phoenix: They'll get more and more brave. My babies.

HOLAA913: Kidnapping would be so fun to write. But hmm, will that happen? Maybe not? You'll have to wait and see.

kailaxavier33: No romance in this one between anybody.


Ahhh! I'm so sorry! I thought I posted this chapter but I didn't! It's so late and now all of my stories will be one day later. Fuck, I'm so sorry.


The next morning, there was no school and the only thing on the news was about the USJ incident. Luckily, none of the students' names or faces were leaked. None of them wanted that at all. It was the weekend now, and so Ace and Luffy spent it on an empty and dry baseball field. Luffy was making his compressed air bombs with Ace's flames inside. Hey, it was a new move, so a bit hard to control.

But like everything else, he was a fast learner. The smaller the bomb the bigger the blast. They decimated the ground, burn marks all over the sand. They weren't damaging anything else though, so nobody could complain much, and there was nobody around either.

They put rocks in the balls, which were like little tupperware containers until Luffy wanted them to close up. Finally, his quirk could be a long distance type. And Ace was happy for him, even if he was a bit jealous. But, their teamwork with it made the bombs stronger and more destructive. The more flames in the smaller ball the bigger the blast.

He could put anything in his surroundings inside, which were incredibly helpful. They put household objects in it, and it worked with water as well. For this part, they went to the beach, Gunhead insisting they text him every hour for him to know they were okay. Two texts that would vibrate in his pocket and tell him they were fine, three if they weren't.

For this part, Luffy filled various sizes of balls with gasoline, and threw them at the same time Ace shot flame, causing huge explosions as fire clung to the spraying drops of gasoline. In the pockets that Luffy had in his suit, he would store nails, a little bottle of gasoline and premade bombs from he and Ace. They didn't seem to activate when he held them, even if he accidentally squeezed too hard.

That weekend had great progress in honing that attack and incorporating Ace's with it. When school started, everyone was excited to be back, and Ace and Luffy were in a great mood. Midoriya asked them what they were so happy about, and Ace explained that they'd made great improvement of control with Luffy's new move.

"Putting gasoline in the balls and making them explode with blast a fire following from Ace created a huge explosion. It was awesome. And he can compress them without anything in them, but they just are shocking. They made loud pops that were uncomfortably loud when close. The bigger the ball, the louder the pop," Luffy explained.

"Wow! That's amazing," Uraraka said, and Luffy smiled a shy smile. Bakugo made his signature, "Che" noise.

They were all talking amongst themselves, mostly about the news coverage and luck that they had teachers at the USJ attack to protect them. Ace and Luffy were glad both of them had not been seen. They were hiding when they attacked the main force. The warp guy that appeared in front of them suddenly barely had time to see them before they made a bomb and tossed inside of him. Hopefully they wouldn't recognize the two.

After all, out of everyone, they got in the main villains' way the most. Aizawa surprised everyone by being the teacher so soon, wrapped in bandages head to toe, even over his face with both arms in slings.

But he told everyone that the U.A. sports festival was soon. Most got excited, while Ace and Luffy hoped he explained it more. There was none at their first year of school, apparently every two years for junior high. But the others expressed worry about having something like that after the villains easily got into the USJ. It was an obvious worry that dampened the mood completely.

"Don't worry. Apparently they see this as a way for U.A. to show that our crisis management system is solid rock by holding the event. Security will also be strengthened five times more than the previous year. What is it Luffy?" he asked when Luffy raised his hand.

"Don't you think it's a little selfish of the school to hold a big event like that after USJ for the students who are uneasy or still scared about what happened?" he asked, seeing the reaction in Mineta.

Aizawa said, "That's why the event is not being held right away. Anyway, it's important and a big chance for students to show their skill. It's not an event to be canceled over a few villains." Apparently the U.A. sports event was one of the biggest events in the whole country. After the olympics weren't popular anymore, the sports festival was the new version.

Ace remembered that day. Gunhead had told them they should watch it, but Ace had been sick and Luffy hadn't left his side, back then they hadn't had the TV in their room, so they missed it.

"Of course the top heroes around the country will be watching, scouting for talented young heroes." They were told that this was a big opportunity, and to take it as an advantage to go somewhere in life.

"One chance a year, a total of three chances. No aspiring hero can miss this event. If you understand that, don't lack in your preparations!"

"Yes, sir!"

