Kyouka was still standing at the entrance of the waiting room as she kept her eyes on Ochako. 'Of all the waiting rooms I had to walk into, why'd it have to be one she's in? The universe loves to toy with me sometimes, doesn't it?'

Meanwhile, Ochako seemed really confused as Kyouka still said nothing. "Jirou? Hello?"

The purple haired girl snapped back to reality at hearing Ochako talking before blinking a few times. "Huh? Oh… Sup, Uraraka. My bad, I just came cause I wanted a place to clear my head before my match."

"You're nervous about your match?" The brown haired girl asked before laughing a little as she covered her mouth. "Don't worry, I can relate big time. And I'd be worried too if I was up against Yaoyorozu."

"Exactly. We're both just two nervous girls and it seems like you want to focus. I wouldn't want to be a bother to you, so I'll be taking my leave." Kyouka said as she took a step back, getting ready to head towards another waiting room right away.

The brown haired girl shook her head as she smiled. "No, I'd love to have your company, Jirou. Maybe you being here will ease my nerves a little."

The purple haired girl held in a sigh before pointing towards another waiting room. "You sure? I mean, I seriously don't mind leav-"

"No, please stay!" Ochako cut off Kyouka, making the other girl jump at the sudden shouting before she sighed. "I'm so sorry for shouting like that… I'm just super nervous and I feel like I need someone to talk to right now."

'And she thinks I'm the right person for the job? Fuck, I wish Iida was here right now to talk to her instead of me. But if I just leave her all alone when she needs me, then she might tell Izuku and make me look bad. Guess I gotta be the "supportive friend".'

Kyouka really didn't want to stay here with Ochako of all people, much less talk with her. But she felt like she didn't really have much of a choice.

The purple haired girl internally groaned before walking towards Ochako and taking a seat across from her. "Alright, I'm here for you. I'll do whatever I can to ease your nerves until it's time for my match."

Ochako bowed her head. "Thank you so much for this, Jirou. I hope I don't seem like an annoyance to you."

Kyouka waved her off as she shook her head. "Not at all. I don't think you could ever seem like an annoyance."

'You are an annoyance, but an annoyance I have no choice but to deal with.'

The brown haired girl sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I wouldn't want you to hate me."

"That could never happen." Kyouka said before awkwardly tapping on the table as she tried to come up with any topic of conversation. "So… Who do you think will win? Ashido or Aoyama? Their match is happening as we speak."

Ochako closed her eyes to think before opening them. "Hmm… I'll place my bets on Ashido. She's got a lot of skill. No offense to Aoyama, but I don't think he'll be able to hit her with his laser."

The purple haired girl nodded in agreement. "Good point. Ashido is definitely one of the most flexible people in class and since she uses her quirk to slip and slide around, then dodging those lasers wouldn't be an issue. Especially since Aoyoama can only fire his lasers in short 1 second bursts. But who knows, maybe he can push himself to fire his laser for a longer period of time. That would give him more of an edge."

The brown haired girl couldn't help but giggle as she looked at Kyouka. "You know, you kinda remind me of Dekiru right now. I wouldn't be surprised if you started to mutter like crazy."

"Oh no, I could never mutter like him. Izuku is the king of muttering and it's a title he should proudly keep." Kyouka stated as she shook her head. "But I guess you can say I've picked up some tricks from him when it comes to analyzing crap."

"Speaking of which… Jirou? I have something I want to ask you…" Ochako mumbled as she made a fist. "How do you do it?"

Kyouka looked confused at the question as she raised an eyebrow. "Hm? How do I do what?"

The brown haired girl took in a deep breath before letting it out. "How do you manage to always be next to Dekiru and not see yourself as inadequate?"

"Inadequate? What are you talking about?" The purple haired girl asked, being even more confused.

'Is she seriously trying to insult me right now? When she did it after the cavalry battle, I thought it was an accident, but now it seems intentional.' Kyouka thought to herself as she tried to keep her anger from surfacing.

"I-I'm not saying that you're inadequate or anything! You're very skilled and fitting to be a hero, Jirou!" Ochako exclaimed as she looked back at Kyouka to avoid any misunderstandings. "It's just that Dekiru is so amazing at everything he does and his drive to be a hero is so inspiring. So whenever I'm next to him, it reminds me of my own weaknesses and that I'll never be that amazing. And it was so embarrassing to rely on him during the cavalry battle. I want to become an amazing hero one day and looking at Dekiru, I feel like I can't compare to him. So I want to know… do you ever feel the same way around him?"

The purple haired girl widened her eyes at Ochako's words before giving a small nod. "I can't say I ever felt inadequate around him, but I definitely understand what you mean by his drive to be a hero being so inspiring. Honestly, he's one of the reasons I set my sights on U.A instead of some other hero school."

"Has he always been like that?" Ochako asked. "You know, having that drive to be a hero."

