From every direction, personalities and abilities exploded into action.
Shadows danced, the ground froze, and gunfire tore through the air.
The viewers behind their screens watched the dazzling spectacle, thoroughly entertained.
-(LIVE) U.A. Sports Festival First-Year Stage – Second Event: Cavalry Battle
"Wow, first-years! Wow, first-years!"
"Oh, so you know the first-years. This year’s U.A. freshmen are insanely talented. They even held their own against a Villain attack, and that kid with the bomb-head survived an assault by the sludge Villain back in middle school. The one who clinched first place in the opening event even managed to catch a Villain at Disneyland."
"What on earth are those two on about? What kind of nonsense is that?"
"There’s even some prehistoric meme from the old Mirra days. Anyway, so that’s the Disneyland kid."
"But why is he on a horse instead of riding one?"
"Maybe because he’s too heavy? Just looking at him, the horses would probably break their backs carrying him."
"He’s strong as hell, yet can’t ride because of his weight. Life really isn’t that simple."
"Hahaha, that’s priceless. What’s Kirishima up to?"
"Normally, I’m not a fan of hero stories since U.A. kids always hog the spotlight, but I have to hand it to them. I mean, why else would that monster—the one who dominated the first event—choose U.A. again? What’s so appealing about this rotten industry?"
"Arrested at the Shigetsu faculty office..."
"Why? Because U.A. is the greatest and strongest! Invincible U.A.! V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!"
"If you can’t beat them, join them. Why not start cheering for U.A. right now?"
"No way. You crazies can just take a hike."
"I thought Class A was supposed to be the best, but judging by the points, they aren’t all that impressive."
"Yeah, and Class B isn’t too shabby either, huh?"
"Just getting into that school makes you elite—Class B isn’t an easy field to play in."
"Still, Class A has actually fought Villains."
"Oh, you naïve soul. They’ve barely been at school for half a year. The fact they survived a Villain attack was simply because they were strong enough from the start. Class B must have a similar level of ability—it’s not all down to grades."
"But you’re always backing Class B. What, are you from Class B or something?"
As the online chatter blazed, Bakugo growled at the blond boy with the vacant expression.
"Hand it over! I’m gonna kill you!"
"You really think you’d hand it over after that, idiot?"
"Ugh! Shut it! You’re even more annoying than that guy!"
"Oh, that’s just perfect. Hearing that I’m annoying shows I’m on the right track."
"You two, stop bickering!"
The blond boy snorted while watching Bakugo and Kirishima argue.
"When Midnight announced the first event was over, it was clear they’d drastically trimmed the numbers during preliminaries. I pegged our rough target around fortieth, so during the prelims I kept an eye on the quirks and characters of those who’d be our rivals, making sure none would drop below that rank. After all, clinging to a momentary lead is worthless."
"So the whole class was in on it?"
"What a stupid question. Only those who were game did it."
Kirishima admonished Bakugo for his foolish remark.
The blond boy, resting a headband around his neck, replied coolly,
"Not everyone agreed, but it turned out to be a pretty effective method. It’s better than chasing an elusive dream like a carrot dangling before your eyes. Oh—by the way, you were famous once, weren’t you? The victims of the sludge incident. Tell me about it sometime—the feeling of being attacked by a Villain every year."
"Hmph. That kid sure knows how to provoke. He’s got talent."
"Kirishima... are you on our side or that bastard’s?"
"Obviously I’m on my own side. I warned you because you were weak in the first place—you still got your headband stolen."
Bakugo smacked Kirishima on the head and snapped,
"Gah! You’ve always been like this. I can’t flatten you right now, so plans have changed. Before I beat Deku, I’m wiping you lot out!"
"Hmph. Somehow that sounds like I’m included in ‘all of you.’ Anyway, if it gets tough, just say so. There was never any rule against stealing a headband, right?"
"I don’t need your help!"
"Hmph."
Amid the chaos, a teammate of the blond boy called out,
"Monoma, don’t push him too far—you’ll end up just like him! That’s it!"
"Ah, you’re right. Not very heroic on my part, huh? Besides, I keep hearing the story of a hero getting his revenge from a Villain."
Kirishima burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Puhahaha. Did you hear that? He said ‘Villain.’ That kid’s got a keen eye—just like you, isn’t it?"
"Hey! Hmph. Why do you single me out? Look, you’re the one with that Villain face."
"What? Your face is the Villain’s!"
"I’m handsome, damn it!"
