THIRD-PERSON POV:

Sirens rang, flashing red and blue lights awoke Hanabi from a short deep slumber. Her vision was vague grey, a sharp pitch noise clang in her ear. Her eyes looked to the hazy sky, black specks of dust falling on her eyelashes. She exhales heavily.

Pebbles of the road poked Hanabi's cheeks as she laid numb on the ground, her stomach rested flat, her limbs shaken, and from her temple, blood leaked...

She gazed back down, at her front, Naomasa, the detective, lying unconscious but his major wounds and bleeding ceased thankfully. Relieved, Hanabi smiled faintly. Her strength faded, along with her eyelids it shut close.

Naomasa's cat police colleague drove and parked by the scene. Exited his car.

Nurses rushed out of the ambulances and escorted the Hanabi and Naomasa for an immediate medic.

While so, the cat officer turned himself towards the forest, scanned the area and the car accident that had occurred; already had guessed what had happened. His worries spiked as he saw the trees above from afar, one by one dropped in number, his keen senses made him feel the rumbling of the fallen branches that crashed into each other. He figured the beast has gone loose.

The officer looks back at Naomasa as he was carried into the ambulance.

An instant response to the danger ahead is a must priority, but the officer wished his superior to make the call on what to do. He's reluctant to take all the risks, blames, and responsibilities involved in the aftermath."This is bad..." He thought, "If I don't cover this up for Sir Naomasa... the media is bound to take notice, and it'll make things worse."

***
[UA...]

"A BATTLE OF ENDURANCE!!" Present Mic yelled.

Minutes after attempts to capture Hinata with vines resulted in bruises to Shiozaki sustained quick multiple hits without the chance to catch up with Hinata's speed. However, on the other hand, wearied Hinata, unable to fully knock out Shiozaki with one brutal strike for her vines would take the advantage whenever she came close.

"I can't keep this up!" Hinata grunted. Jumps, evades turns, drifts, slides. Vines kept popping at every angle. Not a time she stayed on the ground for even a second. Shiozaki's harass was more in control of the situation than Hinata's timely small assaults.

Hinata's byakugan eyes sharpened, her speed paced faster, "Enough of this..."

A brisk moment of tranquility, her toes landed gently, movement abruptly stopped, her ankles swiftly tilted. *exhales*

*zOoM!!*

Shiozaki eyes shot wide open. "She's gone!"

Not a shadow, not a gush of wind to trace Hinata. Rapid. Silent.

Shiozaki gasped, nervous. Hastily turned and suddenly faced Hinata's kick head-on, *cough* Shiozaki spat painfully. In the second, Shiozaki's long vine hair appeared bobbed cut.

Hinata's leg retreated but in sync, Shiozaki grew back her hair and trapped Hinata.

Hinata twists her body, mid-air, her leg morphed out again the little shard of chakra she used during the kick, sliced the vines, loosed herself.

Rambled back on the ground then a vine busted out of the cement. She slid sideways, flinched her head away, her chin reacted upwards as vines shot up to her eye. Dodged it clean but suddenly beheld the sky flashed cluttered, sight tousled for that split instant.

More vines sprung out on every side, she faced back down in alert. Perfectly evaded, leaped backward off the ground after a tap from landing, not one vine caught her.

The attacks ceased, vines yielded back to their user.

Hinata awkwardly tipped-toe her, stood dangerously on the corner edge of the line. She postured herself back balance. *Phew* in relief.

Shiozaki heaved heavy, distanced from Hinata. Her hands leaned on her bent knees, but she still sorely poised herself for battle. Faced Hinata. The space below her eyes darkened, her face drained dehydrated.

"Water... I see..." Hinata's eyes widened surprised, warily stepped forward, away from the corner edge behind her. "Her vines can still grow after I cut it... but she had to extract water from her own body to grow it back..." She thought, recalling her kick from a while ago. Her byakugan proved it so, visible, the flow of fluid within her body depleted."A while back, her vines had sufficient water... when I cut it all by its roots, it lost most of it... it forced her to use the water inside of her." she concluded, a bit sorry in thought.

