The roar of the crowd swelled again, bright and hungry for more. The great U.A. arena had turned into a sea of color — banners waving, horns blaring, camera drones circling above the field like a flock of metallic birds.
Present Mic's voice carried over everything."ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP, HERO FANS! The first round gave us shocks, chills, and enough ice to open a skating rink — and the fun's not over yet! Next up: a face-off straight from Class 1-A! The mysterious magician himself, Harry Potter, versus… the purple menace, Minoru Mineta!"
Laughter rippled through the audience.Even Midnight's smirk cracked wider. "Both combatants ready?"
Down in the ring, Harry stood calmly. His robe sleeves fluttered lightly as the afternoon breeze crossed the open arena. Beside him, Mineta was already sweating bullets. His sticky purple spheres bobbed on his head like grapes about to drop off.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man…" Mineta muttered, bouncing on his heels. "I can't fight Harry! He's got those freaky cards! What if he explodes me or something?!"
Harry tilted his head. "You're thinking out loud, Mineta."
Mineta froze, realizing half the crowd had heard. "R-right! Confidence! Gotta… look confident." He puffed out his chest, then deflated instantly as Harry gave him a patient look.
From the stands, Kaminari cupped his hands. "Yo, Mineta! Don't die too fast!"Jiro groaned beside him. "That's what passes for encouragement now?"
Midnight raised her whip high. "Combatants—ready?"
Harry flexed his hand slightly, a faint shimmer passing over the ring on his finger.Mineta crouched low, palms slick. "I was born ready," he lied under his breath.
"BEGIN!"
Mineta immediately ripped one of his sticky balls from his head and hurled it at Harry. The purple sphere bounced once — and stopped midair as if glued to nothing. Another followed, and another, until half the arena floor was dotted with tacky traps.
Harry didn't move. He watched, studying. "Smart… limiting my movement," he murmured.
Mineta grinned nervously. "Yeah! That's right! You're stuck, magician! You'll have to fight me—like a man!"
Harry's fingers brushed a card in his satchel. He flicked it up. The card flashed white.
Gale.
A burst of pressurized wind exploded across the ring, sweeping every single sticky ball into the air and slapping them harmlessly against the arena's boundary wall. A few stuck there, quivering like purple gumdrops.
The audience erupted in laughter.
Present Mic hollered, "WOAH! LOOKS LIKE POTTER'S MAGIC BREEZE JUST CLEANED HOUSE! That floor's spotless!"
Mineta's jaw dropped. "That's cheating!"Harry lifted an eyebrow. "No. That's physics."
Before Mineta could recover, Harry flicked another card — Illusion.The air rippled, and four copies of Harry shimmered into existence, surrounding Mineta in a perfect circle. Each one tilted its head slightly, silent, identical.
Mineta spun in a panic. "Oh come on, this isn't fair! Which one's the real—"
A rope shot out from behind him.
Snap.
The real Harry's Rope Bind latched around his torso, lifting him off his feet as the illusions vanished in a blink. He dangled there midair, struggling like a caught rabbit.
"NOOO—WAIT—"
Midnight's whip cracked. "Harry Potter wins!"
The audience broke into cheers, laughter, and applause. Even the teachers at the staff table looked faintly amused.
Harry lowered his hand and let Mineta drop softly onto the mat, untying the rope with a flick of his fingers."Good try," Harry said evenly.Mineta sighed, sitting cross-legged. "I just wanted to look cool once…""You did," Harry said with a straight face. "For about two seconds."
That earned another round of laughter from the stands.
"ALRIGHT, FOLKS! Let's keep the fire burning!" Present Mic's voice exploded over the arena again. "Coming up next, it's Katsuki Bakugo vs. Eijiro Kirishima!"
The crowd's energy spiked. Even Harry, now in the waiting area with a water bottle, leaned forward slightly.
Bakugo vs. Kirishima
The instant Midnight shouted "Start!", Bakugo detonated forward in a cloud of smoke. Kirishima grinned wide, his skin crystallizing into jagged red armor.
