The third round consisted of a one-on-one tournament, but before that, there was a well-deserved break.
Most of the students headed to the cafeteria, while others, like Deku, went to the infirmary to treat their injuries.
Allen, of course, went to the cafeteria since he had no injuries. He sat at a table with the girls from his team, all of whom were in high spirits.
Momo covered her mouth as she laughed when she saw the pile of food on Ochako's plate, "Uraraka-san, are you sure you want to eat that much? We only have an hour~"
"Ah!" Ochako was startled. She had been so happy about making it to the third round that she hadn't thought much and had simply taken everything she saw at the buffet.
"Don't waste food, Ochako" Allen teased.
"Ugh… I know." Ochako made a bitter face but didn't complain. She picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
"Ah… I really thought we'd make it…" Tsuyu slumped onto the table, depressed.
"It wasn't a bad strategy, Tsuyu," Allen said with a smile.
The girl looked at Allen while still lying on the table.
"Call me Tsuyu-chan or Froppy, Allen-chan."
Allen laughed.
Tsuyu had teamed up with Shoji and Mineta, which turned out to be a very interesting strategy. Both of them climbed onto Shoji's back, and he covered them with his arms like a shield, making it very difficult to steal Mineta's headband. Meanwhile, Tsuyu used her tongue to try to snatch other teams' headbands.
"In the end, we were defeated…" Tsuyu looked at Ibara, who smiled apologetically.
Tsuyu's team strategy had been very good, but in a brief lapse, Ibara had stolen her headband.
"I'm sorry, Asui-san."
Tsuyu sighed. "Don't worry, Ibara-chan. But if you were going to steal it, you should've at least made it through."
Ibara was struck as if by lightning and slumped onto the table. Unfortunately, at the last moment, she had lost her points when Todoroki snatched them away.
Ibara clasped her hands together. "It must be karma for stealing the headband from that little perverted creature."
'Ibara doesn't even consider Mineta human…' Allen thought without changing his expression.
"Allen!~ Ah~" Mina brought a bite of steak close to Allen's mouth.
He blinked before opening it. Rejecting her now would embarrass Mina. However, the way he reacted—like a man used to dealing with multiple women—made the other girls stare at him suspiciously.
"Allen… you still haven't explained what that was?" Toru asked with an unusually serious attitude.
"That's right. If you say it was all a joke, I might believe you after seeing you make everyone mad just for fun," Momo said with a smile, though her dark aura didn't match her expression.
Itsuka, who was sitting in the corner, looked away in embarrassment. While she shared part of the blame, she hadn't expected things to escalate that far.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Allen replied with a half-smile, resting his face on his hand over the table. "I haven't done anything I wouldn't do with any of you."
Allen's smile, the kind that made someone want to punch him, also caused every girl present to blush. This guy had no shame. Could anyone really be this shameless?
"Um…"
Interrupting the conversation, Mineta appeared alongside Kaminari. Both looked extremely nervous.
Allen raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Kaminari?"
Kaminari turned pale, and Mineta was even sweating.
"It's nothing!" They both ran off, leaving everyone speechless.
"What was that about?" Ibara asked.
"Who knows," Itsuka shrugged.
Allen secretly used the Superman template and, with his super hearing, listened to what they were saying. After understanding the situation, he chuckled under his breath.
Kaminari was blaming Mineta for convincing him to try to trick the girls into dressing up as cheerleaders by claiming Aizawa had requested it. It was a decent plan for a pair of perverts, but they soon realized it would mean doing it in front of Allen, who might end up dating one of them.
From their perspective, they had almost kicked a dragon in the balls.
"Is something wrong?" Toru tilted her head in confusion when she saw Allen laughing for no reason.
"It's nothing. I just remembered something funny," Allen said, patting Toru on the head.
Even if the girl was invisible, it was obvious to the rest that she was red as a tomato. That made Mina and Ochako feel envious. Mina pouted, while Ochako shook her head in embarrassment, not knowing why she was thinking like that, and buried herself in her bowl of rice.
