The roar of the crowd was deafening.

  Hancock stood in the tunnel leading to the stadium, wearing her UA gym uniform, her long black hair flowing loose down her back. Around her, Class 1-A buzzed with nervous energy.

  "THIS IS IT!" Kirishima pumped his fist. "TIME TO SHOW EVERYONE WHAT WE'VE GOT!"

  "We should remain focused," Iida said, though his own excitement was obvious. "Remember, hero agencies will be watching!"

  Hancock remained silent, her expression calm. But internally, her heart raced.

  The entire country was watching. Millions of eyes.

  "Oi, Empress."

  She turned to find Bakugo beside her, hands in his pockets, expression serious.

  "Remember what we talked about," he said quietly. "No holding back."

  "The same applies to you."

  "Tch. I never hold back." But his eyes were intense, searching. "You nervous?"

  "No."

  "Liar. Your hands are shaking."

  Hancock looked down. He was right—a barely perceptible tremor. She clenched her fists.

  "It's just adrenaline."

  "Sure it is." Bakugo stepped closer, his voice dropping so only she could hear. "Listen. You're gonna do fine. You're strong, you're smart, and when you actually try, you're amazing. So stop overthinking and just fight."

  Before Hancock could respond, Midoriya's voice cut through the tunnel. "Todoroki! What did you mean by that?"

  They turned to see Todoroki confronting Midoriya, his expression cold.

  "I'm going to beat you," Todoroki said bluntly. "All Might has his eye on you, but I'll show him I can win without my father's power."

  The tunnel went quiet. Hancock felt the tension radiating from the exchange.

  "Oi, Icy-Hot!" Bakugo shouted. "Don't go making declarations of war on your own! If anyone's gonna beat Deku, it's me!"

  "You're both overconfident," Hancock said coolly, drawing their attention. "There are forty-two students from multiple classes competing. Declaring victory before the first event is premature."

  "Ha! Listen to the Empress!" Bakugo grinned viciously. "She's right. We're all gonna fight. May the best one win."

  "ARE YOU READY?!" Present Mic's voice boomed through the stadium. "GIVE IT UP FOR OUR FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS!"

  They walked out into blinding sunlight and earth-shaking applause.

  Hancock's eyes swept across the massive stadium—every seat filled, cameras everywhere, pro heroes in special viewing sections.

  This was it.

  Midnight, the R-rated Hero, explained the first event: the Obstacle Race. A four-kilometer course around the stadium with various obstacles.

  "Only the top forty-two will advance to the next round!" she announced with her usual sensual flair. "Now, take your positions!"

  Hancock positioned herself near the middle of the pack. Too far forward and she'd be caught in the initial crush. Too far back and she'd waste energy catching up.

  Bakugo was at the front, naturally. Todoroki beside him. Midoriya looked terrified but determined.

  "BEGIN!"

  The starting gate opened and chaos erupted. Students slammed into the narrow corridor, bodies pressing together in their desperation to get ahead.

  Hancock enhanced her physical abilities and leaped upward, using other students' shoulders and the walls to parkour over the crowd. She wasn't the only one—several students with mobility Quirks did the same.

  But then the temperature plummeted.

  Todoroki had frozen the ground behind him, trapping dozens of students in ice. Hancock landed just beyond the frozen zone, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to avoid the trap.

  "Clever," she muttered, already running.

  The first obstacle emerged: the Zero-Pointer robots from the entrance exam. Three of them blocked the path, massive and intimidating.

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  Todoroki froze them solid. Bakugo blasted over them. Other students with powerful Quirks destroyed or circumvented them.

  Hancock assessed quickly. Her Mero Mero Mellow wouldn't work—robots had no emotions. Her physical attacks could damage them but not efficiently.

  She needed a new approach.

  The joints, she realized. They're mechanical. If I can disable the joints...

  She enhanced her legs and ran straight at the nearest robot. As it swung its massive arm toward her, she slid beneath it, popped up, and delivered a Perfume Femur directly to its knee joint.

  The concentrated force, amplified by her hormonal enhancement, shattered the mechanical components. The robot's leg buckled.

  Another kick to its other knee, and it collapsed forward, creating a ramp.

  Hancock ran up its back and leaped off, clearing the robot obstacle entirely.

  Efficient, she thought with satisfaction. I'm learning.

  The second obstacle was "The Fall"—a massive canyon crossed by narrow pillars connected by ropes. Students had to navigate across without falling.

  Some students flew across. Others used their Quirks creatively. Hancock watched as Ashido dissolved the pillars with acid to create makeshift bridges.

  Hancock enhanced her balance and agility, then ran across the ropes with dancer-like grace. Her years of training alone had made her exceptionally aware of her own body control.

  She was somewhere in the top fifteen now, she estimated. Todoroki and Bakugo were still ahead, but she was gaining ground.

  The final obstacle: The Mine Field.

  The ground was littered with pressure-activated mines—not lethal, but enough to blast you backward and waste precious time.

  The leaders were being cautious, testing their steps carefully.

  Hancock slowed, analyzing the pattern. The mines were visible as slight bumps in the dirt. If she could map a safe path...

  But that would take time she didn't have.

  Or, a wild idea occurred to her, I could use them.

