PLEASE READ THE SECOND PARAGRAPH OF THE AUTHOR NOTE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

The smoke slowly began to clear, revealing Bakugo's right arm locked against Monoma's left. The 1-B blond was sporting a smug grin, although said smile appeared almost predatory in nature largely due to the green scales that now covered the left side of his face and neck disappearing beneath his gym uniform only to reemerge on Monoma's left arm, giving the formerly ordinary limb a rather draconian appearance.

Just as sparks began to erupt from Bakugo's hand, Monoma's scales twitched, giving Bakugo mere moments to redirect his explosion, using it to assist his retreat instead of attacking with it like he initially intended. This proved to be a wise decision as Monoma's scales erupted from his body, cutting through the space where Bakugo had just been. Bakugo growled as the scales changed direction mid-air, honing in on him. Leaping to the side, Bakugo dodged once more, but when they came around for another attack, Bakugo instead let loose with an explosion. The force of the attack caused the majority of the scales to crack or break apart entirely, leaving only a few survivors that were immediately destroyed by Bakugo's follow up attack.

As the last of the scales fell lifelessly to the ground, Bakugo turned his attention back to Monoma who was standing there still sporting that smug grin of his. "You know, when I saw you giving that poor excuse for a student pledge, I thought I recognized you from somewhere, so I did some research over the break. You were the victim of the Musutafu Slime Incident, weren't you?" Bakugo froze, "You sure talk big for someone who needed saving from a villain, saying you're going to win and beat all of us, don't make me laugh."

Veins began to throb on Bakugo's neck as the blond clenched his teeth. "Oy, your scales broke."

Monoma cocked his head to the side "So?"

"Your scales might be able to resist an explosion or two, but I can break them." Explosions erupted behind Bakugo as he propelled himself forward once more, "So that means all I have to do is keep attacking!"

"Geez, he figured it out," Monoma shrugged, remarkably unconcerned with the explosive hero wannabe charging his way. The 1-B blond sighed, exhaling mist despite the beautiful and warm spring weather, "Or not," he finished slamming his right foot into the ground.

From Monoma's foot, ice raced across the ground before rushing upwards towards a shocked Bakugo who tried to twist himself midair to avoid the ice, but found his reaction this time to be all too slow. Ice surrounded the bomber, freezing him in place but leaving his head and chest exposed before continuing its upwards climb, leaving frozen peaks that stretched towards the sky and first few rows of the stands. Monoma shivered slightly, the right side of his body dotted with a light layering of frost.

"What's this? For a moment it looked like Bakugo had him on the ropes, but in an instant, Monoma has turned this battle around using not one, but two Quirks!" Present Mic yelled his announcement, expressing the confusion that encapsulated the majority of the audience.

"No," Bakugo's voice was low but both Monoma and the referees heard it all the same, "this ice is Half-and-Half's, you're a copier aren't you?"

Raising a hand to his head, Monoma swept back his hair as he smiled, "That's right."

Neito Monoma

Quirk: Copy

He can use the Quirks of anyone he touches for five minutes.

He can't use two at the same time though.

"Bakugo, are you able to move?" Midnight questioned.

"Good," Bakugo smiled, ignoring the teacher's probing question, "We've been at U.A. for a month now and not once has Half-and-Half used his fire. Not in rescue training, heroic exercise, or even combat drills. It's always that damn ice of his and he still stays near the top of the class. But you, you can copy his Quirk."

"Yeah, I passed by Todoroki as I was making my way here, so of course I made sure to accidentally bump into him." The ice around Bakugo groaned and cracked as it seemed to settle, but that didn't detract from the boy's wide eager grin.

"So you can use his fire," as if in response, Monoma's right side combusted, the fire melting the ice that had dotted his left side. Up in the 1-A student section, Todoroki's grip tightened on his armrests.

"Bakugo, if you don't respond I'll call the match," Midnight warned.

"That means even if Icy-Hot won't go all out," Bakugo leaned forward eagerly, "you will." The sound of explosions echoed through the stadium, enhanced by the ice enshrouding Bakugo, ice that exploded outward as Bakugo activated his Quirk.

"Dammit, he just won't quit," Monoma cursed. Time was running out for the 1-B blond; he could only use a Quirk for so long, and while he'd been able to copy his classmate's Scales Quirk right before walking out onto the field, he'd bumped into Todoroki even earlier. He could already feel the Quirk beginning to fade away, 'I need to end this right now,'. Calling on Half-Cold Half-Hot, Monoma planted his right foot, sending another wave of ice at Bakugo who propelled himself into the air to avoid it. Monoma's right side burst into flames once more as he tried to direct the ice at the charging Bakugo, whose abrupt directional changes due to mid-air explosions made it hard to be accurate, particularly with an unfamiliar Quirk.

"Come on," Bakugo cried out as he began to turn in mid-air, "show me just how much Half-and-Half's been holding back."

"Geez," Monoma's smile remained even as he drew on the full power of Todoroki's Quirk, although this time the grin seemed far more real, "for someone with such a barbaric personality, he really does motivate you to go at him with everything you've got." Thrusting his arms forward, Monoma released everything he had while Bakugo's spinning came to an end, the blond releasing the largest explosion he could. The two opposing forces met and a massive explosion enshrouded the stage, obscuring the two competitors in smoke. Air rushed into the stands forcing the majority of the onlookers to obscure their faces and brace themselves in their seats.

