そんしてとくとる

Son shite toku toru

One step back, two steps forward

Quick Recap!:The Yuuei Sports Festival has begun! Class 1-A is under fire from all directions, with their spots in the heroics program on the line. But before the competition can start, Shouto Todoroki issues a challenge too Izuku Midoriya - he's going to win! Ichigo Kurosaki plans to drop out of the competition, however Izuku manages to convince her otherwise, putting their friendship in danger. Ichigo is determined to beat Izuku, and Todoroki and Bakugo aren't willing to be ignored either. In the first trial, Ichigo appears to be wiping away the competition, using her new training from Eraserhead himself. However, with a lucky punch towards the end, Izuku Midoriya manages to make first place! Now, it's time for the second trial, and Ichigo is determined to do better than before...

Midnight had once again taken her place on the stage, a large projection opening up behind her. From my place near the back of the crowd, I peered at the screen. It read everyone's names in order, from first to forty-second. My name was highlighted in third place. I scowled again at the reminder of my loss.

"The top forty-two have earned the right to advance!" Midnight announced loudly. "I'm sorry for the kids who failed, but take heart! This festival's showstopper is still being prepared!" She turned, pointing towards the projector, which was now displaying a familiar spinning list of activities. "Now then, onto today's heart-pounding second event! I already know what it will be, but the suspense is killing me…" I wrinkled my nose, confused as to how she could feel suspense if she already knew what was going to happen. "WHAT COULD IT BE!? Well, I'll tell you!" The screen settled on an activity. A "Human Cavalry Battle".

I shuddered. "Th-that's n-not good," I murmured, remembering my past experiences with the common playground game.

I could hear the other students start to mutter around me. "Human cavalry…!" Kaminari repeated in fear.

"That's not a game that works with individual players," Tsuyu Asui observed. "How will it work?"

Midnight answered her question, continuing to explain the second trial. "You can all form teams of two to four people, and create a horseback configuration! Basically it's the same rules as normal Human Cavalry Battle: swipe enemy riders' headbands and guard your own. With one exception…" Midnight paused, allowing tension to build. I felt my shoulders tighten reflexively, wondering what the difference would be. "Everyone will receive points based on their performance in the last trial!"

"That means that the point value of each human warhorse will be changed based on who's on it!" Someone called out from the front.

Midnight waved her riding crop at them, which struck me as very ironic, considering this activity. "DON'T SAY WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY BEFORE I CAN!" She lambasted the speaker furiously. "But yes, that's right! And the number of points you're worth will be 5 points if you placed 42nd, 10 if you placed 41st, and so on…" Midnighted smirked, suddenly pointing into the crowd. I followed her finger to see Izuku. "With the exception of 1st place, which is worth TEN MILLION POINTS!"

I bared my teeth in a mocking smile. Maybe it wasn't so bad that I hadn't gotten first place then. Izuku had just become the perfect bait and distraction. "Heh. Th-this'll b-be funny," I chuckled, feeling much less tired. "T-talk about an easy w-way t-to win!"

"If I were you, I'd aim for the guy who placed first!" Midnight suggested heavily. "This is the chance for the low to supplant the high! Welcome to our survival game!"

I covered my mouth to hide my giggles. She was purposely deluding them! Why aim for Izuku, when you could get all the people chasing him easier?

"Continuing on, the time limit is fifteen minutes," Midnight said, and my grin widened. This kept getting better and better. How perfect for my quirk's limits! "The point value of each group's headband is worth the accumulated total all the group's members. The one to wear the headband will be the horses rider! Until time is up, you'll all be fighting and stealing as many of each other's headbands as you can!" Midnight help up a headband for demonstration. "You may not wear the headband anywhere other than your neck! As more and more headbands are taken, maintaining control of the situation will become more and more demanding!"

I nodded slowly. "Th-the more h-headbands you get, th-the larger th-the t-target you become…" I was feeling more and more happy as this continued on. I hadn't done as well as I'd hoped in the last game, but this was another chance. In a game which became more difficult as it continued on, my quirk became invaluable, because it meant a complete restart for whatever team I was on. "G-great!"

