As Bulla finally made it out to the stands, the crowd filled with disappointment. Midoriya, who had donned some form of strange gear, was on his knees on the ground, and his opponent, Mei Hatsume, was standing out of bounds with a satisfied smile. "Hey, hey hey! What did I miss!?" Bulla asked as Kirishima scratched the back of his head.
"That Hatsume from the Support Course just turned Midoriya into a walking infomercial." He explained, looking down towards his friend.
"Wait, no way! She beat him that badly?!" The shock in her voice was apparent. Even if she wouldn't have to worry about Midoriya's abilities in later rounds, she was curious of just how much stronger this girl was.
"You misunderstand." Tokoyami chimed in, pointing to Midnight as she spoke through her microphone.
"Hatsume is out of bounds! Midoriya advances to the second round!" She announced as Tokoyami continued.
"I can understand the confusion in his expression, but you missed Hatsume turning the event into a presentation of the gear that she had developed. It's rather smart, to be frank, knowing that she's most likely not aiming to become a Pro." He said.
"Well, that was a disappointing first round! If it's alright, I'd like to get things moving so that we can all forget about what just happened! So would the next competitors please come on down!?" Present Mic announced as the crowd began to boo. Several minutes passed before Shinso and Todoroki entered the arena. "Entering the ring now, we have the ice-cold dominator of the competition, Shoto Todoroki!" He said as the crowd began to go wild. "And his competitor, who hasn't really shown off anything since the beginning of the tournament, Hitoshi Shinso!" As the crowd roared, Present Mic turned to his partner. "What are you reading there, Mummy Man?!"
"Don't call me that." Aizawa grumbled, scanning the papers in his hands. "Since it's the final phase, I took the liberty of researching our participants. These papers indicate just how flawed the entrance exam is, favoring those with physical capabilities. Seeing as to how Shinso applied for General Studies, as well as the Hero Course, it's clear that he had realized that already."
"So, the son of Endeavor?" Shinso said, causing Todoroki's narrowed eyes to widen ever-so-slightly. "Of course with a lineage as famous and as powerful as yours, you'll be destined for greatness." Todoroki's cold eyes only stared forward, focused on his opponent without a word.
"BEGIN!" Present Mic yelled as all eyes set themselves on the two competitors.
"You know, I've heard stories about your dad being a scumbag!" Shinso yelled in a panic. "Would you kindly confirm or deny that for me?!"
"Despite his Quirk, Shinso at a disadvantage. He would have faired much better against one of the other competitors, but it seems he was unlucky with his draw." Aizawa continued explaining, and in an instant, a large wave of ice rose from the stage, encasing Shinso entirely. "This will be a lesson to learn, however. Heroes are often falling into bad situations, matchups that seem impossible. It's up to them to make the best out of it." The entire crowd went silent as all eyes were captivated by the massive iceberg.
"And just like that, Todoroki seems to take the victory in an overwhelming attack!"
As his body shivered, Shinso grit his teeth and clenched his eyes shut. As Todoroki began to step forward, Midnight called out to Shinso. "Be honest, Shinso, are you able to move?"
Peering through one eye, Shinso called out to his opponent. "Answer me, dammit! Why don't you tell me how you really feel?! Tell me anything at all!"
"Shinso, can you move?" Midnight reiterated, clenching her whip.
After several moments of silence, Shinso simply couldn't remain in his prison of ice. "Fine. You've got me." He said, his defeated tone disappointing the audience.
"Shinso surrenders! Todoroki advances to the second round!" Midnight announced as she cracked her whip in Todoroki's direction.
As Todoroki softly pressed his hand against the ice, he couldn't bring himself to look his opponent in the eye, avoiding Shinso's angry, but sullen gaze. "I'm sorry." He said. "I don't want to be seen as part of my father's lineage. Hearing your words made me so angry."
"Hmph." Shinso closed his eyes as the ice around him began to melt. "So, now you answer?" He said. "Doesn't do me a lot of good, now."
"That round was over in an instant, but we at least got a glimpse at some incredible moves for the future! Todoroki overwhelms his opponent with absolute power!" Present Mic announced as the ice around Shinso continued to melt.
