Chapter 9: Race to the Top
Review Replies
ThanosGaming: What would be interesting to add? Oh yeah, Those with Animalistic quirk (Asui/Froppy, Ryukyu, Mirko, Etc.) have Senjutsu mode. Afterall, Frogs can use Sage Techniques, and so is Serpents/Dragons.
It was said that those who couldn't control Natural/Sage Energy might become an animal and then die but... With the power of quirks, maybe that can be rearranged into proper Sage powers.
ThemralsniperN7: That would be an interesting application. We'll give it some thought for the future.
Dragon Emperor0: That is true. We'll definitely consider it.
Joanne Frances Tiano Cajilig: This is so exciting! Are you going to pair Bakugo with anyone?
Dragon Emperor0: We do have one or two girls in mind. But they won't come in until later.
ThermalsniperN7: Right.
Devil Dragon Stand Knight: I really hope we get to see Izuku use Tsukuyomi on both Shoto and that bitch-ass blonde motherfucker Monoma Neito. I hate that fucker! Also, what's Gran Torino doing with a preserved Sharingan Eye?
Dragon Emperor0: Tsukoyomi will come in later, but not against Shoto or Monoma—that's for a different Mangekyou power. Well since you asked, then here it is: it's because they're from Danzo Shimura's collection which Nana Shimura came into possession of before she died. However, I won't say who's eyes they are because I want to avoid too many spoilers.
ThermalsniperN7: Plus, in this instance, Izuku has a pair of eyes available to him when he needs his current eyes replaced.
Dragon Emperor0: Which won't be until the final moments of the Forest Training Camp arc. And even then he'll have unlocked the Full Body Human Susanoo by this point, so it won't be too bad.
-UA Sports Festival Obstacle Course-
Izuku twirled his war fan and held it up, right as a One Point robot came charging forward at him, which he blew apart with a single massive swing with said weapon and shattering it into a million pieces.
The boy dusted himself off as the scrap metal rained down around him, his face having a nonchalant expression on his face—as if he didn't even give a damn about what was happening around him… and he was even yawning.
"How boring." He yawned. "I had hoped for something a bit more challenging than this." He added.
"You and me both." Shoto nodded in agreement. The two kept running along as Katsuki flew above them with his clay bird creation, and as Sero, Tokoyami, and even Himiko—surprisingly enough—gained on them, he had the avian raise its tail feathers.
"Bombs away!" He called as the bird started dropping egg bombs down on the rest of the contestants.
"Cheap move, Bakugo!" Sero called as he swung by with his tape. Back with the other contestants, they all seemed to notice something was up.
"Wait, is someone trapped under there?!" A contestant called out in concern.
"Are we facing life or death here?!" Another exclaimed in worry. Those worries were dispelled when the metal of the robot and the ice covering it started to melt before Kirishima burst from the wreckage in a hardened version of Roshi's Lava Release chakra mode.
"I'M ALIIIIIIVE!" He yelled as he slammed his fists down, two ape tails swinging behind him. "If it wasn't for my quirk and Son Goku, I'd be a goner!" He said to himself before Tetsutetsu burst from the wreck a few moments later.
"Class 1-A really is full of jerks!" The steel lad yelled.
As this was going, Izuku reached the second obstacle with Shoto and Katsuki and saw that it was a giant chasm with stone pillars scattered throughout and connected intermittently by cables. Switching to his base Sharingan, he started looking for ways to get across, and quickly figured out a solution.
Weaving his hands into several signs again, he then slammed his hands on the ground. "Earth Style: Impassable Eastern Wall Jutsu!" He exclaimed as a large wall started rising from the bottom of the chasm up until it reached the ledge he was standing on, creating a narrow bridge that he could use to cross.
"Incredible! Midoriya just used a jutsu to make a way across! But will the others be able to cross it too?!" Present Mic exclaimed in wonder.
"Based on how narrow that bridge looks, I'd say nobody outside Class 1-A would have the necessary balance to make it the whole way without shinobi training or a suitable quirk." Aizawa commented.
Getting into a forward leaning sprint, Izuku continued his way across the ravine, with Ochako and Himiko right behind him. "Looks like our man left us a way to get across." The blonde noted before she saw Tsu scaling the side of the wall with her quirk. "In more ways than one." She added in surprise.
