I hate cheaters; I really do. They screwed with my exam schedule and gave me too much grief from having to deal with that. Even though I can't prove it, I'm damn sure the exam was harder for it. Oh well, I can only take my frustrations out playing 7 Days to Die, booting up creative, and designing a stupidly fortified fortress from which I massacre all zombies that dare approach it.

Speaking of games, I was able to update my Genshin Impact, which I typically wait until the end of the month since my internet, unlike the family home's, isn't unlimited. So, once I clear my exams, I will have more games to play while I relax.

Also, this is being posted because I'll be busy later, and didn't want to post this at a crazy hour in the fucking early morning.

Chapter 26: Battle On, Challengers!

"And after the rough-house that was match 2, we are back with match 3!" Present Mic started as the flames at the four corners of the arena lit up, right as the two combatants made their way up the stairs.

"The jack of all trades from class B, he's a crafty one, so you better watch out! From the hero course, Monoma Neito!" Monoma walked up with a hand in his pocket, relaxed with a cocky smile on his face.

"Versus-she's cute, but don't let that fool you, or you'll be floating away! From the hero course, Uraraka Ochaco!" Contrasting him, Uraraka marched up the stairs, her eyes locked in on him even as she did sweat a little, as this was her chance to make an impression.

"Now, I want to see a super flashy battle, so don't hold back, my students! Go wild!" Present Mic yelled over the microphones. While Jiro v Tsunotori wasn't a boring match, people watched the U.A. Sports festival to see just how powerful their students were and how crazy they could get with the application of those quirks. In the stands, the two classes cheered for their classmates.

"Come on, Monoma, add another win to the list!" Tsuburaba and Kamakiri lead class B, while their sister class was led by Mina and Kaminari.

"Send that guy packing, Uraraka!"

As the groups cheered, Honenuki and Tokage looked towards Midoriya. "Do you?" He stopped their question by shaking his head, his eyes never leaving the field as he was more than eager to see Monoma shine.

"He didn't tell me, so I'm excited to see how he handles this." Now, he could have copied him, but Izuku lacked a quirk. Still, he had seen him touch or shake hands with most of their class before Monoma left to get ready, so he could, in theory, have decided to hold onto any of the 18 quirks their class had, but then again, there was the time-limit of 5 minutes which he had to be aware of.

Uraraka went through what she knew about this cocky-looking foe back on the field. 'I'm not sure what his quirk is, but it looked like he could create barriers out of the air when breathing. He seems to be cocky like Bakugo. But is he as competent?' She hadn't been paying too much attention to him during the chariot race, having been focused on steering her team's chariot and dealing with those teams that came close to them.

But that didn't mean she saw nothing; she had seen him countering Bakugo's charge to regain their stolen flag. 'My best bet is to exhaust him and wait for when he makes a mistake.'

"I hope that you put up a good fight. It would be a shame if this ended too quickly." Monoma's comment knocked her out of her contemplations.

"S-same to you!" She felt a little embarrassed that he caught on the back foot like that, so she resolved to make him pay for it by winning!

"Are you ready?" At Present Mic's word, the two changed their stances. Uraraka bent low, while Monoma took a deep breath. "Start!" Uraraka didn't waste time, charging him while remaining low. All she needed was a touch, and this match was hers.

Monoma wasn't going to make that easy. He blew out his breath, creating a transparent barrier of air that she nearly crashed into. "A frontal charge? I'm insulted," Monoma called out.

"And a block from Monoma!" Present Mic yelled as Uraraka was quick to react; having expected that, she shifted and turned at him from another angle, closing the gap a little more, only to be met with the same result

"Not yet!" Uraraka yelled as the fifth barrier was formed. Still, she could tell that Monoma was getting a little winded from making so much in quick succession and seemed to be getting worried.

He watched as she jumped over the barrier he had made, rolling when she landed and then getting back on her feet to attack him. Her hand reached out. "That's not going to work on me!" Monoma took another breath and created a barrier. Still, Uraraka threw herself to the side before it could even finish, giving her straight access to his side.

