Chapter 29: The End of the First Round
The next match ended quickly, with Momo standing no chance against the relentless onslaught of Dark Shadow and Tokoyami.
[ MOMO YAOYOROZU IS OUT OF BOUNDS! FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI ADVANCES TO THE NEXT ROUND!!! ]
Watching from the stands, Harue sighed in disappointment as his eyes lingered on the dejected Momo.
'You truly have wasted the Quirk you were given, Momo,' he thought to himself with pity.
Creation.
One of the most broken abilities in the original show, being used in the most unimaginative way possible by a girl with self-confidence issues.
Sure, Dark Shadow is a top-tier Quirk—if trained properly to its full potential, it could allow Tokoyami to easily climb the hero ranks.
But currently, it had one glaring weakness beyond its vulnerability to bright light:
Tokoyami himself isn't that strong.
This weakness is eventually dealt with when the bird-headed teen develops his ultimate move: Black Abyssal.
But right now…
He's just an ordinary high schooler in terms of raw strength. One solid hit could've taken him down.
To exploit this, Momo should not have gone in for close combat. She could've used the range options her Quirk provides and bombarded Tokoyami with projectiles.
She could've made use of firecrackers, tasers, darts, and most effectively…
A gun.
No, not a lethal one—that would obviously be against the rules—but paintball rifles or shotguns with rubber ammunition could've given her a fighting chance without even needing to exploit Dark Shadow's light weakness.
'But what can you do when someone's never had to put much thought or effort into mastering their Quirk?' Harue frowned in distaste.
Momo's golden-spoon upbringing and gifted intellect may have given her a smooth path until now, but…
Without the effort to improve her creativity and combat capabilities, she'd be, at best, a mediocre hero—great at support, but average in direct battle.
Harue's frown faded as he turned to Kirishima and spoke.
"Your turn next, Eijiro. Since Jirou isn't allowed to use her support equipment, this shouldn't be too difficult for you."
The three of them sat side by side in the student bleachers, watching the conclusion of the match.
"Yeah, this should be easy for you, Rock Head!" Mina chimed in, cheering on the manly teen.
The redhead laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't say that, you guys!"
"Jirou's still really strong. She'll give me a tough fight even without her gear!" he said humbly.
A few minutes later, Kirishima's name was called. He stood up and made his way to his position.
[ LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR THE NEXT MATCH WE HAVE— ]
[ ONE OF U.A.'S TOP SCORERS AND AN EXTREMELY MANLY STUDENT—EIJIRO KIRISHIMA!!! ]
[ FACING HIM IS ONE OF THE FEW LADIES WHO MADE IT THIS FAR—THE HUMAN EARPHONE JACK: KYOKA JIROU!!! ]
The crowd roared with excitement, and I could feel the buzz all through me. I cracked my neck and rolled my shoulders as I stepped into the arena.
This was it. A proper one-on-one. I lived for this.
Across from me stood Jirou. No gear, no flair—just her, standing tall and focused. She looked… pissed. Not at me, probably at the situation. Everyone knew her Quirk was way more effective with her support equipment.
Didn't mean she was going down easy.
Respect. That.
Midnight raised her hand. "Begin!"
I hardened up immediately—skin like stone, body locked and ready. Jirou moved fast. Her jacks plugged into the ground, sending vibrations toward me. I felt the buzz at my feet. Weak. Like someone tapping on a desk.
Didn't even tickle.
She didn't stop. She ducked, spun, sent a pulse at my chest.
Still nothing.
I grinned. "C'mon, Jirou! Don't hold back!"
She glared. "I'm not!"
Damn. She was really giving it her all. Gotta respect that.
I held still, letting her go all out. She deserved a real fight, even if the odds weren't fair. She dropped to her knees and slammed her jacks into the floor again.
This time… whoa.
A high-pitched screech echoed through the arena—chaotic, almost musical in a weird way. Even the crowd flinched.
Okay. That one packed a punch.
"Nice one!" I shouted.
Time to end it.
I dashed forward but stopped just short, catching her off guard. Her eyes widened. She hit me with one final burst of sound right in the face. Loud as hell—and honestly? Pretty awesome.
I grinned.
Then I was behind her.
Not to knock her out. Just a quick grab—clean and respectful.
My arm wrapped around her waist, locking her in place.
"MATCH OVER!" Present Mic's voice echoed.
The crowd exploded with cheers. I let go and helped her stay upright.
"You really went all out," I said, patting her on the back. "That last shriek? Awesome."
She was breathing hard, sweating, but still on her feet. "Doesn't mean much if it didn't work."
I shook my head. "Nah, it does. You didn't give up. You fought with everything you had. That's manly as hell."
She rolled her eyes, but a small smile crept in. "Don't go easy on me next time."
I laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it."
We walked off the stage together. She didn't win—but everyone saw her fight. That mattered.
As I made my way back up to the student area, I thought to myself:
'That really was a bad matchup for Jirou.'
My Quirk is a hard counter to hers, turning what could've been an intense battle for her into little more than a warm-up for me.
Still, I didn't let myself get complacent. Because next round…
I might be up against Bakugo.
Yeah—Bakugo. The guy who, just a little over a year ago, felt like an unbeatable wall to the old me.
Now?
Now he's just the next opponent in line.
To my surprise, I didn't feel nervous. Just a calm, burning determination.
I guess Harue was right. I really just needed to believe in myself.
"Yosh~! Eijiro, let's give Bakugo a truly manly fight!!!"
I won't disappoint you, Harue.
I won't disappoint Red Riot.
The match between Uraraka and Bakugo ended the same way it did in canon. She put up a solid fight, but in the end, it wasn't enough to bring Bakugo down.
Finally, the second round began. Deku nervously stepped onto the arena floor.
Even with all the support and encouragement from his classmates, he didn't think he could win.
[ LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FOR THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND—!!! ] Present Mic's voice boomed over the roar of the crowd.
[ THE IMMENSELY POWERFUL SHOTO TODOROKI—VERSUS—THE UNEXPECTED UNDERDOG OF BOTH THE OBSTACLE COURSE AND CAVALRY BATTLE—]
[ IZUKU MIDORIYA!!!! ]
End of Chapter.