Itami climbed the steps back to the Class 1-A section, his footsteps steady but quiet. The buzz from his match still lingered in the air, trailing after him like static.
He reached the row of seats empty across but not to away from the others, conversation died down. Eyes shifted his way.
He leaned back into his seat as he crossed his arms, expression unreadable.
A few seconds passed before someone finally spoke.
"You can use fire and lightning?" Tsu asked bluntly, turning to look at him from her seat. "So... what even is your Quirk?"
Itami blinked. His gaze dropped to the field below, where the next match hadn't started yet.
Then came Kaminari's voice, as loud and extra as ever.
"Yo, not cool, man! That's my thing!" He leaned over the seat with mock betrayal in his voice. "You've already got fire—and now electricty too? What's left for me, emotional support?"
Jiro smirked without looking up from her earbuds. "Yeah, you're not even qualified for that."
Kaminari groaned dramatically. "C'mon, I have feelings you know!"
"That's what we're all afraid of," she said, deadpan.
A few of the others chuckled, but the question hung there. Unanswered.
All eyes eventually came back to Itami.
He shrugged. "I burn things. Sometimes harder than usual."
Mina raised a brow. "So that was like... upgraded burning?"
"Something like that."
His voice stayed flat, but it wasn't cold. Just tired.
Kirishima gave a small nod. "Still—dude. That was awesome. Scary, but awesome."
Iida added, "It was highly efficient. Though the level of force may have been... excessive."
"I had a lot on my mind," Itami muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
The conversation drifted after that. A few more jokes. Some side comments. Eventually, the Class 1-A focus shifted to the next match as the screen lit up.
The matches rolled on.
Itami stayed seated, arms crossed loosely, eyes half-watching the field.
Match Four: Iida vs Mei Hatsume
It wasn't even a real fight. She used Iida's spotlight to advertise her gear, blinding half the stadium with commentary about suspension frames and heat sink resistance.
After 20 minutes of nonstop advertising from Hatsune. She finally stepped off marking Lida the winner.
Match Five: Momo Yaoyorozu vs Tokoyami
It ended as soon as it started.
Itami leaned forward slightly, more out of reflex than curiosity. Momo stepped onto the field with her usual composure—shoulders squared, eyes sharp. Always calculating. Always precise.
Tokoyami walked out opposite her, silent and focused.
As soon as the match started, Tokoyami didn't wait, he quickly rushed momo with a barrage of attacks with dark shadow. Momo was quick enough to create shields for defense. Blocking each hit till he stop. She tried to make a counter attack but she was already out of bounced.
She never had a chance...
The arena shifted. The crowd roared as another match was about to start.
Itami barely heard it.
He sat still, arms crossed, gaze flat. But his thoughts weren't on the field anymore.
Even the smartest get blindsided.
He thought of Momo's face. Disappointment. Regret. Same look he'd worn too many times.
He exhaled. Slow. Let his shoulders drop.
I need to get my emotions in check again. Why am I mad at Akuma and not that snake Geto... Do I really want this?
A flicker of heat curled in his fingertips.
He stared at his hand. The sparks were gone. For now. But the weight of that moment in the arena—Tetsutetsu's cracked armor, the lightning, the noise—still echoed in his mind.
I didn't mean to go that far? Did I?... Why did it feel good?
He clenched his hands as the heat dispersed as a familiar voice rang out across the stadium.
"AND NEXT UP—IZUKU MIDORIYA VS SHOTO TODOROKI!"
Itami blinked.
Present Mic's voice roared over the speakers as the screen flashed.
MATCH SIX: IZUKU MIDORIYA vs SHOTO TODOROKI
The crowd exploded.
Itami straightened slightly.
His eyes were fixed on the field—on Midoriya and Todoroki as they stood across from each other, posture tight, power simmering under skin.
Todoroki's eyes were ice, but his stance screamed tension.
Midoriya's fingers twitched like wires ready to snap.
The moment the match started, the ground cracked.
Ice exploded across the stage—fast, sharp, unrelenting.
Midoriya didn't flinch. He flicked on of his fingers releasing so much pressure that it countered Todorokis attack.
The fight continued along in the same sequence as Midorya moved around countering Todoroki attack. Till Midorya landed a clean punch to Todoroki, sending him flying but he stopped himself with his ice.
Then Midorya screamed out " ITS YOURS, YOUR QUIRK NOT HIS!"
The words rang out across the stadium—raw, broken, loud.
The silence that followed wasn't empty.
It cracked.
And in the next moment, the arena lit up.
A wave of heat rolled out as flames burst from Todoroki's left side—wild, unfiltered, his.
For the first time all day, both halves of him stood together.
Itami leaned forward slightly, eyes narrowing.
The fire.
Todoroki's fire surged across the field—bright, wild, unchained.
The crowd erupted, but Itami didn't move.
He watched it burn.