"Yep." Ochako nodded before smirking at her shared girlfriend. "Race you to the other side, honey." She grinned as she pecked the vampiric shapeshifter on the lips before she chased after Tsu and Izuku across the bridge.
"Oh, you are so dead! It's on!" Himiko exclaimed with an excited grin as she ran across the narrow bridge, Matatabi's cat tails aiding her balance.
Meanwhile with the front runners, Izuku was now neck and neck with Katsuki as the blonde let his avian steed kamikaze itself into the ground in front of the other racers, slowing them down. Both were now in a Naruto style sprint, with the ribbons of their headbands flapping in the wind behind them—and Shoto being in front.
"Look at them go! Midoriya, Todoroki and Bakugo are competing for first place! But can they make it through the next obstacle?!" The sound hero exclaimed as the three continued to the next obstacle. "Even the shinobi of Class 1-A have to watch their steps here! 'CAUSE THEY'RE RUNNING THROUGH A MINEFIELD!" He yelled as the three powerhouses looked at the minefield before them.
"Piece of cake!" Katsuki grinned as he jumped into a front flip and started propelling himself forward with his explosions in mid air, making him gain a considerable lead against his two rivals.
"Damn! Guess I don't have a choice." Izuku growled as he stopped just short of the minefield as Shoto and Katsuki got ahead, the former freezing the ground to get across. Weaving several hand signs, he slammed his right hand down. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!" He yelled, activating his Mangekyou Sharingan as the ground started to shake.
"Wh-what the…?!" Shoto got out before trees suddenly started bursting out of the ground. "Oh no, I know this Jutsu from my studies!" He exclaimed in alarm as he glanced back at Izuku, who roared as he put more Chakra into the Jutsu, causing it to grow further and grab both Shoto and Katsuki, the latter being snagged out of the air due to his surprise.
"WHOA! Midoriya just unleashed an unbelievable feat by creating an entire forest within seconds! What an amazing show of power!" Present Mic exclaimed in awe, the audience cheering wildly in amazement.
'Seeing Wood Release in action never gets old.' All Might thought with a smile as he watched his successor show his strength. Letting out a sigh, Izuku started running through his makeshift forest and started sucking up all the explosives that it unearthed with Kamui before reaching the other end.
However, this also allowed other students to start gaining on him, in particular: Iida. Shoto and Bakugo meanwhile were still trying to get free.
"Dammit, Deku! Let us out of this shitfest!" Katsuki yelled as he tried to blast his way out. He would've asked Kurama to corrode the branches, but he remembered that Wood Release could suppress Biju chakra.
"If we're going to win this, we'll have to work together! Here, let me help!" Shoto called as he froze himself free before he made several hand signs. "Ice Style: Absolute Subzero!" He intoned as he breathed on the trees holding Katsuki, causing them to become completely frozen at a molecular level. With a grunt, Kasuki burst free.
"Not bad, half 'n half. Is that original?" The bomber asked as he dusted himself off.
"Yes, but I can only use it twice in one go—now we need to get moving. Let's go!" Shoto nodded before he ran off, Katsuki following suit. Meanwhile up in front, Iida was starting to gain in Izuku, and the Uchiha boy was starting to notice.
"Shit." He hissed as he turned around mid sprint and made several hand signs. "Fire Style: Towering Flame Blast!" He yelled as a giant 火 symbol made of fire rushed at the speedster behind him.
Iida's eyes widened as he saw the blast coming his way and slowed down so he could evade it by jumping to the side. This was what Izuku hoped for as he turned around and continued on his way to the finish line.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile outside the stadium, the heroes Death Arms, Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady were all watching the Sports Festival while also doing security detail, and the punching hero saw Izuku and his previous shows of power—immediately recognizing him.
"Hey, that's the kid that fought the sludge villain!" He exclaimed. Mt. Lady looked and recognized him too.
"Yeah! I remember that Water Dragon Jutsu he used!" She said with wide eyes.
"Hold on, is that what I think it is?" Kamui said in surprise, recognizing Deep Forest Emergence. "Holy crap, it is!" He exclaimed in amazement.
"This kid is part Senju?!" Death Arms all but shouted in shock.
"Damn. I can see that kid getting a huge heap of internship offers already." The size changing heroine said with wide eyes as she watched the screen.
