Chương 40: No Easy Opponents

Bakugo Katsuki walked into the ring like the bracket had personally insulted him. Uraraka Ochako walked in like she was afraid and had decided fear was not enough information to stop. Ren Akiyama sat in the medical observation row with Shinso to his right, Sano beyond him, Arai two seats away in the quieter corner, and Kurose positioned below them like a faculty-shaped warning sign. His ribs had settled to a four after medical check. His scar remained quiet. His mind did not. Shinso had lost. Midoriya had advanced.

Bakugo stood in the ring now with his palms flexing and his grin sharp enough to make the crowd lean forward. Uraraka stood opposite him, hands up, stance low, eyes fixed on Bakugo rather than the audience. Her face had lost the soft nervousness she carried between events. Not disappeared. Focused. Fear narrowed into method. Ren noticed that. Good. The crowd noticed less. That was the problem. Present Mic's voice filled the stadium with delighted violence.

"SECOND MATCH OF THE TOURNAMENT! Bakugo Katsuki from Class 1-A against Uraraka Ochako, also from Class 1-A! Explosions versus Zero Gravity! This one's gonna be loud!" Aizawa's voice followed.

"Do not underestimate Uraraka" The sentence landed like a stone dropped into noisy water. Some spectators quieted. Not enough. Sano leaned forward.

"They're going to""Yes" Ren said Kenta, sitting ahead with one shoulder still wrapped, glanced back.

"Bakugo won't" Ren looked at him. Kenta's face was serious.

"He's an ass, but he won't" Ren turned back to the ring. Bakugo's stance confirmed it. No looseness. No dismissive posture. No easy angle offered. He was facing Uraraka like she was dangerous. That, at least, was respect in the language he spoke best. Midnight raised her arm.

"Begin!" Uraraka moved first. That surprised the audience. Not Bakugo. He blasted sideways the moment she closed distance, keeping outside her reach. Uraraka's hand swept through the smoke where he had been. The explosion hit the ring with enough force to send dust outward and lift her hair. She kept moving. Not directly. Angled. Good. She was not trying to overpower him. She was trying to touch him. One touch could change the match. Bakugo knew it.

He fired again, not at full force yet, but enough to punish approach and control space. Uraraka ducked behind smoke, rolled, came up, sprinted. The crowd cheered at every explosion. Less at every dodge. Ren hated that. Shinso said "They like the loud part""Yes""People always do" Uraraka closed again. Bakugo raised his right hand. She shifted left before the blast. Predicted. Not guessed. The explosion tore the edge of her sleeve but missed her body. She used the smoke to shorten the distance.

For one second, her fingertips almost brushed his wrist. Bakugo's left hand fired at the ground. He launched himself backward, boots skidding near the boundary before he corrected. The crowd roared. Present Mic shouted "Uraraka almost had him! Bakugo is not letting her touch anything!" Aizawa said "Because if she does, the match changes" Ren's attention sharpened on Uraraka's breathing. She was already working harder than Bakugo wanted the audience to think. Explosions created distance. Distance forced approach.

Approach cost energy. Every dodge required commitment. Zero Gravity did nothing until contact. Bakugo was making the distance itself into an opponent. Efficient. Cruel. Correct. Uraraka knew. She kept coming. A piece of concrete dislodged by repeated explosions bounced near her foot. Her eyes flicked toward it. Ren saw. Bakugo did not. Or he saw and chose not to care. Uraraka kept charging. Again. Again. Again. The crowd began to turn. Not against her exactly. Against the shape of the match.

Some voices shouted for Bakugo to finish it. Others shouted that he was going too hard. A few booed when another explosion forced Uraraka back and she stumbled, catching herself on one hand. Ren's jaw tightened. Kenta muttered "Idiots" Sano said "They think mercy means letting her lose nicely" Arai's voice came from behind them.

"She doesn't want nicely" No. She did not. In the ring, Uraraka stood again. Dust covered her uniform. One cheek had a scrape. Her breathing was hard. Her eyes were still clear. Bakugo's hands smoked. He was watching her. Not the crowd. Her. Aizawa's voice cut through the growing noise.

