"The game itself will last 15 minutes. Individual point values will be added together to reach your team total," The female pro explained. "Everyone will know how much you're worth thanks to your headbands. Swipe as many headbands as you can to raise your team's score. Stolen headbands must be worn from the neck up. So the more you steal, the harder it'll be to manage them. And another thing...even if your headband gets stolen or your team falls down, you can keep playing until the time's up."

"It's anyone's game, then," Yaoyorozu mumbled as she glanced around.

Himari nodded, "And since there are 42 contestants, there'll be about ten or twelve teams fighting on the field the entire time."

"Sounds hard," Aoyama whimpered.

Mina nodded, "So, if you lose your headband at the beginning, you have more time to make up a plan."

"I don't know, Mina. Maybe we should wait and see how the teams turn out before we start strategizing," Asui noted.

"This is going to be rough," Midnight stated as she waved her flog around. "You may use your quirks as much as you like. But there are still rules! Make a team fall on purpose and I'll slap you with a red card. You'll be disqualified!"

Renji smirked when she heard a small annoyed huff come from behind her, obviously the rules put a damper on Bakugou's original plans.

"Now you've got 15 minutes to build your teams! I recommend you get started."

Purple eyes started to scan the crowd of students, but a sharp tug on her wrist sent Himari stumbling into a broad chest, "You're with me, dumbass. Don't even think about chickening out."

"Why are you assuming I'll just agree with you, Katsuki?" She glanced up at his burning gaze. "I'm sure I have other options." She turned her eyes to the left and he followed her to see Todoroki watching her intensely.

"Fuck...just please?"

She smirked at the light blush dusting his face, "Okay, blondie. But only because you asked nicely."

The pair paused when they felt multiple eyes on them and tensed when a swarm of their classmates surrounded them. Bakugou pulled Mari closer to his side as they watched Mina, Shoji, Hagakure, Aoyama, and Sero circle around them.

"You should team with me!"

"No, you definitely want me by your side."

"I don't want to beg, but please!"

Renji slightly pulled away from the group when she noticed Kirishima walking towards them, but stopped when she heard Katsuki's awkward reply, "Wait, remind me what your quirks are again. And your names."

"You're kidding!"

"We're your classmates!"

"Can you really be so self-centered?"

He looked pleading to his childhood friend, "Mari…"

She rolled her eyes and gestured to their classmates, "Ashido Mina: she can secrete acid from her body. Hagakure Toru: she's invisible. Aoyama Yuga: He has a navel laser. Sero Hanta: He can shoot tape from his elbows. Shoji Mezo: He has dupli-arms that can grow extra body parts."

"See! Renji knows everything about us!" Mina squealed. "At least she listens in class."

"Bakugou!" The ash-blonde turned to see Kirishima walking up to Himari's side. "I was gonna try Todoroki, but he already picked a group. So, hey! We should team up."

"Hey, shitty hair."

"My name is Kirishima!" The redhead groaned. "And my hair's not that different from yours. Come on. You wanna be the rider, right? So you're gonna need a strong front horse Who won't be hurt by your blasts. That'd be me." He proudly hardened his arm to show off his quirk.

"I need someone with guts," The hothead grudgingly admitted.

"My quirk was made for this!" Kirishima cheered. "I got you covered, man! Let's go charging into battle together. Ten million. Bring it."

Bakugou clasped his hand with Kirishima as they agreed to work together. Mari smiled at the two boys as she turned to Sero, "We're gonna need you too."

The boy raised his brow, "Me? Why Renji?"

"You can catch Katsuki if he jumps off us riders," She explained. "Making it near impossible to knock us over."

"Hey, you're right!" He muttered as he glanced at his elbows. "Alright, I'm in!"

"Alright, that makes you on the left and me on the right," She put together as their other classmates walked away to join other groups. "I hope you guys don't mind your feet being wet."

"Why would our feet be wet?" Kirishima asked.

"You're stupid, shitty hair," Bakugou grunted. "She controls water, so if your feet are wet she can move us anywhere around the field."