"Wow," Eri said dumbfoundedly, as she pressed her tiny hands against the window while Toshinori looked on with a smile.

When the smoke cleared, only one blond had remained on the field, panting with exertion but still upright. The other lay in a crumpled heap several meters away from the platform. With a flick of her whip, Midnight called the match, "Neito Monoma is out of bounds, Katsuki Bakugo advances to the second round!"

"And with an explosive finish, the winner of the first match is Katsuki Bakugo!" Present Mic yelled out as the stadium erupted into cheers for the short but dramatic match. Said winner walked off the field without a word, disappearing into the shadows of the hallway while some U.A. robots picked up Monoma on a stretcher to take to Recovery Girl.

"Man, what an exciting way to start off the finals! But what was the deal with that massive explosion at the end?" Mic questioned

"Bakugo used his explosions to increase his rotation speed and momentum, allowing him to create a larger than normal blast." Eraserhead answered bluntly. "The air had already been cooled earlier thanks to Monoma's ice attack, but when combined with both his fire and Bakugo's explosions, the rapid heating of the air caused it to expand."

"And that's science for you!" Mic cheered, "Now that Cementoss has cleared the field let's meet our competitors for the second match! He's a redhead hardhead with a Quirk to match, from hero course class 1-A, Eijiro Kirishima!" Cheers echoed throughout the stadium as Kirishima walked onto the field, waving his hands above his head.

"Against him we have the only student from the support course to make it to the finals, 1-H's Mei Hatsume!" The yells this time were quieter but still there nonetheless as a girl with pink dreadlocks and some kind of goggles over her eyes made her way onto the field absolutely loaded down with support items.

"Let's start the second match!"

Kirishima didn't waste any time hardening his hands; he smashed them together before charging at the steampunk goggle wearing inventor. "Sorry, but I won't go easy on you. It would be unmanly." Hatsume merely smiled, lowering a microphone beside her mouth before drawing a gun-like device that she fired at Kirishima. The red-head's forward charge promptly came to an end as he fell forward wrapped up in a net.

"A capture gun to use against villains. Each net comes preloaded in a cartridge and you can fire up to five before needing to reload." Hatsume's voice echoed throughout the stadium.

"A mic? Why?" Present Mic questioned.

"She couldn't have hacked into the system, so she must be wearing speakers." Aizawa summarized, the two announcers' voices not reaching the crowd having switched off their own microphones.

Turning her back towards Kirishima to face the stands, Hatsume spread her arms wide as she looked upwards towards the boxes. 'Where are the support companies sitting?' The pinkette scanned until she found some official-looking people in suits muttering to one another, VIP lanyards around their necks. 'There and they're biting, I've got them hooked.'

Mei Hatsume

Quirk: Zoom

She can clearly see up to five kilometers (3.1 miles) away!

"Dammit," Kirishima growled as he used the sharp, hardened edge of his body to finally cut away the net that held him. His face was red more from embarrassment than anything else. Charging at Hatsume, Kirishima moved to grab the girl whose backpack beeped before extending a metal pole that both moved Hatsume out of the way and had the added effect of tripping the hardening student, sending him to the ground once more.

"Even when my back is turned, I can easily evade attacks thanks to my hydraulic attachments. With sensors facing every direction, no one will be able to get the drop on you, making ambushes and surprise attacks a thing of the past!"

"Who invented these items you ask? It was none other than me, Mei Hatsume! Everyone from support companies, it's clear who your choice should be: Mei Hatsume, Mei Hatsume, Mei Hatsume!"

"What is she? A politician?"

"Worse," Aizawa groaned, burying his head in his arms, "A door to door salesman."

"And now I'll demonstrate my next item, the-"

'There's more?' Was the synchronous thought of everyone watching.

Ten minutes later, Hatsume finally stepped off the platform, wiping her forehead with satisfaction, "I've presented each and every last one of my babies. I have nothing more to say."

"H-hatsume is out of bounds. Kirishima advances to the second round." Said victor lay on his hands and knees in the center of the field with a defeated look on his face.

"Is he okay? Kero." Tsuyu croaked with her classic head tilt.

"Kiri's fine." Mina assured her froggy classmate, "Probably." She looked back at the boy, who normally wore his emotions on his sleeves, "Maybe." Kirishima's soul seemed to vacate his body, heading towards the heavens with a look of enlightenment on its face. "Or maybe I should go check on him." The pinkette said, rising to her feet.

"Oi, Aizawa, wake up. The match is over."

"Finally," the black haired heroic hobo said, sitting up. "Remind me to have Nezu limit the number of items a support student can bring to the festival and to make a rule against presentations."

"Wanna bet that Maijima's the most embarrassed right now?" Present Mic grinned.

"No."

"Geez, would it kill you to join in on the betting just once."

"Yes."

"Come on!"

"Oi Kiri, you alright?" Mina asked as she finally came across the forlorn looking boy slowly dredging his way back towards the 1-A student section.

"Mina?" the redhead questioned, raising his head, already looking livelier than he had after his match. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you of course." Mina grinned, "What, did you think I was just gonna leave my horn-buddy all alone after, well, that?"