Kyouka nodded as she closed her eyes. "As far as I can remember, there hasn't been a single moment where he's shown me otherwise. And each passing year, it seems like that drive only gets stronger and stronger. It's honestly hard to believe sometimes. His actions prove that to me."

"His actions?"

"Yeah. You know, he would help out a bullied kid he's never met before even if he knows that he'll get beaten to a pulp. To him, the sacrifice is worth it because then the bullies would just gang up on him and leave the other kid alone." The purple haired girl said as she sighed.

"Really? Do you know if he's done that before?" Ochako asked as she leaned towards Kyouka, seeming more invested.

"Well, I can't speak from personal experience, but Izuku has told me about a couple of times when he's been beaten up after helping out some kid." Kyouka said as she smirked. "But I know he's done it a lot more times than he's told me. He just won't admit it."

"How do you know?"

"Just a gut feeling. And I think even you know that he can be too modest for his own good." The purple haired girl said, remembering when he helped her out 7 years ago.

She then began to daydream of Izuku as she remembered all of the heroic actions he's performed over the years.

However, almost all of those heroic feats resulted in him getting injured, whether it was getting bruised by Bakugo in the past or more recently, breaking his bones from his quirk.

'Yeah, he's selfless to a fault, but it's one of the damn reasons I love him.'

"Wow… I didn't know Dekiru was like that even when he was younger." Ochako said as she looked up at the ceiling. "He's even more amazing than I thought."

"You're right about that." Kyouka said before pulling out her phone and looking at the time as she stood up. "I should probably get going now. I don't want to be late for my match. Sorry we couldn't talk longer."

"It's fine. I really enjoyed our talk. I hope we can have another one some other time." The brown haired girl said before giving a thumbs up. "Good luck out there, Jirou. I'll be cheering you on from here."

The purple haired girl gave a thumbs up back before walking towards the door and opening it. "Thanks. And good luck to you too for your match against Bakugo."

"I'll surely need it." Ochako said with a nervous smile.

Kyouka simply gave a small smile before walking out of the waiting room and closing the door behind her.

Ochako's smile became calmer as she began to think about everything Kyouka told her, regarding Izuku. She then placed her hand on her chest before feeling her heartbeat starting to race.

'Huh? Why is it beating so fast? This is weird. Wait, could be beating for De…' The brown haired girl began to think as her cheeks turned a little red before she slapped her cheeks with force. 'No, that can't be it. He's just my friend. I'd be crazy to think like that. The nerves must be really getting to me now if I'm having crazy thoughts like that.'

Ochako nervously laughed before looking down at her lap as her laughter died down. "Yeah… Just crazy thoughts. That's all. Right?"

Izuku just finished one of his muttering sprees and wrote down a few extra notes after witnessing Mina win her match against Aoyama. 'Ashido is one dangerous opponent even though she might not look like it. Her physical strength combined with her excellent use of her quirk makes a deadly combo. Whoever wins this match is going to have a tough time against her. Then again, who's going to win this match? It could be…'

"So, who do you think will win this? Jirou or Yaoyorozu?" Ojiro asked as he looked at Izuku. "I know they're both of your friends so it must be kind of hard to pic-"

"Kyouka." The green haired boy answered without a second thought as he had his eyes on the arena.

The tailed boy widened his eyes at the answer, not expecting it to come so fast. "Whoa, that was a quick answer. I would expect someone like you to analyze both of their quirks before coming to a conclusion."

Izuku's face went red before looking at Ojiro. "I-I didn't mean to answer so fast! L-Look, I don't mean to say Yaoyorozu isn't skilled! With her quirk, her potential is almost limitless and she can do amazing things with it! During the USJ, I saw her take down villains with her skill alone! Please don't think I'm underestimating her!"

Ojiro reached over to pat Izuku's shoulder as he laughed. "Hey, you don't need to defend yourself for wanting your best friend to win. It's completely understandable. And don't worry, I won't tell Yaoyorozu that you're against her."

"I-I didn't say I was against her!" The green haired boy defended himself before sighing. "But I will admit, Yaoyorozu's quirk is more powerful than Kyouka's, but Kyouka has an ability to adapt to a situation. She's quick on her feet and can make snap decisions. I don't know if this is something Kyouka realizes, but Yaoyorozu is more proficient when it comes to planning ahead. However, I'm not sure how good she is when it comes to quick thinking. And Kyouka can probably destroy anything that Yaoyorozu created with her earphone jacks. If Kyouka can keep destroying Yaoyorozu's creations and keep her on her toes, then she can win this."

"Oh, I see. When you put it that way, Jirou's chances seem a lot brighter. It's nice to see you have so much faith in her." The tailed boy said before smiling. "It does make sense though, considering what I heard from Jirou."

"What do you mean by that?" Izuku asked.

"Well, don't tell Jirou I told you this, but right before your match, she had a similar answer to yours. She told me you were going to win without the slightest hint of hesitation." Ojiro informed.