Not just the flames—but what they meant.
Todoroki hadn't been fighting to win.
He'd been fighting to choose.
That realization landed heavier than expected.
Not a punch. Not a hit.
Just a quiet truth.
Itami leaned back in his seat, elbows resting on his thighs. His hands were still, for once.
No heat. No sparks.
He chose to accept both sides of himself... and he still fought like hell.
The thought echoed louder than the cheering.
He closed his eyes briefly.
I don't even know what I'm choosing.
For a moment, he wasn't thinking about the next match, or Akuma, or Geto, or the Brotherhood.
Just that fight.
Todoroki.
Wrecking himself for someone else's breakthrough.
Itami exhaled slowly. A small shake of the head.
A part of him didn't understand it.
Another part did.
Todoroki's fire surged higher, brighter—his left side finally unleashed.
Midoriya met him head-on.
Power collided with power, ice and flame crashing against raw force. The sky lit up with the impact.
Then—
BOOM.
A deafening explosion rocked the stadium. Wind screamed through the arena as debris scattered and light flooded everything.
Itami didn't blink.
He sat still, watching the dust settle.
Both Midoriya and Todoroki were down—Midoriya's hand shattered, Todoroki breathing heavy but upright.
Victory, Todoroki.
But it wasn't the win that mattered.
Itami's eyes lingered on Midoriya, crumpled near the edge of the ring, unconscious—but smiling.
He gave everything he had, not for himself. But to help someone else find who they were.
Itami's jaw tightened slightly.
He didn't understand that kind of selflessness.
Didn't trust it.
But something about it pulled at him anyway.
He stood up when the bracket updated.
ROUND EIGHT: ITAMI vs TENYA IIDA
The crowd stirred again.
He moved without a word, passing the rows of classmates and side-eyes. The noise faded behind him as he walked into the arena.
Iida was already there, focused. His posture was respectful, but sharp.
Itami stepped across from him, shoulders loose, expression blank.
Iida gave him a polite nod from across the ring. "Let's have a good match."
Itami nodded once. "Sure."
His hands began to spark with fire.
Midnight raised her arm.
"BEGIN!"
Itami opened the fight with two fireballs, launching them wide and curving in.
Iida crouched low and shouted—
"Recipro Burst!"
In a blur of motion, he vanished—and reappeared behind Itami.
What—?
Itami turned just in time to feel the impact. Iida slammed into him, driving him toward the edge of the arena.
He's fast—faster than I can track.
Itami dug his heels in, sparks flicking around his feet as they carved lines into the platform. He skidded to a stop—then burst back with a pulse of electricity.
Lightning exploded in all directions, wild and unfocused. Iida staggered, his engine cooldown leaving him exposed.
"You almost got me," Itami muttered, steadying his stance. "Didn't expect you to move that fast."
He lunged to grab Iida's shoulder—but Iida twisted, pivoted, and landed a clean side kick to Itami's ribs.
The impact sent him skidding across the arena.
Itami caught himself, one hand pressed to the ground.
His other clutched his side— But a grin slipped out anyway.
"Huh. Thought you couldn't move."
Iida stood, catching his breath, a proud smile on his face. "Like you said. Never underestimate your opponent."
The crowd buzzed with rising energy.
Iida's engines sputtered, still hot from the Recipro Burst. He planted his feet, chest heaving, but he was already slowing down.
Itami stood across from him, eyes narrowed—one hand still pressed to his ribs.
The grin was gone now. What replaced it was focus.
He rolled his right shoulder once, fingers cracking with static.
Let's see if I learned anything from getting my ass kicked. Breathe...
He launched forward—not with a blast, but with a grounded step, sudden and close. Iida braced, expecting another fireball or punch— Instead, Itami slammed his palms together, and a sharp, compressed surge of heat and lightning erupted outward in a circular arc.
BOOM
The wave exploded into condensed air of heat and electricity. Electricity danced across as it hit a singular point.
Iida's eyes widened as the force hit him square in the chest, being too slow to dodge. The force of the attack made him fly out of bounds.
The crowd's cheers faded into background noise as Itami stepped away from the arena's center.
Smoke still curled off his fingertips. His breathing was steady, but his thoughts weren't.
Damn it wasn't like that...How did he do it?
He heard footsteps behind him.
Iida caught up, dusting off his gloves and walking with that same upright energy, even after getting thrown across the ring.
"You've grown stronger," Iida said, keeping his voice steady. "Faster, too. You read the fight well."
Itami didn't respond right away. He kept walking a few steps.
Then, over his shoulder, muttered, "Didn't mean to show off. It was a good fight."
Iida blinked, caught off guard.
But before he could say anything, Itami added, "Thanks for not holding back."
He didn't wait for a reply. He just kept walking toward the tunnel, the crowd behind him, the tension in his chest slowly fading.
Huh... that was fun.