The air in the hallway, already thick with tension, turned damn near suffocating as Toga pinned me against the wall. Her eyes - my eyes - glinted with this sharp, possessive edge, and that "sweet" smile? It didn't hide the danger lurking underneath - not one bit.
Right then, it hit me hard - what it must feel like for others to brush up against my own unhinged side. Because now, Toga wasn't just wearing my face - she was damn near copying every twitch, every vibe I'd let slip before, like she'd ripped it straight out of my playbook and turned it on me.
Because she was in my form, she didn't have her sharp teeth, only my normal teeth. What did I get in return? I got bitten so badly that I bled, and every single bite mark was pretty deep.
"Ryuga-kun, why do you look like you're about to drop dead?" she teased, her laugh half-playful, half-serious, while her hand tightened on my shoulder just enough to make it sting. "Don't tell me you're scared of me now?"
Honestly, seeing her in my likeness and using my vibe to threaten me, I was absolutely terrified. And horny too.
Wait, how the hell am I being so perverted???
I let out a slow breath, keeping my voice steady as hell despite the chaos brewing inside. "Toga, it's not that I'm scared of you - I've still got the next round to deal with…"
She didn't say shit back, just tilted her head, those eyes boring into me like she was digging for every scrap of feeling I wasn't showing. That silence stretched out, heavy and endless, like it could've lasted a damn century.
"No way," she finally said, voice low and firm. "You're not slipping away from me forever, Ryuga-kun."
With that, she surged up, arms snaking around my neck, yanking me down so close I could feel her breath tickling my ear. My heart - mind already a scrambled mess - started hammering like it wanted out of my chest, loud and fast.
"I don't care what plans you've got cooking, Ryuga-kun," she whispered, her voice soft but laced with this quiet threat that sent chills down my spine. "Just remember one thing - I'll always be by your side… as long as you don't betray me."
She punctuated that last bit with a light nip at my ear and a hickey on my neck, and fuck, I couldn't stop the shiver that ran through me. At this point, keeping my cool was a lost cause.
Dizzy, legs wobbly, I slid down the wall, collapsing into a heap. My head was spinning, clarity gone out the window, and all I could do was sit there, staring up at her helplessly as she loomed over me. "Holy shit, please don't let anyone see this," I thought, stuck in this haze while she had free rein to do whatever.
Toga must've clocked she'd pushed it too far - her expression shifted, a flicker of regret crossing her face. "Ryuga, you okay…?"
"Himiko…" I sucked in a deep breath, throwing up a shaky thumbs-up, trying to stay sharp without making her feel like shit. "I'm good. Don't worry about it."
She watched me for a beat longer, then burst into this mischievous giggle that cut through the tension. "Alright, Ryuga-kun. I'll trust you… one more time."
I let out a relieved huff, but before I could soak in the calm, she spun on her heel and strutted off, all swagger and confidence. "Don't forget," she called back, tossing me a loaded grin over her shoulder. "I'll do what you asked. But if you're playing me…" She paused, that smile turning dark. "…you'll answer to Toga. And I don't forgive easy."
I nodded, feeling the weight of every word she'd dropped like a brick on my chest. When she vanished around the corner, I slumped against the wall, wiped out - like I'd just walked out of a goddamn hurricane. This thing with her? Way beyond what I'd bargained for.
But it was too late to back out now.
…
After feeling better about what she did to me in my persona, I pulled myself together, I stood up, fixed my uniform, smoothed out any weird vibes, and headed back to the arena like nothing had happened. The stadium was a madhouse - stands packed to the brim, cheers shaking the damn sky. The final round of the U.A. Sports Festival was the main event, where raw individual strength got its moment to shine. And my luck? First fight was mine.
Mashirao Ojiro, Nirengeki Shoda, and some other kid had bailed, leaving the roster uneven. They'd pulled a few extras from the second round - hell, even the first - to fill the gaps. And wouldn't you know it, I got stuck kicking off the whole damn thing instead of Izuku facing Hitoshi Shinso like in the original timeline. Shit could veer off course, sure, but this? This was a stretch.