"Bakugo is taking her seriously. The audience should too" That silenced enough people to matter. Uraraka ran again. Bakugo fired. She dodged lower this time, almost sliding, fingers sweeping along the ground as she passed a cluster of broken ring fragments. The motion looked like a failed grab toward Bakugo. It was not. Ren sat forward despite himself. Ribs protested. He stopped. Shinso noticed.

"Yellow?"

"Low""Sit like it" Ren adjusted. In the ring, Uraraka's pattern continued. Charge. Dodge. Almost touch. Explosion. Fall back. Again. Again. Fragments lifted from the ring. Not all at once. Pieces she had touched while everyone watched her failing to reach Bakugo. Small stones. Concrete shards. Dust-heavy debris. Floating above the smoke. The crowd began to see. Bakugo saw. Too late? No. Not too late for him. Almost.

Uraraka staggered and stopped near the far side of the ring, one hand against her knee, head lowered. She looked exhausted. Bakugo did not approach. Good. Bad for her. Good for his survival. She lifted her head.

"Release!" The debris dropped. Not toward the ring in general. Toward Bakugo. The sky above him became broken concrete. The stadium erupted. Present Mic shouted so loudly the speakers clipped.

"SHE SET HIM UP! URARAKA HAS BEEN FLOATING THE DEBRIS THE WHOLE TIME!" Aizawa said "Good strategy" Ren whispered "Yes" Not loud enough for anyone but Shinso. Shinso said "You like her""I respect the plan""That means you like her in your language" Ren ignored him. Bakugo looked up. For the first time, his grin widened into something almost delighted. He planted both feet. Lifted both hands. And fired upward.

The explosion swallowed the falling debris in one brutal blast, shattering, scattering, and clearing the field in a storm of smoke and stone powder. Wind hit the arena barrier hard enough for spectators in the front rows to flinch. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Uraraka had expected destruction. Not that much. The smoke cleared enough to show Bakugo still standing. Uraraka's eyes widened. Then she moved. The debris fall had been cover.

She sprinted through the last of the smoke toward him, one hand extended. Not giving up. Not even after the sky failed. Bakugo turned before she reached him. His palm was already aimed. The blast was smaller than the one he used against the debris. Precise. Enough. Uraraka flew backward, hit the ring, rolled, and tried to push herself up. Her arm trembled. She got one knee under her. The stadium went quiet. Bakugo did not relax. That mattered. Uraraka tried to stand. Her body refused.

Midnight watched carefully, then raised her arm.

"Uraraka is unable to continue! Bakugo advances!" The crowd exploded. Some cheered Bakugo. Some cheered Uraraka. Some sounded ashamed and did not know why. Bakugo stood in the ring, hands lowered now, smoke fading from his palms. He looked irritated rather than triumphant. Uraraka lay on the ground breathing hard, eyes open, tears threatening from pain, frustration, exhaustion, not surrender. Medical staff moved in. Bakugo did not offer a hand. He also did not insult her. For him, that almost counted as ceremony.

Ren watched Uraraka's fingers curl against the ring floor. She had lost. She had made the stadium understand the loss. That was not nothing. Shinso leaned back.

"She was closer than they wanted her to be""Yes""She didn't advance""No""Still useful?" Ren looked at him.

"Careful" Shinso's mouth tightened.

"I meant evaluatively""Then yes" Sano said "Everything is evaluatively useful until you're the one not advancing" The words fell too heavy. Kenta looked down at his wrapped shoulder. Arai's eyes remained on the ring as Uraraka was helped upright. The crowd applauded more cleanly now. Too late, but not worthless. Ren said "Loss with evidence still matters" Sano snorted.

"Put that on a motivational poster""I would not""Good. It would be ugly" The screen updated. Bakugo advances. Uraraka eliminated. Clean line. Unclean ring. Ren looked toward the Hero Course section. Izuku was standing, face pale, fists clenched, looking like he wanted to apologize for not being the one in the ring. Iida put a hand on his shoulder and said something. Izuku nodded, but the guilt remained visible. Ren could almost hear the correction. One body. One match. Not everywhere. He hoped Izuku remembered.

Then the announcer called the third match.