'There!' He lunged for him. "Now I-" She didn't see Monoma's surprise shift.

"Have me?" He raised his hand, the limb transforming as it turned green and grew claws and scales. Those scales fired on Uraraka without warning, sending her back with a cry as she was pelted by the scales.

"Uraraka!" Iida called out to her as Monoma ceased the attack once she was a suitable distance from him, his gambit having worked like a charm.

"Nice play, Monoma!" Kaibara yelled as Uraraka got up, but now it was Monoma on the offensive. His other arm shifted into this lizard-like form and fired on her, forcing Uraraka to run and dodge all over the place, getting it now and then.

"What the heck was that? Isn't his quirk the air barriers?" Mineta, the shortest student in the hero course, asked. As he did this, Mina pocked Bakugo's side.

"Told you we should have told her, Bakugo." She told him, but he didn't budge on the topic, even as Uraraka found herself pushed further back.

"If she can't handle this, she's not worth it." He replied, gaining Kendo's attention as she turned to them. The frown on her face made Mina and Kaminari raise their hands in surrender.

"Handle what? What's happening?" She asked them, to which Bakugo flipped the bird, but Sero was more than willing to avoid pissing off their class rep and strongest member.

"That Monoma's guy lets him copy quirks through touch. He probably touched a classmate before the fight started." He explained, as he recalled, that before he copied their quirks, like Bakugo's, he had to touch them. It was good, as if it worked like Aizawa-sensei- with a requirement only needing you to see your target, he could be near impossible to beat.

"Wait, he can do that?" Hagakure asked.

"He threw an explosion right back into Bakugo's face, pretty funny now that I think about it." Mina pointed towards Bakugo, who snarled at her for revealing that piece of info.

"Watch it!"

Wiping a little blood from her cheek, courtesy of a scale that got a bit too close to her face, Uraraka watched as Monoma's arms went back to normal. "Sorry, but that's not how this is going to work. Let me guess, your plan was to try and make me tired and short of breath so you could get in a counter? That might have worked, but my class has plenty of wonderful quirks." He bragged, leaving her stumped to how to face him.

While she wondered what she would do next, Monoma was in a similar boat as he hadn't dropped scales because he had no use for it anymore, but because his time limit with it expired. Keeping his poker face up, he knew that he maybe had another minute with Solid Air, same with the 3rd quirk he was saving for just the right moment.

"Well, if you can't come to me, I'll just go to you!" He charged her, with Uraraka retreating further, not wanting to give him a chance to continue to harass her with those scales of his.

"And Uraraka finds herself on the defensive! But it wouldn't hurt if she put more gusto into it!" Present Mic cheered as Uraraka left her distance from Monoma, but the boy was fast, keeping her on her toes and avoiding her hands.

"She's making the smart choice, as she has little clues to Monoma's quirk and is waiting till she can make an educated guess before countering." Eraser chimed in right as Monoma decided to end this.

"It's been fun, but we're on the schedule." He stomped his foot, activating Honenuki's quirk, which raced towards where Uraraka was. With a yelp, she sank into the stuff like it was quicksand. Monoma smiled but knew he had seconds left before this too faded.

Uraraka, in desperation, used her quirk on herself, and aside from the slight nausea, she felt gravity lose all its effects on her. With her hand barely reaching beyond the area of impact of this…mud quirk, she threw herself out of the muck, surprising many, including Monoma, as she had thrown herself right at him.

"Crud!" He tried to call up another air barrier, only to realize he couldn't access that anymore. Uraraka saw this, and the comment about them being on a schedule despite the fact Midnight had said nothing about matches being timed gave her an idea.

But first, she tumbled right into Monoma, knocking him off his feet. The two quickly got into a jumbled melee on the floor, as both tried to fight the other off or restrain them before Monoma used his larger, more muscular build to force her off.

"You didn't use your quirks there; that means you got a limit, don't ya?" She asked as she got up, smiling as she found a crack in his armor, which he proved right when she saw his face twist just for a moment, surprise and irritation at her figuring that out.