Kirishima groaned, "Please don't bring that up."

"Fine," Mina agreed, putting her hands behind her head as she walked alongside her friend, "But I don't get what the big idea is, it wasn't that bad."

"That bad? I looked like an idiot. Hatsume was in control that entire match. Everything I did just helped her and her support items look better. The only reason I won at all was because she decided to walk off the field. She could have won whenever she wanted. She should be moving on."

"But she's not, you are." Mina pointed out. "You, Kiri, are moving on to the second round of the U.A. Sports Festival. So what if your first match was embarrassing? You already showed what you can do in the first two events, and you have another match that you can stand out in. You're up against Bakugo, and I bet that you'll be able to stand up to his explosions a lot better than some weak scales can."

"Yeah, you're right." Mina smiled as Kirishima's face broke out into a sharp toothed, yet timid grin.

"Hey Kiri, remember what you told me on our first day here at U.A.?"

"Huh?"

"'I'm saying goodbye to the pathetic me.' 'I won't regret anything anymore.' That's what you said."

"Yeah, I remember. Man it feels like that was forever ago, doesn't it?"

"No, what you said back then; I could tell you were speaking straight from your heart. Kiri, you've changed. I know that you regret not getting involved that day with the villain. That you regret freezing, but Kiri, you're no longer the same scared kid you were back then. You're here with me training to be heroes. You said you weren't going to have any more regrets, so don't have them now. Focus on your next match, on the future, and charge towards it with everything you've got."

"Yeah!" Kirishima screamed, activating his Quirk, "I'm all fired up now. So what if I didn't make a good first impression? That just means I have to try harder!"

"That's the spirit!" Mina encouraged, patting Kirishima on the back. Happy, confident Kiri was much better than sad, downtrodden Kiri, and she'd fight anyone who said otherwise. "Now let's get back to our seats."

As if on cue, the ground beneath them rumbled and shook, "What's happening?" Mina questioned.

"I don't know but hold on." As quickly as the rumbling began, it stopped.

"What was that?" Mina groaned, stumbling, still a little shaken up. Kiri didn't answer, instead raising a finger to point dumbly at a television hanging from the ceiling in the center of the hallway displaying the Sports Festival, his mouth agape. Mina followed his finger and couldn't help but curse at the image on screen, "Holy-"

"-Aizawa, what are you teaching your kids?"

"This isn't my doing. This is the sheer power Todoroki possesses."

The product of the son of the #2 Hero, a massive glacier, completely encapsulated the half of the arena formerly occupied by Todoroki's opponent, Class 1-B's Juzo Honenuki. The glacier towered over the stadium, surpassing and even piercing beyond its roof, making it visible to those outside the arena. Todoroki's Quirk might have been copied by Monoma who'd used a similar attack in an attempt to encapsulate Bakugo, but in a single move, Todoroki had demonstrated that it was indeed he who was the master of his Quirk.

Her right side covered in ice, Midnight opened her mouth. Shivering, the heroine prepared to stutteringly call the match when Honenuki's voice cut her off, "Really? You're still using your ice against me? We've already proven that doesn't work; you're going to need to do something else if you want to beat me." Todoroki's already cold gaze hardened even further as the massive glacier began to soften and turn to slush from which a relatively unscathed, if cold and wet, Honenuki stepped out.

"Nothing to say? Monoma's already shown that you can use fire, and with how much frost coverage you have on your right side, I'm gonna guess you're going to need it."

"No. I don't need that power."

"No? No!" The skull faced boy blinked in surprise, although it was clear he was getting angry. "Why won't you use it? You're only hurting your own chances. You went all out with your ice right at the start and yet here I am. Do you want to lose? I'd rather not win because my opponent threw the match, but I will if I have to."

"I don't need my fire to beat you."

"Yes you do." Honenuki shook his head. "Fine, whatever. Don't use it." Honenuki began to run forward, "But don't blame me when your stubbornness costs you the match." Once more Todoroki sent out a wave of ice, actively starting to shiver as the frost already on him spread even further. The move proved useless though as with a simple touch, Honenuki once more turned the ice to slush. Todoroki backpedaled, sending out another wave of ice that was dealt with just as easily.

The dual-haired boy moved to retreat but found he couldn't, "With an unrelenting forward charge, Honenuki has backed Todoroki up against the edge of the arena! Will he pull off the upset and defeat Todoroki?"

'I'm going to lose,' Todoroki realized with a start as Honenuki reached forward, his hand outstretched. Just before the living lich could make contact, fire raced along Todoroki's left arm, 'What am I doing?' Todoroki questioned, staring at his arm in shock. Still, the fire made Honenuki leap backwards and even though he was distracted, Todoroki's training pushed him to take advantage of the opening. Just as it was intended to do, even though its appearance was brief, the flames still melted away Todoroki's frosty covering, allowing the boy to send out another wave of ice.

"I told you that wouldn't work!" Honenuki screamed, but Todoroki had learned from his mistake. He didn't intend to entrap his opponent, something Honenuki realized as, rather than surrounding him, the ice rushed forward to meet him. The ice turned to slush at his touch, but it kept coming, pushing him backwards and with Todoroki already on the edge of the arena, it didn't take much for the force of the slushy ice mixture to push Honenuki to the side of the arena and over it.

