshit," she sighed, leaning back in her seat.

Mina took her friend's hand. "Hey, just because the cards are stacked against both of us doesn't mean we give in. I have to fight Todoroki. Let's see if we can figure something out!"

"Yeah, Mina, let's show those boys who are boss!" Toru suddenly hugged Mina.

Shoto looked at the matchup; if he beat Mina and Izuku beat Toru, they would be the two of them in the next round.

"In our final bracket, out of the southeast, we have Koji Koda vs. Fumikage Tokoyami and Denki Kaminari vs. Momo Yaoyorozu. The first matchup should report to their locker rooms and prepare for competition," Mic said as the 15-minute timer appeared on all the screens.

Fumi and Koji shook hands and wished the other luck. Momo looked at the board. If she wanted to make it to the finals, she would have to face stiff competition, possibly Fumi and Shoto, or Izuku.

Katsuki

He was finally released from Medical after the matchups were announced; he grumbled under his breath about how he wished he could change the matchups; he just had to destroy Round Face, then either Frogger or Big Hands then hopefully, he could get his hands on that dumb blonde bitch and destroy her before he got to show Izuku who was top dog.

He would prefer to get down Icey Hot and Pony Tail to ensure Izuku knew his place. At least that dumb goggled bitch had the smarts to drop out at the beginning. These damn extras were barely worth his breath; if they wanted his respect, they needed to earn it. He was Katsuki Bakugo, the next future number-one hero, and he was not about the share that title with any of these damn pebbles, especially not Deku or his fucking whores and hangers-on.

He looked at the hospital bed that Eijiro was in. At least one of them had some stones to stand up, he thought. Unfortunately for them, I am very good at crushing stones that get in my way.

England

"Finally, these bloody games take forever!" Ashcroft sighed as he popped another chip in his mouth.

"You must admit it has been rather entertaining," Emma replied. "I wonder how he will handle battling with his teammates."

"He may have to fight his little girlfriends at some point. I bet he lays down for them," Ashcroft said.

"I bet a 100 pounds he doesn't," Emma said with a smile, placing the money on the coffee table.

"You are on!" Ashcroft grinned

Plane Ride

Hisashi looked at his watch and the screen displaying the Sports Festival. He would land nearly in time to make it to the stadium, but I would be very late when he did land. He would have planned to see Izuku before meeting with his superiors. It would be easy to turn his son; the idiot boy would probably weep at seeing him.

He could play the sad parent or the humble parent, and he could turn this thing around. Yes, everything would work out perfectly.