I stood dead center in the ring, sunlight glaring off my tweaked gym uniform - rigged up to play nice with my Quirk. Across from me, my opponent: Yashiro Kaede from 1-C, grinning like she owned the place. That smug-ass look on her face was begging for a punch.
"The guy who tried tanking the whole field last round, huh?" she taunted, voice dripping with provocation. "You might be tough, but don't think I'm handing you an easy win."
I smirked, keeping my mouth shut, eyes scanning the arena's every inch. She wanted to rattle me with trash talk, but that cheap baiting crap only worked on losers who couldn't see through it. She oozed confidence - probably banking on a strong Quirk and a streak of never losing. Fine.
Alright, assholes like you? Daddy's gotta smash you to bits.
"Fight starts now!" Midnight's voice rang out.
Kaede charged, fast as hell - each step cracking the ground like she was unloading stored-up electricity to juice her speed. That acceleration? Damn impressive, no lie.
She was a blur, so I didn't bother moving much - just stood there, watching her close in, ready to counter if it made sense. When she got within a meter, she swung a punch, her fist wrapped in crackling blue sparks.
Boom!
The hit landed with a bang, but instead of me flying off the stage, Kaede froze, eyes wide with shock. Her fist slammed into me - now coated in a diamond-hard shell, stance low to keep from budging. Her electric punch fizzled out against the diamond surface, leaving not a scratch thanks to its insane durability.
"Gotta try harder than that," I said, voice flat.
She stumbled back, surprise mixing with irritation. "What the… a diamond-body Quirk?"
"Call it that." I stepped forward slow, tone steady but pressing. "Didn't bother scoping out your opponent before this - or the last two rounds? Big mistake."
She grit her teeth, hands sparking as she charged up again, electricity swirling around her like a storm. "Don't get cocky! Let's see how long you last!"
She rushed me again, not just swinging this time - blasting electric bolts from a distance. Jagged blue lines streaked toward me, lighting up the air.
I didn't flinch - let 'em hit. The sparks flared bright for a second, but the diamond skin ate it all, no damage. Well, except my PE uniform, which got torched to ash. Small price.
...
The dust and smoke from the electrical explosion slowly cleared, revealing the scene inside the arena. The cheering crowd suddenly fell silent, as if someone had strangled tens of thousands of spectators at once.
Ryuga stood there, towering in the epicenter of the explosion.
His sturdy U.A. gym uniform had been reduced to ashes, completely incinerated by the intense heat of the high-voltage electricity. Yet, his body was unharmed. His normal skin had vanished, replaced by a transparent, crystalline structure that sparkled under the harsh midday sun: diamonds.
He wasn't completely naked. Fortunately, or perhaps due to some insane calculation, his boxer shorts – made from a slightly more heat-resistant synthetic fiber than the outer fabric – were still clinging on. Although his shirt was charred and torn in many places, revealing patches of rock-solid thigh skin, it was still just enough to cover the most sensitive parts, preserving a shred of dignity for a nationally televised match.
But what sent shivers down Yashiro Kaede's spine – and the entire audience – wasn't his opponent's semi-naked state.
It was the silence.
Ryuga didn't say a word. No more arrogant provocations, no more mocking smiles or cheap trash talk. His diamond-like face was cold, emotionless, reflecting no human emotion. His eyes – the only thing that seemed to retain their original color behind the transparent protective glasses – radiated an invisible but suffocating pressure.
Killing Intent.
It wasn't the fiery spirit of a student competing in sports. It was the stillness of a predator watching its prey die. Absolute concentration, devoid of distractions, leaving only one goal: Annihilation.
Kaede swallowed, her throat dry. She took a step back, her survival instinct screaming. "What the hell? He… he's going to kill me?"