"Like rollerblades!" She added.

"Oh, so that's how you stayed at the front during the beginning of the obstacle course," Sero figured. "You're right. It will be hard to catch us if we all work together."

"And if we add all of our points together we'll have around 695 points," Renji noted. "So we have a good starting point. If we keep our own headband and steal a few others then advancing to the next round will be super easy."

"No way," Katsuki snapped. "We're going after Deku."

"But Katsuki, everyone will be after the ten million, Especially Todoroki," She pointed out. "It's smarter to avoid that mess and take from weaker groups."

"I can't let Deku be that far ahead," He insisted. "He's never won against me ever. And now, all of a sudden, he's some superstar. I can't have that."

She rolled her eyes," Fine. We can go after Izuchan. But, at least let us take some more headbands first. It will show how powerful we are if we take the most we can along with the ten million."

"Fine," He reluctantly agreed.

"Wow, I've never seen him cave so easily," Sero whispered to Kirishima.

"Renji's like a Bakugou whisperer," Kirishima responded.

"Shut the hell up you ASSHOLES!"

The boys laughed at the blonde's screaming while Himari just sighed at him. She glanced around again when she felt eyes burning into the back of her skull and noticed two teams of class 1-B students glaring at her and the boys. She noticed one team had both Tetsutetsu and Murasakino along with a boy with a blue and white bandana and another boy with sandy hair and sharp teeth like Kirishima. The other team consisted of the annoying blonde boy that she heard complain about her class earlier in the semester, two brunettes, and a boy with ink-black skin and pure white hair like her. Watching both teams she knew they would most likely be the ones on the prowl for class 1-A, most likely to knock them down a peg.

Hopefully, they would be smart enough to stay away from Bakugou. The last thing either of them would want to do would be to incur his anger.

A loud buzzer rang through the air as the timer came to a halt, signaling the time to pick teams was finished. Renji stood next to Sero and behind Kirishima as Kastuki climbed on top of them, gently setting his right leg over her shoulder and Kirishima's. They waited as volunteers walked around with the headbands for each group as they listened for Midnight's words.

"Oh, goody," The pro hero started as she watched the groups set up. "It's time to get this party started."

"Hey, hey, look alive!" Present Mic called over the speakers. "After 15 minutes to pick teammates and talk strategy, 12 cavalry teams are preparing to go head-to-head!"

"I see some unexpected student combinations," Aizawa muttered as he glanced down at the arena.

"Come on, everyone get your hands in the air!" It's time for an arena-thumping UA battle royale!" The voice hero cried. "Let me hear you scream!"

"You dumbasses ready?" Bakugou huffed as he tightened his headband.

"You know it!" Sero chimed.

Kirishima bounced happily, "This is going to be so manly!"

Renji smirked as she glanced at her teammates, "We're doing just fine, blondie."

"Let's get this party started! One final countdown before the game starts!"

The four teenagers readied themselves as they watched a large timer form on the screen above the small stage as they stood on the edge of the battlefield with the rest of the groups.

Himari felt her feet start to slowly vibrate.

"Three!"

Kirishima and Sero nodded at each other as they felt water seep into their shoes.

"Two!"

Bakugou glared at Midoriya's team from across the field.

"One!"

Another alarm blared and all of the teams shot off into the arena, many of them zeroing in on the ten million points sitting on top of the green-haired boy's head.

"It's basically one big battle for ten million points!"

"I'll be taking that headband, Midoriya!"

Renji watched Tokoyami shift as Uraraka and the girl from the support class tensed up. She jerked the water under her teammates and the boys watched in surprise as she moved them slightly further from Midoriya's team.

"What the hell, Mari?!"

"Look!"

Bakugou turned his gaze to see Deku's team flying up in the air, heading directly towards the area Mari was shooting them towards, "He's going to try to land in an open area. It'll be the easiest time to catch them off guard!"

