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Bakugo raised his arms and put them together, "This is my strength!!!"
Golden waves appeared in his right hand, and the condensed energy gave Cementoss a bad feeling. He immediately pressed his hands to the ground.
"Maximum power: Flash Bomb!!!"
Although the shock wave that erupted wasn't as exaggerated as the flames earlier, the black fog and thick smoke it stirred up illustrated the move's power.
"What... what happened?"
Heat waves and black smoke blocked the stadium, making it hard to see what was happening inside.
The students in Class B were furious.
"Asshole! Doesn't this guy have any sense of propriety!?"
"Does he want to kill Kendo!?"
"And this guy wants to be a hero? What a joke!"
The audience and online viewers echoed their outrage.
Aizawa frowned. While Bakugo's move was undoubtedly inspired by Itadori, it was overkill.
Fortunately, Cementoss acted in time, creating a cement wall to mitigate the explosion's effects. Midnight rushed into the arena, rescuing Kento and officially announcing his loss.
Back in the audience, Class B's glares bore into Bakugo, who seemed unbothered. He turned to Itadori in the stands, who was casually holding Momo and watching like it was a bullfight.
"Just wait and see! I'm not afraid of you. I'll surpass All Might and become the strongest hero!"
Itadori smirked slightly but didn't respond.
This surprised Bakugo. If it were their middle school days, a fistfight would have already broken out.
"A small victory." Izuku muttered, glancing at Bakugo.
Tenya, sitting next to him, rose and headed toward the next match.
The next round was Tenya versus Mei. As expected, Mei forfeited, turning the match into a showcase for her gadgets.
After about fifteen minutes, the announcement came:
"Seventh match, Itadori vs. Tokoyami! Both players, enter the arena!"
The stadium erupted into cheers, far louder than before. Itadori had shown incredible abilities in previous rounds, and everyone was eager to see the full extent of his powers.
Izuku scribbled furiously in his notebook:
Itadori-
Quirk: Stand—[The World]
Range: ~10 meters
Specialty: Close-range combat, precision, and defense
Tokoyami-
Quirk: Dark Shadow
Range: ~15 meters
Specialty: Offense and defense
Tenya leaned over, "Midoriya, how do you think this will go?"
"Similar abilities, but the difference in power is vast. Tokoyami's best shot is using his range advantage." Izuku replied.
Momo glanced over, "How do you calculate their ranges so accurately?"
Izuku scratched his head sheepishly, "Just a guess based on watching their fights."
Bakugo scoffed, muttering, "At least analyze me next time, Deku."
"Match start!"
"Dark Shadow!"
"What a joke!"
Tokoyami immediately sent Dark Shadow forward while retreating to maintain distance.
Itadori grinned, "Too slow."
"The World!"
A burly golden figure materialized before Dark Shadow. The sharp contrast between the towering golden stand and the slim black shadow was striking.
Tokoyami hesitated, 'So cool...' He thought, "Maybe I should try summoning mine like that."
"Dark Shadow, circle left!"
The shadow veered to flank Itadori.
But before it could attack, The World extended its arm, grabbing the shadow mid-air and halting it mere inches from Itadori's face.
"A Stand can grab a Stand. Can you outpace a bullet?" Itadori taunted, arms crossed.
Tokoyami froze.
The World swung Dark Shadow like a whip, tossing Tokoyami into the air.
Before he could fall out of bounds, Dark Shadow bit the arena's edge, pulling Tokoyami back in.
He tried to counterattack, but The World's fist was already poised near his face.
Sweat dripped from Tokoyami's brow. After several tense seconds, he bowed his head, "I… admit defeat."
The stadium exploded with cheers.
"Overwhelming victory!!!" Present Mic exclaimed, "Two similar abilities, but Itadori's dominance is undeniable!"
Itadori retracted The World and turned to leave.
"What am I lacking?" Tokoyami asked softly.
"A king has his own talents, a chef has his role. There's no shame in losing to someone better suited for the fight." Itadori replied without looking back.
"Powerful, powerful, Itadori is so strong."
