Ch. 37: Victory or Defeat

Up in the sky above the stadium, a young man with silver hair and cool blue eyes watched the Sports Festival, floating on a pair of wings of blue energy. This was the first time he ever paid attention to the U.A. Sports Festival, as before, he had no interest in it. Then, his destined rival being among the competitors changed things.

His eyes turned orange in excitement at how the Welsh Dragon blew through the first two events.

(Ddraig certainly has an interesting host.) Albion, the dragon sealed within his Sacred Gear, commented. (Wouldn't you agree, Vali?)

Vali nodded. "Yes. He is."

"Mmwah! That should do it," Recovery Girl healed up the puncture wound on Izuku's leg and wrapped bandages around it.

Izuku eyed up toward Toshinori, who was leaning against Recovery Girl's desk. "That match with Shinso, I couldn't smile through it like you would."

"I heard some of the things he said to you," Toshinori said with a sigh. "It must've been painful, knowing how much you could relate to him."

"Yeah. But I still couldn't go easy on him. I have to keep my eye on the prize. Aiming for the top. Just like you've said."

"You poor little darling," Recovery Girl sighed before turning toward Toshinori. "Have you been putting too much pressure on him?!" She then backhanded Toshinori on the ribs, making him yelp in pain, to Izuku's shock.

"It was necessary, and that hurt!" Toshinori countered.

While Ddraig chuckled at the Number One Hero's expense, Izuku remembered something he's been meaning to talk to his mentor about. "Oh, yeah. All Might! I had some kind of vision in the match," he said, getting Toshinori's attention. "There were… people. Maybe eight or nine of them? I'm not sure. When I was under Shinso's control, it felt like my brain was full of fog or something. But when the vision appeared, it completely drove the fog away. That's when I was finally able to move for a second. And that's when One For All moved all on its own!" Thinking back on it, Izuku remembered how one of the figures seemed to have sunken eyes and a rather thin frame. "One of the figures had eyes just like yours, All Might. Do you think… all the people who've used One For All in the past were there, pushing me on? Like spirits?"

"Spooky. I'm a ghost?" Toshinori shivered.

"HUH?! I thought you'd have answers!" Izuku exclaimed.

"Actually, I saw something like that, too," Toshinori said after calming down. "In my younger days."

"Huh?"

"It's a sign that One For All is becoming your own power."

"What was it?"

"I think it's like a trace of the user's spirit that's left behind in One For All when it's passed on. Don't worry. Whatever you saw, it won't be interfering with you or your progress in the future, I'm sure. In other words, that vision wasn't what got rid of the Brainwashing effects. Regardless of what you saw out there, it was your passion that allowed you to overcome Shinso's power. Even if it was only long enough for you to move your hand."

Izuku thought about it, but he still couldn't make heads or tails. "Man, that explanation is so not satisfying."

"Forget about it!" Toshinori said. "More importantly, shouldn't you be worrying about who you're fighting next?"

Izuku's eyes widened, realizing that he'd totally forgotten about that. Chacha and Hagakure were fighting next. "You're right! Thank you both very much!"

"You're welcome!" Recovery Girl called out.

"Goodbye!"

As they heard his footsteps become softer and softer before being unable to be heard, there was a stark silence in the office. "So, he saw you there, too."

"That's a good thing," Toshinori said.

As Izuku hurried toward the Hero Course students' seats, he realized something. 'Ddraig, why didn't you try to help fight off Shinso's Quirk? We do share the same head, in a sense.'

[If I could, I would've. However, God designed the Sacred Gears in a way that the beings sealed inside them, myself for instance, can't affect their hosts. Like a safeguard to prevent us from possessing them. The most we can manage is communication between our hosts and other beings sealed inside other Gears.]

'I see…' Izuku sighed as he climbed the stairs. 'But the Boosted Gear reacting… If that wasn't you, then was it because of One For All?'

[Yes, quite likely.] Ddraig answered. [What All Might said about the previous users' spirits lingering within the Quirk, I think it's a feasible theory. Considering there's something similar with the Boosted Gear.]

"Wait, REALLY!?" Izuku exclaimed.

[When a host of the Boosted Gear dies, a fragment of their consciousness is stored inside, where it mostly stays dormant. Anyway, if All Might is correct, I believe the spirits in your Quirk acted to trigger the Boosted Gear and snap you out of the trance.]

"You think something like this will happen again?"

