Mallory arrived at the second turn, keeping her breathing steady. She was doing fine; her endurance was nowhere near depleted, which almost gave her hope - that is, until she realized that no one in front of her was moving, and the uncertain crowd made her heart sink.

She pushed her way to the front and gasped. Somehow, there was a large canyon before her, a massive space of nothingness with only some platforms here and there, connected by mere rope.

Uh oh.

Tsuyu wasn't deterred, and she saw her leap confidently onto a rope and begin crawling along to the other side. Just as before with the robots, the actions of one spurred everyone else, and more students hesitantly made their way across. She saw someone with all kinds of gear navigating the landscape with ease, but she didn't have the time to gawk.

Mallory crept to the edge, her throat going dry. She couldn't even see the bottom! But...that had to be an illusion, right? No, right, of course. No one was about to die on public television, and at a world famous high school event, no less.

She got down on her hands and knees and began to crawl, easing her way onto a rope and letting gravity flip her upside down. In hindsight, she was pretty fortunate. While she didn't focus on balance in the weeks leading up to the tournament, she was strong, and had worked on her grip strength after the Quirk assessment proved she had been somewhat lacking. Even if she no longer stood out and no one remembered her, she was happy her chances of completing the race in the top forty-three had increased.

By the time Mallory had made her way across, she had fallen behind most of her classmates. Izuku was just behind her, though, weighed down by a piece of a robot's metal plate he was carrying. She wasn't quite sure what he was planning, but she couldn't afford to stop and help. Unlike the entrance exam, there was no benefit to assisting others.

She was quick to catch up with the people ahead of her, weaving through huffing and puffing students. The sheer adrenaline of the obstacles had gotten the better of her, and she was admittedly feeling a bit worn down. But she still had a lot of fight left, and taking a break wasn't an option.

She ran past Kyoka and Denki, Toru and Ochaco, and she was right at Mina's heels. Mallory admired her classmates' skills and athleticism, but until now, she hadn't really registered that her average scores from Mr. Aizawa's Quirk assessment indicated that she was just that - average, on par with these people that she respected. It made her happy, and filled her with determination.

The last corner was coming up, and she could see Katsuki and Shoto again at the front. She started to slow down somewhat, hoping to avoid crashing straight into the final obstacle, whatever it may be. The guys seemed to stop, but before she could see what it was, Present Mic answered for her.

Oh, great. A minefield.

At first she wasn't sure how she was supposed to navigate it without exploding, but when she finally stopped at the edge she realized that the placements were noticeable. Still, there were a lot of them, and she was among the first few dozen students to arrive, so none were tripped thus far. She wouldn't put it past anyone to resort to shoving to gain an advantage, so she had to remain vigilant. Maybe it was a bit dirty to try the same trick twice, but she wanted to score as high a place as she could, no matter what. As Mallory stepped onto the patchwork ground, she resolutely began filling the gas tank with sevoflurane once more.

The mines were beginning to go off as more people entered the final test, but she did her best to keep her balance as she maneuvered about as quickly as possible. She listened hard to avoid anyone getting too close to her, but she did look up to see how far ahead Shoto and Katsuki were. They were just yards from her now, and to her surprise (in hindsight, maybe it wasn't that surprising), they were fighting rather than advancing. This was her chance to pull even further ahead!

As soon as she thought that, a massive explosion shook the ground while she had one leg extended to step over two mines. She cried out in surprise as she was thrown off balance, and she started to fall. She planted her feet down and bent backwards to avoid being tossed to the side, throwing her hands onto the ground and just inches from more mines. Too startled to be impressed by her own feat, she peered up to see a piece of metal flying through the air at incredible speeds. Hadn't she seen that before…?

"Midoriya-kun?!" she shouted. She checked her surroundings before carefully rolling over to right herself, then followed after him in horror. Was he going to be okay? Was he going to use his Quirk to land? He'd have to! Or else he'll break in a hundred places!

"Midoriya-kun!" she repeated urgently. She realized that Shoto had created a trail of ice to catch up, and she quickly jumped on it and gave chase. Mallory didn't know what she could do, but she couldn't just stand by if Izuku was hurtling himself into danger.

Much to her relief, Izuku somehow managed to stop his fall, but the subsequent mines he set off were strong enough to make her slip and fall on the ice, making pain shoot up her rear. She heard the clink of the gas tank hitting the ground, and realized she had almost forgotten what she had been doing before Izuku threw himself into first place.

She scrambled to her feet, glad he was alright more than annoyed by being hurt (in a place she did not want Recovery Girl to take a look at), and pressed the button on her wrist, releasing the same gas on the unfortunate people behind her as she passed through the minefield.

Mallory didn't look behind her to see who succumbed to her Quirk. She could see the tunnel now, and the cheers of the massive crowd combined with Present Mic's play by play narration were making the ground vibrate. It was just ahead! She broke into a full sprint, her heart pounding and blood roaring in her ears.