"Iida Tenya versus Mori Kenta!" Kenta froze. Sano slapped his shoulder. Then remembered the wrap. Then slapped the towel instead.

"Go lose with evidence!" Kenta stood.

"That is the worst encouragement I've ever received" Ren looked up at him.

"Iida will outclass you in speed" Kenta stared.

"Thank you, warm friend""Do not chase. He wants straight lines. Deny acceleration space. Make him turn. If he boosts, he commits. Your chance is not catching him. It is making the ring smaller" Kenta's expression shifted. Focus replacing insult.

"Make the ring smaller""Yes" Shinso added "And don't answer if he starts lecturing" Kenta blinked.

"Iida doesn't have Brainwashing""No, but he can make you feel like you violated a city ordinance by existing wrong" Sano nodded solemnly.

"Devastating Quirk" Arai looked at Kenta.

"His engines have rhythm. Listen if you can. He builds before burst" Kenta rolled his shoulders carefully.

"Okay" Kurose appeared below.

"Mori. Medical status""Green-yellow. Shoulder tired. No sharp pain. Pride weird""Stop if red""Yes, sensei" She held his gaze.

"Advancing matters. Judgment matters more" He nodded.

"I know" Then he walked toward the tunnel. Sano watched him go. His grin was gone now. Ren saw the shape of it. Eliminated student watching a teammate continue. Not jealousy only. Not support only. Scarcity created mixtures. Sano felt Ren looking.

"Don't analyze me" Ren looked away.

"Accepted""Too fast. Now I feel analyzed""You are""Rude" The ring was cleaned quickly. Too quickly for the emotional weight of Uraraka's match. The Sports Festival was efficient like that. Blood, dust, tears, applause, next event. Iida entered first with a bow so sharp it looked like punctuation. Kenta entered from the opposite side, less formal, heavier, rolling his neck once and then stopping when the shoulder complained. Present Mic introduced them with enthusiasm.

"Iida Tenya! Engine legs and class representative energy! Mori Kenta from General Studies 1-C! We saw him anchor Team Akiyama through the Cavalry Battle! Can stability catch speed?" Aizawa said "It does not need to catch. It needs to interrupt" Kenta heard that. Ren saw the slight change in his stance. Good. Iida bowed across the ring.

"Mori! I look forward to a fair contest!" Kenta bowed less cleanly.

"Same. Please don't run over me like a truck" Iida stiffened.

"I would never intentionally" Kenta raised a hand.

"Joke""I see!" Shinso muttered "He did not" Midnight lifted her arm.

"Begin!" Iida moved. Not full speed. Testing. He circled wide, engines humming, feet light, posture upright. Kenta turned with him instead of chasing, keeping near the center but not fixed. Iida accelerated in short bursts, trying to draw reaction. Kenta did not bite. Good. Sano leaned forward, hands gripping the back of the chair.

"That's it. Don't chase" Iida cut inward. Fast. Kenta shifted left, arms raised to intercept, but Iida had already changed direction, passing behind him and striking with an open-handed push to the shoulder, not enough to injure, enough to test balance. Kenta stumbled one step. Recovered. The crowd cheered. Present Mic shouted "Iida tests the guard! Mori stays upright!" Aizawa said "Mori's center is solid. His problem is turning speed" Kenta's jaw tightened. He adjusted stance. Wider. Lower.

He began moving less like someone waiting to be attacked and more like someone occupying space. Iida circled. Kenta turned in smaller increments, forcing Iida to travel farther for each angle. Make the ring smaller. Iida noticed. Of course. He stopped circling.

"Your defensive adjustment is excellent!" Kenta shouted "Please don't narrate me!"

"I apologize!"

"Also don't apologize!" Iida's engines flared. He burst forward. Too fast for Kenta to catch. But not too fast to predict once committed. Kenta stepped into the line rather than away. The impact hit his guard hard. He grunted, slid backward, but his right arm hooked around Iida's shoulder for one half-second. He twisted, trying to use Iida's momentum to drive both toward the edge. The crowd surged. Iida's eyes widened.

Then his engines fired downward and sideways, shifting his weight before Kenta could complete the turn. Both separated. Kenta nearly fell. Stayed up. Sano half-stood. Ren said "Sit" Sano sat.

