"After so many events, this is it!
As expected, nothing is more thrilling than real combat!!!"
Once Cementoss finished constructing the battle arena, Present Mic immediately raised his voice and announced the start of the matches.
"This is the real deal! The only thing you can rely on is your own strength!"
"There are no complicated rules—victory is achieved when your opponent loses the ability to fight or is forced out of the arena!"
"Don't be afraid of getting hurt! For now, throw aside hesitation and moral restraints!!!"
"Of course," Mic added quickly,
"if you use an attack that could endanger your opponent's life, you'll be disqualified on the spot!"
Hearing that, Igarashi Masata felt a trace of unease.
After all, this was still a competition.
Everyone here was a classmate he interacted with every day.
Unleashing his increasingly terrifying power in this setting felt… difficult.
"The first match—Midoriya Izuku versus Hitoshi Shinso! Begin!"
Everyone except the two contestants moved to the spectator stands. Masata glanced over and noticed All Might speaking quietly with Midoriya, likely offering encouragement before the match.
"I wonder… can Izuku win?" someone muttered.
Class A was seated together, discussing nervously.
"That Shinso guy… wasn't he the one who came to provoke us before?" Masata said, squinting slightly at the familiar lifeless eyes.
"Yes," Iida Tenya replied seriously.
"But he barely appeared in earlier events, yet somehow made it all the way here. That makes him dangerous. The unknown is always the most frightening."
Hearing Iida's concern, Masata waved his hand dismissively.
"Relax. Trust your classmate, Iida. Midoriya has a reason he can't lose now."
I can't lose.
That thought echoed clearly in Midoriya's mind.
The moment the match began, he entered a state of complete focus.
Shinso immediately tried to provoke him verbally, throwing out taunts designed to trigger a response. But Midoriya remembered Ojiro's warning—don't answer him.
Winning mattered more than arguing.
Ignoring Shinso entirely, Midoriya charged forward and landed a clean, decisive uppercut.
Shinso collapsed instantly.
"Midoriya Izuku advances!"
The speed and simplicity of the match left the audience momentarily stunned.
Weren't these supposed to be U.A.'s elite students?
Why had the battle ended without any flashy Quirks—or even a proper exchange?
From the stands, it almost looked less exciting than a street brawl.
"Don't worry, everyone!" Present Mic shouted quickly, sensing the awkward silence.
"Even if the opening match was a bit… straightforward, the next one will definitely heat things up!"
"The second match—Sero Hanta from Class A versus Shoto Todoroki from Class A!"
The moment Todoroki's name was announced, the arena erupted.
The son of the No. 2 Hero Endeavor.
A student personally monitored since enrollment.
A Quirk of overwhelming power.
All eyes were instantly drawn to him.
"…Feels like I'm just here to be cannon fodder," Sero muttered, rolling his shoulders with a wry smile.
Still, he took his stance seriously.
"Well, I probably won't win," he admitted lightly,
"but I've got to try. Who knows—maybe a miracle?"
"I won."
Before Todoroki could even move, Sero launched his tape from his elbows, wrapping it around Todoroki's body and attempting to fling him out of bounds.
"Sero makes the first move!!!" Present Mic shouted excitedly.
"Could this be an upset from the usually overlooked student?!"
The crowd gasped.
Class A really was something else—anyone could shine.
But power… was relative.
Bound in tape, Todoroki slowly raised his head.
His eyes were bloodshot.
"…Sorry."
The words carried no warmth.
In the next instant, a freezing blast erupted from his right foot.
A colossal glacier surged upward, swallowing the arena floor and rapidly spreading until nearly half the stadium was encased in ice.
"So… cold…"
The temperature plummeted.
Even under the bright afternoon sun, spectators shivered violently.
As for Sero—only his head remained unfrozen, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.
"Shoto Todoroki—absolute domination!" Present Mic yelled, his own voice trembling from the cold.
"Victory in an instant!"
Midnight, standing closer to the arena, was even worse off—frost had already formed on her outfit.
"With Sero unable to continue," she announced,
"Shoto Todoroki wins the second match!"
Todoroki walked over and began carefully melting the ice around Sero.
"…Sorry. I overdid it," he said quietly.
"I wasn't in a good mood."
Masata sighed from the stands.
So when you're in a bad mood, you just freeze half the stadium…
Despite the thunderous applause, Masata could see it clearly—
Anger.
Confusion.
They flickered together in Todoroki's eyes.
"Still hasn't let go, huh…" Masata murmured.
"…That stubborn kid."
Earlier, before the match—
"You're wasting your potential, Shoto."
Leaning against the corridor wall, Endeavor spoke coldly as his son approached the arena.
"You didn't place first in the earlier events. If you'd used the power on your left side, the results wouldn't have been so disappointing."
"You have an obligation to surpass All Might."
Todoroki didn't even look at him as he walked past.
"You don't understand," Endeavor snapped, irritation rising.
"You are my greatest creation—nothing like your siblings!"
Todoroki stopped.
He didn't turn around.
His bangs hid his expression completely.
"I will never use your power in battle," he said quietly.
"Just watch."
Endeavor crossed his arms, his voice turning indifferent.
"You can keep clinging to that pride now," he said.
"But you'll reach your limit soon enough."
"And that class leader of yours—Igarashi Masata, was it?"
"You think using only ice will be enough to defeat him?"
This time, Todoroki didn't stop.
Sunlight poured in from the corridor entrance, casting half his body in shadow.