"You might know how my quirk works, but I should tell you that I can copy the quirks of anyone I touch." Monoma replied, as he now had her quirk for the next 5 minutes, so much like her; if he could just touch her and throw her towards the ring's limits, she'd pass well over it, and he could then drop her, and take the win. The only issue is that she knew that; that was her plan after all. But he had something to add to it, a means to increase the speed of his advance, which required he removed gravity's effects on himself.

Charging her, he did just that, and that was where it all went wrong. As soon as he used his copied quirk, while it did render him exempt from the law of gravity, his stomach rolled and squeezed in his gut. As his face turned green, he stumbled and fell as he grabbed at his gut as it rebelled against him. "What…what is this?" He managed to get out.

Uraraka, seeing him in pain, couldn't take much joy in her victory. "I know my quirk better than anyone, and I can tell you, using it on yourself wasn't a smart idea." She told him, as she knew that feeling well. Trying to keep her precious meal in her stomach rather than throwing it up.

Seeing Uraraka walking over, Monoma canceled the 0-gravity on himself to try and cease this and get back onto his feet. Still, the lingering effects of his gut wishing to eject his lunch remained, slowing him down as Uraraka dodged his sloppy attempt to touch her, countering by placing her hand on his arm, leaving him floating off the ground. With that done, it was child's play to swing him about by the foot, making his stomach feel even worse before letting go, watching him sail over the boundary line before she canceled her quirk, leaving Monoma to fall onto his but well out of bonds.

"Monoma is out of bonds! Uraraka moves on to the quarter-finals!" Midnight declared as the crowd for the 2nd class A victory, Uraraka laughing as she walked off the stage, Monoma picking himself and stumbling towards the exit as well.

"And Uraraka claims the victory! Man, I wasn't expecting that!" Present Mic called it as Monoma's name darkened on the board. At the same time, his picture was changed to have a big red X over it, whereas Urarak's was shifted up to the next tier, her opponent to be decided in the next match.

"Monoma's quirk is impressive, being able to copy the quirks of others, but he forgot to consider any side effects those copied powers might bring, as what happened here. If he had kept that in mind, the match would have gone differently." Eraser commented that many of the pros watching had concluded something like that and were impressed with the boy as if they could work on that, and perhaps his ego as well; he was a solid contender for greatness.

"Thank you for the insight, Eraser, old buddy! At times like this, we gotta remember stuff like the turtle and hare." Present Mic noted.

"That's our 2nd win!" Mina cheered along with Kaminari and Hagakure.

"That's our girl!" Jiro, having returned during the match, clapped for her.

"Oh, dammit, Monoma, we could have started a chain!" Tetsutetsu yelled at the now empty field.

"I'll just have to correct this in the next match." Kamakiri got up, cracking his neck as he turned to leave.

"Make us proud, Kamakiri." Tokage called out as he left, waving over his shoulder at them. Shoji got up on the other side of the wall to prepare for his match.

"Looks like our turn is coming up." The tall boy started, speaking through his mask that covered half his face.

"You got this, big guy! We believe in you." Mina cheered for him, joined by several others as Iida's arm chopped at him, but the class vice-rep smiled, the same as Kendo, who gave him a thumbs up.

They weren't sure, but they felt he was smiling at their support as he left. "Thank you, I'll do my best." Watching him walk away, they only needed to wait a few minutes before Present Mic spoke up again.

"Now, it's time for the fourth match! We're just going to speed-run this, as our last two match-ups left the arena in great shape!" Present Mic hyped up the crowd, who cheered for the coming match, the two students entering the field from opposite hallways.

"But don't let that stop you, students! You're aiming for the top, so bring your double A game!" Present Mic went one, as he knew these two, and while one wasn't all that aggressive, the other was very much so.

