- Chapter 7 -

Go!

She sprinted as if her life depended on it.

The starting gate was far too narrow for everyone to slip through easily. People were pushing and pulling at each other, some of them undoubtedly getting crushed in the process. Megumi definitely did not want to be among those who got squished to death in that clusterfuck of a blockage.

However, there was not much time to dwell on nor mourn the brave soldiers who had fallen, for she felt the biting cold racing in their direction before she saw it.

Her body instinctively recognized it as the same chill that would greet her whenever she so much as glanced at her desk neighbor. (Not that she could help it, Todoroki was prettier than any boy she had ever seen and it was kind of hard not to stare at such foreign features.) Nevertheless, she had become so used to his literal cold shoulder for the past few weeks that she could automatically feel the frost creeping up on her whenever she neared him. With a well-timed leap, she expertly avoided the ice encasing the ground beneath her feet.

Angry yelling ensued from all around her and for a moment she thought it was because she might have used a few heads as stepping stones here and there. Alas, it was just a bunch of students cursing at Todoroki for freezing their legs onto the ground. Not that she could blame them. She would've most likely done the same if she didn't have more pressing matters at hand: namely, getting into the Top 42.

'No distractions. I need to keep moving.' She hadn't even broken a sweat yet. That was a huge improvement in comparison to when she had first started her training weeks ago.

It was mostly 1-A and a few 1-B students who had skillfully evaded Todoroki's surprise attack so far. She saw Yaoyorozu and Kirishima somewhere in the front, including Aoyama (somehow. He looked pretty constipated though.) Megumi dodged just in time as someone rocketed right past her, almost shoving her face-first onto the ground with the force he propelled himself onward with.

She shook herself back into focus, never once losing her current speed. 'Was that Bakugou?'

Of course it was Bakugou. And he looked pissed as hell. "I ain't letting you get ahead that easy, Two-Face!"

What a cute rivalry. Would've been even cuter if it wasn't a public health hazard.

Taking deep breaths, Megumi readied herself for the next obstacles in line. She kept her eyes locked on to the gigantic robots awaiting them further in the distance. Her long hair felt heavy against her back, sweat starting to break out on her neck. It irritated her to no end.

Todoroki was still in the lead. That in itself wasn't a bad thing because she wasn't aiming to come in first- the problem was that she needed to be close enough to him during his fight against the robots so that she could reap the benefits of his quirk for what she had planned out in advance. There was a good reason for why she was spending all her stamina by sprinting right now, instead of reserving her speed for the minefield at the end of the race.

Mineta yelled some nonsense about something-something 'double-bluff' and something-something 'killer move' before he was unceremoniously sent flying into the distance by a robo-punch. Cringing (because ouch that's gotta hurt), Megumi took that as her cue to roll up her sleeves in preparation for what was to come.

Present Mic's voice crackled to life through the speakers again. "Every obstacle course needs obstacles! Starting with the first barrier, Robo Inferno!"

Most people recognized the robots as the villain-bots worth 0 points during the entrance exam. A bunch of other students almost choked on the sight. "Hold on, you're telling me the heroics kids had to fight those things?!"

She didn't stop running once she officially entered the Robo Inferno. Quite the opposite: she started increasing her speed, the muscles in her legs aching from the sheer effort she exerted. Her eyes darted between Todoroki and the giant robots slowly crawling toward him. Even her classmates, who had previously been far ahead of her, started falling back when the robots started attacking.

Megumi jumped and ducked in quick succession when metal arms came veering her way, eyes still on Todoroki. He was a few hundred meters ahead of her, but that shouldn't pose much of a problem. Thin chains wrapped around her forearms and they were pleading, itching with excitement. She grit her teeth, dodging another punch thrown her way. 'Come on Todoroki. Come on…!'

With a single swing of his arm, Todoroki had the robots encased in ice and out of commission. They creaked and groaned, tilting to the side precariously. A grin made it on her face as her focus shifted to Kirishima and Tetsutetsu who were right on Todoroki's heels. 'Now!'

"1-A's Todoroki has forged ahead and- wow, what is happening?! Airashi from the very same 1-A makes a bold move!"