[Who knows? I'm just as much of an expert on your Quirk as you are, which is to say, not much. Though perhaps we'll get our answer in the future.]

Then, Izuku arrived at the shared balcony.

"Ah! There you are, Deku!" Ochaco called out. "You did good!"

"Come on down here, we saved a seat for you!" Tenya said, pointing to the seat right next to him.

"Ha! Thanks, guys!" Izuku said.

"Man, I don't know what you did, but that was pretty awesome," Ojiro said.

"I nearly had a heart attack," Asia said.

"Yeah. We really thought you were done for, back there," Itsuka said.

"Yet somehow, you made a comeback and won," Xenovia said.

Izuku smiled before taking his seat. "Next up, it's Hagakure versus Chacha."

["Enough standing around! Now welcome to the ring, our next players!] Present Mic announced.

Then, the Jumbotron changed to display Toru and Chacha.

["First up, it's the invisible girl who may also have some hidden strengths. From Class 1-A, Hero Course, it's Toru Hagakure!]

Toru was currently dressed in only her PE jacket and shoes so that she could quickly disappear as soon as the match started.

["Versus, the adorable bunny who just might be a killer rabbit in disguise, it's Hero Course, Class 1-B's Chacha Akaninjin!"]

Chacha was eagerly anticipating for the match to start, eyeing her invisible opponent.

["Ready!? Begin!"]

As soon as Present Mic announced it, Chacha dashed toward Toru to grab her and throw her out. Seeing this, Toru quickly removed her jacket and threw her shoes off, and when Chacha lunged at the spot Toru was, she only felt empty air, making it clear that Toru managed to get away.

Seeing this, Chacha closed her eyes to focus and solely rely on her hearing to locate Toru. Her ears moved around to adjust her range, and then, she heard the faint sound of feet scraping against the ground from behind her right side.

"There!" Chacha quickly transformed into her wererabbit form and leapt at the spot, much to Toru's surprise, who couldn't react in time this time. Feeling a body, Chacha knew that she had found her mark and promptly dragged Toru to the edge of the ring and threw her out, where she hit the ground with a thud.

"Owie, my butt," Toru groaned, presumably rubbing her sore rear.

Midnight took that to mean that Hagakure had possibly been thrown out, but she still had to confirm. "Hagakure, are you out of bounds?"

Toru knew there was no point in denying it, even if it stung to admit it. "Yeah, I'm out…"

"Toru Hagakure is out of bounds. The winner is Chacha Akaninjin!" Midnight announced.

"Alright, Akaninjin! Way to start us off with a win for 1-B!" Tetsutetsu cheered.

"Next is Meguri versus Honenuki, isn't it?" Jurota asked.

"Come on, Honenuki! Show 'em what our class is made of!" Tetsutetsu said, even though the next match hadn't even started yet.

"Easy there, save it for when the match actually begins," Itsuka reminded.

And they didn't have to wait long, as the third match got underway pretty quickly and Present Mic started the introductions.

["She may be cheerful and full of energy, but get on her bad side and she'll roll you right over! Give it up for Tomoe Meguri from Class 1-A! Versus… He might look like he could rattle you to your bones, but he's actually a pretty hip dude, it's Class 1-B's Juzo Honenuki!"]

"FIGHT!" Midnight announced.

Tomoe quickly turned into her ball form and started rolling toward Juzo. Juzo softened the ground in her path, but she quickly maneuvered out of the way, swerving around the area of softened concrete.

"Nice try!" Ball-Tomoe said as she resumed her charge.

Juzo tried to block her path by softening the ground again, but this time, Ball-Tomoe leaped over the quagmire, changing back midair, and landed a dropkick on Juzo.

["Whoa! Meguri makes a daring jump and dropkicks Honenuki!"] Present Mic commented.

As Juzo got back up after Tomoe's kick, he tried to soften the ground beneath Tomoe, but she quickly got in close before he could and kicked his legs out underneath him, making him fall back down.

As Juzo got up again, Tomoe landed a left hook on his chest and forced him out of the ring.

"Honenuki is out! Meguri advances!" Midnight announced.

"Yeah! That's our girl!" Toru cheered.

["Alright, loyal listeners, let's start the fourth match!"] Present Mic announced. ["First, we have the girl who's the entire animal kingdom merged into one, it's Rebecca Riku from Class 1-B! And her opponent, she may look round as a ball, but underneath it's muscle, y'all! Give it up for Hilda Shirakabe from Class 1-A!"]

