Food was just the thing for the white-haired girl to bounce back and after spending time catching with Mina while Kaminari and Kirishima teased Bakugou she felt more like herself again. She cast a forlorn look at Todoroki as he walked by their table, but she knew there was little she could do to comfort the boy without revealing she had eavesdropped on his private conversation. All Himari could hope would be that Izuku found a way to help him, and considering her green-haired friend's serious-looking face she figured he was already trying to find a way to address the issue.

"Hey, Renji, Ashido. Could I talk to you both?" She and Mina turned their heads to see Yaoyorozu walking up to them.

"What's up Yaoyorozu?" Mina asked.

"I have been recently informed that us girls from class 1-A were selected for a cheer competition of sorts," The vice rep informed. "I've filled in the other girls, but I wanted to make sure you both were aware."

"A cheer competition? That sounds fun!" Mina chimed as she hopped to her feet.

"Would we be cheering in our gym uniforms?" Himari wondered.

"I have procured the necessary outfits," The taller girl assured. "We just need to go change in the locker rooms."

"Alright, might as well go change now," She and Mina waved off the boys but didn't give much of a response due to Bakugou screaming at the poor redhead and blonde.

They followed Yaoyorozu and met up with Hagakure, Uraraka, Asui, and Jiro in the 1-A locker room. The seven girls quickly changed into the orange UA cheerleading uniforms that their vice rep made with her quirk.

"How did you know our measurements?" Jiro mumbled as she tugged at the crop top.

"Just simple math," Yaoyorozu brushed off. "I guessed on a few, but I am glad they fit so well."

"Maybe a bit too well," Himari grumbled as she pulled on the rather short skirt. "I hate the skirt length."

"But technically it's a skort," Hagakure pointed out as she twirled in her uniform, the seemingly floating outfits fitting her extremely well.

"I don't know. My thighs just make it look even shorter," She pointed out as she gestured to her legs.

Mina giggled as she pulled her petite friend into a side hug, "You just have some awesome assets. Heh, heh."

"Oh my god, I fucking hate you, Mina."

"No, you don't, Himari," The pink-skinned girl shot back. "And I know someone who would love to see you like this!"

The purple-eyed girl shook her head, "Don't even think about it. I swear-"

A flash of a camera went off and Himari raced after Mina as the giggling girl grasped her phone tightly in her hand, "Come on! You just look so cute!"

"Delete it right now!"

"Girls!" The pair stopped as Yaoyorozu called out to them. "Don't tease her, Ashido. Delete the photo." She rolled her eyes but took the photo off her cellular device. "Great. Now grab some pom-poms."

Jiro and Asui seemed to be as reluctant as Renji, but they gave in when the other girls picked up the cheer tools happily. The three shy girls tucked close to each other as Hagakure, Uraraka, and Mina followed Happily after Yaoyorozu's confident form. The seven girls of class 1-A made their way back to the arena, noticing another group of cheerleaders making their way into the stadium as well. Renji narrowed her eyes to try to see which class had also been roped into this stupid idea, but Present Mic's booming voice drew her attention away.

"It's almost time for the last round! But before that: Good news for everyone who didn't make the finals. Since this is a sports festival, we've prepared dome super-fun side games everyone can participate in! We even brought in cheerleaders from America to get your blood pumping!"

"Cheerleaders…"

"From America?"

Himari froze as she felt every one of her fellow students zeroing in on them, "Yaoyorozu, who told you about this cheer battle?"

"Hold up!" Present Mic called. "Looks like class 1-A is going full-on fanservice!"

"What?! You tricked us!" Mari followed her friend's heated gaze over to where Kaminari and Mineta were high-fiving each other. "You're gonna regret this!" Yaoyorozu slumped to the ground, "Why is it that I always end up falling for that little pervert's stupid schemes? I even used my quirk to make these outfits."

"Ugh, I hate those guys!" Jiro sneered as she tossed away her pom-poms.

Hagakure shrugged her shoulders, "Well, we do have a little time before the finals start, and I kinda like these uniforms, so...how about we just roll with it!"

"Yeah it could be fun," Mina admitted.

"Are you crazy?!" Jiro snapped.

"My dad is somewhere in the stands," Himari whimpered. "I am so ashamed."

"It's alright, Renji," Asui said to comfort her embarrassed friend. "I'm sure he knows it was just a prank from those jerks."

"Mari?" The girl in question froze at the sound of a familiar rough tone. "What in the everloving hell are you wearing?"

