Bakugo glared at Ochaco, "You're the one who screws around with gravity. Right, Pink Cheeks?"

Ochaco was offended by that.

Bakugo continued, "Well, if you're gonna give up, do it now. 'Cause I'm not gonna hold anything back."

Up in the stands, Tenya asked, "Midoriya, I'm curious. What was the strategy you came up with that would give Uraraka an advantage against Bakugo?"

Izuku sighed, "Honestly, it wasn't really much of a plan. Kacchan's so strong. When it comes to close combat, he almost never has any openings. And the more he moves, the more he sweats, which just makes his Quirk so powerful. He's gotten really good at using his explosions to move around in the air. But, if Uraraka is able to touch him, she can use her Quirk to make him float. She could send him out of bounds. That's why, it's obvious what Uraraka needs to do to get the upper hand."

"Also," Danny added. "Bakugo has an ego the size of Montana. He's letting his power go to his head. So she could either not inflate his ego or she could provoke him to which he would get so angry that he might start making mistakes. His ego is his biggest weakness."

The match started and Ochaco charged in at Bakugo, "Giving up isn't an option for me."

Class 1-A cheered for Ochaco. Izuku was hoping that she would get the first strike, but Danny warned, "This won't be easy. Bakugo can either dodge, or counterattack. Knowing him, he'll counterattack."

Bakugo said, "And now you'll die." As Ochaco charged at him, he waved his right hand in an uppercut motion and an explosion stopped Ochaco in her tracks.

Class 1-A was horrified. Tsuyu commented, "Ugh, looks like Bakugo's not planning on showing her any mercy."

"Because he's treating this like any other fight," Danny added.

Down on the field, Ochaco said, "Stupid. Saw it coming and I still couldn't get out of the way."

Bakugo replied, "You should have dropped out of the match. There's no way you can beat me!" He saw movement and attacked again, but it was just her jacket. She moved behind him.

"Whoa!" Present Mic narrated. "She flew her jacket over as a decoy! What incredibly quick thinking!"

Ochaco tried to touch Bakugo's back, but he saw her and attacked her, knocking her back.

Sero commented, "Look at that reaction time!"

Kaminari added, "Seriously, the dude's insane. You can't get the drop on him. And since Uraraka can't use her Quirk unless she touches him, his lightning fast reflexes put her at a huge disadvantage!"

Danny stared down at Bakugo, "He just wants to win so badly. He's definitely someone who always aims for the top."

"Too slow!" Bakugo shouted as he attacked Ochaco again as she tried to charge at him.

But she dodged and charged at his back, "I got you!" But Bakugo again saw her and attacked her.

It was rinse and repeat, Ochaco charged, Bakugo attacked, Ochaco got up.

It was hard to watch for everyone in Class 1-A. But Danny was focused on something else happening in the fight. He smirked as he figured something out.

Present Mic narrated, "Looks like she's not resting between attacks despite being exploded. Poor girl."

Several people in the audience were not happy about Bakugo's actions. Some called him a bully. Some shouted to just send Ochaco out of bounds. Soon enough, the crowd started to boo.

Present Mic narrated, "The crowd is now booing Bakugo! And honestly, I kind of agree with what they're saying…." Suddenly, Aizawa hit Present Mic with his bandaged elbow. "Hey, what the crap?"

Aizawa asked into the mic, "Where is the man who started this uproar? Are you a pro? Because if you're being serious, you can go home and hang up your cape. I'd suggest looking into another career."

Danny chuckled, "What a teacher thing to do."

Izuku asked, "You know what he's talking about?"

Danny replied, "I think Teach is about to explain for you right now."

Aizawa commented, "Bakugo's fierceness is an acknowledgement of his opponent's strength. He knows she deserves to have made it this far, so he's making sure he does whatever it takes to keep her at bay and come out on top."

Bakugo stared at Ochaco, who was taking deep breaths. He growled, "We're not finished yet. She's still standing. She's not dead yet."

Ochaco then said, "I think it's about time. Thank you, Bakugo, for keeping your eyes focused on me."

Bakugo was confused, "What?"

Danny said, "Also, look down at the field. Bakugo didn't notice, like people in the audience didn't notice. She kept low to the ground as she moved, which meant Bakugo's blasts tore up the floor of the ring, creating weapons for her. And then she kept him focused on her by attacking relentlessly, without rest. Rendering him oblivious. Now, if you all would kindly look to the sky, you'll see what she is planning."

He pointed up, and everyone saw debris floating. Ochaco released them, and they all came crashing down.

"A meteor shower!" Present Mic narrated.

Aizawa chuckled, "Now you notice."

Izuku realized, "Hey, she had a plan all along!"

Ochaco started to charge at Bakugo, "With this much debris, whether he's evading or counterattacking, there will definitely be an opening! In that moment, I'll finally get close to him. This is my shot! I'll win and be just like Deku!"