Seafoam green filled her vision. The buzz of adrenaline coursing through her was unbearably potent. The countdown to her quirk flashed before her mind's eye before she brought her concentration back on the way her spiked boots stomped down on the ice, not letting her slide an inch. It had been a great idea to change out of her normal shoes for this occasion.

Long chains coiled around the limbs of the frozen robots, stubborn and predatory. She held them in place, every step she ran up on the metal contraption heavy enough to break someone's face. 'If I slip off here, I'll look like an idiot.' And as she swung forward onto her next stepping stone, the chains curled tighter around the frozen metal until it splintered and shattered with a spectacularly loud crunching noise.

'Surprisingly easy to shatter frozen metal.'

The sound of metal pieces crumbling onto the ground came from behind her while she continued running forward, her chains destroying one frozen robot after another every time she swung onto another one.

"Incredible! Not only does it save her fellow students from getting crushed, but it actually clears out a path for them as well! She has thwarted Todoroki's attempt to block them off!"

…Wait.

She almost broke her neck when she whipped her head around, only to see a horde of students closing in from behind her, trampling on the graveyard of robots. She had expected Kirishima and Tetsutetsu (and speaking of them, their running expressions were both equally terrifying), but a whole swarm of them? 'Shit, I didn't think so many of them would come through there! No, calm down, there's still the ravine ahead.'

"Aaaaand 1-A's Bakugou has abandoned the ground and vaulted over their heads! Smart move!"

Oh god she could feel the heat closing in from behind her. She squeezed her chains tightly in her hands- she couldn't let them go yet. But they were making it difficult for her to run. Painstakingly, she let go of the chains on her left arm. They crumbled into dust immediately and once again, she felt nauseous. 'I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you later.' She drew back the chains on her right to herself so they curled back around her arm instead of getting dragged through the mud as she ran.

Present Mic's voice rang in her ears like a buzzing fly. "If the first barrier was a cinch, then what about the second?! You fall and you're out! If you don't like that idea, maybe you can crawl! It's…!"

"The Fall." Megumi muttered to herself as her footsteps slowed.

Most of her classmates had already begun advancing, each with their own individual methods. Bakugou continued blasting himself into the air and she was honestly baffled at how he could keep that up for so long. If she ever attempted to use her quirk continuously for as long as he did, she was sure she'd be fried.

She sucked in a deep breath, concentrating on the chains wound around her arm. Her boots skidded on the ground as she came to a sudden stop.

Only to take a running start and leap off the nearest edge.

There were a few gasps from behind her. It was honestly comical. Gravity began tugging her down. Everything seemed to play out on slow motion as she brought her right arm forward mid-air, muscles twitching. She heard the blood rushing in her ears, syncing with her heartbeat. Her chains crooned in delight, starting to unravel.

She couldn't help but think that this was the coolest shit she had ever done.

The Fall was exactly what she needed to gain an advantage in the race.

'All I need is a momentum.'

The singular chain that was now attached to her wrist grew longer and longer, stretching out into the distance- until it eventually connected to a cliffside she had set her eyes on. The wind whipped at her face when she pulled on the chain, swinging her onward with ease.

It was exhilarating. Thrilling. She was flying!

With a few more swings, she had started getting used to the incredible sensation of falling. She descended downward, only for her chains to throw her into the air and release her, where she had enough time to swing her other arm to attach them to another cliff. She'd only been theorizing it for all those weeks, and having it actually work was just amazing. Her chains hummed their own tune, pleased at the praise.

Megumi got so into it that she started making Spider-Man poses, internally screaming at how fucking neat this whole experience turned out to be.

"Unbelievable- Airashi has caught up?! No- not only does she catch up, she also swipes the lead from right under Todoroki's nose! Just when we thought he removed himself from the rest of the competition!"

Yeah!

WHAT. WAIT.

Heterochromatic eyes widened in shock as the figure swung right past him, blonde hair billowing behind her.

A string of curses sounded from nearby, followed by a bunch of explosions. "The fuck- Are you fucking kidding me?"

'Shit. I got carried away.'

She glanced backwards briefly, only to turn away just as quickly when she caught a glimpse of Todoroki's bloodcurdling death glare, Bakugou right on his heels with the same exact expression.

Someone was going to die today and she was all too sure that it was going to be her.