Ibara silently looked at Allen before averting her gaze with a faint blush on her cheeks. 'Allen-san is very bold.'
"…" Itsuka frowned at Allen. From her perspective, barely half an hour ago he had been hugging her in front of the whole world, and now he had the nerve to act like this with another girl.
Momo squeezed her chopsticks so tightly that they snapped.
"Ara~ how clumsy of me~"
"Allen-chan is very popular…" Tsuyu murmured.
….
Natasha – These poor girls have no idea what kind of wolf they're sitting with.
Hippolyta – Ah… this is how it starts, and then you have thousands of Amazons in love chasing him all over the island.
Lucy – Thousands?!
Saya – What does that mean?!
Wednesday – Yes, and there are still more to come…
Esdeath – Maybe they should take advantage of him not being in their worlds to escape~
Diana – The worst part is that it's not even a joke -_-
….
After the break, all the first-year students came back to the center of the stadium, even those who hadn't qualified for the final round.
Nemuri stood in front of everyone with a smile. It seemed like her bad mood had faded—or so Allen thought until he saw the look in her eyes that clearly said, "You won't get away without an explanation."
"You all did wonderfully, but like in every competition where there are winners, there are also losers. Five teams, a total of twenty-one competitors, will move on to the final round!"
Behind Nemuri, the classic tournament bracket board appeared with everyone's names.
"There are no second chances. If you lose, you're out! Of course, you're free to decide whether you want to participate or not!" Nemuri looked at everyone's faces with a cunning smile. "Since we have an odd number…"
Interrupting Nemuri, someone raised a hand. It was Ojiro, who had advanced in the previous round as part of Bakugo's team, serving as the horse alongside Kirishima and Sero.
"I want to withdraw from the tournament."
"Ojiro-kun?!" Deku, standing beside him, looked at him in disbelief.
"Why?!" Kirishima exclaimed.
Allen observed the frustrated look in Ojiro's eyes before speaking.
"You feel like you didn't do enough for your team, isn't that right?"
"Is that true?!" Kirishima shouted.
"I know it's foolish not to take advantage of this opportunity, but after seeing everyone give their last breath to advance, I feel incapable of moving on just because I was lucky enough to be on a good team!"
Honor…
Ojiro was a martial artist. That mindset helped him in battle, but it also restricted him.
"If that's the case, that's fine. You can withdraw," Nemuri said with a shrug. "You've helped me with this predicament. I was thinking of letting Allen pass directly to the final round so no one would have to face him until the end."
"Ojiro, you bastard!" Kirishima grabbed him, the pity he had felt a second ago completely gone.
"What are you doing, idiot?!" Setsuna also shouted.
"You and your stupid honor!" Kaminari yelled as well.
In another situation, it would be unfair for a participant to advance to the finals without fighting. But in this case, where the main goal wasn't to win but to showcase themselves to the public and pro heroes, not having someone who could eliminate them in a single attack would have been wonderful. That possibility had just died.
After insulting a poor Ojiro for a while, everyone turned their attention back to Nemuri, who smiled before revealing the matchups.
Allen slightly widened his eyes when he saw the matchups.
– Izuku Midoriya vs. Kinoko Komori.
Deku immediately went into analysis mode, his expression turning serious. Objectively speaking, the only person who had managed to affect Allen was Kinoko.
"If I remember correctly, her Quirk could grow mushrooms on people… but how does it work? Is it instantaneous?"
The girl, whose face was partially hidden by her hair, grew nervous. She didn't seem to like the attention.
– Tenya Iida vs. Mei Hatsume.
"Mei Hatsume…" Iida frowned.
"Hey, hey, you're Iida-kun, right?" Mei approached him with sparkling eyes. "Can we talk for a moment?"
– Ochako Uraraka vs. Toru Hagakure.
"Against Hagakure-san?!" Ochako felt nervous. Now that Toru could turn completely invisible, she was a very difficult opponent.
