The hour break seemed to evaporate in an instant. Buzzing with renewed energy, the crowd roared as the sixteen finalists returned to the stadium floor. The massive tournament bracket loomed large on the screen, promising epic clashes. Cementoss had repaired the main stage, leaving a simple, wide concrete platform – a blank canvas for the destruction to come.
"ALRIGHT EVERYONE!" Present Mic bellowed, his voice somehow even louder than before. "ARE YOU READY FOR THE FINAL ROUND?! LET'S KICK THINGS OFF WITH OUR FIRST MATCH! FROM CLASS 1-A, HE BLAZED THROUGH THE COMPETITION TO TAKE FIRST PLACE IN FLAG FRENZY, SOUTA TODOROKI! VERSUS! THE POWERHOUSE WHO EARNED HIS SPOT THROUGH SHEER INDIVIDUAL MIGHT, FROM CLASS 1-B, JUROTA SHISHIDA!"
Souta walked onto the stage, his usual confident smirk replaced by a tight, controlled neutrality that barely masked the simmering anger beneath. The encounter with Endeavor had left a bitter taste, a coiled frustration begging for release. His blue flames weren't actively burning, but the air around him felt charged. Across from him, Shishida calmly adjusted his glasses, then planted his feet. With a deep inhale, his body began to contort and swell. Fur sprouted, muscles bulged, claws extended, and his face elongated into a powerful muzzle. A guttural roar echoed as the transformation completed – the Beast of 1-B stood ready.
Midnight cracked her whip. "Match 1... BEGIN!"
Shishida didn't hesitate. He exploded forward, covering the distance with terrifying speed, a brown blur of fur and muscle aiming a devastating clawed swipe. Souta met the charge head-on. Orange lightning crackled to life around his limbs – One For All: Full Cowling activated at a significant percentage. Instead of dodging, Souta planted his foot and threw an OFA-enhanced right hook.
BOOM!
The collision sent shockwaves across the stage. Shishida's swipe was deflected, while Souta's fist connected solidly with the beast's shoulder, staggering him slightly. Shishida roared again, seemingly unfazed by the pain, and launched into a relentless flurry of swipes, bites, and tackles.
Souta became a whirlwind of orange lightning and calculated violence. He wasn't just defending; he was attacking, channeling every ounce of his lingering fury into his movements. His dodges were sharp, economical, flowing directly into counterattacks. An OFA-powered kick swept Shishida's legs; an elbow strike intercepted a bite attempt; a rapid series of punches hammered against the beast-man's thick hide.
Shishida was incredibly durable, tanking blows that would have incapacitated others. His beastly senses allowed him to anticipate some attacks, and he managed to land a heavy shoulder tackle that sent Souta sliding back, followed by a claw swipe that ripped through Souta's sleeve, drawing blood, before the wound closed mere seconds later. A detail most viewers had missed. But Souta barely seemed to register the pain. His turquoise eye burned with focus, his grey eye cold with resolve. This wasn't just a fight; it was catharsis.
Seeing Shishida momentarily off-balance after landing the hit, Souta surged forward again. The orange lightning flared brighter. He unleashed a furious combination – fist, elbow, knee, foot – each strike empowered by One For All, hitting Shishida's torso and head with brutal precision. The sheer speed and force were overwhelming. Concrete cracked beneath their feet from the impacts.
Shishida tried to block, to counter, but the onslaught was too fast, too powerful. With a final, resounding crack, Souta landed a devastating OFA-charged uppercut. Shishida's beast form flew upwards, crashing back down onto the stage with enough force to shake the platform, reverting partially to his human form as consciousness fled.
Souta stood over him, chest heaving slightly, the orange lightning slowly fading. Some of the tension had bled out of him, replaced by the familiar burn of exertion.
Midnight raised her whip. "Jurota Shishida is unconscious! The winner is Souta Todoroki!"
---
"WHAT AN EXPLOSIVE START!" Present Mic yelled as Souta walked off stage and Shishida was attended to by medics. "PURE POWER FROM BOTH COMPETITORS! BUT NOW, LET'S MOVE TO MATCH NUMBER TWO! ALSO FROM CLASS 1-A, THE JET-BLACK HERO WHO COMMANDS THE DARKNESS, FUMIKAGE TOKOYAMI! VERSUS! THE QUEEN OF ACID AND AGILITY, ALSO 1-A, MINA ASHIDO!"