(Elsewhere)
Back with the rest of the kids, the race was over and Izuku came in first place, with Iida in second place, Katsuki in third and Shoto trailing behind in fourth. Now the boy was trying to catch his breath, right as Ochako came flying out of nowhere and hugged him, smooshing her breasts against his side while Himiko landed on his back—both hugging his neck.
"Heh. Hi, girls." The green haired teen said as he breathed deeply.
"Congrats on your win, babe. We loved the way you used Wood Release back there." Himiko purred into his ear.
"And we appreciated that bridge at the chasm." Ochako added with a smile as she rubbed her face against his.
"My pleasure. Now, let's see what's next, shall we?" Izuku beckoned as he approached the stage, his two girlfriends following.
Off to the side, some business course students were going over Izuku's performance. They weren't competing in the festival, so they had a lot of free time on their hands.
"Izuku Midoriya has quite a bit going for him in terms of power and versatility." One of them noted.
"He's certainly not lacking in control from the looks of his shows of power." Another noted as well.
"Yes. Theoretically, he could use his Chakra for just about anything." Yet another added. As they continued taking notes on Izuku's performance and speculating what he could apply his Chakra to, All Might listened to them from above.
"But since he's also so plain looking, an agency would have quite a hard time selling him as a popular sidekick." The third noted as well.
'Business course students. Some things never change.' He mused internally.
"Now that the first game is over, we'll move on to the next one!" Midnight called as the slot machine started moving again. "What could it be?" She wondered as it landed on a Cavalry battle.
"Cavalry battle? Aw I'm terrible at those!" Kaminari groaned.
"Huh. I haven't played one of those since middle school." Izuku mused.
"Each contestant will have a set amount of points for this event. The numbers are decided based on your place in the Obstacle Race." Midnight explained, causing some to understand what was going on.
"I get it. It's just like the entrance exams." Sato noted.
"Additionally you'll have a headband that has the total points of your team on it. Additionally you'll have to wear the headbands you collect from the neck up. So the more you get the more difficult it'll be to manage." Midnight continued.
"Well that's inconvenient." Himiko grumbled.
"No kidding." Ochako whispered in agreement.
"The points will be as follows. Forty-second place is worth five points and forty-first place is worth ten points, and so on." Midnight continued before she suddenly grinned viciously. "And first place is worth ten million points!" She exclaimed, shocking the contestants before they connected the dots. If they took out Izuku, then they would be in first place. They all looked at the Uchiha heir apparent with determined gazes, and they seemed to project a Genjutsu with their very wills that made their eyes glow red as their mouths all vanished.
'And there it is. The big challenge of being on top.' All Might thought with a sigh. The green haired teen activated his Mangekyou and glared back at them.
"Come. Step into my parlor." He challenged with an ominous chuckle. Everyone immediately averted their gazes, unwilling to look him in the eye.
"Izuku, I love you, really. But sometimes—you scare the crap out of me." Himiko said as the boy returned his eyes to normal.
"Yeah. Tone it down on the intimidation a bit, please." Ochako added in agreement.
"Sorry, girls." The Uchiha apologized as they turned back to Midnight.
"Now of course you're free to use your quirks however you wish, but there are still rules. First you can't leave your riders or touch the ground. Additionally, don't intentionally knock over another team or I'll slap you with a red card—you'll be disqualified!" She told them.
"Damn." Katsuki tsked, causing everyone to look at him and Himiko to elbow him in the ribs.
"With all that being said, you have fifteen minutes to get your teams together!" The R-rated heroine finished, prompting everyone to scatter in search of a team.
"Okay, it doesn't really matter what my teammates' points are since I have so many. Which means I just need to find people who will fit my power set…" Izuku noted to himself as he looked around. But saw that everyone was avoiding him. 'But everyone is avoiding me because of how many points I have!' He thought in worry.
"Hey, Izuku!" Came the voice of his brunette girlfriend as he turned to her. "I don't think you'll have a problem with us teaming up, right?" She asked despite knowing the answer. Izuku smiled as he gave her a peck on the lips.
"No I don't." He confirmed. "But please tell me you're not kidding, cuz everyone's been avoiding me and my ten million stupid points for the past five minutes." He added in a mild panic.
"It's okay, honey. I'm not kidding." The gravity gal chuckled as she calmed her shared boyfriend's nerves.
