This Thing A Quiet Madness Made

Chapter 6

"Uh-oh. What are you planning?"

"You'll see; it's almost my turn anyways. Try not to lose your head, alright?"

"No promises! Ugh, I can't even imagine being you right now. That blonde you're up against seems like an entire asshole. And you have to live with him? I think I would have lost it ages ago."

"And that's why you don't get these kinds of jobs, Amnestica."

Muffled cheers thundered from the stadium above. She glanced up at the ceiling.

"Oh, looks like it's your time to shine."

"That's not exactly how I would put it," she sighed tiredly, "but yea."

"I would tell you to kick his ass, but I know sweet little Ito Naoko is too nice for something like that, huh?" the girl cooed, giggling childishly.

There was another shuffle on the other end.

"Get going now. You know what to do," the man's voice from earlier returned, the sound drawing her lips into a frown.

"Yea, bye."

And the line went dead.

_______________________________________________

"And Asui Tsuyu from the hero course is the winner! Such impressive agility and great use of her surroundings! You must be proud, Eraser Head!"

"Congratulations."

"Next up, for the eighth and final battle of the first round, we have two more 1-A students!"

The last two competitors entered from opposite sides of the arena, raging cheers erupting all around them.

"First is Bakugo Katsuki! He was kind of famous in middle school; this isn't the face of a normal person! His explosive quirk is sure to pack a punch against any opponent! Facing off against him is Ito Naoko! Her wind powers were a big blow to Bakugo during the Cavalry Battle, sweeping away a big chunk of his points at the last second and breezing right to second place! I'm a fan!"

"He looks... kinda upset, huh?" Ashido tilted her head worriedly.

Naoko's bright and cheery face appeared on the big screen in front of them, waving softly at the camera, and one screen over was Bakugo, shaking so furiously it looked like he was about to physically detonate.

"An exciting battle to be sure! Which one of these little heroes will move on to the quarterfinals? There's only one way to find out!"

"Alright, you know the rules, you two!" Midnight shouted, standing atop the referee's podium with a hand on her hip. "The match ends when one side steps out of the ring, becomes immobilized, or forfeits. We'll stop you if we see anything too extreme, so don't make me do any more work than I already have to, understood?"

"Understood!"

"Get on with it!"

"Then the battle starts in 3...

"2...

"1...

"Begin!"

Bakugo charged forward with his palms already alight with sparks. Reaching her in mere seconds, he swung at her with explosive force, missing by a hair as she narrowly dodged to the side. He drew back his other arm and shot out his hand, a deafening explosion aimed directly at her stomach. Naoko grabbed his arm and swung around behind him before he could make contact. Bakugo grit his teeth as he felt a breeze blow past him, quickly twisting around and charging at her again.