(A/N: Formatting reminder: "Dialogue heard through a sound system." ... "PRESENT MIC'S DIALOGUE HEARD THROUGH A SOUND SYSTEM." )
...
"MOVING ON! YOU BETTER BE-LEAF'THISTLE' BE SOMEONE WHO CAN CATCH YOU IN A 'VINE'!"
"Isn't it 'in a bind'? Also, the amount of plant puns is totally unnecessary. Actually, all of the puns are."
"I'M ONLY TRYING TO GIVE SOME ENCOURAGE-MINT!"
"You are the absolute worse."
"NO, I'M NOT~! SAY 'ALOE' TO SHIOZAKI IBARA FROM THE HERO COURSE!"
Purple eyes watched as Shiozaki entered the field while the crowd cheered. Class 1-B's shouts of encouragement were especially loud for their classmate.
She's the one with the Vine Quirk, Hitoshi thought, eyeing the girl who had been one of his team mates during the Cavalry Battle.
"VERSUS…MY MIND IS A BIT FOGGY BUT THIS GUY SEEMS TO BE A BIT OF A MYSTERY SO FAR! HERE TO JOG OUR MEMORY IS SHINSOU HITOSHI FROM GENERAL STUDIES!"
At his introduction, Hitoshi strolled out with his hands in his pockets. Over the noise of the mass of people, he could pick out Izuku and Mei as they screamed their own support for him loud enough for him to hear. Hitoshi was able to find them and give a thumbs up with a smirk. His own Class 1-C, along with 1-D and 1-E, also cheered for him as the sole representative of General Studies in the finals. He raised a hand to them in thanks.
Hitoshi then turned his attention forward, walking leisurely to give him a few more seconds to mentally prepare. He was going to be fighting Shiozaki, a modest girl who seemed nice and all but had a serious 'holier than thou' vibe. She knew about his Quirk and he knew hers.
This is a Mental versus Physical Quirk fight, Hitoshi thought, trying to get into a 'What Would Izuku Do' mindset. Shiozaki's Vines are fast growing and great for defense and capture. For anyone else, getting wrapped up in her vine-like hair would be game over. But Midnight knows of my Brainwashing which means even if I'm captured, I still have a chance.
Both Hitoshi and Shiozaki walked until they were in the ring but still a fair distance from each other. Tired purple eyes stared into dark green ones. He hoped that if he won this fight, and subsequently the others, that he would be looking across the arena at a different pair of green eyes. Friendly eyes.
"READY?"
Not particularly, but what can you do? I need to figure out a way to get her to respond. Maybe I could take a page out of Yamada-sensei's book. Or should I say 'leaf'?
"BEGIN!"
Shinsou Hitoshi VS Shiozaki Ibara
Whelp, here goes nothing.
"Do you have the thyme?" Hitoshi said, hands still his pockets. He didn't even bother trying to use his Quirk just yet. "I need to get somewhere around tree o'clock."
Across the ring, Shiozaki looked at him confused but said nothing. She knew his Quirk required a verbal response. And he knew that she knew. However, it was an obstacle Izuku and he had discussed was one he needed to work on countering anyway. And he had a pun-derful idea he wanted to try out.
"Lettuce do our best, yeah?" Hitoshi quipped further, having a world of plant-based humor to work with. "I'm sure your friends are rooting for you!"
Still confused but starting to look a bit annoyed, Shiozaki took a defense stance.
"Did you know I have a fear of roses?" he asked, gaining a quirked green brow but nothing more. "It's a thorny issue and I'm not sure what it stems from but I'm stuck with it. Bit of a prickly topic you could say."
Pun-fortunately, Shiozaki still said nothing and instead shot her vines towards him. In seconds, Hitoshi was wrapped from the neck down in the green appendages.
"How are you doing?" he asked, not concerned at all by the situation. He noticed her annoyance growing with each pun-ishment he dealt out. "I'm vine, by the way."
A murmur of confusion rolled over the crowd at the sight before them. One student was clearly immobilized by the other's Quirk and yet Midnight was making no move to declare a winner.