A few other teams tried to grab the headband off of Izuku, but Tokoyami's Dark Shadow kept them off while they continued to evade the other teams. Mari let her side liquify slightly as she snatched a headband off of a small group from class 1-B, tossing the 200 point headband up to Bakugou. The teen gave her a smirk as he wrapped it around his neck and she let her side resolidify as they continued to chase after Izuku.

"Two minutes in and it's already a free-for-all! Yeah! Watch those headbands!" Present Mic warned. "You can even ignore the ten million points and go after the other chart-toppers!"

"Like hell I will!" Bakugou snapped as he watched Deku get cornered by more teams. He waited for the idiot to try to fly again before he made his move. He shot off as they took to the sky again, noticing how one of their propulsion boots had been broken. "Don't think for a second that you're safe. I've got you!"

"Tokoyami!"

He reached for the coveted headband, but jerked back as the shadow lunged at him. He shot explosions at the creature but snarled as it held strong, "What the hell is that?!"

"Whoa! It looks like Bakugou has been separated from his horses!" Present Mic screamed as the crowd cheered at the explosive hits.

The blonde grunted as something wrapped around his waist and ripped him back to the ground. He landed in Himari and Sero's arms with a groan and glared up at Deku as they flew further away.

"Nice catch!" Kirishima cried as Katsuki resituated himself on top.

"Is that even allowed?" The voice hero wondered.

"He never touched the ground," Midnight assured. "So technically it's okay."

"As suspected, everyone's after the first-place team, giving them no time to catch their breath. What a show this is! Now, who wants to take a look at each team's points so far? It's been seven minutes so let's get those rankings thrown up on the screen."

Mari spared a look to the screen as she continued to rush the group around other teams, avoiding swift hands that jerked towards her childhood friend. She frowned as she noticed a team she didn't recognize shoot up in the rankings. A sudden force slamming into her side jerked her body to a stop and she grasped Bakugou's leg tight when she felt him tilt to the side.

"Hold up here," Present Mic called as he too noticed the change. "This is an unexpected turn. Other than Midoriya, class 1-A's not doing so hot. Even Bakugou is losing!"

Purple eyes shot in front of her to see the same snarky blonde boy from class 1-B holding the two headbands her team had, sending their point value to zero, "Your class is too small-minded. Think bigger."

"He got us!"

"What did you say?!" Katsuki growled. "Come back here!"

"Midnight said the obstacle course was just the first game, and we figured they wouldn't cut that many of us right off the bat. Would they?" The teenager observed. "Assuming they'd keep at least 40 contestants for the next event, all we had to do was make sure we stayed within that group as we ran. From our spots in the middle ranks, we could fully observe the quirks our rivals had and judge their capabilities. Only a fool would obsess over winning the preliminary rounds, wouldn't you agree?"

Renji flinched as she felt her friend's rage grow at the other boy's condescending words.

"You planned this as a class?"

"It wasn't totally unanimous," The blonde admitted as he added their headbands to his large collection around his neck. "But I'd say it's playing out well."

"Hey, they're coming."

"It's better than chasing after a temporary frontrunner like a horse with a carrot waving in his face," The 1-B student said as he glanced over to Bakugou. "Shame you have to drag a pretty thing like her down with you." Himari bristled as the boy's grey eyes swept over her form and she felt Katsuki's arm wave over her face to cover her slightly. "Oh, while I have your attention. You're kinda famous, aren't you? For being attacked by that sludge villain. You'll have to tell me about it sometime. It must be strange to always find yourself in the role of the victim."

"Kirishima, we have a change of plans," Bakugou hissed. The redhead glanced back and gulped at the murderous expression on the explosive boy's face. "Before we take down Deku, we're gonna kill every last of these B-list idiots!"

"We've reached the halfway mark!" Present Mic announced. "As the cavalry battle enters its second half, it's anyone's game! Class 1-B has made an unexpected showing, but who will wear the ten million points in the end? That's the real question, sports fans!"

"Monoma, don't provoke him, man," One of the other 1-B boys whispered. "That's the kinda thing he would do."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," He agreed. "It's not very heroic of me. Besides, you know how these things work. Heroes are always being hounded by moronic villains desperate for some kind of revenge."

