“MEZO SHOJI VS. IBARA SHIOZAKI!”

Shoji looked around, noting the more subdued atmosphere after the incident.

No longer were the exaggerated cheering and overall rowdiness of the crowd present; instead, they acted as one would expect of a large congregation of people.

Loud due to the many noises, but not excessively so to the point one could tell they were doing it on purpose.

His gaze roamed around, stopping momentarily on his parents, noting their attentiveness to his match.

'Everyone’s on edge due to Suijin, huh?'

Next, moving his gaze, he found All Might standing with a smile that Shoji could somehow tell was particularly stiff.

He still hadn’t gone back up to his chair that’d been extended up into the sky, now having his two feet rest on the ground in a section reserved for the UA staff.

Finished with his survey, the masked boy returned his eyes to ground level, looking at the Vine-Haired girl, his opponent.

Her gaze was forthright, peering deep past him, as if she’d seen the outcome of this battle before it even began.

One look at her, and Mezo stopped his thoughts of asking her to surrender; he knew that with her type, all you’d get was a riled-up version.

And that was perhaps even more dangerous, as she didn’t seem like the type to easily lose control of her emotions.

In his head, he repeated President Mic's countdown, immediately jumping back as the yellow-haired man counted to 0.

And not a moment too soon, as two vines popped out from underneath the tile in an attempt to grab his legs.

He noted the impassive look on her face, concluding that she was probing him, testing how her quirk would work with his in a frontal assault.

'Not good.'

Shiozaki held a complete advantage in non-close-range battles, meaning Shoji had to even the field.

He used his enhanced strength to stomp on the cement ground, breaking it into little chunks and revealing the network of vines that were pining for him!

Upon their discovery, the inorganic material immediately went for his arms and legs, trying again to restrain him.

And he let them.

So there he was, with his limbs bound and outstretched, playing into someone’s dark fantasies.

But he wouldn't leave things like this.

"The tension is palpable, folks!" President Mic exclaimed, his voice crackling with excitement.

"Shoji, bound by Shiozaki's vines, is showing no signs of backing down! What a display of determination and resilience! But can he break free from this entanglement and turn the tide of the battle?"

The second Shoji saw a hint of tension leave her face, he pulled, utilizing the monstrous strength he possessed.

Waves upon waves of vines were dug from the ground and in the direction of him; his plan was simple: if she wished to hide, then he’d have to forcefully bring her into the light.

If he was lucky, he’d drag her into his territory from across the stadium, and it’d be his win then.

That wasn’t the case.

With a mildly surprised face yet still holding the facade of calmness, she ‘disconnected’ her outside vines from the ones growing on her head, letting him pull the detached ones towards him.

Shoji noted down the new application of her quirk, yet still grinned behind the light blue mask he wore.

'Works for me.'

The bow wrapped the excess vines around the upper parts of his wrist, and once he was sure that they were secure, he immediately swung them around, using the two long pieces of vine as whips to attack the ground.

Rubble and chunks of cement rose from the cracks, obscuring their clear walkway and sight, and Shoji used that to his advantage.

The dust cloud obscured vision, and with surprising pace for one of his size, he dashed to the girl.

Moving in a Zig-Zag formation prevented her from getting a clear grasp on his location, and the other factors didn’t let her know where he was.

So utilizing such caution, the girl backed up, trying to retreat from her place; he stood on her vines, using them as footsteps as she quickly backpedaled.

Her vigilance was raised to the maximum as she searched for him, but alas, she couldn’t find him.

How could she when he was right behind her?

Her back collided with a hard, sturdy front, and with the clearing of his throat, Shoji informed her of his presence.

He ignored the quick head spin and instead sent a gut-churning punch at her, making her soar through the air and almost get pushed out of the arena in one shot.

Luckily for her, the vines that quickly rose to protect her body grabbed her, shielding the girl from flying out of the stadium.

Shiozaki stood up with bated breath, his eyes shaking like crazy in the face of Shoji’s overwhelming power.

Could she win?

The proud girl erased such a weak thought from her mind immediately; she would win.

And she knew just the way.

With newfound enthusiasm, she grabbed some of the long pieces from the floor and wrapped them around her skin in a similar disorganized pattern.

This time, with thorns threatening to poison to all who touched them, she looked entirely different, from a mage-type build to a CQC one.

'At least that's what Suijin would say.'

Shoji set up as well, crouching down and narrowing his eyes at his target.

The two beasts pounced at the same time, fist meeting fist, strength meeting strength.

He was easily beating her in strength, but those thorns were piercing his skin, causing rashes and blood to cover his fist.

 'Poison.'