"He's a silent giant, but far from gentle, as he's prepared to throw all those hands your way, from the hero course, Shoji Mezo!" Shogi was his typical stoic self as he walked up the stairs, giving little away about what he was thinking or feeling. Instead, he focused on the shorter heteromorph making his way up to meet him centre stage.

"He's an eager one, always ready for a fight. He's as deadly as a finely made blade! From the hero course, Kamakiri Togaru!" Kamakiri smiled, as this was a chance he wouldn't squander. Bouncing on his feet, his blades itched to be released.

"You think he'll go all out?" Komori asked, to which Honenuki shrugged his shoulders.

"Probably not. We don't know how Shoji's quirks works and the last thing anyone wants is for a student to dismember another." The casual way his response drew attention from across the wall as both Kaminari and Iida pocked over.

"Wait, what's this about dismemberment?" Kaminari wondered if he had just heard it wrong; there was no way they could be talking about that.

"Don't worry about it." Tokage brushed off with a smile, which only made class A all the more nervous.

"I will absolutely worry about it! That's not just against school policy but is also illegal!" Iida retorted, but they ignored him till Kendo and Tokoyami calmed Iida down, reminding him that if class B was so casual about it, then it wasn't a big deal, nor was their student going to commit a heinous crime.

"Are you ready?" Both nodded. "Start!" Kamakiri moved first, sprinting towards Shoji as blades formed along his forearms. Shoji reacted by trying to grab him, but the smaller fighter dodged and swung his blade at Shogi's exposed limb. But instead of a gruesome scene of bloody dismemberment, Kamakiri's blade did dig into Shoji's arm, but no further as the taller teen counter with his other arm, creating a swarm of limbs to try and capture Kamakiri who reacted to this by striking with his other blade, once more, blood did spill, and cuts were made, but limbs did not drop.

"He's purposely left his blades as dull as possible." Midoriya mused aloud, explaining the situation to those in class A, who sighed relieved. Seeing them charge at one another again, Midoriya suspected he already knew the winner as he got up.

"Leaving all ready?" Yanagi asked as Midoriya stretched his arms over his head, yawning like a housecat.

"My match is next, and I don't plan on losing." He wouldn't have minded watching this to the end, but he wanted to ensure he was ready for his time in the spotlight. After all, if he let a bird best him, he'll never live it down.

"Sure thing. We'll give you the play-by-play later," Tetsutetsu replied as Midoriya waved and walked off, Tokoyami standing up to prepare.

"I shall make my leave now. I need time to prepare for my match and to ensure that my opponent remembers that I'm not a mere plaything." He recalled Midoriya's comment to him and how irritated he was by it.

"Kick that useless Deku's ass!" Bakugo's reply caused most to do a double take, even Tokoyami.

"Wow, never thought I'd see it. Bakugo hating someone else enough to cheer for a classmate." Asui noted before turning her attention back to the action, just in time for Shoji to try and grab Kamakiri, who responded by growing new blades across his arms and back and head, turning him into a human porcupine.

"Screw you, frog legs!" She didn't even bother turning to him for that, as Bakugo and his frankly, annoying nicknames had lost most of their bite a while ago.

"(Kero) That's not an insult; my quirk makes it that my legs are partially like a frog's." She instead retorted as Shoji managed to land a solid punch to Kamakiri, which winded him but not enough to keep him down long enough for Shoji to capitalize as Kamakiri was back up in seconds, flipping over Shoji's, a fresh cut on his right shoulder, one of many that Kamakiri had inflicted on him. Narrowing his eyes, he expanded his arms, turning the ends of 2 of his tentacles into eyes while the other 4 remained fists.

Kamakiri met this by growing even more blades across his body, traveling from his knuckles up his arms to the bladed spine he had created earlier; even out of his mohawk, he recreated blades. All were as dull as he could make, but he knew that could still cut, and with this, he would make his foe bleed.

"And after a grueling dogged battle, probably the bloodiest we've ever had, Shoji takes the win! But man, he doesn't look like it; he looks like he lost a fight to a paper-cut storm." Midoriya went through the last portions of his stretches as Present Mic's announcement carried through the speakers inside the waiting room. He wished there would also be a screen, as he had only had his commentary to work with, but it would do for now.