"She did?" The green haired boy asked as he got a nod of confirmation from Ojiro before smiling. "Well, if she had that much faith in me then it's only fair for me to return to the favor."

Izuku then looked back at the arena as he waited for his best friend's match to start. 'You're going to win this, Kyouka. Show everyone here that you can beat someone as strong as Yaoyorozu.'

Kyouka was standing in the corridor that led to the arena as she rubbed her arm. "I'm really going out there any second now, aren't I?"

Kyouka could feel herself beginning to sweat as she looked across the corridor to see the arena outside.

Both her and Yaoyorozu would be at the center of everyone's attention, including Pro Heroes and Izuku. She couldn't afford to screw this up.

'Now to go over the strategies I came up with for the match.' The purple haired girl thought to herself before realizing that she only had that single strategy in mind.

"Shit! I didn't have the chance to properly think of any more strategies against Yaoyorozu!" Kyouka exclaimed as she ruffled her hair. "I spent most of my time talking to Uraraka! Such a waste of time!"

Kyouka then began to kick the wall as she called herself stupid multiple times, before stopping and laying her head on the wall.

"I can't afford to get worked up. That'll just fuck me over in the match. I guess I'll have to use that one strategy I came up with earlier. But if it works then I have nothing to worry about." The purple haired girl said as she took her head off the wall and sighed.

Kyouka touched her green choker as she smiled. 'I'm winning this. For you, Izuku.'

"Now, let's not let this hot streak cool! Time to move on to the sixth match!"

Flames erupted from the four corners of the arena as Kyouka and Momo were standing at opposite ends of each other.

"A rocker with the extra-long earlobes! And that has been on quite the win streak herself! From the hero course, Kyouka Jirou! Versus The great creator! She was admitted because of recommendations and I think we can all see why! Also from Class 1-A, Momo Yaoyorozu!"

Kyouka had her eyes closed and started to perform her breathing exercises as her heart rate increased.

"Ready?"

"Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're my friend, Jirou." Momo declared before creating a staff and grabbing onto it.

Kyouka opened her eyes as she placed her hand on her chest to confirm her increased heart rate. "Yeah. I don't expect you to."

"Begin!"

'I'll end this in one move!' Kyouka thought to herself as she ran towards Momo at full speed.

"A full frontal assault, huh?" Momo asked as she raised her staff. "Not very wise, Jirou."

Momo then swung her staff down at Kyouka, but it was caught as Kyouka held onto it with both of her hands.

"It's over." Kyouka stated as she kept her tight grip on the staff.

Kyouka then plugged her earphone jacks into Momo's ears and smirked as she channeled her heartbeat into them, but nothing happened.

Kyouka's smirk started to fade away from her face as she continued to channel her heartbeat into her earphone jacks. "What? Why aren't the vibrations affecting you?"

"Earplugs. You didn't think I'd come unprepared, did you?" Momo asked before creating a shield from her arm and smacked her shield into Kyouka's face, sending the other girl stumbling a few feet back.

"Ooh! Looks like Yaoyorozu just put a little space into this cat fight!"

"Whoa, Yaoyorozu was totally prepared for Jirou's attack." Ojiro stated as he leaned forward.

Izuku nodded as a bead of sweat rolled down his head. "Yeah, but I guess I should've expected as much from someone as intelligent as her."

"What do you think Jirou will do next?" The tailed boy asked as he looked at Izuku.

"I'm not sure. But I know she'll figure out something. She probably has a backup plan." The green haired boy said while not taking his eyes off of the arena for a second.

Izuku cupped his chin as he kept his eyes on Kyouka. 'What's your next plan of attack, Kyouka? Yaoyorozu has the potential to create anything as long as it's inorganic. But of course you can counter what she creates with your quirk. It won't be easy though. One little slip up could cost you the match. But you're not gonna let that happen, aren't you? Even if Yaoyorozu gets the upper hand, you can be extremely stubborn to make sure things go your way.'

Kyouka groaned in pain as she felt blood start to slowly flow out of her nose. 'Dammit, I knew she was going to have a strategy, but I didn't expect her to have a counter for that. I should've known better."

"I'm sorry, Jirou, but I'm ending it here." Momo stated before running towards Kyouka and sweeping Kyouka's legs with her staff.

"Whoa!" Kyouka exclaimed as she landed on her back before looking up to see Momo beginning to swing her staff down at her for the finishing blow.

Kyouka rolled away at the last second as the staff hit the ground and plugged her earphone jacks into the staff before channeling her heartbeat into it, destroying it.

"Not bad, Jirou. I didn't expect you to have reflexes like that." Momo complimented before creating a new staff.

Kyouka stood back up and jumped back to get some distance between her and Momo. "And I didn't expect you to attack like that."

'That was close. I would've been done for sure if she hit me.' Kyouka thought to herself as she looked towards where the staff made contact with the ground and saw a crack before gulping. 'Was she trying to crack my skull open or what?'

Kyouka then looked closer at the crack as an idea began to brew in her head.