But then Bakugo held his hand upward and created a powerful explosion that not only destroyed the debris, but knocked Ochaco away several feet to the ground.

Danny sighed, "Damn it."

Bakugo chuckled, "I figured you'd have some sort of stupid plan to beat me. You are friends with that damn nerd, after all."

Ochaco was horrified, "It took him one shot."

Present Mic narrated, "Bakugo bangs out a huge demonstration of power! He blasted Uraraka's finishing move and remains untouched!"

Bakugo sighed, "That was close."

Ochaco struggled to stand, and Bakugo grinned, "All right, then. Time for us to get serious." He charged in at her.

Ochaco tried to keep going, but she fell down to the ground. Bakugo stopped right in his tracks.

"Uraraka is down!" Present Mic shouted. Ochaco tried to get back up, but her body couldn't move very well.

"It's too much," Tenya said.

Izuku added, "Yeah. She's way past her limit."

"But her determination and willingness to keep fighting is trying to override her physical demands," Danny commented. "That's part of being a true hero. She has that potential."

Ochaco struggled to move, "I can do this. I can still fight. I can! I'll become a hero."

Midnight rushed out to the field and made sure Bakugo didn't charge at her. She made her decision, "Uraraka is KO'd. Bakugo advances to the next round."

The crowd cheered as robots came onto the field and put Ochaco onto a stretcher.

"Take her to Recovery Girl," Midnight ordered. The robots carried Ochaco away. Bakugo turned and walked out of the arena.

Present Mic announced, "And that's it for the first round. I was really pulling for her. Oh well, I guess Bakugo's moving on."

Aizawa looked over at Present Mic, "You're supposed to be unbiased, you know."

Present Mic announced, "Let's try to forget that depressing outcome. With that, the first round is complete. We're taking a quick break and then we're back to more matches!"

Izuku got up from his seat, "I'm heading down to get prepared for my match."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Danny asked.

Izuku shook his head, "No. I need to get focused. Thanks, though."

He walked out of the box and to the ready room. "I'm so sorry, Uraraka."

He nearly bumped into Katsuki, and stuttered, "Hey, Kacchan!"

Katsuki growled, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Izuku replied, "Oh, well, I'm up next, so, you know. I was gonna hang in the waiting room. Um, also congrats on winning your match. See you around."

He tried to walk away, but Bakugo asked, "It was your idea, wasn't it? That stupid, desperate plan of hers. You would come up with something that annoying. If we end up…"

"You're wrong," Izuku interrupted. "That plan. Uraraka came up with it on her own, I didn't know anything about it. If that battle was harder than you thought it would be, then it's because of her strategy, not mine."

Bakugo growled and walked away to the 1-A box.

Sero greeted, "Hey, Bakugo! Playing the villain, huh? Must have been tough."

Tsuyu commented, "Even if it was because of who you were up against, you did make a pretty convincing bad guy."

Bakugo growled, "Shut up you idiots! Or else!"

"For real, dude," Kaminari added. "I don't know how you were able to aim a powerful blast at a frail girl like that."

Katsuki huffed, "I definitely wouldn't call that girl frail."

Danny smirked, "So you do have some respect for your fellow classmates."

Bakugo growled, "Shut it, Fenton!"

Meanwhile, Izuku went into the ready room and was surprised to see Ochaco there, who said, "Man, I lost. Too bad. Guess I got a little carried away at the end thinking I had it in the bag. Dang it!"

Izuku walked up to her, "You seem fine. But weren't you injured?"

Ochaco replied, "Yeah, Recovery Girl took care of me. She was really careful not to drain my stamina too much, though. So, I've still got a few scrapes and scratches. Jeez, I didn't realize how powerful that Bakugo was! He wiped the ring with me. Now I realize how much more training I have to do!"

Izuku was confused, "You sure you're good?"

Ochaco nodded, "Oh, yeah, totally. I'm better than I expected. Even if you've lost, you always keep looking ahead of what's next, Deku. This just means I have to work harder now."

They heard Present Mic announce, "We're finally about to learn who the true winner of the seventh match is! Kirishima or Tetsutetsu! Whoever will prevail in this arm wrestling match will advance to the second round! Let's go!"

Kirishima and Tetsutetsu were going at it in the arm wrestling match, but Kirishima got the upper hand and threw Tetsutetsu's arm down.

Midnight announced, "Kirishima is the winner! Add him to the bracket."

Kirishima shouted in victory.

Present Mic announced, "Kirishima earns a spot in the second round!"

Tetsutetsu sighed, "Ah, damn my metal deficiency! I should have eaten more iron this morning!"

Kirishima held his hand out to Tetsutetsu, "Hey, man. You put up a good fight."

Tetsutetsu took his hand and they shaked. Midnight blushed, "Oh! So chivalrous!"

Present Mic announced, "Now we've got a full roster for the next round of the tournament. Let's get the party started now, ya dig?"

Izuku sighed, "Already? Later, Uraraka."