Later in class, everybody was gushing and talking about the event while Midoriya explained what it was like. Different activities using their powers every year, while each year had a fighting competition to weed out the weaker ones to make it to the top. Ace and Luffy grinned at each other.

"Let's take both top spots and then fight each other! That sounds so fun," Luffy said, eyes bright. Ace nodded in agreement, saying they could also incorporate their fighting skills. "It'd be safest to fight each other since my flames can't hurt you, so I won't slip up!"

"And any bombs I throw won't kill you, either," Luffy replied. Some others were listening and just were amused by their mindsets. And also that they made sure they wouldn't hurt one another severely. Sure, bruises were expected. Well, they had Recovery Girl if something went wrong. Bakugo told them, "There's no fucking way you'll both take the top spots."

Ashido said, "I don't know, Bakugo. They scored highest on the entrance exam, got more points in the battle simulation. Not to mention all the times they beat you in junior high without using their quirks."

"Shut up! I'll kill you!" Bakugo shouted, making some laugh.

Ace said, "Well, if we don't place the top spot, hopefully it will be fun." Luffy nodded in agreement. Jiro asked if they would take it seriously. "Who says we can't take it seriously without having fun?" The others were quiet before they agreed. If they were going to lose anyways, why not make an impression and good memories while doing so?

Then Uraraka suddenly got serious and creepy. "I'll do my best!" she roared angrily. The others halfheartedly agreed, not knowing why she was acting like this. Ace shrugged when Luffy looked over.

Ace and Luffy left with Midoriya when he asked her why she wanted to be a hero. "Remember, she said she wanted to do it for money," Ace reminded him. When they were having lunch that day what felt like years ago.

She looked awkward. "It sounds bad. You all sound so wholesome with your goals. I want to help my parents, whose construction company is not making any money at all. We're flat broke. I want to help them however I can."

Ace said, "Well I don't think that's a bad reason. You still want to be a hero, just one specifically for your parents, right?" She looked at him and nodded, wearing a small smile. She swore to do her very best.

"Thank you for putting it that way," she said with a smile. "Now I don't feel so bad. A personal hero!" The others nodded encouragingly. Ace and Luffy turned around when they found All Might's presence rushing over.

"Young Midoriya is here! And young Ace and Luffy! Want to eat lunch with me?" he asked in a way that they probably couldn't decline. But Ace and Luffy didn't expect themselves to come as well. They said goodbye to Iida and Uraraka and followed All Might to the teacher's lounge. Ace and Luffy looked to their friend, who also had no idea why they were included.

When they sat down, he spoke immediately to Ace and Luffy. "So, you two figured out our secret?" They awkwardly nodded. "And you won't tell anyone else?" They shook their heads.

Luffy said, "We don't really care about the reason. It's not our business. We just want you to train him so he doesn't hurt himself anymore. And not gamble on his safety like you did with the battle simulation." He said it firmly and with a hard look. Midoriya looked like he hadn't known it had upset them so much.

All Might admitted that he had let it go on too long, and that he was incredibly injured by the end. Ace scolded Midoriya for being too aggressive and desperate. The green haired look down. "We know you can do it, just don't go past your known limits. Hurting yourself will dim your reaction time and distract you with the pain."

"I know…" he said meekly.

The teacher started to steam and they stood up. "Wait, young Ace and Luffy. How did you know I was growing weaker?"

Ace and Luffy said nothing for a moment. "We'd rather not share that. Excuse us," Ace said and they left the room.

They hurried to the cafeteria to sit with their friends. "What was that about?" Uraraka asked.

Ace said, "He had some questions, but it was mostly to talk to Midoriya. Don't know what they were talking about, though. Look, he can't get mad, we bought something a dollar more than last time." Luffy nodded, and they ate their lunch, talking leisurely about how the four of them would train for the event.

Iida asked, "What will you do if you are both at the top?"

Luffy replied, "There's little chance of one of us defeating the other, so probably to get one of us out of the ring. But, I'm happy to get second place as long as we're at the top. It'll be fun, people shouldn't be so serious. Do hero agencies want boring people or capable ones that are charismatic? I know which I'd choose."

Iida said that if he lost, he'd be rooting for them both the most. They thanked him with grins. Then they talked about how they'd be practicing. "I think endurance training would be the best. Running and jumping. There's bound to be a race." Uraraka said that was a good point.

When school was ending that day, they couldn't get out because a swarm of other students were blocking the exit. They couldn't get out of the classroom. Iida asked why they were there. It looked like there would be a confrontation. If there was, they'd rather not be a part of it. They wouldn't show their personalities or quirks if they were going to be fighting these kids.