Meanwhile, Momo stayed cautious as she kept her eyes focused on Kyouka. 'Just what is Jirou thinking? She must have another plan in case her first one didn't work, but what could it be? Will she send her earphone jacks towards me as a distraction before going on the offensive? Or will she try to lure me into going on the offensive to give herself an advantage? I know Midoriya has been teaching her self defense techniques, so it's possible she'll use one of those techniques on me. I can't get too reckless with her. I have to think of any strategy she can come up with and find a way to counter it.'

Kyouka wiped her nose before seeing some blood on her hand as she smiled. "Okay… That can work."

Without any warning, Kyouka ran towards Momo as she made some kind of battle cry before a surprised Momo raised her shield at the last second.

Kyouka bashed her shoulder against Momo's shield before wincing in pain. 'Fuck… I expected bashing my shoulder against metal would hurt, but it hurts like hell. But I can't let up. Just gotta ignore the pain.' She then grit her teeth before bashing her shoulder against the shield again.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Momo asked as she felt herself starting to get pushed back by Kyouka. "This is ridiculous and you're only hurting yourself."

"Don't you… worry about it!" Kyouka grunted out as she continued to bash her shoulder against Momo's shield multiple times without any signs of slowing down.

Kyouka also sent her earphone jacks in random directions, plugging them into different spots in the ground and destroying them as she channels her heartbeat into them.

"Jirou's going on the full offensive like an angry bull! And it seems to be doing the trick against Yaoyorozu!"

Hearing that, Momo looked behind her and gasped as she noticed that she was close to the edge of the arena. 'I gotta get out of this situation. But how should I retaliate? I could attempt to sweep her legs again. But if Jirou manages to dodge that then I'll be wide open. I can't afford that when I'm this close to getting out of bounds. I'll surely lose.' She then diverted her attention to all the holes Kyouka created with her earphone jacks. 'Also, she has to have a reason for destroying pieces of the ground. Could this be a small part of a big plan of hers? I have to think of something quick. Come on. Think.'

However, Kyouka wasn't going to give Momo time to think as she plugged her earphone jack into the ground below Momo's foot before channeling her heartbeat into it, destroying a piece of the ground.

"What's this?" Momo asked as she got broken out of her train of thought and felt herself starting to lose balance before she looked down at her foot and moved her shield, leaving her wide open.

"Take this!" Kyouka shouted before punching Momo right on the nose, disorienting the girl for a moment before smirking.

Kyouka then wrapped her other earphone jack around Momo's ankle before pulling on it, causing Momo to fall backwards.

Momo grunted as she landed on her ass before beginning to stand back up. "Nice trick, Jirou, but it's not over ye-"

"Yaoyorozu! You're out of bounds!" Midnight cut off Momo as she pointed her whip at the girl before pointing it at Kyouka. "Jirou moves onto the next round!"

"W-What?" Momo asked before looking down to see that she's out of the arena before sitting back down. "I… I lost…? Just like that?"

"Yes! You did it, Kyouka!" Izuku exclaimed as he stood up before seeing most of his classmates giving him a weird look. "W-What?"

Ojiro chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Got a little overexcited, didn't you?"

Tokoyami sighed. "A little loud, Midoriya."

The green haired boy rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at Tokoyami. "Sorry about that. I probably look like some kind of weirdo, don't I?"

"Kind of, but it wasn't just your cheering. You had this intense look on your face throughout the whole match. You didn't relax for a second. I mean, look at your hands, dude." Kaminari pointed out as he pointed at Izuku's hands. "It's a tad scary to be honest."

"My hands?" Izuku asked before looking at his hands, noticing that he was making a tight fist. "What the heck…" He then relaxed his hands. "I guess I was too invested in the match without realizing it myself. I didn't mean to freak you guys out."

"It's all good, Midoriya. You just wanted your best friend to win. Nothing wrong with that." Ojiro reassured him with a smile.

The green haired boy sat back down. "Thanks. And I'll try to keep myself more composed during the next round."

Izuku then smiled as he looked at Kyouka before pulling out his notebook. 'I gotta start thinking of other ways Kyouka could use her quirk offensively with and without her support gear. I want to help her in any way I can. If Yaoyorozu had the same kind of quick thinking, then I'm sure the match would've been hers. But I'm just glad that Kyouka won, but her next match against Ashido is going to be tough as well. Dang it, I shouldn't be thinking too ahead. I'll just have to wait until that match happens.'

"Wow, that hurt more than I expected." The purple haired girl groaned as she shook her hand. "Never punched somebody like that before… But I owed you one for smashing my face in with that shield of yours. And for making me wear that damn outfit. So I say we're about even now."

"What happened…?" Momo asked herself as she stayed on the ground, not bothering to stand up and instead, wondering where she went wrong. "I couldn't do anything at that moment… Nothing at all."