Though the insults veered into unexpected territory thanks to Kirishima, Bakugo remained dead serious.
"Move it, Kirishima. We still have points to secure."
"Fair enough. Let’s go."
Closing the gap, Bakugo thrust out his hand and triggered an explosion.
But Monoma deflected Bakugo’s hand with a swift slap, dodged, and countered immediately with an explosion of his own.
"Heh. Amazing! What a spectacular quirk."
"Mine?"
While Bakugo shook his head, Kirishima quietly let Monoma’s hand graze his hair.
Talent copied through contact.
Suddenly, the kid came back into focus.
One had to wonder: what would happen if someone else inherited his quirk?
An intriguing thought indeed.
"Die!"
Meanwhile, Bakugo pressed his relentless assault.
A powerful explosion slammed into Monoma, and the ensuing blast clouded the space between them.
When the smoke finally cleared in the icy wind, Monoma stood there with his arms crossed over his face.
His arms had transformed into irregular, polygonal shapes—just as Kirishima’s had at the start.
"As expected, a top-notch quirk."
"Hmph. Fascinating."
"Tch. So you just ended up copying it."
"Haha, caught in the act?"
Monoma grinned broadly.
Bakugo gritted his teeth at that infuriating smile, but Monoma paid it no mind.
"You might already know this, but my quirk also transfers the target’s skill level. Was it Kirishima? That transformation into a demon was pretty cool—strong, too. At that capacity, clinching first place in five minutes wouldn’t be a stretch, right?"
Monoma smirked as he began reshaping his body.
Polygonal edges arranged themselves into a uniform pattern, and sharp angles emerged over his form.
When his eyes began to glow, he staggered heavily.
"Ugh, what the hell? Is this... what a human can really handle?"
"What? Not having fun already?"
"What’s wrong? Monoma!"
Monoma clenched his teeth, an absurd sense of omnipotence surging through him.
A power that made him feel capable of shattering anything in his path, a durability so impenetrable it seemed he couldn’t be hurt.
Yet, what tormented him was the overwhelming influx of information—every grain of sand in the wind, the breathing and footsteps of forty-two individuals, even the fluctuating temperature of the arena—flooding his senses in a way that was almost too much to bear.
Monoma abruptly deactivated his quirk and panted heavily.
"H-how...?"
"I’d say it’s a matter of capacity. You see, I’ve been gradually refining my senses day by day, but you got hit with a thousand units all at once."
While they exchanged words, Bakugo hurled himself from the cavalry formation and charged at Monoma.
"Tsuburaba Guard!"
As the brown-haired rider exhaled sharply, the air before Bakugo condensed into a circular barrier that blocked his advance.
Though momentarily halted, Bakugo blasted through the blockade with a punch, wrenching the headband from the retreating Monoma.
"Bakugo! Two headbands gone—third place! The rankings are shifting in the final stretch! That’s pure youthful fire!"
Kirishima sighed.
"If you’re going to take them, why not grab the first-place headband? Or even better, take them all."
"Shut up! If you don’t like it, go steal them yourself!"
"Should I?"
"Huh?"
Kirishima braced his legs and pushed off the ground.
Unsure if the others could keep up, he nevertheless hauled them along.
Soon, he had intercepted Monoma’s team as they circled away.
Fortunately, the others reacted swiftly to the sudden turn of events.
Ashido splashed dissolving fluid on the ground ahead of the charging Monoma team, rendering the floor slick, while Sero fired tape to ensnare the lead horse and tug it back.
At that moment, as their paths intersected, Bakugo exploded his firepower, shattered the air barrier, and snatched the final headband from Monoma.
"Bakugo! No holding back! If you’re going to do it, do it thoroughly! That’s the spirit! Hurry—time’s almost up!"
"Next up—we’re going after Deku and Todoroki!"
Bakugo wasn’t finished yet.
He quickly pivoted toward the battlefield, where a ring of ice had risen to form a barrier.
Kirishima considered speaking up but held his tongue—there wasn’t much time left, after all, so he decided to let Bakugo run his course.
"Eleven seconds left! Midoriya—time for a comeback steal!"
With Present Mic’s booming voice as an impromptu soundtrack, Kirishima allowed a slight smile to form.
"Once more, everyone—get ready. We’re breaking straight through!"
"You should’ve said that earlier!"
"Yeah! Eijiro has been too stingy with info."
"I always thought Kirishima was the kind of friend who looked out for his teammates..."