Jokes on you! I may not be able to move, but I've still got game.
"Everyone romaine calm!" Hitoshi assured jokingly, loud enough for the crowd to hear. "Good chives only here!"
Ignoring the bewildered audience, he pushed through with his current pun-dertaking as she squeezed her vines tighter in irritation. He was surprised she hadn't tried throwing him out of the ring by now, to be honest. But he could see she was close to a breaking point and started to lace in his Quirk.
"Don't kale my vibe just yet," Hitoshi said, wheezing a bit at the tight grip. "At least let me plant one on ya!"
That apparently was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
"Is this a joke to you?!" Shiozaki yelled at him, clearly frustrated and not thinking clearly.
"Is it not to you?" Hitoshi asked, with Quirked words and a quirked brow.
"No, I…" she responded, only to stop with a blank look on her face with green eyes turning a hollow white as he took control of her mind.
"Gotcha," Hitoshi grinned in triumph. "Now…release me gently from your vines and then walk out of bounds."
Without protest, Shiozaki dutifully followed his orders while the crowd expressed their bewilderment. Guesses and questions about his Quirk were shot back and forth in an attempt to understand this sudden turn of events. Of how the prior clear winner with the upper hand before was now doing exactly what the underdog of the pair told her to do.
"Shiozaki is out of bounds!" Midnight announced with a crack of her whip as the girl crossed the line. "Shinsou will be moving on!"
At the call of his win, Hitoshi walked over to Shiozaki and gently released his holding on her mind. Life came back to her dark green eyes as she looked around in confusion.
"Sorry about that," Hitoshi said, nervously rubbing his neck as she looked down to see she was out. "But you know what my goal is and that I won't go down without a fight."
Shiozaki looked at him appearing a bit dazed still from his brainwashing. But then she smiled and bowed to him slightly.
"Please do not worry, Shinsou-kun," she insisted. "This is a competition and we must all put forth our best efforts to realize our ambitions. I appreciate you approaching this match with the mind to try your hardest."
"Heh, thanks," Hitoshi huffed out, cheeks ever so slightly pink. "Same to you. You grow girl."
"Was that necessary?" Shiozaki asked, letting out a small chuckled that had a hint of a groan at his continued pun-chlines.
"What can I say?" Hitoshi replied with a smirk and a shrug. "I'm a succa for puns"
This earned him another satisfying groan as they left the field together. From the seats above, Hitoshi spotted his friends in the 1-H booth and raised a fist bump up towards them. From afar they returned it and cheered even louder along with 1-C and the other General Studies classes as they shouted about 'Gen Ed Pride'.
"You have very supportive friends, Shinsou-kun," Shiozaki commented, as they enter the tunnel of the stadium heading to be checked over by Recovery Girl.
"Yeah, uh, they're pretty great," Hitoshi replied with a small smile, rubbing his neck again.
Pretty great indeed.
...
"HUH! THAT LAST MATCH HAD ME HYPNOTIZED! WHO KNEW OUR MYSTERY BOY FROM THE LAST MATCH HAD SUCH PUN-TENTIAL?!"
You know it! thought Izuku with a grin. The power of bad jokes is pun-questionable!
"Now you're making puns about puns? Ugh, kill me now."
"AW, DON'T BE SUCH A STICK IN THE MUD, ERASER! IT'S TRADITION NOW AND I GOTTA 'STICK' TO IT!"
"And now the stick joke is back. Great…"
"YOU KNOW YOU SECRETLY LOVE~ IT!"
"Would you just stop and get to the next match already?!"
Woah, he actually snapped at Present Mic.
"RIGHT-O, PARTNER! WHAT'S THIS? I FEEL LIKE I'M LOOKING IN A MIRROR FOR THIS NEXT ONE, FOLKS! FIRST UP, WE HAVE SOMEONE WHO DEFINITELY DOESN'T TAKE LIFE FOR 'GRANITE'! IT'S KIRISHIMA EIJIROU FROM THE HERO COURSE!"