'Damn, she's taking this loss a little hard, isn't she? I guess I can't blame her. She got into U.A by recommendations just like Todoroki and was beaten by some punk like me.' Kyouka thought to herself as she looked at Momo before glancing at Izuku. 'Yeah, I know. You would do the same thing if you were in my position.'

Kyouka sighed as she offered her hand to Momo before giving a small smile. "You know, you had me going there for a moment. I thought I was screwed when my only plan didn't work."

"Your only plan?" Momo asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked up at Kyouka.

Kyouka gave a nod. "Yeah, I was seriously hoping to end that match with a single move. And when that didn't work, I had to come up with something on the spot."

Momo looked completely dumbfounded at the revelation that her opponent only had a single plan. "So, what would've happened if you hadn't come up with any other plans?"

"Um, I definitely would've gotten my ass handed to me." Kyouka answered as she sweatdropped.

Momo cracked a small smile before sighing. "That was quite reckless of you. You need to take more time strategizing instead of coming up with plans in the moment. It can be dangerous."

"Well, I think you have the opposite problem." Kyouka retorted as she sighed as well. "But yeah, you got a point there. In my defense, I didn't really have the time to strategize as much as I wanted to."

"Huh? What do you mean by me having the opposite problem." Momo asked.

"You know, we can't stand in this arena forever. The next match has to start sometime." Kyouka said with a small chuckle. "How about we go over that some other time?"

"Yes. I'd like that." Momo said as her smile widened before taking Kyouka's hand.

Kyouka then began to pull Momo up and suddenly felt a sharp pain in her shoulder before closing her eyes and seething in pain. "Shit… I totally forgot about my shoulder for a minute there…"

Momo gasped as she looked at Kyouka's shoulder. "I'm incredibly sorry, Jirou. I'm the reason you're in so much pain. I should've made a shield out of a softer substance."

Kyouka shook her head. "It's fine. It's not like you expected me to go bash your shield. Anyone in your position would make a strong shield like that." She then groaned as she grabbed onto her shoulder. "I really gotta get healed up by Recover Girl… I abused the absolute hell out of this thing."

"Do you need help getting to the nurse's office?" Momo asked as she approached Kyouka.

Kyouka raised her hand to stop Momo from getting closer. "Nah, I'm good. It's just a shoulder injury. Not like my leg's injured or anything."

"If you insist. But I should do something to show good sportsmanship before you go." Momo said before holding out her hand towards Kyouka. "It was a great match, Jirou. But I won't lose so easily if we ever do face off against each other again."

"Oh yeah?" Kyouka asked before using her good arm to shake Momo's hand. "We'll see about that."

Kyouka had just exited the nurse's office and began to roll her right shoulder, feeling no pain anymore. "Much better. Good thing I didn't end up breaking my shoulder or else I'd be exhausted or still be in pain."

Kyouka certainly didn't plan to injure herself at all during the match. Then again, when does anyone plan to injure themselves during a fight?

She doubts that even Izuku has zero plans to injure himself when using his quirk before learning Full Cowling.

'Too bad my original plan didn't work though. It would've saved me some trouble. But in the end it worked out for the best so I can't complain too much.' The purple haired girl thought to herself as she stopped rolling her shoulder. 'I wonder if Izuku has a similar thought process whenever he injures himself in a fight…'

Kyouka then turned the corner before seeing Izuku with his back facing her and walking away.

'Izuku? What's he doing here? Wait a minute. Is he here to congratulate me like I did for him?' Kyouka thought to herself as she gave a wide smile. 'I know I used the excuse about talking about One For All, but he has no excuse other than talking to me. Things are looking good for me now. I beat Yaoyorozu and now Izuku came all the way here just to congratulate me.'

The purple haired girl then walked towards Izuku with a blissful smile before tapping him on the shoulder. "Hello, Izuku."

Izuku widened his eyes before turning around and seeing Kyouka. "Oh hey, Kyouka. I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you would've made it to the bleachers by now."

'He seemed surprised…. Did he not come here just talk to me?' Kyouka thought to herself as her smile faded away. 'Dammit, I know I shouldn't get disappointed over this, but I can't help it. I got my hopes up too high.'

"Well… I was just spending a little extra time in the nurse's office. I had to get healed up after all." The purple haired girl said as she twirled around her earphone jack.

"That makes sense. It looked like bashing your shoulder against Yaoyorozu's shield hurt a lot. But I'm glad you're doing better now." The green haired boy said before giving a small chuckle. "You know, it's kind of a funny coincidence. You see me after my match and I see you after yours."

Kyouka held in a sigh as she nodded. "Yeah… Funny coincidence."

"But I'm glad that I got to see you here. It means I can give you an early congratulations. I'll admit that you had me worried after your first attack didn't work on Yaoyorozu and when she swept your legs. However, you quickly recovered and immediately went on the offensive without giving her a second to think. And using your earphone jacks to distract her before making her lose her balance in order to have her fall down was clever." Izuku complimented as he gave a wide smile. "It was an amazing match, and I know that some pros are going to take a liking to you. They'd be crazy not to."

