The roar of the crowd dulled to a steady murmur as Junsei left the arena.
When he returned to the stands, he located Momo, Shinso, and several of the other students seated along one side of the stadium. He approached without ceremony and lowered himself beside Shinso.
Momo glanced at him at once. "I was afraid you would miss your match," she said. "Where did you go?"
"Nowhere," Junsei replied.
She studied him for a brief moment. "Are you alright?"
"I am fine."
Momo nodded, though the crease between her brows did not entirely smooth. "While you were away, you missed quite a few matches."
"I don't think he missed anything important," Shinso said dryly.
He began counting them off on his fingers. "Mineta against Midoriya was practically a joke. Aoyama versus Ibara was a disgraceful win, Aoyama attacked while she was praying. Tokoyami against Tsuyu." He shrugged. "The last two were slightly more balanced, but nothing worth mentioning."
Iida leaned forward from the row behind them. "Did you forget your own?"
Shinso tilted his head lazily. "He saw it. And there was nothing flashy about mine. My opponent walked out of the arena. That was it."
Momo's attention shifted back toward the field. "For now, I am concerned about Ochako." She turned to Midoriya. "You know Bakugo best. How far do you think he will go against her?"
Midoriya hesitated for only a second. "As long as she's standing… Kacchan won't hold back."
Momo exhaled quietly. "I hope Ochako will be fine."
Shinso glanced toward Midoriya again. "How does Bakugo's Quirk actually work? I've seen him throw explosions from his hands, but is that the only way he can use it? And what's the mechanism?"
Midoriya straightened instinctively, slipping into explanation with enthusiasm.
"He secretes a nitroglycerin-like sweat from his palms," he began. "He can ignite it at will, which creates explosions. The more he sweats, the stronger the blasts. He can adjust the size and power depending on how much he produces and how he detonates it."
Junsei listened from the side without speaking.
In certain past lives, he had possessed similar mechanisms. A bombardier beetle, capable of ejecting heated chemicals in explosive bursts. A Colobopsis ant, sealing its nest with a sacrificial rupture.
Chemical defense on a small scale. Bakugo's Quirk was like a refined amalgamation of such natural weapons and scaled up in power significantly.
On the field, Midnight called the next match.
Bakugo and Uraraka stepped into the arena.
The outcome unfolded much as most expected.
Bakugo attacked mercilessly, detonations cracking across the platform in rapid succession. Uraraka endured far longer than anticipated, maneuvering with clever strategy.
When she finally fell, the audience erupted in respect. Even the students of the various classes showed respect for her effort.
The following match placed Midoriya against Aoyama.
Aoyama's navel laser flashed repeatedly across the arena, bright and imprecise. Midoriya advanced carefully, dodging the beams.
It did not take long.
He closed the distance, struck decisively, and managed to throw Aoyama out of bounds without using his quirk.
The crowd applauded lightly. It was another unremarkable match for Midoriya.
After that, events moved quickly.
Tokoyami overpowered Shoji, driving him beyond the arena's edge.
Shinso faced Ojiro and, with a few carefully chosen words, brainwashed him into stepping out of bounds.
And then…
"Mori Junsei versus Bakugo Katsuki!"
Junsei rose and simply walked away from the others toward the corridor leading down silently.
Iida adjusted his glasses. "This is going to be an exciting match."
Midoriya's eyes were fixed on the arena. "Kacchan has been waiting for this," he said quietly. "He'll go all out."
Momo said. "I hope Junsei has calmed down by now."
"Even if he acts recklessly," Iida said, "he still holds the advantage."
Momo's expression tightened rather than eased.
"I am worried about Bakugo," she said.
The others looked at her.
"Junsei's punches and kicks are not something to dismiss," she continued. "If he attacks without restraint, Bakugo could be seriously injured."
A subtle shift passed through the students of Class 1-A.
They remembered Junsei fighting beside All Might at USJ.
Iida said "You should have reminded him to show restraint"
Momo replied "I am afraid that would agitate him again."
——————
As Junsei stepped into the arena. Bakugo was already there, waiting. There was a hard focused look on his face.
Junsei stopped a few meters away.
Bakugo spoke first.
"I won't hold back, you weirdo," he said, voice low and steady. "So give it everything you've got."
Junsei did not answer.
His gaze shifted briefly to Midnight, as though waiting.
She looked between the two boys then she raised her arm.
"Begin!"
Bakugo moved instantly.
An explosion burst from his palms, propelling him forward in a violent surge straight toward Junsei.
At the same moment, Junsei's eyes began to glow.
He lifted his hand, palm directed calmly toward his approaching opponent.
Bakugo narrowed his eyes mid-flight, bringing both hands forward to fire and explosion, but he was too late.
Sparks crackled in Junsei's palm.
The next instant, a deafening explosion erupted from his hand and it engulfed Bakugo mid-charge.
A collective gasp tore through the stands.