"Oh shit," Mari mumbled as she watched the boy dig himself a deeper hole.

"Calm down, Bakugou," Kirishima insisted. "You've got to keep a level head or we'll never get our points back!"

"SHUT UP! I've never been calmer," He screamed as he smashed his fists together. "Can't you tell? Now get after them, Kirishima!"

"Please, don't make us regret this," He begged as he started to lead the group onward. He nodded to Renji and she restarted her quirk, giving the redhead the extra boost in speed to steer them closer to the other team at a faster rate.

"You think you're tough?" Bakugou taunted as they rushed towards Monoma's group. "Die!"

Monoma turned slightly and avoided Katsuki's explosion, lightly tapping him on the shoulder as he flew by. The ash-blonde turned around, but was surprised by one of his own explosions blasting him in his face. Mari watched Monoma smirk at Bakugou's shocked face as he let small sparks off in his hand.

"Huh. Wow. I see why you like this quirk!" He taunted. He slapped Kirishima upside the head while Himari tried to pull them back slightly.

"My power!"

"Whoa, weird! That guy has your quirk!"

"He can copy quirks," Renji snapped as she saw Katsuki attack again, only for him to block with a copied version of Kirishima's quirk.

"Damnit!"

"You both have impressive powers. But I think you'll agree mine's better," He smugly stated. "Very smart, Renji right? I wonder what your quirk would feel like. I heard you let loose some massive power against those villains you fought."

"You'll have to touch me first," She noted. "And I'll make sure that won't happen."

Bakugou lunged again at the team, but a surge of glue sent Renji tugging him and the other buys back to avoid being caught in the trap.

"Nice one," Monoma called to his other classmates. "Thanks for the backup, Bondo."

"Monoma, if we keep those headbands, we're good," One of the brunettes called. "As long as no one gets near us, we'll make our class proud."

"Stop them!"

"I have to go around the glue, Katsuki," Himari replied. "We'll get trapped otherwise."

"Well hurry!" Sero hissed. "We're sitting at zero points now!"

She nodded her head and jerked them back and around the obstacle.

"Oh, no hard feelings right?" Monoma called. "After all, you provoked us. What was it you said in your little speech before the games? Uh...oh, right. Oof."

"Only one minute left!" Present Mic called out. "Todoroki has cornered the ten million point team and is poised to seize the ultimate prize!"

"Katsuki, get ready to go," Mari snapped as she pushed the water under them even faster, sending them flying towards Monoma's team.

"Losers! Get back here!"

The ash-blonde leapt from this teammate's shoulders and blasted towards the 1-B asshole, grunting when a barrier smashed into him. He glared at the brunette blowing air towards him, stopping him in his tracks.

The air user laughed, "You look pretty stupid fighting with air."

Katsuki smashed through the air and grasped tightly onto two of the headbands wrapped around Monoma's neck, ripping them off as Sero's tape latched onto him and pulled him back over to the waiting trio.

"Team Bakugou nabs two headbands and moves into third place!" Present Mic yelled as their placement moved on the screen. "The final moments of the game have been full of shakeups! Oh, to be young again!"

"I told you to warn us before you jumped!" Sero yelled as Bakugou returned to the group.

Kirishima shook his head, "Whatever, this means we're advancing."

"WE'RE NOT DONE!"

"Huh?" Sero gapped as The hothead slammed his hands into Kirishima's head.

"We're gonna be the indisputable champions of the game!" The rider claimed. "I couldn't brace myself earlier when I jumped. Get closer! We'll get our points back from this idiot then go for the big one!"

"I have an idea," Himari grunted as she continued to push them along. "But you need to time this with me perfectly, Katsuki."

"What is it?" Kirishima asked.

"If I push us towards them extremely fast, it will throw them off their guard and you can snatch the headband," She glanced up at her friend's red eyes and gave him a silent look. He glanced between the other team and her before he nodded his head.

"Do it!" Sero cheered.

