Cementoss had barely finished smoothing over the worst of the damage from the previous match when Present Mic's voice blasted through the stadium again.
"ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY! NO TIME TO COOL OFF! THE QUARTERFINALS KEEP MOVING, AND WE'VE GOT TWO MORE MATCHES BEFORE THE FINAL FOUR ARE LOCKED IN!"
The massive screen overhead flickered, drawing everyone's attention upward as the next pairing appeared.
TENYA IIDA
VS
MINA ASHIDO
Mina stared at the screen for a second before slowly turning toward Iida. He was already adjusting his glasses, posture straightening with the sort of seriousness he brought to almost everything.
She pointed at him immediately. "Okay, I'm saying this before we go down there. No doing that thing where you disappear before I can actually do anything."
Iida's arm snapped into one of his usual chopping motions. "I cannot agree to deliberately handicap myself during an official match!"
"I knew you were gonna say that."
"You are asking me to refrain from using my primary advantage!"
"Yeah, because it's annoying."
Iida froze.
Mina grinned at him.
"That is hardly a legitimate tactical complaint!"
"It is to me."
Kaminari laughed from nearby. Mina stretched her arms over her head and started toward the tunnel.
"Whatever. I'll just have to stop you myself."
Iida pushed his glasses higher up his nose and followed. "As will I."
...
Megumi watched them enter the arena from the contestant section. He had only recently returned from his own match against Tokoyami.
Kaminari dropped into the seat next to him and leaned forward. "So, who do you think takes this?"
"Iida."
Kaminari turned. "That fast?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Megumi nodded toward Mina as she took her position. "Mina needs time to control the ground. If she can spread enough acid around him, she can limit where he runs."
Kaminari followed his gaze toward Iida.
Megumi rested his chin on his gand. "He's not going to give her that time. He's too fast for that."
...
"NEXT UP!" Present Mic shouted. "THE GIRL WHO'S BEEN SLIDING, DANCING, AND MELTING HER WAY THROUGH THIS FESTIVAL, MINA ASHIDO!"
Mina threw both hands into the air. "YEAH!"
"And facing her, THE HUMAN ENGINE HIMSELF, TENYA IIDA!"
Iida's arm shot forward. "I shall conduct myself honorably!"
Mina stared at him from across the arena.
"You really talk like that all the time, huh?"
"I fail to see the issue!"
Midnight stepped between them and raised one hand.
Mina's expression sharpened.
She had already worked out the problem. Iida was faster than her. Trying to race him would be stupid, so she wouldn't. His speed depended on having a path to accelerate through, which meant she only needed to take those paths away.
Acid began gathering beneath her palms.
'Spread it wide first. Make him turn. Keep widening the area until he can't get a straight shot.'
If she could force him into a longer match, she could win.
Across from her, Iida lowered his center of gravity. The engines protruding from his calves began to rumble.
Mina's confident grin faltered.
'Oh shit...'
Midnight dropped her hand.
"START!"
Mina slammed both palms toward the floor.
"Acid..."
Iida's engines screamed.
"RECIPRO BURST!"
BOOM!
Mina's eyes widened.
Iida vanished.
The acid had barely splashed against the concrete before a violent gust of wind struck Mina in the face. Her hair whipped backward.
"What the..."
Iida was already in front of her.
Mina twisted instinctively, trying to throw acid between them, but Iida ducked under her arm and wrapped both arms around her waist.
"Forgive me, Ashido!"
"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT!"
His legs never stopped.
Mina's feet left the ground.
The boundary rushed toward them. Mina twisted in his grip and reached desperately toward the floor, but her fingers never touched it.
Iida slammed on the brakes just inside the line.
Mina kept going.
Her shoes hit the concrete outside the arena.
For a second, she simply stared down at them.
Then slowly looked back at Iida.
He had already released her and stepped safely back inside.
Midnight raised her arm.
"Ashido is out of bounds! Iida advances to the semifinals!"
Present Mic practically jumped out of his booth.
"THAT WAS FAST! ASHIDO DIDN'T EVEN GET THE CHANCE TO SET UP! IIDA BLASTED THROUGH BEFORE THE ACID COULD CONTROL THE FIELD!"
Mina remained exactly where she was.
"I didn't even get started."
Iida bowed deeply.
"My apologies!"
Her eye twitched.
"Stop apologizing!"
"I merely wished to express sportsmanship!"
"YOU PICKED ME UP BEFORE I EVEN FINISHED SAYING MY LINE!"
"That was precisely why I acted!"
"You admit it!"
"I AM EXPLAINING MY STRATEGY!"
The stadium broke into laughter.
Mina threw both hands into the air. "Whatever! Cheap!"