Bakugo was right when he said they were scouting for them, trying to see their weaknesses. But Bakugo wasn't friendly to others, (which wasn't a new development) and started insulting them, making them all look bad.

"C'mon, let's go, Lu. This isn't gonna look good," Ace commented. They both got their bags and Ace climbed onto Luffy's back, and they slid down an air ramp and to outside, going to walk around the building to leave.

-x-

The next two weeks Ace and Luffy divided their time. One week to spar with Gunhead as hard as they could, as he really wanted them to do well, would be so proud and happy for them. "I already know you'll both be great heroes, and not just from your quirks. So show the world the kind of people you are."

That inspired them to do their absolute best to get to number one and number two. Even if they didn't know about their relationship, the two wanted to make their guardian proud of them. And have fun, too. So one week of endurance and fighting, the other for their quirks.

The day the festival did come, most of the class was nervous, but Luffy and Ace were excited, both cheering each other on. "You better make it to the top with me. Then I'll battle the ultimate opponent!" Ace said firmly.

Luffy grinned. "You think you'll beat me? How haunty, Fire Pants," he joked. They started laughing. Mineta demanded to know why they were so upbeat and not nervous. "Well, would being nervous do anything to help us?" he asked. The class was silent. "Besides, only one of us needs to win for it to be a victory. Because that will show that both of us are in the right direction!"

He and Ace gave high fives. Nobody attempted to burst their bubble, knowing they'd deflect it and nothing would change. Then Iida slammed the door open, asking if they were ready and that they were about to go out. Ace and Luffy both rushed out excitedly, hearing complaints from the others about being jealous.

When they heard to go from Present Mic, Ace and Luffy ran out before everybody else, looking around at the crowd in awe, bright grins on their faces. "This is gonna be so awesome," Ace said. The other students walked out regally, not nearly as enthusiastic.

The other classes came out, and still no one was as enthusiastic as the twins were. They would win on enthusiasm if that was one of the contests. Once all of the first years were gathered, Midnight was on a stand, and declared it was time for the player pledge. "Representing the students is Luffy from class 1-A!" Ace pat his back. Luffy wasn't nervous at all. He was the top performer at the entrance exam, so he was the one to speak.

Luffy walked up the stage grinning and stood at the microphone. "We might all have different backgrounds, and different quirks, but we're all here for the same reason! To be heroes! So watch us all do our best to climb to the top!" and he thrust a fist into the air, beaming. Everyone in the audience erupted into cheers. Then he turned around. "All my fellow first years! We're all gonna do our very best no matter how it competes with everyone else! Shine in your own way!" and even they cheered.

The crowd loved Luffy apparently and he walked off the stage to stand with Ace, giving high fives. Mineta demanded how they can be so positive and how he wasn't nervous at all. They just winked at him.

Midnight spoke through the cheers of the crowd and told them some not so encouraging things, like that they drown in tears here, and then dramatically had a screen announce what the first activity was. An obstacle course!

"Yes!" Ace and Luffy said. "Told you the endurance training would be good!" Ace said. "You better not fall behind."

"No way," Luffy replied.

Midnight told them that the school was about freedom, and as long as they stayed on the course, they could do whatever they wanted. Soon the entire group of first years stood in front of one gate. Ace and Luffy had been the first to get there, the only one running, so they were directly in the front, bouncing on their toes.

"Start!" and Ace and Luffy were already sprinting faster than any normal person could while the others were struggling to just get out of the crowd. Then Todoroki came out freezing the ground and stopping all of them. But he wasn't near the front yet, he'd lost precious seconds. Then more of their class followed. The two were past the first obstacle already, Luffy forming air steps and running over the bots like the ones they'd easily destroyed during the entrance exam. Ace turned himself into flames and burst through the cracks. He left them perfectly intact.

"Nice!"

"You too, bro!" They cheered for each other. Luffy changed his power into a slide and slid above Ace, laughing.

"I told you this would be fun!" he said before he started running again. Running on hardened air for him was like running on a road or dirt. Not slippery or wobbly. He could only see them from above though. So always from his perspective. They heard ice from behind.

"Oh, Todoroki is on his way! They lost precious seconds from stopping those bots!" Ace called, and they were at the next obstacle. They could both hear Present Mic and Aizawa talking about them, the first two. They were the most enthusiastic and friendly ones of his class. They strived to be a duo and also did their best to make little damage and inconvenience others and themselves, which was why they passed the bots without doing a thing.