'With great power comes great responsibility- why was that not the first thing that came to my mind? Noo, it had to be the stupid spider-pig theme! I have disappointed you, Uncle Ben.'

There was no doubt that if they happened to catch her, it was game over for her. Forget about Top 42, the clean-up crew would have to scrape her body pieces off the floor. And as such, Megumi started sprinting with renewed vigor when her feet touched the ground, letting her chains disperse.

"And now we come to the hidden final barrier! Its true form is none other than the minefield right out of Rambo 3!"

She was 100% sure Sensei was having too much fun for all these puns to be accidental.

From what she remembered from the manga, the minefield was an obstacle devised to disadvantage the kids in the lead. Todoroki had been intercepted by Bakugou right here. But now that she was in the lead, they were both focused on blasting her to kingdom come. She chuckled nervously. 'I'm in danger.'

Her plan had been to sprint fast in the first half of the race so she could run at a leisurely pace during the minefield barrier. However, it seemed that she had severely underestimated her own speed. Now she had two very angry hero apprentices who were quite possibly trying to kill her with all the ice slabs and explosions thrown her way.

"Some heated competition up in the front! Rejoice, mass media- this is just the sort of development you crave!"

Yeah okay cool, but like, was nobody worried in the least that she was clearly on death's doorstep?!

Megumi leapt over rocks of ice, designed to slip and trip her up. Bakugou shoved Todoroki aside, explosions aimed at her as she evaded the scorching heat he gave off with surprising dexterity. All the while, they tried to corner her into a directions where mines lay in the ground, ready to explode. She couldn't help but let out silent pleas for help. 'Is it so hard to just run past me?! Please just leave me alone!'

Another explosion shook the ground and she rolled away just in time. Todoroki and Bakugou were on her tail, Todoroki constructing a tall wall of ice in front of her. At the same time, Bakugou came in from her side with his hands blazing. "DIE!"

'Uh, no. Please don't.' All she knew was that her instinct were screaming at her to move. She backflipped into the air, avoiding his explosive hands. Planting her feet firmly on his arm and shoulder, Megumi jumped up at the ice wall and climbed over it, continuing to dash for survival's sake.

She eluded their attacks, cartwheeling, somersaulting and making faux turns all over the place. Heck, she was beginning to feel light headed. Surely not a good sign.

A thunderous BOOM came from somewhere in the back.

"Class A's Midoriya mounts his charge… using shockwaves?!"

Hope began blooming inside Megumi. She watched as the green haired boy flew right past them, Todoroki and Bakugou's demeanors shifting. 'Fantastic, Midoriya! Come here and get these two monsters off my back!"

"He overtook them! He overtook theeeem!"

With a sudden burst, Bakugou shot past her. As did todoroki, freezing the ground in an attempt to slow down the two boys in front of him. She let herself take a breather, hanging back and slowing down to a fast jog. Her relief was immense. 'I'm- not gonna die. Top 42!'

"What's this?! Airashi is overtaken by all 3 contenders at once! The other two formerly in the lead have now begun to bolt after Midoriya!"

Megumi tried to keep her eyes open, the headache she had been ignoring up until that point making itself known vividly. She kept track of Present Mic's frantic comments, feeling how a student or two overtook her while she was busy trying to force away the black spots in her visions.

"He's cleared the landmine area entirely! Damn, Eraserhead, your class is insane! What are you teaching them?!"

"I didn't do anything. They've been spurring each other on all on their own."

She slowed down completely when she stepped foot on the finish line, falling on her hands and knees panting. She was utterly exhausted. What happened back there took legit years off her lifespan. The panic and adrenaline was just now starting to ebb away as she fought to urge to faint where she stood. At one point, Asui had come to her side. Ashido came right after. They were talking, but everything sounded like they were underwater. A concerned Asui asked her something- or she assumed she did when she saw her lips moving. Megumi shook her head, pointing at her ears and indicating she couldn't hear. Ashido frowned, slowly lifting her up by supporting her shoulder. Megumi stood straight, head hung low as her ears rung and her vision span around.

It was a miracle how her legs didn't crumble beneath her. Asui disappeared somewhere. By the time she came back, Megumi had gained back some of her senses. She gratefully accepted the water bottle and cookie Asui offered her.

