MHA : QUIRK EVOLUTION

The match list was out, and Ezaki Kitazawa took a look. Almost all of Class A's strongest fighters were on his side, while the other side was mostly filled with students from different classes. That meant there was a high chance he'd be facing someone from another class in the finals—though it wasn't impossible that it could be one of his own classmates. 

In the third match, Bakugo Katsuki was set to go up against Kaminari Denki. If one of them won, they'd end up facing Ezaki Kitazawa in the second round. But clearly, with all the strongest contenders placed on one side, the second and third-place fighters wouldn't be nearly as strong as usual. If Bakugo Katsuki or Todoroki Shoto had been placed on the opposite side, then they would have only met Ezaki Kitazawa in the finals. 

Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side, and the powerful contenders were all stacked together. That meant reaching the finals on the other side was much easier. 

Once the arena was repaired, the matches resumed. After several rounds, it was time for the next match. 

Aizawa Shouta glanced at the matchup list, and his face immediately stiffened. 

"Hey, Eraserhead, what's up?" 

Present Mic asked, puzzled. 

"The next match is Ezaki Kitazawa versus Bakugo Katsuki," Aizawa said in a low voice. 

Present Mic took a quick look and then slowly replied, "Yeah, and? What about it?" 

"I have a feeling this time the arena's gonna be wrecked even worse than before." 

Aizawa let out a sigh. He knew Bakugo's temper all too well—after all, he was his homeroom teacher. Just like Todoroki, Bakugo didn't care about winning the championship. His real goal was testing his limits. 

"Relax, the school already banned Ezaki Kitazawa from using his giant transformation, and Bakugo's Quirk isn't suited for large-scale destruction. How could they possibly do more damage than the first round?" 

Present Mic chuckled. 

"You really don't understand them. Even if everything seems fine at first, as long as that brat Bakugo is involved, nothing is ever that simple." 

Aizawa said calmly. 

Present Mic laughed again. "Isn't that a good thing? The more exciting the match, the better." 

With that, he turned on his mic and announced, "Alright, up next is the next round of battles, and this one looks like it's going to be interesting!" 

"From Class 1-A, it's Ezaki Kitazawa versus his classmate, Bakugo Katsuki!" 

"In the first round, Ezaki Kitazawa's special move—the giant form—was banned by the school, so he won't be able to use it this time. Will this weaken him significantly? Let's find out!" 

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted in cheers, though there were also quite a few voices protesting on Ezaki Kitazawa's behalf. 

"Come on, U.A., this isn't fair to that kid!" 

"Yeah, that was his ultimate move! Of course, it's going to affect his performance!" 

"Oh, give it a rest. The school had a good reason for doing this. Even as a spectator, I got chills from that giant." 

"Sure, U.A. thought things through, but it's not Ezaki Kitazawa's fault that he's strong. You can't just ban his moves like that." 

The audience was split, some siding with Ezaki Kitazawa and others agreeing with U.A.'s decision. 

While the crowd debated, Ezaki Kitazawa and Bakugo Katsuki stepped into the center of the arena. 

"Hey, with your big move banned, doesn't that put you at a huge disadvantage?" 

Bakugo asked, hands in his pockets. 

"Disadvantage?" Ezaki Kitazawa said calmly. "Hmm… not at all. That wasn't my ultimate move. Just one of my many techniques." 

"Uh…"

Bakugo Katsuki was stunned for a moment and frowned. 

"Two of your moves? So that means Half-and-Half didn't force you to use your ultimate move. If I can push you to use it, that means I'm stronger than him." 

Ezaki Kitazawa just smiled. 

"My ultimate move is a bit special. This place isn't really suitable for using it." 

Bakugo grinned wickedly. 

"Don't try to dodge the question. An ultimate move is an ultimate move. Besides you, the ones who understand your techniques best are me and that Half-and-Half guy." 

To Bakugo, Ezaki's words were just an attempt to mess with him. He was already convinced that the giant from before was Ezaki's ultimate move. Now that Ezaki claimed it wasn't, Bakugo thought he was just bragging about having an even stronger technique. 

"Oh yeah?" 

Ezaki smiled again. Whether Bakugo believed him or not didn't matter. 

"Match, start!" 

At that moment, the buzzer sounded, signaling the beginning of the fight. 

Right away, Bakugo dashed forward at full speed. Once he got within range, he leaped high into the air. 

"You've really been working hard, huh? Your speed is way faster than before." 

Ezaki watched Bakugo in midair and thought to himself, 

*Guess I'll have to be careful not to hurt your pride, just like with Todoroki.* 

"Die!" 

Bakugo came crashing down from above, sparks and thick smoke bursting from his hands. 

*Boom!* 

With the explosion, the smoke spread everywhere but was quickly blown away by the air pressure. 

"You guys may be giving it your all, but I haven't been slacking either." 

Somehow, Ezaki had already appeared behind Bakugo. 

Bakugo's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of him in the corner of his vision. 

"When did he get behind me?!" 

Without hesitation, Bakugo spun around and unleashed a rapid series of attacks. 

*Bang!* 

Their fists collided, and Bakugo was sent flying backward. 

In midair, he twisted his body skillfully and planted his hands on the ground to land safely. 

The next second, like a wild beast, he lunged at Ezaki again. 

This time, he was even faster than before. 

He leaped once more, but it was clear that he was now channeling a much larger amount of his Quirk. 

A dark swirling vortex began to form in his palm. 

"Big Explosion!" 

Bakugo roared. 

*Boom!* 

The explosion this time was massive. 

"I got him!" 

Bakugo shouted excitedly. 

But just then, from within the thick smoke, Ezaki's voice rang out— 

"Wood Dragon Technique!"