Hinata's walk towards Shiozaki gradually accelerated."I'm sorry... but I'll end this now."

She advanced fast, Hinata stretched out one hand, curled it into a fist, a strong emission of chakra burst, creating the image of a roaring lion.

"What!?!" Hinata was shocked to see the Jutsu appear.

Shiozaki stepped back, afraid. Her eyes widened with her brows crumpled, her teeth gritted. She cowered, prepares to brace herself.

Hinata's at her very front. Shiozaki crossed arms to her face, anticipating a direct punch, but Hinata's arm swung from below. An uppercut hits...

*Swoosh*

***

Bakugo abruptly shot up from his seat with widened eyes.
...

Classes 1 A and B and every audience fazed.
...

"WHAT?!?!!!" Present Mic screamed. "AT SUCH A CLEAR CLOSE DISTANCE, HINATA MISSED!!!!"

***

Shiozaki's eyes popped open. "She missed!?!"

"I... missed!" Hinata was caught unguarded, taken aback. Her byakugan vanished.

Shiozaki immediately pushed Hinata. Vines tangled her limbs and with the last of Shiozaki's quirk, dragged Hinata to the edge.

"I'll win!!" Shiozaki cried hopefully.

Hinata struggled to escape. Roughly used her feet against the ground, granting friction but still gradually the gap between the edge line and Hinata squeezed closer.

"What's... happening...!? my chakra... I... can't... control..." She choked out of energy. Hinata's eyes squinted frail in torment, blindly open, looked aimless.

Chakra dispersed out of her in a rush. Desperately, she tried to keep it intact.

The rot on her limbs quickened its growth towards her torso. Her chakra outbursts within her in an unruly flow. "I... can't... lose it!! Focus Hinata! Focus!!"

***

"Oi!! What the hell are you doing Red Face!??!!!!" Bakugo frowned, pissed.

***

A step away from the edge.

Hinata bit her lip, stood firmed, tightened her grip, and closed her eyes... "Focus!"

"AAAHHH IS THIS THE END!?!?!?" Present Mic shrieked.

Abruptly, the vines loosed.

Hinata sighed, fell on her knees, breathed heavily. Just an inch, still, she knelt inside the battleground's line of field.

Shiozaki froze. Like cue in delay, her vines dropped, withered dry. Later, she collapsed unconscious.

Present Mic went speechless.
"U-ugh... AND HINATA HYUUGA ADVANCES TO THE NEXT FIGHT!!" He announced slightly late.

The audience cheered.

***

"Woohoo!!!!!! Hinata won!!" Mina screamed. Class 1-A happily celebrated.

Bakugo suddenly walked out.

...

"What!? Ibara's vines could've still lasted!" Monoma reacted from the other side of the wall.

"I know..." Kendou spoke up, her hands hugged herself as if chilled, her eyes lowered. "But look, Hyuuga's exhausted."

The two gazed down as Shiozaki and Hinata were assisted by medical staff out of the battlefield.

"Just before Ibara's vines gave up, I noticed she reinforced herself for something besides Ibara's quirk... then later after that she won." Kendo continued. "That Hyuuga girl attacked in a blink of an eye without us being able to catch it... that's how she won. It's only fair."

Monoma's face crooked. "You're praising a class 1-A student!?" then suddenly he crawled up the wall and faced class 1-A thick-faced. Jirou jolted surprised to see the creepy look.

"That victory was pure luck!" Monoma stated. "If our Ibara-!"

Kendo knocked him to stop any of his shenanigans. Then popped out to apologize. "Sorry about him, forget what he said." she grinned then disappeared, beated up Monoma more behind the wall.

Class 1-A sighed awkwardly.

***

Aizawa stood up from his seat. "Excuse me, for a moment." He exited the commentator's room.

Present Mic looked behind Aizawa, worried. Turned back to the audience. "After a few minutes, the next match will take place. Eijirou Kirishima of class 1-A and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu of class 1-B please prepare," he announced.