"Juzo Honenuki is out of bounds! Todoroki advances to the second round!"

As the crowd erupted into cheers and Honenuki pulled himself to his waterlogged feet, Todoroki turned, walking back to the hallway he'd entered the arena through. Lost in thought as he gazed down at his left hand, Todoroki almost bumped into the next competitor making their way to the arena.

"Hey Todoroki, I watched your fight from the waiting room. Nice job." Todoroki didn't respond, merely looking at Kendo blankly before continuing silently on his way.

Itsuka sighed as she continued her walk to the arena, Todoroki might have declared war, but that didn't mean she couldn't appreciate his out of the box thinking when it came to fighting an opponent he was ill matched with. Standing in the entryway leading onto the field, Kendo watched Cementoss use his Quirk to move the icy slush to the stadium's edge before flattening the arena over once more.

"Sorry for the delay folks, but we're back and ready for another flashy battle! She's a carrot headed kung fu master of martial arts, hero course 1-A's vice representative, Itsuka Kendo! On the other side, what secrets hide behind that mask of his? Only he himself knows! From the hero course, it's Mezo Shoji!" The crowd cheered as the fighter's made their way onto the field and took their spots. "Ready? Go!"

At Present Mic's yell, the two rushed forward. When they were close enough, Shoji lashed out, taking advantage of the extended reach his Quirk granted him. Itsuka dodged and closed in; activating her own Quirk, she threw an enlarged punch at the boy's chest. Shoji grunted at the impact but wrapped his arms around Itsuka's enlarged hand, trapping it. Itsuka shrunk her fist in an effort to free herself but Shoji only tightened his grip, not even reacting when the orangette kicked at his knee.

The masked boy retreated, dragging Itsuka with him towards the edge of the arena. Kendo enlarged her free hand, but off balance, her punches lacked the strength they normally had, allowing Shoji to shrug them off better than he usually would. Seeing the line that marked out of bounds approaching, Itsuka felt her feet leave the ground as Shoji turned, trying to throw her over it and end the match. Whereas before Itsuka had tried to free herself from Shoji's grasp, she now found herself desperately trying to hold onto him, managing to just grasp his P.E. uniform. Drawing on her martial arts training, Itsuka twisted in midair to plant her feet on the ground inches from the white line that marked the difference between victory and defeat. Using her grip on Shoji, Itsuka pulled with all her might, trying to lift the larger boy over her shoulder and throw him.

Seeing what she was trying to do, Shoji wrapped his arms around Itsuka's hand, locking the two in a desperate battle for physical supremacy: Itsuka trying to throw Shoji over her shoulder while he tried to forcibly push her the last few inches needed for her to cross the out of bound line. Itsuka tried to activate her Quirk, but Shoji's arms were so tightly wound around hers that the moment her hands started to expand, the bones in her wrist were forced against one another, sending pain coursing through her body. That brief moment of weakness granted Shoji the upper hand, and he ever so slowly began to make headway, forcing Itsuka back.

Itsuka tried to reestablish herself, but now that he had the advantage, Shoji wasn't letting up. Just as her toes began to scrape against the edge line, Itsuka reached within herself calling upon One for All. As the power of the Quirk flowed through her, Itsuka planted her feet in the ground and drew upon her original Quirk, Big Fist. However, it wasn't her hands that expanded to her surprise, it was her feet! As her trotters grew, her shoes split apart, but curling her toes, Itsuka managed to fix herself in place as she literally toed the line.

Shoji's forward rush ground to a halt, and having just exerted himself, the tides turned now to Itsuka's favor. Itsuka groaned her feet shrinking and Shoji's eyes widened as the tentacle-armed boy slowly felt his own feet begin to leave the ground while his arms wrapped tightly around Itsuka's hands started being forced apart.

With a wordless shout of pure determination, Kendo's hands enlarged past Shoji's ability to hold them. With the increased strength her hands granted her, Itsuka gave one last almighty heave, hauling Shoji over her shoulder before slamming him onto his back across the line. "Mezo Shoji is out of bounds, Itsuka Kendo wins!" Midnight declared with a whip crack.

The crowd cheered as Itsuka helped Shoji to his feet before together they exited the arena. "Thanks for a good battle," Shoji offered sportingly, "I was shocked when you managed to overcome my grip strength."

"So was I," Kendo answered truthfully. "It hurt to even try growing my hands when you had a hold of them, but we're here to push beyond our limits, so I just tried to do the best I could. Trust me, it was as much a surprise to me as it was for you."

"Speaking of surprises, what was the deal with your feet? I thought you could only increase the size of your hands."

Itsuka was silent for a moment, "So did I," she mumbled quietly looking down towards her bare feet. "So did I."

"There's no half time here, we're hopping straight into match number five! He's the General Studies sole survivor that made it to the finals, umm… What has he done to stand out again? It's 1-C's very own Hitoshi Shinso! Versus… He's a lone samurai accompanied by a shadow of darkness! From the hero course, it's Fumikage Tokoyami!"

The crowd cheered as the two competitors stood facing one another. Tokoyami stood silently, arms crossed in front of his chest while Shinso rubbed the back of his head with one hand, seemingly bored. "'Samurai?' 'Shadow of darkness?' What are you, a chunibyo?"