"Don't worry, Uraraka-chan!" Toru hugged Ochako. "I'll go easy on you~"
– Momo Yaoyorozu vs. Itsuka Kendo.
"No hard feelings," Momo smiled.
"Yeah, but I won't hold back," Itsuka winked at her friend.
– Mina Ashido vs. Juzo Honenuki.
"Alright! I'll make him pay for earlier!" Mina smacked her fist into her palm.
"…" Juzo remained silent.
– Katsuki Bakugo vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu.
"Good!" Tetsutetsu grinned with fighting spirit. "I'll show you a little humility, Bakugo!"
A vein throbbed on Bakugo's forehead. "You can try!"
– Setsuna Tokage vs. Reiko Yanagi.
"That's unexpected," Setsuna smiled. "If I win, I'll pay for karaoke next week."
"Alright…" Reiko gave a slight smile. Even though their friendship had started as something forced by Setsuna, Reiko had slowly come to accept her as a friend.
– Shoto Todoroki vs. Eijiro Kirishima.
"Damn it, Todoroki?!" Kirishima smacked his forehead.
"If you're scared, withdraw," Todoroki said indifferently.
"Huh?!" Kirishima flared up, grinding his teeth. "Fine, genius! I'll show you what I'm made of!"
– Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Hanta Sero.
"Yes!" Sero raised his hands to the sky while crying.
Tokoyami remained silent, but he knew Sero wasn't underestimating him. It was just that, with Tokoyami as his opponent, he made it clear that he would not be the one to face Allen.
– Allen Walker vs. Denki Kaminari.
"No!" Kaminari dropped to his knees, clutching his head.
No one mocked him. On the contrary, several felt sorry for him and even went to comfort him. The audience felt the same way.
"Kaminari, no one will judge you if you decide to withdraw," Shoji said.
"You've already done enough," Koda added gently.
No one in the audience expected Kaminari to put up a good fight—or so it seemed, until Allen's voice interrupted.
"Kaminari."
Kaminari lifted his head, looking at Allen's back as he spoke without turning around.
"No one is going to force you. In the end, this is a competition, an event, a game." Allen's tone grew deeper and stronger. "But are you okay with that?!"
No one expected Allen to shout, so everyone was caught off guard.
"You're a hero, Kaminari. You won't get to choose your villains. You won't always have someone by your side to face the strongest guy for you. You can't choose your battles—only how you face them." Allen glanced sideways at Kaminari. "No one will force you… But face me. You can do it. Just like in training. Show some backbone!"
Kaminari felt a jolt that wasn't electricity. His heart pounded, his blood surged, and he stood up, staring at Allen.
"Fine! Bring it on, you jerk!"
Golden electricity began crackling from Kaminari's body.
"That's the spirit." Allen smiled as pale blue electricity began to spark around him as well.
The audience gasped. The teachers who still didn't fully know Allen were stunned.
What he had just done left them in shock. They realized they might have judged Allen too quickly, and it forced them to reevaluate him as a person.
Even those who understood Allen better were surprised. The mystery surrounding this young man only continued to grow.
….
The third round didn't begin immediately. For the students who hadn't qualified, more classic sports festival-style events were held, like a scavenger hunt and a race pushing giant spheres.
All of it made the atmosphere at U.A. feel even more festive.
Meanwhile, the final-round participants had another hour to prepare.
Some chose to rest. Others meditated. Some sat down to plan strategies. Others decided to clear their minds.
As for Allen, he was called over by Nemuri, who dropped her persona and pounced on him, expressing her jealousy.
This led to Allen promising her a weekend trip to the hot springs to calm her down.
As time passed, the moment finally arrived, and the students took their seats in the stands—except for the first participants.
They stood in the arena that Cementoss had created.
"Is everyone ready?!" Present Mic shouted, igniting the crowd's cheers. "The final round begins now! On one side, Izuku Midoriya, one of Class 1-A's heavy hitters! On the other hand, Kinoko Komori, whose Quirk was the only one capable of affecting Allen Walker—something that cannot be underestimated!"