"Finally, you're all alone." A new voice said, prompting the couple to turn and see a pink haired girl decked out with serious gadgets. "Team up with me, person in first place!" She basically demanded.
"What the—?! Who the heck are you?!" Izuku gasped as he backed up from the girl who was uncomfortably close to him at the moment.
"I'm from the support close! Name's Mei Hatsume, and I want to use your fame to my advantage!" The girl said in an energetically frank tone.
'Whoa, she's straight forward.' Izuku noted mentally, more than a little surprised.
"With all those points of yours, the manufacturing companies will be watching you! If I team up with you, they'll be bound to notice my babies!" She rambled with a grin.
"Whoa, wait a sec. Did you actually bring babies here, or…?" Ochako tried to interject but was ignored.
"I brought all my babies with me, so you're bound to find something you'll like!" Mei stated as she brought out a case and opened it, revealing a large assortment of gadgets. "Like this one for example!" She added as she brought out a jetpack. "I based this off a certain hero you might know!" She continued, causing Izuku to perk up.
"Wait, you based that off the Buster Hero: Jet's jetpack?!" He gasped.
"Uh huh, I take it you know it?" Hatsume nodded.
"Yeah! I love that guy!" He nodded before his face became thoughtful.
"So, should we try asking Iida or Himiko next?" Ochako asked, before noticing Izuku's expression. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"I already tried asking them, but they decided to choose other teams." Izuku explained. "Plus, I don't think they'd suit the plan I had in mind." He added.
"Huh. I thought Himiko would jump at the chance to be on your team." The gravity gal blinked in slight surprise.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile with Katsuki, the blonde already had an idea for who he wanted as his teammates. "Hey." He said as he put his hand on Himiko and Sero's shoulders. "You two, join my team." He told them outright.
"Huh/What?" They both asked not in any particular order.
"Why us?" Himiko asked in confusion.
"Kirishima's already agreed to be my front horse. Not to mention—to me at least—this is a match Jinchuriki should stick together in." Katsuki stated.
"Okay… I guess that makes sense." The blonde shapeshifter nodded as she slid one of her craving gum strips into her mouth and started chewing—feeling a craving coming on after the adrenaline rush she got in the race.
"But how do I fit into this?" I'm not a Jinchuriki like you guys." Sero asked in confusion.
"Don't worry. I've got a solution to that." The explosion boy told him.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile back with Izuku, the boy finally figured out who he wanted as his last teammate, and went over to collect them.
"Join me." He said as he put a hand on the person's shoulder.
(Later)
"And after a fifteen minute window to choose teams, the game is finally ready to begin!" Mic called as everyone got into position, causing Aizawa to wake up.
"Hm… there are some unusual combinations down there." He noted, his gaze particularly focused on the combination of Katsuki, Kirishima, Himiko and Sero.
Izuku quickly tied on his headband and activated his Sharingan as Tokoyami summoned Dark Shadow up in front.
"Let's do this guys!" He told them, right as the game started and everyone started running towards them. "Alright, here they come!" He continued before making a few hand signs. "Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bullets!" He yelled as a large dragon mouth sprouted from the ground and started shooting stone bullets at everyone.
Everyone yelped and started doing what they could to evade the projectiles or block them, though the latter was an act of futility since the bullets just busted right through them.
"Cheap shot!" Tetsutetsu barked in irritation.
"Come on, guys! Let's fly!" Izuku exclaimed as Ochako removed the group's gravity, allowing Izuku to use the jetpack to fly them over everyone's heads.
"They can fly?!" Himiko gasped.
"Damn support course! Hey cat face! Do something about that will ya?" Katsuki barked.
"Cat face?!" The blonde gasped indignantly before sighing. "Ya know what? Whatever. Fire Style: Multi Fireball Jutsu!" She yelled as she shot several fireballs at the ones above them, only for them to be deflected by Dark Shadow.
"Damn!" The Pomeranian boy hissed.
"Sorry, not sorry!" The living quirk called at them as the group continued flying.
"Good work, Dark Shadow. Keep watching our blindspots." Tokoyami instructed.
"Got it." The shadow construct nodded as it looked around.
"Picking you was definitely a good idea, Tokoyami, Dark Shadow will definitely help us out a lot!" Izuku notes as they landed on the other side of the battlefield while everyone else was having a free for all.
