I wanted to take a breather, so I went outside and walked for a bit, trying to calm my nerves. Looking up, I found a raven-headed boy sitting in the canopy of a tree. 

"Tokoyami-san," I said, waving. "Do you mind if I join you?" He looked down at me and smiled, shaking his head. 

"I don't mind. You can join me up here if you'd like." I accepted the offer and quickly shambled up the tree, sitting beside him. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I piped up.

"Are you nervous for the final round?" I asked, turning to him, resting my hands along the flaky branches, palms becoming damp from the foliage. Tokoyami considered the question for a moment.

"No, and yes." I cocked my head to the side, inclined to hear the rest of his answer. "I have family at home, so I can't disappoint, and it would honestly mean a lot to me if I was actually able to come out on top, maybe even top three, if that was possible." I nodded, smiling at his response.

"I also want to try my best too, for similar reasons." He looked at me.

"But you're not trying your best. You haven't used your quirk yet." I sighed and bit my lip. Everyone has to know at this point. Suspicion had to arise about this matter. 

"I... am actually trying my best. The secret will come out later, don't worry." Dark Shadow came out to listen. My eyes brightened up as I saw the ghost-like raven. 

"Hello there," I chuckled, scratching the phantom's head. It smiled and closed its eyes, enjoying the feeling. I laughed and looked at Tokoyami who was staring at me, almost in awe.

"I'd better get going. It was really nice to be able to chill up here with you. Good luck in the matches, Tokoyami-kun." 

__

I stood in the ring with Mina, looking at the spectators that watched our every single move. 

Mina Ashido, Quirk: Acid. I needed to avoid getting touched or burnt by the liquid. I presume she'll be faster sliding on acid than actually running. That's what gives me the upper hand in the battle. There are more gaps in between her steps than running, so it's easier to knock her off balance. I just need to get closer.

Immediately, she started to slide towards me with a cocky grin plastered on her face. Sighing, I took off running towards her, estimating the amount of time it took for her to switch feet. Only half a foot apart, I ducked and slid under her raised leg, pushing out. She yelped and fell on top of my back. I got up while she was still dizzy and flipped her out of the ring. 

She had a powerful quirk, but lacked a lot of the physical prowess I had. Mina's agility was basically her only strong suit. Present Mic announced that I had won as I was helping her up. She smiled and patted my back, giggling.

"You're really strong (L/N)-san! I'm glad I was able to fight you. It's an honor to be pitted against someone who got in through recommendations," Mina stated, grinning, index finger pointed to her face cutely. I shook my head and clasped her hand.

"Hug it out?" She nodded rapidly and tackled me, black eyes closed in happiness. 

__

The fight between Tokoyami and Momo was to say, a bit underwhelming. I felt bad for the blackette, considering she didn't get the chance to use her power as much, and lost. As the next match dragged on, I followed Tenya to the waiting room, where Uraraka sat, contemplating about her next round against Bakugo.

"Ochako-chan," I greeted, sitting down in a chair. "Are you okay?" She gave me a weak smile and sighed.

"Could be better," she admitted, slumping on the table. Izuku walked in and saw the current predicament. He leaned in and suggested a way to beat the ashy-blonde hot head, but to my surprise, Uraraka refused, shaking her head politely.

"No, I'm sorry Deku-kun but I don't want to rely on you like in the Cavalry Battle. I want to be able to defeat Bakugo on my own, if that's alright." I felt happy and proud of my friend for saying such things. I underestimated her. She's strong in her own way.

__

"So what was your advice for her, Midoriya-kun?" Iida asked, sitting by both of us. The green haired male looked forwards and furrowed his eyebrows. 

"In order for Uraraka-san to win, she needs to strike first and use her quirk to push Kacchan out of bounds." I watched the brunette dodge Bakugo's first move. I nearly pushed out of my seat when Uraraka lunged to touch him, but winced when she got blasted with a signature right hook. 

"You should've dropped out of the match and attacks," the blonde taunted, firing an explosion through the smoke. No way in hell was Ochako going to avoid that. The smoke cleared and all that was left were tattered clothes. Someone yelled and pointed at a figure in a black tanktop. Uraraka took off her jacket and had Bakugo blast it, instead of her. 

The crowd let out a huge roar, chanting and cheering for my classmate as she fought Katsuki. Again and again, she kept on getting blasted away as Bakugo counterattacked her every move. 

As the match went on longer, I heard various comments that were circling around.

A man watching near us started an uproar, where he believed that Bakugo was being too rough with Uraraka. I clenched my jaw and retaliated. 

"And he shouldn't be any less aggressive with her!" I yelled, gathering the attention of the cameras, and most of the audience. "He feels the need to fight because she's a worthy opponent. You're underestimating both of them, people who are in the UA. Bakugo acknowledged that Uraraka is strong. He's doing everything he can to keep her at bay and come out victorious. If you were fighting against her, you wouldn't half-ass your efforts either!" 

I sat back down, the cries of complaints dying down.

"That was a good speech," Tsuyu croaked. "I'm glad that we have you here for people to open their eyes." I shook my head and pointed towards the direction of the fight.

"It's not over yet. Look." The smoke cleared, Uraraka seemingly undeterred by Katsuki's barrage of explosions.

"So you're not dead yet." His voice rang out through the silent arena. The girl smirked and swept a hand over her mouth.

"Thanks for keeping your attention on me, Bakugo." After the brunette's quip, I heard a familiar voice. Neito from Class 1B.

"That's smart." That didn't sound like Monoma, but I kept listening. "She kept low to the ground so Bakugo tore up the floor. And all those individual bits and pieces of the ring? Well, they're all up there." He pointed up. My eyes lifted and I gasped at the hundreds of thousands of pieces of debris floating in the sky. Uraraka gave one last effort, forcing her fingers together and yelling, "Release!" 

Tiny meteors showered down, picking up velocity as they hurled towards the ground. For a split second, Bakugo's face showed desperation and fright, but a bit of pride as well. Ochako ran towards him, not afraid of being hit with the rocks.

But before she could get him, Bakugo unleashed a massive explosion that blew everything away, knocking Uraraka back, screaming. I shouted for her to be alright.

The dust and smoke cleared to reveal her body, battered and bruised, barely hanging onto her consciousness. My pupils dilated, shocked at the scene that was laid out before me. The girl tried to get up, but her legs gave out every single time. She'd reached her max, crawling towards Katsuki and then fainting after a few moments. 

He was then declared the winner of that match, but I just silently hoped for her to be okay, clutching one hand in the other, watching Uraraka get taken to the medical wing.