The red head was obviously already frustrated by this match up, clenching his fist and wearing a scowl on his face paired with manly tears.
Kirishima-kun's Hardening is great for offense and defense, especially in close combat. However…
"VERSUS…I'M SURE HE'S NOT TRYING TO 'STEEL' THE OTHER'S LOOK! BUT WE'LL 'IRON' THAT OUT LATER! LET'S HEAR IT FOR TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE!"
The grey-haired teen was also visibly annoyed at having to face the other with such a similar Quirk as his own. Even screaming his frustration out loud.
…Tetsutetsu's Steel basically is good for the exact same thing for the exact same reasons. Their Quirks are different but still very much the same.
"READY? BEGIN!"
Kirishima Eijirou VS Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
At the call to start, both teens hardened their skin with their own respective Quirks and charged towards each other. Kirishima readied his right hand into a rock-like fist while Tetsetetsu did the same with his left into a steel-like one. Their mirrored attacks met in the middle hard as one would expect between a rock and a hard-as-steel place. The point of impact seemed to even spark from the combined power behind their unyielding twinned strikes.
Yeah, that's what I thought. This will be a test of endurance and stamina more than anything else. Though I have a feeling it may end in a draw.
Thinking that this would be a match that would stretch on for a while, Izuku excused himself from the 1-H booth in lieu of something a bit more productive. No offense to Kirishima-kun! But there's something I feel like I need to do. Winding through the maze of tunnels of the stadium, the greenette made his way to the prep rooms in search of Uraraka. She was going up against Katsuki next and he wanted to show his support.
Ha! Support from Support!
Soon he found the prep rooms but wasn't sure which one of the two Uraraka was in. Cautiously, he approached one of the doors and listened for any signs of life inside. Upon hearing a few small explosion noises, Izuku internally declared a firm 'nope' and made for the other door. From the outside, he could hear two voices within as he politely knocked.
"Come in," Uraraka's voice called out and so Izuku opened the door and entered. "Oh, hey, Mido. What's up?"
"Ah, Midoriya-kun, what brings you here?" Iida asked with jerky hand movements. "Also, what is it with Hatsume-san? I thought we were friends!"
"I-I already talked to Mei-chan about that and she'll apologize to you later, Iida-kun," Izuku answered and then focused on Uraraka. "You're going up against Katsuki and I-I wanted to check on you before your match."
Uraraka smiled at him and was about to respond when Iida interjected, "Surely, there is no need to worry. He may be a brut in a fight but wouldn't use his full power against a female opponent, rig-?"
"What does her being a girl have to do with it?" Izuku snapped a little harsher than he meant to, shutting the taller boy up with a shocked look. Uraraka sat there stunned into silence as well. "Uraraka-san is just as strong as he is and her gender has nothing to do with it. Are you saying you would disrespect a classmate by going easy on them just because they were a girl?"
It was ridiculous to him. Whether you were one gender or another or anything in between does not mark one strong or weak. That way of thinking made him angry. It was similar to how society viewed having a 'strong' Quirk versus a 'weak' Quirk or in his case no Quirk at all. To determine someone's strength, and subsequently their worth, by the lottery known as genetics was ludicrous!
"Mido, it's ok," Uraraka assured him, having gotten up from her seat during his rant. "He didn't mean anything by it." She brought her upset friend into a hug. "Right, Iida?"
"O-of course," Iida said, looking a bit ashamed of himself. "I hold great esteem for all my classmates and meant no such disrespect. I apologize for my ignorance." He finished with a stiff bow as is signature Iida.
"See, Mido?" Uraraka said as she pushed away from him slightly and brushed a few stray hairs out of his face. "No harm, no foul."
"R-right, sorry for blowing up at you, Iida-kun," Izuku said, wiping a few frustrated tears away. "I just…to judge others by something out of their control…hits too close to home for me."
Iida and Uraraka shared a look and then turned back to him with expressions of understanding. Uraraka pulled him into a hug again and Iida placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. It was during moments like these that Izuku really appreciated being in UA. Having the support of friends is amazing.
