Ken paced up and down the wall of the waiting room, the very same way he had done at the entrance exam to UA International. But somehow, now it felt like the stakes were even higher. He had the chance to really show off, in front of all of Paragon! Everyone would see him, everyone would know what he was up to- and despite his usual fantasizing about being a famous hero one day, he was overtaken by anxiety. 

Ken jumped as a hand slapped his back “KEN!” 

He spun around glancing up at Thijs, who laughed seeing how spooked Ken got. 

“Dude… why..?” Ken pleaded, “Why’d you have to do that?” 

“You were out of it, and I brought you back into it” Thijs leaned against the wall, handing over a water bottle that he had brought over for Ken. 

“You’re doubting yourself when there’s no reason to, you’re gonna kick-ass!” The tall boy continued as Ken drank the water with excessive urgency.

Wiping his mouth, Ken tried to match Thijs’ enthusiasm for a moment “YEAH! I’m gonna kick-” but faltered quite quickly “..NO Im gonna get MY ass kicked, Thijs” Ken whined, “I’m up against a class B kid, I know nothing about him-”

“Well that’s your fault for not doing your research,” Thijs pointed.

“Thijs you’re not helping!!”

“Didn’t you see him during the previous games? His name’s Evan - eh- Seaver, right?” 

“Yeah.. that’s the one- but I can’t match a face in my mind.. And most importantly a quirk”

“Well then you’re gonna have to improvise! Don’t you say yourself that you’re great at improvising?”

“Yeah- I do say that don’t I..” 

“You absolutely do. Then why are you doubting, you’ll do great!” Thijs waved his hand, “I think you have some of the best chances to get through the finals of all of us!”

Ken’s smile started coming back “Thanks Thijs”, and hearing the speaker call Ken to the arena, he took a deep breath. 

Thijs offered a fist bump which Ken enthusiastically returned, as Thijs mouthed “Kick-ass”.

Ken nodded and turned around, stretching his arms in anticipation of the fight. 

---

There stood his opponent. Ken squinted.. What was going on with him? The boy in front of him seemed huge, his extremities swollen and something.. Dripping. Ken tuned into the announcer.

“And on the other side of the arena we have one of Class B’s powerhouses! Hailing from the Golden state, this guy takes the term surf’s up to the next level, hope y’all brought your wetsuits! Welcome, Evan Seaver!” 

Ken’s mind paced.. Surf’s up… wetsuit.. He glanced back at Evan’s arms… water?? Did this guy have a water based quirk? 

Ken’s eyes met Evan’s, who promptly gave him a smile, which looked rather goofy with his cheeks all puffed out.

“Fighters... BEGIN!” 

Evan immediately leaned forward and started bullrushing, his weight moving him forward.

Ken braced himself, quickly growing his usual wooden lances on both arms, it was always a good call, no matter the opponent, staying light on his feet as he tried to get a better sense of Evan’s quirk. 

“Evan makes the first offensive move while Ken remains on the defensive,”

And as he approached, Ken noticed something about the boy’s skin- it was porous.. Like a sponge.

Evan lifted a heavy arm and immediately a horizontal water jet shot directly towards Ken. 

“WOW!! What incredible power, warned you folks, this was going to be a show” 

Ken had barely enough time to cross his arms to prevent a direct hit to the face, which would have certainly knocked him out. The pressure continued and Ken was steadily pushed back. “Shit!!!” Ken thought to himself “Why didn’t I move? I made myself such an easy target” Ken focused, growing shallow roots to tether himself to the ground, and ducking out of the way of the water jet as he kicked his feet. 

He started circling Evan, and the jet followed close behind, with Evan now directly in the center of the arena, pivoting and directing the water current. 

Ken went through his options through his head, but only one thing seemed clear, as long as the jet was on him- “... I can’t get to this guy!” 

“Seems like it's a bit hard for Ken to evade Evan’s water jet, is he just going to keep running laps?”

Ken was now on the opposite side of the arena compared to where he started. But that’s when he noticed, the power of the jet was weakening, and Evan was returning to a more regular shape. 

