The stands weren’t crowded. There were private sections for each class, high above the arena, quiet and spacious.

  Uraraka was nervous. Really nervous. Her fight was against Bakugo, and it was the very last of the round. Which meant the crowd would be huge. No other fights to distract them. Just her, him. All eyes on them.

  She could barely concentrate on the match that was about to start.“You can do this, Deku...” she muttered under her breath, leaning forward, trying and failing to relax.

  To her left, Robinn sat stiffly, neck craned, posture perfect, watching the arena like a hawk. Not a trace of nerves, just pure focus. Uraraka didn’t have the energy to comment on it. She let out a long sigh and turned back toward the ring.

  “Yo, that purple-haired dude was the one who threatened us, right?” Kaminari asked Bakugo from somewhere to the right of them.

  Bakugo scoffed and crossed his arms. “I don’t care who the hell he is. I’ll beat him anyway.”

  “Well, you were the one who provok-” Kaminari got cut off by Kirishima.“Hey, quiet down, man, it’s starting!”

  “Welcome to the first match of the finals tournament!” Present Mic’s voice hit like a bomb. “It’s Izuku Midoriya from the Hero Course versus Hitoshi Shinso from General Studies! The rules are simple: immobilize your opponent or force them out of the ring!”

  Uraraka tensed.

  “Ready...? Begin!!”

  Nothing happened. Neither of them moved. They were talking, but too far to hear anything they said.

  Then Deku bolted forward.

  And stopped.

  Mid-stride. Locked in place like a statue.

  Uraraka shot to her feet, clenching her hands. “Come on, Deku!”

  From behind, Ojiro’s voice rang out, sharp with frustration. “I warned him not to say anything!”

  Iida, beside her, leaned forward with concern. “Why in the world isn’t he moving?”

  Robinn said nothing. Her grin was gone.

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  Deku started walking again.

  But not toward Shinso.

  He turned... step by step... toward the edge of the ring. Completely silent. Robotic.

  “Whaaat?? Midoriya is obeying him??” Present Mic blurted out, disbelief crackling through the mic.

  “Oh no, Deku, what are you doing??” Uraraka said out loud. Her fists trembled now.

  Then Robinn finally spoke, voice low and certain.“It’s some kind of mind control.”

  Uraraka turned sharply. “Mind control?? How is that fair?”

  “It isn’t,” Robinn said, not even looking at her. “Quirk battles almost never are.”

  Uraraka stared at her for a second longer. Robinn looked... different. Cold and serious. Her eyes were locked on the ring like she was watching a hunt.

  It unnerved her.

  She shook the feeling off and looked back just in time to see Deku’s foot reaching the edge of the ring.

  A crack of air. A blast of wind from his finger. Dust exploded outward.

  Deku stopped walking. He stumbled, gasped for breath, and turned around, eyes wide and furious.

  He was back.

  “What’s this??? Midoriya stopped just in time!!” Present Mic shouted. The crowd finally came alive, erupting in cheers.

  Iida shot up with both arms raised. “That’s the way to do it!!”

  Uraraka let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “Woah... I was about to freak out...”

  She didn’t know exactly what Deku had done, but it was like during the physical tests. Just using his finger he shot out a burst of air strong enough to break concrete. He had to have used his Quirk, so we has probably hurt.

  Shinso started yelling something, but Deku didn’t even respond. Just calmly raised a hand to cover his own mouth.

  “Smart move,” Robinn murmured. “The brainwashing must require you to respond. He’s not giving him the chance.”

  Deku charged. Flat-out sprinting toward Shinso, ignoring whatever was being shouted at him. Shinso threw a punch, hit him square in the face.

  Deku didn’t even blink.

  He grabbed him, pivoted, and threw him hard. A shoulder throw. Shinso hit the ground with a loud smack, his feet sliding just out of bounds.

  “Shinso is out of bounds! Midoriya advances to the next match!” Midnight called, raising one hand sharply.

  “And with that expertly performed throw, we have our first victor of the finals! Class 1-A’s Izuku Midoriya!!” Present Mic roared.

  The applause was deafening.

  Uraraka collapsed back into her seat. “That was so nerve-racking...”

  In front of her, Todoroki stood wordlessly and left. Sero followed a few moments later.

  Iida turned to her. “Those two’s match is next, right?”

  Uraraka blinked. “Oh... yeah, I think that’s what was on the brackets.”

  “That wasn’t bad at all. Both of them could’ve lost at any point... so many mistakes.” Robinn’s voice came again, calm but intense. Uraraka turned and saw that she was grinning now.

  “But I knew Midoriya would win.”

  Uraraka didn’t even think before saying, “Then why didn’t you cheer for him?”

  Robinn looked genuinely confused. “It’s not like he can hear us from all the way up here. And even if he could, it might distract him. Besides, we’re all competing against each other. I won’t root for anyone but myself.”

  She said it like it was obvious. Like it was just how things were.

  With a grin.

  “Right... I guess I got a bit excited,” Uraraka muttered, turning away.

  Robinn was always a bit weird... but something about how she talked during battles, how cold she got, how serious, it stuck with you. It wasn’t just unfiltered. It was like being around someone who thought every fight was life or death.

  It was unnerving. But also... kind of impressive.