Heh! Now it's support for Support!
Giving one last squeeze, Izuku pulled away from the hug. "A-anyway, as for Katsuki, he won't hold back. Actually, I don't think he even knows how to as he never did when we were growing up. His Explosion Quirk is strong and he has the fighting skills to match…"
The other two paled a little as he spoke.
"…but you are strong too, Uraraka-san."
The brunette looked at him in awe as he gingerly grasped the back of her hands and turned them palms up. He marveled at the pink pads on her fingers, finding them every bit as interesting as he does with all Quirk related features. The sheer number of different characteristics that form in relation to the functionality of Quirks was just so fascinating.
"Zero Gravity is a strong quirk and I know from seeing you fight that you use it well," Izuku continued, green eyes looking sincerely into auburn ones. "You're also smart and determined and I have every confidence that whatever plan you come up with will be great. I do have an idea myself, but I will only share it if you want me to. Because I believe you can do this."
Throughout his little speech, tears started to build up in Uraraka's eyes and the dam burst at the end as she threw her arms around Izuku's neck, bringing him into a hug for the third time as he wrapped his arms around as well. Iida was not immune either and was tearing up at his words but did nothing more as to not interrupt their little moment.
"Thank you," she whispered before pulling back and wiping away a few tears. "For everything you said. I appreciate your offer, but I think this is something I should do on my own. You're amazing and super smart and strong and kind. Which is why I teamed up with you during the cavalry battle. But I won't always be able to rely on my friends in a fight and need to learn to rely on myself."
Uraraka had started to walk to the door as she spoke and paused before it.
"Everyone is doing their best and fighting for their future," she declared with her back to them. "Including me. I'm going to go out there and give it my all. So…"
Taking a deep breath, she turned around with a determined look and held a thumbs up to her friends.
"…I'll see you in the finals."
With that, she opened the door and held it open in a silent signal for them to leave so she could finish preparing for the match alone. Izuku stood there a bit stunned by her strong will and character before shaking himself out of his stupor with a smile. Understanding her quiet request for some alone time, Iida and Izuku took their leave and left the prep room together, heading back to their respective class areas.
Mei greeted Izuku at his return as he sat down next to her which he returned and then turned his attention to the ongoing match. Down below, Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were still at it, throwing punch after punch at each other. Never letting up or going easy on the other. Izuku figured they must be exhausted if they both had been going all out like that this entire time. Which turned out to be true as after a final twinned blow of right hardened fists against left hardened cheeks, they both collapsed to the ground.
"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT? WITH SUCH SIMILAR QUIRKS, THESE TWO HAD A SCORE TO 'METAL' AND NOW SEEMED TO HAVE HIT ROCK BOTTOM AT THE SAME TIME! ARE THEY BOTH KO'D?!"
Midnight entered the ring to assess the situation before announcing, "Both are down! This match is a draw! Since this is a tie, we will determine the winner with an arm wrestling match once they recover!"
Called it! In a head-to-head fight, their Quirks are so similar it basically like fighting a copy of yourself. But they certainly fought with passion. Manly passion as Kirishima-kun would say.
With both opponents of the seventh match down for the count, they were carted off to Recovery Girl. Up next would be Uraraka against Katsuki. Izuku knew he wouldn't pull back and would fight with all his strength. That's just the kind of person he is. Izuku worried for Uraraka having to go against him, but he meant it when he said he believed in her. He had no idea what she had planned but he looked forward to whatever she came up with.
...
"LET'S PUT THAT LAST TRACK ON PAUSE FOR NOW AND MOVE ON TO THE EIGHTH MATCH! STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE AND SELF DECLARED FUTURE WINNER OF THE WHOLE SHE-BANG! IT'S BAKUGOU KATSUKI FROM THE HERO COURSE!"
Of course, I'm gonna be the winner in the end, Katsuki thought to himself as he entered the arena. He may have come in second in the first round and third in the next, but in these final matches, he would be the one to finish in first in the end.