"While indeed a rather red affair, heroes must be prepared to use their tools to their fullest abilities and get used to scenes like this. That being said, the match could have been ended soon, by force if need be." Eraser added as Midoriya stood straight, a smile on his face.

"Oh, Eraser, it's not that bad." Izuku grabbed his bottle and sprayed its contents into his mouth. Swishing it around for a minute, he swallowed slowly to ensure he didn't make a mistake with what he had planned should he need it, though he doubted that it would be in this match.

"Are you the one that's going to clean that up?" Izuku laughed when Eraser asked that question, as he could imagine that a fight involving the ever-competitive Kamakiri would end with more than a bit of bloodshed."

"Midoriya Izuku. Tokoyami Fumikage. The fifth match will start soon. Please make your way to the starting position." An automative voice said over the speakers as Midoriya took a breath, before a feral Cheshire smile formed on his face as he turned and left the room. He hadn't scored first in either of the two races but was set to ensure he took the gold this time.

The halls beneath the stadium were empty, but that didn't mean they were silent enough for his footsteps to be notable, as the roar of the crowd above him carried through who knew how much concrete and steel. It was an excellent time to clear his head of pointless things. He could focus on everyone else he'll face after overcoming this obstacle. The path leading out into the light of day and the cameras of thousands were unlit, making it seem like the way out was all the more appealing, stepping into the light.

"If nothing else, U.A. loves it's symbolism." Izuku said to himself as he walked through as he entered the field, with the cheers, screams, and clapping of the audience so powerful he had to cover up a wince as he walked. How was it that down here on the pitch, it was louder than it was back up with the seating?

"After that metal battle, we got another high-stakes brawl for you folks with our 5th match!" Present Mic stated that the two made their way up the stairs onto the arena, slowly approaching each other with purpose at every step.

"Offense and defense in a single body! This dark samurai is accompanied by his ever-faithful Dark Shadow! From the hero course, it's Tokoyami Fumikage!" Tokoyami remained silent and stern even as the crowd cheered his name.

"He's as dangerous as he is unpredictable. This is one kitty you don't want to mess with! Nature in his sword and shield, from the hero course, is Midoriya Izuku!" Midoriya was the same, in his own way, but where Tokoyami was straight face, Midoriya had a smile on his, one he had been wearing since he walked out for the world to see him.

"Hey," Tokoyami's gaze sharpened as he focused on his opponent, wary about anything he could say. If Izuku had noticed that his opponent was on guard, he wouldn't have mentioned it. "Win or lose, no hard feelings?"

Tokoyami's frown didn't change, but he did nod his head. "Agreed."

A few moments before, while the two walked out into the field, the two hero classes were abuzz with excitement. While no match before this had been boring, far from it, none had pitted two heavyweights against one another. "Oh man, this is gonna be good." Kuroiro crossed his arms, a smirk on his face.

"You think this Tokoyami is gonna last?" Rin asked, sounding concerned which caught the attention of class A.

Kodai shrugged. "Probably not."

"Hey, wait a second, that's Tokoyami out there, he's no joke!" Sero peaked over the wall, his class fully agreeing with him even if those like Bakugo and Todoroki kept quiet.

"How is your guy even going to get past Dark Shadow? He doesn't have any wood like last round." Kirishima asked as he would admit that Midoriya was a real man. He was a little sneaky but could back up his bark with a serious bite. The two groups debated it, weighing the pros and cons while firmly remaining in their camp, claiming that their fighter would come out on top.

"1 hit."

All that ceased when Monoma, usually the loudest voice in class B's favor, spoke up. Unlike many of his classmates who were standing as they furiously defended Midoriya's strength, he remained seated and relaxed.

"Excuse me?" Yaoyorozu, who had gotten up with her class, asked him, as he looked like he knew something they didn't. A fact that ensured that he was right in whatever decision he made.

