"Guess it's time to face the music."

Katsuki stepped out into the arena with a cool glare, watching Ochako approach from the opposite end with a look of determination on her face.

"For the next round, we have the adorable girl who can defy gravity itself, Ochako Uraraka! And her opponent, the explosive-tempered bombadier, Katsuki Bakugou!" Present Mic announced.

"Oy, Round Face," Katsuki called out to his opponent. "Don't hold anything back against me. You know as hell I won't either."

Ochako didn't give a reply but the firm nod she gave was all the answer the explosive blonde needed. As soon as Midnight cracked her whip, the two students rushed at each other.

"If she hits me directly, she can easily send me out of bounds by removing my gravity. If I can stun her with an early shot, I might be able to shut her down quickly." Katsuki noted quickly.

He tended to open up his fights with a large right hook, but by now that move was getting predictable. So instead he opened up with a sweeping under-strike, triggering his Quirk immediately. The massive amount of smoke left him unsure if he nailed Ochako or not.

"What's your game, Round Face?"

He suddenly saw the image of a gym uniform flying out of the smoke and thrust his open palm toward it.

"GOT YOU!"

He launched another blast, but was shocked when he found himself touching ground. It turned out Ochako had ditched the top part of her uniform, leaving her with only her tank top and pants, and thrown it using her Quirk to get the drop on Katsuki. It nearly worked, but the blonde bomber had been honing his combat instincts through years of rigorous training, and managed to push her back with an explosive shockwave.

"Dammit, she's smarter than she looks!" He cursed internally. "I gotta finish this fast, every explosion I make just gives her more ammunition!"

Ochako kept up the strategy of moving in close, then backing out of the way using her Quirk as Katsuki created more and more craters in the arena. Up in the stands, Endo Hound's thermal vision was nearly blinded by the heat from the blasts, but she could still make out Ochako just barely.

"She's giving it all she's got, despite an overwhelming opponent. But I can tell what her strategy is. It's effective, kiddo, but you need to improve your stamina. I can already see your body heat radiating off you."

"Hey! How can you say you want to be a hero like that!?" shouted a male Pro Hero, standing up in outrage, unable to handle the sight of Ochako being blasted so many times, "If there's such a huge difference in your abilities, then just hurry up and send her out of bounds! Stop bullying and playing with the girl!"

The guy gave two thumbs down and started booing, starting a chain reaction among the crowd who felt like he was right. However, neither Katsuki or Ochako paid any mind as they continued focusing on each other.

"Was that a pro saying he's playing around? How many years have you been a pro?!" Aizawa suddenly called out, causing the crowd to stop. "If you're saying that with a straight face, there's no point in you watching anymore, so go home and look into changing careers!"

The words hit the Pro Hero harshly, who looked like he was about to cry. He wanted to argue, to bluster, to say something, but no words came out. He would be arguing against a teacher at UA, the most prestigious school known for their Heroics Course. That would not look good for him. In order to be a teacher of UA, they had to pass a strict test, among other requirements. In short, arguing with someone from UA would just make you look like a fool. Especially if it was Nedzu someone was to argue with.

"Eraserhead is absolutely correct!" An elderly man with a fit build stood up; this was Bang Silverfang, an old Pro Hero and a high-ranking member of the S-Team. "In battle one cannot underestimate their opponent! It's folly to assume anyone could be weak based on looks alone!"

To the crowd's surprise, Endeavor himself actually stood up as well.

"I agree! If anything, Bakugo is far more of a hero than any of you who simply see him as a cowardly bully! And Uraraka is pouring every ounce of her determination and drive into this match! This is a contest of equals, and only a fool would believe otherwise!"

"Bakugo is being careful because he's acknowledging the strength of his opponent who's made it this far. It's because he's doing everything he can to win that he can't go easy on her or let his guard down. Because in our field, doing such a thing is a death sentence. So do us all a favor and either sit down or go home and quit being a hero!" Aizawa concluded.

After hearing such harsh words, the no-name Pro Hero sat back down meekly, not wanting to draw any more attention. Back with Katsuki and Ochako, the former couldn't help but smirk vindictively.

"Glad to see someone gets it. Anyone who can take one of my full-power explosions and still stand can't be considered weak or defenseless."

Ochako smirked back. "I think it's right about time. You were probably expecting me to try this, but the problem is...that kept you laser-focused on taking me out."