"VERSUS…SHE MAY SEEM LIKE THE UNDERDOG IN THIS MATCHUP BUT DON'T FALL FOR THAT! SHE CAN BE QUITE THE UPLIFTING PERSON! GIVE IT UP FOR URARAKA OCHAKO ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE!"
Across the ring came one of the brunette extras in Katsuki's class. One of the strong ones.
Oh, so I'm up against Round-Face, huh? Ura…something. What was her Quirk again?
Judging by the irritating yet insightful puns from Present Mic, Katsuki remembered it had something to do with gravity. It also was activated by her hands which means he'll have to keep her at a distance. But that shouldn't be a problem with his Explosion Quirk.
"You're the floaty one, right?" Katsuki called out, hands in his pockets. "The one who messes around with gravity, huh, Pink Cheeks?"
"Pink Cheeks?!" she squeaked. "My name is Uraraka! Do you really not know that? We're classmates!"
"Whatever," he replied with a click of his tongue. Her name didn't matter to him. Only the fight mattered and him winning against someone using their full strength. "If you're gonna just give up in the end, save us all the waste of time and do it now. 'Cause holding back isn't a part of my vocabulary and I don't want to suffer through a half-assed fight."
Like that damn Half-and-Half bastard has been doing so far.
Round-Face didn't answer and readied herself in a defensive stance. Katsuki's brow quirked up ever so slightly, whether from intrigue or annoyance he didn't know. But if the look of fierce determination on her face was a match to her strength, this fight could prove to be interesting after all.
"READY? BEGIN!"
Uraraka Ochako VS Bakugou Katsuki
At the call of start, Pink Cheeks came running straight at Katsuki, yammering that giving up wasn't an option. Good. That means she was going to fight hard. Judging by her low stance and readied hands, she planned to come in low and fast in an effort to try and affect him with her Quirk.
Like I'd let that happen.
Katsuki removed his hands from his pockets and readied his right for an attack. By keeping his hands in his pockets in the heat of the day, he was able to produce a preemptive layer of the nitroglycerin-like sweat that was a part of his Quirk.
"And now…" he said, readying the spark within his palm as he reared his arm back. "…you die."
As soon as Round-Face got too close, Katsuki swept his arm forward as his sweat ignited and blasted the extra away. A bright flash of light was quickly smothered by a cloud of black smoke. A move that obstructed his vision but he wasn't worried. It was a side effect of his explosions and a hurdle that he had a lot of experience dealing with. But Floaty Girl on the other hand did not.
From the crowd of extras, he could hear some of them griping about how he was being too rough and harsh against a girl. At this, Katsuki scowled. He already knew Pink Cheeks was strong which is why he even called her that in the first place. Same with Frog-Face, Racoon Eyes, Earphone Jack-Ass, Ponytail, and Invisi-bitch. He knew they were all strong and deserved to be in the Hero Course. Being a girl had nothing to do with their strength.
So, what the fuck are they griping about?
"If that's all you've got, then you should have dropped out when you could!" Katsuki yelled, shifting his stance and readying for another explosion. From within the smoke, he spotted Gravity Girl's uniform in the haze. Gotcha. "You have no chance in hell of beating me!"
He swung another explosion-charged sweep at his target and pushing her into the ground. Only to find that all he had blasted was Pink Cheek's damn jacket!
Fuck! A decoy? I hate to admit it but that was smart. Dammit! Where the fuck did she go?
"HOLY SMOKES, FOLKS! LOOKS LIKE URARAKA HAD A 'SP-ACE' UP HER SLEEVE AND USED A DECOY! AND BAKUGOU FELL FOR IT LIKE AN APPLE FROM A TREE!"
The hairs on the back of Katsuki's neck rose and was the only warning he had. On instinct, he spun around and blasted Round-Face away from him. Bits of rock from the arena floor rained down due to his explosion being so close to the ground.
Damn, that was close. She's fast and seems to actually have more than two braincells. Unlike that discount Pikachu. This fight might be harder than I thought.
