I made it back to the stands just in time, my arms freshly wrapped in bandages courtesy of Recovery Girl. The match with Manga had gone exactly as planned—challenging enough to showcase his abilities without completely overwhelming him. His Comic quirk had some serious potential, and I wanted to make sure everyone saw it.
"Stop flexing, man. We get it—you're ripped," Kaminari said as I settled into my seat between him and Kirishima.
"I'm not flexing," I replied, adjusting the bandages. Recovery Girl had insisted on them despite the burns being minor. "Just making sure these don't come loose."
Kirishima leaned forward, inspecting my arms. "Those don't look too bad."
"Wanted to see what Manga's power could do up close," I said with a shrug. "Besides, wouldn't be very manly to not fight head on, right?"
Kirishima's sharp teeth flashed as he grinned. "Now you're speaking my language!"
The others in our section—Hagakure (identifiable by her floating uniform), Ashido, Uraraka, Iida, Manga, and Kodai—were focused on the aftermath of Bakugo's match against Tokoyami. The explosive blond had made quick work of our bird-headed classmate, exploiting Dark Shadow's weakness to light with brutal efficiency.
Ashido suddenly spun in her seat to face me, "we've got the battle of the century coming up."
"Camie versus Momo," Uraraka added, her round cheeks slightly pink.
Ashido leaned closer. "So, Midoriya... which girl madly in love with you do you think will win? Camie or Momo?"
I considered the question seriously, ignoring the madly in love part. "Honestly? I don't know."
"Come on," Ashido pressed. "You must have some idea. You've trained with both of them!"
"That's exactly why I can't call it," I explained, leaning back in my seat. "Camie has the advantage in ingenuity and close combat, but Momo has more versatility with her Creation. It could go either way depending on their strategies."
"Tch. Lucky harem protagonist bastard," Mineta muttered from a row below us, just loud enough to be heard.
"What did you say, Mineta?"
He stiffened, not turning around. "Nothing!"
"What do you think, Kodai?" I asked, deliberately changing the subject. The quiet girl rarely spoke unless directly addressed.
She tilted her head slightly, her bob cut swaying with the motion. "Mm."
"That means she thinks it'll be close," Hagakure translated with absolute confidence.
Kodai nodded once, confirming Hagakure's interpretation.
"I think Yaomomo's got this," Kaminari offered. "Her quirk is perfect for countering illusions. She can create physical objects that'll work regardless of what she's seeing."
Manga shook his head. "Nah. Camie's too quick. She'll get inside Yaoyorozu's head before she can even start creating anything complicated."
"What about you, Uraraka?" I asked.
She pressed her fingertips together nervously. "Well... they're both amazing, but I think Momo might have an edge because of how analytical she is."
"Yaoyorozu-san's intellect is indeed formidable," Iida interjected, pushing his glasses up. "However, Utsushimi-san's unpredictability presents a significant tactical advantage that cannot be—"
His phone buzzed, cutting him off mid-sentence. He checked the screen, his eyebrows rising above his glasses.
"Excuse me, I must take this. It appears to be my mother, likely regarding my match with Todoroki-san." He stood, bowing slightly. "Please inform me of any significant developments."
As Iida departed, Present Mic's voice boomed across the stadium: "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME FOR OUR NEXT MATCH! TWO OF CLASS 1-A'S MOST BRILLIANT YOUNG LADIES ARE ABOUT TO FACE OFF!"
The crowd roared in anticipation. I found myself sitting straighter, my eyes fixed on the arena below. This wasn't just any match—it was between Camie, my girlfriend and best friend, and Momo, my vice president and one of the most brilliant people I'd ever met. Both women held a special place in my heart, albeit in different ways.
"AND HERE THEY COME! FROM THE HERO COURSE, THE CREATION PRODIGY WITH A GENIUS-LEVEL INTELLECT, MOMO YAOYOROZUUUU!"
Momo emerged from the tunnel, her posture perfect as always.