***

[At Hinata...]

In a hallway, Hinata strolled- no, more likely, crawling back to her class. Shiozaki was carried in bed to the infirmary, while Hinata wandered off elsewhere unknown.

After her last strike: focused her chakra and struck Shiozaki on the head by channeling her attack through the water inside the vines, she was able to grasp back her chakra flow, regain the chakra she almost lost grip of, her skin thankfully returned normal. The sudden dangerous phenomenon yet still had Hinata thinking why and how. However, she had a bigger problem at hand she needs focus to on.

...

"Where the heck is that annoying Red Face!?" Bakugo checked every way she could've gone but failed to find Hinata. Later opened random doors, but still, no room contained her.

Bakugo suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Taken aback, his eyes widened, witnessing Hinata on the floor, her hands feeling the tiles unnecessarily, unless...

Bakugo then thought of how Hinata missed her punch in the fight a while ago.

He approached Hinata, knelt. "O-Oi... are you alright...?" his voice lowered gently in concern. Hesitant, but in the end, grabbed on the sides of Hinata's shoulders for Hinata refused to face him.

"Damn it, look at me!!" Bakugo exclaimed.

"I can't..." Hinata cried, stream tears flowed. She looked up at Bakugo, but...
"Bakugo, I can't see..."

***

[Time Backwards] - At Hanabi's...

Hanabi's face crumpled in worry as she watched Hinata's match against Shiozaki. Through a tv in her hospital room, sat on a white bed with a pillow on her back. She slides to the edge of the bed to head out when-

"Excuse me- wait wait wait..!! you can't go yet miss!" The nurse in charge of Hanabi rushed into her room, Hanabi jolted slightly, feels rather uneasy to be in a foreign place alone.

"But there's an emergency I have to-"

"You're the patient, you are the emergency..." The nurse reasoned.

"A phone then... please." Hanabi politely asked the female nurse as she checked Hanabi's wounds.

"Ok... wait, I'll hand it to you, don't trouble yourself." The nurse quickly left the room for a moment, and while so, one man entered, Naomasa.

"Thank you... for saving me." Naomasa directly spoke and bowed once he got close beside Hanabi.

"Uh..." Hanabi narrowed her eyes as she stared at the detective. "Oh, you're that guy! Sorry, I didn't realize you sooner... you were covered in blood when I first saw you." Hanabi sheepishly rubbed her nape, smiled a bit crooked.

"No problem." He smiled. "I am in your debt, any favor you wish to ask?" He gratefully insisted.

"Take me to UA! Please, it's an emergency!" Hanabi bluntly said, gesturing pleading hands with a desperate bow and closed eyes.

"Uh-" Taken aback, "O-Ok, but I can't drive yet, I'll ask someone I know to drive you there-"

While talking, the nurse returned and handed over the phone to Hanabi.

"Wait a minute, I have to..." Hanabi whispered after ringing a call.

Naomasa understood and waited.

But as the phone was yet picked up, Hanabi stared deeply at the detective, "I've seen him somewhere..."

#: "What?" The call got answered.

Hanabi's eyes suddenly widened, her hand that held the phone dropped on her lap.

"Right... he's that police..." Confirmed her thought, the details of the ID she last saw at the site of the accident flashed in her mind. Remembered everything that occurred before the explosion. "and he knows big sis..."

#: "Hey! Silent after initiating the call? I've got things to do... and thanks to you, I lost sight of Eri!"

Hanabi cut the call. She gulped. "I have to stay away from this man..."

(A/n): Just sharing, I really love Ibara Shiozaki, and I love how cute it is that she regularly has to pour water on her head to keep her vines hydrated. Like it's so cute imagining her doing it out of the blue in the middle of class and being like "oh- I got plants to water, wait up" HAHAHAHA. Btw I learned this fact long before from a video I forgot, so uh sorry I guess if it's not true... Idk either if it's real but I love it hahaha.