"A victory obtained entirely within the established rules cannot reasonably be classified as cheap!"
She pointed at him.
"Cheap!"
Iida looked personally offended.
...
Megumi leaned back in his seat.
Exactly as expected.
Mina's plan had been fine. Against most opponents, controlling the ground beneath them would have created an immediate advantage.
The problem was that she needed two or three seconds to build it.
Iida had given her less than one.
Kaminari scratched his cheek.
"Okay. Yeah. That was bad."
Jiro glanced toward him. "You mean for Mina?"
"For Mina."
Mina entered their section a few seconds later and immediately pointed at him.
"You lost too."
Kaminari straightened. "I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
"You can't prove that."
Jiro raised one hand. "He was."
Kaminari turned toward her. "Why do you always betray me?"
"Because it's funny."
Iida arrived behind Mina, still looking faintly offended by the accusation that he had somehow cheated by being fast.
Mina dropped into her seat.
"I'm counting that as cheap forever."
"I refuse to acknowledge that assessment."
"Cool."
Iida opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then seemed to decide there was no victory to be found here.
He sat down instead.
A moment later, his hand slipped into his pocket.
Midoriya noticed.
"Checking your phone?"
Iida looked over. "My brother."
Midoriya's expression brightened. "Ingenium?"
Pride entered Iida's face immediately.
"Yes. I called him earlier, but he appears to be working."
"You wanted him to see your match?"
"Naturally."
Iida looked down at the phone, then toward the tournament board where his name had already advanced into the semifinals.
"My brother is the type of hero I aspire to become. He honors the rules, leads his sidekicks properly, and earns the trust of those around him. When I was younger, I thought there could be nothing more impressive."
Midoriya smiled. "You really look up to him."
"More than anyone."
His grip tightened around the phone.
"I wanted to tell him that I reached the semifinals."
Midoriya glanced toward the bracket. "You can still tell him later."
Iida nodded.
Then his posture straightened.
"Although, if possible, I would prefer to tell him after becoming number one."
Midoriya laughed softly. "Then you've still got work to do."
Iida adjusted his glasses.
"Indeed."
...
Several cities away, an entirely different set of engines roared.
Hosu City.
A motorcycle tore around an intersection as police redirected civilians away from several nearby streets. Sidekicks moved through alleys in coordinated groups, checking every corner, rooftop access point, and abandoned building in the area.
At the front of the operation was a tall hero clad in white armor.
Ingenium.
Tensei Iida lifted one arm.
"Squad A, take the north side!"
Two heroes immediately separated from the group.
"Squad B, western block!"
"Roger!"
Tensei continued deeper into the district.
The reports had been inconsistent. Multiple victims. Heroes attacked. A suspect carrying bladed weapons. Witnesses who had only seen fragments before the man disappeared again.
But the pattern was familiar enough now.
Tensei slowed as he approached a narrow alley.
Too quiet.
He stepped inside.
A body lay crumpled against the pavement.
His expression changed immediately.
Then something shifted farther ahead.
A man stood over the fallen victim.
Long hair.
Scarred face.
Bandages.
Blades.
Blood.
Tensei's friendly expression disappeared.
His engines began to hum.
"There is no doubt about it."
The man slowly turned.
Tensei lowered himself into a fighting stance.
"I've found you."
The man's eyes settled on him.
"The Hero Killer."
Several cities away, Tenya Iida was still smiling at a tournament bracket.
...
"ALL RIGHT!" Present Mic roared. "TIME FOR THE LAST QUARTERFINAL!"
The screen changed again.
KATSUKI BAKUGO
VS
EIJIRO KIRISHIMA
Kirishima immediately shot to his feet.
"Finally!"
Bakugo was already walking toward the tunnel.
Kirishima caught up beside him, grin spreading across his face.
"So it's us."
Bakugo didn't slow.
"Try not to bore me."
Kirishima laughed.
"Wouldn't dream of it."
...
By the time Kirishima stepped onto the arena, Hardening was already spreading across his body. Skin roughened into jagged, stone-like edges over his arms, shoulders, and face. His fists tightened until his knuckles looked more like chunks of rock than human hands.
Bakugo entered from the opposite side with both hands shoved into his pockets.
Present Mic's voice boomed overhead.
"THIS ONE'S ABOUT AS STRAIGHTFORWARD AS IT GETS! KIRISHIMA'S HARDENING AGAINST BAKUGO'S EXPLOSIONS! CAN KIRISHIMA WITHSTAND BAKUGO'S EXPLOSION LONG ENOUGH TO WIN!"
Kirishima rolled his shoulders and raised one hardened fist.