"AND BEGIN!"

"Animal Soul: Toro!" Rebecca's appearance changed; her hands became covered in brown fur and her fingers gained a hoof-like coating, her feet became bull hooves, and she had a tail growing from her tailbone with a pair of bull horns on her head.

Rebecca surged with speed and headbutted Hilda, forcing her back towards the border before the latter regained her footing and started resisting.

["What a bullfight! It's like a case of unstoppable force versus immovable object! The question is, who will give in first?!"]

"Not bad, catching me off guard at first," Hilda commented. "However, even with all the extra strength you might have, I have another resource at my disposal: my weight!"

Hilda then proceeded to suck in her gut before thrusting it back out to belly gong Rebecca, who was bounced back a short distance.

["Looks like the immovable object wins this one! How will Riku fight back?"]

"Animal Soul: Hippopotamus!" Rebecca transformed again; her physique became stout as a hippopotamus with a bottom-heavy figure and plump arms and legs, her ears, hands, and feet became hippolike, and she had a hippo tail protruding from her tailbone.

Rebecca rushed at Hilda, throwing her own weight at the other girl by launching herself butt-first toward the other girl, making her stagger back.

Then, both girls got into a grapple as they exerted their strength on each other like sumo wrestlers.

["Wow! Now this fight's become a sumo match! Look at those lovely, large ladies exert their power!"]

Hilda and Rebecca stared at each other competitively. The hippo girl pulled back her arm before trying to strike Hilda with a palm thrust, which the other girthy girl managed to block.

"Not bad, but now it's my turn!" Hilda proceeded to slam her full weight into her opponent, who was pushed back a bit from the blow.

"You are a formidable opponent, chica. But that alone won't be enough to win against me!" Rebecca exclaimed before pushing back with equal force, nearly pushing Hilda out of the ring.

Hilda grunted, but then, she got an idea. As Rebecca prepared for a final push, Hilda caught her and, with a flourish, performed a toss as she used the animalshifter's girth against her. The hippo girl then fell out of the ring and landed on her huge belly, officially defeated.

"Rebecca Riku is out of bounds! The winner is Hilda Shirakabe!" Midnight announced.

Rebecca undid her transformation and picked herself up to face Hilda. "Well done. I wish you luck in your next battle."

'Of course Midoriya won…' Shoto thought back to Izuku's match as he headed toward the arena for his own upcoming match. When he turned a corner, he saw a face that he really didn't want to see: his father. "What do you want?"

"You're acting disgracefully, Shoto," Endeavor said.

Shoto paid his father no mind and continued walking.

"You can't keep this up forever. One day, you'll come face-first with a hurdle that your ice will be no match for. That nearly happened during the Obstacle Course and the Cavalry Battle. Do you want to spend the rest of your life not living up to your full potential? It's time to stop this childish rebellion of yours."

"Is that all you have to say to me, you bastard?" Shoto shot back without turning back. "I'll win this match and advance using only Mom's Quirk. I won't give you the pleasure of seeing me use yours."

Endeavor sighed as he watched his youngest child walk away. "Even if that works for you in this tournament, it's only a matter of time until you hit the limits of that power."

["It's now time for the fifth match, listeners! Give it up for these two!"] Present Mic announced as the two competitors, Shoto and Hanta, entered the ring. ["He's got skills! But at the expense of some really creepy-looking elbows. From the Hero Course, it's Hanta Sero!"]

"That was uncalled for," Hanta, while doing some stretches, noted about Present Mic's backhanded commentary about his elbows.

["Versus, an early frontrunner in the competition who's way too strong for his own good! Someone who rightfully got into the Hero Course based on recommendations! It's Shoto Todoroki!"]

Shoto stood in silence with his head hung low, causing his bangs to create a shadow over his eyes.

["And now, for the fifth match of the finals! Ready?"] Present Mic started the countdown.

"Well, I don't really feel I can win this fight…" Hanta finished stretching.

["Begin!"]

As soon as Present Mic called for the fight to start, Hanta immediately shot strips of tape at Shoto, ensnaring him. "But, man, I don't feel like losing, either!" He then pulled hard on the tape to whip Shoto toward the boundary line.

["That attack could throw his opponent out of bounds! A brilliant, surprise opening from the underdog! Way to start off strong, Sero!"]

However, before Shoto could be thrown out of bounds, his icy glare stared right through Hanta. "Apologies…" Ice rushed forward from his right foot towards Hanta before exploding.