Midnight still wasn't finished. "And the most important aspect of our human cavalry game, is that even when you lose your headband or crumble as a horse configuration, YOU'RE STILL NOT OUT OF THE GAME!" I frowned at that. This would make things much harder. Any group created would need an excellent defense and offense, because the game would slowly switch from being an attacker's playing field to a defender's. "Quirks are allowed, of course, so I want to see some fine brutality out there! That being said, this is still a game! Attack with the malicious intent of breaking another team up, and you'll be forced to sit out! You have fifteen minutes to decide your teams!"

I swallowed. I had fifteen minutes. I couldn't work with Izuku or any of my normal friends. And… I scanned the area around me. Most of my classmates - those who I might have considered working with anyways - had already worked out their own groups. Friends paired with friends, easily forming groups, and I got stuck with fewer options.

Then I recognized a familiar face, and I realized not all hope was lost.

I walked over to the boy with silver hair quietly, seeing that he didn't have a team yet either. "U-um, hello?" I started quietly.

"What?!" The boy growled, spinning around. His eyes narrowed on me. "Oh, you're from Class A. I don't-"

I cut him off. "Please d-don't judge m-me b-based off th-the actions of m-my c-classmates!" I bowed lowly, shutting my eyes and hoping he'd listen. "I d-do not know w-what t-trouble they've c-caused y-you, b-but I understand you w-want to f-fight B-Bakugo?"

The boy looked taken aback for a moment, eyeing me suspiciously. "Yeah, why?"

"H-he kind of w-wants m-me dead," I said sheepishly, straightening up and fidgeting with the sleeve of my jumpsuit. "S-so it's l-likely I'll b-be fighting him d-during th-this game and th-the next."

The boy seemed to contemplate this for a moment, before nodding. "Alright then," he held out his hand. "I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. Call me a cutesy nickname and we'll have a problem," he was brash and abrasive, but I could appreciate the sentiment.

I reached up and shook his hand. "M-my name is Ichigo Kurosaki, Tetsutetsu. I-I was in th-third p-place. I have a regenerative q-quirk, you?"

"I can turn my skin into iron," Tetsutetsu answered, demonstrating by turning the skin on his arm into shiny metal. "I can still move my body as well. And I was in eleventh."

I grinned. "That's perfect! D-do you kn-know of anyone in y-your c-class with l-long range d-defensive a-abilities?"

"Yeah," Tetsutetsu grunted. He glanced over his shoulder. "Oi, Shiozaki!" He shouted, waving his arm.

In a few moments, a girl with long hair made of vines separated from the mob of chattering students. She was tall, and had a solemn look on her face. I observed her walking towards us cautiously, trying to assess her personality.

She stopped in front of Tetsutetsu. "Do you need help?"

"Nah," Tetsutetsu said casually, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at me. "I'm teaming up with Kurosaki here, wanted to know if you were coming." I crossed my fingers behind my back, hoping this girl would say yes. I calculated that we'd already lost five minutes.

Shiozaki peered at me curiously. "You want to team up with a member of Class A?" She sounded slightly incredulous. I wasn't sure if Class A was that detestable to her, or if Tetsutetsu was that vocal about his dislike of my classmates.

I decided to repeat my apology anyways. I bowed, clutching the front of my pants anxiously. "I'm s-sorry f-for any upset m-my c-classmates have c-caused y-you! P-please d-don't reconsider joining th-the t-team because of m-me!" I stood up again, eyes hopeful.

"Oh," Shiozaki was staring at me with wide eyes. She blinked several times, before smiling gently. "I don't have any particular dislike of your class, Kurosaki. I was just surprised by Tetsutetsu's decision," she nodded firmly. "However, I'm certainly impressed by your humility. I would happily join this team. My quirk allows me to control these vines," she gestured to her hair. "And I was in fifth place."

I smiled cheerfully. "I c-can r-regenerate r-really quickly, and I can sh-share th-that ability. Your quirk is r-really cool!" This was going way better than I thought it would! Plus, Shiozaki was really nice, and Tetsutetsu wasn't near as mean as Bakugo. He was just a more aggressive version of Kirishima, not that I would ever tell Tetsutetsu that. He wouldn't take it well, I'd imagine. "So, f-for our b-battle plan…" I noticed something odd across the field.

The student who had challenged Bakugo, from General Ed, was talking to Ojiro. Ojiro appeared upset, starting to yell at the purple haired boy, before his jaw went slack and his eyes blanked. He froze up. The purple haired boy said something else, and Ojiro followed him back to a group of students in a similar state.