"WHAT DISTUR-BANG-LY INTENSE REACTION TIME! DESPITE THE DISTRACTION, BAKUGOU MANAGED TO COUNTER HER SNEAK ATTACK!"
With another explosion had come more smoke, but Katsuki knew Ura-something was on the other side. Still in bounds apparently as Midnight hadn't announced his victory. But not for long. He swiped the air to clear the smoke as Floaty Girl readied her stance before coming at him once more.
"BUT THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO WEIGH HER DOWN AS SHE'S CHARGING IN AGAIN!"
Not to be outdone, Katsuki swept a crackling hand across the ground while yelling, "Too slow!"
Larger chunks of debris shot through the air in tandem with the blast that once again blew Ura-whatever back. More smoke obscured his vision and he again lost sight of his target.
"Think again!" the extra's voice called from behind him.
Once more, Katsuki aimed another low swung explosion at her, further tearing the arena floor apart. Over and over, they danced around like this. Pink Cheeks running towards him or coming from behind only to be forced back by his repeated outbursts.
"IT'S OBVIOUS THAT BETWEEN FIGHT OR FLIGHT, URARAKA HAS FIRMLY CHOSEN FIGHT! SHE'S A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH AS SHE CONTINUES TO 'SPACE' THINGS UP!"
Charge. Blast. Blow back. Repeat.
"BUT BAKUGOU IS STILL SPARKING OUR INTEREST WITH HIS CONTINUING ONSLAUGHT! HE'S A WHIZ-BANG WITH THOSE BLASTS THAT HE FIRES OFF IN A-BURN-DANCE! IT'S FULL ON WAR-FLARE DOWN THERE!"
She's still here, Katsuki thought as he panted from exertion as he threw another explosion her way. Still standing. Still fighting. Uraraka…you are strong.
Then some idiot extra in the crowd started heckling him. The fuck? The dumbass carped about how someone should stop the fight. That it was too rough and he was toying with her. That he was a bully? Oh hell no. How he should just end the fight if he was so strong. But he was strong, that wasn't the issue. It was that Uraraka was strong too. That moron and the others around him who were now booing Katsuki didn't know jackshit.
The blonde once again got into a defensive stance as the brunette across from him did the same. Katsuki's arms were shaking ever so slightly from having produced so many explosions in a short amount of time. But he didn't care. In fact, he was just getting started.
The arena was a mess, broken in bits and scorched from his blasts. Because of her. She's earned his acknowledgement. Like Kirishima had in the Cavalry Battle. She was strong. A worthy opponent. Skilled in battle. Had definitely given him a challenging fight. She was no extra.
"We're not done yet…" Katsuki growled as he stared fiercely at the not-so-extra who returned the look in kind. "…Uraraka."
...
"WHAT'S THIS? THE CROWD IS NOW BOOING AT BAKUGOU!"
Izuku was seething in his seat as Mei tried to calm him down. Someone in the crowd had whipped a large amount of people into a booing frenzy. All because they thought that Katsuki should go easy on Uraraka just because she was a girl.
"Mei-chan, do you still have your mic?" Izuku asked, glaring at the heckling mob.
"No, it's packed up," Mei answered. "Why?"
"I was hoping to call out some idiots," Izuku replied.
If she did have her mic with her then he would have done it too. But Aizawa and his abhorrence for stupidity came to save the situation.
"Who is the one that started this uproar?! Are you a Pro? If you are and are being serious, then I'd suggest you leave now and consider finding a different profession."
The crowd quieted down and those in the epicenter of the mob were looking aghast.
"The fact is that the severity of Bakugou's attacks and his fierceness is because he acknowledges his opponent's strength. Uraraka has fought her way to where she is just as he did. His caution is a sign that he recognizes her as a worthy opponent. He knows she deserves to be here and that he can't be careless in this fight or hold anything back. Doing everything he can to keep her at bay as his goal is clearly to come out on top."
