The cheers from the crowd felt like a distant echo as we walked back into the stadium. The victory in the Cavalry Battle was satisfying, but also mentally draining. I, Tokoyami, and Toru walked side-by-side. Though we were the most unlikely of trios, we had made it to the final round.
"Great work, you two," I said, giving them a respectful nod. "Tokoyami, Dark Shadow was an impenetrable fortress. Toru, you were our invisible MVP. No one ever knew what hit them."
"It was your strategy that guided us to victory, Tatsumi," Tokoyami replied in his deep, formal tone. Dark Shadow emerged from his cloak and gave me a shadowy thumbs-up. "It was a logical and efficient path."
"I can't believe they never noticed my shoe was gone until their headband vanished!" Toru giggled. "That was so much fun! We're a great team!"
The genuine sense of camaraderie between us was palpable. We weren't just a collection of Quirks thrown together; we had become a unit. As we headed to the cafeteria for a much-needed lunch break, I could feel that the dynamic among the finalists had changed. There was a new mutual respect, a quiet acknowledgment that everyone who had made it this far had proven their worth.
However, not everyone was celebrating. As I got my lunch, I saw Momo Yaoyorozu sitting alone at a corner table, staring at her tray with a sad expression that didn't match her team's overwhelming victory. Team Todoroki had dominated, yet she looked as if she had just lost. I felt an impulse to approach her. As a fellow strategist, I could understand the frustration of feeling like you hadn't contributed.
"Excuse me," I said, approaching her table. "May I join you?"
She looked up, slightly startled. "Oh, Tatsumi-san. Of course."
I sat across from her. "An impressive performance in the second round," I began.
She offered a faint smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Thank you. But… to be honest, I didn't do anything. Todoroki-san made all the decisions. I was just… there. I was completely useless." Her voice trembled with self-doubt. This was the first crack I'd seen in her perpetually calm and confident exterior.
I put down my chopsticks. "You're wrong," I said in a steady voice, which made her look up at me. "You're looking at it from the wrong perspective. Todoroki chose you for his team not because he needed a follower. He chose you because he needed an arsenal. He needed the infinite possibilities you could create."
I leaned forward slightly. "Todoroki's biggest weakness is his tunnel vision. When he's focused on a single objective—in this case, Midoriya's headband—he neglects other variables. You weren't his 'plan B,' Yaoyorozu. You were his safety net. You were his insurance policy. You were the answer to every unexpected scenario that might have come up. The fact that he didn't need to use you isn't a sign of your weakness. It's a testament to how powerful and efficient your team was that his 'plan A' succeeded without a hitch."
I let my words sink in before adding the most important part. "In the one-on-one battles in the final round, there won't be a Todoroki to give you orders. You'll have to rely on your own judgment and your own strategy. And from what I've seen so far, your judgment is among the best of us all. Don't ever doubt that."
Momo stared at me, her onyx eyes wide with surprise. She looked as if she had never heard such an analysis of herself before. Slowly, the doubtful look on her face softened, replaced by a new flicker of determination. "Thank you, Tatsumi-san," she whispered, her voice sincere. "I… I needed that."
Elsewhere, far from the noise of the student cafeteria, in a private lounge overlooking the arena, several Pro Heroes were enjoying their break while observing the event on giant screens. Among them were the Dragoon Hero, Ryukyu, and her energetic protege, Nejire Hado.
"Hey, hey, Ryukyu!" Nejire chirped, pointing at a screen showing the list of finalists. "Look at that kid! Tatsumi! The one in fourth place! His Quirk is so weird, right? They said he destroyed robots in the entrance exam, but here he's just moving like a super-athlete! And his strategy in the cavalry battle! So clever! Why is that? Why doesn't he use his big power? Is it tiring? Does it have a time limit? Or maybe he just wants to show off that he can win without it? I'm so curious!" Her rapid-fire string of questions made a few nearby heroes smile.
Ryukyu, with her calm and regal demeanor, did not smile. Her sharp, reptilian eyes were fixed on Tatsumi's image. "He isn't not using his power, Nejire," she said quietly, her voice carrying a calm authority. "He can't."
Ryukyu had been watching closely. She saw the tension in Tatsumi's shoulders as he ran, the momentary flash of pain on his face as he landed hard during the second obstacle. She had requested the entrance exam footage from Nezu and had seen it. A raw, unstable, and painful manifestation. "His power… it feels… wild," Ryukyu continued, more to herself now. "Primal. I can feel something faint from it, even through this screen. Something… familiar." She unconsciously placed a hand on her chest, as if feeling the echo of a distant power. "There's a dragon in that boy, but he doesn't hold the reins. He's fighting with his hands tied behind his back, relying only on his body and his mind. And yet, he still made it to fourth place."
She looked at the screen with renewed interest. "That boy… he's special." Her interest as a mentor had been piqued. She saw a diamond in the rough that needed an expert's hand to be polished.
The lunch break ended, and we all returned to the field. The atmosphere was lighter. Midnight announced there would be some recreational games for the students who didn't qualify. Just then, Mineta and Kaminari approached the girls in our class with sly grins. "Uh, I heard Aizawa-sensei wants you all to wear these to cheer us on in the finals!" they said, holding up U.A. cheerleader uniforms.
I could only sigh at their pathetic trick. Unfortunately, Momo, in her overly trusting and eager-to-help nature, immediately agreed and even used her Quirk to create uniforms for all the girls. A few moments later, they returned to the field reluctantly wearing the cheerleader outfits, their faces flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"YOU TRICKED US!" Momo yelled, realizing what had happened. Jiro used her earphone jacks to shock Kaminari and Mineta in retribution. I just shook my head, walking over and "accidentally" standing between Mineta and the girls, blocking his view.
"Alright, time for fun and games is over!" Midnight announced, saving the girls from further embarrassment. "Let's move on to the final, real event! The one-on-one battles that will decide this year's champion! The fighting tournament!"
The giant screen lit up, displaying a tournament bracket. Names began to appear, randomly pairing the finalists against each other. My heart beat a little faster. This was it. I could no longer rely on teamwork or stealthy strategies. Sooner or later, I would have to face my opponent head-on.
I scanned the bracket. Midoriya vs. Shinso. Todoroki vs. Sero. Bakugo vs. Uraraka. The crucial, canonical fights. Then, I found my name. My eyes followed the line to see my first-round opponent. Tatsumi vs. Kaminari Denki.
I let out a breath of relief. This was a good matchup for me. Kaminari, with his electrification Quirk, was incredibly powerful. His wide-area attack could incapacitate anyone. But he had a fatal flaw: if he used his power at its maximum, his brain would short-circuit, leaving him helpless. This was a fight I could win with strategy. I had to bait him, make him unleash all his power at once, and avoid it.
I looked at the bracket again. My path in the first round was clear. But I also saw the other names there. Todoroki. Bakugo. If I kept winning, I was bound to meet one of them. And I knew, when that time came, strategy and physical strength alone would not be enough. I would be forced to confront the dragon within me, whether I was ready or not. The festival had just transformed from a test of wits into a countdown to an unavoidable confrontation with my own power.