Kyouka's mood rose from his compliments as her cheeks went a little red. "It wasn't that impressive. I just did what I could to make sure I didn't lose. And I wish I could've shown off my quirk some more."

"Actually that reminds me, maybe after the festival, we can talk about ways to use your quirk in a more offensive manner? It can help you fight in close range as well." Izuku suggested.

"Really? That'd be awesome." The purple haired girl stated as she raised her fist. "Also, out of curiosity, what were you doing here in the first place?"

"Oh, I just got done talking to Uraraka about her match against Kacchan." Izuku said as he pointed at the waiting rooms. "She left without a word and it got me worried for her."

Kyouka's mood immediately went back down after hearing that. "J-Just you and Uraraka? Alone? How… How was that?"

Kyouka was internally freaking out that Izuku went to talk to Ochako instead of her before trying to calm herself down. 'He said he got worried. He would do the same if I left without a word too. Hell, he would do it if it was Iida.'

Izuku shook his head. "Oh, we weren't alone. Iida was there as well, but he got there before I did."

Kyouka internally sighed in relief. "That's good. I mean, it's good that both you and Iida were there to give her support. I just wish that I could've been there as well."

Izuku crossed his arms. "Actually, Uraraka mentioned that you two talked before your match. If you don't mind me asking, what did you two talk about? Uraraka got a little defensive when I asked her about it."

"Why? You want a little sneak peek into what two girls talk about when they're alone?" The purple haired girl asked with a smirk. "I didn't think you were that curious about girl talk."

"Y-You know it's not like that! Accusing me about that stuff is plain cruel!" Izuku shouted as his face turned a bright red.

Kyouka laughed before patting Izuku's shoulder. "I know, I know. Just wanted to have a little fun with you. But we didn't talk about anything important. It was just basic small talk to help Uraraka ease her nerves for her match against Bakugo. That's happening soon, right?"

The green haired boy nodded. "Yeah, right after Kirishima's match against TetsuTetsu. But that match might drag on for a little while longer, considering that the two of them have very similar quirks."

"Oh yeah, it did seem that way during the obstacle race." The purple haired girl said as she and Izuku began to make their way back to the bleachers. "So how do you think she'll do?"

"It's hard to say. Kacchan is very strong, and I don't mean to say that Uraraka is weak, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried." Izuku said with a sigh as he pulled out his notebook. "I tried to offer her a plan to use against Kacchan, but she refused. I don't wanna say that Uraraka is weak and can't handle Kacchan, but you know as well as I do how ruthless he is. There's no way he'd hold back just because she's a girl."

"No, he wouldn't. He'd attack her at full force just as he would against any opponent." Kyouka said as she placed a hand on her hip. "So, what kind of strategy did you come up with?"

The green haired boy gripped his notebook. "I wouldn't exactly call it strategy, but if Uraraka can get close enough to Kacchan then she can use her quirk on him to make him float. Then she's guaranteed a victory."

The purple haired girl nodded. "That's true, but the hardest part will be getting near him. She'll have to distract him somehow in order to get close."

"You're right. But we'll all be cheering on Uraraka the whole time." Izuku said as he put away his notebook. "I know she's cheered us on during our matches so we have to return the favor."

"Of course…" Kyouka said with some hesitation in her voice that went unnoticed by Izuku. "We'll… definitely be cheering her on."

"The eighth and final battle in the first round of matches! He was kind of a hot shot in middle school! And just look at that determined face! From the hero course, Katsuki Bakugo! Versus, the one I'm personally rooting for, also from Class 1-A, Ochako Uraraka!"

'Who do I want to win this match?' Kyouka thought to herself as she looked at Bakugo and Ochako who were both standing at opposite ends of the arena. 'On one hand, Bakugo losing would be a huge hit to his ego and it would be amazing to see him knocked down a peg. And he just doesn't deserve to win this festival with all the crap he's done before. On the other, if Uraraka wins then she'll look much more impressive in Izuku's eyes and this could end up sparking something between the two of them. At that point, how do I compete with the girl who literally beat Bakugo in a one on one match?'

Meanwhile, Izuku and Iida were discussing Ochako's chance at winning and Izuku mentioned the same plan he told Kyouka earlier.

'But… everything Bakugo's done to Izuku completely outweighs all the annoying stuff Uraraka's done. Plus, there's a chance she might not even be interested in him. So just this once, I'll be rooting for you, Uraraka. You better win this and make this asshole look stupid in front of everybody. But then, I'll be defeating you myself later in the festival,'

"Let the eighth match begin!"

Ochako began the match by running at Bakugo at full speed as Izuku smiled. "Wow, look at her go! That's a good start, and all she has to do is touch him one time!"

"But it won't be easy. You know Bakugo's not gonna let her get too close to him." Iida said as he looked at Izuku.

"Which is why he won't dodge. He'll focus his energy on counterattacking." The green haired boy said.