Then, within moments the jet stopped completely, as Evan lowered his hands to the ground. Ken watched as the boy’s arms started to swell up again, as he reabsorbed the water that had formed a puddle around him. 

“Now’s my chance!” Ken jumped into a run, his spikes morphing into branches with which he hoped he could trap Evan. 

“Ken’s turn to rush in, see how easily his body transforms with his quirk!”

But Evan was ready for Ken’s attack, snapping up and catching Ken’s branches with his hands. The two were face to face, pushing at each other. Evan’s turquoise hair was swept back, though given the moisture some strands were starting to hang down. 

“Hey!! I don’t think we’ve met before-” Evan spoke up to Ken’s surprise, talking with relative ease, while Ken grit his teeth to keep pushing.

“I get it, don’t worry- if it’s hard to reply, no obligation - but we should definitely catch up after this is done! Which-- should be soon!” As suddenly as before, Evan’s jet started up again, sending water spurting in all directions as it hit Ken’s bark. 

“Seems like they’re evenly matched now! It’ll be a matter of who gives way first!”

Evan was quite a bit taller and larger than Ken, so Ken once more started to root himself. But this time, his roots managed to grow deeper.. right in the middle of the arena where Evan had been standing all this time, the concrete had become saturated and softened by water. 

Evan gave another big push, the bark coming from Ken’s feet crackling under the combined pressures.

That’s when Ken was struck with an idea. Just like Evan had attempted, all it would take would be one big push for a win. But Ken couldn’t outpush Evan if he pushed forward… instead- he knew he had to be creative. 

Leaning down, Ken hid his face in his shoulders, as Evan kept trying to take a step forward or move Ken from where he was. But it was no use. 

Ken took a deep breath and directed all his power to his feet. “Super move… Mangrove Force!!” 

In a split second a barrage of roots and branches erupted right under Evan’s feet, “WHAT’S THAT?” The announcer had barely any time to respond as Evan was launched into the air and to the side.The boy crashed down, his forearms landing just out of the arena bounds. 

Ken blinked and put his arms up, splinters flying all around. His knees buckled under him as the boy fell against the growth that he just produced, trying to catch his breath. 

“With an explosive end, Ken Hill is the winner of this round”

Evan glanced up from where he lay, eyes wide, but smiling. 

---

Ken had to be helped off the arena as he had spent all his energy on the final move. But a few moments later and with the help of an oxygen mask Ken was coming back, sitting in a chair in the med-bay. 

Thijs rushed in with his arms up in celebration “KICK ASS!!! I told you, didn’t I??”

Ken could only really nod and give a feeble thumbs up. But then Ken saw how another person entered, his eyes widening and he straightened up. Thijs turned around seeing Ken’s reaction, as now Evan was standing in front of them. 

“Ken! That was awesome- You really made me work hard! Congrats,” Evan flexed his arm. He was significantly slimmer than before, almost unrecognizable, broad shoulders and by all means a swimmer’s physique. Also, sea-sponge-like protrusions had become visibly smaller, leaving almost nothing but yellow patches, while the yellow line on his face had significantly slimmed down too. 

“I really didn’t see that final move coming-- heh- seems it took a lot out of you?” The boy paused, scratching the back of his head.

Ken put the oxygen mask aside, “Sure did- holy shit dude you gave me no break” he breathed, gesturing down with his hand. 

“Sorry I didn’t- reply to your- invitation to converse out there” Ken continued with a light laugh.

“Gah- don’t worry about that as I said- it was mostly meant as a distraction in alllll honesty- But hey! You got lucky, it seems like my own quirk ultimately gave you an advantage, huh? You’re a plant boy so you do well with water, and I got plenty of that.” 

Ken nodded “You’re right about that as well,” 

“Ah, I see… Can’t believe I hadn’t met you before - Well, now I have! I guess you should be focusing on getting ready for the next fight… I’ll be rootin’ for you!” Evan gave a hearty laugh and as promptly as he had entered, he left the room, waving off with a shaka. 

Ken leaned back in his chair and sighed.