The air in the hallway, already thick with tension, turned damn near suffocating as Toga pinned me against the wall. Her eyes - my eyes - glinted with this sharp, possessive edge, and that "sweet" smile? It didn't hide the danger lurking underneath - not one bit.
Right then, it hit me hard - what it must feel like for others to brush up against my own unhinged side. Because now, Toga wasn't just wearing my face - she was damn near copying every twitch, every vibe I'd let slip before, like she'd ripped it straight out of my playbook and turned it on me.
"Ryuga-kun, why do you look like you're about to drop dead?" she teased, her laugh half-playful, half-serious, while her hand tightened on my shoulder just enough to make it sting. "Don't tell me you're scared of me now?"
I let out a slow breath, keeping my voice steady as hell despite the chaos brewing inside. "Toga, it's not that I'm scared of you - I've still got the next round to deal with…"
She didn't say shit back, just tilted her head, those eyes boring into me like she was digging for every scrap of feeling I wasn't showing. That silence stretched out, heavy and endless, like it could've lasted a damn century.
"No way," she finally said, voice low and firm. "You're not slipping away from me forever, Ryuga-kun."
With that, she surged up, arms snaking around my neck, yanking me down so close I could feel her breath tickling my ear. My heart - mind already a scrambled mess - started hammering like it wanted out of my chest, loud and fast.
"I don't care what plans you've got cooking, Ryuga-kun," she whispered, her voice soft but laced with this quiet threat that sent chills down my spine. "Just remember one thing - I'll always be by your side… as long as you don't betray me."
She punctuated that last bit with a light nip at my ear and a hickey on my neck, and fuck, I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me. At this point, keeping my cool was a lost cause.
Dizzy, legs wobbly, I slid down the wall, collapsing into a heap. My head was spinning, clarity gone out the window, and all I could do was sit there, staring up at her helplessly as she loomed over me. "Holy shit, please don't let anyone see this," I thought, stuck in this haze while she had free rein to do whatever.
Toga must've clocked she'd pushed it too far - her expression shifted, a flicker of regret crossing her face. "Ryuga, you okay…?"
"Himiko…" I sucked in a deep breath, throwing up a shaky thumbs-up, trying to stay sharp without making her feel like shit. "I'm good. Don't worry about it."
She watched me for a beat longer, then burst into this mischievous giggle that cut through the tension. "Alright, Ryuga-kun. I'll trust you… one more time."
I let out a relieved huff, but before I could soak in the calm, she spun on her heel and strutted off, all swagger and confidence. "Don't forget," she called back, tossing me a loaded grin over her shoulder. "I'll do what you asked. But if you're playing me…" She paused, that smile turning dark. "…you'll answer to Toga. And I don't forgive easy."
I nodded, feeling the weight of every word she'd dropped like a brick on my chest. When she vanished around the corner, I slumped against the wall, wiped out - like I'd just walked out of a goddamn hurricane. This thing with her? Way beyond what I'd bargained for.
But it was too late to back out now.
…
Once I pulled myself together, I stood up, fixed my uniform, smoothed out any weird vibes, and headed back to the arena like nothing had happened. The stadium was a madhouse - stands packed to the brim, cheers shaking the damn sky. The final round of the U.A. Sports Festival was the main event, where raw individual strength got its moment to shine. And my luck? First fight was mine.
Mashirao Ojiro, Nirengeki Shoda, and some other kid had bailed, leaving the roster uneven. They'd pulled a few extras from the second round - hell, even the first - to fill the gaps. And wouldn't you know it, I got stuck kicking off the whole damn thing instead of Izuku facing Hitoshi Shinso like in the original timeline. Shit could veer off course, sure, but this? This was a stretch.
I stood dead center in the ring, sunlight glaring off my tweaked gym uniform - rigged up to play nice with my Quirk. Across from me, my opponent: Yashiro Kaede from 1-C, grinning like she owned the place. That smug-ass look on her face was begging for a punch.
"The guy who tried tanking the whole field last round, huh?" she taunted, voice dripping with provocation. "You might be tough, but don't think I'm handing you an easy win."
I smirked, keeping my mouth shut, eyes scanning the arena's every inch. She wanted to rattle me with trash talk, but that cheap baiting crap only worked on losers who couldn't see through it. She oozed confidence - probably banking on a strong Quirk and a streak of never losing. Fine.
Alright, assholes like you? Daddy's gotta smash you to bits.
"Fight starts now!" Midnight's voice rang out.
Kaede charged, fast as hell - each step cracking the ground like she was unloading stored-up electricity to juice her speed. That acceleration? Damn impressive, no lie.
She was a blur, so I didn't bother moving much - just stood there, watching her close in, ready to counter if it made sense. When she got within a meter, she swung a punch, her fist wrapped in crackling blue sparks.
Boom!