  She enhanced her leg strength to maximum and deliberately stepped on a mine at the edge of the field. The explosion launched her forward through the air. She twisted mid-flight, landed on another mine, and used that explosion to propel herself further.

  It was reckless. Insane. Each blast hurt, jarring her bones even with her enhanced durability.

  But it was working.

  "HOLY—IS THAT HANCOCK?!" Present Mic's voice boomed. "SHE'S USING THE MINES AS PROPULSION! THAT'S EITHER GENIUS OR CRAZY!"

  "Why not both?" Aizawa's dry voice added.

  Hancock blast-jumped through the field, her appearance now covered in soot and dust, her gym uniform torn in places from the explosions. She passed several students, the explosions propelling her closer to the leaders.

  One final mine, and she was airborne above the last section of the course. She could see the stadium entrance ahead, could see Todoroki and Bakugo neck-and-neck for first place.

  She couldn't win. Not from here. But she could secure a strong position.

  Hancock landed running, her legs burning from the enhanced strain, and crossed the finish line.

  "EIGHTH PLACE—BOA HANCOCK FROM CLASS 1-A!"

  The crowd erupted in applause. Hancock stumbled slightly, catching her breath, her hair wild and her costume torn in places.

  "THAT WAS INSANE!" Ashido crashed into her with an enthusiastic hug before Hancock could dodge. "Using the mines! That was so cool!"

  Hancock stiffened at the contact but didn't push her away. "It was... logical."

  "It was awesome!" Kirishima added, grinning. "Super manly—er, womanly? You know what I mean!"

  More Class 1-A students finished—Iida, Tokoyami, Yaoyorozu. They gathered together, catching their breaths, watching as the remaining students crossed the line.

  Bakugo appeared suddenly, grabbing Hancock's wrist. "That mine trick. Where'd you learn that?"

  "I improvised."

  "Ha! See? This is what you're capable of when you actually try!" His grin was fierce, proud even. "Eighth place in the entrance exam, eighth place in the obstacle race. You've got a thing for that number."

  "I'm consistent."

  "You're improving. There's a difference." He released her wrist but didn't move away. "Next round, we're probably on opposite teams. I'm not gonna go easy on you."

  Midnight announced the second event: Cavalry Battle. Teams of two to four members, points based on placement in the obstacle race.

  "AND THE PERSON IN FIRST PLACE—TODOROKI SHOTO—IS WORTH TEN MILLION POINTS!"

  The stadium exploded with noise. Every eye turned to Todoroki, who remained impassive.

  Hancock calculated quickly. Eighth place made her worth 155 points. Respectable, but not enough to be an immediate target.

  "Hancock!" Yaoyorozu approached with Jiro and Kaminari. "Would you like to join our team?"

  Before she could answer, another voice cut in.

  "Oi, Empress!"

  Bakugo stood with Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido. "You're on my team. Let's go."

  It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact.

  Yaoyorozu looked between them. "I believe Hancock should make her own choice, Bakugo."

  "She already has. Right, Empress?"

  Hancock looked at Bakugo. His red eyes were challenging, confident. He knew she'd choose his team. The arrogance should have annoyed her.

  Instead, she found herself walking toward him.

  "I'll join Bakugo's team," she said to Yaoyorozu. "I apologize."

  Yaoyorozu looked surprised but nodded gracefully. "I understand. Good luck."

  As Hancock joined Bakugo's group, Ashido squealed. "YES! Dream team! This is gonna be amazing!"

  "Alright, listen up!" Bakugo immediately took command. "Here's the plan. Kirishima's the front horse—he can harden and take hits. Sero's the left, Ashido's the right. Empress, you're the rider with me."

  "TWO riders?" Sero asked, confused.

  "Empress and I both have high point values. We'll be targets anyway, so we might as well double our offensive capability. She attacks from range, I attack up close. We'll be unstoppable."

  Hancock considered the strategy. Unconventional, but it could work.

  "How will we both maintain balance?" she asked.

  "Same way we trained. Trust." Bakugo met her eyes. "You trust me to keep you stable. I trust you to watch my back. Got it?"

  Trust.

  There was that word again. The one she'd spent years avoiding.

  But looking at Bakugo now, remembering how they'd fought at the USJ, how they'd trained together all week, she found herself nodding.

  "Got it."

  "HELL YEAH!" Kirishima pumped his fist. "Let's do this!"

  They formed up—Kirishima, Sero, and Ashido creating a stable base, with Bakugo and Hancock perched together on top. It required careful balance and coordination, but they made it work.

  "TEAMS, TAKE YOUR POSITIONS!" Midnight announced.

  Hancock looked across the field at the other teams. Todoroki's team had Yaoyorozu, Iida, and Kaminari—a powerhouse combination. Midoriya's team looked scrappy but determined.

  Everyone was eyeing Todoroki's ten million points.

  "We going for it?" Kirishima asked.

  "Not yet," Bakugo said. "Let everyone else tire themselves out fighting over the ten million. We'll pick off the weaker teams, rack up points, then strike when Icy-Hot's guard is down."

  "A patient strategy," Hancock observed. "I'm impressed."

  "I'm not just explosions and rage, Empress. I can think tactically."

  "BEGIN!"