Himari turned her head slightly to see Bakugou, Sero, and Kirishima staring at the group of girls dumbly, completely confused by the situation. She gasped and jumped behind Mina as she desperately tried to pull down her skirt more while she fought off a wave of tears.

"Kaminari and Mineta tricked Yaoyorozu into thinking we had to do a cheer competition," Hagakure calmly said as she jumped around. "And Himari's super embarrassed cause her dad's watching and she has a super short skirt."

"TORU!" The water user wailed as her tears started to well over her eyes and drip down her cheeks.

She turned around and tried to walk away from the boys but paused when she felt a piece of fabric fall over her shoulders. She looked up to see a shirtless Katsuki storming his way over to Kaminari and Mineta.

"Hey, Pikachu and Pervert! You think it's funny to take advantage of our classmates?!" The two boys paled at the sight of the ash-blonde sparking his fists towards them.

"Crap, we should go stop him," Kirishima muttered as he and Sero rushed over to hold back the angered teenager.

The white-haired girl pulled Katsuki's shirt tighter over her shoulders to fully cover her body as she walked over to the two boys desperately trying to hold him back, "Katsuki," He paused in his attempted murder to look at his female friend. "It's not worth beating them up right now. Just hope you get paired with Kaminari in the tournament so you can blast his ass."

The electric user whimpered at her suggestion, but Bakugou gave her a giant smile, "Fine by me. I need to let some steam off anyway." He walked over to his petite friend and tucked her into his side to hide her from the other boys.

"Have fun competing in these little side games, everyone!" Present Mic called out over the chaos. "After their over, the 16 students from the top four teams will be duking it out one-on-one in a tournament-style fighting competition! I promise you're not gonna want to miss these epic match-ups!"

"Oh yeah," Kirishima beamed. "Finally getting the chance to show what we're made of. I watch these finals every year, and now I'm actually in them!"

"So wait. Is it always a tournament?" Mina asked.

"The final's always a one-on-one competition," Sero explained. "But they switch it up every time. Last year it was a foam sword-fighting match."

"Come closer and draw lots to see who you're up against," Midnight instructed the 16 finalists. "Then enjoy the pleasure of the recreational games before we start. The 16 finalists have the option of participating in those activities or sitting out to prepare for battle. I'm sure you all want to conserve your stamina. I'll start with the first-place team."

"Um. Excuse me," Ojiro raised his hand, catching the pro hero's attention. "Sorry. But I'm withdrawing."

"Ojiro. No way!" Izuku gasped.

"But this is a rare chance for you to get scouted," Iida pointed out.

"It just wouldn't be right," He insisted. "I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until the very end of it. I...think it was that guy's quirk." Renji followed Ojiro's gaze to the calm purple-haired boy standing next to Murasakino from class 1-B, "I know this is a great opportunity. I wish I could take advantage of it, but my conscience won't let me."

"Just think about this," Midoriya implored.

"I have, okay?" Ojiro pressed. "Everyone gave their all in round two, but I was just someone's puppet. No way. I don't wanna advance if I don't even know how I got here. It wouldn't be fair."

"You're making way too much of this!" Hagakure groaned as she waved her pom-poms around. "Just kill it in the finals and prove you should be there."

"Yeah, what she said," Sero agreed. "I mean, Kirishima and Renji did way more than me in the battle."

"That's not it," The teenager ran his hand over his face. "I'm talking about my pride here. I refuse to give that up...Also, why are all of the girls dressed like cheerleaders?"

The girls tensed and awkwardly looked away from their friend, all seven of them sparing burning glares towards Mineta and Kaminari. They paused in their discomfort when they noticed a small, heavy-set boy step up towards Midnight.

"Shoda Nirengeki from class 1-B. I think I should withdraw for the same reason," He glanced at his other classmates. "Regardless of how strong I am, this isn't how I wanted to get here. It would go against the values of the festival to advance without earning my spot."

"Listen to these guys!" Kirishima wailed. "They're so manly!"

"Well now, here's another weird turn of events," Present Mic called out.

"We'll have to see what Midnight has to say about this," Aizawa pointed out. "She's the one in charge."

"This sort of talk is incredibly naive, my boys," the female pro declared. "That turns me on! Shoda! Ojiro! You're withdrawn!"

"Did she say it turns her on?"

"Should that really be how she phrases it?" Himari mumbled next to Katsuki as she watched the two boys thank the pro.

"Don't worry," Aoyama patted Ojiro's shoulder. "I'll win it for you."

"Now, let's see...we'll have to move up two students from the fifth-place cavalry team so we have enough contestants," Midnight stated as she turned towards a ginger girl in the crowd.