"Do you think Uraraka will be able to dodge any of his attacks though?" The purple haired girl asked as she crossed her arms.

When Ochako got close enough, Bakugo fired off an explosion at her, blasting her back and creating a smoke screen.

"So merciless. How could Bakugo hit his classmate with so much force at the beginning?" The blue haired boy asked as he chopped his arm towards the arena.

Kyouka sighed. "That's just who he is. Ruthless to a T."

Ochako's jacket then appeared from the smoke screen as Bakugo immediately fired an explosion at it before realizing it was just her jacket.

"Whoa! She flew her jacket over as a decoy! What incredibly quick thinking!"

Ochako was now right behind Bakugo and was about to touch him before Bakugo quickly turned around and fired another explosion at her, blasting the girl back again.

'Damn. If he only reacted a second too late then it would've been over for him. Those annoying reflexes are going to be a problem for her.' Kyouka thought to herself as she bit the tip of her thumb.

Ochako continued to relentlessly charge at Bakugo as he fired explosions at her to blast her back before she kept charging back at him. And smoke was now filling the arena from all of Bakugo's explosions.

"What is she doing? She should know that doing the same thing over and over isn't gonna work." Kyouka said as she witnessed Ochako getting blasted with another explosion.

"I don't know. I'd expect her to try something else by now. I know Uraraka is smarter than this?" The green haired boy said as he flinched at Ochako getting blasted again.

Iida cupped his chin. "Uraraka must have her reasons for changing at Bakugo like that, right?"

"I hope so… But it's not looking good." Izuku said as he sweated.

Some Pro Hero from the crowd then called Bakugo out, saying that he should just end the match and stop acting like a bully.

Other Pro Heroes around him agreed before the entire crowd began to boo at Bakugo, causing a small smirk to form on Kyouka's face.

"The crowd is now booing Bakugo! And honestly, I kinda agree with what they're sayin-"

Present Mic then suddenly got elbowed in the face by Aizawa.

"Hey, whoa! What the crap?!"

"Where is the man who started this uproar? Are you a pro? Because if you're being serious, you can go home and hang up your cape. I'd suggest looking into another career."

"You know what he's talking about?" Izuku asked as he looked at Aizawa.

Kyouka shook her head as her smirk faded away. "Not a clue."

'What's Mr. Aizawa doing? Don't tell me he's seriously trying to defend Bakugo here. Asshole needs a good booing from everyone.' The purple haired girl thought to herself as she rolled her eyes before noticing something above the arena, causing her to gasp. 'What the hell is that?!'

There were countless debris floating above the entire arena that looked like they could be dropped any second now.

"I-Izuku…" Kyouka called out as she tugged on his sleeve and kept her eyes on the debris. "Did you give Uraraka a plan you didn't tell me about?"

"Huh? No I didn't. Why do you as-Whoa!" Izuku exclaimed as he looked towards where his best friend was looking, his jaw dropping at seeing the debris.

The purple haired girl returned her attention towards the debris as she gulped. 'She's a lot stronger than I thought… And if this plan of hers works then I gotta look out for her.'

"Bakugo's fierceness is an acknowledgement of his opponent's strength. He knows she deserves to have made it this far, so he's making sure he does whatever it takes to keep her at bay and come out on top."

All the smoke in the arena started to clear as Ochako stared down Bakugo before releasing her quirk, causing all of the debris to start falling down.

"A meteor shower!"

"Now you notice."

Kyouka's focus was now 100% directed towards the match as she watched Ochako do one more charge towards Bakugo. 'There's nothing he can do now. If he tries destroying or dodging the debris, then he'll leave himself open to Uraraka. If he tries to attack Uraraka, then he'll get hit by the debris. He's completely backed up into a corner.'

However, Bakugo calmly raised his arm before releasing a massive, powerful explosion into the air, destroying all of the debris in an instant and blowing back Ochako.

Wind blew into Kyouka's face from the explosion as she widened her eyes. "What the hell…"

"Bakugo bangs out a huge demonstration of power! He blasted apart Uraraka's finishing move and remains untouched!"

Ochako was now left sitting on the ground as Izuku gulped. "He blew them all away in an instant. Uraraka…"

Ochako then stood back up and Bakugo charged at her for another attack. However, when Ochako tried to take one step forward, she immediately collapsed onto the ground.

Iida gasped. "It's too much."

Izuku nodded. "Yeah. She's way past her limit."

Ochako now began to slowly crawl towards Bakugo as Kyouka just stayed silent. 'Wow… She still doesn't want to give up even though she's lost. I probably would've stayed down if that final attack didn't work. But what does that say about me? Izuku would probably want to be with a girl who has a strong drive. And right now, Uraraka is showing that off. Even if she lost the match, she showed tons of determination. I can't lose to her just for that. He has to know my determination as well. I just need to find a way to show it.'

Soon, Ochako just stopped crawling and Midnight crouched over Ochako to check up on her before realizing that she's now unconscious. "Uraraka is KO'd. Bakugo advances to the second round."