"They're close, and if one of them wins, they both win," Aizawa said in a bored voice. Ace and Luffy grinned, before Ace turned into fire and Luffy blasted air behind him so he could slide quickly along the air, him and Ace competing for who could be fastest.

Nobody seemed to notice the small balls Luffy was leaving behind all over the battlefield. They could hear loud popping and screams, Luffy laughing. The next instance was easy for them. Luffy just kept running over the ravine while Ace went as fire, though he burnt the ropes that connected them to one another, dooming the students without really meaning to.

"Ace, you're mean! You burnt the ropes!"

"You're the one planting bombs!"

They both laughed, not out of breath and keeping up a near lead, almost tied. Luffy was still blasting air behind him to push himself forward. Nobody was close to getting to them as they completely bypassed each obstacle.

When they arrived at the minefield, Luffy laughed at Ace. "See you at the finish line!"

"Oh, no you don't!" he shouted and closed his eyes to enhance his haki, bouncing from one tiny safe spot to the next, not causing any to explode. Luffy was still ahead, but Ace was close behind. He heard Present Mic shouting about how expertly Ace was avoiding them, though he didn't see his eyes were closed. He turned back into fire and was on his way, though Luffy was way before.

"I'm gonna win~" Luffy teased loudly as he sped forward. "Hey, Ace! There are gonna be some big booms soon!" Ace gasped, and asked if he had planted shock bombs. "Yup! And disturbance to the ground and they all go off! Hahaha!" Luffy bragged proudly.

Very soon, huge explosions were going off, throwing everyone into chaos. Present Mic asked what was going on. "Luffy can create air bombs. He most likely left empty ones that reacted to any movement, and they all went off when one went off, causing a chain event with all the mines. It also wasn't noticeable at first but Ace's fire burnt many of the ropes, stalling the others. They may not be using their quirks flashily, but definitely efficiently," he explained.

It was only a few more seconds before both of them cleared the finish line, Luffy doing a flip from his high step and onto the ground. They high fived each other. "Nice! That was awesome!" They put their fists in the air and the crowd cheered loudly.

They went to be even flashier and Luffy threw bombs in the air like fireworks, going off on a timer and leaving small pops before they disappeared.

"And the twins come first, spending nearly no energy! They're still primed perfectly for the next activity! That's their signature thing, raising one another up to be the best they can be!" Present Mic shouted. Then he went back to commentating on the others, who were having an intense time it seemed.

When they heard Midoriya was holding his own, the twins started cheering for him. When he came out first from the other two who had been after them, he was exhausted. Ace and Luffy hugged him, and carried him, putting him in the air. Cheers were made and Luffy sent up more bombs, going completely overboard, but having the time of their lives.

"Good job!" Luffy cheered once they put him down. He nodded, though he looked exhausted.

They heard angry explosions from behind and saw Bakugo there, looking rabid. He wasn't first place, but fifth place. Apparently his ego was still sensitive and now he was grumpy. Todoroki just looked bored, not too angry.

The scores were put out but Ace and Luffy had tied. Luffy went up to Midnight, and said he'd take second place since they were tied. He didn't say it upset either. He jumped back down to Ace and said, "Well, neither of us won. Just wait till we make it to the top two. Then we'll see." Ace grinned and nodded. "I wonder what's next."

First was Ace, then Luffy, then Midoriya, then Todoroki, and then Bakugo. The top two were way ahead and the second three had Midoriya win. Ace and Luffy skated through easily and with almost no effort. It was good for them, not wasting much of their stamina, which didn't run out quickly at all.

Midnight was talking about the next activity, and said it would be hard for them. Pretty much terrible. Ace and Luffy grinned, blue and green eyes sparkling. After a bit more dramatics, the next game was announced. A cavalry battle. They didn't know what it meant but an image popped up on the screen and she explained that it was teams that formed two to four players. Then she looked at Ace and Luffy with a sneaky look.

"But there's one difference. Some are worth more points than others, which are based on the results of the obstacle course." She looked at them like they should be worried, but when it showed Ace was worth 10 million, they gasped and grinned. It was a knee jerk reaction. Hearing the word "worth" when it accompanied either of them made them so happy.

The rest of the first years looked at Ace and Luffy darkly. "Bring it on!" Ace said, unafraid at all. The second after it was done being explained, where they had headbands to take from the person on the top, Ace and Luffy looked at each other and headed to get their desired team members.