"We were frozen most of the time," The ginger announced to the referee. "Honestly, we barely did anything in the cavalry battle. Isn't that right?" The three girls around her nodded their heads in agreement. "You should choose from the group that kept fighting the whole time. Team Tetsutetsu."

"Kendo!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed.

She smirked at the silver-haired boy, "I'm not doing this as a favor. It's just fair."

"Seriously, you guys! Thank you!"

"Kendo!" The ginger grunted as Murasakino tackled her to the ground. "You are the best!"

"And so, Tetsutetsu and Murasakino have advanced to the finals!" Midnight announced to the crowd as the 16 finalists drew their lots for the upcoming fights. "Take a look at the bracket, my dears. These are your opponents!"

Himari glanced up at the screen and keyed in on her name place right next to Aoyama's for her first fight. She giggled when she noticed Tetsutetsu and Kirishima's names right next to each other.

"Seriously?! How does this keep happening?"

She tensed slightly when she felt an arm pull her from Bakugou's side, but relaxed when she saw Aoyama's dazzling grin, "Ma Cherie, I'm afraid it's the end of the road for you."

"I can't wait to prove you wrong," The water user smirked as she pulled away from the french boy and turned back to the screen.

Midoriya was up against Shinso, the peculiar boy from General Studies. And Todoroki would face Sero right after. She glanced down the line and noticed Katsuki was the last fight in the first bracket up against Uraraka. Himari spared the girl a hopeful glance as the brunette looked sick to her stomach at the thought of fighting their class's resident hothead.

"Uraraka? Who the hell's that?"

The brunette deflated even more at the confused tone coming from Bakugou. Renji shook her head and bumped her shoulder against his, "She's the girl standing right behind you, jackass."

The ash-blonde swung around to see the bubbly girl that followed Deku around like a lost puppy, "Oh, nevermind then."

"Hey! What does that mean?!" Uraraka snapped at his dismissive attitude.

"Come on, Katsuki. Let's go to the waiting rooms before she starts fighting you early for that massive insult," The teenager followed his childhood friend as she dragged him from the stadium.

"What insult?" He wondered. "She's a small fry extra."

"That, right there is the insult," She explained.

"Not my fault if she can't handle the truth," He brushed off as he pushed the petite girl towards the 1-A locker room doors. "Go change out of that dumbass outfit. I want my shirt back."

The purple-eyed girl huffed but did as her friend asked. She sighed in relief as she slipped back into her gym uniform, tossing aside the embarrassing cheerleading outfit. The sight of Bakugou leaning his head against the wall outside the female locker room as he waited for her had a small smile growing on Himari's face. She nudged his shoulder as she tossed his shirt back to him and he followed her like a shadow as she wandered to the seating area in the stadium set aside for each class. The pair nestled into two seats near the stairs as they watched their classmates finish the mini-games Midnight set up for the kids not continuing in the tournament.

The hotheaded boy slouched in his seat as more of their classmates appeared in the reserved area, scowling as he watched Cementoss flood the center of the field with concrete to create a large rectangular ring for the upcoming fights.

"Thank you, Cementoss!" The vocal hero screamed from the announcer's booth. "Hey, sports fans. Are ya ready? After all the action you've already witnessed, it's time for the real battles to begin! Our competitors are on their own now! Sometimes, heroes have only themselves to rely on!" The students of class 1-A shifted in their seats as they watched the empty arena below them, "Heart. Skill. Strength. Wisdom. Courage. They'll have to use all of these to rise to the top!"

"Who's in the first fight again?" Asui muttered from her seat.

"Midoriya and the boy from General Studies, Shinsou," Himari replied as she watched the fires ignite on the corners of the fighting arena.

Before anyone else in the class could add to the short conversation, their English teacher's voice sounded out once more, "All right, audience! Let's cut to the good stuff and not delay these finals any longer. Welcome our first fighters," The class glanced up to the giant screen to see photos of the two boys with their full names listed over their bodies. Himari smirked at Izuku's nervous gaze. "Whoa, he looks kinda scared in that picture, doesn't he? It's Midoriya Izuku from the hero course versus...Shinsou Hitoshi from General Studies, who really hasn't done anything to stand out yet. The rules are simple. Immobilize your opponent or force them outta the ring. You can also win by getting the other person to cry uncle! Bring on the injuries, cause we've got our very own Recovery Girl waiting on standby!"

"Yeah, she'll heal you after she throttles us for being so stupid," The water user whispered to Mina sitting on her left.