The crowd's eyes were suddenly directed to the sky, where thousands of pieces of debris were floating in midair. In an instant, Ochako brought them all down in a meteor shower. At the same time, she rushed at Katsuki, hoping to overwhelm him from two different angles.

"Gotta admit, you almost had me!" Katsuki grinned as he raised his arm up. "But I still have one last trick up my sleeve too!"

With one hand on the other wrist, he combined the sweat to create an explosion strong enough to deflect the debris field, while the blast wave knocked Uraraka back hard.

"BURST IMPACT!" Katsuki roared, announcing the move's name before wincing as he held his now charred wrist. "This move fries the sweat glands in one hand, but creates a powerful explosion similar to the Hindenburg disaster without the thermonuclear energy. Gotta thank Mayumi for helping me figure that one out..."

He saw that Ochako was still able to pick herself up just barely.

"Truth be told I'm amazed you're still standing after all that. We're both on our last legs right now, so let's end this thing!"

Ochako stumbled to her feet and tried to run at Katsuki, but to no avail. She felt herself black out as she collapsed to the ground, stopping Katsuki as he started to charge. But he noticed her still trying to get up.

"Damn... She won't give up until the very end..." He sighed, being reminded of a scene in One Piece at that moment before turning to the crowd. "YA SEE THAT, YOU PREJUDICED BASTARDS?! THAT'S A REAL HERO! ONE WHO REFUSES TO GIVE UP EVEN WHEN HER BODY TELLS HER SHE CAN'T GO ON! YOU STILL THINK SHE'S WEAK THAT SHE NEEDS HELP MAKING THIS FAIR?!"

Ochako herself managed to hear those words before blacking out completely as Midnight moved to her side to make sure she was okay.

"Ochako Uraraka is officially knocked out. The winner is Katsuki Bakugo!"

As Ochako was taken to the medical bay, Morimoto's match with Ibara Shiozaki was picked next. After telling his friends to wish him luck, the shapeshifter made his way to the arena.

"Alright, this is bound to be a treat, people!" Present Mic announced. "First, it's the Omnifarious Shapeshifter, Morimoto Tanaka! And his chosen opponent; the rose with the sharpest thorns, the assassin of Class 1-B, Ibara Shiozaki!"

Suddenly Ibara spoke up. "Excuse me, pardon the interruption. I'm questioning why you referred to me as an assassin. I came to this festival to prove my valor as a hero."

"Uh, right, I'm sorry."

"Gentlemen, I had no wicked or sinister reasons when I entered UA. I entered this school to help bring salvation to others. It's my deepest wish that I can bring joy to this world." Ibara said as she brought her hands together as if in prayer.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY!"

Aizawa just smirked at his best friend's humiliation. A part of him honestly wished that Ibara had been in his class.

"This girl's a dang saint." Morimoto chuckled before getting into a fighting stance. "Sorry, Shiozaki. Your Quirk is pretty cool, but I've got a lot of different ways to beat you."

"Perhaps that is how the threads of fate ordain it but I shall not back down like a coward." The vine-haired girl said as she made her attack.

Morimoto smirked as he suddenly shapeshifted into a cloud of some kind of smog, which caused the vines to dry up and wither upon contact with it. Ibara gasped as she backed away in shock as Morimoto closed in on her, causing the girl to tumble straight out of bounds.

"Holy crap! What just happened?!" Present Mic exclaimed.

"Morimoto simply shapeshifted himself into a cloud of plant killer. It's as obvious as that." Aizawa said. "Shiozaki's Vine Quirk might be versatile, but Morimoto clearly identified more than enough ways to beat her before the match began."

"Ibara Shiozaki is out of bounds! The winner is Morimoto Tanaka!" Midnight announced.

Meanwhile, Ochako woke up in the medical area, Recovery Girl having healed her injuries. Asahi was also standing there.

"That was amazing work, Occhan. Even though you didn't win, you made people realize what a true hero is all about. Even if some of the pros in the stands needed that kick in the pants from Bakugo to realize it. Looks like I won't be the only one sending you an offer."

Ochako smiled. "I almost had it back there. I didn't think Bakugo was saving a special move like that."

"I was hoping to save it for Deku."

As it turned out, Katsuki was sitting in the other bed, Recovery Girl healing his burned out skin.

"The next time you pull off a boneheaded move like that, I'd recommend waiting until you can use it without injuring yourself. You can't heal yourself the way Midoriya can." The old heroine chided.