Todoroki was first. "Be with us. We can make steam bombs with you and we can take the headband without anybody noticing," Ace said confidently.

"Sure," he said. "Sounds like a solid plan." Then Luffy went to get Kaminari.

"We were a great team at USJ. Be with me Ace and Todoroki. It would be awesome," Luffy said. Kaminari grinned, thinking it was a great idea. The two of them hurried to the other two and they began their planning. "So, you know how we rushed into the steam at USJ without being able to see? We have really good senses. We'll know where everyone is in the steam, and Ace can guide us all.

"I can dodge anyone trying to take my head band. While we're in the steam, Todoroki can freeze those we pass so they can't come after us. Kaminari will lend me the electricity we can use as a distraction," Luffu explained. "We should try and get everybody's headbands."

Todoroki said, "That's overachieving a bit, isn't it?" Kaminari was all for it.

Ace said that they wanted to look good, right? The world was watching. "They won't see us through the steam, though," Kaminari pointed out.

"There will be breaks between the steam bombs so we can show we have more headbands. In the end, we can do it obviously. So stealthy but flashy at the same time. And who knows what would happen if we got all of them?" Ace asked. "Besides, even keeping one of ours or Todoroki's, we're still gonna pass. We just need to shine, right? And teamwork is attractive to agencies. Seeing us work together would be a great opportunity."

Todoroki and Kaminari were all for this plan. They had ten minutes left until the battle started. "Now, let's start it," Luffy said and pulled his shirt off as they filled it with fire bombs, plenty of steam bombs, electric bombs and fakes. They had more than enough and also some stuffed in his pockets and the other two. "We're gonna win. We can do it." The other two nodded. Luffy hid his shirt in his arms so nobody knew what was up besides possibly Jiro. "Follow where Ace goes, okay? Trust each other."

They were all ready.

They got into position once the fifteen minutes were up, and the moment it started, Luffy threw a steam bomb with more fire than ice to last longer onto the ground. Ace raced through the mist that only lasted ten seconds and Luffy swiped headbands like no tomorrow. He threw lighting at the confused ones and Todoroki froze them in place.

They'd used four bombs and had gotten five headbands, all wrapped around Luffy's neck. Present Mic had no idea what happened or how to commentate as five groups were frozen to the ground, unable to move.

"Oh! Team Luffy has six headbands! What happened!?" The other teams looked at them, and all of them but Todokori grinned.

Luffy threw a fire bomb in the air to distract them and then slammed another steam bomb down, Ace spirited to the outside groups and Luffy snatched from their heads, not even using his power. A swipe was made at him but he ducked in time, taking three more headbands.

"Oh! They've done it again! What is that mist? What's going on?!" Present Mic shouted. Now Luffy had them tied up to his eyes. Nine out of twelve were theirs.

Aizawa got it. "Luffy is making compressed air bombs with different substances in it. Steam is from Ace's fire and Todoroki's ice. They're stunning with bombs full of Kaminari's electricity. If this goes on any longer there will need to be another competition to see how it moves on. Then Todoroki keeps them from following by freezing them down. Their teamwork is impeccable." The crowd cheered.

"But how can they see through their own steam?!"

Aizawa said he wasn't sure. Well, everyone knew now, so Luffy slammed more steam down, then a fire in one direction to herd them inwards, snatching headbands right and left as Ace moved them expertly through the groups. They made it to Midoriya's. "Sorry!" Luffy said as he snatched Midoriya's headband.

Students were shouting angrily at losing their headbands. By then, Luffy's group had every headband covering his face and head. There were still ten minutes away from finishing, but everyone was frozen. Bakugo was fuming.

The rest of the ten minutes was spent keeping them all away with a wall of fire. Anyone who tried to get through was burned. Kaminari was having fun throwing Luffy's bombs at them. Todokori looked bored but slightly satisfied.

The time was up. "I-I... well, we have one winner team! Luffy's team! With all of the points!" the crowd cheered and students cursed at them. "But we'll have to have another match with everyone else to get the rest of the winners!" The crowd cheered again, and another match was started without the winning team.

"We did awesome," Kaminari said, all four of them sitting on the stage and watching. "I thought you were just overachievers, but that was intense." Luffy pointed out that they'd already all worked together against villains, so why would students be any harder. All four of them were happy with the results, and the next game went very differently.