I pointed at the purple haired General Ed student triumphantly. "W-we n-need to t-talk to him!" I marched across the field determinedly, Shiozaki and Tetsutetsu trailing behind me in confusion. I weaved through the chaotic mass of students, eyes set on my target. As soon as I was close enough to be audible, I shouted, "H-hey, you!" The General Ed student turned around, looking surprised. "Y-yes, you! I w-wanted t-to talk to y-you!" I ran forward, skidding to a clumsy stop. "Is y-your quirk r-related t-to hypnosis?"

The boy stares at me silently for a moment. "Why?"

"I w-want you t-to join m-my t-team!" I requested, ignoring the purple haired boy's expression of shock. "A-and w-we already have th-three p-people, s-so I promise this isn't j-just b-because we need m-more members. I-I'm trying to f-form a defensive t-team, and if y-you can brainwash people," I gulped, hoping I wasn't making a mistake. "You'd m-make a great offense."

The General Ed student was stunned silent for a moment, before nodding consideringly. "Who's your team?"

"Sh-Shiozaki! Tetsutetsu!" I called, waving wildly. "P-please come here!" The pair of Class B students were over in moments. "Th-this is…" I looked to the purple haired boy expectantly.

"Hitoshi Shinsou," he filed in, still stunned by my request.

I nodded, grinning at him appreciatively. "R-right! This is Shinsou, h-his quirk is b-brainwashing. I'd l-like for him to join th-the team," I glanced at them inquiringly. "If th-that's alright with y-you guys?"

Shiozaki nodded immediately. "I have no problems," she looked to Tetsutetsu.

Tetsutetsu shook his head. "You're certainly something, Kurosaki. That's cool with me," he scanned the crowd of students around us, and snorted. "Y'know, we're the most varied group here. We've got a Class A student, Class B students, and a kid from General Ed," he gestured to the surrounding people. "Everyone else is sticking with their classmates."

I giggled, hiding my mouth behind my hands. "Th-thanks, Tetsutetsu," I said, turning to Shinsou. "If you w-would pl-please release my c-classmates? You w-won't need th-them a-anymore."

Shinsou shrugged, and in an instant whatever hold he had over the brainwashed students ended. The three students shook their heads, trying to clear their minds. Shinsou looked at me curiously. "You really aren't like the other heroics kids," he said appreciatively, like that was a compliment.

"I d-don't know about th-that," I responded, wrinkling my nose. "M-most of us aren't l-like Bakago, he's just a s-special case."

Tetsutetsu smirked. "Baka-go?"

I grinned, eyes shining with mirth. "Y-yes. B-because a knife all blade is just as u-useful as a s-stick." Tetsutetsu deciphered that comment, then busted out laughing. My grin brightened several watts, before I returned to being serious. "I-If you d-don't mind explaining y-your quirks a l-little m-more in depth, I c-can explain my g-general plan…"

The fifteen minutes having finally passed, I perched on the back of Tetsutetsu off to the side of the large rectangle drawn on the arena grass. At my left and right were Shinsou and Shiozaki, who were looking very determined themselves. Scanning the other teams, I realized we were one of the only groups to combine more than one class. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted Izuku on top of Tokoyami's back, with Uraraka and a pink haired girl behind him. I sent a peace sign towards Uraraka, hoping she got the message behind it: no hard feelings.

Izuku and his points weren't my target for this game anyhow. "Y-you guys remember the plan?"

"Yes, Kurosaki," Shiozaki answered seriously. Tetsutetsu nodded in agreement.

Shinsou looked up at me lazily. "It's a little hard to forget," he said.

"ALL RIGHT, HAVE YOU ALL FORMED YOUR LITTLE TEAMS!? YOU BETTER HAVE!" Present Mic howled over the intercom. I tapped the headband around my forehead anxiously. We had 605 points. "LET'S DO IT! LET'S START THE COUNTDOWN TO THIS VICIOUS CLASH! 3…! 2…!" I saw Bakugo and Todoroki across the arena, eyes focused on Izuku. "1…! START!"

We charged forwards, immediately stopping in front of Izuku, which clearly confused his team. "Sh-Shiozaki!" I shouted.