"AND HER OPPONENT! THE ILLUSIONIST WHOSE TRICKS WILL LEAVE YOU QUESTIONING REALITY! ALSO FROM THE HERO COURSE, CAMIE UTSUSHIMIIIII!"
Camie appeared from the opposite tunnel, that familiar confident stride and easy smile on display. But I knew her well enough to recognize the focus in her eyes—she wasn't taking this lightly.
"They both look so serious," Uraraka observed.
"This match means a lot to both of them," I said quietly. "It's about more than just advancing in the tournament."
"Oh?" Ashido's eyes gleamed. "Do tell, President."
Before I could respond, Midnight raised her whip. "BEGIN!"
The match exploded into action immediately. Camie darted forward, releasing a cloud of smoke from her mouth that quickly began taking shape. Simultaneously, Momo's arm glowed as she created what looked like a small fan.
"Smart move," I commented. "She's trying to disperse the illusions before they form."
The fan expanded rapidly in Momo's hand, becoming a large electric fan that she activated immediately. The powerful gust scattered Camie's smoke, forcing her to dodge sideways.
Camie rolled with the movement, releasing more smoke as she circled Momo. This time, the illusions formed faster—multiple copies of Camie appeared, surrounding Momo from all angles.
Momo remained calm, creating what appeared to be a pair of goggles. She slipped them on quickly, then produced a long metal staff.
"Thermal goggles," I realized aloud. "She's using them to see through the illusions by tracking Camie's body heat."
"That's brilliant!" Uraraka gasped.
Below, Momo swung her staff in a precise arc, passing harmlessly through several illusory Camies before connecting with the real one. Camie managed to partially block the blow but was forced backward.
"This is already so much better than I expected," Kirishima said, leaning forward eagerly. "They're both going all out from the start!"
Camie recovered quickly, releasing a new wave of smoke that seemed thicker than before. Rather than creating more copies of herself, this smoke formed a dense fog that covered the entire arena floor.
Inside the fog bank, flashes of movement were barely visible. The crowd grew quiet, straining to see what was happening. Suddenly, a loud clang echoed across the arena as Momo's staff connected with something solid.
The fog parted momentarily, revealing Momo defending against what appeared to be Camie wielding a pair of tonfas. But something was off about the image.
"That's not right," I muttered, leaning forward. "Camie doesn't use weapons like that."
As if confirming my suspicion, the Camie with tonfas dissolved into smoke, revealing another Camie attacking from behind. Momo barely managed to spin in time, blocking a kick aimed at her midsection.
"A double illusion," Manga breathed, his speech bubble head showing exclamation marks. "She created a false attack to mask her real approach!"
The battle intensified as Momo and Camie engaged in close combat. Momo's staff whirled, keeping Camie at bay while she created smaller items with her free hand—ball bearings that she scattered across the floor, forcing Camie to watch her footing.
Camie responded by creating more complex illusions—the ground appearing to shift and warp beneath Momo's feet, illusory projectiles flying from multiple directions. Momo maintained her composure, relying on her staff's physical feedback to tell her what was real and what wasn't.
"They're so evenly matched," Uraraka said, her hands clasped together tightly.
"Yeah, but Momo's burning through her lipids fast," Kirishima pointed out. "Creating all those objects takes a toll."
He was right. Despite her tactical advantages, Momo's movements were becoming slightly slower, her reactions a fraction delayed. Camie, noticing this, pressed her advantage, closing the distance for a flurry of strikes.
Momo managed to block most of them, but one connected with her shoulder, sending her staggering backward. She recovered quickly, creating what looked like a small canister in her palm.
"What's that?" Kaminari asked.
"Flash grenade," I replied, just as Momo threw it to the ground.
The explosion of light momentarily blinded everyone, including me. When my vision cleared, the arena floor was covered in a layer of what appeared to be ball bearings, with Momo now holding a shield in addition to her staff.