Himari zeroed in on the three guys supporting Monoma as she sped up the water underneath herself and the boys. She jerked her right hand slightly and the class 1-B team stumbled just slightly as they raced towards them, giving her team the extra edge they needed.

"Elbow guy. Tape them!" Bakugou snapped as he watched them stumble due to Mari's quirk.

"My name's Sero!"

He launched his tape and latched onto the ground just ahead of the stalled team. The water underneath them grew in size and they zoomed over the ground as Bakugou used his blasts to propel them even quicker past the class 1-B team. He snatched the final headband off of Monoma's neck as he smashed through another wind-shield and Mari released her quirk on the three other boys, letting their legs straighten once more as her friend cheered above her.

"Now look at this," Aizawa's calm voice rang over the speakers. "Class 1-B's strategy was a reasonable one, but there's one thing they forgot to consider. They didn't take into account Bakugou's overwhelming tenacity."

Present Mic cheered at his fellow teacher's observation, "Bakugou is a merciless force! What a point hog! That was a shield break heard around the arena, and I can't wait to watch the replay!"

"Now we're going after Deku and the ten million!" With ten seconds left they raced towards the giant ice wall and Bakugou melted past the blockade as he launched off of the other three again. "DEKU!"

"Bakugou!"

"Katsuki!"

"Who's got the points?!"

"Uraraka now!"

"Yaoyorozu!"

"Dammit, icy-hot!"

Himari slammed her team to a halt to prevent them from crashing into the other two as Izuku's team whipped past Todoroki's, Midoriya aiming for one of the headbands on the dual-haired teen's neck while Dark Shadow suddenly lunged for the one on Todoroki's forehead.

"Time's up!"

Bakugou fell to the ground in disappointment, "Bakugou! Are you okay man?" Sero asked as the three of them ran to his side.

He slammed his fist on the ground in anger at his failure to claim the top stop.

"Now, let's take a look at who our top four teams are!" Present Mic declared. "In first place, Team Todoroki!"

"We ended in first place, but it was too close for comfort," Yaoyorozu grudgingly admitted.

"I'm sorry," Iida said. "I let everyone down, didn't I?"

The female shook her head, "That's not true, You're the reason we won. Thank goodness for that special move of yours."

"In second place, Team Bakugou!"

"Damn, we did really good," Renji muttered as she rubbed her sore hands. "But we were pretty close to first place."

"We're moving on, so it's all good," Sero assured.

"I don't think our leader would agree with you," Kirishima groaned. "Like at all."

Himari turned her gaze over to Katsuki and frowned as he sat on the ground and screamed in frustration. She walked over to his side and sat down next to him, slapping him upside the head.

"What the fuck?!"

"Relax," She whispered in his ear. "We made it to the final round. That's where you can take first place once and for all."

"I guess you're right, Mari," He grumbled while turning away from his white-haired friend.

"In third place is Tetsute...Wait, what? It's Team Shinso? When did they come back from the dead?"

"Thanks for all your help," The purple-haired boy called to the three others standing confused by him. Purple met purple as he eyed the petite girl he passed, keying in on her confused face at his advancement.

"And in fourth place is Team Midoriya!"

Mari looked away from the boy who Katsuki argued with two weeks ago to see Izuku bawling his eyes out at his team's luck. She offered her friend a thumbs up that he happily repeated back to her.

"These four valiant teams will move on to the final round! Now let's take an hour lunch break before we start the afternoon festivities! See ya soon!"

"Oh thank god," Sero gasped. "I am starved. Let's go grab some food."

"I'm down for that!" Kirishima cheered. "Renji, Bakugou! Come on you guys!"

The ash-blonde scoffed but moved to his feet, offering his hand for the girl still on the ground. She placed her hand in his as he pulled her to her feet and the pair silently followed after the two talkative boys. They walked slowly down the hall leading to the cafeteria, but a flash of movement caught Katsuki's eye. He grasped Mari's hand and pulled her down the hall, stopping by a small corner. She gave him an odd look, but glanced around the corner to see Todoroki glaring down Izuku.