"Man, that was crazy Megumi!" Ashido beamed at her. "You almost came in first place! I thought you were a total goner with those two going at you like rabid wolves."

"I'm glad you're alive Megumi-chan, kero." Asui added from beside her. Megumi couldn't help but chuckle, lifting up her tied hair to press the cool water bottle against the back of her neck. "Me too, Asui-chan. Me too."

Present Mic's voice echoed through the clearing again. "And now they're steadily crossing the finish line one after another! We'll compile the results later, so enjoy your breather for the time being!"

Suddenly, a shoulder knocked into hers belligerently. Megumi stumbled, mumbling out an Ouch. Turning her head, she saw Todoroki glaring at her like she'd never seen before. Those heterochromatic eyes were brimming with challenge- a challenge she would not take him up on because clearly she had gotten into the Top 42 and she didn't give a fuck about the rest of the Sports Festival. She looked away from him, rubbing her shoulder.

Ashido made a startled sound at the exchange, looking none too pleased. "What's up with him?"

Megumi shrugged. "Must've been accidental." She could feel Asui staring her down, but there was not much she could say about it, really. If this was how Todoroki acted when he was displeased, then she was all the more relieved that Midoriya would be bringing an end to it during the finals.

After replaying the race a couple of times, Midnight announced the results with everyone watching in anticipation. To Megumi's joy, she had come in 6th place- her rank might have been higher if she didn't get dizzy during the last few feet to the finish line, but she was completely okay with 6th place when she had been aiming for Top 42. It was more than she could ask for. Iida had come in 5th and she had to applaud 1-B's thorn bush girl for ranking 4th. Lord knew she wouldn't have been able to drag all that hair for the entirety of the race and rank 4th to boot.

Ashido sighed in frustration. "19th? Ugh I could have done better."

Asui patted her back consolingly. "It's okay, kero. There's always next year. My rank isn't much better."

Next, Midnight announced that all 42 students would be taking part in a human cavalry battle. Megumi tuned out most of her talking, scrutinizing the dirt in her fingernails. She didn't plan on tryharding for the cavalry battle, fully intent on taking it easy. After all, there was nobody actively cheering for her to win during the Sports Festival- she had no one to please and no one whose expectations she wanted to meet. There were a bunch of other students who would benefit more from advancing onto the finals than she would.

Moreover, now that she had proved she could use her quirk during the race, there was not much point in going hard in the other challenges. Cuz that's where main character stuff happened and she didn't want to touch main character stuff, not even with a 10 foot pole.

"With the exception of 1st place, whose head is worth a whooping ten million!"

Everyone stared at Midoriya, a predatory gleam in their eyes. Megumi let out an emotionless "Wow," fixated on the piece of dirt that just wouldn't get out of her fingernail. 'I need to cut my nails after this…'

"All right, you have 15 minutes until then! Start negotiating your team-ups!"

She groaned, her shoulders slumping. She really didn't want to. Maybe she could join Asui in her team, seeing as they wouldn't be advancing to the next round. But it would make her feel absolutely terrible if she didn't give her best when a friend needed her- joining Ashido wasn't an option either. The pinkette had immediately migrated over to the crowd forming around Bakugou.

Well, the obvious option was to join a few 1-B people. At 6th place, she had accumulated around 185 points. Unfortunately, Megumi didn't think her quirk was suited to compete in a human cavalry battle.

She caught purple eyes staring at her from across the clearing. Shinsou raised an eyebrow at her. She raised one right back. Then and there, a thought struck her. What if she were to let him manipulate her into joining his team? If they happened to win she could forfeit out of the competition using fair play as an excuse. And most importantly, she wouldn't even be doing anything! Shinsou's quirk would do all the work for her! Mind made up, she started walking over to the boy.

Unfortunately, the universe seemed to have other plans.

A hand came down on her right shoulder, smoldering heat pressing down forcefully. She froze, a chill creeping up her back.

"Still no team, Goldilocks?"

She didn't know what the actual fuck was going on, but she sure as hell didn't like it.

"Yay, we're gonna be teaming up together! Let's do our best Megumi!" Ashido cheered, linking their arms and pressing theirs cheeks together.

Kirishima had seized one of her hands in a handshake. "You were so manly out there, Airashi! Can't wait to charge into battle with you!"