In a way, he did. He knew far more about Midoriya, his past, his present, and the future he wished for. He understood him, so he had complete faith in his words when he stated his response. "I'm sure that Midoriya will get it down in a single hit, wouldn't you say, Shiozaki? Kuroiro? Kodai?" Looking at the other 3, of which only one had been standing to defend Midoriya as Present Mic called out his introductions for the two in question.

Shiozaki was the first to answer, while Midoriya did things that confused and annoyed her. She couldn't deny his heart or his strength. "Midoriya is many things, but he won't waste time. If he can end it quick, he will."

Kuroiro was next, as he had seen how the guy trains plenty of times and even sparred against him. "If this was a more playful setting, maybe he would toy with him a little. But this isn't class or a friendly spar; he's going to treat it like he would the real deal."

Kodai was the least wordy in her reply. "Tokoyami's gonna lose." Seeing the 3 closest to Midoriya have such faith in his victory was a surprise, but it wasn't the nail in the coffin for those in their sister class. They knew Midoriya had gotten the best scores in the entrance exam, at least better than Bakugo and Tokoyami, but they had changed since then. They had been forced to defend themselves against actual villains and came out unscratched.

"No way in hell, you're just compensating since we beat you guys twice in a row." Kaminari said that belief out loud, but Monoma again remained calm, his gaze going to the field.

It wasn't him who replied to that. Instead, it was Tokage, as she suspected that Midoriya, that crafty little cat boy, had something up his sleeve. "Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. Just don't say we didn't warn you. Our class rep…he's something else."

'Present Mic is correct in his description of him; in hindsight, everything about him is a mystery. And his quirk seems to have many applications, such as increased speed and strength, wall running, sticking to surfaces, and perhaps even reducing his gravity or weight.' Tokoyami thought, studying his opponent whose quirk he still hadn't figured out. He couldn't even rely upon Bakugo's recollections as Midoriya hadn't been lying when he called himself a late bloomer who spent months out of school, presumable because of his new quirk.

That disadvantaged him as he had already revealed and used Dark Shadow, even against him during the race earlier. 'There is also the fact he seems to be able to manipulate wood as he pleases, but he doesn't seem to have any wood on him. And this being a featureless arena with no walls, he has little he can bounce around.' That didn't mean he didn't have it, but he was sure the rules prevented him from bringing such a thing.

But he did have a faint idea of how this would go as he thought back to the obstacle race and how Midoriya conducted himself. 'No doubt he's going to try and do what his classmates did and close the distance. Dark Shadow is well suited for that.'

"Ready?" Tokoyami's gaze locked onto Midoriya while Midoriya bent forward. "Start!"

"Dark Shadow!" At his command, his quirk shot out towards Midoriya, who jumped back instead of trying to charge him. Why would he distance them when he had no means to fight like this? No matter, moments before Midoriya could land, Dark Shadow bent and redirected towards him, its claws at the ready.

And again, Midoriya dodged, moving like water as he bent his body to the side, his knee bending. At the same time, his other leg remained extended before sweeping out of the line of fire. And again, Dark Shadow redirected, its bending body as flexible as a string. Midoriya kept retreating further and further towards the limits of the arena.

"What's this? Midoriya isn't even going to fight back? Is he trying to tire out his foe? Well, he better hope it happens quick, as he's running out of space!" Present Mic's announcement matched the audience's confusion as Midoriya was proving to be as slippery as a cat, with the flexibility to match as he contorted, twisted, and moved about, evading anything that Dark Shadow could throw at him.

"Dammit, hold still, and let me hit you!" Dark Shadow yelled as it brought its hand, larger than before, to where Midoriya stood.

Midoriya laughed as he dodged to the side, almost skating across the floor as he escaped harm's way. "And why would I do that, Dark Shadow?" He asked, Tokoyami feeling his patience being tempted as while he hadn't moved, he didn't think that he had the advantage. No, he was being played, but how? Midoriya was on the retreat while he remained safe and in the middle of the arena.