Speaking of which, Izuku, Ben, Mayumi, and Tenya entered the room.

"That was fantastic work! For a moment I didn't realize you had a plan in mind, Uraraka." Tenya praised.

"Morimoto is wrapping up his match. He said he'd come visit you later." Ben smiled.

"I knew I couldn't just race at Bakugo and tag him out of the arena. He'd see it coming easily," Ochako said.

"You really proved yourself out there. There's still some top-level heroes singing your praises. Including one that has an actual song-based Quirk." Izuku said before surprising Ochako with a big hug. "What you did just now was amazing. I don't care if you lost... You proved yourself a real hero."

Ochako, despite her blushing face, teared up as she returned the hug.

"Alright now, give her some time to rest. She still needs a bit before she's back to full capacity." Recovery Girl said.

The next match was Akatani against Sen, both boys had solemn looks on their faces as they stepped onto the arena.

"Only one of us can proceed past this point, Bro."

Akatani sighed. "If only Katsuo could've been here with us."

"You saved my life back there, man. There was nothing more you could have done." Sen pointed out.

"Alright! In this next match, it's the boy with the drill who can pierce the heavens, Sen Kaibara! And his opponent, the boy who can fix up your Quirk if you don't like it, Akatani Mikumo!" Present Mic announced.

"Begin!" Midnight cried, cracking her whip.

Using his Quirk, Gyrate, Sen spun his hands like drills as he charged at Akatani, who dashed forward before doing a parkour slide to go underneath his best friend, who flew past him before stopping himself and turning around to deliver a literal spinning kick, which knocked Akatani back.

Grunting, Akatani picked himself up before lunging forward, discreetly using a Quirk called Perception Filter to alter his perception of time, causing Sen to move in slow motion but Akatani was still moving at normal speeds.

Sen yelped as his friend grabbed him by the nape of his collar and with surprising strength for his scrawny build, threw him out of bounds.

"Sen Kaibara is out of bounds! Akatani Mikumo wins!"

Sen sighed but smiled, glad to see that one of them was making it to the next set of matches as Akatani helped him up.

"Alright! Time for the twelfth match of the preliminaries!" Present Mic excitedly announced. "Up first is UA's principal's very own daughter, Tsumi Shudai! Just because she's all that and a kettle of fish doesn't mean she's gonna be given special treatment! As for her opponent, she's got the giant hands of doom, it's Class 1-B's class rep, Itsuka Kendo!"

Tsumi stepped onto the field with her signature smile. Itsuka returned the smile with competitive spirit as the two got into a stance.

"Honestly, this is kinda fun. Never thought I'd face the principal's daughter." Itsuka began before frowning. "Uh...I'm not gonna get in trouble for this, am I?"

Tsumi beamed. "Nope! Go ham!"

As soon as Midnight cracked the whip, Itsuka charged forward, enlarging her hands and throwing a double palm thrust to try and shove Tsumi out of bounds, only for the rat-tailed girl to stomp the ground, sending a burst of dark energy that launched her back.

For the next few minutes, the two girls danced around each other, landing punches on each other. Though Tsumi's punches seemed to impact Itsuka with a bit more force behind them with each consecutive blow.

Eventually, Tsumi's arm bulked up, growing black fur as it became like some kind of monster gorilla before punching Itsuka straight out of bounds. Fortunately, she pulled enough that the orange-haired girl didn't suffer any broken bones but would still be sore when she woke up.

"Itsuka Kendo is out of bounds! Tsumi Shudai is the winner!"

The next few matches went by rather quickly. Kirby opened his mouth and, like a vacuum, sucked up all the spores Kinoko created with her Quirk, Mushroom, before spitting them all back out as a giant star, knocking her out of bounds.

Le easily blitzed around Reiko, who didn't have much ammo to telekinetically manipulate with her Quirk, Poltergeist, allowing the boy to send her flying out of bounds with a well-aimed roundhouse kick.

Wankuro and Setsuna's match was a bit more even, with Setsuna using her Quirk, Lizard Tail Splitter, to scatter her body parts around. However, Wankuro eventually cut the knot by transforming into her Wendigo Form and releasing a massive wave of frost that forced Setsuna into hibernation.

Tsuburaba and Kuroiro's match wasn't much to write home about but Tsuburaba eventually managed to beat his classmate by trapping him in a cube of solid air that he dubbed Air Prison on the spot.