"On it," Shiozaki responded steadily, vines digging into the earth. The teams that had been trying to get Izuku from the start were easily repelled. A few tried to slice at the vines, but with my shared regeneration, the plants simply grew back, stronger and tougher than before. I could hear screams of frustration from the other side of the vines.

Shinsou tilted his head back, smirking cockily. "Looks like the ten thousand points are ours!" He hollered provocatively.

"YOU BASTARDS-!" The words were choked off midway, as Shinsou's quirk set in. Three headbands were thrown through the hole in Shiozaki's vines, and I snatched them up, slinging them around my neck.

I peeked down at Tetsutetsu. "Th-the heat isn't g-getting to you?" I asked concernedly.

"Not a bit!" Tetsutetsu answered confidently, skin fully metallic. "You're light as a feather as well!" I grinned. Tetsutetsu was the perfect horse for someone like me, who's temperature would slowly rise over the course of the game.

I looked over my shoulder at Izuku and his team, who were staring at us in astonishment. I repeated my gesture of a peace sign. "Th-thanks for b-being g-good bait!" I yelled cheerfully.

Izuku's eyes widened, easily reading my plan. He narrowed his eyes at me. "A temporary collaboration?" He challenged.

I scanned the team and their equipment. "Heh, you c-can't hang out h-here for long! Y-you're built for m-mobility, w-we're stationary. Bakugo and T-Todoroki w-will show up s-soon. B-but if you g-get t-too many tagalongs, feel f-free to come b-back!"

Izuku nodded, eyes bright. "Thank you, Ichigo!" he shouted, as the strange boots Ochako and the pink haired girl were wearing fired up. They rose off the ground quickly, taking off into the sky.

My smile softened at those words. I wasn't willing to forget what Izuku had done, but maybe I could forgive him. Eventually. I looked down at Shiozaki, who was creating a living barrier to surround our team from all sides. "Are y-you having any t-trouble with growing y-your vines?" I questioned.

"None," Shiozaki said solemnly. "Your quirk is most effective when paired with mine, Kurosaki. Your plan works excellently," as she spoke, she batted away another team. Shinsou, recognizing their frustration, yelled out another antagonistic comment, and soon enough I was looping another headband around my neck.

Tetsutetsu smirked. "It's like taking candy from a baby!" He laughed triumphantly, clearly high on adrenaline. All of us were, because even Shiozaki and Shinsou had started smiling.

I giggled. "P-pretty much," I agreed, glancing down at Shinsou. "H-having fun yet?" I egged.

"Sure," Shinsou agreed, sounding very amused. I smiled, happy that the boy who had seemed far too bitter and lonely was taking enjoyment from this task. It was a game, after all.

I looked up to the scoreboard. Izuku was still firmly i first place, but right under him was Team Kurosaki, with 1,685 points. Team Bakugo was a line over, with no points. I pointed up at the scoreboard ecstatically. "L-look at Bakago's T-team!" I gasped, barely able to get the words out between cackles. Tetsutetsu was in a similar state, dying from laughter. "H-how did th-that h-happen?" I wondered aloud, trying to regain the ability to breathe.

Shiozaki pointed with her unoccupied hand at the team below ours on the scoreboard. "It appears Monoma is doing well," she observed.

"G-give him a m-medal f-for me," I begged, clutching my sides. My chest hurt, and my eyes were watering. "H-he deserves one." The conversation ended there, as more teams threw themselves against Shiozaki's walls futilely.

Unfortunately, the points were quickly stolen back, and Bakugo's team was allocated to third place. I frowned at that, saddened by Bakugo's return to glory, but then I heard Present Mic's commentary start up again. Team Todoroki had cornered Team Midoriya! I didn't really want to help Izuku, however I remembered during the last trial, that final trip when I might've made it…

"G-guys, we have p-plenty of b-bands n-now," I said. "W-why don't we go f-for first?"

Tetsutetsu grinned viciously. "I'm all in."

"That sounds agreeable," Shiozaki added.

"If we're gonna go for it," Shinsou chipped in. "Then let's get out of here."

I smiled. "Okay th-then, let's go!" Shiozaki, j-just throw us t-towards th-that ice over there!" I ordered, pointing towards the ice. The walls around us collapsed, sinking into the ground, and then a humongous mass of vines surged upwards from below our feet. And then we were flying, tossed upwards. Shiozaki quickly shrunk her vines, lessening our weight. I waited for the perfect moment, seeing Todoroki's team rapidly growing closer to Izuku's… "Tetsutetsu, now!" I barked. Tetsutetsu, having originally deactivated his quirk to decrease our weight, returned to his metallic state.

