I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.

The Mina and Aoyama fight was pretty intense. Mineta watched as the pink girl weaved through what was basically turret fire as Aoyama barely moved from where he stood. And looking at how Mina moved, it made Mineta think that the girl must have taken some form of dance. Guess that explains why her thighs are beautifully healthy.

Anyhow, the battle was decided when Mina managed to get a single globule of acid onto Aoyama's belt. With nothing to defend himself, the faux Frenchman froze up as Mina moved in. The girl then gave him the most exaggerated uppercut Mineta has seen, delivering it squarely to Aoyama's chin. And the guy couldn't get up after that.

"Yeah, I didn't think that guy stood a chance once you closed the distance." Mineta commented.

"Also, the crux to Aoyama's abilities is his belt. Damage it and he loses all of his combat ability." Midoriya said, scribbling a few notes into Aoyama's section of the Hero notebook.

"Did he ever mention why he needed that?" Uraraka asked as she leaned in to read her friend's notes.

"No. He said it was a secret." Tsuyu replied.

"Still, that was quite a show from both of them. Let's hope Yaoyorozu-kun and Tokoyami-kun performs just as well as those two. Have they gone to prepare?" Iida asked before looking around their seating area. And it took all of 2 seconds to see that neither of them was present. So with a nod, the class president's eyes went back to field. Cementoss was seen repairing any damages as conversations of the next match began picking up.

"So, anyone has any bets for this match? My money's on Yaomomo, her Quirk's very flexible." Jirou said, putting her thoughts out there.

"Whey~!" Kaminari blurted out as he nodded vigorously. The electric blonde was still very much in dope mode and had batteries wired into his mouth to treat it. Why the medical staff didn't wait until he fully recovered before discharging him was beyond Mineta. Still, it was pretty fun to watch him be silly.

"But Tokoyami's a two in one deal. Just because Dark Shadow does all the work, that doesn't mean he himself can't do anything. Does anyone know if Tokoyami has secret kung fu skills up his sleeve? He seems like the kind of person who learns that sort of thing." Tooru said. Somehow, Mineta could see her head tilting and the gears turning in her brain. How he could tell was beyond him, but it did bring up a good point. Can their feathered classmate fight without his Quirk?

"I don't know. But we're to find out right now." Shouji said as Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami walked onto the field. Present Mic gave his introductions, the tensions mounting as the two readied themselves. But while Tokoyami stood firmly upon the earth, eyes focused like a hawk. Yaoyorozu looked pressured, no doubt trying to figure out something to overcome Dark Shadow.

"Are our contestants ready?" Midnight asked as she raised her whip.

"That I am." Tokoyami answered, voice deep and stoic.

"R-Ready." Yaoyorozu replied, mind still processing.

"Then let's begin!"

The whip was brought down, its crack resonating through the stadium. The audience cheered as Tokoyami released his living shadow and it made a beeline towards Yaoyorozu. The intelligent girl created a shield and blocked the charge, getting pushed back slightly. Mineta blinked and continued to carefully observe how Yaoyorozu was reacting to the attacks.

And the notes weren't good.

"She can't concentrate… Things are happening too quickly for her to do anything but block." Mineta said.

"At this rate, Yaoyorozu-kun will be pushed out of bounds. Fight on! Show everyone why you're 1A's Class Vice President!" Iida cried out as his arms began doing semaphore.

"Yaomomo! You have to move forward!" Jirou shouted.

But alas, their cheers went to waste as Yaoyorozu was pushed past the boundaries. Her feet were dragged the whole way there. The cheers roared all around as Midnight declared Tokoyami the winner. The feathered boy drew back Dark Shadow before silently bowing to his opponent. A respectful and humble gesture despite the overwhelming victory he had achieved. To him, Yaoyorozu must have given everything to defend against him.

However, Mineta could see that it had done nothing for the girl. The girl's eyes were downcast and her shoulders were equally low…

"Oh boy… That's a pretty rough loss… Was Sero and Todoroki's match kind of like this?" Mineta asked before turning to Midoriya.

