The cavalry battle ended. In the last 3 minutes, thanks to Ochako's full use of "Zero Gravity," Midoriya used a rocket backpack to fly their team high up, out of reach of Bakugo's and Todoroki's teams.
The final rankings were: Midoriya's team in first place, thanks to Midoriya Izuku holding onto the 10 million points headband.
Second place went to Todoroki's team. After changing targets, they grabbed some headbands while other teams were controlled by Shinso Hitoshi.
Third place went to Bakugo's team. While waking up other teams with his explosive punches, Bakugo also grabbed a few headbands.
Fourth place went to Tokoyami's team. During the chaotic battle, Tokoyami Fumikage used his excellent Quirk, Dark Shadow, to break through the chaos!
In the second round of the cavalry battle, Shinso Hitoshi shone the brightest. With just one sentence at the start, he turned almost everyone into his puppets, shocking the audience. Many pro heroes were curious about this student with the "Brainwashing" Quirk.
After the cavalry battle, the main referee, Midnight, announced the halftime break. After an exciting and tense morning, the students were exhausted, and the audience needed lunch too.
"Shinso... the other students are looking at you strangely..."
During the halftime break, the U.A. High School students went to the cafeteria. Midoriya and Shinso also went to get lunch, only to be stared at by all the other students...
All the students were looking at Shinso Hitoshi with fearful eyes, and Midoriya was worried for him.
"Well, it can't be helped. I offended too many people in the cavalry battle just now," Shinso Hitoshi said nonchalantly. He was planning to make a big splash at this U.A. sports festival, so it was impossible not to offend others.
"Kid, you're really something! I got caught right away!" said a student who looked like a metalhead, holding his lunch. He ran up to Shinso and praised his Quirk without any blame.
"I remember... you teamed up with Tokoyami, right? You're from Class B?" Ochako, holding her curry, seemed to recognize the metalhead. She remembered that Tokoyami's team was short on members and had asked this Class B student to help.
"I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu from Class B. My Quirk is 'Steel.' We really owe it to Tokoyami in the last round. His Quirk is amazing too!" Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu from Class B had a Quirk that made his body as hard as steel, similar to Kirishima Eijiro from Class A. Because of his steel Quirk, he was literally a metalhead.
After greeting Shinso, Tetsutetsu went back to join his Class B friends for lunch.
"But Shinso, isn't it a problem that your Quirk is exposed like this?" asked Takeyama Urei, who was also holding a bowl of udon. She knew how powerful Shinso's Quirk was and that it had certain activation conditions. The next matches wouldn't be as easy for him.
"It's fine. The third match is usually one-on-one battles according to U.A. High's tradition. Even if I hide my Quirk and advance to the second round, people will figure it out and be on guard."
"Instead of keeping it as a trump card, it's better to make a big impact now and stand out."
"That's true. Shinso's Quirk requires the opponent to respond to his words. If the opponent is smart and keeps their mouth shut, like Todoroki's team in the cavalry battle, it won't work. And in one-on-one matches, 'Brainwashing' has no advantage without teammates to support it..."
As Shinso finished speaking, Midoriya Izuku started thinking deeply and muttering to himself. He agreed with Shinso's approach. Instead of hoping for a perfect third match, it was better to shine in the second match.
"Well, there's one person I think I can beat."
"Oh? Who is it?!"
Midoriya was curious about Shinso's confidence. Who could be so foolish to fall for Shinso's Quirk despite knowing its weakness?
"Look, over there!"
Following Shinso's finger, Midoriya, Takeyama, and Uraraka looked over and saw Bakugo Katsuki eating his lunch as if it were his enemy.
"......."
Everyone was speechless. It seemed Shinso was right... Bakugo's temper was so bad that if someone insulted him, he would explode immediately. He was like a walking powder keg.
After lunch, the students had free time. The afternoon matches would start at 1:30 PM, and there was also an entertainment event, the Amajiki Festival. Students participating in the third match could choose to join or rest to conserve energy.
After finishing his meal, Midoriya Izuku returned to the support department's workshop. He was making the final adjustments to his equipment. He was aiming for the championship in this competition, but his opponents were all strong, so he had to give it his all!
"Midoriya-chan, do you need gloves?"
Hatsume Mei, who was also in the support department's workshop, would personally watch Midoriya's match in the afternoon. For now, she was recording all her new ideas inspired by the sports festival for future research and practice.
"Not for now, but I'll still carry them..."
Midoriya Izuku hesitated at Hatsume Mei's suggestion. His strongest combat abilities required the gloves, but that was a secret he couldn't reveal.
If he wore the "Death God Gloves," his disguised identity would undoubtedly be recognized. He couldn't let anyone know that "Steel Wire Death God" was Midoriya Izuku. Besides the trouble it would bring, Bakugo would chase him to the ends of the earth!
"This will do!"
After making the final adjustments, Midoriya Izuku's equipment, including the most important roller shoes, arm thrusters, and a backpack for burst speed, was ready.
Seeing Midoriya Izuku fully equipped, Hatsume Mei brought up an old topic again. She asked Midoriya:
"So, Midoriya-chan, have you thought of a name for your baby?"
Since Hatsume Mei had specially made the roller shoes for Midoriya Izuku, she let him name them. Midoriya hadn't decided yet, but with the most important stage approaching, it was time to name his battle partner.