"Hey, Bakugo."
"What?"
"No running away for the whole match."
Bakugo stared at him.
"Are you stupid?"
"Probably."
Kirishima lowered his stance, grin widening.
"I just figure you're gonna wanna hit me."
Small explosions cracked from Bakugo's palms.
Kirishima pointed immediately.
"See?"
Bakugo's eye twitched.
Midnight raised her hand.
"Begin!"
Bakugo attacked first.
BOOM!
The explosion swallowed Kirishima from head to toe.
Smoke blasted across the arena.
Present Mic shouted over the detonation. "BAKUGO OPENS WITH A DIRECT HIT!"
Something moved inside the smoke.
A shoe hit the ground.
Then another.
Kirishima exploded out of the cloud at a sprint, body completely hardened.
"TOLD YOU!"
Bakugo's eyes sharpened.
Kirishima's fist came straight for his face.
Bakugo crossed both arms.
THUD!
The hit drove him backward.
Kirishima didn't stop.
He stepped after him and threw another punch. Bakugo slipped outside it, twisted, and fired an explosion directly into Kirishima's shoulder.
BOOM!
Kirishima barely moved.
"That won't work on me, Explosion Boy!"
Bakugo clicked his tongue.
'He's not budging.'
Kirishima charged again.
Bakugo blast-jumped sideways, but Kirishima immediately changed direction and followed. Bakugo landed, and Kirishima was already there.
A fist slammed against Bakugo's guard.
Another drove toward his ribs.
Bakugo twisted, but the hardened knuckles still clipped his side.
The audience erupted.
"KIRISHIMA'S FORCING BAKUGO BACK!"
Midoriya leaned forward from the stands, his bandaged arms resting awkwardly against his lap.
'Kacchan's on defense?'
Kirishima swung again.
Bakugo ducked.
He drove his palm against Kirishima's chest.
BOOM!
Kirishima slid backward, shoes carving two trenches through the concrete.
He stopped.
Smoke rolled from his hardened chest.
He looked down at it, then grinned.
"That's definitely gonna hurt later."
Then he charged again.
...
Megumi watched Bakugo rather than Kirishima.
His expression wasn't angry.
Annoyed, maybe.
Focused.
Thinking.
Kirishima's quirk was simple, but simple didn't mean weak. There was no complicated activation condition. Nothing external to interrupt. No specific angle that suddenly turned Hardening off.
Kirishima hardened.
Then he endured.
Bakugo fired again.
Kirishima crossed both arms and took the blast directly.
His stride slowed for half a second.
Then resumed.
Another explosion.
Another step.
Bakugo retreated.
Kirishima followed.
Explosion.
Punch.
Explosion.
Punch.
The match compressed into a rhythm of impacts, smoke, and cracking concrete.
...
Several sections away, Tetsutetsu was already standing.
"GET HIS CHIN!"
Kendo looked at him.
"He can't hear you."
"KIRISHIMA! THE CHIN!"
Kirishima threw a right hook.
Bakugo leaned backward and let it miss by centimeters.
Tetsutetsu slapped both hands against the railing.
"THERE! THAT WAS IT!"
Kendo sighed.
"Yesterday's enemy really is today's friend."
"THIS ISN'T ABOUT CLASS RIVALRY ANYMORE!"
"You literally fought him earlier."
"THAT'S WHY I KNOW HE'S GOT THIS!"
...
Kirishima's confidence grew with every exchange.
Bakugo's explosions hurt.
That much was obvious.
Each one sent vibration straight through Hardening and into the muscle beneath it. His arms were already starting to ache.
But he could take them.
That was the point.
That was what he had trained for.
Sato had battered him with raw strength in the previous round. Kirishima had survived until the advantage disappeared.
Bakugo's explosions weren't fading.
Not yet.
So Kirishima would force the issue himself.
'Stay close.'
Bakugo blast-jumped backward.
Kirishima pursued.
'Don't give him space.'
Explosion.
Kirishima blocked.
'Make him fight me.'
He rushed through the smoke and swung.
Bakugo caught the hit against his forearm.
Kirishima's other fist drove into Bakugo's stomach.
A grunt escaped him.
The crowd grew louder.
For the first time in the tournament, Bakugo was being pushed backward through direct physical pressure.
Kirishima saw it.
'It's working.'
He hardened further.
The jagged edges across his arms thickened.
He charged.
Bakugo's eyes changed.
Kirishima noticed too late.
BOOM!
The first explosion struck his forearm.
He blocked it.
A second hit the exact same place.
BOOM!
Kirishima's teeth clenched.
Third.
BOOM!
"What..."
Bakugo moved around him.