"HEY!"

Midoriya looked past his partner and wordlessly bowed with a sheepish smile, no doubt aimed at Sero. He then went back to Mineta and just simply nodded. The shorter boy nodded back, seeing that there was nothing else to say. Though that was when he saw Uraraka stand up, body trembling.

"W-Well, it's my turn now. Wish me luck…" She said before briskly walking off. Oh right, it's her fight with Bakugou next. Mineta looked over to where Bakugou sat, only to see that the human grenade has already gone ahead. Moving quickly, the shorter boy nudged his partner and gestured to his Hero notebook. Midoriya blankly stared at him. Mineta then mouthed Uraraka's name. His head twitched up, eyes widening in realization. He scrambled up from his seat and ran after the gravity defying girl.

"I'll be right back!" He shouted, leaving the area. The shorter boy smiled to himself as he stretched out his arms, wrists, and fingers. That'll speed things up nicely between them. But the high came down when Mineta noticed how the rest of 1A was giving him this odd look. And the unwarranted attention made sweat appear all over his body en masse.

"Can I help you?" He asked slowly.

"… Is Ochako going to be okay?" Jirou asked, voice having that uneasy quality. Oh, so that's what this is about? Mineta clenched his teeth together behind closed lips as he looked at some arbitrary spot in the sky. He needed to give them some kind of reassurance that Bakugou wasn't going to straight up maul the girl. But even with all confidence and trickery of a master magician, you can't convince anyone that a chainsaw is as soft as a cloud in the sky.

Especially when it's revved up.

"Uhhh... She'll live?" He finally let out, looking back to everyone. That proved to be the wrong answer.

"We've got to stop the match! He'll brutalize her! Ochako-chan will return as scarred war Hero!" Tooru shouted as she got up. Several others began to stand as well, no doubt going as a united front to Aizawa or another teacher over their concerns. Mineta began kicking himself for riling them up so badly. But he supposed he deserved it seeing that he failed 1A when they needed him most. And as those who weren't going tried to calm those who were, Midoriya appeared alongside Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Mina, and Aoyama.

"What manner of madness is this?" Tokoyami asked, sweat rolling down the side of his head.

"Yaoyorozu-kun! Good timing! Help me calm everyone down!" Iida shouted. The girl with the ponytail, while initially downcast, became increasingly concerned and confused over what her class president just said.

"Could you first explain what caused this please?"

"Oh right, Ochako's against Bakugou! She's not going to come out the same! Let's go!" Mina said. The chaos only got worse as they all began debating their best course of action. And as the noise kept going up, Mineta felt himself shrinking as the want to disappear increased. Spontaneously ceasing to exist doesn't sound so bad right now…

"Everyone! Please listen!"

1A stopped its rowdy behavior as all eyes went to the voice who shouted that. And when Mineta went to the source, he let out a sigh of relief. Midoriya Izuku had stepped up to bring order to this mess. So there the green haired boy stood, arms out like a priest ready to give his sermon. Everyone was waiting with bated breath for him to speak. But as the silence between them increased, so did the awkwardness.

It was so much that Midoriya began to tremble slightly as shaky words came out his warbled mouth.

"I didn't think that would actually work… But now that I have your attention… Uh… What's up?" He said, looking around for anyone who'll take a nibble.

"Will Ochako be okay against Bakugou? We asked Mineta, but he doesn't think things will be fine at all." Jirou asked, rewording her question from earlier. Mineta saw his partner look his way, which caused him to hide behind his seat. But looking back up, he could see that Midoriya didn't look at all disappointed or anything. He just gave a nod and turned back to the crowd.

"I think you misinterpreted what Mineta-kun said. What he meant was that Kacchan won't hurt Uraraka-san in any major way. I know his attitude is… Strong, but he is still trying to be a Hero like the rest of us."

"So he'll hold back against her?" Tsuyu asked, finger on her chin.

"I didn't say that. Out of everyone here, Kacchan is the LEAST likely to hold anything back." Midoriya answered. Before the panic could climb again, the green haired boy raised his Hero book high into the air. All eyes went for it, seeing that it was one of Midoriya's most coveted possessions, and quieted down for him.