We plummeted like rocks, and my eyes watered from the air rushing by. I was sure I had left my stomach somewhere up above, but the feeling of falling was thrilling. I barely had time to spread my regeneration to Shinsou before we slammed into the ground, right in front of Izuku's team.

The cloud of dust resulting from that crash blocked my view of Todoroki's team, but with thirty seconds on the clock, that didn't matter.

"One m-more time!" I called, and Shiozaki's vines instantly resurged, building a wall between Todoroki's team and mine. Standing on Tetsutetsu's shoulders, I met Izuku's eyes. "N-no hard feelings, right?" I repeated, before jumping forwards. I kicked out my legs, preparing to land, and was immediately batted away by Tokoyami's shadow quirk. I rebounded off of Tetsutetsu's back, flipping and readying myself to push off again.

"TEN... ! NINE…!" I heard Present Mic countdown over the intercom.

I was easily slammed away by dark shadow, and the wind was knocked out of me. My hands barely managed to grasp Shinsou's shoulders, using the tall boy to orient my turn towards Tetsutetsu. Tokoyami had me fully blocked, but I wasn't the main attacker. Izuku was an excellent planner in battle, but he was single minded.

This time, I landed on Tetsutetu's shoulders in a sitting position, snatching the ten million headband from Shiozaki's waiting hand. "S-sorry, Izuku!" I apologized, looking over my shoulder. "B-but I am t-taking this - woah!" I leaned back, arms snapping up to block my head as the shadow lunged forwards, snapping towards my neck. It snatched several of the headbands, before retreating.

"THREE…! TWO…! ONE…!" Present Mic roared.

Bakugo came flying over the wall of vines, all alone, hands reaching for my head. I gasped, scrambling for a way to counter his attack on my own, knowing Shiozaki was occupied with detaining Todoroki's team-

"TIME'S UP!" Present Mic finished anticlimactically. Bakugo plummeted out of the air, hissing and spitting with fury. Shiozaki dropped her wall, and I looked over to see the other teams looking towards us angrily. However nothing beat Izuku's wide eyes, and reading the numbers on the bands he'd stolen last second, I knew that I'd won. "NOW SHALL WE SEE WHO THE TOP FOUR ARE!?" Present Mic cheered.

I gave Izuku a peace sign. "Sorry! I s-switched th-them when I p-put them on," I told him, grinning cheekily. I had expected Tokoyami to try and use his quirks mobility to snatch the headband back, so I hid the ten-thousand points at the bottom of the pile of headbands.

"In first place, it's TEAM KUROSAKI!" I grinned, exhilarated. We had won! I stood up on Tetsutetsu shoulders, placed my hands on his head, and raised myself into the air on one arm.

I grinned at Shinsou and Shiozaki from my upside down position. "W-we won!" I celebrated, the glory of victory pumping through my veins. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. Shinsou was chuckling, swept away in the tide of winning as well, and I could hear Shiozaki giggle.

"In second place, TEAM BAKUGO! In third place, TEAM TODOROKI! And in fourth place, TEAM MIDORIYA!" Present Mic listed off, and the entire stadium bursted into cheers and clapping.

I flipped down, smile big enough to split my face. "We w-won!" I repeated, deliriously happy.

Tetsutetsu grinned back, extending his fist. "Consider yourself a badass, Kurosaki!" He congratulated. I reached out and bumped my fist against his.

"I'm s-so happy right n-now!" I chirped, practically vibrating with happiness. In that moment, I didn't care that Bakugo was angry, or that Todoroki was glaring at me hatefully. I had won. Despite the fact that even I hadn't thought I would. "YES!" I cheered, executing a series of flips, cartwheels, and other acrobatic maneuvers to emphasize the gloriously happy moment.

I had won!

When Ichigo says, "Because a knife all blade is as useful as a stick," she's making fun of Bakugo's personality. The original quote is "A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it." Ichigo is inferring that Bakugo's inflammatory behavior is both damaging to himself and those around him. She's calling him a loose cannon, or worse than useless.