He could tell he wasn't just messing with him; his eyes were watching him, watching Dark Shadow, learning more about his quirk while revealing nothing of his own. Tokoyami's anger at this only made Dark Shadow larger and more aggressive. Said quirk rushed at Midoriya again, larger than before, while its claws dug trenches in the concrete arena. This wasn't just for show as before it got close, he swung its one claw towards Midoriya, throwing up pieces of concrete and dust to obscure Midoriya's vision.

With that done, the quirk bent to attack from another angle to catch Midoriya unawares. Crashing into the dust cloud, the quirk swung its other hand to throw the cat boy out of the arena and be done with it, but it met nothing. "What?!" Dark Shadow asked, looking around for where the hell their opponent could have run to.

"I already told you," User and Quirk turned their heads to the side, where Midoriya stood, stretching like a feline, not a care in the world, as he smirked at them. "Birds don't have the best track record against cats."

"This guy can't be touched! Tokoyami is throwing all he has and the kitchen sink, and not a single attack has hit its mark." Present Mic called as the crowd wondered what Midoriya's deal was. Was he just a speedster? His performance throughout the obstacle race seemed to back that up.

Fumikage wasn't as impressed with him as he recalled Dark Shadow to his side. "I grow tired of your words. If you believe them, then prove it." Midoriya had proved he was fast, but that was it. He also acted incredibly arrogant, which allowed him to be pushed to the brink. He just needed to trick him into dodging and landing out of bounds.

"Please don't misunderstand. I have been taking this seriously. It's just that charging you earlier wouldn't have been the smartest move." Midoriya replied, his ears twitching as he locked eyes with his bird-headed foe.

It was just as he thought. "Were you gathering information then?" Tokoyami changed his stance, keeping himself loose while Dark Shadow remained on a hair trigger.

"I was, and I think I have enough," Midoriya replied as he got into a runner's stance. Still, like a tiger on the prowl, his form was more stretched, balancing his weight across all four limbs. As his eyes sharpened, a feint aura of red and green formed off his limbs. "Just remember what we promised, no hard feelings."

That said, he launched himself towards Tokoyami, cracking the concrete where he had been standing. His speed saw him cover the distance between them faster than Tokoyami, and many thought it possible for him as the quirk user reactively had Dark Shadow meet the charge.

But where Midoriya would have given up ground before, he didn't stop even as Dark Shadow pulled its claw back to strike him, only for at the last second, Midoriya managed to evade the claws, the dark claws being so close to him he could have bent his head a little and felt them as they passed. Tokoyami saw him coming, but he just had time to take a step back before Midoriya was on him, spinning on his heel to bring a spinning heel kick right into Tokoyami's side, an explosion of pain erupting from the point of contact as he felt his ribs crack as he was folded, his feet lifting off the ground as Midoriya's heel kick carried all the way throw, sending him flying halfway across the arena, rolling before coming to a stop in a heap.

All that had, from Midoriya, deciding to strike, evading Dark Shadow, and landing the first hit of the match, had occurred in no less than 6 seconds. There was a stunned silence from the audience, from the pros, from the teachers and students as Midoriya alone stood, balanced on just the one leg, his other still extended in the direction he sent his foe flying. Said foe remained still as Dark Shadow had vanished as its tether faded into nothing.

After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Midnight raised her hand towards Midoriya as she walked into the arena; Midoriya, who had remained still, lowered his leg. She went to Tokoyami to see if he could still fight but found him knocked out. With that confirmation, she made her call:

"Tokoyami has been rendered unconscious! Midoriya moves onto the quarterfinals!" With that declaration, a moment of stunned silence passed as the crowd lost their minds and cheered for the victor. Midoriya took a breath before smiling and laughing at his victory, soaking in the attention.

"An undisputed victory! Tokoyami and Dark Shadow stood no chance and were taken out in a 1-hot KO! Midoriya claims an undisputed victory with the second fastest time of the festival, with only Tsunotori's win being faster!" Present Mic state as Tokoyami had to be taken off the field on a stretcher.