"The reason I left is to offer her some advice directly from this book. Do you know what Uraraka-san said? She thanked me, but ultimately declined my offer. And this is despite her intense nervousness against Kacchan. Then why you ask? During each of your… No. During the whole of the Sports Festival, we were giving it our all to win. And she felt that. So if she were to accept my help now, she would be spitting on the resolve and courage we all showed today. So in respect for us, Uraraka-san will rise to the challenge, face Kacchan head on, and show everyone that she's a Hero too." Midoriya said, his soft tone betraying the roar in his words.

The entirety of the class stared at him before they all heard the sound of clapping. Looking over, it was Kirishima doing the action while a steady stream of tears rolled down his face.

"No wonder I lost to you… That was just the boldest and manliest speech I've ever heard…"

"Yeah. It was so awesome, I didn't even need context for that." Kaminari said as he put one arm around his red haired classmate. Oh hey, he's back from being defunct. Anyhow, as Midoriya processed the words, the confident/timid switch that Mineta became familiar with was flicked. As a result the green haired boy returned back to his nervous self as he tried to play down his actions.

"B-But those were Uraraka-san's words, not mine. I'm just the messenger, so I really didn't think of any of that…"

"It's still admirable that you've managed to preserve both her words and what she meant. Most other times, something gets lost in the transition and a misunderstanding is formed. But your delivery was perfect!" Iida replied. And as the compliments continued to fly, more than Midoriya was comfortable dealing with, the green haired boy looked over to Mineta for help.

The shorter boy stared as his partner continued to get praise. And while he would normally step in to help him… Mineta wasn't going to this time. And why would he? Midoriya's reputation among 1A had just hit a new peak. So with a smile of apology, the shorter boy bowed to his partner and mouthed…

"Sorry, you're on your own."

And now, Midoriya looked like he wanted to cry.

…

But alas, good times can't last forever. Now, it was the fated time. Bakugou Katsuki and Uraraka Ochako stood upon the stage, Present Mic giving his introductions. The human grenade glared at his opponent with an intensity that could ignite gasoline. He wasn't looking down on her but directly at her, which only increased the glare's intensity. However, the gravity defying girl didn't flinch to that. Instead, she calmly stared back, brows furrowed and face full of determination.

1A quietly watched as Midnight asked if the participants were ready. And when one said they were, Mineta could hear everyone's heart rate go up. When the other said 'ready', it went up even more. The R18 Heroine raised her whip, the tension reaching its breaking point. Upon its crack, the tension was released all at once. 1A catapulted into cheers and shouts of encouragement as Uraraka charged towards Bakugou.

Mostly everyone was on the girl's side and that's not just for 1A. Most of the stadium was treating Bakugou like a Villain as he blasted Uraraka without restraint whenever she got close. Even when she tried to utilize the large plumes of smoke he generated, Bakugou's reactions were fast enough to protect his flanks. But it didn't deter the girl and she continued to bravely charge forward.

More explosions, more pockets in the concrete, more injuries on Uraraka.

Mineta looked over to his partner and saw the focus in his eyes. He never took eyes off of either Bakugou or Uraraka, his mind cataloguing each and every action they were taking. He nodded in approval when Uraraka used her jersey as a diversion during a smokescreen maneuver. But he also hummed at Bakugou's reactionary strike, no doubt noting how efficient it was.

One look at his hands, however, told a different story. His partner was praying. And it didn't take Mineta any brain power to figure out who it was meant for. But this was not the time to worry over his secret agenda. Now was the time to support a friend from all of his heart.

"GO URARAKA! KICK HIS ASS!" Mineta screamed with all the air in his body. Though what came next was something he expected, but not at this moment. The Pros in the audience began to express their displeasure for Bakugou in loudest manner possible. And Mineta was internally smiling that Bakugou was finally getting called out for his behavior.