With all sixteen matches over, Eijirou and Tetsutetsu had an arm-wrestling match as a tiebreaker. It was here that the difference in their Quirks was starting to stand out. Tetsutetsu was about pure offense, but his Quirk could be drained from too much exertion. Meanwhile, Eijirou seemed more suited to defense, and his Quirk had a set time limit. This gave Kirishima the advantage when Tetsutetsu overextended, causing his metal casing to crack and letting Eijirou pin him to the mat.

In spite of his victory, Eijirou still offered Tetsutetsu a hand up.

"That was one heck of a manly contest. You put up a good fight."

Tetsutetsu smirked and accepted the help.

"Next time I'll make sure to add more iron in my breakfast. Without that metal deficiency, I could have gone on a little longer."

"And with that we have a full roster for the next round!" Present Mic called out. "Here's the randomized matches for the next round!"

Izuku Midoriya vs Tenya Iida

Benio Toriokoyoshi vs Shoto Todoroki

Katsuki Bakugou vs Eijirou Kirishima

Morimoto Tanaka vs Denki Kaminari

Mina Ashido vs Le Ultimave

Wankuro Nikaido vs Tsumi Shudai

Kirby Hoshiboshi vs Tsuburaba Kosei

Akatani Mikumo vs Fumikage Tokoyami

"We'll be getting in a quick break, then opening up with the first match of Round Two!"

After the break was over, it was decided Ben's match with Shoto was first. As he made his way into the arena, he was shocked to run into Endeavor.

"Uh...can I help you, sir?" He asked nervously.

"You're friends with Izuku Midoriya, correct?" Endeavor asked, getting a hesitant nod in response. "From what I've seen of him, I can see why All-Might chose him as his successor."

"What? Are you gonna ask me to throw the match so that Izuku can fight your son?"

"That would be irresponsible. Not to mention it would be one more thing to add to the pile that Shoto hates me for." Endeavor reassured. "Rather... I'm expecting you to win. Or to at least force my son to acknowledge his Quirk as his own and use its full power."

Ben chuckled. "So much for wanting your masterpiece to prove himself, huh?"

"Watch your tone, boy." Endeavor warned with a sharp glare. "I've both coddled Shoto too much and been too harsh on him at the same time. As such, he has no concept of the real world. The only reason he accepted a recommendation is because he thought it was no different from the Entrance Exam. That's what set off warning bells for me. He no longer listens to me, and I fear it's hampering his potential as a hero."

"Izuku tried speaking with him but he's got his head too far up his own self-righteous ass to listen."

"If words were enough, I could ask anyone to convince him. No, he needs to have reality beaten into him." Endeavor clarified as he walked off. "This is a place for those to showcase their skills to the fullest. Make sure Shoto understands this. Don't hold back. Go for the win, even if you have to force him off the bracket. I had to claw my way to the Number Two spot twice over, and he should understand what that's like."

"Just be warned..." Ben said as he continued onto the arena. "You might not fully appreciate what I'm about to do to him."

And so the Preliminary Matches come to an end! The second round of matches will begin in the next chapter, starting with the Elemental Warrior Ben against the Half-N-Half Discount Zuko, Shoto!

One more thing, for those curious about Tsumi's 'Quirk', you probably won't get much info on it until much later in the story.

-BIO TIME-

[TETSUTETSU TETSUTETSU]

Quirk: Steel

Quirk Description: Steel allows Tetsutetsu to turn his entire body into pure steel, making his body virtually impenetrable. Naturally, it increases his physical strength to superhuman levels, too, allowing him to break through most obstacles. His steel also becomes stronger the more iron he intakes in his diet.

[SEN KAIBARA]

Quirk: Gyrate

Quirk Description: Gyrate allows Sen to rotate any part of his body at high speeds, turning him into a multi-purpose drill. This works well in close-quarters combat.

[KINOKO KOMORI]

Quirk: Mushroom

Quirk Description: Mushroom allows Kinoko to generate and spread fungus spores from her body. Once these spores make contact with a solid surface, they will quickly grow into full-grown mushrooms. The spores can grow from any surface, be it the area, Kinoko's own body, and even other people's bodies. The spores spread easier in areas with high humidity.

[REIKO YANAGI]

Quirk: Poltergeist

Quirk Description: Poltergeist allows Reiko to telekinetically manipulate objects and people close to them. Her limit is that she can only manipulate objects up to the size of a human being, but weight is no issue, allowing her to manipulate multiple smaller objects at once.