1st Round

Izuku swiftly exited the corridor, determined to catch up with Todoroki.

As the hallway seemed deserted, Himari attempted to speak up, "Hey hey—" but was abruptly cut off.

"YOU IDOIT! You try'n to get me caught!" Bakugo bellowed furiously as he tried his best to loom over the golden-haired girl.

Giggling, Himari couldn't help herself. "Did you hear that, All Might's kid? Hahaha!" Her laughter echoed, but Bakugo simply scoffed, his gaze firm. "Yeah, well, none of that matters to me," he retorted calmly as he turned to walk away. "As long as I'm number one."

"You going to eat? I'll tag along," she said casually, matching his stride. "Don't follow me!" he snapped again, but she didn't heed his words, trailing behind him nonetheless. 

"Come on, everyone's probably finished eating by now," she said, now walking side by side with him. "Guess that makes you my only option," she added with a nonchalant shrug.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Hahaha, bark bark bark, you really are a dog."

"YOU...." He paused, visibly fuming.

...

"Before we dive into the final event, here's some good news for those who didn't make it through the preliminaries!" Present Mic announced as the students returned to the field. "Remember, this is a sports festival after all! To keep the spirit alive for everyone, we've lined up some recreational events for all participants!"

Pausing as the Class 1-A girls made their entrance, Present Mic couldn't contain his surprise. "Huh? What's this?!" he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. "What are they doing...," Aizawa remarked.

"What happened to Class 1-A!!?" Present mic shouted as the attention was now on the girls who wore cheerleader outfits and pompoms.

"How did I get roped into those pervert's schemes?" Yaoyorozu sighed in resignation. "Those guys are the worst!" Jiro exclaimed, clearly exasperated. "Himari's really missing out," Hagakure remarked as she began to dance. 

On the top of the stadium, Himari lounged, enjoying a peaceful rest.

...

The finalists had gathered on the field, awaiting the commencement of the next round. Midnight stood poised on the stage, her presence commanding attention from the assembled competitors.

"Feels kinda surreal, doesn't it?" Kirishima mused, his words drifting into the excited buzz of the finalists. "Standing here on the same stage we've watched on TV for years." 

"Oh, was it a tournament last year too? I forgot," Mina casually remarked.

"Yeah, pretty much one-on-one matchups," Sero clarified, thinking back on the previous year's event.

"Alright, it's time to determine who faces off against whom through this lottery," Midnight announced. "Once the matchups are set, we'll commence the battles."

Once the lottery ended Midnight announced the results. "And the matchups are as follows!" she said as she pointed to the big screen. 

Midoriya VS Shinso

Todoroki VS Sero

Ojiro VS Kaminari

Iida VS Hatsume

Ashido VS Charlotte

Tokoyami VS Yaoyorozu

Testutesu VS Kirishima

Uraraka VS Bakugo

"Aw man, fighting Himari first round!" Mina pouted as she turned to her golden-haired classmate. "Let's have a good fight," Himari said with her usual smile, cheering up Mina a bit. "You gotta go easy on me!" she said back with her own smile. "Got it, got it."

'Give me everything you've got, Midoriya. I'll defeat you myself,' Todoroki thought as he gazed at the 5th matchup. 'Then I'll be beating you.'

"Uraraka? Who the hell is that."

...

"Here we are... almost done," Cementos said as he finished molding the fighting arena.

"HEY GUYS, AAARE YOU READY!!?" Present Mic shouted, heating up the arena. "We've got a lot in store for you! It's here that you'll brawl!! And remember, the only person you can rely on is yourself!" With anticipation rising, the first two fighters made their way onto the stage.

"What's with that face? You did well up to now, didn't you? Hero course student, Izuku Midoriya!!!" Present Mic announced, energizing the crowd for the first fighter. 

"Coming in first place in the last event! General studies' rising star, Hitoshi Shinso!!!" Present Mic boomed out, drumming up excitement for the second fighter.

"The rules are straightforward! This is a scuffle won by either ring-out, rendering your opponent unable to move, or getting them to cry uncle!" Present Mic's voice reverberated across the arena. "Feel free to give it your all! We have Recovery Girl on standby. I hope you've all packed your sense of fighting spirit!" 

Up in the stands, Himari and the rest of her classmates watched the intense fight unfold in the arena below.