"Ready?" Tokoyami didn't respond and Shinso's bored appearance morphed into one of cold focus.

"What? Too afraid to talk?"

"Start!"

"Dark Shadow!" Heeding its master's call, Dark Shadow emerged from Tokoyami, rushing towards an unprepared Shinso. The purple headed General Studies student quickly dove to the side, causing Dark Shadow to fly by.

'Shit,' "You call that thing a heroic Quirk? What kind of hero relies on darkness? Forget training to be a hero, you should be a villain!"

"Oi-" Tokoyami yelled before freezing in place.

Shinso smiled, 'I win.' Climbing back to his feet Shinso opened his mouth preparing to command Tokoyami to walk out of bounds, when something suddenly grabbed his shoulders and began pushing him across the ground. 'What?' Shinso turned his head to meet the yellow eyed gaze of a living shadow, and as his eyes widened in recognition, the shadowy spirit loosened its grip, releasing the shocked boy before returning to its brainwashed master. Mouth open, Shinso moved to speak when the crack of a whip caught his attention.

"Hitoshi Shinso!" Midnight yelled out, turning Shinso found himself looking down the length of the heroine's whip, "Out of bounds! Fumikage Tokoyami advances to the second round!"

'What?' Looking down, Shinso found that he indeed did have one foot over the line. Hands that had hung loosely tightened into fists, 'Damn it.' Looking up, Shinso watched Dark Shadow fly around Tokoyami, studying him curiously. 'I focused too much on Tokoyami when I should have gone after his Quirk.' Shinso blinked, 'Can I even brainwash Quirks?'

"Oy! Midnight! What's up with Tokoyami?" Present Mic's yell got the attention of the majority of the stadium, many of whom were indeed eyeing the frozen bird headed boy standing dumbly in the middle of the field.

"He's brainwashed." Eraserhead cut in flatly. Shinso stilled as murmuring broke out across the stadium.

Hitoshi Shinso

Quirk: Brainwashing

Responding to him turns on a brainwashing switch in his opponent's brain and forces them to do what he says. If he doesn't want the switch to turn on, it won't.

Sighing, Shinso flipped the switch, releasing Tokoyami from his control before making his way towards the exit. 'That was my chance to stand out and I blew it. Monoma copied my Quirk last round to help us keep the hill we took and he wanted to use it in his match but he accepted my refusal since I wanted to show what I could do. Maybe... maybe I really am not cut out for heroics.'

"Shinso!"

'Huh?' Blinking, Shinso looked up above the exit gate where several students in U.A. P.E. uniforms stood smiling and waving. 'My classmates?'

"You were really cool, Shinso!"

"You made it to the finals, nice job showing them what General Studies can do!"

"Besides, are you hearing what the heroes are saying about you?"

'Heroes?'

"A brainwashing Quirk? Those are always really useful when dealing with villains. I wish I had it." A lizardman looking hero with a skull mask complained sullenly.

"U.A.'s not very smart if he's in General Studies." A hero Shinso recognized as Ms. Joke commented.

"Well they've got a ton of applicants, some things just can't be helped." Another added.

"Still, what a waste."

"Hear that, Shinso? You're amazing, everyone thinks so!"

'They think I'm amazing.' Shinso's fist which had been hanging low, curled into fists. 'They believe in me when I don't even believe in myself? What a joke. So what if I had a poor performance this time? I've come this far, I'm not going to give up now. Eventually I'll get into the hero course, get certified, and one day... one day I'll be a Pro Hero!' With a newfound determination Shinso exited the stadium, his goals just moments before on the verge of dying rekindled and burning with passion.

"Match number six! She's a lean pink acid spraying machine! From the hero course, 1-A's Mina Ashido! Versus… He's a member of the legendary Iida family renowned for their powerful engines, speeding into action from the hero course, Tenya Iida of class 1-A!"

"Ashido-san, just because we are friends, do not expect me to hold back against you."

"I'd be disappointed if you did, Iida-kun. But don't think you're going to win that easily."

Iida's glasses flashed in the light as he adjusted them, "I wouldn't dare to, that's why I'll be going all out from the very start."

Mina smiled, "Then I'll do the same. Our Quirks might not be the flashiest, but let's give them a show."

Iida returned her grin with his own, "Sounds good to me!"

"Eeheehee!" The two turned to look at Midnight who was hugging herself while squealing, "Such a youthful display of vigor and passion! I'm getting all hot and bothered!"

'Should she really be saying that?' The two students sweatdropped.

"Ready?" Iida crouched down in a runner's starting position while Mina stretched out her hands, laying one atop the other so her palms were touching.

"Start!"

"Recipro Burst!"

"Acid Stream!"

Engines roaring, Iida raced across the field towards Mina, intending to grab the pinkette and push her out of bounds. The sheer speed Iida possessed when he used Recirpo Burst made it almost impossible for anyone to effectively counter him. However, as Iida had come to learn over the short time he'd known her, Mina Ashido was not just anybody. As Iida charged forward using his family's super move, Mina sprayed acid on the ground in front of her using the position of her hands to both widen the spray and increase its pressure. Iida was used to running on hard ground and he had rarely if ever run on wet surfaces using his Quirk. With the boosted speed provided by Recipro Burst, control was a lost cause.