The hit landed with a bang, but instead of me flying off the stage, Kaede froze, eyes wide with shock. Her fist slammed into me - now coated in a diamond-hard shell, stance low to keep from budging. Her electric punch fizzled out against the diamond surface, leaving not a scratch thanks to its insane durability.
"Gotta try harder than that," I said, voice flat.
She stumbled back, surprise mixing with irritation. "What the… a diamond-body Quirk?"
"Call it that." I stepped forward slow, tone steady but pressing. "Didn't bother scoping out your opponent before this - or the last two rounds? Big mistake."
She grit her teeth, hands sparking as she charged up again, electricity swirling around her like a storm. "Don't get cocky! Let's see how long you last!"
She rushed me again, not just swinging this time - blasting electric bolts from a distance. Jagged blue lines streaked toward me, lighting up the air.
I didn't flinch - let 'em hit. The sparks flared bright for a second, but the diamond skin ate it all, no damage. Well, except my PE uniform, which got torched to ash. Small price.
Kaede stopped, panting hard. "What the hell…?"
"Your Quirk's solid," I said, still closing in, slow and deliberate. "But it's useless against something that hard-counters it."
Her lips tightened, eyes blazing with rage. "Who do you think you are, talking like that?! Don't act like you're hot shit just 'cause you're good!"
I sighed, done with the back-and-forth, letting her spam attacks while I chilled, unbothered. Time dragged, and her stamina tanked - those electric blasts shrinking from badass to pathetic little zaps. Her Quirk could amp her strength and shoot lightning, sure, but that finite energy pool? That was her fatal flaw - she couldn't recharge on the fly.
When I was a few steps away, I bolted, closing the gap in a blink. Before she could react, I swept her legs, dropping her flat, then hovered a hand near her throat - game over, clear as day.
"Done. Don't underestimate your opponent - or overestimate yourself," I said, calm as hell.
She swatted my hand away, defiance still burning in her glare. "You humiliating me?!"
"Nah, just stating facts." I met her eyes, dead serious. "You've got potential, but you lean too hard on your Quirk without knowing its limits. Keep fighting sloppy, ignoring who you're up against, and you're not going anywhere."
She froze, clearly not expecting that. But instead of taking it in, she twisted it wrong. "You think you're so great, huh?!" she shouted, voice shaking. "Arrogant bastard!"
I didn't bite - just turned and walked off as Midnight called my win. My words weren't sugar-coated, but they were real. She'd have to face that or flop.
…
Post-fight, I left the ring with a lingering edge of tension. Sure, I'd won, but it wasn't a cakewalk. Kaede had juice - if I hadn't played my Quirk right, she could've flipped the script.
I hit the hallway to the waiting room, shaking it off, refocusing. Stepped inside, and there they were - Izuku, Kirishima, and Bakugo, waiting like a damn welcoming committee.
"You crushed it, Ryuga-kun!" Izuku piped up, eyes shining with that fanboy glow.
"Hell yeah, tanking those shocks was badass!" Kirishima grinned, slamming a hand on my shoulder hard enough to rattle me.
"Good?" Bakugo scoffed, his glare slicing through me. "You won 'cause your Quirk shut her down. Don't get full of yourself."
I shrugged. "True, but not every fight needs explosions and flash to count, right?"
He didn't snap back - just stared me down, then turned away, clearly not in the mood to waste more breath. Fair enough.
"Next ones'll be tougher, though," Izuku said, a worried edge creeping in. "Be careful, Ryuga-kun."
I nodded, appreciating the heads-up. "You too, Izuku. Shinso's no pushover. Plug your ears and swing hard - or play deaf. Trust me."
…
Real talk, it was wild how everything - except my fight - stuck to the original story's rails. Seeing it live, though? Way more vivid, way more gripping.
Izuku's match with Shinso? He took my advice - didn't lean on One For All to break the mind control. Instead, he zoned out, ignored the bait, and knocked Shinso out with one clean, restrained punch. Not too light, but Izuku always pulled back just enough on humans - both walked away unscratched. Add his sportsmanlike vibe, and yeah, his fight was quick like mine but a hell of a lot prettier.
Other matches had their moments too - Bakugo and Ochako's especially. Bakugo, no surprise, steamrolled her with raw power, dishing out a brutal beatdown with that asshole attitude I already despised. Made me hate him more. But that smug face of his? It wouldn't last.
Toga was probably halfway to our place by now. She knew the weight of those files I'd handed her - hard proof of Bakugo and his crew tormenting Izuku back in middle school. This wasn't just about spilling tea - it was step one of my long game, a personal grudge, and a middle finger to the shitty plot points I wasn't letting play out.
Izuku, you're my friend. If you ever found out I'm behind this, it'd torch whatever we've got - any angle of it. But fairness for what you went through? That's worth it. It'll push us both forward, one way or another.