An explosion struck Kirishima's shoulder.
Then his side.
Then the opposite arm.
Kirishima turned after him, throwing a wide punch.
Bakugo slipped underneath.
Another explosion.
The rhythm had changed.
Kirishima wasn't forcing Bakugo backward anymore.
Bakugo was circling him.
Making him turn.
Making him guard.
Making him reinforce.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Megumi leaned forward slightly.
'There it is.'
...
Midoriya saw it a moment later.
"Kacchan figured something out."
Iida turned toward him. "What do you mean?"
"Kirishima's been keeping his entire body hardened from the second the match started."
Another explosion struck.
Kirishima blocked.
Midoriya's eyes narrowed.
"Maintaining that has to take stamina."
Iida looked back toward the arena.
"And Bakugo is forcing him to maintain maximum defense continuously."
"Yeah."
Midoriya's expression tightened.
"Kacchan stopped trying to break through in one shot."
BOOM!
A tiny fragment chipped from Kirishima's hardened forearm.
It fell onto the concrete.
Midoriya leaned forward.
"He's wearing him down."
...
Kirishima saw the fragment.
So did Bakugo.
A grin spread across Bakugo's face.
Kirishima's stomach dropped.
"Oh."
Bakugo lifted one palm.
"Found it."
BOOM!
Kirishima raised his arm.
CRACK.
A fracture ran through the hardened surface.
His eyes widened.
Bakugo rushed him.
"You've been straining to keep your whole body rock-hard this entire time, haven't you?!"
Kirishima swung.
Bakugo ducked.
An explosion slammed into his ribs.
BOOM!
Kirishima staggered.
Bakugo stayed on him.
"If you keep attacking while holding your Hardening at full power..."
Another explosion.
Kirishima crossed his arms.
BOOM!
The cracks spread.
"...sooner or later..."
Bakugo's grin sharpened.
"...it comes apart!"
Kirishima gritted his teeth.
"Don't..."
Bakugo blasted forward.
"...count me..."
Kirishima threw a punch.
Bakugo knocked it aside.
"...out yet!"
Kirishima's second fist came in hard enough to catch Bakugo across the shoulder.
Bakugo's body twisted with the impact.
For half a second, Kirishima saw it.
An opening.
He stepped in.
Bakugo's palm was already against his chest.
"Too slow."
BOOM!
Kirishima flew backward and crashed onto one knee.
His Hardening flickered across his torso.
The crowd screamed.
Kirishima planted one foot.
His leg shook violently.
He forced himself upright.
Bakugo stared at him.
"Still standing?"
Kirishima's breathing came heavy now. His arms trembled beneath the hardened surface.
"Yeah."
He straightened as much as his body allowed.
"That's kind of my thing."
Bakugo's grin widened.
"Good."
His palms crackled.
"'Cause I'm not done."
...
Kirishima charged again.
This time Bakugo met him head-on.
Kirishima's fist came forward.
Explosion.
The arm was knocked aside.
The second punch came from below.
Another explosion stopped it.
Kirishima's Hardening fractured.
He still stepped forward.
Bakugo attacked again.
BOOM!
Kirishima's shoulder cracked.
Another.
BOOM!
Part of the Hardening across his forearm broke away.
Present Mic's voice fought to stay above the noise.
"BAKUGO IS UNLOADING! KIRISHIMA'S DEFENSE IS FALLING APART, BUT HE'S STILL MOVING FORWARD!"
Kirishima roared and took another step.
Bakugo's expression changed.
No mockery.
No contempt.
Kirishima had earned more than that.
Bakugo planted his feet.
Both palms ignited.
Kirishima saw the light building between them.
He dragged every remaining ounce of strength into his quirk.
Hardening spread over everything again.
He lowered his head.
"COME ON!"
Bakugo's grin turned vicious.
"THE FINISHING BLOW!"
BOOM!
The blast swallowed them.
Smoke rolled across the arena as the impact rattled the entire platform.
For a second, nothing moved.
Then the haze cleared.
Kirishima was still standing.
The crowd roared.
His hardened body trembled.
A crack spread across one forearm.
Then his shoulder.
His chest.
Pieces of the hardened exterior began breaking away.
Kirishima's eyes widened.
"No..."
Hardening collapsed.
His knees buckled beneath him.
He dropped to the arena floor.
Bakugo remained standing several feet away, chest rising heavily, smoke curling from both palms.
Kirishima tried placing one foot beneath himself.
His arm shook.
Hardening flickered once.
Failed.
His fist struck the concrete.
"Damn..."
Midnight watched him carefully before lifting one arm.
"Kirishima is immobilized! Bakugo wins!"
The stadium erupted.