"COME AT ME!" he roared.
The collision was thunder. Kirishima's arm guard shattered under the first blast, the second driving him back a full meter. But he didn't fall — he grinned through the smoke, blood trickling down his cheek.Bakugo snarled, sparks dancing from his palms."Still standing, huh?"
"You hit like a truck! I love it!" Kirishima laughed.
The next explosion knocked him out of bounds, the sheer shockwave scattering debris across the edge.Present Mic whooped: "AND THAT'S GAME! Bakugo advances! And Kirishima's skin might need a week off!"
Iida vs. Mei Hatsume
The field changed completely for this one — a minefield of gadgets scattered across the ground.
"Engine boy, meet the future!" Mei sang, waving to the cameras as her pink goggles flashed. "Today's demonstration is brought to you by—"
"I'm not here to buy anything!" Iida barked, dashing in.
One gadget popped a smoke cloud; another threw confetti. Mei kept narrating like a late-night infomercial."This baby stabilizes momentum by twenty percent—oh, wait, it's stuck, hang on—"
Midnight finally cracked her whip. "Disqualified! You're turning the match into an advertisement!"
Iida stopped mid-sprint, incredulous. "Wait—what just happened?"Mei beamed. "Free exposure!"
Present Mic: "Aaaand that's a wrap! Iida advances on a technical victory and a whole lot of confusion!"
Ochako vs. Tokoyami
This one drew the loudest cheers from Class 1-A.Ochako floated lightly, scanning for openings. Tokoyami stood poised, Dark Shadow hovering behind him like a living cloak.
She went for height — leaping up and using her quirk to throw chunks of debris midair. Tokoyami countered effortlessly."Dark Shadow — intercept."
The shadow moved like a dancer, blocking every attack.Ochako twisted midair, floated behind him, and tried to grab his cape — but Dark Shadow extended instantly, catching her ankle.He lowered her gently to the mat. "You fought bravely, Uraraka."
Ochako smiled, panting. "Guess I'm not hero material for shadows yet."
Midnight raised her hand. "Winner: Tokoyami!"
The crowd's applause was warm, respectful.
Momo vs. Ojiro
Before the match even started, Ojiro stepped forward and bowed."I forfeit," he said. "After Shinso's brainwashing, I don't remember my last match clearly. It wouldn't feel right to compete."
The audience murmured in surprise. Midnight nodded solemnly. "Forfeit accepted."Even Bakugo paused his grumbling to watch the quiet dignity in Ojiro's stance.Present Mic said softly, "Sometimes walking away takes more guts than staying in the ring."
Back in the prep tunnel, Harry sat cross-legged, rolling his wrist, checking the smoothness of his ring's activation glyph. Ochako approached, carrying two bottles of water."You were scary fast out there," she said."Against Mineta? That's a low bar."She laughed. "Still counts."
Midoriya joined them, limping slightly but smiling. "Your illusions — I didn't even see them shimmer. That's amazing control."Harry shrugged modestly. "Simple trick with light refraction. Works better on nervous opponents."
He glanced up as a new bracket appeared on the big screen.
Quarterfinals:
Midoriya vs. Todoroki
Harry vs. Ibara
Iida vs. Tokoyami
Bakugo vs. Ojiro
The arena buzzed with energy again.Present Mic shouted, "ROUND TWO IS COMING UP, HERO FANS! The stakes just got higher!"
Harry finished the last sip of water and stood, flexing his gloved hand.Ibara Shiozaki — the vine-haired girl from the Support Course. He'd seen her fight; her vines were fast, precise, unpredictable.
"Looks like I'll need to be careful," he murmured.
Ochako smiled. "You'll figure it out. You always do."Harry gave a faint grin in return. "I try."
From above, the crowd continued to roar. The noise of thousands pressed like thunder against the glass walls of the prep tunnel.
Harry watched the light from the arena spill across the floor, steady and bright.Round one was done — and things were only going to get harder.