Hitting Mina's acid trap, Iida lost his balance, tumbling head over heels, his speed enough to carry him over the line where he lay stunned and disoriented. "Tenya Iida is out of bounds, Mina Ashido advances!"

"And it's over! In mere seconds we have our winner! Mina Ashido advances to round two!"

"Poor Iida, that has to be embarrassing." Kendo muttered a hand on her head. "What do you think, Yaomomo? Yaomomo?"

"Sorry," the raven haired girl apologized with a wave of her hand and a blush. "I was distracted trying to mentally prepare for my own match. What was the question?"

"I was just asking what your thoughts were on the match. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your preparations."

"It's fine, I was already done mostly, just some last minute review of materials I think might be useful. As for the match, well I'd say it's an upset."

"Yeah, I'll say. No offense to Mina, but I thought Iida was sure to win."

"I doubt she'd be offended, the relationship those two have developed is most surprising, especially considering the vast contrast in their personalities."

"I'll say, I thought they'd be all over each other, but I think it's rare to see them even disagree."

"Hmm," Momo hummed in consideration, "I see your point. Speaking of surprises, what was with your sudden ability to increase the size of other body parts?"

"I don't know," Itsuka complained, grabbing her head in her hands. "I went to see Recovery Girl about it but she said she can't do anything about it at the moment due to the festival, and the earliest she can look into it is next week, since she still has to deal with the second and third year festivals over the next two days. I'd ask a teacher but they're all occupied, and I doubt AIzawa would be happy being interrupted since he's an 'announcer'."

Momo giggled at the air quotes Itsuka put around the word, which brought a small smile to the orange haired martial artist's face. "Well I don't know if I can officially diagnose you, but I would be more than happy to assist you in training if you need it."

"Thanks Momo, I appreciate it." Itsuka said, genuinely thankful for her friend's offer.

"We've got no time to lose! Let's move on to match number seven! From hero course Class 1-A, the girl who sets your hopes and expectations afloat, Ochaco Uraraka! Versus… She's a fanged reminder of prehistoric times and one of U.A.'s four recommendation students, Class 1-B's Setsuna Tokage!"

Standing on stage, Uraraka's eyes furrowed in concentration, a sharp contrast to her opponent who was standing tall and waving at the crowd with a sharp toothed grin, only stopping to waggle her eyebrows in Uraraka's direction.

"Start!"

Ducking low, Uraraka rushed forward, her hands outstretched to either side ready to react the moment Tokage tried to do something. However, the green haired girl merely stood there confidently. 'Why isn't she reacting?' Uraraka wondered as she closed in, 'Does she have a plan? Should I change my approach? No,' the brunette shook her head, 'I can't doubt myself. Not here, and not now.' Reaching out, Uraraka's eyes widened as her hand touched Setsuna's uniform and her Quirk activated, setting the green haired girl afloat. Setsuma still didn't move, and though every instinct was screaming at her that this was a trap, Uraraka couldn't let the sheer opportunity presented to her pass by.

Grabbing a hold of Tokage's uniform, Uraraka rushed towards the edge of the arena dragging the floating girl behind her like an abnormally shaped balloon. 'I'm doing it, I'm going to win! Mommy, Daddy, are you watching me?'

Caught up in her seemingly assured victory, Uraraka almost missed Tokage's whispered words, "Gomen. Sorry, but I'm going to start trying now."

"Huh?"

Just as Uraraka shoved Tokage's floating body towards the out of bounds line, the girl's body split apart, rushing past Uraraka. Whirling, Uraraka could only look on in shock as Tokage's body floated in the air behind her despite being divided up into dozens of pieces. "What?"

Tokage smiled pityingly, "Don't worry, I gave you a chance to show the crowd what you can do. You made it to the finals, so odds are you'll get an offer of some kind. As for our match, don't be too hard on yourself, you just had bad luck being matched with someone whose Quirk countered your own."

"The match isn't over yet!" Uraraka cried as she rushed towards where Tokage floated.

The greenete just kept smiling sadly, "Yes, it is." At a mental command, the pieces of her body rushed at Uraraka who braced herself, doing her best to shield her face against the onslaught. She tried to lash out with her hand, desperate to grab at least one part of Tokage's body, but they were moving too fast. Combined with the nausea she was feeling from having kept her Quirk active for so long, all it took was a particularly large chunk of Tokage's body slamming into the unprotected back of her head with sufficient force to knock Uraraka to the ground. Her vision fading to black, even as she desperately tried to struggle onward.

Seeing the brunette collapse, Tokage gathered her pieces back together and reformed herself; she stood looking on neutrally as Midnight stepped onto the field to check on Uraraka. "Uraraka's unable to continue. Setsuna Tokage advances to the second round!" At Midnight's announcement, Tokage just turned around and made her way off the field.

As robots wheeled Uraraka away, Midnight couldn't help but look on sympathetically, as much as she loved seeing someone's hopes get raised only to be destroyed at the last second, it was always tough seeing it happen to one of her students. She might not be that close with them, but seeing them in action always reminded her of her own school days. Back as a younger Kayama, when her costume was little more than a set of underwear with a trench coat and a utility belt, before the HPSC decided that such 'revealing attire' should be 'discouraged unless it was essential for Quirk use or was impractical for the individual.' Even now, it made her scoff. How could such attire be setting a 'bad example for impressionable minds?' It was her decision to share the goods that the gods had given her. Besides, the reactions of Yamada and Aizawa when they were her sweet little kouhai was just the best. She really should make fun of them for that again when she had a chance.