With the game more fair without the four, class B all made a concentrated effort against class A. They really hated class A, jeez. Maybe even more now that four of their students stole everybody's headbands in an instant.

At the end of the second match, the team that had Bakugo, Midoriya and one from class B. Class B's guy was creepy. So, those four groups including the original winner were set to go to the next stage.

There was a lunch break and Luffy and Ace ran off to go eat. "This is so fun," Luffy said while they walked with the crowd to the cafeteria. Iida came up behind them, and complemented them for their strategy. Luffy said, "It wasn't anything new, really. The four of us plus Jiro used those tactics against the villains at USJ."

Iida said, "So, experience, heh? It looks like you have all grown from the USJ incident." Ace said he had a feeling all of them did.

Ace said, "I learned that I'm not immune to panic and fear. That was more useful than anything else. It brought me down to earth." Luffy said he agreed. That it was scary, but also taught him he was human just like everybody else.

Neither mentioned how they also learned how real easily somebody could die from their powers if they weren't concise and responsible with them. Just like Thirteen had said. They were brought back to attention when Bakugo stormed up to them. "I'll decimate you when we fight. I'll be the one to win," he spat. Ace and Luffy were unfazed, experts at Bakugo's tantrums.

"Good luck with that. We plan on being the last ones in the ring," Ace said in a pleasant voice and then went back to talking to Iida and now Uraraka and Midoriya. "I'm glad we all made it through. We get to fight each other and that should be fun," the freckled twin said.

The other three said they definitely didn't want to fight either of them. "Why not?" Luffy whined.

"You guys are too overpowered! It's not fair!" Uraraka sigh in frustration. "Oooh!" Ace and Luffy said they were like that because they worked hard. It's not like the skill came easy to them. Luffy had his shirt back on after they'd won the match and the bombs were gone.

After they ate lunch, those who passed the last game were to see the scoreboard results. Luckily, the two of them were on different sides of the main tree. Meaning they could both be finalists against each other. They linked pinkies but then were distracted when Ojiro raised his hand and said he was dropping out. He barely remembered the cavalry battle until the very end.

Both twins' heads snapped to a creepy guy with purple hair. Ace asked, "Him, right?" and pointed to the guy. He looked shocked, as he hadn't expected to be caught so easily. Ojiro looked shocked but nodded. "His quirk made you forget?"

Ojiro said, "Something like that."

Boos filled the stadium at the guy who ruined someone else's fun and chance to show their skills off. He looked confused and angry at Ace. "How'd you know?" Ace pointed to his own face. "I'm good at reading expressions and body language and caught you just at the right moment. You faced slightly away, a hint of a smile, and your head was leaning slightly backwards with your eyes averted. The look of pride. You were proud of what happened to him. Who else would be proud if they weren't involved?"

The others were shocked. "It's not a very good look for heroes. He was your teammate and you did something to him," Ace said with a frown. Midnight looked shocked at all of this.

"Well, even if that's true, Ojiro still wishes to withdraw, and while it looks bad, there were no rules against it," the pro-hero said. Ace had successfully ruined any chance for this guy to be popular. He was glaring coldly at him. Then another person came forward and wished to withdraw for the same reason.

"Luffy, don't say anything to him," Ace whispered. Luffy nodded, and both looked away. Ojiro was still upset and still withdrew. The crowd cheered for him, saying "don't mind". Ace wasn't happy for his classmate. He saw Midoriya was against that guy and walked up to him. "Don't lose to him, Midoriya. You're a better person and would make a better hero." He nodded solemnly, glaring at Shinso, who was not in a happy mood after his actions were exposed to the world and crowd.

Two others replaced the two who withdrew.

Luffy was against Aioyama and Ace was against Momo. Luffy was disappointed. The guy was not very strong or good at fighting. Ace knew he'd win just with raw speed and strength against her as it took awhile for her quirk to work. They were excited to move up, though, in ranks. Then they'd meet at the top and fight in front of the world, going all out! They participated in the recreational games, having fun again and goofing off. There was no merit in these other than to have fun, and they were. So far, this festival has been awesome! They were the only ones in the tournament that were taking part. Everyone else was tired and needed a break or were collecting themselves consciously, nervous.

Midoriya wasn't there. Ace and Luffy weren't scared. Whoever won, won. They didn't want to lose, but if they did it wouldn't be a hard blow. They wanted to be the powerful brothers and both win their matches. If one of them won, it was a victory for both since they wanted to be partners as heroes.