"Um... Nice try!" A cotton-colored Pro Hero in the audience called out as the crowd began to cheer for Shinso's consolation.
"Alright everyone, I know that this year's final round is off to a slow start, but please be patient while we take a break to clear the ice from the stage!" Present Mic told the crowd as several patches of people left the stands.
"Geez!" Bulla said, scratching her head. "That Todoroki is something else!"
"Yeah, that really sucks, Class Rep." Kaminari told her with a nervous smile. "No matter what, you're either going against Midoriya or Todoroki."
Turning over at the sound of his name, Bulla noticed Midoriya sitting a few seats down in the row before them. As a realization crossed her head, she found herself unable to hold back her question. "Hey, Midoriya...what's your Quirk?" She asked.
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing incredible..." He told her with a nervous laugh.
"He has a really strong power-enhancing-type Quirk!" Uraraka said excitedly, smiling wide.
"Uh, yeah! But it's nothing really impressive, I can even really use it without breaking my bones!" He explained, waving his hands side to side in front of him.
"Wait..." Suddenly, Bulla got up and jumped over the empty seats in front of her. To everyone's surprise, she grabbed Midoriya by the wrist and pulled him out of his seat. "Come with me for a minute. I want to ask you a few questions."
"H-Huh?!" Midoriya's surprise was apparent as the two stepped away from their friends and classmates. As they left, Asui's finger rested on her chin, while Uraraka's eyes became blank with an emotion that she wasn't quite familiar with yet.
"I wonder what that was about..." Asui said as Bakugo scowled in the direction they went.
"Seemed kinda out-of-the-blue, don't you think?" Kaminari said, turning back to his classmates.
"Maybe she wanted to talk to Midoriya about their upcoming match." Kirishima suggested.
"Well, at least we know that she's confident in her next match." Ashido chimed in, stressing out Aoyama. As she turned to him, she smiled and pointed. "Don't forget how she beat you and Kirishima during combat training."
With her reminder, Aoyama began to sweat profusely. "Mes amis... I'm done for..."
As they left their friends behind, Bulla pulled Midoriya into one of the waiting rooms for some privacy. Midoriya's flushed face made it hard for him to focus on anything until Bulla released him. "Midoriya, your Quirk, what's up with it?"
"Oh, it's just like you heard. It's really strong but I can't handle the backlash." He reiterated as he looked down at his hand.
"It's strong how? Does it really pack that much of a wallop?" She asked him.
"Yeah, I was able to take down one of those 0P Villains during the entrance exams, but it broke my arm. When I activate it, I'm not able to reliably land a punch on an opponent yet." He continued to explain.
"Huh? Just your arm? I thought it was a super-strength Quirk? Are you saying there's more to it?" She asked as Midoriya held his chin in two fingers. "You know what, could you just show me?"
"Wha- You want me to show you?! Here?!" He shouted in protest.
"Yeah, just activate it and explain as you do. It'll be better if I can see it for myself." She said as Midoriya scratched the back of his head. "You don't have to throw a punch, just lemme see it."
"Well, alright..." He told her as he held out his hand and wrapped his fingers around his wrist. "So when I activate it..." Suddenly, the sleeve that was wrapped around the top half of Midoriya's arm was ripped to shreds.
"Oh, oh I see. So you can activate it along one part of your body!" She said. "That's a lot of power trapped inside of one point! No wonder it breaks your bones!" She told him with a smile.
"I'm training hard to be able to handle the backlash." He told her as he focused on the palm of his hand before the power that was surging had ceased.
Suddenly, Bulla began to laugh. Midoriya's eyes widened in confusion as Bulla held her stomach. "I'm sor- I'm sorry! It's just, as smart as you are, you don't seem to understand what's going on."
"What are you talking about?" He asked her as the intercom sounded.
"Alright everyone! Thank you for waiting while we cleared the ice! Would the next contestants please enter the stadium!" Present Mic announced before the room went silent once again.
"That's for me!" She told him as she walked past and opened the door behind him. Before she left, she turned to her friend. "That much power in one point is bound to deal some backlash, no matter what power we're talking about. Think smarter, not stronger, Midoriya. Wish me luck!" She told him as she closed the door behind her, leaving her Class Historian alone with her advice.