In her office, Recovery Girl felt a rumble. "Is that… an earthquake?"

"What the heck is goin' on?" Toshinori asked. "Was that–"

In the following moments, silence took over the stadium. Not even Present Mic said a peep as he stared at the sight before him, eyes and mouth both wide open. Even Eraserhead was staring wide-eyed in shock.

The Hero Course students gasped and backed away from the giant, spiky glacier that was only inches from their faces.

The Pro Heroes serving as guards outside, such as Death Arms and Kamui Woods, were nearly speechless from the strong earthquake and the spiky glacier hanging off the top of the stadium. "Holy crap…" In just two words, Death Arms summed up what everyone was thinking.

The glacier stood almost twice as high as the stadium, casting a shadow over one side.

In their seating area, the Pureblood Devils were especially shocked.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this," Rias said.

"I'm seeing, but I'm having a hard time believing!" Ravel said.

"I heard there are powerful Quirks out there, but power like this is far beyond my imagination," Latia muttered.

"Even if he is the son of Japan's Number 2 Hero, it's still dumbfounding that one human boy did this, without any magic and near-instantaneous, no less," Sona said, still in shock.

Shoto exhaled a deep breath as frost covered his left side. It didn't take him much effort to break free of the frozen tape. Up in the stand, Endeavor seemed disappointed by this display.

As for Hanta, his entire body was frozen, immobilized in the giant mass of ice. "Um… Don't you think you went overboard?"

"Tell the truth, Sero. Can you move at all?" Midnight asked, the R-Rated Hero was shivering due to the right side of her body being encased in ice.

"Are you kidding? Obviously not!" The Tape user said through chattering teeth. "My body is freezing!"

"Sero has been immobilized! Todoroki advances to the second round!" Midnight announced, though she couldn't whip her flogger, with it being held in her frozen side, and all.

At Midnight's announcement, the crowd stared in silence before one Pro Hero started trying to console Hanta. "Um… Well, nice try!"

"Nice try!" A female Pro sitting right next to him joined in.

And then, more from the audience tried to join in the consolation cheer as well. "Nice try! Nice try! Nice try!"

Unbeknownst to the Pros, their efforts to reassure Hanta were just making him feel worse.

"Sorry about that. It was a bit much…" Shoto said as he approached the still-frozen Hanta before releasing heat from his left hand to thaw him out. "I was angry, is all."

As Izuku watched from up in the stands, he noticed the look in Todoroki's eyes and how sad he seemed.

It took a while to clear all the ice Shoto had created, but once it was all gone, the sixth match proceeded as scheduled.

["Welcome back to the finals, everyone! Sorry for the long wait. The insane amount of ice from the fifth match has finally been cleared, though, so it's time to welcome new competitors! First up, it's the girl who proves that having a green thumb can be a cool and thorny power! From Class 1-B, Hero Course, Asia Argento! Versus, the boy with the electric personality! Another Hero in the making, Denki Kaminari!"]

As Present Mic did the introductions, Asia and Denki made their way into the battlefield.

["Keep those eyes peeled! I wanna see a super-flashy battle this time!"]

'Look at those big, beautiful eyes. Man, Midoriya's such a lucky guy to have a girl like that crushing on him…' Denki thought as he glanced at Asia, before snapping out of it. 'Come on, you idiot. Remember, this is a competition! But, oh, man, she's so cute.'

["Okay. BEGIN!"]

"Nothing personal, 'cause this is gonna be over in two seconds!" Denki declared as he started crackling with electricity. "Indiscriminate Shock: 1.3 Million Volts!" He then unleashed the bolts in Asia's direction.

Asia, however, simply responded by changing her hair into vines and then turning around to plant them into the ground, creating a barrier that shielded her from the shock.

"Huh?" Denki asked as he went into his dumb state. But that wasn't the end, as the ground cracked from underneath. "Uh, what?"

Then, dozens of vines erupted from the cracks, wrapping themselves around Denki and suspending him in the air.

["He's immobilized! That's all, folks! It was over in an instant!"]

"The winner Argento is Argento! She advances on!" Midnight declared.

"I did it. Just like Izuku," Asia said as Denki was taken away by a pair of medic bots on a stretcher.

Outside the stadium, Mt. Lady got Kamui Woods's attention as she watched the recent match on the screen. "Kamui, did you watch that? Wouldn't she make, like, the perfect sidekick for you?" She asked, referring to Asia.