Bakugo was hurled backward, crashing across the arena floor as smoke billowed thickly between them.
For a second, nothing moved.
Then Bakugo groaned, forcing himself onto his knees. He glanced down at his arms and froze.
Burns marked his skin.
His expression shifted from pain to disbelief.
He looked up at Junsei.
"Why can you use my Quirk?" he demanded hoarsely. "And how the hell did you hurt me?"
Junsei did not reply.
He simply began walking toward him.
Bakugo's teeth ground together. With a furious snarl, he thrust both hands forward and unleashed a massive explosion.
The blast swallowed Junsei whole.
Bakugo pushed himself to his feet and continued firing, one explosion after another, relentless, driving smoke and debris into a storm around them.
When he finally stopped, his breathing was uneven, chest heaving.
The smoke lingered.
Then a hand emerged from the haze and seized his arm.
Bakugo jerked, preparing to attack again but a violent surge of electricity tore through him.
His body convulsed uncontrollably. A scream ripped from his throat as currents coursed through him, forcing his muscles to betray him.
The smell of scorched fabric and ozone filled the air.
When the electricity ceased, Bakugo dropped to his knees, smoke rising faintly from his body.
Through blurred vision, he looked up.
Junsei stood before him.
The UA's sports uniform he wore had been torn and shredded by Bakugo's explosions, but his skin was unharmed.
Bakugo spat at the ground weakly. "You damn freak."
Junsei extended his hand toward him again.
Bakugo reacted on instinct, blasting himself backward with another explosion.
But he did not escape.
Junsei caught his leg mid-motion.
With a single, brutal swing, he flung Bakugo like a rag doll.
Bakugo's body slammed into the arena floor with a sickening impact.
A cry of pain echoed across the stadium.
He curled inward, clutching his leg. His breathing grew ragged.
When he glanced down, horror flickered across his face.
His pants were melting where Junsei had caught him and so was the skin beneath it.
"Acid…?" he rasped.
Junsei stepped closer.
"Are you in pain? Dying," he said softly, "hurts a lot more."
Bakugo froze.
The look in Junsei's glowing eyes held no emotion, but Bakugo could feel Junsei truly wanted to kill him.
Junsei stopped a short distance away and lifted his palm once more, clearly preparing to release another blast.
"Enough!"
Midnight's voice cracked like a whip across the arena.
"The match is over!"
She was already running toward them.
Junsei glanced at her briefly.
Then he lowered his arm.
Without waiting for the official declaration, without acknowledging anything, he turned and walked out of the arena.
——————
On the students' side of the stadium, the noise of the crowd seemed distant, muffled by disbelief.
Iida was the first to speak.
"Incredible… was that Bakugo's Quirk?" he said, staring at the arena below. "How could that be?"
Shinso's eyes remained fixed on the field. "There was electricity too," he added evenly. "And at the end, he did something to Bakugo's leg."
Mina, unusually quiet until now, leaned forward squinting.
"I think that was acid," she said. "It's hard to see from here, but it looked like his pants and his skin were melting."
Kirishima swallowed. "I've never seen Bakugo fire explosions like that. And Junsei just walked through them like it was nothing. Even I'd feel that kind of power."
Midoriya's hands clenched unconsciously at his sides. He turned to Momo.
"What is his Quirk really?" he asked. "How is he able to do all of that?"
Momo hesitated. She did not have an answer.
"I… honestly don't know," she said quietly.
Mina's gaze sharpened. "We heard Mirko earlier today," she said. "She mentioned he was copying her. Does that mean he can copy others? Like Monoma from Class 1-B?"
Midoriya shook his head slowly. "It's not that simple. Kacchan's explosions don't hurt him. And when Monoma copied his Quirk, it was harmless to him." His expression became thoughtful. "But this time… the explosion burned him."
Shinso folded his arms. "So whatever his Quirk is, it's not what he says. It's something else entirely."
Iida's voice grew more strained. "The most troubling part was at the end," he said. "Bakugo was already down. Junsei was going to attack him again. He intended to hurt him further. If that was not his intention, he could have ended the match far earlier and far less brutally."
No one contradicted him.
The image lingered too vividly in all their minds: Junsei's raised hand.
——————
In the teachers' booth, the atmosphere was no less tense.
Several teachers watched in silence.
All Might's usual brightness had dimmed.
"He could have won," he said, voice heavy, "without injuring Bakugo like that."
Beside him, Nezu had been sitting perfectly still.
Then, without warning, he rose from his chair.
All Might looked at him. "Sir, where…"
"You are correct," Nezu interrupted calmly, though his eyes were narrowed. "That level of brutality was unnecessary."
"I need to find him. I must understand why he acted as he did. I cannot allow him to harm students in this manner." His tone hardened almost imperceptibly. "There is a limit."
With that, Nezu stepped away from the booth and exited, leaving the remaining teachers to stare at the arena below.