Nezu observed two of his most enigmatic students with amusement. Tetsumaru was returning from a suspicious absence-again-and Terumi Mei was heading to the arena once more.
The match between Iida and Todoroki had already concluded, with Endeavor's son qualifying as one of the finalists. Now, the other participant would be decided between the siblings, but Nezu already knew who was going to win.
After all, Tetsumaru had taken it upon himself to reveal the outcome. Still, he wished to learn more about this peculiar duo, and he suspected that this match would allow him to do just that.
In the stands, the students of Class 1-A watched with anticipation. For everyone other than Nezu and the combatants themselves, the winner of this contest was uncertain.
—I think Mei has the advantage. She's stronger, faster, and she can release huge amounts of water, like that time at the USJ. It's as if her Quirk is Tetsumaru's natural enemy— Tsuyu pointed out.
—But if anyone knows Mei's capabilities, it's Tetsumaru. I don't think he hasn't devised strategies to deal with enemies who counter him as directly as his own sister— Momo reflected.
—That makes sense. What do you think, Bakugo?— Jiro asked the blonde, who was sitting next to her with his mouth wrapped in bandages and some crushed candies in his hands, courtesy of Recovery Girl.
The girl's smile deepened at the death glare the boy shot her, his face contorted as a testament to the anger flooding his heart.
—Hey, hey, it's about to start!-—Kirishima called out, and everyone turned their attention to the arena. Especially Todoroki, since his opponent for the final round would be decided here.
With Midnight's whip cutting through the air, the fight between the siblings began.
Mei lunged straight at Tetsumaru at high speed, her chakra-infused fist shooting toward the boy's expressionless face.
A thicker-than-usual Satetsu barrier absorbed the impact and trapped Mei's hand up to the wrist. Unfazed, the kunoichi aimed a kick at her opponent's ribs, which was also intercepted by the sand.
With a strong tug, Mei broke free of her restraints and began a relentless assault on her other half. A shower of punches, forearms, knees, and kicks rained down on Tetsumaru, who did not move at all and blocked every single one of Mei's attempts to hit him.
A kick to the temple was blocked, a jab at the eyes was deflected, a heel to the calves was intercepted. And it didn't stop there.
Mei spun around Tetsumaru, attacking from the back as well without a second's pause. The kunoichi was imitating the "Apnea Blow" of a certain death-row inmate.
With perfect control over her breathing, she continued her assault uninterruptedly, which left more than one pro-hero surprised. But Tetsumaru's impenetrable defense also gave people something to talk about.
The Satetsu blocked all the blows, even those aimed at his back, without the black-haired boy turning toward his sister.
A full minute was how long this state of relentless strikes and absolute defense lasted.
It was Tetsumaru who broke the deadlock with a wave of sand that forced the kunoichi to jump back.
Spear-like constructs formed from the sand and surrounded the black-haired figure, orbiting him like moons around a planet.
With a flick of his fingers, the spears shot out at Mei in rapid succession.
The current form of the Fifth Mizukage put on a show of her agility, skillfully evading all of her brother's attempts to stab her with pure physical ability.
The spears pierced the concrete, missing their target-who was moving back and forth at high speed-by mere centimeters.
With a graceful spin, Mei grabbed one of the spears and used it as her own weapon to deflect the other attacks.
Demonstrating her mastery of polearms in the process, the kunoichi closed the distance again and stabbed Tetsumaru in the stomach.
Before the spear could hit its mark, the sand composing it reverted from its solid state and flowed away from the shinobi's sides like streams of water. The same happened with the orbiting spears and those buried in the concrete.
With the sand returning to Tetsumaru's position, Mei jumped aside and backed away again, as she would have been surrounded by attacks from the front and back.
This development allowed the less perceptive pro-heroes to realize the weakness that All For One believed he had noticed regarding the solidification of the Satetsu.
—Such action! What moves! Terumi Mei is showing off her entire close-combat arsenal, but her brother's defense won't yield to anything!— Present Mic yelled, momentarily stunning Aizawa.
The intensity of this fight thrilled the observing crowd. It not only surprised the audience and the students from the other courses. From their home in Musutafu, Sakura and Sasuke watched the confrontation between their adopted children, completely speechless.
Neither of them had any idea of the children's true capabilities, and seeing them fight was certainly a shock for the couple, as neither Tetsumaru nor Mei had shown such skill in previous matches.
Back in the arena, a fierce smile appeared on Mei's calm face. Her hands rose, her fingers forming cannons like those of a pistol.
For his part, Tetsumaru created a platform and rose into the air, opening his storage seals to summon more Satetsu.
Water bullets flew, meeting the sand barriers without being able to penetrate them. But the shots did not cease.
Mei turned into a Gatling gun, bombarding Tetsumaru with an infinite round of bullets. The results became evident within seconds, as inert and muddy chunks of sand fell from the barriers, staining the ground.
Suddenly, the Satetsu hardened and compressed balls of sand rained down from the sky. Their power was similar to the water bullets, but their superior mass allowed them to easily disperse their counterparts without opposition.
For the second time, Mei was forced to run back and forth. The battle seemed lost for the kunoichi due to Tetsumaru's aerial superiority. That is until Mei flipped the script with a single move.
Surprising everyone, including those who saw her at the USJ against the Nomu, Mei unleashed a massive wave from her seals, creating a small Tsunami of almost ten meters high that completely enveloped her.
Faced with the large volume of water, the Satetsu spheres lost their power without even getting halfway and dissolved into the liquid.
A fish tank that is thick enough can deflect bullets. A body of water that large renders them completely useless, and the speed at which Tetsumaru fires is nowhere near that of a real bullet.
—W-what in the world?! Terumi Mei had been saving this card until now?!— shouted Present Mic, verbalizing the disbelief of everyone watching.
Bakugo's expression only twisted even more. He was defeated, and the damn girl didn't even use her full power.