The dust hadn't even settled when Ihsasih stepped back, his expression unreadable. The eerie silence around the arena was broken only by the fading crackles of heat that still lingered in the air. Before anyone could move, Ihsasih suddenly turned, and vanished into thin air.
No portal. No flash of light. Just... gone.
Kacchan, still holding Izuku's unconscious but slowly healing body in his arms, blinked in disbelief. "What the hell…?"
Ihsasih had disappeared without a trace.
Izuku slowly opened his eyes. Everything felt hazy, as if he were still trapped in a dream. He felt warmth, but no pain. Something soothing moved through his body, gentle yet powerful.
He saw a face
Kacchan's.
It was close. So close he could feel his breath, warm and calm. There was no rage in his eyes - not even pain. Just relief... and maybe something else Izuku couldn't quite name.
"You Idiot," Kacchan said softly, voice cracking. "Don't die in front of me. Never."
Izuku tried to sit up, but Kacchan gently pushed him back down. "Rest. It's not over yet."
The lights in the stadium shifted. Then, suddenly - all screens across the arena flashed.
"Final Opponent Approaching."
The crowd went silent.
A new name appeared across the central display:
Name: Rei
Quirk: Mirrorstorm
Type: Unknown
"Rei…?" Izuku repeated weakly.
Kacchan's expression hardened. He knew that name, or maybe not the name, but the presence. It felt familiar, but Twisted. Dark.
Footsteps echoed. From the shadows emerged a figure cloaked in black. His silver eyes glowed in the dim light, and with every movement, the air around him shimmered like shattered glass.
"Interesting," Rei said. "Friendship. Sacrifice. Power. Let's see if it's enough against me."
Izuku stood, legs trembling. But there was resolve in his eyes.
"We won't lose," he said, voice low. Kacchan stepped beside him.
"Try not to pass out this time," he muttered with a smirk.
"Fight."
Rei stood still, his cloak fluttering unnaturally, as if moved by some unseen force.
Izuku and Kacchan exchanged a glance, not of strategy, but of trust. A silent understanding passed between them: We've fought alone. Now, we fight together.
Rei moved first.
In an instant, dozens of mirror-like shards hovered around him, reflecting twisted images of Izuku and Kacchan - some screaming, some injured, others paralyzed in fear. The illusions warped reality, trying to shake them.
"He's trying to mess with our heads," Izuku said, eyes narrowing.
"Too bad we've already been through worse," Kacchan muttered, launching himself forward with a roar of explosions.
Rei redirected the attack with a flick of his wrist, mirrors bending the blast toward Izuku, but Izuku was ready. He twisted in the air and landed beside Kacchan.
"Cover me!" Izuku shouted, sprinting into the chaos.
"AP-Shot Auto Cannon!"
Kacchan unleashed a dozen of blasts, not to hit Rei, but to shatter the mirrors one by one, clearing Izuku's path.
It wasn't chaos. It was coordination.
"LEFT!" Kacchan yelled. Izuku ducked.
"UP!" Izuku called. Kacchan flipped into the air, avoiding falling shards.
They moved as one.
Rei's eyes narrowed. "Impressive. But not enough."
Behind him, a massive mirror exploded into thousands of razor-sharp fragments, surrounding him. Each shard pulsed with energy.
Suddenly, Rei appeared behind Izuku. "Goodbye."
But the blow never landed.
Kacchan intercepted with a blast so bright it turned the arena white for a heartbeat. Izuku seized the moment, punching the ground and sending a shockwave that shattered the mirror dome's base.
Together, they charged.
Izuku's fist glowed with power; Kacchan's arms blazed with fire.
Howitzer Impact!!
Detroit Smash!!
Together, they leapt - one from above, the other from below, and struck Rei at the same time.
CRASH.
Rei was punched backward, smashing through his own mirrored dome. Shards scattered like stars. The impact sent a wave through the stadium, and the audience erupted.
Silence followed.
Rei lay still, cloak torn, blood at his lip. Slowly, he sat up, and laughed. "Maybe... friendship really is a kind of strength."
Izuku and Kacchan stood side by side, breathless.
"We're not done yet," Izuku said, though he could barely stand.
"No," Kacchan agreed. "But we're not alone."
And for the first time in a long while, both of them smiled, Together.