She felt like she had landed in a rock and a hard place. Stuck between two puppies who she was reluctant to disappoint. Megumi maintained her polite smile. "Likewise." 'NO. NOT LIKEWISE. I'M FREAKING OUT OVER HERE.'

"10 minutes have passed… we'll be starting any minute now!" Midnight announced.

Bakugou's eye twitched, growling irritably. "Quit with the fucking pleasantries. You extras better not slack off." His sharp stare landed on her. "Especially you."

Was it her or did her stomach just drop and curl in on itself? 'Jesus Christ, my dude. You're not doing a very good job of answering my prayers.'

This whole thing was getting too weird for her to handle.

She trembled as Bakugou ripped the 675 points worth headband out of Midnight's hand, aggressively tying it around Megumi's head. His glare was a mix of reluctance and murderous killing intent. "You better not fuck this up, Monkey Girl, or I will fucking kill you."

She swallowed down the objections lying on the tip of her tongue. "Y-yes."

The Bakugou was telling her to shut up and be the rider? No way.

This was a very bad situation. She hadn't expected for Bakugou of all people to come sauntering up to her, inviting her into his team- uh, did it really count as 'inviting' her when he was literally frothing at the mouth trying to keep himself from melting her face off? Anybody would have been scared shitless if someone approached them like that. Megumi wasn't able to say anything to refuse his invitation (threat? It had sounded more like a threat) and got sucked into his pace, her quirk's hackles rising at the way he grabbed her by the collar.

She got an explanation for why he had chosen her, more or less. "You can dodge the shitheads trying to grab my points" and he emphasized that with another glower, as if daring her to say otherwise, "and snatch their headbands with those fancy monkey chains of yours. Shitty hair will be guarding the front. Racoon eyes and I are flanking the sides." He eyed the headband on Megumi's head, like it was physically paining him to see it on someone else. He then grabbed her by the collar again (she didn't think her gym uniform could get any more stretched out but Bakugou was proving that wrong). "Don't think I'll let you get away with it if we lose because of you." He hissed at her.

She blanched. 'So it's gonna be my fault if we don't get first place?!'

Admittedly, Bakugou had thought about their strategy much more extensively than she had expected. He'd appointed her as the rider after witnessing first-hand how difficult it was to trip her up during the race. She might not have been a powerhouse like him or Kirishima, but she compensated for it with speed and resilience. It made sense to have her as the rider instead of risking her collapsing and having a weak flank while trying to hold up Bakugou's weight. Not to mention with the explosive boy guarding one side and Ashido the other, they'd be having both explosions and acid at their arsenal if they needed to fight off the competition.

She didn't know how or why, but the blonde boy had actually managed to swallow his pride to achieve the best outcome in this challenge. With a heavy heart, Megumi watched as Sero joined Mineta, Shoji and Asui's team. 'Nothing's going right today…'

A hand slapped her upside the head. "Quit staring into space like an idiot and climb on already!" Damn it.

She wobbled a bit when they lifted her up, grabbing onto Kirishima's shoulders. The redhead turned his head slightly, giving her a smile full of sharp teeth. "We're gonna win this, I can feel it! No pressure though, Airashi." No pressure? The red eyes boring holes into the back of her head were supposed to be 'no pressure'? Yeah no.

"Alright, have you all formed your little teams?! Well, you better have! Let's do it! Let's start the countdown for this vicious clash!"

Megumi cleared her head, shaking her arms to get the blood circulating through them. 'Time to stop complaining and start walking the talk. Since it's come to this, there's no way I can let us lose.' She leaned forward, muscles tensing and eyes trained onto the other teams getting ready for the battle. 'I don't know what the fuck Bakugou is thinking, but it's too late to escape now.'

"Three…"

She eyed those who were solely concentrated on Team Midoriya. Her hands tugged at Kirishima's hair and she pointed out directions for Bakugou and Ashido at the back. Bakugou seethed, grabbing her knee in a vice grip as if asking her what the hell she thought she was doing.

"Two…"

Megumi lowered her head in a whisper. "Don't worry, we're gonna go after Midoriya eventually." It was the first time Ashido had seen those teal eyes flash so dangerously. "Right after we blow everyone else out of the competition."