"Hypocrite""Yes" Kenta breathed hard now. Iida looked genuinely impressed.

"That was a very effective counter" Kenta panted.

"Stop complimenting me while trying to kick me out""My apologies""I said stop apologizing too!" Iida frowned in concentration. Then bowed his head slightly.

"Understood!" Shinso muttered "This match is absurdly polite" Ren said "Still dangerous" Iida changed strategy. Instead of circling wide, he created straight bursts that ended before contact, forcing Kenta to turn in rapid small corrections. Acceleration not as attack. Acceleration as fatigue tool. Good. Unfortunate. Kenta's shoulder began lagging. Not injury yet. Fatigue. Iida saw it. Kenta saw Iida see it. Sano whispered "No" Kenta backed toward the center to buy space. Iida moved. This time he did not feint.

He burst toward Kenta's weakened side, engines roaring. Kenta planted, ready to intercept. Iida cut at the last possible second, not around him fully, but enough to make Kenta's weight shift wrong. Kenta turned late. Iida's palm struck his back. Controlled. Precise. Kenta stumbled toward the boundary. He caught himself at the edge with one foot inside, one heel hovering over the line. The crowd screamed. Kenta froze. Iida did not charge immediately. Honor. Or caution. Kenta grinned despite breathing hard.

"Bad idea" Iida's eyes sharpened. Kenta launched from the edge toward him, using the boundary like a start line, not a trap. He drove low, trying to tackle Iida out before the engine student could accelerate. For one second, it almost worked. Iida's feet skidded. Kenta's arms locked around his waist. The stadium roared. Then Iida's engines screamed. He did not kick. He moved. A rotational burst, body pivoting around Kenta's grip, one leg stepping outside the center line. Kenta's own momentum carried him forward.

Iida turned with him, guided him, and redirected both toward the boundary. Kenta tried to release. Too late. His foot crossed. Then the other. Midnight's arm rose.

"Mori is out of bounds! Iida advances!" The crowd erupted again. Kenta stood outside the ring, hands on knees, breathing hard, head lowered. Iida immediately bowed.

"Mori, thank you for the match! Your stability and adaptation were admirable!" Kenta looked up, exhausted.

"Thanks. Your legs are a public safety concern" Iida straightened.

"I will take that under advisement!" Present Mic laughed.

"A hard-fought match! Iida moves on, but Mori made him work for every meter!" Aizawa said "Good loss" Sano exhaled like someone had removed a knife slowly. Ren looked at him. Sano's eyes were wet. He wiped them with the heel of his hand.

"Don't""I said nothing""You were thinking something""Yes""Don't" Ren obeyed. Kenta returned through the tunnel a minute later with medical staff trailing only long enough to confirm he was not hiding shoulder pain. He entered the observation row and stopped before Sano. Sano stood. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Sano said "Evidence" Kenta laughed once. It broke halfway.

"Yeah" Sano hugged him. Carefully. Because shoulder. Because Sports Festival. Because sometimes eliminated boys became anchors for boys who lost later. Kenta hugged back with one arm. Ren looked away. Privacy. Or the attempt at it. Arai was called next. Tokoyami Fumikage versus Arai Mei. Arai stood. Her face had gone pale again, but not the same way as before. Not only noise. Shadow. Dark movement. Unknown sensory load. Ren turned.

"Status""Yellow" Kurose moved closer. Arai continued.

"Not red. Noise manageable. Fear high. I want to try" Kurose nodded.

"Try does not override red""I know" Tokoyami waited at the far tunnel entrance, calm, bird-headed profile stark under the stadium lights. Dark Shadow moved behind him like a living shape of contrast, expressive and restless. Arai adjusted both dampeners. Kenta, still breathing hard, said "You got this" She smiled faintly.

"No. I have a match" Sano pointed at her.

"That is a Ren answer. Stop that" Ren said "It was accurate" Shinso said "Infection widespread" Arai looked at them. The fear did not vanish. The corner of her mouth lifted anyway.