The blue electricity still danced around Kaede's fist, but her earlier confidence had crumbled. Her strongest attack, capable of incinerating a low-level Nomu, had been completely neutralized by Ryuga simply through matter manipulation. Diamond – nature's most perfect insulator. She had lost in terms of Quirk compatibility even before the match began.
Ryuga stepped forward.
Each step he took on the concrete floor produced a heavy, sharp thud… thud… like a hammer striking an anvil. He didn't charge wildly. He moved slowly, but his posture was terrifyingly perfect. His arms were relaxed but ready to spring at any moment, his center of gravity lowered, his shoulders slightly slumped. It wasn't the posture of an amateur. It was CQC (Close Quarters Combat) – a military close-combat technique optimized for the quickest possible elimination of a target.
"You... don't underestimate me!"
Kaede screamed, trying to shake off the fear creeping through her spine. She knew electricity was useless, but she wasn't someone who relied solely on Quirks. She was a Judo black belt, a true master of the art of Judo.
She lunged forward, not using punches, but lowering her body and lunging straight at Ryuga's hip to execute a Morote Gari (Two-legged Grab) to take him down. Her speed was accelerated by the electrical stimulation of her nervous system, as fast as lightning.
But Ryuga didn't dodge.
The moment Kaede touched his leg, Ryuga reacted instantly. Instead of retreating to avoid the takedown, he took a small step forward, wedged his foot between her legs, disrupting her balance. Simultaneously, his right elbow, as hard as solid diamond, slammed down on Kaede's shoulder blade.
CRASH!
"Ugh!" Kaede groaned in pain, feeling as if a rock had struck her shoulder. The takedown had failed.
But she didn't give up. Using the momentum of Ryuga's strike, Kaede spun around incredibly quickly, grabbing his wrist and executing an Ippon Seoi Nage (Overhand Throw). Her technique was perfect, using force against force. Ryuga's heavy body was lifted high into the air.
In that moment of suspension, Ryuga showed no panic. His diamond-hard face remained icy cold. He adjusted his body weight mid-air. Instead of trying to counter the throw, he transformed his legs and hips into tungsten – a metal twice as heavy as lead.
Ryuga's body mass suddenly surged to hundreds of kilograms just as Kaede was about to perform a "carry" maneuver.
CRACK.
Kaede's knees buckled under the sudden weight. The throw was completely shattered by pure physics. Ryuga fell like a meteor, and he immediately used that weight to pin Kaede to the arena floor.
However, Kaede nimbly dodged, rolling across the floor to escape the deadly fall. She sprang to her feet, sweat dripping from her forehead, her breath coming in short gasps.
"He... changed his weight... right in the middle of the attack..." Kaede gritted her teeth, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of horror and admiration. This guy's technique wasn't just a Quirk, but a microscopic level of body control.
The match
entered a breathtaking, tense back-and-forth phase. Gone were the flashy lightning bolts; now it was a battle of pure technique, of bone, flesh, and the clash of diamonds.
Ryuga closed in, unleashing a series of CQC combos. A quick jab to the face, followed by a hook to the liver, and ending with a low kick to the knee. His blows weren't flashy like martial arts demonstrations; they were brutal and practical. Aimed at the eyes, throat, and joints. Each touch of his diamond-hard fist on Kaede's skin left horrific bruises.
Kaede gritted her teeth, using the Tai Sabaki (body movement) technique of Judo to dodge and parry. She knew she couldn't block a direct hit. Blocking a punch from Ryuga now was like holding out her hand to a sledgehammer. She had to be flexible. She had to be as supple as water to overcome the kick.
When Ryuga threw a straight punch, Kaede dodged to the left, her right hand grabbing his wrist, her left hand slipping under his armpit, intending to perform a Waki Gatame shoulder lock.
If successful, she could break his arm, or at least force him to surrender.