Tokoyami took his position, Dark Shadow manifesting beside him with a low croak, squinting slightly against the bright afternoon sun filling the stadium. Mina bounced onto the stage opposite him, bright and energetic, already leaving small sizzling patches of acid where she stepped.
"Match 2... BEGIN!"
Mina immediately went on the offensive, but defensively. She secreted acid from her feet, creating a slick patch to skate upon, and simultaneously generated a shimmering curtain of viscous acid between her and Tokoyami – Acid Veil. "Can't hit what you can't see!" she chirped, sliding rapidly behind the veil. Almost immediately, globules of potent acid shot out from behind the shimmering curtain, aimed at Tokoyami and Dark Shadow.
Dark Shadow, smaller and weaker in the direct sunlight, hissed and retreated slightly behind Tokoyami, batting away the less direct acid shots with surprising speed.
"Patience, Dark Shadow," Tokoyami murmured, his eyes scanning the arena. He knew Dark Shadow was at a disadvantage in the open light. He needed shadow. He retreated slowly, moving towards the edge of the stage where the high walls of the stadium cast long, albeit thin, shadows.
Mina zipped around on her acid slides, keeping the pressure up, trying to corner him. Her mobility was her greatest asset. She launched herself into the air, aiming a concentrated stream of acid directly at Dark Shadow while it was momentarily exposed. "Gotcha!"
"Dark Shadow, guard!" Tokoyami commanded. The shadow entity swelled slightly as Tokoyami stepped deeper into a patch of shade, becoming more corporeal and tanking the acid stream with a pained screech, though it visibly weakened and sizzled upon contact. "Now!" Tokoyami pointed towards Mina's landing trajectory. She always slid into a low crouch after an aerial attack.
Dark Shadow, recovering quickly in the shade, shot out like a black viper, not aiming for Mina directly, but for the patch of ground where Tokoyami predicted she would land. Just as Mina's feet hit the concrete to initiate her slide, Dark Shadow's claws erupted from the stage's shadow beneath her, latching onto her ankle.
"Whoa!" Mina yelped, her balance instantly thrown. Her slide became an uncontrolled skid. Before she could dissolve Dark Shadow's claws or regain her footing, the sentient Quirk, empowered by its connection to the shadow, surged upwards, wrapping around her torso.
Mina struggled, dissolving parts of the shadow, but it reformed quickly from the shade. With a powerful heave, Dark Shadow flung her bodily towards the edge of the stage. Mina tried to create an acid jet to stop herself but reacted a fraction too late. She tumbled off the platform, landing hard on the softer ground below.
Midnight's whip cracked. "Mina Ashido is out of bounds! The winner is Fumikage Tokoyami!" Tokoyami gave a solemn nod, Dark Shadow retreating back into him with a satisfied murmur.
"THAT'S TWO FOR CLASS 1-A!" Present Mic announced as Tokoyami left the stage. "WHO WILL TAKE THE NEXT WIN? LET'S FIND OUT! IT'S THE MANLY HEART OF 1-A, READY TO WITHSTAND ANYTHING, EIJIRO KIRISHIMA! VERSUS! THE TENTACLED POWERHOUSE WITH EYES AND EARS EVERYWHERE, ALSO 1-A, MEZO SHOJI!"
Kirishima grinned, slamming his hardened fists together with a resonant clack. "Let's have a good fight, Shoji!"
Across the stage, Mezo Shoji unfolded his Dupli-Arms, extra eyes blinking open on the webbed membranes, offering him near-total spatial awareness. "Likewise, Kirishima," Shoji replied, his voice calm and steady, resonating from one of his replicated mouths.
"Match 3... BEGIN!"
Shoji immediately utilized his reach advantage. Multiple powerful arms lashed out like whips, aiming to keep the close-range fighter Kirishima at bay. Kirishima hardened his body and charged forward, weathering the blows on his rock-solid skin. Each impact sounded like stone hitting stone. "You'll have to hit harder than that!" Kirishima yelled, bobbing and weaving, trying to get past the wall of limbs.
Shoji adapted seamlessly. Fists retracted and were replaced by replicated mouths that emitted disorienting sonic bursts, trying to throw off Kirishima's balance. Simultaneously, other arms snaked around from different angles, aiming for joints or less hardened areas.