"Hey Himari, he was on your team, wasn't he?" Jiro asked her golden-haired classmate. "Who do you think is going to win?"

Her classmates listened attentively, curious about her thoughts. "Mmm, I think Midoriya will win," she said, earning curious glances from some of her stronger classmates. "Well..." she began just as Izuku was frozen by Shinso's quirk. "It should have been easy," she finished as Izuku started to walk towards the out-of-bounds area.

Just before he stepped out of bounds, Himari noticed Izuku subtly flicking two of his fingers, creating a whirl of wind pressure that freed him from the brainwashing.

"But he'll be fine now," she added, observing as they continued their clash until Izuku managed to hurl Shinso out of bounds.

"Shinso's out!" Midnight announced. "Midoriya advances to round 2!" 

Himari got up and made her way out of the student area. "Himari, you're leaving?" Jiro inquired. "Bathroom," Himari responded, giving a quick wave before heading out.

As she was washing her hands, the stadium began to tremble, causing her to spill water on her clothes. "Jeez, that guy, not holding back." she muttered, drying her hands hastily before making her way back to her seat. However, instead of having a view of the arena, she found herself staring at a towering mountain of ice.

"Great view," she remarked from her elevated position at the top of their section, drawing some attention. "Yeah, he iced the entire stadium!" Kaminari exclaimed from his spot, marveling at the frozen spectacle.

"And so Shoto Todoroki advances to the next round!" Midnight exclaimed. 

"Kaminari, arn't you up next!" Jiro reminded him, pulling his focus back. "Oh, man, thanks for the heads up!" he replied, darting out hurriedly toward the arena entrance.

"Actually, I'm gonna head down too," Himari said as she turned to the pink haired girl. "Let's put on a show, Mina!"

"For sure! I'm totally gonna melt your face off!" Mina replied with a smile as Himari made her way to the waiting room.

...

As the two preceding fights came to an end, it was time for the next match-up.

"Stepping into the ring, the front runner and shining star of the festival! Hero course student, Himari Charlotte!!" Present Mic's voice echoed across the arena as Himari and Mina confidently approached the arena.

"On the opposite end, the girl who will quite literally melt your heart! From the Hero Course, Mina Ashido!"

"I'm hyped for this match! Let the fight begin!" Present Mic bellowed as Mina sprang into action. She unleashed acid towards her golden-haired classmate and surfed around the arena using it.

"You're not gonna catch me!" Mina shouted, maintaining her assault, while Himari adeptly dodged, skillfully maneuvering in and out of the path of the acid.

'It's a lot easier to dodge now," Himari thought, recalling her training with Aizawa. 'Sleepy head knew what he was doing.'

 This continued on for a minute before Mina shouted out. "Come on, stay still for a second!" Mina yelled, trying to find an opening.

"Those moves are so fluid, it's like watching a theater dance down there with those two! But why is Charlotte just dodging?" Present Mic's commentary echoed across the stadium. "Any thoughts, Eraser?"

Aizawa narrowed his eyes while observing the fight, not responding to his friend's inquiry. 'She could finish this in an instant,' he thought, wondering why she was prolonging the match. 'But she's holding back. She wants to challenge herself.'

"Charlotte's changing tactics! She's closing in on Ashido!" Present Mic exclaimed. As Mina hesitated from the sudden speed, Himari seized the moment, grasping her tightly and forcefully throwing her out of bounds.

"Mina skids to a stop! Looks like that left a sting!" Present Mic narrated as Mina gingerly pressed her hand against her leg, feeling the burn from the slide.

"Ashido's out of bounds! Charlotte takes the win!" Midnight declared as the crowd erupted into cheers and applause.

Smiling at the crowd's roar, the golden-haired girl felt a slight breeze tickling her skin. Glancing down, she noticed the front of her shirt had been mostly melted, and traces of acid remained on her skin. A sudden realization dawned on her—during the moment she grabbed Mina, she swiftly coated her skin with acid.

Approaching her downed classmate, she extended her hand. "That was pretty smart Mina, totally got me there," she said, sporting a radiant and confident smile. Looking up at the golden-haired girl, Mina initially pouted, but quickly turned it into a smile. "Guess I managed to land a hit then, huh?" she teased playfully.

Glancing at her friend's melted shirt, she advised, "You might want to change. But hey, you're totally rocking the sports bra look!" She chuckled, earning a laugh from the golden-haired girl.