"I've got it. Inspired by 'Air Gear,' I'll call it 'King of Storms!'"
"Nice name! Let's see how you and 'King of Storms' perform, Midoriya-chan!"
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The third match in the afternoon was about to begin. Before the finals, there would be some fun entertainment events to please the audience and give eliminated students a chance to shine.
Events like the 100-meter dash, relay race, dodgeball game, and eating contest...
Energetic contestants like Kaminari Denki didn't care about the afternoon finals and rushed to join the fun events. Meanwhile, strong contenders like Bakugo and Todoroki conserved their energy for the finals.
As Midoriya Izuku prepared for the finals and returned to the sports field, he heard someone calling him in the athlete's tunnel. He turned to see a thin man waving at him.
"Midoriya, over here! Over here!"
"All Might?!"
It was the thin form of All Might. Despite being very surprised, Midoriya Izuku quickly ran to his most admired hero. All Might must have something important to tell him.
All Might took Midoriya to his resting room to ensure no one else could hear their conversation. Then he spoke to Midoriya:
"First, I want to congratulate you on taking first place in both the preliminaries and the main competition. It's truly outstanding and hard to believe!"
"No, no, no! It's all thanks to my teammates!"
Hearing All Might praise him like that, Midoriya felt extremely embarrassed and shy. In the first round, it was Takeyama Urei and Ochako who helped him, and in the second round, it was Shinso's VIP performance. He just won by luck.
"Don't belittle yourself. As a hero, having a great personality is also a part of your strength. If others are willing to help you, it means you have qualities that attract them!"
"Uh~~"
Hearing All Might say this, Midoriya Izuku couldn't argue. He was right. For example, No.1 All Might and No.2 Endeavor. People liked All Might much more than Endeavor.
Not just in terms of strength, but Midoriya personally felt that All Might's charm as a hero far surpassed Endeavor's.
"But the third round is an individual match. Are you confident?"
"Yes! I'm very confident!!"
With All Might showing such concern, Midoriya Izuku naturally patted his chest to show his confidence. After all, he had his "Death Gloves" with him, and if necessary, he could use some tricky moves.
"Confidence is good. After all, I recommended you to Sir Nighteye. He said he would watch your performance in the sports festival."
"What! All Might's assistant, Sir Nighteye, will watch my match!!?"
"Yes, since your hero internship will be with him, it's not a bad idea for him to get to know you in advance."
The pressure that was already like a mountain on Midoriya's back got even heavier. He had to perform well in the third round and show his true strength.
"But All Might, aren't you watching the third-year sports festival?"
"The third years... there's nothing interesting this year. That kid Mirio is crushing everyone."
"Uh...."
Midoriya Izuku was speechless, and All Might was quite troubled. This year's U.A. High School third-year sports festival was a disaster.
In previous years, the students were evenly matched, but this year, they found out that Togata Mirio was incredibly strong, almost like All Might himself. No one could compete with him, and he easily took the championship.
"Anyway! Thank you, All Might! I'll do my best in the match!!"
Midoriya thanked his most admired hero. All Might's talk before the final was clearly meant to encourage him, and it boosted his fighting spirit.
After the entertainment match ended, the final and most important match of the U.A. Sports Festival began!
"The third round, the arena match!!"
With the main referee Midnight's announcement, the third round's event was clear. It was a one-on-one match, the best way to show combat strength in an arena elimination format.
"Contestants, come draw your lots!"
Holding a lottery box, with no tricks (laugh), the matchups were decided purely by luck (laugh). Midoriya and the other contestants drew lots one by one, and the matchups were arranged according to the numbers on the lots.
The final match order was as follows:
Shinso Hitoshi vs. Kaminari Denki
Tokoyami Fumikage vs. Ojiro Mashirao
Aoyama Yuga vs. Yaoyorozu Momo
Todoroki Shoto vs. Sero Hanta
Bakugo Katsuki vs. Ashido Mina
Kirishima Eijiro vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
Takeyama Urei vs. Uraraka Ochako
Midoriya Izuku vs. Iida Tenya
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When the final match list came out, everyone was stunned. Takeyama Urei and Uraraka Ochako were completely shocked. Out of so many participants, why did they have to face each other?
And if they advanced smoothly, the next match would be against Midoriya Izuku! Both girls were equally shocked and determined, with only one thought in their minds: win!
"Midoriya, I didn't expect you to be my opponent!"
"Yeah, this time it's a competition of speed between us."
Iida Tenya, with his Quirk "Engine," and Midoriya Izuku, equipped with "King of Storms," both relied on speed. Their match would be a battle of who was faster.
"I've got this. There's no way I can lose the first match!"
Kaminari Denki, who was drinking milk, thought to himself. In the previous cavalry battle, Shinso Hitoshi's Quirk was exposed to the whole school. Now, every student knew his Quirk was "Brainwashing," and they knew not to respond to Shinso's words, which would prevent his Quirk from activating.
As long as he kept his mouth shut, Shinso Hitoshi's "Brainwashing" couldn't work. Kaminari Denki felt he had a huge advantage. In this situation, anyone could win!
With the third match list out, the audience was buzzing with discussions about who to bet on, and the participants were thinking about their strategies. The atmosphere was lively and intense.
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