It was like fighting an octopus made of fists and sonic cannons. Kirishima gritted his teeth, pushing through the sonic waves, his hardening holding firm against the physical blows. He admired Shoji's versatility – it was a manly display of skill – but he wouldn't be stopped. He just needed one good opening.
Realizing that wearing Shoji down might take too long, Kirishima decided to commit. "TRUE HARDENING..." Veins bulged on his arms and face as he pushed his Quirk to its current absolute limit. "...UNBREAKABLE!"
His body took on a monstrous, jagged appearance, his durability skyrocketing for a short period. Ignoring the barrage of fists and sonic waves impacting harmlessly against his ultimate defense, Kirishima charged like an unstoppable juggernaut.
Shoji widened his stance, attempting to brace or redirect the charge with multiple arms, but the sheer force behind the Unbreakable form was too much. Kirishima plowed through the defense, lowered his shoulder, and slammed into Shoji with the force of a runaway truck.
Shoji was thrown back, skidding across the stage before tumbling over the boundary line. He quickly got to his feet, retracting his extra limbs and giving Kirishima a respectful nod.
Midnight's whip cracked. "Mezo Shoji is out of bounds! The winner, through sheer manly force, is Eijiro Kirishima!" Kirishima let out a triumphant roar, his Unbreakable form receding, leaving him breathing heavily but grinning widely.
---
"WHAT A POWERFUL FINISH!" Mic screamed. "KIRISHIMA IS MOVING ON! BUT THE ACTION DOESN'T STOP! GET READY FOR MATCH FOUR! HE'S GOT AN EXPLOSIVE ATTITUDE AND A QUIRK TO MATCH, FROM CLASS 1-A, KATSUKI BAKUGO! VERSUS! THE STRATEGIC SOFTENER WHO CAN TURN THE BATTLEFIELD TO MUD, FROM CLASS 1-B, JUZO HONENUKI!"
Bakugo stomped onto the stage, sparks already popping in his palms, a predatory grin plastered on his face. Honenuki walked calmly to his position, his expression neutral, analyzing his explosive opponent.
"Match 4... BEGIN!"
Honenuki didn't waste a moment. He slapped his palms onto the concrete stage, and large swathes around Bakugo instantly lost their solidity, turning into thick, viscous muck. "Try moving now," Honenuki stated flatly.
Bakugo barely seemed to notice. "IDIOT!" he roared, unleashing explosions from his palms aimed downwards, blasting himself vertically into the air just as the ground beneath him liquefied. Honenuki, anticipating this, melted seamlessly into the softened concrete, disappearing from view.
"HIDING LIKE A COWARD?!" Bakugo snarled from above. He hovered using controlled explosions, scanning the rippling, mud-like surface below.
Suddenly, a pillar of semi-solid concrete erupted from the muck, aimed straight at him. Bakugo blasted it apart with ease. "TOO SLOW!" Arms made of sludge reached out, trying to grab his ankles. Bakugo evaded with sharp aerial maneuvers, retaliating with targeted AP Shots fired into the muck where the limbs originated.
The stage became a chaotic mess of softened ground, craters from Bakugo's explosions, and Honenuki's guerrilla tactics. Honenuki was smart, using the softened ground for near-perfect camouflage and defense, mitigating the impact of some explosions as they hit the yielding surface.
But Bakugo was relentless and, crucially, airborne.
"HAD ENOUGH HIDING?!" Bakugo bellowed, gathering power. He flew higher, then unleashed a massive explosion downwards – not quite a Howitzer Impact, but powerful enough to blast away tons of the softened concrete, creating a massive, deeper crater and significantly reducing Honenuki's cover. Honenuki was forced to surface near the edge of the blast zone, looking slightly disoriented.
That was all the opening Bakugo needed. "DIE!" With pinpoint accuracy, he fired a concentrated AP Shot. Honenuki tried to soften his own body or dive back down, but the blast hit him squarely, sending him tumbling out of the remaining muck and skidding across the solid part of the stage, unable to get up.
Midnight stepped forward. "Juzo Honenuki is unable to battle! The winner is Katsuki Bakugo!" Bakugo landed, popping explosions in his palms. "TOO DAMN WEAK!" he declared to the arena at large.