On the stage, Deku stood facing Kinoko. The girl looked nervous, but Deku's face was serious—he was taking her very seriously.
"Is everyone ready?!" Present Mic yelled at the top of his lungs. "Let the tournament begin!"
Komori activated her Quirk, releasing spores that floated around her.
"I'm sorry…" Deku murmured. "Full Cowl: 20%…"
Deku propelled himself forward at high speed, charging straight through Komori's spores. Mushrooms began to grow on his body, but he ignored them and reached her in an instant, his fist clenched.
"...!" Komori opened his eyes.
Deku stopped his punch just before hitting her.
Komori stood there, stunned.
"Komori-san, your Quirk is dangerous the longer it affects your opponent. So my best option was to defeat you before I was fully affected, right?" Deku said as the spores began to take greater effect on him.
However, the fight had ended the moment Deku reached her.
"Yes…" The girl deactivated her Quirk, and the mushrooms on Deku's body disappeared.
"Incredible! The winner is Izuku Midoriya!" Present Mic announced.
The audience got excited, shouted, and cheered.
All Might clenched his fist and smiled. At home, Deku's mother cried tears of joy. The rest of Class 1-A was also surprised, though most were happy to see their classmate growing stronger—with a few exceptions.
Like Bakugo, who looked like he was on fire; Todoroki, who narrowed his eyes; and Iida, who remained silent.
Deku stood up and walked toward the exit tunnel. He had won, but instead of looking happy, he seemed worried.
"If you look like that after winning, I don't want to see what happens when you lose," Allen teased, patting him on the shoulder.
"Ah! Allen-san?!"
"Why are you surprised? My match is next."
"That's right… Sorry."
Allen shrugged. "So what's bothering you?"
"I…" Deku paused before shaking his head. "I won because I was able to come up with a strategy. If I hadn't known her Quirk beforehand, the result could've been different… and that made me think that right now, all the villains are learning about our abilities too."
"Yeah." Allen began walking toward the arena. "And despite that, you still have to move forward. It's part of the profession."
Deku looked at Allen's back before laughing and shaking his head.
"As expected… he's incredible."
….
In the arena, Kaminari was already waiting. Unlike before, his gaze was firm and ready to fight.
"You've got good eyes…" Allen said with an approving half-smile.
"I will definitely become a hero. If I have to fight you to do it, I'll do it as many times as necessary!"
Kaminari's words earned the approval of many pro heroes. There were even quite a few who felt intimidated by Allen. Just imagining having to compete in school against someone like him was enough to feel discouraged.
Something flickered in Allen's eyes.
"A hero? Why aim so low? Why not aspire to be a superhero?"
"Huh?" Kaminari was caught off guard. Even as he tried to understand Allen's words, he couldn't. "Aren't they the same? What's the difference?"
Allen's smile widened as a card in his hand dissolved into fragments of light and was absorbed into his body.
He didn't respond as he began walking toward Kaminari.
The ground beneath his feet opened, and robotic arms emerged, carrying pieces of armor that slowly attached themselves to his body.
It made no sense. Everyone had clearly seen that the arena had been created by Cementoss earlier. It shouldn't have had any built-in mechanisms—but there they were.
Allen was gradually covered in armor.
The sound of the mechanical arms adjusting each piece was almost musical—a fusion of Beethoven and Jimi Hendrix engineered into metal.
Soon, red and gold armor pieces covered his entire body.
Allen stopped in front of Kaminari. From the beginning, Allen had already been taller, but with the armor, the difference became overwhelming, making Kaminari look small.
"The difference between a hero and a superhero... is the presentation!"
And what a presentation it was—it left the entire world in shock.
Kaminari opened his mouth as he thought he heard the sound of an electric guitar hitting his head.
[Iron Man Template
Origin: Marvel]
====
A/N: The only thing that could kill Alan at this point is dying of exhaustion from pleasing so many women 🗿🍷