A devilish smirk formed on Bakugou's face. Now that's what he wanted to hear.

"…One! START!"

Team Bakugou's downfall in the original series had been the fact that Bakugou had been too focused on Midoriya to pay attention to the other competitors. She would not make the same mistakes he had done. 'Shouldn't be too much of a problem using my quirk here… I don't need to make them thick as ropes this time.'

Charging forward, Megumi nimbly dodged the sticky balls Mineta had started throwing around. She signaled at Kirishima to avoid them, Bakugou blasting them away with his feet and Ashido simply melting them off with her acid. Megumi ducked her head as Team Midoriya flew into the air. Thin chains shot up from her fingertips, successfully avoiding Jiro's earphone jacks which had been reaching up for Midoriya.

Jiro, Sato and Koda had teamed up with none other than 1-B's Hagakure. Strange, considering the rivalry between the two classes. But it would certainly work for Team Bakugou's favor- their guard was way off.

With a simple pull, the chains ripped off Hagakure's headband, throwing it into Megumi's awaiting hands.

Hagakure squawked in surprise. "What-?!"

Megumi's eyes met a pair of periwinkle eyes, slanted downwards and squinting at her in disdain. His hand was still in the air from where he had planned on snatching away Hagakure's headband. Megumi raised her eyebrows at him. "Oops. My bad." 'Look who it is! This is getting pretty interesting.'

There he was, Monoma Neito in all his glory, looking at her unamused. She had just stolen his target after all.

But she wouldn't be fighting him just yet. Megumi jerked away from Monoma at the last minute, watching as Team Mineta set their sights on Team Monoma after being blasted away by Bakugou one too many times.

In quick succession, Megumi was able to snatch Team Kodai and Team Tsunotori's points away. The headbands hung loosely from her shoulders as she kept them attached to her with chains- nobody would be able to rip them off easily with her chains guarding them like a snake coiling around her neck.

That's when Bakugou let out a particularly loud explosion. Megumi almost slid right off with the force of the blast, grabbing onto Kirishima. "What the hell Bakugou?!"

But he wasn't listening to her. "What the fuck you ass-rag piece of shit stay the fuck away!" Megumi grimaced at Monoma, whose hands were now crackling with Bakugou's quirk. He shot them a condescending smirk as he repressed every single kick Bakugou threw at him, arms hardening. Megumi clicked her tongue. 'Shit! When did he copy Kirishima's quirk?' She had wanted to avoid this confrontation for far longer, but it seemed that would be impossible. 'What would happen if he copied my quirk?'

Meanwhile, Kirishima was on the verge of tears. "Huuuuh?! My quirk too?! They're taking everything from me…"

The next few minutes were far more stress than Megumi ever wanted in her life. Monoma kept trying to goad them on, his hands reaching out for their headbands only for Megumi to evade, slapping him away with her chains. "What's this? Are the powerful 1-A students cowering away from a challenge? Though, I must say, I'm not surprised in the least, ahaha!"

This bitch.

Bakugou finally erupted, not able to withstand Monoma's mocking laughter and passive-aggressive insults. "What are you waiting for?! Kick his fucking ass or I WILL."

Before she could say anything back, she felt a hand press against her arm. She snatched her arm back as if she'd been burned, staring at Monoma in shock. Her quirk was crying out to her in bitter disgust. Once again, her headache came back with a vengeance. She gripped her head, trying not to gag. 'Oh god this feels slimy. Ugh is this how everyone else feels having their quirk copied?' Monoma laughed at the expression on her face. "What, scared to face me now that I have your quirk? If you want it back, I'll gladly give it to you- with a price, of course!"

He made a grab for the headbands around her neck, his eyes glowing teal and chains manifesting around his arm. Megumi leaned back, staving off the inevitable. 'Bakugou is going to kill me!'

Only for the chains to rattle violently, latching onto Monoma and his team as they flailed around, trying to keep their balance. Monoma yelled out obscenities. "Wh-what the hell's up with your quirk?!" Megumi's eyes widened. She stood up on her feet, face determined. "Now, Kirishima!" They ran past the struggling Team Monoma, Megumi reaching out for their headband and grabbing it. She secured it tightly around her neck just like the other ones. Bakugou hollered back at them as they distanced themselves, satisfaction dripping off of him In waves. "HA! EAT SHIT."

