Aftermath
As the dust settled and the brackets updated, Ren sat quietly in the waiting area, eyes half-lidded.
He'd won.
Cleanly. Publicly. Without revealing too much.
Bakugo glanced at him from across the room, eyes sharp.
"…You're next," Bakugo said flatly.
Ren met his gaze.
"I know."
Somewhere above, Nezu watched the screen.
Still holding back, the principal thought. Good. Very good.
The Sports Festival was far from over.
And Ren was just getting started.
The atmosphere inside the stadium shifted the moment the quarterfinals were announced.
This wasn't chaos anymore.
This wasn't noise for the sake of noise.
This was focus.
Eight students remained, and every single one of them could feel it—the weight of expectation pressing down from the stands, from the cameras, from the heroes watching behind reinforced glass.
Ren stood quietly at the edge of the arena tunnel, eyes lifted toward the massive bracket screen.
Match One:
Ren vs Bakugo Katsuki
Bakugo cracked his neck, shoulders rolling like a coiled spring ready to snap.
"Don't think you're clever," he growled, eyes locked on Ren. "I'm ending this fast."
Ren met his glare calmly.
"That depends," he replied, "on whether you can."
Midnight raised her whip.
"BEGIN!"
Quarterfinal Match 1 — Ren vs Bakugo Katsuki
Bakugo lunged forward the instant the match started.
No hesitation. No theatrics.
Pure aggression.
He sprinted straight at Ren, gauntlets raised—not flying, not blasting from his feet. Just raw momentum, fists primed to explode at point-blank range.
The crowd roared.
Bakugo swung.
An explosion detonated from his palm, aimed directly at Ren's face.
Ren moved.
Not backward.
Not sideways.
Forward.
He slipped inside the blast radius by a hair's breadth, the shockwave tearing past his cheek as heat washed over him. Bakugo's eyes widened for a split second—
—and Ren grabbed his wrist.
Bakugo tried to detonate again.
The ground answered first.
The earth beneath Bakugo's legs softened instantly, then collapsed inward like wet sand. In less than a second, his body was swallowed up to the chest, stone and soil locking together with crushing density.
Bakugo snarled, arms jerking—but the ground tightened, leaving only his head and hands exposed.
He tried to fire.
The recoil had nowhere to go.
"WHAT—?!"
Ren released his grip and stepped back calmly.
The buzzer screamed.
"WINNER—REN!"
The stadium went dead silent before erupting all at once.
Bakugo struggled for a moment—then froze.
YOU BASTED YOU WERE HOLDING BACK BEFORE I AM GOING KILL YOU
Ren did not listen but moved on Bakugo was now the judges responsibility
Quarterfinal Match 2 — Todoroki Shoto vs Tokoyami Fumikage
This match began under a strange quiet.
Tokoyami summoned Dark Shadow immediately, the living darkness spreading wide across the arena floor.
Todoroki didn't react right away.
He waited.
Dark Shadow surged forward—
—and the ground froze.
Ice exploded outward in a massive wave, walls rising faster than Dark Shadow could retreat. Tokoyami leapt back—but the ice climbed, encasing Dark Shadow's limbs, pinning it mid-motion.
The cold weakened it instantly.
Todoroki raised his arm once more.
A final surge of ice sealed the ground beneath Tokoyami's feet, forcing him cleanly out of bounds without ever striking him directly.
Tokoyami bowed his head.
"I concede."
"WINNER—TODOROKI SHOTO!"
The match ended exactly as decisively as Todoroki vs Sero—efficient, controlled, overwhelming.
Quarterfinal Match 3 — Midoriya Izuku vs Kirishima Eijiro
The crowd exploded with excitement as the two friends faced off.
Kirishima hardened instantly, charging headlong with fearless momentum.
Midoriya dodged desperately at first, mind racing.
Hardening… close combat… momentum…
Kirishima swung again—
—and Midoriya stepped in.
"Sorry!"
Two fingers snapped forward.
The shockwave erupted point-blank, sending Kirishima flying backward through the air and straight out of bounds.
Kirishima landed hard—then laughed.
"That was awesome!"
Midoriya collapsed to one knee, panting.
"WINNER—MIDORIYA IZUKU!"
Quarterfinal Match 4 — Yaoyorozu Momo vs Iida Tenya
Speed versus preparation.
Iida blitzed the arena with terrifying acceleration, engines roaring as he pressed nonstop offense.
Momo stayed composed, creating obstacles on the fly—barriers, cables, and traps layered with careful timing.
When Iida's engines overheated mid-burst, Momo acted instantly, deploying a capture mechanism that locked him in place just long enough to secure the win.
"…Impressive," Iida admitted.
"WINNER—YAOYOROZU MOMO!"
Semifinalists
The bracket updated.
Ren
Todoroki Shoto
Midoriya Izuku
Yaoyorozu Momo
Ren exhaled slowly as he looked at the names.
Four left.
No shortcuts.
No holding back.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Ren felt something settle inside his chest.
Not fear.
Not doubt.
Resolve.
I'm not following a story anymore.
I'm writing my own