The standard Aizawa bluntness was exactly what was needed to school those who had foolishly underestimated Uraraka. Izuku would very much like to thank the man later for defending his friend so intensely. Maybe get him a coffee or something.
"Next time, take the time to observe and fully understand the situation before talking out of your ass."
And that is what I'd call a verbal mic drop.
Down below, Izuku could see through the wisps of smoke that Katsuki was readying for another charge from Uraraka. But instead of running forward as she had done on repeat for the majority of the fight, she stayed on her side of the ring as she raised her hands before her. Positioning them the same way she does when she deactivates her Quirk.
"What is she…?" Izuku muttered to himself, scouring the scene for a sign of what she could possibly be 'releasing'.
"Up there!" Mei called out with a grin, pointing to a spot above the stadium. It didn't take her Zoom Quirk to see what she was talking about.
Woah…this was even better than my strategy!
Floating in the patch of sky above the arena was an abundance of debris that looked like an asteroid field. Seeing it now, Izuku mentally berated himself for not noticing sooner. Throughout this whole fight, Uraraka had stayed low with her attacks and in doing so forced Katsuki's explosions to be aimed down to counter. There by breaking the floor of the ring and inadvertently giving his opponent weapons she could use.
I knew you could do it, Uraraka-san!, Izuku thought as his friend's padded fingers pressed together and the large cluster of rocks began to fall.
"HOLY CRAP! IT'S A METEOR SHOWER!"
It was an amazing strategy albeit it a self-sacrificing one. But a killer move none the less. For anyone else, the sheer amount of debris falling towards them would be overwhelming and cause panic. Keep them busy either dodging or counterattacking long enough for Uraraka to get close and use her Quirk. It was improvised and smart and seemed like a guaranteed win. Except…
BOOM!
…this was against Katsuki.
In a flash of explosion and a blast of fire power, Katsuki had managed to render the barrage attack completely useless in just one shot. Holy crap… It was the biggest explosion the blonde had let off yet. Uraraka was blown back along with the improvised weapons. The blast was so powerful that the rush of air from it even reached the stands, blowing everyone's hair and clothing into a frenzy.
In the ring, Uraraka was slowly sitting up as the figure of Katsuki gradually became visible as the resulting smoke from his attack dissipated. Tiny bits of rock fell here and there being all that remained of her improvised weapons. From the sheer intensity of his explosion, the blonde's still outstretch arm had tendrils of smoke emanating from his hand and was shaking slightly from the exertion of such a strong blast. Uraraka was clearly horrified at the sight of him still standing after demolishing all her hard work in one fell swoop.
"HOLY GUACAMOLE! THAT LAST BLAST WAS SO LOUD I BET EVEN THE LISTENERS UP IN SAP-PYRO COULD HEAR IT! IS THAT SAITAMA IN DISGUISE DOWN THERE 'CAUSE HOW ELSE COULD HE BLOW URARAKA'S SECRET PLAN TO SMITHERINES IN ONE SHOT?!"
Despite being visibly exhausted, Izuku and those around him gasped as Uraraka shakily pushed herself up. Her fierce need to not give up powered past her exhaustion as she stood up and steeled herself to endure. Katsuki smirked, clearly pleased with her resolve to keep fighting, and charged towards her to continue the match.
But it didn't. Everyone watched as the blonde stopped his advance as Uraraka's fatigue overwhelmed her. From the combined effort of running, dodging, and using her Quirk to such a prolonged length in time and intense amount, the strain on her body proved to be too much to continue as she collapsed to the ground.
"URARAKA IS DOWN!"
The stadium was eerily quiet as Midnight held up a hand to signal to stop fighting as she moved to check on the downed student. Uraraka, to her credit, was still trying to crawl her way forward despite clearly being incapacitated.
"Uraraka has been KO'd and is unable to continue," the R-Rated Hero announced as a pair of medical robots came out with a stretcher. "Bakugou will advance to the second round!"
...
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Notes extension: post/638227193384845312/chapter-45-sports-festival-boom-goes-the