Megumi contemplated their next move. Kaminari would be paralyzing the other teams with his electric voltage soon, and they would be stuck frozen to the ground due to Todoroki's quirk, giving him free leeway to snatch their points. Undoubtedly, Bakugou would be absolutely pissed. She glanced at him briefly. He was on the lookout, lower lip jutting out in an ugly scowl. Her eyes narrowed. 'He gave up the rider's position to me. I don't know what he's playing at, but he was willing to put himself in a supporting position in order to win this thing. I don't even think he knows my name… Somehow, I don't think I can disappoint him. It doesn't seem right.'

She told her team what she thought might happen. Kirishima and Ashido started proposing ideas and precautions against losing their points. Megumi also chimed in here and there, wracking her brain for a plan. Now that they'd fought off Monoma and his cronies, there wouldn't be much stopping them from going after Midoriya.

Someone aggressively tugged at her leg. She diverted her attention to Bakugou, who was observing the battlefield with a sharp glint in his eyes. "Listen here, Goldilocks. I got a plan and you better not fuck it up."

Less than 6 minutes left.

"Wh-what's this? Todoroki holds back the mob of cavalries in one fell swoop!"

"He used Kaminari's electricity to stop everyone firmly in their tracks so he could be sure to freeze them all."

Todoroki looked directly into teal eyes as he grabbed a hold of her 675 point headband. She let him take it, unfazed.

(He should have known that something suspicious was up considering how easily she let him take it.)

In the end, it was Team Midoriya vs. Team Todoroki. Dark shadow countered everything they threw at them, swatting away Yaoyorozu's creations and Todoroki's icicles.

"There's only about a minute left! And Todoroki has set the field… all that's left now is taking those ten million points! It'll be swiped in an instant!"

Team Midoriya dodged another offensive, still keeping the lead.

"Or so I might have thought up until 5 minutes ago! But Midoriya has done well to keep away during all that time, even in this constricted space!"

It was a never ending cycle of defense and offense, both teams starting to tire out. Until finally, finally, Iida made his move.

"Guys, we have less then a minute… I'm afraid I'll be useless after this. So I'm counting on you."

The engines on the back of his legs came to life. His voice echoed through the clearing. "Take it Todoroki! Torque over!"

They abruptly flew toward Team Midoriya with Iida's powerful recipro-burst. Kaminari barely had time to brace himself, Yaoyorozu holding on tightly trying not to let Todoroki fall. Dark shadow cawed in surprise, Tokoyami's eyes widening. Panic started setting in for Midoriya when he felt his headband slip off as Todoroki grabbed it.

Everyone was so sure Team Todoroki would be winning, the cheers in the audience deafening-

An explosion went off in the distance, resulting in a huge cloud of dust.

A shadow fell over both teams. They looked up just in time to see thin chains attaching themselves to the headband in Todoroki's hand, violently ripping it away from him.

Megumi flipped mid-air, bringing the chains back. Her fingers clasped around the headband.

Kirishima, Bakugou and Ashido sped forward, past Team Todoroki and Team Midoriya. Just in time for Megumi to land perfectly, back straight and arms spread out in a perfect landing position as they caught her by the ankles.

"UNBELIEVABLEEE! TEAM AIRASHI- I MEAN, TEAM BAKUGOU JUST SHOT UP TO FIRST PLACE WITHIN NOT EVEN A MINUTE REMAINING!"

Midoriya looked on in horror at the scoreboard. "What?! Is that allowed?!"

Megumi clambered off once Present Mic announced their time was up. Bakugou snagged the ten million points from her as soon as her feet touched the ground and started waving it around like a victory flag, making sure to brag about his own genius strategy. "I told you! I fucking won! You extras got nothing on me!"

Kirishima and Ashido came to stand on her sides, all three of them watching Bakugou go around antagonizing the distraught participants. Kirishima scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "To be honest, I didn't think we'd get first place… to think Bakugou made Airashi the rider- but it turned out really well! Good job Airashi!"

Asui came to stand with them as well. "Damn, it sucks to lose. But congratulations, Mina, Megumi-chan."