He turned to leave, but Ochaco said, "Oh, I'm sorry, Deku. You weren't able to prepare since I was here!"

Izuku shook his head, "Nah. This was perfect."

Ochaco replied, "I'll be watching. Good luck out there."

Izuku smiled, "Thanks." He then walked out of the room.

Ochaco pulled out her phone and saw that she had a missed call. She called back, "Sorry for not picking up earlier, Daddy."

Her father replied, "No, no, it's fine. Sorry for calling when you're busy. Your mom and I watched you on TV. You almost won! You were amazing."

Ochaco sighed, "It wasn't that close. And I wasn't very good. I rushed it too much at the end. I didn't have a backup plan for what I'd do if that big move didn't work out. I failed."

"You lost," her father replied. "But that doesn't mean you can't still be a pro hero. I know I don't have the best understanding of how this all works, but you always have next year, right? This isn't the end."

Ochaco said, "I know, but I wish I could have gone further in the festival so I would have had more chances to show what I'm made of. The scouts barely saw me do anything this time around."

Her father asked, "What're you in such a hurry for, huh?"

Ochaco answered, "It's just I want to help you guys as soon as I can." She started to tear up.

Her father said, "Ochaco, there's no need for you to rush. The very fact that you feel that way shows me that you'll make a kind, caring hero one day. I am so proud of you."

Ochaco cried as her father comforted her over the phone.

Izuku felt bad as he was walking to the arena as he wanted to help Ochaco, but couldn't. Instead she was cheering him on. Suddenly Endeavor appeared in his path.

Izuku cried, "Endeavor?"

Endeavor turned to Izuku, "Ah, I was looking for you."

Izuku asked, "So, uh, what are you doing back here?"

Endeavor answered, "I watched your fight against that brainwashing guy. Your power is pretty impressive. To create so much wind pressure just by flicking your fingers. It reminds me of another Quirk. You seem to have much in common with All Might."

Izuku mumbled, "I guess I never thought about it that way. Sorry, but I should get going."

He walked past him, wondering if Endeavor knows about One For All, but realized he probably doesn't and shouldn't.

Endeavor said, "It's my Shoto's duty to surpass All Might as the number one hero. And his match with you will be a good testing ground for how much training he has left. So hit him hard. Don't disgrace yourself or him by holding back. That's all I wanted to say. I apologize for bothering you."

Izuku replied, "Endeavor. I am not All Might."

Endeavor was confused, "What are you talking about?"

Izuku continued, "And the same goes for Todoroki. He may be your son, but he isn't you." He turned and walked away. Both he and Shoto made their way to the arena from different points.

Ochaco arrived back at the 1-A box, "So the match hasn't started yet? Oh good."

Tenya was startled by her puffy eyes, "Something horrible happened to your eyes. You need to go see Recovery Girl/"

Ochaco sat down, "I already did. This is from something else."

Danny smiled at her, "You did good in your match. That strategy of yours was good. Now you can learn from your losses."

Tenya said, "Hey, that's not a kind thing to say. She has a right to be frustrated."

Momo said, "I lost too. And Danny is giving good advice. We both can learn from our losses."

Tokoyami added, "It's no time to wallow. Use this next fight as a source of encouragement."

Tenya gulped, "So wise."

The crowd cheered as Present Mic announced, "I can feel the anticipation in the stadium! And that's because the second round's first match is gonna be epic! It's the guy who won his last fight by a landslide and literally left half the audience frozen. The hero course's Shoto Todoroki! And this kid almost walked out of his first matchup, but made a stunning comeback by showing off impressive moves! Also from the hero course, Izuku Midoriya!"

Izuku and Shoto walked into the battle arena, staring each other down. Shoto said, "So here we are."

"And only one of us can win," Izuku replied.

Tenya looked over at Tokoyami, "How do you think this match will go?"

Tokoyami answered, "It depends on whether or not Midoriya is able to get close to him."

"Yeah," Ochaco added. "That's the problem. How will Deku avoid the ice?"

Danny said, "He has to control his Quirk in a way so he can dodge the ice attacks and get close to Shoto. That is the key."

Elsewhere, Tomura Shigaraki was watching the upcoming match and heard his master say, "Pay close attention to them, Tomura Shigaraki. These two could prove to be formidable obstacles one day."

Tomura scoffed, "Ha. I'm not worried about these two kids. It's the one in the next match I'm worried about."

Izuku's mom was crying for her baby.

Everyone was waiting in anticipation for the match to start.

Up in the teacher's box, Thirteen looked over at All Might, "Those two students tried to save you at the USJ, didn't they? Along with Fenton."

All Might nodded, "Yeah. They may have more in common than they realize. They both have such an intense vibe about them."

Present Mic narrated, "Both the heroes in training have been frontrunners in the sports festival! But which one of these rivals will advance to the next round? Prepare for Midoriya vs. Todoroki!"