Shaking her head to clear the somewhat dirty thoughts from her mind (when weren't they), Midnight made her way back to her spot as the final two competitors made their way onto the field.

"It's finally time for the eighth and final match of round one! She's cool as a cucumber and living proof that silence can be deadly, from the hero course, Yui Kodai! Versus… All-purpose Creation! She's the class representative of 1-A and entered U.A. through recommendation, meaning her abilities are Pro Hero certified! Also from the hero course, Momo Yaoyorozu! Ready? Start!"

Activating her Quirk, Momo's arms glowed as the ravenette created her first two items: a metal bo staff from her left hand for offense and a shield wrapped around her right arm for defense. Momo completed her weapons just as Kodai reached her, the blank faced girl dodging Momo's swing of her staff, thrusting out her hand in retaliation. Momo moved her shield to intercept the strike, and to her shock, when Kodai's hand met the shield, the easily portable metal rapidly expanded, turning from a buckler-ish shield into one more reminiscent of a pavise.

The sudden increase in weight shifted Momo's center of gravity, throwing the Yaoyorozu heiress off balance. As the mass of metal pulled her towards the ground, Momo swung her staff, more to ward off Kodai than with any actual intent to make contact. Kodai indeed retreated backwards, but only so she could put her fingers together, similar to Uraraka when she was releasing her Quirk. Kodai's Quirk seemed to work on the same principles: the moment her fingers met, Momo's shield shrunk back down to its normal size. Off balance, Momo barely managed to turn her fall into an awkward stumble.

As soon as she released her Quirk, Kodai rushed in once more, and as she stumbled, Yaoyorozu swung her staff horizontally at her approaching foe. Kodai ducked under the attack before grasping Momo's uniform with her hands. Using Momo's temporary instability, Kodai began to force Momo towards the ring's edge simultaneously activating her Quirk on Momo's uniform, shrinking the garment until it clung tightly to her body and constricted her movements.

Initially Momo struggled, trying to move in the restricting uniform, but she quickly changed her strategy as the dreaded line approached. Letting go of her bo staff, Momo created several blades which thrust out from her body, forcing Kodai back to avoid being stabbed as the blades sliced through Momo's uniform, creating several tears in the primarily blue fabric.

With some breathing room and Kodai not showing any sign of rushing in, Momo cut off her Quirk, letting the half-formed blades fall off her body to the ground in their current incomplete state. Eyeing Kodai in case she tried something, Momo reached out and undid the strap on her shield that was still buckled to her right arm; letting it drop to the ground with the rest of her creations. Now free, Momo mentally ran through what she knew about Kodai's Quirk.

When touching something the girl could alter its size, and like Uraraka she could undo the change by putting her fingertips together. So far she'd only affected Momo's creations and her uniform, so did that mean she had a limit on her Quirk? Did it only affect nonliving things? Either way, her best strategy was to fight Kodai at a distance so the girl couldn't make contact with anything Momo created. Alternatively, she could incapacitate the girl and then force her out of bounds, or perform some combination of the two.

Unfortunately, Momo's ranged fighting skills were less than stellar. She was trained to be a close range combatant, making and disposing of weapons and items as needed. Close range weapons were easy to make: blades, staffs, even objects like shurikens, brass knuckles, knives, and other melee weapons were normally nothing more than one or two materials produced in a particular shape. The more molecularly complex an object was, and the more individual parts that went into the final product, the longer it took for her to create, so more modern weapons like guns would waste valuable time Momo likely wouldn't have when on the job or in a fight. That's not to say she couldn't produce them just that it was difficult which was why Momo's go-to ranged weapon was cannons; they were hollow tubes of metal that fired a round ball of metal, with only a little bit of gunpowder added in to make them go boom. Simple concept, easy to produce, but they were a massive drain on her lipids, and with this being the first round of the finals, Momo wanted to save as much of her energy as she could.

'Something small,' Momo thought, putting her hand behind her back to hide it from view, 'simple, and easy to use.' The ideal tool came to mind and Momo's body was outlined in the brief lightshow occurring behind her back as she produced her weapon of choice.

Kodai wasn't inactive, however. Reaching down, the quiet girl picked up several small, loose pieces of cement that she clutched in her hand like a bunch of pebbles. "Give up?" She asked quietly.

"No."

"Okay." The two girls moved at the same time. Momo's hand rushed forward as the 1-A ravenette threw the flash grenade she made, the small cylinder streaking through the air towards Kodai, who was herself throwing her hand upward to toss her pieces of rock high into the air, enlarging them at the last possible moment just as the flash grenade detonated right in front of her. Kodai recoiled with a shriek, ears ringing and temporarily blinded by the flash of bright light. Momo rushed forward, and though her ears were throbbing a bit, she'd been far enough away and well enough prepared that the effects of the grenade were minimal.