"Good" She walked toward the ring. Ren watched her go and felt the day narrowing again. General Studies had entered the bracket four strong. Shinso eliminated. Kenta eliminated. Arai about to face one of 1-A's most tactically difficult Quirks. Ren still waiting for Todoroki. A pattern emerged that the crowd would call inevitable if it continued. Hero Course sorting them out one by one. No. Not inevitable. Observed trend. Modifiable? Maybe. But not through denial. The tournament was doing what tournaments did.

It stripped teams into individuals and asked each person how much of what had carried them remained when alone. Arai entered the ring. Tokoyami bowed. She bowed back. Present Mic introduced them. The crowd cheered less loudly than before, recovering from two high-energy matches, but the name Tokoyami drew interest. Dark Shadow extended and waved at the audience. Arai flinched slightly at the movement. Tokoyami noticed. He said something Ren could not hear. Probably courteous. Arai nodded. Midnight raised her arm.

"Begin!" Dark Shadow moved first. Fast. A black arc across the ring, not striking full force, but reaching enough to test. Arai stepped back, eyes not on Dark Shadow's head but on Tokoyami's feet. Good. The shadow lunged left. Arai moved before it completed the path. Ren sat forward. Her sensory processing was not visual alone. She had said engines had rhythm. Maybe Dark Shadow had sound too. Air displacement. Vocalization. Emotional echo? Unknown. She dodged the first two strikes. The crowd noticed on the second.

Present Mic shouted "Arai from General Studies is reading Dark Shadow's approach!" Aizawa said "For now" Tokoyami's voice carried faintly.

"Impressive" Arai did not answer. She moved. Not toward Tokoyami directly. Toward the side. Trying to make Dark Shadow rotate around Tokoyami rather than attack in a straight line. If Dark Shadow extended too far, maybe control lag. If she could force angle, maybe reach the boundary. Tokoyami adjusted. Calm. Dark Shadow split pressure, one feint high, one low sweep. Arai jumped back from the low sweep but too late for the high feint turning into a shoulder shove. It struck her guard and pushed her toward the edge.

She recovered. Yellow-high probably. Kurose's posture below changed. Arai touched one dampener. Not removing. Checking. Tokoyami did not rush. That was respectful. Also unhelpful for her. He gave her time to reset, but not weakness. She changed tactics. Arai clapped once. Sharp. The sound cut across the ring. Dark Shadow twitched. Interesting. Tokoyami's head tilted. She clapped again, then stepped left. Dark Shadow reacted half a beat toward the sound.

Arai used the opening to move inward, trying to pass under the shadow's reach toward Tokoyami himself. The crowd rose. Ren's eyes sharpened. Sound lure. Good. Dark Shadow snarled. Tokoyami's voice rang out.

"Dark Shadow" The Quirk corrected instantly, sweeping back in a broad arc. Too broad to dodge completely. Arai raised both arms and took the impact on her guard. The force pushed her backward. Her feet slid. She tried to drop weight. Not enough. One foot crossed the boundary. Then the other. Midnight raised her arm.

"Arai is out of bounds! Tokoyami advances!" The crowd applauded. Not wildly. Respectfully. Too late again. Arai stood outside the ring with both hands lowered, breathing hard, eyes closed behind dampeners. Tokoyami bowed deeply.

"You read Dark Shadow well" Arai opened her eyes.

"Not well enough""Well enough to improve me" She blinked. Then bowed back.

"Thank you" Present Mic shouted praise about General Studies making 1-A work harder than expected. Aizawa said "Arai identified a sensory weakness under pressure. That matters" Record. Again. Not victory. Record. Arai returned to the observation row. Kenta stood. Sano stood. Shinso stood too, though he looked annoyed at himself for it. Arai stopped in front of them.

"I lost" Kenta nodded.

"Evidence" Sano said "We need a better word" Shinso said "We don't" Ren looked at her.

"You forced adaptation" She exhaled shakily.

"Useful?"

"Evaluatively and tactically" Arai laughed softly.

"Worst comfort""But true" She nodded.

