In the center of a cleared ring, Katsuki Bakugo and a boy from Shiketsu High are squared off. The Shiketsu student—tall, with a cocky smirk—just said something that made Katsuki’s eye twitch.

It’s a clean, brutal one-on-one at first. Controlled explosions against reinforced strikes. They’re evenly matched, for about thirty seconds.

Then the Shiketsu boy overextends. Katsuki pivots, an explosion at point-blank range forcing him back a step. The smirk is gone, replaced by a scowl of effort.

From the Shiketsu sidelines, a girl with her hair in twin buns watches, eyes narrowed. She takes a step forward. Then another.

As Katsuki drives his opponent back with a series of rapid blasts, she darts in from behind. Her hand closes in his spiked blond hair.

She yanks. Hard.