Her eyes darted back and forth tracking the enlarged rubble as it fell. Momo dodged the falling rocks, moving swiftly and elegantly wasting not a single movement as she wove her way towards Kodai. Reaching the incapacitated girl, Momo pushed her to the ground, planting her knee on the crux of her back. Creating another bo staff, she gripped it with both hands placing the staff horizontally against the back of Kodai's neck, pinning her in place.

Kodai moaned in pain, eyes clenched shut. Seeing that the 1-B heroine wouldn't be moving anytime soon, Midnight raised her hand in the air, "Yui Kodai is incapacitated. Momo Yaoyorozu advances to the second round!"

As the crowd cheered, Momo let out her breath and relaxed, letting her tension fade as she stood up. Robots were already making their way onto the damaged field and Momo could only look on guiltily as Kodai was loaded up and carted off. She hadn't gone too far in her opinion, nor had she pulled out any of the major tricks in her inventory, but seeing Kodai moaning in pain while clutching at her face, Momo couldn't help but feel a little bad for the girl. Shaking her head, Momo tried to clear her thoughts as she made her way to the exit. She knew that Izuku was in the stands with Himiko watching, and wondered what they'd have to say about her performance.

"And with a dramatic finish, the first round of matches is all done! We'll move onto the second round shortly. But first, one lucky competitor will be getting a bye straight to the semi-finals, with Yoarashi taking their place! Just who has fortune smiling upon them? Let's find out!"

On the screens throughout the stadium and televisions all over the world, a wheel appeared containing the last name and a headshot of all the students who'd participated in the first round of the finals. Those who'd lost had their pie slice turn gray and fall away, leaving only the winners. Yorashi's headshot was off to the side in a small box labeled 'bye'. As viewers looked on, a chibi Nezu appeared next to the wheel and gave it a spin. The wheel spun around and around with many people yelling out their pick for who they wanted Yoarashi to replace. Those feeling particularly lucky placed money on their favorite student. Cheers and groans echoed as the wheel finally came to a stop with the camera zooming in on Yaoyorozu's picture, her full name flashing underneath it.

"Wow, and next round's bye goes to our most recent winner, Momo Yaoyorozu! That gives Yaoyorozu a chance to rest and recover, but it also means we'll get to see more from this festival's standout student when he fights in her place! Don't go anywhere, because we're going to be leaping straight into round two. Before we begin though let's see a preview of this round's matchups!"

Katsuki Bakugo vs Eijiro Kirishima

Shoto Todoroki vs Itsuka Kendo

Fumikage Tokoyami vs Mina Ashido

Setsuna Tokage vs Inasa Yoarashi

Bye: Momo Yaoyorozu

Author's Note:

Hello everybody, and to my American readers happy birthday! Or 4th of July anyway. Well I'm back from Greece and as I promised here's the next chapter of Rival Heirs. Just some fights but considering all the matchups are different from cannon I hope that the tournament won't be to boring to read. Don't worry the part you guys are anticipating will come in chapters 24-25. After that well maybe one more chapter focused on fallout and then we'll be moving from the Sports Festival Arc to the Internship Arc. Now before I get hate and comments going 'What the hell D'yavol, why can Itsuka suddenly grow her body?' let me explain. It's her powerup. It's already cannon that OFA boosts the power of the user's Quirk if they already have one and well this is Itsuka's boost. Oh buzz off it's my story I can do what I want. Hate it, don't read.

As I said last chapter in other news I've got a special project right now in the works based off of a MHA work I read a while back that I haven't been able to find since so it's probably been taken down but be aware this new story will be capital D DARK! Details will come as we get closer to the reveal but needless to say I'm interested in getting your help. Design a villain oc and pm me them and I might very well use them in the story. Now I know ocs make people skeptical but I'm not looking to include a hundred new characters just about five or so. Preferably they'd be in their late teens or old enough to attend either high school or college. Be sure to send me information about their appearance, backstory, personality, and any other information you think I should know as well as their Quirk. Nothing completely op please but feel free to explain how their use of it might grow or what supermoves or awakenings might look like as well as any drawbacks it might have. Also since this story will be very mature feel free to put them through the ringer. Tragic backstories, issues, and deep seated traumas are not only welcome but encouraged. Please be aware that once an oc has been submitted I am within my right to use them as well as change things to better suit the story I want to create. Other than that have fun with it, I look forward to seeing the results. Also instructions on how to find a picture of them would be nice too since I would like to see what they look like. Don't worry you'll be credited for your character.

Anyways if you have a moment please just create and send me any ideas you guys have. I want to see the creativity you guys can come up with and since I only have two right now (thanks loverofmons and Melfice-sama) odds are pretty good whatever you send in will be used. Also leave a review, I like reading them and I only got five last chapter. Considering the stats on this story five makes me sad and sad me writes slower.

But until next time this is the devil that is kind of disappointed he was unable to encounter anything from Greek mythology signing off,

- D'yavol Lucifer 3:)

*IMPORTANT NOTICE*

All the cover art for my stories are ones I found online. I am really interested in using fanart provided by you the readers to replace them. If you're interested draw something up and pm me so I can send you the details on where to send it or pm me and I'll give you some details so you can draw one. As I say in my bio if I use it I may add you as an oc in one of my stories! Isn't that exciting!

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July 4, 2023

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Anime/Manga: My Hero Academia

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