"She's going to be so mad at Midoriya if he breaks his arms again," The pink girl whispered back as she held back a giggle.

"So put your morals aside and don't be afraid to play dirty! But of course, no life-threatening crap, folks," Present Mic warned. "It's not allowed! Real heroes use their power to throw villains in jail, not kill them."

"I'll stop anyone who tries to get too rough," Cementoss called as he quickly made a ref chair by the edge of the set fighting space.

"Ya here that Bakugou?" Kaminari snickered from the back of 1-A seats. "You have to play nice the rest of the day."

The blonde growled back at the electric user, "I just can't kill you, they said nothing about beating the ever-loving shit out of you, dunce face!"

Mari slapped her friend's shoulder as she watched the purple-haired boy taunt her other friend. She furrowed her brows as she noticed Ojiro lean forward in his seat.

"READY!? BEGIN!"

"Don't you talk about him that way!" Izuku yelled as he charged at the other boy, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What the hell's Deku playing at?" Katsuki grumbled as he watched the green-haired idiot stand ram-rod straight as the purple-haired kid continued to quietly talk.

"I warned him not to say anything!" Ojiro moaned.

The white-haired girl turned in her seat, "What are you talking about?"

"It's that kid's quirk," He pointed to the boy opposite of Midoriya. "If you talk to him he can control you!"

"Huh?! Hey, hey, what's the dealio?" Present Mic wondered as he watched the two teenagers remain still in the arena. "This is the first match! It should start out with a bang! The fight has just begun and Midoriya Izuku is...completely frozen?"

Mari watched worriedly, how would Izuchan get out of this? Mind control quirks were quite rare, and it seemed like Shinsou had a strong understanding of his quirk and its limitations. But that just meant there was some way for her friend to snap out of the other boy's hold, but the question was would he figure that out in time? She frowned as Midoriya jerked suddenly and turned around, starting to make his way towards the out of bounds line.

"Uh...What?! Ah! Midoriya's obeying him!" Present Mic announced to the crowd as the green-haired first year walked away from Shinsou. "

"Oh, no, Deku, what are you doing?" Uraraka cried out worriedly.

"He can't walk out of the ring! He'll lose the match if he does!"

The whole of class 1-A besides herself and Bakugou screamed at their classmate to snap out of the trance while the two friends watched Izuku inch closer to his defeat. She nibbled on her lower lip as Kirishima and Mina screeched in her ears, but glanced away from her brainwashed friend as Katsuki nudged her shoulder.

"What?"

"He might be weak, but Deku's annoyingly smart," The teen grunted as he gestured to the arena. She followed his finger and noticed their friend's hand twitching as he looked like he was struggling to snap. Himari sighed in relief as Izuku paused in his forced movement, the crowd gasping at the wave of energy that rocked from his body. Class 1-A burst into cheers as their green-haired classmate lurched and gasped for air as he turned back around before the edge of the battlefield, surprising his opponent.

"What's this? Midoriya stopped just in time!" The announcer screeched as the crowd cheered and screamed at the young student.

"That's the way to do it!" Iida yelled.

"Whoa, I was about to freak out!" Uraraka admitted as she sighed in relief.

Ojiro smiled as he retook his seat, "Whew, that just about killed me."

"But Izu-chan still had to give something up to break out of that kid's hold," Himari said as she shifted in her seat.

"What are you talking about?" Uraraka asked.

"His fingers," Bakugou grunted.

The class looked at Midoriya on the screen in the arena and keyed in on the two purple-toned fingers awkwardly bent on his hand.

"No! Impossible!" Shinsou yelled as Izuku stumbled further away from the edge of the arena. "You're not supposed to be able to fight back! What did you do? How'd you do that?!"

The brainwasher tried to get Midoriya to talk again but the boy remained silent, running towards him and starting to shove him towards the opposite end of the field. Shinsou punched him across the face to elicit a reaction, but Izuku ignored his anger as he moved him closer to the white line symbolizing his own victory. Shinsou landed a lucky hit on Izuku's hand and pushed out of his hold.

"Get out of this ring, you lucky brat!"

Himari cheered as her friend grasped Shinsou's arm and turned his force against him, tossing the boy over his shoulder and the line. She felt movement next to her and noticed Katsuki's shocked face at Izuku's win.

"Shinsou is out of bounds!" Midnight declared as the purple-haired boy groaned in pain. "Midoriya advances to the next match!"

"And with that expertly performed throw, we have our first victor of the finals! Class 1-A's Midoriya Izuku!"