"That helps. Unfortunately" Kurose approached and gave her a quiet medical check. Yellow resolving. No red. Dampeners adjusted. Sit. Hydrate. The bracket updated again. Midoriya advanced. Bakugo advanced. Iida advanced. Tokoyami advanced. Hero Course had taken four matches in a row. General Studies had made them work. The crowd knew that. The bracket did not care. Ren looked at the next line. Todoroki Shoto vs Akiyama Ren. His name moved from future to immediate. Scar heat rose before the announcer called it.

Localized at first. Then warmer. He placed two fingers against his left sleeve. Not pressing. Locating. Ribs four. Breath stable. Dizziness none. Scar heat increasing but not spreading past old burn margins. Yellow-high. Kurose turned before he spoke. Of course.

"Report" Ren kept his voice even.

"Scar heat localized. Increasing. No spread. No fever. Breathing stable. Ribs four. Fear high. Proof-seeking risk high. Present orientation intact" Shinso looked at him.

"Card" Ren took out yellow. His fingers wanted red and hated that they wanted it. Not red. Not yet. Kurose's expression was unreadable.

"Medical recheck. Now" Ren nodded. He stood. Slowly. The stadium roared as Present Mic began the transition.

"AND NOW, FOLKS! We've seen General Studies push Hero Course in every match so far! But can one of them break through? Coming up next! Todoroki Shoto versus Akiyama Ren!" The crowd answered. Ren walked toward the medical station. Each step carried the heat in his scar like a line being drawn under the skin. Hana's words came with him. Be seen. Do not be spent. Daichi's followed. Do not make today carry all of them. Kurose's. If I cannot continue safely, losing is required. Shinso's. Do not make Todoroki your proof.

Ren reached the medical station and sat before Recovery Girl's remote screen appeared. The camera connected. Her face filled the tablet. She looked at him once.

"Report" He gave it. When he finished, she stared for a long second. Then said "You are still yellow""Yes""Do you know what that means?"

"Adjust. Monitor. No escalation. Stop if red""What does red include?"

"Scar heat spreading. Fever. Dizziness. Sharp rib pain. Loss of present orientation. Desire to accept damage for recognition overriding judgment. Instruction to stop" She narrowed her eyes.

"That fifth one is the one I care about most""I know""Do you?" Ren swallowed. The stadium shook around him. Todoroki waited. Ice waited. Recognition waited. Maybe Scar Tissue waited too.

"I know enough to report that I want it" Ren said Recovery Girl's face changed. Not soft. Not exactly.

"Want what?"

"To be forced into proving it. To have no choice so the choice is not mine" The words came out clean. Too clean. Kurose, standing nearby, went very still. Shinso, behind her, said nothing. Recovery Girl's voice lowered.

"That is the most dangerous honest thing you have said today""Yes""Does wanting that control you?" Ren breathed. Three. Hold. Out.

"No""Why?"

"Because I named it before entering the ring" Recovery Girl stared. Then nodded once.

"Conditional clearance" Hana would hate that. Ren understood.

"Conditions?"

"Pre-match heat check at the tunnel. If it spreads, red. During the match, if heat spreads, if dizziness appears, if rib pain spikes, or if orientation slips, you signal or faculty stops you. You do not chase an awakening. You do not chase a miracle. You do not chase a diagnosis on live television" Ren's throat tightened.

"Yes, ma'am" Her gaze sharpened.

"Say it""I will not chase an awakening. I will not chase a miracle. I will not chase a diagnosis on live television""Good" The word was a gate. Kurose stepped closer.

"Add your own" Ren looked at her. He knew what she meant. The sentence resisted because it was true.

"I will not make Todoroki responsible for proving what I am" Kurose nodded.

"Better" Shinso's voice came from behind him.

"And?" Ren did not turn.

"If I lose safely, I continue" Silence. Then Shinso said "Good" The announcer called their names again. The staff member at the tunnel gestured. Time. Ren stood. Ribs four. Scar yellow-high. Mind yellow-high. No red. He walked toward the ring entrance. Todoroki waited on the other side of the stadium. White hair. Red hair. Cold power. Unspent fire. A story so loud even silence could not hide it. Ren stepped into the tunnel. The crowd became a wall of sound. He did not look at the screen. Not yet.

He touched the yellow card once. Then let it go. The match had not begun. The test already had.