Ignoring the barrage of complaints, he grinned and added,
"I kept quiet because I believed you could handle it, and you did, didn’t you? We’re out of time—let’s hash out the details later. Move out!"
Kirishima pumped his legs once again, confirming that the others could endure the strain as he hardened his body and launched himself forward.
Not in [Demon Form]—so he couldn’t transcend normal limits—but with incredible speed they collided with the ice wall.
"Oh! What’s this? Bakugo’s team crashing into the battlefield at the last moment! They broke through head-on! So, who’s the winner?"
"Graaah! Damn it all!"
Using the momentum of his charge, Bakugo soared upward and barreled into both teams.
In an instant, Shoto Todoroki and Midoriya, having quickly assessed the situation, joined him in the charge.
Just as the three reached out to clash, the match came to an abrupt end.
Bakugo, Midoriya, and Todoroki sported expressions of dissatisfaction, while Kirishima’s face remained unreadable.
It might not have been a grand finale, but it was enough—for they had secured a spot in the top four teams.
"Alright then! Let’s see who the top four teams are!"
Present Mic spun a finger in the air and shouted,
"First place, Team Bakugo!"
"Tch. Feels like I was just along for the ride."
"No, you did fine. Sure, there were flaws if you dissect it, but we’ll leave that for later."
"Phew, that was exhausting."
"If the results are good, then that’s all that matters. Stop nitpicking."
Regardless of the team’s feelings, the announcements rolled on.
"Second place, Team Todoroki!"
"Damn it..."
"Phew. We made it into the rankings, but it felt like walking on thin ice."
"I’m so sorry! I caused so much trouble!"
"Nah, that’s not it… Without Iida, second place would’ve been out of the question."
As Kaminari wandered around, brain fried and flashing double thumbs-ups, Yaoyorozu consoled a dejected Iida.
"Third place! Tetsute... huh? Team Shinso? When did they pull ahead?"
"Thank you."
With a cold smile, Shinso stepped away from his teammates.
Ojiro glowered at his back with a displeased look.
Meanwhile, Midoriya, looking crestfallen, faced his team.
"Everyone... I’m sorry. It’s all my fault..."
As Hatsume and Uraraka removed the jetpack from his back, they drifted apart and pointed toward Tokoyami.
Unintentionally drawn to that direction, Midoriya’s gaze fell, and Tokoyami spoke in a stiff, formal tone,
"After your initial attack, Todoroki clearly faltered. I wanted to take everything, but it wasn’t that simple. Still, I managed to snatch an opening—the gap you created by forcing Todoroki back, Midoriya."
Beside him, Dark Shadow emerged, a headband marked “615” clenched in its mouth.
When Midoriya realized he had not been eliminated, tears welled in his eyes as Present Mic’s voice rang out,
"Fourth place, Team Midoriya!"
The tension snapped; Midoriya sank to his knees, tears streaming like a fountain.
At the sight of him, Kirishima sighed. He had fought well, strategized well, and even shown leadership, but he was still too soft.
He’d improve in time, but this was a world that played out like a shonen manga—Midoriya was the hero of this story.
And if manga could conjure up incidents and accidents out of thin air just for dramatic effect, there would be countless more trials awaiting Class A.
Thinking that way, it was clear everyone needed to get stronger.
"These are the four teams advancing to the final event!"
Todoroki glanced toward Midoriya and stared at his left hand.
In his mind, he thought, “I swore I wouldn’t use it offensively. And yet… he shattered my momentum.”
Clenching his fist, he declared,
"No. If things keep like this, it’ll end up exactly as that damn father of mine wants."
A man whose flaming beard replaced a real one watched Todoroki mutter with trembling hands.
Kirishima caught the tone in Todoroki’s words, turned to look in his direction, and their eyes met.
“Endeavor—Todoroki’s father, right? Doesn’t seem like a good father. Not that it matters to me.”
For Kirishima, whether Endeavor was a good or bad father was beside the point. What mattered was that he was strong.
Kirishima grinned and bowed his head slightly.
Without a hint of expression, Endeavor turned away and left.
"Hmph. I was going to say hello before you stole my seat, but I guess he won’t accept it. For now, he’s just a student. It figures."
But that would change in the future.
Though they belonged to different generations, Kirishima desired to ascend the throne of the strongest as quickly as possible. In that sense, Endeavor was a rival in the race for supremacy.
Thus ended the first encounter between usurpers.
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