Camie, momentarily disoriented by the flash, stepped onto the ball bearings and lost her footing. As she stumbled, Momo charged forward, shield first.
But instead of trying to regain her balance, Camie deliberately dropped to the ground, using the ball bearings to slide under Momo's charge. As she passed, she released a burst of smoke directly into Momo's face.
Momo swung her staff at the illusion, which dissolved into nothing. In that moment of confusion, the real Camie struck from the left, landing a solid kick to Momo's side.
"That's gotta hurt," Kirishima winced.
Momo stumbled but didn't fall. Instead, she created something new—a pair of weighted gloves that she quickly pulled on. When Camie moved in for another attack, Momo surprised her with a direct punch, the added weight behind her strike sending Camie sliding backward across the ball bearings.
"Didn't know Yaoyorozu could fight like that!" Kaminari exclaimed.
Both Camie and Momo were showing signs of fatigue and injury. Momo's uniform was torn at the shoulder, revealing a bruise forming underneath, while Camie was favoring her right leg slightly after a particularly hard fall on the ball bearings.
The battle reached a crescendo as Momo created what appeared to be a small cannon, aiming it toward Camie. Instead of a projectile, however, it released a massive cloud of fine powder that filled the air around them.
"Damn," I realized. "She's making Camie's smoke visible by giving it something to cling to."
Sure enough, as Camie released more smoke for her illusions, the particles clung to it, revealing the otherwise invisible patterns of her quirk. The crowd gasped as the intricate dance of Camie's power became visible for the first time—swirling tendrils of smoke taking shape before solidifying into illusions.
"That's beautiful," Uraraka breathed.
Camie, realizing her disadvantage, changed tactics. Instead of creating more illusions, she charged directly at Momo, engaging her in hand-to-hand combat. Momo responded by creating a series of small shields on her forearms, blocking Camie's strikes while looking for an opening.
They moved across the arena in a deadly dance, each anticipating the other's movements with uncanny precision. Camie's natural agility gave her an edge in close quarters, but Momo's tactical mind allowed her to create counters on the fly.
The match had gone on longer than most of the previous bouts, and both competitors were showing signs of exhaustion. Momo's creations were becoming simpler, requiring less material as her lipid reserves depleted. Camie's illusions were less detailed, focusing on quantity over quality to maintain pressure.
"Something's gotta give soon," Kirishima said, his voice tense with excitement.
As if hearing him, both fighters seemed to make a decision simultaneously. Momo began creating something larger than before, her entire torso glowing with the effort. Camie, seeing this, released all of her remaining smoke at once, creating a massive wave of illusions that surged toward Momo.
The illusions took shape—dozens of Camies charging from all directions, each moving slightly differently to mask which might be real. Momo finished her creation just as they reached her: a dome-like structure that expanded outward in all directions, passing through the illusory attackers like they weren't there.
But one of the Camies—the real one—was caught by the expanding dome, which revealed itself to be a capture net attached to a circular frame. The net enveloped Camie completely, tangling around her limbs and bringing her to the ground.
For a moment, the arena fell silent. Then Midnight approached, examining the captured Camie.
"Utsushimi is immobilized! Yaoyorozu is the winner!"
The crowd erupted in cheers as Momo dropped to her knees, exhaustion finally overtaking her. Despite her victory, she immediately looked toward Camie with concern in her eyes.
Midnight released Camie from the net, and to everyone's surprise, Camie grinned up at Momo. Though I couldn't hear what she said, I could read her lips from this distance: "Nice one, Yaomomo."
"That was incredible," Uraraka said, her eyes wide with admiration.
"Both of them were amazing," I agreed.
As medical robots arrived to help both contestants off the field, I noticed something.
"Has anyone seen Iida? He's been gone a while."
The others looked around, only now realizing his absence.
"Maybe his call is taking longer than expected?" Uraraka suggested.
"Yeah, probably," I said, though something felt off. "I'm going to check on Camie and Momo."