But Ryuga was like a pre-programmed war machine. The moment he felt the lock, he instantly twisted his wrist, transforming the surface of his skin into a smooth, polished glass-like state, completely eliminating friction. His hand slipped out of Kaede's lock as easily as an eel.
Immediately, Ryuga countered with a Headbutt.
His diamond-hard forehead slammed into Kaede's forehead.
BAM!
A dry, sharp impact echoed. Kaede staggered back, blood streaming from her forehead down to her eyes, blurring her vision. She was stunned, but her fighting spirit remained undiminished. She roared, activating maximum electrical energy in her muscles, pushing her body beyond its limits to maximize her reflexes.
"DIE!"
Kaede lunged forward one last time, determined to risk everything on an Osoto Gari (Slap) combined with Kesa Gatame (Pinch). She was so fast that Ryuga, despite his good reflexes, could only see a blurry blur.
Both fell heavily to the arena floor. Kaede was on top, Ryuga underneath. She clamped her legs around Ryuga's neck, her hands locking his right arm. This was the deadly Sankaku-jime (Triangle Lock). The electrical current from her thighs shot straight into Ryuga's neck, trying to find a gap in the diamond-encrusted chest to attack his spinal cord.
Ryuga lay motionless. His breathing remained strangely steady inside the diamond-encrusted chest. He looked up at Kaede, who was clenching her teeth and tightening her grip, her face contorted with desperate effort.
He realized one thing: her Judo technique was too good. In this position, no matter how strong he was, breaking free by pure strength would take time, and Midnight might intervene if she saw him locked in for too long. He needed to end this immediately. He needed to break her concentration.
In the world of survivors, honor was a luxury. Victory was everything.
Ryuga moved his left hand – his only free arm. He should have used it to pry Kaede's leg off his neck. But no.
A cold glint flashed in Ryuga's eyes. His diamond-hard hand rose, not aiming for her face, not for her ribs.
He aimed straight for her throat. With all his might, without restraint, he even tried to make it as lethal as possible..
With that attack, it would be foolish for Kaede not to dodge, and that was all Ryuga needed.
A moment of carelessness. A split second of distraction.
Ryuga sprang up like a spring compressed to its limit. He flung Kaede away from him. While she was still panicking and off balance, he spun around, unleashing a devastating high-level roundhouse kick.
The heavy tungsten ankle slammed into Kaede's temple.
CRASH!
There was no scream. Kaede was flung aside like a rag doll, sliding across the arena floor, instantly losing consciousness before her body even touched the ground.
The stadium fell into absolute silence for the second time.
Ryuga stood there, breathing heavily. His left hand – the hand that had just committed that vile act – slowly lowered, hanging loosely by his side. He looked down at Kaede lying motionless, his diamond-like face showing no emotion, as if the action had been merely a tactical move, cold and emotionless like the movement of a chess piece.
"A dirty trick?" Perhaps.
"Effective?" Absolutely.
Midnight, the seasoned referee, was momentarily stunned before realizing the match was over. She glanced at Ryuga, her eyes showing a hint of confusion and... judgment.
And it wasn't until Ryuga was about to actually kick Kaede - who was unconscious on the ring floor - out of the ring that the whistle finally blew.
"Yashiro Kaede is unconscious! The winner...Onodera Ryuga!"
The whistle blew, shattering the suffocating atmosphere. Only then did the audience begin to react. There was applause, but also whispers, shouts, and astonished stares directed at the diamond-hard figure standing tall in the arena, almost naked, brutal, and calculating.
Cementoss hastily erected a concrete wall to shield Ryuga's lower body, salvaging the last vestiges of decorum left in the broadcast. Ryuga glanced at the wall, then at the electronic scoreboard.
He dispelled his Quirk. The diamond coating vanished, revealing sweat-soaked, bruised skin and tattered boxer shorts. He didn't care about the crowd's stares, nor did he care that he had just become a despicable figure in the eyes of some.
He turned his back and walked away, leaving behind an opponent defeated both physically and mentally.