Ashido sighed, not looking very happy despite the outcome of the battle. "I was only added as an answer to Todoroki's ice. I don't know if I actually match up with their strength…"

Megumi wobbled on her feet. She couldn't find the strength to speak, let alone console Ashido. 'I feel like shit.' She stayed around long enough for the rankings to be displayed. Team Bakugou (named after him, as per his demand) placed first, Team Todoroki coming in second and Team Shinsou in third place. Midoriya broke the freaking ground with his tears when he realized Tokoyami had been able to snatch away the 675 point headband hanging on Todoroki's blind spot, officially qualifying Team Midoriya for the final round.

She silently made her way toward one of the exits, hoping to find a bench somewhere. Her head felt like it was simultaneously on fire and getting crushed by a boulder. 'I overdid it. I better go get myself some juice or something…'

Sometimes, things just did not go the way she wanted them to.

She tightly pressed herself against the wall, internally bemoaning her luck. She had skipped out on lunch, walking around in the corridors and waiting rooms in a fruitless attempt to suppress the nausea threatening to climb up from the back of her throat. She'd even bought some tomato juice and all! And now this.

"Are you All Might's illegitimate child or something?"

Holy shit. That line would never be not funny.

Seafoam green eyes peeked at the two figures standing across from each other in the entryway. Of all the places to be, she had walked right in on Todoroki and Midoriya having their talk before the final round started. She couldn't help but take a sip of her juice as she watched Todoroki unload his traumatic experiences onto poor Midoriya. The green haired boy looked like he was going to faint any second now. Megumi pitied him. 'Todoroki's even scarier when he's talking about his father than when he glares at me.'

"Are you telling me… he's going to f-force you into a quirk marriage as well? W-with Airashi-san-"

She almost choked on her drink, doubling over. A puddle of juice dripped onto the floor, courtesy of Megumi crushing the juice box in her hand upon hearing that load of bullshit. 'Q-quirk marriage with Todoroki?! Do they even know how old I actually am- what the hell, I'm not putting my hands on a kid!'

As if that wasn't bad enough, she looked up- only to see piercing red eyes staring back at her from across the other wall, darting between her and the puddle of tomato juice at her feet. Ah, fuck.

Todoroki scoffed from where he was talking with Midoriya. "Of course not. He's not interested in her quirk. He intends to keep a good relationship with Airashi pharmaceuticals, and the best way to do that was to have me play along with with their daughter's absurd fantasies. The Airashi family would never allow their heir to marry someone who's not a part of the pharmaceutical or medical industry- it's been that way for generations. They're just humoring her."

She scowled. So they had been making a fool of the Original all this time.

Bakugou squinted at her as if waiting for her to break down crying or something. If that was the case, then he'd be waiting for a long time. Why would she be crying over some boy she had no feelings for? If she was gonna cry, it would be over the Original's dumb inability to realize that she was literally a tool being used.

"I'll become number 1 without needing to use my fire. This is my total disavowal of him."

Megumi straightened up, chucking her empty juice box into a nearby trashcan and walking off. That had been all she needed to hear. Surprisingly, this small incident had given her some insight into what her family planned to do with her. She had to give props to Todoroki for being so willing to divulge such information.

The blond boy who had also been listening in on that very interesting convo shot her a look. She simply lifted up her index finger and thumb to her lips, making a zipping motion.

And off she went, to the wending machines to get another box of tomato juice. The other one had been ruined after all.

A/N:

Here it is! The very long chapter that took a lot of willpower to write.

Thank you all for your reviews, it's really nice reading your thoughts and theories on the story. (Would've loved including the strategic slapping of butts. Might just use that in the future XD)

I went through a very hard internal struggle deciding which way to go with this chapter. I was like, 'wouldn't Bakugou rather die than give someone else the spotlight?', but right after that I really couldn't control myself from writing the cavalry battle the way I did. I hope he wasn't too OOC. My understanding of Bakugou is that he acts dumb but isn't actually dumb. If that makes sense haha. I just wanted to write something fun. Since last chapter was so short and unsatisfying, I wrote a lot more this time.

I actually got the inspiration for Megumi's quirk from Kushina. Her chains always seemed so cool to me.

Next are the finals! Time for more nonsense! :D