"What the fuck was that?" Mineta asked, speechless, much like the rest of his class.

"He…he didn't have land a single hit." Uraraka uttered, as she could barely keep up with him as he dodged, and he seemed to near teleport near the end. Such speeds, how was he just a first year?

While the rest, including Bakugo and Todoroki, were confused and slightly intimidated by watching one of their heavyweights handled so easily, Kendo was in awe of Midoriya's skills. "Amazing, such speed, reflexes and power. Tokoyami didn't stand a chance. He played him." That speed, he was almost as fast as Shigaraki had been at the USJ when he nearly grabbed Tsu. Followed by that single strike, she could tell that he was worth the praise his classmates placed on him; in fact, some of her suspected this wasn't even his strongest.

"Played him?" Iida asked, but it was the typically silent Todoroki who answered.

"He fooled Tokoyami into thinking he wouldn't strike up close and then figured out how fast Dark Shadow was, how it moved, and the force it could strike with." The dual hair-colored teen explained, analyzing how the fight had played out. Midoriya wasn't merely retreating but testing the limits of Tokoyami's control over Dark Shadow and seeing how the quirk moved.

It was textbook, something his father would have approved of if brute force wasn't an ideal solution. "Once he had that, it was simple for him to get in close, knowing that Tokoyami couldn't recall his quirk fast enough." Looking up at the bracket, he saw that Midoriya would face Shiozaki, his teammate-or Iida, who was Shoto's team, in the next round, and provided he defeated Kendo, he'd meet Midoriya up at the semi-finals.

"One hit. I told you, that's all it would take him." Monoma gloated, enjoying how shell-shocked their sister class was. Having flashy quirks, name recognition, and the chance to face real villains didn't mean much after all.

"Still, you saw how he bent him on his heel. That's gotta hurt." Kaibara winced as he was sure the poor guy must have cracked a rib or two from that one strike.

"Poor Tokoyami, he barely got to show off what he could do." Asui lamented, as while stoic, he had been excited about the festival—the same as the rest of them. But instead of being able to show his worth, he's so far the only one to be handled with such ease, defeated in a single blow, as even Jiro had some chance.

"He's going to be frustrated when he wakes up, knowing that he has handled it with such ease…" Ojiro agreed with her, as while the martial artist in him could respect the fact Midoriya and his win, envy him a little if he was honest, he could also feel sympathy for their defeated classmate as he knew painfully well how much it hurt to be defeated in a single move thanks to his match if you even call it that against Todoroki and Shogi during their first hero class.

Iida heard all this and got up, a determined look on his face. "Please wish him well if you see him before me. I must prepare for my match."

"Hey, get some payback for Tokoyami while you're out there." Sero lifted his hand, and after an awkward moment, Iida returned his high-five.

"Shiozaki?" Tokage asked her classmate, who also got up and dusted off her lap as she did so.

"I shall fight honourably, but I will not hold back." She said, meeting Iida outside their two booths as she said that, the taller spectacled boy nodding.

"Neither will I. See you on the field." With that, the two turned to make their way over to the waiting room. It'll take a minute or 2 for Cementoss to repair the damage that Dark Shadow had done to the field anyway.

With that, we've cleared most of the first-round matches. I had wanted to write more about how Shoji and Kamakiri would fight, but seeing how their quirks work, it felt like it would be best to keep it vague. If you want to know how bloody a fight between these two can get, read Where Monster's Hide.

Monoma vs. Uraraka was also a fun fight to write. While I could have written him taking the win, there is his time limit, and it's not like he carries the hair of classmates with him, so I went with the fact that we know he has an ego that can blind his better judgement to explain why he lost.

Lastly, Midoriya vs Tokoyami, it was a short fight. Still, it was the only way he could have gone since I've built up Midoriya to be much further along with his training and prowess when compared to his canon self. Also, it was fun to write about a fight in which Tokoyami got the Yaomomo treatment and was humiliated.

Next chapter should be out on July 5th.

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