She finally crossed the threshold and made it back into the arena, completing the race, and she didn't know what to do with herself when she finally stopped running. Mallory steadied her breathing and stood off to the side, watching more students pour into the stadium as the crowd eagerly welcomed them. The first round came and went so fast - when she looked up at the sparkling sky, the sun had barely moved since it all started.

She watched everyone's name and scores flash across the digital board behind Midnight's podium. Twentieth place - that was enough for her. Perhaps she did a disservice to herself by not thinking she could be in first place, but she was content that she would proceed to the next match, whatever it may be. If she could tackle that horrifying obstacle course, then maybe she could even make it to the finals.

"Hey!"

Mallory jumped, realizing that three students were storming up to her. They looked angry. She shrunk away and took a step back. From the corner of her eye, she realized that she was within a few feet of Katsuki.

"Um...yes?" she asked.

The students - two guys and one girl, none of which she recognized - inched even closer, until they were well into her personal space. She started to sweat.

"We would have placed if it weren't for you!" one boy roared, and Mallory flinched, taking another step back.

"You think you're all that just because you're in the hero course?" the girl sneered. "We've been busting our asses for a chance to get ahead, but you just can't stand the idea that other people are trying to make it big!"

She was appalled and intimidated by their anger. "That's not it!" she gasped. "Midnight said we could do anything we wanted. I just wanted to do my best."

"So you think that gives you the right to sabotage everyone else?" the second boy growled. "How good could you be if you can't get ahead without knocking people out? Is that how you passed the entrance exam? By sabotaging the competition? You used that dumb tank to cheat!"

Her head was spinning. Their accusations were ludacris, she knew that much, but she couldn't respond when pressed with so much aggression. She couldn't even feel angry in kind - she was confused and distressed. It reminded her painfully of being in school back in Billings, where everyone avoided or taunted her because of her scary and smelly Quirk, giving her the cruel moniker of "Stinker Tinker." Any response she could think of died before it reached her tongue.

"Would you shut the hell up?"

She turned, startled to see Katsuki closing in and glaring at them, his eyes fiery with anger. "It's not her damn fault you guys aren't good enough! You're the idiots that don't know how to get ahead no matter what!"

The intensity of his voice made the group falter. They looked at each other sheepishly, before one of the guys stepped forward. "D-Don't get mad at us!" he tried to say. "She's the one that ruined so many students' chances by knocking them out!"

"So what?" Katsuki retorted.

Denki suddenly appeared, putting himself between the students and his explosive classmate. "Woah, woah, calm down!" he said, bobbing his hands. He didn't look nearly as angry as the others, but his frown conveyed disapproval. "But Bakugo is right; Tinker didn't do anything wrong, and saying she cheated is not cool."

"Yeah." Mallory didn't even realize that Kyoka was next to her now, also cutting in with an edge of disgust in her voice. "You guys could never be heroes by blaming everyone else. It's not a fair job to begin with. You owe her an apology."

Mallory was stunned. She didn't expect anyone to stand up for her, least of all Katsuki. As she looked between the three of them in wonderment, the instigators mumbled something she couldn't hear and shambled away.

"Hey!" Kyoka snapped. She took a step away from Mallory. "I said apologize!"

But before she could go after them, Mallory grabbed her arm. An apology didn't matter to her; she was just happy that there were people willing to stick up for her now. She never experienced such a bond with classmates before.

"It's okay," she said softly. "Thank you, Kyoka-chan."

Kyoka looked at her in surprise, then smiled in defeat. "Well, I still think they should say sorry, but I guess I can drop it."

Mallory nodded. Their words had stung, and reminded her of things she'd rather forget, but it was worth it if she was able to witness the kindness of peers, or rather, her friends.

She turned to Denki. "Thank you, too, Kaminari-kun."

He gave her a thumbs up. "Don't worry about it! Those guys were being jerks. Don't let them get to you."

Then, she looked over his shoulder to thank Katsuki, but he was already stomping away. Maybe he only yelled because he was angry that he lost, yet he still vouched for her in his own way. Perhaps he wasn't such a bad guy after all.

Just then, Midnight's voice swept across the stadium. "All right, everyone! It's time for the next round!"

Everyone turned their attention to Midnight as the screen behind her spun like a slot machine again. Mallory had no idea what to expect, but 'cavalry battle' wasn't on her mind. Actually-

"A what?" she wondered aloud. She had never heard of that before. Fortunately, Midnight began to explain the rules, although the more she spoke, the more nervous Mallory became.

She had to be part of a team! But how? She wasn't good with teams; her Quirk made it impossible when she couldn't alter the flow of air. On top of that, she didn't like the idea of being pursued by anyone. She was worth one hundred-fifteen points, and was in the upper half of the proceeding forty-two students. Did that put a target on her back?

"The student with first place is worth ten million points!"

Ah, well. That took care of that problem.

