Dante froze mid thought, eyes darting up as the entire room shook, shaking dust from the corner of the ceiling.
*BOOM!*
Another quake. The floor vibrated beneath his boots.
Dante staggered to his feet, steadying himself on the wall as the muffled roar of the crowd blew through the concrete. His eyes flicked to the TV screen and his attention was drawn to the match broadcast.
He saw Izuku and Todoroki going at it.
Dante's eyes narrowed, focusing on Izuku.
Blood, bruises, broken bones.
The dude looked like he'd already been jumped by ten people, but he was still fighting.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Dante muttered.
He didn't realise Izuku would go this far, the dude seriously had some guts.
Then the screen lit up,
Fire.
Todoroki's left side ignited, a wave of heat breaking the ice around him.
Dante's eyes widened.
He leaned forward, mesmerised, oddly drawn to the flames.
The screen was a storm of red blue and green and Dante didn't realise he was holding his breath until—
BOOOOOM!!!!
A final, massive shockwave exploded from the center, sending both fighters flying.
The dust settled.
Silence.
Then everyone roared in excitement.
"Shoto Todoroki wins!!"
Dante stood frozen.
He didn't even notice he grin on his face.
He didn't know what it meant, but suddenly the next fight felt way more personal.
A raging inferno lurked beneath his skin, just waiting to be let out.
…
Sero vs Kaminari was very boring, Kaminari won fairly easily. Mei stepped out of bounds and Iida won…
But then Dante looked at the screen, he saw Hiryu and Mina standing face to face.
"I should probably watch this one…"
…
The buzzer rang.
Mina dashed forward, already forming acid in her palms. She skated across the floor. Melting through parts of the ground to confuse Hiryu's footing.
But Hiryu surprisingly wasn't phased.
He stomped and his arms immediately transformed into dark green scaled claws. With a swift, deliberate movement, he swept his arm, scattering her acid with a barrage of scales.
Then he struck again.
In a flash, Hiryu closed the gap. Mina's eyes widened just before a sharp, low kick knocked her balance, followed by a backhand from his scaled arm that sent her stumbling back.
She slid, but caught herself with her hands, the acid barely keeping her from falling out of bounds.
"Nice move," she muttered, grinning. "My turn!"
She spun and launched a wave of acid directly at him, it was too wide to dodge.
Hiryu raised both arms in a cross block, absorbing the spray. Steam rose from his sleeves and he grunted, but he didn't fall.
Then he charged in, bulldozing through the fumes and slamming into her with a shoulder tackle that echoed throughout the stadium.
Mina hit the floor with a skid.
A moment passed.
She tried to stand, but her legs buckled.
Midnight stepped forward.
"Hiryu Rin is the winner!!"
The crowd roared once more.
Dante nodded with a small smile.
"Knew he had it in him."
He watched as Hiryu walked over to help Mina up, offering her a hand with his usual calm demeanour. She took it with a smile, still laughing even in defeat.
…
The door creaked open and Hiryu Rin stepped into the room Dante was staying in, his uniform was slightly singed, hair damp with sweat, but otherwise calm as ever.
Dante glanced up from where he sat hunched, elbows on knees.
"Yo," he muttered, eyeing Hiryu's state.
"Alive?"
Hiryu smiled faintly, setting down a bottle of water he'd picked up on the way in.
"Barely. She's a lot stronger than she looks…"
Dante snorted, tossing him a protein bar from a small pile he'd swiped earlier.
"You won though, so it's all good."
Hiryu took the bar without question, sitting down beside him. "She's talented, but my quirk is almost a direct counter to hers and once I figured out her rhythm, it wasn't too bad."
Dante leaned back, letting his head rest against the wall. The adrenaline had worn off now but there was something else on his mind.
"How exactly do I beat Todoroki?"
Hiryu looked at him, brow raised.
"Ah yeah, your next fight…"
"Yeah." Dante rubbed his face, sighing. "You saw that match right? The guys got insane power. His ice could swallow the whole stadium, and now he's even using fire? If I fight him, how would I even win, I'm more of a close combat fighter…
Hiryu nodded, taking a sip of water. "You're not wrong, his quirk sure is crazy. But yours isn't anything to scoff at either."
"Surely he could just melt my sludge? I don't even know if it's fire proof…" Dante said dryly.
Hiryu smiled. "Where'd your attitude from earlier go? You're like a totally different person now. That thing you pulled during the cavalry battle? No one could touch us. You're really creative you know, you don't rely on brute force alone. That gives you more options, your quirk is probably the most versatile in the world."
Dante didn't answer right away. His mind was working overtime.
Todoroki was very powerful, devastating and explosive. He'd seen how he fought Izuku.
How the hell was he supposed to get close to someone who could freeze the entire arena before he could move?
"I've gotta think outside the box," he muttered. "Speed won't work. Not for long. Armour can take a few hits, but it's useless if I get frozen solid."
"Then don't get frozen."
Dante side eyed Hiryu, unimpressed. "Thanks, coach."
…
…
After a while, Dante sat in silence, his uniform was still ripped, revealing his back.
He could hear the crowd through the thick walls. Like a distant storm, rising and crashing in waves.
The heavy mechanical whir of the sliding door echoed from behind.
A staff member peeked in. "You're up."
Dante exhaled through his nose and stood up, cracking his neck.
As he walked toward the stadium tunnel, little Dante walked alongside him.
"I'm sure we will win."
"I don't know…" Dante muttered under his breath. "But we're gonna try anyways."
The tunnel opened up before him, blinding light flashing into his eyes as Present Mic's voice echoed out again.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!! You've seen chaos, you've seen strategy, but now—NOW—it's time for a battle you'll be telling your grandchildren about!!"
The croud erupted as Present Mic's voice carried like thunder.
Dante winced, "how are they still able to do this??"
"In this corner, known for his brutal power, unpredictability and unique character, it's Sludge King… DANTE GRAVES!!"
The stadium exploded AGAIN into cheers, screams and some uneasy murmurs. Dante stepped into view, arms hanging down at his sides, shoulders relaxed, but his eyes burned bright.
He didn't raise a hand or wave.
He didn't need to
He owned the silence that followed his name.
From the other side, the platform across the arena hissed open.
"And in the other corner! The prodigy, a student whose power is legendary even among pro heroes, the ice king with a firestorm at the ready… SHOTO TODOROKI!!"
Todoroki walked forward, calm as usual.
The cheers redoubled.
Dante watched him closely as they both approached the middle of the ring. Each step Todoroki took felt deliberate, his expression was unreadable. The weight of his decision to use his left side in the previous battle clearly weighing on him.
They both stopped, mere feet apart, with midnight stepping between them in full announcer mode.
"Alright boys, no killing. Anything else goes. The match ends when one of you is out of bounds, immobilised or yields. Clear?"
They both nodded.
Midnight stepped back with her whip raised high.
"THREE…"
The crowd leaned forward as one.
"TWO…"
Dante's fingers twitched. Todoroki's right foot subtly shifted.
The crowd leaned forward as one, waiting to witness history.
"ONE…"
"GO!!"