An ugly victory. But in this... In the world you're trying to rewrite, beauty cannot save lives. Only victory can.
…
Post-fight, I left the ring with a lingering edge of tension. Sure, I'd won, but it wasn't a cakewalk. Kaede had juice - if I hadn't played my Quirk right, she could've flipped the script. And yeah, pressing a diamond-tipped thumb right against her windpipe wasn't exactly 'heroic,' but it forced her to back off. It got the job done.
I hit the hallway to the waiting room, shaking it off, refocusing. Stepped inside, and there they were - Izuku, Kirishima, and Bakugo.
But there was no welcoming committee vibe this time. The air was thick, suffocatingly quiet.
Izuku took a half-step back as I walked in, his face pale, green eyes wide with a mix of shock and genuine concern. "Ryuga-kun..." he started, his voice trembling slightly. "That last move... did you really have to go that far? You... you almost crushed her throat. This is just a school tournament..."
Kirishima wasn't smiling either. He crossed his arms, his usual fiery energy replaced by a heavy, conflicted frown. "Yeah, man. I get that you were in a tight spot under that lock, but going for a lethal strike on a classmate who just wanted to grapple? That wasn't very manly at all. It felt... brutal."
"Brutal?" Bakugo scoffed, pushing off the wall. His glare sliced through me, dripping with absolute disgust. "It was cowardly shit. You panicked because some 1-C extra had you pinned like a bitch, so you resorted to a cheap, lethal threat like a cornered rat. Don't act like that makes you strong, you bastard."
I stood there, letting their judgment wash over me. It stung, maybe more than I expected, but I didn't flinch.
"Call it whatever you want," I said, my voice flat, unapologetic. "In a real fight, villains don't tap out when they get you in a chokehold. They snap your neck. I broke the hold using the quickest, most efficient method without actually killing her."
Izuku swallowed hard, looking down at his hands, his knuckles white. "But the pros are watching, Ryuga-kun. We're supposed to show them we can be heroes... to save people, not terrify them like killers."
I shrugged, turning my back to them to grab a water bottle from the table. "I'm surviving, Izuku. If they can't handle how I do it, that's their problem."
The silence returned, heavier and colder than before. They didn't get it. They still lived in that bright, idealized bubble of heroism where no one has to cross the line. And honestly? I didn't have the energy to pop it for them. Not today.
"Next ones'll be tougher," Izuku finally muttered, breaking the ice but keeping his distance, the warmth from before completely gone. "Just... be careful, Ryuga-kun."
I flinched inwardly, sensing the chasm that had just opened up between us, but I forced a strained nod. "You too, Izuku. Plug your ears and swing hard - or play deaf to Shinso. Trust me."
…
Real talk, it was wild how everything - except my fight - stuck to the original story's rails. Seeing it live, though? Way more vivid, way more gripping.
Izuku's match with Shinso? He took my advice - didn't lean on One For All to break the mind control. Instead, he zoned out, ignored the bait, and knocked Shinso out with one clean, restrained punch. Not too light, but Izuku always pulled back just enough on humans - both walked away unscratched. Add his sportsmanlike vibe, and yeah, his fight was quick like mine but a hell of a lot prettier.
Other matches had their moments too - Bakugo and Ochako's especially. Bakugo, no surprise, steamrolled her with raw power, dishing out a brutal beatdown with that asshole attitude I already despised. Made me hate him more. But that smug face of his? It wouldn't last.
Toga was probably halfway to our place by now. She knew the weight of those files I'd handed her - hard proof of Bakugo and his crew tormenting Izuku back in middle school. This wasn't just about spilling tea - it was step one of my long game, a personal grudge, and a middle finger to the shitty plot points I wasn't letting play out.
Izuku, you're my friend. If you ever found out I'm behind this, it'd torch whatever we've got - any angle of it. But fairness for what you went through? That's worth it. It'll push us both forward, one way or another.