Looking at the two people who were slowly leaving the arena, Izuku said with a dull look in his eyes, "Facing such a strong opponent like Tokoyami, he still won so easily."
"Tsk, useless birdman, he couldn't even force the other party to use his Quirk."
Bakugo said with disdain.
"Kacchan, are you upset?"
Izuku, as always, paid close attention to him.
But it was easy to understand why Bakugo was so irritable.
According to the next schedule, Itadori would face one of the two girls, Momo or Ochako.
However, no matter which of the two women won, it was unlikely they could force Itadori to reveal his hidden abilities.
In other words, Katsuki could only strategize and prepare himself for the inevitable confrontation with Itadori.
"Now it's our turn. Thank you for your guidance, Ochako." Momo said as she stood up, addressing Ochako seated in the row ahead.
"I'll try my best." Ochako replied, clenching her fists with determination.
As Momo descended the stairs through the entrance passage, she happened to cross paths with Itadori, who was ascending.
"Itadori... what are you—!"
Before Momo could finish her sentence, her words were cut off as he leaned in and kissed her.
A few seconds later, Momo managed to push him back and punched his shoulder in embarrassment, "What are you doing? This is hardly the time for this!"
Itadori shrugged nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter if you lose. Honestly, I'd rather not face you in the next match."
Momo, flustered and frustrated, retorted, "Hmph! I've wanted to fight you for a long time. Don't treat me like I'm weak."
Breaking free from his grasp, she hurried toward the arena, leaving Itadori grinning as he watched her go.
"The eighth match! Momo versus Ochako!"
Izuku began analyzing as usual, "Against someone as versatile as Momo, Ochako has no floating objects to use in the open arena. It'll be tough for her to close the gap."
"Begin!"
The moment the match started, Ochako darted to the side, reducing her body's weight to the lightest and rushing toward Momo. All she needed was to touch her opponent to activate her Quirk.
"I knew you'd try that, Ochako!" Momo exclaimed as she retreated swiftly, forming a baton in her hand.
Ochako lunged forward, but Momo deflected her with a quick sweep of the baton. Ochako narrowly dodged and pivoted for another attempt.
Momo then crafted a long pole, swinging it to keep Ochako at bay. Ochako, despite the pain of being hit, managed to brush her hands against the pole, nullifying its gravity and making it float.
This momentary opening allowed Ochako to leap forward, attempting to grab Momo.
"Nice try, but too naive!" Momo smirked, raising her knee to intercept Ochako's charge.
"Ah!" Ochako gasped in pain, momentarily stunned.
Seizing the opportunity, Momo grabbed Ochako's wrists and, with a flash of colorful stars, materialized a pair of handcuffs, securing Ochako's hands.
"You lose, Ochako." Momo said, stepping back confidently.
Midnight raised her hand to announce, "The winner is Momo!"
Ochako sighed in frustration, clenching her fists as she reflected on the match. Despite her effort, the lack of practical combat experience had cost her the victory.
Back in the audience, All Might nodded thoughtfully, "Momo's combat experience truly shines. She's developing skills similar to Itadori's—tactical and precise."
The next match was already decided: Itadori versus Momo.
In the arena's president's office, Momo's parents were watching the match.
"Honey, look! Momo and Itadori are about to face off!" Her mother exclaimed excitedly.
Her father, frowning, muttered, "That boy better not hurt my daughter, or he'll pay the price."
In the arena, Itadori and Momo stood about eight meters apart.
Itadori placed one hand on his waist, his expression unusually serious. This was the first time since his rebirth that he felt conflicted about a fight.
"How should I approach this? Do I hold back or give it my all?" He mused.
"Hey, Itadori!" Momo's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He looked up to see her determined expression. "I want you to fight me with everything you've got. I've always wanted to test myself against you."
Hearing her words, Itadori's lips curled into a grin. He loosened his stance, his hesitation melting away.
"Are both fighters ready? Then... Begin!"
Before Present Mic's shout finished echoing through the arena, both Itadori and Momo vanished from their starting positions, leaving the audience in stunned silence.