"Yeah, wish I coulda seen more," Kamui Woods agreed.

"She's great for your brand. You need someone cute!" Mt. Lady added.

"Just get back to work," Kamui Woods said.

["Let's keep pumpin' out these hits and move on! Time for the seventh match! Get ready to watch two new players duke it out!"]

The crowd roared in excitement as the next competitors made their way into the ring.

["He's the kid with engines in his legs. Tenya Iida from the Hero Course. Versus, a fully-equipped gadget dynamo. The Support Course's Mei Hatsume!"]

"So it's Hero class versus Support," Kyoka commented.

"I have no idea what this fight will look like," Tsuyu added.

"Uh, what's up with Iida?" Rikido asked, noticing Tenya was doing something unexpected.

Indeed, Tenya had suddenly equipped himself with some strange technical gear.

"Yeah, where the heck did he get all that weird gear from?" Tomoe wondered.

"Hero Course students can't use Support gear unless they have to," Midnight said to Tenya. "And you didn't fill out any of the official paperwork for that."

"I didn't know that was the rule! Aoyama got to wear his belt, so I thought it was fine!" Tenya said.

"He turned in the proper forms," Midnight explained, and as she was saying this, the Franco-Japanese boy in question was pointing at his belt.

"I apologize, ma'am," Tenya bowed. "It's just that, my heart was moved by my opponent's sportsmanship. Even though she's from the Support Course, she wanted this to be as even a match as possible since she made it this far. To have a fair fight! So she offered to give me this equipment." He clenched his fist in determination of his respect for his opponent. "I respect her integrity. That's why, to honor her, I would like to wear this gear!"

The only way Midnight's face could be described was… eager. "SUCH YOUTHFUL VIGOR! Ooohoohoohoo!" She practically squirmed in place as she giggled before quickly regaining her composure to give her ruling. "I'll allow it!"

["Really?"] Present Mic asked.

"I guess if everyone's in agreement, then it's okay. Right?" Aizawa theorized.

"So they're really allowing it, just like that?" Ravel questioned.

"I guess if the ref says it's okay, anything goes," Koneko said.

Izuku felt uneasy about the situation. 'Weird, that doesn't seem like something Hatsume would do. Unless…' He then took notice of the small ear-mounted mic that Mei had on, and the fact that she was smirking giddily. He had a bad feeling about this.

["Well, if everyone's on the same page, let's begin the seventh match!"]

At Present Mic's call, Tenya sprinted toward Mei, but as he started getting close, Mei spoke into her mic. ["Bet you love how fast that gear makes you! Huh, Iida?"]

"She's got a mic?" Tenya questioned, surprised to hear her over the PA system.

"Hey, now?" Present Mic said in confusion.

"Is she wearing speakers?" Aizawa wondered.

["Don't your legs feel lighter than usual? That's to be expected. I designed those leg parts specifically to increase the wearer's speed and mobility!"] Mei said as Tenya was almost about to make contact. ["But, of course…"] Mei's backpack suddenly extended struts at a diagonal angle from both sides, lifting her into the air out of Tenya's reach, while also nearly tripping up the Engine Quirk user unintentionally. ["I can easily evade you with my hydraulic attachments!"]

Then, she turned her gaze toward the audience, at a specific set of boxes. 'Those are boxes for Support companies. They love my babies! I've got this in the bag!'

[Mei Hatsume. Her Quirk: Zoom. If she gets serious, she can see up to five kilometers away!]

Then, Tenya started running toward Mei from behind, but her backpack beeped and lifted her with another hydraulic pole, foiling Tenya's sneak attack.

["Since I've got sensors in every direction, it's impossible for an opponent to sneak up on me!"]

Tenya tripped again, but the devices on his wing-like apparatus let out puffs of air to straighten him back up. "What the heck is going on?"

["Look at how adeptly Iida just changed his course! It's all thanks to the ingenious Auto Balancer I created."]

Back in the commentator's booth, Present Mic and his co-host were utterly baffled at what was happening.

"This is weird," Present Mic said.

"She's turning the Festival into one big commercial," Aizawa groaned while facepalming.

["Best of all, there's absolutely no lag time!"]

At this point, Tenya was started to get irritated as he tried to rush Hatsume again, only to be tripped by the hydraulic pipe yet again, sending him stumbling toward the boundary line, but before he could accidentally wander out, the Auto Balancer activated, spinning Tenya around like a top and stopping him from crossing. ["The Auto Balancer is equipped with a custom 32-axis gyro sensor! As you can see, it can keep the user from falling unless they actually want to."]