"Well, you are the one who chose me." Tokoyami nodded. However, as they started getting their bearings, Shoji came out of nowhere with his arms outstretched and dupliarms folded over two other people, and suddenly—a long tongue and acid steam started shooting out of the gap of his arms.
"Acid Style: Corrosive Fog Jutsu!" Mina called as the cloud flew towards them and melted the ground while Izuku evaded Tsu's tongue.
"Shoji with Mina and Tsu?!" He gasped.
"No hard feelings, Midoriya! We just need that headband of yours!" Mina called.
"And thanks for getting my name right!" Tsuyu added.
"Alright, you wanna do it that way, fine!" He said as he closed his eyes before opening his right eye. "Amaterasu!" He intoned before Shoji suddenly found himself inside a ring of black flames.
"Damn!" He hissed as he was forced to stop. 'Gyuki, got anything that can help with at least getting past it?' He asked his tenant.
"Sorry, Shoji. I'm afraid I'm of no help against the flames of Amaterasu." The eight tails replied.
As this was going on, Class 1-A was losing points left and right, and no one could figure out why. At least until Katsuki suddenly got his headband stolen from Monoma from Class 1-B, someone Mina told him about.
"Oh fuckin' A. it's you." He scoffed as he looked at Monoma.
"Your Class is too narrow minded Bakugo, I don't see why you and your classmates went all out in the preliminaries—it just let us see all your moves beforehand." The blonde stated. "Our Class had a big picture plan in mind, we threw the first round to get a feel for everything and decided to upstage you guys one by one divide and conquer style." He continued. "I mean, there's no point in running after a temporary frontrunner like a horse with a carrot waving in his face—it's stupid." He added condescendingly. That caused the red eyed boy to growl.
"Kirishima, change in plans! We're gonna kill every single one of the B-listers!" He growled as Kurama's chakra seeped out of him ominously, causing his team to look at him warily.
"...Ya know what? Yeah, let's do it." Himiko nodded, her own eyes turning a dark determined color. "Because unlike these punks, I actually wanna win this thing." She added as she started sprouting Tails.
(Elsewhere)
Meanwhile back with Izuku and his team, he was now cut off from escaping by Shoto, who created two ice walls.
"Alright guys, we're gonna go into the air, get ready!" He told them. But Shoto had other ideas in mind.
Weaving a few hand signs, he acted quickly. "Secret Jutsu - Ice Style: Crystal Ice Mirrors!" He exclaimed before using his quirk to enhance the Jutsu's range. In moments, the two teams were trapped in a large dome of ice mirrors.
"Oh well that's just great." Mei griped as she looked around. "How are the manufacturing companies supposed to watch my babies now?" She complained.
"I'll be taking that headband now." Shoto said, ignoring Mei's complaining.
"I'm afraid not." Izuku shot back with a glare as he drew his war fan. "But fine, you wanna dance, Todoroki?" He continued, activating his Mangekyo Sharingan. "Then let's dance." He added as the two squared off.
Dragon Emperor0: Honestly, I'm just waiting for Izuku to eventually pull a Madara and start taunting his opponents and throwing shade at them like nobody's business. Or if he really wanted to follow in his ancestor's footsteps—he'd bite off a piece of Katsuki's flesh or swallow some of his blood and use it to get some of his Asura Chakra. Cuz we all know what happens when a Mangekyo Sharingan user gets ahold of both Indra and Asura's chakra.
ThermalsniperN7: Shit hits the fan. And it looks like Shoto has a few Jutsu of his own in the Ice Release category. Why does that Absolute Subzero Jutsu look familiar…?
Dragon Emperor0: Familiar? What're you talking about? It's a totally original Jut...su… Wait—*Experience's Godzilla Tokyo SOS flashback* Ohhh right, The Absolute Zero Cannon… Fuck you, Shoto.
ThermalsniperN7: Oh fuck all the way off! He recreated the cannon that gave the King himself a scar?! *Exasperated groan* Well, at least that's the only one that was mimicked. *Awkward silence* … I just invoked Murphy's Law, didn't I?
Dragon Emperor0: *Looks around* Well, Milo Murphy is nowhere to be seen so I wouldn't worry about it. Anyway guys, see you next time!