Present Mic threw one fist upward.
"BAKUGO BREAKS THROUGH HARDENING WITH A VICIOUS BARRAGE AND ADVANCES TO THE SEMIFINALS!"
Bakugo exhaled through his nose.
Then looked down at Kirishima.
"Hey."
Kirishima lifted his head.
Bakugo turned toward the tunnel.
"Your Hardening's annoying as hell."
Kirishima blinked.
Then a grin slowly spread across his face.
"Yeah?"
Bakugo glanced over his shoulder.
"Don't make me say it twice."
Kirishima laughed.
"That sounded almost like a compliment."
Bakugo's eye twitched.
"Die."
"Definitely a compliment."
Bakugo stormed away.
...
By the time Kirishima returned to the contestant section, both arms were wrapped in bandages.
Tetsutetsu was waiting for him at the aisle.
"You idiot!"
Kirishima blinked.
"You didn't have enough guts!"
"What?! I had tons of guts!"
"NOT ENOUGH!"
"That's not how stamina works!"
Tetsutetsu slapped him across the back.
Kirishima nearly folded.
"OW! DUDE!"
Tetsutetsu grinned.
"Good fight."
Kirishima rubbed his shoulder and looked back toward the arena.
"Yeah."
The disappointment was still there.
Of course it was.
He had wanted to win.
But Bakugo had figured him out and beaten him clean.
Next time he'd make Hardening last longer.
Then harder.
Then he'd see whether Bakugo could break through that too.
Just thinking about it already made him want to train.
...
The tournament board shifted once more.
"AND WITH THAT!" Present Mic shouted. "THE FINAL FOUR ARE SET!"
Four names appeared across the screen.
MEGUMI FUSHIGURO
SHOTO TODOROKI
TENYA IIDA
KATSUKI BAKUGO
The stadium erupted.
Then the first semifinal appeared.
MEGUMI FUSHIGURO VS. SHOTO TODOROKI
The reaction hit harder than anything since Midoriya and Todoroki's final clash.
Professional heroes leaned forward.
Students rose in their seats.
Conversations erupted throughout every section of the stadium.
The matchup people had been discussing since the obstacle race was finally happening.
Megumi looked up at the screen.
Across the contestant section, Todoroki did the same.
For several seconds, neither reacted.
Bakugo noticed both of them.
His expression tightened.
Then the board changed again.
TENYA IIDA VS. KATSUKI BAKUGO
Bakugo looked toward Iida.
Iida straightened.
Bakugo grinned.
"Four-Eyes."
Iida's eyebrow twitched.
"My name is Iida!"
"Don't care."
"I have introduced myself repeatedly!"
"Still don't care."
Iida pushed his glasses higher.
"Then I will ensure you remember it after our match."
Bakugo's grin widened.
"There you go."
Megumi glanced toward the pairing.
Iida's straight-line acceleration against Bakugo's aerial mobility.
That could actually be interesting.
Present Mic's voice boomed again.
"WE'LL TAKE A SHORT BREAK BEFORE THE SEMIFINALS! DON'T GO ANYWHERE!"
The crowd gradually settled into conversation as Cementoss returned to the arena to repair the damage left behind by Bakugo and Kirishima.
Iida sat down.
For a moment, he simply stared at his name.
Semifinals.
One more victory and he would reach the championship match.
His hand drifted toward his pocket.
The phone vibrated before he touched it.
Iida blinked.
He pulled it out.
MOTHER
His expression softened.
"Ah."
Uraraka glanced over. "Your mom?"
"Yes."
Iida stood. "Perhaps she has been watching."
Midoriya smiled from beneath layers of bandages.
"Maybe she wants to congratulate you."
"I should answer."
Iida stepped away from the others and accepted the call.
"Hello, Mother."
His smile lasted for another second.
Then disappeared.
He stopped walking.
Midoriya noticed immediately.
"Iida?"
Iida didn't answer.
The hand holding the phone slowly tightened.
His mother's voice trembled through the speaker.
"Tenya..."
The color drained from his face.
"Tensei..."
Tenya Iida stood frozen in the aisle.
The Sports Festival continued around him as though nothing had happened.
Thousands of spectators talked excitedly about the semifinals. Cementoss rebuilt the arena. Present Mic filled dead air with commentary. Somewhere behind Iida, Bakugo was already shouting at someone.
None of it reached him anymore.
His mother's voice continued through the phone.
Iida stared toward the tournament board.
His own name remained there in enormous white letters.
TENYA IIDA VS. KATSUKI BAKUGO
Only minutes earlier, becoming number one had felt like the most important thing in the world.
Now he could barely remember why.
...
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...
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