"So you brought me here, now what?" Izuku asked. He twitched slightly as Todoroki continued to stare him down. "We should probably eat soon. The cafeteria's gonna be busy. Don't you think?"

"I was overwhelmed," Todoroki suddenly let out. "And it made me break the promise I made to myself a long time ago. Iida and Kaminari...Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami...Uraraka...None of them felt it. In that moment, I was the only one who could sense your true power. It reminded me of something...experiencing All Might's quirk."

"Oh, yeah? Okay…" Midoriya nervously mumbled. "Is that all?"

"I'm saying...the power coming from you felt the same as All Might's," Todoroki clarified. "Midoriya, tell me. Are you really All Might's secret love child or something?"

Himari slapped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from giggling. Izuku being All Might's kid? Ha!

"Well, are you?"

Izuku rapidly shook his head, "No, no way...that's not it at all. But I guess even if I was, I'd totally say I wasn't, so you probably won't believe me no matter what, I bet. Anyway, I promise you've got the wrong idea. And...why would you even think that about me?"

"'That's not it at all' is interesting wording," The dual-haired boy observed. "It suggests there is something between you two that you're not supposed to talk about."

"Uhh…"

The cold teenager sighed, "My father is the hero Endeavor. You must've heard of him. Which means you're aware he's the number two hero. So if you're connected to the number one hero, All Might, in some way...That would mean...that I have even more reason to beat you." He glared at the floor, "My old man is ambitious. He aims for the top. He used his power to make a name for himself as a hero. But he was never able to best All Might, so the Symbol of Peace is living proof of his failure. He's still at it, though, trying to take down All Might. One way or another."

Midoriya shuffled his feet, "I'm not really sure what you're getting at. What are you trying to tell me, Todoroki?"

"Have you ever heard of...quirk marriages?" The green-haired boy shook his head. "They became a problem in the first few generations after superpowers became widespread. There were those who sought out potential mates solely with the intention of creating powerful children. Many people were forced into relationships. They were simply viewed as old-fashioned arranged marriages. But, clearly, it was unethical. My father has not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought my mother's relatives to get his hands on her quirk. And now he's raising me to usurp All Might."

Mari gasped slightly as she reached for Katsuki's hand, wrapping her fingers with his as they continued to listen to their classmate pour his heart out.

"It's so annoying. I refuse to be a tool for that scumbag. In every memory of my mother...I only see her crying. I remember she called my left side unbearable, before she poured boiling water on my face."

The water user clenched her eyes shut at his words and sniffed as she felt Bakugou pull her closer to his body, wrapping his other arm around her back while he kept their hands entwined.

"The reason I picked a fight with you was to show my old man what I was capable of doing," He admitted to Midoriya. "Without having to rely on his damned fire quirk. You see, I'm going to show him that I reject his power, and I can take first place without using it." He eyed the plain-looking boy before he turned on his heel and walked out towards the cafeteria, "You're obviously connected to All Might. Even if you won't tell me about it. But no matter how fiercely you come at me in the future, I will defeat you using only my right side. I can assure you of that."

The pair hiding behind the corner relaxed slightly as they heard Midoriya rush after Todoroki. Ruby eyes glanced down at the girl tucked into his chest and Bakugou frowned at the tears streaming down Mari's face. He brought his hand from her back and wiped the dripping water off of her cheeks.

"Come on, crybaby. Let's go get you food."

She nodded her head as she felt Katsuki move her back down the hall to the main entrance, "Promise you'll never be like that."

"Huh?"

She looked up at her friend, "Promise me you won't throw the people you care about under your feet just to become the best."

He scoffed, "You're not a real hero if you have to break people to become powerful. I'm going to become the best because of my own skills, my own power. I'll fight for the top, but I promise I won't crush those under me."

"Good," She sighed. "I like being in one piece."

"You're not under me, dipshit," Himari furrowed her brows as she gave him a confused look. "You're gonna be standing right next to me as I take first place."

"Then I better make sure I keep up with you," She chimed as she pulled away from Katsuki, offering her friend a weak smile as they continued to walk with their hands still laced together.

"You better, Mari."