"Is the one who said he's toying with her a Pro? How many years of active duty do you have? Because if that's all you see from this match, then I recommend you hang up your cape and go job hunting elsewhere." Aizawa said into his microphone. Mineta froze as the chilling tone of his former master's voice. And it was so cold that the entire Pro Hero section, who were so passionately rejecting Bakugou's very being, completely stopped their jeering.

"It seems Aizawa-sensei caught on to Kacchan's TRUE personality…" Midoriya commented. These words made Mineta remember something Bakugou said about the Kirishima and Midoriya match. 'If that nerd has made it this far, then you're damn right he has a chance. It's slim, but it's not zero'. So by that logic, the human grenade is treating Uraraka the same. No matter how much stronger he is, Bakugou's not taking any chances.

"What you see as excessive force is actually his caution. He recognizes her as a worthy opponent that shouldn't be underestimated. It's because he wishes for victory that he cannot allow any room for error." Aizawa continued, his words still heavy with disappointment towards his fellow Heroes. And looking to Uraraka, injured and exhausted, Mineta could see the flames that burned within her eyes. Flames that Midoriya had whenever he was showing the Hero within.

"I'm also ashamed that none of you noticed what's actually going on. Take a closer look at the field." Aizawa finished before leaning away from his microphone.

The shorter boy raised an eyebrow to that. He knew that his former master couldn't be wrong since his power of observation was strong. As expected of a pragmatic, predation Hero with a sight based Quirk. But what was it? Looking at the ring and ignoring Bakugou and Uraraka's dance of destruction, Mineta soon began to feel that something was off. But the more he stared, the more the answer escaped him.

What was it that bothered him about this scene? Where was Aizawa trying to lead the audience's attention?

"Mineta-chan… Look up…" Tsuyu said quietly. The shorter boy looked over to her, then to Midoriya, and finally the rest of 1A. All of them were starting towards the sky with shrunken pupils. When he himself went and looked to the heavens… His whole body numbed as that feeling of insignificance washed over him. All the craters and scars left upon the ring were all made in preparation for this…

High above the field were the various chunks of concrete that Bakugou blasted from the ground. It honestly looked like an asteroid field, a fitting description since the girl who made it can manipulate gravity. Eyes went back to the players on the field and just in time too. Uraraka, all hurt and tired, defiantly glared at Bakugou as she pressed all her fingers together.

The chunks in the air immediately dropped, all converging onto Bakugou's side of the ring. With so many coming down on him, there was no hope that he could dodge all of it. And even if he could, Uraraka was also charging towards him. It was a pincer attack!

"Uraraka-san! You can make it!" Midoriya shouted.

"Get in there!" Mineta screamed.

"Uraraka!" 1A cheered as the gravity defying girl was only a few steps away. And then it happened, the shattering of all their hopes. Bakugou raised a single hand up and braced it with his other. With just a single spark from his palm, the entire space above him was shattered by a roaring flash of red and orange. The shockwave blew past every last member in the audience, the smell to dust and smoke filling the air.

That's that… All hope was lost.

Still, the girl stood with every ounce of strength left within her. Uraraka hasn't given up despite her gambit failing. And as she stepped forward, Bakugou stood at the ready to meet her. But the moment her foot hit the concrete, her body collapsed. The human grenade relaxed slightly, but his eyes were still carefully observing his opponent as she struggled to even crawl. Midnight came onto the scene and began checking on the downed girl.

She then aimed her whip at Bakugou. "Uraraka Ochako is unable to continue! The winner is Bakugou Katsuki!"

It was to be expected… A kind girl against a genius born with everything could only end in defeat. And yet why does it feel so wrong to actually see it. Uraraka, while not unconscious, was carted off by medical robots and Bakugou disappeared into the shadows of the stadium's interior. Present Mic called for a ten minute break as Cementoss began repairing the field for the next match.

As for 1A, they began moving en masse to see the girl who showed that she was a Hero too.

And that was Chapter 30.

I've got nothing to say this week. Stay tuned to next week for a rather interesting treat. Remember, your clue is to pay attention to the brackets and who has won thus far.

So with all that said...

Until Next Time. T1.