In the Monitor Room, Luke, Nyx, and Midoriya watched the TV Screen, showing Kirishima and Sato lying on the ground.
Chunks of cement blocks surrounded the two passed-out students, Pro Hero Cementoss standing tall in the background.
In the first match, Kirishima and Sato had decided upon a headfirst strategy, going directly at the Pro Hero.
With Eijiro's Hardening Quirk and Sato's Sugar Rush, giving him a massive physical boost, both could destroy many walls of cement to reach the Cementoss and put handcuffs on him, winning the match.
Or, so they had thought.
Cementoss, despite lacking mobility, turned the entire match into a battle of attrition.
Soon, both the students' Quirks ran out, and the teacher successfully trapped them, forcing Recovery Girl to leave the Monitor Room to heal the boys.
"They are coming after us with everything they've got," Midoriya remarked. "Kirishima and Sato should have focused on a dual strategy of distracting and running, instead of finishing it fast."
"Hmm…" Luke agreed, Nyx pruning her feathers perched on his shoulder.
Almost all students had decided to work on their strategies instead of coming to the Monitor Room to watch the ongoing matches.
However, in Luke and Midoriya's case, it was nigh impossible to plan anything when Bakugo was involved.
Still, Luke didn't think they actually needed to talk to Bakugo to know what he would do.
"Bakugo will definitely go after All Might," Luke said as the second match started. "Between you and me, one will have to keep Erasure Head occupied."
Midoriya stared at the screen as Asui and Fumikage fought Ectoplasm, who could make clones of himself.
Fumikage's Dark Shadow was well-suited for long-range attacks.
Using clones, the Pro Hero could instead attack Fumikage himself, going after his weakness.
However, when a few of the clones slipped by the Dark Shadow, Fumikage used the martial arts he had been practicing since the first term to defend himself.
In return, Ectoplasm just increased the number of Clones from 15 to 30, overwhelming the two students.
"I will use Delay on All Might," Luke said, narrowing his eyes as Ectoplasm created a massive Clone, trapping both Asui and Fumikage. "Then, using Reinforcement, I will focus on leaving the Battle Site.
"Even if Erasure Head cancels your Quirk, you should go after him anyway. Keep him involved in hand-to-hand combat. Throw sand in his eyes, if you have to. But don't let him cancel my Quirk because Delay will be canceled, too, then."
On the screen, the trapped Asui vomited out handcuffs before masterfully handing them over to the Dark Shadow.
The creature then attacked Ectoplasm, who couldn't make more clones because of the giant clone trapping the students.
As they fought, the Dark Shadow cunningly put handcuffs on Ectoplasm's leg, making Asui and Fumikage the winners of the second match.
In the Monitor Room, Nyx patted Luke's shoulder and nudged her beak toward Midoriya.
Luke, who was too buried in his thoughts about the upcoming fight, looked in Midoriya's direction and found the boy looking at him with an open mouth.
"… What?" Luke asked.
Midoriya closed his mouth, blushing. "No. No… Just. First time seeing you so serious…"
Luke let out a chuckle, despite not feeling like smiling at all. At first, he'd thought that it was his father who had put this surveillance on him, turning Dr. Blessed into a terrorist.
The terrorist matter might indeed be Reijirou Saionji's idea, but now Luke knew that the heavy Surveillance on him wasn't.
Luke knew Sand well enough to know the guy wasn't joking around.
The assassin wanted to see if Luke was strong enough to escape Villains on the level of All Might and Erasure Head, using his Quirks and depending on his friends.
Dr. Blessed had already kidnapped Luke twice, as far as Sand was concerned.
A third time could be throwing Saionji Group's years' worth of investment down the drain, playing with the future of the entire world.
So, in Sand's eyes, the best way to tell Luke to stop fucking around was this.
Luke might not care about Training Camp.
He did care about his freedom.
Without Sand lifting the eyes off him, he wouldn't be able to resume his investigations as Dr. Blessed. Not to mention, the other members of the Apostles of Mr. Fool were counting on him, too, now.
Luke took a deep breath, nodding to himself.
There was only one option — only one outcome — in front of him.
He walked up to Midoriya as Tenya Ida and Ojiro won against Power Loader Pro Hero on the screen, winning the third match.
Seeing Luke approach him with a dead serious face unnerved Midoriya. The only time he remembered seeing such an expression on Luke's face was during the Sports Festival, and that hadn't ended well for either of them.
Luke put his hand on Midoriya's shoulder, making the boy jump a bit.
"… Yes?" Midoriya asked. "Have you…"
"We need to win this, Deku," Luke said, looking flat into the boy's eyes. "Do you understand? We need to win it at any cost. Even if… we need to sacrifice your body…"
Nyx gave a hard nod, agreeing with Luke as well.
"…" Midoriya.
"…" Recovery Girl, standing at the entrance.
… Why only my body?! Midoriya's lips twitched as Luke returned to his position and began watching the fourth match.
The fourth match was between Todoroki and Momo against Dust Hero: Sand.
For the first time, Luke, Nyx, and Midoriya dropped all their thoughts to focus on the match instead.
Sand had taught them for the entire first term.
But, as a teacher of Close Combat, he had limited himself to that only.
Even during the USJ Incident, Sand hadn't unleashed his full capabilities because of the disadvantageous terrain.
This would be the first time they would see the Pro Hero in full action.
"If Todoroki and Momo play it out carefully," Midoriya said, holding his chin, "then they can beat Sand. He can control sand, but Todoroki's ice can counter it. Meanwhile…"
"No…"
Midoriya, stunned, looked in Luke's direction and found him shaking his head.
"… Todoroki and Momo…" Luke said, looking at the two students, "… have already lost."
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