The lunch break wasn't long, just about an hour, enough time for everyoo grab a bite and chat a bit. During this time, Kaminari took the opportunity to slip away to the bathroom and call his parents outside the venue.

  His parents sounded overjoyed on the phone, clearly ecstatic about his performahat m. Kaminari couldn't bme them; today had been a big win. He could already imagine how lively his fan page on MTV Japan must be, with his follower t probably shooting up.

  Meanwhile, Minoru Mia had earned a new niame among the css: "The Ination of Lust." He'd just told Momo and the irls, with an absurdly serious expression, that there was a "message from a substitute teacher" instrug them to dress like cheerleaders and pete in a cheerleadi.

  Of course, Kaminari immediately k was nonsense. With Aizawa-sensei's personality, if there had really been an official notice from the school, he would've mentio directly or even e in person. He'd never rely on a student to pass on such a message.

  But… Kaminari chose not to expose Mia's lie. It was rare to see the girls all dressed up in cheerleading uniforms, after all. So why not enjoy the sight?

  Before long, all the testants gathered ba the stadium, and the audience filled up the stands once more.

  "Alright! Lunch break is over, and it's time to annouhe fi!" Present Mic, the entator, sounded even more enthusiastic than in the m, probably because he'd had a good meal and some rest.

  "But before that, I have good news for everyone who didn't make it to the finals!" he tinued with a big grin. "Sihis is a sports festival, the school has prepared some fun activities that everyone join! And we've even invited a professional cheerleading team from the Uates to get everyone hyped! Isn't that exg?"

  However, as soon as he said this, both Mid Aizawa-sensei noticed something odd about Css A's girls.

  "Huh? What's going on with Css A? Is this some kind of… fan service?" Mic's words echoed across the stadium as the camera zoomed in on Momo, Kyoka, and the irls from Css A, who were now wearing cute, youthful cheerleading outfits but looked less than thrilled.

  Well… needless to say, they mao attract more attention than the professional cheerleaders.

  "Not bad at all. Looks good," Kaminari said with a grin, openly admiring the girls' outfits. Meanwhile, most of the other boys in Css A looked away awkwardly, too embarrassed to stare.

  "Yes!!" Mia, the "mastermind" behind the se, looked pletely smug. "Ahh, I am a genius!!"

  "Mia-kun! You totally lied to us, didn't you?!" Momo gred at him, her face flushed with embarrassment. Kyoka, equally red-faced, threw down her pom-poms in frustration. Little did she know that her outfit had already captured the attention of some far-off fans who were pnning to record it for their own memories.

  "I've got to get the video footage of this ter and make it my desktop background!" a fan muttered from the audience.

  At this point, Mic decided it was time to move on. Due to the limited time, he quickly resumed his role as emcee, and the fiant ss switched to dispy a pyramid-shaped tour bracket.

  "After the eai events, we'll start the one-on-one elimination round, with the twenty students who advanced in the previous events!"

  Mitinued, "Since we have an odd number of petitors, two people will have to pete in ara round to keep the brackets even. They'll have ara match before moving to the round."

  "Isn't that unfair to those two?" Uraraka asked with a frown.

  Midnight-sensei, who was overseeing the event, addressed the question through her mic. "It may seem unfair, yes, but as aspiring heroes, we want to teach you all an important lesson. In life, ued challenges and unfair situations are bound to happen. Fag these calmly is an essential quality for any pro hero."

  In other words, there wasn't really a fairer way to ha, so they had to deal with it as best they could. U.A. rules.

  "Alright, let's start with the Kaminari group, who pced first, to draw lots and decide the match-ups," Midnight announced, smiling warmly at the students. But just as the first group prepared to draw, Ojiro and Koda from Css A both raised their hands.

  "Sorry to interrupt!" they said in unison, gng at each other with surprise.

  "I want to withdraw," Ojiro said firmly.

  There was a collective gasp from the students. Midnight herself looked stunned, clearly not expeg this.

  "Why, Ojiro?" Midoriya called out in disbelief. "You worked so hard to make it this far!"

  "Yeah, you know how rare this opportunity is, don't you?" Toru Hagakure added, her invisible hands waving in distress.

  Ojiro ched his fists. "It's because I don't remember anything from the Cavalry Battle. I think that guy's Quirk must have affected me somehow."

  He gnced briefly at Hitoshi Shinso, who looked straight ahead, unfazed. "I know how valuable this opportunity is, and I know it might seem foolish to give it up… but I 't, in good sce, take a spot in the finals when I didn't earn it through my own efforts."

  Hearing this, Kaminari felt a newfound respect for Ojiro.

  While the girls around tried to fort Ojiro, he covered his face, his voice trembling with emotion. "No… this is about my pride. I just… 't accept it."

  Koda stepped forward, scratg his head in embarrassment. "As for me… I don't think I'm suited for one-otles in this kind of setting. My Quirk… it's called 'Anivoice.' I trol animals, but…"

  He gnced around the noisy stadium. "There are no animals here. Even pigeons and birds stay away from such a loud enviro."

  Midnight gave him a sympathetic smile. "Alright, Koda, I uand."

  Then, one of the Css B students, Shoda, also stepped forward. "I'd like to withdraw as well. My reasons are the same as Ojiro's from Css A. Letting someone who hasn't done anything meaningful advance… just doesn't sit right with me."

  The crowd grew quiet, watg the three of them. Their deight've seemed unusual, but in a way, it showcased a heroic spirit that was admirable. Professional heroes who valued iy and character would surely take notice of their as.

  Kaminari, from his spot, thought to himself, "These guys… they've definitely got the right kind of resolve."

  Midnight g them with a look of approval. "Alright! I respect your decisions." With a flick of her whip, she graheir requests to withdraw, then added with a hint of mischief, "This means we have three open spots. So we'll take the hree students with the highest total scores from the first two events to fill them."

  As she spoke, the names appeared on the s: Bone Crusher, Shiozaki, and Tsuburaba from Css B.

  With the roster set, Midnight tinued, "And now, let's reveal the match-ups for the first round!"

  The rge s dispyed the pairings, and the first match-up was set.

  "First match: Ochaco Uraraka vs. Hitoshi Shinso!"

  Midnight's annou marked the start of the eai events. While those who didn't advance eagerly joined in, the finalists had the option to rest, strategize, or simply prepare for their matches.

  Everyone had their own thoughts and goals, and before they k, it was time for the final round to begin.

  "The rules are simple," Mic expined, his voice carrying across the stadium. "If you knock your oppo out of bounds, rehem uo fight, or make them give up, you win!"

  "Don't worry about injuries; Recirl is standing by as always. However," he added with a note of caution, "if your moves are deemed excessively dangerous, you'll be disqualified on the spot."

  Kaminari raised an eyebrow at this. "Hmm… that means I'll have to think twice about using that move. It might be too risky for a school event."

  As he mulled over his options, Uraraka stepped onto the crete arena, her face showing traces of nervousness. Across from her, Shinso stood with his usual, calm expression.

  With her father's encement fresh in her mind, Uraraka's determination hardened. "Dad, I'll show you… I'm going to bee a pro hero and help you make a better life."

  Her fear faded as her goal came into focus. Fag Shinso, her gaze turned resolute.

  "Begin!"