She felt bad for Izuku, but she had no intention of joining his team. When Midnight started the timer to form teams, she looked around. Several 1-A students flocked to Katsuki, but she didn't want to partner with someone of his temperament. She wasn't even certain she could be useful, anyway. She absentmindedly touched her gas mask. Was anyone interested in her?

Mallory didn't like this. Within moments students were already gathered together, seemingly talking about strategy. Her classmates were teaming up quickly, and class 1-B seemed to be sticking close to each other as well. She wasn't sure what to do as she watched the creation of different formations around her.

Uh oh...I think I'm in trouble, she thought weakly, scanning the crowd. Her eyes fell on two people she didn't recognize. She wasn't exactly open to sauntering up to strangers with a favor, but she was starting to feel that she had little choice in the matter.

Hesitantly, she approached. "Um, excuse me…" she began quietly, trying not to keep her eyes on her feet. It was a boy and girl, with the former sporting a green mohawk and mandibles that accompanied light green skin while the latter had long blond hair, big doe eyes, horns, and hooves. The girl seemed vaguely familiar, but Mallory couldn't place why.

"What?" The boy narrowed his eyes at her as he hissed at her, and she tried not to immediately run away.

"Um, it's just, er...I don't have a team," she admitted, turning red. "So I was wondering if maybe we could-"

"No." He cut her off, startling her. "We don't need you."

Mallory deflated. So prickly! Did she do something wrong? "Um, is this because I'm in 1-A? Because I swear I'll work really hard!"

He sneered at her, looking like a viper prepared to lunge. "Ugh, is everyone in 1-A so self righteous? Why does it always have to be about you, huh?!"

She wasn't sure what he was talking about - maybe Katsuki's earlier speech had given him a bad image of the entire class - but she was once again interrupted before she could say anything more or run off, as she was getting prepared to do.

"I got it!" the girl cried in a thick accent. She pointed at Mallory. "I remember you now. You got up to get a special test with me at the entrance exam."

Mallory was so caught off guard processing the jarring mix of Japanese and English the girl just said that it took her a moment to realize why she was so familiar. "Oh, yeah! So you know English?"

"Yep! I'm from America," the girl replied in perfect English, her accent unmistakably American. It made Mallory a little bit excited that she didn't have to think over her words too carefully for the moment.

"Me, too!"

She placed a hand on her chest. "I'm Pony." She gestured to the boy, who was still glaring at her with his arms crossed. "And that's Kamakiri-kun. We're in class 1-B."

Ah, so they were all training to be heroes. Mallory bowed politely and switched back to Japanese. "It's nice to meet you both. My name is Mallory Tinker. Now, um, about teaming up…?"

"No," Togaru Kamakiri repeated. Pony frowned at him.

"Wait a second, Kamakiri-kun. She might be useful."

"I thought you didn't want anyone else, either," he sneered, though his tone was just a touch softer with her, maybe. Probably because they were classmates and so her mere existence didn't offend him.

"Mallory, what's your Quirk?"

After explaining it, Pony looked thoughtful, then nodded. "I've decided. I want Mallory on the team."

Togaru's eyes widened. "What?"

Pony grabbed Mallory's arm and pulled her closer, eliciting a surprised yelp. "I think she'll be useful! I have a plan."

After discussing it, Togaru finally agreed, albeit begrudgingly. It seemed he felt he had something to prove, although after hearing about his Quirk, Mallory thought that unnecessary. She believed him to be quite impressive already.

"Your fifteen minutes is up! Everyone better have a team by now!" Midnight announced, her voice booming through the stadium.

Mallory got into position, climbing up between her teammates. She tied the bandana with their total point value around her head, reading 185 in large red numbers. Their low score may have been a blessing in disguise, because maybe then her group would have the chance to take other teams by surprise as they focused on the top scoring teams. Both Togaru and Pony had amazing offensive and defensive abilities to keep her safe while she snatched other peoples' headbands, but she was still apprehensive. She didn't want to mess up and let them down.

"We've got some interesting teams here!" Present Mic cried. "But which team will make it to the top spot? Ready...set…."

Mallory took a deep breath. She hadn't really considered making it to the finals at all - even if she did, she knew she had no good ideas for how to beat people like Izuku or Shoto or Katsuki. However, she really did want to give it her all despite accepting her shortcomings, and she didn't want to mess up Togaru's and Pony's chances at the top, either.

She regarded the other teams carefully. Worry about the finals later, she told herself, and focus on what you can do now.

"BEGIN!"

A/N: As stated in earlier chapters, I really hate to exclude anyone from canon. While Mallory took Koda's spot in 20th place, he still exists, and everyone below her simply moved down a rank, so Koda is 21st, Yuga is 43rd, etc. This also means that she has 115 points and everyone above her has 5 more points than originally. I know this may not have been the best compromise and can affect consistency, but I hope you can suspend your disbelief and still enjoy the story.