Ochako was then carried off to the nurse's office by robots while Bakugo walked off of the arena.

"And that's it for the first round! I was really pulling for her. Oh, yeah, I guess Bakugo's moving on."

"You're supposed to be unbiased, you know."

"Let's try to forget that depressing outcome! With that, the first round is complete! We're taking a quick break and then we're back with more matches!"

Izuku sighed as he stood up. "Hey guys, I think I'm going to hang out in the waiting room until it's time for my match."

"Ah, it makes sense. You are going up against Todoroki after all. You'll want time for yourself to prepare. I wish you luck, Midoriya." Iida said as he smiled at his friend.

"Mind if I come with?" Kyouka asked as she stood up as well.

"Huh? Are you sure about that, Kyouka?" The green haired boy asked as he looked at his best friend. "I'll mostly just be spending the time meditating and thinking of any potential strategies."

Kyouka nodded and placed a hand on her hip. "Well, I want to be there to keep you in check. I know how stressed out you can get sometimes and I don't want to take any risks at stress hindering your performance."

"You do have a point there. I have to be calm and collected to have a chance against Todoroki. The slightest hesitation could cause me to lose." Izuku said as he looked to the side before looking back at his best friend. "But it's going to be pretty boring."

Kyouka chuckled and crossed her arms. "Trust me. I won't get bored."

A/N

Alright, chapter 41 is done! You know, giving myself breaks when I need them has been really refreshing. But I did procrastinate a lot with video games... Also, I'll be starting to port my stories to AO3 and Wattpad so if you prefer those sites then there you have it.

One thing I tried to show off in Kyouka and Momo's fight was Momo's inability to quickly adapt to a situation which is something she learns in the final exams with Aizawa and Todoroki.

Also, that Kyouka and Ochako conversation was honestly decided last minute while I was working on the last chapter. I always knew that eventually Ochako and Kyouka would see each other as rivals, but I never knew when I was going to include that in. And I had the sudden idea that maybe I can spark it here. But don't worry, I don't plan on overdramatizing it. … but no promises.

Honestly, the chapter itself wasn't hard to write, but making certain decisions really delayed it. I'm also experimenting a little with my writing style, simplifying it to make my job easier. And I think I'll keep experimenting to make it easier on myself. So bear with me if from here on out I change how I write chapters.

Next chapter will finally be Izuku's match against Todoroki and I think that'll be fun to write. Honestly, the hardest part is how I'm going to have it end. Do I have it end the same as canon with Todoroki and Izuku having a huge collision of power? Or should I try something way different? These decisions always get to me. I'm extremely bad at creativity.

Now onto the reviews!

AadenHelan: Hey man it's all good. Everyone has the right to their own opinions.

curlyboy01: Of course I will, but I would like to wait until we learn more about it.

AngelicWisdom: First off, I give my condolences and I can understand certain songs making you emotional. I hope I did okay with Momo's fight and Ochako's conversation. And I'm still on the fence on Angel Beat.

Lockheart25: I'm so excited for season 5. The 1A vs 1B arc is actually when I started the manga so I have a strong attachment to it.

Random65: But what if I don't continue?

Naoto Koizumi: I would've made it its own chapter, but I feel like I couldn't do too much, especially since they're in such a small space. But don't worry, I plan on having a rematch between the two in the future that'll last much longer. Also, I just want to say that I have zero regrets about the bladder joke lol.

Ability King KK: More heart attacks for the win. He might meet them earlier in canon. I know I could've handled that conversation much better, but I didn't want it going too deep yet. This won't be their last one on one talk.

FussyKoala284: Hola. Como estas!

RPGuy777: It's not bad, but it doesn't sit right with me. I'm sorry if I'm sounding rude by shutting down your suggestion.

Z: Oh no that's definitely not gonna happen. I only said I might tease it, but I decided against that as well.

Russian Girl epta: I'm happy to hear that my story is being translated, but I wish I knew the website. Hehe.

Noy: But his quirk goes boom boom.

Jaredpjm: Wow, I'm surprised to see such an in-depth review in my first chapter. But I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story.

Chuck Winanaki: Well, those fights weren't important so I wanted to do the bare minimum of detail there. I had Shinso get acknowledged, but I didn't bother showing it since it would've been the exact same as canon. And All Might told him that the ghosts were normal so I don't know why he'd freak out. Honestly, I'm not great at writing impact in action scenes which is why I hate writing them.

Savageverse: Your answer is right above.

valash122: Yeah I did a tad bit of research, but I didn't learn that kids went to school on Saturdays as well until I played persona lol.

BlackViperAkira: I'm glad to see someone from Wattpad here. And I'll make sure to update this story on there right away to make sure it's caught up.

Arg0 The R4t: Of course I'll be continuing it. You'd be crazy to think otherwise.

Guest: Never?

Well, that's it for the reviews!

That's the end of this chapter! Please feel free to leave a review!