After recovering from the dizziness, Tenya blasted forward again. "I thought you said you wanted this to be a FAIR fight!"

Then, the metal disks in Mei's boots started spinning and glowing, sending Mei into the air and out of Tenya's reach. ["Ahahaha! That's right, I'm practically flying through the air! These Electromagnetic Soles use electromagnetic induction on both feet. They're perfect for evasive maneuvers or just keeping things light!"]

Tenya fired off his Engines and ran after Mei again. "As soon as she lands, I'll stop her!"

But as Mei's feet touched the ground again, she quickly turned around and held up a gun, which fired a small capsule that expanded into a large red net.

Tenya was completely ensnared by the net and fell to the ground, struggling to get free. "Huh? What is this?"

["A Capture Gun to use against Villains!"] Mei explained, winking as she held her gun up. ["The nets are loaded into small cartridges. You can fire up to five before having to reload!"] She spun around, making sure she was facing the boxes with the Support companies in them. "And all of these items were developed by yours truly, Mei Hatsume! Support Course prodigy!" She spread her arms out to present herself. "So, to any Support companies out there searching for strong new recruits, the choice is clear. You want ME! Again, I'm Mei Hatsume, that's H-A-T-S-U-M-E!"

"She's something," one Support company representative commented.

["And now, let me introduce you to a few more of my babies!"]

"Wait, there's more?" Another representative questioned.

Ten minutes later

Mei, finally having finished her "advertisement," stepped out of bounds. "Phew. That was fun, but I think now I've shown off everything I wanted to. I suppose it's time for me to wrap this show up," she said while wiping the sweat off her brow.

Midnight was briefly in a moment of shock before resuming her referee duties. "Uh, Hatsume stepped out of bounds. So Iida advances to the next round."

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I LET YOU TRICK MEEEEE!" Tenya exclaimed. To say that he was angry would be an understatement; he was downright furious.

"Sorry about that. I needed to use you to make a name for myself," Mei apologized, but Tenya wasn't having it.

"I looked like a fool!" He shouted while crying and chopping the air.

"That was… different," Rias commented, the best she could think to describe the "match."

"Poor Iida, seems he's not taking it that well," Latia added.

"Naturally, since he was led on believing his opponent wanted to offer him goodwill, only to be taken advantage of as a marketing tool. Does that Hatsume have no shame?" Sona questioned as she cleaned her glasses.

"Iida's so sincere, he trusted her motives. She probably made it sound like she was doing him a favor," Izuku said as he started writing in his notebook. "She's so driven. She's forward about her goals. From what I can tell, she'll do whatever it takes to reach them."

["Alrighty, folks! With that unusual match behind us, let's move on to the eighth match of the first round!"] Present Mic as the next pair of competitors entered the ring. ["First up, it's the girl who's got an entire armory in her arsenal, it's Ethel Ginzan from the Hero Course! Versus, an equine girl from America with a pair of impressive horns on her head, also from the Hero Course, Pony Tsunotori!"]

"FIGHT!"

Pony quickly got into an aiming stance and fired a pair of horns at Ethel, who also quickly reacted and summoned a sword to strike the projectiles.

Pony was unfettered and leveled up her game, shooting off even more horns at Ethel, who summoned a shield to help block off some of the horns while continuing to cut down the horns. She then went on the move, approaching Pony from an angle while moving in a zigzag pattern to force her to change her aim often.

Pony became slightly frustrated as Ethel skillfully evaded and/or blocked her horns. While Pony continued to shoot at her, Ethel summoned a metal baton, hidden behind her shield. Then, when she got the chance, she threw the baton at Pony's leg, causing her to yelp in pain and stop shooting.

"Got you!" Ethel brought out a bola and threw it at Pony, tying her up. Pony struggled in her binds, trying to get free, but that left her open to Ethel, who snuck up behind her before delivering a quick chop to her neck, knocking her out.

"Tsunotori has been knocked out! The winner is Ginzan!" Midnight announced.

Showing respect to her opponent, Ethel gently helped the equine girl onto the medic bots' stretcher.

And with that, the first bracket in the first round of the Sports Festival finals is done. Next time, we'll be seeing the second half of the finals. Please look forward to it.

See you next time. Go beyond! Plus Ultra!