[IN JUST A SPLIT SECOND! NOT A SINGLE HEADBAND HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM CLASS 1-A?! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!]
Present Mic's voice thundered across the arena, overflowing with excitement as he continued to shower praise upon Class 1-A.
And then—chaos.
Without warning, something went terribly wrong. Present Mic's enthusiastic commentary came to an abrupt halt.
Bakugo, known for his raw power and explosive tenacity, had let his guard down for just a moment—
—and in that moment, his headband was snatched away.
"Like taking candy from a baby."
The voice was quiet, almost untraceable, yet carried a chilling confidence.
Bakugo spun around, fury blazing in his eyes, locking onto the figure walking away with his headband.
"GIVE IT BACK!! OR I'LL KILL YOU!!!" he snarled, his voice crackling with explosive rage.
A smirk curled on Bakugo's lips—but it wasn't a smile of amusement. It was dark, full of violent intent.
Forget Midoriya, he thought, we're taking that bastard down first.
Meanwhile—
A figure stood before us, blocking our path. His presence alone made the air feel colder.
Todoroki. Calm, composed, but deadly serious. His eyes locked onto mine.
"It's time… I'm taking your headband."
The moment felt frozen.
Present Mic practically leapt from his seat, his voice erupting once again:
[OHHHHH!!! WHAT'S THIS?! MIDORIYA'S TEAM IS BEING INTERCEPTED BY TODOROKI! IS HE GOING FOR THE TEN MILLION POINTS?!?]
***
Their eyes locked—
Midoriya and Todoroki stared each other down, cold and unflinching, neither willing to look away.
"I thought we'd be facing them at the end of the match," Takoyami's voice broke through Midoriya's focus, calm and observant.
"They're really fired up, huh… Midoriya," he added.
I chuckled lightly—a soft, almost mischievous laugh.
"This just makes it more exciting, doesn't it?" I replied with a hint of thrill in my voice.
"Iida, charge!"
Todoroki's voice rang out like a command on the battlefield.
Without hesitation, Iida's engines roared to life, propelling him forward.
Yaoyorozu stood ready, her shield and conductor at hand.
Just then, something drew my attention—
A boy with bright yellow hair, grinning with unsettling confidence. Suspicion flared in my chest.
"Hakujoudai!" I called out instinctively.
A burst of electricity exploded outward, crackling violently.
Every cavalry team within range was shocked into stillness—frozen in place, unable to move.
"Less than six minutes left. We don't have much time," Yaoyorozu said calmly.
Todoroki turned to her, gave a slight nod, and raised his hand.
With one motion, the ground beneath us froze—
A sweeping wave of ice engulfed the field, locking every team in place.
Cries of surprise erupted as contestants found their feet trapped, immobilized by the sudden frost.
[WHAT IS THIS?! TEAM TODOROKI HAS NEUTRALIZED THE ENTIRE FIELD IN AN INSTANT?! ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!]
Present Mic's voice boomed through the stadium, brimming with awe and disbelief.
Meanwhile, we were running—desperately trying to stay ahead of Todoroki's overwhelming force.
"Tsukasa, I'm sorry… Can you get us airborne again?" Midoriya asked, his voice half-panicked.
I hesitated, weighing my strength, then answered uncertainly,
"…Maybe."
Cornered.
Todoroki was already there, standing in our path with a faint, confident smile.
Kaminari growled under his breath, and Dark Shadow lashed out to strike—
—but Yaoyorozu was faster, deflecting the attack with a shield formed from her own body.
"Fighting under sunlight makes his power harder to control," Takoyami muttered, watching Dark Shadow recoil.
Midoriya's eyes widened, recalling the moment he had chosen Takoyami for the team.
Dark Shadow—an incredibly powerful Quirk—
Yet, as its name suggests, it thrived in darkness and weakened under light.
The brighter the surroundings, the weaker it became.
And now, after Kaminari's electric blast, Dark Shadow had grown afraid.
Time passed.
Five minutes into the match—
We managed to dodge Todoroki's relentless attacks, but Takoyami's strength was fading fast.
Dark Shadow had shrunk significantly, while I was burning through my Quirk with everything I had.
"You look pale, Aizawa. Exhausted, even."
Todoroki's voice was cold, almost mocking.
"No matter how strong a Quirk is, it has limits, doesn't it? …Aizawa Tsukasa?"
I didn't reply.
Midoriya was panting beside me, sweat pouring down his temples.
He remembered everything.
Every Quirk had its breaking point.
Uraraka was on the verge of collapse, her face green with nausea.
Takoyami—his shadow had nearly vanished.
And me… using my Quirk was eating away at me, bit by bit.
"Tsukasa… what should I do?" Midoriya's thoughts raced.
"Should I give this up? I don't want to push him. Tsukasa said… the more he uses his Quirk, the more it wears on his mind. Like something is devouring him from the inside…"
"Midoriya."
My voice cut through his thoughts.
He looked down at me.
I forced a smile, pale and trembling.
"Don't worry about me! I've got this!" I said with a spark of energy.
The final moments came.
Iida surged forward with blinding speed—
—and just like that, our headband was snatched away.